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Karloff, Turok And Tarzan I own a number of Dark Horse Books’ classic comic book reprint volumes. I really enjoy looking through each and every volume. Many of the original comic book series I owned and read or borrowed from fellow comic book readers during my youth. Looking over each handsome hardbound collection brings back wonderful memories of afternoons spent reading and rereading tales of adventure, horror, suspense and super heroics. Comic books encouraged me to read regular books and one of my favorite series was Edgar Rice Burrough’s Tarzan, The Ape Man. Dark Horse presents the fifth volume in its Tarzan reprint series, this particular volume focuses on the Jesse March years. Along with writer Gaylord DuBois, Jesse March was responsible for the first illustrated Tarzan comic book that was filled with humor, playfulness and high-adventure. Boris Karloff Tales Of Mystery Volume Two features tales of terror and horror hosted by the master of macabre, Boris (Frankenstein) Karloff, the grandfather of cinematic chillers. Like the other compiled volumes the Tales of Mystery book is filled with morality plays where justice is served up in supernatural ways-often with horrific results. Each color page is lovingly reproduced and includes text pieces, covers and Keys Of Knowledge frontispieces. Look for art by such greats as Alex Toth, Mike Sekowsky, Joe Certa and others. Turok Son Of Stone was one of my favorite Gold Key titles growing up. Turok, along with Doctor Solar and Magnus Robot Fighter never failed to deliver great stories, great art and lots of fun. In Volume Five, Turok takes on winged cavemen, magic potions, man-eating
plants and of course-dinosaurs.
Turok, along with his young friend Andar, must work to survive in the
lost land where danger lurks around every rock, tree or swamp. Legendary Turok artist Alberto Giolitti
was the master of prehistoric landscapes along with beautifully designed
pages, striking action sequences and exciting character sequences. Full color pages recreate the classic
series and deliver Turok action in a hardbound format.
New Ultimates #1 To say I'm a fan of Frank Cho's artwork is a huge understatement. I love his ability to make super beings appear real and pulsing with movement even when they are standing still. He is the 'ultimate' good-girl artist (as evident by his self-published Liberty Meadows) and he never fails to deliver powerful and action-packed stories. His page layouts, character designs and the ability to translate to the page emotion in his characters is second to none. Writer Jeph Loeb brings back The Ultimates after the disastrous events in the previous Ultimates titles. Iron-Man and Hawkeye, despite their personal losses, begin the process only to be surprised by the arrival of The Defenders consisting of the now super-powered Power Man, Son Of Satan, Nighthawk, Hellcat and Black Knight. Things look pretty grim until Captain America, Zarda and Thor's young female associate Barbara arrive and turn the tide but not before the Son Of Satan snatches Thor's hammer and The Defenders teleport away. Meanwhile Thor, trapped in Valhalla, makes a deal with Hela, Mistress Of The Damned, in order to return to Earth. Kazar, Shanna and The Black Panther strolls the streets of New York and Tony Stark and Carol Danvers argue about who runs the Ultimates and get up close and personal. Then Loki arrives with his army of Trolls looking for revenge. And that's just the first issue! A sneak peek at the new Electric Ant based on Philip K. Dick's sci-fi
masterpiece, and a huge fold-out cover poster from Frank Cho makes the New
Ultimates #1 from Marvel Comics a
must-have for any comic book fan.
It began a couple years back when DC Comics brought The Spirit back to comic books. Couple that with DC Silver Age characters (the Metal Men for example) that have made a comeback in various DC titles such as The Brave And The Bold, Wednesday Comics and the like) the time is ripe to reintroduce more Silver Age, Golden Age and Pulp magazine characters to a whole new generation of readers. And that's just what DC's First Wave does. Writer Brian Azzarello and artist extraordinaire Rags Morales present a hero book without the usual super powered heroes Sure Batman is present, but he has no powers, only his wits and utility belt, pre-Superman inspiration Doc Save with his motley crew of assistants are there and Will Eisner's Spirit manages to dig his way out of his graveyard headquarters to lend a gloved hand. The story begins with a bang as a lone explorer rushes through the jungle, fleeing a large mechanical man. He is captured and injured, only to be saved by a mysterious benefactor. Switch to New York City where Doc Savage's longtime friends, Monk, Ham and Tom attend the funeral of Doc's dad. Doc arrives and so does reporter Denton, filled with questions about Doc's father's death. Meanwhile The Spirit is visited by his old friend Dolan who gives him a tip about a very important man arriving at the docks later that evening. But, what does Doc's father's death, the man in the jungle, the arrival of the man at the docks and the surprise appearance of The Blackhawks have to do with the mechanical man in the jungle and his criminal cohorts? There's nothing better than a good old mystery and Fist Wave promises to
keep you glued to your seat each and every issue.
Besides being a bottomless pit when it comes to food, Jughead is crude, often rude, sloppy, lazy and definitely not a fashion model. Add all of his attributes up and you have a sure way to irritate many of the girls at Riverdale High School. So, they hatch a plan t straighten Jughead out and make him conform to fashion, food, etiquette and regular norms. But how? They decide to confide with Trula Twyst, Jughead's female nemesis. She concocts a scheme to slowly chip away at Jughead's individuality by dressing and behaving just like him. The plan works and Jughead transforms into a 'regular' teenager. There's only one catch though-if she stops masquerading as him he'll revert back to his old self. The only way to keep him normal is for all of the girls who hatched the plan to change him to become like him. Unfortunately for them they become more like him and alienate their own boyfriends. Throwing in the towel they let Jughead revert to his old self and it was all part of Trula Twyst master plan. If anyone is going to change Jughead it will be her and not a bunch of dissatisfied teenage girls! Jughead chides Archie when he becomes Veronica's errand boy. It takes Veronicas heartfelt admiration
for Archie to prove Jughead's assumptions wrong. Jackie Frost comes in to town determined to kiss Jughead. When
he refuses the weather gets colder and colder. A coincidence? Read
Thrills & Chills and decide for yourself in Archie's Friend Jughead #199
from Archie Comics.
Top Cow Studios looks like its got a real winner on its hands with it Angelus title. Issue #2 continues the story introduced in issue #1. Danielle Baptiste, former Witchblade recipient, is a member of the Angelus, bearers of the light. She left her 'angelic' domain to return to New Orleans and her friend Finch. As the two woman walk they are attacked in an alley by a horrific beast. Suddenly, as if by magic, Sabine, an Angelus warrior arrives and dispatches the beast. Danielle is whisked away by Sabine to the magical realm leaving Finch in a clench. Once there Danielle learns of the millennium long struggle between the forces of light and darkness. She also learns that she is the chosen one and that she is expected to lead the forces of light against the darkness. The only problem is that her friend Jackie, is one of the Darkness. The other creatures in the realm of light are shocked. Never has being of light embraced a member of the dark as a friend. Distracted by the sight her surroundings, Danielle suddenly remembers her friend Finch, who was left behind, is in danger. She returns to Earth, and saves her. In the meantime Jackie has plans of his own that will eventually culminating in a showdown with his friend Danielle. Ron Marz delivers a one-two script with lots of intrigue and action while
artist Stjepan Sejic wows readers with his dynamic art, killer colors and
cutting edge page layouts.
I have to admit I dropped out of Marvel Comics' whole X-Men thing. X-this, X-that, I simply couldn’t keep up with the various storylines. Throw in the whole “Dark” thing and I became totally confused. I had pretty much given up trying to make any sense out of the X-Men Universe. Until I read that Arthur Adams would be penciling a new “X” title derived from the Ultimate Universe. I’m a big fan of Arthur’s work and I always pick up any project he’s working on, regardless of the publisher. The man can draw anything-and much better than most. His clean, crisp style is a real treat for the eyes as is his uncanny ability to convey emotion in his characters. In Ultimate X #1 readers are introduced to Jimmy Hudson, the adopted son of Heather and James Hudson. While taking part I a high-speed auto race against a fellow high school rival Jimmy crashes his car and comes out bloody, battered and broken. A few minutes later his body has completely healed itself just as the local law arrives by helicopter. Fortunately for Jimmy his dad, James Hudson, is the chief of police. He takes Jimmy home. Once home Heather and James must decide to tell their son the truth about who he is. Shortly after Kitty Pride of the disbanded or killed X-Men shows up with a package for Jimmy. She gives it to him and opens and finds a strange electronic device. He activates it and a hologram of Wolverine shows up. The hologram tells Jimmy that he is Wolverine’s son, complete with is claws and healing power. Jimmy pops his claws for the first time-bone claws. Only they don’t stay bone form long. Jimmy is able to coat them, at will, with metal form his own body. Thus begins the strange and dangerous saga of Jimmy Hudson, son of Wolverine. Jeph Loeb provides the powerful script, Arthur Adams the pencils, Mark Roslan the ink and Peter Steigerwald the excellent colors. Finally, an “X” book I can sink my teeth into without having to know the entire X-Men history. I can’t wait to see what Ultimate X’s creative team have is store.
Gold Digger Tech Manuals #7-10 Artist/writer Frank Perry is probably one of the least known and unappreciated comic book professionals around. And yet, he has some of the most impressive credentials in the industry. Single-handed he created a whole new American manga series of which he writes, pencils, inks and colors each month-often more than one title! His series, Gold Digger, allows him to not only explore the magical world of manga but other literary and artistic genres as well. The man is a machine and has an incredible imagination with the technical skills to match. Where else can you find and artist who can draw anything…and I do mean anything?! Characters, backgrounds, architecture, landscapes, high-tech equipment and transportation craft-you name it, he can draw it and incorporate all of them into interesting and engaging stories packed with dialogue and character development. Antarctic
Press presents the latest of its Gold Digger Tech Manuals (#7-10) that
showcase just how extensive the Gold Digger Universe is and demonstrates the
incredible drawing/design talent of Gold Digger’s creator, Frank Perry. Prepare to be amazed!
I really like the direction DC Comics is taking with its Blackest Night series and tie-ins. DC, under the helm of Dan Didio, is providing comic book readers with not only a killer storyline but, unlike a certain DC competitor, continues the storyline in its various titles and mini-series without forcing readers to buy each and every tie-in just to understand the story. The Blackest Night series, subsequent mini-series and one-shots are self-contained and all make excellent reads. Such is the case with Weird Western Tales #71. Dan Didio and Renato Arlem tell a tale of the Old West in a modern West setting. A descendent of Quentin Turnbull, the arch nemesis if Jonah Hex, pays tribute to his lost ancestor by keeping a twisted version of the Old South alive. When the black rings of the Black Lantern pellet the nearby cemetery some recognizable DC Western stars begin to resurrect with blood and death on their rotted minds. Scalphunter, Super-Chief, Firehair, Bat Lash and Jonah Hex are reanimated and proceed to decimate the nearby town and kill its inhabitants. When Quentin Turnbull is resurrected his descendent is overjoyed. The thought of Quentin regaining his rightful place in a resurrected South is almost exciting as the thought of him destroying the resurrected Jonah Hex. Guns are drawn and...somethings are thicker than blood. This is a great story with great art and its a real treat to see some of the old DC Western stars reappear-albeit in slightly perverted forms.
In the last several issues of Archie readers have watched as Archie is inexplicably catapulted a few years into the future when he takes a walk Memory Lane. In the alternate universe/timeline Archie proposes to Veronica, they marry and have kids. At the end of the story Archie once again strolls down Memory Lane in a nostalgic mood only to reappear after his walk back at high school with all his friends-as if nothing has happened. In this new timeline Archie and his friends graduate, make their future plans and in a surprise move, Archie asks Betty to marry him. At first Veronica is shocked and angry at her best friend but true friendship shines through and she agrees to be Betty’s Maid of Honor. Betty and Archie make their wedding plans, albeit on a very tight budget. But, neither is deterred and agrees that a lavish wedding is out of the question so they plan on marrying at Pop Tate’s. Be sure to check in next issue as the big wedding takes place and if Archie’s luck holds true it should be very interesting. Michel Uslan provides the scrip and longtime Archie artist Stan Goldberg the artwork. It’s a classic! I’ve really enjoyed the new direction Archie Comics are
taking. Innovative storylines, new
exciting formats and the occasional “realistic” art makes me want to come
back issue after issue.
Who better to travel the world with than that super snob rich girl, Archie's on-again, off-again girlfriend, Veronica Lodge? Tag along with Veronica as she hits the hotspots of the world and shops, visits historical sites, shops, sees the Eastern world's version of Hollywood, shops, meets handsome men, shops, meets royalty and shops! Veronica visits her cousin in New York and the Big Apple never knew what hit it. She jets off to Paris, loads up on the latest fashions and unexpectedly becomes part of a jewelry heist. It's then off to Rome where her father sends her to learn about business so she can eventually take his place running the family business. Bollywood in India is Veronica's next stop as she discovers that stardom comes at a price and movie secrets are big business, especially if stolen. Archie & Friends All-Stars Veronica's Passport is a fast-paced romp
around the globe with plenty of fashion, food, frivolity and fun all wrapped
up in a very expensive package courtesy of Veronica Lodge from Archie Comics. |
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