It’s always nice when Previews includes a little extra bonus, like a trading card or something. They make excellent bookmarks. This month you get this beautiful art print, suitable for framing:

“You call that Intelligent Design? Boobs and asses should be on the same side!”

But please, despite the air of class and sophistication exuded here, it’s just Previews. Dress is still casual.

Let’s begin!

The Umbrella Academy (p. 22) - God help me, I’m interested in a book written by a dude from My Chemical Romance. Fortunately I’ll wait for the trade, which should be time enough to see if it’s still worth getting then.

Serenity: Those Left Behind (p. 32) - This hardback collection features “behind-the-scenes” material, which would probably be a bigger draw if more people had been interested in the “in-front-of-the-scenes” material.

Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus (p. 34) - OH HOLY HELL YEAH. One more Hellboyverse trade it’ll kill me to wait for!

John Norman’s Gor Omnibus vol 1 (p. 46) - “with a global audience that reaches across all age groups and demographics”. Where “all” = “misogynistic geeks”.

The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service vol 5 (p. 54) - I gotta get caught up with this one. I haven’t even gotten volume 3 yet, but because I’m so behind on my other manga I don’t feel justified buying it just to stick it in the pile. OH LIFE IS HARD.

Eden vol 9 (p. 55) - One of the aforementioned manga series I’m behind on. In fact, I think I’m probably NOT going to order this one. I need to catch up first and see if I’m still interested in continuing before getting it.

Showcase Presents: The Metal Men vol 1 (p. 85) - The Metal Men volume is a must-get, but I can pass on the Atomic Knights/Hercules one.

All Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder #7 (p. 86) - Just a heads up that this will be coming out within the next year or so.

The Spirit #10 (p. 98) - After lamenting that I shoulda waited for the trade so as to have a nicely bound collection, I continue to buy the floppies. That’s because I’m stupid.

Girl Genius Omnibus Edition (p. 226) - This looks like a nice edition of a good comic series. I’ve been meaning to catch up on these.

Laika (p. 302) - I’m really looking forward to this from First Second, even though I don’t know much of anything about it. It’s about the first dog in space and it’s from First Second, which has yet to fail me.

Antiques: The Collected Comic Strip (p. 304) - Does anyone know anything about this? I’ve never heard of the strip in question, but the premise seems interesting: A billionaire dies, and his collection of pop-culture artifacts goes up for auction, attracting “a colorful cast of interested parties who are not what they seem.”

Wasteland #12 (p. 328) - Sims got another pull quote, so I’m behind. Let me think here. “Without ‘Wasteland’, ‘awesome’ would just be ‘om’.” Okay, maybe not.

Tales to Demolish (p. 337) - I ordered the first issue of this. I’ll go ahead and grab the second just because it’s from a small publisher, but I hate having to order issue 2 before I know anything about issue 1.

You need to know about Star Wars Chubbies. I did a Google Image Search for “Star Wars Chubby” and here’s what I got:

Well, that’s the first image. Hang on, let me got further through the list. Here we go:

Yes, after beanies, wind-ups, and bobbleheads, meet the newest collecting sensation, Russian Nesting Dolls. What won’t geeks buy?

WAIT DUDE DON’T FORGET ME! VROOM VROOM!

And let’s close the show with this:

Man, I got far too many jokes to pick from.

For making it through all this, you get a laff from the latest Showcase Presents: Batman:

IF ONLY THERE WERE A HITTABLE TARGET WITHIN ARM’S REACH!

From Black Ghost Apple Factory by Jeremy Tinder.

I burned through a bunch of new graphic novels recently and thought I’d share some opinions on them. There’s been a lot of talk on the comics blogs recently about all the stupid things Marvel and DC have been up to, and recently on BoardGameGeek someone decided that a single bad issue of Fantastic Four meant that all comics suck. so, some reminders:

“Comics” is a medium, of which “superheroes” is a genre.
“Superheroes” is not the only genre in comics.
And for the record, there are superhero comics not published by DC or Marvel.

Here are SIX recent graphic novels (also known in academic circles as “big boy comics”) that I think are well worth your time.

The Three Paradoxes by Paul Hornschemeier. (Fantagraphics Books) I’m not as familiar with Hornschemeier’s work as I should be; I’ve only read Mother, Come Home, but that is probably his most well-known work. I liked that well enough to order this back when it was first solicited. The three paradoxes are Zeno’s famous paradoxes, which allegedly prove that motion cannot exist. And for the main character, Paul, motion seems, if not impossible, at least very difficult. He is stuck: stuck at home, stuck in the past, stuck on a comic strip he’s drawing, stuck when it comes to simple conversation. The book itself moves very little; even at the end the forward motion is minimal. As such, it becomes a sort of meditation on stuckness (and literally; Paul’s father uses meditation — repeated recitation of the same mantra — to achieve peace.) I don’t know or care how autobiographical the work may be, but it’s worth noting that it was originally solicited about a year ago.

First in Space by James Vining (Oni Press). Monkeys. Space Travel. Two great ideas that should always be combined, and in the late 50s, America was hard at work trying to create the first monkey space traveller. Granted, they had a further goal, something about man on the moon blah blah blah, but this book is the true story of Subject 65, a/k/a Chang, a/k/a Ham, the first monkey in space. I found it to be a delightful read with a very appealing chunky art style. The story is interesting, well-paced, and exciting, and the characters — especially the monkey — are well-defined. It’s recommended for ages 7 and up and I totally agree; it’s an “all-ages” book that really does have appeal to all ages. I’m very much looking forward to James Vining’s future projects, if they’re as well-done as this one.

The Professor’s Daughter by Joann Sfar and Emmanuel Guibert (First Second). A lovely young lady is walking through Victorian London with a mummy. You’d think this is a premise I couldn’t pass up and yet, unbelievably, I did, when I first saw it solicited. I don’t know why, as I like Joann Sfar’s work, I’ve been impressed with everything I’ve read from First Second, and there’s a mummy. And yet, I passed on it. And then the reviews came in and everyone couldn’t stop talking about how great this book was, so when I picked up my comics I substituted it for another book I’d ordered that didn’t get such great reviews (no names here, I’m a gentleman.) Thank goodness I did. This is a wonderful book. Will Lillian and Imhotep IV be able to have a lasting relationship? Will her father come between them? And if not, what of the murder, kidnapping, jailbreaking, and so forth? Will that cause a problem? Will we have to get Queen Victoria involved to sort this all out? This book is going to be on many a “Best of the Year” list, mark my words.

Exit Wounds by Rutu Modan (Drawn + Quarterly). In Tel Aviv, a young man named Koby learns from a woman soldier named Numi that his father may have been killed in a suicide bombing. Whether or not he was is only the first mystery. How does Numi know Koby’s father? And how does Koby feel about this, given that his relationship with his father isn’t so hot? I really liked the book’s nonstandard take on relationships — too often in American culture we’re told that family is of paramount importance, and the relationship between father and son is a special, unbreakable bond. Exit Wounds examines these ideas critically, and the result makes for a powerful read. It’s especially interesting set against the brightly-colored, Tintin-esque artwork. This is another one that you’re going to see on a lot of “Best of” lists.

The Aviary by Jamie Tanner (AdHouse Books). Here’s what the solicitation copy reads: “Enter the strange world of the Quiet Bird-Man; a world of mysterious corporations, foul-mouthed robots, drunken ghosts, amputee comedians, wealthy simian pornographers and canine scientists; a world of disasters, murders and masquerade balls.” And yes, all of that is in here, combined into a richly textured book. It’s a series of vignettes, and at first you’ll think that the whole point is just weird, absurdly humorous, pointless tales, but eventually they all start to fit together into a whole. (Which is not to say the whole isn’t weird and absurdly humorous as well.) The feeling as it all unfolds around you is delightful. It’s one of those books where as soon as you finish it, you immediately want to read it again, now that you know.

I Shall Destroy All the Civilized Planets! by Fletcher Hanks (edited by Paul Karasik) (Fantagraphics Books). Wow, just…wow. How to begin? Okay, Fletcher Hanks was this dude who made comics back in the early 40s. About as Golden Age as you can get. He’s not overly well known and his stuff hasn’t been saved much, but some exists. And that stuff: it’s just…wow. His art is dynamic and grotesque, with human proportions that would make even Michael Turner go “Wow, that body is WAY out of proportion.” His two main characters, Stardust the Super Wizard and Fantomah the Jungle Beauty have identical powers — they’re utterly omnipotent. There is absolutely no tension whatsoever in the stories and no doubt that the heroes will show up and torture, imprison, or outright kill the villains. (And yes, being the Golden Age, these beings with Godlike powers spend their time fighting criminals in three-piece suits, though to give Stardust credit, he does take on 300,000 of them at once.) sometimes they take their sweet time doing it, too. In one story Fantomah happily lets New York City be reduced to rubble before coming in and stopping the perpetrators and then leaving, having done nothing to help restore the city. As a bonus, there’s a piece at the end where the guy who compiled these strips, Paul Karasik, tells what he knows about Fletcher Hanks and how he found it out — and there’s a very good reason it’s at the back of the book. That piece alone says a lot about comics fans. This is another one I originally passed on and then ended up getting based on glowing reviews, and I’m immensely glad I did.

Six graphic works, all of which I recommend, only one of which involves superheroes. Do you like contemporary fiction? Mysteries? Action? Nonfiction? The Unusual? Humor? Romance? Monkeys? Or even, yes, superheroes? There’s something up there for you, then.

So let’s dive right in!

Hellboy: The Troll Witch and Others (p. 27) - It kills me to wait for trades on Hellboy/BPRD stuff. Fortunately Dark Horse doesn’t waste much time getting them out. With Hellboy it’s especially sweet when a new volume comes out, since Hellboy comics have been out so infrequently. And to have the new volume be a collection of short stories? Life is good.

Dr. Thirteen: Architecture & Morality (p. 88) - Who was just talking about this on their blog recently? Let’s Ask Cerebra! It turns out it was Dorian! Sounds like a probable buy, from his description.

The Spirit #9 (p. 96) - Still enjoying this.

And now, the three second-greatest words DC could say to me:

(First greatest words: “Space Cabby Showcase^*“.) now, I could do some fanboy whining about the lack of color, but I won’t push it. They’re already reprinting the funny animal book that nobody but me bought, and that’s pretty cool in itself. Some people are upset that it doesn’t include the Oz-Wonderland War mini, but honestly since I don’t care much about Oz or Wonderland, I don’t mind.

Emma vol 5 (p. 108) — Apparently this manga I like (shut up!) is headed for controversy. Will they show boobies or not!?!?

Kyle Baker’s Special Forces (p. 140) — I…uh…I…buh…

Glister (p. 154) — New Andi Watson! A girl who’s a magnet for the weird and unusual! All ages! Could be very fun.

Stray Toasters (p. 158) — Never read it. I feel like I should, but I strongly suspect that after I do, I won’t feel like I should own it.

Page 169: “100 million Bon Jovi fans can’t be wrong.”

Can’t they?

Page 181:

You know what’s sexier than a woman with absolutely no nipples or vagina? Anything.

Page 293:

Inadvertent typo or is someone at Diamond harboring a grudge against the German capital?

Have you recovered from Captain Carrot Showcase? Good, because here is:

Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together (p. 330) — If you haven’t read Scott Pilgrim or don’t understand the appeal, please tell us all about it! In great detail if you don’t mind! Otherwise, woo! Scott Pilgrim!

Wasteland #11 (p. 330) — Still going strong!

Harbinger: The Beginning (p. 366) — “This classic story of Sting’s band of renegade teenagers with extraordinary powers of the mind…took the comics industry by storm in 1992.” And nearly took the comics industry out completely in 1993. Also: not that Sting.

Andromeda Stories vol 1 (p. 368) — anyone know anything about this? Worth getting?

Miami Mice TP (p. 379) — It’s not easy to give out a “worst item in Previews this month” award, with the field so full of worthy combatants. But this would be up there. It’s a $17 reprint of four B&W comics from 1985 that spoof “Miami Vice”. BUT, there are ten NEW pages that spoof the movie remake! My question is, which number is lower: the number of people who SAW the Miami Vice movie and thus will understand the spoof, or the number of people will shell out $17 for a spoof of it. Incidentally, this is a “Spotlight On” item.

Now, normally at this point in the show I go something like, “Oh yes, and Fortean Times“, but there’s become a problem. In the past year or so, FT has been steadily increasing their price. Now, I enjoy the mag and practically read it cover to cover. But it’s gotten up to $11.25 an issue, and that’s just something I can’t ignore anymore. That’s crazy expensive. I’m not sure what I’m going to do here.

That’s it for this fine, fine edition of Previews. I welcome all your suggestions, anti-suggestions, and comments.

—

^* — Actually, a Showcase of ALL the Mystery In Space non-Adam Strange stuff would be awesome!

Do YOU have what it takes to be a Silver Age DC villain? Not just the unifying concept, the name, the costume, and the gadgets, but the unique way of thinking that separates the Mirror Masters from the Clock Kings? Take our simple test and find out!

1) You have a device that can turn lead into gold.

Is your first thought:

a) My monetary worries are over forever!

b) I’d better not use this too much, or I may devalue gold!

c) I’m gonna rob a bank!

2) I repeat. You have a device that can turn ANY MATERIAL into gold. You have just used it to turn garbage cans into gold.

Your first thought?

a) This was poor planning. It’s going to be difficult to convert a solid-gold garbage can into spendable lucre.

b) That was fun, but people are going to get suspicious if I persist.

c) I’m gonna go steal money from a safe!

BONUS QUESTION:

Having a device that can change ANY SUBSTANCE, INCLUDING STEEL into ANY OTHER SUBSTANCE INCLUDING, OH, LET’S SAY, GOLD, how do you open the safe in Question Two?

a) Turn the steel into paper and enjoy the thrill of tearing it open with your bare hands!

b) Turn the steel into oxygen and enjoy fresh air and cash money!

c) “Ah! I think I heard the second tumbler click!”

(All panels are from “The Moronic Crimes of Dr. Goddamn Moron” in Showcase #14 (1958) as reprinted in Showcase Presents: The Flash and His Seemingly Endless Parade of Retarded Nemeses.)

Marketing research for comics companies show that the audience for mainstream superhero comics is overwhelmingly male. For some people, this means that companies such as Marvel and DC don’t have to worry about being inclusive (or even merely not being offensive) to women. If they’re not reading, why worry about them?

In addition, that same market research has shown that the audience is overwhelmingly white, too. Which means there’s no reason anyone should be bothered about the newest superhero sensation:

After all, if black people aren’t giving the Big Two much money in the first place, why should the Big Two worry about what they want or don’t want to see?

Maybe it’s because the reason to make these things more inclusive is not to simply appease your actual readers. It’s because you should treat other people with dignity and respect.

Period.

Even when they’re not looking.

Here’s a poem about Free Comic Book Day:

Free Comic Book Day
The first Saturday
In the month of May
Yay yay yay yay yay!

That poem is factually true. FCBD happens on the first Saturday in May which is THIS SATURDAY! In other words, on this Saturday, you can walk into a comic shop near you and walk out with one or maybe more free comic books.

There are a bundle of comics that will be offered. You can see them all here and here. And you can find a comic book store near you that’s participating by going here.

Here are the FCBD offerings I’m looking forward to most: