I?m still trying to get over Nomah leaving the Nation. He was the face of Da Sox for so many years. It just seems sad that he had to leave on such a bad vibe with his former teammates and fans. Good luck, No. 5; your presence will be missed. With that done with, here?s this week?s Da Trades and LET?S GO SOX!!

Shangri-La GN (Image; Graphic Novel; B&W)
Creators: Marc Bryant & Shepherd Hendrix

Corey Stinson is on top of the world. He?s in the biggest rock band around and has all the money that he needs. Then, he gets fired from his band, his girlfriend takes over and the band becomes bigger. Stinson tries to launch a solo career but can?t get anyone to work with him since he burned every bridge on his way to being a big star. He gets a call from his agent telling him that he could fake his death to bring in the big bucks from all of the tributes performed for him and from all of the fans buying up his catalog of CDs. In a drunken haze, Stinson accepts. Later that night, he gets ?buyer remorse? and decides not to go away. But, since he knows too much, a hitman is sent off to put a couple of bullets in Stinson. What happens next is a little bit comedy and a little bit rock and roll but no country. (OK, maybe a little).

Marc Bryant mixes comedy and action with a deft touch. This book is kind of like a bad ?Behind The Music? episode but with John Woo directing. The end does seem a bit rushed but doesn?t detract too much from the telling of the story, which plays out nicely with a quirky twist at the end.

Shepherd Hendrix?s art is very polished. It looks like it?s ChrisCross-influenced but he doesn?t totally ape it. The action scenes are serviceable. He also nails the likenesses of music?s famous historic figures without fully rendering them so that the legal eagles won?t get all wound up about copyright infringement. Fans of 100 Bullets and Queen and Country will enjoy this book

Extras: A couple of pin-ups and a ?unofficial? soundtrack list.

Price: $7.95

Highly Recommended

Britt Schramm reviews trades and graphic novels at 4CR. He also has a bi-weekly column about comics called Preachin’ From The Longbox at Moviepoopshoot.com

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