Fray: Future Slayer TP (Dark Horse) - Never has "waiting for the trade" been more self-rewarding than with the much-delayed, if always entertaining, tale of Fray from Buffy the Vampire Slayer creator Joss Whedon and Route 666er Karl Moline. I've enjoyed reading the series, but I can't wait to get the whole thing in my hands and read it through without the months of interruption between installments. Fray will make just about any Joss Whedon fan wish that he or she had more time for comics, and might make more than a few seek out Route 666 to get more of Moline.
Crush #1 (Dark Horse) - The latest in Dark Horse's "Rocket Comics" offerings, Crush reads like a girlpower take on the Hulk with mystical trimmings and mysterious background added in. It's an intriguing premise, and the artwork by Sean Murphy looks most likely to interest me of all the Rocket Comics artists save Jerome Opena (of Lone.) The writer is Jason Hall, best known to Dark Horse fans as writers of several good Star Wars Tales, but best known to me as the genius behind Top Shelf's Pistolwhip graphic novels. Not a bad pedigree for a new series.
Drawing On Your Nightmares (Dark Horse) - I'm not the world's biggest fan of horror movies, but I do have a fondness for horror comics (maybe because there's less of them) and for Halloween. So I'm interested in seeing Dark Horse, who have successfully introduced several interesting horror comics, doing a Halloween special of sorts. Especially when the list includes Steve Niles/Ben Templesmith, Eric Powell (whose Goon is a lot of fun) and Brett Matthews (a writer on Angel) with Sean Phillips. Most intriguing to me is the Matthews/Phillips offering, Tales of the Vampires, which is promised as a taste of a new series of comics focusing on the vampires of the Buffyverse (great premise, can't wait) but it all sounds pretty good.
The Devil's Footprints TP (Dark Horse) - This creative team served up a spooky and effective tale of family, dark history and demonic influence, and I'm glad to see the mini-series getting such a quick collection.
Original Graphic Novels (Dark Horse) - It's a month of original graphic novels for Dark Horse. And they all look intriguing, some more than others. Probably the most interesting to me is Autobiographix, featuring autobiographies from luminaries like Frank Miller (it looks like his extremely limited mini-comic from some conventions this year is reprinted), Linda Medley, Matt Wagner and Will Eisner, among others. But I'm also curious about Mother, Come Home, the graphic novel debut of Paul Hornschemeier, whose Forlorn Funnies has raised many an eyebrow amongst those who have read it, and Pete Von Sholly's Morbid, which sounds like an experimental use of photos and computer-generated special effects from a motion picture storyboard artist.
The Ring Vol. 1 TP (Dark Horse) - What I said above about horror comics goes double for horror manga. In other words, I love horror manga, due mostly to my exposure to Junji Ito's creepy and engaging Uzumaki. And I've had any number of friends tell me how scary and good The Ring movie was. So I'm looking forward to The Ring manga, and glad that Dark Horse is going trade-only on their production of it. Not quite as interesting to me personally, but still no doubt a good call, is the publishing of futuristic cyber-western Trigun, which has a pretty significant fan following and (I can't deny) looks cool.
Detective Comics #787 (DC Comics) - I've been remiss in my reviewing of Detective (the recent first part of the Green Lantern story by Brubaker and Zircher was really good), but it remains a pretty good book. This one has a guest story by Brian K. Vaughan, who wrote a damn good Batman tale a couple years back, as well as a fun-sounding backup about a man trying to catch the Joker's dog by Teenagers From Mars stars Rick Spears and Rob G.
Batman #620 (DC Comics) - Speaking of Batman, the 100 Bullets team of Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso pick up the torch from Loeb and Lee to do a 6-part arc on the book. It's going to be quite the stylistic change for the fans, I think, but personally I'm looking forward to it. Given the gritty, streetwise nature of 100 Bullets, these guys seem an ideal choice for a short Batman run.
Gotham Central #12 (DC Comics) - I'm going to keep pointing this out until you're all buying it. In San Diego, I learned the high concept for this story, which sounded like a great hook. I don't want to give it away in case folks haven't heard the hype, but I will say that it parallels the sniper case in the Virginia/D.C. area from last year but with a Gotham twist. And that the cover is a very effective teaser.
Superman: The Man of Steel Vol. 1-2 TP (DC Comics) - Wow, DC is hitting some long-awaited collections this month. I've been hearing forever about how great Byrne's take on Superman was, and from what I've read (mostly the Man of Steel trade), I'm inclined to believe it. I already have the first trade, which collects the Man of Steel mini-series, but I'm tempted to buy this new one at only $10 for the beautiful cover and matching design with volume 2. I'll definitely be buying volume two, which wisely includes a chronological start to the collections across different titles.
Caper #1 (DC Comics) - I'm surprised this isn't either Vertigo or Homage comics, but I don't really care which imprint it's at. After reading the Newsarama article, and given the streak that Judd Winick has been on, I can't wait to read this. Murder, Incorporated is a name that I only became familiar with thanks to West Wing, and I find the whole idea fascinating. That the artwork on this first arc is going to be by Farel Dalrymple is icing on the cake. In fact, all of the arcs, and the artists, sound great.
H-E-R-O: Powers and Abilities TP (DC Comics) - Wow, quick trade turnaround for DC. H-E-R-O had a lot of buzz early on, but it died down a little, and hopefully the publication of the trade will get some of those readers who remember the early buzz. While H-E-R-O isn't as great as Pfeifer's Finals, it's an interesting book with very nice artwork, and I'll most certainly be picking up the trade. Especially at $10 for 6 issues, a great deal.
The Legion #25 (DC Comics) - Now if only we could get a trade for Legion, which has been long-neglected in the collections department. Abnett and Lanning are playing with fire in this new arc, introducing Superboy into the Legion. As I recall, Superboy was the misstep that brought the whole house of cards that was pre-Zero Hour Legion continuity down, but I just like the idea of Superboy and the Legion so much that I'm very intrigued to see how this team handles it. They haven't let me down so far in their handling of Ra's Al Ghul, Universo or other big events.
The Teen Titans Swingin' Elseworlds Special (DC Comics) - Personally? I've got no interest in this goofy throwback style of Teen Titans, which seems to be the equivalent of hearkening back to the Adam West Batman to me. However, long-time fans of the Titans will no doubt enjoy seeing Haney back on the book, and the artists involved (Allred and Stephens) are nothing to sneeze at either.
21 Down TP (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - 21 Down sort of fell off my radar after an impressive couple of opening issues, so I'm glad to get this chance to catch back up with the trade and the upcoming Eye of the Storm relaunch. Now if we could just get a complete trade of the unappreciated gem The Resistance, from the same writers, I'd be ecstatic.
Life Eaters HC (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - Another of those "not necessarily for me, but..." projects, the Life Eaters was described in early press as a sort of non-Marvel Thor vs. Captain America type of project spun off from a novel by renowned science-fiction author David Brin. Certainly the idea is interesting, and the artwork by Scott Hampton will be nice, but I think I'll wait and see if word of mouth directs me to pick up the eventual softcover.
Two-Step #1 (DC Comics/Wildstorm) - This looks like Ellis indulging his madcap slapstick side, which can be very funny, especially when he's graced with the artwork of Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palmiotti, who made Garth Ennis's The Pro such a laugh riot.
Animal Man: Deus Ex Machina TP (DC Comics/Vertigo) - Next on the list of long-awaited collections DC is getting around to this month, the final volume of Grant Morrison's Animal Man. One of those comics that has been much-talked-about and long out-of-print, it's ridiculous that it's taken this long to be collected, but I'm just glad it's finally being done. With this out of the way, now I can start complaining about other obvious holes, like more Hitman, Starman and Shade the Changing Man.
Hellblazer: Rake at the Gates of Hell TP (DC Comics/Vertigo) - Speaking of obvious holes, Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon finally have all of their Hellblazer work in print with this collection of Rake at the Gates of Hell. I need to check my Hellblazer collection... I have a lot of the work that these two did, but I don't know where my single issues stop and my trades should begin. I do know that I have Heartland, a one-shot which is reprinted in this trade and which is quite possibly the finest work Ennis has done in comics.
The Sandman Presents: Taller Tales TP (DC Comics/Vertigo) - Or, as it could be titled, The Sandman Presents by Bill Willingham. It's taken long enough, but Willingham is finally getting the credit he's long-deserved, and this collection of his early Sandman Presents work gets all of his DC stuff into print, where it belongs. I already have these in comics form, but can't recommend them highly enough, especially the surprisingly fun Thessaliad mini-series.
Sgt. Rock: Between Hell and a Hard Place HC (DC Comics/Vertigo) - Brian Azzarello and Joe Kubert. Sgt. Rock. I'm sold right there. But when you throw in an interesting mystery about German prisoners of war being murdered in Easy Company custody, I can't wait to read this. I had hoped to hold off on a softcover, and still might try to do so, but I suspect that when I get this hardcover in my hands, it's going right on the buying stack.
Frankenstein Mobster #0 (Image Comics) - Really, all I needed to sell me on this book was the name and the cover image. But the actual description, a great cop sewn together with three mobsters and then reanimated, is too good a premise to pass up. I think Mark Wheatley has himself a winner here.
Something Wicked #1 (Image Comics) - Actually, it's a really good month for new image series overall. Something Wicked combines viruses and post-apocalypse with horror and suspense, and the teaser image is quite intriguing. The creators are all new names to me, but the premise and the setup sound good.
Sword of Dracula #1 (Image Comics) - Jason Henderson is a fellow Austinite, and he also happens to have written a couple Marvel licensed novels that I really enjoyed. Even not recognizing his name, though, I would have been intrigued by Sword of Dracula. A modern military tale crossed with classic vampires? And a title that is reminiscent of the Tomb of Dracula name, some of the most well-regarded Dracula tales in comics? I'm so there.
Walking Dead #1 (Image Comics) - Robert Kirkman and Tony Moore have done some great stuff before, such as Battle Pope and Brit, but I think Walking Dead is going to be even better. First of all, zombie post-apocalypse is a genre I like. Secondly, their take on it, as explained in press releases and in the solicitations, promises as much focus on post-apocalypse living as on the familiar zombie story cliches. Should be very interesting.
Hulk: Gray #1-2 (Marvel Comics) - Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale are among those who have recently signed DC exclusives, which means Hulk: Gray could be their last Marvel work for a while. A shame in some respects, because their Marvel work has been some of my favorite, and I expect Hulk: Gray to sit alongside Spider-Man: Blue and Daredevil: Yellow very nicely on my bookshelf. When the inevitable oversized hardcover is released, of course. I know it's finanically impossible, but I almost wish Marvel had gone straight to hardcover with this one.
NYX #1 (Marvel Comics) - Ohhh boy. I have any number of problems with this one. I thought Brian Wood and Dave Choe would have done great things with the concept, and when they departed, so did most of my interest. What keeps me intrigued is full art by Josh Middleton, and the preview art here does look spectacular. But given that Quesada's writing is somewhat uneven and definitely not what he's best known for (he's done some very good stuff and some not-so-good stuff) and that he should be quite busy as editor-in-chief anyway, I'm not sure he's the best choice for writer, and I can't help thinking how much happier I'd be if Middleton were interior artist on New Mutants instead of NYX.
Doctor Octopus: Negative Exposure #1 (Marvel Comics) - Usually, I'm against "movie-ing up" classic characters. Hated the change of Bullseye's classic costume to the movie non-costume, for example. But the Doctor Octopus look from the movie is such a great look, and Doc Ock has been a bozo for so long, that I think this was the right call. The promo artwork by Staz Johnson looks good, and Brian K. Vaughan is a writer whose name I can trust, so I'm cautiously optimistic about this Spider-Man limited series.
Thanos #1 (Marvel Comics) - I've never been a fan, really. But clearly, the fanbase is out there, given how well the Infinity Abyss and Marvel: The End did, so Jim Starlin is back on his creation, Thanos, for an ongoing series. Not for me, but good for Marvel for giving fans what they want.
Iron Man #73 (Marvel Comics) - John Jackson Miller threw out all the right words in his interviews about Iron Man. Tom Clancy techno-thriller is exactly the kind of direction I'd like to see the title go in. But he's a relatively untested talent, and Jorge Lucas is very hit and miss for me, so I'm going to have to wait and see whether they can deliver on the potential of Iron Man. Certainly no one else seems to have been able to for quite some time, at least not consistently.
Hawkeye #1 (Marvel Comics) - Hawkeye is one of my favorite Marvel characters, and though I'd kind of like to see him back in the Avengers, with Geoff Johns leaving, I don't know whose hands that would place him in. Fabian Nicieza, writer of Hawkeye, is a writer who I know I can trust to handle Hawkeye right, and his take on the character, which will keep him mobile and grounded, sounds like exactly what I'm looking for. Especially when Nicieza is paired with Blackburne Covenant artist Stefanno Rafaelle.
Art of Marvel Comics Vol. 1 HC (Marvel Comics) - Oversized hardcover art book? Cool. However, the list of names doesn't include many of my favorites (John Romita Jr. being a notable exception) and it seems likely that this will be yet another self-congratulory book from New Marvel, along the lines of the Marvel Encylopedias, instead of a nifty look at all that Marvel has accomplished with and without Jemas and Quesada.
Essential Tomb of Dracula Vol. 1 TP (Marvel Comics) - I don't remember how many times I've chided Marvel for cancelling the Essential Tomb of Dracula. I assumed it was gone forever, lost to corporate politics. Instead, it turns up solicited here, and I couldn't be happier. Can't wait to read this one... assuming it gets published this time.
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 August previews for comics due to ship out in October 2003.
