Eagle Returns: Neil Vokes & Jack Herman

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Editorials, Reviews, Independent,

Back in the go-go 1980s there were a number of creators who jumped into the direct market with their own comic books, spurred on by a low barrier to entry, an open marketplace and a burst of energy and talent. And the ability to own and control the rights to their creations.

One of the very best of that bunch was Eagle by Jack Herman, Neil Vokes and Rich Rankin.

Now, Moonstone Books is releasing the first collection of this black-and-white classic in a deluxe edition trade paperback.

Moonstone's PR describes the series as "Lone Wolf And Cub meets Blade Runner" and I'd say that's pretty on the mark. Eagle is supernatural adventure with swords. Even if I weren't already a fan of the original series, I'd pick it up based on that alone.

This volume collects the first six issues and offers up a preview of the new series that the guys have in development. Neil and Co. have tossed in some extras here too: a cover gallery, concept sketches, and "editorial pieces from the creative team and artists that were inspired" by Eagle.

Eagle: The Original Adventures TPB Vol. 1 is a whopper, weighing in at 200 pages for just $16.95. That's a bargain for this kind of comic, and its success will pave the way for the rest of the series.

[Artwork: Eagle: The Original Adventures TPB Vol. 1 cover by Neil Vokes]

Wikileaks: Comic Book Secrets

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Conventions, Image Comics, Independent, Marvel Comics,

If you took the time to read through the nearly 250,000 documents released this week via Wikileaks, you’d find a comic book connection in several of them. We at Comix 411 have nothing but free time and did the heavy lifting for you. Here are the comic book-related highlights from the document dump:

When visiting with US President Barack Obama, the CIA codename for Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper is “Bucky.”

Interrogators at Guantanamo routinely asked prisoners to choose: Betty or Veronica?

Supreme Leader of North Korea Kim Jong Il sometimes dresses up as Wildcat before he tours a factory. In other news, North Korea still has factories.

Click to continue reading Wikileaks: Comic Book Secrets

Civil Warriors: Chuck Dixon and Gary Kwapisz

Posted by Tom Mason Categories: Independent,

Sometimes a Civil War reenactor will don a floppy felt hat, pick up an old musket and spend a weekend in the rain chasing his beer-and-poker buddies down a hill. But if you’re Chuck Dixon and Gary Kwapisz, you’ll probably forgo the smell of soggy felt and take your action to the printed page. That’s what they’re doing with a new line of historical graphic novels. If you remember Savage Sword of Conan, then you’ve seen what happens when Chuck (Punisher, The Simpsons, Robin) works with Gary. Good stuff happens, that’s what.

Chuck and Gary have launched their own publishing company, History Graphics Press. Their first book, Civil War Adventure, is a 144-page b&w trade paperback anthology of historical Civil War stories, written by Chuck, illustrated by Gary. Stories feature the famous, guys like Winslow Homer and George Armstrong Custer and also the not-famous, guys in the trenches just trying to stay alive and help their cause. And there are lots of horses and soldiers, all beautifully and accurately illustrated by Gary. This promises to be merely the first book in a series of graphic novels on the American Civil War and American history.

Click to continue reading Civil Warriors: Chuck Dixon and Gary Kwapisz

Read More | History Graphics Press

Sneak Peek: Chew #9

Posted by Robin Paulson Categories: Image Comics,

Rolling into the second five-issue arc, “International Flavor,” Chew‘s John Layman and Rob Guillory offer a sneak peek of what’s to come with the cover of issue #9.

Vampires with a thing for Hawaiian chicks? Tony Chu’s retelling of Lilo and Stitch? Sometimes it pains me more to see these covers, knowing that I’ll have to wait an entire four months before I will actually discover what the story entails.

In the meantime, I highly suggest that you pick up the first trade book on your way to purchasing Chew #6 when it hits your local comic book shop this Wednesday—it makes for a great holiday gift (even more so if you need to catch up on the series)!

Are Comics Over?

Posted by Joel Rosenberg Categories: Editorials, DC Comics, Marvel Comics,

I wonder if there will be comics in our future. The reason for this is that it seems that no one wants to write comics anymore. No, what they want to write is the Great American Comic Novel.

As the proud owner of Phoenix Comics in beautiful Eastchester, New York (shameless plug), I have the great fortune, or misfortune, of reading just about everything that DC and Marvel publish. Back in the day, going back as far as 10 cent comics, a huge percentage of books were what we would call today, stand alone stories. Batman caught the bank robber, jewelry store heister, or murderer in one issue. Superman battled the evil monster and/or fooled Lois about his secret identity in one book. A two-issue story was a major event. Even as a youngster, I realized Superman was fighting a never ending battle against evil and we all moved on to the next story.

Starting with “The Death of Captain Marvel,” the first mainstream graphic novel, everyone seems to be writing 120-page comic novels and slicing them into six parts. Before the ink is dry on part six, the whole thing is published in a trade paperback. At least you had a good read on an airplane. But even that doesn’t seem to be enough.

Now we have continuing sagas that seem to go on forever: Crisis on Infinite Earths to Infinite Crisis to Identity Crisis to 52 to Countdown to Final Crisis to….? And don’t even start with all the tie-ins. When they hit Final Bar Mitzvah I quit.  Of course the X-Men books have been doing this for years. They even put numbers on the spine so you can keep reading, and reading, and reading and the story line goes on forever. At my age I have to keep reading the books because I would hate to miss a possible ending. Some of my customers have given up and just read the trades as they come out.

Is this progress?