Nisekoi: Bouquet

I read Nisekoi: False Love, Vol. 11

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: SUPERMAN #41

SUPERMAN #41
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Gene Luen Yang
PENCILS: John Romita, Jr.
INKS: Klaus Janson
COLORS: Dean White
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
COVER: John Romita, Jr. and Klaus Janson with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVER: Karl Kerschl (Joker 75th anniversary cover)
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “T” for “Teen”

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

“Before Truth” Part 1

DC Comics' new-look slash new-direction, “DCYou,” not only means the launch of new comic book series, but it also means a change for ongoing titles.  One of those titles taking on a new direction is Superman, featuring the debut of acclaimed graphic novelist, Gene Luen Yang, as the series' new regular writer.  The art team of Superman remains the same as it has been for the last year:  John Romita, Jr. (pencils) and Klaus Janson (inks), with colorist Dean White and letterer Rob Leigh.

Superman #41 (“Before Truth” Part 1) opens with a tease of what is to come for Superman.  The story returns to the “present” with Clark Kent still dealing with the changes in his Superman powers and abilities.  Something else that is new in Kent's life is unknown figures who sends mysterious text messages that offer tips about the kind of illegal activities that Superman fights.

One tip guides Kent and Jimmy Olsen, who now knows that Clark is Superman, to the underground factory of a black market, hi-teach weapons dealer.  It is indeed a hot and accurate tip, but what are the real motives of this “unknown source?”  And how does it affect Superman's future?

Although I am aware of Gene Luen Yang's work, I have never read any of it.  I was curious about how he would approach Superman, but I expected only a minor change in tone.  Boy, was I wrong.  Everything about Superman #41 seems fresh and, in some instances, new.  This is a Superman that looks forward, with hope and possibility and ready for whatever comes with change.  I think that Superman has always been about tomorrow, about hope, and about the new.  The character grows moribund when the status quo takes hold for years at a time.

In fact, I think that Yang is a better Superman writer for John Romita, Jr.  Previous Superman writer, Geoff Johns, played to Romita's ability to summon the spirit of Jack Kirby in creating king-sized brawls between super-powered beings.  Yang plays to Romita's strengths as a storyteller who is both inventive and imaginative, also to his ability to change mood, tone, and atmosphere within a single chapter.  So this new direction for Superman is about both Gene Luen Yang and John Romita, Jr.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

Tiger & Bunny: Boss Ouroboros

I read Tiger & Bunny, Vol. 7

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: FARLAINE THE GOBLIN, Trade Paperback Volume 1

FARLAINE THE GOBLIN, VOL. 1
STUDIO FARLAINE – @TreeGoblin

CARTOONIST: Anonymous
MISC. ART: Jean-Francois Beaulieu; Darrenn E. Canton; Jason May; Jyrki Vainio
ISBN:  978-0-9890058-3-8; paperback (August 2014)
136pp, B&W with some color; $13.00 U.S.

Farlaine the Goblin is a series of graphic novels written and drawn by Anonymous, a cartoonist also credited as “J.”  I think his name is Jean-Francois Beaulieu (which seems obvious to me, at least).  Studio Farlaine recently published Farlaine the Goblin, Book 4, which is available in comic book shops via Diamond Distributors.

J. sent me a review copy of Farlaine the Goblin, Trade Paperback, Volume 1.  This paperback (landscape dimensions 11.8” x 7.75”) reprints Farlaine the Goblin: Book 1 (The Tinklands); Book 2 (The Saltlands); and Book 3 (The Racelands).  It also includes bonus material, such as development art and early Farlaine comics, and a prequel adventure, “The Tinderlands.”

The series focuses on Farlaine the Goblin.  He is a tree goblin and a shaman from the forest of Fin-Din.  He has spent many years wandering the many Oddlands of Wug in search of a forest that he can call his own.  His companion is Ehrenwort, a tree he carries in a sack on his back; Farlaine also talks to Ehrenwort, whom he describes as his “Verdan.”

As Book 1: The Tinklands begins, Farlaine only has 10 lands left in which he can search for his own forest.  When he encounters a group of aggressive rotund robots, the Tinks, Farlaine finds himself on the run.  In Book 2: The Saltlands, Farlaine meets people made of salt and discovers that they are so desperate for shelter that they have tricked someone into seemingly permanent indentured servitude.  In Book 3: The Racelands, Farlaine may have found his forest, but he will have to race for it.

Apparently, Anonymous is self-publishing his Farlaine the Goblin series because he could not find a publisher to take on the series.  That is surprising considering all the publishers that claim to want to publish graphic novels for young readers.

Farlaine the Goblin is an imaginative series that mixes fantasy with situation comedy.  It is appropriate for young readers, but does not condescend to young readers, nor does it seek to be safe.  The stories are active and action-oriented without being explicitly or aggressively violent.  Don't be put off, you grown folks; Farlaine the Goblin will captivate both teen and adult readers.

Anonymous is a talented cartoonist who is quite skilled at producing black and white comics, and his color art has a quality similar to children's picture books.  His stories present obstacles and dilemmas that are honest and genuine with sensible and imaginative resolutions.  I expect this series to improve in terms of story and art with each volume, as the cartoonist seems like the kind of artist who is always growing, just like Farlaine grows trees.

facebook.com/FarlianeTheGoblin

A-

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

World Trigger: Repel Thy Neighbor!

I read World Trigger, Vol. 6

I posted a review at the ComicBookBin.  Follow me on Twitter and Tumblr or at Grumble.  Support me on Patreon.

Review: THE OMEGA MEN #1

THE OMEGA MEN #1
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: Tom King
ART: Barnaby Bagenda
COLORS: Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
COVER: Trevor Hutchinson
VARIANT COVER: Toby Cypress
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (August 2015)

Rated “T+” for “Teen Plus”

The Omega Men created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton

The Omega Men are a team of extraterrestrial superheroes that have appeared in various DC Comics comic book titles.  The team first appeared in Green Lantern #141 (cover dated: June 1981), and were created by Marv Wolfman and Joe Staton.

Fans who remember The Omega Men comic book series from the mid-1980s probably remember it as the series in which Lobo debuted.  Now, the “DCYou” brings the team back in the new comic book series, The Omega Men.  It is written by Tom King, drawn by Barnaby Bagenda, colored by Romulo Fajardo, Jr., and lettered by Pat Brosseau.

The Omega Men #1 opens in the Vega System on Planet Ogyptu, the scene of an impending fight between law enforcement and the Omega Men.  You see, the Omega Men murdered White Lantern Kyle Rayner, and the universe wants them to pay for that crime.  Ti-Gorr (Toghurrhu)seems to be the most wanted, but he is ready to fight back, as are Broot (Charis-Nar), Scrapps, Doc (Med-Ro model-141D), and even Primus (Pren NuParr).  The question becomes, “What is the real story behind these wanted, intergalactic criminals' actions?

With the surprise... really... shocking success of Disney/Marvel's 2014 film, Guardians of the Galaxy, it was probably a no-brainer on DC Comics' part to revive the intergalactic mercenary slash superhero team, the Omega Men.  There is a retro feel to this new series that suggests space opera and sci-fi/fantasy adventure from the 1970s and 1980s.  Think Heavy Metal (the magazine and the film), Star Wars, Dreadstar, Epic Magazine, etc.

Even the coloring by Romulo Fajardo, Jr., over Barnaby Bagenda's compositions, seems like the painted science fiction comics of the 1980s.  At least, writer Tom King offers an easy-to-digest story, and he ends this first chapter in a way that teases the reader into thinking about trying the second issue.  This first issue is indeed a tease; it is barely an entire first chapter, but it does intrigue.

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux


The text is copyright © 2015 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 14, 2015

DC COMICS

AUG150230     BAT MITE #5     $2.99
AUG150225     BATMAN #45     $3.99
AUG150157     BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #2     $2.99
AUG150217     BATMAN SUPERMAN #25     $3.99
JUN150299     BATMAN YEAR 100 DLX ED HC     $29.99
AUG150232     CATWOMAN #45     $2.99
JUN150319     COFFIN HILL TP VOL 03 (MR)     $14.99
AUG150183     CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER #5     $2.99
JUL150295     CONVERGENCE CRISIS TP BOOK 01     $19.99
JUL150297     CONVERGENCE CRISIS TP BOOK 02     $19.99
AUG150188     DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS #3     $3.99
AUG150187     EARTH 2 SOCIETY #5     $2.99
AUG150289     FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US #10 (MR)     $3.99
JUN150305     GRAPHIC INK THE DC COMICS ART OF DARWYN COOKE HC     $39.99
MAY150241     GREEN LANTERN A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS HC     $39.99
AUG150240     HARLEY QUINN #21     $3.99
JUL150200     JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #4     $3.99
AUG150176     JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #14     $3.99
AUG150258     MAD MAGAZINE #536     $5.99
JUL150317     MORTAL KOMBAT X TP VOL 02 (MR)     $14.99
AUG150204     RED HOOD ARSENAL #5     $2.99
AUG158645     SCOOBY DOO TEAM UP #12 2ND PTG     $2.99
AUG150256     SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #62     $2.99
JUL150320     SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN TP VOL 02     $14.99
AUG150206     STARFIRE #5     $2.99
AUG150160     SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #1     $3.99
AUG150282     TWILIGHT CHILDREN #1 (MR)     $4.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES

APR150333     ARROW TV FELICITY SMOAK AF     $24.95
JUN150336     BATMAN ANIMATED BAS BATMAN AF     $24.95
JUN150338     BATMAN ANIMATED BAS RIDDLER AF     $24.95
JUN150337     BATMAN ANIMATED NBA BATGIRL AF     $24.95
APR150357     BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE JOKER BY BERMEJO 2ND ED     $79.95
APR150340     BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE SCARECROW BY DANDA     $79.95
APR150347     DC COMICS CONSTANTINE STATUE     $124.95
APR150343     WONDER WOMAN ART OF WAR STATUE BY JILL THOMPSON     $79.95