New This Week: October 19, 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 later today:


The Pick of the Week is the hardcover collection of Charles Burns's Black Hole from Pantheon. Years in the making, this is a superb and creepy horror story of sex and transformation and teenage angst set in a middle-American suberb in the 70s. Few comics are worthy of a hardcover collection, but Black Hole definitely is.


In other comics:

Alias have the second issues of David: Shepherd's Song and the colorized reprint of Opposite Forces.

AP Comics finally release the first issue of Abiding Perdition (read the solicitation copy for the fifth issue in the current Previews--it's unintentionally very funny!)

Dark Horse have a new issue of Conan (#21).

DC have the debut of Captain Atom: Armageddon, bringing the shiny ex-Quality super-hero into the WildStorm universe (remember how well that worked when Marvel was mixing up the Marvel U with the Ultraverse?); the final issues of Authority: Revolution (#12), The Intimates (#12) and Seven Soldiers: Klarion the Witch Boy (#4); and new issues of Astro City: The Dark Age (#4), Birds of Prey (#87), Green Lantern Corps: Recharge (#2), Hellblazer (#213), Lucifer (#67), Manhunter (#15), and Top Ten: The Farthest Precinct (#3).

Dork Storm have a new issue of Dork Tower (#32).

IDW have a 99 cent #0 issue of their new Transformers.

Image have a new issue of The Walking Dead (#22) and a collection of the Beckett series Ruule: Ganglords of Chinatown.

Marvel have the relaunches of two series you really should be reading: She Hulk 2 and X-Men and Power Pack--look, not enough of you bought the first Power Pack mini, so now they've had to go and add in the X-Men. See what you've done! Buy this before they cross-over again! They also have a collections of Daredevil, vol. 12: Decalogue and Supreme Power, vol. 3: High Command; and new issues of Runaways (#9), Supreme Power: Hyperion (#2), and Ultimate Spider-Man (#84).

Oni have the joyous third issue of the sublimely funny Banana Sunday. Buy this comic!

Top Shelf have the second issue of The Surrogates. Buy this one too!


That'll do it for this week. Enjoy!

New Library Comics: Week of October 10, 2005

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


B., David, 1959- Epileptic 1 /Paris, France : L'Association, c2002.

B., David, 1959- L'ascension du haut mal /Paris : L'Association, 1996-2000. v. 1-5

Blab! No. 11 /Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, c2000.

Empty pockets. /Ann Arbor, Mich. : Wooden Book Press, 2005.

Fingerman, Bob, 1964- White like she /Seattle : Fantagraphics Books, 1998.

Funny cuts : cartoons and comics in contemporary art /Bielefeld : Kerber ; New York : Distributed Art Publishers, 2004.

Gruenwald, Mark. The official handbook of the Marvel universe /New York, New York : Marvel Comics Group, 1986- v. 1

Henderson, Sam. Magic whistle No. 9, Bigger, larger, and bigger! / Gainesville, FL : Alternative Comics, c2004.

Lapiz japones. /[Argentina : Comuna del Lapiz Japones, 1993?]

Lawrence, Don. The Trigan empire /Secaucus, N.J. : Chartwell Books, c1978.

Martin, George R. R. Sandkings /New York, NY : DC Comics, c1987.

Martin, Sean, 1955- Incredibily lifelike : the second anthology of Doc & Raider cartoons /Toronto : Queer Press, 1996.

Michelinie, David. Avengers : Emperor Doom /New York, NY : Marvel Comics, 1990, c1987.

Mind riot : coming of age in comix /New York : Aladdin Paperbacks, 1997.

Monkey Covers

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

It's Ape vs. Ape, with Jungel Kid caught in the middle, on Mazel's cover for Jungel Kid #3 from 1981.

(standard disclaimer about apes not really being monkeys applies)

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

Supermarket

So far we've only got a couple of covers and a blurb description, but I'm already in love with Supermarket by Brian Wood and Kristian Donaldson:

Supermarket #1
(w) Brian Wood
(a) Kristian Donaldson
IDW Publishing

"Cash Rules Everything Around Me". In the future world of SUPERMARKET, it's the literal truth. Legitimate and black market economies rule the City, overseen by the vying factions of the Yakuza and Porno Swede crime families. Convenience store clerkette and 16-yo suburban wise-ass Pella Suzuki suddenly finds herself in the middle of it all, heir to an empire she couldn't possibly inherit, but hitmen on both sides aren't taking any chances. Co-created and written by Brian Wood (Demo, DMZ, The Couriers), SUPERMARKET is street level anti-consumerism with a healthy dose of violence and humor. Kristian provides lush, powerful artwork and makes this future world as real as if it were now.

Even though it's from IDW, and thus will cost $1 more than it should (although hopefully it'll be in color), I think I'll be getting this!

Fantasy and Science Fiction/Theory Reading Group

Earlier this year I started attending a local book group for Science Fiction and Fantasy that focus on theory and literary aspects and whatnot. I've found that it's a good way to give my reading some direction and I really enjoy the discussions that we have once a month.

Last night was the annual book selection meeting, where we chose the books we'll be reading for the coming year. Basically everyone brings suggestions and then we discuss and fight it out until something resembling a consensus is reached and 10 selections have been made.

Most of my suggestions didn't make it to the end, but the one that did was that we do a double-bill of two recent Grant Morrison GNs: Seaguy and We3. (The group tends more often than not to pick one GN each year--this past year we did The Dark Knight Returns). Most of the group are not heavy comics readers, so it'll be interesting to see what discussions develop.

The other books chosen by the group are:

Neil Gaiman, American Gods
Charles Stross, Accelerando
Connie Willis, To Say Nothing of the Dog
Cornelia Funke, Inkheart
Max Barry, Jennifer Government
Robert McKinley, Sunshine
Midori Snyder, Innamorati
Clifford Simack, Way Station
George R. Stuart, Earth Abides


Of which I've already read American Gods and Jennifer Government.

Yet Another Fantasy League: Week 5 Results

Here are the results from week 5 of Yet Another Fantasy League:



Power Pack 77
Kickers Inc. 39

B.P.R.D. 67
The Inferior Five 50

Moon Knights 38
www.rickgebhardt.net 52

Nine Pound Hammers 28
Tomorrow Syndicate 64

Danger Limited 54
The Maxx Squad 55

Inferior 5 plus 6 114
Secret Six 73


Current Standings:

   Team                 W-L-T  Pct    Pts  Streak
   -------------------  -----  -----  ---  ------
1. Inferior 5 plus 6    5-0-0  1.000  373  W-5
2. Power Pack           4-1-0   .800  340  W-3
3. B.P.R.D.             3-2-0   .600  349  W-1
4. Tomorrow Syndicate   3-2-0   .600  342  W-3
5. Nine Pound Hammers   3-2-0   .600  273  L-2
6. Kickers Inc.         3-2-0   .600  268  L-1
7. Secret Six           2-3-0   .400  339  L-1
8. The Maxx Squad       2-3-0   .400  281  W-1
9. Moon Knights         2-3-0   .400  239  L-1
10.www.rickgebhardt.net 2-3-0   .400  228  W-1
11.The Inferior Five    1-4-0   .200  250  L-2
12.Danger Limited       0-5-0   .000  262  L-5

Week 6 Games:

Tomorrow Syndicate (3-2-0)
vs.
Kickers Inc. (3-2-0)

Power Pack (4-1-0)
vs.
The Inferior Five (1-4-0)

B.P.R.D. (3-2-0)
vs.
www.rickgebhardt.net (2-3-0)

Inferior 5 plus 6 (5-0-0)
vs.
Moon Knights (2-3-0)

Nine Pound Hammers (2-3-0)
vs.
The Maxx Squad (2-3-0)

Danger Limited (0-5-0)
vs.
Secret Six (2-3-0)

Good luck to all!


In my other Fantasy Leagues, I lost 71-40 in my friends & family league (2-3-0, seventh place); won 40-37 in my public league (2-3-0, eighth place); and scored a pathetic 190.45 points in my Pass & Kick league, dropping me down to third place.

New This Week: October 12, 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 later today:


The Pick of the Week is Doom Patrol, vol. 3: Down Paradise Way, crazy insane surreal super-heroes from the mind of Grant Morrison and the hands of Richard Case, Kim DeMulder, Kelley Jones and others. Featuring the first appearances of Danny the Street and Flex Mentallo.


In other comics:

AAA Pop Have the long-delayed third issue of Mike Allred's Golden Plates.

Antarctic debut The Science Fair and Metadocs: The Super ER, and have a new issue of Ninja High School (#132).

Dark Horse have a special 24 cent edition of the first issue of The Goon, as well as a Goon hardcover collection.

DC Comics have a collection of Astro City: Local Heroes; new issues of 100 Bullets (#65), Ex Machina (#15), Fables (#42), Villains United (#6), and Y, the Last Man; plus the first issue of some obscure mini series I haven't heard anything about: Infinite Crisis.

Fantagraphics have the latest issue of The Comics Journal (#271).

I Box have a new issue of the now-seemingly-bi-annual Thieves & Kings (#47).

Image have a new issue of Gødland (#4).

Lightspeed have the final print issue of Finder (#38).

Marvel have digest-sized collections of Spellbinders and Livewires, the final issue of Gravity (#5), and the debut of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.

Renaissance Press have the latest Amelia Rules (#15).

Viper have the penultimate issue of The Middleman (#3).

Viz have a new issue of Shojo Beat #5.


All in all, it looks to be a much saner pile of stuff (quantity-wise) than the past two weeks!