Comic Book Resources

Flippin’ through Previews - August 2007

• by Greg Burgas
• in Flippin' Through Previews

I didn’t get a chance to do this last weekend, so let’s check out the fine products that can be yours in the latest Previews.  That’s always fun, isn’t it?

Dark Horse:

There’s a Fear Agent one-shot on page 35 by Rick Remender and Eric Nguyen.  I like Fear Agent a lot, but goddamn is it depressing.  Still, this might be a good place to start if you haven’t been reading it.

In anticipation of the new Grendel series, we get a collection of both Batman/Grendel mini-series, written and drawn by Matt Wagner (page 40; 19 December).  If you don’t have these, buy this.  They’re beautiful to look at, obviously, and Wagner writes Batman very well.  The first one is better than the second one, but they’re both excellent.

DC:

So DC revives Captain Carrot and the Zoo Crew (page 66; 10 October) and then ties it into Countdown?  Way to make me not in the least bit interested.

Crime Bible: The Five Lessons of Blood #1 (page 72; 31 October) sounds really nasty, but it also could be excellent.  Rucka writing and Mandrake drawing is a recipe for goodness.

Another Batman book (Gotham Underground on page 73; 24 October)?  Really?

Booster Gold is totally coming onto Jonah Hex in that cover on page 75.

Gail Simone’s run on Wonder Woman could be good (page 92; 10 October), but do we have any confidence that the Dodsons will be able to keep up the schedule?  Whenever they’re on a book, it seems to be plagued by lateness on account of the writer.  Simone doesn’t appear to have that problem.  Will they keep up?  The world holds its breath!

Why won’t they tell us which Tim Sale Batman issues appear in Tales of the Batman: Time Sale (page 94; 12 December)?  If you’re going to solicit a book for 30 dollars, shouldn’t we at least know what’s in it?

You’ll notice DC finally got around to collecting JLA: Classified #1-3 in a trade (page 96; 14 November).  No mention that it’s a pretty good introduction to the Seven Soldiers saga.

If you think I’m tough on creators (like Gail Simone and her work on Birds of Prey), you should have seen the hatred heaped on Will Pfiefer on his own blog over Amazons Attack a few weeks ago.  It was really sad.  I’m only saying this because the mini-series gets a hardcover on page 98 (19 December).  Saying that Simone was just cashing a paycheck is a huge compliment compared to what those people were saying.

Page 98 also gives us the Showcase Presents: Suicide Squad, which everyone who loves comics should own.  Ideally, you would go and find the back issues or DC would put this out in glorious color, but barring that, this is a chunk of excellent comics.  I just can’t stress it enough!

Vinyl Underground #1 (page 119; 3 October) could be quite good, I guess, but if you read the solicitation text, it sounds like every overused idea in the world thrown into one comic book.  “Occult detectives,” “soul DJ,” “ex-con,” “gorgeous morgue assistant,” “a young boy’s head (with diamonds in the eye sockets),” “ritual killings, a drug called Khat, and Muti magic.”  Sigh.  The three preview pages don’t fill me with confidence.  We’ll see.

Image:

The Luna Brothers are back with The Sword, a fantasy series (page 138; 17 October).  This will be interesting.  Will this series be entertaining, like Ultra, or awful, like Girls?  It’s best two-out-of-three!

Juan E. Ferreyra does the art for Lazarus #1 (page 143; 17 October), so you’ll know it will look good.  He also does the story, which sounds kind of neat.  Will Ferreyra the writer match Ferreyra the artist?

I don’t want to say that Proof #1 (page 144; 24 October) sounds an awful lot like The Perhapanauts … I don’t want to say it, but I must.  Grecian and Rossmo did bring us Seven Sons, which was quite good, so this might work.  I’m just sayin’.

The first Dynamo 5 trade is offered on page 146 (10 October).  Very good superhero action!

I mention Bad Planet #5 on page 149 (24 October) just because I saw Bad Planet #2 at the Con and didn’t buy it because it was meant to be out last week.  They claim that it’s back on track, but where the hell is it?

Marvel:

The text for Ultimate Power #9 (page 6) claims it’s been “lauded.”  By whom?  I don’t know if it’s good or bad, because I haven’t been buying it, but I haven’t seen anything about it at all.  Is anyone buying it?  What do you think?

I hate to be picky, but those banners over the Mighty Avengers and New Avengers solicitations should read “WhoM do you trust?”  It’s the English major in me.

Omega: The Unknown (page 49) could be good or not, but I love how it looks like some indie comic that the creators put together in their kitchen, even down to the lettering.

The Essential Moon Knight vol. 2 on page 108 is very good, and I encourage you all to get it.  It features Sienkiewicz really turning into a true visionary artist, and Moench really goes nuts with some great stories.  I don’t even think the black-and-white will hurt it too much, although some stories (#26’s “Hit It”) are gorgeous in full color.  If you skipped the first volume, you shouldn’t skip this one.

Now, of course, we must journey deep into the back of the book!

If you’re interested, Archaia Studios Press has the second issues of Awakening and Killing Pickman (pages 230-231).  I liked the latter and wasn’t taken with the former, but the first issues both came out last week and should be around.  Here’s your chance to order the second ones!

Avatar brings us the trade paperback of Chronicles of Wormwood (page 240), which is 20 dollars, cheaper than buying all six issues when they came out.  They also have a new graphic novel starring the same characters, which is only 8 bucks.  It doesn’t have Burrows on art, but it might be fun nevertheless.

Two Guns #3 has been resolicited on page 246.  That really bugs me.  Let’s hope it actually comes out.  Boom! Studios also brings out the first trade of Hero Squared, which is a pretty good superhero book from Giffen and DeMatteis.  If you’ve been waiting for the trade, here it is!

I don’t have any interest in Bad Boy, the comic strip by Frank Miller and Simon Bisley that is being collected on page 256 by Dynamite Entertainment, but you might.  The Boys trade is also offered if you missed it the first time.  Or I could send you my copies because I hate it so.  I’d love to pick up the Dreadstar hardcover on page 258, but it’s 50 dollars.  Man, that’s a lot, even though it’s a very cool comic.

Desperado lives in hope, I guess.  They offer the trade of Common Foe on page 265 even though the last issue never came out.  Is this one of those deals where they’ve given up on the fifth issue and are just putting out the trade?  That would piss me off.  Just finish the damned thing!  I’m getting dangerously close to dropping individual issues altogether, especially for smaller presses.  It’s just frustrating.

On page 285, you can find the trade paperback of El Cazador, one of CrossGen’s old properties.  It lasted only six issues and is cut off abruptly by that company’s demise, but it’s a pirate tale by Chuck Dixon and Steve Epting, and it’s wildly entertaining.  It’s only $12.99, so check it out.  I guess Disney Press is publishing it, but I’m not sure.

MarkAndrew recently reviewed Kampung Boy, and if you’ve been looking for it, First Second obliges you by offering it on page 298.  I guess Town Boy, right above it, is the sequel.

Kong: King of Skull Island might be really good.  There’s a $1.99 preview offered on page 319 from Markosia, and for that price, it might be worth checking out.  Who knew you could do more with the story after Kong fell of the Empire State Building?

Glacial Period is a story of archaeologists in the future trying to interpret stuff they dig up from the Louvre.  It sounds fairly odd and neat.  It’s on page 323 from NBM Publishing.

Local #12 is offered on page 325 from Oni Press.  I very much doubt it will come out that soon, but still.  What a neat book.  Meanwhile, on page 329, My Inner Bimbo #2 is resolicited.  I would love it if this book got back on track.  I still don’t understand the first issue (which is offered again if you missed it), but I trust Sam Kieth to tell an interesting story.

If you’ve always wanted to read Persepolis (both volumes) but never got around to it, on page 329 Pantheon gives you the two volumes in one handy package.  I didn’t love it, but it is an interesting look inside Iran, to say the least.  On the next page you can get Alias the Cat, which someone on this blog liked (I looked briefly for the link, but couldn’t find it - can anyone help me?).

That’s strange - there’s some stuff further on that I’m going to buy, but nothing that jumps out as noteworthy or new.  And so we reach the end of this month’s installment rather abruptly.  Oh well.  But remember - dig through the scary stuff beyond the Big Four, and ye shall be rewarded!  Go ahead - see what you can find!