And the third.
*Nothing much on this site for the last few days; obligations, ideas, etc.
LAST WEEK'S REVIEWS:
Ashen Victor (finally, a manga that answers the burning question of "what if Sin City starred Dream from The Sandman and it was about racetrack fixing among cyborgs?"... I bet you were just thinking that)
(at The Savage Critics)
I Want to Go Home (a 1989 film by Alain Resnais, about an American cartoonist reluctantly abroad in Paris)
(at comiXology)
*D&Q's got it all -
THIS WEEK IN COMICS!
George Sprott (1894-1975): Oh, this'll be nice. It's the new one from Seth -- yes, not just book design but actual comics by Seth! -- an oversized (12" x 14") hardcover expansion of the serial he drew for the New York Times, which I considered one of the ten best comics of 2007, "a consummate expression of the artist's passion, cannily adapting the 'documentary' pep of 2005's Wimbledon Green to the serial format, and exploiting each week's large spread of tiny, uniform-hued panels as a new facet of the flawed gemstone life of the titular old-time local television host and older-time boyish adventurer. Included are the death of a man, the death of his times, the passing of personal creation into collectible items, and the ways we are born anew inside each person we meet." I can't wait to see how Seth blows the thing up to 96 (big!) pages; the preview suggests additional contortions in time, probably divvied out by the page. Look into this. It's $24.95; Times archive here.
Mijeong: New from NBM, a 240-page softcover collection of b&w and color stories by manhwa artist Byun Byung-Jun, previously of NBM's Run, Bong-Gu, Run! Plenty of rich, atmospheric style at work in these melancholy tales. Big preview here.
32 Stories: Special Edition Box Set: Definitely your fun-with-format item of the week, being a lil' box from Drawn and Quarterly containing facsimile editions of the complete seven-issue, 1991-94 minicomic run of Adrian Tomine's signature series. I think this'll serve the material well; bookshelf collections basically force it into the context of 'Adrian Tomine and his career path,' even though I suspect it's also very representative of classical minicomic structure: a little humor; a little anecdote; a little zine-derived taste-of-the-author direct communication. It's $19.95 for the pleasure.
Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Book Four (of Five): This, on the other hand, is a more traditional D&Q reprint tome, the latest in the Moomin newspaper strip series. Still 8 1/2" x 12"; $19.95 for 106 pages. Peer.
Uptight #3: And speaking of signature series, here's an upstanding example of that dying pamphlet breed, 24 b&w pages of Jordan Crane from Fantagraphics for only $2.75. Contains more of the Keeping Two serial, plus a short adventure with the cast of The Clouds Above and a new ghost story. Preview here; my review of issue #2 here.
Love is a Peculiar Type of Thing: Oh, another! This one appears courtesy of a November 2008 Xeric Grant; it's a 96-page, $10.00, partial-color collection of short comics by Box Brown, "focusing on the plight of an average twentysomething named Ben and his girlfriend Ellen. Themes of love, fear, questioning religion, depression, anxiety, and sex are all explored with humor, insight, and understanding." So it's said.
Tiny Tyrant Vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus: Just so you know, this is not a new book of material from this antic kid-in-charge-of-grown-ups series by writer Lewis Trondheim and artist Fabrice Parme; it's the first half (64 pages) of publisher First Second's 2007 edition, in a larger format (7 1/2" x 10") and at a lower price ($9.95). Inessential Trondheim, but cute; have a peek.
Slam Dunk Vol. 4 (of 31): More from Takehiko Inoue's excellent '90s basketball manga classic. I have no reason to expect the slightest dip in quality.
Batman & Robin #1: Morrison & Quitely... they did X-Treme X-Men, right?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Vampires: A 40-page, $2.99 Dark Horse pamphlet one-off, noteworthy for the participation of two contributors to Pixu (see: Douglas Wolk's review at Bookforum), writer Becky Cloonan and artist Vasilis Lolos. Might as well seek out Gabriel Bá's & Fábio Moon's variant cover to complete the crew. Preview here.
Wolverine: Revolver: Well, I guess if you publish enough of these things he'd have to discover Kabbalah... no, wait. I confused myself. This is actually the new Wolverine one-off by Das Pastoras, he of Wolverine: Switchback, Deicide and the Alejandro Jodorowsky-written Castaka (not yet in English). Written by crime novelist and occasional Punisher scribe Victor Gischler; it's $3.99. Interview 'n preview here.
The Muppet Show #3 (of 4): Such a nice showcase for Roger Langridge. This one's the Gonzo issue, as you can see.
The Boys #31: In which the second half of this Garth Ennis-written series kicks off with various superhumans, wise to Our Non-Heroes' tricks, opt to take the fight to them. This storyline will be four issues long, and drawn by frequent Ennis collaborator Carlos Ezquerra (who's also drawing the current Garth Ennis' Battlefields: The Tankies). Sample.
Seaguy: The Slaves of Mickey Eye #3 (of 3): Morrison & Stewart... they did The Authority, right? No, wait... The Establishment?
The Punisher: Naked Kill: A $3.99 one-off in which Frank takes on a snuff film ring without a damn weapon in sight - it's two kinds of naked, you see. From thriller and martial arts-related prose specialist Jonathan Mayberry (also set to take over Black Panther soon) and Castle regulars Laurence Campbell & Lee Loughridge. Feast your eyes. And don't forget to complete your Garth Ennis deluxe hardcover collection with this week's $34.99 The Punisher MAX HC Vol. 5, covering Barracuda's last stand and the neverending end of everything. I tried to sum it up here.
LAST WEEK'S REVIEWS:
Ashen Victor (finally, a manga that answers the burning question of "what if Sin City starred Dream from The Sandman and it was about racetrack fixing among cyborgs?"... I bet you were just thinking that)
(at The Savage Critics)
I Want to Go Home (a 1989 film by Alain Resnais, about an American cartoonist reluctantly abroad in Paris)
(at comiXology)
*D&Q's got it all -
THIS WEEK IN COMICS!
George Sprott (1894-1975): Oh, this'll be nice. It's the new one from Seth -- yes, not just book design but actual comics by Seth! -- an oversized (12" x 14") hardcover expansion of the serial he drew for the New York Times, which I considered one of the ten best comics of 2007, "a consummate expression of the artist's passion, cannily adapting the 'documentary' pep of 2005's Wimbledon Green to the serial format, and exploiting each week's large spread of tiny, uniform-hued panels as a new facet of the flawed gemstone life of the titular old-time local television host and older-time boyish adventurer. Included are the death of a man, the death of his times, the passing of personal creation into collectible items, and the ways we are born anew inside each person we meet." I can't wait to see how Seth blows the thing up to 96 (big!) pages; the preview suggests additional contortions in time, probably divvied out by the page. Look into this. It's $24.95; Times archive here.
Mijeong: New from NBM, a 240-page softcover collection of b&w and color stories by manhwa artist Byun Byung-Jun, previously of NBM's Run, Bong-Gu, Run! Plenty of rich, atmospheric style at work in these melancholy tales. Big preview here.
32 Stories: Special Edition Box Set: Definitely your fun-with-format item of the week, being a lil' box from Drawn and Quarterly containing facsimile editions of the complete seven-issue, 1991-94 minicomic run of Adrian Tomine's signature series. I think this'll serve the material well; bookshelf collections basically force it into the context of 'Adrian Tomine and his career path,' even though I suspect it's also very representative of classical minicomic structure: a little humor; a little anecdote; a little zine-derived taste-of-the-author direct communication. It's $19.95 for the pleasure.
Moomin: The Complete Tove Jansson Comic Strip, Book Four (of Five): This, on the other hand, is a more traditional D&Q reprint tome, the latest in the Moomin newspaper strip series. Still 8 1/2" x 12"; $19.95 for 106 pages. Peer.
Uptight #3: And speaking of signature series, here's an upstanding example of that dying pamphlet breed, 24 b&w pages of Jordan Crane from Fantagraphics for only $2.75. Contains more of the Keeping Two serial, plus a short adventure with the cast of The Clouds Above and a new ghost story. Preview here; my review of issue #2 here.
Love is a Peculiar Type of Thing: Oh, another! This one appears courtesy of a November 2008 Xeric Grant; it's a 96-page, $10.00, partial-color collection of short comics by Box Brown, "focusing on the plight of an average twentysomething named Ben and his girlfriend Ellen. Themes of love, fear, questioning religion, depression, anxiety, and sex are all explored with humor, insight, and understanding." So it's said.
Tiny Tyrant Vol. 1: The Ethelbertosaurus: Just so you know, this is not a new book of material from this antic kid-in-charge-of-grown-ups series by writer Lewis Trondheim and artist Fabrice Parme; it's the first half (64 pages) of publisher First Second's 2007 edition, in a larger format (7 1/2" x 10") and at a lower price ($9.95). Inessential Trondheim, but cute; have a peek.
Slam Dunk Vol. 4 (of 31): More from Takehiko Inoue's excellent '90s basketball manga classic. I have no reason to expect the slightest dip in quality.
Batman & Robin #1: Morrison & Quitely... they did X-Treme X-Men, right?
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Tales of the Vampires: A 40-page, $2.99 Dark Horse pamphlet one-off, noteworthy for the participation of two contributors to Pixu (see: Douglas Wolk's review at Bookforum), writer Becky Cloonan and artist Vasilis Lolos. Might as well seek out Gabriel Bá's & Fábio Moon's variant cover to complete the crew. Preview here.
Wolverine: Revolver: Well, I guess if you publish enough of these things he'd have to discover Kabbalah... no, wait. I confused myself. This is actually the new Wolverine one-off by Das Pastoras, he of Wolverine: Switchback, Deicide and the Alejandro Jodorowsky-written Castaka (not yet in English). Written by crime novelist and occasional Punisher scribe Victor Gischler; it's $3.99. Interview 'n preview here.
The Muppet Show #3 (of 4): Such a nice showcase for Roger Langridge. This one's the Gonzo issue, as you can see.
The Boys #31: In which the second half of this Garth Ennis-written series kicks off with various superhumans, wise to Our Non-Heroes' tricks, opt to take the fight to them. This storyline will be four issues long, and drawn by frequent Ennis collaborator Carlos Ezquerra (who's also drawing the current Garth Ennis' Battlefields: The Tankies). Sample.
Seaguy: The Slaves of Mickey Eye #3 (of 3): Morrison & Stewart... they did The Authority, right? No, wait... The Establishment?
The Punisher: Naked Kill: A $3.99 one-off in which Frank takes on a snuff film ring without a damn weapon in sight - it's two kinds of naked, you see. From thriller and martial arts-related prose specialist Jonathan Mayberry (also set to take over Black Panther soon) and Castle regulars Laurence Campbell & Lee Loughridge. Feast your eyes. And don't forget to complete your Garth Ennis deluxe hardcover collection with this week's $34.99 The Punisher MAX HC Vol. 5, covering Barracuda's last stand and the neverending end of everything. I tried to sum it up here.
Labels: this week in comics
posted by Jog at 9:30 PM
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