This Isn’t A Library: New, 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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MAR161462 COMPLETE PEANUTS HC VOL 25 1999-2000 $29.99
It's a super-solid week at the comics shop, which makes sense given how many people will be in these shops for Free Comic Book Day this weekend. To my mind the key book is the 25th Complete Peanuts volume, with one coming afterwards that collects things that are not the strip itself. This has been a great series, with renewed fun and interest for me at like seven different points along the way. I look forward to reading these at some remove. Also, they got the President Of The United State to write an intro, which means he and I are peers now -- except he gets better comics-writing gigs than me.

MAR160030 BEASTS OF BURDEN WHAT CAT DRAGGED IN ONE SHOT $3.99
MAR160028 BALTIMORE EMPTY GRAVES #2 $3.99
MAR160017 HELLBOY IN HELL #9 $2.99
MAR160599 WICKED & DIVINE #19 CVR A MCKELVIE & WILSON (MR) $3.50
MAR160600 WICKED & DIVINE #19 CVR B ANKA (MR) $3.50
MAR160811 HOWARD THE DUCK #7 $3.99
MAR160827 MOON KNIGHT #2 $3.99
MAR161227 GIANT DAYS #14 $3.99
I think the Beasts Of Burden series is a solidly entertaining one, and look forward to the Dorkin/Dyer + Thompson combination any way it crosses my face. This time it's a one-shot. I hope it does well enough to compel everyone involved to do more. That's two from Mignola-verse, including what's been a fun, art-driven series for me, Hellboy In Hell. Wicked & Divine is a solid performer in full batshit crazy action mode right now, which is always appealing. Howard The Duck finds writer Chip Zdarsky 3.5 percent more comfortable with the title every single issue. It's still unclear where this kind of comedic-adventure version reaches its limit. We won't know until after it happens. Moon Knight I haven't seen yet, but it's apparently Jeff Lemire. Talked to a retailer in Indiana who says that Lemire's usual hardcore fanbase hasn't followed him to this one, at least not right away. Giant Days is the project for which writer John Allison received recent attention from the Eisner Awards. I feel bad it's 14 issues in and I haven't caught up to it, either.

DEC150343 GOTHAM CENTRAL OMNIBUS HC $99.99
JAN160354 SCALPED HC BOOK 04 DELUXE EDITION (MR) $29.99
Two different DC book program offerings. I'm contractually obligated to mention I don't know anyone that would prefer an Omnibus edition to a big stack of single issues, but everyone I know is young, dumb and unsophisticated. Scalped I think was under-appreciated while it was an ongoing, and I'm happy to see that it's coming out in different formats, indicating continued commercial interest.

MAR160598 WALKING DEAD #154 (MR) $2.99
FEB160615 WALKING DEAD ADULT COLORING BOOK (MR) $14.99
MAR160778 BLACK WIDOW #3 $3.99
NOV150927 DAREDEVIL BY MARK WAID AND CHRIS SAMNEE HC VOL 05 $34.99
Here's a pair of other notable title pairings. I don't know for whom that Walking Dead coloring book is intended, but it wasn't for me! All those heavy blacks would seem to make it hard to color the way I colored stuff when I was a wee lad. Black Widow and the Daredevil trade feature the same creative team, one of comics' most solid. I'm confused by most of the recent post-event comics put out by Marvel, but this one seems pretty straight forward by solid creators so I'm likely to buy it whenever I see it.

JAN160451 JOHNNY BOO BIG BOO BOX SLIPCASE ED HC $39.99
"Johnny Boo Big Boo Box" is fun as hell to say out loud. I'm all for as much James Kochalka as can possibly be published, and IDW strikes me as a good home for him.

FEB160680 DESCENDER TP VOL 02 (MR) $14.99
There's not a whole lot this week I'd buy in trade form, so I'd go and take a look at this Jeff Lemire/Dustin Nguyen collaboration, which I believe is concerned with artificial life forms and issues surrounding their sentience. Action issues.

MAR161479 JESSICA FARM GN VOL 01 (MR) $16.99
MAR161480 JESSICA FARM GN VOL 02 (MR) $16.99
Josh Simmons is one of our most potent cartoonists, and everything he does is worth reading. That includes this book, which won't end until 2050 so I have no chance to ever see the ending.

MAR161065 PEARLS BEFORE SWINE TP IM ONLY IN THIS FOR ME $14.99
I didn't see any other strips this week, so I thought I'd toss this one. Mr. Pastis is a current Reuben Award nominees.

FEB161505 WALT DISNEY DONALD DUCK HC VOL 08 TERROR BEAGLE BOYS $29.99
Love the Beagle Boys. Great last-minute Halloween costume, too.

JAN161718 AL PLASTINO LAST SUPERMAN STANDING SC $17.95
MAR162007 NEIL GAIMAN CHUS DAY AT BEACH BOARD BOOK $7.99
MAR161980 SUPERMAN CLASSIC PRANKING NEWS SC $3.99
MAR161954 TOM ADAMS UNCOVERED ART OF AGATHA CHRISTIE & BEYOND HC $34.99
I have nothing to say about any of these books, but I love that all of them are together one or top of the other.

MAR161306 PAUL UP NORTH GN $20.00
Michel Rabagliati's signature series made its shift from Drawn and Quarterly to Conundrum without a lot of fanfare, but the books themselves continue their fun visuals and genteel pacing.

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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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