Previews Review for January 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 November previews for comics due to ship out in January. By the way, some other places to get more information on preordering for January 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 (Ninth Art) and Johanna Draper Carlson (Comics Worth Reading), among others. 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. The Power Company (DC): I'm of two minds about the way this book is being launched. On the one hand, five one-shots introducing the various characters and featuring various artists seems a good way to build up excitement. On the other, I hate this format, the "fifth week" format, and DC is going to this well a bit too often for my taste. The Power Company sounds like an interesting concept, though, with solid creators (Busiek and Grummett), and I'm just glad to see DC trying something new rather than relying on another revamped version of their Silver Age favorites. Batman: The 10-Cent Adventure (DC): While Marvel gets a lot of credit for creating excitement in the marketplace, DC is often thought of by retailers as the better company. Moves like this are the reason, as they have taken the burden of promotion entirely on themselves by producing a Greg Rucka/Rick Burchett Batman book that sells for a dime (and thus for about a nickel each to retailers). I can't imagine any retailer wouldn't take advantage of this for some kind of promotion. Inserting it into their local paper alongside an ad, giving it away free on the local college campus, giving a copy to every single subscriber and everyone who walks in the door... something. Meanwhile, for us readers, we get what is sure to be an interesting story, and I'm not even going to complain about this being a multi-title crossover because that's an ideal approach for new readers, to entice them into sampling the rest of the Batman line. Besides, though I doubt I'll buy the entire "Bruce Wayne: Fugitive" I know DC will collect at least the Batman stories into trade paperbacks in a reasonably timely manner. Supergirl #66 (DC): Reading this solicitation, I'm struck by how Peter David has once again created a story that rewards long-term readers with rich character histories. And I'm struck once again by how random DC's trade paperback program seems to be. Supergirl has been running for over five years, telling a continuing story, and yet there is exactly one trade paperback. As with Birds of Prey, it seems DC is missing a fairly obvious opportunity. The Flash #182 (DC): Probably my favorite DC comic at the moment, this issue looks like a great jumping-on point. It's a self-contained tale of Captain Cold, with a simply incredible Brian Bolland cover. I'm a little nervous to note that Dan Panosian is on inking chores, but the team of Johns and Kolins hasn't let me down since they came onto this book. JLA: Divided We Fall TP (DC): Though I greatly enjoyed the "Queen of Fables" story when it first came out, I don't think I'll be picking up this trade. My interest in the JLA has waned considerably with the delays, creative team changes and last couple of stories, and I think I'll let my trade paperback collection stand as mostly the Morrison run. Wonder Woman: Paradise Lost TP (DC): I'm surprised that DC is reprinting "Gods of Gotham" in this package rather than following with another cheap package in the "Gods of Gotham" format, but at any rate, this trade contains the terrific "Day in the Life" Lois/Wonder Woman story and the two-part Amazon civil war as well, and it's nice to see some more Wonder Woman trades in print. Now if we could just get a George Perez trade, everything would be good for Wonder Woman fans. The Sandman Presents: The Thessaliad #1 (Vertigo): I'm not honestly much of a fan of Thessaly and I'm growing tired of the various Sandman spin-offs... but this is by Bill Willingham, who has quickly become a favorite writer. So odds are good that I'll give it a look, and odds are good I'll find it entertaining despite my misgivings, just as I did with Deadboy Detectives and the first issue of The Corinthian. Transmetropolitan: Gouge Away (Vertigo): While the Vertigo trade policy is quite spotty, it's good to see that Transmetropolitan continues to get regular trade paperback collections. For fifteen bucks you get six Transmet stories with terrific writing and art. If I weren't already so deep into the series, I'd probably switch over to trades on Transmetropolitan. I expect this to fit in nicely with the complete collections of Sandman and Preacher when it's done, becoming a perennial money-maker for DC and the creators. Noble Causes #1 (Image): From a retailer standpoint, Faerber played very smart here. He solicited the first issue after retailers had been able to get a taste of his finished product and sales on same with Noble Causes: First Impressions. From a fan standpoint, it's also smart for different reasons. I imagine that those who read First Impressions will happily pre-order the series, anxious for more and with the one-shot fresh in their minds. For my part, I'm looking forward to seeing where Faerber goes with this series based on the very strong First Impressions. Howard the Duck #1 (MAX): For some reason, Marvel doesn't include MAX titles in their First Look packs, which means I would most likely be buying this to give it a review whether I was anxiously awaiting it or not. As it happens, however, Steve Gerber has rarely disappointed me with projects like A. Bizarro, Foolkiller and Nevada, and Phil Winslade's art is always gorgeous. Though my knowledge of Howard the Duck is limited to the movie (*shudder*), I'm fascinated to see what the character and concept are really all about, done up by his original creator. Also, like the Captain Britain trade, this is one of those things that stands as a physical example of how Marvel's relations with top talent has changed for the better. Moment of Silence (Marvel): Even if this weren't for such a good cause, it'd be on my pull list just from the creative teams. Igor Kordey (who did the most powerful piece in Heroes, in my opinion), Kevin Smith, Joe Quesada, John Romita Jr., Brian Michael Bendis... the names attached are impressive, and I'm anxious to see how the stories that these creators have to offer about the events of 9-11. The Ultimates (Marvel): I'm a fan of Mark Millar and Bryan Hitch, and I love Ultimate X-Men, so I was sold on this pretty much when the creative team announcement was made. Since then, the details have been getting me even more interested. Some of the sketches look really interesting, particularly the Wasp and the 1940s-era Captain America, and the solicitation text has some really fun stuff. The description of Thor as "a New Age guru who may either be the living son of a Norse god... or a lunatic with a big hammer" is gold. Marvel Mangaverse (Marvel): I'd be lying if I said that I was really hyped for this event, but I am curious to see it, and I have to admit to a certain excitement based on one simple thing: The "Avengers Assemble" concept. It's such a goofy idea that makes so much sense, and I really enjoy Udon's designs for the characters. I expect this to be lightweight and silly, but fun. X-Force #124 (Marvel): I love this book, through and through. Having Darwyn Cooke (Batman: Ego, Catwoman) as guest artist for a month only makes it better. Iron Man #50 (Marvel): What I know of Grell is limited to reading an issue of Shaman's Tears and recently picking up some back issues of his Green Arrow run. I'm very curious how his sensibilities will fit in with Iron Man, which is an unusual character unlike most of those he has tackled. He's off to a good start with one of the most important things about the character of Iron Man, namely the armor design. Michael Ryan has done a terrific job of designing the Iron Man armor. Exiles (Marvel): I was beginning to worry that Marvel wasn't going to make trade paperbacks of this light and enjoyable time-travelling team book. Glad to see Marvel continuing their trend of reprinting almost all of their best recent work, and I look forward to rereading these stories in a few months' time. Punisher: Army of One (Marvel): In many ways, the five issues that Ennis and Dillon did as a follow-up were stronger than their sometimes dragging 12-issue mini-series. Odds seem good that issue six, a standalone that is also reprinted in this book, will be a good read as well. While I'd stop short of recommending that Punisher fans skip the other trade in favor of this one, I would say that this is the one I'll enjoy re-reading more. Other Marvel Trades (Marvel): Though they aren't all going to make my personal buying list, I'm once again impressed by the level of commitment Marvel is showing to a viable reprint program. Whether it's reprinting out-of-print material such as Spectacular Spider-Man, The Life and Death of Captain Marvel, Dr. Strange or Ant-Man or recent favorites like the Waid/Garney Captain America and Universe X, each month brings a good half-dozen or more new additions to their trade paperback library. Pop Gun War #2 (Absence of Ink Press): I've heard a lot of good things about Pop Gun War, and the Absence of Ink Theatre showed me that these folks know talent when they see it. I do wish that they had resolicited #1 at the same time, though, since it has been so long since that issue came out. However, I have seen the publisher talking about the entire first issue being available online soon, which is a nice compromise. Public Domain TP (AIT/Planet Lar): Though I love Brian Wood's comics, I am more enamored of his design sense, which graces the covers of many a Planet Lar book. So a trade that looks into his design work and the general behind the scenes sounds like a sure-fire hit for me. Especially since Larry Young's previous "behind the scenes" book, The Making of Astronauts in Trouble, was such a pleasure. Truth Serum (Slave Labor Graphics): This sounds like a very odd and enjoyable comic, and the description had me intrigued. However, the mention of Jimmy Corrigan, which I honestly couldn't get into, wound up putting me off a little bit. However, the full-page ad, which gives a sense of the book, is entertaining and quirky. I'm still not sure whether I'll be ordering this one or not, but it does look like a good read. Rose HC (Cartoon Books): I tend to buy Bone in hardcover, so I'm pleased to see this compilation of the Rose companion series also in hardcover. I didn't get a chance to read the series when it was originally released, but the artwork by Charles Vess looked gorgeous and I quite enjoyed the prologue to the series that showed up in the Trilogy Tour book. Overtime GN (Cyberosia Publishing): This publisher has earned another look from me through their excellent Frightening Curves, and this is another intriguing concept from them. Done by a pair of Warren Ellis forum regulars, Marc Bryant and Mal Jones, and with a cover by Brian Wood, this sounds like a fascinating and dark science-fiction story. Bryant has done some nice work in Occupational Hazards, and Mal is a phenomenal web designer (he did Ed Brubaker's site), and the promo artwork I've seen looks terrific. Jack Staff Volume 1: Yesterday's Heroes TP (Dancing Elephant Press): For those of you who missed it, Paul Grist's tribute to British super-heroes is collected into a trade paperback, collecting the story of two old super-soldiers and their conflict with a dangerous vampire. Blackmark (Fantagraphics): I'm not much of a fantasy fan, but I am tempted by this collection of non-super-hero, non-big two-published fantasy by comics legend Gil Kane. Fantagraphics deserves praise for bringing what is obviously an important piece of comics history back into print. Alison Dare and the Heart of the Maiden (Oni Press): I'm surprised and pleased to see another Alison Dare mini-series appear so soon after the last one. I'm also happy to see the title of the book, which hearkens even more to the Indiana Jones style, fitting for the character. Akiko Volume 5 TP (Sirius): It's been so long that I was beginning to think Mark Crilley had given up on doing trade paperbacks for his enjoyable all-ages adventure series Akiko. Happily, a new volume is being released this month, and I look forward to reading the next chapter of this series, the spiritual heir of Scott McCloud's Zot! PICK OF THE MONTH: If I were only going to order one thing for this month, this would be it. 9-11: Emergency Relief (Alternative Comics): As with Moment of Silence or Heroes, leaving aside that it's a good cause, there's just no way anyone can pass this comic up. A quick look at the list of creators shows me many favorites, including Tom Beland (True Story Swear to God), Guy Davis (The Marquis), Jessica Abel (Artbabe) and Scott Morse (Magic Pickle). The list is a nice mix of indy stars (James Kolchaka), up-and-coming mainstream stars (Jon Lewis) and established favorites (Mike Avon Oeming) with a legend or two (Will Eisner) as well. Not to mention that according to Jeff Mason of Alternative Comics, the book is going to be 160 pages rather than the solicited 128, for the listed price of $15. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.