Previews Review for September 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 Previews reviews, covering the Diamond Previews that allow fans to preorder comics from their local retailer. This installment covers the June previews for comics due to ship out in September 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) and Augie DeBlieck (Pipeline) today, and Chris Butcher & James Lucas Jones (PopImage) and Johanna Draper Carlson (Comics Worth Reading), later this month, among others. Pre-ordering is your friend. If there's stuff you want in September, letting your retailer know before the end of July is the best way to make sure you get it. Something of a light month for me this time out, but there are some items of interest, including the always fun Treehouse of Horror, the beginning of the end for Bone, the annual feast of indy goodness that is the Expo book and some promising new items from a revitalized Vertigo. BIG FOUR PICK OF THE MONTH: Paradigm #1 (Image) - When I read this first issue from Two Irish Guys Press, I was blown away. It seems that Image was similarly impressed, and I'm glad to see talent recognized so early and given a chance to reach a wider audience before they've slaved away for years in self-publishing instead of after. Paradigm is a hard book to describe, as the unusually broad "Recommended for fans of..." section in Previews testifies to, but it's an easy book to love, and I hope that folks will take advantage of this second chance to jump onboard. Star Wars: Empire #1 (Dark Horse) - With the disappointments that have been Episode I and II, it makes sense that Dark Horse would want to get a little more attention for the classic Star Wars era, and renaming the other book Republic while launching a new one set in the Empire era is a smart move. The idea here, about a coup attempt early on in the Emperor's reign, sounds intriguing, and though I'm nowhere near the Star Wars fan I used to be, I'm more likely to occasionally pick up these stories than I am those that feature the less-interesting world that Lucas has created in his new films. Grendel: Red, White & Black #1 (Dark Horse) - I loved the first Grendel: Black, White and Red and I expect this one to be just as good. The artistic line-up for the first issue is pretty solid, and I'm particularly eager to see Jim Mahfood's take on the character. Unlike the first time out, I'm pretty likely to wait for the inevitable trade on this one, but I will definitely snap up the trade edition as soon as it's available, and those who prefer the singles format should not miss out on what will definitely be a high point in Dark Horse's 2002 publishing plan. Billi 99 TP (Dark Horse) - A lot of stuff from Dark Horse this month for me, as they reprint a series that I saw in the back issue bins in the 1980s before I developed better taste in comics. Sarah Byam's name is familiar, but not one I can place with any work I've read, but I'm mostly buying this to get some more Tim Sale artwork. Sale's work today is phenomenal, often changing slightly for each project, but even his early stuff was really good, and I'm anxious to get a shot at this early science-fiction project that he worked on. Catwoman #11 & Secret Files #1 (DC) - Catwoman is probably my favorite book running right now, and it's definitely my favorite DC book. Catwoman #11 introduces a new artist, Cameron Stewart, who looks pretty good from online previews, as well as providing another entry point into the book for new readers. In addition, this month features a Secret Files that will help new readers get into the book with art by some names that are well-suited to the book's style, namely Mike Avon Oeming, Cliff Chiang and Eric Shanower. This is truly one of the best books DC is publishing right now, and more of a crime/drama than a super-hero book. Robin #106 (DC) - Jon Lewis's take on the character has thus far been hit and miss for me, but this issue promises a team-up between Batman and Robin, which hasn't happened in a good long time. With Pete Woods and Andrew Pepoy providing consistently good art, this should be a good one-issue story for readers to jump on and sample the new creative team and see whether the book is to their liking or not. 21 Down #1 (DC/Wildstorm) - The "Eye of the Storm" launches are what has really caught my eye, but this doomed teenager with super-powers story does sound intriguing, along the lines of Dead At 21 from MTV, and the art preview that showed up in this week's Gen 13 #0 is very impressive. I'm a little wary of this premise as an ongoing series instead of a limited, but I'm always up for some teen angst and gritty street stories if they're done well. Black Sun #1 (DC/Wildstorm) - This is a resolicitation, putting Marc Andreyko and Trevor Scott in a stronger position as part of the "Eye of the Storm" launch instead of as a spinoff of The Establishment, which is cancelled this month. Police detectives and centuries-old demon plots sounds like a potent mix, and it helps to remember that Andreyko has written good police/horror alongside Brian Michael Bendis with Torso. DV8: Neighborhood Threat TP (DC/Wildstorm) - Although not the strongest of Ellis's work for Wildstorm, this DV8 trade is notable for serving up Ellis work that has been out of print for a while and for the first of Humberto Ramos's post-Impulse work, when he decided to start going in the darker direction that has seen him take on Crimson and Out There. The basic pitch is to imagine super-powered teenagers without morals to guide them and with an authority figure whose own morality leans toward the warped, and the result is something dark and funny. Planetary/JLA: Terra Occulta (DC/Wildstorm) - At this point, I've lost a lot of my interest in both Planetary and the JLA, but that doesn't mean I'm not intrigued by this new one-shot teaming the two of them up. Ellis and Ordway is an odd combination, and the Planetary and JLA equally odd, so it'll be interesting to see the blending of new school and old school that this represents. Plus, it's probably the only Planetary we'll see all year. The Resistance #1 (DC/Wildstorm) - The other non "Eye of the Storm" launch from Wildstorm that interests me, The Resistance brings to mind Channel Zero and Foot Soldiers; the former in tone and the latter in visual design. It's another example of beautiful art hooking me in, as newcomers Santacruz and Portela delivered some gorgeous pages in the Gen 13 #0, and though it's not on my automatic buying list, it is on my "check out when it hits the shelves" list. Fight for Tomorrow #1 (DC/Vertigo) - Brian Wood is quickly rising to the status of one of my must read writers, and Pounded cemented his position on my "everything he does gets a look" list. Underground fight clubs, corrupt New York city cops and Hong Kong action sounds like a can't-miss formula, and though Denys Cowan can be hit and miss for me, when he's on, his work is always a treat. This is one of those non-stereotypical Vertigo projects, and I'm glad to see them branching out, both into creators who they haven't worked with before and into new genres. In The Shadow of Edgar Allen Poe HC (DC/Vertigo) - I'm a big Edgar Allen Poe fan. Not sure if I'm enough of a fan to pick up a hardcover graphic novel by creators I've never heard of, but this is another project that is unusual for comics in its subject matter and approach. I'll probably wait for a softcover edition, but I'm impressed that Vertigo is tackling more original graphic novels and curious to see how these creators handle the unusual persona of Poe. Skreemer TP (DC/Vertigo) - I remember this being announced as Cyberosia originally, and I think it would have been a good fit there, but I won't complain too much if I have to buy it from Vertigo instead. I remember reading one issue of this back when it was first released and being pleased by it, and I'm looking forward to seeing it now with a broader reading experience and wider taste under my belt. The fact that it's Peter Milligan I haven't read is icing on the cake... now if only DC would start releasing some of his Shade the Changing Man work in trade. Midnight Nation TP (Image) - Stronger work than Straczynski's Rising Stars, Midnight Nation is a book that will read better as a trade than it did as an often-late mini-series. A shame that it doesn't have any special edition material, such as an introduction or sketches or thoughts from the writer or artist, as I have the entire collection save the 1/2 issue and I'm not willing to shell out $30 for only that. However, those who missed the series the first time around might want to check this out. Stupid Comics #1 (Image) - Honestly, I'm disappointed to see Mahfood at Image rather than Oni, where I thought his style really fit with what the company was doing. However, hats off to Image for landing him, and his odd mixture of street culture, politics and weirdness is always entertaining. I expect this to come out about as frequently as Dork!, which it is recommended for fans of, but it will probably be just as funny and entertaining as that book as well. Shang-Chi: Master of Kung-Fu #1 (Marvel/MAX) - Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy were a dream team, but I'm afraid that much of their work these days leaves me cold. Still, I must admit to being tempted by a reunion of these creators on Shang-Chi, a character who was of the 70s but whose main foci (martial arts and espionage) never go out of style. Captain Marvel #1 (Marvel) - Ah, the "U-Decide" event. It makes me want to put my head into my hands and weep, as Joe Q. and Bill Jemas continue to pass the point of entertainingly stupid and fall deeper into the level of embarrassingly stupid. I've little interest in The Marville largely because of the context of this "U-Decide" event, and having Ron Zimmerman write an "Ultimate" book to me seems like something you'd see from Marvel in the mid-90s. However, with any luck, all of this stupidity and fervor will get Captain Marvel a new lease and life and larger sales. I'm just worried that the all-new, all-accessible Captain Marvel may wind up losing everything that I liked about it. X-Men Unlimited #38 (Marvel) - I'm no fan of this title in general, but I'll make an exception when you've got one of my favorite writers, Greg Rucka, along with talented artist Darick Robertson, writing a book-length story about Colossus, one of my favorite (and much maligned in recent years) X-Men. B-Sides #1 (Marvel) - One of the best examples of why I hate Marvel's new solicitation style is the B-Sides, which I would know nothing about if not for Newsarama, and which has no interior art to represent it. For the average retailer, this is going to mean nothing, and for the B-Sides, I would guess this is going to mean less sales than the project deserves, as it sounds like kind of a neat and off-beat idea along the lines of X-Force. New X-Men HC (Marvel) - For all my complaining about the "U-Decide" stunt and Marvel's new solicitations, I have to admit that I still love a lot of what they're doing. And the hardcovers are a good example, as these oversized books that feature a lot of material are really setting the standard for deluxe hardcovers. A compilation of the Grant Morrison New X-Men earns my dollars, and the return of the Marvel Universe (sort of) with Marvel Encyclopedia speaks to the fan in me who remembers and cherishes his Deluxe Handbook to the Marvel Universe issues. Deadline TP (Marvel) - A surprise hit from Marvel, Bill Rosemann and Guy Davis told an interesting story of a Daily Bugle reporter who gets involved in a supernatural mystery. Glad to see this one getting the quick trade treatment, and looking forward to having the story in a permanent format. Marvel also has a handful of other interesting trades this month, including Essential Daredevil (almost worth it for the Gene Colan artwork alone), the second Incredible Hulk (though I'm waiting for the hardcover) and a new volume of Tangled Web which includes stories by Darwyn Cooke and Zeb Wells, some of my favorites in the series so far. INDY PICK OF THE MONTH: One Plus One #1 (Oni Press) - I met Neal Shaffer and Daniel Krall at last year's San Diego Comicon, and from what I saw of their samples and pitch documents, I was pretty impressed and pretty sure we would soon be seeing them in print. One Plus One is their first project from Oni Press, and it's one that I've been anxiously awaiting since it was announced. The concept (Earth-bound agents keep damned souls on the road to Hell) is great, and the creators have shown their abilities in online comics and in the samples that I've seen. Trust me, this is going to be well worth your time. Abel GN (AIT/Planet Lar) - This is more, for lack of a better word, "artsy" in appearance than I've come to expect from Larry Young, but it looks like a very intriguing book. The ad copy promotes it as similar to Road to Perdition, but I get the sense that it's what you might get if Charles Dickens wrote a World War II era period piece. And that sounds like the kind of thing that's hard to pass up. Futurama-O-Rama TP (Bongo Comics) - Though Futurama was technically renewed for the new season, it's just Fox burning through new episodes that are already done, and that's a shame, because the show was funny and pretty much better than the Simpsons has been for a couple of years. Happily, Bongo is still doing Futurama comics and hopefully will be for some time to come, and this trade collects the first four issues of their series. Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #8 (Bongo Comics) - The Treehouse of Horror episodes have long been my favorite episodes of the Simpsons and my favorite issues of the Bongo Comics series, so I'm always glad when we get another one. This one isn't quite as star-packed as previous versions, with Ty Templeton the only name I don't recognize from other Bongo efforts, but there's also a story by Gail Simone that is sure to entertain. Bone #50 (Cartoon Books) - Jeff Smith gets ready to wind up his popular indy series Bone and give it the ending it deserves, and though I love the series, I'm looking forward to seeing how this epic tale ends. I also appreciate that Smith doesn't play games with his readers; he puts the hardcover collections out one month before the softcovers, and instead of trying to trick readers into buying a format they don't want just so they can get it early (I'm looking at you, DC) he lets readers choose the format they want. This month, true to form, is the solicitation for the softcover of Volume Eight of Bone. Expo 2002/Potlach 2002 (Comic Book Legal Defense Fund) - Every year, the Expo in Maryland is a gathering place for small press talent, and every year, the Expo 2002 book contains about three or four hundred pages of that talent for $10. It's a bargain even if half the pieces don't connect with you, and always a good place to catch up on what's happening in the small press. Potlatch 2002 is a newer anthology that serves as something of a companion, and I should mention that both of these books are to benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, which is a good thing. Rosemary's Backpack GN (Cyberosia Publishing) - Antony Johnston really impressed me with his dark horror illustrated novel Frightening Curves, so of course it's natural that his next project would be... a children's book? At any rate, Johnston's got talent to spare and I'm all for talking backpacks and the kids who love them. The ad makes newcomer Drew Gilbert's artwork look pretty good as well, and Cyberosia has a good track record, so I expect this to be fun. Arkanium & Limbo City #1 (Dreamwave Publishing) - I worry that Dreamwave is overloading the stands with their books, releasing one or two new books each month, but it seems to have worked for Crossgen. Both Arkanium and Limbo City seem interesting, with nifty settings and pretty artwork, but I do wonder when the folks who are picking up all the Dreamwave books will decide that enough is enough. Hairball: A Cal McDonald Mystery #1 (IDW Publishing) - A one shot centering around a private detective who investigates the paranormal is interesting enough, but when it's by Steve (30 Days of Night, Fused) Niles and Casey Jones (who we haven't seen much of since his Excalibur days), I'm even more intrigued. Invasion '55 GN (IDW Publishing) - IDW seems to have taken up publishing Chuck Dixon's work outside the super-hero genre, and this 1950s sci-fi movie sounds like something that is ideally suited to Dixon's sensibilities and yet unlike anything I've seen him do before. I'm not familiar with the artist, but I have faith in IDW's taste, and I'm looking forward to another original graphic novel from them. Queen & Country Vol. 2: Morning Star TP (Oni Press) - Queen & Country is one of the best ongoing series on the market, and the Morning Star arc was every bit as good, if not better, than the arc that introduced the series. You need this trade paperback. Nocturnals: Unhallowed Eve TP (Oni Press) - It's always good to get some new Nocturnals, and I'm glad to see that one of the one-shots I don't have is being collected in trade. Dan Brereton's horror/super-hero creations are always entertaining, and the talent list of artists on this trade has to be seen to be believed. Creature Tech GN (Top Shelf Productions) - While the description of the plot is amusing and surreal, I was sold on the book with the words "creator of Earthworm Jim." To me, that speaks of a twisted sense of humor and imagination, and I'm anxious to see what more Doug TenNapel has come up with. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.