Previews Review for March 2002 by Randy Lander While my Snap Judgments reviews cover books as they are released, I'm as avid a follower of "what's next" as anyone else. Thus these Preview reviews, covering the Diamond Previews that allow fans to preorder comics from their local retailer. This installment covers the January previews for comics due to ship out in March 2002. Some other places to get more information on preordering, as well as other takes on what is most important in the previews, can be had from: Scott Grunewald & Chris Butcher (PopImage Previews Review), Chris Ekman (Things to Come) and Johanna Draper Carlson (Comics Worth Reading), among others. Forget what they say... in 2002, March is the cruelest month, at least on my pocketbook. In addition to a couple intriguing new independent series, there are a ton of good collected editions and original graphic novels being offered this month from just about every publisher. After a relatively dry January and February, March promises to be an exciting month for comics. PICK OF THE MONTH: If I were only going to order one thing for this month, this would be it. The Copybook Tales TP (Oni Press) - Easily one of my top ten all-time favorite series, despite being so short-lived, I'm enormously happy that Oni Press is collecting the entirety of J. Torres and Tim Levins's story of growing up and loving comics. It's funny and well-written, with really nice artwork, and the icing on the cake is new material that hasn't been seen before. Combining an 80s sensibility with a timeless examination of growing up, The Copybook Tales trade will definitely be a bright spot in my buying for the month. OTHER SELECTIONS OF NOTE: The Ring of the Nibelung Volume One TP (Dark Horse) - Demonstrating perfect timing as well as good taste, Dark Horse is finally releasing a collection of P. Craig Russell's epic adaptation of the Wagner opera in comics form. Honestly, I'm no huge fan of opera, even this one, but the premise is intriguing and a trade collection is the perfect excuse for me to give Russell's story a chance. Especially since I know from past experience that his artwork will be gorgeous. September 11 (Dark Horse/Chaos/Image/Oni/Top Shelf/DC) - Perhaps not as quick in turnaround as Marvel's Heroes (but maybe out around the time the delayed Moment of Silence makes it), the other publishers make up for the timing issues with a pair of volumes that should challenge Alternative Comics's 9-11 graphic novel for most impressive creator roster on a benefit book. Given the breadth of talent on this book, it's pretty much unthinkable that anyone would miss these two books, and the contents are sure to be powerful and heart-wrenching. Batman/Deathblow: After the Fire #1 (DC) - Normally the phrase "Batman teams up with Deathblow" would send me screaming from the room, but the creative team here is top-notch. Brian Azzarello's style should be an interesting match for this story of the world's greatest detective looking into a covert operation left unfinished years ago, and Lee Bermejo's artwork blew me away on Gen 13/Superman and should be equally impressive here. Batman/Huntress: Cry For Blood TP (DC) - Good to see DC putting this one into print, since they've missed the boat on so many other seeming "no brainer" collections. The Rucka/Burchett story of the Huntress, with heavy guest-star action from the Question, was a great read with beautiful art, and was another indication that Rucka is probably the biggest asset DC's Bat-books have right now. Green Arrow HC (DC) - Doing the math, a hardcover of the first Kevin Smith/Phil Hester arc costs the same as buying the single issues... glad I waited. DC's hardcovers are always beautiful, and I'm glad to see they're giving this series the treatment it deserves. The Flash: Blood Will Run TP (DC) - In another pleasantly surprising move, DC is putting out a trade to capitalize on the good buzz behind the Geoff Johns/Scott Kolins Flash, just in time to drive readers to the first part of "Crossfire" over in Flash #184. Flash is probably my favorite of DC's super-hero books right now, and I can't recommend more strongly that fans give the Blood Will Run trade a chance. Hawkman #1 (DC) - During the Hawkworld era, I became a fan of Hawkman, and though the character now bears little resemblance to the post-Crisis version that I enjoyed so much, I still have an appreciation for the character. I'm especially intrigued when James Robinson & Geoff Johns are the writers, given their work on Starman, JSA and Flash, and when the artists are Rags Morales and Michael Bair, meaning we're in for a visual treat as well. With any luck, this will get the kind of trade paperback support that Starman has gotten as well, although maybe we'll see a faster pace in production. Gen 13: Super-Human Like You TP (DC/Wildstorm) - As with the Flash, DC is capitalizing on the buzz of Adam Warren's enjoyable run on Gen 13 with a trade paperback, which should put new readers onto part one of "This is How the Story Ends" in Gen 13 #75, also offered this month. What I don't understand is how the higher-ups can be so smart as to capitalize on the buzz while simultaneously being stupid enough to replace Adam Warren with Chris Claremont in a few short months. I guess I'll just hope for collections of all of Warren's run and consider it an extended length limited series. Shame, though, as it looks like another editorial mistake in DC's handling of Wildstorm, along with the self-destruction of The Authority and the long delay before the launch of the mature readers books. Top Ten Book Two HC (DC/America's Best Comics) - While I'm not much of a fan of most of the America's Best Comics these days, Top Ten was one of my favorite series, and I'm glad to see the collection of the book complete with this second volume. Funny and full of detailed and beautiful artwork, this is one that every fan of super-hero comics should have on their shelf. King David SC (DC/Vertigo) - Though original graphic novels are beginning to catch on more and more recently, Kyle Baker has been doing them for quite a long time, and this is his next project. Sure to be humorous as well as attractive, the choice of the Biblical story of King David is an unusual change given Baker's usual crime and slice-of-life leanings, but I'll pretty much pick up anything he does, expecting it to be great. He hasn't let me down yet. Nowheresville TP (Image) - Amidst a sea of stuff that looks more like their early days than their more impressive recent years, this trade paperback stands out as a promising offering. A 1950s mystery is exactly the kind of thing I want to read, and though the creator is unfamiliar to me, the glimpses of artwork in the ad look very sharp, reminiscent of Paul Grist but with a little more detail to them. Blade #1 (Marvel/MAX) - Honestly, I'm disappointed that once again, Marc Andreyko will not be writing the Blade series, but at least this time, the writer replacing him is someone who I have a little faith in. Hinz's Dead Corps(e), while not a masterpiece by any stroke of the imagination, was interesting, and Steve Pugh is a really solid artist, especially when he's inking his own work. Perhaps Marvel can capitalize on Blade 2 the way they didn't with the first Blade. Spider-Man Deluxe HC (Marvel) - Now this is a great collection. An oversized hardcover of some of the best Spider-Man work in 2001, starting with the obvious complete Straczynksi story but also including overlooked gems like Peter Parker: Spider-Man #35, possibly my favorite single issue of the year and stories from Tangled Web, including "Severance Package" by Rucka and Risso. Throw in the fantastic story arc from Ultimate Marvel Team Up by Bendis and Sienkiewicz, and I'm tempted to pick this up, even though I have the majority of the work in trade paperback form already. Deadpool #65 (Marvel) - After Joe Kelly's run, Deadpool picked up a number of fans who are fanatical about the character, and who often insist that with the right creative team, he could be great. I always wrote off liking the series to the work of Joe Kelly and thought the character pretty worthless as a concept, but if anyone can change my mind about that, it'll be Gail Simone and Udon Studios. If nothing else, this'll be funny stuff. We'll see if Simone can infuse the series with the heart that it has been lacking since Kelly left. Marvel Knights #1 (Marvel Knights) - Figuero is of course an untested talent, but Alberto Ponticelli isn't, having delivered really great work on Sam and Twitch during its second story arc. Unfortunately, the heart of this concept really seems flawed, and I don't think anyone else will be able to carry it off any better than Chuck Dixon and Eduardo Barreto did. But perhaps this creative team will prove me wrong. Avengers Icons: Tigra #1 (Marvel) - Given how terrible the X-Men Icons minis have been, I groaned to see the Avengers getting the same treatment. I'm particularly stunned that they have chosen a fairly unpopular Avenger like Tigra to headline this new line of minis. Marvel Trades (Marvel) - It's another great month for Marvel trades: Nostalgic fans like myself will love Essential Marvel Team-Up, at over 500 pages of classic team up stories for $15 and G.I. Joe Volume 1, which isn't quite as good a value at 10 issues for $25 (not the 20 that were solicited, apparently) but still isn't a bad buy. And then there are the undiscovered gems, such as the Union Jack trade, a collection of relatively early work by John Cassaday (Planetary, Captain America) written by Ben Raab, as well as the new collections of Tangled Web and Ultimate X-Men which represent some of the best stories yet offered in those series. Panel One Scripts by Top Comics Writers Volume 1 TP (About Comics) - With Marvel.com posting scripts from 'Nuff Said month, scripts posted on creator websites and script collections of Powers, Astronauts in Trouble and Warren Ellis's Avatar offerings, it's not as difficult as it used to be to find examples of comic book scripting. That doesn't mean that more collections of scripts aren't a great idea, and Nat Gertler has put together a great offering here, ranging from Neil Gaiman to Jeff Smith to Greg Rucka and Dwayne McDuffie. There's a great variety of work, all of it pretty good, and as a bonus, a new story from Gertler and Steve Lieber pretty much puts this on my buying list. White Death GN (AIT/Planet Lar) - Once again demonstrating marketing genius, Larry Young puts out an ad for White Death that reads Morrison/Adlard. Of course, it's Rob Morrison, not Grant, but lack of name recognition for me doesn't matter, since the subject matter and time period are rarely tackled in comics and Charlie Adlard is rapidly becoming one of my favorite artists. I'm given to understand that this is a reprint of an older story, but it's brand new to me, and it looks good. My Monkey's Name is Jennifer #1 (Slave Labor Graphics) - Something about monkeys and surreal humor in comics seems to go together like peanut butter and jelly. Sky Ape, Rex Mantooth and now My Monkey's Name is Jennifer, a strange story of a chimp that becomes mixed up in a mad scientist's plot to steal brain energy. I give this equal chance of being wacky fun or completely incomprehensible, but I have to admit that I'm intrigued. Steven Grant's Mortal Souls #1 (Avatar) - I don't much like Avatar, as their books have a tendency to be overpriced and far too graphic and extreme for my tastes. Even Warren Ellis's work for the company didn't change my mind, as I really disliked Strange Kisses and never went back to try any of the other work there. But a new Steven Grant crime series, along with the impending Night Radio, has gotten my attention, and I may just give the trade collections of these a try if the buzz is good. PopImage Volume 1 TP (Cyberosia Publishing) - The PopImage boys are a bunch of funny and talented guys, and I have to applaud them for doing a print collection of some of their work. It seems like a risky move, quite honestly, especially when folks can read all the stuff for free online, but then, that's what they said about Warren Ellis's Come in Alone as well and that turned out to be quite a success. I wish them luck with this. Kane Book 5 Untouchable Rico Costas TP (Dancing Elephant Press) - I was starting to fear we'd never see another collection of Paul Grist's police comic, but happily there's a new volume offered this month. If you're enjoying Powers or Detective Comics, you should really give this book a look. Battle Pope Volume 2 TP (Funk-O-Tron Publications) - It seems so appropriate that Larry Young would write the intro to this second volume, since his sensibilities match that of the Battle Pope team so well. If your religious sensibilities allow you to find humor in the idea of an ass-kicking pope and his sidekick Jesus, trust me that the execution is as hilarious as the concept sounds. Pounded #1 (Oni Press) - Switching gears a little, Oni also presents this month a punk-edged humor title from Brian Wood (Channel Zero, Generation X, Couscous Express) and Steve Rolston (Queen & Country). This looks like fun in the Hopeless Savages vein from a couple of talented creators. Courtney Crumrin & The Night Things #1 (Oni Press) - And changing gears once again, we have the gothic humor title by Ted Naifeh, creator of Gloomcookie and artist on the Gunwitch mini-series. Though Gloomcookie and other "goth" titles aren't generally up my alley, this one does sound intriguing, and at this point I'm inclined to trust the taste of the guys at Oni, as they rarely disappoint. Queen & Country Vol. 1 HC/TP (Oni Press) - Possibly my favorite new series of 2001, Queen & Country gets the collected treatment this month, including Oni's first ever hardcover. Given how sharp their softcovers look, I'm anxious to see what the hardcover edition will look like. Whether you choose hard or soft cover, however, what you'll get is a gripping story of espionage and how it affects the people in the job by Greg Rucka and Steve Rolston. Zendra Vol. 1 TP (Penny-Farthing Press) - Though overlooked by many, this science fiction story of the last human in a futuristic setting was a treat, written by former Vertigo and current Marvel Knights editor Stuart Moore with beautifully colored artwork from newcomers Martin Montiel Luna and J.C. Buelna. The work here is on an epic scale, but with a very singular human focus thanks to a likable protagonist, and even in a month full of other collections, this is worth a look. Moonlight Cutter #1 (Studio G) - I've been burned more often than I like to remember by unfamiliar publishers and creators, but I've also found some great work that way. That's why I'll be trying out Moonlight Cutter, which promises a story of a wandering swordsman and ghosts set in 12th century China in the tradition of Hong Kong cinema. Though I don't know any of the creators, the tiny piece of promo artwork grabbed my attention and the copy kept it. Transformers Vol. 3: Primal Scream TP (Titan Books) - My guilty pleasure in the last year was the return of G.I. Joe and Transformers, and though I was never as big a Transformers fan as a G.I. Joe fan, I've been enjoying the Titan collections of old Transformers stories enough to keep picking them up. Skizz GN (Titan Books) - Of course, Titan is reprinting more than just Transformers, as we can see with this reprint of Alan Moore and Jim Baikie's Skizz. The solicitation copy makes it sound like E.T. with a bit of an edge, and it's hard to argue with the talent behind it. Marshal Law: Fear and Loathing GN (Titan Books) - I love Marshal Law, and though I'm fortunate enough to have almost all of it in my collection at this point, I'm glad to see Titan putting this mean-spirited and often hilarious parody of super-heroes back into print for a new generation of fans. Paradigm #1 (Two Irish Guys Press) - Another unfamiliar creative team, but the full-page ad and copy is very intriguing, promising a very strange and unusual series. Throw in a nicely designed cover image and these guys have at least convinced me they know what they're doing, which is enough for me to take a chance on a $3 first issue. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.