The graphic novels loved by children and adults alike
Dec 19th, 2011, 12:54 am
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Title: Hercules: Fall Of An Avenger (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Jesse Schedeen (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" the writers aren't afraid to add a dash of humor here and there."

Review: Hercules: Fall of an Avenger #1
    When a comic book hero falls, his or her friends must then gather to mourn and regale each other with tales of their past deeds. This is one of the immutable laws of superhero comics. "Assault on New Olympus" culminated in the death of Hercules, and now a bevy of Marvel favorites have gathered alongside Amadeus Co to celebrate the life of the Lion of Olympus. Though undeniably formulaic, Hercules: Fall of an Avenger is still a charming and reasonably entertaining method of sending off Herc in style.

    Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente don't make any real attempt to deviate from the formula. A downtrodden Amadeus Cho shows up at Hercules' temple looking to palaver with Athena. Instead, he's met by Thor, the Warriors Three, and numerous former allies of Herc's from the X-Men, Avengers, and Champions. One by one, they take turns regaling one another with tales of Herc's exploits. Often these tales reference or build on the events of older comics. For instance, Thor's tale takes place after their encounter in Journey Into Mystery Annual #1. Most of these stories are simple but fun, reminding readers once more both of Herc's strengths and failings as a god. Despite the pervasive tone of sadness in this book, the writers aren't afraid to add a dash of humor here and there. I think readers of Incredible Hercules would expect nothing less.

    The only point where this blend of humor and melancholy doesn't work is when dealing with Herc's legendary sex life. The aforementioned Thor tale ends up playing out almost eerily similar to a certain episode of Futurama involving Amazons and snu-snu. Later, a group of Herc's former lovers show up to celebrate his many romantic conquests. This scene is just incredibly awkward for a number of reasons. I realize you have to be a little more lenient with characterization in a humor-oriented book, but I find it hard to believe characters like Black Widow or Snowbird would so willingly behave like drunken sorority sisters, especially at such an occasion. This entire sequence reads like a forced and unnecessary attempt at humor. On the plus side, it is strongly suggested that Herc had relations with the last Marvel hero I would have expected. So the humor wasn't all a lost cause.

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    Ariel Olivetti was a strange choice of illustrator for this issue. I'm not accustomed to seeing Olivetti handle quieter, more introspective tales like this. On the one hand, Fall of an Avenger does allow Olivetti to focus a great deal on facial expressions and body language, areas he is admittedly pretty adept with. On the other hand, Olivetti doesn't quite capture the proper tone for the story. His work is too surreal and detached, in part because of his unnatural and sometimes nonexistent backgrounds. Characters often seem to be occupying a field of haze or just nothing at all. The visuals certainly could have been worse, but I feel one of the regular series artists might have handled this story better.

    As always, the Agents of Atlas backup feature is a blast to read. The current story is especially poignant because it deals with similar subject matter. Jeff Parker manages to find more poignancy in Herc's death even without the use of characters like Cho or Thor. Especially considering Herc mainstay Reilly Brown handled the pencils here, it's enough to make one wish this creative team were the ones to handle the main story.

    Hercules: Fall of an Avenger has its entertainment value, but aside from the backup it lacks the true emotional punch of the better heroic tribute issues. Judging by the ending it appears the real meat of the story is being reserved for issue #2 anyway. Let's hope Pak and Van Lente have a stronger dose of drama planned for the second half.


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More info:
    Written by Greg Pak and Fred Van Lente
    Art by Ariel Olivetti

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 19th, 2011, 12:54 am
Dec 19th, 2011, 4:20 pm
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Title: BATMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Bob Kane (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Bill Ramey (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" An excellent representation of the development of The Batman through the 20th century."

Review: BATMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD, Vol. 1
    SYNOPSIS FROM DC COMICS:
    A collection of some of the Dark Knight's finest adventures! This volume contains stories from DETECTIVE COMICS #33 (1939), BATMAN #5 (1941), BATMAN #62 (1950), and more!

    Over the last year, I’ve been a frequent patron of a local comic book shop. In late 2005, I experienced a Batman comic book renaissance after ignoring The Batman in his original incarnation for nearly a decade. Coinciding with this rebirth, DC Comics sort of revamped the comic book version of The Dark Knight. Gone was the paranoid and virtually unlikable Batman, and in was a more heroic -- but still very dark -- version of the character.

    So as I visited my comic shop weekly to pick up the latest Bat-titles, I found myself buying a graphic novel, trade paperback, or Batman book that I might have missed over the years. It has become my goal to become the "World’s Leading Batman Know-It-All." Just kidding -- sort of.

    At any rate, I’m here today to give y’all the rundown of one of the recent Bat-books I picked up: BATMAN: THE GREATEST STORIES EVER TOLD.

    This anthology offers the readers a look at several versions of The Batman. Here are a few that stand out…

    In “ORIGIN,” from DETECTIVE COMICS #33 (November 1939), writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane provided the world with an explanation of why Bruce Wayne dresses like a giant black bat and kicks the crap out of criminals.

    “THE SECRET LIFE OF CATWOMAN” from BATMAN #62 (December 1950/January 1951) gives us a classic 1950s style Batman story in which Catwoman becomes and agent of the law!

    Click to go to the table of contents ---> Image <--- Volume 1

    Click to go to the table of contents ---> Image <--- Volume 2

    “1963’s “ROBIN DIES AT DAWN” (BATMAN #156, June 1963) foreshadows Robin II’s death in the mid-80s. However, it is a classic example of the smiling, goofy, sci-fi Batman found in the 50s and early 60s.

    The great Bat-decade of the 1970s is represented well. Among those stories you’ll find Steve Englehart’s “NIGHT OF THE STALKER” (DETECTIVE COMICS #439, March 1974) and the classic, “THE JOKER’S FIVE WAY REVENGE” (BATMAN #251, September 1973), by Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams. There is also a story I remember well from my childhood: “THE BATMAN NOBODY KNOWS” (BATMAN #250, July 1973). This story, in which a group of kids give Bruce Wayne their take on the “real” Batman, must have been the inspiration for a very similar episode of BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES.

    For you fans of Frank Miller, the 1980 story, “WANTED: SANTA CLAUS -- DEAD OR ALIVE!” (DC SPECIAL SERIES #21, Spring 1980) features Millers artwork on a story written by the great Denny O’Neal.

    Even the 2000s version of The Batman (pre-INFINITE CRISIS) makes an appearance in “24/7” (BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHTS #32, October 2002). Actually, it’s a Bruce Wayne story where the billionaire tries to do good (and honor his deceased parents) in ways unlike his dark alter-ego.

    Recognize any of these names: Bob Kane, Bill Finger, Sheldon Moldoff, Dick Giordano, Denny O’Neil, Neal Adams, Steve Englehart, Marshall Rogers, Frank Miller, Dick Sprang, Mike W. Barr, Alan Davis, Mark Millar, Alex Ross, and Devin Grayson among others. You’ll find them all here. Not a bad collection of Bat-talent, huh?

    BATMAN: THE GREATES STORIES EVER TOLD provides an excellent representation of the development of The Batman through the 20th century. A must have for Batman and comics fans alike.

    Take it from the future "World’s Leading Batman Know-It-All."


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More info:
    Batman created by Bob Kane

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Dec 19th, 2011, 4:20 pm
Dec 19th, 2011, 9:10 pm
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Title: The Forever War (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Joe Haldeman (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Elena Nola (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Basically what I’m saying is, you should go read it."

Review:
    For reasons I cannot adequately explain, even to myself, I prefer to read fantasy over science fiction, but I prefer SF movies over fantasy. So I don’t actually read a lot of true science fiction novels. The Forever War is a book my SF-reading fiance tossed my way as an outstanding novel that also presaged or even directly influenced several of my favorite SF pieces (Ender’s Game and the short film Letters from a Distant Star, to name two). He also threw it at his best friend who is neither a grand reader nor much of an SF reader–and he actually finished it, which kind of speaks to the book’s qualities to engage and retain your interest.

    It was originally published in 1974 and has remained more or less in print ever since—with a middle section that had been re-written to please an editor. The version I have (St. Martin’s, 2009) goes back to the original middle section as Haldeman first wrote it. I have no idea what the changed middle was, but presumably it was less bleak and/or less homosexual, because this middle—published in a magazine as the novella “You Can’t Go Home Again”—is, as the title suggests, pretty damn demoralizing for a soldier coming home to a world he no longer understands.

    The story follows William Mandella, an elite soldier drafted out of his physics research to serve in humanity’s first war with alien intelligent life. It follows his career as one of the only survivors of the entire “Forever War,” which he is able to do thanks to relativity in space travel (the war begins in 2007, laugh now but think about when it was written, and ends in 3143).

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    It is a great military fiction book and a great science fiction book and just a great book. There is the ridiculous bureaucracy of the one-world government and the army for Mandella to contend with (the army is especially realistic thanks to Haldeman’s own time in the service during Vietnam). There is the threat of the technology which keeps the soldiers alive turning against them through accident or carelessness. There is the tedium of the basic soldier’s life in non-combat situations and the confusion and horror of combat itself to a man whose psych profile reads as “failed pacifist.” There is the fear of never knowing whether the enemy you face will be ahead of you or behind you in their technology. There is the heartbreak of outliving everyone you knew, of outlasting any society you could hope to understand or believe in, and of finally losing the one person who had made it through by your side for the first 500 years.

    In short, there’s a bit of something for everyone. The writing is easy and interesting to read, and the story is both epic and microcosmic at once. It is one of the more profound SF stories I’ve ever seen or read, and all the more impressive for coming before most of my SF lexicon. Basically what I’m saying is, you should go read it.


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More info:
    Joe Haldeman story
    Mark Marvano art
    Bruno Marchand colours
    Published by Dupuis

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 19th, 2011, 9:10 pm
Dec 19th, 2011, 9:19 pm
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Title: Hepcats (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Martin Wagner (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Sara Lipowitz (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Hepcats is well-drawn and the characters are engaging and real"

Review:
    If you're a comics fan who likes real-life characters and stories that are done with a touch of humor, listen up. Hepcats, by Martin Wagner, is back and you don't want to miss it.

    Hepcats originally started as a comic strip in The Daily Texan, the school newspaper of the University of Texas at Austin. A forerunner strip, Shasta Says, ran in the Daily Cougar at the University of Houston. The story revolves around four college students: Joey, Gunther, Arnie, and Erica. Joey is sort of an egocentric shmuck, but in a good way. Gunther is a solid guy, but not above occasionally cheating on a test. Arnie used to be on a quest for Ms. Right, but now he thinks he's found her. And Erica, who just might be Arnie's Ms. Right, is a dancer working her way through school and trying to keep the secrets of her past at bay.

    The Hepcats comic strip covered campus issues, but also dealt with serious issues such as suicide, childbirth, and terrorism, though always in a lighthearted, upbeat fashion. The first big story arc of the Hepcats comic book series, however, has taken a much darker tone.

    The current storyline, "Snowblind," explores Erica's hidden past, which catches up to her and comes close to destroying her just as Arnie begins to plan their future together. Issue #11, which finally reveals Erica's secret, was one of the most gut-wrenching stories I've ever seen in any medium. It garnered Wagner awards and much deserved attention.

    There are two collected volumes of Hepcats readily available through most retailers, The Collegiate Hepcats and Snowblind, Part One, which reprints issues 2-9. Back issues of Hepcats 1-12 are now difficult to find, if not impossible.

    Hepcats is well-drawn and the characters are engaging and real. You really care about them. I know I still do, even though at this point it's been several years since a new issue came out. That will change, however, now that Antarctic Press, famed for its "funny animal" titles, has agreed to relaunch the series. HepFans have had to wait a long time (and not patiently, Martin!) but now's a great time for new fans to come on board.

    The past publishing record of Hepcats is abysmal, and even with the new publisher there's no guarantee that it will improve (issues #0 and #1 have lagged months behind schedule). You are guaranteed an excellent story, however, when you finally get the book in your hot little hands.

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More info:
    Pencils: Martin Wagner
    Inks: Martin Wagner
    Colors: Martin Wagner
    Letters: Martin Wagner

Publisher:
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Dec 19th, 2011, 9:19 pm
Dec 19th, 2011, 9:23 pm
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Title: God of War (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Marv Wolfman (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Joey Esposito (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" All the Spartans and Olympian gods could not salvage this mutilated comic, which—despite its flattering outward appearance and fair storyline—suffers from wretched oversight."

Review: God of War #1
    Does Kratos conquer comics as well? Not quite...

    You know what irks me most about comics based on video games? That in most instances, worse than seeing our favorite games botched in ways unimaginable, we have to witness great comic books scribes waste their talents on drivel. It happened to David Lapham on Modern Warfare 2: Ghost and it's happening now with Marv Wolfman on WildStorm's new God of War mini-series.

    Don't get me wrong, God of War #1 isn't the utter travesty that Ghost is, but it's certainly not the best work that Wolfman is capable of. "No Tartarus born demon can stop the GOD OF WAR". Really? Structurally, this issue is perfect. As one who has never played more than an hour of any GoW game, I knew Kratos' deal within panels. Who he was, what he's fighting for, all of it. The first issue also does a fantastic job of setting up the plot for the series, which is Kratos' fight for his newborn daughter's survival. Much credit to Wolfman for showing off his skills as a master of the periodical storytelling format.

    The problem is that I just don't care. There is no gravitas to this issue in any way, shape, or form. It's abundantly clear that Wolfman is simply cashing a paycheck, and that's completely fine. But it's hard for a reader to be able to gather up excitement for a book in which the author is so obviously just going through the motions to drudge up some sort of tie-in to God of War III, which conveniently just released last month. Especially at $4 a pop. It's certainly possible for a project like this to be something unexpected - the Dante's Inferno mini, for example - it's just not the case here.

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    That said, the art of Andrea Sorrentino almost (almost) makes reading through this boring issue worthwhile. In some ways, it reminds me of Diego Latorre's work on the Dante's Inferno series, in that it's very avant-garde for such a mainstream book that's meant to tie-in with a blockbuster video game. But unlike Latorre's art, Sorrentino has a much more decisive hand when it comes to panel arrangements and figure work.

    One thing I really dug about Sorrentino's art is his colors. God of War #1 is one hell of a dark, grainy, and grimy book. The blacks and browns are laid on heavily with underpinnings of tans and grays. This creates a very effective way to distinguish scenes with epic setting changes or even splotches of blood. In a lot of ways, it's akin to 300, both the comic and the film. That's not to say it's derivative, it's simply a style that works very well for this type of story, and Sorrentino has taken advantage of that.

    Is God of War #1 worth your four beans? No. Unfortunately when you've got such a great talent like Marv Wolfman at the helm, there's a certain level of quality you expect. This book just doesn't deliver it.

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More info:
    Written by Marv Wolfman
    Art by Andrea Sorrentino

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 19th, 2011, 9:23 pm
Dec 19th, 2011, 9:31 pm
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Title: Tales From Wonderland: The White Knight (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Troy Brownfield (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Sean Scott Maguire (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" An original, creative story with great art. "

Review:
    A few years ago, I was nosing through my local comic store and picked up my first Zenescope comic. I was impressed by two things. The first thing was the artwork. Getting those gigantic melons on the heroine and making it seem like they are not totally getting in the way of her combat tactics was quite an achievement. Also, the way the heroines wore nothing more than a chainmail bikini and a couple weapons while the men wore full armor, cloaks, gloves, boots, and other clothing designed to protect them from the enemy and the cold seemed like the natural way of things. Zenescope women obviously are far tougher than than Zenescope men. It was an unabashed feminist statement, and I like that (the other thing was the talented writing. I liked that too).

    Although prodigious mammary glands and tight storytelling can get your independent comic book company pretty far, at some point you have to expand your appeal. You still might want to push your feminist agenda by writing stories in which the heroines are so tough they show up to the fight wearing bedroom gear, while the men are so wimpy they still have to rely on full body armor. But at some point a percentage of your readership will get bored when every female character’s primary appeal is that she knows how to fight without letting her planet-sized jugs get in the way. I personally don’t get sick of it, though it’s understandable why some people do.

    So it’s good news that the penciler Tommy Patterson knows that there are other body types in this world (for example, there are svelte women with only moderately large breasts). He hasn’t been able to get the hero out of full body combat armor, but then again this is a tale about the White Knight, so the armor is kind of necessary.

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    Anyway, it’s an original, creative story with great art. The hero of our story is Leon du Lac, the offspring of Lancelot and Guinevere and their ongoing refusal to take a cold shower. Merlin sports him away, raising him in a cave and training him for the time when the bad guys who destroyed Camelot will also come for Leon. Merlin also provides a magic mirror for our hero’s getaway, just in case the combat training wasn’t enough. As it turns out, the mirror leads to the eponymous Wonderland. The craziness of Wonderland would drive Leon mad, but he finds the white armor. By donning this armor, he can fend off the madness of the world around him and be a champion for the weak and vulnerable at the same time.

    He defeats the Queen of Hearts’s diabolical forces, for example, but that’s just the beginning of his troubles. When he meets the Queen of Spades, she predicts that he will kneel before him. Leon is not so sure, but she’s wearing the aforementioned bedroom gear, while he’s wearing the aforementioned full body armor, so we readers can do the math. When Leon’s monster slaying leads him back to the original world he came from, his luck turns, and the armor that protected him from madness in Wonderland turns him to madness in his home world.

    This is a decent story from a publisher that understands exactly who its target audience is. I look forward to seeing what will happen to our hero next. This is the first Zenescope comic I’ve read that has a hero instead of a heroine, so it’s not as predictable as you might think. If the armor is driving him mad, maybe he should adopt the same tactics that worked so well for the heroines of the other stories. Is there a loincloth in Leon’s future? Only time will tell…


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More info:
    Creators: Joe Brusha, Ralph Tedesca, Raven Gregory
    Writer: Troy Brownfield
    Pencils: Tommy Patterson
    Inker: Belardino Brado
    Colors: Jeff Balke, Alex Owens, and Jason Embury
    Letterer: Crank!
    Cover A: Al Rio & Jose Cano
    Cover B: Marat Mychaels & Kieran Oats

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 19th, 2011, 9:31 pm
Dec 19th, 2011, 11:24 pm
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Title: Joker (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Brian Azzarello (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Dan Phillips (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Buy this book. Read it twice in a row. "

Review:
    Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo's Joker is a deeply disturbing and completely unnerving work, a literary achievement that takes its place right alongside Alan Moore's The Killing Joke as one of the few successful attempts to scratch beneath the surface of the Joker's impenetrable psyche. It's also a hellish decent into the bowels of the most foul and reprehensible city in all of fiction, with its most foul and reprehensible citizen as our tour guide. Even with its straightforward plot and an onslaught of extremely graphic violence, Azzarello and Bermejo's story somehow manages to achieve a level of subtlety rare to any Batman comic, let alone one starring his deadliest and most flamboyant nemesis. Joker is a true stroke of twisted genius, a masterpiece of chaos, gore, grit, guts, filthy gutters and unimaginable insanity. It demands multiple readings, even if you're stomach might not be up for a second go around.

    Now I understand that comparing any work to The Killing Joke in the first sentence of a review can come across as the worst sort of hyperbole, so allow me to explain. I'm not comparing the quality or merits of the two works. What I'm saying is that for the first time since Moore's seminal exploration of Batman's greatest villain, Azzarello somehow manages to humanize and demonize the Joker at the same time. Despite his similarly scarred visage and propensity for chaos, this Joker is not the same meticulous agent of anarchy seen in The Dark Knight, nor is he the typical scenery chewing, joke-spewing maniac found in most comics. Azzarello's Joker is a schoolyard bully who long ago traded nooggies and dead-arms for torture and dismemberment. At the same time, he's more vile and depraved than any one of us, let alone Johnny Frost, his henchmen and the story's narrator, could possibly comprehend.

    Thank the comic book heavens that Azzarello didn't attempt to place us in the Joker's head by making him the story's narrator, as he did with Lex Luthor in his and Bermejo's Lex Luthor: Man of Steel miniseries. Trying to dive directly into the Joker's thought process would have been not only a foolish move, but a futile one as well, and would only have trivialized what has become the most complex mind in all of comics. Instead, Azzarello puts the Joker on the psychiatrist's couch and let's his gullible narrator, Frost, ask all the questions while we sit back omnisciently and contemplate the answers. The novel includes two chilling moments in particular – one involving the Joker's explanation of what he hates more than anything, and the other detailing an anecdote about a man who tries to drive around the world in one day – that are just as revealing and powerful as Heath Ledger's "dog chasing cars" monologue from The Dark Knight.

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    If there's one other significant similarity between this Joker and Heath Ledger's besides their appearance, it's that both are catapulted into the mix with little or no explanation. In this instance, the Joker is simply released from Arkham Asylum without us ever really learning why or how. You would think this would be a problem, but it's not. Azzarello doesn't need an excuse to set Joker on his journey of chaos, because this story is all about that journey, not why it happened or what it means. It's all about watching the Joker brutally reclaim the pie that was divvied up by Gotham's underground in his absence, and witnessing how even a villain as heavy as Harvey Dent trembles at the mere thought of a Joker unleashed.

    Thanks mostly to the work of Bermejo, this book crafts an entirely unapologetic and haunting vision of Gotham City, one that resembles a cross between the gothic metropolis found in most comics and the run-down slums seen in Batman Begins. In a lot of ways, "Gotham City" would have been a sufficient title, as the city itself is almost as much a star of the story as the Joker. Coupled with Azzarello's deft characterization, Bermejo's take on Two-Face, Killer Croc, Harley Quinn and the Penguin likewise provide a mix of the familiar and completely fresh.

    Bermejo's art is stunning for the most part. My one complaint is that the book transitions from lavishly painted pages to traditionally inked and colored ones for no apparent rhyme or reason. Is this due to DC's desire to push this book out to the public while The Dark Knight is still fresh in everyone's mind? I have no idea. All I know is that there's a stark difference between the gorgeous painted pages and the more traditionally crafted ones, and the book would have been better served had everyone involved given Bermejo the time needed to paint the whole thing. But alas, when considering a work as brilliant as this, such a complaint is relatively minor. What matters is that Azzarello allows his artist to do much of the heavy lifting in terms of storytelling, and Bermejo doesn't disappoint. Just look at the subtlety of some of these scenes, particularly the one where Joker looks up and cryptically addresses the sky. Is he talking to God, or Batman? Or are they the same thing in his depraved mind?

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    Writers and artists have been exploring the world of Batman and the Joker for nearly seventy years now, with most creators trampling clumsily through its streets and select few creeping methodically through its back alleys and dark corners. Joker is one of those rare works that doesn't just creep methodically through this world, but gets down on all fours and crawls through its gutters and drainpipes, sniffs at its rotten corpses and leaves us all with the knowledge that although we love reading about this place, we'd never, ever want to go there or meet any of its citizens.

    Buy this book. Read it twice in a row. Then put it on your bookshelf right next to The Killing Joke, Grant Morrison's prose issue and your bootleg DVD of The Dark Knight, and try to sleep well tonight.


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More info:
    Written by Brian Azzarello
    Art by Lee Bermejo

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 19th, 2011, 11:24 pm
Dec 19th, 2011, 11:44 pm
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Title: I Am Legion (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Fabien Nury (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: DecapitatedDan (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" This is a book that needs to be on the shelves of horror, drama, mystery and war comic fans around the globe."

Review:
    “World War II rages as two supernatural entities pursue collide in a conflict hinged on ideologies and the lives of men. The outcome will decide the end of the war itself! Beneath it all, the Nazi pursue a project called “LEGION,” centering on a young Romanian girl with powerful abilities.”

    Artwork: 4.5 out of 5
    Have ever seen a movie where you wondered what it would look like as a comic book? The way that the art team came together to present I Am Legion did just that. This book looks amazing. The artwork is near perfect on ever single page. Add to that the colors, inks and letters and you have one GORE-Geous book. I have to seriously highlight the way that Cassaday chose to show the “transformations”. I won’t spoil it, but it was done right. The action scenes had a great visual pace, and the down scenes were full of emotion. This is so close to visual perfection in comics.

    Story: 4.0 out of 5
    I really didn’t know what to expect from this book. Sadly reading the back cover I saw the word Nazi and was just like, “Oh man not another one.” However I was wrong. There were times in this book that I felt moved at too slow of a pace, however the horror mythos that they chose to approach in this book was done in a new and very unique way. I honestly can not get over how I want to know more about what I didn’t see in this book. There is so much more to be told with some of this cast. The inclusion of the Dracul family and they way they were brought into this was fantastic. The slow points could be too slow but the action scenes picked them up and carried this book to an amazing finish.

    Dying Breath: 4.5 out of 5
    This book was not what I expected, and learning that it originally came out in 2004 made me mad I didn’t check it out then. Luckily I was able to get my hands on it now and I loved it. Was it always moving at the right pace, no, but for the 2 hours I took to sit down and read it I was highly entertained. This is a movie put on the comic page. So much depth in the story and presented with the correct visuals just means a win-win in my book. This is a book that needs to be on the shelves of horror, drama, mystery and war comic fans around the globe.

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More info:
    Writer: Fabien Nury
    Artist: John Cassaday
    Letters: Crank!
    Colors: Laura Martin
    Publisher: Humanoids

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Dec 19th, 2011, 11:44 pm
Dec 19th, 2011, 11:52 pm
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Title: Nemesis: The Impostors (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Ivan Brandon (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Chad Nevett (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" An interesting read"

Review: The Imposters #2
    It’s cliché to say this, but Cliff Richards is doing career-best work on “Nemesis: The Imposters.” After he replaced Marco Rudy on this series’ predecessor, “Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape,” Richards’ art was serviceable albeit unspectacular. Here, though, inking himself, Richards’ art is soft and haunting, more fluid and impressionistic. He also seems more playful, breaking free of panel borders, particularly in action scenes where he’ll show a montage of images on a page that flow from one to the next. In his art is a look of unreality, of a dreamlike, false existence that mirrors the writing.

    “Nemesis: The Imposters” #2 has Tom Tresser found by Batman after he and the Joker went off a cliff in his car. Ivan Brandon uses Batman to underscore the idea of fakes and imposters as Tresser immediately spots that this Batman isn’t the real Batman -- or, at least, the Batman that’s been around for years. It’s a nice bit of commentary on the idea of replacement heroes being authentic. Is Dick Grayson truly Batman or is he just an imposter? Tresser thinks the latter, but where do we stand?

    The feeling of paranoia introduced in the first issue carries over into this one nicely. Even with Batman, we don’t know that he’s really Dick Grayson. The Joker with Tresser was a fake, so why not someone else pretending to be Batman, playing off our knowledge that Grayson is new under the cowl? The introduction of the idea that the events of “Escape” never happened and that it’s all in Tresser’s head after it’s revealed that the Justice League has been watching him for two years increases that feeling of edginess and paranoia. Everyone is watching him, tricking him, playing with him. It’s easy to see why Tresser is so freaked out and willing to nearly kill Batman to escape.

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    Brandon’s narration and dialogue skills push the comic forward along with Richards’ great character work. A scene on the Batplane where Batman talks to Wonder Woman is handled perfectly as she comes across as compassionate and confused over Tresser’s sudden turn, while he looks sullen and mystified that no one believes him. By shifting the story from Electric City to the regular DCU, Brandon has somehow managed to make Tresser’s problems with the Global Peacekeeping Agency even weirder and tenser.

    This issue, though, is a little light on plot. The revelations given are very good, but Tresser’s interactions with Batman are a little drawn out. As well, Brandon’s Batman sounds too similar to the Bruce Wayne version. That’s possibly purposeful to heighten the reader’s identification with Tresser’s paranoia, but it doesn’t seem like Dick Grayson beneath the cowl a lot of the time.

    “Nemesis: The Imposters” is shaping up to be a strong sequel to “Escape” with both Ivan Brandon and Cliff Richards delivering great writing and art. Paranoia in the heart of the DCU makes for an interesting read and the final page manages to turn everything upside down once again.


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More info:
    Story by Ivan Brandon
    Art by Cliff Richards
    Colors by Matthew Wilson
    Letters by Sal Cipriano
    Cover by Daniel Luvisi

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 19th, 2011, 11:52 pm
Dec 20th, 2011, 12:05 am
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Title: Journey Of The Monkey King (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Kevin Lau and Erik Ko (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: suntemple.org (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" I would seriously recommend picking them up. "

Review:
    Monkey in Comic Books

    Apart from the Dragon Ball mangas Monkey has made an appearance in comic books. The only one I’ve been able to find one example so far. Monkey King makes a grand appearance in Xin a comic from Anarchy Studios. At the moment there are two arcs in three comics each=

    • Xin: Legend of the Monkey King Image
    • Xin: Journey of the Monkey King Image.

    The comic isn't an exact telling of Monkey King's story but its still very good. Monkey's attiude is captured perfectly in his appearnce as Xin and you'll recognize several episodes from the books. Sanzo because Sanzen, a female monk who seems a bit calmer than her male book counterpart, but she is just as prone to demon attack. Although the face of Pig is different his character is exactly the same and I would say that Kuan Yin receives perhaps the best treatment. Her attitude towards Monkey is translated into a more understandable form.

    Although there are only six books so far I would seriously recommend picking them up. If you're a fan of Journey to the West I think you'll like this series. You can usually find them on Ebay and they are still available through Anarchy Studios' website.

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More info:
    Writer: Kevin Lau and Erik Ko
    Penciler: Kevin Lau, Omar Dogan
    Inker: Kevin Lau, Omar Dogan
    Colorist: Kevin Lau, Omar Dogan
    Letterer: Jason Levine
    Cover Artist: Kevin Lau, Charles Park

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 20th, 2011, 12:05 am
Dec 20th, 2011, 12:13 am
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Title: Wanted (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mark Millar (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Aaron Albert (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" One of the more original ideas to come out in awhile and it was very well executed."

Review:
    Content:
    Wanted is for mature audiences only and contains strong language, violence, adult content, and is not suitable for children.
    Introduction:
    Do you have a guilty pleasure? Maybe some chocolate hidden in a drawer, a second donut on the way back from the break room, or an extra hour of that video game instead of going to bed on time? Wanted is probably the ultimate guilty pleasure for the comic book fan. It is not a good book. Not good as in well done, it has that in spades, but good as in morals. This is not the comic you would want your mother, spouse, or non comic fan to read first off as it would probably be their last. Wanted appeals to the deep dark question that plague many people. What would you do if you could do anything you wanted and get away with it? Would you steal, kill, or torture? Would you embrace the darkness that is inside humanity and go to the proverbial “dark side?” Wanted doesn’t necessarily explore this issue as much as embraces it.
    Story:
    Wesley Gibson is the ultimate pathetic loser. His girlfriend is cheating on him, his boss ridicules him day after day, he slaves away at a boring job just to get nowhere, and getting walked over is a daily part of life. This all changes when he discovers that his father is the deadliest hitman the world has ever seen and killing people is written on Wesley’s very DNA. To make matters worse, his father is dead and Wesley must take his place or go back to his pathetic life.

    He gets brought into a world where super-villains have taken over, getting rid of every last superhero on earth. The villains call themselves The Fraternity and they control everything you see behind the scenes and can do whatever they wish as they have rewritten history to hide their presence from daily life and have every government organization working for them. The world is divided up between five different villains, each leading their “house” in the manner they so choose. There is dissention amongst the ranks though, as two of the houses, led by Mister Rictus and The Future want to go public and rule the world with fear and power. The other houses disagree, worried that the heroes of the multiverse will descend and attack what they have so carefully set up. Caught in the middle is Wesley Gibson, who trains to take the mantle of his father, The Killer, to join the rank with The Professor, one of the villains who would prefer a more legitimized existence of villainhood.

    When Mister Rictus shows his hand in a diabolical plot to take over, it’s up to Wesley and his father’s girlfriend, The Fox, to stop the villains one bullet at a time. Wesley goes from being nothing to being Wanted in the blink of an eye.

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    Review:
    There is a reason that Wanted is one of the best selling creator owned books to come out this past decade. The comic took gritty and grim to an new level and shocked readers with a story, world, and conclusion that mocked the superhero genre and the comic book fans themselves. This didn’t turn people off, rather, it made comic book fans wanting more.

    As stated before, this comic is not a good comic book in that most people will feel a little squeamish reading it more than a time or two. The series covers all manner of vicious behavior – murder, theft, doing whatever you want without facing the consequences – all in a way that keeps you engaged in this twisted coming of age story.

    The art, writing, colors, and other details of the comic are all very well done. J.G. Jones style fits the comic well with his detailed characters, backgrounds, and attention to detail. The covers are what really stand out though with the stark white title over a black banner,, an highly detailed art in the middle, and three names of Millar, Jones, and Mounts on the bottom. It really makes it stand out from others on the rack.

    Being a farce of the superhero genre, there are a lot of nods to the superheroes of Marvel and DC. Hints to Superman, Batman, Watchmen, and many other comic characters abound in the series, mostly at their expense. You have to have a careful eye or you will miss many of the similarities, although I found myself finding more hints to the DC Universe than Marvel’s.

    Conclusion:
    This series is not for the light of heart. It is a searing portrayal of the dark side of humanity, pokes fun at our beloved superhero comics, and leaves you feeling just a little bit dirty inside. That being said, it was one of the more original ideas to come out in awhile and it was very well executed. It will continue to be a highly read comic for years to come. I just hope the world of Wanted stays where it is, in the pages of a comic book and not in our reality as we know it.


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More info:
    Writer: Mark Millar
    Artist: Pencils, Inks, and Covers - J.G. Jones
    Colors – Paul Mounts

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 20th, 2011, 12:13 am
Dec 20th, 2011, 8:13 am
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Title: BATMAN: THE GOLDEN STREETS OF GOTHAM (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jen Van Meter (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: toonzone (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" A very different kind of hero"

Review:
    How would Batman have waged war against injustice without the vast fortune of the Wayne family to aid in his fight? The answer can be found in BATMAN: THE GOLDEN STREETS OF GOTHAM — a startling new Elseworlds one-shot written by Jen Van Meter (FLINCH, Hopeless Savages, The Blair Witch Chronicles) and illustrated by Cliff Chiang (JOSIE MAC, BEWARE THE CREEPER) and Tommy Lee Edwards (DISAVOWED, Zombie World: Winter’s Dregs), revealing a Dark Knight born in the twentieth century’s first decade.

    With the birth of the labor movements, women's rights and the downfall of capitalist "robber barons" as its backdrop, THE GOLDEN STREETS OF GOTHAM is a tale that finds true-life events shaping a very different kind of hero. When a disastrous 1906 fire kills dozens of women and children who worked in a garment factory, as well as immigrant Bruce Vanekow's parents, the young man assumes the identity of the Bat, pledging to fight the criminal negligence that killed them. Enlisting the help of union agitators, social reformers and bohemian theater-types — including a young female journalist and the leader of the Underground Workers Movement, known as the Cat — he extracts the only kind of justice the powerful elite of Gotham City will notice: their wealth!

    But when a serial murderer begins preying on Gotham's poor and the crimes are blamed on the Bat, Bruno must clear his alter ego’s name.

    This project is supported with house and trade ads.

    BATMAN: THE GOLDEN STREETS OF GOTHAM is a 64-page Elseworlds Image one-shot edited by Bob Schreck.

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More info:
    Written by Jen Van Meter
    Illustrated by Cliff Chiang and Tommy Lee Edwards

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 20th, 2011, 8:13 am
Dec 20th, 2011, 8:19 am
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Title: Raptors (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jean Dufaux (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: J. Evans (Review 1) and wiredweird (Review 2) (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" The first one was worth every cent."

Review:
    Review 1 - I didn't want this feast for mind and eyes to end!

    This was actually my first foray into the "graphic novel" genre. I wasn't disappointed. The storytelling is tight and riveting, the artwork lush and compelling. The Dufaux-Marini pairing is a match made in heaven (well, perhaps hell, in this case). As a native New Yorker, I was impressed by the highly detailed cityscapes that evoked the South Street area, and I also enjoyed the hint of humor that Dufaux employed while writing certain deadly scenarios. Someone told me these were essentially "comic books" but I have to say only the format is comic-book like. The covers are glossy and sturdy, the paper thick, the colors vivid. And needless to say, the storyline isn't for kids. Already ordered Raptors II. The first one was worth every cent.

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    Review 2 - "Your Kingdom is Doomed"

    The first thing the police notice - at least officially - is a string of bizarre murders. Some of the victims are well-known or influential, but the strange part is the means by which they are killed: a pin-prick behind the ear. Not deeply into the skull, not poisoned, just a pin-prick. There's a silent war going on between combatants in our midst that most people doubt even exist. But the police have splits within their own ranks, too at least three different groups with goals in conflict ...

    This is the first book in a series, so all we really see is the set of conflicts defined. It lays out the lead characters and factions, and gives each a purpose. Then it ends on a note designed to keep us coming back for more. It works, too. The story is reasonably exciting and the artwork, if mannered, carries it well. The manner is impossibly long and leggy, but crisply drawn. The only real oddity I saw was when Agent Lenore was tied up and left face-down in a burning building. Any other woman would lie flat, the softness of her curves compressed under her weight. Instead, Lenore's upper body appears to be supported off the floor by something resembling large and very rigid cereal bowls. Does she wear a bronze bodice, or just have implants the consistency of concrete? Perhaps we'll find out in the chapters to come.

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More info:
    Jean Dufaux story
    Enrico Marini art, colours

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 20th, 2011, 8:19 am
Dec 20th, 2011, 8:50 am
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Title: 10 (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Keith Giffen (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Erin M. Schadt (Review 1) Andrea Speed (Review 2) and (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" If you’re into dark, harsh stories, this is one you definitely want to flip through."

Review:
    Review 1 - 10 is a thriller/suspense tale following a group of people who receive a letter essentially informing them they are part of a “game” forcing them to kill or be killed in a simultaneous hunt and race to see who will survive. Andy Kuhn’s art is great as usual – I’m looking forward to seeing his work continuing for a long time. Giffen’s story, though suspenseful, was a little light and semi-confusing. I think there’s a bit of an error in the letter we see that was sent to the contestants – the error is regarding the math of the 10 contestants -- but besides that, the book is a good read. The cover’s very nice, too, I have to say.

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    Review 2 - Giffen wrote the English translated version of the Battle Royale manga volumes, so it wasn’t a terrible shock to see the promotional materials mentioning Battle Royale when discussing this special one shot. The parallels are obvious in this story of a man who gets a gun and a clip of bullets (some shades of 100 Bullets too, only with one less zero…) along with a letter notifying him that he is now a mandatory contestant in some kind of “Hunter/Seeker Competition”. Since the man, Graham, has been off on a trip, he is unknowingly late to the competition, and what he thinks is some kind of elaborate, ghoulish joke becomes very real when one of the other participants comes gunning for him - and it’s someone he knows. Now Graham finds himself in the fight of his life, which gets worse as the most successful contestant, a bit of a psycho nut job, comes for him.

    It’s difficult not to compare this in some way to Battle Royale, although that’s not fair. As a one shot, it simply can’t have the shocking social commentary or layers a multi-volume story can have. If you think of it as its own entity, it is a grim, gritty tale with some appeal.

    The art by Kuhn is reminiscent of his work in the Easy Way miniseries, another story known for its level of violence. He has a sharply angular style that doesn’t lessen the intensity of the depicted violence with its somewhat cartoonish look, but doesn’t accentuate it either, hitting a good middle ground. But the facial features don’t vary too much, so when I first saw Maggie, I almost wondered if she was related to the first victim in this issue. (I don’t think so.) The coloring is pretty good, rich but not bright.

    This one should be out on Thursday, so if you’re into dark, harsh stories, this is one you definitely want to flip through.

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More info:
    Written by Keith Giffen
    Art by Andy Kuhn

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 20th, 2011, 8:50 am
Dec 20th, 2011, 9:07 am
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Title: Jeremiah Harm (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Alan Grant and Keith Giffen (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Adam White (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" just get this series and enjoy."

Review: Jeremiah Harm #3
    For a company named BOOM!, they sure snuck up on an unsuspecting comicbook community. In the last year, BOOM! has put out some top notch books by creators of that same caliber, such as Hero Squared and Planetary Brigade, but despite my love for those books the most fun just might be Jeremiah Harm. The one thing all these books have in common? You guessed it: Keith Giffen. The Renaissance Man strikes again, and does so with an unremitting flare for the hilariously unusual.

    Giffen, along with writing partner Alan Grant, have created an action hero unlike any other, one that inhabits a strange universe ripe for exploration (unless it all gets blown up first). Giffen and Grant’s Jeremiah Harm is one tough guy that serves up violence and sass as if it were his doctoral thesis, and along the way throws in ample helpings of apathy and insanity just to keep a healthy mix.

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    Giffen and Grant produce wild science fiction that puts all else to shame, and back it up with solid characterization and universe-building that make the series fresh yet seemingly a long-standing story that you just didn’t know was there. Harm himself savors brutal encounters with his quarry, but never hesitates to get sidetracked and take on more combatants, often side-by-side with his initial target. And while Jeremiah Harm may sound like crazy action violence from my description, it is a fully developed series with original aliens, solid storytelling, and spot-on dialogue. Giffen and Grant are obviously having a blast with this series, and you will too.

    Newcomer Rael Lyra provides the art, and what an unbelievable find indeed. Lyra has a hyper-real, detailed style that gives Jeremiah Harm an incomparable look; his characters have somewhat exaggerated features that make his work distinct and fun to behold. Whether it’s a human or alien, a bar or a vast cityscape, Lyra gives every panel the right scope and adds infinite depth and attitude to the story and characters. Lyra combines gritty realism with fantastic science fiction to create a knockout look that is perfect for Jeremiah Harm.

    Giffen, Grant, Lyra and Co. have created a crazy, intense Pulp Science Fiction series that starts great and gets better with every issue. The two experienced writers have cultivated the talent of newcomer Lyra to the full effect and produced one heck of a series that you need to be reading. If you like science fiction, pulp heroes, action, humor, or just crazy fun, then you will like Jeremiah Harm, so quit stalling and go pick it up, order it, or mystically conjure it — just get this series and enjoy.


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More info:
    Alan Grant and Keith Giffen writer
    Rafael Albuquerque artist
    Ed Dukeshire letterer
    Imaginary Friends colorist
    Joe Prado inker
    John Mueller cover
    Marshall Dillon editor

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 20th, 2011, 9:07 am