Broken Frontier Staff Picks for October 4, 2017

My staff pick for comics released on October 4, 2017, is the I Hate Fairyland Special Edition from the twisted mind of Skottie Young.

As Gertrude hacks her way home through the most beloved characters of fairy tale lore, she is transported to the world of Image Comics. No one there is safe, either!

Read the preview HERE.

The book is on stands now, I highly recommend it for everyone with Image Comics on their weekly pull lists.

Review: Nightwing: The New Order #1

For DC Comics, so much of the post-New 52 era has concentrated on setting the DC Universe on a new (old) foundation, that non-continuity projects have been few and far between these last two years.

In a welcome turn to an Elseworld-esque storytelling format, Nightwing: The New Order #1 from writer Kyle Higgins and artist Trevor McCarthy arrived on August 23.

Courtesy of Dick Grayson, super powers are now illegal and the super-powered are forced to take inhibitors to halt their abilities. In the name of security, Grayson's New Order turns the corner toward the totalitarian, and he makes the choice to fix the world he thought he saved.

It's an interesting character-driven story from a creative team that knows Nightwing well. I'm looking forward to the next issue.

I reviewed it for Comic Book Resources, and you can read the full review HERE.

Review: Robotech #1

Hey Robotech fans! Titan Comics has released a new Robotech series, and you're going to love it.

Of all the Japanese anime shows translated for American television audiences in the 1980s, Robotech stood apart for its brilliant character interactions. Of course, the mech designs were cool (they still are) and the battle sequences were some of the best offered to that point.

Writer Brian Wood and artist Marco Turini have teamed up to offer the Macross Saga from the beginning. Set your skepticism aside because they did a fine job--issue #1 is a faithful representation of all the great stuff you don't want anyone to mess with and a nice update utilizing the best of today's graphic arts technology.

I reviewed the book for Comic Book Resources, and you can read it HERE.

Review Clue #1

Calling all murder mystery addicts! I'm a huge fan of mysteries, and there's nothing more indicative of the genre than playing the board game Clue.

Honestly, it's way more fun to play as an adult than it was as a kid. Trash-talking adults exhibit some serious cunning in trying to throw you off the trail, while kids have a more straight-forward approach to the game. My best advice is to get together the crazy group of friends you play Dungeons & Dragons with, order take out, select your favorite cold beverages, and settle in for a game session that will make you laugh till your sides split.

IDW Publishing has a great track record of producing comics based off stalwart Hasbro properties like G.I. Joe, Transformers, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. So it shouldn't have come as a surprise that IDW would get around to a comic based on Clue. The iconic property inspired Clue, the cult-classic 1985 film (which, interestingly, didn't make back at the box office the $15 million it cost to produce). Writer Paul Allor and artist Nelson Daniel have done an excellent job with the first issue, and you're going to love the character updates.

I reviewed it for Broken Frontier, and you can read the full review HERE.

Review Black Magick #6

Now that their incredible run on Wonder Woman is over, writer Greg Rucka and artist Nicola Scott have returned to their creator-owned title from Image Comics, Black Magick. An ideal marriage of words and art, this title follows Detective Rowan Black through a murder mystery that has more than a little to do with her heritage as a witch. And now that I've said that, remove all thoughts of Wendy the Good Witch or Samantha from Bewitched from your minds and think more in terms of descendants from the Salem witch trials.

Issue #6 is on the stands and provides an interesting glimpse into Rowan's background. Definitely pick up the trade and catch up on this title, enjoy this one-shot, and then get ready for the story to resume with issue #7 on August 30. You can read my full review of issue #6 on the Comic Book Resources site HERE.

Review Crosswind #1

The latest creator-owned hit for Image Comics is Crosswind #1. Writer Gail Simone teamed up with artist Cat Staggs to successfully re-invent the body-swap plot. It's Freaky Friday meets Goodfellas but with a distinctively hard-boiled personality as a mousy housewife trades bodies with a disillusioned hitman.

I loved the book and reviewed it for Comic Book Resources. You can read the full review HERE.

Review Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks #1

Skottie Young's variant cover for #1.

Not many artists in comics today work in a street-art-based style, but Jim Mahfood has refined the larger-than-life format into his instantly recognizable signature.

His latest creator-owned project is Grrl Scouts: Magic Socks #1. Published by Image Comics, Mahfood hasn't revisited these characters since 2003, and he takes them on an ass-kicking misadventure through a very violent and vibrant Freak City.

It's a comic for Mature readers, and one that fans of street art, underground, and indie comics will want to check out. My full review is live at Broken Frontier, and you can read it HERE.

Hello Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Vol. 2!

Finally! The wait for the Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 soundtrack is nearly over--Awesome Mix Vol. 2 is available this Friday, April 21.

Once again featuring a '70s based playlist, Vol. 2 has a delicious mix of pop, rock, and funk that is sure to be this year's best soundtrack to play way too loud in the car. Roll the windows down and have fun with this one.

Here's a cool write-up about it by Rolling Stone writer Brian Hiatt.

Review The Unworthy Thor #4

The Prince of Asgard battles his way to Old Asgard, the resting place of Ultimate Thor's hammer, alongside Beta Ray Bill and a Hel-hound with an unhealthy fervor for combat in The Unworthy Thor #4. And if you're not reading this series as you enjoy Jane Foster's adventures in The Mighty Thor, you should be! Writer Jason Aaron provides some long-awaited answers to the question, "What does it take to be worthy?"

Told in four different time periods with four different art teams, we learn of Thor's struggle to finally be worthy of Mjolnir and how he continually strives to remain so. It's a remarkable foray into Thor's distant and recent past that lends so much weight to his present battle against The Collector.

I did a full review for the guys at Comic Book Resources, and you can read it HERE.

Broken Frontier Staff Picks February 15, 2017

Staff picks for this week are live at Broken Frontier and you can read it HERE.

My pick is The Machines, a graphic novel from Dark Horse Comics and Directive Games. Based off the video game of the same name and written by the game's lead writer, John McLean-Foreman, this story centers around a metahuman who has the ability to heal and control sentient machines. Definitely a sci-fi fans kind of comic, and if you're familiar with Eric Nguyen's art style, you'll really enjoy his work here. Great stuff!

Review Darth Maul #1

Star Wars fans will be very pleased to note that Darth Maul finally has his own series from Marvel Comics. I was surprised that Poe Dameron got his own series well before the bad boy of the Sith, but it's here and the good news is that it rocks!

Cullen Bunn writes terrific action sequences, and this issue starts with a big game hunt of sorts. Darth Maul is bored and very tired of waiting for Darth Sidious' nefarious plans to germinate. He's a straightforward guy who just wants to get about the business of killing Jedi.

Issue #1 is a blast, and I reviewed it for the folks at CBR. Read it HERE.

Broken Frontier Staff Picks Feb. 1, 2017

This week's Staff Picks from Broken Frontier include my pick of Farmer Ned's Comics Barn, the latest work from underground avant-garde cartoonist Gerald Jablonski.

And if the art isn't enough to entice you to pick up the book, Jablonski granted his first in-print interview to Fantagraphics Books publisher Gary Groth. Right, so there you go.

You can read the preview HERE.

Review Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77

Cover by Alex Ross

I know what you're thinking. I was thinking it too when I read the title of the book and learned that DC Comics was going to pair up (somehow) two of the most wholesome characterizations of its flagship characters. I thought they couldn't possibly pull it off.

I'm so glad I was wrong--this comic is fantastic fun!

You have to check your angst at the door to enjoy this book, there is no Dark Knight Returns in this universe. And that's just fine. If you're looking for a good story told well by people who obviously understand and appreciate these characters, this is the book for you.

I did a full review for the folks at Comic Book Resources, and you can read it HERE.

The next step is to spread the word about the book. It's easy enough to complain about the not-so-great comics that hit the shelves each month, we should also remember to applaud the terrific ones. This six-issue limited series is off to a wonderful start.

Review Moon Knight #10

Back on track with my writing schedule for Comic Book Resources, I reviewed last week's release of Moon Knight #10. Marc Spector is crazy. On that we all agree. It's just that between the readers and Marc himself, no one has a clue as to what's real and what's not. Every time I think I have the plot figured out, writer Jeff Lemire throws a beautiful curve ball and assures me that I know zip. And that's what makes this crazy series so much fun!

For my full review, go HERE.

Do yourself a favor and add this one to your pull list. It's a gem.

Broken Frontier's Staff Picks for Jan. 11

Hard Case Crime teamed up with Titan Comics in 2016 and launched two successful comics titles, Triggerman and Peepshow. Their latest collaboration, [Re]Assignment #1, is for mature readers and arrives on shelves today.

Go HERE for my preview of the title for Broken Frontier.

Hard Case Crime's Latest Release: The Knife Slipped

A longtime fan of noir, I'm a huge fan of Charles Ardai's brilliant publishing house, Hard Case Crime. It specializes in new releases from favorite authors like Max Allan Collins but includes a juicy lineup of books that haven't been on the shelves in decades from authors like Ed McBain and Mickey Spillane. And Ardai somehow unearths never-before-published material like Forever and a Death by Donald Westlake that will arrive in June 2017.

The house usually releases one title per month. This month's book is The Knife Slipped by Earl Stanley Gardner.

Here's its press release:

At the time of his death, Erle Stanley Gardner was the best-selling American author of the 20th century, and world famous as the creator of crusading attorney Perry Mason. Gardner also created the hardboiled detective team of Cool and Lam, stars of 29 novels published between 1939 and 1970—and one that’s never been published until now.

Lost for more than 75 years, THE KNIFE SLIPPED was meant to be the second book in the series but got shelved when Gardner’s publisher objected to (among other things) Bertha Cool’s tendency to "talk tough, swear, smoke cigarettes, and try to gyp people." But this tale of adultery and corruption, of double-crosses and triple identities —however shocking for 1939—shines today as a glorious present from the past, a return to the heyday of private eyes and shady dames, of powerful criminals, crooked cops, blazing dialogue, and delicious plot twists.

Donald Lam has never been cooler—not even when played by Frank Sinatra on the U.S. Steel Hour of Mystery in 1946. Bertha Cool has never been tougher. And Erle Stanley Gardner has never been better.

• First publication ever!
• Erle Stanley Gardner is one of the most popular American authors of all time, with over 100 million books sold
• Brand new cover painting by Robert McGinnis of modern-day pin-up icon Dita von Teese
• Brand new afterword by former Ellery Queen editor Russell Atwood about Gardner, Cool & Lam, and THE KNIFE SLIPPED 

Vintage Truck -- December Blog Post

December shows featuring a charitible component were the selections for my blog post over at Vintage Truck Magazine this month. Tis the season for giving, and it's impressive how much car shows and car clubs give back to their local communities. These aren't the kinds of stories that will ever make the news, of course, but I'll never tire of hearing about (or writing about) people doing the great small things that add up to a big impact in their corner of the world.

Review Aquaman #6

An enjoyable issue, Aquaman #6 has an action-oriented

agenda that has little to do with delving deep into angsty character development and more to do with finally returning to the sea. And that's just fine.

The issue closes the first arc with action in the form of Aquaman fighting Superman, as Arthur takes out his considerable frustration regarding his treatment by the surface world on Clark. Ever the gentleman, Clark takes best shots from Arthur and Mera in this issue and gets knocked on his rear. But there is a limit to Big Blue's patience, even though Arthur is right in his assertion that he was framed and something much more awful is really orchestrating events.

For more on this fun book, check out my review for Comic Book Resources.

Show Guide 2017

If you're a subscriber to Vintage Truck, Antique Power, or Vintage Fire Truck & Equipment, you receive the annual Show Guide as a supplement. (Non-subscribers can order a copy.) The Show Guide is a compilation of shows around the country (and Canada) that are devoted toward or simply welcome antique tractors or trucks or fire trucks and related equipment.

What's so special about that?

Event organizers can submit the information for their show for FREE! And if you've ever tackled the Herculean task of putting on a car show, antique power show, or service vehicle show, you know that every source of free publicity is a welcome relief for promotion budgets that are never big enough.

You can place your show in the 2017 Show Guide now. The deadline is November 4, so don't delay and please spread the word to other show organizers you know. Submit your information HERE. It's easy, and it's free.

September Truck-Friendly Shows

My latest blog post for Vintage Truck Magazine is live HERE.

Sorry not to have posted this sooner, there were some great shows around the country over Labor Day Weekend, and I hope you were able to attend one. Winter is coming, so get out and enjoy events with your club while you can.