Previews Review for July 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 May previews for comics due to ship out in July 2002. Some other places to get more information on preordering, as well as some very different takes on what is most important in the previews, can be had from Chris Ekman (Things To Come), Chris Butcher & James Lucas Jones (PopImage) and Johanna Draper Carlson (Comics Worth Reading), among others. If there's stuff you want in July, letting your retailer know before the end of May is the best way to make sure you get it. One minor change in the format this month, I now have two "picks of the month," one for the Big Four (DC, Dark Horse, Marvel, Image) in the front of the catalog and one for the "Indy" section. My picks are going to be the things that I think really need spotlighting, and stuff I expect to be really good, judging from the advance hype or from having read the series that is going to be collected. BIG FOUR PICK OF THE MONTH: Stormwatch: Team Achilles #1 (DC/Wildstorm) - I'm a sucker for military action comics, and Micah Wright has been very convincing about how good this book is going to be online. Though I'm not always a fan of Whilce Portacio, when he's on, he's very good. The preview in this month's Wizard was an excellent sign, and this promises to be a good launching book for the "Eye of the Storm" mature readers imprint. Hellboy: The Third Wish #1 (Dark Horse) - I recently (finally) read the first Hellboy trade paperback, and I now know what I've been missing. Mignola's particular blend of Nazis, Cthulhu mythos and other horror iconography is a lot of fun, and though I'll be waiting for the next trade, those who are looking for a taste of Hellboy might want to check out this two-part mini. Ancient Joe TP (Dark Horse) - This is a worthwhile read if only for Scott Morse's three-part Ancient Joe series, but it also includes some short stories from elsewhere, including Loud Cannoli, his self-published effort introducing the character. I've read a lot of what's in this trade already, and I'm looking forward to having it in a more permanent edition. Catwoman: Selina's Big Score HC (DC) - Damn DC for making these "must buy" original hardcovers. I know from Catwoman and X-Force that Darwyn Cooke is a fantastic artist. I know from Batman: Ego and "Open All Night" that he's an equally good writer. And his work on Catwoman is ideally suited to his sensibilities from what I can see, so this ought to be a great work. Crisis on Multiple Earths TP (DC) - Though my interest in Silver Age stories has faded in recent years, I'm still a sucker for the Earth-1/Earth-2 JLA/JSA type stories. This is a trade that has been a long-time coming, and it should be a fun read for Justice League fans. The Flash: Time Flies (DC) - Hard to beat the current team of the Flash, but John Rozum has always impressed, and Seth Fisher's ultra-detailed style was a pleasing sight on Happydale and Willworld. I'm glad to have the chance to sample the artwork in a $6 instead of $25 format. The story sounds properly mind-bending for the style of these two creators, and this should be an interesting departure from the current Flash run. JLA #68 (DC) - Kelly's take on the team hasn't really clicked with me, but the "Obsidian Age" story sounds promising. Morrison and Waid really took the "widescreen" feel as far as it can go, and Kelly really does seem to be trying to take the team in another direction. I suspect that the epic, multiple guest star, quest for Aquaman style of "Obsidian Age" will make or break his run in the eyes of the fans. The Authority: Earth Inferno and Other Stories TP (DC/Wildstorm) - For those of you who have been buying The Authority in trades... sorry, DC screwed you again. If you want to pick up what many consider the pure Authority, two Ellis stories and two Millar, you're also going to be stuck with a couple extra stories. They're not bad tales, in fact Ellis wrote the Hawksmoor story, but this is going to be a weaker trade than the Millar Authority trade that was originally promised to Millar and fans as well. Automatic Kafka #1 (DC/Wildstorm) - Casey's work is the very definition of uneven for me, but his work at Wildstorm has generally been pretty solid: Wildcats and Mr. Majestic were both quite good. I'm not so sure of Ashley Wood's ability to carry this kind of book, since I don't generally find his sequential storytelling very strong, but this is an unusual idea and an unusual creative pairing that demands to at least be looked at. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. II #1 (DC/Wildstorm/ABC) - Given the lengthy delays of the last LOEG, I'll be waiting on the hardback edition of this one as well. However, I'm sure this long-awaited sequel won't let down the fans of the original, and I'm sure that in a year or so when the definitive hardcover edition comes out, it won't let me down either. Animal Man: Origin of the Species TP (DC/Vertigo) - Another long-awaited trade from Vertigo, Morrison's Animal Man finally gets a second (of three) trade collections. The first one was surreal and interesting and powerful, and I expect nothing less of this one. I know others are huge Invisibles or Doom Patrol fans, but from what I've sampled, Animal Man is my favorite of Morrison's DC work. Goddess TP (DC/Vertigo) - This one is also long-awaited, although it's due to the rescheduling in light of 9-11. One of the few early Ennis works that's out-of-print and has been for a while, I was looking forward to this when it was originally scheduled, and I'm looking forward to it just as much now. Vertigo Pop: Tokyo #1 (DC/Vertigo) - I'm not as much into the Japanese culture as a lot of comics fans I know, but this is a great idea... the exploration of other cultures in comic form? Genius. This is the second place where Seth Fisher shows up in the catalog, as well, and that's definitely a good thing. Y - The Last Man #1 (DC/Vertigo) - Brian K. Vaughan is a talented writer who has mostly been on projects that didn't sound interesting to me in the concept stage. Y - The Last Man is more intriguing than Swamp Thing was to me, and I'm always anxious to see what an unfamiliar artist will look like on a new series. Road to Perdition SC (DC/Paradox) - My wife, far wiser than I, bought this Prohibition-era crime story back when it was first out, so I'm lucky to have it in my collection. If you are not equally lucky, you may want to consider picking up this very interesting and dark graphic novel about a father and son hitman team now that it's being republished to coincide with the upcoming movie. The Pro (Image) - This is one of those projects that can never live up to the infamy that it has already earned. But Garth Ennis, Amanda Conner & Jimmy Palmiotti on a book about a super-powered hooker? If nothing else, it'll be entertaining. Superpatriot: American's Fighting Force #1 (Image) - Kirkman writes Battle Pope, and so I'm pretty much going to give anything he does a shot based on his sense of humor and fun writing style. I always liked Superpatriot as well, due partly to associating him with Dave Johnson's artwork and partly to the simple fact that a cyborg with guns for arm is just cool. I expect this to be light, funny and action-oriented. And since I have the first Superpatriot mini, I'm looking forward to getting my collection of the character complete with the Giffen/Bierbaum/Johnson Liberty and Justice trade, also available this month. Apache Skies #1 (Marvel/MAX) - I love a good western, and John Ostrander always writes a great one. Blaze of Glory wasn't as good as his epic Kents over at DC, but it was good, and I look forward to reading the sequel, Apache Skies. Elektra: Glimpse & Echo (Marvel) - There's very little that Scott Morse does that I don't like, whether it's Ancient Joe, Magic Pickle or Soulwind. This is an unusual artist to be doing a mainstream Marvel project, so I'd be interested on that curiosity level at the very least. However, even if I knew nothing about Scott Morse, those three preview shots of art would have sold me on the series... it looks gorgeous. The Call of Duty: The Precinct #1 (Marvel) - I'm a fan of cop stories in the first place, but this creative team really seals the deal. Bruce Jones really impressed me with his take on criminals in Tangled Web, and Tom Mandrake is always great. The only question is, will this be a good cop story or is "The Call" going to include too many weird super-hero/horror elements? Ultimate X-Men HC (Marvel) - While the one I'm really waiting for is The Ultimates hardcover, I'm glad to see that the hardcover treatment won't be limited to just Ultimate Spider-Man in this line. The stories deserve the big deluxe treatment, and I'm hoping we'll get some cool extras. Elektra Lives Again HC (Marvel) - I have this one in softcover, but I'm still tempted to pick it up in a larger, hardcover format. It's not Frank Miller's best work, storywise, but the artwork is fantastic, a great example of Miller and Varley working together. Amazing Spider-Man: Revelations TP (Marvel) - With Marvel, I was waiting for the trades... now I'm waiting for the hardcovers. The Best of Spider-Man had the rest of the Amazing Spider-Man run, so I'm hoping for either a Best Of volume two or an Amazing Spider-Man hardcover. However, this is good stuff, and I'm glad to see another volume coming out. G.I. Joe Vol. 3 TP (Marvel) - While I plan to buy every G.I. Joe trade that Marvel releases, even the ones full of weaker stories, this is the one to look forward to. The first 30 or so issues of G.I. Joe were the best, and this one includes the near-legendary silent issue that inspired Marvel's less-than-stellar 'Nuff Said month. Punisher: War Zone TP (Marvel) - What I'm enjoying about the Marvel trade schedule these days is that along with the recent stuff and the classics, they're throwing in some surprising change-ups. This one isn't an instant classic by any means, but it's solid Punisher stuff by Chuck Dixon and some of the first work John Romita Jr. did in the style he's currently using. Daredevil: Underboss TP (Marvel) - Because Marvel up until recently wasn't including Daredevil in First Look, so I had to buy it as it was coming out rather than wait for the trade. I say had to because I had to see what Bendis and Maleev were going to do with the first issue, and from there I was hooked. This is the best Daredevil since Frank Miller, no kidding, and if Bendis/Maleev keep working on the book for long enough, I think their work will be just as respected and definitive as far as the character is concerned. The Ultimates Vol. 1 TP (Marvel) - As I said, I'm waiting on the hardcover, because Hitch's work really deserves that oversized format. But The Ultimates is one of my favorite books going right now, and those who prefer the cheaper (but still well-done) trade format that Marvel uses should be happy to see the first arc collected so quickly. INDY PICK OF THE MONTH: Slow News Day TP (Slave Labor Graphics) - I've given a 10/10 review to each issue of Slow News Day, and I'm going to recommend the series one more time. It was one of the best things published in the last year, it's another example of why Andi Watson is one of the best talent working in the industry, and it deserves a place on your bookshelf. Hip Flask: Unnatural Selection (Active Images/Comicraft) - The teaser images for Hip Flask, the hippo detective, have always been a lot of fun, and so I'm quite curious about this book. Turning the mascot for a lettering house into a 32-page comic is a weird idea, but the character is quirky and funny and the creative team, Casey and Ladronn, did great stuff on Cable. I'm looking forward to the reunion, as both of them have come quite a ways since that work, and so this should be pretty good stuff. Badlands TP (AIT/Planet Lar) - JFK assassination theories are on my list of "things I've seen too much of" but I've heard so many good things about Steven Grant's take on the matter that I'm curious. Add in that Grant's crime work is always my favorite stuff, and that Larry Young has great publishing instincts, and I'm glad to see this coming back into print so I can read it. Heart of Dorkness: The Collected Dork Tower Volume III TP (Dork Storm Press) - John Kovalic's Dork Tower is always fun, and the love triangle between Matt, Gilly the Perky Goth and the non-gamer ex-girlfriend Kayleigh has been some of the most entertaining stories in Dork Tower yet. Summer Blonde HC (Drawn & Quarterly) - Though I'm not a big enough Adrian Tomine fan to pick up the hardcover, I'm glad to see this solicited. It means only a short wait before the next softcover of Optic Nerve, a slice-of-life series that I recently discovered an appreciation for. Battle Pope Presents Volume 1 TP (Funk-O-Tron) - Ah, it's always good to see more Battle Pope, especially when it's this quickly after the last volume. Saint Michael, God's own drill sergeant, is a fun character in Kirkman's hilariously wrong series, and I'm looking forward to having another trade to read. Oni Press Color Special 2002 (Oni Press) - Given the strength of the first Oni Color Special, which featured a Barry Ween/Whiteout crossover, it's impressive that Oni managed to top it in the second year with a hilarious Powers lead feature. So I have high hopes that this year will be another huge success, especially with so many promising debuts by great creators. The Sect #1 (Powerhouse Enterprises) - Even without knowing this was by the guys who do the fantastic Defiance book for Image, I would have been sold on this book by the full-page ad at the start of Previews. 54 pages for $2.95 is a great deal, especially when they're full color, and this sounds like an intriguing fantasy series. The K Chronicles: What A Long Strange Strip It's Been (Top Shelf) - The K Chronicles, by Keith Knight, is smart, funny, thought-provoking and often a little disturbing. There are two collections already available (both of which I own and love), and if you want a sample of Knight's work, you can check it out weekly at Salon.com. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.