Flippin’ through ‘Previews’ – November 2016

I didn’t notice that last month, Travis titled the post with “December 2016,” because the comics in the catalog come out beginning in December. That’s not how it’s done, man!!!!!

Hey, you give the keys to the Porsche to the kid without teaching him how to drive stick, you have to expect some crashes!

So let’s take a look at Previews #338, which is for NOVEMBER but shows books beginning in January. Come on, Pelkie!

I think a lot of people are thinking that it would be nice to skip from the beginning of November 2016 to the end of January 2017 like Previews does (or even the end of February like the site says)!

Meanwhile, I’m back in black, Travis is tangled up in blue (don’t get me started on whether Dylan deserved a Nobel Prize, because you won’t like it!), and away we go!

You know, over at the old place they could say that they’re using Nobel Prize winning lyrics for their post categories!

Dark Horse:

There’s a Slayer comic (page 40). THERE’S A SLAYER COMIC!!!! Slayer is, and I quote, “telling the story that we’ve always told about society and how humans treat each other.” That might be true – I wouldn’t know, as Slayer’s music has always given me headaches and, you know, I can’t understand the lyrics because they’re always screaming – but I don’t care, because. There’s. A. Slayer. Comic.

Isn’t that the Governor from the Walking Dead on the cover?  About the only Slayer song I really know much is “Raining Blood”, from the Tori Amos cover on Strange Little Girls. (that’s a link for my benefit, kids!)  I think it’s about a giant vagina in the sky?

Having Paul Grist joining the Mignolaverse is pretty cool.  He’s a great artist. (page 46)

I agree!

Hmm, did it say that the Corben series was an 8 issue thing last time? (page 48)

Yes, it was 8 issues in last month’s catalog. No shenanigans with this one, although these publishers have done it before!

Black Hammer gets a trade on page 51. I’m not sure if it’s a “masterpiece,” as the ad copy reads, but it’s been pretty good so far. Of course, this collection has two issues that haven’t shipped yet, so I’m sure Simon will have something to say about that.

Like always!  I’m in because Jeff Lemire and Dean Ormston is enough for me to go by (and go buy!).

On the same page, Cryptocracy gets a trade. This has also been pretty good – the grand conspiracy of families ruling the world, which is kind of dull, has been livened up a bit by the talking animals and other weird things – but it also collects two issues that haven’t shipped yet, so I’m sure Simon will have something to say about that.

OK, I was probably in anyway because Pete Woods is good, but talking animals?  IN!  Interesting, though, that Black Hammer is listed as volume 1, but this doesn’t have a volume number.

I thought it might just be a six-issue mini-series, and that’s why, but it doesn’t seem like it will be wrapped up by issue #6. Maybe it’s going on hiatus so Woods can get some in the can, but they’re not sure if it’s coming back?

The Black Hammer Giant-Sized Annual (all 44 pages of it, which seems medium-sized) is on page 52, and this sounds nifty. I mean, it’s stories about the characters from the series, so it might not appeal to people who aren’t buying the book, but the stories in it are drawn by Dustin Nguyen, Emi Lenox, Nate Powell, Matt Kindt, and Ray Fawkes, and that’s a fine artistic line-up.

It’d be nice if the trade didn’t come out 2 1/2 months after this, but yeah, I’m probably in.  I thought I saw that Allred is in this as well.

I’m annoyed by the Kingsway West trade offered on page 55. First of all, two issues haven’t shipped yet, so I’m sure Simon will have something to say about that, but more than that, it’s $15 when buying all four issues is $16. It’s just a dollar, sure, but I bought the single issues because it seemed that Dark Horse was charging more for their four-issue trades these days. Can’t they just have a uniform price for four-issue, five-issue, six-issue, and so on trades? Why must we try to guess which will be cheaper? Anyway, this is also pretty good so far.

While I agree with you for the most part, why should a company price one product in such a way that you don’t buy another product of theirs instead (or in addition to)?  I’m not happy with the way trade pricing is going lately, but I certainly understand that companies, like us, are trying to guess which books will sell well enough in singles and which in trades.  It’s gotta be tough for them, it’s hard enough for me to decide what to buy or not buy!

It’s a pretty good group of issues, and 6 bucks for 8 #1 issues is a great deal, but I have (or will get the trades containing) most if not all of these ones on page 56.  But I want to let people know!

That’s a weird statement, as you just launch into it as if we’re supposed to know what you’re talking about. It’s called Dark Horse Number Ones! At least you listed the page number!

I was… testing you.  Yeah, that’s it.  I’m assuming that people are playing along at home.  OK, I screwed one up, are you happy?  ARE YOU HAPPY?!  Anyway, it’s got Umbrella Academy, Hellboy in Hell, Lady Killer, Black Hammer, Dept.H, Briggs Land, Bounty, and Harrow County.

Hey, now DHP is back down to 4.99 again with issue 30, after being 7.99 for 2 issues.  WTH, DH? Was it just a typo for a couple months? (page 57)

Issue #28 hasn’t come out yet, so I guess we’ll see!

I think I read some of Spyboy/Young Justice, and it was ok, and I’m not sure about the rest, but the second volume of DC/DH Justice League crossover books includes a Batman/Tarzan crossover.  Might be good. (page 57)

I make the funny again, but Postal called and wants its concept back, Briggs Land!  HAHA!  The first trade of BL is on page 58 and it does sound neat, so I may pick it up despite my mockery!

The Will Eisner Centennial Celebration book is probably cool, but has text also in French.  Mon dieu!  I may pick up some of the reoffered Eisner books on page 59, though.  I highly recommend the New Adventures book, although maybe not for 50 bucks.

Reefer Madness, with stories by Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, Jerry Robinson, Jack Kirby, and Frank Frazetta (among others), is on page 60. See what people in the 1930s-1950s thought of the demon weed!!!!

I hope it’s printed on hemp paper.  Or rolling papers.  HAHAHA!

Also on 60 is the Rook Archives, which is time traveling fun from Eerie magazine.  Might be cool.

Hey, look, Travis – Henchgirl is in trade on page 61! Yay, I can finally buy it!

Yay, I think I can finally say I knew about this way back when I interviewed Kristen Gudsnuk! (she told me off the record!)   I’m in, because I have the first 4 issues (2-4 self pub’d, iirc), and it’s a damn fine and funny book about a young woman trying to find her way in life as a supervillain’s assistant.  Or you could read it for free on her website.

There’s a new Beanworld book on page 63. Those are always fun and a little bit weird, so yay!

I need to find the third HC of this.  Got 1 and 2 and somehow missed 3.  It’s fun stuff!

Greg Hatcher loves living in a world where Dark Horse collects Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Pellucidar: At the Earth’s Core in a (short) trade on page 68. I mean, I’m sure he already has the saga in single issues (mid-1970s DC fantasy stuff? you know he has them!!!!), but it’s nice that it’s collected. I am so down with this!

Yeah, it sounds fun, especially with Kaluta art.  Although that is a little pricey for how short it is.  Ah, it’s not too bad, though!

Dark Horse is beginning to do The Manara Library in trade paperback, so if the high prices of the hardcovers scared you off, you can get these (page 70). The first volume collects “Indian Summer” and “The Paper Man,” among some other things, and all the volumes are well worth the dough.

I may start getting these.  Is it wrong for me to giggle at Manara’s work being called “seminal”?

Yes, yes it is.

Hellboy library volumes relisted on page 74, FYI.

DC:

The Kamandi Challenge (page 76) sounds pretty fun, even if the words “Dan” and “Didio” appear in the writer credits line. Twelve issues, each by a different creative team, each ending on a cliffhanger that the next creative team then has to get out of. Some solid creators, too, including Walt Simonson (drawing an issue), Ryan Sook, and José Luis Garcia-Lopéz. That being said, I’m not sure if I’ll get this in single issues or wait for the trade.

Is the challenge to get people to give a shit about Kamandi?  HA!  This is a spiritual sequel to the DC Challenge book that came out about ’85, where a different creative team went nuts on the DCU.  Fun fact: Keith Giffen, Len Wein, and José Luis Garcia-Lopéz were all involved with that one, too!  I loved that one, it’s goofy fun, and I hope they collect that too, so I’m hoping that this is also good.  I’ll probably get it in trade, though!  How does that math work, though, 14 creative teams for 12 issues?

Strange …

It’s always nice to see Andy MacDonald’s name pop up as an artist, so The Atom Rebirth on page 80 should look purty. Shame they kept the absolutely horrible costume from the television show, though. It sucks, to be blunt.

I should know him more, shouldn’t I?

Maybe. He doesn’t seem to do a lot of work, but when he does, it’s always good. So I wish he did more!

Stephanie Hans does the art for Batman 14, so that should be good (page 90).

I missed that. I agree, that should be cool.

Denys Cowan and Bill Sienkiewicz do the art for Deathstroke #11, which guest-stars the Creeper (page 93). That should be pretty amazing.

Also, the Creeper, so extra awesome.

Heh, the two issues of Harley Quinn are credited to the writers “Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti” for 11 and “Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner” for 12.  (page 99)

Hmm, Superman 14 and 15 involve the Multiverse versions of Supermen.  That is tempting to me (page 105).

Page 115: Batman ’66 Meets Wonder Woman ’77. Will the world survive such a cataclysm of awesome?

I don’t think I’ll survive it!  So cool!  And Bruce Wayne flashes back to WWII!  GAH!

I don’t know what’s in the water over there in Burbank, but DC has been doing some interesting and unusual things, and having Cary Bates co-write a Captain Atom book that doubles as a mystery of what the heck happened to Captain Atom? Yeah, I’m down with that (page 118).

Yeah, that’s an interesting sounding book.  Bates and Greg Weisman wrote the ’80s book.  Throwing back to the old time stuff like that seems like a step back to me, but that book was interesting too, so I’m torn.

Hmm, the first trade of Wonder Woman Rebirth is offered on page 127, and it’s only collecting the odd numbered issues that Liam Sharp did.  So I ask, why didn’t DC give us 2 separate WW titles, like Superman or Batman?

She can’t sell two books, man! She’s a girl!!!!

Duh, what was I thinking?

There’s a Batman and the Outsiders volume 1 hardcover on page 130? Yes, there’s a Batman and the Outsiders volume 1 hardcover on page 130. I own these issues, so I probably won’t get this, but good for DC!

I’m vaguely interested in this, but not for 50 bucks.

Hahaha!  They’re putting out a Wonder Woman: Her Greatest Battles collection in conjunction with the movie, and they use a Frank Cho cover on it.  HA! (page 135)

That’s really weird. I mean, really weird. I assume he drew it before he got fired, and they said, “We paid for it, so we’re going to use it, damn it!”

Well, I think they used several of his covers as variants until Cho decided to leave (I believe that was what it was, he left because of what he felt was interference, not that he was fired).  Also, on page 467, they’re using another one of his covers on a t-shirt. HAHAHAHA!  To me, I didn’t see where the images Cho was doing were overtly or overly sexualized, especially considering a. what other artists do and b. what Cho himself has done before.  Tempest/teapot, y’know?

Well, I thought he was fired. Anyway, the specific image that pissed Rucka off showed Wondy’s underwear, and do we really need to see that? I agree it was a bit of a tempest in a teapot, but then again, if Rucka made a deal with DC for final say on the covers and he didn’t like that one, oh well. I think Cho will be fine drawing variations on that Manara Spider-Woman cover, which is all he seems to do these days.

Both Future Quest and Scooby Apocalypse get trades on page 136. Future Quest has been quite fun, and I’m actually looking forward to the trade of Scooby Apocalypse. Yes, I’m weird.

I am getting those, I think, as well as the Kamandi Challenge Special there on the same page, because that one sounds like fun too.  But damn, DC has the second Kamandi Omnibus on page 137, but not the first?  *Sighs and shakes head* The only comic where it’s better to start with volume 2 is Cerebus, dammit!

I’d like to point out that apparently DC will collect anything, as the Vertigo ongoing Kid Eternity book is collected on page 140.  That book was terrible.  Not even Sean Phillips art could save that crap.

Yeah, I think I got the first issue, maybe, and didn’t like it. Or maybe I didn’t get it at all. Anyway, I know it has a lousy reputation.

Perhaps you got the Vertigo Jam issue, which also had a terrible Kid Eternity story in it, stinking up a great Sandman tale with Kevin Nowlan art, iirc, and the first (?) Milligan/Allred collaboration on a Shade story.  Man, that was (mostly) a great book!  Steve Dillon on a creepy Hellblazer story, too!

The Sheriff of Babylon volume 2 shows up on page 141. I really liked volume 1, so I’ll definitely get this!

I may get both, as v1 is offered again on page 144.

Also on 141 is the second and final volume of Red Thorn, which I’ll probably get unless I read v1 and think it sucks.  So with that gone, it looks like Unfollow and Lucifer (and maybe Clean Room?) are the only Vertigo books left from that set of books they started putting out a year plus ago.

Yeah, I’m not sure how many of them were supposed to go very long. I think The Sheriff of Babylon wasn’t planned as an ongoing, for instance, but I could be wrong. It’s too bad, though. I like it when Vertigo is producing good-selling books.

If I get my shit together (figuratively and …well, somewhat less figuratively, not literally, anyway), I plan on writing about alla them neat books Vertigo put out, because I got the trades of most of them.  Yay me, more post ideas that I just need to follow through on!

IDW:

I’m not positive I’ll get the Rom trade on page 152, but I might, just to check it out.

I’m vaguely interested myself.  I’m also mildly interested in the Revolution trade on page 154, as well as the Action Man trade on page 158.

I got the first trade of Transformers vs. G.I. Joe but never saw the second one (I’m sure I missed it, because why wouldn’t IDW put one out?), but now all 13 issues are collected in a big hardcover on page 161. I’m not sure about this – it’s 50 dollars, which is slightly less than if you bought all 13 issues, so that’s nice, but I wasn’t completely blown away by the first trade. Tom Scioli’s art is fun as shit, but the story was all over the place. I’m not sure if it would be more fun if you’re steeped in the history of these two franchises, and I’m not. But I’ll still have to ponder it, because it did have its moments.

I can tell you that v2 did come out, as I read it from the library.  The story is all over, but to me, it was in a good way.  I’m probably a bit more steeped in the history than you, but not as much as some people.  I liked it, so I may go for this one.

In our pal Kelly’s quest to write all the comics, she has 3 different Jem books out this month on page 164!

On page 168, we see that Nick Pitarra and Brahm Revel do art for TMNT Universe 6, and on page 169, Sophie Campbell is doing the art for TMNT 66.  Cool stuff!

Box Office Poison shows up on page 174, this time in color. I’ve never read this. I wonder if I should remedy that now.

It’s a great comic, although this is weird to reprint in this way.  I don’t need this, but I wonder about a couple things, like if they’ll reprint the color special from the original run, and if they’ll include the pages that got cut from the original issues when the collection was put together (there was some stuff involving a TV broadcaster that was cut).  But it’s one of the best GNs overall that I’ve read, so there’s that!

Brendan McCarthy does the sub cover for the Electric Sublime 4 on page 176!!!

You should know better than to ask if I’m going to get Flight of the Raven on page 179!!!! (Okay, I know you didn’t ask. But I had to do my bit, man, so you became the dumb person who asks dumb questions about whether I’m getting a gorgeous-looking French comic about the Resistance during World War II. Don’t ask dumb theoretical questions, Theoretical Travis*!)

* Theoretical Travis was my one-man jazz band in college.

Do I even have to be here for this entry?

You can go get some coffee or blow, if you want.

“If I want” is unnecessary, sir, and “or” is to be looked down upon.  AND!

I still haven’t read Wild Blue Yonder, but there is an Art of Zach Howard book on page 180 focusing on that book.

Man, I love MAD knockoffs, so I’ll probably get Behaving Madly on page 182.  Lookit all of them great creators!

Kristen Gudsnuk of Henchgirl is also writing Strawberry Shortcake back up stories, like in the HC 2 on page 186.  FYI.

Also, on the flipside of Previews, there’s an interview with Scott Dunbier of IDW’s Artist Editions, and he mentions how he was an art dealer in the ’90s and was buying and reading Preacher from the original Steve Dillon art from the start of that book. Gah, that’s cool!

Image:

Man, Curse Words on page 190 sounds a lot better in the Image Plus 7 article than in the Previews … um, preview.  The preview makes it sound like the wizard is evil and is plotting to take over the world, but it sounds more like he isn’t a good guy, but likes the fame he gets from being the only wizard in the world, so he’s not going to bother with taking over the world.  I wasn’t enamored with God Hates Astronauts, but the art was neat, so maybe Soule can rein in some of Ryan Browne’s “funny” tendencies.  I was amused by how comically bad the black bars censored the swearing in the preview pages!

Yeah, I loathe God Hates Astronauts so, so much, but Browne’s art is pretty neat. I’ll probably decide about this when it comes out in trade.

The Hayden Sherman art on The Few on page 192 has a very cool minimalist look to it, so I’ll probably get the trade.

I’m just tired of this kind of book, I guess. I’ll think about it.

I get ya.  Post-apocalypse stories are a dime a dozen.

Some years ago, I bought the first three issues of Loose Ends. The story was good Southern-fried crime stuff, and Chris Brunner’s art was phenomenal. However, as far as I know, the fourth and final issue never shipped. So now it’s at Image on page 196, and I’m glad because I finally get to read the ending. I do wonder, though, if the first three issues are exactly the same and I can just wait until issue #4, or if they made some changes and I have to get it all over again. I suppose I could ask Jason Latour, but I’m kind of lazy.

To quote Jason Latour from Image Plus 7, “We’re presenting the full story, including the as-yet unpublished final chapter, with a new format, new covers, and some other fun little tweaks”.  I didn’t realize that 3 issues had come out.  I got the FCBD preview from 12 Gauge a number of years ago and dug this stuff (and it looks like the same preview pages I saw back then), so I’ll probably wait for the trade.

Ah, that’s good. It sounds like there’s nothing new in the actual story, just extra crap that I don’t need!

Like all of Previews!

On page 198 you’ve got Dante, a one shot co-written by Matt Hawkins and drawn by Darick Robertson, about a hitman trying to retire who gets betrayed and accidentally kills a young Asian boy, which of course curses him.  The preview in Image Plus 7 looks pretty good (with a cameo of that unicorn from Happy!), and I dig Matt Hawkins, so I’m in!

We must never speak of anything do with Happy! ever again, sir.

…yeah, you’re right.

They’re Not Like Us returns on page 208 with issue 13.  What a surprise, I fell behind on reading this, but the first 6 issues were excellent, so I’m staying with this!

The Wicked and the Divine 25 solicit text on page 209 is fun: “The comic that says, ‘What could possibly go wrong?’ and then looks at the camera and stares until we all start crying releases another issue.”  HAHA!  Side note, Rich at Bleeding Cool is saying that there’s been a HC of the complete Phonogram offered online, with the first arc being colored, so that may be coming next month!

I don’t know how I feel about the first Phonogram being colored. I mean, Matt Wilson’s colors are superb, but the way the book was drawn, coloring might make it look weird. I guess we’ll have to see!

I’ll probably go for that, but I still want to find all the single issues.  I dig the Gillen back matter!

Huh, Revival 46 on page 220 is the penultimate issue.  Damn, I have to catch up, that was a good book.

The Black Monday Murders gets a trade on page 227. So far, this has been pretty good, but of course every issue in this trade hasn’t come out yet, so I’m sure Simon will have something to say about that.

I’m intrigued, so I’m definitely going for this.  I’ve liked Coker since Xenobrood!  Interesting that a lot of these Image books are now going for 4 issue arcs — this, Romulus on 221, The Fix on 214, Cannibal on 211, and Kill or Be Killed on page 229.

Yeah, that’s annoying. Oh well.

Horizon is collected on page 228. The conceit – that aliens land on Earth to stop Earth from invading their planet – is a good one, and the first few issues have been good, so this might be something to check out. Of course, all six issues haven’t come out yet, so I’m sure Simon … well, you get the gist.

Your review of the first (first few?) issue was enough to get me to get this, especially after the solicit stuff intrigued me.  I’m in!

I’m not sure what’s up with A Land Called Tarot (page 230) – I assume it’s an original graphic novel, and it’s based on the cards, but other than that, I’m not sure. I don’t know if Gael Bertrand can write, but I like his art, so I might have to think about this a bit.

Have you still not read Island either?  I’m wondering, based on what else is reoffered with ALCT, if it’s something from that book.  If so, I won’t need to get it separately.

Oh, shoot, you might be right. Dang, I really need to catch up on Island. I’m totally Pelkieing that book.

Did you just verb my name?  (My favorite instance of that is from the comic strip Get Fuzzy, where Bucky Katt says “You can food anything if you just eat it!”)

I think verbing your name is justified. Let’s go to the judges … yeah, they say it’s fine.

Hmph.  The judges always rule in your favor.  (Insert sports joke here about some team that always gets calls in their favor.) [Note: I don’t know if Travis wanted to insert a joke about, say, the motherfucking Dallas Cowboys always getting the calls or the fact that Ohio State went an entire calendar year once without being called for holding in their stadium, but I just thought it was funny that he put that in there and left it vague, so I kept it. Oh, and Fuck Dallas.]

Mechanism v1 is offered on page 231, and I liked Raffaele Ienco on Epic Kill, and the idea of a robot learning what it means to be human and if we’re worth saving is neat, so I’m in.

Man, it’s like the third version of Officer Downe, with a new trade with the movie’s screenplay (I didn’t realize they were making a movie of it!) and photos.  If I didn’t already have this, I would go for this.  Wait, wasn’t the original just a 48 or 64 page book?

They’re really milking that sucker, aren’t they? Casey wrote about being on set in the back of an issue of Sex a while back, so I knew about it. It might be fun. I can’t remember how long it was originally. Casey probably doesn’t even know!

Renato Jones: The One% Season 1 TP is offered on page 233.  It sounded interesting and I like his art, but ugh, “season 1”?  And it seems to be cashing in on the “1%” rhetoric.  So there’s that.

“Seasons” to describe comics suck. Stop it, comics!

Fine-damn-inally!  The Autumnlands TP 2 is finally offered!  That first volume was one of the best trades of the last few years.

Well, I think both guys were a bit slow on the second arc, so you just needed to be patient, punk!

Hey, I didn’t say I wasn’t patient!  OK, I guess that did sound like I wasn’t, but it was a “fine-damn-inally” of joy, not annoyance!

Damn, Ben Grimm is on the cover of Image Plus 10 on page 237!  Oh, wait, that’s Badrock.  Wait — Youngblood is coming back?  Again?  Oy.

Also from Image Plus 7, Dustin Weaver is coming to Image with a “one man anthology” called Paklis, so that should be neat.

Marvel:

I will be getting a collection of Monsters Unleashed (page 2) at some point down the road, because I loves me some big monsters.  This sounds like fun, but I’ll wait for the collection to get all the covers.  Y’know, Rich at BC was pointing out when the teasers for this were coming out that most if not all of the artists were known for Wolverine — what if he’s the big bad?

That would be … stupid. So yeah, par for the course for Marvel!

Hey, it was my idea!  Don’t blame Marvel yet!

Um, why are they soliciting U.S.Avengers 1 again? Did they think “perhaps you retailers don’t quite understand, we have 50 state variant covers, order them!”? (page 10)

I saw that too, but I felt like there was no need to comment on it.

Ah, damn, the big 2 have gotten Elsa Charretier in their clutches!  Congrats to her since she’s good, but it’s always tough to see a good artist get caught in the big 2 machine! (Unstoppable Wasp on page 26)

Sigh. Don’t I know it.

As I think the kids say, “I can’t even” about Deadpool the Duck (page 40). Just reprint the Amalgam Lobo the Duck, it’s the same damn thing!

I wonder how far ahead Steve Dillon was on the Punisher (page 80) before his untimely passing?

Damn, that Marvel Monsterbus on page 105 looks so cool!  First of two volumes, too!  So pricey, though!

I’m not sure that I’ll get it, but the Marvel Tsum Tsum book on 121 looked like goofy fun.  Who doesn’t like goofy fun?

There is a trade of the Deadpool: Back in Black mini on page 123, and it too sounded like goofy fun.

Man, I doubt I’d go for it, but the Wolverine: Prehistory collection on 124 has a bunch of great creators, and I have enough of a nostalgic love for the character that I’m interested.  Are all the Wolverine listings just for the new movie, or are they bringing the original back?

A little bit from Column A, a little bit from Column B, I would imagine. And those two events – the movie and Original Recipe Logan coming back – are surely linked, right?

Are you suggesting there’s corporate synergy at work, sir?  But I thought that Marvel hated the FF and the X-Men because of the movie deals!

Ooh, man, that’s a pricey collection of the Ghost Rider/Wolverine/Punisher: Hearts of Darkness and The Dark Design sequel on page 129.  I really like the HOD one shot (I am a child of ’90s comics, dammit, I loves me some Danny Ketch Ghost Rider!), but 16 bucks for that and the sequel is way too much, even with great JRJR/Janson art.  I’ll just look for the Dark Design separate!

Marvel has finally gotten around to collecting one of the worst comics they ever published, as they bring us the COMPLETE Peter Milligan/Mike Deodato Elektra series (which Larry Hama took over after, I assume, Milligan came to his senses) on page 131. This is a bad comic, folks. I mean, seriously bad. Unfortunately, it’s not even “so-bad-it’s-good,” it’s “so-bad-it’s unreadable.” Heck, maybe it got better after I bailed about 8 issues in. But I doubt it. Yay, Marvel! Go collect that shit!

Man, that’s amazing that that was the only thing you thought worth commenting on in the Marvel book.  Good job Marvel!  Yeah, you’ve said before this was awful, so I’ll believe you.  I may have an issue of this.  Even weirder is the odd Punisher and Bullseye collection on 130, which has random stories of the two characters in one book because reasons?

Yeah, I almost had nothing to say about Marvel at all, but I figured that you can never have too many public service announcements about how bad Elektra is!

Let’s get to the back of the book!

You knew I’d be talking about it — Cerebus in Hell? #1 (after a zero issue that should be out this week), with the fun EC homage cover, “It’s Not Scary Because You’re Not Wearing Any Pants”, and so forth (page 248).  I’ve enjoyed the strips I’ve read [linky to AMOC page], even the non-PC ones 😉  Also offered from Aardvark-Vanaheim this month is the “Remasted” version of High Society (oopsie!), a good place to start with Cerebus!

Action Lab gives us, on page 251, the third and final issue of Athena Voltaire and the Volcano Goddess.  I decided 2 months back when the Compendium was offered by Action Lab to pick that up, thinking that it’d been released before, but what I’d forgotten, and found out when it showed up at my shop, was that it was published by Dark Horse!  Wow, I don’t think I’ve ever seen another publisher’s books offered by someone else!

Oh, you mean because the Compendium was in the Action Lab section? Yeah, that is weird. I wonder why Dark Horse published it but then Bryant quickly moved on. If I ever see him again (he shows up at some conventions, but not all of them), I’ll ask him.

Yeah, I just figured Action Lab was publishing it, but did think it odd that they weren’t pushing it really hard.  I guess it being a DH book is why they didn’t push it harder!

A friend at the old blog, Nick Marino, has a new book, Cougar and Cub, a story of a superhero and her sidekick having sex together.  I liked the first volume of Holy F*ck by the same creators (also offered here), so I’ll probably get the trade of this as well.

Phil Hester writes and Tony Harris draws the new Aftershock series Blood Blister on page 256. Apparently a guy’s sins start manifesting themselves on his body, turning him all uggo and shit. I guess this means that Steve Niles’s Chin Music (which Harris was drawing), last seen in 2013, is officially dead. Too bad.

Yeah, I’d given up on seeing any more of Chin Music long ago.  This is a great creative team, but as Simon knows, I got burned by Aftershock’s pricing of their first trades, so I am wary!  WARY!  Undoubtedly I’ll get a trade of this down the road, though!

I don’t know anything about Thin from American Gothic Press, but it sounds neat – a miracle cure to get a woman thin turns out to be horrible, go figure. The trade is offered on page 264.

Well, at least she realized that she has no worth as a woman without being thin.  This was a 3 issue series, and I wish I’d gone ahead and gotten the singles.  But I’ll probably cave and get the trade anyway!

If I wasn’t me, I would tell you what I thought of the first Starring Sonya Devereaux book, as the second one is offered from American Mythology on page 268, because I would have read it.  But I’m me, and I didn’t read it, but it’s got art by the Fraim brothers, who were good on The Waiting Place way back when, and this is a book about softcore B-movie stuff, so between those things, I’m in on this!

The first time I saw the Fraim brothers was on a collected comic strip about antiques that ran in some antiques magazine. It was pretty good, but I’ll always remember someone’s comment, in which they said they would never get the book but they were very glad that a comic strip about antiques, of all things, existed in this world.

I think they offered a collection of that strip under the Gemstone books last month, or the month before.  I was tempted!  You know, I looked at an antiques mag back in the day from the library, because they’d occasionally do stories on comics stuff, so I may have even seen that!

Also, aren’t most superhero books comics about antique figures anymore? HAHA!

On page 273 Antarctic Press offers The 9 Lives of Herbert Noble, about gangsters in Dallas in the ’30s and ’40s.  Could be neat, but I’m wary of AP claiming a book is a one shot when it turns out to be a series.  They did that to me with…some book whose title escapes me.  But the rage does not!

Yeah, I tend to skip Antarctic comics because I figure they’ll collect them in a trade at some point, and they rarely do, it seems. Very weird.

Big Planet/Retrofit Comics offers Libby’s Dad from Eleanor Davis on page 288.  Rumors that Libby’s dad is going to shoot her mom circulate, and the colored pencil style is intriguing.  I’m probably in!

Also on page 288 are two books from Blue Juice Comics that sound good.  The third volume of The Accelerators, Relativity, is offered, and the first arc of this was a fun time travel story with decent art.  Aether & Empire is offered as well, and that’s a steampunk voyage to Mars that sounded fun.  I’m probably in for both!

Black Mask has an interesting sounding one on page 289.  The Dregs is about a city where the homeless are disappearing, and one drug-addled, detective fiction obsessed homeless man has to solve the mystery.  It’s a mashup of Chandler and Cervantes, they say!

I hope Rob Guillory is getting paid well for the Boom! WWE comic… (page 292)

Ladycastle sounds fun, where the men are almost all killed by a dragon and now the wimmenfolk have to defend the castle.  Cool looking character designs by Ashley A. Woods.  (page 294)

I kind of want to get the trade of Bill and Ted Go to Hell on page 296. It’s by Brian Joines and Bachan, two good creators, and I love me some Bill and Ted. I’ll think about it.

My friend at work who’s a big nut for B&T got this (I think he got all the issues), and I believe he liked it quite a bit.  I’ll ask him.  (More about him in another column at some point!)

Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy is in trade on page 297. This is a pretty good series, even though it’s not quite done yet. But it’s an interesting problem, and both sets of characters are written really well. Not surprising, as it’s Chynna Clugston-Flores, but still.

I decided to wait for the trade, as that’s how I plan on reading both series, but glad to hear it’s good!

And I must plug Mega Princess 3 from our pal Kelly on page 302, despite the silly “water they going to do?” pun in the solicit.  I should be posting a review of issue 1 soon, and you’ll all see how friggin’ awesome this book is!

I’m wondering how or if Caliber will continue without Gary Reed (whose passing came after we completed this column last time, but before we posted it, so there was a comment referring to Mr. Reed that looked out of place).  There are a few interesting books from them this month.  Divine Comedy tries to explain a serial killer.  Renfield is about Dracula’s companion. (both on page 314) The Sixsmiths is about a family of Satanists who suffered under the global recession.  The Tower of the Comic Book Freaks is about five young men entering the comics field in ’71.  (both page 316) These sound pretty good, so even if Caliber doesn’t continue, I hope someone will pick them up.  (And I hope Baker Street by Guy Davis eventually gets remastered, too!)

I only have one of those – Renfield is not bad, but it’s a bit abrupt. I own the complete Baker Street, but yes, a “remastered” version would be cool, too.

A couple new Chapterhouse books on page 318 and 319, with Agents of P.A.C.T. being a series about female super-agents, and Freelance appearing to be a Canadian version of Planetary.  I’ll trade wait!

Since you brought up Chapterhouse, I’ll point out that the first issue of Die, Kitty! Die! (issue #4 is on page 318) was quite fun. Seek it out!

If you’re like me and passed on the Kelly Green collection by Leonard Starr and Stan Drake, you can rectify that mistake by ordering the book from Classic Comics Press on page 319!

I actually did not make that mistake – I ordered it months ago, but it never showed up at my shop. So I might have to buy it directly from the publisher instead of ordering it through Previews!

ComixTribe has Chum in trade on page 322. This was a quick three-issue series, but it got to the point and never let up. I wish it had been maybe one more issue, but oh well. It’s described as “surf noir,” and that’s what it is – a noir tale set on a tropical island. Quite fun.

I got the series, but as you’ll undoubtedly guess…. Covers looked cool, and Ryan Lindsay is pretty good from what I’ve seen from him so far.

I knew it went somewhere else, but The Atoll hopped from Heavy Metal (which appears to have not listed anything this month) to Creative Mind Energy on page 322.  It’s essentially a gladiator combat book, except with people versus sharks in the ocean, not in the Coliseum.

Francesco Francavilla is writing and drawing The Spirit on page 330 from Dynamite. Yeah, that should be pretty awesome.

Oh yeah.  I may even get it in singles, but it’ll probably be better as a trade.

I’ve been really curious about A Train Called Love, so I’ll have to think about the (relatively) cheap trade offered on page 331. It sounds like Ennis isn’t just going to the grossest thing possible, which is always a good thing. But I’ll still have to think about it!

Sounds like it’s gross in parts but he might have some restraint.  Which is probably what he needs at times!

Apparently that Betty Boop book (page 334) was just 4 issues.  Hmm.

Devil’s Due/First offers The Black Flame on page 346. This is a Bronze Age book by Peter Gillis and Tom Sutton, I’m sure Greg Hatcher already has it, but that’s okay, because others might not!

I think it was a back up story in Starslayer?  Maybe a different First book?  Jeff Nettleton will know!  I’m also thinking about the E-Man: Early Years book, which I must have passed on before but I don’t remember.

The E-Man book is just okay. I know some people swear by it, but it wasn’t anything amazing, just decent comics.

E-Man rules, sir!  Of course, I read it ages ago, so it might not hold up for me now.

Over at Dover, we get a trade of Seekers Into the Mystery (with a mysterious colon after “Seekers” which was not there in the original incarnation) on page 346. This is an old Vertigo book by J.M. DeMatteis, when he was in his most mystical phase (considering how mystical DeMatteis is, that’s saying a lot). It’s not the best comic, but it’s kind of neat, and the artistic line-up is quite good.

Based on the artists, I’m interested, so I might go for this.  “Mysterious colon insertion” was my nickname in college.  Umm, what?

Interesting, a new Drawn & Quarterly book on page 347, The Abominable Mr. Seabrook, is about the travel writer dude that popularized the term “zombie”.  Turns out he was an alcoholic BDSM freak!  Fun!

C’mon, Fantagraphics and Gilbert Hernandez!  Psychodrama Illustrated 1 on page 354 is undoubtedly awesome, because Beto is (not that YOU’D know!), but why is this not part of the new Love & Rockets?

I love the Lou Reed album The Raven, so I’m tempted by this reoffering of the book of the album done by Lorenzo Mattotti on page 355.

I think it was originally a Virgin Comics book, but Devi: Rebirth is collected by Graphic India on page 362.  Cool Jenny Frison cover, and we need more cultural influences on superhero stuff!

I think you’re right. I kind of miss Virgin.

Graphix has Newsprints v1 on page 362, where a girl disguises herself as a boy to become a newsboy to get the news out during a war.  Both SC and HC are the same price!

Kodansha offers a new right-to-left deluxe HC version of Ghost in the Shell’s 3 volumes on page 372.  I liked what I saw and it’s considered a classic, so I may look at this.

NBM has The Lighthouse on page 376, which is about a teenager fighting in the Spanish Civil War trying to escape to France who ends up a lighthouse, where the keeper tells him stories. It’s only 64 pages and costs 16 bucks, which is a tough sell, but it might be pretty cool.

Does sound interesting, but yeah, that is pricey.

The Damned is back from Oni, as they collect the (I assume) two mini-series from way back when, in color this time, in anticipation for the new series. The Damned was Cullen Bunn’s and Brian Hurtt’s (first?) collaboration, and they liked working together so much they began The Sixth Gun not long after. It’s about bad guys during Prohibition, who just happen to ally themselves with demons. You know, like you do. The series had plenty of potential to be a nice ongoing, so it’s neat that they’re returning to the series. This trade (on page 378) is only 10 dollars, so that’s neat.

Hmm, strange that this is coming back when Moonshine, another supernatural Prohibition era book is coming out from Image.  But this sounds good, and I’m planning on getting it, as I’ve heard it was good.

Bad Machinery is offered in “pocket” editions on page 379.  I read this v1, The Case of the Team Spirit, and it was excellent.  John Allison is amazingly funny.  I hope Scary-Go-Round is reprinted somewhere as well!

Mighty Zodiac v1 is on page 380.  Corin Howell drew the Bat-Mite series, right?  Looked like decent art and J. Torres is pretty good at writing, so I may go for this.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure Howell drew Bat-Mite. Look it up, ya lazy bum!

I rely on your memory, sir!  I thought you got that issue when the post-Convergence stuff came out, so I thought you might know.

Papercutz/Super Genius has the 2 volumes of each of the Tekno Neil Gaiman books, Mr. Hero and Teknophage, on pages 384 and 385.  I might get these someday.

Rebellion/2000AD offers us The Complete Scarlet Traces volume 1 (because that makes sense) by Ian Edginton and D’Israeli on page 386. These comics, which take place in the years after the Martian invasion of War of the Worlds, came out from Dark Horse a decade or so ago, and they’re really good. I own them all and I still might get this!

Didn’t Scarlet Traces come out somewhere else in the ’90s, though?  Huh, guess not.  What the hell am I thinking of?  I see on the Wikipedia, though, that characters were reading Scarlet Traces in Kingdom of the Wicked (by the same creators), which DID come out in the ’90s.  WTH?  Anyway, they apparently did a new arc of ST in 2000AD this year, and more is coming, so yeah, volume 1 makes sense.

Beats me. I thought it was more recent than that, but maybe not. It’s nice that they returned to it, so maybe I will end up getting this.

Well, it said that ST was done in 2002, I believe.  But I would have sworn it was from earlier, but apparently I cannot be trusted.

Red 5 has a cool one on 387, The Rift, a four issue series about a WWII fighter pilot who comes through a time rift to modern day Kansas.  Secret government organizations intercede!

Lots of good comics creators like Devil’s Hopyard, from Scout on page 388, so maybe I’ll go for this!  I’m so easy!

Man, them sweet comic strip collections from Sunday Press on pages 392-393 are awesome, but soooo pricey!

[Re]Assignment, the ridiculous-sounding new movie about a forced sex-change operation on a hitman, is also a comic, and Titan offers it to us on page 396. I’m torn about this, because it sounds so very, very stupid, but the art preview looks great, and honestly, the comic might handle this better than I imagine the movie will. But I’m still waiting at least until the trade comes out to decide.

I like that the preview doesn’t censor the f-word, but has to black bar the nipple!  HA!  Yeah, this book sounds ridiculous but also crazy fun.  I may get the trade (um, if it’s more than one issue, I guess).

Titan also has the second Monika volume on page 409. I mention this because the first one, which came out earlier this year, was pretty good, and Guillem March’s art was stupendous, so here’s your chance to see more of it!

Second and final, apparently.  I’ll wait and see if they do a collected volume of the two books!

TwoMorrows on page 420 has Draw! 33, featuring Billy the Sink, and Jack Kirby Collector 70, with the beginnings of Kirby’s koncepts!

Valiant, that is quite the Iron Man color scheme look to the Stalinverse version of X-O Manowar! (page 425)

“Look, we’re not saying it IS Iron Man, but if you’re one of those dumb people who only buy comics based on what you see in the movies and you want to think that it’s Iron Man, well, we’re not exactly going to enlighten you, knowwhatimsayin?”

Is the Dissolving Classroom collection from Junji Ito that Vertical is putting out on page 432 a new thing?  If not, does anyone know if it’s worth getting?

Hmm, cool book on page 452, Walking Through the Landscape of Faerie, stories and stuff illustrated by Charles Vess.  If you’re a fan of his, it’s undoubtedly worth getting.

I’m probably going to get the Sequart book The British Invasion, about Moore, Gaiman, and GMozz.  That’s a cool ass Kevin Colden cover!  (page 452)

That does look neat.

Ok, I ragged on coloring books, but David Bowie: Color the Starman on page 456 has Tony Millionaire and Mike Diana among the artists.  I am sorely tempted!

Cool, apparently the Giger Aliens were originally supposed to be translucent.  Creepy! (page 492)

And speaking of creepy, let’s end with the female “sexy” Chucky doll on page 532.  GAH!

On that wonderful image, we’ll say sayonara. I hope everyone has a nice Halloween if you’re doing anything tonight, and as always, be sure to check out Previews for all the good things contained within!