February 2007
THIS JUST IN...
Although I've yet to see an official announcement, the Dick Tracy project from IDW has apparently gone from being a quarterly release to a twice yearly schedule. This means that, with just under 3 years per volume, the series should reprint all of Gould's strips sometime after most of us have been rotting in our graves for many years; providing that IDW stays in business over 20 years. This is almost as frustrating as Kitchen Sink's unfinished Li'l Abner project. Sheesh!
AC
According to the AC website, they hae fallen off the schedule once again and have only released Men of Mystery #62, Best of the West #59 and America's Greatest Comics #16. I've only seen the latter two, so your guess is as good as mine. Check back next month to see about the releases for December and January!
BIG BANG
Big Bang Presents: Protoplasman #4
Protoplasman goes Hollywood and, in the back-up story, the Golden Age Ultiman fights a giant robot. The stories from Big Bang are always fun and the previous Protoplasman was a good homage to Plastic Man. Hopefully, that trend will continue. SRP $3.95
DARK HORSE
Little Lulu Vol. 14: Queen Lulu
Reprints another dose of the John Stanley/Irving Tripp classic, but in their haste to advance solicit this title, Dark Horse has failed to list the original sources for this volume. SRP $9.95
It Rhymes With Lust
Considered by many to be the first graphic novel, It Rhymes With Lust was written by Arnold Drake and Leslie Waller with art by Matt Baker and published by St. John in 1950. According to Drake, the book was planned as the first in a series of more adult stories that would act as a bridge between comics and books, since it dealt with more adult themes and the story was 126 pages long. This idea was not particularly new, since Simon & Kirby and Lev Gleason had all been doing "adult" stories for years. The difference here was the length and the fact that it would be sized like a paperback book, something readers of the time would have found familiar. Unfortunately, the experiment did not succeed and there was only one other title released before St. John dropped the idea. Dark Horse will be reprinting the book in the original digest size with a new introduction by Drake. Since I've never seen this item and can't find any story pages to look at, I'll leave you on your own with this one. SRP $14.95
DC
The Brave and the Bold returns this month and will (apparently) be in the format of teaming Batman with another hero: in the case of this first issue, Green Lantern. Mark Waid will be the writer and art is by George Perez and Bob Wiacek. The samples look good and one can hope that Waid, with his voluminous knowledge of DC characters, will be the regular writer for a time. Also, one would hope the stories will not be quite as forced as the some of the lesser efforts on the previous incarnation of the title.Batman: The Greatest Stories Ever Told Vol. 2
I really enjoyed the first volume, but if they ain't gonna tell me what's going to be inside (and they don't), I ain't gonna recommend it nohow! All DC will list if writers, artists and that it is stories from the "1940s to the present." Now, for an SRP of $19.99, I expect a bit more!
Shazam: The Monster Society of Evil #1 (of 4)
The long awaited Jeff Smith version of Captain Marvel hits the stands this month and I honestly don't know what to make of it. This series was mentioned a couple of years back and looked to be a more traditional approach to the character. Capt. Marvel was the antithesis of Superman (and other super-heroes for that matter) and was not dark, bleak, introspective or anything else: he simply existed as a force of good. No one at DC has been able to capture what makes the character special, except for Jerry Ordway. Recent changes in the DC universe, however, make Capt. Marvel into somebody I don't recognize and the cover to the first issue makes it look like this mini will be more of the same. Don't know what to say! SRP $5.99 each
Superman Chronicles Vol. 2
Reprints Superman #2-3 and the Superman stories from Action Comics #14-20 by Siegel and Shuster. This volume continues the chronological reprinting of Golden Age Superman stories and, unless you have the Archives, you should add this to your sagging bookshelf, especially considering the bargain price. The early Superman has very little in common with the Superman of today, since he was more concerned with social injustice than super-criminals. He also was not weighed down with tons of continuity baggage in these early tales. SRP $14.99
The Kamandi Archives Vol. 2
Reprints Kamandi #11-20 by Kirby, Royer and Berry. Contrary to what many believe, Kamandi is not simply a rip-off of Planet of the Apes. Granted, there are some similarities, but the Kirby issues of the series (#1-37)were a vast canvas that allowed Jack to not only write science fiction, but also gangster tales, pirate stories, light satire of popular culture and just about anything else that he felt like writing about at any given time. Later writers were the ones who decided that Kamandi must have ties to the DC Universe. I feel that Jack recognized that there were hundreds of stories that could be told without tying Kamandi to any one continuity and, I think if he had been comfortable at DC, he could have continued on the book indefinitely. Each story, then, is a different inset drawn on the large canvas that is Kamandi's world. Stories are some of Jack's better later writing and the art is pure Kirby, whether inked by Royer or Berry. A great addition to your bookshelf. SRP $49.99
Justice Society Vol. 2
Reprints All-Star Comics #68-74 and Adventure Comics #461-466 with story by Levitz and art by Staton, Layton Giella, and Hunt. Here's another one of those books that I think is really neat, but could have been so much better if somebody had put a little thought into it. In the 70s, the team of Levitz, Staton and Layton were doing great comics and their work with the Justice Society was at the high end of the scale. The problem here is similar to the first volume, where there are just a couple of flaws that keep this from being a collection I could recommend completely. Joe Giella takes over the inking in #73-73 of All-Star (Layton had moved on to Marvel) and doesn't seem to understand Staton's pencils, which is a real drag. Staton inks himself through most of the Adventure Comics run (with some aid from Dave Hunt), but the stories don't read quite as well as they might, since they were originally written and drawn to appear in All-Star and not broken up over multiple issues of Adventure (for what I had to say about the first volume, look in the Archives for August). Both volumes constitute a whole and, much as it bothers me to do it, I've gotta suggest that you run out and buy both volumes. You'll be happy, you're bookshelf will be happy and you'll have hours of reading enjoyment. SRP $14.99
Showcase Present: Green Lantern Vol. 2
Reprints Green Lantern #18-37 and The Flash #145 by Broome, Fox, Kane, Infantino and some inkers. More stories about the REAL Green Lantern and the science fiction adventures that he had back in the 60s. Deserves a spot on your bookshelf, right alongside the first volume. SRP $16.99
Showcase Presents: Aquaman Vol. 1
I don't know about you, but lack of information from DC (and others) is really starting to tick me off. Here is what DC says about the volume"Collecting classic tales of Aquaman from Adventure Comics #260-280, 284 and more!" This is just not enough for me to want to pick up this volume, much less recommend it to anybody in any way, shape, or form! In other words, DC wants me to give my comic shop an order (one, I might add, I am honor bound to pay for when it comes in) for $15.00 for an item that may, or may not, contain what I want to read. I realize that I could spend some time researching this on the Internet and could probably find out what the contents actually are, but that's not the point. Like I have said so, many times before, if you want to sell a book, tell me about it, don't expect on name recognition alone to make the sale! What I can tell you, is that Aquaman was created in the Golden Age as DC's answer to the Sub-Mariner, though he was never as much fun. His main gig was his ability to communicate with all sea life and make them do his bidding. He also had a sidekick, Aqualad, and from what few issues are listed here, this volume probably is probably starting with stories from the 50s.
FANTAGRAPHICS
Milton Caniff, Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon: Meanwhile...
Vying for the honor of longest title of the month, this new book from Fantagraphics traces Caniff's life with emphasis on his artistic innovations. Caniff is best remembered as the creator of two of the best adventure newspaper strips of all time: Terry and the Pirates and Steve Canyon. Both strips featured globe trotting adventures and Caniff was a master of art and storytelling, creating exotic locales and believable characters within the constraints of the newspaper format. Could be worth a squint, as the author, R. C. Harvey, understands comics and gets his facts straight. SRP $34.95
GEMSTONE
Not much on the Disney front this month. Uncle Scrooge #363 has a Marco Rota story and Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #678 wraps up the Gottfredson "Mickey Mouse in the Foreign Legion" serial.
EC Archives: Weird Science Vol. 2
Reprints Weird Science #7-12 by the usual EC crew. I've mellowed a bit about the Gemstone EC project, since I've now seen the first releases and find that they are larger than the Archives or Masterworks volumes. The EC science fiction titles never sold as well as the horror books, but they were, in some ways superior to the horror titles. While the horror books went for the gross out, the science fiction titles were more about mood and creating a look for the future: something the science fiction of the 30s and 40s had created in prose. Wally Wood, in particular, was at the top of his game in the EC science fiction books and he is represented here along with Orlando, Feldstein, Kurtzman and others. Although I still feel you can get these cheaper, you can't beat the quality. Worth a squint! SRP $49.95
MARVEL
Daredevil by Frank Miller & Klaus Janson Omnibus
Reprints Daredevil #158-161, #163-191 and What If? #28 written by Miller and Roger McKenzie with art by Miller and Janson. Originally created by Bill Everett and Stan Lee, Daredevil was probably the weakest of the original Marvel characters. Granted, Gene Colan did some of his best super-hero work on the strip (his other being on Iron Man), but, much like Iron Man, Lee wrote the strip as an ongoing soap opera with villains who were, to put it nicely, lame. Sales were never great on the book and by the late 70s, Daredevil was in danger of cancellation. Then, along came this kid named Miller. Few comic creators have risen from obscurity to the top of the heap as fast as Frank Miller and it was on Daredevil that Miller not only established himself, but also set a standard which few creators have passed. This hefty, 816 page volume reprints nearly all of Miller's output as writer/artist on Daredevil and this is one of the few times that I can't come up with a superlative to describe it all. Mystery, suspense, heroism and love are all a part of these stories, which are told in a wonderful graphic style that is a combination of Manga, Eisner and traditional comic art. Even the story from What If?, "Matt Murdock, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D." is miles above the norm. In fact, the only problem I see here is what Marvel left out: the Elektra solo story from Bizarre Adventures and the other What If? story, "What if Elektra had Lived?". These two stories aren't enough for another Omnibus, even if combined with Miller's second take on Daredevil with art by David Mazzuchelli, so one has to wonder where these stories will appear, if at all. These problems aside, if you don't have these stories in your collection, or if (god forbid!) you've never read them, here's your chance!!! Definitely a winner, even with the high SRP of $99.99.
Marvel Masterworks: Daredevil Vol. 4
Reprints Daredevil #33-41 and Fantastic Four #73 by Stan Lee, Gene Colan, Jack Kirby. This volume is a great example of what I was talking about in the Miller piece above. Here is a collection of 'ole Hornhead with great art by Gene Colan and mundane story by Stan Lee (the Kirby story is from the FF crossover). I dunno, maybe you needed to be there at the time, but I'd suggest you get these in an Essentials rather than plunk down the dough for this one. SRP $54.99
Essential Ms. Marvel Vol. 1
Reprints Ms. Marvel #1-23 and Marvel Super-Heroes
Magazine #10-11 by tons of writers and even more artists. Like I've said
before, there are books out there that are NON Essential and this is one of them.
The Ms. Marvel series wasn't any good when it came out in the 70s and it
isn't any better in this reprinting. Women beating men. Men beating women. People who shouldn't be drawing women making them look like men. SRP $16.99
Essential Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 3
Reprints Peter Parker, The Spectacular Spider-Man #32-61 and Annuals #1-3 by lots and lots of writers and artists. Sometimes, a comic series will overcome my standard rule that too many artists and writers means the series is a dog. PPTSSM is one of those exceptions, particularly with these stories from the third year of the run. Before the beginning of Bill Mantlo's excellent run (that starts near the end of the volume), the people working on PPTSSM had a story about Spidey to tell and they tell it and then get out of the way for the next group. There are also some Frank Miller covers contained here (always worth a squint) and a rare art job by Jim Shooter (layouts) in #59. Not a lot of filler, just some good, passable storytelling that is enjoyable to read. SRP $16.99
PURE IMAGINATION
Alex Toth: The Edge of Genius Vol. 1
The first volume of a proposed series that will reprint Toth's work from 1952-54. This volume will cover work from 1952 and show that Toth was an excellent artist, regardless of genre. Toth is known today more for his influence on artists that followed rather than his work itself, since most of his work is long out of print. (Resolicited from last year) SRP $25.00
SANCTUM PRODUCTIONS
Shadow Double Novel Vol. 5
From 1934, "The Black Falcon", in which Lamont Cranston is abducted by an adversary from the Shadow's past, followed by "The Salamanders", a 1936 adventure in which the Shadow must defeat a Dragon of Fire! Original pulp covers and illustrations are included and, as an extra bonus, there is a Shadow story adapted from the radio show. SRP $12.95
Doc Savage Double Novel Vol. 4
Includes "Land of Always Night", the 1935 story that leads Doc to an underground civilization and "Mad Mesa", a 1938 adventure in which Doc discovers that he is in the body of a prison inmate(?). Original covers are included along with interior illustrations and historical articles by Will Murray. SRP $12.95
TWOMORROWS
Blue Beetle Companion
A tradepaperback that traces the 60 year career of the character of the Blue Beetle. Included are articles on the various incarnations of the character from Fox comics to Charlton and DC along with the radio show and Kirby's work on the comic strip. Set to also include the first appearance of the character from Mystery Men Comics #1 in 1939! SRP $16.95
Alter Ego #65
The issue features a spotlight on Nick Cardy, including a new cover and art gallery; a look at Will Eisner and the usual collection of rare and unpublished art, along with the FCA! SRP $6.95
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