Wednesday, May 18, 2005

Previews-o-Rama part 2: The Middle

We continue now with the second half of our monthly stroll through the lastest Previews for items scheduled to come out in July (loosely defined...):


Abiogenesis Press and Gary Spencer Millidge have the third collection of StrangeHaven, Conspiracies, collecting issues #13-18. Of course, issue #17 just came out a couple of weeks ago, so I imagine that this trade will be delayed well past July. Still, it'll be worth the wait for one of the best comics currently being published.

Active images have another Hip Flask one-shot, Myserty City.

Seal Team Seven graphic novel: The U.S. Navy vs. Atlantis. What more do you need to know? By Zack Sherman & Roberto de la Torre, from AiT/PlanetLAR.

It's official: Alias have bitten off way more than they can handle in trying to launch so many series in the span of a few months. Still, I'll be glad to see Opposite Forces make a return, especially with a 75 cent first issue. Penny & Aggie also continue, and they have a trade collection of Lions, Tigers & Bears. Oh yeah, and a comic called Monkey in a Wagon vs. Lemur on a Big Wheel--forget Rann vs. Thanagar, this is the comic showdown of the year! (I'm rooting for monkey, of course!)

Alternative Comics have Andrew Drozd's Xeric Award-winning Coexisting one-shot.

Hey look, it's a new issue of Roman Dirge's Lenore--must be a blue moon or something...

The good news is that Ben Dunn is returning to Antarctic's Ninja High School with issue #130. The bad news is that for some strange reason he's only drawing it, and not writing. As a bonus of sorts, Antarctic also have the first five Ninja High School Pocket Manga volumes in a set for just $30--and all 23 issues are original Ben Dunn.

I count seven different covers for Avatar's Medieval Lady Death/Belladonna #1, and that's seven covers too many.

Basement Comics are offering remastered versions of Budd Root's original Cavewoman series starting with the first issue of Cavewoman: Reloaded.

Buymetoys.com (what a name for a comic company--I wonder where their true business intentions lie?) have a 'preview' of The Oz/Wonderland Chronicles. I wonder if the Zoo Crew will make an appearance? (And if you get that reference, you are a big comic geek!)

Del Rey have the second volumes of both Genshiken and Nodame Cantiabile.

Hey look: Devil's Due have yet another reboot/version of G.I. Joe. Hasn't anyone told them that the 80's toy comic craze is over? On the positive side though, they have the second voluem collecting Shades of Blue in digest form. Fans of comics like Electric Girl and Runaways should check this one out.

Drawn & Quarterly have the third volume of the Drawn & Quarterly Showcase.

Disney have a Manga GN adaptation of Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas; I liked the movie, but part of the charm was all of Tim Burton's character designs--what exactly is this point of turning out a manga-ized version?

"The Great Cow Race" was my favorite Bone storyline, and now it's available ina smaller, colorized edition from Graphix.

HK Comics have a revised & expanded hardcover edition of Andy Seto's gorgeous Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon adaptation, and it even comes with a 4" letter opener sword replica. (I'd rather they knocked a few buck off the price of the book...)

Disney's W.I.T.C.H. comics finally come Stateside thanks to two kid-friendly-priced GN collections from Hyperion Books.

IDW have the third volume of The Legend of Grimjack, collecting issues #8-14 of the original series. Angel: The Curse also continues with a second issue and three too many covers.

Illusive Arts have the fourth issue of their modern day fumetti version of Dorothy.

Jetpack have a new issue of Johnny Raygun Quarterly (#6).

A seventh collected volume of Carla Speed McNeil's Finder, The Rescuers, appears thanks to Lightspeed Press.

Mu Press have Those Annoying Post Bros. & Nik Turner In: The Anubis Horn, an OGN from Matt Howarth. It's The Necronomicon & a member of Hawkwind, together again for the first time!

NBM's Cryptozoo Crew is switching over to trades only, and the first volume reprints the first two comic issues along with additional material.

The Tick: Days of Drama: "Each issue has an 8-page all-new four-color mini-comic attached to the cover!" Have New England Comics gone completely mad?

Banana Sundays #1 is a comic about a new kid in school who also happens to be the guardian of three talkling monkeys. Do Oni know me or what? They also have the first issue of Ted Naifeh's Courtney Crumrin Tales.

Seven Seas have the second volume of Amazing Agent Luna; really folks this is better than you think it's going to be. Go to your local bookstore and check out the first volume; if you like it, tell you LCS to order the second volume for you.

Chocolate Thunder, which I pre-ordered from Amazon nearly a year ago, appears as though it may finally appear from Speakeasy Comics.

Top Shelf have Rich Koslowski's The King OGN, about an Elvis Impersonator who thinks he is the real thing.

M. Alice LeGrow's Bizenghast looks like it could be an 'American manga' winner from TokyoPop; it's got that whole cute-goth thing going for it. They also have their fifth Rising Stars of Manga collection.

Viper Comics debut two new series: Middleman and Karma Incorporated.

Ranma 1/2 is up to volume 31? Just how many times can Takahashi do variations on the same joke? Vix also have the ninth volume of Banana Fish.

Wilson Place Comics have a second volume of WJHC, Hold Tight!

1 comment:

Alex Scott said...

(whoops. Somehow this ended up under the post below rather than this one)

Regarding Nightmare Before Christmas, you'd be surprised how well a manga artist can stick to Disneyesque styles. The Kingdom Hearts manga, which adapts a video game crossover between Disney and Final Fantasy, has the most perfectly drawn renditions of Disney characters I've ever seen--and if it sticks to the game, it should have the Nightmare world as well. These will both be interesting to see.