Southpaw GN (Adhouse Books) - Robot-fighting tiger, courtesy of Scott Morse? Sold. I haven't read Project: Telstar yet, where Southpaw premiered, but AdHouse has a great track record with me, almost as good as the one that Scott Morse has built up. It's a neat idea, it's sure to have gorgeous art and production values and it's $10 for 128 pages. This is a deal that can't be beat, and sure to be another winner from Scott Morse.
A Sort of Homecoming (Alternative Comics) - Also in the sure thing follow-up category we have A Sort of Homecoming by the My Uncle Jeff team of Damon Hurd and Pedro Camello. I have the benefit of having already read this sometimes sad, sometimes funny, always engaging story of lost love, departed friends and fond remembrances in preview form, so I know that it's a worthy follow-up to the Eisner-nominated My Uncle Jeff. With only two books under their belt, Hurd and Camello have earned themselves a place not only on my "must buy" list but on my "must get everyone else to buy" list too.
True Porn Anthology TP (Alternative Comics) - Bought this one in San Diego. It's very much for the adults, but it is by turns funny and sexy and has a pretty solid line-up of creators, some of whom I was familiar with but most of whom I wasn't.
Joe Lansdale's Drive-In #1 (Avatar Press) - I've read several of Lansdale's short story collections as well as his comics work, and while I don't recall Drive-In specifically, I know that I like his style. While others are drawn to Avatar thanks to their work with Alan Moore, it is their work with Texas author Lansdale that is catching my eye more and more and making me forget the other parts of their publishing stable that I don't care for.
Crossgen Travelers (CG Entertainment) - I love the Traveler format. Cheap, beautiful, portable... and it seems that market forces agree with me. Which means more Travelers. This month, Crossgen hits two series that I really want to see more of, notably Scion (volume three) and to a lesser degree, Ruse (volume two) as well as putting out Brath, their barbarian comic, in Traveler format exclusively, foregoing trades. Some may not be as happy as I about this decision, but it means more Travelers faster for me, which I'm all for.
Rob Zombie's Spook Show International #1 (CG Entertainment/MV Creations) - I'm not that much of a Rob Zombie fan, but the names on this book (Gene Colan, Kieron Dwyer, Dan Brereton) and the EC horror feel of the whole thing does pique my interest. It seems that the horror genre really is experiencing a resurgence in comics these days.
Spookshow GN (Cyberosia Publishing) - An original graphic novel about cold war spies resurrected as zombies for some afterlife espionage? Cool idea, and though Ray Fawkes is a name that I don't know all that well, Cyberosia is a publisher name that I know and trust. I'll be keeping an eye out for this one.
The Changers Volume 2 GN (Dream Chocolate Confections) - Ezra Clayton Daniels sent me the first volume of this smart sociological science-fiction tale for review, which means I got to read it months before it hit the stores (it still hasn't, just yet.) I find myself hoping the second volume will hit me early as well, because I loved the first volume of The Changers, and recommend it to all fans of well-written science-fiction comics.
Kinderbook GN (Fanfare/Ponent Mon) - A whole bunch of names I don't know make up the solicitations for Kinderbook, but the simple image of the cover and the tantalizing nature of the text, promising suicide pacts, mermaids and barroom chat, certainly intrigues. I'm not sure I can recommend it sight unseen, but it does seem interesting for those with an interest in manga and a willingness to experiment.
The Comics Journal Library Vol. 3: R. Crumb TP (Fantagraphics) - TCJ continues their volumes dedicated to legendary comic-book figures with R. Crumb. Much of The Comics Journal's output doesn't match my sensibilities at all, but I applaud them for these essential tomes of comics history.
Vogelein: Clockwork Faerie TP (Fiery Studios) - Vogelein is a beautiful and enchanting comic-book that far too many people don't know about. It's about a clockwork faerie, created by a master craftsman an endowed with a soul and independent thought, who must survive the modern world and find her place in it. It is something every single fan of The Sandman should absolutely read, but it has a wider appeal as well, and this trade is well worth your time.
Yosel: April 19, 1943 HC (I-Books) - It's not likely to be a fun read, but Joe Kubert's story of a Jew subjected to Nazi concentration camps is sure to be compelling reading, and it's a strong offering from I-Books. I-Books has a diverse selection of stuff here, picking up the much-beloved young readers' book Amelia Rules as well as the long out-of-print Terminator comics, both of which see collections published this month. An impressive set of offerings, although Yosel is definitely the standout.
Drake: Demon Box #1 (Idol FX) - Normally, I'm wary of comics that are created to tie into a new PC/X-Box game, but I've seen a preview of Drake, and well, it rocks. Beautiful action and colors that are reminiscent of Mike Avon Oeming's work, a neat blend of futuristic technology, mystical overtones, martial arts and gunplay and some pretty solid writing make this one I'm unexpectedly looking forward to. Fans of Bastard Samurai or Gun Fu in particular should check this one out.
Frankie Stein! GN (IDW) - Steve T. Seagle is not the guy I would have imagined doing all-ages books, but this kid-friendly take on Frankenstein reminds me pleasantly of Jill Thompson's Scary Godmother series, and comes from the IDW guys, who know talent and good books when they see it.
CVO: Covert Vampiric Operations - Artifact #1 (IDW) - I enjoyed the first CVO one-shot, but I'm looking forward to this one more. Why? Because the writing is by Jeff Mariotte, who has done such great stuff with Desperadoes. I love the concept, mixing vampires and special ops, and I can't wait to see what Mariotte does with it.
Gene Pool #1 (IDW) - IDW has a good month in October, as they're also releasing a new super-hero book. What makes this notable is the creative talent, as legendary writers Marv Wolfman and Len Wein are uniting to tell a story of genetically-altered teenagers with super-powers. Sure, the premise has some cliche to it, but you put these two guys together and I'm definitely curious to see what they come up with.
Lost At Sea GN (Oni Press) - I wasn't a huge fan of Bryan O'Malley's Hopeless Savages, but I loved his Sunday strips of Lost At Sea. Can't wait to see more of these characters, and I'm really happy to see more original graphic novels from Oni, who haven't had a miss in this format yet.
Union Station GN (Oni Press) - I've had the good fortune to read the first 30-some pages of this graphic novel, and it's good. Really good. True crime stuff with very solid action that is very reminiscent of Road to Perdition, and which should go down well with fans of that book who have been disappointed that nobody else has done comics of that general style. It's a departure for Oni in terms of subject matter and approach, but not in terms of quality.
Digest Editions (Oni Press) - Some are nervous about the increasing amount of comics being published in bookstore-friendly digest format, but I say bring 'em on! That includes digest-sized trades of Courtney Crumrin and Sidekicks, two great titles from Oni's backlist.
Queen & Country Volume 4: Operation Blackwall TP (Oni Press) - Another Queen & Country volume is always reason to celebrate. This one in particular had moody, beautiful artwork by Jason Alexander and featured a story of corporate espionage, an interesting departure for the book.
Amelia Rules!: Superheroes #1 (Renaissance Press) - Earlier I noted that Amelia Rules!, the story of a young girl and her divorced mother and young aunt, was getting collected from I-Books. Jimmy Gownley, creator of the full-color all-ages series, is also launching a new mini-series this month, and I expect it will be just as entertaining and well-done as all the Amelia Rules! before it.
Inferno GN (Titan Books) - There's a whole world of stuff in British comics that I've never read and would probably enjoy, and Inferno is definitely on that list. Lucifer writer Mike Carey and Alias artist Mike Gaydos tell a story of a corrupt city in the afterlife with a couple of twists in the solicitation (which means there are probably more in the story), and I'm looking forward to seeing this trade.
BOP!: More Box Office Poison Stories GN (Top Shelf Productions) - I loved Box Office Poison. Picked up on it about seven issues in thanks to a recommendation from someone I don't remember but who I think was Johanna Draper Carlson and followed it all the way to the end. Picked up the brick-sized trade from Top Shelf and loved that too. So I've probably read the additional stories collected in this one, but the idea of having them with a spine, a sort of "DVD extras" volume for Box Office Poison, is irresistable to me. It also heralds the impending release of new material from Alex Robinson, which I'm very excited about. Those of you who haven't read Box Office Poison really don't know what you're missing, and should take the release of this volume as a chance to read a cheaper sampler of the book before inevitably breaking down, buying and loving the full trade.
Vertigo Visions: Ten Years on the Edge TP (Watson-Guptill Publications) - A few years ago, I was sent a copy of Vertigo Visions, a beautiful art book edited by former Vertigo editor Alisa Kwitney and published by Watson-Guptill Publications. Now they're doing it again, with more art from between now and then, and I expect that this will be not only a gorgeous art book for anyone to enjoy but a must-buy for those who are fans of the beautiful cover and interior art from DC's Vertigo imprint.
The Zombie Survival Guide TP (Three Rivers Press) - Usually I don't really get into the books in Previews, just as I steer clear of toys and other merchandise, but this sounds like so much fun that I can't help it. A "How To" book for surviving in a post-apocalyptic zombie landscape? Genius!
Just like Matrix Reloaded, but with more car chases, welcome to the Down The Line in August: the sequel. This time out, I'm covering the back half of the Previews catalog, which is where a lot of the really interesting (and often very weird) stuff happens. The high concept of these Previews reviews and part one can all be found 
Southpaw GN (Adhouse Books) - Robot-fighting tiger, courtesy of Scott Morse? Sold. I haven't read Project: Telstar yet, where Southpaw premiered, but AdHouse has a great track record with me, almost as good as the one that Scott Morse has built up. It's a neat idea, it's sure to have gorgeous art and production values and it's $10 for 128 pages. This is a deal that can't be beat, and sure to be another winner from Scott Morse.
