Comics and More

Here are the highlights of books that are arriving in comic shops tomorrow! . Pick of the Week . Collected Doug Wright: Canada's Master Cartoonist (Volume 1) HC - Important creator Doug Wright gets a retrospective courtesy of Drawn & Quarterly in two volumes, beautifully packaged. He created the long-running Doug Wright's Family/Nipper strip and is who the Canadian Wright Awards are named after. . Other Noteworthy Releases . Absolute Superman For Tomorrow HC Apes & Babes: Art of Frank Cho HC Archie High School Chronicles (Volume 1): Freshman Year TP Astounding Wolf-Man (Volume 2) TP Batman: Battle For the Cowl - The Underground #1 Dark Reign: The Cabal Dean Koontz's Nevermore #1 (of 6) Garth Ennis' Battlefields: Tankies #1 (of 3) Green Lantern Chronicles (Volume 1) TP Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War (Volume 1) TP Guardians of the Galaxy: Earth Shall Overcome HC House of M: Civil War TP Invincible (Volume 4) Ultimate Collection HC Literals #1 (of 3) Little ...

Tokyo Boys & Girls (Volume 1) Miki Aihara . I was so taken with Miki Aihara's latest effort, Honey Hunt , that I tracked down some previous works by the shojo manga creator, beginning with the series Tokyo Boys & Girls (what Aihara is most known for is Hot Gimmick , which I will be reviewing next week). Tokyo Boys & Girls is an earlier work that runs five volumes total, with art that isn't as refined as is seen in Honey Hunt . All of the characters (including the supposedly beautiful best friend) have wide mannish jaws and the panels are arranged a little clumsily. But I can forgive Aihara given what's to come from her. The story centers around Mimori Kosaka, a bold naive girl who is beginning freshman year at her dream school, Meidai Attached High School. Immediately, she's made class rep and becomes friends with a beautiful girl who's the envy of the boys on the other side of the school. One of the boys that the girls meet is the mysterious Ha...

Tommy Kovac & Sonny Liew . I loved loved loved this all-ages comic. I'm not particularly fond of Disney's Alice In Wonderland (though I don't not like it, I suppose), but this sequel of sorts is stunning. Fun, witty and just plain gorgeous, Tommy Kovac and Sonny Liew continue Disney's version of the Lewis Carroll story with familiar faces, as well as some new ones. The protagonist of this new tale is Mary Ann, the White Rabbit's maid whom he mistakes Alice for in the original story. Mary Ann is a no-nonsense maid who happens to be obsessive-compulsive about making things pristinely clean. If she gets dirty, she gets a little crazy - if she sees a dirty dirt road, she'll dust like no tomorrow. She's utterly likable and is drawn beautifully, as is the rest of the book, by Sonny Liew with delicate lines and cartoony characters, in stunning colors. I'm kind of surprised more people aren't talking about this book, but I'm glad that Liew is at le...

Here are the highlights of books shipping to comic shops tomorrow! . Pick of the Week . Tales Designed To Thrizzle #5 - Michael Kupperman's hilarious comic book series continues! The alternative comic pamphlet is becoming a rare breed, but Kupperman's book seems to be able to make the cut. There's also a collection of this series due out in July. . Other Noteworthy Releases . Batman: Battle For the Cowl - ..... Arkham #1 The Beats: A Graphic History HC Blue Beetle: Boundaries TP BPRD (Volume 10): The Warning ..... TP Crayon Shinchan (Volume 8) DC Library: Batman - The Annuals HC Fantastic Force #1 (of 5) Freakangels (Volume 2) TP Gambit Classic (Volume 1) TP Ghost Omnibus (Volume 2) TP Nova (Volume 4): Nova Corps TP The Question (Volume 4): Welcome To Oz TP Scalped (Volume 4): The Gravel In Your Guts TP She-Hulk (Volume 8): Secret Invasion TP Showcase Presents: Legion of Superheroes (Volume 3) TP Skrull Kill Krew #1 (of 5) Spider-Man 2099 (Volume 1) TP Venus Capriccio (Vol...

Honey Hunt (Volume 1) Miki Aihara . Honey Hunt is a manga currently being serialized in Shojo Beat magazine, and I have to say that I liked this first volume of the series so much that I've already purchased other manga from creator Miki Aihara: Hot Gimmick and Tokyo Boys & Girls neither of which I've read before. Honey Hunt has a premise that's not exactly unique in the world of shojo manga: Shy Yura is the daughter of a famous celebrity couple, and she's thrust into the spotlight when her father is caught in an affair, and the two decide to divorce. After making a passionate speech to reporters on television following a string of events, Yura is sought out by a talent scout, and she begins the tedious process of trying to build a name for herself - as an actress. There are definitely echoes of Nana in this, which may be why I was so taken by the book, but the main conflict in the book is really between Yura and her mother. Her mother is an award-winning, ...

Jeff Parker & Salva Espin . The reality-jumping, roster-switching team Exiles relaunched this past week with a new #1. This book's had a pretty damn impressive run. You'd think a premise like this would get old fast, but it just kind of keeps going. When I was reading the early issues of the original series, I remember that things were kept pretty fresh simply because when one character died and a new one came on, the new character brought a new group dynamic with them, a new soundboard for the more popular characters of the book like Blink and Morph, to play off of. But I also remember that some of the storylines were kind of boring. There are only so many alternate-universe-Magneto's-the-good-guy type of stories that can be more interesting than the last. The shock value wears off pretty quickly, so the writer has to be strong enough to keep things pretty engaging. Jeff Parker may be up for such a task. I admit that I was kind of excited to hear that he was c...

Here are the highlights of books shipping to comic shops tomorrow! . Pick of the Week . Firebreather (Volume 2): All the Best Heroes Are Orphans TP - Phil Hester and Andy Kuhn's fun action series returned recently in a new ongoing series. Volume one collected the first mini-series, and this volume will be collecting the initial issues of that new ongoing series. . Other Noteworthy Releases . 100% HC 100 Bullets #100 - Final issue! Alex Toth Goes Hollywood SC Best of Simon & Kirby HC Beta Ray Bill: Green of Eden #1 Dark Tower: Sorcerer #1 Dinosaur Hour (Volume 1) Dylan Dog Case Files TP Essential Dazzler (Volume 2) TP Exiles Ultimate Collection (Book One) TP Foolkiller: White Angels TP Herbie Archives (Volume 3) HC Hollow Eyed Mary GN Honey Hunt (Volume 1) Hulk (Volume 2): Red & Green HC JSA (Volume 4): Thy Kingdom Come Part 3 HC Marvel Apes HC My Mom HC Perhapanauts (Volume 1) TP Punisher War Zone: Resurrection HC Rampaging Wolverine #1 Star Trek Alien Spotlight: Klingons...

The Color of Earth GN Kim Dong Hwa . The Color of Earth is the first of three books in a trilogy of manhwa from Korean creator Kim Dong Hwa. First Second Books is publishing it in English for the first time, with the two subsequent books, The Color of Water and The Color of Heaven , coming out soon. . This beautifully-illustrated graphic novel is a coming-of-age tale that follows Ehwa, a young village girl that comes to understand the relationships between men and women as she grows up in a house with a widowed mother. While most of the focus is on Ehwa, her mother has her own interesting story, being the owner of a tavern, and falling in love with a traveler who leaves a brush every time he passes through. Ehwa learns a lot about love from observing her mother, but also from her friends: the boys who ask to see her private parts and the girls who compete for the affections of a young man with a broken arm (and hope to see his face in a reflecting pool that's rumored to show the...

Greg Pak, Fred Van Lente, Clayton Henry & Salva Espin . I am really loving this series. I was surprised that I enjoyed Incredible Hercules: Secret Invasion so much, but I was equally surprised by how enamored I was with the following storyarc. I'm glad to see it wasn't a fluke. The Incredible Hercules: Love and War hardcover collects issues #121-125 of the series, and sees Hercules, er, "hanging out" with Namora of the Agents of Atlas (a character I also really like, who is written pretty pitch-perfect in this story). While Hercules is distracted in this manner, the Amazons wage war with Atlantis, and Namor gets involved, and it's a whole big mess. But on the plus side, Cho sees some love from a few of the Amazons in this tale of love and betrayal. There's a neat final chapter to the book that was done really well (and took real advantage of the elements in play), and I love the conclusion. Meanwhile, there are plenty of flashbacks featuring Herc in cla...

The following are the nominees for Eisner Awards this year. The winners will be announced this summer at the San Diego Comic-Con, and my picks are in bold. Best Short Story “Actual Size” by Chris Ware, in Kramers Ergot 7 (Buenaventura Press) “Chechen War, Chechen Women,” by Joe Sacco, in I Live Here (Pantheon) “Freaks,” by Laura Park, in Superior Showcase #3 (AdHouse) “Glenn Ganges in ‘Pulverize,’” by Kevin Huizenga, in Ganges #2 (Fantagraphics) “Murder He Wrote,” by Ian Boothby, Nina Matsumoto, and Andrew Pepoy, in The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror #14 (Bongo) Best Continuing Series All Star Superman. by Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely (DC) Fables, by Bill Willingham, Mark Buckingham, Steve Leialoha, Niko Henrichon, Andrew Pepoy, and Peter Gross (Vertigo/DC) Naoki Urasawa’s Monster, by Naoki Urasawa (Viz) Thor, by J. Michael Straczynski, Olivier Coipel, Mark Morales, and various (Marvel) Usagi Yojimbo, by Stan Sakai (Dark Horse) Best Limited Series Groo: Hell on Earth, by Sergio Arag...

Grant Morrison & Cameron Stewart . Between Batman gigs, Grant Morrison returns to his fan-favorite Vertigo character Seaguy in the second of three trilogies following the young would-be hero. It's been years since the last trilogy, so I didn't recall too much before reading this issue except the big stuff - mainly, that his best friend died. But this is a book where you don't really have to have read the original series to get what's going on. I'd forgotten that Seaguy was captured by Mickey Eye and brainwashed, then given a new partner, but it was pretty easy to discern within the context of this issue. For those who remembered the death of Chubby, his chain-smoking fish buddy, Seaguy sees shadowy fish tails here and there as he slowly begins to recall things from his past life, and there's a nice little homage in the form of Claudette, his pet fish that he accidentally let die in the opening scene, neglecting to feed her while he was on vacation with...

Here are the highlights of books shipping to comic shops tomorrow! . Pick of the Week . Shortcomings TP - My favorite graphic novel of 2007 finally comes out in paperback! Adrian Tomine's graphic novel is phenomenal. You owe it to yourself to check this book out. . Other Noteworthy Releases . All-New Savage She-Hulk #1 ..... (of 4) The Color of Earth GN Daredevil Noir #1 (of 4) Dark Reign: Hawkeye #1 (of 5) The Dark Tower: Treachery HC Deadpool: Suicide Kings #1 ..... (of 5) Exiles #1 - Jeff Parker takes a stab at the title. Gantz (Volume 4) Green Arrow: Year One TP Harvey Comics Classics (Volume 5): Harvey Girls TP Justice League Unlimited Heroes TP The Legend of Zelda (Volume 4) Marvel Zombies 2 TP Marvel Zombies 3 HC Marvel Zombies 4 #1 (of 4) Naruto (Volume 42) Naruto (Volume 43) Naruto (Volume 44) Phantom Dream (Volume 2) Popgun (Volume 3) GN Showcase Presents: The Doom Patrol (Volume 1) TP Slam Dunk (Volume 3) Timestorm 2009 2099 #1 (of 4) Uncanny X-Men: Manifest Destiny HC...

Emma (Volume 8) Kaoru Mori . Emma may have had her story come to a climax in the last volume to be published through CMX a year ago, but Kaoru Mori isn't done with the characters she created for her Victorian world. In the latest volume of Emma , Mori gives some of the secondary characters of the book center stage in short stories. The first story is of Emma's widowed employer, Kelly Stowner, when she was young and in love. Together with her husband Doug, the two of them scrape up enough money to go to the legendary Great Exhibition of England, where they marvel at the sites and have an altogether pleasant time, one that Kelly will look back on in the future fondly. Next we get a look at the lives of characters following the events of the previous Emma volumes, in the form of a sullen Eleanor Campbell, whose shocking broken engagement has left her depressed and gossiped about in some corners. Her protective sisters watch out for her and try to cheer her up, but it takes the i...

Here are the highlights from the most recent Previews Catalogue . These comics will be coming to comic stores in June! . Abstract Studios . Terry Moore's Echo (Volume 2): Atomic Dreams TP - The second collection fro Moore's beautiful superhero comic. . Archaia Studios Press After some pretty sporadic publishing during their restructuring, Archaia Studios Press is back in full force this month with some nice new offerings, including some titles we haven't seen for awhile like The Killer . . Awakening (Volume 1) HC - It's been a year and a half since the first issue of this mini-series came out, but enough of that issue stuck with me to want to check out the collection of the first five issues after all that time. . Robotika: For a Few Rubles More #1 & #2 Double-Sized - This is the sequel to the great Robotika mini-series. I enjoyed the first issue , but it was so long ago that Archaia is now offering that initial issue with the follow-up for just $4.99. Check ...

Gabrielle Bell . I'm not too big into anthologies just because the comics within are so hit and miss for me, but I've heard plenty of good things about artist Gabrielle Bell from people. When I heard that this hardcover collection of comics was coming out from Bell, it caught my attention and I decided to give it a look. Cecil and Jordan In New York: Stories collects various short works from Bell out of various anthologies over the past five years like MOME and Kramer's Ergot . The story that the book is named after follows a woman who eventually turns herself into a chair as not to be a nuisance to those around her, becoming happy to be such a useful object. The eleven stories included in this book are a mixture of fiction and semi-autobiographical works, that follow young people. "Cecil and Jordan In New York" includes one of the few uses of fantasy in the collection - most stories are very realistic, although there are a few other instances of the fantas...

Here's the run-down of April release dates for films, books, DVDs and music, as well as my box office predictions. . In Theaters April 3rd Adventureland Alien Trespass C Me Dance Fast and Furious . Predictions: 1. Adventureland ($35 million), 2. Monsters and Aliens ($32 m), 3. Fast and Furious ($31 m), 4. The Haunting In Connecticut ($9 m), 5. Knowing ($7 m) . In Theaters April 10th Dragonball Evolution Hannah Montana: The Movie Observe and Report . Predictions: 1. Hannah Montana: The Movie ($36 m), 2. Observe and Report ($29 m), 3. Adventureland ($18 m), 4. Monsters and Aliens ($16 m), 5. Fast and Furious ($15 m) . In Theaters April 17th 17 Again Crank: High Voltage State of Play . Predictions: 1. 17 Again ($28 m), 2. Hannah Montana: The Movie ($19 m), 3. Observe and Report ($18 m), 4. Crank: High Voltage ($10 m), 5. State of Play ($9 m) . In Theaters April 24th Fighting The Informers Obsessed The Soloist . Predictions: 1. The Soloist ($23 m), 2. 17 Again ($15 ...