Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 6/4

Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files- War Cry #1
Story: Jim Butcher and Mark Powers
Art: Carlos Gomez

Now, this is very exciting! The first two original Dresden Files comic series, Welcome to the Jungle and Ghoul Goblin, have been a lot of fun, but they have been set very early in the series, and so Harry Dresden, our favorite wizard for hire, has been on his own for most of them, and the stories have not been too entrenched in the series mythology, which is great for new readers, I admit. But now we're three series in, and the new mini-series, War Cry, takes place in the thick of things. Harry has been made a warden, one of the police of the wizard world, and has to lead a team of inexperienced young wardens on a mission. In the first issue, we not only get some great Dresden, but we get to spend some time with his trainees, Wild Bill, Yoshimo, and Carlos Ramirez. Carlos has had some spotlight time in the novels, but the other two are characters who have only appeared in the background, so it's nice as a fan to see them fleshed out, and it's good for the comic because if they weren't, they would so clearly scream red shirt. As the issue continues, we get to know the Venatori Umborum, a group of scholars who support the White Council of Wizards, and the Red Court of Vampires, the foes the Council is at war with. It's an exciting first issue, with lots of action and humor, a perfect reflection of what makes The Dresden Files great, and despite taking place deep in the series, it still does a good job of getting readers unfamiliar with the series up to speed. I also have to say that, since Adrian Syaf left halfway through the adaptation of the first Dresden Files novel, Storm Front, I haven't entirely felt the art on the various series. Carlos Gomez, the new artist for this series, though, is a keeper. He draws great action, creepy monsters, and a perfect Harry. So, if like me, you're already feeling withdrawal the day after you finished Skin Game, the new Dresden Files novel, or if you just want to read an exciting supernatural action comic, War Cry is worth picking up.

Scratch 9: Cat of Nine Worlds #1
Story: Rob Worley
Art: Joshua Buchanan

I wrote an advance review of the first issue of the new Scratch 9 mini-series a bit ago, but the issue has now been released, so go back, read the review, and then go and pick up the story of a cat who can summon his other eight lives on an adventure through time.

Simpsons Illustrated #11
Story: Various
Art: Various

Simpsons Illustrated is a quarterly anthology that collects some of the best of the years and years of Simpsons stories from all the Bongo Comics. Each issue is a ton of fun, and if you're new to Simpsons comics you'll read some amazing stories for the first time, and if you're an old fan, you'll get to revisit some classics. I could have written about any of these issues, but this one has two of may favorite Simpsons shorts. "Homer's America" tells the story of Homer being the chaperon on Lisa's school trip, and after Otto flees the bus, Homer takes the kids on a whirlwind tour of the country with his own.. unique spin on American history. I don't want to tell you too much about this, but some stories involve vampires and aliens, so it's history as only Homer Simpson could imagine it. The other is the hilarious "Nerds of Prey." So this is obviously an homage to DC Comics Birds of Prey, it's mostly female super hero team, and writer Ian Boothby is clearly a fan. When Bartman is kidnapped by Cat Lady Woman, Lisa must gather all the help she can to save him. After donning a red wig (from Simone's Wigs, a nod to Birds and occasional Simpsons Comics writer Gale Simone), Lisa calls for helps and receives replies from Bad Girl (Reverend Lovejoy's wild child daughter, Jessica), the Wonderful Twins (Sherri and Terri), Powersauce Girl (Rainier Wolfcastle's daughter, Greta), and the Noir Nightingale (Martin Prince, rocking the fishnets). It's a great superhero send up in Simpsons style. The issue also includes a Bart runs the Qwik-E-Mart story, a Bartman adventure, and a series of amusing two page McBain gags. If you're a fan of The Simpsons and don't usually check out the offerings from Bongo Comics, this is a great series to start with, and this issue has a lot of highlights.

Tiny Titans: Return to the Treehouse #1
Story & Art: Art Baltazar & Franco

Aw, Yeah Titans! I am so excited that Tiny Titans has returned, I don't have words. Ok, I have to have some words, otherwise this would be a pretty lame review. Tiny Titans is the adorable all ages book by Art Baltazar and Franco that features kindergarten age Titans going on various wacky adventures. It's fun, light, and smart, filled with cute DC Universe easter eggs and sense of whimsy for older fans and a great cast for the kids. The first series ran fifty issues, a good showing for an all ages book from wither of the big two, and now it's back for a new six issue mini-series. This issue sees Brainiac 5 and Psimon shrink the Titans Treehouse down to earn a badge in the Brainiac Club, and Robin, Superboy, and Supergirl go to hunt down the missing treehouse with the help of Ace the Bat Hound and Krypto the Super Dog. The hunt leads to appearances by Swamp Thing, Solomon Grundy, and Metamorpho, while there is hijinks in the Treehouse involving Raven, Beast Boy, and Terra. I have always enjoyed the comedic relationship between Tiny Titans Beast Boy and Terra, with Beast Boy mooning over Terra, while she throws rocks at him in a way to run him off but secretly likes him in that way that little kids have. It's always exciting to see an old favorite return and still be as good as you remember it, and Tiny Titans is still as great as ever. Oh, and this week also saw the release of the second issue of Art & Franco's Dark Horse/Dynamite/Aw Yeah Comics! crossover, Captain Action Cat: The Timestream CATastrophe, which is equally joyful and fun, so you should check that one out too.

Free Comic Book Day 2014: Where You Should Go and What You Should Read

So, another year has come and gone, and we are once again back at that most amazing day! Yes, it's International Werewolf Day! What is that you say? I'm mistaken and there's no such thing? Oh, well, I guess I just have to talk about Free Comic Book Day instead. I wrote a similar post to this last year, but what's good to do once is good to do again, so here we go.

Free Comic Book Day is an industry wide holiday of sorts, held the first Saturday in May every year, where comic retailers buy special comics available at a tremendous discount to give out to you, the comic reading public, for free. That's right, FREE. I can't speak for every retailer, but my store, Dewey's Comic City, really tries to do it up right. Other than having one of the widest selections of free comics, we also have goody bags for the first hundred or so customers, raffles, cosplayers from the local chapter of the 501st Legion (the Star Wars costume guild), face painting for the kids, and our biggest Artist's Alley yet, including Dewey's favorite Fernando Ruiz (Life With Archie and the lead story in this year's FCBD Archie digest), Charles Paul Wilson III (Wraith: Welcome to Christmasland), and Keith Giffen (More credits to count, including the current Justice League 3000 and this year's upcoming New 52: Futures' End, the 0 issue of which is one of this year's FCBD selections from DC). My boss likes to say that nobody gives you more on FCDB than Dewey's, and while I can't say that quantifiably, I know it sure feels that way. So you should come on by. Check out the details HERE; we'd love to see you.

Now, I know you love free stuff. I love free stuff too. But Free Comic Book Day is about a lot more than just free comics. For retailers, this is a huge investment of time and money (just 'cause they're free for the customers, it doesn't mean it's free to the retailers), but it's worth it to bring people who might not usually come in to a shop to come by and pick up some comics. And it's important to the industry because it allows publishers and creators to get their books into the largest possible number of hands, hands that might not normally try that kind of comics. I personally discovered one of my favorite series of all time, Atomic Robo, on its first FCBD outing. So what I'm saying is, if you're a DC/Marvel sort of reader, pick up an indy. If you usually would never touch a super hero comic, pick up something from the Big 2. It's not costing you anything, and you might discover something you really like.

So, below find my recommendation for eleven books I think you should try. I haven't gotten around to reading all of them, I admit, but this is a decent cross section of the books I enjoyed so far.

2000 AD

2000 AD is the long running British anthology series that is probably most famous in the US for spawning Judge Dredd. Every year, there's a great collection of classic 2000 AD stories as part of the FCBD selections, and this year is no different. Headlined by a story featuring Dredd, there are also stories about the barbarian Slaine, Dredd's sometimes partner, psychic Judge Anderson, supernatural copper Absalom, and more. If you've never tried these, gritty UK comics, you should. It's not like anything we have here in the States. This one is very much for grown ups only.

Atomic Robo

As I said above, I discovered Atomic Robo on his first FCBD appearance, where he first fought his archnemesis, the deranged Dr. Dinosaur, and has been the free comic I look forward to most every year since then. Usually, FCBD Robo stories feature the mad raptor, but since this year's mini-series for Robo was a Dr. Dinosaur story, we instead see Robo once again confront the cryptid called the Yonkers Devil. Action and comedy ensue. The issue also features pages from Red 5 Comics series Haunted (the first issue hit this past Wednesday) and a very funny story of Bodie Troll, the troll too adorable to scare anyone. The issue is appropriate for readers 12 and up, mostly because the preview of Haunted is creepy; both Robo and Bodie can be read by all ages.

Avatar/ Itty Bitty Hellboy/ Juice Squeezers

I'm recommending this one not for the main story (which is good, but Avatar isn't one of my core fandoms), but for the two back ups. The first is a fun two page Itty Bitty Hellboy story where Hellboy tries to get the ghost of Rasputin to act a bit more ghostly, and then a new short tale of the Juice Squeezers, the kids who protect the town of Weeville from giant bugs. Here, we see exactly what happens to a bully when he picks on one of the Squeezers. As a high school nerd, there's some wonderful wish fulfillment there. This is a all ages book.

The Dumbest Idea Ever!

This issue is an excerpt from the recent graphic bio by cartoonist Jimmy Gownley, best known for creating one of my favorite all ages books of all time, Amelia Rules!. I'm ashamed to say I have this book on my shelf of to be read books, and have since it's publication a few months back, waiting to be read when I have time. After reading this charming excerpt, I am unsurprised that this has moved right to the top of my read pile. A perfect slice of life for anyone who remembers being in their teens, no matter how distantly. This is an all ages book.

Giant Size 4 Comic Bundle

This is one of the two "most bang for your non-existent buck" books this year, since it's technically four comics in one pack! Red Giant Entertainment is looking to start releasing weekly, ad supported free comics, and this pack has one issue of each of the four. The four individual books (with two stories each) are Giant Size Action, Giant Size Adventure, Giant Size Adventure, and Giant Size Thrills. They vary in quality from book to book from just ok to pretty darn great, and my favorite was Giant Size Action, since one of its features is Tesla, a Nicola Tesla action story, and I love me some Tesla. Other highlights were the crime/superhero/conspiracy mash up Duel Identity in Giant Size Fantasy, and the all ages fantasy story Magika in Giant Size Adventure. The ratings on these range from a teen and up to an all ages. Probably best to look each one over before you hand them to the little ones.

Mouse Guard, The Labyrinth, and Other Stories

And the next big value is Archaia's free hardcover, featuring a headline story from David Petersen's Mouse Guard. The story is a beautiful place to start if you've never read Mouse Guard before, a perfect microcosm of the series beautiful art and poetic language. Other stories include one set in the world of Farscape, Jim Henson's Labyrinth, a tale of a boy and his friend a dinosaur called Bolivar: The Golden Door, and others. I'd place the age recommendation here to be ten and up, but if you feel you seven or older year old can handle a little bit of scary, go for it.

Project: Black Sky

Project: Black Sky is the name of mysterious organization and the event that is tying together Dark Horse Comics various superhero titles this year, and this issue serves as a sort of primer, giving you an idea of what the project is up to, and who some of the heroes who will be facing them. The heroes here are Captain Midnight, the time displaced World War II era flyer, and Brain Boy, the psychic secret service agent. Written by Fred Van Lente, who has been writing the mini-series that chronicle Brain Boy's adventures, it's a light, fun super hero adventure featuring heroes fighting genetically altered apes. And we all know comics are better with apes and monkeys. I'd go with a ten and up on the reading age here.

Rocket Raccoon

The sure to be star of this summer's Guardians of the Galaxy movie, Rocket Raccoon gets to star in Marvel's all ages offering this year. It's a breezy little story of Rocket, along with his fellow Guardian, Groot (I AM GROOT!), and his fellow anthropomorphic animal Wall Russ (I Am The... oh, I get it!), rescuing a princess from captivity by a group of mercenary rabbits. The story fits better into the pre-Marvel Now! continuity, but is completely not dependent on any continuity for your enjoyment, and is a great introduction to Rocky and Groot. The issue also features a fun back-up from the world of the animated Ultimate Spider-Man cartoon with some excellent Ty Templeton art. This is an all ages book.

Scratch 9

I wrote an advance review of the new Scratch 9 series a couple of weeks back, and now's your chance to get your own sneak peek. The first half of this issue is some pages from that issue, while the second half of the Scratch segment features Scratch teaming up with First Pet Bo Obama to help save the president from an evil robot. The other side of the flipbook features a new story by Scratch creator Rob Worley, Run & Amuk, featuring a young boy nicknamed Run and his giant friendly monster companion called Amuk travelling through time. It's as fun and crazy as it sound. This is an all ages book.

Sherwood, Texas

The beginning of a series that is resetting the classic Robin Hood story in modern times, this is sort of Robin and the 7 Hoods (which if you've never seen, look it up on Netflix. It's the Rat Pack as prohibition era Chicago Robin Hood and his Merry Men) meets Sons of Anarchy. It's got that neo-western vibe that I like, and it's playing just fast and loose enough with the classic Robin Hood story that I'm not exactly cure where it will go when it becomes a regularly published comic. This is a book geared for adults.

Skyward/Midnight Tiger

Action Lab's ongoing Skyward gets a FCBD issue that, like last year's, gives us a glimpse into the future of the series. If you've never read Skyward before, it's a fantasy series, and this issue features new characters that I assume will play a part in the next arc of the series, so this issue is a fantasy adventure history of a tribe of barbarians. It's a good backstory, and I'm excited to see where this goes in the ongoing. Midnight Tiger is the origin of a new superhero who will be getting his own title from Action Lab this summer. It's a very Peter Parker/teen hero sort of origin, but there are some interesting aspects that will be fun to watch play out if I choose to pick up the mini-series. If not? It's a good self contained origin that does a lot of world building. This is all ages, unless you're one of those people who wants to ban Bone, in which case it's not all ages and what are you doing reading my blog?

Special Advanced Review: Scratch 9: Cat of Nine Worlds #1

It's been a while since we've gotten a new adventure of Scratch, the cat who can summon his past and future lives to his side. I wrote about Scratch 9 in recommended reading for last year's Free Comic Book Day, and with a new series set to debut in June with a preview on FCBD this year, it's time to revisit Scratch and his friends. I got a preview of the first issue of the new mini-series, Cat of Nine Worlds, and I'm happy to say it's right up there with the previous series in terms of quality, meaning it's one of the best all ages books I've read this year.

This new series opens with Garogga, the first of Scratch's incarnations, a sabretoothed cat, investigating a bad feeling. And his investigation tins up... Scratch? Wait, Scratch calls his other incarnations to him, not goes to visit them. So, right at the beginning, we have a mystery, and we start to get the answers right off. We flashback (or is it forward?) to the present, where we see Penelope, Scratch's girl, getting ready to go to camp, and looking for Scratch to say goodbye. It's a sweet scene, and reinforces one of the central themes of Scratch 9: friendship. Penelope has to leave without saying goodbye to Scratch, and shortly arrives at camp Robo (not to be related to Atomic Robo, although wouldn't that be a great crossover).

Pretty soon, the action of the series starts, as Penelope and Scratch (who winds up at camp with Penelope. How? Read the comic!) once again run afoul of Dr. Schrodinger, the evil scientist whose fascination with sending his consciousness into other bodies and responsible for Scratch's powers, who is out for revenge for Scratch and Penelope stumbling across his plans. And by issue's end, Scratch has gone back in time as a result of Schrodinger's plot, and we're back at the beginning.

One of the real strengths of Scratch 9 is it's characters. Not only is Scratch clever, but his relationship with Penelope is endearing; if you've ever had a cat who really loves you, you can see that relationship in Penelope and Scratch. Penelope shows just how smart she is in her time at Robot Camp, an aspect of her character that gets more play this time around. While we don't get a lot of time spent with Scratch's friends from the previous series, we do get to see some of Garogga's cast from his short in the Cat Tails mini-series. Schrodinger isn't exactly a villain of great depth; he has no tragedy in his background as far as we know. He's just a jerk. And frankly, I'm fine with that. Not every villain needs to be Magneto, who you can sympathize with. Sometimes a villain who is a mustache twirling bad guy is fine.

The art for this new series is provided by a new artist to the series. Joshua Buchanan takes over for original series artist Jason T. Kruse, and the hand off is seamless. Buchanan's art is fun, light and expressive. Penelope's facial expressions are well rendered and full of emotion, and Scratch is feline while still being more expressive than a cat's face could be if rendered "realistically." The designs for Schrodinger and his robots are very cool, and the new villainous character, who I don't want to talk about and ruin the surprise, has a similar design to another character, but the coloring and the facial expressions make for a smart design and an excellent addition to the cast.

There are more good all ages comics out there now then there have been in a long time, but still, finding on this smart and fun is a rarity. Scratch 9 is smart and fun; it doesn't talk down to it's audience. I'm a cat person, and Scratch is the kind of cat I want, and would be even if he didn't have superpowers.If you're looking for a book to share with your family, this is definitely a book to look at. Scratch 9 is back, and there's nothing that could make me happier.

There will be a new Scratch 9 issue for Free Comic Book Day, and Scratch 9: Cat of Nine Worlds is going to be released in June. Issue 1 is solicited in the current issue of Previews, so if you're interested, head to your comic shop now and place your order.

Reviews of Comics from Wednesday 7/31

Detective Comics Annual #2
Story: John Layman & Joshua Williamson
Art: Scot Eaton, Szymon Kudranski, Derlis Santacruz

Some years ago, Dan Slott, best known for his work on Amazing/Superior Spider-Man as well as other Marvel books, wrote some great Batman stories, mostly in the animated series title, Batman Adventures. But he also wrote a really creepy mini-series called Arkham Asylum: Living Hell, which not only had some great uses of classic Bat villains, but introduced a bunch of new ones, most of whom have been underused or not at all used. This years Detective Comics Annual takes one of these villains and introduces her into the New 52: Jane Doe, who has no identity of her own and takes the identities, skins, and skills of her victims. Its a very Batman villain concept, and John Layman, regular Detective Comics writer, and co-writer Joshua Williamson, don't change the formula. Instead we get Batman playing detective, trying to find out who Jane has replaced while also dealing with the Wrath killings that are happening in the main story in the monthly series. What I really enjoyed was the annual was divided into interconnected stories. The first is the traditional Batman versus a villain story, which is a well orchestrated little piece. The others deal with the ramifications of what happened in that story. One story deals with Jane Doe in Arkham, and we get a little more a view of exactly what she in from her own point of view. The last story deals with Jane's surviving final victim, and how he or she deals with seeing what Jane did with his or her life. I don't want to say who it is, but it was a great reveal at the ending to the main story, and seeing exactly how one's life is affected by supervillains is something we usually don't see from more common person, so its a nice touch, especially in an issue that deals so much with identity.

Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray #5
Story: Frank J. Barbiere
Art: Chris Mooneyham

The first arc on the now ongoing Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray wraps up with our title hero making peace with his past and the ghosts that haunt him, both literally and metaphorically. While Fabian faces down the Vampire, who seems to have his sister, imprisoned, in the final test, Shangri-la is under siege, with Fabian's friend, Sebastian, at risk from the attacking sorcerer. The inner battle Fabian has with the Vampire is less important than the peace he makes with the loss of Sylvia, his sister. Not that Fabian has given up his quest to find her, far from it, but he now has a drive to do good beyond that. If this had been the end of the series, it would have been a great place to leave him, but knowing that more is coming makes it all the more exciting, especially with the hints of the mysterious cabal that has been hunting Fabian. Chris Mooneyham's art, which has been excellent so far, kicks up into a new and even more incredible gear. The scenes in the dreamscape, as Fabian fights the Vampire and sees his sister are ethereal and gorgeous, and his battle in the real world with the swordsman/sorcerer is one of the most dynamic fight scenes I've seen in comics in a long time. While I'm trying to keep my comic consumption at a stable level, I'm very excited that I can add this book to my list of ongoing titles; Five Ghosts is a definite keeper.

Indestructible Hulk #11
Story: Mark Waid
Art: Matteo Scalera

Indestructible Hulk has been a solid book since its inception, but has stood in the shadow of Mark Waid's excellent run on Daredevil for me. This new issue, the beginning of the "Agent of T.I.M.E." arc, feels like the start of the breakout arc. This book has been a mix of superheroics and sci-fi, so a Hulk heading into the timestream to help fix the mess that the Avengers made of the it in Age of Ultron fits with the book's mission statement.  Before the time travel and Hulking-out, we get some great scenes between Bruce Banner and Maria Hill; Hill and Banner butt heads pretty much constantly, and I really enjoy the adversarial relationship between them. The appearance of Arthur Zarrko, a C-List Marvel time travel villain also known as the Tomorrow Man sets up the plot, and explains some of the interesting things Waid has been doing with Hulk. I haven't read a lot of Hulk since Peter David left, with the exception of an arc or two here and there, so I don't know exactly what the relationship between Bruce and his ex-wife Betty is right now, other than the fact that she's a Red She-Hulk, but Waid puts her to an interesting use in the issue. And the idea of Banner's consciousness travelling in a robot with the Hulk, and the two having to interact, is a very cool one too. Mark Waid made good use of time travel in his legendary run on The Flash, so I'm excited to see more of what he does in this arc. Oh, the above cover is the variant, by the way, but as a Revolutionary War buff, I had to choose it. Can't you just picture the Hulk screaming, "NO, John Hancock! Hulk will sign first!"

Scartch 9: Cat Tails #1
Story: Rob M. Worley
Art: Shannon Eric Dento, Justin Casteneda, Caanan Grall, Mike Roll, Jason T. Kruse

Scratch 9 returns with an anthology featuring a story for each of house cat Scratch's nine lives, each with a different artist. The original Scratch 9 series was a charming, action filled romp perfect for all ages, and the new incarnation is just as much fun, but the short story format allows writer Rob M. Worley to stretch his artistic legs and tell different kinds of stories. Each of this first issue's four tales have a completely different flavor, which makes sense as each cat is very different. The story of D'Argent, the black and white French cat who can spread both good and bad luck, is a sweet story of him helping a human friend find love. Ix, the cat from the far future with the hyper-evolved brain, breaks the fourth wall and shows the reader some fun interactive number/letter games and optical illusions. Gargogga, the smilodon (that's sabre-toothed tiger in layman's terms), wanders the cold winter of prehistoria, where the last of the smilodons shows just how big his heart is. And in my favorite tale of the issue, Bektah, the guardian cat of a young Pharaoh, must save his young master from his own ill chosen words when a demon takes him up on an offer made rashly. And all of that is framed by one page intros featuring Scratch's supporting cast in homage to all manner of classic TV hosts, from Rod Serling and The Twilight Zone to Masterpiece Theatre. I have an affinity for all ages comics, anyone who has read more than a couple posts on here knows that, and the original Scratch 9 really grabbed me, so I was glad to get my hands on this new issue. If you are a cat lover, or a lover of any fun animal story, this is a comic well worth trying.

Free Comic Book Day 2013: Where You Should Go and What You Should Read

So, yes indeed, it's the most wonderful time of the year again! No, not Christmas; it's Geek Christmas, better known as Free Comic Book Day! Just in case you've been living under a rock, or are new to this whole comic book thing, once a year, this year being tomorrow, May 4th, the various comic company's provide special comics to retailers at a drastically reduced price to give out to the reading public for free. Most put their best foot forward and give out some very cool new product. An international promotion, just about every good comic book retailer takes part in the event. It's usually a really festive day, with all sorts of promotions, costumes, and just a sense of the community that I've talked about before and is the hallmark of a good comic shop.

I will, as I am most years, be spending my Free Comic Book Day at my comic shop, Dewey's Comic City, in Madison, NJ, where we'll not only be giving out tons of free comics, but having a bunch of great events, including an artist's alley with free sketches, additional giveaways, and an appearance by the 501st Legion, the Star Wars costume guild (because remember, it's also international Star Wars day, May the Fourth be with you!). I'd love to see everyone there, so go to THIS LINK to get some details about what we're doing.

But as cool as the artists, costumes, and other giveaways are, what this day really is about is the comics. And so I now provide you with the books I am most excited about in:

MATT'S GUIDE TO FREE COMICS 2013

Atomic Robo
The highlight of pretty much every FCBD for me since the inception of this series has been the new offering from Brian Clevenger and Scott Wegener's awesomely incredible Atomic Robo. Usually FCBD means a new confrontation between Robo and his archnemesis, the confused and firearms loving Dr. Dinosaur. But since this year's Robo mini is Dr. Dinosaur centric, we instead get Robo fighting a big robot. And if you know Robo, you know how well all that is going to go. If you've never read Robo before, this is a great one shot to give you the flavor of the series, so why not try out one of the best comics on the rack?

Molly Danger/Princeless

I've written a lot about Princeless, especially lately, since the second mini-series has begun, so you know I'm excited for a new short featuring Adrienne, Bedelia, and Sparky. But just as exciting is the debut of Molly Danger, a new comic with a similar flavor as Princeless, but this time about a young woman superhero. From Jamal Igle, a great talent and one of the nicest guys I've ever met in the comic book industry, the first Molly Danger graphic novel will be coming out in July, but this will give you a great feel for what kind of fun action Igle has planned for us.

Star Wars/Captain Midnight/Avatar

A Star Wars inclusion for FCBD has been an annual tradition since the first year, sometimes with new material, sometimes with reprint. This year, I'm happy to say we get an original short from Brian Wood, who has been doing great work on the monthly title, set right in the heart of the Classic Trilogy, featuring Boba Fett and Darth Vader. Also, get a short with classic pulp hero Captain Midnight, whose Dark Horse Presents serial was one of my favorite in recent issues and who will be getting his own series shortly. And on the flip side of the flip book, check out a new story from the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. I have to admit to not being familiar with Avatar very well, so I might have to read this to get a little more in the know.

The Strangers

For the past few years, Oni Press has debuted a series on FCBD. The most successful of these is the excellent weird western, The Sixth Gun, and I was a big fan of last year's offering, Bad Medicine, as well. This year we get The Strangers, a conspiracy, spy book with a great sixties feel. Pitching new projects to the widest audience possible is one of the great benefits of FCBD, and I love how Oni embraces it, so I'll always try out their new issue ones.

Scratch 9

I wrote this book up as today's recommended reading, but I figured I'd just toss it on here too. It's a reprint of the first issue of a fun all ages series about a cat named Scratch who can some his other eight lives to help him. It's cute, action packed, and a lot of fun.

The Walking Dead

If you're a fan of either the phenomenon that is the TV show, or a fan of the comic, you should definitely check out this year's Walking Dead free comic. Featuring short stories that have rarely if ever been reprinted, there's a story about Michonne (originally published in Playboy and then in the Michonne Special), The Governor (from a CBLDF benefit book and then the Governor Special), Morgan (from an Image Comics holiday special and then only in the giant Walking Dead Omnibus Vol.1) and a brand new Tyrese story that writer Robert Kirkman says he has no plans to reprint. A great way to get a little backstory on some of The Walking Dead's best characters.



There are plenty of other comics, of course. Two each from Marvel and DC (One all ages, one regular), a couple from Valiant and Dynamite, and pretty much any other company you can imagine. I implore you to try something new and different, even if it's not one of the ones I talked about above.
 With a price point like this, there's no better time to see if a new and different comic is something you might love.

Recommended Reading for 5/3: Scratch 9

I think I might have made this apology once or twice before, but it bears repeating. When I do these recommended readings, if the comic isn't something I've just read, I do my best to reread it, or at least to do some serious internet research if at all possible. Well there isn't a ton on the net about this week's recommendation, and I was not able to dig out my copies due to, well, life getting in the way. But still, I wanted to make sure to get this recommendation in, with Free Comic Book Day upon us, so bear with what might be a bit vaguer in places than I'd like, but will talk about the heart of a fun all ages series.

I'm a cat person. This doesn't mean I don't like dogs (which some people assume), it's just that I like the independence and down right befuddling weirdness that is a good cat. So when I saw a supernatural/sci-fi all ages comic with a cat protagonist, I thought this might be something right up my alley. And boy was I right. Scratch 9, by Rob M. Worley and Jason T. Kruse, is a charming, exciting adventure about a nine cats fighting for good, only they all happen to be the same cat; after all cats have nine lives, and you can't expect them all to be the same.

The main protagonist of the series is Scratch, a modern day housecat. Scratch is pretty much like a normal cat, if "normal" can ever be applied to any cat. He hunts his owner, he likes to play, and he doesn't like baths. When Penelope, the girl who owns Scratch, tries to give him a batch, Scratch runs out, and is captured by a man gathering strays for a company called The Corporation for Research into the Ultimate Extension of Logevity. You know no company with the initials CRUEL is up to any good. Scratch is experimented on by Dr. Schrodinger (which is a clever little pun that gave me a chuckle), and is given the ability to summon any of his eight other lives to aid him when he needs them.

Over the course of the four issue mini-series, we meet all eight of the other cats Scratch has been (or will be), and both the designs and the concepts behind them are delightfully clever; each are introduced with a little text box explaining their background and special skills. There's Beeslebohm, a magician's cat who is a master of illusion. Ichirou is a master of martial arts. N3KO is a cyborg cat from the future. And that's just three (four if you count Scratch)! There are five other magical, science fictiony, or just plain cool cats who you'll meet over the course of the series. Each cat has a different personality, and interact with Scratch differently, but they all help him find his bravery to do what must be done.

The animals do talk, but to each other, not to people. We're in a world where the animals are only semi-anthropomorphized. We're not in a Mickey Mouse world, where the animals wear clothes and go to work. We're more in a Lady and the Tramp setting, where the animals may speak among themselves but don't get everything that makes the human world what it is. This of course, leads to some comedy, seeing Scratch and company trying to figure their way through human sized traps and trying to understand all the aspects of the world around them.

The core theme of Scratch 9 is friendship and loyalty. After being captured by CRUEL, Scratch meets some of the other prisoners, including another cat, a chicken, and a hyperactive squirrel, and befriends them. After the accident gives Scratch his powers, he is able to escape, but decides he has to go back and save his new friends. And when Penelope stumbles into Dr. Schrodinger's clutches while trying to find Scratch, Scratch has to go back and save her as well, deciding if he can be a housepet or if his chance to run free is more important. I'm a sucker for a story about a kid and his or her pet, and so the affection and love between Penelope and Sratch is the heart at the center of Scratch 9.

Aside from being action packed and heartwarming, Scratch 9 is also delightfully funny. There's plenty of little jokes that grown-ups can pick up on; like all the best all ages comics, Scratch 9 works on multiple levels. The Schrodinger's cat joke is just the start. Any time there is anything to be acronymed, it's best to check it out, because odds are the acronym is going to be something with some humor in it. And the supporting cast of other animals are a wacky bunch, who add some levity to the scenes after all the action of Scratch and his eight other selves fighting Dr. Schrodinger and his Grizzbots (yup, robo-bears. What doesn't this comic have?)

Jason T. Kruse's art has a charm that matches the writing. It's dynamic, full of action, and just cartoony enough to make the animals expressive. Trying to find the perfect middle ground between animals who are basically just people with slightly altered features and the more limited expressions you can get from the face of a real world animal can be tricky, but Kruse hits the mark. I also once again want to comment on how great the designs were on all of Scratch's other selves. They are each such unique designs, and they are a vibrant part of the world that he and Worley have created.

So, there's Scratch 9. You've got a magical cat, a heart warming story, and some good laughs. Is there really anything more that you could wish for? Oh right, how about Saturday, on Free Comic Book Day (that's May 4th, folks) you can get a copy of Scratch 9 #1 for free at your local comic shop! Yes indeed, new publisher of Scratch, Hermes Press, is making Scratch 9 #1 one of it's FCBD offerings. So if I've piqued your interest, check it out. It'll be more than worth the price of admission, trust me.

Scratch 9 was collected in a trade, called Pet Projects, by it's original publisher, APE, but has since lapsed out of print. I can only imagine Hermes will release a new edition shortly, sometime around the July debuting new Scratch miniseries, Cat Tails, a series that will feature one story each for all of Scratch's incarnations. The first issue is available for pre-order in this month's Previews.