June 20, 2012
This Isn’t A Library: Notable Releases To The Comics Direct Market
Here are the books that make an impression on me staring at this week's no-doubt largely accurate list of books shipping from Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. to comic book and hobby shops across North America.
I might not buy all of the works listed here. I might not buy any. You never know. I'd sure look at the following, though.
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MAR120722 TEAM CUL DE SAC HC $29.99
This is the very worthy and attractively-mounted Parkinson's-related charity book featuring the characters of the great Richard Thompson drawn with the Reuben Award winner's permission by a variety of well-wishers and fellow cartoonists, including Bill Watterson with a great painting of Petey whose original recently sold for $13K. That strip is very dear to me, and it's certainly a great cause.
APR120681 CASANOVA AVARITIA #4 (OF 4) (MR) $4.99
APR120652 DAREDEVIL #14 $2.99
APR120026 BALTIMORE DR LESKOVARS REMEDY #1 (OF 2) STENBECK CVR $3.50
APR120023 BPRD HELL ON EARTH DEVILS ENGINE #2 (OF 3) $3.50
APR120537 GLORY #27 $2.99
APR120555 SAGA #4 (MR) $2.99
APR120563 WALKING DEAD #99 (MR) $2.99
APR120957 ROGER LANGRIDGES SNARKED #9 $3.99
APR120647 INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #519 $3.99
APR120628 WINTER SOLDIER #7 $2.99
APR120950 ADVENTURE TIME #5 $3.99
A big week for traditional-format comic books in what is looking like a big summer for creator-owned, independent genre work. This includes some of those fancy new Image books that people are liking, more from the Mignola-verse, the hip based-on-a-property comic of the moment, Roger Langridge's latest book, zombies, and three of the better-received Marvel superhero books of the moment. It also includes the latest in the
Casanova saga, which would be the one of these I'd buy if I could only buy one. The fact that I'd probably be happy leaving a comic shop with a single comic book makes me wonder how many good comics are really necessary to reinstitute that form of comics buying for some of us, or if there isn't some wider disconnect there. Anyway, I really want to see how that one ends.
APR120013 DARK HORSE PRESENTS #13 NOTO CVR $7.99
APR120014 DARK HORSE PRESENTS #13 SEELEY VAR CVR $7.99
There's probably a joke to be had by meaner people than I am about
Dark Horse Presents as the perfect comic book in the summer they brought
Dallas back, but I like that these creators are getting work, there are some young'uns involved, and it's a
virtue of modern comics that there's not a lot of ageism relative to other fields. I think this is another one of those comics I can see people going to the store and just buying that.
FEB120400 BLOOM COUNTY COMPLETE LIBRARY HC VOL 05 LTD SGN ED $50.00
APR120404 X-9 SECRET AGENT CORRIGAN HC VOL 04 $49.99
Your intimidating-from-the-bookshelf collections of the week. Everything I've said about these works and these projects in the past still applies: I'm glad to see the
Bloom County work again because of the deep affection with which it's held by a bunch of folks, and
Corrigan is underrated and would at least be Don Draper-handsome if it didn't work on the page at all.
MAR120394 RIO HC $49.99
APR121091 MESKIN OUT OF THE SHADOWS TP $26.99
Two collections I'm dying to get my hands on, including a surprise for me: a bunch of Doug Wildey's western comics, which I've always found to be pretty solid and fun. The Mort Meskin book is a must-have simply because of the way Meskin has muscled his way into the conversation about great and influential mainstream craftsmen -- I think maybe through a door left ajar a few places by Art Spiegelman, although I honestly couldn't tell you the exact provenance of his rediscovery.
APR121088 MARATHON GN $16.99
If you go to the comics shop to find new work by people with whom you're not entirely familiar -- or new work just generally -- surely this book by Boaz Yakin and Joe Infurnari is on your radar. I'm kind of unfamiliar with it despite it being advertised on the site.
Here are the posts on Infurnari's blog that relate to the book; I'll be reading those myself some time this morning. Anyway, why wouldn't you pick this one up if it were sitting in your store? Why wouldn't you be grateful if you shop at the kind of store that carries the First Second books?
FEB121158 LOST DOGS GN (MR) $9.95
This is a nicely-packaged -- by which I mean it's a handsome book at an accessible price
and someone thought to do it in the first place -- reprint of an early Jeff Lemire work, most striking for its employment of the color read. It's staring at me from the bookshelf as I write this; it's a moody-looking thing. If I were in Charlotte this weekend at HeroesCon, this is one I'd seek out for a pick-up and look-at, for sure. If my comics shop carried it, I'd look at it there. Lemire seems well on the way to locking into a lengthy, foot-in-multiple-arenas comics career, so a book like this should be of some interest moving forward.
OCT111038 ART OF HOWARD CHAYKIN HC (MR) $29.99
This is one of those books that slips into the merchandise section that I usually miss. I'm an unabashed fan of Chaykin's work and I'd be the perfect audience for an art book. I really want to see it before I buy it, though. I'm very jealous of those of you in full-service comic shops today.
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The full list of this week's releases, including some titles with multiple cover variations and a long, impressive list of toys and other stuff that isn't comics,
can be found here. Despite this official list there's no guarantee a comic will show up in the stores as promised, or in all of the stores as opposed to just a few. Also, stores choose what they carry and don't carry so your shop may not carry a specific publication. There are a lot of comics out there.
To find your local comic book store,
check this list; and for one I can personally recommend because I've shopped there, albeit a while back,
try this.
The above titles are listed with their Diamond order code in the first field, which may assist you in finding comics at your shop or having them order something for you they don't have in-stock. Ordering through a direct market shop can be a frustrating experience, so if you have a direct line to something -- you know another shop has it, you know a bookstore has it -- I'd urge you to consider all of your options.
If I failed to list your comic, that's on me. I apologize.
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posted 5:10 am PST |
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