You won’t be seeing The Governor on the upcoming season 2 of The Walking Dead, but there is one place you will encounter the infamous fan favorite this October — bookstores. October 11 will see the release of The Walking Dead: Rise of The Governor, a novel penned by Walking Dead comic book creator Robert Kirkman and horror writer Jay Bonansinga. The book gives the backstory of how The Governor became the ruthless and savage despot that terrorized Rick Grimes and Co. in the comic book on which AMC’s hit drama is based. This zombie prequel story will also be available in an audiobook format read by Fred Berman and released by Macmillan audio, and we’ve got your exclusive first taste of it right here. Click on the audio player below to get an advance sneak listen as Philip Blake enters a warehouse only to learn that he is not alone. (You know it’s going to be good when the first line is “The place is a dark as a crypt.”) Then hit the message boards and sound off on what other Walking Dead characters you’d like to see receive the backstory treatment. And for more Walking Dead news and views, follow me on Twitter @EWDaltonRoss. READ FULL STORY »
Tag: Comic Books (61-70 of 111)
'The Walking Dead': First taste of 'Rise of The Governor' -- EXCLUSIVE AUDIO
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By Our Staff: An excerpt from 'Green River Killer: A True Detective Story'
Ten years ago this month, my dad caught a serial killer.
From 1984 to 2001, my father, Detective Tom Jensen, hunted one of the worst mass murderers in history, Seattle’s so-called Green River Killer, responsible for the strangulation slayings of over 48 women. At first, my father was a member of a task force of detectives. Eventually, and by choice, he became the only detective working the case full-time. He privately referred to the investigation as “The Quest” – the choice of words inspired by the song “The Impossible Dream” from the musical The Man of La Mancha. “Privately,” because Dad rarely talked about the case with the family, never told us what it truly meant to him – not until it was over. In September of 2001, my father, using DNA technology, put a proper name on the Green River Killer: Gary Leon Ridgway, a seemingly mild mannered painter of commercial trucks. Ridgway was arrested in December 2001, and my father and his colleagues believed they had brought the Green River Killer to justice and brought an end to a nightmare that haunted Seattle for nearly 20 years. But a bizarre endgame still awaited them.
In 2008, I asked my father if I could dramatize his story in a slightly unusual fashion. I love comic books. My father, in fact, introduced me to comics when I was kid. So I wanted to write a graphic novel. The result is called Green River Killer: A True Detective Story, published by Dark Horse Comics. READ FULL STORY »
Batman #1 and other new DC Comics reviews
Another week, another batch of issue #1s from DC. I’m skipping the ones I think are duds (Supergirl? Kinda blahh. Captain Atom? Irritating) and zooming in on the books that were striking for various reasons.
Batman #1 Writer Scott Snyder (American Vampire) really knows how to launch a new chapter in Batman‘s history. He pulls from the oldest aspects of the Batman myth, combines it with sinister-comic elements from the series’ best period (that would be the same Dick Sprang-drawn, ’50s era that Grant Morrison also enjoys), and gives the whole thing terrific forward-spin by setting up an honest-to-gosh mystery for Batman to solve. Throughout, the art by Greg Capullo leads with jutting jaws and faces creased with rage, exertion, fear, and grim determination. Batman’s mask covers the very tip of his beaky nose — a nice, distinctive touch. Snyder’s script, much of it about the depressed, disspirited city — talk about “investing in Gotham’s future,” its “fears, frustrations… demons” — works as a metaphor for the economy and general mood of America. Really, the only thing I didn’t care for here is the new, stiff, metallic-looking Batman cover logo. A-
Catwoman #1 Comic books come under fire so regularly for their objectification of women that this Catwoman amounts to a nose-thumbing manifesto: It’s all about the gradual yet partial undressing of Selina Kyle, culminating in a Cat-on-Batman sex scene. Literally. That’s Judd Winick’s story. What hell: go for it; Selina certainly seems to be enjoying herself. The art by Guillem March backs up everything Winick’s drives toward throughout. A low-down gas. B READ FULL STORY »
'Buffy Season 9' #1 review: A world without magic, but not without problems. Or parties!
Before we can really discuss the first issue in Buffy Season 9 — the second volume of Joss Whedon’s comic book continuance of his TV touchstone Buffy the Vampire Slayer past its 2003 series finale — we need to look back for a moment at the mammoth events of Buffy Season 8.
Back then, things in the Buffyverse were really complicated. There was that army of Slayers to corral, a mysterious Big Bad named Twilight to contend with, and a world that had discovered that vampires were real — and, even worse, everyone thought they were the coolest thing ever. (Sound familiar?) By the end of the 40-issue run, things became so convoluted — Buffy and Angel transformed into gods and had god-like über-sex, creating their very own universe that threatened to rip the fabric of our universe to shreds — that Buffy herself became rather lost amid the epic, magical derring do.
Whedon’s solution? No more magic. READ FULL STORY »
Should comic books emulate the TV biz? Plus: More reviews of 'The New 52'
Image Credit: DC Comics
Pop culture in September. A month of beginnings and renewal. A time when a certain sector of entertainment expends much marketing energy to not just psyche up the public about its products but get them excited about the very medium that delivers those products. We’re talking TV, of course, and the “new fall season” that’s imminent. But this month, we’re talking about the comic book industry, too. Last week, DC Comics began rebooting its entire line of comics via an initiative called “The New 52.” Ongoing hits like Action Comics (home to Superman) and Detective Comics (abode to Batman) restarted with new creative approaches, storylines, and creative teams. Launching with them: A bevy of new series, many starring familiar characters, returning to prime time comics the way TV stars of the past return in new vehicles. (‘Tool Time’ Tim Allen/Last Man Standing = Construction worker Alec Holland/Swamp Thing. Grunt-grunt!)
Comic-book consumer guide: Grading the new DC #1s, 'Batgirl,' 'Detective Comics,' and more
DC Comics has released so many new #1 issues this week, it seemed as though a collection of quick, concise reviews is in order. So, with a deep bow to Robert Christgau, who invented the music version of this format, here’s a Comic Book Consumer Guide.
• Detective Comics With writer-artist Tony S. Daniel doing Batman, you know the art (sinewy anatomy lessons; crinkly fabric textures) is going to be superior to the story (someone’s been reading his old Thomas Harris/Jack Ketchum paperbacks, hasn’t he?). Still, if you’re up for a bloody, naked Joker fix, this is your go-to book. B READ FULL STORY »
'Action Comics' #1 review: A radical Superman, forever in blue jeans?
Taken by itself — isolating it from the rest of DC Comics’ newly launched “The New 52!” line — the freshly renumbered Action Comics #1 as written by Grant Morrison released today is a rousing Superman tale. It presents a Superman who’s the guy we know from the waist up (blue shirt, red cape, “S” symbol on chest, forelock dangling flirtily from dark hair) but new from the waist down (think Bruce Springsteen on the cover of Born In The USA). READ FULL STORY »
Crisis In Comic Book Land? Comparing new and old 'Justice League' tells the tale
Image Credit: DC Comics
And so, the biggest reboot in comic book history has commenced. Last week, DC Comics released Justice League #1, a new version of its venerable super-hero team, set within a revised version of its creative universe. (You can read Ken Tucker’s review here.) Over the next month, the publisher will roll out 51 new and revamped series as part of the company’s (latest) effort to rejuvenate sales of the industry’s staple, stapled product, the monthly periodical. (At the same time, DC Comics is also making a major investment in digital distribution.) The first Justice League title made its debut in the fall of 1960 following a wildly successful beta test in the pages of Brave & The Bold. Back then, the book (and the team) was called Justice League of America and sported a red, white and blue logo festooned with stars. The new Justice League logo is more humble. Neutral blue and white, nothing fancy and nothing symbolic. That’s just one of several notable differences between then and now that tell the tale of how super-hero comics and its attending subculture have (and haven’t) evolved.
'Justice League' #1 review: Batman meets Superman, as DC Comics gets back to basics
Starting today, DC Comics is re-numbering 52 super-hero comic books, old titles and some new ones, back to #1 (“The New 52!,” they’re dubbing it). This morning it begins with the release of Justice League #1, written by Geoff Johns and drawn by Jim Lee. If the idea is to get back to basics, to attract a new batch of readers by starting the tales of DC’s biggest heroes from scratch, Justice League #1 is scratch ground-zero. READ FULL STORY »
Comic Book Heroes: A conversation between Neil Gaiman and Grant Morrison
Image Credit: Kimberly Butler; Allan Amato
Sometime in the late 1980s, the British invaded and changed comic books forever. Superman may stand for the American way — at least most of the time — but it took Scotsman Grant Morrison to write one of the best modern interpretations of the Man of Steel with All-Star Superman. Morrison’s latest work, Supergods, is an analysis of what superheroes, caped crusaders, and masked men can tell us about ourselves and our culture. It’s a fascinating discussion, and one that continued when he got together with fellow comic book icon and Sandman maestro Neil Gaiman to discuss their medium, their lives, and each other’s work in a wide-ranging conversation that EW was lucky enough to listen in on.
NEIL GAIMAN: First off, congratulations! You’ve got a book out.
GRANT MORRISON: Oh, thank you. It’s great after 30 years of actually taking it seriously to finally write it down. READ FULL STORY »
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