One of Vertigo’s most raved about books is “Unknown Soldier” written by the incredibly talented Joshua Dysart.  Josh was kind enough to sit down with me at the Long Beach Comic Expo on Saturday, February 20th, to discuss Unknown Soldier, his previous work on HellBoy: “B.P.R.D. 1946” & “1947″, his upcoming book with Neil Young, “Greendale“, and a look back at “Tex“, his satiric take on George W. Bush before it was vogue to have one.  Be sure to follow Joshua on twitter at twitter.com/joshuadysart and visit his site at www.joshuadysart.com.

Download issue #1 of “Unknown Soldier” in PDF format for free.

Choker #1 by Ben McCool and Ben Templesmith

I just started following Ben Templesmith; this hit the stores at just the right time.  Ben McCool also had a hand in the Justice League Unlimited series.  For those that have never checked out a Marvel Unlimited comic, you really should do yourself a favor and check out the Unlimited version of your favorite Marvel book.

In Choker, the two Ben’s join up to create a dark police drama comic.  Choker will follow the likes of Johnny Jackson on his road to bust a notorious drug dealer.  Knowing that this is coming from Image Comics, you can bet there will be adult themes, demonic forces at work, and a story that keeps you craving more by the end of each craven, twisted and hilarious issue.

This has all the beginnings to be a great comic series.  Throw this onto your stack of books this week at checkout and enjoy a new series.  You never know, this might just make your monthly pull list of short stories.  I know it is making mine!

Every week we look forward to the spanking new comics on the shelf. We also look forward to new trade paperbacks, or new anthologies, and maybe even older books or back issues we have yet to devour. They could even be digital comics on the PSP or the iPhone, or they could be dead tree editions. Regardless, we salivate each  week as long as comics are being created and published. So, each week, one of our esteemed writers will present their “Pull List.” Today, Tyler proves he is genre agnostic.

Yesterday resulted in a severe bank breaking visit to my local comic shop, the esteemed Graham Cracker’s Comics of Chicago (who happen to come up 3rd on Google when you search ‘comic books’ btw!). I had not set foot in the store since early December so to say my appetite was voracious was an understatement. I have a steady stream of books that get pulled but I sought out some new titles to accent the already colorful stack. As many readers know, we are a critical bunch but its also our peers’ opinions that help fuel our own about what constitutes a good book. I have put great stock in the recommendations of both Shane and Nick at the Lincoln Park store and must admit half this list exists because of them.

Stephen King’s The Dark Tower: Battle of Jericho Hill

First up is one of my favorite ongoing “mini-series” and for the life of me I hate that I can’t wait for the hardcover versions of each installment to release. I am speaking of the seemingly endless Dark Tower series based on the half-ton tome by Stephen King. For years, writers Peter David and King’s archivist Robin Furth have created one of the more compelling mythologies along with the incredibly nuanced work of Jae Lee and Richard Isanove. Right now, the series is midway through the Battle of Jericho Hill, which marks the triumphant return of Jae Lee (whose meticulous pace has sometimes crippled the release schedule of the book in the past) . Since the Gunslinger Reborn, this series has been nothing short of a work of art, with appendixes and sketchbooks in the back of nearly every (too short) issue. The lore of Gilead and the sons of Gunslingers is teeming with sinister magic, love and betrayal and moral choices at every turn that you’d think King was writing it himself. In fact, all of these stories stand alone from the novels but are born from his story bible by Ms. Robin Furth and then approved by King. The result is pure visual poetry.

As if one Stephen King book weren’t enough, there is the other epic adaptation of the ultimate apocalypse odyssey: The Stand: Soul Survivors is the third itteration in the maxi series format (again likely in order to fend off shipping deadlines). Having read the 1,100+ page opus, its so satisfying to see wunderkind artist Mike Perkins make all the locations and characters come to life as they were described with an unsettling accuracy. The journey of Larry Underwood, Franny, Mother Abagail and the others to face off with the ever-evil Randall Flagg is one worth taking in either format, but to see it without Gary Sinese chewing up the scenery makes it all the better.

As I stated above, Marvel is certainly making good decisions with its literary adaptations. Adding to that roster is The Marvelous Land of Oz. Right off the heels of the NY Times best-selling “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” (now available in hardcover), the aimless quest of Tip, Jack Pumpkinhead, the Animated Saw-Horse is the best all-ages fun in comics today. Every page jumps to life with whimsical art and crisp dialogue. The Marvelous Land of Oz is based on Baum’s second book, which never featured Dorothy, yet keeps the Tin Man and Scarecrow and a few other familar faces in the mix. Oz is written by Eric Shanower (who us vets remember as the incredible artist of The Elsewhere Prince maxi-series based on the strip by Moebius) and is fleshed out by the incredibly talented and stylized Skottie Young. It is a book that must been seen to be believed. If you have any sort of affection for the Wizard of Oz, Baum’s books or even the sinister Return to Oz, this is for you.

And now for something completely different:  When I walked into the store yesterday and asked Nick and Shane what was getting their blood running, they pointed me to the back wall to pick up both trade paperback volumes of Mark Waid and Peter Krause’s Irredeemable. I nearly only bought the first one and am now extremely grateful that I had a second trade to pound through. Waid has proven time and time again that he is deserving of those Eisner Awards on his desk and the tale of the vengeful Plutonian is possibly his best work to date. This vicious, dark and extremely violent book from Boom! Studios gives any of Alan Moore’s  dysfunctional super hero work a run for its money. What happens when an invincible super hero is done being a hero and decides he can do whatever he wants? He keeps you reading. By far my favorite book in a loooong time. You might as well pick these up and wait for Vol. 3 because it has completely disappeared off the shelves.

Until the next pull!  (In which I take on SIEGE, The New Avengers, Blackest Night one shots and why Ulitmate Comics Spider-Man Vol. 2 might be the best Webhead/ X-men book ever…)

Writer: Robert Kirkman

Artist: Charlie Adlard

It almost numbs me to think that Kirkman’s incredible Zombie/Humanity tale is fast approaching 100 issues. Sure, shipping times and shortened issues have plagued the series in the beginning but for the last year it has been on time and delivered the goods in every issue. #69 keeps the heads rolling.

The story so far: From day one Rick and his band of survivors have had their hands (or in Rick’s case hand) full from the get go. Trust has been an elusive commodity to the group but the core has remained intact. With Carl’s euthanasia kill confession to Rick and Eugene’s outing as a big fat liar just a few issues ago, it seemed the group had finally come to terms with their internal struggles. Then of course, smiley faced Aaron walks up unarmed and asks them to audition for his community in the nation’s capital. #68 had the group fighting waves of zombies (finally!) and then by #69 they are on the doorstep of Washingon D.C. Only problem is- getting in ain’t easy and Rick and the crew are still leary of Aaron and his promise of Utopia.

This is the first foray the group has had in a major metropolitan area in the series and the stakes are obviously high for them and the readers. The city is choked with roamers and biters and as they attempt to circumnavigate the city to Alexandria, a signal flare goes off. Its safe to say that readers will sympathize with Rick’s apprehension to the flare given the sudden appearance of Aaron and Eric, who have admitted their lengthy surveillance on the group already. But Mr. Kirkman is masterful in twisting our preconceived notions of every character in the book (The governor, hello?) and its refreshing to see him infer that good people might still exist in this upside-down corpse ridden wold.

Its also nice to see a return to form when it comes to break-neck paced action and violence. Technically, Mr. Adlard’s work is really dense now, with real settings serving as the background instead of barren forests and the amount of high-octane action results in some of his most striking and violent panels to date. I’ve always loved the art of the book but this one stands out as one of the most dramatic issues I can remember. The rescue mission that Aaron and Rick undertake not only results in a massive zombie body count, but some realistic concerns with a severely broken leg of one of Aaron’s teammates. Until now, the survivors have not had any proper medical care; To discover the D.C. community has 3 doctors, including a surgeon, feels like a huge pot of gold at the end of their shit-colored rainbow. Kirkman knows its the little things in life that make the difference in this book,  and peppers them about- whether its a Twinkie or a silent smile on Rick’s face. Dare I say it, Mr. Kirkman seems to be suggesting that there might be hope after all. The question is: For how long?

WebComic: The Blind Fisherman / Personal Demons
Writer: Bryn Colvin
Artist: Thomas Brown

One of the greatest things about Webcomics is there are so many hidden gems out there.  This week’s Webcomic took me by surprise.  On this adventure we take a trip down the road of fantasy and magic.  We bring you The Blind Fisherman / Personal Demons.  This comic combo was started back in September of 2009 by Bryn Colvin and Thomas Brown.  Ever since we have been treated to a new panel every week.

The first thing that really caught me off guard on this comic was the artwork.  The whole series looks like it was drawn on a sketchpad with pencils and charcoal.  Many times it felt like I was looking at Thomas Brown’s personal sketchpad.  So many comics now use photoshop and look nothing like the old school sketches from artists waiting for the bus.  I am not talking stick people here, but rather a feast for the eyes that is carefully prepared and slow cooked all week.

The one aspect that is used sparingly is color.  Color is used for things like a blue magical fireball or the green slime that is the blood of a demon.  Due to its sparing use, it grabs your eyes with fishhook vengence.  The simple blue added to a small bit of magic focuses your eyes to it.  This also gives it a real feeling of power while making one ask just how powerful this little girl is.

Every once in a while we are treated to a full panel in color.  When these happen we see dark rich greens and brick reds grace the canvas.  These are fantastic as they not only carry the colored pencil feel, but also show off what Thomas is capable of in the world of color.  Lighting techniques are used to pull the eyes around the wonderful piece of art.  I would go so far as to say I would love to have this artwork proudly displayed in my office.

Of course, this comic would be nothing without a good story.  The Blind Fisherman is a short story leading up to Personal Demons.  This is a world full of magic and fantasy with dark themes.  Personal Demons follows a little orphan girl as she learns about her magical powers.  The innocence of childhood is maintained through clever and innocent one liners.  The story is written as if Tim Burton lived on Sesame Street.  The dark and unique fantasy world created here carries a child-like innocence in every panel, every story.

With some candy for the eyes and veggies for the brain, this is one fine Webcomic.  You are not years behind, as these works of art must take tons of time, so what are you waiting for?  Check out this series and maybe you will be chomping at the bit for the next update.  I know I sure am.

So, every week we look forward to the new comics on the shelf. We also look forward to new trade paperbacks, or new anthologies, and maybe even older books or back issues we haven’t gotten to, yet. Could be digital comics on the PSP or the iPhone, or they could be dead tree editions. Regardless, we look forward to each new week as long as comics are being created and published. So, each week, we’ll present to you our “pull list.” The book or books that we’re most looking forward to this week – new, old, classic, retro, whatever. This week, Rob takes a stab at it.

What am I looking forward to this week? Well, since I’m putting together lists of upcoming comics, I notice those first. I have a perverse love for Buffy Season 8, the painted covers. The comics have always been, in my opinion, way better than the TV show (though I must admit I’ve only watched the first three seasons), and every week, I see these at the local shop and tend to lose my saving throw against “shiny” purchases. This week, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8 #32: Twilight part 1 comes out and I may jump back into the series again.

Mass Effect Redemption is another draw, though I’ll probably skip it, even though I’m a big gamer, loved Mass Effect 1, and enjoyed the hell out of the little bit of Mass Effect 2 I got to play at a buddy’s house this past weekend. Game-based comics never really had much draw for me. I like the stories as they’re presented in-game, and tend to steer clear of novelizations and comic-book adaptations.

Doom Patrol #7? Hell yeah. Just the fact that I missed the first 6 books here makes me especially eager to check it out, and see what back issues the local shop has in the longboxes. I was a big Doom Patrol fan back when Grant Morrison picked up the series int eh mid-90s, and the fact that J.M. Matteis is part of this book is the main reason I’ll grab it. Moonshadow forever, right?

There’s no way I’ll miss a new Grant Morrison Batman storyline, especially after the amazing RIP series. Even though this is technically a last week’s release, I’m grabbing it this week. Cameron Stewart is the artist on this one, and as I’ve been folliwing him on Tiwtter, Im gonna have to check this one out. It’s the beginning of a new story, and has Batwoman in it. Can you go wrong there? I think not.

I’ve been a fan of Vertigo books from the way-back as well, and the new team up between Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan, Demo, has me fairly hot and heavy. Reading an interview with Wood, I was excited to learn that the book would have no ads, and would stick to the black and white, single story approach of the earlier indie book they put together. This one is on my must-read list, and you can get a preview of it right here.

On the digital side of things, I’ll continue my read-through of Ultimate Spider-Man over at Marvel Digital Comics. What a great deal that is, even though it’s limited to one publisher’s books, I’m getting a hell of ton of fun out of it.

I’ve also just grabbed the latest Wormwood: Gentleman Corpse off the PSN for my PSPGo – honestly, even if I never play a video game on the handheld console again, the digital comics and video player from the Playstation Network has made me a huge fan of the console and of Sony. While it’s not doing as well as Sony would like, I’m sure, the fact is that the PSP may be the best platform for digital comics I’ve seen, yet (though the iPhone has some serious competition for it, as well). Wormwood is a darkly humorous take on the juxtaposition between the supernatural and the mundane, filtered through the amazing and liquid artwork of Ben Templesmith, who also happens to be the writer. The PSP versions even have author commentary, like a DVD. Great stuff!