Batman, Point Blank, and Get Jiro! after Tomb of the Undead update

I updated the next page of Tomb of the Undead this evening - and I've got quite a bit of work on the next page accomplished while listening to the Maple Leafs game tonight, which is nice. I'm getting a little tuckered out, I'm afraid, so I don't know how much more I'll be getting done tonight after all. And of course, you can see the whole chapter at this link.


Batman: Life After Death – Graphic Novel Review
By Rob
Primary Ignition

TITLE: Batman: Life After Death
AUTHOR: Tony Daniel
PENCILLERS: Tony Daniel, Guillem March
COLLECTS: Batman #692-699
FORMAT: Hardcover
PUBLISHER: DC Comics
PRICE: $19.99
RELEASE DATE: October 2010

In a lot of ways, this book is a sequel to Batman: Battle For The Cowl.

It doesn’t come after it chronologically, but this book was written entirely by Tony Daniel, the same man who wrote Battle. It also ties up some of the plot threads Daniel started in that miniseries, allowing him to finish what he started.

Life After Death finds the mysterious new Black Mask and his gang of False Faces in a war against the returning Falcone Crime Family. With the help of Catwoman and Huntress, Dick Grayson, the new Batman, must fight to keep Gotham City standing amidst the chaos. Meanwhile, Kitrina, youngest of the Falcone children, proves a force to be reckoned with. And did I mention that The Riddler, who struck with amnesia shortly after the events of Batman: Hush, is starting to remember things…things that will come back to haunt him.
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Point Blank: The Graphic Novel PB Alex Rider Series
Reviewer: Kathie M. Josephs
Promoviaweb.com

Point Blank ( PB ) The Alex Rider Adventures are #1 bestsellers the world over, Point Blank and following in the footsteps of the Point Blank graphic novel adaptation of Stormbreaker comes the second book in this phenomenal series. Like Stormbreaker: The Graphic Novel, this edition features bold, edgy, manga-like illustrations that make the graphic novel form so immensely popular, and brings the young spy to life in a whole new way. For existing fans of Alex Rider, this will be a must-have; for those yet to discover the series, this will be the perfect introduction.
Children’s Literature

I am such a fan of graphic novels because they make it perfect for reluctant readers who never finish a book because reading is difficult for them. They are also a perfect way for nonreaders to read classics they may never read. A good graphic novel allows even the poorest reader to complete a book, take part in classroom discussions, and write a book report. In this case, the first 18 pages bring readers up to date in the story. Alex Rider is a super spy who is trying to fit in at school. This is hard to do because he has to try to be a typical teen while completing a mission by M16 to infiltrate the Point Blanc Academy. He needs to find out what is going on there and find a way to warn the world of the danger. This academy is where many parents send their kids when they have been expelled from other schools. That is Alex’s cover; he was expelled from ETON. He meets a boy named James Sprintz who shows him around and gives him some pointers for making life easier. The first thing he tells Alex is that the place is more like a prison than a school and that there are only six boys in the entire academy. Alex soon finds out that the students are being cloned. This plot combines mystery with the scientific issue of cloning. The author provides a lot to think about if cloning becomes a reality. I can’t say I enjoyed the message of the book because it makes me think about the dark side; however, if it made me think about it, then it must have been well-written. It was a good length. There was as much text as pictures, which was refreshing.

Anthony Bourdain to Pen Graphic Novel "Get Jiro!"
by Josh Friedland
The Food Section

It's been reported that author and "No Reservations" host Anthony Bourdain is working on a graphic novel about food, but now Eater notes that Vertigo, the publisher of the upcoming book, has just publicly confirmed that a book is in the works.

Bourdain will write the graphic novel in collaboration with novelist Joel Rose, along with illustrations by artist Langdon Foss. Vertigo provides these additional details:

GET JIRO! is a futuristic action thriller that takes America’s newfound obsession with exotic cuisine to a manic, violent extreme. It takes place in a world where food and the secrets of how to prepare it are the source of all power leading master chefs to fight over Jiro, a mysterious top-notch sushi chef with ideas of his own.

By the way, contrary to those earlier reports, the title is not Get Gyro! so if you were expecting lamb, tahini, and pita to figure into the plot, you might be sorely disappointed.

Update for Tomb of the Undead

It took a little while but I've managed to complete page 8, which you are welcome to view in all its glory at Tomb of the Undead. [Don't forget to click on "Follow" to basically say, "I was here."] Following won't commit you to anything, you won't even get an email or anything - you simply leave an icon that tells me that you are following along.


Also - in other graphic novel news:


Koko Be Good: complex and satisfying graphic novel about finding meaning in life complex
by Cory Doctorow

Jen Wang's Koko Be Good continues publisher FirstSecond's amazing run of thought-provoking, challenging graphic novels for adults. It's the story of Koko, a "free spirit" in San Francisco who trades on her manic energy and good looks to bumble by in mooched accommodations, borrowed clothes, and sponged meals. Then she meets Jon, a driven young man who is about to sell everything he owns to move to Peru, where his girlfriend is working in the remote orphanage her mother grew up in.

Jon isn't sure about his move, but he feels he needs to be. He quit his band after finishing college (they're now becoming an indie sensation, which puts some urgency into his choice to succeed at something other than music), and now he's not sure what his life is for or what it will come to.

When Jon meets Koko (she steals his tape recorder after a raucous performance at the Zeitgeist in the Mission), he finds himself subject to her withering scorn and tough questions. But the interrogation isn't one-way -- in the process of criticizing Jon's do-gooder ambitions, Koko comes to realize how empty her own life is.

The two of them enter into a struggle to find meaning and happiness -- to be "good" -- and embark on a difficult journey that involves a huge cast of minor characters all engaged in their own existential battles.

All the above makes the book sound moody and brooding, but it's anything but. Koko Be Good brims with manic energy and comedy, a complex story engagingly told with ingenious layouts and lovely art.

Doesn't that sound nice?

Anthony Bourdain to Cook up 'Ultra-violent Food Nerds' Graphic Novel at Vertigo
By Andy Khouri

Scourge of the Hawker Stalls. The Man Who Will Put Anything in his Mouth. Matter-Eater Lad. These are but a few possible superhero monikers for chef Anthony Bourdain, the culinary thrillseeker best known for his best-selling "Kitchen Confidential" and "No Reservations" on Travel Channel. You see, having presumably run out of unspeakably horrible things to eat as well as "Top Chef" contestants to terrorize, Bourdain is turning his attentions to the field of graphic novels via DC Comics.

As reported by Robot 6, Bourdain revealed in recent interviews that he is writing "Get Gyro", which he described as a graphic novel about "ultra-violent food nerds". "It's a gourmet slaughter-fest, sort of like 'Fistful of Dollars' meets 'Eat Drink Man Woman.'" If that doesn't sound insane enough, the acerbic chef also pitched his book as, "'Yojimbo' meets 'Big Night' and 'Babette's Feast', an ultra-violent slaughter-fest over culinary arcana.'"

Although no illustrator was mentioned, Bourdain said he's working with DC on 'Get Gyro', but Bourdain swears a lot so we can probably assume the book will be released by the publisher's Vertigo imprint.

There we are - graphic novels are now being written by chefs in their little spare time. I'm definitely among the right folks.