Comic Book review: Afterlife With Archie

Afterlife with Archie review by Joe David Thompson
There were so many great comics this week, you'd think there was some kind of convention going on or something...

While there's plenty to talk about this week: 

Batman #33 brought Year Zero, another excellent Scott Snyder arc to its conclusion, balancing the action and character work tremendously well. Saga #21 gave us more time with Prince Robot IV, an area of this story I feel like we need more focus.  There was a double Warren Ellis whammy with Trees #3 and the inaugural issue of Supreme Blue Rose.  

I'm curious about what Ellis is doing on Trees, which is digging deep into the characters of the story with little sci-fi spectacle.  I think I'm going to reread these issues.  Supreme Blue Rose is far more interesting, a superhero meets private eye yarn told as Ellis channels David Lynch's Twin Peaks, from the title reference to the dreamlike quality of the action and art.  There's definitely something good going on here.

Still, my favorite book this week is a title which I've only recently jumped on board: Afterlife with Archie.  Written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Afterlife with Archie is a mashup of THe Walking Dead and, you guessed it, Archie Comics, where zombies threaten Riverdale.  It all started when Jughead's dog was hit by a car and he begged Sabrina the Teenage Witch to revive his best friend.  Things backfire, of course, and the dog comes back as a zombie, bites Jughead, and away goes the zombies.  Issue six is the perfect jumping on point, as it switched story perspective, checking in with where Sabrina's been while all hell is breaking loose in town.  What we get is an excellently executed Lovecraftian tale that never devolves into silliness or over the top horor.  Aguirre-Sacasa lets the characters do the work here, crafting emotionally revealing moments that propel the story forward.  There's even a few True Detective references, if you're a fan of the show (and why aren't you a fan of that show?) 

Francesco Francavilla, who is also responsible for Dark Horse Comics' wonderful noir book, The Black Beetle, delivers stunning art on this book consistently.  He has a way with the gothic imagery at work that blends the horror and human elements with eye popping detail.  This is a beautiful looking book.

Afterlife with Archie is thoroughly enjoyable.  It's a perfect book for horror or zombie fans, or anyone just looking for an excellent story.

Joe David Thompson has been doing media reviews for websites such as Red Carpet Crash and the 405 Music Blog. For any questions or comments for Joe David Thompson, you can email him at jovid52@me.com and follow him on twitter @jovid52

An awesome Kickstarter project and the Comic Book Swap Meet

We're just a month away from the Comic Book Swap Meet! If you live in western Washington, you don't want to miss it! Check out the event listing on Facebook to keep up on the latest info about the show...

There's going to be so much going on at our little convention in the woods. We have a plethora of great area artists doing sketches and selling their work. Special guests like cosplayer Karen Sakai, and comic book creator and artist Donna Barr (who also partially inspired the Comic Book Swap Meet with her success of the Clallam Bay Comic Con). You can get your picture taken with a TARDIS! Test your knowledge of nerdiness and pop culture with the Free Book Dude (aka writer Josh Cook). There'll be a Magic the Gathering. Anime, Comics, Toys, and more!! I definitely can't forget to mention our guest of honor, renowned comic artist, Matthew Southworth! Mr. Southworth is known for his work on the Stumptown series, as well as Spider Man and the Punisher...Don't forget, we are doing this for a handful of great local causes like the local food bank and Little League!!!

If there's enough pre show interest, we are going to have a cosplay contest, with an awesome nerdy prize pack for the winner, so be sure to get over to the event page and let us know that you want in the contest. We might just have a space to use as a panel room if anyone has any great ideas for a panel. Pitch any panel ideas on the event page as well! We do have a few comic dealer tables still available. Contact me for details. Stay tuned for more info and show announcements, and the show lineup is always subject to change.

On to other matters...

I recently stumbled across a great indie comic project entitled Stabb Gunner on Kickstarter. If you don't know about Kickstarter, you should probably come out of the cave you've been hiding in. Kickstarter is a crowd funding site where independant creators can fund projects with the help of pledges from backers. Basically they set a monetary goal, and if its reached within a certain period, they receive the funding. Go learn more at their site. I'm not promoting Kickstarter, but I am promoting this Stabb Gunner project on Kickstarter!   

I managed to get ahold of the online version of the first issue thanks to co-creator Courtland Ellis, and was very impressed. First of all I have to mention the artwork. This book is one of the most vibrant and absolutely professional looking indie comics I've seen. The art is solid and vibrant.Very detailed, but not overdone. It's tied together with great writing by Joseph Krzemienski. There's a really unique and clever video game feel to the comic.

The story, so far, is based aroung this character Stabb Fisticuffs. In a short time, we find out through writer and colorist Joseph Krzemienski, that he is a complex character with what sounds like a dark past as a possible assasin or ninja. He's converted to being a monk and has been laying low in  peaceful Sleeping Baby Dragon sanctuary, until trouble finds him. I'm not going to divulge too much of the plot as i am just getting into the book, but I do encourage you to give it a shot and hopefully support the project on Kickstarter. I'm personally following the project, and plan on doing an interview with the creators to pick their brains about Stabb Gunner.

I don't normally do the comic reviews here on www.thestevestrout.com, but as we all know, I love supporting great projects, films, art, and creators, a Stabb Gunner really fits that bill. Keep on the lookout for Q&A's with the creators, and be sure to take a look at a preview of the project at http://prefundia.com/projects/view/stabb-gunner-vol-1/1595/...Share...Support...Most of all enjoy!

Steve Strout is the media mastermind behind this site, host of the Comic Book Swap Meet, nerd, terrible artist, gamer, convention goer and comic book reader who spends more time rescuing toys from thrift shops than a normal adult should. He is also known around the northwest for his promotion of live music and stand-up comedy events and is the creator/producer of the Olympic Peninsula Comedy Competition (which will make it's big return in 2015). He can be reached for comments at ptcomedy@yahoo.com on twitter at @thestevestrout

Comic Review: Seconds

Seconds review by Joe David Thompson
Despite a new issue of The Wicked + The Divine dropping this past week (which is such a great book!), my top release was probably one of the most anticipated of this year: Seconds, the new graphic novel from Bryan Lee O'Malley. 

If that name sounds familiar, it should.  O'Malley is the mastermind behind the Scott Pilgrim books that went on to become a film at the hands of Edgar Wright.  With Seconds, O'Malley continues to explore the themes of those novels.  Seconds is the story of Katie, a superstar chef who lives upstairs at the titular restaurant.  After an accident in the kitchen, Katie discovers a secret notebook where she can write down her past mistakes, and after eating a mushroom and sleeping, awakes to discover the problem fixed.  Of course, anyone familiar with this kind of story knows, this creates more problems for Katie than it solves. 

Throughout Seconds, O'Malley examines our phobia of growing older and the mistakes we make along the way.  Katie, on the cusp of turning thirty, finds all her friends younger and difficult to understand.  She is trying to take a more grown up approach to life, ducking on her ex and struggling to open her own restaurant, when she meets Lis, the mysterious girl who disappears into a chest of drawers.  Katie wants a perfect life, so when she discovers the notebook and a trove of mushrooms, she begins the process to revising her life.  Only, Katie finds that each new path has its own set of complications. 

Seconds also finds O'Malley with a more focused wit and charm.  Seconds is party told through the eyes of the storyteller, which creates some wonderful moments of commentary between Katie and the author.  It makes reading Seconds a cute experience.  Only a few times does this device intrude on emotional moments that would carry a greater impact if left to the images alone.  Artistically speaking, Seconds finds O'Malley at the top of his game.  His trademark style is all over this book, but with less splashy action to cover, his facial expressions and backgrounds really shine. The colors of Seconds also pop vibrantly, complementing the tone of the book.  It's very clear O'Malley took his time crafting the work.

Seconds is a warm, fun, and highly recommended read.

http://www.randomhouse.com/book/212682/seconds-by-bryan-lee-omalley

Joe David Thompson has been doing media reviews for websites such as Red Carpet Crash and the 405 Music Blog. For any questions or comments for Joe David Thompson, you can email him at jovid52@me.com and follow him on twitter @jovid52

Clallam Bay Comic Con report...

Hey everyone! Check out these these reports from the Clallam Bay Comic Con. The Clallam Bay Comic Con is a little convention arranged by comic book artist Donna Barr in Clallam Bay, Washington. Unfortunately I keep missing the show becuase of my schedule, but it looks like a fun little party and is a partial inspiration for the Comic Book Swap Meet that we host.

Speaking of the Comic Book Swap Meet, we do have an event coming up on August 23rd, 2014. Check out the event listing on Facebook for more info by clicking here! Make sure to like the Comic Book Swap Meet Facebook Page and Facebook Group too, and as always follow us on twitter @thestevestrout

Now, here's the links to the Clallam Bay comic Con reports...













The official report from Donna Barr. Find more about her at http://www.donnabarr.blogspot.com/
http://www.donnabarr.blogspot.com/2014/07/2014-clallam-bay-comicon-fun-commences.html

And another report with some nice pics of Clallam Bay by Darra Korra'ti of Crime and the Forces of Evil fame: http://crimeandtheforcesofevil.com/blog/2014/07/adventures-in-clallam-bay/
http://crimeandtheforcesofevil.com/blog/2014/07/photos-from-the-bay/

Please share these and support your local nerdiness!!

Comic Book Reviews: Grayson #1 and The United States Of Murder Inc. #3

Grayson issue #1 review by Joe David Thompson

http://www.dccomics.com/comics/grayson-2014/grayson-1

After his secert identity as Nightwing was revealed in "Forever Evil," Dick Grayson joined a secret spy organization.  This is the simple, yet fun conceit behind DC's latest series, titled Grayson.  Written Tim Seeley, co-creator of Hack/Slash, and Tom King, a former CIA opeations officer, Grayson quickly drops readers into this cloak and dagger world.  Dick is known as Agent 37, an agent of Spyral, sent to bring in a superhuman with extraordinary powers.  The problem is, Spyral isn't the only one interested in this man and his abilities.  

Seeley and King weave an espionage tale, full of action, that hits all the expected notes of a spy movie without ever feeling like a cliched bouquet of tropes.  I personally loved this new direction for this character.  There's a real sense of mystery as to what Dick's really up to, and there's an exciting cameo from a favorite character of mine that I won't spoil.  Artist Mikel Janin delivers pencils worthy of the action films Grayson is surely modeled upon.  

The United States Of Murder Inc. issue #3 review by Joe David Thompson

 http://marvel.com/comics/issue/50911/
the_united_states_of_murder_inc_2014_3

THis week also brought the third issue in one of favorite new series, Bendis and Oeming's The United States of Murder, Inc.  This issue expands the world of the book, giving readers a larger glimpse at just what happened between the mob and the government. We meet the heads of the different families, and learn just how fragile their relationships are.  

Jagger Rose gets an awesome chance to kick a little ass, laying numerous agents to waste before they can take her out.  My least favorite parts deal with Valentine's method of finding release, which is meant as a humorous attempt to lighten the mood, but just sticks out like it doesn't belong in this book. The mood and tone of this book is one of the things that drew me to it on the first place.  Still, I love this book and you should be reading it. 

Joe David Thompson has been doing media reviews for websites such as Red Carpet Crash and the 405 Music Blog. For any questions or comments for Joe David Thompson, you can email him at jovid52@me.com and follow him on twitter @jovid52