Image Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 29, 2022

IMAGE COMICS

MAR220085 DARK ROOM HC $19.99

APR220183 DEPARTMENT OF TRUTH #19 CVR A SIMMONDS (MR) $3.99

MAR220221 GHOST CAGE #3 (OF 3) $5.99

APR220204 IMAGE 30TH ANNV ANTHOLOGY #3 (OF 12) (MR) $5.99

JAN210229 MIRKA ANDOLFO SWEET PAPRIKA STATUE $169.00

APR220220 MONSTRESS #41 (MR) $3.99

APR220053 PUBLIC DOMAIN #1 (MR) $3.99

APR220227 RIGHTEOUS THIRST FOR VENGEANCE #9 (MR) $3.99

APR220081 SINS OF BLACK FLAMINGO #1 (OF 5) (MR) $3.99

APR220233 SPAWN SCORCHED #7 CVR A AGUILLO $2.99

APR220234 SPAWN SCORCHED #7 CVR B MATTINA $2.99

MAR220080 WHATS THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE #7 CVR A BOSS $3.99

MAR220081 WHATS THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE #7 CVR B HIXSON $3.99

MAR220125 WHATS THE FURTHEST PLACE FROM HERE TP VOL 01 $19.99

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Marvel Comics from Diamond Distributors for June 29, 2022

MARVEL COMICS

MAR220948 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #4 BAZALDUA SKRULL VAR $3.99

APR220960 AVENGERS #57 $3.99

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APR220859 IRON CAT #1 (OF 5) $4.99

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APR220861 IRON CAT #1 (OF 5) RON LIM VAR $4.99

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APR220990 IRON MAN HELLCAT ANNUAL #1 MOMOKO VAR $4.99

APR220989 IRON MAN HELLCAT ANNUAL #1 ZULLO VAR $4.99

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Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for June 29, 2022

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APR221773 ANGELA DELLA MORTE TP VOL 02 WE CAN DESTROY THE SOUL $14.95

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MAGAZINES

FEB221744 ALTER EGO #176 $10.95

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BOOKS

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APR222033 YOKOHAMA STATION SF NATIONAL HC $20.00

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DC Comics from Lunar Distributors for June 28, 2022

DC COMICS:

100 Bullets Omnibus Volume 2 HC, $125.00
Action Comics #1044 (Cover A Lucio Parrillo), $4.99
Action Comics #1044 (Cover B Ian Churchill Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Action Comics #1044 (Cover C Derek Charm Pride Month Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Aquamen #5 (Cover A Travis Moore), $3.99
Aquamen #5 (Cover B Mico Suayan Card Stock Variant, $4.99
Aquamen #5 (Cover C Joe Phillips Pride Month Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Aquamen #5 (Cover D David Talaski Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Batman Beyond The White Knight #4 (Of 8)(Cover A Sean Murphy), $4.99
Batman Beyond The White Knight #4 (Of 8)(Cover B Sean Murphy), $4.99
Batman Beyond The White Knight #4 (Of 8)(Cover C Joelle Jones), AR
Batman Catwoman #12 (Of 12)(Cover A Clay Mann), $4.99
Batman Catwoman #12 (Of 12)(Cover B Jim Lee & Scott Williams Variant), $4.99
Batman Catwoman #12 (Of 12)(Cover C Travis Charest Variant), $4.99
Batman Fortress #2 (Of 8)(Cover A Darick Robertson), $3.99
Batman Fortress #2 (Of 8)(Cover B Gerardo Zaffino Card Stock Variant), $4.99
DC Connect #26, AR
DC Vs. Vampires Killers #1 (One Shot)(Cover A Hicham Habchi), $3.99
DC Vs. Vampires Killers #1 (One Shot)(Cover B Brett Booth & Jonathan Glapion Card Stock Variant), $4.99
DC Vs. Vampires Killers #1 (One Shot)(Cover C Paolo Pantalena Card Stock Variant), AR
Deathstroke Inc. #10 (Cover A Mikel Janin), $3.99
Deathstroke Inc. #10 (Cover B Ivan Tao Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Deathstroke Inc. #10 (Cover C Filya Bratukhin Card Stock Variant), AR
Detective Comics #1061 (Cover A Ivan Reis & Danny Miki), $4.99
Detective Comics #1061 (Cover B Lee Bermejo Card Stock Variant), $5.99
Detective Comics #1061 (Cover C Erin Mcdermott Card Stock Variant), AR
Harley Quinn #16 (Cover A Riley Rossmo), $3.99
Harley Quinn #16 (Cover B Derrick Chew Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Harley Quinn #16 (Cover C Olivier Coipel Pride Month Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Harley Quinn #16 (Cover D Ivan Tao Card Stock Variant), AR
Question By Dennis O’Neil And Denys Cowan Omnibus Volume 1 HC, $99.99
Robin #15 (Cover A Roger Cruz & Norm Rapmund), $3.99
Robin #15 (Cover B Simone Di Meo Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Robin #15 (Cover C Mario Foccillo Connecting Card Stock Variant), AR
Robin #15 (Cover D Lynne Yoshi Pride Month Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Swamp Thing #14 (Of 16)(Cover A Mike Perkins), $3.99
Swamp Thing #14 (Of 16)(Cover B Steve Beach Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Task Force Z #9 (Of 12)(Cover A Eddy Barrows & Eber Ferreira), $3.99
Task Force Z #9 (Of 12)(Cover B Cully Hamner Card Stock Variant), $4.99
Task Force Z #9 (Of 12)(Cover C James Harren Card Stock Variant), AR
Teen Titans Go Undead TP, $9.99

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#IReadsYou Book Review: WAR LORD: A Novel

WAR LORD
HARPERCOLLINS/Harper

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: Bernard Cornwell
ISBN: 978-0-06-256329-3; hardcover (November 24, 2020)
352pp, B&W, $28.99 U.S.

War Lord is a 2020 novel from Bernard Cornwell, a bestselling British author of historical novels.  This is the thirteenth and final book in Cornwell’s “Saxon Tales” series, his epic story of the making of England and his continuing story of pagan Saxon warlord, Uhtred of Bebbanburg.  “The Saxon Tales” series is also known as “The Last Kingdom” (named for the first novel in the series).  War Lord finds Lord Uhtred torn between protecting what is his and his sworn oath to a young king.

As War Lord opens, Lord Uhtred is ruling his part of Northumbria from his family's fortress, Bebbanburg.  With a new woman, Benedetta, and a loyal band of warriors by his side, his household is secure.  Well, he should be secure, but beyond the fortress, a battle for power rages.

Young King Æthelstan has done something he swore to Lord Uhtred that he would never do.  Uhtred is the man who is most responsible for putting him on the throne and made him “Anglorum Saxonum Rex” – King of the Angles and the Saxons – King of Wessex, of East Anglia, and of Mercia.

That promise that Æthelstan has broken is that he has invaded Northumbria.  He wants to be “Monarchus Totius Britanniae,” King of All Britain, and the invasion is his first stop.  To the north, however, is King Constantine of Alba (Scotland) and other Scottish and Irish leaders who are all looking to expand their territory.  Possessing Northumbria will do that, and the region can act as a buffer zone between the Scots, Danes, Norse, and Irish lands and the Saxon lands.

Uhtred is faced with an impossible choice.  He can stay out of the struggle, but each side will think that he has made a deal with its enemies.  Or he can throw himself into this power struggle that will eventually result in the most terrible battle Britain has ever experienced.  It is a battle that could realize the dreams of King Alfred, King Edward (his son), and King Æthelstan (his grandson).  That dream is to create one realm for everyone who is Christian and who speaks the “Ænglisc” tongue, a kingdom to be called “Englaland” (or England, of course).  Will Uhtred, the War Lord of Britain, survive this crisis and hold onto Bebbanburg?

THE LOWDOWN:  I have read the seventh through this thirteenth entry in “The Saxon Tales” series.  I love these books, and as soon as I reach the last page of one book, I dearly wish the next book was immediately available.  George R.R. Martin, the author of A Song of Fire and Ice (the inspiration for HBO's Emmy-winning “Game of Thrones” television series), says that Cornwell writes the best battles scenes he has ever read.  I can say that Cornwell's “Saxon Tales” are kind of like a real life “Game of Thrones,” with Cornwell taking creative liberties with the story of the creation of England.  And yes, Cornwell's battle scenes are breathtaking.

Well, it is pointless to wish for more.  War Lord is the magnificent finale to the epic story of how England was made.  After writing reviews for seven of these books, I have practically run out of ways to praise Cornwell.  The series just never ran out of steam, as Cornwell never ran out of ways to depict political and courtly intrigue and epic brutal battles.

War Lord borrows elements from the previous books, and wraps up several story lines.  There is family drama and tragedy.  There is sea-faring adventure.  Scores are settled, and an epic battle decides the fate of kings and kingdoms.  Heck, this book is almost two years old, so I can spoil a few things.  Uhtred is alive at the end of this book, but is apparently retired.  Thus, we get a happy ending, a bittersweet one, of course.  I am sure that I am not the only reader who wants more.

In the meantime, I hope new readers discover this riveting series full of wonderful characters, topped by an amazing lead character.  Praise Bernard Cornwell and Lord Uhtred.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of historical fiction and of Bernard Cornwell must have War Lord.

A
★★★★+ out of 4 stars

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


https://twitter.com/BernardCornwell
https://www.bernardcornwell.net/
https://www.facebook.com/bernard.cornwell
https://twitter.com/HarperCollins
https://www.harpercollins.com/


The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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#IReadsYou Review: SCOOBY-DOO, Where Are You? #115

SCOOBY-DOO, WHERE ARE YOU? (2010) #115
DC COMICS

STORY: Derek Fridolfs; Sholly Fisch
PENCILS: Walter Carzon; Robert Pope
INKS: Horacio Ottolini; Scott McRae
COLORS: Silvana Brys; Heroic Age
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte; Dezi Sienty
EDITORS: Courtney Jordan; Kwanza Johnson (reprint)
COVER: Derek Fridolfs with Silvana Brys
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (June 2022)

Ages 8+

“Ready Player Run!”

Welcome, dear readers, to my continuing journey through the Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? comic book series, which began publication in 2010.  I continue to renew my subscription so that I can continue to review this series for you, dear readers.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #115 opens with “Ready Player Run!,” which is written by Derek Fridolfs and drawn by Walter Carzon and Horacio Ottolini.  The story finds Mystery Inc.:  Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne, and Velma at the headquarters of “Playtel,” the board game company.  Fred answered an ad so that the whole gang could “playtest” Playtel's latest game.

But Playtel has a surprise for all the testers.  They want to give players a new experience, and that means transporting players into virtual reality versions of their games via VR goggles.  But there is a glitch … err … gremlin in the VR system.  The “Grim Gamer” is out to win at all costs, and Mystery Inc. has a new mystery to solve.

The second story, “Endgame” is, as usual, a reprint story and is written by Sholly Fisch and drawn by Robert Pope and Scott McRae.  [This story was originally published in Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #10 (cover date: August 2011).]  Mystery Inc. is attending the “World Video Game Championships,” which is sponsored by the video game company, Gamestation.

Competitors include the Tendo Brothers, Mario and Luigi, and the legendary player, Zelda.  But a ghostly figure, “The Pinball Wizard,” is demanding that this championship tournament be shut down.  Now, Gamestation's Laurie Kraft is desperate to save the tournament, so Mystery Inc. has another mystery to solve.

Right from the start, one reason for me to like “Ready Player Run!” is that it comes from Walter Carzon and Horacio Ottolini, one of my favorite Scooby-Doo comic book art teams.  Combined with Sivana Brys' lovely colors, “Ready Player Run!” looks gorgeous.  Writer Derek Fridolfs, another Scooby-Doo comics favorite, offers a cleverly constructed story right out of the kind of real-world corporate espionage that must be rampant in the video game industry.  I like this story, and I think it would make a good plot for one of those direct-to-DVD Scooby-Doo movies.

“Endgame” is written by another of my favorite Scooby-Doo comic book writers, Sholly Fisch, and is drawn by another of my favorite Mystery Inc. art dream teams, Robert Pope and Scott McRae.  The plot and the villain are good, but not great.  However, the story has a crazy last act – Shaggy and Scooby in a dance-off!  Yes, it's as fun as it sounds.

So, I recommend Scooby-Doo, Where Are You? #115 to all Scooby-Doo fans because it is one of the best issues of the series in the last year or so.  And until next time, Scooby-Dooby-Doo!

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

[This comic book includes a seven-page preview of the original graphic novel, “Primer” by Jennifer Muro, Thomas Krajewski, and Gretel Lusky.]

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


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#IReadsYou Review: BETTY & VERONICA Double Digest #304

BETTY & VERONICA (JUMBO COMICS) DOUBLE DIGEST #304
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS, INC.

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Tania Del Rio; Angelo DeCesare; Frank Doyle; George Gladir; Dick Malmgren; Dan Parent; Mike Pellowski; Barbara Slate; Hal Smith; Dexter Taylor; Kathleen Webb
PENCILS: Bill Golliher; Dan DeCarlo; Gus Lemoine; Stan Goldberg; Tim Kennedy; Bill Kresse; Rudy Lapick; Dan Parent; Fernando Ruiz; Jeff Shultz; Chic Stone; Dexter Taylor; Bill Vigoda
INKS: Jim Amash; Jon D'Agostino; Jim DeCarlo; Vince DeCarlo; Mike Esposito; Bill Kresse; John Lowe; Al Milgrom; Henry Scarpelli; Chic Stone
COLORS: Glenn Whitmore; Barry Grossman
LETTERS: Jack Morelli; Vince DeCarlo; Bill Kresse; Dexter Taylor; Bill Yoshida
COVER: Dan Parent with Francis Bonnet
EIC: Mike Pellerito
ISSN: 10440321; (July 2022)
192pp, Color, $8.99 U.S. (June 1, 2022 – direct market)

Rating: All-Ages

New stories: “Smells Like Teen Spirits!”

Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest is part of “The Archie Digest Library” series.  Debuting in the spring of 1987, Betty & Veronica Double Digest is a mini-trade paperback-like series that features stories reprinted from across the publishing history of Archie Comics.  The stories focus on two of Archie Comics' main characters, Betty Cooper and Veronica Lodge, best friends and also rivals in their love for Archie Andrews.  Sometimes, however, these digests open with an original story.

Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #304, the latest edition, contains one brand new story, “Smells Like Teen Spirits!”  It is written by Tania Del Rio; drawn by Bill Golliher (pencils) and Jim Amash (inks); colored by Glenn Whitmore; and lettered by Jack Morelli.  It stars Sabrina Spellman with Betty and Veronica.  A teenage witch, Sabrina was created by writer George Gladir and artist Dan DeCarlo, and first appeared in Archie's Madhouse #22 (cover-dated: October 1962).  2022 is the sixtieth anniversary of the character, and Archie Comics is honoring the character with the “60 Years of Magic” celebration.

Sabrina in “Smells Like Teen Spirits!”:

The story opens at Riverdale Beach, and Sabrina is looking for a particular new pop-up shop among the beach's boardwalk shops.  Sabina hopes the new shop, “Perfume Pop-Up,” also sells empty perfume bottles.  She needs a thick new one to contain a troublesome potion she made that is about to break out of the flimsy old perfume bottle in which it is currently contained.

Unfortunately, all it takes is a moment for Betty and Veronica to expose themselves to the potion.  Now, unfortunate and unexpected things are happening to them, and Sabrina has to fix this awful situation without Betty and Veronica noticing.

THE LOWDOWN:  Although Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #304 is a Betty & Veronica title, it is also a celebration of Sabrina the Teenage Witch.  In addition to the new story, “Smell Like Teen Spirits!,” which is the story that opens this issue, the next six stories feature Sabrina as the star or co-star.

The rest of the Sabrina stories include classic old-school Sabrina characters like her Aunt Hilda and Della, the Head Witch, with Archie and the gang joining the fun.  Another delight, two of the stories are drawn by Sabrina's co-creator, the late Dan DeCarlo.

As usual, I must warn you, dear readers.  I will always recommend classic-style Archie Comics titles.  And this 304th edition of Betty & Veronica Double Digest is doubly recommended because we get Betty & Veronica and the Archie Gang and Sabrina Spellman.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of classic-style Archie Comics will want Betty & Veronica (Jumbo Comics) Double Digest #304.

A-
★★★½ out of 4 stars

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


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