SHIPPING THIS WEEK AUGUST 29, 2007

52 AFTERMATH: THE 4 HORSEMEN 1 of 6 (DC)
What was originally solicited as a one-shot is now a six-issue mini-series. The Horsemen were a damn scary creation in the pages of 52 and, with Giffen and artists Pat Olliffe and Drew Geraci on board, I'm sure the overall concept will ring true. However, I wonder if saving the idea for a later, non-event time or for the course of an actual storyarc, if that might have been more effective. Right now it seems lost in the Countdown shuffle.

ACTION COMICS 855 (DC)

AMAZONS ATTACKS 6 (DC)

ASTHMA GN (Sparkplug Comics)
By John Hankieweicz. I know very little about this, except for the title. I'm an asthmatic. So I'm curious why the title choice. Here's a few links to help.

BATMAN ANNUAL 26: HEAD OF THE DEMON (DC)
Like the Sinestro Corps War, the Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul is growing out of an actual story and looks to be a great read. I also like that this isn't a one-shot or some kind of extra mini-series. That they are using Annuals again for important or special stories is a plus.

BOMB QUEEN IV 1 OF 4 (Image)
More fun than anyone should have reading a comic. Don't take it too seriously, just enjoy.

COUNTDOWN 35 (DC)

COUNTDOWN TO ADVENTURE 1 of 8 (DC)
I don't know what to expect with this mini-series. With Adam Strange, Animal Man and Starfire, DC is playing off a lot of faith from 52. But if this turns out to be a similar plotline to what Jason Todd/Donna Troy/the Monitor are doing - discovering new worlds - I'll be disappointed. I want an actual space-faring story with these characters. Another series riding off the good-will of 52.

INCREDIBLE CHANGEBOTS (Top Shelf)
Fun, nostalgic and silly. A little pricey ($15) considering the smaller size format, but still enjoyable.

LOOKING GLASS WARS HATTER M HC (Desperado)
With the second part of the novel trilogy out, Seeing Redd, this makes for a good extra story. Ben Templesmith's art doesn't hurt either.

MICE TEMPLAR 1 (Image)
Mice are the new zombies. And that's okay.

NOTHING BETTER TPB Vol.1
Another comic I first came across at MOCCA Fest 2007. By Tyler Page, the issue I read felt like a close cousin to Strangers in Paradise in a college setting. Good stuff so far.

OUTSIDERS FIVE OF A KIND: GRACE/WONDER WOMAN (DC)

PREVIEWS
Page 385. Comics NOW! Order it.

PUNKS GN (Digital Webbing Presents)
I can't wait to read this. It just looks so cool.

SUPER SPY GN (Top Shelf)
The hardcover version was a hit at this year's MOCCA Fest. Now you can pick up the softcover of 52 (52!) spy thriller stories.

TEEN TITANS 50 (DC)

TEEN TITANS GO! 46 (DC)

WIZARD 192

WONDER WOMAN 12 (DC)

BACK FROM NYC... ALIVE AND WELL

Just got back from NY (and boy are my gams tired) after finishing up the first three rehearsals for my Commerce Bank gig. I got another great bunch of people to work with - they are fun, they are energetic, they are New York. I'll have three more rehearsals with them before the tech/performance. Great group.

While in NY, I managed to see my college chum Jen; a friend from a previous CBank gig, Kat; hung out with the CGS: New York crew (Raph, Ian, Jeff, Mitch, Penelope, Mike, Dave Ryan and Joe from CNI); artist Fred Chao and his girl Dylan (Dillon?); animator Todd Wahnish; fellow theatre friend David D.; and of course the other CNI podcast host Jimmy - he-who-knows-the-best-bars-in-NY. Our night out at Don't Tell Mama's was hilarious.

The hotel I stayed in, on the night that I was out until 4:30am, decided to play a practical joke on me. The shower head fell off, hit the on lever and spat water flooding my bathroom, the hallway to the door and part of the room itself. I was moved to another room the next morning but damn if that wasn't weird hearing the shower running as I was walking into the place. It was like a Penthouse Forum letter that didn't actually come true. Boo.

I managed to walk around the Times Square although I didn't see a show - I was rehearsing 6:00 to 10:00. I was hoping to maybe catch a matinee sometime, especially of an off-broadway show. I just want to see something "different". And, other than food and drinks, I managed to not spend too much money shopping. Good for Rios.

Now I'm back in Reading for the weekend. I might be going to Philly on Saturday for the Barrymore Awards. 42nd Street was nominated for a few awards including Best Ensemble. That's me!

Really looking forward to when this gig kicks into high gear. The bankers are great, my fellow dancers are always a blast, I can't wait to start creating the opening tap number, and it all brings me that much closer to moving back to Philly.

huzzah.

SHIPPING THIS WEEK AUGUST 22, 2007

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST STAR LORD 2 (Marvel)

BATMAN 668 (DC)

BIRDS OF PREY 109 (DC)

BLUE BEETLE 18 (DC)

BOMB QUEEN III 4 (Image)
The cover to this issue is in homage to Nick Cardy's Teen Titans #23 featuring Wonder Girl's new costume change from ponytail to jumpsuit. Hilarious.

BUSHI TALES 1 (Pencil Neck Studios)
From our good friends over at Pencil Neck Studios, they've gone from self-publishing to a wider distribution. Congrats!

COUNTDOWN 36 (DC)

DEATH BY CHOCOLATE REDUX GN (Top Shelf)
This collection includes the Xeric-grant awarded origin tale of Agent Swete, a never-before published Death By Chocolate tale, and an essay by Yurkovich on the creation of the series.

GREEN LANTERN CORPS 15 (DC)

IMMORTAL IRON FIST 8 (Marvel)

JOHNNY DELGADO IS DEAD 1 of 2 (Image)
Featuring artwork by Chris Moreno.

LIBERTY GIRL VOL 1 THE RETURN TP (Heroic Publishing)
I don't know much about this comic but I figured it might be worth a try.

MOUSE GUARD WINTER 1152 1 (OF 6) (Archaia Studio Press)
A few weeks late but worth the wait.

MYSTIC ARCANA SCARLET WITCH (Marvel)

THE ORDER 2 (Marvel)
The first issue was a bit of a letdown, so we'll see how it continues.

OUTSIDERS FIVE OF A KIND WEEK 4 METAMORPHO AQUAMAN (DC)

PLANETARY BRIGADE VOL 1 TP (Boom!)
Giffen and DeMatteis unleashed. Comics are fun again.

RETURN OF THE SUPER PIMPS 3 (Dial C for Comics)
So Bad! it's good.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS WONDER WOMAN VOL 1 (DC)
I'm really anxious to read the Silver Age exploits of the Trinity: Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman. I've been collecting back issues of WW when I have the chance but this collection will probably wind up on my shelf.

SUBCULTURE 2 (Ape)

SUPERGIRL AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES 33 (DC)

SUPERMAN 666 (DC)

TANK GIRL THE GIFTING 3 (IDW)
If it's Ashley Wood I'm so there.

TELLOS COLOSSAL HC (Image)
An unexpected tribute to the life and loss of Mike Wieringo. Info here.

WHITE PICKET FENCES 3 (Ape)

WORLD WAR HULK GAMMA FILES (Marvel)
Just in case you need yet another explanation of Planet Hulk.

SHIPPING THIS WEEK AUGUST 15, 2007

ACTION COMICS 854 (DC)
More Countdown Tie-Ins I'm not reading.

AMAZONS ATTACK 5 (DC)
Oh yea. Almost forgot this is still going on.

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST QUASAR 2 (Marvel)

ARCHAIC 8 (Fenickx)
Hyper-violent elves. Homicidal maniacs. Sinister Kings. Technology-obsessed religious zealots. What's not to love? Seriously, I'm surprised by this book and I continue to enjoy each issue. There are two trades that will catch you up to date. Seek them out.

BIZARRE NEW WORLD 3 (Ape)
Meant to ship in July, this issue wraps up this fun little mini. And it's not the ending you would expect from a comic about an average guy who learns he can fly. Good stuff.

BLACK CANARY 4 (DC)

BOOSTER GOLD 1 (DC)
Back in the mid-80s, there were the Cola-Wars: Coke vs Pepsi. A lesser known war, between my comic book reading friends at the time, was Booster Gold vs. Blue Beetle. We would try and convince each other that one comic was better than the other. Looking back, both were great silly fun. Blue Beetle had the better art (Paris Cullins rocked and was a nice successor to Ditko's manic energy) but Booster Gold had the character you loved to hate. So here we are twenty years later with another series and I'm stoked. And I'm glad Dan Jurgens is back to help with his creation. Booster Gold is arguably the first new character created post-Crisis, so he's pretty important. Looking forward to this new series and new direction.

BRAVE AND THE BOLD 6 (DC)

CATWOMAN 70 (DC)

CHECKMATE 17 (DC)

COUNTDOWN 37 (DC)

FLASH 231 (DC)
Mark Waid returns to write Wally West as the Flash, this time with artist Daniel Arcuna. Arcuna's work on Uncle Sam & the Freedom Fighters is outstanding. But can Waid recapture the magic of his first Flash run? We'll see.

GEARHEAD 4 (Arcana)
Dennis Hopeless and Kevin Mellon are just fantastic guys. And GearHead is riproaring fun about a girl with a large wrench. Come on. You gotta buy it.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA 12 (DC)
Meltzer's oft-criticized run comes to an end.

KILLING GIRL 1 OF 5 (Image)
If you're a fan of Frank Espinosa and Rocketo, then you should be picking up this comic that asks the question: "What if the Mafia had their own secret service?". Check it out.

LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES IN THE 31ST CENTURY 5 (DC)

NARCOLEPTIC SUNDAY GN (Oni)
By Jeremy Haun and Brian Koschak. An interesting premise about a narcoleptic who wakes up to find his one night stand murdered. Oni rarely fails to deliver. Worth a read.

OUTSIDERS FIVE OF A KIND THUNDER/MARTIAN MANHUNTER (DC)

REX MUNDI 7 (Dark Horse)

RIPCLAW PILOT SEASON 1 (Top Cow)
Top Cow is putting their lineup in your hands.

ROBIN 165 (DC)

SHADOWPACT 16 (DC)

SUPERMAN/BATMAN 39 (DC)
Sigh. I don't want to get this but Dustin Nguyen is on art. DC, you sneaky bastards.

X ISLE VOL 1 tpb (Boom!)
Boom Studios calls this Alien meet the Descent. With a splash of Lost no doubt. Art by Greg Scott makes it completely worth it. I was surprised how much I enjoyed this mini.

PRE-ORDER THIS TODAY!

(If you're a customer of DCBService.com, you can preorder the Awesome! Anthology at a 45% discount!)

THIS BOOK IS AWESOME!
Awesome: The Indie Spinner-Rack Anthology premieres in October to benefit Center for Cartoon Studies

BROOKLYN, NY, July 23, 2007 — Evil Twin Comics, publishers of the ALA and Xeric award-winning Action Philosophers, announced that its benefit book of new comics co-edited by ETC founder Ryan Dunlavey and Charlito & Mr. Phil, hosts of the popular Indie Spinner Rack podcast, will be named after one of ISR's favorite words: AWESOME!

Awesome: The Indie Spinner Rack Anthology features new work from some of indy comics' brightest established stars and hot young up-and-comers including students of Vermont's Center for Cartoon Studios. The complete line-up of artists reads like so:

Al Columbia, Alec Longstreth, Alexis Frederick-Frost, Andy Runton, Ben Towle, Bernie Mireault, Blair Kitchen, Cameron Chesney, Charly "Charlito" La Greca, Chris Duffy, Chris Schweizer, Chuck McBuck, Dave Roman, Dev Madan, Dylan Babb, Frank "The Phranque" Romera, Fred Chao, Fred Van Lente, GB Tran, Georges La Vigne, J Chris Campbell, Jamie Burton, Jamie Tanner, Jason Heller, Jason Zayas, Javier Pineda, Jesse Post, Jon Adams, Joseph Lambert, Josh Cotter, Josh Finney, JP Coovert, Kat Rocha, Kazimir Strzepek, Keith Champagne, Lawrence Etherington, Liz Baillie, Liz Prince, Matt Kindt, Matthew Bernier, Nakiesha Koss, Neil Swaab, Nick Bertozzi, Phil "Mr. Phil" Jackson, Raina Telgemeier, Renee French, Rich Miller, Rich Tingley, Robert Goodin, Robin Etherington, Roger Langridge, Ryan Dunlavey, Sam Hiti, Sarah Oleksyk, Steve Hamaker.

In addition to scores of never-before-published stories, AWESOME features the world premiere of Evil Twin's follow-up to Action Philosophers: Comic Book Comics, the definitive (and irreverent) history of the American comics industry in the inimitable ActPhilo style of Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey.

A free preview of the anthology is available at the official AWESOME web site: http://www.eviltwincomics.com/awesome/index.html

Half the net profits from AWESOME will go to defray the expenses of producing the Indie Spinner Rack show; the other half will be given to the Center for Cartoon Studies, the school for comics artists co-founded and directed by cartoonist James Sturm in White River Junction, Vermont.

"Indie Spinner Rack, like the Center for Cartoon Studies, is committed to nurturing and supporting independent voices in cartooning. I'm honored and grateful that Evil Twin has chosen to support CCS and its students," said James Sturm, director of the Center for Cartoon Studies, earlier in the year.

AWESOME: THE INDIE SPINNER RACK ANTHOLOGY is 205 Black and White pages, retailing for $14.95 (Diamond Order Code: AUG07 3629). It hits stores in October, having its world debut at this year's Small Press Expo in Bethesda, MD.

SHIPPING THIS WEEK AUGUST 08, 2007

A DUMMY'S GUIDE TO DANGER VOL 1 TPB
From Viper Comics, this was an enjoyable mini-series about a paraplegic ventriloquist dummy. No lie.

ALAN MOORE THE COMPLETE WILDCATS TPB
It's been awhile since I read these stories but I can remember at the time thinking that they definitely helped to ground the overall title from the sometimes haphazard storytelling in the earliest of issues. And the Travis Charest artwork was beautiful to look at to boot. 15 issues at $29.99 is not a bad price, especially if anyone ordered this with a discount.

ANNIHILATION CONQUEST WRAITH 2

BATMAN 667
I believe this is the first of a 3-part story featuring the Club of Heroes or the Batman of Many Nations. An old Silver Age concept that only Grant Morrison could bring back. So looking forward to this storyline.

BLACK ADAM THE DARK AGE 1 (OF 6)
This feels a bit anti-climactic after learning of his fate in Countdown. This may turn into dollar-bin finds. The original solicitation says 1 of 8. Diamond has it listed as 1 of 6. Guess I'll find out when I see the cover. I'm also curious to see the variant cover by Alex Ross. I like artist Doug Mahnke's work, but his cover is just okay to me. Oh - and remind me to tell my Peter Tomasi story someday.

CASANOVA 8
One of my new favorite series returns, this time with art by Fabio Moon. I can't recommend this title enough. It's a fun, challenging romp that pushes what it means to be a comic book.

COUNTDOWN 38

DARK TOWER GUNSLINGERS GUIDEBOOK
My love affair with Handbooks continues.

DYNAMO 5 6

ESSENTIAL DAZZLER VOL 1 TPB
Come on. How badly do I want this?

GHOSTING 1 (OF 4)
Written by Fred Van Lente of Action Philosophers, this mini is from Platinum Comics. College hazing has been made illegal so pledges are put through the Ghosting - pranks designed to play on their greatest fears. The artwork by Charles Carvalho looks pretty decent. Worth a flip through at the store.

GI JOE AMERICAS ELITE 26
World War III continues.

GREEN ARROW YEAR ONE 3

GREEN LANTERN 22
The Sinestro Corps War rages. This storyline rocks.

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA SERIES 1
BLACK CANARY, BLACK LIGHTNING, RED ARROW, SUPERMAN, VIXEN
I'm not usually a fan of the DC Direct series that are based off of artist styles. And while this series riffs off of Ed Benes, I do like the idea of owning a Vixen.

LAST CALL VOL 1 GN
By Vasilis Lolos from Oni. Two friends are hit by a ghost train and wake up to discover themselves stuck on the train with no way out. As they search for an escape they uncover clues that lead them into the path of a killer. The prelim art and story sound interesting enough to browse through.

NEW AVENGERS 33
NOVA 5
OUTSIDERS FIVE OF A KIND WEEK 2 KATANA/SHAZAM

SHOWCASE PRESENTS ADAM STRANGE VOL 1 TP
One of my favorite space characters gets the Showcase treatment reprinting stories from Showcase and Mystery in Space. Excellent.

SUPERMAN CHRONICLES VOL 3 TPB
Collecting the adventures of Superman in chronological order (and in color!) is an interesting experiment. Especially for a history buff like me that likes to see how characters develop over the years. They come out far too infrequently for me though.

UN-MEN 1
From Vertigo, the Un-Men were old Swamp Thing foes. So I'm a bit curious to see a series with them.

VAULT OF MICHAEL ALLRED LTD ED HC
If you're an Allred fan, this is for you. Rare art, interviews, sketches, history, etc. It came out in comic form - for four issues I believe - but something tells me this will make a great book to add to my reference collection.

WORLD WAR HULK FRONT LINE 3
Just for the Chris Moreno pages alone.

DOOR 1 OR DOOR 2?

So the current corporate event gig I'm doing starts at the end of August and runs through mid-October. The highlights include going to Manhattan every week, seeing my friends again who always do the same gig with me and, of course, choreographing a tap number for 15 professional female tap dancers. Rawr. Can't wait until that starts. Heh.

Anyway, here's the deal. By the end of the gig, I'll finally have the means to move out of Reading. But I'm a little torn. Do I:

Option 1: Move back to Philly either by myself or with a roommate.

Option 2: Throw my junk into storage and during the next two months find a gig in Bumblefuck, USA that starts in October and just disappear for awhile. Now that I'm Equity my options are greater and I'd be happy dancing in the ensemble of a tap show or something.

I have very little ties at the moment so the idea of going away for awhile sounds wonderful.

What to do?

FIVE FOR FRIDAY!

1. LISTENING TO: Infinite Crisis Audiobook (GraphicAudio).
Definitely more Audiobook than Radio Show, it's quite enjoyable so far. Perhaps the best audio adaptation of this type is the Kingdom Come Audio tapes. But that is meant to be a "radio production" more than what GraphicAudio is offering. Still, with 6 hours in I.C. Part One alone, it's worth a listen and some of the character voices are fairly dead on.

2. SITE I'M BROWSING: Renae De Liz comic & sketch card artist.
Met Renae at this year's Heroes Con and she does great work. From commission work to sketch cards for various companies, she has a painterly approach that is soft and full of character. I especially like her Tigra, Hawkgirl and "Violet" pages.

3. COMIC I'M READING: Atomika (Mercury Comics).
Created and art by Sal Abbinanti, written by Andrew Dabb, Atomika mashes Shazam! and Kirby's Thor with Russian history and myth. I picked up #8 at the recent MOCCA Arts Fest so I sat down and reread the entire run to date. It's a study on the title character set against a Russia that rules the world with industry and Gods. A boy becomes a God but it's not the easiest of journeys. It seems like it's building to an eventual confrontation between some of the main players but the outcome could spell disaster for the rest of the world.

4. SOMETHING I'M WONDERING: About a rumor.
Whatever happened to Hasbro in talks to buy out Marvel?

5. EVENT I'M ATTENDING: Comic News Insider Episode 100!
A live recording hosted by Joe & Jimmy. If you have nothing to do this Saturday August 4th, come check it out. Should be fun!