BC Refugees Blog

  DEMON KNIGHTS #1 – 3  (DC)  Paul Cornell, writer.  Diogenes Neves, penciller.  Oclair Albert, inker.  Marcelo Maiolo, colorist.  Jared K. Fletcher: letterer. Covers by Tony Daniel and Tomeu Morey, and assist by Norm Rapmund on #3.  The Demon created by Jack Kirby.                     I really like what the creative team is doing with this book.  They’ve  taken The Demon, Kirby’s displaced demonic anti-hero, and planted him in new surroundings closer to his place (Camelot) and time of origin (four centuries ago).  They’ve surrounded him with a complimentary cast of characters that are certain to provide a variety of interesting situations and sub-plots.  Writer Paul Cornell described them as  “the Medieval Magnificent Seven” and the tag line fits extremely well.  So, what happens in DEMON KNIGHTS? . . . . . As the castle of...

  BETRAYAL OF THE PLANET OF THE APES #2 of 4  (BOOM!)  Corinna Bechko & Gabriel Hardman, writers.  Gabriel Hardman, art.  Jordie Bellaire, colorist.  Ed Dukeshire, letterer. “20 years before a man named Taylor fell from the stars . . . . .  Ape society is in flux.  The rigid cast system is breaking down.  Humans can’t speak and are considered animals, but are tolerated in the city.  Scientific curiosity is smashing old taboos. . . . But not everyone is happy with the new  status quo. Some would even break the Lawgiver’s most sacred commandment, Ape Does Not Kill Ape, to halt the march of progress . . . . . “           I almost passed on Issue #1,  a little wary that this might just be a quick effort to cash in on the popularity of the monthly PLANET OF THE APES series from BOOM! - - meaning that it might not have as much substance and possibly sub-standard art. I’m happy to...

  Continuing my exploration of the DC NEW 52 titles.  You can read my earlier review of ALL STAR WESTERN #1 in the BC Refugee Archives for September 29, 2011 . . . . . ALL STAR WESTERN #1 – 3  (DC, September – November 2011 release)  JONAH HEX by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, writers.  Moritat, artist and covers #1-2. Rafa Garres, cover #3.  Gabriel Bautista, colorist.  Rob Leigh, letterer.  EL DIABLO back up feature in Issues #2-3 by Justin Gray and Jimmy Palmiotti, writers.  Jordi Bernet, artist.  Rob Schwager, colorist.  Rob Leigh, letterer.  ALL STAR WESTERN was not among my initial DC choices and became a pleasant surprise when I picked up the first issue on a whim.  It’s very similar to the former JONAH HEX series by the same writing team.  However,  JONAH HEX seemed to feature mostly stand-alone stories while ALL STAR WESTERN begins with a story arc that hasn’t quite concluded yet.  I’m en...

Wow!  Is it already time to start thinking/planning for Free Comic Book Day 2012?  This information courtesy of the official Free Comic Book Day publicity machine. . . . . . The Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) Committee has announced its Gold Sponsor comic book selections for the industry’s top annual event, Free Comic Book Day , scheduled for Saturday, May 5, 2012 . Next year marks the eleventh anniversary of Free Comic Book Day with another year of incredible stories that allow fans of all ages to dive into the adventures of their favorite comic book characters and encourage new readers to explore the fun and excitement that comics can offer. Chosen by retailers on the FCBD Committee, there’s a free comic book for everyone’s taste: from Avengers , Star Wars and Transformers to Peanuts , Mouse Guard , and MegaMan. “We had a record amount of entries from publishers this year with more than forty-five different titles” said FCBD spokesperson Leslie Jackson. “Retailers on the...

James Robinson, via Twitter , says that sales of DC's "The Shade" miniseries are low enough that there might not be a collected edition, or even a conclusion. Todd Allen at The Beat  has written a spirited defense of the series . I'm not suggesting that those of you who prefer to wait for trades should switch back to individual issues in most cases -- I do a lot of trade-waiting myself now -- but be aware that the weak economy has finally hit the publishers enough that those collections are no longer guaranteed. DC recently cancelled the last trades of "Doom Patrol" and "R.E.B.E.L.S.", for example, and Marvel just stopped the "All-Winners Squad" miniseries in the middle. You're almost certainly safe waiting for titles like "Avengers" and "Justice League", but if you want to keep some of the lower-tier titles in business you may want to consider adding them to a pull list at your local shop or buying them digit...

  WORTH A LOOK AND MAYBE A PICK-ME-UP =THESE BOOKS ON SALE 11/30/2011 DAREDEVIL #6 :  Waid has brought the old magic back to this title.  One of the few Marvel books I continue to follow. NEAR DEATH #3:  Interesting crime story following a hit-man who has a near death experience and tries to make up for all his bad deeds - - making him a marked man wanted by both the crooks and the cops. PREVIEWS #279 Need to see what new books are coming out in February 2012. RASL TPB VOLUME 3  I need to catch up to this title.  I’ve read the single issues that made up Volume 1 and loved it.  An art thief (well, maybe) who travels cross-dimensions. He has multiple lives, personalities, enemies, lovers, and a past connection to the famous inventor Tesla. RED SKULL #5  Travel back to the pre-World War II days of Hitler’s ascendance to power - - get a history lesson and also learn how the Red Skull became so mean. SPACEMAN #2 OF 9  I missed picking up Is...

  Lots of books for your reading pleasure see new release tomorrow, in another week dominated by DC’s NEW 52! ALL STAR WESTERN #3  Jonah Hex in Gotham, partnered with Dr. Arkham and in real danger from a secret society of power-hungry business villains. It’s been very good so far - - but a little different from the usual Jonah Hex fare. AMERICAN VAMPIRE VOL 1 TPB   Good timing on DC’s part to put this out now during the increasing interest in the work of Scott Snyder on BATMAN and SWAMP THING (well deserved). This is the beginning of his vampire saga co-written with Stephen King, and definitely worth a look. AQUAMAN #3 Continues to poke fun at itself in a light-hearted fashion. On the other hand, this is a no-nonsense bad ass Aquaman and hungry Trenchers are a bit scary. BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT #3 Love the art.  Story’s not bad either. CALIGULA #5 of 6 Possibly the most disturbing book that David Lapham has written, certainly the most gruesome and gory.  A...

  ANIMAL MAN #1 – 3  (DC) : Story by Jeff Lemire. Art & Covers by Travel Foreman.  Interior & Cover Colors by Lovern Kindzierski.  Letters by Jared K. Fletcher. ANIMAL MAN is about as far-removed as you can get with a super-hero title and still consider it part of the super-hero genre.  The script and art are not conventional fare, and take chances.  For these reasons, ANIMAL MAN should be one of the NEW 52 books that you pick up and give it a chance to win you over. SO, WHAT HAPPENS IN THIS BOOK?   (If you want to avoid spoilers, scroll down to the next subheading.)  - - -   The world of hero Buddy Baker is being turned upside down.  His youngest daughter is exhibiting powers similar to his that manifest in different ways.  The nightmares that bothered Buddy in Issue #1 are becoming reality. He learns that his origins are false, and all along he has been just a small piece of a larger puzzle - - and his four-year-o...

I've spent a lot of time on DC's New 52 lately, and I'll probably continue to check in with them once a month, but I'm long past due to talk about my favorite Marvel titles. My Top Five Ultimate Spider-Man : It was the most daring, game-changing idea ever in the Ultimate universe: replace Peter Parker permanently as Spider-Man. (And no, I don't think they're ever going back. At least not with Bendis.) Instead, Brian Bendis and Sara Pichelli have created a hero for a new generation, and I'm really enjoying getting to know him. Miles Morales got his powers while Peter Parker was still alive, so Bendis wisely backs up the clock in #1 and shows us his story from the beginning. With #4, we've caught up to Peter's death and funeral -- which I wasn't mentally prepared to relive, because I actually teared up the first time -- from Miles' point of view. (The Miles pages from "Ultimate Fallout" also fit into #4.) I won't give ...

  FLESH AND BLOOD, VOLUME ONE   (Monsterverse)  First Printing, September 2011  $14.99 TPB :  Written by Robert Tinnell.  Illustrated by Neil Vokes.   Color by Matt Webb.  Lettering by Mike Anderson & Rick Lebo.  Cover by Dan Bereton. www.monsterverse.com The advance solicitation in PREVIEWS for FLESH AND BLOOD and its promise of an original graphic novel that paid tribute to the classic Hammer horror films was more than enough to get my attention.    Next, the text introduction to F LESH      AND BLOOD, VOLUME ONE really engaged all  engines of the hype machine to red line high pressurization.  The intro, written by Tim Lucas (editor of VIDEO WATCHDOG ) makes repeated reference to the Hammer legacy.  Lucas claims that FLESH AND BLOOD is “nothing less than the epic Hammer horror film that generations of fans have yearned to see . . . .”  and he calls it “the wish fulfill...

  ACTION COMICS #1 – 3  (DC):  Grant Morrison, writer.   Rags Morales, penciller #1.   Rags Morales & Brent Anderson, pencillers #2.   Rags Morales & Gene Ha, pencillers #3.   Rick Bryant, inker#1.   Rick Bryant & Brent Anderson, inkers #2.  Rick Bryant & Gene Ha, inkers #3.   Brad Anderson, colorist #1 , 2.  Brad Anderson & Art Lyons, colorists #3.   Patrick Brosseau, letterer.   Rags Morales & Brad Anderson, covers. Unpredictable!  The thing I enjoy the most about the new ACTION COMICS is that I cannot figure out where this is going.  I just know to strap on, as I am coming along for the ride with no expectations except to be thoroughly entertained. The current residence of Superman, Metropolis, is re-imagined as the city of tomorrow (as it’s often been described) except that this futuristic location is far from being complete. Amongst all the...