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Friday
Jul222011

Josh Latta 2 for 1 Avatard Sale

Image by Josh LattaWe recently received a message from Josh Latta declaring a 2 for 1 Avatard sale and I couldn’t help but pass it on.  If you are unfamiliar with Josh’s Avatards then maybe you are familiar with the cover of the Dollar Bin anthology Friends Assembled Volume 3:  The Wedding Special… Well, that’s an Avatard.  I highly recommend taking advantage of this once in a lifetime deal.  Here are the words directly from Josh’s digital key pen:

Five months ago the stream did flow,
The lilies bloomed within the sedge,
And we were lingering to and fro,
Where none will track thee in this snow,
Along the stream, beside the hedge.
Ah, Sweet, be free to love and go!

Oh, sorry, I get sentimental when I think about avatards.
Can you believe it? I am just a stone’s throw from my 200th personalized avatard. What started as a lark has become my own personal cottage industry. Sure the cottage has termites and smells like cat pee, but it’s a cottage nonetheless.

Not only do I like to celebrate minor accomplishments, but I want you to celebrate them with me. In fact, and this is where you come in, if you commission a ‘more to love’ avatard, or ‘super-deluxe’, you will get another one of the same value for FREE!  That’s right, FREE! Get one for you, get one for a friend foruse on twitter, facebook, forums or any other way he or she sees fit. Get one for an enemy, heck, get two for you, what do I care? I just wanna reach 200 with the quickness, for tomorrow, I may die.

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Thursday
Jul072011

Shawn Says: Spotlight on New Releases Catch Up!

In which Shawn lets you know which New Releases she’s been reading these past couple weeks!

1) Sixth Gun #12

Issue #12 begins the third storyline for Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt’s critically acclaimed series, The Sixth Gun. This book just keeps getting better and better! My only complaint is this it doesn’t come out fast enough. There is a lot of action in this issue. We get to see Missy Hume and boy is she creepy. We are also introduced to a new villain. If you haven’t started reading this book than this issue is a perfect jumping on point. Or you could go back and read it from the beginning. The first two trades are out and ready for purchase!

2) Avengers: The Children’s Crusade #6

I really hope that what I think is going to happen does in fact happen. And I hope that we will see the effects in the larger Marvel Universe. Avengers: The Children’s Crusade has been a very enjoyable book. Jim Cheung’s art is beautiful and Allan Heinberg’s story is enthralling. There is a lot going on in this book and I really want it to matter outside this mini-series. I think it would take away a lot of the emotional weight of the story if it didn’t ripple out into continuity. If you don’t like the story then the artwork alone is worth the price of admission. The action scenes and splash pages are phenomenal.

3) Flashpoint: The Canterbury Cricket #1

I had to buy this book just because of how ridiculous it looked. I have no idea who the Canterbury Cricket is. I don’t even know if he is a pre-existing character or if they just made him up for Flashpoint. And, after reading the book, I still don’t know. This is the only Flashpoint book that I have read so I will a little confused about what was going on, but I pieced things together quickly. The Amazons have invaded England for some reason. In comes the Canterbury Cricket to the rescue. I didn’t just buy this book for the silly premise. I also bought it because Rags Morales did the art. So I knew if the story was stupid at least it would look pretty. I admit I did enjoy it. I like the Canterbury Tales feel to it. If you are reading and enjoying Flashpoint it will be worth your while to pick this up and check it out.

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Tuesday
Jun282011

Shawn Says: Spotlight on New Releases June 22, 2011

In which Shawn looks at the New Releases and lets you know which books she is most excited about!

1) Mystery Men #2

Someone has killed The Operative’s girlfriend and framed him for the murder. In order to get to the bottom of this mystery The Operative teams up with The Revenant and Sarah Starr. It seems as though they are all after the same man, The General. Like Marvels Project, this book explores early Marvel continuity through its pulp heroes, but unlike Marvels Project these are new characters. I like the gritty world that David Liss and Patrick Zircher have created. Mystery Men is a really well-written, well-drawn book and I look forward to the next issue.

2) The Guild: Bladezz One-Shot

Bladezz comes off as a bit of a jerk so it was interesting to find out about his backstory. This was a silly, goofy one-shot. If you have been enjoying the other Guild comics you won’t be disappointed with this one. The art is a bit over-the-top, especially with the facial expressions and the big lips. It does fit with the character so it didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the story.

3) Rocketeer Adventures #2

I am so glad that IDW is putting out more Rocketeer stories! I love the humorous ending to Mark Waid and Chris Weston’s story. The Geof Darrow pin-up is incredible. The detail that he puts into it is amazing. I loved the narration in TKO by Lowell Francis and Gene Ha. My favorite story though was Darwyn Cooke’s Betty Saves the Day! It is a perfect story. I can’t wait till issue #3 cause this gets better and better!

4) Fables #106

It is going to be really hard to talk about this without spoiling it for those who read it in trade. This was a great issue. I did not see any of this coming, but I love where the story is going. I have a theory about what will happen, but Adam thinks I’m wrong. I guess it is more of a wish than a theory.

Tuesday
Jun142011

Advance Review: Welcome to Oddville by Jay Stephens

Do you remember the first time you read Chris Onstad’s Achewood? Well I do. It took me a good six strips before something clicked and I “got” it. Achewood is an idiosyncratic strip that can take a while to get into. But once you become accustomed to the characters and Onstad’s sense of humor the strip is hilarious. Welcome to Oddville by Jay Stephens was the same way for me. Stephens’s characterization and sense of humor took me a while to understand. But once I got it I realized the subtle brilliance of his work.

Welcome to Oddville HC (released through AdHouse Books this week) collects the entire strip which originally ran in The Toronto Star’s Brand New Planet from March of 2003 to the Summer of 2007. Stephens has a quick wit and sharp writing which lends itself perfectly to the traditional newspaper comic strip. Stephens has had a long career in comics and television. He created the animated television series Tutenstein and The Secret Saturdays. He has also worked on countless books, comics and strips, including The Land of Nod, Jetcat Clubhouse, Chick & Dee and Cartoon Network Action Pack. He was also a frequent contributor to Nickelodeon Magazine.

Welcome to Oddville centers loosely around Jetcat a kid superhero and her adventures saving Oddville from doom and destruction. In the first two pages alone we are introduced to Fire, Sloshy (a snowman) and Bandage. The whole cast of characters are quirky and eccentric. I think my favorite character is Petty the Snail. I love his passive despondency. He is a bit of a downer, but he goes along for the ride (though not entirely happily or willingly).

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Wednesday
Jun082011

Shawn Says: Read Comics!

It has been a crazy couple of weeks to say the least. Since I am a few weeks behind on my spotlights I am going to forgo the usual write-up to provide a list of comics that you should be reading. I picked these up over the past several weeks so they are on the racks now. Or they should be on the racks now. If your local retailer does not currently have these in stock I am sure they would love to special order these wonderful books for you. I have been working on several articles and over the next couple weeks I hope to get those up on the site. Stay tuned for reviews on Jay Stephens’s Welcome to Oddville, Paul Hornschemeier’s Life With Mr. Dangerous and lots more!

Shawn’s Comics Purchases/Books You Should Be Reading:

1) iZombie #14
2) Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers #7
3) House of Mystery #38
4) Ozma of Oz #7
5) Uncle Scrooge #404
6) SHIELD (vol 2) #1
7) Who Is Jake Ellis? #4
8) Fear Itself #3
9) Criminal Last of the Innocent #1
10) The Tooth HC
11) Life With Mr Dangerous HC
12) American Vampire #15
13) Detective Comics #877
14) Ducktales #1
15) Strange Adventures #1