Comics and More

Brian K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples Brian K. Vaughan returns to comics with a new ongoing series from Image Comics , his first work for the comic publisher.  The story centers around two young people from opposites sides of a war, Alana and Marko.  Their people are fighting a galaxy-spanning war.  On one side, we have magic users from a moon, while on the other are a tech-heavy sort of people who employ robots, from the planet that moon orbits.  Not only have Alana and Marko defected from their people, but are in love and have conceived a child.  Neither side is happy about the child, and more than one bounty hunter is in place to track them down before word of their union spreads.  It's a very epic, ambitious story that Vaughan has planned here, obviously influenced by Star Wars .  Fiona Staples does his vision justice with some fantastic art work and beautiful coloring.  She paces this double-sized first issue perfectly, letting readers ...

Jan Strnad & Richard Corben Ragemoor is a new horror mini-series from Dark Horse Comics that sees a castle that's been in a family for years, literally come alive.  Built in blood and nursed with blood over the centuries, Ragemoor is a living thing that only allows people to come and go as it pleases.  Late at night, the people who live there can hear the groans of stone and timbers before discovering new rooms and additions to hallways.  Vines and granite serve as its limbs, enabling it to seek out new victims to feed its thirst for blood.  This first issue serves as a nice little single story actually, as we witness a man who grew up at Ragemoor as a little boy return, scheming to claim it for his own and tear the place apart.  Obviously, Ragemoor doesn't like this idea one bit, and him and his companion are terrorized after laughing off warnings from those who live there.  It's a nice little story, but Corben's art brings it to another level, ...

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops Wednesday... Avengers vs. X-Men #0 - Kicking off Marvel's huge crossover event that pits Avenger versus X-Man, this leads into the main twelve-issue mini-series that promises big things this Summer. Other Noteworthy Releases Art of Daniel Clowes, Modern Cartoonist HC Atomic Robo: Real Science Adventures #1 Black Charity HC Bloodstrike #26 Cinema Panopticum GN Dark Shadows (Volume 1) TP Dorothy of Oz Prequel #1 (of 4) Gone To Amerikay HC House of Odd GN Legion of Monsters TP New Deadwardians #1 (of 8) Rachel Rising (Volume 1): Shadow of Death TP Rohan At the Louvre GN Secret Avengers: Run Mission Don't Get Seen Save the World HC The Sincerest Form of Parody: Satirical Comics TP Tezuka's Dororo Complete Edition TP

This is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops on Wednesday.... Nancy Is Happy: The Complete Dailies: 1943-1945 HC - The first volume in a new archival project from Fantagraphics, collecting Ernie Bushmiller's classic  Nancy strip, with an introduction by Daniel Clowes. Other Noteworthy Releases BPRD: Plague of Frogs (Volume 3) HC Cartoon Monarch: Otto Soglow & the Little King HC Dinopopolous HC Dominique Laveau, Voodoo Child #1 Eerie Presents: Hunter HC Elektra: Assassin HC Ichiro GN John Carter: Gods of Mars #1 (of 5) Ragemoor #1 (of 4) Rebel Blood #1 (of 4) Sammy the Mouse (Volume 1) TP Sonic Genesis HC Star Trek Ongoing (Volume 1) TP Supercrooks #1 (of 4) Take What You Can Carry GN Ultimate Comics: X-Men by Nick Spencer (Volume 1) HC

The Earl and the Fairy (Volume 1) Ayuko, based on the novels by Mizue Tani The Earl and the Fairy was a story originally published as a series of light novels in Japan, by Mizue Tani.  It has since been adapted to manga by Ayuko, who breathes new life into the world of fairies and mystery with some really nice illustration work and a nicely-paced story.  I feel like Ayuko really gets the story and gives the characters time to breathe, drawing out scenes so readers can take things in, and arranging panels clearly and thoughtfully.  The story follows the young "fairy doctor" Lydia, who is one of the few people alive able to see and interact with fairies.  Most people think her strange, but her gifts have attracted the attention of two men, both hoping to enlist her help in tracking down a sword.  At first she is kidnapped by a man with a gang of henchmen, but is soon rescued and hired by Edgar, who wishes to find the sword so that ...

On the latest Comics-and-More Podcast , Patrick Markfort and I discuss the most recent volume of Kramers Ergot . Reviewed: Kramers Ergot (Volume 8) Edited by Sammy Harkham Part One: Part Two: Part Three: For further reading: Kramers Ergot (Volume 7) Edited by Sammy Harkham Prison Pit (Volume 1) Johnny Ryan The Heavy Hand Chris Cilla MOME (Volume 1) Summer 2005 Edited by Eric Reynolds & Gary Groth

Bill Willingham & Phil Jimenez Fairest is a new spin-off series of the popular Vertigo title Fables , which features classic fairy tale characters in the modern world.  There has previously been one other ongoing Fables spin-off series, Jack of Fables , which lastest for an impressive fifty issues, and a few mini-series featuring popular fable Cinderella, as she plays the spy game.  Mini-series such as Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love will now be contained in this new ongoing series Fairest , which will have storylines featuring a rotating cast of female characters.  Now, this debut issue of the series actually picks up on one of my favorite ongoing stories from Fables proper.  When the Fables defeated the oppressive Emperor, they first took out his right hand, Lumi, the Snow Queen, by placing Sleeping Beauty in the castle where she was stationed and putting into play Beauty's curse, wherea she is pricked by a needle and the entire cast...

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops on Wednesday... The Complete Peanuts (Volume 17): 1983-1984 HC - There are some really exciting releases this week, but I'm going to have to go with Fantagraphics' latest volume in its continuing reprint project of Charles Schulz' all-time great comic strip, Peanuts . Other Noteworthy Releases Archie Americana (Volume 3): Best of the 60's HC Avengers Assemble #1 Avengers: The Children's Crusade HC Classic Next Men (Volume 3) TP Corto Maltese (Volume 1): Ballad of the Salt Sea TP Crime Does Not Pay Archives (Volume 1) HC DC Universe by Alan Moore HC Elektra by Greg Rucka Ultimate Collection TP Monstermen and Other Scary Stories HC Queen Crab HC Saga #1 Saucer Country #1 Showcase Presents: Young Love (Volume 1) TP The Smurfs (Volume 11): The Smurf Olympics GN Sunday Funnies Collected (Volume 1) The Uglies: Shay's Story GN Uncanny X-Men by Kieron Gillen (Volume 1) HC Womanthol...

This week, I tried out a few different yaoi titles on my nookcolor.  I'm a fan of yaoi manga, but I do find that there are very few that meet or exceed my expectations.  The only recent example I can think of before the manga I just read is Black Sun , and even the second volume of that, I found to be lacking.  So one of the book I tried out was Kaname Itsuki's Interval , about a cocky athlete (Sawatari) who discovers that the protagonist of the story, Ayumu, is gay and has a crush on a classmate, and exploits him to keep his secret.  Sawatari forces Ayumu to do things for him sexually, at the same time as he develops feelings for him.  Nothing particularly interesting happens here, as this is kind of your typical high school yaoi romance.  The sex scenes are decent, but overall, this is a rather forgettable tale, I'm sorry to say. Next, I checked out the first volume of Makoto Tateno's Blue Sheep Reverie , which has a decent fan ba...

Here are the books that caught my eye in Previews Catalogue , for books shipping to comic shops in April... Courtney Crumrin #1 - A new full-color Courtney Crumrin series is certainly cause for celebration!  Creator Ted Naifeh returns to his beloved character, writing and illustrating this new series. Are You My Mother?: A Comic Drama HC - One of the most anticipated graphic novels of the year is Alison Bechdel's follow-up to her hugely-successful and acclaimed  Fun Home , this book focusing on her mother, whereas Fun Home was about her father. Avengers vs. X-Men #1 (of 12) - The big Marvel crossover that has a ton of hype around it brags shocking revelations and one-on-one battles we've been waiting for. Time to see if it lives up to expectations, like few recent crossovers from the House of Ideas have. Challengers of the Unknown by Jack Kirby Omnibus HC - More Kirby collections!  This collects all of Kirby's work on the team title, good timing as the Cha...

Patrick Markfort and I discuss Carla Speed McNeil's Finder on this week's Comics-and-More Podcast ! Reviewed: The Finder Library (Volume 1) Carla Speed McNeil The Finder Library (Volume 2) Carla Speed McNeil Part One: Part Two: Part Three: For further reading: Finder: Voice Carla Speed McNeil

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops this Wednesday... Fairest #1 -  Instead of mini-series spin-offs like we've seen from fan-favorite character Cinderella, Fables co-creator Bill Willingham is launching a new ongoing series that will have a rotating cast of female characters from the Fables universe, the first arc continuing events from a Fables story in which Briar Rose is taken from the castle where she lay dormant after dealing the Empire a blow. Other Noteworthy Releases Age of Apocalypse #1 Blue HC The Compleat Terminal City TP The Earl and the Fairy (Volume 1) Girl Genius Omnibus (Volume 1): Agatha Awakens HC Hana Kimi 3-in-1 Omnibus Edition (Volume 1) Hellboy (Volume 12): The Storm and the Fury TP Infestation 2: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 (of 2) King City TP Lynda Barry: Girlhood Through the Looking Glass HC/SC The Manhattan Projects #1 Night Force #1 (of 6) Skip Beat 3-in-1 Omnibus Edition (Volume 1) Soulless: T...

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops tomorrow... Punisher by Greg Rucka (Volume 1) HC - In case you haven't had the chance to check out these solid comics, the first volume of Greg Rucka's excellent take on The Punisher is now available in a nice hardcover collection. Other Noteworthy Releases Batman Beyond Unlimited #1 Breathe Deeply GN Darkness #100 GTO: The Early Years (Volume 11) Key of Z (Volume 1) TP Markus Fang GN Ralph Wiggum Comics #1 Strawberry Shortcake Digest: Berry Scary Storm BN Strawberry Shortcake Digest: Pineapple & Others GN Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro Series: Donatello Ultimate Comics: Ultimates by Jonathan Hickman (Volume 1) HC Uncanny X-Force: The Dark Angel Saga (Book 2) HC

Soulless: The Manga (Volume 1) Gail Carriger & Rem I absolutely loved Soulless: The Manga !  I haven't been this excited about a manga in a while, so I'm glad that I picked it up on a whim.  Soulless is actually an OEL manga adapted from prose novels written by Gail Carriger.  But the supernatural elements and the tone make it a great fit for the manga format, and Rem does a stunning job adapting the story with very cinematic sequences and jaw-dropping illustration work.  The story is about Alexia Tarrabotti, a preternatural in a Victorian Era London populated by vampires and werewolves, as well as humans.  Preternaturals are rare, but the gift that Alexia has makes her a formidable opponent, as well as a target, as she has the ability to make a supernatural being completely human for as long as she touches them.  And while that is certainly a cool part of the story, and comes in to play quite a bit, it's really the relation...

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops tomorrow... Is That All There Is? HC - This is a collection of all the material from European cartoonist Joost Swarte from 1972 and on, including his material from RAW.  This first English translation of his work also comes with an introduction from none other than Chris Ware. Other Noteworthy Releases Afrika HC Amazing Mysteries: The Bill Everett Archives (Volume 1) HC Explorer: The Mystery Boxes HC/SC Goliath HC Hector Umbra HC Invincible Ultimate Collection (Volume 7) HC Kolor Klimax: Nordic Comics Now GN Mondo #1 (of 3) My Friend Dahmer GN Quasar Classic (Volume 1) TP RASL #13 Thunderbolts Classics (Volume 2) TP Too Much Coffee Man: Cutie Island TP Wally Wood's EC Stories Artist's Edition HC X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Omnibus HC

Manga Monday will return in two weeks (finally!), and as I'm on vacation next week in Arizona, the Pick of the Week feature will also be a little late again, posting on early Wednesday.  But until then, here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops this coming Wednesday... Glory #23 - This is another Extreme relaunch, hot on the heels of the excellent Prophet #21 .  This one is from Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell. Other Noteworthy Releases Annihilators TP Astonishing X-Men by Whedon & Cassaday Ultimate Coll. (Bk 1) TP Athos In America HC Avengers Omnibus (Volume 1) HC B.P.R.D.: Hell On Earth: The Long Death #1 Captain America by Dan Jurgens (Volume 3) TP DC Universe Presents #6 Fables Deluxe Edition (Volume 4) HC Peter Panzerfaust #1 Road Rage #1 (of 4) The Stand: Night Has Come HC Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man by Bendis (Volume 1) HC

Here are the books that caught my eye in Previews Catalogue , for books shipping to comic shops in March... Uncanny X-Force #23 - Holy crap I have to start reading this comic!  I love Meggan and Captain Britain, and there's Widget on the cover, and Captain Britain Corps stuff - all you Excalibur fans out there, prepare to geek out with me! Savage Dragon Ultimate Collection (Volume 1) HC - Erik Larsen's comic has really had no good reprint program associated with the title, so it's nice to see that people will finally be able to turn to a series of hardcovers to rediscover this gem. Batman: Death by Design HC - An original graphic novel featuring the Dark Knight, written by none other than Chip Kidd!  Avengers Assemble #1 - A new ongoing series from Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley (the original team behind Ultimate Spider-Man ) featuring the Avengers roster from the movie, but in Marvel Universe continuity. Fallen Words GN - A new manga from Yoshihiro Tats...

Sorry this is being posted late, but better late than never.  Here is the book you should be paying attention to in comic shops today... Young Romance: The Best of Simon & Kirby's Romance Comics HC - From Fantagraphics Books, this reprints twenty-one romance comics from the 40's and 50's in color, from two masters of the medium. Other Noteworthy Releases Conan the Barbarian #1 Fantastic Four: Season One HC Garth Ennis' Ninjettes #1 Jinchalo GN Kevin Keller #1 Spider-Man: The Next Chapter (Volume 2) TP Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Volume 1) TP Thief of Thieves #1

Patrick Markfort and I take a look at four debut issues from Image Comics . Reviewed: Part One: Prophet #21 Brandon Graham, Simon Roy & Richard Ballermann Part Two: The Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #1 (of 6) David Hine & Shaky Kane Part Three: Whispers #1 Joshua Luna Part Four: Fatale #1 Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips For further reading: The Bulletproof Coffin TP David Hine & Shaky Kane Girls (Volume 1): Conception TP The Luna Brothers Sleeper (Volume 1): Out In the Cold TP Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips Prophet/Cable #1-2 Rob Liefeld, Robert Napton & Mark Pajarillo

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops on Wednesday... John Romita Amazing Spider-Man: Artist Edition HC - Collecting seven issues from Romita's run on Amazing Spider-Man, and featuring some of Spidey's greatest villains, this welcome addition to IDW's Artist Edition series is sure to look absolutely stunning. Other Noteworthy Releases American Vampire (Volume 3) HC Archie Archives (Volume 4) HC Incredible Hulk: Fall of the Hulks HC John Carter: A Princess of Mars TP John Carter: World of Mars TP Jurassic Strike Force 5 #1 Madman 20th Anniversary Monster HC Magic: The Gathering #1 Winter Soldier #1