Christmas Covers - December 16

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Comic Cover Advent Calendar. Just move your mouse over the image to reveal today's special Holiday comic cover. Click on the image to get a larger version from GCD.



Today's cover is 1947's Walt Disney's Comics and Stories #76. We once again have a cover by the legendary Walt Kelly, this time depicting those lovable scamps Huey, Duey & Louie attempting to help their Unca Donald fill-in for Santa.



Just 9 more 'get-ups' until Santa!



(You can find more comic cover Advent calendars at Polite Dissent and Raw Feed.)

Christmas Covers - December 15

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Comic Cover Advent Calendar. Just move your mouse over the image to reveal today's special Holiday comic cover. Click on the image to get a larger version from GCD.

Today's cover is 1948's Batman #45. Artist Win Mortimer shows that even when Batman & Robin have been transformed into hideous half-snake creatures, they can still find the time to take a break from their busy crime-fighting schedule to deliver presents to upper-middle class suburban families. (I guess when you're Billionaire Bruce Wayne, just about everybody is less fortunate than you.)

Just 10 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(You can find more comic cover Advent calendars at Polite Dissent and Raw Feed.)

Christmas Mix

Gordon at Blog THIS, Pal! wants to start a meme for Christmas Music mixes, and I'm more than happy to oblige.



Here then is my personal in-the-car Christmas 2004 mix:



Disc 1



1 Christmas Time Is Here - Ivy

2 O Come All Ye Faithful - Jeremy Camp

3 Emmanuel - Alathea

4 Little Drummer Boy - Martha's Trouble

5 Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Martina Sorbara

6 I'll Be Home for Christmas - Nickel Creek

7 Frosty the Snowman - Fiona Apple

8 A New York Christmas - Rob Thomas

9 O Holy Night - Avril Lavigne & Chantal Kreviazuk

10 Some Children See Him - Alice Tatum

11 Maybe This Christmas - Ron Sexsmith

12 O Come, O Come, Emmanuel - Belle and Sebastian

13 It Came Upon Midnight Clear - Sixpence None The Richer

14 Carol of the Bells - The Calling

15 Christ Child's Lullaby - Kathy Mattea

16 Holy Emmanuel - Terry Scott Taylor

17 Aspen Glow - Love Spirals

18 It's Christmas Eve - Barbara Bailey Hutchison

19 This Christmas - Ashanti

20 Silver Bells - Rockapella

21 Red Lights (Merry Christmas) - Dreams So Real

22 Christmas for Cowboys - Jars of Clay

23 Same Old Christmas - Hilary Duff & Haylie Duff

24 Last Christmas - Sarge





Disc 2



1 This Time of Year - The Mighty Mighty Bosstones

2 Baby, It's Cold Outside - Jessica Simpson & Nick Lachey

3 I Can't Wait for Christmas - Mindi Abair

4 Glad It's Christmastime - Universal Honey

5 Elf's Lament - Barenaked Ladies feat. Michael Bublé

6 Santa Claus Is Coming to Town - Chris Isaak

7 Donde Esta Santa Claus? - Guster

8 Christmas - Cowboy & Spin Girl, Donna Esposito & Frank Bednash

9 Family Christmas - Lizzie West

10 Christmas - Leona Naess

11 The Christmas Song - The Ravonettes

12 The Christmas Song - Drea Ryding

13 The Holly and the Ivy - Iberis

14 Do You Hear What I Hear - Copeland

15 Joy to the World - Vanessa Williams & Brian McKnight

16 Little Drummer Girl - Alicia Keys

17 God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen - Rascal Flatts

18 The Christmas Shoes - 3 of Hearts

19 Christmas Song - Lizanne Knott

20 Mr. Christmas - Joe Diffie

21 Christmas Wish - NRBQ

22 Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas - Kortney Kayle

23 Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (Red Baron Remix) - Berlin Symphony Orchestra

24 Angels We Have Heard on High - Da'dra Crawford, Carl Marsh, Monroe Jones, Nee-C Walls

Yes! Yes! Yes!

The greatest Marvel solicitations text ever:

Do you like Ninjas? Do you like zombies? Do you like Wolverine? Would you like to see Wolverine fight ninjas and zombies? THIS IS THE BOOK FOR YOU!!!

(Thanks to BeaucoupKevin for the link and the quote.)

New This Week: December 15, 2004

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:



The Pick of the Week is Thieves & Kings, vol. 5: The Winter Book from Mark Oakley & I Box. If you're looking for something to fill the fantasy void left by the ending of Bone, you should definitely check out M'Oak's Thieves & Kings. It's the story of Rubel, a young thief who is caught up in royal intrigue and a 1000-year-old war between sorcerers. The story is told in a combination of comics pages and illustrated prose passages. The Winter Book collects issues 37-45 of the series, so if you haven't read any Thieves & Kings before you may wish to start at the beginning with the first volume (The Red book).



In other comics:



Abstract has the third Strangers In Paradise Pocket volume.



Bighead has the Probablity Broach GN, adapting L. Neil Smith's novel of a Libertarian utopia.



DC has new issues of Adventures of Superman (#635), Birds of Prey (#77), Ex Machina (#7), Ocean (#3), Plastic Man (#13), the first issue of Trigger, a second White Lama volume, and the final issue of a little-known mini-series called Identity Crisis (#7).



Fantagraphics has another Krazy Kat compilation: Krazy & Ignatz 1933-34 Necromancy By The Blue Bean Bush.



Marvel has the first collected volume of Joss Whedon & John Cassaday's Astonishing X-Men; the seventh Powers collection (Forever), and new issues of Daredevil (#68), Fantastic Four (#521), Madrox (#4), and Ultimate Spider-Man (#70).



Random House has the new American Splendor collection, Our Movie Year.



Scary-Go-Round is making several titles available via Cold Cut, including the sublime Girl Spy!



Viz has three second editions of manga volumes in case you missed them the first time around: Banana Fish, vol. 5; Maison Ikkoku, vol. 8; and Phoenix, vol. 2.





Another light week, so attend to your slush pile and use your saved pennies to buy your mom a nice present.

Quick GN Reviews

Saint Legend, vol. 1

by Andy Seto

Alien demons threaten humanity, and only the Eight Immortals--former humans with the powers of gods--stand in their way. The art by Seto is great, with exciting action and vibrant colors, and the large format of this collection allows it to shine. The story, alas, is total tosh. It has all the depth of an early Image comic, with super-powered being showing up, posing, and fighting each other. It also reminds me of The First from CrossGen, which also featured mega-powered immortals fighting. It's just that the art is a heck of a lot better.

Rating: 2 (of 5)




Marvel Knights 4, vol. 1: Wolf at the Door

by Roberto Aguire-Sacasa, Steve McNiven & Mark Morales

The underlying plot--the Fantastic Four lose their fortune and have to take jobs like normal people--is entirely ridiculous. But since that was handed down by editorial decree, you can't really blame Aguire-Sacasa for it. Thankfully he makes the best out of a bad situation, and except for that lapse in the plot he writes a very good Fantasic Four, getting their personalities and interactions down well. The art by McNiven & Morales with colorist Morry Hollowell is, well, fantastic. Lots of detail and energetic when it needs to be. This could have been much worse, but the creative team rises to the occasion.

Rating: 3 (of 5)




Egg Story

by J. Marc Schmidt

Sad and joyful, playful and terrifying. Egg Story is the story of Feather & Five Spots, two young eggs who are ripped away from their home soon after being layed. They are gathered together with four other eggs in a carton and purchased by Julie, who stores them in her refrigerator. When Julie leaves on a trip, they escape and try to live their lives as free eggs. It's a sometimes funny and soemtimes touching story about the human condition, with a dollop of eggistential angst. It's a story that has a lot of heart. And eggs. And a ninja.

Rating: 3.5 (of 5)

Christmas Covers - December 14

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Comic Cover Advent Calendar. Just move your mouse over the image to reveal today's special Holiday comic cover. Click on the image to get a larger version from GCD.



Today's cover is 1961's Sugar and Spike #32. The cover by Sheldon Mayer has the youngsters pondering one of the holiday's essential mysteries.



Just 11 more 'get-ups' until Santa!