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If you’re not from Minnesota, you might know Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (R-Minnesota) only as a rightwing politician who says something crazy every time she appears on television, usually on Fox News, the propaganda arm of the Republican Party.
Now, Minnesota writer and artist Bill Prendergast (a journalist who’s part of the Dump Bachmann movement) and an assortment of talented artists including Dan Olson, Danno Klownowski and Lupi have put together a comic book called “False Witness” that uses Michelle’s own extremist and dangerous quotes
Click to continue reading MICHELE BACHMANN: False Witness Comic Book!
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Image Serves Up a Promising Dish with Chew
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Reviews, Image Comics,
Ever since last month’s issue of The Walking Dead gave me a taste of John Layman’s humorously grotesque story, Chew, I have been counting down the days more vehemently than I do for Whedon comics (that’s saying a lot). After all, Robert Kirkman doesn’t put a preview of just any comic behind his widely-worshiped zombie saga.
Within minutes of immersing myself into Layman’s fiction, I instantly found myself actively falling for the cynical, cibopathic (psychic abilities that come from eating) Tony Chu. Forced to stick to beet consumption (the only food from which he doesn’t receive psychic sensations) most of the time, Tony serves as a police officer in an alternate America where chicken is illegal. The poultry prohibition works in his favor until he and his partner begin to unearth an FDA secret that conflicts with their department’s objectives.
In seeking out one suspect, a bite of chicken and vegetable soup reveals that there is yet another murderer within their proximity. It is here that Tony commences his sprint down the rabbit hole.
Although I wait the thirty days for just about every comic I follow, Chew was genuinely worth the wait.
Click to continue reading Image Serves Up a Promising Dish with Chew
Becky Cloonan and Vasilis Lolos Deliver Buffy Without Buffy
Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Reviews, Dark Horse Comics,
June marked the first month in which Joss Whedon‘s Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Eight took a break from the familiar faces we have fallen in (and out) of love with to introduce the human-vampire co-existence brought upon by Harmony. American Virgin writer Becky Cloonan writes up the parallel story, titled Tales of the Vampires: The Thrill, as Grecian artist Vasilis Lolos (The Pirates of Coney Island) provides Buffyverse readers with a very colorful and crisp world very new to them.
The issue introduces the protagonist of this one-shot, Jacob, a morose teenager (surprise) with Xander’s geek factor and Riley’s desperation. As vampires are now accepted and assimilated in society, Jacob quickly illustrates the long-chronicled allure of vampire lust. Merely “just want[ing] to feel something” (again, very reminiscent of Riley’s arc in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Season Five), Jacob catapults farther into the world he longs for with the help of a student new to town.
Click to continue reading Becky Cloonan and Vasilis Lolos Deliver Buffy Without Buffy
Rating: *** 1/2*
The new era of the Batman begins today in Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely “Batman and Robin”. As any reader of Comix 411 knows, I have not been kind to Mr Morrison and his work on the “Batman” title and the miniseries “Final Crisis” over the past year. Where many readers and other comic book reviewers have given him praise, I have been one of the few who have disliked the stories that Mr Morrison has laid out before us. I made a promise to myself that if I didn’t like the first issue of “Batman and Robin,” I would drop it immediately and not even give it a second chance. Maybe it’s because I wasn’t expecting to like it, but for whatever the reason, I will be collecting this title because this first issue was great!
I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I really liked the story that Grant Morrison has set up here. It’s different. It’s certainly not the Batman we have known over the years and not simply because of the new people in the roles of Batman and Robin. The one negative thing about this book is Mr Quitely artwork. I’m not a huge fan of Frank Quitely. Although there are certain times that I’ve seen him draw some cool images, overall his work on a full 22 page comic usually leaves me wanting a much more traditional artist’s interpretation of comic characters - someone like Andy Kubert. I know Mr. Quitely will not be penciling every issue of “Batman and Robin” because he’s slow and can’t keep up the monthly pace of a comic book so I hope DC will give Andy a shot to fill in. I do like the splash page where Mr Quitley has the new Batman and Robin jumping out of the flying Batmobile. Yup, the new Batman and Robin have a flying Batmobile. There’s that and more.
Lets begin….
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Batman and Robin #1
WEEKEND READING: BILL PEET, WALT DISNEY, and WUMPS
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
Unless you’re caught up in the nerd world of animation credits, the names of some of the top animators in the business are probably not on the tip of your tongue. They should be, though.
BILL PEET is definitely one of those guys. One of Disney’s great “storymen” – terrific artists who wrote scripts and gags in storyboard form. He worked for Disney on classic animated films from Song of the South and Pinocchio to Jungle Book. He’s the only storyman in the history of Disney Studios who did all the storyboards for an entire animated film and he did it twice: The Sword And The Stone and One Hundred And One Dalmations. You can read more about Peet at his website.
Even in his spare time, he was prolific and managed to publish a pile of children’s books that he wrote and illustrated: The Wump World, Huge Harold, Jennifer and Josephine, Pamela Camel, The Whingdingdilly are just a few of his titles and you can get the list here along with a nice cover gallery.
There’s also an essay from Peet that’s been culled together from his speeches. It’s called Bill Peet’s Approach To Writing and it has a lot of snippets of great advice for anyone who wants to create. Here’s a taste:
Click to continue reading WEEKEND READING: BILL PEET, WALT DISNEY, and WUMPS
DC Comics Review: Justice Society of America #27
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,
This month’s issue of the “Justice Society of America” (JSA) is the first issue of the post-Geoff Johns era. Comic book veteran Jerry Ordway is writing and penciling a two-part story prior to the new writing team of Bill Willingham and Matthew Sturges come on board in July. Many fans of this title were sad to hear the news of Geoff Johns exit and I’ve been hesitant to continue collecting this title as many times when a popular writer leaves a book, the quality of that title drops. Geoff Johns work on “Teen Titans” was great and that book hasn’t been the same since he left.
I’ve just finished reading this month’s issue and I’m happy to say that at least with what Ordway has done with this here, the quality of writing for this book has not gone down. The story finds founding JSA members Green Lantern (Alan Scott), Flash (Jay Garrick), and Wildcat along with fellow member Liberty Belle trapped within the JSA headquarters at the hands of Alan Scott’s son Obsidian. Has Obsidian gone insane once again or is truly doing this to protect the members of the JSA.
Lets find out…
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Justice Society of America #27
HOWARD CHAYKIN: DIE HARD: YEAR ONE from BOOM! Studios
Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials,
BOOM! goes the dynamite!
Howard Chaykin is one of my favorite writer/artists. Doesn’t matter if he’s working on his own stuff (like American Flagg!, Barnum!, or American Century,), or reconfiguring existing characters (like The Shadow, Challengers of the Unknown, Blackhawk). I’m all in.
And then there’s DIE HARD, one of my favorite action movies ever, thanks in large part to Bruce Willis. At a time when no one was making any kind of Batman movie (Tim Burton’s Batman was a year away), DIE HARD filled the void. Watch it again and think of John McClane as Bruce Wayne. It’s all there. Die Hard is a Batman movie without the cape, the fancy Hot Wheels car and the nipple-suit.
Now BOOM! Studios – which has already scored with licensed properties like Farscape and The Incredibles - has hit the mark again. Chaykin and artist Stephen Thompson (who did Buckaroo Banzai for Moonstone Books) are uniting to bring the pre-Die Hard adventures of McClane to the comic book page.
DIE HARD: YEAR ONE #1 is set in New York City during the 1976 Bicentennial celebration, with McClane as a rookie cop. Chaykin grew up in New York, and is well-familiar with the time and place, so I’m expecting a tough, gritty crime thriller, packed with action and the wry Chaykin humor. The series promises to be well worth reading. The first issue is scheduled for an August release.
And you know how a blog post like this has to end, don’t you? Yippy-ki-yay…
[Artwork: Promotional art from Die Hard: Year One]
I love finding out about comic books from all over the world – stuff that you aren’t likely to find in Diamond Previews. For those of you who like to think outside the long box, it should come as no surprise that the comic book industry in India is on the rise. Not just digitally, but good old-fashioned dead-tree printed comic books and graphic novels.
Indian comic book artist Sarnath Banerjee and his fellow pen-pushers Orijit Sen, Vishwajyoti Ghosh and Amitabh Kumar have joined forces to form the Pao Collective. Aside from the launch of the studio, the group is eagerly promoting the launch of their first book from another one of their friends: Parismita Singh’s debut graphic novel titled The Hotel at the End of the World. It debuted earlier this month from Penguin Books India. You can read a bit more about the book at the Penguin website.
“In the hotel at the end of the world it’s business as usual, as Pema dishes up rice and pork curry to travellers who stop by for a drink and refuge from the rains. Everyone there has a story to tell, and at times they end up revealing more than they want to.”
Click to continue reading INDIAN COMICS: PAO COLLECTIVE and THE HOTEL AT THE END OF THE WORLD
DC Comics Review: Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3
Posted by David Torres Categories: Reviews, DC Comics,
Rating: ***
The conclusion to “Batman: Battle for the Cowl” is here. I enjoyed the two previous issues of “Battle for the Cowl” immensely, but for some reason this issue left me wanting more. I’m not sure what else I wanted or expected from this issue, but the issue was a bit of let down. This is of course the storyline which names the new man to take over the role of Batman. For months now we have all assumed that the man who takes over is Dick Grayson aka Nightwing the first Robin and that the new Robin will be Damian Wayne Bruce Wayne’s illegitimate son. At the end of the issue, everything seems to be revealed as far as who’s the new dynamic duo. Who are they and what did we see in this issue? Lets find out!
Click to continue reading DC Comics Review: Batman: Battle for the Cowl #3
One of my favorite artists of all time is Nick Cardy. His name on the credits always meant a visually interesting comic book, and he drew one of my favorite comics of all time: the original Bat Lash, written by Sergio Aragones and Denny O’Neil.
DC Comics is doing me a huge favor this July by collecting the Bat Lash comics in a new trade-paperback, Showcase Presents: Bat Lash.
It’s a great example of Nick’s abilities and I’ve already pre-ordered my copy. The volume will include Bat Lash’s first appearance, Showcase #76, all 7 issues of his original series, plus the Bat Lash stories from DC Special Series #16, Jonah Hex #49, 51 and 52. It’s not an all-Cardy all-the-time collection - other artists represented in the book include Mike Sekowsky and Dan Spiegle - but it’s enough Nick for a solid fix. And Showcase #76 + Bat Lash #1-7 are enough to make it fanboy heaven. Cardy had a dynamic storytelling sense and was equally adept at drawing super-heroes (Aquaman), regular people, cowboys (Bat Lash) and Jungle Lords raised by Apes (Tarzan). He was part of the generation of comic book artists who also knew how to draw people with hats, and could draw a horse or a car with the same skill he could draw Aquaman riding a seahorse into an underwater battle with some guy made out of coral.
One of his great skills was as a cover artist and he was one of DC’s mainstays in the 1960s and 1970s. His bold, dynamic, and imaginative covers seemed to always scream: “Buy this issue! Now!”
Click to continue reading NICK CARDY: Bat Lash, Aquaman, The Teen Titans
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