Quick Super-Hero Comic Reviews

Power Pack #1
by Marc Sumerak, Gurihiru, & Chris Eliopoulos
I have previously declared my love for Power Pack, so I may not be the most objective reviewer here, but this was a very fine first issue of an all-ages comic, one that met my high expectations. Katie, the youngest, has written and drawn an essay on "My Best Summer Ever," which tells the secret origin of Power Pack, and the rest of the kids have to convince her to not turn it in as her assignment at at school. Oh yes, and they have to fight a young snark too. Sumerak's story hits every note just right, and the manga-tinged art by Gurihiru is wonderful and filled with vibrant colors. The bonus back-up story (and it is a bonus, being five extra pages on top of the main story's twenty-two) features honorary Packer and Fantastic Son Franklin Richards, with Eliopoulos doing a riff on Calvin & Hobbes. This whole package is just a fun, charming comic book; buy one for the kids, and another for yourself.
Rating: 3.5 (of 5)


Seven Soldiers: Zatana #1
by Grant Morrison, Ryan Sook & Mick Gray
Zatanna by Morrison & Sook? I was sold on this as soon as it was announced, and it's just as good as I'd hoped it would be. Everyone's favorite fishnet-wearing magician has been having a tough time of it lately and has turned to a super-hero support group to deal with her self-esteem issues. I like how Morrison characterizes Z as a woman who is not quite at home as a magician or a super-hero (though maybe her self-esteem would be better if she wasn't always dressing up in fetish clothing...) Once again Morrison manages to quickly introduce us to several new characters, and he and Sook give us a wonderfully creepy Baron Winters as well. There are references to a lot of Alan Moore here, including the finale of "American Gothic" and a riff on Promethea (apt, with inker Gray along), but they never overwhelm the story. Sook turns in some great art, though at times Gray's inking is so strong that it threatens to overwhelm. This is my favorite so far of the Seven Soldiers series; the only bad thing is that we have to wait two months for the next issue.
Rating: 4 (of 5)


Superman/Batman #18
by Jeph Loeb, Carlos Pacheco & Jesús Merino
Okay, so this whole "Absolute Power" story has been just one continuity riff after the other, but darn if I didn't turn into a gibbering fanboy when a certain super-group showed up near the end. If you look at it too closely, the whole story doens't really make one lick of sense, but I was having too much fun to care, and Pacheco & Merino sure to draw some pretty art (although, given the delays on this book, I worry about the schedule for the upcoming Green Lantern series...) A big fanboy geek-fest is Superman/Batman, but sometimes we old fanboys need to geek out.
Rating: 3 (of 5)

Luna-tics?

Newsarama have an interview with Nunzio DeFilippis and Christina Weir regarding their new manga-esque series from Seven Seas, Amazing Agent Luna.

I reviewed Amazing Agent Luna earlier this week, and found it to be quite enjoyable. I suspect that it may be a tough sell to people though, as manga fans will consider anything produced domestically to be 'not real manga', and super-hero fans won't go near it because it looks too much like manga (art comix fans, of course, would never even deign to go near it...) But I do wish that people would give this all-ages book a try; it's some of the best work I've read from DeFilippis & Weir (much better than their New X-Men - Academy X) and the art by Carmela "Shiei" Doneza is very good too. You can read a preview at the Seven Seas Website. I encourage you to give it a try and see if it's to your liking.

Monkey Covers

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

Finishing off our salute to National Library Week, we have what is perhaps the greatest comic book cover ever. From 1956, Gil Kane & Bernard Sachs draw the cover for Otto Binder's story "Secret of the Man-Ape" in Strange Adventures #75. Who is this ape? Why does he need those three books? And doesn't he know that the reference librarian will help him fulfill his information needs without having to brandish a gun?

In fact, this cover is so great that it was recreated by Nick Cardy in 1973 for the cover of From Beyond the Unknown #23, wherein the story was reprinted.

(standard disclaimer about apes not really being monkeys applies)

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

YAFL: Week 11 Results

Here are the results from week 11 of Yet Another Fantasy League:



Inferior 5 plus 6 60
Kickers Inc. 61

Nine Pound Hammers 69
The Inferior Five 65

Danger Limited 52
www.rickgebhardt.net 64

Secret Six 72
Moon Knights 80

The Maxx Squad 70
B.P.R.D. 67

Tomorrow Syndicate 80
Power Pack 65


Current Standings:

Team                 W-L-T  Pct   Pts  Streak
-------------------  -----  ----  ---  ------
*1.B.P.R.D.             8-3-0  .727  729  L-1
*2.Power Pack           8-3-0  .727  702  L-1
3.Kickers Inc.         7-4-0  .636  653  W-1
4.Nine Pound Hammers   7-4-0  .636  642  W-3
5.Inferior 5 plus 6    6-5-0  .545  715  L-5
6.www.rickgebhardt.net 6-5-0  .545  543  W-4
7.Secret Six           5-6-0  .455  715  L-2
8.Tomorrow Syndicate   5-6-0  .455  681  W-1
9.Danger Limited       4-7-0  .364  670  L-1
10.The Maxx Squad       4-7-0  .364  588  W-2
11.The Inferior Five    3-8-0  .273  556  L-3
12.Moon Knights         3-8-0  .273  552  W-1

Week 12 Games:
(Remember: games start on Thursday this week!)

The Inferior Five (3-8-0)
vs.
Kickers Inc. (7-4-0)

Nine Pound Hammers (7-4-0)
vs.
www.rickgebhardt.net (6-5-0)

Danger Limited (4-7-0)
vs.
Moon Knights (3-8-0)

Secret Six (5-6-0)
vs.
B.P.R.D. (8-3-0)

The Maxx Squad (4-7-0)
vs.
Power Pack (8-3-0)

Inferior 5 plus 6 (6-5-0)
vs.
Tomorrow Syndicate (5-6-0)


Good luck to all!


In my other Fantasy Leagues, I lost--again, no big suprise--64-36 in my friends & family league (3-8-1, still seventh place); scored a solid 63-42 win in my public league (6-5-0, moved up to sixth place); and scored a sad 239.95 points in my Pass & Kick league, which dropped me to fifth place (I was winning this league at one time...) In Fantasy Basketball I went 3-3-2 and stayed in seventh place (9-13-2 overall).

Monkey Covers

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

From 1953, here's Atlas's The Monkey and the Bear #1, with a cover by Howie Post.


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

SNAP! Day 4: Anthologies

Continuing my long-delayed look at the things I picked up at SNAP! last month. This time out I'm focusing on the various anthologies. Of course, as with many anthologies, there's a wide range of styles and subject matter covered in these, and chances are that not all stories in each of these will be to all tastes. But that's one of the thigns that makes comics so great--the variety. Right?


Turtleneck Boy is the brainchild of mini-comics creator Suzanne Baumann. She created the blank slate character, and invites other creators to contribute stories about him. I picked up #5, which includes a four-page a Pam Bliss story, and a cover by Paul Sizer.


Yes, you're seeing that right, the price on Pop Art Funnies #3 is just 15 cents for a full-sized 32-page comic (black & white with color cover). It's the project of Martin Hirchak, who draws the lead story in each issue (and sometimes other stories too) and then gets area cartoonists (like Sean Bieri & Matt Feazell, among others) to contribute shorter stories to fill out the book. Issue #4 was 25 cents, and issue #5 was 50 cents. But even at that rate of increase it'll still be a bargain for a while.


At $6.95 Potlach Project #4 is more expensive, but it's also 108 black and white pages on sturdy paper stock, so it's a good deal too. It's from Angry Dog Press, a Maryland outfit, so presumably most of the artists here aren't local to Michigan, but there's still some interesting stuff to be found here.


The most interesting anthology has to be Empty Pockets from The Wooden Book Press. All of the contributors to this 250-page black & white anthology were students in Phoebe Gloeckner's narrative art courses from Fall 2004 & Winter 2005. Not only are these stories the first published work for these artists, for many it's the first comic work that they've ever done. Tastes will vary of course, and some stories are stronger than others, but it's on the whole impressive. At $19.95 it's not cheap, but worth it I think for a peek into what just might be the next generation of cartoonists.

Monkey Covers

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

Tarzan rescues Boy from strange apes in The Caverns of Kor on the 1961 cover of Tarzan #129, painted by George Wilson.

(Standard disclaimer about rock- and club-wielding apes not really being monkeys applies.)

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

Harbinger #0-41

Harbinger #0-41
CBR/ZIP | English | 42 Issues | 247 MB
Toyo Harada is the first Harbinger, and unlike subsequent Harbingers he was able to make his powers manifest at will, or activate the powers of others. Other Harbingers exhibit powers only rarely and this activation is always brought on by severe stress.

Harada is an Omega Harbinger: he commands the full spectrum of psionic abilities, including telepathy, telekinesis, mind-control, and many other talents. He uses these powers to create a multinational corporation and amass a large fortune. Fearing the world is on a course to destroy itself, he plans to take it over and mold it to his specifications. To this end he creates the Harbinger Foundation, which actively searches for potential Harbingers (whose powers Harada triggers with his psionic abilities).

Pete Stanchek is a normal teenager until he develops Harbinger abilities. After seeing an advertisement he contacts the Harbinger Foundation. Harada is intrigued by Pete, who is the only other Harbinger to have triggered his own powers and who exhibits multiple abilities. Harada is no longer the only Omega Harbinger.

Harada tries to persuade Pete to join the Harbinger Foundation and become Harada's right hand man, but when Pete's best friend, who had been vocal about his distrust for Harada, is murdered by the Foundation Pete realizes the truth.

Pete, along with Kris (a high school cheerleader who, he later realizes, he had been unconsciously mentally controlling so that she would go out with him) become renegades. They decide to recruit Harbinger's themselves, activate their abilities and form an army capable of challenging Harada.

Download MIRROR #1 (0-22) | Download MIRROR #1 (23-41)

Download MIRROR #2 (0-22) | Download MIRROR #2 (23-41)

Ranking the DCnU Reboot Titles

DC is launching or relaunching a whopping fifty-two new titles in September. That's way too many to buy all of them, and this makes for a good opportunity to re-examine what I usually purchase. So here's my take, based on the available information (mainly the solicitations); all 52 of the DCnU relaunch titles, ranked according to my likelihood of buying them:

Definitely Yes

1. Action Comics - They had me at Grant Morrison + Superman.

2. Superman - I'm actually a bit apprehensive about the Superman reboot, like I am with every Superman reboot. But with Morrison & Perez at the helm, I'm fairly optimistic this time out. Plus, I've bought every issue of Superman since 1982, and I'm likely not stopping until I'm dead or it stops being published.

3. Batwoman - Finally! And with Williams switching off story arcs with Amy Reeder, this will likely be the best looking book on DC's slate.

4. Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. - This looks to possibly be twenty pages of four-color awesome every month.

5. Justice League - I've bought every regular JL comic since the 80s, and this big-guns approach with Johns & Lee looks to be what I'm after in a JL comic.

6. Justice League International - A return to my second-favorite JL era, with Aaron Lopresti on art, makes for a winning combination.

Yes, with Reservations

7. Batgirl - Yes, I wish she were still Oracle as much as the rest of you. But I will read a Gail Simone Batgirl comic staring Barbara Gordon.

8. Animal Man - Every Animal Man take since Morrison's has disappointed, but I have hopes for Jeff Lemire giving it a shot.

9. Static Shock - One of my favorite Milestone characters. I wish Rozum were still doing Xombi, but hey, I'll take what I can get.

10. All-Star Western - Gray & Palmiotti's Jonah Hex has been consistantly entertaining for going on five years now, but I'm not sure it needs to lose the done-in-one stories nor does it need a Gotham City tie-in.

11. Wonder Woman - Normally Cliff Chiang drawing anything is an automatic yes, but I'm usually disappointed in Azzarello in general and his super-hero stuff in particular. But, when Azzarello & Chiang got together for Doctor 13, it was wonderful, so I'll hope for the same magic again here.

12. The Fury of Firestorm - Big fan of the character from the 80s and the recent Jason Rusch version as well. It will be interesting to see how Van Sciver & Simone merge their sensibilities in writing.

13. Blue Beetle - Glad to see Jaime Reyes given another go. If the new creative team can recapture the charm of the original, this this will be a winner.

14. Green Lantern - Looks like business as usual, so I'll likely stick around for a while.

15. Green Lantern Corps - Ditto.

16. Legion of Super-Heroes - Ditto.

17. Batman - I've really liked Snyder's writing on Detective as of late; I just wish he was being teamed with his 'Tec cohorts Jock and/or Francesco Francavilla here as well (I can take or leave Capullo).

18. Swamp Thing - Not completely sold on the reboot premise, but I like the creative team.

19. Demon Knights - Again, not sure about the premise, but Paul Cornell hasn't let me down yet.

Maybe/Provisional

20. Hawk and Dove - It'll be a race to see whether this or Batman: The Dark Knight is the first DCnU title to fall behind.

21. Stormwatch - Again, Cornell has yet to let me down, but I really don't see this Wildstorm concept fitting in to the DCnU, and Martian Manhunter seems like a really odd fit.

22. Mister Terrific - Like the character and the idea of his headlining a series, not too enthused by what I've seen from writer Eric Wallace in the past.

23. Supergirl - Not sure about the reboot here, but I've liked Green & Johnson's work on Superman/Batman, so this book gets the benefit of the doubt for now.

24. Batman and Robin - If this can maintain the punch and action I expect, then I'll stick around.

25. Batwing - 'The Batman of Africa' could be a good concept, but I'm not sure that Winick is the best choice for it.

26. Legion Lost - Yet another Legion in their past/our present story? But I like Pete Woods, so I'll check it out.

27. O.M.A.C. - Giffen co-writing and drawing bumps a concept I normally wouldn't care about up into the provisional category.

28. I, Vampire - I want to support this title, but man, that cover... ugh.

29. Aquaman - I always give new Aquaman titles a try, but am often disappointed.

30. The Flash - Can Manpul write? I'll give his a shot, but I'm not a huge Flash fan so this will be a very short trial.

31. Green Lantern: New Guardians - Not a huge Kyle Raynor fan, but Bedard generally writes pretty good super-hero science fiction-y stuff.

32. DC Universe Presents - Paul Jenkins' super-hero stuff normally leaves me a bit cold, but Deadman may be a good character for him. We'll see...

33. Justice League Dark - Horrible title, interesting premise. And that Milligan guy, who will now be writing both the Vertigo and DCnU versions of the character.

34. Detective Comics - I've been floating along with Daniel's work on Batman, but this may be a good place to drop off.

35. Resurrection Man - I never really read this the first go-around, but the premise always struck me as interesting.

36. Voodoo - This will really depend on execution a solid but not exciting creative team.

37. Suicide Squad - One of my favorite high-concepts ever in comics returns, but everything about that cover screams at me to stay away.

38. Blackhawks - Could be interesting, but could also go disastrously wrong. (Now if Jock were drawing this, I'd be all up for it...)

Probably Not

39. Men of War - I think I'd rather see this as a straight war comic without the super-hero-y stuff.

40. Grifter - Nothing much exciting here for this Wildstorm transplant.

41. Catwoman - The cover indicates that this is everything I don't want in a Catwoman comic.

42. Captain Atom - I like the charatcer and have very fond memories of the old Cary Bates series. But I don't care much for either creator.

43. Superboy - Looks like they're throwing away all the Superboy continuity. I really liked with Jeff Lemire was doing with the character, so this looks like a huge step back. The new creative team doesn't much appeal either.

44. Batman: The Dark Knight - Haven't really cared much for Finch on this title the first time around. Then again, committing to this title would only mean buying two or three issues a year...

45. Red Lanterns - I really don't think that I need twenty pages of characters vomiting blood each month.

Definitely No

46. Teen Titans - Seems like for the last five years or so I've always been on the verge of dropping this title, but there was always another new creative team around the corner. But this looks to be the final straw.

47. Nightwing - My level of not caring for any aspect of this is pretty darn high.

48. Birds of Prey - I've bought every single issue of BoP up to this point. And now? Ugh.

49. Red Hood and the Outlaws - Absolutely no appeal here.

50. Deathstroke - Ditto.

51. Green Arrow - One of my least favorite writers on a character I could care less about.

52. The Savage Hawkman - Non a huge fan of Tony Daniel's writing, and even less of a fan of Philip Tan's art. A very easy no.


Final totals:

Definitely Yes: 6 titles
Yes, With Reservations: 13 titles
Maybe/Provisional: 19 titles
Probably Not: 7 titles
Definitely No: 7 titles

Batman: Dark detective #1-6

Batman: Dark detective #1-6
CBR/ZIP | English | 6 Issues | 68 MB
One of the most popular Batman creative teams ever reunites for a twice-monthly- shipping 6-issue miniseries! Writer Steve Englehart and artists Marshall Rogers & Terry Austin set a high standard with their acclaimed run on DETECTIVE COMICS in the late 1970s! Now that team is back with BATMAN: DARK DETECTIVE, a miniseries that pits the Dark Knight against the most famous and feared members of his Rogues Gallery! In the startling debut issue, the Joker enters a gubernatorial election using the campain slogan "Vote for me or I'll kill you!" Will it persuade voters? Plus, Bruce Wayne's old love interest Silver St. Cloud returns, as do Two-Face and the Scarecrow! And the action continues in the startling second issue, as the Scarecrow manages to overcome Batman in the one location where he's most vulnerable: the Batcave! Meanwhile, the Bruce Wayne/Silver St. Cloud relationship heats up! Issue #1.
Download MIRROR #1

Download MIRROR #2

Batman #711

Batman #711
2011 | English | 24 pages | CBR | 9.57MB
Batman acts on his suspicions of a newly elected political figure in Gotham City and finds himself in deep water. With piranhas. Meanwhile, Two-Face fights his way back from the brink of death to find an unlikely ally who will show him that there are two sides to every story.
See MIRROR #1

See MIRROR #2

Monkey Covers comic

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

The Justice League battles a giant gorilla on the cover of JLA #92 (2004) by Doug Mahnke & Tom Nguyen.



(Standard disclaimer about wrathful apes not really being monkeys applies.)

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

Grimm Fairy Tales: The Library #1 [First Issue's Day]

Grimm Fairy Tales: The Library #1
2011 | English | 33 pages | CBR | 18.6MB
Grimm Fairy Tales presents an all new miniseries that explores an alternate reality of the Grimm Universe. When fourteen year old Sela Mathers discovers an ancient magic book in a condemned library her and her younger brother cast a spell that unlocks the amazing worlds and characters from the books and novels around them. Hercules, Robin Hood and Pecos Bill all come magically to life. But heroes aren't the only characters in stories. Villains too are affected by the magic spell and soon the children find themselves in a race against time to reverse the spell as evil characters from all of literature threaten to take over the world. Their only chance lies with the heroes they've brought to life. But even that may not be enough to stop the Frankenstein, Baba Yaga and the Wicked Witch of the West!

DCnU Reviews, Week 3: Blue Beetle; Legion of Super-Heroes

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Blue Beetle #1
by Tony Bedard, Ig Guara & Ruy José

Original Rank/Assessment: 13 (Yes, with Reservations) - Glad to see Jaime Reyes given another go. If the new creative team can recapture the charm of the original, this this will be a winner.

I'm not sure we needed to go back to the beginning with Blue Beetle. Sure, his origin story was tied in with the likely-no-longer-cannon Infinite Crisis, but those bits are easily ignored. I'd rather that this series pick up where the previous series (and the Booster Gold back-ups) left off rather than retreading the old stuff. But that said, this is still mildly good. It could do with a little more of the aforementioned charm, like some of the witty repartee that Jaime had with his friends, but for an origin story it does the job. The art is pretty good though it struggles at times on the edge of being too busy, and at times the orange coloring overwhelms. Still, worth sticking around for a few issues to see where it goes (hopefuly quickly away from the origin!)

Rating: 3 (of 5).

Legion of Super-Heroes #1
by Paul Levitz & Francis Portela

Original Rank/Assessment: 16 (Yes, with Reservations) - Looks like business as usual, so I'll likely stick around for a while.

How many #1s does this make for the Legion? I've lost count. And since the Legion tends to do its reboots at times when it doesn't renumber, this is pretty much a continuation of the previous Legion's iteration, though it appears that some time has passed since last month's issue. The effect is that out of all of the New 52, this is probably the most hostile to new readers. But then that has always been the case with the Legion: when I started reading it back in the 80s there was a huge cast of characters and tons of back story. I managed to deal with it back then, and I suppose new readers will manage now (on the plus side they have the Internet & Wikipedia; on the minus side, they have to deal with multiple reboots!) This is the classic 'for those of you who like this sort of thing, this is the sort of thing you'll like' comic. Portela's art is nice and at times very busy, but luckily Javier Mena's coloring saves it in places where it otherwise would be hard to distinguish what is happening. And a few more body types would be nice—do Chameleon Boy & Brainiac 5 really need to be so buff? (And a shout-out to the cover by Karl Kerschl, which has an appropriately sci-fi paperback vibe.)

Rating: 3 (of 5).

Monkey Covers

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

Alien gorillas are invading the Earth, and only one woman can save us on the cover of Weird War Tales #123 (1983) by Joe Kubert.

(Standard disclaimer about invading alien apes not really being monkeys applies.)

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

DCnU Reviews, Week 3: Birds of Prey; Catwoman; Red Hood and the Outlaws

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Birds of Prey #1
by Duane Swierczynski & Jesus Saiz

Original Rank/Assessment: 48 (Definitely No) - I've bought every single issue of BoP up to this point. And now? Ugh.

Through all its iterations, Birds of Prey has long been one of my favorite super-hero titles.  But Swierczynski seems intent on turning it into a generic action title whose only defining feature is that it stars a group of women, only two of whom actually show up in the debut issue. Saiz's art is okay but fairly generic; he only seems to draw one female body type, which is a problem in an all-female team book, and his action scenes are stiff and at times hard to follow. Of the three comics in the post it is the best, but that's really damning with the faintest of praise.

Rating: 2 (of 5).

Catwoman #1
by Judd Winick & Guillem March

Original Rank/Assessment: 41 (Probably Not) - The cover indicates that this is everything I don't want in a Catwoman comic.


Well, you can't fault DC for false advertising. The cover promises a comic that revels in exploitation, and it certainly delivers. Unfortunately, my preferences in a Catwoman comic run in the Ed Brubaker/Darwyn Cooke mode, and this is about as far from that as you can get. There are actually about three pages of pretty good comics here, but those are far outweighed by the seventeen other pages of exploitative nonsense. Which is a shame, as it shows that the creators are capable of producing a much better Catwoman comic; they just choose not to.


Rating: 2 (of 5).

Red Hood and the Outlaws #1
by Scott Lobdell & Kenneth Rocafort


Original Rank/Assessment: 49 (Probably Not) - Absolutely no appeal here.

After Lobdell's surprisingly interesting turn on Superboy last week, I held out the slimmest of hopes that maybe I was wrong about this comic. I needn't have worried, as this turns out to be just about as bad as I thought it would be. I've never cared about the Red Hood, rarely cared about Roy Harper, the Starfire here is far removed from the previous iteration and high on the 'ick' factor, and who the heck is Essence and why should I care? If there's any bright spot here, it's that Rocafort is trying to do some interesting things with the opening action sequence, which zings with kinetic energy. It's for Rocafort's efforts that the extra 0.5 point exists in the rating:

Rating: 1.5 (of 5).
 

DCnU Reviews, Week 3: Batman; Nightwing

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Batman #1
by Scott Snyder, Greg Capullo & Jonathan Glapion

Original Rank/Assessment: 17 (Yes, with Reservations) - I've really liked Snyder's writing on Detective as of late; I just wish he was being teamed with his 'Tec cohorts Jock and/or Francesco Francavilla here as well (I can take or leave Capullo).

So far, this first issue of Batman is one of the best surprises of the DCnU. I was expecting to like the story, having been greatly impressed by Snyder's previous work on Detective Comics. But he manages to step it up another notch here, giving us a great introductory issue with plenty of action and a few nifty ideas, like the holographic portable Bat-Cave. His Batman is still a creature of the night, but he's not all brooding and moody. An even nicer surprise is the art from Capullo & Glapion: there are some great layouts and the story flows easily. Capullo's McFarlane influence from years of drawing Spawn is still there, but he's made the style into his own. This is a very good first issue, and I'm definitely looking forward to the next (and pleased that there's at least one Batman title in the new 52 that meets what I want from a Batman comic).

Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

Nightwing #1
by Kyle Higgins, Eddy Barrows & J.P. Mayer.

Original Rank/Assessment: 47 (Definitely No) - My level of not caring for any aspect of this is pretty darn high.


This comic almost pulled off the impossible and nearly won me over. Higgins re-establishes Nightwing without ignoring the long history of Dick Grayson, and possibly even ties things in to this week's cliffhanger in Batman. But then we get an out-of-nowhere villain with Wolverine-like claws, who promptly slashes and disembowels two police officers. This is supposed to be a Nightwing comic, not Sabretooth. So back to the bottom of the pack this goes.


Rating: 2 (of 5).

Amazon Top 50

Here are the Top 50 Graphic Novels on Amazon this morning. All the previous caveats apply.


1 (-). Cabin Fever (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Book 6) *
2 (-). Sailor Moon 1
3 (+4). Castle: Richard Castle's Deadly Storm *
4 (-). Diary of a Wimpy Kid 5: The Ugly Truth
5 (+40). Hark! A Vagrant *
6 (-3). Codename: Sailor V 1
7 (-1). The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book (revised and expanded edition)
8 (-3). Dork Diaries 3: Tales from a Not-So-Talented Pop Star
9 (-1). Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days
10 (+9). Twilight: The Graphic Novel, Vol. 2 *
11 (+1). Dork Diaries 3 (Kindle edition)
12 (-3). Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
13 (+1). Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
14 (+3). Batman: Year One
15 (-). Batman: The Dark Knight Returns
16 (+14). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Box of Books
17 (+4). The Walking Dead Compendium Volume 1
18 (-8). Amulet #4: The Last Council
19 (+7). Batman: The Killing Joke
20 (+30). 5 Very Good Reasons to Punch a Dolphin in the Mouth
21 (-10). Brightest Day Vol. 3
22 (-9). Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art
23 (+18). Serenity Volume 2: Better Days and Other Stories
24 (-6). Feynman
25 (R). Holy Terror *
26 (+2). The Walking Dead, Book 7 *
27 (-2). Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
28 (+3). Watchmen
29 (-6). The Walking Dead Volume 14: No Way Out
30 (N). Fullmetal Alchemist, Vol. 26
31 (+13). Dork Diaries (Kindle edition)
32 (R). Batman: Arkham Asylum (15th Anniversary Edition)
33 (-17). Sailor Moon 2 *
34 (N). Negima! 31: Magister Negi Magi
35 (+3). V for Vendetta
36 (+4). Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset
37 (N). New Teen Titans: Games *
38 (R). Batman: Hush
39 (-10). Dork Diaries 3 1/2: How to Dork Your Diary *
40 (+3). Big Nate Out Loud
41 (N). Hellboy Volume 11: The Bride of Hell and Others
42 (+3). Big Nate Out Loud (Kindle)
43 (+3). Dork Diaries 2 (Kindle edition)
44 (+4). The Complete Peanuts Boxed Set 1979-1982 (Vol. 15-16)
45 (-25). Codename: Sailor V, Vol. 2 *
46 (-24). Dork Diaries: Tales from a Not-So-Popular Party Girl
47 (R). Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book
48 (R). Bone: The Complete Cartoon Epic in One Volume
49 (N). Naruto, Vol. 52: Cell Seven Reunion
50 (R). Big Nate: From the Top


Items with asterisks (*) are pre-order items.

N = New listing appearing on list for first time
R = Item returning to the list after having been off for 1 or more weeks


Commentary:

* Diary book 6 is still at #3 on the overall chart; Sailor Moon is #210...

* Hark, A Vagrant continues its roller coaster pre-order ride, hopping all the way up to the top 5 this week. Next week finally sees its release, along with the Castle graphic novel (which will likely be heavily promoted during the episode of Castle that airs on Monday—hello Disney corporate synergy!)

* The latest volume of Fullmetal Alchemist is the top debut this week. Joining it are fellow manga titles Negima and Naruto; along with the latest Hellboy collection and the long-long-long awaited New Teen Titans: Games OGN.

DCnU Reviews, Week 3: Green Lantern Corps; Supergirl

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Green Lantern Corps #1
by Peter J. Tomasi, Fernando Pasarin & Scott Hanna

Original Rank/Assessment: 15 (Yes, with Reservations) - Looks like business as usual, so I'll likely stick around for a while.

This comic opens with a four-page scene of graphic death and dismemberment, and ends with genocide and graphic disembowelment. Is this really what DC thinks we want from a Green Lantern comic book? The stuff in the middle is somewhat interesting, with both Guy Gardner and John Stewart learning that it is nigh impossible to have a normal life on Earth when their status as Green Lanterns is so well-known. The art by Pasarin & Hanna is richly detailed and nice (when it isn't showing Lanterns bloodily losing their heads and other body parts). But the first and last impressions that this comic gives are of needless graphic violence, the kind that I had hoped that the new DCU would be leaving behind, but by week three now I see that my hopes were misguided, and the chances of my sticking around with this and similar books are slim.

Rating: 2 (of 5).

Supergirl #1
by Michael Green & Mike Johnson, Mahmud Asrar & Dan Green

Original Rank/Assessment: 23 (Maybe/Provisional) - Not sure about the reboot here, but I've liked Green & Johnson's work on Superman/Batman, so this book gets the benefit of the doubt for now.

The newly-arrived Supergirl's rocket crashes on Earth (or rather, through Earth) and ends up in Russia, where she fights some guys in battle armor while carrying on a cryptic internal monologue, until Superman shows up on the last page. The biggest problem with this comic is that it reads way too fast. It poses—or rather hints at—a lot of questions about this new version of Supergirl, but at the end she's just as much a cipher as she was at the beginning. This is surprising coming from Green & Johnson, whose previous run on Superman/Batman often packed a lot of story into its pages. Supergirl so far gets an incomplete and it had better demonstrate quickly why I should continue to be interested.


Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

New Library Comics: August 2011

Here's a list of the comics we added to our library collection in August:



Abnett, Dan. Star trek voyager : elite force / La Jolla, CA : Wildstorm Productions, c2000.

Aguirre-Sacasa, Roberto. Marvel divas / New York, NY : Marvel Pub., c2010.

Akamatsu, Ken. Negima vols. 1-3 / New York : Del Rey/Ballantine Books, 2004-

Ambrosio, Stefano. Walt Disney's Wizards of Mickey. [vol. 1], Mouse magic / Los Angeles : Boom! Studios, 2010.

The American way. nos. 1-8 / La Jolla, CA : WildStorm Productions, 2006.

Archie : bronze age series / [Brooklyn, N.Y.] : Graphic Imaging Technology, c2008.

Archie & friends double digest. nos. 1-5 / Mamaroneck, N.Y. : Archie Comic Pub., 2011-

Archie's girls Betty and Veronica : bronze age series / [Brooklyn, N.Y.] : Graphic Imaging Technology, c2008.

Ariga, Hitoshi. MegaMan. Megamix. Books 1-3 / Richmond Hill, Ont. : Udon, 2010

Asprin, Robert. Thieves' world graphics no. 5 / Norfolk : Starblaze Graphics, 1985-1987.

Austen, Chuck. Captain America, v. 3 : Ice / New York : Marvel Comics, 2003.

Baldwin, Gregory S. Path / [S.l.] : Com.x, 2008.

Bernardin, Marc. Pilot season : Genius / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2008.

Billings, Bruce. Between the sheets : Castro comics / San Francisco, CA : Leyland Publications, 1989.

Black Olive. Outlook grim. [Vol. 1], The dead nasties / San Jose, CA : SLG Pub., c2004.

Blackburn, Jolly R. Knights of the dinner table : tales from the vault v. 1 / Menlo Park, CA : Kenzer & Co., c1998-

Breathed, Berke. Classics of western literature : Bloom County, 1986-1989 / Boston : Little, Brown, c1990.

Brereton, Daniel. Nocturnals : Troll bridge / Portland, Or. : Oni Press, 2000.

Brereton, Daniel. The gunwitch : outskirts of doom / Portland, OR : ONI Press, 2002.

Brubaker, Ed. The dead and the dying : a criminal edition / New York : Marvel, 2008.

Caliber core. / Plymouth, MI : Caliber Comics, c1998.

Card, Orson Scott. Ultimate Iron Man. [Vol. 1] / New York : Marvel, 2006.

Cherkas, Michael, 1954- Suburban nightmares. Childhood secrets : collected stories / New York : NBM Pub., c1996.

Cho, Frank. Zombie king / Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, 2005.

Chrono, Nanae. Peace maker Kurogane v. 1. A stranger comes to town / Houston : ADV Manga, 2004-

Claremont, Chris, 1950- X-Men : the end. vols. 1-3 / New York : Marvel Comics, c2005-

Classic looney tunes comics. Vol. 1 / [Brooklyn, N.Y.] : Graphic Imaging Technology, c2009.

Classic Star Wars, a long time ago. nos. 3, 6. / Milwaukie, Oregon : Dark Horse Comics, 1999-

Comic relief presents funny stuff. nos. 10, 12. / Eureka, CA : Page One Publishers & Bookworks, Inc., c1995

Comic relief. / Eureka, CA : Page One Publishers & Bookworks, c1989-

The comics that ate my brain / Newbury Park, Calif. : Mailbu Graphics, Inc., 1991.

Cornell, Paul. True story / New York : Marvel, 2009.

Crane, Jordan, 1973- Uptight no. 1 / Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics, 2006-

Crispin, A. C. Star trek : enter the wolves / La Jolla, CA : Wildstorm Productions, 2001

Daly, Joe, 1979- Scrublands / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2006.

Dark Horse twenty years. / Milwaukie, Ore. : Dark Horse Comics, c2006.

DeFilippis, Nunzio. Once in a blue moon. Vol. I / Portland, OR : ONI Press, 2004.

Denton, Shannon Eric. Tabula Rasa / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2006.

Disney Adventures presents Comic Zone. / New York : Random House Children's Books, 2005.

Dysart, Josh. Unknown soldier. [2], Easy kill / New York : DC Comics, c2010.

Edge vols. 1-13 / Oldsmar, Fla. : CrossGeneration Comics, c2002-

Edginton, Ian. Kane & Lynch / New York : DC Comics, c2011.

Eldred, Tim. Broid no.1 / Newbury Park, CA : Eternity Comics, 1990.

Ellis, Warren. Dark blue / Urbana, IL : Avatar Press, 2006.

Emissary. nos. 1-6 / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2006-

Espinosa, Rod. Battle Girlz. Pocket manga #1 / San Antonio, TX : Antarctic Press, 2004.

Espinosa, Rod. The prince of heroes v. 1 / San Antonio, Tex. : Antarctic Press, c2008-

The Eternals. nos. 6-7 / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics Group, c1976-

Faraci, Tito. Daredevil & Captain America : dead on arrival / New York : Marvel Pub., 2008.

Fernandez, Fernando, 1940- Bram Stoker's Dracula / New York : Del Ray Books, 2005.

The forbidden sands of Anauroch. Chapter one / [S.l.] : Twenty First Century Comics, [2000-]

Forge vols. 1-13 / Oldsmar, Fla. : CrossGeneration Comics, c2002-

Frank, Steve L. Zombies vs cheerleaders / Calumet City, IL : Moonstone, c2010.

Fringe : tales from the Fringe. / New York : DC Comics, c2011.

Gage, Christos. Dante's inferno / La Jolla, CA : WildStorm, 2010.

Gerber, Steve, 1947-2008. Stewart the rat / New York : Eclipse Enterprises, 1980.

Gibbons, Dave, 1949- Captain America : Cap lives / New York, NY : Marvel Comics, c2004.

Gibbons, Dave, 1949- Thunderbolt Jaxon nos. 1-5 / La Jolla, CA : WildStorm Productions, 2006.

Giffen, Keith. Hero squared / Los Angeles, CA : Boom! Studios, 2006.

Gischler, Victor, 1969- The death of Dracula / New York, NY : Marvel Worldwide, c2010

Golden, Christopher. Star Trek the Next Generation : Embrace the wolf / La Jolla, Calif. : WildStorm Productions, 2000.

Goodwin, Archie. The official comics adaptation of Star wars, return of the Jedi / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics Group, c1983.

Gray, Justin. The tattered man / Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, 2011.

Greenberger, Robert. The essential Batman encyclopedia / New York : Del Rey/DC/Ballantine Books, c2008.

Gross, Allan. Cryptozoo crew nos. 1-3 / New York : NBM Pub., 2005-

Guggenheim, Marc. Civil war : Wolverine / New York : Marvel Comics, c2007

Gumby free comic book day special. / Walnut Creek, Calif. : Wildcard Ink, 2007.

Hancock, Larry, 1954- Suburban nightmares. The science experiment / New York, N.Y. : NBM Pub., 1990.

Harper, Charise Mericle. Fashion Kitty / New York : Hyperion Paperbacks for Children, c2005.

Harris, Micah S. Lorna : relic wrangler / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2011

Hartzell, Andy. Bread & circuses no. 1 / Las Vegas, NV : Moe Press, c1995.

Heinberg, Allan. Young avengers. vols. 1-2 / New York : Marvel Comics, c2005-

Herriman, George, 1880-1944. Geo. Herriman's Krazy + Ignatz v. 5 : 1920 / Forestville, CA : Eclipse Books/Turtle Island Foundation, 1988-

Herriman, George, 1880-1944. Krazy & Ignatz : "love letters in ancient brick" : continuing the complete full-page comic strips, 1927-1928 / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2008.

Herriman, George, 1880-1944. Krazy & Ignatz : the "Krazy Kat" dailies, daily strips 1/1/1921-12/31/1921 / [S.l.] : Pacific Comics Club, c2003.

Herriman, George, 1880-1944. Krazy Kat : the "Krazy Kat" dailies : all the daily strips from 1923 / Long Beach, California : Pacific Comics Club, c2005.

Holguin, Brian. Spawn : Godslayer / Berkeley, CA : Image Comics, 2006.

Holkins, Jerry. Penny arcade / Milwaukie, Or. : Dark Horse, 2005.

Howard the Duck. nos. 1-4 / New York, NY : Marvel Publishing, 2007-2008.

Huizenga, Kevin, 1977- The wild kingdom : starring Glenn Ganges / Montréal : Drawn & Quarterly ; New York : Distributed in the USA by Farrar, Straus and Giroux ; Vancouver : Distributed in Canada by Raincoast Books, 2010.

John Carter warlord of Mars. nos. 3-4 / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, 1977-1979.

Johns, Geoff, 1973- The Flash, blitz / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2004

Jughead : bronze age series / [Brooklyn, N.Y.] : Graphic Imaging Technology, c2008.

Kamachi, Kazuma. A certain scientific railgun. Vol. 1 / [Los Angeles] : Seven Seas Entertainment, 2011.

Karlin, Nurit. No comment : cartoons / New York : Scribner, c1978.

Kay, Stan. The Muppets take Manhattan / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics Group, c1984.

Kids' liberation coloring book. / San Francisco, CA : Last Gasp, c1971.

Kiefer, H. C. (Henry Carl), 1890-1957. King Solomon's mines / New York : Gilberton, 1952.

Killraven. / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, 2001.

Knaak, Richard A. World of Warcraft : shadow wing vols. 1-2 / Hamburg ; Los Angeles, Calif. : Tokyopop, 2010-

Kuroda, Kenji. Phoenix Wright, ace attorney. Volume 1 / New York : Kodansha Comics, c2011.

Lee, Stan, 1922- Stan Lee meets Doctor Strange. / New York : Marvel Pub., 2006.

Lee, Stan. Spider-man kingpin to the death / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics, 1997.

Lewis, A. David, 1977- Mortal coils : bodylines / Arlington, VA : Caption Box/Red Eye Press, c2004-

Lex, Jasen. The science fair nos. 1-4 / San Antonio : Antarctic Press, 2005.

Lichius, Ben. The black coat : a call to arms / San Diego, CA : Ape Entertainment, 2006.

Lobdell, Scott. Galaxy quest : global warning! nos. 1-5 / San Diego, CA : IDW Pub., 2008-

Loux, Matthew. SideScrollers / Portland, Or. : Oni ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2006.

Maltaite, Eric. The 1001 nights of Scheherazade / New York : Eurotica, c2001.

Mami, Itou. Maleficarum / Thornhill, Ont. : Udon ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010.

Marvel year-in-review ... 1989-1992 / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics.

McKeever, Sean. Gravity nos. 1-5 / New York : Marvel, 2005

McKeever, Sean. Nomad. Girl without a world / New York : Marvel Worldwide, 2010.

Millar, Mark. Wanted : dossier / Orange, Calif. : Image Comics, Inc., 2004.

Millar, Mark. Wanted nos. 1-6 / Los Angeles, Calif. : Top Cow Productions ; Berkeley : Image Comics, 2003-

Miller, Daniel. Creased v. 1 / Orange, Calif. : Image Comics, 2004-

Moore, Stuart. Stuart Moore's Para. nos. 1-6 / Houston, TX : Penny-Farthing Press, 2004.

Morimoto, Sango, 1955- Taro and the carnival of doom / San Francisco, CA : VizKids, 2011.

Murder by Crowquill / Cleveland Heights, OH : Amazing Montage Press, c1999.

Mystery in space. nos. 1-8 / New York, NY : DC Comics, 2006-2007.

The mystic hands of Doctor Strange no. 1 / New York : Marvel Worldwide, 2010.

Nakahira, Masahiko. Street fighter alpha. Volume 2 / Richmond Hill, Ont., Canada : Udon, c2007.

Niles, Steve. 30 days of night : return to Barrow / San Diego, CA : IDW Pub., c2004.

Niles, Steve. 30 days of night / San Diego, CA : Idea & Design Works, LLC, c2003.

Nocenti, Ann. Daredevil : Typhoid Mary / New York : Marvel Comics, c2003.

O'Neil, Dennis, 1939- Batman : tales of the demon. / New York, NY : Warner Books, [1992]

Ogilvie, Michael. Hugs : bloodpond / [S.l. : s.n.], 2007.

Oh, comics!. no. 15 / Dublin, OH : Corby Visual Productions.

Oliver, Jose. Young Lovecraft / Philadelphia, PA : KettleDrummer Books, 2009.

Pak, Greg. The Incredible Hulks. Planet savage / New York, NY : Marvel Worldwide, c2011.

Paszkiewicz, Douglas. The thousand deaths of Baron Von Donut / [Milwaukee, WI] : Arsenic Lullaby Pub., c2004.

Reed, Gary, 1956- Bram Stoker's Dracula : the graphic novel / New York : Puffin, 2006.

Rhine, Robert Steven, 1958- Robert Steven Rhine presents Satan's 3-ring circus of Hell / Watertown, CT : Asylum Press, 2005.

The rising stars of manga : United Kingdom and Ireland. Vol. 1. / Los Angeles, CA : Tokyopop, 2006.

The rising stars of manga. vols. 5-6 / Los Angeles : Tokyopop, c2003-

Robinson, James. Illegal alien / Northampton, MA : Kitchen Sink Press, c1994.

Rubenfeld, Jesse. Into the dust nos. 1-2 / [S.l. : Tool Publications], c2007-

Rucka, Greg. Batman : death and the maidens / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2004.

Saltares, Javier. David's mighty men / La Mesa, CA : Alias Enterprises/Community Comics, 2005.

Sawai, Yoshio. Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo. vols. 3-4 / San Francisco, CA : Viz Media, [2008-]

Schulz, Charles M. (Charles Monroe), 1922-2000. Classroom Peanuts / New York, N.Y. : Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, c1982.

Schulz, Charles M. (Charles Monroe), 1922-2000. Kiss her, you blockhead! / New York : Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1983.

Schulz, Charles M. (Charles Monroe), 1922-2000. You're weird, sir! / New York : Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 1982.

Seagle, Steven T. Green Lantern : brightest day, blackest night / New York : DC Comics, c2002.

Sekikawa, Natsuo. Hotel Harbour View / San Francisco, Calif. : Viz Spectrum Ed., 1990.

Sempé, 1932- Displays of affection / New York : Workman Pub., c1981.

Sen, Jai. Garlands of moonlight / [Delhi, N.Y.] : Shoto Press, c2002.

Sen, Jai. The ghost of Silver Cliff / [Delhi, NY] : Shoto Press, c2002.

Sim, Dave, 1956- Dave Sim-- the Usenet interview / [Kitchener, Ont. : Aardvark-Vanaheim], c1992.

Simonson, Walter. The official comics adaptation of Raiders of the lost ark / New York, N.Y. : Marvel Comics Group, c1981.

Siu-Chong, Ken. Street Fighter legends v. 2. Chun-Li / Richmond Hill, ONT : Udon Entertainment, 2006-

Smith, John. Devlin Waugh : swimming in blood / New York : DC Comics, c2004.

Smith, John. Red tide / New York : DC Comics, c2005.

Sonic select. Book one / Mamaroneck, NY : Archie Comic Publications, 2008.

Sonic select. Book three / Mamaroneck, NY : Archie Comic Publications, 2010.

Sonic select. Book two / Mamaroneck, NY : Archie Comic Publications, 2008.

Spellbinders. nos. 1-6 / New York, NY : Marvel Comics, 2005.

Staros, Chris. Staros report. 1996, 1997 / [S.l. : The StarHouse, 1994-

Steinberg, David, 1962- Game on! / New York : Grosset & Dunlap, c2009.

Straczynski, J. Michael, 1954- Thor. [vol.2] / New York : Marvel Publishing, 2009.

Sutton, Ward. Tales of ambition. #1 / [S.l.] : Entertainment Weekly, [200-]

Taddeo, John. Zoom suit. nos. 1-4 / Boca Raton, Fla. : Superverse, 2006-

Tales of the Green Hornet. nos. 1-2 / Chicago, IL. : Now Comics, 1990-

Telgemeier, Raina. Mary Anne saves the day : a graphic novel / New York : Graphix, 2007.

TenNapel, Doug. Creature Tech / Berkeley, Calif. : Image ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2010

Terasawa, Buichi, 1955- Goku : Midnight eye vols. 1-3 / Fremont, CA : ComicsOne Corp., c2001.

Thomas, John Rhett. Moon Knight saga / New York : Marvel Comics, p2009.

Toma. X diary / Jersey City, NJ : Netcomics, 2006.

Tommaso, Rich. Miriam issue 1 / Gainesville, Fla. : Alternative Comics ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2007.

Toole, Fred. Paul, God's traveler / Waco, Texas : Word Books, 1980.

Torres, J., 1969- Wall-E : Recharge / Los Angeles, CA : BOOM Kids!, 2010.

Vitaliano, Fausto. Double Duck. [Book 1] / Los Angeles : Boom Kids!, 2010.

Voltaire, 1967- The book of deady. Vol. 1 / Unadilla, N.Y. : Sirius ; London : Diamond [distributor], [2006], c2004.

W.I.T.C.H. graphic novel. nos. 1-4 / New York : Volo, c2005-

Waid, Mark, 1962- Strange. The doctor is out! / New York : Marvel Worldwide, Inc., 2010.

Waid, Mark. Incorruptible vols. 1-2, 4 / Los Angeles, CA : Boom! Studios, 2010-

Wakasugi, Kiminori. Detroit Metal City. 1 / San Francisco, Calif. : Viz Media, 2009.

War of kings saga / New York, NY : Marvel Publishing, 2009.

Warcraft : Legends vols. 2-5 / Los Angeles, CA : Tokyopop, c2008-

Ward, Lynd, 1905-1985. Lynd Ward / New York, N. Y. : Library of America, 2010.

What were they thinking?!. [Vol. 1] / Los Angeles, CA : Boom! Studios, 2006.

Winick, Judd. Batman under the hood vols. 1-2 / New York : DC Comics, c2005-

Winick, Judd. Love on the lam / New York, NY : DC Comics, c2001.

Winick, Judd. The trials of Shazam! nos. 1-12 / New York, NY : DC Comics, 2006-

The Wizard WildStorm special. / Congers, NY : Wizard, c1999.

Wizard Witchblade special. / Congers, NY : Wizard Entertainment, c1998.

Young, Janine Ellen. Star Trek voyager. Avalon rising / La Jolla, CA. : WildStorm Productions, 2000.


As always, this listing is available as an RSS Feed.

Sure Is Quiet...

Hey IITS Readers,

Just a quick project update since I noticed I hadn't posted in awhile. We're in the middle of making some pretty substantial changes to the Kayli in-game model, which will then need to be re-rigged and also needs a facial rig for facial animations, and finally...I'm pretty close to finding a VO actress for the role of Kayli! More on that soon, hopefully. =)

Thanks for stopping by!

- Joseph

DCnU Reviews, Week 2: Batman and Robin; Batwoman

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Batman and Robin #1
by Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason & Mick Gray

Original Rank/Assessment: 24 (Maybe/Provisional) - If this can maintain the punch and action I expect, then I'll stick around.

The last time we had a first issue of Batman and Robin it was by Morrison & Quitely, and they quite simply knocked my socks off. Tomasi & Gleason can't match that, but then I wasn't really expecting them to. They do perfectly fine job here, establishing the plot and characters and the new status quo while inserting plenty of action. However, I found the coloring to be too dark (yes, even for a Batman title!) And a plot point bothered me: While Gleason was absolutely correct to depict the research reactor at Gotham U. as a swimming pool reactor (I visited the one in the building next door to where I work, back before they dismantled it a few years ago...), there's a reason why security is light at such reactors: there is nothing there worth stealing! That aside, I'm interested enough to stick around through the first arc; after that, we'll see.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Batwoman #1
by J. H. Williams III & W. Haden Blackman

Original Rank/Assessment:  3 (Definitely Yes) - Finally! And with Williams switching off story arcs with Amy Reeder, this will likely be the best looking book on DC's slate.

One of the most anticipated of the New 52, the first issue of Batwoman finally sees the light of day after several delays. A handful of changes will obviously have to be made to align the story with the new reality; the most major here being the recasting of Maggie Sawyer from a captain to just a detective, which should change the dynamics of her relationship with Kate Kane somewhat. Oddly other key plot points are not adjusted, notably Bette's former career as a Teen Titan. It's probably best to just ignore such things and go with it. Last month the book our graphic narrative discussion group discussed by Batwoman: Elegy, and while I liked it a lot before we discussed it, after our discussion I really really liked it. That book had layers and there was plenty to sink our teeth into. So I was very interested to see how Willaims & Blackman would do taking over the writing duties from Rucka. They do a good job. It won't be the same book as it would have been with Rucka at the helm, but it still looks fantastic and is easily one of the strong entries in the DCnU. So far so good, and I have no reason to expect anything less from the forthcoming issues.

Rating: 4 (of 5).

DCnU Reviews, Week 2: Demon Knights; Frankenstein; Resurrection Man

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Demon Knights #1
by Paul Cornell, Diogenes Neves & Oclair Albert

Original Rank/Assessment: 19 (Yes, with Reservations) - Again, not sure about the premise, but Paul Cornell hasn't let me down yet.

Set in medieval time, in the Dark Ages following the fall of Camelot, this is DC's medieval Justice League, featuring The Demon, Madame Xanadu, The Shining Knight, Vandal Savage, and others. This issue is the start of their origin, with the principles meeting in a bar brawl, which is such a cliché that it is humorous and an indication that thankfully this comic won't be taking itself too seriously. If I'm disappointed at all it is that Mme. Xanadu's character is not the same as in her recent Vertigo series, but this new version does have a level of snark that may grow on me. The art is clear and clean and it is surprisingly colorful. Not yet a must-read, but it is a good solid comic with the potential to be a lot of fun.

Rating: 3 (of 5).

Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E. #1
by Jeff Lemire & Alberto Ponticelli

Original Rank/Assessment: 4 (Definitely Yes) - This looks to possibly be twenty pages of four-color awesome every month.

Frankenstein's monster leads a team of Creature Commandos based on old Hollywood movie monsters (vampire, mummy, werewolf, etc.) to fight the strange and unusual. Fun concept (if a bit reminiscent of Hellboy) and good execution. I like my comics full of crazy super science concepts and monsters fighting and this comic delivers the goods. I was unsure about Ponticelli's art at first as it doesn't quite fit with the super science stuff at the beginning, but when we got to Frankenstein and his crew laying the smackdown on the giant monsters invading a small town, I was completely sold; Ponticelli draws great monsters!

Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

Resurrection Man #1
by Dan Abnet, Andy Lanning, & Fernando Dagnino

Original Rank/Assessment: 35 (Maybe/Provisional) - I never really read this the first go-around, but the premise always struck me as interesting.

I still find the premise intriguing: Every time Mitch Shelley dies, he comes back to life with a different super power. As such, Mitch is a very reluctant hero, visited by a new compulsion when he is reborn with new powers. This new first issue introduces the title character and his situation and manages to get in some action as well, but I found Dagnino's art to be inconsistent and at times detrimental to good flow; there's a rushed feeling to the whole affair (maybe a separate inker would help?)

Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

DCnU Reviews, Week 2: Deathstroke; Grifter; Suicide Squad

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Deathstroke #1
by Kyle Higgins, Joe Bennett & Art Thibert

Original Rank/Assessment:  50 (Definitely No) - Absolutely no appeal here.

One of the charms of the old version of Deathstroke is that while Slade Wilson was an assassin-for-hire, he also fancied himself a gentleman and worked by a code of ethics. This DCnU version seems to jettisoned all of that, leaving Slade as simply a cold-blooded killer. Maybe they're eventually working their way to Slade changing what he is, but what we're left with now is a comic that just revels in violence with a protagonist who is as uninteresting and he is uncharming. There may be some who want to read this sort of comic, but I suspect even they will find this particular comic lacking.

Rating: 1.5 (of 5).

Grifter #1
by Nathan Edmondson, Cafu & Jason Gorder

Original Rank/Assessment:  40 (Probably Not) - Nothing much exciting here for this Wildstorm transplant.

Cole Cash is a former special forces soldier turned confidence man, now seemingly haunted by the voices of mysterious creatures (Daemonites?) who are hunting him for unknown reasons. There's plenty of action and some exposition, though I had some troubles following the transitions. This could evolve into an interesting title if they decide to focus on Cash's con man side, but it's not quite there yet. In the 'protagonists who carry guns and shoot people' it's miles ahead of Deathstroke (but that's fairly easy to do).

Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Suicide Squad #1
by Adam Glass, Federico Dallocchio & Ransom Getty

Original Rank/Assessment:  37 (Maybe/Provisional) - One of my favorite high-concepts ever in comics returns, but everything about that cover screams at me to stay away.

Another comic that seems to revel in violence, in this case torture, shootings, people being burned alive, etc. Granted, we're talking about bad guys doing bad things and having bad things done to them, but that seems a thin excuse. The Suicide Squad's core concept, villains enlisted against their will to work for the state, is one that is ripe with conflict and potential. But so far this new iteration seems to be throwing all that potential away in favor of an excuse for violence. And I haven't even touched on the unnecessary visual changes to Harley Quinn & Amanda Waller; others have already taken care of those angles so I won't dwell on them here. If you're looking for a good version of the Suicide Squad, go dig out the old John Ostrander-written issues; or go buy Marvel's Thunderbolts, where Jeff Parker has taken the SS concept to the Marvel universe nearly whole-cloth, but at least understands it's potential and how to use it. So far, DC's new Suicide Squad is failing.

Rating: 2 (of 5).

DCnU Reviews, Week 2: Legion Lost; Mister Terrific; Superboy

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Legion Lost #1
by Fabian Nicieza & Pete Woods

Original Rank/Assessment: 26 (Maybe/Provisional) - Yet another Legion in their past/our present story? But I like Pete Woods, so I'll check it out.

The set-up has been done before: members of the Legion of Super-Heroes travel back in time to the present day and find themselves trapped here. So it all comes down to the execution. This time around, the Legionnaires are after a time-traveling terrorist with a bio-weapon, and they find that their futuristic technology is for unknown reasons failing. I'm not sure how new readers will react to the introductions of these mostly second-tier Legionnaires, but as I've been reading Legion stories for nearly thirty years I didn't have any difficulties. Fabian Nicieza has never been one of the most exciting comics writers, but he always turns in a solid super-hero story and does the same here. Pete Woods seems to have modified his style a bit here with his lines seeming somewhat thicker than I remember, but he's still a very good storyteller. So this is pretty much what I expected, though I'm not sure how long the premise will be able to hold up.

Rating: 3 (of 5).

Mister Terrific #1
by Eric Wallace, Gianluca Gugliotta & Wayne Faucher


Original Rank/Assessment: 22 (Maybe/Provisional) - Like the character and the idea of his headlining a series, not too enthused by what I've seen from writer Eric Wallace in the past.

I was interested to see how the modern Mister Terrific would work outside of his context as a JSA legacy character. Then Karen Starr (formerly the secret identity of Power Girl, anothehr JSA'er) showed up, and it started me thinking: We know that DC have a Justice Society comic in the works, set on a new version of the alternate Earth-2. What if this new Mister Terrific comic is also set on Earth-2, and they just haven't explicitly cued us in on that fact? There's nothing here to indicate that it is set on the same world as all of the other DCnU titles. And then there's the gold DC Comics logo on the cover, different from any of the other logos (Gold = Golden Age = JSA ???) It makes me wonder if DC are being sneaky here... As for the comic itself, I think it's an odd choice to have your main character become a mind-controlled pawn in his first issue, and I'm not enthused by Gugliotta's art, which I find to be quite inconsistent. But I still fundamentally like the character so I'll stick around for a couple more issues to see how things progress.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Superboy #1
by Scott Lobdell, R. B. Silva & Rob Lean

Original Rank/Assessment: 43 (Probably Not) - Looks like they're throwing away all the Superboy continuity. I really liked with Jeff Lemire was doing with the character, so this looks like a huge step back. The new creative team doesn't much appeal either.

Another comic that turned out better than I thought it would. I still think it's sad that Lemire's Superboy comic was cut short by the coming of the new DCU. But getting over that and viewing this new Superboy comic on its own terms, it comes off surprisingly well. Fundamentally we still have Superboy as a vat-grown clone combining Superman & Lex Luthor's DNA, but his origin jettisons the original's "Death of Superman" tie-in and is now more closely aligning with that of the Superboy from the current Young Justice cartoon. And I was wrong is my assessment of the creative team as well. Lobdell's story does a good job of introducing the situation and characters and even pulls off an effective fake-out in the middle section. I also like the clean look of the art from Silva & Lean and the colors from the Horries blend well with the line art. So while I'm still not completely sold and it could go wring when Superboy is finally released into the outside world, I like what I see so far.

Rating: 3 (of 5).

DCnU Reviews, Week 2: Green Lantern; Red Lanterns

(Back in June when the new DCU titles were announced, I ranked all 52 titles on my likelihood of buying them. Only fair then to look back and see if my initial assessments hold up. My plan is to review each of the new titles as they come out.)

Green Lantern #1
by Geoff Johns, Doug Mahnke & Christian Alamy

Original Rank/Assessment: 14 (Yes, with Reservations) - Looks like business as usual, so I'll likely stick around for a while.

We were told that the Green Lantern titles would be some of the least changed in the new DCU, and they apparently meant it. This could just as easily been Green Lantern #68, picking up pretty much right where the "War of the Green Lanterns" story ended. That's not to say there aren't changes; at the end of "War" Sinestro had been granted a Green Lantern ring and Hal Jordan is ringless and dumped back on Earth.  The issue opens with the Guardians telling Sinestro that as long as he has a green ring, they expect him to act like a Green Lantern, and he learns that it can be hard to go home again. Back on Earth, Hal gets to show that it's not the ring that makes him a hero and he tries to patch things up with Carol Ferris, but in both cases he proves to be a bit tone deaf to the world and people around him. If you liked Johns' Green Lantern before (and a lot of people did) this is more of the same.

Rating: 3 (of 5).

Red Lanterns #1
by Peter Milligan, Ed Benes & Rob Hunter

Original Rank/Assessment: 45 (Probably Not) - I really don't think that I need twenty pages of characters vomiting blood each month.

For a minute there I thought they were going to pull off the impossible. This first issue opens with a scene featuring Dex-Starr, the Red Lantern kitteh, taking out his rage on a group of torturing scumbags, including an awesome two-page splash. But after the opening, things went down-hill. There was too much recap, too much of Atrocious standing around and posturing. The Earth-bound scenes seem to be pointing the way towards the origin of a human Red Lantern, but that needs to be clearer and/or happen faster for the first issue. (On the plus side, the Earth-based pages allow colorist Nathan Eyring to give his red crayon a well-needed rest.) Based on the opening, I would totally read a comic that starred Dex-Starr, but the rest of these Red Lanterns just kind of bore me.

Rating: 2.5 (of 5).

Epoch #1 (of 05) [First Issue's Day]

Epoch #1 (of 05)
2011 | English | 26 pages | CBR | 23.2MB
THE GREATEST TOURNAMENT THE WORLD HAS NEVER SEEN BEGINS ANEW! Top Cow Productions and Heroes and Villains Entertainment proudly present a dark and intensely kinetic tale from writer KEVIN McCARTHY (Red Sonja, The Amazing Adventures of the Escapist) and newcomer PAOLO PANTALENA (What If?: House of M, War of Kings: Darkhawk). Jonah Bishop is an NYPD detective assigned to a mysterious murder case that threatens to rip the reality he knows and plunge him into the shadow world of his heritage--the Supernatural. Jonah's quest will drop him deep in the middle of a conspiracy that threatens to tear apart the very fabric of society.
Download MIRROR #1

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