Tuesday 3 April 2018

Previews Stuff (March edition)

Hi, Everybody!

Travis is back [Actually, he was back a week ago, I've been busy -Matt]:

Diamond Preview Picks: MARCH 2018

Travis Pelkie returns with his regular monthly selection for Cerebus fans of comics and books featured in the latest Diamond Previews catalog. Travis is co-founder of the Atomic Junk Shop, a site about comics and other fun pop culture. To see your comics featured here or at the Atomic Junk Shop feel free to send an email to Travis at: atomicjunkshoptravis [at] outlook [dot] com.
I dunno, "Dates of Future Past" is kind of a funnier title...
The Undateable Cerebus
 MAR181017
(W) Dave Sim, Sandeep Atwal (A) Dave Sim, Gustave Dore (CA) Benjamin Hobbs
Dante starts a dating site; Cerebus is an S.G.A. seeking a P.O.P.; Dante seeks Less Talkative Beatrice; Cerebus & The Whore of Babylon Like Pina Colladas; Batvark proves, again, that he's not a homophobe; Jingles' Family History; Francis & Everlasting Life; The Batvark Codpiece goes Viral; No boy sidekicks for Batvark; Giant Fire-Breathing Nintendo Dragon Parallel Universe Video-Game Robot Reboot apps; cloning Steve Jobs; Cerebus Starts Reality Over; Dante still looking for a Significant Other; The Aardvark is A African Mammal; Cerebus' Infernal NPR
"Roman Influences" and more!

Travis sez: Oh, it's this little bugger again.  Why do we always spotlight him here?

DIRGE OF CERBERUS FINAL FANTASY VII VINCENT PLAY ARTS KAI AF NOV178657
From Square Enix. Making a new appearance to the Play Arts Kai line is one of the stars of Final Fantasy VII: Dirge of Cerberus, the Turk-turned-hero after genetic experimentation, Vincent Valentine! He comes with his signature weapon, the triple-barreled Cerberus. Figure comes with interchangeable hands and display stand! Window box packaging.

Travis sez: it's some toy based on a video game, with a name kind of like Cerebus.  That's it.  Look, YOU get the damn catalog and send info to Matt if you want to quibble on this!  

AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES HC 1970S MAY141628
(W) Jason Sacks
Jason Sacks and Keith Dallas coordinate this volume on the 1970s, covering all the pivotal moments and behind-the-scenes details of the emerging Bronze Age! You'll get a year-by-year account of the most significat publications, notable creators, and trends, including: the dawn of relevance with Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams' Green Lantern, Jack Kirby's Fourth World saga, revisions to the Comics Code, Jeantte Kahn's arrival at DC, the coming of Jim Shooter, and the arrival of the Direct Market.
Travis sez: Cerebus is right there on the cover of this American Comic Book Chronicles: the 1970s book, so he must be in there, right? 

 BLACKWOOD #1 MAR180038
(W) Evan Dorkin (A/CA) Veronica Fish
From the multi-Eisner award-winning creator of Beasts of Burden and the artist of Archie and Slam comes this supernatural fantasy about a magical murder in a sorcery school. When four teenagers with haunted pasts enroll in Blackwood College-a school that trains students in the occult-their desire to enhance their supernatural abilities and bond with others is hampered by an undead dean's curse, ghosts in their dorm, a mischievous two-headed mummy-chimp, a plague of mutant insects, and the discovery of an ancient evil that forces our heroes to undergo a crash course in the occult for the sake of the world.




DORK HC MAR180037
(W) Evan Dorkin (A/CA) Evan Dorkin
From the multi-Eisner award-winning creator of Milk and Cheese and Beasts of Burden comes this collection of his cult, humor comic anthology. Comprising years of black humor stories about a living voodoo doll, a serial killer sitcom, truly real live sex, a disco skinhead, an urbane devil puppet, classic works of literature acted out by Fisher-Price toys, and more absurdity-this is a must have for Dorkin fans! Featuring most of the Dork comic run as well as the 2012 full-color House of Fun special, along with rarities, extras, a cover gallery, and a newly drawn introduction.
Travis sez: One of the funniest comics creators, Evan Dorkin, has two books this month.  Blackwood is about a spooky scary sorcery school, and Dork is a collection of his hilarious one pagers and other stuff that's not Milk and Cheese.

GREEN LANTERN GREEN ARROW HARD TRAVELING HEROES DLX HC MAR180345
(W) Elliot S. Maggin, Dennis O'Neil (A) Dick Giordano, Others (A/CA) Neal Adams
This stunning deluxe edition features the classic 1970s team-ups in which Green Lantern and Green Arrow confronted menaces including racism, poverty and drug abuse! Collects stories from GREEN LANTERN/GREEN ARROW #76-87 and #89, plus stories from THE FLASH #217-219 and #226

Travis sez: Yet another reprinting of the classic Denny O'Neil and Neal Adams team ups of the Green guys.  What I've read is good stuff and may be worth your cash.

RUFF AND REDDY SHOW TP MAR180353
(W) Howard Chaykin (A) Mac Rey (CA) Howard Chaykin
Catch up with Ruff and Reddy, former cartoon superstars, in this title collecting the six-issue miniseries. When an entrepreneurial talent agent convinces the duo that the world is waiting on their career revival, they set out in pursuit of landing their second big break. Ruff and Reddy then appear in a slew of TV pilots, from crime dramas to sitcoms to game shows to reality TV, in the hope of regaining their fame.

Travis sez: Howard Chaykin writes a re-imagining of the old Hanna Barbera characters.  I haven't read this so I can't say if it's any good, but it looks weird.

MIKE ALLRED ARTIST SELECT HC NOV178660
Celebrate a quarter-century of the greatest pop-art hero in comics, Michael Allred's Madman! This special IDW Limited Artist Select edition of Madman features nearly 500 pages of Allred's hand-picked favorite issues. From Frank Einstein's first appearance to his amazing flip-book adventure and far beyond, this oversized hardcover is chock full'a Madman greatness as only Allred can deliver. Also included is a comprehensive new interview with the artist conducted by IDW CCO Chris Ryall. Each copy of this 999-copy limited-edition hardcover is slipcased, hand-numbered, and signed by Michael Allred. The ginchy-est assortment of comic Mad-ness you've ever seen!
Travis sez: Man-o-man I wish I had the cash for this, a collection of the great Mike Allred's great Madman comic.  He's so good!  (and he did a cover for glamourpuss, don't forget!)

LOST GIRLS HC EXPANDED ED MAR180562
(W) Alan Moore (A/CA) Melinda Gebbie
The groundbreaking and controversial masterpiece of erotic comics, decades in the making, is now available in a sumptuous hardcover collecting all three volumes plus 32 pages of new artwork and commentary...

Travis sez: In a move to mock me for having gotten the HC a few years back and never getting around to reading it, Beardy's erotic comic illustrated by the magnificent Melinda Gebbie Lost Girls is in an expanded HC.  Grr
!


BALLAD OF HALO JONES TP VOL 01 COLOR ED MAR181845
(W) Alan Moore (A) Ian Gibson
Comic legend Alan Moore's highly-influential classic of British comics, presented to a new generation coloured and remastered for the very first time! Bored and frustrated with her life in 50th-century leisure-ghetto housing estate The Hoop, 18-year-old everywoman Halo Jones yearns for the infinite sights and sounds of the universe. Pledging to escape on a fantastic voyage, she sets in motion events unimaginable; a spell on a luxury space-liner, a brush with an interstellar war - Halo Jones faces hardship and adventure in the name of freedom in the limitless cosmos. A galaxy-spanning story, comics' first bona fide feminist space opera, and the first true epic to grace the bibliography of arguably the greatest comic book writer the world has ever known. The first in a brand-new prestige format series collecting the utterly compelling and groundbreakingly ambitious classic. 

Travis sez: The classic Alan Moore comic is presented in a new colour version!

WHERE WE LIVE LAS VEGAS SHOOTING BENEFIT ANTHOLOGY TPMAR180600
(W) Various (A) Various (A/CA) J. H. Williams
    "On October 1, 2017, Las Vegas, Nevada suffered the worst mass shooting in modern American history, resulting in 58 deaths and over 500 injured. It broke my heart. Las Vegas is my home. I felt like something needed to be done to help in a unique way."-JH WILLIAMS III, Artist & Curating Editor
This "unique way" was the genesis of the WHERE WE LIVE anthology - a riveting collection of both fictional stories and actual eye-witness accounts told by an all-star lineup of the top talent working in comics today.  All the creators have graciously volunteered their time and talent to help bring some sense to this senseless act and, in the process, raise money for the survivors and their families.
The book will include a variety of perspectives with key themes exploring gun violence, common sense gun control, value of a compassionate society, mental health stigmatization, aftermath of tragedy and how individuals and communities persevere, and an appreciation of Las Vegas as a vibrant community.
WHERE WE LIVE also features stories from local writers and artists as they relate their personal experiences and reactions to this tragedy.
One hundred percent of the proceeds for the WHERE WE LIVE anthology will be donated to an existing GoFundMe campaign for the survivors in Las Vegas. 

Travis sez: A collection of comics to benefit victims of the Las Vegas shooting.  A great lineup of creators, including Mike Allred, Neil Gaiman, Bill Sienkiewicz, and a bunch more.


STRAY BULLETS SUNSHINE & ROSES TP VOL 01 MAR180618
(W) David Lapham (A/CA) David Lapham
Dark and twisted, funny and heartbreaking, intimate and epic-SUNSHINE & ROSES tells the story of a boy and a girl, how they fell in love and hatched a scheme to blow up the Baltimore underworld. There is no crime book remotely like STRAY BULLETS, and with SUNSHINE & ROSES, the uncompromising EISNER AWARD-WINNING team of DAVID & MARIA LAPHAM take the series to a new high. Collects STRAY BULLETS: SUNSHINE & ROSES #1-8. 
Travis sez: It's the first collection of the now long-running Sunshine and Roses arc of Stray Bullets, the long-running crime comic by David Lapham. 


MAGE TP VOL 04 HERO DEFINED BOOK TWO MAR180710
(W) Matt Wagner (A/CA) Matt Wagner
The fourth of six volumes collecting MATT WAGNER's epic, modern-day fantasy trilogy, MAGE, BOOK TWO: THE HERO DEFINED continues the saga of the reborn Pendragon, Kevin Matchstick. Pursuing their common goal of confronting and defeating the world's hidden supernatural threats, Kevin and his companions Joe Phat and Kirby Hero find themselves drawn northward by mystical forces they don't understand. Trailed by the persistent but befuddled Wally Ut, Kevin finds himself tested by his assumptions of leadership and clarity of purpose. Still hidden from our heroes, dark and familiar forces conspire to drain Kevin's own power...and turn it against him! MATT WAGNER's classic epic of comics fantasy was at the vanguard of the independent comics scene and continues to be an inspiration for many contemporary creators, longtime fans, and new readers alike. An essential part of any comics library, the final part of the trilogy returns in June with MAGE: THE HERO DENIED #9. Collects Hero Defined #9-#15
Travis sez: I think that the issue where Kevin Matchstick fights the Dave Sim analogue would be in the third volume of Mage, but it could be in this book.  Either way, it's Mage, it's thinly veiled analogues to certain comics creators, and there's other stuff.  I guess, it's been awhile since I read any of this.

FANTASTIC FOUR BEHOLD GALACTUS HC MAR180974
(W) Stan Lee (A) Jack Kirby (A/CA) Joe Quesada
PRESENTED IN MONSTER-SIZE FORMAT!
The Fantastic Four take on Galactus in one cosmically oversized hardcover! First, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby introduce the World-Eater and his enigmatic herald, the Silver Surfer, as they come for Earth in one of the greatest comic book sagas ever told! Next, Stan and Jack bring big G back - but what does he want this time? The answer lies in the Microverse! John Buscema's powerful pencils illustrate the arrival of new herald Gabriel the Air-Walker, signaling doom for the human race! Then, John Byrne takes over as Terrax leads the Devourer back to Earth - and the entire Marvel Universe pitches in to help the FF save the planet from becoming his next meal! With Kirby, Buscema and Byrne art showcased on enormous pages, Galactus has never looked bigger - or better! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #48-50, #74-77, #120-123 and #242-244.



FANTASTIC FOUR OMNIBUS HC VOL 01 NEW PTG MAR180972
(W) Stan Lee (A/CA) Jack Kirby
They were visionaries. Explorers. Imaginauts. They were Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. And like the Fantastic Four, they continually strove to overcome the impossible and achieve the extraordinary. Now, the first three years of their landmark run are collected in one oversized volume. This keepsake edition also includes all original letters pages and pinups, critical commentaries, a historical overview and other DVD-style extras. COLLECTING: FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #1-30, FANTASTIC FOUR ANNUAL (1963) #1
All Ages
 

MMW FANTASTIC FOUR HC VOL 20 MAR180983
(W) Doug Moench, John Byrne, Roger Stern (A) John Byrne, George Perez, Tom Sutton, Joe Sinnott, Al Milgrom (A/CA) Bill Sienkiewicz
The Fantastic Four has always been the home for Marvel's biggest ideas and most creative concepts. It's a tradition founded by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby - and now, Doug Moench and Bill Sienkiewicz carry the torch (no pun intended) forward in this amazing Masterworks! Giant monsters invade New York! A possessed Franklin Richards threatens all reality with his immeasurable power! The FF join Captain Marvel in a cosmic war against the Skrulls, drawn by George Pérez! Doctor Doom retakes Latveria! A lost race of technologically advanced Vikings, powered by a blind god's tears, needs the FF's aid! And a trip to the great outdoors ain't no picnic when alien brain parasites attack! The legendary John Byrne makes his writer/artist debut, and so much more! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR (1961) #219-231 and ANNUAL #15.
Travis sez: an oversized collection of Galactus stories, including the original trilogy, and featuring Kirby, John Buscema and Byrne art, as well as a new printing of the original 30 issues of the book that started the Marvel Age.  There's also a collection of Bill Sienkiewicz's run on FF, which I wasn't aware was something that had happened.
Matt Says: The Bryne Galactus story in the "Behold Galactus" HC is one of the most overrated pieces of crap I've ever read. Ug. SO horrible...


MMW KILLRAVEN HC VOL 01 MAR180981
(W) Don McGregor, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, Marv Wolfman, Bill Mantlo (A) P. Craig Russell, Neal Adams, Howard Chaykin, Herb Trimpe, Rich Buckler, Gene Colan, Keith Giffen (CA) John RomitaSr
It is the year 2018. The Martian invasion of Earth has left our world shattered and its population enslaved. Into this post-apocalyptic nightmare comes Killraven, a man obsessed with his mission: to free Earth! Don McGregor and P. Craig Russell took on Killraven's quest, and together they crafted some of the most compelling and nuanced comic-art masterpieces of the era. Their hero and his band of Freemen rebels strive, grow, battle and love with a humanity that's as touching as it is exciting. And now, the complete Killraven sci-fi action opus is collected in this incomparable Marvel Masterworks - beautifully restored and featuring an amazing selection of behind-the-scenes material! Collecting AMAZING ADVENTURES (1970) #18-39 and MARVEL GRAPHIC NOVEL #7.
Travis sez: The Killraven stuff is collected here (in its entirety, I think?), featuring P. Craig Russell art as well as Neal Adams and Howard Chaykin, among others.  Mars attacks!

ART OF JIM STARLIN LIFE IN WORDS & PICTURES HC MAR181077
(W) Jim Starlin (A/CA) Jim Starlin
There are few creative names in comics whose influence is felt more in pop culture than Jim Starlin-with his creations Thanos, Gamora and Drax the Destroyer occupying such prominent roles in Marvel's cinematic universe. The "father of the cosmic soap opera," Jim Starlin's name is synonymous with the larger-than-life epic, which is why AfterShock is proud to bring back into print this epic 328-page retrospective on the career of one of the most popular and prolific comic book artists of the last 40 years! Covering everything from his humble beginnings to his rise as one of the industry's top creative talents, this oversized volume includes glimpses into Starlin's files and sketchbooks, as well as images of his personal favorites with insights into his life and creative process. The first edition of this volume sold out instantly. Don't be caught short this time! Just in time for the release of Marvel's Avengers: Infinity War movie! 
Travis sez: Jim Starlin's art featured here.  Cosmic, man!


LOVE THAT BUNCH HC MAR181571
(W) Aline Kominsky Crumb (A/CA) Aline Kominsky Crumb
Aline Kominsky-Crumb immediately made her mark in the Bay Area's underground comix scene with unabashedly raw, dirty, unfiltered comics chronicling the thoughts and desires of a woman coming of age in the 60's. Kominsky-Crumb traces her steps from a Beatles loving fangirl, East Village groupie, an adult grappling with her childhood, an 80s housewife and mother, to a new 30-page story Dream House that looks back on her childhood, 40 years later. Collecting comics from the 1970s through today, Love That Bunch is shockingly prescient while still being an authentic story of its era. 
 CARPET SWEEPER TALES JAN161406
(W) Julie Doucet (A/CA) Julie Doucet
Julie Doucet is an artist who has mastered many voices and styles, from her groundbreaking early comic-book series, Dirty Plotte, and the classic graphic novel My New York Diary, to her linocut and collage work, to her impeccable 'zines, prints, and other ephemera. In Carpet Sweeper Tales, we see this multi-faceted artist combine her many talents into one genre-defying masterwork. Here she revisits the comics form, pulling images from 1970s Italian fumetti, or photonovels, to create her own collage comics, dwelling on femininity and the modern world. 
Travis sez:  A couple from Drawn and Quarterly.  Aline Kominsky-Crumb has a collection, Love That Bunch, of her comics from the '70s to today, and Carpet Sweeper Tales is a reoffered book from Julie Doucet, whose avatar appeared in the Latter Days.

WINNER GN MAR181862
(W) Karl Stevens (A/CA) Karl Stevens
Karl Stevens uses the graphic novel to dissect the line between the worlds of high and low art. While working as a museum guard he contemplates the plight of his aesthetic choices, and how they have affected his life thus far. Where is his place as an artist? How has his world changed since he met his wife and muse Alex? Has he become boring since he quit drinking? Painted visions of autobiographical reality swing into experiments with fantasy and science fiction.

Travis sez: A collection of comics by Karl Stevens, who was (is?) going to do something with Strange Death, if I recall right. 
VIOLENT CASES 30TH ANNIVERSARY COLLECTORS HC MAR181924
(W) Neil Gaiman (A/CA) Dave McKean
This a 30th anniversary celebration of a sensitive and ingenious work, that reveals the often murky nexus between memory and imagination through the narrator's cloudy childhood remembrance of a visit to Al Capone's osteopath - and the impact of his seedy stories on an impressionable youth.                       

Travis sez: A 30th anniversary edition of the Gaiman/McKean collaboration.  This is at least the third different publisher of this one.


 
PETER KUPER CONVERSATIONS SC MAR182159
(A/CA) Peter Kuper
Peter Kuper, one of America's leading cartoonists, has created work recognized around the world. His art has graced the pages and covers of numerous magazines and newspapers. He is also a longtime contributor to Mad magazine, where he has been writing and drawing Spy vs. Spy for nearly two decades. Along with two dozen images, this volume features ten lively, informative interviews with Kuper. The book also includes a quartet of revealing interviews with underground comix legends R. Crumb and Vaughn Bodé, Mad magazine publisher William Gaines, and Jack Kirby, co-creator of mainstream superheroes from the Avengers to the Fantastic Four. These were conducted by Kuper and fellow artist Seth Tobocman in the early 1970s, when they were teenagers.

Travis sez: Not only does this include interviews with Kuper, but it includes interviews that he conducted in the '70s with Kirby, Crumb, Bode, and others, which makes this extra neat.

 More Diamond Previews picks at Atomic Junk Shop's regular Flippin' Through Previews column.

Next Time: Ben? Margaret? Dave? What fuggin' day is this?

No comments: