New Library Comics: Week of May 9, 2005

Here are the comics we got in for our library collection last week:


Eightball. Seattle, WA : Fantagraphics Books, 1989- no. 22, 23

Gaiman, Neil. Black orchid /New York : DC Comics, c1988- no. 1, 3

Orchid /[Portland, OR] : Sparkplug Comic Books, c2002.

Pope, Paul, 1970- The ballad of Doctor Richardson /Columbus OH : Horse Press, c1998.

Sacco, Joe. Palestine /Seattle, WA : Fantagraphic Books, 2001.

Takahashi, Rumiko, 1957- InuYasha /San Francisco, CA : Viz, LLC, c2003- vol. 1-20

Yeh, Julie. Poppies adventures. Los Angeles : Way Out Comics, 2003.


(I've decided to take this approach rather than pulling from the newly cataloged listing, because that listing, while automatically generated, only listed those items cataloged as monographs, and many of our comics are getting cataloged as serials.)

FCBM Day 16

It's day sixteen of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Dave Lartigue. The five comics that Dave listed are:

1. Hellboy
2. Love & Rockets
3. Queen and Country
4. Girl Genius
5. Scott Pilgrim

To supplement Dave's taste in mainstream indy comics, I have a two-fer: Kindergoth #1 by Lee Kohse & Jeff Zugale; and Cocopiazo #1 by Daniel Warner.

Like all the selected entries, Dave will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Dave's comics should be in the mail at the end of the week. Enjoy!


Current FCBM Statistics:
90 entries
52 free comics sent so far
15 days remaining

FCBM Day 15

It's day fifteen of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Richie Graham. The five comics that Richie listed are:

1. Action Philosophers
2. Desolation Jones
3. Yummy Fur
4. Flaming Carrot
5. Dr. Strange

Richie seems like just the right person to appreciate a comic about monkeys and metaphysics. Therefore my choice for Richie is the same comic as today's monkey cover: the Great Ape one-shot by Patrick Neighly & Brahma.

Like all the selected entries, Richie will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Richie's comics should be in the mail at the end of the week. Enjoy!


Current FCBM Statistics:
89 entries
49 free comics sent so far
16 days remaining

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Today we have the cover to 2003's Great Ape one-shot by an artist who goes by the moniker Brahma. And if you're thinking that someone is going to get this comic as part of Free Comic Book Month, well then you've been paying attention. Stay tuned later today to see who gets it!

Click on the image for a larger version.

Squiddies

Votes for the 2004 Squiddies were due yesterday, and I managed to get my votes in just under the wire (actually I sent them in this morning, but I got an acknowledgement so I think they still count!)

Anyway, here's how I voted: (I didn't necessarily vote in all categories):

#C0 Writer.........: Grant Morrison
#C1 Penciller......: Frank Quitely
#C2 Cartoonist.....: Jeff Smith
#C3 Inker..........: Keith Champagne
#C4 Painter........: David Mack
#C5 Letterer.......: Dave Sim
#C6 Colorist.......: Tom Smith
#C7 Creative Team..: Morrison, Quitely, Klein, Grant (We3)
#C8 Cover Artist...: James Jean
#C9 Editor.........: Karen Berger
#CA Pol. Cartoonist: Mike Thompson

#B0 Short Story....: "In This Issue: The World Ends!" (Promethea #31)
#B1 Comics Novella.: Making Rain
#B2 Graphic Novel..: Tiempos Finales (End Times)
#B3 Multi-Part.....: "Soft Targets" (Gotham Central #12-15)
#B4 Ongoing Series.: Gotham Central
#B5 Manga Series...: Planetes
#B6 New Series.....: Astonishing X-Men
#B7 Limited Series.: We3
#B8 Reprint Book...: Human Target: Living in America
#B9 Anthology......: McSweeney's Quarterly Concern #13
#BA Comic Strip....: Mutts
#BB Web Comic......: Unshelved

#M0 Company/Imprint: DC
#M1 Character......: Oracle
#M2 Character Team.: Birds of Prey
#M3 Adaptation.....: Justice League Unlimited
#M4 Merchandise....: No Award
#M5 Publication....: Comics Journal
#M7 General Website: Sequential Tart
#M8 Comics Blog....: Thought Balloons
#M9 Journalist.....: Tom Spurgeon
#MA Reviewer.......: Paul O'Brien


As you can see, there was a lot of love for We3. Jeff Smith because it's probably his last year for a while; ditto for Dave Sim, whose skill as a letterer is such that you can hear exactly the voice in your head that he wants when putting the words on the page. Karen Berger because I'm enjoying a lot of Vertigo's output again, and she edited We3. DC as favorite company, because they have pretty much the most diverse output of any publisher, although I could have easily gone with Oni (and, as I'm typing this, am starting to wish that I did vote for Oni...)

FCBM Day 14

It's day fourteen of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Stefan Damian. The five comics that Stefan listed are:

1. Hate!
2. The Invisibles
3. Planetary
4. Madman
5. Tom Strong

For Stefan I have Jim Mahfood's Grrl Scouts #1, a comic that would seem to speak to his sensibilities.

Like all the selected entries, Stefan will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Derek's comics should be in the mail by early next week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
87 entries
47 free comics sent so far
17 days remaining

FCBM Day 13

It's day thirteen of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Derek Haas. The five comics that Derek listed are:

1. Atomika
2. Justice League Elite
3. Vimanarama
4. Livewires
5. Aztek Ace

For Derek I have 666 The Mark of the Beast #1, a Fleetway/Quality anthology reprinting British scifi/horror comics from 2000 AD. (It is Friday the 13th, you know!)

Like all the selected entries, Derek will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Derek's comics should be in the mail by early next week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
82 entries
45 free comics sent so far
18 days remaining

FCBM Day 12.5

It's still day twelve of the YACB Free Comic Book Month, but I can't wait until tomorrow--I want to give away more comics!

Today's second selected entry comes from Ian Brill. The five comics that Ian listed are:

1. Love & Rockets
2. Or Else
3. Amazing Spider-Man by Ditko & Lee
4. Sleeper
5. Tokyo Tribes

For Ian I have chosen Broken Heroes #11 by The Filbäch Bros. This little-known comic featured the adventures of Captain Freebird, a 70s-era hippie/metaphysical hero trying to survive in the late 90s. Because with a spread like Ian provided, where else was I supposed to go?

Like all the selected entries, Ian will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Ian's comics should be in the mail by early next week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
80 entries
43 free comics sent so far
19 days remaining

FCBM Day 12

It's day twelve of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Chris Brown. The five comics that Chris listed are:

1. Madman
2. Flaming Carrot
3. Hellblazer
4. The Goon
5. Green Arrow

For Chris I have the first 2 issues of Tomer & Asaf Hanuka's Bipolar. I especially enjoy the "Pizzeria Kamikaze" by Asaf with writer Etgar Keret, and I think that Chris will too.

Like all the selected entries, Chris will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Chris's comics should be in the mail by the end of the week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
77 entries
41 free comics sent so far
19 days remaining

FCBM Day 11.5

It's still day eleven of the YACB Free Comic Book Month, but I can't wait until tomorrow--I want to give away more comics!

Today's second selected entry comes from Tara Martin. The five comics that Tara listed are:

1. Fables
2. Astonishing X-Men
3. Goodbye Chunky Rice
4. Love Fights
5. Owly

For Tara we have The Book of Ballads and Sagas #2 by Jane Yolen, Charles DeLint & Charles Vess.

Like all the selected entries, Tara will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Tara's comics should be in the mail by early next week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
75 entries
38 free comics sent so far
20 days remaining

FCBM Day 11

It's day eleven of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Philip Flores. Philip writes seeking comics not for himself, but for his fiance: "I already get many more comics than I need. But I have been introducing my fiancee to the world of comics beyond Sandman. I've been having a fair amount of success, but I always welcome more suggestions. Five comics that she has particularly enjoyed are:"

1. PS238
2. Tales of the Beanworld
3. Hellboy
4. Global Frequency
5. Ultimate Spider-Man

For Philip's fiance I'll be sending the first two issues of Dark Horse's manga anthology Super Manga Blast. This will allow her to sample several manga series: Oh My Goddess, 3x3 Eyes, What's Michael?, Shadow Star, and Seraphic Feather.

Like all the selected entries, Philip will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

The comics should be in the mail by the end of the week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
74 entries
36 free comics sent so far
20 days remaining

New This Week: May 11, 2005

Based on the NCRL list for this week's comics shipping from Diamond, here are a few things to look for at the local comic shop tomorrow:


The Pick of the Week is Desolation Jones #1. It's Warren Ellis & J. H. Williams III doing weird scifi covert ops stuff, which has the potential to be much fun.


In other comics:

Alias finally see a bunch of their debut titles hit the stands, with the first issues of Deal with the Devil, Elsinore, and Killer Stunts Inc. just 75 cents.

Ape Entertainment's Pan Gea one-shot has a definite Vaughan Bode vibe going for it.

Arcana have the first 100 Girls collection.

Dark Horse have the second issue of P. Craig Russell's Conan & the Jewels of Gwahlur.

DC have the final issue of Adam Strange (#8), just in time for the debut of the Rann/Thanagar War. The also have the final issue of Green Lantern: Rebirth (#6); the debut of Gail Simone & John Byrne on Action Comics (#827); and new issues of Fables (#37), Gotham Central (#31), JSA (#73), Majestic (#5), and Wonder Woman (#216).

IDW have the fourth issue of Grimjack: Killer Instinct.

Lightspeed have a new issue of Carla Speed McNeil's Finder (#36).

Marvel have new issues of Astonishing X-Men (#10), Mary Jane: Homecoming (#3), The Punisher (#21), and Ultimate Spider-Man (#77).

Shanda Fantasy Arts have a new issue of Shanda the Panda (#43).

Viper have the second issue of Oddly Normal.


Plenty of good stuff this week, so there's absolutely no excuse for buying the Superman: The Wrath of Gog collection, seeing as it contains the worst Superman comic ever.

FCBM Day 10

It's day ten of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Brian Seidman. The five comics that Brian listed are:

1. Superman
2. The Outsiders
3. Teen Titans
4. Birds of Prey
5. Y, the Last Man

To this DC fan I'll be sending Resurrection Man #1 by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Butch Guice.

Like all the selected entries, Brian will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Brian's comics should be in the mail by the end of the week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
69 entries
33 free comics sent so far
21 days remaining

FCBM Day 9.5

It's still day nine of the YACB Free Comic Book Month, but we have to get moving if we're going to give away lots of comics, so let's do another entry today!

Today's second selected entry comes from Mark Masterson. The five comics that Mark listed are:

1. Miracleman
2. Mage
3. Swamp Thing
4. Ambush Bug
5. Dork

Mark is a fan of 80s comics, and humor comics too. So I'll be sending Mark Reid Fleming, World's Toughest Milkman #1 by David Boswell.

Like all the selected entries, Mark will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Mark's comics should be in the mail by the end of the week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
68 entries
31 free comics sent so far
22 days remaining

FCBM Day 9

It's day nine of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Daniel Taylor, the Dreaded Purple Master. The five comics that Daniel listed are:

1. Ex Machina
2. Superman/Batman
3. Adam Strange
4. Green Lantern: Rebirth
5. Identity Crisis

As we can see, Daniel is a fan of recent DC comics. But maybe he'd like to try a couple of recent well-received Marvel comics, especially if they're free! So I'll be sending Daniel Black Panther #1 by Reginald Hudlin, John Romita, Jr. and Klaus Janson; and Young Avengers #1 by Allan Heinberg, Jim Cheung & John Dell.

Like all the selected entries, Daniel will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Daniel's comics should be in the mail by the end of the week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
66 entries
29 free comics sent so far
22 days remaining

DC Bites the Bullet

Back in October I suggested that DC dump its 70s-era logo for something new and different.

Now it looks like DC have taken my advice*, and later this month will debut a new logo on the first issue of The Return of Donna Troy, to be followed on the rest of their line starting in June.

So nice to see that DC will finally put away their bell bottoms and mood rings and join the 21st Century!


* Not that I think anyone there actually read my little article. But I'm happy to see that they came to the same conclusion that I did.

FCBM Day 8

It's day eight of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!

Today's selected entry comes from Eddie Mitchell. The five comics that Eddie listed are:

1. Bone
2. Stray Bullets
3. Naughty Bits
4. Age of Bronze
5. Anything from Trondheim or Kochalka

With a spread like that, where else can you go but with a kung fu fighting monkey? Therefore my choice for Eddie is the same comic as today's monkey cover: Furious Fist of the Drunken Monkey #1 by Rich Stahnke.

Like all the selected entries, Eddie will also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Lee's comics should be in the mail at the end of the week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
64 entries
26 free comics sent so far
23 days remaining

Monkey Covers

Sunday is Monkey Covers day here at YACB. Because there's nothing better than a comic with a monkey on the cover.

Today we have a relatively recent comic: 2004's Furious Fist of the Drunken Monkey #1 by Rich Stahnke. You can't go wrong with a monkey who knows kung fu!

Click on the image for a larger version.

FCBM Day 7

It's day seven of the YACB Free Comic Book Month!


Today's entry comes from Greg Burgas. The five comics that Greg listed are:

1. Rex Mundi
2. Ex Machina
3. Supreme Power
4. Fables
5. Grimjack

That selection of titles indicates to me that Greg might like Nathan Never #2, the Dark Horse Comics Italian import by Bepi Vigna and Stefano Casini.

Like all the selected entries, Greg will be also receive a copy of the 32-page Free Comic Book Day Preview Edition of Bone Sharps, Cowboys, and Thunder Lizards by Jim Ottaviani & Big Time Attic (Zander Cannon, Kevin Cannon and Shad Petosky).

Greg's comics should be in the mail early next week. Enjoy!

There's still time to send in your entry for the YACB Free Comic Book Month; details are here.

Current FCBM Statistics:
64 entries
24 free comics sent so far
24 days remaining

Free Comic Book Day

It's May 7, and that means that it's Free Comic Book Day. If your LCS is participating, you can head over there and grab some free swag. If I could make a couple of suggestions:

1) Try a free comic that is something you ordinarily wouldn't pick up. Use the opportunity of FCBD to expand your comic reading horizons into a genre you ordinarily ignore.

2) Bring a non-comics buying friend along with you. Or, barring that, pick up some free comics to distribute to friends and family.

Both Dorian and Johanna have reviews of the FCBD offerings.

Happy Free Comic Book Day! (And while you're out, be sure to pick up something for Mom, as Mother's Day is tomorrow!)

P.S. Gleefully and admitedly stealing my idea, Rick Gebhardt is having his own Free Comic Book Month. The more the merrier, I say!