Thursday, 19 May 2005

FCBM Day 17 Redux

Chris Tamarri informs me that he's already a big fan of Gotham Central, the sixth issue of which was chosen for him in day 17. So instead I'll be sending him Forsaken #1 by Carmen Treffiletti, Kristian Donaldson and Nick Zagami.

This means that Gotham Central #6 is up for grabs. If you've already sent in your FCBM entry, and would like Gotham Central #6 as your selection, email me and they're yours. If you haven't yet sent in your entry, do so and tell me that you want it. First person who claims it gets it.

FCBM Day 19

It's day nineteen of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Tony Soderquist. The five comics that Tony listed are:

1. Birds of Prey
2. Captain America
3. JSA
4. Teen Titans
5. Daredevil

Now Tony doesn't come right out and say that he's a Star Wars fan, but since today is the opening day of the new movie, I've picked for Tony Star Wars Infinities: A New Hope #1, the first issue of the What If/Elseworlds version of Star Wars by Chris Warner, Drew Johnson & Ray Snyder.

Like all the selected entries, Tony will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Tony's comics should be in the mail at the end of the week. Enjoy!


Current FCBM Statistics:
94 entries
60 free comics sent so far
12 days remaining

Wednesday, 18 May 2005

FCBM Day 18.5

It's still day eighteen of the YACB Free Comic Book Month, but let's give away some more comics, shall we?

Today's second selected entry comes from TangognaT. The five comics that she listed are:

1. Hot Gimmick
2. Human Target
3. Street Angel
4. Astonishing X-Men
5. Hellboy

For TangognaT I have an issue of Walter Crane's mythological fantasy Sheba; vol. 2 #3 to be precise.

Like all the selected entries, she will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

TangognaT's comics should be in the mail at the end of the week. Enjoy!


Current FCBM Statistics:
94 entries
58 free comics sent so far
13 days remaining

Previews-o-Rama part 2: The Middle

We continue now with the second half of our monthly stroll through the lastest Previews for items scheduled to come out in July (loosely defined...):


Abiogenesis Press and Gary Spencer Millidge have the third collection of StrangeHaven, Conspiracies, collecting issues #13-18. Of course, issue #17 just came out a couple of weeks ago, so I imagine that this trade will be delayed well past July. Still, it'll be worth the wait for one of the best comics currently being published.

Active images have another Hip Flask one-shot, Myserty City.

Seal Team Seven graphic novel: The U.S. Navy vs. Atlantis. What more do you need to know? By Zack Sherman & Roberto de la Torre, from AiT/PlanetLAR.

It's official: Alias have bitten off way more than they can handle in trying to launch so many series in the span of a few months. Still, I'll be glad to see Opposite Forces make a return, especially with a 75 cent first issue. Penny & Aggie also continue, and they have a trade collection of Lions, Tigers & Bears. Oh yeah, and a comic called Monkey in a Wagon vs. Lemur on a Big Wheel--forget Rann vs. Thanagar, this is the comic showdown of the year! (I'm rooting for monkey, of course!)

Alternative Comics have Andrew Drozd's Xeric Award-winning Coexisting one-shot.

Hey look, it's a new issue of Roman Dirge's Lenore--must be a blue moon or something...

The good news is that Ben Dunn is returning to Antarctic's Ninja High School with issue #130. The bad news is that for some strange reason he's only drawing it, and not writing. As a bonus of sorts, Antarctic also have the first five Ninja High School Pocket Manga volumes in a set for just $30--and all 23 issues are original Ben Dunn.

I count seven different covers for Avatar's Medieval Lady Death/Belladonna #1, and that's seven covers too many.

Basement Comics are offering remastered versions of Budd Root's original Cavewoman series starting with the first issue of Cavewoman: Reloaded.

Buymetoys.com (what a name for a comic company--I wonder where their true business intentions lie?) have a 'preview' of The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles. I wonder if the Zoo Crew will make an appearance? (And if you get that reference, you are a big comic geek!)

Del Rey have the second volumes of both Genshiken and Nodame Cantiabile.

Hey look: Devil's Due have yet another reboot/version of G.I. Joe. Hasn't anyone told them that the 80's toy comic craze is over? On the positive side though, they have the second voluem collecting Shades of Blue in digest form. Fans of comics like Electric Girl and Runaways should check this one out.

Drawn & Quarterly have the third volume of the Drawn & Quarterly Showcase.

Disney have a Manga GN adaptation of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas; I liked the movie, but part of the charm was all of Tim Burton's character designs--what exactly is this point of turning out a manga-ized version?

"The Great Cow Race" was my favorite Bone storyline, and now it's available ina smaller, colorized edition from Graphix.

HK Comics have a revised & expanded hardcover edition of Andy Seto's gorgeous Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon adaptation, and it even comes with a 4" letter opener sword replica. (I'd rather they knocked a few buck off the price of the book...)

Disney's W.I.T.C.H. comics finally come Stateside thanks to two kid-friendly-priced GN collections from Hyperion Books.

IDW have the third volume of The Legend of Grimjack, collecting issues #8-14 of the original series. Angel: The Curse also continues with a second issue and three too many covers.

Illusive Arts have the fourth issue of their modern day fumetti version of Dorothy.

Jetpack have a new issue of Johnny Raygun Quarterly (#6).

A seventh collected volume of Carla Speed McNeil's Finder, The Rescuers, appears thanks to Lightspeed Press.

Mu Press have Those Annoying Post Bros. & Nik Turner In: The Anubis Horn, an OGN from Matt Howarth. It's The Necronomicon & a member of Hawkwind, together again for the first time!

NBM's Cryptozoo Crew is switching over to trades only, and the first volume reprints the first two comic issues along with additional material.

The Tick: Days of Drama: "Each issue has an 8-page all-new four-color mini-comic attached to the cover!" Have New England Comics gone completely mad?

Banana Sundays #1 is a comic about a new kid in school who also happens to be the guardian of three talkling monkeys. Do Oni know me or what? They also have the first issue of Ted Naifeh's Courtney Crumrin Tales.

Seven Seas have the second volume of Amazing Agent Luna; really folks this is better than you think it's going to be. Go to your local bookstore and check out the first volume; if you like it, tell you LCS to order the second volume for you.

Chocolate Thunder, which I pre-ordered from Amazon nearly a year ago, appears as though it may finally appear from Speakeasy Comics.

Top Shelf have Rich Koslowski's The King OGN, about an Elvis Impersonator who thinks he is the real thing.

M. Alice LeGrow's Bizenghast looks like it could be an 'American manga' winner from TokyoPop; it's got that whole cute-goth thing going for it. They also have their fifth Rising Stars of Manga collection.

Viper Comics debut two new series: Middleman and Karma Incorporated.

Ranma 1/2 is up to volume 31? Just how many times can Takahashi do variations on the same joke? Vix also have the ninth volume of Banana Fish.

Wilson Place Comics have a second volume of WJHC, Hold Tight!

FCBM Day 18

It's day eighteen of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Steve Pham. The five comics that Steve listed are:

1. The Dark Knight Returns
2. Watchmen
3. Doom Patrol
4. Hellboy
5. Marvel 1602

Steve likes Elsworlds-type tales, and Mike Mignola's Hellboy, so for Steve I have Batman: The Doom That Came To Gotham #1, the Elseworlds story of a Batman encountering Lovecraftian horrors written by Mike Mignola & Richard Case, and drawn by Troy Nixey & Dennis Janke.

Like all the selected entries, Steve will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Steve's comics should be in the mail at the end of the week. Enjoy!


Current FCBM Statistics:
94 entries
56 free comics sent so far
13 days remaining

Tuesday, 17 May 2005

FCBM Day 17

It's day seventeen of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Chris Tamarri. The five comics that Chris listed are:

1. Anderson Gabrych's work in the Batbooks
2. Demo
3. Planetary
4. Seven Soldiers
5. Stray Bullets

For Chris I have Gotham Central #6, the first chapter of the "Half a Life" serial by Greg Rucka & Michael Lark.

Like all the selected entries, Dave will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Chris's comics should be in the mail at the end of the week. Enjoy!


Current FCBM Statistics:
94 entries
54 free comics sent so far
14 days remaining

New This Week: May 18, 2005

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 The Losers: Trifecta, the third collected edition of Andy Diggle & Jock's Vertigo series. More black-ops on the run with that wonderful Jock artwork.


In other comics:

Aeon have the penultimate issue of Matt Howarth's Bugtown mini (#5).

Antarctic have the penultimate issues Ben Dunn's Heaven Sent (#10) and Fred Perry's mini-run on Ninja High School (#128).

Dark Horse have a new issue of The Goon (#12) and the fourth volume of Samurai Executioner.

DC continue to piss off manga porn fans with the second volume of Tenjho Tenge. They also have new issues of Authority: Revolution (#8), Birds of Prey (#82), Ex Machina (#11), JLA Classified (#7), Lucifer (#62), Manhunter (#10), Plastic Man (#16), and Seven Soldier: Guardian (#2); the debut of a new regular creative team on Superman (#217); and a new Green Lantern Secret Files.

Image have the final issue of Lions, Tigers & Bears (#4) and new collections of Rex Mundi (vol. 2), and The Walking Dead (vol. 3).

Marvel have trades for New Thunderbolts (vol. 1) and Powers (vol. 8), and a new issue of New Thunderbolts (#8).

Oni have the collection of Sam Kieth's Ojo.

TokyoPop have a ton of manga releases. None appeal to me, although I understand that many enjoy Fruits Basket and will want to pick up vol. 9.