Posts Tagged book of the month
Cammy’s Comic Corner – Book Of The Month – The God Machine Vol. 1
Posted by Cammy in Book Of The Month on October 3, 2010
Book Of The Month – October
The God Machine Vol. 1 
Written & Illustrated by Chandra Free
When the Month of October arrives, I like many children have only one thing on my mind; Halloween. It’s the holiday that’s connected to free candy, good scares, and blood-curling screams. It fits the fall season quite wonderfully, and invites us to make the most of it every 31st of October. Even the comics industry celebrates Halloween, for almost every one of their characters is in a costume of some sort anyways! The horror genre runs rampant this month, with everything from Young Frankestein (“That’s Franken-shtein!”) to Saw playing on the different channels the closer we come to the end of the month. Therefore, I thought it was only appropriate to choose something of that nature as the Book Of The Month for October.
When I first met Chandra Free, it was at WonderCon earlier this year. She was sitting at the Archaia booth next to a very enthusiastic Tom Pinchuk, and a very down-to-Earth Patrick McEvoy. She was a wonderful gal to talk to, and her pitch for The God Machine had certainly caught my attention. The issues of the comic she brought with her were all snatched-up from earlier that day, so the only art I was left with to look at was on a glossy postcard. And it was absolutely gorgeous.
Months later when I was finally able to read The God Machine, I had the unfortunate problem of turning into a warm puddle of goo every time I turned the page. The illustrations crept-out like colorful gothic spiders and infested the very cracks of my mind, plaguing me with a calm and relaxing feeling. Why had I not seen art like this before? It was hauntingly beautiful, with little bits of the anime style sprinkled in for good measure. Both the panels and the pages flow together seamlessly, as if it were once a long mural chopped-up into pages and bound together as a beautiful hardcover. If it’s one thing Archaia knows how to do right, it’s definitely hardcovers. You could only imagine my excitement when I discovered this was only the first volume, with several more on their way in these next few years. The only problem is I don’t think I can wait that long, and like the main character Guy Salvatore, I’m longing for something I cannot have. Let’s just say Chandra is very lucky she lives on the other side of the country, or else I’d be pestering her for more every single day.
The story revolves around the utterly crushed and depressed Guy Salvatore, who lost his girlfriend and is having a hard time coping with her death. Despite trying to continue living without her, he simply can’t do it. As if having to deal with high school wasn’t bad enough, he has to carry-on while experiencing several different hallucinations and visions of twisted characters, always seeming to demand something of him. One day while mourning over his ex-girlfriend’s grave at the cemetery, he’s visited by a being named Satan, who informs him that Sith really isn’t dead, and the people who caused her to exist only between the dream worlds are those dastardly gods; Good God, Evil God, and Limbo God. Does Guy buy it? Not really. Would it explain the sometimes grotesque images he’s able to see? Absolutely.
The back-up matter in the hardcover includes character biographies, and beautiful pin-ups by other artists such as Patrick McEvoy, Kat Rocha, Josh Finney and many more. Also, you get a very strange-yet-wonderful foreword by Doc Hammer of The Venture Bros. fame. All of this material is definitely worth the $25 pricetag, so be sure to go pick it up when it hits bookstores October 27th, and enjoy it thoroughly on Halloween! It’ll be the sweetest treat you enjoy that night.
Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
Book Of The Month – October – Welcome To Hoxford
Book Of The Month – November – The Nightly News
Book Of The Month – December – CLA$$WAR
Book Of The Month – January – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Book Of The Month – February – Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft
Book Of The Month – March – Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection
Book Of The Month – April – Asterios Polyp
Book Of The Month – May – Green Lantern: Secret Origin
Book Of The Month – June – Titanium Rain: Book One
Book Of The Month – July – Irredeemable Vol. 1
Book Of The Month – August – Marsh Rocket
Book Of The Month – September – Invincible Ultimate Collection 1
Cammy’s Comic Corner – Book Of The Month – Invincible Ultimate Collection 1
Posted by Cammy in Book Of The Month on September 5, 2010
Book Of The Month – September
Invincible – The Ultimate Collection Vol. 1 
Written by Robert Kirkman
Art by Cory Walker, Ryan Ottley
Image Comics
The past decade has been kind to superhero comic books. Not since the early 90’s comic boom have people been so interested in the medium; stopping by their local comic shops every Wednesday, sharing them with friends, and bragging at parties that they’re up to date on their Green Lantern or X-Men books (well, I brag anyways). Thanks to the help of Hollywood developing many of these properties for the silver screen, John Q. Public thinks Spider-Man is one cool dude, and they didn’t even have to read a comic!
As for the rest of us loyal readers, we’ve seen our favorite superheroes tackle every foe in every event for the past couple of decades, and still don’t seem to get bored by the same rehashed stories. Okay, well that might not be entirely true; I for one tend to tire of Hulk proving that he’s the strongest there is, or Superman never being able to kill anyone who deserves it, like Lex Luthor. However, once in a blue moon a new superhero will come along and capture the imagination of comic book fans all over the world. The best part? It’s not from the DC or Marvel universe.
Enter Invincible from Image Comics, created by Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker. Now independent comics don’t tend to sell as well as superheroes from the Big Two, let alone independent superheroes. But there’s something extremely special about Invincible; it has all the elements of why we love superhero comics, only the stories and characters are completely new and fun. With this gargantuan Ultimate Collection collecting the first 13 issues, you don’t have to worry about any continuity because this new universe is all explained to you within the first few issues.
We follow Mark Grayson, your run-of-the-mill high schooler dealing with the usual issues; girls, graduation, and a crappy job flipping burgers. His dad is a well-known author, but secretly fights crime as Omni-Man, the Superman archetype of this universe. Mark is half-Viltrumite, an alien race so advanced that they travelled the universe exploring new galaxies. Omni-Man fell in love with Earth, so he decided to settle-down and become its protector and work with the already established superhero community. Mark finally gets his powers, and is introduced to the crime-fighting lifestyle, and all the perks and disadvantages that come with it. New costumes, secret identities, and romance hits Mark at warp-speed, and yet he’s still able to adjust. Kinda.
Invincible, like Kirkman’s The Walking Dead, is one of those books that people get in trades instead of the monthly floppies. Because of this, it’s considered sacrilegious in the comic book community to spoil any of the events that happen in the current issues of either titles. Just for my own safety, I won’t give away the huge twist that grabs you by the balls and doesn’t let go, but I will say that things get bloody, dark, and unsettling. The best part is that you don’t even see it coming because you’re enjoying a superhero book as if it was approved by the comic code authority. That, with humor mixed in with the action, makes this title consistently enjoyable.
Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley’s art is wonderful to look at, as the action sequences are a combination of thrilling and jaw-dropping. You got your spandex of every color, costumes so tight that you can tell what religion the character is, and tons of hot superheroines. You’ll discover in the pages homage’s to certain DC and Marvel characters and villains, but in no way does it read as copyright infringement. I’m just blown away by the names of certain characters, and how they haven’t been scooped-up by the Big Two after all these years (Rex Splode, DupliKate, Atom Eve).
So yes, you can go and read another X-Men versus Magneto story for the fifteenth time in a row, or you can treat yourself to something original, fun, and still relatively new in the comics industry. It has something for everyone, so there’s no excuse. Plus you feel good for helping out the little guy.
See why Image Comics loves Robert Kirkman so much, that they made him Editor-In-Chief, and pick-up Invincible today!
Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
Book Of The Month – October – Welcome To Hoxford
Book Of The Month – November – The Nightly News
Book Of The Month – December – CLA$$WAR
Book Of The Month – January – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Book Of The Month – February – Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft
Book Of The Month – March – Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection
Book Of The Month – April – Asterios Polyp
Book Of The Month – May – Green Lantern: Secret Origin
Book Of The Month – June – Titanium Rain: Book One
Cammy’s Comic Corner – Book Of The Month – Marsh Rocket
Posted by Cammy in Book Of The Month on August 5, 2010
Book Of The Month – August
Marsh Rocket 
Written & Drawn by Jules Rivera
Little known fact; before I dived into the world of comic books, I was a huge fan of webcomics. I had at least twenty different sites bookmarked, and would visit them daily. They are free, come out on a regular basis, and there’s one for whatever might interest you (most of them were about real life or video games, but the cream always rises to the top). A fun thing to do is look at the first comic that was put up, then jump ahead to the current comic just to see how much the art or story has improved after all these years. Some change drastically (Questionable Content), while some stay the same because the art may be simplistic to begin with (Cyanide & Happiness). Bottom line is, webcomics shouldn’t be treated as the redheaded step-child of comic books, because the amount of work that goes into this medium can greatly surpass multiple titles being put out by the major comic publishers of today. As a matter of fact, many of your favorite webcomics have been published in collected editions by the same comic publishers in the past few years!
But alas, on to the Book Of The Month selection for August 2010.
Marsh Rocket is one of those webcomics-tuned-published works that I’ve been talking about, only the creator Jules Rivera had that whole plan in mind from the start. Could she be ahead of the bandwagon of others switching to the published graphic novel format? Perhaps. Will anyone else let her take credit for said-possible idea? Perhaps not. Do I know what I’m talking about? No.
Moving on, Marsh Rocket made its debut on the web back in 2006, and has been going strong ever since. The first storyline has been collected in three trade paperbacks, with the second story starting-up just a few weeks ago. It takes place in the future, and deals with corporate mercenaries trying to earn a buck in a still chaotic world. The main characters we focus on are Victor Black, experienced-ex-soldier-turned-merc, Marsh Rocket, the lovable hero who gets into trouble, and Ross Tiburon, their boss who writes the checks while trying to deal with his dysfunctional family. Ross Tiburon takes over the company when his father is placed in jail after it’s discovered that he has his own team of mercenaries taking out the competition / anyone on the board of directors who might be putting the company in jeopardy. When Ross inherits the mercenaries, he figures their skills could be useful to him in the future.
Victor Black is the leader of the company’s alpha squadron with Marsh, and whatever Ross says goes. Unfortunately for Marsh, he has a loan shark by the name of The Baron on his tail due to his insufficient funds. So while the corporate mercenaries aren’t supposed to take outside jobs, you do what you need to do in order to get some extra cash. The Baron is amused at the fact that Marsh is a corporate merc, so he sends him on a mission to retrieve a briefcase of his stolen by the Zodiac Mafia. This mission takes Marsh out in the middle of the desert at the luxurious Hotel Zinnia, and it all seems to be going well until the Zodiac Mafia enter the picture, then it appears to be too much for Marsh to handle alone.
Can Marsh get the persistent bodyguard Rose off his case? Will Victor arrive in time to help him escape? Will Ross get his family’s affairs in order? Well I don’t want to give it away to you, so if you’re interested go buy the trades or read it online for free!
I had immense amounts of fun while reading this story. The action and tone capture a magnificent blend of pulp and sci-fi, with a touch of Japanese animation thrown into the mix. Fans of Cowboy Bebop and The Fifth Element will find lots to enjoy, but just keep in mind it’s not an all ages title. While I enjoyed the story just fine, what really made me fall in love was the art, and more specifically the different colors Jules plays around with every page. Black & white, then primary and secondary colors exactly where they need to be. I can enjoy a page for what seems like hours because of the combinations she uses throughout. The cherry on top is the fact that she’s all self-taught. Whatta woman!
Like I pointed out before, the entire series is free to read and enjoy online at her website www.Marsh-Rocket.com or you could do yourself a favor and buy the box set collecting all three trades. With that box set, you get them all signed along with a sketch card. It’s the whole kit-n-caboodle for a very satisfy price of $36. Plus you’re helping out such a talented artist, you feel good supporting the little guy (err, girl).
With the start of the second story arc just happening, there’s no reason to not catch-up and have it on your bookmarks. Read, love, and spread the word.
Also, if you happen to find a suitcase with a severed hand inside, please return it to Albatross as soon as possible. He’d really appreciate it.
Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
Book Of The Month – October – Welcome To Hoxford
Book Of The Month – November – The Nightly News
Book Of The Month – December – CLA$$WAR
Book Of The Month – January – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Book Of The Month – February – Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft
Book Of The Month – March – Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection
Book Of The Month – April – Asterios Polyp
Book Of The Month – May – Green Lantern: Secret Origin
Cammy’s Comic Corner – Book Of The Month – Titanium Rain: Book One
Posted by readmin in Book Of The Month on June 1, 2010
Book Of The Month – June
Titanium Rain: Book One
Written by Josh Finney
Art by Kat Rocha, Josh Finney
The Merriam-Webster definition of science fiction is “fiction dealing principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component”. Many would classify the first volume of Titanium Rain as a science fiction / action-packed comic with gorgeous art, and they would be dead wrong.
Okay, yes, it is an action-packed comic with gorgeous art, but it is definitely not science fiction. I don’t care what the liberal media wants me to believe, but this comic you see before you is definitely a product of the not-too-distant future. I don’t have any idea how the author Josh Finney was able to build a time machine and travel to the year 2031, but I fear if I do learn his secrets, that time as we know it will collapse into a black hole, wiping-out the human race from existence.
It’s been said that “Those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it”, and sure, that’s what Josh claims is what helped him develop this marvelous story, by looking back at the Boxer Rebellion and such, but the current events that surround us today can no way be just a mere coincidence of what happens in Titanium Rain. Troubles in Asia, and as usual the United States is sucked into the fray. This is what we get when we try to police the world the way we do.
I’m mad at Josh Finney. Not only does he have a working time machine which he refuses to use for good, but he also dragged poor innocent Kat Rocha into the mix. I can just picture the way it all went down; Kat Rocha had dreams of becoming an artist, and one sunny day while browsing through the indie graphic novel section at her local comic book shop, Josh Finney appears from nowhere and steals her from that moment in time. She cries and pleads for her life from this strange man, and Josh cackles with maniacal laughter and demands that she put pen to paper and illustrate the events that have not yet taken place in our world. Eventually, she develops Stockholm syndrome and the two of them are married before Captain Jean Luc Picard at a rather lovely ceremony on the bridge.
That has to be the only explanation of why the art is so exquisite. When you’re at the hands of a madman, you’ll draw your heart out if it means life or death!
Enough about why Josh Finney is wanted by Interpol (and the Chinese Government), onto the comic.
It takes place in 2032, and there’s a civil war in China known as the Sino Conflict. The whole world gets involved, and we follow a young Air Force pilot by the name of Alec Killan, who is the result of the Prometheus Initiative. In order to fly the fighter planes of the future, one must be upgraded in order to control and tame such a beast. Some people like tattoos, others like Alec enjoy bio-modifications. When a small infantry group is trapped behind enemy lines, it’s up to Alec and the Phoenix Squadron to clear a path for them. Along the way we get the history of where all the trouble began in China, how Alec got signed-up for the Prometheus Initiative, and more. Dogfights, close calls, and pure chaos ensues and not everyone makes it out alive.
I warn you right now that by the time you finish reading, you’ll be salivating for more. This book left me with the biggest smile across my face, because the environment that Josh and Kat have created is so incredibly detailed, that you could tell several stories within this universe for many years to come.
On top of all that, fifty pages of back material to flesh-out the story? Insane. This creative team should be locked behind bars and never allowed to see the light of day again.
Thankfully, they’re already hard at work on Book Two, but the longing to read it keeps me up at night like a bad tummy-ache.
In closing, I had a chat with the people over at Merrian-Webster, and they agreed to change the definition of the word reality. What used to be “the quality or state of being real”, has now been replaced with two words:
“Titanium Rain”
Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
Book Of The Month – October – Welcome To Hoxford
Book Of The Month – November – The Nightly News
Book Of The Month – December – CLA$$WAR
Book Of The Month – January – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Book Of The Month – February – Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft
Book Of The Month – March – Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection
Cammy’s Comic Corner – Book Of The Month – Green Lantern: Secret Origin
Posted by readmin in Book Of The Month on May 4, 2010
Book Of The Month – May
Green Lantern: Secret Origin
Written by Geoff Johns
Art by Ivan Reis
DC Comics
It’s no secret that Green Lantern is my all-time favorite superhero. As soon as I got past the usual big two (Batman and Superman) and discovered a whole universe of different superheroes, Green Lantern caught my eye out of the entire bunch. The thought of having a ring, the most powerful weapon in the entire galaxy, that made whatever constructs you could think of appear from thin-air tickled me pink! However, operating such a device requires lots of willpower, and well, I’ll still scream like a little girl whenever I walk through a spider web.
It’s also no secret that Geoff Johns is the biggest fan of Green Lantern too (specifically, Hal Jordan). This fanboy-turned-writer has been responsible for resurrecting Hal Jordan and the Green Lantern title for the past few years, making him shine the brightest throughout the whole DC Universe. Starting with Green Lantern: Rebirth, it’s been gaining more and more momentum after every issue. Before diving head-first into the next event after the Sinestro Corps War, you’d best know your Green Lantern history!
And that’s what makes Green Lantern: Secret Origin so great. People will constantly ask me where’s a good place to start with Green Lantern, and there’s always the chance of losing new readers when you tell them “at the beginning; issue one.” With Green Lantern: Secret Origin, you can be a new reader or a seasoned veteran and still have an awesome time reading it. Geoff Johns slightly retcons the character and gives you the definitive origin for the time being, putting every fan on the same page.
We see the beginnings of the cocky & brash Hal Jordan, as he always looked-up to his dad (a test pilot for Ferris Air), and witnessed his unfortunate demise during a fatal test flight. He always wanted to follow in his fathers footsteps, and it scared his mother because of it. As soon as he was eighteen, he signed-up for the Air Force and left his family behind, sacrificing the ties to his mother and brothers to get one step closer to flying.
From then on the story takes-off just like a Ferris Fighter Jet, as we see Hal get too full of himself and gets discharged from the Air Force, and won’t get to fly for any airfield again. We’re introduced to Abin Sur, Green Lantern of 2814, before he crash-lands on Earth and leaves Hal as his successor before dying out in the hot California desert. Jump forward to training on Oa, and Hal is slowly starting to get the hang of it.
Sinestro, Atrocitus, the Guardians, William Hand, and even Hector Hammond all make an appearance, and Geoff Johns does a wonderful job intertwining all their origins together. And how could I forget Carol Ferris? She’s in the series too, as we’re witness to the early flirting between Hal and her.
Ivan Reis does a magnificent job with the art, making the images we see the icing on the cake of awesomeness. Everything from the landscapes of the desert to the bustling city-life on Oa, it’s all is absolute eye-candy to the reader. Atrocitus looks evil and menacing, Sinestro looks smug and superior, and Kilowog looks like a drill sergeant you don’t want to mess with.
Seeds for the Blackest Night are also planted in this series, so just as the surviving five of Sector 666 are talking prophecies, so is Geoff Johns.
It truly is a fantastic series, and a must-have for every Green Lantern fan. Screw Kyle Rayner, screw John Stewart, let Geoff Johns and Ivan Reis convince you that Hal Jordan is the one true Green Lantern, and believe me when I tell you that you won’t need much convincing.
In brightest day, in blackest night, no gorgeous Green Lantern hardcover shall escape my sight…
Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
Book Of The Month – October – Welcome To Hoxford
Book Of The Month – November – The Nightly News
Book Of The Month – December – CLA$$WAR
Book Of The Month – January – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Book Of The Month – February – Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft
Book Of The Month – March – Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection
Cammy’s Comic Corner – Book Of The Month – Asterios Polyp
Posted by readmin in Book Of The Month on April 13, 2010
Book Of The Month – April
Asterios Polyp
Pantheon Books
Written & Drawn by David Mazzucchelli
As an aspiring graphic design major, I catch myself observing my surroundings; people, buildings, the always changing clouds, etc. Then when I sit down to read a comic, I keep a sharp eye to see what works and what doesn’t work for the art of the issue. We comic fans tend to like some artists more than others, whether it’s the incredibly detailed Juan Jose Ryp, or the loose-yet-fun Sergio Aragones, we’re able to recognize the style of the artist within seconds. I always wonder in the back of my mind when I see a gorgeous page of art, “how long did that take them to do?” For some artists, it could be days. Others, a few weeks. Everyone works by their own schedule and some have more free time than others. Then comes along David Mazzucchelli and completely blows everyone’s minds.
There isn’t a set style in the graphic novel Asterios Polyp, and that’s what I love about it. Every few pages the style changes-up, and you get immersed all over again. One page it’s stippling, another just geometric designs. And the best part of all, no black ink. If there’s need of borders or dark shades of some sort, it’s just purple. I feel that black sometimes feels more like filler, and draws your eye away from some details you might have missed before in a page. In Asterios Polyp, purple and the simple primary colors are the ones that reign supreme.
So what exactly is this book about you might ask? Well, it’s a simple story; this Professor of Architecture at Ithaca college, Asterios Polyp, has a sudden change in his environment as a bolt of lightning burns his apartment to the ground one stormy night. With just the money he has on his person, he buys a one way bus ticket to a small town out in the Midwest. Becoming an auto mechanic after a brief stop at the local library, we then see how he got to where he is today in flashbacks. His teaching years, the love of his life, the divorce of said love of his life, the downfall. Once an intellectual know-it-all and full time prick, now nothing more than a grease monkey working for room and board.
But the story hardly matters, because that’s not why you should be buying this book; it’s the art. Page after page of gorgeous art, that must have been planned out weeks before ink ever came close to touching paper. For all I know, this graphic novel took Mazzucchelli years to plan-out and create, and by golly it shows! The precise pictures and images he creates are stunning to look at, and are the stuff of legend. Any aspiring artists or graphic design majors sure can learn a thing or two about this masterpiece.
If it were up to me, this would be required reading in art colleges.
It’s currently nominated for a few Eisner Awards this year, and if it doesn’t take home the Eisner for Best Graphic Album, heads should / will roll, seen to it by yours truly. Hands-down book of the decade in my opinion.
Discuss this pick on the forum!
Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
Book Of The Month – October – Welcome To Hoxford
Book Of The Month – November – The Nightly News
Book Of The Month – December – CLA$$WAR
Book Of The Month – January – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Book Of The Month – February – Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft
Book Of The Month – March – Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection
Cammy’s Comic Corner – Book Of The Month – Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection
Posted by readmin in Book Of The Month on March 9, 2010
Book Of The Month – March
Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection
Written by Chris Giarrusso
Art by Chris Giarrusso
Superhero comics don’t always have to be so dark and serious. Back in the day they actually were fun and zany, unlike most of the comics you see out on the shelves today. However, different times call for different content, and whatever is selling at the moment is the model to base your stories on. Why can’t we slip-back into a simpler time, filled with rainbows and gummy drops, while still being able to feel like responsible grown-ups?
Well now we can.
The Mini Marvels Ultimate Collection by Chris Giarrusso collects all the published Mini Marvels stories; everything from the first comics, the event comics, and up to the current comics. I’ve always been a fan of Giarrusso’s writing and art, so to have them all collected into one trade had me howling with laughter throughout! It’s the simple jokes that pack the biggest punches.
For those not familiar with what Mini Marvels are all about, they’re basically simple stories that started-out in the back pages of Marvel comics, with the characters drawn in a childish cartoon style, making them feel that these are to be read by kids only. It’s at this point you let your guard down and dismiss them as comics for kids, and that’s when all the little jokes flow forth.
With a lot of the big events in the 616 Universe (Civil War, Planet Hulk, World War Hulk), readers tend to either read them all like good little Marvel Zombies, or pick and choose to their interests. If you decide to skip one event and read Mini Marvels version instead, you’re given the abridged version, and will still get the general gist of what the event was about. Better yet, if you did read the event, then read the Mini Marvel’s take, you’ll be joining me on the floor howling with laughter with all the parodies, inside jokes, and so many geeky references. It’s this kind of joy that you’re experiencing that makes all the countless hours of learning your continuity finally worth it, all told by the younger cast of your favorite superheroes.
My personal favorite stories of the series include the Spider-Man working at the Daily Bugle as a paperboy, Civil Wards, and poor little Wolverine trying to just enjoy a box of his favorite cereal. Hulk and his haikus are hilarious, and Hawkeye’s commentary on the “Illuminators” meeting is a riot!
Chris Giarrusso is a wonderful human being with a heart of gold for working so dang hard on the mini versions of our favorite heroes. He unites the new readers with the old veterans, and everyone in between with these simple-yet-laugh-a-minute comics. If you’re looking for world peace, this collection wouldn’t be a bad place to start.
Discuss this pick on the forum!
Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
Book Of The Month – October – Welcome To Hoxford
Book Of The Month – November – The Nightly News
Book Of The Month – December – CLA$$WAR
Book Of The Month – January – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Book Of The Month – February – Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft
Cammy’s Comic Corner – Book Of The Month – Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft
Posted by readmin in Book Of The Month on February 2, 2010
The Book of the Month for February 2010 is none other than Locke & Key: Welcome To Lovecraft (IDW Publishing) written by Joe Hill with art by Gabriel Rodriguez.
I remember reading the first issue of this volume when it debuted, and completely loathing it. Looking back, I might have been overwhelmed by all that was going on; gruesome violence, rape, and spirits. My mind must have been having a difficult time computing it all, not being able to make sense of what was happening in front of my very eyes. Who were these psychos? What’s that key do? Was there a zero issue I missed? So after reading that first issue I decided to say “fuck it” and just move on to the next comic book in the stack. A year passes and a second volume comes out, Head Games, and it’s getting nothing but great reviews. Still, I cast the series aside and swear it off as too extreme for my tastes. Then finally the third volume starts, Crown Of Shadows, and I decide to give the series a second chance. After all, I was bored at work and running out of new comics to read.
At this point in the review I would like to take a moment and apologize to two individuals. Mr. Hill, Mr. Rodriguez, I’m so incredibly sorry I dismissed this series and paid no attention to it. Please forgive my ignorance, for I am not worthy to grovel at your very feet. If you’d like, I’ll even commit Seppuku to lift the shame I’ve brought to my family and friends.
Locke & Key is by far one of the best series I’ve read in the past decade. What Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez manage to do to with horror comics is the equivalent of what Andy Warhol did for art. Each issue in this first volume is jam-packed with action, humor, and horror, leaving you the reader hungry for more. I have to warn you though; as much as you want to devour the series whole and read it all in one sitting, do try to pace yourself and savor every bite. I found myself instantly hooked after re-reading the first issue, and forty-five minutes later and I was done, and craving more immediately.
Enough about how brilliant it is, let me explain what the story is about.
The Lockes were a normal family at one point until the father, Rendell Locke, was murdered by a troubled former student and his psycho friend. Because of this tragic event, the surviving family moves to the family mansion in Lovecraft, Massachusetts. The story focuses on the three kids; Tyler, the oldest, Kinsey, the rebellious middle child, and Bode, the youngest and my personal favorite. The death of their father traumatizes them, and they each deal with the loss in their own way. Bode spends his time exploring the dusty old mansion, and discovers a strange key that when inserted into a specific door, will allow the key-bearer to walk through. Only two things will happen when you walk through; the first being you die. The second being, your spirit allows you to travel wherever you want. Enter back into your body, and you’re alive again. As if having the same psycho who killed your father escape prison not bad enough, it gets worse; there’s an evil being trapped in the well, and all she needs is a certain key to get free so she can collect them all.
That’s one of my favorite things about the series, is all the magical keys. We’re only introduced to a few in this volume, but the fact that there are several more that have not yet been discovered thrills me to no end! Just imagine all the possibilities!
Gabriel Rodriguez’s art in this fits the tone of the story wonderfully, and you get a good sense of what each character is feeling. I especially love the spirits, because they’re not there altogether. You might see a little bit of face and maybe an arm, but the spiritual body is constantly changing. And if you’re a fan of blood and gore, you’ll especially be enjoying some of the spreads throughout this volume.
Overall this is the perfect choice for fans of the horror and fantasy genres. It’s also a nice little reminder what comics can be without having to involve capes and cowls. So before you run out to your local comic store and pick-up this wonderful collection, remember what I said before; try to slow down and savor it, because you’ll definitely be wanting seconds after you’re finished.
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Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month - July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
Book Of The Month – October – Welcome To Hoxford
Book Of The Month – November – The Nightly News
Book Of The Month – December – CLA$$WAR
Book Of The Month – January – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Cammy’s Comic Corner – Book Of The Month – The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Posted by readmin in Book Of The Month on January 5, 2010
Book Of The Month – January
The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite
Written by Gerard Way
Art by Gabriel Bá
When it comes to superhero teams in comics nowadays, the market is flooded. Each one a knock-off of the one before it, with very little room for standing out and captivating a new audience. Comic fans know what they like, so to introduce a favorable new team to them that isn’t a tweaked version of the X-Men or Teen Titans is not an easy task to accomplish. Furthermore, to have the writer be a successful celebrity in another medium that appeals to the “Hot Topic” crowd, is just on the road to ruin straight-out the gate. Before one page is even published, you’re already fighting an uphill battle against all the internet trolls that post at various forums and websites dealing with comics. You just can’t win.
Or can you?
Enter The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite written by Gerard Way, of My Chemical Romance fame, and art by Gabriel Ba, a little-known artist from Brazil who has a twin brother. These two did the unthinkable and created a comic book that is loved by many people from all walks of life. To be fair, it took awhile to finally catch-on. With the name “Gerard Way” on the cover, unfortunately many comic folks wouldn’t dare touch it, fearing it was going to associate them with being a fan of goth / emo / screamo music. I personally am a fan of My Chemical Romance, but I’m hardly what you could call a die-hard fan of the band. I almost don’t want to admit that I listen to the music, just because I’m afraid people would automatically slap me with the label “bias”, and that’s the only explanation of why I would pick-up such a comic. What a lot of people don’t realize is that Gerard Way is a hardcore comic book fan. As a matter of fact, he was working at DC Comics as an intern up until 9/11 happened, and he then took to music.
So enough about the back story of how the comic came to be, and onward to what it’s about; it’s about family. More specifically, a dysfunctional family of seven children who were all born at the same time and raised by a wealthy alien posing as human, who will all one day save the world from total annihilation. Got your attention? Good. The seven children are raised to fight crime and save the day with the powers they were born with, all given a number instead of a name. Eventually we come to know them by their codenames, and each of their unique personalities.
Spaceboy (00.01) is the team leader, and due to an accident on a mission to Mars, has the body of a space ape thanks to an experimental surgery to save his life. The Kraken (00.02) is the rogue of the group, doing things his own way (which usually consists of a sharp knife). The Rumor (00.03) can make things happen just by starting her sentence with “I heard a rumor…” which makes her very dangerous. The Séance (00.04) is a rather morbid fellow, who is able to channel the dead (among many other psychic abilities). The Boy (00.05) disappeared into the future, and remained there for sixty years before coming back. He may look like a boy still, but he’s incredible deadly. The Horror (00.06) is dead. And finally, Vanya (00.07) isn’t special at all, and plays the violin. Together, they saved the world countless times when they were children. In the present, they’re only back together because of the death of their father.
Dur
ing their family reunion, darker things are happening at the Icarus Theater where the villain known as The Conductor is composing the end of the world, The Apocalypse Suite, and Vanya is the missing key. Eventually turning her against her adopted family, she personally leads the symphony of destruction with her newly acquired powers. First her family, then the world. So to call them a dysfunctional family would be putting it lightly. Whenever I fight with my sister, billions of lives don’t hang in the balance.
The art on this series is just absolutely superb and breathtaking. Gabriel Ba really does a fantastic job creating such a uniformed team in his abstract style. Usually when you think of what a superhero is suppose to look like, you might think of a Jim Lee or Rob Liefeld type figure, with muscles galore and crisp, clean pectorals. With Ba’s style, they feel how they act; disheveled. His attention to detail has you completely captivated, making you smile as you turn to examine every inch of every page. Dave Stewart’s colors compliment the art very nicely, and do a great job setting the tone and setting of the dialogue. As children we’re told to color inside of the lines, and what Stewart sometimes does is color outside the lines ever-so slightly, making worlds of difference when you’re indulged in the colors. Finally, the covers by James Jean are out of this world. I don’t know how Way & Ba got so lucky to get him to contribute the covers, but they are exceedingly beautiful, almost bringing me to the verge of tears (I kid you not, look at the cover to issue four).
I personally think this is the perfect comic book series. We’ll always have the constantly changing Justice Society of America and X-Force titles, but once in a blue moon a series like The Umbrella Academy will come along and completely blow everyone away. The fact that it’s not a series from decades past, but merely a few years ago still boggles the mind, for it has already survived and has amassed a huge fanbase on the same scale as some of the Marvel and DC titles currently have. I cannot tell you how many times I have recommended it to non-comic book fans and got them hooked. They don’t have to worry about any continuity or origin stories, for it’s all right there in six issues.
So remember, never judge a book by its cover, especially this one. A second series is already out, and a movie is also in the works. Jump on board and have a fun time, for I personally guarantee you’ll love it.
Discuss this pick on the forum!
Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
Book Of The Month – October – Welcome To Hoxford
Cammy’s Comic Corner – Book Of The Month – CLA$$WAR
Posted by Gregory in Book Of The Month on December 1, 2009
Book Of The Month – December
CLA$$WAR
Written by Rob Williams
Art by Trevor Hairsine and Travel Foreman
As a comic book reviewer, I’m offered quite a lot of comics to read and review by companies, creators, and the little guys no one has ever heard of. Most of the time the material I’m sent is good fun stuff, making me love the fact that I’m able to spread the good word about these titles to the undying masses. Then a comic like Cla$$war will come along and completely blow me away.
It’s comics like this that make you kick yourself for not knowing about it sooner, making you curse the heavens that it flew underneath your radar all those years ago. What other comics could have possibly been so important to yourself back in 2002, that this series completely passed you by? Batman? Spider-Man? The same old superheroes who always let the villain get away?
Well get ready for a breath of fresh air, because that’s exactly what Cla$$war delivers, and plenty of it.
The series revolves around a superhero called American, and he’s seen the light thanks to a renegade CIA agent by the name of Issac. Their mission; to open the eyes of the American public and reveal who the true villains are; the corporate CEO’s, the Government, and pretty much anyone else who happens to be white and insanely rich and powerful.
The time period this takes place in is during the George W. Bush reign of terror, and sure enough Dubya is one of the big baddies in the series, as moronic as ever. After American decides to take the president ten thousand feet up in the air to have a little ‘chat’, Issac plays a tape of American informing the vicious deeds of the United States government for the past twenty years. He’s tired of all the lies and the people he’s killed over the years, so it’s up to him and Issac to bring the real bad guys to justice.
Along the way he has to battle his old teammates of the supergroup the Enola Gay, made-up of some of the biggest superhero baddies that only science can create. The clashes are truly epic, making it feel like the issue is shaking in your hands from the aftershocks. I won’t spoil it for you how it ends, but let’s just say there’s an awful lot of gore and violence going down because of the circumstances.
When this six-issue miniseries debuted back in 2002, the original artist was Trevor Hairsine who stayed on for the first three issues, and the last three issues were drawn by Travel Foreman. Even though there are two different artists, it doesn’t distract the reader at all, and continues to flow smoothly with the story. Trevor Hairsine’s style gets compared to Bryan Hitch’s stuff a lot, and with good reason; it’s gorgeous to look at and really captures the characters well. The costumes, the facial expressions, the action, all rendered beautifully by Hairsine’s style. While it might resemble Hitch’s style at times, Hairsine makes it his own without question. He’s an artist I’ll definitely be looking out for in the future. As for Travel Foreman, it might have been difficult to fill the shoes of Hairsine after the third issue, but he shows no signs of frustration or stress in his pages. The art looks just as great, and some of the two-page spreads he throws at us will knock your socks off!
The overall story Rob Williams tells is just a fantastic read, and had me hooked after the first issue. You want to see the bad guys get what’s coming to them, and myself growing up and surviving the Bush reign wants to see Dubya get punished for his crimes especially. The story reminded me a lot like the dark superhero stories you see nowadays (Irredeemable, Black Summer, The Mighty), only the twist being the superhuman is going rogue against the ‘good guys’ like the President of the United States. The good kind of rebellion.
So do yourself a favor this holiday season and pick-up Cla$$war, if not for yourself, then for your comic book friend who thinks they’ve seen it all. Blow his or her mind with the awesomeness that is Cla$$war.
And to think, this is only the first series. Something tells me we’ve ain’t seen nothing yet!
Discuss this pick on the forum!
Book Of The Month – June – LOCAL
Book Of The Month – July – Sub-Mariner: The Depths
Book Of The Month – August – Superman: Secret Identity
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