Two Signings at Laughing Ogre Comics - High Street!!!!

Laughing Ogre Comics - High Street is proud to present two signings this Wednesday, June 9th! 

First up is Sean McKeever! 

After writing indie comics (such as the ensemble teen-drama The Waiting Place) for six years, Sean got his big break writing an issue of The Incredible Hulk for Marvel Comics in 2001. Since then, Sean has written hundreds of comics for Marvel, DC Comics and other publishers, including notable runs on Sentinel, Inhumans, Mystique, Marvel Adventures Spider-Man, Gravity, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, Birds of Prey and Teen Titans.
Best known for delivering introspective, character-driven work, Sean also wrote several weeks of the Funky Winkerbean syndicated comic strip, much of which has been reprinted in the celebrated collection, Lisa's story: the other shoe.
In 2005, Sean won the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.

Sean will be in to sign copies of his newest Marvel book, Young Allies. Here's a preview: http://www.newsarama.com/php/multimedia/album.php?aid=35774

Sean will be signing from 10-1 and 5-8.

Second, but certainly not least, is Chris Sprouse!

Sprouse launched his career in mainstream comics in 1989, his first credited work being a Chemical King story in an issue of DC Comics' Secret Origins. He then did a Two-Face story for Batman Annual #14 and then moved on to the limited series Hammerlocke. Sprouse then took on the sci-fi series Legionnaires, featuring teenaged versions of the characters in the Legion of Super-Heroes series, and eventually moved on to a number of one-shot and fill-in issues before illustrating a Star Wars mini-series, Splinter of the Mind's Eye, for Dark Horse Comics.
He then worked for Extreme Studios as the regular penciller of New Men, and in 1997, Sprouse drew several issues of Supreme, scripted by Alan Moore for the same publisher. After Supreme ended, a year later he and Moore created Tom Strong for America's Best Comics, for which Sprouse won two Eisner Awards in 2000, for Best Single Issue and Best Serialized Story. Sprouse was also the penciller on the 2004 Ocean mini-series, written by Warren Ellis and published by DC Comics. In 2007, Ocean was optioned for film.
In 2006, he began pencilling Wildstorm's Midnighter ongoing series, a spin-off of The Authority.
He was also the artist on the first issue of Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne with Grant Morrison as writer.<sup>[1]

 Chris will be in signing copies of his newest DC book, Tom Strong and the Robots of Doom! Here's a preview: http://wildstorm.blog.dccomics.com/2010/04/28/tom-strong-and-the-robots-of-doom-1-the-preview/</sup>

Chris will be signing from 11-2 and 4-6.

Make sure that you stop by and meet these very talented creators!

Picks of the Week

BLACKSAD HC VOL 01

Private investigator John Blacksad is up to his feline ears in mystery, digging into the backstories behind murders, child abductions, and nuclear secrets. Guarnido's sumptuously painted pages and rich cinematic style bring the world of 1950s America to vibrant life, with Canales weaving in fascinating tales of conspiracy, racial tension, and the "red scare" Communist witch hunts of the time. Guarnido reinvents anthropomorphism in these pages, and industry colleagues no less than Will Eisner, Jim Steranko, and Tim Sale are fans

AVENGERS PRIME #1 (OF 5)

They were friends, brothers and teammates through all of Marvel's greatest adventures, but recent events turned them into the bitterest of enemies. In the wake of the Siege of Asgard Thor, Iron Man and Steve Rogers are brought together on the same side once more, but these great heroes can't truly trust each other yet. They better start soon because something only the Big Three can handle is tearing their world apart. This all-new, grand and dangerous adventure will catapult our heroes into the explosive Heroic Age and will unite comics legend Alan Davis with Avengers scribe Brian Bendis for the very first time.

SERENITY FLOAT OUT ONE SHOT #1

Acclaimed writer/actor/comedian Patton Oswalt (The Goon, Batman, JLA, Dollhouse, Ratatouille) brings back one of Firefly's most beloved characters in this special spotlight issue!

Always ready with a brilliant aerial maneuver and a terrible one-liner, Wash was pilot of the Firefly-class ship Serenity in Joss Whedon's cult-classic TV series before being killed in the movie. Float Out includes three brand-new stories of Wash in a series of exciting smuggling raids, each providing a hair-raising escape or daring last-minute rescue! Featuring a cameo that will leave Serenity fans reeling, this special one-shot presents new tales of the Serenity universe's past and tantalizing hints about its future!

MOUSE GUARD LEGENDS OF THE GUARD #1 (OF 4)

Inside the June Alley Inn, located in the western mouse city of Barkstone, mice gather to tell tales, each trying to outdo the other. A competition, of sorts, begins. The rules: Every story must contain one truth, one lie, and have never been told in that tavern before. Legends of the Guard is a new Mouse Guard anthology series with artists and storytellers handpicked by creator David Petersen.

Magic the Gathering Duel Decks

Any time Wizards of the Coast is nice enough to put one of these out, they do their best to give fans what they want.  Each previous set was snatched up by insiders and coveted by people with slower information networks.  Thanks to our highly trained spies, you are getting a heads up this time.

 
For those of you who have played recent blocks of MtG (specifically the Alara block), the names listed will be enough to convince you. Everyone else, read on.

A battle between these two is sure to be epic in the truest sense of the word.  The fight will build slowly as weak soldiers and artifacts emerge at the start.  The soldiers will boost each other to formidable threats as the artifacts give way to their larger brethren.  This is all speculation, but soldiers and artifacts tend to follow a standard (but fun) formula.

Talk to your store today about reserving one, but look for them to arrive on September 3, 2010

- Ryan

Lloyd's Pick of the Month

 ALL-STAR SUPERMAN VOL. 1

The amazing creative team of Grant Morrison (BATMAN) and Frank Quitely (WE3) create a new vision of the World's First Super-Hero! Now in trade paperback, this volume collects the first six issues of the acclaimed series and features Lex Luthor, Jimmy Olsen, Lois Lane, Bizarro, and more!

This is one of the best Superman stories ever told. All- Star is part of a new DC line that allows leading comics creators to present their own versions of the company's classic characters without acknowledging any of the baggage the icons have acquired over the decades. Morrison & Quitely’s re-imagination of the Man of Steel is for Superman fans old & new, & non-Superman fans. They stay true to the mythos of an icon while taking the reader on a fantastic voyage by tackling questions fans have had for years. Winner of multiple awards and on a number of “must-read” lists.

Green Lantern Movie Synopsis

ComicBookMovie.com posted the official synopsis of the Green Lantern movie:

In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan.
Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris (Blake Lively), if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax … he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

Liz's Pick of the Week

Paul Pope's 100%

Gritty urban sci-fi and see-through dancing girls may not immediately bring romance to mind for most folks, but then Paul Pope has never exactly been what you'd call a conventional storyteller.  His graphic novel 100%, available in trade and hardcover from Vertigo, follows three intertwined love stories through an entirely probable New York City, circa 2038 A.D.

Pope does a masterful job of weaving made-up history and technology into an environment that feels very real- sometimes cozy, sometimes brutal, always crowded, and always tumbling uncontrollably into tomorrow.  In this story a club owner, her estranged boxer husband, her artist cousin, a paranoid bartender, a busboy, and a troubled exotic dancer are all trying to navigate a harsh January in the city.  They fret about the violence that surrounds them, they fall in and out of love, and they  work hard for a chance at something better.

Beautiful inky black-and-white linework gives 100% a glamorous old-movie feel, despite the futuristic setting.   It's less a typical dystopic exercise and more of a meditation on the timelessness of human relationships, and comes highly recommended from your friends here at the Laughing Ogre!

Cowboy Ninja Viking

If you think I just listed my job history, you are right.  "Cowboy Ninja Viking" also happens to be the name of a great comic series from AJ Lieberman (W) and Riley Rossmo (A).  This story takes three of history's stone-cold killers and crams them into one person's head.  Duncan has managed to cope with the voices in his head and even relies on the abilities of each persona.  Unfortunately, his skill set doesn't translate well to the private sector, so the government agency which helped create him is trying to reel him back in.  Duncan's adventure is filled with intrigue, action, and the zaniest mixes of split personalities you can imagine.

This book has a great sense of style and humor.  Be sure to check it out the next time in your in the shop!


- Ryan