On the last episode of Tank Girl…Rob didn’t especially like the titular, heavily-armed, cigarette-smoking female’s graphic novel, Carioca.  The story was a little light on everything: violence, character, and story.  It was an unusual, not entirely unwelcome sidestep from co-creator Alan C. Martin’s usual run with the character, but something was missing.

I’m happy to report that the Tank Girl of old is back in this latest outing from Titan Books, Everybody Loves Tank Girl.  Written by Martin with artwork by Jim Mahfood (Clerks, Grrl Scouts), ELTG is a return to the chaotic, cursing, non sequitur style of yore…kind of.
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I was in middle school during the golden age of Cartoon Network, when you could tune in for shows like Johnny Bravo, The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Lab, and Samurai Jack in the evening and then pretend to go to sleep but really stay up so you could watch Space Ghost Coast to Coast. The awesome thing about most of those shows is how well they hold up. I can still watch them today and enjoy them just as much (if not more) than I did over a decade ago.

So that makes the announcement from IDW Publishing pretty exciting for geeks my age. This year they’re going to start publishing comics based on classic Cartoon Network shows. With the Adventure Time and Muppet comics, I’ve realized that cartoon-based comics can actually be a lot of fun and not feel as pretentious or faux-artsy as a lot of more adult comics these days, and these 90s Cartoon Network shows would make great little comics.

From the press release:

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IDW’s already killing it with their TMNT comics, and if their most recent micro-series wasn’t enough they’re launching one all about the villains in April. I think the villains have been super interesting and well done in IDW’s TMNT series, and I can’t wait to read more about them.

I’ve really enjoyed their re-imagining of Krang and Dimension X and I’m really looking forward to the Krang issue of this micro-series. I don’t know how excited I’ll be about issues dedicated to the new villains Old Hob and Alopex, but I’ll keep an open mind.

From the press release:
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I swear I didn’t plan this, but on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day we’re kicking off our week of Marvel Phase 2 Character Guides with Falcon, mainstream comics’ first African-American superhero. For some reason I always thought that title belonged to Luke Cage, but I was wrong. I’ve had a passing understanding of Falcon as a member of the Avengers in various shows I watched as a kid, but I knew I wanted to brush up his history before he debuts on the big screen in Captain America 2: The Winter Solider.

As with the rest of the character guides this week, this should give you a brief overview of the character, show you how he’ll fit into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and then point you in a few different directions so you can learn more, like I’ll be doing.
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Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal has always had a special place in my nostalgia. I watched it as a kid but came to appreciate it more as an adult. An example of world-building right up there with Star Wars, the design and execution of the film has always left me wanting to know more. For years I kept up with rumors and updates about the possibility of a Genndy Tartakovsky helmed sequel called Power of The Dark Crystal, but that fell through.

Recently I got an iPad Mini and fell back in love with comic books. Not sure what I should read and what I should avoid, I stumbled onto a comic book prequel to The Dark Crystal in Comixology. The price was right so I downloaded it, not knowing what to expect. I thought it would at least look great since Brian Froud, the film’s original designer, was involved. Needless to say, I was pretty blown away.

From the first few pages I was hooked. The art in Creation Myths is gorgeous and the story is (in my opinion) very strong and a worthy prequel to the film. I was sucked in as I learned the history of Thra, Aughra, and the mystery surrounding the Crystal.

The Premise

If you’re a fan of Crystal than you surely remember the epic ending where the evil Skeksis and the gentle Mystics are merged into one race after the shard is returned to the crystal. Creation Myths starts from the absolute beginning as a mysterious storyteller unveils the history of Thra, and the birth of Aughra.
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