Comics and More

European artist, Hippolyte, or Frank Meynet, was published in America for the first time by Heavy Metal this past year with his adaptation of that beloved Bram Stoker novel Dracula . I was extremely happy that The Comics Journal gave a mini-review of this book in issue #275, complete with a beautifully haunting panel, because it sparked my interest in this creator I'd never heard of. And he seems to have a wealth of this material that's just waiting to be tapped into past Dracula , as far as I can gather from his official site . He uses a "scratch card" approach that lends itself perfectly to the type of dark storytelling he adapts in Dracula , and it indeed assists in creating that feeling of creeping dread that permeates from each page and settles into the atmosphere. I couldn't imagine another adaptation of this work being as effective now that I've seen it through Hippolyte's unique, disturbingly cartoony style. Basically, the story is as Bram Stoke...

Comic Book Galaxy is hosting a giveaway where you could win a free set of the first wave of six :01 First Second books, plus some other neat stuff, just by firing them an e-mail. Included are the softcover A.L.I.E.E.E.N. from Lewis Trondheim and Fate of the Artist by Eddie Campbell that I mentioned previously , as well as some Joann Sfar offerings (of Rabbi's Cat and Dungeon: Duck Heart fame).

The comic stores may suck in Milwaukee, but at least we got this: The Masters of American Comics exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum. You've probably heard about this already. I believe it opened in LA and will move on to New York after the Milwaukee exhibit, but that's it. I don't know why they decided to show it in Milwaukee of all places in the Midwest, but I'm glad they did. Me and Patrick were at the exhibit for nearly three hours taking it all in. It was really a spectacular show, featuring the works of fifteen comic artists (this is the order we experienced them): Winsor McCay ( Little Nemo In Slumberland ), Lyonel Feininger ( Kin-Der-Kids ), George Herriman ( Krazy Kat ), E.C. Segar ( Thimble Theater ), Frank King ( Gasoline Alley ), Milton Caniff ( Terry & the Pirates ), Chester Gould ( Dick Tracy ), Charles Schultz ( Peanuts ), Will Eisner ( The Spirit ), Jack Kirby ( Fantastic Four ), Harvey Kurtzman ( Mad ), R. Crumb ( Zap Comix ), Art Spiegelman ...

Books shipping to comic shops this week that you may want to give a second glance... Mouse Guard #2 - The second issue of David Petersen's all-ages story comes out, hot on the heels of the sold-out first issue and second printing. This comic is great - don't miss out! Osamo Tezuka's Buddha (volume 1): Kapilavasto TP - Vertical Inc. has finally released the first volume of Tezuka's masterpiece in softcover! Available for an affordable $14.95. Love & Rockets (volume 2) #16 - I personally like to read the Hernandez Brothers in collected formats, but man, any week where a Hernandez comic comes out is a good week. Yeast Hoist 12: Stop Thinking, Start Sleeping ~ Stop Sleeping, Start Living - Buenaventura Press presents a collection of Ron Rege Jr.'s rarest comics and drawings. Civil War #1 - Everyone and their mom is picking this thing up, but at least with this company-wide crossover from Marvel, we'll be treated to some great art courtesy of Steve McNiven...

It was inevitable that I'd get to this with how I raved about the first Peculia trade. Peculia and the Groon Grove Vampires (also known as Evil Eye #13 ) is the first book-length adventure featuring the odd, but lovely Peculia, one of the greatest female characters in comics today. Richard Sala is at the top of his game, crafting gothic thrillers like no other in the comics medium. He makes setting mood and atmosphere look effortless and has a seemingly uncanny ability to fold comedy into his horror, using elements from the worst of B horror movies, and making them work in an engrossing story nonetheless. It is quite obvious from the beginning who the vampire in the tale is, and that the band of gypsies will be all-knowing when it comes to the supernatural elements that begin to occur in town. But the fast-paced action keeps you turning page after page until you're suddenly at the end of the eerie tale and longing for more. The story evokes a dread and general creepin...

The cute little red-head Jenna, the character from Narwain Publishing who's involved in crossovers with the likes of Ninja High School , finally has a collected edition of her first three issue mini-series simply entitled Jenna . I never actually saw an issue of a Narwain title in stores, but rather enjoyed the cute covers in Previews and on comics news sites, so I had to buy the trade on faith alone through an on-line store. The manga-inspired title, written by Philip Osbourne, with plenty of artists working on the book, was so not worth seeking out. I could have given this a quick flip-through at my local store to see that it wasn't worth checking out. But I was stuck with a copy and read it. And the artwork wasn't just poorly drawn, but the panels were sparse, jarring the reader from one scene of the story to another like reading a summary of a story rather than the actual events. Basically, the story follows the teenaged Jenna, whose father turns out to be involved i...

This was pretty disappointing. Not that I was looking forward to a long celebration full of talking heads or anything, but it seemed like the wedding of Jessica Jones and Luke Cage was more of an afterthought in this issue. It was mostly about a big fight that takes place just after Jessica accepts Luke's proposal. A fight that should have been a lot cooler. Back at the beginning of Bendis' New Avengers run, Yelena Bolova, better known as the blonde "next generation" Black Widow, battled the newly-formed team and was disfigured before she was hastened off by some mystery men. It was as if she were going to be groomed as a big villain for the team in the future, something I was kind of holding my breath for since I'm a fan of the Widow. And then she's just kind of thrown into this issue, turned into a big monster, the new Adaptoid, before she's thrown into the gutter and checked off of a sheet of dangling plot threads. Lame. It was a decent fight, but the a...

This was a great week for mainstream superheroes. I picked up twice as many books as usual. Seven Soldiers: Frankenstein #4 (of 4) - The final Seven Soldiers mini-series came to a conclusion, leaving only Seven Soldiers #1 to end the ambitious maxi-series by Grant Morrison. What a great character Frankenstein is here, and the Bride is just one of the best designs of a character, hands down. It's been a fun series, with great art by Doug Mahnke. I hope we see more of this version of Frankenstein in the future. It's definitely a title I wouldn't mind picking up on a monthly basis, especially if the artist stays on. I believe Morrison said he did have plans on using some of the Seven Soldiers in the future... 7.7/10 Runaways #15 - Another great issue as the "Parental Guidance" story continues. I loved the opening moment between Victor and Chase, and it's fun to watch the bad guys play the team against each other. Adrian Alphona's pencils continue to amaze...

This is really the best of the superhero comics coming out right now. We are treated to an opening that shows a scene of Scott and Jean from that famous moment where Jean holds back Scott's powers during The Dark Phoenix Saga , when they make love. It doesn't upset continuity, but rather respects it and adds a little something significant to it, as we are shown Jean and Scott after the fact. It's a beautiful moment, and leads in perfectly to the current story where Emma has taken on Jean's appearance in a sexual sort of game with Scott. But Joss Whedon incorprates other things from continuity as well, including examples of Cyclops' leadership of the X-Men, his battle with Storm for said role, and it all serves to highlight something that's been in front of us all along. He doesn't indulge in nastalgia and revisit Days of Future Past twenty times until it's no longer cool. He can bring something from that time to punctuate his current story. Whedon can j...

Highlights of comics from Previews catalogue shipping in July... Buenoventura Press: Comic Art Magazine #8 - It's been a long wait, but here it is: a new issue of Comic Art , double-sized! It's now an annual magazine, which is too bad, but it should be worth the wait each time. This issue comes with a booklet "40 Cartoon Booklets of Interest," illustrated by Seth. Kramer's Ergot (volume 6) HC - The new volume of the groundbreaking anthology provides us with art by Ron Rege, John Porcellino, and many other forward-thinkers of the medium bent on pushing the boundaries of comics into new territory. Dabel Brothers Productions: Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter #1 - Personally, I think Hamilton's overrated. Her Anita Blake is dubbed an "R-rated Buffy," but it's really a lot less sophisticated and ooh, she can cuss if she wants. I'm sure a lot of people are excited about this, but I've tried her and it's nothing I...

The beautiful packaging of Toru Yamazaki'a Octopus Girl should be enough in itself to make you want to pick it up. A beautiful cover, a great back cover and spine design, and lots of extras including four-panel Octopus Girl strips, an author's mini photo album, and bonus stories. On top of that, the stories included in volume one are wonderful. Octopus Girl is an instant classic in the world of manga. It's silly, grotesque, twisted and lots of fun, with beautiful cutesy and disgusting art by Yamazaki. Octopus Girl follows a girl, Takako, as she suddenly transforms into an octopus from her neck down. She adjusts to her new life as a monster, learning to survive, making some odd friends, and well, killing people (she is a monster after all). This is dark humor at its best, with some amazing stories. It can be overtly wacky like in the chapter "Sakae gets pregnant" or it can really be everything you want in a horror story like in my favorite "Enter ...

The second volume of Eden: It's an Endless World! continues the adventures of young Elijah in a world ravaged by plague. This volume has very few moments where the narrative pauses to take a tender look at the characters and their feelings. It's pretty much non-stop action from page one to the end, with a few flashbacks thrown in for good measure (unlike the first volume which was full of background information, complete with a good slow look at the world post-plague). This manga is really worthy of more attention than it's gotten. The pages, illustrated by Hiroki Endo, are beautiful, with the usual incorporation of machines in the post-apocalyptic genre Eden falls into, balancing the splendor of the mountainous terrain the characters find themselves in during this chapter. Some new characters, that of Gloria and Kachua, are introduced here as well, adding a new dynamic to the cast as Elijah watches the relationships of the mercenaries around him progress at the same time ...

Books shipping to comic shops this week that you may want to give a second glance... Astonishing X-Men (volume 1) Hardcover - Just in time for Astonishing X-Men #14 , a hardcover of the first year of Joss Whedon and John Cassaday's amazing run of the "flagship" X-Men title is being collected into a hardcover. Wings GN - Shinsuke Tanaka's new graphic novel follows a man as he discovers an abandoned dog by the roadside - a dog with wings - and brings it home, where it becomes a loving part of his family. Completely textless, Wings will be available at a mere $15. What's to lose? New Avengers Annual #1 - The wedding of the decade...well, until Storm and Black Panther's vows are read in another few months... Yes, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage tie the knot (completely free of any supervillain mischief, of course...). Savage Dragon #125 - The Dragon is back in full force. Erik Larson's lovechild will be a whopping 64 pages, free of ads and full of pulse-...

As superhero mini-series go, this was pretty damn good. Not a throw-away story or an adventure featuring a popular team character that really didn't need to be told. This series, by Brian Michael Bendis, Brian Reed and the Luna Brothers, was just as engaging as many of my favorite superhero titles currently: New Avengers , Nextwave, Manhunter ... The weakest issue, unfortunately, was the initial one and many people may have abandoned ship at that point, but it really does get better as the story progresses. It's a fun superhero comic featuring plenty of betrayal and mystery, focusing on Jessica Drew's ties with Hydra, SHIELD and her own family. I think my favorite part of the series was her confrontation with the Taskmaster, the man who trained her at Hydra to be the fighter she is today. It occurred early on in the story, yet it seemed like such a pivotal moment, and it was executed with such tenderness for the character, that it was really just a perfect moment in my eye...

Nextwave #4 - Warren Ellis and Stuart Immonen wrap up their second story arc of the hilarious series and show no sign of pittering out. I get more laughs out of some issues than others, but overall, it's just a great, fun book that I look forward to every time it comes out. In this issue, aside from the big battle with the cop/alien/robot guy, we are treated to the origin of The Captain, which is encased between the words "How stupid are you?" and "I'm not stupid," so you can imagine how pathetic it was. But next issue is a new storyarc, so jump onboard if you've been missing out on the fun. 9.1/10 New Avengers #18 - A couple of the big gun superheroes try to take on the powerful being from the previous issues of the series...guess how that works out. This is a really entertaining story, even though I saw where it was going before the big reveal at the end. Like the first issue of the arc, there's a small scene that concentrates on characters...

In case you hadn't heard from Newsarama , a series that I really enjoyed the first issue of, but was cut short by the demise of Speakeasy Comics, has been picked up by Ape Comics! The mini-series Athena Voltaire: Flight of the Phoenix , from the creative team behind the Eisner-nominated Athena Voltaire webcomic, will see the light of day in its entirity. This Fall, a 48-page comic collecting the first two issues of the comic will be released (Speakeasy only released one issue, so this will give both new readers and readers who checked out the first issue something they want) before the last two issues are released regularly. And a little fun fact I hadn't realized: the first issue of Flight of the Phoenix , which sold out right away, was Speakeasy's best-selling comic when backorders were taken into account. Kind of surprising given the buzz I heard from series like Atomika, Rocketo , and Elk's Run . But anyway, check out a preview of the mini-series if you wa...

There's no getting away from Civil War . If you read any of the big books, it's going to be a crossover event. And if you read Runaways , but know nothing about Young Avengers , too bad because they're thrown together into their own Civil War book. Yeesh. Well, here are highlights of Marvel books shipping in July... Beyond #1 (of 6) - And if you can't get enough crossovers in light of the month of crossovers, you get this book. Nine varied heroes thrown together because it's always fun to do that. Here you get Spider-man, Medusa, Wasp, Venom, The Hood, Gravity, Henry Pym, Firebird and Kraven. Watch them interact/kill each other. Halo Graphic Novel HC - Don't ask me. I certainly didn't ask for this. Excalibur Classic (volume 2) - Yay! I was just saying how much I loved the first volume of this. More great Excalibur issues from Alan Davis and Chris Clairmont (back when he could still write something decent). This volume collects issues 6-11 and the Moj...

Books shipping to comic shops this week that you may want to give a second glance... Mouse Guard (second printing) #1 - The first issue of the all-ages comic from Archaia Studios Press sold out very quickly. I was really anticipating this title before it came out. When it came and went without a copy in my possession, I freaked out a bit. But the internet is a beautiful thing and I was able to track down a copy. I was not disappointed . It isn't too late for anyone else out there who may have been wanting to take a look at the beautiful book that's getting a lot of praise. The second printing will be out before the second issue hits the stands, giving you another chance to jump on the bandwagon. Jenna TP - Narwain Publishing's little horror book is finally collected. I haven't heard too much about it, but have been meaning to check it out. Unfortunately, I never saw a copy of this at my local comic shop either (yeah, Milwaukee doesn't have much variety in their s...

Highlights of DC books shipping in July... All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder #5 - What an awesome ass-ah cover. Oh, Frank Miller, why are you so awesome? Batman #655 - Written by Grant Morrison !! One of the few DCU characters I actually know something about is about to become awesome...like the All-Star version. It's about time - Batman should be one of the top books and it should be good. Jack of Fables #1 - From the pages of Fables , Jack gets his own book. An outcast from Fabletown, this follows his adventures in the Mundy world. I personally hated the Jack story last year and will give this a single issue to blow me away. American Virgin #5 - A new story arc begins, but what really made me point this one out was the cover (pictured to the left). I loved the Frank Quitely covers, but man, I love Josh Middleton's covers better... Doom Patrol: Musclebound TP - Collects 42-50 of Grant Morrison's Doom Patrol . Promethea Book 5 TP - The last issues of Alan Moo...

Death Note (volume 1) by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata follows a model student, Light Yagami, as he finds a death note, a notebook that a death god puts a person's name into to kill them. Since Light found this book, the power of it lies with him. He now has the power of a god. He tests his power and vows to make the world an ideal place, void of murderers, rapists and the most vile of criminals. Unfortunately, in order to place a person's name into the notebook, he must know their name and be able to picture their face. This complicates things a little as, of course, things come up that prevent him from gaining said information. Now, most of this book is a cat-and-mouse game between Light and the police, as they are investigating who is behind the death of the criminals. But beyond all of this, people in the streets question whether he should be stopped. He is making the world a safer place, after all. People are becoming better people, for fear of sudden death. ...