Comics and More

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops tomorrow... Punisher by Greg Rucka (Volume 1) HC - In case you haven't had the chance to check out these solid comics, the first volume of Greg Rucka's excellent take on The Punisher is now available in a nice hardcover collection. Other Noteworthy Releases Batman Beyond Unlimited #1 Breathe Deeply GN Darkness #100 GTO: The Early Years (Volume 11) Key of Z (Volume 1) TP Markus Fang GN Ralph Wiggum Comics #1 Strawberry Shortcake Digest: Berry Scary Storm BN Strawberry Shortcake Digest: Pineapple & Others GN Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro Series: Donatello Ultimate Comics: Ultimates by Jonathan Hickman (Volume 1) HC Uncanny X-Force: The Dark Angel Saga (Book 2) HC

Soulless: The Manga (Volume 1) Gail Carriger & Rem I absolutely loved Soulless: The Manga !  I haven't been this excited about a manga in a while, so I'm glad that I picked it up on a whim.  Soulless is actually an OEL manga adapted from prose novels written by Gail Carriger.  But the supernatural elements and the tone make it a great fit for the manga format, and Rem does a stunning job adapting the story with very cinematic sequences and jaw-dropping illustration work.  The story is about Alexia Tarrabotti, a preternatural in a Victorian Era London populated by vampires and werewolves, as well as humans.  Preternaturals are rare, but the gift that Alexia has makes her a formidable opponent, as well as a target, as she has the ability to make a supernatural being completely human for as long as she touches them.  And while that is certainly a cool part of the story, and comes in to play quite a bit, it's really the relation...

Here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops tomorrow... Is That All There Is? HC - This is a collection of all the material from European cartoonist Joost Swarte from 1972 and on, including his material from RAW.  This first English translation of his work also comes with an introduction from none other than Chris Ware. Other Noteworthy Releases Afrika HC Amazing Mysteries: The Bill Everett Archives (Volume 1) HC Explorer: The Mystery Boxes HC/SC Goliath HC Hector Umbra HC Invincible Ultimate Collection (Volume 7) HC Kolor Klimax: Nordic Comics Now GN Mondo #1 (of 3) My Friend Dahmer GN Quasar Classic (Volume 1) TP RASL #13 Thunderbolts Classics (Volume 2) TP Too Much Coffee Man: Cutie Island TP Wally Wood's EC Stories Artist's Edition HC X-Men: Age of Apocalypse Omnibus HC

Manga Monday will return in two weeks (finally!), and as I'm on vacation next week in Arizona, the Pick of the Week feature will also be a little late again, posting on early Wednesday.  But until then, here is the book you should be paying attention to, in comic shops this coming Wednesday... Glory #23 - This is another Extreme relaunch, hot on the heels of the excellent Prophet #21 .  This one is from Joe Keatinge and Ross Campbell. Other Noteworthy Releases Annihilators TP Astonishing X-Men by Whedon & Cassaday Ultimate Coll. (Bk 1) TP Athos In America HC Avengers Omnibus (Volume 1) HC B.P.R.D.: Hell On Earth: The Long Death #1 Captain America by Dan Jurgens (Volume 3) TP DC Universe Presents #6 Fables Deluxe Edition (Volume 4) HC Peter Panzerfaust #1 Road Rage #1 (of 4) The Stand: Night Has Come HC Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man by Bendis (Volume 1) HC

Here are the books that caught my eye in Previews Catalogue , for books shipping to comic shops in March... Uncanny X-Force #23 - Holy crap I have to start reading this comic!  I love Meggan and Captain Britain, and there's Widget on the cover, and Captain Britain Corps stuff - all you Excalibur fans out there, prepare to geek out with me! Savage Dragon Ultimate Collection (Volume 1) HC - Erik Larsen's comic has really had no good reprint program associated with the title, so it's nice to see that people will finally be able to turn to a series of hardcovers to rediscover this gem. Batman: Death by Design HC - An original graphic novel featuring the Dark Knight, written by none other than Chip Kidd!  Avengers Assemble #1 - A new ongoing series from Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley (the original team behind Ultimate Spider-Man ) featuring the Avengers roster from the movie, but in Marvel Universe continuity. Fallen Words GN - A new manga from Yoshihiro Tats...

Sorry this is being posted late, but better late than never.  Here is the book you should be paying attention to in comic shops today... Young Romance: The Best of Simon & Kirby's Romance Comics HC - From Fantagraphics Books, this reprints twenty-one romance comics from the 40's and 50's in color, from two masters of the medium. Other Noteworthy Releases Conan the Barbarian #1 Fantastic Four: Season One HC Garth Ennis' Ninjettes #1 Jinchalo GN Kevin Keller #1 Spider-Man: The Next Chapter (Volume 2) TP Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Volume 1) TP Thief of Thieves #1

Patrick Markfort and I take a look at four debut issues from Image Comics . Reviewed: Part One: Prophet #21 Brandon Graham, Simon Roy & Richard Ballermann Part Two: The Bulletproof Coffin: Disinterred #1 (of 6) David Hine & Shaky Kane Part Three: Whispers #1 Joshua Luna Part Four: Fatale #1 Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips For further reading: The Bulletproof Coffin TP David Hine & Shaky Kane Girls (Volume 1): Conception TP The Luna Brothers Sleeper (Volume 1): Out In the Cold TP Ed Brubaker & Sean Phillips Prophet/Cable #1-2 Rob Liefeld, Robert Napton & Mark Pajarillo