Flippin’ Through ‘Previews’ — January 2023

Hey folks, it’s the first Flippin’ of 2023, and it’s slow to appear like usual.  Anyway, let’s take a closer look at Previews 412, DC Connect 32, and Marvel Previews 16!

Onward into the breach!

DC:

The Penguin rates a new series?  Harley Quinn is immune to having to restart the series numbering?  The Dawn of DC is weird, man! (Page 1)

DC knows what they’re doing, man! How dare you question them!!!!

I thought the Jon Kent book was so woke they cancelled it, not that they would restart it with a new #1?  Was I led astray by certain media? (Page 4)

Well, they did revamp it so he’s a Trump-loving ladies’ man who has questions – he’s just asking! – about the integrity of the election process, so there is that …

Multiversity: Harley Screws Up the DCU on page 17 sounds kind of fun, although Frank Tieri isn’t really known for the funny.

Unstoppable Doom Patrol on page 20 has art by Chris Burnham, which looks awesome, and there’s a scratch-off variant cover.  Scratch-off?!  Damn!  That’s fun!  It’s a 6 issue mini, so I’ll probably just get the trade.

That cover does sound interesting, but this also seems like a bit of a mess. At least I’ll have some time to think about it, because DC’s trades come out soooooo slowly!

I don’t know why Waller Vs. Wildstorm was delayed, but #1 is relisted on page 24.

The Jurassic League sounded wildly fun, with the DC heroes as dinosaurs, and the HC is here on page 31.  I’m considering this, although I may decide to just go with the trade down the line.

The DC hardcovers are a bit rich for my blood, but this is what I noted above – the softcovers take a while to get out!

Damn, it’s been 25 years since Superman For All Seasons?  And now there’s an Absolute Edition here on page 32.  I remember getting the first issue off the shelf at my college bookstore as it was getting a lot of praise at the time.  I don’t remember the story much though.

Feeling old yet?

Too often lately!

Superman: Space Age is by Mark Russell and Mike Allred, and the HC is on page 34, and it sounds like a neat new look at the Silver and Bronze Age of Superman.  I’ll probably wait for the trade on this one as well, but I do want it eventually.

Yeah, this is another trade-waiter for me.

Hot damn, the first appearance of The Squid!  Thank god they’re reprinting Batman 357 on page 38!  Oh, I see, it’s the first cameo appearance of Jason Todd.  Maybe that’s important.

I guess, but it’s pre-Crisis Jason, so isn’t that a “fake” one?!?!?

The same page has Batman/Superman: World’s Finest 13 beginning a storyline with Metamorpho, one of my personal faves!

The solicit to Justice League volume 3: Leagues of Chaos on page 46 calls OMAC Kirby’s greatest creation.  What the wha?

That’s … pushing it a little, DC.

On page 47, there are a few good ones.  Legends of the Dark Knight: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez collects the man’s Bat stories in one volume.  The Phantom Stranger Omnibus collects all of this character’s stories from the ‘50s to the ‘80s, stopping just before the Mignola mini, I believe.  I have the two Showcase volumes that I believe reprint the entirety of the ‘69 series, so I’m not sure if I’d go for this, and I do have the Secret Origins issue (I think), which includes the Alan Moore story.  And speaking of Beardy, Top 10 Compendium is featured, collecting a big chunk of really good comics for a not bad price (although I’m wary of the binding on this).  I know I have most of the original series, the Beyond the Farthest Precinct mini, and at least some of the Season Two stuff, but I may have read the Smax mini but not owned it, and I never got the Forty Niners GN.  So I’m seriously considering this!

Marvel:

At least in getting the print copies of Marvel Previews, we’re getting the art for the Disney/Marvel mash up covers, even if they aren’t giving us these wonderful looking stories in actual comics, like Goofy on Gamma rays here on page 1.

So Doctor Strange is back, just to be a supernatural private investigator, essentially?  Again?  Isn’t this the status quo of Strange? (Page 2)

I mean, they do write that it’s “back to business as usual” for him, which, I don’t know, is kind of refreshing to hear. “Lee and Ditko got it right 60 years ago, and we keep messing with it, but we’re going to, you know, stop doing that for a while.” Nothing wrong with that!

I don’t know why, but I do think Cosmic Ghost Rider is neato looking.  Probably because it hits my ‘90s nostalgia! (Page 14)

The concept is actually pretty dumb. And, sadly, not in a fun way, but in a dumb way.

Speaking of which, that solicit for Hellcat 1 on page 16 mentions “the supernatural Sleepwalkers”.  Are we getting that goofy blue dude with the bug eyes back?  Sandman done right?  YAY!

That is, sadly, an urban legend, but I still hope it’s the only thing that gets mentioned in DeFalco’s obituary!!!!

Interesting.  Last month they gave us a facsimile edition of Avengers 8, the first appearance of Kang, and now we get Avengers 9 on page 26, the first appearance of Wonder Man.  Kang is the new big bad for the MCU, so does this mean Wonder Man is coming too?  Will he (somehow) debut in the new Ant-Man movie?  (The trailers for which look pretty damn cool, I must say.)

It might not have Wonder Man, but it does appear to have M.O.D.O.K.!!!!!

And then on page 27, they’re reprinting a book no one wanted in HC (as there are still copies at my local Ollie’s store, I believe, and for less than this new reprint), Avengers: Rage of Ultron, an OGN where Ultron wins and I think it also affected Ant-Man’s status for a while.

A new #1 for The X-Cellent on page 32, with Milligan and Allred getting a chance to wrap up their reboot of X-Force/X-Statix.  I think I got the special and the first issue of this new run, but didn’t get the rest of the new mini, so I’ll need to catch up.

It wasn’t bad. We shall see what’s going on moving forward, however.

Did the Predator series get delayed even more after the copyright lawsuit got settled?  I thought this series on page 37 was already out?  (I guess it was out, it’s collected on page 115.)

Ah, you fool, you’ve forgotten that Marvel does #1s so often that they become meaningless, as that trade on page 115 is last year’s new Predator series, and this is an entirely different one! Keep up, sir!!!

Clobberin’ Time from Steve Skroce is finally coming out on page 38.  I think Covid delayed this, but I guess he’s finally gotten around to working on it more.  It looks good, even if the story will probably be inconsequential.

I saw It’s Jeff! talked up on Kelly’s Substack emails, and then I saw the Burgas column about the best comics of 2022 from another site, and figured I’d have to get this, and it looks very adorable.  I’ll be getting this (page 50).

Yeah, this looks fun.

How does it work that if X-Men 20 has Lord of the Brood part 2 and it connects to Captain Marvel 47, and implies that this is the next chapter, but Captain Marvel is Revenge of the Brood part 5?  Man, I’m glad I didn’t learn to count from comic books! (Page 52-53)

That is … something. Dang. And why does it look like Carol is wearing a Brood mask on the cover of Captain Marvel #47? That’s weird.

Sabretooth and the Exiles 5 on page 54: Creed vs. Creed?

Someone else has taken over ownership of Tony Stark’s company?  This never happens! (Page 62)

They’re dong an Omnibus of Marvel Age Magazine on page 89.  Now, I like the old issues I’ve picked up for, like, a quarter each, but is there a big enough audience willing to drop $125 for a book like this?

Nostalgia is a powerful lure!

Was this run of Secret Warriors, collected in an omnibus on page 92, worth reading?  It’s Hickman and Bendis, but it’s also in that Dark Reign/Siege era that I’m not sure how much I liked.

It’s pretty good, actually. Not great, but a pretty interesting comic. It felt like Hickman was a bit constrained by Marvel editorial, which is never a good thing, and man, $125 is a price, but it’s definitely a decent read and I always like it when writers try to do a little different stuff with superheroes, as Hickman does here.

On the other hand, there’s no question that the Defenders Omnibus volume 2 on page 93 is worth it, as this collects the entirety of the Steve Gerber run, which I have in a couple of Essential volumes in B&W.  I’m considering this one, if only to read it in color.

Yeah, I’ll probably get this … except I already own most of it, and I’ll have to check to see what I’m missing. If it’s enough, I’ll pick this up.

Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise was a neat sounding story with Tradd Moore on the art, and on page 106, there’s a treasury edition of the mini.  I’m going to consider this.

Moore’s art in Treasury Edition-size is definitely cool.

I’ve heard that the X-Terminators mini was wacky as hell, so I might get the trade on page 113.

I’m definitely getting it!

I came to Guardians of the Galaxy with the ‘90s series, but the original version is pretty cool, and Epically collected here on page 121.

Man, that Cosmic Ghost Rider by Donny Cates collection on page 122 is tempting, but luckily the price shall keep me away!

Image:

I’m not quite sure what makes The Ambassadors so ambitious, but the premise of 6 people being given superpowers out of everyone in the world is kinda cool. I know you’re still boycotting Millar, and I don’t entirely blame you, but the first issue has Frank Quitely art, so I might give it a try, on page 42.

Quitely on art is tempting, but this just sounds a bit dull. Plus, Millar.

Night Fever on page 43 is a new Brubillips collab about a businessman who goes a little too far having fun in a foreign city. Of course it will be good, although the main dude in the story looks like Commissioner Gordon.

You gotta problem with James Gordon, huh, punk?

No, but having this dude look like Gordon is off putting!

Matt Hawkins does good comics, so I might get A.R.C., his one shot on page 62 about a dude who’s an environmental lobbyist by day and a vigilante for the Animal Rights Coalition by night.

There are a lot of good creators on Creepshow, collected on page 64, so I might have to get it.

And on page 65 is the first trade of Dark Ride, about the family legacy of a horror-themed amusement park.

Damn, Spawn is up to #340 already? (page 92)

Boom!:

Didn’t they just collect Irredeemable recently? Anyway, here’s a softcover of the whole megillah on page 114.

Yeah, they did, and it was also a softcover, because I got it. Weird.

I guess the cartoon must be Mech Cadets, as that’s the name of the collection on page 116 of Mech Cadet Yu. It sounded fun, and I never got any of it, so I might pick this up, a nice big, but not too big, SC.

I don’t think I ever ended up getting any of the Faithless books (did I?), so I might get this deluxe HC of the trilogy on page 118, as I think Maria Llovet’s art is really intriguing.

I’m also tempted, but I’m just not a huge fan of Azzarello, so I’m wary. I’ll think about it.

Dark Horse:

Clear on page 130 sounds good, where in the future people use neurological filters to see what they want to see of reality, and a PI who lives filter-free must solve a murder in the world of the rich and powerful. Scott Snyder is usually decent, and Francis Manapul is great, so this should be good.

Lot 13 is (apparently finally) collected on page 136. It’s a fairly typical haunted house story by Steve Niles and Glenn Fabry, but the art is pretty dang cool. Yes, I actually read this series! I can’t remember why DC didn’t end up collecting it in trade – it might have been around the time they were killing either Wildstorm or Vertigo, and this fell by the wayside.

DC does this occasionally – lets something that you think would work well as a trade slip through the cracks. It’s just odd.

.Self on page 142 sounds neat, with a woman having to confront the copies of herself that are trying to live out her/their best life. Christopher Sebela is a good writer, so this should be decent.

The premise sounds weird, but it could work!

You’ll notice a lot of these are Comixology things. Apparently that’s not going to be a thing anymore, as Bezos is busy destroying the platform. Good for him! It’s not like billionaires are monsters or anything!

After hearing about how the Comixology interface got screwy after Amazon “updated” things (updates are never good!), I was glad I hadn’t invested in that digital interface.

The second Resident Alien Omnibus is on page 152. I am behind in my reading of this stuff, of course. But the original stuff was really good.

The Rock Gods of Jackson, Tennessee on page 153 is bound to be good. Rafer Roberts is the writer and Mike Norton is the artist, and they did that one series for Albatross Funnybooks, the name of which eludes me. Rafer is also a nice dude, I’ve met him a couple times at cons. Hopefully it won’t be another 10+ years like it was between the first two times I met him!

Sounds fun.

Dynamite:

There’s a facsimile edition of the early ‘90s Darkwing Duck series on page 185.  I can probably find this somewhere in the original print for cheap, can’t I?

I have no doubt about that!

Titan:

Jamie Lee Curtis puts down her Activia in order to co-write a graphic novel based on her upcoming movie, Mother Nature, on page 230.  The corporation is bad, m’kay?  Karl Stevens does the art and it’s really good looking, though.

I saw this and thought, “That’s weird.” Good for her, though! And yeah, the art does look good, but I’m not sure if “Corporations are bad” is enough to get me to buy it. I mean, I kind of already know that?

Conan omnibi appear on pages 232-233, reprinting the original Marvel stuff, but we just got the Marvel ones a few years ago, they had a couple more comics reprinted in each, and I’m wary of the “color restoration work” — I thought they did that with the Marvel reprints, so is this new coloring, or the coloring that Marvel reprinted?

I can’t imagine they’d futz with the Marvel restoration too much, but I’m not buying them to find out! I don’t think Marvel got done with Savage Sword, so we’ll see if I get some of this down the line, but for now, I’m good.

Ablaze has … this? (Page 244)

And this? (Page 246) (Immortal Regis, in case the Norm MacDonald obscures the joke)

You’re weird, man.

Back of the book!

Aardvark-Vanaheim has A-V Team Up: Cerebus and Woman-Thing on page 264, the latest Cerebus in Hell? one shot.  And a Row versus Wade pun.  At least Dave did some of the cover art, and I’m saving my shekels for the upcoming TMNT 8 Kickstarter.

Oh, Dave.

On page 266, AC Comics reaches issue 200 with their key title Femforce.  Congrats, folks!

That’s crazy. Good job!

Ahoy has The Gimmick on page 268, about a wrestler with secret super-strength who accidentally punches through an opponent’s skull and has to reinvent himself.  Could be fun, and Ahoy does good stuff.

Antarctic has, on page 274, a collection of Ninja High School and Gold Digger Crossovers, as well as the 299th issue of Gold Digger.

The Fearless Dawn: The Bomb trade is remastered in this new 4 issue mini from Asylum Press on page 284.  Steve Mannion’s art is wonderful, and the stories are fun, so I’ll definitely be picking this up.

You should already have it, sir!!!!

I might!  That’s the worst part!

On page 296, Balzer and Bray have The Ojja-Wojja, a YA GN by Magdalene Visaggio with art by Jenn St-Onge, so it will look good. It’s about small town friends who may have summoned a demonic presence for a school report. Which was always my problem.

You too? I’m tempted by this, but Visaggio is a bit overrated, so I’ll have to think about it. But it does sound intriguing.

Same page has American Dreams 1 from Band of Bards, about a Jewish superhero in NYC 1900. I got the digital trade of this via Kickstarter, and I know you will be shocked that I have not read it yet.

I AM shocked! How could you, sir? This sounds a bit batshit insane, honestly, so I might have to get it when it gets collected.

On page 305, Caliber has Battron the Lee-pair! No, wait, Battron the French Legionnaire soldier. Sort of different. It’s by Wayne Vansant, who I think does some pretty good stuff.

Uh-oh, I may have to get The Art of Dreamworks’ Puss in Boots: The Last Wish from Cameron Books on page 305, as she found the movie highly enjoyable. He is a very fun kitty!

Cex Publishing has an interesting sounding one on page 306, with Mise En Place, a story of how humanity has eaten all the animals on earth and is moving to the stars, but now the food is fighting back. Yowza! There’s also a volume of the new version of Warlock 5, written by Cullen Bunn.

That Warlock 5 book is a resolicit. Maybe it will actually come out this time!

On page 311, we have Comicsburgh, a fairly new publisher, I think, with a new take on Beowulf, with the reincarnation of the warrior being a 30-something slacker, and his helpers being a 13 year old girl and a magic cat. I saw this on Kickstarter but I don’t think I had pledged, even though it sounded neat.

On page 320, Fantaco has a couple of interesting ones. Dr. Korvus: Children of the Abyss is a steampunk supernatural detective adapted from novels to comics by Jeff Bonivert, whose name sounds familiar. And After Hours Magazine facsimile edition 1 reprints the first Warren mag, which isn’t what you think of with Warren, as this seems to be a Playboy knockoff. It’s got Bettie Page as the centerfold, though!

Oh, steampunk. I wish I weren’t sick of you!!!

Thank goodness the title of Tits & Clits won’t be censored on the actual book, an upcoming collection of the female created underground comix series from ’72-’87 out from Fantagraphics on page 325. I’m interested in this for the historical context, at the very least.

That’s not a bad deal, either – $60 for what seems like a nice big chunk of content.

And on page 326, there’s a collection of Mickey and Donald stories inspired by Hemingway. So weird that there would be enough to fill a nearly 200 page collection!

First Second has a well-named book on page 327 with Travis Daventhorpe For the Win!, the first volume in a YA fantasy GN series wherein Travis must save the multiverse. Sounds about right.

Gallery Books has Honeycomb: An Illustrated Anthology by Joanne M Harris and illustrated by Charles Vess, with new takes on fairy tales. Mostly I’m here for the Vess, though.

Yeah, that sounds very keen.

IDW has a new TMNT/Usagi Yojimbo crossover on page 354 with Wherewhen. I’ll be getting the collection! And man, I’d love to get that Miracleman Artifact Edition on page 355!

I wonder what the Miracleman book has in it? Is it just random pages? That would be annoying.

I know it’s a resolicit, but I don’t know what it was.  I think it’s mostly Totleben stuff?

Living the Line has House on Fire on page 362, a new GN by Matt Battaglia that has an interesting look, and the LTL guys have a good eye, so I’ll probably give this a try.

As will I. Probably.

Mad Cave has Don’t Spit in the Wind on page 366, by Stefano Cardoselli, and it’s got a fantastic look to it, like what Giffen was trying to do when he copied Munoz. Plus, the protagonist is named Travis, so I must get this. And on page 368, they’ve got The Karman Line, a book by Dennis Hopeless and Piotr Kowlaski about a reality show streaming from space when things go wrong. Oops.

I mean, I get everything that Cardoselli does, so, of course, and the other book sounds nifty, as well. I thought he ditched the “Hopeless,” though? Did he decide to go back to it?

I think he realized he had made such a name as Hopeless that trying to go to his, I believe, given name, was too hard to get people onboard with.  I think.

On page 389, Red 5 Comics has the trade of Lead City, about a wild West town where a deadly contest is held, and a man stranded by a blizzard has to compete. Sounded neat.

Rutgers University Press has Litcomix: Literary Theory and the Graphic Novel on page 391, about how to approach the reading of comics as literature. Sounds hoity-toity, but might be nice to use in academia.

You gotta problem with hoity-toity things, huh, punk?

Scout has All the Devils Are Here on page 392, about an elderly dementia patient possessed by a demon, and the exorcist who tries to help. I’m not sure if this is a one shot, but I might go for it anyway. They’ve also got Bush Leaguers, a trade about a late 19th century baseball team who are trying to pull it together. On the next page, they’ve got Granite State Punk, about magic and punk rock in New Hampshire. I tried pledging for this on Kickstarter, but missed out somehow. On 394, there’s Knockturn County in trade, with fairy tales and film noir mashing up. Miracle Kingdom 1 is about an accountant investigating a televangelist, and it’s apparently self-aware. The next page has Unicorn Vampire Hunter, about a unicorn that kills vampires with its horn, natch, and has a Kickstarter running right now for a special cover of this issue. There’s also We Wicked Ones, about the witch of Washington DC having to kill a superhero as a contract killer. Add in more concepts! And then there’s this Comic Tags Collectible Cards, attempting to make digital comics collectible, as these cards have the full PDFs of a GN. It’s fairly cheap, at least. I wish they hadn’t offered so many at once, though. On 396 Scoot has some neat stuff as well, with a couple I’ve seen on Kickstarter, like Mechaton, where some teens gain control of a giant mecha, and Quick the Clockwork Knight: The Haunted Tower, a choose your own adventure style book with a knight fighting. There have also been neat big newsprint comics that fold out that are part of the Quick story, and I think one is on KS now.

Are you, in fact, working for Scout’s marketing department? You can tell us, Travis, we’re all friends here!

I wish!  My email is in the bio below!

Selfmadehero has an unauthorized look at Bowie’s Ziggy years in Starman on page 398 by Reinhard Kleist. Everybody loves the … Ziggy Stardust … album, don’t they?

Beats me, I don’t own it. But unless they’re doing a deep dive on Bowie’s Tin Machine years – you know, the best Bowie time – I’M NOT INTERESTED!!!!

On page 413 is the Witches of WWII from TKO. It’s based on a true story, so that’s fun!

“Inspired by a true story!” What, that World War II existed? Because that’s, I think, where the “true-ness” of this story ends.

TwoMorrows has a good one on page 415, with the Destroyer Duck Graphite Edition, showcasing Kirby’s pencils for Gerber’s story. I’m in!

I saw that and swooned a little. Looks keen!

They also have a Neal Adams tribute for Back Issue 143 on the next page.

On 417 is Artful Breakdowns from the University Press of Mississippi, chronicling art spiegelman’s career. Since I went to the same college he did, I should get this.

I’m curious about your lack of capital letters. What’s the deal, man? Is it what the writer wants? Is it a slip of your finger off the shift key? Inquiring minds want to know!!!

I’m not sure if he still does it, but earlier in his career, he did the lowercase for his name!

Flip side!

I liked what I’ve read of Assassination Classroom, and somewhere I have all of the volumes, I just need to catch up. Anyway, there’s a figure on page M-28 of Koro Sensei, the alien who teaches a group of Japanese kids instead of destroying the earth, and it’s a dang cool looking figure. I’m tempted.

If I get the Marvel Legends figure of The Orb on page M-32, I think I’d also have him cosplay as one of the Residents. But that’s just me.

There are other cool statues and figures, but damn, they’re all so spendy!

There are some fun Fearless Dawn pins on page M-78, but they’re not enough to get me to buy them. Not even the “you shouldn’t smoke” one, as fun as it is!

For people who loved the Image series Die, on M-88 is the roleplaying game version of the comic, created by Gillen and Hans themselves, so it will be true to the series. I think there was a Kickstarter for this but it was too spendy for my taste. Plus, of course, I never got around to reading the comic.

So that’s the end of that!  I apologize for the limited images — we were slow at getting this done, and then I kept facing other busy stuff, so I just wanted to get this up while it’s still January, even though the new Previews is already out!