[Zacharie]

Title: Reed Gunther (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Shane Houghton (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: niall (Review 1) and Doug Zawisza (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Review 1 - Reed Gunther #2 - Reed Gunther is the newly coloured re-publishing of a previously self-published black and white comic. The initial four issues will be updated versions of the black and white content and this will be followed by all new adventures.

Reed Gunter is about a cowboy (Reed Gunther) and his partner Sterling, who also happens to be a bear. The first issue sees Reed and Sterling teaming up with a female rancher to help protect her herd from a giant snake.

Generally this was a good opening issue; the story was simple and entertaining as Reed, Sterling and the rancher clash over the best way to go about the task at hand. There were some funny moments, although I think there could have been more, but a cowboy that has a bear instead of a horse is enough to please me (and surely most kids too).

The art is fun and cartoony in style and Reed and Sterling make some great facial expressions. The best art was actually on the cover, but that is not to say that the interior art wasn’t very well done too. I haven’t seen the black and white version of this comic, but the colours look great and surely enhance the characters and action.

As an all ages book I found it just as enjoyable as Super Dinosaur and I’m sure kids will love it as well. While Reed didn’t ride Sterling as much as I would have liked, I’m sure there is plenty of that to come in future issues.

Overall it was a solid start for Reed Gunther and I look forward to the subsequent issues.

Review 2 - Reed Gunther #2 - As the summer months settle in, the comic events are getting more intense and entangled, with spin-offs, tie-ins, and crossovers aplenty. Sometimes you just need to put those to the side and read a good old comic about cowboys riding grizzly bears. About the only thing more "made for comics" than cowboys on bare-bearback is gorillas riding dinosaurs. There's no gorillas here, though, as Reed Gunther brings his wild and wacky west adventures into the second issue published by Image Comics.

The brothers Houghton, while content to leave the first issue as a standalone tale, bring enough characters and history (well, after one issue, there isn't much "history," but there is some) into this second issue to make it a more rewarding tale for those familiar with this first issue of the series. The three main characters – titular gunslinger, Reed Gunther; his trusty transport and sidekick, Sterling; and Reed's galpal, Starla – return from the first adventure and make their presence known in this issue.

This issue of "Reed Gunther" is exuberant in the same way that the doodles in the margins from last week's meeting notes kept you going through that meeting. There's a raw enthusiasm in Chris Houghton's artwork that really injects life into the story. Chris' work is well thought out and planned that it's not very difficult to imagine the in-betweens that occur between panels, as though this issue were a series of cels from a Reed Gunther cartoon assembled as a print version (or digital facsimile thereof) for expedited review.

Unlike many comics today, this story is fun and enjoyable, providing an adventure with consequences, but never taking itself too seriously. It's clear that the Houghton brothers are trying to deliver a fun book here, and it succeeds. If you're buying this book expecting something in the vein of "Jonah Hex," you're going to be mistaken, but if you want a western adventure that plays up the "adventure" and the "wild" of the Old West, then this book is for you.

Worthy of an "all ages" label without pandering to either side of the age spectrum, this issue just shows that there's no separating a cowboy and his bear.

More info:

Written by Shane Houghton
Art by Chris Houghton
Colors by Chris Houghton, Jose Flores, Shane Houghton, Kassandra Heller [more...]
Cover by Chris Houghton
Publisher: Image Comics

[Zacharie]

Title: Executive Assistant: Violet (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Marc Andreyko (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: niall (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review: Executive Assistant: Violet #1

The Hit List Agenda has already taken in America (obviously), Columbia and India, but it now spreads its wings to my home country, England. The “story so far” recap at the beginning of the issue states that “the scope of unfolding events [is] still unclear to all but those pulling the strings”.

This is certainly true, but what I have found so far with the Executive Assistant series is that it doesn’t really matter what is going on in the grand scheme of things, because the comics are fun and entertaining; and Violet manages to continue this trend.

Violet is the hardest and least emotionally attached of the Executive Assistants seen so far, making her seem to be the strongest individual, personality wise at least. This makes a good contrast to the almost exploited Orchid and Lotus and the exuberant Acteia. Iris is still a bit of a mystery, but I expect the larger story will unfold as the second issues hit.

Violet is employed by Mr Vincent, a shoddy action film star who has been forced into running his dad’s company after his death (or possible murder). The relationship between employer and employee is most entertaining here as Violet is working for a bit of an idiot and she isn’t afraid to say so.

Once again there is some action, though not as much as in other Executive Assistant titles, as Violet is called into battle. Unfortunately there is some cheesy fight dialogue; unless you’re Deadpool or Spider-Man, I think fights should be fights.

Once again the art is of high quality, but it’s nothing less than should be expected from Aspen. There isn’t as much action in this issue and it doesn’t have the same violent streak that Executive Assistant: Orchid had, but it is still well handled.

It’s another strong introduction from this cross over event and things should start to get even better as the story develops out and Violet is another great addition to the Executive Assistant line.

More info:

Written by: Marc Andreyko
Art by: Pop Mhan
Colours by: John Starr
Letters by: Josh Reed
Published by: Aspen

[Zacharie]

Title: Fly (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Raven Gregory (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Patrick Shand (Don't click it, read the review here... )

" An intense, disturbing, and absorbing tale."
Review:

This is why Fly works better than the tired old drug allegories you'll find in lesser comics, television shows, and movies. Fucking everyone wants to fly. If you ask anyone you know what superpower they would want, at least half of them would say that they would like to fly. It's something that everyone fantasizes about. The mere concept of this book is brilliant, because it universalizes something--drugs--that, in many cases, isn't universal. But again... who doesn't want to fly?

And in context with the story that this comic is telling... that's a bit scary.

After reading the second issue, Fly continues to show that Zenescope is breaking new ground by churning out creator owned material that easily lives up to the standard that Image, IDW, and Vertigo have set. Raven Gregory's drug epic is only in its second chapter, but it's already become a must-read title for me. Fly is engaging, clever, bizarre, and confidently told.

This time, the issue is almost all flashback. We only get one shot of Present Day Danielle, after her little... let's say beating-the-shit-out-of-Eddie incident in #1. There is also an interlude feature a mysterious (and murderous) white haired man that seems to take place in the present. The rest of the issue shows Eddie's first experience with flying and, more disturbingly, his reaction to finding out that Danielle's father is more than just verbally abusive. It's an intense read, especially when juxtaposed to the art that mades all of the characters seem wide-eyed and innocent. It makes for an engaging dichotomy, but I do have to warn readers that there is a scene that heavily, heavily implies an incestuous rape.



As a side note, I'm really glad that I got the C Cover, which features our resident ginger fly-drug supplier hovering in the air, brandishing a needle. I think the sexier covers might have made the implied rape scene a bit skeevy; however, out of context of any of the covers, the scene came off as horrifying as it was meant to.

One last side note, there are some cool easter eggs in this issues. Here's a hint for those looking to find them... Folks in the world of Fly seem to be pretty big on comics written by a certain mainstay at Zenescope.

Again, Fly is a solid read that promises to weave an intense, disturbing, and absorbing tale.

More info:

Written By Raven Gregory
Artwork By Eric J
Colors by Michael Garcia
Cover A By Amanda Conner

Publisher:

[Zacharie]

Title: Angel Yearbook (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Brian Lynch & more (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: bansidhewail (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

The last few months of this title were so lame I sadly dropped it several issues back, but this was a fantastic finale that reminded me what it was like when it was at its best. Brian Lynch writes these characters as well as a member of the show's staff, and his story in this issue was a heart-breaker in the grandest Whedonverse tradition. We see every character's best-case scenario reality, or the fondest wish of their heart, driven of course by the guilt and loss they all carry around. There are Easter Eggs aplenty for the hardcore fans, and of course the humor never falters. Peter David's Harmony blog is delightful as you would expect, and the Fred & Wesley go on a date story was played with just the right touches of sweet and sad. Even a tiny 2-page riff on movie night at the Hyperion was done with such love for and understanding of the characters it was a joy to behold. Thanks, IDW, for ending your time with Angel on a very high note!

More info:

Story by Brian Lynch, Peter David, Scott Tipton, Jeff Mariotte & more
Art by Urru, Runge, Mooney, Casagrande, Frison & more
Cover by Jenny Frison & David Messina

[Zacharie]

Title: Spike - Asylum (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Bryan Lynch (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Pat Shand (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

With dark yet colorful artwork that can only be described as quirky (and astounding), dialogue that sounds like Whedon wrote it on a good day (which is astounding), and Spike moments that range from poignant, to revealing, to funny (done astoundingly), there is really no reason that Brian Lynch's "Spike: Asylum" isn't on the tippy top of your "To Read" list.

If you've liked IDW's Angel and/or Spike comics, you'll like this. Matter of fact, you'll love this. It's better than all the Angel mini-series, better than the intriguing "Spike vs. Dracula" and better than the Spike one-shots. Not to rag on those, because they--for the most part--are highly entertaining. "Spike: Asylum" is just on a different level. It, unlike the others, transcends comics; you don't have to be a comic lover, a comic reader, or even familiar with the medium to enjoy this series.

While it's not as addictive as "Buffy: Season Eight", it's no doubt as well-written. With a different writer writing or artist drawing the same story, the story might have seemed a bit too fast paced, but the creative team of Brian Lynch and Franco Urru handle the job in a manner that can be described as nothing but perfectly. This actually reads as if it was the pilot of a Spike series (if it were canon); there's a cast of memorable characters (a few of which we'll see again, judging from the covers of the upcoming Lynch/Urru project "Spike: Shadow Puppets), and it just makes me want to read more. This is not a series that it's okay to miss.

But why are you reading this? After reading Lynch's take on Spike, Joss Whedon himself contacted Lynch and told him he wants him to write "Angel: Season Six" in comic book form. That in itself is pretty much all I had to say in this review, but I'm a long winded kinda guy.

More info:

Writer Brian Lynch
Artist Franco Urru
Letterer(s) Michael Heisler, Sulaco Studios, Neil Uyetake, Chris Mowry
Colorist(s) Matteo Gherardi, Elena Virzi, Fabio Mantovan, Donatella Melchionno

[Zacharie]

Title: Love Buzz (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Len N. Wallace (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: nilskidoo (Review 1) Andrew Crowley (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Review 1 - Love Buzz is a phenomenal work, more than a coming of age story. It deals with the realism of modern relationships in such a way as to suggest an Americanized Milan Kundera. Sound lofty? Hardly.
Scripted by Len Wallace, we meet the two young adults as they fall in and out of love, thrashing about to keep adrift in the seas of change. Some brilliant pieces of dialogue give the tale a very human touch, very poignant and identifiable.
The art, handled primarily by Michelle Silva, is confident. At times dreamy and schizophrenic, and at times daftly minimalistic, Silva's hand knows how to give the words a visual depth seemingly well beyond the years of the creators involved. Dave Tuney, the secondary artist, handles the cartoony sequences, the artwork of the male lead within the story proper, and he does so with a brushy passion, beseeching influence from outside the realms of popular sequential art.

Love Buzz is a wonderful book, composed on many different levels and with the singular aim of beautifully expressing just exactly how, in the end, we really are all completely lost when it comes to the battle of the sexes.

Review 2 - Len Wallace is a relative newcomer to the world of comics. His first major work comes with a voice fully developed and he creates characters that are endearing and realistic. Like Craig Thompson's Blankets, Wallace explores the pain and sorrows of growing up as well as the joys and heartbreaks of first romances. The use of art styles and tropes from classic comics such as Tintin, The Spirit, and Batman add charm and depth to the book while being sly, knowing winks to comic fans already familiar with those works. Wallace's breezy and clever dialog makes for an engrossing read. One of the best stories of love and remembrance I've seen on comics. I will most definitely pick up anything Wallace writes.

More info:

Story by Len N. Wallace
Art by Michelle Silva, Dave Tuney
Letters by Thomas Mauer
Cover by Michelle Silva
Publisher Oni Press

[Zacharie]

Title: Dracula: The Company of Monsters (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Kurt Busiek (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Simon FitzGerald (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review: Dracula: The Company of Monsters #10

The story opens in the same here-and-now that we saw in issue #9. Evan has brought Conrad to face Dracula and has apparently given Dracula the means to kill Conrad so that Evan can become the Daytime Manager of Barrington Industries. It’s still not entirely clear what angle Evan is playing here; he seems ready to ally himself with Dracula and Conrad and the band of vampire killers and then betray them as he deems necessary. Think of it as Vampires of the Caribbean.

It turns out that Conrad has been keeping Evan’s heritage from him. Evan’s Father worked for Dracula and was indeed the architect of Dracula’s preservation before Evan resurrected him. After Dracula confirms Evan’s heritage, Dracula and Conrad vie a little bit for Evan’s allegiance before Conrad’s vampire army turn up, ostensibly to spring the trap that was set to kill Dracula.

Three days before the here-and-now, Evan is doing research into Dracula’s origins as part of the plan that he’s working on. The vampire killers that he’s allegedly teamed up with are helping him in his plan and help him to make an enchanted silver bullet, though they do have the advantage of using the facilities at Barrington Industries. But during the mold process, Evan is interrupted by Vampire-Torrence and, after a bit of a tussle and a chase, we find ourselves back in the cage which Dracula was being held in before being set free. Remember the cage, the one with 80,000 Watts of full-spectrum light directly above it, ready to be activated at the flick of a switch? Well, this cage is the last thing that Torrence ever saw, because it turns out that the 80,000 Watts is more than enough to kill a vampire.

After some effort to enchant a silver bullet and a quick check-in with the vampire killers, Evan meets up with Conrad and his vampire army. Evan shows Conrad how he’ll be used as bait in order to trap Dracula. Evan has apparently taken the vest which was used to keep Dracula compliant while in Barrington Industries and made it completely safe for Conrad to wear. Apparently. We do know that the vest still has some punch left to it, we saw that at the end of the last issue and the start of this.

Chronologically, the issue ended with Conrad’s vampire army descending on Dracula, but the vampire killers are hot on the trail too as they can mystically track Evan. Will the killers get there in time to stop the vampire army? Will Evan get what he wants, will he get who he wants? Will he live through the next ten minutes? We’ll find out next issue. Apparently.

More info:

Author: Kurt Busiek, Daryl Gregory
Artist: Damian Couceiro
Colors: Stephen Downer
Letters: Johnny Lowe
Cover: Ron Salas (Colors: Nick Filardi)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios

[Zacharie]

Title: Beelzebub Manga (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Ryūhei Tamura (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Dulitha (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Beelzebub was one of those Manga I didn’t thought of reading first. But seeing that it appeared on the top reel of MangaFox, I picked the manga by accident. But then only I knew I have been gifted . But I first got my hands on the One Shot manga which is a special part of Beelzebub. But after reading the One Shot I was confused but then on the first chapter I got what’s happening. So here is a small description on what happens on the story.

The Demon king want to destroy humanity. But he is busy. With golf games and stuff like that. So he sends his son Beelzbub-sama to destory humanity. But the problem is Beelzbub is a child. And Hilda, a maid of the Demon king is entrusted to help Beelzbub-sama destroy humanity. So she searches for a human parent for Beelzbub. And finds the best delinquent ever. The Demon Oga. But she is not happy with Oga too. But ultimate ends up with Oga.

What Hilda want to find in a parent for Beeelzbub-sama is a person who is strong and rich. Because she thinks power is necessary to wipe away humanity. But the story doesn’t end there. Beelzbub gets attached to Oga. And Oga can’t get 15 meters away from Beelzbub. Why? Because every time he does, Beelzbub will start crying and it will shock Oga with a huge Electricity.

And Hilda wants to get the Beelzbub back because Oga want to get away from Beelzbub. So the only way Hilda see is to kill Oga. Trying to do so Beelzbub ends up in Awful degree of crying. Oga is the only one who is capable of stopping Beelzbub from Electrocuting everything.

The story goes in a strange direction and even Oga ends up going the demon world. This is one serious series that you should read. It’s in one word to say Awesome

More info:

Written by Ryūhei Tamura
Published by Shueisha
Demographic Shōnen
Magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump
Original run February 2009 – ongoing
Volumes 11

[Zacharie]

Title: Aldebaran (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Léo (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Andy (Review 1) and Andy (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Review 1 - Aldebaran: The Catastrophe - When humans eventually go off and settle on new worlds, it’s hard enough to imagine what life might be like for the first few colonists. But what about generations later? When the original settlers have died and it’s their children, and their children’s children, who are left to live on this potentially wild frontier? This is the basis of Aldebaran, an Earth-like world colonised by humans 100 years previously, but which has been unable to contact Earth ever since.

Abandoned and alone, the colonists clearly knuckled down and got on with the business of surviving. While life is simple but comfortable for most villages and towns, which rely on relatively primitive hunting and agriculture to survive, the colonists seem happy with their lot. Unfortunately, bubbling under the surface of this rural idyll is the reality of the situation: a tyrannical police-state government that appears to be keeping all the Earth technology to themselves and instantly quashing all resistance.

Suddenly, all manner of strange things start to happen. The sea soldifies, strange structures are instantaneously created and then destroyed above the surface, and strange deep-sea creatures start appearing in the shallows, as if fleeing something worse than certain death. A mysterious stranger arrives announcing that it’s the work of an enormous, mysterious sea creature he’s been studying. Then a village is almost entirely consumed by icky digestive juices, and its handful of surviving teenagers embark on a journey to a better life in the planet’s captial. They’re thwarted by getting involved with the stranger and his associates, and an intruiging adventure follows.

Aldebaran juxtaposes the mundane with the fantastic, with the characters playing down the strangeness, leaving the reader agog at what these people pass off as normal for Aldebaran. Their lives aren’t that different to ours, though they’re perhaps a little more attuned to nature than the average city dweller, and the flora of Aldebaran could easily be that of Earth. But the creatures, particularly those that inhabit the sea, are strange, eerie, alien and dangerous.

While LEO’s characters can sometimes look a little stiff, the breadth of his imagination in creating and drawing this world is breathtaking. The storytelling is measured and slow to show its hand, but this slow pace, littered as it is with moments of jaw-dropping strangeness, makes for a fantastic journey into the unknown.

This is a solid piece of speculative science fiction, crossing heavily over into thriller – a page-turner that will certainly leave you wanting more. There are far too many questions asked and unanswered in this first volume for the series to be left alone – let’s hope volume two can maintain the drama.



Review 2 - Aldebaran: The Group
The middle book of a trilogy serves an interesting purpose. Neither launching or concluding a story, its job is to keep things going, perhaps explaining a few things on the way and maybe adding a bit more drama to the proceedings. This second of three Aldebaran books does just that, moving the story on a few years, resolving some of the last book’s personal issues, and sorting out the cliff-hanger we were left with. On this latter issue we were a smidgen disappointed – what seemed like lost hope was whitewashed within the first few pages, though it admittedly served a secondary purpose of adding some extra depth to one of the books’ more irritating archetypical characters.

Initial disappointments aside, however, by the time you hit the second half of this book you’ll be intrigued and hooked all over again. There’s some explanation of who the mysterious people we met in the first book are, where they came from and what they’re up to. Like all good mysteries however, these mid-section revelations seem to throw up more questions than they answer.

We also see more of the colonists’ ruling dictatorship, a hybrid of right-wing religious and military types. In the background we start to see their motives shine through, as posters around the capital city instruct women that it’s their duty to bear at least 10 children to keep the colony alive, and that 17 years old is the best time to start on the road to motherhood. Even female prisoners are inseminated, whether they like it or not. It’s an eerie, domineering and ultimately fascist sort of a government, which does little to endear the reader, or indeed its own subjects, to its survivalist cause.

There remains a certain stiltedness to the character illustration and occasionally the dialogue. But the story is rich, complex and mysterious, providing extraordinary fantasy that drags the reader along in the wake of its deep imagination.

This holds the book up nicely. If you didn’t enjoy the first book there’s little point going on as it’s largely more of the same. This is good news for fans like me though – I’m finding the gargantuan mystery that I hope will be revealed in the third book a pleasure to explore. This is bold, intelligent science fiction that deserves a wider audience.

More info:

Written by: LEO
Art by: LEO
Publisher: Cinebook
First published: 2008

[Zacharie]

Title: Cowboys and Aliens (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Fred Van Lente (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Rob (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

You can read this new graphic novel (at least part of it) online. But if you don't have the time, I've done it for you. <g>

It's not often that a publisher gives away the story in advance. But that's just what Platinum Studios has done. For which we critics can be thankful.

COWBOYS & ALIENS begins with a nice prologue comparing the European invasion to an alien invasion. For Indians, that's just about what the European invasion was. Between guns, germs, and steel, they had no idea what hit them. They learned fast, but that wasn't enough to stave off eventual defeat.

But the comic immediately subverts this message with the main story, which opens with...I kid you not...an Indian attack on a wagon train. Most of your basic Native stereotypes quickly appear. The Indians are Apaches...riding horses...with a Plains-style chief...half-naked braves...and a "shaman." The Indians have no culture or religion other than dancing around a fire before a big fight. The text refers to them ironically as "savages," but the story portrays them as actual savages.

Apaches on horseback attacking a wagon train at the behest of a chief in a warbonnet? Taking place "in and around Dodge City, Kansas, just after the Civil War"? Um, I don't think so.

So the movie will "keep it real," and the graphic novel has more "layers and history" than the movie will? Scary. Judging by the graphic novel, the movie will be completely divorced from the Native American reality.

In other words, a hundred times zero is still zero. You do the math.

There are only a few saving graces. One, the Indians live in wickiups rather than tipis, which is the only accurate cultural note I saw for a supposed band of Apaches. Two, a few of their names aren't stereotypical. Three, the Indians learn the alien technology as quickly as the whites do. And they're just as quick to cease hostilities and join with their fellow humans against the bad guys.

Both the story and art are unsubtle and (to me) not especially interesting. I'd say COWBOYS & ALIENS is more for younger, action-oriented readers than adults. Save your money and read it online instead.

More info:

Creator: Scott Mitchell Rosenberg
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Art: Andrew Foley

[Zacharie]

Title: Now, Endsville (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Carol Lay (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Gordon Flagg (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Lay has labored on the fringes of the alternative comic scene for more than a decade. A few years ago, she landed a regular gig drawing a weekly strip for a handful of alternative weeklies, and those efforts make up this first collection of her work. Much of it is short, self-contained strips that are effective in their economy even though most of them mine the familiar ground of relationships that's fodder for so many contemporary female cartoonists. Two serials reedited seamlessly into full-length stories, however, best show off Lay's imagination: in the title story, the heroine braves the afterlife to rescue the soul of her comatose boyfriend, while "Invisible City" is an epic tale about the blind potion-maker Madame Asgar and a lost tribe in the South American rain forest. All the stories are well-crafted, attractively drawn, and entertaining, but they lack the sense of artistic self-expression that characterizes the best alternative comics. Perhaps that lack is the toll exacted by weekly deadlines. It'll be worth following Lay's work to find out whether that's the case.

More info:

Author: Carol Lay
Language: English
Publisher: Kitchen Sink Pr

[Zacharie]

Title: Kirby: Genesis (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Kurt Busiek (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Kiel Phegley (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

Nearly three years ago, Dynamite Entertainment began the process of licensing the original characters still owned by the estate of Jack Kirby. The long-gestating project culminating from the publisher's pitch will hit comic shops in three months as Kurt Busiek and Alex Ross present "Kirby: Genesis."

Dynamite today announced the May start date for the launch miniseries of what they plan to grow into a full line of superhero comics based on Kirby's characters. The series will include "Black Terror" artist Jack Herbert completing finished art from Ross' layouts. The #0 issue kicking off the affair will retail for $1.00.

In a press release, Dynamite described the story for the project, saying, "The Pioneer 10 space probe carried a message to the stars. Now an answer's on the way -- but not one we expected! When it arrives, the lives of three ordinary people -- and the entire world -- will be changed forever. Featuring Captain Victory, Silver Star and more of Jack Kirby's greatest concepts, with finished art (from Alex's layouts) by Jack Herbert."

CBR News spoke first with Busiek and Ross during their initial planning for the "Kirby: Genesis" series in an interview published late last month. "We have an over-arching concept that will link everything from a central creative point," Ross said then. "Things will explode out from that and start to reveal themselves in the series."

"Most of those expansive universe projects involved looking back. In this, we're lighting the fuse," Busiek added. "This is the beginning of something. There are ways in which this project will be like 'Marvels.' Our lead character is a normal guy who is witness to the amazing changes happening around them and is a human's eye view to it. But while somebody like Phil Sheldon is a witness to the beginning of something everybody knows in its final form, our guy gets to see the world happening at the same time as the readers."

Read the full CBR interview and then check out the following newly released art from Ross and Herbert along with Dynamite's official press release:

Having already thrilled fans with the release of teaser images for the upcoming Kirby: Genesis comic book line, Dynamite Entertainment is now proud to announce that “the friend” who is joining Alex Ross will be none other than best-selling and multiple Eisner and Harvey award-winning writer Kurt Busiek! Writer Kurt Busiek will be re-teaming with Alex Ross for their first full collaboration since 1993′s Marvels. With Kirby: Genesis, Busiek and Ross are primed to expand on the vision of the legendary Jack Kirby with the same dynamic and unique perspective on superheroes that made Marvels such an original and successful story, allowing a new generation of comic book readers to become acquainted with the genius that is Jack Kirby!

About the chance to work with Alex Ross and the Kirby characters Kurt Busiek exclaimed, “If you look up ‘dream come true’ in the dictionary, it’s defined as ‘Working with Alex Ross on a big, epic project featuring dozens of Kirby characters.’ In my dictionary, at least.

“Jack Kirby was the premier creative force in American comics history. And to have the chance to work with his creations in their purest form — some who’ve been seen before and some who haven’t, from the Ninth Men to Galaxy Green to Tiger 21 to Silver Star — and to build a new world and a grand story with them is the kind of opportunity and challenge I couldn’t possibly turn down. When we started talking about this, there was just so much stuff, so many great ideas, that I was confused as to where we could possibly start. But then Alex described one image — a single moment — and that was all it took to make me say, ‘Got it. I see the whole story now. Man, this is going to be fun.’

“And it is. Stand back. We’re gonna need the room.”

“One thing that Kurt and I have always shared is our love for Jack Kirby’s comics and legacy,” adds Alex Ross. “The Kirby: Genesis project is a way to repay the impact this one man’s creativity has had in shaping our lives. I’m excited to be plotting this adventure with Kurt as well as to be contributing to some of the interior art. This epic will be an ambitious assembly of every Kirby design we can lay our hands on.”

After serving in World War II, Kirby returned to comics and worked in a variety of genres. He contributed to a number of publishers, including Archie Comics and DC Comics, but ultimately found himself at Timely’s 1950s iteration, Atlas Comics, later to be known as Marvel Comics. In the 1960s, Kirby co-created many of Marvel Comics’ major characters including the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and the Hulk along with writer-editor Stan Lee.

Jack Kirby eventually made his way over to DC Comics, and there he created his Fourth World saga, which spanned several comics titles. The characters in this Fourth World saga have proven to be timeless and are still a significant part of the DC Universe. Kirby returned to Marvel briefly in the mid-to-late 1970s, then ventured into television animation and independent comics. In his later years, Kirby received great recognition for his career accomplishments, and is regarded by historians and fans as one of the major innovators and most influential creators in the comic-book medium.

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Conceived by painter Alex Ross and writer Kurt Busiek with final art by Ross and Jack Herbert

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[Zacharie]

Title: Solomon Kane: Red Shadows (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Bruce Jones (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Drew McCabe (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:
Solomon Kane: Red Shadows #1

It’s been almost a full year since we have last seen our favorite demon slaying Puritan on the stands, but once again darkness has covered the colonial lands and Solomon Kane rides into town with the all new mini-series, Solomon Kane: Red Shadows, out on stands now from Dark Horse.

In this first issue, Kane comes to a crossroads in Torkertown, in which, with an explosive opening page (see bottom of article), he finds himself battling demons and devils amok. Out of this battle he crosses with a mysterious lad who claims no one uses the roads to cross the moor anymore, and wants to take Kane to an old man named Ezra to help. Kane decides to follow, but as things happen, monstrous ghosts appear, tales of murder are told, and Kane solves a mystery that ties it together.

The first issue feels more like a self-contained tale than an intro to a new mini-series, however, it has provided a wonderful reintroduction to the world of Solomon Kane for first time readers and fans alike. Writer Bruce Jones, who worked on The Incredible Hulk, has stepped up to the plate on this mini-series and has begun to weave what may just be Dark Horse’s best written Solomon Kane tale yet. Jones has given fans everything they could have wanted: plenty of monsters, blood shed, and fleshed out characters, all in 22 pages. The moment where he has Kane nearly defeated was a great surprise, and it’s wonderful that Jones has such a talent to make us remember Solomon Kane is still only a human. The art by Rahsan Ekedal comes across the page nicely, although I still personally prefer the art of Mario Guevara on the previous two Dark Horse mini-series. Still, Ekedal knows how to illustrate Jones’s writing to a tee, making the two a fantastic duo for this project. Ekedal’s art has a more polished feel to it than the art in the previous mini-series, giving Kane more of a buff-hero-of-the-week design, and the world he’s in a more gothic fairy tale quality, than just being filled with brooding darkness. He also has some pretty damn cool page layouts.

So who will like it? Damn well everybody. Fans of Solomon Kane will not be disappointed with this excellent tale. People who did not enjoy the previous mini-series will enjoy this fresh look and new writing direction the team at Dark Horse is taking. Also as I mentioned, this issue is great for first time readers, so newbies hop on this one. Highly recommended, on stands now.

Solomon Kane: Red Shadows #2

The second issue of Dark Horse’s new mini-series Solomon Kane: Red Shadows hit stands this past week, continuing their take on the demon slaying Puritan. In this issue, Kane on his journeying finds a dying girl who has been raped and torn open. Her dying words lead him to vow revenge, and he embarks on a hunt for a villain named Le Loup, who has been pillaging towns with a group of scoundrels. Kane finds him and a duel ensues, from swords to horseback to finally a big bang.

The latest issue of the mini-series uses more images of graphic death and horror than it does the traditional monsters and ghosts that have filled the pages of Dark Horse’s takes before. In fact, it very much feels like an action comic set in the late 1500s than it does a gothic-horror-fantasy, and will appeal more to the Conan-fans out there than previous takes. The action is done very well in fact, and Jones has penned a fantastic sequence for readers to have some fun reading. Once again, art is supplied by Ekedal, who does a good job; many fans enjoy him more than previous artists on Dark Horse’s takes. Although this issue feels disconnected from the first issue of the mini, we’ll see if it smartly weaves altogether (and if not, we can blame creator Robert E. Howard as it’s based off his short Solomon Kane story).

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Publisher: Dark Horse
Writer: Bruce Jones
Art: Rahsan Ekedal
Cover: Guy Davis or Gregory Manchess

[Zacharie]

Title: Screamland (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Harold Sipe (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Chad Helder (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

I love it when satire meets the horror genre.

Recently, I started following the new monster comic satire entitled "Screamland." It contains an intense, hilarious, and disturbing satire about the Hollywood system, featuring an old-school cast of monsters as struggling out-of-work actors attempting to make a comeback (all of the characters are seriously flawed anti-heroes with drinking problems, anger-management issues, and closet woes). It's set in a contemporary Hollywood where the Universal monsters are real, or I should say, the monsters are "real" actors who play themselves as monsters in the classic films (a very interesting twist).

At this point, I have only read three of the five issues: the Frankenstein issue, the Wolfman issue, and the Dracula issue, which features a closeted gay Count Dracula in the tradition of Rock Hudson. In the Dracula issue, the satire centers around the closet in Hollywood, and this story is clearly based on real-life precedent. Specifically, the way major studios tried to keep gay actors in the closet for the purpose of public image (and ticket sales).

All three issues are dynamite, twisted satire. I even got a little offended by the portrayal of Ed Wood in the Frankenstein issue, and I would argue that every good satire must offend everyone at least a little. Writer Harold Sipe did a wonderful job weaving the irony and social commentary with a good dose of old-school horror parody.

The artwork by Hector Casanova is amazing. The caricature-esque faces and bodies are excellently balanced by weird, atmospheric coloring.

I really enjoy the layered storytelling in the series, which involves a sophisticated use of flashbacks (I love the flashbacks about Dracula's fake marriages) and stories-within-stories, which include parody moments from the classic monster movies.

More than anything, I think it's really exciting to see Dracula in bed with another man!

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Words: Harold Sipe
Art: Hector Casanova

[Zacharie]

Title: History's Strongest Disciple Kenichi Manga (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Syun Matsuena (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Nathaniel Bell (Don't click it, read the review here... )

Review:

There are some that say making friends is the easiest thing in the world. Others have a hard time just getting out one word to another person. In the case of Kenichi, he enters a new school and finds that people regard him as weak. With no friends, he decides to change his image and enroll in his school’s karate club to get strong. Even there, he finds he isn’t getting any stronger and is still considered weak. That is until he meets Miu, a fellow new student in his class that just happens to know martial arts. After being faced with an ultimatum of quitting the karate club or dying, he learns a few moves from Miu and somehow pulls through his match. Just when things are looking up, Kenichi finds that beating one person has drawn the eyes of others and his descent into martial art turmoil/love begins.

History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi is a really interesting manga. Here you have this weakling amongst weaklings, Shirahama Kenichi who finds himself meeting this mysterious girl, Furinji Miu and becoming friends with her. She teaches him a few moves and he gets a little bit stronger. He finds himself in a bigger mess, she introduces him to her family dojo, then he finds himself in real trouble. The story isn’t your typical, “Oh weak kid finds strong trainer and becomes an unstoppable force.” Let’s face it, no one enjoys a story about the unbeatable giant that came from a weak little sapling. Kenichi gets his butt kicked a lot. And despite losing or winning, he still gets back up and goes for more. The thing that is great about the character, Kenichi, is that even though he’s getting stronger and stronger, he stays consistent. A lot of the characters, even in this story, flip sides in some way when they get a bit of power. Kenichi is different, he’s an evolving character that maintains a certain archetype in his persona. And he’s not the only one, characters like, Miu and all five of his trainers do as well. From the first volume on, even the graphical renderings of the stories suck you in. The manga was started back in 2002. At first, you may find yourself asking, “When was this manga started?” The style used makes the manga look older than it actually is, but as the manga progresses, so too does the artwork. Even still though, the art is very well done. Everything from characters to props to environments is drawn with precision and a very keen eye. The storyline is also pretty straight forward. There are very few sidetracks in the manga. You flow swiftly through one arc after another without too many mini arcs popping up. In this sense though, since the story flows in such the manner, one has to be careful not to miss a chapter. Because if you miss one, you may lose a grip on what’s going on. The overall series has a good amount of funny moments where you find yourself just chuckling for the simplest things. Which is good, because the manga balances a fair amount of fighting with a good amount of laughter.

Overall, History’s Strongest Disciple Kenichi is a very entertaining manga. If you enjoy laughing, very well drawn out fight scenes with hilarious moments thrown in there for good measure, check this series out. If you enjoy a light hearted manga about a boy trying desperately to gain the affection of a girl he likes, still check out this manga, but try Tora Dora first. And as always, enjoy your animes, mangas, and games, you beautiful people. Keep watching. Keep smiling. Keep living.

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Written by Syun Matsuena
Published by Shogakukan