Hope those straps aren't too tight, James. Once again, we want to recommend that first and foremost you check out Warren Ellis' ORDERINGCOMICS.COM to tell you why reviews of this sort are necessary, why you should pre-order your comics at your local comic shop, and for a few recommendations of his own. And now, on with the review!

Renee's work was… fascinating, really. I read MARBLES IN MY UNDERPANTS, Oni's collection of all of Renee's work to date just a week ago and I found it compelling and genuinely disturbing. Her work really crawls under your skin in a very creepy, base way. It's fantastic. I owe some folks of a review of it, and I guarantee that review will be a positive one. On top of that, Top Shelf puts out beautiful looking objects, with super-high production standards. Whether it's a mini-comic or a hardcover, it's beautiful. This is a recommended item.

Well, I don't think you could ask for a better lineup than that for Oni's second colour spectacular. Last year's Oni Color book was a heck of a lot of fun, and considering all of the guest stars, team-ups, and great stories this time around I'm anticipating a lot more of fun here too. Sadly, they took the word "fun" out of the title, which I think is essential to get the fun of the project across. And I'm sort of sad that it's no longer "spectacular" either…

KP sounds great, and this is a fact that should definitely be played-up! Get the word out yo! But first, I’ve got an idea for next year’s crossover. CHYNNA CLUGSTON MAJOR AND WARREN ELLIS’ DARK BLUE MONDAY. Bleu Christchurch and her "partner" Clover navigate a disturbing highschool where things simply aren’t what they should be. Their principal masturbates on the nude corpses of deceased students and a crazed serial-rapist stalks the halls, and their souls. It'd be pretty fuck'd up, think they'd go for it?

Bleu: "BY FUCKERY! HE'S JERKING OFF INTO A BUCKET, CLOVER! THIS ISN'T RIGHT!"

Clover: "STOP IT BLEU! YOU'RE GOING CRAZY! YOU JUST BEAT THAT MONKEYBOY INTO WITHIN AN INCH OF HIS LIFE!"

Magic…

JOSS WHEDON'S FRAY #1
By Joss Whedon, Karl Moline, and Andy Owens.
$2.99, FC, 32pg, Page 29 (Dark Horse Comics)
Order Number: APR010021

I don't think that Joss Whedon's strength is in the concepts of his works. Buffy is "A cute girl that is destined to slay vampires". Not terribly unique, or compelling, but it's in the execution that the work comes together. That's why I'm not worried that the pitch for FRAY doesn't grab me. While the solicitation seems to describe a fairly terrible book (girl in a post-apocalyptic world fights monsters) I have no doubt that it's Whedon's execution that will be bringing me in.

The whole vibe for this project seems to be really (unfortunately) understated. No previews of the story, only the barest hints of what it’s going to be about, and the lack of a strong cover all contribute to a somewhat underwhelming roll-out. Surprising, yeah.

THE RING OF THE NIBELUNG: GOTTERDAMMERUNG #1
By P. Craig Russell
$2.99, FC, 32pg, Page 32 (Dark Horse Comics)
Order Number: APR010026

"This is the full consumation of a master's skill at the height of his powers." – Matt Wagner, from the solicitation.

That sounds about right. I've been long enamoured of P. Craig Russell's work, and seeing him nearing the completion of a book he has wanted to do for years is heartening. The work has been phenominal; Russel's translations sing and his art is masterful. This is one of the book coming from the North American comics market and say "This, this is art. This is our craft." Brilliant.

Actually, I’m one of the folks that’s never read it. I’ve read short what-not from Sakai, and I recognize is skill and ability, but the book itself just doesn’t appeal to me. Honorable anthropomophic animal stories are just a tough sell with me. I like my talking animals funny.

Not to rain on anyone else's parade, but does anyone really care about this? I don't have a lot of confidence when the creative team admits (paraphrasing) "Yes, this is like the INVASION crossover, but a lot BIGGER." These things are traditionally fairly transperant crash-grabs, and seeing as it doesn't wrap-up until August, I'd say DC is really going for the bank this time. And how many times can you say (not paraphrasing) "and the aftermath leaves the DCU forever changed." before fans start realizing that, no, nothing is really going to change. Here's a hint: The DCU is owned by AOL/TimeWarner. The DCU is a property to be exploited. NOTHING IS GOING TO CHANGE. Avoid this terrible, terrible cash-grab.

I can’t help but feel that we’re not letting any cat out of any bag, and people realize this and will buy it anyway. Nice Jae Lee covers though.

Here’s something interesting. This book doesn’t have a mature-readers tag on it. Despite the big uproar at DC and the puling and the innapropriatness of this book for minors and all that stuff, the book doesn’t have a mature readers tag. One can only assume that DC are incredibly inconsistant, or simply unable to admit their errors (ie: the entire pulping was a mistake).

I've been looking for an excuse to plug this book for a while. Every month I write up a recommendation, and every month I end up cutting it for space. WELL NOT THIS MONTH, BABY! Adam Warren is a fantastic artist, but more importantly, he's a very good writer. His two Gen13 mini-series', GEN 13: GRUNGE THE MOVIE and GEN 13: MAGICAL DRAMA QUEEN ROXY were smart, sexy, funny, gripping, and showed a real insight to some characters who have a tendency to be written in a very two dimensional fashion. Some would argue that his talents are wasted on a corporate-owned work. I say poppycock to that. GEN 13 is an accessible, fun book with a built-in audience and this issue, it's got guest stars galore. Eight artists contributed to the art for this issue, and they're all great. If you were looking for an excuse to check this out, or if you're a retailer looking for a solid book to sell, you can't go wrong with this one.

I love Warren’s GEN 13 work and my only big problem with his run on the regular book has been the mediocre art, which doesn’t seem to be an issue this time out. Warren’s writing is hip and funny and fun, exactly what this book should be.

I’m not crazy about Benes’ work on the series either and I can’t understand why the Wildstorm Editors in question keep hiring him for books when much stronger talents don’t have a regular project. Luckily, the next two issues on the stands will be illustrated by Kaare Andrews, with #66 being the super-guest-star issue, before (I believe) Rick Mays comes on for a run. This is gonna be great.

Finally availible in an affordable edition, the first six issues of PROMETHEA! PROMETHEA is my favorite of the ABC books, exploring both the form and function of comics at the same time that it tells an engaging and surprising story. These first six issues, sadly, don't wrap up the first storyline. If they had gone to issue 8, maybe. At any rate, it's a wonderful book with truly beautiful artwork. It comes with a strong recommendation.

Going to have disagree with you on TOP TEN (though TOM STRONG has a lost a lot of it’s lustre for me), I find that a consistantly engaging read. I find the six-issue trade paperback collections to be evidence of further incompetence in handling Moore’s work at DC.

I hate Ed Brubaker. He is writing the book that I always swore to myself I would one-day write. Sigh. Then again, maybe I'm being immature. At the rate Vertigo is burning through Sandman Concepts these days, the book could have very easily ended up in the hands of a much less talented writer. And Ed is talented, and has professed a measure of affection for the characters. Not to mention on art chores we've got the always-talented Bryan Talbot. A great Dave McKean cover rounds it out. As it stands, this project could've been a whole lot worse, because right now it sounds as if it's going to be brilliant. Giving me still more reason to hate Ed Brubaker.

Hey, so would I. That means I could get to work on them. Heh, seriously though, I find the strip-mining of Gaiman’s work to be fairly abhorent, though I gotta say between Brubaker and Talbot and Thompson, I have a hard time getting too upset. Still, for every dollar I spend on this stuff I’ll match it on their creator owned work. Really, support creator ownership!

Okay, now that we’ve taken care of that, you know that Thompson’s work is beautiful. Her stories are exciting and funny and just plain fun for kids and touching and smart and just plain enjoyable for adults. I only wish this one shot was in the oversized format that Thompson’s art undoubtedly deserves.

Isn’t that weird? Jill puts out these lovely, well-received storybooks in a traditional format, and when DC gets her to do a new storybook project featuring characters that are dear to her heart, they put it in a traditional comic format. I would love to get inside the head of the folks making these sorts of decisions over at DC, really I would.

A new Transmet trade! Finally. It… baffles me… that DC isn't releasing these on a more frequent basis. The Transmet trades are high on the list of the top-selling trade paperbacks in comics, let alone from DC. Add to that a steadily growing audience for the book and the fact that in the month that LONELY CITY is released, it will be fully three trade paperbacks behind the monthly series and you've got a conundrum. I'm not going to speculate why, I'll just accept the release of this trade paperback, and (theoretically) another scheduled for the end of the year as a minor blessing.

Don’t you think that consistent (or at least regular) trade paperback releases will do more to build a strong following for the title than these sporadic releases?

Paradox's BIG BOOKs are always a lot of fun, not to mention rather informative. In a perfect world, they'd be one of the backbones of DC's publishing schedule but unfortunately their output has slowed to a trickle. That's still no reason not to jump on this latest release, which features stories of wild women from history telling their tales. Throw some great artists into the mix and you've got a must-have item for your bookshelf.

Agreed. There’s a ton of great talent on this book (and all of the big books). Really, one of DC’s premiere efforts.

BATMAN AND SUPERMAN BY YOSHITAKA AMANO POSTERS
Painted by Yoshitaka Amano
2 x 22" x 34" posters, $7.95 Each, Page 93, (DC Comics/DC Direct)
Batman Order Number: APR010560
Superman Order Number: APR010561

I'm a big Yoshitaka Amano fanboy. His illustrations first captured my imagination way back in the days of Final Fantasy for my Nintendo. His work is haunting, his characters appearing as delicate apparitions more so than solid human beings. It's as if the ghost of Gustav Klimpt decided he wanted to draw pictures of fantasy characters. At any rate, his brilliant work has been seen so far in Vertigo's SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS as well as several posters, and now he's turned his attentions to two of DC's most iconic characters. The results speak for themselves.

That brings up an interesting question, who is the target audience for these posters? Staunch traditionalist fans of Superman and Batman won’t cotton none to these wispy, etherial illustrations, and I can’t see many of the alternative/independent folks wanting Superman or Batman on their walls, no matter how well-illustrated. This leaves… harcore Amano fans?

Joe Madureira takes an amazing ammount of shit for being successful. Yeah, he shamelessly "borrows" anime concepts to produce BATTLE CHASERS, and he'd have a much easier go of things if he didn't (or if he didn't so staunchly defend the obvious lifts). But really, pick up nearly any "Amerimanga" and tell me you can't play spot the influences. Then, there's the release schedule. Sure it's crap, but compare 9 issues of Battle Chasers in 2 and a half years to the Strangehaven advertisement a little later in the catalogue that proudly touts the new issue "at last! the first new issue in over a year!" We're not in an industry that's overly concerned with timeliness. I really think that a big part of the problem with Mad is that he had the nerve to be so successful, and that's really unfortunate. When I look at the artwork on pages 110 and 111, I see an incredibly talented young artist who truly loves what he's doing. Not to mention that, he owns his own book, and pulled it away from the largest company in comics when he didn't like the deal he was getting there. That took balls too. In short, despite his many shortcomings, Joe Madureria does have a lot to be applauded for, and it's unfortunate to never see him getting his due. All that, and this issue is super-sized, with an "oversized central story", a 12 page backup story by Adam Warren, and a sketchbook section. It's got my vote.

I think you misunderstood what I was saying. This is a guy who loves what he does – drawing. What he seems fairly indifferent to is keeping any kind of schedule. That’s unfortunate, I’m of the opinion Battle Chasers would be a hell of a lot more popular and far more successful if he could get the product into folks’ hands at a reasonable rate. But, he’s said that he’s no longer on a "schedule" as such, and he’s going to solicit books when they’re done from now on, instead of making folks wait for them. That clears up most of my problems with him.

The thing that struck me immediately upon reading the solicitation for this volume was that though they make a very big deal of the fact that it’s IN COLOR FOR THE FIRST TIME IN TRADE PAPERBACK, they don't both to mention the name of the colorist anywhere in the solicitation. That's more offensive than anything in the book itself. Meanwhile, this was a great story and it's in colour now. I'm wondering how many of the hardcore Kevin Smith fans will pick up the exact same story with colour artwork instead of B&W art though. Probably tons, those people are crazy. Heh. James, anything to add?

Laura’s great. I wonder though, Fegredo used an awful lot of zip-a-tone in the story, and typically that doesn’t mesh too well with computer colouring. How did it turn out?

Best of luck to Judd on the project, but I won’t be picking it up. Does the world need another X-Book?

It isn't particularly helped, either. Ah well.

WIZARD ANIME INVASION
$4.99, Magazine, Page 188 (Wizard)
Order Number: APR011862 (Akira Cover) APR011863 (Cartoon Network Cover)

If this book is anything less than a complete abortion, I will be shocked beyond belief. WIZARD is "The Guide To Comics", except it's generally terrible from the top down, and in an average issue there are maybe 10 pages worth reading, the remainder of the magazine being "independently generated journalism", offensive and ignorant content, and finally some pandering to the lowest common fanboy denominator. Plus the price guide, which is somewhere in the middle there. Their manga and animation coverage is also fairly hideous, which leads me to believe that unless they've employed a great deal of freelance talent to write for the magazine this thing will be particularly abominable to anyone with even the slightest bit of anime knowledge.

Now, this may seem harsh, but I guarantee it's nothing compared to the meticulous deconstruction they'll receive when anime fandom, who tend to be some of the most persistent, detail-oriented, and slightly-off-kilter fandom out there get a hold of this book. Wizard, I hardly knew ye.

Heh, indeed

For those of you that have never experienced the majesty and the mystery of TMCM, be forewarned; It's acrid commentary and cynical nature are not for everyone. Luckily though, they're for most people. TMCM is a superhero with a cup of coffee in his head, who rails against the injustices of modern society, deconstructing the intricacies of human behaviour in the process. And it's incredibly funny. Here at PopImage we're all about exploring new formats and trying to reach a broader audience, and the meme-worthy idea behind "Too Much Coffee Man" greatly benefits from a broader, more accessible format.

I'll agree that James Kolchacka's work is definitely an acquired taste, but the first Peanutbutter & Jeremy story was a short, cute fable that I really enjoyed. Kolchalka's work is definitely out of left field, and he seems to be paying attention solely to his own aesthetic, but occasionally that's not such a bad thing. Recommended for readers of all ages.

His work, not to mention his point of view, isn’t for everyone and I’ll concede that. I had a hard time getting into it at first, but with projects like MONKEY VS. ROBOT and PB&J he’s really putting together an interesting, multi-layered series of stories. You really might want to consider giving PB&J a shot, even if you’re not normally a fan of Kolchaka’s work.

I've always been surprised the SLG didn't devote more of their energies to a consistent and comprehensive trade paperback program. Luckily, they seem to have caught on recently and have begun collecting some of their classic, best-selling work for new audiences. WHO'S LAUGHING NOW? Collects everything from DORK 1-5, along with several new pages of material in one handy book. Here's to hoping that volume 2 follows hot on it's heels.

Hey, you’re right. The solicitation gave me the impression it would be the complete contents of those volumes. I understand that they’re probably pulling the Eltingville stuff because of the forthcoming cartoon, but why not just release theme oriented books? All the Devil Puppet stuff in it’s own book, 50 PAGES OF FUN STRIPS, that sort of thing. That’s a little odd.

From the creator of PULP magazine's fantastic new manga UZUMAKI comes another chilling horror story. I mean, how can you pass this up? Uzumaki is incredibly strong and disturbing, and though the solicitation copy inches towards giggles ("You may kill her – but she'll return. She'll be growing and seeithing under your carpet…") it promises to be a nice little chunk of evil. And that price point is fucking brilliant! 248 pages for $9.95 is what manga should cost. Hell, it's what comics should cost. Sometimes I hate this industry. Anyway, this is original graphic novels, monthly, without being solicited in pamphlets. This is what the majority of PI folk have been arguing for, and now that it's here I hope you're all supporting it.

One caution might be in order. As it’s been pointed out, COMICSONE seems to be a brand new company, and as such no one is sure of the quality of their reproductions or translation as of yet. From the solicitation I can tell their Graphic Design isn’t terribly strong, and their copywriting is particularly week, so my enthusiasm may be slightly diminished. Hopefully though, the project comes across clean and professional. We can use more good manga production houses.

I’ve never heard of this. Can you tell me a bit more about the project?

Interesting. Considering Jamie's connection with DHP and what not though, I'm sorta surprised that you guys didn't put out this collection…

"Everyone loves Wendel!" raves Sir Ian McKellen on the cover of this, the WENDEL "Treasury" edition. Collected in one volume for the first time, these are the complete WENDEL comic strips by Howard (STUCK RUBBER BABY) Cruse. WENDEL broke a lot of ground in the 1980's when it came to gay rights, and that alone makes this an important collection of work. Also solicited this month are two collections of Alison Bechdel's similarly important DYKES TO WATCH OUT FOR.

Fair enough, but sometimes it’s enough to support a worthy cause on it’s own merits. An important work is still important, despite it’s flaws, in my humble opinion.

A man named Nathan agonizes over his feelings towards his friend Jessica, while dealing with the the failing health of his mother. A small, quiet story that sounds intriguing. This is a fairly random recommendation, as I know absolutely nothing about this book, but it sounds like a small story worth reading.

I sort of worry that Dan Brereton fans are buying NOCTURNALS for Dan Brereton artwork. I don’t often get a publisher a chance to ask this, but do you think that the that the book not having NOCTURNALS anywhere in the title and that Dan not providing the art for the book are going to hurt sales on it?

Hey James, you think that maybe we could arrange for PopImage to show these fine folks a preview of Ted's work on GUNWITCH?

Banana Fish is my favorite manga serialized in Viz's PULP magazine (which you should also be ordering), and this is the fifth collection of the series. I actually wasn't purchasing PULP, instead prefering to purchase the stories I enjoyed (like Banana Fish). When I do pick up PULP now, I do my best not to read the Banana Fish stories, because this story reads much better in collected format, when you can get a good punch from the story. Just in case you were wondering, Banana Fish is high-octane crime fiction, and definitely not a noir, gritty work. You really haven't read anything quite like it, and I recommend it strongly.

Collecting Issues 9 through 12 of this fantastic, fictionalized tale of an Asian American Senator's road to the White House. This book really is gripping reading, with its political maneuverings and discussions of family and responsibility. It took me completely by surprise upon reading, and it reminded me that an action-packed comic doesn't necessarily have to have men in leotards grappling with each other.

I think that Eagle is more the potential of North American comics, to be able to tackle a number of subjects in a serious and compelling way. Here's to the future!

Okay. So on page 328, we have MANGA MANIA, drawn by Christopher Hart (who I'll assume, for the sake of convenience, is American). The solicitation for the product claims that this is "The only step-by-step guide ever published on drawing this wildly popular style of comic book art…". Then, we flip forward 23 pages, to the newest installment in the vast and well-written HOW TO DRAW MANGA series, GETTING STARTED. Now, the solicitation for MANGA MANIA doesn't mention that it's the only guide ever published in English, or ever published originating from a country that's not Japan, but the only step-by-step guide EVER. This is… insulting, actually. Particularly when you compare the cover illustrations of MANGA MANIA and GETTING STARTED, and you realize just who knows what they're talking about. If I might be so bold, I heartily recommend grabbing GETTING STARTED if you're interested in the ins and outs of illustrating in a Japanese comics "style". The books are well-written and well-translated, with valuable instruction for beginners and professionals alike.

I can see what you mean there, but more often than not the act of "drawing" is giving more attention the idea of "drawing for comics". There are specific skills that need to be learned when you're working in comics, like pacing and layout and framing and what not. I'd rather more artists learned to tell a story (which the HOW TO DRAW MANGA books talk about) than just put together a collection of poses and pinups.

And that's it for this month folks. I'd like to thank Mr. Jones for doing the review with me. James, have you got anything to add?

Don't get too comfortable. Scottie has threatened to claw my eyes out about this. Speaking of ditching Scottie (hehe), if any professionals (or editors, heh) would like to sit in on the Previews Review panel with either Scottie or myself, just e-mail us at popimage@hotmail.com.

See you in thirty, kids!