Flippin’ Through ‘Previews’ — February 2023

It’s the perpetually late Flippin’ and here’s Travis!  Greg Burgas and I, Travis Pelkie, are looking at Previews 413, DC Connect 33, and Marvel Previews 17.

DC:

Has Cheshire Cat always been known as Shoes?  No, wait, Roy Harper’s baby mama is Cheshire, right?  This is a different character?  Still, Shoes?  (Page 11)

This has been pretty good, but … yeah, that’s kind of dumb. Maybe it will make sense in context?

Gustavo Duarte does a silent comic with funny vignettes about the DCU on page 16 with DC Speechless!  I’m hoping this leads to other creators doing silent one shots.

That could be fun, but no – we don’t need more silent comics. We need the words, man!

Sergio Aragones wants a word with you!  Actually, he wants an image!

“Wearabouts”.  (Page 19 Static: Shadows of Dakota 3)

Heavy, heavy, HEAVY sigh.

About the only good thing I’ve seen come out of the Shazam movie is that the Jerry Ordway series The Power of Shazam! is getting reprinted, like on page 30 with the second volume of that ‘90s series.  I have a decent amount of this run but I like knowing what other related comics get reprinted, like the Superboy and Supergirl Plus issues.

Gotham Academy is collected in full on page 35, and that was some good stuff back in the day.  Although I thought there was a special issue tied in with some bigger Bat crossover and of course there was the crossover with Lumberjanes.

Yeah, I ordered this. I did drop it when it was coming out, so maybe I shouldn’t have ordered this, but whatever. It was fun. Now they have to collect Gotham by Midnight!

I think someone missed an edit on page 46 with Batman: Urban Legends volume 5, because “Thomas and Martha Wayne have arrived at Wayne Manor, and Batman goes on a hunt to find out who is responsible and if he’s being lied to”.  Huh?  It is very amusing to think that Batman is PISSED that his parents got to Wayne Manor.

I’d read that. “DID ALFRED GIVE YOU THE PASSWORD AGAIN?!?!? ALFREDDDDDDDDDD!!!!!”

Some great Beardy McGrumpypants stuff on page 47 with the Tom Strong Compendium, collecting the original 36 issue series, and Absolute V For Vendetta, with great David Lloyd art.

Marvel:

Planet of the Apes comes back to Marvel on page 2, and they better be working on an Aliens/Predator/POTA crossover, dammit!

That would be kind of awesome.

One of the Marvel Tales books that collect neat minis and stuff from Marvel’s past is on page 9 with Rocket Raccoon’s original mini by Bill Mantlo and Mike Mignola.

Oh damn, Cosmic Ghost Rider 2 has Monark Starstalker on page 21!

Resist the fan-service, Pelkie!!!!

I know people come to us for our speculation advice, so I’ll pass along that I hear that Spider-Man 7 on page 36, especially the Top Secret Spoiler variant cover, are going to be very collectible.  I’m probably going to be a sucker and grab a copy!  Although maybe I should just grab the trade of the first 7 issues of this series on page 86?

I’ll buy 20 – no, 50 of them!!!!

Thor 33 on page 61 has a variant cover by Jeffrey Brown!

Well, that’s … odd.

On page 67 there’s a Star Wars: Darth Vader – Black, White, and Red series starting.  That might be fun.

I saw that. It seems like a pretty cool idea, so I’ll have to think about the trade.

OK, I guess if there’s a Wonder Man: Early Years Omnibus on page 77, I’m going to be seeing him in the Ant-Man/Wasp movie this weekend, huh?

Was he there, Pelkie? Inquiring minds want to know!!!!

Unless I missed something during the short part I dozed a little, no.  No one else online is talking about him either.  Maybe he’s in another movie, then?

Is there some sort of trademark or copyright thing where Marvel has to reprint some or all of the CrossGen stuff every so often?  Anyway, we have Sigil Omnibus on page 79, which was one of the less interesting to me titles from CrossGen.

I often wonder about copyright stuff, because you’re right – some collections or other such publications seem a bit random, and I wonder why companies do it.

It’s interesting too, I get Tom Brevoort’s Substack emails, and he was just asked a question about the CrossGen stuff, and mentioned the reboot attempt a few years back, but didn’t mention this Omni coming, so if Marvel has plans, he’s not part of them.  He also seemed to be talking as if Marvel per se doesn’t own CrossGen, but Disney does?  Not sure if I understood that right.

I’ve never actually read Daredevil: Guardian Devil, so I’m interested in the Gallery Edition on page 85.  I know the general storyline, and it’s kind of … eh, but is the Quesada art worth looking at in a larger size?

There are some problems with it (Karen’s death after revealing that she’s HIV-positive), but it’s a pretty good story overall, and yeah, the art is really good. I imagine it looks pretty cool in a larger size.

Deadly Neighborhood Spider-Man is in trade on page 88, and even though the story didn’t sound brilliant (Spidey vs Demon Bear), the art by Juan Ferreyra should look awesome!

Which is why I’m getting it!!!

Was The Hood interesting enough to read The Saga of Parker Robbins trade on page 96?  I do like Kyle Hotz and Max Fiumara on the art.

I read … the first series, I’m pretty sure, and it was ok. Nothing great, but Hotz’s art is very nice. I would imagine it’s worth it for the art, but that is a good chunk of money.

I’m torn on the X-Men ‘92 collection on page 99, as that’s my era, but how good is this actually?

KRAKOA ALERT!!!!!

I’m definitely interested in the Sgt. Fury Epic Collection on page 103, but did a Sgt. Fury story actually spur the concept of Inglorious Basterds as this solicit suggests?

I mean … Tarantino probably read this when he was a geeky lad, so I don’t know, but it does seem like a tenuous thing. But it could be, I suppose!

Well, we know Ye came up with Django Unchained….

Image:

Not much to say. Nothing is jumping out as a must-have or a terrible thing that should be mocked.

Black Science gets a Compendium on page 69. I read the first volume of this but it wasn’t all that interesting, as I don’t really recall it. But I giggle at the idea that this series is what “launched the multiverse craze”.

I read it for a bit, but didn’t stick with it because it fell prey to the Rick Remender Rule. Gorgeous art, though.

I liked Postal quite a bit, what I did read of it, but I know I left off about 4 or 5 trades in, and there were at least a couple more after. The Compendium is offered on page 71, with the whole thing for just $40, which is a good deal for a neat comic about a small town founded for and by criminals, and the dude who’s grown up there and must deal with being the son of the cofounders.

The last issue of the Image! 30th anniversary book comes on page 79 with cover dress aping an old Wizard mag look. I love it. I’ve been getting the issues but I haven’t been reading them, which I’m sure is a surprise!

Well, I haven’t been reading them, either, but that’s because that’s what I do with mini-series or arcs. You’re just a weirdo.

Boom!:

The Seasons Have Teeth on page 102 is a story where the seasons are personified and a retired conflict photographer is trying to get images of them. It sounds kinda spooky, and with Dan Watters writing it will probably be good.

Imma waiting on the trade!

I read and enjoyed the first trade of Coda, and even have the other two trades, but the complete Deluxe Edition HC is offered on page 106, with a larger page size and a new epilogue. Man, I may have to snag this!

It’s pretty good. I’d get it if I didn’t already own it!

Dark Horse:

Hairball is a new horror comic from Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins on page 130 where a young girl starts to think her black cat is the root of her problems. I think our dog believes the cat is the root of her problems!

John Allison writes very fun and funny stuff, while Max Sarin has a great matching cartoony style, and they did great together with Giant Days, so The Great British Bump Off on page 132 should be a wonderful murder mystery set in the world of a baking competition.

That looked fun. I haven’t made up my mind if I want to get the singles or the trade.

All Eight Eyes is a mini with art by Piotr Kowalski with giant spiders, ah!  And it’s got a Stokoe! variant cover.  Page 134.

I’m sure this will be good, but man, it sounds weird.

What I’ve read of the Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser stories has been fun, and on page 137 is an Omni of the comics adaptations of Fritz Leiber’s work, which has a little bit of talent involved.  I mean, it’s just guys like Chaykin and Mignola and Simonson and Starlin, that’s all!

It’s frustrating because I own the Chaykin/Mignola mini-series, so some of this is redundant, but yeah, it’s tempting.

Past Tense on page 153 sounds cool, with a company that sends drones into the past to view depravity in history, and the serial killer who turns out to still be alive and ready to kill. Jason McNamara is the writer, and I know I’ve heard the name.

McNamara is a good writer, and a hell of a nice dude, so of course I’m getting this!

Back of the book!

Hey, here’s some actual Multiverse stuff, it says so right in the title!  Titan gives us Michael Moorcock Library: Multiverse volume 1 on page 224, which reprints the first 6 issues of the series DC did probably close to 20 years ago now, damn!  Too bad they didn’t just collect all 12 issues in one book.

Are you sure it’s only 20 years ago? This feels like a late-1980s/early 1990s thing. I could look it up, I suppose, but where’s the fun in that?

You made me wonder, so I did look it up, and it’s from ‘97-‘98, so we were both off by about the same amount of years!

I am perplexed by page 230 and the description of Nouns.  Not the person/place/thing definition that we’ve grown up with, but this weird thing that seems to be using crypto to vote on story elements?  What?

At least it’s not pronouns, though, amirite?

That is a very weird description. It makes me uncomfortable. Let’s move on quickly!

On page 234 is a book about the movie Withnail and I (From Cult to Classic), which I believe is Grant Morrison’s favorite movie.  (Speaking of whom, they’ve just announced a new comic with Liam Sharp that sounded neato, but I can’t recall the name or premise.)

Well, get on it!

So, I presume the Kull in Ablaze’s Mighty Barbarians on page 236 is Robert E. Howard’s?  I hope, too, that nothing bad happens to anyone’s eyes as a result of a conflict with the barbarian named Nanook, or if it does, I hope they watch out where the huskies go.

Page 256 has Aardvark-Vanaheim with the latest Cerebus in Hell? Presents: New Varks, with a Kirby riff cover.  Always so random with the double size issues.

On page 259 we’ve got Adhesive Comics with the Too Much Coffee Man Original Comics signed trade.  I recently got this through the Kickstarter Shannon Wheeler did for this, but I haven’t opened the package just yet.

Man, you’re getting worse … from not reading things to not even opening them!

The same page has Second Coming: Trinity 1 from Ahoy, and I am so far behind on their stuff.

Asylum Press has a new (?) Fearless Dawn one shot, Cold, on page 276.  Steve Mannion is very good.

I think it’s new. I did order this, so I guess I’ll find out!

Cex Publishing on page 298 has Josif 1957, about the first gorilla in space, which of course is awesome.

Oh, that’s why he did a Thor variant cover, Jeffrey Brown is doing a Thor & Loki: Midgard Family Mayhem book from Chronicle on page 298.

If only we had read ahead to solve the mystery!!!!

I do believe that you would find Cossacks volume 1 from Cinebook on page 299 interesting.

Yeah, definitely. Like you on every comic you own, I’m so far behind on Cinebook stuff, but this is volume 1, so I might have to jump on board …

Fantagraphics Underground has a neat one on page 315 with Doris Danger: Giant Monsters Amok, a parody of the Marvel Monsters.  Apparently this is a collection of books that SLG printed over the last 20 years, and it’s got a killer batch of greats that did pinups.

I’m sure you’re waiting for the Art of Ariel Olivetti book that FairSquare is doing on page 316, he says laughingly.  I wonder if it  pinpoints when his art made a very big change.  I remember a Batman Legends of the Dark Knight storyline he did that had his newer style and it was very jarring, but I don’t remember if I knew his stuff much before.

I’m all over that! That would be interesting to see if they have something showing when he shifted his art. His late Nineties work was really good – he did a JLA mini-series about what’s-his-name, the angel, that’s gorgeous. Then he decided to start taking shortcuts, and his work went right in the toilet!

Oh, he did the art for the Zauriel mini?  I thought Millar wrote that, so it must have come out before your boycott.  Actually, it’s JLA: Paradise Lost.  Not sure if I ever picked that up, but I know I didn’t read it.  The covers are purty, though.

Also from FairSquare is Classified: Secrets and Lies on page 318, collecting Jaeger and The Black Box, along with another story.  I don’t think I got those individually, but I was interested, so I should go for this.

Humanoids has Black Cat Social Club on page 326, which sounds like a fun Josie and the Pussycats and Buffy mashup.

IDW has The Rocketeer Special on page 336, which was done, I thought, for the Kickstarter of the Dave Stevens documentary Drawn to Perfection, and wasn’t going to be published separately. Oh, well, I wasn’t able to pledge for that KS, so I’ll get this now!

I know I’ve said this before, but the slide of IDW back into the depths of Previews depresses me. Sigh.

I know, and no cover images either!

Combat exorcists.  Hot damn!  That’s the premise behind Mad Cave’s Exorcists Never Die on page 346, about a couple who broke up but are the world’s best combat exorcists and of course have to work together.  It’s written by Steve Orlando with art by Sebastian Piriz, whose name sounds familiar.

Sounds fun. But yeah, I don’t think I know the artist.

A brief look at the GCD seems to tell me that he’s done covers for Dynamite and others.

Oni has Pink Lemonade collected on page 366, which presumably brings together everything that Oni and It’s Alive! has published of the series (although I think it was self-published before that).  Nick Cagnetti’s art has a cool bright look to it, so I’ll be getting this.

I don’t know why, but this sounds … dumb? I mean, I know, it’s comics, so “dumb” is kind of a given, but I thought about getting this, but something in the solicit text made me think it sounds dumb. Beats me.

My friend introduced me to the music of Devin Townsend, as well as the character of Ziltoid the Omniscient, and now Opus Comics has a comic book about him (page 368).  I know what my friend is getting for his birthday this year!  Once we went out to a bar to hang out with another friend, and put a very long song on the jukebox by Townsend about Ziltoid, and the other patrons were very annoyed until the song finally ended.  It was fun.

Andy Kuhn is a pretty good artist, so this will probably look good.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl team reunites on the Penguin Workshop book on page 369 Danger and Other Unknown Risks, about a world where the Y2K problem was magic, not technology, and now that world is in danger.

Yeah, this sounds fun.

Scout has some good ones.  On page 377 is Count Dante, about a dude who fought alongside the titular kung fu dude in the ‘70s and who’s being interviewed about it years later.  Meta: Metalinguistic Crimes Division is collected on the same page, about a police division handling narrative media crimes, not unlike Jasper Fforde’s Tuesday Next books.

Selfmadehero has the new Mary and Bryan Talbot book on page 379 with Armed With Madness, about Leonora Carrington, one of the Surrealists.  I have the Bryan Talbot bio/art book coming soon (with a sketch in it) that was offered through Zoop, so I’m looking forward to that.

Any Talbot book is a treat!

Franklin and Ghost is on page 389 from Source Point Press, a comic about Zack Morris, lawyer (and the other guy), right?  No, wait, that’s Franklin and Bash.  This is about aliens trying to have a good time on Earth before they have to live out boring lives.

I miss Franklin and Bash. That was a fun show.

TKO Studios on page 392 Sacred Lamb, about a town where the survivors of serial killers are stashed so they don’t endanger others when the killers come back.

That sounded fun.

There’s a fun sounding one on page 394 with Uncharted Wilderness Studios putting out a book called The World of Tomorrow, about a ‘50s sci-fi TV show star who starts thinking he’s the actual character after a failed mob hit leaves him delusional.  As one is wont to do.

We’ll see if that ever makes it to a trade!

Uncivilized Comics has Maple Terrace on page 395, Noah Van Sciver’s new autobio comic.  Maybe we’ll find out why his brother Ethan got to be the way he is.

I’d buy that comic!

Money Shot: Comes Again from Vault on page 400, and this time Gisele Lagace is doing the art, which should look great.

It’s too bad Isaacs couldn’t stay on art, but yeah, Legacé is a good replacement!

Gryffen is a new sci-fi series from Whatnot on page 408 that sounds a bit like Dreadstar without the religious empire stuff.  Looks cool.

I guess. Sounds kind of dull, but it’s all in the telling, as usual, so it might work.

I don’t understand what Toilet-Bound Hanako-Kun is about, but the First Stall box set has the first 10 volumes in a box that looks like the titular toilet, apparently!

Um … what the what?

Sorry, that’s from Yen Press on page 449.  Not that that clears anything up!

Oh, I saw it, I just don’t know what the heck is a-going on there. I’m so old!!!!

Yen Press has a neat concept with Manner of Death volume 1 on page 450, where a coroner is told by a mysterious stranger to rule the death of his childhood friend a suicide, even though he finds she was murdered.  Worse yet, the person who offers to help him figure things out is the prime suspect!

On page 451, there’s I’m the Catlords’ Manservant, which I think all of us who have cats in the house agree with!

Kodansha has the Vinland Saga in a new deluxe HC on page 461.  I’ve heard pretty good things about this, but is it worth dropping $50, and how many volumes does it work out to be all told? I see on the Wikipedia that it seems to be 26 volumes (so far, or is it done?), which means the HCs will run at least 8-9 volumes.  Yikes!

I own the first … two big hardcover volumes, and it’s pretty good, but yeah, that’s a good chunk of change.

Flip side!

Damn, Destro from GI Joe is pimped out on page M-14!

I mean, Destro is always kind of pimp-like, so he’s just embracing it!

That MODOK sculpture on page M-17 is pretty cool looking, but is he being held aloft by his own farts?  (And after seeing a certain movie, this looks much better than that.)

It’s way too spendy, but that Moon Knight bust on page M-18 is really impressive.

Yeah, it’s too rich for my blood, but it’s very cool.

M-29 has Funko Pop figures of Looney Tunes characters in Scooby-Doo drag.  Bugs Bunny, full of personality, is Fred, the personification of non-personality?  Tweety as Velma?  I will say Taz as Scooby is neat, with the multiple dog collars, showing him whirling around in still life.

But I’m a bit annoyed with the Funko Pop Universe, because my Nosferatu Funko Pop still hasn’t come out yet!!!!! (For the 100th anniversary of the movie, which, you know, was released in 2022, so they couldn’t even get it out to mark the anniversary!!!!)

Oh damn, I think I saw that one and wanted it.  I’ll have to see if I can find it sometime whenever it does come out.

Oh, damn, Longbox Heroes has, on page M-33, some damn cool looking indie comics characters in action figure form.  A few Tick related ones, Cassie of Hack/Slash, The Goon, Madman, Grendel, and maybe my favorite with Mr. Monster.  WTF though, they aren’t supposed to ship for a year!

And they’ll probably be late!

Also on M-33 are Dick Tracy vs. Flattop two pack figures that are very pricey but fairly cool.  I mention this partly so I can link to the really weird sounding (I haven’t watched it myself yet) TCM special with Warren Beatty, who apparently owns part of the rights to Dick Tracy after making the movie, and has to do something in the outfit every few years to keep those rights from expiring.  WTActualF?

I heard about that, but didn’t see it. Weird, wild stuff.

M-38 has a couple of new versions of old Peanuts model kits, with snap together, motorized versions of Snoopy in a race car and Joe Cool surfing.  That’s a neat looking thing!

Parks and Rec fans will light 5000 candles for the Li’l Sebastian figure (and others) on page M-43.  That show could be really really good at times but was so uneven over its entire run.

So that’s this month’s Flippin’, and the fact that it didn’t publish in February is entirely my fault, in case you didn’t realize.  Thanks to Burgas for being patient with me, and hopefully the next one will be quicker.  I have the DC Connect already!