SOMETHING NEW

NEW GRAPHIC NOVELS
&
COLLECTED EDITIONS

WEDNESDAY 7^TH AUGUST

ALAN MOORE FASHION BEAST

What if Alan Moore at the height of his creative powers(1986 debate among yourselves) was commissioned to write a screenplay for a contemporary take on Beauty and the Beast by one of the founding fathers of Punk (debate among yourselves) Malcom McLaren?

Actually with Moore’s early work in Sounds magazine I suppose its not that odd.

Recently serialised in 10 parts but 5 years in the works this is a chunky 200 plus pages of vintage Moore.

Or is it in fact another case of Karaoke on Creator with the work freely adapted by another?

Now a lot of people (me) are a bit sceptical regarding the authenticity of a work ‘adapted’ from a screenplay.

How close is this to what the original writer envisioned? 

Well there is a nicely detailed introduction from Alan about the genesis of the project but no sample pages of the original script that Antony Johnston has turned into this sequential adaptation.
If you fancy reading 40 odd pages of the script follow this link.

 Antony Johnston is an accomplished award winning writer with the excellent Wasteland over at Oni.
He has adapted multiple works of Moore for Avatar and an old hand at maintaining the integrity of the source material as seen in his adaptations of Anthony Horowitz' Alex Rider series of books.
Signed copies in stock!

Working against the book is the perception of an Avatar House style, which I suppose is horribly unfair on the artists involved.

You could uncharitably accuse the company of employing artists who disregard the age old adage of ‘less is more’ meticulously filling each panel with visual excess which tends to impede the sequential flow of panel to panel continuity.

The claustrophobia of the house style, if it exists(debate among yourselves) borrows Burroughs Naked Lunch epiphany, serving up upon the page  frozen moment’s “when everyone sees what is on the end of everyone's fork” so to speak.

I love Avatar as a safe house for seasoned creators who have earned and deserved an outlet for slightly outre material over seen by a sympathetic editor with a very light pencil.

 Every comic that Avatar releases that offends or scandalises is another one finger salute to Wertham and the Code. 
Remember...

If you enjoy Moore of old, the tight page grid overlapping scene transitions and fancy an exploration of beauty and decay then try it on, it may fit.

FAGIN THE JEW 10TH ANNIVERSARY H/C
WILL EISNER

A late work from the masterful Will Eisner collected in a lovely hard cover from Dark Horse.

Alarmed by the anti-Semitic portrayal of the character for over a century Will attempts to redeem this Dickensian character by providing an ‘origin’. A minor work but he still had the artistic chops.

 Will’s work is a difficult sell these days, he doesn't pass the ‘flicker’

Test for most.

 Gesture and movement where paramount concern for this creator. The illusion of life is played out by ink actors from another age, who emote with their bodies with physicality seldom seen outside of slapstick comedy.

On one hand it looks goofy and exaggerated for comic effect and the next moment the burden of events causes characters to collapse in their panels overcome by the enormity of existence and ink.
 These extremes of storytelling lead to accusations of melodrama

leaving his work respected but unread.
If your curious to sample his works Norton published 3 lovely hardcovers that are in print and available from us.

GARTH ENNIS BATTLEFIELDS TP VOL 07

                  IN THE DAYS OF THE MOB / JACK KIRBY 

                                                                               

Little seen semi-autobiographical magazine reprints from Jack King Kirby.

Good companion piece to the autobiographical Kirby story seen in Twomorrows Publishing ‘Streetwise’.

Only the King could make the depression era Lower East Side seem as disorientating as Apocalypse.

BATMAN ARKHAM UNHINGED HC VOL 02

BATMAN ARKHAM UNHINGED TP VOL 01

The Multi-platforming capped crusader battles jagged edged versions of rogues gallery.

in digital first soft and hardcover harvest

CROSSED TP VOL 06

Garth Ennis/Si Spurrier/David Lapham

Shock and Awe and 'orribleness

DAMNED TP VOL 01

Blimey this is by the Punisher:Circle of Blood  Steven Grant and Mike Zeck.

Looks a treat if you like your noir with the lights up high.

DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID PREM HC VOL 05

Award winning run continues from Waid an Samnee

This is turning out to be a remarkably dependable series.

Collects # 22-27

The place to go for really solid intelligent Superhero comics.

DISTANT SOIL TP VOL 01 THE GATHERING

Colleen Doran brings her 3 decade old saga to Image in this new edition

If you can get past the hair styles your in for a treat.

DISTURBINGLY AWFUL MAD TP

IRON MAN PREM HC VOL 02 SECRET ORIGIN

 ‘everything you knew is wrong’ 
Bet you feel really silly now.

LONE WOLF & CUB OMNIBUS TP VOL 02

Best purchase page to pound in the majestic ink strokes of Kojima

ORCHID TP VOL 03

OVER THE WALL GN 

Impressive work from Peter Wartman.

 RACHEL RISING TP VOL 03 CEMETERY SONGS

Terry Moore tale of the dead continues to decompose nicely

SAVAGE WOLVERINE PREM HC VOL 01

Frank Cho’s wonky cheesecake safari.

More cheese than cake

STAR WARS AGENT O/T EMPIRE TP VOL 02

STAR WARS DAWN O/T JEDI TP VOL 02
Soon to be redundant Expanded Universe tales.

THOR BY WALTER SIMONSON TP VOL 01

Walter Simonson’s seminal take upon the Norse god. Wildly regarded as the second greatest run on the book after Lee & Kirby & unfortunately Colletta

This first volume introduces Beta Ray Bill, The Casket of Ancient Winters and a villain whose Achilles heel is a French Fry (babel translation:chips).

This edition is the first time that Steve Oliffe’s new colouring has been seen outside of the mammoth  and expensive

Omnibus of 2011.

Collects #337-345

THRILLING ADVENTURE HOUR HC

If you haven’t heard Ben Blackers awesome Thrilling Adventure Hour in the style of old time radio

Go hear here!

He is also the host of a new Comic podcast over at the Nerdist network alongside Len Wein!

TODD THE UGLIEST KID ON EARTH TP VOL 0

Due to overwhelming popularity what was once a mini is now ongoing.

Worth a look at £7.50

TORPEDO TP VOL 04

Jordi Bernet masterwork.

Soft dames & cover, hard  men

TREKKER OMNIBUS TP

From the vault of Dark Horse comes Ron Randall's lady sci-fi bounty hunter opus

VENOM TP TOXIN WITH A VENGEANCE

WINTER SOLDIER TP VOL 04 ELECTRIC GHOST

That covers it for new releases so far.
(Paul Pope fans may be in for a treat later this week...)