New This Week: February 8, 2006

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:


The Pick of the Week is Javier Grillo-Marxauch & Les McClaine's The Middle Man, vol. 1: The Trade Paperback Imperitive, collecting the loads-of-fun mini-series from Viper Comics. And if you like that, the first issue of volume two can be picked up at the same time for just 99 cents!


In other comics:

About comics bring a classic William Messner-Loebs story back into print with the Welcome to Heaven, Dr. Franklin one-shot.

Aeon have the fourth issue of Matt Howarth's Keif Llama: Xenotech.

Arcana finally release 100 Girls #7.

DC have a Showcase Presents The House of Mystery; the 200th issue of Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight; George Perez & Paul Levitz on the NYT-hyped JSA #82; the put-it-out-of-its-misery final issue of JLA (#125); and new issues of 100 Bullets (#69), Captain Atom: Armageddon (#5), DMZ (#4), Fables (#46), Jonah Hex (#4), Majestic (#14), and Earth-2 Superman (#226).

Evil Twin have the Action Philosophers World Domination Handbook.

IDW have the Spike: Old Wounds one-shot.

Image have the debut of Jimmie Robinson's new series, Bomb Queen, and a new issue of Invincible (#28).

Marvel have new issues of Black Widow 2 (#5), New Thunderbolts (#18), and Ultimate X-Men (#67), and an new Franklin Richards: Son of a Genius one-shot.

It's Viz'z turn to dump a bunch of manga on the market, including new volumes of Banana Fish (v. 12), Hikaru-no Go (v. 6), Maison Ikkoku (v. 15), and Nana (v. 2).


Enjoy your new comics!

Missing Hellblazer Online

Someone has posted the 'missing' Hellblazer story online. Titled "Shoot," it's by Warren Ellis & Phil Jimenez. Originally scheduled to be released as Hellblazer #141, it was pulled due to the Columbine shootings.

(lin via Sid at Across the Counter)

YACB Bulletins

Multimedia edition!

ITEM! Rivkah at Ushicon & ALA Midwinter (with photos), two very different conventions :)

ITEM! Alison Bechdel in a short but informative interview on BBC Radio 4.

ITEM! On this past weekend's On the Media, Susan Caskie talks wth host Bob Garfield about the Danish "cartoon controversy," giving a precise rundown about what exactly happened, and when.

ITEM! George Takei interviewed for the Archive of American Television, free on Google video. Nearly 3 unedited hours of Mr. Sulu!

ITEM! Cthulego Mythos (via Tegan)

Dave's Dozen: Collections/GNs

Concluding my look through the February Previews (for items supposedly shipping in April), here are a baker's dozen collections and graphic novels that I feel are worth your attention:


X-Men and Power Pack: The Power of X Digest
(Marvel, $6.99, p. M87)
Really, at only sveen bucks, there's just no excuse for you not giving this a go. Unless you just don't like fun, well-drawn, all-ages super-hero comics. The first digest is available for reorder too, so you can double your Pack for just $7 more.


Eden: It's an Endless World! vol. 3
(Dark Horse, $12.95, p. 40)
The first volume was a pleasant surprise: an intelligent science fiction manga with good art and an intriguing story. This series should appeal to those of you who enjoyed Planetes or Akira, even though it is a different sort of story than those.


Y: The Last Man, vol. 7 – Paper Dolls
(DC/Vertigo, $14.99, p. 123)
Another quality speculative fiction series, available in reading-size chunks with no ads for crappy rock bands. Plus, we get to check in on what's been going on with Ampersand the monkey, and monkeys always make comics better.


The Tourist
(Image, $9.99, p. 146)
Originally scheduled to come out from Ait/PlanetLAR, this OGN from Brian Wood and Toby Cypress finally makes an appearance under the Image banner. Action, drama, and cool drawings of oil rigs.


Lost in Space: Voyage to the Bottom of the Soul
(Bubblehead, $37.95, p. 242)
IIRC, this more adult take on LiS by Bill Mumy and Michal Dutkiewicz only saw six of its planned twelve issues come out before Innovation folded way back when. So despite the hefty price I'm anxious to see the conclusion after all these years.


Shades of Gray Comics & Stories
(Century Comics, $24.95, p. 244)
Jimmy Gownley cut his comics teeth on this self-published comic about teenagers in outer suburbia. It was a bit rough at times, especially the earlier issues, but it was very earnest and heartfelt, and rang true to those of us who grew up in such an environment.


A Patch of Dreams
(Fanfare/Ponent Mon, $22.99, p. 278)
I know next to nothing about this comic by Hideji Oda, but with F/PM's track record I have faith that it'll be good.


The Complete Peanuts, vol. 5: 1959-1960
(Fantagraphics, $28.95, p. 278)
The comprehensive Peanuts collections reach the end of the first decade, and I'm in it for the long haul. This features the debut of such long-time Peanuts themes as Lucy's Psychiatric booth, The Great Pumpkin, and sally, plus one of the most famous Peanuts strips ever.


Adventures in Oz
(IDW, $39.99, p. 292)
Finally, all of Eric Shanower's original OZ albums get collected into one place. Shanower manages to capture the magic of Baum's original stories in lush graphic narrative. Not to be missed.


Little Star
(Oni Press, $19.95, p. 306)
For those of us who were wating for the trade on Andi Watson's latest, here it is. I haven't read it yet, but it's gotten good reviews so I'll be picking it up.


Kat & Mouse, vol. 1
(TokyoPop, $5.99, p. 329)
Alex de Campi & Federica Manfredi team up for an OEL manga about myserty solving boarding school girls. Aimed at tweens, but I'm young at heart!


Kings in Disguise
(W. W. Norton, $16.95, p. 361)
I've heard a lot of good things about this classic series set in Detroit during the Great Depression, but I've never been able to read it, until now.


The Cartoon Guide to (Non) Communication
(Harper-Collins, $16.95, p. 379)
This classic by Larry Gonick is probably my favorite out of everything he's done, and it's a must read for anyone involved in Web work and the information professions. I'm very happy to see this book back in print.



Yeah, that's a baker's dozen. Deal with it.

That concludes Dave's Dozen for this month (previously I covered mainstream comics and indy comics). Come back next month for 36 (or 37 or 38...) picks.

New Library Comics: Week of January 30, 2006

Here are the comics we got in for our library collection last week:


Chiarello, Mark. The DC Comics guide to coloring and lettering comics /New York : Watson-Guptill Publications, 2004.

DeFelippis, Nunzio. Skinwalker /Portland, OR : Oni Press, 2003.

Groth, Gary. Drawing the line /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, c2004.

Hornschemeier, Paul. Stand on a mountain, look back /Columbus, OH : I Don't Get It Graphics, 2001.

Knight, Keith. Dances with sheep : a K chronicles compendium /San Francisco : Manic D Press, 1997.

Knight, Keith. Fear of a black marker : another K chronicles compendium /San Francisco : Manic D Press, 2000.

Knight, Keith. Red, white, black & blue : a (th)ink anthology : cartoons /San Francisco, Calif. : Manic D Press, c2004.

Komikwerks. /Boston : Komikwerks. v. 1-2

Sadogawa, Jun. Noodle fighter Miki /Houston, Tex. : ADV Manga ; London : Diamond [distributor], 2005. v. 1

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Primate returns on the cover of 1997's Explorers #2 by Al Bigley & Bill Neville, one of those titles that was sadly lost in the Caliber/Tapestry implosion.

(Standard disclaimer about apes not really being monkeys applies.)

Image courtesy of the GCD. Click on the image for a larger version.

Dave's Dozen: Indy Comics

Continuing my look through the February Previews (for comics supposedly shipping in April), here are a dozen indy comics that I feel are worth your attention:


Superior Showcase #1
(Adhouse Books, $2.95, p. 207)
Spinning out of Project: Superior, it's an anthology series of indy cartoonists doing their take on super-heroes. This first issue features the talents of Nick Bertozzi, Mike Dawson & Dean Trippe.


Tron: The Ghost in the Machine #1
(Slave Labor Graphics, $3.50, p. 212)
Another comic springing out of the strange alliance between SLG & Disney, this sequel to the groundbreaking film takes place in teh present day. It'll be interesting to see what changes they make now that 'cyberspace' is something that many more people are actually familiar with, and the computer landscape has changed so much.


Horrorwood #1 (0f 4)
(Ape Entertainment, $3.50, p. 218)
It's a mystery set against the backdrop of Hollywood, and I find the art attractive, so I'll probably give Brandon Terrell & Brent Schoonover's new comic a try.


Mouse Guard #2
(Archaia Studios, $3.50, p. 220)
I've read the original black and white version of the first issue of Mouse Guard, and it's intrigued me enough that I'll be giving this color series a go.


Warren Ellis' Wolfskin #1 (0f 3)
(Avatar Press, $3.99, p. 229)
Surely it won't be at the level of Nextwave or ay of Ellis's other major works, but with full-color art from Juan Jose Ryp this barbarian tale is bound to be full of plenty of good-looking senseless violence.


Cthulhu Tales #1
(Boom! Studios, $6.99, p. 240)
Six new comic book tales based on Lovecraft's Cthulu mythos. While I prefer the tales presented in their original style, the mythos have shown to be easily adapted into other types of stories too, so no matter what the take is here I imagine it'll be enjoyable.


Or Else #4
(Drawn & Quarterly, $5.95, p. 275)
Or Else #2 was quite possibly the best single issue of last year, and by now you've surely read all the praise that's been heaped on Huizenga's recent Ganges. If you're already on board, this is a no-brainer. If not, well, this'll give you the perfect opportunity to see what all the fuss is about.


Action Philosphers: Hate the French!
(Evil Twin Comics, $2.95, p. 278)
Fred Van Lente & Ryan Dunlavey take the Larry Gonick approach to make comics that are both irreverant and informative, showing that educational comics can also be a lot of fun.


Dorothy #7
(Illusive Arts, $5.00, p. 294)
This photocomic for the 21st century continues the intriguing modern take on the Wizard of Oz.


Buckaroo Bonzai #1 (of 3)
(Moonstone, $3.50, p. 298)
Adapting the never-produced tv pilot script into comic book form, this is the return of the great 80's cult hero. (It's in full color, which I think will improve the B&W art from the preview issue.)


Monkey vs. Lemur: Crisis with Infinite Critters #1
(Silent Devil, $3.95, p. 310)
Assuming this extra-sized issue equals the madcap wanton combat of the first special, it should be a lot of fun. I just wish that the monkey wasn't the 'bad guy'.


The Middleman volume 2 #4
(Viper Comics, $2.95, p. 353)
While most tv writers who slum in comics turn to the mainstream publishers, Javier Grillo-Marxuach has taken the road less travelled and teamed up with Les McClaine to produce a creator-owned story of secret agents protecting us from the unexplainable.



That wraps up my look at indy comics. A couple of days ago I highlighted mainstream comics, and ina few days I'll put up my Collections/GNs picks.