Not The Israel My Parents Promised Me; Harvey Pekar & J. T. Waldman

Not The Israel My Parents Promised Me is Harvey Pekar's last graphic novel and it seems to me to be a good bookend to the auto / biographical comics (American Splendor) and graphic novels he's written since the early 1970s. I certainly wish this wasn't Pekar's last graphic novel, but this book like his Cleveland, which was released a couple of months ago, were two works I heard him talk about when he and Alison Bechdel (Fun Home, Are You My Mother?) spoke at a presentation at the Clark County Library back in April of 2010 and when he died just three months later (July of 2010), I thought we'd not see these books, so I'm glad these two Harvey Pekar graphic novels were completed before his death.

The Song of Roland; Michel Rabagliati

The 2009 multiple award-winning graphic novel, Paul a Quebec, has finally been released in the U.S., newly titled, The Song of Roland (which I think is a better title). The Song of Roland is written and drawn by Michel Rabagliati and is a beautiful sequential art narrative about Roland's life and death, that is sad, but at the same time shows a great life lived of a person (Roland) who gave a lot to his family in many ways and was given much in return. The Song of Roland isn't sappy or emotionally manipulative in any way, rather it just resonates as an honest portrait of a close-knit family.

Wild Children

Last week, a pleasant surprise of a comic came out from Image called, Wild Children, by Ales Kot, Riley Rossmo, Gregory Wright, and Clayton Cowles. This is one of those comics that is better to just experience for yourself rather than being told what it is about, the only thing I'm going to say about it is it is a kind of call to action. I'd also like to share the following quote that starts off Wild Children: "I have never let my schooling interfere with my education." Mark Twain - And a line one of the characters says within Wild Children: "Did you ever think how the comics in your house are just like ecosystems at different ocean depths?"

Wild Children, a one shot 58 page comic for only $7.99, ask for it by name!

A great week to be a Darwyn Cooke fan!

This week the third Parker novel has been adapted by master cartoonist Darwyn Cooke, called The Score, and as with his other Parker adaptations, The Hunter and The Outfit, you won't find a better crime fiction sequential art production.

The Parker novels / graphic novels were written by Donald Westlake under the psuedonym, Richard Stark, and they are about a master con man, Parker, who doesn't suffer fools or hair-brained schemes. That's really all you need to know going into any of the Parker novels / graphic novels, with the newest Cooke adaptation, The Score being about a heist of an entire small town (do things go wrong, with all of the variables involved with such a big plan? - well I'm not going to say, of course!).

Also this week from writer, artist, colorist, Darwyn Cooke, we get the second issue of Before Watchmen Minutemen #2 and if you read the first issue, you already were eagerly awaiting the following issues, but if not, check out the interior page (which is the second image here in this entry, blogger is acting up and not importing images in the correct order) for an example of a cartoonist at the top of his craft! Both issues of Cooke's Minutemen have enough content and cartooning skills per issue to fill three normal comics!

Before Watchmen Ozmandias; Len Wein & Jae Lee!

Okay, I'm going to sound like a broken record here, but Before Watchmen Ozymandias, by Len Wein and Jae Lee and June Chung is another top notch sequential art production (so that makes five out of five Before Watchmen first issues that are amongst the finest comics out there today)! Truthfully, I was a little concerned with how good the writing by Len Wein on Ozymandias would be, because while I've loved his superhero comic book writing since the 1970's, I don't recall any particular story that he did that had any real weight, beyond just being entertaining (and I don't mean this as a slight because there's nothing wrong with just being a consistently entertaining writer). I'm happy to report that from page one of Before Watchmen Ozymadias #1, Len Wein proves he's more than up to the task of writing characters and stories within the Watchmen world. This first issue beautifully sets the groundwork for exploring Ozmandias' past and what makes him tick (pun probably intended - grin!) and I'm glad that this Before Watchmen mini series will be six issues in length (most of the other ones are just four issues long).

The first thing anyone who just casually flips through Before Watchmen Ozymandias will notice about this comic is how beautiful the art and coloring is. Those already familiar with Jae Lee's art over the years, especially on his Inhumans maxi series and his Dark Tower adaptations, already know what a master artist Jae Lee is. But with Before Watchmen Ozmandias #1, Jae Lee has turned up his artistic prowess up considerably and a HUGE part of how great this comic looks is due to the increadibly lush coloring by June Chung (I think this is the first time she's colored Jae Lee's art). Seriously, Jae Lee's art and June Chung's coloring has a beauty on par with the sequential art lyricism of P. Craig Russell and J.H. William III's art and like with these aforementioned artists, Jae Lee always looks for diffierent approaches to conventional comic book story-telling and layout. Before Watchmen Ozmandias #1 gets the Ich Liebe Comics! HIGHEST recommendation!

Before Watchmen Nite Owl #1 - Another HUGE WOW!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, June 27th, the first issue of J. Michael Stracznski and Andy Kubert and Joe Kubert's Before Watchmen Nite Owl #1 will adorn the racks of Alternate Reality Comics (and finer comic book stores everywhere)! For some strange reason, Nite Owl was the Before Watchmen that I was least looking forward to, but right away at page one, J. Michael Stracznski, shows that he thoroughly knows this character (and other Watchmen characters who appear within the first issue) and his love for Moore and Gibbon's Watchmen shines through on every page. This is definitely a textbook example of how to write a first issue that will have everyone who reads it coming back for the remaining three issues! The real star on Before Watchmen Nite Owl #1 for me is Joe Kubert, who inks his son, Andy Kubert's pencils. Not to disrespect Andy Kubert's artistic talents, but I've always favored Papa Joe Kubert's art, so I was happy to see that Nite Owl #1 totally looks like a Joe Kubert drawn comic! Joe Kubert is 86 (!!) years old, but he's still very much a dynamic artist that can outdraw any ten artists (at least)! Before Watchmen Nite Owl #1, joins the other three Before Watchmen titles that have been released thus far, Minutemen, Silk Spectre, and The Comedian, as money back guarantee titles! I can't wait for the second issue of Nite Owl, but next week's Before Watchmen Ozymandias, with art by Jae Lee (!!) is sure to be another must have! This is truly one of the most exciting times to be a comic book fan in all the years I've been reading comics (since 1975!)!

Arizona Artists Event, next Saturday, June 30th!

Next Saturday June 30th, here at Alternate Reality Comics, from 3-7pm, we'll be hosting several great artists from Arizona, along with Las Vegas' Queen of Cosplay, Brieanna Brock (who's also a designer, model, coordinator and MC of many local events)! During the Alternate Reality Comics portion of this weekend (Saturday, June 30th from 3-7pm) we'll have fun raffle prizes and free beverages and snacks!

The fun starts the night before at Buffalo Wild Wings (190 West Craig) from 8:30-midnight, where they will be having a Drink n Draw (actually you'd don't have to do either of those to come out and visit!) meet up! And this fun weekend continues into Sunday July 1st at Maximum Comics (520 South Marks St. in Henderson, down from the Sunset Station) from 1-7pm! So you have three times to meet these artists, purchase art and prints from them and have what we guarantee will be a weekend you won't forget (and if you come to all three of the weekend's meeting spots, you'll triple your fun!)! We hope many of Ich Liebe Comics! readers and the Las Vegas comics community will come out to show these Arizona artists how strong the Vegas comics / cosplay community is!

Here's the facebook event page detail of the weekend, with the artists from Arizona who will be here:

June 29 at 8:00pm until July 1 at 5:00pm

Las Vegas is about to have Bohn Fever again!

Come with us on a road trip (or just come hang out if you're already a Vegas local!) and get to know us as we invade your city, your body, your mind. Heading up with yours truly, are some of Arizona's greatest locals:

Jeff Pina

Mickey Chaney

April Reyna

Big Chris

Anthony Delaney

and Shelby Robertson

Not to forget the Las Vegas Siren herself, Brieanna Brock. Starting on June 29th, you can start hanging out with us for the Drink & Draw happening at Buffalo Wild Wings, followed up by back to back store signings on June 30th, Alternate Reality Comics, and on July 1st, appearing at Maximum Comics.

I will have all new prints, sketch cards, and not to forget an all new exciting issue of Elvatron Chronicles!

We would all really love to have you come up, come over and sinning with us in Sin City. Further information below. And remember, folks: Support your local artists and local comic shops!

June 29th Drink & Draw: Buffalo Wild Wings (8:30pm - Midnight) 190 W Craig Rd Las Vegas, NV

June 30th Alternate Reality Comics (3:00pm - 7:00pm) 4110 S Maryland Parkway Las Vegas, NV

July 1st Maximum Comics (1:00pm - 5:00pm) 520 S Marks St Henderson, NV.

If anyone who reads this knows how to make paragraph breaks on this blog and could let me know, I'd appreciate that (I used to be able to do paragraph breaks and when I'm prepping the entry it looks the way I want it to, but when I actually post and view, everything now runs together). Thanks!