Dave's Dozen: Indy Comics

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


Strangers in Paradise #83
(Abstract, $2.95, p. 212)

The final story arc in Terry Moore's long-running soap opera begins. Worlds will Live! Worlds will die! And nothing will ever be the same! Okay, not really. You've either been in this for the long haul, or not.



Midnight Sun #1
(Slave Labor, $2.95, p. 224)

Ben Towle has the story of a 1928 airship expedition mysteriously lost at the North Pole. An newspaper reporter goes in search of them. What could possibly go wrong?



Ursa Minors #1
(Slave Labor, $2.95, p. 224)

Slackers get super-powered high-tech bear suits! (Stephen Colbert would not be happy...)



DragoPro #0
(Antarctic, $3.50, p. 228)

Rob Espinosa teams up with Joe Dunn for his latest fantasy comic. Pygmy orcs!



Action Philosophers #6: The People's Choice
(Evil Twin, $2.95, p. 290)

You voted, and these are your choices: Aquinas! Keirkegaard! Wittgenstein! Just like American Idol, but with philosophers!



Supermarket #4
(IDW, $3.99, p. 307)

I'll keep plugging it until y'all start buying it. This is Wood's strongest work yet, and the art by Kristian Donaldson is darn snazzy besides.



Leading Man #1
(Oni, $3.50, p. 318)

Actually I'll probably wait for the trade on this, but B. Clay Moore & Jeremy Haun's story of a Hollywood star slash international super spy looks right up my ally.



Amelia Rules! Super Summer Special
(Renaissance, $4.95, p. 321)

A double-sized summer special with the return of Jimmy Gownly's critically acclaimed all-ages comic. Lots of guest creators too.



Okay, you got me; that was only eight comics. Sorry, but there doesn't seem to be much happening in indy floppies this month. Don't worry; I'll have plenty of stuff to spend your money on when I hit the collections & graphic novels...

(A couple days ago I highlighted mainstream comics.)

New This Week: April 12, 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 Oni's collection of Andi Watson's Little Star mini-series. I didn't read the floppies, but Watson rarely disappoints so I'm looking forward to sitting down with the collection.


In other comics:

Abstract have the latest Strangers in Paradise (#81).

Airship have the fourth Girl Genius hardcover collection.

Antarctic have new issues of Gold Digger (#74) and Gold Digger Color Remix (#4).

Archie goes otaku in Archie #565.

Dark Horse have a new Hellboy collection (vol. 6: Strange Places) and the first issue of the new BPRD mini, Universal Machine. They also have the second Nexus Archives hardcover, for those of you with lots of money.

DC's latest Showcase Presents is Teen Titans vol. 1; and they have new issues of Desolation Jones (#6), DMZ (#6), Fables (#48), Firestorm (#24), and Superman (#651).

Evil Twin have Action Philosophers: Hate the French.

Fantagraphics have a collection of Eddie Campbell's Alex.

Image have Brian Wood's Tourist OGN, and a new issue of Noble Causes (#19).

Marvel have an oversize hardcover collection of Astonishing X-Men (for the 5 of you X-Men fans who haven't already bought the stories once or twice already); the TPB of the first Young Avangers collection; and new issues of Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man (#7), Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four (#11), and Ultimate Spider-Man (#93).

Sirius have two new Akiko pocket size collections, vols. 4 & 5.

Viz have new volumes of Banana Fish (vol. 13) & Crimson Hero (vol. 2).


Enjoy your new comics!

To Everything, There is a Season...

You all must know by now that Love Manga is gone, but stepping back in to fill the gaps somewhat is Pata at Irresponsible Pictures. Welcome back!

Me, I'm not going anywhere (sorry!) Besides, there's less than three weeks until we kick of the second annual Free Comic Book Month...

Dave's Dozen: Mainstream Comics

Each month I go through Previews to highlight twelve items worthy of attention in three categories: Mainstream Comics, Indy Comics, and Collections/GNs.

First up for the April Previews (comics supposedly available in June) are the following dozen mainstream comics picks:


Superman Returns: Krypton to Earth
Superman Returns: Ma Kent
Superman Returns: Lois Lane
Superman Returns: Lex Luthor
(DC, $3.99 ea., p. 67)

Ordinarily these comic book prequels are inconsequential, but with the team behind the movie involved with the stories, I image that, while not essential to the movie, these ought to be interesting.


Superman/Batman #27
(DC, $2.99, p. 69)

With new writer Mark Verheiden coming on board, perhaps this book will become readable. At least with guest art by Kevin Maguire it'll look great.


DCU: Brave New World
(DC, $1.00, p. 77)

Only Uncle Sam (Palmiotti, Gray & Acuña) & The Atom (Simone, Byrne & Scott) really interest me, but for a buck it'll be a good way to sample things.


Secret Six #2
(DC, $2.99, p. 86)

I haven't seen an issue of this yet, but I'm putting my faith in Simone to give us a ripping good yarn. Plus, so far those covers by Karl Kerschl look fantastic!


Solo #11
(DC, $4.99, p. 87)

It's a shame that this series is ending, but beore it does we get a whole issue by Sergio Aragones! Will there be a Bat Lash story?


Casanova #1
(Image, $1.99, p. 136)

Matt Fraction & Gabriel Ba bring us international action in glorious 2-color. Hot damn! This has got to be my pick of the month.



Sabrina #77
(Archie, $2.25, p. 233)

Tania del Rio continues to bring us one of the best OEL manga titles out there; don't believe me? Johanna says so too! And you don't have to wait 6 months between installments like you do with some other publishers...


Eternals #1
(Marvel, $3.99, p. M33)

Neil Gaiman & John Romita, Jr. Who cares what it's about? (Which is a good thing, because the solicitation copy is darn near content free...)


Nextwave #6
(Marvel, $2.99, p. 56)

This comic will be staying far, far away from Civil War--right? I'd much rather have samurai robots than super-heroes angsting.



Look for the other two parts, Indy Comics & Collections/GNs, sometime soon.

New Library Comics: Week of April 3, 2006

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


Andelman, Bob. Will Eisner, a spirited life /Milwaukie : M Press ; [Berkeley, Calif.] : Distributed by Publishers Group West, 2005.

Baker, Kyle. The Cowboy Wally show /New York : DC Comics, c2003.

Baker, Kyle. Undercover genie : the irreverent conjurings of an illustrative Aladdin /New York, NY : Vertigo Comics, c2003.

Braddock, Paige. Jane's world : vol. 4 /[Sebastopol, Calif.] : Girl Twirl Comics, 2005.

Gonick, Larry. The cartoon history of the universe /New York : Broadway Books, 2001- v.3

Henderson, Sam. Humor can be funny! /Gainesville, FL : Alternative Comics, 2005.

Mathieu, Marc-Antoine. Memoire morte /[Paris] : Delcourt, c2000.

Rickheit, Hans. Chloe /Cambridge, MA : Chrome Fetus Comics, c2002.

Tyler, Carol. The job thing /Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, 1993.

Monkey Covers

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

Wally West and Hal Jordan get their butts handed to them courtesy of Gorilla Grodd on the cover to 1992's Green Lantern #30 by artists Mark "Doc" Bright and Romeo Tanghal.

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

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

Ever Wanted to be a Super-Hero?

Man skydives with turbine engines strapped to his feet.

Grant Morrison may have been right...