New Library Comics: Week of September 26, 2005

Here are the comics we got in for our library collection last week:



Alltagsspionage : Comicreportagen aus Berlin /Berlin : Monogatari, 2001.

Flix. Sag was /Hamburg : Carlsen Verlag, 2004.

Hickee /Gainesville, FL : Alternative Comics, [2003]-

Hornschemeier, Paul. Forlorn funnies /Lincoln, Calif. : Absence of Ink, 2003. no. 2-3

Lutes, Jason. Berlin : steinerne Stadt /Hamburg : Carlsen Verlag, 2003.

Mawil. Berg Hasi : ein steiles downhill-comic /Berlin : Monogatari, 2001.

Mawil. Geschichten aus dem Comicgarten / Mawil, Michalke, Kleist ... [et al.].Berlin : Berlin Comix, 2002.

Messner-Loebs, William. Amazonia : a tale of the Wonder Woman /New York, NY : DC Comics, c1997.

Munoz. Joe's Bar /New York : Catalan Communications, c1987.

Munoz. Le poete /Wissous, France : Amok, 1999.

Ngui, Marc, 1972- Enter Avariz : [a story /Montreal : Conundrum Press, c2002.

Project: Telstar : a spacial robotic anthology /Richmond, VA : AdHouse Books, c2003.

Rennert, Itzik. Speaking of the Devil /Tel Aviv : Actus Tragicus, 2000.

Ruijters, Marcel. Troglodytes /Atlanta : Top Shelf Productions ; Amsterdam : Oog & Blik, 2004.

Sacks, Adam. Salmon doubts /Gainesville, Fla. : Alternative Comics, c2004.

Zaugg, Judith. Bruno Orso fliegt ins Weltall /Augsburg : Maroverlag, in Zusammenarbeit mit Edition Solitude, 1997.

Review: Dramacon, vol. 1

Dramacon, vol. 1
by Svetlana Chmakova
TokyoPop, $9.99

At her first anime convention, young writer Christie is sharing a booth in artist alley with her artist/boyfriend Derek, but Derek seems to be more interested in flirting with the other girls who come by the table than in paying any attention at all to Christie. Christie is upset, but then she runs into Matt, a cool sunglasses-indoors type who pushes her to confront the reality of her situation.

Dramacon certainly lives up to its name, presenting the kinds of intense, compressed emotional experiences that these events can foster. In Christie, Chmakova has created a flawed but likable character, with emotions that can spin on a dime and the inner life of a teenager that is both simple and complex in a way that only teenagers can be. There are also some witty moments, and Chmakova takes the opportunity to poke fun at her characters when they start taking themselves too seriously. Her art is dynamic and tells the story well, although she employs that shifting SB-type representation that, while common to this sort of manga, I personally find annoying; but it's such a genre convention that I suppose its a given that it will be employed. Most everything works well here, although there's an event near the end that moves the story in a dark direction where it is not prepared to go. It is certainly dramatic, but is ultimately not necessary and the story would have worked just fine without it.

Still, absent that one misstep, this is a highly enjoyable story; it's complete in this one volume, although the next volume will catch up with the same characters a year later at the next convention, hopefully with them all a little older and a little wiser.

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.

After a month of Jungle Girls vs. Apes, we're returning to regular monkey covers. But of course there's nothing 'regular' at all about any monkey cover, and what better way to kick off the month of October than with Titano putting the hurt on Superman on the cover of 1959's Superman #127, drawn by the man himself, Curt Swan, with Stan Kaye on inks. A giant ape with Kryptonite vision--that's still one of the 10 coolest concpets in comics books of all time!

BTW, this story is reprinted in the recently-released Showcase Presents: Superman, vol. 1, along with hundreds of other pages of silver age Superman madness.

(standard disclaimer about apes not really being monkeys applies)

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

The Non-posting Post

Hey, remember when this blog used to have reviews and commentaries and stuff?

You may have noticed a lack of such content recently. Alas, I've been dealing with RSI, a nasty cold, a Symposium over the weekend, and now one of my periodic Work Weeks from Heck. I haven't had much time to read many comics, let alone write about them.

But there's a light at the end of the tunnel. Hopefully next week I'll be able to get back on the ol' comics blogging horse. Until then, please amuse yourself with The Comic Series Wiki.

Yet Another Fantasy League: Week 3 Results

Here are the results from week 3 of Yet Another Fantasy League:


Moon Knights 56
Kickers Inc. 67

www.rickgebhardt.net 68
The Inferior Five 82

Nine Pound Hammers 55
B.P.R.D. 54

Danger Unlimited 40
Power Pack 49

Secret Six 66
Tomorrow Syndicate 102

Inferior 5 plus 6 62
The Maxx Squad 43


Current Standings:

   Team                 W-L-T  Pct    Pts  Streak
   -------------------  -----  -----  ---  ------
1. Inferior 5 plus 6    3-0-0  1.000  201  W-3
2. Nine Pound Hammers   3-0-0  1.000  184  W-3
3. B.P.R.D.             2-1-0   .667  220  L-1
4. Power Pack           2-1-0   .667  189  W-1
5. Kickers Inc.         2-1-0   .667  147  W-1
6. Tomorrow Syndicate   1-2-0   .333  197  W-1
7. Secret Six           1-2-0   .333  189  L-1
8. The Inferior Five    1-2-0   .333  160  W-1
9. Moon Knights         1-2-0   .333  153  L-2
10.The Maxx Squad       1-2-0   .333  152  L-1
11.www.rickgebhardt.net 1-2-0   .333  140  L-1
12.Danger Unlimited     0-3-0   .000  153  L-3

Week 4 Games:

B.P.R.D. (2-1-0)
vs.
Kickers Inc. (2-1-0)

Moon Knights (1-2-0)
vs.
The Inferior Five (1-2-0)

Inferior 5 plus 6 (3-0-0)
vs.
www.rickgebhardt.net (1-2-0)

Nine Pound Hammers (3-0-0)
vs.
Power Pack (2-1-0)

Danger Unlimited (0-3-0)
vs.
Tomorrow Syndicate (1-2-0)

Secret Six (1-2-0)
vs.
The Maxx Squad (1-2-0)




Good luck to all!


In my other Fantasy Leagues, I won 83-41 in my friends & family league (2-1-0, third place), lost 93-70 in my public league (0-3-0, last place), and scored 481.25 points in my Pass & Kick league, to remain in first place. The finals of the playoffs continue in my fantasy basebell league, but as of this morning it's not looking too good (I'm training 8-2).

New This Week: September 28, 2005

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 later today:


The pick of the week is the SPX 2005 Anthology, which is not only a smorgasbord of indy comics stories, but the proceeds go to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. You get good comics, and you help out a good cause. You can't go wrong!


In other comics:


Abiogenesis have Strangehaven #18--which is funny, because the trade collection that included issue #18 came out *last* week...

Antarctic have three pocket manga collections: Chronicles of the Universe: Desperado Brothers, Mighty Tiny, and Gold Digger vol. 6. I'd recommend Mighty Tiny, seeing as it's a fine furry comic by Ben Dunn.

Archie have a new issue of Sabrina (#70).

Dark Horse have BPRD: The Black Flame #2.

DC debut their first two Essential Showcase collections of silver age stories in black and white: Showcase Presents Green Lantern & Showcase Presents Superman. You can also grab new issues of The Authority: The Magnificent Kevin (#2), JLA Classified (#12), Jack Cross (#2), Legion of Super-Heroes (#10), The Losers (#28), Otherworld (#7--last issue before the hiatus), Plastic Man (#18--buy it!), and the final issue of The OMAC Project (#6).

Evil Twin have a new Action Philosophers comic: Self Help For Ugly Loosers.

IDW have Angel: The Curse #4.

Image have a new issue of Invincible (#26) and the first collection for Sea of Red: No Grave but the Sea.

Kenzer & Co. have a new Knights of the Dinner Table (#107).

Marvel debut Black Widow 2, Drax the Destroyer, and Sentry; new issues of Daredevil (#77), Ultimate Spider-Man (#83), and X-Men Kitty Pryde Shadow & Flame (#4); the hardcover Black Panther: Who Is Black Panther collection; and a fourth Runaways digest collection.

Oni debut the Polly & The Pirates mini.


And if all that's not enough, there are 50 new volumes of manga. Yeah, that's right, FIFTY. Way to spread 'em out, guys! Burried in the listings are the OEL debuts: I Luv Halloween, Dramacon, and Steady Beat, all three highly anticipated.

New Library Comics: Week of September 19, 2005

Here are the comics we got in for our library collection last week:


Bennett, Jonathan. Esoteric tales no. 1 /New York : Smallest Press, 2002.

Bennett, Jonathan. Esoteric tales no. 2 /New York : Smallest Press, 2003.

Biggs, Brian. Dear Julia /Montreal, QC : Black Eye Productions, c1996-1997. no. 1-4

Biggs, Brian. Frederick & Eloise : a love story /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books, c1993.

Bipolar /Gainesville, FL : Alternative Comics, [2002]- no. 3-5

Buzzard #19 /Hudson, MA : Cat-Head Comics, c1998.

Harder, Jens. Leviathan /[Angouleme] : Editions de l'An 2, 2003.

Herpich, Tom. Cusp /Gainesville, FL : Alternative Comics, 2003.

Herpich, Tom. Gongwanadon /Gainesville, FL : Alternative Comics, 2004.

Kreitz, Isabel. Die Entdeckung der Currywurst /Hamburg : Carlsen, 2005.

Mainka, Matz. 1928 : eine Hamburger Geschichte /Alicante : Ponent Mon, 2003.

Max, 1956- The extended dream of Mr. D. /Montreal, Que. : Drawn and Quarterly, c1998-1999. no. 1-3

Pepo. Condorito gigante No. 607 /Mexico : Editorial Televisa, [c1988]

Ribon. /Tokyo : Shueisha,. 2001 no. 5, 12; 2002 no. 1-9, 11; 2003 no. 1-10, 12; 2004 no. 1-10

Salazar, Souther. The monster that ate stars /Pasadena, CA : The Author, [200-?]