Dark Horse Presents #8 by Duncan Fegredo & Dave Stewart

Admit it, you shed a tear too when you learned what happened to Hellboy. I’ve said it before on the podcast and I’ll say it again in writing now; Mike Mignola doesn’t have to illustrate a Hellboy story ever again, as long as he keeps giving art duties to Duncan Fegredo. I realize it sounds crazy, but Fegredo has out-Mignola’d Mignola! Don’t get me wrong; Mignola is a wonderful artist, but Fegredo has somehow taken his baby and improved it beautifully. While Fegredo really impressed me, it’s Dave Stewart’s colors that really put twenty-three cherries on top; look at all that pretty dabbing and texture! This cover is absolute eye-candy.

X-Club #3 by Rodin Esquejo

Let it fly in the breeze
And get caught in the trees
Give a home to the fleas in my hair
A home for fleas
A hive for bees
A nest for birds
There ain’t no words
For the beauty, the splendor, the wonder
Of my…

Hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair, hair
Flow it, show it
Long as God can grow it
My hair

-Hair, Hair the Musical

Sweet Tooth #30 by Jeff Lemire & Jose Villarrubia

My favorite cover of the week, hands-down! I’ve seen some ‘gangsta’ tattoos in my day (I watched Oz, I know what’s up), and this design is practically the standard. However, with the tattoos I’ve seen it’s usually a dead child or relative that’s being highlighted, and if the person puts on a few pounds, it then becomes all distorted looking. Pretty soon after one cheeseburger too many, it looks like you’re mourning the Elephant Man. The shading and shaping of the body looks fantastic (Jepperd looks great for his age), and I especially like the images of Bobby and Wendy on the arms, along with his loved ones of past and present underneath. If you consider yourself a hardcore Jeff Lemire fan, get these tattoos and show Jeff at the next convention you see him at. I can guarantee you he won’t be expecting it.

In this special episode I interview writer Jeremy Whitley, creator of Princeless. Join us as we discuss his other numerous projects, Action Lab Comics, and his own Firehouse Studios.

Written & Illustrated by Gustav Carlson

164 Pages, $24.99

When my friend Gustav Carlson and I were growing up on several different webcomic forums, he was the artsy type who would constantly be illustrating and posting his creations in his own art threads. Page after page of different drawings, sketches, and paintings could be viewed, and slowly over the years you would notice the change in his style and character designs. This guy lives to create, for you could definitely see his genius in its infant stages, slowly evolving over time.

Then comes along his baby, Backwood Folk, a new webcomic  updating every Tuesday and Thursday, providing a plethora of new material for the internets to enjoy. The man had a plan, and was slowly building an audience who would appreciate his many talents. Things obviously have been working out well for Gus, for last December came the release of Backwood Folk Volume 1: Greenville Is Forever, a nifty little trade paperback collecting 164 pages of material, all colored, and HTML-free.

While the main character, Benedict Carpenter, may somewhat slightly resemble Gustav when it comes to appearance, he assures you it isn’t the case, but a mere fluke. That may be enough for the rest of the audience to brush-off and move along, but not this reviewer. I propose it was all planned from the very start, that Gustav Carlson is the type of mad genius with an ego bigger than Kanye West’s to allow this sort of thing to happen by mere coincidence. It wasn’t enough for him to create this whimsical watercolored wonderland, but he had to star in it as well! The nerve of this rapscallion.

Moving on, the story follows Benedict as he escapes life in the big city to take care of some land that was left to him in his hometown of Po’Dunk, Arkansas. Upon arriving in his Prius, he’s reunited with childhood friends, and feels somewhat out of place in his once familiar surroundings. Things change, people change, but Greenville is forever. Some beings, once thought of as mere myths, slowly creep their way into Ben’s reality, making him realize that perhaps he has been away for too long. Impromptu concerts being erected on his property, offers for the purchase of his land, and near-death experiences start to become apart of his new life in the Ozarks, and the first volume leaves us questioning what will Ben decide to do in regards to these new challenges.

I’ve obviously conveyed my appreciation of Gustav’s art in the first paragraph, but I almost feel that words cannot do this first collection justice. His style is very reminiscent of Jeff Lemire, and the beautiful watercolors just explode off the pages and bathe the readers eyes in a concoction of liquid happiness and pure joy. The characters are spectacularly brought to life, and the Pink Eye monsters will make you want to keep a light on at night (just in case). The panel layouts also impressed me immensely, for Gus isn’t going with the traditional format throughout, but rather having fun creating his own borders when deemed appropriate. One of my favorite parts in the book is when a character is subjected to toxic chemicals, which causes his experience to transform into a psychedelic one, completely blowing your mind with the color schemes.

So if you’re looking for something new to enjoy (and support with your monies), I highly recommend you give Backwood Folk Volume 1: Greenville Is Forever a try. You’ll become captivated by the art and story, and who knows; maybe it’ll convince you to move to Arkansas and herd goats for the rest of your life. Or just follow the webcomic every Tuesday and Thursday. Or perhaps both!

Click here to purchase!

Click here for my interview with Gustav Carlson!

In this intoxicating episode we have no Pick Of The Week, however we do have a Fast Five selection. Picks include All-Star Western #5 (DC), B.P.R.D.: Hell On Earth – Russia #5 (Dark Horse), American Vampire #23 (Vertigo), Fantastic Four #602 (Marvel), and The Walking Dead #93 (Image). Spoilers!

The Unwritten #33.5 by Yuko Shimizu

Quick, someone call Spider-Man! I hear this happens to him all the time! Once again we have another beautifully illustrated cover from Shimizu, in her unique and elegantly detailed style. I just love following the tangled strings as they seem to gently entangle the poor girl. The ruffles in her dress and hat are a great final touch, and the pink and white decor give it a wonderful old-timey feel.

King Conan: The Phoenix On The Sword #1 by Andrew Robinson

It has a very classic Frazetta look and feel to it, and really that’s what every Conan cover should strive to be. The splatter of blood on weaponry, the torn and tattered cape, the dark and brooding features; all reeks of a barbarian king to me! A really superb cover, and I can tell that Robinson put a lot of time and heart into making this image iconic.

Incorruptible #26 by Garry Brown

The colors reign supreme in this cover, with the jagged highlighting for each character. The primary colors always work well together when arranged accordingly, and the halo effect beaming from the Plutonian is a nice touch. Great job as usual by Brown, and I can definitely see this cover in particular as the cover for the eventual collection.

Creepy #7 by Sanjulian

“Darkness falls across the land
The midnight hour is close at hand
Creatures crawl in search of blood
To terrorize y’awl’s neighborhood
And whosoever shall be found
Without the soul for getting down
Must stand and face the hounds of hell
And rot inside a corpse’s shell
The foulest stench is in the air
The funk of forty thousand years
And grizzly ghouls from every tomb
Are closing in to seal your doom
And though you fight to stay alive
Your body starts to shiver
For no mere mortal can resist
The evil of the thriller!“

-Vincent Price, Thriller

The Walking Dead #93 by Charlie Adlard

I don’t know about the rest of you, but this cover is completely mind-blowing to me. I won’t spoil anything about what the reveal was last issue, but if you’ve been reading the series monthly like I have, you know how exciting (and beautiful) this cover really is.

In this special episode I interview webcomic superstar Gustav Carlson (Backwood Folk). Join us as we fondly discuss growing up on internet message boards, raising goats in Arkansas, and the release of his first volume of Backwood Folk.

For the winner, your business / product / comic book / company will be highlighted at the beginning of the episode, and at the end of the episode. You would submit a script for me to read from as I talk about your business / product / comic book / company. Please have script ready to send me after the auction is over.

Also, on the Cammy’s Comic Corner website, a 160×600 banner will be displayed for the entire month of February 2012. Please have banner image ready to send me after auction is over.

About the audio episodes; the audio podcasts are available on iTunes, Stitcher, and is embedded on several different websites including Twitter (@CamComicCorner).

So if you win the auction, know that there will be an audience learning about your business / product / comic book / company.

Feel free to email me at CammysComicCorner@gmail.com if you have any questions!

Click here to bid on Geeky Talky!

Click here to bid on the Weekly Audio Podcast!

How much do I love thee, comics? Allow me to count the ways…Pick Of The Week goes to John Layman and Rob Guillory for CHEW #23 (Image). Fast Five picks include Batman #5 (DC), Daredevil #8 (Marvel), Wonder Woman #5 (DC), Moon Knight #9 (Marvel) and Catwoman #5 (DC). Spoilers!

Wonder Woman #5 by Cliff Chiang

Don’t kill it! It’s just a misunderstood freak of nature! The thing I enjoy the most about this cover is the creature itself; it’s such a beautiful amalgamation of walrus, octopus, whale and what appears to be a rooster with a crown. However, with the tentacles wrapped around the leg, images of hentai-tentacle-rape do come to mind, but not in any major way. The colors work well together, the outlines are soft on the eye, it’s a great cover!

Ghostbusters #5 by Jose Holder

 This looks like one New Year’s Eve party I’d love attend! Having seen the ball drop in Times Square a few times (on television, mind you), it always looks chaotic and quite messy. To pretend for a second that all the people there suddenly became the walking dead would  certainly make the call to the Ghostbusters ASAP! I love the frantic, colorful style by Holder with this cover. It portrays the typical dynamic; everyone but Venkman taking the mission at hand seriously. I’ll definitely keep an eye out for Holder in the future, because his is a style I enjoy.

Avengers #21 by Daniel Acuña

Storm is one of those characters who doesn’t get the spotlight very so often. But when she does, especially with a great artist like Acuña, I feel like it’s my birthday. The soft light on her sexy figure, with blue lightning shooting from her hands; it’s enough to get any heterosexual male aroused. That outfit of hers should be the swimwear of this summer, and I could totally pull it off. One might even go so far as to claim that this cover is really shocking. Add the rest of the Avengers in the background, and it’s a very tasteful cover overall.

T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Vol. 2 #3 by Dustin Nguyen

One of the things I enjoy about highlighting a cover from a series I know nothing about, is I have no references to base my criticisms on! Therefore, I look at a striking cover such as this one, and just take it all in without having to worry about if the Cloak/Spectre character would actually scream in such a fashion. I love the floating coding zooming by, the holographic faces, and the serpent-like cables. Dustin Nguyen is always a favorite of mine, so it’s great to see him continuing strong with the covers in this new year.

In this episode, I discuss the controversial graphic novel Holy Terror (Legendary Comics) by Frank Miller. It’s sad to see Frank Miller lose his sanity. Spoilers!