Banya the Explosive Deliveryman

With a widespread was raging between humans and the monstrous Torren, the young delivery men of the Gaya Desert Post Office do not pledge allegiance to any country or king.  They are banded together by the pledge to deliver. "Fast. Precise. Secure." Banya, the craziest and craftiest of the bunch will stop at nothing to get a job done.  Known for his risk taking, bold resolve, and impeccable record, Banya agrees to complete a wounded soldier's mission to transport a parcel of great importance - know know what dangers lie in store for him and his friends! As their arduous journey begins, Banya promises, "There isn't a delivery I can't make. I always deliver."

Beautiful artwork with kinetic, visceral action is a sure-fire way to grab the attention of your readers.  Banya creator Kim Young-Oh delivers (oh, I went there) this in heaps in this series.  Flip open to any page of the book and you will see what I'm talking about.  This manga is more than a pretty face, though, it is packed with colorful, well-developed characters and a lush, thought out world. 

While it may be a futile hope, I would like to see this character make his way to the big screen some day.  Immediate thought might turn towards an animated project, but I think Banya could really sing as a live-action production.  Banya said there isn't a delivery he can't make, but I'm still waiting on my movie...

* Blurb taken from back of book

- Ryan

In Case You Missed It

 Turf

A four- issue hard boiled noir crime thriller with girls, guns, fangs and aliens. New York, 1929. The height of prohibition. The cops turn a blind eye while the mobs run the city, dealing in guns, girls and illegal liquor. But the arrival of the mysterious Dragonmir Family from Eastern Europe with more of a taste for blood then booze co-incides with a series of brutal attacks on the gangsters themselves. As the gangs fall before the fangs, only a handful of mobsters survives. But an unlikely alliance formed between tough guy Eddie Falco and a character from a long way from New York City - a long way from Earth in fact - offers the humans a glimmer of hope. As the strong willed young reporter Susie Dale from the Gotham Herald tries to survive in the middle of the maelstrom, and an ancient prophecy unfolds, no one can guess who's going to win the battle for this particular slice of Turf.

Not enough people are reading this comic and it's seriously depressing me. There are so many great things about this book. It takes place in the prohibition era 1920's, which I think is one of the most fascinating times in U. S. history. It has a little bit of everything I love: gangsters, flappers, gratuitous violence, sassy lady reporters, sociopaths, vampires and aliens. The vampires are not lame, and the vampire subplot is fresh even in a time of vampire overkill. The characters are all expertly drawn and full of depth, as is the storyline. And there is a lot of story packed into each issue, so you're getting your money's worth. And the art couldn't get any better. With so much awesomeness being contained in one comic, I really can't figure out why more people aren't reading it. If you're reading this, definitely give it a try!  Right now!

--Meghan

Meghan's Pick

 xkcd: vol 0

A collection selected from the first 600 comics of the immensely popular webcomic, including various author and fan-favorites, lovingly assembled from high-resolution original scans of the comics (the mouseover text is discreetly included), and featuring lots of doodles, notes, and puzzles in the margins! 

At first glance, these pages full of crude stick figure drawings might not look like much, but once I opened this book, I couldn't put it down. It's a combination of offbeat humor that reminds me of Demetri Martin's stand up, random math puzzles, hand drawn graphs, and clever social observations. Each page is something entirely fresh and different. It's definitely unique and  well worth checking out.

Fantastic Four #584

It's the return of Galactus, a trip to Nu-World, the Old Kings of Atlantis and Namor, the all-new Yancy Street Gang, and the day the Thing becomes human again. Join Jonathan Hickman and superstar artist Steve Epting in THREE, part 2: 'Congratulations, Mr. Grimm...You're Human Again.''

Action Comics #894

Guest-starring Death from SANDMAN! Yes, you read that right! Death! From SANDMAN! In ACTION COMICS! Lex Luthor finds himself literally at Death's door, which leads to a fascinating look not only into the mind of one of the all-time greatest villains, but also at what Death means in the DC Universe...
    And in the JIMMY OLSEN co-feature, an alien race has chosen Metropolis to be the host of their millennial celebration! And who better to show them around town than James Bartholomew Olsen? But when the alien princess gets wasted and her brother starts picking bar fights, it's up to Jimmy to get things under control before all of Metropolis is destroyed!

Incognito #1 Bad Influences

It’s time for your first look at the jaw-dropping interiors from the hotly-anticipated Incognito: Bad Influences #1. The Eisner Award-winning team of Ed Brubaker, Sean Phillips and Val Staples present the most anticipated super hero noir series of the century, as Zack Overkill heads deeper into the criminal underworld than ever before. This is the mission that’ll redefine his life…if he can find a way to survive long enough. Drawing acclaim from critics and fans alike, no comics fan can afford to miss the sequel to the series that has Ain’t-It-Cool-News raving, “What Brubaker and company do deliver is one of the finest expositions I’ve read in years, leaving me salivating for the next issue.”.
 

Employee Pick: Picture This by Lynda Barry

Remember being a child and drawing all the time, without inhibition, for little more reason than the pleasure of it?  When did you stop?  Why?

These questions are at the heart of Picture This,  by offbeat underground cartoonist Lynda Barry.  A fitting companion to her acclaimed writing book What It Is, Picture This is part autobiography, part instructional activity book meant to assist those who find themselves saying "I wish I could draw" in starting over from the beginning, from that first primitive impulse to make an image.

Barry's combination of collage, watercolor, and inking makes for a comforting and cozy style; the meandering narrative encourages the kind of non-linear thinking that creativity needs in order to flourish.  Small doodled characters and typewritten asides abound, as well as weird ads for an imaginary brand of cigarettes which come to symbolize the doubts that eventually choke out the urge to draw.   Barry asserts that it's okay to copy, to trace, to just color something in; art-making is meditative, a kind of therapy, and if we draw first and foremost to reach that state of mind, the images we wish we could make will follow.

Picture This is an eye-opener, and often suprisingly touching; this reviewer could not recommend it more to anyone looking to rediscover the magic of "arting"!

This Week's Picks

Walking Dead 78 - 

In this issue, the gang has fun in the sun and enjoys a pool party/barbecue/baseball game/some other random event.  Sorry, that was an old issue of X-men I was looking at.  Those stories were written by people who liked their characters.  Robert Kirkman, writer of Walking Dead, likes to torture his characters (and readers).  There is no time for Rick Grimes to come up for air from the deaths in last issue, we've got another (heavily armed) group circling in on the gang's new safe haven.  It seems like complications are coming at "Constable" Grimes from every angle.  He's going to need to tread carefully or he'll end up in a ditch.  Oh yeah, there's zombies, too.


Morning Glories 4 - 

All right, let's be honest.  I have no idea why these kids have been kidnapped and thrown in this "school", but I'll tell you one thing; I certainly want to.  This comic has all the addictive confusion of "Lost" without polar bears or beaches (so far).  While some of the characters may seem fit in to stereotypes at a first glance, they show a potential for depth and growth.  An interesting mix of OC characters (plus a few IQ points) and a Poe-like feeling of confinement and helplessness, this is a series you definitely want to watch out for. 

New Ultimates 4 - 

"Rampaging Thor".  That's what this issue should be named.  Valkyrie is dead (sorry if you didn't read the last ish) and Goldilocks is not happy.  Like any Viking worth his mettle, his ire results in messy red puddles and death rattles.  Luckily there is a horde of dragons and trolls nearby to bear the brunt of the attack.  Turns out that the Odinson has a bit of a violent streak he's been holding back.  One problem: When Thor runs out of trolls, he might not stop.  Back away slowly while drawing attention to the most expendable Avengers in the area.  Sorry, Hawkeye....

Ghost Busters!

Okay, okay, I lied.  This post has nothing to do with Slimer, Gozer, or even Peter Venkman PHD.  Instead, we are going to give you a few other names to list in your rolodex under "E" for excorcism.  Check out the following titles for my recommendations.

Hellblazer: City of Demons -

I may be in the minority on this one, but John Constantine has always been my favorite Alan Moore creation.  He is a cynical detective wizard with all of the street smarts of Luke Cage and none of the pretense of Dr. Strange.  Last Wednesday, a mini-series penned by Si Spencer debuted with line-work by the incomparable Sean Murphy (of Joe the Barbarian fame).   In all honesty, if Murphy were going to draw an entire issue of Constantine standing outside of a bar, smoking a cigarette, I'd buy two copies.  I can't get enough of either the character or the artist. Looking past the artwork (if that's possible), the first issue of the five-part story sets some interesting wheels in motion.  I am eager to see where it leads.  Be sure to pick it up now, so you can follow along on Constantine's trip to the City of Demons.


Kekkaishi -

By night, junior high student Yoshimori Sumimura is a "kekkaishi" - a demon-hunter who specializes in creating magical barriers around his prey. By day, Yoshimori's got some other demons to battle: an addiction to sweets and a seriously crotchety grandfather! Yoshimori's pretty 16-year-old neighbour and childhood friend, Tokine Yukimura, is also a kekkaishi, but their families are feuding over who is the true practitioner of the art. Yoshimori couldn't care less about catching demons...until he realizes that his apathetic attitude is taking a toll on his friendship with Tokine. Just as he decides to take matters into his own hands, a couple of amphibious demons and the pesky ghost of a pastry-chef show up to complicate matters!

Mushishi -

THEY HAVE EXISTED SINCE THE DAWN OF TIME.
Some live in the deep darkness behind your eyelids. Some eat silence. Some thoughtlessly kill. Some simply drive men mad. Shortly after life emerged from the primordial ooze, these deadly creatures, mushi, came into terrifying being. And they still exist and wreak havoc in the world today. Ginko, a young man with a sardonic smile, has the knowledge and skill to save those plagued by mushi . . . perhaps.


- Ryan

*Blurbs taken from back of books