11/02/09 - Releases for November
SHIPPING: THE BANE OF MY EXISTENCE
The Tomb of Dracula Omnibus Vol. 2, scheduled for October, has been pushed back to December (yeah, that ties in well with the Christmas holidays...)
Apparently, although I have no details, the DC Classics Library - Shazam! The Monster Society of Evil has been cancelled (it's been long rumored to be in preparation, but I don't think it has ever been formally solicited).
IN THE NEWS
Lots of odds and ends are cropping up from the Diamond Retailers Summit that was held as part of the Baltimore Comic Con. Most interesting was the announcements from DC regarding some upcoming projects:
- The Atomic Knights (gorgeous Murphy Anderson art) will get a color hardcover reprint volume.
- The Viking Prince (Joe Kubert art) will get a color hardcover reprint volume.
- Wednesday Comics will be reprinted in a single volume, however the size will be 11 x 7, which is just about half of the original page size...not sure about how well this will work.
And, something I noticed but forgot to mention:
- Sometime after the new year, DC will present The Newsboy Legion by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby!
And, although I (and many others) have been counting Gemstone among the dead, it seems that just a couple of weeks ago, they managed to put out the first volume of the EC Archives: Frontline Combat, so I guess we can't fill in the grave as of yet.
AC COMICS
Nothing of interest this month.
BOOM STUDIOS
Boom! is one publisher who really needs to get their house in order, since the descriptions of their books are not exactly the clearest in the world and I really have trouble sorting out what's what. With this in mind, Donald Duck and Friends #348, Mickey Mouse and Friends #298, Uncle Scrooge #385 and Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #701 should all be out this month and their contents should be just about the same as last month with art and story produced by European Disney artists. SRP of $2.99 for each.
Another case in point is Walt Disney's Christmas Classics Vol. 1, which may or may not be released this month and has very little real information available as to the contents. The title was solicited back in the summer with no release date attached and all Boom! tells us is that it is a "best of" collection from Disney's "vast comic book publishing history." Barks, Kelly, Jippes and Gottfredson are some of the names mentioned in the solicitation, but some actual information as to contents, especially for a hardcover, would be appreciated. I'd recommend you give this one a squint, but don't grab it without a thorough looksee. SRP $24.99
DARK HORSE
The following item was solicited by Dark Horse, but can't be found anywhere on their website, but I'm including it here anyway:
The Groo Treasury Vol. 1
Reprints the Groo material from Destroyer Duck #1, Starslayer #5, Pacific Comics's Groo the Wanderer #1-#8, Eclipse Comics's Groo the Wanderer Special #1, and Epic's The Groo Chronicles #1-6. More years ago than I care to remember, Sergio Aragones and Mark Evanier created a parody of Conan (and all sword and sorcery characters) called Groo. The first story ran as a part of the Destroyer Duck comic, that was put together to get money for Steve Gerber's lawsuit over ownership of Howard the Duck (a tale for another time). Groo seemed like a one-joke wonder, but the basic humor of the strip (an inept swordsman) has outlived not only the genre it parodied, but numerous publishers as well. This one will reprint a huge amount of Groo tales from the very first to somewhere around mid-point in the series (I've lost track of exactly how many issues have actually come out...somewhere around 150+). I'm a bit confused over the contents, since the Groo Chronicles reprinted the Pacific series, so I guess we'll all have to wait until the book comes out (if it ever does) to find out what's inside. Some great fun here in the early stories, although some of the jokes do wear thin if you read too many stories at one sitting. Worth a squint and apparently in color. SRP $24.95
Turok, Son of Stone Archives Vol. 4
Reprints Turok, Son of Stone #19-24 of the Dell run by Paul S. Newman and a host of artists. Honkers (dinosaurs) and lost civilizations...these are the world of Turok and if these type of adventures are your thing, you've come to the right place. If not, give it a wide berth. (NOTE: this volume is listed on the Dark Horse website as shipping in October) SRP $49.95
Little Lulu: Miss Feeny's Folly and Other Stories
Continuing the color reprinting of Dell's John Stanley/Irving Tripp take on the character, this trade paperback will feature stories that originally appeared in Marge's Little Lulu #100-105. Great kid stuff and worth a squint. SRP $14.95
DC
Batman/Doc Savage Special #1
Proving that you can't keep a bad idea down, we have the unlikely pairing of Doc and Batman in what, most likely, will be an out-and-out disaster, since the characters have nothing in common (and Batman is shown using a gun in the promo art that is floating around online). Not only that, but there is promise of a new 6-issue series that will reveal a new DC pulp-inspired universe. Comics have long had a love affair with pulp characters, but have nearly always done them poorly. Smith and Street produced their own comic versions of The Shadow and Doc Savage even while they were producing the pulps, but they couldn't seem to get it right. Other characters have cropped up here and there and, in recent memory, DC did what was probably the best version of The Shadow, but they also did the worst, with their Doc Savage not fairing much better (and we won't even talk about what a disaster the Marvel version of the Man of Bronze was!). And, one must not forget that Batman, at least when DC had the rights to the character, listed The Shadow as his greatest influence...Give it a squint, but pulp characters have been so poorly done in comics, I don't give this one much hope. SRP $4.99
Saga of The Swamp Thing Book 2
Reprints Saga of The Swamp Thing #29-34 and Annual #2 written by Alan Moore and arted by Stephen Bissette, John Totleben, Ron Randall and Shawn McManus. This volume continues Moore's tenure on the title and features the understated horror that was one of his trademarks on the series. Yet, the excellence of the strip was not only built on horror—Moore only used that as a springboard to tell stories that work on all sorts of levels. The Phantom Stranger, the Spectre, the Demon and other guests show up for the story from Annual 2. The character of the Swamp Thing is expanded (like, what makes him tick) and there is more exploration his elemental nature. Moore's view on relationships is also put forth in the final tale of the volume, and the love between Abby and the Swamp Thing is taken to a deeper level: one that goes beyond the physical aspects of relationships into a realm where the bonding of two individuals is something mystical and spiritual. And, there is a great issue here where a group of aliens show up all of whom are based on characters from the comic strip Pogo... This is another one that belongs up on your sagging bookshelf without question. SRP $24.99
Showcase Presents: DC Comics Presents-Superman Team-ups Vol. 1
Reprints DC Comics Presents #1-26 by Wein, Levitz, Garcia-Lopez, Anderson and a host of others. DC had always had success with the Batman team-ups in Brave and the Bold, so someone in the editorial department decided that Superman should team up with various DC characters-in effect, creating a second cash cow. The stories here feature the Man of Steel with a whole slew of different characters and the results just aren't good. Superman, unlike Batman, wasn't an easily adaptable character and, while the team-ups always tried hard, they rarely worked. There is some good art here, especially from the under-rated Jose Garcia-Lopez. but the stories always seemed forced in DCCP and often came across as poor attempts to keep trademarks current rather than crafting interesting, and entertaining stories. Unless this one hits your nostalgia button, I'd give it a wide berth. SRP $17.99
FANTAGRAPHICS
The Definitive Prince Valiant Companion
This is a new and updated printing of Brian M. Kane's reference volume that has been out of print for over ten years. Most anything you could want to know about the history of the Prince Valiant strip is here and the updated material brings the book to the present day. Hard to believe that Prince Valiant will has been in continuous publication for 75 years! SRP $39.99
IDW
The Family Circus Library Vol. 1
Another part of The Library of American Comics, this volume will present the complete dailies and Sundays for the first two years of the strip starting with the first strip that was originally published on Feb. 29, 1960. No information on whether the Sundays will be in color.I'm very curious how this strip will fare with the comic crowd, since the each daily is a single panel and the subject matter is far from earth-shattering, but focuses, rather, on family life. Most likely, IDW is hoping to tap into a general audience. Not my cup of tea, but it might be yours. SRP $39.99
Bringing Up Father Vol. 1
Another entry in The Library of American Comics, this series is set to reprint the George McManus on-going tale of a hen-pecked Irishman who has gone from the working class to the upper class. This first volume will reprint all the dailies and Sundays (with Sundays in color) from January 2, 1939-July 7, 1940: an odd decision, since this is rather late in the strip's run. Hopefully all will be explained... SRP $49.99
The Art of Ditko
This book, produced by Craig Yoe, is planned to be an overview of "Ditko's most innovative and rare stories" with the addition of original art and numerous essays about Ditko. The problem: there is no listing of the actual contents of the book, so this may duplicate other volumes you have in you collection (particularly Strange Suspense: The Steve Ditko Archives Vol. 1 which should have shipped in September). I'd give this one a squint and then decide if you need to include it on your sagging bookshelf. SRP $29.99
MANUSCRIPT PRESS
Comics Revue Presents December 2009
Another 120 pages of your favorite strips, including the cover featured Phantom, Tarzan, Flash Gordon and others. SRP $16.00
MARVEL
Marvel Masterworks: Deathlok Vol. 1
Reprints Astonishing Tales #24-28, 30-35, Marvel Spotlight #33, Marvel Team-Up #46, Marvel Two In One #27, 54 and Captain America #286-288 by Rich Buckler and numerous writers, pecillers and inkers. Marvel has had its share of hits and misses in the Masterworks series and this, unfortunately is one of the misses. Back in the 70s, Rich Buckler was given his shot at writing and drawing his own creation, Deathlok. While quite a bit ahead of its time, what with the combination of bionics, computer chips and brain wipes, the series lacked direction beyond its initial concept. Once the Deathlok character finds that he is a cyborg, and not a man, the basic conflict of the character was resolved and what was left was a man in a robot body with a computer chip running in his head (a bit of business that could have been further developed). Let's face it, Wolfman did the Cyborg character in Teen Titans a lot better. The stories presented here start at the very beginning and continue on through the Captain America tales (beautifully drawn by Mike Zeck) which were a bit of a swan song for the original characterization of Deathlok. Of them all, Deathlok faired best as a supporting character and the solo series does not read well enough to warrant the Masterworks treatment. This one should have been a trade paperback. Give it a look and move on. SRP $64.99
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Man Vol. 1
Reprints Giant-Size X-Men #1 and X-Men #94-100 by Wein, Mantlo, Claremont, Cockrum and assorted inkers. I recently re-read these stories when I cracked open my copy of the Omnibus reprinting and was quite pleasantly surprised. Back before they were weighted down with tons of continuity, the X-Men was an enjoyable strip and the stories offered here are no exception. The re-invention of the X-Men is featured here, with its melding of the old team with the new, and these early stories are filled with less angst than the later years. Action is the byword and at a pace is I still find astounding, the team is thrown from one adventure into another. Claremont's writing, however, plants enough sub-plots and character development to keep you coming back for more and keep your interest. What the heck, if you want to see why X-Men were once the best selling title on the market, here's your chance to see how story and art can blend together to create good comics. Well worth a squint and a bargain at the trade paperback price. SRP $24.99
Powers: The Definitive Collection Vol. 3
Reprints Powers #25-37 by Bendis and Oeming. A great series that is worth the squint and should be up on your sagging bookshelf. 'Nuff said! SRP $29.99
Fantastic Four Visionaries: Walter Simonson Vol. 3
Reprints Fantastic Four #347-350 and 352-354 by Simonson, Adams and Tanaka. Running a close third behind Kirby and Byrne in the "who's best on the FF" sweepstakes is Walt Simonson. Simonson's short run on the FF was brilliant and involved not only time travel, but some insightful characterization along with an "alternate" FF that was illustrated by Art Adams. Definitely worth a squint and possible inclusion on the bookshelf. SRP $19.99
There is also an Essential Moon Knight Vol. 3 due out this month and "Essential" in this case is a total oxymoron!
PURE IMAGINATION
Bill Ward's Torchy Vol. 2
Not sure what this one will include, since it only lists Modern Comics and Torchy Comics as its source. Theakston always produces good stuff and I'd at least recommend that you give this one a squint, if Bill Ward is your cup of tea. SRP $25.00
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Sal Buscema: Comics' Fast & Furious Artist
This will be an overview of Sal Buscema's comic's career with an exhaustive interview and lots of art. Hardback (with extra pages) SRP $46.95, Softcover SRP $26.95
Back Issue #27
Comics go to war with looks at Sgt. Rock, the Evanier/Spiegle Blackhawk, The Invaders, Combat Kelly, a comparison of the DC and Marvel war comics and, oddly enough, a feature about comics that featured real-life heroes like Mother Theresa and Pope John Paul. SRP $6.95
Jack Kirby Collector #54
More looks at "The Magic of Lee and Kirby," a new interview with George Tuska, comparisons of Kirby and Ditko and a Will Murray in-depth examination of the creation of the Fantastic Four. SRP $10.95
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