This Week's Must Read!

(Note: The above image is from a forth-coming issue of Wednesday Comics, and not this week's #1.)

Issue one of Wednesday Comics comes out tomorrow, Wednesday July 8^th. I got a chance to read this issue and I have to say it is quite unique. I’ve never seen anything close to this attempted before with mainstream superheroes. There is a whole assortment of characters, something for everyone: Batman, Kamandi, Hawkman, Deadman, Superman, Green Lantern, Metamorpho, Teen Titans, Adam Strange, Supergirl, Metal Men, Wonder Woman, Sgt. Rock, Flash, and The Demon with Catwoman. You’ve seen the list of big time talent associated with this book too, I’m sure, since I’ve already talked about it here a few weeks back, and you can’t help but hear about Wednesday Comics if you go to ANY comic related news site or the DC website. I LOVED it! Loads of fun. All I was missing was my morning coffee to get the full newspaper experience. The art looks great in this format, so so amazing. Some of the one-page strips work better than others, and that is mostly because the one thing lacking in this unique venture is a stronger editorial arm. I know this is Mark Chiarello’s baby, and I can’t thank him enough for coming up with this ingenious idea, but I think every strip needs the little “Next Week (fill in the blank)", that is my only gripe. Some of the strips do have this little feature that gives it that true newspaper strip feel, without it, some of the strips just feel very odd. I like uniformity in my collections, what can I say, I'm a perfectionist. They are all quality reads, but darn it, I want my newspaper strips to feel like newspaper strips in every way! I’m such a nit-picker, I know. I really shouldn’t bitch because DC is the only major comic publisher to have the balls to make anything even close to this project. That is really the only thing I have to complain about anyway. I really should just applaud Mark, since I can only imagine the nightmare this project had to be to put together, don't mind me and my minor complaint.

So pick up this first issue for a truly wonderful old-school read! My favorite strips: Kamandi (I think this may be my ultimate fav in this issue), Deadman, Supergirl (I’m a sucker for Streaky!), Flash (with the special Iris West co-feature that kicks ass) and the odd combo of The Demon with Catwoman. I have to say my least favorites are: Wonder Woman (not sure what that was, I wanted something more “classic”) and Superman (rather ho-hum, seems like a regular Superman comic, but just one page of it). The other stories are still entertaining, but I will have to read more strips to judge if I will say “yay” or “nay” for the rest of the strips. Whose art is best suited for this type of storytelling? Well imo, I say the fun-loving Amanda Conner art is a thumbs up for sure, the highly-detailed Prince Valiant inspired Ryan Sook art is another clear winner, and Brendan Fletcher’s classic strip style are my three favorites. I applaud DC and editor Mark Chiarello for bringing this visionary project to fruition.

I encourage you to try at least issue one to see what all the hubbub is about. Wednesday Comics isn’t necessarily for all comic fans, but it is certainly for all the comic fans that want to stretch their expectations of what a comic is or can be.

David Lloyd Signing at Amazing Fantasy!

I can finally give all the juicy details about the David Lloyd signing at the shops! The one and only David Lloyd, artist and co-creator of the best-selling, critically-acclaimed V for Vendetta will be at the Frankfort and Calumet City locations on
Saturday August 1st!!

ONE DAY ONLY!

11am-2pm
20523 S. La Grange Rd.
Frankfort IL
815-469-5092

4pm-6pm
582 Torrence Ave.
Calumet City, IL
708-891-2260

David Lloyd has also created the gritty noir thriller, Kickback, published by Dark Horse Comics. We will have plenty of copies of Kickback and V for Vendetta on hand.
David will be signing and chatting at both locations of course and as a SPECIAL bonus, he will do one FREE sketch inside either your copy of Kickback or V for Vendetta that you purchase at the shop. David also was the artist on Hellblazer, and The Territory, along with many other covers for both Marvel and DC over the years. We here at the shop are just THRILLED beyond thrilled that he has made time in his busy schedule to come out to our shops! David hails from England, and isn't in the States that often, so take advantage of this rare opportunity!
DO NOT MISS THIS, you will kick yourself if you do!!

SKetchbook Archives Part 4

It is that time again, for me to share some of the art I've accumulated in my sketchbooks over the years from various kind artists.

These three sketches I was lucky enough to get while at my first San Diego Comic-con, August 1994. Wow, that was a very long time ago. I suddenly feel VERY old.

Anyway, back in 1994 SD was still big but not nearly the giant it has become today.

First sketch on the top left is from George Pratt. I feel very lucky to have received this sketch. George's claim to fame, at least from my point of view is his beautiful Enemy Ace graphic novel, that is still available from Vertigo. Check it out, it's beyond beautiful. Anyway this fine sketch is "Enemy Ace" himself. George drew this incredibly fast. He had almost finished drinking his Snapple or some juice beverage, so when he was done drawing, he literally dipped his finger into the juice and then proceeded to swish it around on the not quite dry ink drawing he finished for the effect you see here. Impressive.

Next, is a sketch from Adrian Tomine, of Optic Nerve fame. Again, I feel very lucky to have this sketch in my book. Way, way back in the day, Amazing Fantasy carried a wide variety of mini-comics. One of the best selling mini-comics we carried was Optic Nerve. The only way to get mini-comics at that time was to contact the artist directly. No Internet, no email, just the telephone and the US postal system. Adrian was a great artist to deal with, he always picked up the phone to talk to me or if I had to leave a message he was very good about returning that call promptly. When I placed an order he would get the books out right away. It was fun to watch Adrian progress as an artist. His original mini-comics are collected in the collection "32 stories" check it out to see what I mean. Literally EVERY issue his art evolved and changed to the point of being a "professional artist" by the last issue of the mini. After that last issue, Drawn and Quarterly started publishing the ongoing comic book series Optic Nerve.

The last sketch I am sharing with you today is from one of my favorite artists, David Mazzuccilli, the artist behind Batman:Year One along with a ton of other favorites from back in the day. I literally ran into the poor man on the con floor and I wiped out my sketchbook, asked him if he had a pen, and asked for a quick sketch, smiling the whole time. David was kind enough to oblige me, and surprisingly did not tell me to take a hike or anything rude like that. I held the book for him while he did the sketch in less than a minute, I shit you not. I know the sketch does indeed look rushed, but damn I am so excited to have this in my book. And it looks pretty damn cool too!

Next week I'll be sharing more sketches from my first SD con experience.

The Colonel Reviews Deadpool!

Daron "The Colonel" Jensen has supplied me with his newest review to post here. How cool is that?

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Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth #1

So Deadpool’s been hired by AIM to get something from the Savage Land, see? And he’s shot there from orbit and he burns up in re-entry, right? Then he teams up with Ka-Zar and finds a group of headhunting cavemen building a giant statue of Deadpool and hilarity ensues!

Merc With a Mouth is a new ongoing Deadpool series by Victor Gischler & Bong Dazo. Gischler wrote a Punisher MAX special recently and Bong Dazo drew some Star Wars comics, and together they make a pretty funny Deadpool comic. Just like it says on the cover, there are zombies, cavemen, dinosaurs, and zombie-cavemen! This first issue is a good start to a six-part story, setting up the plot and introducing a buxom AIM scientist for Deadpool to drool over. Also, which is no surprise because it’s right on the cover, is the Zombie Deadpool head from the Marvel Zombies miniseries. I’m excited to see what hijinks Deadpool and a Zombie Deadpool head can get into together. And it’s always nice when a humor books actually makes me laugh, which this one did a couple of times.

Also included is a reprint of Deadpool #4 by Joe Kelly & Ed McGuiness, the one where Deadpool fights the Hulk. So if you like Deadpool, zombies, Deadpool zombies, and especially if you like laffs, then you should check out Deadpool: Merc With a Mouth #1. It’s Lotsafun^TM!

-Daron “The Colonel” Jensen

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Sounds like another ringing endorsement from The Colonel! If your local A/F has sold out of this issue, do not despair, Marvel has announced a second print for Deadpool: Merc with a Mouth #1, but no official release date on that as of yet. I'll keep you posted as I hear more!

Wizard World Tickets Now Available!

It is that time of year again!

Wizard World Chicago Comic-con will be coming to the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in lovely Rosemont IL.

August 6-9

3 day pass $50.00

1 day pass $25.00

There is a $5.00 processing fee per ticket. This fee will be charged no matter who you buy the tickets from, Amazing Fantasy, Wizard themselves or at the door.

Also, if you buy the tickets at the door it will cost you ANOTHER $5.00 per tickets. So you will save $5.00 by buying them early at your local Amazing Fantasy. (So if you wait to buy tickets at the door, a 3 day pass will cost you $60.00 total and a 1 day pass will cost you $35.00. Ouch!)

Tickets available now at the Frankfort, Lockport, and Calumet City location.
You can also click here to buy them now:

https://wizardworld.ticketleap.com/Chicago/t/AmazingFantasy

Or you can call 877-402-3748. Be sure to use the code "Amazing Fantasy" when you order your tickets via phone.

By buying your Wizard World tickets at your friendly neighborhood comic shop, you are directly helping your local Amazing Fantasy. So thank you in advance for purchasing your tickets from us! Amazing Fantasy will have tickets up to and including the dates for the con, no more rushing around. So whenever you are ready, we will have them for you!

I expect every one of you reading this blog to a) attend Wizard World and b) buy your ticket from Amazing Fantasy. Failure to adhere to these guidelines will result in scorn and ridicule from your local A/F clerk.

Most Intriquing Read of the Week!

Vertigo's newest $1.00 #1 came out yesterday, and should still be available at all four Amazing Fantasy locations: Greek Street by Peter Milligan and Davide Gianfelice.

This is a very interesting and intriguing new series. The sheer scope that Milligan has taken up here is impressive to say the least. This is definitely one of those series that will take a while to gel with readers. Greek Street reminds me at times of Sandman and Fables since Milligan is drawing upon the classical Greek tragedies of old, but using a modern setting. The huge cast of characters are not direct re-interpretations of characters like Oedipus, but rather influenced by these type of characters. Each character in Greek Street draws upon multiple characters from Greek antiquity along with some modern twists.

Do you have to be familiar with the Greek tragedies to fully appreciate this series? No, I don't think so. IF you happen to remember your classic lit from high school and college it's a nice bonus if only to justify an English Degree or all those Greek Tragedy courses you took in college for no good reason. HERE is your good reason! Like Sandman and Fables before it, Greek Street may inspire readers to go back to reread the the inspiration for this series, the Greek Classics. This can only be interpreted as a good thing, because these stories are still taught in school for a reason. There is a certain universality to the plot points and character archetypes.

Greek Street is illustrated by Davide Gianfelice, who made his name on Vertigo's Northlanders. His style is quite unique and could be a perfect fit for this book. His art style doesn't work for every book, but for both Northlanders and now Greek Street it works. The color choices jump out as unique for this book, if only because of the limited color palette that Patricia Mulvihill has picked. One thing about Vertigo, each book is unique unto itself, and the colors and letters play an important role in singling a series out.

This first issue, like Unwritten #1 before it is 40 pages for buck! Give it a try, but I am warning you that I think it will take a whole storyline before this baby can be judged fairly. Taking this one issue on it's own I think some readers may be confused about what they are reading, mainly because of the huge cast of characters. Over time, this will most likely pan out well, I have the utmost faith in Milligan. He wrote one of my all time favorite Vertigo series, Shade: The Changing Man, and that too took a little while to get its feet. Try the #1 for a buck and if it intrigues you as much I think it will, try the first volume of the graphic novel, odds are good that the first collection of Greek Street will cost a measly $9.99. That is another thing Vertigo is VERY good about, trying to make books affordable so readers can try new things.


"A reminder that some stories are too true and too dangerous to ever die. ....crackles with Promethean fire." - Grant Morrison.

Must Read of the Week!

Wow, this week has some very nice choices for my "Must Read of the Week," but I am going to focus mainly on a great book by one of my favorite writers, Justice League: Cry for Justice.

This seven issue mini-series is by none other than James Robinson (author of my FAVORITE comic from a few years back: Starman) with lovely art by Mauro Cascioli. This book is well worth the $3.99 price tag. It's on high quality paper with a glossy cover, 22 pages of story along with a 2 page Origin Story featuring Congo Bill this time, and the most appealing part of this book, at least for me, is the additional 5 pages of notes written by James Robinson about the book. (Each issue will contain both a 2 page origin story for one of the main characters and a few pages of notes by Robinson). His commentary track has accompanying art focusing on both the current series, Cry for Justice, and some examples of various Silver Age and Golden Age cover and panel reprints of The Atom, Actin Comics, and Congo Bill.

I can not recommend this book enough, especially to fans of Robinson's Starman, JSA: Golden Age, or JLA in general. It looks like this book is going to be about a varied bunch of DCU characters, old favorites such as Green Lantern and Green Arrow, as well as those from the fringes like Mikaal the otherworldy Starman, and Congobill, the gorilla man from DC's Golden Age. These characters as well a few others that are yet to appear in the Cry for Justice (Robinson names Supergirl, Freddy Freeman, Ray Palmer and Batwoman as future members of this team) all have one thing in common; they all have a need for JUSTICE. Yeah, it's about time that someone in the DCU starts taking names and kicking ass. Enough is enough and someone has to pay for all the carnage that has occurred in recent months/years in the DCU. Robinson says the events of this 7 issue series will lead directly into his run on the ongoing Justice League of America book. This is most excellent news. I was looking forward to reading Robinson's upcoming run on JLA, and now I have even more incentive to be sure to pick it up.

After heaping mounds of praise on Robinson for this effort, I must not forget his partner, artist Mauro Cascioli. Mauro was the artist on DC's Power of Shazam book back in the day. Interesting note: Power of Shazam was coming out as the same time as Robinson's Starman, in fact I distinctly remember a Starman/Power of Shazam crossover somewhere in the middle all that. Coincidence? I think not, but I am perfectly ok with it, since the results are wonderful. It appears that Mauro is coloring his own work for this series and it looks SO good! I love when an artist has the opportunity to color his own pages, it doesn't happen all that often, but it is almost always a special treat when it does, and Cascioli does not disappoint.

Overall, well played DC, well played. I applaud everyone's efforts on this book, and will be eagerly awaiting the next issue.

All DCU fans, all JLA fans, all Golden Age fans, and all James Robinson fans need to try this book! Get yours today from your local A/F or call with your request and we will gladly hold it for you so don't miss this book!

I would also like to mention a "thumbs up" for Vertigo's new $1 #1 that shipped this week: Greek Street! I will try to review that soon. It is very much worth your hard earned dollar!