Flippin’ through ‘Previews’ – March 2019

Travis has been jumping the gun a lot recently, so I decided to steal a march on him and begin this post before he could! Take that, Pelkie! Let’s jump right into Previews #366, with all the cool stuff within!

As always, Travis’s text is in black because he whined when I put him in blue, and I’m in blue because I’m not a baby. Here we go!

But it was really hard for me to do all that formatting!

Travis, you see, does the posts in “visual” mode instead of “text” mode, which shows all the HTML stuff. He could easily switch over to “text” mode, but that’s, in his words, “really hard.”

Yes it is!

Image:

Here are the solicits.

Brandon Thomas and Khary Randolph have a new comic, Excellence, on page 46. It’s a fantasy series, but because Thomas and Randolph are black, the characters are black. I’m on the fence about this – I don’t love fantasy stuff too much, but I do like Thomas and Randolph. I might get the first trade to try it out.

Yeah, it sounds interesting.  I mean, yet another secret society, but this actually does sound like it’s a new take on that trope.

You haven’t been able to pre-order Die! Die! Die! yet, but now you can on page 58. I managed to get the first six issues, and they’re a hoot – lots of bloody violence, and Chris Burnham having a grand time drawing it all. So if you’ve missed any, your retailer can get them for you!

My shop guy seemed to have all the issues so I probably can get these eventually, and I might also just wait until they put this in trade.  But I do like Burnham….

On pages 64-65, you can get all five volumes of Copra, as it comes to Image. I’m missing one volume, so I’m glad I can pick it up more easily, and I encourage everyone to check it out. Michel Fiffe’s homage to Suicide Squad is really good and really weird, and it’s why Fiffe has such a good reputation among certain comics fans.

I got the first volume and thought it was decent.  I may pick up the rest.  Interesting that between volumes 4 and 5 issue 25 is (apparently) not collected.  Unless it’s just a misprint.

I’m not sure if I’ll get it, but Spawn Kills Everyone is collected on page 66, and it sounded like it could be fun.

I may also go for the first trade of Bitter Root on page 68, because it sounds like an interesting story about a family of monster hunters torn apart by their own in-fighting.

I’ll probably check out the trade of Cemetery Beach on page 69, because Ellis and Howard have done some nice work together. It would be nice if they get back to Trees, though. Oh, how I live in hope!

I decided to wait for this in trade because it was just 7 issues, and it’s a pretty good deal for that.

Die had a good first issue, as Kieron Gillen basically gives us “What if Jumanji, but a horror comic?” and Stephanie Hans draws the shit out of it, and the first trade is on page 70, in case you’re interested.

Yeah, I’ll probably get this, because the creators are good.  Now I want to pitch Image a comic called Die Die just to see if they’ll publish that too!

I didn’t realize MCMLXXV, collected on page 71, was only 3 issues, or I might have gotten this Joe Casey/Ian MacEwan book in singles.  But it’s 10 bucks for the trade, so I’ll snag it now!

I’m pretty sure they were longer issues than usual, which is why it came in at three total. I think. I could be wrong!

I reviewed the first three issues of Outer Darkness, and now there’s a trade of issues #1-6 on page 73. It’s been a pretty good sci-fi horror story so far, and issue #4 (which just came out) adds a whole new level of “uh-oh”-ness to the proceedings. Shit is going down, yo.

I’m getting this.  Here’s my obligatory monthly plea to Image to reprint the first volume of the Chew Smorgasbord edition, because the second and third volumes are still sitting at my (extremely patient owner’s) comics shop!  But I’ve cleared out the rest of my pull box for the first time in ages!

I’m not a huge fan of time-travel stories, but Paradox Girl (page 74) looks like it’s poking fun at the entire concept, so I might check it out.

I know I’ve heard about this.  I might have seen a Kickstarter of the original version?

I’m getting volume 2 of Redlands, on page 76, because volume 1 was incredible!

Since I probably won’t get around to writing anything about it before the Kickstarter ends, let me mention that Section Zero issue 2 is on page 93, and the Kickstarter for the Section Zero: 1959 volume is ending soon.  I’ve got to get on this one myself!

Dark Horse:

Here are the solicits.

There’s a trade of the third Umbrella Academy series on page 108. I haven’t read any of it yet, but I’m sure it’s as good as the first two!

By the time this publishes I will have already given my lady this birthday present, but I got her the first volume because we’re going to be watching the Netflix series and compare/contrast with the comic!

Last Stop on the Red Line (page 113) sounds interesting. A detective investigating a brutal murder “inadvertently” takes in a vagrant and discovers he may have a supernatural connection to the crime. Why would she take in a vagrant? Do they mean take in to the police station, or take home? And how do you inadvertently take someone either to the police station or your home? Is he mouse-sized? SO MANY QUESTIONS!!!!!

That is odd.  I’m intrigued because I’ve actually been on the Red Line in Boston!

I guess I need the second Beanworld Omnibus, on page 119, because I think it collects all the stuff I didn’t get, and the third HC, which I didn’t get for some reason, is out of print and costs a shit ton of money secondhand.  At least last time I checked.

There’s a new Beasts of Burden series on page 125 – this one is only two issues, and Jill Thompson is back on art. I’m still waiting for the last one to be collected, but I wonder if they’ll do it with this one, just to fill it out a little. Either way, this is still a terrific series.

I would imagine they’ll do that, although I thought I saw the last one collected, actually.  Here, that’s right.

Hmmm, I missed it, I think. I’ll have to go through my order forms and check!

Crimson Lotus is in trade on page 128. This sounds interesting – a girl whose family was caught up in the Russo-Japanese War gets her revenge 30 years later. John Arcudi is a pretty good writer, Mindy Lee is a pretty good artist, so this should be … pretty good!

I don’t know if I’m going to get it, but Star Blazers: Space Battleship Yamato 2199 on page 133 is very tempting. I LOVED the cartoon when I was a lad, so this has my curiosity piqued!

Was this also a manga back in the day, because now I read the solicit and see that this is a remake of the original by current manga creators.  Interesting, I guess, but I never saw the cartoon, so I don’t have the nostalgia factor here.

Yeah, I’m not sure, because the solicitation is a bit strange. I’ll have to get it to find out!

DC:

Here are the solicits.

I hope to write about it still, but the first two Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles minis were pretty good, so I look forward to eventually reading the third one, the first issue of which is offered on page 1.

I might get Batman: Last Knight on Earth (page 2) in trade, because it’s an intriguing premise – Bruce Wayne wakes up in Arkham in a world where he was never Batman, and he goes on a quest to find out what’s what – and I live in hope that Scott Snyder, who can plot really well, can stick the landing. The last time I read a Snyder book, he actually ended it really well, so my fingers are crossed!

Well, it wasn’t Dark Nights Metal that you read then … This does sound like a fun book, though.

No, it was A.D. After Death, which was really good.

As DC seems content trolling Marvel these days, they really should have called DCeased (page 6) “DC Zombies,” and the solicit should have been simply: “You liked Marvel Zombies, so you’ll like DC Zombies!” I mean, that’s truth in advertising, yo!

I might go for this Dog Days of Summer special on page 12, because Bat-Cow.

Man, if you’re going to pay 25 bucks for a poster book, a book of Frank Cho art like the one on page 73 might almost be worth it.

There are a couple of trades on page 75 that I might be interested in. The Dreaming gets collected, and Simon Spurrier and Bilquis Evely is a fine creative team, and the book has looked very nice so far (I haven’t read it, but I’ve checked out some issues). I’m curious about Hawkman volume 1 as well, because Robert Venditti is a pretty good writer and I have a soft spot for Bryan Hitch art. That one is more on the fence than the first, but I might get both!

That is a good team on The Dreaming.  I’m impressed that Hitch seems to have done most of the art on that Hawkman book himself, and is still on it.

Imaginary Fiends gets a trade on page 76. This sounded kind of keen – a girl in a mental health facility due to a childhood trauma gets recruited by the FBI to fight paranormal shit – so I’ll have to check it out.

I can’t remember if that was solicited as a mini or was a truncated series.   But it does sound cool.

Continuing the Vertigo theme of trades, Lucifer volume 1 is on page 78. The Fiumaras’ art is always nice, and Dan Watters is a good writer, so I’ll probably get this. I am wondering why Alan Moore is Lucifer on that cover, though:

He is the great Satan for DC.  They can’t live with him, can’t live without him!

Speaking of Moore, I really, really, really want the Absolute Swamp Thing on page 82. DC does a great job with these things, but it’s 100 dollars, and I don’t know if I want to pull the trigger on it, especially because there’s going to be at least two more (that should cover issues #35-64 pretty well). With Watchmen and Ronin (the two Absolute editions I own), it’s one and done. Dang it.

Also, this is already a resolicit, so who knows if they will do this one.  I’d say hold off, because with the trades and stuff they’ve been cancelling lately, this one is bound to either get axed or the other 2 won’t come out.

The losers at my comic book store pooh-poohed the idea of DC luchador figures (pages 86-88), but deep down, they knew they were awesome!

They are quite sweet, sir!

IDW:

Here are the solicits.

On page 147, we get They Called Us Enemy, a graphic novel about George Takei’s experiences in a concentration camp in World War II, written by Takei himself and two others. It looks pretty good, but I’m on the fence about it.

I’ll probably just read it from the library.

Atomic Robo and the Dawn of a New Era gets a trade on page 160. You know you love it!

I’m probably going to wait for more big collections like the ones that I still have to read!

Oh, I’m intrigued but won’t buy the TMNT 35th Anniversary box set on page 162, reprinting at original size the first 4 issues and the Raphael special of the original Eastman and Laird TMNT.

Dash Shaw is writing and drawing Clue: Candlestick on page 169? That seems weird. Anyway, I might get this in trade, even though I have not ever bothered to get anything by Shaw. Yes, I’m a bad comic snob.

He does interesting stuff.  I’ll probably be getting this for the girlfriend as she is big on Clue!

Road of Bones on page 171 sounds interesting. It’s an escape story about a dude running away from a gulag, which means even if he gets out, he’s still in the middle of Siberia. It’s written by Rich Douek, who wrote the underrated Gutter Magic, and drawn by Alex Cormack, who has been doing really nice work on Sink. I’ll get the trade!

I might even get the singles.  We’ll mention Douek again later in the back of the book for his new ComixTribe book!

On page 172 we get a couple neat ones.  Bram Stoker’s Dracula is collected in color, this time, and for cheaper than the B&W version they did recently, funnily enough.  And Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters collects a 12 issue series that has Phil Hester art, among others.

Years ago, I got the first book in “The Walled City Trilogy,” His Dream of the Skyland. It was about Hong Kong, and it was quite good. A few years later, the writer sent me a digital copy of the second book, and I’m pretty sure I reviewed it on the old blog, but I never saw the print version offered. Now, IDW has it, and I wonder what the delay was. So on page 177 you can find Nocturne, and they’re also offering the first book in the trilogy. They’re good comics, and I look forward to the third book!

Well, I won’t hold my breath waiting for the last book, but it looks good.

Marvel:

Here are the solicits.

On page 2, we get Savage Avengers, which stars characters from the Marvel U. and, of course, Conan. Everyone I’ve talked to or read on-line thinks this is a cool idea, but I think it sucks. I wonder if the REH estate knew this would happen when Marvel got the license back and they didn’t care, which is almost as upsetting as Marvel doing it in the first place. This has shit-burger written all over it.

What I’m wondering is when Conan is appearing in one of the Marvel movies.  C’mon, they didn’t get the fucking license and start putting him with Marvel characters if he’s not going to be in the movies!

Gadzooks, Namor looks awful on that cover of Invaders #5 (page 33). Come on, Jackson Guice, you can do better!

Some odd choices for the dollar True Believers books on pages 36-37, the theme of which is Marvel’s Greatest Creators.  Ok.  I’ll still probably get some of these, though!

Bob Brown, Tom DeFalco, Ron Frenz … sounds like Marvel’s Greatest Creators to me!

On page 102, we get a new hardcover of X-Men by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams. It’s 40 dollars, which isn’t bad for what you get, and Adams’s art is stunning. The stories aren’t bad, either.

I don’t know if I want to spend $150 on it, but Timely’s Greatest: The Golden Age Sub-Mariner by Bill Everett – the Pre-War Years Omnibus is very tempting. I think I might skip it just to punish Marvel for that ridiculous title.

The book and the title are unwieldy!  Another book I’d salivate over, but too rich for my blood.

Well, it had to happen – Marvel is releasing a Speedball trade on page 132. I mean, I know it’s Ditko, but that’s still going to be a tough sell, right?

Yeah, it’s not like it’s primo Ditko either.  I have the Speedball issues and probably a lot of the other comics here.  What’s interesting is that it says it’s all the Ditko Speedball stuff, but is there more stuff from that time period not by Ditko that isn’t here?

Dynamite:

Here are the solicits.

… Why?  Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica on page 190, but why?  How are Red Sonja and Vampirella partners?  Why will I still get the trade?

Wait, four hot chicks in a comic, and you’re asking why? Are you okay, sir?

Fair question.  I’m concerned with the plot in a book like this?

I never read Sweet Valley High books but the girlfriend might have, so I will be showing her this OGN on page 196, which sounds like an amusing tale of switching identities.

I think what’s important is that they’re making a movie out of the books. Dear Sweet Jeebus, what that will look like …

Boom!:

Here are the solicits.

I will probably be getting this new Buffy The Vampire Slayer trade on page 221, because I do like the series, and a new twist to things could be interesting.

Well, I was hoping they’d offer the entire run of Grass Kings, but I don’t know if that’s going to happen, so I’ll probably get the trade that’s on page 234. This looked and sounded neat, so I can deal with shorter trades instead of one big one.

Yeah, I’m going to wait to see if they do an omnibus at some point still, because no rush.

A Tale of Sand gets offered in softcover on page 236. I got this from Archaia a few years ago in hardcover and was blown away by how good it was. The story is surreal and kind of plotless, and Ramón Pérez’s art is absolutely brilliant. So if you were waiting for a softcover lo these many years, here it is!

I did read this from a library but don’t think I found it quite as good as you seem to, although yes, the art was great from what I remember.

I think they offered Smooth Criminals in trade before, but on page 240 it’s offered again, so maybe I’ll even get it this time.

That’s strange, because I thought they offered it just last month! I’ll have to check on that. [Edit: Hey, they did offer it before – in January! I wonder what happened …]

Boom keeps doing that with trades, like they’re special direct market only a few months ahead.  I thought they used to be cheaper in the first offering, but that’s not still happening.

Let’s get to the back of the book!

Of course I will tell you about the new Aardvark-Vanaheim Cerebus in Hell? comic, Cerebus Woman, on page 250, but this doesn’t sound like the greatest issue yet.

Terry Moore is bringing together the entire “Terryverse” (yes, they really call it that) for Five Years (page 250), a new series with all his characters from his various series. This seems weird, simply because he’s written in so many different genres. I wonder how this will work? (On a tangential note, I never liked the song “Five Years” – it’s kind of depressing, innit?)

I like the fourth wall breaking in the song, and of course I love it because it’s Bowie!

Oh, sweet, Voracious returns on page 254 from Action Lab!  This was an excellent series about a chef in mourning who finds a portal to dinosaur ages and starts a restaurant serving their meat.  It’s more than that, but it was really good, so I’m glad they’re back.  I’ll probably wait for the trade since that’s how I have the other two series.

I missed this, so thanks for pointing it out. The writer is now drawing it, if the solicit is to be believed, so maybe something happened with the artist, and that’s why it took a while for the next volume?

I know the back of the second book said something about issues with funding, so I’m actually surprised they’re doing this in singles.  I thought they were doing digital singles and possibly a print trade, so apparently they’re confident enough in this!

Adhouse Books has Washington Unbound on page 256, in which the prez must fight bad guys before his imposter takes over the country. It sound ridiculous and fun (the solicit claims it “has no time for fact-checking!”), and it gives me an excuse to post this:

Ooh, and it’s by Jasen Lex, who did … some book that I liked from years ago.

I know you said you’ve been getting the singles of Ahoy! Comics’ offerings, but I haven’t, because I’m too cool, but now they have a trade of The Wrong Earth on page 268, and I’ll be getting that! Yay, me!

I’ve only read the first issue so far, but it was really good. I’m also getting their new book (an anthology, I think?) called Hashtag Danger, with a FF parody, it appears.

I know you’re not big on Eric Powell as a writer, but the first 4 Goon volumes are collected in an omnibus, now from Albatross Funnybooks, on page 268. That’s probably a good deal, but I think I do have a lot of it. Man, with the Goon and now I hear Usagi Yojimbo is going to IDW, what’s Dark Horse going to have left soon?

That’s not a bad deal, but I will definitely skip it. And that’s a good question about Dark Horse.

American Mythology has a bunch of Zorro stuff on page 273, including the trade of the Swords of Hell mini they recently did, which sounded like it could be a fun horror series.  They also have the Archive edition of the first Zorro comic ever, so I will be snagging that.

Roy Allen Martinez is a pretty good artist, so I might pick that trade up.

We like the Amigo stuff mostly, and on page 277 Gargantuan is offered, both a zero issue and the first issue of a new mini.  I guess from the promo email they sent me that this had been a series El Torres was writing but couldn’t keep up with, but now it returns.  The new writer on this also has Titan: Mother of Monsters on the same page, which sounds like a weird take on Lovecraft mythology.  I might take a look.

They both look interesting, you’re right.

Artline Studios has an interesting one on page 278.  Jack Eridon is a private eye who turns into a demon and lives in a utopian future.  Could be fun, and the art looks decent from what I can see.

Archie’s Superteens collects the recent two issue story along with a bunch of the old stories on page 286.  I will probably pick this up.

Hey, Avatar has the really last Alan Moore/Kevin O’Neill comic with the final issue of Cinema Purgatorio on page 290.  Suck it, IDW and Knockabout!

It’s pricey but it’s Alan Grant and John Wagner on a new book about an alien on the run and soccer.  It’s from BHP Comics and it’s called Rok of the Reds and it’s on page 292.

I saw that and thought it also might be keen. I’ll have to think about it.

Everyone does homage covers, but the Lady Death ones on page 305 from Coffin Comics are pretty good, actually.

I told you I’d bring up Rich Douek again, and on page 306 ComixTribe has Wailing Blade from him and art from Joe Mulvey, who did the good book Scam.  I’ve been getting emails about this from them for awhile and I need to take the time to look at the review copy at some point.  But you know me!  What I’ve skimmed through looks neat, and it’s a future fantasy adventure, if that floats your boat.

I saw this and figured I’d get the trade. It does sound like some fun.

This Devil’s Due AOC parody comic on page 308 sounds dumb, but Dean Haspiel and Jill Thompson are among the contributors, so I may pick this up.

On page 316, Fantagraphics has Angola Janga: Kingdom of Runaway Slaves, about slaves who founded a kingdom in Brazil in the late 1500s. No good will come of it, I imagine, but it sounds keen and the art looks pretty good.

When I first turned the page to 318, I thought the first item (from First Second Books) that leaped out was called “Laura DERN Keeps Breaking Up With Me” and I wondered who kept dating Laura Dern and how bummed I would be if Laura Dern kept breaking up with me, because Laura Dern is awesome. Then I realized it was called Laura DEAN Keeps Breaking Up With Me, and that’s not as cool. Still, it’s written by Mariko Tamaki and sounds kind of fun in a weird high-school fantasy kind of way, so maybe I’ll get it.

Heavy Metal finally decided on page 322 not to solicit issues that won’t come out for at least a year …

I will be picking up the new Kevin Eastman Studios books on page 334.  Drawing Blood: Spilled Ink is a semi-autobiographical story about a dude who is trying to create again after his early mega-success, and The Radically Rearranged Ronin Ragdolls is that early success.  It’s a four issue mini for the former and a one shot of the latter, and I will be getting the Stan Sakai cover with Usagi Yojimbo on it!

I might get the former as well. It seems like a very familiar story, but I just can’t put my finger on it …

I’m interested in The Book of Weirdo from Last Gasp on page 336, but I’d be more interested in a collection of the magazine itself.  I’ve never seen an issue and don’t really know what all was in it.

Lion Forge has an interesting looking one on page 340 with Midnight Radio, about four people in San Francisco whose lives are changed by a midnight radio broadcast.  Sounds neat, as I know late night radio is fun from experience, and I like the color schemes for the different main characters.

This does sound keen. I’ll have to pick it up.

I was intrigued by Quincredible, collected on page 348, about a teenager whose only power is invulnerability.  Could be interesting.

Mad Cave brings Battlecats back in a new series on page 350, and wisely reoffers the trade of the first arc on page 351.  I passed on it before but maybe it’ll make the list this time.  It sounded like a fun ’80s cartoon style book.

NBM offers the second collection of The Silent Invasion on page 351, and I wish they made clear what they collect here.  I think I probably have all the stuff in here, so I’m waiting for the next volume(s) for stuff I don’t have.  I saw the first book in a store I went to with the girlfriend when we went on a trip out of town recently, and I got to tell her about this book of Cold War paranoia and UFO sightings.

Yay!  Oni has a new Bad Machinery book on page 359.  John Allison is a treasure, and I need to catch up on his stuff.

Source Point Press has, on page 374, The Damnation of Charlie Wormwood, which I think was out from Dynamite before.  I read it and from what I remember it was pretty good, so if you’re interested, here’s a collection.

Also from them on the same page is Sham 1, where Tim Fuller rescripts old Golden Age comics.  It could be fun, so I’ll probably pick this up.

The usual goodness from TwoMorrows is on page 385.  I’m interested in Alter Ego 159, with Peter Cannon Thunderbolt creator Pete Morisi interviewed, and Retrofan 5, with The Greatest American Hero, a favorite of mine as a kid.  I have to dig out that complete series DVD set I have and watch it …

I may get Friendo from Vault on page 396 (even though I don’t like the design on their ads in here), because I think I’ve read stuff by Alex Paknadel and Martin Simmonds, and it sounds like a fun book about a malfunctioning personalized marketing VR causing a dude to change his behavior.  Could be good.

Yeah, the design of their entire section is a bit wonky. Simmonds draws Punks Not Dead, and he’s quite good. I might have to check this out.

I’m digging a couple t-shirts on page 448.  The Lobo one is wonderfully stylized, and the Squirrel Girl one looks cool.

Is it just me or did Funko miss an opportunity with their Bewitched figures on page M53 to have a 2 pack with both Darrins?

Look at this charming Funko Pop of Morrissey on page M58!  He … he must have given permission, didn’t he, for them to use his likeness?

Well, that’s it for this month. Thanks for reading, everyone, and we hope you find some cool stuff to buy. Have a nice day!