This week, I keep buying comics

Link: Check out these Jack Kirby trading cards, presenting concept art from some animated show in the 80s, I think.

The latest "issue" of Dark Horse Presents is out, and there's another "Giant Man" story by Matt Kindt. I also like this story by Matt Sundstrom. Good stuff.

Missed it: Looks like Tokyopop is finally getting around to releasing some of the OEL titles they have sitting around. That's good, even if it's just posted online, since at lease people will be able to read them. I'm not all that interested in most of them, but one of the titles is Gyakushu!, which is awesome, because I really want to find out how that series ended (here's my reviews of volume one and two, if you're interested). Hopefully I'll even be able to buy a print volume of it someday.

New comics this week (Wednesday, 8/19/09):

Atomic Robo And The Shadow From Beyond Time #4

Aw, man, I still haven't read #3. I loves me some Atomic Robo, and this miniseries is as good as all the others, from what I've seen. Read it.

Daredevil #500

Marvel's latest big anniversary issue, although who knows if it's legit or not (not that it's really worth caring about). This one marks the end of Ed Brubaker's run on the series, which I haven't read, so I don't know how it is. I guess it's all right? Being a number divisible by 100, it's a big issue, with extra stories by Ann Nocenti, David Aja, and "others". Plus, lots of variant covers, some of which will be nice to look at on the stands, especially Geof Darrow's. Ah, the modern comics industry and the wealth of stupidity it has given us. I'll be forever grateful.

Days Missing #1

Here's the under-the-radar book of the week, a new series from Archaia by Phil Hester and Frazier Irving. It has to do with a supernatural being having removed various days throughout history from spacetime, or maybe just from memory. But now they're being revealed, with presumably shocking results! Sounds interesting, but what really sells it for me is the presence of Frazier Irving, one of my favorite artists. I'm still waiting for him and Simon Spurrier to finish Gutsville though...

Ex Machina #44

Still mayoring. I knew this series was going to end fairly soon, but I guess #50 will be the final issue? That's coming soon, barring any delays. I do like this series; when's the next collection coming out?

Jack of Fables #37

I like this one too, and I'm kind of excited about it again now that I read that last trade. The next one's not until October, I think, and then I can get excited about the crossover collection. Yes, Fables, I'm hooked.

Monsters Inc Laugh Factory #1

It's the latest Disney/Pixar book from Boom!, and it's probably as nice-looking and kid-friendly as the others, acting as some sort of sequel to the movie. I should try to read some of these and see how well they work.

Poe #2

And speaking of Boom!, here's another one of their series, and I haven't read it. Which is ridiculous, since they send me PDFs of all their books. I really need to dive into some of these and see how good they are. Anybody want to offer an opinion? Anyone? Hello? (I always resist making a "Beuller?" joke here, but maybe this week it would be appropriate).

Swordsmith Assassin #1

And another Boom! book, but I actually did read this one. Here's my review, over at Indiepulp. It's pretty good, methinks.

Viking #3

This book is one that I want to like more than I actually do. The art is gorgeous, and I love the oversized presentation, but it's too damn hard to follow for some reason. I have trouble telling characters apart and following the plot, and that's a shame, since a good, bloody romp through the frozen north is a can't-miss concept. Maybe it'll get better; I'll probably be unable to resist buying it anyway.

Wednesday Comics #7

Hey, this series is good, amirite? I'm not sure what there is to say from week to week, although I could complain about the board game in Metamorpho that was substituted in lieu of a strip last week, or comment on the nifty vertical presentation of the Wonder Woman installment. Whatever; I'll just keep reading.

We Kill Monsters #2

I would not mind reading this comic. It looks good. That is all.

Astonishing X-Men Prem HC Ghost Box

The first arc of Warren Ellis tenure on the series, and it wasn't bad. It'll probably read better in collected form, rather than sporadically appearing on shelves whenever an issue is finished. Still, it's really only an okay story; I wouldn't recommend it for non-X-Men fans anyway. If you must read it, you should probably wait for the trade.

Black Is For Beginners GN

I can't find a whole lot of information about this one, but it appears to be a graphic novel about witches for a young adult audience. The thing that makes it notable is that Barbara Kesel is one of the writers (joined by Laurie Stolarz, with Janina Gorrisen on art). Maybe worth a glance, if you can find it.

Complete Essex County HC
Complete Essex County TP

Ah, here's the big "indie" release of the week, collecting all the previous volumes in Jeff Lemire's series of interconnected stories of Canadian small-town life. I hear nothing but good things about these, but I still haven't read them, although I only have mysef to blame. One of these days I'll get to them, and hopefully they will live up to the hype.

Dark Entries HC

The first book in the Vertigo Crime label, a black and white graphic novely by Ian Rankin, with art by Werther Dell'Edera. It's not too far off the Vertigo beat though, since it stars John Constantine, and it has something to do with reality TV, which might be a bit too "relevant". Still, I've heard that it's pretty good, so I'll try to check it out, given the chance.

Eerie Archives Volume 02 HC

Dark Horse keeps collecting series like this in expensive volumes that I can't afford to buy. I do want to read them at some point though, so I should search my library's catalogue. Good stuff here, with contributors like Gene Colan, Neal Adams, Steve Ditko, and Frank Frazetta. Here, have a teeny preview.

Filthy Rich HC

And it's the other Vertigo Crime book, this being the one I'm more interested in. It's by Brian Azzarello and Victor Santos, and it seems to be more of a classic noir, with a doofus caught up in a complicated world of rich old men and femmes fatale. It's gotten at least one bad review, but I'm willing to give Azzarello a chance, since I really dig his crime writing, and the samples of the art that I've seen look really nice. Don't let me down, Azzarello!

Hexed HC

I mentioned that I'm bad about reading Boom!'s releases, and here's an example. This magical series looked interesting and featured some vibrant artwork, but I never got around to reading it. I might still do so, but if anybody else out there read it and wants to let me know what they thought, please do so.

Kindling James Jean Poster Book

Not comics! But James Jean's art is beautiful and awesome, so here's a chance to get a bunch of it (collected from his gallery exhibit in New York) to hang on your dorm room walls. Who knows, maybe it'll get you laid.

Lava Is A Floor HC

A cute-looking kids' comic from Image about two monster kids pretending to be humans. Sounds like fun.

Marquis TP Vol 1 Inferno

Guy Davis! I've never read this series, but it looks really cool, and Davis is a pretty great artist. Maybe this is my chance to check it out.

Middleman Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse GN

Hey, I didn't know this was coming out! It's the next Middleman book, although it seems to follow the TV series rather than the comics, picking up plot threads from the show and finishing everything off rather apocalyptically. The show was quite good, so I expect this will be fun as well, even if the art is by Armando Mendoza rather than Les McClaine. Maybe I'll even get my wife to read it; she loved the show. Comics: everybody likes them, sort of!

Requiem Resurrection Vol 1 TP

I don't know if I've ever seen a Heavy Metal trade collection before. How about that. This one collects a story by Pat Mills and Olivier Ladroit about a Nazi being resurrected as a vampire in the afterlife. I like Mills' work on Marshall Law, so maybe this will also be a good read. And maybe more European stuff can get collected by Heavy Metal as well; that would be nice.

Shrapnel Aristeia Rising TP

Radical has this trade collection of their series about a gritty interplanetary war throughout the solar system. I never read the series, but it seemed interesting, so maybe I'll give it a look. Maybe.

Stephen Colbert's Tek Jansen HC

I read a few of the issues of this series, and it was pretty fun, if also pretty lightweight, not really living up the the comedic legacy of the show that birthed it. Still, there are some decent gags and some nice artwork, so it's not a waste of time or anything. How's that for a recommendation?

Ultima Thula GN

This graphic novel from Arcana has to do with a town being sucked through an interdimensional portal to another planet, forcing some soldier guy to defend everybody from aliens or something. That's not a bad concept; it could be kinda cool.

Unknown Soldier TP Vol 1 Haunted House

This Vertigo series has been getting some acclaim due to writer Joshua Dysart's meticulous research into the African conflicts that it comments on. Having read the first issue, I knew that it was something that I wanted to read, and now here's my chance. From what I hear, this is pretty powerful stuff, full of real-world drama. I hope I heard right.

Wet Moon GN Vol 5

I still haven't read any of Ross Campbell's series, and here's another volume to add to the pile. I have heard that this is pretty good, so hopefully I can get to it at some point.

X-Men Misfits Vol 1 GN

This might have already come out, but who knows? It's the "manga" version of the X-Men, taking a shojo sort of approach to the characters and focusing on the interpersonal drama and school setting. Dave Roman and Raina Telgemeier write, and somebody called Anzu draws. I wouldn't mind giving it a look.

Naoki Urasawas 20th Century Boys Vol 4 TP

Man, just as I get caught up, another volume comes out. I'll get to it eventually (although I'm also trying to get caught up on Pluto...); I love Naoki Urasawa's comics, and this series promises to continue to blow me away.

Ooku The Inner Chambers Vol 1 GN

Viz's other big release at the moment, this Fumi Yoshinaga alternate history is supposed to be quite good, looking at a feudal Japan in which women are the prominent gender. This is one that I definitely want to read.

Parasyte Vol 8 GN Del Rey Edition

And finally, here's a release that I think already came out, but I don't think I've seen it on a release list yet. The final volume of the series about a kid with an alien hand; I'm still way behind, but I'll get caught up sometime soon, I hope.

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That's everything? Probably. I've got more writin' to do, so you'll probably see more from me in the next few days. The comics, they keep coming.