Adverts were taken out in fanboy magazines, the writer was vilified, editors were poisoned, the American economy collapsed, Denmark fell into the ocean, and Mark and I contemplated creating a comic shop where noone would actually care. Welcome, by the way.
- Stephen on the replacement of Hal Jordan as Green Lantern (Green Lantern: Rebirth #1)
b o o k s f o r O c t o b e r 2 0 0 4
Babel #1 (£6-50, Drawn & Quarterly) by David B. - 'A boy's world is shattered by his brother's epileptic seizures and his own growing awareness of turmoil in the world at large. Beyond the bewildered silence of grown-ups are images - tabloid crime photos, television reports of starvation in Biafra, the hieratic language of his brother's contorted body - that hold the promise of knowledge.' This is the follow up to David's EPILEPTIC, the book that blew me away when it arrived. Part of my confusion over Thompson's BLANKETS and the surrounding adulation was my memory of Epileptic; and a strong belief that a lot of what Thompson was trying to do had been done better or at least with a softer touch in that book. Both autobiographies filled with metaphors come to life, crawling over the page but the earlier book was handled with less sentimentality and more of a questioning mind.
This will be an oversized book, the first of a series with two colour artwork and a dustjacket.
Sandman Mystery Theatre vol 1: The Tarantula (£6-50, Vertigo/DC) by Matt Wagner & Guy Davis. For me this series marked the high tide of both Matt Wagner's and Guy Davis' careers to date: crime fiction populated by remote or cruel parents, brutal, often sexual sadists, their helpless victims and broken progeny, in a dark, per-war, post-Prohibition America. Rarely outside of FROM HELL has a comic been so successfully steeped in and anchored to its era. Guy Davis' slightly flabby faces, drab clothing, gritty textures and impenetrable night are as accomplished as Campbell's were for Moore's Victorian graphic novel (so it's a shame this in colour, almost), and Wagner (with later help from Steven T. Seagle) served up mystery after mystery which the reader could actively engage in solving before the main protagonists.
Wesley Dodds is the apparently dry and studious heir to a now deceased businessman, perfectly at home with judges and lawyers. But all is not as it seems, for Wesley's sleep is troubled by enigmatic nightmares which compel him to rise and follow their elusive leads. Far across town Dian Belmont is both a romantic and a deep thinker, something rare in her socialite circle. She also has a strong will and a reckless streak her doting District Attorney father does his inadequate best to curb. As the first story opens Dian's life is one of gossip, privilege and parties, but she's in for a rude awakening - and about to meet the man of her dreams.
Sandman Mystery Theatre vol 2: The Face & The Brute (£12-99, Vertigo/DC) by Matt Wagner & John Watkiss, R.G. Taylor. Then they made a mistake: they let other artists in. Although this was later rectified when Guy Davis was invited to become resident pencil scratcher, it was a little too late because this second story arc, set in Chinatown, put a lot of people off - almost including myself. A huge shame, because virtually everything that followed, including the third four-parter included here, proved gripping. Wagner continued to explore the realities of economic hardship, contemporary prejudices and dark family secrets. There's a particularly upsetting sequence involving the sickly young daughter of a professional fighter. Dian and Wesley's compassion always provided a stark contrast to the seediness of what they'd encounter, and of course their burgeoning romance created a momentum which propelled the series ever onwards, towards the growing threat of World War II.
Bright Elegy (£8-50, Adept Books) by Leland Myrick - 'Not a romance, but a love story, a story in which time and memory and reality twist in a triple helix to form the life of the main character, James Sharpe.' I'll forgive the crap blurb because the art looks clean and uncluttered in a Jason Lutes kind of way.
Siglo: Freedom (£10-50, Nautilus Comics) by various. Philippines-themed anthology considering freedom throughout the last century. The stories are deemed 'grafictional,' the definition of which is probably known only to the editor and his dog, so not altogether helpful here.
Long Haul (£9-99, Oni) by Antony Johnston & Eduardo Barretto. So far this week Antony has written a comedy romance, a contemporary gangland Shakespeare, a horror crime fiction graphic novel, several Alan Moore adaptations, a couple of Alan Moore extrapolations, and now here's a Western. And it's only bloody Tuesday! Seriously, I wish other writers would dabble in such diverse waters. 1871 and ex-con Cody is tempted by a train carrying a lot of lovely lucre, especially as it's protected by the man who put him away. Time to railroad some old-timers into taking on the score.
I asked Antony if he'd give us a couple of sentences on what sets this book apart from the traditional western romp:
'What sets it apart? Well, this is no ordinary Butch & Sundance railroad heist. This is more on the level of OCEAN'S 11 - the train Cody and his crew are going to rob is the most technologically-advanced and secure money train of its time. It can't be stopped, it can't be broken into, the safe weighs two thousand lbs. so can't be blown open or carried off, and there are twenty-six heavily-armed men guarding it.
'Oh, it's also family-friendly - the action and suspense are more RIO BRAVO than THE WILD BUNCH. So, safe for the little ones.
'[PS; there's a slight error in the solicitation text. The train's actually carrying $1.9 MILLION, not just 100k.]'
And in those days, that's... quite the motivator.
Bighead (£8-50, Topshelf) by Jeffrey Brown - Hmm. I thought that his next book was going to be the sword'n'fantasy, Elf-related anthology but maybe that's coming up. This is a superhero parody and usually my heart would sink because we don't need any more of those. The genre, with every new twist, reinvention and supposed leap forward, is doing very well (thankyou) at parodying itself. There's precious little to be said in the actual books never mind in the parodies. The short story in 'Top Shelf Tales' was fun and I can't believe that Brown could produce a bad book. This is quite a leap from the fragile emotions of CLUMSY, UNLIKELY and AIEOU but as Bighead has to 'save an unthankful world while facing the demons of his own failures' it's still Brown territory. 'Brown territory'. Now, there's an image.
100 Steps To World Domination (£8-50, AIT/Planetlar) by Rob Osbourne - 'Award-winning writer/artist Rob Osbourne wants to conquer the world, and he wants to do it through comics. Delusions of grandeur or tyrannical genius? His wife just rolls her eyes. God provides divine insight. A monkey chimes in with unwanted feedback. Resistance is futile.' World domination through comics? Possibly deluded. Just like the guy who came in the other day (and he's come in before, just with a different face), told me that he's a writer but wants to do one of his stories in comic form. And make money from it. Just like that. And he needs to find an artist. Just like that. Apparently this story is perfect for comics. I could sense some sort of 2000ad, post-apocalyptic world or maybe something about marijuana. Or maybe Osbourne isn't so deluded. Maybe the best way to world domination is to sneak under the radar. Who'd be checking for planetary threats in a comic?
Bear vol 1: Immortal (£9-99, Amaze Ink/Slave Labor) by Jamie Smart.
'Sorry, I'll have to go home. My cat's trying to mow my bear.'
Stand-out tweeny-goth title which has successfully outgrown its roots to become the new Evan Dorkin title, full of stupid short stories, side-swipes, parodies, eternal losers, and a bear-baiting cat. Also, rubbish dinner dates that end with you being beaten up by a brat.
'I can't just hit him!! He's a kid!'
'Just a kid? Hey I take offence at that.'
'Oh heck, I'm sorry, sprog. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings while you were tearing at my flesh. Here's my wallet. It contains twenty bucks and nearly all my dignity. Now push off.'
'Twenty bucks? You're kidding me. I get more than that selling stock cubes to stupid junkies. Keep it, you loser.'
'Wow. I thought it couldn't get any worse than being beaten up by a kid, but it turns out it could. I feel like such a nonce right now.'
'You should, too. Twenty bucks? That wouldn't have covered the meal.'
'To be honest I wasn't expecting to make it as far as the main course.'
'That surprised me too. She must have been hungry.'
Mister X vol 1: Who Is Mister X? (£11-99, IBooks) by Dean Motter, Paul Rivoche & Los Bros Hernandez, Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean - More comics about architecture that's what we need. More comics about architecture drawn by Gilbert & Jaime, that's most definitely what we need. Mister X had a strange start. The book was heralded by some beautiful posters designed by either (or both of) Motter & Rivoche. Elegant designs that looked as if Fritz Lang done a Lazarus and decided that the funny pages were where he belonged. There was an element of hype whipped up but still there was no book. The Hernandez brothers (sigh) were riding high (in an independent, black and white sort of way) on Love & Rockets so they were drafted in to do the art. And they might have written it.
Mister X was the architect of Radiant City, a pioneer in the use of psychitecture where buildings are designed to make everybody happy and prosperous. Unfortunately he was kicked off the program before it could be finished, other hands, unversed in his ways, meddled. Now the buildings are driving everybody insane. (Excuse me if I'm getting this wrong. I haven't seen these issues for well over ten years). Mister X himself hasn't slept for a very long time so he's possibly a few bricks short of an underpass.
Ibooks is promising to reprint the whole thing over three books. This one has all the Hernandez stuff and the Gaiman/McKean story from A1. Later books have art by Seth and Maurice Vellecoop.
Book Of Ballads h/c (£16-99) by Charles Vess & various. A reprint of Charles Vess' adaptations of folklore songs, with as much magic and fantasy as you expect. Collaborators included Neil Gaiman and Jeff Smith.
Wolves In The Walls s/c (£5-99) by Neil Gaiman & Dave McKean. Excellent piece of family nonsense in which there are Wolves In The Wall. Lucy knows this - she's heard them - but the mother's busy making jam, the father's blowing on his tuba, and her brother's about to beat his highest game score on the console. Will they listen to her before it's too late? Will they heckers, like. Wonderful Scarf-like wolves from Mr. McKean, and note-perfect timing from Lord Gaiman of Dreamingshire. For more Neil Gaiman, please see bottom of the book section.
The Frank Rizza Papers (£6-50, Drawn & Quarterly) by David Collier - A 'quirky collection of stories about his family, living life in the army, and the search for information on a local artist he discovers, Frank Rizza.' Almost two hundred new pages from a highly underrated cartoonist.
Zippy: From Here To Absurdity (£12-99, Fantagraphics) by Bill Griffitth - Stalwart of the second wave of American undergrounds' latest book.
Crypto Zoo (£11-99, King Hell) by Rick Veitch. Strange timing, but here's the third, entirely unexpected volume of RARE BIT FIENDS, an illustrated dream journal from the mindscape of SWAMP THING writer/artist and BRATPACK creator, Rick Veitch. As disturbing/imaginative as you might expect, but as with all dreams, of far more interest to the raconteur than the racontee.
Son Of The Gun (£11-99, Humanoids/DC) by Alexandro Jodorowsky & George Bess. A freak child, born with a tail and abandoned in the ghettos of a South American city, is found by a gay transvestite dwarf who also happens to be a prostitute, and who dies ramming the doors of a church in a cart full of dynamite: an outcast raised by an outcast and suckled by a dog in the slums. How southern is your gothic? Can it really grow any grimmer? Yes indeed, for one thing and one thing alone can turn this embittered brat's life around: the power of a gun. From thereon in it's rape, gang warfare, political corruption, torture, attempted castration, initiation ceremonies and assassination, as Juan strives to rise to the top of the criminal cream, all executed with strong action sequences and moody-faced art. If the colouring's a sickly spread of oranges, ochres and coffee-carmine, it only adds to the sensation of an exhausting heat in an unforgiving environment. Ends on a cliff-hanger.
Milo Manara's Odysseys Of Guisepp Bergman (£11-99, Humanoids/DC) by Milo Manara. Apparently parallels Homer's masterpiece in which Odysseus, Greek leader during the Trojan war, chills out by going for a somewhat problematic nautical stroll whilst returning to retrieve his kingdom (Ithaca, since you ask). Unfortunately I know (slightly) more about the Classics than I do about this Euro album, but the rough seas on the cover are a triumph of watercolour, and Giuseppe does appear to be washed up with a woman for the obligatory rumpy-pumpy than must ensue from all things Milo Manara.
Tom Strong's Terrific Tales vol 1 hc (£16-99, ABC/DC) by Alan Moore, Steve Moore & Arthur Adams, Paul Rivoche, Alan Weiss, Jerry Ordway, Sergio Aragonés, Jason Pearson, Jaime Hernandez - A mixed bag of a book that sometimes lost readers because not everything was written by Alan himself. There's still some fun stuff here and who can resist a Jaime drawn Tesla story?
Fables 4: March Of The Wooden Soldiers (£11-99, Vertigo/DC) by Bill Willingham & Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Craig Hamilton, P.Craig Russell. Fourth volume for fairytale-characters-in-real-world-environment series, popular with those who like it.
Lovecraft s/c (£11-99, Vertigo/DC) by Jans Rodionoff, Keith Giffen & Enrique Breccia. Softcover of hardcover featuring horror writer and his creations, when the man becomes the reluctant guardian of the Necromicon.
My Faith In Frankie (£4-50, Vertigo/DC) by Mike Carey & Sonny Liew, Mark Hempel - Might have been great. Started out as a romance story with the usual Vertigo twist (she's got a guardian angel type thing!) but the impending promise of lesbian overtones killed my interest off double-quick. Nice art by Liew & Hempel tho'.
Arkham Asylum Anniversary Edition h/c (£19-99, DC) by Grant Morrison & Dave McKean.
'You're free. You're all free.'
'Oh, we know that already. But what about you?'
Given that Titan spent the best part of the fifteen years this anniversary is celebrating desperately trying to offload its surplus of ARKHAM ASYLUM hardcovers at knock-down prices, the idea of a new h/c edition does seem somewhat perverse. But there are extras: Morrison's complete script, annotated by Karen Berger and himself, many of Morrison's original thumb-nail breakdowns (like Bendis, he's not such a bad artist, either), and lots of other behind-the-scenes tomfoolery.
Anyway, I loved this dark, sexually charged Bat tale myself (McKean was still in his BLACK ORCHID post-Sienkiewicz stage), but it has been a full fifteen years since I read it. From what I remember The Joker taunts Batman into Arkham Asylum (where both of them belong) through sadism and psychology, then pinches his bottom. All the other regular inmates are on hand to scare the living shit out of him, including the Scarecrow, Two-Face and, here, the Hatter:
'I'm so glad you could make it. I have so many things to tell you. You must be feeling quite fragile by now, I expect. This house... does things to your mind.
'Now, where was I? Where am I? Where will I be?
'Ah yes, the apparent disorder of the universe is simple a higher order, an implicate order beyond comprehension. This why children... interest me. They're all mad, you see. But in each of them is an implicate adult. Order out of chaos. Or is it the other way around? To know them is to know myself.
'Little girls especially. Little blonde girls. Little shameless bitches! Oh god. Gold help us all!
'Sometimes... sometimes I think the Asylum is a head. We're inside a huge head that dreams us all into being. Perhaps it's your head, Batman.
'Arkham is a looking glass. And we are you.'
So no, not exactly Doug Moench (see July part A).
Batman: As The Crow Flies (£8-50, DC) by Judd Winnick & Dustin Nguyen, Richard Friend. Judd can be good, but he's at his best when a far away from superheroes as possible (PEDRO & ME, ADVENTURES OF BARRY WEEN, FRUMPY THE CLOWN, and, umm, what was that Vertigo vampire thing? BLOOD & WATER), so I didn't bother myself. Maybe it's great. Takes place after the Azzarello/Risso contribution.
Batman: Hush vol 2 s/c (£8-50, DC) by Jeph Loeb & Jim Lee. Takes place before the Azzarello/Risso contribution.
Superman: Birthright h/c (£19-99, DC) by Mark Waid & Leinil Yu, Gerry Alanguilan. Has nothing to do with the Azzarello/Risso contribution. 'Witness the making of a legend, as Clark Kent learns the tough lessons needed to become the World's Greatest Hero.' (Rule number one: stay away from glowing rocks.)
Superman Archives vol 1 h/c (£12-99, DC) by Jerry Seigel & Joe Shuster. Regular format of DC's expensive archive editions, but cheap. Reprints SUPERMAN #1-4. (For others offered this month, see Also Shipping below).
Hard Time (£6-50, DC) by Steve Gerber & Brian Hurtt. Part of the ill-fated imprint which produced the vastly underrated KINETIC. That's the one I'd like to see as a trade. This, written by HOWARD THE DUCK creator Steve Gerber, sees young Ethan Harrow strive to survive a prison sentence, with the aid of strange powers.
Coup D'Etat (£8-50, Wildstorm/DC) by Ed Brubaker, Joe Casey, Robbie Morrison, Micah Wight & Jim Lee, Carlos D'Anda, Alé Garza, Whilce Portacio. Great idea, unevenly handled (cooks/broth, broth/cooks), in which The Authority gets pissed off by the United States' President once too often (well, he did just cause a massacre), and decides to give him notice to quit. A quarter of this boasts the best pencils of Lee's career on an SLEEPER tie-in irrelevant to its regular series, and a STORMWATCH tie-in irrelevant to this crossover. A bit of a mess, quite frankly.
Marvel Visionaries: Jack Kirby vol 1 h/c (£19-99, Marvel) by Joe Simon, Stan Lee & Jack Kirby. Lots of silver age superhero stuff you can find elsewhere, some that you can't, plus several others you may... including RED RAVEN COMICS #1 (que?), MARVEL MYSTERY COMICS #13 (err), CAPTAIN AMERICA COMICS #1, RAWHIDE KID #17 and AMAZING ADVENTURES #1. I know, I know, where's my sense of history?
X-Men vol 1: Day Of The Atom (£5-99, Marvel) by Chuck Austen & Salvador Larocca. The first issues of no-longer-NEW-X-MEN following Grant Morrison's departure. The ragtag team of inconsistently written ciphers journey to some vaguely oriental foreign clime and discover someone looking like Xorn, bicker amongst each other in a way no human beings actually bicker, and -- Seriously, I don't understand: why's this being printed?
Excalibur vol 1: Forging The Sword (£6-50, Marvel) by Chris Claremont & Aaron Lopresti. Why are these people employed?
Supreme Power vol 2: Powers & Principalities (£9-99, Marvel) by J. Michael Straczynski & Gary Frank.
'It's the Tinkerbell scenario. You get somebody who can fly, the first thing you think of is Peter Pan, and Tinkerbell, and he's strong enough to help us when we need the help, brave enough to stand with us when we need him to be brave -- Then one day you find out he's been holding back on you. And you realise that there's nowhere you can run that he can't get to...'
When you've lived your entire life under other people's control, what would happen if you began to taste freedom? When you've been lied to all your days - kept ignorant, manipulated, even fostered by terrified government agents you were led to believe were your parents - what would you do if you found out? And if you had the power to see anything within miles, hear anything within hundreds or go anywhere you choose... seriously, how long would it take you to find out? 'Mark' is a time-bomb waiting to go off. The US government set him ticking the moment they found him then began to deceive him. Use him to their military advantage. They don't have an abort button because nothing they have could hope to contain him. Now Mark discovers he's not alone - at least not entirely alone. There are more damaged goods on the planet - dangerous damaged goods: a baby once abandoned in the water on the night Mark arrived from the skies; a boy, now rich and powerful, who witnessed the racist lynching of his parents; an army officer whose flesh has been joined to an animate, possibly conscious alien crystal; and a force of nature in the shape of a beautiful naked woman, locked away for centuries in a dark and lonely place, who is quite probably completely insane. There'll be tears before bedtime, and quotes when this book hits our store. There'll also be full frontal nudity, if that helps open your wallet. In the superhero genre, I rate it up there with the other socio-political works WATCHMEN, RETURN OF THE DARK KNIGHT, ULTIMATES, INHUMANS, and BRATPACK. As a thing of visual beauty, again, ULTIMATES and INHUMANS are its peers. Book one in stock, #13 - following immediately on from this volume - also on sale in October.
'Do you think... is it your opinion that he knew what is was, that he now knows that this was where he came from?'
'Yes sir. He knows.'
Cable/Deadpool vol 1: If Looks Could Kill (£9-99, Marvel) by Fabian Nicieza & Mark Brooks, Patrick Zircher. Back to the bobbins, and if looks could indeed kill, I'd have stared at the first issue long enough and hard enough for there not to have been a second. As it happens, a two-minute cursory glance did me in.
Incredible Hulk vol 8: Big Things (£11-99, Marvel) by Bruce Jones & Darick Robertson, Mike Deodato jr, Dougie Braithwaite. Big things were expected - not least by myself - when Bruce first took over the title, but it quickly descended into confusion before resorting here to the old-style fisticuffs someone out there hoped would reclaim readers at the drop of a helmet. The helmet in question belongs to Iron Man, and they were wrong. Even fewer copies sold, largely on account of everyone acting completely out of character and most of us ceasing to care.
Essential Monster Of Frankenstien vol 1 (£10-99, Marvel) by Gary Friedrich, Doeg Moench & Mike Ploog, John Buscema, Don Perlin, Val Mayerik. There's someone out there obsessed with werewolves. I can't remember who it is. Werewolf by Night appears, as does Vlad.
Punisher: Born s/c (£8-99, Marvel) by Garth Ennis & Darick Robertson, Tom Palmer. For three quid more you can already buy the oversized hardcover and see why I wrote the following:
'By far the finest Ennis offering this month - and his sharpest war comic to date [please note: I'd forgotten how good WAR STORIES was at that point - I've since been reminded] - takes place in 1972, with Captain Frank Castle enjoying his third tour in Vietnam. If 'enjoying' is too strong a term, he's certainly deriving a grim satisfaction from doing his job; a job, I might add, which he's spectacularly good at. Firebase Valley Forge is lucky to have him, for the Marine garrison stands, undermanned and ineffectually led by an alcoholic Colonel, as a look-out against enemy infiltration. And the enemy will come, in hoards. That Castle will eventually embark on a relentless, remorseless crusade of violence back home, against gangsters and crime lords and dealers, or anyone he considers unfit for life, and that this vocation will be triggered by the slaughter of his wife and children… this knowledge is key to an understanding of the particular story being told here. It's what lends it the ominous air of a crossroads being approached - a crossroads which explains his reaction to the death of his family - and which makes the punchline a killer. Two scenes stand out for me: Frank's reaction to the order to close down the camp, thereby leaving American positions elsewhere vulnerable to attack (and, by the by, depriving Castle of the action and adrenaline he thrives upon), and the attempted gang rape by the men under his command. I'm not going to spoil either for you, but the first reaction shows a level of cold-blooded ingenuity, the second a warped sense of what constitutes helping someone out. Neither are predictable, and both leave you somewhat ambivalent, torn between despising and grudgingly respecting the man - which is how the character works best when he's worked at all. Robertson's art is the best of his career. Whilst reviewing the first issue I was swift to sing Tom Palmer's praises, and although I don't retract a word I said, I've now seen the pencils themselves which make it clearer how much of a leap Darick has made since TRANSMETROPOLITAN. Several pieces released as extras at the back show the man thinking seriously about composition, and the textures are all there on paper. Marvel's hardcovers are always a couple of inches larger than the softcovers, and this extra space shows off the scale of the scenes during combat, which is considerable. The reproduction is beautiful, and other bonuses include Garth's original pitch and Walkuski's rough cover sketches, which are mighty fine as well.'
You won't get those extras in the softcover.
Devlin Waugh: Swimming In Blood (£?, 2000ad/DC) by John Smith & Sean Phillips, Siku, Michael Gaydos. Think Sebastion O on steroids, or Terry Thomas with a laser gun, as authorised by Vatican to go kick supernatural ass. I think that just about sums it up. What's the question mark doing in place of the price, Mark? Ah, we're not allowed the DC versions, only the Rebellion versions, and they haven't offered them yet. Hmmm.
Red Razors (£?, 2000ad/DC) by Mark Millar & Steve Yeowell, Nigel Dobbyn. A Millar book I've not yet read, in which Judge Razors - a violent thug given authority - forms 'part of a social experiment to designed to transform Sov-Block Two's most savage criminals into the most brutal Judges the city has ever known. Accompanied by Ed the talking horse, Razors is on a mission to investigate the theft of the Holy Corpse of Elvis, as well as the city's plague of superannuated terrorists'.
Houdini: The Man From Beyond (£10-99, Image) by Brian Haberlin, Jeff Philips & Gilbert Monsanto, Brian Haberlin. Houdini meets Air Arthur Conan Doyle, Aleister Crowley and Charles Lindbergh. That's the plot, not a stylistic comparison. Houdini rises from the grave (quite the escape trick) to be reincarnated, just in time to prevent murder and uncover a cult.
Walking Dead vol 2: Miles Behind Us (£8-50, Image) by Robert Kirkman & Charlie Adlard - A crowd of the unundead has gathered around a campfire, all telling stories of how they arrived at this place. Some are mistrusting of others and there's still thousands of zombies out there ready to eat their brains. Kirkman's well-written decay-fest only falters slightly now that Adlard has taken up the art chores.
Wicked West (£6-50, Image) by Todd Livingston, Robert Tinnell & Neil Vokes. Horror western with vampires from the team that brought you THE BLACK FOREST.
Wonderland (£4-50, Image) by Derek Watson & Kit Wallis. Even more zombies. Plus kids.
Tales Of The Vampires (£9-99, Dark Horse) by Joss Whedon, Ben Edlund, Jane Espenson, Brett Matthews & Drew Goddard, Tim Sale, Scott Morse - The series seemed to be based around the idea of giving Joss (BUFFY!) Whedon another comic after FRAY finished. Nice to see TICK creator Edlund drawing again.
Aleister Arcane (£11-99, IDW) by Steve Niles & Breehn Burns. They destroyed his life, hounding him off the air and effectively killing his wife. He was a popular weatherman and an even more popular horror film host, but the ultra-conservative residents of his hometown declared him dangerous, then blamed him for other people's fuck-ups. Their children, however, proved far friendlier, giving Aleister solace in his old age. Unfortunately Aleister may have already doomed the entire town.
Michael Chabon Presents The Amazing Adventures Of The Escapist vol 2 (£11-99, Dark Horse) by various. Things I learned from Wizard magazine this month: both Jack Kirby's Mr. Miracle and Chabon's The Escapist were based on Jim Steranko, legendary NICK FURY AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D innovator and, at one point, full-time, successful escape artist. I guess the successful bit's a given: those double-page spreads would have looked somewhat soggier, pencilled by someone still trying to struggle out of 60 feet of chains in a giant, see-through water tank. In the meantime lots of hard-working creators waste more time than I will on a title which won't sell a single copy at Page 45.
Eminem: In My Skin (£10-95) by Barnaby Legg, Jim McCarthy & Flameboy. Christ, this might be even worse than the Kurt Cobain GODSPEED graphic novel.
Marge's Little Lulu vol 1 (£6-50, Dark Horse) by John Stanley & Irving Tripp - One of those classics that you hear about and, hopefully, check out. Little Lulu started in the thirties and we don't know how Marge fits into all of this unless she's a pseudonym for John & Irving.
Doonesbury: Talk To The Hand (£10-99) by G.B. Trudeau. One of comics' finest syndicated satirists takes on the California recall and the liberation of Iraq.
Mutts 9: Dog-Eared (£7-50) by Patrick McDonnell. One of comics' finest syndicated charmers delivers more pup perspectives and cat-skewed logic. For my money the best non-political newspaper print since CALVIN & HOBBES.
Big Book Of Hell (£12-99) by Matt Groening - A sort of a best of, a greatest hits collection. Taken from the Schoo/Life/Work/Love Is Hell books with, I think, some extra stuff. Very funny.
Ruby Gloom's Keys To Happiness (£8-50) by Mighty Fine. Seventeen reasons why Emily The Strange and Ruby would make best friends, if either of them were remotely sociable.
Spectrum 11: The Best In Contemporary Fantastic Art (£19-50) ed by Cathy & Arnie Fenner. Perennially popular fantasy art anthology. Never say I linger longer than necessary on a preview.
500 Comic Book Villains (£12-99) by Mike Conroy. Ah, it's Mr. Mike back once more with another 500 nominations, this time for those less constructive individuals to be found in (largely superhero) comics. Here's what I made of the last volume back in November 2002: '500 Great Comicbook Action Heroes (£9-99) by Mike Conroy. Initially I thought that if Mike actually gave a damn about my opinion here, I'd be loathe to offer it, for he was never on to a winner at Page 45 with a title like this, was he? However, all is not as it seems. This is quite a clever little number, in terms of marketability. Half the height of a regular volume, but just as thick, in the palm of your hand it feels like an instantly manageable pocketbook, albeit that at 400 pages, you try squeezing it into your trousers and you're likely to do yourself some serious collateral. I can see this being a real Christmas winner: 'Ah, Kelvin's into comics, isn't he? Just the ticket, and it's under a tenner.' 500 bite-size entries are supported with expanded spotlights for the big boys, '20 special features on topics of particular interest' and 130 full colour illustrations. If this were purporting to be an authoritative guide to the history of the medium I'd have thrown it straight out of the metaphorical window, but no, it tells you what it's up to and does it. There's easily room in the world for something cheerful like this, although curiously enough Neil Gaiman's Morpheus gets a mention. Mooding and brooding his way to victory?' As I suspected, it sold very well, largely because it was fun to read, which, you know, presents should be. I wonder who the surprise entries will be this time. Mark Alessi? How about Customs & Excise? And how many entries will there be for The Devil in all his fabulous forms? I suspect a mini-feature there.
A Blazing World: The Unofficial Guide to the Second League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen (£10-50) by Jeff Nevins, introduction by Alan Moore. Just like the first one (still in stock), this will allow you to rise above your peers in the certain knowledge of what came from where and was who with what twist. Plus you can then pulp the book itself and pretend you knew it all in the first place. Creators Moore and O'Neill are once again on hand to offer their insights and calm the more excitable speculations when Jeff posits a theory based on an absent tea cup. Jolly good.
DC Comics Encyclopaedia h/c (£30-00). Can you guess who's doing the cover? I'm bored of Mr. Ross now. Overexposed. I'm waiting for him to do something different (and I don't mean BATTLE OF THE PLANETS covers). Nevermind, over 1,000 DC characters are revealed to you in all their convoluted glory.
Spider-Man And Friends Party Book (£6-50). Plan the whole day - from invitations and decorations to games, activities and fun, themed food - in the Mighty Marvel Manner™. I wish someone had asked me to write this one. I'd have combined the food, fun and games into a single Venom event called 'I Want To Eat Your Brainz...' and had them all running round with plastic bowls of white blancmange on their heads, in a sort of scoop-the-goo-and-eat-it game of 'tick' (one with some brains left is the winner; those with none get their own Marvel mini-series). And after all that dashing hither, thither, and yon there'd probably be cause for a second even messier game of Black Bolt Projectile Vomitting. I've at least a dozen other ideas, I'm afraid, including The Reed Richards Tug-O'-War, where you select the least popular boy and use him as the rope (if he stretches, he's a superhero; if he breaks, he goes to Accident & Emergency), and The Captain America Experience in which you shove the rowdier urchins head-first into the freezer.
Hanging Out With The Dream King (£11-99, Fantagraphics) ed by Joe McCabe. A mosaic portrait of Neil Gaiman, built up from interviews with his SANDMAN collaborators Charles Vess, Bryan Talbot, P. Craig Russell, Jill Thompson, Sam Keith and Mike Dringenberg, as well as himself and over a dozen more colleagues. Illustrated with previously unpublished photographs and abandoned comicbook pages.
Tijuana Bibles (£10-99) edited by Bob Adelman - Tijuana Bibles started their three decade reign on the 1930s, never distributed officially, they were under the counter books. They featured the stars of the day. This could include Rita Hayworth, Ghandi or Bettie Boop, all interlinked and doing the dirty. Art Spiegelman provides the introduction so you can rest assured that this may be pr0n but it's high-grade, intellectual pr0n.
Pin-Up Art Of Dan DeCarlo (£12-99, Fantagraphics) ed by Alex Chun - Betty & Veronica with nipples.
also shipping:
Adventures Of The Fly vol 1 (£8-50, Archie Comics) by various
Art Of Comic-Book Inking vol 2 (£9-99, Dark Horse) by lots
Batman: Detective No. 27 s/c (£8-50, DC) by Michael Uslan & Peter Snejbjerg
Best Of Spider-Man h/c (£19-99, Wizard) by many.
Best Of Wolverine vol 1 hc (£19-99, Marvel) by lots
Bill & Ted's Most Excellent Adventures vol 2 (£8-99, Amaze Ink/Slave Labor) by Evan Dorkin
Boneyard vol 3 (£6-50, NBM) by Richard Moore
Chronicles Of Conan vol 6: The Curse Of The Golden Skull & other stories (£12-99, Dark Horse) by Roy Thomas & John Buscema, Neal Adams
CSI: Demon House (£12-99, IDW) by Max Allan Collins, Gabriel Rodriguez & Ashley Wood
DC Comics Rarities Archives vol 1 hc (£49-99, DC) by various
Docteur Mystere vol 1: Mysteries Of Milan hc (£9-50, SAF Comics) by Alfredo Castelli & Lucia Filippucci
Elfquest: The Grand Quest vol 5 (£6-50, DC) by Wendy & Richard Pini
Essential Tomb Of Dracula vol 3 (£10-99, Marvel) by Marv Wolfman, Roger McKenzie & Gene Colan, Frank Robbins
Exiles vol 8: Earn Your Wings (£9-99, Marvel) by Tony Bedard & Mizuki Sakakibara
Flesh For The Beast (£6-50, Anime Works) by various
Golden Age Sandman Archives vol 1 hc (£32-99, DC) by Gardner Fox & others
Grumpy Old Monsters (£8-99, IDW) by Kevin J Anderson & Rebecca Hoesta
Gutsman Comics vol 1 (£9-99, Topshelf) by Erik Kriek
I Hunt Monsters vol 1 (£6-50, Antarctic Press) by Rod Espinoza & Craig Babiar
Jack Kirby Reader vol 2 (£16-99, Pure Imagination) ed by Greg Theakston
James Bond: Goldfinger (£10-99, Titan) adapted by Henry Gammidge & John McLusky
Jimmy Olsen: Adventures by Jack Kirby vols 1, 2 (£12-99, DC) by Jack Kirby & Vince Colletta, Mike Royer
Journeys Of Alexender Icaro vol 1 hc (£9-50, SAF Comics) by Paco Roca
JSA: Savage Times (£9-99, DC) by Geoff Johns, David S Goyer & Leonard Kirk
Legend Of Sleepy Hollow (£5-50, Image) by Washington Irving & Bo Hampton. Reprint.
Man-Thing: Whatever Knows Fear... (£8-50, Marvel) by Hans Rodionoff & Kyle Hotz
Marvel Age Mary Jane vol 1: Circle Of Friends (£3-99, Marvel) by Sean McKeever & Takeshi Kiyazawa
Marvel Age Sentinel vol 2: No Hero (£5-50, Marvel) by Sean McKeever & Udon Studios
Marvel Age Spider-Man vol 4: The Goblin Strikes (£3-99, Marvel) by Todd Dezago, Mike Raicht & Guz Vasquez, Jamal Igle, Shane Davis
Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men vol 4 hc (£32-99, Marvel) by Chris Claremont & John Byrne, George Peréz
Moonstone Monsters vol 1 (£10-99, Moonstone) by various
Mr Keen, Tracer Of Lost Persons (£7-50, Moonstone) by Justin Gray & Lee Ferguson
Probability Broach (£12-99, Bighead Press) by L.Neil Smith & Scott Bieser
Ralph Snart Adventures vol 2 (£12-99, Now Comics) by Marc Hansen
Satyr vol 1 (£6-50, Satyr Play Productions) by Mike Indovina
Spirit Archives vol 15 (£32-99, DC) by Will Eisner
Steve Ditko: Space Wars (£23-50, Vanguard Productions) by Steve Ditko
Superman: Man Of Tomorrow Archives vol 1 hc (£32-99, DC) by Otto Binder, Jerry Coleman & various
Supernaturalists (£6-50, Mad Yak Press) by Patrick Neighly & Jorge Heufemann
Teen Titans Go! Digest vol 1: Truth, Justice, Pizza (£4-50, DC) by J. Torres & Todd Nauck, Tim Smith, Lary Stucker
Teen Titans Go! Digest vol 2: Heroes On Patrol! (£4-50, DC) by J. Torres, Adam Beechen & Todd Nauck, Udon Studios, Lary Stucker
Teen Titans: Family Lost (£6-50, DC) by Geoff Johns & others
Thor: Son Of Asgard vol 1: The Warriors (£5-50, Marvel) by Akira Yoshida & Greg Tocchini
Twilight X: Storm vol 1 (£6-50, Antarctic Press) by Joseph Wright
Wolverine vol 3: Return Of The Native (£11-99, Marvel) by Greg Rucka & Darick Robertson
m a n g a r o u n d - u p
Oh dear, we've just received the following from Diamond UK: 'Please note that due to licensing restrictions the CMX range of titles listed by DC in the August Previews are not available to Diamond UK accounts. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.' These were: From Eroica With Love (£6-50, DC/CMX) by Aoike Yasuke; Madara vol 1 (£6-50, DC/CMX) by Otsuka Eiji & Tajima Sho-u; Land Of The Blindfolded vol 1 (£6-50, DC/CMX) by Tsukuba Sakura. I wouldn't worry too much, though, Eroica has to be the least convincing tranny the world has ever seen.
Blue (£11-99, Fanfare/Ponet Mon) by Kiriko Nananan. An unlikely friendship between two girls at an exclusive girls' school on the coast of Japan. Kayako is a quiet, pensive girl, absorbed by the beauty of the sea. Masami is a rebel returning from a recent suspension. From the publishers of YUKIKO'S SPINACH and KINDERBOOK. www.ponentmon.com
.Hack vol 3 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Tatsuya Hamazaki
Abenobashi: Magical Shopping Arcade vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by GAINAX, Satoru Akahori & Ryusei Deguchi
Ai Yori Aoshi vol 6 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Kou Fumizuki
Alice 19th vol 7: The Lost World (£7-50, Viz llc) by Yu Watase
All New Tenchi Muyo vol 5: Point & Shoot (£6-50, Viz llc) by Hitoshi Okuda
Beyblade vol 2 (£6-50, Viz llc) by Takao Aoki
Boys Be vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Masahiro Itabash & Hiroyuki Tamakoshi
B'TX vol 6 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Masami Kurumada
Cardcaptor Sakura vol 3 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by CLAMP
Case Closed vol 2 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Gosho Aoyama
Ceres, Celestial Legend vol 9 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Yu Watase
Cheeky Angel vol 3 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Hiroyuki Nishimori
Chronicles Of The Cursed Sword vol 9 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Yeo Beop-Ryong & Park Hui-Jin
Comic Party vol 3 (£6-50, CPM Manga) by various
Cross vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Sumiko Amakawa
Cyborg 009 vol 8 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Shotaro Ishinomori
Daemon Hunters vol 1 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Seichiro Todono
Dark Water vol 1 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Koji Suzuki & Meimu
Descendents Of Darkness vol 2 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Yoko Matsuhita
Dolls vol 1 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Yumiko Kawahara
Dragon Hunter vol 9 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Hong-Seock Seo
Excel Saga vol 9 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Rikdo Koshi
Faeries' Landing vol 6 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by You Hyun
Flowers & Bees vol 5 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Moyoco Anno
From Far Away vol 1 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Kyoko Hikawa
Full House vol 2 (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Soo-yeon Won
Ghost In The Shell vol 1 2nd Edition (£?, Dark Horse/Titan 'Publishing') by Shirow Masamune
Girl got game vol 6 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Shizuru Seino
GTO vol 21 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Tohru Fujisawa
Gundam Seed Astray vol 6 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Yatate, Tomino, Tokita & Chiba
Heaven Sword & Dragon Sabre vol 11 (£9-99, Comicsone) by Louis Cha & Wing Shing Ma
Hellsing vol 5 (£8-99, Dark Horse) by Kohta Hirano
Here Is Greenwood vol 1 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Yukie Nasu
Hino Horror vol 15: The Experiment (£6-50, DH Publishing) by Hideshi Hino
Hino Horror vol 15: Who's That Girl? (£6-50, DH Publishing) by Hideshi Hino
Hot Gimmick vol 7 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Miki Aihara
Hyper Rune vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Tamayo Akiyama
Imadoki vol 3 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Yu Watase
Infinite Ryvius vol 1 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Yatate Hajime, Yousuke Kuroda & Shinsuke Kuriharashi
Iron Wok Jan vol 10 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Shiji Saiyo
Kare Kano vol 12 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Masami Tsuda
Kill Me, Kiss Me vol 4 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Lee Young You
Kimera vo l1 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Kazuma Kodoka
Knights Of The Zodiac vol 6 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Masami Kurumada
Lament Of The Lamb vol 4 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Kei Toume
Lupin III: World's Most Wanted Man vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Monkey Punch
Maniac Road vol 2 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Shinsuke Kurihashi
Megaman: NT Warrior vol 4 (£6-50, Viz llc) by Ryo Takamisaki
Mermaid Saga vol 3 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Rumiko Takahashi
Model vol 4 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Lee So-Young
My Sassy Girl vol 5 (£8-99, Comicsone) by Ho Sik Kim & Dae Hong Min
Mythical Detective Loki vol 1(£6-50, ADV Manga) by Sakura Kinoshita
Najica Blitz Tactics vol 2 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Takuya Tashiro
Nambul: War Stories vol 2: Conquest (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Hyun Se Lee
Negima vol 3 (£7-50, Del Ray) by Ken Akamatsu
Now vol 5 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Park Sung-Woo
One Piece vol 5 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Eiichiro Oda
Othello vol 1 (£7-50, Del Ray) by Satomi Ikezawa
Peacemaker Kurogane vol 1 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Nanae Chrono
Peach Girl: Change OF Heart vol 10 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Miwa Ueda
Peigenz vol 3 (£6-50, Comicsone) by Suh Gwong Hyun & Park Sung Woo
Pet Shop Of Horrors vol 9 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Matsuri Akino
Pita-Ten vol 6 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Koge Donbo
Planets vol 4, Part 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Makoto Yukimura
Please Save My Earth vol 7 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Sa,ki Hiwatari
Pretear Manga vol 3 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Kaori Naruse & Junichi Satou
Prince Of Tennis vol 4 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Takeshi Konomi
Psychic Academy vol 5 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Katsu Aki
Ranma 1/2 vol 28 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Rumiko Takahashi
Red River vol 3 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Chie Shinohara
Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Adolescence Of Utena (£7-50, Viz llc) by Chiho Saito & Be-Papas
Ring vol 4: Birthday (£8-50, Dark Horse) by Meimu
Rurouni Kenshin vol 8 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Watsuki
Saiyuki vol 5 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Kazuya Minekura
Sakura Pak vol 1 (£6-50, Eigomanga) by ?
Sgt. Frog vol 5 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Mine Yoshizaki
Snow Drop vol 6 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Choi Kyung-ah
Star Wars: Clone Wars vol 5 - The Best Blades (£9-99, Dark Horse) by John Ostrander & others
Storm Riders part 2: Invading Sun vol 6 (£11-99, Comicsone) by Wing Shing Ma
Sukioden III vol 4 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Aki Shimizu
Tactics vol 1 (£6-50, ADV Manga) by Sakura Kinoshita & Kazuko Higashiyama
Taimashin SP vol 1 (£9-99, ADV Manga) by Hideyuki Kikuchi
The Queen's Knight vol 1 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Kim Kang Won
Threads Of Time vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Mi Young Noh
Tokyo Babylon vol 4 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by CLAMP
Tokyo Tribes vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Santa Inoue
Treasure Hunter vol 3 (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Hitoshi Tomizawa
Trigun Maximum vol 3: His Life As A... (£6-50, Dark Horse) by Yasuhiro Nightow
Tsubasa vol 3 (£7-50, Del Ray) by CLAMP
Vagabond vol 16 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Takehino Inoue
Vampire Game vol 9 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Judal
W Juliet vol 1 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Emura
Wallflower vol 1 (£7-50, Del Ray) by Tomoko Hayakawa
Warriors Of The Tao vol 2 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Shiya Kuwahara
Wild Act vol 9 (£6-50, Tokyopop) by Rie Takada
Wild Com. vol 1 (£7-50, Viz llc) by Yumi Tamura
X/1999 vol 16: Nocturne (£7-50, Viz llc) by CLAMP
XXXholic vol 3 (£7-50, Del Ray) by CLAMP
Yongbi The Invincible vol 2 (£6-50, CPM Manga) by Jaewoon Yu & Jungwho Moon
c o m i c s f o r O c t o b e r 2 0 0 4
Toe Tags Featuring George Romero #1 (£2-20, DC) by George Romero & Tommy Castillo, Rodney Ramos - 'Overnight, the world has been turned upside down {I thought that happened every twelve hours anyway? Anyone confirm this?}, and zombies rule the day! {Bored with controlling popular culture and flying St George flags on their cars, now they want 'the day' too. When will this madness stop?} It's up to a college professor named Hoffman, his assistant Damien Cross, and his gal Judy to figure out exactly how and why the undead have taken over. But even if they do get to the bottom of the plague, is it too tale to save the world?' George Romero was once responsible for some very nice, very red zombie films, maybe some of the best zombie films in the world. Castillo and Ramos give good decay but the main warm body in the preview is a list of cliches. Raven-black, punk-ish hair, crop-top, the mascara on one eyes dripping ('someone suggested she play the notes on her face' - paraphrasing!). All she needs is a navel ring. Nice zombies though. And it's looks like Bob Lappan's lettering. Yay! That makes me happy.
Ocean #1 of 6 (£2-20, Wildstorm/DC) by Warren Ellis & Chris Sprouse. 'Beyond the inner planets lies the gaseous giants, Jupiter being the largest of all. Orbiting Jupiter is the moon Europa, a hard orb floating in frigid space. Lying beneath Europa's half-mile-thick mantle of shear ice is an ocean, the only one in the solar system that's not on Earth. And within those cold waters could rest the key to life on Earth - and quite possibly its extinction.' TOM STRONG artist joins Ellis on one of three of his strongest subjects: science, fiction and space.
Doc Frankenstein #1 (£2-60, Burlyman Entertainment) by the Wachowski Brothers & Steve Scroce. Matrix miracle workers return to comics for a series developed by themselves, Scroce and Geoff Darrow (Darrow will be pencilling a new series from the same publisher soon). The premise centres around Mary Shelley's creation - the original, more intelligent, even soul-searching version of the monster - having survived, indeed thrived throughout the years since the book left off, and become a key player in global politics, even though he looks like a blue-hued Schwarzeneger (excuse the spelling, if its wrong) with two big bolts popping out of his noggin. 'He is the Messiah of Science who has returned to save our world from the monsters currently running it!' Armed to the teeth as well.
Brian Ralph's Reggie 12 and Friends #1 (£2-60, Highwater Books) by Brian Ralph - Originally a character from the back of Giant Robot, this city-defending public crusader is there whenever tower blocks are being threatened by huge monster or amok automaton alike. Ralph takes a break from being asked when CRUMBUMS is coming out to give us a Tezuka-tastic, fun filled adventure.
Love As A Foreign Language (£3-99, Oni) by J Torres & Eric Kim. Joel's teaching English as a foreign language in Koreo, and he doesn't like it much. He doesn't like the food, he doesn't like the crowded street and he -- he's just fallen in love. Will he quit and go home as planned now his year's almost up? I suspect not. Mr. Torres is the man responsible for the Motown celebration DAYS LIKE THIS, and COPYBOOK TALES from a couple of years back. Here's what I wrote about that one: 'Copybook Tales (£14-99) by J. Torres & Tim Levins. Quite a find. It's set in two time frames: Jamie as he is now, working on comics with his friend and artist 'Thatcher', broke and musing about how care-free his youth was, and Jaimie as he used to be in High School, when his eyes lit up at the latest superhero comics, and dreamed of the freedom of adulthood. The cast is wider in the early years, as you'd expect during school. He shares his comicbook obsession with the quiet Mike Laine, who seems increasingly uncomfortable around girls, while his other, prankster friends cajole them into various schemes involving night clubs and school dances. The link is Jaimie's copybook, or diary, which he writes up assiduously, and which now bears fruit. If any of the above seems at all bland, the fault is entirely mine. The tales are occasionally melancholic, that often being the nature of looking back, and bitter-sweet, candidly displaying the sometimes cruel or at least unthinking attitudes and pronouncements we make before we grow out of our naive indoctrination and start being honest with ourselves and others. But overwhelmingly it's another one of those joie de vie titles perfect for summer, the links back and forward are flawless, never once confusing, and helped in no small part by the art which is clear and attractive, like a handsome Judd Winnick.' [Judd is of course perfectly handsome in and of himself. I was referring to the visuals.]
Green Lantern: Rebirth #1 of 6 (£2-20, DC) by Geoff Johns & Evan Van Sciver. 'Fan-favourite' Geoff Johns writes 'fan-favourite' Hal Jordon as the fans' favourite Green Lantern of them all. I will be nowhere in sight.
Brief history for those whose thirst for knowledge inclines them to care: Hal Jordon may not have been the first Green Lantern, but he was the longest-serving Green Lantern, and the one whom most first came across. About twelve years ago, DC either allowed or instructed Ron Marz to give Hal a mental breakdown, show him blowing up a city, then turn him into the villainous Parallax. ('Oooooooh!') Meanwhile Kyle Rayner took up the mantle of Green Lantern, Parallax redeemed himself in FINAL NIGHT during a brief power cut (or something), and ended up becoming a new incarnation of the Spectre (more redemption evidently necessary). AND A HOARD OF SCREAMING MONKEYS LAUNCHED THEMSELVES INTO AN EAR-SHATTERING FRENZY OF VOCAL, VERBAL POO-FLINGING! 'How dare they mess with Hal Jordan? How dare they?!?!' Adverts were taken out in fanboy magazines, the writer was vilified, editors were poisoned, the American economy collapsed, Denmark fell into the ocean, and Mark and I contemplated creating a comic shop where noone would actually care. Welcome, by the way.
Solo #1 (£2-95, DC) by Tim Sale, Brian Azzarello, Jeph Loeb, Darwyn Cooke, Diana Schultz & Tim Sale. Bi-monthly lucky-dip series. Each issue features different characters by different writers in different moods and different artists in different styles, but not, by the looks of it, in 'different genres' as advertised - it all looks firmly superheroic if you ask me. This issue Jeph Loeb's regular partner Tim Sale handles the entire 48-page art chores, illustrating the excellent Diana Schtuz (GRENDEL: DEVIL CHILD, Dark Horse editor and erstwhile CEREBUS proof reader) on Supergirl, Brian 100 BULLETS Azzarello on Catwoman and Batman, and Jeph Loeb himself on a follow-up story to SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS.
The Authority: Revolution #1 of 12 (£2-20) by Ed Brubaker & Dustin Nguyen. Third series of libertarian fascists with lip, who, following the events of COUP D'ETAT (see book section above) have been ruling the United States for some time now, even if they haven't had time for much in the way of legislation. Other countries appear to have adapted to the regime change, but for some strange reason the good citizens of the United States seem a little flustered. Brubaker is the masterful scribe behind half of GOTHAM CENTRAL and the whole of SLEEPER (check out his autobiographical COMPLETE LOWLIFE as well). Nguyen was the increasingly attractive artist on WILDCATS 3.0.
Razor's Edge: Warblade #1 (£2-20, Wildstorm/DC) by John Ridley & Simon Bisley. RAZOR'S EDGE is a showcase for various Wildstorm Universe characters, this one being resurrected from the original WILDCATS series. John Ridley is a novelist and screenwriter (Three Kings), with his AUTHORITY hardcover yet to appear so we can't tell if he has anything to say about superheroes. Simon Bisley drinks a lot of lager. And he also likes drawing blood and mayhem (LOBO etc.). This is a five-parter, then, featuring blood and mayhem.
Quantum Mechanics (£4-50, Image) by Art Thibert, Rich Birdsall & Art Thibert. New comedy series in which Time is a machine that needs constant maintenance by a bunch of transtemporal mechanics. Art used to ink Jim Lee on X-MEN.
Rising Stars #22 (£2-25) by J. Michael Straczynski & Brett Anderson. At long last, the final three issues see the disappointing superheroes-in-the-real-world series limp towards its might-as-well conclusion. Read SUPREME POWER instead - this time Michael's got it right (#13, the new story arc, begins this month; by the time this arrives #1-12 will all be in print, indeed volume one is currently flying out the door).
Wolverine #20 & #21 (£1-70 each, Marvel) by Mark Millar & John Romita jr.. A couple of weeks ago my housemonkey asked me one of those searching questions that really do make you consider the world we live in, the threats to our everyday lives, the state of the global economy and the welfare of those born into lives of squalor, hardship, poverty or tyranny. 'Why is it,' he probed, 'that the only decent solo Wolverine stories have been set in the past?' I tell you, I switched off the vapid frivolities of Newsnight straight away in order to focus fully on the issue at hand. 'I mean,' he continued, 'there's just ORIGIN and WEAPON X - and not even Sir Bazza's WEAPON X really stands up... unless you fix it in two-inch lucite and lay it firmly against the wall.' 'Well, Grasshopper,' I ventured, 'there is an old oriental saying which, roughly translated from the original mandarin, goes something like this: 'If you want a decent story, find a fucking writer'.' So yes, outside of Paul Jenkins, here's Wolverine's first decent writer, although I'm really not sure what to expect of a six-issue story that puts him back in a silly costume and has him - sigh - take on the rest of the Marvel universe. I'm sure about the sales, I'm just not as confident as I would be about Millar doing almost anything else with him. Still, it is Mark Millar.
Tomb Of Dracula #1 (£2-25) by Robert Rodi (with Bruce Jones) & Jamie Tolagson. Hot on the heels of Marvel's smash-success reprinting their old TOMB OF DRACULA series in cheap b/w 'essential' softcovers (vol 3 listed above), comes a new Marvel smash-success series from which Bruce Jones took twelve pages to jump off board and head over to an exclusive contract with DC. Rodi was recently responsible both for the very well-written LOKI, and the lump of shit that's IDENTITY DISC. I'm not sure who Tolagson is. Features Blade, obviously. There's a SABRETOOTH mini-series as well this month.
The Golden Plates #1 (£5-50, AAA Pop Comics) by Michael Allred & Laura Allred. X-STATIX artist and MADMAN creator adapts the entire Book of Mormon. 'The Book of Mormon is a record of people who left Jerusalem in 600 BC through their destruction in Central America in 400 AD.' I think there's some Americanese in there, because in English that means they managed to leave Jerusalem because of their destruction in Central America a thousand years later. '[Alleged] Prophets [allegedly] passed down the record of the [supposed] intrigue, wars, and visions on thin metal plates. Did these amazing things really happen? The first volume is an extra big 64-page instalment that follows the [alleged] Prophet Lehi from Jerusalem, the establishment of the [supposed] plates, and spectacular visions of the future including the great vision of Nephi.' Includes 'archaeological and anecdotal evidence'. Anecdotal evidence! Oh, I'm such an agnostic old Hector.
Cocopiazo #1 (£2-20 Slave Labor/Amaze Ink) by Daniel Warner. 'John Victory was never born, he simply appeared one night ordering rounds and slapping asses in a dimly lit cocktail lounge. His life is a drunken odyssey characterized by self-obsession, a cheerful slavery to vice, and the flouting of death. He'll tell you he's here to chronicle the age of John. He'll tell you he's out to take his place among Poe, Hemingway, and Wilde in the pantheon of history's great author/drinkers. John is on a quest for anything. This is his story.' Hmm, I can't escape the feeling that I've met John...
303 #1of 6 (£2-99 Avatar) by Garth Ennis & Jacen Burrows. Rare colour series from Avatar, as previewed in the, err, preview. Russian special forces faces off against the British deep in the mountains of Afghanistan, in a battle which inspires the war-weary Russian colonel to embark on the mission of a madman.
The Lurkers #1 (£2-99 IDW) by Steve Niles & Hector Casanova. Chiller thriller on the streets of Los Angeles, when a body turns up with human bite marks.
Deady The Terrible Teddy (£3-99, Sirius) by Voltaire & various. I'm now way too compromised to say anything for or against, but the title pretty much tells you all you need to know, except that Deady crosses paths with James O'Barr's The Crow and Mighty Fine's Ruby Gloom. Dan Brereton's on hand too.
Following Cerebus #2 (£2-95 Aardvark-Vanaheim/Win-Mill Productions) by Dave Sim et al. 'Bloody hell, can't you let this title die now?' Certainly not. Besides, there's a six page Cerebus story here that even I don't think I have, since 'Passage' seems to have been previously printed only in the CEREBUS NEWSLETTER over 20 years ago, and I wasn't reading the book back then. What else? Sim's rare 1973 interview with Lord Barry of Windsor-Smythe, an essay on storytelling techniques used in the 6000-page epic (and you could fill all 40 pages on that single topic alone, even if you limited yourself to new techniques invented by Dave or Gerhard), a new cover by Dave and Ger, and a commentary by Dave on the previous issue, which will almost certainly include some variation or another on the subject of why no one has, since #186, ever, ever, ever either commended CEREBUS or had anything nice to say about Dave Sim. While I'm here, I've just finished the notes in the back of the LAST DAY tpb, and they're fascinating on a personal level, and in terms of the story and working methods. I completely missed the fact that She-Shep had a mere three toes. Who spotted he used telekinesis? All that and more, on sale now. For a free, signed issue of CEREBUS, please see Neil Gaiman's journal excerpt in the letters column at the bottom of this mailshot.
Comics Journal #263 (£6-50 Fantagraphics). The big interview this month is with Ed Brubaker (SLEEPER, GOTHAM CENTRAL, COMPLETE LOWLIFE). The hot topic? Dave Sim and CEREBUS. The editors promise 'this roundtable will put if all into perspective for you as only COMICS JOURNAL can.' Which is a bit like saying 'Alastair Campbell: believe every word'.
m e r c h a n d i s e
Hellboy Talking Board (£22-99/£89-99, Dark Horse) by Mike Mignola. Two versions of the same occult object, one cheap and nasty, the other expensive. Talk to the dead and see if they respond. If you hear from Jean Grey, tell her not to get too settled. If you hear from Mephisto it's probably time to stop. Dark Horse accept no responsibility for any subsequent mental issues or 360 degree rotations of the head.
Green Lantern Ring Set (£99-99 DC). Five power rings - one each for Hal Jordan, Sinestro, Kyle Rayner, Alan Scott and the Power Syndicate - 'cast in fine pewter with colored (green and gold) oxylene coating. Two of the rings will have green stones inserted into the face, and one of the rings with have pearl-epoxy inserted into the face. All rings will be size 11, with each [and this is where they get very excitable] nestled in a black foam and packaged together in a [wait for it] silver-rimmed, hinged, satin-lined bengealine hunter green box including a black outer protective sleeve.' Has there ever been a Green Lantern story where one of the corps finds his ring in a Christmas cracker? No, I'm sure they're classy. However, 'not designed to be worn,' they caution - especially if you've a slimmer finger and fighting a homicidal squid underwater. Or doing the intergalactic dishes. Remember, though, it's always said about the power rings that the only limits are those of your imagination. So imagine what else you could be doing with 99 quid.
Neon Genesis Evangelion Eva Unit figures in launch tube packaging (£13-99 each) - Units 00 to 04 available again.
Dawn: Iron Maiden s&n digital print (£23-99, Linsner.com) by J M Linsner. Poor Dawn, she's crying tears of green. No wonder really, the silly moo's sawn her arms off and replaced them with rose bushes. Now that's what I call hard graft.
Spider-Man: Eyes t-shirt (S,M,L,XL £17-99; XXL £20-99). How shall I describe this? Basically it's Spider-Man's mask all over the t-shirt. The whole thing's red and webbed, with Spidey's white, gigantic, black-rimmed eyes staring out from your chest, so you'll walk around looking like a boiled moth.
UK Postage (overseas at cost):
£1-00 for the first comic (unless there's a book included in the package in which case it's just 25 pence), and 25 pence thereafter.
£1-00 each for Tokyopop or Lonewolf books, £3-00 for 'The Complete Bone', £1-50 each for other books or t-shirts.
''Behind The Panels', 'Cages', 'Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels' and 'Love & Rockets: The Complete Palomar' will cost a flat £5-00 postage, but anything ordered on top of them will of course be postage free, because.....
Maximum postage for all this lot is £5-00.
Posters and prints are sent separately @ £1-50.
Standing Orders:
To ensure that you never miss a single issue of a title you read, Page 45 provides a free standing order service either for personal collection or sending by post. All you have to do is tell us which titles you want, and we'll save them for you as they come out. You can visit or phone as often as you want, but we must hear from you at least once every three months, please. Single orders and reservations just as gratefully received as any others.
More information can be found in Comics International (£1-50), the Previews catalogue (£3-25), at www.ninthart.com and www.sequentialtart.com or indeed by e-mailing us at page45@page45.com
Want tips on producing your own comic? - Download the .pdf - http://www.reddingk.com/
Our web-site address is www.page45.com. Construction, design and management by Dominique Kidd.
Removal instructions: there is no way out. Oh, okay, just type 'remove' in the subject heading, and feel our desolation.
Page 45 is a comic shop.
We are:
Mark Simpson
Stephen L. Holland
Tom Rosin
Page 45
9 Market Street
Nottingham
NG1 6HY
Tel: (0115) 9508045
Monday to Saturday 9am to 6pm.
Page 45 mailshots burnt at both ends by Stephen and Mark.
l e t t e r s
Nobody loves us this month, so no letters, sorry.
However, we really should have mentioned last mailshot that Bone: The Complete Edition will cost £3-00 to post, rather than the regular £1-50. But then you may have noticed that for the last year we've been sending out Lonewolf and Tokyopop books at £1-00 each rather than the regular £1-50. Maximum postage remains, as it has for the last ten years, £5-00.
Also, because it's been on my mind for several years now, you might have noticed that however many rave reviews I throw Marvel's way amongst all the well-earned dismissals, we never feature any of their comics on the main page of our website. Simple reason: their lawyers. Over the last ten years Marvel have come down indiscriminately on various websites with a legal sledgehammer, seemingly oblivious to the fact that most have them have been entirely amateur, providing the company and its products with free advertising. So although we could almost certainly feature Marvel images on our website since it's all for review purposes, as an act of solidarity with the fans, we've studiously declined. Yes, an act of solidarity with Marvel fans. Good lord.
As a substitute letter, here's an excerpt from Neil Gaiman's on-line journal (http://www.neilgaiman.com/journal/journal.asp), with the offer of a free, signed copy of a CEREBUS issue that features one of Dave Sim's excellent SANDMAN parodies. Take it away, Neil:
Amongst many other things, in Dave Sim's Cerebus (which is a story that took Dave and his partner-in-art Gerhard 300 issues to tell) he did, in the Women storyline, easily the best parody of Sandman anyone's ever done, as various members of the Cerebus cast of characters become Snuff, Swoon and the rest of the Clueless. It was wickedly funny, and had the author of Sandman curling his toes when he read it.
Dave Sim has made an extremely generous offer to readers of this journal (and indeed, to readers not of this journal, but just people who simply hear about his offer elsewhere on the Internet. Memes propagate, after all), which is the kind of offer that I found as interesting as he did. It's this:
If you'd like to read one of the Sandman parody issues of Cerebus, Dave will send you one. He'll send it to you very happily, free of charge. He will sign it for you, too. And he won't charge you a thing. Not even postage.
And if you're wondering what the catch is, it's this: Dave wants to know (as, I have to admit, do I) how many of the people out there in internet-land will actually go and do things that don't involve passively clicking on a link and going somewhere interesting. So what you have to do is write Dave a letter (not an e-mail. Dave doesn't have e-mail) telling him that you read that he'll send you a signed Cerebus, and telling him why you'd like him to send you a copy. It's as easy as that. And, quite possibly as difficult.
The address to write to is:
Aardvark Vanaheim, Inc
P.O. Box 1674 Station C
Kitchener, Ontario, Canada N2G 4R2
Dave, I suspect, thinks he'll get a handful of requests. In my more pessimistic moments, I think he's right, although I'd love it if he got deluged with letters, like those kids in hospitals who don't exist but are still collecting postcards...
We have a second-part of the plan too, which involves doing good things for the CBLDF. But that's for later. For now, if you're even mildly curious, write Dave a letter. Tell him you're curious...
(And for those of you who aren't sure if they want to risk having to go and find a stamp, you could go and look at http://www.cerebusfangirl.com/ -- and at http://www.cerebusfangirl.com/stories/stories.html you can even read several Cerebus short stories from Epic Illustrated, or the four pager from Alan Moore and partners' AARGH anthology.)
(But once you've read them, write Dave the letter. Don't forget to put your address on it, or to say why you'd like him to send you a signed Cerebus comic. And feel very very free to pass the word on to the comics news-sites or groups, or just to anywhere that people who might be interested congregate.)'
And if you're a regular reader of these e-shots, you could even tell Dave how bored you are of our constant attempts to bludgeon you into buying CEREBUS. He seems to think that no one recommends the book.
