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 September (for certain values of 'September'...)


Matt Howarth is on a roll, and now he's got a one-shot from Aeon: Those Annoying Post Bros. in: "Sex & Drugs & Heads Will Roll". Sure to be plenty of senseless violence--in full color!

AiT/PlanetLAR hits it out of the park with not one but two can't-miss GNs: the second Colonia collection from Jeff Nicholson: On Into the Great Lands; and a book I've really been looking forward to: Smoke & Guns by Kirsten Baldock & Fabio Moon.

Sure it'll be full of barely dressed women with impossible figures standing in disfiguring poses, but Alias's Victoria's Secret Service has one of the greatest titles in months. Alias also have the start of a new Lullaby series, a new issue of Opposite Forces, and the debut of David Alvarez's Yenny, which at 75 cents might be worth a look.

I figure that the folks who do Vampirella comics (Anarchy Studios/Harris Comics) must have a ton of money to throw at creators; why else would otherwise talented creators agree to work on such dreck all the time? This time out writer Mike Carey cashes in a payday with a 25 cent Zero issue of Vampirella: Revelations.

Arcana continue Adam Gallardo & Todd Demong's 100 Girls (#7).

Antarctic have a color manga colelction of Fred Perry's entertaining Legacy: First Inheritance, and a new Gold Digger Pocket Manga (vol. 6) as well. They also have new issues of Oz: The Manga (#4) and The Science Fair (#2).

Archie have a new issue of Sabrina (#70), and also debut a new Sonic the Hedgehog series: Sonic X. It just floors me that an old videogame character like Sonic the Hedgehog can not only have a comic series that's up to #154, but also have a spin-off series debuting.

Jeff Lemire's Xeric-winning Lost Dogs GN premieres from Ashtray Press.

Is it some sort of rule that every Avatar series must have at least five variant covers?

Bongo's latest Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror (#11) features work by industry greats John Severin, Angelo Torres, Al Willimson, Mark Schultz, Len Wein & Berni Wrightson, and Marv Wolfman & Gene Colan.

You know, I look at the cover for Jim Balent's Tarot: Witch Queen of Halloween Previews Exclusive and really worry about the sort of people that find that attractive. Then I'm somewhat comforted by the fact that such people are using this comic for their, um, attentions and not actually contributing to the gene pool.

Woo Hoo! Paul Sizer is back with a new OGN from Cafe Digital Press: Moped Army, vol. 1.

Not only are the annual Small Press Expo anthologies one of the best showcases of small press & indy comics around, but the proceeds benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. That's two good reasons to buy the 2005 edition, do you need any more? Okay, how about Charles Burns, Chester Brown, Scott Morse, Seth, Andy Runton, Mat Brinkman, and many more. So buy it!

Del Rey continue their string of interesting manga releases with Ghost Hunt, about a group of high school students who investigate the paranormal; and Moyoco Anno's Sugar Sugar Rune about young witch princesses.

Digital Webbing Presents #25 has a new Firebirds story from Jay Faerber.

Drawn & Quarterly have a relist of Drawn & Quarterly vol. 5, plus an anthology of Japanese Alt Comics from legendary manga-ka Yoshihiro Tatsumi: Push Man & Other Stories.

Evil Twin Comics have another issue of fun & informative philosophy comics from Fred Van Lente & Ryan Dunlavey: Action Philosopher's Self Help for Stupid Ugly Losers, featuring Sigmund Freud, Joseph Campbell, and Carl Jung.

Fantagraphics have the fourth colume of The Compelte Peanuts, plus two collections from Richard Sala: Mad Night Featuring Judy Drood, Girl Detective and The Chuckling Whatsit.

Gemstone's Donald Duck and Friends #332 features a full-length halloween story from Carl Barks.

iBooks have a third volume of Blacksad from Juan Diaz Canales & Juanjo Guarnido, one of the best-drawn comics today. They also relist the long-delayed second Mister X collection.

Shadowplay from IDW is a flip book, with Amber Benson & Ben Templesmith's "Demon Father John's Pinwheel Blues" on one side and Christina Z & Ashley Wood's "Shunt" on the other. Also of note is a comic adaptation of F. Paul Wilson's The Keep, written by Wilson himself. And those of you waiting for the trade on Grimjack: Killer Instrinct can wait no more--it's here!

Also for those waiting for the trade, Illusive Arts' Dorothy gets its forst collection; now there's no excuse for not picking up this intriguing photo-comic reinterpretation fo the classic OZ story.

Carla Speed McNeil's Finder #38 from Lightspeed Press kicks off a new storyline: "Five Crazy Women."

Moonstone have a 320-page anthology of Kolchak: The Night Stalker Chronicles, just in time for the new ABC tv series.

NBM have third volumes in their Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew OGN series, and they also have discounted two-pack collections of Marini Smolderson's Confessions of a Cereal Eater and Nabiel Kanan (the Birthday Riots and Lost Girl).

More Banana Sunday (#3) from Oni Press! Plus they debut Ted Naifeh's Polly & The Pirates, which will undoubtedly be worth reading when collected in a trade.

Pantheon have a hardcover colelction of Chris Ware miscellany in The ACME Novelty Library, and a hardcover collection of Charles Burns's masterful suburban horror story, Black Hole.

Amelia Rules #15 is resolicited from Renaissance Press.

The two new OEL manga from Seven Seas both look interesting: Captain Nemo by Jason DeAngelis & Aldin Viray is about a young Captain Nemo; and while Unearthly's premise is just like any number of high school romances with alien girls, it's written by Ted Naifeh (and drawn by Elmer Damaso) which means that it's definitely worth a look.

Speakeasy's new series Shotgun Wedding by Marc Bryant & Jason King looks like it could be interesting.

Thick as Thieves Productions has Zack Gardner's Xeric Award-winning Fauna

TokyoPop bing on the OEL manga with I Luv Halloween by Keith Giffen & Ben Roman; Svetlana Chmakova's love-at-the-anime-convention Dramacon; and Rivkah's Steady Beat--all of which look to be worthwhile. They also have an adaptation of the Square/Disney crossover video game Kingdom Hearts.

Top Shelf have a third Owly volume from Andy Runton: Flying Lessons. If you're not reading Owly, what's wrong with you? It's all-ages fun! They also have the second isse of Surrogates.

New from Viz is the Shojo Beat GN Socrates in Love, plus the latest volumes of Banana Fish (vol. 10) and Hikaru-no Go (vol. 5).

W. W. Norton pick up the Will Eisner Library with a massive hardcover collecting A Contract with God, A Life Force and Dropsie Avenue.

In the magazine section, the final issue of Wrapped in Plastic (#75) has a David Lynch interview.

In the books section, Neil Gaiman's long-awaited new novel Anansi Boys comes out; and Tom De Haven's It's Superman! A Novel has been getting great notices for its literary retelling of the classic Superman story in its original 30s milieu.


So much to buy, so little money. It'll be hard weeding the pre-orders this month. Best of luck!