Saturday, August 31, 2019

I Reads You Juniors August 2019 - Update #93

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From ComicBook:  Here is a guide to Marvel "Moon Knight" character for new readers.

From Newsarama:  Here is a preview of Jim Lee's "Supergirl" pages in "Legion of Super-Heroes: Millennium."

From Newsarama:  Coming on the heels of the announcement that "Black Knight" will appear in the 2020 film, "Eternals," Marvel is apparently a big 2020 for the character.

From Fandango:  Andy Muschetti, director of "IT," says that he is the new director of Warner Bros. DC Comics' planned "Flash" film.

From Deadline:  Hulu has ordered a full season of "Woke," an animation/live-action comedy based on the life of cartoonist Keith Knight.  Knight is best known for his comic strips, particularly "The K Chronicles."

From Newsarama:  Longtime DC Comics staffer, Tom Pattison, at the age of 64.  Pattison, who worked for DC from 1984 to 2011, worked in the division that dealt with royalty and participation payments.

From Newsarama:  Tomorrow, Wed., Aug. 28th sees the release of a new trailer for Todd Phillips' "The Joker."

From Newsarama:  At Disney's annual D23 Expo, Marvel Studios announces Moon Knight, She-Hulk, and Ms. Marvel TV series for Disney+.

From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics" "Ms. Marvel Vol. 9: Teenage Wasteland" has won one of 13 American Book Awards - and is the only comic book to receive the honor this year.

From BleedingCool:  Bryan Talbot will begin a third volume of "Luther Arkwright" graphic novel in 2022.

From ComicArtsFestival:  In an interview, Garth Ennis announces two new Punisher-related miniseries.  One is "The Punisher: Soviet" and the other "The Punisher: Get Fury," which also features Nick Fury.

From THR:  Frank Miller has film production company, "Frank Miller Ink."  Silenn Thomas has been named CEO.

From THR:  Spider-Man is apparently out of the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Disney and Sony could not come to an agreement over a devision of revenue in future films.  Marvel Studios President Kevin Feige will no longer produce Spider-Man films, for the time being.

From Newsarama:   The Jack Kirby Museum & Research Center is planning a walking tour of the historical places in the late Jack Kirby's life in celebration of what would have been his 102nd birthday.  The date is August 28, 2019.

From Newsarama:  The late comic book creator, Darwyn Cooke, is being considered for having a street named after him.  Cooke, who died in 2016, was born in Toronto in 1962.

From ShadowandAct:  The 2004-05 comic book series, "Cannon Busters" which features Black/African-American characters, is now an American anime series on Netflix.

UPDATE - From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics' "Captain Justice and the J-Team" is apparently a teen superhero group as revealed via a video.

From Newsarama:  "Krypton" showrunner Cameron Welsh says the show, which Syfy recently cancelled, is too expensive for Syfy.

From BleedingCool:  "Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse" and "Monstress" are among the winners at the 2019 Hugo Awards, which were announced at the 2019 World Science Fiction Convention in Dublin, Ireland.  The Hugo Awards are considered to be the premiere awards for science fiction and fantasy literature.

From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics teases the arrival of "Captain Justice and the J-Team."

From THR:  Director Chad Stahelski ("John Wick") is helming action-oriented reshoots on the Warner Bros.' DC Comics' film, "Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of one Harley Quinn)."

From Newsarama:  Cartoonist and comics creator, Art Spiegelman, is best known for his Pulitzer Prize winning comics/graphic novel, "Maus."  He had contributed an essay to British publisher, Folio Society's "The Golden Age of Marvel Comics 1939-1949," but his reference in the essay to President Trump was deemed too political.  So Spiegelman say he withdrew it.

From Deadline:  Syfy has cancelled its Superman universe TV series, "Krypton" with the recent Season Two finale being the series finale.  Syfy is also passing on developing the planned "Lobo" spinoff series.

From BleedingCool:  Those DC Comics 100-Page Giants will be relaunched.  They will no longer be exclusive to Wal-Mart or to Target.  But the Wal-Mart and Target versions will have exclusive covers and will arrive "a couple of weeks" before they hit comic book stores.  The amount of original content will increase from 24 to 36 pages.

From Newsarama:   The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earth" infinite will loom throughout the entire season of the upcoming Season 6 of "Flash."

From Newsarama:  In October (2019), The Visual Effects Society (VES) will induct Stan Lee into the VES Hall of Fame, along with Walt Disney and Stanley Kubrick.

From Newsarama:  The Harvey Awards have announced the nominees for the 2019 edition of the awards.  The winners will be announced October 4th during New York Comic Con.

From Newsarama:  Marvel New Media and podcast service, Stiticher, will present a podcast adaptation of the classic Marvel miniseries, Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross' "Marvels."  Rapper-actor, Clifford "Method Man" Smith, will be one of the podcast actors.

From BleedingCool:  For his new comic book company, Terrific Productions Inc., Andrew Rev is desparately chasing celebrity and "superstar" comic book creators to work for him.  How'd that work out for Virgin Comics?

From BleedingCool:  Joe Madureira has a history of not keeping the promises he makes to his fans and customers.  The latest letdown is that the "Battle Chaster Anthology" trade paperback (due in September) will have fewer pages than the promised 344 because the "never-before-seen sketches," "new artwork," and the "fold-out poster" are being dropped.

From Newsarama:  Fox's "New Mutants" film is also in trouble with its new owner, Disney.

From Newsarama:  Disney has cancelled the "Lumberjanes" films, based on the comic book, that Fox had planned before Disney bought the studio.

From Deadline:  TV series mastermind, Noah Hawley, says that his movie based on Marvel Comics' "Doctor Doom" is likely not going to happen.  It was one of the projects 20th Century Fox greenlit before Disney bought the studio.

From Newsarama:  Robert Kirkman's imprint, Skybound, has signed a first look deal with with Audible to produce audio content based on Skybound properties.

From THR:  Comic book artist, Alitha E. Martinez, talks about the first issue, "Omni."  It is the latest release from H1, the shared superhero universe from indie publisher Humanoids.  Created with writer Devin Grayson, "Omni" focuses on a doctor with the ability to think at superspeed.

From Deadline:  Jeph Loeb, executive vice-president of Marvel TV, talks to Deadline about future TV series from the television arm of Marvel Entertainment.

From ANN:  Police in Fukuoka, Japan arrested 37-year-old Wataru Adachi on suspicion of uploading unauthorized images from Eiichiro Oda's One Piece manga to the Japanese manga piracy website "Mangamura" in May 2017.

From Newsarama:  Greg Capullo signs a new contract with DC Comics and promises more event comics.

From BleedingCool:  No, Chris Claremont has not written a lot of X-Men stories lately.  His last ongoing series was "Nightcrawler" (2014-15).

From YahooEntertainment:  Tiffany Haddish would like to play Wonder Woman's sister, Nubia (originally debuted in Wonder Woman #204).  The character is no longer portrayed as Wonder Woman's sister.

MEMORIAM - From Newsarama:  The long-time comic book artist and editor, Ernie Colon, has died at the age of 88.  Colon co-created the DC Comics' characters, "Arak, Son of Thunder" and "Amethyst Princess of Gemworld" in the 1980s.   He began his career with Harvey Comics (drawing "Richie Rich"), Gold Key (drawing "Solar, Man of Atom"), and Warren Publications (contributing to "Vampirella," "Creepy," and "Eerie").  For Marvel, he co-created the comic book, "Damage Control," with the late Dwayne McDuffie.

From THR:  Jim Lee thinks DC Comics needs to reinvent or respond to the flat digital comics market.

From BRNow:  The PTC (Parents Television Council) has issued a study stating that TV shows based on "children's comics" contain "rampant gore, obsenity."  "Arrow" and "Riverdale" are amongst the offenders according to the PTC.

From BecauseofThemWeCan:  Artist Bart Cooper reimainges famous Black women as superheroes, like Harriet Tubman as Superman.

From ETOnline:  Oscar-winning director Guillermo del Toro explains why he will never make another comic book movie.

From Newsarama:  "The Resistance" a teen superhero comic book from writer J. Michael Strazcynski and artist Mike Deodato, Jr., will launch publisher Artists, Writers and Artisan's shared universe.

From Newsarama:  Direct Market comic books sales for July 2019 are a little better than they were for July 2018.

From BleedingCool:  Star comic book artist Mike Deodato, Jr. is moving to former Marvel Comics' publisher, Bill Jemas' comics start-up, Artists, Writers and Artisans.

From ICv2:  Part 1 of a two-part interview with DC Comics co-publishers, Jim Lee and Dan Didio.
From ICv2:  Part 2

From Newsarama:  The estate of the late Stan Lee is looking to sever ties with the owner of Lee's former company, POW! Entertainment.

From Marvel:  Nadia Pym/Van Dyne - "The Unstoppable Wasp" will return in 2020 via a young adult novel written by Sam Maggs.

From YahooFinance:  The X-Men movie, "Dark Phoenix," was a box office bomb that hurt Disney's third quarter earnings.

From BleedingCool:  The site talks to Andrew Rev about his plans to revive classic 80's comic book series, "Elementals," and also to publish new "Youngblood" comics.

From Variety:  Viacom has entered into an agreement with Jim Davis, the creator of the long-running comic strip, "Garfield," to purchase, Paws, Inc.  This is the entity that holds all global intellectual property rights to both “Garfield” and “U.S. Acres,” another Davis comics strip creation.  The deal will close in the next few weeks, although financial terms have not been disclosed.  "Garfield" will join the Nickelodeon portfolio.  David will continue to produce the comic strip.

From Newsarama:  It is official.  DC Comics has hired Jonah Weiland as its new "Vice President of Marketing & Creative Services."  Weiland was the founder of "Comic Book Resources," now known as "CBR."

MEMORIAM - From YahooEntertainment:  American novelist and Nobel laureate Toni Morrison has died at the age of 88, Monday, August 5, 2019.  Among her best known novels were "Beloved" (1987, the 1988 Pulitzer Prize winner) and "Song of Solomon (1977).  In 1993, Morrison was awarded the "Nobel Prize for Literature."

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics has produced a commercial to promote "House of X" and "Powers of X."  This article includes the video.

From Newsarama:  DC Comics promotes Marie Javins to Executive Editor of New Publishing Initiatives.

From Newsarama:  Beloved Batman voice actor, Kevin Conroy ("Batman: The Animated Series"), will actually play Batman in The CW's "Crisis on Infinite Earths" crossover of its superhero TV series.

From KansasCityStar:  Comic book writer Jai Nitz has been banned from the University of Kansas after being accused of sexual assault.

From ComicBook:  "My Hero Academia" celebrates its 5th anniversary with a music video.

From Vox:  Site says that "House of X" makes the X-Men great again.

From ComingSoon:  CBS All-Access' "Star Trek: Picard" will have a prequel novel and comic book series.

From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment and Andrew Rev are fighting over the trademark for the term "The Elementals."

From BleedingCool:  It's Alive has begun a crowdfunding campaign to raise funds for its color publications of "Breathers," which was originally published as a black and white mini-comics.

From Collider:  In a video interview at Comic-Con 2019, DC Comics co-publisher Dan DiDio talks about DC Comics' future plans.

From HuffPost:  A 1968 column Stan Lee wrote denouncing racism and racists.


AUGUST 2019 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From Newsarama:  August 2019 comics solicitations for all publishers on one page.
From Newsarama:  AC Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Action Lab Entertainment for August 2019
From Newsarama:  AfterShock Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Ahoy Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Antarctic Press for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Archie Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Aspen Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Avatar Press for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Black Mask Studios for August 2019
From Newsarama:  BOOM! Studios for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Dark Horse Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  DC Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Dynamite Entertainment for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Humanoids for August 2019
From Newsarama:  IDW Publishing for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Lion Forge for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics for August 2019
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Red 5 Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Scout Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Titan Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Vault Comics for August 2019
From Newsarama:  VIZ Media for August 2019
From Newsarama:  Yen Press for August 2019

SEPTEMBER 2019 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From Newsarama:  September 2019 comics solicitations for 24 publishers on one page
From Newsarama:  AfterShock Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Ahoy Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Antarctic Press for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Archie Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Aspen Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  BOOM! Studios for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Dark Horse Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  DC Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Drawn & Quarterly for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Dynamite Entertainment for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Fantagraphics Books for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Humanoids for September 2019
From Newsarama:  IDW Publishing for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Image Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Insight for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Lion Forge Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Mad Cave Studios for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Oni Press for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Scout Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Titan Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Valiant Entertainment for September 2019
From Newsarama:  Vault Comics for September 2019
From Newsarama:  VIZ Media for September 2019

OCTOBER 2019 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From Newsarama:  AC Comics for October 2019
From BleedingCool:  Ahoy Comics for October 2019
From BleedingCool:  Albatross Funnybooks for October 2019
From BleedingCool:  Antarctic Press for October 2019
From Newsarama:  BOOM! Studios for October 2019
From BleedingCool:  Dark Horse Comics for October 2019
From Newsarama:  DC Comics for October 2019
From Newsarama:  Hero Tomorrow for October 2019
From Newsarama:  IDW Publishing for October 2019
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for October 2019
From BleedingCool:  Keenspot Entertainment for October 2019
From Newsarama:  Lion Forge for October 2019
From Newsarama:  Mad Cave Studios for October 2019
From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics for October 2019
From Newsarama:  Oni Press for October 2019
From Newsarama:  Scout Comics for October 2019
From Newsarama:  Titan Comics for October 2019
From Newsarama:  Valiant Comics for October 2019
From Newsarama:  Vault Comics for October 2019
From Newsarama:  VIZ Media for October 2019
From Newsarama:  A Wave Blue World for October 2019
From Newsarama:  Yen Press for October 2019

HALLOWEEN COMICFEST 2019:
From Newsarama:  28 comic book titles for the industry's fall event taking place Saturday, October 26, 2019 at participating comic shops worldwide.

DC's HILL HOUSE COMICS Debut Solicitations:
From Newsarama:  These are the solicitations for DC Comics' "Hill House Comics" group overseen by Joe Hill.  The line is scheduled to kick off October 30, 2019 with "Basketful of Heads #1."

NOVEMBER 2019 COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From BleedingCool:  Ablaze for November 2019
From BleedingCool:  Action Lab for Novmeber 2019
From BleedingCool:  Aftershock Comics for November 2019
From Newsarama:  Archie Comics for November 2019
From Newsarama:  BOOM Studios for November 2019
From Newsarama:  DC Comics for November 2019
From BleedingCool:  Dynamite Entertainment for November 2019
From Newsarama:  Fantagraphics Books for November 2019
From BleedingCool:  Image Comics for November 2019
From Newsarama:  Lion Forge for November 2019
From Newsarama:  Marvel Comics for November 2019
From BleedingCool:  Oni Press for November 2019
From Newsarama:  Scout Comics for November 2019
From BleedingCool:  Source Point Press for November 2019
From BleedingCool:  Titan Comics for November 2019
From Newsarama:  Valiant Entertainment for November 2019
From Newsarama:  Vault Comics for November 2019
From Newsarama:  VIZ Media for November 2019


NOVEMBER 2019 "ADVANCED" COMICS SOLICITATIONS:
From Newsarama:  DC Comics advanced solicitations for November 2019 (for acetate covers)
From Newsarama:  "Dawn of X" for November 2019
From BleedingCool:  DC Comics for 2019 with some guessing on the site's part

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Friday, August 30, 2019

Review: SNOW WHITE WITH THE RED HAIR Volume 2

SNOW WHITE WITH THE RED HAIR, VOL. 2
VIZ MEDIA – @VIZMedia

MANGAKA: Sorata Akiduki
TRANSLATION: Caleb Cook
LETTERS: Brandon Bovia
EDITOR: Marlene First
ISBN: 978-1-9747-0721-8; paperback (July 2019); Rated “T” for “Teen”
208pp, B&W, $9.99 U.S., $12.99 CAN, £6.99 U.K.

Snow White with the Red Hair is a shojo manga from creator Sorata Akiduki.  It focuses on a feisty herbalist who saves a prince from a poisoned apple, and, in turn, is saved by him.

In Tanbarun Kingdom, there is born a girl with beautiful hair that is as red as apples.  When she grows into young womanhood, Shirayuki's red hair earns her the unwanted attention of Prince Raj of Tanbarun.  Prince Zen, the second prince of the neighboring Clarines Kingdom, rescues Shirayuki and brings her to Wistal, Clarines' capital.  Zen moves her into Wistal Palace, where Shirayuki hones her skills as an herbalist, and thus, a love story begins.

As Snow White with the Red Hair, Vol. 2 (Chapters 5 to 8) opens, Shirayuki begins her apprenticeship as a “court herbalist.”  She also meets her mentor, Ryu, who is a prodigy as an herbalist.  But he is 12-years-old!  Later, Shirayuki joins Zen and a small military contingent as they travel to Fort Laxdo.  There, Shirayuki earns her first official duty – quell an illness that has struck down the men of the fort.

[This volume includes the manga short story, “Connect Us,” and bonus manga pages.]

I did not read the first volume of the Snow White with the Red Hair manga.  My VIZ Media rep sent me the second volume, and I found that I did not have a difficult time figuring out the story dynamics of the series.

Snow White with the Red Hair Graphic Novel Volume 2, if this is your first volume, will introduce a cast of likable characters.  I find myself intrigued by the fact that Shirayuki is an herbalist, and I like the offbeat manner in which creator Sorata Akiduki is developing the relationship between herbalist and prince.  Akiduki adds more than a touch of darkness by introducing an important character late in this volume.  Snow White with the Red Hair is not great, but fans of The Water Dragon God may find that this is their kind of shojo manga.

B+
7 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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Thursday, August 29, 2019

Review: ELVIRA Mistress of the Dark #1

ELVIRA MISTRESS OF THE DARK No. 1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT – @dynamitecomics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: David Avallone
ART: Dave Acosta
COLORS: Andrew Covalt
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Kevin Ketner
COVER: Joseph Michael Linsner
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: J. Bone; Kyle Strahm with Greg Smallwood; Craig Cermak with Brittany Pezzillo; Robert Hack with Francesco Francavilla; Craig Cermak; Joseph Michael Linsner; Kyle Strahm
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2018)

Rated Teen+

Elvira: Timescream – Chapter One: “Frankenstein is the Name of the Doctor”

“Horror hosts” present low-budget, low-grade, and cult films to television and radio audiences, with an emphasis on horror, science fiction, and/or B-movies.  Some horror hosts adopt an alternate identity, creating a character they play, such as when actress, Maila Nurmi, became the horror host character, “Vampira” in 1954 for KABC-TV in Los Angeles, California.

In 1981, actress and model Cassandra Peterson created the hostess character, “Elvira.”  Elvira gradually grew in popularity and eventually became a brand name.  As Elvira, Peterson endorsed many products and became a pitch-woman, appearing in numerous television commercials throughout the 1980s.

Elvira also appeared in comic books, beginning in 1986 with the short-lived series from DC Comics, Elvira's House of Mystery, which ran for eleven issues and one special issue (1987).  In 1993, Eclipse Comics and Claypool Comics began the long-running Elvira: Mistress of the Dark.  Eventually, Claypool would be sole publisher, and Elvira, Mistress of the Dark ran for 166 issues until 2007.

Elvira returns to comic books in Dynamite Entertainment's new four-issue, comic book miniseries, also entitled Elvira Mistress of the Dark.  It is written by David Avallone; drawn by Dave Acosta; colored by Andrew Covalt; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.

Elvira Mistress of the Dark #1 (“Frankenstein is the Name of the Doctor”) find Elvira on the set of her latest B-movie.  During a break in filming, she returns to her trailer to find a coffin in the middle of the floor, but it isn't just any old coffin.  It emits a time vortex, and Elvira soon finds herself pushed in and tumbling through time.  First stop, the summer of 1816 and a certain villa near Lake Geneva.

Writer David Avallone and artist Dave Acosta are the creative team behind Dynamite Entertainment's most excellent crossover comic book, the four-issue miniseries, Twilight Zone: The Shadow (2017).  A moody, stylish, atmospheric piece, the narrative focused on reckoning for The Shadow.

Avallone and Acosta deliver something quite different with Elvira Mistress of the Dark.  Avallone's story is campy, kind of like a rollicking romp of a horror movie that plays loose with the history of horror fiction.  Acosta's illustrations recall classic Warren Publications horror comics with humor that is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and the storytelling is perfect for the mood.

Andrew Covalt's coloring of Acosta's  illustrations is visually and graphically striking.  It is a deft mixture of sparkling color effects and and something like the colorful and sometimes garish cinematography of Hammer Film Productions (the legendary British film studio that produced numerous horror films).  As usual, Taylor Esposito's lettering is solid and perfectly captures this first chapter's mood and also Elvira's snark, sarcasm, and wit.  Esposito even delivers comedy gold on the characters' screeching and yelling.  “Edgar Allan Freaking Poe!, indeed.

Elvira Mistress of the Dark is blessedly cursed with an excellent creative team.  I can't wait for the second issue.  Maybe, these guys could produce a readable Harley Quinn comic book.

9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Wednesday, August 28, 2019

Review: STAR WARS: Vader - Dark Visions #1

STAR WARS: VADER – DARK VISIONS No. 1
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum
ART: Paolo Villanelli
COLORS: Arif Prianto
LETTERS: VC's Joe Caramagna
EDITOR: Mark Paniccia
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Akira Yoshida a.k.a. C.B. Cebulski
COVER: Greg Smallwood
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Giuseppe Camuncoli & Elia Bonetti; Leinil Franics Yu with Romulo Fajardo, Jr.
36pp, Color, $4.99 U.S. (May 2019)

Rated T

“Part 1 of 5

Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions is a new five-issue, Star Wars comic book miniseries from Marvel Comics.  The series presents characters who view the Star Wars universe's ultimate villain, Darth Vader, in ways that are different from how most familiar Star Wars characters view the Sith Lord.  Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions is written by Dennis “Hopeless” Hallum.  The art team for the first issue is comprised of illustrator Paolo Villanelli; colorist Arif Prianto; and letterer Joe Caramagna.

Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions #1 opens on a lush green, but devastated world where we meet a young native boy.  The boy, who also narrates this story, refers to his world as “Cianap.”  His people live underground, but enjoy a brief time above ground, a time called “the Slumber.”  While enjoying the current season of the Slumber, our narrator witnesses a fireball that explodes above Cianap's atmosphere.  This conflagration is the result of a fierce battle above the planet between forces of the Galactic Empire and of the Rebel Alliance.

One of the participants in the battle is Darth Vader, whose TIE fighter is damaged, forcing him to crash land on Cianap.  When Vader emerges from his fighter, to the boy, he looks like a “Black Knight.”  To the boy, this Black Knight may be the one to save his world from the god called “Ender.”

Fans of the Star Wars Expanded Universe, especially the Star Wars novels, remember the series of novels now known as the “Thrawn trilogy.”  In the second novel of the three, Dark Force Rising (1992), Princess Leia visits the planet, Honoghr, where the denizens of the world view Darth Vader as a savior (a matter which turns out to be a bit more complicated).  When I first read the novel, I became intrigued by the idea of people and sentient beings who viewed Vader as some kind of hero or savior, especially people that did not directly serve or work for the Empire.  In the years since, I have waited for someone to take that idea present in Dark Force Rising and expand on it.

In this standalone story that is Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions #1, the writer Dennis Hallum (who previously wrote under the pen name, “Dennis Hopeless”) offers a nice tale that satisfies may craving for Vader-as-hero.  Hallum's story has a fairy tale quality, and it strips Darth Vader of the complexities that surround the character and focuses on his power and on the striking nature of his black costume-suit and physicality.  At thirty pages in length, this story, which is more like a campfire tale, is a nice Star Wars tale, a desert for readers who are used to the main Star Wars narratives, which often seem like the storytelling equivalent of a elaborate, dark, and heavy 12-course meal.

Artist Paolo Villanelli's illustrations for Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions #1 have an eye-catching quality and remind me of the work of Bryan Hitch.  Villanelli's storytelling here is stirring and always seems to be striving forward, carrying the reader just as the boy-narrator is dragged along by the circumstances of an epic battle.  Colorist Arif Prianto offers a muted palette that still manages to make the story crackle, and, as usual, Joe Caramagna delivers lettering that makes the story bigger.

I hope the rest of Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions is like this really nice first issue.  I heartily recommend it to Star Wars comic book readers.  And it gives me what I want – characters who have a view askew of Darth Vader.

8 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2019 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Tuesday, August 27, 2019

Review: STAR WARS: Lost Stars Volume 1

STAR WARS: LOST STARS VOL. 1
YEN PRESS – @yenpress

[This review was originally posted on Patreon. Please, visit the "Star Wars Central" review page here.]

ORIGINAL STORY:  Claudia Gray – @claudiagray
STORY ADAPTATION: Yusaku Komiyama
ART: Yusaku Komiyama
LETTERS: Abigail Blackman
ISBN: 978-1-975326-53-1; paperback (May 2018); Rated “T” for “Teen”
258pp, B&W, $13.00 U.S., $17.00 CAN

Star Wars: Lost Stars is a 2015 young adult science fiction novel written by Claudia Gray.  Set in the Star Wars universe, this novel offers a narrative the occurs before, during, and after the events depicted in the original Star Wars film trilogy:  Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983).  Gray's story focuses on two childhood friends from different backgrounds who eventual find themselves on different sides of a galactic war.

LINE Manga, a manga-reading app, published a manga adaptation of Star Wars: Lost Stars, adapted, written, and drawn by Yusaku Komiyama.  Yen Press is currently reprinting the Star Wars: Lost Stars manga in a series of paperback graphic novels. Star Wars: Lost Stars Volume 1 reprints the first six chapters of the manga.

Star Wars: Lost Stars, Vol. 1 (Chapters 1 to 6) introduces Thane Kyrell, a hotshot pilot for the Rebel Alliance who finds himself right in the middle of the “Battle of Hoth.”  After the battle, Thane has time to think upon his past because he was once a lieutenant in the Galactic Empire, but his memories go further back – fourteen years prior to be specific.

Thane was born on the planet Jelucan to the higher caste group, “the Second Wave.”  He befriends, Ciena Ree, a girl who belongs to the lower caste, “the First Wave,” the original settlers of Jelucan.  As children, Thane and Ciena have an unexpected and shocking encounter with a powerful Imperial officer shortly after the Galactic Empire makes Jelucan an Imperial world.  That leads to the two friends eventually being accepted into the Royal Imperial Academy, but as the two teenagers move through rigorous training and study, they discover that they see Imperial culture differently.

I have not read Claudia Gray's Star Wars: Lost Stars original novel, but after reading the manga/comics adaptation, I want to start right away (time permitting).  I can say that Yusaku Komiyama's adaptation results in clean graphical storytelling.  From a narrative and graphics standpoint, the Star Wars: Lost Stars manga does not focus on the lore of Star Wars so much as it does focus on a personal or character drama within the larger story, which I assume the novel does.  The story of Thane Kyrell and Ciena Ree is the focus and the larger galactic war is the backdrop.

As for the illustrations, the characters do look like what readers may expect of characters drawn by a manga or mange-influenced artist.  As for the visual elements of Star Wars:  costumes and clothing; ships and crafts, weapons and tools, and interior and exterior environments and spaces, Komiyama draws everything to look like authentic Star Wars.  Komiyama does this as well as the best Star Wars comic book artists who have drawn Star Wars comics for Marvel Comics and Dark Horse Comics.

Komiyama really emphasizes the dialogue and the moments that define the birth and growth of Thane and Ciena's relationship.  Even when the story focuses on one or the other, the story is about their relationship.  Star Wars fans, however, will be excited to know that this first volume recreates scenes from both Star Wars: New Hope (Episode IV) and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Episode V), and some beloved characters make appearances or even play a sizable role in the story.

Star Wars: Lost Stars Volume 1 is the first Star Wars manga that I have read, and I like it a lot.  I am anxious to read the second volume.  It is not perfect, but I won't let perfect be the enemy of good.  I would not compare this manga to the some of the best Dark Horse and Marvel Star Wars comic books, but for young readers, probably as young as middle school age, Star Wars: Lost Stars Volume 1 is true Star Wars.

7.5 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, August 26, 2019

BOOM! Studios from Diamond Distributors for August 28, 2019

BOOM! STUDIOS

JAN199486    (USE JUL198300) ONCE & FUTURE #1 (OF 6) (2ND PTG)    $3.99
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Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 28, 2019

DARK HORSE COMICS

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