Onto Part 2 where I (Jim) become more philosophical as opposed to cranky.
D. E./DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Complete Just a Pilgrim HC by Garth Ennis Art by Carlos Ezquerra
Collected in hardcover for the first time ever, the Complete Just a Pilgrim Hardcover features the signature anti-hero as created by writer Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra! Return to Ennis' hopeless, yet fascinating, post apocalyptic world brilliantly illustrated by artist Carlos Ezquerra!Featuring both the original mini-series and the sequel ("Garden of Eden") mini-series together in one hardcover collection, this volume also contains a complete cover gallery featuring the work of Tim Bradstreet, JG Jones, Glenn Fabry, and many more!
Pages: 240, 7x10, FC, $29.99
Lee: This was a very good series from back in the 90’s. It’s Ennis so it’s very violent but it’s not crude like The Boys. I’m surprised that this was chosen to be collected in a hc but I’ll get it.
Jim: I’m not surprised. Dynamite has been courting Ennis very, very hard. I think they see in Ennis the chance to build their company up around him and since their best selling title is by Ennis (the Boys) no reason to not try and do it. It feels like the Avatar strategy where they tied their wagon to Ellis. It was some odd and violent material, but as with most anything Ennis does, it was well written.
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Comics for Idiots: Blecky Yuckerella GN by Johnny Ryan
AMERICA'S STUPIDEST SECOND-GRADER IS BACK! Sure, she's smelly and gross, but she's got a heart of gold! This is the third collection of Johnny Ryan's weekly comic strip, Blecky Yuckerella, as seen in the pages of the Vice magazine and elsewhere. Blecky is a four-panel gag strip in the tradition of Underworld, Maakies, and Nancy, but with much more generous portions of bodily fluids and toilet humor. Blecky Yuckerella is the ugliest girl in the second grade, and the only one with three-day stubble. The strip's cast of characters also includes Blecky's Aunt Jiggles, her best friend Wedgie, Insanio the Cat, and many other absurdist goofballs, like Rich Bucksley (millionaire and "high class idiot"), Unitard (the last retarded unicorn), the pregnant babies ("we're guaranteed to blow your mind!"), and Quasimodo Rose (the hunchback porn star). This book collects over 100 strips for the first time, and his unmistakable blend of politically incorrect gags and social satire is as sharp as ever. Visit Ryan here
Pages: 104, 6 1/2 x 8 ½, SC, $11.99
Lee: Honestly, I picked this for the title. But, it accurately describes Johnny Ryan’s foul mouthed, crude creations. Some of the material is very funny. Some of the material is just plain offensive. If you like your comics to challenge your sensibilities then this is a good start.
Jim: A lot of really stupid and crude humor.
GEMSTONE PUBLISHING
Walt Disney Treasures Vol. 03: Mickey Mouse in Death Valley SC by Floyd Gottfredson, Romano Scarpa, Walt Disney & Win Smith
This print companion series to Disney's famous DVDs celebrates milestones in Disney comics history. This time, it's Mickey Mouse's 80th anniversary, and we celebrate this milestone with two epic-length adventure stories! In 1930's Mickey Mouse in Death Valley, the first-ever tale by famous Mouse Man Floyd Gottfredson, a Wild West treasure trek turns grim when Pegleg Pete forces our hero to become a vigilante. Then in 1960's much-requested, new-to-North America Chirikawa Necklace, the hunt for priceless jewelry ensnares Pete, Mickey - and snarky gun moll Trudy Van Tubb! Editorial features and long-lost behind-the-scenes art round out Gemstone's birthday book in style.
Pages: 168, 7x10, SC, FC, $16.99
Lee: Vols 01 & 02 of these collections were great. I’ve really, really enjoyed them. I’m preferential to Gottfredson 1930’s Mickey (some of the best ever) but the other stories have been really good too. It’s amazing how timeless this material really is.
Jim: OMG. Stop with the Mickey Mouse stuff. People who are fans of this stuff are relentless. As you may have guessed I’m not a huge fan of this material.
HOLLOWAY HOUSE CLASSICS
Donald Goines: Daddy Cool GN by Donald Goines, Don Glut & Alfredo Alcala
Larry Jackson, better known as Daddy Cool, is a ruthlessly efficient black hit man, equally effective with a gun or a knife in nailing his prey. The only thing that can melt his icy heart is his love for his teenage daughter Janet. But when the smooth talking youngblood pimp Ronald lures her into his stable, Daddy Cool must go into action with a fearsome vengeance. Adapted by Don Glut and Alfredo Alcala, this classic story of hard-boiled crime fiction set in the urban wasteland is brought back into print. Read about Goines here
Pages: 224, 5x7, SC, B&W, $9.95
Lee: Now this is crime fiction! I read about Goines and determined that this was for me. It sounds so raw and so real that I can’t wait to read it. It doesn’t hurt that Alcala is an outstanding artist so I already know the art will be good.
Jim: It sounds raw and “real” enough, but I would still want to read a preview before jumping on this bandwagon. Just because the writer was in the prison system doesn’t mean he didn’t embellish his stories.
I BOX PUBLISHING
Thieves & Kings: Apprentices Vol. 01 GN by Mark Oakley
Leahanna had always been the most loyal and adoring of servants, her soul bonded throughout time to one half of the black sword pair wielded by the fearsome Shadow Lady, and in this life she was content. But when the Black Swords were broken, her soul was cast free, and Leahanna found herself lost and confused and very unhappy! Mark Oakley's acclaimed fantasy series, Thieves & Kings returns with the beginning of an all-new story arc, a perfect jumping on point for new readers! Thieves & Kings: Apprentices is a story about growing up and making choices - and having enough power to knock over a mountain. Ibox is here
Pages: 104, 7x10, SC, FC, $15.00
Lee: T&Ks is one of those books that has been around for a very long time. I haven’t read it but it must have a very loyal following. Not that I have any basis for the comparison but this reminds me of Castle Waiting which is absolutely fantastic. I think it’s time I tried this.
Jim: This quote from their website caught my eye “This format marks the end of the regular 24 page comics! From now on, Thieves & Kings will be published as 100+ page square-bound books like this one.” Interesting strategy. I see so many publishers all trying different things as the print world of comics readjusts to the internet age.
LOOK OUT MONSTERS
Nice Work Vol. 01 by Geoff Grogan
Hollywood, 1960. Johnny Cat is Sinatra's stand-in. His sometime girlfriend JoJo is a well-known party girl who travels easily between the beds of Presidents and mobsters. Both have been around long enough to know that Tinseltown's glamour is just a lot of make-up covering bad skin and dirty business. Yet the dream is seductive, and Johnny is so close he can taste it. He looks like Sinatra, he sounds like Sinatra. In Hollywood, where reality and make-believe blur, maybe he can be Sinatra - just long enough to score a big payoff! Visit Grogan here and the web comic here
Pages: 102, 6x9, SC, #1 of 2, B&W, $12.95
Lee: Visit the web comic and you’ll have a very good idea if this appeals to you. It reads well and certainly isn’t for kids. I like the con man, trying to score angle too.
Jim: See another way to try and make this into a paying job. How do you transfer from free content to pay content? Avatar is trying Freakangels, DC has Zuda, Marvel is doing new for digital books and successful webcomics are being collected as trades. It really feels like a market in flux and the rules are changing.
MACHINE GUN BOB COMICS
No Enemy, But Peace One Shot by Sgt. Richard C. Meyer & Martin Montiel Luna
No Enemy, But Peace is the true story of Sergeant Marco Martinez, a former gang-banger who found his true calling as a rifleman in the Marines. When his best friend and squad leader is injured during his first firefight, Sgt. Martinez rallies his embattled squad while single-handedly taking down a bunker full of jihadists. Written by Sgt. Richard C. Meyer, who served in the same unit as Sgt. Martinez and was present during the battle, this is the first comic produced by Iraq War veterans about the war itself.
Pages: 24, 7x10, B&W, $3.00
Lee: I really like that more and more war books are being printed. It should be noted that this isn’t the Sgt Rock that Jim and I grew up with. Current war stories are all over the map in terms of opinions. I’m glad it’s out there and I’m interested to see how the actual soldiers on the ground feel about the war.
Jim: When you think about it war comics have been around forever. It wasn’t until EC started to do war books that it was portrayed in a more realistic fashion. The military can be a transforming experience for many people, but I always knew that it was not for me, since I have issues with following rules.
METROPOLITAN BOOKS
Waltz with Bashir: A Lebanon War Story SC by Ari Folman & David Polonsky
One night in Beirut in September 1982, while Israeli soldiers secured the area, a Christian militia invaded the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila and massacred 3,000 Palestinians. Ari Folman was one of those Israeli soldiers, but for more than twenty years he remembered nothing of that night. Then came a friend's disturbing dream and with it Folman's need to uncover the truth of the war in Lebanon and answer the crucial question - What was he doing during the hours of slaughter at Sabra and Shatila? Stunningly original in form, Waltz with Bashir follows Folman's journey deep into the darkness of Beirut. Drawing on the stories of other soldiers and his own returning fragments of memory, Folman painfully and candidly pieces together the war and his place in it - the senselessness of the soldiers' orders; the fear that pervades every moment; the casual bloodshed of civilians, culminating in the massacres themselves. The result is a visual work that is as shocking as it is beautiful. An indictment of violence of extraordinary power, Waltz with Bashir will take its place as one of the great works of wartime reportage. About Polonsky here, art samples here
Pages: 160, SC, B&W, $18.00
Lee: And speaking of war books, this is a completely different perspective on a very old war. Originally a short animated film, this has now become a graphic novel. It sounds very, very interesting.
Jim: 1982 is not that old, but yes the violence in that area has been around forever. It does sound interesting and I like that graphic stories can give you the visual perspective that no amount of prose can deliver.
Complete Just a Pilgrim HC by Garth Ennis Art by Carlos EzquerraCollected in hardcover for the first time ever, the Complete Just a Pilgrim Hardcover features the signature anti-hero as created by writer Garth Ennis and Carlos Ezquerra! Return to Ennis' hopeless, yet fascinating, post apocalyptic world brilliantly illustrated by artist Carlos Ezquerra!Featuring both the original mini-series and the sequel ("Garden of Eden") mini-series together in one hardcover collection, this volume also contains a complete cover gallery featuring the work of Tim Bradstreet, JG Jones, Glenn Fabry, and many more!
Pages: 240, 7x10, FC, $29.99
Lee: This was a very good series from back in the 90’s. It’s Ennis so it’s very violent but it’s not crude like The Boys. I’m surprised that this was chosen to be collected in a hc but I’ll get it.
Jim: I’m not surprised. Dynamite has been courting Ennis very, very hard. I think they see in Ennis the chance to build their company up around him and since their best selling title is by Ennis (the Boys) no reason to not try and do it. It feels like the Avatar strategy where they tied their wagon to Ellis. It was some odd and violent material, but as with most anything Ennis does, it was well written.
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Comics for Idiots: Blecky Yuckerella GN by Johnny Ryan
AMERICA'S STUPIDEST SECOND-GRADER IS BACK! Sure, she's smelly and gross, but she's got a heart of gold! This is the third collection of Johnny Ryan's weekly comic strip, Blecky Yuckerella, as seen in the pages of the Vice magazine and elsewhere. Blecky is a four-panel gag strip in the tradition of Underworld, Maakies, and Nancy, but with much more generous portions of bodily fluids and toilet humor. Blecky Yuckerella is the ugliest girl in the second grade, and the only one with three-day stubble. The strip's cast of characters also includes Blecky's Aunt Jiggles, her best friend Wedgie, Insanio the Cat, and many other absurdist goofballs, like Rich Bucksley (millionaire and "high class idiot"), Unitard (the last retarded unicorn), the pregnant babies ("we're guaranteed to blow your mind!"), and Quasimodo Rose (the hunchback porn star). This book collects over 100 strips for the first time, and his unmistakable blend of politically incorrect gags and social satire is as sharp as ever. Visit Ryan here
Pages: 104, 6 1/2 x 8 ½, SC, $11.99
Lee: Honestly, I picked this for the title. But, it accurately describes Johnny Ryan’s foul mouthed, crude creations. Some of the material is very funny. Some of the material is just plain offensive. If you like your comics to challenge your sensibilities then this is a good start.
Jim: A lot of really stupid and crude humor.
GEMSTONE PUBLISHING
Walt Disney Treasures Vol. 03: Mickey Mouse in Death Valley SC by Floyd Gottfredson, Romano Scarpa, Walt Disney & Win SmithThis print companion series to Disney's famous DVDs celebrates milestones in Disney comics history. This time, it's Mickey Mouse's 80th anniversary, and we celebrate this milestone with two epic-length adventure stories! In 1930's Mickey Mouse in Death Valley, the first-ever tale by famous Mouse Man Floyd Gottfredson, a Wild West treasure trek turns grim when Pegleg Pete forces our hero to become a vigilante. Then in 1960's much-requested, new-to-North America Chirikawa Necklace, the hunt for priceless jewelry ensnares Pete, Mickey - and snarky gun moll Trudy Van Tubb! Editorial features and long-lost behind-the-scenes art round out Gemstone's birthday book in style.
Pages: 168, 7x10, SC, FC, $16.99
Lee: Vols 01 & 02 of these collections were great. I’ve really, really enjoyed them. I’m preferential to Gottfredson 1930’s Mickey (some of the best ever) but the other stories have been really good too. It’s amazing how timeless this material really is.
Jim: OMG. Stop with the Mickey Mouse stuff. People who are fans of this stuff are relentless. As you may have guessed I’m not a huge fan of this material.
HOLLOWAY HOUSE CLASSICS
Donald Goines: Daddy Cool GN by Donald Goines, Don Glut & Alfredo Alcala
Larry Jackson, better known as Daddy Cool, is a ruthlessly efficient black hit man, equally effective with a gun or a knife in nailing his prey. The only thing that can melt his icy heart is his love for his teenage daughter Janet. But when the smooth talking youngblood pimp Ronald lures her into his stable, Daddy Cool must go into action with a fearsome vengeance. Adapted by Don Glut and Alfredo Alcala, this classic story of hard-boiled crime fiction set in the urban wasteland is brought back into print. Read about Goines here
Pages: 224, 5x7, SC, B&W, $9.95
Lee: Now this is crime fiction! I read about Goines and determined that this was for me. It sounds so raw and so real that I can’t wait to read it. It doesn’t hurt that Alcala is an outstanding artist so I already know the art will be good.
Jim: It sounds raw and “real” enough, but I would still want to read a preview before jumping on this bandwagon. Just because the writer was in the prison system doesn’t mean he didn’t embellish his stories.
I BOX PUBLISHING
Thieves & Kings: Apprentices Vol. 01 GN by Mark OakleyLeahanna had always been the most loyal and adoring of servants, her soul bonded throughout time to one half of the black sword pair wielded by the fearsome Shadow Lady, and in this life she was content. But when the Black Swords were broken, her soul was cast free, and Leahanna found herself lost and confused and very unhappy! Mark Oakley's acclaimed fantasy series, Thieves & Kings returns with the beginning of an all-new story arc, a perfect jumping on point for new readers! Thieves & Kings: Apprentices is a story about growing up and making choices - and having enough power to knock over a mountain. Ibox is here
Pages: 104, 7x10, SC, FC, $15.00
Lee: T&Ks is one of those books that has been around for a very long time. I haven’t read it but it must have a very loyal following. Not that I have any basis for the comparison but this reminds me of Castle Waiting which is absolutely fantastic. I think it’s time I tried this.
Jim: This quote from their website caught my eye “This format marks the end of the regular 24 page comics! From now on, Thieves & Kings will be published as 100+ page square-bound books like this one.” Interesting strategy. I see so many publishers all trying different things as the print world of comics readjusts to the internet age.
LOOK OUT MONSTERS
Nice Work Vol. 01 by Geoff Grogan
Hollywood, 1960. Johnny Cat is Sinatra's stand-in. His sometime girlfriend JoJo is a well-known party girl who travels easily between the beds of Presidents and mobsters. Both have been around long enough to know that Tinseltown's glamour is just a lot of make-up covering bad skin and dirty business. Yet the dream is seductive, and Johnny is so close he can taste it. He looks like Sinatra, he sounds like Sinatra. In Hollywood, where reality and make-believe blur, maybe he can be Sinatra - just long enough to score a big payoff! Visit Grogan here and the web comic here
Pages: 102, 6x9, SC, #1 of 2, B&W, $12.95
Lee: Visit the web comic and you’ll have a very good idea if this appeals to you. It reads well and certainly isn’t for kids. I like the con man, trying to score angle too.
Jim: See another way to try and make this into a paying job. How do you transfer from free content to pay content? Avatar is trying Freakangels, DC has Zuda, Marvel is doing new for digital books and successful webcomics are being collected as trades. It really feels like a market in flux and the rules are changing.
MACHINE GUN BOB COMICS
No Enemy, But Peace One Shot by Sgt. Richard C. Meyer & Martin Montiel LunaNo Enemy, But Peace is the true story of Sergeant Marco Martinez, a former gang-banger who found his true calling as a rifleman in the Marines. When his best friend and squad leader is injured during his first firefight, Sgt. Martinez rallies his embattled squad while single-handedly taking down a bunker full of jihadists. Written by Sgt. Richard C. Meyer, who served in the same unit as Sgt. Martinez and was present during the battle, this is the first comic produced by Iraq War veterans about the war itself.
Pages: 24, 7x10, B&W, $3.00
Lee: I really like that more and more war books are being printed. It should be noted that this isn’t the Sgt Rock that Jim and I grew up with. Current war stories are all over the map in terms of opinions. I’m glad it’s out there and I’m interested to see how the actual soldiers on the ground feel about the war.
Jim: When you think about it war comics have been around forever. It wasn’t until EC started to do war books that it was portrayed in a more realistic fashion. The military can be a transforming experience for many people, but I always knew that it was not for me, since I have issues with following rules.
METROPOLITAN BOOKS
Waltz with Bashir: A Lebanon War Story SC by Ari Folman & David Polonsky
One night in Beirut in September 1982, while Israeli soldiers secured the area, a Christian militia invaded the refugee camps of Sabra and Shatila and massacred 3,000 Palestinians. Ari Folman was one of those Israeli soldiers, but for more than twenty years he remembered nothing of that night. Then came a friend's disturbing dream and with it Folman's need to uncover the truth of the war in Lebanon and answer the crucial question - What was he doing during the hours of slaughter at Sabra and Shatila? Stunningly original in form, Waltz with Bashir follows Folman's journey deep into the darkness of Beirut. Drawing on the stories of other soldiers and his own returning fragments of memory, Folman painfully and candidly pieces together the war and his place in it - the senselessness of the soldiers' orders; the fear that pervades every moment; the casual bloodshed of civilians, culminating in the massacres themselves. The result is a visual work that is as shocking as it is beautiful. An indictment of violence of extraordinary power, Waltz with Bashir will take its place as one of the great works of wartime reportage. About Polonsky here, art samples here
Pages: 160, SC, B&W, $18.00
Lee: And speaking of war books, this is a completely different perspective on a very old war. Originally a short animated film, this has now become a graphic novel. It sounds very, very interesting.
Jim: 1982 is not that old, but yes the violence in that area has been around forever. It does sound interesting and I like that graphic stories can give you the visual perspective that no amount of prose can deliver.
Part 3 will be on Saturday (Maybe Friday, depends on Gwen's schedule)
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