Wednesday, August 10, 2022

Comics Review: SHEENA Queen of the Jungle Volume 2 #8

SHEENA: QUEEN OF THE JUNGLE VOLUME 2 #8
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Steven E. de Souza
ART: Ediano Silva; Jethro Morales
COLORS: Dinei Ribero
LETTERS: Taylor Esposito
EDITOR: Joseph Rybandt
COVER: Lucio Parrillo
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Arthur Suydam; Joseph Michael Linsner; Rose Besch
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2022)

Rated Teen+

Sheena originally created by S.M. “Jerry” Iger and Will Eisner; Sheena reboot by Steven E. de Souza

“Cenozoic” Part Three


Sheena, Queen of the Jungle is an American comic book character.  She first appeared in the British magazine, Wags #46 ( January 1938), and was created by legendary American comic book creators, Will Eisner and S. M. “Jerry” Iger.  Sheena made her first American appearance in Jumbo Comics #1 (Fiction House, cover dated: September 1938) where she was a mainstay until 1953.  Sheena was also the first female comic book character to star in her own series.  A “jungle girl heroine,” Sheen was an orphan, like Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan, who had adventures featuring African natives, wild animals, and white hunters and villains.

Dynamite began publishing Sheena comics in 2017.  Dynamite's second series is Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, Volume 2.  It is written by Steven E. de Souza; drawn by Jethro Morales and Wil Rio; colored by Dinei Ribero; and lettered by Taylor Esposito.  Writer de Souza begins a new series of challenges for Sheena in the story line, “Cenozoic,” which finds Sheena on a mission to save a nature preserve when she and her animal and human companions stumble upon an island out of time.

As Sheena: Queen of the Jungle, Volume 2 #8 opens, Sheena and her animal friends:  Yagua, Chim, and Pete, try to save a village on the time-lost island from two disasters – a dinosaur stampede and a lava flow.  In the village, Sheena will discover that she knows the villager better than she realizes.  Meanwhile, her human companions, Bob Kellerman and Martin Ransome, are getting into trouble with their new pal, a mysterious elderly man.

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Volume 2 #8, which is the eighth Dynamite Sheena comic book that I have read.

Sheena: Queen of the Jungle Volume 2 is one of my favorite Dynamite titles.  Dynamite's current incarnation of the character is a reboot by the prolific Hollywood screenwriter, Steven E. de Souza, who is also known for his work as a director and producer of films and television.

The current story arc, “Cenozoic,” is a smart mix of lost world and pulp fiction elements in which de Souza expertly paces the story via a clever series of reveals that keeps the reader engaged.  Also, de Souza's Sheena can be a sexy, jungle girl or a secret agent type like Marvel Comics' Black Widow – whichever action hero is needed.  I think de Souza's Sheena would make a more credible cinematic hero than the Tanya Roberts version of the character from the 1984 film (which still holds a place in my heart, anyway).

This eighth issue of the series also sees a change in artists, as Ediano Silva does much of the work.  Silva's style reminds me of the art of the great comic book illustrator, Mike Grell, whose storytelling style, both writing and drawing, would be perfect for Sheena.  Silva's art, Dinei Ribero's splashy colors, and Taylor Esposito's flashy lettering makes de Souza's story feel as big as it should

I have been highly recommending Sheena Queen of the Jungle Volume 2 since the first issue.  To miss out on it is to miss out on an excellent adventure comic book series.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Sheena will want to try Sheena Queen of the Jungle Volume 2.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: "PRODIGY: The Icarus Society #2" - How to Make a Killer Second Issue

PRODIGY: THE ICARUS SOCIETY #2 (OF 5)
IMAGE COMICS/Netflix

STORY: Mark Millar
ART: Matteo Buffagni
COLORS: Laura Martin
LETTERS: Clem Robins
COVER: Matteo Buffagni with David Curiel
DESIGN: Melina Mikulic
EDITORIAL: Sarah Unwin
VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Matteo Buffagni with David Curiel
28pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (August 2022)

Rated M / Mature

Prodigy: The Icarus Society is a new five-issue comic book miniseries produced by writer Mark Millar and artist Matteo Buffagni.  It is a sequel to the 2018-19 six-issue miniseries, Prodigy.  The Prodigy comic books focus on the adventures of the world's smartest man, Edison Crane, who believes that he is the go-to guy when there is a global crisis to solve.  Letterer Clem Robins and colorist Laura Martin complete the sequel's creative team.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society pits Edison against “The Icarus Society,” a secret society of geniuses who are all richer than Edison.  And now, he is caught inside the club's internal rivalries and blackmailed into hunting for the treasures of one of the most legendary locations of all time.

Prodigy: The Icarus Society #2 opens in the prison, the Maine Correctional FacilityProfessor Tong of the Icarus Society has forced Edison to free him from his imprisonment there.  Tong has had an explosive device placed inside Edison's stomach and now, he will force our hero to play a game of cat-and-mouse with one his Icarus rivals, Felix Koffka.  Must Edison, like the members of this secret society, fly too close to the sun.

THE LOWDOWN:  Of Mark Millar's recent Netflix comic book series, I am a huge fan of The Magic Order, but I am always thinking about Prodigy.  After reading the first series, Prodigy, I was intrigued and thrilled, and after re-reading it in trade paperback form, as Prodigy: The Evil Earth, I admired it all the more.  Edison Crane is another great Mark Millar creation.

Millar has been producing some of the best comic books in North America for the better part of three decades.  Even after becoming an executive with one of the most powerful media companies in the world (Netflix, of course), he continues to produce great comic books.  Let's be honest, most comic book creators rest on their laurels when they hit the jackpot, and if and when they do produce new comic books, they are sometimes disappointing works.  This is not the case with Millar, who delivers a monster of a second issue for this new series.

Millar used Prodigy: The Icarus Society #1 to introduce readers to Edison Crane's state of mind (more or less) and to his new challenge.  With issue #2, Millar quickly reveals that this sequel will be as intense, if not more so, than the original.  The mythologies, the conspiracies and the occult flourishes are even more delectable, and the villains … well, they are great f*****g villains.

The art team of illustrator Matteo Buffagni and colorist Laura Martin also threaten to fly too close to the sun.  Matteo's art recalls the “widescreen” storytelling of DC Comics' late, great The Authority (one of the treasures of Millar's bibliography).  Matteo makes The Icarus Society #2 feel like a Marvel Studios movie, full of big ideas and big expectations.  Laura Martin's colors establish a series of rich and varied moods and atmospheres that draw the reader inside this perilous new world that Edison Crane faces.

More excellent lettering from the perpetually excellent Clem Robins tops it all off, and there you have it.  Prodigy: The Icarus Society #2 washes over my imagination with a giant wave of intrigue and now, we can all be assured that this series will be fantastic.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Mark Millar and of his comic book, Prodigy, will want to read Prodigy: The Icarus Society.

A+

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://www.mrmarkmillar.com/
http://www.millarworld.tv/
https://twitter.com/mrmarkmillar
https://www.netflix.com/
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www.imagecomics.com
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The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Comics Review: VAMPIRELLA: Year One #1

VAMPIRELLA  YEAR ONE VOLUME 1 #1
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Christopher Priest
ART: Ergün Gündüz with Giovanni Timpano
COLORS: Ergün Gündüz with Flavio Dispenza
LETTERS: Willie Schubert
EDITOR: Matt Idelson
COVER: Collette Turner
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2022)

Rated Teen+

“Sanctuary”


Vampirella is a vampire and female superhero created by the late author and science fiction and horror expert, Forrest J Ackerman, and designed by comic book artist, Trina Robbins.  Vampirella first appeared in Vampirella #1 (Sept. 1969), the debut issue of a black and white horror comics magazine from Warren Publishing.  Writer-editor Archie Goodwin changed the character from a hostess of horror comics to a leading character in her own stories.

In 2010, Dynamite Entertainment obtained the character and has been publishing new Vampirella material since then.  In the wake of Vampirella Dracula Unholy comes a new series, Vampirella Year One Volume 1.  This new series is written by Christopher Priest; drawn by Ergun Gunduz; colored by Gunduz; and lettered by Willie Schubert.  Hunted seemingly by every natural and supernatural on Earth, Vampirella has taken refuge in an undisclosed location where she questions why she came to our world in the first place.

Vampirella Year One Volume 1 #1 (“Sanctuary”) opens in a cave in Mount Sage, Tortola, British Virgin Islands.  There, Vampirella has found sanctuary with her friend/lover, LéGere.  Early in her pregnancy(!), she is recording her history for her unborn child.

The story moves back approximately 60 years to her home planet of Drakulon, specifically the underground paradise, New Asema.  It is a paradise built for the elites by Vampirella's mother, Lilith, the Black Queen.  Blood drought, however, has long plagued the planet, and this shortage of blood has fomented rebellion.  Young Vampirella's life will never be the same.

THE LOWDOWN:  Since July 2021, Dynamite Entertainment's marketing department has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Vampirella Year One Volume 1 #1.  It is one of many Vampirella comic books that have engaged my imagination this last year.

I have read writer Christopher Priest's previous Vampirella titles, such as Vampirella Dracula Unholy and Draculina.  Priest offers some nice intrigue in this first issue of Vampirella Year One, but as of now, I am not interested in the character's past.  Still, Priest, one of my favorite comic book writers, could change my mind.

I do like the art in this first issue, drawn by lead series artist, Ergün Gündüz, and by Giovanni Timpano, who drew the two-page prologue that leads this issue.  There is enough good stuff in this first issue to bring regular bloodsuckers back...

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Vampirella comics will want to read Vampirella Year One Volume 1.

B

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


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The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Comics Review: RED SONJA Volume 6 #11

RED SONJA VOLUME 6 #11
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

STORY: Mirka Andolfo and Luca Blengino
ART: Giuseppe Cafaro
COLORS: Chiara Di Francia
LETTERS: Jeff Eckleberry
EDITOR: Nate Cosby
COVER: Mirka Andolfo
32pp, Color, $3.99 U.S. (July 2022)

Rated Teen+

Based on the characters and stories created by Roy Thomas, Barry Windsor-Smith, and Robert E. Howard

“Mother” Chapter Eleven


Conan the Barbarian #23 (cover dated: February 1973) saw the debut of a high fantasy, sword and sorcery heroine, Red Sonja.  Created by writer Roy Thomas and artist Barry Windsor-Smith, Red Sonja was loosely based on “Red Sonya of Rogatino,” a female character that appeared in the 1934 short story, “The Shadow of the Vulture,” written by Robert E. Howard (1906-1936), the creator of the character, Conan the Cimmerian.

Dynamite Entertainment is now the publisher of Red Sonja comic books.  One of the recent titles, Red Sonja Volume 6, is under the guidance of popular Italian comic book creator, Mirka Andolfo.  It is written by Andolfo and Luca Blengino; drawn by Giuseppe Cafaro; colored by Chiara Di Francia; and lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and Jeff Eckleberry.  In this new series, Red Sonja accepts the bounty to bring a girl named “Sitha” to a broker who will send her to her true home (Kithai).  The girl, however, becomes attached to Sonja and calls her mother and an adventure begins.

Red Sonja Volume 6 #11 opens at Agaras-Bulba, the place where Sitha is supposed to be delivered.  Sitha is finally reunited with her real mother once more.  With her mission at last accomplished, Red Sonja is ready to go home.  When she understands the “Dance of Wind and Fire,” she realizes that the village of Agaras-Bulba is not what is seems.  Nothing is what it seems.

THE LOWDOWN:   Since July 2021, the marketing department of Dynamite Entertainment has been providing me with PDF review copies of some of their titles.  One of them is Red Sonja Volume 6 #11 which is the latest of several Dynamite Entertainment Red Sonja comic books that I have read.

Andolfo and Luca Blengino have fashioned in this series one of the best Red Sonja comic book series that I have ever read.  This tale of mothers and daughters is filled with genuine emotion, but it also has plenty of swordplay and violence as befitting a sword and sorcery comic book.  As the end comes, I know that I will miss it … but new readers will hopefully have a trade collection in which to enjoy it.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of Red Sonja and of Mirka Andolfo will want to try Red Sonja Volume 6.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"


https://twitter.com/DynamiteComics
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The text is copyright © 2022 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Monday, August 8, 2022

BOOM! Studios Shipping from Diamond Distributors for August 10, 2022

BOOM! STUDIOS

APR220664 FENCE TP VOL 05 $14.99
MAY220387 ONCE & FUTURE GRAIL PACK #1 (BUNDLE) $39.99
JUN220401 POWER RANGERS #22 CVR A MARTINEZ $3.99
JUN220402 POWER RANGERS #22 CVR B LEGACY VAR $3.99
JUN220406 POWER RANGERS #22 CVR F FOC REVEAL VAR RICCARDI $3.99

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Dark Horse Comics Shipping from Diamond Distributors for August 10, 2022

DARK HORSE COMICS

FEB220284 AMAZING SCREW ON HEAD HC ANNIVERSARY ED $39.99
OCT210255 APEX LEGENDS OVERTIME TP $19.99
MAR220391 BERSERK DELUXE EDITION HC VOL 11 $49.99
MAR220349 BLACKSAD THEY ALL FALL DOWN HC PART 01 $19.99
FEB220373 CAT GAMER TP VOL 02 $11.99
FEB220295 COLD BODIES TP (RES) $19.99
JUN210286 CREEPING HC (MR) $19.99
MAR220377 CRIMINAL MACABRE SPIRIT OF THE DEMON TP $19.99
MAR220374 EC ARCHIVES HAUNT OF FEAR TP VOL 02 $19.99
MAR220341 EDEN TP $22.99
NOV210283 HELLBOY & THE BPRD 1957 FALLING SKY (ONE-SHOT) $3.99
MAR220348 HELLBOY UNIVERSE ESSENTIALS WITCHFINDER TP $14.99
MAR220306 JINX TP $24.99
FEB220359 LEGEND KORRA ART ANIMATED DLX ED HC BOOK 04 BALANCE 2ND ED ( $79.99
FEB220358 LEGEND OF KORRA ART ANIMATED HC BOOK 04 BALANCE 2ND ED $39.99
FEB220349 ORPHAN & FIVE BEASTS TP (RES) $19.99
FEB220339 SHIFTING EARTH TP $19.99
JAN220384 SIN CITY DLX HC VOL 05 FAMILY VALUES (4TH ED) (MR) $100.00
JAN220383 SIN CITY TP VOL 05 FAMILY VALUES (4TH ED) (MR) $25.00
MAR220315 STAR WARS REBELS TP $29.99
JUN220524 WARD #3 (OF 4) $3.99
AUG210363 WITCHER (NETFLIX) YENNEFER FIGURE $59.99

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Dynamite Entertainment Shipping from Diamond Distributors for August 10, 2022

DYNAMITE

JUN220645 007 #1 CVR A EDWARDS $3.99
JUN220646 007 #1 CVR B ASPINALL $3.99
JUN220647 007 #1 CVR C LAMING $3.99
JUN220648 007 #1 CVR D LEE $3.99
JUN220649 007 #1 CVR E BLANK AUTHENTIX $3.99
MAY228868 007 #1 CVR M FOC FLEECS DISTRESSED PAPERBACK $3.99
MAY228869 007 #1 CVR N FOC FLEECS REGULAR PAPERBACK $3.99
MAY228870 007 #1 CVR O FOC FINNEGAN $3.99
MAY220666 BETTIE PAGE ALIEN AGENDA #5 CVR K LINSNER LTD $50.00
MAR220615 BOYS SCRIPTBOOK SGN ED SC VOL 01 (MR) $39.99
MAY220679 DRACULINA #5 CVR A TURNER $3.99
MAY220680 DRACULINA #5 CVR B LIN $3.99
MAY220681 DRACULINA #5 CVR C MARCH $3.99
MAY220682 DRACULINA #5 CVR D KAYANAN $3.99
MAY220683 DRACULINA #5 CVR E COSPLAY $3.99
MAY228969 DRACULINA #5 CVR L FOC GUNDUZ $3.99
MAY228970 DRACULINA #5 CVR M FOC STA MARIA $3.99
MAY220690 ELVIRA IN HORRORLAND #3 CVR A ACOSTA $3.99
MAY220691 ELVIRA IN HORRORLAND #3 CVR B ROYLE $3.99
MAY220692 ELVIRA IN HORRORLAND #3 CVR C CALIFANO $3.99
MAY220693 ELVIRA IN HORRORLAND #3 CVR D PHOTO $3.99
MAY220733 JOHN CARTER OF MARS #4 CVR K LINSNER LTD VIRGIN $50.00
MAY220763 RED SONJA (2021) #11 CVR J ANDOLFO LTD VIRGIN $50.00
MAY220764 RED SONJA (2021) #11 CVR K LEIRIX LTD VIRGIN $50.00
JUN220707 RED SONJA FAIRY TALES ONE SHOT CVR A LEE $4.99
JUN220708 RED SONJA FAIRY TALES ONE SHOT CVR B LEIRIX $4.99
JUN220709 RED SONJA FAIRY TALES ONE SHOT CVR C PIRIZ $4.99
MAY228977 RED SONJA FAIRY TALES ONE SHOT CVR G FOC LAU $4.99
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MAY220776 SHEENA QUEEN JUNGLE #8 CVR A PARRILLO $3.99
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MAY220778 SHEENA QUEEN JUNGLE #8 CVR C LINSNER $3.99
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MAY220780 SHEENA QUEEN JUNGLE #8 CVR E COSPLAY $3.99
MAY228422 SHEENA QUEEN JUNGLE #8 CVR N FOC PARRILLO ULTRAVIOLET $3.99
JUN220719 VAMPIRELLA FAIRY TALES ONE SHOT CVR A LEE $4.99
JUN220720 VAMPIRELLA FAIRY TALES ONE SHOT CVR B LEIRIX $4.99
JUN220721 VAMPIRELLA FAIRY TALES ONE SHOT CVR C PIRIZ $4.99
MAY228981 VAMPIRELLA FAIRY TALES ONE SHOT CVR G FOC LAU $4.99
MAY228982 VAMPIRELLA FAIRY TALES ONE SHOT CVR H FOC LEIRIX ULTRAVIOLE $4.99
MAY220557 VAMPIRELLA YEAR ONE #1 CVR Q TURNER LTD VIRGIN $50.00
MAY220558 VAMPIRELLA YEAR ONE #1 CVR R PARILLO LTD VIRGIN $50.00

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