12/01/09 - Releases for December
SHIPPING UPDATES
- The Casper the Friendly Ghost 60th Anniversary (listed below) shipped in November.
- Tarzan Archives: The Jesse Marsh Years Vol. 4 did the same.
- Just after we went to press last month, received word that DC Comics Classics Library: Shazam! Monster Society of Evil has not been cancelled after all, but is just delayed once again until some time in late 2010.
IN THE NEWS
Fantagraphics has announced a number of ambitious titles that will appear in 2010 and beyond. Without going into details, highlights include an overview of 1950s horror comics, a volume of Jack Cole's non-Plastic Man work from the Golden Age, a volume of Alex Toth, a volume of Basil Wolverton horror and science fiction and a volume of Dick Briefer's Frankenstein. We'll keep you posted as these items become available.
AC COMICS
Nothing of interest this month.
BOOM STUDIOS
The usual Disney titles from Boom! this month and most all of them are just about the same as the last couple of months. The item for collectors this month is Mickey Mouse Classics, a 112 page (I think) hardback that will feature Mickey stories, but that's all I can tell you, since Boom! offers no other information, except that it will have the only Mickey story done by Carl Barks. With an SRP of $24.99, I really wish Boom! would give us a bit more information, so I could tell you whether this one is worth your time and dollars. Guess you're on your own until Boom! gets its act together!
DARK HORSE
Casper the Friendly Ghost 60th Anniversary
Hard to believe that Casper has been around for 60 years, and Dark Horse is celebrating with a special hard back which will reprint the 1949 first issue of Casper the Friendly Ghost published by St. John and then the first issue of the 1952 Harvey series of the same name. Having never seen either comic, I can't speak for the quality, but the package might be worth a squint, especially with the low SRP of $9.95... (NOTE: apparently shipped in November)
The Chronicles of Kull Vol. 1: A King Comes Riding and Other Stories
This month's contender for longest title of the month will reprint Creatures on the Loose! #10, Monsters on the Prowl #16, and Kull the Conqueror #1-9 by Thomas, Conway, Wein, Severin, Wrightson, Andru and Wood. Back around 1970 or so, Marvel opened a floodgate of Sword and Sorcery adaptations, when they secured the rights to adapt Conan from Robert E. Howard's literary agent. Conan the Barbarian was not a hit right out of the gate, but as it gained popularity (due in no small part to a young artist named Barry Smith) it became the flagship for a plethora of Marvel titles-all featuring characters created by Howard, or influenced by his creations. What we have here is part of the 70s Marvel REH bonanza and it is quite an impressive collection. The first two appearances were basically tryouts for the Kull character to see if there was a fan base for more barbarian hijinks (ala Conan) with Wrightson providing art for the first appearance and Andru and Wood providing the pictures for the second tryout. Kull moved over into his own comic, where the team of Marie (pencils/layouts) and John (inks/finishes) Severin produced some amazing art, although it is a toss-up as to whether their rendition, or the later work of Mike Ploog, is the best on the character. All in all, this should be a tremendous collection that belongs up on your sagging bookshelf without hesitation. My only concern is that Dark Horse has a habit of over-coloring their Marvel material, so you might want to give this one a squint before you swipe your card of choice. SRP $18.95
The Chronicles of Solomon Kane
Hot on the heels of the reprinting of the Solomon Kane stories from Marvel's black and white mags comes this new volume that will reprint all the color Solomon Kane stories done by Marvel in the 70s and 80s. It's a bit thin on content, since it features a two-parter from Marvel Premiere #33-34 by Howard Chaykin (good stuff) and then the 6 part Swords of Solomon Kane mini-series that featured art by Carr, Blevins, Mignola, Bogdanove, Ridgeway, Plunkett and Williamson. The problem here is that most all the stories in this volume were also done (by different artists) in the black and white mags; hence they appeared in the previous volume (mini-series #2 and 4 were the exceptions). When I first read the solicitation for this book, I couldn't remember anything about the Swords of Solomon Kane series, which doesn't bode well for its content. To further muddy the waters, the Marvel Premiere story is the same as the first issue of the mini, so you are actually getting the same story twice done by different art teams. So, I would suggest you proceed with caution here and give this one a good, long squint before you decide. SRP $18.95
Robert E. Howard Chronicles Slipcase Set
Just in case you are looking for something to give to your favorite comic reader at Christmas (never too early to plane ahead) Dark Horse is offering this 3 volume collection that features The Chronicles of Kull Vol. 1, The Chronicles of Solomon Kane and The Chronicles of Conan Vol. 1 all contained in a decorative slipcase. With an SRP of $54.85, not only do you get some good reading (see caution about Kane above), but also save around $2 off the cover price if you bought the books individually. Worth a squint.
Tarzan Archives: The Jesse Marsh Years Vol. 4
This one will (most likely) reprint another 6 issues of the Dell Tarzan comic, but Dark Horse ain't telling me nothing about the contents, so I can't tell you (probably issues #17-22, but don't quote me). Worth a squint, simply because the team of DuBois and Marsh can't be beat! SRP $49.95
DC
Batman: The Dark Knight Archives Vol. 6
Reprints Batman #21-25 by Schiff, Finger, Sprang, Kane, Burnley, Robinson and others. For those of you not following the Chronicles series, here's another welcome sample of Golden Age Batman stories from 1944. A great combo of story and art with everybody on their game as Batman and Robin battle The Penguin, The Joker, Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dum, other numerous villains and menaces and nobody is psychotic or half-crazed: the Dynamic Duo enjoy what they do and smile while they fight evil (Gawd, I miss those days). Definitely deserves a place on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $59.99
Green Lantern Chronicles Vol. 2
Reprints Green Lantern #4-9 by Broome, Kane, Anderson, Sekowsky, Andru and, one of my favorite artists, "others." More of the chronological reprinting of Hal Jordan in a time when green was good and yellow was bad. Good stories and worth a squint, especially at the bargain SRP of $14.99
Showcase Presents: Wonder Woman Vol. 3
Reprints Wonder Woman #138-156 by Kanigher, Andru and Esposito. More Silver Age adventures that I consider a total waste of space. Avoid it, if you can! SRP $17.99
DRAWN & QUARTERLY
The John Stanley Library: Thirteen Going On Eighteen
Continuing with the reprinting of the work of John Stanley, this one will feature Stanley's teen comic from the early 60s. There were 29 issues in the original run and I'm not sure how many Stanley wrote and drew, but I'm pretty sure that this will only reprint the first 10 or so due to the page count. This is also one of those comics that I've never seen reprinted before and so, I have nothing to say about it, except that John Stanley was brilliant and this is worth a squint at the very least. SRP $39.95
IDW
The Complete Milt Gross Comic Books and Life Story
Milt Gross is a forgotten writer/artist from the early days of comics. His somewhat frentic style could be considered the influence for both Kurtzmann and Wolverton and is use of Yiddish dialect in may of his works allows for a great amount of wordplay that could, again, point to an influence for Wolverton. The most fascinating work produced by Gross, however, is his 1930 novel He Done Her Wrong: The Great American Novel and Not a Word in It - No Music, Too, which is told entirely in pictures (showcasing Gross' ability as an artist) and a book that could be considered the first graphic novel. This Yoe Studio production will focus just on the material produced for comic books including the work produced just prior to his death from a heart attack in 1953, including the unpublished cover to Milt Gross Funnies #3. Well worth a squint and a great chance to read about a truly fascinating individual (his comic books were just a portion of his output...). SRP $39.99
The Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Vol. 9
Featuring dailies and Sundays from 1944-1945 that introduce The Brow, Flattop, Gravel Gertie and many other quirky characters that were Gould's trademark. Forget giving this one a squint, simply buy it and read it! SRP $39.99
IMAGE COMICS
The Next Issue Project: Silver Streak Comics #24
The Claw! Daredevil! Silver Streak! Captain Battle!...these are the heroes you will find in this latest issue of the innovative series. The Next Issue Project is an irregularly published series from Image that adds a new issue to a Golden Age comic series that is no longer around: in this case you get Silver Streak Comics #24, which originally only had 23 issues. What makes the NIP special, however, is that the creators use characters from the original series and the stories are done in a (mostly) Golden age style. The first issue of the series, Fantastic Comics #24, was quite well done and this one looks to be a winner as well, although the page count is cut back to 32 pages. Worth a squint in any event and with creators Larsen, Grist, Gilbert and Weiss on board, it should be great fun.
MARVEL
Marvel Masterworks: Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D Vol. 2
Reprints Strange Tales #154-168 and Nick Fury, Agent of Shield #1-3 by Kirby, Steranko and assorted inkers. Comics that featured more than one story in each issue were the norm in comic book land back in the Silver Age. DC usually featured 2 or 3 stories in each issue—mostly all featuring the same character or a longer lead story with a backup story about another character. Over at Marvel, this idea took a different turn as a number of Marvel titles featured two stories in each issue, but the two stories were each about a different character and were of equal length. Captain America and Iron Man, The Hulk and Sub-Mariner were probably the leading books of this type produced by Marvel and then there was probably the oddest pairing in comics: Dr. Strange and Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D—mysticism and super-science spy thrillers under one cover. With this latest Masterworks, Marvel has brought together all the Nick Fury stories that were done by Jim Steranko under one cover and it should be quite an impressive collection. Steranko started off working over Kirby layouts and then struck out in his own direction artistically combining Kirby's dynamic storytelling with a touch of Wally Wood liquidity and a sense of design that was pure Steranko. The results are extremely impressive and, once Steranko started writing his own material in addition to the art chores, Nick Fury became a must-read series that has never been equaled (the later issues in the Fury series were not well done at all). Under Steranko, Fury became a high tech Bond, who used his brawn and wits combined with a never-ending selection of gadgets to fight villains like Baron Strucker, the Yellow Claw and the hordes of Hydra. This is great material and shows adult sensibilities among its super-heroics. Hopefully Marvel will correct the coloring mistakes that plagued the trade paperback release of around a decade ago and this is another book that definitely belongs up on your sagging bookshelf as one of the classics from Marvel's Silver Age. In fact, why not add this volume, with the first to your Christmas list and then you can read the entire Nick Fury saga from beginning to end! SRP $54.99
Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Sub-Mariner Vol. 3
Reprints Sub-Mariner Comics #9-12 by Pfeuffer, Gabriele, Wolverton and others. As with other Golden Age volumes, this one will reprint the entire comic and war year Sub-Mariner stories are some of the best that were ever done with the character. Everett had entered military service during the time these were done and Namor is ably handled by the underrated Carl Pfeufer. Lots of good stuff here that should be up on your sagging bookshelf. Originally scheduled for November release. SRP $59.99
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men Vol. 2
Reprints X-Men #101-110 by Claremont, Mantlo, Cockrum, Byrne, Brown and DeZuniga. Hard to believe that so much happened so quickly in the early days of the revived X-Men. The Starjammers show up, the Imperial Guard, the Shi'ar and Phoenix: all within 10 issues of their revival in Giant-Size X-Men #1. You also get the end of Cockrum's run and the beginning of the Claremont/Byrne era in a low-priced trade paperback. So, if you don't this material in another form, add it to your sagging bookshelf. Good stuff! SRP $24.99
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Alter Ego #90
A special Marvel issue that looks at many of the folks who made Marvel in the 60s, and look at the Marvel Super-Heroes animated show from 1966 and the usual features for the FCA. SRP $6.95
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