Experiencing Comics

Comics are great aren't they? They're artwork combined with riviting storylines and there seems to be practically an endless supply. Granted some experiments have been made that haven't ended well.


Have you ever wanted to get more from comics?


It's ok to admit it. Comics are so great that we as fans try to experience them as much as we possibly can. As fans we try to put ourselves into the worlds alongside our favorite heroes battling our favorite villains. It a nice break and mental vacation from our every day lives. Are we wrong?


If that wasn't the case there would be no movies, video games, cosplay, comic shows, amusement park rides, or TV shows. It's as close as we're ever going to get to being apart of that world. So let's take a closer look at these mediums and see what we can derive from them.

Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 5

Writer: Alan Moore
Artists: Rick Veitch, John Totleben, Alfredo Alcala
Collects Swamp Thing issues 51-56
Published under VERTIGO


Welcome after the long interval to yet another helping of sumptuous green delight. This time, Alan Moore ACTUALLY takes out Swampy where he's actually never been before.

Dorohedoro, The bizzare and the beautiful

Here comes the pain

It is not often that one finds a manga being compared favourably to Berserk. And when one does, I urge aforementioned one to immediately go after the manga. Dorohedoro is something resembling one of my nightmares. Our protagonist, Kaiman. Is a full fledged knife wielding badass, and the kicker? He has a lizard head.

The manga jumps straight into the action, starting out with a knife battle between Kaiman and a bunch of mages. And then it gets weirder. Kaiman puts the mage's head inside his own head where another head pops up and talks to the mage. At which point Kaiman extracts the mage and asks him a simple question.

"What did the guy inside me say?"

Yeah, far out doesnt even begin to cut it. And this is before the primary cast and crew of this sprawling adventure have been properly introduced yet. And boy by the time they are all introduced weird as a word feels limited. They will need a whole new language to describe the weirdness inherent in the manga. The world is split up. One world called the Hole is a place where normal men and women live unable to do magic. Then there is the magic world. Ruled over by the mightiest of all mages, En.

Say cheese!

And En does not seem like a nice guy. matter of fact there are not too many nice guys in this manga. Nor are they wholly villainous. Every character in this manga is his/her own unique shade of gray. Kinda like the real world, which is funny cause that is about the only similarity that exists between the real world and this manga. Everything else is wholly bizzare. Every panel, every scene enacted in this manga feels wrong to the eye in its own vague way. And not because of specifics, instead its the little things. Be it the horrifying masks of the mages, or be it the unique system of magic present. or be it the fact that the world of mages is ruled by Devils. And is in fact a conduit straight to hell.

yep read that right, straight to hell. A hell presided over by an entire hierarchy of devils. And the best part? The mages who grow strong over time get the choice to transform into a devil. There is some convulated pact between the mages and the devils. And mighty En, ruler of all mages is at the centre of it all.

A rock and roll adventure through a bleak almost post apocalyptic world awaits you dear reader.

I cannot put that in simpler words. To find out more, you will simply have to read it all. Soldier on.

Its manga crack.

This week in comics: What's New :

Lord of the Jungle #1

Writer : Arvid Nelson

Artist : Roberto Castro

Review : Anubhav Das Gupta

I thought I’d give some #1’s a try this week. So, here goes.

I love Tarzan. Everyone does. But only a few have actually read Edgar Rice Burroughs’ amazing novels. And these novels, they are very different from any of the movies or the TV shows. The comicbooks, however, were always pretty close to the source material.  And this one stays close too.

Lord of the Jungle, infact, stays very close to the book. It’s primarily a comicbook adaptation of the first chapter of the book. But is it a good adaptation? 

Desert Punk, its Fallout for manga!

If you tear open this world, bleed it dry, and then let the remains out in the sun to be bleached for an eternity, you will have something resembling the world of Desert Punk. Welcome to the Apocalypse, nothing survived. Except for the humans of course. As resilient as the hardy cockroach humanity with its inexhaustible appetite and drive would definitely survive, no matter what the cataclysm. But the world left for them to inhabit is a harsh place indeed. The story takes place almost entirely in the Great Kanto Desert, a massive desert that stretches on in all directions. A dune sea where only the survival of the fittest counts and the weak die.

COMIC ADDICTS VS BOOK WORMS : An Unfair Fight

EPISODE 1: The addicts strike back

This war has been going on since ages from the day the first comic got printed. Through the years it has become fiercer than epic rivalries like Ram vs Ravan, Moses vs Ramsis, the Corleones vs the 5 families, Marvel vs Capcom, DC vs Marvel, Star Wars vs Star Trek etc. In fact in its comparison the war between the titans and the Olympians almost looks like children performing a sort of a role play.  They (the bookworms) think of us as kids who will be perpetually be kids while we (the comic addicts) know that bookworms are nothing but pseudo-intellectual posers just jealous of the kind of culture we have.  Thus to settle this for once and for all we have in the blue corner the comic addicts and in the red corner the bookworms, let the slaughter fest begin.

Comfort in Comics: 100 BULLETS

I haven't written anything for 3 months. By written I mean, I haven't written any comic book scripts, nor have I drawn anything. When that happens I usually escape into sci-fi and fantasy based stories. Reading or watching something that has nothing to do with reality always seems to bring me out of the depths that I end up digging for myself.

   So, I did a lot of reading and watching. Being in the dark mode I was in, I picked and ruffled through the pile of graphic novels I have and then got hold of the complete trade paperbacks of 100 Bullets. Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso's tour de force is a classic crime series. The high concept is thus : A man with a suitcase filled with 100 untraceable bullets would offer you a chance to use it for whichever purposes you wish. What would you do if you were afforded such an opportunity?

This week in comics : What's New

GREEN LANTERN  #5

Writer: Goeff Johns

Artist: Doug Mahnke

I would go ahead and call this the strongest issue of the current volume if this hadn’t involved a cliffhanger

 everyone knew the conclusion to last issue. So yes, rings made by Sinestro can’t attack him, which is why the new GL recruits in the form of the residents of Korugar can’t attack Sinestro. The issue follows the path you would have expected it to follow last issue, with Sinestro inducing moustache-twirling awesomeness to free his home planet with the help of Hal Jordan, only to subsequently have him sent off the planet nevertheless.

 The difference made is in the amazing work on character with both Sinestro and Hal, as well as some kick-ass artwork by the dependable Doug Mahnke (though I would still have preferred Ivan Reis on this title). The issue ends as you would expect any Geoff Johns GL story to end : with the Guardians hatching up a sinister plan.

Score : 8.2/10

Superhero Attractions To Look Forward To

Aside from movies and video games what's the best way to feel like you're really apart of the comic book action? The answer: theme parks. True that it's really past theme park season right now, but Comic Addicts got wind of some attractions that are coming to a couple of theme parks that will get any comic geek giddy.

So let the geek wanderlust take over your mind as we give you the low down on upcoming attractions.

Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 4

Writer: Alan Moore
Artists: Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, Stan Woch, Ron Randall, Rick Veitch, Alfredo Alcala
Collects: Swamp Thing issues 43 to 50
Collected under Vertigo


And welcome to yet another installment of everybody's favourite swamp monster. In this collection, Alan Moore spins his epic titled "The American Gothic Saga" which has its roots in book 3, with the introduction of John Constantine. We finally learn what Constantine has been preparing Swampy for all this time in Moore's sprawling and ambitious storyline (though, arguably far from the finest; it's his creepy one and done stories that entice me more) which guest stars almost everybody from DC's horror stable, (Etrigan the Demon, Phantom Stranger, The Spectre, Abel & Cain from the House of Mystery, Zatarra and Zatanna, Doctor Occult, Sargon the Sorcerer, Baron Winter, Steve Dayton) which in itself is a feat, as nobody gets the short shrift here.

10 WAYS TO GET YOUR MIND OFF THE AVENGERS MOVIE

 -A list by Anubhav Sharma

1) Watch every Marvel Studios movie. Repeatedly.

Shiny!!

Nish’s Notepad: Harry Potty and the Deathly Boring

Before starting the review, I’m a big fan of Harry Potter. I’ve grown up with it. So choosing between this and the other parodies was quite easy. Published by Papercutz Graphic Novels, Harry Potty is the first of the four available parodies, in a series called as Papercutz Slices.

Story: Stefan Petrucha
Art: Rick Parker

Week In Review 09.01.2012 : New Comics Mega-post!

Week-In-Review time folks!!
This week it's Animal Man #5 + Batwing #5 + Vampirella vs. Dracula #1 + Witchblade #151 + Avengers Annual #1 + Fatale #1 + The Lil' Depressed Boy #8!


This week three of the team have gotten together to give you one HUGE mega-review post, bringing you the best, brightest and most popular comics out this week!

Anupam's Reviews

Animal Man #5

Story: Jeff Lamire

Art: Travel Foreman

Writer Jeff Lemire's bought one of the under dogs of DC and turned him into a full on horror filled (new) Animal Man! Be it horror,superhero or simply comic book fans, this one shouldn't be a miss. Plus the visuals really set the book apart and puts it in the way too (horribly) dreadful category!

SCORE : 9.5/10

Batwing #5 (featuring a special appearance by Batman!)

Story: Judd Winick

Art: Ben Oliver

I would call this more of a character development story rather than a 'story' I would wanna see in a comic. The art overall gives a very realistic feel, which matches the story perfectly.

And don't get fooled by Bats's special appearance, practically there was no need of him to be there at all! Probably an idea by writer or editorial team to include him in order to raise the sells.

SCORE : 7/10

The Lord of the Avengers

One of the great things about being a geek is that it is very easy to draw parallels between our various interests. Having said that there is quite a bit of buzz about two upcoming films. The first is The Avengers and the other is The Hobbit.

Having said that we here at Comic Addicts got to thinking how many similarities there were between the characters of The Avengers and the well known group from The Fellowship of the Ring. It's was actually quite stunning. In fact, we gave the Fellowship an Avenger identity based on the personality they matched best. Here is what we came up with:

Gandalf is Nick Fury. Why? Gandalf hand picked his team and brought them together for a specific mission. He knew the skills of each and ever member. Ultimately everyone in the Fellowship follow Gandalf's lead.

Frodo is Captain America. Why? He's a small town kid who desperately wants to do good. He wants to make a difference and get a taste of adventure. He's niave and inexperienced, but possess a heart bigger than his size. He is also willing to sacrifice himself for the overall good of the team. He even becomes a point of inspiration as the journey goes on.

Wishing Well : Indian Comics in 2012

 In a lot of ways, the future will remember 2011 as the year the Indian comic-book geek came out of the closet. The success of the first ever comic-book conventions in the country being held in Delhi and Mumbai went a long way in illuminating fanboys in regard to the presence of their fellow comic addicts.

It’s a year that saw Ravan’s side of the story, the beginning of an indigenous Martial Arts epic, Shiva finding his way back into comic books, the conclusion of India’s first home-grown Zombie comic book series and an arguably ballsy move from print to digital (and free), among many other exciting prospects.

Keeping in mind all these developments, It’s difficult not to imagine what this oh-so-beautiful monster, currently in its infancy, is going to grow into tomorrow. Bear in mind, however, that this is all just speculation and wishful thinking, but its fulfillment would make this little geek very happy:

A Shared Universe

In my mind, this is the one thing from a creative point of view that needs to happen soon. We are already seeing the seeds being sowed for this, with Yumi coming to a computer screen near you soon, as a Shaurya spinoff, but there is still quite a long way to go. The reason a shared universe is important is that it opens a whole world (literally) of literary possibilities, and helps give multi-dimensional looks at a character and settings. If the upcoming Avengers movie can’t convince you it’s awesome, I don’t know what will. Picture the cast of Shaurya stuck in a zombified Bangalore or a Daksh-spinoff Ravana escaping from hell into the modern day, keen for redemption.

New Year Resolutions of the Heroes!

It's New Year time once again! And we all know that people love making resolutions, but what would your favourite heroes and villains be planning for the year ahead?

Well wonder no more! I ran all around the comic world and with the help of fellow addict Amanda White, we were able to get you all the info you've been looking for my fellow Addicts! 

AND we have great pictures to accompany everything, feel free to click and see them in all their amusing glory!

So without further adieu, here's they are:

Superman

1. Cut back on the drinking and find better ways to deal with the divorce and Bruce's crappy new attitude.

2. Stop feeling awkward without the red underwear – its what I've always wanted and I still wear them on the inside anyway!

3. Try not to get suckered by Kryptonite so easily this year.

The Incredible Hulk
1. Get in touch with my spiritual side and hopefully find inner peace.

2. Try out stretchy pants in a colour besides purple.

3. Don't kill puny Banner!

Swamp Thing

1. Get my mojo back!

2. See if Poison Ivy is available!

SERIES IN REVIEW: Batman #1-3 (THE NEW 52)

WRITER: Scott Snyder

PENCILLER: Greg Capullo

INKER: Jonathan Glapion

COLORIST: FCO Plascencia

Before getting on with the review, lemme ask you something: 

Guess what happens when one of the most versatile comic book writer of 21^st century collaborates with one of the most stylistic and awesome artist on a major DC title? 

The answer's easy - the current BATMAN reboot happens.

HISTORY

One fine day, while surfing the net, I just came across a piece of news that shook me or maybe it shook my room, or maybe the world might have shook with the shakes inside the bodies of comic fans. The column read- DC Reboot

From what I remember the DC guys saying that following the 'Flashpoint' crossover, all the DC titles along with some new ones (totaling up to 52), will be relaunched from September 2011.

Like many others I too was both sad and extremely excited at the same time. So the only thing I could do at that time was hoping for the new ones to be as good as the it's predecessors. And on that point, I gotta say, I was not disappointed. Here's a review of one of my favorite character's relaunched comic. 

Week-in-Review: Avengers - Childrens Crusade #8 / Kick-Ass v2 #6 / Teen Titans #4 / Extinction Seed #1

Welcome back folks to another round of picks from the releases in the week starting 29^th December, from us here at Comic Addicts! We're sure you're all excited to see whats on the menu so lets just dig right in!

Avengers : Children's Crusade #8 (of 9) (Marvel Comics)

Story: Allan Heinberg

Art: Jim Cheung, Mark Morales

Hold no doubt, this is probably the most important book in the Marvel Universe right now. Leading into Avengers vs. X-Men, and more importantly, dealing with three or four different ongoing plot points in Universe-616 (the main Marvel-U). It also contains Allan Heinberg’s and Jim Cheung’s much awaited return to the fan-favourite Young Avengers and this series has so far failed to disappoint. With this issue, we see the collective power of the Avengers, X-Men, X-Factor and the Young Avengers take on an omnipresent Doctor Doom. The individual motivations and agendas of every character who gets even a line in the book are well explored. Particularly well written is the Scarlet Witch, with the pain and guilt of her earlier actions (Disassembled, House of M, Decimation, etc...) reflected well in pretty much everything she says. Jim Cheung’s work is excellent as usual, with some big, bold widescreen action working in tandem with some beautiful visuals. There is also the possible death of one character, which is handled beautifully and will leave you surprised.

SCORE : 8.8/10

New Year, New Read

It's always good to start off the year with something new. Something that caught your eye and you figured you'd take a chance on. Or perhaps you're looking for something new to read to kick off the new year. Well, here at Comic Addicts we've found something new and we're going to share it with you.

Back on November 12 at the Coast City Comic Con in Portland, Maine we got talking to a couple of interesting chaps who are completely into cryptozoology. Their names are Todd Dezago and Craig Rousseau. These two created The Perhapanauts. After talking to them and their love of cryptozoology (the study of mythical and folklore creatures such as Big Foot, Mermaids, and Mothmen to name a few) they suggested we check out their book. Which of course we bought the graphic novel Dark Days after getting them to sign it.

If you're a fan of Hellboy, you'll enjoy The Perhapanauts. It's about a secret government agency BEDLAM aka The Bureau of Extra-Dimensional Liabilities And Management. These folks look for rips in the space time dimensional fabric that could allow something to come through that shouldn't. They then asses the situation and correct it as they detain whatever it was that got through the rip.

Of course it's the characters that really make the story. In the case of The Perhapanauts it's the Blue Team. The Blue Team contains quite the cast of characters. There is Arisa the Blue Team leader who is a powerful psychic. Then there's MG who is a slider which means he can slide between dimensions. There is also Molly who is a ghost. Those are the "normal" ones for the most part.

Then there is Choopie and Big. Choopie is a chupacabra and Big is a Big Foot. Both Choopie and Big were put through an evolution ray to make them smarter. Big now is very much like Hank McCoy in that he's the smartest member of the team as well as its strongest member. Choopie acts like a 12 year old boy. He refers to vampires as, "blood suckin' freaks" when in fact being a chupacabra he is a blood sucker himself.Every now and then a couple of characters from the Red Team pop their heads in. Peter Hammerskold is a former Marine and leader of the Red Team. He has little to no tolerance for Arisa and the creatures that make up her team, but he desperately wants to be Blue Team leader. There is also Karl who is a mothman who lends a hand, er, wing from time to time.

The group dynamic works extremely well and the characters have a family feel about their relationship with one another. Of course Choopie is the trouble maker with his, "mess you up gun" and so is the one who needs the most supervision. Arisa and Big are the two that hold everything together and keeps everyone focused. Like any family they don't get along perfectly, but they are able to work out their differences rather quickly.

So if you're looking for something that has a Hellboy/X-Files feel The Perhapanauts is for you. The storylines make it a quick and enjoyable read as well as putting an interesting spin on those classic urban legends and folklore tales. Craig's artwork is a style that falls between the gothic and classic sci-fi. Which means it fits the characters and the story perfectly.

For more information about Todd and Craig's Perhapanauts visit their website:

http://perhapanauts.com/