August 2007
AC COMICS
Once again, AC is behind schedule, but we will list what is supposed to come out in August anyway.
Best of the West #64
The regular features include The Durango Kid, Redmask, and The Haunted Horseman (by Frank Bolle, Dick Ayers and Fred Guardineer) with the addition of Jesse James by Joe Kubert, Black Diamond by Myron Fass, Wyatt Earp by Norman Maurer and Kitty Carson by Bob Powell. What is a bit confusing is that Previews lists this with an SRP of $6.95, but the AC website lists it at $9.95. Hope the lower price is the correct one.
Men Of Mystery #68
This time around, AC's longest running title features Miss Masque, Miss Victory, Black Angel, Cat-man and The Kitten, The Hood, Captain Freedom, The Doll Man and Kid Eternity with art and story by Lin Streeter, Chas. Quinlan, Al Bryant, Rudy Palais and others. Also set to include a history of Golden Age artist Joe Certa by Paul Hamerlinck. If you have any interest in Golden Age comics, then you should be reading this title. The stories are usually top notch and the historical information supplied by Paul Hamerlinck is icing on the cake.SRP $9.95
BIG BANG
Big Bang Comics Presents...Agents of Badge #6
A giant-sized issue with three features. First is the Agents of B.A.D.G.E. (done in what looks to be a Steranko style) must combat the menace of Dexter Cortex, The Human Sub battle the Ancient Mariner and Dr. Weird returns to battle invading demons. What more can be said? Big Bang comics are some of the finest retro-comics ever made, since their creators, and the Big Bang editors, all understand what made the comics of the past work. These are fun to read on their own, but have even more depth if you have read the comics they are to which they are paying homage. SRP $7.95 according to Previews, but the cover shown says $3.95
CHECKER BOOK PUBLISHING GROUP
Growing Old with B.C.: A 50 Year Celebration
This one is an overview of the BC comic strip and features a selection of the best strips from each decade (1950s-2000s) along with background information by creator Johnny Hart on the real people who became characters in the strip and other commentary. Also is scheduled to include rare concept art and a newly drawn cover done shortly before Hart's death in 2007. Like many of the better strips, Hart's BC, although a gag-a-day strip, managed to forge its own continuity over time and was quite funny as it reflected on our society of today through the lives of cavemen (hence the title). Although the later years of the strip came to be filled with Hart's religious convictions, it was still enjoyable and, in some ways could be compared to Peanuts. I was surprised to find that B.C. is still being produced, apparently, by Hart's daughter and grandson. SRP $19.95
DARK HORSE
The Groo 25th Anniversary Special
In honor of 25 years of Groo, the unindicted co-conspirators (AKA The Groo Crew), Mark Evanier, Sergio Arragones and Tom Luth, present a special story that features...well, Groo, doing what Groo does best. Some special features and an illustrated story telling how it all came to be. SRP $5.99
DC
Jack Kirby's Fourth World Omnibus Vol. 2
Reprints New Gods #4-6, Forever People #4-6, Jimmy Olsen #141-145 and Mister Miracle #4-6 by Jack Kirby and Mike Royer. This is the second volume of the Fourth World chronological reprints and again, comes highly recommended. Contrary to popular belief, the Fourth World titles did now sell as badly as many have portrayed. While they weren't at the top of DC's sale lists, New Gods was consistently one of DC's best sellers. The problem was that Editor Carmine Infantino had expected sales that would equal, or exceed the numbers on Fantastic Four: the best selling comic on the market at the time Jack moved to DC. When this didn't happen, Infantino scrapped the entire project, not realizing that the story Jack was telling needed time to grow in sales. Kirby was trying to do something beyond the scope of what comics were at the time and, most interestingly, the series might have worked today, now that everybody seems used to the idea of buying different chapters of a saga in different books. Should be right up there on your bookshelf with Volume 1! SRP $49.99
Batman: Secrets of the Batcave
Reprints Batman #13, 35, 48, 109 and 348, Detective Comics #158, 186, 205, 233, 235 and 244, World's Finest #30, Brave and the Bold #182, Bizarro Comics #244, and Secret Origins TP with writing Finger, O'Neill and others and art by Kane, Moldoff and others. Quite a mixed bag, covering a lot of territory. Best take a look at this one before you buy, but kudos for DC for listing the issue numbers! SRP $17.99
Showcase Presents: Adam Strange Vol. 1
Reprints Showcase #17-19 and Mystery in Space #53-84 by Gardner Fox, Gil Kane, Mike Sekowsky, Carmine Infantino and others. The Adam Strange series was always a lot of fun. Basically, Adam would be transported from Earth to another planet by the Zeta Beam (patent pending), where he had a girlfriend, a scientist friend and plenty of adventures (sort of an updated Flash Gordon). The big plot device was that the Zeta Beam wore off after a certain amount of time and he would be transported back to Earth and would then have to figure out where the beam would hit the Earth next, so he could go back. The series was better than most of the DC science fiction titles and had a bit more depth. I've been hoping that DC would give this series the Showcase treatment, since it is one of my favorite Silver Age series. If you don't have these stories in some other form, this one belongs on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $16.99
The Flash: Greatest Stories Ever Told
Reprints Flash Comics #86 and 104, The Flash #125, 155, 165 and 179, DC Special Series #11 and The Flash (2nd Series) #91 with story by John Broome, Gardner Fox and others and art by Carmine Infantino, Ross Andru and others. Here's another one that covers a lot of territory and, in a twist that could only happen at DC, you also get multiple Flashes in the stories. Interesting to note that DC has avoided reprinting some stories here that have been reprinted to death, which means this one might be worth a squint. On the other hand, I've never really enjoyed the Flash once he hit the Silver Age, so it's kind of hard for me to make any kind of recommendation. SRP $19.99
Showcase Presents: Wonder Woman Vol. 1
Reprints Wonder Woman #98-171 by Robert Kanigher and the art team of Ross Andru & Mike Esposito. Here we have the Silver Age Wonder Woman who was not quite as dorky (or into bondage) as the Golden Age character of the same name. Unfortunately, Wonder Woman suffered through the same problems as Batman during this era and had the additions of a Wonder Girl and (I think) a Wonder Tot and I just never warmed to the character. You're on your own with this one. SRP $16.99
Spirit Archives Vol. 22
Reprints the Spirit sections from January 1951 through June 1951 by Will Eisner and the member of his shop. Another heaping helping of one of the finest comics ever produced. SRP $49.99
The Superman Chronicles Vol. 3
Reprints another heaping dose of Superman stories from Action comics #21-25, Superman #4-5 and New York World's Fair 1940 all printed in chronological order with stories by Jerry Siegel and art by Joe Shuster and others. The early Superman was more interested in social justice than fighting super-menaces and spent a lot of time trying to right wrongs. Also, what makes these stories interesting, or most any Golden Age story for that matter, is that the world is a very small place and what happens in one small corner of Metropolis doesn't necessarily have any effect on other parts of the city: just like in real life... Can't say much more than that. If you don't have these in another format, get a copy TODAY for your sagging bookshelf. You'll be glad you did. SRP $14.99
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
The Complete Peanuts Vol. 6 1965-1966
Summer camp, the Red Baron, Snoopy and the art of writing and Peppermint Patty all make their first appearances in this latest volume. SRP $28.95
GEMSTONE PUBLISHING
Uncle Scrooge #369
Keep an eye out for this one, as it has a Don Rosa story, "Back in Time for a Dime!", among its contents. SRP $7.99
Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #684
Has a William Van Horn story, a Barks classic and the conclusion of "Mickey's Dangerous Double" by Floyd Gottfredson. SRP $7.99
EC Archives: Two-Fisted Tales Vol. 2
Reprints #7-12 in their entirety by Davis, Wood, Severin, Feldstein, Craig and Elder under the guidance and plotting of Harvey Kurtzman. These are the type of stories that one would consider "adult" since they examine the human condition during conflict without dumbing down the issues or falling back on super-heroic cliches. Kurtzman examines war from all sorts of angles and each of the artists working with him rise to the challenge. Today, most any creator would be hard pressed to tell such in depth stories in 22 pages, much less the 8 pages that Kurtzman had to work with on the average. Kurtzman's singular vision shines in these stories and most all of the tales center around the Korean War. Never surpassed and rarely equaled, these comics that belongs up on your bookshelf in some form or other. SRP $49.95
HERMES PRESS
Andru and Esposito's Get Lost!
In 1953, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito created a humor magazine in the style of Mad called, Get Lost!. The problem was that they were so close in style that Bill Gaines (publisher of Mad) filed a lawsuit against the magazine's distributor and, as a result, Get Lost! only saw 3 issues printed before it folded. This book collects the only 3 issues of Get Lost! ever published along with background material and additional commentary. SRP $29.99
MARVEL
Just in passing, you might want to make note that the current series of Daredevil hits the big issue #100 this month. The reason I mention this is that both John Romita Sr. and Gene Colan are slated to make artistic appearances in the issue, though Marvel ain't saying whether they are drawing part of the story or are just doing pin-ups. SRP $3.99
Marvel Masterworks: Captain Marvel Vol. 2
Reprints Captain Marvel #10-21 written by Roy Thomas, Gary Friedrich, Arnold Drake and Archie Goodwin and drawn by Gil Kane, Don Heck, Dick Ayers, John Buscema, Gene Colan, Tom Sutton and Frank Springer. I've always suspected that Marvel simply published Captain Marvel to tie up the name. After all, the character started as a rather uncomfortable fit into the Marvel universe as a "straight" science fiction strip (created by Arnold Drake) and then, since no one quite knew what to do with the character, went on to have numerous mundane adventures until Jim Starlin took over. The Roy Thomas reboot in issues #17-23 a a great case in point. It featured a new uniform for Captain Marvel, but was nothing but a convoluted plot that added Rick Jones to the mix and turned the Marvel Captain Marvel into a clone of the original Captain Marvel. A young man (Rick) slaps the Nega Bands together and shouts "Captain Marvel" to make Captain Marvel appear was only different in that it was science, and not magic, that caused one to take the place of the other. The Thomas reboot nonwithstanding, these are nearly all stories of the mundane sort and you'd be better pressed to wait for an Essentials volume. SRP $54.99
Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Sub-Mariner Vol. 2
Reprints Sub-Mariner Comics #5-8 by a slew of people, including Bill Everett, Carl Pfeufer, Al Gabriele and Mickey Spillane. Here's another heaping dose of Golden Age adventures, this time direct from World War II and 1942. Great fun from a number of sources, including Spillane, who's work at Timely has never been completely documented. The early Sub-Mariner, under the guidance of his creator Everett and, to a lesser degree, the stylized Carl Pfeufer, were beautifully drawn adventures. Namor's main purpose was his constant war against humanity and, in these stories, his hostilities are directed towards the Axis. The cover, which shows Subby sinking a Japanese aircraft carrier, says it all. Apparently this higher price is the new standard for Marvel's Golden Age collections. SRP $59.99
Amazing Fantasy Omnibus
Reprints Amazing Adventures #1-6, Amazing Adult Fantasy #7-14 and Amazing Fantasy #15 by Stan Lee, Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby, Don Heck and Paul Reinman. Amazing Adventures appeared on the scene in 1961 and features Kirby and Ditko (aided and abetted by Stan Lee) working on some prime material; all in preparation for the super-heroics that are just around the corner. These are interesting stories that are a sort of a guilty pleasure like like a 50s horror or science fiction story. They are enjoyable, but with no real depth. The art and story found here, however, can't be beat. Most of the Amazing Adventures issues feature Dr. Droom, the first Kirby Marvel super-hero who is also a prototype for Dr. Strange. The Amazing Adult Fantasy continuation of the title is all Ditko (Kirby was working on Fantastic Four) and feature Ditko in his prime with the obligatory "story by Stan Lee" credit. The final incarnation of the title, Amazing Fantasy, cover featured Spider-Man and, of course, we all know what happened next. This one belongs up on your bookshelf, due to its historic significance and really strong art. SRP $74.99
Essential Daredevil Vol. 4
Reprints Daredevil #75-101 and Avengers #111 written by Conway, Friedrich, Gerber and Englehart and drawn by Colan, Smith, Weiss, Kweskin, Shores and Heck. I've said before that Daredevil was a lame character until Miller got his hands on him and this volume is proof of my statement. Daredevil had some of the lamest villains outside of the Strange Tales incarnation of the Human Torch and not even Gerber or Englehart could make the character interesting. In fact, the only pluses to this volume are the Gene Colan stories and a chance to see some early Barry Smith work that I don't believe has been collected anywhere else. Only for the completeist. SRP $16.99
Essential Dazzler Vol. 1
Reprints Dazzler #1-21, Uncanny X-Men #130-131 and Amazing Spider-Man #203 by numerous writers and numerous artists. I find myself speechless, as this is about as NON-Essential as it gets. Save your money and buy lottery tickets. You'll get more enjoyment out of them. SRP $16.99
PURE IMAGINATION
Basil Wolverton: Agony and Ecstasy
A 200 page collection of Wolverton's Bible illustrations, which have been rarely seen and show the serious illustrative style of one of the great comic-style artists of all time. I've seen many of these drawings and they have many of the stylistic traits one would associate with Wolverton, but show a more serious side to his work that I find reminiscent of Gustav Dore, in many ways. By all accounts, Wolverton was a deeply religious man and from the early 50s to the early 70s spent a portion of his artistic energy on producing an illustrated edition of the Bible: a project he left unfinished at his death. What work he did produce was released, I believe, in a 1982 edition, which collected all of his illustrations. Worth a squint! SRP $25.00
Miss Fury
Delayed from last November, this is a 160 page volume that reprints the Tarpe Mills written and illustrated adventures from their earlier Timely comics appearances. Also included is a foreword by Trina Robbins. Worth a squint. SRP $25.00
SANCTUM PRODUCTIONS
Doc Savage Double Novel Vol. 9
Under the pen of Lester Dent (writing as Kenneth Robeson), Doc is first led to Alladin's cave in "The Majii". Next, secrets of Doc's origins are revealed in "The Golden Man". Includes the original pulp covers, interior illustrations and historical articles by Will Murray. Mike has started to stock both Doc Savage and The Shadow (see below) on a regular basis. You should really give both series a try, as they are filled with mystery, intrigue and super-heroics that beat most anything in the comics of today! SRP $12.95
The Shadow Double Novel Vol. 10
No sooner is The Shadow menaced by The Voodoo Master's returns from the grave in "The City of Doom", then he must battle a master of disguise in "The Fifth Face". Along with these Water Gibson authored tales is a radio script by Alfred Bester, original cover and interior art and articles bay Will Murray and Anthony Tollin. SRP $12.95
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Modern Masters Vol. 13: Jerry Ordway
As with the other books in the series, this current volume will present a long interview with Ordway about his life and career and numerous galleries of his art, both published and unpublished. Ordway has long been a favorite creator of mine and has proved himself to be an outstanding talent as both an artist and a writer. Probably gonna have to take a look at this one. SRP $14.95
Alter Ego #71
A long look at the history of Canadian comics with a cover by George Freeman. Also, an interview with Al Shuster a writer from the Golden Age with lots of illustrations, a bunch of new drawings of The Invaders and the usual features that are presented in the Fawcett Collector's of America section. SRP $6.95
The Jack Kirby Collector #49
Themed around the warriors that Jack created. Other features include an interview with Jack over his experiences during World War II, a new interview with Jerry Ordway, Mark Evanier's column, the hidden messages in Bill Everett's Thor inks and an interview with Grant Morrison concerning the Kirby concepts he has incorporated into his work. All this, plus lots of art and a complete 1950s story! SRP $9.95
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