Comics and More

Combing through the massive Previews Catalogue this month, here are the titles that I think could get overlooked, or that I'm just plain excited about, shipping to comic shops in July... Kamandi, The Last Boy On Earth Omnibus (Volume 1) HC - The beloved series from Jack Kirby is collected in a format deserving of the material, to match DC's other Jack Kirby collections. Tezuka's Book of Human Insects HC - More Osamu Tezuka goodness! Walter Simonson's The Mighty Thor: Artist's Edition - What's sure to be the first of many projects from IDW featuring classic Marvel runs, this book will feature the original art, as close to Simonson's drawings as humanly possible, complete with corrections and blue pencils, showcasing the artist's incredible pencils. Amazing Mysteries: The Bill Everett Archives (Volume 1) HC - Collects over 200 pages of stories from the master artist.  A companion to Fire and Water , this is also edited by Blake Bell. The League...

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops on Wednesday... Love From the Shadows HC - The latest Gilbert Hernandez graphic novel from his series of Fritz B-movie adaptations. Other Noteworthy Releases Action Comics #900 Black Butler (Volume 5) Bulletproof Coffin TP Doctor Solar: Man of the Atom (Volume 1) TP Eerie Archives (Volume 7) HC Fantastic Four by Jonathan Hickman (Volume 4) HC Genius Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth HC House of Five Leaves (Volume 3) Maximum Ride (Volume 4) Mighty Thor #1 Page by Paige GN Red Sonja Omnibus (Volume 2) Sensational She-Hulk by John Byrne (Volume 1) TP Showcase Presents: Green Lantern (Volume 5) TP Spike (Volume 1) HC Sleepyheads GN X-Men Omnibus (Volume 2) HC Y the Last Man Deluxe Edition (Volume 5) HC

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops tomorrow! Dan Clowes' Mister Wonderful: A Love Story TP  - The collection of Daniel Clowes' story that was serialized in The New York Times . Other Noteworthy Releases Amity Blamity (Book 1) GN Archie: Seven Decades of America's Favorite Teenager HC Astro City: Shining Stars HC Bullet To the Head TP Dark Horse Presents #1 Darkwing Duck (Volume 2): Crisis On Infinite Darkwings TP The Girl & the Gorilla GN Jack Kirby's Galactic Bounty Hunters HC The Klondike GN Legion of Super Heroes (Volume 1): The Choice HC Little Lulu's Pal Tubby (Volume 3): Frog Boy & Other Stories Nexus Archives (Volume 12) HC Replica (Volume 1) S.H.I.E.L.D.: Architects of Forever HC Suicide Girls #1 (of 4) Thunderbolts Classics (Volume 1) TP Zombies vs. Robots: Undercity #1 (of 4)

With Tokyopop closing its LA-based publishing division in North America (a nice article on the development here ), I thought I would take the time to look back on some of my favorite titles over the years from the groundbreaking manga publisher.  They will be missed, as they put out many titles that readers love, such as Fruits Basket , Chibi Vampire and early printings of Sailor Moon .  Here are five of my favorites... 1. Paradise Kiss ( Ai Yazawa ) - Following an eclectic group of art students creating a fashion label, and the student who's drawn into their circle as a model, is this beautifully-illustrated shojo manga from Ai Yazawa, who would go on to enchant audiences with Nana .  After the first chapter of Nana was serialized in the very first issue of Shojo Beat in America, I ran out and purchased this series, as I was instantly enamored with Yazawa, and this earlier work from her is every bit as funny and engaging as her later work, and is ea...

Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente & Neil Edwards I was a big fan of the Incredible Hercules series, so I was happy to see the title return, with series writers Pak and Van Lente included.  This new incarnation of the book does see a new direction for the hero, however, but one that has a lot of potential.  Hercules is now on Earth, stripped of his godhood and title, and must fight for man as one of them.  But he does boast some pretty great weapons, and of course, he's still strong.  The opening scene perfectly sets up this new series, as Herc utilizes Greek weapons, each of their histories explained in footnotes, to stop a group of thugs.  And while he may not have the support of the gods at his back, he's still the same old Herc that we have come to know and love, with a weakness for women and a little dim.  There's also a mystery afoot in the new series that's squeezed in between the action, and some other new elements, like how when people pray ...

Sorry this is a little late this time around...here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops today!  Light week... Thor by Walter Simonson Omnibus HC - A movie is always a good excuse to reprint great comics in deluxe formats, and this is one pretty exciting collection of Thor comics, all in one thick nearly-1200-pages book for $125. Other Noteworthy Releases The Complete Wendel SC Ex Machina Deluxe Edition (Volume 5) HC Flash Gordon Comic Book Archives (Volume 3) HC Justice League: Generation Lost (Volume 1) HC Salt Water Taffy (Volume 4): Caldera's Revenge GN Wolverine: The Best There Is - Contagion #1 X-Force: Under the Gun HC

Blue Exorcist (Volume 1) Kazue Kato Rin has daddy issues.  His father is Satan.  In a universe where demons exist and can possess or infect mortals, twins Rin and Yukio are born into the world via a human female.  Since Yukio's body was frail, Rin inherited his father's demonic powers and now sports a tail and a wicked sword, and some great powers.  But with this power comes a desire to see his father shut down, especially after Satan kills the man who raised him as his own, Fujimoto Shiro.  In order to defeat his father, Rin must learn the way of the exorcist, and so joins the True Cross Academy Exorcist School, where his own brother Yukio instructs him and rooms with him.  Being a short-tempered sort of guy who's always getting into fights and slacking off, he needs a lot of looking after, but Rin has the potential to perhaps carry out what he's set out to do. Overall, I was kind of bored with this book.  It's very over-the-top, violent and...

The first book in my Hunters of the Dark series is available now through Barnes & Noble digitally for just $0.99, following a group of monster hunters. Think City of Bones or Buffy the Vampire Slayer and you'll have a good idea of what this book is like. Official synopsis: . Teenager Shanna Hunt has been hunting demons since her parents were murdered by them. She’s used to doing things alone, her own way, but one fateful night throws her into the company of a team of hunters, each specializing in a particular kind of monster: vampires, werewolves, witches, shape-shifters… This newly-formed team should be an unstoppable force for whatever is out there picking off individual hunters across the globe, but their first battle together against the monsters of the night could be their last. . And here's a taste of the book: . Prologue Becca hated herself as she tentatively pushed the strap of her camisole back up over her bare shoulder. Picking up her red high heels, s...

Here's the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops on Wednesday... Fear Itself #1 (of 7) - The latest mega crossover event from Marvel launches this week with Fear Itself , involving many of the the big guns from the Marvel Universe (and highlighting those with films out this Summer).  The promising team of Matt Fraction and Stuart Immonen are producing the main seven-issue mini-series, with plenty of satellite series soon to come. Other Noteworthy Releases 51 Delta GN Aaron and Ahmed HC Archie: The Best of Dan DeCarlo (Volume 2) HC Avengers: Prime HC BPRD: Dead Remembered #1 (of 3) But I Can't Do Anything Else...The Art of Rob Schrab HC Butterfly (Volume 1) Fables (Volume 15): Rose Red TP Herc #1 Peanuts: Happiness Is a Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown HC Perry Bible Fellowship Almanack HC Poseurs GN Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura (Volume 1) Skaar: King of the Savage Land #1 (of 5) Solomon Kane: Red Shadows #1 (of 4) Vanguard Fr...

Totally Captivated (Volumes 1-3) Hajin Yoo Totally Captivated is a yaoi manhwa about college student Ewon, who's forced to work for the mafia as an errand boy, including some unpleasant duties such as collecting money from clients.  He's put into this position, without pay, thanks to an ex-boyfriend he cheated on, who is now the lover of the local mafia boss, the handsome man Mookyul, who can be very cruel and bites people when he's drunk.  Despite the unsavory qualities of his new position, Ewon manages to fit in quite nicely, making fast friends with most of the mafia, who admire his cooking and cleaning abilities.  It becomes apparent before long that they would be lost without him.  Mookyul begins to notice Ewon as well, and makes constant passes at him, despite his protests.  Totally Captivated is a fun title, full of amusing characters and some pretty tense, and violent, action scenes.  But it's really the romance that works the best in ...

The first two mini-series to launch through Marvel' s Crossgen imprint are Ruse and Sigil , the first issue of each having already arrived in comic shops over the past few weeks.  These titles resurrect two more well-known books from the company Crossgen  from before they went bankrupt years ago, and their catalogue was purchased by Disney .  When Marvel was purchased by Disney as well, Marvel had access to their material, and have begun to reimagine these titles enough to satisfy long-time fans, but different enough to make them seem fresh and attractive to new readers. Sigil #1 (of 4) Mike Carey & Leonard Kirk The first title to ship was Sigil , originally a science fiction title that saw a seasoned soldier partake in pulse-pounding galactic battle with his sentient spaceship.  The new Sigil wipes that slate clean, the only ties to that former title seemingly the symbol, or sigil, that the main character wears that ...