02/01/10 - Releases for February
IN THE NEWS
Blake Bell has authored a coffee table sized biography of Bill Everett to be called Fire & Water: Bill Everett, The Sub-Mariner, and the Birth of Marvel Comics. The book will be published by Fantagraphics and should be out in either July or September, depending on whose release schedule you want to believe. The book will contain a tremendous amount of art and covers Everett's entire life, including lots of material on his early years and will not cost $999 dollars, as it is listed by a dealer on Amazon.
NOTED IN PASSING
I've been catching up on my reading and can recommend:
- Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 1 reprints all but one of the stories Ditko produced in his first two years as a comic book artist (why the one story was left out, although it is mentioned in the introduction, is unkown). Reproduction is very clean and it is interesting to see the different styles Ditko tried while he was learning his craft. All in color and an excellent read.
- The Sandman by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby reprints all the Sandman stories ever done by Simon and Kirby, including the 70s re-vamp of the character. Reproduction is not the best and all the pages appear to have been shot from actual comic book pages-flaws and all. A fun read and the background information found in the book explains the varying quality of some of the later strips. All in color and worth the read, although I wish they had done a bit more clean up of the pages.
- I'm currently in the midst of Vol. 7 of The Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy and must say that although the larger size of the book will present a storage problem (I had a shelf that held the previous six, smaller volumes very well), the larger reproduction makes for a much better read and the Sundays in this larger size are absolutely spectacular. If you haven't discovered this series as of yet, head out and track them down starting from the beginning...they're all in print, far as I can determine.
AC COMICS
Crypt of Horror Vol. 8
Another 140 pages of pre-code horror done in pristine black and white from a variety of sources. Creators mentioned are Bob Powell, Wally Wood, Harry Harrison, Dick Ayers and others. I find it interesting that it is probably possible to have most all the pre-code horror stories that were ever done in multiple editions what with all the reprinting that has gone on over the years. Regarding this one, I like the production of AC Comics, but find the price to be way too high, even for a quality product. SRP $29.95
DARK HORSE
Little Lulu: the Big Dipper Club and Other Stories
More of John Stanley and Irving Tripp in color from an undisclosed number of issues. Good stuff and worth a squint at least. SRP $14.99
(NOTE: According to the Dark Horse website, the following 3 books all came out in January...but I wouldn't bet on it!)Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery Archives Vol. 1
At least Dark Horse gives us a partial list of writers (Dick Wood, Leo Dorfman, Paul S. Newman) and artists (Joe Certa, Ray Bailey, Alex Toth, Mike Sekowsky) for this one and even lists that it will reprint Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery #5-10, but that's about all I can say about it. Although they had really nifty covers, the Gold Key horror books were very low key and locked into many editorial constraints. I'd suggest you pass on this one. SRP $49.99
Creepy Archives Vol. 5
Reprints Creepy (I'm guessing here since Dark Horse ain't tellin' me) #21-25. Some Ditko and Crandall, but these issues also featured reprints from earlier issues, so the contents are a bit mixed if you've been collecting the entire series. #21 also has the first Warren foray into Lovecraft with an adaption of "Rats in the Walls." Worth a squint, but this is not the top material that Warren produced. SRP $49.95
The Barry Windsor-Smith Conan Archives Vol. 1
This is the first volume in a 2 volume series that is slated to reprint, in color, all of the work that Windsor-Smith did on the Marvel Conan series. Now, before you whip out your wallet, there are a couple of cautions here. According to the traffic on the Dark Horse Message Board, nobody is saying exactly what will actually be contained in the complete set, although it is pretty clear that it will only contain the Windsor-Smith issues and not the Gil Kane issues, so if you are looking for continuity here, forget it. Next, it is sort of assumed that the color version of "Red Nails" that was done for Savage Sword will be here, but nothing has been said about the two-page adaption of "Cimmeria." Lastly, and this is the worst part of our little saga, the original information about this title said that Dark Horse would be using the original color guides for the series, but a Dark Horse editor has stated that due to financial concerns, the books would, instead, use the color used on the Conan Chronicles series: color that was way over rendered and pretty downright ugly. So, I will leave it to you as to whether you want to plop down the cash for this one or not. I would recommend that you at least give it a squint, since there is the possibility they may tone down the color a bit before printing. Personally, I just wish they had done a decent Conan Archives in the first place and then we wouldn't have all these problems. SRP $49.95
DC
The Creeper by Steve Ditko
Here's an odd volume from DC and do take note of Ditko's name in the title. It is set to reprint Showcase #73,
Beware the Creeper #1-6, 1st Issue Special #7 and the Creeper short stories from World's Finest
Comics #249-255. Then, we get to the credits: written by Steve Ditko, Dan Segall, Dennis O'Neil and Michael Fleischer with art
by Steve Ditko and others? Now, how can this be a volume by Steve Ditko if other folks are involved. A bit of sleuthing
reveals that Fleisher, and O'Neill were co-writers on some of the issues and that the strange art credit is simply a rare instance of
DC acknowledging that comic books have both a penciller AND and inker. Such fun! In any event, this is a collection of all Ditko had to say
about The Creeper, an odd hero who was a talk show host in his "normal" identity and, with the aid of an activator device and a
serum, became the semi-insane, and quite irrational, crime-fighter known as The Creeper. Interesting material and solid art from Ditko. The
only caveat I might have is that these aren't going to be quite to everyone's tastes, since Ditko did inject much of his personal
philosophies into the series. Worth a squint. SRP $39.99
(ADDENDUM: Since the original solicitation for the book, DC has decided to add an additional 25 page story that was originally slated to
appear in Showcase #106, but has NEVER been reprinted. The story, “Enter Dr. Storme,” is written and drawn by
Ditko and will appear in back and white with no increase in the cover price of the book.)
Batman Chronicles Vol. 9
Reprints the Batman stories (in chronological order) from Batman #16-17, Detective Comics #75-77 and World's Finest Comics #10 by Cameron, Finger, Kane, Robinson and a host of others. I've said a lot in the past about this series and this volume is no exception. The early Batman stories are true stand-outs of the Golden Age and the chance to read seminal tales of Batman, Robin, and their rogue's gallery is something you shouldn't miss. Belongs on your bookshelf, if you don't have this material in another format. Bargain priced with an SRP of $14.99
FANTAGRAPHICS
Captain Easy, Soldier of Fortune: The Complete Sunday Newspaper Strips Vol. 1
This is a re-solicit of the book of the same name that was due out back in August of last year, with the only change being that Fantagraphics is stressing the pages will be in full color. Simply put, Crane's approach to the newspaper strip made him one of the outstanding craftsmen of the early years and is very easily compared to Milton Caniff. Crane told adventure stories in Captain Easy, in a vein similar to the early Terry and the Pirates, but his art was a bit more cartoonish than Caniff's. Where Caniff used high drama, Crane tends to read more like an illustrated version of a good adventure movie. Crane's strongest suit, however, was that he told stories that rank right up there with the best, while using an open and lightly detailed style. Great stuff that belongs up on your sagging bookshelf of newspaper reprints! SRP $35
Blazing Combat
This is set to be a softcover reprinting of the hardcover book that came out last year and, like the hardcover, will reprint all 4 issues of the Warren magazine, along with interviews with both Jim Warren and Archie Goodwin. I was a bit hesitant to fully recommend the hardcover when it was solicited last year, but now, having read the entirety of the volume, I can say that the series is much better than I had originally been led to believe (see my previous review of the hardback). It seems that the stories that have been sporadically reprinted over the years were not fully indicative of Goodwin's output and that the stance of his stories in Blazing Combat changed from anti-war at the beginning to a more understanding approach that accepts both the good and the bad that war brings out among those who fight it and the victims of the conflicts. This viewpoint is much more in keeping with what Kurtzman attempted to accomplish back in the EC days and, although I still contend that Kurtzman was a better writer than Goodwin, I have a much better appreciation of Goodwin's work on this title. So, with that in mind, I would urge you to seek out either this trade paperback edition (or the hardcover, for that matter) and settle in for a good read that you will want to include on your sagging bookshelf! SRP $19.99
THE HERO INITIATIVE
Many of us are familiar with The Hero Initiative: a non-profit organization dedicated to providing financial aid for comic creators and supplying "emergency medical aid, financial support for essentials of life, and an avenue back into paying work." According to their website, some 40 creators have been aided since the inception of the program and, aside from donations, some of their funding comes from special publishing projects, such as the following:
The Invincible Gene Colan
This will be a 128 page hardcover (not softcover as in Previews) book that will look at the 65 year career of Gene Colan with lots of art and commentary by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas and others. Most importantly, the net proceeds from the sale of the book will go directly to Colan, who has been in ill-health in the last few years. Due to contractual arrangement with Marvel, the book will only have a single printing, so you better snatch up a copy if you see it! SRP $19.99
IDW
Dan DeCarlo's Jetta
Dan DeCarlo is most associated with Archie comics but, in the 1950s, he drew a 3 issue series about a teenager from the 21st Century known as Jetta. This hardcover (the first in a new series from Yoe Books entitled, The Library of Good Girl Art) will reprint the entire series along with a group of Jetta tribute pinups by contemporary artists, rare, unpublished art by DeCarlo himself and an introduction by series editor Craig Yoe. Having never seen these stories, I don't really know what to say, but DeCarlo's work is always a joy to the eye. Give it a squint! SRP $21.99
MARVEL
Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Daring Mystery Vol. 2
Reprints Daring Mystery Comics #5-8 by a veritable "who's who" of creators. Unfortunately, Daring was not an A-list book and the characters presented here are decidedly B and C-list. Citizen V, Captain Daring, The Blue Diamond...the list goes on and on. Everett is here along with Simon and Kirby, but I give this one a wide berth. For the completist only. SRP $59.99
Marvel Masterworks: The Fantastic Four Vol. 12
Reprints Fantastic Four #117-128 by Lee, Thomas, Goodwin, Buscema and Sinnott. As I've said before, once Kirby left the FF, nobody else seemed to understand what made the book work. Lee certainly didn't have a clue as to who the FF were and other hands were just about as clueless. In fact, I would go so far as to suggest that, except a sequence by Wolfman that led up to #200, things were just passable until Byrne came onboard. Here are more of the post-Kirby stories, which aren't really helped by Goodwin's re-hash of a Silver Surfer vs. Galactus story. This is followed by the beginning of the Roy Thomas run on the book, which is better than Goodwin's or Lee's, but still a bit shaky. The high point, however, is the pencilling of John Buscema, ably inked by Joe Sinnott. Buscema was clearly the heir to Kirby in many ways and his dynamic drawing style produced characters who were both powerful and of heroic proportions. Lots of pretty pictures here and, if you are so inclined, you could pick this one up to look at, but just don't read the stories. SRP $54.99
Marvel Masterworks: Captain America Vol. 1
Reprints The Captain American stories from Tales of Suspense #59-81 by Lee, Kirby, Tuska, Romita and Ayers. It is not often that a creator gets to revisit one of his creations, but that was the case when Kirby returned to Captain America in the 60s. Although Captain America had not been in print since the 50s, Lee and Kirby decided to add him to the Marvel Universe in Avengers #4. They didn't re-tool or update the character, but came up with a plausible origin that explained exactly where Cap had been for the years between WWII and the (then) present (post-WWII adventures were ignored and this seeming anomoly wasn't explained until many years later, when it was established that others had served in Steve Roger's absence while he was frozen in that block of ice...). What was unknown to many comic fans of the time, however, was that Kirby had co-created Captain America back in the 40s. These are great stories that not only do a re-working of Cap's origin that is faithful to the Golden Age, but also set up many of the plot threads that would carry Cap's stories for many years to come. You'll find the Red Skull, Sharon Carter, some assorted Nazis here and lots more. I do wish that this collection had included the Cap imposter story from TOS #58, but that is only a minor quibble. Excellent on all levels and if you don't have these stories in some other form, this one belongs up on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $24.99
PURE IMAGINATION
Nothing listed for this month
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Nothing of interest this month.
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