SPIROU & FANTASIO 19 - THE VISITOR FROM THE MEZOZOIC

 Paperback

Author: Franquin
Age: 8 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 64 colour pages
Publication: June 2022

TOTAL: £9.99 INC. VAT

 ISBN: 9781800440661

While on an expedition in Antarctica, the Count of Champignac makes an extraordinary discovery: a still-viable dinosaur egg! Having brought the precious find back to his castle, he invites a few colleagues over – along with Spirou and Fantasio – and sets about hatching the egg. But working towards scientific progress isn’t easy when one is somewhat absent-minded … and saddled with a whimsical Marsupilami ‘assistant’! Soon, life in the village of Champignac becomes rather complicated … 

Well, it seems that you just cannot keep Marsupilami off CBO! 😁

I see Spirou and Fantasio as the comic version of Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in those old "Road" movies (maybe I am showing my age there) and Marsupilami is the Dorothy Lamour...no. That's not right, is it?

Hmm. The duo have so far had some pretty way out adventures so can you expect anything less in this volume? Of course not.  There is a second shorter story in this on, Fear On The Line, so double fun. One thing I liked was the "disclaimer" on the title page that this was written in 1960 when general knowledge about dinosaurs was not what it is today!  Well, so long as we get that out there.

This is just fun and I can't think of any other way of describing the story and the art. It's 60+ pages of fun and action that is not so dreadfully serious and, perhaps, the next Jurassic Park movie can take a few hints from this. A polka-dotted 'brontosaurus' with scales so hard that the scientists can use an ice-pick to take samples without hurting it! In the meantime the dino is slowly munching through trees!

Tank fire has no effect! Air to surface missiles have no effect. Don't worry -Marsupilami is on hand. Not sure about the final solution on how to keep the dinosaur safe, out of the way of trouble is that logical but then -they hatched a dino egg and the darn thing grew to gigantic proportions overnight (and had polka-dots) so...

Where's the logic in fun?

Cinebook the 9th Art: MARSUPILAMI 7 - THE GOLD OF BOAVISTA

Author: Franquin, Yann & Batem
Age: 8 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
Publication: August 2022

ISBN: 9781800440692£7.99 inc. VAT

In Chiquito, capital of Palombia, there are nasty rumours flying of numerous orphans and poor kids going missing. And indeed, one evening, the son of a rich family is kidnapped along with a handful of street urchins after he sneaked out of school. The children are soon put to work in a clandestine gold mining camp. But the illegal prospectors are horrible polluters, and that’s already brought them into a very angry Marsupilami’s sights …

Terrible when you get older and see the darker side in these things.  However, we are here for fun and Marsupilami is all about getting things sorted out while having fun!"  

Batem's artwork always looks "busy" and the panels seem to be crammed but when you look at them you realise they are not...well, in a way but only what is needed is in each panel and I do wonder what size paper he draws these pages on?  The colour work by Cerise just adds more to each page and that makes this the type of book kids will love.

The script is, as usual, is minimal on dialogue (as would be expected) but the characters from the kids, Marsupilami (of course) and the villains are well rounded -if you can call a rather anarchic Marsupilami "rounded" without angering it!  Hopefully my great nephews and great niece enjoy the book as much when passed on to them.

Again, the recommendation for kids of all ages!

Hawaii

Streamline & Moon Man

Dennis Holmes Wilberton & Friends

80pp

A4

black and white

£8.00

https://www.lulu.com/shop/terry-hooper/streamline-and-moon-man/paperback/product-2p9q7y.html?q=&page=1&pageSize=4

Streamline the Golden Age British speedster and Moon Man get the Black Tower treatment in this one off comic with a difference. These are new stories and art and not Golden/Silver Ages reprints

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 "Breaking into comics in the UK what should I avoid or be wary of?"

1.  Comic people from the Midlands

2 .The Scottish comics 'mafia'

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Cinebook the 9th Art: RAJ 1: THE MISSING NABOBS OF THE CITY OF GOLD & RAJ 2: AN ORIENTAL GENTLEMAN

Author: Wilbur & Didier Conrad

Age: 12 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
Publication: April 2022

 ISBN: 9781800440159

£7.99 incl. VAT

Bombay, 1831. Freshly arrived from London, Alexander Martin reports to his new boss at the Indian Political Service – a government agency whose function is little more than helping the East India Company expand its grasp upon the Indian subcontinent. The enthusiastic, somewhat idealistic young man soon begins displeasing the British establishment, and is shunned by Bombay’s polite society … until several of its members begin disappearing, forcing Alexander to investigate …

Author: Wilbur & Didier Conrad

Age: 12 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
Publication: May 2022

 ISBN: 9781800440166

£7.99 incl. VAT

Three missing, one dead … When English lords drop like flies, the Empire is unhappy. Alexander Martin, the brave but prickly Ayesha and the considerably less brave Warren Longfellow continue their investigation, but it soon becomes clear that there are some in Bombay who have no interest in seeing old stories resurface. Can the unlikely trio navigate the obstacles that keep springing up in their path in time to save the next target – Warren’s uncle?

The colour work here by Julien Lols really adds a great deal to Conrad's art and the art is a style that the European creators excel at. It has a cartoony look to it yet when you check the detail in the panels you find it is not so simple The style -variations due to the various creators styles of course- has been used for science fiction, horror and crime stories. 

Here the style is used for a historical murder, action, mystery and the characterisations are wonderful and the various plot twists and reveals mean that you get two books (it's a two volume series) that you can read more than once and look at the artwork from cover to cover more than 4-5 times (not that this is an admission, okay?). 

Since the outset Cinebook have excelled in selecting this type of series -anyone remember Green Manor? So long ago now it was before we moved here from WordPress -https://www.cinebook.co.uk/green-manor-part-2-the-inconvenience-of-being-dead-p-3997.html

I would recommend the set for the story and artwork which are all historically correct so that please me but the adventure and actionare superb.

Two BIG Favourites: Salem Brownstone – All Along the Watchtowers & Kadath :or The Dream Quest of Randolph Carter

Salem Brownstone – All Along the Watchtowers  John Harris Dunning and Nikhil Singh 

A sumptuous and rich gothic fantasy following the adventure of Salem Brownstone as he falls into a strange and magical world after the death of his father.

As he twists the key and slowly creeps into the grand gothic mansion left to him in his father’s will, Salem’s life takes a decidedly unusual turn. Aside from the money and house, his father’s secret legacy includes an unfinished battle with creatures from a world beyond ours. Immediately thrown into the sinister conflict, Salem must make contact with his guardian familiar and get help from the colourful performers of Dr Kinoshita’s Circus of Unearthly Delights, if he is to ward off the evil spirits and avoid the tragic fate of his father…

The book design is lovely with an almost velvet-style cloth cover. The action all takes place in New Mecco City, Azania and there are only certain books I will read several times and since I received this for review back in...2009! Wow. Anyway, since that time I can tell you that I have read through this book and gazed longingly at the art way more than twice a year.

I would urge you, if you are a comic lover who has eclectic tastes, to try and get a copy of this. It is still available so do yourself a favour. Sadly, this was the first and last outing for Salem Brownstone Esqr.

 Of course I would love this as well as the art style after all I raved over Charles Cuttings two books based on Lovecraft characters in Sloth Comics Kadath : or The Dream Quest of Randolph Carter -a review here. https://hoopercomicart.blogspot.com/2015/06/sloth-comics-kadath-or-dream-quest-of.html  sadly, Charles Cutting was last seen fighting off a green, tentacled octopoid atop Westminster Abbey so he is heard from no more!

And, yes, this book is still available so....

Charles Cutting

Publisher: SLOTH COMICS

Paperback: 112 pages

Full Colour

 Product Dimensions: 26 x 17 x 0.9 cm

ISBN-10: 1908830077
ISBN-13: 978-1908830074
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Kadath-Dream-Quest-Randolph-Carter/dp/1908830077

Three times Randolph Carter dreams of a magnificent sunset city, but his perfect dreams are not what they seem to be. As Carter sets out on a quest within a dream world to find his ideal city at all costs, he is drawn inexorably closer towards a terrible secret. Based on H.P. Lovecraft's novella The Dream Quest of Unknown Kadath (1943).

I absolutely raved over The Dream Quest Of Randolph Carter but, for its usual mysterious reasons, blogger has somehow managed to delete it.  Seriously, they have no idea just how important I and my words are!  But, yes, I did rave about the book.

So, when a 112 pages book arrives you bet I got a bit excited.

 Charles Cuttings art style -including the vibrant colours- is, for me, a winner.  I have no idea why I like it other than the great use of imagination when it comes to the denizens and environs of the book.  There's also that whole Cat race and mouse race thing going on.  If you have ever studied cats (DO NOT let them find you doing that) or owned cats then you know there is "something" going on there that we mere humans have no right knowing about.

But what does Mr Cutting do now he has a whole graphic novel to tell a story in?  Well, the character of the main protagonist, Randolph Carter, can be filled out more.  I think the best way of decribing him is as a complete bastard.  He is certainly not a hero -more an anti-hero and he really does not care one hoot about what he has to do to achieve his goal in the Dream Quest.

And this is not a direct adaptation of the Lovecraft story.  In this case, and reading it in one sitting at 0200 hours one morning, the art is a treat, the story twists a bit and at the end I sat there -as Carter celebrated good news- thinking "Hang on -is he actually still sleeping?"  That might be just my interpretation but I am going to be reading this again later on!

I do NOT intend it to be in any way insulting -it's meant as a compliment!- but the look and feel had me thinking of old Russian near surrealistic puppet films:

And since many consider The Devil's Ball to be one of the greatest examples of its kind that's a compliment.

I have absolutely no idea why this book brought this short to mind.  Some times I do find that books do that for me.   And Kadath : or The Dream Quest of Randolph Carter is a little classic in its own right.  The way Mr Cutting uses colour I love.  It is not the usual flat colour you tend to get in comics today, nor the washy type.  It's very vibrant and I'll be honest and tell you all that the first thing I did on getting this book was go through it looking at the art and the colour. Then I read it!

I just realised, having had a mental flash of images in my mind from Roger Corman's movies The Raven and The Masque of the Red Death that he used colour rather well.  I could ramble on about how colour combined with the right images will bring back certain memories but we are talking about Mr Cutting's book here!

It is interesting that Independent artists such as Charles Cutting, produce work of this calibre that seems to slip "under the radar" in the comics community.   And the big publishing houses, dipping their toes into graphic novels because it is "hip", churn out some badly drawn muck.

A good read -most definitely.  Great art -well, I am notoriously difficult to please but this does it for me and it has that quirky feel to it.  So, yes, great art.

Like good comics?  Love Lovecraft?  THIS is for you.  Do not miss out or you will be kicking yourselves -I only hope Sloth Comics think of trying to promote this book at one of the US horror fests -or even Lovecraft events because it deserves to be read by many who may find themselves on their own dream quests.

Sorry for rambling (note Randolph Carter puppet image below!).

David Gordon

 That post I wrote about creators being ripped off... David Gordon recently posted this:

Back in 1997, Terry Hooper-Scharf asked me to draw this book. We got an advance and in total I think I got about £600 before our 'editor' snuffed it and the royalty cheques stopped coming. Fantagraphics, when pressed for back royalties, told me, "your deal died with Ezra (Marks)".

That was 24 years ago.

Since then the title has proved VERY popular for Fantagraphics, always available on their website (destroying their "out of print" claims) translated into untitled languages which was NEVER part of the original agreement...

AND here's the bit that REALLY pisses me off. One, just one, illegal download site has seen it downloaded 3,500,000 times...

That's right folks, 3.5 MILLION times.

To remind you. I've seen just £600 so far.

Those numbers do raise the question though, just how many physical copies of the book has Fantagraphics sold?

Bitter, pissed off? Too f*****g right.

David added a screenshot of what is being asked for a copy of this book on "legit" sites and I think the record I saw asked for it on Amazon a year ago was £200.00 ($200).

Crooks illegally upload and download and publishers screw the creators. NOTHING has changed in comics except the internet -that's how we find out the truth.

Hiya toys Judge Death review