Vinnie's Take On:  Mouse Guard - The Black Axe #1 of 6     - Above Photo: The Front Cover from Mouse Guard - The Black Axe, Issue #1 of 6. Written & Illustrated by David Petersen. Published by Archaia Entertainment! -

(Vinnie) This is my first guest blog of the year 2011, and today I will be reviewing Mouse Guard: The Black Axe.

I will say that I am very impressed with this comic publication. It was amazing, as expected, and there was not much for me to dislike. To be honest, I even went through again to see if there was anything, like a spelling mistake or otherwise, that I could write about, but nothing. Just truly amazing!

(From Michael:) Note to those reading this blog post: Mouse Guard - The Black Axe #1 of 6, went on sale: December 15th... Check it out TODAY at YOUR LCBS to pick a copy up!

Retail Price $3.50   Page count: 24 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 2,195 '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 affiiate link, as seen here:  Comics & Graphic Novels at Amazon!

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: The Secret History - Book Fourteen: The Watchers     - Above Photo: The Front Cover from The Secret History - Book Fourteen: The Watchers - From Archaia Entertainment -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3336:

Tina and I have been reading this limited series since first being introduced to it at the 2010 Comic-Con International: San Diego (a.k.a. SDCC) at the Archaia Entertainment booth.

We have both blogged about this limited series, which is unusual, because we both have different 'taste's in our personal reading choices!

Here are the links to some of the earlier review blogs:  Books Ten & 11,  Book 12, and Book 13.

Our reviews consistently ranked the individual issues with the highest grade that we give, a NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 on a possible 10.0 comic book grading scale. As part of a year-end review of 2010 on my own Facebook Fan Page, Michael D Hamersky On Comics, I posted that this was 'My Favorite Limited Series of 2010'!

So I'm glad that this Book Fourteen, which just came in the mail for possible review ended 'The Second Cycle' nicely. So nicely in fact, that I moved this up on my possible publications to review for this morning!

Here's what the publishers promo stated this issue was about:

"The hit French comic that gives historical fiction an occult bent continues! The Watchers. 1945. The two atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki seem to have put an end to the evil plots of William of Lecce. In liberated Paris, Daniel Rosenthal, a survivor of the death camps, learns how to live again. He owes his survival to a 'star', a strange tarot card given to him by the surrealist poet Robert Desnos in the Terezin concentration camp, who also told him about the mysterious cabaret, L'ARcane 17.  Daniel begins a descent into a world he did not know existed and into a story that the textbooks do not teach: the Secret History."

As seen in the above blurb, a LOT of ground is covered in this final issue of 'The Second Cycle'.  Which was a thrilling and fun read for me!  I grabbed it and settled in with it last night, before Tina was aware it had come in!  After being at a client's office on-site for ten hours yesterday, I needed something to 'wind down' with, and this was definitely it!

This issue had a lot more 'action' going on in it than earlier issues.  Which was good, because this was the 'final' book in 'The Second Cycle'.  I'm not for sure how many cycles there are in total for this concept... There are two pages at the front of each issue, outlining a 'timeline'.  I am however, pleased with the 'conclusion' of this 14 chapter limited series, and don't feel 'robbed' that there is more after this.  Indeed I am looking forward to seeing the other 'Cycles' as they are translated from the French version into this English language format!

I do want to state though, that this series is for 'Mature Readers', because at times, as in this issue, there is some nudity, graphic violence, and adult content.  However, I am reading this because I'm a 'history buff', and love how the creators of this series wove 'real history' into their 'series history'.

A great concept, well excecuted, and FUN to read!

The Secret History, Book Fourteen: The Watchers - For mature audiences. It went on sale: January 19th... Check it out TODAY at YOUR LCBS!

Retail Price $5.95   Page count: 48 pages

Format: perfect bound, 6.6255" x 10.25", full color

Mature Readers (series contains Nudity, Graphic Violence, and Adult Content) 

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,187 '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: Poppie's Adventures - Serpents In Paradise     - Above Photo: Jack Hsu at the 2010 Long Beach Comic Con (LBCC). With the 'Poppie's Adventures: Serpents In Paradise - by Julie Yeh & Jack Hsu -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3335:

Tina and I met Jack Hsu in Artist's Alley at the recent 2010 Long Beach Comic Con, (a.k.a. LBCC).  Jack had a full table of a graphic novel that had just come in from the printers, which Tina immediately blogged about.  I soon followed.

After Tina had expressed her interest in reading that latest graphic novel, Jack pulled out a publication that had seen print a few years earlier.  It's taken until now to blog about, because we received so many publications for possible review at the LBCC, and other comic cons since then. As well as the dozens that have been sent in the mail for possible review also.

However, that is not to say that this isn't a good read.  Here's what the web site for Poppie's Adventures say about the book:

"Poppie's Adventures tracks the adventures of Poppie Field, a talented 17 year old young woman who decides to take some time off from her first year in college to experience the working world. She lands her first job as a writer with a travel magazine, and during her first assignment, she makes the acquaintance of Ham, a young Asian American photographer who will become her sidekick in all future stories.

In each issue of the series,Poppie and Ham will be sent to new exotic locales to cover travel stories.They will inadvertently become entangled in adventures involving some piece of history, geography, or culture unique to the country or location they are in.

In the debut issue, Serpents in Paradise, Poppie and Ham are assigned to cover the Island of Hawaii.

While there, they happen upon an evil snake worshipping cult that seeks to introduce non-indigenous snake to Hawaii, and thus threatening to destroy its delicate ecological balance. It will be up to Poppie and Ham to stop them. In the story, the readers are introduced to the Kilauea Volcano of Hawaii, the legend of the volcano goddess Pele, and the ecology of the beautiful Hawaiian islands."

My thanks again to Jack Hsu for bringing both of his graphic novels to our attention at the LBCC!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,185 '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: So Does FantaCo's Chronicles Super Sized Annual #1 Ring True... ...After 27 Years?     -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3334:

In a recent collection that I picked up for resale in my online comic book shop, (ComicBooksCircus.com),  I came across another FantaCo publication in a series that was called 'FantaCo's Chronicles'.  This was numbered Annual #1, and dated 1983.

You may ask, what would a publication that was dated back in 1983 make me want to blog about it?

Especially one that was published to be a 'reference' tool or a 'guide' to comic book series.  Wouldn't it be out of date by now?

Well, trust me on this one... These chronicles were first printed before the rise of the internet, yet can still be worthwhile to read AND keep in your collection, or even pass them on to younger, newer readers who don't have the 'history' with the titles that we older readers / collectors have. 

I have given the FantaCo's Chronicles #5 - The Spider-Man magazine to my youngest son, so that he can fill in the 'gaps' between the issues that he doesn't have in his own Amazing Spider-Man collection. (As seen to the left.)

I have even kept the FantaCo's Chronicles #2 which featured the Fantastic Four for my own reference. 

That is how much I value these now OOP publications.

Of course, Marvel Comics has since published their own indexes, but these aFantaCo magazines are pretty darn good almost three decades later!

Which brings me to the publication that this blog's title is about. The FantaCo's Chronicles Super-Sized Annual #1.

So what exactly was this publication about?  This was a publication that printed systematic reviews of comic book titles in an alphabetical manner by series title.  More than just dwelling on Marvel Comics titles, like the earlier FantaCo's Chronicles, this publication gave 'snapshots' of titles both cancelled, ongoing, and brand new series or one-shots of the time, from many comics publishers. Including Tower Comics, Gold Key Comics, DC Comics, ACG Comics and others.

Additionally, there were some forthright POVs that were placed in the reviews of the individual titles. While I may not agree 100% with all of the POVs expressed on titles covered in this publication, I was amazed at how many I felt 'hit the mark' in covering the strengths and exposing the weaknesses of the titles. 

I mentioned that I gave a copy of the Fantaco Chronicles on Spider-Man to my youngest son.  I would recommend giving this to those newcomers coming into the hobby of collecting comics, or just wanting back issue comic book series, but are hesistant to spend the money on a series without knowing what they are getting into.

This Annual #1 definitely pulls no punches.  Dud series are called duds. Mediocre titles are called out also.  Of course, titles with long years of history have several 'ups and downs' during the years they were published.  'Key reading issues' are hi-lighted, and those to avoid are also mentioned.

It must have taken a lot of thought by these reviewers who submitted the reviews to call 'em as they saw 'em.  Again, I'm not 100% in agreement with several of the reviews, but for the most part, I would agree with the majority of the reviews.  This is a good 'primer' for the comic book titles that were published up to 1983 when this magazine was first published.  You should be able to pick this magazine up online for a LOT less than other indexes that are printed by the titles publishers, which will just list the credits / characters / etc., but without unbiased reviews of the series.

My Review Rating for this publication is VERY FINE / NEAR MINT (VF/NM) 9.0 out of a possible 10.0 Comic Book Grading scale.

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

While I'm at here today, I want to add an addendum to this blog post...

Here's a little bit of background on the publisher of this Chronicles series.

FantaCo Enterprises was more than just an American comic book publishing company with this series of 'Chronicles', which included covering: the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Daredevil, Avengers, and Spider-Man.  Which is what I know them best for, other than another series that I enjoyed, that of the seven volumes of the humorous  Fred Hembeck series, of which an example is shown to the left! 

The company 'FantaCo' actually started as a Local Comic Book Shop (LCBS) in 1978.  It also had a mail-order business.  It then started running FantaCon  from 1979- 1990 which was a hybrid comic / film / rock n' roll / horror con. 

Then it actually broke into the comic book publishing industry in 1980!   Plus it published magazines and books! That was a lot of growth in such a short period of time!

The person behind this fantastic growth  was the founder Thomas Skulan, who based the company in Albany, New York.

In addition to Thomas, many of the store's employees, including Mitch Cohn, Roger Green, and Raoul Vezina, also worked on the published FantaCo titles in various creative capacities.

Things were going well for FantaCo, until like many other companies during the the mid-1990s bursting of the speculators bubble, the company fell on hard times.  The company continued for a while, printing other titles, but in 1998, the whole operations closed its doors.

Here is a link to the Grand Comics Database where most of the titles published by the company are listed.  I notice that not all of the Chronicles titles are listed, so possibly other titles are not fully listed either. 

As mentioned at the top of this blog post, I bought this back issue as part of a collection to sell in my online LCBS.  I usually stock a few of the Chronicles issues, as well as the Hembeck Issues in that online shop, as there is a 'steady' amount of readers / collectors searching for those publications.  If in stock they would be listed at - ComicBooksCircus.com. As they are OOP, the supply doesn't always meet the demand, so be patient when you either search my web site or others websites for those issues!

~Michael D Hamersky

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,185 '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: All The Way With MLJ! As Seen In Alter Ego #82     -

TODAY'S FEATURE - Blog #3333:

I picked up a large run of back issues of 'Alter Ego' magazine edited by Roy Thomas, and published by TwoMorrows at the 2010 San Diego Comic Con.  Of which I've already blogged about one that was 'current' at the time in July of 2010; issue #95, which featured a cover story on Marie Severin.

This Blog of mine hasn't covered 'Alter Ego' that much in the past, although I do enjoy reading it, as well as several other publications published by TwoMorrows.

One issue in this Alter Ego series that recently 'jumped out at me' when pulling back issues for a customer of my own online 'Local Comic Book Shop' ComicBooksCircus.com, was issue #82, which featured 'All The Way With MLJ', which I had not read to date.  It was seeing superheroes that I hadn't thought about for a while that made me pull it to read.

I opened it up and became fascinated with the early history of MLJ Comics, which was the 'forerunner name' of Archie Comics.  I couldn't help but keep reading it, because of the well crafted articles, AND the MLJ Comics Super-Hero Index (1939 - 1948).

As I have stated before in this Blog, I grew up on 'funnybooks' in the late 1950's, and then started reading western comics with photo covers from my favorite TV Shows that were on at the time, (Dell Comics).

I didn't start truly 'collecting' comics until coming across what would become 'Marvel Comics'.  Without an 'Overstreet Price Guide' or access to 'fanzines' during those years, (as there weren't any that I was aware of in the early 60's), I fell for the way that Stan Lee made me, and hundreds of thousands of other readers, feel like 'part' of the Marvel Gang! 

However, it wasn't until Fantasy Masterpieces #3 was published, cover dated June of 1966), that I was truly able to 'tie' in the fact that Marvel had a 'Golden Age' dating back to the 1939, where several of the new found characters that I enjoyed to read had a 'prior history'.   

By the period that superheroes had really come back into newstand distribution, circa 1963 - 1966 for me in the San Diego Metro Area, and on the Naval Base at Kodiak Island, Alaska, I had pretty much settled in on 'collecting' Marvel Comics, because of Stan / Jack / Steve / Don / & the rest of the 'Bullpen'. 

Not that I didn't 'read' other comics.  Because I did.  But the fact that 'my' Marvel Comics had a 'back history', made me realize I was onto something that had been around for quite a while. 

Remember that 'comics fandom' had just started getting organized a few years earlier, and I was just a young teenager. 

I do wish now that Michelle Nolan's MLJ Index referred to above, had been vailable before it was first published in 1969. That would have been so helpful! But then again, even Michellle had to seek the assistance of several comics dealers to find all of the back issues to write on! 

My earliest knowledge of any superhero titles that we now connect with 'Archie Comics' were 'The Shadow' #7 cover dated July of 1965, (seen to the left), which I truly enjoyed, probably because of the fine artwork by Paul Reinman, who I enjoyed seeing his work earlier in Marvel Comics on the Sci-Fi titles there. (Although The Shadow was NOT part of the earlier MLJ superheroes line.) 

Plus Fly Man #32 featuring the Mighty Crusaders [Fly-Man [Thomas Troy]; the Comet [John Dickering]; The Shield [Bill Higgins]; and the Black Hood [Matthew Burland]. Artwork once again by Paul Reinman! 

I tried to find more of these comics while in Alaska in 1965, but distribution there was so slim that I could only find a couple more.  And by that time, as I stated, I was really 'into' Marvel Comics, and thought that this 'Shield' was very similar to 'Captain America' that I was already reading, not realizing who came first!

As quoted from Wikipedia: "The Shield first appeared in MLJ's Pep Comics #1 (cover dated January 1940). The character was created by writer Harry Shorten and artist Irv Novick. At the end of the 1930s, America was feeling patriotic, and The Shield was the first patriotic hero. He was soon followed by three other patriotic comic characters: Minute-Man (cover date February 1941), Captain America (cover date March 1941), and Captain Battle (cover date May 1941)".

Mentioning 'Irv Novick'... There is also a really good article on Irv in this same issue of Alter Ego.  I met Irv years ago at a San Diego Comic Con, before he passed away in 2004 at the age of 93.  I had become aware of his some of his history, but mostly from his work at DC Comics.

But before that, from about 1939 to 1946, Irv was working for MLJ Comics, which I have already mentioned above would become better known as Archie Comics. I found that Irv actually became the primary artist for their superhero comics titles during the MLJ years.  The characters in those titles were The Shield, Bob Phantom, The Hangman, and Steel Sterling.  That is, until MLJ switched their emphasis from superheroes to just Archie comics, due to the ever rising popularity of that feature.

There have been a few more attempts to bring these superheroes 'back' during recent decades.  However, as this issue of Alter Ego doesn't go into this, I'll also stop here.

I found that this Alter Ego #95 was a 'treasure trove' of information on the MLJ superheroes line, and can only wonder 'What If?'...

For those of YOU that enjoy reading comic book history, and didn't know about the background history of the MLJ / Archie line of superhero comics... Then this issue is perfect to catch up with their earliest history!  I only wish a magazine like this had been around in the early 1960s with this information. 

(Actually there was, as Alter Ego was founded as a fanzine by Jerry Bails in 1961, and then later taken over by Roy Thomas before he became a 'comics pro'. There were ten issues that were released through 1969, with issue #11 following nine years later. I just didn't see them before 1966.)  

Note: As stated above, I also missed Michelle Nolan's earlier 1969 print run of the MLJ Comics Super-Hero Index, as seen to the left. 

My Review Rating for Alter Ego #82: NEAR MINT (NM) 9.4 out of a possible 10.0 Comic Book Grading scale.

My thanks to John Morrow of TwoMorrows for bringing the then current issues to my attention.  John has a Facebook Fan Page for TwoMorrows  Publishing, which publishes Alter Ego, as well as other fine magazines.

As mentioned at the top of this blog post, I also have back issues of Alter Ego, as well as several of the other magazines published by TwoMorrows in my own online 'LCBS' - ComicBooksCircus.com - should the publisher be out of stock.

~Michael D Hamersky - Who is pleased to see this Blog reach 'issue' #3333 today!

BTW, You can 'follow' this Blog by clicking the 'Follow' Button at this NetworkedBlogs app!  We currently have over 2,180 '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 

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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