This week, more stuff appears

Hmmm, getting behind again.  Lots of books to write about.  But in the meantime, here's some links and whatnot:

Apparently Kyle Baker is doing a biography of Barack Obama.  I don't know how he'll be able to work in his signature slapstick humor.  Nah, I'm sure it will be good; Baker is an excellent cartoonist.

Here's an image of Tony Moore's art from The Walking Dead rendered in 3-D.  Neat.

Okay, here's the main event:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 1/21/08):

100 Bullets #99

Oh man, the clip is almost empty.  Nobody spoil this for me.  Is DC going to collect the rest of the series in the next trade, or do I have to wait for two more volumes.  Damn, that's going to be tough.

Astonishing X-Men #28

I guess Warren Ellis and Simone Bianchi's series is still coming out, slowly.  I think it's gotten into stuff like parallel universes and whatnot now, which is interesting, if not all that X-Men-y.  I still like when Ellis gets into the crazy sci-fi, so maybe I should read this at some point.  Maybe.

Final Crisis Superman Beyond #2 

One week too late, the finale of this Superman spin-off from the main Final Crisis series shows up.  I should read this at some point, since I almost always dig Morrison, and I like Doug Mahnke's art, and at least some of it is/was in 3-D, which is cool.  Again, maybe.

Garth Ennis Battlefields Night Witches #3

The final issue of Ennis' latest war series, about female Russian bombers.  I love his war comics, so I'll definitely have to get this when it gets collected.  I hope it's one of the good ones.

Madman Atomic Comics #13

Looks like this is still going on.  I kind of regret not continuing to buy this series, but I've kind of gotten tired of it, which is a bummer.  Jog seemed to like the previous issue (I think), so maybe I should try to catch up.

Mysterius: The Unfathomable #1

A new ongoing series from Jeff Parker and artist Tom Fowler from Wildstorm, this one takes more of an adult sensibility than Parker's usual stuff for Marvel, following a magician and his assistant as they get caught up in interdimensional shenanigans.  Or something like that.  I like Parker's work a lot, and Fowler's artwork looks excellent (see some concept art here and a six-page preview here).  It should be interesting to see Parker try something new.  I'll definitely have to check it out.

Ruins #1

The "#1" is misleading here, because this new printing collects all of Warren Ellis' two-issue series that was sort of a dark opposite of Marvels, positing a terrible end for everything in the Marvel universe.  I read it a while back, but I don't remember much of it, so it might not be the greatest thing ever or anything.  Still, if I was buying monthly comics regularly, I would probably pick it up.

Uncanny X-Men Annual #2

Matt Fraction writes this, if you're interested.  Art by Mitch Breitweister, with a story about Emma Frost and her participation in Marvel's Dark Reign event (yawn).  Who knows, maybe Fraction can liven it up a bit.

Angora Napkin GN

A graphic novel from IDW about the titular all-girl band who unwittingly unleash a zombie apocalypse on earth.  Could be cute.  You can email creator Troy Little for a free preview copy if you like; details here.

Batman The Strange Deaths Of Batman TPB

If you thought punching a helicopter and getting Omega Effected was bad, here's a collection of goofy old Batman stories where he died, or at least appeared to.  Fun?  I think it includes the Bob Haney-written story where the Atom climbed inside Batman's brain and controlled his comatose body like a puppet.  If that's not the best Batman team-up ever, I don't know what is.

Capacity GN

This got a bit of attention last year, and it looks like it's available in comic stores now.  Cool.  It's by Theo Ellsworth, and I hear it's full of crazy, detail-packed imagery.  I don't really know what it's about though, but I wouldn't mind reading it sometime.

Flaming Carrot Collected Ltd HC Vol. 1

I've never really been into the Flaming Carrot, but maybe I just haven't read enough.  Here's my chance, I guess.  Fifty bucks gets you some of "the early first stories" (but who knows how many), along with a new ten-page story, a foreword by Dave Sim, and other extras.  

Immortal Iron Fist Vol 3 The book Of Iron Fist tpb

The final volume of the Brubaker/Fraction Iron Fist, although I think this one just collects the Fraction-written issues about the Iron Fists of times past, which makes the $17 price tag seem hefty.  I still haven't read volume 2; I should try to catch up.

Powers HC Vol. 02 Definitive Collection

The next volume of the fancy hardcovers collecting the first volume of the series.  This one has #12-24 for $30.  Those are some good stories, and a nice package, so it's not a bad deal.  Give it a try if you haven't before, I guess.  Your reaction depends on your tolerance for Bendis though, but since this is his creator-owned work, it fits his sensibilities well.

Never Bad As You Think HC

Stuart and Kathryn Immonen's webcomic series gets collected here, and given the quality of their other work, I expect it's quite good.  I'll try to write something up about it soon, so keep an eye out.

Ted McKeever Library Book 2 Eddy Current The Complete Series & The Lost Finale HC

Another older McKeever work that I haven't read, but I sure wouldn't mind.  It's about an escaped mental patient and his crazy adventures.  $35 for 12 issues worth of material.  I bet it's a good read.

Tokyo Days Bangkok Nights TPB

This collects two Vertigo miniseries, Vertigo Pop! Tokyo and Vertigo Pop! Bangkok, which came out in 2003.  They were both written by Jonathan Vankin, with art by Seth Fisher on Tokyo and Guiseppe Camuncoli on Bangkok (a third miniseries, Vertigo Pop! London, by Peter Milligan and Philip Bond, isn't included in this volume).  I've read Tokyo, which was fairly enjoyable, but mostly for Fisher's artwork.  I guess it's worth checking out, but it might be just as easy and possibly cheaper to just hunt down the back issues.

Will Eisner Reader GN WW Norton Edition
Will Eisners Name Of The Game TP WW Norton Edition
Will Eisners The Dreamer TP WW Norton Edition
Will Eisners To The Heart Of The Storm TP WW Norton Edition

A bunch of Eisner volumes.  All good stuff, I think.  I've only read To the Heart of the Storm, but I think all of these are included in the Life, In Pictures volume (which I have but haven't gotten around to reading yet, for fear of spending another week obsessing about Eisner).  Check em out, if you haven't before.

Gantz Vol 3 TP

Lots of good manga this week.  I don't know when I'll be able to get to this series, but I do hope to try at some point.  Lots of sex and violence.  Enjoy.

Gon Vol 7 TP New Printing

More dinosaur antics.  What animals will he beat the shit out of this time?

Oishinbo Japanese Cuisine GN

Viz has this new version of the long-running cooking series.  This translated series is a best-of of sorts, collecting popular stories, similar to Viz's Golgo 13 series.  Does the "Japanese Cuisine" in the title mean that's the focus of this volume?  Maybe.

Path Of The Assassin Vol 14 Bad Blood TP

I haven't read any of this Kazuo Koike/Goseki Kojima series (I still need to finish Lone Wolf and Cub, not to mention Samurai Executioner), but it's yet another one that I hope to read at some point.  Ah, someday.

Real Vol 3 GN

The new volume of Takehiko Inoue's wheelchair basketball series.  The first two installments were some of my favorite comics of 2008, so I expect this third one will also be quite good.  I've got it on my pile of books to read, so hopefully I'll get to it soon.  Nishi High!  Go! Go! Go!

Shojo Beat Vol 5 #2 Feb 2009

I still haven't received my subscription copy of this, in case anybody is wondering about my monthly review.  I might have to call them and figure out what's up.

Yakitate Japan Vol 15 TP

And in the category of series that I've heard good things about but haven't read, here's the new volume.  Again, maybe someday.

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And that seems to be everything that I deem worth mentioning.  That's it for today, but hopefully I'll have something up tomorrow.  Lots of stuff to write.  Hope you don't get sick of me.