Showing posts with label Mat Johnson. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mat Johnson. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 9, 2018

Review: INCOGNEGRO: Renaissance #1

INCOGNEGRO: RENAISSANCE No. 1 (OF 5)
DARK HORSE COMICS/Berger Books – @DarkHorseComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Mat Johnson
ART: Warren Pleece
LETTERS: Clem Robin
EDITOR: Karen Berger – @karenpberger
28pp, B&W, $3.99 U.S. (February 2018)

Mature Readers

Part 1: “Soaked”

Incognegro is an original graphic novel created by writer Mat Johnson and artist Warren Pleece.  First published by DC Comics' Vertigo imprint in 2008, Incognegro is set in the 1930’s and focuses on Zane Pinchback, of the neighborhood of Harlem in New York City.  Zane is a reporter for the “New Holland Herald,” a newspaper which serves the Black community of Harlem and beyond.  Although Zane is a Negro, his skin complexion is so light that he looks like a White man.  When Zane pretends to be a White man, he is doing what is called “passing” or “going incognegro.”

Zane occasionally leaves the relative safety of Harlem and heads to the Deep South where he infiltrates the local White populace – “going incognegro.”  Pretending to be a White man, Zane can freely take pictures of the lynchings of black men and also learn the names of the respectable folks attending these ghastly events.  In the main story of Incognegro, Zane is forced to travel back to Tupelo, Mississippi where his estranged brother, Alonzo “Pinchy” Pinchback, is scheduled to hang for the murder of a white woman.  Zane has to find the real killer while someone who knows of Zane's ruse of passing as a White man arrives in Tupelo, determined to find Zane and out him to the White populace.

Zane Pinchback returns in a new five-issue miniseries, Incognegro: Renaissance, a prequel of sorts to the Incognegro graphic novel.  This new comic book is written and drawn by the original Incognegro team of Johnson and Pleece and lettered by Clem Robins.  This miniseries is published by Dark Horse Comics' imprint, Berger Books, which is headed by DC Comics/Vertigo's legendary former editor, Karen Berger.

Incognegro: Renaissance #1 opens about two decades before the events depicted in the original Incognegro in New York City of the early 1920s.  Zane Pinchback, a young reporter for the New Holland Herald, is accompanying his friend, Carl (who is also a lightly-complected Negro) to a swanky book release party in midtown New York that is being held at a White man's apartment.

Former literary sensation, Arna Van Horn, is celebrating the release of his first book in about 15 years.  Set in Harlem, the book is entitled “Nigger Town.”  During the party, a dark-skinned Black man named Xavier Harris causes a commotion that leads to a shocking turn of events.  The party may also provide an opportunity for a struggling young reporter to make a name for himself.

I am probably one of the few comic book reviewers (if not the only one) outside the mainstream, big media press that listed Incognegro as one of the top five comic books of the first decade of the twenty-first century.  Incognegro did turn out to be quite well regarded with critics and reviewers who don't trade in the comic book fan-driven press.  According to author Mat Johnson, the original Incognegro was quite popular in high school and college classes, but for some reason, DC Comics allowed the graphic novel to go out of print.  Incognegro is back in print under Berger Books, so hopefully, it has found a long-term home.

Concerning Incognegro: Renaissance:  it opens with a strong first issue.  Mat Johnson's writing is as witty and as engaging as ever, and his eye as a social critic and a commentator may be stronger than ever.  In his hands, the pen is not mightier than the sword; it is a sharp and beautifully lethal sword.

I was not crazy about Warren Pleece as the artist of the first Incognegro.  Although, his storytelling was good, I found his compositions to be awkward.  Now, I have warmed to him.  His pen is also a switchblade, honey.  Here, Pleece's storytelling is mostly subtle and graceful, but there are times when he conveys the hypocrisy of a 1920's high White society that treats Negros like pets so bluntly.  One might mistake this British comics artist as a propagandist for Black radicals.

Readers who want really exceptional comic books will want Incognegro: Renaissance.

9 out of 10

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


The text is copyright © 2018 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, October 8, 2018

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for October 10, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

JUL180518    AMERICAN GODS MOTEL AMERICA MUG    $12.99
JUN180367    EC ARCHIVES HAUNT OF FEAR HC VOL 05    $39.99
JUN180384    GANTZ G TP VOL 02    $13.99
JUN180300    INCOGNEGRO RENAISSANCE HC (MR)    $19.99
AUG180370    JOE GOLEM #2 (OF 5) THE DROWNING CITY    $3.99
MAY180394    MST3K MUG    $12.99
JUN180357    PLANTS VS ZOMBIES WAR AND PEAS HC    $9.99
JUL180444    QUANTUM AGE FROM THE WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER #3 CVR A TORRES    $3.99
JUL180445    QUANTUM AGE FROM THE WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER #3 CVR B    $3.99
AUG180326    SHE COULD FLY #4 (MR)    $4.99

Monday, July 2, 2018

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for July 4, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAR180097    CONAN OMNIBUS TP VOL 05 PIRACY & PASSION    $24.99
FEB180066    EMPOWERED & SISTAH SPOOKYS HIGH SCHOOL HELL #5    $3.99
MAY180363    HALO COLLATERAL DAMAGE #2 (OF 3)    $3.99
APR180058    INCOGNEGRO RENAISSANCE #5 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
JAN180153    LONE WOLF & CUB GALLERY ED HC    $99.99
MAY180320    QUANTUM AGE FROM WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER #1 CVR A STEWART    $3.99
MAY180321    QUANTUM AGE FROM WORLD OF BLACK HAMMER #1 CVR B VAR WARD    $3.99
MAY180334    SWORD DAUGHTER #2 CVR A SMALLWOOD    $4.99
MAY180335    SWORD DAUGHTER #2 CVR B VAR CHATER    $4.99
MAY180332    XERXES FALL OF HOUSE OF DARIUS #4 (OF 5) (MR)    $4.99

Monday, May 21, 2018

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for May 23, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

MAR180028    BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #2 MAIN CVR    $3.99
MAR180029    BLACK HAMMER AGE OF DOOM #2 VAR LEMIRE CVR    $3.99
MAR180095    BTVS SEASON 11 GILES #4 (OF 4) MAIN CVR    $3.99
MAR180096    BTVS SEASON 11 GILES #4 (OF 4) VAR JOVELLANOS CVR    $3.99
NOV170051    HALO RISE OF ATRIOX HC    $19.99
MAR180042    INCOGNEGRO RENAISSANCE #4 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99
JAN180109    JOE GOLEM OCCULT DETECTIVE HC VOL 02 OUTER DARK    $24.99
MAR180086    WITCHFINDER GATES OF HEAVEN #1 (OF 5) (MR)    $3.99

Monday, April 2, 2018

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for April 4, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

DEC170057    ANGEL SEASON 11 TP VOL 03 DARK REFLECTIONS    $17.99
FEB180017    DOCTOR STAR & KINGDOM LOST TOMORROWS #2    $3.99
FEB180018    DOCTOR STAR & KINGDOM LOST TOMORROWS #2 VAR JONES CVR    $3.99
FEB180040    INCOGNEGRO RENAISSANCE #3 (MR)    $3.99
FEB180038    KOSHCHEI THE DEATHLESS #4 (OF 6)    $3.99
DEC170074    LIFE BETWEEN PANELS COMPLETE TAILS OMNIBUS TP    $19.99
DEC170136    REEFER MADNESS TP (RES)    $19.99
FEB180011    XERXES FALL OF HOUSE OF DARIUS #1 (OF 5) (MR)    $4.99

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Monday, March 5, 2018

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for March 7, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

NOV170024    BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER OMNIBUS SEASON 8 TP VOL 02    $24.99
DEC160101    CHIMICHANGA HC SORROW OF WORLDS WORST FACE    $14.99
JAN180111    INCOGNEGRO RENAISSANCE #2 (MR)    $3.99
JAN180105    KOSHCHEI THE DEATHLESS #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
NOV170020    LOBSTER JOHNSON TP VOL 06 CHAIN FORGED IN LIFE    $19.99
OCT170113    PSYCHO PASS INSPECTOR SHINYA KOGAMI TP VOL 04    $11.99
JAN180106    RASPUTIN VOICE OF DRAGON #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
JAN180107    RASPUTIN VOICE OF DRAGON #5 (OF 5) KALUTA VAR    $3.99

Monday, February 5, 2018

Dark Horse Comics from Diamond Distributors for February 7, 2018

DARK HORSE COMICS

OCT170041    BTVS SEASON 11 TP VOL 02 ONE GIRL IN ALL WORLD    $19.99
OCT170056    GROO PLAY OF THE GODS TP    $17.99
OCT170095    HALO RISE OF ATRIOX #5 (OF 5)    $3.99
OCT170018    INCOGNEGRO A GRAPHIC MYSTERY HC    $19.99
DEC170048    INCOGNEGRO RENAISSANCE #1    $3.99
DEC170100    KOSHCHEI THE DEATHLESS #2 (OF 6)    $3.99
OCT170050    MOEBIUS LIBRARY INSIDE MOEBIUS HC VOL 01    $39.99
SEP170071    NIOURK HC    $29.99
DEC170101    RASPUTIN VOICE OF DRAGON #4 (OF 5)    $3.99
DEC170102    RASPUTIN VOICE OF DRAGON #4 (OF 5) DEL RAY VAR    $3.99
NOV170043    TOMB RAIDER SURVIVORS CRUSADE #3 (OF 4)    $3.99

Wednesday, January 31, 2018

I Reads You Juniors January 2018 - Update #80

Support Leroy on Patreon.

Leroy's Amazon Comics and Graphic Novels Page:

From KyodoNews:  Manga artist Kazuo Umezu has won the "Heritage Award" at the 45th Angouleme International Comics Festival.

From ComicBook:  Disney has assigned Dark Horse the rights to publish a "Frozen" comic book miniseries, the first of new deal for DHC to publish Disney comic books.

From BleedingCool:  Netflix Comics may publish through Dark Horse Comics... initially.

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #152 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #152 in French.

From BleedingCool:  Valiant Entertainment has been bought 100% by an investors group.

From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #151 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  New Johnny Bullet episode #151 in French.

From WashingtonInformer:  Author Jesse J. Holland talks about updating the Black Panther in a new novel.

From ComicBook:  The manga, "Black Clover" (published by VIZ Media in North America), has announced a spinoff, " Asta-kun's Road to Wizard King."

From WhatNext:  15 obscure comic books that were turned into movies.

From Newsarama:  Writer Matt Hawkins talks about the upcoming "Cyberforce" reboot, entitled "Cyber Force."

From BleedingCool:  Thomas Taylor drew the cover art for the first edition of the first Harry Potter novel, "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" (1997).  He has written and illustrated a number of books.  He now moves into comic books with the graphic novel, "Scarlett Hart, Monster Hunter," to be published in April 2018.

MEMORIAM - From StamfordAdvocate:  Cartoonist Mort Walker has died at the age of 94, Saturday, January 27, 2018.  Born Addison Morton Walker, Mort is best known as the creator of "Beetle Bailey," a comic strip about the world's laziest U.S. Army private.  Walker had worked on the strip continuously since its debut in 1950, getting help in recent years because of his health.  Prolific, Walker has created the still-running domestic gag comic strip, "Hi and Lois."

From BleedingCool:  Scott Snyder will take over "Justice League" for the "Justice League: No Justice" weekly publishing event.

From BleedingCool:  Fantagraphics Books solicitations for April 2018.

From BleedingCool:  9 hot rumors about Marvel Comics in 2018.

From BleedingCool:  Batman's logo and chest emblem - the yellow oval - is coming back.  It was originally used from 1964 to 1995.

From ComicBookBin:  Johnny Bullet episode #150 in English.
From ComicBookBin:  Johnny Bullet episode #150 in French.

From ICv2:  Richard Corben has been awarded the prestigious Grand Prix d’ Angouleme lifetime achievement award.

From BleedingCool:  WTF?  As a boy Marv Wolfman saved the original art to an unpublished Superman comics story by the character's creators, Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.  It will finally be published in the hardcover edition of Action Comics #1000.

From Vulture:  Last year's hit X-Men franchise film, "Logan" has received an Oscar nomination in the category, "Writing (Adapted Screenplay)" for the 90th Academy Awards.  It is the first film based on a superhero comic book to receive a screenwriting Oscar nomination, but is not the first film based on comics to receive a screenwriting Oscar nom (Ghost World in 2002?).  The "Vulture" articles says that this nomination is a "significant breakthrough."

From ComicBook:  This article takes a look back on Dan Slott's time as writer on Marvel Comics' "The Amazing Spider-Man."

From BleedingCool:  The site has a preview of "The Blue Baron" and information about its publisher, Sitcomics.

From Soundcloud:  The Happy Haven podcasts interviews Marvel Comics artist Jon Malin, in which two relatively young guys talk about the good old days.  Malin is apparently really bothered about "indie comics artists" who get jobs drawing superheroes for Marvel and DC.

From ComicBookBin:  Johnny Bullet episode #149 in English
From ComicBookBin:  Johnny Bullet episode #149 in French

From ComicBook:  The artist Bob Wakelin died Saturday, January 20, 2018.  Wakelin is a legend for his cover art for video game boxes, and he also produced cover art for publisher, Marvel UK.

From FlickeringMyth:  "Robocop" is returning to comics in April via BOOM! Studios.

From BleedingCool:  It seems that DC Comics is not informing that artists that co-created the America's Best Comics line with writer Alan Moore that ABC characters are about to start appearing in mainstream DC Comics titles.  The ABC characters are not creator-owned, but are "creator-participant."

From ComicBook:  The films "Logan" and "Wonder Woman" earned nominations for the 30th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award.  The Scripter Award honors both the writer of the screenplay and the authors of books adapted to film.

From Newsarama:  Superman's classic uniform returns, that would be the one with the red trunks, in Action Comics #1000.

From ICv2:  DC Entertainment promotes its new comics line, "The New Age of DC Heroes" with television ads on cable networks.  There are also ads on certain websites and through The CW app.

From TCR:  GLAAD has named its 2018 Media Award nominees, and there is a comic book category.

From BleedingCool:  "Hunt for Wolverine" is a four-part series due in April, written by Charles Soule and artist David Marquez.

From LaughingPlace:  In April, Marvel is launching a new all-ages comic book, Marvel Super Hero Adventures.  The series will run for five issues and is will be written by Jim McCann and drawn by Dario Brizuela.

From BleedingCool:  Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3, the creators of the hit miniseries, "BLACK" (Black Mask Studio), has announced two new titles, the graphic novel, "BLACK [AF]: America's Sweetheart," and the new miniseries, "BLACK [AF]: Widows and Orphans."

From Manga.Tokyo:  List of anime movies due to be released in 2018.

From BleedingCool:  French publisher Glenat to publish "Conan" graphic novels in Europe.  Robert E. Howard's Conan the Cimmerian/Barbarian is in the public domain in Europe.

From BleedingCool:  The "companion" comic book to Frank Miller's "300" will finally appear in April 2018.  It is entitled "Xerxes: The Fall of the House of Darius and the Rise of Alexander."

From BleedingCool:  David Baldeon will be the artist on the "Domino" comic book written by Gail Simone.

From BleedingCool:  Jackie Ormes and Carol Kalish have been automatically inducted into the Will Eisner Comic Awards Hall of Fame for 2018.  Kalish was a pioneer in the development of the Direct Market and moved Marvel into new distribution outlets.  Ormes was the first black women newspaper cartoonist and, for a long time, the only one.

From ComicBook:  Former Wildstorm and Warner Bros. executive, John Nee, is the new publisher of Marvel Comics.  Current publisher, Dan Buckley, is now President of Marvel Entertainment.

From ComicBook:  It is the 50th anniversary of Go Nagai as a manga creator.  What better way to celebrate than with the release of a "Devilman" branded scotch?

From CBR:  What is the future of Miles Morales, the Ultimate Spider-Man, the Spider-Man of color.

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics trademarks the name "Multiple Man."

From ChristianPost:  "Shaman King" manga returns in this spring.

From Crunchyroll:  Masakuza Katsura, the original creator of the manga "Video Girl" has drawn a new one-shot "Video Girl" manga, the first since the series ended in 1992.

From Newsarama:  It's official:  2017 is a down year in Direct Market comic book sales.

From BleedingCool:  Tom King announces "Sanctuary," a DC Comics title about a place superheroes go to deal with the trauma from the violence they experience...

From ComicBook:  As of December, the "Attack on Titan" manga has sold 71 million volumes of its various tankobon (graphic novel) collections in Japan.

From BleedingCool:  See Ed Piskor's covers for the second printings of "X-Men: Grand Design #1-2."

From BleedingCool:  John Ridley ("12 Years a Slave") is rewriting (or adding to) DC Comics' history in "The Other History of the DC Universe."

From BleedingCool:  The "Conan the Barbarian" property is returning to Marvel Comics, where it was from 1970 to 2000.  Dark Horse published Conan comic books from 2003 to 2017.  The first new Marvel Conan comic book is apparently scheduled for a 2019 release.

From Syfy:  Brian Michael Bendis says that there will be new issues of his creator-owned series, "Scarlet," with Alex Maleev.  Apparently, there is also a TV series in development.

From BleedingCool:  The first Brian Michael Bendis Superman story will appear in Action Comics #1000 and it will be drawn by Jim Lee.

From TCJ:  An interview with Terry Nantier, the founder of NBM, and the company's four decades of publishing European and American graphic novels.

From BleedingCool:  Mat Johnson talks "Incognegro."

From BleedingCool:  A sort of Brian Michael Bendis DC Comics debut.

From CBR:   10 comics books unfinished and missing in action: Miracleman, SHIELD and More

From JapanTimes:  In the Japan's national legislature, the Diet, a bill has been proposed to build of a national media arts center to collect and store original editions of manga and anime cels to prevent them from being taken out of the country.

From TheBeat:  Bendis revealed that his last issue of Defenders will be #10, last issue of Spider-Man will be #240, last issue of Iron Man will be #600, and last issue of Jessica Jones is #18.

From BleedingCool:  Shannon Wheeler, author of the book of cartoons, "Sh*t My President Says: The Illustrated Tweets of Donald J. Trump," will exhibit his cartoons in an exhibition named after the book - in Palm Beach not far from Trump's resort, Mar-a-Lago.

From PGA:  "Wonder Woman" among the nominees in the "best theatrical production" category for the 2018 Producers Guild Awards.  "Deadpool" was among the nominees in the same category at the 2017 Producers Guild Awards.

From BleedingCool:  The version of Valkyrie that appeared in the recent hit film, "Thor: Ragnarok," as played by actress Tessa Thompson will appear in Marvel Comics, beginning with "Exiles #1."

From TheBrownsvilleHerald:  The California-based Latino Comics Expo will hold a sister event in Brownsville, Texas in early February 2018.

From ComicBook:  "One Piece" creator, Eiichiro Oda, pens coming-of-age message to adolescent fans.

OBIT: From BleedingCool:  American Cinamon Hadley inspired artist Mike Dringinberg when he designed the iconic Sandman character, "Death of the Endless," co-created by Neil Gaiman for "The Sandman."  Hadley died Saturday, January 6, 2018 after a battle with cancer.

From BleedingCool:  Marvel Comics is overseas looking for new talent.  [Hopefully, they will find new talent in marketing, as well.]

From TheGazette:  An article about two books:  “Slugfest: Inside the Epic 50-Year Battle Between Marvel and DC”  Reed Tucker (Da Capo Press) and “Stan Lee: The Man Behind Marvel” by Bob Batchelor (Rowman & Littlefield), that talk about the rise of Marvel and DC Comics and the clash between them.

From BleedingCool:  See the "pop-up" comic book shop that DC Comics will open in Washington D.C. for the "Martin Luther King Jr."

From BleedingCool:  Here is the Christmas card Alan Moore drew and sent to friends and family.

From BleedingCool:   Hot (and overrated) writer Donny Cates wants to write a "Deadpool" that Rob Liefeld, the creator of the character, would draw.

From BleedingCool:  Marvel is giving stores free bundles of "Black Panther Starts Here" to stores to help introduce new readers to the character.

From AVClub:  The site lists is "10 most anticipated comics of 2018."

From Tennessean:  Cartoonist Guy Gilchrist is darting the venerable comic strip, Nancy, after producing it for 23 years.  Here are "five, funny reflections" as he departs in February 2018.

From ComicBook:  Brian Michael Bendis officially started at DC Comics Jan. 2nd, 2018.

From TCR:  Tom Spurgeon re-posts a 2010 interview that he conducted with Jaime Hernandez, the co-creator of "Love & Rockets" and North America's best comic book artist.

From BleedingCool:  "The Top 5 Marvel Screw-Ups of 2017" by Jude Terror.

From BleedingCool:  "The Top 5 DC [Comics] Screw-Ups of 2017" by Rich Johnston.

From ComicBook:  Robert Venditti and Tony S. Daniel talks about "Damage," the new comic book that is part of DC Comics' "New Age of Heroes" banner.

From TheDailyDot:  10 fascinating facts about the manga/anime, "One-Punch Man."

From ComicBook:  Hiro Mashima is the creator of the recently ended manga, "Fairy Tail."  He posted a sketch of his upcoming, still-unnamed new manga.

From ComicBook:  Eiichiro Oda shows off a sketch of "One Piece" character, Nami.

From BleedingCool:  Apparently, Mile Morales will no longer be called "Spider-Man," but what the new name is...

From Previews:  Warren Pleece talks about the "Incognegro: Renaissance," the sequel to the graphic novel, "Incognegro."

From ComicBook:  Sana Amanat, the creator of Ms. Marvel/Kamala Khan, talks diversity in comics.

From VICE:  The site pissed off some comic book industry people with this not-quite Top 10 comics of 2017 list.


Tuesday, August 13, 2013

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 14 2013

DC COMICS

JUN130290 ASTRO CITY #3 $3.99
JUN130210 BATGIRL #23 $2.99
JUN130199 BATMAN #23 $3.99
JUN130202 BATMAN #23 COMBO PACK $4.99
JUN130250 BATMAN ARKHAM UNHINGED #17 $3.99
JUN130279 BATMAN LIL GOTHAM #5 $2.99
JUN130162 CONSTANTINE #6 $2.99
JUN130234 DEMON KNIGHTS #23 $2.99
MAY130253 DJANGO UNCHAINED #6 (MR) $4.99
APR130222 FLASH HC VOL 02 ROGUES REVOLUTION (N52) $24.99
MAY130224 FLASH TP VOL 01 MOVE FORWARD (N52) $16.99
JUN130221 GREEN LANTERN CORPS #23 $2.99
JUN130146 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7 (TRINITY) $3.99
JUN130149 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7 COMBO PACK (TRINITY) $4.99
JUN130167 KATANA #7 $2.99
JUN130216 NIGHTWING #23 $2.99
MAY130230 NIGHTWING OLD FRIENDS NEW ENEMIES TP $14.99
MAY130262 RIGHT STATE TP (MR) $16.99
JUN130255 SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 #16 $3.99
MAY130214 SMALLVILLE SEASON 11 TP VOL 02 DETECTIVE $14.99
JUN130239 SUICIDE SQUAD #23 $2.99
JUN130191 SUPERBOY #23 $2.99
JUN130229 THRESHOLD #8 $3.99
JUN130175 WORLDS FINEST #15 $2.99


Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Graphic Novel Review: RIGHT STATE

RIGHT STATE
DC COMICS/VERTIGO @vertigo_comics

WRITER: Mat Johnson
ARTIST: Andrea Mutti
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
COVER: IAAH, Daymon Gardner, Nessim Higson, Lizzy Margiotta
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2943-6; hardcover
144pp, B&W, $24.99 U.S., $27.99 CAN

Right State is a new graphic novel from Mat Johnson, the author of the non-fiction book, The Great Negro Plot. The award-winning author currently teaches at The University of Houston Creative Writing Program. Johnson has been writing comic books since the 2005 miniseries, Hellblazer: Papa Midnite. He has also written the graphic novels, Incognegro (2008) and Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story (2010). DC Comics’ imprint, Vertigo Comics, published all three of these works.

Drawn in black and white by Italian artist Andrea Mutti, Right State is a political thriller that involves an apparent plot by a militia group to assassinate the second African-American President of the United States. The focus of the story is former Marine, Ted Akers, a conservative media pundit and an activist for military veterans. Asif, a Muslim-American who is an agent for the U.S. Secret Service, convinces Akers to infiltrate the Roots of Liberty, a military group based in rural Pennsylvania. This group is apparently planning to assassinate the second black President during a speech he will give on the Lincoln Memorial. When Akers accepts the assignment, the speech is four days away.

Infiltrating the militia group is a relatively easy task for Akers who is popular with conservatives and right-wing types because he is a frequent guest of Jay Bremen, who hosts his own conservative television talk show (on a FOX-like network). What is difficult is making contact with Ezekiel Dutton, a Gulf War marine and Department of Homeland Security agent who has apparently gone rogue or native and may now lead the Roots of Liberty. As the day of the speech grows closer, Akers discovers that the conspiracy is more complicated than Asif and his agency imagined and that there are also all kinds of shady types involved in the assassination plot.

First, Right State, for all its timely political commentary and pertinent satire, is a pure summer potboiler. Right State is like the proverbial John Grisham thriller that people supposedly take to the beach with them. It is a page-turning thriller that keeps you guessing with a number of twists and turns that actually make sense, instead of seeming contrived for cheap thrills. This is one of those times when I understand what it means to tear oneself away from something. I thought someone would have to tear this book out of my hands, as that would be practically the only way to stop me from reading it. Talk about some riveting reading.

Johnson weaves several themes throughout Right State, including depictions of the ways in which prejudice and bigotry impede progress in a complex society, which is what the United States is. The dominant theme concerns the characters inability to see the bigger picture of anything: the future of the country, their own lives, and even their own plots and schemes. Their racial animus, class resentment, and stereotypes blind men and women. The characters, both protagonists and antagonists, carry so much ignorance and bigotry about people who are different from them or groups of people that they just don’t like. Ultimately, the survivors have to see beyond their preferences, and if they want to win, they have to view things from a new perspective.

It is a testament to Mat Johnson’s ability as a storyteller that he can fashion complex characters that are too complicated to fit easily into the molds of heroes and villains. Artist Andrea Mutti turns Johnson’s story and characters into one of the edgiest non-fantasy comic books in years. Mutti offers a bleak interpretation of the contemporary American malaise. Rather than just draw a comic book, Mutti offers up modern fiction and proves that comic books can grapple with contemporary issues with genre flair. Right State also proves that Mat Johnson is the great emerging graphic novelist.

A

http://www.vertigocomics.com/



Tuesday, August 7, 2012

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 8 2012

DC COMICS

JUN120281 AMERICAN VAMPIRE LORD OF NIGHTMARES #3 (MR) $2.99

JUN120191 BATGIRL #12 $2.99

JUN120177 BATMAN #12 $3.99

JUN120180 BATMAN #12 COMBO PACK $4.99

JUN120187 BATMAN AND ROBIN #12 $2.99

JUN120227 BATMAN ARKHAM UNHINGED #5 $2.99

JUN120125 BEFORE WATCHMEN OZYMANDIAS #2 (MR) $3.99

JUN120127 BEFORE WATCHMEN OZYMANDIAS #2 COMBO PACK (MR) $4.99

MAY120286 DC UNIVERSE ONLINE LEGENDS TP VOL 03 $24.99

JUN120212 DEATHSTROKE #12 $2.99

MAY120282 DEATHSTROKE TP VOL 01 LEGACY $16.99

JUN120211 DEMON KNIGHTS #12 $2.99

JUN120273 FAIREST #6 (MR) $2.99

MAY120293 FLASH CHRONICLES TP VOL 03 $14.99

JUN120208 FRANKENSTEIN AGENT OF SHADE #12 $2.99

JUN120213 GRIFTER #12 $2.99

JUN120223 LEGION LOST #12 $2.99

JUN120231 NIGHT FORCE #6 $2.99

MAY120283 OMAC TP VOL 01 OMACTIVATE $16.99

JUN120286 PUNK ROCK JESUS #2 (MR) $2.99

JUN120219 RAVAGERS #4 $2.99

JUN120210 RESURRECTION MAN #12 $2.99

APR120279 RIGHT STATE HC (MR) $24.99

JUN120264 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #24 $2.99

JUN120216 SUICIDE SQUAD #12 $2.99

JUN120171 SUPERBOY #12 $2.99

MAY120298 WORLDS FINEST TP $17.99

DC COMICS/DC COLLECTIBLES
MAY120348 AME COMI ARISIA PVC FIGURE $69.95
MAY120346 BATMAN BLACK & WHITE STATUE DICK GRAYSON BY JOCK $79.95
JUN128108 JUSTICE LEAGUE AQUAMAN AF WAVE 2 PI

Monday, August 22, 2011

Leroy Douresseaux on DARK RAIN: A NEW ORLEANS STORY (OGN)

DARK RAIN: A NEW ORLEANS STORY
DC COMICS/VERTIGO

WRITER: Mat Johnson
ARTIST: Simon Gane
COLORS/GREY TONES: Lee Loughridge
LETTERS: Pat Brosseau
COVER: Simon Gane, Daymon Gardner, Nessim Higson
ISBN: 978-1-4012-2161-4; paperback
160pp, 2-Color, $19.99 U.S., $22.99 CAN

Three years after DC Comics/Vertigo published his graphic novel, Incognegro, I was wondering if and hoping that author Mat Johnson would return to comic books. He has. It’s with a wonderful new graphic novel, Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story.

Mat Johnson is an award-winning author who has drawn acclaim for his books, such as the novel, Hunting in Harlem, and the non-fiction, The Great Negro Plot. He has also written for DC Comic’s Vertigo imprint. He wrote the 2005 graphic novel, Hellblazer: Papa Midnite, (originally published as a miniseries) and the aforementioned, Incognegro (2008), which I consider to be one of the great comics work of the first decade of this new century.

His latest graphic novel is Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story, which has simultaneously been released in hardcover and paperback editions. Drawn by Simon Gane with colors and gray tones by Lee Loughridge, Dark Rain is largely set in New Orleans and takes place in 2005 during the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

The story focuses on two small-time ex-cons, the kind of guys who do prison time for one stupid mistake, and they’re both in need of cash. Dabney Arceneaux is an African-American combat veteran who can’t get a business loan and is behind on child support to an obnoxious ex-wife. Emmit Jack is a Cajun who just wants to get paid.

It is Emmit who gets a message from back home in New Orleans that his old employer, the Banque de Congo Square, is under duress and ripe for the picking, thanks to Hurricane Katrina’s strike against New Orleans. Jack convinces Dabney to help him get back to New Orleans for a bank robber payday. However, an old military acquaintance of Dabney’s, one Colonel Driggs, the head of the ruthless private security force, “Dark Rain,” also has his eyes on the Banque de Congo Square prize. All three men will find that the Big Easy is going to change their lives – whether they like it or not.

Back during those last three days of August 2005, the television media showed lots of images from inside New Orleans, as the city’s social structure and infrastructure cracked and, in many cases, fell apart. Some of the media showed images of citizens stranded on rooftops and trapped in and around the New Orleans Superdome. Other media realized how photogenic and newsworthy African-Americans are when we are in a state of agitation and keenly focused on what they called incidents of looting. That makes great television and draws ratings from those who need almost daily affirmation of what bad eggs colored folk are. And media like FOX News gave those people all the video footage of looting they could stand and more.

What only a few media outlets reported on were members of the Gretna Police Department shooting at Black people as those “refugees” tried to cross the bridge (the Crescent City Connection) to safety and leave New Orleans. You probably never heard that men from the white enclave, Algiers Point, formed vigilante groups and hunted black men “like pheasant” (their words), killing an unknown number (perhaps as many as 18). Of course, you didn’t.

Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story doesn’t cover all the uncovered news, but what Mat Johnson does is scratch well-beneath the surface of what you’ve heard about the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina’s strike on New Orleans. What’s amazing is how Johnson dramatizes some of real life events of Katrina and folds them into a riveting and unusual take on the crime thriller. The characters involved, the plans for the heist, the pacing of the story, the starts and stops on the way to Congo Square: these elements make such a crazy rhythm for this story. It is, however, a rhythm the keeps you tied to the grand scheme of Dark Rain, the main plotline, which is seeing who gets the cash.

In the same narrative in which he is spinning this highly-original take on the bank robbery tale, Johnson is telling a very human drama full of full of hope and even humor. The characters have true grit, fully on display as they are determined to overcome rank greed and bullying racism. At the same, their shortcomings and sins make them perfect foils for a reality that doesn’t give them their way. Dark Rain makes me call Mat Johnson brilliant, and although he has only written three graphic novels to this point, he is already one of the best writers in comics.

I don’t want to speak of artist Simon Gane as if his part is something wholly separate from Johnson’s. Gane’s graphical storytelling makes it seem like Dark Rain was born as a comic book without being a script and pages of art first. Gane captures the nuances of Johnson’s story, but the fact that this British artist can capture institutional racism and blatant bigotry that is as American as American can be is impressive. Gane juxtaposes the light and the dark, and his compositions ably convey the humor Johnson often places in this story at the most unexpected moments.

Dark Rain: A New Orleans Story would fit as a Vertigo Crime novel because of the bank robbery, but it is Fantagraphics/Pantheon in its social/character drama/satirical side. Dark Rain may be a comic book, but it should take a place of importance among the stories that chronicle New Orleans’ visit from Hurricane Katrina.

A


Leroy Douresseaux on INCOGNEGRO - A Graphic Novel Review

INCOGNEGRO - OGN
DC COMICS/VERTIGO

WRITER: Mat Johnson
ARTIST: Warren Pleece
ISBN: 978-1-4012-1097-7; hardcover
136pp, B&W, $23.99 U.S.

[I wrote this review over three years ago. Since then, I’ve come to believe that Incognegro is one of the best comic books of 2001-2010, the first decade of this new century, along with comics like The Original Johnson, Nat Turner, Louis Riel, and Richard Stark’s Parker: The Outfit.]

Award-winning author Mat Johnson has drawn acclaim for his books, including the novel, Hunting in Harlem and the non-fiction work, The Great Negro Plot. His entry into comic books was the six-issue miniseries, Hellblazer: Papa Midnite (now a trade paperback), published to coincide with the 2005 Hellblazer comic-to-film, Constantine.

Vertigo, the DC Comics imprint, released Johnson’s second comics project this past February as their offering for “Black History Month.” This Black History graphic novel, entitled Incognegro, is an absolutely terrific graphic work of detective fiction. Just to get this out of the way: the art by Warren Pleece doesn’t reach Johnson’s heights. The black and white composition is inconsistent from one page to the next, and the juxtaposition of dark and light and warm and cool space is erratic. This is peculiar considering that Pleece is a seasoned and respected professional.

Set in the 1930’s, Incognegro has as its heart, Zane Pinchback, a Harlem, NYC-based reporter for the New Holland Herald. Although Zane is a Negro, his skin complexion is so light that he can pass for a White man. In fact, he does. Zane occasionally leaves the relative safety of Harlem and heads to the Deep South where he infiltrates the local White populace – going “incognegro.” This colored version of going incognito allows him to take pictures of the lynching of black men (portrayed here as a civic event like a county fair or church picnic, which was often true in real life), as well as learn the names of the respectable folks attending these ghastly, all-too-human events.

The novel opens with a lynching, during which Zane’s cover is blown. After barely escaping with his life, Zane returns to Harlem and demands a new and safer job from his boss at the Herald. The boss wants one more column written by the mysterious “Incognegro,” and he’s sure Zane will be interested in covering this next case. It’s in Tupelo, Mississippi, where Zane’s estranged brother, Alonzo “Pinchy” Pinchback, is scheduled to hang for the murder of a white woman.

Zane races to Tupelo, once again passing as a White man, but this time, his aimless friend, Carl, a light-skinned Negro who can also pass, is coming along in hopes of learning how Zane does it, so he can take over when Zane quits being “Incognegro.” In Tupelo, however, Zane and Carl discover that this murder is set in a place where a Black person’s life is always in mortal danger. A labyrinthine mystery, with a huge cast of shady, inbred crackers, confronts Zane, and to make matters worse, someone quite deadly has arrived in Tupelo right behind Zane. This new arrival is no stranger to the famous/infamous newspaper columnist, “Incognegro,” and he plans on putting an end to the faux-White man.

As a murder mystery, Incognegro is just as good as any crime/detective comic book series or graphic novel published by an American comic book company. Stylistically, in terms of setting, plot, mood, atmosphere, and to a certain extent in the way the characters behave, Incognegro has the flavor of the work of brilliant African-American writer and mystery novelist, Walter Mosley (in fact, a quote from Mosley is on the front of Incognegro’s dust jacket). This is a riveting tale of a man in mortal danger, doggedly determined to find out who the real culprit is before his brother is lynched. What adds to the drama and conflict is that all of Zane’s efforts, regardless of if he solves the case or not, may earn him a rope around his neck.

If Incognegro makes a great statement about that misnomer “Race,” it’s that a person, who can be identified as “Black” or “Negro,” even if he has a light complexion or skin color, will face the same horrors of prejudice and racism as a man who obviously looks “Black.” It’s a matter of status as much as it is birth. People like to believe that there is always someone beneath them. Perhaps, it is a group of people that they believe they are better than and always will be better than. In the time in which Incognegro is set, dirt poor ignorant white trash has something in common with respectable white people – as white people they were better than niggers.

Someone born a nigger being able to pass for White must have terrified White people (and probably still does for some). If it’s so easy to stop being a Black man and become a White man, then, being White may not really have as much value as Whites believed. Still, in the context of this book, being Black meant a mob of White devils could, on a whim, decide to murder you – as the villain learns in the end.

Congratulations to Mat Johnson for presenting a graphic novel that is as riveting as it is ingenious. Incognegro is a thoughtful mystery tale and a nasty reminder of the kind of violence and hate that has left a lasting wound on our beautiful nation.

A+

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Tuesday, August 9, 2011

DC Comics from Diamond Distributors for August 10 2011

DC COMICS

JUN110328 ALL NEW BATMAN THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #10 $2.99

JUN110341 AMERICAN VAMPIRE SURVIVAL OT FITTEST #3 (OF 5) (MR) $2.99

JUN110232 BATGIRL #24 $2.99

JUN110223 BATMAN 80 PAGE GIANT 2011 #1 $5.99

JUN110225 BATMAN AND ROBIN #26 $2.99

OCT100345 BATMAN BLACK AND WHITE STATUE DUSTIN NGUYEN $80.00

MAY110242 BATMAN IMPOSTORS TP $14.99

JUN110236 BIRDS OF PREY #15 $2.99

JUN110181 BOOSTER GOLD #47 (FLASHPOINT) $2.99

DEC100329 COVER GIRLS OF THE DCU HAWKGIRL STATUE $99.99

MAY110284 DARK RAIN A NEW ORLEANS STORY SC (MR) $19.99

JUN110214 DC RETROACTIVE GREEN LANTERN THE 80S #1 $4.99

JUN110206 DC RETROACTIVE JUSTICE LEAGUE AMERICA THE 80S #1 $4.99

JUN110210 DC RETROACTIVE SUPERMAN THE 80S #1 $4.99

JUN110224 DETECTIVE COMICS #881 (NOTE PRICE) $3.99

JUN110250 DOC SAVAGE #17 $2.99

JUN110189 FLASHPOINT CITIZEN COLD #3 (OF 3) $2.99

JUN110191 FLASHPOINT DEADMAN AND THE FLYING GRAYSONS #3 (OF 3) $2.99

JUN110186 FLASHPOINT EMPEROR AQUAMAN #3 (OF 3) $2.99

JUN110188 FLASHPOINT FRANKENSTEIN CREATURES OF UNKNOWN #3 (OF 3) $2.99

APR110204 GREEN LANTERN EMERALD WARRIORS HC VOL 01 $22.99

MAY110295 MADAME XANADU TP VOL 04 EXTRA SENSORY (MR) $17.99

JUN110234 RED ROBIN #26 $2.99

APR110199 SHOWCASE PRESENTS TRIAL OF THE FLASH TP $19.99

JUN110249 SPIRIT #17 $2.99

NOV100288 SUPERMAN FAMILY MULTI PART STATUE PART 1 $195.00

JUN110257 TEEN TITANS #99 $2.99

JUN110256 THUNDER AGENTS #10 $2.99

JUN110360 UNWRITTEN #28 (MR) $2.99

JUN110357 VERTIGO RESURRECTED JONNY DOUBLE #1 (MR) $7.99

JUN110168 WAR OF THE GREEN LANTERNS AFTERMATH #2 (OF 2) $3.99