By Dave
If you don’t know, Previews
is the catalog that Diamond Comic Distributors use to offer the products they
distribute to comic book stores around the country. This is where you can view
and order (through your favorite Local Comic Book Shop) comic books, trade
paperback collections, t-shirts, books, media, and toys and other collectibles
from hundreds of different vendors that deal in geek-oriented merchandise. The
genius part is that you actually have to pay for your copy of Previews for the privilege of ordering
other things to pay for.
It’s like the Ren Fest except without the horse poo
smell.
So every month a new edition of Previews is sent out to comic book stores. Contained in the pages
within are products that might be currently available or could be released
anytime in the next year; but are typically about two months away. Most of this
month’s offerings are scheduled to ship in April.
Now it’s time to discuss a few of the weird and/or wonderful
items offered in this month’s edition!
NOTE: Due to timing issues with the Days of the Dead horror convention and various other demands on my schedule, this month’s rundown was written using the PreviewsWorld website rather than the physical book. As a result, I don’t have page numbers this time.
For whatever reason, the website doesn’t
feature as much information as the paper catalog. It’s also a different
experience browsing thumbnails as opposed to pages. Chances are this will
result in a shallower rundown than usual, but I’ll do the best I can. Next
month things should be back to normal.
Additionally, as I’m going through the site
I’m realizing that I’m missing out on the splash pages and things that the
publishers – and Diamond – might use to highlight certain products, so I have
no idea which things I’m supposed to think are a big deal. It’s leveled the
playing field a bit for sure, but I don’t like not knowing what’s “hot”.
Deathstroke
#30 – DC (Front Cover)
Just a few years ago this would have seemed like a highly
unlikely dream project. And I never would have imagined that I’d be able to
write “From the writer of Justice League,
Christopher Priest”, but here it is:
From the writer of Justice
League, Christopher Priest, we’re getting the ultimate showdown between two
fan favorite characters that nobody
wants to see on the losing side. In the hands of any other writer I’d be
concerned, but Priest has shown that he has the subtlety and cleverness to guide
such a huge storyline.
The stakes are no less than the status quo of one of my
favorite blood relationships in comics – Bruce Wayne and his son, Damian.
Apparently the story starts when Bruce receives proof that Damian is actually
Slade Wilson’s son. Just reading that hit me hard. Damian is one of the few
comic book characters whose story I have been with from the start. Most of my
favorite characters appeared before I was born or just at a time when I wasn’t
reading the title they were in or comics at all. But it just worked out that Son of the Demon was a graphic novel
that I picked up when it came out (though Damian barely appears and was not
named) and was reading when Morrison brought it into official canon by
introducing Damian.
Since then I’ve followed the character and have been
invested in the father/son relationship, somewhat thanks to my own son’s birth
the year following Damian’s reintroduction. The idea that Damian and Bruce may
not be related by blood and the potential storylines resulting from that
concept is both upsetting and compelling. In the end, it doesn’t matter, but
there are so many fascinating possibilities that could arise from this
development.
I am delighted that Priest is getting to guide these
characters’ paths for the foreseeable future and can’t wait to see not only
where this story goes, but how many other icons one of the best writers working
today can influence in the coming years.
Sonic
the Hedgehog #1 - IDW (Back Cover)
Lots of people love Sonic the Hedgehog and I know that
the character’s run at whoever the last publisher was (Archie?) is very
popular. Licensed work seems to be IDW’s bread and butter, but more often than
not I’ve been disappointed. I hope for the sake of the Sonic fans they do the
character justice.
Free
Comic Book Day
This year Free Comic Book Day falls on Saturday, May 5th.
Visit FREECOMICBOOKDAY.COM for more
details!
Black
Hammer: Age of Doom #1 – Dark Horse
I love that Dark Horse
breaks the storylines within their comics up the way that they do.
Black
Hammer has been a little slow paced at times, but I still find
it to be one of the most compelling superhero comics I’m reading right now. I’m
more invested in the world than the actual characters, but it’s been a wild
read. For the time being, I’m on board for any titles that are part of Lemire’s
take on classic comic book tropes.
Aliens:
Dust to Dust #1 (of 4) – Dark Horse
I know there’s something
that this title’s one-man creative team Gabriel Hardman worked on or created
that I loved, but he’s done so much
that I’m having trouble finding out what it was. Whatever the case, Dark Horse
has an excellent track record with its Aliens
books and I’m always up for a new, different miniseries.
Dave
McKean Short Films HC – Dark Horse
Ever since Arkham Asylum (discussion of which now
seems to require the subtitle A Serious
House on Serious Earth thanks to numerous other projects bearing the name)
I’ve been a fan of Dave McKean’s work. That book was one of the first I’d read
that pushed the boundaries of what I expected out of comic books. While I don’t
always love it when things get too “artsy” in my superhero books, McKean is one
of the artists that seems to know how to hit my sweet spot for art,
storytelling, and weirdness.
Until my
recent interview with Valerie Meiss I hadn’t even been aware that
McKean created short films. It seems like kismet that Dark Horse would be
releasing this book and Blu-ray set so soon after that discovery and believe me
– I’m putting this on the order form.
Go
Team Venture: Art and Making of Venture Bros. HC – Dark Horse
This book was originally
offered some time last year and apparently – much like the show that it’s about
– has suffered some production delay. However, also like the show, I expect it
to be worth the wait. Hammer and Publick are very protective of their creation
and demand a certain amount of quality from anything relating to it. While I
don’t know if their high standards are the reason for this book’s lateness, I’m
always on board with waiting for the best possible product.
Hellboy
and the BPRD 1955 TP – Dark Horse
These one-shots and
miniseries detailing Hellboy’s earliest exploits have all been great. If you
skipped the single issues, I highly recommend you grab the trade. It’s
continuity-free and gives bite-sized chunks of story that you can enjoy at your
leisure.
Hellboy:
Complete Short Stories Vol. 1 TP – Dark Horse
Speaking of bite-sized chunks of story, here are some
more!
Even though I’m behind – way behind – on the main Hellboy
book and have never even cracked an issue of BPRD, I’ve read almost all of the one-shots. And they’re great. The Mexico saga is particularly
wonderful in my opinion and I’m not even a fan of Richard Corben’s work.
The Black
Sinister HC – Dark Horse
I’m always curious to see what Kaare Andrews is up to.
This super dark take on the idea of Batman sounds interesting and I like that
it’s one self-contained book.
Pictures
That Tick Vol. 1 & 2 – Dark Horse
Apparently Dark Horse is on a Dave McKean kick, as
they’re releasing these short story collections alongside the Short Films hardcover. These two books
collect a bunch of previously hard-to-find work and I’ll be ordering both
volumes.
Action
Comics #1000 – DC
Superman comics aren’t in my pull on anything resembling
a regular basis, but this is a milestone that I can’t imagine any fan of
superhero comics passing up. The talent on board for this issue is what you’d
expect from such a momentous event. DC is also offering ten different covers,
each one representing a decade from the Man of Steel’s publishing history. I’ll
definitely grab the Mike Allred cover, and there’s a good chance Michael Cho’s
will be hard to pass up. The rest I want to see.
One cover I won’t buy is the main one pictured above. I
don’t care for Jim Lee’s artwork here at all. Superman is too squinty – he
looks more like Shazam to me – and his legs look odd. The blue seems off-spec,
too.
NOTE: Another annoying thing about using
the website is it doesn’t list page counts, so I don’t know how long this $7.99
comic is, though I have no doubt it will be worth it. I’d just like to know.
Batman
’66 Omnibus HC – DC
DC put exactly the right people on this book. Every issue
was a delight, with the art reflecting the era and the tone and the stories
feeling like a lost season of the show. One of the great things about seeing
this version in comic form was the scale and epicness that would have been
impossible on the TV show.
If you grew up with this Batman, you owe it to yourself
to read these stories.
Seven
Soldiers by Grant Morrison Omnibus HC – DC
This collects all of the miniseries from Grant Morrison’s
Seven Soldiers of Victory storyline.
It’s excellent and you should read it. I have no idea why “of Victory” has been
omitted from the listed title and the above cover art.
Batman
and the Signal TP – DC
The first issue of this miniseries was good enough that
I’m sort of disappointed it’s only a miniseries. I like Duke and I like the
idea of Batman needing a guy to handle a new rash of daytime problems in
Gotham. Also, the first issue explained the name “The Signal” and it’s really
cool. I didn’t have a problem with it before anyway, but the reasoning is sound
and nice to see. And fits right in with many of the current themes of the
Batman mythos.
Batman
by Grant Morrison Omnibus Vol. 1 HC – DC
If you’ve been following Needless Things for any amount
of time you might have gotten the ideas that I love Batman, I love Grant Morrison’s
work, and I love Grant Morrison’s work on Batman. Given all of that it should
come as no surprise that I recommend you pick up this omnibus and become
immersed in one of my all-time favorite runs of comic books.
Batman:
Zero Hour TP – DC
Back in 1994 I was crazy for Zero Hour. I collected everything related to it and for me it was a
sort of reintroduction to the DCU. Perhaps not the best reintroduction, but at
the time I was eating it up, even though there were many aspects of it I didn’t
understand thanks to the heaviness of the continuity.
The individual comics are no longer in my collection
thanks to one of several comic book purges I’ve done over the years, but I
wouldn’t mind reading the story again with an extra twenty-four years of comic
book experience.
Nightwing:
The New Order TP – DC
I haven’t finished reading this yet, but I’ve enjoyed it
quite a bit. It feels like an old school Elseworlds story even though it’s more
of an alternate future kind of thing. Members of the Bat Family going bad seems
to be a theme right now, and thus far the stories have been pretty solid.
Zero
Hour: Crisis in Time HC – DC
DC has been pretty good lately about releasing related
titles in proximity to each other. So you can, for instance, grab this
collection of the main Zero Hour
series and also pick up the above Batman Zero
Hour stories.
DC
Animated Harley Quinn Expressions Pack – DC Collectibles
As underwhelmed as I was by DCC’s
first animated Harley, I can’t pass up this excellent set. Now that I
know how limited the articulation is, I think I can appreciate the sheer volume
of extra goodness that comes in this box. The heads all look great and I love
the choice of accessories, even though we already have Bud and Lou from the New Adventures Joker.
DC
Cover Girls: Batgirl by Joelle Jones Statue – DC Collectibles
This is one of the most fun-looking collectibles I’ve
seen in a long time. I love how well sculptor Jack Matthews captured Jones’
style and the pose and dynamism is just fantastic. I try to have some restraint
when it comes to statues, but I might have to order this one.
Danger
Girl 20th Anniversary - IDW
J. Scott Campbell is one of my favorite comic book
artists and Danger Girl is my
favorite of his works. It’s James Bond crossed with Indiana Jones by way of a
Disney Princess movie and there’s nothing else quite like it. I loved this
comic from the first issue, to the point where I’ve got Abbey tattooed on my
arm.
However, I’m not sure I’m going to get this. If Previews’ solicitation is correct, it’s
just black and white reprints of stories I already own. If there was a sketch
section or commentary or something I might be on board, but this seems pretty
bare-bones to me.
Hack/Slash
Resurrection TP Vol. 1 - IDW
The art could be better, but at least it’s consistent.
And it isn’t bad by any means, just not the style I would have chosen. But the
story is classic Hack/Slash fun. I
was expecting to be disappointed with this revival, but so far it has delivered
and I’m hoping that if this creative team sticks together and gets more
comfortable they can deliver some really interesting stuff as the series
continues.
Hunt
for Wolverine #1 - Marvel (Cover)
Charles Soule is returning to Wolverine and I’m very
happy about it. I liked the guy’s last run quite a bit, and I even dug Death of Wolverine. I’m surprised his
absence has lasted as long as it has, though I suspect that’s due to the
surrogates Marvel ushered in. I like Laura, but I could do without Old Man
Logan and whatever the Ultimate Universe thing is.
The Old Man Logan
comic started off so promising – with a bitter old former hero taking the
opportunity to preemptively destroy those that had wronged him – but quickly
became just another superhero book. I think it would have been far more
interesting to have the titular old man remain an antihero murder machine using
his knowledge of the future and decades of skills to evade the heroes of the
modern timeline.
Anyway, Soule is back and I’m on board. Or giving it a
chance, I should say.
Domino
#1 - Marvel
Hopefully we’re getting Secret Six Gail Simone and not New 52 Batgirl Gail Simone. I’ll find out because I’ll give any superhero
book she’s writing a shot.
Death
of Wolverine Complete Collection TP – Marvel
As I mentioned above, I liked this. Some people did not.
Normally I’d just straight-up recommend a book, but maybe you should track down
the first issue and see what you think. To me it was a classic, “I’m dying and
need to get my shit in order” kind of story that felt very right for Logan.
NOTE: I read very little of the post-death
stuff that’s included here. I don’t remember what I picked up, but I didn’t
like it and it got dropped. So I can’t speak to the quality of those.
Marvel
Superhero Adventures #1 (of 5) – Marvel
Our family loved
the Superhero Squad cartoon. I’m
delighted to see it back in any form. I’m not familiar with any of the creators
listed, but I’d imagine that’s because they come from the world of all-ages
comics (which we could use more of).
True
Believers Infinity Stuff – Marvel
(M34-35)
This line of $1.00 reprints is one of my favorite things
that Marvel does. I suppose it would make more sense to just join their
Unlimited service, but I still don’t like reading comics on a screen.
GET
OFF MY LAWN DIGITAL COMICS!
Brothers
Dracula #1 - Aftershock
Cullen Bunn is becoming one of my favorite horror
writers. He has a skill for presenting dark, macabre period stories in a very
accessible way. His writing isn’t flowery and full of itself like some writers
who tackle the genre – though I can dig that sometimes, too – and his worldbuilding
is excellent. Given just a few pages, Bunn has a skill to draw you into a
narrative that is on par with the greats.
If the idea of teenage Vlad Tepes had come from almost
anyone else I would have laughed and disregarded it. But coming from Bunn, I
have no doubt that it will be a wild and compelling story.
Her
Infernal Descent #1 - Aftershock
This sounds really
interesting:
…a
middle-aged mom descends the nine circles of hell to retrieve her forsaken
family…
I’m not familiar with any of the creative team, but this
is one of those concepts that has just hooked me for some reason. I’ll let you
know how it is.
Dark
Ark TP Vol. 1 - Aftershock
And Dark Ark is
one of the many reasons why I said what I just did about Cullen Bunn. It’s
about a second ark that was created
for the Great Flood, only this one carries vampires, manticores, and all manner
of mythical creatures. What surprised me about this one was the focus on the
power structure of the ark and the tension between the creatures and the
sorcerer – a dark parallel to Noah – and his family.
Jeepers
Creepers #1 – Dynamite Entertainment
This is a tough one. Or not really, I guess.
I loved the first two Jeepers
Creepers movies. I thought the monster was great and I liked the
straightforward nature of the narrative – this terrible thing is happening, we don’t
get to know why or how, it just is.
And then I found out about the real terrible thing, which is that the director/writer/creator of
the whole franchise – Victor Salva – is a convicted pedophile. I can’t get past
that one. I can’t enjoy the movies anymore and I don’t want anything to do with
his work. I’m not putting any money in that guy’s pockets. I don’t care if he
served his time or not, that one goes on the unforgivable list.
I’m actually somewhat bothered by the idea that Dynamite
Entertainment is in any way supporting this monster, but I do notice that
unlike other horror franchise comics he isn’t listed as a co-writer or “producer”
or anything. Maybe he doesn’t own the franchise or receive any money for its
use? I don’t know but it doesn’t matter. I won’t support this brand.
The
Prisoner #1 – Titan Comics
As a result of watching Doctor Who late Saturday nights on my local PBS affiliate, I became
similarly obsessed with The Prisoner.
I can’t remember if it aired before or after Doctor who, but I tuned in (or stayed tuned in) every week to see
it and attempt to understand just what the heck was going on.
I loved the look of the Village and the weird stuff that
was going on there, but I think it was Patrick McGoohan’s intense, sometimes
unhinged performance that kept me invested despite the fact that I could barely
grasp the plot.
Having said all of that, I don’t know how interested I am
in whatever this is. The solicit isn’t clear on if it’s an adaptation or
continuation or what, but I love the show as-is and don’t think I need any
more. I certainly didn’t need the execrable 2009 miniseries.
RoboCop:
Citizens Arrest #1 – BOOM! Studios
It's
been decades since the RoboCop program first began. Corporations have taken
over the schools and the government and law enforcement is the biggest private
contract of all. Traditional police forces no longer exist as all citizens are
encouraged and rewarded to spy on their neighbors. There is only one authority
on the streets: ROBOCOP.
Now THIS sounds like a worthy follow-up to RoboCop that might understand the
political satire that the original movie executed so well. I haven’t been a big
fan of most comic book tie-ins to one of my all-time favorite movies (Top 5 for
sure), but despite myself I think I’m excited for this one.
Space
Riders Vol. 2: Galaxy of Brutality TP – Black Mask
If you only take one recommendation from me this month;
heck, possibly this whole year, BUY THIS BOOK. Just do it.
Survival
Fetish – Black Mask
One of my favorite comic books from 2017 was There’s Nothing There. It was so good
that I’m going to pick up this book by its writer, Patrick Kindlon, even though
it doesn’t necessarily sound like my kind of thing.
Brian
Kesinger’s Inked Tails HC – Baby Tattoo Books
Brian Kesinger is a fantastic artist that currently works
for Disney (or does a lot of work for Disney – I’m not entirely clear on that).
He has a brilliant, creative mind and a style that reminds me of Berkeley
Breathed, so of course I love his work. This collection of mermaids is a
must-have, but for Mrs. Troublemaker’s shelf, not mine.
Brian
Kesinger’s Penned Dragons HC – Baby Tattoo Books
See above, except with dragons. And you should absolutely
be following Kesinger on Instagram, where he does all kinds of great mash-ups,
including delightful Star Wars/Calvin & Hobbes cartoons.
Cable
T-shirt – Mad Engine
Embrace the fashion mistakes of the 90s with this hideous
tie-dyed shirt!
RoboCop
MAFEX Action Figure - Medicom
McFarlane’s RoboCop was okay, NECA’s have been very good,
but I still don’t own a great RoboCop
figure. I’m tempted by this one, but it looks a little too stylized, so I don’t
think this is that great figure either. That doesn’t mean I’m not getting it; I’m
just managing my expectations. What I’d like to see is a Figuarts version from
Bandai.
Or, of course, a One:12 release.
One:12
Collective Justice League Tactical Suit Batman Action Figure - Mezco
This looks great and I liked this version of the Batsuit
more than I thought I would, but I’m pretty darn happy with the standard Dawn of Justice version. For the money,
I can’t see getting this upgrade.
Predator
Throne Diorama Element - NECA
I’m generally a cheap-ass when it comes to props and
background stuff for my toy collection, but I have to have this thing. It looks absolutely amazing and even
though I know I’m going to have rearrange an entire effing wall of the Phantom
Zone to find a place for it, I’m getting one.
TMNT
Baby Turtles ¼ Scale Action Figure Set
From the 1990 movie, it’s the four baby Turtles! Or “baby
tuttles” as Master Splinter so charmingly says. Also included is the spinning
nunchaku hand that was supposed to be included with Michelangelo and then… wasn’t.
Unaffiliated
Thoughts
*I am so, so tired you guys. I’ll be back with extra
thoughts next month.
Let me know what you’re looking forward to in the
comments, or join the discussion in the Needless Things Podcast Facebook Group!
*****
That’s all I’ve got for this month. Start putting your
pennies in your Diamond Select figural bank and remember to drop your order
form off at your Local Comic Book Shop!
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