Manga Review: SAMURAI 8, VOLUME ONE

SAMURAI 8, VOLUME ONE: THE TALE OF HACHIMARU by Masashi Kishimoto, writer and Akira Okubo, artist (VIZ Media LLC, March 2020) Paperback, 192 pages.  ISBN # 1974715027 / 9781974715022 

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . 

Becoming a samurai seems like an impossible dream for Hachimaru, a boy who can’t even survive without the help of his father. But when a samurai cat appears before him, his whole life changes! A legendary manga creator and a rising star come together to bring you this science fiction samurai epic!

Only the most powerful warriors are able to transcend their human bodies and become something even greater—samurai. Samurai carry special souls within themselves and can travel through space as easily as walking the earth. Hachimaru has always dreamed of becoming a samurai, but he’s as weak as they come. He’s so sickly that he can’t even eat solid foods. Being too weak to leave the house may have turned Hachimaru into an expert at video games, but with enough heart, could he become a true samurai?  

My Three-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     Every once in a while, I dip my comics reading toes into the Japanese manga waters, but it's usually only for a dip. I still don't desire to swim in these waters.

     I just haven't found anything in this comics-telling format to really grab me. Samurai 8, despite being written by the creator of the fabled Naruto and paired up with a promising young artist, didn't wow me like I was hoping. 

     I'm used to the format of reading from back to front now, so that no longer pulls me out of the story. The art is indeed very good, and really shines on the half-page and full-page panels. However, Akira Okubo's art has a lack of clear lines and shading, so it makes it really difficult for my eyes to understand what is going on in the smaller panels. It doesn't help that I'm reading this in a digest format which really compresses the complex and highly detailed art. I'd love to view this in a good magazine sized hardcover. 

     The story is well-done but is written more for a middle-grade and young adult audience, who should find this more appealing than I do. A sickly young boy, shut-in and hooked up to equipment to keep him alive, gets a life-changing chance for a more active and fulfilling life when he meets a samurai cat who offers to train him. 

     The primary character, young Hachimaru, should be sympathetic but because he is selfish and ungrateful I didn't empathize with him. He's especially inconsiderate of his father who dedicates his life to providing for him and trying to improve his health.  Still, there's enough inventive battles and sprinkled samurai wisdom throughout to entertain younger readers who are interested in this type of story.

     I think I need to look for manga that is more adult in themes, perhaps explore the horror titles, and also look for something other than a digest-sized presentation. I read this as part of a monthly book club selection.

AFTERSHOCK DAY at Lancaster's THE COMIC STORE Was A Blast!

 I had a great time at THE COMIC STORE in Lancaster PA today supporting the AFTERSHOCK DAY event. I met many local comic fans and introduced them to some Aftershock titles, sold some trade paperbacks and hardcovers, and hopefully created some new customers for this indie, five-year-old comics publisher of a variety of genres featuring well-known creators: crime, horror, fantasy, science-fiction, western, WWII drama, etc . . . . . .

AFTERSHOCK DAY IS ALMOST HERE! - - Tomorrow At THE COMIC STORE in Lancaster, PA

Want to get caught up on AFTERSHOCK COMICS news, visit a cool comics shop, get some deals on Aftershock titles, earn some incentives, and take a chance on a hardcover raffle?

I'll be at THE COMICS STORE at 21 E. McGovern Avenue (Station Square) Lancaster PA 17602 on Saturday, February 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to chat with comics fans and talk all things Aftershock. 

If you've never visited THE COMICS STORE before, this is a great opportunity. They probably have the most extensive selection of trade paperbacks and hardcovers of any comics shop that I've visited. There's also a vast back-issue section that goes way, way back. 

Featured titles are MANIAC OF NEW YORK, NUCLEAR FAMILY, SCOUT'S HONOR and SHADOW DOCTOR.

Here's some of the special offers:

Purchase any Aftershock title and get a free comic (limit one per customer).

All Aftershock trade paperbacks and hardcovers in-stock are 20% off cover price.

Purchase any Aftershock trade paperback or hardcover and win a chance for a free copy of ANIMOSITY: YEAR ONE hardcover. 

Purchase $25 in Aftershock comics and earn a free variant cover (limited supply). 

Sign up for the weekly Aftershock RUMBLINGS email newsletter and keep up to date on upcoming releases and previews of art. 

I'm very excited for this event. Will I see you there?

Crazy Cavan'n' Rhythm Rockers - Why Don't Somebody ( HQ)

1977: Crazy Cavan & The Rhythm Rockers 3 of 3

Crazy Cavan: My Own Way Of Rockin'

1977: Crazy Cavan & The Rhythm Rockers 2 of 3

Crazy Cavan & The Rhythm Rockers Boppin’ n’ shakin’ TVE

Sounds of 1977 #15: from Our Own Way of Rockin' by CRAZY CAVAN

AND THE RHYTHM ROCKERS

Bunny Wailer - Follow Fashion Monkey

1977: BUNNY WAILER 3 of 3

Bunny Wailer - Get Up, Stand Up

1977: BUNNY WAILER 2 of 3

bunny wailer moses' children

Sounds of 1977 #14: from the Protest album by BUNNY WAILER

MATT LOWDER Looks At 100 BULLETS (Vertigo)

guest review by The 10,000 Comics Pyramid's MATT LOWDER . . . . .

100 Bullets (vol 1 of 5, #1-19 of 100 issues, originally full run 1999-2009, this collected hardback 2014, Vertigo/DC) 4/5

Some comics feels like a movie. Some feel like a novel. This one really felt and looked like a great comicbook. And in most ways, it is. If you don't read any further, yes, try this, but it's Mature.

Okay. Sorry for this essay.

I didn't read a synopsis before starting 100 BULLETS. I didn't read about what year it was published, how long it was, or any plot points. I was blind reading. I only knew it was crime and written by Azzerello. I obviously didn't read it once a month as issued dripped out in 1999. I read a year and a half's-worth in 4 days. Keep that in mind reading this reaction.

This is heralded as one of the more pivotal and important works in the medium, especially for beginning in 1999. I mostly agree with that, simply because of what was in the market at that time. This is visually striking and conceptually brilliant. Much like Moonshine, 100 BULLETS has this flat coloring style, with strong line work and hard, hard-cut shadows and use of black. The sense of depth in the foreground and background using negative space in windows, doorways, and casted shadows is masterful. The dialogue feels authentic like a good indie crime film. If you grew up watching Reservoir Dogs, Boondocks Saints, or reading anything Frank Miller, you'll dig this. (You'll also like it if you like conspiring organizations of power and control on a national scale pulling strings in a "Metal Gear Solid 1 or 2" kind of way.)

Not trying to yuck anyone's yum who loves this book, but the story and undertones becomes a little more problematic for me. The concept of this plot had its hooks in me right away, but it really took a long time to develop. Reading blind as I did, I expected to spend the book's full run with Dizzy Cordova. We met her in issue one... A black/Latina thug who just got out of prison, mired by an earlier tragedy of her lover and son being shot down in an urban drive-by. 

But that was only the focus in the first 3 issue arc. Imagine my surprise when the book became more like a collection of short stories, with multiple 2 and 3 issue arcs with entirely new characters meeting this cryptic, mysterious man, Agent Graves. He magically appears to four unrelated characters in issues 4-11, stories that do not reference each other, giving all these new characters this offer: "take this attache case, with a gun and 100 bullets, untraceable and above the law, and do what you will with them. Also, here's the truth about your life's tragedy, with proof of who should pay for it."

It's a wild premise and poses fantastic moral questions to several men and women in different shit-sandwich situations. I was intrigued. Theoretically, independently, these stories are strong, but the only thread between them which tied them together was Graves. I thought this was episodic and not a grander vision which I was fine with. After so many issues of characters never reappearing, I figured it was the intention and structure of the book, like a tale-of-the-week, twilight zone style thing.

Then I was wrong. In Issue #12, a year into the comic's publication, which would have shocked me with both awe and frustration had I been reading that way, DIZZY CORDOVA reappears in France with a new character. This is the first time any character reappeared after their brief 2 to 3 issue arc. I guess these are all tied together in someway, but that was an ambitious and long set-up. But when? WHEN are these stories going to begin crossing over further? Why is Agent Graves doing this? His motive? Well, its not answered the first 19 issues. And I don't think in the next 19, either.

And that brings me to a valid concern: the very slow drip of answers. After I completed this particular volume, I decided to do a little bit of research. I was teetering on the edge of a decision...... Do I continue with this, or not?

I felt like this was the kind of book I've read before in which major questions are never answered and the writer has trouble in later issues pulling threads together. From what I've read, many reviewers of the full series confirmed my suspicions. It's amazing regardless, I see that, but it's flawed. If I had less to read in my pile at home, or if I liked 100 BULLETS more, I wouldn't have spoiled it for myself. But now that I know, the investment would not have been worth it for me in the end. I'm sure for those who read it in the cultural climate of 15-20 years ago, as they trickled out monthly, it was a different experience.

I remember reading OUTCAST last year that had a lot of good ideas and delicious, compelling breadcrumbs, but I was so glad I read 6 trade volumes and didn't follow that for 3+ years in single issues. Would have driven me mad given what I now know about how the story went off the rails and didn't deliver (for me) an adequate enough ending.

I also took issue with the portrayal of people of color and women. I wasn't going to mention it here had it only been in the first few issues, but it was chronic and endemic in this book's DNA. Granted, there are no paragons of virtue in this book. But every issue had heaving breasts, poking nipples, and/or asses popping out of tops and bottoms of dresses. Besides Dizzy, there were no well-rounded female characters besides two dimensional plot contrivances who get killed, or stereotypes pressing up against a man. 

Like Sin City was a book of machismo, 100 Bullets was equally grindhousey and sleazy. There's "sexy and suave" comics, then there's this. There's money in that market. I get it. No judgement. It works for some. But tougher to overlook was that after 18 months of issues, all people of color (except one) spoke in heavy urban slang and were criminals, meanwhile all characters in postions of power were men and white and articulate, and they served as the source of doling out to the downtrodden a miraclous chance they wouldn't have otherwise. Several black character's facial features were also large to the point of caricature. I'm not sure how history will view some of this art. But again, the art overall is INCREDIBLY STRONG and memorable in 100 Bullets.

100 BULLETS is a comic I'd recommend to everyone already in the hobby of comics with caveats. Its merits are clear to me, hence the 4-Star rating, but it's not for me.

Serious comic lovers should DEFINITELY try at least Volume 1. Layered storytelling is woven very intentionally and the characters and themes do what they need to do, perfectly. I didn't know how I felt about it by issue 10, but glad I stuck with it thorugh issue 19. The time it takes to get somewhere narratively is a bit long for me, plus the violence and trauma and smut is just a little tasteless in today's climate. 

We have a lot of options now in crime comics. A more patient reader who enjoys double Ds on every woman will have no problem going down this rabbit hole with Agent Graves and his mysterious group, "The Trust", that works outside the government. The conspiracy is promising, but also convoluted and requires a lot of thinking and close reading. The ideas are there, but its also heavily misanthropic and cynical. If I was 21 years old, I'd feel differently. Just know it takes a loooong while to develop, and is quite blunt in its approach to glorifying sex and violence without saying much beyond its base entertainment value.

I'm kind of glad just before I posted this review I did the unthinkable and read how the book ended, as well as everything to do with the Minutemen. It's bold, it's good, but I wouldn't have been happy. That is a "faux pas" for some, but with a neverending pile of comics, I can't invest in a 100-issue series that doesn't answer critical questions and kills off so many. On paper, the Wikipedia makes the grand plot sound extremely compelling, but I'd want to spend 48 issues in that world, not 100. FOUR STARS OUT OF A POSSIBLE FIVE STARS.

Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal Season 1 Trailer | Rotten Tomatoes TV

Stay-At-Home Theater: PRIMAL animated series on Cartoon Network

Adult Swim. Great, dialogue free (mostly) adventures with a cave man

and his dinosaur companion. Gritty and visceral. FOUR STARS.

Lupin | Official Trailer | Netflix

Stay-At-Home Theater: LUPIN on Netflix. French mini-series with English

subtitles. Fascinating, caper story / crime story / revenge story. Great actors. 

FOUR STARS.

The Long Song: Official Trailer

Stay-At-Home Theater: THE LONG SONG on PBS Masterpiece Theater.

Good drama of slavery in Jamaica. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.

The English Game | Official Trailer | Netflix

Stay-At-Home Theater: THE ENGLISH GAME mini-series on Netflix.

From "Downton Abbey" creator and "Gosford Park" writer Julian Fellowes. Based on true events, this 19th century drama follows two footballers on opposite sides of a class divide who changed the game — and England — forever.

It's about much more than just English football/soccer, a nice time

capsule of the moments in history occurring at the same time. THREE

AND ONE-HALF STARS.

PBS Last Tango in Halifax Season 2 teaser

Stay-At-Home Theater: LAST TANGO IN HALIFAX Season Two on Netflix.

Addictive family drama with a large cast, all with problems/issues. This

family has enough drama for all of us. FOUR STARS.

THE LITTLE THINGS Trailer (2021) Denzel Washington, Jared Leto

Stay-At-Home Theater: THE LITTLE THINGS on HBO Max. A police procedural that

drags in spots but is worth a view for the good acting of the principals:

Denzel Washington, Rami Malik, and Jared Leto (as creepy as you can imagine). 

The ending was a bit of a surprise, but also unsatisfying . THREE STARS.

Warsaw Pakt FastEddy

Warsaw Pakt 3 of 3

Warsaw Pakt ItsNotTrue - Take 1

Warsaw Pakt cover a Who song . . . . . .

Warsaw Pakt plays Dog Fight from Needle Time

Sounds of 1977 #13: WARSAW PAKT from Needle Time, their one and only

album, a live recording that managed to capture their raw sound. 

PGHHEAD'S 2021 COMICS ODYSSEY, Part Seven

 In 2021 I’d like to cross over the 1,000 comics review barrier, meaning reviews that I (Mike Clarke a.k.a. pghhead) contribute to the blog. That’s what this odyssey is about, beginning January 01, 2021. Wish me luck . . . . .

Three more from my comic brick / bargain bin purchases . . .

 

#151 ABSOLUTE CARNAGE VS. DEADPOOL #3 of 3 (Marvel, December 2019) Like most Deadpool stories, you can jump in anywhere and still follow it. I don’t think I missed anything by not reading Issues #1-2 of this short limited series. 

    Even back in 2019 there were tie-ins to the current King In Black saga. As the

credits page explains, every symbiote leaves a trace of it's genetic material within it's host, called a Codex. Carnage is collecting them to resurrect his god, Knull. Deadpool, having previously bonded with four symbiotes, is a prime target.

     There are great battle scenes here, featuring engaging art and spiced with Deadpool’s funny retorts. Spider-Man comes to the rescue, but it’s Deadpool who sacrifices his body once again and saves the day. Oops, spoilers. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.

#152 COSMIC POWERS #4 (Marvel, June 1994) This issue features Legacy, the son of Captain Mar-vell.  Legacy learns that his father got cancer from a leaking canister of nerve gas during a battle with Nitro, and vows revenge. Guest appearances by Jack of Hearts, Eros, Thanos in a tight script by Ron Marz enhanced by some fine art by Ron Lim. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.

#153 INVISIBLE WOMAN #1 (Marvel, September 2019) Mark Waid can usually be counted on to script a good story, always respective of the source material canon. I enjoyed this, but not enough to want to seek out and finish the story. 

The C.I.A. recruits Sue Storm to rescue agent Aidan Tintreach, being tortured for intel in Moravia. He and Sue have worked together in the past (revealed in a wintry flashback). Aidan keeps referring to her as “Stormy” (very annoying). 

There’s more to this mission than revealed, as Nick Fury meets up to warn Sue before she heads to Madripoor first, where Black Widow awaits her. Ho hum. THREE STARS.

#154 FUTURE STATE: WONDER WOMAN #1 (DC, March 2021) I really enjoy the art of Joelle Jones, so of course I picked this one up. The art is gorgeous here, and the story is not half-bad (also by Jones). However, I’m going to pass on Issue #2. I just don’t feel that it’s necessary to read it. 

     In this Future State world, Wonder Woman is Tara Flor, of Central or South American descent, who rides a unicorn and has a mischievous wood nymph as a companion. Tara is quite adept at dispatching the dragons and hydras that frequent the Amazon Rain Forest. 

  The front part of the book does a good job of establishing the fantasy setting of this new world, and then pulls me right out of the story when Tara speaks in common street language and the nymph admits to smoking cigarettes.(Hey, that will stunt your growth!) In order to reach the underworld and rescue her sister from Hades, they have to enter an airport-like terminal/subway station and get their tokens to ride with Charon across the river Styx to their destination. 

   I’m not taking this seriously when the book obviously is not meant to be taken seriously. That’s kind of refreshing. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.

#155-156 ACTION COMICS #964-965 (DC, November-December 2016) Superman, Meet Clark Kent Part One and Two. I want to admit upfront that I don’t read Superman on a regular basis, just sporadically. And, I thought that writer Dan Jurgens did an excellent job on the 2015-2016 SUPERMAN: LOIS AND CLARK mini-series of clarifying the alternate Earth versions of Superman that arose out of the New 52 era and preceded the Rebirth stories. 

    Now, here in November 2016 (not even one year later) I’m confused again by which version of Superman I’m reading about. 

     Prior to Issue #964, Clark Kent was investigating some unsavory activity at Geneticron labs, so dangerous that Superman warned him and suggested that Clark hide away so Superman could pretend to be him and continue the investigation. It also leaked to

the public that Superman and Clark Kent were the same person. Then a new version of Doomsday kills Superman, soon to be replaced by another Superman. Then Clark Kent comes out of hiding and has to make a public statement that he's not Superman, which no one believes.   

 This Superman (who is married to Lois and has a son, Jon) takes Clark Kent to the Fortress of Solitude to have his high-tech gadgets search Clark’s memories to establish that he is who he says and not another version of Superman. You still with me? (I’m not). 

      Issue #965 ends with images of Clark and Superman and his family alongside the text of the Daily Planet article "My Day With Superman" by Clark Kent. In it, Clark confesses that he and Superman are not the same person, Superman died, a new Superman replaced him who is just "as powerful, courageous and heroic as the

man we lost." So everybody should be happy with that. What a mess. THREE STARS.

#157 SCOUT’S HONOR #2 (Aftershock, February 2021) The story and the primary conflict heat up as this comic adds plenty of back-story and new friction to prove it’s so much more than a one-trick pony. 

Yeah, it’s another post-apocalypse world, but one that you can fully immerse yourself in and be entertained by. It’s Ranger Scouts vs. brutal biker gang fighting over a revitalized drone from the before times. The Trials of the Eagle looks to be a fatal initiation ritual as the best scout in the pack agrees to participate. FOUR AND ONE-HALF STARS.

#158 CHILDREN OF THE GRAVE #2 (Scout, February 2021) Another recommended horror comic from Scout. This is the first published comics work from the creative team, and it’s worth your time. Some new names to watch: writers Sam Romesburg & Ben Roberts, and illustrator Gioele Flippo. 

I’m reminded a lot of M. Night Shyamalan’s THE VILLAGE film in so many ways: a cloistered Amish-like society led by a domineering pastor and hiding a big secret. Daniel is rebellious, seeking to find a new way when he encounters “The Mother” in a horrifying cliffhanger final scene in Issue #1. New developments this issue introduce some weird science-fiction elements. I’m not sure where this is going, but I’m taking the wagon ride. FOUR STARS.  

#159 IRON FIST; HEART OF THE DRAGON #1 (Marvel, March 2021) You can usually trust writer Larry Hama to tell a good action/adventure story.  I recall reading his Marvel G.I. Joe run to my young sons before they became adept enough to read and comprehend the issues without me.

 I don’t recall viewing any of David Wachter’s art before, but he’s got my attention now. Danny Rand/Iron Fist gets called back to the seven mystical heavenly cities as Taskmaster and the undead are trying to destroy all the dragons under heaven. Lots of characters and interaction this debut issue, maybe too much: Luke Cage/Power Man, Lady Bullseye, the dwarf-like Fooh, undead ninjas, the Dog Brother clan.

 I wasn’t fully vested in the story until Danny’s young ward Pei, the cute little girl that is good at martial arts, and her equally cute small pet dragon get threatened. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.

#160-162 BUG! THE ADVENTURES OF FORAGER #3, 4, 6 (DC/Young Animal, September 2017-February 2018) Parts 3, 4, & 6 of the Domino Effect story There’s a love/hate relationship among viewers of the distinctive art of Michael Allred. Not many are indifferent or neutral. I’ve appreciated his style ever since the Madman days; and I was happy to rescue these three issues from the bargain bin. 

Mike gets an assist on the story-telling here from older brother Lee, and wife Laura does a bang-up job on coloring. The Allred’s get to play around here with Jack Kirby’s Fourth World characters, and it’s refreshing to see them again, especially Mike’s take on Miracle Man, Orion, and other New Genesis faces. Even Deadman makes an appearance.

 The story is all over the place but revolves around stopping a foe using the boom tubes to jump into various past and future time-lines. It’s too complex to summarize here; plus I’m not sure I fully understand it with only half of the pieces. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.

#163 RED ATLANTIS #4 (Aftershock, February 2021) This throbs with suspense and danger, reminding me of a good Jason Bourne movie. 

Quick take:  Gifted or perhaps cursed with powers that she can’t control, journalism student Miriam Roberts is on run from the FBI and Russian secret agents, fleeing a crime she didn’t commit and can’t explain. Forced to question even her own identity, is there anyone left for Miriam to trust?  FOUR STARS.

#164-167 THE GODDAMNED: THE VIRGIN BRIDES #1-4 (July-November 2020) This one missed the monthly release dates, which might explain why I never picked up the final Issue #5. I stored my copies, waiting for the last issue and then lost track of it. However, I have a pretty good idea of what happens in the final issue after reading the cliffhanger confrontation at the end of Issue #4. 

Writer Jason Aaron and artist r.m. Guera return to the brutal pre-history land of the original Goddamned series, with a story that reminds me of The Village film as much as Children Of The Grave does. A sheltered society of nun-like “mothers” raise (with a healthy dose of cruelty) young girls to get them ready for marriage to “angels” once their “flower” blooms. An Amazonian tribe of fierce woman warriors transport the girls to meet their husbands, never shown but we learn that they have wings and fly. The warriors are actually destroying settlements, killing all but the young girls and then bringing them to the mothers.  

It’s just a vicious food cycle, as two upstart girls discover and then break away. The story follows their flight and the struggles they encounter. It’s a nasty story, but told well. You’ll worry about these two and root for them. And, Guera’s art is fabulous. The images of this world are panoramic and stunning. FOUR STARS.

#168-170 HORROR COMICS #1-3 (Antarctic Press, May 2019 - May 2020) Here’s another delayed book, one that I think was intended to be bi-monthly but took longer because of the pandemic shutdown, etc. Talk about brutal. Whew. Unless you’re a regular fan of horror comics used to bloody and gruesome panels, I wouldn’t recommend this.

 Everybody in this Florida community knows Thomas Wright, the ice cream truck man. Kids and parents love him and his delicious home-made ice cream, which has a secret ingredient. Thomas is also a kind of ladies’ man and has been married multiple times, mostly because the life span of his spouses is fairly short as they end up contributing to his business in the worst way. 

Thomas does raise his young son and introduces him to the family business. The FBI eventually catch on to Thomas’ activities and bring him down, making young Brian an orphan. Like father, like son. Ugh. TWO STARS.

#171 ROM: DIRE WRAITHS #1 (IDW Publishing, October 2019) I never got caught up in the ROM fever when the toy/comic was so popular but this continuation, written by an admitted fan in Chris Ryall, is quite good. 

It’s July 1969, the advent of the fabled U.S. Moon landing. However, in this version the three astronauts have back-up/assistance if needed from the government’s secret satellite base. Adventure-1 is tased with monitoring inhuman threats, but they failed to notice the entrance of a band of Dire Wraiths onto the moon’s surface. The Wraiths plan to overtake the astronauts and use their ship to invade Earth. There’s a backup story about a Spaceknight captured by Wraiths who plan to steal his essense/energy.

 Good stories, good art. This is a quality production on premium paper with extra pages. I guess calculating that Rom fans won’t mind paying $4.99 for this. I rescued this issue from a bargain bin. THREE STARS.

#172 IMMORTAL HULK: FLATLINE one-shot (Marvel, April 2021) There have been some great stories in these guest creator stand-alone specials, and this one is no exception.

 The great Declan Shalvey handles story, art, colors and cover. The Hulk meets an old professor who was also involved during the gamma accident that turned Bruce Banner into the Hulk. She still has some things to teach him. FOUR STARS.

#173-174 ROM: DIRE WRAITHS #2, #3 of 3 (IDW, November 2019-October 2020) There was a nearly year-long gap between Issues #2 and #3, and that must have really hurt sales. Too bad, as this is a very good action/adventure story. I rescued Issue #2 from the bargain bin, but paid cover price for Issue #3 as I wanted to finish the story. 

The plan by the Dire Wraiths to take over the first Moon mission in 1969 is foiled by both courageous astronauts and the timely arrival of Rom, Spaceknight. There’s also a cool back-up story featuring Rom. 

I’m not familiar with the art of Ron Joseph, but his work here is really good - reminding me of the old space comics from EC and Wally Wood. THREE AND ONE-HALF STARS.

AFTERSHOCK DAY Is Coming - - FEBRUARY 28 - - THE COMIC STORE - - Lancaster, PA

Want to get caught up on AFTERSHOCK COMICS news, visit a cool comics shop, get some deals on Aftershock titles, earn some incentives, and take a chance on a hardcover raffle?

I'll be at THE COMICS STORE at 21 E. McGovern Avenue (Station Square) Lancaster PA 17602 on Saturday, February 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. to chat with comics fans and talk all things Aftershock. 

If you've never visited THE COMICS STORE before, this is a great opportunity. They probably have the most extensive selection of trade paperbacks and hardcovers of any comics shop that I've visited. There's also a vast back-issue section that goes way, way back. 

Featured titles are MANIAC OF NEW YORK, NUCLEAR FAMILY, SCOUT'S HONOR and SHADOW DOCTOR.

Here's some of the special offers:

Purchase any Aftershock title and get a free comic (limit one per customer).

All Aftershock trade paperbacks and hardcovers in-stock are 20% off cover price.

Purchase any Aftershock trade paperback or hardcover and win a chance for a free copy of ANIMOSITY: YEAR ONE hardcover. 

Purchase $25 in Aftershock comics and earn a free variant cover (limited supply). 

Sign up for the weekly Aftershock RUMBLINGS email newsletter and keep up to date on upcoming releases and previews of art. 

I'm very excited for this event. Will I see you there?

Book Review: THE CITY WE BECAME by N. K. Jemisin

THE CITY WE BECAME by N. K. Jemisin (Orbit Books, March 2020) Hardcover, 437 pages. Book One of The Great Cities trilogy. Goodreds Choice Award Nominee for Fantasy 2020. 

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . .

Five New Yorkers must come together in order to defend their city in the first book of a stunning new series by Hugo award-winning and NYT bestselling author N. K. Jemisin.

Every city has a soul. Some are as ancient as myths, and others are as new and destructive as children. New York City? She's got five.

But every city also has a dark side. A roiling, ancient evil stirs beneath the earth, threatening to destroy the city and her five protectors unless they can come together and stop it once and for all. 

 

My Four-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     There’s a lot to like about THE CITY WE BECAME, but there are two things that make it a stand-out reading experience for me.

1) Jemisin is remarkably inventive, taking aspects of one of the most well-known cities in the world (New York City) and transforming and altering those into something of incredible fantasy. As odd as it seems, this lends everything an air of authenticity that shouldn't be there considering the weird things that are happening. The imagery is vivid and cinematic. 

2) Without overlong exposition or elaboration, Jemisin develops and defines her cast of characters in a story-telling fashion that makes readers feel like they truly know them. She reminds me of the same way that Stephen King and Neil Gaiman manage to evoke that feeling of small town familiarity regardless of the setting, situation, or unusual quirks of the characters. I felt myself being pulled into and immersed in the activities of these characters in the same way that King and Gaiman have that effect on me. 

     I've been meaning to read some of Jemisin's work since learning of her three consecutive Hugo awards. THE CITY WE BECAME is Book One of a fantasy trilogy, and I'm glad I jumped in at the beginning. 

     Not only does New York City have a heart, it's a living being that manifests through a primary resident and several avatars. New York City has one primary mover (disabled, and left in a semi-conscious state after a battle with the enemy) and five avatars, representing each of the five boroughs. 

     As each avatar awakens and learns of her/his abilities, they must find each other and revive the primary before the dark forces prevail. Each of them is a unique character, whose background reflects the neighborhoods and values in which they reside. The enemy lurks underground, sending tendrils of hate to control its' mostly unaware recruits in endeavors to suppress the city and supplant it with a darker overlay/city from a different universe/reality. 

     The threat here is very Lovecraftian in nature, with worms, tentacles, giant devouring mouths and mention of ancient ones culminating in the prime catalyst for the forces of darkness, The Woman In White. 

     THE CITY WE BECOME is both Jemisin's homage to the city where she lives, as well as an allegory of the dehumanization of cities through the rise of white supremacy and the gentrification of neighborhoods which strip communities of their cultural heritage and uniqueness. Lovecraft was an equally inventive dark fantasy/science-fiction writer, but also known for his bigotry and racism. It only seems appropriate that his mythos would be utilized to tell this story. 

     I'm looking forward to future installments.

Comics Spotlights Biography of ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ

CONGRESSWOMAN ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ LIFE STORY GETS THE COMIC BOOK TREATMENT

 

Information and images courtesy of TidalWave Productions 

 

TidalWave Comics is proud to announce the addition of the Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez comic book to its popular “Female Force” series focused on female empowerment.  “Female Force: Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez” is released now.   

TidalWave has profiled politicians for more than eleven years using the unique storytelling properties of comic books.

The youngest woman ever to serve in the United States Congress, few politicians have captured the attention of the electorate like Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. To the left side of the political aisle, she's a young, hungry visionary who isn't afraid to buck the system to serve as the voice of her generation. To the right, she's an angry, wacky upstart poisoned by a liberal education system that failed her. Her out of nowhere defeat of Joe Crowley, the powerful 10-term representative of New York's 14th District, is considered the defining moment of the 2018 election cycle. See what she is doing today.

Written by Michael Frizell, art by J. Travis Smith and Cornerstone Creative Studios, this 22-page comic book is available both digitally and in print and can be found on multiple platforms. Cover by famed comic book artist Dave Ryan.

“It is my hope that readers come away with a sense of the richness of the lives of our subjects. I was once a reluctant reader, and I found early-on that comic books engaged me in ways other mediums didn’t.” said publisher Darren G. Davis.

“This book was fun to write, partially because she's polarizing on both the left and right, and partially because she's a young person who dreamed big and saw early success. Love her or hate her, you can't deny that she's made her mark in a short amount of time. Some politicians never achieve the impact she has,” said writer Michael Frizell.   

The Female Force imprint features prominent and influential authors, business executives, entertainers, journalists, politicians, and activists. The biographical comic series has drawn a firestorm of media attention, including features on “The Today Show,” CNN, MSNBC and FOX News, and in Time and People magazines, the Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today, and thousands of blogs and other media outlets such as Politico.

Print copies of the biography comics are available on Amazon. Digital versions are available from iTunes, Kindle, Nook, ComiXology, Kobo and wherever e-books are sold.

The latest biography comic book joins TidalWave’s ever-growing library of more than 200 comic book biographies. Previous titles have profiled Angelina Jolie, Kamala Harris, Sonia Sotomayor, Michelle Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Condoleezza Rice and Cher. These biographical comics, written by some of the most talented writers in the comic world and beyond, deliver an informed and illustrated look into the lives of these figures.

 

AFTERSHOCK UPDATE: Check Out SHADOW DOCTOR This Week

Can't see this email? View in Your Browser FEBRUARY 16, 2021

Dovetailing with the nationwide celebration of Black History Month, AfterShock Comics is honored to reteam with writer Peter Calloway (THE LAST SPACE RACE, Gotham City Sirens) to tell the story of SHADOW DOCTOR, one of the most profoundly fascinating and important stories we’ve ever published. Years in the making, this is the true story of Peter’s grandfather, Nathaniel Calloway, a Black man who graduated from medical school in the early 1930s. Making his way to Prohibition-era Chicago, he was turned away from every hospital in Chicago and unable to start a practice of his own. Eventually, he secured employment with the one outfit that valued the quality of his skills over the color of his skin: Al Capone’s Mafia. As Peter himself has said, “On the one hand, his story represents the promise of America. On the other hand, it shows the worst of it.” Debuting tomorrow, February 17, at comic shops everywhere, SHADOW DOCTOR features the art of Eisner Award-winner Georges Jeanty (The American Way, X-Tremists) plus covers illustrated by the inimitable Mark Chiarello (oh, yass!) HERE’S WHAT’S SHAKING THIS WEEK AT YOUR COMIC SHOP

SHADOW DOCTOR #1 New Series! Writer: Peter Calloway Artist: Georges Jeanty This is the true story of writer Peter Calloway’s grandfather, Nathaniel Calloway, a Black man who graduated from medical school in the early 1930’s. Unable to get work at any Chicago hospitals because he was Black, and unable to secure a loan from a bank to start his own practice because he was Black, he turned to another source of money in Prohibition-era Chicago: the Mafia, run by none other than Al Capone. AT SHOPS: FEBRUARY 17th CLICK HERE FOR THE MONKEYS FIGHTING ROBOTS PREVIEW

MISKATONIC #4 Writer: Mark Sable Artist: Giorgio Pontrelli J. Edgar Hoover has tasked skeptical Bureau Agent Miranda Keller and true believer detective Tom Malone to investigate a rash of deadly bombings. Hoover wants them to pin the bombings on radicals, but the evidence is pointing to something more supernatural and sinister: The Great Old One known as “The Dunwich Horror”...and the white supremacist cult that summoned it. Can our heroes stop one, let alone both? AT SHOPS: FEBRUARY 17th CLICK HERE FOR THE PREVIEW AT THE BEAT

WE LIVE #5 Writers: Roy Miranda & Inaki Miranda Artist: Inaki Miranda Extinction day hits humanity like a thunder of death. The countdown to extraction hits zero. The beacons activate and destiny speaks. Nothing will be like before. Not for Hototo. Not for Tala. Not for anyone. AT SHOPS: FEBRUARY 17th CLICK HERE FOR THE CBR.COM PREVIEW

DISASTER INC.: THE COMPLETE SERIES Discover Why the Road Less Traveled Remains That Way. In 2011, the worst earthquake in Japan’s history breached the coastal Fukushima Daiichi power plant, causing three of its four nuclear reactors to melt down. Officials were forced to set up an “Exclusion Zone,” effectively sealing off the land for what may well be the rest of human history. But that’s only if you don’t have the right connections and the desire to experience catastrophe, failure and misery as it really is! Enter DISASTER INC., an underground tourism outfit that explores the off-map attractions typical tour groups aren’t usually allowed. Writer Joe Harris (Great Pacific, Rockstars, The X-Files) and artist Sebastián Piriz begin a disaster tour checking out the worst places on earth while digging up more trouble than they can probably handle. This volume contains issues #1-5. “...a fascinating collection of travelers and one hell of an intriguing world.” – Darryll Robson, Monkeys Fighting Robots AT SHOPS: February 24th CLICK COVER FOR THE AIPT PREVIEW FAST APPROACHING! Reserve Now at your Local Comic Shop. Click Covers for Previews! BEQUEST #1 IN SHOPS: March 17th Writer: Tim Seeley Artist: Freddie E. Williams II A grand fantasy adventure, stuck in traffic on Wacker Drive. Order Deadline: February 22nd Order Code: JAN211042 RED ATLANTIS #5 IN SHOPS: March 17th Writer: Stephanie Phillips Artist: Robert Carey Cast your vote for chaos. Order Deadline: February 22nd Order Code: JAN211053 JUST ANNOUNCED It’s official! WE LIVE lives! Though tomorrow’s WE LIVE #5 brings to a close the harrowing adventures of young Hototo, his sister Tala and all their friends (and foes), the sun will rise on a new day and a new age for Roy Miranda and Inaki Miranda’s hit science fiction series – made possible by overwhelming fan and retailer support! Make way for WE LIVE: ERA OF THE PALLADIONS, coming soon sooner than you might think. AIPT has the news and a Q&A with the Miranda Brothers here, including some teaser artwork. We cheer!