MAY 11, 2016
Welcome to May 11! This won't be my best week, due to some personal problems. My apologies. But I have managed to review a thing or two, and assemble a list or two. Onward!
BOOKS I HAVE SOMETHING TO SAY ABOUT
AGATHA: THE REAL LIFE OF AGATHA CHRISTIE (GN)
Publisher: SELFMADEHERO
Writers: ANNE MARTINETTI, GUILLAUME LEBEAU
Art/Cover: ALEXANDRE FRANC
$19.95
The life of Agatha Christie was as mysterious and eventful as her fiction. This beautifully illustrated graphic novel traces the life of the Queen of Whodunnit from her childhood in Torquay, England, through a career filled with success, mischief, and adventure, to her later years as Dame Agatha. Revealing a side to Christie that will surprise and delight many readers, Agatha introduces us to a free-spirited and thoroughly modern woman who, among other things, enjoyed flying, travel, and surfing. Centering around an episode in 1926 when Christie staged her own disappearance, Agatha is an intriguing, entertaining, and funny exploration of the 20th century's best-loved crime novelist.
From what I know, Agatha Christie didn't have a very interesting life. Born to wealth and privilege, the only two interesting things about her life I can find (aside from her literary success) are that she worked in a military hospital in Torquay in WWI, and when her husband wanted a divorce in the 1920s she disappeared for 10 days with no explanation. (She turned up at a sort of mental hospital with "amnesia." We must assume a mental breakdown or else something sinister -- she signed in to the sanitarium using her husband's lover's surname.) None of that sounds very "funny" to me, so this GN must exaggerate beyond the point where we can consider it historically accurate. The cover art is more cartoony than I care for as well, so I'm disinclined to get this one.
APES AND BABES (TPB)
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer/Art/Cover: FRANK CHO
144 PAGES / FC / M / $19.99
From the award-winning and critically-acclaimed creator and artist Frank Cho (LIBERTY MEADOWS, ZOMBIE KING, Drawing Beautiful Women, Jungle Girl) comes APES AND BABES, available this May.
A stunning collection that showcases the best of Cho’s past and present illustrations, APES AND BABES displays a wide variety of artwork, everything from the female form to fantastic beasts.
The APES AND BABES trade paperback is a must-have for Cho fans and art lovers and highlights why Cho is one of the most sought-out talents in the business today.
I think "good girl artist" is a misnomer. Cho, like Yanick Paquette, Matt Baker, Adam Hughes and other famed "good girl artists," aren't just good at drawing girls. They're good at drawing everything. It's just that gorgeous girls are more memorable than, say, really well-drawn trees.
ARCHIE #8
Publisher: ARCHIE COMICS
Writer: MARK WAID
Art: VERONICA FISH, JACK MORELLI, ANDRE SZYMANOWICZ
Cover A: VERONICA FISH
Cover B: ANTON EMDIN
Cover C: FAITH ERIN HICKS
32-PAGE, FC, $3.99 U.S.
Veronica’s father (and Archie’s arch-nemesis!), Hiram Lodge, is running for Mayor of Riverdale! But will he save, and even improve the town—or will he destroy it? Find out in this next installment of the hottest comic of the year!
If Mark Waid is sticking around, so am I!
ARPEGGIO OF BLUE STEEL VOL 7 (GN)
Publisher: SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT LLC
Writer/Art/Cover: ARK
Mature/$12.99
In the early twenty-first century, the majority of Earth's landmass is submerged due to rising sea levels. Enter the Fleet of Fog, a host of sentient alien battleships of unknown origin who easily decimate earth's naval forces. Humanity is now on the verge of extinction. In the year 2039, the stalwart Captain Chihaya Gunzou and his intrepid crew on the Blue Steel fleet may be humanity's last chance to fight off the alien invaders. The Blue Steel fleet happens to contain a secret weapon that could turn the tide of war: a mysterious I-401 submarine that can transform into a girl.
I'm setting alight The Baron Signal -- I can't wait to find out how a submarine turning into a girl is some sort of military advantage!
MORE "AVENGERS STANDOFF" TIE-INS
AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. #5
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
Writer: MARC GUGGENHEIM
Art: GERMAN PERALTA
Cover by MIKE NORTON
32 PGS. / Rated T+ / $3.99
Coulson captive! Simmons dying! The Amazing Spider-Man marked for death! And if that wasn’t enough … the Marvel Comics Universe debut of GRANT WARD.
Here are two more "Avengers Standoff" tie-ins, presumably showing -- as The Baron said in response to last week's Guide -- some of the consequences of the event.
I'm kinda curious how the comics will introduce Ward. Our DVR crashed, so I'm really behind on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., but last I saw he wasn't looking too good.
ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #9
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
Written by MARK WAID
Art by MAHMUD ASRAR
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Variant Cover by ALEX ROSS
Age of Apocalypse Variant by KHOI PHAM
32 PGS. / Rated T+ / $3.99
Who is this mysterious new player in the Marvel Universe? You won’t have to wait long to find out! This May, critically-acclaimed creators Mark Waid and Mahmud Asrar bring you ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #9 - kicking off a brand-new story arc featuring the all-new Wasp! Hot off her highly anticipated first appearance on Free Comic Book Day, this mysterious new character makes a bee line for the center of the Marvel Universe. Her first stop? Colliding head on with the All-New, All-Different Avengers! But is she friend or foe? And what does she plan to do about Earth’s Mightiest Heroes? The answers begin as she buzzes her way into comic shops this May in ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #9!
I dunno why, but I'm glad the new Wasp is again a female. When Henry Pym used the name, it just didn't feel right. I don't know if it's because Wasp was female during my youth, because "wasp-waisted" is a female descriptor, or what.
BRIT-CIT NOIR (GN)
Publisher: REBELLION / 2000AD
Writers: JOHN SMITH, LEAH MOORE
Art: JOHN REPPION, COLIN MACNEIL
$19.99
The British equivalent of Mega-City One, Brit-Cit is a crowded metropolis that sprawls across southern England, the future Scotland of Cal-Hab and the South Welsh Peninsula. Buttressed by its own "Cursed Earth," it is a bizarre vision of Britain old and new. Even before the Atomic Wars, Britain had more ghosts and ghouls per square miles than anywhere in the world -- and now Brit-Cit is the focal point for an abundance of weird, occult occurrences. Detective Inspector Jericho Strange heads up the Endangered Species Squad, a unit within Brit-Cit's Justice Department charged with investigating arcane cases. His exposure to a supernatural artifact called the "Black Mirror" has left him with a face his new partner, Becky Darke, will never forget ... Collecting Strange & Darke: New Blood & Storm Warning: The Relic.
Whoa, wait -- this is connected to Judge Dredd? And did that strip ever deal with a British (or English or UK-ish) Mega-City? I haven't been very impressed with Leah Moore's work in general, but I'm always interested in Judge Dredd!
EERIE #1
Publisher: CANTON STREET PRESS
Art: JOE KUBERT
Cover: Unknown
$17.99
Eerie Comics #1 was the first horror comic. It eventually ushered in an entire genre as well as a regular series of the same name. Overstreet lists this as the most valuable horror comic. Joe Kubert and Fred Kida are among the contributors. This replica is authentically restored and includes all ads and editorial content. Full color.
As I've mentioned before, these Canton Street reproductions shout "gouging" to me. Your mileage may vary.
FINAL DAYS
TOMASI’S “THE FINAL DAYS OF SUPERMAN” SECOND PRINTING COMING IN MAY!
In the month of April the epic saga “The Final Days of Superman” began with Superman #51. This eight-issue story arc spanning four different titles sets the stage for the DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH launch beginning May 25.
And now DC Entertainment is proud to announce that coming May 11th, all stories will be available with the new “Final Days of Superman” trade dress!
A second printing of the April titles including the sold out SUPERMAN #51, BATMAN/SUPERMAN #31, ACTION COMICS #51, and SUPERMAN/ WONDER WOMAN #28 will land in stores on May 11th, featuring a proclamation of their part in the monumental story.
The last four issues including BATMAN/SUPERMAN #32, ACTION COMICS #52, SUPERMAN/ WONDER WOMAN #29 and the grand finale SUPERMAN #52 will be released with the trade dress in their original print run.
So if you missed the beginning of this legendary story from superstar writer Peter Tomasi, never fear! You’ll get a chance to binge read it all before Superman takes his final bow.
ACTION COMICS #52
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by FERNANDO PASARIN
Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR. and KLAUS JANSON
Variant cover by BEN OLIVER
32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
“Super League” continues—as two Supermen meet at last: pre-New 52 Superman meets the current Clark. A force seeking to end both Men of Steel brings them together, but divided they may fall as one Superman must choose the safety of his family before himself.
Rob Staeger said last week that he's enjoying "Last Days of Superman," and that's recommendation enough for me.
FUZZY BASEBALL (GN)
Publisher: PAPERCUTZ
Writer/Art/Cover: JOHN STEVEN GURNEY
$9.99
Just in time for baseball season! It's the game everyone has been waiting for - The Fernwood Valley Fuzzies versus The Rocky Ridge Red Claws! The Fuzzies, featuring such all-star players as Jackie Rabbitson, Sandy Kofox and Hammy Sosa, are ready. So are the Red Claws, with players like Gator Gibson, Stetch Giraffolo, and Fernado del Toro. Together they'll make this the greatest game ever played between the two longtime rivals. And you have a front row seat at Fuzzy Field!
When Papercutz mailed this to me, I opened it up, flipped through it, and said aloud to my wife, "Here's a book I will never read." Not because I assumed it was bad, but because it's a book about anthropomorphic animals playing baseball, aimed at readers at least a third my age. So if you're one of those, or have children that age, take a look. It's full of puns and furry friends, so younger readers might like it.
HOUSE OF PENANCE #2 (OF 6)
Publisher: DARK HORSE
Writer: PETER TOMASI
Art/Cover: IAN BERTRAM
Colors: DAVE STEWART
FC, 32 pages, $3.99, Miniseries
“A singular triumph.”—Scott Snyder (Wytches)
Sarah Winchester’s house is always under construction—the banging of hammers keeps her demons at bay. Her construction crew of vagrants and murderers build, tear down, and rebuild the mansion according to her visions. But her newest employee, Warren Peck, has brought some demons of his own.
A historical tale of horror from creator Peter Tomasi (Batman and Robin, Green Lantern)!
I was a little baffled by the first issue, because it was so surreal. Which is not a complaint -- a book like this ought to be odd to the point of being really creepy. And it is. But the dream-like quality which I think is necessary also sets the book at a remove, so I had to wait at least one more issue for things to come a little more into focus.
They have. And now I'm hooked.
The story, as you can probably ascertain, takes place in the very real Winchester Mansion, which has a very real origin as a place where the heir to the Winchester fortune felt so guilty (and haunted) by all the animals and people killed by her family's namesake rifle that she had construction workers banging away 24/7 during her lifetime to keep the ghosts at bay. Construction was ongoing but not planned, so it's a very odd place with stairways to nowhere and doors that open to empty space.
The book exaggerates some of this -- the heir, for example, sleeps with the clothes of her dead husband and child, and talks to them, a detail I've never heard before -- but that's OK because that just makes the book more creepy, which is what we all want. And into the Mansion comes our protagonist, a not very honorable ex-Union Army guy with a lot of secrets and secret plans. With the second issue, this guy and some of the supporting characters snap into focus, and they are so interesting I can't wait to see what happens next.
The artwork is appropriately strange, leaning a bit on the Moebius-style of pointilllist rendering, but without the Franco-Belgian style as a basis. Instead, it's exaggerated and disproportionate -- again, sort dreamlike, But not a very pleasant dream, which is perfect.
JUPITER'S CIRCLE VOL 2 #6 (of 6)
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer: MARK MILLAR
Art/Cover C: WILFREDO TORRES
CoverA: BILL SIENKIEWICZ
Cover B: FRANK QUITELY
32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
MINISERIES CONCLUSION
The team's adventures lead them down unexpected paths.
I don't know how "unexpected" anything can be when we know how it all ends from Jupiter's Children. But I've been enjoying this pseudo-Silver Age series nonetheless.
KING VOL 1 (GN)
Publisher: JET CITY COMICS
Writer: JOSHUA HALE FIALKOV
Art: BERNARD CHANG
Cover: BERNARD CHANG, MARCELO MAIOLO
$14.95
From critically acclaimed writer Joshua Hale Fialkov and superstar artists Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo comes a post-apocalyptic Conan the Barbarian as directed by Sam Raimi circa Army of Darkness! King just wants what anybody wants: not to get fired, eaten, or forced to mate with a cheetah lady. As Earth's sole human survivor after the apocalypse, life among Los Angeles' strange, new populace ain't easy. Working for the LA Department of Reclamation, King gets a lot of crappy jobs going on quests and searching for artifacts from the "old world." The work commute can be a real pain in the Azathoth. The 405 freeway is filled with mutants, monsters, mayhem and tentacled Elder Gods. And that's all before you hit the horrors of the San Fernando Valley. As the world's freakish inhabitants battle for supremacy, King searches for the "seed of life," which may give Earth the second chance it probably doesn't even deserve.
I don't know anything about this, except that it's written by Joshua Fialkov, whose work I've always enjoyed. So it's worth a heads up.
THE LOUVRE COLLECTION: GUARDIANS OF THE LOUVRE
Publisher: NBM PUBLICATIONS
Writer/Art/Cover: Jirô Taniguchi
7 ½ x 11, 136pp., full color hardcover, $24.99
A famous manga artist provides the latest entry in the Louvre collection of graphic novels. After a group trip to Europe, a Japanese designer stops in Paris alone, intent on visiting the museums of the capital. But, bedridden in his hotel room with fever, he faces the absolute solitude of one suffering in a foreign land, deprived of any immediate or familiar recourse. When the fever breaks somewhat, he sets out on his visit and promptly gets lost in the crowded halls of the Louvre. Very soon, he discovers many unsuspected facets to this world in a museum, meeting artists and their works from various periods, in a journey oscillating between feverish hallucination and reality, finishing at the crossroads between human and personal history.
With this inner journey, Jiro Taniguchi invites us on a temporal and artistic trip to discover a sense of place under the leadership of some tutelary figures that appear to him, familiar or unknown ... the guardians of the Louvre.
This has been an outstanding series, and while I haven't had time to read this particular example, I have every confidence it will be as engaging as the rest.
The basis, as I've mentioned before, is that a number of top-flight European writer/artists have been given the assignment of creating a graphic novel that somehow involves the Louvre. As you can imagine, a number of them have gone the route of having the various headless statues and impressionist paintings and ancient artifacts come to life, which is fine -- who hasn't imagined something similar? But a number of others have gone far in different ways: One was a dying man being led to accept his mortality by the spirit of the museum, another a sci-fi tale of a future archaeologists digging through the ice sheet over Paris, a third went beneath the museum to a land of forgotten craftsmen and tour guides lost forever in a labyrinthine and possibly intangible underworld.
My apologies again for not getting to this one, but I think I can recommend you at least look at it, as most of the others have been so impressive.
PENNY DREADFUL #1
Publisher: TITAN COMICS
Script: KRYSTY WILSON-CAIRNS
Artist: LOUIE DE MARTINIS
Cover A: GUILLEM MARCH
Cover B: BEN TEMPLESMITH
Cover C: LOUIE DE MARTINIS
Cover D: Photo
Cover E: Photo
Cover F: Blank Sketch
Ongoing - 32pp - FC - $3.99
The hit TV series is presented in comics for the first time and the covers of issue #1 have been released! This prequel reveals the terrifying events that led Vanessa to try and find her missing childhood friend, Mina Harker, and exposes the true nature of the vampiric monsters infesting Victorian London. Beautifully realized by Louie De Martinis and written by the scriptwriters of the hit show!
Titan Comics is thrilled to announce it has secured a licensing deal with CBS Consumer Products and SHOWTIME® to publish an all-new comic prequel to the SHOWTIME series PENNY DREADFUL.
The first PENNY DREADFUL comic series will be written by PENNY DREADFUL scriptwriters Chris King, Krysty Wilson-Cairns and Andrew Hinderaker with art from Louie De Martinis (Madness, Heavy Metal).
“This incredibly exciting new comic series is going to captivate fans of horror, literature and PENNY DREADFUL alike, giving them a whole new insight into the lives of the fascinating, even bewitching, characters,” said Lizzie Kaye, the Titan Comics editor.
The BAFTA Award-winning drama series PENNY DREADFUL stars Josh Hartnett, Timothy Dalton and Eva Green. The second season of PENNY DREADFUL found Vanessa Ives (Green) and Ethan Chandler (Hartnett) forming a deeper bond as the group, including Sir Malcolm (Dalton), Dr. Frankenstein (Harry Treadaway), and Sembene (Danny Sapani), united to banish the evil forces that threatened to destroy them. Meanwhile, Dorian Gray (Reeve Carney) and the Creature (Rory Kinnear) waged battles of their own. PENNY DREADFUL is created, written and executive produced by three-time Oscar® nominee John Logan (Hugo, The Aviator, Gladiator) and executive produced by Logan's Desert Wolf Productions, and Oscar winner Sam Mendes (American Beauty, Skyfall) and Pippa Harris’ (Revolutionary Road, Call The Midwife) Neal Street Productions. A co-production with Sky Atlantic, season three is currently in production on location in Dublin, Ireland for a nine episode order to debut on SHOWTIME in 2016.
To keep up-to-date with news on the PENNY DREADFUL comic series, join Titan Comics on Facebook or follow @ComicsTitan on Twitter. For more information about Titan Comics, visit Titan-Comics.com.
Issue #1 comes with six covers to collect: three art covers by artists Guillem March, Ben Templesmith and Louie De Martinis, two photo covers and a blank sketch variant.
I haven't been able to watch this show, as it appears on Showtime, which we don't get. Curses, says I, as I find it impossible to take my eyes off Eva Green in any production she's in.
But I can read the comic book, and have. It's exactly what you expect, a sort of poor man's League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, with some of the characters and actual people of the Victorian Age interacting outside of the books or history. The essence seems to be Dracula, though, so you've got some survivors of that book (there weren't many!) and some London vampires. But you've got some other elements peculiar to the time, and I suspect I'll enjoy the series as much as I enjoyed the first issue.
SCOOBY APOCALYPSE AND HANNA-BARBERA PREVIEW EDITION #1
Publisher: DC COMICS
Writers/Art: Various
16 pg, FC, FREE
Following up on the success of its fan drive June REBIRTH previews catalogue, DC Entertainment is releasing a free, full-color preview spotlighting the highly anticipated editions of SCOOBY APOCALYPSE, FUTURE QUEST, WACKY RACELAND and THE FLINTSTONES to comic book retailers nationwide on May 11. Any Hanna-Barbera fan, both new and old alike, will want to pick up this 16-page preview for exclusive details about their favorite timeless Saturday morning characters, as well as information on the writers and artists that helped develop their most creative storylines yet. The free preview issue also features insight into the new series from DC Entertainment Co-Publishers Jim Lee and Dan DiDio, alongside character sketches.
DC Entertainment’s take on these classic Hanna-Barbera characters features fun, innovative twists and stories injected with current sensibilities that are sure to excite fans of any age! Each series includes epic adventures, thrilling stories and all the timeless characters that fans love.
The initial title lineup includes:
SCOOBY APOCALYPSE – Featuring character designs by veteran artist Jim Lee and an origin story by Jim Lee and Keith Giffen (JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001), artist Howard Porter (SUPERMAN) will provide his own unique take on Freddie, Velma, Daphne, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo. “Those meddling kids” and their Mystery Machine are at the center of a well-meaning experiment gone wrong and they’ll need to bring all of their mystery solving skills to bear (along with plenty of Scooby Snacks), to find a cure for a world full of mutated creatures infected by a nanite virus that enhances their fears, terrors and baser instincts. This time, the horrors are real in this apocalyptic near-future badland! Issue #1 will be available in stores on May 25, 2016.
FUTURE QUEST – Writer Jeff Parker (AQUAMAN, JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED, BATMAN ’66) and artists Evan “Doc” Shaner (JUSTICE LEAGUE DARKSEID WAR: GREEN LANTERN) and Steve Rude (WORLD’S FINEST, BEFORE WATCHMEN) join forces to bring fans new tales of adventure’s most iconic teenager, Jonny Quest, along with his sidekick Hadji. This series combines Team QUEST (Hadji, Race Bannon, Dr. Benton Quest and Jezebel Jade) with some of the most well-known action and adventure heroes ever created by Hanna-Barbera, including SPACE GHOST, THE HERCULOIDS, BIRDMAN, MIGHTOR and FRANKENSTEIN Jr., among others. Issue #1 will be available in stores on May 18, 2016.
WACKY RACELAND – Take The Ant Hill Mob, Penelope Pitstop and Dick Dastardly, mix in a healthy dose of “Mad Max” and you get this dark and gritty take on Hanna-Barbera’s “Wacky Races,” courtesy of writer Ken Pontac (REBOOT, HAPPY TREE FRIENDS) and artist Leonardo Manco (HELLBLAZER), with vehicle designs by Mark Sexton (MAD MAX: FURY ROAD). A time of hope and innocence with Utopia at the finish line has given way to planetary Armageddon and a desert wasteland full of radioactive lakes, nanotech dust storms, and cannibalistic mutants. Against this backdrop, the Wacky Racers and their sentient vehicles continue their contest, but now the competition is for survival, and there can only be one winner when the checkered flag falls. Issue #1 will be available in stores on June 8, 2016.
THE FLINTSTONES – Based on character designs by Amanda Conner (HARLEY QUINN, STARFIRE), writer Mark Russell (PREZ, GOD IS DISAPPOINTED IN YOU) provides his own unique perspective on everyone’s “modern stone age family,” with art by Steve Pugh (ANIMAL MAN, CONVERGENCE: HARLEY QUINN) Russell will use Bedrock’s most popular family to shine a light on humanity’s ancient customs and institutions in a funny origin story of human civilization. Fred is still the simple man, striving to be the king of his castle, Wilma is still the tolerant but not-indulging wife and Barney (with his wife Betty and infant son Bamm-Bamm) is still the original wingman, whose loyalty to Fred often outweighs his common sense. Issue #1 will be available in stores on July 6, 2016.
The SCOOBY APOCALPYSE AND HANNA-BARBERA PREVIEW EDITION #1 will be available for free at comic book retailers nationwide on May 11, while supplies last.
Wait, a free comic book four days after Free Comic Book Day? That doesn't seem like very good planning.
SHERLOCK HOLMES/DOMINO LADY (TPB)
Publisher: MOONSTONE
Writers: NANCY HOLDER, BOBBY NASH
Art: RENO MANIQUIS, MIKE FYLES
Cover: MIKE FYLES
From New York Times-bestselling author Nancy Holder comes this collection that features a brand new Domino Lady comic story, a brand new Holmes/Domino illustrated prose story, a Holmes/Domino Lady prose story with new illustrations, and reprints Sherlock Holmes/Domino Lady issues#1-2, and The Holmes Holiday Special story!
Wow, there are a lot of publishers putting out Sherlock Holmes comics -- at least three I can think of. How do we know which are best? Oh, wait, that's my job. OK, I'll get to work.
SHOMIN SAMPLE: I WAS ABDUCTED BY AN ELITE ALL-GIRLS SCHOOL AS A SAMPLE COMMONER VOL 1 (GN)
Publisher: SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT LLC
Writer: NANATSUKI TAKAFUMI
Art/Cover: RISUMAI
$12.99
Deep in the forest-covered mountains is an all-girls school, attended by children from only the richest and most prestigious of families. Here, the girls are raised to be perfect young ladies, cut off from the real world to preserve their innocence and ensure that they're free from all distractions. To combat the inevitable culture shock as they reenter society, an average teenage boy, Kagurazaka Kimito, is kidnapped by the school to provide its students with knowledge of the outside world. Forced to enroll against his wishes, Kimito must now attend classes in a place where his very manhood relies on keeping the girls happy. Can one regular guy possibly survive in a fearsome, all-female student body?
The only boy in an all-girls academy? Poor guy.
SIR APROPOS OF NOTHING: GYPSIES, TRAMPS, AND THIEVES (GN)
Publisher: COMICMIX
Writer: PETER DAVID
Art/Cover: ROBIN RIGGS
$25.00
From the pages of the acclaimed fantasy series rides Sir Apropos of Nothing, a cynical knight who thinks far less of the art of chivalry than he does the art of raking in gold. Written by the novel series' creator, the man in black may be fleeing across the desert, but Apropos is riding across the desert on a horse with no name, seeking out a buried treasure, and running afoul of an acclaimed and slightly familiar tower that's somewhat dark.
I've been a fan of Peter David's comics work, but I've never read his novels. Now one of those is becoming a comic book. I'm guessing I'll like it.
Should I be proud of myself or despairing that I recognize the title as coming from a 1971 Cher song? I'm guessing the latter.
STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES VOL 6: OUTER LIMITS (HC)
Publisher: FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Art/Cover: STEVE DITKO
Outer Limits: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 6 finds Ditko in his early artistic prime and features more than 200 meticulously restored, full-color pages. This volume's stories are heavily weighted toward the science fiction genre and includes an introduction by series editor Blake Bell as well as meticulous documentation of Stan Lee calling Ditko back to Marvel to begin the Silver Age of Marvel Comics.
I was never a big Ditko fan until these books. They've made me a believer.
SECRETIMES
Writer/Art/Cover: KEITH JONES
Paperback • 88 pages • 6.5" x 8.5" • full-color • $19.95 USD / $21.95 CAD
When two simple hobos – a pigeon and his elephant buddy – are wrongfully accused of murdering Mr. Mouse Mouser, the consequences are dire. Jones delineates an alternate universe—a world that favors the rich and grinds the poor and unfortunate into paste. Each page is a brightly colored nightmare populated with vapid celebrities and lazily scheming businessmen. Secretimes is darkly funny in Jones’ irresistibly offkilter signature style.
"Jones delineates an alternate universe—a world that favors the rich and grinds the poor and unfortunate into paste. Each page is a brightly colored nightmare populated with vapid celebrities and lazily scheming businessmen." Wait, this is sarcasm, right? Because that sure sounds like our world.
THOREAU, A SUBLIME LIFE
Publisher: NBM PUBLISHING
Writer/Art: A. DAN, MAXIMILIEN LE ROY
8 ½ x 11, 88pp, full color hardcover, $19.99
"To be a philosopher is not merely to have subtle thoughts, nor even to found a school, but so to love wisdom as to live according to its dictates, a life of simplicity, independence, magnanimity and trust."
This graphic novel biography relates the forward looking inspirational life of the great author, philosopher and pioneering ecologist. Henry David Thoreau was also the father of the concept, still fresh today (viz 'Occupy Wall St.'), of 'civil disobedience' which he used against slavery and the encroachment of government.
NBM sent me this for review. Alas, life got in the way of reading it. I want to read it, I will read it, and I will review it. Just not this week. Meanwhile, you should take a look at it.
HERE ARE A BUNCH OF FIRST ISSUES THAT I DON'T HAVE ANY COMMENT ON
4001 A.D. X-O MANOWAR #1
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by CLAYTON HENRY
Cover A by CAFU
Cover B by PHIL JIMENEZ
Character Design Variant by MATT KINDT
Interlocking Mega-Cover Variant by RYAN LEE
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | ONE-SHOT
ROCKETING OUT OF THE PAGES OF 4001 A.D. … the present and future of Valiant’s #1 hero come together for an essential standalone chapter at the heart of the summer’s blockbuster comics event!
How did the rise of Earth’s most powerful hero lead to humanity’s ultimate destruction? Just what was the War of the X-O Manowars … and how did its catastrophic fallout bring ruination and despair to a besieged planet? And why is the sacred extraterrestrial armor called Shanhara the one weapon Father fears more than any other?
The answers to the pivotal questions behind Valiant’s planet-shaking summer event arrive here as New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (BOOK OF DEATH) and acclaimed artist Clayton Henry (IVAR, TIMEWALKER) blast two thousand years into the future of the Valiant Universe to reveal the never-before-told history of New Japan’s dominion over Earth … and the doomed role that the X-O Manowar armor was forever fated to play in the coming war for liberation!
ACTIONVERSE FEATURING STRAY #1
Publisher: ACTION LAB
Writer/Art: SEAN IZAAKSE
Colors: MONTE THOMPSON
Cover: SEAN IZAAKSE/MAT LOPES
Connecting Variant: RON FRENZ/SEAN IZAAKSE/ROSS CAMPBELL/DAVID BEDNARSKI
32 pgs. / A / FC / $3.99 (reg.), $4.99 (var.)
Cascade makes his move to power up his portal engine … which will destroy our world! Jake has teamed up with Medula. Has the entire world gone mad?? Molly, Virtue, Stray and Midnight Tiger are running out of time to save this, and every, universe!
Variant cover limited to 1,500 copies.
ALAN DRACON #1 (of 6)
Publisher: AMIGO COMICS
Writer/Art: STEFANO MARTINO
32pgs / FC / $3. 99
Alan is just a bodyguard trying to make a living. But this is the future, and to survive Alan Dracon must deal with high-tech industrial moguls, genetically modified organisms … and seductive corporates. And most of them want him dead.
Action and adventure in the not-so-near future brought to you by Stefano Martino (George R.R. Martin’s Doorways, Doctor Who).
Alan Dracon is the dear creation of Italian artist Stefano Martino, who worked on comic series such as Doctor Who, Warlord of Mars, Catwoman and George R.R. Martin’s Doorways. He is working on the European market on titles as Nosferatu and Oracle, but he never forgot his creator-owned sci-fi series Alan Dracon.
BACK TO THE FUTURE CITIZEN BROWN #1 (of 5)
Publisher: IDW PUBLICATIONS
Writers: BOB GALE, ERIK BURNHAM
Art/Cover: ALAN ROBINSON
Subscription Variant: ANTHONY MARQUES
Variant: TOM WHALEN
FC • 40 pages • $4.99
Time-travelling into comics directly out of Telltale’s 2010 smash-hit episodic video game BACK TO THE FUTURE: THE GAME, adapted to comics at last! When an empty time-traveling DeLorean suddenly shows up in 1986, Marty McFly quickly learns that his friend Doctor Emmett “Doc” Brown is stranded in 1931 and possibly in mortal danger. Now it’s up to Marty to return to the past to once again save Doc and the time-space continuum! But this time, will he be too late?
• Featuring the talents of Back to the Future co-creator Bob Gale, writer Erik Burnham (Ghostbusters, Back to the Future), and artist Alan Robinson (V-Wars, Back to the Future).
• Adapting the hit video game from writers Bob Gale, Michael Stemmie, Andy Hartzell and Jonathan Straw for the first time!
FORGIVE ME FATHER #1
Publisher: CREATURE
Writer: JOHN ULLOA
Art: ULISES CARPINTERO, GREG NARVASA
Cover: PATRICK REILLY
$3.99
Forgive Me Father is a crime novella that tells the story of three different characters bound by a singular fate. What happens when the shepherd loses his flock? When Father Pedro's faith in his God and church is lost after the violent death of a young friend, he finds himself alone with a despair and anger that can barely be contained. He dreams of finding solace in the arms of a runaway girl. Is she his angel of redemption or a fantasy he's made-up? Will helping her break the chains of her past be a path to true salvation -- or damnation?
KAIJUMAX SEASON 2 #1
Publisher: ONI PRESS INC.
Writer/Art/Cover: ZANDER CANNON
$3.99
Get ready for the all-new second season of Kaijumax! All the Red Humongo wants to do is go straight now that he's out on parole, but his good-for-nothing brother Green Humongo has escaped from Kaijumax and is crashing at his house, with fellow escapee Electrogor in tow. Out-of-work guard Jeong drinks his troubles away on the moon, while new police recruit Chisato throws herself enthusiastically into her first day on the job. Also: Blindside tackles! Filial piety! Savage beatings! And ... a Flintstones reference?
ORIGINAL GHOST RIDER PORTFOLIO #1
Publisher: CANTON STREET PRESS
Art: DICK AYERS, FRANK FRAZETTA
$14.99
This portfolio contains 5 prints featuring the cover art from Magazine Enterprises' Ghost Rider #1-5. Art for issue #1 is by Dick Ayers with issues #2-5 by Frank Frazetta. Printed on 100# card stock, these prints are suitable for framing. Ships in a printed envelope.
REM 8 #1
Publisher: ROTHIC
Writer: J.P. ROTH
Art/Cover: DAWN MCTEIGUE
$3.99
It's the year 2228, and Earth is a dystopian nightmare. The Senji, a dangerous Asian syndicate, now fully control technology. Born into this realm of strange magics, ancient rights, and technological powers, Tae Rayne is an anomaly. Neither Human nor Gaian, she alone stands outside the REM. Her last hope of salvation is to retrieve her soul from the lords of the world and the mythological jar holding it captive. A trail of bloody carnage follows, as she cuts her way through the heart of the Senji, to a man more powerful than any Ancient God. REM 8 is unlike any tale you've been told. You will awake in a futuristic world governed by ancient Asian mythology.
SATELLITE FALLING #1
Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
Writer: STEVE HORTON
Art/Cover: STEPHEN THOMPSON
Subscription Variant: PJ HOLDEN
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
A lone human survived the death of the one she loved, and escaped a corrupt Earth. She now makes her way as a bounty hunter, on a satellite full of aliens. But someone's about to turn her life upside down ...
• By Amala's Blade writer Steve Horton and Star Wars artist Stephen Thompson!
• Variant cover by Judge Dredd artist PJ Holden!
• For fans of space opera, crime fiction and lots of things exploding!
Writer Steve Horton and Artist Stephen Thompson Announce Forthcoming Space Opera Satellite Falling, the latest original series on the horizon from IDW Publishing, kicks off this May, a month replete with creator-owned launches from the publisher.
The sci-fi-themed crime drama introduces readers to unique aliens, settings and characters, wildly imagined by writer Steve Horton (Amala’s Blade), beautifully rendered by artist Stephen Thompson (Star Trek, Brooklyn Animal Control), with vibrant coloring by Lisa Jackson (Angel). Satellite Falling tells the story of a lone human bounty hunter who jettisoned off her home planet after losing the love of her life, and now resides on a satellite spaceport full of aliens. Life, as she knows it, is about to take a turn for the surreal.
With Satellite Falling, Horton intends to explore similar themes he has tackled on past projects, but bringing those concepts to a more cosmic atmosphere. He promises “kick-ass heroines, wall-to-wall action, weird-ass dialogue, and amazing artwork.”
Industry vets such as Dan Jurgens (Booster Gold) are echoing those sentiments, who exclaims, “Satellite Falling presents an exciting new world of intrigue and potential, populated with characters that very quickly make us feel as though we’ve known them for a long time. Jump in for an impressive start!”
As mentioned, joining Horton on this off-world adventure will be his newest collaborator, Thompson, whose otherworldly art will effortlessly transport fans to an eye-catching universe like no other that instantly sets Satellite Falling apart from other sci-fi sagas.
Satellite Falling marks Stephen Thompson’s creator-owned debut, who jumped at the chance to take on art duties for this ambitious project. “Steve pitched a few concepts my way, and the idea of a single human working as a bounty hunter in a place otherwise inhabited entirely by aliens, haunted by her lost love was too good to pass up.”
Early buzz for Thompson’s art includes Ryan Sook (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), who praises, “Top notch artwork! I want anything Stephen Thompson draws!!”
In addition to Horton’s breathtaking standard cover for issue #1, retailers can also order a Variant Cover from Judge Dredd artist PJ Holden in addition to a Retailer Incentive Cover by June Brigman (Power Pack). That’s just for starters with more exciting variants on the way for future issues!
SOUTHERN NIGHTGOWN VOL 1 (TPB)
Publisher: ROTHIC
Writer: J.P. ROTH
Art: MIKE KROME, DAWN MCTEIGUE
Cover: J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
$9.99
This is the story of four young girls from a very small town. One night they venture out into the corn fields and stumble upon a hidden chest, containing four mysterious nightgowns. When they put on these gowns, the fabric morphs into their skin and tattoos them with ancient symbols. These symbols act as portals which pull them through 13 realms of fantasy and mythology, where they discover their true identities, multiple histories and repeating lives. Southern Nightgown will take you to the beginning, when the Time Lords ruled the lands. The worlds of Norse mythology, the intrigue of vampires and werewolves, and the legend of the gods throughout time are all just part of this amazing journey.
STARGATE ATLANTIS: BACK TO PEGASUS #1
Publisher: AMERICAN MYTHOLOGY PRODUCTIONS
Writer: MARK L. HAYNES, J.C. VAUGHN
Art/Cover: GREG LAROCQUE
Back to Atlantis Variant: Photo
Back to Pegasus Variant: Photo
Blank Sketch Variant
$3.99
Stargate: Atlantis is back with a brand new monthly comic book series that continues the television series continuity and is jam packed with fun extras! Comic illustrating legend, Greg LaRocque (The Flash: The Return of Barry Allen, Web of Spider-Man), joins the team of Mark L. Haynes and J.C. Vaughn (Fox's 24) to deliver the next official chapter in Stargate: Atlantis mythology. Following the destruction of the Super Hive ship, Atlantis and her crew find themselves stranded on Earth. But a startling discovery sends the team in search of a new Gate system and reveals that the horrors of the Pegasus Galaxy are not far away. A new threat rises to challenge the crew and stop the city from returning to its rightful place. Come with us on this new comic book season of Stargate: Atlantis and join the fight to get #BackToPegasus!
UNLEASH #1 (of 4)
Publisher: AMIGO COMICS
Writers: JENNIFER VAN GESSEL, EL TORRES
Art: NACHO TENORIO, SERGIO MORA, VERONICA R. LOPEZ
Cover: GABRIEL HERNANDEZ WALTA
32pgs / Mature / FC (1 of 4) / $3. 99
Soon to be a feature film! Assaut survivor Emmie wants to change the world by creating her own superhero persona. Unfortunately her plans are limited, as being a hero takes more than a costume. In a strange twist of fate, Emmie forms an agreement with the most unlikely crime-fighting partner you could imagine. Now she can lay her own brand of twisted justice down on sexual predators.
Words by El Torres and screenwriter Jennifer Van Gessel, issue #1 features art by acclaimed artist Gabriel Hernandez Walta (Marvel’s Magneto, Uncanny X-Men, The Vision and also The Veil and The Suicide Forest!) with interior pages by Nacho Tenorio and Sergio Mora (Dark Shadows, Army of Darkness, Rogues: Odd Parenthood).
NAUGHTY BOOKS
Maybe it's because there are so much Boundless product this week, it feels like nude covers are suddenly becoming a thing. Is it just coincidence you can see more boobies this week, or is it a fad coming to fruition?
BELLADONNA KICKSTARTER COSTUME CHANGE SET
Publisher: BOUNDLESS COMICS
Mature/$34.99
Our Costume Change sets have been a smash hit, and this special five-cover Belladonna set was previously limited to top-dollar spenders on Kickstarter. The final few in stock are available here! Limited to just 250 sets, many of which are already gone!
This set contains five covers. As you can see from covers #1-3 above, the lead character wears a different outfit on each cover -- and gets more nekkid with each one. The fourth and fifth covers are "adults only," where she's even nekkider.
JUNGLE FANTASY VIXENS #2
Publisher: BOUNDLESS COMICS
Writer: DAN WICKLINE
Art: PAULO SIQUEIRA, DANIEL HDR
Costume Change 6-Cover Set: CHRISTIAN ZANIER ($36.99)
Rio Century 4-Cover Nude Set: AL RIO ($99.99)
Giant 64 pages of beasts, babes, and bikinis! The rumble in the jungle continues as the Vixens face everything from dinosaurs to criminals as they attempt to survive an alien world bent on using them for one foul purpose or another. But these two women aren't just sexy, they're survivors who manage to stay one step ahead of the beasties. This is the ultimate jungle adventure as Kit and Lani rely on each other to find shelter and a safe place to skinny-dip. Writer Dan Wickline and artist Daniel HDR deliver the final chapter of Vixens. But there is more, as this the entire epic TUNDRA with all-new art by Paulo Siquiera is included in this issue!
Don't miss the amazing array of sexy covers with this issue including a Regular Cover by series artist Renato Camilo, Sultry Sisters Cover by Gabriel Andrade, Bikini Babes by Ron Adrian, Wraparound Cover by Raulo Caceres, Sirens Cover by Matt Martin, the ultra-collectable Costume Change 6 cover set (with sexy topless and nude covers included!) by Christian Zanier that is limited to just 250 sets, and a stunning Pure Art Retailer Incentive by the legendary cheesecake artist Al Rio! For the erotic art collectors, there is a Nude Cover also by Renato Camilo, a Wraparound Nude Cover by Raulo Caceres, a Sirens Nude Cover by Matt Martin, and a Bikini Babes Nude Cover by Ron Adrian! For the ultimate in scarcity, don't miss the Century Nude Covers Set of four incredible covers also from Al Rio and limited to a scant 100 sets! To see the uncensored adult covers, please visit www.boundlesscomics.com.
Nekkid, nekkid, nekkid and more nekkid.
LADY DEATH APOCALYPSE #1 CENTURY SET
Publisher: BOUNDLESS COMICS
Mature/$129.99
The very last of the Lady Death Century covers! Never-before-offered in Previews, the three Century covers for #1, Bring It, Crackling, Moonlight, are now available in ultra-limited quantities! The Century line is the rarest of all Lady Death collectibles and is limited to a scant 100 copies each.
Nudie McNekkid versions available, of course.
HELLINA #1
Publisher: BOUNDLESS COMICS
Writer: JAI NITZ
Art: GABRIEL ANDRADE
Black Leather Variant: CLINT HILINSKI ($24.99)
Century POV Variant: CHRISTIAN ZANIER ($39.99)
Costume Change Variant: CHRISTIAN ZANIER ($36.99)
Giant-size 64 pages to celebrate Hellina is back! We kick off the 21st anniversary of the boldest of bad girls with an all-new series! Experience a whole new beginning for Hell's enforcer, given a fresh take by seasoned pro Jai Nitz and stunning sensual artwork by Gabriel Andrade (Crossed +100, Uber). But she is no less of a sexy slayer than before, in fact now she is Hell's Adjudicator, sent in to clean house when creatures of the night get out of control. Heaven and Hell waged war for millennia, spanning worlds and dimensions, with a clear good vs. evil story to be told in scripture and in holy houses. Until Hell won. That was 500 years ago, and Hell has been running things ever since. Not only are the forces of darkness needing to be kept in check, but now a few of Heaven's angelic horde have started appearing. This time, they are fighting as dirty as they need to get back into power. For those who love a whip-cracking, ball-busting, smoking-hot, demonic executioner, this series is for you! Making it even better, we add in an enormous classic covers gallery and the first chapter of the legendary Hellina vs. Pandora series, in color for the first time!
Don't miss the amazing array of sexy covers with this issue including a Regular Cover by Gabriel Andrade, Wraparound Cover by Renato Camilo, Sacrilege Cover by Raulo Caceres, Enforcer Cover by Ron Adrian, and Stunning Cover by Matt Martin. Plus an array of super limited covers for the collector including a Black Leather Cover as well as Century POV (limited to 100) and Costume Change Set (limited to 250) both by Christian Zanier. For the erotic art collectors, there is a Wraparound Nude Cover also by Camilo, a Sacrilege Nude Cover by Caceres, an Enforcer Nude Cover by Adrian, and a Stunning Nude Cover by Martin! There is also the scorching hot Adult Set of two covers by the one and only Christian Zanier. To see the uncensored adult covers, please visit www.boundlesscomics.com.
Nekkid, nekkid, nekkid, spam, and nekkid.
TAROT: WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #82 STUDIO DLX ED
Publisher: BROADSWORD COMICS
Mature/$19.99
This limited Signed Edition of Tarot #82 features our sweet lil' Witch, Spellarella. Which will be bagged & boarded with a full color art print of the same illustration but sans her black and white lil dress! To see the art print, please visit jimbalent.com.
Yep, for only $20, you can get a picture of this cartoon character nekkid.
Now, I'm no bluenose, but what's the point of all this? I understand why the publishers do it -- they make money. But what does the fan get out of it, when there's tons of porn of actual women available all over the Internet? I've never been turned on by lines on paper anyway, but when it comes to this business of paying extra money for cartoon porn, I'm more baffled than usual.
Replies
COMICS GUIDE PART B: MORE COOL STUFF
Here are some books I haven't read (yet), so I have no comment. But the publishers were proud enough to send press releases and/or variant covers and/or previews. Part of the purpose of this Guide is to give you information for your weekly purchases, so here's some info from the publishers rather than from me. It's not impartial, of course, but more info is always better than less.
A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #3
Written by RAFER ROBERTS
Art by DAVID LAFUENTE
Cover A by DAVID LAFUENTE
Cover B by KANO
Cover C by MONICA GALLAGHER
Variant Cover by RAFER ROBERTS
Variant Cover by BEN OLIVER
B&W Sketch Variant Cover by DAVID LAFUENTE
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+
They’ve faced golems, goblins, ninja-nuns and even the disgruntled Greek god of wine and revelry. … But, this May, can anything prepare Valiant’s award-winning adventurers for the unpredictable menace of … drunk Archer?!
Valiant is proud to present your first look inside A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #3 – the next palate-scorching chapter of “IN THE BAG” from red-hot rising star Rafer Roberts (Plastic Farm) and superstar artist David Lafuente (Ultimate Spider-Man)! Keep your distance on May 11th when Archer and Armstrong awake inside the insane maze of fine wines and lost treasures that Bacchus has constructed within Armstrong’s mystical satchel…only to find there isn’t enough coffee or aspirin left to bring Archer back from the brink of a black-belt blackout that will leave his friends and foes alike reeling!
At last … Bacchus’ diabolical plan stands revealed: get Archer and Armstrong drunk! Too bad one is an immortal with a liver of steel and the other is a bit of a lightweight. That can only mean one thing: Mary-Maria to the rescue! But can she and Armstrong put aside their differences in time to hold Archer’s hair back? Or is he about to ruin the expensive interior of Armstrong’s bottomless satchel once and for all?!
Jump on board here to find out why fans and critics are throwing in for Archer & Armstrong’s latest oddball odyssey … only in the pages of Valiant’s latest smash-hit monthly series!
“✮✮✮✮✮… A madcap romp through the anything-can-happen playground of comic books.” – Comicosity
“✮✮✮✮½… There is a ton of fun to be had with A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG… Rafer Roberts is putting character and emotions first for this debut.” – Newsarama
“✮✮✮✮½… [An] entirely unique…[and] amazingly fun comic with a surprising amount of heart.” – Unleash the Fanboy
“✮✮✮✮½… [A] must-read book… This duo is strong and definitely worth following.” – ComicWow!
“✮✮✮✮½… A wonderfully absurd start that only gets better… A strong and endlessly entertaining debut.”– IGN
“✮✮✮✮… Smile inducing and poignant … If you want a book that screams wacky and fun, [A&A] hits that mark …” – Multiversity Comics
“A delight … Lafuente’s wonderfully madcap storytelling syncs perfectly to Roberts’ scripting.” – ComicsAlliance
“Another great series … with the right mix of action and humor …” – Inside Pulse
“Enormous fun … A densely wacky, highly entertaining action comedy.” – Uproxx
“[A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG] totally works … and still packs all the heart, action, and odd ball jabs and gags …” – Ain’t It Cool News
On May 11th, jump into the mad, mad, mad, maddest world in comics when Rafer Roberts and David Lafuente take Valiant’s best-est buddies out way past last call and into deep, deep trouble, only in A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #3 — featuring a top-shelf line of covers from David Lafuente (Patsy Walker: Hellcat), Kano (Swamp Thing), Monica Gallagher (Gods & Undergrads), Rafer Roberts (Carpool Buddies of Doom), and Ben Oliver (The Multiversity)!
THE ACCELERATORS: TIME GAMES VOL 1 (TPB)
Writer: R.F.I. PORTO
Art: GAVIN SMITH, WALTER FLANAGAN
Cover: GAVIN SMITH
Mature/$14.99
A band of reluctant time travelers find themselves trapped in a future where time travel has left the world in ruins. There, they become prisoners of the Time Games, a gladiator arena that steals people from different points in history and forces them to fight for the pleasure of the crowd. They struggle to survive the Games and escape from this nightmarish apocalypse, but, with no way back, the future may be their only hope.
ADAM SARLECH TRILOGY (HC)
Writer/Art/Cover: FREDERIC BEZIAN
Mature/$34.95
An engrossing universe awaits the reader who dares go past the first page of this off kilter gothic saga, populated with a rich assortment of bizarre characters and haunting plots. Hints of Lovecraft and Poe abound as hidden secrets, the occult, succubi, spiritual séances, and repressed urges are interwoven in Frédéric Bézian's award-winning literary and spectacularly dark fantasy.
ARCTIC COMICS (HC)
Writers: NICHOLAS BURNS, VARIOUS
Art: GEORGE FREEMAN & Various
$15.99
Renegade Arts' first anthology. Tales of myth, adventure and humor told at the top of the world. Written and drawn by Inuit and Northern Canadian creators.
ALL-NEW X-MEN #9
Written by DENNIS HOPELESS
Art & Cover by MARK BAGLEY
Connecting Variant C by KEN LASHLEY
Age of Apocalypse Variant by PASQUAL FERRY
40 PGS. / Rated T+ / $4.99
The All-New X-Men plunge headlong into Apocalypse Wars this May! Today, Marvel is please to present your first look inside ALL-NEW X-MEN #9 – coming at you from creators Dennis Hopeless and Mark Bagley! The young mutants are on a mission to step out of the shadows of their predecessors and write their own futures. But none carry the weight of what the future may hold quite like Evan Sabahnur. Allegedly destined to one day become the genocidal villain Apocalypse, Evan’s future could spell the end of the X-Men. But now, by way of an unintentional intervention from his teammate Beast – Evan will come face-to-face with Apocalypse himself! As he stares down the twisted future that may be in store for him, he’ll also come face-to-face with the question he’s been running from – can you ever really escape your destiny? Find out as Apocalypse Wars comes to the next generation of mutantkind in ALL-NEW X-MEN #9!
ASSASSIN'S CREED: ASSASSIN'S #8
Writers: ANTHONY DEL COL & CONOR MCCREERY
Artist: NEIL EDWARDS
Colorist: IVAN NUNES
Letterer: COMICRAFT
Cover A: DENNIS CALERO
Cover B: NEIL EDWARDS
Cover C: SANYA ANWAR
FC - 32PP - $3.99
Tensions are running high in the Assassin Cell as Charlotte's investigation is plagued by the limitations of the portable Animus. When she turns on Kody, Galina leaps to defend him. With tempers at breaking point, can the team pull themselves back together before they are torn apart for good?
CIGARETTE GIRL
Writer/Art: MASAHIKO MATSUMOTO
Softcover graphic novel with French flaps, 264 pages, $24.99 (US)
Printed in Japanese format, right-to-left
A Mini-Masterpiece of Indie Manga!
Shortlisted for the Heritage Award at the Angoulême International Comics Festival!
“Utterly endearing, unsentimental, and wise.” —Paul Gravett, author of Comics Art and editor of 1001 Comics You Must Read Before You Die
Masahiko Matsumoto may not be familiar to you — he's almost never been published in English, not even in our first manga release, AX — but his Cigarette Girl will instantly charm fans of observational cartoonists like Jeffrey Brown, Eddie Campbell, or Julian Hanshaw.
Welcome to the quiet, evocative urban dramas of Masahiko Matsumoto, one of the leading lights of the Japanese alternative-comics movement known as "gekiga." Originally published in 1974, these eleven stories now form the first English-language collection of Matsumoto's mature work. His shy, uncertain heroes face broken hearts, changing families, money troubles, sexual anxiety and the pressures of tradition, but with a whimsy and lightness of touch that is Matsumoto's trademark.
Edited by Sean Michael Wilson, with a new introduction by Matsumoto's well-known colleague, the late Yoshihiro Tatsumi. Also included: a biographical back section by Mitsuhiro Asakawa.
CODENAME BABOUSHKA, VOL. 1: THE CONCLAVE OF DEATH (TPB)
STORY: ANTONY JOHNSTON
ART / COVER: SHARI CHANKHAMMA
APRIL 20 / 136 PAGES / FC / T+ / $14.99
“What if the sexy Russian femme fatale was actually the main character?”
Mysterious young heiress Contessa Annika Malikova has been part of Manhattan high society for several years… but if they knew the truth, her dinner companions would faint! The white-haired Contessa is in fact the notorious criminal “BABOUSHKA” —a former Moscow gang leader, now living in exile!
But Baboushka’s retirement is about to be shattered, as the US government has somehow discovered her true identity, and blackmails her into working for them! Now she must infiltrate a secret conclave of global crime lords, on a cruise liner, to retrieve information for the Americans. But nobody reckoned on the boat being hijacked by pirates…
Collects CODENAME BABOUSHKA: THE CONCLAVE OF DEATH #1-5.
CROSSED BADLANDS #97
Writer: CHRISTOS N. GAGE
Art: EMILIANO URDINOLA
Cover: MICHAEL DIPASCALE
Art Deco Variant: MICHAEL DIPASCALE
Worldwide Variant: GERMAN NOBILE
Wrap Variant: DANIEL GETE
Torture Variant: MICHAEL DIPASCALE
Mature/$3.99
The misery of the Crossed is nearly impossible to survive. But what happens when you face a creature that is driven by a conscious need for slow and deliberate torture? Can anyone survive against the ultimate Alpha Crossed -- Smokey? Fan favorite writer Christos Gage returns to Crossed to tell the continuing tale of ultimate misery as Smokey turns his baleful gaze toward a new future, one where he doesn't have to paint the path with blood.
Available with Regular Cover, Torture and Art Deco Cover by Michael DiPascale, Wraparound Cover by Daniel Gete, C-Day Worldwide Cover by German Nobile and Red Crossed Incentive Cover.
CROSSED PLUS 100 #15
Writer: SIMON SPURRIER
Art: RAFA ORTIZ
Cover: GABRIEL ANDRADE
Crossed Wires Variant: CHRISTIAN ZANIER
Disastered Variant: CHRISTIAN ZANIER
American X Wrap Variant: CHRISTIAN ZANIER
Horrific Homage Variant: MICHAEL DIPASCALE
Wishful Fiction Variant: DANIEL GETE
Mature/$3.99
Crossed +100 has taken the years in-between C-Day and a century of evolution to deliver something wholly original. Alan Moore's extended slow burn horror has continued to surprise at every turn and scribe Simon Spurrier is delivering his most realized work since Wish You Were Here. Future Taylor has discovered something so sinister that even the horror and destruction of the towns and lives she's witnessed pales in comparison to the revelation. The Crossed have a plan and the trap has been sprung!
DOCTOR WHO: THE TWELFTH DOCTOR #2.5
Writer: ROBBIE MORRISON
Artist: RACHAEL STOTT
Colorist: IVAN NUNES
Letterer: COMICRAFT
Cover A: SIMON MYERS
Cover B: Photo cover by WILL BROOKS
Cover C: SIMON MYERS
Cover D: RACHAEL STOTT
FC - 32PP - $3.99
It's the long-awaited return of a deadly foe, as the Doctor and Clara face a monster that will have you checking your stack of comics for suspicious movement! Dare you continue reading, when every page turn could bring you into MORTAL DANGER?! You have to – you're the Doctor's only hope!
GRIMM FAIRY TALES: GRIMM FAIRY TALES #122
Writer: PATRICK SHAND
Art: MIGUEL MENDONCA
Cover A: KEN LASHLEY
Cover B: PAOLO PANTALENA
Cover C: JASON CARDY
Mature/$3.99
EIGHTEEN FOREVER, PART ONE
The penultimate storyline of Grimm Fairy Tales begins! The Arcane Acre students rebel against their teachers in order to reunite with Lance and Skye. However, with Hailey missing and Ali in trouble, will their efforts prove fruitless? Also, Bloody Bones has made a dangerous new ally... and preparations for the final assault against the Nexus begin.
GRIMM TALES OF TERROR VOL 2 #8
Writers:RALPH TEDESCO & Various
Cover A: ERIC J
Cover B: WATSON
Cover C: SANAPO
Mature/$3.99
After struggling under student loans and start-up costs, two graduates try a hail mary: they journey to Central America to find a mysterious tribe that grants wishes. Once they arrive, they discover that getting their wish may not be as easy as they hoped.
HEROES GODSEND #3
Writer: JOEY FALCO
Artist: ROY ALLAN MARTINEZ
Cover A: ROY ALLAN MARTINEZ
Cover B: ADRIANA MELO
FC - 32PP - $3.99
Farah has a mission: to break someone out from a maximum security prison – and that someone is a familiar face to Heroes fans … Plus, we continue to learn Farah’s origins as she is put through more training challenges – this time, she has to face a whole host of poisonous spiders …
KOMA (GN)
Writer: PIERRE WAZEM
Art: FREDERIK PEETERS, ALBERTINE RALENTI
Cover: FREDERIK PEETERS
Mature/$19.95
Addidas, a bright and quirky young girl, spends most of her time helping her father as a chimney sweep. When she ventures too far into a chimney, she encounters a bizarre new friend and, in the process, destabilizes her world's long-established system. From prolific independent European creators Wazem and Peeters comes a touching and existential story that balances its fantastical elements with poignant and realistic themes.
MERMIN VOL 1 (GN)
Writer/Art/Cover: JOEY WEISER
The first book in Joey Weiser's Eisner Award-nominated series is now in paperback! Mermin is just your average Merman from the underwater kingdom of Mer, and all he wants is to have fun adventures on land with his new human friends. But with the whole ocean out looking for him, it's going to be harder than he thought!
NINJAK #15
Art DIEGO BERNARD and KHOI PHAM
Cover A by MIKE CHOI
Cover B by DIEGO BERNARD
Variant Cover by THONY SILAS
$3.99 | 40 pgs. | T+
“THE SIEGE OF KING’S CASTLE” – PART 2!
Roku and the remnants of Weaponeer have destroyed Colin King’s home, his identity and his very life. But they made one mistake – they didn’t kill Ninjak when they had the chance!
Ninjak’s darkest hour is nigh as New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (4001 A.D.) and red-hot artist Diego Bernard (X-O MANOWAR) continue the most pivotal turning point yet in the deadly life of MI-6’s most elite intelligence operative, only in “THE SIEGE OF KING’S CASTLE”!
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer/Art/Cover: FAREL DALRYMPLE
144 PAGES / FC / T+ / $14.99
Collecting GIFT in a brand-new edition trade paperback, plus bonus material
“... genuinely affecting, while seeming completely natural ...”—Publisher’s Weekly
Critically acclaimed writer/artist Farel Dalrymple (The Wrenchies, It Will All Hurt) will release a new edition of POP GUN WAR: GIFT this May.
POP GUN WAR: GIFT is about childhood, self-discovery, oppression, guilt, dreams, loneliness, whatever—and an inner-city boy named Sinclair, who discovers a pair of discarded angel wings. With these wings, Sinclair flies around the city and gets into adventures.
SABER RIDER AND THE STAR SHERIFFS #3 (of 5)
Writer: MAIRGHREAD SCOTT
Art/Cover: SENDOL
$2.99
The Outriders amp up their attack on the colonies, and this time they've brought giant mechas! With Fireball back in play, April Eagle and the infiltration team might stand a chance, but these ARE giant robots we're talking about here. The classic '80s animated series is back in this wild western/sci-fi mashup!
SAMURAI #3
Writer: JEAN-FRANÇOIS DI GIORGIO
Artist: FRÉDÉRIC GENÊT
Cover A: FRÉDÉRIC GENÊT
Cover B: DAVID MACK
FC - 32PP - $3.99
On the mysterious Isle with No Name, Takeo has finally found his long lost brother, Akio, but before he can get the answers he so desperately needs, he must fight a duel with Shobei, an unbeatable Samurai who longs only to join his dead wife and daughter in the after-life.
ARPEGGIO OF BLUE STEEL VOL 7 (GN)
I'm setting alight The Baron Signal -- I can't wait to find out how a submarine turning into a girl is some sort of military advantage!
This seems to be part of a sub-genre (pun intentional) that’s common lately, mixing high school girls and military hardware. There’s things like Girls und Panzer with high school girls having mock tank battles, Strike Witches, with girls fighting a sort of revised World War Two, and Kancolle, an on-line game involving girls who are living personifications of WWII battleships. What does it all mean? Ya got me. My personal theory is that the militaristic side of Japan, thoroughly suppressed sinc e1945, is cropping up in weird ways.
THE LOUVRE COLLECTION: GUARDIANS OF THE LOUVRE
Interesting. I’ve read and enjoyed some of his stuff before. I’ll have to keep an eye out for this.
SHOMIN SAMPLE: I WAS ABDUCTED BY AN ELITE ALL-GIRLS SCHOOL AS A SAMPLE COMMONER VOL 1 (GN)
The only boy in an all-girls academy? Poor guy.
Sounds like another harem comedy, one genre I’ve never read any of.
SIR APROPOS OF NOTHING: GYPSIES, TRAMPS, AND THIEVES (GN)
Should I be proud of myself or despairing that I recognize the title as coming from a 1971 Cher song? I'm guessing the latter.
I used to watch The Sonny and Cher Show all the time when I was tiny.
TAROT: WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #82 STUDIO DLX ED
Yep, for only $20, you can get a picture of this cartoon character nekkid.
Now, I'm no bluenose, but what's the point of all this? I understand why the publishers do it -- they make money. But what does the fan get out of it, when there's tons of porn of actual women available all over the Internet? I've never been turned on by lines on paper anyway, but when it comes to this business of paying extra money for cartoon porn, I'm more baffled than usual.
This reminds me of something someone once said about the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue, “Why would you pay for pictures of women in swimsuits, when you can find pictures of naked women on-line for free?”
CIGARETTE GIRL
Sounds interesting. I’ll have to keep an eye out for it.
DOCTOR WHO: THE TWELFTH DOCTOR #2.5
I picked this up at the Barnes & Nobel on Saturday. Amusing stuff.
Very concise Baron. Thanks for the manga explanations, as usual.
I must be a little older than you, because I was in 8-10th grade when Sonny & Cher was on.
Captain Comics said:
Yeah, you're old ;)
Thanks for the shout-out about The Final Days of Superman, Cap! Another Legionnaire who likes the storyline is Martin Gray, who's been reviewing each issue on his Too Dangerous for a Girl blog. (We're also in agreement that the Superman/Wonder Woman chapter is the weakest of the bunch.)
And also, I'm glad to see that House of Penance comes together with issue 2. I liked the first issue, but it was a little too oblique for me, and I was considering dropping it despite the obvious skill & care behind it. But I'll definitely give issue 2 a try now.
And Thoreau! I saw that on display at MOCCA Fest last month, and was dying to buy it, but it was for display only, since it wouldn't go on sale until now. Gotta check my LCS for it this week.
I've got Thoreau at home -- I'll pull it to the top of the list
Also, here's a press release I've been holding that says Adventures of Supergirl #1 comes out on May 11, and part of previewsworld.com says it does, but I'll surprised if it actually shows up:
ADVENTURES OF SUPERGIRL
The Adventures of Supergirl is a Digital First comic book series that launched online in January 2016, inspired by the CBS hit TV series SUPERGIRL. Critically acclaimed series writer Sterling Gates is joined by a cast of rotating artists including Bengal, Jonboy Meyers, Pop Mhan, Emanuela Lupacchino, Carmen Carnero, Cat Staggs and Emma Vieceli.
"The Adventures of Supergirl is a fun, accessible, exciting comic featuring an optimistic and positive heroine going up against some huge threats," Gates told NEWSARAMA in a recent interview. "There are so few books like that in the current comics marketplace, in my opinion, and given the show's popularity, Supergirl should be leading that charge."
Paralleling but not duplicating storylines from the Monday night TV show, The Adventures of Supergirl introduces fans to Kara Zor-El, who is determined to grow into the super-hero her powers promise. But are dark forces pushing her to improve faster than is safe? As Supergirl faces classic DCU villains like Rampage, Vril Dox and Psi, she's got no reason to suspect that their attacks have been coordinated, but when the final battle comes to a head, she'll need to use all of her training, her DEO contacts, her friends' talents and her sister's love and support to get through it all!
"I just want to thank all the #Supergirl fans for their continued support,” said Gates. “The response to Adventures has been tremendous so far, and I want to thank people for spreading the word about us.
"I also wanted to say that I’m beyond thrilled to be writing this book. Supergirl’s one of my favorite characters, and I’m always so excited to write a Supergirl story. I’ve hoped for years that I’d eventually make my way back to the character again."
Check out the first four covers by Cat Staggs, two of which make their debut today, with two more to come! Look for The Adventures of Supergirl both online now and soon in your local comic book shop.
The Adventures of Supergirl digital chapters are available for download bi-weekly on Monday via the DC Comics App, Readdcentertainment.com, iBooks, comiXology.com, Google Play, Kindle Store, Nook Store, and iVerse ComicsPlus.
Adventures of Supergirl #1 did ship yesterday (to my LCS, anyway). I read it last night and plan to post something about it on the Supergirl tv show thread.
I have two or three of the web, uh, posts (?) for review, so I'll try to catch up to you.
Rob Staeger (Grodd Mod) said:
As promised, I read Thoreau, and I guess I can recommend it.
I didn't know much about Thoreau beyond whatever stuck with me from reading Walden in ninth grade English class (or was it tenth?). So this book was very educational for me. I knew Thoreau was a naturalist, abolitionist and a pacifist. But I didn't know the extent of his philosophies, nor the extent of his adherenece to them. I didn't know, for example, that he wasn't just a practitioner of "civil disobedience", but its orginator! (He was studied by both Gandhi and MLK). Nor did I know that he was an acquaintance of the infamous John Brown, and had philosophical connections to the Harper's Ferry debacle.
So that was all very interesting to me. However, if you knew all that, I doubt this straightforward biography will give you much more. And, while the art is adequate, it's nothing to write home about.
So for ignorant galoots like me, it was time well spent. If you already know a lot about Thoreau, I think this will just tell you what you already know. Might look nice on the shelf, though!
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