A Great Cover, but...

That's an excelent Frank Quitely cover to All-Star Superman #1, but shouldn't the cover to a brand-new super-hero title be, oh, I dunno, a little more exciting and action-oriented? It'd make a great cover for a second issue, but a first issue cover needs to grab the reader a bit more, I think.

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

On the cover to 1967's Strange Adventures #201 we have Animal Man vs. The Mod Gorilla Boss, illustrated by Carmine Infantino & George Roussos.

(standard disclaimer about gorillas not really being monkeys applies)

Image is courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

How on Earth (or Krypton) Did I Miss This?

Starting in March, Cartoon Network is airing a Krypto: The Superdog animated series.

The Superman Homepage has the story, and a gallery of pretty pictures.

In this fantastical universe filled with a kinetic sense of wonder and playfulness, a dog can bury a bone on the moon, and a game of fetch can span the galaxy. It's a colorful cosmic world in which weird techno gadgets fall into the hands of toddlers, where growth formulas accidentally create monster caterpillars, and where selfless hounds patrol the solar system for signs of trouble from villains intent on taking over the planet!

I don't care if it's targeted at kids--those drawings are sweet!

I hope that Beppo make a guest appearance at some point. A dog with the powers of Superman in cool, but a monkey? That Rawks!

(Big thanks to Mike Sterling for the heads-up!)

A Match Made in Gotham

After seeing this, I've decided that the perfect gig for Cliff Chiang once Human Target ends would be as the regular artist on Gotham Central. Am I right?

(thanks to BeaucoupKevin for the link)

You Too Can Be a Girl Genius

Later this year (or perhaps a bit later...) Steve Jackson Games will be releasing the Girl Genius Sourcebook and Roleplaying Game, based on the fourth edition of their flagship RPG, GURPS. It will be fully illustrated in color by Girl Genius creators Phil & Kaja Foglio, and is co-written by Kaja Foglio (herself a longtime GURPS player). Since GURPS is my RPG of choice, this is quite exciting.

Quick DC Super-Hero GN Reviews

Superman/Aliens 2: God War
by Chuck Dixon, Jon Bogdanove & Kevin Nowlan
The story is a fairly simple premise: After a spacehip infested with Aliens crashes on Apokolips, Darkseid allows an army of parademons wo be infected and then sends the army to New Genesis. Superman just happens to be visiting New Genesis at the time, and he joins with the New Gods to fight off both the hordes of Apokolips and the Alien menace. In fact, despite Superman's name in the title, this is much more of a New Gods story with Superman along for the ride. I've never been a huge fan of Bogdanove's, but this is some of the best art I've ever seen from him, as he and Nowlan manage to evoke a Kirby-esque look without being a blatant pastiche.
Rating: 3 (of 5)


Batgirl: Year One
by Scott Beatty & Chuck Dixon, Marcos Martin & Alvaro Lopez
Beatty & Dixon turn in a decent story that attempts to bring together the disparate parts of Barbara Gordon's origin as Batgirl to bring it in harmony with the current Batman mythos while also including some winking forebits towards her later Oracle & Birds of Prey days. Barbara is presented as young and a bit naive, and over the course of the nine issues collected here grows in her role as a fledgling crimefighter and comes to understand the seriousness of her undertaking. The real attraction with this book though is the art by Martin & Lopez, a cross between Tim Sale & Steve Rude that is stunning in the plentiful action pieces and smooth in the downtime moments. Without the contribution from the artists this would be simply another competent retelling of a super-hero origin, but with the art it becomes a compelling visual treat from some of comics brightest new talent.
Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Review Policy for Submitted Materials

Generally I review things that I buy, or get from the library, or borrow from a friend. There seems to be plenty of material around, though I only write reviews when I feel that I have something to say.

Recently I've been contacted by publishers and an individual creator or two who are interested in sending me comics to review. Which is kind of cool. But I figure I should have some sort of policy for accepting review materials. So here it is (subject to change of course if things turn out to be unworkable):

• I will generally accept just about anything for review. I have a pretty wide range of tastes in comics, but please look at the sorts of things that I've reviewed in the past to get a feel of what those tastes are.
  
  
• Please contact me first before sending review materials.
  
  
• I will try to write at least a quick review for everything sent to me. I will write a longer review if I feel I have more to say.
  
  
• I will apply the same standards to submitted comics as I do to my normal reviews; note the ratings system that appears over in the sidebar of every page.
  
  
• I will note in the review that I was provided with a review copy.
  
  
• I have a huge backlog of stuff to read, so I may not get to your material right away.
  
  
• I prefer reading comics in print (I spend enough hours at work staring at a computer screen!) I will still consider reviewing electronic copies, but won't guarantee.
  
  
• I will donate review copies of materials I receive either to the academic collection at my library or to the local public library (depending on where it is most appropriate). If neither library wants it, I'll pass it on in some other way.
  
  

I hope that the above seems sensible, and that it will be workable. We shall see...