Will Travis ramble on about stuff? Will I put up with it? Will I be far too snooty? All these questions will be answered as we go behind the curtain and check out Previews #326!



Dark Horse:

It's all the solicits!

Travis: Page 4 of the book has "Hell Freezes Over" as the title of the look at the Hellboy Winter Special, but could also apply to the Four Eyes listing right next to it. HAHAHA!

Page 29 has that Hellboy Winter Special, with the first Hellboy work from Tim Sale and Chris Roberson. Might be cool, but I have no idea where to start reading with Hellboy. I'm so far behind!

Greg: I doubt if it matters with this one. They'll probably just be stories set at some vague time in the past, just so it doesn't mess with current continuity. Except for the one that specifically leads into the other one, but that's a book set in 1953, so it doesn't matter! (27 January)

Simone and Calafiore have a new Leaving Megalopolis mini-series on page 43 called "Surviving Megalopolis." I liked the first volume, so of course I'm going to wait for the trade of this!

Travis: I skipped right over to this page after the Hellboy issue, too. Just middle of their run minis or video game stuff! I didn't get Leaving Megalopolis, but thought it might be ok. Maybe when they solicit the Surviving trade they'll solicit the first one and I'll get both. (13 January)



Greg: Man, there's The EC Archives: Shock SuspenStories on page 45, which collects the first six issues of the series in color. I am sorely tempted, even though it's 50 dollars. Of course, it might be that "modern" coloring that ruins so many olde-tymey comics, so who knows!

Travis: It's also offered from EC Comics on page 318, oddly enough. I assume that's more olde tymey coloring. I'd like to get more EC stuff but it's all expensive.

Greg: It's weird that it's on both pages. I assume it's the same exact volume? (16 March)

Adam.3 gets a trade on page 48. This looked pretty good - Scott Kolins's art was very nice - but I don't know if the story was any good. I'll have to think about it.

Travis: Yeah, I have this one on my maybe list. It may benefit from this being such a light month! (9 March)

Page 49 has the King Tiger trade, which wasn't something I was really interested in, but it does look purty. (9 March)

Page 50 has Space-Mullet, which the name alone tempts me (I'll have to check out the web comic), and a new volume and the previous volume of Misfits of Avalon are available, but I'm not into D&D style stuff enough to care. (2 March)

Greg: David Chelsea's Snow Angel shows up on page 52, which I'm sure you'll get but never read. I'm not as big a fan of Chelsea as you are, but there it is!

Travis: You wound me, sir! OK, you're exactly correct, but still, it wounds me! I did get the one shot comic from a while back that collected some of the stories from the last series of DHP ...but haven't read it yet. Augh! (30 March)

Also on 52 is the trade of Zodiac Starforce, which isn't something that I think I'd necessarily get, but is on my long list. Again, may benefit from a small month! It does look purty. (9 March)

The concept of Danganronpa (page 56), where the school kids have to murder each other and get away with it to get out, sounds disturbingly fun, but also a bit too Morning Glories and Assassination Classroom for me. It will be on the long list! (16 March)

DC:

Check out all the solicits here!

Travis: WTH is with that solicit for DK3 #3 (page 64)? Shouldn't it be admitting his greatest weakness? Is the real weakness that there isn't a damn editor?! (20 January)

[Editor: The solicit text reads: "The hardest thing for Batman is to admit his greatest strength: He's just one man, and sometimes he needs help." Perhaps DC is deliberately fooling with us and really does claim that's his greatest strength? It doesn't make any sense, but neither does Dark Knight III in general!]

Greg: So they cancelled one Green Lantern title (Lost Army) but they're launching another one (Edge of Oblivion, page 65) that basically picks up where Lost Army left off? What are you, DC, Marvel?

Travis: Yeah, from what I saw, Cullen Bunn was the writer on Lost Army and was kinda jerked around about how many issues it would last. I'm not sure if it's better to announce a series as longer than 6 issues at first or not. With some of the minis they're starting this month, knowing they're 6 issues says TRADE WAIT loud and clear to me! (13 January)

Page 66 has The Legend of Wonder Woman #1 (of 9) by Renae De Liz, which will probably be cool, but WTH DC with making any new WW series cost 3.99 or more? Why do you think the sales go down? If I thought there was competence, I'd think there was a conspiracy against her! (13 January)

Greg: Len Wein and Kelley Jones on Swamp Thing (page 69). Holy shit, that will be awesome. Well, it will look awesome. Wein is okay, I guess, but man, Kelley Jones drawing Swamp Thing!!!!

Travis: Yeah, maybe they'll be cool and stick those 2 Convergence issues in the trade of this that I'm now waiting for! (6 January)



Travis: I can't tell if Black Canary #8 on 73 is starting a new arc or not, and I'm still on the edge about this book! I guess I'll probably just keep getting it! (20 January)

Ah, adult coloring books, to infantilize us as a society even more! I do like the Aquaman one on 72 and Martian Manhunter on 79, which are both by Andy Kuhn. Some other cool ones are Starfire on 82, WW on 86, Action on 88, Batman on 93, Detective on 97, Grayson on 98, and an Allred GL cover on 103!







On 77, Green Arrow gets the Lukos virus. I guess it was Lukos with the lid off? (Shout out to Colin from high school, from whom I stole that joke!) [Editor: Sorry, folks. I really can't control him. I'm kind of like a DC or Marvel editor!] (6 January)

Page 86 -- Aw, Wonder Woman has to save a baby. Which of course is her main purpose, being a girl and all. Please, DC, don't kill off the character find of 2016, Baby Zeke! (ugh!) (20 January)

Page 87: Superman: American Alien #3 -- ok, Clark mistaken for Bruce Wayne might be fun. Especially since it's drawn by Joelle Jones (who does that great variant cover). The mothership said issue 1 was a 5 star comic, so I may go for the trade! (13 January)



Page 89: Batman/Superman #28 -- looks like, not unlike the Superman/Batman series, it's at the point where the entire purpose of the book goes flat, so now it's time for lame flashbacks that won't really affect continuity! (13 January)

That regular cover of Batman #48 (page 93) is damn cool. (13 January)



Oh, sure, Gotham Academy #14 (page 98), right after I drop you for your stupid Robin War appearance, you come back with this cool batch of creators for special stories. Oh, well, it'll make a nice trade.

Greg: Travis is apparently unaware that you're allowed to skip a few issues and then return to buying the book. What a concept! (13 January)

Travis: I'm kind of interested in pg 105's Quarantine Zone OGN HC, where the neural pathways for empathy are modified by a virus, and people get imprisoned if they're infected. Could be cool. Maybe I'll wait for SC! (16 March)

Wow, I looked at that cover for the DC Bombshells #8 on page 107, and thought Wonder Woman's legs were superdeformed. It's just that the boots come to a weird point on her legs and it looked so strange! (6 January)



Scooby Doo Team Up is always a great book, and #14 (page 109) has a team up with Aquaman. Hell yeah. Just get Jabberjaw in there too! (27 January)

Greg: DC has some nice trades this month. On page 111 we get the first trades of Constantine: The Hellblazer, which has been pretty decent, and Martian Manhunter, which I liked the first issue of and decided to skip right to the trade. I may get Robin: Son of Batman on page 113, mainly because Patrick Gleason's art is so very, very amazing. I'll probably get the Bizarro trade on page 116, too. DC also has the second volume of Birds of Prey on page 117, and it reminds me that I pre-ordered volume 1 and never got it. I wonder if it hasn't come out yet or if my store didn't get it. I should check on that. (10 February, 24 February, 23 March, 3 February, 24 February, respectively)

Travis: The first BOP trade comes out 11/4, according to Previews! Yeah, I'm going to be getting at least a couple of these trades, I think. Glad to hear Constantine is good (is Georgiana Snow the Fourth Woman, or as Heckblazer, is she a reimagined Heckler?!), and I've been hearing that MM is really good (wha?!). I may go for Midnighter on 112, cuz Steve Orlando is pretty good, and maybe get Prez on 112 as well, even though #1 didn't wow me (good but not great). Note that the Robin Son of Batman book is a HC. Guess I'll have to find the Convergence Infinity Inc 2 issue to get all of the Batgirl stuff, dammit! (pg 113) God forbid I get the singles instead of trade waiting! I may go for Bat-Mite and Bizarro on 116 myself, and I may go for the Catwoman book on 117, as I hear that was good. That Scarecrow book on 117 might be ok, too. I do like the character, sorta, although a book of just his stories might get old. I'm also happy that the new version of DKR on 118 appears to have gotten rid of that Chip Kidd design. And I also might go for the Doomed trade on 120, cuz it sounded like it might be neat, even though it is Lobdell! (17 February, 3 February, 17 February, 17 February, 17 February, 3 February, 17 February, respectively)

Greg: DC is also trying again with the early Justice League stories with "The Silver Age volume 1" on page 120. They originally offered this as part of their "Chronicles" line, which they annoyingly cancelled, so I'll probably have to pick this up.

Travis: Yeah, I'm thinking they're trying again because the big omni HC apparently was screwed up, from what I heard. Oops! I'm down for this, though. Murphy Anderson RIP! (10 February)

Page 121 has a trade of Azrael, if you're into the 90s, and a trade of the new 52 version of Secret Six, which I didn't particularly like the first issue of, but I hear they bring someone back who I love. So I'm torn! (17 February and 10 February, respectively)

Greg: Man, an Egypt trade on page 126. Wow. I think I've read one issue of this, so I'll probably pick this up. Everything gets a trade eventually!

Travis: Must have been close to when Milligan and Dillon would get the rights back. Oh snap! Yeah, I will get this though. I loves me some Vertigo Milligan, and recently found The Face one shot! (3 February)

Man, I think I need just one issue of the Doom Patrol collection on 127. #21, I think! (17 February)

That Supergirl statue on 135 is purty. (May 2016)



IDW:

The full solicits are here!

Travis: Sweet, Jem is the Gem of the Month! Dark Jem with Sophie back on the art for Jem and the Holograms #11 (pg 140)! I'm not a big fan of multiple variant covers, but at least with a book like this it makes some sense, highlighting each member. Plus, if they're going to do a covers collection at treasury size, I can get the covers that way! Like the book on page 141! Especially since it's a light month, I'll probably shell out the 10 bucks for this.

Greg: How is IDW releasing Busiek and Perez's Avengers stuff? I mean, I get that they can do it with some things because they're using the original art, which belongs to the artist, or the stuff is perhaps in the public domain, but that one (page 142) is just weird. It's cool, but what's the deal with it?

Travis: Well, this does have the Marvel logo by it. I think Marvel just knows that IDW will do a better job with something like this. But yeah, it's weird. I think they did a Star Wars book like this too. I doubt that any of these IDW books were done without some cooperation with the original publisher. Like this drool-inducing one on page 143, Best of DC War Artist's Edition. Ohhhh mama!

Luna the Vampire on page 144 sounds like it might be silly fun, with monsters in outer space. But I'ma gonna trade wait it, of course!

Amazing Forest (page 145) sounds like it'll be neat, with stories written by Ulises Farinas and Erick Freitas and drawn by others. What, Brandon Graham won't let them in on Island? But for some reason I wrote down that this was a 5 issue series. Looking again, I don't know why I wrote that! WTH, my brain?



Page 146 has Victorie City #1 (of 4), which might just fulfill the aching void in my comics reading heart for Fell! Is ... is that George W. Bush on the sub cover?

Page 147 has Gutter Magic #1 (of 4), where WWII was fought by magic, like Arrowsmith, or that other comic I'm not thinking of right now. I'll wait for reviews and see if I want the trade!

Oy. Page 152 has solicit text for TMNT volume 13 saying that "it has all lead to this!" LED! LED!

Greg: That's one of my newer pet peeves, as it's seemed to become more common recently. It drives me up the wall.

Travis: Anyone know if Insufferable (page 164) is any good, or if it's just ... well, you know!

I was waiting to see if they'd collect the Garbage Pail Kids one shots, and here it is on page 167. I never really liked those cards, but knowing that Art Spiegelman et al. were involved with the creation of it, and the cool lineup of creators here, I kinda want this book!

On page 168 the trade of Onyx will SLAM its way towards us. Duhduhduh, duhduhduh, let boys be boys!



Page 169 has The Shrinking Man trade, the story of a guy who always claims that he's just come out of cold water. [Editor: These are the "jokes," people!]

Greg: I'll probably have to get the Dirk Gently trade on page 169. I'm wary of it because Douglas Adams didn't write it and it takes place in motherfucking San Diego, but I'll still probably get it!

Travis: Man, I read Hitchhiker's Guide years ago, and heard the radio version on the public radio Weekend Radio show from Cleveland, but I don't think I ever read the Dirk Gently books. Or didn't get through them, for some reason. I guess you're quoting Marvin, "I won't like it". heh

Greg: The two Dirk Gently books are quite good. Better written than the Hitchhiker ones, but not as funny. Very weird, in fact. Lots of twists and turns, and I've read the second one several times and I'm still not sure I get it all, but the first one comes together really nicely. They're cool to check out.

Travis: Oh, page 170 not only has Comic Book Apocalypse, the catalog companion to the Jack Kirby exhibit at California State University, but they re-offer 3 of the Artist's Edition books of Kirby that IDW has done. Ohhhhhhhh! I saw a video preview of the exhibit in a clip on Mark Evanier's site that he posted, and it looked pretty cool. I dunno if I'll get this book, though.

Have you been getting the Corto Maltese books? The third one, Celtic Tales, is offered on page 171. I know it's something I ought to look into, but ... I just don't. I do have an old Comics Journal with Pratt stuff in it, so I oughta look at that sometime!

Greg: I've been getting Corto Maltese, and they look really nice, but I'm taking a page from your book and I haven't read them yet. I'm pretty confident they'll be good (I've read some of it in the past), so I figure I'll just read them all when they're all out.

Travis: Did you get Strong Female Protagonist, from Top Shelf on page 173? I see it's a new printing. Sounds a bit like a less explodo bloody Danger Club, but with a girl as the main focus! Crazy!

Greg: I haven't read Strong Female Protagonist. I'm mulling it over!

Image:

All the solicits you could ever want are right here!

Greg: Simon Spurrier and Ryan Kelly are doing Cry Havoc (page 176), which is not about a lesbian werewolf who goes to war. That's a nice creative team, and the gimmick of having three colorists for different story threads is pretty keen.

Travis: It sounds interesting. I wonder who colored these preview pages. I'm amazed they didn't block out the "cockus-erectus" and the "megaclitted" bits. Is it only dirty if it's "shit" or "fuck"? I'll probably trade wait this, because I don't need to start another series in singles!

Greg: Yeah, that's idiotic. FUCKITYFUCKITYFUCKITY! All foul language allowed here on the blog!!! (27 January)

FOUR EYES FOUR EYES FOUR EYES FOUR EYES FOUR EYES FOUR EYES!!!!! (page 180)



Travis: Yeah, yeah, yeah, calm down. I went back and reread issue 1 of the original, but wasn't really hooked. Lots of Joe Kelly relists, though!

Greg: YOU'RE DEAD TO ME!!!!!

Travis: I DON'T CARE!!! I JUST DIDN'T CARE FOR IT!!! (6 January for those people with a soul, never for those without one)

Greg: Ted McKeever is back with Pencil Head (page 184), a semi-autobiographical story. Yeah, that's going to be weird.

Travis: Yeah, love his stuff, get it in singles, and have gotten so far behind on reading it! All his Image stuff and collected pre-Image stuff is re-offered here, so people should pick that all up too. Where's my Plastic Forks collection, though, dammit?! And Junk Culture with Industrial Gothic and any of the other stuff he did for Vertigo?! Plottz. Heh. Wonder what Carl Potts is doing now ...? (20 January)

Greg: Hey, they're resolicting Prophet: Earth War (page 186). Any bets on whether it will come out this time?

Travis: HAHAHA! Yeah, that was like a friggin' year ago when they started soliciting that. I think they even got to issue 4 or 5 before they realized that oops, it wasn't coming out. I'm torn now, because I want this, of course, but I should just wait for the trade. Of course you know I didn't read the last couple issues of the regular Prophet series! I'm such a terrible reader! ("20 January")

Greg: Injection #6 (page 189): I told everyone it was all about sandwiches!!!!!

Travis: Sammiches, hopefully. [Editor: D'oh! Of course, sammiches!] Glad there's more of this coming. (13 January)

Nowhere Men returns with art by Dave Taylor and Emi Lenox (page 191). That will be different, but good. What's Nate Bellegarde doing now? I liked this book quite a bit, and love what I've read of They're Not Like Us, so I'm in. I am totally not buttering Eric Stephenson up for when I eventually pitch my awesomeness to him for Image to publish! HA!! (13 January)

If it wasn't for, y'know, that it's Spawn art, I might be interested in a Todd McFarlane/Erik Larsen collaboration (page 194). (27 January)



I do like the little bursts that tell us the issues that are the end of a story arc. Thank you, Image! I may not like the rest of your layout, but that's useful to know!

Greg: Yeah, I like that too. It's helpful!

Travis: Love that No Mercy #6 cover on 204, homaging that cover that Haunted Horror used on its first issue. (13 January)





Greg: Travis has taken care of Brian's cover homage post that week!

Travis: Anyone who hasn't gotten Nameless can get the HC for a cool 20 bucks (page 210). This has been so friggin' weird, but Burnham's art is amazing, so I'd say it's well worth it! (13 January)

I'd heard good things about Octopus Pie (on page 211), but this preview just doesn't do anything for me. YMMV! (3 February)

Is Lazarus good? Should I catch up on the trades of it I don't have yet? Volume 4 is on page 213.

Greg: I dropped Lazarus after five issues. It looks very nice and I like Rucka, but for some reason it just wasn't doing it for me. It just didn't grab me. (20 January)

Travis: Manhattan Projects HC 2 on 213 as well. This was good stuff. Colorist Mike Garland was at a show I was at recently, and he had a sweet print of the MP cast done by Pitarra, and I was so tempted to buy it. I have nowhere to hang something like that, though! (3 February)

Hey, I get another chance to get the third trade of Manifest Destiny (page 214), which I swear they already solicited! I dropped the book with 12, not that I didn't like it but that I figured it was one I was willing to trade wait on. Here's my chance! (3 February)

Also on page 214 is ODY-C volume 2, as well as the reoffered volume 1. Is it FF Fraction, or is it Fantastic Four Fraction? (17 February)

Man, if I ever read Rasputin volume 1, I'll know if I want to get volume 2 on page 215 ... (27 January)

Valhalla Mad trade on page 217. I think you said what I thought, that it was decent but slight, not really going full tilt with the concept. Man, that cover Sonia designed is awesome, though! (24 February)

Is Midnight Nation (page 219) any good? I'm wary of any JMS comic, but I do like Gary Frank, mostly.

Greg: Midnight Nation is by far the best thing JMS has ever written. That doesn't mean it's excellent, but it's a solid story. (27 January)

Marvel:

Who wants the full solicits? YOU DO!!!!

Greg: I was saying at the store this week that I would totally buy Old Man Logan (page 4) if every issue was just Logan sitting on his porch, drinking beer, and bitching about kids today. Every issue would be about one topic - "Next issue: Logan tells us what he thinks about today's politicians!" "Logan tells us what he thinks of the iPhone!" "Logan tells us what he thinks of modern athletes!" I would buy multiple copies. MULTIPLE COPIES!!!!!

Travis: I'd buy that, too! MAKE IT HAPPEN, MARVEL! (27 January)



Greg: It's a bit surprising that Spider-Man and Deadpool haven't teamed up more often (page 12). That might be fun, although if Ed McGuinness makes it past 3 issues I'll be impressed.

Travis: Oh, you and your realistic cynicism! Yeah, I may get this trade, as it will probably be funny, but it's not something I feel I absolutely need. (6 January)

Wait a minute, when did this happen?! Our pal Kelly is co-writing A-Force with G. Willow Wilson (page 18)! Kelly, get Dazzler a better look! HA! Seriously, this is way cool, and if GWW is co-writing with Kelly in order to hand over the reins on this book, yee-haw! We knew her when, dammit! (6 January)

It would have been a bigger deal to me that Thor and Captain America (page 27) were kissing a few years back. That would have been fun! (20 January)



Greg: An Oscar Jimenez cover on New Avengers #5 (page 28)? Holy crap. Good to see him getting some work again!

Travis: Too bad this Amalgam book looks like it sucks. Wait ... what is this? (20 January)



I do have to thank the Uncanny Avengers for saving Boston from destruction (page 29). Hi sis! (13 January)

Interesting that Uncanny Avengers #4 is the end of an arc, as is Uncanny Inhumans on page 43. And New Avengers #5 there looks to be the start of a new arc. So not only has the cover price gone up to 3.99, but the trades will be only 4 issues. Oy.

So in Amazing Spider-Man #6 (page 55), Mister Negative has 2 heroes in his employ. And rumors have flown that Cloak and Dagger are coming back. I think I just put 2 and 2 together! (6 January)

All the Deadpool #1-ness you could want on pages 68-69. I may get the New Mutants #98 reprint, for fun. Hey, it's a buck!

Speaking of DP, that 2099 "metallic" cover on Deadpool #6 on page 83 looks dang neat. (20 January)



Greg: Gaiman and Buckingham's first Miracleman arc is collected in a fancy hardcover on page 104. It's 30 bucks, which is a bit dear, but it's a tremendous comic, so there's that.

Travis: Yeah, back about ... oh god, is it almost 20 years ago now? Eek! No, wait, it's over 20 years! Oh, I'm so old ... Anyway, in high school, we went on a trip to Canadia and I almost spent the remainder of my funny colored Canadia money on a copy of a Miracleman collection. Was it the Golden Age? I don't know! But I should have gotten that rather than the damn Phantom of the Opera playing cards and key chain. Those are both wrecked now, and reselling that book could have eliminated my college debt! HA! (2 March)

Of course they reoffer a new printing of the Amazing Spider-Man first Omni (page 106) just after I bought a copy of the first volume of the Marvel Masterworks. Sigh. (4 May)

I'm tempted for a few Secret Wars trades. The 1602 Witch Hunter Angela one on page 108 had intrigued me. The Red Skull one on page 110 might be neat (ha, it includes the Captain America issue that Waid took his name off of! Will it utilize his original script? It might be worth it then). I may go for the SW Journal/Battleworld trade on page 110, because there are a lot of cool creators and stories in those 2 minis, plus the Howard the Human and Agents of Atlas one shots. Cool beans! I also dug the covers to the E is for Extinction SW books, so that's one that tempts me (page 112). (10 February, 10 February, 10 February, and 17 February, respectively)

More infantilizing on page 120, with Color Your Own Deadpool! (6 January)

Page 126 has a Punisher vs. the Marvel Universe trade, featuring the Punisher Kills the MU one shot by Ennis that I have but (and I know this will surprise you) haven't read yet. I don't know most of the other stuff, but the 2012 5 issue War Zone mini was by Rucka and Di Giandomenico, and that was a pretty decent mini. It's probably a good collection, but I dunno if it's 35 dollars good, y'know? (3 February)

Page 127 has 2 Black Widow minis in one book for 20 bucks. I am tempted! (27 January)

Page 127 also has The Death of Mockingbird, which reprints the end of the Avengers West Coast book. For some fucking reason. But hey, early Steve Ellis art!

Greg: And early Charlie Adlard art. And you don't think Mockingbird being on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and getting a spin-off show has anything to do with this? (27 January)

Travis: You didn't mention the Colossus or Gambit trades on page 128? It's like you have taste!

Greg: The Amazing Spider-Man Epic Collection on page 129 is a bit weird. It's around the time I dropped ASM, because it was just getting ridiculous, but looking back, I still have a soft spot for Larsen's art, and the story isn't that bad. Marvel is cramming Charles Vess's graphic novel, Spirits of the Earth, in there as well, and that's definitely worth a look if only because it's so gorgeous.

Travis: It's by Michelinie, so T. hates it. Right? Or have I confused things again?! Yeah, that's so weird to stick in that Vess GN with Larsen's stuff. And I like both, don't get me wrong, but wow, that's a contrast!

Greg: Yeah, I can't imagine T. picking this one up. (10 February)

Yes, now it's time for the back of the book! Where you can find all the really weird stuff!

Indulge me when I suggest that if people can't find enough to spend money on here, they should check out the Cerebus Archive volume 4 Kickstarter. First Gerhard pages, and the prints look just beautiful! Help restore and keep Cerebus in print! Check it out here!

Greg: I've been trying to wait for trades for Amigo's stuff that's not Rogues!, and on page 230, we get Roman Ritual, which sounded cool - an exorcist needs to fight evil within the Vatican. I really hope this comes out when it's supposed to!

Travis: I read the first 2 or 3 issues, and this was really good! You should dig it, since you dig El Torres!

Page 233 has an adaptation of Poe's The Cask of Amontillado from Action Lab. Might be cool.

And of course, I haven't read it, but the sequel to Holy F*ck, Holy F*cked, is in trade from friend of the blog Nick Marino (page 235). I trust that since he's cool, this is worth it, so I'll be getting it!

Page 237 also has Vampblade #1, which ... can you even really parody '90s Bad Girl comics? Weren't they already a parody?



Greg: Aftershock (pages 238-239) is still flooding the market with comics! Brian Azzarello and Juan Doe are the team on American Monster, about a war veteran who returns to his home town, but is he a man ... or a monster?!?!?!? Meanwhile, Justin Jordan and Cully Hamner are giving us Strayer, about a monster hunter. I smell crossover!!!!!

Travis: Hmm. I'm a bit torn, as semi-local to me was a soldier who was horribly disfigured in one of our wars, and from everything I've read he's anything BUT a monster. So I'm a little queasy at the short version of the concept here. And Strayer actually just has a retailer incentive cover by Hamner. Juan Gedeon is the artist. I'll probably get trades, though.

Greg: Dang, I missed that Hamner is only doing the cover. Whoops! (20 and 27 January, respectively)

Travis: Page 253 has an Executive Assistant Iris Sourcebook from Aspen written by the Buy Pile's own Hannibal Tabu. He loves him some sourcebooks!

Nothing about Garth Ennis's new B&W tentacle rape book from Avatar, Code Pru? (pg 257)

Greg: Um ... no.

Bergen Street Press has the third trade of Copra on page 261. I wasn't super-impressed with volume 1, but when I got volume 2, I re-read the entire thing and it was a lot better, so I'm down with volume 3!

Travis: Yeah, I wasn't impressed enough with volume 1 to get volume 2, so maybe when volume 4 comes around, the others will be re-solicited!

Greg: Boom! has Ed Brisson's The Last Contract on page 270. It's about a retired hitman who is dragged back into business when he becomes a target. Brisson is good at brutal stories like this, so I imagine this will be pretty keen.

Travis: I do like Brisson, so I'll be getting this trade!

Was Curb Stomp (page 272) worth getting in trade?

Greg: Not really. The story was too clicéd, and the art was okay, but not great. It was disappointing, honestly.

Travis: Oooh, I gotta catch up with all the Suicide Risk trades (page 273). I really liked volume 1, got and read volume 2, and then ...

Seriously, GMozz just totally cribbed the plot of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" in Klaus (page 276), didn't he?

Greg: Maybe he hopes no one remembers that?

Webwitch #3 is on page 284 from Boundless. I just wanted to mention this because issue #1 came out last week, and I had to flip through it. Holy shit, did it look terrible. It's full of nekkidness, of course, but people know the Internet exists, right? Other than that, it was just awful-looking. I dared not read it, because who knows how bad that would have been!

Travis: If there's not a crossover with Tarot, all is not right in the world! Don't judge me if I buy this! And how about Belladonna here on 282 and 283? She's totally getting it from behind in the Adult covers, isn't she? OY!

Caliber has a GN called The Shepherd on 286, where a grieving father kills himself to follow his teenage son that killed himself into the afterlife! Ooh!



Canton Street has Race for the Moon (page 286), which has Simon and Kirby with Al Williamson and Bob Powell. It's only 88 pages for 18 bucks, but still ...

Page 287 has Chapterhouse's True Patriot anthology, which features Scott Chantler, Jay Stephens, Ramon Perez, Superhero Girl by Faith Erin Hicks, and Torres and Levins's Family Dynamic returns! And a bunch of other cool creators, although I am concerned that there are this many talented Canadians taking amurrican comic book jobs! I will get this, though!

Greg: I don't know anything about Leonard Starr and Stan Drake's Kelly Green, but the "complete collection" is on page 287 from Classic Comics Press. It sounds neat, but does anyone know anything about it?

Travis: I don't know anything, but that Starr and Drake are good. I'm in!



ComixTribe has the trade of Oxymoron: the Loveliest Nightmare on page 289. I haven't gotten the other Oxymoron or Red Ten stuff, but John Lees and ComixTribe are good.

Cosmic Times has a weird one in Scales of Time, where a robot battles a dragon for the soul of a pianist. Or "painist", per the ad on 290 ...

Greg: GAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

Travis: Dynamite has a book on page 291. "Boy plus girl makes mess of sex, no babies come, what happens next? Devolution!" It looks kinda neat. I'm curious as to why they didn't censor the "cool shit" bit in the interview on page 292.

Greg: You read that? You're a better man than I. (20 January)

Wait, they redesigned Red Sonja's costume (page 298)? But why?! Heh. If I could remember the joke from Cerebus, I'd throw it in here! Simon will know what I mean!

Hmm, the complete Swords of Sorrow big female character/creator crossover "saga" is offered on page 301. That is tempting. However, it sounded good but not great, and the Prophecy crossover Dynamite did was another good but not great book.

Ooh, Devil's Due/First has Killdarlings GN from Dan Schaffer (page 309), who did a book called Dogwitch that I enjoyed. Don't judge me for liking the gothy girls! This has 2 psycho supermodels going crazy on celebutantes, but I don't think this will have a possible role for Liz Vicious in the film version! Don't judge me just because you don't know what I'm talking about!



Dover has, on 314, Paleo, the complete collection, a book of dinosaur comics by Jim Lawson and stuff from Steve Bissette. Cool.

Didn't D&Q offer Berlin #19 (page 314) just a little while ago?

Greg: Yeah, I'm pretty sure they did. The Big 5 aren't the only ones who have to resolicit sometimes!

Fantagraphics has Nod Away, Joshua Cotter's latest, on page 320. The only Cotter work I've read is Skyscrapers of the Midwest, which was disappointing given the raving over it, so I'm not sure if I'm going to get this. I'll think about it.

Travis: I did like the preview pages of this that the Dread Lord posted a little while ago, so I may go for this.

Page 320 also has Crepax's take on Dracula and Frankenstein, which I assume involves sexy ladies. Pricey, though!

Also a collection of Beto's oddball comics, I guess from Love and Rockets, called Comics Dementia. Tempting!

Page 336 has Graphic India's Devi/Witchblade one shot. I like the Basuldua cover, because Devi has flaming boobs and ... ahem. I think they have penicillin for that!

I think Wilma Deering will be happy to hear Buck Rogers say "I'm Going Down!!" on pg 337's ad for Hermes. Murphy Anderson RIP! [Editor: Yes, like you, occasionally I wish I could punch Travis right through the computer screen!]

Page 341 has Hero Tomorrow's Apama: The Undiscovered Animal volume 1, which sounds wonderfully offbeat. Also, pinups by Bob Burden and Fred Hembeck. Hotcha!



Greg: Humanoids has The Tipping Point on page 342, which is an anthology with stories by some serious talent including Eddie Campbell and John Cassaday. It's 30 bucks for 128 pages, so that's a tough call, but it still sounds keen.

Travis: Yeah, I'm definitely interested in this one. Pricey, though!

Greg: Only three issues of Muirwood: The Lost Abbey have come out, but the trade is on page 344 from Jet City Comics. The third issue was the best one yet, so that's something, and while Alex Sheikman's art isn't as good as it has been on other things, it's still Alex Sheikman art, which is a very good thing!

Travis: Sheikman is the dude that did Robotika, right? I just read that recently from the library. Good stuff. I'm not big on the fantasy stuff, but I may go for this.

Greg: Yep, that's he.

I'm not sure a whole trade adapting the Oingo Boingo song will be worth it, but Dead Man's Party is there on 352 from Magnetic/Darby Pop. I may have misinterpreted the solicitation!

For those of us who love preview books, Oni has one on page 357, along with a $6 book that has the #1s of a bunch of cool Oni series. I have or will have a lot of these, but I am missing Helheim #1, and don't have Stumptown or The Bunker, so I'll probably go for this!

Overground has a couple more neat books on page 363, with Herocorp Knights, where a company gives out powers to people willing to work for them, and Plus Ultra, which will comment on depictions of female superheroes. Topical!

Page 366 has Random House Books for Young Readers (whew!) offering Comics Squad volume 2: Lunch! New Babymouse, a Peanuts story, Jason Shiga, Castellucci and Varon, Jeffrey Brown ... some neat stuff. A library near me will probably get it, though!

Seven Seas brings us, on page 368, the first Omni of Franken Fran, a take on Frankenstein with the monster being a female doctor who abides by the Hippocratic Oath. Apparently she doesn't know how to button a shirt, though, based on the cover ...



Also from them on page 369 is Tomodachi X Monster volume 1, which sounds like Pokémon meets Battle Royale. Creepy!

St. Martin's Press gives us the one book that is a definite, Tom Hart's memoir about his daughter, Rosalie Lightning, who died WAY too young. He's a great creator to start with, and if he can make art from such a horrible event, it's bound to be one of the early candidates for best GN of 2016. I also met him and his wife Leela Corman many years ago at a local con, back when I actually photocopied a comic of my own. He actually took the time to flip through them and took it seriously, so I think for that alone, I'm a fan for life.

Why can't I be an independently wealthy dude able to get all those neat early comic strip collections that Sunday Press offers on 372? Ladies, I turn to you with my gigolo service! (I'll get negative $!) The "Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz" one sounds like the name of an academic paper -- L Frank Baum queer theory!

Greg: Titan has the second trade of Death Sentence on page 390. The first trade was surprisingly excellent, so I'm looking forward to this. There's also Man Plus on page 391, which sounds like a typical dystopian future where man and machine are becoming one, but it looks nice. Enki Bilal's Nikopol Trilogy is also on that page. An astronaut returns to Earth after 30 years and discovers that the gods of ancient Egypt are back and being dicks. I like Bilal quite a bit, and this looks pretty neat.

Travis: (Hangs head in shame) Guess what I haven't done with the first volume of Death Sentence? I do notice that volume 2 here is going to be a SC, not HC like volume 1 was. Darn! I did read a couple issues of Avengers AI by Araujo, and his art was neat, so I may get the Man Plus book in trade (didn't they offer this #1 already?). So ... the Bilal book is 1 of 3, right? Neither the ad nor the solicit are clear. I assume based on the "trilogy", but I'm thinking it's possible they got it all in one book? I dunno! Set us straight, Simon!

Greg: Yeah, it's not clear.

Travis: Also from Titan on 391 is Rivers of London: Body Work, which appears to adapt Christine, if I understand it right ...

I hope Dread Lord will feature the Street Fighter Unlimited #2 cover that homages X-Men Alpha, from Udon on page 397.

Valiant decides that girls sell comics now, or something, and feature Faith in a solo series (page 402). It sounds like goofy fun. I'll probably get the trade. That Colleen Coover variant is awesome (another homage, too!). That font looks a bit too much like the one they used for My FAITH in Frankie, from Vertigo, though!

Page 406 has trades of the Book of Death mini and one with the one shots. I'm going to wait and see if they do a deluxe, as there was that Ryp drawn Geomancer mini that I suspect they'll collect in that.

Page 409 gives us The Sensuous Frazetta from Vanguard. Ooh la la! Also Wally Wood's Jungle Adventures, which must be good too.

Greg: I think that should be "Sensual". Yes, you may now pelt me with rotten fruit.

Travis: Also on page 409, but from Vertical, is A Girl on the Shore, about the complications of no string sex. What an artsy cover!

Yen gives us, on page 419, How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend volume 1, which is a great title. A group of friends create a dating sim game and then life imitates art!

That's it for comics, but let's see the back of the book!

Page 431 has a collection of essays on the Marvel series Civil War. I don't like to say this, but this is one where you're reading too much into it! HA!

Cool, Fridolfs and Nguyen are doing a young readers book where Bruce, Clark, and Diana meet up in middle school, and become junior detectives (page 433). Sounds like it'll be fun!

Page 441 has Alter Ego #138, where Harlan Ellison writes about Captain Marvel and the Monster Society of Evil. That might be cool!

Them Dark Knight Returns wallets on page 459 look neat, and I could use a new one.

Page 491 features a figure of the Curator from the Doctor Who Day of the Doctor episode, which was so good!

And I'll end with this: page 463 features a Batman classic TV statue. It's a Batgirl bust. Yes it is!



Thanks, as always, to Travis for helping out. He finds a lot of weird stuff that I either miss or don't bother writing about, because he's just a weird dude! Have fun diving into Previews this month - it's always a cool journey!