Previews and Reviews that are Z's Views
Jesse Munoz decided to have a contest for his Twitter followers and the three winners would get sketches of their choice. As you can see from above, I was a winner! In addition to being a great artist, Jesse is a super nice guy. You can see more of his art at…
Joe at The Periodic Fable presents an excellent overview of the run by Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy on Master of Kung Fu.
Batman: White Knight, written and illustrated by Sean Murphy is set to be the first graphic novel published by DC under their new Black Label banner.
After years of epic battles, the Dark Knight finally finds a way to cure the twisted mind of his archenemy. The Clown Prince of Crime has now changed his ways, fighting for good in Gotham City, and it may just cause Batman to go over the edge of his own sanity.
Writer/artist Sean Murphy takes the helm of this Batman/Joker story like no one else could, delivering an alternative examination of the relationship between the greatest rivals in the DC Universe, exploring the darkest corners of justice and madness. This new graphic novel is the latest in great stand-alone stories from DC Comics. Collects issues #1-8.
This won’t be your father’s Batman.
Remember last year when George Romero announced his next zombie film, George Romero Presents Road of the Dead? While I was glad Romero was taking part in a new addition to his zombie films, I wasn’t thrilled with the concept which to me sounded like Death Race 2000 meets Dawn of the Dead.
Then in July of last year, Romero gave an interview talking up George Romero Presents Road of the Dead and more. Sadly, three days later he died.
Today at Comic-Con, IDW announced that Jonathan Maberry will write a 3 issue mini-series based on Romero’s Road of the Dead. Maberry is the perfect choice for this project having worked with Romero on Nights of the Living Dead anthology last year. That and the fact that Maberry is a fantastic writer.
In addition to Maberry writing the series, I was pleased to see that my pal, Drew Moss will be providing covers and interior art!
Source: Bleeding Cool.
Earlier today we looked at 10 Of History’s Most Cartoonish Deaths. The story Journey’s End by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko is the perfect follow-up. You can read the entire story thanks to the fine folks at The Bristol Board.
Last week Brian Shearer sent out a Tweet that he’d send a copy of the first issue of William the Last to any comic shop or person willing to share it with their local comic shop.
While William the Last probably wasn’t my cup o’ joe, I’m always down to help an independent artist. So I volunteered to take a copy to my local shop (World of Comics, if you’re ever in the Daytona Beach area).
Brian sent out the issue and I’m taking it to the shop today, but decided to give William the Last a look before dropping it off. Wow! I was pleasantly surprised at just how good William the Last is. Here’s how Shearer summarizes it…
A young boy grows up on an island alone with his grandfather. When his grandfather dies he climbs to the top of a steep mountain to find himself in a land where the people are in hiding, a tyrant rules, and his own name is forbidden from being spoken.
He is William the Last.
I love the premise and the art will pull you in. Shearer has just the right mix of danger, humor and mystery. This is a comic that kids and adults will love… even adults who think it might not be their normal beverage of choice. If you’re looking for a new comic for yourself or some youngsters, why not give a chance to William the Last?
Because I liked Lavender Jack, the free weekly comic by Dan Schkade so much I decided to see if there were any other Web Toon comics I might enjoy.
And what do you know? I found Last Stop by Trey Walker and Hoyt Silva. Here’s the premise…
Time is ticking for the World’s last superhero. Disillusioned, Lincoln Adams (AKA Unstoppable) must make peace with the changing world around him—can there truly be a place for him in a world without Supers? After learning of his terminal disease, Lincoln sees an easy way out; however, the re-emergence of an old Arch-Nemesis, and a new shadowy masked figure, turn Lincoln’s plans of an easy passing on their head. Can Lincoln stop this new threat before the disease stops him?
I like the premise. I’m a huge fan of Silva’s art, so checking this out was a no-brainer for me. If you like what you’ve seen and heard so far, then click over, but be aware that there is violence and adult language.
Earlier this week I posted about Lavender Jack a new free weekly comic by Dan Schkade. If you liked Lavender Jack, then you’ll probably want to listen to this podcast interview with Schkade about you know who.
Lavender Jack is a new free weekly comic by Dan Schkade that reminds me of the comics I used to read as a kid. And that’s a good thing.
When a masked man begins terrorizing the wealthy upper class, exposing their dirty secrets, the Mayor calls in a veteran detective. What begins as a game of cat and mouse leads to a rabbit hole of mysterious organizations, betrayal, & lost love.
Schkade’s writing and art are perfect for Lavender Jack and they should be since he created the character. Jenn Manley Lee’s colors enhance the strip. I’m usually not a fan of web comics but I plan to be a regular reader. You might as well if you give it a shot!
Brooklyn Blood by Paul Levitz and Tim Hamilton looks to be the kind of story fans of crime fiction and horror stories will love.
In Brooklyn, a serial killer is on the loose–and when strange clues lead down a paranormal path, a detective confronts his inner demons to solve the case.
After returning from a tour in Afghanistan, detective Billy O’Connor returns home to a Brooklyn he doesn’t recognize. As he tries to return to his normal routines, his PTSD is easily triggered and he suffers severe hallucinations. Once he begins to work a gruesome homicide case, however, O’Connor has difficulty sorting out what’s real–and after he uncovers some strange clues, he’ll have to face the unthinkable to bring the killer to justice.
From New York Times Bestselling authors Paul Levitz (75 Years of DC Comics: The Art of Modern Myth-Making) and Tim Hamilton (Ray Bradbury’s Farenheit 451: The Authorized Adaptation), this volume collects all sixteen chapters originally serialized in Dark Horse Presents Volume 3 #17-#22 and #24-#33!
Fans of great art are excited about Treasures Retold: The Lost Art of Alex Toth. Toth is a legend among artists, animators and comic book aficionados…
Alex Toth’s significance to comics and animation art cannot be overstated. During his career, he was the comic industry’s foremost proponent of modern design and composition. Starting in 1950, his work influenced almost every one of his contemporaries, and has continued to work its magic on the generations that followed. In animation, his 1960s model sheets for Hanna-Barbera are still passed around as swipe sources from animator to young animator in the 21st Century.
Included are complete stories from the 1950s and beyond, recently discovered color animation storyboards and presentation drawings, sketches and doodles, industrial comics, and individual pages from obscure comics and magazines. It’s a treasure trove that makes a fitting companion to the Eisner Award-winning Alex Toth: Genius trilogy.
I’m glad these Toth lost treasures have been found and will soon be shared with his fans around the world… especially the fan writing this post.
This vintage John Byrne drawing of Wolverine and Alpha Flight brought back some great memories. I was am a huge fan of Byrne’s run on the X-Men with Claremont and Austin. I also enjoyed Byrne’s Alpha Flight.
But both of those were decades ago. I can’t remember the last time I bought a Marvel comic… or a Byrne comic for that matter. I’d get my pre-order form in immediately if Byrne came back for a graphic novel starring Wolverine and Puck though.
That’s not likely to happen. Hey, Dan Panosian! What do ya think? You could write and draw a Wolverine and Puck yarn!
Art Source: Cool Comic Art.
MeTV presents 13 Altogether Ooky Facts about The Addams Family. Here are three of my favorites…
1. Until the TV show, the characters did not have names.
Charles Addams, pictured here in his home office, did not name the creepy, charming characters in his one-panel cartoons. When the show was green-lit, Addams and producers came up with names for the clan. Did you know Wednesday’s middle name is Friday?
4. Ted Cassidy played two roles.
While best known for playing Lurch, Ted Cassidy also lent a hand — literally — by also playing Thing.
7. The Addams were the first TV family to have a home computer.
A couple years later, Bruce Wayne would utilize his Batcomputer in the Batcave, but the first family “P.C.” seen on TV was the UNIVAC on The Addams Family.
Jake Rossen and Mental Floss present 8 Things You Might Not Know About The Wizard of Id. Here are three of my favorites…
1. THE IDEA FOR THE STRIP CAME FROM A DECK OF PLAYING CARDS.
Johnny Hart was already a successful syndicated cartoonist (the Stone Age comedy B.C.) before he and former Disney animator Brant Parker decided to collaborate on a different project. Hart was flipping through a deck of playing cards in 1964 when he came across a peculiar illustration used for the king. Drawing on it to create his own diminutive despot, Hart wrote most of the jokes for Id while Parker illustrated it.
5. JIM HENSON WAS GOING TO PUT IT ON TELEVISION.
An avowed fan of comic strips and of The Wizard of Id in particular, Muppets creator Jim Henson met with Hart in 1968 to discuss a possible collaboration. Henson wanted to create an Id television show that would use puppets against an animated backdrop. Hart agreed, and in 1969, Henson was able to shoot test footage featuring himself as the voice of the Wizard. But executives at Publishers-Hall, which had taken over syndication of the strip, were having trouble enticing networks into producing a series. By the time ABC showed interest, Henson had moved on to Sesame Street and other projects. Wizard of Id got translated into animation in 1970 as part of a Chuck Jones variety series titled Curiosity Shop.
8. BLONDIE AND BEETLE BAILEY CELEBRATED THE STRIP’S 50TH ANNIVERSARY.
When The Wizard of Id passed the half-century milestone in 2014, the entire comics page came out to celebrate. Hi and Lois featured a portrait of the Wizard in a panel, while Blondie and Family Circus made subtle references to the anniversary. (As modern-day strips, it would be difficult to regard a medieval strip with more overt acknowledgment.) In Beetle Bailey, the perennial screw-up shared a cell with the eternally suffering Spookingdorf.
Today we have Eduardo Risso’s take on a Sin City / 100 Bullets mash-up. What an amazing piece! In order to get the full effect of this beauty be sure to click on the image for a larger view!
