NYTimes weekly bestseller's list: April 18

Got to know bout this from Dustin Nguyen's DA journal, here are this week's top 10 list of graphic novels as released by new york times!

Graphic Books Best Seller List (Hardcover)

1 WATCHMEN, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. (DC Comics, $39.99 and $75.) This epic tale from 1986 signaled a new maturity in comic books.

2 BATMAN: R.I.P., by Grant Morrison and Tony Daniel. (DC Comics, $24.99.) Thomas Wayne, the father of the caped crusader, is cast in a sinister light.

3 BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE, by Alan Moore and Brian Bolland. (DC Comics, $17.99.) This critically acclaimed story from 1988 offers a possible origin for the Joker.

4 JOKER, by Brian Azzarello and Lee Bermejo. (DC Comics, $19.99.) The Joker, newly released from Arkham Asylum, deals with the rivals who have carved into his territory.

5 BATMAN: HEART OF HUSH, by Paul Dini and Dustin Nguyen. (DC Comics, $19.99.) A childhood friend of Bruce Wayne returns to plague the caped crusader anew – and Catwoman is caught in the middle.

6 THE DRESDEN FILES: WELCOME TO THE JUNGLE, by Jim Butcher and Ardian Syaf. (Random House, $19.95.) This comic book collection is a prequel to the Dresden Files series of novels, which are part fantasy and part noir.

7 MARVEL ZOMBIES 3, by Fred Van Lente and Kev Walker. (Marvel Entertainment, $19.99.) Zombie-versions of the Marvel heroes encounter their non-flesh-eating counterparts.

8 CIVIL WAR, by Mark Millar and Steve McNiven. (Marvel Entertainment, $39.99.) A government registration act pits the heroes of the Marvel heroes against each other.

9 ALL-STAR SUPERMAN, VOL. 2, by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely. (DC Comics, $19.99.) These stories, free of the barnacles of continuity, include an encounter with Zibarro, the only sane resident of the Bizarro world.

10 SAGA OF SWAMP THING: BOOK 1, by Steve R. Bissette and Alan Moore. (Vertigo, $24.99.) The inspired reinvention of the classic horror character gets a new printing.

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somehow, Watchmen managed to soar to no1 and leaves dusts in batman:RIP's eyes. Its just a pity that the artistic wonder and decent tale, Batman: the heart of hush, is making its descent.


Glad to see the SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING making it to the top 10. its a much overlooked classic. i might pick this up just to FINALLY read up on the 1st volume of the trade series.


i wanna read marvel zombies 3! heard nothing but praise. and it looks good though its a pity that the series differs a little from the orignal 1 and 2.


and why is Civil war suddenly even on this week's list? Its such a freaky coincidence that i just got my copy just last week too.
what a difference a consumer makesss. 30++ little dollars.... (i got the huge book with the script and what not as a gift. awesome!) my friend got me the book at Kinokuniya in Singapore. but still, somehow, it makes a difference. dont ask why.


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Graphic Books Best Seller List (Paperback)

1 WATCHMEN, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons. (DC Comics, $19.99.) This epic tale from 1986 signaled a new maturity in comic books.

2 STAR TREK: COUNTDOWN, by J.J. Abrams, Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci. (IDW, $17.99.) This prequel to the “Star Trek” reboot will reveal the backstory of Nero, the new film’s villain.

3 A DRIFTING LIFE, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi. (Drawn & Quarterly, $29.95.) This 840-page memoir chronicles family troubles and the evolution of manga from 1945 to 1960.

4 WOLVERINE: ORIGIN, by Paul Jenkins and Andy Kubert. (Marvel Comics, $16.99.) Revealed at last: the secret history of the mutant known as Wolverine.

5 V FOR VENDETTA, by Alan Moore, K. C. Carlson and David Lloyd. (DC Comics, $19.99.) A vigilante tries to free London in a world where Germany won World War II.

6 WALKING DEAD, VOL. 9, by Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard. (Image Comics, $14.99.) The gripping story of the human survivors in a world overrun by zombies continues.

7 BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS, by Frank Miller. (DC Comics, $14.99.) Another classic from 1986: The caped crusader comes out of retirement to save Gotham City from a depraved street gang that are more monsters than man.

8 SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE UNIVERSE, by Bryan Lee O’Malley. (Oni Press, $11.95.) Can Ramona’s twin ex-boyfriends be defeated? Sounds like a job for… Scott Pilgrim.

9 BATMAN: THE LONG HALLOWEEN, by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale. (DC Comics,$19.99.) This compelling mystery, set early in the Caped Crusader’s career, has mobsters, the sad downfall of Harvey Dent (Two Face) and a new foe: Holiday.

10 WOLVERINE: WEAPON X, by Barry Windsor-Smith. (Marvel Entertainment, $16.99.) This story, from 1991, delved into the mysterious origin of the fan-favorite mutant.

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WATCHMEN AGAIN? this bugger is really something. and i still have not caught the black freighter. shall parasitically await my friend to get their hands on it! its currently 7.3 on imdb. so it shouldnt be sucky!


IDW published,Star trek: countdown, is out at the comic store i visited! crap! cant wait to get my hands on this. mostly good reveiws for this except for some critics claiming the aliens (i know nuts bout this shit) to be out of character. if i m not wrong, i think its the one called spocky.

heres the comic's interpretation of eric bana's character, Nebo's bastard son, Nero!



Scott pilgrim is in the TOP 8 so get your copy of the entire series! it will fulfill your sad life reading Comic Book Rejects.

this weeks list also contains a link that brings us to IDW's preview of Darwyn cooke's latest project : the hunter. needless to say, Darwyn is one of my favourite writers and illustrators. though i must admit that i got on the bandwagon after the new frontier. but cutting the chit chat, heres the awesome preview.


i will be getting this when it launches but no harm treating my eyes to some visual splendor. Cooke has been a decent storyteller and not only his art but also his graphic designs have always amazed me. and his specialized 80's art style really gives this book a classic feel. i m so anticipating this! dont forget to get your copy when it hits stores in july! BOOYA!

Monthly Damages: March 09

these are the Bestselling Comics at Kino for Mar 09
which i lifted from Singapore Comix. what an original name.

1. WATCHMEN
by ALAN MOORE, DAVE GIBBONS

2. JACK OF FABLES VOLUME 5 (TURNING PAGES)
by BILL WILLINGHAM

3. NARUTO VOLUME 41
by MASASHI KISHIMOTO

4. NARUTO VOLUME 40
by MASASHI KISHIMOTO

5. NARUTO VOLUME 38
by MASASHI KISHIMOTO

6. BATMAN: R.I.P .
by GRANT MORRISON, TONY DANIEL

7. FULL METAL ALCHEMIST VOLUME 18
by HIROMU ARAKAWA

8. NARUTO VOLUME 39
by MASASHI KISHIMOTO

9. OSHINBO VOLUME 1
by KARIYA TETSU, HANASAKI AKIRA

10. WARCRAFT LEGENDS VOLUME 3
by CARLOS OLIVARES, CHRISTIE GOLDEN

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Watchmen, no surprise there. but i expect the sales to drop from this point on now that the buzz around zack snyder's masterworks is almost gone (i m still awaiting to catch my black freighter).

Jack of Fables is no2. havent had time to catch this little bugger. but i havent been impressed with the series since book1 (i have nt read book2 yet too so i dunno if that ones any good) and i m just gonna read it cos it might one day tie in to whatever's thats going on in Fables.

And Batman RIP is a messy pile of crap. the only great thing that came out of it was the batman of zur-en-arrh! was anyone else getting aroused everytime batman came out dressed like that? well, goodbye morrison and hello gaiman!

and now, just for fun, heres the original zur-en-rah!


and now, we have grant morrison's zur-en-rah and our been-long-time-coming-bat-pal, batmite


well, stay tuned next month as i ramble on regarding books that you already know.

What the Watchmen?

ah, yes, there was a watchmen screening in singapore for comic fans and i wasnt invited! bah! but thats alright, i think its pretty awesome for G & B Comics to hold an event like this. its stuff that dreams are made of... brings a tear to my eye..

and by now, if you didnt know, there will be FREE COMIC BOOK DAY! come the first saturday of may and G & B would proudly give away their comics for comic's sakes.

interesting to see that G & B created a Youtube Acc specially for this occasion. hopefully, more stuff is on the way. shall create one too. HAH!

and heres more shit to add to your watchmen experience:

this one has pretty good reviews. though i must say, i really dislike the voice work done. prolly be giving this guy a miss


this one i might prolly catch! also includes "Under the Hood" the autobiography short of the 1st nite owl.
read that "Under the Hood is a decent watch. so go catch this biatches!

and for the missing squid ending thing hardcore fans, this ones for you!

WATCHMEN distraction

theres a couple parody videos and such online. but i think this one takes the cake! WATCHMEN POSERS! how seriously cool is that? HAHAHA! just admit u never read the damn thing!

enjoyooyoy:

5 things to prepare before your screening of THE WATCHMEN

The watchmen is a story that revolves around the superhero stereotype, and breaks it. So don’t expect either man in robots or angry green men.

Generations of superheroes
Like in Marvel or DC’s main universe of heroes, you have a roster of superhero groups like the Avengers or the Justice League. And sometimes, the group is disbanded or members come and go. Similarly in Watchmen, you will get to see the predecessors, the minutemen. and you can see the interaction and the role that they play in making the watchmen. Like for example, the original silk spectre made her daughter become silk spectre II. And the original nite owl was an inspiration for a younger guy with more money to become nite owl II. Having said that, I just about covered the first confusing part to the mainstream audience whom would say things like: Man Bat, Bat Man, same same la!


Split up in parts
In comic narration, flashbacks are an essential part in character development. And with Einstein discovering that time is relative, the movie really jumbles up time sequence. And as I discovered with haters, this was a strong part which led to them being confused. The movie goes back and forth to the past and present (actually its past as the movie is in an alternate reality set in 1980s) and it doesn’t make things any better when you have a nude blue guy being able to keep seeing into the future and past at the same time. So just bear this in mind before catching the film.


Its not an action film
Its not a typical BAM! WHAM! comic book movie. Its not directed by Michael Bay for gawdsakes. its stands outside the superhero world in other to comment about it. And it talks a lot about the society and how America would be like with the inclusion of costumed heroes and later on, superheroes. There’s a little bit of political setting with the government being edgy with the doomsday clock.


Its set in 1980s
So expect big hairdos and pants pulled up to the waistline to be cool! The flashback sequence will take you to the 70s and 60s. So expect to see alotta of familiar faces from pop culture! The director gives us lots of treats in the form of look-alikes.


Its superheroes with no powers
This was what kinda pissed me off the first time I read the novel. And I guess it might piss you off too. Rorschach is as cool as anything with his ever-changing blob mask. However, he didn’t shoot laser beams outta his eyes or anything. Everyone was batman. Everyone had a cool arsenal and a gimmick. But this set a realism tone that was irritating at times but yet, was set to make a point. When finally, you get a blue guy that could do shiet that was god-like. You immediately fear and respect him and don’t take those superpowers for granted. And thus, brought the age of the superhero.


and if you didnt already know, theres 12 webisode, 1 for each of the 12 months leading up to the release of the movie. and they can be found on this UK site, WATCHMEN MOVIE .
the webpisodes tells u 12 different production aspects such as, rorschach's masks, etc.
this just helps u to appreciate the movie more without spoiling it.

go to menu, video, and scroll to find webpisodes. TADA!

and of cos, go ahead and pick up a copy of the book to help complete you watchmen experience. nice nice, must try twice!

-on another note, i m gonna catch it again. stewpeed grand cathay showing dragonball evolution only! BAH! hope they lose money!

comic review: Reading the Watchmen

The Watchmen and me first made contact in 06. Its written by alan moore, some guy famous me thinks, think it shouldn’t suck that bad. And so I read it and it wasn’t mind blowing, it was mind BLASTING! On an epic scale, it was side by side with the “Dark Knight Returns” and that’s saying something from a batman fanboy. Saw the yellow smiley spine again in 08 where I merely flipped through it and realized again how awesome it was on a mature content level. And coming back to the present, I tried to avoid re-reading the book before the movie so i could have a fresh perspective. And since, I m done with the movie, I have once more completed reading the Watchmen for the second time. Of which, I must say, I enjoyed the book the most this time round.

The Graphic Novel


From the team of alan moore and dave gibbons, we are treated to a visual splendor of epic proportions! From alan moore, I have read the awesome and in my opinion, sandman comparable, swamp thing saga! Also, his more famous DC works like, the killing joke and across the DC universe. And from Dave gibbons, I have to admit to missing his 2000ad works only reading his originals graphic novel, which was alrigggghhttt I suppose.

Alan moore’s writing was really in the game. the black freighter, aka, the comic in the comic, was at times distracting and misleading with its narration being thrown with regular dialogue. However. Alan moore handled the dialogue exceptionally well and I simply loved how he used the scenes in the panels to further play up certain words. It really is no wonder how he gets his reputation as a master in the medium.

see the word/panel play here. isnt it adorable?

Dave gibbons art suited the 60s, 70s, 80s era to a T. the only thing I wasn’t satisfied was how he illustrated the action scenes. They looked abit stiffy and seemes like he could you use “how to draw comics the marvel way” by john buscema. And wassup with the SM mask for the comedian?

My fav scene outta it was when Rorschach was at the cemetery and was recounting on a joke he heard about a depressed clown.
“good joke. Everyone laughs. Roll on snare drums.
Curtains”
And the word “curtains” was on a flashback panel of the comedian going red on the sidewalk. AWESOME!

Fav gory scene would be rorschach’s jailbreak. And fav sex scene would Doc M and Silk Spectre II’s threesome? Somehow, the numbers just add up.

bet all you guys loved this right? GHUUCHH!



The book vs the movie.

With Zack snyder’s earlier work, 300, the director was given space to expand the coffee table book into a full length movie. When I read 300, I finished it within 30 minutes and was thinking to myself, that’s it? Note: I read the book after the movie. However, alan moore’s watchmen was chock filled to the brim of intricate details and plot twists and turns, that the director had to not only summarize the book but also edit it such that it would focus primarily on the main cast, the watchmen.

the carnage! in the comic, it was done by a freakish alien. in the movie, Dr M was the blame all.

There was this buzz on how the ending was change and people being concerned as to how the film would play out. However, zack brilliantly made subtle changes to exclude several not-watchmen details. For example, the fact that the group was originally called crimebusters, there, that wasn’t in the movie. However, having that in movie wouldn’t necessarily make it a better movie. Therefore, the changes that the director made were in relevance to the mainstream audience.

the watchmen vs

the crimebusters! see how captain metropolis was dropped in the movie version! who needs has-beens?!

Like the book, the film to is packed with details and its like reading a book and skipping a page, and you would be like, “holy harry potter! Avada kavada! Crucio! And they all lived happily ever after.” Yup yup. That wasn’t sposed to make sense. So if you were distracted for just a minute by the guy asking stupid questions, all would be lost.

here are some movie/comic comparisons for you. enjoy!

Comic Movie Trailers

the page for all upcoming or current comic book movies

the original source doesnt have to have originated from the comics.
for example, did you know that transformers originally came out as toys.

but since transformers have its own comic series, they are included here.
tada.. okay, go click click and see see,
enjoy

release dates sourced fromYahoo! Singapore Movies

movie review: watching the watchmen

i have hoped to start this blog of sorts sometime in the not so distant future, however, viewing the awesome spectacle known as Watchmen, i simply could not resist myself from spewing my comments all over the internet. 

first off, i shall blabber off about the movie: it was dialogue reliant, not to say that other films chit chat isnt important, the details was in the words, and if you didnt strain to really hear the words or have an arse sitting next to you, asking you if rorschach's superpower was to change his face, you would be lost at times. so just do wad i did and wave a pointed finger in the buggers face and lean forward to show that though you're being a dick for doing so, he's a bigger dick for talking in the cinema. 

speaking of dicks, this may be a spoiler of sorts. but if u actually bump into my site, you're prolly googling watchmen so u are expected to have already seen the movie. anyhu, Dr Manhattan was like super nudist. and the cropping of the film's camera made sure we were fully aware of his personal preference. and i was really expecting to see some Ts popping, especially with Akerman's big top reveal in the "heartbreak kid". but i was really disappointed when a mere silhouette was provided to satisfy the raging hormones of the average fanboy. 

circled for emphasis

seeing as to how you can get more reliable movie opinions from sites such as rottentomatoes, or bla, i m just gonna rant on my movie experience for now. first of all, this is to me, the biggest movie of the year! i get erections watching the trailers before other movies. sure i've seen it countless times online, but having it enlarge in full HD glory where the range of your eyes simply could not shut out the visuals unless u turned ur head away, the sheer awesomeness of it gave me goose-bumps and sometimes my pants got a little wet (prolly cos the coke's sweat dripped.. but thats nt important).  

entering the cinema,  just got blown away by amazing trailers of Transformer2, Terminator4, StarTrek! sure, i've seen em online. but just seeing them with friends is a different matter altogether! and commercials weren't shying away too. there was like a good 20 mins of random shit tossed together, long enough for me to drink half of my drink, realised its a three hour show, get off to take a piss, realize i was looking good in the mirror and skip down to my seat to where my fag friend was covering his eyes since the thai trailer, "coming soon" was on. then the movie starts.

the shit starts with an incredible opening sequence retelling the tales of the minutemen, a superhero group, similar to the Avengers or JLA, who was a generation before the watchmen. then it drives straight to the intense scene of the comedian getting murdered (there, that scene where the window shatters cos some guy got thrown out lo). and everything else being just sheer awesomeness that will leave you wanting for the movie never to end!

and now the shitty part! i was in one cinema with another of my friend in the other cinema, cos he bought his ticket late, bla bla bla.. well, my cinema wasn't full, which ticked me off to a certain extent. (dark knight was full of cheena poks entering the cinema confusing themselves and enduring the three hours so they can tell their other cheena friends that they saw the dark knight and its damn good le! solid!) but it was still bearable. but my friend over at the other cinema had to endure SEVERAL people leaving their seats at the scene where Dr Manhatten leaves Earth. WHATHEFLUB?! where the f did they get the balls to leave the cinema? maybe their ah lian gfs finally realized that mr da long's long(dragon) wasn't the biggest thing they could get after comparing to Dr M. and mr da long just have to remind missy ah lian that it was too bad for them in the nearest toilet! BAH! how can this even happen? was it that bad to endure? how bout trying ghosts rapping in hokkien? perhaps they could relate more to that.

it was very even more disheartening to see that for today's lifestyle section in the straits times had bad reviews for the watchmen. wanna know the even better part. it was feature on the front page of that section. i dont have a copy with me but i glance through it and it was saying that it wasnt being true to telling the message that the original graphic novel had. and how the original shaped superheroes and yadayadayada! and wanna know the better part? Outta 5, 2 FUCKING STARS! if the number 2 could be caps, it would be! on a newspaper that singaporeans take seriously, you give a shitty 2 star rating on the anticipated film of like forever for comic geeks. whatheflubbbbbbberrriouciouslllyyy??!?! 

i quote filmschoolrejects.com when i say that it will be the greatest vision of the watchmen ever made for screen. all this hype about how the watchmen can never be made into a movie and it has all been flushed away thanks to mr snyder. and i understand he emitted several things and added several things to make the entire movie experience an enjoyable one. there are alot of things that needed to stay true to the book and i fully appreciated that mr snyder let them be and i never felt shortchanged after the credits rolled. (except for the jailbreak scence, which was my fav in the book. i felt it should have been much more darker and more gore-y) 

on a side note, Rorschach had hair! like in the book! cos i never saw jackie earle haley with any real (by real, i mean long enough to consider it hair) hair. so tada, big pleasant surprise for me. 

jackie earle haley as Walter Kovacs

here he is, with my enhanced photoshopping skills, showing u how a sample of him with hair

on another side note, zack snyder really love his details, and google the eastereggs for the watchmen film, theres plenty that will make you look out for. examples include, James Jean Art! and when Ozy files are open, they reveal a folder entitled "boys". 

HAH! -raises eyebrows repeatedly and suggestively-

also, My Chem Romance plays their cover of "desolation row" at the end credits. check out their music video if you will. 

to wrap things up, 

i give the film an

please note, that this is totally my opinion as a comic book fan who enjoyed the original literature a shy 4 years ago after getting pissed that all the batman books were done reading in the library and that yellow book is taunting me with that eerie smile. i definitely look forward seeing the film again and hopefully, it will be in my fav cinema, the grand cathay! yup, thats the one where the curtains part!