Graphics Books

I start learning 3DS4 using this book and I found it very easy to understand. Anybody who want to learn 3DS should buy it.

This book is outstanding to learn and to enhance one's knowledge of 3DS4. It is fun to read, and is really quite a page-turner! It starts with the basics and moves logically to advanced topics, all while using easy-to-follow tutorials. The CDROM comes with some nice textures that are good for making your own scenes. I would recommend this book to EVERYONE learning 3ds4!

This book is outstanding to learn and to enhance one's knowledge of 3DS4. It is fun to read, and is really quite a page-turner! It is structured so that it holds your attention - i.e. it doesn't linger for 50 pages on one topic and mention another in passing.

It starts with the basics and moves logically to advanced topics, all while using easy-to-follow tutorials. The CDROM comes with some nice textures that are good for making your own scenes.

Plus, in an appendix, it reviews most of the popular IPAS plugins for 3D Studio R4. This reference is useful to determine what software to spend your money on.

I would recommend this book to EVERYONE learning 3ds4!

This is the best book of 3D Studio r4, in a couple of weeks you can learn almost everithing, starting with modeling, texturing, animating and scripting.

It is an excellent companion to everyone that wants to learns the powers of 3D Studio. Contains many things that help you to understand easy and quick. There is also a very good CDROM companion to this book that has many stuff to look such as materials, images or even some extra demo programs. I am completely satisfied of this book so I higly reccomend it

This is one of the most helpful computer books I have ever read. I not only learned from the numerous examples, I was inspired by their creativity to create content of which I'm proud, and to go from making a me-too product to something people will talk about.

It is truly amazing what the unpublicized, interactive capabilities of QuickTime allow you to make.

I would warn anyone buying this book, use LiveStage Pro on a Mac as nature intended it; the Windows version is quite buggy and more than a little clunky.

By reading this book you may probably notice, that you are wrong and you will be surprised how much there is you can still learn about the subject.
The book covers every aspect regarding interactive content creation with QuickTime
It is a rich source of in-depth information and there is a wealth of ready to use functions. In combination with the many tutorials and samples it is valuable and useful for all who author interactive QT or intend to do.
For experienced users it is a real reference book even if your authoring environment differs from the one (LiveStage Pro) used throughout the book as many aspects and programming technics are transferable.

I just started using Live Stage Pro to author quicktimes 2 months ago and found the software's manual to be helpful but light on insight. In a nutshell 'Interactive Quicktime' is a crucial book to get if you're learning LSP (although the author goes into other methods of working with quicktime too). What can I say? It helps you understand what's going on within the world of the quicktime architecture and walks you through tons of projects to help you get it. I wasn't getting it with the LSP manual. As the author states it would be helpful to know a little bit of applescript or some other programming language but I'm picking it up slowly but surly and I've never written a word of code in my life. It's well worth the price.

This really is an excellent book. The examples that Matthew uses to teach in each chapter are useful far beyond just wired QuickTime. I keep it next to my desk for use in my other development environments as well.

For example there is a chapter on scripted motion which talks about linear interpolation, easing in and out, motion along mathematical functions, circular motion, paths and spline interpolation. I incorporated a few of these animation algorithms into my desktop applications and they work/look great.

Highly recommended.

If you think that QuickTime is just a media player for showing video and listening to audio, this book will make you think again. Delving into the depths of the QuickTime architecture Matthew shows the reader the huge breadth of interactivity that is possible and encourages the reader to think how techniques can be applied in different ways. Each chapter ends with an 'Explorations' section asking the reader to think about various topics that have been looked at, and how they can be applied.

The book is broken up into six main sections covering topics such as sprites- communicating with them, moving them, interaction, modelling physics etc. Other sections include the structure of QT, adding interactivity to existing movies, user interfaces, multimedia and communicating with the world.

Each section is subdivided into chapters looking at a specific area (39 chapters in all), and usually going through several small projects. ALL of these projects are included on the CD, often in both beginning and final forms so that you can go through all the steps or just look at the final version if you are more advanced. Because the book is structured with more complex issues handled later on, even a relative newcomer can work through the book, while the experienced QT content producer can go directly to the sections of particular interest.

There is a 42 day trial version of LiveStage Pro on the Cd as most of the projects are done using it, along with demos of several other programs and examples of the best QT work by other people.

In the introduction Matthew mentions that he often looks at the contents and index of a reference book first, as these tell you a lot about a book. Nine pages of Contents, twenty pages of Index, a Glossary and Appendix S! Even including a list of every file on the CD and many http links.

As Matthew explains how things are done rather than simply showing you the program-specific scripts a lot of the book can be applied to other multimedia environments such as Flash, Director and Runtime Revolution. I regard this book as required reading for all people working to create highly interactive media, whether they use QT or not.

In summary this book will revolutionise how you think of and use QuickTime. By showing what is possible rather than what is commonly used Matthew expands the interactive medium in a way that pushes the boundaries.

Highly recommended, and I found that the author quickly replies to any questions that you ask him by email.

Although I adore the Fables series, when I first saw that Jack had his own series, I wasn't interested because Jack is my least favorite character.

However, I wanted something to fill the void between the release of Vol. 9 (in June!), so I turned to Jack...and loved it. Even though I continue to dislike Jack, the plot is quick and fun, and the supporting characters intriguing enough to draw me into this new series.

Bill Willingham's "Fables" series has already taken some of the world's best-loved characters in a new and thoroughly modern direction. Now, Jack of the Tales -- a.k.a. Jack the Giant-Killer, Jack Horner, Jack Frost, John Trick and Jack B. Nimble -- has broken with the fold (OK, he was banished) and is out on his own. It doesn't take him long at all before he's tossed unwillingly into the Golden Boughs Retirement Community, where the dread Scissorman keeps story characters captive until they fade from the collective subconscious and lose their power.

On the bright side, the revolutionary and homicidal maniac Goldilocks is there, not at all dead as previously believed, and without Baby Bear to sate her, she's willing to get kinky with Jack. (There's nothing explicit, but this isn't a book for youngsters.) But Jack wants to escape the inescapable, and with the help of Humpty Dumpty, a handful of fairies, a large flock of birds and an elderly Sambo, he just might do it.

Anyone who enjoys the "Fables" series will love this. And since everyone should enjoy "Fables," you might as well pick up your copy now.

by Tom Knapp, Rambles.NET editor

I'm a huge fan of Bill Willingham's FABLES series, but I was rather loathe to give the Jack books a try. Why? Of all the characters in FABLES, Jack was easily my least favorite. I found nothing about him to be at all interesting and in fact found him to be quite unlikable. So, I figured that this would be an unlikable, unpleasant book.

Was I ever wrong! To be honest, I still don't like Jack, but the book introduced a whole new collection of Fables, many of American origin (like Paul Bunyan and Babe or Dorothy and her buds from the WIZARD OF OZ). Maybe of the others seemed to be of more recent origin, like the several characters from Lewis Carroll who populated the story, including Alice. The most surprising fable was Sam, who for the life of me I couldn't identify until very late in the book, when he ran so fast he turned tigers into butter. Very few people today are familiar with the widely reviled former children's classic LITTLE BLACK SAMBO, but Sam turned out to be that story's title character. Goldilocks was back and we learned about her unpleasant (though deserved) fate after her attempt to kill Snow White and Bigby Wolf. All in all, this was just a great collection of characters and I thoroughly enjoyed every page of their story.

So if you are like me and don't like Jack, no worries. If you love FABLES, you'll love this. It has all of the magic, originality, humor, and charm of the main series. Even before I had finished reading this I had run to my computer and ordered the second Jack book.

Jack of Fables gets his own spin-off series! I have to admit, at first, I was sort of like, why? But, now I understand. It's because Jack kicks butt! In case you don't know, Jack also goes by Jack of the Beanstalk, Jack B. Horner, Jack of the Tales, and apparently Jack Frost in colder climates.

When we last saw Jack in the Fables comics, he had become a huge player in the Hollywood scene, with fame, money and lots of girls, only to have it all taken away from him by the sheriff of Fabletown, The Beast (from Beauty and the Beast, of course). Left to fend for himself, we meet up with Jack as he walks along a highway with the million dollars Beast let him keep. Suddenly he is picked up with a strange woman and two bagmen (men who are, well, bags, it's weird I know) and taken to a place called The Golden Boughs Retirement community. There he finds Goldilocks (missing from the Fables comics for awhile as well) and other various and sundry fable characters many of whom are very obscure. Someone did their research! Among them are Mother Goose, the Pathetic Fallacy, and a quick little guy called Sam. There are also cameos by Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Cowardly Lion, Toto, and many others.

There Jack meets a rather nefarious guy called Mr. Revise who runs The Golden Boughs. Mr. Revise's mission is, apparently, imprison fairy tales until the world at large forgets about them, making them less magical. Mr. Revise's sinister intent is to do away with them and rid the world of magic forever

As I said before, I was surprised when they decided to spin-off Jack. Now that I can see where the story is going, I totally understand. This series looks to be completely separate from the Fables universe (no Adversary, none of the regulars from that comic) and has a great story going. The parallels to our own world and the issues we face with censorship are expertly addressed in the story arc with Mr. Revise and the Golden Boughs. I can't wait to see where Bill Willingham and crew go with this in the next part of the series.

And, as always, the art was simply amazing, especially James Jean's beautiful covers. And, I would advise catching up on the Fables comics, not because this can't stand alone because I think it really can, but because they are just so fantastic they need to be read too!

If there was still the least doubt that Bill Willingham was a masterful writer in the pantheon of comic book genius along with Alan Moore, Kurt Busiek, Linda Medley, and Neil Gaiman, this book surely dispels it. Wit, erudition (absolutely spot-on research on often obscure characters --- loved seeing Little Black Sambo again!), and fast-paced engaging storytelling abound.

Toward the middle of the collection, when we find out how Dorothy really has felt about Toto all these years, well, this writer was still trying to compose himself and stop rolling on the floor in spasm of laughter a good forty-five minutes later. Absolutely delicious.

As with the other FABLES stories, these are not for the young. Rather, Willingham brings these wickedly flawed characters back to the shady and earthy sexiness and violence from which they originally sprang, before they were tidied up for Victorian and 20th century nurseries. Ironically, this is one of Willingham's themes throughout the FABLES tales (which are all also wonderful and highly recommended).

Is nothing more compelling than the JSA?? I mean come on! This book is so sweet, I got diabetes from reading it!

I got to say I'm absoluetly loving Goyer on JSA. He really gets you to like the characters and he has seemed to master what is so great about the JSA they aren't about conflict like the JLA but, they are a family. And with that being said Goyer has managed to balance all the characters on the team and make you want to know more about each one. I reccomand this to anyone but, do yourself a favor and pick up the first two trades first.

A little unexpected, but he wasn't going to stay gone forever. It was handled quite well, and made Hawkman a more interesting character, who I started following. Thus, it certainly did what it set out to do, in that it made me want to read Hawkman again afer such a long time.

DC went crazy in the 1990s. Thinking that all their characters have become too archaic for the cutting-edged tastes of today's readers, they systematically set out to eliminate all their "old" characters and replace them with "new" characters. Thus we have all the big "events" of the 1990s - the "death" of Superman (to be replaced by FOUR Supermen - and finally the original returned with long hair), the "maiming" of Batman (to be replaced by a psychotic, badly-drawn Jean Paul Valley), the "defeat" of Wonder Woman and the "amputation" of Aquaman.

And there were the "events". Underworld Unleashed. Zero Hour. Final Night. Day of Judgment. Our Worlds At War. Joker's Last Laugh. etc. etc. Mega-crossovers that involve a million titles.

Here in this book, we have DC doing what DC should have been doing. Silver-Age storytelling with a modern sense of the epic. Goyer and Johns here stick to the "comic-characters-as-absurd-heroic-visions" view of past-writers like John Broome and Gardner Fox. There are no attempts here to force the characters to become unneccessarily "adult" ala' the pretentious Vertigo attempts. The characters here dress and talk like comic characters. And that's what they should always have been. And finally, no crossovers. The whole saga happened within ONE title - JSA.

Of course, as the title implies, Hawkman returns. And what an awe-inspiring scene that was. I still get that familiar tingle down my spine looking at that full-page blast of Carter Hall resurrected and proclaiming, "Arise, my once and future love!" And his return was just in time too. As the JSA then rush off to face Onimarr Synn.

Finally, there is that JSA meeting at the end of the story. Hawkman is back. And they do a little re-examination of what the JSA stands for - "Young Justice and the Titans, they look up to the Justice League. But the Justice League... they look up to US!" That's what the JSA is all about - LEGACY, what with being the original super-team in human history.

GET THIS BOOK! THEN GET THE HAWKMAN : ENDLESS FLIGHT TPB ALSO!

I have never been much of a JSA fan, or of any of the older character's like Alan Scott (formely known as Green Lantern, now known as Sentinel), Jay Garrick (the first Flash), or Sandy Hawkins (originally Sandy the Golden Boy, now Sand). Then I picked up this book just cause it had been written by David Goyer (who wrote the three "Blade" movies) and my whole perspective of the JSA changed forever. The story was excellent, the character's are incredible (especially the reformed Black Adam), and the artwork is amazing. This has to be one of my top 10 favorite comic stories (Marvel and DC put together) of all time, and I highly recommend this book to any comic lover.

I have not found any other good keynote book. This is informative, has lots of good information and more.Well done. Lots of good ideas, tips and tricks.

I have gone over this book from front to back and find that there is nothing that I found wanting in the book. I learned things I could use in every chapter.

If you don't own the book, use Keynote or want to use Keynote, this is the book for you.

Tom Negrino's book is all you will need to become a expert user of Keynote. Each process is broken down into easy-to-follow steps, including exactly which keystrokes are necessary. Especially useful are the many Tips and Screenshots that are included every chapter. I will be heartily recommending "Keynote for Mac OS X: Visual QuickStart Guide" to all of our Mac Users Group next week when I do a presentation on Keynote.

An excellent book for a beginner to Keynote or a seasoned veteran. Very easy to understand and very well written. The book flows seamlessly form one topic to the next. Great book!

Forget the manual, get this book instead, especially if you want to learn how Themes and Master slides are constructed. I run KeynoteUser.com and I was the tech editor on this book (I read every page, cover to cover). I also wrote the first draft of the chapter on building custom themes...all that to say I STILL learned things from this book while I was reading through it. There's stuff in there you just won't find anywhere else. And no, I don't get any royalties from the sale of the book (that all goes to Tom for his hard work), I just think it's something every Keynote user should own.

Its nice to have these graphic novels so as not to ruin the orig1nal comicbook versions. Of course these are nice collectibles too! for those insatiable KISS fans!

This book contains issues 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 of the Kiss Psycho Circus comic book. Three stories are told: 'The Witching of Adam Moon', 'Nature of the Beast', and 'Smoke & Mirrors'. All of the stories are very compelling to read, especially if you are into dark fantasy or horror. Issue # 3 is my favorite in this book. (Although the entrance of the character Kismet in issues # 4-6 is a welcome addition, not to mention Madame Raven's backstory.)

You do not need to be a fan of the band in order to fully enjoy this book, but fans of the band will enjoy all of the hidden Kiss references. Brian Holguin is one of the best comic book writers in the business and he works very well with Angel Medina/Kevin Conrad. Their visual storytelling style is excellent. Go visit the circus, you won't regret it.

I thought they did an excellent job on this book. I can't wait for book 2. The artwork is spectacular. The storytelling was good, but the overall story was slightly lacking. My biggest complaint was that it was too short. I need more. So raise your glasses to the crew that put all the hard work into this one... Buy it.

You wanted the best you got the best! It's a f***ing great comicbook. See ya at the Psycho Circus tour '99

This book includes issues # 7, 8, 9 and 18 of the awesome comic book Kiss Psycho Circus. Each issue is a one shot story that can be read by anyone- fan of the band or not. (Issue # 9 contains the great origin story!)

Brian Holguin really knows how to write compelling tales, and Angel Medina and Kevin Conrad work really well together as far as the art goes. The art in the last issue is by Clayton Crain, the current penciller. Great art + Great Stories = Must have book!

A dog story set in the early days of the cold war space race, ending sadly, as many dog stories do with the demise of the main character and the grief of his human companions. Pressured for another spectacular launch to add to the propaganda success of Sputnik I, soviet scientists launch a dog into orbit with no plan for her return.

In this well researched piece of historical fiction author and illustrator Abadzis adds an imagined early life for the dog Laika. This deepens the emotional impact of his graphic novel and forces the reader to consider the ethics of such animal experimentation.

Educational, emotional, dramatic. Also beautiful. Graphic novel format really works here: It can convey things a text-only book or video can't.

the story of Laika has so much to teach us - about the way progress depends upon violence, about the way we exploit others for our own goals, about the way individuals who are oppressed by a political system participate in the oppression of others, about who we consider "expendable" in the name of our own achievements - and this graphic novel brings that all to life in a way that is touching and illuminating without being schmaltzy.

Nick Abadzis interweaves narrative and history very skillfully in his work Laika, throwing light with dazzling artwork upon the interactions between dog and dog-handler; dog and dog-catcher; the vastness of space and mankind; Soviet Union Premier and ordinary citizen. At once it is a simple tale of a good-natured stray dog from Moscow, which would become known to the world as Laika, as well as an intricate account detailing the almost manic race to reach space. It is also a tale of office politics and intrigue, where we see the clashes between the decent Oleg Gazenko and the bullish Sergei Korolev (both real figures from history). And Laika is at the center of it all, representing the fragility of life in the vastness of space. Abadzis gives voice to Laika and to this age. A good read.

The story of the dog that was sacrificed for the conquest of Space by the Russians is well known. This illustrative graphic novel describes the events well and, for those who do not fully appreciated the political undercurrents of fear and the low standard of living and low hope that existed in Russia during that period, it effectively brings this forward. My 12-year old son managed to read the book in one sitting and he now absorbed the sad reality as the lesson in life and politics that drove the events of that time. The illustrations bring the past back to life.

Security guard (in front of a bar): "You goin' in here, Gaunt?"
Gaunt: "Yeah."
Security guard: "There gonna be a fight?"
Gaunt: "Maybe."
Security guard: "Guess I better move then."

Damn, I love GRIMJACK! With this comic book it's always been hard for me to properly convey my feelings without resorting to cuss words, I get so into it. I was a mere teen when I first picked up GRIMJACK, and I was simply blown away by the title's flawed, world-weary anti-hero and by the fantastic concept of Cynosure. Grimjack is the street name of John Gaunt, a nasty, surly, grizzled mercenary for hire. Grimjack is a bit past his prime (he's in his 50s), but he makes up for that with vast experience, street savvy, and an implacable streak of ruthlessness. Oh, and he fights dirty.

John Gaunt is one of the most tortured souls in comics, and the man can certainly brood with the best of them. We learn why as, thru the course of GRIMJACK's run, Ostrander unveils Gaunt's sordid past and recounts the tragedies what slapped the poor bloke upside the head. Gaunt's seen everything. He's an ex-everything: an ex-gladiator (from boyhood), an ex-soldier, ex-temporal bounty hunter, ex-transdimensional cop, ex-spy...His base of operations is the dubious Munden's Bar, located on the lip of the Pit, the most murderous part of Cynosure. And, sure, Grimjack swishes a stylish cape and sports a purple beret, but there's no foo-foo in this cold-blooded killer. He's no-nonsense meat and potatoes, charnelhouse mean and alley cat vicious. He's not exactly a swell guy, but he's faithful to his friends and rigorously follows his own code of honor.

Equally instrumental to the series' popularity and success are the grimy, dank Munden's Bar and the wondrous Cynosure metropolis, these two venues being characters in their own right. Munden's continues to reflect Gaunt's melancholy nature, while Cynosure, the nexus of all dimensions and realities, presents Ostrander and Truman (and Grimjack) with an endless and exotic playground in which to romp. In these stories, steampunk technology tends to bump heads with eldritch sorcery. Because of the nature of Cynosure, GRIMJACK presents a mishmash of genres, ranging from swashbuckling adventure, to film noir, to sword & sorcery and sci-fi, to western, then horror, and even comedy. Naturally, a dash of the hard-boiled is peppered throughout.

A brief history: GRIMJACK started out as a backup feature to First Comics' STARSLAYER series. But it wasn't long before John Gaunt bullied his way into his own series. GRIMJACK's monthly issues ran from 1984 to 1991, for a total of 81 issues, after which its publisher First Comics went bankrupt and placed this title in hideous red tape. It's only been since 2005 that co-creators John Ostrander and Tim Truman were able to wrest back the rights to GRIMJACK.

The fallout to this is that, not only are we being treated to new Grimjack stories, but there's also the release of THE LEGEND OF GRIMJACK volumes, which collects the regular series' entire run (it's up to 9 volumes now). THE LEGEND OF GRIMJACK VOLUME 1 collects the 8 Grimjack backup stories in the short-lived STARSLAYER series (from #10-17), as well as STARSLAYER #18, which guest-stars John Gaunt in the main story. Here in these initial tales is where we first meet Gaunt's fellow merc and staunch buddy BlacJacMac, Gaunt's gruff ex-partner cop Roscoe Schumacher, that unmatched barkeep Gordon, and, of course, the popular and ever inebriated Bob the Watch Lizard.

With GRIMJACK, writer John Ostrander's always had the knack for seamlessly meshing a hardboiled approach with crisp dialogue and fast-paced narration. He knows how to make the weird and the fantastic seem normal in Gaunt's environment. A pulp flavor colors Gaunt's adventures. There's a taste here of Burroughs and R.E. Howard, of Lovecraft, and Raymond Chandler, as well. In these pages you can just about see the rapid improvement in Tim Truman's artwork, originally vigorous and raw but then speedily metamorphosing into more polished but still energetic illustrations. For THE LEGEND OF GRIMJACK VOLUME 1, eight new pages are constructed to frame the stories. Those curious to see the evolution of Truman's art need no further than to compare these eight pages to the early issues. But it must be noted that Truman's rendition of John Gaunt was so immediately definitive that Ostrander, as he mentions in his foreword, didn't hesitate to hand over co-creatorship honors to Truman. At 128 pages, this volume also comes with three forewords, respectively by Ostrander, Truman, and longtime editor Mike Gold. If you're a Grimjack junkie, these are revealing must reads.

Finally, you know you're doing something righteous when Roger Zelazny declares himself a fan.

SPOILERS here.

Here are the stories reprinted in THE LEGEND OF GRIMJACK VOLUME 1:

"Mortal Gods" (2 parts) - Grimjack is hired to search for a missing God. He finds Him in a bar.
"Buried Past" - (5 parts) - This one details Gaunt's relentless pursuit of a mysterious vampire. Character developments galore as we first learn of Gaunt's lost love, of the devastated land of Pdwyr, and of Gaunt's espionage days at the Cadre.
"Night of the Killer Bunnies" - Holy Poot! John Gaunt grimly trains cute talking animals in waging war against homicidal wabbits. He gets paid in funny money.
"Blood and Thunder" - During a rescue mission Grimjack encounters Torin MacQuillon, the Starslayer.

The only reason that this gets 4 stars instead of five is that the books aren't as solid as I remember them being. Still, if you are a fan of Grimjack (as I am), this collection is for you. I hadn't read any of these books in well over a decade (probably closer to 20 years), and they are not as great as I remember them, but they are still pretty darn good. Grimjack is a cool character in a cool universe with cool stories... there is a Frank MIller-esque appreciation for noirish action and dialogue that will entertain anyone who liked Sin City. Enjoy!

I was overjoyed to hear about this publication. Taking the fabulous Grimjack series and making it available again to all. This has a quite lengthy and interesting introduction into the various trials, tribulations and stuff-ups along the way.

A very nice book, and looks great. Grimjack in all his glory from the start. John Gaunt is a troubleshooter or sword for hire, operating out of a bar in Cynosure, a city where many planes of reality meet, and anything might be seen. An ex-arena fighter, ex-demon fighting soldier, he now tries to get by and do the right thing.

This also includes a bonus new story done by the old team.

Grimjack was the book for me back in my college days. When First Comics (the book's original publisher) folded, the character and his universe fell into a sort of legal limbo. Now, I'm gratified to see that it's back, with new stories and this fine collection of reprints for you young whippersnappers to get caught up.
The eight-page introduction story (mainly consisting of familiar characters saying "welcome back") lets the old-time fans know that they were missed as much as they missed the book. It also gives the reader a chance to see how Tim Truman's art has evolved from the early days in the back pages of "Starslayer". Those stories are collected here, with the book ending in a crossover with the parent title, which is the weakest part of the book. One gets the impression that it was included for the sake of completeness only.
Ostrander shows considerable depth as a storyteller, especially in light of the limited space he had to work with at this point in time. The stories move forward briskly without ever feeling rushed. John Gaunt's internal monolgue is pitch-perfect, a steady voice of reason in a city where reality is markedly unreasonable.
Any fan of good adventure comics should start collecting Grimjack. Scroll up. Do clicky thing. Major credit cards accepted.

It seems amazing to me that it has been so long, but there it is. The Legend of Grimjack is staring at me, and I'm transported back to the early 80's and my halcyon days of comic book collecting as a young teen. I had broken out of the spell my mother had laid upon that kept me reading Richie Rich and Walt Disney's Comics and Stories well beyond when I should have, and I'd discovered not only Marvel and DC superhero comics but a wonderful world of alternative titles put out by smaller publishers. Grimjack was one of the first ones I discovered, and I was immediately hooked. The hero: a taciturn and scarred mercenary based out of a place that offered up a touch of just about any kind of genre you wanted since it was a multi-dimensional time and place - the city of Cynosure.
The Legend of Grimjack presents all of the original Grimjack stories in their original order and presentation, in color. I bought this collection when I saw the hardbound offered on an auction site and I didn't want to pay the exorbitant price they were asking. This collection is the same as the hardbound but in a trade paperback/graphic novel type format and I do not think it suffers in any way for being cheaper.
Twenty years later, Grimjack still seems just as well written and illustrated as it did to me back then. Many of the other comics from that era that I was entranced with have not held up nearly as well! Truman and Ostrander's work is well presented here and there's also the promise of new Grimjack stories to be released (I believe they have been released already in single issue format, with trade soon to come.)
The overall genre is certainly sci-fi, but there's (as I said) just about any flavor you could want and all of them are well done. I highly recommend this. It stands up to any hero book of the same era, and far surpasses many of them. First-rate stuff! (pun intended)

My boyfriend chanced upon this book at our local library where we were perusing graphic novels for a lark. Not only is Eden cleverly written but the art work is fantastic! I loved the section at the end with cover pictures and rough sketches.
The characters are endearing, its hard not to fall in love with the adorable antics of duckling Truman, and his best friend, weiner dog, Oscar. Both of the main human leads, Frank the vet, and Brandy, the psychiatrist are also likeable and I found myself rooting for poor Frank to finally get the nerve to ask Brandy out. Their relationship alone is enough to keep me reading!
Overall a very smart, very funny comic strip that I have now bought for myself and am collecting the rest. A must have for any comic fan and a must read since this book starts from the beginning of the strip.

From University^2 to Liberty Meadows, Frank Cho has created a masterpiece. The humor is fresh and laugh out loud funny. The best part about the comics, or in this case, the trade paper back, is that the strips are unedited.

If you want to laugh about something clever this is the book for you. Oh, and the art is great, too.

First of all, this book was supposed to come out in August. Now, the availability is 1 to 2 months? How long till the next book? 1 year?

I gave this 3 stars because:

5 stars: I love Liberty Meadows
1 star: The time for waiting

I first picked this book up thinking it was just another stupid anonymous comic book that I'd glance at and put down immediately, but upon browsing a few of the pages I started chuckling and then laughing out loud, and at one point I laughed so loud that I startled myself because I realized of course that I was in a book store and it was very very quiet except for my LOUD laughing.

A fantastic read, with realistic and believable characters that I suspect are probably taken from either the authors life or his dreams and imagination. I'd recommend to EVERYONE, however some of the jokes are aimed at older at least teenaged people, and some adult themes are weaved throughout.

The main characters are short-but-average-joe, a bunch of super-smart but WIERD animal-like characters, and the tall beauty naned Brandy that pretty much makes the book.

I wouldn't say I'm anxiously waiting for the next Frank Cho book because I have other interests that take up much of my time, but really, I'M WAITING ANXIOUSLY FOR FRANK'S NEXT BOOK! lol

Thanks for reading, I hope this review helps you decide on whether to purchase or not.

Before its voluntary departure from the Washington Post, "Liberty Meadows" had gained a loyal following that brought it back from possible cancellation more than once. Now this kooky strip and its bizarre characters are back in this book, "Liberty Meadows 1: Eden."

Welcome to Liberty Meadows, an animal preserve overseen by timid vet Frank and beautiful animal shrink Brandy. As Frank tries to muster the courage to ask Brandy out, the two of them also have to deal with the nutty animals there: a crazed Cow, Leslie the hypochondriac bullfrog, Ralph the tiny belligerant bear, Truman the water-fearing duck, and Dean the chauvinist pig in rehab.

This loony crew tries to deal with dates (where Brandy's crazed ex tries to kill Frank), the evil catfish Khan, camping trips with psychedelic mushrooms, falls into mine shafts, severed noses, truck-sized ticks, the insane stalker Cow kidnapping a celebrity and -- worst of all -- Dean's trip through the land of Cold Turkey.

You'd be hard-pressed to find a weirder comic strip than Liberty Meadows. Frank Cho combines the realistic drawing style (Frank and Brandy) with more traditional cartoon styles (the animals, and supporting humans like the handyman). Filled with wry pokes at pop culture and political correctness, it's refreshing and amusing in a sea of stale comics.

If you weren't lucky enough to read "Liberty Meadows" during its stint in the papers, check out "Liberty Meadows: Eden." Silly, weird, bizarre, and immensely entertaining, this is definitely worth a read.

I have read this book several times, and it never fails to make me smile...and make me think. My dachshund, Pirate, gives it five stars, and so do I.

This is an extremely clever book of philosophy derived from the observations of a dog owner. The delightful illustrations add to the book's appeal.

"If it makes your tail wag it's good" is only one of the thought provoking words of wisdom in these colorfully illustrated lessons that dogs can teach us about unconditional love and happiness. Every time I turn through these beautifully written pages my tail wags harder each time. Thank You Amy Jordon Smith for sharing your biscuit.

As a dog owner and lover of animals in general I found this book to be a must! Smith is very keen to remind us that our pets are not just animals but members of our family and their loyalty has no boundries.

LIFE IS SHORT; EAT BISCUITS is beautifully illustrated, and through the eyes of a puppy, reinvents so many of life's "words of wisdom"...sayings we've repeatedly heard, but unfortunately seldom apply. This book is truly Puppy Chow for the soul; especially for those of us that have experienced the unconditional love bestowed on us by our own "Calvin" puppy. Life is indeed short, so take the time, and share a biscuit with someone you love while enjoying this book. Kudos to the author and illustrator!!!