Although I don’t read a lot of their titles, I admire Dark Horse’s tenacity and the way they’ve kept going all these years. However, I can’t get excited about their big plan, announced here, of putting out more superhero books. The world has more than enough of those, thanks. I understand, I think, why they’d want to do that — that’s about all that the direct market is set up to cope with, still, and they’re going to have to do something when the Star Wars comics go away. (You know it’s coming. Probably not immediately, but Disney now owns them, and you saw what happened to The Muppet Show comics that used to come from Boom!.) Given how targeted much of their releases are to the traditional direct market, relying heavily on horror, science fiction, Conan, and video game and other licenses, it shouldn’t be surprising that they’re keeping with that young male approach.

Moving to DC’s section, I stumbled across Batman and Catwoman #22 (MAY13 0162, $2.99). “Oh, neat!” I thought, “I wonder how long that teamup has been running?” Then I realized it was a relabeled Batman and Robin. Now that Robin is dead, Batman is apparently rotating through a bunch of other characters who likely hate him, creating a tracking and filing nightmare for the obsessives as the book goes from Batman and Batgirl to Batman and Nightwing. Also, I suspect the cover artist (Patrick Gleason) doesn’t realize just how hot those spotlights are.

The Batman 66 title (MAY13 0204, $3.99) I’ve been looking forward to is now available for order. So there’s one DC comic I can look forward to. Oh, wait, I forgot Batman: Li’l Gotham #4 (MAY13 0239). Cuteness works for me, too.

Right State

I haven’t heard a thing about Right State (Vertigo, MAY13 0262, $16.99, due August), but I liked Mat Johnson’s Incognegro, and after the departure of Saucer Country, I’d like to see more comics take on politics in an entertaining (as opposed to hectoring) way. Andrea Mutti draws the original graphic novel thriller about an attempt to assassinate the second African-American President.

I am stunned to finally see the solicitation of The Complete Omaha the Cat Dancer: Volume 8 (NBM/Eurotica, MAY13 1198, $15.99, due July), the new conclusion to the adults-only furry sex series. The previous book came out five years ago, and the reprint series started in 2005! (I first heard of the comic in 1989 or so, when a friend of mine got the picture disc featuring music by Reed Waller’s band.) I guess patience really is a virtue. I can’t wait to see how it all wraps up.

Be sure to check out the first issue of Watson and Holmes (New Paradigm Studios, MAY13 1211, $2.99, due July). There were previously two issues released digitally, but the series by Karl Bollers and Rick Leonardi was so well-received that it’s moving to print. It’s a good read, an African-American take on the Sherlock Holmes setup. Jon Watson is an overworked intern at an emergency clinic in Harlem. Holmes had dreds, a fedora, and the annoying certainty you expect from the character. The art’s astounding, gritty and dramatic. You’d think with Sherlock and Elementary and all that people would be tired of another take on the character, but this one is fresh and interesting. Some of the conventions of the genre — the motherly housekeeper Mrs. Hudson, the use of street kids as Irregulars to gather information — actually make more sense in this setting. There’s a lengthy preview online.

Stumptown Volume 2 (Oni, MAY13 1214, $29.99, due September) collects the mystery by Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth. It’s gripping, with a strong sense of place and culture, updating the traditional PI-style story for Portland and the music scene.

I’ll miss Bakuman, the crazy manga series about two young creators. It was nice having new volumes to look forward to, since I enjoyed reading a soap opera about making comics. Volume 20 (Viz, MAY13 1321, $9.99, due August) completes the series.

American Comic Book
Chronicles: The 1980s

• Batgirl #20
• Batwoman #20
• Birds Of Prey #20
• Catwoman #20
• Supergirl #20
• Wonder Woman #20

That’s half the line this week. ‘Course, one might note that bringing them all out the same week is a little weird, as though women who want to read about women only need to go to the comic shop once a month.

Also exciting to me are TwoMorrows’ releases. The first issue of the new magazine Comic Book Creator debuts, edited by Jon B. Cooke. There’s a PDF preview of the 84-page color magazine at that link, or you can download a bonus PDF of 32 pages of material that didn’t fit in the print version.

I’m very curious to see the next volume of their American Comic Book Chronicles series. The first 1960s volume by John Wells set a very high bar — we’ll see how the 1980s book, out tomorrow, lives up to it. It’s such an important decade for all kinds of comics, and I expect to enjoy reliving it in print.

In terms of graphic novels, Archaia has Strange Attractors, which I reviewed a few months ago. It’s got an intriguing premise, and a strong sense of location in its New York City setting, but ultimately, I wanted more depth.

Will & Whit		Feynman (now in paperback)
by Laura Lee Gulledge		by Jim Ottaviani & Leland Myrick
Amulet Books, $12.95		First Second, $19.99

Notes on a few other releases: If you’re a Twilight fan, you’ll likely want to see the next chapter told as a graphic novel. Yen Press has released New Moon: The Graphic Novel ($19.99), part one, as a hardcover. If you’re not already a fan, there’s no need to start with this part of the bigger story, and the art is serviceable, not outstanding.

Archaia is tackling an odd cross-cultural project — in July, they’re releasing a Cyborg 009 graphic novel, a retelling of Shotaro Ishinomori’s manga written by F.J. DeSanto and Bradley Cramp. As a sneak peek, today they’re putting out the first 17 pages as “Chapter 000″, a one-shot for a dollar. It’s not all that satisfying on its own, but it’s intended to simply be a teaser, introducing you to the (somewhat familiar) elements of a guy enhanced into a powered cyborg fighter by a mysterious group. He then teams up with others like him to fight back. The art, by Marcus To, is attractive, more superhero than manga. There’s too many characters to get a sense of any of them, but the background material, interviewing DeSanto and providing some history of the property, is informative. I was intrigued enough to consider reading the full story when the whole book is available, drawn by the art.

The Silver Age of DC Comics

I didn’t write about Previews this month because there were only two things I wanted to recommend: Primates, the story of Jane Goodall, Dian Fossey, and Birute Galdikas, which I reviewed, and Smut Peddler, the female-friendly porn anthology I helped with. That can be ordered with code APR13 1165 from Iron Circus Comics at $30 for over 300 pages.

But KC did not one but two Westfield columns covering books offered in this catalog. The first one lists collections of classic comic strips (and aren’t we living in a golden age for those?), including a new decade of Archie, another Dick Tracy, and the launch of IDW’s DC strip reprint program with Superman: The Silver Age Newspaper Dailies Volume 1: 1958-1961. That column also looks at some of the great prose books about comics, including the one I’m most anticipating, Taschen’s The Silver Age of DC Comics.

KC’s second column follows up by discussing classic comic book reprints.

Superman: Secret Identity

My Boyfriend Is a Monster: A Match Made in Heaven

Top of the stack is the new printing of Superman: Secret Identity (DC, $19.99) by Kurt Busiek and Stuart Immonen. It’s a crime that such a wonderful story has been so hard to find while out of print — it’s an impressive, inspiring story of heroism that I hope everyone reads.

In a different direction is the eighth volume of the “My Boyfriend Is a Monster” series: A Match Made in Heaven (Graphic Universe, $9.95). This one’s about an angel and a girl who makes graphic novels, as you might expect when written by comic legend Trina Robbins.

Issue-wise, the second volume of Princeless kicks off with issue #1 (Action Lab, $3.99). It’s a little late, but it’s worth the wait, with plenty of fun all-ages action.

I’m also curious about The Last of Us: American Dreams #1. I don’t know anything about the video game (nor do I care to), but it’s by Faith Erin Hicks, and it’s about a girl fighting back at boarding school, the kind of topic she’s handled well in the past.

Solo: The Deluxe Edition

In his latest Westfield column, KC runs down the collected editions available in the latest Previews catalog and recommends DC’s June release of the Solo hardcover collection.

Personally, I think some of the series’ magic will be diminished just a bit by putting all the artists in the same book. It was really nifty seeing entire issues dedicated to the work of one (and his selected collaborators). As we know, it’s rare to see corporate publishers promote creators that much. And maybe the failure of the series speaks to a lack of desire on the part of the audience to see such projects. At least, back then.

The Heart of Thomas

Top of my list is the Heart of Thomas omnibus volume from Fantagraphics ($39.99) that I had a chance to read last year. This solid hardcover contains the entire classic shojo series, and it’s a must-read for anyone interested in the development of the genre. It’s also surprisingly gripping in its own right.

Also of interest to fans of historic manga is the second, concluding volume of Message to Adolf (Vertical, $26.95). My copy should be coming soon, and I’m eager to see it, since I enjoyed the first book. This is the first Osamu Tezuka series I can recommend without a “ok, but you have to ignore …” caveat for bizarre plot choices or sexism. It’s a great starting point for those who want to try Tezuka.

If you’re interested in American comic history instead, you might want to check out The Complete Funky Winkerbean: Volume 1 (1972-1974) (Kent State University Press, $45), reprinting the still-going high school comic strip. It’s as dated as you’d expect, but that’s part of the charm, checking out 40-year-old gags, and there’s an informative piece about Tom Batiuk’s work by R.C. Harvey. Batiuk also includes his own lengthy autobiographical introduction, explaining how the strip came to be, based on his work as a junior high school art teacher. Nice presentation, although the Sunday strips aren’t in color. I enjoyed the flashback and learning more about the strip’s beginnings.

Fantagraphics also releases the paperback edition of Castle Waiting Volume 1 ($24.99), which reprints everything from the hardcover except for Jane Yolen’s introduction (and the ribbon book marker). The original hardcover was one of my best of 2006; it’s a gorgeous twist on fairy tales, concentrating on daily life instead of big events, which makes it charming.

I’ve already reviewed Glitter Kiss (Oni Press, $15.99), which is flawed but entertaining and very well drawn, and the manga Strobe Edge Volume 2 (Viz, $9.99). Manga fans will definitely want to note that today also brings the first volume of Naoki Urasawa’s 21st Century Boys (Viz, $12.99), the two-book sequel to 20th Century Boys. My review is coming soon, but a sneak peek reveals that things are explained a little more clearly, for those of us who were thoroughly confused by the end of the previous series, and much of the volume focuses on flashback stories to the characters as kids. That’s one of Urasawa’s strengths, the way he captures their behavior so clearly.

What are you looking for today?

Let’s start with some classics out this week, as Fantagraphics reprints strips featuring three mainstays of American popular culture. My favorite is Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse Volume 4: House of the Seven Haunts ($29.99), because I’ve really enjoyed the wacky adventures of the famous mouse in these Depression-era strips. This volume promises appearances by Goofy and Donald Duck.

Speaking of which, the second volume of the Donald Duck collection series appears, A Christmas for Shacktown by Carl Barks ($28.99). KC will have a review of that here shortly. Third comes Peanuts, with the gift book Charlie Brown’s Christmas Stocking ($9.99).

There’s a new reprint out you might be interested in if you’re a fan of books like Courtney Crumrin — which also has a new issue out this week, #7 (Oni Press, $3.99) — and that’s Hopeless, Maine (Archaia, $19.95), collecting the webcomic. It’s a lovely, spooky telling of the orphan girl Salamandra, who’s not a witch but something else, and thankfully, this book makes a complete story. It reminded me of Anya’s Ghost as well, with a ghost who seems friendly but with jabs intended to cause people to question themselves in soul-destroying ways.

Hopeless, Maine preview

Nearly the complete opposite from that gloomy atmosphere (which, again, is very well illustrated) is the comedy of Dance Class, which has a new volume out. Book 3 is subtitled African Folk Dance Fever (Papercutz, $10.99) and should be just as entertaining, especially to girls of that age.

Let’s move to manga. I already talked about Bunny Drop Book 7 (Yen Press, $13.99), which as a series that had lost me, took an upturn, becoming more interesting by telling a story more specific to its characters. Also this week, the Cross Game series, a baseball manga that’s also about growing up and figuring out what your dream really is, comes to a conclusion with Book 8 (Viz, $14.99).

I’m looking forward to trying Missions of Love (Kodansha Comics, $10.99) after seeing Sean Gaffney compare it to The Secret Notes of Lady Kanoko, which I miss. I’m also hoping for good things from Start With a Happy Ending (Digital Manga, $12.95), where a woman is reincarnated briefly as a cat to work out unfinished things in her life before dying.

In terms of periodicals, I just got done reading last week’s superhero books, so I’m not really looking forward to another stack already. That’s my problem, though. I’m hoping that I finally get Love and Capes: What to Expect #4 (IDW, $3.99), since Diamond didn’t ship it out to my region last week, and it looked like they were skipping it again this week. Bummer! Similarly, whether Castle Waiting #18 (Fantagraphics, $3.95) shows up this week is anyone’s guess, although I’ll enjoy it whenever it arrives.

Quick thoughts on last week’s reads: I was really looking forward to trying Kieron Gillen’s take on Iron Man #1 — and why is his name not mentioned at Marvel’s site? — but quickly discovered I can no longer read Greg Land’s ridiculously stiff photo-referenced “art”. So never mind that.

I liked the focus on Pip in X-Factor #246, but I probably would have enjoyed it more if I knew the character’s origin. There are some teasing references to it, but since I only “met” the guy in this series, they went right over my head. Felt a little left out.

I’m going to miss Avengers Academy; #39 was the final issue. Looking back, even beyond the excellent character work and intriguing plots for teenage heroes, I think I’ll miss the letter page most of all, since Christos Gage did an amazing job tackling serious issues with respect for those who wanted to argue with him. It’s a rare skill these days. He does a great job trying to plug Avengers Arena as a followup, but I doubt those who liked the subtle work he was doing here will appreciate battles to the death in the same way.

If you’d like to get another view on how to handle diversity in a field not known for respecting the non-white and non-male, China Mieville does a great job in Dial H #6. Nelson dials up Chief Mighty Arrow, your stereotypical “heap big”-spouting American Indian stereotype, and he and Roxie debate whether he should go out in such fashion. They argue about what kind of disaster would justify him appearing, and there’s a good deal of black humor throughout the issue. Very nice job, and a good starting point if you’re curious.

KC’s latest Westfield column takes a look at the latest Previews catalog, with works shipping in January 2013 or later. However, it’s fewer recommendations this month, more editorializing, as KC talks about IDW’s variant covers, the New 52 space hero team the Hunted, the many DC crossovers and cancellations, and Marvel’s hypocrisy in following DC’s lead in renumbering their titles. Grumpy KC is entertaining!

Also, I read these columns early in the morning for proofing, and so I don’t feel too bad for being slow, but it took longer than I would like to figure out who one of the Hunted team members, Captain K’Rot, really was.

Finder: Talisman

Dark Horse’s re-release of Carla Speed McNeil’s Finder: Talisman ($19.99) is out this week, which is a must-buy if you haven’t already read it. Wonderful story, all about childhood and escaping into reading. There’s a preview at the link. I don’t have the words to tell you how good this book is.

I have promised myself this year that I WILL read the Best American Comics 2012 (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, $25) in something approaching a timely fashion. I might even catch up on the previous books that are still waiting, unopened. It should be fascinating to see what’s assembled under such an intriguing, debate-provoking title. This year it’s guest-edited by the amazing Françoise Mouly.

Papercutz has a new volume in their series of comics by Lewis Trondheim featuring a family and its pet monster. Monster Turkey ($9.99) does not, as you might guess, have anything to do with Thanksgiving. Instead, the family heads out on vacation to stay at a farm (you know, country, quiet, getting in touch with nature) only to find that the animal inhabitants have all become monsters. I find these stories well-cartooned but slight in content, but I’m not the target audience. Kids might get more out of the hardcover.

Speaking of kids, Drawn & Quarterly has three releases in their Enfant line. Two books kick off their re-releases of Tove Jansson’s Moomin comics in color paperbacks. The flexible covers and landscape format are more kid-friendly. Each volume holds one Moomin story. In Moominvalley Turns Jungle ($9.95), the Moomins are trying to cope with unusual heat when a crate of tropical seeds wash ashore, a fast-growing jungle threatens to take over. Then zoo animals appear, and the Moomintrolls risk being mistaken for hippopotamuses. (A clever plot, especially for new readers who might be confused by their appearances.)

Pippi Longstocking

The other book is Moomin’s Winter Follies ($9.95), in which the lovable characters experience the opposite weather extreme. A frozen pond means it’s time for winter sports. But first, the family has to debate whether to follow the tradition of hibernating. I’m not previously familiar with the Moomins, but I was reminded of how much fun I had reading Babar as a child. The animals behave like people but their unusual appearance makes it all otherworldly in a creative way that spurs the young reader’s imagination.

The other Enfant volume is a debut. Pippi Longstocking comes to English comics for the first time in Pippi Moves In ($14.95). The first of a planned three volumes is by creator Astrid Lindgren and illustrator Ingrid Vang Nyman. Originally published in the late 1950s, these comics adapt the chapter book stories in visual form.

As you’d expect, the art is unusual and distinctive, dating from another era but looking fresh as a result. The chapters are short — four pages each — and so the storytelling is stilted, but it’s fun to see Pippi’s ridiculous way of living illustrated.

Not a graphic novel, but if you’re curious about the much-discussed book Marvel Comics: The Untold Story (Harper Collins, $26.99), KC reviewed a galley copy a couple of months ago.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 9 #14

Cover by Phil Noto

This issue of Buffy (Dark Horse Comics, $2.99) introduces the previously promoted “Billy the Vampire Slayer” character, which is an interesting twist but falls apart horribly once you think about it politically. (Are they saying that gay men and women are equivalent, because all that matters is which gender you want to sleep with, except what about the lesbian slayers? [1]) Script is by Jane Espenson (with shared story credit with Drew Z. Greenberg), art by Karl Moline and Andy Owens. Fans are always happy when show writers contribute comic stories, since they definitely know the characters, but I found this story, once you get past the appeal of seeing a sympathetic gay lead, pretty mediocre.

If you’ve ever seen a teen movie, this will feel familiar. Two friends are hanging out at night, chatting and watching planes fly over. Billy is gay-bashed but has a supportive grandmother. Since this is a Buffy comic, there are forgettable vampires to kill. There’s also a cute guy to be the sidekick. Normally, even when the plots are generic in this franchise, there’s enough entertaining dialogue or character work to balance it out, but I didn’t find that here. Your mileage may vary, and the story is labeled “to be continued”, so perhaps it picks up next issue.

[1] (SPOILER paragraph) They kind of address this, by Billy not being called as a slayer, with the magical power boost, but by referring to him a slayer, it all gets muddled again, in my opinion.

Stumptown Volume 2 #2

I liked the first issue, and this one (Oni Press, $3.99) is more of the same. Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth continue to deepen the mystery with our private investigator sparring with cops and feds while we meet another of the band members, who’s got more information that might be relevant to the case of the missing guitar.

I don’t know what much more to say about this — in the case of a limited series, all you really want to know is that a new issue is as good or better than the previous, right? It is, especially with Southworth’s moody art able to carry the wordless stretches of the story and provide plenty of atmosphere for the reader to ponder. (You’ve gotta have the right environment portrayed if you’re going to name your book after it.)

ANYway, KC’s latest Westfield column takes a look at the latest Previews catalog. Read about Dark Horse, IDW, Marvel, DC, and your checklists of all the classic comic reprint collections offered this month.

The Adventures of Superhero Girl		Resident Alien Volume 1: Welcome to Earth!
by Faith Erin Hicks		by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse
Dark Horse, $16.99		Dark Horse, $14.99
OCT12 0042, due February		OCT12 0046, due February
As reported last month, Faith Erin Hicks’ charming webcomic is coming to print … and unlike the self-published edition, this time in color. It’s funny, in how it looks at how a young woman with superheroic powers would really act. She can do amazing things, but she still worries about boys and looks and what to do with her life.		I enjoyed the comics, issues #0-3, reprinted in this slim volume. Not sure I need to buy it again, but if you haven’t read it yet, it’s a nice little mystery with some sharp small-town observations.
Global Frequency		House of Secrets Omnibus
by Warren Ellis and various artists		by Steven T. Seagle, Teddy Kristiansen, and others
Vertigo/DC Comics, $19.99		Vertigo/DC Comics, $75
OCT12 0299, due January		OCT12 0297, due February
Now that the two previous collections of the 2002 anthology science fiction series are out of print, DC is sensibly bringing the series back into print as one big volume. Some of it is terribly dated, but some of it is still insightful. I’d read more — wish the comic would come back.		I guess printing technology has progressed to the point that you can do a 750-page hardcover collecting over 27 comics without it falling apart. I’d forgotten about this odd offshoot, titled to maintain a brand but with some unusual characters and distinctive art. Odd what books are being made these days — it’s a real “clean out the file cabinet” approach sometimes.
The Perhapanauts: Treasure Obscura		Naoki Urasawa’s 21st Century Boys Volume 2
by Todd DeZago & Craig Rousseau		by Naoki Urasawa
Image Comics, $9.99		Viz, $12.99
OCT12 0490, due December		OCT12 1259, due January
Image calls it Volume 2, I call it Volume 4, but the first two trades from Dark Horse are now Image’s V0, so whatever. I’m still glad to see more Perhapanauts stories, including the ones previously online-only.		I’m ready for the final final volume, since 20th Century Boys is over but there are still many questions to answer. This book promises to explore how the Friend became evil, the core of the story.

Snarky Comments

Two months ago, Bluewater decided they would no longer work with Diamond. Their right, of course, although it makes them even more irrelevant than they already were. This month, in their cancellation list, Diamond lists the remaining orders for Bluewater titles as code 10, which means “Supplier Out of Business”. Advance notice of Bluewater’s fate, or just a last jab by the distributor?

I have figured out what Marvel Now! means, now that I see it took 38 pages of the Marvel Previews to get to an issue numbered over #4. (Journey Into Mystery #647 — when they jumped, they jumped big.) They are restarting most series, but they didn’t want to make that obvious, probably for fear they’d be accused of using DC’s tactics.

My, those weren’t very many recommendations, and all from big publishers. I’d feel discouraged about things if it weren’t the end of the year, past the holiday selling season.

A Wrinkle in Time

What spurred me back to action was the number of good comics out today, and other comments I wanted to make about the releases. Let’s start with books I’ve previously recommended.

From Amulet Books, Hereville: How Mirka Got Her Sword ($9.95) is a re-release, since the sequel, How Mirka Met a Meteorite is due out later this month. Both are recommended as exciting fantasy grounded in a loving family that’s part of a unique society.

From Vertical comes a re-release of the outstanding Paradise Kiss manga ($16.95 for the first oversized volume). It’s a short run series (originally 5 books, now only 3) that combines fashion, first love, jaded self-awareness, and coming of age in an addictive blend.

(I also read Vertical’s The Drops of God: New World ($14.95), but I wasn’t as impressed by that volume, which may be the last in the series.)

For younger readers, Toon’s A Trip to the Bottom of the World ($12.95) is a charming adventure that adults will enjoy sharing as well.

All those were enjoyable, but the book of the week for me is Hope Larson’s adaptation of A Wrinkle in Time ($19.99). It’s a gorgeous work that brought new insight to a beloved story, but I have a full review coming later this week.

An odd note for a long-established publisher: Archie today released Archie #637 ($2.99), a forgettable blend of fairy tales and the Riverdale characters. I note this because the last stapled comic Archie released featuring their core characters came out August 22, with Archie #636. There were no Archie periodicals published in the month of September — just digest reprints, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mega Man, and their superhero attempt New Crusaders: Rise of the Heroes, with its four variant covers.

Flash Gordon on the Planet Mongo

A certain audience segment may be interested in Transposes from Northwest Press ($19.99), an anthology of stories featuring queer transgender men by Dylan Edwards. I was intrigued by the description, but in the preview I saw, there was too much “preaching to the choir”. By that I mean that the stories didn’t explain enough about being transgender to the uninformed reader — I was sometimes unaware of the context of the conflicts portrayed or I got lost among the characters. (I refuse to say “had a hard time keeping the characters straight.”) A particular segment of readers, though, will find this book long overdue and welcome seeing portrayals of people like them or those they know.

Last, there’s a handsome classic comic collection. Titan Books has released an oversized hardcover, Flash Gordon on the Planet Mongo ($39.95). This first volume of “The Complete Flash Gordon Library” collects all of Alex Raymond’s Sunday strips from January 1, 1934, to April 18, 1937, newly restored.

Alex Ross writes the introduction, about the legacy of the classic sci-fi adventure character and his various appearances in media; I would have rather read more about the strengths of Raymond’s art. Doug Murray provides some information on the artist’s life and the world he was working in, although I thought the piece was shallow. The strips themselves show the fuzzy registration and visible-dot color faithful to the original printings. Raymond’s dynamic illustration still shines through, though — and although the story is well-known (and a bit ridiculous) these days, that’s the primary appeal of this archive.

Books I Recommend You Consider

Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Me		Glitter Kiss
by Ellen Forney		by Adrianne Ambrose and Monica Gallagher
Gotham Books, $20		Oni Press, $15.99
SEP12 1118, due November		SEP12 1167, due December
I’ve enjoyed Ellen Forney’s autobiographical tales since her Monkey Food, but this one sounds a little darker. It’s promised to explore “the relationship between ‘crazy’ and ‘creative’” in light of Forney’s bipolar disorder. The graphic memoir is the most popular type of comic story among traditional book publishers, and this seems to fall squarely into that slot, but the determining factor is the strength of the story and artist. On both counts, this should be a fascinating read. Lots more info at the book’s website.		I’ve enjoyed several of Monica Gallagher‘s minicomics, and I like her art style, so I should enjoy this magical high school romance. Kind of weird it’s not mentioned on the publisher’s website yet, though.
Thermae Romae		Soulless: The Manga Volume 2
by Mari Yamazaki		by Gail Carriger
Yen Press, $34.99		Yen Press, $12.99
SEP12 1279, due November		SEP12 1277, due Oct 24
Two manga by Yen, both of which I’m highly anticipating, but very different. Soulless continues adapting a supernatural mystery/romance novel series; I surprised myself by how much I enjoyed the first volume. Thermae Romae, in contrast, is an omnibus hardcover with one of those only-in-Japan stories about an ancient Roman architect accidentally traveling through time to a Japanese bathhouse. Should be fascinating!
Digestate: A Food & Eating Themed Anthology		Perhapanauts: Danger Down Under #1
by Various		by Todd DeZago and Craig Rousseau
Birdcage Bottom Books, $19.95		Image Comics, $3.50
SEP12 0877, due November		SEP12 0401, due November
Started as a Kickstarter, now available to anyone who’d like to see stories about food by Kevin Cannon, Tod C. Parkhill, Jonathan Baylis, Marc Bell, Marek Bennett, Berkeley Breathed, Box Brown, Jeffrey Brown, Renee French, Sam Henderson, James Kochalka, L. Nichols, Liz Prince, Brian Ralph, Alex Robinson, and many more. Such a potent topic, so dear to many of our hearts, and still underexplored in comics.		I love the wacky monster team of the Perhapanauts, so I’m very happy to see them back in a new miniseries where they get to go to Australia, which has its own weird legendary creatures.

Zombies Calling		Hereville: How Mirka Met a Meteorite
by Faith Erin Hicks		by Barry Deutsch
SLG Publishing, $9.95		Amulet Books, $16.95
AUG12 0758, due Sep 19		AUG12 0772, due Oct 24
I know it’s not much of a recommendation to call Zombies Calling my favorite zombie comic, given my distate for the genre, but in my opinion, this transcends what’s become an easy go-to in two ways: 1) it has something to say beyond “zombies scary!” or “zombie mashup covering for lack of imagination”. 2) It’s by the immensely talented Faith Erin Hicks, who has become a “must-buy” author for me.		The first volume in this now-series, How Mirka Got Her Sword, was one of my Best Books of 2010. The sequel promises to be even more exciting, as the story continues to blend fantasy, young-woman-coming-of-age, and Orthodox Jewish culture. This time, Mirka has to fight a doppelganger who seems to be a better her than she is — what a wonderful metaphor for adolescence, when you feel everyone wants you to be different!
Carol Lay’s Illiterature		Doctor Who: The Dalek Project
by Carol Lay		by Justin Richards and Mike Collins
Boom! Town, $14.99		Random House UK, $24.99
AUG12 0951, due October		AUG12 1265, due Oct 3
It’s been much too long (14 years by my count, since the third Kitchen Sink volume in 1998) since we’ve had a collection of the beautifully observed and wickedly funny strips by Carol Lay. Bless Boom! for bringing out a new book, in hardcover, too. (Don’t know why they’re calling it “for the first time”, though, unless they mean that these particular comics are previously uncollected.)		I found this original graphic novel as part of a Doctor Who display at my local super-sized Barnes & Noble today, and I wondered why I had never seen it listed in Previews. (I made note because Mike Collins is a good guy. The other bits of the display were several about-the-show fact books, t-shirts, and a sonic screwdriver replica.) Now, here it is. How timely! Unless you’re a store owner who’s hoping that your customers won’t have already bought it in the two-month-or-more gap.
Owly & Wormy: Bright Lights and Starry Nights		Castle Seasons 1 & 2 Trading Cards
by Andy Runton
Top Shelf, $
AUG12 1310, due Nov 14		AUG12 1552, due October
The first Owly & Wormy picture book, Friends All Aflutter!, was delicious, so I’m glad to see another. The larger color format makes these woodland friends even more fun to visit with over and over again.		Yes, there is a Castle trading card set, and I am buying a box. I don’t know who thought there was a market for this thing, complete with “randomly inserted autograph and wardrobe cards”, but compulsively reading Castle fanfiction this summer is the only thing that has kept me sane, so I must have it. (Perhaps I just answered my own question.) Let’s hear it for escapism that combines comedy, romance, and justice. (Googling for pictures tells me there’s even going to be a Castle board game as well, but googling for that is useless, because of all the fantasy stuff that appears.)

So, this “Author! Author!” month promotion, trying to draw our attention to when “mainstream writers come to comics” — or as I put it, when publishers try to extend a brand through slapping a famous author’s name on a comic done by entirely other people — do you think Diamond wanted to suck up to Del Rey and Harper Collins and the like by doing it? Or can they just not let a month go by without some kind of icon to decorate the catalog pages? Even if it means reusing what looks like a pirate map.