The Comix/Graphic Novel Shelf

The Lost Journals of Phineas Finke
Stephen Barnwell, author/illustrator
Joan Barnwell, editor
Antarctica Arts
https://www.antarcticaarts.com
9781733964982, $29.95, HC, 130pp

https://www.amazon.com/Lost-Journals-Phineas-Finke/dp/1733964983

Synopsis: In 1906, photographer Phineas Finke discovered a new emulsion for=
his glass plates. It was sensitive to a very special frequency of light th=
at allowed him to see into another dimension.

At first, he was excited and fascinated by the intriguing images and bizarr=
e creatures that his New Emulsion captured. Soon, however, enthusiasm turne=
d to terror, as horrific beings from another dimension began to infest the = countryside, the nearby town of Arkham, and finally his own home.

What unspeakable horrors might still be surrounding us at all times, unseen=
and invisible?

Critique: With the publication of "The Lost Journals of Phineas Finke" will=
be able to join Phineas Finke on his journey into madness in a Victorian G= othic tale worthy of H. P. Lovecraft.
A unique and chillingly illustrated graphic novel by author/illustrator Ste= phen Barnwell, and deftly edited by Joan Barnwell, "The Lost Journals of Ph= ineas Finke" features 92 soul-chilling images -- purportedly the actual wet=
plate photographs made in 1906 by Phineas Finke with his New Emulsion. Mac= abre, original, and entertaining, "The Lost Journals of Phineas Finke" is h= ighly recommended for the personal reading lists and community library grap= hic novel collections for ages 14-18 and older.

Editorial Note: Stephen Barnwell (https://www.stephenbarnwell.com/cv.htm) i=
s a professional artist, working in printmaking, illustration, and book des= ign. His prints have been exhibited internationally in museums including th=
e Palais de Tokyo Contemporary Art Museum in Paris, the Marin Museum of Con= temporary Art in California, the Altmarkisches Museum in Stendal, Germany, = and the Lahti Art Museum in Lahti, Finland.

Sons of Ashgard: Ill Met in Elmgard
Chad Corrie, et al.
Dark Horse Comics
10956 SE Main Street, Milwaukie, OR 97222
www.darkhorse.com
9781506733616, $19.99, PB, 152pp

https://www.amazon.com/Sons-Ashgard-Ill-Met-Elmgard/dp/1506733611

Synopsis: With bloody hands and sorrowful heart / I set my sails and soon d= epart. / For a brighter day my soul does long. / A place to hope where I ca=
n belong.

Erick Redfur seeks a new life. Exiled from his homeland he craves a fresh s= tart, but has yet to find it. Hopeful of a better fate in Elmgard he soon f= inds himself embroiled in a series of troubling events that quickly escalat=
e into a near kingdom-wide war.

Yet even as he attempts a remedy through fast thinking and the aid of some = new companions, he risks jeopardizing his chance for a more peaceful future=
.. But in so doing he'll find his redemption along with new hope for the day=
s ahead.

Critique: "Sons of Ashgard: Ill Met in Elmgard" by the team of author Chad = Corrie, line artist Matt Wendt, colorist Hi-Fi, and with lettering by Taylo=
r Esposito, is an original and compellingly impressive graphic novel that i=
s a fully entertaining blend of action, adventure, comedy, and heart. It is=
an anthropomorphic saga that follows a group of adventurous squirrels acro=
ss a Norse-flavored landscape finding commonality in a bond birthed through=
mutual struggle and discovery. Each story is stand-alone incident that als=
o ties into a larger narrative woven between each tale. While also availabl=
e in a digital book format (Kindle, $11.99), "Sons of Ashgard: Ill Met in E= lmgard" is unreservedly recommended for personal and community library Grap= hic Novel collections.

Editorial Note: Chad Corrie (https://chadcorrie.com) has written comics, gr= aphic novels, prose fiction of varying lengths, and an assortment of other = odds and ends. He's been an editor and writer for an online magazine, owned=
his own publishing company; worked as a bookseller and magazine/book merch= andiser.

New Realities: The Comics of Dash Shaw
Greg Hunter
Uncivilized Books
www.uncivilizedbooks.com
9781941250471, $22.99, PB, 112pp

https://www.amazon.com/New-Realities-Comics-Dash-Shaw/dp/1941250475

Synopsis: Dash Shaw is one of the most restless cartoonists of recent decad= es, constantly evolving in how he approaches the comics page. In the years = since his breakthrough graphic novel Bottomless Belly Button, he has contin= ued to create acclaimed, idiosyncratic comics, varying his uses of line and=
color as well as shifting from domestic realism to sci-fi farce to histori= cal fiction.

But some concerns in Shaw's work remain constant. His characters live withi=
n their own personal realities, often failing to connect or even communicat=
e. Comics as different as the dystopian spectacle BodyWorld and the geek-cu= lture comedy Cosplayers become sites of clashes between incompatible mindse=
ts -- with Shaw adapting his cartooning to capture new varieties of confusi= on, alienation, and more.

With the publication of "New Realities: The Comics of Dash Shaw" critic Gre=
g Hunter (The Comics Journal) follows the through-line across this adventur= ous body of work.

Critique: A 'must read' study for the legions of Dash Shaw fans, "New Reali= ties: The Comics of Dash Shaw" is an impressive presentation of the graphic=
novel style artwork of this unique and iconoclastic artist. "New Realities=
: The Comics of Dash Shaw" is an especially and unreservedly recommended fo=
r personal, professional, community, and academic library Comics/Graphic No= vels literary criticism collections and supplemental curriculum studies lis= ts.

Editorial Note: Literary critic Greg Hunter has a web page on The Comics Jo= urnal website at https://www.tcj.com/author/greg-hunter

Destroyer Duck: Graphite Edition
Steve Gerber, author
Jack Kirby, illustrator
John Morrow, editor
TwoMorrows Publishing
10407 Bedfordtown Drive, Raleigh, NC 27614
www.twomorrows.com
9781605491172, $31.95, HC, 128pp

https://www.amazon.com/Destroyer-Duck-Graphite-Steve-Gerber/dp/1605491179

Synopsis: In the 1980s, writer Steve Gerber was embroiled in a lawsuit agai= nst Marvel Comics over ownership of his creation Howard The Duck. To raise = funds for legal fees, Gerber asked Jack Kirby to contribute to a benefit co= mic titled Destroyer Duck. Without hesitation, Kirby (who was in his own di= spute with Marvel at the time) donated his services for the first issue, an=
d the duo took aim at their former employer in an outrageous five-issue run=
..

With biting satire and guns blazing, Duke "Destroyer" Duck battled the thin=
ly veiled Godcorp (whose infamous credo was "Grab it all! Own it all! Drain=
it all!"), its evil leader Ned Packer and the (literally) spineless Booste=
r Cogburn, Medea (a parody of Daredevil's Elektra), and more!

Now, all five Gerber/Kirby issues are collected in "Destroyer Duck: Graphit=
e Edition" but relettered and reproduced from JACK'S unbridled, uninked pen= cil art! Also included are select examples of Alfredo Alcala's unique inkin=
g style over Kirby on the original issues, Gerber's script pages, an histor= ical Introduction by Mark Evanier (co-editor of the original 1980s issues),=
and an Afterword by Buzz Dixon (who continued the series after Gerber)!

Dedicated comic history fans will discover all the hidden jabs they might h= ave missed when Destroyer Duck was first published, and experience page aft=
er page of Kirby's raw pencil art!

Critique: Informative enhanced with an Introduction by Mark Evanier, an Aft= erword by Buzz Dixon, deftly edited by John Morrow, and expertly reproducin=
g a truly fascinating bit of 'protest' comic book art history, "Destroyer D= uck: Graphite Edition" will be of immense interest to fans of comic book le= gends Steve Gerber and Jack Kirby. This informative and fun hardcover editi=
on is unreservedly recommended for personal, community, college, and univer= sity library Supherhero comics/graphic novel collections.

Editorial Note #1: Steve Gerber (September 20, 1947[1] - February 10, 2008)=
was an American comic book writer and creator of the satiric Marvel Comics=
character Howard the Duck. Other works include Man-Thing, Omega the Unknow=
n, Marvel Spotlight: "Son of Satan", The Defenders, Marvel Presents: "Guard= ians of the Galaxy", Daredevil and Foolkiller. Gerber (https://en.wikipedia= ..org/wiki/Steve_Gerber) was posthumously inducted into the Will Eisner Comi=
c Book Hall of Fame in 2010.

Editorial Note #2: Jack Kirby (August 28, 1917 - February 6, 1994) was an A= merican comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the=
medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential cre= ators. In 1940, he and writer-editor Joe Simon created the highly successfu=
l superhero character Captain America for Timely Comics, predecessor of Mar= vel Comics. During the 1940s. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Kirby).

Editorial Note #3: John Morrow (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TwoMorrows_Pu= blishing) is a publisher of magazines about comic books (TwoMorrows Publish= ing) founded in 1994.

EDITOR'S NOTE:

The Midwest Book Review is an organization of volunteers committed to promo= ting literacy, library usage, and small press publishing. We accept no fund=
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The Midwest Book Review publishes the monthly book review magazines "Califo= rnia Bookwatch", "Internet Bookwatch", "Children's Bookwatch", "MBR Bookwat= ch", "Reviewer's Bookwatch", and "Small Press Bookwatch". All are available=
for free on the Midwest Book Review website at www (dot) midwestbookreview=
(dot) com

Anyone wanting to submit books for review consideration can send them to:

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review
278 Orchard Drive
Oregon, WI 53575-1129

To submit reviews of any fiction or non-fiction books, email them to Frugal= muse (at) aol (dot) com (Be sure to include the book title, author, publish= er, publisher address, publisher website/phone number, 13-digit ISBN number=
, and list price).

James A. Cox, Editor-in-Chief
Midwest Book Review

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