[Zacharie]

Title: Ultimate Spider-Man #153-#160 : The Death of Spider-Man (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Brian Michael Bendis (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Josh West (Review 1) and Blair Marnell (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Review 1: Ultimate Spider-Man #156 - Bagley Is Back And Things Heat Up For Parker In This Explosive Issue Of Ultimate Spider-Man!

What do you need to know about Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #156? Well after three issues of prepping the prelude, writer Brian M. Bendis has finally started walking down the road to the Death Of Spider-Man proper. There was something else… oh! Of course, Legendary Ultimate Spider-Man artist Mark Bagley makes his highly anticipated return to the book after a few years off. ‘Nuff said right?

In truth, this news didn’t initially bother me that much. Ultimate Spidey has had great artists attached (especially in the recent months) and frankly after #155, Chris Samnee could have drawn Spider-man for the rest his life and I wouldn’t have cared.

But Bagley has brought back something with him after his jaunt at DC, something I didn’t realise was missing. The general tone and feel of the book has shifted a gear and it’s glorious. Everything from his exposition scenes, to the action scenes are just fantastic – the guy draws one pretty great looking Captain America as well!

If this really is the “Death” of Spider-Man and the end of the book as we know it, then Bagley’s return makes the last 10 years feel like they’re coming full circle in the best possible ways.

It isn’t surprising that his return has also brought out some of Bendis’s best writing! Last month we saw Peter Parker finally get his life in order; Mary Jane is back in his life, Kitty and Gwen are back on the scene and Peter even has himself a new friend in Tony Stark (not to mention some new webshooters).

Although if drama has taught us anything, it’s this: as soon as a character becomes happy and complacent, well you better get ready for the fallout! Bendis has initiated two catalysts for Peter’s potential death; New York has become a warzone (loosely tying into the events of Ultimate Avengers Vs. New Ultimates) and perhaps a more pressing issue for young Parker; the sinister six are back… with one hell of a surprise addition to the roster!

If you’re looking to jump back on to Ultimate Spider-Man now truly is the time. Things are really heating up for Peter Parker and with his future up in the sky, the next few months are going to be very interesting! Bendis and Bagley are back together, with one of the strongest issues of Ultimate Spiderman in years.

When they said this was going to be one of the most important events on the Marvel calendar I didn’t quite believe them… this has changed everything.


Review 2: Ultimate Spider-Man #160 - Eleven years ago, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley recreated a modern version of Spider-Man within the pages of Ultimate Spider-Man. And it worked. It really worked

Back then, the Ultimate Marvel Universe was something special. When Bendis and Mark Millar were driving the Ultimate line through Ultimate Spider-Man and Ultimates, the imprint seemed like it could last for years and years.

Somewhere along the way, the Ultimate Universe lost its sense of direction. Personally, I blame that on Ultimates 3 and Ultimatum which relied on over-the-top shock moments and gratuitous death scenes. It's a good thing Marvel doesn't do that anymore.

Oh wait...

Ultimate Spider-Man #160 is the final part of the "Death of Spider-Man" storyline and no one can say it doesn't deliver what it promised. By the end of the issue, Peter Parker's world famous alter ego is indeed dead. Or at least dead as anyone gets in comics.

But first, a little background! "The Death of Spider-Man" was promoted as a crossover story with Mark Millar's Ultimate Avengers vs New Ultimates miniseries. However, the extent of that crossover seems to have been Spider-Man showing up briefly to take a bullet meant for Captain America before going back to his own book, where Norman Osborn and a couple of his old villains were waiting for him outside of his house. By the time that Peter took out the majority of the villains, he was already on his last legs.

I'll say this for the issue, at the very least Spider-Man goes down in a heroic way. And I think that the pages where he actually dies could have been very moving, had Marvel not spoiled them a day before the book even came out.

Therein lies the problem. The comic book industry is in the business of selling comics. But in theory, the story should always come first. In "The Death of Spider-Man," the story seemed like an afterthought to the notion of getting everything lined up for Peter to die. This plot felt like it was constructed just in a bid to get some attention from the mainstream media and drum up some sales for the failing Ultimate line. The first part of that strategy appears to have worked, but I'm not sure about the second part.

What bothers me the most is how mechanically the story plays out within the issue itself. Spidey needs a save? Wake up the Human Torch! Mary Jane needs a hero moment? Here she comes now in a semi-truck that she stole off panel! There's just no sense of excitement or even building tension towards the conclusion. Again, that could be because Marvel spoiled where the story was going within the title alone. But there's something to be said for allowing the story to surprise the reader. If the ending is such a foregone conclusion, then why are we reading the book?

Bendis' long time collaborator, Mark Bagley provides the art for this issue and as usual, his pages are nicely drawn and well laid out. Bagley sometimes gets a bad reputation for just being a workman-like artist, but he's got a lot of skill behind his craft and he can tell a story sequentially. And he's very, very good at. The emotions conveyed from Aunt May, Mary Jane, Gwen and even Peter in the last few pages are really well done and they almost redeem the issue by themselves.

Ultimately, I just didn't enjoy this issue by itself or within its larger place with the Ultimate Spider-Man series. It's like we've followed one of comic's greatest superheroes hero across 160 issues and then at the end found that writer essentially said "and then he died!"

I've never read any Spider-Man book hoping to see Peter Parker die. I want to see Peter Parker live. And I don't think I'm alone in that.

Obviously, this is still comics and Marvel could bring him back tomorrow if they wanted to. Hell, 20 years ago, DC did the same thing with Superman. They replaced the Man of Steel with essentially four different versions of himself before bringing back the real deal just a couple of months after he went into the ground.

Marvel's already got a new Spider-Man coming in the pages of Ultimate Comics Spider-Man. But I find that I don't really care to start over again. These gimmick and event stories have lost their appeal. And I don't believe that the Ultimate Universe can recapture the magic that it once had.

More info:

Story by: Brian Michael Bendis
Art by: Mark Bagley
Covers by: Mark Bagley
Publisher: Marvel

[Zacharie]

Title: The Traveller (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Stan Lee (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Chad Nevett (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review: The Traveler #1

The second of the Stan Lee overseen superhero comics from BOOM! hits the shelves this upcoming Wednesday and is more action-packed and mysterious than “Soldier Zero.” The concept of “The Traveler” isn’t as easy to grasp immediately, because Mark Waid throws us into the deep end, having the hero fight against his enemies without much of an explanation. It’s a novel approach and one that grabs you right away, driving the issue forward, but also not leaving much of an impression. Without context, the action lacks meaning and a point beyond ‘hero stops bad guys for reasons we don’t know yet.’ Even lacking that context, Waid and Chad Hardin make the debut of “The Traveler” a dynamic read with enough teases and clues to entice the reader back for another look.

The issue jumps into the deep end right away with one of the Split-Second Men appearing, trying to kill an innocent woman. This is the pattern of the issue: the Traveler has to stop one of three Split-Second Men from killing someone to change the course of history. Each Split-Second Man has a different power, while the Traveler can manipulate time, speeding it up and slowing it down. He’s clearly practiced at this as he uses his powers with ease and intelligence. Starting in the middle of the story with a somewhat seasoned hero is a different approach from a lot of superhero debuts and puts the reader in the position of playing catch-up. Not much is given here for the reader to catch up on, though.

Like the debut of “Soldier Zero,” this comic doesn’t feel like a complete first issue. The opening action scenes and the ensuing claims of further fights between the Traveler and Split-Second Men don’t leave much room for explanations. The comic never slows down enough for anything to fall into place, so, by the end, all we know is that there’s the masked, hooded hero that can manipulate time and he’s stopping time-traveling villains from killing people. A little insight into the protagonist is all that’s needed and it’s not there. Right now, there isn’t much of an emotional connection with him. He saves people, but how much do we care?

Hardin has a clean, crisp style and draws the action scenes with lots of energy. He tries to choose dynamic angles and positions his characters in the middle of movement often. Sometimes, that makes the panel-to-panel flow a little jarring, but it creates a sense of momentum. He has some difficulty with figures themselves, like the Split-Second Man that appears at the beginning of the issue, who looks unnatural and contorted in odd positions. But, the Traveler is drawn much better, looking heroic and mysterious as is appropriate.

Beginning with some cheesy wordplay and imagery about time, “The Traveler” #1 picks up the pace, delivering a lot of action and not much else. It’s a breezy, entertaining read and provides a lot of hints that Waid and Lee have some big plans, but not enough information about the eponymous hero is given to make us care. That said, the all-action, no slowing down approach is an effective one and has me wanting to see what happens next.

More info:

Story by Stan Lee, Mark Waid
Art by Chad Hardin
Colors by Blond
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Cover by Scott Clark, Chad Hardin, Joe Benitez, Paul Rivoche [more...]

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: The Spirit (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): David Hine (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Minhquan Nguyen (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review: The Spirit #10

The Story: No one’s very fond of the cockroach, but Roscoe Kalashnikov is crazy about them—not in a good way. And yes, his craziness involves guns.

The Review: Considering the ongoing nature of comic books, you’d think writers could afford to let their stars take a break from the limelight now and then to build up other characters. When even incidental personalities get fleshed out, stories take on a whole new depth of flavor; you become that much more convinced this world exists out there, somewhere.

The Spirit is ostensibly about the titular hero’s never-ending struggle for justice in a city that resists it, but really, the star of the series is the traumatized city itself. David Hine makes a pointed effort every issue to delve into the backgrounds of his featured characters, to the point where the Spirit feels like a guest in his own title. The results are a Central City that genuinely feels populated with people, all with their own bag of inescapable hang-ups, damning flaws, and redeeming virtues. It really brings home what the Spirit faces every day.

Take Roscoe Kalashnikov—great name, by the way. The origins of his personal set of crazy are delivered matter-of-factly, in the voice of someone who has clearly embraced his screwed-up childhood. But as the story progresses, Hine expertly teases out the stains still painfully lingering on Roscoe’s psyche, letting you get an almost sickening firsthand view of the guy’s total meltdown. It’s a bit like reading Lolita—even as Roscoe pushes himself down the path to his own undoing, the little bits of honest-to-goodness insanity peppering his thoughts and behavior still invoke your sympathy.

The story takes on new meaning in light of recent current events. I should stake my claim right here that Hine’s story is no intended statement on the Arizona shootings, but there’s an interesting reflection regardless. You have a man with some disturbing psychoses that he represses, absorbing rather than healing the damage. When the literal drop-in of one of fiction’s most potent plot devices—a loaded, silenced gun—comes his way, the unexpected consequences, hastened by the impulsive use of drugs, end up devastating him and others very quickly. The beginning of the issue emphasizes Roscoe’s desire for power to put to use the self-control his father twistedly trains into him. But once he gets it, you see how incapable he is at handling it, revealing the weak grasp of self-control he really has. It may be an old story, but Hine executes it in gripping fashion.

Moritat’s pencils are in fine form this issue. As sketchy as his style can sometimes get, that never takes away from the loaded emotional impact he’s able to deliver in every panel. He even takes pains to offer great background details, from giving names to the establishments downtown, to the pin-up of semi-nude geishas on the back wall of a bar. His paneling does as much work to ratchet up the suspense in the story as Hine’s script, and even a few hours after reading the issue, I’m still haunted by the close-up image of a roach’s antennae feeling up Roscoe’s wide-open eye. Gabriel Bautista’s colors give some of the most mood-appropriate atmospheres I’ve seen.

Conclusion: One of the strongest issues of this newest run of The Spirit yet. Hine’s psychodrama in pulp settings is a compelling mix, and he’s supported by strong art. There’s almost a Vertigo sophistication to the issue, which is a high compliment indeed.

More info:

David Hine (writer), Moritat (penciller), John Kantz (inker), Gabriel Bautista (colorist)

[Zacharie]

Title: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Alan Moore (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Lawrance M. Bernabo (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

I knew they would never be a sequel to Alan Moore's classic comic series "The Watchmen " (and I wish Frank Miller had let well enough alone with "The Dark Knight Returns"), but certainly "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is a kindred spirit in key regards. If the Watchmen were supposed to be superheroes that we recognized, even though we had never seen them before, then the League offers up recognizable fictional characters that we have never seen together before. Going back a century for inspiration, Moore creates a Pax Britannia circa 1898 where the "superheroes" are fictional characters who had been created by that particular point in time, to wit: Mina Murray (Harker) from Bram Stoker's "Dracula," Captain Nemo from Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Beneath the Sea," Alan Quartermain from H. Rider Haggard's "King Solomon's Mines," and the titular characters of Robert Louis Stevenson's "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" and H. G. Wells' "The Invisible Man." There is also reason to believe that "M," the shadowy figure who orders the League about, might in fact be Mycroft Holmes (and if you do not know what literary series he is from then just totally forget about enjoying this series).

If that, in and of itself, is not enough of a hook to get your interested in checking out this collection of the first comic book adventure of the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen let me remind you that Alan Moore is doing the writing. The artwork by Kevin O'Neill is certainly evocative of the turn of the last century, or, more to the point, does not look like a contemporary superhero comic book. Moore and O'Neill also maintain a wonderful conceit throughout the series of presenting the comics as being published at the time of the story, filled with wonderful "ads" that are often as interesting as the story (one of which actually required the initial print run of one of the issues to be destroyed, a story you will have to find related elsewhere, patient reader).

Moore's intention was to deal with a superhero group before all the clichés were established (again, similar to how "The Watchmen" was in a different reality unencumbered by the DC and Marvel universes). Seeing an obvious parallel between the Hulk and Jekyll/Hyde, Moore let his imagination roam in his alternate, technically more advanced version of Victorian London. The more you know about literary history from this period (e.g., Emile Zola's Nana is killed in the Rue Morgue by Hyde), the more you will enjoy all this work. But this first adventure for the League still works if late 19th-century fiction is not your forte. British Intelligence has discovered that cavorite, a material that makes flying machines possible, has been stolen by a mysterious Chinese figure (Oh, come on, take a wild guess who it has to be). Campion Bond of MI5 has been ordered to assemble a team of adventurers to retrieve the cavorite, which is crucial to the race to get to the Moon.

"The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" is really much more fun than we usually associate with Moore's work. Certainly his tongue has never been further in his cheeks than with this series. The first three issues of Volume 2 have seen the light of day so far this year and if you read through this original endeavor you can quickly get up to speed with the current adventure. Just remember it is 1898 and Britannia waives the rules...

More info:

Alan Moore writer, artist
Benedict Dimagmaliw colorist
Bill Oakley letterer
Kevin O'Neill artist, penciler, inker, cover

[Zacharie]

Title: Watchmen (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Alan Moore (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: David Alliger (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" It's quick pace and gripping story will have even non-readers hooked."
Review:

With the "Watchmen" movie out in less than a month, store owners are finding it difficult to keep copies of the popular graphic novel on the shelves. Why all the hype?

Alan Moore is the author of many popular graphic novels, such as "V for Vendetta" and "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen," but his most celebrated work is probably the 1986 graphic novel "Watchmen." In 2005, TIME Magazine named "Watchmen" one of their "All-Time 100 Novels." The movie version is set for release on March 6th, 2009.

The Gist - "Watchmen" follows the lives of ex-superheroes, some of whom were forced into retirement by anti-superhero legislation, some of whom retired of their own accord, and some of whom refuse to retire no matter what. These heroes are (for the most part) average people who worry about their friendships, their elderly parents, and their sex lives. When one of them, the ever-controversial Comedian, is brutally murdered, however, it seems the inactive masked adventurers have something much more sinister to worry about.

Rorschach, who is determined to continue fighting crime despite being considered a criminal, thinks that someone is picking off masked adventurers one by one. At first, his theories of a mask killer don't impress his ex-partner Nite Owl II or the godlike Dr. Manhattan and his girlfriend Laurie, the second Silk Spectre. But when an attempt is made on the life of Adrian Veidt, once the famous superhero, Ozymandias, the truth seems inevitable and a few of the heroes decide to come out of retirement to solve the case.

The Pros - Alan Moore's writing is stunning. Not only is he able to write believable dialogue featuring unbelievable concepts, he seems to enter the minds of each unique character and speak through them; each personality has a distinct and powerful voice that contributes to the telling of the story. He is also a master of juxtaposition; the story of "Watchmen" is told side by side with an issue of 'Tales from the Black Freighter,' a comic within a comic, and the truths the comic book castaway discovers about humanity emphasize themes present in the primary story.

It is the combination of Moore's writing with the brilliant art of Dave Gibbons that makes "Watchmen" the masterpiece it is. Gibbons, who has illustrated plenty of superhero comics, has a style perfectly suited to a graphic novel about the secret lives of superheroes and each panel pops with action or emotion or surprising amounts of both.

The Cons - A novel like "Watchmen" necessitates some suspension of disbelief, and if you're unwilling to make that sacrifice, you won't enjoy the story. The plot takes a lot of twists and turns, many of which involve paranormal occurrences that don't really stand up to reason. A man is able to piece together his body after being disintegrated by a government experiment. The 1980s see wonders such as airships and a genetically altered lynx. These and other details will delight fans of science fiction and fantasy, but if you can't play along, you may not have as much fun.

The Verdict - Those about to see the "Watchmen" movie should try to get a hold of the graphic novel first. It's quick pace and gripping story will have even non-readers hooked. It's depiction of a war-threatened 1980s filled with superheroes and airships is magical, yet convincing. It's considered one of the best novels written in the past century for a reason.

More info:

Writer: Alan Moore
Artist: Dave Gibbons
Letterer: Dave Gibbons
Colorist: John Higgins
Editor: Len Wein, Barbara Kesel

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Crecy (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Warren Ellis (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: John (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

As the History Channel has proven since its debut, history lessons do not have to be boring affairs. The history of warfare is particularly entertaining to watch or read about, and Crecy is an historical account of one of warfare’s most important battles as reounted by Warren Ellis, one of the comic industry’s most prolific and entertaining authors.

As its title implies, Crecy is the story of the British versus the French at the Battle of Crecy in 1346, one of the pivotal battles in the Hundred Years’ War. The book’s description is intentionally worded to be applicable both to historical times and to the modern-day Iraq War:

“A highly-trained but under-equipped army invades another country due to that country’s perceived threat to home security. The army conducts shock-and-awe raids designed to terrify the populace. This army is soon driven to ground and vastly outnumbered.”

Oh, that crafty Warren Ellis. He would find parallels between 1346 and 2003. But I digress.

The story is told from the perspective of an unnamed archer fighting in King Edward’s army. This archer blends narration and dialogue as he takes time to look at and speak directly to the reader, even mid-battle. He provides the reader with all sorts of background information on a variety of subjects, ranging from the reasons for the war to the checquered history of British royalty to the mechanics of archery, all with a typical Ellis characters’ characteristic foul mouth and pitch-black sense of humor. The information is historically accurate, to boot! (Well, at least Wikipedia seems to present the same information.) You’ll learn all about which Kings couldn’t speak a word of English, why the English hate the Scottish and the Welsh and the Normans and the French, why longbows are more adaptable to bad weather than crossbows and why the conditions of the Battle of Crecy changed the face of large-scale warfare forever.

Raulo Caceres’s art is truly spectacular, and in many cases outshines the story itself. The work is all pencils and inks (no color), bu the illustrations are so incredibly complex and detailed that large-scale battles look better than any of the illustrations in the history books. Caceres’s drawings may actually be too good for the story, as I found myself getting lost in them and forgetting to continue on. Since a picture is worth a thousand words, here’s more than I care to type:



If you’re someone that enjoys either history or war stories (and especially if you enjoyed Braveheart) you’ll find Crecy to be visually breathtaking, thoroughy entertaining and even informative. The only real “problem” is that it’s a bit on the short side at only 48 pages, but it’s priced appropriately at $6.99. Read it for yourself, and learn why the “peace” sign is more ironic than you had ever realized.

More info:

Story by Warren Ellis
Artwork by Raulo Caceres

[Zacharie]

Title: Planetary (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Warren Ellis (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: James ‘Grim’ Desborough (Review 2) John Ottinger III. (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:
Review 1: Hopefully writer Warren Ellis needs no introduction, his body of work and his relentless internet presence should make him known to just about anyone with a remote interest in comics or internet culture. He has an impressive body of comics work, perhaps most notably Transmetropolitan and the initial work on The Authority. Planetary takes place within the context of the Wildstorm universe, but is very much its own ‘creature’.

For me this is Ellis’ magnum opus, delayed, beset by problems and an irregular schedule of releases Planetary is a triumph over adversity. Essentially the books are a product of the millennium, ten years in completion but while those themes have somewhat passed by, the books have remained fresh in part due to Ellis’ constant forward thinking and in part due to the recent success of semi-rebooted comic book films and other re-examinations of the genre.

It’s a comic about comics, about the past, a wry, cynical and yet loving examination of comics and their history through an archaeological metaphor, investigating the world of comics within a comic, updating and examining the strange ideas of the past with the eye of today, albeit a sometimes harsh eye.

Review - Planetary is the story of Elijah Snow, one of the Century Babies, unnatural individuals who share the birthdate of January 1st 1900. Elijah is tough, seemingly immortal, unnaturally strong, unnaturally tough and has the ability to control temperature, freezing things solid in an instant. Snow is also an historian, an archaeologist of the impossible, driven to uncover secrets and to document them, he is the author of the Planetary Guides, a series of books published across the 20th century detailing its hidden and secret history.

As the story begins we know nothing of this, Elijah is a washed up unknown, living in the desert, eating at a shack diner, drinking awful coffee when he is the one approached by the Planetary group, having no memory of his former existence as a part of it, as the driving force behind it. Jakita Wagner, another superhuman and Drums, a living information hub form the other two members of Planetary’s ‘field team’, actively heading up their investigations into the unnatural.

As the investigations continue, Elijah gradually comes to fall back into his old ways, his memories slowly reappearing as he is re-exposed to old cases and the string of discoveries that lead him to his original downfall at the hands of The Four, this world’s equivalent of The Fantastic Four, an evil, selfish grouping, jealous of superheroes who collect secret history themselves, specifically to add to their own power, hoarding it from the rest of humanity.

Planetary’s investigations take us through the fate of this world’s Hulk, Thor, Superman, they touch on the age of the pulp and the weird and mystery fiction of the Victorian age. We mix with ‘Tarzan’ and the secret cities of Africa, we cross ‘the bleed’ to parallel Earths on a macro scale and uncover something just as strange at the micro scale. Planetary romps across comics, science fiction and fantastical ideas that are part of all our popular culture. This is as literate as Moore but more accessible, as good as The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen but broader in scope and delighting in the popular rather than the obscure.

While Ellis often ends his material on a down note (The failure’s of The Authority or Jenny’s death, the racism in Ministry of Space) Planetary ends on an up note. The vanquishing of The Four is almost a side note to the true story which I won’t spoil, but which is far more human, far more compassionate and ultimately far more satisfying than any whiz-bang, widescreen superhero punch-up could ever have been.

The door is left open for future adventures with the Planetary team, but I almost hope that doesn’t happen as, in the hands of others, Planetary can’t live up to what it has accomplished.

Conclusion - This is an unmissable comic series and the artwork by John Cassaday deserves to be seen in the best format possible. With the release of the second volume as an Absolute Edition, hopefully the first Absolute Edition will get a reprint and you can get both in this format. It’s a shame this series had to be interrupted and delayed so much but the juxtaposition of speculative science and pop-culture nostalgia does make this series essentially timeless and a classic that, to me, deserves to be as widely recognised as Watchmen or The Invisibles

Review 2: Planetary #27 - It is difficult coming into a decades-long series at its very ending. I will admit to not knowing much about Planetary. But the name Warren Ellis was known to me, and so I was pleased to receive a copy of Planetary #27 for review.

This issue is the conclusion of the series. John Cassaday continues as the artist, using vibrant colors and effective shading to give his characters a human, rather than superhuman appearance. This matches the content of the last issue very well, with its story of mixed feelings of sadness and hope.

It becomes readily apparent that Planetary has been a labor of love. The thrust of the issue centers around the return of a character who had been believed dead and lost forever. Although there is a significant amount of scientific mumbo-jumbo at the beginning (Schroedinger’s cat is a significant aspect of the story) and some references to what ahs come before I didn’t get, the story soon settles down into the actual rescue attempt. Sadly, I was not aware of the back story, so the effectiveness of the emotion was not conveyed completely, but to a reader who has enjoyed the Planetary series, I am sure that this last issue will pack a punch.

Even I, noob to the story that I am, was intrigued enough that I may just go later today and see if my local comic book shop has any back issues of Planetary. Even in this single issue, I can see and read that the characters are pretty well-rounded – having interesting personal issues as well as a sense of camaraderie. Unlike many heroic groups such as Justice League or X-men, whatever it is that this group of individuals has faced has not broken them up but rather brought them closer together. Though there may have been problems and frictions in the past, they seem to trust one another in a depiction of friendship that I rarely find in comics.

I think that even though I was not a reader of Planetary from the beginning, I am already sad that the story is over (though Ellis does leave room for future series). I highly recommend that if you are not familiar with the series, that you see if you can find it, as the storytelling (coupled with some great art) is superbly crafted. [/list]

More info:

Writer: Warren Ellis
Artwork by John Cassaday

[Zacharie]

Title: Baltimore: The Plague Ships (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mike Mignola (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Greg McElhatton (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review: Baltimore: The Plague Ships #1

I may have to turn in my Mike Mignola fan card by saying this, but I still haven't read his and Christopher Golden's novel "Baltimore, or The Steadfast Tin Soldier and the Vampire." It looks rather slick and interesting, but there are only so many hours in the day and something had to give. Still, I figured I'd give "Baltimore: The Plague Ships" a whirl; from what I understand, it's set somewhere in the middle of the "Baltimore" novel, and was designed so new readers could jump right in.

Reading the first issue, though, I found myself a little nonplussed by it all. The book starts in media res, with Lord Henry Baltimore having come to a little plague-ridden town in France pursuing a vampire. From there it's a fight scene, a hunk of exposition and prophecy, and an awkward transition to the next issue. I can't help but feel that Mignola and Golden were hoping that more people had read the "Baltimore" novel, because the titular character here is woefully underdeveloped. Aside from Baltimore being driven to find the vampire he's been chasing, and also good at fighting the undead, we don't know anything else about him at the end of the first issue. He's the proverbial blank slate, but so far without any interesting details sketched onto him.

Then again, it's also a problem with the one supporting cast member of this book, Vanessa. She's remarkably two-dimensional, the slightly mysterious young woman who will do anything to get out of her small town. Watching Vanessa and her grandmother verbally spar is about as exciting as a slow-motion game of crazy eights, and by the end of the issue I found myself hoping the inquisitor mentioned might actually make an appearance because then something slightly more exciting would happen.

On the other hand, Ben Stenbeck (who drew Mignola's "Witchfinder" mini-series last year) is drawing "Baltimore: The Plague Ships" so it looks beautiful. Unlike most artists in the Mignola-verse (Duncan Fegredo, Guy Davis, Mignola himself), Stenbeck's art has a smooth and rounded edge, but one that packs the details in on the backgrounds. When Stenbeck's given scenes like shelves packed full of arcane objects, or bins at the marketplace, you know that he's going to not skimp on drawing everything there. And of course, he's good with the foregrounds too. Stenbeck draws World War I era vampires in a fantastic style, with military jackets and goggles and hats, and the fight scenes feel fluid and energetic. Dave Stewart helps bring the creepy, too, especially with his deep blood reds over the prophecy scene that feels so like a Mignola panel that you might do a double-take before you remember it was Stenbeck.

"Baltimore: The Plague Ships" #1 looks beautiful, but at least for this new reader, the writing isn't quite up to par from Mignola and Golden. I'm generally fond enough of Mignola's comics that I'll give it another shot next month, but I expected a lot better from this creative team.

More info:

Story by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden
Art by Ben Stenbeck
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Clem Robins
Cover by Mike Mignola, Dave Stewart
Publisher Dark Horse Comics

[Zacharie]

Title: Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Companion (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Don Rosa (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Blake M. Petit (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

In the 1990s, Don Rosa poured his heart and soul into a 12-issue opus called The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck . This magnificent storyline, which was finally published in a collected edition last year by Gemstone Comics, took all of the little hints and nuggets about Scrooge’s past that were revealed over the years by his creator, Carl Barks, and turned them into a cohesive life story. The result is one of the finest comic book stories I’ve ever read in any genre. It’s a true masterpiece.

But Rosa wasn’t finished with young Scrooge after those 12 issues. Over the years, he wrote more and more stories filling in some of the gaps in Scrooge’s formative years – stories that became known as “The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck Chapter 8B” and such. Each of them filled in a part of the story, but each of them stood alone as well. This new volume, the Companion to The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, collects eight more stories that demonstrate the sort of high adventure, thrilling action and fantastic comedy that has followed Scrooge from the very beginning of his journey, on the streets of Glascow, Scotland.

“Of Ducks, and Dimes, and Destinies” is the first story in this volume, a true “Chapter 0” in that it was produced even before the original 12-chapter series. Like many of the stories in this volume, it begins with Scrooge’s great-nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie asking him to regale them with an tale of his early adventures. The story of how he got his legendary Number One Dime is a dull one, though, he earned it shining shoes. Or so he thinks. As he tells the story, his arch-nemesis Magica DeSpell (who has long sought the Dime as a key ingredient in a Midas Amulet) plots to go back in time and steal the Dime from the 10-year-old Scrooge that earned it. This fun little time-travel story is one of the funniest stories in the book, full of sight gags and Easter Eggs for fans of Rosa’s earlier work and Barks’s originals.

“Chapter 3B” is “The Cowboy Captain of the Cutty Sark.” In his seafaring days, Scrooge and Ratchet Gearloose (grandfather of inventor Gyro) run afoul of a corrupt sultan hoping to swindle the duck. The resultant adventure includes perhaps one of the most thrilling action sequences ever put in a Disney comic. Without giving away too much, we’ve got no less than a volcanic eruption, a tidal wave and a cowboy riding a charging horse across the surface of the ocean. Michael Bay only wishes he could tell a story this cool.

In “Chapter 6B,” “The Vigilante of Pizen Bluff,” we’re taken back to Scrooge’s cowboy days. In this rip-roaring western adventure, he and his Uncle Pothole McDuck team up with the likes of Buffalo Bill Cody, Annie Oakley , P.T. Barnum and one surprise historical guest against the diabolical Dalton Gang as they rob the carnival that makes up the livelihood of Scrooge’s friends. This story isn’t quite as full of significance to Scrooge’s life story as some of the others, but it’s a fine example of how Rosa can pluck real people and events and seamlessly work them into a world of ducks and beagles. This story also sets up another of Rosa’s best contemporary Scrooge stories, “The Lost Dutchman’s Mine” (printed in Uncle Scrooge #319).

Next up is a pair of “Scrooge in the Klondike” stories, beginning with Chapter 8B, “The Prisoner of White Agony Creek.” In the original Life and Times, Rosa told of Scrooge’s original meeting with the love of his life, Glittering Goldie, and how they spent a month together mining for gold as he tried to teach her to make an honest living instead of swindling people. With this story, Rosa fills in a blank in his own story as well as Barks’s, with a new adventure set in that missing month. A pair of crooks hears about Scrooge’s mother lode and trick a group of legendary lawmen into trying to track him down to “rescue” Goldie from him. This is a really great adventure, but more than that, it’s a powerfully emotional story that gets to the core of the character like few others. Rosa has a unique ability to take this stingy miser duck and make him relatable and even tragic. His Scrooge/Goldie stories always accentuate the fact that the two of them essentially denied themselves the love of a lifetime because of their own stubborn pride. An adventure, yes, but a love story too, and one of the best you’ll ever read. The final panel of this story only contains a single word, but the story is so flawlessly constructed that this one word was enough to bring a tear to my eye. (Yeah, I’ll admit it.)

“Hearts of the Yukon,” Chapter 8C, picks up about a year later (although it was actually produced before Chapter 8B), as Goldie – still smarting from her earlier encounter with Scrooge – sends a legendary Canadian Mountie against his claim. Scrooge not only has to fight off the Mountie, but the claim jumpers as well. This is more of a straightforward adventure, but it’s notable for setting up something very, very important in the last story in this book.

Next up is one of my favorite Rosa stories, “Chapter 10B,” “The Sharpie of the Culebra Cult.” When Scrooge’s nephews find a mysterious sack hidden in his money bin, Scrooge is forced to tell them the story of the worst business deal he ever made, mining a hill in Panama as President Theodore Roosevelt was overseeing work of the canal that would link the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Together, Scrooge and Roosevelt have to face off not only hostile natives but a ruthless general hoping to overthrow the government. It’s a rare story of Scrooge not getting what he wants (well… rare if you don’t count the Goldie stories), but the last page punchline sells it.

The last two stories in the book are oddities of a sort. First is an excerpt from “Last Sled to Dawson,” one of Rosa’s earliest feature-length adventure stories which featured Scrooge returning to the Klondike to retrieve a long-lost possession. This book reprints the seven-page flashback sequence from that story. There’s nothing wrong with the pages, but they feel understandably incomplete. I understand why they were included, as this sequence shows an important moment in Scrooge’s history that Rosa has never recreated elsewhere, but without the context of the “Last Sled” story, it’s not really a satisfying read. The full story, printed early this year in Uncle Scrooge #350, is a lot of fun, though, and well worth reading if you can find a copy.

Finally we have “Dream of a Lifetime,” perhaps the best single-issue Uncle Scrooge story I have ever read. Set in the present day, the nefarious Beagle Boys steal a device from Gyro Gearloose that allows them to enter Scrooge’s dreams in an attempt to snag the combination to his Money Bin. Desperate to rescue him, Gyro and the boys send Donald in after the Beagles, fighting his way across his uncle’s dreamscape to save his sanity. This story is included in the collection because in those dreams Donald and the Beagles encounter the young Scrooge we saw throughout the original Life and Times series and in the stories in this book. The Beagles expect Scrooge to be dreaming about wallowing in his money. To their dismay, his dreams are about all the magnificent adventures he underwent to get that rich, and even four of them can’t tackle the King of the Klondike, the Master of the Mississippi, the Vigilante of Pizen Bluff – Scrooge McDuck in his prime. This is an incredible, fast-paced adventure, firing along so rapidly that you never get a chance to catch your breath and so much fun that you never even notice. The best thing about the story, though, is how it picks up on that one last thread from “Hearts of the Yukon” to deliver to Scrooge a happy ending a long time in coming.

In addition to all the wonderful stories, this book also includes (as the last one did) a brief text piece by Rosa to accompany each story, explaining the influences he drew from Barks, from history and from his own works, as well as pointing out the hidden “D.U.C.K.”s in each cover illustration and splash panel. The text pieces can easily be skipped if you just want to read the story, but they’re a nice little addition if you’re interested in a quick behind-the-scenes look.

Overall, while the original is a masterpiece, this volume is a very worthy addition, including some of Rosa’s finest pages. If you enjoyed The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck, you’ve got to get the book that continues the story.

More info:

Writer: Don Rosa
Art: Don Rosa
Colors: Susan Daigle-Leach & Scott Rockwell
Letters: Todd Klein, John Clark & Bill Pearson
Archival Editor: David Gerstein
Cover Art: Don Rosa
Publisher: Gemstone Comics

[Zacharie]

Title: Motel Art Improvement Service (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jason Little (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Greg McElhatton (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

When Jason Little's "Shutterbug Follies" came out in 2002, it should have been Little's leap into the comic book big time. Instead, it was part of Doubleday's ill-fated graphic novel line that was shut down almost immediately upon arrival, and a book that's part of a dead imprint is slated for publishing limbo at best.

I'm glad that Little and his heroine Bee are getting a second chance now, courtesy Dark Horse and "Motel Art Improvement Service." Don't worry if you never read "Shutterbug Follies" (although by the time you're done here, you'll probably want to); all you really need to know is that Bee is a dangerous combination of smart and slightly nosy. Here, she's starting out on a cross-country bike ride, but an accident strands her in a motel and that's where she meets a most unusual staffer. The next thing you know, "Motel Art Improvement Service" has turned into a story involving defacement of hotel art, a recreational drug ring, and a possible romance.

"Motel Art Improvement Service" is silly and funny and suspenseful, all bound up into one. Little is careful to make Bee both likable and also imperfect; she makes some bad decisions along the way, and her curiosity gets her into trouble as much as it saves her. She's a great protagonist, though; you want to see her succeed from start to finish. Cyrus is a good counter for Bee, because at first he seems to be a fun and interesting person. The further the book goes along, the more I found myself irritated by Cyrus. "Bee can do better," was the thought that kept running through my head, and watching their relationship go up and down kept me interested throughout the book.

Little's art pops off the page, with bright colors and an iconic, clean look. The landscape format of the comic gives Little room to move across the page, bringing to mind Sunday newspaper comic strips. At the same time, though, Little still plays with layouts, not sticking with just two rows of rectangular panels. My favorite part of the art in "Motel Art Improvement Service" has got to be over the top expressions of PFC Johnson as he goes nuclear over the missing drugs. He's simultaneously menacing and funny, and it's just the right balance that we see throughout the book. It's dramatic, it's funny, it's the whole package.

"Motel Art Improvement Service" is a welcome return for Little to the graphic novel world. Hopefully it won't be quite so long a wait next time. Just be warned that once you're done, you'll probably also want to read "Shutterbug Follies." Don't worry: it's great, too.

More info:

Story by Jason Little
Art by Jason Little
Colors by Jason Little
Letters by Jason Little
Cover by Jason Little
Publisher Dark Horse Comics

[Zacharie]

Title: Conan - Island of No Return (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Ron Marz (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Ryan K. Lindsay (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

See Conan sleep with a lady not his own, see Conan persecuted for this action though he fights off the foreign hordes, see Conan drafted into a job of thievery, see Conan surrounded by more beautiful women, see Conan scale an unclimbable wall, see Conan gain access to a mystical palace, see Conan end his issue with the hint of the monster to come. It’s all old hat and, while the beverage might be refreshing, it leaves us bloated with one too many serving.

Conan comics have become the Dark Horse Wolverine or Spider-Man stock. They’re everywhere. While they’re all enjoyable, you have to dig for the truly sublime. This issue is surely enjoyable but it relies far too heavily on the standard Conan tropes to be anything new or enlightening. You can kick back and enjoy it -- it’s not exactly bad Conan -- but it’s nothing worth staying up late for.

The opening scene rubs off as the worst as we see Conan chased by the city guards for his bedding of the local judge’s lady. It’s not the cliché of it that hinders but rather the language. Both Conan and the guards use a tongue that feels untrue to the time and tone of these tails. There’s too much crudity and false bravado. It’s a hollow scene that merely allows the book to open with a bang, as it were, and get Conan to the next position in the tale. That it all builds to make Conan an extremely unlikeable protagonist is not a smart move. He can be arrogant, but he doesn’t have to be a downright ass.

As seems the regular mission of all Conan first issues, this one is all set up. It builds and places Conan where it wants, and chews through a superfluous back story to get him there, and then it ends. Granted, the final splash is pretty cool, as a silhouette of a strange creature bears down on our intrepid thieves, but it’s not enough.

Bart Sears doesn’t draw the best Conan in the world. It’s nothing on Cary Nord or Tomas Giorello. You’ll flat out dislike it at times. However, if you dig past that, you’ll find Sears is an amazing storyteller. He sequences pages and panels to control the flow of narrative and give space where it is needed. Watching Conan jump from a building becomes a moment of beauty, and watching him plant a kick on a few soldiers is a glorious silhouette. He uses time expertly and that’s something not enough artists do. The way he uses the page is better than what he puts on it, but this is like watching a young and hungry Frank Miller at work.

“Conan: Island Of No Return” has been an average start. The second and concluding installment, will have to drop some serious awesome in order to make this tale memorable in the slightest. This is a collection of all the good things you’ve seen Conan do before, but this time they’re not done as well. The art craftsmanship is superb but it can’t save this book from weighing itself down with its own redundancy.

More info:

Story by Ron Marz
Art by Bart Sears
Colors by Mark Roberts
Letters by Troy Peteri
Cover by Michael Kutsche
Publisher Dark Horse Comics

[Zacharie]

Title: Artifacts (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Ron Marz (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Chris Arrant (Review 1) and Sara 'Babs' Lima (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Review 1: After years of mystery, intrigue and subterfuge, the truth behind the pillars of power in the Top Cow universe is being revealed.

In the upcoming miniseries Artifacts, Top Cow’s principal writer Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus, Magdalena) is taking on the central mythology of the Top Cow universe that goes back years. Simply stated, the mythology of the Artifacts is that there exists thirteen unique items with supernatural powers and legendary origins. The best known of these items is that of the Witchblade and the Darkness, whose bearers make up the publisher’s key ongoing series. But joining them are things like the Spear of Destiny, held by the Magdalena (who recently began her own series), and the crown of Angelus and nine other artifacts. Some of these others have been covered in recent Top Cow books, but several remain shrouded – for now.

Top Cow recently released the cover art for Artifacts #1, showcasing a “jam” piece created by Top Cow’s main artists Marc Silvestri, Michael Broussard, Stjepan Sejic, Kenneth Rocafort, Nelson Blake and Sheldon Mitchell. And earlier this month on Free Comic Book Day, they served up a prelude to the series with a special #0 issue laying the groundwork for the summer event series. The series, which is to be spread out over the course of thirteen issues, will have three artists doing four issues apiece before a special fourth artist will draw the final issue. The artist of the first four issues of Artifacts will be Michael Broussard, who just came off an extended run drawing The Darkness and was the winner of Top Cow’s 2006 Talent Search contest.



Review 2: Ron Marz Talks Artifacts #1 - The event that the Top Cow universe has been gearing up for is almost here! The thirteen Artifacts, including the Witchblade and the Darkness, will guide the Top Cow universe in an exciting new direction. In May, Top Cow released a first look preview issue into the new story arc for Free Comic Book Day and now they have given us a look at the first five pages of the first issue that is five years in the making. We caught up with the mastermind behind the story and the puppet-master of the Top Cow Universe to find out just exactly what he has in store for veteran fans and new readers alike! Check out the interview below as well as preview of the first five pages for the first issue!

Comic Vine: You have been setting up for Artifacts for a long time now, are you anticipating the release? Does it feel like it has been a long time coming? How long have you been cultivating this story? What are you most excited about in regards to the series?
Ron Marz: You know, when the first issue hits the stands, we'll still have 12 issues to go. So even though we've been working on it a while, I feel like we're still in the eye of the storm. I'll take a deep breath when all 13 issues are done, but probably not before. I think what I'm most excited about is using Artifacts as a way to introduce the larger Top Cow Universe to people. Artifacts is pretty much one-stop shopping if you've never read the Top Cow Universe before.

CV: What is the best way to describe Artifacts? What can readers anticipate?
RM: Artifacts is a large-scale story, in that it's going to encompass the entire Top Cow Universe, both the supernatural aspects and the sci-fi aspects. But at its heart, the story really comes down to Sara Pezzini and Jackie Estacado -- the bearer of the Witchblade and the host for the Darkness -- looking for their kidnapped daughter. The events are literally universe-changing, but the core of the story is very character-driven and very human. We're asking what you would sacrifice to save your child.

CV: How much of the Top Cow universe will be involved in the Artifacts storyline? What character story are you most excited about?
RM: Everybody's involved. Obviously Artifacts bearers like Sara, Jackie, Magdalena, Angelus and all the others are primary characters, but we'll also see Cyberforce and Hunter-Killer. And there's a completely new character -- the bearer of the hidden 13th Artifact -- that I'm really enjoying.

CV: Would you say this is a good jumping on point for new readers or a story better suited for Top Cow veteran fans?
RM: It's absolutely a good jumping-on point. It'd be pretty stupid on my part if we did this big series with all this promotion, and then I wrote a story that was only accessible for our hardcore fans. Yes, this will pay off storylines that our loyal readers have been following, but it's much more than that. New readers will get everything they need to know in order to come along for the ride.

More info:

Writer: Ron Marz
Artists: Marc Silvestri, Michael Broussard, Stjepan Sejic, Kenneth Rocafort, Nelson Blake and Sheldon Mitchell

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: The Regulator (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Eric Corbeyran (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Shawn (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

I recently purchased this collection reprinted in English by Heavy Metal Magazine. I understand they carried the series translated in 2007. I first read the comic series in its original French back in 2003. I guess the act of translating the work myself made the writing seem far superior to what I'm reading in this translation. I think this graphic novel is visually stunning. The layout work and the cinematic scope present a future world that feels "Steam Punk", but is most definitely science fiction. Heavy Metal did nothing as far as I can tell to change the look and feel of the original comic.

The story is set in a far future that looks a lot like a re-imagined "Steam Punk" 19th century. Our heroes are Regulators, people who are sanctioned assassins. They are seen as a balancing force in a political system that is mostly formed from class warfare. It's mentioned that they aren't legal, but they are licensed. I'm not exactly sure how that works. The cities are giant Megapolisis like the type often seen in Anime and the future offers the same type of ultra-violent sports and entertainment commonly seen in dystopian literature. Nyx, the main character, suffers from a heart condition formed after a childhood surgery and must regularly connect himself to an external regulator to keep living.

I feel that the characterization of Nyx, the protagonist Regulator, is a little forced and comes across as a little unnatural. The two main women don't seem to really be heroes of their own story, but set pieces there to help Nyx move through the overly complex story. The story drags under its own weight as we learn through mostly exposition that two forces that the reader probably cares little about are using Nyx as a tool to either bring about some great political change or not [I was never sure, because by the time it got to the end it seemed more a personal story about Nyx and all the political intrigue seemed like a throughline to get Nyx to that point]. There are some rather odd character changes that seemed forced to fit the plot as well.

I think if you're a fan of the "Steam Punk" genre you should get this graphic novel, because it is visually stunning and does definitely embrace the "Punk" side of "Steam Punk", but if you require a really moving and great story, look elsewhere.

I remember really falling in love with this comic when I first discovered it on the net, but I think it might have just been the sexy French language making it seem far superior than what it really is. I wish I had my original translations so I could compare [not that I'm under any delusion that my translations were somehow better], but I don't so I'm just going to have to assume that my memories of this comic are a little off the mark.

More info:

Writer: Eric Corbeyran
Art: Marc Moreno

[Zacharie]

Title: Atmospherics (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Warren Ellis (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Avatar (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Avatar Press has announced that it will collect the out of print classic Warren Ellis serial Atmospherics into a single graphic novel for the first time. The 1996 Ellis tale of a witness to mysterious cattle-mutilation style killings in a small town features the artwork of painter Ken Meyer.

"Atmospherics is one of my lost works, written for a noble experiment that no-one really saw -- a one-dollar anthology of creator-owned material," says creator Warren Ellis. "But that was in the dark days of the mid-Nineties, and I'm delighted to see Avatar dust it off for a new generation of people who like to read new ideas."

"This twisted little tale was destined to claw its way back into ink and pulp," adds Avatar Press editor in chief William Christensen. "And I'm pleased to be working with Warren and Ken to remaster this classic Ellis work. We're doing fresh scans, letters, and production on the work and putting it into the deluxe package that it deserves."

Ellis and painter Ken Meyer unleash a totally remastered version of this terrifying alien tale that has been out of print for many years and never before collected into one graphic novel. She's in a hospital. Except it may be a police station. She's been traumatized. Or she's been arrested. She's the only living witness of a cattle-mutilation style attack on humans. Or she's a multiple killer who has a psychotic reaction to heroin use. Who may not survive discovering who she really is.

This deluxe square bound graphic novel also features all the stunning paintings Ken Meyer produced for the series, many of which have never seen print, a special section focusing on how Ken creates his work, and a new introduction by Warren Ellis. Warren Ellis' Atmospherics is a 48 page squarebound graphic novel written by Ellis with artwork by Ken Meyer.

More info:

Cover: Ken Meyer, Jr
Writer: Warren Ellis
Artist: Ken Meyer, Jr
Readership: Mature Readers
Format: B&W, 48 pages, square bound graphic novel

[Zacharie]

Title: Midnight Kiss (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Tony Lee (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Jason Brice (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Created by Tony Lee and shipping to retail stores as a bi-monthly series, starting in September, the debut issue of Midnight Kiss has sold out from its publisher a day after going to print.

Think Sandman for the 21st century and then you’re halfway there. Midnight Kiss, created by up and coming Brit writer, Tony Lee and featuring art by Ryan Stegman (Top Cow), has had many comic fans waiting in anticipation since it was announced by APC in April this year.

It's a tale of Faeries and Demons, of Angels and Tin Men, of other realms that are more familiar to us than our own - and of Alligator Kings and supernatural Hitmen.
And in the middle of this madness stand Matt Sable and Nightmare De'Lacy, two 'do-gooders' with a plan to save the world - even if they have to destroy it to do so.

Already being hailed by one reviewer as 'Sandman for the 21st century' due to it's fantastical elements and non-linear storyline, Tony has already planned out the first eighteen months of the tale, with stories involving Matt and Nightmare, the Supernatural Hitmen Jonny Cool and the Flickman, Dorothy and the Tin Man, The Jack of Spades, Robin Hood, Jerry Cornelius
and the Tuatha De Danann from celtic mythology.

Now being published in the USA, UK and Japan by Markosia, the first issue (featuring a brand new cover by Stegman) is due to ship late September and is already pending second printing. This alternate cover second print can be ordered via DCD now, as Markosia will fill any orders over 2500 copies with an alternative sketch cover by Stegman. Any retailer ordering over 20
copies of the 1st or 2nd print can obtain a signed “Preview Editon” direct from the publisher free of charge. All they need to do is to send a copy of their DCD invoice to the office in the UK.

“Fans of artists such as Mike Turner will be in awe of Ryan’s art throughout the series - he really has a fantastic style that is certainly up there with the best of the best and with a wonderful story and script by Tony Lee, this book will certainly be in the Wizard top ten within a few months. I don’t think any independent book can come even close to it”, explains Harry Markos, Markosia’s Publishing Director.

More info:

Written and created by Tony Lee
Art by Ryan Stegman
Colors by Kyran Oats
Lettering and design by Richard Emms