Bond is Back, Space Cadet Adventures and I'm Batman!!!!

Hi all and welcome to 2010!!!! Well to get the year started right I've got a couple reviews of books and comics that I have recently read. So, here we go:

Double or Die: A James Bond Adventure by Charlie Higson - Wow, 13 year-old James Bond is back in this great book that packs one heck of a punch!!!!! This adventure starts with the kidnapping of one of Professor Fairburn, who teaches at Eton, where James goes to school. The kidnappers are two cutthroat brothers; one rather normal looking guy named Wolfgang, the other Ludwig, who looks like a skeleton with rotting teeth. They are employed by a mysterious man whose identity when revealed will shock the reader. It seems that this professor and another colleague where/are working on something that could quite literally change the world overnight. After Professor Fairburn's disappearance, one of James' friends at Eton receives a letter that gives clues as to what has happened to him, what he was working on, and where he is now located. The clock is ticking and James must figure out what is going on quickly or very bad things will happen. One thing I really liked was the reappearance of Red Kelly (if you have read the first Young Bond Book Silverfin, you will be familiar with this roguish friend of James). Bond is back and better than ever!!!!!!!

I hardly ever need an excuse to put something about Bond on the blog and since we just talked about "Double or Die," check out this alligator stunt from the Bond flick "Live and Let Die."




Pretty Cool, right???!!!!!!!


Batman The Brave and The Bold - The Fearsome Fangs Strike Again by J. Torries and Carlo Barberi - This is a really cool comic that the library is considering adding to it's collection in the near future. Right now, we just happen to have a few issues. In this series, Batman teams up with different superheroes each month. In this issue he teams up with one of my favorite superheroes, Green Arrow (Master of the Bow and Arrow). Talk about action-packed, the issue starts with a brief apperance by The Huntress with Batman helping her take on the supervillian, Sports Master, and his henchmen.

The Huntress -->

After The Huntress and Batman have wrapped up business with The Sports Master and Crew, Batman and Green Arrow find themselves investigating a robber of a very powerful weapon by a Supervillain Team known as The Fearsome Fangs (made up of The Fox, The Shark and The Vulture) and a band of Ninjas known as The Shadow Clan.


<-- The Fearsome Fangs

This features superheroes doing what they do best against nasty villains doing what they do best. Starts off smoking and never comes off the gas petal. So either give it a try at your local Comics Shop (in Charlotte I would recommend Heroes Aren't Hard To Find) or check out the couple of issues we have here at ImaginOn. Great Stuff!!!!!!!



Tom Corbett, Space Cadet: Service Call by Bill Spangler and John DeCosta - This is the first issue of a space-oriented series featuring Space Cadets Tom Corbett (Leader), Astro, and Roger serving aboard the spaceship Polaris. The story starts out with a lone Life-Pod zooming through space; it is carrying what appears to be the only survivor of the Space Station Nia (located near Jupiter). Soon afterward Tom and his fellow Cadets make a stop at a nearby Rescue Station for needed supplies and general inspection. What should be a boring inspection and pickup turns into a situation of life or death for the Cadets. How are these two events tied together and how do our Cadets fair in this exciting first issue? Well, there are two ways you can find out. You can either register for our January 21, 2010 Comics Camp here at ImaginOn (for 8 - 12 year olds at 704-416-4630) and possibly win an issue or check out your local Comic Book Store (again in Charlotte the place to go is Heroes Aren't Hard To Find). The artist for this book is one of our very own Comics Camp Instructors John DaCosta. So if you win an issue at the Comics Camp or buy an issue and bring it with you, he can sign it for you!!!! How cool is that?????? This is an excellent comic that I highly recommend!!!!!

Well until we meet again on that dusty trail Cowpokes, here's looking at ya,

Bill

Captain America and Bone

First off everybody Ms. Yingling wrote to us concerning the Young James Bond Series:
Hurricane Gold is coming out soon, and I think I saw a fifth book out in the UK. David Gilman has a new spy one coming out soon, too. Ice Claw, I think!

Thanks for the heads up Ms. Yingling. I am reading the second Young James Bond book as I write this (Blood Fever).

Well I'm really excited because ImaginOn just picked up a new Comic Book Series to carry and man is it fun!!!! I just got finishing reading the first issue we received, so I thought I would write about it:

Marvel Adventures Superheroes #12 "Featuring" Captain America by Scott Gray, Matted Lolli, Roger Langridge and Craig Rousseau - This issue features Captain America in both the past and present. In the first story we find Cap trying to find his way in the modern world after he has been rescued from being frozen in time sense the end of World War II (1945). His friend and government assigned liaison Rick Jones is trying to explain modern computers and the internet to him when a terrorist organization known as HYDRA strikes. Cap and Rick are sucked into HYDRA's Web Page and find themselves fighting for their lives in a virtual world that is to strange to describe. The second story takes place during World War II and stars Cap and his teenage sidekick Bucky. While on leave from the War, they run into a sadistic German killing machine right here in the good old U.S. of A. Two fun stories that I really enjoyed. If you can get ahold of this comic at a library or comic book store, I highly recommend it.




Another thing I'm excited about is another Bone book by Jeff Smith that has just been put out by Scholastic.


Rose by Jeff Smith and Charles Vess - I thought the series was over with Volume 9 Crown of Horns, but Jeff Smith wrote a prequel to the series with Charles Vess doing the art work entitled "Rose." Now if the name Rose does not sound familiar how about Gran'ma Ben (Rose is Gran'ma Ben's name). The story basically focuses on Rose and her sister Briar. They are both in this story training to master the ways of the Veni-Yan who are seers into the Dreaming. Rose proves to be more adept in learning their ways much to the displeasure of Briar. The Veni-Vang have felt through the Dreaming the coming of an emancipator of "The Lord of Locust" and fear that Rose or Briar may be this entity. Through the story we learn who the emancipator is and the events that lead up to the first Bone GN Out from Boneville. What is really special about this story is we get more insight into Gran'ma Ben's relationship with her sister Briar and we see the mistakes Gran'ma Ben makes that lead to her becoming the heroic figure we know from the Bone Series. We also get to see some familiar characters in The Red Dragon, a young Lucius and the Rat Creatures along with meeting some new ones in Cleo and Euclid (Rose's two hounds that she can talk to) and the evil River Dragon Balsaad. I highly recommend this book for both Bone fans and those who are not yet.

Well that's all I have for now all you hepcats so peace,

Bill