Wolf: Blood and Magic Vol. 1 Graphic Novel Review

Wolf Vol. 1: Blood and Magic
Ales Kot (Author)
Matt Taylor (Artist)
Image Comics (Publisher)
Review by Joe Tell

Wolf Vol. 1 Blood and Magic uses the city of Los Angeles as a backdrop for a reality-bending tale about a paranormal investigator. The story follows Antoine Wolfe as he assumes responsibility for an orphaned, teenaged girl who might be the key to preventing an impending apocalypse. Alongside the concrete jungle, Wolf also uses the beautiful scenery of the mountains, hills and woods of Los Angeles to great effect. Wolf combines the best elements of urban fantasy and crime noir to tell a supernatural story. The narrative explores the dark, maniacal things that lurk in the shadows. Things we all know exist but choose to ignore out of fear and loathing. The first panel uses the myth of singer, songwriter Robert Johnson and his famous song Hellhound On My Trial to set the tone of the narrative, the main character is shown singing the line while on fire. Wolf is chock full of many scary characters like vampires, a werewolf, ghosts’ and there’s even a reference to H. P. Lovecraft ‘s Cthulhu. Author Ales Kot is part of a new wave of talented writers that are injecting new, philosophical blood into mainstream American comics. His recent work includes Marvel’s Bucky Barnes and Secret Avengers. Artist Matt Taylor uses weird imagery straight out of nightmares to invoke feelings of horror and terror. Matt’s playful, yet very effective, line drawings are deformed but still manage to look clear and defined. Colorist Lee Loughridge uses psychedelic colors to further enhance the mood of the art. Lee is best known for his work on Hellblazer. The story also touches upon themes such as racism, prison-industrial complex, suicide and menstruation.

The Alluring Art Of Margaret Brundage: Queen Of Pulp Pin-Up Art Book Review

The Alluring Art of Margaret Brundage: Queen of Pulp Pin-Up Art is a very entertaining and interesting read. The book sheds new light on the life and career of legendary Weird Tales cover artist, Margaret Brundage. Margaret’s lush and alluring paintings created great controversy in the 1930s. Her lavishly colored artwork featured scantily clad young women bearing whips and wielding knives that were menaced by all types of monstrous beings. Margaret’s innovative and shocking artwork was in high demand because her covers sold the most pulp magazines. The best part of this book is all of Margaret’s stunning, pulp magazine cover art for Weird Tales, Oriental Stories, Magic Carpet and Golden Fleece are all compiled together along with some never before seen, unpublished work. Many of her covers featured gothic fetish themes based on the stories that were published within Weird Tales. Stories that were written by renowned authors like H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Robert Bloch and Conan the Barbarian creator, Robert E. Howard. The second part of the book reveals, for the first time ever, the secret life that Margaret led apart from the pulp magazine scene. She and her husband Slim were political activists who took part in the birth of the American counterculture. Margaret Johnson and Slim Brundage first met at Chicago’s infamous Dil Pickle Club. The club was known as a speakeasy but its members also participated in the highly political causes that defined the Chicago Renaissance. The Dil Pickle Club was at the center of a diverse subculture that encouraged free speech and rallied for workers and civil rights at a time when activism led to blacklisting. This is essential reading for any fan of fantasy and horror art.

The Cardstore - Cheektowaga NY

Recent picks from a visit to The Cardstore seeking out full color Steranko art......which I was happy to find, along with a couple of other books.

The Cardstore - Comics, Full line of Trading Cards and Gaming supplies. 
4016 Union Rd., Cheektowaga, NY 14225 (716) 713-1184 
Tell em JoTell sent ya... ...picked up the following issues, at a discount, upon my last visit.

Chrononauts Graphic Novel Review

Chrononauts is about two scientific geniuses who love to have fun. Their latest project involves time travel. The team becomes instant celebrities as they are slated to embark on the first televised mission through space and time. Corbin Quinn and Danny Reilly act like rock stars and are treated as such by the adoring public. They love breaking new ground and the attention that comes with it. The characters act out the human desire to do great things and be remembered for it. Will they use their knowledge to benefit mankind? Or, will they take advantage of the opportunity to benefit their own lives? All is not well as the planned routine goes off course. Corbin gets lost in the time-space continuum and Danny insists on bringing him back safely. Initially, Corbin decides to leave his unhappy life behind and take full advantage of all the opportunities that time traveling offers. The duo wreaks havoc with the time stream as they jump from Ancient Rome to the 1980s music scene at their leisure. In the end, the duo decides to undo all the historical changes they have made and fix everything that’s wrong with their lives. If you are a fan of Sean Murphy’s artwork on Punk Rock Jesus or The Wake, you will love this book. His work is seamless as it bounces from periods of the past to people watching historical sequences on live TV. Many of the highly detailed panels are dialogue-free, leaving the art to tell the story. Fans of classic science-fiction time-travel stories, the Back to the Future and Indiana Jones franchises, or the film Armageddon will love this book.

Special thanks goes out to Artvoice newspaper and Queen City Bookstore.

Buffalo Comicon 2015

www.buffalocomicon.com

Jim Steranko was a true gentleman and shared some comic history with a friend and I. As I told him, we could've listened to him talk all day but the line to meet him was very long.

Thank you, Jim Steranko!

Joe Tell with Bill Kennedy star of Frankenstein's Patchwork Monster.

...with Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

...with Ted DiBiase, WWE's Million Dollar Man.

Here are the business cards of a few of the vendors who were at the show.

Hawkeye Rio Bravo Graphic Novel Review

Clint Barton, the hero known as Hawkeye, was originally introduced way back in 1964 as a reluctant villain in a battle with Iron Man. Since then, Hawkeye has been a team player in six different versions of the Avengers; signed on as an agent of SHIELD, Marvel’s top intelligence agency; and led a team of heroes called the Thunderbolts. Until recently, Hawkeye was always a secondary character to Marvel’s big guns; indeed, he even shed his Hawkeye persona in the late 1960s, succeeding Hank Pym as Goliath. The recent popularity of the Avengers-related films and the comic book team of Matt Fraction and David Aja have sparked new interest in the character, making Hawkeye more popular than ever. Aja’s gritty art and coloring by Matt Hollingsworth reflect the bleakness of the inner city, creating a perfect background for the story. Hawkeye: Rio Bravo focuses on Hawkeye’s origin and his personal life away from the Avengers. The narrative follows Clint Barton as he takes on a highly relatable “every-man” role as a superintendent of low-income tenement building. The issue also highlights Clint’s reunion with his brother, Barney, as they team up to protect the tenants from a Polish assassin named Kazu and his gang of Russian mobsters, who plan to vacate the building by any means necessary. Hawkeye is deafened and Barney—also known as Trick Shot—winds up in a wheelchair as a result of Kazu’s initial attack. However, their heroic resolve isn’t lessened by such setbacks; the brothers are brought closer together as they sign and work through Clint’s hearing loss. The final issue delivers plenty of action and unexpected surprises. Hawkeye: Rio Bravo is full of humor, action and heartfelt emotion, making the series a must-read for any serious Marvel fan.

Thank You to Artvoice Newspaper and Queen City Bookstore.

Wytches Graphic Novel Review

Do not read Wytches if you plan on going camping soon! Wytches invokes terror and suspense, using a mysterious, well-balanced narrative to incorporate many of our most basic fears into the story. The natural fear of being all alone in the woods at night is used to tell a dark, horror tale. Forget about the Wicked Witch of the West: Wytches delivers a new and scarier witch, shattering all the classic notions we all have of an evil woman riding on a broomstick. The wytches of the story are frightening, disfigured creatures who live in the trees just outside of our bedroom windows. Wytches also uses losing a child—any parent’s worst nightmare—to add heartfelt emotion to the story. The tale is told through the eyes of the Rook family, highlighting a troubled relationship between father and daughter. The Rooks are a tight family unit that has recently relocated. Unfortunately, they go from the frying pan into the fire. The female lead, Sailor, is very likable and it’s easy to see her as your own child. The story also explores wish fulfillment and the secret desires we all keep hidden inside. The wytches can grant any wish as long as you’re willing to “pledge” another human to them, leaving no one safe from their evil grasp. How far would you go to make your darkest dreams a reality? Wytches is the scariest graphic novel you will read this year. You’ll want to look away, but the story will draw you in, making it impossible. Turn the lights on, lock your doors and don’t dare look outside—the wytches are coming.

Special thanks to Queen City Bookstore and Artvoice Newspaper.

Tales Of Suspense, Captain America, To Serve and Protect, The Bloodstone Hunt, Two Americas, The Chosen, The Korvac Saga

WWE super hero wanna be page, I can picture John Cena as Captain America and I think The Rock would be a super great Falcon. The Rock would have to wear the Falcon's 1st costume though. The green costume...

...or the red costume.

I found this Cap drawing in an old tattoo mag, I thought it was cool enough to share.

Tales Of Suspense #1 from January of '59.

Front and back cover of Captain America Marvel Masterworks Edition. 
Collecting Tales Of Suspense #'s 59-81.

Tales Of Suspense #62 which I picked up the Comic Book Cafe recently. Here's a pic of the inside of the Comic Book Cafe, for more info goto http://www.saycheesepizza.com/ ... tell 'em Joe Tell sent ya!

Marvel reprinted Tales Of Suspense in the 70's in Marvel Double Feature. Here's Tales Of Suspense 82/Marvel Double Feature #6.

Tales Of Suspense features the Silver Age return of Captain America. Captain America was originally featured onscreen in '43. Here's a still frame picture from the '43 Captain America Republic serials. I wanted to include this classic black and white shot from '43.

Tales Of Suspense #59 cover and the first splash page from #59.

Tales Of Suspense #69 featured a spectacular battle between Iron Man and Titanium Man.

Captain America Marvel Masterworks is a full color glossy collection of the Captain America stories from the Tales Of Suspense comic books #'s 59-81, a series in which Cap shared with Iron Man. This is classic Marvel stuff from 1964-1966. Jack Kirby and Chic Stone are my favorite artist/inker team of all time.

Captain America "Two Americas" Eisner award winning graphic novel.
www.marvel.com

Above is a Captain America self-titled graphic novel from 2012. The art and story are outstanding. You can find graphic novels at any major bookstore and quality comic book shops. I've recently found out that my local library offers graphic novels and of course you can find and purchase graphic novels online through links from this blog and sites like amazon.com and Marvel Comics online.

Below Captain America Reborn graphic novel cover from 2010.

The Marvel Comics Group Proudly Presents:

The Special 40th Anniversary Issue

Captain America Comics

Created by Joe Simon And Jack Kirby

3/'81 issue with Art by John Byrne

From Dan the Man's private collection. Thank You Dan!

Special Triple-Sized 50th Anniversary Issue! 1941-1991

To Serve and Protect, picked this full color, glossy graphic novel up at a library sale for practically nothing, great reading on the cheap, can't beat that!