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AUGUST PREVIEWS REVIEW
Hello and welcome back to the Previews Review! We apologize for being a little late this month, but we’ve made up for it by putting together what I think is the most interesting review to date. We hope you enjoy it.
First up, we just want to remind you that you should always pre-order your comics with your local comic ship retailer. Always. Secondly, the Review is meant to be read along WITH Diamond Comics Distributors’ PREVIEWS magazine. If you don’t have a copy, you can get one from http://www.diamondcomics.com. And finally, my comments (Christopher) are in regular type, and Scott J.
Grunewald (our publisher)’s comments are in italics. Like so:
Okay, so Chris and I were talking. Last month, we did the Previews Review backwards in order to spotlight some books that we really felt needed to be seen BEFORE the Marvel and DC stuff. You see, everyone talks about marvel and DC and Image, and to some extent, Dark Horse, and often at the expense of other great books whose only crime is not being published by a big company. Well, in order to combat this, we’ll be doing all of our previews reviews from back to front from now on. So flip your copy of Previews to page number 323 and let’s kick this months column into high gear.
 Chris’s Pick of the Month.
If you’re new to the Previews Review, you’re probably unfamiliar with Junji Ito. In Japan, he’s known as something of a modern master of horror comics, with haunting, disturbing work that helped herald a new horror renaissance along with movies like RING. So far, only three volumes of his work have been made available for North American consumption, TOMIE volume 1 and 2, and FLESH COLORED HORROR, all from ComicsOne.com. With the release of Uzumaki, we get his strongest material yet, as a town plagued by nightmares spirals into darkness. Perhaps what makes Uzumaki so strong is that it taps into the base fears of humanity. With a world only one step removed from our own, Uzumaki twists the tried and true tenets of daily life into brain-wrenching horror, so that as you flip through every page you feel your stomach twisting into tighter knots. Uzumaki is currently serialized in PULP, and has gone from being the strongest work in that magazine to the strongest trade paperback release this month. Even if you don’t like "manga", you’ll be a fan of this book.
I was going to pick this up based on the solicitation copy alone. Small towns obsessed with spirals, people's bodies twisted into impossible shapes and very atypical artwork made this book stand out to me.
It’s going to be a brilliant book. Alvin Liu, PULP Editor and all around good guy was also telling me that this book is likely to have some special packaging, such as a slipcase or inset, to make the purchase attractive even to folks who already have the stories in Pulp. The Pulp collections are generally quite lovely, but those folks know how to go all-out when it suits them. The HEARTBROKEN ANGELS collections were foil-stamped hardcovers with a slipcase, for example. This is a book you need to have in your collection.
This isn’t something I’d normally mention, let alone recommend, but
I actually stumbled across this book
in San Diego and was impressed by it. Much like PVP and DORK TOWER,
NORM is a collection of newspaper/online comic strips, filled out by new
material. It’s also quite funny. It rings fairly similar to
DESPERATE TIMES, but it’s a lot more neurotic and a lot less "cute",
which made it a more enjoyable read for me. I get the feeling that the
lead character is actually beset by some sort of psychological disorder
to accompany his regular "FRIENDS"-style work-a-day life, which adds a
whole new twist to the Caroline-In-The-City style self-insert comic strips.
You should be able to preview it on the site. The story on the flip-side,
however, I did not enjoy, and rather than go in detail, I’ll simply recommend
you not read the other half of the book.
I checked the website (www.thenorm.com) and was quite pleased with
the strip. Every should check it out. It’s a nice strip that is funny without
trying too hard.
But I will re-iterate that the TEX LARAMIE flip-side is… poor… at best.
It’s trying to be a sort of SPUMCO gross-out thing, when it just ends up
being… Ugh. Oh well. Here’s to hoping we’ll get to see a NORM #1.
STARS OF THE MONTH
SCARY GODMOTHER Hard Covers
Normally we don’t make a note to point out books that are being offered
again, but I wanted to take a moment and make you aware of two of the best
books being published for young children, let alone girls, in the entire
comic industry. Scary Godmother exists as a series of hard covers interspersed
with single issue miniseries. It’s the story of a young girl named Hannah,
and the Scary Godmother that watches over her and teaches her about the
spooky things in life. Wonderful series that we’ve talked up before. Akiko,
which we haven’t mentioned, is also about a young girl, and her travels
to a far off galaxy filled with very strange but loveable characters. Akiko
has also recently become a series of very successful young-readers novels,
proving once again that the comic industry can’t be arsed when it comes
to children’s material.
Both books have many fans young and old, and both are worth your
money. Take this opportunity to order at least one, and I can guarantee
you won’t be sorry.
This is my random pick of the month. The cover caught my eye, but
it was the solicitation copy that hooked me.
From the solicitation copy: "The marriage of text and pictures inherent
to the comics medium goes on trial separation in this picture book style
Sequential interlude. Two seemingly polar opposite narratives run over
top of one another: one (the pictorial) of the desperate future and an
aging man's struggle within it, the other (the text) of an adolescent romantic
memory gone wrong. But the separation of the narratives begins to blur
as the stories progress, deconstructing the façade of any simple
story and revealing the complex, emotional relationship within."
It’s either going to be brilliant, or a laughably dismal failure.
Either way, it’s worth two and a half bucks.
I’ll take your word on it.
With issue four, Vox switches from the magazine format to an easier
to sell comic format. If you haven't been reading Vox, then chances are
you're not alone. No one seems to be reading this book. I picked it up
at last years Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco as was blown away
by it. Yes it's intellectual. Yes it's pretentious. Yes it's very, very
stream of conscious. It's also very readable, thought provoking and quite
unique. If you haven’t checked out VOX yet, then this is a good time to
jump on.
I know this makes me some sort of philistine, but I still haven’t read
this book. I think I’m going to make this the month where I finally pick
it up. I hope it’s enough to make it work for Leland.
I really liked Will Allison’s PERVERT CLUB. It was a self-published
effort, and it came out what feels like a million years ago. It featured
a club of girls (and one unfortunate young man) who all got together and
celebrated their unique sexual perversions. It was brilliant. Unfortunately,
retailers didn’t quite… get it… and either racked it as porn (which it
wasn’t) or didn’t order it at all (more the latter than the former). Will
followed this up with the somewhat mediocre TROUBLE EXPRESS, but in my
heart, I always wanted more Pervert Club, because there was nothing like
it on the stands, and the only thing that’s come close to it since is BLUE
MONDAY, and even that’s a stretch. I was told by the nice folks at Radio
that WEIRDLAND would be much more in the vein of PC, which makes me happy,
and on that alone I’ll recommend it to you. But I honestly doubt that we’ll
see a cover where an 18 year old manga girl is dressed in a diaper and
bib, sucking on a soother, and I just find that incredibly unfortunate.
I too loved PERVERT CLUB and was disappointed by TROUBLE EXPRESS.
WIERDLAND doesn’t look specifically interesting, but I didn’t think PERVERT
CLUB was going to be anything special either but it was in reality, quite
funny. I guess I’ll give the first issue a try.
Well, we don’t want to take away from your rampant toy purchases with
a few actual comic books. Speaking of which…
I'm so excited! A Blammo doll! I'm a huge fan of Electric Girl, and
you should be to. Blammo is her less that brilliant little dog and I can’t
wait until I get one!
Oh Scottie.
The story of how the atomic bomb was created is perhaps one of the
most fascinating stories from American history. Some of the worlds most
gifted and brilliant minds set aside their moral and ideological beliefs
in order to foster the creation of the most destructive force mankind has
ever seen. I’ve read countless books and watched countless History Channel
and TLC documentaries on the subject and I never cease to be enthralled.
I'm going to have a tough time waiting three months to get my copy.
FALLOUT tells the story of the price the scientists – and future generations
– paid for a swift end to World War II. The latest in Jim Ottiavani’s series
of science-themed comic books (the previous two being TWO-FISTED SCIENCE
and DIGNIFYING SCIENCE), FALLOUT is a comic as much at home on your bookshelf
as it is at your college library. Exploring complex political, scientific,
and social maneuverings in comics form (think of DC/Paradox’s BIG BOOK
series), these books are a treasure and will add legitimacy and respect
to the art form… if anyone orders them. Don’t be one of the ones who doesn’t,
pre-order your copy.
And if you want it, I HIGHTLY suggest that you pre-order it, seeing
as how most comic stores will completely ignore it.
Oh, and if you needed any more prodding, the book contains artwork by
Steve Leiber, Vince Locke, Bernie Mierault, Eddy Newel, Jeff Parker, and
Jeffery Jones. You need to own this.
I haven’t read Joe Sacco’s moving report on the Bosnian war yet? Now
is your chance as the book acclaimed by numerous news journals (including
TIME Magazine) is finally available in soft cover. You really have no excuse
not to buy this, a book, which will be remembered as one of the most important
comics of the 20th century.
I wish journalism in the form of comics were more widespread an idea.
Sure writers like Warren Ellis use modern politics to tell fictional stories,
but by bringing current real world events into comic form Sacco has created
a rare comic that is as emotionally gripping as it is politically motivating.
This book should really be read in schools. It clearly illustrates the
media blackout that we, as Americans exist in. The fact that the kind of
atrocities that happened in Bosnia can be so blatantly ignored by the mainstream
media proves that we’ve learned nothing from horrors like Nanking and the
Holocaust.
Whew… went on a bit of a tangent there. My point is, that this is
a very important work, and if you haven’t read it, then do so. If you have
read it, buy a copy and loan it around.
I'm always happy to see Xeric Award winners get attention. The fine
folks at Cyberosia have collected Michael Guldemond’s winning story "Under
a Slowly Spinning Sun" as well as several unpublished comics into one 120
page volume. Support the Xeric Grant. Buy this book and prove that it’s
doing good.
I’ve heard nothing but positive things about this work, and I think
it’s important to note that folks like Scott McCloud and Dave Sim have
gone to bat for it in the past. Beyond that, it’s put out by our good friends
at CYBEROSIA, who’ve published the brilliant FRIGHTENING CURVES. Expect
this work to be fairly brilliant, and make sure to get a copy.
Yes, I’m recommending a CrossGen book, and it’s not just for what will
surely be beautiful colors by Laura DePuy. This book actually just sounds
really good. It’s a detective story set in a faux-Victorian England. The
cover features two elegantly dressed individuals, a demure color palette,
and an elegant logo. The description sounds incredibly pleasing, and goes
out of it’s way to point out that this isn’t just a superhero story. For
the first time while looking at a CrossGen book, I believe it too.
And in a shocking coincidence, I'm also recommending RUSE. When Waid
is on, he is a brilliant writer, and I'm hoping that with this series he’s
on. Up until this point I’ve largely ignored the Cross Gen books. Mainly
because they look generic and interchangeable, despite having some of the
most talented creators in the industry working on them. Hopefully the release
of this book signals that CrossGen will be deviating from the tired superhero/fantasy
thing that they’ve done to this point. Here’s hoping.
Well, as much as we bitch, I do think it’s important to recommend books
that deserve it, despite the problems that might be inherent in the line.
CrossGen is a company that has some fairly laudable goals, and I’m glad
to be able to put a recommendation behind one of their books.
Okay, at first, I was delighted to see these little PVC figures. I LOVE little Bone things (Shut up Chris) and couldn’t wait to find some shelf space to put them on. Then I read closer. In an attempt to be "fun" they’ve made it so you can’t see what figure you’re buying. You have to guess, and just hope that you don’t get the same figure you got last time! GRRRR! I hate shit like this. That’s what you get for spending your money on toys instead of comics. They’re cute, and remind me of the little Smurfs figures I used to get as a kid. And so you _do_ deserve to be mocked.
This book is going to be cool and you should buy it. Why? Just look
at that advertisement. Look at the cover. It’s beautifully illustrated
and designed, and the subject matter means that the story is probably going
to be pretty cool as well. It’s going to be a very solid book. PopImage
supports this book. Only the price prevents me from recommending it as
my Pick Of The Month, I’m that jazzed about the promo stuff I saw for it
in San Diego.
I'm a little upset. The ad copy suggests that the book contains ‘love’,
‘family’, ‘war’, and ‘the best hummus recipe in New York City’. I say cool.
I love hummus, and the idea of cooking comic books is a BRILLIANT idea!
But then, Brian Wood mentions to someone on-line that the book doesn’t
actually contain a hummus recipe. So why say its in there? Does that mean
that ‘war’ isn’t actually going to be in the book? What a rip-off! Heh.
This book is going to kick so much ass.
Now, let’s talk about the new price structure for comic books and original
graphic novels.
$12.95 for an 88 page B&W OGN is expensive. It’s just about 15 cents
per page, and considering it’ll likely be an 80 page story (there is a
planned section with sketchbook material, plus title pages), we’re talking
about sixteen cents per page. To compare, a 24 page B&W story (32 page
comic book) from Oni or Slave Labor or Dork Storm or whomever is costing
us 12.5 cents per page, typically, and the price is much lower for "big"
publishers. But Andi Watson’s new SLOW NEWS DAY from SLG is $3.50 an issue
(14.5 cents/page) and David Lapham’s MURDER ME DEAD #9 is only $4.95 for
a 64 page book (8 cents a page). All over the map. The point? Price points
are in upheaval as we try and find an economy that works in a turbulent
industry. I’m not happy about COUS COUS’ price, I’ll say that right now.
As a consumer I am very used to the 10-cents/page rate for trade paperbacks
and graphic novels. This just feels high. But still, I think it’s going
to be a brilliant book, and it’ll likely be worth the money. I wouldn’t
recommend it if it wasn’t something I would buy myself, and believe me
I’ll be purchasing a couple of them (for friends).
So just a reminder, when you make your comic purchases and pre-orders
(as we slide into the Marvel section of Previews…), think more about how
much enjoyment you’re getting out of the material versus how much you’re
spending. If you think a book should be less expensive, don’t be afraid
to speak your mind, and back it up with your wallet. Is Elektra worth $2.95?
Is Ghost Rider? Is Extreme X-Men? What books are worth your money? Think
long and hard, and maybe we can get the next brilliant OGN down to $10,
just on the strength of sales alone. My two cents.
Marvel’s put out a lot of strong material this month, but I noticed something odd. The X-Force trade paperback collects five issues of X-Force, #116-#120. Each monthly issue of X-Force is $2.25, so buying all five issues would have run you $11.25. The X-Force trade paperback is $14.95.The Uncanny X-Men trade paperback collects six issues of Uncanny X-Men, #394-#399. Each issue of Uncanny X-Men costs $2.25, so buying all six issues would have run you $13.50. The Uncanny X-Men trade paperback is $16.95. Why are two of Marvel’s best-selling books, with one being the number 2 book in the industry, going to cost more in a reprint volume than they did during the initial printing? I know this is a major sticking point with you, and to some degree I agree with you. HOWEVER. I think you need to be taking paper quality into account. I’ll refer to our recent interview with Joe Quesada who used it as an explanation for the price of the MARVEL BOY trade. I got the trade, the paper is gorgeous, and really enhances the artwork. So yeah, I see your point. They are pricing the books a little high, but as long as they‘re printing them on glossy paper I don’t have a problem with it. If you do have a problem with it, the solution is simple. Don’t buy it. As you said, vote for what you do and do not like with your wallet. Marvel is printing the trades on glossy paper because people like them. This isn’t the old Marvel. Good or bad, Joe Quesada is not a stupid man. If you don’t like them, then don’t buy them; Marvel will rethink their strategy. Besides, I think the purpose of the trades is to make them attractive to consumers in book stores, and it pays to make things pretty. That it does. However, for a reprint volume where that are almost no
new costs involved, do you honestly think that glossy paper costs an extra
$3 per book (above the regular price)? I’ll save you searching the web
and simply tell you, no, no it doesn’t cost that much more. These trades
are just too pricey, that’s that. I’m really disappointed in Marvel here.
Joe Quesada made a very defined, very loud promise that he would get the
price of their trade paperbacks lower. Well, these are _more_ than the
original issues by far too much. Joe lied.
ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM-UP #9
I’m not in the habit of recommending Marvel books these days (I’ll make
X-Force, which is even stranger and better than Morrison’s X-Men the exception),
but when Jim Mahfood does a story for Marvel, it isn’t really even a Marvel
story anymore; it’s a Jim Mahfood story featuring Marvel characters. I’ve
got a whole essay in me on this, but to put it simply, when you pick up
a book from Marvel or the DCU, %95 of the time it’s a story about the character
you’re reading. It’s a story about 30 years of continuity, about costumes
and villains and supporting cast. It is very rarely a good story that that
character happens to be in. Any time
Jim Mahfood comes and plays at Marvel (notably the Generation X Special),
the results are a ton of brilliant stories, featuring the characters. It’s
a very obvious distinction, once you start looking for it. Which brings
us to Team-Up, which has been, generally, a vehicle of stories featuring
characters, as opposed to vice versa. Making it a very good read. Now,
we’ve got Bendis, and we’ve got Mahfood, and I’m honestly looking forward
to this with a real sense of anticipation. Almost as much as the Chynna
Clugston-Major story that’s coming next year.
I think ULTIMATE MARVEL TEAM-UP has been my favorite of the new Ultimate
line simply because it’s one writer re-imagining everything in this huge
sandbox of ideas. And that one writer is Bendis. Seeing Mahfood illustrate
one of these stories is just too damn cool for words.
I think I was the only person who liked Bendis’ DAREDEVIL: NINJA mini-series, and I’ve been itching to read more of his take on the character since. The short run he did on the book before Bob Gales run was pretty tedious, but if he can mix the balls out acti0on of NINJA with the strong characterization of his earlier DD run I think he could set a new standard for the book. I'm looking forward to this. Just mentioning a very interesting art thing on these pages. Aside from the fact that Maleev’s art looks great, he’s the first artist to take on a different aesthetic for the character since Quesada’s relaunch. Quesada and Palmiotti came up with some very defined visual clues for the character, that being the gloves and booTs never have shadows on them, and the character moves gracefully, almost as a ballet dancer. Maleev is trying very different things, with the logo being colored almost phosphorescent red and no special attention being given the gloves or boots, and with the general movement being inspired more by trapeze and high-wire artists/athletes than any sort of dancer. It shows that he’s put a lot of thought into the visual design for the book, it’s really quite impressive, and laudable. I didn’t even notice that, it’s true. He’s given the book a completely
different and unique look. Damn he’s a talented artist.
This book is told from a perspective that I’ve always wished Rucka
would tackle. It’s told from the point of view of someone who probably
isn’t a very nice person. Now, the anti-hero is a pretty commonly used
gimmick, but not one often used by Rucka. I think his gift for dialogue
and his ability to let us inside the heads of his protagonists would fit
will with this style of story telling, so needless to say, I'm really looking
forward to this book.
This is Greg Rucka doing a high-profile crime book, in color, without
superheroes. I honestly don’t know how much more you could ask for. Rucka
was brilliant on both Whiteout Mini-series, his Batman work has been the
cream of a very creamy crop, and Queen & Country continues to amaze
every month. You’d be doing yourself a big disservice not picking this
book up in October.
What an intelligent move on DC’s part, actually releasing material demanded
by the public. It’s Garth Ennis, just before Preacher, at all of his gruesome
and disturbing best. Plus, he gets in touch with his feminine side, which
is also worth seeing. Great little mini-series, glad to see it collected.
The best thing about it is that it gives me hope of seeing Doom Patrol,
Animal Man, and Flex Mentalo trade paperbacks in my lifetime.
I’d also like to see some Shade: The Changing Man trades while we’re
penning a wish list.
I should also note that I think it’s brilliant that they’re finally
releasing the final trade paperback collection of John Ney Reiber’s Books
Of Magic.
Finally, only like, 8 months later, we get to read the final arc
of Mark Millar’s wonderful and dirty run on Authority. I’ve seen some of
the preview pages from Adams that are floating around and they look fantastic.
The little interlude written by Tom Peyer was pretty good, but I think
I would have liked it had Millar’s run not been interrupted.
.I just read the three Tom Peyer issues that have been released to date
in a row. They’re not actually good. I don’t know why folks can’t see this.
Dustin Nguyen doesn’t draw backgrounds, and the characters are caricatures.
I’m really not anticipating this at all anymore. I hope it’s good.
I hope it’s something, anyway. Likely wait for the trade paperback.
You either loved or you hated the LEGION LOST maxi-series (which still,
for some reason, has not been collected in trade paperback). Considering
that this is by the exact creative team of LOST, if you didn’t like it
you probably won’t like this either. That said, I loved LEGION LOST to
death, and had been hoping that something that unique and creative would
happen to the franchise for years now. It has, and I strongly recommend
you rush over and pick this up.
Count me in the ‘hated it’ column then. Yawn.
I want these figures so bad it hurts me. But the cost will likely not
be less than $500, American, per figure. And they’re limited to 500 figures
total in the production run. There are about 1000 people a month that read
this column, give or take. So, if you enjoy this column, send $10 to the
"GET CHRIS THE LONE WOLF AND CUB FIGURES, C/O POPIMAGE, 4912 Ma…" ah, nevermind.
It’ll never happen. Though I would like to let Dark Horse know that I can
be bought. I’ll even favorably review something like OUTLAW 7 for a set.
Hell, even the Buffy comics…
God, those are fucking cool. Even cooler than the CROUCHING TIGER,
HIDDEN DRAGON figures that I had to force myself not to include in this
column. I want some!
Once again, Joss is slowly dipping his fingers into the Buffy comics.
This time in an anthology that also includes a story written by Amber Benson
who did a pretty decent job with the Willow & Tara special a few months
back. Also of note, is the fact that Joss Whedon’s story is illustrated
by P Craig Russell, who could illustrate every comic from now on and I’d
be totally happy.
Wow, I glossed right over this in the catalogue. So this is like, an
original graphic novel then. Interesting then that it’s also $15 for 96
pages. That’s 15 cents a page again. Maybe there really is a new standard
for the prices of original works? Here’s to hoping against it.
And that’s it for this month’s Previews Review. We apologize for the delay, crisis’ to be averted and what-not, you know how it is. Just a reminder that pre-ordering your comics is practically a necessity in today’s comic industry, so if anything we wrote about here sounds cool, make sure that you let your retailer know (preferably in writing) that you want to purchase it! Particularly if it’s not from Marvel, Image, Dc, or Dark Horse. Alright? Cheers, Christopher Butcher
|
UZUMAKI
VOLUME 1 TPB
NORM
#0
AKIKO
VOLUME 1-3 TPB NEW EDITIONS
SEQUENTIAL
INTERLUDE: I KNOW GOD SMILES ON THESE GOOD TIMES #1
VOX
#4
WEIRDLAND
#1
BLAMMO
PLUSH DOLL
FALLOUT
TP (OGN)
SAFE
AREA GORAZDE Trade Paperback
APORIATICA
GN
RUSE
#1
COUSCOUS
EXPRESS
Marvel
Trade Paperbacks
DAREDEVIL
#26
FELON
#1
GODDESS
TP
THE
AUTHORITY #27
THE
LEGION #1
Lone
Wolf And Cub: Ogami and Yagyu Figures
BUFFY
THE VAMPIRE SLAYER: TALES OF THE SLAYER Trade Paperback
