Starring Chris Hemsworth, Charlize Theron, Emily Blunt and Jessica Chastain, THE HUNTSMAN is the story that came before Snow White and the Huntsman, from the producers of Maleficent and Alice in Wonderland.
Thanks to those rugged folks from Universal Studios, to celebrate the release of THE HUNTSMAN : WINTER’S WAR in cinemas April 7th, we have 5 Double In-Season Passes to give away!
To go into the draw for your chance to win all you need to do is tell us, "Chris Hemsworth gives us a rather convincing man of the land performance in these film. What other rugged occupations do you think Chris would be good at and why? "
Terms and Conditions:
-Only entries made via the comments on the Facebook post will be included in the draw.
-All entries will go into the All Star Barrel and winners will be drawn at random.
-Entries close 6pm Monday the 4th of April and winners will be announced Tuesday the 5th.
-Tickets will only be available to pick up from the store and winners must produce photo ID upon pick up.
-Tickets MUST be picked up no later than a week after the draw. Any remaining tickets after this date will be given away at our discretion to make sure they don't go to waste.
Thanks again to Universal Pictures and of course THE HUNTSMAN : WINTER’S WAR in cinemas April 7th.
For more information head to : thehuntsmanmovie.com.au
Well, this sucks. Zainab Akhtar is downing tools on her beloved comics site, Comics and Cola, for reasons which are discussed here. Without Zainab and her work, I probably would not have given Last Man and shot and, more than likely, I would never have even *heard* of The Marquis of Anaon and that’s just the tip of the iceberg. A distinctive voice in comics criticism, with eclectic taste and a real eye for quality, the loss of Zainab from the already shallow pool of comics crit represents the loss of a truly diverse voice, highlights the real problems the industry does have, and leaves us all one step closer to having nothing to read but the lazy extended fluff pieces of shill sites like Comic Vine. Way to go, comics peeps – if you’ve ground down someone as passionate and invested as Zainab, you can grind down anyone.
COMIC OF THE WEEK : ANDRE THE GIANT: LIFE AND LEGEND
By Box Brown
Published By First Second
With this year’s Wrestlemania right around the corner, it seems appropriate to spotlight probably the best comic ever about the sport of Professional Wrestling, Box Brown’s Andre The Giant: Life And Legend (the others in contention being Whoa, Nelly! by Jaime Hernandez and the short Piss Knife, also by Brown, about the tragic murder of Japanese legend Rikidozan [Digression: a Rikidozan biography is deserving of its own full-length comic/manga. Look him up, he was one of the first sources of Post-war Japanese pride]).
Brown, a virtually lifelong wrestling fan, gamely but wisely avoids the easy way out on a biography of one of the most famous grapplers of all time, humanising the myth instead of embellishing the tall tales. It’s easy to find Andre stories, almost too easy, tales of him drinking wine bottles like beer pots, pooping in Japanese bathtubs because he couldn’t fit on the toilet, but the fact is if you watched Andre’s career, you saw the myth become human right in front of your eyes. He shrunk, slowed, battled obvious pain and went from a man who could have classic, fast-paced wars to being virtually immobile in the ring. It was hurtful to watch, this frailty in a man so incomprehensibly massive and thus seemingly beyond normal concerns of bodily human life.
There is “legend” here, make no mistake, it’s in the title after all. Encounters with Jack Kerouac, the drinking (how could that not be?), the fights, but it’s all tempered. Andre’s discovery that he had Acromegaly whilst getting a check-up on his first tour of Japan, that he would grow and grow and his organs will not be able to cope, is beautifully handled visually, with miniscule organs and bones visible in a hulking physique shown in silhouette. Andre’s desire to perform trumped all – even this prognosis of death by the age of forty. Andre enjoyed the money, he enjoyed the women, he loved the life, the fame, but he was always the country boy - here he is on Letterman perpetuating the myths, celebrating his physical stature, while also talking about how he owns a farm in the Carolinas and likes going for walks in the woods. It’s an important interview, the matter of fact honesty of Andre’s answers is met with laughs, but there is sadness and isolation here. Brown includes this important moment in Andre’s career in his book, but dissects it at a human level: “The line gets a laugh from Letterman and the crowd,” reads Brown’s narration over Andre’s discussion about how he can’t go to the bathroom in Japan. Imagine that, for a moment, basic human functions are frequently impossible for you.
Clearly, Brown understands that this frailty, this implausibility of Andre’s very existence, is the heart of it all and in exploring it goes a long way to rehabilitating the wrestling comic, previously largely used to tell ridiculous, cringe worthy tales like Undertaker fighting people in hell, or silly genre mash-ups, by doing exactly the opposite of what’s expected – strip away all the pomp, all the theatre, all the storyline, all the silliness and reveal the man, this unfortunate, cursed man, who lived life to the fullest despite the pain, the exclusion, the constant difficulty that his condition caused.
Visually, Brown’s artful but cartoonish style allows his Andre to shift from goofy, to menacing, to sad, to imposing with ease, his ageing Andre with his increasing ailments is a cruel thing to see over decades compacted into 240 pages. When in his prime, there’s almost an element of Jack Kirby’s early Hulk about Box Brown’s Andre, this blocky monster of a man, all hands and feet and thickness, clearly not built for this world of tiny, puny things like chairs and telephones and beer cans and beds. In many ways Brown’s style is more appropriate at conveying Andre’s immensity than that of a realist like, say, Alex Ross. The ridiculousness of this cartoony Andre, squeezed into an armchair and clutching a miniscule phone to his ear as he gravely explains to the mother of his child why he can’t be a father is crushing in its incongruousness, it’s weirdness. The hotel room fight between Andre and Blackjack Mulligan (grandfather to current wrestler Bray Wyatt) looks appropriately like a Kirby/Lee Fantastic Four where Thing squares off against Hulk.
Brown is not afraid to make his biography about the wrestling either, as obviously he needs to. A section titled, “The Anatomy of a Wrestling Match” dissects the inner workings of pro wrestling for those unfamiliar, using an Andre match from 1974 to do so. It reads like you’re watching the match with Brown on his couch, he calls it for us in captions, relaying all the information we need to understand what’s going on at a performance level, not afraid to highlight the silliness involved either, as demonstrated by his explanation of Andre’s “big ass bump” and his disarming spotlight on some of Andre’s sub-par opponents – “it’s a pretty bad acting job.” But the bit players all come off well, from Terry Funk watching The Princess Bride with Andre, to Hulk Hogan (Brown thankfully acknowledges Hogan’s prowess as a pro wrestler – his recreation of events leading up to the classic Wrestlemania III bout is a highlight), to the awesome Stan Hansen, to Bad News Allen challenging Andre to a legit fistfight after overhearing a racist slur, Brown populates his cast with all manner of colourful figures from Andre’s long career, building up the myth and dissecting the human with each encounter.
I got to talk briefly with Brown and have him doodle in my copy at TCAF 2014. He was proud of the work, but happy to be done with it. The research was extensive (as backed up by the book’s substantial reference material) and there was only so much Andre that his wife could watch. One can imagine that with his next lengthy work being the history of Tetris, Andre The Giant: Life and Legend served as a suitable warm-up for his quirky but research heavy style of biographical comics. Giant, hero, asshole, drinker, wrestler, legend – Box Brown’s book is the ultimate tribute to this melancholic pop culture titan who, above it all, was first and foremost a human.
WEBCOMIC OF THE WEEK : HEART OF WEIRDNESS
By Seth Jacob and Alchemichael
So M.L MacDonald and I became Twitter besties last week after we hijacked a conversation Brandon Graham was having about Japanese sound effects. A quick click over to MacDonald’s personal Tumblr very quickly reveals an artist heavily influenced by Graham and Moebius and this is a very good thing indeed. Heart of Weirdness, a webcomic with art by MacDonald (going by Alchemichael) and written by Seth Jacob features the aforementioned influences wrapped up in an SF story that’s Joseph Conrad and HP Lovecraft gone glory days Heavy Metal magazine.
Richard Corben’s back and he’s gone all pen and ink for “Rowlf,” the story of a dog trying to protect his mistress, the princess Yara, from lusty suitors and tank-driving demon Nazis. When Yara is kidnapped by these militant hellspawn, faithful Rowlf makes his way back to one of Yara’s suitors and a local wizard to rally the troops and get her back. The wizard, convinced the frantic Rowlf has done something terrible, attempts to transform the dog into a man so that he can be interrogated. The wizard, however, is not particularly gifted at his chosen craft and Rowlf ends up a kind of dog-man going on the hunt solo to rescue his beautiful owner. Thumbs way up - both of them, just hoist those guys up high.
The ever-tremendous Charles Vess shows up for “Homer’s Idyll,” a short four pager concerning a headless humanoid’s stroll through an odd but quite attractive landscape – it is a Vess comic, he may very well be incapable of drawing anything unattractive. It’s a real treat to see some Vess work in black, white and grey, with the artist flickering back and forth between a lovely inkwash and some beautifully sharp hatching. A very pretty diversion.
Chantal Montellier’s “Shelter” returns (yay), expertly dialling up the tension in her radiation-proof shopping mall. Opening in a communal female bathroom – naturally handled with far more taste than one would expect from such a sequence in HM – our female protagonist and friends discuss how odd it feels to be living in a consumerist hub and not paying for food or clothing. “This could be happiness,” the ladies muse, in a rather cool, intellectual way rather than the joyful shopping frenzy you may well be picturing, suggesting a casual, working socialism. Things turn dystopian again quickly, however, when our protagonist, working in a former bookstore turned public library for the occupants, begins to suspect that the security force, stripped of names and given designations like S-46, S-17 and so on, are taking all philosophy and political texts from the library and not returning them in a deliberate effort to stifle thought and begin a full takeover led by the mall administration. I am running out of superlatives for this story and we are only three chapters in. It is absolute genius in premise, expertly constructed, lovingly drawn with hints of Tardi and Crepax and I cannot wait for the next chapter.
“Airtight Garage” by Moebius gives us another pair of sumptuous pages and Frank Brunner’s middling adaptation of Michael Moorcock’s legendary Elric also continues. Howard Chaykin wraps up his work adapting Alfred Bester’s award-winning “The Stars My Destination” with assistance from Bryon Priess, turning in the customarily sharp, smart and fully painted images you’d expect. It’s easy to forget that Chaykin, with his ongoing love of mid-century noirish stories, really could draw the hell out of some SF, as this curious experiment proves. Chaykin really tries his damndest to inject as much energy and flair to his pages possible to offset the fact that his art is surrounded by so many blocks of Bester’s text. Great work.
COMICS VIDEO OF THE WEEK : BACK TO THE GUTTERS: ROBBI RODRIGUEZ
Yes, more Back to the Gutters, sorry, it’s Easter and I’m feeling lazy. But with Jamie S. Rich interviewing Robbi Rodriguez as this week’s video I don’t know why I’m apologising. Informative and revealing, as usual with Rich’s webseries, Rodriguez discusses his work on FBP and Spider-Gwen as well as his battles with depression, his incredibly unfortunate eye condition and how working exclusively digitally has prolonged his career. I understand he’s quitting comics at the end of the next extended Spider-Gwen arc, and whatever the reason, the loss of such a craftsman and visual stylist is a terrible shame. He’s a little hard to understand at times (and this is filmed in a bar, making things even murkier), but stay with it – it’s an incredibly candid interview and forif you’re like me, watching Robbi work on his tablet – going from scratchy layout to inks – is akin to comics sorcery. He’s a unique dude. I have a feeling he’s got quite a story to tell one day.
Cameron Ashley spends a lot of time writing comics and other things you’ll likely never read. He’s the chief editor and co-publisher of Crime Factory (www.thecrimefactory.com). You can reach him @cjamesashley on Twitter.
Such a small week...but you know what? It's for the best because that means you can save your pennies for...ALL STAR COMICS BACK ISSUE AND TOY FAIR, this Saturday the 2nd of April, 11am-5pm. Not to be missed, you can check out all the details on our event page here : https://www.facebook.com/events/1702580563363330/
NOW COMICS!
Flashbacks are all the rage and why wouldn't they be when it's based around one of the great 90's cartoon series with X-MEN 92 #1. CMON, Marvel! Missed opportunity to release the next issue for DD the same week the Netflix second season started...well a week late and this series is still looking like it was drawn by Miller in DAREDEVIL #5. Talkin Netflix, remember when the Punisher took on Stilt-Man in DD? No? Sorry, wait that was in the classic Matt Fraction run CIVIL WAR PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL TP NEW PTG. Will the finale to FIGHT CLUB 2 #10 live up to the original novel and film? Still hard to say as this mindbending series wraps up. What one little thing changed in the Turtles history would send them down a dark ninja path? Check out TMNT DEVIATIONS one shot to find out. Possibly a new classic all ages book in the making about a young girl that loves going on adventures in the tradition of TinTin, HILDAFOLK #1 arrives this week along if collections of previous tales in HILDA & BIRD PARADE GN, HILDA & BLACK HOUND GNand HILDA & TROLL TP! The Hickman and Dragotta continuing sci-fi/post one apocalypse, pre another/western epic EAST OF WEST TP VOL 05 ALL THESE SECRETS hits this week to catch you up on all it's end of the world goodness. MONSTER HUNTER FLASH HUNTER GN VOL 01starts a new hit manga series about...well monster hunting and the perils of being a monster hunter, sounds awesome! Brian K. Vaughan and Cliff Chiang new hit series smashes into trade form this week too with it's small town, Twilight Zone tale while being a beautiful and loving flashback to the 80's with PAPER GIRLS TP VOL 01. Tensions are high (when are they not) and things go from bad to worse (no surprises there) in the next WALKING DEAD TP VOL 25 NO TURNING BACK. Also being the end of the month there will also be a new PREVIEWS catalogue to check out in store, which means we'll also have our April Previews Album up very soon for you as well!
So still plenty to check out on this smaller week, just let us know if there was anything else we can help with.
MARVEL
ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT MARVEL UNIVERSE
ALL NEW X-MEN #7
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #1.4
CAPTAIN AMERICA SAM WILSON #7 ASO
DAREDEVIL #5
DARTH VADER #18
DRAX #5
HERCULES #5
MARVEL UNIVERSE ULT SPIDER-MAN CONTEST CHAMPIONS #1
MAX RIDE #5 (OF 5) ULTIMATE FLIGHT
MOON GIRL AND DEVIL DINOSAUR #5
UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #6
X-MEN 92 #1
DC COMICS
AQUAMAN #50 VAR ED
BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #26
JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #8 NEAL ADAMS VAR ED
OMEGA MEN #10
VERTIGO
SUICIDERS KING OF HELLA #1 (OF 6)
BOOM
MUNCHKIN #15
DARK HORSE
CONAN THE AVENGER #24
FIGHT CLUB 2 #10
KING CONAN WOLVES BEYOND THE BORDER #4 (OF 4)
PASTAWAYS #9
IDW
BACK TO THE FUTURE #6
GHOSTBUSTERS INTERNATIONAL #3 (OF 4)
GODZILLA OBLIVION #1 (OF 5)
JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS #13
JUDGE DREDD (ONGOING) #4
RAGNAROK #8
SKYLANDERS SUPERCHARGERS #6
STREET FIGHTER X GI JOE #2 (OF 6)
TMNT DEVIATIONS (ONE SHOT)
TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE #51
IMAGE
BLACK SCIENCE #21
FOUR EYES HEARTS OF FIRE #3 (OF 4)
POSTAL #11
POWER LINES #1 (OF 6)
REVIVAL #38
SAGA #35
THEYRE NOT LIKE US #12
WAYWARD #15
ONI
INVADER ZIM #8
VALIANT
FAITH #3 (OF 4)
MISC
HILDAFOLK #1
JUGHEAD #5 REG CVR A HENDERSON
MADAGASCAR #1
STRAYER #3
MAGAZINES
MARVEL PREVIEWS #9 APRIL 2016
PREVIEWS #331 APRIL 2016
TRADES
100 BULLETS TP BOOK 05
A-FORCE PRESENTS TP VOL 04
ASSASSINATION CLASSROOM GN VOL 09
CASE CLOSED GN VOL 58
CIVIL WAR HOUSE OF M TP
CIVIL WAR PETER PARKER SPIDER-MAN TP NEW PTG
CIVIL WAR PUNISHER WAR JOURNAL TP NEW PTG
DOCTOR WHO 10TH TP VOL 01 REVOLUTIONS OF TERROR
DOCTOR WHO 11TH TP VOL 01 AFTER LIFE
EAST OF WEST TP VOL 05 ALL THESE SECRETS
ECHOES TP VOL 01
FASTER THAN LIGHT TP VOL 01
FIGMENT 2 HC LEGACY OF IMAGINATION
GOLEM GN
HEXED HARLOT & THIEF TP VOL 02
HILDA & BIRD PARADE GN
HILDA & BLACK HOUND GN
HILDA & TROLL TP
HOUR OF THE ZOMBIE GN VOL 01
IRON MAN EPIC COLLECTION TP DUEL OF IRON
LANTERN CITY HC VOL 01
MARVEL UNIVERSE GUARDIANS OF GALAXY TP DIGEST VOL 01
MINIONS DELUXE HC VOL 01
MONSTER HUNTER FLASH HUNTER GN VOL 01
MONSTER TP VOL 08 PERFECT ED URASAWA
OCTOPUS PIE TP VOL 02
PAPER GIRLS TP VOL 01
RAI TP VOL 03 THE ORPHAN
RED HOOD ARSENAL TP VOL 01 OPEN FOR BUSINESS
ROBOT DREAMS GN NEW PTG
SUPERMAN BATMAN TP VOL 03
TET TP
TOKYO GHOUL GN VOL 06
TRANSFORMERS ARMADA OMNIBUS TP
ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN ULTIMATE COLLECTION BOOK TP BOOK 06
A few things to briefly ramble about before we get to it:
· Last week, the comics industry collectively said, “You may think you’re getting sick and tired of SF comics, but you’re totally wrong” and unleashed the long-awaited reprint of Enki Bilal’s The Nikopol Trilogy, the collected hardcover edition of Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham’s Nameless and one of the year’s most marquee arrivals, Dan Clowes’ Patience. I got about a third of the way through Patience before I realised I was way too tired to appreciate it fully I’ll be starting it all over again as soon as I’m done here and reading all the way through. Feel free to let me know your thoughts on it, positive or negative, I’m curious.
· I did manage to read the third chapter of Azzarello, Miller, Kubert and Janson’s DKIII and while I appreciate how much Janson brings to the project in making Kubert’s pencils as 80’s-era Miller as possible, narratively I’m wondering if Azz didn’t get his hands on Miller’s old, aborted Batman vs Al-Qaeda plot (that eventually became the fascinatingly awful Holy Terror) and retooled it somewhat. Probably not, but that’s some pretty on-the-nose “subtext” there in issue three. I am super curious (pun intended) to see how the story plays out. (Also, isn’t it amazing that we nearly had Batman vs Osama bin Laden at the same time as Morrison’s self-proclaimed “hairy chest love god” Batman? Crazy. He’s the most flexible and diverse single character ever created, in my opinion. Think of a story, pop Batman in it, there’s always a way to make it work. Hail the Bat.)
· Finally if, like me, you cannot watch Daredevil season 2 until your spouse returns from an overseas sojourn, I have an alternative for you. Preacher comes to our TVs this year and one of writer Garth Ennis’ strongest influences on that series was the work of Texan writer Joe R Lansdale. Lansdale’s beloved trouble-making duo Hap (straight, white, democrat) and Leonard (gay, black, republican) have also hit the screen in a series, naturally, called Hap & Leonard. As a guy who’s been reading Lansdale since 1991, I am proud (and relieved) to say the show is flat out terrific. Go look it up if you need something to tide you over.
COMIC OF THE WEEK : BATGIRL/ROBIN YEAR ONE
By Scott Beatty, Chuck Dixon, Javier Pulido & Marcos Martin
Published By DC Comics
In the last few weeks, we’ve had future Batman and the vilest hardboiled spin on the Joker, so it’s about time we got to some straight-ahead, classic superhero Batman action. To me that doesn’t get much better than writers Beatty & Dixon’s work on two Year One tales, those of Robin and Batgirl, gorgeously illustrated by a pair of the best modern mainstream artists, Javier (Hawkeye, She-Hulk) Pulido and Marcos (Daredevil, The Private Eye) Martin. Both mini-series are perfect examples of if it ain’t broke don’t fix it Caped Crusader heroics and now come conveniently packaged together in a 450 page collection.
Dixon is easily one of the medium’s best when it comes to straight-forward superhero action. No matter the project, his grip on his characters is consistently rock solid. He introduces his cast and puts them to work almost immediately and seemingly effortlessly. He’s not without controversy, however, claiming that his conservative political views have cost him jobs. It’s worth noting that these views never impacted his work or his rock solid characterisation – as he himself has noted, “I had Bruce Wayne and Batman speak out against gun ownership even though I’m long time NRA member.” He’s sorely needed back at DC, in my opinion. Co-writer Beatty may not have the name that Dixon does, but his ability to come in and pinch hit on short DC stints (mainly Bat-books) and turn in solid work made him a reliable pro. He’s probably most notable for his work writing those DK superhero encyclopaedia books that are virtually everywhere.
Robin: Year One was originally published in four prestige format books back in 2001. Boasting probably the most beautiful and elegant artwork of Pulido’s career, Robin: Year One is almost the anti-Batman: Year One in that it’s (largely) joyful, playful and rollicking, rather than the bleak, grim, angsty noir of Miller and Mazzucchelli’s seminal Bat book. Filled with all the gadgetry, cartoonish villains, deathtraps and swashbuckling action that a reader could possibly ask for, it’s Robin’s rite of passage, emphasising that although his commitment to bringing criminals to justice is the equal to that of Batman, he and the Bat are worlds apart in personality.
Pulido’s Batman is either rendered as a shape emerging from or descending into shadow or a svelte costumed athlete and with hints of Darwyn Cooke, Bruce Timm and even some Mike Mignola added to his cartoonish style, Pulido goes all out with this project. He melds every Bat influence you can imagine, from the grimness of Year One to the retro classic look of the ‘90s animated series, to the brightness of the ‘60s Adam West and Burt Ward show. His Robin is lithe, acrobatic and, most importantly, young and boyish, clearly the light that Bruce so desperately needed at this point in his life and career. Pulido showcases the dynamic between Batman and Robin in incredibly clever ways, such as a scene where the duo crash a dingy pool hall full of thugs. Batman swings on a light illuminating a pool table, keeping himself in shadow, but inadvertently shines the light on his young partner who leaps across the table in a burst of red and yellow.
Wisely skipping any unnecessary origin retelling (Robin’s past is not mentioned at all), Robin: Year One opens with Dick Grayson already taken in by Bruce Wayne and already in costume. One of the book’s main focus points is on Batman making Robin earn his costume and, naturally, the young Grayson falters along the way. Dixon and Beatty use narration sparingly, wisely allowing Pulido’s beautiful art as much room to breathe on the page as possible. When narrative captions do come, they are from Alfred Pennyworth, whose kind heart and conflicted emotions about Dick’s chosen path add maternal warmth in contrast to Batman’s stern patriarchal figure. Re-reading this book made me realise how much I’ve missed Alfred, his voice captured perfectly by the writers who express his deep concern for Dick across captions like: “I fear I am once more watching a child barter his youth away in the service of justice, a thankless cause to be sure.”
Dixon and Beatty squeeze in public school and high society events, demonstrating Dick’s egoless, working class ethic in his relationship with school peers and encounters, his insistence on attending a public school and his awkwardness in meeting political figures. The characterisation is just spot on all round, from a truly dualistic Two-Face (drawn with relish by Pulido as something almost demonic), to the briefest sequence with The Joker, to a taciturn Captain Gordon, also concerned with this young sidekick’s wellbeing.
Robin: Year One is a virtually flawless example of mainstream superheroics, its only real problem being an unfortunate Asian villain in the opening chapter who kidnaps young white girls (preferably blonde) to, essentially, be his sex slaves. A rather tasteless and dated stereotype more at home in an issue of Master of Kung-Fu from 1978, but there you go. Still, this hiccup aside, Robin: Year One is otherwise a masterful effort, actually getting better with age, each scene rollicking along as perfect examples of zero fat storytelling, with even its quiet moments rivalling its actions sequences for their level of craft, beauty and attention to detail, such as this one:
Almost equal in quality was Robin: Year One’s companion piece, 2003’s nine issue mini-series, Batgirl: Year One. Opening with intercutting scenes of young Barbara Gordon being demeaned as a “little girl,” someone literally too short to pass the physical exams demanded by her dream careers of cop and FBI agent, and her beating criminals up as Batgirl. Barbara cooks breakfast for her top cop dad, is verbally humiliated by a sexist government agent and her Jiu jitsu teacher, yet small in stature but great in intelligence, her disarming physicality goads opponents into overconfidence. “Let them believe they’re closing their grips on a shrinking violet,” Babs narration says as she hands crims their asses and, like Robin, has a blast doing it. Even the slightly belittling name “Batgirl” is handled well by the writers (Beatty taking the lead here) – it’s Killer Moth who bestows the name to her while attempting to kill her. Barbara, empowered and individualistic, would have much preferred Batwoman.
Marcos Martin gamely steps up for the art chores on this project, giving his pages a similarly clean, if slightly more realistic elegance similar to that of the preceding Javier Pulido. The art is, of course because it’s Martin, lovely. In fact, it’s a shame that his pages come cluttered with so much, too much, of Babs’ narration – most of it completely unneeded – a problem Pulido’s work didn’t suffer from in Robin: Year One’s stripped back approach. Having said that, however, Batgirl: Year One still hums along, giving Batfans of all persuasion something to smile about from the burgeoning relationship with Dick Grayson, to the appearance of Blockbuster who outmatches Batgirl on a physical level to an insane degree yet still comes up short, to a team-up with Black Canary, to Batman critical of this latest unwanted apprentice, to her relationship with Jim Gordon, to the motorbike chases, to her first soaring flight across the Gotham skyline, it’s full of all the heart that Robin: Year One packed.
Barbara’s unwillingness to give up, to prove herself the equal of the best crimefighters around and capable of much more than even her proud but dismissive father believes her to be forms the core of her character. There is grit to Babs, real moxie, who (as she should in a tale of this sort) falls down a lot but keeps on getting back up. There’s also a lightness of touch to the tale, a great example of which is a scene in which Babs wakes up to find that as a result of her fight with Firefly the night before she’s got cowl-shaped burns on her face she has to hide from her already suspicious dad. The sense of fun exuberance and movement only makes the foreshadowing of her future career-ending assault at the hands of The Joker all the sadder:
The aesthetic of both these stories, their melding of all sorts of artistic and story influences, may well prove to be the defining Batman style – it certainly is for me – packing as much light in as darkness, showcasing heart over horror and adventure over angst. These are Batman stories about family – who you choose to make your family and how much strength can be found in family. I used to prefer my Batman alone but returning to these stories, I’m no longer sure. These creative teams, in peak form, provide the greatest argument for the richness of story that can be found in extending the Bat-family, for how much Bruce needs Dick and Barbara and for the flexibility of story possibilities they provide. Your Batshelf needs this book.
WEBCOMIC OF THE WEEK : A CARTOONIST’S DIARY: JEN LEE
By Jen Lee
A regular feature at The Comics Journal’s website, A Cartoonist’s Diary welcomed Vacancy creator Jen Lee to its virtual pages last week. I recommend all of her pieces (they are an extended, bittersweet meditation on skies), but selected Day Two simply for the gorgeous, gorgeous colours and utter simplicity. Check it out.
It’s September 1979 and this issue, at least on paper, is absolutely loaded so let’s get to it.
Aliens screenwriter and one-time Moebius comics collaborator, Dan O’Bannon, kicks thing off with “Soft Landing”. O’Bannon is merely credited with “concept” here and that’s a fair credit as he probably just told artist Thomas Warkentin to paint the following over the phone: A space shuttle drops an astronaut in a ‘60s convertible sports car down through the atmosphere for it to land, roughly but safely, in the desert. The end. The incongruity of the visuals associated with such a premise, combined with Warkintin’s lovely painted pages makes this way more interesting than it sounds, there’s something quintessentially HM about it too in a nonsensically stoner dream way, which is probably why it was adapted and used as the opening of the Heavy Metal movie in 1981.
JK Potter’s “The Doll” perfectly demonstrates the peril of inhaling toxic fumes as a homeless man melts a discarded doll over an open fire only to inhale it’s noxious smoke and find himself transported, bad trip style, to a surrealistic, nightmarish realm where the tables are turned and he in turn is skewered and melted over an open fire by a monstrous, mammoth version of the doll. Again, way better than it sounds and pretty stunning stuff visually, with Potter’s mixed media pages really adding a layer of extra weird.
At this point, Alias is putting together a run of short stories in his “Only Connect” that rival even the greatest string of stories by the finest writers who ever worked on 2000 Ads “Future Shock.” These little twisty SF numbers must be incredibly difficult, but Alias constantly knocks them out of the park. This issue, we get the longest and, unfortunately, weakest instalment as a space battle mirrors, move for move, a chess game. It’s lacking both that existential gut punch and the cleverness of a twist that’s been an “Only Connect” hallmark, but having said that, the imagery of warring space ship chess pieces alone should entertain.
“Little Red V-3” by Dominique He is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood with Robots. A cute little diversion, especially notable for He’s clean and striking inking.
Frank Brunner, one of my fave ever Doctor Strange artists, tackles an adaptation of Michael Moorcock’s legendary Elric character. Considering artists as legendary as Walt Simonson, Philippe Druillet and P. Craig Russell would later turn in striking and distinctive Elric comics, this actually falls short of the mark. Brunner’s work is disappointingly generic…something is lost here. It’s got that lysergic surge that Brunner brought to his best work but it all comes off as a serviceable, workman like rather than transcendent effort.
Things get ominous in part three of Chantal Montellier’s “Shelter,” as the survivors trapped inside the mall are organised into a communal society, to be watched over by rather fascistically-costumed security and headed up by the director of the mall. This remains stellar stuff – shaping up to be a real, true lost classic.
NOTE: next week we skip ahead to November, as the (rather disappointing) October 1979 issue was covered in last year’s Halloween column.
COMICS VIDEO OF THE WEEK : ENKI BILAL DOCUMENTARY 1986
“He says it’s always been more interesting graphically to work with tough, hard images, situations which reach out and grab the reader, aggressive almost, rather than paint a bed of roses and smug optimism. It’s a question of temperament.” That’s Bilal alright.
This short, four minute 1986 documentary (cut off just as it gets good!) looks positively ancient, but packs in a whole lot of gorgeous, striking imagery by the Yugoslavian born artist of The Nikopol Trilogy (re-released just last week by Titan, as mentioned earlier). The dry, English-accented voiceover has the vibe of an old educational video, which oddly suits this curious little movie and the serious artist that is its subject. I asked Lizzie Kaye, Titan editor, if there would be more Bilal and Druillet on the way and she confirmed there would be, soon to be announced in fact. Great news for lovers of both of these massive talents. Let’s not allow the work of either of them to sit out of print in English for so long ever again.
Cameron Ashley spends a lot of time writing comics and other things you’ll likely never read. He’s the chief editor and co-publisher of Crime Factory (www.thecrimefactory.com). You can reach him @cjamesashley on Twitter.
Easter, the time of family, rebirth, long weekends, chocolate...heroes smashing each other at the cinema and most importantly comic book reading catch ups!
But before we get to comics make sure not to forget to mark your calendar for a little event we'll have running on SATURDAY APRIL 2ND...YES, That's right! The All Star Comics Back Issue & Toy Fair is coming, so check the event page for all the details in the lead up!
NOW, how about some comics?
A superman by any other name is Marvel's hard line take on the big blue in HYPERION #1. A slightly new take on the Astro Boy story, a young robot girl is the last line of defense against outlawed and vengeful robots terrorizing Japan in Image's new, CIRCUIT BREAKER #1. Longing for some classic DC Amazon tales before Dawn Of Justice? WONDER WOMAN WAR OF THE GODS TP should fit the bill. Fans of Ramos' artwork rejoice with the looooong out of print collected works of his series that will also appeal to fans of Buffy with OUT THERE TP VOL 01 coming back in stock. A missing persons case takes an even more turn for the worse in Image's graphic novel, RATTLER GN. Element Bending goes crazy in the latest chapter of the Airbender saga in AVATAR LAST AIRBENDER TP VOL 12 SMOKE & SHADOW. See behind the scenes before watching to comic book icons battling it out in the BATMAN VS SUPERMAN ART OF DAWN OF JUSTICE HC. After seeing Frank blowing up our small screens, it might be time to catch up on some classic Punisher with Garth Ennis PUNISHER MAX TP COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL 02. If fashion wasn't already cool enough, how about a little bit of ninjutsu thrown in for good measure in SHURIKEN & PLEATS GN VOL 01.
A little bitty baby shipment this week still filled with great releases but also leaving you no excuses for tackling that grow shame pile of comics beside your bed!
If there is anything else this week you are after, just let us know.
MARVEL
ALL NEW ALL DIFFERENT AVENGERS #7 ASO
ALL NEW HAWKEYE #5
ANGELA QUEEN OF HEL #6
CARNAGE #6
CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS #6
HOWLING COMMANDOS OF SHIELD #6 ASO
HYPERION #1
ILLUMINATI #5
INFINITY ENTITY #3 (OF 4)
MARVEL UNIVERSE GUARDIANS OF GALAXY #6
NEW AVENGERS #8 ASO
OBI-WAN AND ANAKIN #3 (OF 5)
PATSY WALKER AKA HELLCAT #4
STAR WARS #17
TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #4
ULTIMATES #5
UNCANNY X-MEN #5
VENOM SPACE KNIGHT #5
X-MEN WORST X-MAN EVER #2 (OF 5)
DC COMICS
BATMAN #50 POLYBAG VAR ED
BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #25
CYBORG #9
DEATHSTROKE #16 VAR ED
GRAYSON #18 POLYBAG VAR ED
HARLEY QUINN #26
JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #10
SECRET SIX #12
SUICIDE SQUAD MOST WANTED DEADSHOT KATANA #3 (OF 6)
SUPERMAN LOIS AND CLARK #6
TEEN TITANS #18 VAR ED
WE ARE ROBIN #10
WONDER WOMAN #50 POLYBAG VAR ED
VERTIGO
ART OPS #6
JACKED #5 (OF 6)
LAST GANG IN TOWN #4 (OF 6)
BOOM
BILL & TED GO TO HELL #2
KLAUS #4
SPIRE #7 (OF 8)
STEVEN UNIVERSE & CRYSTAL GEMS #1
VENUS #4
DARK HORSE
BTVS SEASON 10 #25
ELFQUEST FINAL QUEST #14
HELLBOY & BPRD 1953 BEYOND THE FENCES #2
SHADOW GLASS #1 (OF 6)
TOMB RAIDER 2016 #2
IDW
GI JOE DEVIATIONS (ONE SHOT)
ROCKETEER AT WAR #2 (OF 4)
TMNT ONGOING #56
IMAGE
BIRTHRIGHT #15
CIRCUIT BREAKER #1 (OF 5)
CRY HAVOC #3
MIRROR #2
NOWHERE MEN #9
OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #17
PENCIL HEAD #3 (OF 5)
RINGSIDE #5
SNOWFALL #2
SONS OF THE DEVIL #6
STRAY BULLETS SUNSHINE & ROSES #13
VALIANT
BLOODSHOT REBORN ANNUAL 2016 #1
DR MIRAGE SECOND LIVES #4 (OF 4)
X-O MANOWAR #45
MISC
ASSASSINS CREED TEMPLARS #1
DELETE #1 (OF 4)
DOCTOR WHO 10TH YEAR TWO #7
DOCTOR WHO 11TH YEAR TWO #7
DOCTOR WHO 4TH #1 (OF 5)
HIP HOP FAMILY TREE #8
INDEPENDENCE DAY #1 (OF 5)
NIOBE SHE IS LIFE #2
PUBLIC RELATIONS #6
WRAITHBORN #2 (OF 6)
TRADES
ADVENTURE TIME TP VOL 08
ANGRY BIRDS SUPER ANGRY BIRDS TP
ASTRO BOY OMNIBUS TP VOL 03
AVATAR LAST AIRBENDER TP VOL 12 SMOKE & SHADOW
BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT GENESIS HC
BATMAN VS SUPERMAN ART OF DAWN OF JUSTICE HC
BOBS BURGERS BURGER BOOK HC
CHARISMAGIC TP VOL 01 VANISHING
CIVIL WAR CAPTAIN AMERICA IRON MAN TP
CIVIL WAR HEROES FOR HIRE THUNDEBOLTS TP
CIVIL WAR MARVEL UNIVERSE TP NEW PTG
CIVIL WAR YOUNG AVENGERS AND RUNAWAYS TP NEW PTG
CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP INVISIBLE MAN
CLASSIC ILLUSTRATED TP MACBETH
COLORING DC TP VOL 01 BATMAN HUSH
COMPLETE CREPAX HC DRACULA FRANKENSTEIN HORROR
CURSED PIRATE GIRL TP VOL 01
CYBORG TP VOL 01 UNPLUGGED
DANGER GIRL RENEGADE TP
DEATH SENTENCE TP VOL 02 LONDON
DEXTER DOWN UNDER TP
DOCTOR FATE TP VOL 01 THE BLOOD PRICE
GRAVEYARD QUEST GN
GUARDIANS OF GALAXY TP VOL 05 THROUGH LOOKING GLASS
HERO CATS MIDNIGHT OVER STELLAR CITY TP
INFINITY WATCH TP VOL 01
LOCKE & KEY MASTER ED HC VOL 02
MOLLY DANGER HC BOOK 01
OH KILLSTRIKE TP VOL 01
OUT THERE TP VOL 01
PUNISHER MAX TP COMPLETE COLLECTION VOL 02
RATTLER GN
ROBIN SON OF BATMAN HC VOL 01 YEAR OF BLOOD
ROCKET RACCOON TP VOL 02 STORYTAILER
RUST TP VOL 00 THE BOY SOLDIER
SHURIKEN & PLEATS GN VOL 01
SLOTH TP
STAR TREK GREEN LANTERN TP SPECTRUM WAR
STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION TP VOL 02 NEW REPUBLIC
STARFIRE TP VOL 01 WELCOME HOME
SUPERMAN & THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA TP VOL 01
UNCLE GRANDPA ORIGINAL GN VOL 01 TIME CASSEROLE
UNITY TP VOL 07 REVENGE OF THE ARMOR HUNTERS
WONDER WOMAN WAR OF THE GODS TP
BACK IN STOCK
CRIMINAL SAVAGE ED MAGAZINE SIZE VAR
HE-MAN & MASTERS OF UNIVERSE HC MINICOMIC COLLECTION
New England, 1630. Upon threat of banishment by the church, an English farmer leaves his colonial plantation, relocating his wife and five children to a remote plot of land on the edge of an ominous forest —within which lurks an unknown evil. Strange and unsettling things begin to happen almost immediately — animals turn malevolent, crops fail, and one child disappears as another becomes seemingly possessed by an evil spirit. With suspicion and paranoia mounting, family members accuse teenage daughter Thomasin of witchcraft, charges she adamantly denies. As circumstances grow more treacherous, each family member's faith, loyalty and love become tested in shocking and unforgettable ways. Writer/director Robert Eggers’ debut feature, which premiered to great acclaim at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival — winning the Best Director Prize in the U.S. Narrative Competition — painstakingly recreates a God-fearing New England decades before the 1692 Salem witch trials, in which religious convictions tragically turned to mass hysteria. Told through the eyes of the adolescent Thomasin — in a star-making turn by newcomer Anya Taylor-Joy — and supported by mesmerizing camera work and a powerful musical score, THE WITCH is a chilling and groundbreaking new take on the genre.
To celebrate the release of THE WITCH screening exclusively at Cinema Nova from 17th March, those magical folks from Universal Pictures are giving us 10 Double In-Season Passes to give away!
To go into the draw for your chance to win all you need to do is tell us, "Witches and possession are scary stuff. If you had to pick someone to be possessed by, who would pick and why?"
Terms and Conditions:
-Only entries made via the comments on the Facebook post will be included in the draw.
-All entries will go into the All Star Barrel and winners will be drawn at random.
-Entries close 6pm Monday the 21st of March and winners will be announced Tuesday the 22nd.
-Tickets will only be available to pick up from the store and winners must produce photo ID upon pick up.
-Tickets MUST be picked up no later than a week after the draw. Any remaining tickets after this date will be given away at our discretion to make sure they don't go to waste.
No time for chit-chat. Mrs Ashley’s gone to see the fam in Canada so I’m on double-walk duty.
My pooch, Beatrix, is insistent. Look at this face, you try and say no to it:
COMIC OF THE WEEK : BATMAN: YEAR 100
By PAUL POPE
Published By DC COMICS
It’s the year 2039. Supervillains no longer threaten Gotham city thanks to government intervention and a mysterious “final solution” that saw the doors of Arkham Asylum close once and for all. The Gotham police department squabbles for jurisdiction with the goons of a Federal Police Department who crack down on crime in squads of violent thugs and unleash packs of attack dogs on criminals. Batman is considered an urban legend – all footage of him has vanished from public record, all mentions of him are from disbelieving government officials. However, you and I know that there will always be a Batman in Gotham and, even with no Jokers or Killer Crocs to face, he is needed just as much as always as a deadly conspiracy is beginning to play out between cops, spooks and the hero this near-future Gotham so desperately needs.Unfortunately, Batman’s rise back to prominence puts him at odds with all arms of Gotham law enforcement as he’s framed for a murder he obviously did not commit.
Originally published in 2006 over four prestige format books, Paul Pope’s Batman: Year 100 is a distinctly lo-fi piece of Batman futurism. Pope’s Batman looks very much of the here and now and is in fact far less a fantastical creation, at least in costuming, than the currently published version of the character. Paying homage to the Kane-Finger Batman and harking back to 1939, the year of the character’s creation, Pope’s hero laces up combat boots, has no body armour whatsoever, short stabbing bat-ears on his cowl, wrist-long black leather gloves like a giallo film murderer and relies heavily on smoke and mirrors and theatrical flair to affect the most terrifying countenance. He wears ceramic denture-fangs, drops smoke bombs for obfuscation and his utility belt is positively minimalist. “Regardless of what’s in his utility belt,” Pope writes in an afterword to the collected edition, “Batman has to be believable, relying on muscle, brains and will power more than anything else.”
It is this comparative believability of the hero in Batman: Year 100 that’s one of the book’s most striking features. In a world featuring attack Rottweilers with cameras in their eyes, a telepathic government agent like something from a Philip K. Dick book and police hover-ships jetting across the Gotham skyline, Pope’s use of a down-to-earth, low-tech Batman is surprising. Visually, however, our vigilante is a knockout with his combat boots, his stitched up cowl “like a well-made Mexican wrestling mask,” (Pope again), and skivvy sleeves that stop just short of his wrists, allowing a glimpse of skin between sleeve and glove. Batman should reflect the city around him and this is why Pope’s Batman in his cobbled together suit works so well visually. His Batmobile is a souped-up trailbike, built, logically and like the man riding it, for speed and utmost mobility. Pope’s Gotham is also largely stripped of any futurism – it’s industrial, antique, foreboding in a gothic, crumbling way, brought to grim life by Pope’s loose lines and inky splashes. Like the best Bat-artists, Pope also does not forget that visually Batman works very well as a shape in motion, organic and curved, cape curled, as he navigates around the warren of buildings that is Gotham City through Pope’s artfully messy pages. Pope, I’ve always felt, is the true heir to Jack Kirby in that his art is heavily-stylised but packed with maximum energy and spontaneity; powerful, crackling artwork that flimsy panel borders somehow just manage to frame and contain. That, however, is an essay for another day.
Batman: Year 100 also gives us an updated Robin, Oracle and Jim Gordon. Pope drops cool little visual hints in the form of recovered video footage to Bat-versions past, from the aforementioned Kane version to a 1986 Miller Dark Knight who “looks like he’s put on some weight,” tying continuity into the project neatly. Batman: Year 100 is a terrific experiment, further demonstrating the flexibility of this iconic character as he’s put in the hands of a legendary indie creator. It’s brisk too, with sequences of excellent, fluid chase and fight sequences – the opening of a wounded Batman outrunning a pack of the police dogs across rooftops a standout – but Pope is aware that Batman is first and foremost a detective, a crime solver, and while the payoff to the unfurling conspiracy lacks the power of the journey towards it, Batman: Year 100 is an absorbing read with Pope re-contextualising the Batman mythos, updating it, morphing it and even stripping it back, as he takes his turn playing with DC comics number one toy.
As with last week’s Joker, see the video section below for a cool little tribute to the project showcasing Pope’s crazily dynamic artwork.
WEBCOMIC OF THE WEEK : COSTUME PARTY
By EDUARDO RISSO
If you love comics and don’t check out http://thebristolboard.tumblr.com/ on a regular basis, you’re missing out on some good stuff, from original art to complete short stories, many of which have been forgotten about and just disappeared entirely.
One such story is Eduardo Risso’s “Costume Party,” originally published in the November 1998 issue of Heavy Metal. A fun little EC-style shocker, Rizzo, the artist of 100 Bullets with writer Brian Azzarello, the upcoming Dark Night: A True Story with writer Paul Dini and dozens of other excellent projects, seems to be letting off some creative steam here with a bustling costume party that allows his to draw all sorts of characters from Snow White, to The Joker, to a really excellent Mummy. To say much more would be to spoil it, so pop on over to check it out, complete and uncut.
If I’m not mistaken, Tom Orzechowski’s distinctively organic lettering makes its first HM appearance, filling word balloons placed over the lovely painted art of Val Mayerik’s “Time Out: Opus Infinity.” It’s a neat little strip about a naked woman and an old man with a violin and how they are in fact the agents of cosmic creation. Are they God and Mother Nature, perhaps? Is he nature and she God? Up to you, really, as music and dance and creation myth combine. And for anyone possibly upset by the fact that she is naked and he is not, well, take solace in the fact that the man is presented as a dishevelled hobo and she a cosmic force right from the get go. Plus, iconic underground comix artist Lee Marrs appears in this issue, as does Chantal Montellier, so the female to male ratio of this August 1979 issue is actually much higher than most comparable comics or even creative teams of 2016…that’s kind of crazy when you think about it.
Marrs presents “Free Ways,” a piece about a woman illegally flouting the law and escaping intense, insane pedestrian congestion by taking to the skies on a flying surfboard (the first of two flying surfboards this very issue), kind of like Chopper from 2000AD for any fellow elderly Dredd fans out there. Thousands of pedestrians watch her defiantly soar the skies, most cheering as she’s able to avoid the authority’s attempts to blast this free spirt from the skies and actually escape to “the outer rim” beyond. The assembled masses are placated and returned to their lives by an announcement promising “specials on foodstuffs” at the mall, driving home the story’s point: we choose to be bound by our own blind consumerism. Sure it’s a touch pat, but surely a message we can all get behind to some extent.
Turn the page and there’s Chantal Montellier with Part 2 of the wonderful “Shelter.” A quick aside: I tweeted Humanoids last week asking if we would maybe see some Montellier collected editions…I did not get so much as a reply. Guess you’re stuck my shitty recaps. Anyway, trapped inside a radiation-proof shopping mall following an outbreak of nuclear war, shoppers and management alike are forced to ponder the fact that they may well just be the last people alive in the country. My admiration for Montellier’s work is only growing by the issue at this point and, again, it’s a terrible shame it will likely never be reprinted.
Peter Kuper presents an early work, “A Space Story,” and it’s the second flying surfboard tale of the issue. A space hippy cruises the cosmos on his board, stopping from planet to planet but finding nothing but war and eventual extinction everywhere he goes. Man…this issue’s becoming a real bummer – war, extinction, consumerism and death stories (all great), separated by some terrible prose in the form of the lousy “Star Crown” (which concludes here – hooray for that) and more Vaughan Bode comics. Bode, you may recall, does absolutely nothing for me, so let’s move on to Moebius’ “Airtight Garage” here as usual, which also features war and a crumbling but still beautiful castle being destroyed. I’m beginning to wonder if this overall apocalyptic vibe to the issue isn’t some plot by editorial to sneakily harsh the buzz of its readership. The hippy vibes permeating much of HM are quite noticeably absent.
No, wait, I spoke to soon – here’s uber hippy Philippe Caza to save the day with some utopian psychedelia. “New Ark City” is the story of a naked man who awakens one day to find his apartment building, and in fact the wider city beyond it, empty save for a Noah’s Ark full of animals. Finally he’s discovered by a naked woman and the final panel is of the two of them embracing, surrounded by a menagerie of animals and a perfect rainbow overhead framing them. Thank you, Mr Caza. My burgeoning existential crisis caused by this issue has abated once more.
Famed letterer, Todd Klein writes and draws (!!) “Illustratos,” a two-page curiosity about a master illustrator sitting in his studio with the shades down, attempting to draw a fantastical city. In as expertly a crafted twist as one can manage in a two-page double spread, he quits for the day and raises his shades, only to find the city of his imagination actually right there outside his window. Like “Free Ways” “Illustratos” would seem to suggest we take a look up and outside our windows and take in everything the world has to offer. But screw that, you say, what does Klein’s artwork look like? Serviceable, comes my reply. The work of an artist good enough to publish, but in need of much practice. It looks like the work of every artist struggling to nail everything down, that generic kind of mid-point every comics artist seems to hit before something clicks and they take off. Surprisingly perhaps, Klein’s lettering is similarly crude, lacking the finesse and distinctive grace that would become the main tool in his artistic toolbox. A fascinating two pages.
A rather overlong and ultimately pointless visual adaptation of The Rolling Stones’ “Sympathy for the Devil” follows, yes you read that right, with art by Gene Day who, like Klein before him, shows a mere glimmer of what he would soon be capable of in comics such as the amazing Master of Kung-Fu for Marvel (coming soon to omnibus editions in my hands! Can’t wait.)
Convention trouble-maker Arthur Suydam appears with “Mama’s Place” about horny lizard men at a brothel. Table hog Suydam may be, but these pages, looking like Charles Vess on a really good day, are beautiful even if the story is…well, it’s four gorgeously painted pages, let’s leave it at that.
Finally, none other than Jim Starlin brings us home with “Amber II,” a beautifully illustrated spin on post-humanism using The Lord’s Prayer as its base text. Tom Orzechowski letters again, uncredited, but trust me – this lettering dork knows his TO. Lovely stuff and a perfect way to end a loaded issue.
COMICS VIDEO OF THE WEEK : BATMAN YEAR 100
Seriously, DC should hire the people who put these tribute/trailer videos for their comics together, I dare say they show a lot more love for the characters and product than many in their own marketing department.
Embiggen as much as possible and enjoy Paul Pope’ wild, energising artwork from Batman: Year 100 in this awesome little video, highlighting just how cool the action sequences in this comic really are and just how grungy and human this Batman really is.
Cameron Ashley spends a lot of time writing comics and other things you’ll likely never read. He’s the chief editor and co-publisher of Crime Factory (www.thecrimefactory.com). You can reach him @cjamesashley on Twitter.
Iron Man of mystery? Thanks to Bendis and Maleev, Tony Stark goes global with INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #1. DC TV's over the top superteam gets a nice tribute in comic form this week with the anthology based around the main heroes of the show in LEGENDS OF TOMORROW #1. Are you reading Warren Ellis INJECTION? If not, drop what you are doing to check out the first trade and get up to date to issue #8out this week. This incredible series is a modern day Frankenstein/AI, the folly of man playing god, supernatural, alchemy detective tale that Ellis and Declan Shalvey are knocking out of the park. Double down on the latest Dark Knight tales with BATMAN HC VOL 08 SUPERHEAVY and BATMAN TP VOL 07 ENDGAME setting up the end of Snyder's epic run. Hot on the heels of the massive announcement of the Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy team up mini, you now get to the chance to catch up with Gotham's littlest detectives with GOTHAM ACADEMY TP VOL 02 CALAMITY. Grant Morrison and Chris Burnham's ode to the very best of Lovecraft is collected in one mind shattering edition in NAMELESS HC. Kieron Gillen and Jamie McKelvie showing their love of 80's music video clips return with the next chapter of their music is magic series, PHONOGRAM TP VOL 03 IMMATERIAL GIRL. IDW get in on some "What If" one shots with a few of their titles this week with new takes on GHOSTBUSTERS DEVIATIONS and TRANSFORMERS DEVIATIONS. Teen love and angst is everywhere in the Mark Waid and Fiona Staples relaunch of an icon, ARCHIE TP VOL 01. The title of Dan Clowes has paid off in the wait for his latest work, PATIENCE HC. PAKNADEL & TRAKHANOV TURNCOAT #1 from BOOM, show a future earth in crisis after being occupied but a alien race, then abandoned, the building blocks of a new society is not going to came easily. Celebrate one of the finest Marvel event books in the company's history with the wonderfully epic and perfect swan song for writer, Jonathan Hickman's departure from mainstream comic in SECRET WARS HC. Also back in stock, one of the very best first issues from the previous Daredevil team, Waid and Sammee, BLACK WIDOW #1 should NOT be missed! And not to forget, ONE PUNCH MAN GN VOL 05 punching his way into our hearts, one punch at a time.
Any other requests of books you are after just let us know and we'll do our best to help!
MARVEL
ALL NEW INHUMANS #5
ALL NEW X-MEN #6
ASTONISHING ANT-MAN #6
CAPTAIN MARVEL #3
DEADPOOL MERCS FOR MONEY #2 (OF 5)
EXTRAORDINARY X-MEN #8 AW
INFINITY ENTITY #2 (OF 4)
INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #1
KANAN #12
POWER MAN AND IRON FIST #2
SCARLET WITCH #4
SILK #6
SPIDER-WOMAN #5
SQUADRON SUPREME #5
STARBRAND AND NIGHTMASK #4
STAR-LORD #5
UNCANNY INHUMANS #6
WEB WARRIORS #5
DC COMICS
BATMAN AND ROBIN ETERNAL #24
BLACK CANARY #9
DOCTOR FATE #10
GREEN ARROW #50 VAR ED
INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR FIVE #6
LEGENDS OF TOMORROW #1
MARTIAN MANHUNTER #10
POISON IVY CYCLE OF LIFE AND DEATH #3 (OF 6)
ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #10 POLYBAG VAR ED
SINESTRO #21
SUPERMAN #50 POLYBAG VAR ED (NOTE PRICE)
SUPERMAN AMERICAN ALIEN #5 (OF 7)
SUPERMAN THE COMING OF THE SUPERMEN #2 (OF 6)
SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #27 POLYBAG VAR ED
TITANS HUNT #6 (OF 12)
VERTIGO
ASTRO CITY #33
CLEAN ROOM #6
LUCIFER #4
RED THORN #5
BOOM
ADVENTURE TIME #50
BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #22
JIM HENSONS STORYTELLER DRAGONS #4
JONESY #2
LUMBERJANES #24
PAKNADEL & TRAKHANOV TURNCOAT #1
WELCOME BACK #6
DARK HORSE
DARK HORSE PRESENTS 2014 #20
DRAGON AGE MAGEKILLER #4 (OF 5)
MYSTERY GIRL #4
USAGI YOJIMBO #153
DYNAMITE
DEVOLUTION #3 (OF 5)
GRUMPY CAT & POKEY #2 (OF 6)
JAMES BOND #5
LORDS OF THE JUNGLE #1 (OF 6)
RED SONJA VOL 3 #3
IDW
AMAZING FOREST #3
EIGHTH SEAL #4 (OF 5)
GHOSTBUSTERS DEVIATIONS (ONE SHOT)
HAUNTED LOVE #2
MAXX MAXXIMIZED #29
MICKEY MOUSE #10
MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #26
MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #40
STAR TREK STARFLEET ACADEMY #4 (OF 5)
TRANSFORMERS #51
TRANSFORMERS DEVIATIONS (ONE SHOT)
UNCLE SCROOGE #12
WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES #729
IMAGE
13TH ARTIFACT ONE SHOT
EMPTY ZONE #6
HUCK #5
INJECTION #8
LEGACY OF LUTHER STRODE #5
LOW #12
MONSTRESS #4
ODYC #10
RAT QUEENS #15
ROCHE LIMIT MONADIC #1 (OF 4)
STARVE #7
SYMMETRY #4
VALIANT
A&A #1
IMPERIUM #14
WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR #5
MISC
CLANDESTINO #2
DOCTOR WHO 8TH #5 (OF 5)
DOORMAN #1
IRWIN ALLEN LOST IN SPACE #1
MAN PLUS #3 (OF 4)
POWER BUTTON #0
PRINCELESS RAVEN PIRATE PRINCESS #6
RIVERS OF LONDON NIGHT WITCH #1 (OF 5)
SANTERIA THE GODDESS KISS #1
SECOND SIGHT #2
SIMPSONS COMICS #227
TRADES
AQUAMAN TP VOL 06 MAELSTROM
ARCHIE TP VOL 01
AWKWARD GN
BART SIMPSON TP MASTER OF DISASTER
BATMAN HC VOL 08 SUPERHEAVY
BATMAN TP VOL 07 ENDGAME
BEAUTY TP VOL 01
BOY & BEAST GN VOL 01
CAPTAIN AMERICA AND FALCON BY PRIEST TP COMP COLL
CAPTAIN CANUCK TP VOL 01 ALEPH
CHRONICLES OF CONAN TP VOL 31 EMPIRE OF UNDEAD
CIVIL WAR FRONT LINE TP
CIVIL WAR X-MEN TP NEW PTG
COLORING DC BATMAN ADVENTURES MAD LOVE TP
COMIC BOOK APOCALYPSE GRAPHIC WORLD OF JACK KIRBY
DAN CLOWES PATIENCE HC
DARK TOWER DRAWING OF THREE TP LADY OF SHADOWS
DAVID CHELSEAS 24 HOUR COMICS HC VOL 02 SLEEPLESS
EERIE TP VOL 01 EXPERIMENTS IN TERROR
GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO TP VOL 14
GOTHAM ACADEMY TP VOL 02 CALAMITY
HALO FALL OF REACH TP
HEATHENTOWN GN (NEW PTG)
HELP US GREAT WARRIOR TP VOL 01
HIT TP VOL 02 1957
HUMANS TP VOL 02 HUMANS TILL DETH UP
JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 TP VOL 01 DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN
