Comics and More

Kazu Kibuishi The first book in the new all-ages title Amulet was just released to comic shops this week, from Kazu Kibuishi, whose work readers may have seen in the popular Flight anthologies. And if there's anything you can say about this book, it's that the art is pretty awesome. It reminds me a tad bit of Jeff Smith's Bone , which is probably what Scholastic wants people to think of, since that young readers' fantasy series does phenomenonally well in bookstores. But this is no Bone . It has a very different feel to it. Less Disney meets Lord of the Rings and more Harry Potter meets Narnia . The story follows two siblings, Emily and Navin, as they move into a new house, and are quickly drawn into a new world through their basement. In this new world, they meet elves, magical toys and monsters, as they do their best to save their kidnapped mother and use their great-grandfather's mysterious amulet to make their way through the treacherous landscape. It's...

Kazu Kibuishi . The second book in Kazu Kibuishi's all ages Amulet series continues the story of siblings Emily and Navin as they journey to a fantastic world. Many may be familiar with Kibuishi's work in the Flight anthologies, but I think that the first book in this series is some of the best work the artist has come out with as of yet, complete with some spellbinding cartooning. Unfortunately, with this second book, he doesn't continue that trend. The first book established a dark realm for the characters of this world to traverse, and introduced a great supporting cast like the robots that man a house that walks like a giant man. Emily has inherited the mantle of stonekeeper, an honor formerly held by her grandfather, and unfortunately she must take up the honor - and curse - of that magical stone, using it for good instead of being overcome by its power. My biggest problem with the latest book in this series is that the originality that was sparked initially is ...

Doug TenNapel Ghostopolis joins the ranks of high-quality books printed by Scholastic for an all-ages audience through their Graphix line that includes Bone , Amulet and Copper .  Frank Gallows, a ghost hunter who's pretty down on his luck, is charged with investigating reports of supernatural activity and sending ghosts back to the after life, where they sometimes find a way to escape from into the human world.  On one particular mission, he's chasing a skeletal horse that's causing more trouble for him than usual, when he sends the beast back to Ghostopolis, inadvertently sending a young boy, Garth Hale, back along with it.  Frank, fired from his job and feeling dejected, turns to an ex-girlfriend, who happens to be a ghost herself, and together they travel into the afterlife to undo his mistake.  Meanwhile Garth has befriended the ghost horse and explores Ghostopolis, hoping to find a way back home, bumping into his grandfather during his travels, who off...

Edited by Kazu Kibuishi I've never actually read any of the Flight anthology books before, though I've been meaning to do so for awhile now, for a few reasons. Every time I flip through them, I think that there's a lot of amazing talent housed in its pages, plenty of beautiful art to gawk at. I also recently read editor Kazu Kibuishi's first all-ages Amulet graphic novel, as well as frequent contributor Kean Soo's Jellaby , the latter title of which actually prompted me to pick up the Flight Explorer , as Kean Soo contributes once more, with a story featuring the cute purple monster featured in his graphic novel that I enjoyed so much. Flight Explorer is basically a Flight anthology aimed at children, vying for the same high quality that the original anthology is known for. I had thought that the Flight anthologies intended each story, at least initially, to include an aspect of "flight," however interpreted by the artist, but I guess that that was ...

Wading through the phonebook that is Previews Catalogue so you don't have to... Here are twenty choice books that you may have overlooked or that I'm just plain excited about, shipping to comic shops in January! Love From the Shadows HC - A new original graphic novel from Gilbert Hernandez is always cause for celebration.  More Fritz B-movie goodness. Pepper Penwell and the Land Creature of Monster Lake GN - This looks cute - a spunky teenage detective on the case in a comedy adventure. Cursed Pirate Girl (Volume 1) TP - This has been solicited so many times, I hate to get my hopes up, but I  loved Jeremy Bastian's contribution to Mouse Guard: Legends of the Guard and it's renewed my interest in reading this series from him. Book of Lilah GN - Someone is after the Keepers, who protect the world's knowledge and its progress, and only one girl stands in their way. The Finder Library (Volume 1) TP - This is the first of two volumes collecting the acclaime...

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comics shops tomorrow! Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Nine #1 - Joss Whedon brings a new season of the slayer to fans in the form of another Dark Horse comic book series.  It all starts here, with part one of "Freefall." Other Noteworthy Releases Amulet (Volume 4): Last Council SC Archie: The Married Life (Volume 1) TP Archie Archives (Volume 2) HC Astonishing Thor HC Barks' Bear Book HC Batman and Robin #1 Batwoman #1 Bonnie Lass #1 (of 4) Captain America by Dan Jurgens (Volume 2) TP Deathstroke #1 Demon Knights #1 Evolutionary War Omnibus HC Fantastic Four: Overthrow of Doom HC Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1 Green Lantern #1 Grifter #1 John Carter: A Princess of Mars #1 (of 5) Korgi (Volume 3): A Hollow Beginning GN Legion Lost #1 Mister Terrific #1 Optic Nerve #12 Red Lanterns #1 Resurrection Man #1 Sugar and Spike Archives (Volume 1) HC Suicide Squad #1 Superboy #1 Three Thi...

Don't forget, comics come out on Thursday this week because of Labor Day! Here are the highlights! . Pick of the Week . Love & Rockets: New Stories #2 - The latest Love & Rockets collection makes its way to stores this week. It's hard getting used to reading Love & Rockets only once a year (although I think they read better this way), but it certainly makes it quite the event when it is released. . Other Noteworthy Releases . All & Sundry Uncollected Work 2004-2008 HC Amulet (Book 2): Stonekeeper's Curse GN Angel: After the Fall (Volume 5): Aftermath HC Art of Tony Millionaire HC Astro Boy Movie Prequel: Underground TP Captain Britain and MI-13 (Volume 3): Vampire State TP - Final volume Dark Avengers/Uncanny X-Men: Exodus One-Shot Dark Reign: The List - Avengers One-Shot Fantastic Four Lost Adventures by Stan Lee TP James Robinson's Complete WildC.A.T.S. TP The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the 21st Century HC Marvel Super Hero Squad #1 (...

Ben Hatke Ben Hatke's Zita the Space Girl , from First Second Books , is an all-ages fantasy starring a brave girl who leaps through a portal after her friend has been abducted, unaware of the consequences of her actions or where it will lead her.  It turns out that Zita is transported across the universe to a strange world full of a variety of creatures, and it just so happens that everyone is trying to get off of the planet just as she arrives, because a meteor is about to hit that will destroy it along with whomever is left behind.  There's a mad scramble on the surface for passage off-world, but Zita is more concerned with finding her friend.  Very quickly on this odd little planet, Zita makes friends who help her on her quest, a quest that will eventually hold the fate of the entire world in its balance.  Among her newfound friends are a giant mouse who speaks through a collar around its neck that produces words on paper for her to read, a machine th...

Marvel has announced a new Inferno series from Dennis Hopeless and Javier Garron, spinning out of Marvel's upcoming mega-event Battleworld .  The series will feature Colossus on a quest to save his sister Illyana, at the same time that Illyana,better known as X-Man Magik, is busy indulging in her badassery in this Hell-on-Earth.  So, what better time to get acquainted with Magik?  I love this part of the X-Men universe. Essential Reading X-Men: Inferno ( Louise Simonson, Chris Claremont, Steve Engelhart, Gerry Conway, Ann Nocenti, Walter Simonson and various ) - When Magik leads her fellow New Mutants on a routine trip to Limbo, they find themselves trapped, and Illyana is tricked into opening a portal to Earth that allows hordes of demons to descend upon Manhattan.  Her soul is on the line, as her final transformation into the demonic Darkchylde is close at hand. Magik: Illyana and Storm ( Chris Claremont, John Buscema and various ) - A...

Manga Monday will return next week.  For now, here's the book you should be paying attention to in comic shops this Wednesday... A Drunken Dream and Other Stories HC - It's a good week when a new Kevin Huizenga graphic novel gets overshadowed.  This is the highly-anticipated collection of short works from acclaimed manga creator Moto Hagio, featuring some of her best stuff.  One of the biggest releases of the year. Other Noteworthy Releases 5 Days To Die #1 (of 5) Amazing Screw-On Head & Other Curious Objects HC Amulet (Volume 3): Cloud Searchers SC Anthology Project (Volume 1) HC Apollo's Song (Volume 1) TP Apollo's Song (Volume 2) TP Dark Shadows Complete Series (Volume 1) HC Fraggle Rock (Volume 1) HC Freedom Fighters #1 Syndrome HC Wild Kingdom HC Wolverine #1 X-Men: Curse of the Mutants: Smoke and Blood #1

Here are the highlights of books coming to comic shops tomorrow! . Pick of the Week . Cat Burglar Black GN - Richard Sala is one of my favorite creators, so a new full-length graphic novel from him is certainly cause for celebration to me. This is his first work published by First Second Books . . Other Noteworthy Releases . Absolute V For Vendetta HC Achewood (Volume 2): Worst Song Played HC Amulet (Volume 2): Stonekeeper's Curse SC Angel: Blood and Trenches (Volume 1) TP Batman: Gotham After Midnight TP Bleach (Volume 28) DC Library: JLA by George Perez (Volume 1) HC Dead Irons HC DMZ (Volume 7): War Powers TP Essential Sub-Mariner (Volume 1) TP Fall Out Toy Works #1 (of 5) G.I. Joe Origins (Volume 1) TP High School Debut (Volume 11) Honey & Clover (Volume 7) Hulk Gray HC Little Lulu (Volume 20) TP Magog #1 Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Black Knight (Volume 1) HC Marvel Zombies Return #1 Mixed Vegetables (Volume 5) Monkey High! (Volume 7) Nana (Volume 18) New Avengers: Reun...

Note that comics don't hit comic shops until Thursday this week.  And it's quite a week, so please excuse the laundry list of other titles coming out, as Marvel in particular has an aggressive week for releases.  That being said, this is the book you should be paying attention to... Ghostopolis GN - From Graphix , who've put out some pretty great titles for kids like Amulet and The Good Neighbors , comes this new all-ages title from Doug TenNapel about a boy pulled into the afterlife before his time and the ghost-hunter who goes after him. Other Noteworthy Releases Avengers: The Children's Crusade #1 (of 9) Batman: Odyssey #1 (of 6) Blackest Night HC Casanova #1 Clique: The Manga (Volume 1) Critical Millennium #1 (of 4) Dengeki Daisy (Volume 1) Hellboy: The Storm #1 (of 3) The Imposter's Daughter: A Memoir SC Janet Evanovich's Troublemaker (Book 1) HC Marvelman Family's Finest #1 (of 6) Scarlet #1 Shadowland #1 (of 5) Smurfs #1: Smurfnapp...

Here we go, presenting the comics with the most potential, shipping to comic shops this Wednesday... Patrick's Pick: Casanova (Volume 1): Luxuria TP - The first collection of the acclaimed series, now in paperback. Dave's Pick: Amulet (Volume 1): The Stonekeeper - Available in both softcover and hardcover formats is this cute all-ages fantasy title from Kazu Kibuishi. I actually saw this in bookstores a few weeks ago and picked it up then. It has some really nice art and I'm looking quite forward to reading it.

Sorry, no Manga Monday this week, as I was too busy with horror movies leading up to Halloween to do any posting, let alone reading.  You'll see a new manga review next week however.  It's a big week for comic releases, but here is the book you should be paying attention to in comic shops this Wednesday... Xenozoic: The Complete Collection TP - This collects the complete run of Mark Schultz' post-apocalyptic Xenozoic Tales , that many will recognize as Cadillacs and Dinosaurs .  Beautifully illustrated and action-packed comics. Other Noteworthy Releases Absolute All-Star Superman HC Art of Jim Starlin: Life In Words & Pictures HC Bartimaeus (Book 1): The Amulet of Samarkand GN Batman and Robin (Volume 2): Batman vs. Robin HC Bent HC Classic Jurassic Park (Volume 1) TP Coffin: 10th Anniversary Edition HC Days Missing: Kestus #1 (of 5) Denys Wortman's New York TP Generation Hope #1 The Good Neighbors (Volume 3): Kind HC How To Understand Israel In 6...

The following are the nominees for Eisner Awards this year. The winners will be announced this summer at the San Diego Comic-Con, and my picks are in bold. Best Short Story “Actual Size” by Chris Ware, in Kramers Ergot 7 (Buenaventura Press) “Chechen War, Chechen Women,” by Joe Sacco, in I Live Here (Pantheon) “Freaks,” by Laura Park, in Superior Showcase #3 (AdHouse) “Glenn Ganges in ‘Pulverize,’” by Kevin Huizenga, in Ganges #2 (Fantagraphics) “Murder He Wrote,” by Ian Boothby, Nina Matsumoto, and Andrew Pepoy, in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #14 (Bongo) Best Continuing Series All Star Superman. by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC) Fables, by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Niko Henrichon, Andrew Pepoy, and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC) Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, by Naoki Urasawa (Viz) Thor, by J. Michael Straczynski, Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales, and various (Marvel) Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse) Best Limited Series Groo: Hell on Earth, by Sergio Arag...

C.B. Cebulski & Giuseppi Camuncoli . Get passed that pretty embarrassing cover featuring the swiveling female exposing both T AND A, and this four issue X-Men mini-series has some potential. X-Infernus is intended as a sequel to the Inferno crossover from the 90's, although this event is much smaller in scale, contained, as far as I know, to this one book. X-Infernus features Illyana Rasputin in Limbo, where she's this soulless horned monster leading hordes of demons on a quest to track down her lost soul sword and blood stone amulet, which were forged from her soul and, she reasons, rightfully belong to her following Belasco's death. The scenes with Illyana in Limbo are pretty impressive. I'm not much of a fan of Camuncoli's art overall, but the panels in this Hellish dimension are kind of freaky, especially Illyana herself, who's really a complete monster at this point, doing things you'd never imagine Colossus's quiet little "Snowflak...

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops this Wednesday... Courtney Crumrin Special Edition (Volume 2): The Coven of Mystics HC - My favorite Courtney Crumrin tale from Ted Naifeh gets the hardcover treatment in this colored edition of the story. Other Noteworthy Releases Amulet (Volume 5): Prince of the Elves SC The Golden Twine (Book 1): Cat's Cradle GN Lenore: Swirlies HC Luz Makes a Splash GN Machine Teen: History 101001 TP Penny Arcade (Volume 8): Magical Kids in Danger TP Peter Panzerfaust (Volume 1): The Great Escape TP Phantom Lady #1 Rex Mundi Omnibus (Volume 1) TP Riven TP Showcase Presents: Tales of the Unexpected (Volume 1) TP Sonic Saga (Volume 1): Darkest Storm TP Star Wars: Clone Wars Omnibus (Vol 1): Republic War TP Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Classics (Volume 2) TP The Voyeurs GN

It does come down to personal preference in the end, but as someone who grew up on horror movies and continues to devour them ravenously, I feel like I've been able to condense the best horror movies out there into this list of the best 400. Of course there are some films that I haven't gotten around to yet (there are just SO many movies and so little time), so you may notice something or other missing that deserves to be on this list. But from what I've gathered, these are the greatest movies that the genre has to offer. I've ranked them from best to worst, taking into account things such as originality, characters, plot, cinematography, atmosphere, acting, set designs, and above all, how genuinely scary they are. I hope I can turn you on to some new movies, or remind you of a classic that you'd like to revisit. Enjoy! 351 - From Dusk Till Dawn (1996) Two criminals and their hostages unknowingly seek temporary refuge in a truck stop populated by vampires, with chao...