Down The Line - Previews review for June 2005 by Randy Lander & Dave Farabee While my Snap Judgments reviews cover books as they are released, I'm as avid a follower of "what's next" as anyone else. So I've teamed up with Dave Farabee, fellow comic book store manager and equally avid follower of the industry, to do these monthly Previews reviews, covering the Diamond Previews that allow fans to preorder comics from their local retailer. This installment covers the April Previews for comics due to ship out in June 2005. Pre-ordering is your friend. If there's stuff you want in June, letting your retailer know before the end of April is the best way to make sure you get it. RANDY: Dave is back this month, having recovered from the Tiki Death Flu by using Tiki Death Theraflu. That's Tiki Death Theraflu, ask for it by name when you've got the Tiki Death Flu. More importantly, as I write this, we are but three short weeks away from my birthday, on April 17th. So you can all spring those surprise gifts on me now... keep in mind that when it comes to BMWs, I prefer the Z4 convertible, but of course any model is acceptable. DAVE: You think you'll be getting presents after your review of DC Countdown? This man is one serious-ass optimist! (and he's right about Countdown, for the record) As you can see from the above, my comments will be the normal type, and Dave's will be in yellow. You might notice in reading these Previews reviews that we've decided to dispense with the Previews organization and just go strict alphabetical, in order to level the playing field between the big guys and the smaller publishers. To facilitate those seeking more information from the Previews catalog, each entry will include the page number of the solicitation at the end of our comments. RANDY'S PICK OF THE MONTH: Sandman Mystery Theatre Vol. 3: The Vamp TPB (DC Comics/Vertigo) - RANDY: Hooray! Sales on the Sandman Mystery Theatre volumes must have been OK, as we're getting a new volume, but maybe not great, since it's a 4-issue arc collected for $12.95. A little pricey, and at this rate, it's going to take forever to get the whole series out, but a continuation of this fantastic little pulp treasure is good news at any rate, even if you're being a grumpy glass half-empty guy like me about it. (page 122) DAVE: Sheeeeeeit, thirteen bucks ain't nuthin' when you're talking a series as smart, two-fisted and atmospheric as Sandman Mystery Theatre! I'd like to particularly recommend this book to fans of TV's The Shield this time out, as it occurs to the two share a similar blend of characterization with unflinching criminal violence. S'damn good stuff. DAVE'S PICK OF THE MONTH: Concrete Vol. 1: Depths TPB - DAVE: What can I say of this book that Harlan Ellison didn't cover with the following quote in the '80s? "...probably the best comic being published today by anyone, anywhere." And here's a more recent assessment from Brian K. Vaughan: "If you haven't read any Concrete, you don't really love comics. What genius stuff..." Hard to top those, but let me just add: you couldn't ask for a better means of sampling Concrete than this trade. Sized ala Dark Horse's new Sin City reprints (which look real sharp), it appears this trade will for the first time merge the full-length stories from the original Concrete series with the related stories that ran concurrent with 'em in Dark Horse Presents. Kick ass! And what's more, the trade also features a few short stories that've *never* been collected previously, so longtime fans should investigate as well. For the newcomers, Concrete's about a shy political speechwriter who finds his mind mysteriously transported into a giant, rocky, alien body. What comes next I can't describe with justice in this little write-up, but at the risk of nutty-cuckoo over-hyping... I recommend Concrete more than any other title I've ever mentioned or ever will mention in this column. (page 32) RANDY: Uh. Wow. I don't think there's much I can add to that, except that I'm nowhere near the Paul Chadwick fan that you are in general, and even I am blown away by how good Concrete is, now that I'm getting back into reading it. Looking forward to re-reading some of these stories that I have read and finally catching up on everything I missed in the previous reprints of the books. Aeiou GN (Top Shelf Productions) - RANDY: Jeffrey Brown's "girlfriend trilogy," begun in Unlikely and Clumsy, concludes here. I've found those stories to be my favorite of Brown's work, representing a sort of neurotic, honest and oft-times very funny look at the difficulties of romance, and I expect nothing different from this volume. (page 372) Age of Bronze Vol. 2: Sacrifice TP - DAVE: A new Age of Bronze trade is always worthy of a shout-out and this trade reprints one of my favorite chapters. Agamemnon's ships are grounded on land by wind so ceaseless that it must surely be a curse sent from the gods. When a prophecy demands he sacrifice his own daughter to satisfy the gods, well...you just know things are gonna get Greek Tragical. Stunningly emotional tales of war rendered with the most detailed pencils this side of George Perez. Also of note: Age of Bronze #20 hits the same week as the trade and it's a new arc – perfect for new readers to see why this series kicks so much ass. (page 145) RANDY: I love Age of Bronze, and if you didn't get the hardcover, your long wait is over, and volume two will finally be available to you. Albion #1 (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - DAVE: Dunno what to make of this. Alan Moore plots, with full writing by daughter Leah Moore and guy-I-don't-know, John Reppion. The story concept reads: "Britain never had any super-heroes. It had something much stranger: a collection of paragons, monsters, and clowns that vanished a quarter century ago, never to be seen again. Who were Robot Archie and the Steel Claw? Who was Captain Hurricane or the Spider?" The impression I get is that some, maybe all of these characters, are actually from old Brit comics and not just the fertile mind of Alan Moore, but I can't say for sure. Knowledge o' Brit comics = shaky. (page 107) RANDY: It sounds neat enough, sort of a "Whatever Happened to the Man of Tomorrow" for the Brit hero set. Unfortunately, Wild Girl, the first comic contribution by Leah Moore and John Reppion, kind of bored me to tears, so I'm not sure if this one is going to catch my interest either. It does have a concept that I like better than Wild Girl, though. Angel Fire GN (Shattered Frames) - RANDY: I've previously reviewed this horror graphic novel when it was released via website only, and it was in fact one of my favorite reads of last year. Glad to see it getting a release through Diamond, and if you're a fan of Hellblazer, The Ring and other suspenseful horror/mystery stuff, I can't recommend Angel Fire highly enough. (page 341) DAVE: Wow, that sounds very much up my alley. Angel: The Curse #1 (IDW Publishing) - DAVE: If I ever become an Angel fan (talking the Buffy spin-off, not the winged beings of treachly TV movies), it'll be after the fact. I missed out on the show, though Randy's always trying to convince me it ended up being better than Buffy Maybe. In any case, the Angel comic property seems to've found an appropriate home at horror-themed company IDW, and with Jeff Mariotte (Desperados) on the writing, it might even be good. (page 319) RANDY: Half the writers (including the creator/showrunner) of your most beloved show The Shield started out on Angel or worked on the last few seasons. It's so much better than you give it credit for. That said, I'm not wild about the notion of Angel comics spin-offs unless they're handled by Whedon or a very few members of his writing team. Mariotte's a good writer, but the Angel series had a pretty good ending, and half the fun of the show for me was the mythology and sense of continuing story, which comics adaptations by their nature pretty much can't have. DAVE: I dunno, I think comics have proven the ability to handle a continuing story over the decades! Are you talking about the likelihood that Angel comics won't seem as "real" as the Angel TV show? RANDY: Yeah, more or less. I have a more specific problem with Angel in that the series ended, and pretty definitively, and I don't want anyone to really pick up the story from an ending I liked so much, but in general, licensed books are miniseries that do their best not to upset the status quo, and therefore they can't generally achieve the character growth that I think is important to the properties they're licensed from. Astro City: The Dark Age #1 (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - RANDY: This is a resolicit, so Astro City is running late, which is a worrying sign. Busiek does seem to be writing in a bit of a dark vein these days, if judged by his JLA and Conan work, so this might be the perfect time for this story. Here's what I said the first time around: I do think that Astro City now isn't as consistently amazing as it was in the beginning, but it's still always good, and I've been waiting since the very beginning for this story, the tale of what happened to the Silver Agent. Looking forward to seeing that, and to seeing Busiek's meta-take on the grim and gritty era that overtook comics in the late '80s and to some extent never really let go. (page 107) DAVE: I'm a bit more into this than you are, especially because the '70s/'80s were pretty much my entry point into superheroes (and I really enjoyed his recent glimpse of the era in the story of the Punisher-esque Blue Knight). I think Kurt's gonna spin us a memorable yarn and offer up some sharp observations to boot. Avigon: Gods and Demons GN (Image Comics) - RANDY: Another project this month that represents a continuation or extension of something I've read before, Avigon is a giant graphic novel that starts from the Avigon one-shot released years ago by Image. It's gothic and engaging, the story of a clockwork girl trying to escape her clockwork world, and it's must-read stuff for fans of Tim Burton and the like. Or at least, the one shot that I read was, and since this has the same creative team and represents the whole story, I have no reason to believe this won't be just as good. (page 135) DAVE: I should probably check this out. The dilemma: I likes me some Tim Burton, but the saturation of goth comics kinda makes me feel queasy. The Bakers #1 (Kyle Baker Publishing) - RANDY: Kyle Baker's Cartoonist volumes have been at their best when he's presenting his off-the-wall, funny look at his own family, and now he's giving that feature its own spotlight series. Truthfully, I'm a bigger fan of the graphic novel format, so I'd rather this was a big collection, but Kyle Baker fans should be delighted that we get not one but two new comics from him this month, plus the regular dose of Plastic Man... he hasn't been this prominent in comic shops in quite some time. (page 328) DAVE: Reminds me, I need to pick up Baker's Cartoonist books. I've skimmed 'em and been mightily impressed at his Renaissance Man abilities as writer, artist, designer, etc. Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #192 (DC Comics) - RANDY: For a book that I wrote off as dead some time ago, this one keeps offering up intriguing stories. The premise isn't that compelling, being a 5-part retelling of the origin of Mr. Freeze, but the creative team is Willworld's Seth Fisher on art and Chase's JH Williams III and Dan Curtis Johnson on writing, and that makes me sit up and take notice. (Page 63) DAVE: Weird. Fisher's a phenomenal artist - I just can't imagine him being the right guy for superhero projects. Battle Pope #1 (Image Comics) - RANDY: I've been a Kirkman fan for a long time, and I first discovered his work when he self-published Battle Pope, a wacky, very entertaining look at an ass-kicking hands-on Pope fighting Satan and all other comers after the apocalypse. Glad to see Image giving the book a rerelease for the many Invincible and Walking Dead fans who have never experienced Kirkman's early work, and giving the book the color treatment probably helps to ensure a much larger audience for this go-round. Although if I hear another fan griping that Walking Dead oughta be in color, I might go postal. These are the people who won't watch Casablanca because it's black and white! (page 136) Black Diamond On Ramp (AIT/Planet Lar) - RANDY: This is a crazy good high concept. An eight-lane intercontinental highway across America to replace air travel, grounded after terrorist concerns forced the government to ground it permanently. The daughter of its builder kidnapped by the bikers and misfits who have taken over the road after all this time. Her husband, a dentist, has to borrow an illegal 1973 Mercury Cougar, get on the road and take her back. No matter how you slice it, that's just awesome. (page 227) DAVE: Very cool premise. I like that it mixes a bit of realistic futurism with gonzo auctioneer sensibilities, but hope that it leans towards the former. Blacklight #1 (Image Comics) - RANDY: This is a new series spinning out of Shadowhawk, apparently, and I don't have much interest in Shadowhawk in general, but what I do have an interest in is this artwork, which looks very sharp. Premise sounds interesting enough, if the interior art is as good as that cover, this could well be worth looking into. (page 137) The Brontes: Infernal Angria #1 (Headless Shakespeare Press) - RANDY: I've enjoyed the work of Craig McKenney and Rick Geary on the adventures of their steam age heroine Blanche, and this book has a Xeric Grant, which provides two good reasons to give it a look. The third is the premise, a Chronicles of Narnia style tale in which four siblings discover a magical gateway into a land known as Angria. Sounds fun! (page 314) DAVE: I really like the idea of kids discovering a magical kingdom that turns out to be as dark as the real world. With my Marvel and DC interest waning, I see idiosyncratic projects like this getting more and more of my money. Cute Manifesto (Alternative Comics) - DAVE: From the genius creator of Monkey Vs. Robot and Peanut Butter and Jeremy comes a concept so weird...I must have it! The Cute Manifesto purports to be James Kochalka's own "Dianetics," a philosophical guide to happiness that covers everything from technology to death to, yes, comics. Kochalka's hilarious cartoon promo for it also promises kitties, so yeah, pre-order this baby! (page 242) RANDY: There's something to like in everything James Kochalka does. This one's a collection of a lot of his minicomics and other projects, and I'm looking forward to seeing it. DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1 (DC Comics) - DAVE: The fan refrain for this project seems to be "we all knew it was coming eventually." Well I didn't. Death seems to come cheap and easy at DC these days, and I had no trouble believing Donna Troy had been offed just to provide a dramatic backdrop for Geoff Johns' new Teen Titans series. On the other hand, I haven't read enough of the classic Wolfman/Perez Teen/Titans to really care about the character one way or another... yet. On paper, at least, the relaunch mini has a good pedigree – Phil Jimenez writes, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez draws, George Perez inks – so I'll at least look to see if Wonder Girl can win me over with her latest return. Watch out for Doctor Light, girl! (Page 77) RANDY: *yaaaaaaawwwwwwwnnn* Wake me when we get to The Return of Captain Boomerang or Blue Beetle or one of the characters DC more recently offed for shock value that I actually give a crap about. Dead West Volume 1 GN (Gigantic Graphic Novels) - RANDY: I've heard the buzz on Teenagers From Mars, but haven't yet taken the plunge to pick up the graphic novel and see what it's all about. Still, I know from Rob G's work on Couriers that he's got the art chops, and that combined with the good word-of-mouth on Rick Spears' writing will get me to check out Dead West, a new zombie western original graphic novel. (page 312) DAVE: Zombies! Everywhere zombies! Nevertheless, this sounds worth checking out. Devil's Keeper #1 (Alias Comics) - RANDY: Another new book from the ambitious new publisher Alias Comics, and another one that sounds potentially interesting. I've always liked the notion of heroic legacies, and a monk who set free demons a 1,000 years ago and has been guiding his family to defeat and re-imprison them ever since fits that bill. (page 242) DAVE: All I can say is...maybe? Dream Police #1 (Marvel Comics/Icon) - RANDY: I should really know better, since JMS has disappointed me with so much of his comics work of late, but I'm mildly curious about Dream Police. The concept of cops patrolling a Los Angeles set in a dreamscape populated with common dream scenarios plus wild dream creatures like dinosaurs, trolls and the like is a good one, and that cover by Mike Deodato is drop dead gorgeous. Hoping for something really good, but honestly not really expecting it at this point. (page M69) DAVE: Well, JMS does seem to be at his best on original properties, so I have some hope he can avoid the pitfalls he's tripped over in Amazing Spider-Man. You know, like screwing with the most resonant tragedy in all of comicdom. Fables #38 (DC Comics/Vertigo) - RANDY: Oh yeah, that's the stuff. Little Boy Blue returns to the homelands decked out with magic gear to find his lost love Red Riding Hood. In so doing, the rumors are that he'll be leading the story in a direction wherein writer Bill Willingham will reveal who the Adversary is. This book is always great, but it looks like this storyline might be particularly exceptional, and this is as good a jumping-on point as any if you don't want to just go whole-hog and buy the first trade. (page 115) DAVE: It ain't just Vertigo's best book, my friends, it's one of the best books on the stands! And while I always enjoy the side-stories Willingham spins in the series, it's the continuity stories like this one that really get me jazzed. I think this one's gonna be a doozy. Fantastic Four Omnibus Vol. 1 HC (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: I don't hold the Lee/Kirby Fantastic Four in as high esteem as I do, say, the Lee/Ditko Spider-Man, but I'm still tempted by this super-deluxe treatment of Fantastic Four #1-30 and Annual #1. This package includes cool stuff like original letters pages, critic commentaries and that kind of stuff as well, and it's an oversized hardcover weighing in at over 800 pages. Even at $100, I'm sorely tempted. (page M80) DAVE: I bet this baby's gonna be gorgeous, but I'd almost rather the collection covered issues 31-60 than 1-30. It's those later issues where I think the series really peaked (Galactus, the Inhumans, The Black Panther, etc.), and unless they're planning a second mega-hardcover, that's the stuff that should've been covered. Could a hunnert-dollar hardcover possibly sell well enough to garner a sequel? I dunno... there's a good chance I'll buy this thing with that hope in mind... and also because I *do* hold the FF up there with the very best material Stan Lee ever produced. Fantastic Four Visionaries: George Perez Vol. 1 TPB (Marvel Comics) - DAVE: I always like seeing slightly lesser-known runs like this being collected, and it's hard to go wrong with George Perez. Dare I hope Walt Simonson's excellent FF run will be the next beneficiary of the FF movie blitz? (page M76) Flak Riot #1 (Image Comics) - RANDY: I've noticed that Image is putting a ton of new books out these days, but most of them actually look pretty intriguing. Flak Riot certainly does, the story of a file clerk who finds a new calling hunting bounties in another dimension, and the artwork looks gorgeous. (page 138) DAVE: Wow, that really IS nice stuff. What I'd like to see is a final product where the wish-fulfillment hook (escaping the job grind for adventure) has some meat and depth to it. The danger is that it might just be the jumping-off point for standard action/adventure stuff. Forgotten Realms: The Dark Elf Trilogy - Homeland #1 (Devil's Due) - DAVE: Man do geeks love that fuckin' dark elf, Drizzt! And I did too, once upon my days in high school. Given that the character's so beloved and so marketable, I'm honestly surprised he hasn't made the transition to comics sooner (or movies, for that matter). Sure, he's become schlock-fantasy's answer to Wolverine in his overhyped coolness, but you've gotta give him respect, and I wish his comic well. (Sidebar: this is adapted directly from one of R.A. Salvatore's books – probably a good idea to kick some Forgotten Realms comics off). (page 291) RANDY: You and I both have some fondness for DC's D&D comics of the '80s (or '90s?), and we both wonder why on Earth nobody has tackled this license correctly since then. Could Devil's Due be the guys to bring cool, uniquely D&D fantasy comics back to the market? G.I. Joe #0 (Devil's Due) - RANDY: Counting the resurrection of the Marvel team and G.I. Joe Reloaded, this is Devil's Due's third shot at giving the G.I. Joe team a brand new start. If it's like the others, it'll be an interesting start but my interest will peter out about three issues in when I realize that nobody seems able to capture the Larry Hama magic, or at least that they aren't able to connect with my 33-year-old self the way Hama connected with my 13-year-old self. Still, Joe Casey writing, 25 cent issue, I'll probably at least give it a look. (page 287) DAVE: I want to believe, but I may be spent on the Joes. Roadblock! Shipwreck! Cobra-La! Why have you forsaken me?!! Giffen's What Were They Thinking One Shot (Boom! Studios) - RANDY: Giffen, who has done funny comics like Ambush Bug, Lobo and Formerly Known As the Justice League, re-dialogues some classic Wally Wood war comics in Mystery Theatre 3000 style. Sounds like good, clean fun! (page 272) DAVE: It's cheap laughs, but this stuff always cracks me up. Godland #1 (Image Comics) - RANDY: My interest in Kirby cosmic homage has been re-ignited by Freedom Force, which features art by Godland's Tom Scioli, but that interest is already fading three issues into Freedom Force's run, so I'm not sure it will be around for more Kirby style cosmic pastiche by Casey and Scioli when Godland finally rolls around. Still, those who dug recent star-spanning stuff like Cosmic Guard will probably want to give this one a look. (page 140) DAVE: Bah, the only problem with the Freedom Force comic is that it's covering familiar ground in retelling the game's stories (all of 'em a bit too truncated). If that series gets around to some original material, I think it could be *the* retro Silver Age book. As for Godland, I kind of like the idea of merging Kirby's wild-but-innocent style with Casey's modernist nuttiness. Gravity #1 (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: I have many, many gripes with Marvel these days, but I have to credit them with their recent efforts to produce new characters for their universe rather than just relying on their old favorites or Ultimate versions of same. Gravity is a promising book for several reasons, including a simple but solid concept (young superhero moves from his small town to the big city to try his luck at big-time superheroing and college) and a great creative team (The Waiting Place's Sean McKeever and Mike Norton.) I'm hoping and expecting that this will connect with me and fire up my interest in the Marvel Universe again the way Runaways and Livewires did. (page M8) DAVE: Sounds a bit like an inversion of Kurt Busiek's Astro City story about the snarky city girl meeting up with the good ol' boy superhero. I really liked that story and I think I might like this too. You're right, Marvel's latest attempts to cook up some new heroes have been surprisingly successful. Even the Young Avengers, while superficially derivative, have proven to be an interesting group. Grendel: Red, White & Black TPB (Dark Horse) - RANDY: Dark Horse collects the second black, white and red Grendel miniseries here, and the list of creative talent alone makes it worth a look. Phil Noto, Stan Sakai, Dan Brereton, Cliff Chiang, a lot of my favorite artists are represented here, and previously uncollected stories from Matt Wagner are just icing on the cake. (page 31) Hack/Slash: The Final Revenge of Evil Ernie (Devil's Due) - DAVE: Hack/Slash... a fine guilty-pleasure of a comic about a girl who specializes in taking down Freddy/Jason/Michael-style slashers. Evil Ernie...terrible Chaos comic starring a serial killer likely to appeal to teen metalheads and Spawn readers. Gonna have to pass on this one. (page 293) RANDY: I'll give it a look for the Hack/Slash factor and hope that Evil Ernie isn't as lame as I remember him being. What most interests me about this particular crossover book is that Brian Pulido created Evil Ernie, Brian Pulido currently works with Avatar and Avatar just nabbed the rights to the New Line monsters. Seeing a crossover that pits Hack/Slash's Cassie and Vlad against the actual Freddy, Jason and Leatherface would be great. Heartbreakers Meet Boilerplate (IDW Publishing) - RANDY: I've never read any Heartbreakers, but this graphic novel looks like it might be a good place to start. Seems they're an all-female team of adventurers, and this manga-sized trade tells the story of their team-up with 19th century steam-powered robot Boilerplate, with beautiful, sepia toned artwork. There are samples of the art HERE, and they look amazing. (page 320) DAVE: Sounds neat and the hybrid art technique looks really polished. I'll bite. Hellboy: The Island #1 (Dark Horse) - DAVE: A new Hellboy story from Mike Mignola and it's about damn time! From the solicit we learn that Hellboy's been at the bottom of the sea for two years, only to wash up on an island of sunken ships and much stranger things. Sample line from the art preview: "Don't mess with me, lady. I've been drinking with skeletons." Of course we'll all be buying this. (page 22) RANDY: Can't wait to read it, can't wait for Dark Horse to finally add this to the long out-of-print two-issue Hellboy series that preceeded it and get that bad boy into trade paperback form. House of M #1-2 (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: I hate to admit it, because it's almost like endorsing the event mindset that brought us "Avengers Disassembled" and New Avengers (both of which I still kind of, well... hate), but I'm somewhat curious about House of M. It sounds like an Age of Apocalypse type scenario, with the world being reordered into something different, but there's a bit of twist in that it's a happier, better universe where mutants aren't hunted and feared but instead idolized. I'm not sure Bendis can pull off this kind of thing, as all his superhero event stuff seems too talky and too meta-aware for me, but it's got potential, and Coipiel's artwork is sure to look great. (page M3) DAVE: I've seen enough of Bendis on Marvel's mainstream superheroes to know that he just doesn't get what makes 'em great. His Daredevil? Pretty good stuff at times, but then, Daredevil's got a history of existing a little outside the Marvel norm. Bendis on The Avengers, The X-Men, and shaping the future of Marvel? Absolutely no interest. Last time he promised us "nothing will ever be the same," he wrote the most incoherent, unheroic, and cheap-death-laden Avengers story in history. And since he's a writer who's never shown any capacity to redress his weaknesses... Invincible: The Ultimate Collection Vol. 1 HC (Image Comics) - RANDY: I love hardcovers, but not enough to re-buy Invincible #1-13, which I've already got in Image's swanky trade paperback editions. However, if you love hardcovers like me and haven't checked this book out yet, $35 for a 400 page collection of the series first 13 issues plus extras is not a bad price to pay at all. (page 146) JLA #115 (DC Comics) - DAVE: Geoff Johns on JLA is news whether the story he's writing is up one's alley or not. I'm in the "not" category, seeing as how this five-part arc will be showcasing the fallout of the much-ballyhooed, ultimately-poopy Identity Crisis. Still, with Allan Heinberg co-writing (he of the surprisingly good Young Avengers), there's at least the possibility that this will be the omelet made from the broken eggs. (page 81) RANDY: I expect to get more of a "DC Countdown" vibe off of this, to wit: "Jesus God, how did writers whose work is usually so good create a book that I hate so very much?" JSA: Black Reign TPB (DC Comics) - RANDY: Glad to see DC increasing the speed of the JSA collections a bit, and now we're caught up to possibly my favorite JSA story ever, the JSA-Hawkman crossover Black Reign. Terrific action sequences, gorgeous artwork and some real changes in the status quo of several characters make this a modern-day superhero classic. (page 80) DAVE: A damn good JSA story. My interest waxes and wanes a bit with this book and the weight of its backstory, but when it's good, it's really, really good. The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck TP (Gemstone Publishing) - DAVE: When I was doing a lot of reading on the history of comics in the '90s, this modern epic seemed to be one of the few modern Scrooge McDuck projects fans put on par with the legendary work of Carl Barks. Hell, it even won an Eisner! And since the Barks material I dabbled in was all-ages entertainment at its best, I think I'll be seeking this out. 256 pages of one of comicdom's great heroes. (page 311) Marvel 1602 TPB (Marvel Comics) - DAVE: Some found it disappointing. I ended up really enjoying it. It's finally out in softcover. (page M92) Modern Masters Vol. 5: Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (TwoMorrows Publishing) - DAVE: A little something for lovers of classicist superhero art here: a 128-page spotlight on Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez. He's one of the most famed draftsmen in the biz – a true "artist's artist" – and with several upcoming DC projects featuring his talents, this is as good a time as ever to see why he's so admired. Mome Vol. 1 GN (Fantagraphics Books) - DAVE: Oh, I'm pretty sure this is a little too artsy-fartsy for my tastes, but when Fantagraphics gathers its best and brightest for a new litary comic anothology, I suspect the company's devotees will be well-pleased. (page 306) Monarch of Manhattan #1 (Kandora Publishing) - RANDY: Barbarian king winds up in modern-day New York hunting his lifelong wizard foe. Hilarity ensues. OK, maybe not, but it's a fun premise at any rate. The creative team are completely unknown to me, and Kandora still hasn't put any books out yet, so they're unknown quantities as well, but it's a good premise and the preview art looks nice. (page 326) The Nameless: The Director's Cut TPB (Image Comics) - RANDY: Phil Hester on art is enough to get me to look at anything these days, and I keep hoping he'll make the transition to writer/artist, as I think he's one of the few guys with great skills on both sides of the equation. Until then, I'll follow his artwork on new projects or old ones, like this trade reprinting a story he illustrated about a nameless man who is somehow tied into an Aztec horror haunting the streets of Mexico. Story sounds interesting, art is sure to be terrific. (page 147) DAVE: I'll echo the call for Hester to fully make the jump to writer/artist – he's already a better writer than 90% of the guys who do only that. Meantime, The Nameless has a good premise and Hester's terrific art. That's good enough for me to chickety-check it out. Nat Turner #1 (Kyle Baker Publishing) - RANDY: The other Kyle Baker project this month, this one is the tale of Nat Turner, leader of a slave revolt in 1831. It's important history, but it will also no doubt be compelling comics, and Baker seems to have twigged to the dramatic possibilities, calling the story "Death Wish meets In Cold Blood meets Juice." Or, alternately, "It's like Glory, except if Morgan Freeman got hanged and skinned in the end." I'll be reading. (page 328) DAVE: Holy crap, I can't believe he used those descriptions! But I'm definitely interested, and I think it's notable that the solicit mentions this comic's possibilities in an educational setting. I can't image how cool it would've been to get the occasional cool educational comic when I was in school, something like this or a Clan Apis. I hope there's some comic-readin' teachers out there noticing such stuff. Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere #1 (DC Comics/Vertigo) - RANDY: I read and enjoyed Neil Gaiman's story of a magic world existing underneath our own, but I have some misgivings about this adaptation. The talent is good, with Mike Carey and Glenn Fabry handling the adaptation chores, but adaptations are a tricky business, they're almost never as good as the original project, and honestly, if we're getting a Neil Gaiman story, I'd kind of like Neil Gaiman to be writing it. (page 117) New Teen Titans: Who is Donna Troy? TPB (DC Comics) - DAVE: Kind of an oddball reprint trade here, clearly meant to serve as background material for the all-new miniseries that's returning Donna Troy to the DCU. It collects a miscellany of Donna Troy stories from the past, including the titular story, my main response being, "I'd rather DC just reprinted the *entirety* of the Wolfman/Perez Teen Titans than this random stuff." The dumbasses at Marvel are taking the same approach with the Claremont/Byrne X-Men material and it all just confounds me. The X-Men are wildly popular right now! So are the Teen Titans! Make the most out of this and kick off a multi-volume series that gives fans ALL the best stuff, not just random excerpts! Look at how folks scoop up DVD boxed set of popular TV series or the Die Hard Trilogy or whatnot - they love full runs!! (page 82) RANDY: Preach it. I ain't buying a "Who is Donna Troy?" story because I'm not all that interested in it in a vacuum. But if DC would just give the classic Wolfman/Perez Titans the same honored treatment they give, say, Chuck Austen's Superman (and Marvel can make the same comparison with Austen's X-Men and the Claremont/Byrne stuff), I'd be all over it. DAVE: Acidic and dead-on. New Warriors #1 (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: I was a big New Warriors fan back in the day, but I have no real desire to see them back. That said, Zeb Wells seems to have an interesting semi-comedic take on them (hopefully in line with the She-Hulk ethos, which is funny but with some respect for the characters) and the notion of a teen superhero team as a Road Rules/Real World type show is pretty intriguing. Skottie Young's art, which I like in sketches and for certain properties, seems like a bad fit at first glance, but I suppose we'll see what happens. (page M38) DAVE: Getting a "Scott Lobdell's Alpha Flight" vibe, but that's just a gut reaction. I liked that Slott more or less played these cult heroes straight in their brief She-Hulk guest-appearance and that's more the approach I'd be interested in - serious-with-touches-of-humor rather than humorous-with-touches-of-serious. Northwest Passage #1 (Oni Press) - RANDY: Yay, Canadian history lesson! OK, my enthusiasm (while tongue-in-cheek) is sincere, but it's not because of the Canadian history, it's because of the creator of this 4-issue series, Scott Chantler, he of Days Like This and Scandalous. His art is gorgeous, curious to see what his writing looks like. Really happy to see something this off-the-beaten path done in comics, although if you fear the history, just remember that it's about 1755 English soldiers fleeing a French attack and winding up in the Canadian wilderness... it's a kickass adventure/western! (page 338) DAVE: Sounds like the most action-packed Canadian history lesson since Louis Riel! Which I liked. So there's a good chance I'll like this. Ororo: Before the Storm #1 (Marvel Comics) - DAVE: Miniseries here, and one that sounds a bit like an expanded version of those John Bolton-drawn back-up stories that used to appear in Classic X-Men. Thing is, I never liked those stories (except for Bolton's art, which owned). And I've always liked Storm, but to me her past as a thief in Cairo is something that's only interesting as the occasional flashback. As a four-issue miniseries? Err... (page M59) Oz The Manga #1 (Antarctic Press) - DAVE: Even though I don't follow many of Antarctic Press's titles, every once in a while there's a winner like Neotopia, and I still have to credit Amerimanga Ninja High School with being my gateway to manga. So...add that to the fact that I read Frank Baum's 14 Oz books obsessively as a kid and I have to admit to some interest in seeing a manga adaptation of the concept. I have vague memories of an anime-esque Oz series that used to run on HBO (no relation to the prison/sodomy series of the same name) – veered a bit too much away from the books, but hopefully this thing will be a bit more faithful. It's at least gotta be moreso than OzF5, solicited in this same Previews from Alias Enterprises and promising a gun-toting babe of a Dorothy. (page 251) The Plot: The Secret Story of "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" (W.W. Norton) - RANDY: It's Will Eisner's last project. Not much more that can be said, not much more that needs to be said. (page 385) Red Sonja #1 (D.E.) - DAVE: Wait, wasn't this already solicited? Or was that the "zero" issue? Damn zero issues. Anyway, I remember reading that that first issue solicited was ordered in record-breaking numbers (it was a quarter issue), and with covers by superstars like Michael Turner, John Cassaday and Alex Ross, it seems poised to be the Next Big Thing in fantasy comics. How is it then that I have no interest in this series? Must be the fact that Busiek's already cookin' on Conan, and a little Robert E. Howard goes a long way. (page 282) RANDY: Dave, let me explain the modern market to you. First you put out a zero issue for on the cheap, preferably 25 cents but more expensive is OK (see also Conan, G.I. Joe, Wildsiderz in this very Previews) and then you can claim huge numbers and giant interest. Then you put the first issue out at a regular price (preferably with multiple covers) and garner huge numbers off of retailers trying desperately to guess how many of those 25-cent buy-ins are going to stick around, and then you wait for the slow dwindling of sales so you can reboot (or reload, as has become the popular parlance) and do it all again. Wow, that was so cynical it surprised even me. And it's really more a general gripe about the industry's '90s-style obsession with gimmicks rather than a pointed criticism of Red Sonja, which does have really nice covers and has piqued my interest at least a little, even though I don't have as much interest in Sonja as I do Conan. Scarlet Traces: The Great Game #1 (Dark Horse) - RANDY: I really enjoyed the graphic novel Scarlet Traces, which sort of flew under the radar of most fans, even though the post-War of the Worlds England tale probably would have resonated with a lot of them. This sequel, which splits its time between post-war England the current-war Mars, looks to be just as good or better, and D'Israeli's artwork is flat-out jaw-dropping. (page 24) DAVE: It really is stunning. Randy, remind me to read the original Scarlet Traces when my fever for Spielburg's big budget, ultra-commercial War of the Worlds spectacular reaches its fever pitch. I suspect I'll need something a little more grounded to keep me from turning into a Summer Movie Whore. Secrets in the Shadow: The Art & Life of Gene Colan (Twomorrows Publishing) - DAVE: There are few artists I hold in higher esteem than the genius Gene Colan, master of combining photorealism with hyperkineticism. Put together a profusely illustrated retrospective of his 60-year career and you've got one hell of a must-read. (page 373) Shaun of the Dead #1 (IDW Publishing) - DAVE: Last year's genius comedy/horror gets adapted by IDW with a full "director's cut" participation from the director and star of the flick. Will it be cool? Will it be a jump between mediums that just doesn't work? I sort of antipate the latter, but that's no reason for Shaun fans not to at least give 'er a try. (page 320) Six From Sirius Volume 1 TPB (D.E.) - RANDY: Never read this one, but I seem to remember hearing good things about this sci-fi tale from the legendary creators of Master of Kung-Fu. Won't be out until July, but it's being solicited a little early. (page 284) Small Gods Special #1 (Image Comics) - RANDY: Rand and Ferreyra's psychic crime stories in Small Gods have been really good so far, and I have no reason to expect that this special will be anything but good. I'm a little weary of the interrogation room stories, so it's not likely to be my favorite Small Gods story, but for those of you color snobs who won't look at a black and white book: A) Get over it, there are fantastic black and white books and B)If you can't, this is your chance, because this is a color special. (page 142) Solo #5 (DC Comics) - RANDY: I've enjoyed all the issues of Solo up to this point, but this is the one I've been waiting on. Darwyn Cooke tackles some of the more off-the-beaten-path members of the DC Universe, including Slam Bradley (who he did such memorable work on), King Faraday (DC's more grounded version of Nick Fury) in Cuba and The Question in the Middle East. Sure to be beautifully drawn and written with a great old school pulp feel. My "runner up" for Pick of the Month. (page 85) DAVE: Can't wait for this, though I think Solo might've peaked for me with Paul Pope's issue. I was a little unsure of this series at first, but my hat's definitely off to DC for giving artists the spotlight - and not just the superstars, but the "artist's artists!" Really cool of 'em and a genuine acknowledgment of quality over Q-rating. Solstice TPB (Active Images) - RANDY: I'm not the fan of Steven Seagle that I was around the time of Primal Force and House of Secrets, but I did love his work once upon a time, and Richard Starkings' instincts with Active Images have rarely steered me wrong. This tale of a millionaire father and son seeking the Fountain of Youth to cure the father's brain tumor sounds very interesting, and I'll be that it's as good as the rest of the Active Images line has been. (page 212) Son of Vulcan #1 (DC Comics) - RANDY: Proving the adage, "Every character is someone's favorite," DC is putting out a new miniseries starring a revamped Son of Vulcan. Interesting creative team, with Keron Grant's stylized artwork looking good in the preview and Scott Beatty having written some pretty solid action comics in DC's Universe in the past, but Son of Vulcan? Shouldn't they have offed him or raped him in DC Countdown or Identity Crisis or something? (page 87) DAVE: Can't get excited about this one. Grant's anime-wannabe art hurts my eyes and Grant Morrison's already doing the "medieval superhero" thing right in Shining Knight. Spider-Man: House of M #1 (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: My inclination at first was to gripe that Marvel was flooding the shelf with spin-off from their hyped House of M event, but oddly enough, it was this spinoff miniseries that sparked my interest in House of M in the first place. Spidey a hero, adored by millions, as well as being the champion of a wrestling federation? Fun take on the character, and Mark Waid and Tom Peyer are well-suited to this type of story. (page M7) Spider-Man/Human Torch: I'm With Stupid Digest (Marvel Comics) - DAVE: Dan Slott of She-Hulk fame has been having a ball with these tales of one of the more unlikey, yet endearing, friendships of the Marvel Universe. I was a little skeptical of the retro feel at first, but given that the latest issue was one of the best, funniest Spider-Man stories of the last ten years...oh yeah, I'm on this sucka. Every fan of classic Spider-Man (that's Spidey from the '60s to the '80s) should be. (page M82) RANDY: I wasn't sure about this at first either, but yeah, that issue with the Spider-Mobile was great, almost as good as Slott's work on She-Hulk. I'm not sure I would have gone for a full-price trade, but an eight dollar digest? Aw, hell yeah. Star Wars: The Comics Companion TPB (Dark Horse) - DAVE: I've been enjoying a number of the Star Wars comics of late, and though I can't quiiiite see myself buying this, it sounds kinda cool. In short, it's a guide to all the Star Wars comics in print, and since it promises to cover comics that came out decades ago, I can only assume that means that even the old Marvel stuff will be covered, giant green rabbit aliens and all! (page 39) Strange Girl #1 (Image Comics) - RANDY: Another new Image series, another promising concept, more gorgeous artwork. Strange Girl takes place after the Rapture, on Earth, with the demons running things, as a demonic bartender and a riot grrl learn that God is coming back for a second sweep to wipe everybody out, and try to find the last doorway into Heaven before that happens. (page 143) DAVE: I kinda like that premise, so as ever with such untried stuff...it's now in the hands of the execution. Street Angel Volume 1 TPB (Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics) - DAVE: It's the series that began with the hilarious, Tick-like adventures of a thirteen-year-old homeless skateboard chick, and then became something...different. I wasn't so hip to the "different" stuff, but for the half that I loved and the beautifully clean black-and-white art throughout... recommended. (page 245) RANDY: Street Angel took a wildly divergent turn in issue four that I wasn't crazy about (even if it was still interesting, it was a bizarre change in tone), but issue five had a great blaxploitation riff, and I have loved most of what Rugg and Maruca have done with this book. Throw in a bunch of cool extras, as Slave Labor is doing, and I'm there. Tomb Raider: The Greatest Treasure of All (Image Comics/Top Cow) - RANDY: Wow, it is actually coming out! Looks like I owe you a Coke, Dave. (page 175) DAVE: And I'm still gonna be buying it too! See, as an occasional video game geek, the original Tomb Raider game still ranks in my pantheon of all-time favorites. The Indiana-Jones-meets-John-Woo concept, the hottie heroine, the ambient sound effects and stunning music, the brilliant level design... hey just 'cause all the sequels and comic spin-offs and movies have sucked doesn't mean I'm not allowed the guilty pleasure of nostalgia if it comes in the form of a fully-painted Joe Jusko outing. Don't judge me, man! You don't know me!! Top Cow Triple Play: Freshmen, Necromancer, V.I.C.E. (Image Comics/Top Cow) - RANDY: I'm no real fan of Top Cow's style in general, but I have to admit to being mildly curious about this $1.00 special, introducing three new concepts. Specifically, I'm interested in the one being written by Seth Green, he of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Austin Powers and Robot Chicken fame. Superheroes and college life is a relatively untapped concept, and Leonard Kirk is a very good artist. Not so sure about the other two concepts, but they also have "outside the comics" creators, such as sci-fi novelist Joshua Ortega and Crossing Jordan TV writer Aron Coleite. (page 174) Ultimate Fantastic Four Vol. 3: N-Zone TPB (Marvel Comics) - DAVE: Even though my interest in the Ultimate line has dwindled almost to nothing, this sci-fi storyline from Warren Ellis has been really pushing my buttons. 'Long as it doesn't wrap on a crap note, I might just buy this thing. Ultimate Annihilus is a creepy mofo. (page M79) Valerian Volume 1 TPB (Ibooks) - RANDY: This is tagged "The classic graphic novel series that inspired The Fifth Element!" Which is why, of course, the solicitation sounds nothing like The Fifth Element. Still, time-hopping secret agents having to deal with their vanished 28th century home timeline sounds pretty interesting on its own merits. (page 318) We3 TPB (DC Comics/Vertigo) - DAVE: But for there being a new Concrete book, this almost certainly would've been my pick of the month. It's the Vertigo miniseries that reteamed New X-Men's Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely in a grisly-yet-heartfelt tale of cybernetic animals escaping the military compound where they were being trained. It's violent, it's a tearjerker, and Frank Quitely's art steamrollered over just about everything else from 2004. Consider this one a must-buy. (page 123) RANDY: In regular issues, I wasn't as wild about this book as everyone else was... but I still liked it, and in retrospect see that it's so much better than I originally gave it credit for. This is indeed a must-buy for the month, although jeers to DC for not putting it out at that $10 price point like Seaguy, another recent Morrison 3-issue opus. Wildsiderz #0 (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - RANDY: I have to admit, I'm kind of intrigued by this one. Half of Danger Girl's guilty pleasure appeal was the way it tweaked the spy/adventure genre, and superheroes is a bit more played out, but the Danger Girl creative team seems to have an interesting, made for cartoon premise about teenagers using holographic forcefields to duplicate the powers of the animal kingdom. The initial visual, as seen on the cover of Previews, certainly is interesting enough. Be aware, though, this is $1.99 for 32 pages, but only 8 pages of that are story, the rest are sketches/interviews/promo material. (page 111) DAVE: I guess J. Scott Campbell's sketches count for a little more than some artist's, eh? (the password is..."boobies") But I have certain fondness for the Danger Girl cheese, too, so sure, I'll check this out. Campbell really is a talented cartoonist, and it's been interesting to see him incorporating more Disney elements and even a sort of Mort Drucker caricature style to his work in recent years. X-Men/Fantastic Four HC (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: A hardcover? Really? I mean, I only got two issues in, but wasn't this just godawful? (M86) DAVE: The hardcover thing is crazy, but I'll defend Yoshida's story at least a bit. Between some really cludgy plotting and, yes, a few very dopey moments, he was one of the few writers I've seen in recent years to truly evoke any old-school X-Men moments (old-school for me meaning the early '80s). I can't get behind the project but I can say that Yoshida might have potential for meat-and-potatoes superheroing one'a these days. RANDY: Let's hope so, because he's doing a half-dozen projects at Marvel and is working on a Conan short story set in Japan too. I'd like to hope the guy has chops I just haven't seen yet. X-Men: Kitty Pryde - Shadow & Flame #1 (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: The good news? It's a Kitty Pryde solo series, which features her dragon Lockheed and art by Paul Smith. The bad news? It's by one of Marvel's newest go-to guys, Akira Yoshida, who really hasn't done anything to earn that go-to status other than writing a risable X-Men/Fantastic Four miniseries and an inscrutable Age of Apocalypse anniversary cash-in. Tough call for you Kitty Pryde fans. (page M10) DAVE: I just don't like the Kitty-as-ninja thing. Even when Claremont first did it in the '80s it just seemed off. X-Men Unlimited #9 (Marvel Comics) - RANDY: I know we're all conditioned to ignore these Unlimited titles, but make an exception this month. Matt Fraction is providing what I'm guessing will be a cynical, humorous take on the many deaths of Wolverine's with art by Sam Kieth, while Damon Hurd, a guy whose every book I have loved, writes an Iceman story with Mark Brooks on art. In the "I never thought I'd be saying this" department, X-Men Unlimited is sure to be one of the highlights of this month. Oh, and you Must Read Joe Casey and Matt Fraction talking up this story in their excellent industry analysis/two writers spinning BS by email column, The Basement Tapes. (page M65) Year One: Batman/Ra's al Ghul #1 (DC Comics) - DAVE: Just in time to coincide with Ra's villainy in Batman Begins, Devin Grayson and Paul Gulacy spin a tale of Ra's attempting to cleanse the earth with a plague of animated corpses! Yes... That's right... Even fuckin' Batman is getting in on the zombie bandwagon! (page 62) Email Randy Lander and Dave Farabee comments about this review.