comics

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good this week

saga volume #2 : to know this book is to love it. this second volume ratchets up the tension while deepening our understanding of the characters at the same time. fine, fine comicbook making from brian vaughan and fiona staples. highest recommendation.

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brother lono #1 : azzarello & risso jump back into the dirty waters of 100 BULLETS with this 8 issue series featuring the nastiest of all the minutemen. there will be blood.

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sweet tooth volume #6 : the final volume in jeff lemire’s bittersweet quest story. lemire & colorist jose villarubia, along with guests like matt kindt and nate powell, crafted one of the most visually consistent series in recent memory, and the single-minded nature of the story propels the reader through a cruel world brightened by the developing love of one man for a deformed little boy. it all started with a chocolate bar.

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good this week

the simon & kirby library – science fiction : a big book of jack kirby sci-fi, mostly from the ’50s and filled with fantastic little stories. al williamson inks kirby for most of the stories here, and he draws a couple, too. a trove of classic old-school sci-fi.

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primates : this ogn looks at the lives of jane goodall, dian fossey, and birute galdikas, three women whose remarkable contributions and dedication to primatology offers a wonderful example of the human spirit. the art style is simple and charming, allowing easy entry into the lives of these women and the primates they study and love.

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the manhattan projects #12 : this book has been on a roll. nick pitarra and jordie bellaire are looking good.

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savage wolverine #6 : joe madureira jumps back into the game with gusto in this fun romp starring spidey, wolverine, elektra, and the kingpin. zeb wells came up with a great hook here (i won’t spoil it) and joe mad looks good. fun stuff.

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guardians of the galaxy #3 : i love rocket raccoon. steve mcniven draws a badass groot. that’s enough for me.

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the true lives of the fabulous killjoys #1 : gerard way wrote some fun, zippy comics in THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY books. becky cloonan brings a joy for the medium and considerable chops to every project she works on. let’s see what they do together!

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wolverine & the x-men #31 : nick bradshaw returns for the first day of school at the hellfire club academy. one of the little treats in comics every month.

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-chris stevens

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good this week

herobear and the kid special #1 : mike kunkel’s charming tale of a toy stuffed bear come to life as a cape-wearing hero who gets into mischief & adventure with his little boy best friend displays the ample cartooning chops at kunkel’s disposal; the easy wisp of a line that creates movement and voices characterization; the comedic timing and childlike imagination, where the every day becomes a playground for herobear & the kid.

fun stuff!

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east of west #3 : issue #1 was the best 1st issue in a long time. issue #2 was a little bit all over the place. this issue should let us know where we’re at with jonathan hickman & nick dragotta’s enticing new series.

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the hollows hardcover : the best looking sam kieth book in a long time. beautiful, sweeping vistas, strong settings that evoke an eastern feel, quirky, cute critters…welcome back, sam.

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the end : devastating. sad. realistic. you could call anders nilsen’s new book dealing with the death of his girlfriend any of these things, and you’d be right. but it’s also a graceful meditation on loss, and living, and a fine testament to the enduring spirit of love and partnership that’s at the center of the common human experience.

this cover kills me…

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lone wolf & cub new edition #1 : over 700 pages of this comic book masterpiece for 20 bucks? the folks at dark horse are bringing this samurai masterpiece to the masses in a big way. highly recommended.

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solo-the deluxe edition : one of the best mainstream projects of the 2000’s is finally collected in a hearty, handsome hardcover collection. DC COMICS editor mark chiarello gathered up some of the best artists in comics and gave them 48 pages to play with. darwyn cooke, tim sale, teddy kristiansen, scott hampton, sergio aragones, mike allred, richard corben, and paul pope are among the creators here, and they all take full advantage of the creative free rein, whether it’s with stories set in or outside of the DC universe. paul pope’s issue is worth the price alone, with one knockout story after another, from greek myth in ‘the problem with knossos’ to childhood magic in ‘life sized monster ghost’ to pure nyc pope in ‘on this corner’ to the james jean colored, eisner award-winning robin & joker story, ‘teenage sidekick’. darwyn cooke’s issue weaves in and out and somehow sews up a perfect single issue out of several short stories. neil gaiman writes a DEADMAN story for teddy kristiansen. mike allred runs around the dc universe like only mike allred could. and there are treasures to be found in each artist’s outing. one of the finest collections in a long, long while.

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–chris stevens

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The Locust Moon Top 40: May 2013

40. Copra Compendium
It’s finally here, courtesy of Bergen St. Comics. With a voice all his own Fiffe swipes liberally from Miller & Kirby, then high-tails it for the border.copra

39. Electric Light Orchestra
If there’s a better album to make comics to than ELO’s NEW WORLD RECORD, please tell me about it.



38. This Commencement Speech by Joss Whedon
Because YOU HAVE ALREADY BEGUN TO DIE.



37. Poutine
When this stuff finally breaks in the states, dozens of organic locally-sourced poutineries will start popping up all over Williamsburg & Silverlake.

36. Inky
We got a new cat. He’s a little monster, but also a kitten so we are legally and morally obligated to love him.

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Continue reading →

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good this week

elephantmen #48 : the stakes are rising in richard starkings’ masterful scifi-noir of man and beasts. the best-produced book on the stands. every issue looks fabulous, no matter who draws it.

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b.p.r.d. vampire #3 : mignola. ba. moon. stewart.

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the wake #1 : scott snyder & sean murphy form a new age dream team on this one, and the book looks creepy and smart and like it’s got a story to tell. let’s see where we’re going.

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x-men #1 : this new all-girl x-book has our customers excited across the board, from guys to gals and new & old readers alike.

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absolute top ten : one of my favorite series ever gets the whistles & bells treatment. the hard-to-find SMAX series in included, along with all the alan moore written issues of the titular series. this book is jam packed with comics love, from an at the top of his game moore to the incredibly detailed, and funny, world that zander cannon & gene ha bring to glorious visual life. i was lucky enough back in the day to sit with zander cannon and see what the process was like putting these pages together. i tip my hat to him now, many moons later, as he was really the unsung hero of this masterpiece.

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–chris stevens

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good this week

batman incorporated #11 : a wacky interlude written by regular series artist chris burnham and featuring the batman & robin of japan. burnham has definitely learned at the side of grant morrison, whose inventive, playful spirit is all over this one. a nice break in the midst of the sturm & drang fallout from the death of damian wayne.

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in the kitchen with alain passard : one of the world’s best chefs jumps into the comic book arena. subtitled A GRAPHIC NOVEL, WITH RECIPES , we will be cooking up some of these dishes in-store very soon.

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saga #1 ($1 edition) : get in on the best ongoing book there is for a measly buck.
(only sharing pope’s ghost variant cover to #7 to make sure we all get to see it.)

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godzilla the half century war tpb : 120 pages of james stokoe stomping through the gojira-verse. run for your lives.

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the property : i haven’t read anything by rutu modan. this book will change that. the gorgeous cover and evocative cartooning are calling me in.

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wally wood eerie tales of crime & horror : aliens and elephants. exotic villains and girls gone bad. monsters and men on the run. this book collects all the non-EC crime & horror work done by a young wallace wood. wood was the best artist comics has known–eisner was a better storyteller, kirby was a better creator, but no one could flat-out draw like wally wood. a treasure trove of comics power.

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–chris stevens

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good this week

waga’s big scare : a children’s book from sam hiti? oh yes. little orange-horned devil has to get his scare back. delightful.

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wolverine and the x-men #29 : ramon perez’s elegant cartooning graces this issue. one of the most fun books coming out.

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regular show #1 : more absurd fun for boys & girls of all ages.

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ff #7 : mike allred returns after a month off. rejoice.

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the dream merchant #1 : a promising new book from image featuring a dreamy color palette and refreshing, european-flavored art style.

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chogokin chogattai kingrobot mickey & friends : disney-fried voltron.

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good this week

prophet #35 : brandon graham continues to build his own moebius cum conan world with the help of his beatiful conspirators simon roy, giannis milonogiannis, joseph bergin, and ed brisson. maybe the best revamp ever.

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thor god of thunder #8 : jason aaron & esad ribic bring the myth and majesty to the best marvel book this side of hawkeye.

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michael golden gi joe yearbook artist edition portfolio : the man who influenced arthur adams, and then arthur influenced everyone else.

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copra compendium & copra #6 : michel fiffe’s exercise in monthly badassery gets collected and continues to roll on. take a look.

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The Locust Moon Top 40

40. Unwritten vol. 7

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Just when you expect Gross & Carey’s literary-metaphysical magnum opus to start buckling down and wrapping up, it gets headier and wilder.

39. Waking Sleeping Beauty

An absolute love song to the guys who resurrected Disney’s majesty after a muddled, disappointing ’80s. The Howard Ashman stuff is inspiring and tragic.

38. Foxing Quarterly

Art directed by Jim Rugg, this might be the best-looking zine we have ever seen.

37. James Ensor

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The powerful works of this turn-of-the-century Belgian expressionist can be seen at the MoMA. The combination of tiny, obsessive detail with big, broad gestures reminded us of our own David Proch.

36. TCAF

We’re headed north again as the Time Machine travels across the border. Now if we could just find our passports…

35. Print Show

Instead of featuring one particular artist, in May we’re filling the gallery with beautiful low-priced prints from our books and our friends. Our buddies sure do make some pretty pictures here…

34. IDW’s Spirit Artist’s Edition

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Now that’s the spirit! Continue reading →

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good this week

mister x: eviction #1 : dean motter’s sci-fi noir lives in the heels of your shoes.

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3 new stories : dash shaw has one of the most unique voices in comics. anything new from him is cause for delight.

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indestructible hulk #7 : hulk & thor smash giants, and walter simonson draws it.

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hawkeye #10 : we give this book a lot of love. it loves you back.

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sonic the hedgehog #248 : sonic meets mega man in one of the more lively, lighthearted books you’ll find.

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the jack kirby omnibus volume #2 : even when he was trying to sell us toys, jack kirby couldn’t help but give us one more burst of raw power when he took on the SUPER POWERS mini series which, sadly, was one of the only jobs the KING ever saw royalties from. proceeds from this $40 book, along with a stipend from the check of every creator working at marvel today, should go to finally building the JACK KIRBY MUSEUM.

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jack davis ec stories artist’s edition : big & bad enough to swallow small children. thank you, scott dunbier.

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