Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 29, 2020

IMAGE COMICS

NOV190131    CRIMINAL #12 (MR)    $3.99
NOV190139    FARMHAND #13 (MR)    $3.99
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IDW Publishing from Diamond Distributors for January 29, 2020

IDW PUBLISHING

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for January 29, 2020

MARVEL COMICS

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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for January 29, 2020

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

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#IReadsYou Review: ALABASTER SHADOWS

ALABASTER SHADOWS
ONI PRESS – @OniPress

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Matt Gardner
ARTIST: Rashad Doucet – @RashadDoucet
COLORS: Rashad Doucet
LETTERS: Ryan Ferrier
EDITORS: Jill Beaton and Robin Herrera
ISBN: 978-1-62010-264-0; paperback (December 9, 2015)
192pp, Color, $12.99 U.S.

Rating: All Ages

Alabaster Shadows is a 2015 original graphic novel (OGN) from writer Matt Gardner and artist-colorist Rashad Doucet.  Alabaster Shadows focuses on the new kid in town who discovers that there are incredibly weird things going on in his new neighborhood.  Letterer Ryan Ferrier completes the book's creative team.

Alabaster Shadows opens as Carter Normandy and his parents and his sister, Polly, arrive at their new home in the neighborhood of “Alabaster Shadows.”  Carter thinks that all the houses look the same, but on the first morning in the new house, he discovers a peculiar water leak, which seems to defy the laws of physics.

Carter is starting to believe that there is something weird about the neighborhood.  At the “Community Center,” the odd Mr. Randolph asks Carter and Polly to let him know if they see anything weird.  However, Miss Priscilla Crowe, head of the Community Center,” can barely tolerate the children.  Carter's homeroom teacher, Ms. Frump, also a child-hating old hag, seems to be up to something with Miss Crowe.

Luckily, Carter finds a group of friends that seems like the perfect fit.  There is Harley, a fan of the conspiracy theory magazine, “Weekly Truth Journal,” and her skeptical brother, Warren.  Dudley is the quiet boy who likes to draw... when he isn't talking about the monsters under his bed.  Monsters under his bead, you say?!  Yes, Alabaster Shadows apparently has a monster problem, to say nothing of the otherworldly places from which these monsters originate.  Now, it is up to Carter and his friends to solve the mysteries of Alabaster Shadows and to keep these monsters from crossing over into their world, or suffer dire consequences.

I discovered the existence of Alabaster Shadows the graphic novel in a press release.  At the time, I thought the name of the artist, Rashad Doucet, sounded familiar and was one I should know.  [That is a short story for another time.]  I eventually cashed in some Barnes & Noble credit and bought a copy of Alabaster Shadows.  Coming across the press release was probably serendipity because the purchase was more than worth it.

Alabaster Shadows is one of the best “graphic novels for kids” that I have ever read, and I have been reading quite a few in recent years.  I would say that its target audience is probably from 8 to 12-years old or the “middle grade” readers.  However, if you are a fan of classic juvenile novels or famous children's fantasy and adventure literature, then, even your older teen, adult, or AARP heart will love the fantastic read that is Alabaster Shadows.

Using terms like enchanting and endearing may seem a bit too sweet.  Terms like mesmerizing, engaging, and enthralling might seem to be over-the-top or pretentious.  But damn, y'all, it's true.  This is a freaking, flat-out, great comic book and graphic novel.  Dammit!  I want a sequel, now!

Matt Gardner's story collects elements from H.P. Lovecraft, Scooby-Doo cartoons, Tom Sawyer, the Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew, The Three Investigators, and juvenile science fiction, among other things.  He puts it all together and creates something new that snaps and crackles like sparks from a downed electrical line.  The world of Alabaster Shadows is so big that one book cannot contain it.  Alabaster Shadows' cast, young and adult, are also a lively, likable bunch; it's like we can never get enough of them.  Hopefully, readers will see them again.

Rashad Doucet's illustrations either seem to fly off the page or seem to be pulling away from the page.  Doucet has taken the static images of comics and has found a way to make them move and groove like animated images.  Even the facial expression are dynamic; emotions and emotional states are never in doubt.  Doucet's coloring is dazzling and life-like; it is as if the colors don't want to recognize any borders in their bid to bring the drawings to life.

I must not forget to mention Ryan Ferrier's lettering, which is steady.  There are times, however, that Ferrier conveys the story in lettering that has a machine gun rhythm, perfectly capturing those moments of the story when the reader is not supposed to go slow.

I am surprised (and disappointed) that I have discovered how good Alabaster Shadows is practically four years to the day it was first published.  But it is never too late to discover a read that blows your mind.  Alabaster Shadows should be a perennial, an evergreen graphic novel, always ready to be discovered by new readers or rediscovered by readers who will look at it and say, “Let's do it again.”

10 out of 10

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


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Buy Alabaster Shadows #1 as a digital comic at comiXology.

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

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#IReadsYou Review: MAN IS VOX: Paingels (Expanded Edition)

MAN IS VOX: PAINGELS (Expanded Edition)
CANDLE LIGHT PRESS – @candlelightpres

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

WRITER: John Ira Thomas – @johnirathomas
ARTIST: Carter Allen – @attila71
PENCILS: Carter Allen
INKS: Carter Allen; Jeremy Smith (“Dessert” story)
LETTERS: John Ira Thomas
COVER: Carter Allen
ISBN: 978-0-9895376-9-3; paperback – 7.5 x 0.8 x 9.2 inches dimensions (September 18, 2017)
292pp, B&W and Color $39.95 U.S.

Man is Vox: Paingels is a 2004 original graphic novel published by Candle Light Press (CLP) and created by writer John Ira Thomas and artist Carter Allen.  Last year, CLP released an updated edition of the graphic novel, Man is Vox: Paingels (Expanded Edition).

This is a kind of overview.  Man is Vox: Paingels follows a man who is essentially a killer on the search for a psycho who kills some women.  He abuses in terrible ways those women that he does not kill.  The Fearsome Shade, Mr. Way, the Shotgun Bride, the Husband, Samdy Lockney, The Beacon, Insides, and Dilmus:  they are all on or in the orbit “The Beacon.”

Abortions; many Beacons; clothes make the man, and Sid S, the serial killer of children.  Mr. Way and the Fearsome Shade have to put an end to the Beacon, but who are they really?  Who are Mr. Way and the Fearsome Shade to confront the Beacon for his crimes, especially against Ms. Lockney?

2015 was Candle Light Press' 20th anniversary.  [In fact, there is a book celebrating that anniversary, CLP20: Twenty Years of Candle Light Press (http://candlelightpress.tumblr.com/clp20.htm), a book to which I have contributed a few notes.]  Since then, CLP have been releasing new editions of a few of their early graphic novels, including Man is Vox: Barracudae, the Man is Vox OGN that precedes Paingels.

John Ira Thomas and Carter Allen tell Paingels via a Baskin-Robbins like palette of graphic styles and illustrative mediums (so to speak).  Traditional color comic book art; traditional black and white art; a child's crayon drawings; charcoal; vector art; ink; finger puppet theater; 8-bit video game graphics; cut outs; torn pages; woodblock engraving-like art; and faux family photo album, among many.

When I first read Man is Vox: Paingels, I could not think of many points of references for my subsequent review of it.  Fifteen years later, however, I think I have one.  With surrealism on high and touches of Meshes of the Afternoon, Man is Vox: Paingels (Expanded Edition) is a trippy reading experience.  Much of the narrative deals with what goes on in the human mind – the interior life and the mental experience.  So Paingels makes me think of Noah Hawley's television series, “Legion” (FX).  Paingels simply does not display the self-indulgence and narcissism, nor does it possess the lack of self-control and lack of self-awareness that can be brought on by having the kind of large budget that a major Hollywood studio can gift a “genius” showrunner.

Man is Vox: Paingels (Expanded Edition) is an adventure in original graphic novel reading.  It is not really meant to be read in one sitting, which I certainly did not do.  Some chapters, I read over a period of several weeks.  Other chapters, I read in rapid succession.  I have to be honest; Paingels is not my favorite Candle Light Press book by far.  However, the characters are simply lovely, so much so that I want to engage Paingels just to read about them.

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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 syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: SUPERMAN: Year One #3

SUPERMAN YEAR ONE #3
DC COMICS/DC Black Label – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Frank Miller
PENCILS: John Romita, Jr.
INKS: Danny Miki
COLORS: Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: John Workman
EDITOR: Mark Doyle
COVER: John Romita, Jr. and Danny Miki with Alex Sinclair
VARIANT COVER: Frank Miller with Alex Sinclair
64pp, Color, $7.99 U.S. (December 2019)

Mature Readers

Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster

Book Three

Superman: Year One is a three-issue comic book miniseries written by Frank Miller and drawn by John Romita, Jr.  It is being published in an over-sized softcover format (8 1/2 x 10 7/8) and is part of DC Comics' prestige “DC Black Label” imprint.  Superman: Year One is a retelling of the early life of Clark Kent and of his first year as the superhero, Superman.  The rest of the creative team includes inker Danny Miki, colorist Alex Sinclair, and letterer John Workman.

Superman: Year One recounts how the baby, Kal-El, rockets from the doomed planet, Krypton.  The rockets carries him to Earth, where it crash lands in the bucolic grain fields of Smallville, Kansas.  Kal-El is rescued by a childless couple, Martha and Jonathan Kent, who adopt him and name him, Clark Kent.  After graduating high school, Clark joins the United States Navy and is stationed at the Naval Station at Great Lakes, Illinois.

The rays of the yellow sun around which Earth orbits has made Clark strong and powerful beyond human imagination.  Even holding back, Clark quickly sets himself apart from the other Navy recruits.  A superior officer notices Clark's abilities, which leads to Clark being discharged from the Navy.  Clark has an extensive adventure in and around the underwater city of Atlantis and also dons the familiar costume that he will wear as the superhero, Superman.

As Superman: Year One #3 opens, “the Superman” rescues reporter Lois Lane and fends off an attack by what is apparently U.S. military special forces.  Clark enrolls at Kansas State University where he studies journalism.  Then, he takes his degree to the “city of tomorrow,” Metropolis, and gets a job at its most famous daily newspaper, The Daily Planet, where Lois Lane works.

Clark proves to be a more than capable reporter, but his life in Metropolis will encompass more than journalism.  Metropolis will discover that it has a savior, of sorts, a hero they call “Superman.”  Metropolis' most infamous citizen, Lex Luthor, takes notice and makes his move to control this new hero.  Meanwhile, over in Gotham City, this crime-ridden city's own hero... or vigilante, “the Batman,” is also watching the Superman of Metropolis.

At some point, DC Comics publicly stated that Superman: Year One would now be Superman's official origin story.  I think Frank Miller, Superman: Year One's writer, said that this comic book is set in the universe of his seminal comic book miniseries, Batman: The Dark Knight Returns.

Superman: Year One is certainly a strange new origin story.  Miller's story and script are off-beat and take weird turns on previously established Superman “mythology.”  Superman: Year One #3 is filled with so much over-the-top, hackneyed dialogue, the kind editors would not accept from comic book writers who are not “fanboy gods” or who are not celebrity or celebrated creators.  Honestly, I don't know what to make of Miller's story or script.  There are good moments, moments that make me cringe as a reader, and moments that fall flat, failing to evoke any feelings in me.

The celebrated creator who delivers the best work in Superman: Year One is pencil artist John Romita, Jr.'s.  Stylish compositions, muscular pencil art, and inventive graphical storytelling, Romita takes advantage of the larger than usual size of this comic book (8 1/2 x 10 7/8) to draw a superhero comic book that does not pretend to be anything other than a superhero comic book.  Yet, Danny Miki's inking of Romita's pencils does make Superman: Year One #3, as well as the previous two issues, special.  That is because Miki is an inker above most comic book inking artists.  Miki can ink the fuck out of pencil art, strengthening and accentuating pencil art without overpowering it

Colorist Alex Sinclair delivers radiant hues.  He makes the art shine on the page, almost as if this is the “color rush” version of comic book coloring.  John Workman is simply a great comic book letterer, and he shows why here, as he does everywhere he letters.  Workman also makes Superman: Year One feel special, evening out Miller's eccentricities.

I was hopeful that this series could be a major, definitive Superman comic book series.  On the illustration and graphics side, Superman: Year One makes me yelp a fanboy “Awesome!”  A Superman origin story, however, deserves something more... super on the story side.

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 and syndication rights and fees.


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