This Isn’t A Library: Notable Releases To The Comics Direct Market



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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OCT111193 KRAMERS ERGOT HC VOL 08 (MR) $32.95
The alt-comics release of the week; the release of the week generally. I imagine that some people will see this latest issue as a sign of the publication's maturity and lament the time when it felt more cutting edge. I just think it's a lot of really compelling cartoonists doing work in one place. I liked this issue a lot.

OCT110341 JOHN ROMITA AMAZING SPIDER-MAN ARTIST ED HC PI
This doesn't have a price, but I assume it's pretty expensive. I really like this series of oversized books featuring original art, and John Romita is super-flattered by the treatment of his work in this volume. It's also just a solid, primetime, Lee/Romita-era Spider-Man collection, drawing deep from the heart of that period when Peter Parker interacted with campus radicals and outsized local crime figures and generally looked handsome between moments of trying to convince his super-pretty girlfriend he wasn't a scaredy-cat (when we know full well he isn't; he's Spider-Man!). I'm not sure if he wears an arm sling in any of these particular issues, but it feels like he should have.

NOV118137 FATALE #1 VAR CVR 2ND PTG (MR) $3.50
DEC110551 FATALE #2 (MR) $3.50
NOV110047 DARK HORSE PRESENTS #8 DONALDSON VAR CVR $7.99
NOV110046 DARK HORSE PRESENTS #8 FEGREDO CVR $7.99
NOV110798 SERGIO ARAGONES FUNNIES #7 $3.50
These were the individual comic books that made an impression on me from this week's list of releases. The Fatale is the Brubaker/Phillips comics mixing noir and horror elements. The Brubaker/Phillips comics are pretty thoughtful conceived; they included text pieces and Brubaker's comics are pretty meaty in the first place; they always feel like a good off-the-stands bargain, if you know what I mean. The Dark Horse Presents title has been intriguing in that it seems to skew older in a less apologetic way than publications of that type tend to skew. I think there's a place for a publication like that on the stands, and I think if I were less involved in terms of staring at comics I'd be super-grateful for DHP's ability to gather a lot of a specific kind of comics-making into one place.

OCT110062 ARCHIE ARCHIVES HC VOL 04 $49.99
OCT110429 MADMAN 20TH ANNIVERSARY MONSTER HC $100.00
What the super-rich folks are buying this week, along with the Romita. As always, I'm not exactly sure what distinguishes this particular collection of Archie material from other program out there, but I would certainly look at it were I in a store. I think the Madman book collects a lot of the fellow-professional art that's appeared in the various comics over the years, both comics and pin-ups. My interest in Madman is pretty limited, but I have friends for whom the series is a comics touchstone, so an expensive edition sounds about right to me in terms of matching fan to book.

NOV110209 XOMBI TP $14.99
I lost track of this one after a first issue that was mailed to what I'm guessing is DC's biggest press list (meaning I got one). Frazer Irving is always worth a look, and having a trade show up in your shop is a time-honored way of reacquainting yourself with a series, even if it's just to make a mental note to buy the individual issues when they hit the dollar box.

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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 on me. I apologize.

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