Tag Archives: border town

Ramon Villalobos, Comics Artist, talks Border Town his new Vertigo series

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Ramon Villalobos is a professional comic artist living in Stockton California. He’s worked on books for Marvel such as Nighthawk, Secret Wars: E is for Extinction, America, among others and now Border Town (co created with Eric M. Esquivel) for Vertigo Comics.

“When a crack in the border between worlds releases an army of monsters from Mexican folklore, the residents of Devil’s Fork, AZ, blame the ensuing weirdness—the shared nightmares, the otherworldly radio transmissions, the mysterious goat mutilations—on “God-dang illegals.” With racial tensions supernaturally charged, it’s up to new kid in town Frank Dominguez and a motley crew of high school misfits to discover what’s really going on in this town torn between worlds.”

Border Town #1 is Going Back to Press and Getting a Second Printing

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DC Entertainment has announced that the recently released Border Town #1 from DC Vertigo is headed into a second printing. The first issue debuted to incredible fan response and critical acclaim.

Border Town from writer Eric M. Esquivel and artists Ramon Villalobos and Tamra Bonvillain is an ongoing series based in the fictional town of Devil’s Fork, Arizona, as a crack in the border between our world and Mictlan unleashes monsters from Mexican folklore. As the residents of the small border town are plagued by shared nightmares, otherworldly radio transmission, and mysterious goat mutilations, racial tensions will become supernaturally charged.  It’s now up to the new kid in town, Frank (Francisco) Dominguez, and a motley crew of high school misfits to discover what’s really going on.

Border Town is the first of a new line of creator-owned series from the recently rebranded DC Vertigo imprint, led by Executive Editor Mark Doyle and dedicated to creating modern, socially relevant, high-concept stories appealing to readers of all genres.

The second printing of Border Town  #1 will arrive in local comic shops October 10, with Border Town #2 available on October 3.

First Impressions Featuring: Gods, Bullets and Spiders

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Welcome to Graphic Policy’s First Impressions where we take a look at a handful of comics in order to discern just how accessible they are for new readers, because every comic could be somebody’s first – and that’s the first question that’ll be answered with this feature. The second is whether youshould  start there because sometimes a book could be accessible to new readers but the quality could be less than average, and so each comic will receive a score out of ten based upon Graphic Policy’s typical ten point scale.

Where possible we’ll also be providing  recap of sorts for the relevant story beats up until the issue in question in order to help you figure out if the series is something you’re interested in, assuming we’ve read any part of the story thus far. All comics were provided for review purposes unless otherwise noted.

 

Asgardians Of The Galaxy #1 (Marvel)
Can a new reader start here? Yes
Recap, review: With no idea how this team formed, I can’t give you a recap. But that doesn’t matter because this is an easy comic to jump into (and there’s Throg, Frog of Thunder!).
Rating: 8.4

Border Town #1 (DC/Vertigo)
Can a new reader start here? Yes
Recap, review: A comic with a not so subtle social commentary, a cultural mythology lesson and some fantastic characters? Hell yeah. This is one of the best things I’ve read all week.
Rating: 9.1

Ben Reilly: Scarlet Spider #23 (Marvel)
Can a new reader start here? Yes, kinda.
Recap, review: So Ben Reilly was a villain and made a deal with the devil, he owes a cure to terminal illness to somebody and his “brother” is going to kill him when he does cure her because his crimes were so egrecious. Sound fun? Wait till you get to the two twists and all the character development.
Rating: 8.4

United States vs. Murder, Inc #1 (DC/Jinxworld)
Can a new reader start here? Yes
Recap, review: Ever wondered how a person gets their start as a mafia enforcer? This oddly charming comic blends familial ties with murder as an uncle inducts his niece into the casually brutal way of life of a mafia enforcer while questioning why a woman can’t dothe job.
Rating: 8.7

Cover #1 (DC/Jinxworld)
Can a new reader start here? Yes
Recap, review: Weird, wonderful and beautifully illustrated, this is a love letter to the artist’s process wrapped up in a story that begins to reveal itself as the comics progresses.
Rating: 8.5

Immortal Hulk #5 (Marvel)
Can a new reader start here? Yes, more or less
Recap, review: How deadly is the monster within? That’s the question aked here amidst a backdrop of Hulk unleashing against an enemy that can stand his punches. We get a little in story scene setting before an epic battle ensues. Yes, we’re five issues in, bu this is still a relatively safe place to start from (I say this as I don’t know if I read the last issue).
Rating: 8.9

Old Man Logan Annual #1 (Marvel)
Can a new reader start here? Yes
Recap, review: Set before Old Man Logan came to the 616 universe, this standalone tale has him facing off against a gang taking a hero for inspiration and wisting it horribly. Becayse it’s standalone, you can read this without ever having gone near the main series.
Rating: 8.1

Review and Unboxing: Border Town #1

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It’s Wednesday which means it’s new comic book day with new releases hitting shelves, both physical and digital, all across the world.

We previously reviewed Border Town #1 after San Diego Comic Con but DC Comics sent us this mysterious package. We open it up and once again give our thoughts about this new Vertigo series!

When a crack in the border between worlds releases an army of monsters from Mexican folklore into the small town of Devil’s Fork, Arizona, the residents blame the ensuing weirdness—the shared nightmares, the otherworldly radio transmissions, the mysterious goat mutilations—on “God-dang illegals.” With racial tensions supernaturally charged, it’s up to new kid in town Frank Dominguez and a motley crew of high school misfits to discover what’s REALLY going on.

Border Town #1 is by Eric M. Esquivel, Ramon Villalobos, Tamra Bonvillain, Deron Bennett, Andy Khouri, and Maggie Howell.

Get your copy in comic shops today. To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

Amazon or TFAW

 

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Preview: Border Town #1

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Border Town #1

(W) Eric M Esquivel (A/CA) Ramon Villalobos
In Shops: Sep 05, 2018
SRP: $3.99

Don’t miss the start of this all-new ongoing Vertigo series by writer Eric M. Esquivel (Gregory Graves, Ricanstruction) and artist Ramon Villalobos (Nighthawk, America).

When a crack in the border between worlds releases an army of monsters from Mexican folklore, the residents of Devil’s Fork, AZ, blame the ensuing weirdness-the shared nightmares, the otherworldly radio transmissions, the mysterious goat mutilations-on “God-dang illegals.” With racial tensions supernaturally charged, it’s up to new kid in town Frank Dominguez and a motley crew of high school misfits to discover what’s really going on in this town torn between worlds.

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.

Asgardians of the Galaxy #1 (Marvel) – A tie-in to the current Infinity Wars event, this comic brings together a rag-tag group of Asgardian warriors. The reason is ok but it’s the personalities and a reveal at the end that’s the real driver here.

Berlin The Complete Edition (Drawn & Quarterly) – Collecting Jason Lutes masterwork looking at the fall of the Weimar Republic through the eyes of its citizens. It’s a society slowly awakening to the stranglehold of fascism.

Border Town #1 (Vertigo/DC Comics) – Kicking off the new direction of Vertigo that’s a return to the edgy social conscious comics of old. The first issue is absolutely fantastic and a must get. A horror comic with monsters you don’t normally see.

Bully Wars #1 (Image Comics) – A new series from Skottie Young. That alone has us sold. The series focuses on high school bullies with art by Aaron Conley.

Captain America #3 (Marvel) – A fantastic relaunch of the series focused on the role of Captain America in modern society.

Cover #1 (Jinxworld/DC Comics) – The fact this is a new Jinxworld title has us intrigued to check it out.

Dark Ark #10 (AfterShock Comics) – Cullen Bunn is a master at horror and this series mashes that genre up with the Bible. So good.

Death of the Inhumans #3 (Marvel) – We admit we were skeptical when we first head about this miniseries but so far each issue has been solid with no issues murdering off long time characters and creating a threat that feels very real.

Dr. Stone Vol. 1 (VIZ Media) – We’ve read it, we love it. Basically, everyone in the world gets turned into stone and a few wake up thousands of years in the future. Where do you go from there?

The Dreaming #1 (Vertigo/DC Comics) – The Sandman Universe takes off with this debut issue. We had mixed feelings about the teaser comic but we’re excited to check out more.

Thanos Legacy #1 (Marvel) – A piece of the master cosmic plan Marvel has going on.

Transformers: Lost Light #23/Transformers: Optimus Prime #23/Transformers: Unicron #4 (IDW Publishing) – IDW’s Transformers universe is finally coming to an end point and these three series are taking us there. What’s on the other side, we have no idea.

United States vs Murder Inc #1 (Jinxworld/DC Comics) – We remember the first volume when it came out and it was a nice spin to the mob story.

The Walking Dead #183 (Skybound/Image Comics) – The introduction of the new community has given the series a shot in the arm and opened up a lot of posibilities. Where is it goign? We have no idea and can’t wait.

WWE NXT Takover: Blueprint #1 (BOOM! Studios) – If you’re a fan of the WWE, this one is a must get.

Around the Tubes

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It’s new comic book day! What’s everyone excited for? What do you plan on getting? Sound off in the comments below. While you wait for that, here’s some comic news and reviews from around the web in our morning roundup.

Kotaku – In Defense of ROMs, A Solution To Dying Games And Broken Copyright Laws – Should this logic apply to comics too?

KFDX – Alleged $100000 comic book thief faces additional burglary charge – Glad he was caught!

Wonkete – Dumb Rightwing Rag ‘The Federalist’ Forgot How Much Superheroes Like Punching Nazis – Bwahahahahahaha

IGN – DC Writer Debuts a Different Kind of Comic Book Experience – This is pretty cool and a must get!

Reviews

Newsarama – Border Town #1

Comic Attack – The Sandman Universe #1

Coming the Fall from Vertigo, Border Town. Catch this Early Preview

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Coming this Fall is a new era of DC Vertigo—with new series, new voices, and a bold new direction. Hitting shelves September 5 is the all-new Border Town from Eric M. Esquivel, Ramon Villalobos, Tamra Bonvillain (colors) and Deron Bennett (letters).

When a crack in the border between worlds releases an army of monsters from Mexican folklore, the residents of Devil’s Fork, AZ, blame the ensuing weirdness—the shared nightmares, the otherworldly radio transmissions, the mysterious goat mutilations—on “God-dang illegals.” With racial tensions supernaturally charged, it’s up to new kid in town Frank Dominguez and a motley crew of high school misfits to discover what’s really going on in this town torn between worlds.

Esquivel explains the series:

Border Town is informed by the weird relationship I have with my ethnicity (I’m a biracial Mexican/Irish guy), the scary stories my cousins traumatized me with when I was a niño, the weird culture of the town I moved to right before my sophomore year of high school– basically all of the stuff I never thought anyone in the world would care about, except for me. Our book takes place in Arizona. And Arizona’s most striking quality is that all of its most gorgeous sights occur right next to its ugliest. Picturesque sunsets fall over Joe Arpaio’s gleefully inhumane outdoor prisons. Flowers bloom on some of the most poisonous plants known to man. It’s anything but subtle.

Advance Review: Border Town #1

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For those attending San Diego Comic-Con 2018, they got a chance to get an early copy of Border Town #1, one of the new series that’s part of DC Comics‘ Vertigo relaunch.

When a crack in the border between worlds releases an army of monsters from Mexican folklore into the small town of Devil’s Fork, Arizona, the residents blame the ensuing weirdness—the shared nightmares, the otherworldly radio transmissions, the mysterious goat mutilations—on “God-dang illegals.” With racial tensions supernaturally charged, it’s up to new kid in town Frank Dominguez and a motley crew of high school misfits to discover what’s REALLY going on.

Out September 5th, the series is by Eric M. Esquivel, Ramon Villalobos, Tamra Bonvillain, Deron Bennett, Andy Khouri, and Maggie Howell.

You can pre-order the comic now from your local comic shop now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.

TFAW

 

DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Latinx Comic Writer Eric Esquivel Receives Death Threats Ahead of San Diego Comic-Con and Uses it to Spotlight Lantix Creators

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Latinx comic writer Eric Esquivel woke up to a death threat on Wednesday that stated “We’re not sending I.C.E. to Comic Con, we’re sending exterminators.”

Esquivel is one of a handful of creators who will be relaunching DC‘s Vertigo imprint. Along with creator Ramon Villalobos the two will be releasing Border Town in September, the first new series to be launched as part of the new direction for the comic line.

The description of the series is below.

When a crack in the border between worlds releases an army of monsters from Mexican folklore into the small town of Devil’s Fork, Arizona, the residents blame the ensuing weirdness—the shared nightmares, the otherworldly radio transmissions, the mysterious goat mutilations—on “God-dang illegals.” With racial tensions supernaturally charged, it’s up to new kid in town Frank Dominguez and a motley crew of high school misfits to discover what’s REALLY going on.

While we could go on about the toxic elements that lie within the comic community and in society as a whole (Esquivel’s Tweet is full of them in responses), we’re taking Esquivel’s lead to use this opportunity to promote Latinx creators.

If we’ve missed any we apologize and please add more in the comments!

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