Down The Line - Previews review for September 2006 by Randy Lander Down the Line is The Fourth Rail's (mostly) monthly look at Previews, and what titles are coming out a few months, well, "down the line." Having now seen the Previews up through September, I feel safe in saying that this month, July, is going to be the best month for 2006 as far as comics are concerned. My budget is fit to bursting with great comics, and the impending San Diego Con (which it turns out I will be attending, hooray!) means that even the much-delayed indies I've been awaiting will probably be out in time for that indy sales bonanza. September isn't anything to sneeze at, though. DC's got a ton of new collections, and there are a few gems in the indy section I'm really excited about as well. This installment covers the July Previews for comics due to ship out in September 2006. Remember, especially with the indy books, that pre-ordering is your friend, and the best way to make sure you get the books you want. I should mention, thanks to the increasing prevalance of advance solicitation, that several of the books here won't actually ship until October, but the preorders are still due by the end of July. As always, the Previews rundown is in alphabetical order, rather than the order used in the Previews catalog. To facilitate those seeking more information, each entry will include the page number of the solicitation. I'm going to offer up my "Top Ten Shiny New Things to Watch Out For," which is in a 1-10 order of what I'm most looking forward to (the first item is my "pick of the month," as it were.) Then I'll provide a rundown of "Other Stuff That Caught My Eye." My focus in this column is always going to be on jumping-on points and new stuff, so if you're wondering "Where's Fables?" or something along those lines, I still love it, I just don't want to keep harping on it. I'm also going to do my best to provide links to art and other preview material, or at the very least official websites, so you can track down more information. TOP TEN SHINY NEW THINGS TO WATCH OUT FOR: Marvel Comics Encyclopedia (DK Publishing) - My pick of the month is actually buried deep in the back of the Books section. Last year, DK Publishing produced a huge, hardcover encyclopedia of the DC Universe that hearkened back to the Who's Who of old, using a ton of great art and written by stalwart continuity-watchers from DC's freelancer ranks. Now they're producing a similar book for the Marvel Universe, weighing in at 350+ pages and 1000+ characters. I don't know who they've roped in to write it up, but most likely it will be the equal of the DC Encyclopedia. These "universe" type books get a bad rap from some, who see them as the worst kind of continuity fan-wank, but the overload of information and C-list characters is what got me, and a lot of readers like me, into the whole notion of superhero universes in the first place, and that makes this a great book for superhero-lovin' kids as well as adults with a love for the shared universe concept. (page 372) Pulphope: The Art of Paul Pope (Adhouse) - And switching over to the other end of the comics spectrum, from superhero minutiae to capital "A" Art, we've got Adhouse's book on the art of Paul Pope. Pope is one of the best artists in comics, with a unique voice and brush-stroke that makes anything he does worth a look. The previous Art Of book from Adhouse was the gorgeous Process Recess, focusing on James Jean, and there's no reason to believe that Pulphope will be any less spectacular than that volume. Whether you want to see the artistic process through an artist's eyes or just want to look at a bunch of pretty pictures, I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that this book will be worth your time and money. Pope's official website hasn't been updated for about a year, but you can find a few links of interest there. (page 205) Fables: 1001 Nights of Snowfall HC (DC/Vertigo) - I gotta be honest, part of me is nervous that my favorite ongoing series is getting spinoffs in the form of another ongoing series and an original hardcover... stretching a great idea too thin has ruined many a great idea. But I'm only a little nervous, and mostly excited, by what I've seen of the Fables spinoffs thus far, and I'm delighted that in a rare case, a book I like is actually popular enough to warrant such attention. Plus, this is a cool side story (Snow White plays the role of Scheherazade) and the art lineup is amazing, featuring artists like Charles Vess, Tara McPherson, Jill Thompson, Michael William Kaluta and some stunning work from Derek Kirk Kim. Sadly, I couldn't find any preview art (there's a one-page spotlight on some of it on page 114 of Previews), but here's the official page, with a look at James Jean's cover. (page 113) Absolute DC: The New Frontier HC (DC) - I had sort of given up hope on seeing a one-volume collection of this book by the time it was announced. $75 is steep, but it's only $35 more than the two trades, and for that, you get sketches, annotations, extra story pages and more, in 464 pages in oversized format. I had to think about it for a few days, but ultimately I decided it was worth it, and I suspect others will as well. Cooke's art is definitely worthy of an oversized treatment, and the story, when read all at once, is a great "alternate continuity" take on the transition from the adventurer heroes of the '50s to the superheroes of the Silver Age. Can't wait to see it adapted to the animated format, as the news of that leaked out last month. For more info on New Frontier, take a look at the Wikipedia page. (page 67) The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier HC (DC/Wildstorm) - In looking at the description of the Black Dossier, one starts to wonder if Moore and O'Neill were figuring "Whatever crazy shit we come up with, they'll have to publish!" A 3-D section with custom glasses, "Tijuana Bible" insert and a cutaway of the Nautilus? Very cool, and along with that comes a tale of the 1950s, with Mina Murray (she's an immortal vampire, remember?) and Allan Quatermain (he's not, so there's a story there) delving into the history of the League throughout the ages. (page 109) Lonely Heart: The Art of Tara McPherson (Dark Horse) - There are very few people who approach James Jean when I think of people who do great covers and painted art, but Tara McPherson is in that ballpark. This book includes her posters for rock bands and advertising work among other things, and her gothic, beautiful style is one that I'm anxious to see more of. You'll find her official website HERE. (page 37) Wildcats: Worldstorm #1 (DC/Wildstorm) - Yep, you read that right... I'm looking forward to the Wildcats relaunch. Even though I, like several others, was heartbroken when Wildcats 3.0 ended unfinished thanks to low sales. But this is Grant Morrison, who can make even the simplest of concepts into something more entertaining and imaginative. And while I'm not as big a fan of Jim Lee's art as many are, I can't deny that these are his characters, and he has a certain way with them. That Grifter cover, promising plenty of gun-toting action, is a good example. I'm not quite as hyped for the Whilce Portacio/Mike Carey Wetworks, but I find that my enthusiasm for Wildcats and a general interest in the Wetworks concept (soldiers vs. the supernatural) has me curious there as well. Wildstorm has been suffering in the market in the last few years, basically adrift without a strong identity (or many real hits) since DC editorial basically ripped the heart out of The Authority, and it'd be nice to see them make a comeback of sorts. Can't find a preview of Wildcats, but there's a 3-page preview of Wetworks HERE. (page 102) American Virgin: Head TP (DC/Vertigo) - The last of DC's recent batch of Vertigo ongoings is also one of the strongest, second only to Brian Wood's DMZ. Steven Seagle's tale of a virginity movement crosses unexpectedly with the tale of the lawlessness in parts of Africa to make for a strange yet potent tale. Even having read the four issues collected here, I don't know where the series is going long-term, but the four issues thus far have all been great. And Becky Cloonan's art (sometimes inked by Street Angel's Jim Rugg) looks even better in color than it does in black and white, which was another surprise to be found in the pages of American Virgin. IGN has a six-page preview of the first issue. (page 117) Agents of Atlas #2 (Marvel) - I missed out on Down the Line last month because there just wasn't enough exciting to me, but there were a couple things I wanted to sneak in a mention of this month. Agents of Atlas is one of them. Jeff Parker's take on Marvel's '50s heroes looks like a clever period piece with a more modern sophistication, and Leonard Kirk is a terrific artist. In addition, those covers by Tomm Coker are amazing. Though there's no link of the Marvel front page or even in the catalog when they suggest you go there (half the job is mentioning it, the other half is making it easy to find it), but Marvel does have a blog on their site called the Temple of Atlas which features pulp style text stories, character profiles and more for the series. You can also find info at the blogs of the writer and artist. (page M16) American Born Chinese SC (:01 First Second) - I picked up some of Gene Yang's minicomics at STAPLE! here in Austin, and was impressed with his linework and sense of humor. Now First Second is collecting the minicomics into one graphic novel, about the only Chinese-American in a high school trying to balance high school life with his cultural heritage. You can see some preview pages HERE and much more on Gene Yang's website. By the way, First Second has a lot of gorgeous looking books from top talent, so I'd advise looking around on their website a bit as well. (page 280) OTHER STUFF THAT CAUGHT MY EYE: American Splendor #1 (DC/Vertigo) - Harvey Pekar's long-running indy autobio moves to Vertigo. It's not as shocking as it initially sounds, given that Pekar has worked with any number of larger publishers and studios with the American Splendor movies and some of the book collections that came out in the wake of it, not to mention his successful collaboration with Dean Haspiel on The Quitter for Vertigo. The art lineup for this first Vertigo issue includes not only Haspiel but a couple of American Splendor veterans, plus one of my favorite underrated artists, Ty Templeton. (page 116) Bart Simpson's Treehouse of Horror #12 (Bongo) - These annual Halloween issues have continued to be fun long after the TV versions of them have grown tedious and unfunny. This year's lineup of creators looks especially good, as it features Kyle Baker, Terry Moore and Eric Powell. Anyone who has read Plastic Man or The Bakers knows that Baker is up to the kind of screwball cartooning required to make this work, Moore's take on a modern Noah's Ark sounds intriguing and the creator of The Goon sounds like the perfect guy for a story of "Groundskeeper Willie, hellishly bent on avenging his prized emu." I'm guessing this will be a particularly good year for Treehouse of Horror. (page 240) Birds of Prey: The Battle Within TP (DC) - I'm delighted that DC continues to print collections of Gail Simone's run on Birds of Prey, which has been an entertaining blend of characterization and action. I would be even more delighted if they would reprint all of Chuck Dixon's run, as he really put down the foundation for what Gail is doing and that work featured some terrific art by Butch Guice and Greg Land. Sure, I have most of the issues, but I'd rather have trades. (page 69) Blade #1 (Marvel) - Has there ever been a Blade series that didn't tank? With a new TV series on Spike!, it's time for Marvel to try once more to trot out a successful tie-in comic. This time out, they've got Marc Guggenheim, whose writing I don't know as I haven't checked out Wolverine, and they've paired him with... Howard Chaykin? It's bizarre to see Chaykin on what is basically a C-list character, but it's interesting, and while I'm not crazy for the guy's writing in general, I usually like his art. It really does seem like Blade only works in movies (and then, only sporadically), but good luck to Marvel on another attempt. (page M21) Crazy Papers GN (Chatterbox) - I actually picked this one up at STAPLE! earlier this year, so I can tell you for certain that it's a fun read. Jim Dougan's story of two girls trying to enjoy a night out and winding up in a lot of crazy situations reads like a great buddy comedy film and Danielle Corsetto's cartoony, lively artwork is a perfect match for the story's tone. You can see a couple preview pages and read a review HERE. (page 246) CSI: Dying in the Gutters #2 (IDW) - This is the other project that's technically a pick from last month's Down the Line, which I didn't finish writing. I've had the good fortune of reading an ashcan preview of the first 10 or so pages of CSI: Dying in the Gutters #1, and I have to say, if you're reading this column, you're probably going to enjoy this CSI story. Filled with references to the comic book industry as it exists (or is perceived to exist) online, it takes real life personalities like Rich Johnston and Joe Quesada and transplants them into a comic book/TV version of themselves that is hilariously funny. Grant has always been able to write a good crime yarn, too, so I suspect the murder mystery will be just as much fun as all the in-jokey references. (page 294) The Dark Horse Book of Monsters (Dark Horse) - Dark Horse returns with another (final?) hardcover, anchored as always by a story from Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson and a Hellboy story from Mike Mignola. I'll be honest, it was the first one that really blew me away, and there have been slightly diminishing returns on each successive volume, but they're still really good. This time out, the rest of the talent includes Kurt Busiek, Leah Moore, John Reppion and Arvid Nelson, whose horror chops have been well-established in the pages of new Dark Horse acquisition Rex Mundi. (page 30) DMZ #11 (DC/Vertigo) - It's a one-shot story focusing on the "origin" of Zee, the paramedic who befriended main character Matt Roth when he came into New York. What really makes this stand out, though, is that it features guest art from Kristian Donaldson, artist of Wood's amazing Supermarket miniseries from IDW. Given how much I've been enjoying the Wood/Burchielli artwork, if I say I'm actually happy to see this particular guest artist, hopefully that tells you how much I like Donaldson's work. (page 118) Drawing Comics is Easy! (Except When It's Hard) HC (Denis Kitchen Publishing) - What kind of stone-hearted monster would I be if I didn't point out this "How-to" book by 7-year-old Alexa Kitchen. A third grader doing a "how-to" create comics book really is cute, and the comics world that knows her seems to be quite taken with her. I'm not sure I would have gone hardcover, but maybe that's a mainstream bookstore consideration. (page 258) Dwight T. Albatross's The Goon Noir #1 (Dark Horse) - The Goon started life out as a black and white indy book, and earned its inspiration from pulps and noir, so this three-issue anthology is in some ways a return to its roots. What it really is, though, is kind of like Hellboy: Weird Tales, where a character from one creator's idiosyncratic vision is handed over to a handful of notable talents for short stories. The future lineup includes Reno 911's Thomas Lennon, comedian Brian Posehn, artists Tony Moore and Guy Davis and more. This issue's lineup features comedian Patton Oswalt (whose previous comic, JLA: Welcome to the Working Week, was very good), Steve Niles, and artist Mike Ploog, who seems ideally suited to these characters. (page 28) Fables #1 Special Edition (DC/Vertigo) - Fables is absolutely my favorite ongoing series, without a doubt, and it has never offered me a disappointing issue, even with 50 issues under its belt. There are probably still some of you who haven't tried it, though, and to you I offer the Fables #1 Special Edition, a quarter book reprinting the first issue of the series along with a preview of the 1001 Nights of Snowfall original graphic novel. Kudos to DC for doing this... we're going to be ordering a monstrous amount for our store to help hook some more people on the book. (page 115) Johnny Repeat Vol. 1 GN (Citizen Press) - Johnny Repeat looks like a hard book to describe. It's been tagged "cosmic noir" by the publisher, and the sprawling cast of characters and time travel elements make that sound about right. I don't know the work of writer Jason James, but his artist lineup, including Grounded's Paul Azaceta and Suicide Squad's Geof Isherwood, is impressive. Color me very intrigued by the possibilities, and predicting this as a possible sleeper hit. I'll definitely be looking for this one at the San Diego Con, where it is supposed to debut. You can find more information, including character overviews and several preview pages, HERE. (page 248) Mystery in Space #1 (DC) - I have a fondness for DC's space characters, one that grew mostly out of Who's Who pages and seeing what Andy Diggle did with them in the Adam Strange miniseries. I'm only mildly interested in this miniseries, though, which looks like an odd mix of '70s (Jim Starlin on writing) and '90s (Jim Lee clone Shane Davis on art). Not really my cup of tea in both respects, as I've never been a huge fan of Starlin's cosmic stuff at Marvel, but... cool to see DC's space heroes getting a spotlight, and the commercial instincts at DC editorial remain intact, as I suspect this will find favor with the audience at large. (page 76) Pirate Tales #1 (Boom!) - They've done successful anthologies for zombies and Cthulhu, and now Boom! turns their full-color anthology talents to pirates, just in time for the second Pirates of the Caribbean movies. Since the end of Crossgen and El Cazador, we really haven't had a flashy full-color pirate book, and hopefully this will fill that void. (page 242) Punisher War Journal #1 (Marvel) - My initial reaction to Matt Fraction working on a Marvel book is to worry that, like Ed Brubaker, Brian Michael Bendis, Robert Kirkman and so many others, he'll wind up chained to a desk writing superheroes when he could be doing something so much more interesting (if not as best-selling). But... Fraction's over-the-top sensibilities seem like an interesting fit for a book that brings the Punisher back into the Marvel Universe, and as long as he keeps doing Casanova as well (and on time), this could be a fun book to read. I'm not quite so sure about Ariel Olivetti's art, which is gorgeous but almost seems too pretty for a Punisher book. I'm sure it'll catch the casual readers' eyes, though. (page M47) The Transformers: Infiltration TP (IDW) - With images from the Transformers movie leaking online, it seems like IDW might be ready to ride a resurgence of Transformers interest next year. They're certainly poised to do it, having launched a handful of different approaches to Transformers and a surprisingly good re-introduction of the characters with Infiltration. I'm at best a mild Transformers fan, but Infiltration read like a good conspiracy/sci-fi/action story, whether you're into the concept of cars and planes that become robots or not. (page 293) True Story Swear to God #1 (Image) - Tom Beland's true life stories comes to Image, and hopefully gains the larger profile he's deserved for so long. Beland's revelation that his marriage to Lily had ended was a shocker, and makes me wonder if the book will just become depressing for me to read. However, having read his mini-comics from before the Lily relationship and enjoying his daily life observational humor as well, I'm guessing the book will still be a great read, even when the romance at the center of it comes to an all too true life ending that seems incongruous with the magical nature of it throughout the book. (page 130) Union Jack #1 (Marvel) - Aside from a couple minor complaints (like disliking the Winter Soldier), I've been pretty much digging Ed Brubaker's run on Captain America, and I've always been a fan of Union Jack, the working class British hero. It seems that Christos Gage, writer of the excellent Deadshot miniseries, will be giving Union Jack the same kind of 24-meets-superheroes spin Brubaker has given Captain America, but on a more international level, bringing in Israeli heroine Sabra and Saudi Arabian Arabian Knight. I have a fondness for both of these C-list characters as well, and the visual reinterpretation by Mike Perkins (as seen in this month's Wizard) promises a reinvention of them that will make them more interesting to the audience at large. I'm remembering the "real world but still comics" vibe of Ostrander's last couple years on Suicide Squad and hoping that's what we'll be getting. (page M59) The Vault of Michael Allred #1 (AAA Pop) - A full-color retrospective of Mike Allred's career, including sketches, pin-ups, articles and behind-the-scenes on his work? Sounds really cool, and like the kind of thing I'd like to see from any number of indy artists. (page 202) Email Randy Lander comments about this column, or visit his MySpace profile/blog.