Monthly Archive: January 2012

IDW PUBLISHING FOR APRIL

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  • January 22, 2012

IDW Publishing has released their solicitations for books releasing in April 2012. Here are some of their pulpier offerings.

RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE SCORE
 Written, art and cover by Darwyne Cooke.

Fresh from his efforts on The Hunter and The Outfit, Darwyn Cooke now sets his steely sights on The Score, the classic Richard Stark Parker novel from 1964. Parker becomes embroiled in a plot with a dozen partners in crime to pull off what might be the ultimate heist — robbing an entire town. Everything was going fine for a while, and then things got bad. Considered one of the best in the Parker series, The Score is the perfect vehicle for Darwyn Cooke to pull out all the stops and let loose with a book that has all the impact of a brutal kick to the solar plexus!

160 pages, $24.99.

ROCKETEER ADVENTURES 2 #2
 Written by Paul Dini, Walter Simonson, Tom Taylor, art by John Paul Leon, Bill Morrison, Colin Wilson, covers by Darwyn Cooke, Dave Stevens.

The second star-studded issue of Rocketeer Adventures streaks into the skies with three high-flying tales of derring do! We start with a story on a grim battle field and race to save a soldiers life. Next up Is a jealous Cliff keeping an eye on Betty in his own inimitable way. Last is a run-in with a Hollywood icon in danger!
Another 25 pages of gorgeous art and stories — and all for the price of a regular 22 page book!

32 pages, $3.99.

COLD WAR, VOL. 1: THE DAMOCLES CONTRACT
 Written, art and cover by John Byrne.

Byrne releases his latest creation, MI-6 agent Michael Swann. In Swann’s opening adventure, “The Damocles Contract,” the secret agent is called on to stop a defecting British scientist from granting the Soviets complete nuclear dominion over the free world… promising ample doses of intrigue and espionage.

120 pages, $19.99.

DANGER GIRL: REVOLVER #4
 Written by Andy Hartnell, art by Chris Madden, covers by J. Scott Campbell and Chris Madden.

It all comes down to this! Join us in our action-packed, final issue as Abbey, Sydney and the rest of the Danger Girl team finally track down the mysterious Peruvian treasure. But when our heroes infiltrate the enemy’s fortress — only to find themselves facing a surprise fraternity of villains — will they ever manage to fight their way out? Find out as the year’s sexiest and most dangerous event concludes!

32 pages, $3.99.

PRINCESS OF MARS
Written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, art and cover by Michael W. Kaluta.

Following up the Disney-produced motion picture that just hit theaters, relive this classic adventure tale from Edgar Rice Burroughs. John Carter and his ‘Barsoom’ experiences are re-imagined in gorgeous chapter illustrations by comic legend Mike Kaluta!

240 pages, $17.99.

GENIUS, ILLUSTRATED: THE LIFE AND ART OF ALEX TOTH
 Written by Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell, art and cover by Alex Toth.

Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell continue their comprehensive review of the life and art of Alex Toth in Genius, Illustrated. Covering the years from the 1960s to Toth’s poignant death in 2006, this oversized book features artwork and complete stories from Toth’s latter-day work at Warren, DC Comics, Red Circle, Marvel, and his own creator-owner properties… plus samples of his animation work for Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears, and others — as well as sketchbook pages, doodles, advertising art, and other rarities provided through the cooperation of Toth’s family and his legion of fans. Two of Toth’s best stories are reproduced complete from the original artwork: “Burma Skies” and “White Devil… Yellow Devil.” A full-length text biography will chart the path from Toth’s increasingly reclusive lifestyle to his touching re-connection to the world in his final years. Fans of comics, cartoons, and all-around great artwork revere Alex Toth. See why Genius, Illustrated — along with its companion volume, 2011’s Genius, Isolated — are being praised as the definitive examination of the life and art of The Master, Alex Toth!

288 pages, $49.99.

WALLY WOOD GALAXY
 Written by Roger Hill, art and cover by Wally Wood.

Wally Wood’s career is legendary among the annals of comic’s history. He rocketed to fame working on Will Eisner’s The Spirit newspaper strip and became one of the most talented artists working for EC Comics during the 1950s. Wood also became a star of EC’s satire comic called Mad, which went on to even greater success as a magazine, allowing the artist to apply his amazing talents in a broader spectrum. When the comics industry fell on lean times during the mid 1950s, Wood segued into the field of science fiction pulp illustration, providing over 200 beautiful drawings and several color cover paintings for the digest magazines; particularly Galaxy. Wood left behind a legacy of great art, much of which has never been reprinted. This book will feature them all. Long time Wally Wood historian Roger Hill has spent the past twenty years pulling together the history of Wood’s involvement with the pulp digests and tracking down original art for this project. Over half of the images have been pulled from the originals or from Wood’s personal file copies, allowing Wood fans the finest possible reproduction!

160 pages, black and white, $29.99.

V-WARS
Written by Jonathan Maberry, Nancy Holder, Yvonne Navarro, James A. Moore, Gregory Frost, John Everson, Keith R.A. DeCandido, and Scott Nicholson.

A sweeping threaded narrative of the global phenomenon known as the Vampire Wars.

Mankind has been silently infected by millennia-old bacteria unknowingly exhumed by a scientific expedition in Antarctica. Now, in some rare cases, a person’s so-called “junk DNA” becomes activated, and depending on their racial and ethnic heritage they begin to manifest one of the many diverse forms of the “others” that are the true basis for the legends of supernatural creatures. These aren’t your usual vampires and werewolves — it goes much deeper than that.

Conceived by Jonathan Maberry, V WARS features stories from various “frontlines” as reported by such contributors as Nancy Holder, Yvonne Navarro, James A. Moore, Gregory Frost, John Everson, Keith R.A. DeCandido, and Scott Nicholson (as well as Maberry himself, of course).
The result is a compelling series of tales that create a unique chronicle of mankind’s response to this sudden, hidden threat to humanity.

384 pages, black and white, $24.99.

You can learn more about IDW and their books at http://www.idwpublishing.com/.

REVIEW: “Dark Victory” (Lady Lazurus #2)

What began as intimate, largely internal, spiritual conflict in Michele Lang’s historical urban romantic dark fantasy series with Lady Lazarus explodes onto the mind’s screen with the second installment, Dark Victory (Tor, Jan. ’12, hardcover $25.99, Kindle $9.99, release party at Book Review in Huntington, Jan. 22nd 4-6 p.m.), with new spiritual-ethical dilemmas of how far is too far to go to save a soul, a person, a whole people?—to make your head spin as only Lang knows how.

It picks up where we left off: August 30th, 1939 on the almost-eve of Hilter’s invasion of Poland. Magda is back in Hungary and has captured the dark angel Asmodel, demon-brother of her beloved and once-archangel Raziel (he gave up his immortality to join her fight against the Nazis and make a difference, instead of being a spectator…shades of the Watchmen ethical dilemma of To Do or Not To Do?) She’s pulling out all the stops so that everyone can join forces and maybe, just maybe, thwart her powerful-but-fragile sister Gisele’s dire prophecy of blood and doom for her Jewish people and certain, final death for all, including herself (able to return from the dead, but at terrible cost and with severe limitations). Whatever happens, Magda has to try to protect her precious friends and all she loves, even if it means her own, ultimate damnation (shades of Bleach’s Ichigo, and you can also hear Scarlett O’Hara saying, “I don’t care what it takes…if I have to lie, cheat, steal, or even murder…as God is my witness…”)

(more…)

JOHN OSTRANDER: Playing Favorites

Last Tuesday night, two of my favorite series returned with new episodes – Justified on FX and White Collar on USA. Both in the same time slot, 10 PM EST. This is why TV recording equipment was created – so you no longer have to choose.

Mary and I recorded both but one we watched as it was on and the other we watched the next night. We’ll get to which one was watched “live” but first let’s talk about the shows themselves.

Is one show better than the other? Yes, but both are generally well-written, directed, and acted. And the premieres both were good examples of the two shows.

White Collar deals with a thief, con man, and rogue named Neal Caffrey (Matt Bomer) who has been sprung from prison by the FBI guy who caught him, Peter Burke (Tim DeKay) to help solve crimes. Neal’s on parole so he (usually) has to wear an ankle bracelet that allows the FBI to monitor him. The two other principle characters are Neal’s buddy, Mozzie (Willie Garson) and Peter’s wife Elizabeth (Tiffani Thiessen). Neal is not quite reformed and keeps edging towards activities that could get his parole revoked and himself sent back to the slammer. He’s not helped in staying on the straight and narrow by his buddy, Mozzie.

The show owes a lot to the movie Catch Me If You Can which had Leonardo DiCaprio as a counterfeiter and conman chased by Tom Hanks’s FBI agent. DiCaprio is also caught and eventually turned into an FBI consultant.

The show’s main strength is the bromance between the rogue and the cop. All the main characters turn in good performances. Mozzie is a delightful character and Tim DeKay does really fine turns as the FBI agent. A big plus also is the relationship between the FBI guy and his wife – they really love each other and it’s nice to see a middle-aged couple being romantically in love.

The premiere of the season picked up where the cliffhanger left us off last time. A nasty baddie has kidnapped Burke’s wife because of shenanigans that Neal, the rogue, has been doing on the side with his pal, Mozzie. And Peter, the FBI guy, knows they are responsible. Peter’s anger, fear, and sense of betrayal drive the episode as Neal and Mozzie have to work to make things right. By the end, it was very satisfying. The best show on television? No, but consistently pleasurable.

Justified. Ah, where do I start? An Elmore Leonard inspired series about a U.S. Marshall, Raylan Givens (Timothy Oliphant) sent back to Eastern Kentucky where he grew up for shooting one or two many bad guys in Miami, even if the shootings were “justified”, and he’s not happy to be home. He has an ex-wife, Winona (Natalie Zea) who is a little less ex these days, a former girlfriend Ava Crowder (Joelle Carter), a boss who’s not crazy about him (Nick Searcy) and a former co-worker in the mines, a sometimes friend and more often opponent, who has turned to the outlaw side, named Boyd Crowder played by the inimitable Walton Goggins, topping his work on The Shield.

This season also picks up after the end of the previous season which was remarkable. It had one of the best villains, male or female, I have seen on TV in the person of Mags Bennet. Margo Martindale won an Emmy for her work as she damn well should have. I was wondering if they could match that season but the first episode cleared that up for me right quick.

Raylan was shot at the end of last season and this one starts three weeks later and Raylan is still feeling the after effects. There’s a sinister crime boss from Detroit who has established himself in a memorable fashion and a sociopath for hire named Wynn Duffy (Jere Burns) who has a sadistic little game that he likes to play with his victims involving an icepick.

I don’t want to spoil things but two of the highpoints for me were when Ava makes a point with a cast iron frying pan and Raylan turns the tables on Wynn Duffy at their climatic showdown. Deeply satisfying.

The show’s writers have said that, as they approach each episode, each scene, each line they ask themselves, ‘What would Elmore do?” It shows. Leonard himself is one of the Executive Producers of the show and likes the character well enough to have his latest novel, RAYLAN, be about him.

Raylan Givens is about as cool a character as I have ever seen on TV. He means what he says and if he says he will shoot you, you’d better believe him. Both he and Neal Caffrey are charming but Raylan is definitely more dangerous. The big difference between the two shows, I think, is that White Collar could have just as easily played on network TV. In fact, the networks should be looking to USA to see how this type of show is done – the cable network has a number of good shows, such as Suits and In Plan Site that would have done well by them.

Justified would not play on network TV. There’s sex, language, and violence and they got the warning labels to prove it. All are necessary ingredients in the show and all help make the show fly.

Both shows are eminently worth watching and, in case you haven’t guessed, we watched Justified first.

MONDAY: Mindy Newell

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NEW SHERLOCK HOLMES NOVEL FROM AIRSHIP 27 PRODUCTIONS!

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  • January 21, 2012
THE RETURN OF THE BARON GRUNER!
Following the overwhelming success of the second Robert Downey Jr. film blockbuster, Airship 27 Productions is pleased to present a brand new mystery suspense novel starring the Great Detective; Sherlock Holmes – The Baron’s Revenge by Gary Lovisi.
In 1902 Sir James Damery enlisted the aid of Sherlock Holmes to prevent the daughter of an old friend from marrying a womanizing Austrian named Adelbert Gruner who was suspected of murdering his first wife.  Dr.Watson chronicled the case as “The Adventure of the Illustrious Client.”  By its conclusion, Gruner was exposed to the young lady when Holmes came into possession of an album listing his many amorous conquests.  Then a former prostitute mistress took her own revenge by throwing acid in his face and permanently disfiguring him.
Holmes believed the matter concluded. He is proven wrong when a hideous murder occurs rife with evidence indicating the Baron has returned.  Soon the Great Detective will learn he has been targeted for revenge in a cruel and sadistic fashion. Not only does the Baron wish his death but he is obsessed with causing Holmes emotional suffering.  He desires nothing less than the complete and utter destruction of the Great Detective in body and soul.
Now Gary Lovisi spins a fast paced tale of horror and intrigue that is both suspenseful and poignant, all the while remaining true to Arthur Conan Doyle’s original stories.  “The Baron’s Revenge” is a thrilling sequel to a classic Holmes adventure fans will soon be applauding.
“We are thrilled to have this as both our first release of the new year and also as our first solo effort as a publisher,” Editor In Chief Ron Fortier reported.  “As of Jan. 1st, 2012 Airship 27 Productions titles will be available at the site listed below.”
Airship 27 Productions – Pulps For A New Generation!
+++
We invite you to visit our new website.
Here you will find two links.  One to our PDF digital store were all our titles are on sale for only $3 as downloads.  Please consider registering an account which will put you on our Newsletter mailing list.
The second link is to our Indy Planet pages, where you can purchase Print-On-Demand hard copies of our titles for $14.95 (plus shipping and handling).  At present we have our latest titles available here and hope to have our entire catalogue added by the end of the year.  Thanks for your continued support.

The Muppets Comes to DVD on March 20

If you missed seeing the return of The Muppets in, well, The Muppets, then you get another chance when the movie is released on video this March.

Director James Bobin revealed all the Easter Egg inspirations found throughout the delightful film in an interview and it’s worth a look.

Here’s the press release:

BURBANK, Calif., January 20, 2012 –– One of the year’s best-loved family comedies and among the best reviewed films of 2011, Disney’s The Muppets, starring Jason Segel, Academy Award®-nominee Amy Adams, and favorite celebrity couple Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy — debuts March 20 on Blu-ray™ Combo Pack, DVD, Digital Download and On-Demand formats. A must-own movie the entire family can enjoy, Disney’s The Muppets in-home release includes the DVD and music soundtrack packaged together and also offered as the ultimate Muppets experience, a ‘Wocka-Wocka Value Pack,’ which contains the movie on Blu-ray high definition, DVD and Digital Copy (three discs), plus a download card which allows fans to own all the songs from the film’s hugely popular soundtrack.

Disney’s The Muppets Blu-ray Combo Pack, with its flawless picture and pitch perfect sound, comes with a fantastic slate of bonus content including the laugh out loud “The Longest Blooper Reel Ever Made (In Muppet History––We Think).” The exciting release also includes the hilarious featurette “A Little Screen Test on the Way to the Read Through,” which follows Jason Segel, Kermit, The Great Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, Miss Piggy and others as they get ready for the first day of production, and much more fun. (more…)

Bone: The Quest for the Spark Continues in Volume Two

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  • January 21, 2012

Since the color editions of Bone began appearing nearly a decade ago, Jeff Smith’s delightful series has become synonymous with Scholastic’s Graphix imprint. In 2009, Scholastic concluded a deal that allows them to publish expansion material set in the Bone universe such as the Tall Tales collection that came out a while back.

Last year, a new series, Quest for the Spark, began but what made this unique was that these books would be illustrated prose works. Tom Sniegoski, who collaborated on Tall Tales, has been penning the stories while Smith (with colorist Steve Hamaker) has provided the covers and spot illustrations. Volume two is due out momentarily with volume three coming this summer.

When this was first announced, Smith noted on his website, “I was a bit unsure about this project when Tom first suggested it, but when I read the first book I laughed so hard, I agreed to do it. Scholastic was so blown away by it, that they decided to make it available in hardcover and wanted the illustrations, of which I think I’m going to do about twenty, full bleed and in color.”

The reality is the second book as 12 full page pieces along with spot art but it’s all nicely spaced out. So, what are the books about? Well, first of all, these are considered Bone: Legacy even though you the reader will call them Quest for the Spark. They include characters from the original series including the Two Stupid Rat Creatures and Roderick the Raccoon, Master of the Eastern Border, Thorn Harvestar, and Rose (Gran’ma Ben) Harvestar.  While mentioned, the Bone cousins will not be seen nor are active participants. (more…)

Saturday Morning Cartoons: “DC Super Friends”

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  • January 21, 2012

Here’s a fun one you may not have seen: when Fisher-Price began to produce DC Comics characters in a kid-friendly toyline named after the Super Friends, a cartoon was created to package with the toys and to test the waters for a new TV series.

And these people had the right mindset. Take a look, and see if you fall in love in the first few minutes with Superman, Batman, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, and Cyborg in… ah, but that would be telling. Just watch.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDSj5ZvlbuU[/youtube]

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MARC ALAN FISHMAN: Make Mine Valiant

So, I’ve spent the last few weeks ranting and raving about DC. And face it, there’s still plenty there to mine. From their recent canning of six titles and announcing six more (none of which I think will last a year) to their recently leaked ”sticker logo”… I could have a field day continuing to bash and dash. But alas, I grow weary of being hypocritical. I bitch and moan about them a ton, yet the majority of the cash flowing out of my pocket to frivolity generally concerns a majority of DC books, and related merchandise. So, for now, I’m waving a white flag, and turning my gaze elsewhere. Somewhere dashing, daring, and dare I say… Valiant.

On May 2nd, Valiant Comics will be reborn. Their flagship title, X-O Manowar, will hit the shelves. I will admit freely to you all that I know nothing of the Valiant universe. Let’s quickly Wikipedia that, for those in a similar boat. Wow, what a story! In 1989, Jim Shooter, one of the Allman Brothers crew, and some other financiers tried to buy up Marvel. They didn’t get it. Thus Valiant was born! They got a few heavy-hitters, and released a line of books. In 1994, they got dumped by their initial investors, scooped up by then-important video game creator Acclaim, and died a slow and boring death as their continuity-heavy line became too heavy a load to bear. Legal battles and the like kept things grounded for a while, but as you’ll now note: it’s all been solved, and the line will reconvene with Free Comic Book Day 2012. And due largely to some lackluster books by DC, and Marvel’s Next-Big-Waste of Time, I’m at a loss for why I shouldn’t take this as a sign to give Valiant a shot.

A recent press release for the budding brand hyped the announcement of the creative team for X-O. Surrogates scribe Robert Venditti and Conan artist Cary Nord will unite to bring us a tale of a time-lost ancient warrior given amazing future technology and plopped on the populace in 2012. Color me intrigued. I happen to love the Surrogates original graphic novel, and sneak peaks at the pencils of Nord show me that the book will look amazing to boot.

But this leads me to the bigger question. What is Valiant’s battle plan? Will they rise up and be a contender with the Big Two? I doubt it. The marketplace is crowded as it is. Image, Dark Horse, IDW, Dynamite, Avatar, and Boom! all struggle to keep a cohesive line. Face it, each of those aforementioned second stringers all have one or two big fish, and then spread themselves thin on bargain-bin fodder from licensed properties that appeal to the niche audiences. Well… the niche of this niche, if you get my drift.

Mind you, I’m not trying to poop on the parade, I’m just wary for any “line launch” in a continually crowded comic rack. And a subsequent Google search doesn’t even have the company site at #1 in the rankings. What appears to be a company website is just a form with “Notify Me!” on it. Bad mojo my friends.

Let us consider Boom! Studios’ Stan Lee line, launched in 2010. Four books with solid concepts released very close to one another. The critics didn’t quite rave about any of them, and I rarely hear anyone discuss them at the shop when I pop in on new comic book day. Valiant certainly has picked a good time to strike, but I’m hoping it’s done more intelligently. Case in point?

Boom’s other cash cow, the Irredeemable universe. Launched as a single amazing comic, smartly spun off into a single other title that has refrained for years before crossing directly into one another. Join that to a solid base of fans consistently purchasing the book due to high standards of art teams and consistent writing… and you have something worth copying. While I myself have recently stopped my subscription to Irredeemable, I don’t knock those still following on. It’s the kind of model I hope Valiant is paying close attention to.

Ultimately, X-O Manowar‘s release got me genuinely excited for a new title to latch on to. With a strong creative team announced, and DC and Marvel knee-deep in their own crapulence, Valiant stands to gain a following again. If they stick to releasing solid books, refrain from event-driven releases, and put their books out on time… I see no reason why they won’t stick around for a long while.

Also, they should hire Unshaven Comics.

SUNDAY: John Ostrander

Review: Lord Of The Jungle #1

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  • January 20, 2012
Reviewed by Joshua Pantalleresco
Lord of the Jungle is Dynamite’s Adaptation of Tarzan.  I have to admit I was both enthusiastic and skeptical when I heard of this book.  I was skeptical because Tarzan’s depth of character is rarely explored.  His animal cunning is always apparent, but one of the things that always got me was how intelligent Tarzan is.  He taught himself to read in the original novels.  That kind of intelligence is often missed as part of the character. 

The first two images of the comic are two skeletons.  It’s a very grisly image and hints at the tragedies that occur in this issue.  Yet the third panel managed to dispel one of my misgivings immediately.  Tarzan is learning how to read.  This is going to be an intelligent Tarzan.  The contrast on that first page is very fitting.  There is a kind of beauty in the jungle, yet there is a grim, savage reality and it’s all displayed on page one.  

The rest of the issue takes place twenty years prior when Tarzan’s parents John and Alice were stranded in the jungle by pirates.  There, John and Alice are forced to survive the hostile environment they have found themselves into.  Now the ending if you have read Tarzan is obvious, that said there’s definitely a few touching moments in the first issue.
One of my favorites was when Alice and John defended themselves from a mighty gorilla.  John picked flowers for Alice when a bull ape came from nowhere and attacked.  Both characters managed to protect each other and it gave the scene a very triumphant feel to it and showed how much of a team they were when they worked together.  It mirrored nicely with the end when John died defending the baby by himself.    Tarzan at that point is taken in by the apes. 

Arvid Nelson did a fantastic job with adapting Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter series with Warlord of Mars, and so far it seems he is going to repeat that magic here.  Arvid is faithful to the original material and manages to add and expand moments that were in the novels.  He’s off to a good start adapting this great classic to comics.

I really love Robert Castro’s pencils.  I love his ability to contrast beautiful moments with terrifying imagery.   He’s able to balance some of the horrors of the jungle with some amazing shots.  The opening page is living proof of this, but he manages to do it again and again in the issue.  That one shot of baby tarzan is surrounded by panels of monsters and tragedy.  My favorite image in the book is the landscape shot of Lord Greystroke’s home on page two.   It felt very majestic, even as a shadow of its former brilliance.

Simon Bowland and Alex Guimaraes deserve credit.  The storybook on page one is just brilliant and fun lettering.  It added a kind of innocence to the scene that was sorely needed.

All in all, this is a solid book and a nice addition to any pulp reader’s library.  For one dollar you can’t go wrong.  Hopefully the rest of the series has the same quality throughout.

The Point Radio: BEING HUMAN – More Than Ever?

The U.S. version of BEING HUMAN has roiled into its second season on SyFy. We talk to series stars Sam Witwer and Sam Worthington on what’s the next stage of their transformations, plus D&D Back in a big way and BONE moves closer to the big screen.

The Point Radio is on the air right now – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun for FREE. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE on any computer or mobile device– and please check us out on Facebook right here & toss us a “like” or follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.

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