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Home , Anna Mercury, Bug (comics), Chuck Austen, DC Releases, Mister X (Marvel Comics), OMAC (Buddy Blank)

Volume 12 #1 “News, reviews and opinions from the world of comics” April 2008

Secret Invasion The are coming! Bendis has been building this up for a while, and it should actually pay off. We’re gonna get flashbacks to infiltrating Skrulls — seeing recent events through their eyes- -and this will be the conclusion of the ongoing story begun in Disassembled! So all the quality Avengers comics recently (man, remember when the Avengers was a crappy comic?) have something to do with the Skrulls, from the start of Illuminati’s secret battle with them, to “someone” ordering all the super villains busted out and getting forced underground. Should be a lot of action, but also some inter- esting revelations! But sorry, I doubt that is a . Apparently he’s just a big jerk. Publishers Make Fun and Educational Comics for Actual Kids! Maybe this headline doesn’t sound as revolutionary as it really is. There have always been comics for kids. From the earliest days of Famous Funnies to the fantastic new Tiny series from DC, children have devoured comics like candy. But the folks at Toon Books: Little Lit Library (Francoise Mouly & Art Spiegelman!) are releasing three new books tailor-made for emerging readers. The first, Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons, by French children’s author Agnes Rosenstiehl, takes readers through the seasons in a series of short strips perfect for 4-5 year-olds. I haven’t had a chance to read the other two, Otto’s Strange Day, by Frank Cammuso (Max Hamm) & underground legend Jay Lynch, and Benny and Penny, by children’s author Geoffrey Hayes; but if Toon Books can keep it up maybe some kids can fill in that empty space next to Owly on their comic shelves! 2 | www.bigplanetcomics.com Hotline: 301.718.1890

dard hype except for two key Everybody thinks I am, since that words: “Grant” and “Morrison”. guy put me in his documentary Nuff said. about curmudgeons.” Titans #1 Number of the #1 The original For any of you who tuned out when WildStorm crash- reunite in this landed most of their so-called new series by “relaunches” (where’s my Wild- Judd Winick CATs and Authority, man??), or and Ian gave up when they did a Churchill. Not cross-line one-shot crossover to be confused (Armageddon), it may have with Teen actually been leading to some- Titans, Teen thing. For one, Chris Sprouse, the Titans: Year awesome artist of Tom Strong, is One, Tiny Titans, Teen Titans: drawing it. For two, it brings back Raven, or Teen Titans: Cyborg. some old characters from Ellis’ days…and it might Pigeons From Hell #1 actually have some violent Arma- Fan favorite Joe Lansdale adapts geddon. R.I.P. fan favorite Robert Howard’s Countdown #4-3-2-1, DC’s being pretty tight-lipped story about a haunted house in DC Universe #0 about this one, but it kicks off the deep south. It would seem The Count- in Batman #676. “Beginning the that this book also contains actu- is epic story that will change the al pigeons from hell in it, so buyer finally ending, legend of the Dark Knight forever! beware. and leading Everything in ’s straight into ground-breaking run on Batman Young X-Men #1 DC Universe has been leading to this story, Way better than the Old X-Men. #0 (only 50 and nothing will ever be the same cents!), which again.” Now you know as much Omega the Unknown #7 in theory will as we do. Sounds like pretty stan- So if the re-define DC combination continuity for the next 10 years of Jonathan or so ... That and Grant Morrison Lethem, Farel & J.G. Jones’ Final , starting D a l r y p l e , next month. and Paul Horn- schemeier isn’t Angel: After the Fall #6 enough to get Even if you’re not following this you indie folks vs. : When comic, you might want to pick to read this Titans Clash up #6 to find out what the heck book, I don’t Telling you about this one is too happened right after the TV series know what it would take. Maybe easy — I’ll just let the Hulkster finale. I can’t wait to see how they … Gary Panter?! Wish granted, himself tell how it’s gonna go write their way out of this one... hipsters! down: “Bah! Hulk need bigger book! Hulk smash puny beard : Ages of Thunder skirt man!” Hmm, yes, if I was Yup, Thor’s back, and he’s no going to fight the Hulk, I would clone. But even better, Ages not wear a skirt. I’d probably of Thunder is all old-school shave, too. Cuz really, as much as Simonson/Kirby-like Norse I love Red Hulk, Girl Hulk, Son of myth Thor — kicking frost giant Hulk, and Greek-Demi-God-Fill- butt, fighting armies of skeletons, In Hulk, I wanna see the original rainstorms of blood, and a gore- back at it... Oh, I guess that’s what streaked smashing this is! teeth across the panels of the comic. Matt Fraction is Anna Mercury #1 writing the mythic violence, Not sure what this one’s all and apparently, Thor can be a about, cuz Ellis is sneaky. But bit of a violent jerk. Sold! Anna Mercury does carry two guns, John Woo-style. Plus she’s Iron Man: Legacy of American Splendor: in some crazy ‘50s-era American Doom #1 Season Two #1 city. Which may not really exist. Iron Man vs. Dr. Doom by the More adventures of Ameri- So his blurb of “weird pulp team that brought you the classic ca’s favorite curmudgeon, action” sounds pretty dead on. alcoholic disco Tony Stark comics Harvey Pekar. Note from She apparently fights an insane 25 years ago. Hopefully they’re Harvey: “I’m not really a technocratic society and lives in a not too old to deliver. All we curmudgeon. different world. Sounds like Ellis need now is a Dazzler re-launch. alright. (Extra fun – new weekly The sad thing is that disco is prob- sci-fi euro- by Ellis for free ably hipper now than when those at www..com comics were published. Hotline: 301.718.1890 www.bigplanetcomics.com | 3

note: If you’re hankering for when the more cynical more adven- from that universe shows tures, check out the new up in the current one, Showcase Presents: they’re pulling out Booster Gold TP.) some big guns. How Exterminators does this all tie in to Volume 4 of the New The Bug-Bee-Gone Gods and ? crew goes all - Stay tuned, DC True busters when they meet Believers! up with the Giant Mayan Hisser. If you have no idea what Walking Dead Vol. 8 I’m talking about go buy Extermi- I keep talking about this book, nators Volumes 1-3, please. even though I hate horror comics. It’s still one of the best, and this Spider-Man: One More volume is truly about the horror Day of what people can do to each That’s right. From the publisher other, with the Governor’s men who brought you the Clone Saga assaulting the prison with a tank, and ’s O-Face and many many bullets flying. comes One More Day! Maybe Terrible cliffhangers, and lots the biggest comics disaster of the more people die. year, One More Day has to be read to be believed. That being said, ’s OMAC Spider-Man comics are at least More Kirby weirdness from the seventy-four times better now 1970s. ... Seriously this book used than they were before this train to give me nightmares when I was wreck. a kid. Truly weird and scary stuff! Hulk: Planet Hulk TP Spirit Archives Vol. 24 Okay, so World War Hulk ended I don’t think that Eisner even with WAY fewer mass casualties really worked on these, other than there should have been…but than as editor, but who cares. It’s why did it start in the first place? the Spirit in outer space written Oh, right, a bunch of dumb super- and laid out by Jules Feiffer and genius heroes shot Hulk onto a drawn by Wally Wood — when new planet to keep him out of both were at the height of their Starman Omnibus 1 pretty great on your bookshelf trouble. But then the planet was talents! Buy it! He didn’t want to be a hero like his next to your other Absolute different than they thought, and dad, his older brother did…and volumes, so I can he had to fight in a pit Unique died for it. Developing a huge new recommend it solely on the basis against super-tough aliens who Remember when Dean Motter supporting cast, regular conversa- of its bookshelf looking-pretty- could actually hurt him! It was used to do Mister X? No? Well tions with his dead brother, and greatness. Thankfully, though, like Spartacus meets Wrath of trust me, it was awesome. Now incorporating every person to it also includes some of the best Khan! With much smashing of he’s taken another break from ever bear the name Starman, this comics of the past twenty years. puny aliens! Really one of the his busy day job designing album amazing series finally is back in best Hulk stories in a long-time, covers to bring us this strange print in the first of 5 hardcovers. Booster Gold: 52 Pick-Up with a fine mix of classic smashing little book. Check it out. (Editor’s note: If you have not read This is a hard cover about Booster and Grey Hulk cunning. Starman, you must. This book Gold traveling through time Batman: Resurrection of is fantastic! And unlike a lot of to different big events in the JSA Vol.2: Thy Kingdom Ra’s Al Ghul HC recent series, you will be hooked in DC Universe. It is much more Come Part 1 Batman, Talia, Ra’s Al Ghul...as the first 8 pages.) awesome than that description, Kingdom Come is still one of the conceived by Grant Morrison & though. Think before best “alternate world” comics . You know you Absolute Sandman Vol. 3 turned it into a ever, in the darker, more violent want it--and it’ll be at least six This thing will probably look Chuck Austen comic. (Editor’s future of the DC Universe. So months until DC releases the TP...

Thoreau at Walden Repo Man, but I guess part) awesome Cerebus comics Ganges #2 Whoever put this one we’ll find out... and crazy misogynistic rants have Kevin Huizenga is back! Ganges together is a genius! kept us entertained for years and #2 is a look at Glenn Ganges time John Porcellino (King- Metronome now you are back with a weird at a dot com in the nineties and Cat Comix) is possibly I’ve never heard of spy/fashion comic that’s actu- mostly takes place inside of a first- the perfect choice to Veronique Tanaka ally a study of fifties comic strip person shooter called Pulverizer. be adapting Thoreau to before, but this is the artists. How unoriginal! Huizenga gets better all the time comics form — his sensi- coolest looking silent and this is not to be missed. tive tone and spare art style fit comic I’ve ever seen--set Kaput & Zosky perfectly with Thoreau’s writing to the beat of a metronome, Three Shadows Echo #1 (if not his actual life). which makes for a really cool Two new offerings from First Rasl #1 Waldo’s Hawaiian reading experience. Recom- Second — one by Lewis Trond- Two new #1s from Holiday mended! heim(!) featuring his wacky space and ? I don’t think The official sequel to Repo Man aliens, Kaput & Zosky, and one anyone needs to be told that written by filmmaker Alex Cox! Glamourpuss #1 by somebody I’ve never heard of these new series are the talk of the Not sure how you do a sequel to Ah, , your (for the most — but it looks awesome! town...er, ‘ville. 4 | www.bigplanetcomics.com Hotline: 301.718.1890 Learning your ‘ABC’

It’s not often that a gets considered for a major book ‘American Born award. It’s pretty much the Pulitzer Prize-winning “Maus” and ... well, very little else. Chinese’ cartoonist So it was surprising when Gene Yang’s graphic novel, “Amer- ican Born Chinese” was nominated for the National Book Award Gene Yang was just for Young People’s Literature in 2006. And nobody was more surprised than Yang. hoping to just get “When I first started publishing ‘American Born Chinese,’ it was a mini comic,” he said. “I would finish a chapter, take it to his comic collected. Kinko’s and Xerox it and sell it at different conventions. My big plan was to just get it collected as a Now he’s getting graphic novel and that would be it.” The final product turned out to be a luxurious full- nominated for color graphic novel from the boutique publisher First Second Books. The book weaves together three story- awards. Go figure. lines together into a singular cohesive treatise on the Asian-American identity. By Scott A. Rosenberg One storyline follows a Chinese fable, the Monkey King. Another inserts a rather blatant stereotypical Chinese character, Chin-Kee, into the life of his cousin, a popular Asian high school student. The third story deals with a Chinese-American student moving into a school where he’s the only Asian-American, which, while not directly autobiographical, has elements from Yang’s personal experience. But it’s Chin-Kee who has drawn the most controversy, with his giant buckteeth and traditional, over-the-top clothing, which Yang drew to help him stand out among white males. “I do get some reactions to the Cousin Chin-Kee that worry me a little bit,” Yang said. “There’s some people that come up and tell me, ‘He’s so cute, so funny, endearing.’ That’s definitely not what I was going for,” Yang believes that most people understood the purpose of a character like Chin-Kee — acting as the juxtaposition against his popular, assimilated cousin. “I think the vast majority of the responses are positive, but I have had some Asian-Americans and come up and tell me I was perpetuating the stereotype by explicitly showing it,” he said. Yang, a high school teacher by day, has found that “American Born Chinese” has found an audience among some non-comic book readers as well as some scholastic venues. “A decent number of classes in both high school and college are using it,” he said. “Maybe fellow educators are trying it a little bit more. I think since my style is relatively simple, a lot of non-comics readers find it less intimidating then some of the other books that may be more sophisticated.” With accolades like a nomination for the National Book Awards pouring in, there’s no doubt that it’s going to be landing into the hands of a lot more readers.

Big Planet Orbit Volume 12 #1; April, 2008 is published by Joel Pollack, Peter Casazza, Jared Smith, and Greg Bennett for Big Planet Comics. www.bigplanetcomics.com.

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