This Isn’t A Library: Notable Releases Into The 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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APR141202 PIRATES I/T HEARTLAND HC VOL 01 CLAY WILSON (MR) $34.99
S. Clay Wilson is one of the key dozen figures of 20th Century writers and Patrick Rosenkranz is one of the five authoritative writers about 20th Century comics, working totally in his wheelhouse. That's some cover, too.

APR141230 SHACKLETON ANTARCTIC ODYSSEY GN $16.99
The latest in a flurry of comics from Nick Bertozzi, profiling the kind of quirky but larger than life character that seems to fit perfectly into what First Second provides the market.

FEB140009 FRANK MILLERS BIG DAMN SIN CITY HC $100.00
FEB140102 TARZAN BURNE HOGARTHS LORD OF JUNGLE HC $49.99
Two giant reprints from sometimes-difficult industry figures and idiosyncratic stylists. I am not the audience for either book, but I'd look at them were they in my shop.

APR140016 GOON ONE FOR THE ROAD ONESHOT $3.50
MAR140578 INVINCIBLE #112 $2.99
APR140481 OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #1 (MR) $2.99
APR148258 SAGA #19 2ND PTG (MR) $2.99
APR140593 SAGA #20 (MR) $2.99
APR140595 SEX #14 (MR) $2.99
APR140611 TREES #2 (MR) $2.99
APR140640 ORIGINAL SIN #3.1 $3.99
APR148318 LUMBERJANES #2 (2ND PTG) $3.99
A big bunch of serial genre comics. Eric Powell was down at HeroesCon, one guesses in support of this new Goon book, kind of squarely between that period where there's a surge of interest that drives authors to Eisner awards and that period of re-appreciation. Invincible is going through one of its periodic cycles of super-bloody faces, pulped supporting characters and apocalypses. I'm going to guess that the Kirkman-written exorcism book Outcast outsold Invincible by a wide margin and Walking Dead by a narrow one. Saga remains a super-popular book, now in its second major cycle after a brief hiatus. Sex and Trees feature two veteran writers working with much younger authors exploring landscapes that are quarter-turn twists on established concepts. I would stop by that Original Sin comic long enough to be confused by that weird numbering. Lumberjanes looks like a hit, or BOOM! is terrible at print runs.

APR148351 COWL #1 2ND PTG (MR) $3.50
APR140562 COWL #2 (MR) $3.50
This was sort of an interesting read in that I couldn't tell what its value was beyond unpacking its central idea: unionized mid-20th Century superheroes. That's more than enough for a lot of folks. I'm not even suggesting that it's executed poorly, I just can't figure out what's there.

FEB140260 INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US HC VOL 02 $19.99
MAR140265 INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US TP VOL 01 $14.99
APR140247 INJUSTICE GODS AMONG US YEAR TWO #6 $2.99
This stuff was bonkers, a video game superhero vs. superhero (mostly; I think) given a comic book backstory. One one hand, it's icky. On the other, it has the energy of stuff actually happening to those sometimes dull DC characters.

APR140364 MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDS FOREVER TP VOL 01 $17.99
APR140362 MY LITTLE PONY FRIENDSHIP IS MAGIC #20 $3.99
I might pull this trigger this week.

MAY141400 BARNABY HC VOL 02 $39.99
If this isn't the best book you read this week by a wide margin, you had a goddamn great week. I'm astonished by how good this run of strips was.

APR141310 SMURFS GN VOL 18 FINANCE SMURF $5.99
APR141311 SMURFS HC VOL 18 FINANCE SMURF $10.99
NBM has done well with these books, which they always release in two format in a way counter-intuitive to the collectibles market. Good for them. I know most people my age would like these printed at a larger size, but most people my age isn't the audience they're pursuing.

APR140824 RITUAL THREE VILE DECAY (MR) $6.95
Stand-alone science fiction from a really interesting cartoonist. I'm there.

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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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