Wednesday, June 22, 2011

IDW Preview Review August

Lee: Ok, something different this month. Because you have complained so much, I am going to try something different. No horror comics this month. I shall replace all the horror books with pricey hc’s that you can’t afford! Better?
Thomm: At least it’s variety. Now if we could vary your shameless whining about other people whining...

Creed Omnichronos SC
Trent Kaniuga (w & c)
Collecting EVERY issue of the hit 90s indy comic book, CreeD into one massive volume, CreeD: Omnichronos tells the story of an outcast teenage boy, but this is no ordinary boy. You see... Mark Farley can travel to another world-a dreamworld where he once had the power to create anything he could imagine. In reality, he is powerless, and not even really very well liked. But in this other dimension he must face off against all of his most sinister and dark nightmarish demons, as the powerful Creed. Morphing dreamfrog dragons as protectors, talking trees, and floating islands await him, but at the center of it all lies a massive void that threatens to destroy both the dreamworld and reality. Only the true creator of the dreamworld can save both, but not if he gets caught napping in class again. 540 pgs. $29.99
Lee: It seems like everyone is producing phone book collections of comics these days. I hear that Creed still has a strong following so this should sell pretty well. Personally, it has early Kaniuga art which appeals but I need to see how the monthly budget stacks up before commiting.
Thomm: At $30 this isn’t even a budget disaster. It sounds quite interesting. You really are improving here.

Mnemovore HC (IDW) Ray Fawkes, Hans Rodionoff (w) Mike Huddleston (a & c)
Return to the crawling dark of Mnemovore in this first-ever collected edition of the groundbreaking 2005 horror series! Kaley Markowic is a world-class snowboarder, shattered by a calamitous accident. In the struggle to reassemble her mind, she encounters a monstrous, ancient predator hidden outside of normal human perception. Standing by and watching it devour everyone and everything she's ever cared about is not an option... but fighting it might prove to be even worse. By Ray Fawkes (Possessions, The Apocalipstix), Hans Rodionoff (Lovecraft, Man-Thing: Whatever Knows Fear), and Mike Huddleston (The Coffin, Deep Sleeper). $24.99
Lee: Sorry, but I had to pick this book even though it has a horror type theme. This is interesting because it was originally published by Vertigo back in 2005. From what I can remember (and find on the internet) it appears this was part story, part movie script. It also appears that it didn’t read very well in long form because there was a lot to remember between issues. But, I have found that books which read bad in comics can often read very well when collected. Without the breaks, the ideas the author is trying to achieve become cleaner. The Huddleston art keeps me interested but this is another game day decision.
Thomm: And so much for that new direction. Can’t say as a protagonist who’s a snowboarder is crying out to me as someone interesting to follow.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ongoing #1
Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz (w) Dan Duncan (a)
They're BACK! This summer, the original heroes in a half-shell make a triumphant return to comics! Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Raphael reunite to bring their ninja aptitude and teenage attitude to IDW Publishing in this all-new, action-packed series. Featuring a cast of familiar characters-Master Splinter, April O'Neill, Casey Jones, and more-and true to the spirit of the original comics created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are bigger and badder than ever, and ready to rock old and new fans alike! $3.99
Lee: Have the TMNT been out of print for that long? I know that Archie published them for a long, long time. Then Mirage Studio’s did it, and after that I don’t know. Some of the Mirage work was very, very good and worth searching for. As for the relaunch, I’m interested to see if they move the characters away from their kiddie roots and make them grim and gritty. Talk about a catch-22, if they don’t modernize the characters then it probably won’t survive for long but if they do there is a chance they will alienate the core audience.
Thomm: I was never a fan, but the core audience to me was my wife’s 4 year old cousin, so that has always skewed it a bit for me. Wasn’t it originally a parody of the X-Men and the Teen Titans?

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Ultimate Collection HC
Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird (w) Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird, and Michael Dooney (a) Eastman, Laird (c)
Rediscover the underground roots of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, starting with this special edition hardcover collection of Mirage Studios' issues #1-7 along with the Raphael one-shot by creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird! With over 300 pages of mutated-martial arts action, this volume is perfect for fans to relive the glorious days of the Turtles' origins as well as an excellent place for new readers to see where the TMNT phenomena began. $49.99
Lee: Now this is a keeper. Even though $50 for 300 b&w pages is really pricey, these stories are actually pretty good. And, these are the stories pre cartoon, watered down turtles. If you have a lot of extra money it’s a fun read.
Thomm: A lot of extra money certainly leaves me out. Not that it stops the investment houses from calling me about schemes that require a minimum of $10,000...

Anne Rice: Servant of the Bones #1 Anne Rice & Mariah Huehner (w) Renae DeLiz & Ray Dillon (a) DeLiz (c)
Anne Rice, among the most iconic creators in horror, brings one of her richest stories to IDW in this six-part tale of murder, demonic revenge, and the redemptive power of faith. When a beautiful young woman is brutally slain in the streets of New York City, the demon Azriel sets out to discover who killed her, only to find a far more sinister plot that could end the world. Once a human in ancient Babylon, Azriel is a spirit of rage and terror that gradually rediscovers his humanity through holy vengeance and spiritual love. Ornately illustrated by the New York Times Best-selling team of Renae DeLiz and Ray Dillon. $3.99 #1 of 6
Lee: Ok, so I failed at not picking horror stories but what do you want ? I just wanted to complain for minute that I think Anne Rice ruined Vampires for those of us that actually like teeth nashing, neck chomping vampires. Don’t get me wrong, Interview With the Vampire, & The Vampire Lestat were very good books. But then it went completely off the rails. Then again, I am not the target audience so I am sure Gwen will love this. Rah rah Anne Rice and Twilight.
Thomm: I’ve not read much Anne Rice nor any Twilight, but from what I have gathered about each, Anne Rice is a far superior writer. At least Joss Whedon hewed to the chomp, bite school of vampires, mostly. Stabby with wry humor. Now that’s the way to tell a vampire story (not so much the love that can’t be consummated part).

Lee: An interesting month from IDW. Lots to look at but I am not sure how much will actually make it home.
Thomm: You really sucked at sticking to the no horror rule. Two of 5 titles are horror, and two of the non-horror are TMNT.
Lee: I was easing into it. Less than 50% of the books were horror. I'm sure I can do better next month.

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