FAN-TIKI-TASTIC Tuesday 7/16/13

I am extremely pleased to announce that the Special Edition of Tiki Zombie #2 features the spec-tiki-tacular performer, MeduSirena Marina! Copies of this issue will be available this weekend at the San Diego Comic Con. Look for us in the Small Press area, Table M12. Get 'em while they last!

FAN-TIKI-TASTIC FRIDAY 7/12/13

I am so very excited to announce that Tiki Zombie #2 will be available next week at the San Diego Comic Con! Look for us in the Small Press area, Table M-12. And even more exciting is our special photo-variant cover, featuring the spec-tiki-tacular performer who was the inspiration for a new character in the issue. Think you know who it is? All will be revealed on Monday!

Cover Rave - Carmine Infantino

In honor of the late, great Carmen Infantino (1925-2013), here are five favorite of his covers from my collection.

Detective Comics #374

Artists: Carmine Infantino & Irving Novick

Spider-Woman #6

Artist: Carmine Infantino

Star Wars #22

Artists: Carmine Infantino & Bob Wiacek

Star Wars #31

Artists: Carmine Infantino & Bob Wiacek

Superman vs Spider-Man

Artists: Ross Andru, Dick Giordano, Carmine Infantino

Cover Rave - DC Comics Presents #32

This week, DC revealed (via Entertainment Weekly) that Superman's new "leading lady" will be none other than his Justice League teammate, Wonder Woman. This caused a bit of a buzz online and off and reminded me of one of my favorite DC Comics Presents covers. This series was one of my favorites along with Brave & the Bold and Marvel Team-Up with fun mostly single issue stories that introduced me to cool characters through both superhero universes. I know both companies have attempted to bring these titles back for modern readers, but have not had much success. At least the originals are not difficult to find in back issue bins!

DC Comics Presents #32

Artist: Ross Andru & Dick Giordano

Cover Rave - Famous Funnies #81

Amidst the chaos comes a comic! Things are busy here in the New Legend offices as we are preparing for the San Diego Comic Con (we'll be in Small Press table L-14), but I had to pause for a moment when a comic I recently purchased on eBay arrived in the mail. I was introduced to the character of Russell Stamm's Invisible Scarlet O'Neil six years ago and she has become a very important character in my life. I have been searching for a decent copy of her first appearance in comics and finally pulled the trigger. Famous Funnies #81 marks the debut of the newspaper reprints starting with Scarlet's origin. Dated April 1941, it is an important and historical issue and now the oldest in my collection. Perhaps even more than that, it features an absolutely gorgeous cover by H.G. Peter, who would go on to illustrate Wonder Woman. As I complete the final proofs for the new Invisible Scarlet O'Neil graphic novel, it is fitting to take a moment to remember where she came from. It is my hope that her re-introduction is as exciting as her comic debut 71 years ago. In a few days, I'll be posting the cover to the new graphic novel and you can judge for yourselves.

Famous Funnies #81

Artist: H.G. Peter

Cover Rave - Flash Gordon #6

On this week's episode of the Earth Station One podcast, we discussed Flash Gordon and mentioned many of the great artists who worked on the comic. The two biggest names we discussed were Alex Raymond, who created the character, and Al Williamson, who redefined the look for a whole new generation. Both were top illustrators, in addition to being able to tell fantastic stories. However, there was one name that was not brought up and I would like to remedy that now. Reed Crandall began his career in the Golden Age of comics, working with the likes of Will Eisner and Jack Kirby. His work was often seen in EC Comics horror and science fiction titles until the company's demise in the early 50's. In the 1960's, he illustrated stories for Creepy, Eerie, and (you guessed it) Flash Gordon. Reed Crandall is not a name that a lot of folks know, but his work can hang with the industry's best. It so happens, I just bought this comic last month at the Atlanta Comic Convention. I collect issues of Flash Gordon anyway, so the purchase was a no-brainer, but this cover by Crandall is one of my faves.

Flash Gordon #6
Artist: Reed Crandall

Cover Rave - Wonder Woman #5

Today is International Women’s Day and I can think of no better time than to spotlight the new Wonder Woman comic series from DC Comics. She's been one of my favorite female characters in all of comics and I would not hesitate to put her in the top five of fave superheroes of any gender. She has had a difficult time throughout her history of being as well developed of a character as she is an iconic symbol, but I am pleased to say that her current comic series is very well written by Brian Azzarello with fantastic art by Cliff Chiang and Tony Akins. There has been a lot of fanboy discussion about her new outfit and I had not really formed any definite opinion until I saw this cover and said "Wow!" The cover of Wonder Woman #5 is my favorite cover thus far from the "New 52."

Wonder Woman #5
Artist: Cliff Chiang

Cover Rave - Tales of the Unexpected #41

Yesterday, I learned that Sheldon Moldoff had passed away. Shelly’s career spanned over five decades, working primarily for DC Comics. “Shelly” was the primary penciller on Detective Comics and Batman from 1953 to 1968. He was THE Batman comic artist during the run of the popular series featuring Adam West and Burt Ward. Moldoff is credited with creating the characters of Poison Ivy and Mr. Freeze. He also provided covers for a number of other DC Comics, including Flash Comics #1 (first appearance of Jay Garrick) and All-America Comics #16, which introduced the world to Green Lantern (Alan Scott).

I do not have many individual issues of Batman nor Detective Comics during his run, but I did find this little gem in my collection, a cover he did for Tales of the Unexpected. Though not in great condition, it nevertheless struck a cord with me last year while hunting for back issues.

Tales of the Unexpected #41
Artist: Sheldon Moldoff

Cover Rave - Uncle Scrooge #125

Earlier this week, I completed the script for the first story to be featured in Tiki Zombie #2 and it was very inspired by a comic I've had for as long as I can remember, Uncle Scrooge #125. I only recently discovered that the Carl Barks story featured in this issue, "Hall of the Mermaid Queen," was originally published in 1967 and I had the 1976 reprint in my collection. The year of publication matters not, since the story is timeless as much of Barks' works. In my mind, Carl Barks is one of the most underrated comic creators storytellers of all time. He's often recognized for his beautiful illustrations (and righty so), but his writing is so skillful, particularly characterizations. Barks is one of the true masters and if you are unfamiliar with his work, you owe it to yourself to check out any one of his efforts, though I would strongly suggest one that takes place in Duckburg.

Uncle Scrooge #125
Artist: Carl Banks

Cover Rave - Captain America #405

This comic cover is appropriate to current events because last weekend I saw Captain America: The First Avenger (and liked it a lot as you can hear on this week's ESO podcast), and I purchased the entire "Man and Wolf" story arc last time I was at the Charlotte ComiCon, where I will be this weekend. The show is a great place to find super deals on trades and back issues! Case in point, This storyline is a fun adventure written by long-time Cap writer Mark Gruenwald guest starring many other Marvel characters. The idea of "Capwolf" skirts the line between cool and silly, but this cover wins me over. And I got it for far less than the price listed on said cover!

Captain America #405
Artist: Rik Levins & Danny Bulanadi

Cover Rave - Tiki Zombie #1

I know this is entirely self-serving, but I just can't help it! I am so excited for Tiki Zombie #1 to make its debut at HeroesCon next weekend! The book really came together well, especially this cover illustrated by Peter Cutler (who also did the interiors) and colored by Kathryn Parker. If you're attending Heroes, please stop by our table! If not, stay tuned for news about how you can get a copy.

Tiki Zombie #1
Artists: Peter Cutler & Kathryn Parker

Cover Rave - Mystery Society (tpb)

It has been a while since I posted a fave cover, but when my monthly order from DCBS arrived this week, I had to share one of my favorite pieces of artwork from 2010! Last year, I was very excited to read this mini series from IDW after seeing this image, which was a variant cover for Mystery Society #1. I like Steve Niles and would have checked this out anyway. I also knew Fiona Staple's work from Done to Death and Vampirella, but to be honest, the names attached to this project were meaningless to me after seeing this image. It has a sense of fun, adventure, and sexiness that appeals to me as much as cheese on a pizza! (That's a lot, by the way.) And I am very pleased to report that this is a definite case of being able to judge a book by the cover. The book is one of my faves from last year and I want more stories of the Mystery Society!

Mystery Society (tpb)
Artist: Fiona Staples

Countdown to Halloween - Cover Rave - Demon #22

If it is creepy comic book cover art you crave,
Then may I present one that is a fave,
By an artist I very much admire,
And of a character who can breathe hellfire.

Demon #22
Artist: Matt Wagner

Countdown to Halloween - Cover Rave - Logan #3

Selecting favorite covers is not hard. Narrowing them down is. I fully admit that for the Countdown to Halloween, I am trying to bring some attention to ones that may not come to mind at first. I believe when it comes to drawing the stylized scary, no one would be surprised to see Eduardo Risso on the list. Sure, he's most known for his comic crime noir work on 100 Bullets, but give him a chance with some of the supernatural and he knocks it out of the park! The three-part Logan series is not Halloween-themed, but rather a horrifying tale of two survivors of Hiroshima. And if you crave more Risso work (and why won't you?), I strongly recommend his Tales of Terror collections by Dynamite and the Vampire Boy that was just released from Dark Horse.

Logan #3
Artist: Eduardo Risso

Countdown to Halloween - Cover Rave - Batman #541

I can't imagine a list of creepy comic covers without spotlighting Kelley Jones. In fact, it was difficult for me to decide which cover to choose! I have a ton of Jones' work in my collection, but I have to say that my personal faves are the work he did with writer Doug Moench on The Dark Knight. The Batman/Dracula series was near perfect, the Dark Joker story outstanding (I had both Jones and inker John Beatty sign my hardcover this summer). But the run they did on the monthly Batman title was absolutely groundbreaking. I'm not sure it has been fully appreciated and wonder if it will ever be collected in a oversized hardcover. It is definitely worthy! For my Halloween-themed choice, I present one of the creepiest of the bunch featuring The Spectre. Kids, make sure you check you Halloween candy before you put it in your mouth, you never know if it may be filled with vengeance!

Batman #541
Artist: Kelley Jones & John Beatty

Countdown to Halloween - Cover Rave - Fables #78

It's time to get spooky once again! I had a lot of fun participating in last year's Countdown to Halloween! So much so, I was eager to inform them to "count" me in this year as well! Every day of October, I will be delivering a Halloween-themed post, some of which I will incorporate to other featured entries. Such as "Cover Rave". It seemed a no-brainer to put on display some of the most haunting comic book covers in my collection. One that easily comes to mind is Fables # 78. This creepy image by James Jean could have easily been the movie poster for a Japanese horror flick. The issue itself centers around the return of "Mister Dark," the big bad who is plaguing our heroes in the book currently, but the frightening Fable figure featured on the front is none other than Baba Yaga.

Fables #78
Artist: James Jean

Cover Rave - Brave and the Bold #79

It was a thrill meeting Neal Adams a couple of weeks ago at Dragon*Con 2010! I have been working on a complete collection of the Brave and the Bold series since I can remember. IMHO, one of the best issues of the series was the first to feature interior art by (then) newcomer Neal Adams - Brave and the Bold #79. I believe it is also the first encounter between Batman and Deadman. It is a great issue and even greater is the reprinted version featured in the Batman Illustrated by Neal Adams Volume 1. After my purchase of the hardcover, I compared the re-coloring to the original and it is a definite improvement. These days, you can get the collection for about the same cost as the single issue in very good condition. Unless you are trying to complete your collection like me, I would strongly recommend adding the collected edition to your library!

Brave & the Bold #79
Artist: Neal Adams

Cover Rave - Fantastic Four #60

Celebrating the birthday of the great Jack Kirby, it seemed a no-brainer to spotlight one of his dynamic works as this week's Cover Rave. Since this feature is from scans of comics from my own collection, I was somewhat shamed to find I did not have many Kirby covers from which to choose. Just as well, since it would be difficult to select just one from his vast history. Nevertheless, I think the cover for Fantastic Four #60 holds its own compared to any number of his works. My father bought a small collection at a yard sale which were bound in a three-ring bider. Though I certainly did not appreciate the condition of the comics, it was hard not to appreciate the books themselves, particularly the covers! Hail to the King, baby!

Fantastic Four #60
Artist: Jack Kirby & Joe Sinnott

Cover Rave - Star Wars #29

With Celebration V happening last weekend and our recent reminisces of the first two parts of the original trilogy on the ESO podcast, I've very much been in a Star Wars frame of mind. I have been reading Star Wars-related comics since the first adaptation so there were a lot of iconic covers to choose from, but Star Wars #29 from Marvel's run has always been one of my very faves. In fact, I tried to recreate the image myself and would love to share the results, but I'm afraid my effort was lost in time. Before Boba Fett became the star bounty hunter of the franchise, Archie Goodwin and company created the cyborg Valance. When this issue arrived in the mail, I was "wicked psyched" over the battle between Valance and Darth Vader. And with that cover, can you blame me?

Star Wars #29
Artist: Carmine Infantino & Bob Wiacek

Cover Rave - Adventure Comics #452

Ever since his return in Blackest Night, Aquaman has been getting a lot of buzz. I am enjoying the character's resurgence and have read some good stories with him in the past. It didn't hurt that one of the first Aquaman comics I ever picked up featured one of the most defining moments in the Sea King's history - Adventure Comics #452. Great storytelling by David Michelinie, awesome art from Jim Aparo (IMHO, "the" Aquaman artist), and the shocking fate of Arthur Jr. make this a classic comic in every sense of the word. It is a travesty that this hard to find adventure has never been traded, nor has the tremendous contributions by Aparo been spotlighted with a prestige collected edition. I hope that Aquaman's recent popularity will correct that. I apologize that this entry's scan is a bit beat up, but it reflects my love for this book over the years.

Adventure Comics #452
Artist: Jim Aparo