This Isn’t A Library: New And Notable Releases Into Comics’ Direct Market



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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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OCT141594 HERE HC $35.00
This is one of the four or five books for all of 2014, and one for the permanent bookshelf even if you only have one bookshelf. This is the first comic about which I ever wrote, or at least, it's based on the short story that was the first comic about which I ever wrote. It's personally and nostagically important to me. I also think it's one of the better collections of comics ideas in action from the last four decades. To be honest, I haven't caught up with this new one hoping I might get a free copy. That it's out and I don't have it is killing me.

SEP141496 DUNGEON EARLY YEARS GN VOL 01 NIGHT SHIRT NEW PTG $14.99
SEP141495 DUNGEON TWILIGHT GN VOL 04 $14.99
A repeat and a newly translated pair of works from the Dungeon, which I recently heard described as the French-language market's Adventure Time in terms of employing quality comics-makers on a commercial project in a way that's artistically satisfying to both artist and consumer. I don't know if I believe there's a direct relationship, but it made me laugh. I like all of these books, although the mythology of the later-years work is a little less interesting to me than the primetime material and even the side-adventure material that takes place in that same, original time period.

SEP140347 ROYALS MASTERS OF WAR TP (MR) $14.99
This is a collection of a Vertigo comic whose concept was a world where royalty has superpowers but hides them until a British royal employs his to defend Great Britain during German bombing raids in World War 2. It reminded me a bit of 1990s satirical takes on superhero comics in that the perceived nobility of engaging problems with super-strength and eyebeams is almost always immediately diverted into awful outcomes. Anyway, this is the kind of book that comes out a lot in comics these days, and I thought this one should be pulled out for my having remembered reading it. That's not always the case with those kinds of books.

SEP140515 DITKOS SHORTS HC $24.99
JUL140338 JOHN BUSCEMA SILVER SURFER ARTIST ED HC PI
SEP140508 LIL ABNER HC VOL 07 $49.99
A solid week for IDW, showing off three of their half-dozen or so strengths in the reprints/colleciton depaertment. I'd love to see the Buscema, in particular. No one in mainstream comics ever drew more consistent, excellent figures or was more generally talented, and that was his best-looking work overall.

AUG141585 BAD MACHINERY GN VOL 03 CASE OF THE SIMPLE SOUL $19.99
I'm a latecomer to the John Allison work but I'm greatly enjoying it. I'm reading it on-line, but I imagine it would work extremely well in length, collected form as well. That's just a quality offering from Oni.

OCT141430 FAIRY TALES I JUST MADE UP HC $18.95
This was a kickstarted project with a bunch of cartoonists involved that I enjoy, such as Roger Langridge. I have no idea as to its quality or consistency, but that's what a sharp eye in a comics shop picking up and a holding it in one's hands does, makes thos e kinds of appraisals.

SEP141625 LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND SO MANY SPLENDID SUNDAYS NEW PTG $125.00
MAY141589 WINDSOR MCCAY COMPLETE LITTLE NEMO XL HC $200.00
Hard not to place these two together. The first you'll recall as the Sunday Press Books jaw-dropper from a few years back, a foundational item for any comics collection and a major throw-down across comics publishing, period. The second is a Taschen book that I'd have to scope out -- no idea as to the size or to the quality of the printing, and that "d" is interesting -- but promises all 500+ comics. Not like Taschen would crank this out for the sake of cranking this out.

SEP141879 INSIDER HISTORIES OF CARTOONING SC $35.00
This is from the great comics historian RC Harvey, and looks like a survey-style work of a bunch of different, "lesser known" comics and cartooning subjects drawing on his vast appetite for forgotten corners and neglected masters. I'm dying to see a copy, I didn't even know it was out.

JUL141649 WORLD ACCORDING TO BATMAN HC $24.95
This was the most gifty item I saw on this week's list. It's close enough to Christmas now just about anything else to come out in this category was probably a late project on some level.

OCT140578 BITCH PLANET #1 (MR) $3.50
AUG140677 SEX CRIMINALS #9 (MR) $3.50
SEP140754 SOUTHERN BASTARDS #6 (MR) $3.50
OCT140385 ASTRO CITY #18 $3.99
OCT140298 BATGIRL #37 $2.99
I wanted to end one of these with the serial comics at some point, and due to the relative size of images I was able to find for Bitch Planet and for the Dungeon book, this seemed like a good week to do that. Bitch Planet should be fun. That's the new series from Kelly Sue DeConnick and Valentine De Landro. That seems like a potential hit from the early get-go. Sex Criminals has a new issue out, so I imagine that's a big, big day for the what I'm guessing is a subset of 200-250 DM stores that do extremely well with that one. I've been enjoying the languid pacing of Southern Bastards, plus right now it's about football. Astro City is up to its 18th issue in this current iteration. DC left some sales on the table by not renumbering Batgirl in a way that would let me tell how many they've done with this new take, but I don't think anyone's going to complain about any title keeping its numbering. That seems like a fun comic, though, and I can imagine it being the only comic some people might be in any given week. It sort of rewards that kind of buying: it's very stand-alone in terms of its plots (thus far) and provides a dense, involved narrative each time out.

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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 because I hate you.

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