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.

*****

JUN131314 INCIDENTS IN NIGHT GN VOL 01 $19.95
This is Good-Looking Week at your local funnybook store, and there's likely no better-looking comics-maker out there right now than modern master David B. Here he's presented in loving fashion by Tom Kaczynski. David B. is one of those talents that really hasn't found the expected audience for his work, stretching all the way back to the days when Epileptic was presented as the ACME Novelty Library of the French-language market in terms of it being a visually accomplished, context shattering work. I think Uncivilized is a good match for the cartoonist on a work like this one, and hope it moves copies. It is certainly the kind of book you want to be seen reading in public, being so handsome and all.

JAN131107 KITARO GN $24.95
You could build an entire trip to the funnybook shops around almost ten of this week's books flying solo, not the least of which is this Shigeru Mizuki work. It is, as I recall, the Mizuki work, the one from the first sentence of the obituary. It is also the foundational yokai manga comic and is arguably one of the dozen or so key works of any kind from its home industry's history. You want to have this book, a collection of charming stories mixing little-kid adventures with bold, horror-character design, in the library.

MAR130074 BURROUGHS TARZAN SUNDAY COMICS 1931-1933 HC VOL 01 $125.00
Hal Foster is on the Mt. Rushmore Of Cartoonists That Make Handsome Work. I know folks that even prefer Foster's work wit the Tarzan character to the later Prince Valiant material, and the originals I've seen of this work -- about four or five over the years -- are really gorgeous and rarely feature rub-out points. At the same time, Tarzan is one of those iconic characters that always seems to me in danger of slipping into a period of irrelevancy. I don't see a lot of deep affection for the concept. Still, I have to imagine it's Foster fans that will be driving customers to a purchase at that price point.

MAY130973 BLUFFTON MY SUMMERS WITH BUSTER GN $22.99
This also looks beautiful, a graphic novel from the author of Around The World featuring a plot about a period of childhood reminiscence featuring Buster Keaton that would seem to have been grown in a laboratory for the express purpose of driving this kind of graphic novel from a kids' book illustrator. I certainly want to look at the thing.

MAR131252 CAPOTE IN KANSAS HC (MR) $19.99
Even the re-releases have an attractive art element, as this is early material from the artist Chris Samnee, enjoying a surge of popularity in the mainstream comics world. It's always fun to visit Dick and Perry, even tangentially.

JUN131066 OPTIC NERVE #13 (MR) $5.95
MAY130158 BATMAN INCORPORATED #13 $2.99
MAY130155 BATMAN ANNUAL #2 $4.99
MAY130260 WAKE #3 (MR) $2.99
MAY130040 BPRD VAMPIRE #5 $3.50
MAY130558 IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS #12 [DIG] $2.99
MAY130567 MORNING GLORIES #29 CVR A ESQUEJO (MR) [DIG] $3.50
APR138313 MORNING GLORIES #29 CVR B EISMA (MR) $3.50
APR138314 MORNING GLORIES #29 CVR C HUANG (MR) $3.50
APR138315 MORNING GLORIES #29 CVR D KELLY (MR) $3.50
APR138316 MORNING GLORIES #29 CVR E LEMIRE (MR) $3.50
APR138317 MORNING GLORIES #29 CVR F MELLON (MR) $3.50
APR138318 MORNING GLORIES #29 CVR G WAITE (MR) $3.50
APR138319 MORNING GLORIES #29 CVR H ZARCONE (MR) $3.50
MAY130570 SEX #5 (MR) [DIG] $2.99
MAY130664 DAREDEVIL #29 $2.99
MAY130666 FF #10 NOW $2.99
MAY130951 ADVENTURE TIME SUMMER SPECIAL 2013 #1 (NOTE PRICE) $4.99
Hello, comics. There are really only two super heavy-hitters here. A new Adrian Tomine comic is an event, and it's always stunning to see how few of them there have been in the last twenty years. This was a pair of stand-alone stories, and I think the bigger of the two will drive some conversations. Grant Morrison ends his lengthy run of Batman serial comic books with the Batman Incorporated issue, which has all of the groovy '70s elements that one has come to expect from Morrison's approach. I have next to no interest in Batman, but Morrison's comics have been intriguing to read because of how determined they are to be odd. DC is doing another run of annuals I can't remember anyone clamoring after, but I imagine this Batman one will sell well given the presence of writer Scott Snyder. Snyder's Wake series seems to me to have slowed down an incredible amount with this issue, although maybe I'm imagining things. Hey, there's the Mignola universe offering, followed by it Girl And The Atomics, a comic I'd say was doomed to fail -- at least eventually -- but worth noting for publishing almost as many issues as Optic Nerve. I'm sure it's entertaining; most of those comics. I'm batting .250 on cover artists for the latest issue of Morning Glories, which crushes my average at knowing what the hell is going on in that comic book's story. In short order, you get the well-liked writers Joe Casey, Mark Waid and Matt Fraction on the next three -- I'll eventually catch up to all three books. I am not reading the Adventure Time comics because I don't see them, but that's a comic for which some sort of summer issue makes sense.

MAR130299 ANIMAL MAN OMNIBUS HC (MR) $75.00
There aren't a whole lot of superhero comic books I still own, but I have this series in a box somewhere. I greatly enjoyed reading it as it was coming out. It was tough to find alt-/art comics where I was going to school, so it was nice to have this kind of humane, inventive mainstream work to consume. I'm perfectly satisfied with owning this in comic-book form, but people are fond of this particular DC format.

APR130378 WORLDS OF SAM KIETH HC VOL 01 $49.99
My understanding is that this is much more of an art book than a collection of art and photos and the like, but Kieth is one of the great talents of mainstream comics over the last quarter century, so if you love that realm of comics I assume you'll pick this up and check it out.

MAY130447 AGE OF BRONZE TP VOL 03.B BETRAYAL PT 2 (MR) $18.99
Eric Shanower's latest trade is another one I collect in comic book form but I also recognize that it will likely enjoy a longer life and perhaps even a grander, more widely-disseminated one, in book form. I'm glad this series exists; if you described to me in the abstract, I'd say there was no in hell this got past 10 issues, let alone multiple trades.

MAY130459 INVINCIBLE TP VOL 18 DEATH OF EVERYONE [DIG] $16.99
Eighteen Invincible trades is a fine achievement when, in the case of Robert Kirkman, you're talking about series #2 by any reasonable measure. I do enjoy the work, though, and I'm kind of confused by how long it's enjoyed this easy, soap-opera groove when almost no one else has found that place with their superhero big two equivalents.

JUN131155 MARK SCHULTZ XENOZOIC COMPLETE NEW PTG TP $39.95
JUN131154 MARK SCHULTZ CARBON SC VOL 01 $24.95
It's hard to describe to people that operate in the comics market of today just how titanic a presence this comic book was once upon a time; I'm not sure what happened where it's faded a bit in at least the public discussion of its merit. I would imagine that the kind of craft chops on display are less of an issue -- or perhaps this style is less of an automatic slam dunk -- with the more diverse comics audience of right now. Couldn't tell you, though. It's a good one for the expansive comics library, though, that's for sure. The second book listed is more recent work in art-book form. Schultz does a lot of art work considering how solidly he's repositioned himself as a writer in certain realms of comics-making.

JUN131316 SAMMY THE MOUSE TP VOL 02 (MR) $15.00
Zak Sally is a fine, natural-born cartoonist and I love the feel of these Sammy The Mouse comics. It's too bad that they're becoming known almost more for their tortuous publishing mini-history than for the work itself, but it's easy to change that by just diving into this work's pages.

MAY131315 FRAZETTA SKETCHBOOK SC NEW PTG $24.95
Well of course there'd be something Frank Frazetta-related out this week. You can't have Handsome Week without Frazetta.

MAR131163 MULLINS GOLDEN AGE BASEBALL DRAWINGS HC 1934-1972 $35.00
I thought this work was fairly stunning when I saw it, and I can't say that I'm all that familiar with a lot of Mullins work. Like a lot of the comics this week, I don't go very deep with the legendary sports cartoonists. I thought this a super nice-looking mounting of this work, and I hope it's not forgotten.

MAY131146 GHOSTS AND RUINS HC $22.99
Finally, Ben Catmull's latest finally hits the shelves this week. I seem to recall seeing elements of this work at an BCGF table or something similar several months if not years ago. This is illustrations and text, but gathered around a central theme and sort of a set of general aesthetic considerations it certainly works as comics. Definitions are a dull thing with which to fool around with a book like this in one's lap, though. I hope to talk to Catmull at some point soon.

*****

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 because I hate you.

*****



*****
*****
 
posted 7:20 pm PST | Permalink
 

---

 
Daily Blog Archives
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
 
Full Archives