This Isn’t A Library: 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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OCT151115 BUTTER AND BLOOD GN (MR) $13.00
This is the latest from Steve Weissman, perhaps our most quiet, most appealing cartoonist. It's not the singular statement the last couple of works have been, but I'm a fiend going all the way back to his original mini-comics and am grateful he's still making work for me to read.

APR150293 ABSOLUTE BATMAN THE COURT OF OWLS HC $99.99
SEP150327 IZOMBIE OMNIBUS HC (MR) $75.00
I'm sort of fascinated by high-end mainstream comics offerings just because I'm usually fine with the serial comics. That I'm not the audience doesn't mean there's not an audience. I wonder at times if DC's reliable softcover/hardcover trades program damages some of these higher-end offerings, in that with the Marvel it's really sometimes the only I know I'll get the material I want. These were both well-regarded comics, by the way.

OCT150184 MIDNIGHTER #7 $2.99
SEP150226 PREZ #6 $2.99
OCT151077 INK BRICK #1 $8.00
SEP151340 HIP HOP FAMILY TREE #4 $3.99
OCT151079 MAGIC WHISTLE VOL 3 #1 (MR) $5.99
JUL150587 EAST OF WEST #22 $3.50
SEP150543 REVIVAL #35 (MR) $3.99
SEP150604 THEYRE NOT LIKE US #10 (MR) $2.99
OCT150503 WHERE IS JAKE ELLIS #5 $3.50
OCT150761 ALL NEW INHUMANS #1 $4.99
SEP150666 ALL NEW X-MEN #1 $3.99
OCT150751 DAREDEVIL #1 $3.99
OCT150747 GUARDIANS OF INFINITY #1 $4.99
OCT150774 RED WOLF #1 $3.99
OCT150779 SPIDEY #1 $3.99
OCT150741 TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #1 $4.99
OCT150890 VISION #2 $3.99
That's a tone of comic-book comics, and I can't imagine anyone would want them all. Wait, scratch that, I'm sure there are people buying three times that amount, including all of these. What I mean is that I don't think most readers of this column would buy all of these. But there's a bunch here of interest. The first two are well-regarded DC Comics of the moment. The next rthree are honest to god alt-comics, including the looks-to-be-a-hit HHFT. The week at Image is dominated by its small array of comics that I think have a wider audience that hasn't found those books yet -- beyond the fact that nearly every comic deserves a wider audience. That's at least seven #1 comics from Marvel, which is like $30 of trying new stuff out. I'm not sure how retailers feel about that -- they rarely agree -- but I could see an argument that this is way too many debuts. I'm also not sure how many of those feel like they'll be around 30 issues from now, which is its own problem. The second issue of Vision has a lot to live up given the effusive praise given the first.

JUL151632 PHILEMON ADV GN VOL 03 SUSPENDED CASTLE $16.95
I think these Philemon books from Toon are the real deal: well-made, foundational kids books of the kind you remember far after you've given up on franchise books and the like. I'm glad they exist, and I look forward to this new one.

JUL158474 ESSENTIAL KURTZMAN HC VOL 01 JUNGLE BOOK LTD ED $125.00
No idea if I could be talked out of my old softcover, but I'd take a look. It's certainly good-to-great work.

OCT150501 WALKING DEAD OMNIBUS HC VOL 06 (MR) $100.00
OCT150502 WALKING DEAD OMNIBUS HC VOL 06 S&N ED (MR) $150.00
I have a hunch that one reason that Walking Dead does better in prestige formats than most series isn't just its massive popularity but that for many of its fans it's one of a few, or maybe the only, comic series they follow. It's also starting to get convenient to collect them in one of these ways given how many comic books there have been.

JUL150372 TMNT HC KEVIN EASTMAN COVERS 2011 - 2015 $39.99
Get me drunk in a bar -- a little bit drunk, I'm old now and that just gets sad -- and I will tell you that Kevin Eastman is his generation's Joe Shuster. Actually, I don't have much more to say than that simple declaration but it's fun to drink with me a bar so please don't let this spoil any efforts on your part to ply me alcohol. I like looking at Eastman's work, though, what of it there is, so I'd definitely take a look at this one.

OCT150490 CHEW OMNIVORE ED HC VOL 05 (MR) $34.99
I'm glad that Chew has maintained its audience over the years, although what I've read of it is in comic book form.

AUG151854 ABADDON GN $24.99
JUL151447 ALPHA HC (KNOCKABOUT) $53.99
This is the kind of week we're talking about here: these are two really good projects, from Koren Shadmi and Jens Harder, that could go top of post any old time. If your comic shop carries both, walk right up and thank the owners, that's a wonderful comic shop. And remember that they are there so you can go back and take a look when there's less of a giant holiday over your head.

SEP151348 COMPLETE PEANUTS TP BOX SET 1955-1958 $39.99
SEP151347 COMPLETE PEANUTS TP VOL 04 1957-1958 $22.99
SEP151343 DISNEY MICKEY MOUSE BOX SET HC VOL 07 & 08 $49.99
SEP151342 DISNEY MICKEY MOUSE HC VOL 08 TOMORROW WARS $34.99
SEP151350 PEANUTS EVERY SUNDAY HC BOX SET 1950 $79.99
OCT151452 PRINCE VALIANT HC VOL 12 1959-1960 $34.99
OCT151402 MOOMINMAMMAS MAID GN $9.95
Great old comics created from a variety of perspectives and sets of values and published with that same kind of range in terms of options and formats and series arrangements. I find that thrilling; we don't talk about that a lot, but the idea of these great publishers curating these great comics shouldn't feel like a bunch of homework that you have to do at some point. I love all these comics right now for the way they read right now, even Prince Valiant, and I hated that dude for 20 years.

SEP151199 GRIMJACK OMNIBUS TP $39.99
I'd look at this, and I enjoyed some of these comics as a kid for sure, but I'm listing it here just to make note of this week's feeling in a series of feelings I get that sometimes the comics industry is solely oriented towards dudes my age.

OCT151078 IRENE GN VOL 05 $15.00
This is an anthology with an international flavor, from Hic and Hock through Alternative Comics. The artists listed on their web site are "Pat Barrett, Jon Chad, Mark Connery, d.w., Fdz, Luke Healy, Dakota McFadzean, Fouad Mezher, Dave Ortega, D. Rinylo, Emanuel (Manny) Schongut, Bailey Sharp, R. Sikoryak, James The Stanton, Andy Warner, and Lindsay Watson." That's a fine bunch of cartoonists (and three I don't know). I would certainly take a look at this one on the stands.

OCT151449 VIOLENZIA & OTHER DEADLY AMUSEMENTS GN $16.99
This is from the great Richard Sala and I believe collects recent shorter work, including two comics starring the name-in-the-title character. Sala draws like nobody's business right now, and reading his comics disconnected from his recent, ruthless worldview as seems to come out in the longer works might force a reappraisal.

AUG151388 JUGGLER OF OUR LADY CLASSIC CHRISTMAS STORY HC $12.95
God bless you, Dover. This is a timely work in that it's seasonal, and it's a good one. I'd have to see it to know if I want it, but the idea behind publishing it is aces.

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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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