Celebrating the Unpopular Arts
 
Flippin’ Through ‘Previews’ — February 2020

Flippin’ Through ‘Previews’ — February 2020

And this time Travis sneaks in first to start this post, wherein we gaze into the abyss and the abyss turns out to be Previews #377 (whoa, really?).  I’m in lazy man’s default black while Greg is a mensch and puts his stuff in “oh my god it was so hard to add in the tags to make everything” blue (that’s Travis talking, btw.  I think Greg has a much easier time with this HTML stuff than I do.). Let’s kick things off!

It’s not hard, it’s just a pain in the butt. And you never type in HTML – you always use the “visual” field, which is just d-u-m. But, to each his own!

I think visually, man!

There’s nothing more charming than a face reflected in a pool of blood!

Image:

Oi! Here are the solicits!

Adventureman on page 38 from Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson sounds fun. It’s about a pulp hero who disappeared and a mother and her son who get caught up in looking for him. Fraction can write pulpy adventures very well, and Dodson is Dodson, so this will probably be good. The first issue is 64 pages for 4 bucks, which ain’t bad.

It looks like a fun story, so I’ll probably get the trade.

Everyone loves blimps!

So Robert Kirkman is putting out a graphic novel, Fire Power (page 42), that leads to an ongoing series, the first issue of which is free because it comes out on FCBD? Is that right? Anyway, it’s about a kid who ends up at a Shaolin monastery, where he might have superpowers? And it’s drawn by Chris Samnee, so it should be pretty keen. But that’s a weird distribution method.

From what I’m seeing in the solicits, it sounds like the regular series is about an older version of the kid that gets to the monastery, so the OGN is his origin, while the new series is about the older dude.  I think.  Samnee is awesome, so it should be fun, even if it sounds a little too Iron Fist.

Kieron Gillen, along with co-writer Jim Rossignol, has a book called The Ludocrats on page 46. It looks insane, but the preview doesn’t really say what it’s about. It might be fun, though, and Jeff Stokely and Tamra Bonvillain are a good art team.

It sounds like it’s about these ludicrous personifications of emotions wanting the universe to be surreal and not boring?  I’ll get the trade.

I liked Nailbiter a lot, but I’m not sure there needed to be Nailbiter Returns, which is on page 50. Maybe I’ll check out the first trade to see what’s what, but I worry about going back to the well!

I’m not reading the solicit because I didn’t quite finish the original series.  I’m close!

I haven’t read the trade, but I’m glad to see that sales on Exorsisters were good enough that it comes back.  I should read the trade and see if I need to get this in singles, starting with #6 on page 52.

It’s not bad. Nothing too special, but pretty decent.

Declan Shalvey is writing but not drawing Bog Bodies, which is about an Irish gangster and a lost woman who try to escape their pursuers by running through a bog. In case you couldn’t read the title. I still haven’t read anything by Shalvey, but this sounds neat, and the art by Gavin Fullerton looks pretty good.

It does sound interesting.

I’m not the hugest fan of the Beatles, but Paul Is Dead, a graphic novel in which Paul actually died in 1966, sounds and looks neat, so I’ll probably get it.

Yeah, I like alternate histories and this sounds like it could be fun.  It’s on page 56, btw.

Ringo looks confused, which I assume is his natural state

I was interested in Family Tree, because Phil Hester is awesome, as is Lemire, so I’ll be getting the first trade, on page 60.

Hmm, I like Peter Gross, and the idea of American Jesus is good, but it’s Millar, so it’s probably not so good, so I will probably avoid the two trades on page 62 and stick with this version of American Jesus.

I read the first series many years ago and don’t really remember too much about it. What an endorsement!

I’ll have to snag the new Ride: Burning Desire trade on page 65, because that stuff is always pretty interesting crime revenge stuff.

Sex Criminals 29 on page 79 — somebody wants Paul Giamatti for their movie adaptation …

Yeah, and that’s Byung-Hun Lee, too. I absolutely loathe when artists do that, but here we are.

Come on, people – you’re better than this!

Dark Horse:

Fun! Here are the solicits!

I’ve heard horror stories about Man-Eaters, but Chelsea Cain did a pretty good job on Mockingbird, so I might get her latest, Spy Island (page 86), about a spy assigned to hang out on an island near the Bermuda Triangle. Might be fun.

It could be ok or it could be Man-Eaters, so I’ll wait for the trade, I think.  At the library.

Dead Dog’s Bite on page 93 sounds interesting. A girl goes missing and her best friend has to find her, because everyone else assumes she’s dead. Cheery! Still, it sounds keen.

Tyler Boss was awesome on 4 Kids Walk Into a Bank, so I’ll get this in some format!

Victor Santos is back with Against Hope (page 99), a graphic novel about a young woman trained in combat who tracks down the family of neo-Nazis who murdered her family … and any white supremacists who stand in her way. Simple and violent – I like it!

Cool.  And I didn’t realize that Polar is on Netflix, so I might have to check that out.

I heard mixed reviews about it, but, I mean, Mads Mikkelsen is the star, so it can’t be that bad.

Oh, look, it’s a pun

Paul Levitz has Unfinished Business on page 101 (with art by Simon Fraser, taking time off from exploring British Columbia), which is about three dead clergymen and why they can’t go to heaven yet. Could be neat.

Sounds very interesting, and of course Levitz knows how to tell a story.

I think that’s a new Finder book on page 102, with Chase the Lady the title.  I like what I’ve read of Finder, so this is probably quite good.

I should figure out if it’s new or a collection of the stories in Dark Horse Presents from a few years back. If it that’s, I’d have to think about it, but having it all in one collection would work.

Ah.  I can’t remember if I got all of that run of DHP or not.

Well, shit, I guess I should probably get the third Kabuki omnibus on page 102 if it includes stuff he did with Tori Amos, one of my faves!

Did Dark Horse seriously list Black Hammer on the relist page 119 because it’s … Black History Month?

I doubt it. I mean, how “black” is Elfquest?

I saw that one too, and I have to assume that the darker skinned elves is what gets that book on this list.  I was noting the Black in the title of Black Hammer.

Sure, I get that. I just wasn’t sure if those titles were all for “Black History Month,” or if they were for, you know, February.

Fair enough, but DH usually follows the Diamond theme for the month fairly well, so …

DC:

Wha?! Here are the solicits!

On page 1 is the Joker 80th Anniversary 100 page Super Spectacular, which might be cool but will probably be more gruesome.  It will have a cool ‘40s cover by Art Adams and a cool ‘80s one by Billy the Sink, so there’s that.

Meanwhile, the Catwoman special with the same name on page 2 sounds a hell of a lot more fun, with a tribute to Darwyn Cooke and stuff from multiple continuities, as well as art by Jim Balent!  This might be the first new Bru work for the big two in years, right?  I’m also digging that Cameron Stewart and Adam Hughes and The Dude and Tula Lotay and Emanuela Lupacchino are doing art for this too.  I’ll have to decide if I want the ‘40s Hughes cover or the ‘60s Artgerm one, or the ‘70s Frank Cho one.  So many choices!

There is no way the Lau one will be anywhere close to as cool as the Adam Hughes one, and you know it!

I think you’re probably right.

Wait, didn’t they just solicit this Event Leviathan: Checkmate thing on page 3?  I swear it was in last month!

Yeah, I thought they did, too.

Has DC maybe figured out how to do interesting and fun superhero comics for tween girls?  Primer on page 10 is about a girl in foster care who finds military project paints that her foster mother brings home to prevent them being misused.  Since she’s an artist, she starts playing around with them and discovering their unique abilities.  This sounds fun!

Jeebus, that solicitation is long. Come on, DC, figure out a way to boil it down better!

Honestly, who’s going to clean all that up?

Wait, is the artist of Blue is the Warmest Color doing a GN of the new Aqualad?  That also seems interesting, as we see on pages 12-13.

Can you not read, sir? I mean, I get why you would skip the solicit, and it’s so furshlugginer long, but it’s in the first sentence!

Well, they don’t spell out the part about this being the new version of Aqualad, that was more my inquiry.  I got the rest of it!

Oh, I see. I thought you weren’t sure if it was the same artist, when that’s in the first sentence. But as for being an Aqualad book … they don’t make it too obvious, do they?

Wow, given that EVERY creator on Wonder Woman goes back to the origin story, the origin in Tempest Tossed on page 14 is actually somewhat different.  It’s not reliant on Steve Trevor for once, and for that alone I’m interested in reading it.

I’m going to stop paying attention to you until you can prove to me that you’re not an 11-year-old girl.

… I can’t!

OK, Hawkman 23 on page 33 actually sounds interesting, with this Plague Doctor stuff.  Also, both covers they show kick some ass.

Yeah, I’ll give you that

I will be getting the Our Fighting Forces 100 page giant on page 72, particularly since it’s a one shot.

The one that’s 96 pages long?

Well, now you’re just being nitpicky to be nitpicky, because we’ve all known for years that the 100 page books are counting the covers as well!

Yes, I am. But it’s soooooooo stupid!!!!!

Some cool dollar comics on pages 73-74, like that Batman 450 Joker issue, which is not one I often hear of as a key issue, so I’m intrigued.  I’m also curious as to why the Catwoman #1 from 2002 includes “story excerpts” and not the whole story.

That’s … weird.

I got the first issue of the Crisis on Infinite Earths giant, but haven’t seen #2 yet, but on page 77 they reprint the main story from the two issues.  It looked like Crisis 1 and 7 were reprinted in #1, so I’m guessing 8 and 12 are reprinted in #2?  I don’t watch the TV shows, but from what I’ve heard, the crossover was wicked fun sounding.  Someday I’ll catch up with it all!

I’m considering that DC Goes To War HC on page 80, because it sounds like it should have a fun assortment of war comics, and DC’s are some of the best.

I like Riley Rossmo but forgot he was doing this book, and I like Steve Orlando, and I dig the Martian Manhunter, so I may get the Identity trade on page 83, which is a pretty good deal at 12 issues for 25 bucks.

Yeah, the price is right, and Rossmo is probably a good fit for this kind of book, even though I don’t love Orlando as much as you do.

Admittedly he’s probably more hit or miss for me but he has done some cool stuff.

Oh, man, I have so many of the Sandman books as it is, so I really shouldn’t even consider the box set on page 85, but I am considering it.  So much awesome!

I actually liked the Stargirl comic that Geoff Johns did (basically his first comics work, I believe), and I have most of it or else I’d consider getting the trade on page 86.

I’m still thinking about it. I have a few issues, and they’re fine, so I might drop the ducats on it.

They had to go and make it creepy and weird with that cover, didn’t they?

I never quite got the people that were shocked that Max Lord was behind Blue Beetle’s death and stuff, because the things I’ve read of him always seemed to make him morally ambiguous, at the very least.  Anyway, there’s a collection of stuff featuring him tying into the Wonder Woman movie on page 89.

I disagree. In JLI, it’s pretty clear he’s being controlled early on, and after that, he might be smarmy, but he’s never evil. The heel turn never really sat well with me, but such is life. And I love how DC tried to make him a Supergirl villain on the television show and that went nowhere, and now they’re trying to make him a Wonder Woman villain. First of all, he’s not a villain, and second of all, he’s a Justice League villain, DC! Come on!

Lots of Wonder Woman stuff this month, including a trade of the first part of William Messner-Loebs’s run (page 90), which isn’t bad. Diana goes to work at a fast food restaurant! How can you not love that? And Lee Moder’s art is excellent.

I have to say, the Supergirl statue on page 101 really does capture the Michael Turner look, but the thing is, I don’t really like that look!

Ew, yeah. Give that poor girl a Twinkie!

Her other super power is turning invisible whenever she turns sideways!

Come on, DC, what are you doing?

IDW:

Um? Here are the solicits!

I don’t know Rio Youers, but she’s writing Sleeping Beauties on page 123, adapted from a Stephen King/Owen King novel. It sounds fine, but the reason I’ll probably get the trade is because Alison Sampson is drawing it, and Sampson is excellent and doesn’t do a ton of work, so I like to get her artwork when I can!

Moths are just weird, man

I was waiting for the collected and complete From Hell Master Edition (in color and all), and here it finally is on page 146.

I’m kind of interested in that, too. I have the originals, in glorious black and white, but I’m curious what it looks like in color. We shall see.

I might pick up the trade of Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues – Johnny’s Story (phew!) on page 149, because, as I noted, Kagan McLeod is a really good artist, so it will probably look kewl.

Marvel:

Phew! Here are the solicits!

Wow, there sure are a lot of boring Empyre comics coming soon!

Our pal Kelly is writing Black Widow on page 26, which isn’t surprising because I think she’s always liked Natasha.  I’m so glad that Kelly is getting the acclaim she deserves!

What is surprising is that they keep throwing a Black Widow comic against the wall hoping it will stick. I mean, they launch an “ongoing” every year, it seems, and they never last past, what, six issues? The Waid/Samnee one that lasted, what, 12 issues is the most successful Black Widow series ever. Come on, Marvel!

I guess they should realize that she’s not an ongoing type character.  Also, the Edmondson/Noto one lasted 20 issues and was pretty good actually.

Wow, I didn’t know it lasted that long. Way to go, Edmondson and Noto!

Hey, Devin Grayson is writing a one-shot on page 29 about Yelena Belova. Good for her!

Yeah, it’s nice that she’s doing work again with the big 2.  (Or at least Marvel — I thought I saw she was doing something for DC too, right?)  I don’t know what else she was doing in that 5-10 year interim where she wasn’t writing big 2 comics regularly, but it’s cool that she’s back.

Some pretty cool looking dollar reprints on pages 30-31 for True Believers: Black Widow month.  I will have to get some of these.

So a dude named Ben Jackendoff is going to cowrite Werewolf by Night on page 38?  Sure.

Yes, but you missed the part where he’s co-writing it with someone named Taboo of the Black-Eyed Peas. “Taboo”? “Jackendoff”? Come on, Pelkie! Also, are the Black-Eyed Peas still a thing? Does this mean that all I need to do to start writing Marvel comics is record a song with the r-word in the title? Shit, I can do that!

Taboo seemed the least of this solicit’s problems!

Cool covers, though

Wait, that mutant dude on page 43 (in X-Factor, because of course there’s an X-Factor) with all the eyes is called … Eye-Boy? Are you kidding me? Marvel and their writers aren’t even trying anymore. If I wrote that character, I’d be pissed that people call me that and I’d call Emma Frost, for instance, Boob-Lady. ALL. THE. TIME. Plus, “Eye-Guy” was right there.

Well, Eddie Campbell already got the Eyeball Kid, so….  I think this was a character from the Bendis run from a few years back. Ah, research tells me he first appeared in an issue of Wolverine and the X-Men by Aaron and Bachalo, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they created the character.

I don’t blame Marvel for trying to do an extended cut of God Loves, Man Kills on page 48, but why not just do it in one volume?  (cash grab, I know, but c’mon!)

You can’t see me, but my soul is dying at this moment.

I’m intrigued by How to Read Comics the Marvel Way on page 102, both a how-to read comics guide and a new story.  It still sounds like it will be too hard for the average person to grasp, though, doesn’t it?

Kind of. But it sounds pretty keen for a veteran, so yes, I will buy this in trade.

Let Spidey show you how inadequate you are!

Oh mama, that Golden Age Marvel Comics omni volume 2 on page 117 looks so good!

If it wasn’t so pricey (or spendy, as apparently we use around here), I’d go for that Marvel Masterworks Incredible Hulk v 14 on page 119, with Roger Stern and Sal Buscema having a go at the big green guy.

You don’t have to use “spendy” if you don’t want to, sir. No pressure!

I think I have most of it, but the She-Hulk by Dan Slott omni on page 120 is probably a good deal.  Funny stuff and good art.

Yeah, those are great comics. It’s a bit too bad Juan Bobillo didn’t draw more of it, because he was such a good fit for the kind of stories Slott was writing.

What did they do to New Mutants that the first collection on page 138 includes issues 1,2,5, and 7, and what is in 3,4, and 6?!?!

That’s a bit weird. Was there a crossover that we missed? That’s the only reason I can think of.

A bit spendy, but I was interested in that 2099 collection on page 142.  Damn you, ’90s nostalgia!!!

It’s funny to me that a high watermark and low watermark of the X-Men is on the same page here (149, don’tchaknow?), with Weapon X by BWS getting a new printing, and another trade of Chuck Austen shit.

Did they never do this in trade before?  I have an Omnibus of Young Avengers by Gillen and McKelvie, but here’s a trade on page 150.  Good stuff, what I’ve read of it.

Beats me. I assume not, but then again, I don’t pay that much attention when I already own the issues to something.

Man, I’ve read the third and fourth Epic collections of Fantastic Four, and they are awesome, and on page 152 is the fifth one, The Name is Doom.  They were firing on all cylinders then!!!

I’d love to get the Top Dog Star Comics complete collection on page 154, but $40?  No way, man!

I’m not sure I have all of the stuff from Ms. Marvel Meets the Marvel Universe on page 157, and it’s a low priced volume, so I’ll probably go for this!

Dynamite:

Hmmm! Here are the solicits!

Eventually I’ll get Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys: The Death Of Nancy Drew on page 170, as well as the precursor series The Big Lie, but I find it interesting that with this, or Riverdale, or whatever, the need to make something “adult” brings with it the need to make it dark.  There’s a whole paper in there somewhere!

Take us seriously waaahhhh!

I might go for the trade of this Priest run on Vampirella on page 192.  From what I recall, the FCBD story was intriguing.  Wait, the solicit says it’s a “Netflix inspired tale”?  wtf?

I saw that, too. What, indeed, tf.

Boom! Studios:

The Lost City of Heracleon OGN on page 202 looks interesting.  It’s about a couple of young boys who get taken on an inter-dimensional submarine and get changed into fully grown warriors in different time periods.  The story sounds nicely weird and the art has a cool indie vibe to it.

I like Ethan Young (as a person, he was cool at the con I met him at!), and from what I’ve seen of his art, he can probably pull off a “silent” story quite well, so I may pick up Space Bear on page 204.  Oh, yeah, also, SPACE BEAR!!!

Ah, here, The Red Mother trade on page 210 is one of these “discover now” editions that are supposedly straight to comics stores only, and in a month or two, we’ll get the same thing listed again at the same price.  This sounded neat, even though the “replacement eye shows weird things to the new person who has it” is a cliché.

Back of the Book!

Aardvark/Vanaheim has Green Dante/Green Virgil on page 224, a parody of the Speedy is a Junkie cover for the latest Cerebus in Hell? one shot.  I don’t always get this stuff, but I’ve been buying it all along, as well as supporting the recent Kickstarter.  From what I heard, this cover art is brand new from Dave Sim, which is cool because his wrist has kept him from doing much art lately, and I also saw something about these issues being specially numbered, so that’s cool too.

I guess Previews realized that Ablaze could in fact publish new Conan comics so long as they don’t call them Conan in the title, as Red Nails is listed on page 224.  It seems fitting that this and Cerebus are on the same page!

I wonder how this is going to be “uncensored.” The original Marvel adaptation is terrific, and I don’t see much room for “uncensored” stuff, unless they just mean the violence is going to be more gory. I don’t know – if you’re doing Conan “uncensored” and you’re not doing nudity, what’s the point?

Come on, Marvel – there’s enough room in the world for all kinds of Conan stories!

Also from Ablaze, on page 226, is Friday Foster, a comic strip collected in HC that is apparently the first nationally syndicated comic strip starring a black character, a woman who is a model/adventurer, it seems.  Sounds interesting, but it’s probably a bit too spendy for me without knowing more.

Abrams Comicarts has the latest from Derf Backderf (his mother hated him) on page 228 with Kent State, the story of the 4 protesting students shot down by their own government.  I’m guessing this will be in libraries, so that’s where I’ll be reading this.

I still have never read anything by Derf, so I’ll get this and see what all the fuss is about.

I wasn’t going to comment about the Acme Ink bio of Sublime on page 228, but then I saw their book The Tale of a Well Hung Man on page 230 and I had to mention them.  Sublime — it’s amazing to me how much of a fanbase they had/have considering how … not good they are.  And that other book is a western anthology, thank you very much!

Action Lab has Burning Rubber on page 230, a one shot story where it’s told from the point of view of a getaway driver.  It might be worth a look.  I might look at Mr. Beaver as well, about a special agent beaver who is taking down a crime organization.  It could be silly, it could be good, but the trade isn’t too pricey.

So Burning Rubber is Baby Driver, right? Checking for a friend.

Oh, that’s right!  Except you have to put on that sweet ass Jon Spencer Blues Explosion song yourself when you’re listening.  “Bellbottoms!”

I like the concept of Dead Day, from Aftershock on page 236, about a day where the dead come back to life and spend it in various ways.  But this is another one where the first issue is 5 bucks, eek!

I think Disaster Inc. on page 234 sounds fun. A tourism company takes you to sites of disasters, and I imagine, from the cover showing a ghost samurai, that horrible things happen. Sounds keen.

That does sound neat.

Radioactive Ghost Samurai FTMFW!

But their trades on page 242 aren’t too bad, 17 bucks for 5 issues.  You are Obsolete was about children who have taken over an island and killed off all of us olds (40 years and more, like me!), and Midnight Vista was one about a boy and his stepfather disappearing one night, and the reason was … aliens!

First of all, I still think you’re an 11-year-old girl. Second, I’ll get both of these, because they sound pretty good.

I’ve been getting all the Ahoy books anyway, but Ash and Thorn on page 246 probably would make the cut regardless, as it’s about a couple of little old ladies who are actually the mystic champions who will protect the world.  Nice.

I can’t remember for sure, but I think I got the first Monster World trade from American Gothic Press, and on page 247, the second volume is here.  It’s apparently set in the Dust Bowl era, which is interesting.

Hey, another Starring Sonya Devereaux movie in a comic book on page 249, from American Mythology Productions.  I haven’t read the others, but it looks like the Fraim brothers are still on the art.

Boy, wouldn’t it be nice to list the creators instead of us having to squint at the tiny covers!

Our pals at Amigo have a new book on page 252 written by Victor Santos, Ezequiel Himes, Zombie Hunter, which looks to be a two part story about … well, a zombie hunter, no doubt.

Since I respect the fact that Fred Perry has put in years of work on Gold Digger, I’m going to get the 35th anniversary special from Antarctic Press on page 254, which has the first issue in its original B&W and in brand new color.

The solicit makes it sound like its not the first “first issue,” but the first of the ongoing series. Was there another first issue before that? It sounds like it. We need an investigation!

Looks like there was a mini before the ongoing.  From what I see on the GCD, the one reprinted here was the first ongoing series of GD, then they rebooted it, I think?  It’s confusing, like a lot of the numbering of things from the ‘90s!

I haven’t read Kelly’s take on Sabrina yet, but here’s another volume of that version on page 256 from Archie.  I’ll be getting that trade when it comes out!

I reviewed it here, sir!

On page 257 there’s a new YA OGN of Betty and Veronica called The Bond of Friendship, which has art by Brittney Williams, so it should be pretty good.

The first Archie vs. Predator was surprisingly good, so I’ll probably get the sequel on page 258. The first worked so well because of the “Archie-style” art, and Robert Hack is definitely not that, so we’ll see.

I can’t remember if I got the first Life With Archie trade, but there’s another one on page 259, so I might snag that too.

I didn’t realize that there were 13 issues and a manual of Doktor Sleepless from Avatar, but all the warning signs variant covers are available on pages 264-265.  On 264 is the collection of Moore and O’Neill’s Cinema Purgatorio stories, as well.  I need to read all of these at some point!

Yes, you really do.

OK, I just saw the second issue of this Upshot Now book in a comics store, and now the first issue is available on page 271 from AWA/Upshot.  I’ll definitely grab this title on the regular if it includes all the titles they’re putting out in B&W for only 5 bucks for all 4.  I was going to comment on how smart is it to have a preview book come out after all your issues come out, but if I can read all these books for cheap monthly I’m not going to complain.

Beehive Books do a lot of interesting things, and on page 272 they’re offering the Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde with illos by Yuko Shimizu.  It’s a bit spendy but it looks like it’d be a fantastic volume.

I wonder if next year Bliss on Tap will collect the 4 issues of Weed Magic on page 273 for 4/20?

You’re a funny guy. That’s not a Wednesday, though, so they’ll probably skip that opportunity.

Well, that’s some powerful stuff, ain’t it?

OK, I’ll be getting the Geek of Gods SC from Caliber on page 273, since it apparently has a Cerebus story.  Wha?!?!

Your addiction to Cerebus is getting worrisome, sir.

It’s been going on for years, though.  Jeez, I probably have been reading the comic for 20+ years, and maybe even 25.  Damn you, Spawn 10!

Black Mask has a few cool trades that I’m probably going to order.  Gravetrancers is about a couple of young people trying to find their dad’s grave encountering grave robbers who make a drug from human remains (not unlike that Bone Parish book from Boom!, I assume).  I don’t remember when they solicited the individual issues, but I guess they must have?  Breathless is about a drug company that’s using cryptozoological creatures to make drugs, I guess, and a woman trying to fight against them.  And Nobody is in Control sounded like a cool conspiracy story, and the art looks interesting.

I’m fairly certain at least two of those are re-solicits. Come on, Black Mask!

Aw, look, they’re buds!

I doubt Cerebus will be featured in this book from Conundrum Press on page 287, but This is Serious: Canadian Indie Comics is probably a pretty cool book anyway.

Okay, NOW your Cerebus addiction is getting worrisome!

Fair enough!

Cool, a new Love and Rockets spinoff, with Beto doing stories about Fritz’s family in Psychodrama Illustrated on page 297 [from Fantagraphics].  I’m in.

On the same page, we find Perramus, which is about a political dissident on the run. I like Alberto Breccia, who drew this, so I’ll probably get it.

That two page spread is pretty creepy!

First Comics has a new Fillbach Brothers book on page 299 with Napalm Jack, which sounds like a wacky take on ‘80s action movies.

Yeah, I saw that, and I will of course pick it up, because I dig the Fillbachs, and you should, too!

I’ve only seen a few things by them, but I keep thinking I should check out more!

Why the hell not?!?!?!?

Gallery has a neat one that’s another near-wordless one (not unlike Space Bear) with Bix, a bio of Leon Beiderbecke, a jazz soloist, and it’s done by Scott Chantler, who’s done good comics over the years.

As much as I like Chantler, I just don’t want to drop 30 bucks on a comic with no words. I always feel like I’m not getting my money’s worth. I will think about this, though, but it’s going to be a tough sell.

Isn’t that a weird thing, though, to feel like you’re getting less just because there are no words, when the medium does not necessarily require words?  I’ll have to ponder that one.

Oh, sweet, Gemstone has a facsimile of the first Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide on page 300.  I’m interested in a historical sense!

You’re weird, man.

I’m tempted on the Bloodshot digital comic collection on page 305 from Graphic Imaging Technologies, as it’s only 20 bucks for 170 comics.  I’m not huge on digital comics, but that’s a cool deal!

Holiday House has The Postman from Space by Guillaume Perreault on page 307, which sounds like a cute book about a strange postal route.

Iron Circus has The Nixie of the Mill-Pond and other European stories on page 310, which sounds like good adaptations of stories from Europe.  I might grab this.

The one she put together for Asian folktales was pretty good, so I imagine this one will be, too. I’ll probably pick it up at Emerald City, so I can actually give money directly to Spike.

Also on 310 is the relisting of Aztec Ace complete collection from It’s Alive.  Maybe it’ll make my list this time!

Yeah, I hope it comes out this time. Dang it.

I just got an email from Drew Ford about how his wife is trying to obtain her green card, and apparently there are new rules in place that are making it a more costly thing to do unless it’s done very soon.  The GoFundMe is active, if any of our readers are interested in donating.

Keenspot has a couple interesting sounding ones on page 312 with Ninjas and Robots, which sounds self-explanatory, and Upbringing, about 2 boys who are alien/human hybrids raised on a flying saucer and who are trying to warn the earth about the aliens’ intentions.

Kevin Eastman Studios collects Drawing Blood on page 314, as well as including the TMNT takeoff comic, so I’ll be getting this, as I was quite interested in this semi-autobiographical story.

I was worried a bit that it wouldn’t be collected, but I’m glad it is, so I can buy it!

Yeah, I almost forgot that I was waiting for the trade!

Mango has a book about Back to the Future by Brad Gilmore on page 322 that sounds like it’s probably fun.

On the same page from Metropolitan Books is Dragman, about a dude who only gets superpowers if he’s dressed in women’s clothes.  It’s by Steven Appleby, who is apparently British, which makes sense, because British people love drag humor (see: Python, Monty).

I would have been much more impressed if you had dropped a Benny Hill reference, but I’ll allow the Python one. I’m actually dying to read this, but it can’t be good, can it? I mean, not in a “it’s a bad comic” kind of way, but in a “this is going to be wildly offensive” kind of way. I certainly hope not, but I have major fears.

I don’t know, it seems like it’s probably going to treat the subject fairly respectfully.  I’d be more worried if it was a different kind of publisher, I think.

That’s some good balance!

On page 323, NBM has Giant, which is about a big dude working on building the Rockefeller Center who can’t tell, in letters, the wife of a colleague that the dude died. Mikael is an interesting creator, so I’ll probably get this.

That does sound intriguing.

New York Review Comics offers Mitchum, also on page 323, which is a collection of short stories about America and … Robert Mitchum. Sure, why not? These are old stories by another interesting creator, Blutch, so I’ll probably get it.

Oni has a new Cullen Bunn book with art by Andy Macdonald on page 326 called Rogue Planet, about a planet without a star system that has a fantastic payload, but also a horrific secret.  This should be good, so I’ll wait for the trade.

McDonald is terrific, and he doesn’t do enough work, so yeah, I’ll get this, too.

Get that dude some Windex!

I like what I’ve seen of Branson Reese’s stuff, so I might get Hell Was Full on page 331.  His stuff is very weird.

PS Artbooks has a few neat ones on pages 341-342, including Weird Adventures Softee, a softcover collection of Weird Adventures from P.L. Publishing along with some other stuff (Matt Baker is in here), and there are two magazines, Weird Mysteries Magazine and Eerie Tales Magazine, with neat B&W stories.  I’ll probably go for these.

Perhaps I’ll get around to reviewing the Rebellion/2000AD stuff on page 344, but I’m not sure, but I have the files of Masters of British Comic Art and The Complete Johnny Future books, and they’re probably both good.

Zero Day Threat on page 345 from Red 5 sounds decent. A mysterious woman could bring down an American government agency that deals with stealth malware and other such threats. It sounds like it’s using this stuff to spy on American citizens, too. Tony Donley, who draws this, is quite good, so I might get the trade.

That does sound interesting, actually.

I’m not sure I’d go for it, but Scout has on page 346 Assassin and Son, about a former assassin who re-enters the life after his wife is killed in front of him and his son, but this time he’s going to bring his son along.  On the same page is the first volume of The Electric Black, about a cursed antique shop, and that sounds neat.  Over on page 347 is another Gutt Ghost one shot, Trouble with the Sawbuck Skeleton Society, which has a regular cover by Mignola and a glow in the dark cover by the regular creator Enzo Garza.  And I know we discussed the one shot intro of Tart a while ago, about a demon coming to earth to protect the earth from hell, or whatever.  I can’t remember if I ordered the one shot, but I think I might get this trade.

SelfMadeHero has the interesting sounding Medicine: A Graphic History on page 348, which has neat sounding stories about medicine and the way it has been discovered over the years.

Next to it is Altitude, which is about mountain climbing. It’s the guys who did Snowpiercer, so I imagine it will be quite good.

Source Point Press has a neato one on page 349 with Classic Pulp Ellery Queen, because I like the Ellery Queen stories I’ve read.  They’ve also got a few neat ones on the next page, with Parallel, about a dude who gets offered the chance to change his life by an alternate reality version of himself, and Remnant, about the terraforming of Mars.  There’s also a new Gutter Magic issue with Smoke and Mirrors.

It’s a new artist on Gutter Magic, so I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

The good people of TwoMorrows have their usual excellent stuff on page 361-362.  Back Issue 120 is about future heroes, with a big chunk about the Legion, which I love, as well as other neato stuff.  Retrofan Magazine 9 has the ‘70s Captain America and Captain Nice, as well as other neat stuff.  There’s also a new(?) Modern Masters spotlighting Mike Allred, whom I adore, so I’ll probably get that.  And there’s a bunch of other neat relists including the Kirby Dingbat Love collection that you talked about recently.

Vault has a new Cult Classic book on 373 with Creature Feature, about a creature in the lake that eats people.  The art is from John Bivens, who’s done good stuff.

Eliot Rahal is a pretty good writer, too, so I’ll be picking this up.

Wayne Alan Harold Productions (whew!) offers a P Craig Russell coloring book called Virtuoso on page 375.  His stuff is awesome, so I’m considering this.

Flip me over for more toy fun!

Based on what I know about Taskmaster’s costume, this all black thing they show on M26 (to avoid spoilers for the Black Widow movie, I assume) is probably a cooler costume than any he’s had in the comics.  Hee hee.

Picking on poor Taskmaster and his dumb costume. For shame!

I’d seen that McFarlane Toys was taking over some (all?) of the DC toys (and noticed that some release dates were being played with), and now it is told on pages M32-M35.  They look decent.  And wait, on M37, Spawn is getting a … Mortal Kombat figure? Ah, that’s right, I’m at the exact correct age to be catered to nostalgically, and this is what we get.  But while the intellectual in me (HAHA!) knows this, this nerdy kid in me is drooling.

I like the ad on M51 because Louise from Bob’s Burgers is included, and we’re big fans in this household, but she has Gene’s face.  It’s so off to me!

I don’t have Disney+.  I’m not a big Star Wars fan (I may not have ever seen all of the original movies, actually).  But I have the Baby Yoda fever, and I want to get at least one of the figures on page M59.  WHY?!?!

Because … you’re a dummy?

Hey!

Ah, gauntlet thrown down, Funko!  On page M66 they offer both a regular and giant size Baby Yoda, as well as the Golden Age Green Lantern, as well as the cast of The Good Place.  If I was Chidi, I wouldn’t be able to decide, but I’m pretty sure we’ll be welcoming all 6 into our home soon.  (BTW, as of this writing the gf and I have not watched the finale, so no spoilers!) (As of this writing, we have watched the finale.  We are very sad it’s all over!)

I’ve fallen behind on Doctor Who, so I haven’t watched any of the new Doctor yet, but I’m tempted by toys on M86 and M87 with translucent and glow in the dark TARDIS.  Why am I like this?

Oh, the 6 inch Gambit figure on page M88 would be easy to step on and destroy, mon ami!

Very true. How about you buy it and send it to me?

I’ll get right on that.

I’m tempted by the vinyl soundtrack of Thor Ragnarok on page M96, as it’s done by Devo’s Mark Mothersbaugh.  His soundtrack for the Frosty Returns Christmas special is a favorite.  No, really.

That’s not a terribly memorable soundtrack, is it? My daughter watches it every once in a while, and I don’t recall anything all that special on it. And second, they call Thor: Ragnarok “radical.” I mean, it’s really not. It’s a good movie, but there’s almost nothing radical about it.

There’s this one bit where it transitions from, I think, Frosty and pals singing or whatever, to the Brian Doyle-Murray bad guy character with his factory or whatever, and there’s this sort of industrial noise that happens that’s cool.  OK, it was just one cool moment, don’t get on my case!!!

So Travis got all his toy thoughts out of his system, and we’re done. Have fun checking out the catalog, everyone!

7 Comments

  1. Jeff Nettleton

    Friday Foster was short lived (about 4 years); but had a decent style to it, with art from Spanish cartoonist Jorge Longaron. Frank Springer also did a bitof work on it. it spawned the Pam Grier movie. It’s the early 70s and fashion was a key element, so expect the clothes to be wild. Kind of a last hurrah for anything artistic in the adventure and soap strips, as shrinking comics pages killed everything but gag comics.

  2. Edo Bosnar

    The Friday Foster book caught my eye – I’ve always been fascinated by the strip, ever since I learned that the fun Pam Grier movie Jeff mentioned is based on it. But yeah, the $40 price tag seems a bit hefty, esp. since – based on that rather pithy solicit blurb – it probably doesn’t include the one-shot Friday Foster comic book that Dell published in 1972 (which now, whenever copies appear for sale, commands princely sums).

  3. The Pam Grier movie is awesome. Plus, Pam Grier which is a good enough reason to watch anything.
    “Wow, given that EVERY creator on Wonder Woman goes back to the origin story, the origin in Tempest Tossed on page 14 is actually somewhat different. It’s not reliant on Steve Trevor for once, and for that alone I’m interested in reading it.”
    It’s really amazing how many times her origin has been retold just in the past decade. This one sounds promising, though the last attempt to do anything new (Wonder Woman: The True Amazon) sucked.

  4. Louis Bright-Raven

    “Wow, given that EVERY creator on Wonder Woman goes back to the origin story, the origin in Tempest Tossed on page 14 is actually somewhat different.”

    No, it REALLY, REALLY isn’t. In fact it’s basically the same fucking concept as what was done in Leigh Bardugo’s WONDER WOMAN: WARBRINGER novel, which Louise Simonson and Kit Seaton adapted into a GN that just came out maybe 6 weeks ago. In THAT book, Diana is competing in the games (a race, specifically), and sees a ship explode off the island, goes and rescues a girl as sole survivor and brings her back to the Island, only that girl brings with her a sort of plague that affects the other Amazons, so she steals all her WW armor and weaponry and takes off to return the girl to Man’s World, and has to try to figure out why the girl made her fellow Amazons sick but not her (she’s immune because she’s a magickal immortal goddess), and stop enemies from capturing and weaponizing the girl for their own means.

    I just looked at this Tempest Tossed solicitation and said, “WTF, DC?! YOU JUST TOLD THIS STORY!”

    So no, there’s nothing “promising” about it.

  5. BB

    Another great month of Previews! Here’s a few I’ve ordered:

    – Adventureman #1
    Dodson’s work is gorgeous, which was the tipping point for me to try this. Fraction can be really good or not at all, and I’m hoping this one lands in the former and not the latter!

    – Against Hope
    Victor Santos is awesome. ‘Nuff said!

    – Copra vol. 6
    I got Fiffe’s recent GI Joe and was disappointed, but I just read Copra vol. 1 and liked it well enough, so I’m in.

    – Dr. Strange #5
    I don’t get a lot of new stuff from the Big Two, but Waid’s solo superhero stories are always top notch and this book has started very well. The Wrecking Crew with magic-boosted weapons was great!

    – Fire Power
    Interesting way to start a series with a FCBD and a trade-sized story. I was in already because of Samnee!

    – Mermaid Project vol. 4
    These have been outstanding, fun comics so far by Leo. I’m in until the end!

    – Protector #4
    #1 was great (a Stokoe cover never hurts)! More, please!

    – Red Nails #1
    That was such great news the European Conan stories will actually get printed in English! The Belit books are supposed to ship now, and we get the next 2-parter with Valeria!

    – TMNT: Urban Legends #24
    Can’t pass up the excellent coloring IDW is doing to these, plus we’re going to finally get an end to this story!

    – Transformers Classic TV Magazine Manga
    I know nothing about this, but I know I love Transformers and I love manga, so why not both?!

    – Usagi Yojimbo Color Classics #4
    I have the originals collected, but again I can’t pass up the excellent coloring they’re doing to these at IDW.

    – Walt Disney’s Carl Barks Uncle Scrooge: The Twenty-Four Carat Moon
    I’m collecting all the Fantagraphics Barks and Rosa books and everyone else should be too!

    – Wonder Woman: Dead Earth #3
    Daniel Warren Johnson is awesome, and this squarebound, oversized format is gorgeous!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.