Undiscovered Gems Day 1

Here are the recommendations I received as entries for the 100 Comics Giveaway Contest; undiscovered gems of which you may not have been aware:

Iris sends the following:

A comic that I would reccomend is a manga (Japanese styled comic, written in english) comic called Crimson Hero its about a 15 year year old girl named Nobara Sumiyoshi who is passionate about volleyball yet her family wants her to inheirt the role of "young mistess" serving rich patrons at her familys old- fashioned Japanese restaurant, instead she tranfers to Crimson Feild High School known for its top notch volley ball team..but her mother is willing to stoop to dirty tricks to keep her off court. Why I reccomend this book among others( which I will email you about) that they are mangas, its a very good book full of struggles, conflicts, and family drama.

Chris Laffoon's choice is:

My choice for a relative unknown but great comic would be, Adventure Comics' Rust #1. True, the comic follows a few cliches. The guy falls into a solution that covers him in metal and he can now control metal. What makes this one different is the fact that he tries to peel the metal off and it HURTS. The metal isn't all shiny and pretty, it's rusted and bent and turns him into more of a monster than say... Colossus or even the Thing made of rock. Also, it's not set in a city like New York or L.A. or Chicago or even some faux city like Gotham (which is just New York with a different name). Rust is set in Kansas City...who in the world would think to set a comic in KC. With all the rail yards and steel mills and pharmaceutical companies it really made sense. I could also be partial because I live in KC... but it's still a great comic.

From Kelly B. we get:

My favorite, underappreciated comic is Finder by Carla Speed McNeil. It's a beautiful piece of work on so many levels. Ms. McNeil has created an amazing, lush environment for her characters to live in and have their stories interlace. She is truly talented in her ability to draw, ink, write and self-publish such an epic series of books. Finder is an examination of modern life mingled with science-fiction and fantasy. I highly recommend it.

And from John Judge:

My pick is out of print, but I checked on eBay and there are stores listing individual issues and the collections of Wandering Star by Teri S. Wood. A black-and-white, self-published sci-fi series with memorable characters and lovely art, Teri completed her series where lesser talents gave up. She also offered excellent retailer support, but she seems to have gotten pushed out in the declining market before her second series, Darklight, really got on a roll. Definitely, she's a talented writer/artist whose work should have received a larger audience.

Thanks to Iris, Chris, Kelly and John for their recommendations; all four have them have been entered into the drawing for the 100 Comics Giveaway, which will be announced next Tuesday. There's still time for you to enter!

New This Week: August 8, 2006

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 Phil & Kaja Foglio's Girl Genius vol. 5. Sure you could read it all online, but wouldn't you rather have it in nice paper in your hands, and also support quality adventure comics? Yes you would!


In other comics:

Alias have a collection of the second Lullaby series, Power Grabber.

Antarctic have a new issue of Ninja High School (#140).

Dark Horse have the second issue of The Escapists.

DC have new issues of 52 (week 14), Fables (#52), Firestorm (#28), A Man Called Kev (#2), The Next (#2), Secret Six (#3), and Superman (#655).

Drawn & Quarterly have a collection of Chester Brown's Louis Riel biography, plus the fourth Drawn & Quarterly Showcase.

IDW have the fifth Legend of Grimjack collection, and the final showdown of Spike vs. Dracula (#5).

Image have a new issue of Negative Burn (#3).

Lost in the Dark collect the Fragile Prophet mini.

Marvel collect the rather good X-Statix Presents Dead Girl mini (which was really also a Dr. Strange mini...); and have new issues of She-Hulk 2 (#10) & Squadron Supreme (#6); plus the second Ultimate Spider-Man Annual.

TokyoPop may have the Star Trek manga (it's not in the NCRL, but is on my DCBS shipping list...)

Viz have new volumes of Banana Fish (vol. 15) and Ranma 1/2 (vol. 35).


Plenty of good trades/GNs this week, plus some good comics too. Enjoy your new comics!

100 Comics Giveaway Contest

It's here! In honor of my 2nd blogiversary next Tuesday (August 15), I'm having the biggest comic giveaway contest in the history of the comics blog-o-sphere! (I believe it is anyway...)

The Grand Prize, as you might expect from the name of the contest, is a selection of 100 Comics. No, I won't tell you what those 100 comics are--that's part of the fun--but trust me when I say that there will be some good stuff in there.

In addition, I'll have additional runners-up prizes of five comics each; for every ten entries I receive, I'll add one runner-up prize package (e.g. if I receive 70 entries, there will be seven runners-up prizes).

So how do you enter? I'm glad you asked!

Simply email me your recommendation of a comic that you think is worthwhile, but that you don't think that very many people have read. What I'd like to do through this contest is give you all the opportunity to share an undiscovered gem with the rest of the comics Intraweb. Thoughout the next week until the end of the contest on the 15th I'll be posting here on YACB the picks that you send me.

Your entry should include:

• Your name (tell me if you wish your name to be used when I post your pick)
  
• Your address (I won't share your address or your email with anyone!)
  
• Your pick, with a sentence or brief paragraph describing why you recommend it.
  
• The phrase '100 Comics' in the subject line
  

On the evening of August 15th the winners of the Grand Prize of 100 Comics plus the runners-up prizes will be selected at random, and announced here on this blog.

The fine print:

• You must be 18 or older and reside in the United States to enter. (If you are outside the U.S. you can still send your recommendation pick, but you will not be elligible to win a prize.)
  
• Only one entry per person
  
• Deadline for entry is 6pm EDT on Tuesday, August 15, 2006.
  

So go ahead and enter today! (Or tomorrow, or anytime before next Tuesday.)

(You may receive an auto-reply saying that I am out of the office. Be assured that I have received your entry; there is no need to send it again to any other email.)

Monkey Covers

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

Greg LaRocque draws the cover to 1992's Flash #70, with Hal, Wally and Rex the Wonder Dog facing off against an army of attacking apes.

(Standard disclaimer about an army of apes not really being monkeys applies.)

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

Letting You All Down

So I've been a bad comic blogger as of late, with scant posting and whatnot. Sorry, life has been busy and I haven't had much time to read many comics, let alone blog about them.

But I'll be making it all up to you! Come back Tuesday evening when I'll be announcing the Biggest Comic Book Blog Giveaway Contest Ever! It's in honor of my second blogiversary, and it's going to be a big one. I mean it. Stay tuned...

New This Week: August 2, 2006

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--I think--is Carla Speed McNeil's Finder, vol. 8: Five Crazy Women. I say 'I think' because I don't ever recall seeing this offered in Previews (surely I would have pre-ordered it if I did, and I didn't), nor does it seem like McNeil has accumulated enough new online material for a collection, nor is it listed as available through any online retailer (Amazon, Mars Import, etc.) So to tell the truth I'm not convinced that this actuall exists--but if it does you should get it.

If not, then the fall-back Pick of the Week is the first collection of Kyle Baker's Nat Turner, in which he shows that he can bring the serious to an autobiography adaptation.


In other comics:

Abstract have the 18th Strangers in Paradise collection.

Airship have a paperback of the second Girl Genius collection.

Antarctic bring out the Fred Perry love with three Gold Digger comics: Gold Digger #76, Gold Digger Tangent #2, and Gold Digger: Throne of Shadows #3. They also have the final issue of Twilight X: War, even though the volume collecting it came out last week...

Archaia have a new issue of Mouse Guard (#4).

BuyMeToys.com have the first regular issue of The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles.

Dark Horse have a collection for Concrete (vol. 6: Strange Armor); a new volume of Eden (vol. 4); and new issues of BPRD: Universal Machine (#5) and Usagi Yojimbo (#95).

DC have a big ol' Absolute Kingdom Come hardcover; the first collection of Exterminators; and new issues of 52 (week 13), All New Atom (#2), Detective Comics (#822), Ex Machina (#22), Jonah Hex (#10), Justice League Unlimited (#24), and Y, the Last Man (#48).

Fanfare/Ponent Mon have Vanyda's The Building Opposite GN.

IDW have a new issue of Fallen Angel (#7).

Image have new issues of Invincible (#34) and Noble Causes (#22).

Marvel debut Jeff Parker's retro Agents of Atlas mini; and have new issues of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (#11), Marvel Adventures Spider-Man (#18), The Punisher (#36), and Ultimate Spider-Man (#98).

TokyoPop have the first volume of the OEL manga Afterlife, and the first volume of Return to Labyrinth, based on the old Henson film with David Bowie and Jennifer Connely.

Top Shelf have Jeffrey Brown's I Am Going To Be Small.

Viz have the third volume of Crimson Hero.


Plenty of stuff to give your LCS the love today!

Super Covers Week: Clark vs. Superman

Super Cover Week continues with the Battle of the Century: Clark Kent vs. Superman. Don't you just hate it when you have to fight your alter ego?




If my name were 'Mala' I think I'd want to become Clark Kent too!




Cannon balls?




If you're going to use your Head of Hate to hypnotize someone to destroy Superman, might I suggest someone other than a mild mannered reporter? (Perhaps Geeen Lantern--he can create a planetoid of Kryptonite!)




Exactly what good does it do to expose someone's phony secret identity?




Again with Superman masquerading as Clark Kent...




Now this is the way a mild-mannered reporter should take on a super-hero: through yellow journalism!


Thus ends another edition of Super Covers. Later this week I'll have the final installment (like how I stretch a week out into two?)