Book List #4

New Books

• 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
• An Incomplete Education: 3,684 Things You Should Have Learned But Probably Didn't by Judy Jones & William Wilson
• Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman
• Batman: War Games, Act Two - Tides by Ed Brubaker, Bill Willingham
• Heroes Volume One by Various
• The Greatest Joker Stories Ever Told by Bill Finger & Various
• Groovitude: A Get Fuzzy Treasury by Darby Conley
• Hard-boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
• Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice
• Marvel 1602 by Neil Gaiman & Andy Kubert
• No Country For Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
• Pandora by Anne Rice
• Pronto by Elmore Leonard
• The Sandman Vol. 3: Dream Country by Neil Gaiman & Kelley Jones
• The Sandman Vol. 4: Season of Mists by Neil Gaiman & Kelley Jones
• The Sandman Vol. 5: A Game of You by Neil Gaiman
• Starman: Night and Day by James Robinson & Tony Harris
• Stories - All New Tales Edited by Neil Gaiman & Al Sarrantonio
• Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
• "To The Best of My Ability" - The American Presidents by James M. McPherson
• The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice
• What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami
• You Can't Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe

Finished Books

• Batman Vol. 4: Zero Year - Secret City by Scott Snyder & Greg Capullo
• Batman: War Games, Act One - Outbreak by Ed Brubaker, Andersen Gabrych, Devin Grayson & Dylan Horrocks
• Bill The Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman by Marc Tyler Nobleman
• Essential X-Men Vol. 2 by Chris Claremont & John Byrne
• The New 52: Futures End by Brian Azzarello, Jeff Lemire & Various

Book List #2

NEW BOOKS

• Just My Type: A Book About Fonts by Simon Garfield
• Fables Vol. 10: The Good Prince by Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham
• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon
• Enemies & Allies by Kevin J. Anderson
• Loveless Vol. 2: Thicker Than Blackwater by Brian Azzarello, Marcelo Frusin & Danijel Zezelj
• Nightcrawlers by Bill Pronzini
• The Wettest County in the World by Matt Bondurant
• 420 Characters by Lou Beach
• Superman: Kryptonite by Darwyn Cooke & Tim Sale
• Doom Patrol Vol. 2: The Painting That Ate Paris by Grant Morrison & Richard Case
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy
• The Walking Dead Chronicles: The Official Companion Book by Paul Ruditis
• American War Medals and Decorations by Evans E. Kerrigan
• Army Air Force and United States Air Force Decorations, Medals, Ribbons, Badges and Insignia by Lt. Col. Anthony Aldebol USAF (Ret.)
• Aircraft of World War I: 1914-1918 by Jack Herris and Bob Pearson
• Allied Bombers: 1939-45 by Chris Chant
• Spirit in the Sky: Classic Aircraft of World War II by Martin Bowman; Photography by Patrick Bunce
• Clint Eastwood: Icon - The Essential Film Art Collection by David Fragioni; Essays by Thomas Schatz
• 4,000 Questions for Getting to Know Anyone and Everyone by Dr. Barbara Ann Kipfer
• JLA: American Dreams by Grant Morrison & Howard Porter
• The Invisibles: Counting to None by Grant Morrison & Phil Jimenez
• The Indispensable Calvin and Hobbes by Bill Waterson
• Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
• Y: The Last Man Vol. 3 - One Small Step by Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra
• The Sandman Vol. 2: The Doll's House

FINISHED BOOKS

• Fables Vol. 9: Sons of Empire by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham & Michael Allred
• Loveless Vol. 1: A Kin of Homecoming by Brian Azzarello & Marcelo Frusin
• Doom Patrol Vol. 1: Crawling From The Wreckage by Grant Morrison, Richard Case & Doug Braithwaite
• Justice League of America Vol. 1: World's Most Dangerous by Geoff Johns & David Finch
• Y: The Last Man Vol. 2 - Cycles by Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra
• 100 Wildcats Fans Should Know And Do Before They Die by Ryan Clark
• Daytripper by Fabio Moon & Gabriel Ba
• Shazam! Vol. 1 by Geoff Johns & Gary Frank
• Beautiful LEGO by Mark Doyle
• JLA Vol. 1: New World Order by Grant Morrison & Howard Porter
• The Escapists by Brian K. Vaughan
• Batman: Death by Design by Chip Kidd
• JLA: Earth 2 by Grant Morrison & Frank Quitely

Book List #3

It's been a while since I did one of these, but luckily I took notes! This is for the last couple of months. Here we go:

NEW BOOKS

• Doctor Sleep by Stephen King
• Dune by Frank Herbert
• March by John Lewis
• GO: A Kidd's Guide to Graphic Design by Chip Kidd
• Get Shorty by Elmore Leonard
• Superspy by Matt Kindt
• Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad
• Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill
• Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer
• I Shall Destroy All Civilized Planets by Fletcher Hanks
• Lost Boy Lost Girl by Peter Straub
• Vinland Saga Vol. 1 by Makoto Yukim
• Attack on Titan Vol. 1 by Hajime Isayama
• The Coming of Conan The Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard
• Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris
• Blacksad by Juan Daiaz Canales
• American Vampire Vol. 6 by Scott Snyder
• Gotham Central Book 1 by Ed Brubaker & Greg Rucka
• Fables: Werewolves of the Heartland by Bill Willingham
• MIND MGMT Vol. 1: The Manager by Matt Kindt
• Superman vs. Muhammad Ail by Neal Adams
• The Hatfields and the McCoys by V.C. Jones
• The Supergirls: Fashion, Feminism and the History of Comic Book Heroines by Mike Madrid
• Boardwalk Empire by Nelson Johnson
• The Mysterious Flame of Queen of Loana by Umberto Eco
• A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
• The Law of Superheroes by James Daily, J.D. & Ryan Davidson, J.D.
• South Korea by Patricia J. Kummer
• Bill The Boy Wonder: The Secret Co-Creator of Batman by Marc Tyler Nobleman
• A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
• Guerrilla Warfare by Ernest Che Guevara
• Dragonball Z (Three in One) Vol. 2 by Akira Toriyama
• Brillance by Marcus Sakey
• The Flash: Iron Heights by Geoff Johns & Ethan Van Sciver
• The Flash: The Secret of Barry Allen by Geoff Johns & Howard Porter

FINISHED BOOKS

• Players First: Coaching From The Inside Out by John Calipari
• Infinity Omnibus by Jonathan Hickman
• The Flash Vol. 1: Move Forward by Francis Manapul
• The Flash Vol. 2: Rogues Revolution by Francis Manapul
• Saga Vol. 3 by Brain K. Vaughan & Fiona Staples
• Locke & Key Vol. 6: Alpha & Omega by Joe Hill
• Wonder Woman Vol. 3: Iron by Brian Azzarello
• Wonder Woman Vol. 4: War by Brain Azzarello
• Justice League: The Trinity War by Geoff Johns
• Dragonball Z (Three in One) Vol. 1 by Akira Toriyama
• Batman: War Games Act One by Ed Brubaker
• InuYasha Vol. 31 by Rumiko Takahasi
• InuYasha Vol. 32 by Rumiko Takahasi

Book List #1 (GIANT-SIZE SPECIAL!)

About a month ago, I spent one morning hitting up the Peddler's Malls and Goodwills looking for some cheap books. I'm a big comic book collector and work at a library, so books are kind of my fetish. At Goodwill I was digging through a huge bin that was on wheels -- that looked like a laundry cart from a prison  -- filled with Harlequin novels and other crappy paperbacks. Interestingly, I stumbled across a book that was written by a music reviewer that was, well, about books. Really wish I could remember the guy's name. When I figure it out, I'll post it to give him the credit. Anyway, this book was mainly about his excessive habit of buying a stack of books at regular intervals and slowly finishing other books on his list. Needless to say, I could relate! More recently, I had the idea to start posting the insane amount of books I pick up and the books I finished reading. Finishing a book can give you many different feelings, but one that I always feel no matter what is a sense of accomplishment. That is why I decided to start this list. I will post the books that I have picked up/rented/purchased and also post the books I have finished within the same time span. Occasionally I may write a few words about what I thought about the book or why I purchased it. If it is a book I have purchased solely for my collection and do not intend to re-read, then it will not be posted. "New Books" concerns books that I have recently picked up and are on my reading list. This first list will be super long (much like this intro) to accommodate the books I've read and am currently reading during the last couple of months.

NOTE: This list will most always be comics and graphic novels, since I am always adding to my collection and it is a particular hobby of mine. Deal with it. 

NEW BOOKS

• The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger by Stephen King
• Road to Perdition by Max Allan Collins
• Wonder Woman: Gods and Mortals by George Perez
• Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller Vol. 2
• Daredevil: Yellow by Jeph Loeb & Tim Sale
• Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 1 by John Byrne
• Essential X-Men Vol. 2 by Chris Claremont & John Byrne
• Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol. 2 by Alan Moore
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 2 by Alan Moore
• Sin City Vol. 2: A Dame to Kill For by Frank Miller
• Loveless Vol. 1: A Kin of Homecoming by Brian Azzarello & Marcelo Frusin
• The Corner by David Simon & Edward Burns
• The Pentagram Papers by The Pentagram Partners. Edited by Delphine Hirasuna
• Decoded by Jay Z
• The Wu-Tang Manual by The RZA
• Green Arrow: Year One by Andy Diggle & Jock
• Fables Vol. 8: Sons of Empire by Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham
• Preacher Book One by Garth Ennis & Steve Dillon
• The Museum of Lost Wonder by Jeff Hoke
• The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation by Sid Jacobson & Ernie Colon
• Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Vol. 1 - Activation by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
• Deathnote: Black Edition Vol. 1 by Tsugumi Ohba & Takeshi Obata
• Souleater Vol. 1 by Atsushi Ohkubo
• DragonballZ (Three in one) Vol. 2 by Akira Toriyama
• Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children: The Graphic Novel by Ransom Riggs & Cassandra Jean
• Richard Stark's Parker Book Two: The Outfit by Darwyn Cooke
• X-Men: Days of Future Past by Christ Claremont & John Byrne
• Captain America: The Death of Captain America Ultimate Edition by Ed Brubaker
• Marvels by Kurt Busiek & Alex Ross

FINISHED BOOKS

• The Clash by Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, Paul Simonon & Topper Headon
• The Tao of The Wu by The RZA
• Batman: Year One by Frank Miller & David Mazzuchelli
• Batman: The Black Glove- Deluxe Edition by Grant Morrison
• Captain America: The Winter Soldier by Ed Brubaker
• Battling Boy by Paul Pope
• The Infinity Gauntlet by Jim Starlin & George Perez
• Richard Stark's Parker Book One: The Hunter by Darwyn Cooke
• Sin City Vol. 1: The Big Fat Kill by Frank Miller
• The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. 1 by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neil
• Superman & Batman: Generations by John Byrne
• Trinity by Matt Wagner
• Fables Vol. 7: Arabian Nights (and Days) by Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham
• Fables Vol. 8: Wolves by Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham
• Saga of the Swamp Thing Vol. 1 by Alan Moore
• Y: The Last Man Vol. 1 - Unmanned by Brian K. Vaughan & Pia Guerra

So there you have it. Book List #1. I expect the finished books section to consistently be shorter than the new books, but at least this is some indication at the rate of books that pass through my hands. I'm gonna try to do one of these each month. Hope you enjoy.

Frank Miller Adaptations are the Best in Comic Book Industry

I'm working at the library, doing my comic orders, and started to think of all the comics and graphic novels that have had movies based on them. I thought about the one of my favorite writers, the legendary Alan Moore, and how he has famously hated the movies based on his books -- which include "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen", "V for Vendetta", and "Watchmen" -- with some good reason. He first broke through in American comics with his run on SWAMP THING in the 80s, but I'm unsure if the movie is based on his work or his feelings towards the film.

Regardless, it got me thinking about another one of my favorites, and another legend, Frank Miller. It turns out Miller has been lucky enough to have some of his work converted into pretty good movies:





He's even had some good animated adaptations:





But of course, Frank Miller has been responsible for, or has had a hand in some real stinkers. Whether directing, writing or the inspiration, these movies related to Frank have realllllly sucked.



Here's hoping that the next Sin City and 300 movies are successful!

"Honesty doesn't pay, sucker."

Some good news: The Paris Library, which is now my second job, was impressed with my installation at the ArtWalk. They asked me to display my designs as Artist of the Month. Sweet!

With that being said, here is my newest flyer, which is probably too edgy for the library lol. The image is of Lil Ze' from the movie City of God. My intention was to make it appear like an old blaxploitation movie poster from the 70s. I am really diggin' this one!

Halloweeeen

Here's another quick one I did for a Halloween Costume Party. Pretty basic stuff, but it gets the point across.