Broken Frontier

In our regular analysis of Diamond's Previews catalogue, Broken Frontier's Lee Newman looks at July's big releases and also draws your attention to some of the oddities and curiousities you may have not have considered for your summer's reading entertainment...

This is where I go through Previews and let y’all tag along. Sorry about the delay with this one, but July's issue is jam-packed with goodness and it will be an expensive month. So, start digging in the couches and saving pocket change now.

Dark Horse

There is nothing that particularly tickles my fancy from Dark Horse. Although I would say that many of the Graphic Novel offerings deserve considered thought. So in honor of my daughter’s new favorite character (yeah I’m a liberal dad), I think it is cool that Dark Horse announced July 2 as Hellboy day so pick up the new Hellboy and BPRD books, but make Mignola lots of money by checking out Hellboy II: The Golden Army. That scream is Alan Gill, Ultimate Comics owner, going "NO SELL BOOKS! MOVIE MAKES US NO MONEY!" but I think it does... and with an announcement of a special incentive package for the month in this week's Diamond shipment, your LCS would have to be crazy not to restock for one of the summer's most anticipated comic movies.

Marvel

Yeah, so Warren Ellis, one of my all-time favorite writers (honestly, the writer of my favorite book of all time) takes over Astonishing X-Men. It ties into the extravaganza of Uncanny X-Men #500 and is its own little milestone as well. If only I were a bigger fan of the artist, this could be my most anticipated book, but it’s not: Astonishing X-Men #25.

DC Comics

Billy Batson and the Magic of Shazam! With the popularity and acclaim for Jeff Smith’s Monster Society of Evil redux, it was only natural that a new all ages friendly title would come out of the deal. What with DC’s new all-ages directive bringing us the delightful Tiny Titans and the not horrible Super Friends... this one is poised to make a big splash as fans of the mini from last year should follow the continuing adventures of Billy here and the great creator of Herobear brings his fun pencils and great charm to one of DC’s most enduring properties.

Over in mature reader land, Vertigo gives us the long-awaited (well at least by me, I remember it being announced at Baltimore Comic Con like two years ago) The Alcoholic.  This brings a very autobiographical story from acclaimed novelist Jonathan Ames to life. Dean Haspiel is the illustrator and his emotionally charged grayscale pencils should bring a unique look to this piece. Learn what a drunken writer’s life is like from a drunken writer.

Image

First, let me correct an oversight from last month...

A reader contacted me, yes I am very reachable and love feedback: so start a thread in the Lowdown Forum, or attack one of my reviews in the Review Forum, or just email me at leenewman@brokenfrontier.com. I take bribes of comics from companies and any kind of verbal abuse with great pleasure and glee, if for no other reason then I like to know people read my writing.

Anyhow, so I overlooked Red Mass for Mars last month. The goodness of the Image section just made me panic. So my apologies go out to Jonathan Hickman (certainly the best writer of the last decade) and Bode (well, if Hickman likes him, he has to be good!).

In an attempt to make more recompense for the situation, I will give you this month’s selection: Hickman and Kenneth Rocafort (artist of one of my fave books, Madame Mirage) take us to the center of the Universe in The Core. This is a Pilot Season book, so I expect you all to buy it, vote for it and get me a new Hickman book!

Hey Amlah, does that make up for last month?

Onto the rest of the Comic Book Publishing world...

Dave Sim brings us the second issue of g lamourpuss which is one of the most original comics you will ever read. Love or hate the man, between Cerebus, Judenhass and this title, he is a genius of the medium and deserves not only critical praise, but your money. You can find out more in the review section where some one raved about the first issue of this strange book.

I can’t say enough good things about Terry Moore, he has been handed Runaways and Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane, he wrote what is quickly becoming one of my top five all time books in Strangers in Paradise and now he some how manages to give us a new issue of Echo every month. If you haven’t hopped on this train yet, get aboard before the back issue market makes them unaffordable, it is seriously good character driven metahuman mystery.

Anarctic Press has never been the most appealing of publishers to me, but with Prince of Heroes I have found a lavishly illustrated and compelling story. It is my understanding that it all begins in a book called Neotopia which had a digest of Volume Two available as a FCBD offering this year, but July sees the first trade of this surprising book. Check it out if you like Miyazaki or Antoine de Saint Expuery.

Ape Entertainment not only brings us more Femme Noir and Fiction Clemens, but hit us with another Black Coat. The new 48-page special is written by series creator and Ultimate Comics (that's right I will keep plugging the shops, www.ultimatecomicsonline.com) customer Ben Lichius and brings in new artist Gabriel Hardmen who has worked on the X-Men and Spidey movies. Two new stories of Revolutionary era spy goodness coming your way!

Avatar brings more Ellis goodness with more Anna Mercury, Doktor Sleepless and Gravel. Now we also get the book that he and Black Summer artist Ryp promise to be this summer’s most talked about book, No Hero, which is billed as a serialized Graphic Novel. They promise to turn Superhero comics up on its side again. As if all that didn’t make you glad that Thunderbolts is going to another writer and make you more anxious for more Desolation Jones or wonder when we will see another issue of Fell or isn't there another issue of Planetary due? Warren also brings us Aetheric Mechanics, a graphic novella (?) Bearing the Apparat logo!

So last month it got a "why not?" nod, but having read Sparks #1 from Catastrophe, you need to add this book to your pull list now. There should be an advance review on the site sometime soon (I wonder how I know that?) and I can't wait to read the second issue out in July!

Evil Twin will put out the second issue of Comic Book Comics... this is a comic book history of comic books brought to you by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavy, those madmen behind the cult hit Action Philosophers. Hunting down the first issue will give you a lot of joy in this whimsical look at our hobby.

Fantagraphics continues one of the most successful Independent books ever with the publication of Love & Rockets: New Stories #1. This is the new annual presentation of the brothers Hernandez' legendary book. I'd tell you more, but I just discovered this gem recently and am in the very first Palomar stories currently.

Harper Collins wants me to spend all kind of money as they have the Discworld Graphic Novels Volume 1, based on Terry Prachett's incredible funny books. Imagine if Monty Python took on The Lord of the Rings. The also have a new graphic novel from Jill Thompson, Magic Trixie; the graphic adaptation of Caroline by Neil Gaiman and Scott McCloud's Zot! gets the collected treatment.

Oni hits with The Apocalipstix by Ray Fawkes & that illustrator of the book that has some kind of voodoo spell on me, Vinyl Underground's Cameron Stewart. But the real draw this month is Last Call Volume 2, Vasilis Lobos American version of Spirited Away. This is an odd book that will captivate you and leave you wanting more.

Normally this would go down below, but this reprint comes near and dear to my heart. Sunday Press is putting out Little Nemo in Slumberland: Many More Splendid Sundays, the follow up to a book from a few years back. The previous book sold out immediately and at $120.00, the fourth printing of the first volume is fairly impressive. The thing here is that these are gorgeous full sized (making it more like a coffee table than a coffee table book) broadsheet reproductions of one of the finest examples of escapism in comic strip history. McCay was a product of his time, so his politics may not be easy to view these days, but he was a genius and one of the forerunners of the serious graphic novel. These full color strips are essential to anyone even wanting to pretend to be a comics history enthusiast.

I'm not a big fan of Art books, but The Ultimate Steranko from Vanguard is designed by the guy who spearheaded the EC Archives design and features unseen material by one of comicdom's masters. Plus it comes in a pricey slipcase edition.

Every once in a while I sleep on a book. The one in the spotlight this time is Villard's Flight. Volume Five hits the shelves in July and I am currently about halfway through Volume Two. Never has a more beautiful or varied anthology series ever been put together. If you like the covers, be sure to check these out, they are only better on the inside.

Manga picks: Viz gets the go around this time. There is Volume 16 of Monster, which is one of the finest works to come from Japan. What starts out as a seeming homage to The Fugitive never really lets you get comfortable or get a firm grasp on what it is all about. The other pick is Nightmare Inspector Volume 3. I checked out the first volume of this series and while it is not for me, my daughter was enchanted by the story of a guy who helps people sort out there problems by examining and interpreting their dreams. The catch is that for payment, he eats the dream.

Oddities

Arcana is set to give me a new favorite with Wingman #1. This book from Sean O’Reilly seems to be the kind of book that could fill the void as I soon complete reading Strangers in Paradise... we shall see in July.

Pistolfist, one of Alias's books and a really good one, sees life again under Bluewater.

Boom! goes all Ghosts of the Abyss on us with Crosby's Challenger Deep.

Rasl #1 sold enough for a second printing, yay Jeff Smith. (Golf claps ensue).

Chimaera hits with Wargod and Consortium of Justice... finished products that look awfully familiar, I want to say Speakeasy, can anyone confirm?

Here's what stopping reading comics for ten years will do to you - Frank Miller and Simon Bisley did a book together? I'll catch up with Dynamite's Bad Boy Hardcover!

My buddy Tim Seeley is hitting the big time crossing Hack/Slash with... the Suicide Girls?

Classic reprint watch - IDW keeps up their fine reprint catalog with another installment of Terry and the Pirates, one of the great classic adventure strips, and William Messner-Loebs adventure series Journey is being collected as well.

Ty Templeton (Howard The Duck, Exterminators) brings us good old conservative super-hero fun with Hoverboy. What other book will have appearances by George W Bush, John McCain and his Republican Allstars?

Wild West month is Moonstone's big summer event. Yee Haw!

Red 5 wants to prove that Zombie mania will never end with ZMD: Zombies of Mass Destruction.

See you next month!!!