Previews Review for February 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. This installment covers the December previews for comics due to ship out in February. By the way, some other places to get more information on preordering for February comics, as well as other takes on what is most important in the previews, can be had 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. Astro Boy Vol. 1 TP (Dark Horse): Though it holds little interest for me personally, I have to commend Dark Horse on getting yet another of the manga classics into print here in America. Done in the same format as Lone Wolf & Cub (i.e. tiny), this should prove pretty popular with the folks who are enjoying Lone Wolf, Akira and some of the other Dark Horse manga. Superman #179 (DC): I'm not the biggest fan of the Superman books these days, but this issue is guest-written by Geoff Johns, whose work on Flash and JSA has guaranteed at least a look at every project he does in the future. It sounds interesting, a good one-shot story that examines what it means to be a hero, and should make a good Superman book to give to the new folks who may be coming into the shops to follow the Bruce Wayne: Murderer storyline after getting a copy of the 10-cent Adventure. The History of the DC Universe TP (DC): It's pretty much irrelevant these days, as far as content goes, I may still pick this one up, if only for a beautiful Ross cover and some gorgeous Perez artwork on the interior. It also might be interesting as a look at just how screwed up DC continuity was, even right after the Crisis. JLA: Shogun of Steel (DC): This book has several strikes against it for me: It's prestige format. It's another JLA spinoff. And it's a formulaic "What if Batman or Superman was X?" where X is in a different time period or a different hero. However, it's done by Ben Raab and Justiniano, who were a large part of the creative team of the entertaining Beast Boy mini-series. So I'll be giving this one a look, at least. The Power Company (DC): I'm still not sure about this one, as it could wind up looking a little tame compared to some of the edgier stuff that Marvel or Wildstorm is producing, and it may be that I'm not the target audience for this one. However, I love that there are a lot of original characters and an original concept behind the book, and the creative team of Busiek and Grummett is solid. The idea of "Heroes for Hire" isn't new, but a group that sticks to it enough to have billable hours and support staff and do more than just fight crime certainly is. Starman: A Starry Knight TP (DC): Since I stopped reading Starman to wait for the trades right as we reached the Grand Guignol, I'm glad to see that DC is in fact still on track to reprint all of the Starman saga. As always, though, I have to wonder why they're so far behind the series with their collection, as #80 came out some months ago, and this collection stops at #53. Divine Right Book One TP (DC/Wildstorm): Another of the "not for me, but..." comments for DC this month, I wasn't a fan of Divine Right, but I'm glad to see some of Jim Lee's more recent work in print. In my day job as a retailer, I get a lot of folks wondering "what ever happened to Jim Lee?" who already have his work on Wildcats and X-Men, and it will be nice to have something else to offer them. Hellblazer: Good Intentions TP (DC/Vertigo): The follow-up to "Hard Time," for me this is where Azzarello's run on Hellblazer really got going, in large part due to terrific artwork by Marcelo Frusin. Good to see these collections coming on a regular basis, although again I wish their timeline was a bit closer to the completion of story arcs to allow folks to jump onboard the regular series by picking up the newest trade. Hunter: The Age of Magic #8 (DC/Vertigo): It's worth noting that this is a new story arc, and it sounds like an interesting mixture of science and magic, as well as covering some of the gap between Names of Magic and the first issue of Hunter. Hunter is a solid fantasy series, and probably one of the best titles Vertigo is currently publishing, and though I'm hoping for trade collections, anyone who is interested in getting onboard with the single issues would be well-advised to check this issue out. S.C.I.-Spy #1 (DC/Vertigo): This doesn't look like the kind of book I'd expect from Vertigo, although the satirical edge and espionage premise does give it some common ground with Codename: Knockout. I'm interested in this one because my espionage buttons are being pressed these days by shows like Alias and 24, and because Doug Moench and Paul Gulacy wrote some solid James Bond stories for Dark Horse a while back. Image Comics 10th Anniversary Book (Image): Back when Image first came out, I would have been interested in all of these stories. Nowadays, I'm not that interested in Savage Dragon's origin, or a revival of Cyberforce or Shadowhawk, or a short Spawn story from Todd McFarlane. The value of this one seems mostly to be a novelty, or a treat for fans of these artists, some of whom don't do much artwork these days, but I'm not sure it's going to be worth the $25. A 10th Anniversary celebration of Image has been well-earned, but hardcover might be a little overly ambitious. Supersize Hardcovers (Marvel): I'm glad to see Marvel expanding into hardcovers, as for some projects it's just nice to be able to get a good hardcover edition. I've already bought (or made plans to buy) the Ultimate Spider-Man in trades, so I'll most likely skip that one, but it's a good choice for one of the initial offerings. Ditto Origin, although again I personally will probably wait for the trade. The Complete Frank Miller Spider-Man, on the other hand, I will definitely be buying, and it'll make a nice companion for the Daredevil Visionaries Marvel has published. I do wish they'd give the dimensions of these "oversized" hardcovers so we know better what to expect, but whatever the size, the prices look reasonable for big hardcovers. Muties #1 (Marvel): This one has gorgeous artwork, and an interesting premise, but it suffers from one fatal flaw: Karl Bollers hasn't written anything that I haven't downright hated. His X-51 series, fill-in issues and annuals have all been fairly terrible, and I don't expect Muties to be much different. I'm glad to see that this is a mini-series rather than another expansion of the trimmed-down X-line, but I don't hold out a lot of hope that I'll enjoy it. Spider-Man's Tangled Web #11 (Marvel): Darwyn Cooke blew me away with his story Batman: Ego, and has impressed me with his work on Catwoman. I look forward to seeing what he'll do with Spider-Man. Wolverine/Hulk #1 (Marvel): I enjoy his creator-owned and more unusual work more, but Kieth started off doing really cool Hulk stories, and it'll be interesting seeing him bring his post-Maxx sensibilities to Wolverine and the Hulk. The promo art, at least, looks gorgeous. And bravo to Marvel for doing a quickie reprint of his previous Wolverine story with Peter David in time for fans who buy this series and want more Kieth Wolverine. The Order #1 (Marvel): The Defenders has left me extremely cold, and pretty much poisoned what little interest I have had in this team for a while. However, I'm glad to see Jo Duffy's work again, and I enjoy Matt Haley's artwork, so I'll at least give the first issue of this relaunch a look to see if Busiek and Duffy can revive the book. Black Panther #41 (Marvel): "Enemy of the State" was one of the best stories in one of Marvel's best series, so I'm excited to see the same creative team tackle a sequel. Taskmaster #1 (Marvel): Studio Udon's work is impressing me wherever I see it, and I've always been a fan of Taskmaster. I'm looking forward to this solo action story, which should be empty calorie entertainment. Blade: Duel with Dracula TP (Marvel): This is smart on Marvel's part, reprinting a trade to take advantage of the upcoming movie sequel and making it good stuff, the classic Tomb of Dracula work by Gene Colan. I just wish I understood why they chose not to use a Gene Colan piece for a cover, instead choosing Bart Sears, whose work on Blade was, to put it charitably, not the best work he's done, and certainly not among the best interpretations of Blade available. Essential Spider-Man Vol. 5 (Marvel): Honestly, I've still got volume four sitting on my nightstand waiting to be read, but although my interest in a lot of the Essentials has waned, I always enjoy reading the classic Spider-Man stories. Whether they're better than the others or I just have more affection for that character, I don't know for sure. Avengers/Defenders War TP (Marvel): I've found that I don't enjoy the older Avengers stories as much as many Avengers fans do (I can't get into Englehart's or Shooter's run, in general), the notion behind this one interests me, and I may give it a shot when it comes out in reprinted format. If nothing else, I'm glad to see Marvel keeping a balance between printing their recent stuff and printing older stuff as well. Elektra TP (Marvel): Bendis and Austen's espionage revival of Elektra hasn't been consistently great, but it has been good enough that I'll pick up the collected version to have and reread. I notice the solicitation calls it a hardcover, which I think is a misprint... if it's not, I guess I'll wait for the softcover. Doom, Magneto, Cyclops TP (Marvel): Though none of these series were what I'd call phenomenal, this is smart marketing strategy on Marvel's part. Fans of any given character will have a trade paperback to pick up, and even casual comics fans who just like one character may have something to draw them into shops. From a retail point of view, these types of books should be perennial sellers. Colonia: Islands & Anomalies Vol 1 TP (AiT/PlanetLar): I've never read it, but I've heard nothing but praise for Jeff Nicholson's Colonia. Leave it to Larry Young to finally put it out in the format I prefer reading in, making it much more likely that I'll pick it up and see what all the buzz is about. Pirates, Conquistadors, a talking duck, this sounds strange and entertaining, and the artwork I've seen is gorgeous. Spark Generators TP (Amaze Ink/Slave Labor): Aside from including a few of my favorite small press writers and artists (Alex Robinson, Brian Clopper, Jon Hastings, Tim Levins, J. Torres, etc.) this is a really neat idea. Comics writers and artists pay tribute to their inspiration in comic form. Plus all the proceeds go to support the Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco. I'm looking forward to this one. The Path Prequel (Crossgen): Though Crossgen's output has proven mostly not for me, I'm a sucker for samurai epics, and the simple promo image for this one has me quite intrigued. So far, even the Crossgen concepts I find interesting have come out a little bland for my taste, and the inclusion of the Sigil or super-powers of some sort in every book has turned me off, but if this can keep more to a magical samurai style, I might finally have a Crossgen book I want to follow. The Phantom Vol. 1: The Ghost Killer GN (Moonstone): Okay, I know many hated it, but I loved the Phantom movie with Billy Zane, and it has given me a fondness for this classic character. I'm not sure if that fondness extends to picking up a six dollar prestige format book with an unfamiliar artist, but writer Ben Raab has done some work I've enjoyed, and I might give this one a look. Madman: Oddity Odyssey 10th Anniversary TP (Oni Press): I'm familiar with Madman, but I've never really read any of the books Allred has done with him. With Oni Press publishing a trade collection and my interest in Allred at an all-time high due to X-Force, it might be time to give Madman a look. Blue Monday: Lovecats (Oni Press): Any Blue Monday is good Blue Monday, and it's good to see another one-shot following up on some of the romance plot threads in Absolute Beginners before Clugston-Major moves on to Scooter Girl. The Marquis: Devil's Reign: Hell's Courtesan (Oni Press): Though my interest in the book waxed and waned with every issue, I can't deny that The Marquis is a strange and beautiful concept, and Davis's artwork is always worth a look. The Mighty 1 (Sundragon Comics): A great idea, focusing on a fashion designer for super-heroes, but the solicitation unfortunately didn't do much to draw me in. Still, the idea is interesting enough to catch my eye, and now that I've learned that Christopher Jones (of Young Heroes in Love fame) is doing the artwork, I'll definitely give it a look. Baja GN (Top Shelf Productions): Ever since reading Steve Lafler's ode to jazz in Bughouse, I've been looking forward to a follow-up graphic novel. Using anthropomorphic bugs as his characters, Lafler manages to delve in-depth into uncomfortable subjects like drug abuse and the dirty side of being a musician, as well as conveying a love of jazz that is infectious. Baja, which follows a bass player on his journey into Mexico to lay low for a while, sounds like it should be as dark and intriguing as Bughouse was. PICK OF THE MONTH: If I were only going to order one thing for this month, this would be it. Cage #1 (Marvel/MAX): They didn't even need the solicitation copy (although it was good). Azzarello/Corben/Alonso and that color piece of promo art tells me everything I need to know about this series. This should be a whole lot of fun. Email Randy Lander comments about this review, or discuss it on the Fourth Rail message board.