ComicBitsOnline.com

Yup,rather than try to buy every comic going to review [hey,I’m not that rich!] I’ve decided I’d like to see reviews by YOU -yes,you!

Marvel,DC or other company comics you get just write a short review and send it to me at the hoopercomicsuk@yahoo.com address and I’ll see what I can use. If several reviews of one title comes in it’ll be first in,first published.

But all reviews are welcome -including Small Press!

Please type “CBO review” in mail subject header so it doesn’t get deleted as Junk mail.

Look forward to hearing from you.

Terry Hooper

EIC CBO

Blood Psi #1  US Size  black and white  32pp

£2.20/$3.50  available in comic shops or go to

www.moonfacepress.com

Called “A vampire murder mystery”,this new comic written by Andy Winter and drawn by Keith Burns is a stylish black and white treat that could well become a classic.  The cover by Declan Shalvey is stylish but covers can be deceptive in selling comics -but not here.

Good writing and Burns’ crisp black and white art is good on the eye.  Nice layouts and characters.  But the story…well,this is one of Moonface Press’ one-shot titles and if I told you all about Ruby Pisces,Londoner and vampire,and the people she meets and gave away any hint of the ending..well,I’d deserve kicking!

All I will say is that if you do not buy this title -you’ll be kicking yourself for a long time to come.

Buy!

Official page of what must be one of the biggest [no doubt the Japanese do better!] Asian Manhua-Anime festivals.

http://www.ani-com.hk/

 Ever wonder how many comic fans attend San Diego?  I seriously doubt it reaches 500,000 as in Hong Kong!  And they take their “Cosplay” seriously there as well -but you’d know that if you’d visited the Chinese Comics group at yahoo [you have,haven’t you?].

For 2007, the convention will be held on July 27 - 31 at the HK Convention and Exhibition Centre [HKCEC]. This will be the 9th year of the convention. The expected attendance will be over 500,000.

The convention is also headed to Guangzhou Province of the PRC, where it will take place October 3-7, 2007. Will the number of attendees swell further?

If you want to find out cost [$25HK] etc.,check out the HK E-Zine at:

http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/showtime/calendar/st_cale_deta.jsp?event_id=37358

According to an Associated Press report of Monday,2nd July:

“TOKYO (AFP) - Hong Kong artist Lee Chi Ching, named winner of Japan’s first international “manga” comic award, said Monday he wanted to deliver an anti-war message through his work.

The Japanese government announced on Friday that the 43-year-old won the award for his work “Sun Zi’s tactics” which portrays the life of the famous Chinese military strategist at the end of the Eastern Zhou Dynasty.

At an award ceremony, Lee said he felt honoured to have his work finally recognised and that manga can be “enjoyed by everyone regardless of age and nationality,” according to Kyodo News.

“I wanted to convey through my work the horrors of war and the message that there should be no war,” he said.

Lee Chi Ching [R]

The comic has been translated into Japanese and published here.

Runner-up awards go to Kai, a 28-year-old from Hong Kong, Benny Wong Thong Hou, 30, from Malaysia, and Madeleine Rosca, 26, an Australian.

The creation of the International Manga Award was announced in May by Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Aso in an effort to promote Japanese culture.

“It is my hope that manga, through these works, will act as a bridge to the world,” Aso, a known manga aficionado in political circles, said at the ceremony, according to Kyodo.

Comics and cartoons, referred to as “manga” in Japan, are hugely popular among both adults and children.”

See?  I always knew comics would help save the World!

The Shusters are the Canadian Comic Creator Awards named after the creator of Superman,Joe Shuster,who was Canadian.

To find out regularly what’s going on,here’s the link!

http://www.joeshusterawards.com/

These are the Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards named in honour of the Canadian creator of Superman,Joe Shuster, and you can keep up to date with all that’s going on at

http://www.joeshusterawards.com/

This year’s nominees presented awards on 9th June were:

THE 2007 JSA GOES TO:
Darwyn Cooke for The Spirit 1 (DC Comics)

NOMINEES:
Scott Chantler for Northwest Passage 3 (Oni Press)
Darwyn Cooke for The Spirit 1 (DC Comics)
Michel Gagne for “Underworld”- Flight Vol. 3 (Ballantine Books)
Johane Matte for “Hunter” - Flight Vol. 3 (Ballantine Books)
Bryan Lee O’Malley for Scott Pilgrim Vol. 3 (Oni Press)
Ty Templeton for Simpsons Comics 117 (Bongo)
Jean-Louis Tripp & Regis Loisel for Magasin General Vol. 1: Marie & Vol. 2: Serge (Casterman)
Rob Walton for Ragmop (Planet Lucy)

As part of his continuing project to fully document the Australian comics industry,Kevin Patrick,of Buzz Productions,has added a new interview.  According to Kevin:

“Hi everyone

I’ve written a few articles for James Zanotto’s AusReprints. com website, mainly focussing on local writers & illustrators who’d produced work for the KG Murray Publishing Company, which was Australia’s largest (and longest-running) comic book publisher from the late 1940s to the early 1980s.

However, my latest interview for the AusReprints. com site looks at the workings of the KG Murray operation from an entirely different perspective.

The name Don Richardson won’t be found in any books or fanzine articles devoted to Australian comics, because Don was neither a comics’ writer or illustrator.

But as a printer/engraver and layout artist, he was, in the very literal sense, a ‘comic book maker’, and was responsible for assembling and printing a wide range of Australian comics for various publishers in a career spanning three decades.

This interview with Don Richardson, which came about almost by accident, has laid buried in my file of ‘to do’ projects for several years, but now, thanks to some invaluable help from James Zanotto, Mark Muller and Spiros Xenos, it’s been dusted off and published
online for the first time.”

You can read the article at the following link:
http://www.ausrepri nts.com/content/ references/ interviews/ richardson. asp

Yep,don’t misbehave -you might get filmed! According to the Press Release:

“G4techTV Canada is pleased to announce special
live coverage of America’s largest comic book and pop culture convention, Comic-Con International, taking place in San Diego July 26 to 29, 2007.
G4techTV Canada’s coverage will air live on Thursday, July 26 and Friday, July 27 from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. ET”

Want to see the item in full?  Go to:

http://www.newswire .ca/en/releases/ archive/July2007 /19/c7980. html

Queen Margot vol.1:The Age Of Innocence

Comic album format 48pp £7.99

Written by Olivier Cadic and Francois Gheysens,this book is illustrated by Juliette Derenne with Sophie Barroux as the colourist.

Nice covers but when you get to open the book it becomes a greater treat. Those who know me are aware that,as an historian,I get quite,uh,irrate,when period costumes are poorly rendered and inaccuracies creep in. Not in this book.

The costumes are wonderfully rendered with an accuracy I can’t argue with. But it doesn’t stop there;the backgrounds and furniture are excellent and the architecture -wonderful. And the colour work adds to the whole package.

And what is it all about? In 1569,England and Spain confront each other. The Protestant-Catholic war is tearing France apart;Margot’s hand is offered with the intention of strengthening Charles IX [her brother] position on the throne. However,Margot is 16 and fallen in love….

The series is drawn from the memoires of Marguerite de Valois,called “Queen Margot” and the first wife of King Henri IV of France. Perhaps one of the first feminists? Don’t let this fool you,though. This is a good read.

Queen Margot vol.2:The Bloody Wedding

comic album format 50pp £7.99

The series gets even better as we reach the year 1572. If you know nothing of the events of St Barthelemy,prepare for a real education.

Margot is trying to escape her forced marriage to a fiance she is very averse to,while still in love with the Duke of Guise. However,our heroine is soon drawn into dark events.

The St Bartholomews Day Massacre was horrific in all respects. The streets of Paris were said to have been awash with blood and the River Seine was red from the blood of the Huegenots massacred. The details are not for the faint-hearted,and although dealt with in this volume,you need not fear over the top graphic violence!

This series has so far been a treat and I’m looking forward to future volumes.

Thorgal:Child Of The Stars US graphic novel size

96pp £9.99/$14.99

Although I’ve glimpsed the odd adventure of Thorgal in German I must admit that this book was a real eye-opener.

Two of Rosinski and van Hamme’s books are combined into this one volume containing,obviously,The Child Of The Stars and also Aaricia. I’ll admit that the origin of Thorgal surprised me -I just did not expect it. Now,in case you don’t know…..

The series is set in the inhospitable Scandinavian north. Here,after Thorgal is found as a child by Viking leader Leif Haraldson,we find the world of the gods and mythical creatures of the mountains,forests as well as others,all becoming part of Thorgal’s early life.

The art is,as you might expect,superb. And the colour work is awe-inspiring. This is far better than I ever remembered from past glimpses..Aaricia’s adventures on the snowy mountain -just wonderful!

Personally,as with the Queen Margot series,I can’t wait for The Three Elders Of Aran,the next Thorgal book. Dark Age myth and action at a price that’s unbelievable in itself.

Clifton:Black Moon comic album 48pp

£5.99/$9.99

This series by Rodrigue & De Groot focusses on ex-secret agent Sir Harold Wilberforce Clifton,now an amateur detective and consultant to Scotland Yard.

Aimed at a younger readership,this is still a good action and adventure book that I enjoyed [though I may be suffering from senility!]. The Black Moon is a sect operating out of Korea and Clifton is sent to deal with it….but is killed!!!

Or is he?

I think a lot of adults and kids will like this one as well as the other books -”My Dear Wilkinson”,”The Laughing Thief” and “7 Days To Die”.

One thing I have to say about all of the Cinebooks is that they are of incredible quality which makes the cover price almost unbelievable. And the publisher,Cadic,has chosen some of the best material available [see the Link to Cinebooks].

What else are they going to come up with? Who are they? Well,the former exclusive SBC interview will soon be an exclusive Comicbitsonline interview,as I talk to Olivier Cadic!

And order via the internet if you can -cheaper than in some comic shops [who won’t even promote these books!].