This week, there's still too much stuff to buy

Elsewhere: I reviewed Marvel Divas #1 at Comics Bulletin, and talked about I Survived a Japanese Game Show at The Factual Opinion. Also, Swordsmith Assassin #1 over at IndiePulp.

I'm slacking off on the blogging here, aren't I? More to come, hopefully, but at least there's this:

New comics this week (Wednesday, 7/8/09):

All Star Superman #1 Special Edition

DC is still putting out these Watchmen-related promo issues, and this is a good one, if not exactly all that Watchmen-y. Grant Morrison, Frank Quitely, a darn good beginning to their excellent series. Only a buck, so check it out if you haven't read it.

BPRD 1947 #1

I don't normally mention these series, not because I'm uninterested, but because I'm so far behind on the various series that it will be a while before I get around to reading them. This one is especially notable though, because it's illustrated by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba. I bet it will look awesome. Mike Mignola and Joshua Dysart write, as usual, and it continues the WWII-era stories of the team. Cool.

House of Mystery #15

I need to read the second collected volume of this series; it's on my massive pile of things to get to (as opposed to my even-more-massive (and also imaginary) pile of things I would like to read eventually). The monthly pamphlets are still coming out, and the guest artist for this issue is David Hahn. Yay?

North 40 #1

This miniseries by Aaron Williams (ps238) and Fiona Staples has to do with monsters taking over a small town, or something like that. I don't know if it will be good, but it's notable for being one of the creator-owned books that Wildstorm is releasing. Hopefully it will be good.

President Evil

Another week, another stupid Obama comic. Why bother mentioning it? I dunno; maybe because the title amuses me ever-so-slightly. Being a play on the video game Resident Evil, it's about zombies, so it gets to invoke another tired comics gimmick. Yawn.

Tom Strong #1 Special Edition

Watchmen-related promo #2! This is another one that's not especially Watchmen-like, but since it's written by Alan Moore, people might be interested. Not my favorite of Moore's ABC comics, but there's some decent stuff in there, like Chris Sprouse's art. I suppose it's worth a dollar.

Uncanny X-Men First Class #1

Jeff Parker's "untold tales of the X-Men" got cancelled (or just ended; I wasn't really keeping up with its status) in favor of this new series, which could be described as "untold tales of the All-New, All-Different X-Men". Sure, why not? You've still got Roger Cruz on art, but Parker has been replaced by Scott Gray, who I only know from occasional collaborations with Roger Langridge. I imagine it will be enjoyable and readable, but I'm not really interested in this languishing in the past, so I'll probably skip it. But if it's your thing, read the fuck out of it, man, don't let me stop you.

Wasteland #25 Special Double Issue

Ooh, special anniversary issue! Or something like that; the series doesn't come out regularly enough to celebrate an actual temporal anniversary, so the occasion celebrated is 25 issues. Anyway, as the title says, it's a double-sized extravaganza, and it's even in full color! Falling in between storylines, it's one of those flashback stories about Michael's past, but Christopher Mitten is still illustrating. I bet it will be quite good.

Wednesday Comics #1

One of the bigger events of an already-busy week, DC is doing this weekly series that has many people (including myself) excited. It's a newspaper-style comic section, featuring several serials by some great talents including Paul Pope, Kyle Baker, Neil Gaiman and Mike Allred, Amanda Conner, Jose Luis Garcia Lopez, and plenty of others that I can't remember right now. Twelve "issues" of giant-sized coolness; I hope it does not disappoint. Don't let me down, DC!

100 Bullets Vol 13 Wilt

And here's the next big release of the week; the final collection of one of my favorite comics of all time. I expect I'll drop everything and power through this, making notes along the way as to how to update my complicated character relationship chart. I'll be sorry to see this end, but at the same time, I'm expecting Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso to blow my mind with how they do it.

Asterios Polyp GN

This one is another big release, although it might have already come out in bookstores. David Mazzucchelli's graphic novel is sure to be one of the most talked-about books of the year, and probably really damn good to boot. With everything else I'm buying, and the pile of books I still need to read, I don't think I can afford the thirty dollar price tag, but I'm sure the library will get it. Still, I encourage everybody to check it out, however they can. Literary comics, go!

Back To Brooklyn TP Direct Market Edition

Was this Garth Ennis/Jimmy Palmiotti thing any good? I don't remember reading much in the way of positive appraisals back when the early issues came out; I think it was noted as pretty violent and kind of over-stiff art? Still, it might be a fun read.

Bone One Vol Ed SC 13th ptg

Man, this thing just keeps rolling on, doesn't it? As it should; it's a great comic. This single-volume brick is a great (if kind of unwieldy) way to read it, and probably the best deal too. It's 40 bucks, but that gets you over 1000 pages of Jeff Smith awesomeness. Now that the colorized versions of the series are finished, I expect a one-volume color book will be coming out, but I still think the black and white is my preferred look. But I highly recommend it either way.

Everybody is Stupid Except for Me & Other Astute Observations

Peter Bagge! This is a collection of the strips he did for Reason magazine, a regular fount of libertarian politics. There's some great material in here, whether you agree with the opinions or not, since Bagge does some great cartooning and good journalism, providing hilarious insights into topics like art, public transportation, homelessness, and gun ownership. If you're cheap like me, you can read the strips online here, but you can also see a sample of the book at Fantagraphics' page.

Forever Nuts Classic Screwball Strips Bringing Up Father HC

NBM has this latest entry into their series of classic comic strips, this one being about a lower-class guy who gets into conflicts with his family when they come into money. I think this one was excerpted in Art Out of Time, and it was quite good. Here's a preview; I certainly wouldn't mind checking it out.

Marvel 70th Anniversary TP

I was surprised that Marvel was putting out a collection of their 70th anniversary specials so quickly, but that's not the case. No, this is more of an overview of the various comics they've published over the years (everything from Submariner #1 to Captain America #25, with stops in Fantastic Four, Uncanny X-Men, and Ultimate Spider-Man along the way), in case you've never heard of the company before. Enjoy, suckers!

Marvel Art of Marko Djurdjevic HC

Weird, Marvel doesn't usually publish "art" books like this, do they? I figure this is one of those collections of covers, like DC has done with Dave McKean or James Jean. I like Djurdjevic's work, but I don't know if this is really worth getting, unless you really want to see a lot of Daredevil and Thor striking poses. To each his own, I guess.

MMW Warlock HC Vol 2

This is a series I should check out sometime; Jim Starlin at his trippy 70s best. Crazy shit, from what people like Geoff Klock tell me.

Nobody HC

Another notable release! Jeff Lemire's Vertigo graphic novel appears to be a sort of retelling of The Invisible Man, with nice emotional touches and whatnot. I bet it will be good.

Pixu TP Vol 1 Mark of Evil

And here's another one! This Dark Horse release collects the minicomics by Becky Cloonan, Vasilis Lolos, Fabio Moon, and Gabriel Ba, a horror comic about a haunted house. It's a nice little hardcover, and it will surely look nice and sport some great atmosphere. Read it!

POP Wonderland Series Vol 1 Thumbelina HC

I don't know if this book originated in Japan or the US, but it's a version of the fairy tale by Michiyo Hayano, the creator of Moetan. It's sure to be quite cute; here's a preview.

Prince Valiant HC Vol 1 1937-1938

I think Fantagraphics has attempted to release reprints of Hal Foster's classic strip before, and now they're taking another whack at it. The difference this time around: better reproduction technology and access to original artwork means that you get some really good-looking versions of the comics (see here for more information). If that floats your boat, this is the way to go. Here, have a preview.

Rasl Collectors ED HC

Did I mention Jeff Smith? Here's another release from him this week, if you like spending money. It's a fancy version of the first collection of his current series; fifty bucks for three issues of material, plus some extras and a hard cover. I bet he'll enjoy rolling around naked on a bed covered with your money, you rich fucks.

RUNAWAYS PREM HC Teenage Wasteland

Speaking of fancy versions of books, here's another edition of Marvel putting out an expensive collection of something you can get for cheap. This contains what was in the second digest of the first volume of the series, only now you can spend twenty bucks on it. I guess the original book that collected the entire first volume is out of print. Oh, wait, no it's not! Screw you, Marvel.

Showcase Presents Batlash TP

I don't usually buy the black and white phonebook reprints that the big two put out, but I might make an exception for this series; classic western comics from Sergio Aragones and others. Good times, great oldies.

Sinfest TP Dark Horse ED Vol 01

Dark Horse's latest webcomics-in-print book, collecting a bunch of Tatsuya Ishida's nicely-illustrated strip. From what I've read of it, it's pretty decent, taking a sweetly-satirical look at religion and such, but I haven't found it to be revelatory or anything. It sure looks nice though. As always, I note that you can read it for free online if you don't want to spend the money. I'm cheap, you see.

Superman Whatever Happened to Man of Tomorrow HC

Everybody loves this Alan Moore-written story that ended the pre-Crisis Superman mythos, but I didn't find it to be all that amazing when I read it, beyond being kind of surprised at the general carnage that went on as most of the supporting cast was killed off. Also in this volume: "For the Man Who Has Everything", a story that I do think deserves its reputation, and also the issue where Superman meets Swamp Thing. Not a whole lot of content, but now you can spend $25 on it!

X-Men Shattering TP

Really? Marvel thinks people really want to read these horrible comics from the late 90s, when everybody was running away from their comics in droves? I suppose if you're an Alan Davis completist, you'll want this, but I imagine you can find the original issues in quarter bins, rather than spending 35 dollars (!) on this bullshit.

Cat Paradise Vol 1 GN

And on to the manga section of the week's releases; this stuff never ends. Yen Press has this series from the creator of King of Thorn and Chikyu Misaki about a girl who brings her cat to her school dorm and ends up in the middle of a battle involving demon cats, or something like that. I'm sure cat people will find it tons of fun. Yes, that means I might end up reading it at some point.

ChocoMimi Vol 1 TP

Now that Shojo Beat has ended, I might have to read this sort of thing just to get my girliness levels back up. It's a super-cutesy series aimed at preteen girls about two characters who do all sorts of girly crap involving clothes and crafts and other sweet stuff. Actually, that's almost certainly beyond my tolerance levels, but I imagine it's still a good bit of fluff for those who are so inclined. Here's a nice review.

Game X Rush Vol 1 GN

This series sounds interesting, but I don't know if it will be worth getting, given the flak Tokyopop has been taking lately for their decreased production values. Still, the concept of the world's greatest assassin facing off against the world's greatest bodyguard sounds fun. It's something to flip through if I see it at Borders, I guess.

Honey Hunt Vol 2 GN

The second collection of Miki Aihara's latest series. I covered it when it was running in Shojo Beat, and it's decent, although it certainly has its problems. If you can handle Aihara's eccentricities, it does have some charms, and maybe it will get better. Just be prepared for a lot of whining.

Leave It To PET Vol 2 TP

This kids' series from Viz sounded pretty interesting (here's a good review), so I wouldn't mind checking it out. Here's volume 2, meaning I'm behind again.

NANA Vol 17 TP

Gaah, speaking of being behind. I have three or four volumes of this series (which is one of my favorites, so I have no excuse for not reading it) sitting on my pile at home. I keep losing ground; I'm going to need to take a week off work and just read comics to catch up.

Neon Genesis Evangelion The Shinji Ikari Raising Project Vol 1 TPB

I haven't read any of the Evangelion manga, so I don't know how it differs from the anime, but this series just seems weird. It's apparently based on that fantasy sequence in the final episode where Shinji and friends were in an alternate reality that was like a goofy sitcom version of their lives. Why they would want to stretch that out into its own series is beyond me, but I guess if you're an Evangelion freak, you'll buy anything that ties in. Enjoy, weirdos.

Shonen Jump Vol 7 #8 August 2009

Can this possibly fill the hole that the cancellation of Shojo Beat has left in my life? My subscription to that magazine has been replaced with this one until it runs out, and having received this issue, I might as well write about it once I finish reading it. It's enjoyable enough, but I'm not finding it to be an adequate replacement. That probably comes from confusion after jumping into the middle of a bunch of stories, but I don't care; my heartbreak will be taken out on Naruto and company. Ooh, they're so gonna get it.

Swallowing The Earth Vol 1 GN

And here's one final big release for the week. Digital Manga is putting out this lesser-known work by Osamu Tezuka, and considering my status as an abject Tezuka worshipper, I'll have to get it as soon as possible. It apparently has to do with some sort of aquatic goddess taking revenge on men for their crimes against women? I bet it will be crazy, weird, hilarious, and awesome. I can't wait.

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Wow, I'm going to go broke buying comics that go straight on my unread pile. We truly live in an age of sequential wonders. And maybe I'll even do some blogging this week; wouldn't that be nice.