DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for January 15, 2014

COMICS

Black Beetle is the more mysterious than the Shadow, has more gadgets than the Inspector, and his moody Colt City is plagued by murders! Check out our neo-noir hero from best-selling creator Francesco Francavilla in Vol. 2 starting issue Black Beetle: Necrologue #1. Golden Age hero Skyman gets a boost into the air from Dark Horse. Skyman #1 is written by Ultimates writer Joshua Hale Fialkov. The masterful John Byrne’s Triple Helix series comes to an end with Issue #4, further expanding the Byrne-verse of heroes that include Trio and of course Next Men! …Picks from LeaguePodcast.com!

Triple Shot With a Digital Chaser: AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1, TRIPLE HELIX #1, MARA #6 Plus TEMPLATE #1 - FORCES OF GEEK

Let’s pretend that we’re dead with another amazing Halloween issue, this time set in a place as dark as Riverdale with Afterlife with Archie #1, John Byrne expands on his Trio comic book Byrne-verse with a new superhero team in Triple Helix #1 and Brian Wood and Ming Doyle wrap up Mara in issue #6.

Over at ComiXology Submit, Template #1 uses the screen in effective ways to tell a futuristic scifi tale! 

AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE #1
WRITER: Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa
ART: Francesco Francavilla
Publication Date: October 9, 2013
Price: $2.99
Publisher: Archie Comics
UPC: 76281606624200131
Buy it HERE

Archie Comics, as a publisher is one of the most surprisingly progressive and forward thinking in the industry.

From the gay marriage of service man Kevin Keller to the diverging timeline tale of Archie The Married Life, the Riverdale kids are mature characters not being put to waste by cheeseburger gags (though, when done right are as charming as when you read these at the barber shop or salon as a kid). 

Zombies have been popular for about 5 minutes or so I guess, so why not make a new ongoing Archie series with a horror bent?

This is more Dark Shadows the movie remake than The Walking Dead, but finally Sabrina and Salem exist in a book where spellbinding seems plausible, the dark corners of the night are gloomy, and the night of the Halloween Dance gives everyone an excuse to be dressed in costumes.

Did we mention that powerhouse Triple Shot favorite Francesco Francavilla was spotted in a cemetery near the burger joint spotting blacks? The artwork here is incredible, and people will be talking about this book all winter!

[READ MORE AT FORCES OF GEEK!]

TRIPLE SHOT: SOLID STATE TANK GIRL #1, DOOMSDAY.1 #1 and DREAM MERCHANT #1 - FORCES OF GEEK

Three shots of comics are served down and neat for you today, burning up and investigating the insides of your body and soul!  We start off with the return of Tank Girl, John Bryne singes the Earth with a solar flare, and Nathan Edmondson delivers another story that branches out into a new fantasy genre, the mysteries of Dream Merchant.

SOLID STATE TANK GIRL #1 (of 4)
WRITER: Alan Martin
ART: Warwick J. Cadwell
Publication Date: May 15, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Titan Comics
UPC: 07447028032301
Buy it HERE


Remember Tank Girl? I sorta do. There was a 1995 movie, right? With the guy from Body Count and SVU.

Do you remember rock and roll radio, The Clash, Love and Rockets? The creators crammed all of that into a dyke role model with post apocalyptic kangaroo sidekick that live in a tank in Australia.

Jamie Hewlett went on to form Gorillaz, and original creator Alan Martin sort of wandered the countryside (seriously) looking to uncover ancient mysteries.

Martin has since resurrected the character in 2007, and Titan Books has released his latest story, Solid State Tank Girl with art by Warwick Johnson-Cadwell.

We see familiar faces—Booga, Jet Girl and Tank Girl.

We’re in a radio repair shop, something likely useful I the ‘80s or in post apocalyptic times. Booga zaps himself on an old radio and Tank Girl is put to task to revive him.

How do they do it? Honey I Shrunk the Kids style.

There’s a delightful few pages of ball humor before they do the Osmosis Jones bit and float into the gross kangaroo insides.

To cram just one more Netflix classic in there, perhaps the reason Booga has fallen ill could be found in the plot of Three Men and a Baby.

A fun, punk rock read with a female leading cast.

A backup story pits Tank Girl against Dick Strangeballs!

Tank Girl is Dead. Long Live Tank Girl!

DOOMSDAY.1 #1 (of 4)
WRITER/ARTIST: John Byrne
Publication Date: May 15, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: IDW Publishing
UPC: 82771400459500111
Buy it HERE


Master of storytelling and the comic book form John Byrne reboots a classic concept of his from the ‘70s withDoomsday.1 this week.

The four issue limited series is a post apocalyptic tale of solar flares wiping out the most of the habitable places on Earth.

Stuck in orbit on an international space voyage, a crew of seven watches helplessly as the planet is decimated by fire.

On the ground, The President, The Pope, a prison and a submarine crew hunker down away on different parts of the planet to save themselves. This gives us an idea that some pockets of humanity will survive the destruction.

A sacrifice is made in space to return the astronauts home after many orbits and the flare subsiding. A crash landing in the southern United States leaves the crew to to survive on a familiar an foreign planet.

I am a fan of John Byrne’s polarizing artwork and storytelling, and follow his work at IDW closely—from Angel to Star Trek. This book is for fans of The Walking Dead, Planet of the Apes, and Mad Max. Will these astronauts survive past the four issue mini-series, or will they bake on the surface of a planet they used to call home? I’m along for the ride!

Dream Merchant #1 (of 6)
WRITER: Nathan Edmondson
ART: Konstantin Novosadov
Publication Date: May 15, 2013
Price: $3.99
Publisher: Image Comics
UPC: 70985301362400111
Buy it HERE

Nathan Edmondson is no stranger to poking around in someone’s head.

His spy-fi action comic Jake Ellis takes place somewhat in protagonist Jon Moore’s head, as the specter of Jake Ellis guides him through missions. The Dream Merchant mini series is off to a strong start here.

Winslow has been plagued by persistent and recurring dreams, that preoccupy his waking moments. He’s checked for observation into a mental hospital in Burbank.

While there he befriends the cafeteria worker, juvenile delinquent Anne, who has a fondness for Wilson and lends him many books on dreams.

Sleep demons chase the two out of the hospital and they are guided by a mysteriously shrouded mentor with a staff, one who seems to have control over the dream state. The two hop a train and escape onto the road, following the bizarre figure.

This is a different type of story that Edmondson’s other work, The Activity or Jake Ellis in that there is no spy action or military tech involved yet.

This is more of a teenage adventure story that half takes place in the realm of dreams. The flavor of the dream world is more Harry Potter than it is ‘The Dreaming’ of Sandman books, and a bit more fun. Chapter 1 has the heroes on their journey, with no hints at where the roads may take the three next.

Art by Siberian Konstantin Novosadov is more Disney cartoon than Darwyn Cooke ‘50s illustration, but the solid black line work and facial expressions are seemingly influenced by both. 

[READ MORE at FORCES OF GEEK]

DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for May 15, 2013

COMICS

John Byrne (Superman, Star Trek, Next Men) takes a page from Marvel NOW! and gives us a Point One reboot of his post-apocolyptic space race 1975 Charlton comic Doomsday +1. The new book is Doomsday.1 #1 from IDW, taking place on the International Space Station with astronauts looking to return home to an Earth decimated by a solar flare! Hot Stuff! … The JSA Liberty Files have only been cracked this once since the New 52, and this issue of The Whistling Skull #6 marks the end of the miniseries. Written by B. Clay Moore and drawn by Tony F’n Harris, this steampunk via Hitler-smashing Sherlock Holmes type story is a masterpiece of the bizarre and macabre featuring the Whistling Skull and dimwit sidekick Nigel. Hard to put into words, really. … We haven’t forgotten about the all ages comic picks, this week we have Regular Show #1 from Boom! Studios. Mordecai the Bluejay and Rigby the Raccoon are just chillin’, yo. Whoa-Oh-Oh! Join ‘em for a regular day! … Picks LeaguePodcast.com.

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DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for September 19, 2012

COMICS

Kelly Sue DeConnick and Phil Noto revive spectral heroine Ghost from Dark Horse in Ghost #0. A device used on the TV show Phantom Finders reveals the spirit of Resurrection Mary. Kelly spent some time with real g-g-g-ghost investigators to get a feel for the story set in Chicago. … John Byrne surprises us every year by revisiting old characters, reinventing licensed properties and drawing the heck out of every page. We missed these three classic Romulan trek tales in our EARTH PRIME TIME: STAR TREK COMICS AT IDW so be sure to check out Star Trek Romulan Treasury Edition. … Kickstarter success story Womanthology; Massive All Female Comic Anthology! takes us bang zoom to the moon. Womanthology Space #1 goes lunar and features our good friend Ming Doyle! … Picks this week from LeaguePodcast.com.

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DigBoston and LeaguePodcast Comic Book Picks of the Week for May 9, 2012

COMICS

Comic book master John Byrne (Superman, X-Men, Fantastic Four) subtracts one from the superhero family to bring us his creator owned Trio #1. … The stars of the show are Rock, Paper and Scissors. No room for a guy that catches on fire in this book! … The Pro from Garth Ennis, Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti pits a super-powered prostitute against the hard livin’ streets. Oh my! … Takio is our all- ages pick this week from Avengers scribe Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming. Sisters Taki and Olivia deal with being the only superheroes on the planet, can they handle all of the pressure? … Picks this week from the letter T and LeaguePodcast.com.

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