Man, I've been quiet lately, haven't I? I'll blame it on general busy-ness, as well as my much-bemoaned lack of a scanner. That's a good excuse not to blog, right? But I should be getting a replacement within a day or two, so then I'll be good to go with all the typing and the posting and the hey hey. In the meantime:
New comics this week (Wednesday, 5/21/08):
Boy Who Made Silence #3
I really liked the second issue of this artsy series, once I finally got my hands on it. But now that my shop knows to order it for me, I should get each one. Maybe I'll even post about it sometime.
Burn #1
This looks interesting. It's a manga-ish sci-fi series from Camilla d'Errico, the artist on Avril Lavigne's Make 5 Wishes (which sounds terrible but wasn't too bad, judging by reviews I've read). The new book is a pamphlet-format miniseries from Arcana, and it's all about robots and angst and shit. Here, you can read all about it in this interview with d'Errico. I kind of dig the art style, so I would be willing to take a look, if I ever see it anywhere.
Damned Prodigal Sons #2
This being a favorite series of mine, I'm happy to say that I was not disappointed with its return last issue. Let's hope for more excellence. Don't let me down, Bunn and Hurtt!
Dead She Said #1
A new horror-noir series from Steve Niles and Bernie Wrightson. All the informational sound-bites (text-bites?) I see about the series trumpet the fact that it's the first time Wrightson is inking his own work in 20 years, so if that sort of thing excites you, this is the place to be. Myself, I love Wrightson's art (who doesn't? If you don't, watch out for the wrath of Mike Sterling!), but Niles' writing usually leaves me cold, so I'll pass.
Doktor Sleepless Manual #1
Avatar never passes up an opportunity to release something in a slightly different version, like a black-and-white sketch cover or some crap like that, so here's a special edition of this series first issue, with the added bonus of stuff Warren Ellis wrote for the book's website. But by this point, you should probably wait for a trade or something, since searching out the back issues will probably be a pain. And read the website for free. There, I saved you a few bucks.
Igor Movie Prequel #1
This is a tie-in to an upcoming animated movie, and judging by the art, it looks fairly appealing. This issue is written by Dara Naraghi (Cory Doctorow's Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now, Lifelike) and illustrated by Grant Bond (Clockwork Girl). Will I look at it? Maybe!
Pigeons from Hell #2
I'll certainly look at this second part of the miniseries, since I liked the first a lot. Mostly because of Nathan Fox's art; that guy is pretty cool. Other than that, it seems like a fairly-typical haunted house story, but there's nothing wrong with that.
Programme #11
Whoa, the series is almost over. We've seen super-powered race wars, wholesale Commie destruction, and nationalistic brainwashing so far; what's next? Here's hoping for a good finish. Don't let me down, Milligan!
Tank Girl Visions of Booga #1
The latest Tank Girl thing, by Alan Martin and Rufus Dayglo. I tried out the first issue of the last miniseries, and it was all right, but I feel like I'm missing a lot, not having read any of the rest of the various feminine artillery comics. Ashley Wood's art was fun on that one though. Of course, he's not drawing this one, so I'll skip it.
War is Hell First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #3
Issue #2 was a slight letdown from the excellent first installment, but I still liked it. Ennis always knows how to score with the whoremongering jokes. We'll see how the rest of the series goes, but I doubt it will be all that disappointing. Ennis' tales of honor on the battlefield rarely are.
Batman Unauthorized TP
Hey, this isn't a comic! In fact, it's one of those books full of essays about comics, which I would normally not give a second glance to, but I'm pointing it out because it contains a piece written by my internet buddy Geoff Klock. So if I see it in a bookstore, I might sit in the cafe and read that essay. I encourage others to do the same (and maybe even buy it, who knows).
Breathe HC
This is a graphic novel from Markosia about a girl in 1700s China whose family is slaughtered by ruffians, causing her to seek violent revenge. Maybe? Or maybe she just mopes around for a few hundred pages; I can't really find too much information online about the book (which apparently collects a previously-released four-issue miniseries), but the cover image is one that would definitely prompt me to flip through the book (although I don't think the t-shirt/shorts combo was a popular fashion choice in 18th-century China). I'm not sure if that's a recommendation or not.
Finding Peace TP
I've had a PDF copy of this modern-war-set graphic novel sitting on my computer for a while now, but much to my consternation (and that of the people at Comics Bulletin, I expect) I haven't gotten around to reading or reviewing it yet. It certainly looks incredible, with art that resembles battlefield charcoal sketches, providing an air of immediacy. It looks like it might be hitting shelves now, so I recommend at least taking a look. And maybe this will spur me on to finally get the damn thing finished.
Golden Age Sheena Best of Queen of the Jungle Vol. 1
Ah, the classic genre of the jungle chick in the leopard-print bikini. I only find this notable because it was produced by Will Eisner's studio, which gives it a good pedigree, if not any real respectability. Anyway, this book collects stories from the 30s, 40s, and 50s, classic stuff, I'm sure. Be sure to peruse it closely, in hopes of spotting a nipple.
Grendel Devil Child HC
Grendel Devil Quest HC
I always elicit gasps whenever I tell people I haven't read any of Matt Wagner's Grendel comics. Maybe I'll get to them someday, since, you know, they're supposed to be good and all. If I ever do, these will probably be on my reading list. And they're in stores this week. That is all.
Heartburst & Other Pleasures TP
Rick Veitch's latest collection of his older work. I've read Heartburst, and it's pretty good; I'm not sure what else is contained in this volume. It's probably worth getting, if you dig Veitch like I do. In fact, I never did get a hold of Shiny Beasts...
Hellboy Companion
Ooh, it's "the definitive guide to the Hellboy universe"! I normally don't care for that sort of thing, but this one might be interesting, since Mike Mignola seems to draw from such obscure myths and tales for the various Hellboy stories. Also, this one contains "up-to-the-minute coverage of the Hellboy Universe", so read it now before a Crisis-like crossover destroys everything!
Incredible Hulk Omnibus Vol. 1
Hey, it's another one of those huge volumes containing old comics! As always, it's too expensive for me to consider, but it contains some interesting material, including the early Stan Lee/Jack Kirby/Steve Ditko stories. I certainly wouldn't mind reading some of those someday. I'm not going to spend $100 to do so though.
IRS Vol 1 Taxing Trails TP
This is from British publisher Cinebook, and it looks to be a European-produced action tale, which involves a secret wing of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. That's so crazy, it just might work. Here's Cinebook's page, which has a couple preview pages.
La Perdida TP
From Random House, it's a cheaper ($14), paperback version of Jessica Abel's graphic novel. It's pretty good (here's my review), so check it out if you haven't read it already.
Neptune Noir Unauthorized Investigations Into Veronica Mars TP
Damn, another "scholarly essays about some pop-culture entity" book? You guessed it: this one also features one Dr. Klock's contributions. Read it!
Prisoner Of The Stars TP
From IDW, this is a book that certainly looks European, although I can't find any information about whether that's the case or not. It's by Alfonso Font, and it's about some adventurers questing across a futuristic wasteland. It might be worth a look?
Skim GN
From Groundwood Books, a high-school lesbian love(?) story, by Mariko and Jillian Tamaki. Looks nice. Here, read an article all about it.
Superman Escape from Bizzaro World HC
I was tempted to buy these issues of Action Comics, solely for Eric Powell's artwork. But I didn't, even though it looked pretty nice, from what I saw (Dave Stewart on colors!). Now I've got the chance to spend a bunch more ($25) and get little more than the three-issue story and a few other reprints of various Bizarro appearances! I think I'll still pass.
Tim Sale Black and White HC
And finally, a new version of Tim Sale's art book. He's a good artist, but I wish people didn't just think of him as "the Heroes guy" these days. Eh, I'm sure he and Jeph Loeb will blow everyone's minds with the upcoming "Captain America: Not Black". Anyway, I bet this book has some pretty pictures.
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Wow, I got kind of obnoxious near the end there. A few days of not writing anything must warp my sensibilities. I guess that's it for the week; it's another small one, so maybe I'll save more money (and then blow it on Amor y Cohetes). Hopefully I'll have reviews of something or other up tonight or tomorrow. Stay tuned?
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