comic books aint just for heroes...

[Mantisking]

Originally posted by Kathy Acker.
so right now im getting in my box...
punisher (max)
100 bullets
the losers

So why aren't you reading "Queen & Country"? It's the best book out there when it comes to espionage material.

Originally posted by Kathy Acker.
all these have been great reads so far, but i was wondering if there any books similar, or maybe more in a martial arts vein that are either currently running, or maybe have since gone the way of the dodo, but arent super obscure...

Martial arts comics? Currently I'm reading "Richard Dragon" from DC. The story is pretty good so far, even if Chuck Dixon has to improve his research skills. You could also try "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" from Comics1one. It's a comic book version of the novel, but it will contain the movie at some point. Comics1one has a large selection of martial arts comics "Shaolin Soccer", "Four Constables", "Storm Dragons", etc.

When it comes to old series, you could try "Badger". It was published by Eclipse, First, and one or two other publishers. It shouldn't be too hard to find in the back issue bins. The main character is a Vietnam vet with multiple personalities. His secondary personality, Badger, is also very good at martial arts. The book does include magic use and extra-dimensional trips every now and then, and it can get a little strange, but that's all grist for the mill.

Another old publisher of martial arts books is Jademan Comics. They went out of business in the early to mid '90s, but the head honcho, Tony Wong, is now with Comics1one. They published titles such as "Oriental Heroes", "Blood Sword", "Blood Sword Dynasty", "Drunken Master", and others. These will be harder to get as they are less common and have passed into the quarter bins at a lot of stores and been snapped up by fans of the series.

[Mantisking]

Originally posted by Bristol.
Well Right now I'm reading "Lone Wolf 2100." It's a retelling of the Lone Wolf and Cub comic. It is really well drawn, has a cool story and some really good fights. It is published by Darkhorse Comics.

A good book. Currently it has three trade paperback collections covering from issue #1 to #11. Another book by the same artist is Battle Gods: Warriors of the Chaak, also available in TPB.

Another book that has a lot of martial arts is Way of the Rat from Crossgen Comics. It was a good book, unfortunately it got cancelled. WotR lasted for 24 issues, it should be fairly easy to find in the back issue bins. There is a TPB for the first six issues.

[Zenvis]

so right now im getting in my box...
punisher (max)
100 bullets
the losers
all these have been great reads so far, but i was wondering if there any books similar, or maybe more in a martial arts vein that are either currently running, or maybe have since gone the way of the dodo, but arent super obscure...

(guess this could also be looked at as a "what inspires you via comics?" kind of topic)

Have you seen Marvels Powerless?

[Saitou Hajime]

You could try Lone Wolf and Cub if you like it has a more real feel than most Manga.

Those wanting something in a superspy mood shoudl try Lupan III, He has a whole bunch of interesting spy stuff [he a thief most of the time]

[Mantisking]

Originally posted by Zenvis.
Have you seen Marvels Powerless?

Do you mean Powers by Bendis & Oeming? The one that used to be an Image book? I'd say it's more a noir-flavored police procedural involving superheroes than anything else.

Originally posted by Saitou Hajime.
You could try Lone Wolf and Cub if you like it has a more real feel than most Manga.

Good answer. It's available from Dark Horse in 28 volumes.

Originally posted by Saitou Hajime.
Those wanting something in a superspy mood shoudl try Lupan III, He has a whole bunch of interesting spy stuff [he a thief most of the time].

It's available in a manga format, in English?

Another book from Dark Horse is Kwaidan, which appears to be a Japanese ghost story. And to continue with offerings from DH, how about Blade of the Immortal? The story of a Ronin and the girl he's hired to protect, it's available in 13 TPBs.

To switch over to spy-related material, you could try Gunsmith Cats. It's more police-related really, but there's enough firearms-related material to make any gunbunny happy. Or you could go with a classic, James Bond 007: Serpent's Tooth. Something that's a little more current is F5. And all of these are from Dark Horse.

[Mantisking]

And for those of you not reading Queen & Country, here's a preview of the next issue over at Newsarama.

[greese1]

That actually looks pretty cool.

[Mantisking]

Now let's look at one of the big two, Marvel. The simple answer at the moment has to be Elektra. She currently has two mini-series, and also has had a lot of other appearances in her own book and Daredevil. The current minis are Elektra: The Hand which explores the origin of the Hand ninja clan. The other is Ultimate Elektra which is new a new Elektra story without all of the continuity from the standard Marvel line to hold it down. The precursor to that series was Ultimate Dardevil & Elektra with Greg Rucka writing and Salvador Larocca on art.

Another current mini-series is Iron Fist. Unfortunately, the art is weak and the story is weaker. The previous mini-series Iron fist & Wolverine was better. There are some older books such as Heroes for Hire, and Power Man & Iron Fist but they tend more towards super-heroics than anything befitting N&S.

Then we have Black Widow. She's currently on her third mini-series in three years (or so), and these series have fit the espionage genre. She's made other appearances with the Avengers, but once again these stories fall into the "super-hero" genre.

Last, but decidedly not least, we have Shang Chi, Master of Kung Fu. His most recent mini-series featured a re-uniting of the writer and artist that made him popular during the '70s. The story is a blend of espionage and martial arts, and has been compared to a summer action movie. The old series was a similar blend but with longer stories.

Another mini-series called Domino, featuring the character of the same name, was pretty good. It was more Action than Espionage, but the Brian Stelfreeze art made it all worth it.

[Mantisking]

I was organizing my comics last night, and I came across a few more titles to add to the list.

Red and Reload, both written by Warren Ellis. The art on Red is by Cully Hamner, Reload is by Paul Gulacy -- who did the art for the latest Shang Chi mini-series. Both books are in the action/adventure genre but are great for inspiring N&S ideas.

High Roads would be great for a N&S game set during/just after WWII. This book and the previous two should be available in TPB.

Fight for Tomorrow is the story of a Muay Thai fighter trying to find his girlfriend and get out from under the thumb of a ruthless fight promoter. Written by Brian Wood, pencilled by Denys Cowan -- who did some art for N&S. This was a six issue mini-series, I don't know if it's available in TPB.

All of the previous books were published by DC. The next one comes from Image and I can't believe I forgot it in my first post.

Streetfighter is an adaptation of the fighting video game, and this version features Japanese style art to match the source material. It's currently on issue #8 or #9, and there's a TPB available for the first few issues. Blockbuster has a special TPB that contains the first four issues and the special SDCC issue, #0, for $9.99.

[Mantisking]

Next up on the block is a new title from Devils's Due Publishing. Called Blade of Kumori it doesn't premeire until November. For an interview with the writer, Ron Marz, and a look at some of the pencils, head over to Newsarama.

[Mantisking]

Originally posted by Zenvis.
Have you seen Marvels Powerless?

I finally saw this book today. I believe it was issue #4 that I tried to read, I didn't like the art. Not liking the art made it a little difficult to get into the story.

[Mantisking]

Originally posted by greese1.
That actually looks pretty cool.

You should try tracking down some of the earlier story arcs. They've been collected in TPB quite regularly since the series started. They do switch artists for every arc though, so you might not like one of the others.

And if you like that, try the novel, A Gentleman's Game.

[Mantisking]

Here's a few more that might be interesting.

IDW RETURNS TO 24 IN JAN WITH 24 STORIES
Press Release
Following this summer’s successful 24: One Shot, IDW Publishing will return to the world of Jack Bauer and CTU in early 2005 with 24 Stories, the second one-shot based on the hit TV show.

24 Stories answers some of the questions that have been in the minds of fans of the popular Fox show since the start of the third season. In their second 24 tale, returning writers J. C. Vaughn and Mark Haynes tell a tale about Jack’s early days undercover with the Salazar drug cartel. Chechen separatists have taken control of a high-rise in Los Angeles and Jack must find a way to take them down without blowing his hard-earned cover.

24 Stories follows the unique format of the first 24 one-shot, presenting a different hour of Jack’s day with every two-page spread in the book. This ticking-clock method only adds to the story’s tension, as Vaughn and Haynes present Jack and CTU with an ever-more-desperate and tense situation.

“Jack Bauer is one of the most compelling characters on television or in comics,” said Mark L. Haynes. “This story highlights how the medium of comics is perfect for the continued exploration of Jack’s universe, providing current fans and new readers alike with all the twists and turns they expect from 24.”

Co-writer J.C. Vaughn added, “The first time out, we started with Jack’s first day on the job at CTU. Now we’ve got him hip-deep in drug addiction and caught in the middle of an unrelated and very bad hostage situation, so it’s just another average day at the office for Jack Bauer and company.”

This time around, artist Manny Clark add his craftsman’s touch to 24, offering a photo-realistic style that exudes action and emotion with every panel.

24 Stories is a full-color, 48-page trade one-shot on sale in January 2005.

Information taken from Newsarama.

BLOOD STAINED SWORD COMES FROM IDW IN JANUARY
Press Release
Now and then, the word “innovative” pops up in a press release. Most of the time it’s just hype.

Not this time.

Creators Dan Wickline and Ben Templesmith have combined sci-fi action, technology, and the code of the Samurai to bring the readers Blood-Stained Sword, a film put to print.

In a dark and grim future drunk on high technology, the ways of the past have not been completely forgotten by everyone. Kenji has been trained as a Samurai, sworn to uphold the code of the true warrior. Now he faces the greatest challenge of his life; clearing his father’s name.

He must travel to Seattle, where corporations have replaced clans and greed has won out over honor, to find out the truth behind his father’s death and bring in those responsible.

About the story’s development, Wickline said, “I’ve always been fascinated with the samurai, not just from a historical point of view, but as a way of life. Their code of honor makes them the perfect protagonist for any story, whether they are on horseback or hover-bike.”

Blood-Stained Sword features 30 Days of Night co-creator Ben Templesmith further expanding his artistic repertoire with this tale of violent enforcement of the Samurai honor code. The story by Wickline (Metal Hurlant) features cinematic action and the dialogue is crisp and memorable. This book promises to be one of the sleeper hits of the year.

Blood-Stained Sword is a full-color, 48-page one-shot on sale in January 2005.

Information taken from Newsarama.

[Guest]

I second and third Lone Wolf and Cub.

Ive read about half, its damn addictive, plus my girlfriend thinks dogoro is cute.

[Mantisking]

Originaly posted by me.
Now let's look at one of the big two, Marvel. The simple answer at the moment has to be Elektra. She currently has two mini-series, and also has had a lot of other appearances in her own book and Daredevil. The current minis are Elektra: The Hand which explores the origin of the Hand ninja clan. The other is Ultimate Elektra which is new a new Elektra story without all of the continuity from the standard Marvel line to hold it down. The precursor to that series was Ultimate Dardevil & Elektra with Greg Rucka writing and Salvador Larocca on art.

According to Comic Shop News #907 Ultimate Elektra and Elektra: The Hand will be collected into TPB in January. Both trades will contain five issues.

Originaly posted by me.
Then we have Black Widow. She's currently on her third mini-series in three years (or so), and these series have fit the espionage genre. She's made other appearances with the Avengers, but once again these stories fall into the "super-hero" genre.

I looked at the latest Black Widow series. The plot seems interesting, but the art is by Bill Seinciwicz (sp?). So, personally, I think it's not that good.

[Mantisking]

Another book written by Brian Wood is Couriers. Published by AiT/Planetlar, this is a series of TPBs. There's an article about the third installment over on Newarama.

[Mantisking]

Devil's Due is putting out a six issue mini-series that covers the origin of Snake Eyes. Newsarama has the story.

[Mantisking]

Here's a new one called Industry of War. The article can be found at Comic Book Resources.

[Mantisking]

Here is an interview with Greg Rucka. Some insights into Queen & Country can be found within.

[Mantisking]

There's a new mini-series starting this month from Marvel that's a real good fit for N&S. It's called Daughters of the Dragon, and it stars Colleen Wing and Misty Knight. Colleen is a trained martial artist, Misty has a cybernetic right arm, both are private investigators.

To see a preview, go here.

[Sentinel]

I've read advance issues of the first Daughters of the Dragon, and the collected reprints special issue.
It's not bad stuff really.
Colleen and Misty actually got very good treatments from Chris Claremont back in the 70s, and early 80s. Longtime fans may recall Colleen had a "thing" with Cyclops briefly, when he (erroneously) believed Jean and Hank to be dead. (to be fair, Hank and Jean thought Scott and the rest of the team was dead as well).

[Mantisking]

This one sounds good.
= = = = =
THE TOURIST GN
April 5 • 104 pg • BW • $9.99

written by BRIAN WOOD
art & cover by TOBY CYPRESS

In a remote coastal village in Nothern Scotland, the choice between money and happiness has never been more clear or carried such deadly consequences.

When Moss arrives in a remote coastal village on the North Sea, he is accepted as what he appears to be: a somewhat grubby American backpacker on holiday. He gets contract work on the offshore oil rig and courts Julie Tucker, a local café owner and single mother. Gradually the town begins to realize just who it is they're harboring: a Special Forces soldier turned drugs smuggler, and, if that wasn't bad enough, he has a lot of really rough bastards riding into town after him.

The safety of the town and the woman he loves vs. the successful conclusion of a very lucrative drug deal... which will Moss choose?

[Sentinel]

Spider Woman: The Origin is an intersting read, with an espionage angle superimposed over the more fantastic elements. The indoctrination of Jessica Drew by Hydra is particularly interesting (and re-told better than it was originally, while keeping to the original plotline and attention to characters details).

[drewkitty ~..~]

Ninja High School and Gold Digger from Antactic Press have MA fight sequences. And AP is re-pubishing the older issues in Trade Paperbacks.

NHS was doing a 2nd gen story line in hawaii but it has gone back to the younger brother story line it started in Quagmier USA.

While in GD the last few issuses have been full of action sequences (fights). And thoughthe past year or two they have been giving the readers some hints to the back history of the worlds the stories take place on.

[Mantisking]

Originally posted by drewkitty.
Ninja High School and Gold Digger from Antactic Press have MA fight sequences. And AP is re-pubishing the older issues in Trade Paperbacks.

While in GD the last few issuses have been full of action sequences (fights). And though the past year or two they have been giving the readers some hints to the back history of the worlds the stories take place on.

Hey, someone else who likes Gold Digger. GD is also collected in the "Gold Brick" editions which collect 25 issues at once. There are currently four.

[Sentinel]

I remember when Ninja High School was just a three issue mini-series, and nobody knew who Ben Dunn was.

[Mantisking]

I picked up Daughters of the Dragon #1 the other night. The story was pretty good for a set-up issue. I even laughed at a few points. The art needs work. Mr. Artist needs to study his anatomy a bit more, that and maybe watch a few gymnastics competitions to see how people move. He also needs to get himself a girlfriend, or is he trying to bring back the "bad girl" trend of the '90's?

[Sentinel]

I picked up Daughters of the Dragon #1 the other night. The story was pretty good for a set-up issue. I even laughed at a few points. The art needs work. Mr. Artist needs to study his anatomy a bit more, that and maybe watch a few gymnastics competitions to see how people move. He also needs to get himself a girlfriend, or is he trying to bring back the "bad girl" trend of the '90's?

Perhaps.
Remember, both these girls are holdovers from two different fad-phases of the 70s: Blaxploitation, and Kung-Fu mania.

[Mantisking]

Originally posted by Sentinel.
Remember, both these girls are holdovers from two different fad-phases of the 70s: Blaxploitation, and Kung-Fu mania.

Oh, I remember that. My main problem is Colleen's landing on the fire escape. That position is ridiculous. The sad thing is he had a more reasonable drawing originally.

[Sentinel]

Originally posted by Sentinel.
Remember, both these girls are holdovers from two different fad-phases of the 70s: Blaxploitation, and Kung-Fu mania.

Oh, I remember that. My main problem is Colleen's landing on the fire escape. That position is ridiculous. The sad thing is he had a more reasonable drawing originally.

The art isn't stellar, but I'm not totally turned off by it.

I also recommend Punisher Vs. Bullseye (I've been looking forward to such a confrontation since Daredevil 181). Also keep an eye out for the latest Moon Knight series. MKs' background as a merc is sure to be a staple point in the series, that and he is an MPD with a serious disguise skill.

A new Nick Fury series is in the works: Peacemaker, I believe it's called.

[Library Ogre]

A new Nick Fury series is in the works: Peacemaker, I believe it's called.

Truthfully, every time I see Nick Fury, I think of the Edward "The Comedian" Blake.

[Sentinel]

A new Nick Fury series is in the works: Peacemaker, I believe it's called.

Truthfully, every time I see Nick Fury, I think of the Edward "The Comedian" Blake.

Although, The Comedian should make you think of The Peacemaker, a classic Charleton Comics character accquired by DC.

[Mantisking]

I'd like to revisit some of the books I mentioned in earlier posts.

Way of the Rat is back, at least the third volume of the series. Checker Book Publication Group got the rights to publish some of the trades that Crossgen never released. Unfortunately, the second trade is still in limbo.

Iron Fist is back in a new series. It started out slow, but has been building steam ever since. It's good, and it's been adding some needed background to the Iron Fist legacy. There are interludes in several different time periods, and the time honored tradition of using different artists for those time periods is in effect. The TPB should be out before the end of the year. Currently the series is on issue #7.

Now I'd like to mention a new book, sort of.

Chinese Hero is a new series of trades compiling the old Jademan Comics series The Blood Sword. DRMaster Publications got the rights to reprint the series, as well as the rights to a few books from the now out of business Comics1one. Unfortunately, I haven't had the chance to read the two trades that I have. But, the cover art is gorgeous.

[Mantisking]

SOCOM: Seal Team Seven starts out as a standard military procedural, then veers into science fiction territory about 1/4 of the way through and never looks back. I haven't finished reading it yet, but I have enjoyed it so far.

[Mantisking]

The Unknown Soldier is back. He'll be a different character and the series will start in Africa. Read the article, this really sounds interesting.

[Mantisking]

I picked up Zen & Violence last week. It's a collection of the first six issues of the O'Neal/Cowan run of The Question. Very nice.

[Wōdwulf Seaxaning]

Originally posted by drewkitty.
Ninja High School and Gold Digger from Antactic Press have MA fight sequences. And AP is re-pubishing the older issues in Trade Paperbacks.

While in GD the last few issuses have been full of action sequences (fights). And though the past year or two they have been giving the readers some hints to the back history of the worlds the stories take place on.

Hey, someone else who likes Gold Digger. GD is also collected in the "Gold Brick" editions which collect 25 issues at once. There are currently four.

Another GD fan..I subscribe to it.Hellboy is another good comic,especially for inspiration for a BtS game.
Sgt. Leo MacKenzie CSA Commando

[Sentinel]

For the martial arts oriented:
Immortal Iron Fist is #1 with a Tsuki.

For the more espionage oriented I recommend Checkmate, Suicide Squad, and Gotham Underground.

[Mantisking]

For those of you who have been collecting comics for a while, Badger is being published again.

[Sentinel]

For those of you who have been collecting comics for a while, Badger is being published again.

Yes.
It is not what it once was, but it is still pretty good.

[Mantisking]

New compilations of the Badger series have been published, starting with this one.

[Mantisking]

I picked up a book called Black Leopard yesterday. It should be a good book for N&S inspiration with martial arts, cybernetics, mad science, sci-fi weapons, and more.

I also grabbed the last (#4) volume of the Definitive Edition of Queen & Country. Spy-tastic!

[Mantisking]

I can't believe I haven't mentioned this book before, Twilight X. It's post apocalyptic, and could provide excellent inspiration for soldiers, spies, and maybe gizmoteers.

[Mantisking]

I just picked up a blast from the past yesterday. There's now a TPB containing the first six issues of Eagle. Featuring martial arts, magic, sci-fi, and horror, it's like N&S + MC combined. Great source material for a game.

[Regularguy]

Take a copy of WATCHMEN and remove (a) the superspy who uses a "diplomat" cover identity in between toting gas grenades and assorted firearms; (b) the disguises and forged documents used by other characters, including the one who does (c) all of the computer hacking; (d) every improvised weapon in general; (e) the improvised flamethrower in particular; (f) the various other flamethrowers, both hand-held and vehicle-mounted; (g) the gymnastic performance that serves as a plot point, as performed by (h) the businessman who wrote a book about using meditation techniques to focus the mind's healing power on injured parts of the body -- pretty soon there's practically no comic left!