The graphic novels loved by children and adults alike
Dec 29th, 2012, 1:59 pm
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Title: Eeek! (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jason Paulos (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Michael Koopmans (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" EEEK! cannot be recomended enough."

Review:
    Any horror nut worth their own weight in musty old comics can tell you that the EC Comics of the 1950s, along with Warren’s CREEPY and EERIE from the ’70s, are the upper echelon of the bite-size-illustrated-horror world, a benchmark that has been strived toward countless times. Very few, however, have come within a kidney-stone’s throw of capturing the same magic. But that’s why I’m terrifyingly tickled to tell you fright fans about Asylum Press’ upcoming release.

    EEEK! is a four-issue series that may have slipped under your radar when it was originally published back in 2005 by Rat Race Comix. However, the kind folks over at Asylum are collecting them into one trade paperback, scheduled for a September release. Each of the 15 tales of terror is chock full of ghastly graphics, ironic comeuppance and that sick sense of humor reminiscent of horror comics’ heyday.

    First up is “Deadline of Death.” Stuffed to the gills with winks and nods to some of the medium’s greats, this one tells the tale of Randolph, a wannabe cartoonist who will do anything—to anyone, mind you—for a job at Marvelous Comics. Next is “Lights! Camera! Murder!”; containing illustrations that appear to be partially oil-painted and heavily inked, this little bad boy spins the yarn of a director whose mistreatment of actresses may bring his life to a not-so-happy ending. Very reminiscent of a tale originally published in THE VAULT OF HORROR, “Stuffed” tells of a woman’s love for her collection of deceased pets, and her husband’s do-or-die ambition to rid the house of them.

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    The title alone of “Just Desserts” references a term coined by EC owner William Gaines, to represent the ironic, deserving fates of each tale’s antagonist. This one takes the phrase literally, as feared food critic Sol travels the world, ruining restaurants’ reputations in pursuit of his ultimate nosh. “Witness to Evil” introduces us to two door-to-door Bible salesmen whose intentions, at first, seem pure. Along with a bittersweet ending, we get a glimpse into the author’s true feelings toward the Christian church, and the various levels of man’s perception of evil.

    Next on the chopping block is “Easy Prey”. A snowy backdrop sets the tone for the desolate tale of a woman on the run who stubbles upon an orphanage for unwanted and forgotten children. One of the lengthier pieces in this collection, it does a stellar job of keeping the reader guessing exactly which character is the victim by unveiling each one’s cloudy past. “Colour Me Evil” is a simple yet effective tale whose intentions lie outside the realm of supernatural horror, and within the sometimes more frightening territory of one man‘s hate for others. And “Head Trip” is about a man whose eclectic taste in music leads him into possession of a record that is anything but easy listening.

    That brings us roughly to the midsection of this terror tome. In an effort to avoid overstepping my bounds, I’ll leave the remaining spooky surprises for you to discover at your own risk.

    Although I adore every aspect of this book, the original yet still slightly familiar artwork takes the meat cake. It’s guaranteed that if you were to flip through this book without any contributors’ names attached, you’d assume each tale was illustrated by a different artist—and you’d then be shocked to learn that Australian Jason Paulos did all the work himself! His flexible skills bounce from one style to another, ranging from crisp and clean to dripping and filthy. While some are painstakingly detailed, others are barren. Every story contains black and white panels, with varying levels of grey shading to lighten the mood or to keep it from becoming too heavy on the eyes, depending on the intention.

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    Obvious influences range all across the spectrum; there are hints of Al Williamson, Graham Ingels, Jack Davis, Bill Sienkiewicz, and, believe it or not, Daniel Clowes! I’d even go as far as to say that “Six Digit Disaster” resembles a long-lost Wally Wood-penciled WEIRD SCIENCE effort. But as much as these panels are loving homages to the greats, the mix of styles keeps the experience fresh with every turn of the page.

    Not only does Paulos knock it out of the park in the illustration department, he also manages to deliver the goods with his morbid sense of storytelling. This book is filled to the cauldron’s brim with wickedly bad puns, (unfortunately) still relevant social commentary and enough winking clichés to inebriate a fanboy with a dual sense of pretentiousness and nostalgia. The flow of each tale is perfect, with a horrifying host or two woven throughout, with no flaws or imperfections to take you out of the immensely enjoyable reading experience. Although some of the twist endings can be seen from a mile away, getting there is still half the fun!

    If I were forced—and I mean forced—to say something negative about this book, I would have two very minuscule complaints. One would be the lack of interaction between the tale’s host and the reader; there’s no doubt Paulos could have conjured up some clever antics that would have scratched that itch. The other? As EEEK! is obviously formatted to replicate the classics, it would have been nice to see a few mock advertisement pages. I’ll never get tired of seeing coupons for sea monkeys, Venus flytraps and X-ray glasses! But then, if these two elements would have taken precious page space away from the twisted tales themselves, their omission is fine by me.

    Whether you’ve been a lifelong fan of anthology horror comics or have yet to discover the morbidly magical pleasures found within them, EEEK! cannot be recomended enough. If you have trouble getting into the holiday spirit this Halloween season, I can confidently prescribe this book. However, I must warn you, side effects may include: the willies, the creepies, the spookies and the heebie-jeebies!


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More info:
    Written and illustrated by Jason Paulos

Publisher:
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Dec 29th, 2012, 1:59 pm
Dec 30th, 2012, 9:13 am
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Title: The Other Side of the Mirror (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jo Chen (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Ricki Marking-Camuto (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" With stunning artwork and compelling characters, you can't go wrong."

Review: The Other Side of the Mirror: Volume 1
    Jo Chen's artwork is what makes her first full-length manga stand out from all of the other josei manga out there. Even though it is rated OT, The Other Side of the Mirror will appeal most to female manga fans in their twenties.

    Lou, a guy who makes his living outdrinking bar patrons, wakes up one morning to find he brought home a prostitute, Sunny, the night before. After a short argument about paying her, he leaves thinking his problem is solved. However, when he comes home, Sunny is still there, and is making herself at home. Lou tries to kick her out, but since the landlady is on his case about back rent, he agrees to let her stay if she can earn her keep. Sunny starts walking the streets as Lou goes back to the bar. When he hears her cry for help, he rescues her from the john who is refusing to pay. It is then that he realizes there might be more to Sunny than meets the eye. As the two get to know each other, they realize that each has a lot in their past they would like to forget. They decide to leave New York and try to start a new life elsewhere, but will it be any better?

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    While the theme of The Other Side of the Mirror is not too different from some of the other josei manga (women's comics) that have been translated, Jo Chen's artwork puts it in a class by itself. The cover and the inside color pages are simply gorgeous and the rest of the art stays realistic. Chen's style looks a little more American than Japanese, which really helps set the mood of a hardscrabble life in New York City. The story and characters are also strong, which nicely complements the stunning graphics. The end of volume one leaves readers eagerly anticipating the conclusion in volume 2.

    Josei manga can be a hard sell in the US where comic books are seen as entertainment aimed at kids and men who have not outgrown them, but for any woman who wants to try manga, The Other Side of the Mirror by Jo Chen is a great place to start. With stunning artwork and compelling characters, you can't go wrong.


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More info:
    Jo Chen author, artist, writer, cover

Publisher:
    Image

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Dec 30th, 2012, 9:13 am
Jan 1st, 2013, 6:12 pm
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Title: Growing Up Enchanted (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jack Briglio (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: AJ Reardon (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" GUE isn't a bad comic, it just really failed to dazzle."

Review: Growing Up Enchanted - Issues 1 and 2
    Growing Up Enchanted is one of the cute kid fantasy comics that I occasionally find myself reviewing. The only problem with this is... I really don't like kids. At all. Not in person. Not in movies. Not in books. Not in comic books. It's bad enough when they play the role of "cute sidekick", but when they take center stage, it makes me want to spork my eyeballs out.

    As such, despite the fact that GUE (as I will henceforth abbreviate it) was co-written and co-drawn by Alex Szewczuk of Sleeping Dragons fame, I really didn't enjoy the comic. It doesn't help that the dialog is pretty bad. Because this comic is clearly geared towards kids, a lot of the dialog between the adults seems dumbed down and unnatural. In some ways, GUE reads like a cross between a family sitcom and a Saturday morning cartoon.

    The artwork is still up to par, however. Fans of Szewczuk's work may want to hunt down these issues (it bears noting that the issues I have are from 2002, and the website inside the cover is no longer up, so I don't know if this comic is still being published). The art is a little more cartoonish than in Sleeping Dragons, but not by much. And Bena, the mother in this story, looks an awful lot like Becca from Sleeping Dragons.

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    This seems like an ideal comic for kids caught up in the current trend towards Young Adult fantasy novels. Because the main characters are all adults or grade-school aged, teenagers probably won't enjoy it much. However, the first story arc deals with issues like making friends with the outcast kids at school, dealing with bullies, and other things that concern younger kids. Like I said, a lot like a cross between a sitcom and a cartoon.

    Unfortunately, while some comics can appeal to kids and adults, this one seems to be strictly for the kids. The humor is largely slapstick and potty humor. The dialog, as mentioned before, is pretty bad, and the story isn't that complicated. And the family dog is named Dog, for heaven's sake.

    GUE isn't a bad comic, it just really failed to dazzle. Perhaps those less curmudgeonly than myself will enjoy it. At the very least, aside from the fart jokes, it's entirely inoffensive and safe for your kids.


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More info:
    Story by Jack Briglio
    Art by Alex Szewczuk

Publisher:
    Image

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Jan 1st, 2013, 6:12 pm
Jan 2nd, 2013, 2:32 pm
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Title: Heart (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Blair Butler (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Paul Montgomery (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" I definitely want to read more of this kind of thing..."

Review: Heart #1
    Heart is not a dubiously sanctioned Bluewater biography of the Wilson sisters and their tumultuous rise, fall and late 80s comeback. Just to be clear. Though this also features tight shirts and tenacity, there’s also an element of bloodsport and chiseled canines not likely to be present in the former. Unless we’re talking about the Hartford stop during the “Dog and Butterfly” tour back in ’79.

    No, Heart is about MMA and the path leading someone to willingly enter a cage of chain link fencing in order to grapple with a man who doesn’t like him very much.

    To start, I should probably say I’ve never watched a mixed martial arts bout. I’m best considered a fair-weather wrestling fan, having hosted a handful of WCW pay-per-view parties in my living room. With cakey pre-Wolfpac era Sting makeup, naturally. But as a comic fan, it’s impossible to overlook the popularity of this more aggressive breed of tussling. We’ve even seen ads for the action figures in the pages of our monthly books. And if you’re anything like me, you’ve likely wondered, “Are those…fangs?”

    They are fangs.

    But I’d be telling half truths if I said I was in this for the examination of a sport. In this instance, I was entirely curious about the creator and her choice of entry into the scripting game. Blair Butler is best known for her comic reviews in the “Fresh Ink” segments of Attack of the Show, meaning she’s been looking at comics and their mechanics on a critical level, professionally, for years. As someone considering making the same kind of jump, I was absolutely curious about her storytelling methods and what kind of story she’d open with. An intimate, first-person deconstruction of an MMA fighter if not MMA as a sport or industry would not have been my first guess, but it’s such an atypical story that I became even more curious about the outing.

    When we meet him, Oren “Rooster” Redmond is 25. 185 pounds of Muay Thai fury. He’s never lost a professional match. He has a number of tattoos and a pair of fangs. He’s fighting a guy called The Hooligan who doesn’t have any weight over him, but six years of life experience and the seasoning only wrought from being knocked on your ass as well as winning. Butler takes us through this match and Rooster’s inner monologue, zeroing in on the doubts and on the strategy. By the closing bell we’ve got a good picture of this warrior and his drive. But we’re ushered back a few years to the first legs of his journey, to the doldrums that inspired his course change. The Rooster wasn’t strutting back then, wasn’t cutting his teeth on much of anything. His cage was more of a cubicle. In fact, it was exactly a cubicle. And his posture does not inspire the same level of dread from the opening pages. But that’s what a story is for, yeah? To bridge that divide.

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    Butler demonstrates great confidence in developing Rooster’s voice, transitioning from the thoughtful warrior he ultimately becomes to the sad sack he once was. But this attention to voice is both the book’s brightest asset and it’s chief hangup. Heart #1 is relatively light on plotting, with much of the attention paid to this character study. As such, it feels more like the opening of a longer, self-contained OGN than it does a single issue, even of a mini-series. There’s a defined structure to the issue’s narrative, but it’s maybe not as satisfying a cliffhanger or poetic conclusion as it could be. This is a minor criticism, but it does seem like the story could benefit from a tighter, leaner plot with bolder beats in the act breaks.

    Aside from the structural question, Heart is a truly promising debut with sharp writing and especially coherent visual storytelling. Mellon is tasked with rendering some incredibly specific and complicated holds and maneuvers, and he accomplishes this is such a way that the art still flows naturally, without much impediment. It shows a masterful understanding of anatomy, but not at the expense of pacing. Again, lacing the experience with MMA to call out any distinct moments of accuracy or misstep, I can’t provide a complete analysis of the sport’s depiction. But as a reader, there was never a feeling that the training sessions were pedantic or bordering on tutorial. Rooster simply advanced and invited the reader into his world. The overall impression is that Butler and Mellon have a grasp on this material and have a wonderful level of communication between them, executing some very complicated athletic beats with effortless aplomb.

    Heart #1 might not leave you itching to find an MMA bout on cable if you’re not already a fan. It’s also too soon to suggest it introduces a colorful new hero with a rich history. But as a clinic on cartooning, and on crafting a journey, I think it has a lot to offer. Butler’s is absolutely a voice to watch, and though I don’t want her to quit her day job as a reviewer, I definitely want to read more of this kind of thing as an expansion upon it.


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More info:
    Written by Blair Butler
    Art by Kevin Mellon
    Letters by crank!

Publisher:
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Jan 2nd, 2013, 2:32 pm
Jan 3rd, 2013, 4:26 pm
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Title: Vincent Price House of Horrors (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jay Katz (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: QuestKid32 (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" This comic is a must for any Vincent Price fan or horror comic enthusiast."

Review: Vincent Price: House of Horrors #1
    “I spoke with God in your little church here today. He says He’s expecting you…” – Vincent Price House of Horrors #1

    This is my first foray into Vincent Price. Ever. Sure, I know who he is, and sure, I should probably be ashamed of myself for not being more familiar with his work. I came into this comic series totally cold, just looking for some horror fun in the vein of Tales from the Crypt or the recent Ragemoor from Dark Horse. I figured this might be a bit campy, but still have some creepy chills and fun thrills… and I was right!

    I don’t want to spoil much, because half of the fun was coming into this comic with no real expectations and not knowing what the story was even about. Let’s just say church member Nick doesn’t spend all his time alone in his house watching television and reading the good book…

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    Vincent Price: House of Horrors #1 was a fun and very fast read. I’m the kind of reader who doesn’t like to read dense comic pages, so when the art does the storytelling effectively, I’m a happy camper. This book did just that and more. The pencils by Stefano Cardoselli were fantastic and were very tone appropriate, but the colors in this book by Jeff Balke were what really blew me away. Each panel really pops and is refreshing to look at, even when everything and everyone is painted in red blood. I can’t say enough about the art in these pages and really look forward to following Cardoselli and Balke as they continue to work on this series and others.

    While this book is pretty creepy and really sadistic beyond my usual bloody threshold – there were animals involved – there was final twist that I enjoyed that left me feeling satisfied yet curious to see what comes next. This issue feels very standalone, but the series isn’t advertised as anthologies, so we’ll see where this goes.

    Overall this comic is a must for any Vincent Price fan or horror comic enthusiast. I think this is one of those great books to put on your ‘buy pile’ and stow away for a quick train or car ride, because this is definitely a fun on-the-go comic that can be read quickly and enjoyed with multiple reads… though I would recommend against reading this before bed! Bluewater Comics has crafted a fun series and I can’t wait to see if the second issue is as fun as the first. Stay tuned…!


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More info:
    Written by Jay Katz
    Pencils by Stefano Cardoselli
    Colors Jeff Balke
    Letters by Warren Montgomery
    Graphics by Darren G. Davis

Publisher:
    Image

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Jan 3rd, 2013, 4:26 pm
Jan 4th, 2013, 8:27 pm
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Title: The Terminator - Death Valley (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Alan Grant (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Mervi (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

"This is perhaps the most complex of the Terminator comics I’ve read so far."

Review:
    The story starts in 2029 when a small Resistance group ambushes a moving comm tower. However, a Terminator kills all but one of them. The survivor is interrogated and he reveals enough information that Skynet is able to send two Terminators, a man and a woman, to the past, to the Death Valley in 1998.

    In 1998, a one-eyed ex-cop is on the trail of a group of Satan worshipers whose camp is in an abandoned mine in the Death Valley. The ex-cop had been hired to find a girl that the group has supposedly kidnapped. He finds the group but the girl seems the be there willingly. That point becomes moot, however, when two naked people assault the group. They ask about Sarah and John Connor and the group’s leader, called Killerman, claims to know them. The Terminators consider the rest irrelevant and start to shoot them. However, Killerman manages to blow up the mine and escape. The Terminators follow him again killing everyone who gets in their way. Later, the ex-cop (whose name we get to know much later) manages to dig himself out of the rubble. Then he starts after the Terminators.

    Nearby, ecological scientist Ken Norden is trying to teach his son Jon about the nature surrounding them. Unfortunately, Jon is more interested in his GameBoy. When they get home, Ken’s wife Sara confronts him. She’s tired of the isolation and wants to get back to San Francisco. Unfortunately for Ken, his day is about to get much worse.

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    This is perhaps the most complex of the Terminator comics I’ve read so far. The Terminators, the Nordens, Killerman, and the ex-cop all have their own story lines even though they intersect. We also get to see Sarah Connor working as a maid in one of the Death Valley hotels. There’s also an additional storyline about a man who is working on defense robots for the military.

    The male Terminator arrived a little later than the female one, and he starts show quite unTerminator like behavior, such as asking if the Terminators are live, like humans are. He also tries to stop the female from killing a wounded human.

    Killerman has the most straight forward story; he’s just trying to survive. Unfortunately, he thinks that he can reason with the machines even after he saw the way that they slaughtered his followers.

    The ex-cop has the most flimsy excuse for staying in the story. After he just barely survived the shooting, he really should have gone away and thanked his lucky stars. But in the middle of the fight, he accidentally shot the girl he was supposed to get away from the Satan worshipers. He blamed the Terminators and wants to make them pay. He also has horrible nightmares about being caged.

    There are also secondary characters, such as the fat woman sheriff, who round out the cast in way that’s not typical to (mainstream US) comics.

    One of the best ones so far.

    Davis is the first artist and he’s style is somewhat sketchy but I felt that is suited the scenes at the start: the fight in the future, the interrogation, and the shoot-out with the Terminators. The machines were also naked during that time but Davis didn’t make that detailed at all, which was great. Pugh has far more detailed style.


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More info:
    Script: Alan Grant
    Art: Guy Davis, Steve Pugh
    Original publication: apparently a two-part limited series in 1998
    Terminator Omnibus vol. 2 publication year: 2008

Publisher:
    Image

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Jan 4th, 2013, 8:27 pm
Jan 9th, 2013, 1:19 pm
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Title: Ice Haven (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Daniel Clowes (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Rick Kleffel (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" This is a work that you will read again and again, quite easily."

Review:
    The complexity of our lives does not easily translate into fiction. Sure, you can grab a strand here, a story there and stitch together a narrative, a novel. Fiction can capture those threads and a good writer can weave a compelling tale. Daniel Clowes 'Ice Haven' offers ample evidence that you can do the same thing in what he calls a "comic strip novel." This 88-page wonder packs all the wallop, all the characters, all the rich evocative emotions of any novel told only in prose. Clowes' art and the sublime storytelling sensibility he uses so well in 'Ice Haven' ensure that his comic strip novel offers an ineffable something more. But the bottom line is that readers who enjoy the standard format novel and especially crime fiction will find Clowes' work just as compelling as anything without art.

    'Ice Haven' takes place in the small town of the same name. The crime fiction aspect of the work revolves around the parallels between the Leopold and Loeb case and the case of David Goldberg, a lonely young boy who goes missing in Ice Haven. But Clowes' work goes much deeper than a simple kidnapping. He evokes the inner and outer lives of a large cast of characters, creating figures so realistic and emotionally real so adroitly that they'll get under your skin. Each of the characters undergoes achingly powerful changes in course of the narrative. Clowes approaches his characters with tenderness and clarity.

    Clowes' narrative style is unique and complex. He's said that he was trying to create the feeling of the Sunday Comics section, where different writers and artists all land on the same pages, and he's totally succeeded. Yes, his own gorgeous paintings exhibit a unified look, but within that look, he uses a variety of tones, backgrounds and tints to create different layers of ambience and storytelling. Reading 'Ice Haven' is a revelatory experience, all show, no tell. The moments when characters are revealed to have relationships that the reader does not suspect are striking and poignant. He mixes in facts from the Leopold and Loeb case amidst his own story about Ice Haven, using yellowed pages and the simplistic graphics of yesteryear. As the truths are finally peeled away, one can't help but be both moved and impressed by the complexity, the power and the virtuosity of his narrative technique. 'Ice Haven' effectively adds a visual layer to narrative storytelling that's easy to assimilate but difficult to describe.

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    Readers who are accustomed to reading straight prose will find Clowes' novel remarkably easy to read. The lettering is consistent and legible, and he mixes fonts with care and respect for his readers. Moreover, his design and layout skills are outstandingly clear and simple. Each gatefold spread is well-balanced and the colors are gorgeously rendered. For the low price of this book, it's an incredible deal. It's beautifully produced and printed.

    Clowes' ability to create fully rounded characters with a combination of art and prose is impressive. Using a variety of styles, he brings to life Random Wilder, the pompous town poet, David Goldberg, the quiet boy who is kidnapped, Violet and Charles, a troubled stepbrother and sister with some seriously tweaked parents, and many others. Harry Naybors, Comic Book Critic provides a sort of post-modern chorus, discussing the form and the author with the reader. The varying approaches, art styles and layers always mesh perfectly. There's not a whit of waste here, nothing extra, not a bit to spare.

    One of the best things about 'Ice Haven' is that in spite of the fact that the compact work unpacks into a fully-realized novel, at the end of the day, it's still pretty small. This is a work that you will read again and again, quite easily. Every time, it will bring out a new set of emotions. Every stroll through 'Ice Haven' will take the reader down a different path. It's a set of mirrors aimed at your world and you, at your small town and every small town. Take a stroll. It's chilly in 'Ice Haven'. Life is sort of cruel. And certainly beautiful.


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More info:
    Daniel Clowes art, writer, cover

Publisher:
    Image

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Jan 9th, 2013, 1:19 pm
Mar 2nd, 2013, 3:35 pm
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Title: Turf (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jonathan Ross (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Laura Sneddon (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Ross might be back on television, but his future looks bright in comics."

Review:
    When Jonathan Ross, king of the chat show and master of controversy, announced his intention to start writing comics, interest was high and expectations were low – perhaps a little unfairly, given that Ross is a self-confessed comics nerd and the lucky husband of the successful comic film writer Jane Goldman, but celebrity writers are a mixed bag.

    Fortunately for readers, the nourished geek within has triumphed with this beautiful and madcap debut. The setting of prohibition-era New York is clearly one for which Ross has a lot of love; the period details are lavish and the characters hit all the key clichés, from the bad-guy-turned-good to the plucky female reporter. The accompanying traditional brush and ink artwork of Tommy Lee Edwards cannot be faulted, and lends the entire book an atmospheric edge; the violence all the more shocking for the nostalgic style.

    With gangsters tearing the city apart, illegal booze flowing through the suburban veins and good time girls on every corner, a casual glance could easily lead one to mistake the book for straight noir fare. But beneath the surface, a sense of unease soon spreads. The stirrings of a monstrous mash-up of pulp genres begin when vampires enter the fray of a turf war, fighting among themselves while feasting on human flesh. Evidently, these are not vampires of the sparkly persuasion.

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    Forgive, if you can, the Igor-speak of one elder vampire, and enjoy instead the spectacle of the fanged beasts sitting amused through the opening night of Dracula on Broadway, or of a lone brother tearing through a room of succulent gangsters. To criticise the opening chapters for being too text-heavy would be to buy into the current comics trend of minimal word balloons and boxes. That said, the balance between words and art improves as Turf progresses and Ross gets to grips with this most immediate of art forms.

    In one turn of the page, the scale of the story expands to intergalactic dimensions, as a spaceship screams across the sky, reminiscent of one son of Krypton falling to Earth. An unholy union of mobsters, creatures of the night and giant aliens sounds like a recipe for overblown disaster, and yet the various plot strands are neatly tied together without disrupting the pace. The cast may be varied but the theme is consistent: the connections between people, and the decisions we make under pressure, as to whether to give in to our baser immoral instincts or to rise up as champions of our time.

    A hint of the quirky, film-loving Jonathan Ross we all know slips through in his puntastic chapter titles: "Fangs of New York", "Aliens with Dirty Faces", "Badfellas", "Once Upon a Time in Harlem", "The Bloodfather". For the most part however, Turf is played straight, which is perhaps the biggest surprise of all. Ross might be back on television, but his future looks bright in comics.

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More info:
    Writer: Jonathan Ross
    Artist: Tommy Lee Edwards
    Letterer: John Workman
    Colorist: Tommy Lee Edwards
    Creator: Jonathan Ross & Tommy Lee Edwards
    Editor: John Barber

Publisher:
    Image

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Mar 2nd, 2013, 3:35 pm
Mar 4th, 2013, 3:03 pm
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Title: Chester 5000 (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Jess Fink (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: TDF Pamela (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Chester 5000 XYV is a beautifully drawn, elegantly told story."

Review:
    I first read Chester 5000 XYV a year or so ago at Jess Fink’s website, where it started its life as an adult webcomic. I absolutely loved it then, and I nearly leapt for joy when the hardcover bound version arrived in the mail. Even the second time around, I enjoyed the hell out of it.

    How exactly can I describe Chester 5000 XYV? It would be easy to say that it is Victorian robot porn. And it is, but Fink manages to make the story emotional and sweet while still making the artwork explicitly sexy. And explicit it is! Keep a fan handy, because you’re going to need it.

    Fink’s artwork is gracefully explicit. She creates a heightened sense of arousal and emotion by exaggerating body parts and positions, and I think it’s extremely effective as well as very pretty to look at. I particularly like how she uses elements of the characters’ clothing or hair to frame panels in a very organic sort of way.

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    The story is pretty simple, and it’s simply told without any dialogue aside from the occasional “♥!” to express a particularly awesome moment of pleasure. The simplicity of the story and the storytelling method, though, allows emotion to take center stage. Priscilla is a very sexual woman who feels neglected and unloved by her husband. Chester 5000 is just a robot, but at the same time, he is more capable of love and devotion than his human creator. It was fascinating to watch Priscilla and Chester fall for each other, and to watch her husband Robert come to realize exactly what’s missing in his own heart.

    The dialogue-less storytelling does bring to mind silent film, and I think that works perfectly with the setting of the comic. It reminds me of a more mature version of Victorian dirty drawings (I tried to Google that to illustrate my point. You don’t want to know the stuff I found instead.), meant to titillate all of its readers, male and female, rather than just men (who in my head smoke cigars while looking at the drawings and say things like, “I say, I’d like to tip the velvet into her crinkum-crankum!”).

    Chester 5000 XYV is a beautifully drawn, elegantly told story. If you like sexy in your comics but are tired of just superhero T&A, give Jess Fink’s graphic novel a try.


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More info:
    Written and drawn by Jess Fink

Publisher:
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Mar 4th, 2013, 3:03 pm
Apr 4th, 2013, 10:23 am
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Title: Grandville (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Bryan Talbot (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Doug Kemp (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Tremendous fun!"

Review:
    This is a sumptuously illustrated graphic novel, by an author-artist who received wide acclaim for his 2007 book Alice in Sunderland Image . Grandville, according to the author, is “an anthropomorphic steampunk detective-thriller”. It is set in an alternative Belle Époque Paris, where humans are minions (known as dough-faces) under the rule of animals, in a time when Napoleon beat the British at Waterloo and Europe is under French dominion. Technology is steam-based and has developed along arcane and wondrous lines. Detective-Inspector LeBrock (yes, a badger!) of Scotland Yard investigates a series of crimes in Paris, which seem to implicate England in a plot against the French Empire. With nods towards modern-day conspiracy theories, the superhero LeBrock reveals a despicable plot that goes to the very top of the French political ruling class. The graphics are inspired by the 19th-century French illustrator Gerard, with references also to the Tintin books by Herge. Tremendous fun!

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More info:
    Creators: Bryan Talbot
    Writer: Bryan Talbot
    Artist: Bryan Talbot
    Genre: Graphic Literature

Publisher:
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Apr 4th, 2013, 10:23 am
Apr 4th, 2013, 10:42 am
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Title: Grandville Bete Noire (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Bryan Talbot (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: publishersweekly (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Talbot’s stylized illustrations feature lampoons on familiar children’s book characters"

Review:
    Talbot (Dotter of Her Father’s Eyes) returns to anthropomorphic intrigue in his third tale of steampunk murders and the British badger who solves them. The nefarious toad Krapaud, a rich industrialist threatened by the socialist government of the former French Empire, is scheming with other members of the wealthy elite to take over Paris through the use of violent automatons. Luckily for Paris, Detective Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard has been asked to consult on a related murder case. With his uncouth manners and his tendency to solve problems with violence, LeBrock is an unsophisticated but dependable hero who surrounds himself with an equally capable love interest. Subplots involving a human rights campaign seem like a tongue-in-cheek way to keep the anthropomorphic animal heroes from being taken too seriously, and Talbot’s stylized illustrations feature lampoons on familiar children’s book characters (the villain is a post–Hell Mr. Toad). While the element of humor is woven throughout, the characters have deep concerns, particularly LeBrock, whose soul-searching about how he can protect the people he cares about gives a soft side to an otherwise rough-and-tumble sort of hero.

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More info:
    Writer: Bryan Talbot
    Artist: Bryan Talbot
    Cover Artist: Bryan Talbot
    Genre: Graphic Literature

Publisher:
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Apr 4th, 2013, 10:42 am
Apr 4th, 2013, 1:02 pm
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Title: Grandville Mon Amour (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Bryan Talbot (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: M. Chris Johnson, (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Page-turning suspense and nail-biting adrenaline keeps you savagely entertained."

Review:
    Eisner and Eagle award winner, Bryan Talbot has done it again with Grandville Mon Amour. British speaking animals make up this prose with Sherlock Wolf at the helm. Detective-Inspector LeBrock of Scotland Yard is once again after his nemesis, Edward Mastock. As the story ensues, he captures his enemy but he gets away until the suspense is unbearable and it climaxes to the ultimately cliché ending. Graphic novel doesn’t describe this work, complete with drugs, harsh language, love scene and gratuitous gore. The storyline dialogue prattles on when there was more given to the story in the bubble-free boxes than those with actual conversation. All that being said, this book is a better than one would expect.

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    Page-turning suspense and nail-biting adrenaline keeps you savagely entertained. True to Sherlock Holmes, LeBrock cleverly catches and deduces clues that escape the common, everyday, run-of-the-mill police officer or Dr. Watson, who in Grandville Mon Amour is a well-dressed rat named Detective Ratzi. This book, like most comic book stories, will be enjoyed time and again, not just a once-through reading satisfaction.


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More info:
    Writer: Bryan Talbot
    Artist: Bryan Talbot
    Cover Artist: Bryan Talbot
    Genre: Graphic Literature

Publisher:
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Apr 4th, 2013, 1:02 pm
Apr 4th, 2013, 7:18 pm
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Title: Supersized: Strange Tales From A Fast-Food Culture (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Morgan Spurlock and Jeremy Barlow (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Snow Wildsmith (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" Supersized is not for the weak-stomached reader."

Review:
    In 2004 documentary filmmaker Morgan Spurlock went on a diet of nothing but McDonald’s for one month. His film “Super Size Me” (which can be seen on his website) followed his health during that month and took a scathing look at America’s fast-food culture and industry. Supersized is a companion graphic novel, which has some stories from the film, but which also adds new horror tales given to Spurlock by fans in the years since the documentary was released.

    Supersized is not for the weak-stomached reader. Spurlock, Barlow and the artists spare no details when discussing 16784 206x300 Review: Supersized: Strange Tales from a Fast Food Culturethe maggots, ants, snot, rats, lizards, body parts, plastics, etc. that end up in the food bought at fast-food and chain restaurants. This is a great idea, as it certainly gets the attention of readers who might not otherwise pick up a book about the food industry in the United States. The creators give readers a number of truly horrifying facts and details, enough to encourage anyone to aim for locally grown, minimally processed food or at least to encourage everyone to think twice about eating at chains. However, there are no citations for where these facts and details were obtained, which is the one true failing of the work. This is the librarian in me talking, but when I’m reading a non-fiction work–especially one with a clear agenda–I want to know how the creators came by their information.

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    The artistic side of Supersized is in capable hands. Though it is always chancy to use multiple artists in a single volume, here it works well. All of the artists are skilled in the kind of realism needed in a nonfiction work (though there is one very wonky map of the United States which should have been edited better). By switching artists regularly, the book keeps to a brisk pace. This pace, combined with extremely realistic and extremely gross images and a snarky sense of humor makes this a perfect fit for older teenage boys and young men, the type of readers who might not otherwise be interested in a seemingly serious topic. School and public librarians will want to find sources for more information, since the book does not provide any, in case patrons want to learn more after reading this thought-provoking, if thin, work.

    This review is based on a complimentary copy supplied by the publisher.


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More info:
    Writer: Morgan Spurlock, Jeremy Barlow
    Artist: Lukas Ketner, Tony Millionaire, Ron Chan, and others
    Cover Artist: Ron English
    Genre: Humor

Publisher:
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Apr 4th, 2013, 7:18 pm
Apr 5th, 2013, 12:02 pm
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Title: The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Mike Mignola (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Paul Montgomery (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" What I really love about this story is that, currently, it's all that exists of this world."

Review:
    This week, we celebrate 50 years of Mike Mignola here along the mortal coil. Hopefully he won't shuffle off anytime soon. But if and when he does, we'll have to parcel him out to the far corners of the earth, to the winds whistling through Machu Picchu and down to the blackest depths of the Indian Ocean. Because any return trips brought about by necromantic hands could only spell D-O-O-M doom. But for now, we celebrate.

    Cautiously.

    If Hellboy is Mignola's greatest hit, the five short stories collected in The Amazing Screw on Head and Other Curious Objects are perhaps the deep cuts. The B-Sides. "The Girl I Knew Somewhere" to Hellboy's "A Little Bit Me, A Little Bit You", in Monkees parlance. This is a slim little hardcover, but it belongs right there next to those library editions.

    It all started, Mignola says in his notes, as an idea for a toy. A versatile action figure with countless forms given one straightforward premise. A single threaded head–like a light bulb–to be screwed into a series of accessory bodies, each outfitted to suit the requirements of an imaginary mission to the bathtub or sandbox or minivan. But Mignola wasn't a toymaker. So he drew a story solely for himself. Back in 2002 he didn't know if there was any popular interest for a steampunk short about a mechanical government agent serving at the pleasure of Abraham Lincoln in all matters of the occult. Imagine a pitch like that today. It'd go over like a bottle of Robitussin lobbed into a Portland alley. Which is to say, the definition of candy.

    I'm not sure how difficult it is to find one of those original single issues, but Screw-On Head has to be one of the most renowned one-shots in comics. It's a one-off. Only one issue exists. But people know that name. It even inspired an animated video. For good reason too. Not just due to the versatility of that toy concept, but on the confluence of weird, out there ideas. This is Mignola having fun, not really caring about the bottom line. Hot air balloons. Apes. Zombies. Vampire brides. Hell dimensions bottled up in root vegetables.

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    What I really love about this story is that, currently, it's all that exists of this world. It's special, almost devoid of context. A missing link. So there are no rules or expectations. Everything feels spontaneous and new. Undiscovered.

    But Screw-On Head is only one of these gems plucked from the dark. There's a Jack and the Beanstalk story far more peculiar than anything you ever heard while perched on a knee. It's a sinister little fable peopled with strange characters that might serve as background color in a larger Hellboy story. Then there's the story Mignola wrote based on a story his seven-year-old daughter dreamed up in the car about the friendship of an od magician and a snake. It's a very slight story, almost a koan, but the sentiment behind it, as well as the haunting imagery, make it a kind of treasure. Then there's the story of "The Prisoner of Mars", a victorian gentleman's anecdote of killing his Martian-possessed friend, being hanged for his murder, and then being bottled up in the afterlife as a Martian engineered robot. It's bizarre to the point of silliness, and it's one of my favorite things the guy's ever done.

    If you like ghosts and robots and flying machines and Victorian rooftops and devils and Martians and witches and fairies and fops and zombies and stuffed dogs and sorcerers and prophecies and root vegetables and serpents and arcane languages and executions and rockets and life and death, then this is the cat's pajamas.


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More info:
    Creators: Mike Mignola
    Colorist: Dave Stewart
    Genre: Horror, Action/Adventure

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Apr 5th, 2013, 12:02 pm
Apr 5th, 2013, 2:52 pm
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Title: Batman: Li'l Gotham by Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs (Click to go to the release post)
Writer(s): Dustin Nguyen and Derek Fridolfs (Click to see other books from this writer released on this site)
Review source: Doug Zawisza, (Don't click it, read the review here... ;) )

" An amusing and picturesque celebration of Valentine's Day, with a super twist."

Review: Batman: Li'l Gotham #5
    Rendered in adorable watercolors from Dustin Nguyen, "Batman: Li'l Gotham" #5 brings a Valentine's Day installment featuring the exploits of the Joker as he tries to evade a day enslaved to the bidding of Harley Quinn. The opening scene exposes the Joker's displeasure for the holiday in comparison to imprisonment in Arkham or even defeat at the hands of Batman.

    A mishap with some potions puts the Joker in a spot where he begins to enthrall all the ladies he encounters. The basic plot is lifted from comics, cartoons and storybooks, but slotting in the diminutive denizens of Li'l Gotham freshens up the story, providing ample opportunity for sight gags, puns and over-the-top expressions and reactions wonderfully captured in Nguyen's paintings. Letterer Saida Temofonte rounds out the visuals with quaint sound effects and charming manipulations of the dialog stemming from the love-potion affected females in this story.

    Nguyen even squeezes in a li'l cameo from the Li'l Justice League as they work on a satellite. That scene allows for the obligatory Batman appearance and even provides a nice bit of snark from the miniature version of the Caped Crusader. It's a fun aside from the thrill of the chase that drives "Batman: Li'l Gotham" #5.

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    In a week that delivers the grand finale to the sweeping "Death of the Family" crossover, which shaped Batman comics for months now, this issue offers a nice contrast and another fine example of the variety of influences and interpretations that celebrate these characters. A youthful troublemaker that could easily have tripped into this comic by making a wrong turn while trick or treating replaces the grotesque Joker with the decaying chunk of flesh stretched over his face in "Batman." The Li'l Gothamites are cute and entertaining, not overly so in that they loose their personalities, but just enough to distinctly represent a fresh version.

    This valentine from DC's Digital First lineup is certainly worth the price and will most definitely provide a longer lasting impression than candy or cards. As Nguyen and co-writer Derek Fridolfs have done throughout the series, "Batman: Li'l Gotham" #5 offers an amusing and picturesque celebration of Valentine's Day, with a super twist.


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More info:
    Story by Dustin Nguyen, Derek Fridolfs
    Art by Dustin Nguyen
    Colors by Dustin Nguyen
    Letters by Saida Temofonte
    Cover by Dustin Nguyen

Publisher:
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Apr 5th, 2013, 2:52 pm