This week’s highlights, with commentary from the NFNT gang:
Animal Man Volume 2: Animal vs. Man (DC Comics, 9781401238001)
Batwoman Volume 2: To Drown the World (DC Comics, 978-1401237905)
Robin: I’m personally happy to see the second volumes of both Animal Man and Batwoman arriving, as I’ve thoroughly enjoyed both series (with some criticism, but enough to keep me hooked.) As I’m a girl who waits for the trades, it’s clearly time to catch up with these two series!
Conan Volume 13: Queen of the Black Coast (Dark Horse, 9781616550424)
Jack: Ah, Conan: Queen of the Black Coast is finally out! Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan don’t seem like obvious choices to take on Conan — their previous work together was the brilliant, quiet kids-with-weird-abilities anthology Demo — but they are doing a bang-up job here. Wood writes Conan as cocky and violent but also crafty and sort of charming. He’s a much more likable version of the character than I’ve ever encountered before, and much more interesting than the blunt instrument we’re used to seeing. And Cloonan’s art is an absolute revelation. It’s smart bringing such a feminine artist on such a masculine character as she adds lots of sexiness (and gives Conan this great, cocky smirk) while keeping the action brisk and sharp. It’s a winning formula and results in an immensely (and surprisingly) likable book.
Robert E. Howard’s Savage Sword Volume 1 (Dark Horse, 9781616550752)
Matthew: I’ve enjoyed Dark Horse’s ROBERT E. HOWARD’S SAVAGE SWORD thus far having reviewed a few of the individual issues on my pesonal blog. Anthology titles are a rare thing these days and it’s unusual to see one published, even quarterly. Still, Robert Howard did write far more than the sword and sorcery works for which he’s most famous and the idea of basing an entire series around comic adaptations of his work or stories inspired by his characters is a good one. The TP edition also adresses my only real issue with the quarterly comic – namely that it’s difficult to tell serialized stories with so long a gap between issues. It’s better, to my mind at least, to have the monthly book collect whole stories rather than chapters. Either way, it’s nice to see Howard’s lesser-known heroes such as Black Agnes get some attention.
Curses: Foiled Again (First Second, 9781596436190)
Robin: I’ve been meaning to catch up on Curses: Foiled Again, since I enjoyed the first volume a lot, and I’m curious to see where the plot is going from here. 🙂
Abby: I can’t wait for Curses: Foiled Again to come out. I love Jane Yolen and the first one was wonderful.
Gail: I agree, I am excited for that title as well.
Peanut (Schwartz & Wade, 9780375865909)
Jennifer W: I got a review copy of Peanut and just covered that on my blog – it was an awesome book, I took it to the sixth graders on Tuesday and booktalked it as a read-alike for Raina Telgemeier.
Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth (Marvel, 9780785160069)
Michael: I really like Spider-Man: Ends of the Earth. It made Doctor Octopus feel like a serious threat again, instead of a joke. It’s an interesting story and well worth a read through.
Wonder Woman Volume 2: Guts (DC, 9781401238094)
Michael: Despite some large issues with the way the Amazons are treated (which others have spoken on at greater length and with more eloquence than I can) the Wonder Woman book is still worth reading for it’s creativity in interpreting the classic Greek Gods in new and interesting ways.
Bodacious Space Pirates – Collecton 1 (Sentai)
Michael: While I personally haven’t seen it, my friend loved Bodacious Space Pirates. She said “People should watch it because it’s a good science fiction with nice art that has quality plots and lovely social dynamics.”
AND NOW FOR THE COMPLETE LIST
The following list of new releases is compiled from Diamond Comic Distributors’ complete weekly shipping list and Anime News Network’s Releases encyclopedia
Graphic Novels
AAM Markosia
- CANCERTOWN TP BLASPHEMOUS TUMOURS
Antarctic Press
- HOW TO DRAW STEAMPUNK PKT MANGA TP
- ZOMBIE KID DIARIES GN VOL 03 WALKING DAD
Ape Entertainment
- STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE DIGEST VOL 03 FIELD DAY & OTHER STORIES
Arcana
- THE BOOK GN
- INTRINSIC GN
Archaia
- GOD MACHINE LEATHER BOUND ED HC
Archie Comics
- BETTY & VERONICA PROM PRINCESSESS TP
Aspen MLT
- FATHOM DEFINITIVE EDITION HC
Blank Slate
- SILVER DARLINGS GN
BOOM! Studios
- FANBOYS VS ZOMBIES TP VOL 01
Classic Comics Press
- LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 02
- LEONARD STARRS MARY PERKINS ON STAGE TP VOL 06
- TARZAN OF THE APES RETURN OF TARZAN ILLUS HC
Dark Horse
- CHERUBS HC
- CONAN HC VOL 13 QUEEN O/T BLACK COAST
- CREEPY COMICS AT DEATHS DOOR TP
- OREIMO TP VOL 02
- RESET HC
- ROBERT E HOWARDS SAVAGE SWORD TP VOL 01
DC Comics
- ABSOLUTE BATMAN & ROBIN HC BATMAN REBORN
- ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN GIL KANE HC
- ANIMAL MAN TP VOL 02 ANIMAL VS MAN
- BATMAN CHRONICLES TP VOL 11
- BATMAN THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS TP
- BATWOMAN HC VOL 02 TO DROWN THE WORLD
- GEARS OF WAR HC BOOK 03
- GREEN LANTERN THE ANIMATED SERIES TP
- JLA TP VOL 03
- NORTHLANDERS TP VOL 07 THE ICELANDIC TRILOGY
- SAGA OF THE SWAMP THING TP BOOK 03
- SHOWCASE PRESENTS WEIRD WAR TALES TP VOL 01
- SUPERMAN LAST SON OF KRYPTON TP
- WAR OF THE GREEN LANTERNS AFTERMATH TP
- WONDER WOMAN HC VOL 02 GUTS
- WONDER WOMAN TP VOL 01 BLOOD
Dynamite
- DEJAH THORIS & THE WHITE APES OF MARS TP
- ETERNITY KILL TP
- KIRBY GENESIS CAPTAIN VICTORY TP VOL 01
- KIRBY GENESIS SILVER STAR TP VOL 01
- SILVER SCORPION TP
Fantagraphics
- JACK JACKSON AMERICAN HISTORY TEJANOS CAUSE HC
First Second
- CURSES: FOILED AGAIN GN
Hermes Press
- ALEX TOTH ZORRO COMP DELL COMICS ADVENTURES HC
Hey Drude Productions
- SPACE HUSTLERS GN
Humanoids
- BLACK INCAL DLX HC VOL 01
IDW
- CLASSIC JURASSIC PARK TP VOL 05 RETURN PT 2
- COMICS ABOUT CARTOONISTS HC
- GI JOE COBRA TP SON OF THE SNAKE
- GIL KANE AMAZING SPIDER MAN ARTIST ED HC
- MARS ATTACKS CLASSICS TP VOL 03
- POPEYE TP VOL 01
- TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES ADVENTURES TP VOL 03
Marvel
- CAPTAIN AMERICA LAND OF FREE TP
- CAPTAIN MARVEL TP DEATH OF CAPTAIN MARVEL NEW PTG
- CARNAGE MINIMUM CARNAGE TP
- DEFENDERS BY MATT FRACTION TP VOL 02
- ESSENTIAL X-MEN TP VOL 11
- FANTASTIC FOUR BY JONATHAN HICKMAN TP VOL 05
- GUARDIANS OF GALAXY TP VOL 01 TOMORROWS AVENGERS
- MARVEL MASTERWORKS KA-ZAR HC VOL 01
- MARVEL UNIVERSE AVENGERS EARTHS HEROES DIGEST TP VOL 02
- NEW AVENGERS BREAKOUT PROSE NOVEL HC
- POWERS PREM HC VOL 07 FOREVER
- SPIDER-MAN ENDS OF EARTH TP
- ULT COMICS SPIDER-MAN BY BENDIS PREM HC VOL 03
- WOLVERINE NOT DEAD YET TP NEW PTG
Moonstone
- AIRBOY & AIRFIGHTERS TP DANGEROUS LIAISONS
Papercutz
- BEST OF THE THREE STOOGES HC VOL 02
PS Artbooks
- HARVEY HORRORS CHAMBER OF CHILLS SLIPCASE ED VOL 01
- HARVEY HORRORS WITCHES TALES SLIPCASE ED VOL 01
- ROY THOMAS PRESENTS: THE HEAP HC VOL 01
Rebellion/2000 AD
- SHAKO GN
Schwartz & Wade
- PEANUT GN
Seven Seas Entertainment
- GIRL FRIENDS COMPLETE COLL TP VOL 02
- GUNSLINGER GIRL OMNIBUS TP VOL 06
- I DONT LIKE YOU AT ALL BIG BROTHER GN COLL ED VOL 02
- JACK THE RIPPER HELL BLADE GN VOL 03
Tor Books
- DARK SHADOWS ANGELIQUE’S DESCENT GN
Valiant
- HARBINGER TP VOL 01 OMEGA RISING
Viz
- 07 GHOST GN VOL 02
- CASE CLOSED GN VOL 45
- LOVELESS 2-IN-1 ED TP VOL 02
- LOVELESS GN VOL 10
Zenescope
- ALICE IN WONDERLAND TP
- WONDERLAND TP VOL 01
Anime
Funimation
- Blood C – the Complete Series
- Toriko – Part 1
Media Blasters
- Jubei-Chan the Ninja Girl – Complete Collection
NIS America
- Ground Control to Psychoelectric Girl
The Right Stuf International
- Maria Watches Over Us – Season 3
Sentai
- Bodacious Space Pirates – Collection 1
Keep in mind that titles are not always available from book vendors on the same dates as they are released in comic book stores, so not all of these will be available everywhere at the same time. Check with your vendors, just to be sure!
