Rack Pick: Koko Be Good

  It's a question that weighs on young adults everywhere: am I a good person?  And how do I know?

Jen Wang's beautifully illustrated debut graphic novel follows two young adults with wildly different personalities as they struggle towards the same goals.  Jon is quiet and thoughtful, fresh out of college, and making preparations to follow his long-distance girlfriend to her new job at a Peruvian orphanage amidst growing doubt.  Koko is a brash, aimless artist-type who, inspired by Jon's selfless ambitions, resolves to become "the hero I was meant to be".  But does forced altruism still have the same value?  What Jon and Koko really want is to find themselves, to give their lives some kind of meaning before they grow old and complacent.  This struggle to "be good", and why, is the crux of this budding unlikely friendship.


Koko Be Good is out now via First Second Books.  Wang's fantastic artwork melds animated figures and expressions with subdued sepia-toned ink washes, a lyrical visual backdrop to the realization that sometimes you can only save the world in small ways- one person at a time, by doing the best you can.  Check it out!

This Week's Picks

Daredevil Echo Premium HC: Vision Quest
 David Mack is amazing.  If you aren't familiar with his work, this is the best place for you to start.  The comics Mack creates go beyond story-telling, beyond art, and become something more. David Mack is the Jimmy Hendrix of comics.  If you take my word on anything ever, buy this book.

Last Unicorn #3

Peter S. Beagle's tale of a sullen unicorn in a strange and dangerous world made a huge impact on me in my early years. The graphic iteration proves to hold the same impact and beauty as both the book and the film.  Pick up this week's issue to see the intense chase scene with the Red Bull driving the Unicorn toward Haggard.  Luckily, Schmendrick is on hand to... Schmendrick, what have you done? What have you done?

Bear Nuts

This may look like it's for your kids, but it is not.  Let's just take a look at some of the characters' names; Prozac, Nerd, Evil, Crack, Tanked, Death, Gay, Lech, and Gimp.  That's right, it's the most twisted version of Care Bears you could imagine.   If you're in the mood for something dark and perverse, starring Disney level cute animals, look no further.

Scars of Mirrodin Combos

With the release of a new set imminent, the web has been abuzz with spoilers and the wheels are churning in the heads of all Magic the Gathering players.  While I have seen a lot of interesting combos (and ridiculous one-offs), there are some pairings in the set that seem to have been thrown to the wayside, ignored while collecters and players marvel at Mox pretenders and the return of Elspeth.  The following are a few pairings I plan to exploit.

Venser, the Sojourner and Contagion Engine


Of course, pairing almost any card with a PW is going to look impressive, but this one stands out.  Once Venser is on the field, you can use his +2 ability to trigger the Contagion Engine's "enter the battlefield" ability, debilitating all of an enemies creatures.  After throwing a -1/-1 counter on their creatures, proliferate twice further devastating their forces.  Chances are throwing three -1/-1 counters on everything is going to result in some casualties.  As an added bonus, you can also beef up your PW, increase poison counters, +1/+1 counters, the possibilities are endless.  The only downside is the Contagion Engine can't target more than one player at a time.  Oh well, you might have to wait an extra turn if you're playing multi player.

Etched Champion and Grand Architect


Metalcraft looks to be a pretty powerful mechanic.  Once you get things rolling, the power and effectiveness of you creatures increasing substantially so long as you have the minimum of three artifacts on the field.  The Etched Champion gains the fantastic bonus of having protection from all colors, making him unblockable by everything with the exception of colorless creatures.  While the Eldrazi are fresh in every one's minds (and binders) my guess is the Mirrodin block will lead a lot of you opponents to play artifacts in their decks.  You can work around their colorless artifact defenders by having the Grand Architect turn their artifacts into blue creatures, making them ineligible to block your Etched Champion. 

Auriok Sunchaser and Accorder's Shield

Time for a cheap and easy combo.  This involves two commons, so it should be readily available to most players in addition to having an incredibly low casting cost for the finished product.  Metalcraft makes the Auriok Sunchaser a 3/3 flyer while the Accorder's Shield adds +0/+3 and vigilance.  The end result is a 3/6 flyer with vigilance for a measley four colorless mana and one white.  This is an easy combo to splash other colors with and grants you bargain bin angel.  You shouldn't ignore the idea of testing out a play set of both of these.  Your opponents certainly won't ignore them when they hit the field ready to attack AND block for you.
- Ryan

Jen's Pick of the Month

Northlanders The Cross and The Hammer TP

The second NORTHLANDERS collection, featuring issues #11-16, takes place during the tail end of Viking rule in Ireland. A series of mysterious murders and arsons against wealthy citizens leaves the Viking occupiers worried that a potential uprising might ignite. When surprising details involving the crimes are revealed, though, their jobs become much harder! Once again, writer Brian Wood teams with artist Ryan Kelly (Local) for an intriguing, gorgeously rendered peek at the inner workings of society.

One of the many great things about Northlanders is how each trade paperback includes a stand-alone story so you can pick up one and read it in any order you would like. Brian Wood is one of the best newer writers in the industry and shows it with the historically researched Northlanders. While it may not be for kids, the adults are sure to enjoy it!

Titles of the Week

X-23 #1

After the events of Second Coming and the stunning conclusion to X-Force, X-23 strikes out on her own in this all-new ongoing series, written by best-selling author MARJORIE LIU, spinning out of the events of Wolverine #1! X-23 has never had an easy relationship with the rest of the X-Men, but when she learns someone has taken down Wolverine, she must step up to fill his shoes.
40 PGS./Parental Advisory

Morning Glories #2

It's the Glories' first day of school, and they've already landed themselves in detention! Now anywhere else that might just mean the start of a bad year, but they're about to find out when you're enrolled at Morning Glory Academy, corporal punishment takes on a whole new- and deadly - meaning!

  

Thunderbolts #148

The Thunderbolts crossover with Shadowland begins here! Luke Cage heads into Hell's Kitchen to pull his old friend back from the brink of madness. And if swarming ninjas aren't enough, he's become aware of other forces that will make his task even harder. Going against the Warden and the government itself, Cage sends the T-Bolts in to level the playing field. But without his direct guidance, will this squad of killers and criminals make the situation even worse? Find out in the book IGN.com calls "Impressive...not to be missed."
32 PGS./Rated T+

    

World building has always been a staple for the fantasy genre.  Each invented world can be vast and expansive, so engaging them as the reader can be overwhelming without the right character to explore with.  Today, Laughing Ogre tips our hats at a few (there are many more) inspired pairings between world building and characters who serve as more than a gateway.

1. Conan the Cimmerian and Hyperborea
The most impressive part of Robert E. Howard's work is their detail and apparent attention to chronology. The precision of Horward's tales seem as if he is more of a historian than a writer.  The world of Hyperborea has diversity in climate, culture, terrain, and ethnicity that can only be rivaled by the real world.  Conan's wanderlust, brute strength, and surprising ingenuity land him a spot at the top of my list.  While "barbarians" are thought to be uncivilized savages, Conan has a worldliness about him that can only be the product of his travels and varying occupational interests.  A quick peek at Conan's resume reveals him to have experience (and success) as a thief, a reaver, a slayer, an outlaw, a mercenary, a pirate, and a king.



2. Monkey D. Luffy and the world of One Piece

Eichiro Oda's masterful creation of Luffy's world feels bigger than Earth.  The vast expanses of water, all populated with various islands (both civilized and wild), continents, pirate ships, marine bases, and various seamonsters.  There are so many characters in this series, the world feels truly alive.  On top of that, there are so many connections and so much history between them, you have to wonder how Oda stays sane.  No character is left undeveloped as the careless Luffy ventures from location to location.  He is fun-loving and an eternal optimitist.  While this may sound off-putting to some, Luffy manages to come off as charasmatic and inspiring rather than insipid and annoying.  The interesting thing about the character is how much pain he hides behind his smile, but it remains a genuine smile nonetheless.  Rather than letting tragedy and opposition bring him down, Luffy uses it to drive him forward in his quest to become King of the Pirates.

3. Thor Odinson and the Nine Realms

When most people think of the Marvel Universe Thor, they picture the Avenger fighting Ultron alongside Captain America and Iron Man.  That is only 1/9th of the equation.  Thor has battled through all nine of the realms borrowed from Norse mythology.  While you might knock some points off Stan Lee's scorecard (and his brother, Larry Lieber) for borrowing so heavily from mythology, Jack Kirby gets extra points for his visual revamp of the world.  Anyone who has ever enjoyed any fantasy-based RPG of any kind, should be reading Thor stories.  He quests for mystical objects, battles trolls, dark elves, frost giants, spirits, evil gods, and more.  Magic and myth are everyday things in a lot of comics, but while you will find most of them in one plane of existence, Thor does reigns lighting and blunt strikes on his enemies in nine realms.

4. Jace Beleren and the Multiverse

The world of Magic the Gathering is much more vast than most realize.  Every time a new set comes out, a new world is created in the MtG multiverse.  Planeswalkers are powerful wizards with the ability to traverse the various worlds, called planes.  Operating on the premise that gamers are planeswalkers, the game of Magic allows players to explore these various realms.  The amazing thing about it is Wizards of the Coast (makers of MtG) manage to create new kinds of magic for every set.  That means they have created a multiverse with limitless potential to expand.  This would have been enough for gamers to be satisfied, but WotC went a step further, creating additional planeswalkers within their storyline (yes, there is one for Magic).  While Urza is arguably the greatest planeswalker of all time, Jace is the current face of the game.  He teeters on the edge of moral darkness and wields potent mind magic expertly.  Take the time to explore the worlds of Magic the Gathering either through playing the game or reading the books.  Either way, you will find a rich and rewarding experience.

5.Spider Jerusalem and The City

Warren Ellis is a pretty twisted guy.  Incredibly gifted, but twisted. In Transmetropolitan, Ellis gives us a gonzo journalist's exploits through a futuristic dystopian world.  The setting itself is considerably smaller than the others on this list(it's a city known as... er, the City), but so rich and detailed, you'll never notice. Think about how detail-oriented and inquisitive a journalist has to be to succeed in their work.  If you were asked to write up two articles; one about a political cessation and a second detailing police brutality, how would you do?  Now, if you were told to do it in an entirely fabricated world, it might be a little harder.  Ellis does that and so much more.  Spider Jerusalem is a truly unique and unforgettable character.  The adventures he embarks on as part of his everyday job give us brutally honest insight into life in the City.


- Ryan

This Week's Picks

New Avengers #4

The chaos in Marvel Manhattan continues as the New Avengers battle the demons pouring a trans-dimensional rift in the sky.  The man responsible?  Dr. Strange's mentor, the Ancient One.  It seems the good doctor's recent missteps have earned him the a spanking even Odin would wince at.




Irredeemable #17

A confrontation between Qubit and Survivor over Qubit's previous decision to spare the Plutonian's life isn't even the major selling point of this issue.  It's an up-close glimpse at the relationship between Plutonian and Modeus that makes this a must-read. It's hard to give your reader an "oh @#$*!" moment, but it's here.  Open it up and be amazed.


Batman and Robin #14

We've got vicious beatings with crowbars, creepy sado-masochism, an exploding batmobile, the Black Mask, the Joker, Pyg, and Botox.  Is there room in all of this chaos for Batman and Robin?  How do they fit so much in a single issue?  Seriously, this is the build up with a bang.  We normally look for this kind of action at the climax of a story, but Morrison leaves us with a feeling this is just an appetizer for what lies ahead.  Read this for the darkest and most riveting challenge the new Batman and Robin have ever faced.

Lucid #1

It's a comic about a magician spy, what more do you need to know?  The concept alone is worth picking it up, but story is intriguing as well.  It's an interesting mix of James Bond and John Constantine, but entirely fresh.  The art is dynamic enough, I almost felt I was watching Lucid rather than reading it.  This book is something special. Be sure to snag one before they are sold out. 

 





- Ryan