Every month I pre-order comics, trades and other related items from Previews magazine. Even though there is information online for just about everything, I still find the Previews catalog to be the simplest way to scan through the different items and to get some inspiration on what I want to buy.
There’s lots of stuff being offered by Diamond this month: Plenty of great stuff and plenty of crap too… So I will try to sort the wheat from the chaff and hopefully point out some good items that you might order or buy from your LCS or Online Retailer. Our taste may differ– so if you buy something and I hate it… Don’t blame me. I did my best to warn you!
The STATUS in the description of each product indicates the likelihood of whether I’m going to order it ranging from Firm Order as the most likely to POS (Piece of Shit)– with everything else being somewhere in between. I’m sure you can figure it out!
Nexus Omnibus
416 pages
$24.99Status – Firm Order
Additional Notes - One of THE best comics from the 80s/90s… By Mike Baron and Steve Rude, this is must-buy. The size at 6 x 9 is slightly smaller than comic book size– but the size works just fine for Star Wars omnibuses.
Ragemoor HC
112 pages
$17.99Status – Firm Order
Additional Notes – This is A Comic Book Look recommendation as well. I’m not sure how I missed this comic when the single issues were released– but I love this creative team from Heavy Metal/Creepy magazines.
Manara Erotica Volume 2
296 pages
$59.99Status – Firm Order
Additional Notes – Manara, erotica… Do I really need to say more? (Ed. Note- If you had mentioned the cover had bare female breasts, the post would get more hits.)
Classic Marvel Characters S2 #4
Silver Surfer Statue
$49.95Status – POS
Additional Notes – I know I’m sort of repeating myself from last month (after calling the Captain America Statue from this series a POS)… But this is one ugly ass model.
National Comics: Rose and Thorn #1
40 pages
$3.99Status – Probable Order
Additional Notes – A one-shot of a series found buried in the ass-end of DC’s Previews solicits. This actually looks good, but no one will probably buy it. Get it while you can– Rose and Thorn is an interesting character.
The Batman/Judge Dredd Collection HC
304 pages
$29.99Status – Own these already
Additional Notes –DC looking to cash in on the Dredd film, no doubt. Still, these are not bad stories– with Grant/Wagner on writing duties, everything is laced through with black humour. Bisley, Fabry, Cam Kennedy and others are on art duties.
The Rocketeer: Cargo of Doom #2
32 pages
$3.99Status – Trade-waiting
Additional Notes - I can’t believe I overlooked the first issue of this series. Two of my favourite creators on The Rocketeer– this is a lock when the trade comes out.
Woodwork
352 pages
$59.99Status – Severely Tempted
Additional Notes – Wally Wood was one of the all-time great comics artists and this book is a retrospective of his career. There are so many good hardcovers and art-books this month, I may have to wait before buying it.
Happy #1 (of 4)
32 pages
$2.99Status – Trade-waiting
Additional Notes – Grant Morrison’s first creator owned book in ages. I’m going to wait for the reviews on this– as the preview pages seem to show this to just be an excuse to use as many swear words as possible.
Thief of Thieves Vol 1 TP
152 pages
$14.99Status – Possible Order
Additional Notes - It doesn’t seem like the most innovative of concepts, but I’m willing to give it a shot based on Shawn Martinbrough’s art. He did some phenomenal stuff a few years ago on Detective Comics.
Steed and Mrs Peel #0
32 pages
$3.99Status – Trade-waiting
Additional Notes – Mark Waid writing sexy super spies seems like a good fit. I’ve not heard of the interior artist– hopefully he’ll at least do a serviceable job.
Mattias Unfiltered
128 pages
$16.99Status – Tempted
Additional Notes - I’d never heard of this artist before, but the page advertising his art book caught my eye. His works looks like a cross between Geof Darrow and Gary Larson.
New York Drawings:
Adrian Tomine HC
176 pages
$29.95Status – Tempted
Additional Notes - I love New York and this book does look beautiful… So many other great art books this month though…
Genshiken Omnibus Vol 2
520 pages
$19.99Status – Firm Order
Additional Notes - This is the story of a gang of otaku and their misadventures. It’s kind of obscure but worth it all the same to get a view of otaku culture.
Chris Ware
Building Stories HC
224 pages
$50.00Status – Firm Order
Additional Notes - Its Chris Ware– what more do you need to know? Ok, this is expensive– but it includes prints, booklets and books. Frankly, Chris Ware is simply one of the top comics artists out there today.
The Art of Judge Dredd:
35 Years of Zarjaz Covers HC
272 pages
$68.00Status – Tempted
Additional Notes - Though not really $68 tempted! Judge Dredd has had some fantastic, iconic covers over his 35 year history– but this is just too expensive for this art book.
Judge Dredd: Cry of the Werewolf
128 pages
$17.99Status – POS
Additional Notes - Don’t get me wrong, this is a great story– however, this book is completely unnecessary as the story has already appeared in the UK Casefiles series and will soon appear in the USA Casefiles series. Titan’s publishing strategy confuses me sometimes.
The Simon & Kirby Library
Science Fiction HC
320 pages
$49.95Status – Cheaper on Amazon
Additional Notes - Another volume of classic era Simon and Kirby comics from Titan– this time covering their Science Fiction output from the 40s and 50s.
Lou Scheimer: Creating the
Filmation Generation
224 pages
$26.95Status – Firm Order
Additional Notes – Filmation Studios was one of the most prolific cartoon studios from the 60s to the early 90s. They made some weird stuff like:
This book is a behind the scenes look at the studio– written by the co-founder of the company.
Tony Taka Shining Hearts:
Collection of Visual Materials
192 pages
$39.99Status – Possible Order
Additional Notes - When it comes to Japanese pin-up art, Tony Taka is one of the greatest artists there is.
Illustrators Magazine #1
96 pages
$12.99Status – Firm Order
Additional Notes - $12.99 for such a thin magazine may seem like insanity but it really depends on the quality of the photographs used and the standard of the writing in the articles. This magazine is high quality in both areas.
The Soddit, Or Lets Cash in Again HC
368 pages (Prose Novel)
$12.99Status - POS
Additional Notes - I really hate so-called humourous books that seek to ride the coattails of successful films or books. Oh lets change the names a little, it’ll be so funny… Utter garbage.
Mr Pool Custom Cut and Sew Hoodie
$69.99Status – POS
Additional Notes - Wow, Marvel really is on the Cash-In Express these days, eh? If you wear this piece of crap you’re asking to be beaten up… And you would probably deserve it.
DC Comics Power Girl Bishoujo Statue
Kotobukiya
$59.99Status – Think I’ll Pass
Additional Notes – I’ve gotten a few of these DC Bishoujo statues. In theory, a Power Girl statue should be great– but there’s just something not right about this sculpt, so I think I’ll pass. The Star Wars Jaina Solo one actually works better, imo.
Iron Man Goggles
$21.99Status – POS
Additional Notes – I could perhaps see these being worn by the Hart Foundation back in the day, but these goggles serve no purpose to the ordinary civilian except to make you look like a twat.
Star Wars Wicket Hat
$21.99Status – POS
Additional Notes – If you want to look like the shittiest part of Return of the Jedi, then buy this hat and mark yourself out as a perennial loser and a victim.
Martian Successor Nadesico
Complete Collection
$59.99Status – Tempted
Additional Notes - I liked the Kia Asimiya manga back in the 90s, so I’m tempted by this, I’d prefer if it was on blu ray though…
DX Chogokin YF-29
Durandal Valkyrie
(30th Anniversary Color)
Bandai
$214.29Status – If I won the lottery
Additional Notes - This isn’t offered by Diamond, it’s just available in Japan… But I thought it looked too awesome not to show it. Damn, it just looks beautiful.
That’s it for this month– a very art-book heavy offering. Let us know if there’s anything coming up you think is worth looking at.
Great Post. and you will really like Ragemoor.
Thanks man, I’m looking forward to it, I’m really getting back into Corben’s stuff lately.
Oh and NAKED BREASTS , happy Ian?
Naked (female) breasts always make me happy, LM.
Adrian Tomine is one of my favourite indie authors (Charles Burns being the unsurpassable n. 1), so I do suggest you to buy anything showing his name on the cover.
Thanks for the recommendation, I’ve put it on my xmas wish list!
Thank you as well for your reply! : )
I absolutely love this column. So much so, I chose to get it ready for publication– instead of restarting our weekly Rate the Covers! post. (That restarts this coming weekend!)
LM always finds something that I never notice when I look through Previews… And subsequently, costs me more money than I had originally anticipated.
I have just the person to buy those Iron Man Goggles for too… He’ll be forced to wear them so as not to insult me… And it’ll save me some bruised knuckles, because– as LM said– somebody will most likely smack him for me when he wears them out.
Thanks IM, I almost like the kitschy rubbish as much as I like finding the good stuff
Something which won’t appear in Previews is the Power C*** but UK channel Bid TV mentioned