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 1987, Brian Bolland features Congorilla on the cover of Swamp Thing Annual #3. Rick Veitch's story "Distant Cousins" not only features the golden ape, but also Gorilla Grodd, Angel & The Ape, and other various primates from the DC universe.

(standard disclaimer about gorillas not really being monkeys applies)

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

Happy Earth Day

Superman and Concrete wish you a Happy Earth Day!

(Images courtesy of GCD.)

Linkblogging

Too busy/lazy for propper blogging, so here's a little linkblogging to tide you over:

Ian has an idea for a tribute series, 1975 (scroll down...), which I would buy if it had the same caliber of talent as 1963 did. He also has a review of Or Else #2 that is longer and better than mine.

David evaluates the first volumes of Tramps Like Us & The Wallflower.

Johanna is celebrating her 1st blogiversary, but of course she's been writing intelligently online about comics for a lot longer than that!

Edit/Addition: Christopher reminds us why comics are awesome!

New Library Comics

Here is the listing of new comics & GNs added to the catalog over the past four weeks.

We're finally starting to get in some of the books we've actually purchased (most of the comics added so far have either been donated or transfered from other locations).

For a more-or-less complete listing of all the titles we have, this link will take you into our online catalog.

Quick Comic Reviews

Action Philosophers #1
by Fred Van Lente & Ryan Dunlavey
I've never been much for studying philosophy. Oh sure, I've picked up some of the basics just by reading and paying attention, but it's never really held much interest to me. But with Action Philosophers, Van Lente & Dunlavey have found a way to make philosophy fun. These are all true stories of influential philosophers, their lives and thought, but told with a humorous touch that is somewhat reminiscent of Larry Gonick. Plato is presented as a failed professional wrestler (which he was before going into philosophy); Bodhidharma is presented as a Kung Fu master (which he was); and Nietzche is presented as a self-absorbed a$$hole (which he was). The facts would appear to be correct (they include references at the end of the comics), but the presentation is fun and humorous. It's a good way to get a cliff's notes version of philosophy in fun comic book form.
Rating: 3.5 (of 5)


Or Else #2
by Kevin Huizenga
I was a little lukewarm in my review of the first issue of Huizenga's Or Else--it was good, but it obviously didn'y strike me as much as it did others. But this second issue: very good stuff. It starts off with a couple of interesting slice-of-life style stories, but takes a left turn into wonderful experimental territory with "The Sunset," then continues in the related story "The Moon Rise," wherein Huizenga gives us a little lesson in art and science. Six bucks for what is essentially a thick minicomic may seem a bit pricey, but it's worth it when the quality is high. This is one to look for.
Rating: 4 (of 5)

New This Week: April 20, 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 tomorrow:

The Pick of the Week is another anthology from Image, Four Letter Worlds. For just 13 bucks you get a truckload of comics from folks like Amber Benson, Joe Casey, Chynna Clugston-Major, Kieron Dwyer, Jay Faerber, Matt Fraction, Steven Griffin, Mike Hawthorne, Mike Huddleston, Phil Hester, Antony Johnston, Robert Kirkman, Steve Lieber, Jim Mahfood, B. Clay Moore, Scott Morse, Mike Norton, Jeff Parker, Jamie S. Rich, Mark Ricketts, Matt Roberts, Steve Rolston, Eric Stephenson, J. Torres, Andi Watson, and many more.


In other comics:

Antarctic have a new issue of Gold Digger (#63) and the Gold Digger Pocket Manga, vol. 5.

DC have the trade collection of Bite Club for just $10, the debut of the final Seven Soliders mini (for the first round, that is--more coming later in the year), Klarion the Witch Boy, plus new issues of 100 Bullets (#60), Birds of Prey (#81), Ex Machina (#10), JLA (#113), JLA Classified (#6), Lucifer (#61); the final issue of Azzarello & Lee's Superman (#215), the final issue of the Question mini (#6), and the first issue of an obscure miniseries called The OMAC Project for which I don't think there's been much publicity at all.

Fantagraphics have the fifth Hate Annual.

IDW have the second Legend of Grimjack trade collection.

Image have new issues of Invincible (#22) & The Walking Dead (#18).

I'm still working my way through issue #100, yet here Kenzer & Co. are with the 102st issue of Knights of the Dinner Table...

Marvel have Runaways #3, and Karl Kesel writing Fantastic Four (#525).

NBM have a fourth collection of Boneyard.

Oni have the second edition of Bryan Lee O'Malley's Lost at Sea.

TokyoPop have the first volume of 'Amerimanga' Van Von Hunter, plus a butt-load of other manga volumes which don't interest me, but may be of interest to you...


And finally, I have no idea what the Incredibles Strong Relations Unframed Canvas Giclee Print is, but it can't possibly be worth $600...

Quick War GN Reviews

The Punisher: Born
by Garth Ennis, Darick Robertson & Tom Palmer
In the midst of the Vietnam War, Captain Frank Castle is the savior, protector and conscience of Firebase Valley Forge. This is Frank's third tour of duty; he knows that he should be home with his wife and kids, but he loves to fight, and the dark voice in his soul tells him as much. Ennis maintains that The Punisher was born long before his family was killed; that was just the inciting event--the real Punisher was forged in the fires of Vietnam. There are two POV characters here: Frank, and a young Marine named Stevie Goodwin, thirty-nine days short of ending his tour and returning to America's heartland. Ennis does a good job at portraying the unit and the action, though it suffers a bit like many war stories in trying to represent as many different war experinces and types of soldiers in just one unit. The art by Robertson & Palmer is very good and appropriate to the story; Palmer's inks lens Robertson's pencils a good rough edge, and Robertson renders the action quite well. It's another good solid war comic from Ennis.
Rating: 3 (of 5)


Sgt. Rock: Between Hell & A Hard Place
by Brian Azzarello & Joe Kubert
During the Battle of Hürtgen Forest in late 1944, Rock and the rest of Easy Company have a gaggle of new soldier added to their unit and a quartet of captured German officers in tow. But when three of the German prisoners are murdered and the fourth goes missing, Rock must determine what exactly happened, and whether or not one of the men in his unit is a murder--if murder under such circumstances as war is possible. Azzarello grafts a mystery onto a war story, and while it doesn't really gel into something more than the sum of its parts, it isn't really less either, and provides for an intriguing look back at WWII. The main attraction here is seeing Kubert illustrate a modern war comic, the pace and style of storytelling giving his artwork plenty of room to breathe. The story could have easily have been a good thirty pages shorter, but with the nice art to look it it's hard to complain too much.
Rating: 3 (of 5)