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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SEP151585 WHITE BOY IN SKULL VALLEY COMP SUNDAYS 1933-1936 HC $75.00
This is one I've been looking forward to seeing for a long, long time. I hope my store carried it because I didn't have the cash to order it direct from Sunday Press Books. Garrett Price's strip has been one of the most-purchases for comics readers generation since we started at a few installments

SEP150937 TEST TUBE GN (MR) $14.95
This is a book I don't know about at all, but was recently the subject of a solid and compelling Anya Davidson write-up over at TCJ. A lot of us were introduced to Carlos Gonzalez' work through this profile by Matthew Thurber. Books like these are a solid argument not to do your damn top books list until you see and read all of the year's books.

OCT150506 AUTUMNLANDS TOOTH & CLAW #8 (MR) $2.99
OCT150517 HUCK #2 CVR A ALBUQUERQUE $3.50
OCT150518 HUCK #2 CVR B ALBUQUERQUE $3.50
OCT150537 INVINCIBLE #126 $2.99
SEP150598 SEX #26 (MR) $2.99
OCT150549 WICKED & DIVINE #17 CVR A MCKELVIE & WILSON (MR) $3.50
OCT150550 WICKED & DIVINE #17 CVR B GRAHAM (MR) $3.50
SEP158870 HOWARD THE DUCK #1 LIM GWENPOOL SKETCH 2ND PTG VAR $4.99
SEP158869 HOWARD THE DUCK #1 QUINONES 2ND PTG VAR $4.99
OCT150783 SQUADRON SUPREME #1 $3.99
OCT150789 STARBRAND AND NIGHTMASK #1 $3.99
OCT150793 WEIRDWORLD #1 $3.99
OCT151257 LUMBERJANES #21 $3.99
This seems to me a relatively light week in terms of big hits but a reasonably heavy one in terms of a lot of comic book format comics projects of note. The pacing in that Autumnlands book is really interesting because not a lot seems to happen on the page but the narrative propels itself forward in leaps and bounds. Huck seems like another Millar project that's more notes for a film project as opposed to a vigorously executed work; it just seems undercooked. I think it's reasonably popular thus far. Invincible is the last issue until a third of next year is gone. I'm continuing to read Sex for its somber 1980s-style world building. Wicked & Divine I enjoy reading quite a bit, although sometimes I get lost a bit in that one; which is generally good, you don't want every comic completely understandable plot-wise at all time by disinterested goofballs. I've read two of the new Howard The Duck issues and enjoyed the second one quite a bit. I still don't know how Howard works as an everyman these days. Here are three more comics in the Marvel definitely not a line-wide reboot effort that's been going on, god, like eight to ten weeks. It's hard for me to believe that the Starbrand and Nightmask title has a big audience out there for it, but that's one thing with mainstream comics: those that don't hit the formula right on the head you admire for the reasons they might struggle. It's been a three-year period now of some distinct surprises, too. And hey, the Lumberjanes.

OCT150327 JEM & THE HOLOGRAMS HOLIDAY SPECIAL $3.99
There's one listing every week that gets me all Lee Greenwood about comics, and this week it's this one. It's a wonderful, dumb thing we live in a world of wonderful, dumb things.

OCT150359 STAR TREK THE JOHN BYRNE COLLECTION TP $34.99
I'm not familiar with all of Byrne's work with the Star Trek but I enjoyed the 50-60 pages I've seen. I wonder if this is due a Marvel-style relaunch attempt at some point, although I suppose some would argue that the Abrams-era Star Trek comics have that quality already.

AUG158489 LCSD 2015 BITCH PLANET HC (MR) PI
I thought LCSD would stand for something far more cool than the Local Comic Shop Day promotion, but I like that promotion okay and certainly anything with the Bitch Planet name on it has to be paid attention to in order to understand the market right now.

SEP151460 ATTACK ON TITAN GN VOL 17 $10.99
SEP151461 ATTACK ON TITAN GN VOL 17 SPECIAL ED WITH DVD $19.99
OCT151811 DOROHEDORO GN VOL 17 (MR) $12.99
OCT151822 EMMA HC GN VOL 03 $35.00
Your popular manga volumes of the week, or at least what popped for me at first glance. Markedly different collection strategies are in evidence. I don't read any of these series, although I'll eventually catch up with all three, Emma first.

OCT151188 GRAMPA SIMPSONS CHOOSE YOUR OWN ADVENTURE #1 $3.99
Again, that's a marvelous title. A book like that is the offspring of structural comics culture, which makes it more hilarious.

OCT151563 THIEVES AND KINGS GN VOL 01 ONE PEACE BOOKS ED $19.95
This is a print collection of cartoonist Mark Oakley's fantasy series, I believe as a webcomics with print collections from the old days of it being a Sim-Strategy self-published series. If there was an Internet back when Oakley first appeared on the scene the way there's one now, I'd be fascinated with how it would have treated the cartoonist. I would say that a lot of the public confession stuff is a distant memory, and Oakley's reputation can be figure out in a brand-new context.

OCT151521 HOT JAZZ MAX ZILLON & ALTO EGO GN (KNOCKABOUT) $18.95
Hunt Emerson is one of the ten most visually appealing cartoonists of our collective lifetimes, and you should probably want to own one of his books. I think I have a mid 1990s version that encompasses much of this material, but I'd be happy to buy it again.

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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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