New This Week: January 25, 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 Warren Ellis's Nextwave. Even though Ellis's work for Marvel as of late has been rather lackluster, I have a good feeling about this one. Stuart Immonen & Wade Von Grawbadger provide the visuals.


In other comics:

Speaking of Ellis, Avatar have the debut issue of the Warren Ellis Black Gas mini.

Dark Horse have the concluding issue of BPRD: The Black Flame (#6); a collection of the Serenity prequel mini; and the unfortunately-named Sexy Chix.

DC have new issues of Catwoman (#51) and Majestic (#13); the debut of Gail Simone and Jose-Luis Garcia-Lopez's Justice League tale in JLA: Classified #16; and the final issue of Kyle Baker's Plastic Man (#20)--I blame you--all of you--who didn't buy this comic for its demise. What is wrong with you that you couldn't shell out $3 every other month for Kyle Baker funniness?

DMP might have the 2nd volume of Bambi and Her Pink Gun (it's not on the NCRL, but I've seen it on other shipping lists for the week).

Fantagraphics have The Comics Journal Library vol. 6: The Writers, and the first issue of Kevin Huizenga's Ganges.

IDW have the second issue of the resurrected Fallen Angel.

Image have a double-dose of cosmic, with the first Gødland collection, Hello Cosmic, as well as the 7th issue of the series.

It's a day of long-delayed comics finally showing up from Marvel, with Defenders #5, the Powers Hardcover, and Spider-Man/Black Cat: The Evil That Men Do #6 all making an appearance. There's also the final Bendis/Gaydos issue of Daredevil (#81), the last issue of X-Men and Power Pack (#4), Ultimate Spider-Man #89, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane #2, and The Pulse #13.

Oni have the third issue of Local.

Shanda Fantasy Arts have the 10th Giant Shanda Animal.

TokyoPop have 17 different titles--one of which may be of more interest to you than to me.

Top Shelf have the penultimate issue of Surrogates (#4).

2005 Bloggies Announced

Early this morning the results of the 2005 Comic Bloggers' Poll (aka The Bloggies) were announced. The winners were:

Best Artist: Frank Quitely

Best Writer: Grant Morrison

Best Ongoing Title: Fell

Best Original Graphic Novel: Top 10: The 49ers

Best Mini-Series or One-Shot: Seven Soldiers: Klarion the Witch Boy & Villains United (tie)

Best Collection of Previously Printed Material: Black Hole

I'm pleased to note that in 4 of the 6 categories, my choice for top pick was also the winner in that category (and in the other two I wasn't very close!)

I'll probably have a more detailed reaction tomorrow.

Big thanks to Chris Tamarri for running the inaugeral Bloggies!

YACB Bulletins

ITEM! Batman Legos! (via Tegan)

ITEM! The New York Times has news about The 99, a comic about a team of Muslim super-heroes. It looks interesting, but as with all things it'll come down to the execution. (via Brian at The Great Curve and Newsarama)

ITEM! Jon J. Muth has received a Caldecott Honors commendation for his book Zen Shorts, an award that is well-deserved. Considering how many libraries will now end up purchasing the book, Muth may never need to work in comics again. (via Christopher)

ITEM! Chris J. Miller recently updated his The Unauthorized Chronology of the DC Universe; those of you trying to make heads-or-tails of the timeline for Infinite Crisis and its various pre-series, tie-ins, etc. will want to check out Chris's section on the most recent events.

New Library Comics: Week of January 16, 2006

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


Dart, Rebecca. RabbitHead /Gainesville, FL : Alternative Comics, 2004.

Delisle, Guy. Pyongyang : a journey in North Korea /Montreal : Drawn & Quarterly ; New York : Distributed in the USA by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2005.

Doucet, Julie, 1965- The Madame Paul affair /Montreal : Drawn & Quarterly, 2000.

Johnson, R. Kikuo. Night fisher /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2005.

Kalesniko, Mark. Why did Pete Duel kill himself? /Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, 1997.

Mizuno, Junko, 1973- Pure trance /San Francisco, Calif. : Last Gasp, 2005.

O, Se-yong, 1955- Buja's diary /New York : NBM ComicsLit, 2005, c2001.

Porcellino, John. Perfect example /Montreal : Drawn & Quarterly ; New York : Distributed in the US by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, c2005.

Roadstrips : a graphic journey across America /San Francisco : Chronicle Books, c2005.

Sadowski, Greg. B. Krigstein /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics, 2002-

Satrapi, Marjane, 1969- Embroideries /New York : Pantheon Books, 2005.

Yoe, Craig. Modern arf /Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics Books, 2005.

Monkey Covers

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

Robby Reed—the hero with 1000 forms—battles a Plant-Gorilla on the cover of 1966's House of Mystery #161 by Jim Mooney. Plant-Gorilla! Gotta love the silver age!

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

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

YAFQ: What Comic Haven't You Read (Yet)

What comic have you always intended to read, but haven't yet gotten around to reading yet?

For me it would be Love & Rockets. I have both Palomar and Locas on my bookshelf, but they're both such massive tomes that I haven't gotten around to digging into them yet. I think they intimidate me a little...

What about you? Which comic have you always heard good things about, but haven't yet read?

Review: It's Superman

It's Superman
by Tom De Haven
Chronicle Books, $24.95

In It's Superman, novelist Tom De Haven brings a freshness to the origin of Superman by setting his story in the past. In the 1930s, in midst of the Great Depression, Clark Kent is a just graduated farmboy in Smallville with powers he doesn't understand, and looking for more from life than being a reporter for the town weekly. Unbeknownst to Clark, his life will eventually become entangled with that of Lois Lane--who is trying to make it as a woman reporter for the New York Daily Planet--and Lex Luthor, NYC Alderman, wannabe crime lord, and would-be captain of industry.

This is an origin story, and Clark doesn't put on his familiar 'S' and cape until close to the end. I've decried origin stories in the past, but by making his novel Clark Kent's bildungsroman De Haven successfully recasts the narrative; and the very last chapter of the book justifies his decisions rather poetically.

De Haven employs present-tense narration for this novel, which normally sets my teeth on edge but in this case works. In fact, it bothered me for a while why present-tense was working so well for the book, and it seemed like an odd choice for a novel set in the past. But then it occured to me that in using present-tense De Haven was employing the same narrative voice that one would find in the comic book adventures of the day, and it all made perfect sense.

This is not a typical novel based on a comic book super-hero; it's a sophisticated and compelling look at a man on his way to meet his destiny, and the world that shapes him.

Rating: 4 (of 5)