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Showcase Doesn't Present

Some major changes to DC's Showcase Presents black and white reprint series were quietly announced in a press release early today.

Namely, the following volumes have been canceled (to be resolicited 'at a later date'): Captain Carrot vol. 1, The Great Disaster vol. 1, Suicide Squad vol. 1, Secret Society of Super-Villains vol. 1, Jonah Hex vol. 2.

In their place, three volumes are being rush solicited: World's Finest Comics vol. 1, Sgt. Rock vol. 1, and Supergirl vol. 1; and two volumes will be retro-solicited in the October Previews: Brave & The Bold Batman Team-Ups vol. 2 & Justice League of America vol. 3.

I must admit that I was surprised when the now-canceled volumes were initially solicited. They all come from a period (the late 70s through the mid-90s) when for various reasons the reprint rights aren't clear cut. My understanding is that because of the work-for-hire contracts in use at DC at the time the reprint rights must be renegotiated or else the costs of reprinting are so high as to make them unprofitable. This is why we see so few DC comics from that time frame collected; it's doable, just time consuming; and unless DC has a current good relationship with the creators it can get sticky.

I had figured that DC had figured out a way around the legal quagmire; apparently DC did too, but with this batch of cancellations it would appear that they were wrong. Hopefully there's a solution forthcoming; I for one would love to have The Great Disaster and Secret Society volumes, and I know that there are many people who never read Suicide Squad the first time around who were looking forward to the Showcase Presents volume of that title.

Edit: Here's the relevant quote from Bob Greenberger:

DC pays a royalty based on a percentage of the cover price to writers, pencillers, and inkers to all material published prior to 1976 and after 1997. For the period in between, the vouchers that were in use called for a set reprint fee to be paid. In some cases, the amount of contractually obligated reprint fees makes the budget for a proposed collection unprofitable. In those cases, DC will either scrap the project or ask the talent involved to waive the reprint fee in lieu of the standard royalty arrangement. If the parties agree, then everyone benefits.

Edit 2 (Sept 10): According to Bob Wayne, the canceled volumes will "reappear sometime in the second half of 2008."

 

New This Week: August 29, 2007

What looks good this week?


Run, don't walk, to your friendly local comic store to buy Matt Kindt's Super Spy, a sure-to-be-wonderful graphic novel of multiple interlocking stories about spies during World War II. Based on the preview book Top Shelf sent out a while ago, and Kindt's previous GN 2 Sisters, I have high expectations for this.

There's the third Manhunter collection from DC, so you can see what you missed the first time around.

Fantagraphics have a new hardcover OGN from Gilbert Hernandez, Chance in Hell.

HarperCollins have Nightmare Factory, new comic adaptations of stories by Thomas Ligotti, one of the few modern horror writers that I actually like.

There are tons of manga volumes (must be the last Wednesday of the month!), including the second volume of Anike Hage's global manga title Gothic Sports.


What looks good to you?

New Library Comics: Week of August 20, 2007

Here's a list of the comics we added to out library collection last week:


Bác Ba Phi : un genio del futuro / Flemington, Vic. : Dead Xerox Press, [1998?]

The Beast : golfers go berserk! / [Australia] : Dead Xerox Press, [between 1990 and 2005]

Bertozzi, Nick. The salon / New York : St. Martin's Griffin, 2007.

Drawing the line again / [Toronto] : Fengsuli Press ; USA : VEI Press, 2006.

Drooker, Eric, 1958- Flood! : a novel in pictures / Milwaukie, OR : Dark Horse Books, 2007.

Gipi, 1963- Appunti per una storia di guerra / Bologna : Coconino Press, c2004

Indovina, Mike. Hercules : choose your destiny : a choose-your-own-adventure based on the Labors of Hercules / Oak Forest, Ill. : Satyr Play Productions, 2006

Toffolo, Davide. Carnera : la montagna che cammina / Bologna [etc.] : Coconino press, [2006]

Trondheim, Lewis. Tiny tyrant / New York : First Second, 2007.

Valentino, Serena. Nightmares & fairy tales / San Jose, Calif. : SLG Publishing, c2004- vol. 3

Van Lente, Fred. Action philosophers! : the lives and thoughts of history's A-list brain trust told in a hip and humorous fashion / Brooklyn, NY : Evil Twin Comics, 2006- vol. 1

Wall paper. / Flemington, Vic. : Dead Xerox Press, [1998?]

Weeks, John. Quickdraw. / Torrance, Calif. : John Weeks ; Flemington, Vic. : Dead Xerox Press. no. 1


This listing is now available as an RSS Feed!

New Library Comics: Week of August 13, 2007

Here's a list of comics we added to our library collection last week:


Arf forum / Seattle, Wash. : Fantagraphics ; London : Turnaround [distributor], 2007.

Braddock, Paige. Jane's world : collection. Sebastopol, Calif. : Girl Twirl, 2006. vol. 1

Braddock, Paige. Jane's world / [Sebastopol, Calif.] : Girl Twirl Comics, 2003- vol. 6

Buzzard (Hudson, Mass.) Buzzard. Hudson, MA : Cat-Head Comics nos. 4, 17, 19

De Pieri, Erika, 1979- La saponificatrice : cronaca a fumetti / Ponte di Piave (Treviso) : BeccoGiallo, 2005.

Deitch, Kim, 1944- Alias the cat! / New York : Pantheon Books, c2007.

Drawn & quarterly showcase. Montreal : Drawn & Quarterly, 2003- no. 4

Guibert, Emmanuel. The professor's daughter / New York : First Second, 2007

Hernandez, Gilbert. New tales of old Palomar. Seattle : Fantagraphics Books, c2006 no. 1

Hot Mexican love comics 2006 / [S.l.] : Hot Mexican Love Comics, c2006.

Ink, Max. Blink : experiencing creative difficulties / Columbus, Ohio : OnwardStudio, 2006.

Ink, Max. Blink : let it be as it is / Columbus, Ohio : OnwardStudio, 2006.

Ink, Max. Blink : space to breathe / Columbus, Ohio : OnwardStudio, 2006.

Ink, Max. Blink : up leaves fall down / Columbus, Ohio : OnwardStudio, 2005.

Lafler, Steve. BugHouse / Marietta, GA : Top Shelf Productions, 2000- vols. 1-2

Nanni, Giacomo, 1971- Storia di uno che andò in cerca della paura / Bologna : Coconino Press, c2006.

Porcellino, John. King-Cat classix : the best of King-Cat comics and stories / Montreal : Drawn and Quarterly ; New York : Distributed in the USA by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007.

Potlatch prjoect. Westminster, Md. : Angry Dog Press, 2005, c2004. vol. 4

Pyle, Kevin C. Blindspot / New York : H. Holt, 2007.

Slate, Barbara. Yuppies from hell / New York : Marvel Comics, 1989

Stuck in the middle : seventeen comics from an unpleasant age / New York : Viking, 2007.

Wolfman, Marv. Homeland : the illustrated history of the state of Israel / Skokie, Ill. : Nachshon Press, 2007.

Yuri monogatari / [United States] : ALC, c2004- vol. 4


This listing is now available as an RSS Feed!

Review: The Dreamer

Time travel romance seems to be a big thing these days in the world of popular romance fiction, so it was only a matter of time before it made its way to the world of comics.

Near as I can tell, The Dreamer—a Webcomic by Lora Innes (not the actor, I presume), hits all the right notes for the genre. Beatrice is a pretty and talented high school theater geek who is having vivid dreams of romance and adventure back in 1776, complete with a dashingly handsome soldier.

At only 18 pages in I can't be sure where the story is going for sure. But the art is attractive and the set-up for the coming story is done well.

The only problem I have with The Dreamer is the problem I have with most long-form Webcomics: reading pages as they come in dribs and drabs over a length of time isn't my preferred way to read comics. I'd suggest to Innes that she make an RSS feed to announce when new installments are available, as I fear I won't be the sort to " Check back regularly" to see if there are any new pages. But should she finish all three 'issues' and collect them into a trade paperback, I'll be there.

Rating: 3.5 (of 5).

(discovered from JC via Dirk)

New This Week: August 22, 2007

What looks good this week?

Top Shelf releases Death By Chocolate: Redux, a re-worked collection of David Yurkovich's stories about agents Swete and Anderson and their investigations into bizarre food-related crimes.

Long-awaited new issues of Jimmy Gownley's Amelia Rules (#18) and Kevin McShane's Toupydoops (#6).

The debut issue of the new Mouse Guard: Winter 1152.

The final Strangers in Paradise collection (vol. 19: Ever After).

And the first Showcase Presents: Wonder Woman volume.

(Plus The Complete Peanuts, 1965-1966, which was apparently delayed from last week.)