Published by Radical Comics
Written by Rick Remender
Art and colours by Greg Tocchini
Price tag: 4.99 US

After reading the first issue of the miniseries I was so gung ho about it that I couldn’t wait for this second issue to ship. Unfortunately this book shipped very late, almost 2 months overdue. Radical had built up a nice bit of steam with the first issue and to me this delay would only hurt the series. I really hope it doesn’t hurt the book in sales but to tell the truth it dampened even my enthusiasm for the book.

Book 2 starts up with a pretty nasty interrogation going on where we have a gang leader sacrificing his wife and his own life rather than sell out his “people” to this other drug lord. It’s a nasty scene and well done at that. It hammers home that a lot of the people in this book are vicious scumbags that want nothing more than to kill whoever stands in their way to dominate or challenge their superiority and leadership.

Tocchini’s artwork is gorgeous as always and he does some awesome scenes of carnage and violence that would keep any fan of the Punisher or crime comics for that matter very happy. The one thing I found that bothered me was a scene where he drew what looked like an assault shotgun with the clip in the wrong place and I know this is a stupid thing to complain about and I can overlook it in the grand scheme of the book. It’s just that I have spent a lot of time doing research on weapons and tactics for my own artwork and seeing someone draw a weapon that looks a bit “off” gets me upset. I just want to be clear that I LOVE Tocchini’s artwork overall and I think he is doing an amazing job on this book, maybe this was supposed to be a future type of shotgun or some other sort of prototype that I’ve never seen and really does look like this.

Remender is still doing a great job on the story and I’m looking forward to the 3rd issue. Getting back to this issue though, we get to see a bit more character development with some of the other supporting characters. Shelby turned out to be the biggest surprise of the book and story. I won’t ruin it for anyone that isn’t reading the “floppies” but instead waiting for the trade. From the beginning we knew she was going to be trouble but goddamn she’s living up to that femme fatale tag. She also has some of the best lines in the book.: “You were totally dying to say schematics or some other shit right then. I could tell. I’m into it. Let’s crime novel this shit up.”

Another surprise of this book turned out to be Shelby’s boyfriend, Kevin Cash. The boy’s got some stones, actually impressed me by some of the crazy antics he pulled early on in the story. Let me run down the scene for you just to give you a quick taste (Spoiler warning): Kevin’s staying at a cheap ass motel and goes downstairs to score some dope from a bunch of low level brainless biker wannabe drug dealers. As he’s scoring from them he insults their heritage, family and mother in the process, guaranteeing they’ll come looking for a little payback. They do and he’s ready for them. Kevin kills them with such ease that you almost feel sorry for them. He leaves one dealer alive and as the dealer is leaving the room running for his life Kevin changes his mind, grabbing him by his head and throwing him into the outside railing, at the same time he hits  the dealer from behind with his elbow driving the guys mouth directly into the banister splitting his face open…..The scene is actually quite funny and extremely violent and like I said you ALMOST feel bad for the dealers. In the end they got what they deserved, just like what everyone else will in this book.

There’s a lot more action that follows, both with Kevin and Graham. They are both well done, very bloody, very violent and Graham uses one of my favourite hand cannons in a car chase scene that I’d love to see in a movie version, especially if they keep in all of the bloodshed.

All in all a very solid, good read and it builds seamlessly what was begun in the first issue leading to the culmination of the robbery that will set up each character for the rest of their respective lives on easy street.

Looking forward to issue 3.

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Ed. Note: We discuss all manner of crime pop culture both past, present and future here at BFB. Here’s a nice look back at Frank Miller’s classic that refueled and reinvigorated the crime genre in comics.

I was first introduced to Sin City via Dark Horse Comics presents. It was showcased in increments of 8-12 pages each issue. The problem with reading Sin City in increments is that you had to wait for at least another month to read another chapter. With this Trade paperback/Graphic Novel you can read it all in one sitting if you so desire.

I was already a huge fan of Frank Miller’s work, so when I had heard he was doing a creator owned crime comic I was elated. Sin City is a beautifully written and drawn black and white tale of revenge  of a Psychopathic brawler by the name of Marv. The police and politicians are all corrupt. There will be no justice, there will only be retribution.

The story starts when a down and out bum/brawler by the name of Marv meets a beautiful blond. Her name is Goldie. She is beautiful. She is everything any man can want in a woman. She’s also scared. For the first time in his life a woman is showing him kindness and affection. Not just any woman BUT a goddess. He is treated to a wild night of passionate lovemaking before falling asleep stone drunk next to his beautiful conquest.

When Marv awakens with a massive headache, He discovers Goldie is dead. Not a single mark left on her body… But Marv knows she was murdered.  Killed by someone who is very good at evading detection and killing silently. A pro.

Marv has no idea who or why this was all happening but they made one mistake. They killed the one one woman who showed him something he never had before and now there was going to be hell to pay.  As he tries to figure out what’s going on, the cops show up in full riot gear. It’s a set up. He pops his meds and goes to war. He cuts through the cops like a hot knife through butter. Steals a cop car and then drive it off of the docks during his getaway.

Marv is banged up, pissed off, needs medication, beer and bandages. A lot of bandages.

Lucille his parole officer lives close by. It’s obviously they have known each other for a very long time. Lucille helps to patch him up as he tells her what has happened. Marv knows he’s fucked… But he’s still going to kill his way to the truth before he gets killed or taken down by the cops. He owes Goldie that much.

This story is so pure and straight forward in its motivations and how it’s told. You can’t help but marvel at Miller’s genius.

Anyone that owns their own creation now owes Miller an incredible debt. This story just makes me appreciate what he did outside of the big two(Marvel and DC) Miller and Dark Horse took a chance and it paid off in spades.

Keep in mind this story originally came out in the early to mid 90′s. This was way before all of the numerous creator owned books out that are constantly being turned into movies. Going back and re-reading it after all of this time I’m amazed at how well written, drawn and paced this story was. On top of that, you have all of these incredibly cool and iconic characters that he created for the series.

This collection is a must read for the fans of the crime genre. Buy it. You can thanks me later.

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Mesmo Delivery
Writer and Artist: Rafael Grampa
Price tag: 9.99 US
Color
Approx :70 pages

I must admit I had only seen Rafael Grampa’s work on the covers to the last mini-series starring Werewolf By Night for Marvel Max, so I really didn’t know what to expect from this creator. Thank heavens my store had ordered an extra copy of this GN.

Of course as soon as I saw it sitting on the back shelf behind the cash I just had to have a peek at what was inside the pages………!!!?! WTF!!!!!!!! Honestly that was my exact reaction to the insides of what I was holding in my sweaty little palms at that moment in time. This guy’s work looked like a hybrid mix of Geoff Darrow, Paul Pope, Frank Quietly and Basil Wolverton. Very surreal looking artwork and definitely not everyone’s cup of tea BUT if you dig any of the creators I mentioned before you’ll definitely dig this bit of insanity. The colours are very European and suit this GN perfectly.

The book begins with a quick intro of the two main characters as they are driving a big rig. They are hauling an unknown cargo to its destination. One of the two characters is a beaten up wannabe Elvis double (definitely not an impersonator though) whose name is Sangrecco. He’s rambling on comparing himself to the real Elvis via their respective tastes for guns, martial arts and superheroes. At no point early on does it even become apparent which direction the story will take but I was starting to become incredibly curious.

As they pull up to a gas station the other main character Rufo gets out to stretch his legs, pump some gas and get something to drink at the rest stop. Meanwhile our Elvis wannabe crashes out for a little snooze while Rufo is gone. As Rufo enters into the bar we are introduced to some of the local denizens of the place. One of which is talking about a fight he had. We have all seen this kind of blowhard before as well as the other hangers on. It then becomes very clear that this blowhard see’s Rufo (who just happens to be a massive looking bone crusher) as a threat and decides to have some fun with him. The fact that Rufo is also drinking a glass of milk doesn’t help matters. Pretty soon things get ugly and Rufo is challenged to a fist fight out back for some cash.

I gotta say at this point Grampa throws us a major curve ball with what happens next.

The blowhard (Forceps) shows us why he’s won so many fights. Everything soon goes to hell as one of the girls cheering on Forceps gets killed. Things go from bad to worse as one by one the patrons of the truck stop get sliced and diced as the Devil looks on from Hell gleefully awaiting more souls.

People get beheaded, stabbed in the eyes and we’re treated to some very insane POV action. This is in Peter Jackson territory. It gets bloody, brutal and I still couldn’t stop laughing over the way how the first girl got killed.

This book was a lot better than I would have thought and it was just a fun, fun ride. Unfortunately the book ends way too soon as far as I’m concerned.

I really can’t wait to see what Grampa does next.

If you’re in the mood for a very violent, fun, off the beaten path kinds story then definitely check this book out.

Buy Mesmo Delivery

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Chris is a good friend, founding partner here at Blunt Force Beating and he’s also a badass artist. I became intrigued with his zombie portrait series which he started doing in 2009.

I ventured out to his studio in February to capture footage of one of these drawings from start to finish. I put together a little video of his art process.

You can also head over to Optimum Wound and check out how to draw a zombie where I’ve posted a shitload of step-by-step scans of said zombie drawings.

-Jay

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Writer, artist, inker, editor . . . Jimmy Palmiotti has done a little bit of everything in the comics world. From working on recognizable Big Two properties like The Punisher, Ghost Rider, Jonah Hex and Power Girl, to creator-owned projects like Painkiller Jane and The Last Resort, Palmiotti has earned all the praise that has come his way as a veteran on the front lines of comics and comics-based properties.

When it comes to crime, the series he did for Image with Garth Ennis and Mihailo Vukelic called Back to Brooklyn is as gritty and brutal as they come. It’s the story of a crime family being torn apart by the actions of one of their own, and how it plays out is not for the squeamish. With a new graphic novel about to be released, a splatter-fest called Random Acts of Violence, Palmiotti was gracious enough to answer a few questions about the books and the processes involved in getting them into the eager hands of rabid fandom.

You have a new graphic novel, written with Justin Gray and art by Giancarlo Caracuzzo, called Random Acts of Violence, coming out soon. When is it supposed to be released, and what can you tell us about it?

Random Acts of Violence has a street date of April 28th and is about a couple of comic creators that go and self publish their first book which is called Slaughterman…an ultimate horror character and then when the book hits big, they go on tour of the country and deal with the fallout of their creation. It’s a mix of con experiences and really horrific murders. I dare say, it’s a blast.

From what I’ve read, Random Acts seems as much a horror book as a crime book. These two genres seem to overlap fairly frequently — what elements do you think comprise a “horror” story versus a particularly brutal “crime” story? I mean, what’s the difference between a mobster whacking some guy with a meat cleaver that makes it “crime” fiction, but if some lurch in a hockey mask does it it’s a “horror” story?

Usually in a crime story the killer has a reason he is doing the act…for vengeance, money or romance…in a horror story, we are dealing with a twisted brain that is fascinated with death and destruction and at times has no other motive other than curiosity or a unquenchable need. They overlap in the actual act of killing, in the details, but the motives are far away from each other.

Did you pitch this book as a standalone graphic novel right out of the gate, or were you shooting for a monthly book and they offered a standalone GN? What makes you decide to pitch a monthly vs. a standalone, or vice versa?

We first were going to do 3 separate issues, then the more we thought about it we did the math and the book would have cost 12 bucks total for only 66 pages of actual story. We figured a graphic novel was the way to go for a low price tag of $6.99 and like Jonah Hex, we were giving the reader a full story, not a continued adventure. Also, with the square binding, the book can now have a longer shelf life…but it is not without the risks. The orders need to come in higher…so if you are reading this, you would make my day and tell your retailer to pre order it…or give it a shot on Amazon soon. For us to do this book…we already know we are out of pocket more than half of the book…but we feel word of mouth might help us. We hope.

You have another collection available of what was originally a monthly book for Image called Back to Brooklyn. That was a straight up, guns-and-blood crime story that you wrote with Garth Ennis, with artwork by Mihailo Vukelic. How did that story come to be?

I had an idea for a story based on smaller stories and things that happened in Brooklyn growing up and took them and sculpted a story I pitched to Garth over a beer and he loved it. He agreed to take it and run with it and that’s how it came to be. I have many crime stories to tell…but the market is limited. I think I have another two “Brooklyn” based stories I would like to tell…but one is going to be a novel and the other a collection of short stories in 2012.

With Back to Brooklyn, the work that Ed Brubaker has done with Criminal and Incognito, Vertigo and Dark Horse coming out with “crime” lines, and stuff like Rick Remender’s Last Days of American Crime, there seems to be a real resurgence of crime stories. Why do you think that is, and what makes you come back to it?

Personally, the audience of superheroes needs something else in their diet. This is a good thing, but again, only a limited number of people are into to the genre…so guys like Ed have an easier time. I love what he does and buy every single thing he writes that’s not superhero. I come back to the genre because I love the idea of raw emotion and driven characters that will do anything to get what they want. It’s a surreal thing for me to write because I am nothing like these people…I have a wall and empathy and all the things that make me a good person. Writing these monsters is a nice release.

Besides Back to Brooklyn, you also collaborated with Garth Ennis on the classic prostitute-cum-superhero book, The Pro. In addition, you’ve collaborated with Justin Gray on Jonah Hex as well as the new story, Random Acts of Violence. What do you like about collaborating with other writers, and can you give a quick insight into how those collaborations play out when it comes to actually putting words on paper and delivering them?

With Garth, you let Garth do what he does best and run with the idea. He isn’t what I call a real collaborator in that sense…which is perfect, because he is a master of his craft and one of the coolest guys in the field. With Back to Brooklyn…we went over the idea…who the characters were and where they were going to go along the way. For me, there were little surprises along the way, but he stuck to what we laid out and I thought it was brilliant. If anyone here didn’t read this book and you like the genre…I think its one of the top 5 crime graphic novels out there now. As far as working with Justin, it’s like working with a best friend that can do no wrong. He is open to ideas, deals with my madness and understands that we sometimes move to a different beat and it makes the books that more interesting. We see the world differently and the same and it helps our work. Anyone that has been following our books understands that we can switch gears with genres and tone and characters in a drop of the hat and together we are well-rounded writers. We talk a few times a day and flush out ideas daily as well. The amount of work we are sitting on, given the chance, would blow people away if we found a sponsor. Yeah…if you have a few million and want to invest it …call me…I will give you better odds than any stock. Lol…

You’ve written for comics, movies, etc. Is there a Jimmy Palmiotti novel anywhere in your future?

Yes. A book of short stories I am working on now…and a novel that I will do once something I am working on pays enough to give me the time to flush it out. Hey, ambitions are good things…lol.

Are there any particular types of stories or genres you haven’t done that you hope to do before they stuff you in a padded room and throw away the key?

Romance…softcore and hardcore. I think I would love to take a group of characters and have a blast with relationship stuff…I know it sounds boring to some…but some of the best written works do this well. I would love a monthly “weird love” title to go crazy on. I know if I did it independently, I wouldn’t sell an issue…but knowing me…I will try. Lol.

Besides your art (and the lovely and talented Amanda Connor, of course), what gets you out of bed in the morning?

My cat Devo is hungry…and usually, I got to pee. Other than that, the idea that today might be the day that something happens…I know, its very optimistic, but I believe you put it out there and it finds you eventually. I also like to update my fan page on Facebook…hahahah. That sounds so high school.

Any crime stuff you’ve read or seen in the movies or on DVD lately that you thought was particularly cool?

Just Ed’s stuff , Darwyn Cooke’s Parker graphic novel and I saw The Counterfeiters and thought it was brilliant. Rent it…it kicks some major ass.

Buy Back To Brooklyn
Pre-Order Random Acts of Violence (originally titled Splatterman)
Visit “Listen to Jimmy” – Jimmy Palmiotti’s Official Blog
And join Jimmy’s Facebook Fanpage

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So Tim Bradstreet spoke with us over at Optimum Wound.

A couple of years back I tried to nail down an interview with Tim Bradstreet for the site but he was swamped with work. I was doing the first set of a series of pieces on pen and ink masters. Tim was on the short list.

Fast forward to February 2010 and Richard Serrao approached Tim again. The timing was right and Tim answered 20 questions. He over delivered in the form of 6000+ words worth of knowledge and wisdom. I had to break that sucker up into 3 parts.

If the interview was less about technique and more about genre I could have easily posted that here on Blunt Force. Tim is the ultimate illustrator for drawing a badass cover your crime comic or novel and has done so hundreds of times.

His covers for the Punisher, Hellblazer and Criminal Macabre will stand the test of time for decades to come.

Read the first part of the Tim Bradstreet interview.

And here’s part two and part three.

-Jay

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Writer Rick Remender
Artist: Greg Tocchini
Publisher: Radical Comics
Price: 4.99 US
Mature readers

Originally when I first heard about the premise for this miniseries I was a bit sceptical thinking that Remender was trying to jump on the crime resurgence bandwagon and that it was going to be a huge flop. I’d seen Greg Tocchini’s artwork on some comic over at Marvel but was never impressed with what he’d done. Still though, I was willing to give the book a shot but I’d definitely have to take a look at it first before I plunked down my hard earned cash. A month or two before Book 1 was to be released the owners of my comic store gave me their preview copy as they knew how much of a fan I am of this genre of comics. Nothing had prepared me for what was inside that preview.

The first time that I looked inside the preview I was assaulted by these wild European colors. Tochchini’s  artwork was realistic and had improved a thousand fold over what I had seen before. He was mixing mediums coloring the book traditionally while incorporating computer techniques. My jaw dropped. It took me days before I even read the preview as I simply couldn’t stop staring at the artwork. This is something rare for me, at least lately. Then after I finally read the preview I was stoked by Remender’s writing and couldn’t wait for the actual book to ship. It was time to wait.

Even though I was looking out for the book, I still didn’t get to the store in time. It had sold out and it was selling out everywhere. I called my store to see if they could order it for me and one of the owners told me that when he saw how fast It was selling he kept a copy or two for me. Man I don’t remember being that overjoyed over getting a comic.

Holding The last days of American Crime in my hands I couldn’t help but notice how heavy It felt and I glossed over the pages quickly and I saw there was an interview with both Remender and Tocchini In the back along with a sketch section for each character. This was the equivalent of getting a director’s cut of your favourite DVD and it was right out of the gate too. Huge kudos go out to Radical and all of the fine folks responsible. Okay, enough of me gushing over the book, let’s get Into the details.

It’s a few weeks away from the US government’s broadcast of a signal that will render the populace incapable of committing any crimes. At the same time the US is also switching over from cash to electronic payment cards. Needless to say once the news is leaked to the population, rioting, looting commence and people start going bat-shit crazy as a last ditch effort to enjoy themselves before they become mindless drones that tow the line and have no free will of their own. The criminals are trying to get the fuck out of dodge before this signal goes live. Canada has locked down its’ borders, along with Mexico and armed guards will shoot anyone trying to enter the country without valid identification or attempting to sneak in to escape the dreaded “signal”.

Graham Bricke is walking into a slumlord’s wet dream of a building while carrying a can of diesel. As he climbs the stairs to get to where he’s going, he’s offered sex in exchange for that magic hit of H from all sorts of whores promising to fuck you harder than you’ve ever been fucked in your life. We also discover Graham is a recovering addict and he’d love to get high right now but first he needs to take care of a loose end. This loose end is a man tied up in a bathtub while Graham explains why he walked so many blocks to score a can of  diesel. Trust me it’s one of those scenes that set the stage for what’s to come in the book perfectly.

Graham then heads over to the local bar where he has to meet a “gardener” to help him pull off a job. While waiting, poor Graham meets one of the hottest femme fatales straight out of film noir’s rich history. He never gets her name before he ends up banging the living fucking hell out of her in the ladies’ bathroom while strangling her at the same time. Yeah. Poor, poor Graham. Only after he finishes does this babe tell him that he just helped her check something off of her “to do list’ What? “Fuck a loser.” Damaged goods baby but goddamn she’s so fuckable and just like a Black Widow she’ll eat you after fucking your brains out.

These two pages above give you a good idea of how much this book will deliver the goods while not falling into the trappings of censorship or pussyfooting around any scene. Once again Radical gets extremely high praise for leaving this scene in the book. Btw, there’s a lot more to this scene than what I’m showing here. If you want to see it go buy the goddamned book already. Enough of me running off on a tangent.

After Graham’s finished he meets the gardener that he advertised for but there’s just one small problem. The femme fatale he just fucked is his gardener’s fiancée. Talk about setting yourself up for disaster right there. The story continues to build to a strong setting for the other 2 books still yet to come and I can’t wait to see how it all plays out. If you find this book, grab it and buy it. You’ll be glad that you did.

This book has the possibility to be as huge as Sin City or 100 Bullets. The movie is already in production with Sam Worthington attached to play Graham Bricke and as a producer, the possibilities are endless.

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This week I wanted to do something a little bit different, so I thought I’d do a review for a comic that has continually been on my must read list for the past year,  give or take.

I know some people will say hey this isn’t a crime comic but rather horror. Yes it is BUT it’s one motherfucker of a brutal comic. It’s even more so than a lot of crime comics out there. Garth Ennis doesn’t pull any punches and neither does Jacen Burrows on the artwork.

The comic is called Crossed and is definitely for mature readers and people not easily offended…. And even though I’m not easily offended and can handle the craziest of scenarios, this book usually does a number on me every time I read it….

On quite a few occasions I had the shakes afterwards. If you’re married and have kids, this book makes you stressed and makes you live and deal with choices that are the worst that you can imagine….You breathe a sigh of relief when you’re done, thinking thank god this isn’t real.

Whether you have a family of your own or not, if you’re some jaded motherfucker that is unaffected by this book, seek help immediately…

I think that says a lot not just about Garth Ennis’ amazing script but when coupled with a brilliant artist like Jacen Burrows the outcome is usually spectacular in scope, both in the storytelling and emotional involvement. He (Jacen Burrows) is doing incredible work on this book. Absolutely no line he draws is wasted or used for pure flash or embellishment.

So what’s it about?

The story is an end of the world scenario where the survivors who have remained uninfected by a plague are trying to retain their humanity in the process while  in the face of The Crossed.

We begin in a diner where a man enters covered in blood and reeking foul while his face is covered in pustules and sores in the form of a cross. From there the story takes off into high gear and shows some of the most insane levels of carnage ever put to paper.

The origin of the virus /plague is unknown both to us and the characters in the story. Once someone becomes infected, they become pure evil and all sense of decency and good in each of them vanishes. That’s the only explanation that I can give….

All of our darker sides that we keep in control on a normal basis have now risen to the surface and the infected relish on not only killing whomever they can get their hands on but usually raping, sodomizing and literally tearing apart said victim.

The sex and age of the victim never comes into play, they treat children the same way they would adults. This is one of the hardest aspects about the book and it’s story. Seeing a little child being torn apart while their parents are being sodomised and watching this happen to their children is beyond inhuman.

I do feel it’s necessary to further the story along and to truly put it in your face like this so that you have no choice but to deal with the imagery.

There’s one scene in particular that demonstrated that while the Crossed may be savage and cruel they are far from stupid. In fact they are quite cunning in their ingenuity. While the main characters are observing the Crossed destroying a town they find a group with their backs turned, jerking off into a bowl. The kicker of the scene is that inside the bowl they had placed a bunch of bullets that they would use to wound and infect at least one member of the survivors. To me that is incredibly insidious and devious.

It’s a gruesome story and at times incredibly hard to read but the emotions and stories of the various characters are so well thought out, drawn and paced that anyone who loves an end of world/apocalypse scenario will completely go bananas for this book.

You can definitely feel the walls closing in on the characters and the end is coming whether they want to deal with the events that have marked them all forever or not.

Sometimes after I’ve finished the book, I usually go back and reread the book again within a few minutes. Without a doubt Garth’s Punisher MAX stories were some of his best work ever, right next to Preacher BUT CROSSED is in my opinion his greatest work of all time.

So far there’s been 8 issues of incredible insanity and while I own all of the floppies, I look forward to seeing the collected version and possibly all of the extras that might be included in that edition. I can’t recommend Crossed highly enough…BUT like Isaid be prepared for the ride of your life and trust me, after reading this book you’ll appreciate everything you have in life.

Unfortunately a lot of people won’t read or even know about this gem of  a book because it’s published by Avatar, which is a shame indeed.

On a side note:
Avatar, over the last 10 years (give or take) have shown they’re into publishing unique and edgey creator owned work by the likes of Garth Ennis, Warren Ellis and Christos Gage. This Company has impressed me with their quality of books, the artwork inside, the writing and kickass coloring. Avatar deserves higher recognition because of how far they’ve come while improving every facet of their Company.

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And while we’re at it here’s Phillips’ rendition of Chuck Bronson.

Now that FOX launched the new Warner Bros. television series HUMAN TARGET in late January, Vertigo is collecting the original 4-issue Vertigo HUMAN TARGET miniseries written by Peter Milligan with art by Edvin Biukovic along with the follow-up, standalone, 96-page HUMAN TARGET: FINAL CUT OGN with art by Javier Pulido.

Here’s a link to the first issue which DC Comics has posted online for you to peruse.

Jason Starr author of graphic novel crime graphic novel THE CHILL goes down a list of his 6 most influencial crime novels. I agree with him regarding Ken Bruen.

One of the most unique stylist in crime fiction–think Raymond Chandler meets Samuel Beckett. Bruen can do more in less space than any other crime writer.

Diamond PREVIEWS is hosting 8 pages of Jacques Tardi’s World War 1 comic IT WAS THE WAR OF THE TRENCHES. Fantagraphics is putting this out as a hardcover first. From the description:

Tardi is not interested in the national politics, the strategies, or the battles. Like Remarque, he focuses on the day-to-day of the grunts in the trenches, and, with icy, controlled fury and disgust, with sardonic yet deeply sympathetic narration, he brings that existence alive as no one has before or since. Yet he also delves deeply into the underlying causes of the war, the madness, the cynical political exploitation of patriotism.

Sounds good to me.

And here’s the cover to SCALPED #35 by Jock, a one off that will have art by Danijel Zezelj and should be out now. Holy fuck.

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