Comics, Magazines and Books from Diamond Distributors for March 21, 2018

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

JAN181865    A CENTAURS LIFE GN VOL 14 (MR)    $13.99
JAN181866    ABSOLUTE DUO GN VOL 03    $12.99
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NOV171440    JUNGLE FANTASY SURVIVORS #9 VIXENS (MR)    $7.99
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JAN182013    NINJA-K #5 CVR B TROYA    $3.99
JAN181774    PACIFIC RIM AFTERMATH #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
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JAN181482    PATHFINDER SPIRAL OF BONES #1 (OF 5) CVR C SANTUCCI    $4.99
JAN181483    PATHFINDER SPIRAL OF BONES #1 (OF 5) CVR D VAUGHN    $4.99
JAN181495    PATHFINDER TP VOL 02 OF TOOTH AND CLAW    $19.99
JAN181098    PRINCELESS RAVEN YEAR 2 #6 LOVE AND REVENGE    $3.99
JAN182020    QUANTUM & WOODY (2017) #4 CVR A TEDESCO    $3.99
JAN182021    QUANTUM & WOODY (2017) #4 CVR B ULTRA FOIL SHAW    $3.99
NOV171803    RICK & MORTY POCKET LIKE YOU STOLE IT TP    $19.99
JAN181220    RIVERDALE DIGEST #7    $6.99
JAN181936    ROBOTECH #8 CVR A ROY    $3.99
JAN181937    ROBOTECH #8 CVR B ACTION FIGURE VAR    $3.99
JAN181938    ROBOTECH #8 CVR C IANNICIELLO    $3.99
JAN182121    ROBYN HOOD THE CURSE #3 (OF 6) CVR A RIVIERO    $3.99
JAN182122    ROBYN HOOD THE CURSE #3 (OF 6) CVR B ABRERA    $3.99
JAN182123    ROBYN HOOD THE CURSE #3 (OF 6) CVR C SALONGA    $3.99
JAN182124    ROBYN HOOD THE CURSE #3 (OF 6) CVR D GOH    $3.99
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JAN182098    SPICE AND WOLF GN VOL 15 (MR)    $13.00
JAN181594    SQUARRIORS VOL 02 SUMMER #3 (OF 4) (RES) (MR)    $3.99
JAN181380    STEVEN UNIVERSE ONGOING #14    $3.99
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NOV171778    SWEET BLOOD GN VOL 09    $11.99
JAN181191    TALES OF ROGUES #3 (OF 6)    $3.99
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JAN181099    TOYETICA #7    $3.99
NOV171602    VAMPIRELLA #11 (OF 11) CVR A TAN    $3.99
NOV171603    VAMPIRELLA #11 (OF 11) CVR B SEGOVIA    $3.99
NOV171604    VAMPIRELLA #11 (OF 11) CVR C COSPLAY    $3.99
NOV171605    VAMPIRELLA #11 (OF 11) CVR D BROXTON EXC SUBSCRIPTION VAR    $3.99
JAN181599    VON SPATZ GN (MR)    $16.95
JAN181772    WAKE UP SLEEPING BEAUTY GN VOL 03    $12.99
SEP171910    WAY OF TANK GIRL HC    $14.99
JAN181357    WWE #15    $3.99
JAN181358    WWE #15 RICHES ACTION FIGURE VAR    $3.99
JAN181359    WWE #15 SCHOONOVER RAW CONNECTING VAR    $3.99

MAGAZINES
JAN182184    HORRORHOUND #70    $6.99
JAN182186    SCARY MONSTERS 2018 YEARBOOK MONSTER MEMORIES    $10.95

BOOKS
JAN182073    DURARARA LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 09    $14.00
OCT171704    GOLDEN AMAZON PROSE NOVEL HC    $21.95
OCT171703    GOLDEN AMAZON PROSE NOVEL SC    $11.95
JAN182074    IRREGULAR AT MAGIC HIGH SCHOOL LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 07    $14.00
JAN181954    LAST STAND HC    $22.99
JAN182075    MAGICAL GIRL RAISING PROJECT LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 03    $14.00
DEC171780    NEW GAME GN VOL 01    $13.99
JAN182076    RE ZERO SLIAW EX DREAM LION KING LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 02    $14.00
JAN182077    SAGA OF TANYA EVIL LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 02    $14.00
JAN181698    SCIENCE COMICS ROBOTS & DRONES GN    $12.99
JAN181699    SCIENCE COMICS ROBOTS & DRONES HC GN    $19.99
JAN181700    SECRET CODERS GN VOL 05 POTIONS & PARAMETERS    $10.99
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DEC172080    SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOL 127 SILENT DEATH & CHARG MONSTER    $14.95
DEC171876    SHERLOCK HOLMES RED TOWER MMPB    $14.95
JAN182078    SO IM SPIDER SO WHAT LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 02    $14.00
DEC171785    SOUL LIQUID CHAMBERS GN VOL 01    $12.99
JAN182079    SPICE AND WOLF LIGHT NOVEL SC VOL 19    $14.00
JAN182171    STAR TREK NEXT GENERATION CATS HC    $14.95
JAN181916    TALES FROM THE SEA OF THIEVES HC    $29.95
JAN182838    WARHAMMER 40K CULT SPIRAL DOWN PROSE NOVEL SC    $16.00
DEC172056    YOUNG LESBIAN GIRLFRIENDS FOR MEN HC (MR)    $44.99

Review: IRON FIST #1

IRON FIST No. 1 (2017)
MARVEL COMICS – @Marvel

[This review was originally posted at Patreon.]

STORY: Ed Brisson
ART: Mike Perkins
COLORS: Andy Troy
LETTERS: VC's Travis Lanham
COVER: Jeff Dekal
VARIANT COVERS: Mike Perkins with Andy Troy; Alex Ross; Kaare Andrews
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (May 2017)

Rated T+

Iron Fist created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane

Iron Fist a.k.a. Daniel “Danny” Rand is a Marvel Comics superhero.  The character was created by Roy Thomas and Gil Kane and first appeared in Marvel Premiere #15 (cover dated:  May 1974).  Iron Fist is a practitioner of martial arts, and he wields the mystical force known as “the Iron Fist,” which allows Danny to summon and focus his chi.

Iron Fist has had his own comic book series numerous times, but is best known for his association with the character Luke Cage/Power Man.  The two were stars of the long-running comic book series, Power Man and Iron Fist (which was recently revived).  Now, there is a new solo series, Iron Fist.  It is written by Ed Brisson; drawn by Mike Perkins; colored by Andy Troy; and lettered by Travis Lanham.

As Iron Fist #1 opens, we learn that Danny Rand is in a funk since the destruction of K'un Lun, the mystical city where Danny became the Iron Fist.  Now, Danny travels the world finding fights wherever he can, but these dudes he fights, no matter how skilled they might be, are beneath Danny.  Now, someone is about to call Danny out and offer him a way to find answers.

I think I picked up this Iron Fist #1 because it was (1) a first issue and (2) I like Jeff Dekal's cover art.  However, this is actually a good read.  I am not that crazy about inconsistent Mike Perkins' art, which ranges from good pages to hot mess pages.

There are several fight scenes and sequences in Iron Fist #1, but there is a page-turning quality to the funk writer Ed Brisson depicts in Danny Rand.  By the end of this issue, I really wanted to know, “What's next?”  For a superhero comic book, that's a good mark.

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint or syndication rights and fees.

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Review: SCOOBY DOO TEAM-UP #22

SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP No. 22
DC COMICS – @DCComics

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Sholly Fisch
ART: Dave Alvarez
COLORS: Dave Alvarez
LETTERS: Saida Temofonte
COVER: Dario Brizuela with Franco Riesco
EDITOR: Kristy Quinn
32pp, Color, $2.99 U.S. (March 2017)

Rated “E” for “Everyone”

“Nothing is Impossible”

Scooby-Doo, that famous Saturday morning cartoon dog, and his human companions:  Shaggy Rogers, Velma Dinkley, Daphne Blake, and Fred Jones, first appeared in the Saturday morning animated series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! (1969-1971 from Hanna-Barbera).  This quintet is known as Mystery Inc. (or the “Mystery Inc. gang” or the “Scooby gang”).

The second Scooby-Doo animated series was “The New Scooby-Doo Movies,” which premiered on September 9, 1972 and ran for two seasons on CBS until 1974.  It was the first Scooby-Doo cartoon series that I ever saw.  [I saw “Scooby Doo, Where Are You!” in reruns not long afterwards.].  “The New Scooby-Doo Movies” began my life-long love of Scooby-Doo and his pals.

An hour-long show, “The New Scooby-Doo Movies” featured a rotating series of special guest stars.  Each episode guest-starred a real-life celebrity or well-known fictional character that joined Mystery, Inc. in solving the mystery of the week.  Some celebrities were living at the time of an episode’s first airing (Don Knotts, for instance).  Some were deceased or retired (The Three Stooges and Laurel and Hardy).  There were also real-life celebrities who would become cartoon characters in other series (Harlem Globetrotters).  Some guests were stars of other Hanna-Barbera animated series (Josie and the Pussycats, Speedy Buggy).

Three years ago, DC Comics debuted the comic book series, Scooby-Doo Team-Up, as a sort of follow-up to The New Scooby-Doo Movies.  It has been three years since I wrote my only review of the series, a review of Scooby-Doo Team-Up #1.  That issue united Mystery Inc. and Batman and Robin to take on tragic Batman adversary, Man-Bat.

I only read the first five issue of Scooby-Doo Team-Up, but I recently picked up two recent issues of the series.  One of them really stood out to me, so much so that I decided to talk about it in a review.

Scooby-Doo Team-Up #22 unites Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Daphne and Velma with Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles, stars of an old-school or classic Saturday morning cartoon series.  Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles was produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in 1966.  It ran for two seasons on CBS from September 1966 to September 1968.

Each episode contained two segments.  “Frankenstein Jr.” starred a giant heroic robot named “Frankenstein Jr.” and focused on his adventures fighting supervillains with his creators, Professor Conroy and his son Buzz Conroy.  The other segment, “The Impossibles,” started a trio of superheroes, “The Impossibles” (Multi-Man, Fluid Man, and Coil Man) who posed undercover as a Beatles-like rock band, also called “The Impossibles.”

As Scooby-Doo Team-Up #22 (“Nothing is Impossible”) opens, Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo are enjoying a stadium concert performance by The Impossibles.  Suddenly, a shadowy, giant robot attacks and starts tearing apart the stadium.  It's Frankenstein Jr.!  But isn't he supposed to be a good guy?  His pal and co-creator, Buzz Conroy, appears on the scene to explain how an old adversary, the Mad Inventor, is responsible for Frankenstein Jr.'s new destructive attitude, and the villain is proving practically impossible to stop... with Frankenstein Jr. under his control.

What made me want to review Scooby-Doo Team-Up #22?  Frankly, I was stunned by the art, colors, and page design work on this issue by Dave Alvarez.  Alvarez is one of the best Scooby-Doo comic book artists in recent memory.  His coloring for this issue and the page design form a combination that reminds me of the color and design aesthetic of Hanna-Barbera's sci-fi and superhero animated series of the mid to late 1960s.  That's it, ladies and gentlemen.  As I started reading this comic book, I wondered if Alvarez had merely reproduced actual, vintage animated cel art for this issue.

But no, he is just a comic book artist who is exceptionally good at Scooby-Doo comic books.  The cover artist for this issue is Dario Brizuela, another comic book artist who is really good with Scooby-Doo comic books.

You know, reading Scooby-Doo Team-Up makes me think that I need to become a regular Scooby-Doo comic book reader again.  The story by writer Sholly Fisch is fun, and uses some meta-fiction to poke fun at both the Scooby-Doo franchise and at “Frankenstein Jr. and The Impossibles.”  After all, only the most clueless person could not figure out that “The Impossibles” rock trio is the same as “The Impossibles” superhero trio.

A-

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


The text is copyright © 2017 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

-----------------------

Review: BLACK #6

BLACK No. 6
BLACKMASK STUDIO

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

STORY: Kwanza Osajyefo
DESIGNER: Tim Smith 3
ART: Jamal Igle
INKS: Robin Riggs
TONES: Derwin Roberson
LETTERS: Dave Sharpe
COVER: Khary Randolph
44pp, B&W and some Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2017)

“Chapter Six”

Black was a comic book miniseries created by Kwanza Osajyefo and Tim Smith 3.  This comic book was first introduced to the public as a Kickstarter project seeking to earn $29,999, but ultimately earned almost $100,000.  Black is set in a world where only Black people have super-powers.

Black was written by Osajyefo; drawn by Jamal Igle (pencils) and Robin Riggs (inks); toned by Derwin Roberson and Sarah Stern; and lettered by Dave Sharpe.  Khary Randolph was the series cover artist.

Black opened with Officer Ellen Waters of the New York Police Department (NYPD) recounting a shocking incident.  She witnessed three young Black teenagers mistakenly identified as three perpetrators of an armed robbery.  All three were subsequently shot to death in a hail of bullets fired by White police officers.  Officer Waters also witnessed one of the three teens, Kareem Jenkins, get up from his injuries as if he were never harmed.  What Waters did not realize was that the truth behind Jenkins miraculous survival was even more mind-blowing.  He had super-powers – called Quarks.

Black #6 opens at “Negromuerte,” the research facility that is also a prison.  Here, Black people with super-powers are imprisoned so that they can be the subjects of experimentation designed to replicate their powers.  Recently imprisoned there, Kareem has discovered that his cellmate is the Black super-powered terrorist, “O,” who is determined to kill Negromeurte's director and lead scientist, Theodore Mann.  Now, it is Mann vs. “O,” with Kareem caught in the middle.

As I wrote in my review of Black #1, I remember the Kickstarter campaign for Black, and I was impressed by what the team behind it presented to the public.  I stated that I was shocked by how successful the campaign was, as it reached its campaign goal in a short time before going on to raise about three times that goal.

That Kickstarter campaign assured the Black would indeed become a full-fledged comic book project.  Since Black #6 was published last year, the series has been optioned for film and a sequel miniseries and an original graphic novel set in that world were announced (with the graphic novel recently being published and reportedly being sold out).

Black #1 was awkward and a bit ungainly, but it was hard to deny the boldness and audacity of its concept.  Black #6 is, of course, more polished.  Jamal Igle's compositions are solid and his graphic storytelling pops off the page.  Robin Riggs' inks on Igle pencil's give the art a solidity and firmness the art seemed to lack in that first issue.  The tones (basically coloring for black and white illustrations) by Derwin Roberson are superb and bring beauty and strength to Igle and Riggs illustrations.  Yes, Dave Sharpe's lettering is... sharp and conveys power to the story.

I think that the thing I most enjoy about Kwanza Osajyefo's storytelling is simply that it exists.  It takes backbone and balls of steel to both create a comic book that says only black people have super-powers, and then to release it to a market that serves an aging white male fan-base.  And this is a base that often bristles when presented with black comic book characters that do not “know their place” in fictional comic book worlds like the Marvel and DC Comics universes.

I like that Osajyefo brings diversity and variety to the way his characters speak.  I like that Osajyefo ultimately lets Kareem Jenkins be a really free black man.  I like that there will be more from the world of Black.  It is too Black and too proud to be a one-time thing.

9 out of 10

[This comic book includes a preview of the comic book, Calexit, from Black Mask Studio.]

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


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

---------------------------------

Book Review: A DEATH IN LIVE OAK

A DEATH IN LIVE OAK
HARPER (HarperCollins Publishers) – @HarperCollins @HarperBooks

[This review was originally posted on Patreon.]

AUTHOR: James Grippando – @James_Grippando
ISBN: 978-0-06-265780-0; hardcover (February 6, 2018)
384pp, B&W, $27.99 U.S.

A Death in Live Oak is a 2018 novel from author and attorney James Grippando.  It is Grippando's 26th novel and also the 14th novel starring Grippando’s Miami-based, criminal defense attorney, Jack Swyteck.  Grippando was the 2017 winner of the Harper Lee Prize for legal fiction (for 2016's Gone Again – Jack Swyteck #12).  In A Death in Love Oak, Swyteck defends a white fraternity president accused of killing a black fraternity president.

Jamal Cousin is the president of the preeminent black fraternity at the University of Florida (UF).  One day, his body is discovered hogtied and hanging from a tree in the dark water swamps of the Suwanee River Valley, near the town of Live Oak, in north-central Florida.  Jamal's murder recalls the gruesome murders of the Jim Crow era, particularly a similar murder of a young black man in 1944.

The police arrest three white fraternity brothers from Theta Pi Omega, the premiere (and all-white) fraternity at the University of Florida, in the killing of Jamal Cousin.  Jamal's death sets off a firestorm that threatens to rage out of control, and defense attorney Jack Swyteck is thrown into the middle of it when he agrees to represent one of the accused, Mark Towson, the president of Theta Pi Omega.

Jack must contend with rising political tensions, racial unrest, and a sensational media, and the evidence against Towson is damning.  It includes a text from Mark's phone to Jamal that references “'strange fruit' on the river.  Inside and outside the old Suwanee County Courthouse, Jack fights to protect his client's life and prove his innocence, and the more he investigates, the more he believes that Mark himself may be the victim of a sinister criminal plan.  Meanwhile, Jack's wife, FBI Agent Andie Henning, is in the north-central Florida area working an undercover assignment that may be connected to her husband's case.

I read my first Jack Swyteck novel, Blood Money (2013), a few years ago.  Since then, I eagerly look forward to each new James Grippando novel, especially the Jack Swyteck series.

A Death in Live Oak is probably Grippando's most daring and thrilling Swyteck novel to date.  The author tackles the red-hot, hot button issue of American racial relations while digging in the past to show that racism haunts all Americans, not only spiritually, but also in affecting the way people act and live to this very day.  Some of this novel's plot, subplots, and narrative may stretch credulity, but the emotions, the heartache, and the betrayal resonate and seem honest.

A Death in Live Oak is a February and winter book release, but it roils like a cauldron filled with several summer pot boiler novels.  Once again, James Grippando proves that he is a high-prince of the legal thriller, filling his novels with the heart and soul and with the sense that flesh and blood people must deal with the consequences of what we think of as mere courtroom drama entertainment.  Fans of suspense, crime fiction, and legal thrillers will find that A Death in Live Oak is a must-read.

9 out of 10

www.jamesgrippando.com

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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DC Comics from Diamond Distributors from March 14, 2018

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