Comics and More

Chester Brown Paying For It is the first book I've read from Chester Brown, and is described as "a comic-strip memoir about being a john."  This graphic novel comes with an introduction from R. Crumb and extensive appendices and notes.  This book, about paying for sex, follows Chester Brown's experiences in the world of prostitution.  I was kind of surprised to find that it was less autobiographical than I'd expected.  Even though it does follow Brown through his own experiences as a john, it's more a commentary on prostitution itself.  He doesn't necessarily glorify it, but dissects it through his experiences, and puts forth some pretty compelling arguments on why it shouldn't be illegal.  He also questions the ideas of love and how society views marriage and monogamy, and it's really interesting stuff that he brings up.  He also humanizes the prostitutes, as he sits and chats with them before or after sex, and through this book, we get to hear...

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops tomorrow... Jim Henson's A Tale of Sand HC - This graphic novel is illustrated from a complete screenplay found in the archives of The Jim Henson Company, written by Jim Henson himself and partner Jerry Juhl. Other Noteworthy Releases 500 Portraits HC Absolute Promethea (Volume 3) HC Avengers: X-Sanction #1 (of 4) Carnage USA #1 (of 5) Chuck Jones: The Dream That Never Was HC DC Comics: The New 52 HC Essential Rawhide Kid (Volume 1) TP Fables (Volume 16): Super Team TP Garth Ennis' Complete Battlefields (Volume 1) TP Killing Pickman HC The Ray #1 (of 4) The Red Wing TP Salt Water Taffy (Volume 5) GN The Sigh HC The Strain #1 (of 11) Tales of the Batman: Don Newton (Volume 1) HC The Walking Dead (Volume 15): We Find Ourselves TP

On the latest Comics-and-More Podcast , Patrick Markfort and I take a look at IDW's new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, as well as the new ultimate collection of the original TMNT material. Reviewed: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2011) #1-4 Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz and Dan Duncan Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection (Volume 1) HC Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird Part One: Part Two: Part Three: For further reading: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro-Series: Raphael #1 Brian Lynch & Franco Urru Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures (Volume 1): Heroes In a Half-Shell TP Michael Dooney, David Weiss & Patti Howeth Based on characters created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird

Here are the books I noted after trudging through  Previews Catalogue, for books shipping to comic shops in January... Steve Canyon (Volume 1): 1947-1948 HC - Finally, nice editions of Milton Caniff's adventure strip, his follow-up to Terry and the Pirates , featuring all of the color Sundays and dailies in deserving hardcover volumes. Whispers #1 - A new series, the first solo effort from Joshua Luna, featuring different art than we're used to seeing attached to his name.  X-Men: Mutant Genesis 2.0 HC - The first seven issues of the relaunched X-Men from 1991 is collected in this hardcover, featuring the writing of Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, John Byrne and Scott Lobdell, and the pencils of Jim Lee. Fantastic Life GN - Kevin Mutch's Xeric award-winning graphic novel. Danger Girl: Revolver #1 (of 4) - A new Danger Girl is introduced to the team in this brand-new mini-series from creators J. Scott Campbell and Andy Hartnell, with Chris Madden.  Al...

Ludovic Debeurme The first book to be printed in English (courtesy of Top Shelf) by celebrated cartoonist Ludovic Debeurnme is the Rene Goscinny Prize and Angouleme Essential Award -winning graphic novel Lucille .  And it's not hard to see why this is such a lauded work.  The story immerses readers in this world where two teenagers, Lucille and Arthur, come together despite their personal struggles, and run away to build a life together.  You can't help but feel it's doomed from the beginning, as these are two very damaged individuals that seem much too fragile for the real world, but they manage to get by as they travel across Europe, trying to free themselves from their ghosts and learn to love.  Opening up this book and glancing through the pages, it looks deceptively simple.  Debeurme uses sparse line work to tell his story with no panels, but manages to weave such a rich story with engaging characters, that you fall under his spell quickly enough, and th...

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops on Wednesday... X-Statix Omnibus HC - Kind of a light week, but this is a cool release.  This omnibus collects over 1200 pages of Peter Milligan and Mike Allred's great series, including its beginnings in X-Force , the mini-series Wolverine/Doop and X-Statix Presents Dead Girl , and other odds and ends.  It's $125, but you get a lot of bang for your buck there. Other Noteworthy Releases Art of Spider-Man Classic HC Captain Canuck Complete Edition TP Defenders #1 The Eyes of the Cat Deluxe HC Girls Complete Collection TP I Thought You Would Be Funnier HC Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus (Volume 1) TP Johnny Hazard Dailies (Volume 1): 1944-1946 HC Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro Series #1: Raphael Villains For Hire #1 (of 4) West Coast Avengers: Sins Past HC

This time around, Patrick Markfort and I take a look at Fantagraphics' archival reprint projects of Disney creations for the Comics-and-More Podcast . Reviewed: Part One: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson (Volume 1): "Race To Death Valley" Floyd Gottfredson Part Two: Walt Disney's Donald Duck by Carl Barks (Volume 1): "Lost In the Andes" Carl Barks For further reading: Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse by Floyd Gottfredson (Volume 2): "Trapped On Treasure Island" Floyd Gottfredson

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops on Wednesday... Salvatore (Volume 2): An Eventful Crossing GN - French cartoonist Nicholas de Crecy's ( Glacial Period ) series of animorphic characters is a fun, crazy tale about an auto repair mechanic dog, who, in volume two, traverses the land in search of his sweetheart. Other Noteworthy Releases The Complete Alan Moore Future Shocks TP The Complete Invincible Library (Volume 3) HC The Definitive Flash Gordon & Jungle Jim (Volume 1) HC Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Volume 6): Cabin Fever HC RASL (Volume 3) TP Rust (Volume 1) HC Spider-Man Marvel Team-Up by Claremont & Byrne TP Thor by Kieron Gillen Ultimate Collection TP T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents (Volume 2) #1 (of 6) Wonder Woman Chronicles (Volume 2) TP X-9: Secret Agent Corrigan (Volume 3) HC

I just wanted to let my followers know that Hunters of the Dark  is now available in an omnibus edition through Amazon and Barnes & Noble . This edition includes the first three books of the series plus the prequel, and a few goodies like a never-before-seen bonus chapter and an author interview. It's going to be on sale for $2.99 for a limited time only, which is cheaper than the cost of the second two books and the prequel individually. It's also available in four different colored covers, so you can pick which one you like best (check out the illustrated covers below).

On the latest episode of the Comics-and-More Podcast , Patrick Markfort and I take a look at Erik Larsen's Savage Dragon #175 and the anthology based on Erik Larsen's characters in Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies . Reviewed: Savage Dragon #175 Erik Larsen Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies TP Edited by Michel Fiffe Based on characters created by Erik Larsen Part One: Part Two: Part Three: For further reading: Savage Dragon #1-174 Erik Larsen Freak Force #1-18 Erik Larsen & Keith Giffen

Here are the books you should be paying attention to, in comic shops on Wednesday... Fantagraphics Collections - Damn, this is a great week for comics!  The collection of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles material or Lynda Barry's  Everything  could have easily been the pick of the week, but even those massive projects were overshadowed by Fantagraphics' releases this week!  Two big archival projects that people have been anticipating for a long time have finally arrived, making their debut this week: Walt Kelly's Pogo: The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips (Volume 1): Through the Wild Blue Wonder HC  and Walt Disney's Donald Duck (Volume 1): Lost In the Andes HC from Carl Barks. Other Noteworthy Releases Everything (Volume 1): 1978-1981 HC Fantastic Four #600 Green Lantern Omnibus (Volume 2) HC The Innocent GN The Mighty Thor by Matt Fraction (Volume 1) HC Milk & Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad HC Rovers GN Royal Historian of Oz T...

Since the latest book in my Hunters of the Dark series has been released, I wanted to offer the first e-book in the series to my followers for FREE!  Who doesn't like free stuff, right?  It's about a group of monster hunters, and has been compared to Cassandra Clare's City of Bones , Buffy the Vampire Slayer and X-Men (it was definitely influenced by comics books).  If it sounds good, check out Her Dark Destiny (Hunters of the Dark #1) for free at Smashwords .  Just use coupon code NL95K when checking out and sideload it to whatever e-reader device you use.  The coupon will work through the end of November.  And hopefully, you will check out the sequels and prequel. Hunters of the Dark series: Her Dark Destiny (Hunters of the Dark #1) Night Cries (Hunters of the Dark #2) Face the Dark (Hunters of the Dark #3) The Tomb (Hunters of the Dark prequel)

Kekkaishi 3-in-1 Omnibus Edition (Volume 1) Yellow Tanabe I really love these omnibus editions.  Just having so much material together in one volume somehow makes it much more appealing to me (576 pages in this thick collection).  Anyways, Kekkaishi is about a teenage demon hunter who has inherited the mark to become his family's next Kekkaishi, or demon hunter.  His family is actually in a feud with a neighboring family who also have a mark passed down through their bloodline, over which family are the "true practitioners."  I don't really see what the big deal is either way, since the current Kekkaishi can both do pretty much the same things, and doesn't having more than one make it easier?  Oh, well.  The families are feuding over who has the right to this title, but in the meantime, our protagonist, Yoshimori Sumimura is learning the craft despite having little interest in carrying on the family work.  The rival family's daughter however, ...

A Zoo In Winter Jiro Taniguchi I had a blast reading Jiro Taniguchi's The Quest For the Missing Girl recently, so was excited to pick up his new book A Zoo In Winter , in which he recounts scenes from his youth surrounding his beginnings in manga.  I love Taniguchi's art style.  It's very realistic and lush, very detailed with beautiful scenery.  While this book had less breathtaking surroundings than The Quest For The Missing Girl , his cityscapes are just as dazzling as the mountains he portrayed in that book, and the cartooning he brings to the expressions of his characters is just a perfect marriage of art.  Of course, reading this autobiographical account of breaking into manga brings to mind Yoshihiro Tatsumi's recent A Drifting Life and it's hard not to compare this unfairly to that master work.  This is a much shorter glimpse into Taniguchi's life, whereas Tatsumi's work is a sprawling masterpiece.  But A Zoo In Winter is a really riveting, we...

Stargazing Dog Takashi Murakami Stargazing Dog is a story about a man and his relationship with his dog.  After he loses his job and his wife leaves him, "Daddy" (as his dog calls him) drives south on a road trip where we get to see the two bond.  We know from the opening scene that things aren't going to end well for the two, as their bodies are found in his car near a camp site, long dead, but we get to see the events that lead to that lonely tragic scene.  Much of the story is told through the eyes of the dog, with a naive, loyal voice, as we see "Daddy" spiral closer and closer to his death.  I found seeing this story from the dog's point of view kind of irritating, to be honest.  It's something else when a manga like Chi's Sweet Home is all about a cute animal doing cute things and getting some laughs out of it, but  Stargazing Dog  is a pretty bleak, serious story, and the dog's naive voice just kind of clashes with the overal...

I hope you're enjoying Manga Week here at Comics-and-More !  Here's a little break to take a look at the books hitting comic shops today.  This is the book you should be paying attention to... Mudman #1 - Kind of a slow week, but this could be a lot of fun.  A new superhero series from Paul Grist ( Jack Staff )! Other Noteworthy Releases Archie: The Best of Samm Schwartz (Volume 1) HC Bob Powell Terror HC Candlegrave GN Captain Swing GN Classic Next Men (Volume 2) TP Green Lantern: War of the Green Lanterns HC The Marvel Art of John Romita Jr. HC Next Men (Volume 2) HC X 3-In-1 Edition (Volume 1)

Princess Knight (Volume 1) Osamu Tezuka Originally beginning its serialization over fifty years ago (in 1953) in Shojo Club , Princess Knight was reworked and serialized three more times in different magazines, spawning a TV series, a film, and shaping the future of shoujo manga for generations to come.  The version that Vertical collects here, in the first of two collections, is translated from the Tezuka Osamu Manga Zenshu edition from 1977, but the story was very similar from one serialization to another. Princess Knight follows Princess Sapphire, who pretends to be a prince to inherit the throne one day.  A little trouble-making cherub named Tink gave her a boy heart to go along with her girl heart before she was born, so she has aspects of both genders (she's very courageous and good with a sword, and also gentle and empathetic).  Despite the significant risks involved, Sapphire does dress as a girl sometimes, and it's as a girl that she falls...

The Drops of God (Volume 1) Tadashi Agi & Shu Okimoto The Drops of God is an award-winning manga that actually influences the wine industry, and is highly-regarded in many countries, including France.  The story follows Shizuku, the son of a world famous wine critic, who has turned his back on wine his whole life since his father, Kanzaki, kind of forced techniques to enjoy wine down Shizuku's throat his entire life.  When his father dies, the terms of the will state that Shizuku must compete to inherit the fortune that is Kanzaki's wine collection, against a top wine critic whom his father recently adopted.  And so the competition begins to identify the twelve wines that Kanzaki has deemed "the drops of god."  Shizuku's motives are not profit-based, but are more about trying to understand his father, which makes his journey into the world of wine one where readers wish to see him succeed (especially against such an arr...

It's Manga Week at Comics-and-More , and to kick it off, this week's Comics-and-More Podcast is dedicated to Naoko Takeuchi's Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon and Codename: Sailor V !  Expect to see manga reviews all week here at Comics-and-More! Reviewed: Part One: Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon (Volume 1) Naoko Takeuchi Part Two: Codename: Sailor V (Volume 1) Naoko Takeuchi And for your further viewing pleasure, don't miss the Comics-and-More Podcast that sees us discussing the first volume of Shimura Takako's Wandering Son !

On this episode of the Comics-and-More Podcast , Patrick Markfort and I discuss the two big titles from the newly relaunched X-Men line. Reviewed: Part One: Uncanny X-Men #1 Keiron Gillen & Carlos Pacheco Part Two: Wolverine and the X-Men #1 Jason Aaron and Chris Bachalo For further reading: X-Men Schism #1-5 Jason Aaron, Carlos Pacheco & Cam Smith X-Men Regeneration #1 Kieron Gillen & Billy Tan