"MY HAND!" COMICS! Sometimes They Go UP! Diddley Om Pom! Sometimes They Go Down!

Oh! Good Day! Here’s a thrilling feature for your perusement and entertattlement right fine and glissome, no mistakers. Hmm. Bit rusty. Pokkita-Pokkita-Pokkita! Rum bugger’s coming at us out of the sun! Don’t worry it’ll all be over by Christmas. Or in three minutes. Depends what we’re talking about, you big dreamweasel, you! C hocks away..!

The Red Baron by Puerta, Veys & Bence

Anyway, this... THE RED BARON 1. The Machine Gunners' Ball Art by Carlos Puerta Written by Pierre Veys Coloured by Carlos Puerta Translated by Mark Bence Cinebook, 6.99(UK)/11.95(US) (2014) Originally published as Baron Rouge – Le Bal De Mitrailleuses, Zephyr Editions (2012)

This, the first of a series of three slim graphic novels, is about The Red Baron. Yes, like in Peanuts, but this is the real one not a dog on a kennel indulging in violent fantasies. The Red Baron was the name given to a real-life WW1 German ace (christened Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen; phew!) because he flew a big red plane and was a sort-of-kinda-Baron (Wikipedia tells me “Baron” here is really a slightly fudged translation of “Feiherr” which has stuck, despite the more accurate German names for him being "The Red Battle Flyer" or "The Red Fighter Pilot", because the German language hadn’t quite picked up on the 20th Century revelation that tedious precision is the death of sexy brevity.) Despite being a stranger to the concept of camouflage von Richtofen racked up 80 confirmed kills in a variety of planes, not all of which were his famous triplane or as red as a hooker’s lippy. He was also an interesting occurrence of the cult of celebrity when that kind of thing was a rarity rather than the norm. His fame even transcended battle lines and his (propagandistically ghost polished) autobiography (Der rote Kampfflieger (1917)) was a big success even in England, where most of the men he killed were born. Von Richtofen himself disowned the book shortly before dying under circumstances which people with time on their hands still argue about to this day.

The Red Baron by Puerta, Veys & Bence

All that's not just by way of impressing on you how good I am at looking stuff up, but also to briefly hint at the fact that the guy was pretty interesting and his life provides multiple opportunities for fictional representation. Unfortunately Puerta and Veys seem to have picked a singularly dull, and for this reader, unrewarding approach. The first 8 pages are promising as a dogfight unfolds as the Baron (for brevity) muses on war. There's a quick juxtaposition of nature vs man-made predation, some successfully cinematically staged aerial shenanigans, and at the last a wrong footing of expectations as the Baron declares war is pretty tip-top, thanks. “War is a fabulous thing”, he thinks and I think that's interesting; that we might be going to interesting places. Someone who likes what he does might be enlightening. A nice little counterweight to Kubert & Kanigher's Enemy Ace who, also based on the Baron, represented the man of war who was born to it but regretted his birthright bitterly. Rather than a man trapped by war, why not a man freed by war; that's interesting. But it turns out it isn't. Apparently that would just be a psychopath, not in the medical sense but in the pulp nonsense sense; the James Patterson sense. Dismayingly soon the Baron is revealed via flashbacks to have voices in his head which allow him to predict his enemies movements, and he relaxes of an evening by smashing people's heads in with his walking stick like Edward Hyde in full flight. It's around this point I start to suspect that historical veracity might not be of paramount importance to the authors.

The Red Baron by Puerta, Veys & Bence

Which is odd because it's clearly at the forefront of Carlos Puerta's thoughts. Now, as irritating as I may find the usage of photos in lieu of actual drawing I can usually concede some point in favour of their use. Here that point is that through this visual remix, this arftificial collation of actual moments of recorded history, Puerta does deliver a striking visual approximation of the time and place. Obviously that time has gone but, also obviously, so has that place, There’s no little value in faithfully depicting a time when Europe looked like a the picture on an organic bread wrapper, what with its mills, stone bridges and horses and carts. No one can deny, not even a churl such as I, that Puerta goes all in on trying to convincingly conjure up a phantom land long churned under by two world wars. and firmly replaced by urban sprawl, McDonalds, hypermarkets and arguable planning decisions. He does a good job too, despite photo sourcing always seeming stiff to me; the hand of the artist clear in every considered combination of elements. He does a good job but he doesn't do a great job, because his admirable visual resurrection of Europe has people in it and people are the bane of photo referencing. The first time we meet the Baron he removes his headgear to reveal the face of Christian Bale, while in the school flashbacks he wears the face of Jude Law. This is confusing as people tend to keep the same face throughout their life, rather than change them like haircuts. To be fair the the Baron appears as Jude Law in scenes where he is unutterably smug, so at least Puerta's choices are spot on. Not to sound too misanthropic but Puerta's world would be great if it wasn't for the people in it.

The Red Baron by Puerta, Veys & Bence

It's a decent comic but I didn't like it. While Puerta strains for historical accuracy Veys undoes him by being vague on dates and places, and the stink of anti-semitism (which was everywhere) is notable by its absence. To his credit, however, the clear class divisions are well presented with the Baron drawing short of kicking the bullies' ringleader apart because he's of a higher social caste, and the apparent impunity with which the Baron sprays the cobbles of Berlin with paupers' brains rings true. But if it's supposed to be a psychological portrait of a sky borne serial killer it falls fall short of being anything but comic booky. At one point the Baron even declares “I know which moves they'll make the minute their moronic brains dream up the idea.” which is far too close to Midnighter for comfort. And since his fantastic brain is so predictive it is bizarre indeed that he hurts his hand by sticking it in a propellor (even more bizarre is that this sequence is presented with redundant repetition in a style more 1970s Roy Thomas than anything else(!)). In this strange age where loyalty comes with a card I was hoping to find something (anything) in here about how the whole honour, loyalty, duty schtick drove these long gone people to throw themselves into Hell. I left the book no wiser on that score, but it was pretty enough so, OKAY!

Okay, that's a start but now I need to catch up on some - COMICS!!!

Arriving 9/16/15

Some of the best comics this week! SEX CRIMINALS, JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS, LUMBERJANES and the new ISLAND! Check the cut for the sweet breeze of new comics headed your way.

ADVENTURE TIME FIONNA & CAKE CARD WARS #3 (OF 6) AGE OF APOCALYPSE #4 SWA AGE OF REPTILES ANCIENT EGYPTIANS #4 (OF 4) AGENT CARTER SHIELD 50TH ANNIVERSARY #1 ALL NEW HAWKEYE #5 ARMOR WARS #5 SWA AUTEUR SISTER BAMBI #4 (OF 5) BEAUTY #2 BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #16 BIZARRO #4 (OF 6) BLACK CANARY #4 BLOODSHOT REBORN #6 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #135 BUCKY BARNES WINTER SOLDIER #11 CAPTAIN AMERICA WHITE #1 (OF 5) CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER #4 D4VE2 #1 (OF 4) DARK HORSE PRESENTS 2014 #14 DEATH HEAD #3 (OF 6) DEATH VIGIL #8 (OF 8) DOCTOR FATE #4 DOOMED #4 ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK #10 FADE OUT #9 FICTION #4 (OF 4) GREEN LANTERN THE LOST ARMY #4 GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #9 GUARDIANS OF KNOWHERE #4 SWA HARLEY QUINN #20 HOUSE OF M #3 SWA INFINITY GAUNTLET #4 SWA INVADER ZIM #3 INVINCIBLE #123 ISLAND #3 JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS #7 LADY MECHANIKA TABLET OF DESTINIES #5 (OF 6) LOOKING FOR GROUP #6 LUMBERJANES #18 MANIFEST DESTINY #17 MARTIAN MANHUNTER #4 MEGA MAN #53 MICKEY MOUSE #4 MIDNIGHT SOCIETY THE BLACK LAKE #3 (OF 4) MIRACLEMAN BY GAIMAN AND BUCKINGHAM #2 MISTRY PI #3 (OF 5) MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #34 NUTMEG #4 ODYC #7 PAYBACKS #1 PLANTS VS ZOMBIES ONGOING #4 GROWN SWEET HOME PREZ #4 (OF 6) PRINCELESS RAVEN PIRATE PRINCESS #3 RAI #10 RAT QUEENS #12 ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #4 SECRET SIX #6 SECRET WARS JOURNAL #5 (OF 5) SWA SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN #14 SEX CRIMINALS #12 SHUTTER #15 SIMPSONS TREEHOUSE OF HORROR #21 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #276 SOUTHERN CROSS #5 SPIDER-ISLAND #4 (OF 5) SWA SPIDER-VERSE #5 SWA STAR TREK ONGOING #49 STAR WARS #9 STAR WARS LANDO #4 (OF 5) STRING DIVERS #2 (OF 5) SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #21 TMNT AMAZING ADVENTURES #2 TOKYO GHOST #1 UFOLOGY #5 (OF 6) USAGI YOJIMBO #148 WEIRD LOVE #9 WILL EISNER SPIRIT #3 WONDER WOMAN #44 WORLD OF ARCHIE COMICS DOUBLE DIGEST #52

Books/Mags/Things 100 BULLETS TP BOOK 03 2 SISTERS SUPER SPY HC A-FORCE PRESENTS TP VOL 01 ASTRO BOY OMNIBUS TP VOL 01 BATMAN HC VOL 07 ENDGAME BIRTHRIGHT TP VOL 02 COURAGEOUS PRINCESS HC VOL 03 DRAGON QUEEN FADE OUT TP VOL 02 FIRES ABOVE HYPERION GN FLASH SEASON ZERO TP FRANK FRAZETTA ADVENTURES OF SNOW MAN HC HEART IN A BOX TP HEAVY METAL #276 CVR B KIRBY HIC HOC JOURNAL OF HUMOR VOL 02 UNITED KINGDOM HOW TO PASS AS HUMAN HC ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE #49 MASTER KEATON GN VOL 04 NEW TEEN TITANS TP VOL 03 NO MERCY TP VOL 01 ONE PUNCH MAN GN VOL 01 TERROR ASSAULTER OMWOT GN

As always, what do YOU think?

New Tilting at Windmills is up!

Tilting #244, on the topics of how does one approach ordering "Dark Knight III: The Master Race", as well as thoughts on "Local Comic Shop Day" is available at Comic Book Resources.  Please read, and let me know what you think!

Arriving 9/7/15

Big things this week. BITCH PLANET returns with what must be a bang, Andrew MacLean's HEAD LOPPER becomes a thing you can pick up at the local sequential art emporium, the first collection of Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen's DESCENDER lands alongside the book everyone has been yelling about for the last seven months, SAGA VOL. 5. Plus new WALKING DEAD, DARTH VADER, GOTHAM ACADEMY and A-FORCE is those are your jam.

The rest of the sweltering almost-end-of-summer comics under the cut!

1602 WITCH HUNTER ANGELA #3 SWA ABE SAPIEN #26 ACTION COMICS #44 A-FORCE #4 SWA ALL STAR SECTION 8 #4 (OF 6) AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RENEW YOUR VOWS #5 SWA AMERICATOWN #2 ATOMIC ROBO & THE RING OF FIRE #1 (OF 5) BATMAN #44 BATMAN SUPERMAN #24 BITCH PLANET #5 BOY-1 #2 (OF 4) BRAVEST WARRIORS #36 BUNKER #14 CATWOMAN #44 CIVIL WAR #4 SWA CROSSED BADLANDS #85 CROSSED PLUS 100 #8 DARTH VADER #9 DEADLY CLASS #16 DOCTOR WHO 12TH #11 EARTH 2 SOCIETY #4 FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US #9 FASTER THAN LIGHT #1 FUSE #14 GEARS AND BONES #2 GIANT SIZE LITTLE MARVEL AVX #4 SWA GOD IS DEAD #42 GOTHAM ACADEMY #10 GRIEVOUS JOURNEY OF ICHABOD AZRAEL #6 (OF 6) HARLEY QUINN ROAD TRIP SPECIAL #1 HARROW COUNTY #5 HAUNTED HORROR #18 HEAD LOPPER #1 INJECTION #5 INSUFFERABLE #5 JOURNEY STAR WARS FASE #1 (OF 4) JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #13 KING TIGER #2 KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #223 KORVAC SAGA #4 SWA LANTERN CITY #5 (OF 12) LEGACY OF LUTHER STRODE #3 LETTER 44 #20 MAXX MAXXIMIZED #23 MERCURY HEAT #3 MICE TEMPLAR V NIGHTS END #5 (OF 5) MIRRORS EDGE EXORDIUM #1 MRS DEADPOOL AND HOWLING COMMANDOS #4 SWA MS MARVEL #18 SWA MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #20 NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #12 ONYX #2 (OF 4) OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #12 (MR) PHONOGRAM THE IMMATERIAL GIRL #2 (OF 6) PLANET HULK #5 SWA QUAKE SHIELD 50TH ANNIV #1 REBELS #6 RED HOOD ARSENAL #4 RED SKULL #3 (OF 3) SWA RED SONJA CONAN #2 (OF 4) SADHU BIRTH OF THE WARRIOR #3 (OF 6) SAVIOR #6 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #61 SECRET WARS 2099 #5 (OF 5) SWA SIEGE #3 SWA SPONGEBOB COMICS #48 STAR TREK GREEN LANTERN #3 (OF 6) STAR TREK NEW VISIONS SURVIVAL EQUATION STARFIRE #4 STARVE #4 SUICIDERS #6 SWORDS OF SORROW #5 (OF 6) TET #1 (OF 4) TYSON HESSE DIESEL #1 (OF 4) UNITY #22 WALKING DEAD #146 WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES #723 WICKED & DIVINE #14 X-FILES SEASON 11 #2

Books/Mags/Things ATOMIC ROBO GN EVERYTHING EXPLODES COLLECTION AVENGERS TIME RUNS OUT TP VOL 01 BTVS SEASON 10 TP VOL 03 LOVE DARES YOU CHRONONAUTS TP VOL 01 CROSSED PLUS 100 TP VOL 01 D4VE TP VOL 01 DARK TOWER DRAWING OF THREE HOUSE OF CARDS TP DESCENDER TP VOL 01 TIN STARS JUDGE DREDD CLASSICS DARK JUDGES HC JUDGE DREDD COMP CASE FILES ANNIV ED HC VOL 01 JUDGE DREDD COMP CASE FILES TP VOL 25 JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #363 MY LITTLE PONY OMNIBUS TP VOL 02 NEW LONE WOLF AND CUB TP VOL 06 PIXU MARK OF EVIL TP RANMA 1/2 2IN1 TP VOL 10 SAGA TP VOL 05 STAR TREK ONGOING TP VOL 10 UNCLE SCROOGE TP VOL 01 PURE VIEWING SATISFACTION VIRGIL TP ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS TP VOL 01

As always, what do YOU think?

“If We Pull This Off, I’m Gonna Sh*t!” MOVIES! Sometimes I Catch A Flick Or Two!

Sorry! I hate the silent times too, but needs must sometimes. Alas, due to circumstances and stuff I haven’t read any comics for weeks. This is no reflection on comics, but it does leave me with little to lighten your lives with. It may well be that absence makes the heart grow fonder but it doesn’t make writing any easier. (Secrets Made Flesh Dept: Not writing is an astonishingly easy habit to get into. Scarily so.) So bear with me as we all endure a warm up about some movies I watched while gormlessley slumped in a chair at various points during the last howdiddly ever long it’s been. I have prefaced each with the best thing my long suffering life partner said about the movie in question. Those are the best bits, but if she thinks she’s getting paid for ‘em she can go whistle.

Anyway, this… THE MONSTER SQUAD (1987) Directed by Fred Dekker Written by Shane Black & Fred Dekker Starring: Andre Gower, Robby Kiger, Stephen Macht, Duncan Regehr, Tom Noonan, Brent Chalem, Ryan Lambert, Ashley Bank, Michael Faustino, Mary Ellen Trainor, Stan Shaw, Lisa Fuller, Jason Hervey, Adam Carl, Carl Thibault, Tom Woodruff Jr., Michael Reid MacKay, Jack Gwillim and Leonard Cimono as “Scary German Guy”

“If he’s up tonight, you’re handling him.”

I watched this with “Gil” because he’s at that stage where he wants to watch a horror flick even though he still gets nightmares and wanders into the room to startle me into incontinence at all hours of the night. To temper his disappointment that I wouldn’t let him watch EVIL DEAD 2 or MOTEL HELL (what can I say, cinematically speaking I’m a high-brow fucker). I found this on one of those streaming services we appear to have subscribed to in such abundance I suspect someone thinks we have a lot more time (and money!) on our hands than we actually do. Also, I’ve wanted to watch this for years. Whenever I’ve read about it it sounded like a solid bit of fun so it seemed like the perfect choice for some of that bonding stuff I’ve read about before the boy starts hating me in about, oh, two years. Turned out it was a bit of a mess (I suspect some poor editing decisions and studio tinkering there) so quite a lot of it didn’t make sense. But then again this is a kids movie so expectations are adjusted accordingly. It’s kind of THE GOONIES but with the Universal monsters chucked in (i.e. Dracula, Frankenstein(‘s Monster), the Mummy and The Creature From The Black Lagoon; it’s 2015 now so someone will need this list, I’m afraid). The kids are engaging and just rude enough for “Gil” to think he was getting away with something, and it was spooky enough for him to get comfortably creeped out while being occasionally gory enough for me to reconsider my decision. All the adults are familiar faces and all of them are enjoyable but Tom Noonan’s Monster and Macht and Shaw’s cop buddy double act stood out most. The script is as snappy as you’d expect from Shane Black; sure, it’s no KISS KISS BANG BANG but it’s crisp and clever and, remember, (it’s crucial this) it’s for kids. Fred Dekker directs and seeing his name reminded me I enjoyed NIGHT OF THE CREEPS way back when I had hair, and I don’t know where he ended up, but two movies I like makes me hope he’s happy out there. “Gil”, our lady of multiple streaming subscriptions, and even myself, The Bitterest Man In England, all had a GOOD! time.

PROMETHEUS (2012) Directed by Ridley Scott Written by Jon Spaihts, Damon Lindelof Starring: Noomi Rapace, Michael Fassbender, Charlize Theron, Idris Elba, Guy Pearce, Logan Marshall-Green, Sean Harris, Rafe Spall, Emun Elliott, Benedict Wong, Kate Dickie with Peter O’Toole as “T.E. Lawrence”

“How could anyone think that was good!?!”

It was a good question. A better question than the movie merited, I think. Jesus, I hardly have the highest of standards (I just ordered LIFEFORCE on blu-ray. Oho! Now who’s judging who! You scamp!) but PROMETHEUS was a bloated, ponderous and, in essence, thuddingly dull exercise in polishing the ancient crock of horseshit made famous by Erich Von Daniken with all the Brasso 21st Century CGI could bring to bear. It looked good, but looking good isn’t enough. Having failed to float through life on my spectacular physical beauty alone I can assure you of that, PROMETHEUS. Actual grown ass adults have told me this is an intelligent movie, this despite the fact that the script is basically all that silly shit Jack Kirby turned to creative gold back in the 1970s with The Eternals and all that Celestials stuff. All those millions of dollars and thousands of people and hundreds of thousands of people-hours, and a sun faded and badly foxed 1970s Jack Kirby comic still comes out on top. The level of intellect on show here is just pitiful. It’s just a stupid, stupid, stupid movie. And while stupid isn’t a deal breaker (see below), it’s unpleasantly stupid; there’s no fun in it and that, muchachos, is a deal breaker. On a couple of occasions the movie forgets its pretensions and lowers itself to deliver an action scene but these are poorly executed and weightless. The bloody thing is even badly directed is what I’m getting a there. Christ, everyone on screen acts like a complete moron. All the time. It’s like being at work. Charlize Theron states at one point that she has spent “trillions” on getting them all into space; she should have saved some money on interior décor and employed a better crew. These cretins are mostly scientists but they wilfully endanger themselves and everyone around them like safety and control aren’t actually built into scientific endeavour. The pilot (who we are supposed to like because he is Idris Elba and he has a squeeze box which once belonged to Stephen Stills) is so stupid he doesn’t move the ship closer to the whatever; consequently we spend a fifth of the movie watching people to-ing and fro-ing from one place where they endanger themselves to another place in which they endanger themselves. (The pilot is also so stupid he spent his money on a squeeze box which once belonged to Stephen Stills. Who gives a flying fuck. Memo to writers: Just because you think something is cool doesn’t mean everyone else does. Stephen fucking Stills. I ask you.) I could spend all night writing my way through every stupid thing in PROMETHEUS but it’s not like they aren’t all right here in front of everyone who watched it. If you didn’t see them you chose not to. The best scene in the movie is a clip from LAWRENCE OF ARABIA which sums up the whole thing nicely with a bit of tweaking: “Of course it’s shit! It’s not minding it’s shit that’s the trick!” Yeah, yeah, Fassbender is great in it, but if he wanted to be the best thing in CRAP! he should have pursued a career in scat.

TERROR AT THE OPERA (1987) (AKA OPERA , and THAT’S THE LAST TIME I LET YOU PICK A FILM, SONNY JIM) Directed by Dario Argento Written by Dario Argento and Franco Ferrini Starring: Cristina Marsillach, Ian Charleson, Urbano Barberini, Daria Nicolodi, Coralina Cataldi-Tassoni, Antonella Vitale, William McNamara

“You like some real shit you do.”

This is not a good movie but it was an amazingly enjoyable one. I used to watch shedloads of naff crap like this while pissed off my tits, but I am older now and I don’t drink around “Gil” (don’t worry, in all other respects I am a terrible, terrible parent. He’s currently playing that new MGS, so prison beckons for this bad Dad. (Also: A fire whale; WTF, Japan?)) Luckily, this movie is so exuberantly preposterous from soup to nuts it’s like watching something while shitfaced without actually having to get shitfaced. Jesus, where to start with this thing. I guess it’s the Phantom of The Opera but updated to be absolutely addlepated. Like some sadistic pre-teen’s idea of The Phantom of The Opera; with all the nuance and intellectual rigour that suggests. It’s the kind of movie where someone plays their own mother in a flashback by putting on a wig; it’s the kind of movie where someone knocks out the killer and instead of dropping a sewing machine on his head (or just running right the fuck off) creeps back reeeeaaaaalllllllyyyyy s-l-o-w-l-y to remove his mask (that ends well for her); it’s the kind of movie where they are putting on a production of Verdi’s Macbeth but the only Shakespeare I recall anyone quoting is from Hamlet; it’s the kind of movie where someone says “If you had ten pairs of hands it would still be a pile of crap!” and it’s the best line in the movie; it’s the kind of movie where everyone is dubbed badly, even the people who seem to be English speakers; it’s the kind of movie where a small child castigates her mother for being naked all the time, and it’s the second best line in the movie; it’s the kind of movie where the ventilation system in an apartment building allows fully grown adults to scamper around it like it’s one of those kids play tunnel things they have in pubs which end with a slide into a ball pool; it’s the kind of movie where the Italian police forensics department apparently can’t tell the difference between a dummy and a human corpse without weeks of tests; it’s the kind of movie that doesn’t have three good lines; it’s the kind of movie where people go on holiday to the Swiss alps and relax by tying a bluebottle to a piece of fishing line and film it buzzing about (I have no idea. Really. Answers in the comments. Please. Hurry!); it’s the kind of movie where someone has paid Bill Wyman to do some of the music (perhaps Stephen fucking Stills was busy squeezeboxing. Stephen fucking Stills. Just don’t.); it’s the kind of movie where while you know the plan to unmask the killer will be ridiculous it still manages to exceed your expectations by several football pitches (why is that dude inside the cage?!? Why didn’t he just walk over and open it from the outside?!?); it’s the kind of movie where ravens out act the humans by a comfortable margin; all of which is to say it’s unique. Hopefully. However, in all fairness the bit with the aural misdirection involving the lady carrying crockery was good.

Cineastes and horror connoisseurs will be baying for my face on a stick by now because this was directed by Dario Argento who they regard as a genius. Sadly, I’m not here to make friends, so they are all wrong and a bunch of delusional fools, every man Jack of them. No offence. Argento’s movies are essentially exercises in sumptuously executed set pieces of sadism strung together by ridiculous horseshit with, at best, one person who can actually act in the cast; which is fine. Honest. Recently I’ve watched THE BIRD WITH THE CRYSTAL PLUMAGE, CAT O’NINE TAILS and DEEP RED; all were entertaining exercises in style over sense (the clockwork dwarf: WTF?!?), but here the style is leaden, the set pieces outstay their welcome, the token actor has been omitted and the unrelenting deluge of horseshit suggest the knackers yard is on the cards for this ailing nag of a movie. If anyone says this is a good movie ask them what lenses Brian DePalma used on MISSION TO MARS and I bet they can tell you. Bully for them! But I’m not that kind of movie fan(atic), just a casual viewer so TERROR IN THE OPERA was CRAP! (but FUN!)

IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE (2000) Directed by Kar Wai Wong Written by Kar Wai Wong Starring: Tony Chiu Wai Leung, Maggie Cheung, Ping Lam Siu, Tung Cho ‘Joe’ Cheung, Rebecca Pan, Kelly Lai Chen, Man-Lei Chan

“She had to be sewed into those dresses, you know.”

Despite the fact that at no point during the sprightly 98 minutes running time of this slow punch to the heart of a movie does anyone wrestle a big starfish with a mouth like a lady’s woo-woo, use dressmaker’s scissors to cut open a sternum, blow up a werewolf with dynamite or, indeed, do anything more physically exhilarating than run to avoid the rain while buying some noodles this is almost certainly the best movie here. I would tell you what it’s about but since part of the joy of the movie is having it unfold in front of you I’m not going to. Tough shit, kiddo; going in cold is how the grownups do it. Know this though: IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE is pure cinema; a supersaturated wonder of movie making. It’s very definitely the best movie I watched out of all of these thus far, and I suggest very strongly that you just trust me on this one. Find someone you love, watch it together and let it carry you both with it. Warning: emotions may occur. Cinema? It’s still got it. EXCELLENT!

THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980) Directed by David Lynch Written by Christopher De Vore, Eric Bergen and David Lynch. Based on the books by Frederick Treves and Ashley Montagu Starring: Anthony Hopkins, John Hurt,, Anne Bancroft, John Gielgud, Wendy Hiller, Freddie Jones, Michael Elphick and Stephen Stills as “Squeezebox Johnny”

“You can watch that one on your own. It’s very good, but it’s too sad.”

Worst superhero movie ever. EVER. I mean, really. You know how when JURASSIC PARK came out there was CARNOSAUR, and when (the children’s entertainment) STAR WARS hit big there was STAR CRASH and a billion other ropey rip-offs? Well this big pile of blatant opportunism is clearly the latest cheap, quick cash in on Marvel©®’s exquisite cinematic concoctions. Oh, the hot stink of money has brought all the chancers and Johnny-Come-Latelies out of the woodwork, all wanting a slice of that fat cash pie but without wanting to put any of the artistic effort of Marvel®© in. None of them have been more abject than this effort from some David Lynch guy. I don’t who he is but he’s clearly no auteur like Joss Weed On. Any fule kno that the first flick should be the origin, but this Lynch guy just sails right past that stuff with a really muddled and unclear opening. Mind you, that’s probably just as well because, apparently, Elephant Man is the result of his mom being either raped or trampled by elephants. You have to be operating at the giddy heights of a Mark Millar to get away with something that sick. And this David Lynch guy? He’s no Mark Millar. Then later on this rapey tramply shit gets retconned into an illness, like that makes it more realistic or something. Lynch seems to consistently miss the point about super heroes at every opportunity. It’s not just about having a costume and fancy name; you got to have powers, dude. Elephant Man’s powers seem to be an inability to speak properly, the power to shamble very slowly around and, best of all, the power to build ornate matchstick models of buildings he can only see a bit of from his Elephant Den window. Look out crime! And all the while El Phanto’s dressed up like some cheap DARK MAN rip-off. I hate it when reviewers tell creators what they should do as it displays an arrogant obliviousness of monumental proportions but, for instance, and I’m just saying this to help, Elephant Man could spit peanuts like bullets or maybe strangle people with his trunk (which he does not have! Look up elephants some time, David Lynch! They are trunk city! And ears! Ears like palm leaves!) Sure, Lynch does have enough sense to give Elephant Man a rogues gallery but even this is an opportunity for further Fail. The first bad guy is a boozy porter who hurts Elephant Man’s feeling by bringing whores to laugh at him. A thrilling fight does not ensue; no, he gets fired by Top Hat Man, who is kind of Elephant Man’s mentor; like Ras Al Ghul in Batman Begins, but not evil. Oops, spoiler. Next up is (promisingly) a kind of Joker played by a stubbly old man with a face like collapsed fruit studded with British Teeth© who steals Elephant Man off to his spooky carnival lair. Hopes are raised for a kind of riff on Killing Joke but, no. Instead, once again Top Hat Man turns up and after a bit of shouting takes Elephant Man home. A bit of shouting; it’s not exactly BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT is it? Clearly he’s no Christopher Nolan, this Lynch guy. And Elephant Man’s kryptonite? His big weakness? Turns out it’s not having enough pillows. That’s lamer than Donald Blake.

Oh, and in a pitiful bid to make this industrial sized lump of Fail seem more interesting it’s all set in this sort of made up Steampunk world with hissing pipes and top hats and frock coats. But it’s totes lame steampunkery because no one has a calliope chain-gun or even a zeppelin hat. Now, I’m not one for pointing fingers but the roles for women in this are appalling; they are either nurses, whores or entertainers. Sexist much, Mr. Lynch? And don’t get me started on non-Caucasian representation! What is this, Victorian England? I think we need a strongly worded article from The Beat. Stat! Honestly, this Lynch guy can’t get anything right; at one point we get the obligatory shirtless bit, but John Hurt’s no Chris Hemsworth amiright, Beat gals? No one wants to ogle some pasty English dude who looks like he’s sculpted from tubers.

Not only does Lynch film it in B&W like it’s the 1940s or something but, fatally, nobody in this film is less than forty, they are all like old and stuff. If I wanted to watch old people I’d be, well, I’d be a pervert. Ugh, old people, with their crêpe faces and fear of Social Media! Entertainment is just for the under thirty-fives! Check your demographics, David Lynch! Old people don’t watch movies that’s why there are dominos and sleeping! No one ever made a profit by taking the audience for complacent fools, so Lynch has reaped what he sowed and, I hear, has had to run off to television. Mind you he’ll find the competition tougher than he expects now the crème of comics like Matt Fraction and Kelly Sue DeConnick are wallowing about in the old cathode ray money trough. Frankly, cinema’s better off without chancers like this David Lynch fellow. Here’s to the next Phase of Marvel movies! Excelsior! (Oh, c’mon, THE ELEPHANT MAN will always be EXCELLENT! It doesn’t even need saying.)

Yes! There it is, finally, that endearing combination of lofty disdain, overworked and painfully obvious humour, terrible grammar and disproportionate sarcasm which means I have entered that heavenly zone of judgemental prickishness for which I am renowned. Next time (at some point) – COMICS!!!

SEPTEMBER 2015 UPDATE for www.graphicnovelclub.com

Hello Awesome Comix Experience Book Club Member! (more after the jump, yo)

Ah! It’s our third month, the end of our first quarter, and I feel like things are starting to slip into high gear about now. We’re really hoping that you’re digging on the range that we’re trying to bring you each month, and I think that you’ll find that this month does not disappoint!

We really value your feedback, for good or ill, so please don’t hesitate to reach out to us with any comments or concerns, no matter how small!

Status Update

Well, we slip just a little as people moving and looking for new jobs outnumber the new sign-ups, and we fall back to 233 paid members. This brings us back to needing 101 people to join to get us to our goal (by 2017) – argh, back to triple digits (we were at needing 99 last month)

As always, if you are enjoying what we do, we always appreciate mentions on your social media (our twitter is @comixexperience) and encouraging your friends to join. Looks like I need to start working the press trail a little harder again – I slacked most of August, trying to recover from the initial push

Again, I want to remind you that after we achieve our membership goal, every 25 members over and above that we gain will yield a 25 cents per hour raise for every staff member as well. I take zero profit from the book club! There is no limit on this, and I believe we can drive the club membership high enough to have the awesome Comix Experience staff be the highest paid comic store employees in the world.

The Kid’s Club has taken a solid jump this month – we’re now at 51 members there now, up from 40 last month.

Announcing our Winner for September 2015!

Sacred Heart by Liz Suburbia

In this debut graphic novel, the children of U.S. small-town Alexandria are just trying to live like normal teens until their parents’ promised return from a mysterious, four-year religious pilgrimage, and Ben Schiller is no exception. She’s just trying to take care of her sister, keep faith that her parents will come back, and get through her teen years as painlessly as possible. But her relationship with her best friend is changing, her younger sister is hiding a dark secret, and a terrible tragedy is coming for them all. Filled with teenage loves and fights and parties, Sacred Heart is a wonderful coming-of-age graphic novel set against the threat of a big reckoning that everyone fears is coming but has no proof. Suburbia's punk-infused comics and cartooning talent have drawn justifiable comparisons to Brandon Graham and Jaime Hernandez.

Liz Suburbia's talent is on full-display in this astonishing debut novel -- the kind of work where you're glad to be in on the ground floor, because she's only going to get better from here (and this is already pretty great). We could not be more pleased to name this our September Book Club Winner!

Buy a copy of Sacred Heart here! http://mkt.com/comix-experience/sacred-heart-sep

For Club members in good standing, you should have your copy of SACRED HEART by Monday at the latest. If you’re picking up, you can pick up immediately! Oh, and even better? Every copy comes with an EXCLSUIVE signed bookplate. Wow!

KIDS club winner for September 2015

HiLo: The Boy Who Crashed To Earth by Judd Winick

D.J. and his friend Gina are totally normal kids. But that was before a mysterious boy came crashing down from the sky! Hilo doesn’t know where he came from, or what he’s doing on Earth. (Or why going to school in only your underwear is a bad idea!) . . . But what if Hilo wasn’t the only thing to fall to our planet? Can the trio unlock the secrets of his past? Can Hilo survive a day at school? And are D.J. and Gina ready to save the world?

You want Fun? You want Action-packed? You want Laugh-Out-Loud Funny? You want Hilo. That is all.

Buy a copy of Hilo: The Boy Who Crashed To Earth here! http://mkt.com/comix-experience/hilo-the-boy-who-crashed-to-earth-sep

KIDS club members should have their copies by early next week as well. If you’re picking up, you can do so immediately!

Upcoming Meetings!

So, don’t forget that our book club meeting to discuss last month’s pick, The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, is on Wednesday September 9 at 8 PM PST. We’ll have author Ryan North and some special guests streaming with us, so that should be a little… nuts! Wait, I made that same basic joke last month, damn it! If you can’t make it to the store, it will be streamed live from here https://goo.gl/fw8I6T

Then we have our meeting for this month’s winner, Sacred Heart, on Wednesday September 23 at 8 PM PST. Author Liz Suburbia will also be joining us via stream, and we’re very excited to engage with her. If you can’t make it to the store, it will be streamed live from here https://goo.gl/IWe3Kv

But, that’s not all, September is a crazy month, because we also have our two KIDS club meetings: Sunday September 20^th at 1 PM we’ve got Craig Thompson live and in-person for Space Dumplins for the kids club members only. Kids Clubbers can stream it live from https://goo.gl/oeGudF. But what if you’re not a Kids Clubber? Then you can come to our open-to-everyone signing from 2pm to 4pm! Space Dumplins is a pretty exciting book!

Finally, we close out the month with our Kids Club meeting for HiLo: The Boy Who Crashed To Earth with the ever awesome Judd Winick live and in-person on Sunday, September 27 at 10 AM for the Kids Clubbers, who can also stream it live from here https://goo.gl/41Z4zP. And if you’re not a Kids Clubber? Open public signing from 11 to 1!

Also: Due to public demand for it, we’ve started a facebook page with the events and such which you can find at https://www.facebook.com/comixexperiencegraphicnovelclub, go there and “like” it, and maybe it will show in your feed (probably not, knowing those algorithms)

YOU CAN JOIN IN when we have the meeting – you just need to have a Google+ account we can invite. You do not need to have a @gmail address in order to have a Google+ account. Join G+ at https://plus.google.com. Unless you tell me otherwise, we are directing all invitations to events and such to the address that this mail is coming to.

We are using G+ rather than Facebook because of their video meeting tools and integration with YouTube, etc. – you’ll be able to ask questions from anywhere in the world as our meeting is going on, and we think that’s pretty neat.

We also have a G+ closed and private Community which is located at https://plus.google.com/communities/114465333092610147099 -- this is a place where we can discuss the book each month. We invite you here to discuss our picks each month. If you can not access that group, please let me know and I will provide what meager support I can to get you going.

Runners Up For September 2015

We want to be really honest with you, this was pretty much the greatest slate of books we’ve faced so far, and we had a staggering seven titles that made the cut to get voted on by the Comix Experience Staff – all of these are worth a second look by you, we think, even if they didn’t win the vote. Some of these only missed by a very small number of points!

Material by Ales Kot and Will Tempest

The first book of the sweeping literary graphic novel series crosses from Boston to Los Angeles and from Oklahoma to Guantanamo, through the hidden, unfamiliar and forbidden spaces of the American psyche. Compared to the works of Don DeLillo, Daniel Clowes and Joan Didion, Material is the beginning of a journey into the heart of the newly born century.

Material is a book about being lost. It is about the things that let us be lost and the system that pushes us away. A group of narratives intertwine as each protagonist faces the thing that that is standing in their way. For a washed up starlet, an MIT professor with writers block, a political prisoner and a civil rights revolutionary all of this is Material.

Buy a copy of Material here! http://mkt.com/comix-experience/material-sep

Honor Girl: A Graphic Memoir by Maggie Thrash

All-girl camp. First love. First heartbreak. At once romantic and devastating, brutally honest and full of humor, this graphic-novel memoir is a debut of the rarest sort. Maggie Thrash has spent basically every summer of her fifteen-year-old life at the one-hundred-year-old Camp Bellflower for Girls, set deep in the heart of Appalachia. She’s from Atlanta, she’s never kissed a guy, she’s into Backstreet Boys in a really deep way, and her long summer days are full of a pleasant, peaceful nothing . . . until one confounding moment. A split-second of innocent physical contact pulls Maggie into a gut-twisting love for an older, wiser, and most surprising of all (at least to Maggie), female counselor named Erin. But Camp Bellflower is an impossible place for a girl to fall in love with another girl, and Maggie’s savant-like proficiency at the camp’s rifle range is the only thing keeping her heart from exploding. When it seems as if Erin maybe feels the same way about Maggie, it’s too much for both Maggie and Camp Bellflower to handle, let alone to understand.

From CE staffer Emma Munger: I felt immediately at home reading Honor Girl. I too grew up in the rustic camp environment, squealed over boy band members and developed crushes on a certain someone who was “off limits.” While those are specifics that not everyone may have experienced, I’m positive that anyone who picks up Thrash’s poignant memoir will find a piece of themselves in these pages. The vibrant water colors and excellent pacing suck you in and the brave, brutal honesty of Maggie’s “coming of age” lessons spit you right back out. I laughed, I cried, I cringed, and then I laughed some more.

Buy a copy of Honor Girl here! http://mkt.com/comix-experience/honor-girl-a-graphic-memoir-sep

The New Deal by Jonathan Case

The Waldorf Astoria is the classiest hotel along the Manhattan skyline in 1930s New York City. When a charming woman named Nina checks in with a high-society entourage, young Frank, a bellhop, and Theresa, a maid, get caught up in a series of mysterious thefts. The stakes quickly grow perilous, and the pair must rely on each other to discover the truth while navigating delicate class politics.

The challenge of a period piece is to resonate with modern readers, and Jonathan Case accomplishes this deftly by setting a traditional mystery/heist narrative within the framework of 1930's American class struggles. Case's clean illustration is evocative of the time and combines with likable protagonists to immerse you in a brisk adventure.

Buy a copy of The New Deal here! http://mkt.com/comix-experience/the-new-deal-sep

The Story Of My Tits by Jennifer Hayden

When Jennifer Hayden was diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 43, she realized that her tits told a story. Across a lifetime, they'd held so many meanings: hope and fear, pride and embarrassment, life and death. And then they were gone. Now, their story has become a way of understanding her story. Growing up flat-chested and highly aware of her inadequacies... heading off to college, where she "bloomed" in more ways than one... navigating adulthood between her mother's mastectomy, her father's mistress, and her musician boyfriend's problems of his own-not to mention his sprawling family. Then the kids come along... As cancer strikes three different lives, some relationships crumble while others emerge even stronger, and this sarcastic child of the '70s finally finds a goddess she can believe in. For everyone who's faced cancer personally, or watched a loved one fight that battle, Hayden's story is a much-needed breath of fresh air, an irresistible blend of sweetness and skepticism. Rich with both symbolism & humor, The Story of My Tits will leave you laughing, weeping, and feeling grateful for every day.

Comix Experience Staffer Julie Fiveash says: I personally loved Story of My Tits for being an exceedingly honest look at breast cancer as well as an amazing memoir of a woman who's reflecting on her life and the events leading to up this moment. Although Hayden admits she's a newcomer to the world of comics, her storytelling couldn't be more detailed and thorough. Her comic is a great new voice alongside such works as Harvey Pekar's Our Cancer Year and Marisa Acocella Marchetto's Cancer Vixen and will be a pivotal comic to help further connect cancer patients and survivors to the broader culture.

Buy a copy of The Story of My Tits here! http://mkt.com/comix-experience/story-of-my-tits-the-sep

Heart in a Box by Kelly Thompson and Meredith McClaren

When the Man with No Name breaks Emma's heart, she wants to die. But you never die from these things; you just want to. In a moment of weakness, she wishes her broken heart away and a mysterious stranger--who may or may not be totally evil--obliges. But emptiness is even worse than grief, and Emma sets out to collect the seven pieces of her heart spread across the country, a journey that forces her to face her own history and the cost of recapturing it, and leads inevitably to a confrontation with the Man with No Name himself!

What if after a heart-break you could give up your heart to someone else who needs it? Really, what do you need it for when it is broken and all feels lost? Well, Emma is about to find out in this volume that is at turns funny, sad, and transcendentally poignant.

Buy a copy of Heart in a Box here! http://mkt.com/comix-experience/heart-in-a-box

Descender By Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen

Young robot boy TIM-21 and his companions struggle to stay alive in a universe where all androids have been outlawed and bounty hunters lurk on every planet. Descender is a heart-felt and action-packed science fiction epic, that pits humanity against machine, and world against world. Creators Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen envision their universe in a manner that is both intelligent and full of heart, illustrated with a beautiful watercolor style that will leave you breathless and wanting more.

Buy a copy of Descender here! http://mkt.com/comix-experience/descender-sep

Star Wars vol 1: Skywalker Strikes by Jason Aaron and John Cassaday

Set after the first movie, but before "Empire Strikes Back", Luke Skywalker and the ragtag rebel band opposing the Galactic Empire are fresh off their biggest victory yet - the destruction of the massive Death Star. But the Empire's not toppled yet! When a Rebel assault goes very wrong, Han and Leia will have to think fast to make their escape...while Luke finds himself face-to-face with Darth Vader! In the explosive aftermath, a humbled Luke returns to Tatooine to learn more about his mentor Obi-Wan Kenobi. Meanwhile, Leia and Han undertake a vital - and dangerous -secret mission...but can they succeed without Luke?

OK, we admit it, we have a soft spot of the pulp theatrics of "Star Wars", but we also have to admit that we kind of can't imagine a more fantastic creative team than Jason Aaron and John Cassaday to tell a new story of the prime time of a galaxy far far away! It's probably not art, but we love it anyway, and you will too!

Buy a copy of Star Wars here! http://mkt.com/comix-experience/star-wars-vol-skywalker-strikes

That’s it for this month! Thanks, and please ask away at brian@comixexperience.com for any questions or concerns!

HAPPY READING!

-B

Arriving 9/2/15

This first week is unrelenting. The banner titles are Marvel's republishing and eventual completion of MIRACLEMAN from Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham and the debut of Jeff Lemire and Emi Lenox's PLUTONA. Plus new issues of 8HOUSE, CASANOVA, DC BOMBSHELLS, JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS, MATERIAL and WE STAND ON GUARD.  

Check the cut for the rest of the end of summer comics!

8HOUSE #3 KIEM PART ONE ADAM.3 #2 (OF 5) AGE OF APOCALYPSE #3 SWA AGE OF ULTRON VS MARVEL ZOMBIES #4 SWA ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #18 BALTIMORE CULT OF THE RED KING #5 (OF 5) BARB WIRE #3 BAT MITE #4 (OF 6) BATMAN BEYOND #4 BETTY & VERONICA COMICS ANNUAL DIGEST #236 BEYOND BELIEF #2 BOBS BURGERS ONGOING #3 BROKEN WORLD #4 (OF 4) CADAVER DOGS OF WINTER GN CASANOVA ACEDIA #4 CROSSED BADLANDS #84 DANGER GIRL RENEGADE #1 (OF 4) DAREDEVIL #18 DARK CORRIDOR #2 DARK TOWER DRAWING OF THREE LADY OF SHADOWS #1 (OF 5) DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS #2 DEADPOOL VS THANOS #1 (OF 4) DETECTIVE COMICS #44 DOCTOR WHO 10TH #15 DOCTOR WHO 2015 FOUR DOCTORS #4 (OF 5) DYING AND THE DEAD #3 EMPTY #6 FBP FEDERAL BUREAU OF PHYSICS #24 FUTURAMA COMICS #76 FUTURE IMPERFECT #5 SWA GRANT MORRISONS 18 DAYS #3 GREEN ARROW #44 GREEN LANTERN #44 GROOT #4 HAIL HYDRA #2 SWA HOUSE OF M #2 SWA JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS #6 JIMBO JONES #1 (ONE SHOT) JOHN FLOOD #2 JUPITERS CIRCLE #6 JUSTICE INC AVENGER #4 LAZARUS #19 LOBO #10 MASKS 2 #6 (OF 8) MATERIAL #4 MIDNIGHTER #4 MINIMUM WAGE SO MANY BAD DECISIONS #5 (OF 6) MIRACLEMAN BY GAIMAN AND BUCKINGHAM #1 MOCKINGBIRD SHIELD 50TH ANNIVERSARY #1 MORTAL KOMBAT X #10 OMEGA MEN #4 PLUTONA #1 PROVIDENCE #4 (OF 12) RACHEL RISING #36 REGULAR SHOW #27 SHADOW VOL 2 #2 SILK #7 SWA SILVER SURFER #14 SWA SONIC BOOM #11 SPIDER-ISLAND #3 (OF 5) SWA SQUADRON SINISTER #3 SWA STAR-LORD AND KITTY PRYDE #3 SWA THIS DAMNED BAND #2 (OF 6) THORS #3 KEOWN VAR SWA THORS #3 SWA TOIL & TROUBLE #1 (OF 6) TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE #44 UNCANNY SEASON 2 #6 (OF 6) WAR STORIES #12 WE STAND ON GUARD #3 WOODS #16 X-O MANOWAR #40 CVR A SANDOVAL

Books/Mags/Things ALIENS SALVATION HC ALL NEW X-MEN HC VOL 02 AVENGERS BY JONATHAN HICKMAN HC VOL 02 CHICAGO HC CONAN HC VOL 18 DAMNED HORDE FLASH TP VOL 05 HISTORY LESSONS (N52) GOOSEBUMPS GRAPHIX FULL COLOR TP VOL 01 SLAPPYS TALES HORROR HEAVY METAL #276 JESSICA JONES TP VOL 01 ALIAS KODT BUNDLE OF TROUBLE TP VOL 50 KOMOMO CONFISERIE GN VOL 01 LADY KILLER TP LAST DAYS OF AMERICAN CRIME HC MAD MAX FURY ROAD TP NAILBITER TP VOL 03 BLOOD IN THE WATER NEIL GAIMANS TEKNOPHAGE HC NEW 52 FUTURES END TP VOL 03 SACRED HEART GN SPOKO GN SUICIDE SQUAD TP VOL 01 TRIAL BY FIRE NEW ED SWEET TOOTH DELUXE ED HC BOOK 01 WALT DISNEY DONALD DUCK DAILY NEWSPAPER COMICS HC VOL 01 WAR STORIES TP NEW ED VOL 02 WONDER WOMAN TP VOL 06 BONES (N52) Z WORD HC

As always, what do YOU think?

Arriving 8/26/2015

This week has new FIGHT CLUB, LUMBERJANES, PREZ and WE CAN NEVER GO HOME! Check the cut for the rest of the new books this week!

ADVENTURE TIME #43 ANT-MAN LAST DAYS #1 SWA AQUAMAN #43 AQUILA #5 (OF 5) BATGIRL #43 BATMAN 66 #26 BETTY & VERONICA #277 BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #15 CAPTAIN MARVEL AND CAROL CORPS #3 SWA CIVIL WAR #3 SWA CONAN THE AVENGER #17 CYBORG #2 DEAD DROP #4 (OF 4) DEADPOOLS SECRET SECRET WARS #4 (OF 4) SWA DEATHSTROKE #9 DEATHSTROKE #9 BOMBSHELLS VAR ED DIRK GENTLYS HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY #3 (OF 5) DOCTOR WHO 2015 FOUR DOCTORS #3 (OF 5) DRIVE #1 (OF 4) E IS FOR EXTINCTION #3 SWA EAST OF WEST #20 FIGHT CLUB 2 #4 FLASH #43 GHOSTBUSTERS GET REAL #3 (OF 4) GODZILLA IN HELL #2 (OF 5) GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #8 GRAYSON #11 GRINDHOUSE DRIVE IN BLEED OUT #8 HACKTIVIST VOL 2 #2 (OF 6) HANK JOHNSON AGENT OF HYDRA #1 SWA HARLEY QUINN #19 HE MAN THE ETERNITY WAR #9 HELLBOY IN HELL #7 JLA GODS AND MONSTERS #3 (OF 3) JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #3 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #3 LADY MECHANIKA #0 (OF 5) LOW #9 LUMBERJANES #17 MAGNETO #21 SWA MARVEL ZOMBIES #3 SWA MARVEL ZOMBIES #3 VAR SWA MAXX MAXXIMIZED #22 MICKEY MOUSE #3 MODOK ASSASSIN #4 (OF 5) SWA MULAN REVELATIONS #3 (OF 4) MUNCHKIN #8 NEW MGMT #1 OLD MAN LOGAN #4 SWA OVER THE GARDEN WALL #1 PASTAWAYS #6 PREZ #3 (OF 6) PRINCELESS BE YOURSELF #3 (OF 4) RAGNAROK #6 RASPUTIN #8 ROCHE LIMIT CLANDESTINY #4 RUMBLE #6 SHIELD #9 SINESTRO #14 SIXTH GUN VALLEY OF DEATH #3 (OF 3) SKYLANDERS #12 SONIC UNIVERSE #79 SONS OF THE DEVIL #4 SPAWN #255 SPIDER-WOMAN #10 SWA SPREAD #9 STAR WARS LANDO #3 (OF 5) STRINGERS #1 (OF 5) SUPERMAN #43 SWORDS OF SORROW SONJA JUNGLE #2 (OF 3) TEEN TITANS #11 THEYRE NOT LIKE US #7 THIEF OF THIEVES #30 TMNT CASEY & APRIL #3 (OF 4) TOMORROWS #2 (OF 6) TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ANIMATED #2 VALHALLA MAD #4 WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES #722 WE ARE ROBIN #3 WE CAN NEVER GO HOME #4 (OF 5) WHERE MONSTERS DWELL #4 (OF 5) SWA X-MEN 92 #3 SWA ZODIAC STARFORCE #1

Books/Mags/Things 2000 AD PACK JUL 2015 ALTER EGO #135 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 04 GRAVEYARD SHIFT BACK ISSUE #83 CITY OF CROCODILES GN COWL TP VOL 02 THE GREATER GOOD CRIMSON HC VOL 01 FIVE GHOSTS TP VOL 03 MONSTERS & MEN GI ZOMBIE A STAR SPANGLED WAR STORY TP HUNGER HOUSE HC INHUMANS BY PAUL JENKINS AND JAE LEE TP INVISIBLE REPUBLIC TP VOL 01 JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK TP VOL 06 LOST IN FOREVER KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE OMNIBUS ED TP BOOK 01 MY LITTLE PONY PAGEANTS & PONIES TP NEXTWAVE AGENTS OF HATE COMPLETE COLLECTION TP NICKELODEON MAGAZINE #3 PREVIEWS #324 SEPTEMBER 2015 RETURN OF LIVING DEADPOOL TP RUNLOVEKILL TP VOL 01 SCALPED HC BOOK 02 DELUXE EDITION SNOWDEN GN STAR WARS LEGENDS EPIC COLLECTION RISE OF SITH TP VOL 01 SUNNY SIDE UP GN SUNSTONE OGN VOL 03 TITHE TP VOL 01 UNCANNY AVENGERS TP VOL 01 COUNTER EVOLUTIONARY USAGI YOJIMBO SAGA TP VOL 04 WALKING DEAD TP VOL 24 LIFE AND DEATH WAYWARD TP VOL 02

As always, what do YOU think?

Arriving 8/19/15

ARCHIE #2 hits this week alongside ISLAND, GIANT DAYS, STAR WARS, STRAY BULLETS, TREES and WOLF! Plus the first collection of SQUIRREL GIRL hits the street this week!

Check the cut for more of that sweet comic book action!

1872 #2 SWA ADVENTURE TIME FIONNA & CAKE CARD WARS #2 (OF 6) AGE OF ULTRON VS MARVEL ZOMBIES #3 SWA AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RENEW YOUR VOWS #4 SWA ARCHIE #2 ARMOR WARS #4 SWA ASTRO CITY #26 BIRTHRIGHT #10 BIZARRO #3 (OF 6) BLACK CANARY #3 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #134 BTVS SEASON 10 #18 CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MIGHTY DEFENDERS #2 (OF 2) SWA DARK HORSE PRESENTS 2014 #13 DEATH HEAD #2 (OF 6) DISCIPLES #3 DOCTOR FATE #3 DOCTOR WHO 2015 FOUR DOCTORS #2 (OF 5) DONALD DUCK #4 DOOMED #3 EMPTY ZONE #3 ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK #9 FEDOR ONE SHOT FICTION #3 (OF 4) GEORGE ROMEROS EMPIRE OF DEAD ACT THREE #4 (OF 5) GIANT DAYS #6 (OF 12) GOD IS DEAD #41 GREEN LANTERN THE LOST ARMY #3 GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #8 GUARDIANS OF KNOWHERE #3 SWA GUARDIANS TEAM-UP #10 HARLEY QUINN & POWER GIRL #3 (OF 6) HEXED #12 HIP HOP FAMILY TREE #1 HOUSE OF M #1 SWA HOWARD THE HUMAN #1 SWA INFERNO #4 SWA INFINITE LOOP #5 (OF 6) INVADER ZIM #2 INVINCIBLE #122 ISLAND #2 JLA GODS AND MONSTERS #2 (OF 3) JUSTICE LEAGUE #43 KANAN #5 LOKI AGENT OF ASGARD #17 SWA MANIFEST DESTINY #16 MANTLE #4 MARTIAN MANHUNTER #3 MEGA MAN #52 T REX REG CVR MIDNIGHT SOCIETY THE BLACK LAKE #2 (OF 4) MISTRY PI #2 (OF 5) MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #33 NEW VAMPIRELLA #13 OH KILLSTRIKE #4 (OF 4) PLANTS VS ZOMBIES ONGOING #3 BULLY FOR YOU POET ANDERSON DREAM WALKER #3 (OF 3) POSTAL #6 POWER UP #2 (OF 6) PRINCELESS RAVEN PIRATE PRINCESS #2 RAI #9 RAT QUEENS #11 REVIVAL #32 RICK & MORTY #5 ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #3 RUNAWAYS #3 SWA SAVAGE DRAGON #206 SECRET SIX #5 SECRET WARS JOURNAL #4 (OF 5) SWA SECRET WARS SECRET LOVE #1 SWA SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN #13 SILK #6 SIMPSONS COMICS #223 SPIDER-VERSE #4 SWA STAR WARS #8 STRAY BULLETS SUNSHINE & ROSES #7 SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #20 TEEN TITANS GO #11 TMNT AMAZING ADVENTURES #1 TMNT ONGOING #49 TRANSFORMERS WINDBLADE #6 TREES #12 WEIRDWORLD #3 SWA WELCOME BACK #1 WOLF #2 WONDER WOMAN #43 X-TINCTION AGENDA #3 SWA YANKEE #1 YOUNG TERRORISTS #1

Books/Mags/Things CAPTAIN AMERICA TP VOL 05 TOMORROW SOLDIER CAPTAIN MARVEL TP VOL 03 ALIS VOLAT PROPRIIS CONSTANTINE TP VOL 04 THE APOCALYPSE ROAD TP DAREDEVIL EPIC COLLECTION TP WIDOWS KISS DISNEY ROSA DUCK LIBRARY HC VOL 03 TREASURE UNDER GLASS EMPOWERED TP VOL 09 FAIREST TP VOL 05 THE CLAMOR FOR GLAMOUR GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT TP VOL 01 WE DO NOT SLEEP GUNNERKRIGG COURT HC VOL 05 REFINE JASON IF YOU STEAL HC MAD MAGAZINE #535 MOX NOX HC MS MARVEL HC VOL 01 MU ULT SPIDER-MAN WEB WARRIORS DIGEST TP VOL 02 NAMES TP NANJING THE BURNING CITY HC PETER PAN STONE ARCH GN PRINCESS UGG TP VOL 02 SHADOW MIDNIGHT IN MOSCOW TP STRAY BULLETS TP VOL 03 OTHER PEOPLE THE LAST BROADCAST HC TOKYO GHOUL GN VOL 02 TOWER CHRONICLES DREADSTALKER TP VOL 02 ULTRAMAN GN VOL 01 UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL TP VOL 01 SQUIRREL POWER X-MEN AGE OF APOCALYPSE TP VOL 01 ALPHA

As always, what do YOU think?

Arriving 8/12/15

Large second week! SECRET WARS returns! Alongside the debut of the new PHONOGRAM, DC BOMBSHELLS, the next arc of ODY-C and SQUIRREL GIRL! check the cut for the rest of this sweltering week of comics!

21ST CENTURY TANK GIRL #3 (OF 3) ABE SAPIEN #25 ACTION COMICS #43 ADAM.3 #1 A-FORCE #3 SWA ALL STAR SECTION 8 #3 (OF 6) AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #20.1 AMERICATOWN #1 ARCADIA #4 BATMAN #43 BATMAN SUPERMAN #23 BEAUTY #1 BILL & TED MOST TRIUMPHANT RETURN #6 (OF 6) BLOODSHOT REBORN #5 BOY-1 #1 (OF 4) BRAVEST WARRIORS #35 CATWOMAN #43 CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER #3 CROSSED BADLANDS #83 CROSSED PLUS 100 #7 DC COMICS BOMBSHELLS #1 DEATH SENTENCE LONDON #3 DESCENDER #6 DOCTOR WHO 10TH #14 DOCTOR WHO 11TH #15 DOCTOR WHO 2015 FOUR DOCTORS #1 (OF 5) DRIFTER #7 EARTH 2 SOCIETY #3 ELTINGVILLE CLUB #2 (OF 2) EMPIRE UPRISING #4 FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US #8 FADE OUT #8 FUSE #13 GARBAGE PAIL KIDS GO HOLLYWOOD (ONE SHOT) GEARS AND BONES #1 GHOST RACERS #3 SWA GOTHAM ACADEMY #9 GRANT MORRISONS 18 DAYS #2 GREEN ARROW #43 HARROW COUNTY #4 HOWARD THE DUCK #5 INHUMANS ATTILAN RISING #4 SWA INJECTION #4 IT WILL ALL HURT #3 JLA GODS AND MONSTERS #1 (OF 3) JUSTICE INC AVENGER #3 JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #12 KAIJUMAX #5 KING TIGER #1 KORVAC SAGA #3 SWA LANTERN CITY #4 (OF 12) LETTER 44 #19 MASKS 2 #5 (OF 8) MASTER OF KUNG FU #4 (OF 4) SWA MERCURY HEAT #2 MICE TEMPLAR V NIGHTS END #4 (OF 5) MRS DEADPOOL AND HOWLING COMMANDOS #3 SWA NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #11 ODYC #6 (MR) ORPHAN BLACK #5 PHONOGRAM THE IMMATERIAL GIRL #1 (OF 6) (MR) PLANET HULK #4 SWA PROVIDENCE #3 (OF 12) REBELS #5 RED HOOD ARSENAL #3 SAVIOR #5 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #60 SECRET WARS #5 (OF 8) SWA SECRET WARS 2099 #4 (OF 5) SWA SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD #4 (OF 4) SWA SHRINKING MAN #2 (OF 4) SHUTTER #14 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #275 SPONGEBOB COMICS #47 STAR TREK GREEN LANTERN #2 (OF 6) STAR WARS LANDO #2 (OF 5) STARFIRE #3 STAR-LORD AND KITTY PRYDE #2 SWA STARVE #3 STRING DIVERS #1 (OF 5) STUMPTOWN V3 #7 SWORDS OF SORROW #4 (OF 6) UBER #27 UNBEATABLE SQUIRREL GIRL #8 UNCANNY SEASON 2 #5 (OF 6) UNCLE SCROOGE #5 UNITY #21 VELVET #11 WALKING DEAD #145 X-FILES SEASON 11 #1 X-O MANOWAR #39 YEARS OF FUTURE PAST #4 SWA

Books/Mags/Things ALEX + ADA TP VOL 03 ALTER EGO #134 BACK ISSUE #82 BIGHEAD GN BLACK PANTHER BY PRIEST TP VOL 01 COMPLETE COLLECTION BLACK SCIENCE TP VOL 03 VANISHING POINT CHEW TP VOL 10 BLOOD PUDDIN DEVIANT VIRTUES DLX HC DICKS VOL 03 END OF TIME DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES TP VOL 02 NIGHT DRAGONS OF WINTER HELLBLAZER TP VOL 11 LAST MAN STANDING HELLBOY AND THE BPRD 1952 TP HIP HOP FAMILY TREE GN VOL 03 IS SHE AVAILABLE HC JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #362 LOBO TP VOL 01 TARGETS OLYMPUS HC OPERATION SIN TP AGENT CARTER SATELLITE SAM TP VOL 03 LIMESTONE CAVES OF FIRE SECRET WARRIORS COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 02 STAR TREK PLANET OF THE APES TP PRIMATE DIRECTIVE STAR WARS EPISODE V HC EMPIRE STRIKES BACK WAR STORIES TP NEW ED VOL 01

As always, what do YOU think?

Under the radar

I am a big fan of Javier Pulido, and you might be too?  So consider this a Public Service Announcement because I own a comic book store and do very little every day than think about how to order comic books, and somehow my brain, as well as the brain's of my two store managers, didn't process the fact that Pulido wrote and drew the ninth issue of the otherwise largely-a-waste-of-trees GUARDIANS TEAM-UP.  Star-Lord and Spider-Man, and other guest stars and a really funny bit with a major Marvel organization... and I don't really want to spoil anything because there was a lot to love in this issue. There's an AMAZING three-page sequence, set in a night club, and totally silent (because it is so loud) -- here's just one page of it, and it really show you that Pulido *gets* comics.

You're probably not buying this comic... and I wouldn't recommend the SERIES (at all), but this one issue?  A must-buy if you like Pulido, or classic Marvel team-up comics (this is really the best issue of MARVEL TEAM-UP I've ever read), this baby is for you.  It is really EXCELLENT.

The other thing I am oddly liking this week is ULTIMATE END by Bendis and Bagley -- this is the best DC "Crisis on Earth n" comic that I've read in decades.  But the bit that I really like is subtle and quiet and that's how each meeting earth has its own font -- the "Ultimate Universe" characters with thier mixed-case font, and the... well, it isn't precisely clear what the non-UU Ultimate characters are from, but they use a more traditional "616" font.  It's a neat effect.

I think ULTIMATE END is a GOOD comic.

As always, what do YOU think?

Aug 2015 GN of the Month Club Update!

www.graphicnovelclub.com is the place, and this is the August 2015 update.  There will be links here you can't follow if you're not a member, just saying.  And at least one that you probably should follow! See it under the cut!

Hello Awesome Comix Experience Book Club member!

Ah, our first month has come and gone – I hope you all enjoyed ILYA’s “Room For Love”! I see a few pick-up customers have still not picked up their copy. You should have also received a phone call. Your copy is safe and sound for whenever you are ready for it.

Now things begin to really kick into high gear, so here is your August news!

STATUS UPDATES

We’re growing at just the pace that I have been hoping, and at midnight on 7/31 we had 235 paid members – that means we have just ninety-nine more to go to reach our goal of 334. It is only a double digit number now, woo! Please feel free to tell your friends and neighbors!

Hand in hand with the membership increase, comes a fresh wage increase for the staff. As of their next paycheck, no one will be making less than $13.75, a full $1.50 over SF’s current Minimum Wage of $12.25. That’s entirely on you, so thank you one and all.

Again, I remind you that after we achieve our membership goal, every 25 members over and above that we gain will yield a 25 cents per hour raise for every staff member as well. I take zero profit from the book club! There is no limit on this, and my most fervent hope is we can drive the club membership high enough to have the awesome Comix Experience staff be the highest paid comic store employees in the world!

The Kid’s Club has hit 40 members, if you’re curious about that – tell your friends about that one as well (http://www.graphicnovelclub.com/kids.html.html). It makes an excellent gift.

BITS ABOUT BILLING

Just a reminder that we bill on the FIRST of the month each month. So, if you joined on August 2 or later, your first billing won’t come until Sep 1, and your first book will be the SEPTEMBER book.

As is typical, a few credit cards didn’t successfully charge (usually because expiration date changed), so please keep an eye on your email – I sent you a personal note as well as whatever was automatically generated by the payment company. The next billing attempt for delinquent cards will be on 8/4, then there will be a final attempt just a few days after that after which your subscription will be cancelled.

OUR FIRST MEETING, AND OUR COMMUNITY!

As I sure hope you all knew, we had ILYA in person from England to launch “Room For Love” last month – he was generous enough to do a workshop on comics creation in the back room of the store that seemed like it went over very well. We are discussing doing more “professional” workshops in the future.

We had our first Book Club meeting as well, and we liked the results well enough to make it public to any viewer and it can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrz4v_KwyIE It is about 1:45:00 long, and you can feel free to share that link to your friends if you think it might encourage them to join the club. Future meetings should be relatively similar (though not always with creator live and in-person) – but we will be keeping most future meetings private and not available to the public.

YOU CAN JOIN IN when we have the meeting – you just need to have a Google+ account we can invite. You do not need to have a @gmail address in order to have a Google+ account. Join G+ at https://plus.google.com. Unless you tell me otherwise, we are directing all invitations to events and such to the address that this mail is coming to.

We are using G+ rather than Facebook because of their video meeting tools and integration with YouTube, etc. – you’ll be able to ask questions from anywhere in the world as our meeting is going on, and we think that’s pretty neat.

We also have a G+ closed and private Community which is located at https://plus.google.com/communities/114465333092610147099 -- this is a place where we can discuss the book each month. There is a very excellent thread going right now on “Room For Love”, and the value of the community goes up with every person who participates. If you can not access that group, please let me know and I will provide what meager support I can to get you going.

ANNOUNCING OUR AUGUST CHOICES

“Room For Love” was somber and sober and a hothouse personal drama, so for August we’re going almost exactly 180 degrees in the opposite direction with something a little bit irreverent and silly and packed full of superheroes: “The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl v1: Squirrel Power” by Ryan North and Erica Henderson, set squarely in the Marvel Universe.

To reassure you (?), our plan is to only very very rarely feature super-hero comics (certainly less than once a year), but “The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl” is both fun and funny, and those are pretty rare combinations for the genre, and while this is a “Marvel” comic, it has the sensibility very different then the kinds of things you’ll see in the Marvel movies or TV shows yet being absolutely true to the psychological heart of Marvel Comics. We think you’re really going to…. Go Nuts for it! (ow)

Now, we know that there are a few of you that are already buying “The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl” as a serialized comic and might not want this collected edition, so we’ll make it a free swap with any of our runner-ups listed below. Just send an email with the title “AUGUST SWAP” to brian@comixexperience.com with what you’d like as your alternate, before August 15, and we’ll get you taken care of.

“The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl” is currently scheduled to arrive to us on August 19^th, so you should expect to receive your copy the week of August 24^th. We will be having our August Book meeting on (wait for it) Wednesday September 2^nd at 8 PM PST. Author Ryan North will be appearing via video call to answer your questions about the book. I am hoping that Erica Henderson will also appear on the call, but I don’t have final confirmation of that as of yet. That meeting will be live-streamed at https://plus.google.com/events/cbtu5opo2u5f9qadvc4b64r8hkc

All members of the club will receive a copy of “The Unbeatable Squirrel-Girl v1: Squirrel Power”, but if you’re not an Adult club member, and would like to purchase a copy, or if you would like additional copies, please order below!

http://mkt.com/comix-experience/unbeatable-squirrel-girl-v-squirrel-power-aug

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Ooh, our August pick for the Kid’s Club is an amazing one! The incomparable Craig Thompson brings us “Space Dumplins”

Family is the most important thing in the whole galaxy for Violet Marlocke, so when her father goes missing while on a hazardous job, she can't just sit around and do nothing. Violet throws caution to the stars and sets out with a group of misfit friends on a quest to find him. But space is vast and dangerous, and she soon discovers that her dad is in big, BIG trouble. With her father's life on the line, nothing is going to stop Violet from trying to rescue him and keep her family together in this incredible adventure from a truly master cartoonist.

We are hoping to have author Craig Thompson LIVE and IN PERSON on a weekend in September (“Space Dumplins” ships 8/26) for the kids, and then to stay after and do a signing for the adults, so hopefully look out for an announcement very soon.

All members of the KIDS club will receive a copy of “Space Dumplins”, but if you’re not a Kids Club member, and would like to purchase a copy, or if you would like additional copies, please order below!

http://mkt.com/comix-experience/space-dumplins-by-craig-thompson-aug

THE RUNNER UPS

In picking the best graphic novel of each month, we create a pool of nominees (most months we have between four and eight options), then the entire staff votes on what wins by a ranked point system. While we can only have one winner each month to send out, we thought it might be useful to you to hear what our alternates were – we really really like these books too!. These were our runner-ups for August 2015!

“Bowery Boys: Our Fathers” by Corey Levine, Ian Bertram, and Brent McKee

When his father is framed for murder, immigrant Nikolaus McGovern rallies a motley crew of street youths in a rip-roaring coming-of-age adventure based on the period history of antebellum New York City! Against a backdrop of rampant political corruption, vicious street gangs, nascent labor reform, and ardent xenophobia, can Niko and his friends triumph in a life-or-death battle against their oppressors—or will they succumb to the engines of socioeconomic progress?

This is a truly beautiful book, and a lush period piece.

http://mkt.com/comix-experience/bowery-boys-our-fathers-aug

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“The Lion of Rora” by Christos & Ruth Gage and Jackie Lewis

In the tradition of Braveheart and 300 comes The Lion of Rora - the true story of Joshua Janavel, farmer-turned-freedom fighter, who Napoleon called history's greatest military tactician. Janavel and his fellow Waldensians battled to save their people from tyranny and persecution, the first case in European history in which subjects of a ruler rebelled to defend their religious freedom. Their fight inspired the Protestant Reformation and, in turn, the American Revolution.

One of the best things that comics do for me is to show me places and people and history and bring it alive in drama that keeps me compelled but also vividly in a character’s head – I know more life in the 1600s in Italy than I did before, and I truly admire Janavel and the Waldensians. Really great historical fiction!

http://mkt.com/comix-experience/lion-of-rora-aug

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“Nanjing: The Burning City” by Ethan Young

After the bombs fell and shook the walls of Nanjing, the Imperial Japanese Army entered and seized the Chinese capital. Through the dust of the demolished buildings, screams echo off the rubble. Two abandoned Chinese soldiers are trapped and desperately outnumbered inside the walled city. What they'll encounter will haunt them. But in the face of horror, they'll learn that resistance and bravery cannot be destroyed by the enemy.

This is a heart-wrenching tale of war, loss, and defiance, and a very somber piece of historical fiction.

http://mkt.com/comix-experience/nanjing-the-burning-city-aug

***********

“The Surface v1” By Ales Kot and Langdon Foss

What if everything you ever imagined could come true? Welcome to Africa, 2034. The West and the East are moving in and three hackers are searching Tanzania for the place that can change the world: the Surface. When they discover it, love, imagination, and survival go on a collision course as things change beyond their wildest dreams! Welcome to the universe of a mind-bending, action SF epic.

http://mkt.com/comix-experience/surface-aug

CROSS-PROMOTION IS FUN!

Hey, this has nothing whatsoever (yet) to do with the book club, but I thought readers like you might be interested to know we have Author Chuck Palahniuk coming to sign copies of FIGHT CLUB 2 #1-4 on Saturday August 29^th starting at 11 AM and going all day long! He is an incredibly awesome guy that tells some crazy stories, and we could not be more excited! We’ll have some more information on that up at www.comixexperience.com/chuck.html in a few days.

Thanks again for all of your support, please email me at brian@comixexperience.com with ANY questions, comments, thoughts, pleas, dreams, or visions!

-B

Brian Hibbs

Head Cheese, Comix Experience

Arriving 8/5/15

The second issue of Brian K. Vaughan and Steve Skroce's WE STAND ON GUARD arrives this week alongside new 8HOUSE, MS. MARVEL, SPIRE and WICKED + DIVINE. Check the cut for all the fresh comics this week!

8HOUSE ARCLIGHT #2 AGE OF APOCALYPSE #2 SWA AGE OF REPTILES ANCIENT EGYPTIANS #3 (OF 4) AIRBOY #3 (OF 4) AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RENEW YOUR VOWS #3 SWA AMERICAN VAMPIRE SECOND CYCLE #9 ANGEL AND FAITH SEASON 10 #17 BALTIMORE CULT OF THE RED KING #4 (OF 5) BARB WIRE #2 BAT MITE #3 (OF 6) BATMAN BEYOND #3 BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #14 BOBS BURGERS ONGOING #2 BROKEN WORLD #3 (OF 4) BUCKY BARNES WINTER SOLDIER #10 BUNKER #13 CIVIL WAR #2 SWA CREEPY COMICS #21 DARK CORRIDOR #1 DARTH VADER #8 DEADLY CLASS #15 DEATH IN OAXACA #2 DETECTIVE COMICS #43 DRONES #5 (OF 5) FBP FEDERAL BUREAU OF PHYSICS #23 FOX (DARK CIRCLE) #5 FUTURE IMPERFECT #4 SWA GIANT SIZE LITTLE MARVEL AVX #3 SWA GOD IS DEAD #40 GODKILLER WALK AMONG US #7 GOLD DIGGER #224 GREEN LANTERN #43 GROOT #3 GUARDIANS OF KNOWHERE #2 SWA GUARDIANS TEAM-UP #9 HUMANS #7 INFINITY GAUNTLET #3 SWA INSUFFERABLE #4 JLA GODS AND MONSTERS WONDER WOMAN #1 JOHN FLOOD #1 JUPITERS CIRCLE #5 KAPTARA #4 LADY MECHANIKA TABLET OF DESTINIES #4 (OF 6) LOBO #9 LONG DISTANCE #3 (OF 4) LOOKING FOR GROUP #5 LOONEY TUNES #226 MAD MAX FURY ROAD MAX #2 MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE SEASON TWO #10 MIDNIGHTER #3 MINIMUM WAGE SO MANY BAD DECISIONS #4 (OF 6) MORNING GLORIES #47 MS MARVEL #17 SWA MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER #19 NAILBITER #15 NEVERBOY #6 (OF 6) OMEGA MEN #3 OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #11 PATHFINDER ORIGINS #6 (OF 6) PS BLACKCROSS #5 (OF 6) RED SKULL #2 (OF 3) SWA RED SONJA CONAN #1 (OF 4) REGULAR SHOW #26 SEX #23 SHADOW VOL 2 #1 SIEGE #2 SWA SPIDER-ISLAND #2 (OF 5) SWA SPIRE #2 (OF 8) STAR TREK ONGOING #48 THIS DAMNED BAND #1 (OF 6) TRANSFORMERS #44 UFOLOGY #4 (OF 6) ULTIMATE END #4 (OF 5) SWA WAR STORIES #11 WE STAND ON GUARD #2 WICKED & DIVINE #13 WILL EISNER SPIRIT #2 WITCHER FOX CHILDREN #5 (OF 5) WOODS #15 ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS #8

Books/Mags/Things AMERICAN BARBARIAN COMP SERIES HC ANGELA ASGARDS ASSASSIN TP VOL 01 PRICELESS ART OF SATOSHI KON HC BERKELEY BREATHEDS ACADEMIA WALTZ & OTHER TRANSGRES HC BOWERY BOYS OUR FATHERS HC BRIGHT EYED AT MIDNIGHT HC CONAN TP VOL 17 SHADOWS OVER KUSH FAMOUS MONSTERS OF FILMLAND #281 FRANK MILLERS DAREDEVIL ARTIFACT ED HC JOJOS BIZARRE ADV PHANTOM BLOOD HC VOL 03 LION OF RORA GN NARUTO GN VOL 71 POWER MAN AND IRON FIST EPIC COLLECTION TP HEROES FOR HIRE POWERPUFF GIRLS SUPER SMASH-UP TP VOL 01 SO CUTE IT HURTS GN VOL 02 STEVE DITKO ARCHIVES HC VOL 05 DRIPPING FEAR STUDY GROUP MAGAZINE 3D TEEN TITANS TP VOL 01 BLINDED BY THE LIGHT VEDA ASSEMBLY REQUIRED TP VENOM BY REMENDER COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 02

As always, what do YOU think?

“Eat The OTHER ONE!” Sometimes I Love The Craft Of Those Who Make Comics About Lovecraft!

My patience having finally reached its end with regards the odd susurrations which emanated nightly from the fireplace in the south library, I tasked the scrofulous fool who tends to my needs with the dismantling of said edifice. Within seconds the lumpen oaf had caused to be dislodged a stone possessed of enough heft to crack his simple-minded foot in twain.  Ignoring his repellent and startlingly blasphemous utterances I knelt to seize a now-revealed sheaf of papers adorned with runes and symbols which resisted my understanding even as the lower orders resist cleanliness. Shooing the shambling, nay, hopping, cretin of a manservant from the room I set about the package. And it is those contents which, together with their effects upon my quite febrile mind, I shall now proceed to relate. RAT GOD by Corben, Corben, Corben, Corben-Reed & Piekos

Anyway, this… CROSSED PLUS ONE HUNDRED #5 Art by Gabriel Andrade Written by Alan Moore Coloured by Digikore Studios Lettered by Jaymes Reed Avatar, $3.99 (2015) Crossed created by Jacen Burrows and  Garth Ennis

CROSSED PLUS ONE HUNDRED is a comic by Gabriel Andrade and Alan Moore which is notable for the effectiveness with which the pair of storytellers have, over these five issues, ratcheted up the tension, even though the ultimate result was never in doubt. If there ever was any doubt then issue 5 scrapes it all away with a sadistic thoroughness by leading us by the hand and simply and directly pointing out just how badly everyone has misjudged the situation thus far. I liked the thing with the ostrich rustling, that was sneaky. Sure, everyone knew the terrain we were in, everyone knew that things were going to turn to shit; the only question was the precise consistency and extent of that shit. Well, now we know. Now. We . Know. Shit! The only question remaining is the same as that on the old Chainsaw Massacre poster: “Who Will Survive? And What Will Be Left of Them?”

CROSSED PLUS ONE HUNDRED by Andrade, Moore, Digikore & Reed

The other thing CROSSED PLUS ONE HUNDRED is is possibly the only comic which has the balls to treat Islam as a part of Western society like all the other parts of Western society; that is as a part just as likely to survive a catastrophic upheaval as, say, Christianity, ostriches or people’s libidos. But you know, don’t worry about it, let’s keep holding that golliwog thing against him, eh? (On second thoughts, since most comic book writers base their portrayals of Christians on John Lithgow in Footloose (CUT LOOSE!) maybe Islam’s better off as is). My only reservation with CROSSED PLUS ONE HUNDRED (besides how long it takes to type) is the nature of the threat; if the Crossed are just us (well, you; I’m beyond reproach) without the social brakes on then conditioning those brakes back in will just make them, er, us again. Or maybe that’ll be Moore and Andrade’s point. In the meantime CROSSED PLUS ONE HUNDRED is an intelligent and really quite frightening demonstration of the fatal consequences of complacency. VERY GOOD!

PROVIDENCE #1 Art by Jacen Burrows Written by Alan Moore Coloured by Juan Rodriguez Lettered by Kurt Hathaway Avatar, $3.99 (2015) Providence created by Jacen Burrows and Alan Moore

If CROSSED PLUS ONE HUNDRED is a tip-top exercise in feral terror then PROVIDENCE, er, isn’t. Yet. Fairness is my curse (it’s true!) and so it’s hard to judge one issue in; PROVIDENCE is paced for the long haul (12 issues) and the slow burn’s part of the deal and also part of the terrain. The terrain of CROSSED PLUS ONE HUNDRED is scorched earth and brazen violence, while PROVIDENCE is set squarely in the more sedate and stately terrain of H P Lovecraft’s oeuvre. That is , a terrain which appears stolid and mundane but soon crumples under the weight of the Hell which exists without. Of course before all Hell cuts loose (FOOTLOOSE!) Moore and Burrows have to spend time convincing us of the stultifying and repressed normality shortly to be torn apart. And maybe, juuuuuuust maybe, they do too good a job of that.

PROVIDENCE by Burrows, Moore, Rodriguez & Hathaway

Mind you, some of it is just super –enjoyable, particularly Moore’s insouciant use of decompression to pump up the suspense about the guy in the park and the tasty contrast between those spicily enticing parts with the dense pudding of exposition surrounding them. Look, there’s nothing wrong with decompression but using it for everything is like putting ketchup on every meal (Tip: don’t). So it’s nice to be reminded that when used well decompression can, uh, work well. Also of note is the classy way the book concealed the exact nature of the chink in our protagonist’s armour until the precise point at which it wanted it to strike home, and sent me spinning back to reconsider much of what went before. Burrows’ stiff and largely neutral art aids this particular appearances-can-be-deceptive reveal well, and while the mannered distance of the visuals may be quite in line with Lovecraft’s signature icy disdain I like a bit more life in my lines. The only really dud bit was the text at the end where Moore doesn’t seem willing to trust his readers and so flenses any uncertainty out of the preceding pages in a way which is both exhaustive and exhausting. Also, it’s clear the book is extraordinarily well disposed towards persons whose sexuality is other than the commonly accepted norm. Hey, I’m just saying, is all.  There's still everything to play for but, yeah, PROVIDENCE was GOOD!

RAT GOD #5 Art by Richard Corben Written by by Richard Corben Coloured by Richard Corben with Beth Corben Reed Lettered by Nate Piekos of Blambot Tingit Translations by Lance A. Twitchell Dark Horse, $3.99 (2015)

Serendipity strikes like a panther (there’s one in the book; good words there, eh? Seriously, this is Patreon level shit, people) as Richard Corben also splashes gaily about in the eldritch and gibbous influences of the Great Dour One, H P Lovecraft (with a pinch of Poe to boot). Of course the unapologetically pulpy Corben does so to blatantly different effect than Moore and Burrows’ cool exercise in control. RAT GOD is far more playful than PROVIDENCE, and all the better for it because instead of merely playing at Lovecraft Corben plays off Lovecraft.

RAT GOD by Corben, Corben, Corben, Corben-Reed & Piekos

In RAT GOD Corben has, over five feisty issues, brought the full plumminess of his fleshy and fecund style to bear on a tale of backwoods mutations, diseased family trees, pendulous breasts, Bombay Mix vegetation and splattery action. Corben’s approach to Lovecraftian lore is a far more red blooded and lusty one than the haughty reserve on display in PROVIDENCE. The collars are still starched but the necks within have a meaty quality suggesting the essential frailty their manners seek to mask. And the typically Lovecraftian catastrophic impact of dark forces on unsuspecting lives is hilariously played out in miniature every time violence sends our stiff protagonist into a burst of rag-doll-ish frenzy. As ever with Corben there’s a slapstick quality to the action which comically underlines the desperation of true violence. Sure, technically speaking writing wise Corben’s no Alan Moore, but as haphazard as his proceedings may sometimes appear, the irrepressibly antic tone of his approach can’t help but get him, and us, closer to the thing that truly scared Lovecraft - the animal in humanity. VERY GOOD!

In his house at R’lyeh dead Cthulhu waits reading – COMICS!!!

Arriving 7/29/15

SABRINA, SEX CRIMINALS and MANHATTAN PROJECTS both return after hiatuses, plus new issues of BATGIRL, CASANOVA, SOUTHERN BASTARDS, JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS and MATERIAL! Check the cut for that sweet, sweet comic fix!

1602 WITCH HUNTER ANGELA #2 SWA AGE OF ULTRON VS MARVEL ZOMBIES #2 SWA AUTEUR SISTER BAMBI #3 BATGIRL #42 BATGIRL ANNUAL #3 BLACK WIDOW #20 SWA CASANOVA ACEDIA #3 CONAN THE AVENGER #16 COPPERHEAD #9 CROSSED BADLANDS #81 DAREDEVIL #17 DEADPOOLS SECRET SECRET WARS #3 (OF 4) SWA DEATHLOK #10 DEATHSTROKE ANNUAL #1 DEEP STATE #8 DOCTOR WHO 10TH #13 DOCTOR WHO 12TH #10 DOCTOR WHO 9TH #3 (OF 5) DONALD DUCK #3 ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK #8 FLASH ANNUAL #4 GHOSTBUSTERS GET REAL #2 (OF 4) GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS #10 GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT ANNUAL #1 GRINDHOUSE DRIVE IN BLEED OUT #7 GUARDIANS TEAM-UP #8 HACKTIVIST VOL 2 #1 (OF 6) HE MAN THE ETERNITY WAR #8 HELP US GREAT WARRIOR #6 (OF 6) HIT 1957 #4 (OF 4) INVISIBLE REPUBLIC #5 JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS #5 JLA GODS AND MONSTERS SUPERMAN #1 KNIGHTS OF THE DINNER TABLE #222 LAZARUS #18 LOBO ANNUAL #1 LOBSTER JOHNSON A CHAIN FORGED IN LIFE ONE SHOT LOW #8 MANHATTAN PROJECTS SUN BEYOND THE STARS #2 MARVEL UNIVERSE ULT SPIDER-MAN WEB WARRIORS #9 MATERIAL #3 MEANWHILE #3 MODOK ASSASSIN #3 (OF 5) SWA MULAN REVELATIONS #2 (OF 4) MUNCHKIN #7 MYTHIC #3 NINJAK #5 PASTAWAYS #5 POWERS #4 PRINCELESS BE YOURSELF #2 (OF 4) RASPUTIN #7 RED SONJA #17 RESIDENT ALIEN SAM HAIN MYSTERY #3 (OF 3) SABRINA #4 CARRIE VAR CVR SABRINA #4 SANDMAN OVERTURE #5 SPECIAL EDITION SEX CRIMINALS #11 SHIELD #8 SHRINKING MAN #1 (OF 4) SIMPSONS ILLUSTRATED #18 SKYLANDERS #11 LIGHT IN THE DARK SONIC BOOM #10 SOUTHERN BASTARDS #10 SPAWN #254 STAR WARS #7 SUPERMAN #42 SURFACE TENSION #3 (OF 5) THORS #2 SWA THUNDER AGENTS 50TH ANNV SPECIAL TITHE #4 TMNT ONGOING #48 TOMB RAIDER #18 TRANSFORMERS MORE THAN MEETS EYE #43 TRANSFORMERS VS GI JOE #8 TRANSFORMERS WINDBLADE #5 WAYWARD #10 WEIRD LOVE #8 X-FILES ANNUAL 2015 X-MEN 92 #2 SWA

Books/Mags/Things CONAN RED SONJA HC CONDITIONS ON THE GROUND HC DEMONS & ANGELS HC VOL 02 CLAY WILSON DENGUE HC DEVLIN WAUGH RED TIDE TP FAIRY QUEST TP VOL 02 GREEN LANTERN BY GEOFF JOHNS OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 HAWKEYE TP VOL 04 RIO BRAVO INHUMAN TP VOL 03 LINEAGE KODT BUNDLE OF TROUBLE TP VOL 49 LAST ONES HC LEAF HC MAGNETO TP VOL 03 SHADOW GAMES MAXX MAXXIMIZED HC VOL 04 MILES MORALES ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN ULTIMATE COLL TP BOOK 01 NOT FUNNY HA HA HC OH MY GODDESS OMNIBUS TP VOL 01 SWAMP THING THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL TP UNCANNY AVENGERS TP VOL 05 AXIS PRELUDE WASTELAND TP VOL 11 FLOODLAND WORLD WAR 3 ILLUSTRATED #46 YOUTH ACTIVISM & CLIMATE ZERO TP VOL 04 WHO BY FIRE

As always, what do YOU think?

“Thy Opinion Hath Been NOTED, Wrinkled One.” COMICS! Sometimes I Wonder If It's Gil -BERT or Gil-BEAR! And Then I Just Settle for GODHEAD!

In which a vain attempt is made to engage with The Present and some words are written about comics produced during these times known as Modern. In a display of staggering arrogance at no point is any excuse proffered for the extended absence of the author, although he would like it to be known that upon occasion it is necessary for him to work for a living. Would that it were otherwise. BLUBBER by Gilbert Hernandez

Anyway, this... Yeah, I know, what the world needs more of is middle-aged white males talking about what they like. Condemned as I am by the circumstances of my birth to a prison of unearned privilege, all I can offer by way of recompense are these words; as ungrammatical and dismayingly keen on cant as they may be. However, in the interests of diversity please note that while there is little I can do about being a middle-aged white male without multiple hospital stays and a bunch of therapy, I did at least show willing and wrote the following while wearing my wife’s knickers.

VALHALLA MAD#1 Art by Paul Maybury Written by Joe Casey Coloured by Paul Maybury Lettered by Russ Wooton Graphic Design by Sonia Harris Flats by Ricky Valenzuela Valhalla Mad created by Maybury & Casey Image Comics, $3.50 (2015)

I bought VALHALLA MAD for the art of Paul Maybury which I previously encountered in SOVEREIGN, a comic which now appears to be defunct despite its dense pleasures. Chris Roberson wrote that one but this one's written by Joe Casey, who here has done one of those comics which are inexplicably basically about some Big Two characters but, you know, in the literary equivalent of those disguise kits you get from joke shops with the big pink plastic nose, the Groucho 'tache and the lens-less specs fit only to fool only vegetation and estate agents. So VALHALLA MAD is clearly not a comic about Thor and The Warriors Three because there are only three of them in total not four, and they all have different names: The Glorious Knox, Greghorn The Battlebjorn and Jhago The Irritator. (Extra bonus comedy points for Jhago The Irritator).

VALHALLA MAD by Maybury, Casey, Wooton, Harris & Valenzuela

It's a light comedy which is amusing enough (they rescue a plane but unbeknownst to they, their arrival caused it to crash in the first place!) Much sport is made of the voluminous verbiage of the Stan Lee Style and a generally pleasant time is had by all, not least our three protagonists who have graced Earth with their presence for a glorified pub crawl. Or there may be more to it than that as the final page appears to promise. It's a lot of talking is what it is, and with the exception of the odd typo (e.g. "feint" for "faint") it's propulsive and amusing enough stuff but visually it doesn't give Maybury much to work with. Good job he packed his Awesome this time out and he goes to town on it nevertheless. His boldly chunky style of cartooning brings the otherworldly and the mundane together while never losing the humour of the juxtaposition. Throughout the molten flow of his line is broad enough to encompass two realities and it's ultimately his art which makes VALHALLA MAD #1 GOOD!

BLUBBER #1 By Gilbert Hernandez Fantagraphics, $3.99 (2015)

If VALHALLA MAD is the stag do then BLUBBER is the morning after where you wake up in a strange and distant field covered in sick while a stray dog humps the back of your head. Yes, it’s the one man kick to the nuts of rational thought that is Gilbert “Berty” Hernandez. Here he’s unleashed one of those baffling one-off comics that just exist because, well, because he wants it to. Is this the first in a new ongoing series of madcap anthropomorphic laff mags based around mutilation and sexual degradation? Or will the next time we see this be some sixty years hence in some pricey Fantagraphics boxed set big enough to hide a chopped up dog in? Trick question! The next time we see this will be in a court of law when Gilbert Hernandez is called to account for crimes so bizarre and outlandish we’ll have to redefine the concept of human society just to register the correct level of disgust. I particularly like the way this looks like a kids’ comic but it isn’t (unless you want to go to jail or your kids are The Children of The Damned). I was going to moan about how he got the name of his character wrong in the first strip but, y’know, the fact he didn’t murder anyone while making this bizarre farrago of puce faced lunacy probably outweighs that. Hard is the heart that weighs a typo heavier than a human life.

BLUBBER by Gilbert Hernandez

It’s a pint pot of horror poured in a teacup of visual discipline. Because as ostentatiously obtuse and unremittingly repellent as things get “Los Boss” Hernandez sticks to his grid like a fly to a fast moving windshield. It’s this friction between the boiling horror and the discipline of craft that sets that itch you just can't shift to work in your startled mind. Sandwiched inbetween the Charles Manson's Discovery Channel stuff is a bleakly funny exercise in unsettling obfuscation the equal of Lynch or (maybe a Beckett). I could feel profundity pressing against the tender membranes of my eyes as I read. Mind you, at other points I could also feel my mind pulsing and straining, like the overworked and exhausted sphincter of a pensioner at stool, as it tried at punishing cost to impose some meaning, some sense onto this EXCELLENT! comic.

Like the lady nearly sang, I can't live if living is without - COMICS!!!

Arriving 7/22/15

This week is a pretty big deal. The final FABLES is released alongside new issues of FIGHT CLUB and STRAY BULLETS plus the debut of Ales Kot and Matt Taylor's WOLF.  

Check the cut for the other hot comics this week!

ADVENTURE TIME #42 ALL NEW HAWKEYE #4 AQUAMAN #42 AQUAMAN #42 TEEN TITANS GO VAR ED ARCHIE VS PREDATOR #4 (OF 4) ARCHIE VS SHARKNADO ONE SHOT REG CVR BART SIMPSON COMICS #97 BATMAN 66 #25 BIRTHRIGHT #9 BTVS SEASON 10 #17 COWL #11 CYBORG #1 DEATHSTROKE #8 DISCIPLES #2 E IS FOR EXTINCTION #2 SWA EDWARD SCISSORHANDS #10 WHOLE AGAIN EGOS #8 ELFQUEST FINAL QUEST #10 FIGHT CLUB 2 #3 FIVE GHOSTS #17 FLASH #42 FRANKENSTEIN UNDERGROUND #5 (OF 5) FUTURE IMPERFECT #3 SWA GOD IS DEAD #39 GOTHAM BY MIDNIGHT #7 GRAYSON #10 GRAYSON #10 TEEN TITANS GO VAR ED HARLEY QUINN & POWER GIRL #2 (OF 6) INFINITE LOOP #4 (OF 6) INSUFFERABLE #3 IT WILL ALL HURT #2 JLA GODS AND MONSTERS BATMAN #1 JUSTICE LEAGUE 3001 #2 KANAN #4 LOKI AGENT OF ASGARD #16 SWA MAGNETO #20 SWA MARVEL ZOMBIES #2 SWA MICKEY MOUSE #2 MIND MGMT #35 MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #32 OLD MAN LOGAN #3 SWA POWER UP #1 (OF 6) PREZ #2 (OF 12) PUNISHER #20 SWA RICK & MORTY #4 RUNLOVEKILL #4 SENSATION COMICS FEATURING WONDER WOMAN #12 SIDEKICK #11 SINESTRO #13 SONIC UNIVERSE #78 SONS OF THE DEVIL #3 SPIDER-WOMAN #9 STAR TREK ONGOING #47 STAR-LORD AND KITTY PRYDE #1 SWA STRAY BULLETS SUNSHINE & ROSES #6 TEEN TITANS #10 TMNT CASEY & APRIL #2 (OF 4) TOWER CHRONICLES DREADSTALKER #12 TRANSFORMERS #43 TRANSFORMERS ROBOTS IN DISGUISE ANIMATED #1 UNCANNY X-MEN #35 UNCLE SCROOGE #4 VALHALLA MAD #3 WALT DISNEY COMICS & STORIES #721 WE ARE ROBIN #2 WEIRDWORLD #2 SWA WOLF #1 WONDER WOMAN #42

Books/Mags/Things AMERICA VS THE JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA TP BATMAN GOTHIC DELUXE EDITION HC BATWOMAN TP VOL 06 THE UNKNOWNS DAREDEVIL TP VOL 03 DAREDEVIL YOU KNOW DEADPOOL CLASSIC TP VOL 12 DEADPOOL CORPS DUNGEONS & DRAGONS LEGEND OF DRIZZT TP VOL 02 EXILE FABLES TP VOL 22 FANTE BUKOWSKI GN GIRL WHO KICKED THE HORNETS NEST HC GUARDIANS OF GALAXY TP VOL 03 GUARDIANS DISASSEMBLED LEGENDARY STAR-LORD TP VOL 02 RISE OF BLACK VORTEX LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT NORM BREYFOGLE HC MIND MGMT HC VOL 05 THE ERASER MONSTER TP VOL 05 PERFECT ED URASAWA MOTORCYCLE SAMURAI TP VOL 01 PREVIEWS #323 AUGUST 2015 SIXTH GUN TP VOL 08 HELL AND HIGH WATER SUNNY HC VOL 05 TIM GINGER TP VERTIGO CMYK TP WALLY WOOD EC COMICS ARTISAN ED TP

As always, what do YOU think?

New Tilting is up!

A look at DC policy changes after the retirement of Bob Wayne; and some thoughts about how the Marvel Relaunch might play out.  As always, find it at Comic Book Resources!  

-B

Arriving 7/15/15

Smaller week, but with the long delayed HAWKEYE making it's way out along side the new anthology magazine ISLAND, from Brandon Graham, Emma Rios and featuring work from Kelly Sue DeConnick, makes this one not to miss! Check the cut for all the new comics this week!

ADVENTURE TIME FIONNA & CAKE CARD WARS #1 (OF 6) ANT-MAN ANNUAL #1 AQUILA #4 (OF 5) ARMOR WARS #3 SWA ASTRO CITY #25 BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA #13 BLACK CANARY #2 BPRD HELL ON EARTH #133 CAPTAIN BRITAIN AND MIGHTY DEFENDERS #1 (OF 2) SWA CAPTAIN MARVEL AND CAROL CORPS #2 SWA CROSSED BADLANDS #80 CROSSED PLUS 100 #6 DARK HORSE PRESENTS 2014 #12 DARK TOWER DRAWING THREE HOUSE CARDS #5 (OF 5) DEAD DROP #3 (OF 4) DEATH HEAD #1 (OF 6) DOOMED #2 DR FATE #2 DRIFTER #6 ELEPHANTMEN #65 EMPTY #5 EMPTY ZONE #2 FICTION #2 (OF 4) GIANT DAYS #5 (OF 6) GODZILLA IN HELL #1 (OF 5) GOLD DIGGER #223 GREEN LANTERN THE LOST ARMY #2 GROO FRIENDS AND FOES #7 GUARDIANS OF KNOWHERE #1 SWA HAIL HYDRA #1 SWA HARLEY QUINN #18 HAWKEYE #22 INHUMANS ATTILAN RISING #3 SWA INVINCIBLE #121 ISLAND #1 JUSTICE LEAGUE #42 KAIJUMAX #4 KORVAC SAGA #2 SWA LADY RAWHIDE LADY ZORRO #4 (OF 4) LETTER 44 #18 LUMBERJANES #16 MARTIAN MANHUNTER #2 MEGA MAN #51 MERCURY HEAT #1 MISTRY PI #1 (OF 5) MOON KNIGHT #17 OH KILLSTRIKE #3 (OF 4) PLANET HULK #3 SWA PLANTS VS ZOMBIES #2 BULLY FOR YOU POSTAL #5 RACHEL RISING #35 REVIVAL #31 ROBIN SON OF BATMAN #2 ROCHE LIMIT CLANDESTINY #3 SECRET SIX #4 SECRET WARS BATTLEWORLD #3 (OF 4) SWA SIEGE #1 SWA SILVER SURFER #13 SWA SIMPSONS COMICS #222 SIXTH GUN VALLEY OF DEATH #2 (OF 3) SUPERMAN WONDER WOMAN #19 TAROT WITCH OF THE BLACK ROSE #93 TREES #11 USAGI YOJIMBO #147 WHERE MONSTERS DWELL #3 (OF 5) SWA YEARS OF FUTURE PAST #3 SWA

Books/Mags/Things 2000 AD PACK JUN 2015 2000 AD SUMMER SCI-FI SPECIAL 2015 ABE SAPIEN TP VOL 06 DARKNESS SO GREAT AN ENTITY OBSERVES ALL THINGS GN BATMAN HARLEY QUINN TP BATMAN SECOND CHANCES TP DORFLER HC INVISIBLES HC BOOK 04 DELUXE EDITION JUDGE DREDD MEGAZINE #361 LITTLEST PET SHOP HC WAIT A SECOND LONG WALK TO VALHALLA ORIGNIAL GN HC MY LITTLE PONY ADVENTURES IN FRIENDSHIP HC VOL 03 NEW 52 FUTURES END TP VOL 02 NEW SUICIDE SQUAD TP VOL 01 PURE INSANITY NICKELODEON MAGAZINE #2 NOCTURNALS BLACK PLANET TP PREDATOR FIRE & STONE TP RED ONE HC WELCOME TO AMERICA SIMPSONS COMICS COLOSSAL COMPENDIUM TP VOL 03 SIZZLE #66 STEVEN UNIVERSE TP VOL 01 SUPERMAN ATOMIC AGE SUNDAYS HC VOL 01 1949 - 1953 THOR GOD OF THUNDER TP VOL 04 LAST DAYS OF MIDGARD

As always, what do YOU think?

Arriving 7/8/15

This is an incredible week of comics! SAGA #30 and ARCHIE #1 for all of the Fiona Staples you could want. Plus BLACK SCIENCE, BATMAN, DESCENDER, INJECTION and so much more! Check the cut for the rest of this summer breeze that is new comics.

1872 #1 SWA 21ST CENTURY TANK GIRL #2 (OF 3) ABE SAPIEN #24 AGE OF APOCALYPSE #1 SWA ALL STAR SECTION 8 #2 (OF 6) AMAZING SPIDER-MAN RENEW YOUR VOWS #2 SWA ARCHIE #1 BATMAN #42 BATMAN SUPERMAN #22 BIG MAN PLANS #4 (OF 4) BILL & TED MOST TRIUMPHANT RETURN #5 (OF 6) BLACK SCIENCE #16 BLOODSHOT REBORN #4 BRAVEST WARRIORS #34 CATWOMAN #42 CHEER UP ONE SHOT CIVIL WAR #1 SWA CLARENCE #2 COFFIN HILL #20 CONSTANTINE THE HELLBLAZER #2 CRICKETS #4 DASH #3 DEATH SENTENCE LONDON #2 DESCENDER #5 DIRK GENTLYS HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY #2 (OF 5) DOCTOR WHO 11TH #14 REG COOK DRONES #4 (OF 5) EARTH 2 SOCIETY #2 EERIE COMICS #7 FABLES THE WOLF AMONG US #7 FOX (DARK CIRCLE) #4 FUBAR MOTHER RUSSIA #3 (OF 3) GEORGE PEREZ SIRENS #4 GHOST RACERS #2 SWA GOD IS DEAD #38 GOTHAM ACADEMY #8 GRIEVOUS JOURNEY OF ICHABOD AZRAEL #5 (OF 6) HARROW COUNTY #3 INFERNO #3 SWA INJECTION #3 INVADER ZIM #1 JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #2 JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #11 LANTERN CITY #3 (OF 12) LONG DISTANCE #2 (OF 4) MAD MAX FURY ROAD MAX #1 Of(2) MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS ASSEMBLE SEASON TWO #9 MASTER OF KUNG FU #3 (OF 4) SWA MAXX MAXXIMIZED #21 MRS DEADPOOL AND HOWLING COMMANDOS #2 SWA NEGATIVE SPACE #1 (OF 4) NEW SUICIDE SQUAD #10 PISCES #3 (MR) PRINCELESS RAVEN PIRATE PRINCESS #1 PROVIDENCE #2 (OF 12) REBELS #4 RED HOOD ARSENAL #2 RUNAWAYS #2 SWA SAGA #30 SAVIOR #4 SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU #59 SECRET WARS 2099 #3 (OF 5) SWA SHUTTER #13 SONIC THE HEDGEHOG #274 SPIDER-ISLAND #1 (OF 5) SWA SPIDER-VERSE #3 SWA SPONGEBOB COMICS #46 SQUADRON SINISTER #2 SWA STAR TREK GREEN LANTERN #1 (OF 6) STAR TREK NEW VISIONS 1971 48602 STAR WARS LANDO #1 (OF 5) STARFIRE #2 STARVE #2 STRANGE FRUIT #1 SWORDS OF SORROW #3 (OF 6) TOMORROWS #1 (OF 6) UNITY #20 WALKING DEAD #144 WITCHBLADE #183

Books/Mags/Things AMAZING SPIDER-MAN TP VOL 03 SPIDER-VERSE BACCHUS OMNIBUS ED GN BALTIMORE STEADFAST TIN SOLDIER & VAMPIRE SC NOVEL BATMAN ETERNAL TP VOL 02 BATMAN THE JIRO KUWATA BATMANGA TP VOL 02 (OF 3) CREEPY PRESENTS ALEX TOTH HC CROSSED TP VOL 13 EAST OF WEST THE APOCALYPSE YEAR ONE HC FOGELS UNDERGROUND COMIX PRICE GRADING GUIDE 2015-16 SC VOL FOUR EYES TP VOL 01 FORGED IN FLAMES REMASTERED GODZILLA HC HALF CENTURY WAR ILLUSTRATION MAGAZINE #48 IRON FIST EPIC COLLECTION TP FURY OF IRON FIST JUNIOR BRAVES OF THE APOCALYPSE HC VOL 01 JUSTICE LEAGUE HC VOL 06 INJUSTICE LEAGUE (N52) KABUKI LIBRARY HC VOL 01 KING SIZE KIRBY SLIPCASE HC LITTLE NEMO RTN TO SLUMBERLAND HC MOWGLIS MIRROR GN MY LOVE STORY GN VOL 05 NEW AVENGERS TP VOL 04 PERFECT WORLD NOWHERE MEN TP VOL 01 FATES WORSE THAN DEATH OVERSTREET COMIC BK PG SC VOL 45 CAPT AMERICA  & SHIELD CVR SHADOW SHOW TP SHUTTER TP VOL 02 WAY OF THE WORLD SKYLANDERS RTN OF DRAGON KING HC STORM TP VOL 02 BRING THUNDER THEYRE NOT LIKE US TP VOL 01 BLACK HOLES FOR THE YOUNG THOR PREM HC VOL 02 WHO HOLDS HAMMER TWIN STAR EXORCISTS GN VOL 01 WILL EISNERS THE SPIRIT A CELEBRATION OF 75 YEARS HC X-FILES CLASSICS SEASON ONE HC VOL 02

As always, what do YOU think?