My 'Take' On: Crying Macho Man #4 As Seen at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International!     - Above Photo:  Jose Cabrera at the Small Press section during the 2010 SDCC! - At the Top Left: A Closeup of the Front Cover to Crying Macho Man No. 4! - At the Bottom Left: The Logo for the Comic Con International: San Diego - a.k.a. San Diego Comic Con 2010.

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3228:

Today's post is about yet another publication that I 'found' at the recent SDCCI.

This time I was back in the Small Press Section of the Comic-Con, going down the aisles and saw this striking banner, as shown at the top right photo.  Again, for those of YOU that are setting up at a comic con, whether in a Small Press or Artists Alley Table...Having a eye catching banner is great advertising!

Jose and I talked for a while, and after looking at his publications I chose the No 4 issue to read and possibly review.

Here is what the the creator of Crying Macho Man says about his cartoon's origin:

"Crying Macho Man was born on the mean streets of New York City and has been bringing you the funny on a weekly basis for the last 5 years. Wow, now that's a lot of cartoons. We're talking hundreds of strips that were born out of love and sweat.

This is about the time I start to list the prestigious awards Crying Macho Man the cartoon strip has won over the years and how successful and rich I've become as it's creator. But I'm sorry to disappoint you. The cartoon biz is a tough cookie to crack. Newspapers, that were once the main vehicle for the funny's have consistently hacked away the main thing I bought the paper for. The Funny Pages!

The interent seemed to bring the distribution of cartoons on a level playing field, giving budding artists like myself the opportunity to conquer this fickle media. But after 5 years of working the web, I've made about enough money to pay for a tank of gas and dinner for the missus and me. 5 YEARS YO! But I don't want this to be a bitch fest. It has brought something much more valuable. FRIENDS WHO LIKE TO DRAW CARTOONS! And I don't just mean fair weather friends either. I've met some of the best people on the planet. And cartoon peeps are such a dedicated bunch. Their love of the craft is infectuous. I seriously believe I would have dropped out the game if it weren't for their support and enthusiasm.

So here stands Crying Macho Man holding his own after 5 years, passionately getting up in the morning and dipping his proverbial pen in the bottomless inkwell of funny.

Thanks for giving me the chance to make you laugh or at least try!"

Fair enough...Here is 'My Take' on the 4th issue of Crying Macho Man:

Front Cover - After a long week of superheroes at the Comic-Con, I was looking forward to seeing something other than superheroes fare in the Small Press Section.  Seeing Jose hold this publication, I could tell it wasn't that genre.  It looks inviting enough to open the page to check out the inside cover...

Which I did.  The inside cover kind of surprised me, by having nine other issues pictured from 'Cartoon Flophouse'.  So if I liked this sort of humour, I would be sure to take a look at what else had been published so far.  Good marketing!

The first page - Not a 'Splash Page' - It wold appear that the pages in this comic book magazine are from his web comic for the most part?  The first page is a one page cartoon strip with six panels.  The joke sets the stage for the next pages...

More multi-panel one page cartoon stories are shown.  Plus one panel pages...which break up the standard format.

I find myself laughing at some of the cartoons.  It is entertaining at that...

What follows next is a 9 page cartoon story. Not bad... And then another one panel cartoon page, with a parody on Wolverine.

More one panel parody pages follow, with 'Super Duper Man', and what are shown to be 'Batman' and 'Ghost Rider'.  Again, the mix of pages keeps this publication from being routine.  I liked the mix and the jokes.  A good break from superheroes, even though some do make it to the interior pages!

The inside front cover was the Ka-Blam! printers ad.  Which I see a lot...Another good print job from Ka-Blam!  Oh, and the interior pages are black & white, with color covers outside and inside.

The back cover is just a little over the top...which is good that I didn't look at it before reading the interior pages.  I'll let you see that one for yourselves...

I found this comic book magazine to be entertaining and worth the cover price for this type of humor. 

My comic book grade for this publication is a VERY FINE / NEAR MINT, (VF/NM) 9.0 on a 10.0 grading scale.

Here's a little bit more on the creator, with a 'bio' that I found on his blog:

"Jose was born and raised in New York City in the upper part of Manhattan. His community was predominately Dominican and throughout his early school years he was surrounded by friends who loved to draw. His love for art got him accepted to La Guardia H.S. of Music and Art near Lincoln Center were he was exposed to the world of fine art. After graduating from High School, he went to Baltimore and attended the Maryland Institute College of Art. He studied everything from photography to environmental design and got a huge spoonful of Art History. Some of his influences include Henry Moore, Amedeo Modigliani, Lucian Freud, Giacometti, Paul Rand, Ansel Adams, Robert Mapplethorpe, Andy Warhol, R. Crumb, John Romita Jr., Sal Buscema, John Byrne, Jack Davis and the list goes on. This gave him the inspiration and the cojones to create Crying Macho Man."

Crying Macho Man has a Facebook Fan Page, which can be found here.

Crying Macho Man has its own web site, as found here.

We don't have any xtra copies of this publication for sale. Thus, I'm suggesting that if YOU would like to read more of this cartoon series, here's a link to another quality online site:  The Premiere Crying Macho Man Collection: Prime Cut - that has at least one copy for sale at the time of this blog posting!

---------------------------

Thanks again, Jose Cabrera, for sharing your time with me at the recent San Diego Comic Con International!

PLUS: My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over 3,225 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

Note: Our online comic book shop carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at the link seen below.  

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

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"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:   Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013     ComicBooksCircus.com - It's Under The Big Top Of Comics! Click the Above Circus Tent to See Our Current Listings!

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today... I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! Plus I have a chapter in a new book coming out in December of 2010, that is pictured above, "Gotham City 14 Miles"! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. Please Note: I have reached the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends and Fan pages already, so it might be a while before I am able to accept your request. Just send a message along with the invite that you saw my Blog!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others 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.

 

My 'Take' On: The Further Adventures Of D.B. Cooper As Seen at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International!     - Above Photo:  Michael Heffron, EIC of Law Dog Comics, as seen holding the graphic novel during the 2010 SDCC! - At the Top Left: The Law Dog Comics Logo! - At the Bottom Left: The Logo for the Comic Con International: San Diego - a.k.a. San Diego Comic Con 2010.

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3227:

Today's post is another publication that I 'found' at the recent SDCCI, at a booth in the 'Small Press' section.

After talking with the Editor-In-Chief of Law Dog Comics about the banner that caught my eyes, (see top right photo of this blog), he gave me a copy of this publication for possible review in this Blog.

I'm probably a little older than most of you reading this, so I remember at least some of the true life D.B. Cooper Adventure as it unfolded back then.  For those of You that don't remember, or don't know the story, here's a brief paragraph or two about him:

Actually the D.B. Cooper name  is the name attributed to the man who hijacked a Boeing 727 aircraft in the United States on November 24th of 1971! He received $200,000 in ransom money, and then parachuted from the plane!

Earlier, when he boarded the plane, he was first known as Dan Cooper, but through a later press error, he became known as "D. B. Cooper".  Since 1971 there have been hundreds of leads through the years, but no conclusive evidence has ever surfaced regarding Cooper's true identity or whereabouts. Strangely though some of the money has surfaced, but the bulk of the money has never been recovered!

Naturally, several theories were offered up with competing explanations of what happened after his famed jump. However, the F.B.I. believes he did not survive.

Today the Cooper case (code-named "Norjak" by the F.B.I.) is the only unsolved U.S. aircraft hijacking!  

Here is what the publisher used as a back cover blurb about this book:

I hadn't run across this company before at any comic cons I've been to.  Here is a little about the publisher and the company:

I don't see where Law Dog Comics has a Facebook Fan Page, so there isn't a link provided here.

Law Dog Comics has what appears to be its web site with a different title for sale, but no info on any other titles are found there including this one I reviewed today, which I find strange.  There is also a blog for the company, but it doesn't seem to be updated...  

We don't have any xtra copies of this publication for sale. And after checking my usual sources to refer potential buyers of the reviewed publication today, I find none to refer you to?!  There isn't an ISBN number on the publication either.  So if you are interested in reading this storyline, I suggest checking on the web site link provided in the above paragraph as to where you can obtain a copy. Don't let the current portal page on the web site throw you off.  It's the same publishing company, but with a different genre of story. 

---------------------------

Thanks again, Michael Heffron, for sharing your time with me at the recent San Diego Comic Con International and introducing me to this series!

PLUS: My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over 3,225 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

Note: Our online comic book shop carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at the link seen below.  

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

---

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:   Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013     ComicBooksCircus.com - It's Under The Big Top Of Comics! Click the Above Circus Tent to See Our Current Listings!

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today... I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others 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.

 

My 'Take' On: Ragged Capes Volume 1 As Seen at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International!     - Above Photo:  Ralph Ellis Miley at the CCAS Booth during the 2010 SDCC! - At the Top Left: A Closeup of the Front Cover to Volume 1 of Ragged Capes! - At the Bottom Left: The Logo for the Comic Con International: San Diego - a.k.a. San Diego Comic Con 2010.

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3226:

Today's post is another publication that I 'found' at the recent SDCCI.

This time I was at the CCAS (Christian Comic Arts Society) Booth, where Ralph Ellis Miley showed me one of his works.

So, after talking him and others at this booth, I expressed my interest in seeing more of this publication with a Christian based storyline.

Here is what the publication is about per their promotional literature:

Judgment, hatred, doubt, and redemption. "Ragged Capes" is a superhero anthology exploring how both villains and heroes respond when they are confronted with the darker side of human nature. Join in the journey of Grip, Lioness, Excelsior, and Virtue as they cope with a world crying out with injustice -- and where even the most righteous deeds can be dirty rags.

Stories by  Warren Fitzpatrick, Bud Rogers, Kevin Yong and Ralph Ellis Miley, with art by Dan Barlow, Antonio Bifulco, Wayne Cash, Cassie Fuertez, Lisa Hutchinson, Eric Jansen, Bill Maus, Mark Melton, Montos, and Geoff Strout.

This is what the publisher, New Creation Now is all about: New Creation Now creates Christian comic books and faith based webcomics that are ethnically diverse and denominationally open. We produces and promote God honoring themes through the medium of web comics, comic books, graphic novels and anthologies, tracts,  and other cool stuff. NCN also functions as a publisher, and promoter of Christian creative work as it relates to the comic book genre and other related mediums. “Walk In The Newness of Life”.

Here is 'My Take' on the Volume 1 of Ragged Capes:

Front Cover - Possibly the usual superhero fare inside? As only the title 'Ragged Capes' and the four individuals are shown there.

Inside Front Cover - Blank..No Intro.. Nothing, just blank...So it is in the format of a graphic novel.

1st Page - Can't call it a 'Splash page' as it starts right in with Chapter One: Grip.

The 1st story / chapter: 8 pages - Turns out that this story has some good dialogue and storyline to it.  A lot was covered in the 8 pages without it seeming to be 'squeezed' in.  This was based on a story by Warren Fitzpatrick, and adapted well into sequential art by Dan Barlow and Montos.

The 2nd story - 'Lioness' - 7 pages - I liked the way this story was presented...with no dialogue.  Just being told in a narrative by 'Lioness'. With script and layouts by Ralph Ellis MIley.  The artwork by Wayne Cash and Antonio Bifulco really added to this story.

(BTW, each chapter is separated by a page with a gospel quote.)

Chapter 3 - 'Excelsior' - Another 7 pager - The coloring immediately stood out in this story for me! The colorist was Lisa Hutchinson.  Which emphasized the artwork by Bill Maus.

Chapter 4 - 'Virtue' - 8 pages - To go from a brightly colored story in Chapter 3 to a darker story reminded me that this publication was an 'anthology'.  With different teams of creators, you get different styles and presentations.  However the final page really ended this publication on a high note. The art and coloring on that final page really stood out. Layouts by Eric Jansen, with finishing and coloring by Geoff Strout.

The final section was a 6 page 'Behind the Capes' text piece. It told in an interview format the story as to how this publication came about.  The interview was on the Editors of this publication, Ralph Ellis Miley and Kevin Yong. This interview really put the background as to how this anthology came into being and why. I almost wish it had been placed at the front of the publication instead of the back.  As there was no intro to these characters or that this was an anthology except on the back cover.

It was the Back Cover that was the only place that you can find what this publication was about.  However, how many potential readers / buyers would start there?  If you were casually thumbing through it at a LCBS or a book store you could.  But odds are, many wouldn't do so.

As with most anthologies, 'grading' this publication is a little harder to do than other genres of graphic novels or comic books for that matter.

I found overall that this graphic novel was not overly preachy, and each chapter came through pretty well in presentation. I believe the lack of an 'intro' setting up what the reader was going to be reading was the only detraction in this graphic novel.  As again, I want to emphasize that there wasn't anything on the front cover, inside cover, or the first page to give a potential reader an idea what was contained in the rest of the publication.

Other than that, this was good reading, and the 'Behind the Capes' Feature was appreciated in tying this anthology together! 

My comic book grade for this publication is a VERY FINE PLUS, (VF+) 8.5 on a 10.0 grading scale.

The Christian Comic Arts Society has a Facebook Fan Page, which can be found here.

New Creation Now has its own web site, as found here.

We don't have any xtra copies of this publication for sale. Thus, I'm suggesting that if YOU would like to read it, here's a link to another quality online site:  Ragged Capes (Volume 1) that has at least one copy for sale at the time of this blog posting!

---------------------------

Thanks again, Ralph, for sharing your time with me and my son at the recent San Diego Comic Con International!

PLUS: My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over 3,225 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

Note: Our online comic book shop carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at the link seen below.  

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

---

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:   Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013     ComicBooksCircus.com - It's Under The Big Top Of Comics! Click the Above Circus Tent to See Our Current Listings!

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today... I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others 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.

 

My 'Take' On: The New Adventures Of Shaloman #8     - Above Photo:  Al and Rita Wiesner in Artists Alley at the 2010 SDCC! - At the Top Left: A Closeup of Issue #8 that Al Gave Me for Possible Review In This Blog! - At the Bottom Left: The Logo for the Comic Con International: San Diego - a.k.a. San Diego Comic Con 2010.

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3225:

With today's post I'm going to take a sample issue of a comic book series and after checking out the history of this series, attempt to extrapolate what has been going!

Which may be a little hard to do in just one blog post, as Al Wiesner has been at this since 1985! 

However, my first brush with 'Shaloman' was at this recent 2010 SDCC.  Here's what I make of the series as far as prelim research goes:

Definitely 'Shaloman' is a Jewish Super-hero! And as with a much earlier created superhero, (that of 'Superman'}, he has many nicknames associated with him. Some are "The Man of Stone," "Defender of the Downtrodden," and the "Kosher Crusader,"!  Okay...that's a different name!

From what I can discern, Al created Shaloman because he felt that there were very few Jewish super-heroes that were positive role models in comics.  Although many (most?) of the earliest comics creators were Jewish, the characters that were created were considered not to be Jewish by the readership.  Superman from DC Comics is a prime example in point.

Again, I was not knowledgeable about this superhero before meeting Al & Rita at their table.  So when I was given issue #8 of a series to read and possibly review, you must understand that I came in on a series that had been around for a while.

So here's 'My Take' just on this one issue:

Front Cover -  States it's Shaloman AND the Y-Guys.  Okay, looks like I'm in time for a possible team-up issue?

Inside Front Cover - Is a 'House Ad' for the issues that were available during the printing of this comic book, which by the way was copyrighted in 1996.  So I don't know if this is a reprint, 2nd Edition, etc.

Splash Page -  I notice right away that the comic book is published with black and white interior pages, although the cover was in color.  The splash page set up the stage for the story, and invites me to turn the page...

Interior Pages - I continue reading the storyline, and end up at the Inside Back Cover - which turns out to be page 33 of the story.  

Back Cover - Another 'House Ad', but this one tells you where back issues of Shaloman could be purchased at in person, from Portland, Oregon to Cherry Hill, NJ.  Which I pointed out to my wife, Tina, who comes from Cherry Hill.

Okay...Now that the issue is covered by details, what did I think of this storyline, character, and supporting characters?

I enjoyed the usage of Jewish backgrounds interspersed throughout the story.  It would appear that 'Shaloman' is normally in a state of being an inanimate rock (?) before the words 'Oy vey!' are said somewhere in the world.  Those words then transform the rock into the muscular superhero known as 'Shaloman'.

Okay...That's fine...However he does seem to have similar problems that Superman did over the early years.  Possibly too powerful as a superhero.  But I would have to read more back issues to fully understand this.

There is another similarity, that of the metal 'Shin-ite' that was used in the early pages of this comic book to disable Shaloman...

This is where the Y-Guys come into being.  And an adventure awaits both the team and the reader as the story progresses.

I found the storyline and artwork to be reminiscient of the 'Golden Age of Comics'.  Not saying this in a derogatory way, but the art / story / dialogue is kind of 'retro' in its presentation. Because it really captures the essence of an earlier time. Possibly the same reason why I like 'Silver Comics' so much, because those comics are drawn 1960's Silver Age Style.

I for one enjoyed that for this one issue.  The house style fit fine with the storyline, and I for one was pleased to have read it. 

It is one of the few comics that I've read lately that is for a general audience and a wider age group target market. There is a need for comics like this. I for one am pleased to have received it, and found it blog-worthy.

My comic book grade for this publication is a VERY FINE / NEAR MINT (VF/NM) 9.0 on a 10.0 grading scale.

To see more of this comic book series, you would have to either stop in at one of the stores listed on the back of the comic book, or check out Al Wiesner's Mark I Comics via mail order, as there is no web site. 

The address is: Mark I Comics, PO Box 5097, Philadelphia, Pa 19111.

The only other place I've found that has the 20th Anniversary Special Edition is shown at this link:  The Saga of Shaloman the Man of Stone: 20th Anniversary Edition (Shaloman Comic Strip Series)!

---------------------------

Thanks again, Al & Rita, for sharing your time with me and my son at the recent San Diego Comic Con International!

PLUS: My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now over 3,220 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

Note: Our online comic book shop carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at the link seen below.  

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

---

 

"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:   Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013     ComicBooksCircus.com - It's Under The Big Top Of Comics! Click the Above Circus Tent to See Our Current Listings!

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today... I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others 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.

 

My 'Take' On: Strangler Bros. #1 The Graphic Novel As Seen at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International!       -------------- Above Photo:  The Front Cover to the Strangler Brothers #1 Graphic Novel! - At the Top Left: Judge Leverich and Josh Frankovich at their booth in the Small Press Section of the 2010 SDCC! At the Bottom Left: The Logo for the Comic Con International: San Diego - a.k.a. San Diego Comic Con 2010.

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3223:

As already mentioned before in this blog...One of the great pleasures in attending comic-cons, no matter what the size of them, is visiting the sections named 'Artists Alley, and 'Small Press' sections.

I usually end up with several new publications to read and possibly review in this blog, after striking up conversations with the creators of the comics or GNs, due to this blog being the #1 'Followed' blog on Facebook for 'comics', 'comic books', and 'graphic novels. per the NetworkedBlogs app, as seen here.

Today, I'm going to post 'My Take' on another GN, (Graphic Novel), picked up at the 2010 SDCC.

First, here is what the GN's web site says it is about:

Strangler Brothers Automotive is about 2 brothers, Josh and Judge Strangler, and their journey to find out the mystery of their small town of Salem Hills.

About the Creators: 

Strangler Brothers Automotive is created by Crowbar Media. We specialize in webcomics and a number of other ventures and oddities. Judge Leverich: Creator, Writer.  Josh Frankovich: Creator, Writer. Melinda Davidson: Co-Creator, Artist.

The Main Characters are:

Josh Strangler - The tech geek of the Strangler Brothers. He acts like a goof, but is an inventor, avid comic book collector, and horror film fanantic.

Judge Strangler - The more level headed of the two brothers.  He is veryu business oriented and like to run things by the book.

Mel - Not much is known about her yet. (Note from Michael: Matter of fact, she doesn't show up in Part 1, and I missed seeing 'her' at the SDCC booth!)

The Graphic Novel - Strangler Brothers Origins: Part 1 was a 'Limited Edition' with 56 pages including exclusive artwork and creator bios.

Now that the promo info is shown above, here's 'My Take' on the Graphic Novel.

First, the cover struck me as something I would be interested in reading, due to the great logo and the main characters surrounded by shadowy figures.

I was not aware that those shadowy figures were 'zombies'. Those who have read several of my review blogs will know that I've been flooded with zombie material to possibly be read and then reviewed in this blog.

Quite honestly, I find that zombies have been overdone as of late... However I didn't notice that 'zombie influence'at the booth or on the front cover of this GN.

If I had bothered to look at the back cover first, I would have seen that the Strangler Brothers "battle zombies, vampires, werewolves, ghosts and all other things that go bump in the night!", so yeah I missed that warning...

So I read further into it, and found that I really liked the artwork.  The lack of full color actually added to the artwork, and I found that I liked the main characters as the story went on.

Additionally I liked the other characters as they were introduced into the storyline.  And I found that although there were zombies in this 'Origins' story, it wasn't the usual zombie story.  Actually I found myself not wanting to put it down...

My only disappointment in the storyline was that at the end it was "To Be Continued".  I like my graphic novels, if they are presented as a 'graphic novel' to be self contained.  However, since this story is also being presented as a web comic, there is a possibility of seeing additional pages of story as the storyline progresses?  Not for sure on that, as the web site only has the first pages of this GN online at this time.

So, I'm not going to review this GN like I would a comic book, with the analysis on the Front Cover, Inside Front Cover, Splash Page, tetc., etc., as it doesn't pertain here.

Just let me say that I for one enjoyed the characters, (appearing to be based on the creators, (wink), and especially enjoyed the artwork by Melinda Davidson, who I did not meet at the Comic-Con.

Indeed, I also enjoyed seeing the sound effects that were placed very well, and the right sound for the panel!  The lettering was also placed well, and the coloring accentuated the mood of the story.  Very well done, and looking at the credits page, I find this was all done by Melinda.  Although I missed see her in the GN and at the booth, her presence in this GN is very noticed!

This feature has something going for it, and hopefully the zombies part will finish up, and the other things that go bump in the night will be brought in as the tales continue.

I enjoyed this issue, (zombies & all), enough to give this publication a VERY FINE / NEAR MINT (VF/NM) 9.0 on a 10.0 grading scale, due to the fact that although the story was a good one for an 'Origin' story, and the artwork / sound effects / colors were cool...I would have preferred to have a 'complete story' when published in a 'graphic novel' format.  Otherwise the term 'trade paperback compilation' of the web comic could have been a better descriptive word for this publication. Again, it may just be me, but a 'graphic novel' means 'done in one' to me.

To see more on the "Strangler Brothers" series, check out this link!

If YOU are on Facebook check out their Strangler Brothers Fan Page!

My personal thanks to Judge and Josh for introducing me to their series!

PLUS: My thanks again to all of YOU reading this blog and our archived blog posts, now at 3,220 total posts in number! I do appreciate your continued reading and support of this Blog!

Note: Our online comic book shop carries many different genres of comics, magazines, graphic novels, and comic con promotional items at the link seen below.  

http://www.comicbookscircus.com/

 

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"Hammering Out the Web For You Since May 12th, 1998!"       Note: If you are breaking into, or already work in the comic book industry or other pop culture productions, you are welcome to email us press releases, news items, and updates that you feel would be of interest to our blog readers. Including YOUR own works! To mail printed items to us for possible review, send to:   Make It So Marketing Inc. PO Box 130653 Carlsbad, CA 92013     ComicBooksCircus.com - It's Under The Big Top Of Comics! Click the Above Circus Tent to See Our Current Listings!

My thanks to those of YOU that have read today's blog post! I do appreciate that! For those of you that didn't know me before today... I first set up as a 'dealer' at the 1972 San Diego West Coast Comic Con (SDCC) at the El Cortez Hotel. So I've been around comic conventions for a little while, LOL!   My wife Tina and I now have an on-line exhibitor (dealer) table at the first "virtual" comic con titled the "Facebook Comic Con" (FBCC)! You can view our dealer table and interact with us there on Facebook by clicking this link, which takes you to our table named: 'Facebook Comic Con | Make It So Marketing'.  So if YOU are a Facebook member, please 'join' our Facebook Comic Con - Make It So Marketing exhibitor table for updates, specials, links to this blog, and other wall comments that we post every day!     Also, if you are a Facebook member and would like to also join my Facebook Network, feel free to send a 'friend request' to 'Michael D Hamersky'. I am reaching the maximum of 5,000 Facebook Friends soon, and I don't want YOU to be left out!         ------------------- Talking about comics: if YOU are a comics creator, (writer, penciler, inker, colorist, letterer, etc.), OR even a Comics / Magazine Publisher, feel free to contact me regarding YOUR works for a possible mention / review! I've made a special blog post about: "How To Best Submit YOUR Publication For Possible Review!" for those creators / publishers that would like to possibly have their publications mentioned or reviewed. Just click on the link provided in this paragraph! ~Michael @ ComicBookCollectorsBlog.com   WEB PAGE NOTE:  This blog post is written for the IE Browser standards. Chrome, Safarai, Netscape, Firefox and the others 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.