This Isn't A Library: New and Notable Releases to the Comics Direct Market
*****
Here are those books that jump out at me from this week's probably mostly 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 following -- I might not buy any -- but were I in a comic book shop I would likely pick up the following and look them over, potentially resulting in mean words and hurt feelings when my retailer objected.
*****
JUN070035 USAGI YOJIMBO #105 $2.99
Don't hate Stan Sakai because his comic book comes out regularly. Celebrate him.
JUN072235 ESSENTIAL DAREDEVIL VOL 4 TP $16.99
I have a fondness for that period of Marvel comic books between Kirby and Claremont, where the sales were still high enough to justify certain books being published seemingly without end in sight, but there was really no imperative that they be any good or receive a jump-start to make them a hit. There's a shabbiness about them that appeals to me. My favorite comic of this type is early-'70s Sub-Mariner, but a close second is Daredevil from the period represented here, which I believe includes the character's move to San Francisco. I would have once upon a time bet money that the move was because a Daredevil TV show was in the works during that period, but I was told by a much better comics historian than I am it was probably due to the fact that a lot of the company's writers were moving west.
MAY073713 ASTHMA GN (MR) $17.00
I buy John Hankiewicz work unseen, because 1) it's very good, and 2) good luck finding a description that makes a lick of sense. (His publisher does a pretty good job of the latter, actually.)
JAN073615 CHANCE IN HELL HC (MR) $16.95
I buy everything Gilbert Hernandez does, too, and this is a fascinating work on a lot of levels, including but not restricted to the fact that the story exists as a movie in Gilbert's main ongoing narrative in Love & Rockets.
MAY073774 INCREDIBLE CHANGE BOTS GN $15.00
Jeffrey Brown doing his own version of the Transformers. If you just went "Awww..." or "Cool!" I'm suggesting you buy it. If you just went "Ick!" or had no reaction at all, I'm suggesting you don't. I'm guessing this is fun, but forgettable.
JUN073913 SUPER SPY GN $19.95
I have this to read. What seems like a series of one-offs by Matt Kindt detailing various adventures in the lives of a group of spies apparently begins to cohere in unexpected ways. That certainly sounds like my kind of thing.
APR073681 TOKYO IS MY GARDEN GN (RES) (MR) $18.99
I've sort of lost track of what Frederic Boilet efforts have and have not been translated into English. I think this effort, in partnership with Benoit Peeters and Jiro Taniguchi, actually precedes the terms "nouvelle manga" by a couple of years.
*****
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.
To find your local comic book store, check this list; and for one I can personally recommend because I've shopped there, 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.
If I didn't list your new comic, you're welcome to assume the worst of me, but it's likely I just missed it. I am not a good person.
