04/01/10 - Releases for April
AC COMICS
Nothing of interest this month.
DARK HORSE
The Chronicles of Kull Vol. 2: The Hell Beneath Atlantis and Other Stories
Reprints Kull the Conqueror #10 and Kull the Destroyer #11-20 by a whole slew of folks. Some books present a quandary and this is one of them. It picks up from the previous volume with the Conway scripted, Marie Severin arted story from Kull the Conqueror, which was an okay story, but not as good as those that had preceded it in the title (since it lacks the inks of Marie's brother, John). Next, you have a chance to see some truly great Mike Ploog work in Kull the Destroyer #11-15 and trust me here, these issues are worth having in your collection for the art alone. After that, the Kull title isn't worth reading, until they get around to reprinting the John Bolton material. So, I'd like to tell you to rush out and plop this one up on your sagging bookshelf ASAP, but it would be for only around three-quarters of the book, therefore, give it a good, long squint before you plop your money down. On the plus side, Dark Horse claims they will be using the original colors for the volume, which should pretty things up a bit. SRP $18.99
DC
Showcase Presents: Dial H for Hero
Reprints the Robby Reed stories from House of Mystery #156-173 by Dave Wood, Jim Mooney and the ever popular "Others." Here's another chance to read a complete series for a bargain price, courtesy of DC. "The Dial H For Hero" series concerned a young man named Robby Reed who discovers an odd device that looks like a stand-alone telephone dial (the series started in 1966). By dialing in the word H-E-R-O he finds that he is transformed into a super-powered character and that's about it. Each story has Robby encounter a new villain, whom he dispatches after becoming another hero—sometimes 2 or 3 in each issue. This is a fun series that at least deserves a squint and with all the stories in one volume, even the clunkers, it should make for an enjoyable read. SRP $9.99
The Superman Chronicles Vol. 8
Reprints the Superman stories, in their original order, from Action Comics #44-46, World's Finest #5 and Superman #14-15 by Jerry Siegel, Leo Nowak and others. I've recommended this series before and my opinion hasn't changed. There is nothing like the original Superman and these stories from 1942 do nothing to dissuade me. If you don't have them in some other form, add this one to your sagging bookshelf. SRP $14.99
FANTAGRAPHICS
Prince Valiant Vol. 2
This second volume will reprint another 2 years (I'm guessing) of Hal Foster's epic, newly shot from the original proof sheets. Drop dead gorgeous artwork throughout and a series that deserves a good, long squint. SRP $29.99
HERMES PRESS
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century: The Complete Dailies Vol. 4: 1936-1938
This is the first double coloned title I've ever seen and a book that will reprint another 2 years of the John F. Dille and Dick Calkins strip. Rogers was a bit looser than Flash Gordon, but the art by Calkins had a nice, futuristic feel to it. The stories themselves had a quirky quality and Buck and Co. spent a great deal of time out in space doing things that, today, we know are impossible, but have their own intrinsic charm. The Hermes volumes are oblong (like the IDW newspaper reprints) and reproduction is excellent. Worth a squint or even two! SRP $39.99
IDW
The Golden Collection of Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics
Coming from Yoe Books! is another collection of classic material, this time targeted at Kids comics from the "1940s, 1950s and beyond." I dunno what to say about this one, since last years collection from Art Spiegelman was such a disappointment and IDW isn't making my job any easier since I can't find out the exact contents of this volume. Best guess I can make is based on the advertising copy for the book, which says, "...collects the brilliant kids comics that such luminaries as Stan Lee, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Frank Frazetta, Walt Kelly, Dr. Seuss, Syd Hoff, Jules Feiffer, George Carlson, John Stanley, Dan deCarlo, Sheldon Mayer, Carl Barks and myriad other brilliant geniuses..." What stories? I haven't a clue, so I would advise you to take a deep breath and give this one a good long squint before you plunk your money down (the part about "and beyond" has me a bit concerned.). SRP $34.99
Rip Kirby Vol. 2
Reprints nearly 3 years of Alex Raymond's detective strip from December 6, 1948-September 22, 1951. A thinking man's detective beautifully illustrated by Alex Raymond. What more can I say? Give it a squint. SRP $49.99
MARVEL
Marvel Masterworks: The Inhumans Vol. 2
Reprints The Inhumans #1-12, Captain Marvel #53-53, What If? #29-30 and Thor Annual #12 by Moench, Perez, Kane, Pollard, Milgrom and some unindicted inkers. When I commented on the listing for the first Inhumans Masterwork, I mentioned that you probably wouldn't see a second volume. Boy, was I wrong! Much as I admire writer Doug Moench, this particular series was far from memorable and features a rambling story with amateurish art by a young George Perez and (later) uninspired art by Gil Kane. Heck, one issue was even a reprint of a story you will find in the first Masterworks volume. So, in brief, give this one a wide berth and save your sheckels for something enjoyable. SRP $54.99
The Invincible Iron Man Omnibus Vol. 2
Reprints Tales of Suspense #84-99, Iron Man & Sub-Mariner #1 and Iron Man #1-25 by Lee Goodwin Colan, Tuska and Craig. Iron Man was always a problematic character for Marvel. Under Stan Lee, it was a sort of soap opera with Tony Stark constantly beset by menaces that strained the chest plate that kept his injured heart alive. Other authors had their own highs and lows and what probably kept Iron Man in the second tier of Marvel books was the art, which after the stories featured here, had a rather pedestrian run under the hands of Tuska and Colletta. Here we have a continuation of the previous Omnibus and the turmoils and triumphs of Iron Man move along, ably abetted by some nifty work by Gene Colan on the TOS issues and some (surprising) early Marvel work by George Tuska. Goodwin's take on the character is better than his work on the FF and the biggest surprise here is the Johnny Craig's work. Craig was one of the main architects of the EC comics of the 50s and was not only a capable artist, but could also write with the best of them. After re-reading a number of these stories, I am impressed by how Craig was able provide Tuska with some clean inking and that his pencilling,while not dynamic in the Kirby Marvel style, is shows clean and concise storytelling in the few stories he did for the title on his own. Overall, this is yet another volume for your sagging bookshelf, simply because the stories are fun. Stark is Iron Man because the world needs Iron Man and under both Lee and Goodwin, he walks a fine line between his private life and heroic public persona. SRP $99.99
Marvel Masterworks: The Silver Surfer Vol. 1
Reprints Silver Surfer #1-6, Fantastic Four Annual #5 and Not Brand Echh #13 by Lee, Kirby, John Buscema and a host of inkers. In an interesting twist, this particular paperback reprinting of a Marvel Masterwork has been remastered and also includes the parody story from Not Brand Echh and it makes me wonder if other Masterworks volumes will be remastered as well. In any event, this volume features some of the best art that John Buscema ever did at Marvel: never have his characters looked more heroic or more powerful, particularly the battle in #4 between the Surfer and Thor. Wert that the same could be said of the story by Stan Lee, which, after the initial origin (something never discussed in the Fantastic Four) the Surfer becomes a bit too philosophical and, in a trend which only gets worse as the series progresses, spends way too much time bemoaning the loss of his love, Shalla Bal (do keep in mind that these early issues of the series were 40 pagers, so I guess they had to fill the pages with something, but really!). While the stories do read a bit dated today, keep in mind that when these were originally produced, the Surfer's observations on mankind were considered ground breaking and quite poignant (even his lost love was considered tragic). Anyway, I'd recommend you give this one a good squint, as your are in for a real treat artwise and a sort of treat, storywise. Once the Surfer passed this initial period, Lee lost his way, so these are the best of the stories from this first incarnation of the character. SRP $24.99
Essential Iron Man Vol. 4
Reprints Iron Man (first series) #39-81 by a whole bunch of folks. Most Iron Man comics from around the mid-teens until just past issue #100 are forgettable and quite formulaic: the stories are hit and miss and the art is pretty generic, especially as George Tuska is not helped in the least by a changing series of inkers. Ordinarily, I would tend to ignore this as yet another "Let's do another Iron Man book since the movie is coming out " volume, but since it is a cheaper Essentials volume, I'll take a moment and point out some of the nifty gems hidden within. #47 has a re-telling of the origin with story by Roy Thomas and art by a young (but capable) Barry Windsor-Smith. #53, 55 and 56 all have Starlin drawn stories and the first two, with Mike Friedrich co-writing, are the first appearances of Thanos. #62 has a rare super-hero art job by P. Craig Russell. #72 takes place at the San Diego Comic-Con with some well known creator guest appearances. And, #78 has a story set in Vietnam, which features some of the best art ever done by Tuska and Colletta. The rest of the stories are readable, but the stories I've pointed out make the book worth a squint, especially with the low SRP of $19.99
MANUSCRIPT PRESS
Comics Revue Presents April 2010
Well, I was wrong last month and this was the month for a new issue. Another 120 pages of the best strips around, including The Phantom, Flash Gordon, Mandrake the Magician, Tarzan, Little Orphan Annie and others. This month the cover feature is Secret Agent Corrigan and a complete story by Archie Goodwin and Al Williamson is included. Also, 8 pages of color! SRP $16.00
PURE IMAGINATION
Movie Comics: Featuring "The Man From Planet X"
This is a compendium volume that will reprint Gil Kane's adaption of The Lost World, George Evans and Al Williamson on When Worlds Collide, Fantastic Voyage alá Wally Wood, the long disputed adaption of The Man from Planet X (opinions vary as to who really did the art) and John Buscema sharpens his pencils for the movie version of Ivanhoe. As with all Pure Imagination reprints, reproduction is excellent and, most likely, there will be commentary by Greg Theakston. Definitely worth a squint. SRP $25.00
Teen-Aged Dope Slaves and Reform School Girls
Aside from publishing some well-done and original comics, Eclipse also produced a huge number of reprints: both in regular comic book form and also in the trade paperback format. This is a re-issue of a 1989 Eclipse trade paperback that not only included the two title stories (long collected for their semi-lurid subject matter: the first tale not only involves drugs and crime, but was a comic book re-working of a sequence that ran in the Rex Morgan newspaper strip while the second told the tale of girls gone bad), but a couple of Simon & Kirby gems from Headline Comics, along with other tales that deal with the horrors of juvenile delinquency, all delineated in wondrous pre-code stylings and very clean black and white reproduction. Of special interest is the Harvey Kurtzman gem, "Lucky Fights it Through" which focuses on a cowboy who contracts a venereal disease (and, according to the introduction, was Kutrzman's first story produced for EC!). Both a hoot and sad commentary on the times, this is a book that belongs on your sagging bookshelf without a second thought. (NOTE: I'm assuming that the cover on the right is the cover for the book, but since it is exactly the same as the cover to the Eclipse printing, I'm not completely sure...) SRP $20
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Back Issue #40
Cat-People is the theme of this issue that will focus on most every cat themed character (male and female) to appear in comics. Each issue also features 16 pages of color! SRP $7.95
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