Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Indies Preview Review For January Part 2 of 3

Part 2 and the last comic book talk until after Thanksgiving.

D. E./Dynamite Entertainment
Dreadstar Omnibus SC by (w/a/c) Jim Starlin
Jim Starlin's Dreadstar is now available in the Omnibus format! The first and complete arc (made up of the first 12 issues) from Starlin's epic saga is collected in one place! The pages in this new edition have been produced by digitally scanning from the original film! Also featuring the original covers and character art! Dreadstar features the adventures of Vanth Dreadstar and his crew! Dreadstar, the last survivor of the destroyed Milky Way Galaxy, found himself transported to the Empirical Galaxy! There, recruited by the sorcerer Syzygy Darklock, Dreadstar helped bring an end to a two-hundred-year-old war between the corrupt Monarchy and the fanatical Instrumentality. Containing close to 400 pages of story, art and more! $29.99
Lee: After Captain Marvel and Warlock this is Starlin’s best work. Dreadstar is a perfectly executed space adventure with plenty of action and adventure. If you haven’t tried it before, this is a nice inexpensive way to do it.
Gwen: I've never read this material but I've enjoyed other work by Jim Starlin so I'd be willing to try it out.

Drawn & Quarterly
Goliath HC by (w/a/c) Tom Gauld
Goliath of Gath isn't much of a fighter. Given half a choice, he would pick admin work over patrolling in a heartbeat, to say nothing of his distaste for engaging in combat. Nonetheless, at the behest of the king he finds himself issuing a twice-daily challenge to the Israelites. Day after day he reluctantly repeats his speech, and the isolation of this duty gives him the chance to banter with his shield-bearer and reflect on the beauty of his surroundings. This is the story of David and Goliath as seen from Goliath's side of the Valley of Elah. Goliath's battle is simultaneously tragic and bleakly funny, as bureaucracy pervades even this most mythic of figures. $19.95
Lee: This sounds really, really good. There is a certain irony in painting Goliath as a peace loving paper pusher.
Gwen: Interesting, but I can't say I care much for the David and Goliath story anyway. As far as the "bad-guy" perspective I'd recommend Thomas Garner's Grendel. Although it's not a comic book.

Fantagraphics Books
Is That All There Is? HC by (w/a/c) Joost Swarte
Fantagraphics proudly presents the first English-language collection of this Dutch master! Joost Swarte revitalized European alternative comics in the 1970s with a series of satirical, elegant and beautifully drawn short stories. Is That All There Is? will collect virtually all of his alternative comics work from 1972 with great pains taken to match Swarte's superb coloring. His techniques include watercolor, retro duotones and a fiendishly clever use of Zip-a-Tone screens. $35.00 You can read a brief bio here or visit his site here.
Lee: Everyone knows I am an art guy and it doesn’t get any better than this. Swarte art is unlike anything in America and is just… just… mind blowingly good.
Gwen: I'll take Lee's word on this one as I'm more of a story person.

Heavy Metal Magazine
Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse Vol. 01 of 03 by (w) Michael Mendheim (a/c) Simon Bisley
When sinister forces trigger a dark prophecy, warrior Adam Cahill must travel to Hell itself to stop the Four Horsemen from destroying the Earth. Only with the help of three corrupt souls, chosen by Divinity, can he prevent the End of Days. $14.95
Lee: Bisley drawing the horsemen of the apocalypse? I don’t think there was ever a better pairing of artist and storyline. Actually the story is going to be irrelevant because the art is gonna be great.
Gwen: Story is never irrelevant sir. Even with gallery art the artist is trying to convey some sort of message or story =P

Humanoids Inc
Whispers in the Walls GN by (w) David Munoz (a/c) Tirso
A gothic tale of horror from David Muñoz (co-writer of Guillermo Del Toro's The Devil's Backbone film) and artist Tirso. Czechoslovakia, 1949. What Evil lurks within the walls of an ancient Children's Infirmary? After the murder of her parents Sarah, a young orphan, is about to discover just that. This complete story collects issues #1-4, plus the unpublished final two issues as well as bonus artwork. $19.95
Lee: This is easy buy for me because I have pretty much loved everything by Humanoids in the last year. That’s not true, there was one book that was just ok, whereas most of the others have been very good to excellent.
Gwen: I find the concept to be intriguing but I am not familiar with the earlier work. Excellent title though, if nothing else. It gives off a good creepy story vibe.

The conclusion on Friday, now go and eat lots of Turkey!

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