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 October.
The
Walking Dead Day – Image (Front Cover, 4)
I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not the best at
scouring Previews for every little
thing that might be of interest. Stuff needs to have some kind of visual hook to
be mentioned here. But I do think it’s a little ridiculous that I can’t seem to
find any mention of “The Walking Dead Day” beyond the cover and a small blurb
on page 4. As in, how to order the thing they’re promoting.
I’m still an avid fan of The Walking Dead comic book. I find every issue compelling and it
goes to the top five of my stack every week it comes out. I think it’s amazing
that we’ve gotten fifteen years of quality entertainment out of this title and
I am in awe of Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard for sticking to it.
Doctor
Who: The Thirteenth Doctor #1 – Titan Comics (Back Cover, 406)
Babs Tarr is a favorite around these parts, so it’s great
to see her art on the cover of Previews.
Or anything, for that matter.
My feelings on our new Doctor are this – I haven’t been
happy with Doctor Who for a few years
now and I’m hoping the regime change will let me enjoy one of my favorite
franchises again. I think it’s a damn shame that Peter Capaldi – like Matt
Smith before him – never had the opportunity to work with a different
showrunner.
Batman
Secret Files #1 – DC (2)
Sold!
The Secret Files
concept has always yielded fun, bite-size stories that give the reader
different looks at the characters and situations. I’d love to see this as a
quarterly release focusing on different corners of the DCU each time.
Cursed
Comics Cavalcade #1 – DC (3)
Also sold!
I will buy almost any Halloween special.
Blank
Comics – DC (4-5)
Settle down, Captain Cynical. These are for 24-Hour
Comics Day, which is when creators undertake the challenge to create an entire
comic book in 24 hours.
I mean, yeah – DC is selling blank comics in order to
cash in on a creator-oriented event. But, uh… I forgot where I was going with
that. Also, I think there are supposed to be twenty pages, not sixteen. But I
could be wrong. This is not a thing I’d ever participate in because it sounds
effing bonkers.
Old
Lady Harley #1 – DC (15)
Yes, I am absolutely down with a wacky, Harley-centric
take on the “Old Person _____” trope that’s so big in comics lately. I’ve been
a fan of alternate universe takes on things since I was a kid and I find my
favorites are the ones that are a bit tongue-in-cheek as opposed to “THE WORLD
IS SHIT IF BRUCE WAYNE DIDN’T ACCEPT TIM DRAKE” or whatever dystopian vision the
writer comes up with.
That’s not to say I don’t enjoy those, but it’s all about
moderation, people. The bologna sandwich Reed Richards had or didn’t have when
he was fifteen probably didn’t have
the much impact on whether or not Doom was elected President.
DC/Hanna-Barbera
Specials – DC (16-17)
The last round of these are still sitting at the bottom
of my stack, unread, because I just don’t have time for everything. It’s great
that DC is continuing them because apparently they’re good and they sell well, but
I think I’m going to pass.
Vertigo:
A Celebration of 25 Years – DC (18)
If I were going to create a list of the coolest comic
book imprints of my lifetime, Vertigo would probably be at the top.
I came to Vertigo by way of about twenty consecutive
issues of Hellblazer I got from the
dollar bin of Dark Adventure Comics in the early nineties. From there I
discovered Egypt, Black Orchid, Chairoscuro, Preacher, iZombie, all kinds of subversive
miniseries, and many of my favorite creators.
All-Star
Superman TP – DC (67)
Yeah, yeah – you’re sick of hearing about how this is the
best Superman story ever and it would be so great if Warner Bros would take at least the spirit of this story and
inject it into their big screen Man of Steel.
By the time I read All-Star
a few years ago (probably closer to a decade now) I was sick of hearing how
great it was. Sure – the creative team is one of the best ever. But it’s about Superman. Who cares?
Everyone should care. This is a truly fantastic story and
if you’re any kind of fan of superhero comics you’re doing yourself a great
disservice by not reading this one. It is not overhyped. It lives up to and
even exceeds its reputation.
Batman:
The Hush Saga Omnibus HC – DC (70)
Do we have to talk about this?
Okay.
Back when the individual issues of this story were coming
out I was just starting to get back into comics. Or buying comics regularly, I
guess. I asked the manager of my Local Comic Shop at the time what was good and
I can’t remember his exact phrasing – it could have been along the lines of,
“This is selling really well” and not “This is a great book that you should
read” – but he recommended Hush.
Whatever else I may think of this epic storyline in
hindsight, it got me back into comics. And I don’t think I’ve had a break in
collecting since then.
It also led to a line of amazing-looking figures from DC
Direct that are now mostly held together by superglue and a total lack of
desire to ever touch them.
I haven’t read Hush
since I bought the hardcover collection after the issues were done, but I have
to give it credit for whatever pop culture hotness and relevance it had at the
time because it’s the reason I kept going into comic shops, which is where I
met my wife just over a year later.
So yes – I owe my marriage to Hush. Thanks, Tommy or Jason or whoever that bandaged idiot
actually ended up being.
Harley’s
Little Black Book TP – DC (76)
When I was starting to get a little tired of Conner and
Palmiotti’s Harley book, this team-up
series was a refreshing change. It consists of six separate stories, each a bit
longer than standard comic. They’re all great and they each explore Harley’s
interactions with very different characters from the DCU.
Justice
League Vol. 1: The Totality – DC (77)
To me this is basically a modern day Total Justice – taking our favorite Leaguers and putting them into
a bonkers, over-the-top story that feels very animated movie/video game/toy
line ready. It’s the logical continuation of the vibe from Metal and No Justice and
I think as long as the story doesn’t get drawn out too long it’s going to be a
lot of fun.
Mister
Miracle TP – DC (79)
Did they offer a hardcover? I can’t remember. And if they
didn’t, it’s absolutely bizarre on the same level as not offering one for White Knight. I’m only up to issue #6
right now, but I’m very comfortable recommending that you go ahead and order
this. Tom King is amazing at creating very, very dark stories that somehow
still manage to be fun and even elicit the occasional laugh. Mitch Gerads’ art
and storytelling are, of course, phenomenal.
DC
Essentials Action Figures – DC Collectibles (90-91)
In case you missed it, I don’t care for these and don’t
have much faith that the line will last very long anyway. Out of these I think
the Batgirl looks best, but not as good as the Icons release or even Mattel’s
version.
Spider-Geddon
#1 - Marvel (2-5)
Spiderverse is
currently still wrapped in plastic on my “To Read” shelf of collections. I’ve
heard it’s awesome and I expect nothing less from this follow-up, but I can’t
really comment.
Spider-Force
#1 – Marvel (6)
You know how you get me to read a three issue miniseries
that’s part of a crossover even that I might not get to for years? Have
Christopher Priest write it. I cannot wait to read his take on Jessica Drew.
Avengers
Halloween Special #1 – Marvel (12)
As I’ve mentioned countless times over the past decade
(and once in this very post) – I’ll buy almost any Halloween comic. This one is
extra interesting thanks to the inclusion of the Soska sisters in the creator
credits. If you don’t know, they’re film directors responsible for American Mary, See No Evil 2, and other weird and unique horror projects. I don’t
know if they’ve done comics before, but I like their stuff and I’m curious to
see what they’ve done with some of Marvel’s Mightiest.
Shatterstar
#1 – Marvel (26)
This guy could use a little rehab.
While Peter David did a great job making him an
interesting character in the pages of X-Factor,
ol’ Shats hasn’t exactly had the best rep since then. As far as I know he
mostly disappeared from comics and his last major appearance in Deadpool 2 was, uh… [SPOILERS].
Normally I wouldn’t give half a fig about the guy, but
one of my favorite writers – Tim Seeley – must have an interesting take to have
jumped on this one.
What
If?(s) #1 – Marvel (30-34)
Wow! This classic series seems to be back in a big way. I
hate to keep circling back around, but as I said earlier I’ve always been a big
fan of these kinds of things.
This relaunch features six all-new stories about the
endless possibilities of the Marvel Universe. Alternate takes on how Illyana
Rasputin, the X-Men, Thor, Robbie Reyes, Flash Thompson, and Peter Parker might
have turned out if things had been even
worse in their lives.
Okay, they might not all be “even worse” stories, but
that’s usually how these things go.
What
If? True Believers Month – Marvel (36-37)
Even more What If?!
These one dollar reprints of classic stories are always a
great deal. I have no problem recommending you order all ten of them. That’s ten comics for ten dollars! It’s like when Kroger has a ten for ten sale, except
it’s comics instead of Corn Nuts!
Multiple
Man #5 (of 5) – Marvel (78)
Just checking in to let you know that this is a great
series and also that it references Oingo Boingo and Faith No More in the first
two issues.
Marvel
Super Hero Adventures: Captain Marvel – Halloween Spooktacular #1 – Marvel (95)
I can’t overlook this one!
Look – I get that Captain Marvel is about to be bigger
than sliced bread if Disney can get out of the James Gunn mess that they’ve
created for themselves, but I feel like shoehorning her name into the title of
this one is just a bit ridiculous.
Blackbird
#1 - Image (40-43)
The tried and true narrative of “crazy person isn’t crazy
but knows stuff” is one that I like. Add “magic underworld” and the threat of
“The Great Beast” to that and I’m definitely intrigued. Sam Humphries has done
some stuff I liked and Jen Bartel’s art looks great. This is one I’ll keep an
eye on.
Infinite
Dark #1 - Image (52-53)
I can be finicky with my comic book tastes. The last two
thousand humans on a space station after the end of the universe sounds cool
and a murder mystery in that setting sounds cool, but for whatever reason I’d
prefer to experience it as a movie. That’s not to say that the comic won’t be
great – for some reason I like my hard sci-fi in a more kinetic form.
Maybe due
to the possible threat of too many words. I don’t think of myself as a dum-dum,
but I’ll admit that when I open a comic and the word bubbles are taking up
almost as much real estate as the art, I tend to want to put it down. If want
that much verbiage I’ll read a book.
I’m not saying that will be the case with Infinite Dark, just that it seems to
happen more often with sci-fi comics.
Tales
From Vader’s Castle #1-5 – IDW (138-139)
Halloween and Star Wars may not seem like the most
obvious combination, but this may well be the most exciting solicitation I’ve
seen this month. I absolutely adored Joe Schreiber’s Death Troopers novel and have always wanted more horror-themed
tales from a galaxy far, far away.
(Yeah, I read Red
Harvest, too – it didn’t quite deliver)
Teenage
Mutant Ninja Turtles: Macro-Series: Michelangelo – IDW (149)
WTF is up with Sexy Workout Wear Mikey? Is this from his
Suicide Girls IG account?
Berkeley
Breathed’s Bloom County Artist’s Edition – IDW (172)
I’ve never forked over the big bucks for one of these
Artist’s Editions before, but this might be the one that breaks me. The thought
of seeing recreations of the original Bloom
County strips as they were when Breathed submitted them for publishing is
super exciting.
Mars
Attacks #1 – Dynamite (184-185)
There have been dozens of comic books based on Mars
Attacks over the years and as much as I love the premise I have never even
considered buying one until just now when I saw the name Kyle Starks on this
solicitation.
I’ve enjoyed everything I’ve read from Starks and he’s
also a super nice guy that I really need to get back to about coming on the
podcast.
Anyway, his style will fit this series perfectly. If you
have any interest in the slaughter of mankind and our last stand against a
horde of green-blooded alien freaks, I recommend you give this title a look.
Halloween
One-Shots – Dynamite (196-197)
There’s no doubt in my mind that Dynamite will do a great
job with these character-oriented Halloween comics.
In case I don’t post pictures for all of them, Dynamite
is offering Army of Darkness, Bettie Page, Elvira, Red Sonja, and Vampirella.
Fangoria
Volume 2 #1 – Cine State Fangoria (316)
Like Circus, Wizard, Starlog, and Toy Fare; Fangoria was an essential part of my youth. Unlike
those titles, I had to hide it from my parents so that they wouldn’t be alarmed
by the likes of Pinhead, Freddy, Pumpkinhead, and Chucky on the covers.
I would read every single article, editorial, review, and
even ad in each issue. In a time when the internet was not available to give me
a horror fix any time I needed it, Fangoria
was a constant ally in the war against normalcy.
Twenty bucks for a magazine
is pretty steep, but I’m going to give this first return issue a shot and
support this beloved periodical as long as it delivers. I’d love it if Starlog was next to be resurrected.
Bath
Time With Aquaman – Downtown Bookworks (324)
Presented without comment.
NOW
TURN THE ARTICLE OVER SO YOU CAN READ THE TOYS/APPAREL/COLLECTIBLES SECTION!
(I’M
JUST KIDDING, OBVIOUSLY, BUT WOULDN’T THAT BE STUPID?)
One:12
Collective The Joker Clown Prince of Crime Action Figure – Mezco (37M)
This is a great-looking Joker figure. It’s like a variant
from one of those offshoot kid-oriented lines where they make him different
colors just because they’re sick of the regular old purple and green Joker.
I’d be tempted to order it if I hadn’t just received the
Mezco Exclusive Joker with a bunch of extra heads and weapons and jackets. It’s
certainly the best Joker figure I own, and one of the best figures overall.
Still, this one has a lot of style and gets points for
being something different.
A
Nightmare on Elm Street: Chef Freddy Retro Action Figure – NECA (38M)
NECA is just killing it with these retro figures, but I have to slow down on them. An ordering
mishap resulted in the tuxedo version not coming in at the comic shop and I
decided if it ends up shipping, great, if not, that’s okay, too. I need to get
more conservative about these, no matter how great and beloved the specific
versions are.
If this one had the soul pizza, though, I’d be all over
it.
Friday
the 13th Part V: Dream Jason Action Figure – NECA (42M)
Hopefully we’ll get a proper Part V “Jason” figure, but
in the meantime this one is pretty badass. I’ve bought more of NECA’s Jasons
than I’m comfortable admitting, but they each have something interesting that
makes the purchase worth it.
Ultimate
Gremlin Action Figure – NECA (42M)
I’ve been kicking myself for the last few years for not
buying more of NECA’s original run of Gremlins figures, but it looks like
they’re coming to my rescue with new Ultimate versions. I wish this one included sunglasses and a fedora, though. Those would have gotten a lot of extra mileage.
SNARKY NOTE: What
would be really great is if it has the same inconsistent paint job that some of
NECA’s releases have so that multiple figures really would look different
besides just having popcorn bags on their ears or whatever.
One:12
Collective Dawn of the Dead Action Figure Set – Mezco (42M)
These will, without a doubt, be the nicest zombie figures
in your collection. But personally I can’t justify paying $130 bucks for a
couple of famous but also sort of average zombies. I’m curious to see who will
pick these up.
King
Kong of Skull Island 7” Action Figure – Mezco (42M)
Mezco recently posted a hi-res gallery of this beauty and
it looks far, far better than I had originally anticipated. Kong isn’t one of
my monster heroes, necessarily, but any monster figure that looks this good is
very tempting to me.
There’s also a Previews Exclusive black and white
version, but I’ve never been one to prefer those over color variants.
Oh, and I appreciate that Mezco is using the same type of promotional image for this that they do for the One:12 figures. There's something that feels very classy and professional about this presentation.
The
Princess Bride Dread Pirate Roberts 1/6th Scale Action Figure – QMx
(44M)
I’m ordering two of these just for our pal Derek.
Child’s
Play Talking Pizza Face Chucky 15” Action Figure – Mezco (44M)
Based on the same body as Mezco’s excellent Sam (from Trick R’ Treat) action figure, this
Chucky looks absolutely disgusting and
has a sound chip. Mrs. Troublemaker has already insisted we order one.
Silent
Night, Deadly Night Billy Retro Action Figure – NECA (44M)
When Scream Factory offered their special Silent Night, Deadly Night set with a
special edition of the movie and this figure I ordered it even though I hadn’t
seen the movie in decades, if at all (I’m still not sure I ever saw it when I
was younger – I didn’t love Christmas-themed horror movies). I just knew I’d be
mad if I passed up a Santa figure of any kind, especially one from NECA.
Now you can get the figure by itself, and I recommend you
do. It’s weird and creepy and great. And the movie is awesome.
Unaffiliated
Thoughts
ENHANCED
FOIL COVERS!!! – In October DC is offering enhanced foil
covers as a variant option and I have to say, they all look great. Aside from
my Frank Cho Harley I’ll go with the foil on the regular titles I pick up. Now
if they’d just do a die-cut month I’d buy every damn book in the line.
Preacher – I’m out. The show simply isn’t
good in my opinion. The characters barely resemble their comic counterparts
(other than Herr Starr). The snail’s pace plot would be okay if the showrunners
remembered it was supposed to be equal parts shocking, compelling, and FUN, but they don’t. Instead the show is
an absolute fucking drag to watch.
Dragon
Con
– It’s nearly upon us and I am BUSY. More details soon.
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!
Be sure to follow me on Facebook, Twitter,
and Instagram for
all of the latest toy news and live reports from the stores that carry them!
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