06/01/09 - Releases for June
A RANT RETRACTION (or OOPS!)
Author/Editor Greg Sadowski dropped me a note concerning my rant over Supermen! The First Wave of Comic Heroes 1936-1941 that appeared last month. It seems that I mis-interpreted his remarks in an interview I read. It was not that he didn't feel the art in the Eisner Wonderman story didn't look good, it was that he couldn't find a copy that would reproduce cleanly enough to meet his standards for the art that would appear in the book.
Thanks to Greg for taking the time to give me his side of the issue and I stand (er, sit) corrected.
SHIPPING NEWS AND UPDATES
- Blazing Combat did indeed make it into stores and my copy now sits in the to-be-read pile. Note that the price went up six bucks from the time it was ordered to the time it shipped.
- Apparently (and for reasons unknown), Playboy's Trump! The Complete Collection (mentioned below, originally slated for March release, has been pulled from the schedule and will be rescheduled for some time in 2010.
- The Complete Chester Gould's Dick Tracy Vol. 7 hasn't made it into shops yet and it was due out in April.
- As per the best laid plans scenario, the Marvel Masterworks: Warlock Vol. 2 listed below has been pushed back to July.
AC COMICS
Crypt of Horror #6
Another semi-thick reprint volume from AC with more horror reprints from the likes of Palais, Powell, Ayers, Elias and many more. Worth a squint, although these AC collections seem a little on the thin size for the price. SRP $24.95
DARK HORSE
Turok, Son of Stone Archives Vol. 2
Reprints Turok, Son of Stone #7-12 by Paul S. Newman and a bunch of artists. Not sure what to say here. Assuming that the production values at Dark Horse are pretty much the same, reports on the first Tarzan volume say that the coloring is a bit too bright (I haven't seen a copy as of yet), so that may be the case here. And, since I'm not even sure if the first volume of this series is out as of this writing, I can't comment on what it looks like. Suffice to say, that if you like dinosaurs and lost worlds, you will probably like the Turok series, although the tales are rather tame. Give it a squint if you can find a copy. SRP $49.95
Playboy's Trump! The Complete Collection
Reprints the two issues that Kurtzman produced for Hugh Hefner back in 1957 following his decision to leave EC. Like Mad, Trump is filled with parody and continues the direction that Kurtzman had started with the final magazine sized issues of Mad. Kurtzman is here, along with Dave, Elder and Wood, some new faces and also the writing talents or Max Shulman, Mel Brooks and others. This is certainly turning into the year of Kurtzman, since both Help! and Humbug have come out, or are in production. The work here is no less brilliant, but I would warn you that parodies are often timely and may read a bit dated after all this time. Worth a squint all the same and probably inclusion up on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $19.95
DC
The Spirit Archives Vol. 26
Here is yet another first from DC...the arrival of the advance resolicitation of a previously advance solicited item that failed to make it out on its scheduled release date, but still needs to be advance solicited, because DC still can't figure out how many copies to print? Sheesh! With that rant out of the way, what you will get here is anybody's guess, as DC still won't list the contents of this book, even though it was originally due out in December of 08 and it was advance solicited then. All that is officially known is that it will probably be a wrap-up, with material from Harvey, Kitchen Sink Press and other disparate sources. To see my guess as to what the book may contain, take a look here. I dunno...probably worth a squint, but I'd look closely before I bought it! SRP $59.99
Golden Age Starman Archives Vol. 2
Reprints the Starman stories from Adventure Comics #77-102 by Fox, Bester, Burnley, Meskin, Roussos, Gershwin and others. More Golden Age adventures by a veritable who's who of artists. Starman was one of those characters who was enjoyable, but not really memorable. Ted Knight, scientist and astronomer, figures out a way to harness stellar radiation and puts this power into a gravity (later cosmic) rod. With this device, he fights various menaces and, unlike his modern day counterpart, managed to fight evil and live his life without angst. Worth a squint, but may not be to everyone's taste. SRP $49.99
Showcase Presents: Green Lantern Vol. 4
Reprints Green Lantern #60-75 (the 60s version of the character) by O'Neil, Broome, Kane, Sekowsky (not "Fekowsky" as listed in Previews) and others. The character of Green Lantern had kind of worn thin by this time. Better to wait until the next volume where O'Neil and Adams turned the strip on its ear. SRP $16.99
FANTAGRAPHICS
You Shall Die By Your Own Evil Creation
This sequel to I Shall Destroy All The Civilized Planets! will feature even more of the bizarre and primitive comics work of Fletcher Hanks. The book is set to collect everything that wasn't collected in the first volume and, if you pick this one along with the first, you will have all of Hanks' output (otherwise known as a complete set!). Edited by Paul Karasik. Worth a squint and possible inclusion on your sagging bookshelf, although Hanks will not appeal to everyone. SRP $24.99
GEMSTONE PUBLISHING
Still waiting for news on the fate of the company.
HERMES
The Time Tunnel: Complete Series
More Irwin Allen tie-ins from Hermes with a trade paperback reprinting of the only two issues ever produced of Time Tunnel! Art by Tom Gill with stories by the ever popular Various! Background information about the show, essays, blue prints and more since they have to fill up the book somehow to try to justify the ridiculous SRP of $19.99!!
IDW
Nothing of interest this month.
MANUSCRIPT PRESS
Comics Revue #279
Sixty-four pages of comic strip reprints, including anything from Gasoline Alley to Tarzan. Captain Easy is featured on the cover this month. Well worth a squint and a great place to start exploring the world of comic strips. SRP $6.95
MARVEL
I've been pretty much ignoring the Marvel 70th Anniversary specials, due to Marvel's tendency to be very revisionist when it comes to new stories that feature Golden Age characters (dark and bleak do not a good comic make). Now that the early releases are out, I can say that the art is pretty much poor to terrible, except for a single Sub-Mariner story that features art by Al Williamson...
That being said, the releases for this month are Miss America Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 and Young Allies Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special. Of the two, I would put my money on the Young Allies. Even though it is supposed to "tell the truth behind the original kid gang" (a phrase that sends shivers up my spine), it is written by Roger Stern: a writer who has always been able to tell an entertaining story without tramping all over everything that has gone before. Both have an SRP of $3.99 and both feature a Golden Age reprint.
Marvel Masterworks: Warlock Vol. 2
Reprints Strange Tales #178-181, Warlock #9-15, Marvel Team-Up #55, Avengers Annual #7 and Marvel Two-In-One Annual #2 by Jim Starlin, Jim Starlin, Al Milgrom, Steve Leiloha, Joe Rubinstein and a single issue by Mantlo, Byrne and Hunt. Back in the 70s, Jim Starlin was a very hot ticket at Marvel, having turned Captain Marvel into a truly cosmic character—far removed from his original origins as an alien spy for a proposed invasion of Earth, or his later incarnation as a lame Marvel version of the Fawcett character of the same name. Looking for a new challenge, Marvel gave him the go ahead to re-define Warlock, a character that had been re-invented a couple of times since his introduction by Kirby in Fantastic Four. Given a free hand to do his thing, Starlin surprised everyone. Beginning as a tryout in Strange Tales, the series became popular enough that Warlock was returned to his own book. Sales were not as strong as hoped, however, and a story in Marvel Team-Up might have been the swan song of the charater, if saner heads had not prevailed and Starlin was allowed to finish up his tale in a pair of annuals. This single volume is some of the best material ever done for Marvel and features Jim Starlin at his finest. Cosmic, epic and adult are all terms I would use to describe the storyline contained here and the story is also just downright excellent science fiction, to boot. Warlock, as portrayed by Starlin, has Messianic overtones and he battles Thanos, and himself, in a story that manages to incorporate most of the Marvel characters. The only comparison I can find for you is that if you were impressed by the Kree-Skrull War, this is better. Also included is the story from Marvel Team-Up, which, although well drawn by Byrne, pales when compared to the rest of the saga. Definitely worth a good, long squint and a place of honor on your sagging bookshelf. Do note that Marvel has upped the price before the book is published and it now has an SRP of $59.99. (NOTE: The book has been delayed in the Mighty Marvel Manner and will ship in July rather than this month.)
Marvel has also begun their reprinting of the Marvel Masterworks volumes in trade paperback format with an SRP of $24.99. The releases are coming out in the order they originally appeared, but I've yet to see a listing for The Avengers. These were worth the admission price when they originally came out and at this lower price are even more of a bargain!
PURE IMAGINATION
Nothing listed for this month.
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
All-Star Companion Vol. 4
The final volume of Roy Thomas' look back at All-Star Comics with an index to the complete solo adventures of the JSA members, articles on other teams (like the Seven soldiers of Victory, All Winners Squad and Marvel Family and others) with lots and lots of art. SRP $27.95
Alter Ego #86
A look at the pretenders to Kurtzman's Mad in the early 50s. Lots of art, lots of text and the first part of an interview with Frank Bolle (who didn't work on a Mad imitation, but was a good artist none the less). SRP $6.95
Jack Kirby Collector #53
A look at "The Magic of Stan and Jack" including a reminisce by Stan Lee on working with Kirby from the 40s through the 60s, another look at the "lost" Fantastic Four story (#108, which was reprinted in the last year) along with a missing page that just surfaced and the long standing speculation of "What if Jack hadn't left Marvel in 1970." All this in an oversized package with lots of art. SRP $9.95
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