Meghan's Pick of the Month

Chobits Omnibus Vol 1

Some people buy their personal computers based on style . . . and in near-future Japan, the hottest style for your "persocom" is shaped like an attractive android! Poor student Hideki finds a persocom discarded in an alley. Taking the cute robot home and activating it, Hideki finds her affectionate, but amnesiac, able only to say the word "Chi"-and so he names her. Instead of being his digital assistant, Hideki finds himself having to teach Chi how to get along in the everyday world, even while he and his friends try to solve the mystery of her origins. 

I picked this book up on a whim because I wanted to check out something different from what I normally read and I was instantly absorbed by this book’s beautiful art and the unusual romance between the books main character, a human college student, and his mysterious android computer, Chi. Chi is very cute and innocent and often humorously misunderstands things which are commonplace to humans. The mystery of who Chi is and what makes her different from the run-of-the-mill android computers that populate this story’s world kept me turning pages and I made it through this massive book in a matter of a few hours. It’s definitely one of my favorites and I think it could be appealing to both male and female readers.

Jen's Pick of the Month

Thor By J Michael Straczynski TP Vol 1

Thor is back! And in a story only J. Michael Straczynski could tell! Returned to the pantheon of great Marvel heroes, the Asgardian God of Thunder is reunited with the mortal form of Dr. Don Blake. Together, they must reckon with the legacy of the mythic Norse kingdom and the awakening of its immortal heroes - but in a world that may not want them back! Collecting THOR #1-6

Being a fan of mythology, I figured Thor would be a good Marvel book for me to check out, and I soon discovered it was a good choice.  Straczynski’s storytelling unravels a great tale of Thor returning and bringing Asgard, along with the other gods, back to the Marvel universe.

Even MORE Picks of the Week

         Green Lantern #59


BRIGHTEST DAY blazes on as the New Guardians seeking the Indigo Entity are shocked to discover a sedated Black Hand. Can Hal Jordan trust the Indigo Tribe to house the herald of Nekron? Plus, another exclusive first look at a member of the GREEN LANTERN CORPS from 2011's live-action GREEN LANTERN film!

                                                                                                                   Green Lantern Corps #54

The new ongoing art team of rising star Tyler Kirkham and dynamic inker Batt kicks this BRIGHTEST DAY tie-in into high gear as Kyle Rayner attempts to recruit Sinestro in a mission to save his daughter Soranik Natu! But the leader of the Yellow Lanterns is more concerned with exterminating the "alley rat" Emerald Warrior, and the pair face off in hand-to-hand combat!












        Thunderbolts #150

Iron Man, Thor and the original Captain America guest-star in this 96-page 150th blow-out issue! First, in the 40-page lead story, The Thunderbolts reach their milestone as loudly as possible, when the golden figures of the Marvel Universe come to their gray world - none other than the Armored Avenger, the God of Thunder and the Super-Soldier! Thor has come to hold court with one of his people held in the women's wing of The Raft, and when his fellow Avengers join him, things go to a realm no one expected! Iron Man comes face-to-face with Ghost, the man who almost killed him, and Steve Rogers confronts the man who did kill him, Crossbones!

Picks of the Week

BATMAN THE RETURN #1

The event of the year is here! Bruce Wayne made his long journey back through the timestream in RETURN OF BRUCE WAYNE, Dick Grayson and Damian uncovered important secrets in BATMAN & ROBIN, Gotham City's bravest heroes made their mark in BRUCE WAYNE - THE ROAD HOME...and now it's time for BATMAN to return! What happens to Dick Grayson now that the "real" Batman is back? How will Bruce Wayne handle a reunion with his son, Damian? This special one-shot bridges two exciting eras of The Dark Knight and sets up a surprising new status quo that's just on the horizon.

Featuring the talents of Batman mastermind Grant Morrison and superstar artist David Finch providing interior art, this issue is a can't-miss for comics fans!

 BATMAN INCORPORATED #1

Grant Morrison continues his earth-shattering run on the Batman titles with this exciting, new ongoing series! Featuring art by the remarkable Yanick Paquette (SEVEN SOLDIERS: BULLETEER), BATMAN, INC. marks the next stage of evolution for The Dark Knight. This can't-miss series will star not just Bruce Wayne as Batman, but also a huge number of guest-stars! Don't miss out on this all-new start to a stunning direction for Batman!

 AVENGERS #7

RED HULK!!!!! 'NUFF SAID

Handy Tip of the Day

Hello there, comics fans!  Today we'd like to give you a quick refresher on a frequent source of confusion here at your friendly neighborhood comic shop:  the difference between graphic novels and trade paperbacks!

A graphic novel is exactly what it sounds like- a novel, in graphic form.  It's meant to stand on its own as a complete story, even if that story continues on in sequels.  Art Spiegelman's Maus is a graphic novel; so is each volume in the popular series Scott Pilgrim.  Graphic novels come in all shapes and page counts.

A trade paperback is a collection of a series of previously-published comics, often as a story arc that's part of an ongoing narrative, even if that narrative eventually ends.  Your X-Men and your Batman and the like are bound as trade paperbacks (almost always after an initial hardcover edition), as are less mainstream titles like Sandman and Tank Girl.  Trade paperbacks are approximately the same size as Modern Age comic books, which are about 10 by 6 3/4 inches, and usually only the length of four or five comics.

There can be a bit of a gray area between the two.  Alan Moore's Watchmen is considered a graphic novel, despite the fact that it was originally published as a comic miniseries. Manga titles often share the ongoing serial quality of many comics but are considered serieses of graphic novels.  Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely's All-Star Superman certainly has the feel of a novel but is collected in two trade paperbacks, while Paul Pope's 100% fits easily into either category.  If you're referring to something like the bound printings of Love and Rockets you'd probably want to use the word collected editions; the book form of a collection of work by many different creators, like Marvel's Strange Tales, is a bound anthology.

Now, nobody's gonna break out the wet noodle if you can't keep it all straight.  Like we said, sometimes it's ambiguous!  The purpose of this notice is to illuminate the diversity of our favorite medium-  knowing what's what can give you a better idea of what you're looking for when exploring the wide world of comics!

Anthology Update: Tunes

Comics and music are both storytelling devices, and the rebellious bent of rock and roll appeals to many of the same people who enjoy the left-of-mainstream stylings of the sequential arts.  Music figures prominently in many comics, especially live music; you can find characters rocking out in the pages of favorites like Love and Rockets, Young Liars, Strangers In Paradise, and Scott Pilgrim.  The real challenge, though, lies in getting that energy across- how can you convey a sound with ink and paper?  How can you make a reader "hear" loud, beautiful music in a strictly visual medium?

In Tunes: A Comic Book History of Rock and Roll, a number of French cartoonists each tackle that challenge with a distinct vision, with a variety of fascinating results (don't worry, with the exception of the Led Zeppelin installment it's all in English).  Obion throws the Beatles a text-free inkwash parade; Morvandiau uses single wavering lines to describe each instrument's path in the Rolling Stones' "Love In Vain".  Mathieu Sapin gives a personal account of missing a historic White Stripes concert while Tanquerelle gives Iggy Pop the Alice in Wonderland treatment.  Some approaches are cute (Blondie), some are creepy (Radiohead), some are abstract (the Pixies), some are poignant (Elvis).  This anthology is worth a look for these wildly different solutions to the sound problem alone, but readers with limited Euro-comics experience will like the primer on the range of artistic and storytelling styles as well.  Edited by French journalist Vincent Brunner, it's out now in paperback from Universe Publishing!

Nicol Bolas

When most people think of Magic the Gathering, only a collectible card game comes to mind.  In reality, the mythos and lore created by Wizards of the Coast expands far beyond the game.  In a post regarding world-building, we introduced you to Jace Beleren and the Multiverse.  Today, you meet someone even more significant than Jace.

What's cooler than an all-powerful  wizard? An all-powerful dragon wizard, that's what.  Nicol Bolas is the oldest living being in all the Multiverse.  Here's a quick glimpse at one of the most powerful planeswalkers in history.

For one whose life spans millenia, talking about mundane details like birth and death (or deaths in this case) is meaningless.  As many lives are defined by conflict, Nicol Bolas has mastered the art of controlling conflict.  In this he manipulates entire planes and even other planeswalkers.  Combining his elder dragon powers along with the power of a planeswalker has made Nicol Bolas a seemingly omnipotent being for century upon century. 

His machinations have often put him at odds against enemies of unimaginable power.  Since this is Nicol Bolas we're talking about, they always come at him in groups.  Even if he seems to be defeated, we usually find out it was all part of his plan.  Maybe this guy is a sore loser, but I'm inclined to believe him.  He recently lost his planeswalker power and is forced to make due with his elder dragon powers.  Where once he had limitless time an untold wealth of knowledge accumulated over millenia of access to the most secretive arcance texts, Nicol Bolas now faces mortality and a eroding memory.  For the first time ever, Nicol Bolas is working against the clock.  Be sure to check out the continuing saga of Nicol Bolas as he is on a quest to regain his lost power at all costs. 

To find out more about the exploits of Nicol Bolas as well as other Planeswalkers from MtG, copy the web address below.
http://wiki.mtgsalvation.com/article/Timeline

- Ryan