Flippin’ Through ‘Previews’ — December 2022

It’s Travis, coming in hot here in the wee hours of November 28, hoping to finish out this last Previews of the year before all the Christmas stuff takes over!  Plus, I actually have the information to do a year in review (of movies, not comics, wha?!), so I need as much of December free to work on that as I can, to have any hope of actually finishing it!  Without further ado on my part …

DC:

It would be nice to believe that Dawn of DC will actually change anything, but I just can’t get myself to believe this!

Nor should you!

I hate that there are so many Supermans these days (I dislike Dash Parr’s quote about if everyone is special, no one is, but it’s kind of applicable here), but that cover of Action Comics #1052 (page 5) is pretty sweet:

I guess I should have figured that the new Batman/Spawn crossover would be collected with the originals, but since they just collected the originals, I didn’t think they would do it this soon.  Will I be getting this version on page 20?  I will probably be very weak and get it!

I mean, that’s on you. You know DC will never pass up a chance to make an easy buck off of suckers! And you really should skip it. I mean, come on.

No.  I have bad taste!

On page 24 is the Milestone 30th Anniversary Special, with a fun play on that Flash 123 cover for the Denys Cowan main cover, and a kickass Billy the Sink variant cover.  I’ve always liked these characters and I’m glad DC seems to be doing something decent with them.

Man, that’s a cool looking print of Death by Jenny Frison on page 29, but why do I have to buy the HC of Sandman Universe: Nightmare Country?  On another note, I’ve been listening a little more to the Audible adaptation of Sandman, and it’s quite good so far.  I still haven’t gotten to the Netflix version yet, though!

You’re a terrible comics nerd, sir.

I know!

The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive box set is really weird.  On pages 32-33 we see the contents, including a new mini that was pushed around more than Ezra Miller’s victims, the adaptation of the first Tim Burton Batmovie, and Flashpoint, which seems to require a hell of a lot of DC knowledge to understand.  I don’t know why there would be such changes that need to be made to the DC movie universe!

Well done with the reference, sir. Well. Done.

Page 34 has a couple of good ones, with a facsimile of Whiz Comics 2, the first Captain Marvel, and Batman: The Doom that Came to Gotham, a sweet mashup of the Bat-mythos with the Lovecraft cycle.  That should be a cool looking animated movie!  I’m pretty sure I actually own a copy — I know I read this relatively recently, but I think it was my own copy and not the library’s, but I’m not positive!

That Batman book is really cool. Good to see it’s getting reprinted.

The Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 12 on page 36 sounds like a lot of fun, which is too often missing these days, with a story of a feud between Robin and Supergirl because of their terrible team up some years ago!

Damn, is that a new piece by Ramona Fradon for the variant of Danger Street 3 on page 38?

I mean, she’s still alive, so why not?

I wasn’t sure if she still did new work, though.  Although it seems she has for a Kickstarter for a neat comics series called The Masters, where the villains are based on certain artists and their styles.  I’m far too lazy to link, and besides, the campaign just wrapped up the other day.

Let’s see if they finally end up collecting all of Sandman Mystery Theatre with Compendium One on page 47, collecting the first 36 issues and the Annual.  That leaves only 34 more issues and the Midnight Theatre Gaiman Sandman crossover, if I’m figuring right!  How many times have they started collecting this series without finishing it?

More times than Ezra Miller’s … No, it doesn’t quite work here, does it?

On the same page, we get a nice big collection of Power Girl from the Palmiotti/Conner days. This was a fun book when they were on it, so that might be something to check out.

Image:

Local Man on page 48 sounds like a typical ‘90s Image hero now has to move back home with his family and readjust to regular life.  Sounds interesting.

Seeley is pretty good, so this might work.

Torrent on page 52 sounds like another dull “superhero must cross the line” story, even though it’s done by good creators here in Marc Guggenheim and Justin Greenwood.  Although I think Busiek and Anderson might have something to say about a hero called Crackerjack, no?

One would think, but maybe they’re cool with it? Anyway, you’re right – I like those creators, but this sounds a bit dull.

Blood Tree on page 60 is a fun to say name with a neat twist, where a serial killer is killing members of the families of other serial killers, and it’s written by Peter Tomasi, who’s done good work in the DCU, so this is promising.

I’m always puzzled in fiction when people think that if you’re related to a serial killer or other horrible human, you’re somehow “tainted” and might turn out the same way. That’s not the way these things work, people!

I mean, it works for a serial killer’s motive, since there’s something not quite right in their thinking, but yeah, the idea that nature would completely dominate and cause anyone related to a serial killer to be bad is dumb.

I’ll probably get Ten Thousand Black Feathers on page 76, because Lemire and Sorrentino have a pretty good track record working together, but the first collaboration in their “Bone Orchard Mythos” was a bit strange. It was atmospheric and interesting, but nothing much happens, which is odd.

Daniel Warren Johnson’s Do A Powerbomb! is in trade on page 77. Johnson is very good, so this is probably pretty keen.

On page 79 we have a deluxe HC of The Good Asian: 1936, and I was quite interested in this.  The year in the subtitle implies we might get more of this as well, so I hope it’s good!

I’m trying to decide if I’m getting the hardcover – which is the same price as the single issues – or waiting for the softcover. But yes, this sounds interesting.

Well, they did do this in two trades already, and the first one hit a new printing, according to the order form listing, so I wouldn’t bet on a single volume SC anytime soon.

I like the concept of Love Everlasting, with a woman stuck in typical romance comics situations, so I might grab the trade on page 80.

Yeah, it’s Tom King not writing Batman, and the art is great.

Sins of the Black Flamingo looked gloriously sleazy in the previews I’ve seen and when I flipped through the first issue, so I may get the trade on page 81.

This does look cool.

The third Metrobook of Astro City is on page 82 and it features the entire Dark Age storyline, the numbering of which admittedly confused me more than it should have!

Hmm, no Image 30th Anniversary issue listed this month.  Is this truly celebrating Image by being late for the last couple issues?

Let’s hope they planned it that way, because that would be top-level trolling.

Boom! Studios:

Harrower on page 106 sounds like a fun take on slasher movie mythology, but I’m particularly drawn to this for the Brahm Revel art, as he am good.

Justin Jordan is a pretty good writer, too.

Dark Horse:

I’m not sure about James Tynion IV, but Blue Book, stories of real weird occurrences, sounds neat, and if he’s got Oeming and Janson doing the art, it should look cool at least, so I’ll think about this book on page 138.

Tynion has been on a pretty good hot streak recently, which is keen. I do love the solicit for this one – “depicting true stories of UFO abductions …” Yeah, “true.” Ok.

Hey, there is no other explanation for how probed someone’s anus is, ok?!  But I’d also like to point out that Saucer Country/State is wrapping up and getting collected soon.  The Vertigo and IDW series(es) about a woman running for President while dealing with her own abduction experiences was just crowdfunded at Zoop, and it should be published soon.  I don’t know how you can order something that’s been on Zoop after it gets funded, though, because they did a Wintermen Artist Edition, and boy howdy, would I like that.

Where Monsters Lie is on page 142, and it’s about the slasher movie killers and where they rest in between killing sprees, and the special agent who is planning to take them out. This one has great creators in Kyle Starks, Piotr Kowalski, and a variant cover by Stokoe!

This sounds a bit dumb, but yeah, it’s probably fun. Although I like the solicit – “until they get the call to go out and kill again.” Who’s calling them? Is that going to be part of the story, or is it just something dumb about the solicit? WE NEEDS ANSWERS, PELKIE!!!!!

I take “the call” to be something within them, but you’re right, it could be part of the story, AND be something dumb about the solicit!

Damn, they really want me to get Masters of the Universe: Masterverse on page 144, with Sergio Aragones and Kelley Jones on art!

Murky World on page 149 is the first of dee-loox HCs of Richard Corben’s work that Dark Horse is going to be doing, and I am interested!

As am I, but Dark Horse starts these “libraries” of creators and don’t seem to keep up with them, so I’m wary about the rest of the series, but this should be interesting.

Madman Library HC 4 on page 154, Final Girls 157 Lost Falls 158 160 Grendel and Shock Shop 163 Creepy Archives

What the hell is this, sir? I know you’re just marking things for later, but I got to it first! Clean up your act, Pelkie!

I’m leaving this in so people know what goes on behind the scenes!  So the Madman one has a good run of Madman Atomic Comics and (presumably) It Girl, two series that Allred had at Image, and the one he drew had some fantastic stuff going on.  Final Girls is about a hero gone rogue whom other heroes have to punish, but then they get found out by the media, if I’m comprehending the solicit correctly?  Lost Falls is about a detective that wakes up in a strange place with no memory, and I doubt  the fact that his name is Pynchon will factor in at all!  Grendel is a new printing, I think, of the Prime Omnibus, while Shock Shop is a horror flip book written by Cullen Bunn, and the Creepy Archives is a new magazine sized paperback collecting the classic Warren mag!

Dynamite:

Gargoyles 1 Facsimile Edition on page 199. {if you’re reading this, Burgas, the Diamond site is acting up on me right now so I can’t look at some of these, but I read the titles in the order form.  I’ll get back to them later.} (leaving that in too)

Honestly, I’m fascinated by this. Marty Pasko writing and very young Amanda Conner drawing? Sounds wild.

I was hoping it was a facsimile like the ones Marvel and DC are doing, but it says they’re including previews of the new Gargoyles and Darkwing Duck comics, so they’re probably not going to include the original Marvel Bullpen pages, which was one thing that I wanted!  I’ll probably still get it, though, cuz early Conner stuff.

Marvel:

Red Goblin’s like “yesssss, you SHALL be my jack o’ lantern!” (Cover)

Don’t encourage them, sir!

Again, I want this comic to be real, the Fantastic Four homage with Mickey and the gang on page 1.  C’mon, Marvel, you dropped the friggin’ ball here!

I don’t know what the hell is going on with this Sins of Sinister stuff, but I do love the title “Immoral X-Men” on page 2.

Don’t encourage them, sir!

And then there’s the name “Wagnerine” on page 6 in the Nightcrawlers, which sounds like a drink made of powdered Grendel.  (Netflix cancelled the Grendel series before they even started, but apparently the entire first season had been filmed, so they might be able to shop it around to other networks.  Netflix must be regretting all that money they paid Millar for little to no return …)

I’m worried about your ADHD, sir. Get it checked out!

I like the Doc Ock demon on the cover of the Dark Web Finale on page 11 having the classic bowl haircut.  (Or is that Dark WWeb, as it looks like two Ws in the logo?)

Don’t ever question the lettering, damn it!

Is Bloodline going to be her character name?  Really, Marvel, that’s the best you can come up with for Blade’s daughter? (Page 12)

Names are hard, maaaaannnnn!

Page 36 and Amazing Spider-Man 19 is the first spot I see the No-Prize variant covers, but they look neat.

I mean, I guess.

Maybe it’s more fun, and maybe it’s only a small dose thereof.

The Black History Month backup stories in some books, like Moon Knight meeting Blade on page 63, just seem weird, like, it’s fine that they’re acknowledging Black History Month, but this is the best way they can do it?

Yes, yes it is.

Thank goodness the new Alien in Alien 6 on page 68 is still sexxxy!

You’re just jelly that you don’t know any sexy aliens.

I dig these “Month” omnibi that Marvel has been doing and wish I could get them, and on page 85 they’ve got July 1963, when Avengers and X-Men both first appeared. I also find this line of the solicit telling, when talking about the superheroes: “They’ve taken over modern pop culture, but back in 1963, they were just a small part of a much larger and more varied tapestry on the newsstands!”  Yeah, maybe they should stay just a small part!

Why can’t you get them? Is some Marvel rep stopping you? Do you live in an oppressive society that bans comics? Blink twice if you need to be rescued, sir!!!!

OK, fine, I CAN get them, I just haven’t yet.

The Immortal Hulk Omnibus is finally offered on page 89.  I’m not sure if all of the stuff from the Apocrypha volume is included, but it does include the Gamma Flight mini, so there’s that.  I haven’t read all of this run yet, but the first half, approximately, that I have read is weird and trippy and crazyass!

“Finally”? The run just ended, what, last year or late in 2020? I mean, that’s not a bad lag time to get the entire thing in a giant collection! You need to practice patience, grasshopper!

Fair enough, I just was hoping it would happen, and it did.

There’s another edition of Weapon X on page 101, it should be noted.

Should it be, though?

On page 105 is the 24th Epic Collection of Incredible Hulk, the end of the Peter David run and of the original numbering of the book.  Those last couple issues of PAD’s run are really fantastic, with Adam Kubert doing incredible (haha!) work.  Our best wishes to PAD and hopes that he recovers quickly from his recent health issues.

Yeah, I hope he’s doing better. That sucks.

How did they find enough stuff to do a second Carnage Epic Collection, and worse, there must be enough for at least another one or two more, aren’t there?  My goodness!  (Page 107)

Back of the book, I guess?:

Aftershock has Bram Stoker Monster Hunter on page 226, but I’m confused by the solicit, which mentions Oscar Wilde’s trial.  Does vampirism have something to do with “the love that dare not speak its name”?  I’d also like to mention that there are concerns about certain publishers not paying creators, and apparently Aftershock may be one of them.  Oh noes!

Maybe? Anyway, Rich has them filing for bankruptcy, so there’s that.

Yeah?  I missed that.

Ablaze has a nice slipcase of the four “Cimmerian” volumes they’ve published so far (page 256), which is a cool package. I probably won’t get this because it’s $90, but I’m still thinking about it!

So tempting!

On page 362 we find Black Tape from AWA, in which a rock star dies on stage and his wife has to fight against evil forces that want his final, unreleased album … which might open a gateway to HELLLLLLLL!!!!! It’s written by Dan Panosian and drawn by Dalibor Talajic, so it will probably be pretty fun.

Ooh, that does sound fun!  And I like that AWA seems to be committed to $10 trades (I think, I haven’t checked their pricing lately).

Battle Quest Comics on page 306 has the trade of No’Madd: City of Empty Towers. I’ve met the writer, Andrew Kafoury, and he’s a nice guy, and this comic – if it’s the same one as I got from him at a convention some years ago – is a pretty good fantasy story. Kafoury’s publishing concern is doing pretty well – he has another new comic directly below this one – so good for him!

It did sound interesting from what I read of it.

Under the Banner of King Death on page 307 from Beacon Press sounds interesting. It’s about three people – a slave, a Dutch dude, and a woman – who are impressed into service on a ship and their rebellion against the tyrannical captain. Sounds neat.

(Insert piiiiiirate talk here!)  I do like it.

Rich Tommaso is always an interesting creator, and his latest, Black Phoenix, is on page 340 from Floating World Comics. It’s a book of short stories done in different genres and styles, and Tommaso probably nails them all.

I’m probably in for that.

On page 421, Quests Aside gets collected from Vault Comics. Brian Schirmer is a pretty good writer, and this book – about a tavern owner in a fantasy world trying to keep his business open – sounds fun.

I was waiting on this one!  It did sound like a fun one, even though the D&D type fantasy stuff never completely appealed to me.

So that’s all I have in me, to respond to what Greg wrote, and wrap it up here.  Unless I do go back before the end of the night and fill in some more stuff, but getting to this point took me over 3 weeks.  I hope (like always) to be more prompt with the next one (my eternal New Year’s resolution), and maybe I’ll even get started on that movie post I mentioned way up at the beginning!

Have a great Christmas, everyone, if that’s your thing, or continue having a good Hanukkah, if that’s your thing, or just have a great weekend, if that’s your thing! We’re all-inclusive here at the blog!