Click the full post link below for a tentative list of titles due to ship next week.
(Remember: New comics are delayed by one day this week due to May Day Bank Holiday!)
Agents Of Atlas #4 Dark Reign
Alias Ultimate Collection TP Book 1
Amazing Spider-Man #593
Angel Blood And Trenches #3
Army Of Darkness #20
Astonishing Tales #4
Astro City The Dark Age Book Three #1 (Of 4)
Authority #10
Bang Tango #4 (Of 6)
Batman Battle For The Cowl The Network #1
Boys #30
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #25
Cable #14 X-Men Messiah War
Cerebus Archive #1
Daredevil Noir #2 (Of 4)
Dead Romeo #2 (Of 6)
Deadpool #10 DKR
Destroyer #2 (Of 5)
Essential Spider-Man TP Vol 9
Exiles #2
Fantastic Four TP True Story
Farscape Strange Detractors #2 (Of 4)
Fin Fang Four Return #1
Final Crisis Aftermath Run #1 (Of 6)
Flash Presents Mercury Falling TP
Flash Rebirth #2 (Of 5)
Four Eyes #3
Gigantic #4 (Of 5)
Great Unknown #2 (Of 5)
Green Arrow Black Canary League Of Their Own TP
Groom Lake #2
Hulk Broken Worlds #2 (Of 2)
Human Torch Comics #1 70th Anniver Special
Impaler #3
Invincible Iron Man #13 Dark Reign
Irredeemable #2
Jersey Gods #4
Jonah Hex #43
Killer Of Demons #3 (Of 3)
Kull #6 (Of 6)
Life And Times Of Savior 28 #2
Marvel Spotlight New Mutants
Marvel Zombies 4 #2 (Of 4)
Mighty #4
New Avengers Reunion #3 (Of 4) Dark Reign
New Mutants #1
Official Index To Marvel Universe #5
Point Blank TP New Ed
Power Girl #1
Prototype #2 (Of 6)
Seaguy The Slaves Of Mickey Eye #2 (Of 3)
Secret Warriors #4 DKR
Solomon Grundy #3 (Of 7)
Spawn Origins TP Vol 1
Star Trek Crew #3
Strange Adventures #3 (Of 8)
Supergirl Cosmic Adventures In The 8th Grade #6 (Of 6)
Superman World Of New Krypton #3 (Of 12)
Terror Inc Apocalypse Soon #1 (Of 5)
Trinity #49
Ultimate Spider-Man #132
Universal War One Revelations #2 (Of 3)
Walking Dead #61
War Of Kings #3 (Of 6)
Warlord #2
Witchblade Annual 2009
X-Men First Class Finals #4 (Of 4)
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Due to Arrive 08/05/09
The Gosh! Authority 29/04/09
Hello there! Andrew here again, one last oh-so brief time before Hayley returns to these balmy shores. I hope you enjoyed the return of young Master Hardy last week. He’s back off to better himself in York at some high-falutin’ schoolin’ place. Like there’s anything Gosh! couldn’t teach you!
So, in case you haven’t heard the news, this Saturday sees two of comics’ most luminescent luminaries taking up a brief residence in our basement to celebrate the release of one of the year’s most anticipated books. Yes, none other than ALAN MOORE and KEVIN O’NEILL will be signing downstairs at Gosh! on Saturday 2nd May, from 2pm – 5pm, scribbling their names across copies of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: 1910. We’ve especially air-freighted some copies of the book to have on sale the day of the signing (its expected UK-wide release date is now late May). These may be purchased on the day, but please note that we only have a limited number, so we cannot take reservations ahead of time. In addition, those who come in on the day will be limited to 2 copies per person. We wish we didn’t have to make these restrictions, but we want to make sure everyone who comes down can get a copy. So get yourself down to Gosh! on Saturday and join in the excitement!
In other less exciting but still pretty spiffy news, we’ve got the first issue of the new Atomic Robo mini-series this week. Atomic Robo: The Shadow From Beyond Time sees everybody’s favourite Tesla creation going all Cthulhu, as our titular hero receives a warning from the paranormal team-supreme of HP Lovecraft and Charles Fort; a warning which could herald the end of the world. Atomic Robo is a great book, filled with tongue in cheek action and slick, clean art. Each new series is an improvement on the last, and given the level of quality so far, that’s saying something. Check it out.
So, it would be fair to say that when a comics company does some kind of last-minute spin-off of an ongoing event they often don’t splash out on their top-draw talent. I don’t think that’s out of line to say, do you? 
Well, I’m pleased to say that this week’s Dark Reign: Cabal breaks the Jimmy McNoname & Danny MacNotalent rule by bringing on some of the best that Marvel has to offer. This one-shot, exploring the motivations of the members of Norman “Of Course You Would Trust Me” Osborne’s villainous Cabal, has some serious creative chops. Do the names Kieron Gillen, Matt Fraction, Jonathan Hickman, Rick Remender and Peter Milligan do anything for you? And that’s just the writers. Check out this preview for some pretty, pretty pictures.
Garth Ennis has been seriously on-game lately. His ongoing series The Boys and Crossed, while not to the tender tastes of everyone, have been always entertaining at least. Meanwhile his dramatic voice is as strong as it’s ever been, evidenced best in his series of 3-issue war stories, Battlefields. The latest of these, Tankies, debuts this week, featuring the always welcome Carlos Ezquerra on art duties. The story follows a fractious tank squad during the Battle of Normandy as they push through the hedgerows and forests of the Normandy countryside in a gruelling war of attrition.
Kyle Baker is an underappreciated genius. It’s a fact. If you want testament to that, take a gander at this week’s Modern Masters volume spotlighting the writer/artist, who is responsible for such classics as Why I Hate Saturn, The Cowboy Wally Show and Nat Turner. Versatile, unpredictable and probably the best comics artist whose work you haven’t really seen. For an introduction to the man and his work, you could do a lot worse than picking up this book-length interview, including sketches, an 8 page colour section and truckloads of previously unseen commissions and other artworks.
Rasl is in! It’s been a while since we last saw Jeff Smith’s dimension-hopping anti-hero, and those who are keeping up will be excited to see this new issue. Those who haven’t hopped aboard yet, take the opportunity to pick up the softcover collection of the first three issues and get yourselves up to speed. If you need further convincing, take a look at this preview. It’s bloody gorgeous!
That rascally Sherlock Holmes is all over the place lately! This week sees Leah Moore and John Reppion throw their deerstalker into the ring with the first issue of their new ongoing series from Dynamite. Promising “refined ambiance, carefully crafted mystery and chilling suspense”, it’s all wrapped up under a striking John Cassady cover and should be worth a peek.
And in a general round-up of the week:
- I’d be remiss not to do my standard bit of Kirkman-pimping by mentioning the second trade collection of the entertaining Astounding Wolfman.
- Phonogram 2 #2? Nuff said!
- Uncanny X-Men continues Matt Fraction’s increasingly excellent run on the title. Seriously, he’s going from strength to strength and it’s quickly becoming a must-read.
- The Great Fables Crossover continues in The Literals, Willingham & Sturges’ 3-issue mini starring the literary god-like figures from Jack of Fables.
- Matt Fraction (that guy again) wrote some fantastic Thor stories in the last year or so, mythologically charged one-shots exploring the Thunder-God’s history. They’re collected this week in the highly recommended Thor: Ages of Thunder HC.
- Paul Jenkins and John McCrea head back to WWII with Captain America Theater of War: A Brother in Arms, the latest in a series of wartime one-shots starring Sassy Steve Rogers.
- The new Torchwood TP Rift War collects comics from the best-selling magazine and features people you like! That’s Paul Grist (Jack Staff), Ian Edginton and D'Israeli (Scarlet Traces), and Simon Furman (Transformers). Hot diggity.
Every now and then we pop up a few posts throughout the week which I’d be remiss not to point you toward. This week we had Tusslin’ Tom Hardy talkin’ turkey about Darwyn Cooke’s Richard Stark’s Donald Westlake’s Parker! We had Wily Will Kane waxing wonderfully about Wednesday Comics! And last but most definitely not least, we announced our brand new exclusive Gosh! bookplate for none other than our ubiquitous friend and his absolutely stunning graphically novelised Sherlock Holmes The Hound of the Baskervilles! Ian Edginton and Culbard have seriously outdone themselves with this book, folks. Get your reservations in now before all the tourists snap ‘em up!
We’d like to give a shout this week to Alex Fitch over at Panel Borders, who quietly does a great job promoting our humble medium. His Resonance FM podcasts are well worth listening to, including interviews with many of the field’s top creative talents. Have a pour through the site for the likes of Alan Moore, Garth Ennis, Eddie Campbell and loads more! This week he’s appearing in person at Sci-Fi London film festival and here’s what he’s up to:
On Thursday 30th at 9pm (that’s tomorrow, folks) he’s interviewing Kevin O'Neill about his work on stage, followed by a screening of Hardware (1990) based on his 2000AD short story Shok! Then on Friday 31st at 9pm following a screening of The City of Lost Children (1995), he’s interviewing co-director Marc Caro about his career so far in film and as a bande dessinée creator (with translation by Virginie Sélavy).
On Saturday 1st May there are various panels including:
The Rise Of Steampunk Subculture 12:30PM
Stephen Hunt, Chris Wooding, Bryan Talbot, Paul Duffield
Comics as Sci-Fi Literature 2:30PM
Bryan Talbot, Paul Duffield, Paul Cornell, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey
Robots and reality 5:15PM
Tony Balantyne, Oisin McGann, Daniel Merlin Goodbrey
Alex is chairing the middle one. All events are at the Apollo Piccadilly Cinema, 19 Lower Regent Street. Go have a look at their site!
And lastly, just a reminder that while you’re sunning yourself this coming weekend, sipping martinis on your wonderful Monday bank holiday, make sure you remember that next week’s comics will be shipping on FRIDAY. That’s Friday 8th May, with everything out on the shelves from 10am as per normal. Those who come in Thursday can expect naught more than a pat on the shoulder and perhaps some idle chit-chat about the weather.
-- Andrew
In Store 24/04/09 - 30/04/09
Click the full post link below for a list of items in store this week.
Betty & Veronica Double Digest #170
2000 AD #1633
Judge Dredd Megazine #284
Airboy 1942 Best Enemies
Amber Atoms #3
Anita Blake Prem HC Book 1
Apes & Babes Art Of Frank Cho HC
Astounding Wolf Man TP Vol 2
Astounding Wolf-Man #15
Atomic Robo: Shadow From Beyond Time #1 (Of 5)
Avengers Invaders #10 (Of 12)
Marvel Masterworks Avengers TP Vol 1
Batcave Companion SC
Batman Battle For The Cowl: The Underground One-Shot
Batman Gotham After Midnight #12 (Of 12)
Garth Ennis Battlefields Tankies #1
Battlestar Galactica Cylon War #4 (Of 4)
Buck Danny Volume 1 Night Of The Serpent SC
Captain America Theater Of War: A Brother In Arms One-Shot
Cinema Retro #14
Comics Journal #296
Conan The Cimmerian #10
Dark Avengers #4
Dark Reign: The Cabal One-Shot
Daybreak GN Vol 3
Disney's Ducktales Gold Odyssey TP
Doctor Jekyll And Mister Hyde GN
Dr Doom Masters Of Evil #4 (Of 4)
Draw #17
Enders Game Battle School #5 (Of 5)
Far West Bad Mojo #2 (Of 2)
Farscape D'Argo's Lament #1 (Of 4)
Female Force #3 Michelle Obama
Final Crisis Legion Of Three Worlds #4
Fringe #4 (Of 6)
Gears Of War #6
GI Joe Origins #3
Grailpages SC
Green Lantern #40
Green Lantern Chronicles TP Vol 1
Green Lantern Sinestro Corps War TP Vol 1
Guardians Of Galaxy Prem HC Earth Shall Overcome
House Of M TP Civil War
Marvel Masterworks Human Torch HC Vol 2
Invincible HC Vol 4
Ultimate Iron Man TP Vol 2
Jack Kirby Collector #52
Jellaby GN Vol 2 Jellby In The City
Jungle Girl Season 2 #4 (Of 5)
Justice Society Of America #26
Kabuki Reflections #13
Literals #1 (Of 3) (B. Willingham)
Little Lulu TP Vol 19 Alamo & Other Stories
Lucky Luke Volume 16 The Black Hills SC
Mad Magazine #500
Madame Xanadu #10
Madman Atomic Comics #15
Manhunter TP Vol 5 Forgotten
Marvel 70th Anniversary Celebration TP
Marvel Adventures Avengers #35
Marvel Assistant-Size Spectacular #2 (Of 2)
Marvel Previews May 2009
Masquerade #3
Modern Masters Vol 20: Kyle Baker SC
Mr Universe One-Shot
Ms Marvel #38 DKR
Nova #24
Phonogram 2 #2 (Of 7) Singles Club
Previews #248 May 2009
Project Superpowers TP Vol 1
Queen & Country Definitive Ed TP Vol 4
RASL #4 (Jeff Smith)
Red Sonja #43
Resurrection TP Vol 1
Rising Stars Compendium TP
Runaways 3 #9
Second Thoughts GN
Sherlock Holmes #1
Skaar #10
Spawn #191
Amazing Spider-Man Family #5
Spider-Man Spider-Woman TP Digest
Ultimate Spider-Man TP Book 2
Star Wars Legacy #35 Storms Part 2
Milton Caniff's Steve Canyon 1955 TP
Absolute Superman For Tomorrow HC
Superman #687
Superman Batman #59
Supernatural Rising Son TP
Supreme Power Prem HC Powers & Principalities
Teen Titans #70
Ten Cent Plague SC
Thor HC Ages Of Thunder (M. Fraction)
Thunderbolts #131 DKR
Timestorm 2009 2099 #1 (Of 4)
Torchwood #15
Trinity #48
Ultimate Collection
Unknown Soldier #7
War Machine #5 DKR
Witchblade #126
Wizard Mag #212
Wonder Woman #31
Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk #5 (Of 6)
New Exiles TP Vol 3 Enemy Within
Uncanny X-Men #509 (M. Fraction)
X-Men Origins Wolverine #1
X-Men Prem HC Proteus
MANGA
Path Of The Assassin TP Vol 15 Bad Blood Part 2
Monday, April 27, 2009
The Game’s Afoot Watson!
The creative behind Eye Classic’s ‘The Picture of Dorian Gray’ adaptation are back with ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’, the first book in a series adapting the complete Sherlock Holmes stories into graphic novel form.
Scintillatingly scribed by comics’ busiest man Ian Edginton who, in a few short years, has made quite a name for himself; both in the U.S. with runs on ‘Batman’, ‘Blade’, ‘X-Force’ and ‘Aliens’ and the U.K with such 2000AD serials as ‘Red Seas’ and ‘Stone Island’.
However, it is for his collaborations with fellow Brit Matt ‘D’Israeli’ Brooker; ‘Leviathan’, ‘Stickleback’, ‘Kingdom of the Wicked’ and the‘Scarlet Traces’ trilogy that he is most renowned.
Dazzingly drawn by animator Ian Culbard whose many cereal commercials have graced many a British teatime T.V. screen.
Culbard’s Ligne Claire stylings; reminescent of Edgar P. Jacobs, Yves Chaland and Rian Hughes, provide the perfect accompaniment to Edgington’s adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s text.
Holmes enthusiasts will be pleased and relieved by Edginton & Culbard’s back-to-basics approach, retaining the authentic tone and character of Conan Doyle’s original stories; hence no bumbling Doctor Watson nor deer stalker as added in later cinema and theatre versions.
To celebrate and further promote the release of their new tome Messrs Culbard and Edginton have kindly provided GOSH! with this beautiful colour bookplate, imagining a very Victorian GOSH! exterior.
The signed and numbered bookplate edition is limited to 200 copies.
Wednesday Comics or: “Why you can’t wait for the trade!”
The brainchild of DC art director Mark Chiarello (editor on ‘Batman: Black & White’, DC: The New Frontier’ and ‘Solo’) ‘WEDNESDAY COMICS’ (or 'Thursday Comics' as it should be known in the UK) is a Broadsheet-sized weekly title featuring a stellar line-up of comic’s finest creators, including Paul Pope, Neil Gaiman, Mike Allred, Kyle Baker, Joe Kubert and Eduardo Risso; plus hot new talents Ben Caldwell, Joe Quiñones and Sean “Cheeks” Galloway!
Metamorpho by Neil Gaiman & Mike Allred. In the style of old-fashioned U.S. newspaper ‘Sunday Comics’ format, each copy of this 12 issue series features sixteen 14" x 20" pages (folded to 7” x 10” normal comic size) making it the "Kramers Ergot # 7" of the DCU (I can't wait for the 'Absolute Edition') and all for only £2.90.
That’s the equivalent of 64 normal sized comic pages for the price of an issue of ‘Dark Avengers’.
Hawkman by Kyle Baker.Given the sheer scale of the individual pages, ‘Wednesday Comics’ is highly unlikely to ever be collected in trade paperback format, indeed Chiarello’s previous project ‘SOLO’ has still yet to be collected two years after release, SO PLACE IT ON YOUR STANDING ORDER NOW!
Green Lantern by Kurt Busiek & Joe Quiñones.Here’s the full line-up:
• BATMAN, WEDNESDAY COMICS’ weekly cover feature, by the Eisner Award-winning 100 BULLETS team of writer Brian Azzarello and artist Eduardo Risso
• ADAM STRANGE, by writer/artist Paul Pope (BATMAN: YEAR 100)
• METAMORPHO, written by New York Times best-selling writer Neil Gaiman with art by Eisner Award-winner Michael Allred (Madman)
• THE DEMON AND CATWOMAN, written by Walter Simonson (Thor, MANHUNTER) with art by famed DC cover artist Brian Stelfreeze
• DEADMAN, written by Dave Bullock and Vinton Heuck, art by Dave Bullock
• KAMANDI, written by Dave Gibbons (WATCHMEN, GREEN LANTERN CORPS) with art by Ryan Sook (Buffy The Vampire Slayer, ARKHAM ASYLUM: LIVING HELL)
• SUPERMAN, written by John Arcudi (The Mask) with art by Lee Bermejo (JOKER)
• WONDER WOMAN, written and illustrated by Ben Caldwell (Dare Detectives)
• GREEN LANTERN, written by Kurt Busiek (TRINITY, ASTRO CITY) with art by Joe Quiñones (TEEN TITANS GO!)
• TEEN TITANS, written by Eddie Berganza with art by Sean Galloway
• SUPERGIRL, written by Jimmy Palmiotti (JONAH HEX) with art by Amanda Conner (POWER GIRL)
• HAWKMAN, written and illustrated by Kyle Baker (PLASTIC MAN, Special Forces)
• SGT. ROCK, written by Adam Kubert (SUPERMAN: LAST SON), illustrated by legendary comics artist Joe Kubert
• THE FLASH, written by Karl Kerschl (TEEN TITANS YEAR ONE, THE FLASH: THE FASTEST MAN ALIVE) and Brenden Fletcher, illustrated by Karl Kerschl
• METAL MEN, written by Dan DiDiot with art by Ian Churchill (SUPERGIRL)
Kamandi by Dave Gibbons & Ryan Sook.Friday, April 24, 2009
Darwyn Cooke's Stark Realisation
Darwyn Cooke, the ultra-talented creator of such mind-boggling hits as DC: The New Frontier, The Spirit and Catwoman: Selina's Big Score, is undoubtedly one of the most consistently inspiring and thrilling creators on the comics scene today. His gorgeous artwork, clear and inventive storytelling and his flat-out staggering sense of style makes even his every one-shot, guest-appearance and editorial a must-have.
Of course, this will be no surprise to Gosh! regulars, who will have seen our staff's numerous displays and showcases of his work, heard us refuse to shut up about him, and seen the stony-eyed gaze of contentment in our eyes on the days of his new releases. It's been a while since the most recent Cooke book emerged in the form of Jonah Hex #33, and we junkies here in the halls of Gosh! have been getting antsy, particularly back when it was revealed that his next big project was to be a series of adaptations of the quintessentially two-fisted Parker novels. The first four of them, to be precise! Starting from the top, those books are The Hunter (filmed as Point Blank, starring Lee Marvin), The Man With the Getaway Face (aka The Steel Hit), The Outfit and The Mourner.
With the aid of our own incredible Will Kane, we here at Gosh! have been slavering over every minor tidbit of information about this masterwork-to-come, from concept art to test covers to James Sime's teaseworthy images of the original pages, the anticipation has built and built. Only now, close to the book's release (July 14th in the States, fact-fans), do we begin to see our reward. The book's publisher, IDW, has just released a preview of the first chapter of the book on its official website, and it's looking like something very, very special indeed. Cooke conveys grit, clarity, character and atmosphere, and (despite the comic being based on a novel of that wordiest of genres, crime noir) manages to do all this almost completely wordlessly. Comic book storytelling, thy name is Cooke.
As for Parker himself, he's a perennial surname, a ruthless crook with a penchant for self-destruction, not to mention the destruction of those around him. He's the creation of veteran pulp writer Donald E. Westlake, writing under his pseudonym Richard Stark. As mentioned above, the Parker novels have already had their day in the media spotlight, with an excellent film adaptation in 1967 of this very first volume, under the title Point Blank. However, nobody in comics has yet had the stones to try and communicate this hardest-boiled of pulp villains in comics, until now. We, for one, can't wait.
For more Parker goodness check out the official blog. Stay tuned to this blog for more exciting developments just as soon as the artwork reaches our eager mitts...
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Alan Moore and Kevin O'Neill signing at Gosh! Comics on 2nd May, 2pm-5pm
It’s with a great deal of excitement that we here at Gosh! can now announce an upcoming appearance by two of Britain’s most revered and influential creators. Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill will be signing at Gosh! Comics on the 2nd May to celebrate the release of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: 1910!
Neither man should need any introduction: Moore the writer behind such towering works as Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell and Lost Girls; O’Neill the singular artistic genius who co-created Nemesis the Warlock and Marshal Law, along with helping to shape the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic, 2000AD. Together in 1999, the pair created one of their most enduring and loved collaborations: The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Ten years, two award-winning mini-series, an experimental interlude, and a shift of publisher later, the third volume is about to begin.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: 1910 begins a triptych of tales, each standing alone but together forming the backbone of a 216-page narrative spanning 1910-2008. Some familiar faces remain, but a number of new figures make their debut to the series, from gender-switching eternal warrior Orlando to gentlemen thief A J Raffles. With a first chapter themed around the Threepenny Opera – complete with Mack the Knife and Pirate Jenny – the return of the series doesn’t disappoint, leaving a thirst for further adventures to come.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: 1910 is an 80-page squarebound priced at an eminently reasonable £5.95, with 72 pages of comics and a serialised prose back-up: Minions of the Moon. The latter is a pastiche of classic moon tales, written in the style of 60’s new wave science fiction.
Messrs. Moore and O’Neill will be signing together in Gosh! at 39 Great Russell St, WC1B 3NZ, 2nd May, from 2pm-5pm. A strictly limited number of 500 copies of 1910 will be available on the day. These copies have been specially air-freighted over for this event, so we apologise, but we are unable to take any reservations whatsoever for signed copies of the book – these 500 early copies are going to be available exclusively on the day of the signing. As such, there will also sadly be a limit of 2 copies of the book per customer. 1910 will be on general release in the UK from late May.
For those craving a sneak-peek at this much anticipated series, an exhibition of original artwork from 1910 is now on display at Gosh!, where it will remain until the end of May. Don’t pass up this rare opportunity to see original art from one of the UK’s most original artists.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Due to Arrive 30/04/09
Click the full post link below for a tentative list of titles due to ship next week
Amazing Spider-Man Family #5
Amber Atoms #3
Astounding Wolf Man TP Vol 02
Astounding Wolf-Man #15
Atomic Robo Shadow From Beyond Time #1
Avengers Invaders #10 (Of 12)
Batcave Companion SC
Batman Battle For The Cowl The Underground #1
Batman Gotham After Midnight #12 (Of 12)
Battlestar Galactica Cylon War #4 (Of 4)
Captain America Brother In Arms
Cartoon Network Block Party #56
Castle Waiting Vol II #15
Cerebus Archive #1
Conan The Cimmerian #10
Dark Avengers #4
Dark Reign Cabal DKR
Dean Koontzs Nevermore #1 (Of 6)
Dr Doom Masters Of Evil #4 (Of 4)
Ender's Game Battle School #5 (Of 5)
Eureka Dormant Gene #1 (Of 4)
Farscape Dargos Lament #1 (Of 4)
Final Crisis Legion Of Three Worlds #4 (Of 5)
Four Eyes #3
Fringe #4 (Of 6)
Garth Ennis Battlefields Tankies #1
Gears Of War #6
Green Lantern #40
Green Lantern Chronicles TP Vol 01
Green Lantern Sinestro Corps War TP Vol 01
House Of M TP Civil War
Jans Atomic Heart
Justice Society Of America #26 Cover A
Kabuki Reflections #13
Literals #1 (Of 3)
Madame Xanadu #10
Madman Atomic Comics #15
Manhunter TP Vol 05 Forgotten
Marvel Adventures Avengers #35
Marvel Assistant Size Spectacular #2 (Of 2)
Masquerade #3
Modern Masters SC Vol 20 Kyle Baker
Ms Marvel #38 DKR
New Exiles TP Vol 03 Enemy Within
Ninja Baseball Kyuma GN Vol 01 (Of 3)
Nova #24
Path Of The Assassin TP Vol 15
Phonogram 2 #2 (Of 7) Singles Club
Previews #248 May 2009
Project Superpowers TP Vol 01
Proof #19
Queen & Country Definitive Ed TP Vol 04
Rasl #4
Resistance #5 (Of 6)
Resurrection TP Vol 01
Runaways 3 #9
Sherlock Holmes #1
Simpsons Classics #20
Skaar #10
Soulfire #9
Spawn #191
Spider-Man Spider-Woman TP Digest
Star Wars Legacy #35 Storms Pt 2 (Of 2)
Superman #687
Superman Batman #59
Supernatural Rising Son TP
Teen Titans #70
Thunderbolts #131 DKR
Trinity #48
Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection
Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk #5 (Of 6)
Uncanny X-Men #509
Unknown Soldier #7
War Machine #5 DKR
Witchblade #126
Witchblade Annual 2009
Wizard Mag #212
Wonder Woman #31
X-Men Origins Wolverine #1
The Gosh! Authority 23/04/09
Hello, Goshketeers! Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Tom’s back! Yes, it’s me, here as a special guest treat for just one week because I’m so desperately in need of the money.
In this humble guest blogger’s opinion, this week’s most exciting book is BPRD Vol 10: The Warning. This might, however, have a great deal to do with the fact that I’ve missed this most recent series of the ever-entertaining Hellboy spin-off in single issues, and I’m in desperate need of my fix. This could well prove to be the most thrilling instalment to date for the frog-busting freak brigade, as a host of old adversaries and dangers come to the fore all at once. We’ve got long-dead lobster-themed adventurers, we’ve got mummified Egyptian queens, we’ve got megalomaniac executives pledging their souls to the beasts of the underworld. In short: we’ve got everything you need in one slim volume.
Wait, let me try that paragraph again.
In this humble guest blogger’s opinion, this week’s most exciting book is Scalped Vol 4: The Gravel in Your Guts. This might, however, have a great deal to do with the fact that I’ve missed this most recent series of Jason Aaron’s excellent cop thriller in single issues, and I’m in desperate need of my fix. But seriously folks, if you’ve not heard us raving about Scalped before, you must have been living in a crawlspace somewhere. Either that or you’ve just become very good at blocking out the ramblings of comic shop employees. Scalped is one of those rare titles that seems to get everything right, from pacing to characterisation to RM Guéra’s beautiful artwork, and from what I hear, recent issues have been no exception.
So, Scalped’s the pick of the week. No, wait, BPRD. No, Scalped...
Well, never mind. Moving swiftly on, we’ve also got a much-anticipated new arrival in the form of Detective Comics #853, the second and final part of Neil Gaiman’s out-of-continuity tribute to Bruce Wayne’s epic tenure as The Bat-Man, Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Preview materials promise an ‘exciting and unexpected climax’, so look forward to that.
On the indie comics front, we’ve got a new Harvey Pekar joint emerging this week in the form of The Beats: A Graphic History. Pekar takes us through the life and times of a veritable cornucopia of bohemian poets of the 50s and 60s, from Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg to more obscure figures like Kenneth Patchen, alongside a number of small anecdotal tales by Pekar himself and some other writers. Most notably, famed singer/songwriter Jeffery Lewis provides words AND art for his own biography of publisher, writer and cartoonist Tuli Kupferberg.
On top of all this collected wonderment, we’ve also got the latest issues of a number of apparently fairly successful periodical comics. Kick-Ass #6, by a Mister Mark Millar, has apparently even been optioned to be turned into a Hollywood film! A big-budget film adaptation of a mere comic book story? What will they think of next. This sixth issue boasts yet more beautiful artwork from the pen of John Romita Jr and a conclusion to the tale of the titular teenage hero’s origin. There’s also a new issue of Robert Kirkman’s little-indie-superhero-book-that-could, Invincible, and the start of a new story from much-loved writer Peter Milligan in this month’s edition of Hellblazer, featuring art from the versatile Goran Sudzuka!
Another single issue well worth a look is Viking #1. I remember a while ago admiring the cover work of painter Nic Klein on such titles as New Warriors for Marvel, and now he arrives as a fully-formed pop-art demon in this, his first full series all to himself. Providing words to go in bubbles is Ivan Brandon, the co-writer of not-that-popular-but-really-cool Image series Cross Bronx, so this should be one to check out. At least, the comics retailing industry seems to think so, because this first issue already has a second printing on the way! Also out this week is Fantastic Force #1, written by the TV world’s Joe Ahearne. Can’t place the name? Well, he wrote the UK TV show Ultraviolet, and directed a few episodes of the modern Doctor Who. Odd, right? Well, he’s working for Marvel now, writing this new spin-off from Mark Millar’s current run on Fantastic Four.
In British-Isles-related news, we’ve also got some new compendia of 2000AD hits, including my own personal favourite Sinister Dexter, in the paperback Eurocrash, including the seminal tale of the duo’s bodyguard work at gang boss Demi Octavo’s wedding. Finally, for all you fans of classic British serial entertainment, we’ve got the latest set of adventures for everyone’s favourite femme fatale, Modesty Blaise.
Well, it’s been a pleasure to be back, but soon you’ll be returned to our regular programme of fine antipodean comics criticism and this will be but a fleeting memory. Happy reading!
- Tom
In Store 18/04/09 - 23/04/09
Click the full post link below for a list of items in store this week.
2000 AD #1632
Kingdom TP Vol 01 Promised Land
Shakara TP Vol 01 The Avenger
Sinister Dexter TP Vol 04 Eurocrash
VCs TP Vol 02 Back In Action
Angel #20
Archie Digest #253
Mighty Avengers #24 DKR
New Avengers #52 DKR
New Avengers TP Vol 09 Secret Invasion
Avengers Initiative #23 DKR
Azrael Deaths Dark Knight #2 (Of 3)
Bart Simpson Comics #47
Detective Comics #853 (Gaiman)
Batman Battle For The Cowl Arkham #1
Batman Brave And The Bold #4
DC Library Batman The Annuals HC
Battlestar Galactica Final Five #1
Beats A Graphic History HC (Pekar)
Blue Beetle Boundaries TP
BPRD TP Vol 10 The Warning
Buck Rogers #0
Daredevil #118
Dark Reign Elektra #2 (Of 5)
Dark Tower Treachery Prem HC
Dynamo 5 #21
Elephantmen #18
Ex Machina #41
Fall Of Cthulhu Nemesis #1
Fantastic Force #1 (Of 5) (Joe Ahearne)
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #47
Frank Frazetta’s Neanderthal
George R R Martin Wild Cards #5
Ghost Omnibus TP Vol 02
Ghost Rider #34
Guardians Of Galaxy #13
Hellblazer #254 (P. Milligan)
Hulk #11
I Am Legion #3 (Of 6) (Cassaday)
Immortal Iron Fist #25
Incredible Hercules #128 DKR
Invincible #61
Jack Of Fables #33
Justice League Of America #32
Kick Ass #6
Marvels Eye Of Camera #5 (Of 6)
Mister X Condemned #4 (Of 4)
Moby Dick TP
Modesty Blaise The Ladykillers TP
No Hero #5 (Of 7) (Warren Ellis)
Nova TP Vol 04 Nova Corps
Outsiders #17
Question TP Vol 04 Welcome To Oz
Rough Stuff #12
Savage Dragon #147
Scalped #28
Scalped TP Vol 04 The Gravel In Your Guts
Sgt Rock The Lost Battalion #5
She-Hulk TP Vol 08 Secret Invasion
Showcase Presents Legion Of Super-Heroes TP Vol 03
Skrull Kill Krew #1 (Of 5) DKR
Amazing Spider-Man #592
Spider-Man 2099 TP Vol 01
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man TP Vol 12
Star Wars Dark Times #13 Blue Harvest
Star Wars Old Republic #40
Street Fighter IV #2 (Of 4)
Supergirl #40
Thor #601 (Straczynski)
Transformers Animated TP Vol 08
Trinity #47
Umbrella Academy Ltd HC PVCs
Viking #1 (I. Brandon/Nic Klein)
War That Time Forgot #12 (Of 12)
Wildcats #10
Witchblade Compendium Vol 2 TP
Astonishing X-Men #29
X-Force #14 XMW
X-Men Omnibus HC Vol 01
X-Men Times And Life Of Lucas Bishop #3
Gambit Classic TP Vol 01
Wolverine Anniversary
Wolverine First Class #14
Wolverine Origins #35 DKR
Wolverine Prem HC Not Dead Yet
Wolverine Weapon X Files
MANGA
Battle Angel Alita
Last Orders GN Vol 11
Eyeshield GN Vol 21
Inu Yasha GN Vol 37
Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure GN Vol 11
Naruto GN Vol 35
O Parts Hunter GN Vol 15
Red River GN Vol 25
Slam Dunk GN Vol 03
Vampire Knight GN Vol 06
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Due To Arrive 23/04/09
Click the full post link below for a tentative list of titles due to ship next week
Amazing Spider-Man #592
Astonishing X-Men #29
Avengers Initiative #23 DKR
Azrael Deaths Dark Knight #2 (Of 3)
Bart Simpson Comics #47
Batman Battle For The Cowl Arkham #1
Batman The Brave And The Bold #4
Blue Beetle Boundaries TP
Cerebus Archive #1
Daredevil #118
Dark Reign Elektra #2 (Of 5) DKR
Detective Comics #853
Dynamo 5 #21
Elephantmen #18
Ex Machina #41
Fantastic Force #1 (Of 5)
Frank Frazettas Neanderthal (One-Shot)
Ghost Rider #34
Guardians Of Galaxy #13
Hellblazer #254
Hulk #11
Immortal Iron Fist #25
Incredible Hercules #128 DKR
Invincible #61
Invincible HC Vol 04 Ultimate Coll
Jack Kirby Collector #52
Jack Of Fables #33
Justice League Of America #32
Kick Ass #6
Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #47
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man TP Vol 12 Jumping Digest
Marvels Eye Of Camera #5 (Of 6)
Mighty Avengers #24 DKR
Mister X Condemned #4 (Of 4)
Modern Masters SC Vol 20 Kyle Baker
New Avengers #52 DKR
Nova TP Vol 04 Nova Corps
Outsiders #17
Question TP Vol 04 Welcome To Oz
Rough Stuff #12
Savage Dragon #147
Scalped #28
Scalped TP Vol 04 The Gravel In Your Guts
Sgt Rock The Lost Battalion #5 (Of 6)
She-Hulk TP Vol 08 Secret Invasion
Showcase Presents Legion Of Super-Heroes TP Vol 03
Skrull Kill Krew #1 (Of 5) DKR
Spider-Man 2099 TP Vol 01
Star Wars Dark Times #13
Star Wars Knights Old Republic #40
Supergirl #40
Thor #601
Trinity #47
War That Time Forgot #12 (Of 12)
Wildcats #10
Witchblade #126
Wolverine Anniversary
Wolverine First Class #14
Wolverine Origins #35 DKR
Wolverine Weapon X Files
X-Force #14 XMW
X-Men Times And Life Of Lucas Bishop #3 (Of 3)
The Gosh! Authority 17/04/09
Hello folks! That rascally Hayley Campbell is still sipping sophisticated, exotic Australian cocktails (Cider, lager and blackcurrant? Zany!) on far away shores. Meanwhile I’ll be your blogger on the side, here to bring you up to speed on what’s coming out this week. It’ll be a brief fling, but I hope you’ll always think of me fondly, if not with respect.
Comics!
It’s the end of an era this week, as Vertigo mainstay 100 Bullets comes to its conclusion. Brian Azzarello & Eduardo Risso’s labyrinthine crime saga has been winding its way toward its end for some time now, tying up plot threads and tying off a fair few characters. My recommendation? Go back to the beginning before picking up the end. The complexity of the series rewards it. Additionally, it’s a sad, sad day that heralds an impending lack of regular Risso art. Fans of the Argentinean artist may also want to check out the softcover collection of his Wolverine miniseries Logan, created with Brian K. Vaughn, also out this week.
Cecil & Jordan in New York is a collection of Gabrielle Bell’s short works from the past five years which have appeared in titles such as Kramers Ergot, Mome and D&Q Showcase. Bell is one of the real shining lights of contemporary graphic fiction (if I may be so pretentious). Each of these stories is a showcase of her ability, marrying human concerns to a sense of magical realism which lacks the cloying, irritating whimsy so often present in that kind of work. An indication of the regard in which Bell is held is her collaboration with acclaimed director Michel Gondry on an adaptation of this collection's titular story (with a change in location and title), as featured in the anthology film Tokyo.
If I were to describe Dylan Dog as the Italian Wolverine, you may get the wrong idea. But in terms of his popularity, he’s a match for the clawed Canadian and then some, selling over a million copies each month of his own comic. None other than Umberto Eco, lauded author of titles such as Foucault’s Pendulum and Name of the Rose, said: “I can read the Bible, Homer, or Dylan Dog for several days without getting bored.” A fiction staple in his homeland, the horror-hunting detective has had strangely little success with previous attempts to bring his adventures to English-speaking audiences. On the heels of their successful Savage Sword of Conan reprints, Dark Horse are trying a new tack with a massive omnibus edition of DD stories. At 680 pages of black and white pulpy goodness, you could do a lot worse than dropping £18.50 on the Dylan Dog Casefiles. Tell ‘em Umberto Eco sent you.
Fans of Kieron Gillen (and I happen to know there are many of you) will be thrilled to see the talented young fella getting some more high-profile work with this week’s exhaustingly named Secret Invasion Aftermath Beta Ray Bill: Green of Eden #1. In this mini, the horse-faced alien Thor (it’s a long story) rescues a space-faring alien colony but gets a little more than he bargained for. It all sounds like quite good fun and with art by Dan Brereton, I’m certainly going to give it some quality time.
Kevin Huizenga. Know the name? He’s one of the leading lights of independent comics at the moment, a successor to the likes of Dan Clowes, Chester Brown and all those other guys who don’t draw as many comics as they used to. His titles Or Else and Ganges are wonderful little slices of semi-autobiographical observation, but his new title this week – Fight or Run – is something a little different. In what he describes as “an open source comics game”, Huizenga has created an improvisational, stream of consciousness series of fight or flight responses between ever weirder protagonists. High art it’s not, but a fun experiment it looks to be.
Mr Kane has sourced us another beautiful art book this week in the form of The Whimsical Work of David Weidman, a career retrospective of one of the most influential animators of the 1950’s. Making his name as a background painter for Hannah Barbara, Weidman’s style became the signature look of cartoons of the era. Moving out of the field in the 60’s, Weidman’s work found favour with designers and decorators of the time, and the resultant ubiquity of his designs has made his style instantly recognisable. Highly recommended.
Dungeon Zenith returns at last this week, with Back in Style, the third instalment of Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim’s brilliant fantasy series. It’s been a while since they carried on the story of the eponymous lair at its peak, concentrating instead on the various spin-offs such as Early Years, Twilight, Monstres and Parade. Well now it’s back to Herbert, everyone’s favourite enchanted sword-slinging duck, as he fends off the attentions of The Keeper’s wife, Isis. Trondheim sticks to co-writing duties only this time around, with the art now supplied by Boulet.
A quick round-up of some other goodies this week! Incognito #3 ships at last, continuing Brubaker & Phillips’ noir-drenched tale of a bad guy finding it tough to be good. Sure, he riffs on the work of Hammet, Chandler and the like, but did they have a femme fatale named Ava Destruction? I think not.
Insanity abounds in the third volume of Dark Horse’s Herbie Archives. Honestly, all those folks out there who love the craziness of Fletcher Hanks or Boody Rogers should pick these books up. Why? Here’s why.
Paul Pope (no doubt celebrating the optioning of his upcoming Battling Boy) gets a second showing of his wonderful 100% this week, given the same deluxe hardcover treatment that Heavy Liquid had a short while back. With three tales revolving around a near-future Manhattan nightclub, this is one of Pope’s best works as a writer, effortlessly laying out a world that’s a slightly dubious pleasure to revisit. And, of course, it looks stunning.
Speaking of movie options, Ron Howard picked up the rights to a series which is just starting this week, The Strange Adventures of HP Lovecraft. The Image series features a fictionalised Lovecraft as a man whose personal demons are unleashed on the world as he sleeps, a world that only he can them save from himself. It’s HP Lovecraft: Monster Hunter, in a title that seems to be worth a look, particularly given it features all-too rare art from Tony Salmons.
Hey, so you know that Darwyn Cooke, right? Mr DC New Frontier? The stunningly accomplished artist who also turned out to be frighteningly good writer? Well in case you haven’t heard, his latest project is none other than a series of four adaptations of the Parker novels of Richard Stark (aka the late Donald Westlake). A hard-boiled anti-hero, Parker is one of the most memorably reprehensible protagonists in crime fiction, brought to vivid life by Lee Marvin in the John Boorman film Point Blank. The first of Cooke’s adaptations, The Hunter (the source material for Point Blank), is due in July.
The reason for this early heads-up? Well, we’re thrilled to announce that we’ll be doing one of our special, Gosh-exclusive Bookplate Editions for the graphic novel! Strictly limited to 200 copies, the edition will feature a high-quality tip-in art print created especially for us, signed and numbered by Mr Cooke. We’ll post more information soon, including a sneak peek at the plate itself. We expect these to go super-fast, so those who are keen would be well-advised to put their names down now!
And that’s about that. Still no Hayley next week, but perhaps the return of a familiar old face!
Andrew.
In Store 10/04/09 - 17/04/09
Click the full post link below for a list of items in store this week.
2000 AD #1631
Judge Dredd Complete Heavy Metal Dredd (S. Bisley)
100 Bullets #100 (Final Issue!)
100 Percent HC (P. Pope)
Air #8
American Flagg Definitive Coll HC 1 01
American McGees Grimm #1
Angel Smile Time #3
Batman Lovers And Madmen TP
Broken Trinity Aftermath
Captain America #49
Cecil & Jordan In New York HC (G. Bell)
The Chap #44
Cthulhu Tales TP Vol 04
Dark Tower Sorcerer #1
DMZ #41
Dungeon Zenith Vol 3 TP
Dylan Dog Case Files TP
Enders Shadow Battle School #4
Essential Dazzler TP Vol 02
Fables #83
Farscape Strange Detractors #1 (Of 4)
Fight Or Run #1 (K. Huizenga)
Firebreather TP Vol 02
Flash Symbol Red Hoodie Med, Lg & XL
Foolkiller TP White Angels
GI Joe Cobra #2
Godland #27
Green Arrow Black Canary #19
Green Lantern Corps #35
Halo Uprising #4 (Of 4)
Herbie Archives HC Vol 03
Hulk Prem HC Vol 02 Red & Green
Incognito #3
JSA HC Vol 04 Thy Kingdom Come Part 3
Lillim #2 (Of 5)
Man With No Name #9
Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #10
Marvel Apes HC
Mighty Avengers TP Vol 04 Secret Invasion
Moon Knight #29
Mysterius The Unfathomable #4 (Of 6) (J. Parker)
Oracle #2 (Of 3)
Perhapanauts TP Vol 01
Phantom Generations #1
Punisher #4 DKR
Punisher War Zone Prem HC Resurrection
Rebels #3
Resistance GN
Rex Mundi #17
Scribbles Kelsey Shannon Sketchbook #1
SI Aftermath Beta Ray Bill Green Of Eden #1 (Gillen)
Simpsons Comics #153
Soul Kiss #3 (Of 5)
Amazing Spider-Man #591
Spider-Man TP Kravens First Hunt
Squadron Supreme 2 #10
Stand American Nightmares #2 (Of 5)
Star Trek Alien Spotlight Klingons
Star Wars The Clone Wars #5 (Of 6)
Still I Rise GN
Strange Adventures Of HP Lovecraft #1
Stuff Of Life SC Graphic Guide To Genes
Sub-Mariner Comics 70th Ann Special #1 (R. Thomas)
Action Comics #876
Super Friends #14
Supergirl Way Of The World TP
Superman Batman #58
Superman The Coming Of Atlas HC
Tiny Titans #15
Toyfare #142
Transformers All Hail Megatron #10
Transformers Armada TP Vol 03
Transformers Maximum Dinobots #5
Trinity #46
Vigilante #5
Walking Dead #60
War Is Hell First Flight Phantom Eagle TP
Whimsical Work Of David Weidman HC
Wizard Mag Platinum 2009 Movie Preview
Wondermark TP Vol 02
Exiles Ultimate Collection TP Book 01
Rampaging Wolverine #1
Uncanny X-Men #508
Wolverine Noir #1 (Of 4)
Wolverine TP Dangerous Games
Wolverine TP Logan (E. Risso)
X-Factor #42
X-Men Legacy #223
X-Files #6 (Of 6)
Zorro #12
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Due To Arrive 19/04/09
Click the full post link below for a tentative list of titles due to ship next week
Please not that the comics will be shipping on Friday next week.
100 Bullets #100
Action Comics #876
Air #8
Amazing Spider-Man #591
Archie Digest #253
Batman Lovers And Madmen TP
Betty & Veronica #241
Broken Trinity Aftermath
Captain America #49
Casey Blue Beyond Tomorrow TP
Conan The Cimmerian #10
Dark Tower Sorcerer #1
DMZ #41
Dynamo 5 #21
Enders Shadow Battle School #4 (Of 5)
Essential Dazzler TP Vol 02
Exiles Ultimate Collection TP Book 01
Fables #83
Firebreather TP Vol 02
Foolkiller TP White Angels
Frank Frazettas Neanderthal
Gigantic #4 (Of 5)
Green Arrow Black Canary #19
Green Lantern Corps #35
Halo Uprising #4 (Of 4)
I Am Legion #3 (Of 6)
Incognito #3
Jack Staff #20
Lillim #2 (Of 5)
Man With No Name #9
Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #10
Moon Knight #29
Mysterius The Unfathomable #4 (Of 6)
Oracle #2 (Of 3)
Phonogram 2 #2 (Of 7)
Punisher #4
Rampaging Wolverine #1
Rebels #3
Red Sonja #44
Rex Mundi Dh Ed #17
SI Aftermath Beta Ray Bill Green Of Eden #1
Simpsons Comics #153
Squadron Supreme 2 #10
Stand American Nightmares #2 (Of 5)
Star Wars The Clone Wars #5 (Of 6)
Strange Adventures Of HP Lovecraft #1 (Of 4)
Sub-Mariner Comics 70th Anniv Special #1
Super Friends #14
Supergirl Way Of The World TP
Superman Batman #58
Tiny Titans #15
Trinity #46
Uncanny X-Men #508
Vigilante #5
Walking Dead #60
Witchblade Annual 2009
Wolverine Noir #1 (Of 4)
World Of Warcraft #18
X-Factor #42
X-Files #6 (Of 6)
X-Men Legacy #223
Zorro #12
The Gosh! Authority 09/04/09
Hello folks, Andrew here stepping in for the Oz-bound Hayley. Spare her a thought down there in the sun and heat of Queensland, as we enjoy the climatically temperamental fruits of spring. Honestly, who needs all that warmth and vitamin D anyway?
Anyway, on with the comics! Bit of a small one this week, but there are a few things worth pointing out. Certainly, for a Jason Aaron junkie such as myself, Wolverine Weapon X #1 would have to be top of the list. Okay, it ain’t high art, but this new series promises to be a lot of fun, with Aaron given the reigns to produce new-reader friendly Wolvie stories, introducing new supporting characters and new villains without getting too bogged down in any convoluted continuity. If his past work with the character is any indication, Aaron will be a perfect fit for this book. Team him up with an artist like Ron Garney, who is ridiculously under-appreciated, and you’re on to a winner. And who says I never give you any previews?
But enough of my Jason Aaron love-in. You want credibility? How about a new collection from the excellent Ellen Lindner? Undertow is a story of 1950’s New York; Coney Island to be precise. Rhonda is a girl struggling with traumatic events, looking for a way out and some kind of understanding of who she should be in an America that’s not the dream it may look to be on the surface. It’s a great read from a brilliant London-based (NYC-raised) talent and not as widely available as it should be. Tell your friends. Oh, and preview it here.
Flipping back to fisticuffs, did you happen to catch Marvel Zombies 3? Now, I have to admit I wasn’t wowed by the first issue of that Fred van Lente-penned followup to Kirkman’s rather underwhelming Marvel Zombies 2, but I stuck with it and it turned out to be an excellent resurrection (har har) of the franchise. Well, #4 is out this week, featuring the return of none other than the 90’s horror heroes the Midnight Sons! Lead by Morbius, the team are hunting down the zombies who managed to escape from the A.R.M.O.R. stronghold. Van Lente again writes, with Britain’s own Kev Walker once again bringing the gore.
“But I want art,” you cry “I want beauty!” Well, how about the beautiful art of Pixar animator Ronnie del Carmen? And There You Are is del Carmen’s latest work, mixing fact and fiction, journal entries and art to tell the story of a girl named Nina, a figure already established in his Paper Biscuit series. Ronnie del Carmen is a wonderful draughtsman, and those unfamiliar with his work should do themselves a favour and pick this little gem up.
Warren Ellis fans will be happy to know that his new Deadwood/Buck Rogers mash-up Ignition City hits the shelves this week. An idea he’s had knocking around for a few years now, Ellis seems very enthusiastic about the series, which bodes well for it. From what I’ve seen it should be a good laugh, worth the price of admission for the author quote: “I found myself looking at the clapboard and pine of the Deadwood camp and seeing it made out of bits of abandoned 1930s sci-fi rocketship, and a fifty-year-old Flash Gordon calling people ‘c**ksucker’.”
Quite.
On the anthology scene, the latest volume of Popgun hits the shelves this week, with the usual high quality line up of creators. The list of contributors is too exhaustive to list here, but includes Paul Grist, Juan Doe, Erik Larsen and up and coming artist (and friend of ol’ Gosh) Christian Ward. Nice work Chris!
Aficionados of classic British comics art will be well-advised to pick up the first volume of Century 21, a collection of strips from the venerable TV Century 21 magazine. Featuring comic adventures of characters from Gerry Anderson’s ever-popular family of television series, the magazine was home to the likes of Frank Bellamy, Ron Embleton, Frank Langford, Mike Noble and many more. A second volume is coming soon.
Also of note this week: Mike Grell returns to the world of Skartaris and a character that was a firm childhood favourite of mine with the return of Warlord; Daredevil Noir plays against the usual light and breezy style of Daredevil with a pulpy take on the character (facetiousness aside, it actually looks pretty decent); and over in Dark Reign Hawkeye there’s an Andy Diggle/Tom Raney created solo outing for everyone’s favourite psychotic killer, Bullseye.
Don’t forget, we now have even more pages of original art from the upcoming League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Century: 1910 up around our walls, a whopping 10 pages in total. Don’t worry, we’ve been careful not to choose anything that’s going to spoil the story for you. Our thanks to Kevin O’Neill for loaning us his terrific art.
Finally, don’t forget that the Easter weekend will be playing its usual tricks on delivery times next week. New comics day will be Friday 17/04/09. Everything will be out on the shelves from 10am, as per usual, just that one day later. Those who come in on Thursday will, I’m afraid, gain no more than a sympathetic smile.
And with that, I’ll see you next week! Happy Easter everybody!
- Andrew.
In Store 03/04/09 - 09/04/09
Click the full post link below for a list of items in store this week.
Pals N Gals Double Digest #130
2000 AD #1630
Alan Moore Comics As Performance SC
Alan Moore Light Of Thy Countenance HC
All New Savage She-Hulk #1 (Of 4) Dark Reign
Amazon #2 (Of 3) (S Seagle/T Sale)
American Elf Vol 03 Sketchbook Diaries
And There You Are GN (Del Carmen)
Andru And Esposito’s Get Lost TP
Anita Blake LC Necromancer #1 (Of 5)
Anna Mercury Artbook #1
Army Of Darkness #19
New Avengers Reunion #1 (Of 4) 2nd Ptg
Batman Battle For The Cowl #2 (Of 3)
Batman Confidential #28
Batman Splatter Symbol Red T/S
Booster Gold #19
BPRD Black Goddess #4 (Of 5)
Captain Britain And MI 13 #12
Century 21 Vol 1 TP
Classic Era Of American Comics
Daredevil Noir #1 (Of 4)
Dark Reign Hawkeye #1 (Of 5)
Dark Tower Guide To Gilead
Dead Irons #3
Doktor Sleepless #12 (Warren Ellis)
Terry Moore’s Echo #11
French Milk GN
Gen 13 #29
Green Arrow Year One TP (Jock)
Green Lantern #39 (Origins)
Harvey Comics Classics TP Vol 05 Harvey Girls
Heavy Metal May 2009 #123
Hellblazer Presents Chas The Knowledge TP
Hexed #4 (Of 4)
House Of Mystery #12
Identity Crisis # 1 Special Edition
Ignition City #1 (Of 5) (W. Ellis)
Infinite Horizon #4 (Of 6) (P. Noto)
Iznogoud And The Day Of Misrule
Justice League Unlimited Heroes TP
Juxtapoz Vol 16 #4 Apr 2009
Killer Of Demons #2 (Of 3)
Locke & Key Head Games #4
Marvel Apes Amazing Spider-Monkey #1
Marvel Illustrated Odyssey #8 (Of 8)
Marvel Zombies 3 HC
Marvel Zombies 4 #1 (Of 4)
Marvel Zombies TP Vol 02
Mice Templar Sketchbook #1
Northlanders #16
Popgun GN Vol 03 (C. Ward Et Al)
Punisher Frank Castle Max #69
Secret Identity Fetish Art Of Joe Shuster SC
Secret Six #8
Secret Warriors #2 2nd Printing Caselli Var
Shortcomings TP
Showcase Presents The Doom Patrol TP Vol 1
Solomon Grundy #2 (Of 7)
Soulfire New World Order Beginnings
Soulfire Shadow Magic #5 (Of 5)
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #50
Spirit #27
Star Trek Missions End #2
Supergirl Cosmic Adventures In The 8th Grade #5
Superman World Of New Krypton #2 (Of 12)
Sword #16
Titans #12
Transformers Revenge Fallen Movie Prequel Defiance #4
Transformers Spotlight Drift
Trinity #45
Undertow GN (Ellen Lindner)
War Of Kings Ascension #1 (Of 4)
Warlord #1
Wonderful Wizard Of Oz #5 (Of 8)
World War 3 Illustrated #39
Deadpool Suicide Kings #1 (Of 5)
Exiles #1
Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk #4 (Of 6) (Lenil Francis Yu)
Wolverine HC Worst Day Ever
Wolverine Weapon X #1 (J. Aaron)
Uncanny X-Men HC Manifest Destiny
Young Liars #14
Ythaq No Escape #1 (Of 3)
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
Due To Arrive 09/04/09
Click the full post link below for a tentative list of titles due to ship next week
All New Savage She-Hulk #1 (Of 4) Dark Reign
Amazon #2 (Of 3)
Anita Blake LC Necromancer #1 (Of 5)
Army Of Darkness #19
Batman Battle For The Cowl #2 (Of 3)
Batman Confidential #28
Booster Gold #19
BPRD Black Goddess #4 (Of 5)
Captain Britain And MI 13 #12
Cartoon Network Action Pack #36
Daredevil Noir #1 (Of 4)
Dark Reign Hawkeye #1 (Of 5) Dark Reign
Dark Tower: Guide To Gilead
Dead Irons #3
Deadpool Suicide Kings #1 (Of 5)
Exiles #1
Gen 13 #29
Green Lantern #39 (Origins)
Hellblazer Presents Chas The Knowledge TP
House Of Mystery #12
Infinite Horizon #4 (Of 6)
Justice League Unlimited Heroes TP
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man #50
Marvel Apes Amazing Spider-Monkey #1
Marvel Illustrated Odyssey #8 (Of 8)
Marvel Zombies 4 #1 (Of 4)
Marvel Zombies TP Vol 2
Mice Templar Sketchbook #1
Northlanders #16
Perhapanauts TP Vol 01
Popgun GN Vol 3
Punisher Frank Castle Max #69
Secret Six #8
Showcase Presents The Doom Patrol TP Vol 1
Solomon Grundy #2 (Of 7)
Spirit #27
Supergirl Cosmic Adventures In The 8th Grade #5 (Of 6)
Superman World Of New Krypton #2 (Of 12)
Sword #16
Timestorm 2009-2099 #1 (Of 4)
Titans #12
Toyfare #142
Trigun Maximum TP Vol 14 Mind Games
Trinity #45
Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk #4 (Of 6)
War Of Kings Ascension #1 (Of 4)
Warlord #1
Witchblade Annual 2009
Wolverine Weapon X #1
Young Liars #14
The Gosh! Authority 02/04/09
One of the most asked about comics of the last couple of months is Seaguy: The Slaves of Mickey Eye. In fact, while I was typing that sentence some chap in a beanie asked when it was due and judging from his excited reaction he had obviously expected yet another gormless shrug instead of a definite ‘Thursday!’ (which is what he got).
This is a follow-up to the cult 2004 miniseries and sees Grant Morrison team up with original Seaguy artist Cameron Stewart. MySpace Comic Books has an interview with Morrison as well as a few exclusive preview pages which are worth a look. Here’s a bit of what’s in store:
“When we meet Seaguy in this second book, ‘Seaguy: Slaves of Mickey Eye’, his features are sharper and more defined. He’s restless, bored, and suspicious of everything. He’s beginning to question all the things he previously took for granted. He is, in short, a teenager. So this second volume is ‘dark’ Seaguy and it’s all about what happens when society decides you’re a troublemaker and sets out to remould you in its own image. Where the first book was done in a picaresque style, this one is pure Hollywood 3-act adventure.”
And what happens after that?
“The final book ‘Seaguy: Eternal’ is Seaguy as a grown man – it’s about what happens after you’ve saved the day, got the girl and changed the world.” As you do.
Last week I was reading Ivan Brunetti’s Misery Loves Comedy and thinking he was brilliant, hilarious, and most definitely a wrong’un. This week his out-of-print gag cartoon collections Hee!, Haw! and other such nonsense are collected in Ho! The Morally Questionable Cartoons of Ivan Brunetti – a hardcover book Fantagraphics are calling an ‘uninviting, funereal package of unglamorous black and white’. There’s an oddly humourless review by Rob Clough here (though it does include a few of the cartoons from the book) and an old Comics Journal interview from 2004 is still about, if you’re interested.
More strange strips abound in Drinky Crow’s Maakies Treasury HC which collects the second five-year chunk of the series (previously reprinted in When We Were Very Maakies, The House at Maakies Corner and Der Struwwelmaakies). Chip Kidd provides the long landscape design which means you’ll no doubt struggle to find a place on the shelf to house it and spend at least half an hour cursing him. Fantagraphics have an exclusive 20-page PDF excerpt and even though the Drinky Crow Show pilot http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=GB&hl=en-GB&v=9FiNGpCHSE8 has been around for ages I’d never seen it until five minutes ago.
Another cracking offering from Fantagraphics is Supermen! The First Wave of Comic Book Heroes 1936-1941 which looks to be utterly unmissable for anyone interested in the origins of superheroes and the history of comics. It collects twenty full-length stories and ten full-sized covers by the superstars of the era: Jack Cole, Will Eisner, Bill Everett, Lou Fine, Fletcher Hanks, Jack Kirby, Jerry Siegel, Joe Shuster, and Basil Wolverton. Jonathan Lethem provides the foreword, in which he says:
“A collection like Supermen! works like a reverse-neutron bomb to assumptions about the birth of the superhero image: it tears down the orderly structures of theory and history and leaves the figures standing in full view, staring back at us in all their defiant disorienting particularity, their blazing strangeness.”
Jog The Blog (who deserves lots of readers and praise) reviews it in astonishing detail complete with pictures and everything.
And if you want more Golden Age wackiness, Fantagraphics have yet another lovely-looking book to weigh you down on the tube. Boody: The Bizarre Comics of Boody Rogers is entirely devoted to the deranged artist who counts Art Spiegelman (who reprinted some of his stuff in RAW) and Johnny Ryan as fans. You’ll be familiar with his work if you picked up Art Out of Time: Unknown Comics Visionaries, but if not have a look at this sample story. Over at Newsarama ediot Craig Yoe (Arf) talks about the (so far) unappreciated genius.
The latest Jonah Hex trade-paperback Bullets Don’t Lie hits the shelves this Thursday, collecting issues #31-38 of Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray’s Western. Even Gosh! favourite Darwyn Cooke (DC: The New Frontier) illustrates some of it in which Hex knee-deep in snow.
This week sees James Robinson (Starman, Superman) and Marcos Martin (Amazing Spider-Man) kick off a series of specials for Marvel’s 70th Anniversary beginning with Captain America 70th Anniversary Special #1. They’re bringing you the untold story of Steve Rogers before there was Captain America. Don’t miss it – there’s a classic Golden Age Captain America story by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby. Preview!
The highly anticipated Flash: Rebirth #1 (of 5) by Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver (both of Green Lantern: Rebirth and Sinestro Corps War) follows the events of Final Crisis in which Barry Adams has returned from the dead. There’s a video interview with Geoff Johns here, and in another interview he says:
“He’s [Barry Allen] been dead for so long, he’s viewed as kind of a saint. Imagine coming back and everyone saying you’re a saint, and having to live up to that…. We will be getting into a lot of his back story: a lot of why he is the way he is, why he has an interest in forensic science, why he has such a strong sense of justice.”
Robert Kirkman’s also got a five-parter starting this Thursday with Destroyer #1, in which he reintroduces a lesser-known Marvel WWII character Kevin “Keen” Marlow AKA The Destroyer. He talks about it with Comic Book Resources and you can see a preview here.
The Marvel Assistant-Size Spectacular #1 (of 2) harkens back to the days of Assistant Editor’s Month and sees D-list characters get their moment in the spotlight. Elsa Bloodstone’s here, as is D-Man, the daughter of Galactus, Mini Marvel cake-eating Hawkeye, and Candidate Luke Cage. There’s even a Jason Aaron (Scalped) American Eagle story in there somewhere.
Sad news this week is that Gemstone (the publishing side of Diamond Distributors) looks to be relinquishing its license on Disney and EC properties. The Beat reports on it, with an update featuring a Gemstone press release. The unfortunate immediate impact is that we’ll not be seeing any more Disney comics or EC Archives any time soon.
And finally, go have a look at Will Kane’s mid-week post on The Art of Deanna Marsigliese – another Gosh! Exclusive.
That’s it from me. I’m packing my bags and am off to sunny Australia for a month where I plan to do a lot of absolutely nothing.
- Hayley