Tag Archives: dynamite comics

Preview: Bob’s Burgers #12

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Bob’s Burgers #12

writers: Rachel Hastings, Mike Olsen, Anneliese Waddington
artists: Timothy Hopkins, Rich Wilkie, Maggie Harbaugh, Mike Guerena
covers: Damon Wong (a), Sara Richard (b)
Fans & retailers, order the cover of your choice!
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 • Teen+

Get ready to delve into the twelfth issue of the Bob’s Burgers comic book series! Louise tries to crack the case of a cosmetic conundrum; Gene travels to a land of fearsome fried things; and Tina takes to the skies in Top Tina. Everyone loves Bob’s Burgers, the fan-favorite animated sitcom that airs on Fox television with other hits such as The Simpsons and Family Guy!

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Review: Bob’s Burgers Vol. 1

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BobsBurgersTP-Cov-60lbJust because I’m a fan of an animated T.V. show doesn’t always mean I’ll want to read the comic but with Bob’s Burgers Volume 1 (Dynamite) by the writers and artists/ animators of the show, overseen by its creator Loren Bouchard, I’m now a fan of both the television and comic book versions. For me the show always ends too soon but this collected edition of the first five issues gave me plenty to chew, along with palate-cleansing interludes of pin-up art in various styles by different artists. Want to see a portrait of Bob in the style of Van Gogh? It’s here. The whole family in stained glass? Yes, like in a church. It’s here, too.

With this edition you get several installments of Tina’s Erotic Friend Fiction in genres from sci-fi to Western, to zombies. Is “zombies” a genre? I hesitate to say horror because it’s too funny. Tina’s butt-obsession is in full play throughout her stories so as you can imagine, Jimmy Pesto, Jr. figures quite prominently. Gene’s musical theatre endeavors play out in rhyme, with farts aplenty. Louise’s sections feature her wreaking havoc at school and at home, and solving mysteries in her hard-charging, get-outta-my-way style. I especially like the outcome of her sleuthing in the library book vandalism case! In one instance she doesn’t quite solve the mystery involving a member of a boy band group but I’m very intrigued and hope this will be addressed in the future (where are you, Boo?).

Layout 1We don’t see a whole lot of Bob and Linda in this volume, but what we do see is quite interesting. I love Linda’s way of talking (her syntax and diction) so I enjoyed being treated to her letters to (mostly) corporate recipients with ideas for inventions, new perfumes and tips on wine-drinking for busy moms. From Bob there are burger-of-the-day idea lists, fresh from the kitchen on ruled, grease-stained paper. The cleverly-named daily burger special is a running motif on the show that gets a more satisfying treatment here, some even with illustrations. Coming up with these is Bob’s thing–he’s really good at it and when I read them they make me hungry.

I love the very distinctive voices on the television version and that’s the only thing missing from the comic book, but since I’ve watched the show since the get-go, the voices are recorded in my mind and play as I’m reading. If you haven’t really watched the show and you’re new to this fabulously quirky universe located in a sea-side town populated with characters from the cranky and eccentric to the delusional yet hilarious, well, the most fun is in watching Bob, Linda and the kids interact with them.

I’m a fan of the drawing and the way the characters look, both on the show and in the comic. Even some of the more initially outlandish-looking side characters tend to remind me of folks I’ve known or seen. As for my favorite supporting character, in the future I’d like to see more of Tina’s and Jimmy Jr.’s classmate, Zeke, who, like Nelson in The Simpsons has gone from being a quasi-bully and sidekick for Jimmy, Jr. to a more full-fledged character on the show. With his modified mullet hairstyle and Southern accent, he has a surprising knack for cooking and a fondness for older women. In the future I’ll be on the look-out for more of Zeke and definitely more about Louise’s search for her boy-band member crush—yes, Louise has a crush!

Story: Mike Olsen, Jeff Drake, Rachel Hastings, Justin Hook, Chad Brewster
Art: Brad Rader, Tony Gennero, Frank Forte, Bernard Derriman, Robin Brigstocke, Damon Wong, Kat Kosmala, Cecilia Aranovich, Kyung Shin, Marcelo Benavides, Ken Laramay, Paul Claerhout, Ryan Mattos, Steve Umbelby
Story: 9.5 Art: 9.7 Overall: 9.8
Recommendation: Buy

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review.

Review: Blood Queen #6

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blood queen 6The new Dynamite series Blood Queen had been one of my surprise finds from the past year.  Not having received a lot of press or attention, the series nonetheless seemed to have a new story to tell, or at least a twist on an old one.  With seemingly no other ties to other fairy tales or fantastical worlds, the series sought to tell a new tory in old grounds, and for a time was at least doing well.  Generally speaking I am not the type that looks forward to solicitations to find out what will be happening in the coming months in comics.  If I had though, it maybe wouldn’t have been as much of a surprise to me that this was the final issue of the series, presumably cancelled due to low sales.

Up until now the series was careful to introduce characters slowly and while there was some misdirection in the plot it was no more than most series that try to build some mystery.  Unfortunately while this has been present throughout the series thus far, this final issue gets the same unfortunate treatment of most series that suffered rapid cancellations.  Instead of finishing the smaller part of the story that the creative team was getting at, it tries to complete the entire picture, taking what was presumably several months, if not years, worth of plot and cramming it into a single issue.  Because of this everything in this issue seems rushed and if the eventual conclusion of this series was to tie it into the story of Snow White, then it seemed to be an afterthought.

The end result is an issue which stands apart from the others in this short series for its lack of quality, though for reasons which are maybe partially understandable.  While those fans of the series might want to read this just for completion, the rushed manner in which it gets to the end is not worthy of the previous issues.  Instead the reader is left thinking what could have been, but without answers.

Story: Troy Brownfield Art: Fritz Casas

Story: 5.0 Art: 7.5 Overall: 5.0 Recommendation: Pass

Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a free copy for review

Review: Bob’s Burgers #2

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The first issue of Bob’s Burgers did a lot right and came out of the ringer as a solid read, despite some problems both as an individual issue and as a set-up for an ongoing series. The characterization and look of the show was faithfully retained and the comic offered lots of laughs. The format of this series, split up into five sections respectively devoted to individual members of the Belcher family, is fresh and unique. Unfortunately, not every story of the first issue was a winner, and the big creative team wasn’t able to squeeze out enough attention for Bob and Linda, the parents of the Belcher family; their sections only being page-long notes and letters fictionally written by them doesn’t help this issue. The second issue offers three stories that all work, offering a stronger read than the last even though the comic still begs for more from the parents.

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The short story devoted to Tina here is even better than the last, offering a hugely glorious and dumb sci-fi story about a battle between humanity and robots, ultimately ended peacefully through dance. There’s lots of action and lots of downright goofy bits of Tina quirkiness. Louise’s story is much better than last month’s weak offering, giving readers a fun mystery with a cute, silly ending that makes sense. Gene’s story isn’t as good as the one last time, but it’s good, offering a musical with lots of Shakespeare and flatulence. In their totality, these stories embody a distinctly silly and fun atmosphere, sure to make any fan of the show feel at home.

The page devoted to Bob and the page devoted to Linda just don’t do much, however. Like last time, they’re fine, but at the end of the day they just make the void for the two characters seem more gaping. It’s not intrinsically bad that they don’t get their own stories, but they should have big roles in the stories actually presented to make up. On the flip side, the art does more than cleverly translate the art style and visual humor of the show. The comics craft is put to good use here, offering cool, smart visual tricks. One example of this is the series of word bubbles from Louise’s big mouth, increasing as she gets angrier and louder. There are a few instances like this, and it’s neat to see.

I enjoyed Bob’s Burgers #2 a lot for what it is, chock full of creative, funny entertainment. I just wish it would incorporate the other two fifths of the Bob’s Burgers main cast, to make the laughs even better.

Story: Rachel Hastings, Mike Olsen, Justin Hook, Jeff Drake, Chad Brewster Art: Frank Forte, Tony Gennaro, Tyler Garrison, Kimball Shirley, Anthony Aguinaldo, Hector Reynoso, Robin Brigstocke, Steven Theis, Derek Schroeder
Story: 7.5 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.5 Recommendation: Read

To check out Matt’s about.me, click here. 

Dynamite provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Flash Gordon Returns At Dynamite!

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Official Press Release

FLASH GORDON RETURNS AT DYNAMITE!

PICK UP FLASH GORDON – ZEITGEIST #1 THIS NOVEMBER AT COMIC BOOK STORES EVERYWHERE!

August 25th, 2011 – Runnemede, NJ – The iconic legend Flash Gordon is making his dynamic splash back into comics with Dynamite Entertainment this November! Flash Gordon – Zeitgeist #1 is written by Eric Trautmann (Vampirella, Red Sonja), from a story and designs by Alex Ross (Project: Superpowers, Kingdom Come, Marvels), and illustrated by Daniel Lindro!

As Flash Gordon’s story begins, it is a time of two-fisted swashbuckling, of fearsome threats and wild adventure-and of ever-growing threats on the horizon. Three valiant humans — Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov — are plucked from the Earth, traveling to the distant planet Mongo. Their exploits are legendary, battling the machinations and terror schemes of the dreaded emperor Ming, the All-Seeing Ruler of Mongo. But they did not fight alone! And coming up, witness a startling meeting with Ming the Merciless! With the fate of our world helpless, can even Flash Gordon save us?

Alex Ross had this to say about Flash Gordon – Zeitgeist, “Finally, after all this time, I’m working on a Flash Gordon series that brings the best I have to contribute to this legendary character and forerunner of all comic books!”

“I couldn’t be happier about this project,” stated writer Eric Trautmann. “It is a genuine treat to be able to let my inner ‘pulpster’ out, and write in an idiom I rarely get to play in, which has a rich core of optimism and innocence. We’re very much approaching the comic as if it were the Flash Gordon movie we’d all want to see. Add to that, I’ve adored Flash Gordon for as long as I’ve been reading, and the opportunity to play with Alex Raymond’s material — in a way I don’t think has been done before — is truly exciting. The Raymond strips were just so plot-dense, with a sense of ‘anything goes’ that I look for — often unsuccessfully — in contemporary comics. And, of course, several times a week, I check my e-mail, and find a dozen amazing pieces of artwork from Alex Ross; I’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has a greater understanding of the characters, or who harbors more affection for them, than Alex. He has laser-like clarity about the look and feel of the characters, the setting, the story, technology, making it all look new, and at the same time quite familiar. He’s an exceptional ‘vision holder’ for our tale.”

“Dynamite has added another classic character to our growing library of comics,” says Dynamite Entertainment President and Publisher Nick Barrucci. “Eric has put together an amazing story and all Flash Gordon fans will fall in love with this book, just as I have!”

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit www.comicshoplocator.com

For art and more information, please visit:

www.dynamite.net

ABOUT DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT:

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, Green Hornet, Vampirella, Warlord of Mars, Project Superpowers, Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time and more!

In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and best selling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Alex Ross, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Michael Avon Oeming, Mel Rubi, Marc Guggenheim, Stephen Sadowski, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner and a host of up and coming new talent!

DYNAMITE is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles – including PROJECT SUPERPOWERS – which debuted at #4 in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. In 2005 Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%). The company has also been nominated for several industry awards, including the prestigious Eisner Award.

Dynamite also controls and owns multiple libraries, including but not limited to the Vampirella library of casts and characters, The Superpowers library of characters, The Kirby: Genesis world of characters, and the Chaos! Comics universe of characters.