Stang's Pick of the Month

ADVENTURES OF LUTHER ARKWRIGHT TP

Across a multitude of parallel universes, dark forces operate in the shadows, manipulating mankind's histories throughout countless timelines. The agents of these Disruptors all work with a single purpose-the recovery and activation of Foxfire, a long-hidden doomsday device whose unspeakable power is capable of consuming the galaxy in all its incarnations. Standing in the way of the Disruptors is Luther Arkwright, a human anomaly who exists only in a single universe, a man of vast psychic powers, capable of traveling between the parallel realities to counter the Disruptor's malign influence. But the Disruptors are aware of Arkwright and his abilities, and while Arkwright searches the myriad Earths for the location of Foxfire, the agents of darkness race to destroy Arkwright . . . and to ensure their unthinkable ends.??

Bryan Talbot got lost in the wash back in the 90’s when the British Invasion was in full swing with the likes of Moore, Morrison and Ennis. A true Writer/Artist Talbot brought his vision to life with incredibly detailed art and thoughtful layered storytelling. This is a story that touches on religion, politics and the very meaning of life and the universe itself.

Meghan's Turn

I first got into comics after seeing Batman: The Dark Knight. I couldn’t seem to get the story out of my head so I picked up Joker by Brian Azzarello and loved it. My second foray in the world of comics came when I read Watchmen and V for Vendetta by Alan Moore. Like a lot of people, those books lead to an epiphany: I realized comics weren’t just for kids, and moreover, they could be just as intelligent, complex and literary as a novel. Since Batman was my first love, I dug in and started reading everything I could. In the process I fell in love with other characters, such as Joker, Hush, Harley Quinn, and Peyton Riley—I’m pretty partial to villains. What I love most about comics is that there is a mythological scope of the storytelling and yet the characters are still relatable through their human weaknesses and flaws. And though I dig the strong female characters, I also find the male characters to be fascinating and relatable. I’ve begun branching out from Batman and in the process I’ve realized that there are a multitude of stories to be found in comic books. There’s something for everyone, whether you’re into the caped superhero thing or not.

Angela's thoughts on comics...

To me, comics are the most stimulating form of stories found on paper. The melding of pictures and text gives the reader a complete world of art and literature. It is always more exciting to experience something firsthand rather than being told about it later – and that is what comics do. Whereas literary novels tell us what happened, comics show us in creative ways how the story unfolded. As a female reader, comics give me characters I can identify with. If I want to feel strong, I read comics featuring Supergirl (my favorite!), Wonder Woman, Dazzler, Zatanna, Poison Ivy, or even Harley Quinn. In these stories, the women stand right up with the male heroes and kick just as much butt – which is something I can definitely appreciate. As a girl, I love stories about love. A huge fan of those stereotypical movies you would think that I, as a girl, would like (The Notebook), I enjoy when a comic can show me relationships as so many do superbly. Some of my favorites include the Scott Pilgrim series, Jamie Rich’s Love The Way You Love and 12 Reasons Why I Love Her, and Tom Beland’s True Story: Swear To God. Lastly, I love comic books that capture what it means to be a young woman today. From the fantastically awkward protagonist of Felicia Day’s The Guild series to any female character (or any character for that matter) in Adrian Tomine’s illustrated short stories, comics make me embrace the power of being female and revel in the true confusion of being young and female. To those who say comics are only for nerdy guys, you are so wrong. So so wrong. To any girl who is thinking about digging in, do it. There is something for you, promise.

Picks of the Week

Lots of great stuff this week! Starting with...

Superman #701

J. Michael Straczynski begins his highly anticipated run on SUPERMAN! After the devastating events of WAR OF THE SUPERMEN, how can Superman possibly continue his battle for Truth, Justice and the American Way? Find out here in Grounded part 1 and get in on the starting line of a modern-classic SUPERMAN story!

Stuff of Legend: The Jungle #1

Following the liberation of the board game town of Hopscotch, a brave band of toys continues the quest to rescue their human master from the nightmare realm of the Dark. With the Boogeyman's army fast approaching for battle, Max the teddy bear and his friends discover one of the Dark's oldest secrets, and a new threat that could destroy them all.

Richard Starks Parker The Man with the Getaway Face
 

Darwyn Cooke's adaptation of The Hunter was one of the best-received and most popular graphic novels of 2009. A New York Times best-seller, it has appeared on over 50 "best of the year" lists.
The second book, The Outfit, will debut in the fall, but IDW and Darwyn are presenting the first chapter here as a stand-alone preview comic. Priced at only $2.00, this is a full, 24-page story that offers new readers a perfect introduction to Richard Stark's classic crime novel anti-hero, as well as a great story that stands alone.

X-Men 2nd Coming #2

variant cover by Finch

The end is here. Sacrifices have been made. The most dangerous and successful attempt at the extermination of mutants is upon us. Who will walk away?

Meet Jen

Johnny The Homicidal Maniac being the first comic book I read represents only part of my love for comics. Don’t get me wrong, I still thoroughly enjoy my share of silly dark comics, but I have definitely expanded my spectrum of comic types. Over the years I’ve explored nearly every type of comic out there including the classic superheroes, new-age fantasy, and science fiction; I even occasionally pick up a kids one such as Muppet Show. What normally initially attracts me to a specific comic is the artwork; when I saw Kabuki by David Mack for the first time, I immediately fell in love with the art and, in turn, fell in love with the story. Out of the millions of comics out there though, Vertigo publishes my favorites. Fables, Sandman, DMZ, Daytripper, just to name a few, are all some of the greatest books I have ever read. Along with artwork and writing, characters are another thing that pulls me in to a specific book; some of my favorite characters include Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Black Widow, and Death (Sandman). There are so many great books out there, that I could never possibly read and enjoy all of them, but I try to give everything a show. You would pretty much have to have no interests whatsoever to not be able to find something you like in comics.

Meet the Ladies of Laughing Ogre Comics - High Street!

 Comics culture is typically dominated by the male point of view. In an effort to provide equal time to the ladies of the world, we decided to spotlight the female employees of our High Street store. Over the coming days Jen, Angela, and Meghan will give their thoughts on comics. These ladies prove that comics aren't just for the guys anymore.

New This Week: Scarlet

Superstar Marvel scribe Brian Michael Bendis (Ultimate Spider-Man, New Avengers) returns to the realm of creator-owned comics with Scarlet, out this week on Icon!  Joining him is talented artist Alex Maleev (Daredevil, Spider-Woman), bringing his gritty photorealism to the table on what promises to be an exciting exploration of revolution and vigilantism.

Issue one opens with our titular heroine strangling a policeman to death in an alley.  She breaks the fourth wall to explain to us, over the next 28 pages, who she is and why she's doing what she's doing.  According to Bendis's afterword, this is just the beginning of a project pretty vast in scope, with a unique perspective on the common theme of questioning the American judicial system and the ethics of taking the law into one's own hands: at the end, Scarlet turns to us and says we're going to help her in her quest to right the wrongs of the land.  I for one am interested in where this complicity in her actions is going to take us.

Get in on the ground floor of what's sure to be the Next Big Thing in alternative comics- pick up Scarlet #1 today!