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.

*****

SEP161703 LAID WASTE GN $14.99
This is a very good book, confidently cartooned and ruthless in its portrait of the human condition across the majority if not entirety of the timeline. She's just really good, and I want to read the next five books right now. I can't imagine that this is a big-seller due to its dour and complex nature, so if you're an art comics fan of any kind I urge you to pick it up not just for the quality of the work but the admirability of the publishing project.

APR160769 PROPHET EARTH WAR #6 (OF 6) $3.99
FEB160567 BITCH PLANET #9 (MR) $3.99
SEP160690 SOUTHERN BASTARDS #15 CVR A LATOUR (MR) $3.50
SEP160763 WALKING DEAD #160 CVR A ADLARD & STEWART (MR) $2.99
SEP160697 WICKED & DIVINE #23 CVR A MCKELVIE & WILSON (MR) $3.50
SEP160885 AVENGERS #1 NOW $4.99
SEP160900 UNWORTHY THOR #1 (OF 5) NOW $3.99
SEP160655 CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2016 CVR A POWELL (MR) $4.99
SEP160656 CBLDF LIBERTY ANNUAL 2016 CVR B GRAHAM (MR) $4.99
JUL161105 CEREBUS IN HELL #0 $4.00
SEP161451 GIANT DAYS #20 $3.99
SEP161446 GOLDIE VANCE #7 (OF 7) $3.99
SEP161830 MOTRO #1 (OF 10) (MR) $3.99
A bunch of comic-book sized comics, starting with the final comic book in the extended Graham/Roy + Friends version of the Prophet property. It ends more quietly than I might have thought near the beginning, but I enjoyed the issue. Strong sales-quartet for Image, which makes for happy retailers. There's a significant Columbus connection to the backmatter material this time out, I believe. I have no idea why the core Avengers title needs relaunching, and we need to fix whatever it is that encourages this. This is dumb. I laugh at a comic being called "Unworthy Thor." That plotline was presented to me as publishing moves rather than a plotline, so it's difficult for me to get excited about a permtuation of that narrative getting the spotlight. Who knows? It might be great. The primary creators are formidable ones. There's always one or two things of interest in the CBLDF material they're doing with Image. Cerebus In Hell is I think the repurposed clipped material being done as new comics. I don't really understand that, but okay. Sim's an effective writer, and that's a time-honored exercise, particularly in strip comics. Giant Days I mention here because it's up to #20 and I will at some point have them all. Ditto Goldie Vance, which isn't necessarily for me so I can wait to catch up, I think. Motro is the latest wildly drawn comic of the Head Lopper variety, and that's a kind of comic I like.

JUL160160 ALEISTER & ADOLF HC (MR) $19.99
AUG160036 MUHAMMAD ALI HC $19.99
Two from Dark Horse that looked heavily stylized or intriguing enough that I'd like to see them, particularly the Ali biography from France. Ali is a fascinating figure, and I look at him at a sports figure first so that that's the part of any biographical treatment with which I engage first.

JUL160152 COMPLETE ELFQUEST TP VOL 03 (RES) $24.99
JUN160024 DAVE MCKEAN CAGES TP 2ND ED $29.99
Eventually I will own full copies of these works and have them in my home where someday someone will box them up and try to give them away. I don't know if it will be these versions or not. I do own versions of most of the first, all of the second.

JUL160657 RED BARRY UNDERCOVER MAN HC VOL 01 $49.99
A handsome, fun strip with a glorious newspaper run as one of the most popular of the day, now back for a second look. We live in rich times when this is possible, but I'm not going to feel guilty about it.

AUG161623 A DISTANT NEIGHBORHOOD COMPLETE HC $28.00
This is a reprint of the Jiro Taniguchi work. I may have this work already, but I'll always look at it. I like the feel of his pages, his narratives.

AUG161187 DIARY OF A WIMPY KID HC VOL 11 DOUBLE DOWN $13.95
Not my kind of thing, and maybe not even new, but always worth noting. How old are the kids that started with that first volume now? Twenty-five?

MAY161805 BEST OF BC HC $24.99
SEP161275 DILBERT HC IM NO SCIENTIST THINK FENG SHUI IS PART OF ANSWER $19.99
AUG160546 BATMAN SILVER AGE NEWSPAPER COMICS HC VOL 03 1969-1972 $49.99
There's a bunch of newspaper stuff out this week. This is the group of comics I don't have any interest in owning but wouldn't mind seeing or knowing certain things about them as publishing projects. For instance, I'd love to know if shirtless political Scott Dilbert is having any effect on the sale of Dilbert collections, which at this stage I can't imagine is a hugely lucrative enterprise. I don't say that as an insult, that's just the way of the market right now. I'm sure he does great compared to 90 percent of all comics going in. That Batman I'm curious to see, but I think the curiosity would fade quickly.

AUG161778 TREASURY 20TH CENTURY MURDER HC VOL 03 MURDER BLACK DAHLIA $15.99
I'm all for Rick Geary doing gruesome history for as long as he wants to do it. I'm not the primary audience here but I'm a happy accidental audience member when the occasional arises. I think it's a good pairing, artist and subject matter. This is one of the biggies.

AUG161217 JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS #2 CVR A REG AUDREY MOK $3.99
AUG161218 JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS #2 CVR B VAR ISAACS $3.99
AUG161219 JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS #2 CVR C VAR LOTAY $3.99
AUG161220 JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS #2 CVR D VAR MACK $3.99
AUG161221 JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS #2 CVR E VAR SOHN $3.99
AUG161222 JOSIE & THE PUSSYCATS #2 CVR F VAR ZULLO $3.99
Please stop doing this. Please. I don't know who's in charge of doing this, and I'm happy to see artists get an additional payday but you're pumping a market that needs to be treated in a way that sponsors maximum health, not maximum health - whatever you can get.

AUG161641 WEATHERCRAFT HC 2016 ED $22.99
The reprints of Jim Woodring's masterpiece trilogy begin with this volume. I'm happy for that to be placed back in folks' hands in any way, shape or form that is required to make that happen. I think that particular group of books may be the Woodring books that stick with us for the longest period of time, however many decades moving forward.

SEP161696 PRINCE VALIANT HC VOL 14 1963-1964 $34.99
APR160378 ABSOLUTE BATMAN YEAR ONE HC $125.00
AUG160550 COMPLETE LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE HC VOL 13 $49.99
These are the three reprints listed this week that I'd want without looking. This is from Prince Valiant's golden afternoon period, but that's always a fun book to stare at and better than you remember to read (the boys adventure material > domestic comedy). Year One is one of the ten best works in the superhero genre, which has had a lot of energy spent in its general direction. Finally, I'm a LOA fiend, and I've been having a blast figuring out how many years of Gray I can read before it just starts grinding on me to spend that much time in that guy's head. So far, so good.

*****

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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posted 11:55 pm PST | Permalink
 

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