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



*****

Here are the books that make an impression on me staring at this week's 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. But were I in a comic book shop tomorrow I would look at them with greedy eyes because in two weeks Diamond won't ship any comics at all and all the covers in the stores will cry real tears.

*****

AUG090029 DRAWING DOWN THE MOON ART OF CHARLES VESS HC (RES) $39.99
I'm dying to see this; this is one where it would greatly benefit me to have a comics shop and be able to pick it up in my hands. Certainly Vess is an artist I enjoy, but so much depends on production and design with a book like this one. I'm going to be a terrible consumer when everything goes on-line. Update: Kurt Busiek points out this preview, which should give some idea on the design aspects.

OCT090291 AIR #16 (MR) $2.99
I'm going to spotlight Air every time it comes out not because I'm reading it but because I made a bunch of stupid jokes about its imminent, immediate cancellation and it has survived way, way past my rash estimation of its ability to find readers.

OCT090296 FABLES #91 (MR) $2.99
JUL090396 GODLAND #30 $2.99
The first caught my attention as it rounded the corner and headed to triple-digits. I would guess this is Vertigo's flagship title right now. I read the second, and even I hadn't realized it had slipped into the thirties, numbers-wise.

OCT090642 THOR TP AGES OF THUNDER $19.99
This would make a fun, last-minute gift for a certain kind of comics reader: a collection of recent one-shots by Matt Fraction and various high-quality artists set in the fantasy part of the Marvel's Thor mythos and understandable without a degree in Marvel Minutiae. I had a friend who was very much into Thor back in the day; I may get him this. I think there was a hardcover version of this out earlier this year, come to think of it.

SEP090893 ART OF STEVE DITKO HC $29.99
This is the IDW book that I think Craig Yoe put together for them. I think. That one was originally announced as "The Art Of Ditko," but the Amazon.com credit indicates IDW, etc. Yeah, sometimes I get confused, too.

JUL091142 BOOK OF GENESIS ILLUS BY ROBERT CRUMB LTD HC PI
I have no idea how the Crumb Genesis book is doing in comics shops, but this sounds like an iteration that might do well there.

SEP090830 DEFINITIVE PRINCE VALIANT COMPANION HC $39.99
This is an old-school history/resources type book that's on my nightstand right now. One of the nice things about this year in comics is how many of my comics-reading friends picked up the first book in the new Prince Valiant series and found themselves enjoying the crap out of it.

AUG090882 GAHAN WILSON 50 YEARS OF PLAYBOY CARTOONS HC (MR) $125.00
Fantagraphics began the year with the lovely Humbug collection and ends the year with this massive compendium of Gahan Wilson's work for his best market. Hooray for Fantagraphics.

*****

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 didn't list your comic here, um... Merry Christmas?

*****


 
posted 10:00 am PST | Permalink
 

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



*****

Here are the books that make an impression on me staring at this week's 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. But were I in a comic book shop tomorrow I would pick them up and stare them up and down with theatrical intensity.

*****

MAY090063 ALIEN LEGION OMNIBUS TP VOL 01 $24.95
Strange to see this stuff collected, but I remember it being solid mainstream comics with a lot of monster and alien drawings as lead characters. The series also also had some ridiculously named badass breakout character whose name I'm going to resist looking up. I'm not sure how comics like this one and Strikeforce Morituri read now, but I'd sort of be interested in finding out.

JUL090643 DRIVEN BY LEMONS HC (MR) $19.95
Young Josh Cotter avoids the sophomore slump by following up his Skyscrapers of the Midwest with a year abroad in non-representational comics land. I haven't seen it yet, but I'm dying to.

AUG090031 CASPER FRIENDLY GHOST 60TH ANNIV HC $9.95
This is two complete older comics starring the character repackaged as a hardcover. I don't know if the comics are any good, but the Casper character sure seems to work on kids in that three- to five-year-old range, especially in that sweet spot when they're still earnestly and innocently engaging a world that's starting to become cynical and mean and not-friendly in a way that surprises and dismays them. Seriously, watch those early cartoons and see just how thoroughly Casper gets crushed in every way it would be meaningful for a little kid to get crushed. I used to think Casper was about the genre-flip, a ghost that's friendly, but it's really about making a horribly sad boy a tiny bit happy for a few more months.

MAY090070 PICTURES THAT TICK TP $19.95
I had to go look, but yeah, this is a re-release of the elusive Dave McKean short-story collection -- I can't remember what the original was, actually -- and a welcome one at that.

AUG090033 TARZAN THE JESSE MARSH YEARS HC VOL 04 $49.95
This is a lovely series, and I hope to collect them all.

SEP090129 BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #37 $2.99
SEP090124 BATMAN STREETS OF GOTHAM #6 $3.99
SEP090127 BATMAN THE UNSEEN #4 (OF 5) $2.99
I still think the fact that the market can support all of these odd-titled Batman comic books means there's something horribly, fundamentally wrong about the marketplace.

AUG090904 FIR TREE GN $14.99
AUG090905 GIFT OF MAGI GN $14.99
Two-thirds of the It Books Christmas line-up of holiday graphic novels.

SEP090332 INVINCIBLE #68 $2.99
Robert Kirkman's superhero title and early reputation-maker continues to chug along. I'm not sure how long its current storyline is slated to last, but I can't think of any looming business the title has past this current knot of plot points.

AUG091093 OISHINBO VOL 06 JOY OF RICE $12.99
AUG091094 PLUTO URASAWA X TEZUKA GN VOL 06 $12.99
SEP091002 TEZUKAS BLACK JACK TP VOL 08 $16.95
AUG091095 VAGABOND TP VOL 30 (MR) $9.95
This seems to me a fairly respectable bloc of manga volumes, although I'm only reading the second and third listed. I'm happy to see Vertical keep pushing the Black Jack material, although it's never been my favorite Tezuka.

JUL090947 RIP KIRBY HC VOL 01 $49.99
Guaranteed gorgeous. I think maybe this has been delayed a couple of months but you have to think this was going to be welcome whenever it came out.

*****

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 didn't list your comic here, suck it.

*****


 
posted 10:00 am PST | Permalink
 

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