Fan Expo 2010 - The Bomb

Writer/Artist: Steve Mannion
Publisher: Asylum Press
Published: August 2008

One of the comic book creators I was most excited to see at the Fan Expo was Steve Mannion. A few months back I picked up The Bomb on a whim. When I saw Steve I mentioned this,... well I said this: "I had never heard of The Bomb, but based off the cover I picked it up, and well, it's the bomb!"

This statement could have gone two ways with him: awkward silence or laugh. I got a laugh. Nice. I knew right then this guy's alright. We talked for a few minutes. He struck me as a goofy guy who easily breaks a grin. These qualities definitely come through his work. I asked if he plans on continuing his Fearless Dawn run, upon which he responded yes, and flipped to a drawing of Helga and her Nazi buddy on the moon!

The Bomb is a collection of great looking goofy stories ranging from a Jungle girl and a dinosaur, to a juiced up pirate, to nazi shenanigans, to zombie robots. It has a swimsuit edition that is nice play on Archie Comics. Anyway, I can't express how much I like this collection of comics. There just good ol' fun comics...

As an final note, at the Expo, his sketchbook was the best purchase of the day. As far as sketchbooks go, for $10 you won't find a better deal. I have a feeling he'll be realizing this and the price will go up...but good for him!




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Girl Comics # 2 of 3

Writers: Various
Artists: Various
Colours: Various
Publisher: Marvel
Published: July 2010

Terrible title. Fun comic though. Girl Comics issue 2 has a smorgasbord of 'girl' talent. As a mini series of various stories, some are gonna be hits and some misses. This issue has more hits than misses, so that's a good thing. I really liked the story of the prank call set upon Dr. Doom by Johnny Storm and Thing. As well, the art by Jill Thompson for her tale was fantastic. She also did the cover, which makes this issue worth picking up just for that.

For those not in the know, Girl Comics is a series dedicated to showcasing the talent of Marvels women writers/artists/colorists/editors and so on. The tales are generally lighthearted, fun, accessible, and beautifully drawn. Throw in a few pin ups and some bios of past female creators written by Trina Robbins, and you have a decent mini series dedicated to women Marvel creators.

Not sure why they went with the title "Girl Comics". But then again, from personal experience I've always had trouble figuring out how to address a group of females/ladies/women/girls(??) anyway.

If I address them as "ladies" I feel like a Beastie Boy.
If I say "women" I feel like an ass.
If I say "girls" I feel like and idiot.
If I say "females" I feel like a biologist.

I usually just go with "guys". That's safe. Better to just address everyone as if they're a dude.

Daughters of the Dragon # 1 of 6

Writer: Jimmy Palmiotti & Justin Gray
Artist: Khari Evans
Publisher: Marvel
Published: March 2006

Running a bit behind...Daughters of the Dragon has Colleen Wing & Misty Knight working as bailbondswomen. However some of their clients (see below), end up stealing from someone they shouldn't steal from, and Misty and Colleen are forced to clean up the mess.

Jungle Girl S2 # 2

Writer: Frank Cho, Doug Murray
Artist: Frank Cho, Adriano Batista, Frank Martin
Publisher: Dynamite Entertainment
Published: December 2008

Ladies Night # 5

So continuing on my comics with tentacle monsters, and this week lacking a comic dedicated to a female lead, I couldn't help but find a comic with both elements. Thus we have Jungle Girl! As all folks know, Frank Cho is the latest in a long line of pin-up artists, who has successfully fused cheesecake with action packed stories. On Jungle Girl Frank Cho provides stories with plot and cover, with Murray and Batista filling in the rest.

Issue # 2 has Jana (Jungle Girl) and crew boarding a submarine, only to be stalked by the seas most horredous monster: A GIANT TENTACLE BEASTIE!




But Jana ain't afraid of no beast!


Too bad it's bigger than she is!



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Spookgirl # 4: Chinese Daydream & Trip Out

Writer/Artist: Macropoulos
Publisher: Slave Labor Graphics
Published: November 2000

Ladies Night # 4 (No, I did not choose this issue on purpose - pure coincidence it's number 4!)

Issue # 4 has our lady Trixie attempting to reclaim a lost bit of her childhood. She remembers an old Chinese fairy tale: an old man kept his childhood memories in a flask. He believed these secrets had wonderful meanings, and so he meditated atop a mountain, until his younger self disappeared, and all he had left was an empty flask.

Deep.


Trixie revisits this mountain, is kicked out by some Tikis, eats a hallucinogenic plumb, and meets a strange visitor.


"Trixie will be the first to believe that their really is a monster under your bed." - Spookgirl # 4

Zatanna # 1 of 4

Writer: Grant Morrison
Artist/Inker: Ryan Sook/Mick Gray
Publisher: DC
Published: June 2005
Ladies Night # 3

Zatanna is, as some folks say, a second stringer when it comes to heroes. This is something that she is painfully aware of. In this issue, she is in a superhero low self-esteem meeting discussing her frustrations and past. She is a spellaholic who can't use her magic anymore because she can't speak backwards anymore.

Turns out she did some bad magic during a group seance to battle evil and she ended up summoning a monster, which killed her fellow magicians. To top it off, her old man died in a similar fashion, dying in a seance years before. (see Swamp Thing # 50)

So, she's a loser. But as everyone knows, with losers, they never really turn out to be just that. She's got 3 other issues to prove it!

Lady Death # 4

Writer: Brian Pulido
Aritist: Steven Hughes
Publisher: Chaos! Comics
Published: June 1995

Ladies Night! # 2
90 seconds starting....NOW!

Lady death is fighting Lucifer to regain her true self. She beats him up and kicks him in the nuts. Ouch. The artwork is pretty chaotic, with no defined panels, which makes for a cool and crazy read. So really there isn't too much beyond that. Lady Death kicking ass in a black bikini, and in this issue you are greeted with two tones of her: red or white. The devil is all red and bad. Did I mention he gets kneed in the nuts? TIME!




SHAZAM!

Red Sonja # 2

Writer: Bruce Jones
Artist: Frank Thorne
Publisher: Marvel
Published: January 1976


Ladies Night!

Every Monday I'll post a comic that features a lady, and to kick things off, the one and only Red Sonja.

Red Sonja made a vow that she would never submit to any man who could not best her in fair combat. Issue # 2 has Red Sonja being tracked by a merciless killer who will stop at nothing to retrieve an item she possesses. The tracker has killed anyone she has come into contact with and poisoned the water streams, forcing Red Sonja to near death. As she lays beside her dead horse, dehydrated and defeated, the tracker stalks forth and is about to deal the final stroke. Is this the end of Red Sonja?

Nope! 'Cause it's Ladies Night. And the feeling's right! Oh yes it's ladies night! Oh what a night (oh what a night)!