Previews Review for December by Randy Lander It's a rough market out there, and we all know that pre-ordering comics can sometimes be as important to their survival as buying them off the shelf. Because something I've heard numerous times from folks who read my reviews is that they couldn't find the books I recommended. So I thought I'd go a little further, and do what many other folks have done, and do "Previews" reviews of a sort. Basically I'll talk about what I'm buying, what I'm looking forward to reading (not always the same thing, thanks to comps and First Looks that allow me to wait on buying trades) and maybe even what I'm not. This installment covers the October previews for comics due to ship out in December. By the way, some other places to get more information on preordering for December comics, as well as other takes on what is most important in the previews, can be had later in the month from: Scott Grunewald & Chris Butcher (PopImage Previews Review), Chris Ekman at Ninth Art, and Johanna Draper Carlson (Comics Worth Reading), among others. Standing Order: The stuff I order every month, probably going to be mostly a list with maybe a one-liner or two about a particular issue of note. 100 Bullets #31 Adventures of Barry Ween, Boy Genius 3: Monkey Tales #6 Alias #4 Angel #4 Detective Comics #765 Batman #598 Berlin #9 Black Panther #39 Blue Monday: Absolute Beginnings TP Cable #100 Flash #181 Jack Staff #8 Jetcat Clubhouse #5 Justice League Adventures #2 Kissing Chaos #5 Mad Science #3 Magic Pickle #4 Midnight Nation #9 Powers #17 Xeno's Arrow Book 2 #6 NEW ARRIVALS (AND DEPARTURES): This is the new stuff for the month. It may be mostly the things that I am ordering and why I think you should consider them too, but it will almost certainly include a few digs at offerings that boggle the mind in some way. Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Haunted #1 (Dark Horse) - Is it so hard to mention which episodes the writer has worked on? As it turns out after a quick trip to the IMDB and the Buffyguide, Espenson has worked on some of my favorite episodes including Band Candy, Earshot, Superstar and I Was Made to Love You, and as a result I might take a look at this when it comes out. But if the Buffy comics weren't on something of a roll lately with Angel and Fray, and if this book didn't feature Faith (always a favorite), I don't know that I would have made the effort to check that out. And I know that many of the other Buffy fans might not as well. At any rate, nitpicking about the solicitation aside, this might be a fun series for Buffy fans. Grendel: War Child TP (Dark Horse) - The first Grendel story I read was this one, Wagner's return to the character after he had spent years in Comico's bankruptcy-induced limbo. It's a great science-fiction/road trip epic with gorgeous painted style artwork from Pat McEown, following a lone warrior and the child heir to the throne in the future from his own power-hungry mother as well as the dangers in the wastelands. Really terrific stuff, and though it was even more interesting to read it knowing all the history of Grendel and having read the earlier stuff, it stands alone very well. Star Wars Tales #10 (Dark Horse) - Garth Ennis has gotten a little tired for me lately, but the notion of seeing him turn his style on Stormtroopers has me almost ready to pick this up. I don't know many of the other names involved on this issue, but I do see Francisco Ruiz Velasco (Battlegods) in there as well. I'll definitely give it a look on the shelves. Star Wars Tales TP (Dark Horse) - Like every anthology series, this one has been hit or miss, but the good ones (usually the funny ones) have been really good. And though there's not really any "hot" creators' names here, the book does feature work by notables of the past such as Peter David, Ron Marz, John Ostrander and Tony Isabella as well as by Star Wars author Tim Zahn. All in all, I think I'll add it to my small collection of Star Wars graphic novels. The Dark Knight Strikes Back (DC) - So it's coming, and the big question is, will it live up to the hype or will it disappoint? The promo art is certainly not a good sign, but that could be down to the printing quality of Previews. At any rate, I'm definitely interested in this one, but at $7.95 for 80 pages, and given that it's almost inevitable that it will be a trade, I'm hoping to wait for the trade edition. We'll see if my patience holds out when the book actually hits the shelves, though. Lucifer: Children and Monsters TP (Vertigo) - It was about halfway through the stories collected in this arc that I decided to start waiting for the trades on Lucifer. So now I guess those trades are here. I have half the issues, but I want the rest, and I don't mind buying them again to get them in trade format. Glad to see that DC is putting out Lucifer trades on a fairly regular basis. Superman: 'Til Death Do Us Part (DC) - The rest of Grant Morrison's Animal Man and Doom Patrol, Ennis's Hellblazer, any of Dixon's Birds of Prey, Rucka and Burchett's Huntress mini and so many things aren't in trade format yet. But this forgettable and mostly lackluster collection of recent Superman stories gets put into trade format. I don't know what's sadder about this, what it says about DC's seemingly random method of choosing collections or the fact that the sales figures probably justify their reasoning. JLA #61 (DC) - With the heat pretty much off of JLA, I'm not sure Joe Kelly and Doug Mahnke are exactly the marquee names I would have chosen to handle the franchise. I'm also not sure they can't pull off something impressive, but I'm hoping that they'll surprise a lot of people. Me, I'm more intrigued by the backup story, featuring the first appearance of Busiek and Grummett's Power Company. Mr. Majestic TP (Wildstorm) - The reason I even gave Wildcats a shot, aside from positive word of mouth, was because of this work by Casey and Holguin. There are some terrific stories in this collection, with big ideas and Superman style tales as well as a rowdy sense of humor, and the collection is even finished off by a lovely Superman homage story by Alan Moore. None of it is particularly ground-breaking, but it is really good comics, and I'm glad to see it being rescued from obscurity, even though I already have all the single issues. Powers Month (Image) - I collect Powers in singles and trades, so it's a big month for me. The cover to #17 is a familiar image, but for some reason I always like it in whatever permutation it shows up, and this is no exception. I'm also looking forward to sampling Bastard Samurai to see if I'll want to pick up the series... the initial artwork, particularly the shot of the samurai in the rain, looks incredible. Then there's Roleplay, with another stunning cover (not sure if it's a final, though, as the characters all seem to be from the first arc not the second) and the always famous Bendis extras. 'Nuff Said Month (Marvel) - Marvel could probably make this idea more popular with retailers by getting Bill Jemas in on the gig and having him promise not to say a word during December either. I'm honestly still a bit wary of the gimmick, and I expect it to produce just slightly more bad stories than good ones, but I already see promise in the Exiles "Morph Dream" teaser cover, and I think some of Marvel's talent will rise to the challenge. Giant-Size Mini-Marvels: Starring Spidey #1 (Marvel) - I remember when I first started reading Marvel comics, Fred Hembeck used to do all their cute cartoon bits, including the only Marvel Age still in my collection, a "Fall Preview" style guide to upcoming comics done as a talk show. Chris Giarrusso is the inheritor of that legacy, with his cute and fun Bullpen 'Bits, and I'm glad he's getting upgraded to a full-on one shot. With any luck, the style will translate into comics and we'll see more occasional specials like this. Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #11 (Marvel) - Brian Michael Bendis writes, Chynna Clugston-Major illustrates a story of teenagers at the mall. Teenagers being Spidey and his group of friends and the X-Men. This should be a whole lot of fun, and with any luck it'll get a few more mainstream readers to pick up Clugston-Major's hilarious Blue Monday from Oni, which conveniently has a new trade paperback out in December. Millennial Visions (Marvel) - I just don't much care for pinup books, but I can't deny that these look like they'll have some interesting pieces if nothing else. Glimpses at what might come from Marvel Knights and the Marvel Universe have me intrigued, and some of the talent involved (both announced and those I've heard of on the grapevine) are pretty solid. Peter Parker, Spider-Man: One Small Break (Marvel) - Jenkins is not getting anywhere near the respect he should be for his great run on Peter Parker. This one has its shaky moments, including the ludicrous villain Typeface, but it also has the more interesting storyline of Spidey versus a powerful and bitter foe. More importantly, this second collection means they'll hopefully keep collecting his run, including the absolutely wonderful #35 which came out last week and deserves to be published in a lasting form. I have to say, I'm curious as to why #29 is missing from this trade, as I can't figure out what the story was. (I've been informed that this was the tie-in to Mackie's "Farewell to Mary Jane" story, and that explains why it isn't being included.) Essential Howard the Duck (Marvel) - I've heard so much about this that I can't wait to see it. This is one of those "fanboy wet dream" Essentials I figured we'd never see, over 500 pages of Gerber/Colan Howard the Duck. It's right up there with a Tomb of Dracula Essential, which I understand is coming next year. Other Marvel Trades (Marvel) - In addition to the three I named (and I'm buying all three), Marvel solicits a bunch of other trades this month. The Fall of the Mutants was a decent Claremont-era story, Avengers: Celestial Madonna isn't to my taste but is a worthy reprint, Essential Cap Vol. 2 ought to make the Steranko fans happy and Fantastic Four: Into the Breach continues the reprinting of Pacheco's well-liked run on that title. In addition, there's a second Black Panther trade (with more to come, hopefully) and the next collection of Daredevil, collecting the David Mack/Joe Quesada run. Marvel may be having a fair bit of trouble keeping their trades on schedule and in print, but their goals are exactly where I would hope they would be. Sandwalk Adventures #1 (Active Synapse) - A few years back, Jay Hosler produced Clan Apis, the story of a young bee and her life. It was educational and also hilariously funny and touching, and it put Hosler in my mind as a creator who will always get a look from me. Now he's finally back with a new series, a story of a follicle mite living in Charles Darwin's eyebrow. It's a very odd concept, but no stranger than the idea of following a young bee from birth to death, and I look forward to the intelligence and humor that Hosler will bring to the book. Mac Afro (Atomic Basement Entertainment) - Shaft meets Star Wars. I'm sold. I'm always nervous about high concept books like this, as they tend not to stretch further than their one joke, but the five page preview at the creators' website has some good art and a nice Blues Brothers type of feel so far. I'm willing to throw three bucks at it and take a chance. Alien Legion: Force Nomad TP (Checker Book Publishing Group) - I've heard a great deal about this series, and I'm anxious to try it out. Perhaps more importantly, the mission statement of Checker Books is to put some of those classic old series into print in lasting trade paperback form, and I want to support that mission. It'd be nice to get trades of something like Strikeforce: Morituri or some of the First and Comico catalogs and other series that were never as influential as the work that DC and Marvel tends to reprint but are still good solid work from the past. Wild 7 #1 GN and Storm Riders #1 GN (Comicsone.com) - My shop has yet to receive any of the Comicsone.com books that I've ordered, so I can't really say much for the company's ability to meet deadlines. However, their offerings are certainly interesting, so I've added these two new books to my "If they ever come out, I'll buy them" list. Storm Riders I've heard about from a reader a long while back, and it sounds just like over-the-top magic and action, and Wild 7 reminds me pleasantly of things like Speed Racer, MASK and other "cool gadgets and vehicles" stories. Veena The Expanding Spiral (Eric Theriault Press) - The concept is sound, exploring the notion of alternate realities and choices in the manner of the Gwyneth Paltrow film Sliding Doors. I'm not sure how he's going to fit all of these stories into 32 pages, but the promo artwork is quite nice, so I'm inclined to give it a look. Killer Princesses #1 (Oni Press) - Funny, funny stuff. Every strip on the Onipress.com website has made me laugh, and Gail Simone and Lea Hernandez really seem to have great creative chemistry going on. I expect this to be a lot of fun. Hey Mister: The Fall Collection TP (Top Shelf Productions) - Hey Mister is an off-kilter, slightly nihilistic humor book that is always fun to read. I have the first two trades, Celebrity Roast and Afterschool Special, and I've been anxiously awaiting this next one. Vagabond, Part 1 (Viz) - With Eagle concluding, I'm looking for something to fill my monthly manga fix. While Vagabond unfortunately isn't in the same format that Eagle is, it's a story of Miyamoto Musashi, a fascinating Japanese historical (and mythological, sort of) character and mention is made of the new government, which leads me to believe we may see some of the effects the new regime has on the country as well. Though unlikely to get my attention as much as Eagle did, this new series does sound interesting. PICK OF THE MONTH: If I were only going to order one thing for this month, this would be it. Captain Britain (Marvel) - I'm not sure if it was because of Psylocke's introduction to the X-Men or the launch of Excalibur, but many years ago, Marvel put out a trade of Captain Britain, partially written by Jamie Delano but mostly done by Alan Davis. It was great stuff, and it is now out of print, making the trade one of the prizes of my collection. As much as I loved it, though, the trade picked up about halfway through the Captain Britain saga, and I've always wanted to read the rest. Happily, Marvel is now reprinting those stories in this trade, written by Alan Moore and drawn by Alan Davis. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.