Bryant Dillon (330)
Favorite TV Show: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
It’s been a few years since I reviewed the first two issues of indie comic book Vengador, but creator and writer James Gilarte and talented artist Rowel Roque have been hard at work. The payoff can be seen seen in Vengador: Volume 1: No Such Thing As Justice and Vengador: Volume 2: Road To Darkness, two new trade paperbacks that collect the first eight issues of Gilarte’s grim and gory superhero tale!
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The recent release of Dr. Mütter's Marvels from Gotham Books may not be the typical reading fare of many who include themselves as members of “geek culture,” but author Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s “true tale of intrigue and innovation at the dawn of modern medicine” is such a captivating, gripping, and intensely interesting historical tale that even the reader who has mere casual interest in the subject will find themselves devouring Aptowicz’s text in a matter of days, if not hours. The story of the mysterious Dr. Thomas Dent Mütter and his fascinating and noble effect on the advancement of American medical practices and treatment is a rare opportunity to step into a time in our nation’s past, when surgery was performed without anesthesia, patients were restricted against their will during extremely long and painful procedures, and one kind, intelligent, and gentle man searched passionately for something more civilized than the world before him.
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Anyone who follows my reviews on Fanboy Comics knows by now that I’m a HUGE fan of Smart Pop Books. Featuring a number of brilliant and highly enjoyable essay anthologies focusing on popular culture subjects like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Hunger Games, Veronica Mars, and many, many more, Smart Pop Books has established itself a long time ago as the go-to publisher for the intelligent and introspective geek.
The release of Angel & Faith: Season 10 #6 this month brings the former rogue slayer Faith back into the spotlight and sees our girl “going commando” in the South Americans jungles in writer Victor Gischler‘s latest script. Artist Will Conrad has returned from his absence last month and is also packin‘ heat with some of his best work in the series yet. Slayers, vamps, jungles, and machine guns . . . All that’s missing is Jesse Ventura and Ol‘ Painless . . .
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This year marks the 50th anniversary of Roald Dahl’s beloved children’s classic, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and Puffin Books is honoring the special occasion in a multitude of ways, including a new edition of Dahl’s delicious children’s novel, a Golden Ticket sweepstakes, and the release of a new title, Inside Charlie’s Chocolate Factory: The Complete Story of Willy Wonka, the Golden Ticket, and Roald Dahl’s Greatest Creation. What lies between the pages of Inside Charlie’s Chocolate Factory is a wonderful look back on the creation, adaptation, and cultural impact of Dahl’s Willy Wonka and his magical and mysterious chocolate factory that is sure to be devoured by both Wonka fanatics and those who only occasionally encounter an everlasting gobstobber.
Like the legendary archangels of Biblical mythology, Monomyth #2 does exactly what it has to. Writer Siike Donnelly and artist Eric Ninaltowski add layers, history, and complexity to their alternate reality in the Garden of Eden, while still maintaining the action and excitement from the premiere issue.
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There are certain individuals who get a sick thrill out of hiding a sardonic and hilarious tale for adults in the trappings of a bright and friendly kids comic. Certain individuals, such as writer Justin Sane and artist John Hageman Jr., for example. And, if you’re a fan of the sardonic and sick thrills (such as I am), then you will want to check out Sane and Hageman Jr.’s latest, twisted comic creation, The Woodland Welfare Manifesto, recently released by SLG Publishing.
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Like a creature in a B-movie sequel, the indie anthology comic, Verge, has returned, and it has . . . evolved! Published by Identity Comics, Verge #2 has been revamped, including making the jump from back and white to vivid color, and, as a result, delivers a second issue that is even stronger than the first.
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Another chapter of Dave Kelly and Lara Antal’s The Night Watchman series arrives in The Night Watchman: Staycation, a brief prologue that lets blogger, barista, and roomie to the Night Watchman, Nora, take center stage. While the supernatural elements of a standard Night Watchman tale maybe absent, writer Kelly and artist Antal still bring the heart, humor, and humanity, as always.
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Biblical mythology is no stranger to the comic book genre, and the twists that writers brainstorm regarding this ancient and rich material has resulted in popular and varied series like Spawn, Preacher, Hellboy, and more. Monomyth, written by Siike Donnelly and featuring the art of Eric Ninaltowski, is the latest mini-series from OSSM Comics and the latest to re-imagine the events of scripture with a comic book version of the epic story of Lucifer’s (Or is that Michael’s?) fall.
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