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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DEC161689 TO HAVE AND TO HOLD GN $24.99
This is Graham Chaffee's latest, and the great chronicler of the spiritual lives of animals focuses on more standard human noir characters this time around. Chaffee's an interesting cartoonist, and I like the way this book rolls around in its own ordinary qualities rather than exaggerating the various plot points for effect. It's uglier for that, but in a great way.

FEB170028 ABE SAPIEN TP VOL 09 LOST LIVES & OTHER STORIES $19.99
APR170066 BALTIMORE THE RED KINGDOM #5 $3.99
Two from the Mignola-verse, which seem to me have been doubling more and more over the last few years. I think that Abe Sapien might be the last from the character's ongoing. I'm interested in this line right now because the way I process big narratives all of this stuff seems like a year away from the end.

APR170734 BULLETPROOF COFFIN THOUSAND YARD STARE (ONE-SHOT) (MR) $3.99
APR170389 FLINTSTONES #12 $3.99
APR170902 WALKING DEAD #168 (MR) $2.99
APR171022 BLACK BOLT #2 $3.99
APR171391 GIANT DAYS #27 $3.99
APR170684 DIVIDED STATES OF HYSTERIA #1 (MR) $3.99
Another fun David Hine/Shaky Kane one-shot. Their comics stew in an alternate comics history in a way that seems about overlapping nostalgic viewpoints that existed in 1992. They're fun as hell to look at, and this one is very funny. I'm still enjoying Flintstones, and that's a sequence of letters I never thought would escape my finger tips. I also still read Walking Dead, which is in coda mode right now from its last storyline but seems due a major shift. There's an obvious new direction that's been presenting itself in the narrative, so Kirkman and company probably won't pursue it for years. Black Bolt is a favorite character of my younger brother, so I'm putting this here to remind me to go pick one up. I don't get how Marvel made me not like the Inhumans, but most Kirby creations are resilient in a way they eventually make a comeback. I assume at some point someone will do the Geoff Johns thing and put the Inhumans into major combat with the Inhumans of other planet. If that's already been done, they didn't do it big enough. I like everything John Allison does, and while Giant Days isn't the best work he's done and even seems naturally unsuited to the comic book format because of perceived value for their breakneck pacing, I'll buy new issues when I see 'em. Ditto Howad Chaykin, whose contemporary-statement book debuts on stands today.

FEB170076 TOO MUCH COFFEE MAN OMNIBUS PLUS HC $29.99
APR171698 IF FOUND PLEASE RETURN TO ELISE GRAVEL HC $17.95
MAR172272 INSTRUMENTAL GN $24.99
APR170909 WICKED & DIVINE TP VOL 05 IMPERIAL PHASE I (MR) $16.99
Here's a bunch of big-list projects about which I don't have a lot to say. I don't know what TMCM material that is, but most people my age will want one version of that stuff in their library. The D+Q art-type books are always fun to read, and I'm sure that's the same with this one. Instrumental has a nice look and the author is a musician doing music-related comics and putting a soundtrack to them, which makes this book sound like it springs from a 1998 save-comics site. Wicked & Divine is a big hit and doesn't need my help at this point, but I think the trades read better as serial comics than the comic-book issues.

MAR171772 BELGIAN LACE FROM HELL HC VOL 03 CLAY WILSON (MR) $34.99
Patrick Rosenkranz is the best writer about comics currently working, and his best subject is S. Clay Wilson. The other two books were great.

APR171182 TARANTULA HC (MR) $14.95
Hey, it's the long-promised volume from AdHouse Books. This looks like something that would fit comfortably in the latest craze for retro books -- I think one of the Fanta versions of those comics is out today but I don't know its name -- but this one getting the nod from Pitzer automatically makes it more interesting to me. I bet it's something to look at, anyway!

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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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