Once again, my wallet is no match for the Local Comic Shop! It's become a bit of a habit to share my "hauls" as I've been inspired by similar postings by other enthusiasts on Steem. Recently I've discovered gentlemen such as @stevecronin and @jackofcrows sharing their own newly acquired reads and discussing comics in general much to my delight! Give them a read if you'd like to see more great content and browse the whole comics tag for a really great and growing community.
Today was a Wednesday, also known as NCBD (new comic book day) as that's the day new comics are released in the US. However my purchases contained only a couple newly released comics. So let's turn to my trusty blue Ikea tabletop which has become my de facto comic book photography backdrop... and have a quick look!
The fresh releases were Cosmic Ghost Rider #2 and Doomsday Clock #6. I do a lot of my purchasing based on artists so Doomsday Clock has been a treat due to the artwork of Gary Frank. I love his work. The story has been surprisingly compelling and well done too, making me realize that I really need to re-read Watchmen! After reading the first issue of Cosmic Ghost Rider I was going to give this one a pass... but one thing kept me coming back... Juggerduck. Yep. You read that right. A character that is somehow an amalgamation of Howard the Duck and the Juggernaut is making his debut within the pages of Cosmic Ghost Rider and I simply couldn't stay away. Pictured here is the cover to the next issue (#3) where things will really get moving. Friggin' Juggerduck. I'm such a sucker.
Witchblade is a title I've never really read, although I have a feeling that's not really necessary with this latest incarnation which probably strays far from the original character. Once again, I've wanted to start picking up this series entirely to study the work of artist Roberta Ingranata (https://www.robertaingranata.com). Amazing Spider-Man #1... wanted to check out the "relaunch" and see how the classic web head is portrayed these days.
Next up was a few graphic novels. Volumes 7 & 8 of the already classic Snyder and Capullo run on Batman. I hadn't kept up with it but recently read volumes 1 & 2 and thoroughly enjoyed them. I still need to get #3-6 but just snagged these for now because they were on the half price shelf! They'll be held in reserve for reading when their time comes! House of Penance was another half price trade paperback purchase that I'm really looking forward to reading. I vaguely recall hearing something about it in the comic book press pre-release and grabbed it when I saw it on the shelf. The core of the story centers around the Winchester Mystery House which has always captivated me. If you haven't heard of it, I highly suggest checking it out!
Lastly I rounded out the shopping trip by picking up a couple "blank" variant covers. In recent years many publishers have taken to releasing blank covers on some of their issues. Cheaping out? Kinda - not really. They're actually a pretty good stock of drawing paper and leave this cover open (the original cover is often still bound underneath) for original artwork to be rendered on it. Many artists do these as fun convention sales pieces and commissions and I've been considering doing the same so I decided to start building my stock of "blanks." Coincidentally, right after I got home and was checking Steemit, I saw this post by @swarddraws of some great cover drawing he did which made me more enthused and happy about my purchase. Now just to get the drawings done...
With luck, well no, not luck... it's more dependent on my energy... I'll get a bit of reading done yet tonight. But between now and then I need to tackle some drawing! As I write I've been charging up the Apple Pencil and it's staring me in the face. If I rotate it 90 degrees counter clockwise my iPad will basically be giving me the finger... as it rightfully should. I need to work more!
So wish me luck (wait...no, not luck. Wish me energy) on tonight's drawing session and as always let me know what you've been reading and enjoying... and just how you feel on the topic of Juggerducks.
-Bryan "the Imp" Imhoff
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : http://bryanimhoff.com/2018/08/02/comics-more-paper-to-feed-the-creative-fire/