MARVEL COMICS
DEC208078 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #56 2ND PTG VAR $4.99
DEC200585 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #59 $3.99
DEC200588 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #59 CASTELLANI AVENGERS MECH STRIKE VAR $3.99
DEC200587 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #59 LUPACCHINO MASTERWORKS VAR $3.99
NOV200625 CAPTAIN AMERICA BY TA-NEHISI COATES TP VOL 04 ALL DIE YOUNG $17.99
DEC200518 DAREDEVIL #27 KIB $3.99
DEC200519 DAREDEVIL #27 LUPACCHINO MASTERWORKS VAR KIB $3.99
NOV200647 DISNEY KINGDOMS GN TP FIGMENT $15.99
OCT200543 ETERNALS #2 $3.99
OCT200545 ETERNALS #2 MCKELVIE VAR $3.99
OCT200546 ETERNALS #2 NAUCK HEADSHOT VAR $3.99
DEC200581 EXCALIBUR #18 $3.99
DEC200532 FANTASTIC FOUR #29 KIB $3.99
DEC200533 FANTASTIC FOUR #29 LUPACCHINO MASTERWORKS VAR KIB $3.99
NOV208765 KING IN BLACK #1 (OF 5) 2ND PTG STEGMAN VAR $5.99
NOV208766 KING IN BLACK #2 (OF 5) 2ND PTG SANDOVAL VAR $4.99
DEC200503 KING IN BLACK BLACK PANTHER #1 $4.99
DEC200504 KING IN BLACK BLACK PANTHER #1 EPTING VAR $4.99
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DEC200538 MORBIUS BOND OF BLOOD #1 $3.99
NOV200643 MORBIUS EPIC COLLECTION TP LIVING VAMPIRE $39.99
APR200957 POWER PACK #3 (OF 5) $3.99
DEC200629 STAR WARS DARTH VADER #10 $3.99
DEC200630 STAR WARS DARTH VADER #10 SPROUSE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK VAR $3.99
NOV208764 STAR WARS HIGH REPUBLIC #1 3RD PTG VAR $3.99
DEC200530 SWORD #3 KIB $3.99
APR200949 TASKMASTER #3 (OF 5) $3.99
NOV200514 WOLVERINE BLACK WHITE BLOOD #3 (OF 4) $4.99
NOV200639 X-FACTOR EPIC COLLECTION TP GENESIS AND APOCALYPSE NEW PTG $39.99
DEC200569 X-FORCE #17 $3.99
Monday, February 8, 2021
Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 10, 2021
Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for February 10, 2021
DEC201216 ARCHIE & FRIENDS GUIDE TO DATING #1 $2.99
DEC201295 CASUAL FLING #1 CVR A DANI (MR) $3.99
DEC201296 CASUAL FLING #1 CVR B DEODATO JR (MR) $3.99
MAR201419 CEREBUS TP VOL 02 HIGH SOCIETY REMASTERED BLUE STATE BOOK PL $40.00
NOV201515 CHAIN MAIL BIKINI ANTHOLOGY OF WOMEN GAMERS GN (MR) $20.00
DEC201655 CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE #2 $3.99
NOV201512 COMICS FOR CHOICE ILLUS ABORTION STORIES ANTHOLOGY GN (MR) $25.00
NOV201513 CRUISING DIARIES ONE SHOT (MR) $15.95
NOV201846 CUBE ARTS GN VOL 03 $12.99
NOV201720 DEEP SCAR MANGA GN VOL 03 (RES) $10.99
DEC201757 DEVILS RED BRIDE #5 CVR A BIVENS (MR) $3.99
DEC201758 DEVILS RED BRIDE #5 CVR B DANIEL (MR) $3.99
NOV201323 DISNEY MASTERS HC VOL 15 MURRY CONNELL OGLE PHANTOM BLOT $34.99
DEC201704 DOCTOR WHO COMICS #4 CVR A IANNICELLO $3.99
DEC201705 DOCTOR WHO COMICS #4 CVR B PHOTO $3.99
DEC201706 DOCTOR WHO COMICS #4 CVR C JONES $3.99
NOV201849 DRAGON GOES HOUSE HUNTING GN VOL 06 $12.99
DEC201299 E RATIC #3 $3.99
DEC201622 FREIHEIT WHITE ROSE GN $24.00
DEC201883 FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST FULLMETAL EDITION HC VOL 12 $19.99
DEC201737 GINSENG ROOTS #8 $6.00
DEC201849 GIVEN GN (MR) $12.99
OCT201623 GORY BOOKS VOL 01 NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD CVR C FALLIGANT $11.99
DEC201458 GRANDE ODALISQUE HC $24.99
JUN201009 GRIEVLING TP $17.99
DEC201771 GRIMM SPOTLIGHT BLACK KNIGHT VS LORD OF FLIES CVR A VITORINO $5.99
DEC201772 GRIMM SPOTLIGHT BLACK KNIGHT VS LORD OF FLIES CVR B WHITE $5.99
DEC201773 GRIMM SPOTLIGHT BLACK KNIGHT VS LORD OF FLIES CVR C KHAMU $5.99
DEC201091 GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #2 CVR A CHARLIE ADLARD (MR) $3.99
DEC201092 GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #2 CVR B CRAIG DAVISON (MR) $3.99
DEC201093 GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #2 CVR C KALVACHEV (MR) $3.99
DEC201094 GUNG HO SEXY BEAST #2 CVR D KUMMANT (MR) $3.99
DEC201143 HAPPY HOUR #4 (MR) $3.99
DEC201889 HAYATE THE COMBAT BUTLER GN VOL 37 (MR) $9.99
NOV201614 HEAVY #5 CVR A DONOVAN $3.99
NOV201615 HEAVY #5 CVR B DANIEL $3.99
DEC201564 HONOR AND CURSE #8 $3.99
DEC208037 I WALK WITH MONSTERS #1 CVR G 2ND PTG (MR) $3.99
DEC201749 I WALK WITH MONSTERS #3 CVR A CANTIRINO (MR) $3.99
DEC201750 I WALK WITH MONSTERS #3 CVR B HICKMAN (MR) $3.99
NOV201496 IT EATS WHAT FEEDS IT TP $9.99
OCT200926 JO & RUS ORIGINAL GN $12.99
NOV201398 JUNIOR HIGH HORRORS STRANGEST THINGEES #1 CVR A STRANGER THI $5.99
NOV201399 JUNIOR HIGH HORRORS STRANGEST THINGEES #1 CVR B LITTLE SHOP $5.99
OCT201073 KING TANK GIRL #3 (OF 5) CVR A PARSON $3.99
OCT201074 KING TANK GIRL #3 (OF 5) CVR B WAHL CARDSTOCK $5.99
JUL208454 KING-CAT CLASSIX TP $24.95
DEC201565 KNIGHTS OF THE GOLDEN SUN #10 $3.99
DEC201135 KNOCK EM DEAD #3 ANDY CLARKE CVR $3.99
DEC201881 KOMI CANT COMMUNICATE GN VOL 11 $9.99
DEC201080 LAST WITCH #2 CVR A MAIN $4.99
DEC201081 LAST WITCH #2 CVR B CORONA $4.99
DEC201848 MADK GN VOL 01 (MR) $12.99
OCT201899 MAGICAL GIRL SPECIAL OPS ASUKA GN VOL 10 (MR) $12.99
JUL208455 MAP OF MY HEART GN $24.95
DEC201664 MAPMAKER #1 $1.99
DEC201041 MIGHTY MORPHIN #4 CVR A MAIN $3.99
DEC201042 MIGHTY MORPHIN #4 CVR B LEGACY CARLINIE VAR $3.99
DEC201043 MIGHTY MORPHIN #4 CVR C BLANK SKETCH VAR ED $3.99
NOV201852 MUSHOKU TENSEI JOBLESS REINCARNATION GN VOL 12 $12.99
DEC201214 MY LIFE IN TRANSITION SC (MR) $14.99
NOV201853 MY SENPAI IS ANNOYING GN VOL 04 $14.99
DEC201640 NIGHT OF THE DEVIL WAR PICTURE LIBRARY HC $19.99
DEC201294 OLD HAUNTS TP $9.99
DEC201518 OMNI TP VOL 02 NO MORE HATE $17.99
DEC201015 ORCS #1 (OF 6) $4.99
DEC201016 ORCS #1 (OF 6) SWEENEY BOO VAR ED $4.99
DEC201078 ORIGINS #4 (OF 6) $3.99
JUL208457 PERFECT EXAMPLE TP 2ND ED (MR) $19.95
DEC201890 POKEMON ADV COLLECTORS ED TP VOL 06 $17.99
OCT201290 POSSESSED TP $17.99
OCT201642 RAI (2019) TP VOL 02 $14.99
NOV208073 RECOUNT #1 2ND PTG $3.99
DEC201142 RED ATLANTIS #4 $3.99
OCT201536 RISE AND FALL OF TRIGAN EMPIRE TP $24.99
NOV201857 SAINT SEIYA SAINTIA SHO GN VOL 12 $12.99
DEC201133 SCOUTS HONOR #2 $3.99
DEC201892 SERAPH OF END VAMPIRE REIGN GN VOL 20 $9.99
DEC208053 SEVEN SECRETS #1 5TH PTG $3.99
DEC208054 SEVEN SECRETS #2 3RD PTG $3.99
DEC208055 SEVEN SECRETS #3 3RD PTG $3.99
DEC208056 SEVEN SECRETS #4 2ND PTG $3.99
DEC208057 SEVEN SECRETS #5 2ND PTG $3.99
DEC208058 SEVEN SECRETS #6 2ND PTG $3.99
DEC201624 SHOW ME HISTORY SACAGAWEA COURAGEOUS TRAILBLAZER $12.99
NOV201859 SORCERER KING & GOLEM OF BARBARIAN QUEEN GN VOL 02 $12.99
DEC201516 SPACE BASTARDS #2 (MR) $4.99
DEC201660 STABBITY BUNNY DARK ORIGINS ED $9.99
DEC201685 STORM KIDS GRIMMS TOWN TERROR RISE OF CANDY CREEPER $19.99
NOV201421 STREAMLINER HC VOL 02 ALL IN DAY (MR) $24.99
NOV201516 SUGAR TOWN GN (MR) $10.00
NOV201683 THOSE NOT SO SWEET BOYS GN VOL 01 $10.99
DEC201190 THREE STOOGES THROUGH THE AGES #1 CVR 1/100 CENTURY ED $29.99
NOV201024 THREE STOOGES THROUGH THE AGES #1 CVR A SHANOWER $3.99
NOV201025 THREE STOOGES THROUGH THE AGES #1 CVR B PHOTO $4.99
NOV201026 THREE STOOGES THROUGH THE AGES #1 CVR C LTD B&W PHOTO $9.99
DEC201888 TROPICAL FISH YEARNS FOR SNOW GN VOL 06 $9.99
DEC201593 VAIN #5 $3.99
NOV201617 WASTED SPACE #19 (MR) $3.99
DEC201662 WHITE ASH PRESENTS GLARIEN ONE SHOT CVR A MORANELLI $3.99
DEC201663 WHITE ASH PRESENTS GLARIEN ONE SHOT CVR B CONOR HUGHES $3.99
DEC201833 WITCH AND BEAST GN VOL 04 (MR) $12.99
DEC201218 WORLD OF BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #2 $7.99
NOV201791 WORLDS FINEST ASSASSIN REINCARNATED ANOTHER WORLD GN VOL 01 $13.00
MAGAZINES
NOV201584 ALTER EGO #168 $9.95
OCT201624 BACK ISSUE #125 $9.95
OCT201625 BRICKJOURNAL #66 $9.95
DEC201379 COMIC SHOP NEWS [90CT BUNDLE] #1747 $PI
JAN211277 COMIC SHOP NEWS SPRING 2021 PREVIEW 90CT BUNDLE $13.99
OCT201626 RETROFAN MAGAZINE #13 $9.95
NOV201567 STAR WARS INSIDER #200 NEWSSTAND ED $9.99
NOV201568 STAR WARS INSIDER #200 PX ED $9.99
BOOKS
NOV201862 ADACHI & SHIMAMURA LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 04 $13.99
DEC201544 BOBS BURGERS BURGER BOOK HC $19.99
DEC201467 COCKEYED MENAGERIE HC ART DRAWINGS T S SULLIVANT $74.99
JUL201189 FAULT LINES IN THE CONSTITUTION GN $28.99
NOV201864 HOW REALIST HERO REBUILT KINGDOM LIGHT NOVEL VOL 10 $13.99
SEP201816 KUMA KUMA KUMA BEAR NOVEL SC VOL 04 $13.99
DEC201625 MARVEL SUPER HERO ADV VILLAINS ON THE RUN BOARD BOOK $8.99
DEC201770 NEIL GAIMANS STARDUST SC NOVEL $16.99
OCT201913 RESTAURANT TO ANOTHER WORLD LIGHT NOVEL VOL 05 $13.99
NOV201867 RIDE YOUR WAVE LIGHT NOVEL SC $13.99
NOV201868 SAINTS MAGIC POWER IS OMNIPOTENT LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 02 $13.99
NOV201871 TRAPPED IN DATING SIM WORLD OTOME GAMES NOVEL SC VOL 01 $13.99
DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for February 9, 2021
DC COMICS:
Absolute Planetary Expanded Edition HC, $150.00
American Vampire 1976 #5 (Of 9)(Cover A Rafael Albuquerque), $3.99
American Vampire 1976 #5 (Of 9)(Cover B Francis Manapul), $3.99
Aquaman Volume 4 Echoes Of A Life Lived Well TP, $19.99
Batman Volume 2 The Joker War HC, $29.99
DC Love Is A Battlefield #1 (One Shot), $9.99
Future State Dark Detective #3 (Of 4)(Cover A Dan Mora), $5.99
Future State Dark Detective #3 (Of 4)(Cover B Lee Bermejo Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Green Lantern #2 (Of 2)(Cover A Clayton Henry), $5.99
Future State Green Lantern #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Jamal Campbell Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Justice League #2 (Of 2)(Cover A Dan Mora), $5.99
Future State Justice League #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Kael Ngu Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Kara Zor-El Superwoman #1 (TBD 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Future State Kara Zor-El Superwoman #2 (Of 2)(Cover A Paulina Ganucheau), $3.99
Future State Kara Zor-El Superwoman #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Alex Garner Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Robin Eternal #2 (Of 2)(Cover A Emanuela Lupacchino & Irvin Rodriguez), $3.99
Future State Robin Eternal #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Daniel Warren Johnson Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Superman Wonder Woman #2 (Of 2)(Cover A Lee Weeks), $3.99
Future State Superman Wonder Woman #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Terry Dodson & Rachel Dodson Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State Teen Titans #1 (Of 2)(TBD 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Future State Teen Titans #2 (Of 2)(Cover A Rafa Sandoval), $3.99
Future State Teen Titans #2 (Of 2)(Cover B Dustin Nguyen Card Stock Variant), AR
Future State The Flash #1 (Of 2)(TBD 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Green Lantern Circle Of Fire TP (New Edition), $39.99
Green Lantern Season Two #11 (Of 12)(Cover A Liam Sharp), $3.99
Green Lantern Season Two #11 (Of 12)(Cover B Phil Jimenez), AR
Hawkman Volume 4 Hawks Eternal TP, $19.99
Richard Dragon Kung-Fu Fighter The Coming Of The Dragon HC, $49.99
Rorschach #5 (Of 12)(Cover A Jorge Fornes), $4.99
Rorschach #5 (Of 12)(Cover B Denys Cowan & Bill Sienkiewicz), AR
Sweet Tooth The Return #4 (Of 6), $3.99
Saturday, February 6, 2021
#28DaysofBlack Review: Eric Jerome Dickey's STORM
[The 2006 miniseries, "Storm," was basically a reboot of the story of Storm's relationship with the young man who would become the Black Panther when both were young. The series remains strong, and I wish the late Eric Jerome Dickey would have written more comic books featuring Marvel Comics' African and African-American characters.]
Get #28DaysofBlack review links here.
ERIC JEROME DICKEY'S STORM
MARVEL COMICS
WRITER: Eric Jerome Dickey
PENCILS: David Yardin; Lan Medina
INKS: Jay Leisten; Sean Parsons
COLORS: Matt Milla
LETTERS: VC’s Randy Gentile
EDITOR: Axel Alonso
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: Joe Quesada
COVER: Mike Mayhew
Storm created by Len Wein and Dave Cockrum
Eric Jerome Dickey (1961-2021) was a New York Times bestselling African-American author. He was best known for his novels about contemporary African-American life, such as Sister, Sister and Milk in My Coffee. Dickey, who died January 3rd, also wrote crime novels that were international in their casts and settings, like A Wanted Woman.
Storm a/k/a Ororo Munroe is a Marvel Comics super-heroine and longtime member of the X-Men. She was created by writer Len Wein and artist Dave Cockrum and first appeared in Giant-Size X-Men #1 (cover dated: May 1975).
Storm is also the former queen consort of Wakanda, a title she held when she was married to King T’Challa, better known as the superhero, Black Panther. Before the two were married (in Black Panther #18 cover dated: September 2006), Marvel published several stories and comic books under the tagline, “Prelude to the Wedding of the Century.”
One of those series was Storm, a 2006, full-color, six-issue comic book miniseries. It was written by Eric Jerome Dickey; drawn by David Yardin and Lan Medina (pencils) and Jay Leisten and Sean Parsons (inks); colored by Matt Milla; and lettered by Randy Gentile. In the Storm miniseries, Dickey re-imagines the first meeting between the younger versions of both Ororo Munroe and T'Challa.
The story opens in an outdoor market in an unnamed African country. Ororo Munroe, our future “Storm,” is among a number of street urchins that prowl the market looking for things they can steal from the shoppers and shopkeepers and even from those simply passing through the market. Goaded by her compatriots, Ororo steals a camera from a white man. What she does not realize is that this white man is de Ruyter, a South African and a ruthless hunter and poacher who is also a racist. He is determined to track Ororo using any brutal means necessary. Zenja, a jealous rival of Ororo’s, watches the situation, making plans of her own.
Flashbacks also show Ororo with her parents, her African-American father, David Munroe, and her African (Kenya) mother, N'Dare. With the upheaval of change causing so much turmoil in America, N’Dare wants to return to her home country in Africa. David does not believe that they will be better off in Africa. Will their marriage survive this crucial disagreement?
Meanwhile, Ororo’s strange powers began to manifest themselves. Plus, Teacher arrives to tell Ororo that the lessons in picking pockets and thievery she learned from her first teacher, Achmed El-Gibar, are not enough to suit his purposes.
Storm #2 “Chapter Two” (May 2006):
The issue first offers series cover artist, Mike Mayhew's haunting cover painting of the shattered Munroe family photo. The racist South African poacher continues to stalk Ororo, determined to capture her for the mysterious powers he has discovered she possesses. A jealous rival turns out to be more ally than enemy. Plus, a mysterious young man comes to the rescue.
The mysterious young man is T'Challa, son of the King of Wakanda, T'Chaka. T'Challa is on his “walkabout,” a “journey into manhood,” and he finds himself in a serious philosophical debate with “Teacher,” the man who teaches Ororo and the other “urchins” to be thieves. T'Challa is drawn to Ororo, who is recovering from the poison of a tranquilizer dart used on her by de Ruyter. Speaking of the white hunter, he calls his brother, Andreas de Ruyter a.k.a. “the Bull,” to help him capture Ororo, whom he calls the “Wind Rider.”
Storm #4 “Chapter Four” (July 2006):
Ororo has left with young T'Challa, and their romance begins in earnest. Elsewhere, Andreas de Ruyter learns who T'Challa is, and the Bull's past as an adversary of Wakanda is revealed.
Storm #5 “Chapter Five” (August 2006):
Ororo and T'Challa struggle with what they mean to each other in the wake of consummating their relationship. Then, they are captured.
Storm #6 “Chapter Six” (September 2006):
Ororo settles matters with her rival, Zenja. In a high-flying helicopter chase, T'Challa and Ororo have their final battle with the de Ruyter brothers. Then, the young couple continue their journey together – one a warrior and one both a warrior and a woman.
THE LOWDOWN: Black writers can bring different perspectives and diverse points-of-view to comic book storytelling. In one single issue, Storm #1, Eric Jerome Dickey shows what different perspectives on storytelling and diverse points-of-view can mean to the mythology of one X-Men in particular, Storm, and to the X-Men, in general. Dickey really puts Ororo through her paces, forcing her to endure many challenges and obstacles if she is to survive her life as a thief and as a denizen of a jungle refuge.
Over the course of the six issues that comprise the Storm miniseries, Dickey creates a coming-of-age story that resonates with African themes, but is also an universal story of a young person finding herself and her place. Ororo’s life is not difficult just because she is an orphan, but also because she is, in some ways, a stranger in Africa. Dickey, as a Black man, understands the stress fractures that exist in what it means to be Black in a larger culture and how it relates to heritage. When Ororo’s fellow thieves insist that she is not one of them, Dickey brings a sense of authenticity and realism to those accusations. He hits right at the heart of the matter. Africans may see Ororo as a Black American and not at all as an African, no matter what her mother, N’Dare’s origins are. This is another way that Dickey makes Ororo's story a universal tale. Storm is a story that is also about the search for identity, and everyone, regardless of his or her group origins, can identity with that.
I would be remiss if I did not also praise artists David Yardin and Lan Medina and their inkers, Jay Leisten and Sean Parsons. Throughout this series, the art is consistently beautiful, and the storytelling is dramatic, action-packed, bracing, and romantic. The art and graphical storytelling deftly conveys the setting, making it both exotic and familiar. Matt Milla's colors glow and sparkle, and also make Storm shimmer, giving her blue eyes an otherworldly quality. The high drama and action would fall flat without Randy Gentile's dynamic and dynamite lettering.
Eric Jerome Dickey had a superb creative team for Storm. They are the reason that the one work of comics that he left behind is brilliant and hopefully will delight readers for a long time to come.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Eric Jerome Dickey and fans of the X-Men's African weather goddess, Storm, will want to read Dickey's Storm miniseries.
A
8 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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Thursday, February 4, 2021
#IReadsYou Review: Katie Skelly's MAIDS
MAIDS
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]
CARTOONIST: Katie Skelly
DESIGN: Jacob Covey
EDITOR: Eric Reynolds
ISBN: 978-1-68396-368-4; hardcover – 7.3” x 8.8” (October 2020)
112pp, Color, $19.99 U.S.
Maids is a full-color original graphic novel from cartoonist and comics creator, Katie Skelly. Maids is a fictional retelling of the scandalous true crime story of sisters, Christine and Lea Papin, who were convicted of killing their employer's wife and daughter in the northwestern French city of Le Mans in 1933. The case has been the source of and inspiration of numerous works of fiction in the almost 90 years since it occurred.
Maids opens in the city of Le Mans, France, 1931. Lea arrives at the home of the wealthy Madame Lancelin and her daughter, Genevieve. Christine, an overworked live-in maid already employed by the madame, is reunited with her younger sister, Lea. The sisters make the estate's beds; scrub the floors; wash and iron the clothes; work the garden; and prepare and serve the food, among many chores. The sisters work from seven in the morning to seven at night.
Christine and Lea also spy on the domestic strife that routinely occurs within the walls of the Lancelin home. The sisters have also experienced their own domestic strife, which they remember in flashbacks to their tumultuous time in a convent. However, Madame Lancelin’s increasingly unhinged abuse of her employees and social class exploitation combine with the sisters' toxic upbringing and explodes into a shocking series of events.
THE LOWDOWN: I had not heard of Katie Skelly until I got an email from Fantagraphics Books in the summer that was promoting their fall releases. I was immediately taken by Maids' cover art and with the story.
Alternative cartoonists have a way of using the comics medium to get the most out of each panel and each page of their comic. Plot, narrative, setting, characters, atmosphere, allegory, metaphor, symbolism, and social, political, or cultural examination are all layers. The graphics (illustration, color, lettering) in any one panel or grouping of panels may contain all or some of these layers. So one page of an alternative comics story communicates the layers of the story, much more than what the “surface” images or art communicate.
Maids is like that. It is spare and intimate. The illustrations are minimalist, and the colors are flat, although that palette is rich. Underneath the surface, a variety of ideas and plots and back story roils. The storytelling is catty and humorous, but there is an undercurrent that is full of mystery (in regards to the Papin sisters' upbringing) and high intrigue (in regards to the increasingly poor treatment the sisters suffer at the hands of their employer). That is why Maids feel like an epic story of class conflict and exploitation, while at the same time being a fast moving, brutal true crime tale.
Author Katie Skelly presents Christine and Lea as individually complicated, and depicts their relationship as complex, largely due to its origins, almost all of it occurring before Maids begins. Skelly presents the sisters' pasts in flashbacks, and forces the readers to think about what they are reading beyond the pictures. I think that Skelly is aware that her readers' interpretations will be different from what she intends, and I think that she is okay with that.
If I, as a reader, consider the end results of the relationship between Christine and Lea and Madame Lancelin and Genevieve justified, then, I am making that decision because I want to and not because the author is telling me how I should think and feel about her work. Even the way Christine and Lea are presented on the book cover to the audience demands that the reader actually engage this story and its characters.
There are so many layers to the graphical storytelling that is Maids, so much to ponder about the sisters. I can see why many critics, reviewers, and readers are smitten with Maids. There is epic storytelling power in this slim, hardcover volume.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Readers looking for exceptional graphic novels will want to read Maids.
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
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The text is copyright © 2020 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.
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Tuesday, February 2, 2021
#28DaysofBlack Review: Dwayne McDuffie and "Justice League of America: The Injustice League"
[Dwayne McDuffie (1962-2011) left behind a diverse body of work in American comic books, one that emphasized diversity and inclusion. He did so when "diversity" and "inclusion" were dirtier words than they may be to some, now. McDuffie continues to be an inspiration to new voices in American comic books and graphic novels.]
Get #28DaysofBlack review links here.
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA: THE INJUSTICE LEAGUE
DC COMICS – @DCComics
STORY: Dwayne McDuffie; Alan Burnett
PENCILS: Mike McKone; Joe Benitez; Ed Benes; Allan Jefferson
INKS: Andy Lanning; Victor Llamas; Sandra Hope; Allan Jefferson
COLORS: Pete Pantazis; Alex Sinclair
LETTERS: Rob Leigh
EDITOR: Brian Cunningham
COVER: Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund with Alex Sinclair
MISC. ART: Ed Benes and Rod Reis with Alex Sinclair; Ian Churchill and Norm Rapmund with Alex Sinclair; Joe Benitez and Victor Llamas with Pete Pantazis
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2050-1; paperback (June 9, 2009)
144pp, Color, $17.99 U.S., $21.99 CAN
Justice League of America created by Gardner Fox
The Justice League of America is a DC Comics team of superheroes. The team was conceived by writer Gardner Fox in the late 1950s as a then modern update of the 1940s superhero team, the Justice Society of America. The Justice League of America's original line-up of superheroes was comprised of Superman (Clark Kent), Batman (Bruce Wayne), Wonder Woman (Diana Prince), The Flash (Barry Allen), Green Lantern (Hal Jordan), Aquaman (Arthur Curry), and the Martian Manhunter (J'onn J'onzz). This group first appeared together as the Justice League of America in the comic book, The Brave and the Bold #28 (cover dated: March 1960).
The team received its own comic book title entitled Justice League of America, beginning with a first issue cover dated November 1960. Justice League of America #261 (cover dated: April 1987) was the series' final issue, and a new series, simply titled Justice League, began with a first issue cover dated May 1987. The title, “Justice League of America,” would not be used for an ongoing comic book series for almost two decades.
After the events of the event miniseries, Infinite Crisis, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman reformed the Justice League of America as seen in Justice League #0 (cover dated: September 2006), the kickoff of a new Justice League of America ongoing comic book series under the guidance of writer Brad Meltzer and artist Ed Benes.
After the publication of Justice League of America #12, Dwayne McDuffie became the series new writer. McDuffie's first story arc was entitled “Unlimited.” The creative team was comprised of pencil artists: Mike McKone, Joe Benitez, and Ed Benes and inkers: Andy Lanning, Victor Llamas, and Sandra Hope; colorist Pete Pantazis; and letterer Rob Leigh.
The story arc began in the one-shot special, Justice League of America Wedding Special #1 (November 2007) and ran through Justice League of America issues #13 to #15 (November 2007 to January 2008). Issue #16 (cover dated: February 2008) offered two related stories. “A Brief Tangent” was written by McDuffie; drawn by Benitez (pencils) and Llamas (inks); colored by Pantazis; and lettered by Leigh. “Tangent: Superman's Reign” was written by Alan Burnett; drawn by Allan Jefferson; colored by Pantazis; and lettered by Leigh.
The “Unlimited” story was collected in Justice League of America: The Injustice League, which reprints Justice League of America Wedding Special #1 and Justice League of America issue #13 to #16. The collection was first published first in hardcover (June 2008), and then, as a trade paperback (June 2009).
The backdrop of “Unlimited” is the impending wedding of Oliver “Ollie” Queen, the retired superhero known as Green Arrow, and Dinah Lance known as the hero, Black Canary, the leader of the Justice League of America. The male members of the League are holding a bachelor party for Ollie that is not going as well as expected. The female members are holding a bachelorette party for Dinah.
Elsewhere, super-villains: Lex Luthor, The Joker, and Cheetah are forming a new iteration of “The Injustice League,” the evil counterpart of the Justice League, but this version will have the largest roster of villains ever. Meeting at the “Hall of Doom,” Luthor dubs this new team, “The Injustice League Unlimited,” and they start launching their first attacks against the Justice League.
Soon, at St. Vincent's Hospital in Greenwich Village in New York City, Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl are fighting the new Injustice League's members, Cheetah, Dr. Light, and Killer Frost, while Firestorm (Jason Rusch) is in a hospital bed, gravely injured from his battle with the villains. Batman and Red Arrow (Roy Harper) find themselves ambushed by The Joker, Fatality, and the Shadow Thief, who have already taken out Geo-Force.
With members of the Justice League falling to its adversaries, the Justice League is outmatched, and its numbers are dwindling. Lex Luthor, however, is focused on his main target, Superman, and Luthor promises that he has devised a way to finally destroy Superman.
THE LOWDOWN: Dwayne Glenn McDuffie died on February 21, 2011, one day after his 49th birthday. McDuffie was a comic book writer, and he was one of the founders of Milestone Media. This pioneering minority-owned-and minority-operated company created comic books which featured superheroes and other characters that were either African-American or other minorities whose depictions were underrepresented in American comic books.
McDuffie also wrote and produced for television, specifically for animated TV series. He was a writer-producer for one season of Cartoon Network's “Justice League” (2001-2004) and a writer-producer for its follow-up, “Justice League Unlimited” (2004-2006). He wrote and/or produced for three iterations of Cartoon Network's “Ben 10” franchise. McDuffie also wrote several episodes of the animated series, The WB's “Static Shock” (2000-04), which was based on the Milestone comic book series, Static, that McDuffie co-created and co-wrote.
McDuffie may have been one of the most under-utilized talents and under-appreciated and underrated writers during his three-decade career in the American comic book industry. Since I don't owe anyone anything and because I don't care much about consequences, I can freely say that had Dwayne McDuffie been a white man instead of an African-American, his status as a comic book creator would have been the American comic book industry equivalent of “most favored nation.”
However, much of his creative output was for DC Comics, where the most powerful editorial positions, those that hand out the writing gigs, were held by bigots, racists, and a variety of sexual harassers and abusers. During his time at Marvel, McDuffie would have encountered much of the same thing, and during the last decade of his life, Marvel editors mainly hired white guys whose work impressed them and their friends outside the job.
Yet, in spite of such obstacles, McDuffie carved out a career telling hugely entertaining stories in comic books. McDuffie was a traditionalist and largely eschewed the more “adult” and “mature” storytelling modes that began to dominate American comic books in the 1970s. Yes, McDuffie was a modern writer and his work did feature elements of realism, but he wrote classic fantasy stories of good and evil in which the shades of gray served the plot, characters, and settings. McDuffie did not write “grim and gritty” for the sake of style or fad.
That can be seen in the comic book, Static, which is a modern and perhaps, “urban contemporary” take on Spider-Man. Static was a black teen superhero facing typical teen problems, learning to understand his powers, and dealing with the struggle to learn how to be a superhero. Thirty years before the debut of Static, a white teen, Peter Parker, lived similar experiences in the pages of Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man.
Justice League of America (Vol. 3): The Injustice League offers “Unlimited,” which is also classic in the sense that it recalls the original Justice League of America series. By the time, McDuffie started writing Justice League of America, comic books featuring superhero teams were dark in tone, with characters involved in adult relationships and living complicated, messy lives. “Unlimited” is straight-forward good guy vs. bad guy. Yes, the characters have rivalries, conflicts, motivations, personality quirks, and goals, but the depiction of that purely serves the central plot. And it is this: with their backs to the wall, how do the members of the Justice League of America come back from the ass-kicking Lex Luthor, The Joker, and Cheetah and company have given them?
McDuffie's storytelling is efficient and every panel on every page is consequential, and there is no “decompression” filler. From the beginning of the story, there is enough tension to create anxiety in the reader for his heroes, and I certainly found myself racing towards the end, hoping that things would work out in the end. Of course, the heroes always (sort of) win in the end, but the best writers of superhero comic books convince readers that this is it – the end of the line for the good guys. And McDuffie did that in “Unlimited,” seemingly with ease.
“Unlimited's” plot is so engaging that I ignored the inconsistency of the graphical storytelling due to the shifting art teams. Actually, the artists offer straight-forward storytelling. Artists Ed Benes, Mike McKone, and Joe Benitez might not be the best comic book artists or draw the prettiest pictures, but they are quite good at superhero comic book storytelling. In the end, their art tells a fine story with great characters, and comic book fans swear that is what they really want...
And if audiences and editors really wanted great-stories-characters, then, Dwayne McDuffie, teller of fine comic book stories filled with hugely attractive characters, would not have had to wait to the last half-decade of his life for an A-list assignment in comic books. By the way, those outstanding editorial citizens fired McDuffie from Justice League of America less than two years into his run on the title.
But they could not kill his pride... nor our memories of his work.
I READS YOU RECOMMENDS: Fans of Dwayne McDuffie will want to treat themselves to Justice League of America: The Injustice League.
A
9 out of 10
Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"
https://www.dccomics.com/
https://www.facebook.com/dc/
The text is copyright © 2021 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.
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