District Comics: Unconventional History of Washington DC GN by (w) Scott O. Brown (a) Various
District Comics is a graphic anthology featuring lesser-known stories about Washington, DC, from its earliest days as a rustic settlement along the swampy banks of the Potomac to the modern-day metropolis. Spanning 1794-2009, District Comics stops along the way for a duel, a drink in the Senate's speakeasy, a look into the punk scene, and much more. 256 pgs, $24.95 Read the Amazon hype here, but buy the book from your local LCS!
Lee: I hate using Amazon to hype a book but there’s a better list of artists/writers and their accomplishments there. This is full of talented people and since I live relatively close to DC I think it will be fun. DC really is an interesting city and I can’t pass up a chance to learn more about it.
Gwen:I wonder if they'll talk about how the first attempt sunk into the swamp. Anyway Lee, what's wrong with Amazon hype? I love Amazon, the customer reviews can be really helpful if you know what types of pros and cons you're looking for.
6 more below the break
Shakara: The Destroyer SC by (w) Robbie Morrison (a/c) Henry Flint
Reality is teetering on the edge of oblivion! The Shakaran warrior known as Cinnibar Brennekka has activated a terrifying weapon called the God Machine, and once it destroys everything he will be the ultimate master of a new universe created in his image. Only one thing can stop Brennekka from succeeding - a vengeance-fuelled being called Shakara, the living embodiment of a murdered species! 144 pgs. $23.99
Lee: This isn’t even close to new, heck I talked about it back in the Indies for 2008. But, I got it and I loved it so I figured I would mention it again. It’s a crazy over the top thrill ride. Flint turns in a masterful art job that matches the insanity of Morrison’s script. Lots of creepy aliens, lots of cool tech, lots of explosions, lots of fun!
Gwen:This sounds like a book my husband would like more than I would. He did really enjoy Fear Agent after all and according to Lee's description this appears to be a similar genre.
Only Skin GN by (w/a/c) Sean Ford
Featured in the Awesome anthology and listed among the best comics of the year by Indie Spinner Rack, the Daily Crosshatch, and Best American Comics, Only Skin is a grim exploration of the hallucinatory and tragic landscape of modern rural America, as seen through the eyes of a pair of orphaned siblings, searching for answers in a world filled with terrible, terrible questions. 272 pgs. $21.95 Visit the official site here.
Lee: As the host of this post, I am always on the lookout for new things and this qualifies. It seems to have been mentioned in a lot of places, and gotten some notice as a best of… book. The art doesn’t totally appeal to me but a lot of people are raving about the dialogue. This could be worth checking out.
Gwen:Wow, this looks really depressing. Also really well done but in a House of Sand and Fog kind of way.
Chinese Life GN by (w) Philippe Otie (a/c) Li Kunwu
A Chinese Life is an astonishing graphic novel set against the backdrop of the creation of the People's Republic of China in 1949. This distinctively drawn work chronicles the rise and reign of Chairman Mao Zedong, and his sweeping, often cataclysmic vision for the most populated country on the planet. Li Kunwu spent more than 30 years as a state artist for the Communist Party. Working with Philippe Ôtié, the artist has created a memoir of self and state, a rich, very human account of a major historical moment with contemporary consequences. 744 pgs. $27.50
Lee: This has a huge page count! Wow, that’s a lot. Once I get past that this sound really, really interesting. I love my superheroes, horror, and every other form of escapism comics but there’s something about the reality of this particular book that appeals to me. Maybe it’s because I really should learn more about China. Maybe it’s so I can learn if all the propaganda I’ve heard about China is true. Who knows why, but this is worth investigating.
Gwen:This looks really interesting. I really enjoyed the Berlin books as well as work like Persepolis so I think that this would be well worth reading as well. Sometimes it's easier to get a different historical and cultural perspective from a comic book format.
Twenty-eight-year-old Nao Brown, who's hafu (half Japanese, half English), is not well. She's suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and fighting violent urges to harm other people. But that's not who she really wants to be. Nao has dreams. She wants to quiet her unruly mind; she wants to get her design and illustration career off the ground; and she wants to find love, perfect love. She meets Gregory, an interesting washing-machine repairman, and Ray, an art teacher at the Buddhist Center. She begins to meditate to ease her mind and open her heart - and in doing so comes to realize that life isn't black-and-white after all; it's much more like brown. 208 pgs. 8.5 x 11. $24.95. Visit the official site here.
Lee: Lady’s got a washing machine for a head. And, a really accurate representation of one at that. I’m pretty sure that tells me everything I need to know about this book. Actually it doesn’t but I love the cover too much to not check this out.
Gwen:I like the concept more than the cover. The cover makes me think of the book from yesterday with the girl having a washing machine's baby.
Amelia Rules! Vol. 08: Her Permanent Record HC by (w/a/c) Jimmy Gownley
Amelia Louise McBride has weathered her share of storms. Then Aunt Tanner disappears, humiliated by an ex-boyfriend's tell-all book, sending Amelia into full panic mode. And when she boards a bus on an epic journey to find Tanner - with frenemy Rhonda in tow, and a little help from a certain boy she never thought she'd see again - it quickly becomes clear that if Amelia has learned anything in her eleven years, it's that life is never through with surprises. In his heartwarmingly hilarious eighth volume of the acclaimed Amelia Rules! series, Jimmy Gownley takes us on Amelia's most thrilling adventure yet-and back again. 160 pgs. $19.99
Lee: My kids and I love Amelia and I can’t pass up an opportunity to say great things about it. I know Matthew agrees too! Honestly, this is one of the premier all-ages books on the stands. It’s that good. If you haven’t read it, check your local library and if they don’t have it… then buy yourself a copy. You won’t regret it.
Gwen:I haven't actually come across this material before but I'm always on the look out for good all-ages material in the comic book world. I'll have to check this out.
Little Death GN by (w/a/c) Thomas Kriebaum
There's a knock at the door. You fear the worst. It's Little Death. But is he here for you - or your cat? Thomas Kriebaum's little man in the black suit is the ultimate traveling salesman: all deals are final. His dissatisfaction with his vocation is the source of our amusement! $14.99 See a 4 pg preview here.
Lee: Bleeding Cool recently picked this as a future indie hit. It’s wordless but appears to have pitch black humor that few people can successfully do. Get it now and you can be one of those cool kids that knew about it first.
Gwen: This does look interesting and the price isn't bad.
The conclusion tomorrow
Gwen, does DC have "huge tracts of land"?
ReplyDeleteShakara's drawback is that I keep thinking it's set in the mall, what with the Cinnabon and all. Wait, Cinnibar? Oops.