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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AUG151473 GAHAN WILSON OUT THERE TP $29.99
Gahan Wilson is a master cartoonist with a long and distinguished career and everything he does is of interest. This one looks fun.

JUN151479 ARIOL GN BOX SET VOL 4-6 $38.99
OCT151593 ARIOL SC VOL 07 $12.99
I'm a big fan of Ariol, and am delighted to see another volume. Creators Emmanuel Guibert and Marc Boutavant do something that only great little-kid cartoonists like Charles Schulz and Los Bros Hernandes achieve on a regular basis: they invest their little-kid comics with an emotional seriousness without overwhelming the plot or even really the tone. If you have to buy them in box-set form, you'll enjoy them that way, too.

OCT150057 LOBSTER JOHNSON GLASS MANTIS ONE SHOT $3.99
AUG150532 EAST OF WEST #23 $3.50
SEP150508 LAZARUS #21 (MR) $3.50
MAY150518 MORNING GLORIES #49 (MR) $4.99
OCT150787 SQUADRON SUPREME #2 $3.99
Not a lot of individual comic books caught my attention this week. I'm always happy to read something from the Mignola-verse. East of West is a lot of fun as it seems a grand execution of writer Jonathan Hickman's preferences as a comic scriptwriter, devoid of the needs and interferences that might come with a name publisher. I enjoy Lazarus whenever I read it, that's a pretty high-quality effort. Morning Glories getting close to its 50th issues is really the only thing I undersand about that early hit for the resurgent Image of a few years back. I try to read them whenever I see them. Squadron Supreme I note as an early-series issue that isn't a #1; Marvel doesn't have one of those this week, which makes me think they might be either far into or potentially done with its latest revival siege. Also, I really like Thundra.

JUL150118 BPRD NEON SIGN $99.99
I was confused as to what collection this was and in what format, and then a quick google search says this is an actual neon sign. Comics!

NOV151127 COMPLETE FUNKY WINKERBEAN HC VOL 04 1981-1983 $45.00
Tom Batiuk's strip gets a lot of grief for some of the downer comics it has facilitated in recent years, but I enjoy reading chunks of it when I can and I certainly think it has historical value as a measure of life as lived. I'd love to see some of these books.

NOV151123 COPRA TP ROUND THREE (MR) $19.95
This is I believe a Bergen Street Press effort, which is noteworthy in that it's a way we're going to get a taste of what that late store had to offer by reading the books they help make possible. Michel Fiffe has enjoyed a lot of success with an idiosyncratic take on familiar superhero types, which is impressive when you think of how many people do just that kind of book and how quickly 90 percent of them roar down obsolescence highway and into total obscurity, never to be seen again. The individual comics of this are so fun I can't imagine too many folks preferring the trades, but not all of us get everything for which we wish.

JUN151477 SMURFS AND FRIENDS HC $19.99
I think this is a build on the success Papercutz has had with the Smurfs volumes to allow readers an entry point into some of the less successful series of this type they publish. For the rest of us it's just a nice gift-style volume with multiple features of the kind that can lead to a supplementary purchase if a kid loves one over another.

AUG150078 ASTRO BOY OMNIBUS TP VOL 02 $19.99
JUL150115 KUROSAGI CORPSE DELIVERY SERVICE OMNIBUS ED TP BOOK 02 $19.99
SEP151477 VINLAND SAGA GN VOL 07 $22.99
It's handsomely-mounted popular manga series week! I really like the Omnibus set-up as a place for patient, thriftier readers to get on board with some of these comics.

NOV141326 FRANK THORNE RED SONJA ART ED DLX SGN HC VOL 01 $350.00
I have no idea to whom this might be aimed, but I feel like it's important that I recognize there is a market for a book like this one still. I really enjoy Frank Thorne's art, although I thought it really didn't cohere until way late in his career and that probably doesn't include any of this material.

OCT150402 COMPLETE LITTLE ORPHAN ANNIE HC VOL 12 $49.99
I love Little Orphan Annie to an irrational degree, favoring to a great extent the reputation-making Great Depression material while enjoying Harold Gray's approach to art throughout. It's unbelievable to me that we have a dozen gigantic volumes of this material out there for purchase, although the price point explains how this is possible. I will lose myself in Gray's oppressive use of space and follow along with one of the great all-ages protagonists until the end of my days.

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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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