Spoiling Sparrow Net?

I picked up Volume 18 of Blade of the Immortal: Sparrow Net last week. Most of you know that I harbor unstinting devotion to this high-quality, gripping, thoroughly dramatic and suspenseful series. Hiroaki Samura's acclaimed Blade of the Immortal has won awards across the globe, including the Eisner Award in America and the prestigious Media Arts Award of Japan. However, since Volume 15: Trickster, the pace has slowed dubiously. As you read more of my blogs (doubtful) you will learn that I think this is a cardinal sin of storytelling. Life is too short to...

****SPOILER ALERT****

 

....lock Manji up in Edo castle for three volumes, while we witness the torture of faceless innocents and Rin wrings her hands all the while. Now, in Volume 18: Hyakurin shares sake with Anotsu? Only she doesn't know it. And Manji hints he could have walked at any time? A predictable flashback on Doa and Isaku's dark past? Rin and Doa team up Thelma & Louise style? Samura-sensei, you are a glowing beacon for manga-ka everywhere; but the glory of Blade of the Immortal is in the balance of the strong characters meeting the flying Blade of the Immortal, sir!!! Bring back the action. Your fans are suffering.

-AJ 

Black History Month: Profile on Black Panther

To celebrate black history month, I thought I would give you a brief overview of Black Panther, the first modern Black super-hero. Created in 1966 by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, Black Panther made his first appearance in Fantastic
Four #52. Shortly thereafter, Black Panther joined the Avengers and became a recognizable regular in the marvel universe. However, the character became synonymous with the Jack Kirby's 15 issue limited run Black Panther, unique for being distinctively Kirby-esqe in writing and art, spanning from 1977 to 1979. In recent years, Black Panther has had a popular comic wedding, marrying X-Woman Storm in 2006.

Black Panther's alter ego is T'Challa, king of fictional African nation Wakanda. His powers consist of enhanced senses and strength induced from a native Wakanda herb and he wears a ceremonial vibranium suit rendering him bulletproof.

The choice of name Black Panther has overtime been the source of controversy. When Lee and Kirby first developed the idea for a Black super-hero, they originally planned to name him Coal Tiger. After settling on the then more acceptable Black Panther, the name was also adopted by the radical and sometime militant Black Panther Party, leading Marvel to briefly call the character Black Leopard.

Though Black Panther is regarded as the first modern black super-hero, other black characters did appear in comics before him. Unfortunately, many were racial caricatures, with perhaps the most famous being Imp for Winsor McCay's Little Nemo. Marvel's precursor Atlas comic also published Jungle Tales in the 1950's, featuring black character Waku, Prince of the Bantu, and was commonly a comic with only black characters. After Black Panther, other black super-heroes have become popular including Luke Cage, Falcon, and Blade for Marvel, and John Stewart Green Lantern and Steel for DC.

Until the end of February, we will have a black history month display up, not only featuring collections of black super-heroes, but also books by popular black comic creators like Aaron McGrunder, Kyle Baker, and Ho Che Anderson.

-Jon

USA Fellows

United States Artists, an organization dedicated to supporting and developing the work of living American fine artists, awards fellowship grants to Amercian artists of all stripes. The nominations for possible fellowship candidates are made by an anonymous group of artists, arts leaders, critics, and scholars. While they are still in a three year pilot period, they have already awarded a few comics creators with fellowships including Joe Sacco, Chris Ware, and Jim Woodring. Chris Ware is even one of the artists featured in their Encounters: USA Fellows. There you can find this sazzy video.



Those Chris Ware savvy blog readers might have caught the story shown in the video is an excerpt from Jimmy Corrigan, Ware’s breakthrough graphic novel.

It is always nice to see comics creators get being honored and appreciated by arts community. Now, we can just hope that more comics creators win Fellowships in the years to come!

-Nick

Dave Sim's Glamourpuss

Controversial comic creator Dave Sim will be releasing his newest work Glamourpuss, a women's fashion comic, in April from his Aardvark-Vanaheim Inc. Sim, most famous for his epic 6,000 page masterpiece Cerebus, explains in the advance preview copy of Glamourpuss his interest in creating the series was to draw "cute teenaged girls in my best Al Williamson photo-realism style." I have to say, that this highly stylized comic really pays off and it is one of the best looking comics I've seen all year.

But, who is Glamourpuss for? Well, according to the official website, "Glamourpuss Believes! That people like you - who consciously dress well (particularly fashion store clerks) constitute the frontline troops in the fashion world's never-ending war on those who persist in looking 'really unfortunate' in public! you are an invaluable and underutilized resource in our society, so many members of which seem to really 'not get it' and Glamourpuss applauds you for the example you set to them and to us all!"

If you know you're lookin' good, I dare say Glamourpuss is for you. For those of you who would like to research further, we have the preview copy in the store, so ask us and we can show you what Glamourpuss is all about, or, read this outspoken interview with Sim.

-Jon

Good Superhero Stories

Good stories about heroes can be found outside the funny pages, it turns out. Last summer I read Austin Grossman's Soon I Will Be Invincible and I enjoyed it immensely. The story shifts between the perspectives of Doctor Impossible, a brilliant scientist, global menace and loser; and Fatale, a lonely cyborg and rookie addition to a JLA-like group of heroes known as The Champions. The dynamics and characters of the story will feel familiar to comic reading veterans, but the ride through courtesy of the villain and  struggling heroine are pure fun.

 

If you'd like to find out a little bit more about the author, his background and what inspired him to write, NPR spoke to him in October 2007. 

There's a whole world out there of comic-book-inspired fiction and I've only just scratched the surface. There is Perry Moore's Hero; Jonathan Lethem's Fortress of Solitude; Tom de Haven's It's Superman; From the Notebooks of Dr. Brain by Minister Faust; Crooked Little Vein by Warren Ellis and The Devil You Know by Mike Carey. Star Clipper has almost all of the above titles in stock right now, but I'd love to get feedback from those of you who have already picked some of them up. Stay tuned as I report on more, true believers!

-AJ 

Oscar Night

Tonight is Oscar night, and what better way to walk the red carpet than a animated overview of this year's Oscars by Peter Bagge. Produced by Vanity Fair ???, this low budget video is written by former Simpsons' writer Dana Gould, and compares Oscar nominee Javier Bardem to Dora the Explorer. Ha!

Here are the nominees for best picture, best actor, and best actress.

Best Picture:
Atonement
Juno
Michael Clayton
No Country for Old Men
There Will Be Blood

Best Actor:
George Clooney
Daniel Day-Lewis
Johnny Depp
Tommy Lee Jones
Viggo Mortensen

Best Actress:
Cate Blanchett
Julie Christie
Marion Cotillard
Ellen Page

This is the full list for all the other nominees. I'm completely tied between No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood for best picture. I think it is a given that Daniel Day-Lewis will take best actor, and I would give Cate Blanchett the award for best actress, except not for her nominated performance in Elizabeth, but her portrayal of a 60's era Bob Dylan in I'm Not There. I'm hoping Persepolis wins best animated feature, and it is a shame that Radiohead's Johnny Greenwood didn't get nominated for his score of There Will Be Blood.

-Jon

Punk House: Interiors in Anarchy

Lately, I've been hanging out with a very lovely girl named Jessica and we've watched a few too many home makeover programs. This got me thinking about my living situation. With my room overflowing with records, CDs, books, guitars and a hell of a lot of comic books, it is quite anarchistic, especially my old basement pad that, unfortunately, I recently got flooded out of. Yet, it is nothing in comparison to a new photography book we just got called Punk House: Interiors in Anarchy by Abby Banks. Featuring a mishmash of shots from punk collectives to artist studios, community centers and gutter squats, Punk House captures one of the most distinctive aspects of youth culture: first-time living arrangements. Each room examined illustrates a DIY method of self-expression unique to a subculture based on low rent, leisure and no limitations; and some rooms are just disasters. Here are two examples:




The "Punk House" both Nick and I are probably most familiar with was a collective anarchist house in Kirksville, MO commonly referred to as "the janky" (though neither of us ever lived there). This house was known for its outrageous dance parties and multiple generations of like-minded weirdos living with different political and social motivations. However, houses just like "the janky" can be found all over the country.

Punk House does a wonderful job of capturing this unique type of living situation, and if you've lived in one yourself or just fantasized about the punk rock life style, Banks' book opens a window into this chaotic subculture. Plus, Punk House features an introduction from my main man Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore.

By the way, Jessica's apartment is very stylin', with enough mod furniture, hamster art and toy dinosaurs to make anyone jealous.

-Jon

Dunny Has Landed!

Guess what landed in St. Louis yesterday along with all the sleet and ice? The French Dunny series!

That's right, the French are invading! From across the Atlantic comes a collection of designs from France's hottest artists. The French art scene left a lasting impression on 2007 with an explosion of new and upcoming talent making their mark on contemporary culture.

A variety of artists rocked Dunny in this exciting new series. 123 Klan, SKWAK, Tilt, SUPERDEUX and MIST are just a few of the artists chosen to collaborate on this lovely new series.

So come and check them out, Dunny collectors - Star Clipper has tons of these tiny treasures in stock, but Dunny's soaring popularity means that no matter how many we get in stock, they never seem to last long enough!

-Ben

The Invincible Iron Man

When The Invincible Iron Man hits stores this May, Marvel Comics is really going to put that new ongoing series' title to the test. The name “Iron Man” is cursed by many of the Merry Marvel Marching Society these days after his actions in Civil War. The once Golden Avenger is even seen as little better than a villain by some readers. Inside the Marvel Universe, his stock is not much better. His behavior is constantly alienating him from the other heroes of the Marvel Universe. If career-ruining events like those in recent Captain America and Hulk issues continue to besiege Tony Stark, his days as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. may be numbered. These dark days may seem like poor timing for good ol’ shell head to carry the lead in another book, but I think Iron Man might surprise us.

The new series, written by Matt Fraction (Immortal Iron Fist, Casanova) and drawn by Salvador Larroca (Amazing Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men), will feature Tony Stark donning the Iron Man Armor for some straight super-heroics. The first storyline will feature the progeny of the late Iron Man foe Obadiah Stane menacing the books pages. Coincidently, Obadiah Stane will be seen combating Iron Man on the silver screen beginning in May as well.

While the storyline of Stark verses Stane Jr. just sings of movie tie-in, I have faith that Matt Fraction can make the book something more. He has constantly been delivering inventive adventure comics pack to the gills with action for the last couple years and there is little reason to believe Invincible Iron Man will be any different. He even has familiarity with the character of Iron Man, as Tony Stark has been a recurring guest in the pages of his The Order. The recent baggage collecting around Mr. Stark won’t be ignored in the new series. In a recent interview with Marvel.com, Matt Fraction is quoted as saying, “Post-CIVIL WAR, I think Tony is wracked by the weight of a terrible moral choice he made. He believes in the ends but absolutely doesn't believe the price he—and all of his friends—had to pay was worth it.” He goes on in the interview to say, “It's so much fun to get to try and write Tony out of this hole!”

When the new series arrives in a couple of months, maybe we will see an Iron Man ready to change. The question is, will readers be ready to as well? Fraction has gone on record as saying the main goal of Invincible Iron Man is to make readers fall in love with Iron Man again. I guess in May, we will find out if readers will give Tony Stark a second chance.

-Nick

Superhero Rehab

I have all the symptoms of someone who has been abusing superhero comics for years, using them as a psychological crutch. What are the signs?

• Continuing to read comics even when they stink
• Before or after reading them, irritability, anger, hostility, fatigue, agitation, anxiety, depression, psychosis, lack of coordination, difficulty concentrating
• Working at Star Clipper just to be near comics
• Feeling annoyed when other people comment on, or criticize my reading of comics
• Feeling remorse or guilt after reading comics
• Associating with questionable acquaintances or frequenting out of the ordinary locations to purchase or read comics.
• Scheduling my day around reading comics
• Reading crappy comics alone
• Upon hearing of another crossover event, problems with memory, difficulty concentrating, paranoid thinking

Well, no more. I've been feeling so dissatisfied lately with almost everything I pick up these days that I'm thinking about quitting cold turkey. Superhero comics have been so joyless that I'm mostly reading manga and actual books (don't worry, they're not all that.) How did it come to this? And what is the solution?

...Kurt Busiek on Conan . Forget everything you think you know about a sleek-skinned Arnold Schwarzenegger on celluloid; this is Robert E. Howard 's heroic, rugged Cimmerian, resurrected from the Weird Tales pulp magazine and gorgeously illustrated by Cary Nord. Conan strikes the perfect balance between mystery and adventure, fantasy and horror, and it's just what the doctor ordered. How good is it? The first issue, "Conan #0: Conan the Legend" won the 2004 Eisner Award for Best Single Issue. The monthly series includes all-new stories based on the classic Robert E. Howard character and also incorporates adaptations of his original Conan tales.  Just what the doctor ordered.

Read it, by Crom!!

 

-AJ 

The Science of Jelly Belly

As Star Clipper's biggest sweet tooth, I found it imperative to inform all you loyal blogsters that we have free Jelly Belly jelly beans while supply last. Unfortunately, some of the 50 flavors may be gone since I've been feverishly snaking away on such treats as toasted marshmallow and tutti-fruitti. This indulgence will be stopping on my behalf however because a recent trip to the dentist revealed that I am king cavity, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't stop by to help yourself.

What's really fun is each Jelly Belly is individually wrapped. Nick has been telling customers that it is either slave-labor infants or Kebler elves that are wrapping these tasty beans.

According to the Jelly Belly official website, Jelly Belly can also boast that they were the first jelly bean in outer space, accompanying the first female astronaut Sally Ride.

I dare everyone to try the popcorn flavor.

-Jon

Persepolis Comes Alive

While the animated film adaptation of Majane Satrapi’s Persepolis has been playing in St. Louis for several weeks, only a few days ago did I finally have a chance to see it. I missed the Star Clipper sponsored screening last year and have been waiting to see it ever since. I have to say that I’m really glad I got to scope it out as it has to be one of the best animated films I have seen in a while.

The feature film of Persepolis (co-written and co-directed Marjane Satrapi) delivers the tale of Satrapi’s growing up in an Iran as the Islamic Revolution unfolds around her as well as her high school years in Vienna, her eventual homecoming, and her even more eventual self imposed exile. The film covers serious topics like the ever growing tightening grip of the post-Shah Iranian government, the death of loved ones (sometimes under dreadful circumstances), or the constant feeling of being out of place in a foreign land. As the different situations play out on the screen, the film never loses its feeling of familiarity or its charm.

The easiest complaint against the movie is that it makes everything too charming (especially when compared to the graphic novel). There are scenes where Marjane dresses a little hipper or moments that play nicer than within the book’s pages. Such nit picking, though, seems like an exercise only at proving that the movie is not the book. Being the book is something this movie, or any other, could never be.

Instead, the movie provides a unique experience with its splendid animation, terrific voice acting, and warmly familiar narrative. I especially found the animation only inspired by the drawings found the panels of the graphic memoir. Instead, the stylistic art of film had its own visual tricks and charms. Both versions of Persepolis provide engaging stories with their own quirks and strengths that made them worth checking out.

-Nick

An Ugly Guide to Ugly Books

The other day, my fellow Star Clipper employee Jon and I were checking in an order of Ugly Dolls when I noticed a tag on some of them advertising two new Ugly books! Now, I’ve read all the amusing tags for the scoop on all the Ugly Dolls and I’ve seen the Ugly Doll comics on the official Ugly Doll website but I knew nothing about an Ugly Doll book (let alone two). These two publications are to be titled Ugly Guide to the Uglyverse and Ugly Guide to Things That Go and Things That Don’t Go But Should.



Ever wondered about where to score the best meals or what the hot vacation spots in Ugly Town are? Well, now you can find out in Ugly Guide to the Uglyverse. This book will give Ugly Doll lovers the scoop on their favorite Uglys and their home, Ugly Town. Expect to find out the hot spots in town and all the ins and outs of your favorite Ugly Dolls.



Over in Ugly Guide to Things That Go and Things That Don’t Go But Should, readers will discover how the Uglys wheel around town and how they…don’t?

Eventually there is be a third guide book that, according to one of the Ugly creators David Horvath’s blog, will reveal such major plot twists as why the Littleuglys keep on changing their normal colors! While the third guidebook is mostly finished, there are going to be other Ugly Books unleashed onto bookshelves between guidebooks two and three. It looks to be a year full of Ugly Books. All I known is, I’d keep my copies hidden from OX cause you know how much he likes to take other peoples stuff!

Nick

Stencil History X

Star Clipper is web-friends with the amazing Samantha Longhi, producer, editor and art director of the comprehensive new stencil graffiti book, Stencil History X. In collaboration with French street artist C215, she has produced an extraordinary encyclopedia of stencil artists, richly illustrated with full-color images from all over the world and supported with interviews with over 40 high-profile artists including Faile, Obey Giant and Banksy. The insider's overview of the evolution of stencil graffiti is a great primer as well.

Stencil History X is organized alpha by French artists, then includes a testimonials section, then covers
big names from the rest of the globe. And guess who makes the list? St. Louis' own Peat Wollaeger! Get our one and only Peat
Wollaeger signed edition today!

-AJ

Aunt May Must Die!

If Spider-Man: One More Day proves anything it's that not all publicity is good publicity. I hope you're reading Quesada, because Spidey fans are pissed, and I've been watching as our Amazing Spider-Man subscription customers are dropping off at an alarming rate. Brand New Day really needed to deliver, and I'm pretty sure there was an overwhelming moan in unison from comic shops across the country when readers turned to the first page of the "new" Spider-Man and saw Peter Parker making out with some random babe. Are you happy now Quesada, our friendly-neighborhood Spider-Man is now just a friendly-neighborhood Man-Ho.

Honestly, the only way I would have been happy with Brand New Day is if the very first page of the first issue would have had Aunt May getting shot again, but this time dying. Is that really too much to ask? Come on, Peter Parker made a deal with the devil. Mephisto. The Prince of LIES! Why would the devil keep his word?

So, I'm issuing a challenge to everyone at Spider-Man. Stop the presses and make sure that Aunt May dies, and make it soon. I'll give you five more issues of my time and money to do this. With Spidey coming out three times a month, that would renew my faith in the life of the good old web-slinger.

Since I know my demands are going to go un-heeded, I want to get one more rant out with this blog. One More Day made Civil War one of the biggest wasted opportunities in comics ever. In Civil War, Marvel unmasked Spider-Man, a character known for protecting his secret identity more than anyone else, and then they did absolutely nothing with the story. For all of 2007, spidey readers got to listen to Peter whine and look at Aunt May on her death bed. It's not very compelling after two or three issues. The focus of Spider-Man should be on Peter Parker not Aunt May, and there were so many missed opportunities to write about the new unmasked Peter.

What would have been more interesting is if they would have had Peter deal with Aunt May dying like an adult, which he is suppose to be in normal Marvel continuity. Think about it. We've read the story of how a teenage Peter dealt with Uncle Ben's death, but Peter should have matured at this point in his life and looked at how Aunt May dying was different. And, he should have done it with his wife Mary Jane by his side.

'nuff said!

-Jon

The Return of the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine?

Back in the summer of 2007, Marvel announced that the creative team of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch had been lined up to create tales of Marvel’s First Family: The Fantastic Four. The duo, best known for the chart-topping Ultimates and Ultimates 2, said in a couple of interviews that they were going to try to make FF the World’s Greatest Comic Magazine once again. It has been years since the comic was a top seller for Marvel and they wanted to see it become a top book again. While they love classic Fantastic Four runs like those created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby or John Byrne, they are not going to pay tribute to them by telling stories with the FF battling Galactus or meeting up with the Inhumans. Instead, the readers have been told to expect inventive stories featuring new ideas and mostly new characters.

**spoilers ahead**

Well, with Fantastic Four #554 we finally get to see if Millar and Hitch deliver the inventive chart-topper they promised. The issue, first in a four-part story arc entitled World’s Greatest, gives us a FF that travels time, an Invisible Woman that creates a new all-woman super-team, a rock star Johnny Storm, and a Reed & Ben that make appearances at elementary schools. The issue doesn’t really start delivery the story arcs plot until about halfway through when an old flame of Mr. Fantastic’s drops in at the Baxter Building and recruits him to aid in a world changing science project. Overall, Millar and Hitch deliver a straightforward story with classic versions of the main characters and classic Ultimates-style pacing with plenty of Bryan Hitch-patented “wide-screen” panels.

**spoilers end **

The question is, though, “does the issue pay off on the hype?” Millar and Hitch deliver a collaboration of the same quality as their previous collaborations. Unlike its immediate predecessor the Ultimates 2, however, FF is much less interested in creating melodramatic tension on an epic scale and is much more interested in giving the reader a fun, laidback adventure starring the first superheroes of the Marvel Age. If this run will be the return of a chart-topping World’s Greatest Comic magazine, that is for the readers to decide. To help in the decision-making, here is a link to six preview pages of the current issue.

Nick

Cubicle Hell

I can be ambivalent about Moonstone titles. They often have a good ideas (The Phantom, Doc Savage) that suffer from weak packaging and promotion, and we have some trouble enticing customers to pick them up. But I think you, fair reader, need to know about the bloody good Suckulina: Vampire Temp by Chris Yambar and George Broderick, Jr.

Growing bored with life in the underworld, the Countess Suckulina forsook her legacy as Queen of the Undead, put on some SPF 4000 sunblock and went forth into the world of men, seeking gainful employment. She found it as an executive assistant for the Dimwitty Group, a Fortune 500 company, and now we know her as Suckulina, Vampire Temp!! She puts the temp in temptress!

Suckulina is a cute, well-drawn, enjoyable read. There aren't so many successfully done cartoon titles out on the market, and you might want to give this one a look-see just for giggles. Literally.

-A.J.

Steve Gerber - RIP

Last night long-time customer and pal, Garrie Burr, wrote to tell us that Steve Gerber passed away Sunday at a Las Vegas hospital. As most of your probably know, Steve had been quite ill for a long time, battling pulmonary fibrosis - a usually terminal lung condition.

Steve was born in St. Louis in 1947 and went on to be considered one of the most influential comic book writers of his generation, known for advocating creator's rights and fighting Marvel over some of his characters. Steve is known nationally for his role in co-creating Omega Unknown and Howard the Duck, but locally his "Hard Time" series in the now defunct DC Focus line was extremely popular. He was working on a new Doctor Fate when he passed away.

Steve was extremely influential in the comics business and brought many fans back to the genre after they had grown weary of standard story lines. I've read several comments in retailer-centric forums where retailers have lauded Steve's positive influences. Indeed, he was the driving force behind many retailers opening their own stores - he probably never even knew how influential he was among some of the best retailers in the country.

You can read what the Comics Reporter has had to say on the subject, as well as words from his friend Mark Evanier and his last comments posted to his blog.

And just in case you can't make it to the blog, here's a great suggestion...

Mark Evanier writes:

"Lastly for now, Paul Levitz had a wise suggestion. The Hero Initiative, a charity group that helps ailing comic book creators, had been doing a lot for Steve recently. It would be a nice thought to remember him with a donation in his name. Here’s a link to their website."

Also, Steve's mother has a long history of buying pretty much everything Steve had published - from us at Star Clipper. We plan on sending her a condolence card, and if any of you would like your words added to it, please comment here or stop by the shop and let us know.

Peace, Steve.

-Ben

Lost Newbie

So, I watched my first episode of "Lost" a couple of weeks ago and I have to say I can see what all the hype is about. Season 4 started January 30, and for being three seasons into the series, the season premiere did an amazing job of catching me up to speed. To quote the big guy with the long hair named Hurley, I was basically "cannonballing" into the show, but I feel like I already understand the characters. I was even getting kind of chocked up by the death of Charlie and how it effected his girlfriend. The "leader" character Jack seems very much like the character Rick Grimes for the comic series "Walking Dead", concerned with always doing the right thing under extreme circumstances.

To have me this interested one episode in on the fourth season is just good TV, and with the writers strike that has been hard to come by. However, I have been watching an unhealthy amount of American Gladiators, so maybe you shouldn't trust my opinion.

-Jon

Pullip

(Almost) every little girl goes through it: a huge phase dedicated to the love of dolls. I myself had a collection you wouldn't believe, one that stretched from end to end of my Holly Hobby themed bedroom. What could bring me back, at this rather late stage in life, to revisit those days of sugar and spice?

Thanks, Pullip, for giving a girl a chance. Pullip is a collectible fashion doll, created by the Korean company Cheonsang Cheonha and marketed by JUN Planning of Japan. Pullips are highly articulated, can be personalized and customized, and have a unique eye mechanism that allows the eyes to roll and wink using levers. They are released on a monthly basis with additional limited release exclusives sold occasionally. Each edition has a unique name with distinct face make-up, hair, outfit, accessories, and box.

 

Pullip is about to introduce some highly recognizable characters from Neon Genesis Evangelion, and they look great. I always enjoy seeing these characters adapted to a great new platform. Have a look at their Rei Ayanami and Asuka Langley Soryu:

These 12" figures are supposed to drop in February 2008. If you just have to have one, or both, please holla at me: info at starclipper dot com.

-AJ

Boondocks Censored

"Okay, so... maybe it's a 13 episode season..." This is the first statement on Boondocks creators Aaron McGruder's myspace page. Apparently, Boondocks season 2, which started again last October on Adult Swim, will be cut from fifteen to thirteen episodes. The comedy hit will have two of its episodes pulled that satirize the BET network. However, the episodes, titled "The Huey Freeman Hunger Strike" and "The Ruckus Reality Show," not only take aim at BET, which is a common target for Boondocks, but also at two of the networks key executives Debra Lee and former Boondocks producer Reggie Hudlin. As reported on Newsarama, it looks that the source of the censored episodes is not Adult Swim, but rather McGruder's production partners Sony, who have been receiving pressure not to air the controversial episodes.

The remaining episodes ofThe Boondocks air on Monday nights at 11:30pm on Adult Swim. Check it out.

-Jon

KERA

Did you know? The new issue of KERA magazine shipped to us last week.  KERA is a hot hot hot new fashion magazine from the streets of Tokyo; it's the kind of thing I'd clip photos from if I had any kind of personal style. Covering Japanese youth trends from punk to Harajuku grunge to Goth-Loli, it presents the compelling fashions of disaffected and sartorially chaotic Tokyoites in full, glossy color. KERA is manga, a how-to guide, an incredibly thorough product resource and more, featuring JPOP artists and famous idols in all their spangly glory. Published by Index Communications and yours for only ten bucks.

Highlights include designing outfits for your Pullip or Blythe doll to match your own and a reliably thorough makeup application section. I can tell you that if I had gotten my hands on one of these in high school, things would be different– reeeeall different. Like I'd be in New York stapling lace rosettes onto ballerina skirts in some punk boutique and Bedazzling my own face. Mamas, don't let your babies grow up to become conformist Project Runway bores; buy them KERA magazine.

-AJ

Y: the Last Issue

January 30th, Y: The Last Man #60 finally shipped to Star Clipper. You wouldn’t be able to tell, though, if you came to one off of our shelves as we ran out of shelf copies hours before we closed that night. The release of final issue starring Yorrick Brown, Dr. Mann, Ampersand, and all the rest was a huge event for both Vertigo and the legions of Y fans.

Y: The Last Man has been a huge series for Vertigo the last few years and one of the lines defining titles. The end of Y leaves Fables and 100 Bullets as the distinguished elder statesmen of Vertigo and 100 Bullets has only 13 issues before its final shots are fired. This leaves me wondering who the new big players at Vertigo are going to be? Is the DMZ the kind of hit that can help carry Vertigo’s brand in the future or is one of their future titles like David Lapham’s Young Liars going to be the face of Vertigo’s future? I don’t have a clue but I’m anxious to see what happens.

I do know that Y is going to be a book sorely missed from the shelves. I’m not sure I can bare having to tell another Y fan that we are out of copies and then hear there hearts break on the other end of the phone. The issue is pretty heart breaking, too. Brian K. Vaughn ends a great series with a good farewell issue that wraps up some of the series storylines and gives us a few last looks at the series surviving stars. I won’t lie and say that I wasn’t choked up a few times reading it.

As fans ponder a world with only one ongoing Brian K. Vaughn comic still coming out, they can check a world of Y-related interviews and features that hit the Internet this week. Both Entertainment Weekly and USA Today have stories on the end of Y, while Newsarama has a two-part interview on the end of the series with Vaughn as well as one with series artist Pia Guerra. My favorite Y-related link of the week has to be Comic Book Resources tour of Pia Guerra’s studio. If this isn’t enough Y for you, just remember that there is a Y movie in the works!

-Nick

Old Man Logan

In June, Wolverine will be given the Dark Knight Returns treatment, when Civil War writer Mark Millar and artist Steve Mcniven explore Wolvie's dark future in Old Man Logan. Starting with Wolverine #56, Millar's story-arc finds Marvel's favorite multiple-team member alone 50 years in the future. Wolverine has given up his violent nature, as a horrible event from the past has left most of the Marvel super-heroes dead. Yet, his peaceful farm life is interrupted when he embarks on a cross country adventure with a mysterious Hawk-Eye.

Old Man Logan will tie into normal Marvel continuity, with Millar's upcoming February run on Fantastic Four directly connecting to this Wolverine story. Millar last wrote Wolverine in the highly successful 2005 story Enemy of the State.

For more about Old Man Logan, check out this in depth interviews with Millar, complete with original art for the series.

Snikt!
-Jon

Robot Heaven

As some of you may know, I harbor dreams of converting our gallery into a robot toy showcase. If actual robots ever catch up to the eye-glazing, panty-wetting splendor of of their tiny toy counterparts, you can bet I'll stick some of those in there as well; but for now you'll probably only see my secondhand Roomba.

Recently you've probably seen some good-looking, affordable little robots and figures with similar packaging coming into the shop. I have a weakness for these great toys from Kaiyodo which are part of their Revoltech line. The unfortunate moniker aside, the RevolTech Joint is an innovative joint system that gives the figure a high degree of articulation, allowing for many dynamic and varied poses.

We currently have the adorable Toro figure, the REVOLTECH SHIN GETTER 1, a couple of REVOLTECH NGE EVA NEW MOVIE figures, the REVOLTECH GAIKING figure and more on the way. 

Kaiyodo began releasing the Revoltech figures in May 2006 with an ambitious schedule of releasing 2 new figures each subsequent month. The subject matter for the Revoltech line can be broadly split into 3 categories: Real Robot, Super Robot and Humanoid, with the Real Robot line being the best served at present. Thus far, only mecha/characters from anime and video games have been covered, but what else do you really need?

Check out some of the forthcoming Transformers figures, Starscream and Hot Rod:

 

 

If you want one of your very own I need to know about it ASAP. These little beauties usually retail for under $30, so please email serious inquiries (including all your contact info) to info at starclipper dot com. Thanks kiddos.

-AJ

Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads

New from Fantagraphics is Ellen Forney's Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads. Forney, best known for I Love Led Zeppelin, is an illustrator for Seattle's alt-weekly The Stranger, and has been making crude cartoon interpretation of the most outrageous personal ads the paper receives for the past couple of years. Lust collects the bulk of Forney's cartoons, as well as interviews conducted by Forney with many of the actually advertisers.

Here is one tamer example of her illustrated personal ads:



Lust also features an introduction by sex advice columnist Dan Savage, featured in St. Louis' RFT.

Forney's Lust: Kinky Online Personal Ads is currently available at Star Clipper, proud sellers of what one recent customer described as the "graphic nasty."

-Jon

The Mighty Marvel Bullpen Bulletins

Long ago, before the Civil Wars and Infinite Crisis's, comic books used to be fun. I'm not saying I don't like modern comics, it's just that nowadays they're decidedly more serious. In comparison, Silver Age comics are just pure fantasy enjoyment. One of the best aspects of Silver Age Marvel comics were the Bullpen Bulletins. Littered with lavish amounts of alliteration (sorry), Bullpen Bulletins started in the mid-1960s and kept readers updated on what was new from Marvel, gave profiles on staff members, and most famously featured "Stan's Soapbox", the monthly column from then editor-and-chief Stan Lee. For those youngsters who've never looked through a box of back issues before, here is a example:



The other day, the RFT's Paul Friswold recommended a site to me collecting archives of all theMarvel Bullpen Bulletins from 1965 to 1971. Thanks Paul!

Another fun thing missing from comics today are fan clubs. From the pages of Bullpen Bulletins in the mid 60's was Marvel first fan club the "Merry Marvel Marching Society." Joining gave you a complete membership package (pictured below), including a membership card with the Marvel Pledge of Allegiance.



I don't know if a fan club like this would work today, but it sure would be fun.

-Jon

So Good, It’s Criminal!

One of the best series to hit comic shops in recent memory is the Eisner-winning Criminal. With each issue, Ed Brubaker (Captain America) and Sean Phillips (Marvel Zombies) deliver engaging tales of lawbreakers, thieves, and backstabbers with brooding narration and moody artwork.

Each story arc of Criminal is being traded into a series of sharply designed graphic novels, but the individual issues are a must have. The back pages of each issue packed with letters and write ups of great crime films by Brubaker or a guess writers (like Patton Oswalt or Andre Parks) with accompanying illustrations by series artist Sean Phillips. These features provide excellent insight into Criminal and its influences as well as great recommendations of films that any crime movie buff should see. I’m still dying to see those Johnny To movies Brubaker wrote about in issue #10.

In late February, Criminal relaunches with a volume two and a new page count of 40 pages an issue. In a recent interview with IGN, Brubaker said that the higher page count so that installments run as long as they need, as he has all ready run over on page count in previous issues. He is also expanding the back features to add a more magazine-like feel to the individual comics. While the backs of these new issues will be filled with even more great write-ups, illustrations, and interviews, expect the comics portion of the first three issues to be filled with 30+ pages of stand-alone yarns that all tie together to create one bigger tale.

In honor of this relaunch, Myspace Comic Books is featuring Criminal from last Wednesday, January 30th, to Tuesday, February 5th. There, you can check out previews of the first two Criminal graphic novels as well as interviews with the series creators and more!

-Nick

Tales From the Farm, Alex Award Winner!

Every year, the Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) awards ten books with an Alex Award. The award is given to books written for adults that have a strong teen appeal. In 2008, one of the award recipients was the graphic novel Essex County Volume 1: Tales from the Farm, by Jeff Lemire and published by Top Shelf Publications. The last comic to win the award was Persepolis (which won in 2004).

Tales of the Farm tells the story of an orphaned 10-year old boy named Lester who recently moved to a farm in southwestern Ontario to live with an uncle he barely knows. His uncle is unprepared for the task of raising a 10-year old boy, leading to a strained relationship between the two. As Lester and his uncle grow even further a part, Lester befriends the local gas station owner and former pro-hockey player Jimmy Lebeuf. What follows is a gentle tale of fantasy, friendship, and eventual acceptance of a new life. The graphic novel’s combination of somber themes told through the lens of adolescent angst and imagination make it a perfect Alex Award winner.

Tales from the Farm is the first book in a trilogy set in a fictionalized Essex County, Ontario. Top Shelf has an eight page preview of the graphic novel online.

Nick

Heath Ledger Dies at 28

Heath Ledger, who recently portrayed Batman's arch nemesis The Joker in the The Dark Knight, died on Tuesday, January 22, 2008. He was only 28. The official cause of death still remains undisclosed to the public, but his body was discovered next to a bottle of prescription sleeping pills, causing much speculation that Ledger died of an accidental overdose. In recent interviews, the Australian born actor had complained about having problems sleeping while playing the demanding role of The Joker. He described his character to the New York Times as a "psychopathic, mass-murdering, schizophrenic clown with zero empathy."

Ledger was best known for his teen heart-throb role in 10 Things I Hate About You and his controversial Oscar nominated performance in Brokeback Mountain as a gay cowboy. Before his untimely death he was working on a film with director Terry Gilliam. However, The Dark Knight may be his last completed performance, ending his career as one of the most iconic villains in comic history. Here is the trailer for The Dark Knight set for release July 18, 2008.

-Jon