Man, nothing new this weekend, for some reason. And I'm about to go on vacation again, so there will probably be little of note around here for the next few days either. Ah, lazy summer!
For your reading enjoyment, I've got a review of The Goon #26 up over at Comics Bulletin.
In other news, the newest installment of Smith Magazine's Next-Door Neighbor is by Harvey Pekar and Rick Veitch, which is a good combination. Check it out.
Brandon Graham is apparently having trouble getting Tokyopop to actually publish the second volume of King City (bastards!), so he has posted the first twelve pages on his blog (you have to scroll down a little bit to get to them), and might continue posting chapters if it never gets printed. So, uh, check that out, I guess, since that might be the only way we ever get to read it. Too bad; I loved the first volume of that book.
Anyway, I won't be picking these up until next week, but here they are:
New comics this week (Wednesday, 7/16/08):
Charlatan Ball #2
Man, I totally dug the first issue of this Joe Casey/Andy Suriano series. I should have written a review or something. Maybe when I get back, I can do something about these first two issues. Watch for it!
Godland #24
Speaking of Joe Casey, this issue should make enough for a fourth collection, right? Then I'll be able to catch up on the story. It's good; I've been missing the cosmic craziness of the series.
Gwaii #1
Is the title of this book supposed to be a play on "kawaii", the Japanese word for cute? It's a kids' book about a little sasquatch trying to find his lost mother. Could be fun. You can see some preview pages here.
Lois #1
Lois Gilbert, an acquaintance of Harvey Pekar, does her own American Splendor-style book here, telling about her experiences as a stand-up comedian, exotic dancer, and other adventures. Pekar co-writes some stories, and Gary Dumm and Greg Budgett, two regular Splendor contributors, provide the art. Could be worth a look.
Normal #1
An interesting project in which writer Stephen Orlando wrote a one-page story and had a bunch of different artists illustrate it, showing the differences in people's interpretations. I don't recognize the names of any of the artists apart from Matt Silady (The Homeless Channel), but it still looks like something I wouldn't mind reading. Here's a page with some information and some preview pages.
Paradise Lost #1
Also from Stephen Orlando's House Spirit Press, we've got an adaptation of the classic poem by John Milton. I have no idea if it will be any good, but the cover looks nice.
Sky Doll #3
Ending the Marvel translation of the extant issues of the French sci-fi/political-religious satire/sexploitation comic. I liked the first issue well enough, but I didn't read the second one. Maybe I'll pick up the collected version.
Universal War One #1
And then we've got the next addition to Marvel's Soleil lineup. This one appears to be a sci-fi story about a big war and a weird space anomaly that appears in the solar system. I should have a review up at Comics Bulletin tomorrow, but so far, I would say it's kind of interesting, and pretty nice-looking, but fairly sterile. I'll see what else I have to say when I finish reading it.
War is Hell: First Flight of the Phantom Eagle #5
Concluding the Garth Ennis/Howard Chaykin WWI miniseries. This has been an excellent read, and I can't wait to see how Ennis finishes it. Don't let me down, Garth!
Blue GN
From Desperado Publishing (that's a division of Image, right?), it's a reworked/modernized/whatever version of the Bluebeard fairytale by Elizabeth Genco and Sami Makkonen. The art looks cool (here's a preview), with sort of an Ashley Wood style. I might have to check it out.
Dock Walloper Vol 1 TP
So did this turn out to be any good? From what I remember, it was a story about a dockworker with a big hand, "created by" the actor Ed Burns. Virgin Comics' stuff seems to miss more often than hit, but you never know when they might put out something pretty good. Did anybody bother to read this and find out?
Dominion TPB
From Boom! Studios, it's some sort of alien-invasion tale "created by" Keith Giffen, but actually written by Michael Alan Nelson and drawn by Tim Hamilton. I've got an electronic review copy, so I'll let you know if it's any good whenever I get around to looking at it.
Fatal Faux Pas TP
A collection of gag comics from Samuel C. Gaskin, previously published as minicomics. It looks pretty good, and Nina Stone over at The Factual Opinion reviewed it recently. I'll have to try to obtain a copy. Here's the official page on publisher Secret Acres' site.
Goddess Of War #1
This new series by Lauren Weinstein has been getting some really good buzz on the comics inter-blags, so it's another one I'll have to try to pick up sometime. It follows the adventures of a valkyrie named Valerie, and it's kind of expensive for a 32-page pamphlet ($12.95), but it's huge at 14.5" x 10". Sounds neat; here's Jog's review; he can tell you why it's interesting much better than I can.
Houdini Handcuff King TPB
I don't know if this is a new version of the book or what, but maybe it means I'll actually read it now. It's about one of Houdini's famous escapes, and it's written by Jason Lutes and drawn by Nick Bertozzi. I've heard it's not bad. I may even one day be able to judge it for myself rather than just parroting what I've heard from others.
Howard the Duck Omnibus Vol. 1 HC
Marvel puts out a huge collection of Steve Gerber's creation, containing over 30 issues of the series and some other appearances (including some issues of Giant-Size Man-Thing, hee hee). A hundred bucks seems pricey, but that's a lot of material. I wish I could afford it.
Jeff Smith Bone & Beyond HC
I guess this is the portable version of the Jeff Smith museum exhibit that people have been talking about for a while now. Sounds like it's got some interviews with Smith, original art from the series, and other artwork from people who have influenced him. Probably would look nice on a coffee table, but I'm fine just reading the actual comics rather than spend money on a book celebrating how awesome they are.
Method Man GN
Hahahaha, this looks hilariously, stupidly silly. It's about a private investigator who is a member of a secret order of Cain's descendants that has to fight evil, or something. And hilariously, the rapper who co-wrote it named it after himself. I guess that's a selling point, but it kind of brands the whole thing as an ego-trip vanity project, doesn't it? Eh, it might be funny to look at, but I doubt it would really be worth reading, even with art by Sanford Greene. Here's an article about the thing on CBR, if you care.
Sparrow Boxed Set
75 bucks gets you a slip-cased set of all those artbooks that IDW has put out, featuring people like Ashley Wood, Phil Hale, and others. Probably good stuff, but too rich for my blood.
Tiki Joe Mysteries Vol 1 High Stakes Patsy TPB
This could be fun. It's an Ocean's 11-style crime story set in 1959 Las Vegas, about a guy who gathers his friends to pull a job against the mafia, who have been pressuring him for protection money. It's by Mike Murphy, from Slave Labor Graphics. I'll see if I can check it out. Here's the official site, which contains a preview.
Who Can Save Us Now TP
I don't think I would normally even bother mentioning this collection of superhero-themed short stories (because god knows we need more superhero stories; that well hasn't been plumbed already or anything), especially since I don't recognize any of the contributing writers, but I see that it contains illustrations by Chris Burnham, artist of Nixon's Pals. So I wouldn't mind opening it up and looking at it, I guess.
Wormdye TP
Also from Secret Acres, this is a collection of Eamon Espey's comics, and it also looks interesting, in that odd, artcomixy way. Maybe I'll check it out sometime? Here's the publisher's page.
ZOT TP VOL 01
I think this is the collection of the black and white issues of Scott McCloud's comic. I've read a little of the color version (I think), and it's pretty good stuff. McCloud is more famous these days for his non-fiction books, but this series is very well-regarded. I should try to read more of it. Here's an article that Tom Spurgeon wrote about the book.
Oh My God Vol 1 GN
From Aurora Manga, this is a shojo/shonen-ai comic about a guy who makes friends with an amnesiac deity that takes the guise of a high school student. Could be enjoyable?
Real Vol 1 GN
Takehiko Inoue's wheelchair basketball manga hits stores. I totally dug this first volume, so I highly recommend that you check it out. Yes, I mean you!
Star Trek Manga Vol. 3
I often hear that this series is hilarious, but I've never read it. I should try to do so sometime. Library?
Vassalord Vol 1 GN
From Tokyopop, this is about a cyborg vampire who works for the Vatican. What? Hey, sometimes when you throw a bunch of genre elements into a blender, it can come out pretty tasty. I don't know if that's the case here, but it's got my interest at least. We'll see if I ever bother reading it.
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And I think that's everything for the week. As I said, I'm going on vacation, so while I'm hoping to have something up tonight, I might not be around until next week. But please don't forget me in my absence! I'll be back!
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