Beginning an epic adventure showcasing the God of Thunder as you’ve never seen him before! The vassals of Asgard are in armed revolt…Odin is missing…Balder is dead…and the entire continent is battered by a years-long winter. How can Thor put the empire back together, especially with his mighty hammer Mjolnir mysteriously denied him? Collecting THOR: FOR ASGARD #1-6.

I’m going to dispense with the criticism right away: Robert Rodi’s story is full of holes and doesn’t feel complete.  We start with not enough information and end with few resolutions: it seems we have the middle with beginning or ending.  Bad things are happening in the nine realms but we don’t learn about why or how.  Thor is ruling while Odin seeks one of his wives and there’s strife between the gods, leading us to a realization that those in charge need to provide for all their people.  No character development but decent dialogue and a plot I enjoyed, what their was of it.

In its oversized 7.5×11″ hardcover format Thor: For Asgard is all about Simone Bianchi’s artwork.  It is stunning: lively, detailed, beautiful.  I couldn’t stop admiring Odin’s hair and beard; it’s that intense.  Inks and colours are a bit soft but they’re consistent and a creative choice.  Panel layout is very dynamic; lots of interesting choices like those above.

At $25 for 144 pages I’m on the fence about this book’s value: weak story and strong art.  For extras we get a one page Thor movie poster, my first add in a collected edition, and a three page article about Rodi which reads like an ad for Thor & Loki: Blood Brothers and Astonishing Thor.

Thor: For Asgard
Marvel, 2011, ISBN 978-0-7851-4445-8

In this first collection of the new SPIRIT series, an international crime syndicate wants to help Central City’s villain, The Octopus, consolidate control over the underworld. They’ve offered The Octopus the services of one of their finest assassins to take The Spirit’s breath away for good. Collecting THE SPIRIT #1-7.

From this softcover’s title and the publisher’s information you’d think this entire trade paperback was a story arc called Angel Smerti, but it’s actually only half the book.  The second half is called Frost Bite and is written by David Hine, and for pure story I thought it was the better of the two.

Let me backtrack a bit and look at both stories.  After finishing the book I felt both writers darkened the characters: there was tension and angst where I had previously read friendship and support.  No humour present this time around.

For the first arc we have Mark Schultz present us with a tale of a foreign assassin coming to Central City to take down the Spirit.  It’s gripping and somewhat predictable but works well because of the supporting cast.  My big issue is the assassin pretends to be someone else and speaks perfect English, but once emerged as their true self the assassin is constantly using Russian intermixed with English that lacks tense.

The second story arc from David Hine presents us with Central City being overrun with a designer drug that’s killing people.  We’re introduced to a new member of the Octopus crime family and are taken for a ride through his rise and fall.  Again it plays out dark and at odds between the Spirit and police commissioner Dolan.  Hine added enough twists to keep it interesting and as always the Spirit plays the straight man to his supporting cast.

Art for the entire book is handled by Moritat; that’s right, a one name artist.  It’s a great style that seemed fractured this time around; sharp crisp panels contrasting with loose scratches.  A few times I checked to make sure it was the same artist: hit and miss sums it up.  Moritat does draw beautiful women.

I’m currently reading DC’s The Spirit Archives series so I may be unfairly comparing this work to Eisner’s run in the 1940s and Cooke’s relaunch of the series but it doesn’t feel true to the characters.

The Spirit: Angel Smerti
DC, 2011, ISBN 978-1-4012-3026-5

This was a huge book for 1990: Frank Miller had collaborated with Janson and Mazzuchelli to produce epic runs on Daredevil and Batman, but his solo work with his wife Lynn Varley on Ronin didn’t get the commercial success the rest did.  Now Miller was returning to his creation Elektra doing the writing, penciling and inking with Varley painting.  Elektra Lives Again received a huge amount of press at the time: I remember drooling over preliminary pages.

Epic, Marvel’s first adult imprint, released the hardcover for $24.95; it was a huge success with a giant print run so you can still find sealed copies for cover price.  As well it’s received a fair share of reprints, the entire story included in Marvel’s Elektra Omnibus.

At the same time Graphitti Designs released a signed and numbered limited edition of 2500 copies for $39.95 and $49.95.  I can’t give a definitive price as I own three copies myself: all ISBN 0-936211-27-X printed on the inside flap of the dust jacket and the indicia page but two have $39.95 printed on the inside flap and one has $49.95.  Two of them are A/P or artist proof editions and one is numbered 2168/2500.  One of my A/P copies has the dust jacket signed by Miller and Varley, an eBay purchase in 2002 from the Comic Book Legal Defence Fund for $46.

This is an important hardcover because it’s part of the limited Graphitti Designs line and is exceptionally difficult to find in good condition.  It seems the dust jackets are always of a lackluster condition, much like my signed copy shown above.  I was unable to locate a copy to determine current price range so your mileage will vary.

Elektra Lives Again
Epic/Graphitti Designs, 1990, ISBN 0-936211-27-X

Ian Edginton and I.N.J. Culbard have teamed up again to create a visually compelling graphic novel adaptation of Arthur Conan Doyle’s masterpiece. And the superb writing and beautiful art takes Conan Doyle’s supernatural tale to new heights. All the elements are here for a thrilling tale: A gnarled walking stick, missing boot, neglected family portrait, convicted killer on the loose, and the ancestral curse of a phantom hound. The great detective himself, Sherlock Holmes—with the help of Dr. Watson has his work cut out for him in a dramatic mystery that will keep readers guessing until the very end.

This is a graphic adaptation of a very famous work by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and as such Ian Edginton had his work cut out for him.  Details and descriptions of people, environment and background are left to the artist and the writer distills what’s needed to give the readers an excellent story.  In that Edginton has done a wonderful job.  We have 127 pages of story that deliver the Sherlock Holmes tale of murder, mystery and the supernatural.

Having read and re-read all of Holmes adventures I wasn’t expecting many surprises from the story but the art was what I looked forward to.  Culbard has a wonderful style and sense of style that brilliantly captures and presents 19th century England.

The characters all have a roundness in their head and faces that don’t feel cartoonish because of the wonderful expressions illustrated.  More than any other element colour tells the story for us in its wonderful use from page to page.

It’s handsome book: 6.5×8.5″ softcover, heavy paper stock, a solid work.  For extras we have Culbard’s character studies and a preview of the next Holmes adaptation.  This volume was published by SelfMadeHero in the United Kingdom but distribution for North America is handled by Sterling.  A solid work from a creative team to watch.

The Hound Of The Baskervilles
Sterling, 2009, ISBN 978-1-4027-7000-5

This is the second Love & Rockets book but it’s published in 1988 by Titan Books in out of the United Kingdom, by way of an arrangement with Fantagraphics.  It’s a great black and white story, 160 pages that really showcase how talented Jaime Hernandez is.  After several reading sessions I noticed on the first page a signature and a very bad stamping job.

The signature says “JAIME 88″ and the stamp “1103″.  So what I had in my hands was a signed and numbered UK edition of a very popular indie book from the 80s.  Searching for other copies led me to numbers below 1000: I can’t find out how many copies were signed and numbered.  Titan Books published Love & Rockets in 1987 but there doesn’t seem to be a signed and numbered edition of that volume, and that’s all they did.

This is a collectible volume for one reason: it’s an obscure signed and numbered Love & Rockets collection.  Unfortunately it doesn’t go for much beyond it’s $25 cover price: the real issue is tracking down a nice copy of a twenty-five year old foreign softcover.

Mechanics: A Love & Rockets Graphic Novel
Titan Books, 1988, ISBN 1852860219

What are the most important days of your life? Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá answer that question in the critical and commercial hit series that took the industry by storm, winning praise from such comics veterans as Terry Moore, Craig Thompson and Jeff Smith. Follow aspiring writer Brás de Oliva Domingos as each chapter of DAYTRIPPER peers in at a completely different moment in his life. Moon and Bá tell a beautifully lyrical tale chronicling Domingos’s entire existence – from his loves to his deaths and all the possibilities in between.

The is the story of a man’s life, told in ten chapters.  Each chapter deals with a moment in his life, and ends with his death and obituary.  I could end there as a nice summation, but that wouldn’t define the power of this work.

We first meet an aspiring writer, Bras de Oliva Domingos, working at a newspaper writing obituaries.  That lays the context for why we have one at the end of each chapter, summarizing what had been accomplished at that point in his life.  Each chapter presents a moment in time, moving forward and backward from youth to old age and beyond.  A detailed look at a turning point in his life, when an event or decision steers him in a different direction.  It’s a great premise and is pulled of exceptionally well by the team of Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba.

The story, dialogue and characters are all well crafted.  You’re brought into this living breathing world and never question it’s framework.  It works so well because this could be a story about yourself, the everyman.  More than that we come to feel and care about Bras and his family.

The art is great, coming from this established team.  It’s modern and has a “today” feel to it; stylized enough to let you know it’s a graphic novel but naturalistic enough to keep you tied into it.

This isn’t an action story or a “talking head” comic with nothing but dialogue: it’s an engaging graphic novel that tells a great story about people and their relationships to each other and the world around them.  As you can tell I’m having trouble putting it into words what makes Daytripper such a great read.

Daytripper
Vertigo, 2011, ISBN 978-1-4012-2969-6

In our ongoing quest to showcase the wide range of Jacques Tardi’s bibliography, Fantagraphics reaches all the way back to one of his earliest, and most distinctive graphic novels: A satirical, Jules Verne-esque “retro-sci-fi” yarn executed on scratchboard in a stunningly detailed faux-woodcut style perfectly chosen to render the Edwardian-era mechanical marvels on display. Created in 1972, The Arctic Marauder is a downright prescient example of proto-“steampunk” science fiction — or perhaps more accurately, and to coin a spinoff genre, “icepunk.”

I must first admit that I don’t click with the writing style, which Fantagraphics describes as “Told with brio in hilarious slabs of vintage purple prose, The Arctic Marauder works both as ripping good adventure story and parody of same“.  That said the awkwardness seems to adeptly fit a period piece.  This was Tardi’s first published work and it feels rough in it’s slightly zany dialogue, but again that’s covered.

The characters are ridiculous, over the top, caricatures really.  Easy to identify with or against.  This must have been told originally in serialized chapters, as page numbers are part of the art and the story is broken into seven neat chapters.  The story quits suddenly and I really don’t know it that’s on purpose, because it seems to drop mid sentence.

The art is wonderful.  Tardi has this rounded style that is unique and easily identifiable, all at once his signature.  The level of detail is astounding, in the background and mechanical details as rendered faux woodcuts.  The 9×11.75″ pages present the art in gloriously large detail: be sure to drink in every inch of this black and white work.

No extras included: I would have really appreciated a one page history on the material, especially since Kim Thompson is a co-publisher at Fantagraphics and handled the translation himself.  At $17 for a sixty-four page oversized hardcover this is a great value: while the vintage prose was lost on me it stands as a great period work with wonderfully detailed art.

The Arctic Marauder
Fantagraphics, 2011, ISBN 978-1-60699-435-1

The trio of Jodorowsky, Charest, and Janjetov show how the Metabaron assembled the galaxy’s most powerful and destructive weapons in an effort to become an invincible warrior. Travis Charest’s (Artist of WILDCATS, WILDC.A.T.S/X-MEN: THE GOLDEN AGE, and STAR WARS comics Cover Artist) long awaited interpretation of the METABARONS mythology.

These salient facts took importance once I had the book in my hands: hardcover, 64 pages, 7.75 x 10.5 inches, $19.95 US.  It seemed a bit light for the price, and it was that odd Humanoids size they seem to favour.  Looking at the cover, image above, there was no mistaking who was the star of the book: Travis Charest’s credits were larger than the title!  Doing a quick flip through revealed that Charest did pages 11 to 38, with Zoran Janjetov handling pages 7-10 and 39-61.  Hmm, so we’re actually receiving half a story of “Charest’s interpretation of the Metabarons mythology”.

This was my first taste of the Metabaron universe for the 55 pages of actual story in the book don’t expect to walk away fulfilled.  Apparently they’re ultimate warrior mercenaries who don’t lose, in a sci-fi universe that has a lot of occult  and mystical ties, along with giant monsters.  I can’t say I took much away from the story, other than it seems designed for the big screen and not the printed page.  Lots of big fight panels with special effects but no real explanations; it really feels like Jodorowsky wanted this for a movie.  I could be trying to find gold in a silver mine here: the story is guy fights things to get objects, done.  It’s chapter of a larger work but we don’t get anything in the hardcover to point us in any direction: no introduction or afterward, not even a mention of where the story continues or from whence it began.

That leaves the art as the big draw, pun intended.  Janjetov and Charest have dramatically different art styles and it really comes through.  The Charest art is gorgeous and finely detailed with a lot of pencil work and fine detailing in most panels, but it looks too small for the format and I found myself squinting in the hopes of enjoying all the details.  To really get a sense you’d need the pages twice this size.  On the other hand Janjetov has clean lines, letting the colours and inks do a lot of the work and presenting straightforward and enjoyable art.

In the end Weapons Of The Metabaron is a hardcover showcasing some Travis Charest artwork.  The story as told in this book in a fragment that needs more, matching the Charest art in its lack of completion.

Weapons Of The Metabaron
Humanoids, 2010, ISBN 978-1-59465-036-9

For a relatively new product Dark Horse really went all out: 12.8×8.4″, hardcover, slipcase, limited print run.  Full stories plus extensive added material including creator afterwords, character designs: extra upon extra.  The oversized pages make the art jump out at you: these volumes give an enhanced read to this excellent material.  Add in all the extras and you get a complete start to finish inside story on The Umbrella Academy: I can’t recommend them enough to fans of the series.

These were premium volumes with a relatively low price: Dark Horse has consistently put out archive, library, absolute, whatever you want to call it oversized hardcovers that are priced about 25% less than their competitors.

The Umbrella Academy Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite was limited to a print run of 1500 and contained a signature page with a new image adorned with Way and Ba’s signatures.  The only thing they missed was numbering the individual books but that’s a minor quibble.

The Umbrella Academy Volume 2: Dallas was released the following year for the same price, $79.99, but was now “limited to a single printing” and included an exclusive piece of artwork.  No indication of how many were published but three years later it’s still available for a discount.  An exclusive piece of art does not a signature plate make.

This is a classic case of a publisher trying to ride the coat tails of a successful project, reducing value while maintaining the same price point.  When I saw volume 2 for sale I assumed it was signed and limited like the first since the price was the same; luckily I bought both books at a discount through my local comic shop.  Collected edition readers weren’t fooled: volume 1 goes for around $250 while volume two limps along at $60.

The Umbrella Academy Volume 1: Apocalypse Suite
Dark Horse, 2008, ISBN 978-1-59582-163-8

The Umbrella Academy Volume 2: Dallas
Dark Horse, 2009, ISBN 978-1-59582-344-1

Set in a suburb that is both nowhere and everywhere, King of the Flies is a glorious bastard, combining the intricacy and subtlety of the best European graphic novels with a hyperdetailed, controlled noir style derived from the finest American cartoonists.

King of the Flies first appears to be a series of unrelated short stories, each starring (and narrated by) a different protagonist, but it soon becomes obvious that these seemingly disparate episodes weave together to form a single complex narrative, with events that are only glimpsed (or even referred to) revisited from different perspectives — revolving around Eric, a ne’er-do-well, drug-taking teenager at war with his stepfather and, apparently, the whole world. (He is the titular King.)

This is a dark tale and you immediately liken it to David Lynch’s work.  Odd characters with dubious behavior interacting in a suburban setting.  It’s a commentary on society and the drain we’re circling.  Michel Pirus has crafted this disturbing tale with excellent dialogue and a gripping story; you don’t like any of the characters but can’t wait to see where it’s all heading.

Art by Pascal ‘Mezzo’ Mesenburg immediately brings Charles Burns to mind with its thick black inks and flat colours.  It creates the perfect feel for such a dark story and really immerses the reader.  The pages are mostly 3×3 panels: nothing innovative but the layout works so why mess around.  It’s so visually gripping I was hooked and had to finish it in one sitting.

Part of the immersive feeling comes from the format: 9×12.5″ hardcover.  It’s a big book and Fantagraphics maintained the European formatting.  At first blush $19 for sixty-four pages seems expensive but once you have it in your hands the value comes through.  Take a gander at the first chapter for free through thepreview PDF at Fantagraphics’ site.

King Of The Flies Volume 1 Hallorave
Fantagraphics, 2010, ISBN 978-1-60699-320-0

]]> http://comics.ebabble.net/king-of-the-flies-volume-1-hallorave/feed 0 http://comics.ebabble.net/spider-man-big-time http://comics.ebabble.net/spider-man-big-time#comments Fri, 02 Sep 2011 15:56:02 +0000 Scott VanderPloeg http://www.ebabble.net/?p=2393 A new artist on an entire story arc of Spider-Man, in one hardcover package. Spider-Man: Big Time Premiere hardcover collects Amazing Spider-Man 648-651 by Dan Slott and Humberto Ramos.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

Big changes are happening for the Amazing Spider-Man: Bigger threats, bigger guest-stars, and a big opportunity that could turn Peter Parker’s life around! Which cast members are staying and who’s saying goodbye. Find out as we’re introduced to new characters and reintroduced to a number of Spidey villains as they make the triumphant return to the book! Plus: New developments for Mayor J. Jonah Jameson, the staff at Front Line, and The Sinister Six!

I like Spider-Man: he’s a great character and has an enduring quality.  After his reboot a few years ago we’re back with a single Peter Parker living on a shoestring budget working for a paper.  This story arc brings Peter to a new low and high.  First he loses his apartment and ends up begging for a spot with every friend he has until landing at Aunt May’s door.  Things look up in a new job at Horizon, a mash-up of Microsoft, Apple and IBM; basically Massive Dynamics from Fringe.  He’s rolling in dough and works at a place where he can express all his technical ideas and inventions into reality, along with cool new toys and a great place to hide his Spider-Man life.  Other character and story building items develop with the newspaper, Jameson and our extra-large supporting character cast.  A new Hobgoblin arises and lots of violence and action ensues.

A real focus on character development and dialog from Slott: it plays well and gets the reader involved.  No real prior knowledge of the existing Spider-Man story is required so this is a great point to jump in.

Humberto Ramos has a very unique art style and it creates a love ‘em or leave ‘em attitude: lots of hard lines, jagged angles and kinked hair.  It’s bold and I thoroughly enjoyed it.  Edgar Delgado provided vibrant colouring throughout that gave every page a strong punch.

The book ends with two backup explanatory stories that didn’t fit anywhere visually.  They were much weaker than the main story and I’m not sure what they added.  For extras we’re provided some variant covers and two character designs from Ramos.

At 144 pages for $20 we’re looking at a standard price point from Marvel and DC: it’s in the slightly oversized Premiere hardcover format and contains a highly entertaining storyline.  I’d love to provide a link to the Marvel website for this volume but I can’t locate it; a continuing issue previously groused.

Spider-Man: Big Time
Marvel, 2011, ISBN 978-0785146230

Writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank bring you a startling new look at the beginnings of Lex Luthor, The Legion of Super-Heroes, Lois Lane, Metallo, Jimmy Olsen, The Parasite and more of your favorite characters from the Superman family in this new, deluxe hardcover. Collecting the acclaimed six-issue miniseries!

I’d hesitate to call this book startling: what Johns accomplishes is a retelling of Superman and Clark Kent’s beginnings with newer story lines integrated.  Unfortunately a lot of people’s opinion of this book has been coloured by poor reviews, but I’m looking at this from the perspective of the story on its own and not in a larger context of continuity or comparison.

Over 224 pages we’re treated to six chapters in Clark Kent’s life: two in Smallville and four in Metropolis.  Intertwined with Kent’s story is that of his polar opposite Lex Luthor, who undertakes the same journey from small town to mega city.  The beauty of the story is it’s ability to stand alone: you don’t need to know anything about the characters as a complete story is provided to you.

The expected events are all here: Clark Kent discovering his abilities and becoming Superman while Luthor sinks into the role of villain.  What I enjoyed were the little things, like Kent disliking the uniform his step-mother makes for him, sneaking a kiss with Lana Lang, the ridiculous personalities at play in the Daily Bugle offices, the transformation of Metropolis as it embraces its “superman”, plus many more moments.  Characters grow and develop over the course of the story, with minor or bit players really adding overall.  Johns gives us a cinematic approach to Superman’s origin and it works.

Artwork is provided by Gary Frank and Jon Sibal and it is wonderful.  Frank has the ability to make characters truly emotional: lots of anger, mirth, surprise, happiness expressed throughout.  The art is solid and consistent.  Layout is nice with smaller panels overlapping half page splashes, plus many full splash pages showing Superman in iconic action.

Format and packaging are well done: this 7.4×11″ deluxe edition gives us beautifully oversized pages to really enjoy that artwork.  At $29.99 it’s a wee bit pricey but this volume can provide several good reads.  Extras are thin: an introduction by David Goyer and one unused cover.  My only complaint is the dust jacket: it’s not needed and the book isn’t shrink wrapped since it’s under $50.

Superman: Secret Origin The Deluxe Edition
DC, 2010, ISBN 978-1401226978

Originally published at Comic Book Daily.

CIVIL WAR? Nothing. KICK-ASS? A warmup. What if the smartest, toughest costumed bad ass in the world was totally evil? Meet Nemesis.

He’s systematically been destroying the lives of every police chief in Asia, and he’s now set his sights on Washington, DC. Between you and me, the police don’t have a chance. Do not miss the book that EVERYONE is talking about by the creative team that made CIVIL WAR the biggest book of the decade.

After finishing this 112 page story I was struck by how bad it was.  We have the self-described “world’s first super-villain” waging war on Asia’s police departments.  Now he wants to try his hand at America’s top cop, Washington DC’s chief of police.  Through superhuman powers and advanced technology Nemesis captures the President and almost succeeds in bringing down Washington and it’s chief.

Let’s begin with the story.  We receive no background or context of the world in which to fit Nemesis.  It appears to be our current universe except Nemesis is able to stand on the wing of Air Force One and then shoot the pilots from outside the cockpit.  He kills 97 riot police single handed, most by driving their batons through various body parts.  Later he needs bulletproof glass to stop bullets and eventually gets shot.  So he can move with fight with inhuman speed, can stand on a plane while it’s flying but is stopped by a bullet.

Of course that’s topped by a motorcycle scene of extreme ridiculousness.  A sleek sports car splits in half so Nemesis can emerge riding a large motorcycle that in no way could fit in the car.  The motorcycle has gigantic wheels with no cover on them: this is important to note because Nemesis wears a cape that has for some reason extended much, much longer that it usually is.  Luckily the cape is stiffly flying straight off his neck since if he slowed slightly it would be wrapped around the rear wheel and we’d have a premature ending.  As I read the page I couldn’t help thinking of Edna in The Incredibles shouting “no cape”.

There’s a two page wrap up at the end that tries to bring some sense and a “surprise” but it doesn’t help.  And as usual I don’t care for swearing in superhero comic books but the book does carry a mature disclaimer.

Moving on to art.  I think this is the first time I’ve seen McNiven doing his own inking.  I’ve been a fan of his for some time but to me the art on Nemesis was off; it just didn’t look much like McNiven’s usual work.  The colours didn’t help: for some reason fat people and old people had chalky white skin tones.  No question it was digital colour but it appeared oversaturated and garish throughout.

Extras include variant covers and a two page spread showing script to finished artwork.  More interesting are the ads for Superior “coming October 2010″ and Kick Ass 2 “in stores October 2010″: I’m guessing this collection was supposed to be published before October 2010 so these ads would have some meaning.  Also interesting is the print date “manufactured between 11/22/2010 and 1/5/2011″.  Perhaps the collections editor couldn’t be bothered with an actual date since everything was so late anyway and they had already left in outdated ads, or the printer was running off a few here and there.  Interesting either way.  $20 for four $3 issues puts an $8 or 66% markup to give us a hardcover; not good value.

As you can surmise I did not enjoy Nemesis.  Sorry, Millar & McNiven’s Nemesis as it’s a creator owned work and as Millar notes in his afterward they didn’t get paid to create the series.  The concept was interesting  but it spiraled out without support from a decent foundation.  At least they have a movie deal in the works: perhaps the screenwriter can give us a complete story.

Nemesis
Marvel, 2010, ISBN 978-0785148654

Originally published at Comic Book Daily.

For the first ten years of his career, the battling bunny was published by Fantagraphics Books. In honor of his 25th anniversary, Fantagraphics is releasing a deluxe slipcase set collecting the seven first Usagi books. With over 1000 pages of story, this is the complete, definitive, early Usagi. This Special Edition will also be brimming with extra material, including a complete full-color gallery of the more than 50 Usagi covers from that period (never-before-collected); preparatory sketches, including Sakai’s original first draft of the “Samurai” story; two “non-canon” Usagi stories by Sakai co-starring the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (with whom Usagi also shared screen time in the TMNT TV series); the rare behind-the-scenes “How I Draw Usagi Yojimbo” strip; Introductions by Stan Sakai and Stan Lee; and a feature-length, career-spanning interview with Sakai.

Around the for the past 25 years, any comic shop attendee will recognize Stan Sakai’s creation Usagi Yojimbo.  I had seen it many times and always dismissed the work:  I wasn’t interested in reading about a bunny’s adventures, no matter how cute he looked.  After I stopped collecting weekly comics my focus widened and I started to pick up a lot of different collected works.  Usagi has been recommended repeatedly but I didn’t want to get into a story that had twenty three trade volumes, all in that small manga size.  The appeal of a decade’s worth of material in oversized hardcovers was just the ticket.

For those of us who are new to the series it’s about Miyamoto Usagi, a masterless rabbit samurai or ronin who spends his days wandering.  He lives his life according to Bushido, the way of the samurai, a code of conduct and ethics.  Usagi’s moral code is strict and very honorable, always dealing with people in a kind and gentle manner, until it’s time to not be nice.  Sakai decided early on he wanted to work in feudal Japan but use animals: overall it works well.

There is a real depth and draw to the stories, a timeless quality that speaks of honor, duty, courage, loyalty.  A great mix of action, emotion, and some humour: the later stories try a little too hard to be funny in spots.  Usagi’s character doesn’t develop so much as emerge as we follow his travels and learn of his past.  Supporting characters start coming on board fairly early and we have a rotating cast that contrast our hero.  Sakai adds the English translation after any Japanese word he uses; it’s a nice touch.  I also enjoy that anyone who gets killed usually has a thought balloon of a skull; it’s cartoony but works.

The art is top-notch: over the course of the two volumes I don’t see any evolution of Sakai’s art as none is needed.  He starts with an excellent black and white style of clean lines and superb inking that carries through.  Movement and anatomy are tricky but Sakai has it down pat.  When going through the extras original character sketches are included and I couldn’t believe how rough and undeveloped they were compared to what I just read.

This package is an excellent value, containing the first seven trade paperbacks of the series, all that Fantagraphics published.  Individually they’re $17 so by buying this you’re saving $19 and getting the work in a larger hardcover format.  Plus you have the extras: a long interview with Stan Sakai, reproduction in colour of all the covers, a “how to” from Sakai on creating the series.  After this Sakai switched to Dark Horse: we can only hope they have a similar format in mind.

Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition
Fantagraphics, 2010, ISBN 978-1-60699-154-1

Originally published at Comic Book Daily.

There was a bunch of material offered but the highlight was a slipcase containing a new signed and numbered hardcover collecting Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, two mini prints of Dark Knight posters and three 48 page prestige format softcover books of sketches, scripts and press  reviews.  Click the image above to see the entire breakdown of the package.  The big item here was the $100 price tag: the highest DC had ever charged for a new book ever; don’t get me started with the $140 CDN exchange.

The hardcover collects the original series and adds 24 pages of extras at the back.  It included a signature plate with Frank Miller’s signature and the number out of ten thousand editions.  The original covers are here and are the only examples of poor reproduction in this slipcase edition.  The rest of the extras are Miller’s complete issue one script including notes and sketches.  A new introduction by Miller rounds it out.  This volume was also published as-is in a softcover version.

The three prestige format softcover books are hit and miss.  I thoroughly enjoyed the Sketch volume, filled with never before published material, mostly roughs, that show the genesis of the character design.  Less thrilling is the complete script to book one, although aspiring writers could glean much.  I really don’t know why anyone would want to read ten-year old (at the time) reviews from various U.S. press outlets.

Last but not least are two 6×9″ card stock prints of the original Dark Knight Returns poster and the 10th Anniversary poster.  I had the posters; they hung on my wall for a good long time. Great images.

This slipcase edition is collectible for two reasons: it’s the last signed edition Miller did for DC and it’s the only place to get the prestige format softcover books.  It’s a must for hardcore Miller or Dark Knight fans.  Oddly prices vary from $90 to $300 so a keen-eyed purchaser can get it for less than cover price fifteen years later.  The ISBN below is the only one printed in the book for the hardcover, yet it seems those ending in “X” indicate a slipcase.  I’m not able to locate this edition through the normal online sources using the ISBN and most sellers use “10th” instead of tenth in the title.  Good hunting!

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Tenth Anniversary Edition
DC, 1996, ISBN 1-56389-341-X

Originally published at Comic Book Daily.

Professor Alan Mangel’s journey of madness begins when he impregnates Elisabeth, a student, with what she believes is John the Baptist reincarnated. They meet and conspire with people convinced in bringing forth the Second Coming of Christ. Are they delusional? By the creators of THE INCAL, Moebius and Jodorowsky.

Let me give a brief overview.  Alan Mangel is our main character, a philosophy professor at the Sorbonne.  He’s far removed from everyday life, including his wife and students.  He gets involved with Elisabeth, a student who believes she will give birth to a second coming of John The Baptist if it’s conceived with Alan.  Along the way he overcomes impotence and becomes part of a religious cult of four, adding a Mary and Joseph to the group.  Mary is the daughter of a drug cartel leader and Joseph is a drug addict.

With this cast of characters Elisabeth, Mary and Joseph are committed to their ideology of a new John and Christ while Alan is along for the ride enjoying sex with young gorgeous women.  They all live communally for a while until everyone is kidnapped and whisked back to South America to join in a gang war; hilarity ensues.  Throughout the story there’s a battle between Alan’s philosophy versus Elisabeth’s faith.  European influences add madcap humour, sex and spirituality in an entertaining mix: I doubt we’d ever see anything like this from a North American creator.  Alan’s philosophy gets heavy at times and it seems to go way off course in the third chapter but Alexandro Jodorowsky’s story kept me engaged throughout.

The artwork is classic Moebius, at least for the first two chapters.  The style change in chapter three is so different I can only guess a great deal of time passed.  Superb detail and character development combine for a wonderful visual element to the story.  Chapter three the style becomes more cartoonish and less defined, taking away from the overall work.

The first two chapters were published by Dark Horse in black and white in 1996 but this is the first complete coloured English edition.  Unfortunately there is no introduction, forward or afterword and no information about the creation of the work in the book or online at the publisher’s website.

At 192 7.75×10.5″ pages this is a good value for $30: the paper is thick and the artwork really pops.  I can definitely say the material will allow for successive readings.  Oddly I could only locate Madwoman Of the Sacred Heart at Amazon.com: Amazon.ca, Bookdepository.com and Chapters.ca only listed the old Dark Horse edition.  I picked mine up at my local comic book shop.

Madwoman Of The Sacred Heart
Humanoids, 2010, ISBN 9781594650987

Jonathan Hickman and Dale Eaglesham’s critically acclaimed run continues in the Prime Elements, a story that kicks off the new world-spanning adventures of the Fantastic Four. Featuring the return of the Mole Man, the architecture of the underworld, and the smartest Moloid you’ll ever meet. Watch as the First Family journeys to the moon where they learn that the history of the Inhumans runs much deeper, and richer, than previously believed. Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #575-578.

What’s that?  Why yes, you are paying the same $20 for one less issue and 32 fewer pages in this volume compared to the last.  At least these four issues are a cohesive story with no fill in creators.

What we’re presented with is laying a groundwork for a future story.  A hidden underground city built by the High Evolutionary is raised to the surface.  A kingdom of fish people claiming to be Atlantis is discovered and Sue becomes their ambassador.  The Inhumans call forth a gathering of other races mutated by the Kree to claim their place on Earth.  There’s an attack in the Negative Zone.  We’re given bits and pieces but need to wait for another volume to have it mean something.  Interest is piqued and some great plot threads sewn but it’s disappointing to have to wait.

Eaglesham’s art continues to shine: it’s clean, clear and concise.  More facial expressions would be nice but that’s just me looking for something to critique.  Some great pages here, like Galactus’ corpse, the Inhumans, Mole Man’s creatures.  Lots of “fantastic” images abound and make this a truly larger than life series as it’s supposed to be.

I don’t feel this volume is good value: fewer pages for the same money is always bad.  Plus nothing is resolved in these stories, basically leading us into buying volume 3: here’s to hoping it’s worth it.

Fantastic Four By Jonathan Hickman Volume 2
Marvel, 2010, ISBN 978-0-7851-4716-9

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.

Solve everything! Inside a room kept secret from even his closest friends and family, Reed Richards had scrawled upon the walls 100 of the biggest and boldest ideas his brain could produce. And, recently, he added a 101st, the most audacious ever: “Solve everything.” It would be a mantra that would lead the obsessively intellectual Mr. Fantastic to doing great works on behalf of humanity — and, in typically fantastic fashion, lead him into even greater trouble! For, as the big brain of the Fantastic Four will find out, solving everything carries with it a great cost, and one that is perhaps too much to pay. With art by Dale Eaglesham and covers by the legendary Alan Davis, Jonathan Hickman’s bristling take on the Fantastic Four leads Marvel’s First Family in an exciting new direction! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #570-574.

From the get go I was hooked on this story.  Reed Richards, being the greatest scientific mind in the Marvel Universe, has created a bridge to other dimensions.  Once there he meets other Reed Richards who have formed an organization to keep the multi-verse in check.  Along the way chaos ensues and we’re treated to a big old action-y science tale: spot on Fantastic Four adventure I had been missing.  This is mostly a Reed solo story but we get interspersed interludes from the rest of the cast.

I don’t want to spoil it for anyone but the multi Reeds have come up with some great solutions to common problems like mentally imprisoning all the Dooms; things that Hickman put some thought into.  Everything goes to Hell when the Celestials attack through compromising one of the Reeds: there’s a great panel where our Reed escapes and we see a severed Celestial hand.  We also see how Reed’s personal character developed, through his father’s influence and that of his family.  A tough decision must be made and Hickman gives a strong personal element to it that I found highly enjoyable.

Dale Eaglesham does a great job on the art: smooth clean lines, detailed backgrounds, well-defined characters.  It’s solid work and brings story and picture together.  Every once in a while a face looks oddly two-dimensional on a three-dimensional figure: it’s hard to explain but looks off like the face was moved digitally.

That’s the first story arc from issues 570-572: the other two issues have a less than stellar story involving a vacation world and a birthday party.  They scream “fill in” story and have a guest artist.  That’s all I’m saying about that.

I picked up the Premiere Edition hardcover but it’s no longer available so I’ve listed the trade paperback below.  It’s a decent value at $16 for 144 pages.  If you can get it in hardcover and enjoy the extra size and collected covers from the issues.

Fantastic Four By Jonathan Hickman Volume 1
Marvel, 2010, ISBN 978-0-7851-3688-0

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.

Dave Stevens was approached by Pacific Comics around 1982 to provide something for them: they were a new publisher desperate for material.  Appearing as four backup stories in Starslayer and Pacific Presents The Rocketeer was a smash success: the art was vivid and captured a pin-up 1950s look.  As noted on the cover above there were five chapters: the story moved to Eclipse with The Rocketeer Special Edition in 1984.  The story arc was complete and Eclipse published the collected story in softcover and hardcover versions; based on trademark notices it looks like Dave Stevens owned the Rocketeer material outright by 1985.

Graphitti Designs was also involved with The Rocketeer: a deluxe signed and numbered hardcover with a one thousand print run was produced along with a cloisonne pin, t-shirts and prints.  The content was the same as the Eclipse hardcover with the addition of a signature plate.

Oddly Graphitti decided on a dust jacket and the book was printed in the U.S. while the Eclipse volumes were printed in Spain.  I was lucky enough to acquire an Artist Proof edition in May 2002 for $110 from eBay: currently the signed edition is going for $300 and I’m unable to locate another AP copy.

Three more chapters of the Rocketeer saga were published by Comico and Dark Horse, eventually being collected in its entirety by IDW; check out my review.  Unfortunately Dave Stevens passed away at a young age and the character has never been licensed out for use by anyone else.  This book is important for one reason: there won’t be any more signed editions from Dave Stevens.

The Rocketeer By Dave Stevens
Graphitti Designs, 1985, ISBN 0-913035-05-X

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.

The Deluxe Edition will feature everything in the regular hardcover edition but will be printed in a larger format (8 x 12 inches) and will contain more than 100 additional pages of sketches, preliminaries, layouts, and much, much more. A cornucopia of Dave Stevens art, many of these treasures have never been published before and will be printed here from the original art to ensure the highest quality reproduction possible.

Based on that here’s the blurb for the regular hardcover edition:

The Complete Rocketeer saga is collected into one handsome hardcover volume for the very first time, combining The Rocketeer and The Rocketeer: Cliff’s New York Adventure into great book. Dave Stevens’ classic adventure strip is set in the 1930s and is an homage to the classic pulp novels of the time. Cliff Secord is a stunt pilot who happens upon a top-secret experimental Jet pack and meets adventure head on!

Long considered a classic, the Rocketeer has been out of print for years. Now, with the blessing and full cooperation of the Dave Stevens estate, the Rocketeer will be collected as one book and with ALL-NEW COLORING by Laura Martin (who was Dave Stevens choice to recolor the series).

Now that’s a complete picture.  The Rocketeer is the story of Cliff Secord, a regular Joe in 1938 who works at an aerial circus and through a chance discovery uses a rocket pack to smash a criminal enterprise and hold on to his girlfriend.  Action and to a small extent hilarity ensues as Cliff is dragged through circumstances not his own.  It’s a simple and direct plot that works wonderfully.  Characters are charming and very memorable, as are locations and everything else that appears visually on the page.  That’s because at its heart Rocketeer is a beautifully drawn comic.

Cliff’s girlfriend Betty steals the scene whenever she appears simple because Stevens was an expert at drawing the female form.  His style is clean and expressive: facial expressions tell us everything we need as do the emphasized look of the cast of characters.  With such a long development time Stevens’ style develops from the first page to the last, but he was so good at the beginning its subtle and part of the enjoyment.

Dave Stevens produced this one story for the comic book world and along the way it took thirteen years and four publishers.  Now IDW adds its name to the list of publishers in this Deluxe Edition, with 140 pages of story and 135 pages of extras.  That’s right, the extras are almost as much as the story and they are oh so impressive: tons of sketches, original art pages, ads, roughs, page layouts, you name it.  Scott Dunbier put this package together as editor and it’s well thought out: the extras unfold to bring another dimension to this work.

Production is extremely high.  This is an oversized slipcased 8×12″ hardcover on a glossy heavy paper that translates Stevens’ art in the best manner possible.  At $75 it’s not an impulse buy but the page size and extras easily mitigate any price concerns.  My only complaint is the glossy cover and slipcase show fingerprints: you can see mine in the images above.

The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures Deluxe Edition
IDW, 2009, ISBN 978-1-60010-537-1

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.