BATMAN DAMNED 1: Bloody Good Mystery Launches DC Black Label

BATMAN DAMNED 1: Bloody Good Mystery Launches DC Black Label

BATMAN DAMNED 1: bloody good mystery launches DC Black Label in a vivid horror-noir style spawned from writer Brian Azzarello and artist Lee Bermejo.

Who killed the ghastly corpse that is retrieved and found to be the Joker?

Who mortally wounded Batman? And why can’t he remember what happened?

BATMAN DAMNED 1: there is a buzz with this book!

The art by Bermejo is masterful in the bleak view of Gotham and the Dark Knight and the hyper-action sequences that flow and dance off the page, like a great swordfight.

The world, from gambling on dark street corners to bashing medical staff for an escape route, is very much alive.

BATMAN DAMNED 1, batman, azzarello, bermejo, jim lee, alex sinclair, dc black label, bruce wayne, bruce wayne penis

And just look at Bermejo’s BATMAN DAMNED 1 cover!

I thought Jim Lee and Alex Sinclair’s pentagram-backed caped crusader, and a lot of emphasis on a particularly badass-looking cape, was stunning (and it is).

But then I saw the steam coming off of the battered cowl in Bermejo’s Batman, and I realized the lunatic-like bloody expression beneath that cowl was worn and scraped, and either grimacing or . . . smiling!

Was Batman smiling like the Joker?

The depiction of a militarized Batman by Bermejo is iconic.

The Rambo-like Bat Belt and its dangling straps with rings for hooking weapons and tech to the beaten leather-like material and the many buckles on the worn army boots give a fierce edge to the amnesiac Batman.

And the talented scribe Azzarello crafts an ingenious and twisted tale of mystery, horror, and Bat-lore that shoots from page to page, impact to impact, whether it is physical blows, or mental, or emotional ones.

BATMAN DAMNED 1, batman, azzarello, bermejo, jim lee, alex sinclair, dc black label, bruce wayne, bruce wayne penis BATMAN DAMNED 1, batman, azzarello, bermejo, jim lee, alex sinclair, dc black label, bruce wayne, bruce wayne penis

His Batman has to deal with a supernatural influence, a hole in his memory, and the detective case of a lifetime.

But there are also the wrinkles and the deeply hidden crevices in the world where metaphors for Satanism and Christianity, for the Gothic towering over Gotham and the strange creatures crouching in Bruce Wayne’s past and present shadows.

The DC Black Label launch title BATMAN DAMNED 1 is incredibly enticing for the adult comic book reader with a dark side.

The oversized format is incredible to behold in and of itself.

BATMAN DAMNED 1 is ad free and chock full of gorgeously detailed and gritty oversized pages.

This book should not be approached by the faint of heart or the Puritanical among us.

Get yours from your LCS – Red Shirt Comics got me – before they are gone forever!

 

“BATMAN DAMNED 1: Bloody Good Mystery Launches DC Black Label” was written by R.J. Huneke

 

Catwoman #3: Chaos, Curves & Puurrfect Cliffhanger

Catwoman #3: Chaos, Curves & Puurrfect Cliffhanger

Catwoman #3: chaos, curves & puurrfect cliffhanger makes for an incredible tale from artist and writer Joëlle Jones and her team.

Catwoman #3 Has It All: Mystery, Epic Fights, A+ Style, Twists

Catwoman, Joëlle Jones, Raina Creel, Joelle Jones, Stanley

Let’s discuss the 30-pound cat in the room (yes, my kitty, Cosmo is a big-boned boy):

The variant covers by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau have been nothing short of amazing for the entire run so far, but Catwoman #3, I mean . . . WOW!

There are few words that can describe the powerful, scintillating, and, just, stunning depiction Selina Kyle in the Joëlle Jones-designed dress that Stanley “Artgerm” Lau paints.

There is no superhero costume in view and none needed.

See for yourself.

The Catwoman #3 variant cover

Catwoman, Joëlle Jones, Raina Creel, Joelle Jones, Stanley "Artgerm" Lau, Artgerm, dc comics, batman, batman wedding, fernando blanco, laura allred, josh reed

Now onto the book!

If you have not read Catwoman #1 or #2 or Batman #49 or #50 there is a mild Spoiler in the following paragraph, but otherwise we are operating SPOILER-FREE today.

Coming off a heart-wrenching abandoned wedding, Selina Kyle abandons Gotham for San Francisco where a new villain’s plotted narrative grabs a hold of the opportunity to frame Catwoman for murder and subdue her to her will. And Selina finds herself in a warehouse full of Catwoman costumes and many ready to fight.

The story is growing in intensity as the still grieving Selina attempts to heal in a city gunning for her.

The writing overall, from the character arcs, the new villain, to the dialogue, to the many wrinkles, twists, and turns of the plot, is extraordinary.

Catwoman #3 further proves Joëlle Jones has so much more to add to the Catwoman mythos and we can only sit riveted waiting for more.

And that puppeteer-villain is grotesque in every way imaginable.

DC Comics describes her aptly:

The secret shot-caller who’s been borrowing Catwoman’s M.O… steps out of the shadows…and her “secret origin” is unlike anything Selina’s run into before!”

Raina Creel, wife of the governor, is creepy, manipulative, murderous, and ruthless.

Her network reminds one a little of the Court Of Owls, if they had a San Francisco chapter. But we will have to read more to see how deep her malice and power goes.

The art by Joëlle Jones and Fernando Blanco, color by Laura Allred and John Kalisz, lettering by Josh Reed, the main cover by Jones and Allred, and the wild variant cover by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau is top-notch in every respect.

The look and feel of San Fran varies greatly from Gotham and is captured very well, as is the ballroom, the ice-cubed filled bathtub recovery space, and the myriad Catwoman costumes.

The depiction of martial arts, and even brutal bat-swinging, spring off the panels in Catwoman #3.

And at the climax and the very last page we get a major cliffhanger that deals with Selina’s own backstory!

To say this book and series is a gem is an understatement!

Grab a copy at your LCS now – Red Shirt Comics got me!

“Catwoman #3: Chaos, Curves & Puurrfect Cliffhanger” was written by R.J. Huneke.

Catwoman #3: Chaos, Curves & Puurrfect Cliffhanger Catwoman, Joëlle Jones, Raina Creel, Joelle Jones, Stanley "Artgerm" Lau, Artgerm, dc comics, batman, batman wedding, fernando blanco, laura allred, josh reed

Cover #1 By Bendis, Mack: CIA Comic Creator Spy Spectacular!

Cover #1 By Bendis, Mack: CIA Comic Creator Spy Spectacular!

Cover #1, from powerhouse creators Bendis and Mack, is ingenuity and incredulity at its best!

Cover, cover #1, cover bendis, cover mack, david mack, brian bendis, bendis, Zu Orzu

Blast off into a whole new territory of comic book creation complete with comic artist humor, scintillating spies /slash/ love interests, and a much more creative CIA recruitment process than this writer previously suspected possible.

Cover #1 is fresh and page-turningly addictive

The art, from character building that is good enough to feel their very bones, to the sharp dialogue, to the insanely surreal artwork that echoes feeling, suspense and often transcends panels, is fresh and page-turningly addictive.

Cover #1 from Jinxworld by writer Brian Bendis, artist David Mack and colorist Zu Orzu truly captures the imagination of James Bond fans, artists, and comic con fans alike.

Both covers are so rad!

Both covers of issue #1, by David Mack and the variant by Zu Orzu, have readers floored.

Each encompasses the main characters Max and Julia in stark silhouettes filled with words.

These point to secrecy in the CIA and a nearly subliminal and powerful new dynamic between the recruiter and artist.

The colors in the book itself (and on the covers) by Zu Orzu bring amazing tones where pieces of color and story significance jump out at the reader.

And the father-son samurai flashbacks are absolutely gorgeous.

Cover, cover #1, cover bendis, cover mack, david mack, brian bendis, bendis, Zu Orzu , james bond, cia, spy, spies

The father-son dynamic for Max is something that must be of extra importance to the character and must be further explored in the series.

The premise is fairly simple at the onset: a talented comic book creator, Max, who travels a lot to showcase his craft meets a fan of his, Julia, who purchases some of his original artwork and coyly states that she follows him online.

It is likely not a chance encounter.

We will not spoil anything.

But comic book creators can make for the perfect cover as operatives in an ever-volatile world where intelligence and counter-intelligence operatives tread dangerously.

Artist David Mack has worked with the US Embassy to volunteer his art and mentoring to help youths across the globe after all.

He certainly has insight and perspective and has been collaborating with writer Brian Michael Bendis to birth Cover for years now.

Cover #1 is the launch of another creator-owned gem from Jinxworld

Cover #1 is the launch of another creator-owned gem from Jinxworld and with an award-winning team like Bendis and Mack at the top of their games, not to mention artist Zu Orzu’s accentuating colors, readers are hungry for Cover #2!

Grab a copy at your LCS now – Red Shirt Comics got me!

“Cover #1 By Bendis, Mack: CIA Comic Creator Spy Spectacular!” was written by R.J. Huneke.

Cover, cover #1, cover bendis, cover mack, david mack, brian bendis, bendis, Zu Orzu , james bond, cia, spy, spies Cover, cover #1, cover bendis, cover mack, david mack, brian bendis, bendis, Zu Orzu , james bond, cia, spy, spies

Jessica Jones Creators Bendis + Gaydos’ Pearl Intrigues

Jessica Jones Creators Bendis + Gaydos’ Pearl Intrigues

Jessica Jones creators Bendis + Gaydos’ Pearl intrigues readers, as the duo’s newest heroine brings grit and a steady hand to the tattoo parlor and the Yakuza gang wars surrounding San Francisco.

Pearl #1 introduces us to the young woman, her Iriguci spider tattoo, and her very capable gunshot.Jessica Jones, Michael Gaydos, Pearl, Pearl #1, Brian Michael Bendis, Alias

The vivid and poignant illustrations form a neo-noir San Francisco befitting of Pearl, and the motorcycle scenes storm across the pages blisteringly.

Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Gaydos once created a new character in Jessica Jones (in the pages of ALIAS), the brash female P.I. with super strength and super alcohol tolerance.

And their newest unwilling participant in a ruptured feud is another fictional personage one cannot get enough of.

Pearl is wary, sexy, and her instincts are sharp!

Jessica Jones, Michael Gaydos, Pearl, Pearl #1, Brian Michael Bendis, Alias

The dialogue, timely placed motorcycle VRROOMMM’s (and other cutting sound effects) and a storyline of mysterious relationships, both new and old, that envelop Pearl’s life make for writing that utterly absorbs the reader.

SPOILER WARNING!!!!!

Pearl #1 introduces us to a world of effervescent color and feeling.

Pearl is a young tattoo artist tied to the city’s age-old feud by some act from her past.

Jessica Jones, Michael Gaydos, Pearl, Pearl #1, Brian Michael Bendis, Alias

Her night out with a girlfriend leads to a young man, named Rick, who notices a rare and revered tattoo artist’s work on her wrist.

He promises he is not hitting on her, but he too is a tattoo artist and a connoisseur drinking in her Iriguci spider, comparing it to the Mona Lisa.

And so, egged on by her friend, Pearl engages with Rick and his friends up until the second that he shows off his own work, a piece of a Yakuza tattoo on his buddy’s back.

Pearl tries to walk away.

But the bikes are already gunning through the air, the bullets flying.

She takes a shot to the arm, but fires her own semi-automatic handgun and the aim is true, killing gang members and saving Rick’s life.

The act holds consequences.

She is further tied to another gangster, Mr. Miike, a tattoo artist bearing his own Yakuza portraits.

Her steady hand is to be used to do more than needle ink.

Pearl is more useful, valuable, to him now.

Can she murder the man she just saved outright?

Can Pearl kill Rick when she finds him in her place and he is flirting, offering what seems to be thank you sex for her saving his life?

The tattoo artist Pearl has a history, a conflicted present, and a dangerous future.

The Pearl creator-owned series is off to a brilliant start!

Grab a copy at your LCS now – Red Shirt Comics got me!

“Jessica Jones Creators Bendis + Gaydos’ Pearl Intrigues” was written by R.J. Huneke.

Jessica Jones, Michael Gaydos, Pearl, Pearl #1, Brian Michael Bendis, Alias Jessica Jones, Michael Gaydos, Pearl, Pearl #1, Brian Michael Bendis, Alias

ACES WEEKLY Comic Art Magazine Sparks Digital Revolution

ACES WEEKLY Comic Art Magazine Sparks Digital Revolution

ACES WEEKLY Comic Art Magazine sparks digital revolution with its riveting comic book and graphic novel short stories delivered every Monday!

For £1 per week, in any currency, readers get volumes of up to 150 pages in seven weekly parts.david lloyd, v for vendetta, aces weekly, Dark Utopia, Santa Claus vs the Nazis, Mark Montague

ACES WEEKLY is the seven-card stud of e-comics!

To paraphrase David Lloyd, the idea for the award-winning ACES WEEKLY came down to comics looking better [than paper] with fewer limitations [and myriad possibilities].

In the very first volume of ACES WEEKLY, the gem Valley Of Shadows takes a black and white noir tale down new twisting alleys hereto untraveled.

More on Valley Of Shadows [Plot by David Jackson and David Lloyd, and the Script and Art by David Lloyd] later after we examine the cards, I mean the ACES.

david lloyd, v for vendetta, aces weekly, Dark Utopia, Santa Claus vs the Nazis, Mark Montague

When David Lloyd, co-creator of V For Vendetta and author/artist of Kickback (and a whole lot more), first launched ACES WEEKLY, very few comic books were available in a digital format.

Those that did come in a digital form required the paying of an extra dollar to the paper version, making a $3.99 book $4.99 in your LCS for the same 21 pages of content.

Now e-comics are in the mainstream, but none have the formula of six different works delivered every Monday night in an innovative set of seven serial installments.

Lucky seven!

At a buck a week, and adding that up, seven pounds for seven weeks of stories, you get 21+ pages for each of the six titles.

That is up to 150 pages, or six or seven comic books, for less than the price of two paper comic books!

Value aside, the proof is in the product, and ACES WEEKLY’s continuous stream of e-comic books are incredible.

The art is mostly in traditional comic form and looks STUNNING on screen!

Just like the serial installments of Superman of old, in the newspaper funny pages, the ACES WEEKLY tales are mostly told on horizontal pages.

The books are, after all, only bound virtually, in Cyberspace.

There is no limitation of the reader having to hold a vertically stapled comic book.

This means that you can read in a more natural line of sight akin to watching a movie on a widescreen, in the theater or at home.

ACES WEEKLY combines different widely appealing genres masterfully.

An omnivorous reader, like myself, loves the funny, the dark, the thrilling, and the wildly creative varying in voices from one comic book to the next.david lloyd, v for vendetta, aces weekly, Dark Utopia, Santa Claus vs the Nazis, Mark Montague

ACES WEEKLY delivers a smorgasbord of quality each and every week!

Examples of this diversity are evident in the noir classic Valley Of Shadows by David Jackson and David Lloyd, the epic Santa Claus VS the Nazis by Benjamin Dickson and Gavin Mitchell where Santa Claus becomes a prisoner of the Nazis and the elves are enslaved, and then . . . on a planet in the middle of the Andromeda System . . . there is the powerful science-fiction book Dark Utopia by Mark Montague.

You could not ask for a better hand being dealt.

Think about it: Santa must break free of the Nazis to save the elves! What bigger stakes are there?

The art is unique, the writing top-notch, and the creations are made to pop out at you from the screen, no matter where you wish to enjoy the tales.

Each week you look forward to the latest installment of scintillating reading.

And in Volume One, Valley Of Shadows is one hell of a gripping whopper to kick off the experience.

Buddy Chaplin hasn’t got much going for him.

His marriage has failed, he’s in a dead end job, and he’s stopped looking for more.

But life is about to take an unexpected twist….

The art from David Lloyd is full of shadows, emotions, long blacks and stark whites.

The vivid scenes could easily make the silver screen.

The innovative use of comic book panels and art surrounding and behind the panels makes full use of the reader’s eye and the horizontal page layout for incredulity at every turn of the e-page.

The story, dialogue and plot of Valley Of Shadows are intricate, tight, and unique.

Security guard Buddy is dragged into helping someone, committing murder (in defense!), and racing against malicious and resourceful forces to save a stranger’s little girl from a horrible fate.

The villain is a megalomaniac bent on destroying a valley if that is what he needs to do to get an organ donor for his dying son.

And Buddy is just a normal guy who gambles too much, lost his own little girl and wife in a divorce, and gets caught up in a fight he should not be able to win.

The tale is utterly brilliant and it only scratches the surface of all of the ACES WEEKLY offerings.

The art is amazing, the creators on board ACES WEEKLY are extraordinary, like David himself.

For the cost of less than two paper books a reader can feast on six full length high resolution comics formatted and built for any type of screen, from a Smart TV, to a tablet, or a smartphone.

This reader is subscribing for life, and POWkabam will look to cover at least one of the many tales in each volume going forward.

Aces abound!

 

“ACES WEEKLY Comic Art Magazine Sparks Digital Revolution” was written by R.J. Huneke.

BLACK BADGE #1: Boy Scouts Black Ops BOOM!

BLACK BADGE #1: Boy Scouts Black Ops BOOM!

BLACK BADGE #1: Boy Scouts Black Ops BOOM! And yes, these teens travel the hostile world where no one else can go and explosions are imminent.

The Eisner Award-Nominated Team (for Grass Kings) Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins reunite to offer up a gem.

BLACK BADGE #1 from BOOM! Studios features up a unique Boy Scout troop, not unlike the MI6 “00” division.

Is your Honor Badge made of C-4? Then you have not earned the Black Badge.

Parts of the top-secret Black Badge Boy Scout manual greets the reader through excerpts sprinkled along the inner and back cover pages.

A regular troop member will recognize the Boys Scouts’ manual’s style, but not believe the contents:

“How you received your Black Badge is privileged information. Guard it with your life.

“-Black Badge Handbook”

A diagram of a Boy Scout uniform containing a pocket lined with solidified sarin gas and marking the Black Badge itself noted as a throwing star, in disguise, will give readers an idea of where the covert team’s members might have to go to survive their incredibly dangerous missions.

BLACK BADGE #1 features a teenage troop possibly as deadly and daring as the Navy Seals.

Tyler Jenkins, Matt Kindt, BLACK BADGE, BLACK BADGE #1, red shirt comics, BOOM! Studios, Eisner Award, Boy Scouts, Boy Scout

The art style is unique and grasps the emotions of the troop of characters forced to work together on their first mission with a new member, Willy.

Matt Kindt’s writing is superb, the storyline and world building, and dialogue incredibly realistic and full of surprises.

Tyler Jenkins’ art is utterly gorgeous in its innovation and the colors by Hilary Jenkins are amazing in their subtle detections of mood or setting changes.

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!

Tyler Jenkins, Matt Kindt, BLACK BADGE, BLACK BADGE #1, red shirt comics, BOOM! Studios, Eisner Award, Boy Scouts, Boy Scout

What goes down when Willy captures every Boy Scouts badge?

His dad seems to know whom to notify of this feat, and Willy is introduced to an Army-type man and told of one more badge . . . the Black Badge!

And Willy is off with his new troop in hopes to earn this badge . . . in South Korea.

And here the writing takes an immediate hold, as a repulsive bully from a school trip begins to make fun of the four Boy Scouts for their traditional Scout garb.

Little does the bully know that behind the Boy Scout sash there are throwing knives.

Kenny is the leader, Mitz is the short in stature tall in arrow use, and Cliff carries a mean walking stick with its own secrets and almost loses his cool while they are taunted by the bully.

Kenny steers him clear and their canoe is off northward.

Willy is a smart, naïve guy in husky pants, and he wonders if the Black Badge troop has lost a fourth member, which he is replacing.

He tells them of his last badge earned a diving test where he had to lose his gear and trust there would be a cave with air, as he was told.

He is loyal and trusting. He earns the badge.

The Black Badge program takes advantage of the intelligence and age and loyalty of its members.

So the troop crosses the border into North Korea.

Willy sleeps unsoundly when he realizes why he is there: they are sent because they are kids. Kids get lost. Kids are harmless. Kids can get in and get away with it.

The troop marks a village where their mission is to extract a nuclear scientist.

Kenny directs the team: Cliff marks the hut with his electronic laser, and Willy calls in the coordinates.

But then a plane sheds its bomb and an explosion evaporates the village.

As the kids are approached on their exit, they are recognized as frightened Boy Scouts and sent back to South Korea.

Willy questions whether or not they are doing the right thing, but their leader Kenny informs him that “they” tell the troop just enough to go on and the troop has to trust “them.”

The dialogue is freaking kick-ass:

Kenny: “Nobody can do what we can do. No one can go where we can go. This world needs fixing and it sure as heck ain’t the adults who are gonna fix it.”

This is a powerful book!

A big thank you to my LCS Red Shirt Comics owner Josh for his Captain’s Pick of BLACK BADGE #1 – if it was not for him I would have missed out on this sure to be amazing new series.

Go get yours before they sell out!

 

“BLACK BADGE #1: Boy Scouts Black Ops BOOM!” was written by R.J. Huneke.

Tyler Jenkins, Matt Kindt, BLACK BADGE, BLACK BADGE #1, red shirt comics, BOOM! Studios, Eisner Award, Boy Scouts, Boy Scout

Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman Universe 1 Unravels Dreaming

Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman Universe 1 Unravels Dreaming

Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman Universe 1 unravels Dreaming and the ramifications are stark.

The Sandman Universe 1, neil gaiman, david mack, jae lee, Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters, Bilquis Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike “Domo” Stanton, Max Fiumara, Sebastian Fiumara

The DC Vertigo relaunch has begun with a BANG!

The Sandman Universe 1 one-shot is riveting, visually visceral and stimulating, and features impactful storylines that merge for one hell of a tale.

The Sandman Universe 1, neil gaiman, david mack, jae lee, Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters, Bilquis Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike “Domo” Stanton, Max Fiumara, Sebastian Fiumara

Spoiler Warning!!!!!

Speaking of hell, Lucifer is in a bad state.

It seems he has a son, though impossible, and while the mysterious son seeks to destroy his father’s new sense of humanity, mortality, and mantra of hope, despite a potential wheel of fate forcing Lucifer to relive his pains over and over, Lucifer is off to find the mother of his child.

Lucifer’s bar is in shambles, as is his state of mind, his world, and his ravens (all but one at least).

And Dream’s raven (not Lucifer’s) has possibly the best line in the book when referring to Lucifer and his current predicament:

“It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy . . .”

The Sandman Universe 1, neil gaiman, david mack, jae lee, Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters, Bilquis Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike “Domo” Stanton, Max Fiumara, Sebastian Fiumara

The Sandman Universe 1 has many familiar faces, though Lucien is losing his memory and the Cain and Abel murders are helping to hold back the entire universe of Dreaming from cracking at the seems.

Daniel, Dream of the Endless, is gone.

And Lucien charges the all-knowing raven with finding him to help them save their increasingly brittle dreamscape.

The raven crosses dreams and stories in his search.

Another familiar face the raven flies over is Tim Hunter.

This sharp story sticks out immediately.

Tim’s life as a teenage magician living in the real world offers all kinds of complications.

Getting up late, showing up at school late, and finding your book blank when you go to read aloud in class is scary.

Finding out that your new teacher knows your secret and has plans for your magic is even more alarming.

What Tim does not know, but the raven sees, of course, is that Dr. Rose, with her scarlet scarf, has bloodily murdered Tim’s old teacher in his office with a fountainhead pen to the ear.

The Sandman Universe comes from master storyteller Neil Gaiman whose original work on Sandman has been nothing short of groundbreaking.

He is working with the talented writers of four new titles to come from the Sandman Universe.

The Sandman Universe 1 introduces the overall state of Dream, Daniel, and the Dreaming.

Because the raven knows, he hones in on Daniel in a city dressed as a teenager in Converse All Stars (donning white threads, of course), but he misses him before getting to speak to him.

It was like he had him and could not remember the Dream . . .

The Sandman Universe 1 story is by Neil Gaiman, and Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson and Dan Watters write the yarn here as they set up their upcoming titles.

The illustrators of The Sandman Universe 1 are Bilquis Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike “Domo” Stanton, Max Fiumara and Sebastian Fiumara.

Daniel does not want to be found. Has he given up his post as Dream?

At the end of the credits in The Sandman Universe 1 we get a post-credits scene if you will:

The Story Continues In . . .

The Dreaming #1 that comes out on 9/5/18, The House Of Whispers #1 coming out on 9/12/18, Lucifer #1 out 10/17/18, and Books Of Magic #1 released on 10/24/18 (just in time to get your magic up and running before Halloween).

Get ready for a journey through anything and everything dreams car offer and all while the infinite realms possibilities of the Dreamscape are unraveling!

Go grab a copy from your LCS, mine is Red Shirt Comics, before all of the coolest cover variants are gone!

“Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman Universe 1 Unravels Dreaming” was written by R.J. Huneke.

The Sandman Universe 1, neil gaiman, david mack, jae lee, Simon Spurrier, Kat Howard, Nalo Hopkinson, Dan Watters, Bilquis Evely, Tom Fowler, Dominike “Domo” Stanton, Max Fiumara, Sebastian Fiumara

Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald: Holmes Falls To Cthulhu

Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald: Holmes Falls To Cthulhu

Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald: Holmes falls to Cthulhu in the most unexpected of ways, and it is simply brilliant.

What does Sherlock Holmes really stand for here, good or evil?

Simple as the question posed the story yields only the most intriguing and complex mystery as its answer.

A Study in Emerald, Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald, neil gamain, lovecraft, cthulhu, sherlock, sherlock holmes, watson, mystery, detective

An all-star lineup comes together to bring a Neil Gaiman world, a Sir Arthur Conan Doyle world and then drop them into an H.P. Lovecraft Cthulhu world.

The artwork could not be better used to craft the incredible world in this tale.

The 19th Century, the blood patterns (bright green too), the English gray tones, the wallpaper, and the sharp, poignant characters come to life in a unique and enticing fashion.

The A Study in Emerald team:

Writer: Neil Gaiman, Rafael Albuquerque, Rafael Scavone

Artist: Rafael Albuquerque, Dave Stewart

Colorist: Dave Stewart

Cover Artist: Rafael Albuquerque

A Study in Emerald, Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald: Holmes falls to Cthulhu in the most unexpected of ways, and it is simply brilliant. What does Sherlock Holmes really stand for here, good or evil?, neil gamain, lovecraft, cthulhu, sherlock, sherlock holmes, watson, mystery, detective

Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald: Holmes Falls To Cthulhu CONTAINS SPOILERS

This fantastical detective mystery has so much more than meets the eye going on.

We start at the beginning of the Sherlock Holmes mythos and Holmes meets John Watson in the world of Baker Street looking for a roommate for the London flat.

The tall Holmes is very familiar, as is the shuffling Dr. Watson.

Yet something is eerily different and out of place too.

That said I read the depiction of Watson’s war injury, from a Cthulhu-like kraken while he was at-sea in the Queen’s Army, and I completely failed to notice the near-standard 19th century sea-monster from the hidden depths of the volatile world was, in fact of the tale, a real Cthulhu.

I had entered a vastly darker Lovecraftian world and it had robbed the good doctor of his crack-shot ability by sucking life out of his shoulder.

This would only come back to me, like a splash of cold water on a sleeping face, at the finale of the grand tale.

In the dark mirrored world of H.P. Lovecraft – that is so close to our own and yet so starkly different and dark – the perpetrators of the tales’ main mystery, the prince’s murder, were never caught.

And though Holmes and Watson do uncover and even meet in-person the two wholly ruthless villains, foils of our heroes, one cannot help but wonder if the murderers – the tall actor and the shuffling doctor with his walking stick and his devious ability to wage medical knowledge as a war on anatomy – if they were not the mirror dimension of some H.P. Lovecraft multiverse: an evil Holmes and Watson!

But then that bears its own questions of good and evil and over-simplicity.

Lovecraft’s fear was sometimes best induced by building a world that reflected our own but just produced physical monsters to encompass real world troubles.

And in A Study in Emerald the Cthulhu beings are a mystery!

The wild one may have forever maimed Watson and yet the leaders of the world and the Queen Victoria of England Cthulhu has gone ahead and healed Watson upon meeting with the sleuths for hire.

The world has been ruled over by Cthulhu figures for hundreds of years.

The dynamic of pre-WWI era tensions – once called The Great War – are very apparent in the story, just in subtle ways.

As Holmes speaks to Inspector Lestrade of possible motive for the Prince Cthulhu’s murder, he talks in admiration of the anarchists: those who see the powerful Cthulhu leaders are feeding off of humanity’s pain.

And the anarchists feel humans are best left to ourselves, where chaos rains.

In the real world, this was indeed a sentiment shared by anarchists around that time.

And the terrorist-anarchist groups committed violent acts that shaped the world and its tension leading up to the first World War.

Back to the tale: a comically round version of Lestrade is exasperated by Sherlock’s blasphemy.

And Holmes, who seemed to know the Queen Cthulhu of England personally, is clearly sided with the crown’s rule and prosperity, despite his understanding of the motive.

This possibly points to Holmes and Watson as being the villains upholding authoritarianism in the tale, while the terrorizing murderers only committed their evil act out of hope for a cause that even Holmes seems to admire as a noble one, if not misplaced with violence.

The question of the age and the foils of the Cthulhu world Holmes and Watson are best left to our imaginations . . . for now.

Unless, of course, Mr. Gaiman and co. takes us back to this bizarre and riveting world again!

 

Ask your LCS for a copy of this marvelous hardcover from Dark Horse comics; I know Red Shirt Comics will get you one!

A Study in Emerald, Neil Gaiman's A Study in Emerald: Holmes falls to Cthulhu in the most unexpected of ways, and it is simply brilliant. What does Sherlock Holmes really stand for here, good or evil?, neil gamain, lovecraft, cthulhu, sherlock, sherlock holmes, watson, mystery, detective

“Neil Gaiman’s A Study in Emerald: Holmes Falls To Cthulhu” was written by R.J. Huneke.

 

Tank Girl All Stars 30th Anniversary Smut-tastic

Tank Girl All Stars 30th Anniversary Smut-tastic

Tank Girl All Stars 30th Anniversary smut-tastic comic book celebrates Alan Martin’s creation as only the kick ass heroine Tank Girl can do it.

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Has it really been 30 years?

Tank Girl All Stars confirms the punk battle-ready blonde is indeed 30 years old in 2018.

Titan’s expanded comic book starts the newest story in the Tank Girl Mythos with TIME FOR TANK GIRL PT. 1 off with a bonus tale from writer Alan Martin and artist Chris Wahl dubbed “Salon Tank Girl”.

Tank Girl All Stars SPOILER WARNING*******

And page one we have not only a nipple slip – such sensational smut – but a Tank Girl searching for just the right garb for a post-apocalyptic party where everyone will be there.

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Her wardrobe contains blasts from the past 30 years . . . and more!

We have the fun bra (with shit on it) and ripped up black pants complete with her mostly shaved head and band-aid.

We have the 40 Watt Club tee (smelling of shit), and of course, the classic American Tank Girl premier missile bra and cut-up jean hotpants, to which she replies: “WHAT THE FUCK WAS I THINKING?!”

Memories pour in as outfits come and go until she settles on an oddly reminiscent and unsmut-like pink dress and heads out to donate the shreds of her former wardrobe to a second-hand store.

The party contains, Booga, Jet Girl, Sub Girl and all of their friends wearing all of Tank Girl’s old things, freshly bought from that same second-hand store.

And the young, bald Tank Girl in the pink dress starts to have a nosebleed, just like Eleven from Stranger Things!

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Art By Brett Parson

This opening gives way to some of the poignant poetry of Alan Martin, reflecting on Tanks, the world at large, and Tank Girl with cartoony emanations of the Tank Girl world.

And then we come across battles!

Tank Girl All Stars: TIME FOR TANK GIRL PT. 1 has a ton of mayhem and then a zombie refusing to die.

Artist Parson and writer Martin are on top of their dirty game!

A mysterious gas has gone haywire on the locals making some undead adversaries.

“Booga what have you done?!” Tank Girl cries!

Another poem then leads to “The Girl With the Golden Arse” short story and art by Martin Doobie and Mahfood.

And that ass is fine!

Tank Girl All Stars 30th Anniversary Smut-tastic was written by R.J. Huneke

Head down to your LCS (like RedShirtComics.com) to pick up this book before it is gone (came out last week)!

The trade hardcover of all four issues comes out in October after the series wraps and it looks badass!

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Want An AMAZON Prime Free Trial? Click here!

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Death Of Superman In Ominous Man Of Steel 5

Death Of Superman In Ominous Man Of Steel 5

Death of Superman in ominous Man Of Steel 5 cover, alone, had me.

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The Brian Michael Bendis Superman mini-series, his first book in his D.C. Comics run, is enveloping, surprising and terribly suspenseful in its first 5 of 6 issues. But that Ivan Reis, Joe Prado, and Alex Sinclair The Man Of Steel 5 cover wrenched at my heart, just as Dan Jurgens’ cover of Superman 75 “The Death Of Superman” did as a kid so many years ago.

Lois cradling Superman in his torn duds, fallen among his seemingly dead enemy, Doomsday, with a tattered red cape flapping in the wind like an American flag gone through a battlefield is iconic.

And this homage in The Man of Steel 5 alludes to rubble and a looming death for Superman and possibly for many others too.

SPOILER ALERT (for Death Of Superman homage in The Man Of Steel issues 1-5)****

Rogul Zaar has been said to have destroyed Krypton, after all, and he is not happy that the son of Jor El escaped his ‘cleansing’ of the universe from the ‘plague’ of the Kryptonian ways.

And so as he, this new menacing and mysterious zealot – though his past as a defender of the universes adds a lot more to his character than mere obsession – mops the proverbial floor with Superman and Supergirl in Metropolis, we learn to fear him.

But at the start of Bendis’ fifth part of the tale, a giant eye peers down at the last Kryptonian city, Kandor.

It is evil.

It is murderous.

And it brings death.

This is right before Rogul Zaar destroys the city of Kandor and its entire people.

Superman and Supergirl are devastated that their promise to un-shrink the last living city of their home planet is dead.

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The brilliant artwork in this issue, done by Adam Hughes, Jason Fabok, and Alex Sinclair, is poignant in its depiction of the fury of the battles, the concerned faces realizing the stakes, the ominous flashback, and the ferocity of the situation.

But with Superman’s true home, earth as his major concern, and thus a disadvantage to his human concern f, he takes the heavyweight title fight to space.

And while the Justice League gathers in Metropolis, Zaar goes toe-to-toe with Supes and eventually succeeds in burying him, unconscious, within the surface of the moon.

Wow, this villain is powerful!

The flashbacks of Clark Kent, Lois, and their son Jon speaking to Jor El, who comes from who knows where, to take the descendant of El on a tour of the galaxies is key.

It seems Lois may have either gone with their son, or just outright walked out on Clark who may have changed his mind and let their child go off-planet.

The human element of Clark and Superman, written by Bendis, is again remarkable.

[See “Review: The Man of Steel #1 Brings New Humanity To Superman”].

We have a family gone to a dysfunctional state, and Jon would be a target of Rogul Zaar should he catch wind of his existence.

Maybe Jor El really takes his grandson away to spare him the sight of his father dying for the sake of earth . . . again?

So far Lois is gone, Superman is flirting with the new fire department captain, and Clark is riddled with concern over his son’s potential trip off planet.

Does he foresee his own demise, defending earth to the last?

Certainly Zaar is too great a foe for even the Justice League and the Green Lantern Corps standing guard.

And Superman, the father, knows this, realizes shortly after being revived by the Justice League that he alone can stop Zaar’s plan and flies away alone.

Clark knows that Zaar will see earth as a new planet to be sacrificed to the cause.

Zaar must wipe out the world he sees as now infested with the touch of Krypton from one man to all of them spreading, like bed bugs.

And at the heart of the moon is the ancient creature’s own doomsday device built within a fiery heart of unknowns.

Will Superman die?

Will earth die?

Can Zaar be stopped?

I have rarely been so excited to read a series and so anxious to revel in its finale!

“Death Of Superman In Ominous Man Of Steel 5” was written by R.J. Huneke

Be sure to pick up this book at your local comic shop, and if you are in Port Jefferson go right to my LCS Red Shirt Comics – they have them in stock . . . for now!

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