Michael D Hamersky On Comics Presents Vinnie's Take On:  Kleeman and Mike #1     - Above Photo: The Front Cover of Kleeman and Mike #1 from Randall Christopher. Top Left Photo: We found this comic  book at the 2010 Comic Con International: San Diego at the Bear and Fox Booth!

(Vinnie) Today, I will be reviewing Kleeman and Mike issue #1. While going through my dad's stack of comics and graphic novels for possible review, I found this comic book titled Kleeman and Mike. It appeared to be something that was age appropriate for me, plus a possible fun read.

 

(From Michael:) Here is the link to the Bear and Fox web site that also has the Kleeman and Mike comics and additional info, so that YOU can purchase direct from the creators. 

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,230 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com.

If it isn't available in my online 'Local Comic Book Shop, (LCBS), then you may be able find it in my Amazon affiliate link, as seen here:  Comics & Graphic Novels at Amazon!

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics: It's Valentines Day!  February 14th, 2011     - Above Photo: The Front Cover to John Lustig's Last Kiss #3 as shown in Blog #3323. Top Left Photo: Front Cover to Jacque Nodell's Sequential Crush Presents Forgotten Romance.  -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3349:

This is Valentine's Day for those of you that are looking forward to it, and a reminder for those of you that haven't remembered yet!

So since I am already prepared for it... (Chocolate always seems to satisfy the most at this time of year!), I am going to blog about what other romantic things there on the internet for those of you that either like or dislike this time of year!

The small photo at the top left of this blog post is from Jacque Nodell's 'Sequential Crush', which always has a 'history lesson' for me on 'Romance Comics' when I read that blog.

I met Jacque in person, (as seen at the left), at the 2009 SDCC, where she showed me the booklet her presentation was based on at a panel I had missed.

Matter of fact, since my copy from the 2009 SDCC is not for sale, here's a link to a .pdf of it.  Great reading for those that aren't aware of the 'Romance Comics Genre'! 

As well as Jacque's blog.  Today's Valentine's Day blog post is truly a heart breaking one, but is also one that you can grab onto and fix for future Valentines Days to come!

Additionally, John Lustig's 'Last Kiss' feature is one that always bring a smile or laugh to my face or Tina's.  A month ago, I last blogged about John's feature being brought back in the newspaper format, as seen here.

John's feature is more of a satire or parody, (as seen in the top right photo of this blog post), but we need a little laughter during times of being inbetween relationships. 

John's feature can also be found at his Facebook Fan Page for 'Last Kiss', which has the additional links to his websites.  John is shown with Tina at the 2010 Long Beach Comic Con (LBCC).

In addition to the above two references, there are also great 'Romance Comic Book Covers' at the Grand Comics Database.  Currently there are 167 different comic book titles that have 'Romance' as part of their title.  And that's not counting all the other 'Romance' comics out there with 'Romance' in the title.  Have some fun keypunching another romantic word in the search box, and see what YOU find there! 

Plus, feel free to 'Like' the GCD's Facebook Fan Page and thank them for all the hard work contributors have done to build such a fantastic reference web site!

That's about it for this morning's blog post... As I have a lot of work to do, before Tina and I close down the 'home office', and head off to a late Valentine's Day Lunch.  It's going to be 'romantic', because we'll have the Thai food restaurant pretty much to ourselves during that time, right after the regular lunch customers leave and before those coming in the evening have to wait to get in for a booth!   We've done that before, LOL!  Even with reservations, it is tough to get seated timely on any Special Day, especially Valentine's Day at this restaurant!

Besides, after the great Valentine's Day story Tina told at the potluck at our church's pre-Valentine Celebration yesterday... (As seen in the photo to the left), Tina deserves a break today at this restaurant which hold significant meaning for us.   Thanks Tina for sharing that story yesterday.  Besides capturing a lot of applause from the others celebrating the Day there yesterday, it brought me a little more 'insight' into our relationship...

Best wishes to all of you celebrating Valentine's Day with a loved one.  And for those of that aren't doing so... Read a romance comic book or graphic novel to bring a loved one into your life for next year's Valentine's Day!  'Positive Thinking' and 'Treatment' does work!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,230 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'.

However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there. 

Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Vinnie's Take On:  Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock   Volume Two - #2 of 3     - Above Photo: The Front Cover of Jim Henson's Fraggle Rock, Volume 2 - Issue #2 of 3, with Cover A shown. Published by Archaia Entertainment! -

(Vinnie) Today I will be reviewing Fraggle Rock Volume 2 Issue #1. As I wanted to do some blogs for my dad, I asked if there were any age appropriate publications to review, and of course, there were. So while going through the "to review" stack, I saw Fraggle Rock, and remembered doing a blog about an earlier issue previously (which can be found here). I asked if I could review it and he gladly accepted, and here it is now.

 

(From Michael:) Note to those reading this blog post: Fraggle Rock Vol 2 #2 of 3, went on sale: January 26th... Check it out TODAY at YOUR LCBS to pick up a copy!

Here's the info you will need on the publication:

(W) Joe LeFavi, Tim Beedle and Jason M. Burns 

(A) Heidi Arnhold, Ross Campbell, Chandra Free and Katie Cook

(Cover) Heidi Arnhold and Ross Campbell (50/50 Split) 

Retail Price $3.95   Page count: 32 pages

Format: saddle bound, 8" x 8", full color

All ages 

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,225 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com.

If it isn't available in my online 'Local Comic Book Shop, (LCBS), then you may be able find it in my Amazon affiliate link, as seen here:  Comics & Graphic Novels at Amazon!

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safari, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'. However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there.  Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics: Last Train To Murder by Rick L Phillips     - Above Photo: The Front Cover to 'Last Train To Murder' by Rick L. Phillips. Top Left Photo:  Photo of Rick L. Phillips, Author.  -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3347:

Rick L Phillips sent me a copy of his novel parody a while back, after first contacting me about it.

I explained to him that I didn't normally review novels in this blog, except for 'graphic novels'.  However, the subject matter of his book caught my attention.

That's because I am old enough to remember 'The Monkees' TV Show that this book is based on.  "The Monkees?" you say?  Yes... The Monkees!  Here's what the author has a promo for the book:

"It is late April of 1967 and the end of the TV season. The Monkees first season on TV has just ended but there is no rest for the weary. They are getting ready to go on tour. Some dates have canceled but an affiliates meeting for their TV network is to take place in Clarksville, Indiana and they have been asked to perform there. The majors stock holder insist that they all take the train. But there is mystery on this last train to Clarksville. Rivals, revenge and a little bit of rage mix to make this the last train to murder."

On the back of the book is a little bit about the author:

"Rick is a lifelong Monkees fan. He has written the children's book 'Dinky the Elf' and a short story that was published in 'It's that Time Again Vol. 3. He is a Deacon in his church and a graduate of Northern Kentucky University with a BA in Radio, TV and Film communications. He lives in Kentucky with his wife Violet."

Rick also sent me a little more extended 'bio' on himself:

"A short bio is that I have been a fan of comic books and the Monkees all my life. Comic books helped me learn to read and write. The Monkees taught me about music and comedy. I always wanted to combine my interest in writing and the Monkees and the result was this book. I also love murder mysteries and have read books were celeberties solved crimes. One for example is Ron Goularts series where Groucho Marx is the detective. I decided to take some of my knowledge of the Monkees and have them solve a crime after Peter is named as a suspect. The book is print on demand."

I want to also add that Rick was also a participant at my 1st Black Friday Comics Event back on Black Friday of 2009!  (As seen here.)

So what's my 'take' on his novel?

I have been a supportive 'fan' of many TV Shows during the last few decades, ever since on site conventions have been sponsored by either the fans themselves, or by companies that delved into that field.  Some of the conventions I've attended were the 1st ever held for 'Xena', 'the X-Files', and 'Quantum Leap'. 

At those conventions, I've seen a lot of 'fan fiction' published, usually in fan magazine format. I've even subscribed to several over the years, after first being introduced to them at a convention.

Since 1998 a lot of 'fan fiction' has been uploaded to the web. There are a lot of sites that carry a variety of stories bases on TV shows and other formats.

This is the first fan fiction formatted as a 'novel' that I've seen that has taken that 'fan fiction' to the next step, a paperback book. 

I applaud Rick for taking his idea, and his love for The Monkees to POD status.

Reading the story, I found that I could easily identify the main characters in the book, Peter Tork, Davy Jones, Michael Nesmith, and Micky Dolenz.  Rick really got these characters persona from the TV Show translated into the printed word. Even though it has been years since I last saw an episode. The original run of the series was September 12, 1966 – March 25, 1968.

The story's title 'Last Train To Murder' is of course a 'play' on the best selling record 'Last Train To Clarksville' by the Monkees. It is also ironic that the Train the murder(s) take place on is headed to Clarksville!

I found myself enjoying the storyline, and was able to visualize the goings on with all the characters that were introduced during the 132 pages of the novel. Several of the chapters were 'short' in word count, which made it easier for me to read, as I have limited time in reading paperbacks.

My only 'problem' with the paperback itself, which may be due to my aging eyes, is that the print production by Lulu.com was a little 'off'.  There was a lot of 'white space' above and below the printed text, making the text font appear to be small to me.  The black font color appeared to be 'gray' at times on a few pages.  I may have received an imperfect print copy, which would be the responsibility of the publisher, Lulu.com, and not the author.  I did correspond with Rick on this matter, and he did confirm that there was a slight font size reproducing glitch in printing, but knew nothing of the font coloring situation I described that was in the copy I received.

I'm going to 'chalk' that up to the publisher printing on demand.  I've had other magazines / comics / graphic novels come in to me with minor print defects. 

As for the novel itself, I've got to admit that this book is one that will transport fans of the original TV Show back to the mid 1960's, as it captures the essence of what 'The Monkees' TV Show's characters portrayed onscreen.

Definitely a fun read for fans of 'The Monkees'. For others that are expecting a 'standard' murder mystery novel, it may not be your 'cup of tea'.

I realize that this paperback novel is NOT a comic book... But my rating scale is based on a standard comic book grading scale.  Thus My Review Rating for this paperback novel is a VERY FINE  (VF) 8.0 out of a possible 10.0 Comic Book Grading scale. 

Here is the link to where you can purchase it on Amazon:  Last Train to Murder PB.

Paperback: 132 pages
Publisher: lulu.com (January 22, 2011)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1458309215
ISBN-13: 978-1458309211
Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches .

As an aside... Rick also is a prolific blogger.  He has two comics based blogs, 'Mail It To Team-Up', and 'Comic Book Letterheads', which I suggest that you take time to look through for fun and informative reading!

My thanks to Rick L Phillips, for sending me his novel for possible review!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,225 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'.

However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there. 

Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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Michael D Hamersky On Comics: Rostam - Tales From The Shahnameh - The Series     - Above Photo: The Front Cover to Rostam - Tales From The Shahnameh Vol 1 #1. Top Left Photo:  Front Cover to Rostam - Tales From The Shahnameh - Return Of The King from Hyperwerks.  -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3346:

I was contacted by one of the creators of this series of comic books, Cameron Douraghy, via phone.  Talking with Cameron, I mentioned that I only possibly 'review blog' comics / graphic novels from 'hard copies', (a policy since March of 2010 when I realized that I was being flooded with .pdfs and not getting to them as I don't use my laptop for reading for pleasure).

While talking with Cameron on the phone, I was checking with my laptop on whatever I could find on the series.

I was surprised to see a familiar name in the credits.  Karl Altstaetter was the illustrator for all four issues of the series published thus far.  Surprised because I've seen Karl at a few comic cons in the fast few years, and don't remember seeing this series on his table in the Artists Alleys he has been in...

(Note: I have review blogged Karl's own self-published series of 'Emerald City Blues (a.k.a. ECB) in this Blog, starting back in December of 2009.)

So even though the storyline was one I was not familiar with... The fact alone that Karl had illustrated it, made me receptive to seeing an issue in hard copy format.

I was expecting to see the 1st issue of the comic book in the mail, and was surprised / pleased to see all four issues printed to date in the package.

When I was ready to start reading them, I realized that there wasn't any issue number on the front covers.  So I looked on the inside front cover at the bottom left to see any publishing date.  So placing them in date published order, I started reading them...

It appears that the series has been published similiar to what I can best describe as in 'Star Wars' order.  No, the storyline isn't 'sci-fi', but instead, just like 'Star Wars', the middle 'episode' was presented first, and then after the middle to 'end' was published, the first episode was presented / published. 

No wonder I was just a little 'confused' when reading!  Add to that fact, this 'Rostam' storyline is based on 55,000 couplets, which contain over 100,000 verses, and this series has incorporated what it could in four isues so far!

As a little bit of background for those of you that aren't aware of the story of Rostam, (neither was I!), here is a brief background from the Wikipedia entry:

"Rostam (pronounced [ɾostæm, ɾʊstæm]) is the national hero of Greater Iran from Zabulistan in Persian mythology and son of Zal and Rudaba. In some ways, the position of Rostam in the historical tradition is parallel to that of Surena, the hero of the Carrhae. His figure was endowed with many features of the historical personality of Rostam. The latter was always represented as the mightiest of Iranian paladins, and the atmosphere of the episodes in which he features is strongly reminiscent of the Arsacid period. He was immortalized by the 10th century poet Ferdowsi of Tus in the Shahnameh or Epic of Kings, which contain pre-Islamic folklore and history. He also called Rostam "Dastan" (pronounced das-TAN), which means strong."

Which is very helpful to read prior to reading the series, IMO.

Not that this series isn't a fun-to-read series, but like another series that I've recently read and review blogged, (Yi Soon Shin from Onrie Kompan Productions), I didn't know the historical story of the main character, nor the incidents in history that the series covered. 

However, just like the other series I just mentioned, I found myself engaged in reading each issue.  It was helpful that each issue was basically a self contained story. Which may have been why the series is not numbered on the front cover...

Here's what the publisher has for the promo info on the series via the web site:

"Rostam: Tales from The Shahnameh is the 1st series of books from the Publishers at Hyperwerks, bringing Ferdowsi's Masterpiece to life into the American Comic Book Genre. Written over 1,000 years ago, "The Shahnameh" chronicles Persia's rich Mythological and Historical traditions and contains some 100,000 verses of poetry (making it over seven times the size of Homers' Illiad)."

So what's my 'take' on this series of comics?

As stated earlier, I was not aware of the background story of this main character.  It was 'foreign' to me.  However, because of the way the writer enveloped me into the storyline that was being presented, and the fact that I was already 'partial' to Karl's style of artwork, I found myself wanting to read issue after issue.

The fact that the storyline seemed a little 'out of order' to me in order of being published was explained to me by Cameron when calling him on the phone after reading the series.  This will be addressed when a TPB is published, possibly at the end of 2011 or early 2012.

I found that after reading the four issues, that this was a good 'intro' to the story first written by Hakīm Abu'l-Qāsim Firdowsī Tūsī,  more commonly transliterated to Ferdowsi, (940 C.E. - 1020 C.E.). 

I admire the creators of this series, who have taken an immense body of work, and transformed it into a comic book series.  That had to take a lot of effort to do! And of course with so much to draw from, the storyline is not over yet! 

My understanding is that the creators want to add additional pages to a projected TBP compilation of what has been published so far.  That TPB would be a nice volume to have on a book shelf, but being more a fan of the 'floppy' comic book format, I would suggest picking up one of the issues published thus far, to see what is happening with 'Rostam' in a comic book format.

My Review Rating for the four issues published thus far in the series is a VERY FINE PLUS (VF+) 8.5 out of a possible 10.0 Comic Book Grading scale. 

Here is the link to the Facebook Fan Page for Rostam - Tales From The Shahnameh, where you can be interactive with the creators.

Here is the link to web site for The Shahnameh, where you can see more of the creators have published so far.

I look forward to seeing more from the creators on this storyline in the months to come.   

My thanks to Cameron Douraghy, for following up with me on the status of a possible review blog for this series of comics!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,220 'Followers'!  Thanks to ALL of YOU that have already clicked that button!  And for those of YOU that haven't yet... I would appreciate it if YOU would!!!

~ Michael D Hamersky 

If I have it... You can find it 'Under The Big Top Of Comics' at:   ComicBooksCircus.com 

Web Page Note:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards.  Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the other browsers serve the page up differently, sorry about that!

The screen display resolution is best seen at the setting of 1024 x 768 on your laptop or desktop computer.

NOTE: All images and characters within this blog post are copyright and trademark their respective owners.

Comics Creators: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email or mail us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works!!  (Note:  I don't list my email address here, due to 'spambots' gathering it and 'spamming' me. 

To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:

Make It So Marketing Inc., PO Box 130653, Carlsbad, CA 92013, USA

 Also, if you are a Facebook member, I would have liked you to have sent me a 'Friend Request'.

However, I have reached the maximum limit of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages in my network already, so I've added a New 'Facebook Fan Page' for myself so that even more of YOU can 'Like' what I am doing, and be interactive with me and others there. 

Here is the link to that 'Facebook Fan Page': Michael D Hamersky On Comics! Please click the 'Like' button on that page! 

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