Book Description

From the creator of Babylon 5 and Jeremiah comes the greatest superhero epic in recent years! J. Michael Straczynski and a team of the best and brightest artistic talents in the industry unite to tell the saga of 113 strangers united by one event they will never forget. This super-hero tour-de-force is collected, beginning to end, in one massive bookshelf volume. Follow the super-powered "Pederson Specials" as they grow up, live, love, die, and ultimately try to save the world. One of the greatest comic series ever is now available for your bookshelf! ... Read more

Book Description

Follow the adventure of IT as he discovers a door out of his monotonous life beating kittens and into an exciting new world where all sorts of new things can be (and generally are) beaten.This FULL-COLOR6 x 5" storybook tale of discoveryis written and with layouts by Mr. Chancre Scolex (sometimes known as Jhonen Vasquez) and vividly painted by his friend Mr. Crab Scrambly (Brad Canby to some). ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Content not packaging
Don't expect something huge and splashy. It's the idea and story that counts. Besides, it's made by Jhonen, and if you're a fan you'll NEED this.

Gee, am I reviewing the book itself or the story inside it?
Once there was a girl named Heather, who loved to read hilarious, slightly sadistic, satirical-type things like Catch-22 and such. One day, during her usual frolic through the proverbial book-leaden pastures of Amazon.com, she happened upon a deliciously insightful little curiosity entitled "Everything Can Be Beaten," by Scolex and Scrambly. Intrigued, she clicked on the link and read the sparkling reviews by many a satisfied customer. "It must be fantabulous!" she concluded, and bought it. Eight long days later, a little brown package arrived. Ecstatic, Heather ripped open the box and pulled out a small, thin pamphlet that looked like it came in a happy meal. Her heart sank. This was no happy meal pamphlet-it was the book!

Needless to say, Heather was gravely disappointed. She was expecting a small paperback book, as the Amazonian product description puts it. Though it was surely made of paper, it was flimsy and hardly what one would call a proper book. "What type of binding?" one might ask... WHAT binding? It's stapled together!

As far as what was printed inside the book (which is really what counts), Heather was not disappointed at all. In fact, it nearly made her forget how sad the book's outside made her feel. However, she did ask me to mention that every single "e" in the book is printed backwards, which makes it very difficult to read. This taste of dyslexia, although a possibly valuable life experience, is hardly an enjoyable one.

Other than the book's disappointing construction and impossible font, Heather found no fault with it. "Read it!" she says, "But don't expect a high-quality library edition with a sewn binding and easily manageable text." Consider yourself aptly warned.

"Everything" can be Fun!
I have been a big fan of Jhonen Vasquez's for a long time now. When I found out he had something new, I had to get it.

EVERYTHING CAN BE BEATEN follows the story of IT, a being who's sole purpose in life is to beat kittens. Until one day, when he notices a door in his 'beating' room that leads to... he doesn't know! So, he goes through it to find a cutesy, color-filled, squishy world of joy and happiness! Soon, however, he is saddened by the realization that he is useless in this world. Then, in a fit of despair and anger he discovers that everything CAN be beaten! And beat he does! He beats everything he can find, decimating everything! Then, he sits and waits for a million years or so. Then he does it again!

It's morbid fun with just a hint of philosophy. Not so much so that you think "Hey, this is just trying to teach me a lesson! BLAH! GET AWAY FROM ME!". It's more like "oooh! This is fun! I like it! AND it's educational!" Won't the parent's love that?!

I give it two mallets up!

Perfect!
Just what we were expecting from "Chancre Scolex". Great painted illustrations by "Crab Scrambly." If you are a fan of Vasquez, you WILL enjoy this. Keep on hammering those kittens.

It's True, You Know.
Wonderous and Beautiful. Feed the angry monkey in your mind. Taught me so very much about the world. ... Read more

Book Description

Follow the Fantastic Four from their original adventure to the height of their success! Caught in a mental maelstrom of alien enemies! Trips into the Negative Zone, Subterranea, and the soul of Ben Grimm! The triumph and tragedy of Mr. Fantastic! The FF rescued from Skrullian straits by an all-new lineup! And who will be the last hero standing in the ultimate war...of practical jokes? Featuring Dr. Doom, Dr. Octopus, the Impossible Man, Daredevil, Spider-Man, Wolverine, and more! Collects Fantastic Four #1, #39-40, #51, #100, #116, #176, #236, #267; Fantastic Four (Vol. 3) #56 and #60; Marvel Fanfare #15; Marvel Two-In-One #50; and Marvel Knights 4 #4. ... Read more

Book Description

A teenager is climbing walls in Manhattan.Mutants are attacking the White House.Nick Fury, head of the elite espionage agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., knows the only way to combat these strange new threats is with a team of hisown superhumans.Backed by a billion-dollar budget, Fury recruits Giant Man, the Wasp, Iron Man, Captain America and Thor.And while the team is strong enough to engage in a ferocious battle with the Hulk, will they implode under the weight of their internal conflicts?Rising above their own agendas, the Ultimates forge ahead with the introduction of new allies and face a major global threat. Collects THE ULTIMATES VOL.1: SUPER-HUMAN and THE ULTIMATES VOL. 2: HOMELAND SECURITY. PLUS: A hefty helping of DVD-Style extras! ... Read more

Reviews (30)

Hit and Miss
More `adult' re-imagination of the formation of Marvel's premier super team The Avengers, which begins with the final World War II mission of Captain America and touches on the ups and downs of the founding members, Giant Man, The Wasp, Iron Man, The Hulk, and Thor, throwing in Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

The art is quite good, and while the story moved well, I had some problems with a few of the characterizations (though these could be a matter of personal taste). The author plays around a bit with established canon for the sake of this new universe, and that is understandable, but changing the Hulk into a raging, oversexed skirt-chaser was a little bit...well, dumb to me. I also didn't care for Nick Fury's recasting. The art and the writing SO made him look and seem like Sam Jackson that it kind've didn't ring true for me that this was supposed to be Nick Fury. He was too suave and cool. The authors of The Ultimates seemed to have a good time casting their characters with real life actors (there is one sequence where the newly discovered by the media team sits around and speculates on who would portray each of them in a Hollywood adaptation.), but personally, I didn't care for all the pop references (reverences?). I'd like to think that a molecular biologist and the leader of Shield would be a little less like fanboys. Fury's supposed to be this grizzled cigar chomping ex-GI a la Sgt. Rock, but he comes off more as Tony Stark with an eyepatch here (for the record, Tony Stark doesn't look anything like Johnny Depp in his rendering, either - he looks more like Jonathan Frakes from Star Trek). Most of the other characterizations didn't bother me. Portraying the Wasp and Giant Man as having such extensive, violent domestic troubles went a long way to humanize them, and turning Jarvis, Tony Stark's faithful butler into an aging homosexual (wearing a colorful vest to gain Thor and Cap's attention...) was pretty daring. Didn't like Tony Stark's Iron Man armor though - he looked like a Micronaut. I would have liked to have seen more of Thor, but I'm not sure I cared for his reinvention as a hippie pacifist eco-warrior - the Norse god of Thunder??? At Ragnarok this guy drowned in the venom of a giant serpent he slew, and here we find him hanging out with that guy with the guitar on the stairs in Animal House...

But these are minor quibbles, again, possibly a matter of my own personal taste. There is a lot to like about The Ultimates - a lot to make it stand above the normal superhero fare. The rivalry between Dr. (Giant Man) Pym and Bruce (The Hulk) Banner is very well played out - the frustrations and the pettiness of these two in their race to perfect the next big superhuman for the team is like watching Dr. Jekyll try to outdo Dr. Frankenstein. Pym comes off as a selfish egomaniac who will posture and fabricate to protect his reputation, whereas the more honest Banner is something of a maladjusted loser. Both are well realized and interesting to watch. Its a great juxtaposition when you consider that Pym is something of a monster (which is apparent in the final pages - that scene with him wearing the ant helmet `You shouldn't have made me look small...' creepy!) trying to be a good man, and Banner is a good man who wants to be a monster. The motivation for Tony Stark's desire to join the team as Iron Man is revealed in a touching manner (possibly the best dramatic scene of the book, toward the end where Thor, Stark, and Cap are sharing dinner at Stark's penthouse apartment) and goes a long way in making me like the playboy, who I will confess never interested me much in the past. Captain America and his story arc comes off the best (which as an ardent fan of ol Winghead, is fine by me) - the reunion with an elderly Bucky (I know, I know, Bucky's dead!... But it didn't bother me) near the beginning of the book is heartfelt and nicely done. There's a good sense of humor to this story too - Giant Man's embarrassing habit of growing beyond the capacity of his clothes (and the dismay of his colleagues), Cap's mistaking Fury and Stark and the Marines for Nazi agents when he awakes, The Hulk's rage at Freddy Prinze Jr. (go get him, Mr. Fixit! Captain America, indeed. I, along with Millar, see no one but Brad Pitt behind the big round shield), and those few panels where George W. Bush meets Steve Rogers made me smile (the Prez's expression is hilarious - `Cool or Uncool?').

In closing, an interesting read, but I was put off by The Hulk and Sam -I mean Nick Fury. And all the pop culture references can be done away with. Underneath the foil and hologram is a good read, that interested me enough to want to see where these characters are going. Keep in mind that this is more of an adult read - at least age fourteen and up. Oh, and in spite of my dislike of casting, I can't resist - Valdmir Kulich (Buliwyf from The 13th Warrior) as Thor...

Best of the Ultimate Line
I had lost interest in comics during the 90s as quality fell and prices rose at both DC and Marvel.

When Marvel launched their ultimate line I found a reason to return to the comic shop.

For my money, Mark Millar is one of the best writers that Marvel is currently using. He takes the familiar ideas for characters that have existed for decades and makes them interesting and identifiable. Characters like Thor and Wasp who I've always laughed off in the Marvel Universe are reinvented here as beings I want to know more about.

The first six issues (collected here) introduce the core group of Captain America, Iron Man, Giant Man, Wasp, and eventually Thor with Bruce Banner Hulking out to provide an unstable element.

The art is fantastic throughout the entire book, from fantastic battle scenes in WW2 to the intimate moments when team members just sit around chatting, it's all flawless.

I loved this book, and make sure I lend it out to all of my friends to show them what super hero comics can be at their best.

Worth the wait
Note: this review refers to the recently released Ultimates TPB entitled Homeland Security. After managing to take down the Hulk, the government sponsored superhero team called the Ultimates have run into some problems. A shape changing alien race, which are responsible for some of humanity's worst moments (Captain America fought them in World War II) are once again rearing their ugly heads with a plan to wipe out the human race. Sad part is, the Ultimates are in shambles with Janet Pym AKA Wasp severely injured by her husband Hank AKA Giant Man, who himself goes on the run with Captain America in pursuit to teach him how to properly treat a lady. New members Hawkeye, Black Widow, Scarlet Witch, and Quicksilver are introduced as well as the team unites to defend the planet. The issues contained in Homeland Security is where the Ultimates really shines, improving on the first few issues by far. Mark Millar has cleverly crafted a modern day version of the Avengers while staying true to their original roots, while Bryan Hitch's artwork is better than ever. All this leads up to the upcoming (hopefully, many single issues of the series were loaded with shipping delays and would not reach shelves for months at a time) Ultimates Vol. 2 monthly series which Millar has hinted at will change everything you think about this modern day Avengers team. All in all, out of all of Marvel's Ultimate line (the new Ultimate Fantastic Four is impressive as well), the Ultimates is something really special.

Humanizing the Superhuman
Not particularly fond of Marvel's Ultimate line, I usually approach any of Marvel's 'Ultimate' series with hesitation. However, I was never that big into the Avengers, so I figured I would give The Ultimates a shot, and I was very pleased with the results.

Once again re-imagining and re-telling the story of one of their most famous super groups, Marvel captures a whole new dimension of story-telling with the Ultimates. Making them seem like real, ordinary people with real problems is probably one of the best parts of the entire story. Of course, there is plenty of action and fighting to go around too. Alot of the character's origins and general appearences have been changed too. For example, instead of Tony Stark having a terminal heart condition, he know his an inoperable brain tumor. Nick Fury is probably the most dramatic change, in that instead of being a grizzled, cigar chomping World War II veteran, he's a blatant Samuel L. Jackson look-alike with attitude and spunk. An interesting reworking of Fury, but I could've done without it, despite how it fits with the story. Hank Pym and his wife Jan Pym, Giant Man and Wasp respectively, have marital problems, with Hank being an abusive, chronic alcoholic. The entire comic seems to revolve around the telling of everyone's personal lives, which gives all the characters alot of depth. Finally, Thor is the son of Odin from Asgard who has spent more than his fair share of time in a mental institution, and is now a peace-loving pacifist...until it comes time to defend the world.

From Tony Stark's pompous, rich jerk attitude to Captain America's good old American spirit, The Ultimates is definitely worth the read. The interesting spin on the Hulk and other story elements make this one of the best Marvel re-tellings yet. The only thing that bothered me was that the comic got a bit too political at times. I appreciate seeing the inclusion of real-world problems into the comic, making it that much more realistic and adult, but sometimes it got just a wee bit critical and outspoken. But all in all, The Ultimates was a fantastic read that I just couldn't put down. When I got to the end I was thirsting for more, and The Ultimates: Volume 2 definitely delivers after this great introduction. Great job from Marvel.

Homeland Security
The Ultimates are America's team. They are funded by the government to fight nasty villains, terrorists, and any other badguy Mark Millar can come up with. The members of the Ultimates have a very real feel to them, and they are profoundly more realistic and human than, say, Ultimate Spider-Man.
Now that that's out of the way, on to the actual comic itself! The Ultimates, having recently taken down the Hulk(a.k.a. Bruce Banner), they now realize that the Wasp, wife of Giant Man, has been brutally injured by her husband. Also, Giant Man has run away, and he is nowhere to be found.
On top of all this, The Ultimates uncover that an alien race, dubbed the Chitauri by the Aficans, have reamerged, and that, by the end of the first issue, Captain America has gone to find Hank Pym(Giant Man).
With his team rapidly disentigrating, Nick Fury has to call for the aid of Black Widow, Hawkeye, and, most surprisingly of all, Magneto's children.
When Black Widow and Hawkeye take down an alien cell in two office buildings, the Ultimates realize that they have a problem on thier hands. They are the only ones who can stop them, and Cap is still nowhere to be found.
Finally, they find oiut that Cap has had a huge fight with Hank Pym, and that he broke his jaw, thus putting him out of action. It is only after Cap returns that they finally head for a secret base of operatons for the aliens. Once there, thaey too late realize that it's a trap, and by the time they do, it's (almost) too late. The island explodes, and the Ultimates are nowhere to be found.
Too find out what happens after this point, you'll have to buy it for yourself. Needless to say, though, the volume escalates until you you the last two ussues, which are basically just a collossal war btween the surviving Ultimates and the entire Chitauri fleeet, plus an old "friend" from Captain ASmerica's past.
The main good things about this are that
1.The art by Bryan Hitch is SUPERB.
2.The writing by Mark Millar is FANTASTIC.
3.The volume is STUFFED with both action and development.
4.Hey, it's the Ultimates. What's there not to like?
Unfortunately, nothing is perfect. The Ultimates' main flaw is that it takes forever and a day to ship. (The issues say that it ships monthly. Don't believe them-it's a lie) In other words, unless you are a VERY patient person, wait until the volume comes out to buy this, because takes forever.
Luckily, the Ultimates is well worth the wait. ... Read more

Book Description

Fantagraphics Books is pleased to present, for the first time, a single-volume collection of this 288-page landmark of journalism and the artform of comics. Interest in Sacoo has never been higher than with the release of his critically acclaimed book, Safe Area Gorazde.

Based on several months of research and an extended visit to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the early 1990s (where he conducted over 100 interviews with Palestinians and Jews), Palestine was the first major comics work of political and historical nonfiction by Sacco, who has often been called the first comic book journalist.

Sacco's insightful reportage takes place at the front lines, where busy marketplaces are spoiled by shootings and tear gas, soldiers beat civilians with reckless abandon, and roadblocks go up before reporters can leave. Sacco interviewed and encountered prisoners, refugees, protesters, wounded children, farmers who had lost their land, and families who had been torn apart by the Palestinian conflict.

In 1996, the Before Columbus Foundation awarded Palestine the seventeenth annual American Book Award, stating that the author should be recognized for his "outstanding contribution to American literature," while his publisher, Fantagraphics, is "to be honored for their commitment to quality and their willingness to take risks that accompany publishing outstanding books and authors that may not prove 'cost-effective' in the short run."

This new edition of Palestine also features a new introduction from renowned author, critic, and historian Edward Said, author of Peace and Its Discontents and The Question of Palestine and one of the world's most respected authorities on the Middle Eastern conflict. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Palestine
In recent years, the scope of the comics medium has burst from the confines of children's and fictional genres to encompass substantive work in such realms as the graphic novel, autobiography, and biography. In his nine-part comic book Palestine, the final four issues of which are collected here, Sacco gives us the first major work of comics journalism. In 1991 he traveled to Jerusalem to observe Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Out of that trip comes this highly ambitious and successful telling of the refugees' stories--some militant, others resigned--that include both emotional depictions of protest and torture and the quiet struggles of everyday survival. Although Sacco's sympathies, expressed through the first-person narration, are definitely with the Palestinians, the work overall is far too nuanced to be deemed propaganda. Sacco makes wildly experimental layouts coalesce into an imaginative yet solid storytelling style. Palestine shows that he is a top-rank talent who has staked out a unique place for himself in the comics field.

Buy This Book For Everyone You Know
Joe Sacco has done mankind a service by illuminating one of the great continuing tragedies of our time, the brutal Israeli occupation of over 3 million Palestinians. We are spoon fed a nauseating stream of documentaries, movies, books, etc. about the Holocaust. I agree that Holocaust education is important, but the monumental place it has assumed eclipses many other chapters of human oppression and suffering around the world. The brutal Israeli occupation of the Palestninian people is one such place. Joe Sacco has done in the form of a graphic novel what the mainstream American media won't (or can't) do: he has put a human face on what lies beyond the Israeli side of the infamous 'greenline'. Palestnians wonder the frames of each picture like ghosts deformed by the unimaginable cruelty of the occupying Israeli forces. Yet in the end, Sacco posits these tortured souls in a very living and human face. A face that the reader can and is encouraged to empathize with. The central theme of the book is that Israeli occupation is no longer about self-defense, it has transformed into a manifestation of man's inhumanity to his fellow man and the Palestnian ability to maintain their humanity and love for life as the victim of so much inhumanity.

Spectacular, heartrending, and honest
This book is simply amazing. I'm a second-year college student and it is required reading in my Comp Lit class. It shows you the side of an issue mainstream media doesn't want you to see, and those who refuse to see the side of Palestinians will, even after reading this book, deny the truth. Joe Sacco is brilliant, as his evidence is first hand, his writing realistic, and drawings eye-opening. For anyone who is sick of seeing the issue of Palestine from the view of money hungry media people, this is the book to get. You'll cry. I guarantee, because Sacco will show you the truth as you aren't supposed to see it.

Palestinian propaganda as usual...
Typical lies the so-called "Palestinian people" perpetrate as usual. Waste of time & energy. Complete fiction.

The Abu Ghraib training manual
If you want to find out where US troops got their gruesome torture methods for Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, it's all in Sacco's book, published in 2002 and based on a trip he took to Gaza and the West Bank in the early 1990s.

It's all there: the arrest and lengthy detainment of innocent people for 'intelligence gathering', putting detainees in hoods for days and weeks at a time, using isolation and terror, threatening death, tying prison in painful positions for days, beatings, humiliation.

Sacco's book documents it all - and it was first worked out
by Israelis for use against Palestians.

The US news media knows this, but they're silent. Why?
Get Sacco's book and educate yourself about what's really going on in the Middle East. ... Read more

Book Description

Featuring the beginning of Ryu's journey around the world, Cammy's quest to discover her past, Chun-Li's investigation into the Shadaloo-controlled Hong Kong underworld, and the first appearance of fan-favorite characters like Adon and Fei Long, this is a story no Street Fighter fan should be without! ... Read more

Book Description

Jamie Madrox, stabbed, staggering off a bus. Jamie Madrox, setting up a detective agency in the heart of Mutant Town. Jamie Madrox, a peaceful Shaolin priest. Which is the real Jamie Madrox? In this noir-esque thriller of a limited series, it's possible that even Madrox doesn't know anymore. Peter David, acclaimed for his run on X-Factor, reunites several of that title's most popular and whimsical characters - Jamie Madrox, Wolfsbane, and the aptly named Strong Guy - and sends them on an adventure of light and darkness. Featuring the incredibly moody pencils of Pablo Raimondi. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Terribly underrated noir-ish comic with the Multiple Man
The great Peter David may have made a name for himself with his unheralded run on the Incredible Hulk, but his all too brief run on X-Factor showcased some of his best work.The character he wrote the best in that series, Jamie "Multiple Man" Madrox, gets his own mini-series here, and David manages to greatly utilize all the promising aspects of the character for the most part.Madrox is a private investigator these days, who after witnessing the death of one of his "dupes", investigates to find out just what happened and why.What he uncovers is a little conspiracy filled with mayhem and mutants, and the noir-ish presentation will pull the reader in.While some of it is a bit predictable, Madrox is a surprisingly great read with some witty storytelling by David, and great supporting roles from Jamie's former X-Factor teammates Strong Guy and Wolfsbane.The moody art by Pablo Raimondi is reason enough to check this TPB out alone, and the conclusion leaves the door open for David to work some more Madrox magic.All in all, older X-Men readers who dug the character of Madrox (and you all know who you are) would do well to give this a look. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Supremely Well Done!
In Straczynski's new reworking of the classic Squadron Supreme characters, he achieves a higher level of quality than the original series ever had in one of Marvel's best new series.

This serious, grounded tale tells the story of serval extraordinary individuals as they realize that they are different from everyone else and how they attempt to use their new abilities. Straczynski really acheives some of his finest work in comics here (in addition to "Rising Stars") in a very dark and grounded story without some of the cornball dialogue found in his "Amazing Spider-Man." The pacing of the story is very slow, but is ultimately neccessary for establishing the setting and characters; some characters are only hinted at in these pages and allude to the next story arc.

Just as strong--if not stronger than--the writing is Gary Frank's superb artwork and Chris Sotomayor's great color work. Frank's pencils are very realistic and lifelike for portraying the many characters as well as the real-life figures of former presidents. Sotomayor's colors are very good for conveying the mature theme of the story by using a dark palette as well as using very vibrant colors for other scenes.

Marvel and Straczynski have created one of the best new superhero series in awhile. Now it will be interesting to see if the creators can acheive the same level of quality on subsequent story arcs as they have on this great one.

NOTE: Please keep in mind that this is a Marvel Max book and is suggested for older readers due to violence and language (the comic book equivalent of an R-rated or PG-13 movie).

Turning the super-hero icons on their heads
The original Squadron Supreme, invented by Avengers writer Roy Thomas in the 60's, was intended to be a pastiche of the Justice League of America. Each character in Marvel Comics' Squadron Supreme was an analog of DC Comics' Justice League characters. Hyperion is the analog of Superman, Nighthawk of Batman, Power Princess of Wonder Woman, etc. The main point of the exercise was to enable Marvel's greatest team to do battle with DC's without flouting any copyright laws and to have a little fun with the fans.

J. Michael Straczynski's Supreme Power is also a look at the super-hero icons of DC but through a different colored glass. Supreme Power examines how events might really unfold were DC's heroes to have appeared in our world. An alien infant lands on Earth, exhibiting extraordinary powers. Military and political officials fear him, so they seek to control him. A youth sees his parents slain before his eyes and so becomes a vigilante, stalking the streets at night hunting criminals. Another man develops the ability to travel as super speed and so on.

The story starts from the point of view of protagonist, Mark Milton (a.k.a., Hyperion), an alien who crashes on Earth as an infant and whose power the military establishment both fears and hopes to exploit. They fill his head with American propaganda in the hope that they'll brainwash him into the Great American Hero: truth, justice and the American way. But when he matures, he becomes wary of their control and suspicious of their motives. As the story branches out, we're introduced to the other cast members, each of them with their own reasons for becoming a "hero" and many of them not so pure.

In DC's somewhat utopian world, these heroes are revered and honored for the most part. But a more cynical view would be that it wouldn't quite be that simple. We have a tendency to revere and revile our heroes at the same time. While we admire and honor them, we also seek to tear them down and destroy them out of fear, jealousy and other base emotions. The story is as old as time. Just ask Julius Caesar how we treat our honored heroes. Look at the heroes of Ancient Greece and the rather unseemly way so many of them fell from grace.

Supreme Power is an exciting, page-turning look at heroism and just what the world at large really thinks about having someone who could save your life one day or vaporize you with a glance in the next. In the tradition of DC's Watchmen and The Dark Knight Returns, Supreme Power takes a smart and decidedly adult look at hero and super-hero. ... Read more

Book Description

The official guide to Dreamwave's all-new Transformers universe continues with new bios written just for this series, along with more fantastic art of classic characters. There are plenty of Transformers favorites, plus profiles of lesser-known stars, making this the complete resource for Generation One fans, who can catch up with their favorite main characters as they uncover the secrets of the Transformers comic universe. ... Read more

Book Description

Cobra - an extremist militia dedicated to the violent overthrow of the American government. G.I. Joe - an elite anti-terrorist squad created to protect the country from Cobra. The Transformers - sentient, shape-shifting robots from the distant planet Cybertron, embroiled in a civil war between the benign Autobots and the conquest-minded Decepticons. Only a conflict that threatens two worlds could bring these disparate groups together! When Cobra Commander tries to use hyper-advanced Cybertronian teleportation technology for his terrorist activities, a malfunction of epic proportions occurs. The super computer that controls the teleportation gate scatters several Transformers into the time stream, marooning them at various points in Earth's history. If the time-tossed robots are not rescued, temporal feedback will unleash a firestorm that will rage throughout history, utterly destroying the planet. Meanwhile, on Cybertron, the evil Shockwave plots the ascension of the Decepticons! Only by allying with Cobra and the mysterious Transformers can G.I. Joe avert a disaster that could consume two worlds. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

THE SEQUEL SURPASSES THE ORIGINAL
This story takes places two years after the events in G.I. Joe Vs. Transformers Volume one.The Transformers have returned to Cyberton where the Autobots are stunned to see that Shockwave has gained control of Cyberton and the Autobots are now on the run from his forces.Back on Earth, the Cobra Commander has a secret Cybertronian technology ace up his sleeve...namely Starscream who was still held on Earth.Cobra Commander approaches Destro with a plan to use the Cybertronian technology to open a wormhole to the Transformers world and take control of the supercomputer Teletran 3.With this they can control Cyberton and steal more technology and use it to create wormholes all throughout the Earth to deliver weapons without being caught.The G.I. Joe team learns of the plot due to a well-placed spy, and tries to stop Cobra but when a stray bullet causes a malfunction in Teletran 3, all Hell breaks loose.

Teletran 3 scatters numerous Transformers throughout Earth's timestream and uses it's camouflage mode to lock the robots into vehicle mode that is appropriate to whatever time period they landed in.Worse yet, the upheaval of the time stream will result in holocaust for the planet Earth unless the Transformers can be recovered and returned to Cybertron within 12 hours.While Ultra Magnus keeps Shockwave and his forces at bay with an energy field, the Cobra and G.I. Joe members must now form an uneasy alliance to travel into the timestream to return the missing Transformers before the world is destroyed.

The teams split into four groups with one group going to 1970's era California complete with pimp daddies and big cadillacs, while another group ends up in mobster infested Chicago of the mid 1930's.The most interesting scenario is the group that journeys to an Earth 15 years in the future in a post-apocalyptic where Shockwave has led a successful invasion of Earth and humans are enslaved.Duke, now severely battle-scarred leads a resistance that includes former Dreadnok members and they are aided by a champion Autobot who will come as a bit of a surprise.The fourth group?Well, telling you where they end up would be giving too much away but the payoff is well worth it once you read the story.

As Shockwave has always been my favorite Transformer I loved to see him front and center as the main antagonist.This cold, mechanical Decepticon was always far more appealing than the melodramatic Megatron.It was also interesting to see the Joes and Cobra forced to call a truce and work together.I especially liked the Baroness and Roadblock teaming together in the 1930's.Unfortunately these segments are relatively short and it would have been great to see more interplay between the two rival groups.If there is one minor complaint it's that the whole story is a bit contrived and things happen just to happen without much logic.That aside, this was a very strong sequel to the first book and I think it was even better due mainly to Shockwave's involvement as well as another group of Transformers who I will leave as a surprise.. The art by E.J. Su and Tim Seeley was fantastic and their vision of the future, Decepticon-controlled Earth was truly chilling.Well done!

Reviewed by Tim Janson
... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months, society has crumbled: there is no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the dead, we are forced to finally begin living. This volume follows our band of survivors as they set up a permanent camp inside a prison. Relationships change, characters die, and our team of survivors learn there's something far more deadly than zombies out there: each other. ... Read more

Book Description

In Spring City, where super-heroes blur the lines between law enforcement and celebrity, Pearl Penalosa, a.k.a. Ultra, is a workaholic. At the prestigious agency, Heroine Inc., she has earned a legion of fans, a nomination for "Best Heroine of the Year" and a perfect life. Well, almost perfect. A chance encounter with a mysterious fortune teller prophesizes true love for Pearl within seven days. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

The Fables Team Has Done It Again!
Wow! When I heard all of the buzz around Fables (starting many months ago), I was skeptical. I thought it was a silly idea for a story, and had no chance of surviving very long. Oh, how I was wrong on so many levels. I purchased the first Fables tpb from amazon.com because of the cheap price (deciding to give it a shot to see what all the hype was about). I figured that, if I didn't like it, I would only be out 10 bucks. The first tpb blew me away! It was some of the best storytelling I've read in 10 years of serious comic book collecting. I rushed to order the second tpb (Animal Farm) and was surpised to realize that I loved this one even more. Once the characters have been established (all of the fairy tale characters from your youth, as if they were living in our world today), the Fables team can cut loose with comedy, drama, action, and even romance. I cannot wait for the next tpb to surface!

A brilliant fairy tale thriller
Bill Willingham's "Fables" is hands-down my favorite comic book being published today. The first volume in the series was a great mystery (and I urge you to read that before reading any further, since it's impossible to review this book without running the risk of spoiling the outcome). This time out he takes the turn of a political thriller. Snow White and Company visit the Fables farm, upstate, where the non-human refugees from fairy tales and folklore live. She finds herself caught in an uprising, fomented by enraged pigs (shades of George Orwell here) and backed by a surprising ally.

While "Legends in Exile" was a wonderful inaugural story for "Fables," it is here that the series really begins to hit its stride. The artwork is beautiful and the story is imaginative and sharp. This is a series that will take its place next to "Sandman" as one of the all-time greats.

Fun, Innovative Title
Trying to patch up their strained relationship, Rose Red and Snow White travel upstate to visit the Farm where the nonhuman Fables are forced to live; but they run into trouble when they find a revolution-caused by Goldilocks-turn to violence.

Bill Willingham once again creates another winner, improving upon his first story arc with more characterization and some humor. There are numerous litererature references and some of the absurd situations and obscure fable characters are rather humorous. Mark Buckingham's pencils aren't spectactular, but are quite good for portaying the numerous human characters as well as the many animal characters. Buckingham's pencils are very similar to Medina's artwork in the previous arc, but he improves upon the human characters, making them look more dramatic and lifelike.

This book is recommended for readers looking for something different than super hero stories. This new, innovative book is definitely worth checking out.

NOTE: This is a DC/Vertigo book and is suggested for older readers due to language and blood/gore (a comic book equivalent to a PG-13 or R-rated movie).

A worthy addition, with literary references
In this second installment of the "Fables" series, we find ourselves on the "Farm" where the Fables who cannot pass as human have to live. Discontent has been brewing up there for quite a long while, and while I don't want to spoil the story, I will say that rebellion does break out.

As always, the look at "modernized" people from famous stories is fun, and I have to say that while I didn't agree with a lot of what the revolutionaries did, I could understand why they finally rose up.

For a little extra spice, there are a lot of references to a famous literary classic scattered through.

Exceeding The Hype
Bill Willingham continues to deliver great reading material in his second storyline of the Eisner Award winning series "Fables".
The story is still about the exiled fable-folk and their community existing alongside the mundanes (non-fable folk).
The characters from the first book are back and they are in for a new conflict.

This time the focus of the book moves away from the mythical city of New York and on to "The Farm", where the unfortunate fable folk who cannot pass as humans live in seclusion.
Snow White heads to the farm to try and teach her sister, Rose Red a lesson and hopefully patch things up between them.
They soon find out that the residents are planning to get out of the farm in an all out rebellion.

Willingham did very good on characterization in this book, he gave the characters identity, there are more fable appearances in this book which makes it more interesting. Mark Buckingham did a superb job continuing the designs drawn by Lan Medina.
And like the first book, this trade paperback offers bonus materials such as Bill Willingham's early designs of the characters, and sketches of the covers done by James Jean.
This is one title that every fantasy, fairy tale, mystery, and even crime enthusiast should have. ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (12)

A Little Bit of Fun
Someplace growing up I ran into the Asterix titles, with a four volume set beginning with Asterix the Gaul. As a child I enjoyed the antics; as an adult I enjoy the puns and historical allusions. It continually amazes me to realize that this is originally a French production, and yet translated into English and some 20 other languages, and the puns *still* translate! That's not easy to do. And while later episodes decline in quality and are suitable more for children, stories like Asterix the Gaul are great for children of 30 years too.

The very names provide example of brilliant use of dialogue. Asterix- a small, seeming addition. Obelisk, who delivers menhirs. Getafix, the Druid. (Remember, this series began in the 60's.) Cacaphonix, the Bard, and Vitalstatistix, the chief. In the same vein, the authors use contemporary differences between cultures and play them upon the ancient Gaulish-Roman dispute. This is about the only place one can find swearing in Latin- "ipso facto", "sic", etc. Or the taking of Toutanis' name in vain.

Asterix The Gaul-Start a tradition
This is the first book in a series about Asterix, his funny friend Obelix, and the wise druid, Getafix. These hilarious adventures take place in the Roman Era. Goscinny and Uderzo do a splendid job of capturing you in the first book of this priceless collection.

The first in a great series
Asterix The Gaul was first published in French in 1961 and in English only in 1969.
The first of the Asterix books , it is a very clever and witty piece of work on the Roman occupation of Gaul in 50 BC-with a fair amount of Latin quips in too -read Asterix and you'll soon become familiar with 'Quid' , 'Vae victo , vae victus' and 'Morituri te salutant'.
It begins with the familiar scene of well thumped Roman legionnaires reporting their defeat to an incensed Roman centurion (in this case Crismus Bonus) who then hatches a plan to deal with the Gauls which our heroes always in the end foil.

It also includes such recurring themes as Cacofonix and his hated singing , the magic potion (and why Obelix cannot have any ) and a guest appearance by Julius Caesar.It ends as always without he Gauls feasting their heroes 'under a starry sky...victorious over their enemies , thanks to magic the protection of the gods and low cunning'.

Unlike all of its successors in this book , Obelix does not even offer to accompany Asterix on his adventure (which is so unlike the Obelix we know from all of the other Asterix books).
There are some gaps in the dialogue and there is unusually not one woman or girl in the first book . drawbacks which will be made up for in the other Asterix books.

Nevertheless it is a great start to your Asterix collection and an amusing little book.

....and you thought *Gladiator* popularized all things Roman
It is impossible to understand, from Amazon's slim and anemic presentation, the breadth and impact that this series has had upon generations of children in France, Europe, and America--remember, France has a thriving Asterix theme park a la Disney, and it's a premier destination site for French families with young children.

But quite possibly this is the sort of book that still sells most of its copies in bookstores--because it's the kind of read where one might pick it up because of the pictures, and then, as one gets deeper in, one realizes "Hey, this is amazingly silly, intelligent, and fun. I'm halfway through and already I know I'm going to have to read it again because there are still some new jokes for me to pick up on. I'd better buy it and bring it home so I can read it through a second time." And when you bring it home--it's quite possible for Asterix to become an obsession, and you find yourself returning, time and time again, to the bookstore, to try to find copies of other books in the series.

The early books in the series are without question the best (I say "books" advisedly, these are short graphic novels ie classy comic books). As the series ballooned in popularity, the stories began to fall into an established pattern that is less interesting than the brilliant twists and turns that are hallmark of, say, Asterix the Gaul, Asterix and Cleopatra, and Asterix and the Olympic games (certain 'tics' were possibly brought on by aggressive fan mail, one can't help but feel). The puns and wordgames of these earlier books range from subtle to screaming and are a sort of "gift that keeps on giving"--some of them will certainly pass you by until you pick up some scraps of Latin and Classical history and advanced education in general. Better still, the historical material is slipped in in such a sly way that as one reads it, one starts asking questions. "Did Cleopatra really have a big nose?" "What *was* the Roman occupation of Gaul really like?" The series sparks a lovely desire to know more--and is also, I would suggest, an unacknowledged idea source, a la Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, for many fantasy writers actively working today.

But what none of my words above capture is the sheer demonic sense of FUN in these books. Read these books--you may not even like them the first time through. Try them again later--suddenly you'll get it. Like most classical works of art and literature, it is how you perceive these books over time that matters--and over time, Asterix holds up.

Indomitably so.

Great Series
This is the best comic book series around. I used to read these books when I was just a child and they were funny even then. Now as an older and wiser person, I began to pick up the underlying satire and it proved to be even more funnier. This would compare with the TV series The Simpsons in their rather innocent look but they include alot of word play and hidden jokes. Since I grew up with the British translation, I would recommend it over the American version. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

This book am so funny me cried.
This is the sequel to the Bizarro Comics anthology from a few years ago.Like that book, this one features "alternative comics" types doing their versions of DC superhero comics.There are some great comics here, and also some not-so-great comics.But almost all of the comics are at least interesting.One thing I have to say is that you really need to be a fan of DC comics in order to understand the references in many of these stories.I don't think someone who is not into superheroes will get very much out of this book.But for those of us who do like superheroes, it's a lot of fun.

This book rocks!
Man, I am glad I picked this one up! I bought the first Bizarro book in softback format, and so I figured I'd order this one when it came out, and it is every bit as good as the first one IF NOT BETTER!

It's really well produced book, nice thick pages and good color.
As far as stories and art goes, DC again paired up underground/alternative cartoonists with each otther (one writing and one drawing) to hilarious and/or strange outcomes. But it works, though!

I think the best story in the book is either Batman & Monkey by M. Wartella, or Tony Millionaire's Batman. I guess it looks like I'm biased towards Batman, but I'm not. I like Wonder Woman best of all. But back to Bizarro World... other notable sections of the book were drawn by James Kochalka, Jason Paulus, Bagge/Hernandez, Rick Altergott, and Evin Dorkin.

Some things I DIDN't like about this book: The cover pales in comparison to Groening's on Vol.1. and some of the art is actually piss-poor (notably Kyle Baker, Brian Ralph, Michael Kupperman, and Scott Morse), looking like the artists spent, like, one hungover morning working on the art and just rushed it in.

Actually, there are a few other good stories
worth mentioning by Hunt Emerson, Ellen Forney, Tim Laine, & Danny Hellman. And how can I not mention excellents scripts by Peter Bagge, Harvey Pekar, Evan Dorkin (+++),uh... and others I can't seem to locate write now.

Oh, one other thing. Notably absent are these people who appeared in the first anthology and for some reason (idiocy?) were not in this vol.2:Stephen DeStephano, Bill Wray, Ariel Bordeaux, and, as I mentioned earlier, Matt Groening!

OK, so that's enough of my yappin'. BUY THIS NOOK!

Less than the first but still great
Bizarro World had a lot to live up to following in the footsteps of the award winning Bizarro released several years ago and well... it fell short. The new Bizarro book is excellent but just not as memorable as the original. The Bizarro books (can it now be called a series?) use popular alternative cartoonists to create short stories featuring characters from the DC universe from icons like Superman to obscure characters like Kamandi.

Here are some of my favorite stories from Bizarro World.

In "The Wonder of it All" a high school aged Wonder Woman learns that using her new Golden Lasso to force her friends to give their honest opinions about her nets her more information than she wanted.

The Spectre/Jim Corrigan unleashes his ghostly vengeance on his fellow officers at the police station for such minor infractions as hogging the copy machine. It's actually pretty funny.

Green Lantern has a revelation about his weakness to the color yellow in "It's not Easy Being Green". The story seems like a homage to the old EC Mad magazine comics.

In "The Power of Positive Batman" Bruce Wayne finally resolves his issues with the murder of his parents and decides to retire and sail around the world. Clark Kent decides to join him and the two sail off.

Aquaman decides to attend open mic night and sing a song about his relationship with Mera. Like a lot of the stories this one is just sort of a slice of life tale showing the private lives of superheroes.

Tony Millionaire returns with another strange Batman story. His art has a very old gothic style to it as if the story were something dug up from the 40's rather than a brand new tale.

In "Personal Shopper", Alfred is out describing, to a mechanic, the specifications for a car he wants to purchase. You know, bulletproof, 200 MPH, space for rocket launchers, huge bat like fins on the rear. Wonder who that might be for?

There are also some clunkers in the batch. Lantern Sentai in particular seemed pointless besides showing the Lantern Corps as Manga. In "Jing Kal-El" the Superman origin is rewritten with Kal landing at the North Pole and taking on the mantle of Santa Claus. I just couldn't figure out why. Some of the stories just stopped as if they're meant to be continued in another edition of Bizarro. "Bizarro Schmizarro", for instance has Luthor change Bizarro no. 1024 into a normal looking Superman (save for the Question mark on his chest) and then the story stops with a promise of more to come.

Bizarro World is sometimes great and sometimes not so great. It's less than the original book but I still recommend it. The Bizarro series has a long way to fall before it can be considered average.

Better than the first!!!! Me am like!!!
This second collection of stories (the first being Bizarro Comics) again turns DCs icons over to some of today's best alternate cartoonists and is a very enjoyable romp through the DC Universe. Take underground comics, your favoite DC comics, old Mad Magazines and your favorite strips from your local alternate newspaper, blend and this is what you get.

The framing sequence with Bizarro was more enjoyable to me than in the first one and seemed to blend in better with the rest of the volume.

The book seemed a little heavy on Batman stories, but don't worry there are a broad range of characters that get the "Bizarro treatment". The tales ranged from homage, to parody, to satire to dope dreams to slice of life pieces that would almost (heavy on that word) be welcome in a regular DC comic or annual.

Particular standouts were:

Tony Millionaire taking on Batman again in a story thatevokes a 1930's Batman feel.

A Legion of Super-Heroes tale where a corporation driven Brainiac Five drives the Legion to rebellion. The story and art makes you think Kurt Swan and Shooter could have drawn and written this on some crazy rainy night.

Evan Dorkins and John Krewson turn Kamandi into a slacker who'd rather veg out than help talking tigers, and lions and apes (oh my!).

This volume was fun. The hits far outweighed the misses. If you did not like one story don't worry the next one will be along soon.

Well worth it. ... Read more