Comics and More

It's up!  See Whiplash and Black Widow (and Tony, of course) in action:  http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/ironman/

My Favorite 20 Songs of 2009 20. "Nobody" by Kate Earl - With a little bit of an 80's edge to it, and a good amount of soul, this makes for a good little pop song overall. 19. "Young Adult Friction" by The Pains of Being Young at Heart - A rock song with a good hook and a really fun climax.  Very youthful and fresh. 18. "Telephone" by Lady Gaga featuring Beyonce - Lady Gaga has a knack for overdoing everything, and producing some catchy dance grooves.  This is my favorite. 17. "Watcha Gonna Do" by Imelda May - Imelda May has a CD full of soulful, flirty songs on "Love Tattoo," and this energetic song is the best of the bunch. 16. "Sweet Sweet Heartkiller" by Say Hi To Your Mom - This restrained song is delivered with a heartbreaking lovely voice, and contains some pretty great lines. 15. "Once Was Love" by Ingrid Michaelson - "Everybody" has a bunch of great singer/songwriter type of ...

Here are the highlights of books available in comic shops on Wednesday... Pick of the Week Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons HC - This three-volume slipcase from Fantagraphics includes every cartoon illustrated by Gahan Wilson for Playboy Magazine (they number over a thousand in all) as well as five short stories penned by the artist for the periodical.  Introductions by Neil Gaiman and Hugh Hefner, with an interview and other goodies included. Other Noteworthy Releases 20th Century Boys (Volume 6) Angel: A Hole In the World #1 Art of Emily the Strange HC Art of Steve Ditko HC Asterix & Obelix Birthday HC Batman: Dark Knight Archives (Volume 6) HC Bringing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess HC Children of the Sea (Volume 2) The Complete Little Orphan Annie (Volume 4) HC Connie (Volume 1): Captives of Space Pirates TP Connie (Volume 2): Battle For Titan TP The Definitive Prince Valiant Companion HC The Engineer HC Finding Nemo: Ree...

GoGo Monster Taiyo Matsumoto This beautifully-produced manga by Viz features quality printing, red-edged pages that form part of a picture that continues to wrap around the book (that of other-worldly spirits and creatures) with a cardboard slip that covers all but the spine and those red edges.  It makes for a striking overall look that's hard to overlook on the shelf.  The inside of the book is lavish as well, but without all of the bells and whistles.  Matsumoto puts a lot of thought into his storytelling and how it's arranged on the page, making for some very interesting panels, but very beautifully-rendered illustrations that are a little rough or loose at the author's whim, Matsumoto hardly being shy of experimenting with the medium. The story follows Yuki Tachibana, a child who is ostracized for strange quirks, such as drawing creatures all over his desk and talking about spirits that hang around the school who no one can see, particularly ...

Here are the highlights of books available in comic shops tomorrow! Pick of the Week Portable Grindhouse: The Lost Art of the VHS Box (Volume 1) SC - Yeah, it may not be comics, but it's coming from a comics publisher (Fantagraphics Books) and it's going to be awesome !  My love of horror movies goes back to the days when I'd browse the covers of VHSs at the local video store to pick one out to take home with me. Other Noteworthy Releases The Boys Definitive Edition (Volume 2) HC Dante's Inferno #1 (of 6) Dark Reign: Underside TP Daytripper #1 (of 10) DC Holiday Special 2009 Hot Gimmick VizBig Edition (Volume 3) Inu Yasha (Volume 43) Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Sub-Mariner (Volume 3) HC Ms. Marvel (Volume 7): Dark Reign TP The Muppet Show #0 Nation X #1 (of 4) New Avengers Annual #3 One Piece (Volumes 1, 2 & 3) Set: East Blue Pilot Season: Murderer #1 Sky Doll (Volume 1) TP Spider-Man: Red-Headed Stranger HC Spider-Man and Secret Wars #1 ...

Rin-ne (Volume 1) Rumiko Takahashi I read the first volume of Ranma 1/2  years ago, but since then, I haven't really paid much attention to creator Rumiko Takahashi (although I really do need to get around to checking out Inu Yasha one of these days, and Maison Ikkoku has been highly recommended to me).  Until now.  Rin-ne retains many of the qualities I first admired in Takahashi's Ranma 1/2 , actually.  Broad characters (both innocent and mischievous) in a world where the supernatural is affecting them specifically, a good mixture of wackiness and oddity (particularly in the form of the black cat Rokumon who attempts to help Rinne) and really clear illustration with spot-on delivery and pacing.  It's nice to see that Takahashi has brought that early craft to her newer works, creating manga such as Rin-ne that seem like classics immediately out of the gate.  This story follows Sakura Mamiya, a high school girl who can see the spirit world...

One of the biggest, most anticipated comic releases of the year is the five-years-in-the-making adaptation of the first book of The Old Testament itself, Genesis , by one of the greatest names in the industry, R. Crumb.  The cartoonist, a prominent figure in the underground comix movement, is well known for his critical, satirical renditions of society and his very sexual depiction of women.  Which is why it came as such a surprise to many that he decided on a very traditional, straight-forward adaptation of Genesis .  His very recognizeable art style lends itself to this book, actually, even his drawings of the women in that muscled, big-boned way he loves so much.  But I must admit that overall, I was disappointed with this book.  The failings have little to do with Crumb's art, as he is certainly a master cartoonist, but the overall package bored me.  The main problem for me, I think, is that the source material doesn't r...

L. Frank Baum Adapted by Alex Robinson L. Frank Baum is most known as the beloved creator of the Oz children's books, but he also penned the fun short story  A Kidnapped Santa Claus as well.  Publisher HarperCollins included this story as one of three books they were having adapted into graphic novels by some pretty exciting creators.  The other two titles in this venture are The Fir Tree by Hans Christian Anderson, adapted by Lilli Carre ( The Lagoon ), and O. Henry's Gift of the Magi , illustrated by Joel Priddy ( The Preposterous Adventures of IronHide Tom ).  The most appealing of the three projects to me was the adaptation of L. Frank Baum's work because I am a fan of the Oz books.  Alex Robinson ( Box Office Poison ) illustrates the story with ease, giving the fantasy a new life as he maneuvers Santa and his fairies and other creatures through the festive environment of Laughing Valley.  The story is about a group of da...

Here are five things that excited me over the past week: 1. The Princess and the Frog - It doesn't go wide until the 11th, but Disney's latest hand-drawn animated film is already getting great reviews.  I think a Disney film that takes place in the South with Voodoo, and a bit of a twist on a classic story, sounds like a lot of fun and I'm really looking forward to seeing the film! 2. Fantagraphics Spring Catalogue - Fantagraphics Books released their Spring publishing schedule including more Jacques Tardi, Megan Kelso, and Nancy !  See the full list here . 3. "Oh, Blue Christmas" by A Fine Frenzy - It's the time of year to start breaking out the holiday music, and as I was looking for some new tunes this year anyway, and I love A Fine Frenzy, the two came together in a wonderful package entitled "Oh, Blue Christmas," available on I-Tunes.  Take a listen to "Wish You Well." 4. Funny People on DVD - Judd Apatow's latest may not ...

New books won't be available in comic shops until Thursday this week - here are the highlights! Pick of the Week The Comics Journal #300 - This special 300th issue of The Comics Journal features conversations between new creators beginning to earn a name for themselves, and established cartoonists/writers, including huge names like Art Spiegelman, Jaime Hernandez, David Mazzucchelli, Stan Sakai, Frank Quitely, Matt Fraction, Dash Shaw, Kevin Huizenga, Sammy Harkham, Alison Bechdel, and many, many more.  This issue also marks the beginning of an exciting new era for the magazine, as from here on out, the issues will be semi-annual thick issues, with a big on-line presence that will make The Comics Journal more current in keeping with the pulse of the comics industry, one of its more noted criticisms as of late.  Check out the soft launch of the new site here . Other Noteworthy Releases 365 Samurai & a Few Bowls of Rice SC Beanworld...

Hiroyuki Asada Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee is a shonen manga that takes place in a fantasy world where the lands are lit by a manmade star, and the classes are separated into three lands, like rings, with water between them, the outer ring receiving the least amount of light and reserved for the lowest class.  The land is very dangerous to travel in outside of villages, particularly where little light is found, as there are vicious monsters prowling about in the form of huge armored bugs, ready to attack any stray travelers.  This danger is what makes Letter Bees necessary.  Letter Bees are basically delivery men.  They vow to deliver any package to its destination, no questions asked, carrying the "hearts" of the senders with them or something to that effect.  And heart plays a big role in the story, as it's the heart that activates Spirit Amber, which are little bugs caught in amber that radiate light and focus heart into some sort of energy weapon.  Or ...

Diligently wading through the phone book that is Previews Catalogue so you don't have to...here are ten choice books shipping to comic shops in February that I think may get overlooked or that I'm just plain excited about... 1. Hernandez Brothers collections - There are several new collections featuring Hernandez Brothers comics, for whichever of the three formats you are collecting Love & Rockets in.  In the original softcover format, Gilbert Hernandez is releasing High Soft Lisp , featuring my favorite Love & Rockets character Fritz.  New in the thick omnibus hardcover collections, we get Gilbert Hernandez' continued look at his most popular character from Palomar in Luba .  And finally, in the new-reader-friendly line of softcovers, Jamie Hernandez is coming out with a collection featuring Penny Century . 2. The John Stanley Library: Melvin Monster (Volume 2) HC - I really enjoyed the first collection featuring John Stanley's silly ...

David Small This memoir graphic novel has been getting a lot of notice lately from outside of the comics community, most notably nominated for a National Book Award in the Young People's Literature category.  It was also listed as one of Publisher's Weekly 's best books of the year.  Perhaps it's because Small is well known in other aspects of literature that this caught more mainstream attention, particularly with the National Book Award nomination, since he is a Caldecott -winning author of children's picture books, and was nominated in the Young People's Literature category when this book was not marketed as such.  Whatever the reason, having read this book, I'm amazed that this has been so praised, pretty much held up over other graphic novels published this year and proclaimed as the best by some well-respected book lovers outside of the comics community.  This is a good book, don't get me wrong, but it's certainly not the best thing pub...

Here are the highlights of books shipping to comic shops on Wednesday! Pick of the Week Image United #1 (of 6) - Finally Image Comics joins the other two big companies in experimenting with company-wide crossover events.  Image United brings together the biggest superheroes from the shared universe for some sort of earth-shattering event, including Savage Dragon, Spawn, Witchblade, Invincible and Shadowhawk, in a collaborative comic that has prolific Image creators (six of the seven being founders) working together with creations near and dear to their hearts.  The big names involved include Erik Larsen, Marc Silvestri, Todd McFarlane, Jim Valentino, Rob Liefeld, Whilce Portacio and new Image partner Robert Kirkman. Other Noteworthy Releases Berserk (Volume 32) Blackest Night #5 (of 8) The Boys (Volume 5): Herogasm TP Captain America: Death of Omnibus HC Chew (Volume 1) TP Chronicles of Kull (Volume 1): King Comes Riding TP Chronicles of Solomon...

Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture (Volume 1) Masayuki Ishikawa After a delay from the publisher due to legal reasons, I finally got my hands on one of my most anticipated manga of the year, Moyasimon: Tales of Agriculture .  The series follows Tadayasu, a new student at an agricultural university, who has the unique ability to see bacteria, germs and various microbes with his own eyes, without the aid of microscopes or any other technology usually used for this sort of thing.  And these germs and whatnot appear to him in really cutesy forms, saying cute little things.  And they do funny things, and seem to be having a generally really good time, which never failed to bring a smile to my face.  Tadayasu has learned to identify the forms that these creatures take on, making him a very useful resource at his school, especially to Professor Keizo Itsuki and his assistant, the skeptical Haruka Hasegawa.  But they're not the only ones interested in Tadayasu's u...

Here are five things that excited me over the past week! 1. Star Trek on DVD - The latest Star Trek movie, rebooting the franchise after breathing new life into the characters and its universe, came to DVD and Blu-Ray this week.  J.J. Abrams' science fiction film was largely successful and critically-acclaimed, with great casting and wonderful action effects. 2. The Twilight Saga: New Moon in theaters - It's getting pretty abysmal reviews, but the latest movie in the highly successful supernatural films adapted from the teen novels hit theaters at midnight last night, featuring the stars we've seen plastered all over magazines without a moment's breath for the past year (well, perhaps a pause when Michael Jackson died).  Featuring a buffed-up Taylor Lautner and the villianous Volturi, this was my least favorite book, but you can't deny the eye candy. 3. Mr. Marvel canceled - Not that I'm excited about this, because I really, really enjoyed this Marvel su...

Here are the highlights of books available in comic shops tomorrow! Pick of the Week Christmas Graphic Novels - HarperCollins is putting out adaptations of classic Christmas prose stories, adapted by some very exciting and talented creators, as graphic novels.  There will be three in all, two of which are available this week.  My most anticipated of the bunch is Lilli Carre's adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's The Fir Tree .  The Lagoon was one of my favorite graphic novels of last year, and with her beautiful pencils, I'm sure this will look just amazing.  Also available this week is Joel Priddy's adaptation of O. Henry's Gift of the Magi .  Still forthcoming from HaperCollins is another one that I'll probably have to own, Alex Robinson adapting L. Frank Baum's A Kidnapped Santa Claus . Other Noteworthy Releases Alien Legion Omnibus (Volume 1) TP Batman: Battle For the Cowl HC Black Jack (Volume 8) Black Knight #1 Black Lightni...

See you next Monday!