New Library Comics: Week of November 27, 2006

Here are the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Afterworks. /Berkeley, Calif. : Image Comics, 2006- vol. 1

Baumann, Suzanne. Damned bunnies /Hamtramck, MI : Fridge Magnet Concoctions, c1995.

Brewer, Terry. Adam & Steve /[West Hollywood, Calif.? : WeHoChurch?, 200-?]

Dementia. Hardcore Dementia /Seattle, Wash. : Eros Comix, 2001.

Drew. Toothpaste for dinner /Cincinnati, Ohio : HOW Books, c2005.

Figueroa, John, 1936- The project /New York : Paradox Press, c1996.

Free speeches /Portland : Oni Press, c1998.

French, Renee. The ticking /Marietta, Ga. : Top Shelf Productions, c2005.

Gillis, Peter. Shatter. /San Francisco : A I T Planet Lar, 2006.

Kitchen, Alexa. Drawing comics is easy! : (except when it's hard!) /Amherst, Mass. : DKP Co., LLC, c2006.

Knockabout trial special. /London : Knockabout Comics, 1984.

Marchetto, Marisa Acocella. Cancer vixen : a true story /New York : Alfred A. Knopf, c2006.

Melville, Clarles P. A. Felicia : Melari's wish /Seattle, Wash. : MU Press, 1995.

O'Connor, George. Journey into Mohawk Country /New York : First Second, c2006.

Reilly, Chris. The trouble with Igor /San Jose, Calif. : SLG Publishing, c2006.

Ryan, Johnny. The comic book holocaust /Oakland, Calif. : Buenaventura Press, c2006.

Schulz, Charles M. The complete Peanuts /Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, c2004- vol. 6

Scorpio. Hummers /Seattle, Wash. : Eros Comix, 2000.

Takahashi, Rumiko, 1957- Ranma 1/2 /San Francisco, CA : Viz Communications, c2003- vols. 29, 35

Tezuka, Osamu, 1928-1989. Phoenix. Vol. 8, Civil war. Part two, Robe of feathers /San Francisco, CA : Viz Communications, c2006.

Turner, Jason. True loves /Maple Ridge, BC : New Reliable Press, 2006-

Vollmar, Rob. Bluesman : a twelve bar graphic narrative in the key of life and death /Lincoln, CA : Absence of Ink Comic Press, 2004- vol. 3

Williams, Tom. MISA. /Open Crash Comics, 2001.

Yang, Gene Luen. American born Chinese /New York : First Second, 2006.

Yokoyama, Akira, 1938- 240Z : the fated Z-plan : Fairlady Z / 240Z the legend of the most successful sports car in the world /Carson, Calif. : Digital Manga, 2006.

Christmas Covers - December 4

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Comic Cover Advent Calendar. Just move your mouse over the image to reveal today's special Holiday comic cover. Click on the image to get a larger version.

Today's cover is from Yogi Bear #11, with Yogi taking the easy way in getting his Christmas tree decorated.

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.


Just 21 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2005: The Batman and Robin Adventures #3)
(2004: Dell Four Color #1154)

(Polite Dissent's 2006 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)
 

Christmas Monkey Covers - December 3

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Comic Cover Advent Calendar. In addition, Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB, because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

So to celebrate this first Sunday in December, I present you with a Christmas cover featuring a monkey! Just move your mouse over the image to reveal today's special Holiday comic cover. Click on the image to get a larger version.

The cover is from 1957's Tom-Tom and Itchi the Monk #2. I'm assuming that Tom-Tom is the elephant dressing up as Santa, and Itchi is the monkey helping him. I have no idea who the little caveboy is. Unless he's Tom-Tom. In which case I have no idea who the elephant is...)

Just 22 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(This was the only new Christmas cover with a Monkey on it that I could find this year. If you know of any others, please let me know!)

(2005: Marge's Little Lulu #18)
(2004: Superman #369)

(Polite Dissent's 2006 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)

Christmas Covers - December 2

For each day of December until Christmas I'm featuring a Comic Cover Advent Calendar. Just move your mouse over the image to reveal today's special Holiday comic cover. Click on the image to get a larger version.

Today's cover is Hank Ketcham's Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Series #111 from 1972, with Dennis doing the right thing for once once again being a rascal.

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.


Just 23 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2005: Limited Collectors' Edition #C-43)
(2004: Walt Disney's Christmas Parade #9)

(Polite Dissent's 2006 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)

Christmas Covers - December 1

It's time once again for our annual Christmas Covers event: twenty-five more comic covers with a holiday theme, in our little virtual comic book advent calendar.

Hover over the image to reveal today's cover, and click on it to see the larger-sized version.

This year's first Christmas Cover is Carlo Barberi's cover to last year's Justice League Unlimited #16.

Come back tomorrow, and every day this month, for a new Christmas cover.

Just 24 more 'get-ups' until Santa!

(2005: Walt Disney's Christmas Parade #3)
(2004: Limited Collectors' Edition #C-34)
(Polite Dissent's 2006 Comic Book Cover Advent Calendar)

David Hahn Loves Mary Jane

Mercury Studios has the word that YACB-fave artist David Hahn will be the new regular artist on Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane as of issue #16. We were quite sad when we first heard that long-time Mary Jane artist Takashi Miyazawa was leaving the title, but we're now rather happy that Hahn has gotten the gig. Though his style is a bit different than Miyazawa's, I think that Hahn will make for a great match with Sean McKeever's stories.

YAMR: Christmas 2006

December is upon us, and that means it's Christmas time here at YACB!

To kick things off, it's our Annual Christmas Spectacular on Yet Another Music Radio. I've got the entire 2006 Christmas mix, plus the 2003 mix and the 2000 mix.

Tune in to hear over 100 songs by such artists as:

Adrienne Pierce, Aimee Mann, Alan Jackson, Ali Lohan, Alison Krauss, Aly & AJ, Ashanti, Asleep at the Wheel, Audio Adrenaline, Audra, Barenaked Ladies, BarlowGirl, Bianca Ryan, Billy Dean, Blondfire, Brad Paisley, Bruce Robison, c. basinet, Caedmon's Call, Carly Simon, Chasing Furies, Chely Wright, Chris Rice, Cindy Morgan, Coldplay, David Benoit & Take 6, Deana Carter, Dido, Elizabeth Elmore, Emily Richards, Enya, Erin Alden, Erin O'Donnell, Faith Hill, FFH, First Call, Five Iron Frenzy, Fountains of Wayne, Heyley Westenra, Hilary Duff, Hillsong, Iain Archer, Israel & New Breed, James Taylor, Jane Monheit, Jars of Clay, Jeff Black, Jesse Colin Young, Jewel, Jim Brickman & Kristy Starling, Joan Orborne, John Legend, Jump5, Keb' Mo', Kelly Willis, Kimberly Locke, Kutless, Laura Allan, Leigh Nash, Linda Rutherford & Celtic Fire, Lisa Ono, Liz Phair, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Mary Karlzen, MercyMe, Michelle Malone, Miga, Mindy Wade, The Moody Blues, Natalie Grant, The Normals, The Nylons, Paul Overstreet, Pierce Pettis, Point of Grace, Rebecca St. James, Relient K, Rhonda Vincent, Rockapella, Sara Groves, Sarah Masen, Sarah McLachlan, Selah, Shawn Colvin, SHeDAISY, Sixpence None the Richer, Sonicflood, Starfield, Sufjan Stevens, Sugar Ray, Susan Graham White, Suzy Bogguss & Delbert McClinton, Third Day, Tift Merritt, TRALALA, Trifolkal, Venus Hum, Viva Voce, Vonda Shepard, ZOEgirl.

That's six and a half hours of Holiday Cheer for you this December. Please enjoy!

(Later today we'll continue the festivities with the kick off of our daily Christmas Covers feature; and later in the month will be the Third Annual CBLDF Fund Drive.)

Review: Wings

Wings
by Shinsuke Tanaka
Purple Bear Books, $14.95

There's just one word for Shinsuke Tanaka's silent manga Wings: adorable.

A farmer riding his bike finds a puppy abandoned in a box by the side of the road. But this is no ordinary puppy: he has wings! Farmer takes the puppy home, puppy grows up into a flying dog. Various adventures are had, some humorous, some harrowing.

There are no words in Wings; the story is completely carried by Tanaka's excellent artwork, done entirely in grayscale pencil. Quiet scenes, exciting flying scenes, and everything in between works. At an average of about one panel per page (some have two, otehres are 2-page spreads) it reads quickly. Some may bristle at paying $15 for a 5-10 min. read; but this resembles a good hardcover picture book as much as it does a graphic novel, and in that company it's not too expensive at all. Wings will also appeal to fans of Owly (though I'd say that Wings is more sophisticated).

If you're looking for a charming, delightful manga that's quite different from the norm, give Wings a look.

Rating: 4 (0f 5)

New This Week: November 29, 2006

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:


The Pick of the Week is the collected edition (plus new material!) of Rob Walton's Ragmop. It's a political/religious/science satire with conspiracy theories, talking dinosaurs, and Richard Feynman, all done in a style like Chuck Jones-era Warner Bros. cartoons. If that sounds interesting to you at all, you'll want to fork over the $30 for this large (464 pages!) collection.


In other comics:

Boom! have the final issue of Talent (#4) and the first issue of the reimagined Whisper.

Carroll & Graf have the Mammoth Book of Best New Manga.

Dark Horse have the Dark Horse Book of Monsters anthology, and a new Goon collection: vol. 5, Wicked Inclinations.

DC have the Batman/The Spirit crossover; a fourth Ex Machina collection; the first issue of Howard Chaykin's Guy Gardner mini; and new issues of 52 (week 30) and Batman (#659).

Drawn & Quarterly have a new volume of Chris Ware's Acme Novelty Library.

Fantagraphics have a new issue of Castle Waiting (#3), and a new Comics Journal too (#279).

Image have new issues of The Emissary (#6) and Negative Burn (#6), plus the sixth Noble Causes collection. (hmmm, 6-6-6...)

Marvel collect the Barracuda story from Punisher Max; and have new issues of Captain America (#24), Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (#14), Nextwave (#10), Powers (#21), Punisher (#41), and Ultimate Power (#2).

TokyoPop have the sixth volume of Beck.


Enjoy your new comics!

New Library Comics: Week of November 20, 2006

Here are the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Bieri, Sean. Jumbo jape : a massive miniature collection one full decade in the making! : thrill to these comical masterworks /Hamtramck, Mich. : Sean Bieri, c2003.

Bieri, Sean. Overtime for business chimp /Hamtramck, Mich. : Sean Bieri, [200-?]

Boiled owl /[San Francisco] : [Boiled Owl], [1977?]

Broersma, Matt. Insomnia /Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books ; [Bologna, Italy?] : Coconino Press, c2005- no. 2

Campbell, J. Chris. Quitter /Greenville, SC : Wide Awake Press, c2003.

Cater, Donovan. Chucky : a 24 hour comic /Eastland, Muskegon, Mich. : Powernut Comics, c2004.

Cater, Donovan. Reg Maximum : inter-galactic real estate agent : a 24 hour comic /Muskegon, Mich. : Donovan Cater, [2005]

Cicerone, Michelangelo. Ozone Jones comics /[Dearborn, Mich.?] : M. Cicerone, c2003.

Espinosa, Rod. The courageous princess /San Antonio, Tex. : Antartic Press, 2000- vols. 2-3

Frost, Sean. A yearly treat /Manchester, MI : Hula Cat Comics, c2004.

Hiti, Samuel. The gallows noose /United States : La Luz Comics, c2004.

Miller, Jordan. Vikings are the new pirates /Ann Arbor, Mich. : Vikings Are the New Pirates, c2006.

Rebecca. Housewives and hot moms at play /Seattle, Wash. : Eros Comix, 2002.

Speed tunnel. /[United States?] : [s.n.], [200-?]

Starr, Chelsea. Weird Bob /S[an] F[rancisco] : Kapow!, c2001.

Dave Cockrum, 1943-2006

As most of you have no doubt already read on other blogs, Dave Cockrum passed away over the weekend. (Tom Spurgeon unsurprisingly has the best rundown of his career.)

Most will remember Cockrum as the co-creator of the "All-New, All-Different X-Men," but I'll always best remember his work on the 70s-era Legion of Super-Heroes, and especially those funky costumes--why wouldn't teenage super-heroes of the future run around in their swimsuits? He also drew one of the greatest super-hero weddings ever, that of Bouncing Boy & Duo Damsel.

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Today's cover comes courtesy of comics blogger extraordinaire Mike Sterling, who recommends the cover to Richie Rich & Jackie Jokers #19. It was one of the many Richie Rich comics his store got in a collection recently, and he says he thought of YACB as soon as he came across it. Thanks Mike!

(Standard disclaimer about giant apes not really being monkeys applies.)

A note: Monkey Covers will be going on hiatus for the next month or so as starting this Friday we'll have our annual Festival of Christmas Covers. Don't worry monkey fans, as Monkey covers will be back the last Sunday of the year.

Happy Thanksgiving

We here at YACB wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving! Unless of course you're a turkey; in which case: RUN!


(Cover to The Adventures of Pipsqueak #36 courtesy of the GCD.)

Review: Pirate Tales #1

Pirate Tales #1
Boom! Studios, $6.99

Pirates, so they say, are the new zombies. And thus it makes sense that the company best known for its Zombie Tales anthologies would put together an anthology devoted to Pirate Tales.

As with most anthologies, it's a mixed mag. The most visually interesting story here is "The Walk," with each page being both a panel of the story and a section of the deck of the pirate ship. Unfortunately the story by Joe Casey (who is always hit-or-miss for me) doesn't do much for me. "Wolf on the Wave," by Johanna Stokes and Julia Bax, puts a female spin on an old-school pirate tale; and John Roers & Lee Carter's "Namesake" gives us a tale of modern-day high-seas piracy.

My favorite story of the lot is the last one, "Rum & Inspiration." The art by the always wonderful Fabio Moon is great as expected, and Christopher Golden turns in a solid story of pirates in a bar, with a twist at the end.

In all, another solid outing from the team at Boom!

Rating: 3 (of 5)

(A review copy of this comic was provided by the publisher)

Monkey Covers Extra

Matthew Hoffman, librarian at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Primate Research Center, wrote in to tell me that last year their Webpage featured a rotating gallery of comic book covers featuring non-human primates. They've since moved on to featuring movie posters, but he's put together all of the featured covers from last year on a single page for your viewing enjoyment!

Mid-90s Inter-Company Crossovers That Never Were

Mid-90s Inter-Company Crossovers That Never Were.
#1 in a series?

Deathstroke vs. Deadpool



You just know that in 1994 this would've sold oodles of copies.

It might have gone something like this:

The Maggia hires Slade Wilson--aka Deathstroke, the Terminator--to take out Lex Luthor. After a near miss, Luthor hires Deadpool to pro-actively defend him by eliminating Deathstroke. Much combat ensues.

E-mail & Misc.

ITEM! So I stumbled across the fact that when I upgraded this blog to Blogger Beta, Blogger helpfully decided to list my Gmail address as contact information. Not anywhere on the blog itself, but on my profile page and in the feed. Problem is, I almost never check that Gmail address. So if you tried to contact me that way, and it seemed like I was ignoring you, I was actually just ignoring my Gmail. As always, should you wish to contact me, I can be emailed at my regular email address.

ITEM! Not much blogging last week at all. I'd like to say it was because I was hard at work on my script for NaGraNoWriMo, but sadly it was because last week was a hell week. In fact, I haven't been getting much writing done at all. There's no way I'm going to finish by the end of November, but I'll keep plugging along until I get done.

ITEM! I have, however, done much in the way of procrastination. Such as putting a good deal of work into the Comic Series Wiki, creating a bunch of new series pages. Why not drop by and help out by fleshing out information on your favorite series?

ITEM! I did manage to make a small but noticeable dent in my to-be-read pile over the weekend. I'm not really up for writing actual reviews, but I quite liked the second story arc on DMZ (issues #6-10) and thought it was better than the first, and the "Out of Egypt" story in Testament was good too. I read the first trade of Brubaker & Lark's Daredevil and it as fantabulous. I also liked the first issue of Jonathan Hickman's The Nightly News; it reminded me a lot of Brian Wood's early work, except that where Wood typically praises journalists, Hickman's comic has nothing but contempt.

New Library Comics: Week of November 13 2006

Here are the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Bernet, Jordi. Bernet /San Francisco, CA : Auad Pub., [200-?]

Caretta, Fernando. Insatiable /Seattle, WA : Eros Comix, c1998.

Cargo : comic journalism : Israel, Germany /Berlin : Avant-Verlag, [2005]

Corben, Richard. Edgar Allan Poe's haunt of horror /New York : Marvel, 2006.

Doucet, Julie, 1965- My most secret desire /Montreal, Quebec : Drawn & Quarterly ; New York : Distributed in the USA and abroad by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.

Katin, Miriam. We are on our own : a memoir /Montreal : Drawn & Quarterly ; New York : Distributed in the US by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2006.

Moore, Alan, 1953- Lost girls /Atlanta : Top Shelf Productions, c2006.

Tanaka, Shinsuke. Wings /New York : Purple Bear Books, 2006, c2000.

Top Shelf asks the big questions /Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions, c2003.

Zee, Jennifer V. (Jennifer Vun-Wei) Biceps /[California?] : Jennifer V. Zee, c2006.

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Gorilla Man graces Tomm Coker's cover of the recent Agents of Atlas #2.

(Standard disclaimer about gun-toting gorillas not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

New Library Comics: Week of November 6, 2006

Here are the comics we added to our library collection last week:


Andersson, Max. Bosnian flat dog /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2006.

Doran, Colleen, 1963- Knights of the angel /West Chester, Pa. : Whitford Press, c1989.

Dunlop, Rob. Tozzer 2 : special edition /London : Ablaze Media, c2005.

Fiering, Greg. I don't love you! : the best of Migraine Boy /San Jose, CA : SLG Pub., c2004.

Hoffmann, Heinrich, 1809-1894. Struwwelpeter /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2006.

Konig, Ralf. Dschinn Dschinn /Reinbek bei Hamburg : Rowohlt Taschenbuch Verlag, 2005-2006. vols. 1-2

Laxman, R. K. Brushing up the years : a cartoonist's history of India, 1947-2004 /New Delhi ; New York : Penguin Viking, 2005.

Love and rockets (Fantagraphics Books) Love and rockets. /Stamford, CT : Fantagraphics Books, 1982- vol. 2 no. 17

McCubbin, Lauren. Pretty like a princess /Berkeley, CA : Penny Dreadful Press, c2002.

Minus, Walter. Darling Cheri /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2006.

Rennie, Gordon. The life and times of Ulli & Marquand and their misadventures in Mordheim, city of the damned /Nottingham : Games Workshop Publishing, c2002.

Umezu, Kazuo. Reflections /Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Manga, 2006. vol. 1

Watase, Yu. Oracle /San Francisco, CA : Viz Communications, 1999.

Watase, Yu. Priestess /San Francisco, CA : Viz Communications, c1999.