Yet Another Comics Blog

Here are the comics we got in for our library collection last week:


Fies, Brian. Mom's cancer /New York : Abrams Image, 2006.

Newgarden, Mark. We all die alone : a collection of cartoons and jokes /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2005.

Sturm, James, 1965- Above and below : two stories of the American frontier /Montreal, Quebec : Drawn & Quarterly, 2004.

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 Marvel's She Hulk, vol. 3: Time Trials, by Dan Slott & Juan Bobillo. Yes, I know I'm going to comic book hell because I wait for the trade on this title, but I'm really looking forward to it and you should be too.


In other comics:

Amaze Ink has bears fighting evil in giant robot suits in Ursa Minors #1.

Ape Entertainment have the second issue of Horrorwood.

Archie debut Andrew Pepoy's Katy Keene in Archie and Friends #101.

Dark Horse have the third expensive Nexus Archives hardcover, and the relatively inexpensive Star Wars X-Wing Rogue Squadron Omnibus, vol. 1. At least one of the stories collected has art by Darco Macan, and he was quite swell.

DC have Rick Veitch's new OGN Can't Get No; collect Warren Ellis & Butch Guice's JLA Classified: New Maps of Hell into a TPB; and have new issues of 100 Bullets (#73), 52 (week 6), Checkmate (#3), DMZ (#8), Ex Machina Special (#2), Fables (#50), Firestorm (#26), JLA Classified (#22--JLA Detroit!), and Superman (#653).

Fantagraphics have Megan Kelso's The Squirrel Mother.

IDW have the penultimate issue of Supermarket (#3).

Image collect Nabiel Kannan's crime-noir The Drowners.

Marvel collect the League of Losers story from Marvel Team-Up; and have new issues of Civil War (#2), Squadron Supreme (#4), and Thunderbolts (#103).

Shanda Fantasy Arts finally have a new issue of Shanda the Panda (#45).

Viz have new volumes of Banana Fish (vol. 14) and Tezuka's Phoenix (vol. 7).


Enjoy your new comics!

De:TALES
by Fábio Moon & Gabriel Bá
Dark Horse, $14.95

De:TALES is the best comic I've read so far this year.

I've been impressed by twin brothers Moon & Ba's work before, but in De:TALES they raise the bar with a collection of short stories that, if there's any justice in this world, should bring them the recognition they richly deserve.

Grounded in the urban life of Sao Paulo with a touch of magical realism, the unrelated stories range the gammut from high concept--a friend is brought back from the dead to spend his birthday among the living; a young woman tells a complete stranger that he's too late to fall in love with her--to the quietly mundane. But even the seemingly mundane stories have a touch of magic in their lyrical simplicity, such as the final story in which a woman gets out of bed and lights a candle.

There is such a strong sense of life in these stories, about people who are happy, unhappy, satisfied, unsatisfied, in love, out of love, searching, longing, and content. These are stories about people and how they relate, or don't relate, to each other.

The art is attractive and fluid, with a strong grasp of storytelling. It's the kind of book that you can pick up, turn to a random page, and admire the art, from the linework to the layout.

Sometimes I worry about the state of comics; then I read a book like De:TALES, and my faith in the future of the medium is restored.

Rating: 4.5 (of 5)

I recently got to thinking about who some of my dream creative teams would be for DC Comics titles. My only rule was that it had to be creators who had never worked as the regular writer or artist on that title or character. Here's some of what I came up with:


Wonder Woman: Gail Simone & Terry Moore

Oddly, in the comic's 65-year history, a woman has never been the regular writer of Wonder Woman. (Trina Robbins did a mini-series back in the 80s.) It's high time that changed, and who better than DC's female super-hero writer-in-residence Gail Simone? And with SiP winding up, Terry Moore could bring a style that isn't cheesecake, but still attractive.


Legion of Super-Heroes: Kurt Busiek & George Perez

George Perez has stated in the past that the Legion is the one super-hero team he has yet to do, and would like to. And with his Avengers co-hort Kurt Busiek along for the writing, this would make for a great super-team book.


Swamp Thing: Matt Howarth

The problem with the past umpteen iterations of Swamp Thing is that the series has labored long in the shadow of Alan Moore. Matt Howarth would bring a completely different story and artistic sensibility to the character.


Hellblazer: John Rozum & Steve Lieber

As an artist, Steve Lieber excels at making ordinary people exciting, and he can bring the supernatural funk. You know he'd be great drawing John Constantine in his trenchcoat every month. John Rozum is a highly underrated writer, and a higher profile book like Hellblazer would bring him the audience that the unheralded Midnight Mass. & Xombi couldn't.


Sugar & Spike: Judd Winick

Okay now, hear me out. Winick is great when drawing his own stuff, and when bringing the funny. Yeah, he'd have to tone things down from Barry Ween, but Juniper Lee showed that he is capable of being funny without being a potty mouth.


The Atom: Jim Ottaviani & Rob Walton

The Atom is supposed to be a nuclear scientists, so let's bring on a couple of guys who actually know their nuclear science!


The Question: L. Neil Smith & Cliff Chiang

Author Smith is a dyed-in-the-wool Libertarian, so it'd be very intersting to get his take on Ditko's creation. And I just want to see Cliff Chiang draw something every month, and think he'd be a good fit.


The Inferior Five: Dan Slott & Jim Mahfood

Dan Slott worked his magic with Marvel's Great Lakes Avengers, so let's turn him loose on DC's team of super-hero losers. When paired with Mahfood's heavy humorous line, it could be the comic that appeals to super-hero fanboys and indy geeks too.


Challengers of the Unknown: Fred Perry

Challengers is a book that needs the kind of high-adventure attitude that Fred Perry brings to his own Gold Digger series.


So, how about you--what are some of your DC Dream Teams?

It's day Forty-two of the second annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Jamie Bohr. Jamie's five comics are:

1. Fantastic Four
2. She-Hulk
3. Ex Machina
4. Runaways
5. Nextwave

For Jamie I have today's monkey cover comic: Grease Monkey #1 by Tim Eldred. And issue #2 as well. Because who wouldn't love comics about monkeys in space?

As a bonus, I'm sending Jamie a copy of Battlestar Galactica #0 by Greg Pak & Nigel Raynor.

Jamie's comics should be in the mail soon. Enjoy!

Final FCBM Statistics:
62 entries
150 free comics sent
0 days remaining--we're done!

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

Engineer Gimbensky isn't taking any crap on the cover of Grease Monkey #1 by Tim Eldred.

(Standard disclaimer about talking space-going gorillas not really being monkeys applies, even if they're called a 'Monkey' in the title.)

Click on the image for a larger version.

Those of you who remember Ty Templeton's Stig's Inferno will be thrilled to know that Templeton has made the first six issues available online for free.

If you don't know about Stig's Inferno--well, you've got a reading treat ahead!

It's day Forty-one of the second annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Stephen Frug. Stephen's five comics are:

1. Y, the Last Man
2. Promethea
3. The Invisibles
4. 99 Ways to Tell a Story
5. Stuck Rubber Baby

For Stephen I have The Picture Taker #1 by Phillip Hester & Mike Worley.

As a bonus, I'm sending Stephen a Gemstone Halloween ashcan Donald Duck comic, featuring the story "Hobblin' Goblins" by Carl Barks.

Stephen's comics should be in the mail soon. Enjoy!

Current FCBM Statistics:
62 entries
147 free comics sent so far
1 day remaining

It's day Forty of the second annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Ryan Claytor. Ryan's five comics are:

1. Blankets
2. True Story Swear to God
3. Groo
4. Clyde Fans
5. Y, the Last Man

For Ryan I have Cell #1 by Derek Kirk; along with A Sort of Homecoming #3 by Damon Hurd & Pedro Camello.

As a bonus, I'm sending Ryan a Gemstone Halloween ashcan Donald Duck comic, featuring the story "Hobblin' Goblins" by Carl Barks.

Ryan's comics should be in the mail soon. Enjoy!

Current FCBM Statistics:
62 entries
145 free comics sent so far
2 days remaining

It's day Thirty-nine of the second annual YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from the enigmatically named X Amount. X's five comics are:

1. Y, the Last Man
2. Ex Machina
3. Runaways
4. Nextwave
5. DMZ

For X I have the entire five-issue miniseries of Street Angel by Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca.

And since I found one last copy, X will be receiving a special Dark Horse promo-priced comic, in this case The Goon 25¢ Edition by Eric Powell.


X's comics should be in the mail soon. Enjoy!

Current FCBM Statistics:
62 entries
142 free comics sent so far
?? days remaining