This week, I get my fable on

Still nothing much anywhere else. I'm all about my own territory, baby! I suppose I could talk about the crazy fucking movie I saw last night, but I'll just say, if you like weird shit, and you can tolerate incest, necrophilia, and lactation, check out Takashi Miike's Visitor Q. It's totally nuts. Anyway, here's my usual thing:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 6/4/08):

American Splendor Season Two #3

All right, more from good old Harv. Last issue was okay, although I don't know if there were any real standouts. Maybe the one about his cats. This issue features Darwyn Cooke (who contributes a nice cover), Rick Geary, Warren Pleece, and others (including Dean Haspiel, as always). Good times.

Angry Youth Comix #14

I don't think my shop gets this title in, but I would probably buy it if it did, because Johnny Ryan is always hilarious, in an incredibly offensive manner. I don't know how he does it, but somehow he always manages to go farther than you think is possible, and it's ridiculously funny. Maybe I should add it to my pull list...

Astonishing X-Men Sketchbook

Looks like this is a promo for the upcoming Warren Ellis/Simone Bianchi run on the title, which has been patiently waiting in the wings while Joss Whedon and John Cassaday ever-so-slowly finished their tenure. They finally wrapped it up last week (it was pretty good, even if I'm souring on X-related stories), so now everybody can finally move on. I won't be joining, but I suppose I could pick up a trade if I hear good things. I do like Ellis, so who knows, maybe he'll do something awesome.

Batman Death Mask #3

I've been enjoying this manga take on Batman, just for its fairly unique nature, at least compared to the type of Bat-stories that we usually see. Last issue was all flashback to Bruce Wayne's karate training in Japan, so now we can get back to the demons and the facial removal. And the angst. Always the angst.

Boys #19

Man, this book just keeps plugging along, coming out regularly with only a few people even noticing (or so it seems to me). It's been quite good lately, and this next arc promises to reveal the teams sordid past, or something. I expect plenty of Ennis violence and tasteless jokes. Don't let me down, Garth!

Criminal Vol 2 #3

Man, how good has the relaunch of this title been? I'll answer that: really fucking good. It's really one of the very best monthly comics coming out at the moment. Just plain excellent crime stories featuring broken people screwing each other over. That's something to cherish. This issue wraps up the interconnected "storyline" that's been running, and next time we'll get to another big arc. Keep up the good work, Brubaker and Phillips! I don't want this to ever end.

Duo Stars #1

New Ashley Wood, on a non-zombie title! There are still robots though, in the form of Transformer-like street-racing cars, or something like that. Wood is an artist I'll buy just about anything by, so I'll be getting it. I hope I'm not disappointed, but that's unlikely, since it will surely feature some incredible artwork and pretty girls. Don't let me down, Ash!

Haunt of Horror Lovecraft #1

Richard Corben delivers some more Marvel MAX horror, adapting some of H.P. Lovecraft's stories and poems to comics form. I should have a review of the issue up at Comics Bulletin tomorrow, but I'll say that if you like Corben, you should be happy. I hope. I know I was.

House of Mystery #2

I dug the first issue of this series (sorry, Tucker!), so I'm on board for now. This issue features more advancement of the regular story, plus a short by Jill Thompson. I doubt it will creep me out as much as the one Ross Campbell did last time, but we'll see.

Invincible Iron Man #2

More of that Matt Fraction armor-related stuff. I liked the first one well enough. Looks like it should be a pretty good series.

Trinity #1

Not that I really care, but here's the debut of the new weekly series from Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley, featuring Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman doing something or other. Hopefully not just sitting around a table and looking at polaroids. That's some boring shit right there.

Scream Queen #1

From Boom!, it's a horror story about a monster that falls in love with a prom queen, I think. Eh, could be fun. It's written by Brendan Hay, as staff writer for The Daily Show, so maybe that means it will be funny. Maybe? You never know how these things will turn out.

Ultimate Origins #1

Marvel's Ultimate universe jumps the shark (probably for the fourth time now, at least), with a new series by Brian Michael Bendis and Jackson Guice about the conspiracies behind everything and shit. Here's a hint: everything involves Wolverine. Surprise, surprise, am I right?

Complete Jack Kirby Vol 4 1947B TP

I would love to check some of these books out sometime, even if the early Kirby stuff isn't as good as he was in the 60s and 70s (in my opinion). This volume features plenty of romance and crime stories, and who knows what else. Gotta love the Kirby.

Cory Doctorows Futuristic Tales of the Here and Now HC

Here's the hardcover collection of the kind of middling adaptations of Doctorow's fiction. I thought one of the issues was quite good, and the others I read were not terrible, but not great either. Doctorow has said that the volume will be made available for free download, since he releases all his works under Creative Commons licenses, but I can't find any information about where to get it, so I guess it's not out there yet. I'll be sure to link to it once it's available.

Essential Fantastic Four Vol. 1 New Printing

Speaking of Kirby, here's a reprint of the beginning of one of his best and most famous series. I've read a bunch of these, and the first seven or eight issues are pretty rough, but it gets really enjoyable after that, once Lee and Kirby really figured out what they were doing. I mean, check this craziness out (that was one of my very first blog posts, and I still think there are some good jokes in there). So, yeah, good stuff. Read it if you haven't before.

Fables Vol. 10

Ooh, here's the thing I'm most excited about this week. I love this series, and I can't wait to read this latest volume, which involves poor, tragic Ambrose, who will probably have something terrible happen to him. Man, I hope he doesn't die...

Infinity Inc vol. 1

I considered checking this series out, just because Peter Milligan is the writer, and he can be really good. I haven't heard too much about it (although Jog seems to think it's decent), and it's getting canceled soon anyway, so maybe I'll end up reading it sometime. Yay, enthusiasm!

Lobster Johnson vol. 1

Another one that I might try to read at some point. I believe it involves World War II shenanigans by the titular crustacean-themed superhero, who is somehow involved with Hellboy and company (I'm not very up on the whole Mignola-verse). I dunno, Tucker Stone didn't think too highly of it, but Jog said it was good. Conundrum!

Monster Zoo

New Doug TenNapel! It's about a boy and a zoo full of monsters, I guess. Man, I'm amazing with the informational capabilities. I like TenNapel's art a whole lot (here's what I thought about some of his other stuff), even if I sometimes dislike his religious views, so I'll definitely check this out. I bet it'll be good.

Tales from the Starlight Drive In

Apparently, this anthology of stories written by Michael San Giacomo was supposed to be published by Speakeasy back in 2006, but that company went under, and the book is only now hitting shelves. It features 22 different artists illustrating tales centering around the titular movie theater. It might be good, or maybe now. But it's obviously a labor of love, so I expect it will be worth a look.

Tom Strong vol. 6

The final volume of Alan Moore and Chris Sprouse's ABC series. I never really got into Tom Strong, but what I read wasn't bad. I liked Promethea and Top 10 a lot better, really. But this ties into the end of Promethea, so while I won't buy it, I could get it from the library or something, just to see what happens.

Wormwood Calamari Rising

Man, I haven't even picked up the second volume of this super-cool Ben Templesmith series yet, and here's the third collection already out. I have to get off my ass and buy that thing; I need to experience more weird demons and tentacles and shit.

Honey & Clover Vol 2 GN

Ooh! Get this, if you want good manga! I love this series. Read it!

MPD-PSYCHO Vol 5 TP

I've read the first three volumes of this (why I didn't review the second or third ones, I don't know), and it's pretty enjoyable, in a gross-out/big-action sort of way. I still need to get volume 4, but I'm sure I'll make my way to this one eventually.

Okami Official Complete Works TP

This isn't really comics, but it's a translation of a Japanese artbook related to one of my favorite video games ever, so I might have to buy it, or at least flip through it in a bookstore. Here's my review of the game, if you're interested.

Rosario + Vampire Vol 1 GN

Finally, here's a manga that might not be that great (I think it involves vampires in high school or something), but I've got a review copy sitting at home, so I'll probably end up posting about it at some point. Just a heads-up, I guess.
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And I think that's everything. Whew. Okay, back to work.