Monday, September 26, 2016

ALL STAR RECOMMENDS FOR SEPTEMBER 27TH



Hi There,

Before we begin, it’s with sincere joy that I get to type the following: Australia’s Ryan K. Lindsay (Chum, Negative Space, Deer Editor) is one of eight writers taking part in Scott Snyder’s next DC Writers Talent Workshop. Yup. Our boy is on the way. Note the snarky idiot in the comments section (on how only established writers with an audience got the nod) and then completely disregard him. Ryan is quite possibly the hardest working person I’ve ever met and has built his audience and reputation through grit, internet swagger, late nights and with babies on his lap. He deserves this opportunity probably more than anybody else on that list of eight. Congratulations to him.


COMIC OF THE WEEK : MOONCOP
By Tom Gauld
Published By Drawn & Quarterly

J.G. Ballard once famously proclaimed that the future is going to be boring. Nothing seems to back that statement up more than Scottish cartoonist Tom Gauld's terrific Mooncop, a comic that brings the drudgery of the everyday to the SF Space Opera, wittily undercutting the grandiosity and pretentiousness of Hard SF with the cartoonist's typically droll humour and an injection of melancholy.

First previewed by publishers D&Q as part of this year's Free Comic Book Day, Gauld's latest full length effort is a sweet affair, a beautifully, simply cartooned book in which the romance of space exploration and the notions of the futuristic SF space cop have peaked and crumbled, leaving a virtually deserted lunar habitat patrolled by a single, isolated law keeper. The populace of our moon-city has woken from its dreams of space exploration and the expansion of man's conquest of space and is returning to Earth, to our sun and its beaches, in droves. Stuck here, virtually alone, is a our Mooncop, a police officer reduced to recovering missing museum automatons, lost dogs and battling nothing more sinister than faulty vending machines. He's considered extremely good at his job - as there is no crime, his crime solving statistics are 100%. His transfer requests are denied and moments of undeniably beautiful peacefulness begin to turn melancholy as, bit by bit, his lunar habitat is slowly pulled apart around him.
Gauld's cartooning is deceptively basic. His pages are perfectly and appropriately still, indicating the slowness of not just movement on the moon, but the passage of time itself. His splash pages of the expanses of space and The Earth so far away, but ever present as a constant reminder of a past life, hanging over his rocky lunar landscapes are perfectly placed throughout the book. At times the splashes function almost as chapter breaks but they also reinforcing Mooncop's isolation and literalise his loneliness. Gauld, as you'll see in this week's video, is most interested in using his drawing as a language to express his ideas rather than "virtuoso mark-making." This is not to imply that there is no craft here - far from it. If drawing is a language, Gauld's "voice" is as clear and concise as anyone's.
Cartooning is the act of simplification, of reducing objects and people to basic but recognisable shapes. Becky Cloonan, during her All Star Comics Masterclass last year, cited Gauld's previous long form work, Goliath, as a perfect example of just how much emotion, how much characterisation, you can achieve with little more than elaborate stick figures. There's much more beauty to Gauld's work than Becky's description would lead you to believe -- witness his subtle, shadowy hatching on his lunar rocks juxtaposed with the emptiness of the space above -- but the simplicity is a point that even Gauld concedes (again in the video below): the deadline-driven haste with which much of his shorter work is produced has led him to an ultimate economy of comics drawing, a "letting go of beautiful images" and Mooncop is perhaps his greatest showcase for this thus far. It's also a noddly relaxing book, showing that with solitude there is also peace. The leisurely pace, open pages and repetitive landscapes may well lull readers into a contemplative, near-meditative state; it's oddly quite like ambient music somehow cross-pollinated into comics. I recommend reading slowly to heighten the book's lulling, peaceful atmospherics. 
Even with its considerable charms, Mooncop also manages to be quietly, subtly dystopian in its discussions of man's self-imposed, technologically-driven isolation from one another and its skewering of a nostalgic, retro space-future. You might also be surprised to hear how much fun it also is. Gauld's jokes are frequent and bittersweet, based largely around the ridiculousness inherent in the Pulp fiction dream of the space hero, faulty technology and nonsensical bureaucracy, balancing the sadness that comes with us witnessing our poor protagonist’s loneliness perfectly. At the end, however, the reader is left with perhaps the book's most potent theme - the world, no matter which world it is, can be exactly what we make of it and that no matter how isolated and lonely you may feel at times, this too shall pass.


WEBCOMIC OF THE WEEK : SOME ADVICE ON HOW TO COPE IN THESE TOUGH TIMES
By Tom Gauld

I had such a good time revisiting Tom Gauld’s Tumblr site, You’re All Just Jealous of My Backpack (also the name of a published Gauld short comics collection), that I forgot I was supposed to be choosing a webcomic from among the dozens and dozens on offer. Here online are Gauld’s short comics for places like The Guardian and New Scientist along with other little illustrative odds and ends. They’re all delightful and they’re all super quick reads and I can practically guarantee that, like some lab-created super snack, you won’t be able to stop at just one.

“Some Advice On How To Cope In These Tough Times” showcases Gauld’s gift at blending the existential with the humorous as his cavalcade of futuristic SF aliens, warlords, “dark ones” and various other figures of cosmic terror dispense the kind of cheerily optimistic positive reinforcement usually reserved for greeting cards, bumper stickers or the most facile of self help gurus. In the process, hopefully, your ennui will be disabled in a far more effective manner than by those aforementioned psychological pick-me-uppers.




COMICS VIDEO OF THE WEEK : TOM GAULD -- COMICS AS LANGUAGE

As mentioned above, Gauld firmly believes in using his cartoons purely as a vehicle for his ideas and this week's video is a virtual clinic on the art of cartooning. Please, please watch this - it will make you think about what French critic and comics thinker Thierry Groensteen calls "the system of comics" in ways you may not have thought of before. Wonderful stuff.




See you next week. 
Love your comics.


Cameron Ashley spends a lot of time writing comics and other things you'll likely never read. He's the chief editor and co-publisher of Crime Factory (www.thecrimefactory.com). You can reach him @cjamesashley on Twitter.

Sunday, September 25, 2016

New Comics For Wednesday 28th of September



September is all but done and that means it's time for Melbourne to go sporting event crazy! If you are looking for a little distraction from the cheering crowds, you can always get some important "You Time" with the new releases from this week. 

The DC REBIRTH Express is almost at the end of the current round of #1's, this week seeing a new start for BATMAN BEYOND REBIRTH #1the teaming of science and magic and superheroes hits together with BLUE BEETLE #1 and Damian running amuck with his own team in 

Also the creature filled Bat-Family mini event Night of the Monster Men continues in DETECTIVE COMICS #941.

FROSTBITE #1 a new mini from Flash and Nailbiter writerJoshua Williamson, brought to life by artist, Jason Shawn Alexander's brooding style tells of a race against time for the last hope of humanity in a frozen future wasteland.

A pairing of intellectual properties so perfect it's hard to imagine we've lived in a world without 
TARZAN ON THE PLANET OF THE APES #1 from Dark Horse until now!

Based around the characters from the classic 80's toy line, MASK REVOLUTION #1 as part of the Revolution story sees these incredible transforming vehicle facing off against IDW's other toybox legends. More from the land of TV, RICK & MORTY TP VOL 03 ties all us fans of the show over until the new season starts.

The excellent surprise hit from Image about Templar Knights facing off against a horde of alien beasties has it's next issue in LAKE OF FIRE #2THE CASTOFFS #1 sees another tale of science vs magic, with a group of young mages in training accidentally rekindling an age old war with a robot army.

Nasty murder mysteries abound in this new cut throat thriller from Image, SURGEON X #1.

Further expanding the Archie comic family, the best band in the land get their own new take with hit writer, Marguerite Bennett in JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS #1.

Ancient pre-historic GIANT SHARK alone should be enough detail to get you excited for the latest release from Humanoid in CARTHAGO HC.

DARK AND BLOODY TP from Vertigo proves that a misplaced revenge plot and an old evil curse can really play havoc with a happy family unit.

Coming of age and teen love can be tough when you are a vampire, find out just how tough in this creepy manga series, HAPPINESS GN VOL 01
Another monster filled romantic jaunt is Jonathan Case's stunning story showcased in his latest graphic novel release from Dark Horse, DEAR CREATURE HC. 
If you like your relationship angst a little more upbeat, BOOM's expert matchmaker that can't seem to make her own matches work in JONESY TP VOL 01 

Two excellent ways to help celebrate Wonder Woman's 75th anniversary in the same week is catching up on your Diana history in the WONDER WOMAN A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS HC or  delving into the heroes journey in Jill Thompson's written and drawn new graphic novel, WONDER WOMAN THE TRUE AMAZON HC

Also the beauty of Darwyn Cooke's art captured in the latest releases of DC's Designer series of action figures with CATWOMAN, GREEN LANTERN, THE FLASH and WONDER WOMAN 



And being the end of the month, we should be seeing a whole new comic catalogue to look through with OCTOBER's PREVIEWS.

If you have spotted something you need us to put aside for you, simply let us know before Wednesday morning and we'll get you sorted.


MARVEL
ALL NEW INHUMANS #11
CAPTAIN AMERICA SAM WILSON #13 CW2
CAPTAIN AMERICA STEVE ROGERS #5 CW2
CAPTAIN MARVEL #9 CW2
CIVIL WAR II KINGPIN #3 (OF 4)
DEADPOOL #19
DEADPOOL ANNUAL #1
DOCTOR STRANGE ANNUAL #1
DRAX #11
EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #14
GUIDE MARVEL CINEMATIC UNIV MARVELS AVENGERS AGE ULTRON #1
MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #11
MS MARVEL #11 CW2
NEW AVENGERS #16 CW2
NIGHTHAWK #5
NOVA #11
ROCKET RACCOON AND GROOT #10 CW2
SPIDER-GWEN #12
SPIDER-MAN DEADPOOL #9
SPIDER-WOMAN #11 CW2
STAR WARS #23
THUNDERBOLTS #5 CW2
TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #10 CW2
ULTIMATES #11 CW2
UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #12
WEB WARRIORS #11
X-MEN 92 #7

DC COMICS
ACTION COMICS #964 VAR ED
BATGIRL #3 VAR ED
BATMAN BEYOND REBIRTH #1 VAR ED
BLUE BEETLE #1 VAR ED
DEATHSTROKE #3 VAR ED
DETECTIVE COMICS #941 VAR ED (MONSTER MEN)
FLASH #7 VAR ED
HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #5 VAR ED
HARLEY QUINN AND HER GANG OF HARLEYS #6 (OF 6) VAR ED
HELLBLAZER #2 VAR ED
SCOOBY DOO TEAM UP #18
SIX PACK & DOGWELDER HARD TRAVELIN HEROZ #2 (OF 6)
SUICIDE SQUAD #3 VAR ED
TEEN TITANS REBIRTH #1 VAR ED
TITANS #3 VAR ED
WACKY RACELAND #4 (OF 6) VAR ED
WONDER WOMAN #7 VAR ED

VERTIGO
ASTRO CITY #39
FROSTBITE #1 (OF 6)

BOOM
ADVENTURE TIME #56
BACKSTAGERS #2 (OF 8)
LUMBERJANES #30
MUNCHKIN #21
SOMBRA #3 (OF 4)

DARK HORSE
ALIENS DEFIANCE #5
CONAN THE SLAYER #3
CRYPTOCRACY #4
ELFQUEST FINAL QUEST #16
LEAVING MEGALOPOLIS SURVIVING MEGALOPOLIS #6
MAE #5
TARZAN ON THE PLANET OF THE APES #1 (OF 5)
WITCHFINDER CITY OF THE DEAD #2

DYNAMITE
KINGS QUEST #5 (OF 5)

IDW
BACK TO THE FUTURE #12
BACK TO THE FUTURE CITIZEN BROWN #5 (OF 5)
MASK REVOLUTION #1
MICRONAUTS REVOLUTION #1
MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #46
STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE #6
TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE #4
TRANSFORMERS #57
WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES #734
X-FILES ORIGINS #2

IMAGE
DEADLY CLASS #22
DESCENDER #15
EDENS FALL #2
HUNT #3
ISLAND #11
LAKE OF FIRE #2
ODYC #11
OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #21
SAGA #38
SNOTGIRL #3
SURGEON X #1
THIEF OF THIEVES #35
WAYWARD #16

ONI
INVADER ZIM #13
RICK & MORTY LIL POOPY SUPERSTAR #3 (OF 5)

VALIANT
BLOODSHOT REBORN #17
GENERATION ZERO #2
X-O MANOWAR #50 CVR A ALL-STAR JAM

MISC
DISHONORED #3 (OF 4)
DISNEY PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN #1
DISNEY STAR VS THE FORCES OF EVIL #1
DOCTOR WHO 12TH YEAR TWO #9
HILLBILLY #3
JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS #1
KIM AND KIM #3
LADY MECHANIKA LA DAMA DE LA MUERTE #1 (OF 3)
MONTY THE DINOSAUR #2
PAYBACKS #3
PENNY DREADFUL #4 (OF 5)
STREET FIGHTER UNLIMITED #10
TANK GIRL GOLD #1 (OF 4)
TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #100
THE CASTOFFS #1
THREE STOOGES RED WHITE & STOOGE #1
VIKINGS UPRISING #1

MAGAZINES
IMAGE PLUS #6 (WALKING DEAD HERES NEGAN PT 6)
MARVEL PREVIEWS #15 OCTOBER 2016 
PREVIEWS #337 OCTOBER 2016

TRADES
ADVENTURE TIME ORIGINAL GN VOL 08 PRESIDENT BUBBLE
ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT AVENGERS TP VOL 02 FAMILY BUSINESS
BATMAN BEYOND TP VOL 02 CITY OF YESTERDAY
BLACK PANTHER EPIC COLLECTION TP PANTHERS RAGE
CAPTAIN AMERICA SAM WILSON TP VOL 02 STANDOFF
CARTHAGO HC
DARK AND BLOODY TP
DEAR CREATURE HC
DELETE TP
DIRK GENTLYS HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY TP VOL 01 S
DISNEY ZOOTOPIA GN
DOCTOR WHO 12TH TP VOL 03 HYPERION
DOCTOR WHO 9TH TP VOL 01 WEAPONS OF PAST DESTRUCTI
FROM UNDER MOUNTAINS TP
GEORGE ROMEROS EMPIRE OF DEAD HC
GHOSTBUSTERS 2016 LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK
GREEN LANTERN HC VOL 08 REFLECTIONS
GREEN LANTERN TP VOL 07 RENEGADE
HAPPINESS GN VOL 01
JONESY TP VOL 01
JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 TP VOL 02 THINGS FALL APART
LEGEND OF KORRA TP POSTER COLLECTION
LIGHT HC
MARVEL UNIVERSE DOCTOR STRANGE DIGEST TP
MINI MARVELS COMPLETE COLLECTION TP NEW PTG
MUNCHKIN TP VOL 03
PEANUTS TRIBUTE CHARLES SCHULZ TP
RICK & MORTY TP VOL 03
RIVERS OF LONDON TP VOL 01 BODY WORK
SHANG-CHI MASTER KUNG FU OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 DM VAR
SILVER SURFER TP  VOL 04 CITIZEN OF EARTH
SONS OF ANARCHY TP VOL 06
SPIDER-MAN COMPLETE CLONE SAGA EPIC TP BOOK 01 NEW PTG
STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION TP VOL 01 LEGACY
SUPERMAN HC VOL 02 RETURN TO GLORY
SUPERMAN TP VOL 01 BEFORE TRUTH
THINK TANK TP VOL 04 CREATIVE DESTRUCTION
WONDER WOMAN A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS HC
WONDER WOMAN THE TRUE AMAZON HC
X-MEN APOCALYPSE WARS HC

MERCH
DC ICONS FIRESTORM JUSTICE LEAGUE AF
DESIGNER SERIES COOKE CATWOMAN AF
DESIGNER SERIES COOKE GREEN LANTERN AF
DESIGNER SERIES COOKE THE FLASH AF
DESIGNER SERIES COOKE WONDER WOMAN AF

BACK IN STOCK
DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS BATGIRL STATUE
DC UNIVERSE REBIRTH #1 5TH PTG

FLASH #6

Monday, September 19, 2016

ALL STAR RECOMMENDS FOR SEPTEMBER 20TH: THE SUPER-LATE TCAF HAUL EDITION



Forget two, there are actually four certainties in life:

Death, taxes, Batman and the fact that international surface mail takes a ridiculously long amount of time.

Arriving by sea, finally, last week was a package from family friend, proud Torontonian and occasional creator of adorable cartoons, Amy Lee. It contained three comics released at this year's TCAF held all the way back in May which showcase not just the depth of talent in the independent comics publishing world but also the thematically and culturally diverse selection of comics available. Plus, the three books all somehow smell deliciously of chocolate. Not sure how Amy managed that one but as she has designated herself the TCAF elf, I'm guessing she's actually at least part magic.

All three of these books seem to have completely flown under the radar this year and should be hunted down post-haste. Here they are.


COMICS OF THE WEEK : MONSTERS
By Ken Dahl
Published By Secret Acres

Part sex ed brochure, part body horror tale, part relationship drama, Ken Dahl's (the pseudonym of Gabby Shultz) Monsters was first published back in 2009 and was brought back to life in print this year by Secret Acres. A surprisingly gripping comics pseudo-memoir, Monsters is the "partially autobiographical" story of Dahl's struggles with the herpes virus, how it overcame every aspect of his life from the sexual to the social, the shame, the guilt and the embarrassment that it caused and the choices it forced him to make. 

In Dahl's book, the character of "Ken" is blissfully unaware he has herpes until he infects his long-time girlfriend. After the relationship breaks down, Ken moves from New York to Arizona and the book chronicles the years between 2002-2007 unflinchingly. The ring of brutal truth is apparent on page after page of comics that paint the character as by turns a sympathetic and grossly selfish protagonist, an outcast fallen from the peaks of sexual adventure to a repressed monster reduced to masturbating into his sink.


Dahl literalises the virus, covering his comics alter ego in a gelatinous, germy bubble that grows and builds as his guilt and his sexual needs consume him. The virus is at times also something of a confidant, offering advice on sexual conquest and appearing at inopportune moments to voice its opinion. 

For the reader (well this one anyway), sex briefly becomes as repugnant and confusing as it does for Ken, with a kind of Cronenbergian body horror building throughout the narrative and its imagery (Dahl's recreation of images from a Google search for herpes is perhaps the zenith of this, with mouths and genitals resembling something from a Bissette/Totleben Swamp Thing comic).


As dire as things seem for Ken, the narrative slowly takes a turn when he begins to actively seek knowledge about the virus. It's here that the comic morphs from autobiographical comix confessional,à la early Chester Brown, into sexual education with Dahl taking a symbolic trip into the depths of the virus itself over the course of some striking, Dave Cooper-ish, and extremely informative pages.


Monsters is an important book by a vastly underrated creator. It feels very much must-read to me. It's the kind of project we need more of in comics - grippingly told, disarming in its honesty and visual representations of nakedness and sexual encounter, scientifically informative to the point of being revolting and yet ultimately de-stigmatising in its blending of fact (the sheer number of people carrying the virus is staggering) with a heartbreak and alienation-filled memoir. It's proof again that comics can do anything.


GORGEOUS
By Cathy G. Johnson
Published By Koyama Press

Cathy G. Johnson's Gorgeous is a slender and beautiful little piece of comics, a 54 page graphic novella that's delicate and lovely and packs some narrative surprise along with real visual poetry.

On a dark but clear night three lives intersect briefly but memorably thanks to that old narrative chestnut, the car crash. Sophie's a college sophomore on the way to something very important to maintain her scholarship. Two nameless punks, one male, one female, are on the way back from a particularly bad gig, swerving all over the road. The female punk briefly catches a glimpse of a "gorgeous" light somewhere off into the distance, something unearthly in its rareness. Johnson employs a great little trick here, as her character sees the light and everything else in the world washes away including the voice of her boyfriend, his crossed out words indicating their unimportance to the moment:


The female punk's boyfriend is dismissive but it's this light that links her to Sophie in a surprising way as the trio hole up in an all-night diner post-crash and wait for sunrise. As good as this little story becomes, it's Johnson's ability to create a rich and atmospheric landscape that takes Gorgeous to the next level.

Johnson's graphite-drawn lines are by turns rich and sharp and smudgy. The sharp features of her characters softened by delicate grey textures. Several double page spreads show us the tree-lined surrounding landscape morphing from snowy night to crisp new day. A perfect half-moon hangs in her night sky while stars glow with the softness of fairy lights above a canopy of pine trees. Her newly minted morning is bright but moody, with grey clouds streaking above a mountainous world slowly revealing itself below. 


Gorgeous is a book that lives up to its title. A beautiful little slice of comics poetry. 

       

THE DREAMCAVE
By Stanley Wany
Published By Editions Trip

Stanley Wany, Montreal-based creator of artfully psychedelic comics, follows up last year's stunning Agalma with the equally strange and appropriately dreamy title, The Dreamcave.


Three young hunters leave their remote African village in search of the ancestral spirits that have deserted their village and the land. Tracking a mortally wounded lion, the hunters stumble upon something to answer all their tricky metaphysical questions - a dreamcave, an access point to the spiritual realm. Within, the potentiality for shamanic transformation awaits...

Wany has once again produced work that lulls readers in with a gentle pace and an escalating strangeness. Here you'll find lion men, spirit worlds and between the cave itself and the village's "ancestral tree" more archetypes than you can shake a Jung book at. Much less abstract than the preceding Agalma, The Dreamcave is just as seductive and contains more of Wany's beautiful double page murals at its end. Grant Morrison really needs to tap this guy for some Heavy Metal shorts, he's as distinctive and beautifully surreal a comics maker as you'll ever stumble across.


WEBCOMIC OF THE WEEK : OLD FRIENDS
By Madeline McGrane

Having a roam around her site, it’s clear that artist Madeline McGrane likes vampires. A lot. With short comics such as Vampires at the Beach and Vampire Western available it’s tough to choose just one to feature, but I went with Old Friends, in which her striking cartooning, creepy woods (I love her flora) and ability to evoke a folkloric atmosphere shines. It’s really good stuff. Read the rest of her work while you’re there as there’s a lot more than just vampire comics on offer. Time for some longer pieces, methinks!




COMICS VIDEO OF THE WEEK : MANLY (CARTOON HANGOVER SHORTS #8)

Staying firmly in the alt-comics world, this week's video is Manly from that pop-psychedelic weirdo mastermind Jesse Moynihan. As we await the eventual arrival of part 3 of Moynihan's brain-melting Forming, an epic trilogy that reconfigures all manner of creation myth into a lysergic swirl of Kirbyesque fisticuffs and Saturday morning cartoon, what better time to take a similarly cosmic trip with Manly, the cartoon creation of Jesse and his brother, Justin. I will say no more save this: strap in...!


See you next week.

See you next week. Love your comics.


Cameron Ashley spends a lot of time writing comics and other things you'll likely never read. He's the chief editor and co-publisher of Crime Factory (www.thecrimefactory.com). You can reach him @cjamesashley on Twitter.

Sunday, September 18, 2016

New Comics For Wednesday 21st of September


Not much to talk about this week...oh wait, it's time for the next All Star Women's Comic Book Club Meet Up. Happening this Saturday, the 24th of September the club is looking at the mega hit series, Saga Volume 1. The All Star Women’s Comic Club is open to all levels of women readers! So if it's your 10th meet up or you are attending for the first time, you are most welcome.


Now comics...hang on, what were we saying about not much to talk about...

It might be a little delayed but things are reaching boiling point in CIVIL WAR II #5.

The DC Rebirth rolls on with a couple new issue 1's in CYBORG #1 and further adventures of the big three in TRINITY #1, along with a new mini series for Titans fave, RAVEN #1.

Building in the background of the first arcs of Batman and Detective, DC offers up their first cross book event, MONSTER MEN. Crossing BATMAN #7 and NIGHTWING #5 this week and Detective to follow, this six part story is directed by star writer at the moment Steve Orlando working with those books regular creative teams. 

Dark Horse series of note at the moment seem to be shipping all in one week. The next Golden Age heroes stranded in smalltown USA from Jeff Lemire in the excellent BLACK HAMMER #3. Matt Kindt's underwater murder mystery continues to delve deeper in DEPT H #6. And Greg Pak's Eastern fantasy western starts to heat up in KINGSWAY WEST #2.

As one Rick Remender series takes a break, he is straight back into creating a whole new massive fantasy world to us to be swallowed up with the incredible SEVEN TO ETERNITY #1. This one will be perfect for any fans of King's Dark Tower series.

Get a history lesson on some of the previous young godly wielders of magic, fame and fortune in the WICKED & DIVINE 1831 ONE SHOT.

After years of small cross over and team up events, IDW has grouped all of their toy franchise eggs into one basket and given us REVOLUTION #1. A mini series event that set up a universe where some of your favourite 80's toy lines will exist in together!

Recently blessed with the wonderful comic release from BOOM, now with get a stunning hard bound collection helping celebrate it's 30th anniversary is the JIM HENSONS LABYRINTH TALES HC. Something else in with some cute all ages flair is Hark, A Vagrant writer and artist, Kate Benton's KING BABY YR HC.

The OVER THE GARDEN WALL TP MINISERIES is out just in time for those who missed the sold out comic release.

If you have yet to experience the genius of Tom Gauld's work, you can start with his latest release MOONCOP HC from DRAWN & QUARTERLY. Stunningly simple in it's design, you will find it hard not to instantly fall in love with Mooncop who is starting to regret his choice of profession.

Scott Lang is the perfect/not so perfect everyday hero, juggling work, love and family in the next collection of Nick Spencer's ASTONISHING ANT-MAN TP VOL 02 SMALL TIME CRIMINAL

It's a double hit of justice in the hardcover/trade release of Geoff Johns'  JUSTICE LEAGUE HC VOL 08 DARKSEID WAR PART 2 and JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 07 DARKSEID WAR PART 1.


They might have been hard to find on the shelves at the time of release but now you can grab an amazing selection of the hit classic hip hop album covers in the MARVEL HIP HOP COVERS HC VOL 01.

Keeping the streets safe, Luke and Danny decide it's time to pal up again in the most recent take on the heroes 4 hire, POWER MAN AND IRON FIST TP VOL 01 BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN.

Alan Moore recently made an announcement he plans to move away from writing comics for awhile. Get a taste of what to expect from him as an author with the release of his JERUSALEM HC NOVEL. Or if you are keen to revisit one of Moore's all time classics, there is the special release of FROM HELL HC.

Brubaker and Epting put a cap on the end of their spy espionage thriller with VELVET TP VOL 03 MAN WHO STOLE THE WORLD

A new collection for a classic manga seriesBLAME GN VOL 01 set in a dystopian future ruled by machines is re-released.

So just a few points of interest this week. Spot something you'd like us to stash, just let us know before Wednesday morning and we'll get it sorted.

MARVEL
AGENTS OF SHIELD #9 CW2
ALL NEW WOLVERINE #12 CW2
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #18 BDNM
ASTONISHING ANT-MAN #12
CARNAGE #12
CIVIL WAR II #5 (OF 8)
CIVIL WAR II CHOOSING SIDES #6 (OF 6)
CIVIL WAR II X-MEN #4 (OF 4)
DEADPOOL VS GAMBIT #5 (OF 5)
EMPRESS #6 (OF 7)
EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN ANNUAL #1
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #12 CW2
INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #7 CW2
KARNAK #5
MARVEL UNIVERSE ULT SPIDER-MAN VS SINISTER SIX #3
MIGHTY THOR #11
PATSY WALKER AKA HELLCAT #10
POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #8 CW2
PUNISHER #5
UNCANNY X-MEN #13
VENOM SPACE KNIGHT #12 CW2
VISION #11
VOTE LOKI #4

DC COMICS
AQUAMAN #7 VAR ED
BATMAN #7 VAR ED (MONSTER MEN)
BATMAN TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES DIRECTORS CUT #1
CYBORG #1 VAR ED
DOCTOR FATE #16
GREEN ARROW #7 VAR ED
GREEN LANTERNS #7 VAR ED
HARLEY QUINN #4 VAR ED
INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR FIVE #18
JUSTICE LEAGUE #5 VAR ED
NIGHTWING #5 VAR ED (MONSTER MEN)
RAVEN #1 (OF 6)
SUICIDE SQUAD MOST WANTED EL DIABLO & BOOMERANG #2 (OF 6)
SUPERMAN #7 VAR ED
TRINITY #1 VAR ED
WONDER WOMAN 77 SPECIAL #4

VERTIGO
LUCIFER #10
RED THORN #11

BOOM
ADVENTURE TIME 2016 SPOOOKTACULAR #1
AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL 2016 GRAB BAG SPECIAL #1
GIANT DAYS #18
JOYNERS #4
JOYRIDE #5 (OF 5)
LUCAS STAND #4
MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS #7
REGULAR SHOW #39

DARK HORSE
ALIENS LIFE AND DEATH #1 (OF 4)
BLACK HAMMER #3
BPRD HELL ON EARTH #145
DARK HORSE PRESENTS #26
DEPT H #6
HELLBOY AND BPRD 1954 #1 (OF 2) BLACK SUN
KINGSWAY WEST #2
TOMB RAIDER 2016 #8
WEIRD DETECTIVE #4 (OF 5)

DYNAMITE
GARTH ENNIS RED TEAM DOUBLE TAP #3 (OF 9)
XENA WARRIOR PRINCESS #6

IDW
ACTION MAN #4
ANGRY BIRDS COMICS (2016) #9
ATOMIC ROBO AND THE TEMPLE OF OD #2 (OF 5)
DONALD DUCK #17
JACKBOOT & IRONHEEL #2 (OF 4)
JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS #19
JUDGE DREDD (ONGOING) #10
MICKEY MOUSE SHORTS SEASON 1 #3 (OF 4)
MICRONAUTS #6
MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #32
POWERPUFF GIRLS (2016) #3
REVOLUTION #1 (OF 5)
ROM #3
ROM REVOLUTION #1
SUPER F*CKERS FOREVER #2 (OF 5)
TMNT AMAZING ADVENTURES #14
TMNT ONGOING #62
TRANSFORMERS TILL ALL ARE ONE #4
UNCLE SCROOGE #18
X-FILES (2016) #6

IMAGE
CHEW #58
DEMONIC #2 (OF 6)
HORIZON #3
I HATE FAIRYLAND #9
INVISIBLE REPUBLIC #11
MANIFEST DESTINY #23
MECHANISM #3
RINGSIDE #7
RUMBLE #14
SEVEN TO ETERNITY #1
SHE WOLF #4
WICKED & DIVINE 1831 ONE SHOT

ONI
BRIK #3 (OF 6)

VALIANT
BRITANNIA #1 (OF 4)

MISC
ARCHIE #12
ARCHIE COMICS DOUBLE DIGEST #272
BLACK EYED KIDS #6
DARK SOULS LEGENDS OF THE FLAME #1 (OF 2)
MIRACULOUS #5
REVISIONIST #4
SIMPSONS TREEHOUSE OF HORROR #22
STREET FIGHTER LEGENDS CAMMY #3 (OF 4)
TRUE STORIES #2

MAGAZINES
JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #375

TRADES
ABSOLUTE Y THE LAST MAN HC VOL 02
ADVENTURES OF SUPERGIRL TP
ALAN MOORE JERUSALEM HC NOVEL
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN AND SILK TP SPIDERFLY EFFECT
APE & ARMADILLO TAKE OVER THE WORLD
ART OF JOCK HC
ASTONISHING ANT-MAN TP VOL 02 SMALL TIME CRIMINAL
AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER SMOKE AND SHADOW LIBRARY ED HC
AXCEND TP VOL 01 WORLD REVOLVES AROUND YOU
BATTLES OF BRIDGET LEE INVASION OF FARFALL TP
BENNY AND PENNY HOW TO SAY GOODBYE HC
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA TP VOL 04
BPRD HELL ON EARTH TP VOL 14 THE EXORCIST
BLAME GN VOL 01
BOLTS TP VOL 01 CONDUIT
CAPTAIN AMERICA EPIC COLLECTION TP COMING OF FALCON
CAPTAIN AMERICA SERPENTS UNITE TP
COLORING DC SUPERGIRL TP
CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER TP VOL 02 THE ART OF THE DEAL
DIVINITY II TP
DOCTOR STRANGE OMNIBUS HC VOL 01
EQUINOXES HC
FABLES DELUXE EDITION HC VOL 13
FROM HELL HC
GAMORA TP GUARDIAN OF GALAXY
GHOSTBUSTERS LITTLE GOLDEN BOOK
GRIZZLYSHARK TP VOL 01
HAUNTED MANSION HC
HAWAIIAN DICK TP VOL 03 SCREAMING BLACK THUNDER
HEAVENLY NOSTRILS CHRONICLE GN VOL 04 RAZZLE DAZZL
I MAGE TP VOL 02
JIM HENSONS LABYRINTH TALES HC
JUSTICE LEAGUE HC VOL 08 DARKSEID WAR PART 2
JUSTICE LEAGUE TP VOL 07 DARKSEID WAR PART 1
KING BABY YR HC
MARVEL HIP HOP COVERS HC VOL 01
MASTER KEATON GN VOL 08 URASAWA
MIGHTY JACK GN VOL 01
MAXX MAXXED OUT TP VOL 02
MOONCOP HC
MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER TP VOL 07
OVER THE GARDEN WALL TP MINISERIES
POWER MAN AND IRON FIST TP VOL 01 BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
ROCKET RACCOON AND GROOT TP VOL 00 BITE AND BARK
SURVIVORS CLUB TP
TARZAN THE BECKONING TP
TOIL AND TROUBLE HC
TMNT BEBOP & ROCKSTEADY DESTROY EVERYTHING TP
TWILIGHT ZONE SHADOW & SUBSTANCE TP
USAGI YOJIMBO SAGA TP VOL 07
VELVET TP VOL 03 MAN WHO STOLE THE WORLD
X-FILES COMP SEASON 10 TP VOL 02
X-MEN FATAL ATTRACTIONS TP NEW PTG

BACK IN STOCK

ALTERS #1

Monday, September 12, 2016

ALL STAR RECOMMENDS BATMAN DAY SPECIAL



Batman. 
At least a dozen times a year I mouth off about how he's the most versatile, flexible character ever created. I'm pretty sure I've even said it here a couple of times before, but it does bear repeating-- try and think of any other character who has been proven to work so well in so many different genres. Written correctly, Batman's as capable of being a romantic lead as he is a detective, as perfect a warrior fending off an alien invasion as he is a literal vampire. Have there ever been as many differing incarnations of another character as there have been of Batman? And if so, have these different visions worked as well as (the majority) of Batman's have either artistically or commercially? He's the greatest superhero ever published.

With Batman Day right around the corner (this coming Saturday), it's time once again to celebrate the caped crusader -- 77 years young he is. Have a think about what kind of Batman you want to take home with you. There's a Batman, or several of them at least, for everybody. To prove it, here are a few of my favourite Batmen


COMIC OF THE WEEK : THE BATMAN ADVENTURES VOLS 1&2
By Kelley Puckett, Mike Parobeck, Rick Burchett, Ty Templeton & friends
Published By DC Comics

In the current mainstream comics climate of big, explosive, epic, ongoing storytelling, the fine art of the done-in-one is sadly becoming something of a bygone relic. I love a sprawling epic as much as the next reader, but there's something to be said about the single issue story and just how difficult they are to do correctly in mainstream comics - balancing the needs of forward motion and action with enough character moments and tying everything up in the prettiest of bows.

Writer Kelley Puckett seems to have all but disappeared from comics, which is a real shame as I'm not sure if there are many comics scripters on the planet as adept at crafting satisfyingly whole single issues stories month in and month out. Puckett’s stellar work on the Cassandra Cain Batgirl series, a character I'm surprised was not immediately relaunched upon the advent of the New 52, and especially on this week's book, The Batman Adventures, demonstrates a particular gift for carefully constructing clever, fun, simple and whole single issues. Puckett's plots are stripped back and minimal - he sets his stories in motion immediately and brings his characters out to play from page one. He somehow manages to squeeze in open action sequences for his artists to run riot in, terrific development of and interaction between his characters and uses his cast to further the plot, chase down the mystery and tie everything up neatly.  In the case of The Batman Adventures, this feat is even more impressive for the fact that, as an all-ages book, ease of reading and simple, uncluttered pages are an absolute must and that, in dealing with Batman, the status quo cannot be altered. Granted, Puckett gets off to a fairly slow start with his work, taking some time to settle in (I found the same with his Batgirl), but by issue #4 The Batman Adventures finds its feet and never, ever loses them.

Obviously spun off from the beloved Batman: The Animated Series created back in the 1990s, The Batman Adventures under Puckett's hand brought the cartoon's aesthetic and episodic nature to comics with seeming ease. The characters are as they act and appear in the show and the characterisation and dialogue is so on point you may well find yourself hearing the voices of Kevin Conrad as Batman and Mark Hamill as The Joker as you read.

The heavy lifting in making this particular Batman's transition back into the medium that originally spawned him is not Puckett's but his artists. Luckily for the writer, he was blessed with an astounding crew who hit the drawing table to bring his scripts to life. Ty Templeton kicked the comics series off, inked by the criminally ignored Rick Burchett (who I once met at in a bar after a crime fiction convention -- he is a lovely man) and together they capably begin distilling the TV shows elements and putting them on the page.

As handsome as the first handful of issues are, it's when Puckett and Burchett are joined by penciller Mike Parobeck that the series really hits its stride. Parobeck brings a bouncy sleekness to the title. His clear infatuation with the work of John Byrne marries so beautifully with the pop-noir of this particular vision of Gotham and the blocky, Alex Toth-esque design of the TV show's characters. Burchett fits his penciller perfectly, providing lush thick lines and textures that enhance Parobeck's slick and dynamic figures. Not only are the characters always in motion they are often in anatomical positions most artists would not even attempt to draw as they leap oddly or crumple upon impact with walls. Parobeck's arrival, with issue #8, makes an immediate visual impact and is also one of my favourite tales collected in the first two (of four thus far printed) trade paperback editions of the series thankfully now available.

Issue #8, "Raging Lizard," sees Batman on the hunt for Mandrake, a mobster from Chicago coming into Gotham to muscle in on local boss Rupert Thorne's turf. Batman tracks Mandrake to an underground fight club, where Killer Croc just so happens to be fighting. Croc's battling confidence issues after getting resoundingly smashed by a hulking opponent named The Masked Marauder and subsequently doubts that he has what it takes compete. Puckett, Parobeck and Burchett do a wonderful job of actually making Croc a sympathetic figure as well as humorously evoking the film noir cliché of the washed up boxer.


Another highlight is issue #13, "Last Tango in Paris," in which Batman and Talia team up to foil a nefarious plot and during a trip to Paris actually convincingly rekindle their strange romance, over the course of a mere four pages, before crime, manipulation and motive inevitably rear their heads again and force the pair apart once more. Between the Croc issue and the Talia issue alone there's more actual depth given to Batman's rogue gallery than in recent years of the main in-continuity book which seemed much more focussed on establishing villains as figures of cruelty and horror than as actual humans. Sympathy and tragedy are crucial to understanding not only many of the rogue’s gallery's motives but also reinforces exactly why Batman doesn't treat them with equal cruelty or even lethal force. Puckett also gives an origin (of sorts) for Scarface's speech impediment, reveals Scarecrow as nothing to be feared without his mask and even introduces a recurring character called Mr Nice who teams up with fellow white collar crims The Perfesser and Mastermind for crime sprees but cannot ever overcome his essential goodness and truly "break bad" no matter how hard as he tries.


The creators constantly pepper little jokes in throughout the issues. From two characters at a costume party dressed as Jaime Hernandez's iconic Maggie and Hopey ("who are you supposed to be?" a party-goer asks them) to a university student reading Samuel R. Delany's bizarre SF-porn classic, The Tides of Lust in class, to Puckett, Parobeck, Burchett and co. appearing as themselves being fired from the in-series comic "Gotham Adventures," there's a witty little sight gag virtually every issue, but they never get in the way of the plots or the action. Ripping through the rogue's gallery at a fair clip, the first two volumes alone feature Joker, Penguin, Clayface, Killer Croc, Talia, Ra's al Ghul, Scarecrow, Man Bat, Harley Quinn, Catwoman, Poison Ivy, Sacrface, The Ventriloquist along with assorted small timers, mobsters and murderers.

Preceding the "Bruce Wayne: Murderer" storyline by nearly a decade is Puckett, Burchett and guest penciller Brad Rader's "The Third Door" which sees Bruce arrested for murder. "The Third Door" is a beautiful and wry homage to Hitchcock and Welles virtually winking at readers all the way and Rader fittingly injects some Steve Ditko into Timm/Dini The Batman Adventures aesthetic, making the jailhouse scenes in particular feel like an old school crime comic.


Filled with masterfully condensed, beautifully illustrated stories, The Batman Adventures collections are a must for Bat-fans. I began revisiting the series when I put together the special all ages column months back and I had forgotten just how special so many of these stories actually are. Bruce Timm and Paul Dini may be regarded as the fathers of the look, the tone and the characterisation of the animated series, but Puckett and his artists, along with fellow veteran Martin Pasko, who guests on a couple of scripts within volume one, prove that "inspired by the series" is not just a marketing phrase slapped on the cover. The Batman Adventures aspires to the quality of the animated series as well as the genuine love that Dini and Timm poured into their work, and does it proud. Some of the best Batman stories of the 1990s are here, created by a team of vastly underrated craftsmen. Consider The Batman Adventures this Batman Day. I cannot imagine you'll be disappointed.


WEBCOMIC OF THE WEEK : BATMAN: PERPETUAL MOURNING
By Ted McKeever

I defy you not to be moved by this beautiful little short comic from the recently retired Ted McKeever. Originally published in the terrific Batman: Black and White anthology mini series, "Perpetual Mourning" sees Batman conducting a forensic post mortem on a murder victim. He's as thorough and clinical as you'd expect, but McKeever also shows the degree to which Batman deeply cares for the victims of crime, every single one of them.

McKeever's Gotham is a shadowy, industrial nightmare, a cold dark place of dilapidated vehicles, old buildings and trash filled alleys. The warmth of the place is with Batman himself and it's McKeever's vision of Batman as an ultimately human figure and a symbol of light and empathy in the darkness of all the surrounding squalor and violence that strikes most profoundly. Not just that, but he's also revealed to be a living memorial, a receptacle forever containing the memories of the city's dead.

It's a story that's as far away from the pop-noir cartoonishness of The Batman Adventures as you can get, but it works just as beautifully. Maybe even more so. "Perpetual Mourning" is a wonderful, wonderful little character study from yet another creator whose body of work is not held in anywhere near the regard that it should be. Nobody made comics like Ted McKeever not even, as proven here, corporate work for hire comics.



COMICS VIDEOS OF THE WEEK : 
BATMAN: STRANGE DAYS: BRUCE TIMM'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY SHORT


BATMAN BEYOND: DARWYN COOKE'S 75TH ANNIVERSARY SHORT

Returning, sort of, to the style and tone of Batman: The Animated Series is this three-minute short by that show's aesthetic mastermind, Mr Bruce Timm. Created as part of 2014's 75th anniversary specials, "Strange Days" dials the noir factor all the way up and sees a very retro looking Batman in action against both Hugo Strange and a particularly monstrous henchman. This is pretty much Bruce Timm channelling Batman creator Bob Kane's early look, short gloves, oversized bat-ears, and giving it the smoky, almost monochrome appeal of an old RKO film. It's wisely all-action and squeezes quite a few fisticuffs and Bat-gadgetry and explosions into its short runtime. Really cool stuff.

From here, you can also watch a Batman Beyond short that the late, great Darwyn Cooke made for Batman's 75th year, if you're in the mood. At a little over a minute long, it's not as stylish or attractive as the Timm feature, but featuring Batmen of all styles and eras it perfectly visualises my earlier argument about the multiplicities of Batmen we have access to and, looking at them all lined up, it's hard to find fault with any of them.

Timm:

Cooke:

See you next week. Love your comics.


 

Cameron Ashley spends a lot of time writing comics and other things you'll likely never read. He's the chief editor and co-publisher of Crime Factory (www.thecrimefactory.com). You can reach him @cjamesashley on Twitter.