Hello and welcome to Multiversity’s look at the “Best of the Rest” of what’s coming your way in the now-available March 2023 Previews catalog. I’m excited to help you navigate the vast majority of what Diamond is offering via your LCS for the month of May 2023. Having already taken a look at what Marvel, DC, Image, and the Manga/Purple Previews sections have lined up for us, it’s now time to check out the other 75% of the catalog.
Let’s dive in!
10. Blast From The Past In HD
I was hesitant to put this book on the list at first, primarily because of the price point. It made the cut ultimately because Bloom County was one of my favorite strips growing up, even if I didn’t get all or most of the jokes during its 1980s run. This isn’t to say the work isn’t worthy of an Artist Edition. Breathed’s cartooning might not rank up there with Cannif’s or Sickles’ or Raymond’s or Williamson’s, but he does some really nice physical (rendered?) comedy that had to have been an influence to later artists like Frank Cho for his Liberty Meadows strip. The strip is very much a product of its time, (the cover gag was from the PMRC/Heavy Metal Moral Panic days) but I feel that there’s still comedy gold to be mined from it. If you don’t pick up this book specifically, IDW has other Bloom County collections to dip your toe into the water with first.
BERKELEY BREATHED BLOOM COUNTY ARTIST EDITION HC
Written & Drawn by Berkeley Breathed
Published by IDW Publishing
In Shops: Apr 12, 2023
SRP: $150.00
The Pulitzer Prize-winning creator of one of the most cherished and fondly remembered comic strips of all time showcases his art in this deluxe oversized edition. This Artist’s Edition features an incredible selection of daily and Sunday Bloom County comic strips, as well as a selection of sketchbook pages and drawings, published here for the very first time, each and every one scanned from the original art. The dailies are presented at the actual size drawn, and the Sundays have been slightly reduced but are still bigger and more beautiful than they have ever been presented before!
9. Gimme Two Fists Of The Strongest Cartooning You Got!
I think it’s been said before that the guys (and gal Marie Severin) of the EC Comics era were the pinnacle of cartooning for their era. So showcasing a collection of their work is probably not the groundbreaking idea I aim for when putting these columns together. The reason this book gets the nod is multi-pronged: (1) Even in the EC canon, Kurtzman’s war/action comics are top-tier stuff, (2) these Gemstone/Dark Horse complete full-color reprint collections are wonderful archival editions to have, and (3) it’s now in softcover so available at less than half the price of the hardcovers (exquisite though they may be). For the connoisseur on a budget, here’s your chance to broaden your horizons.
THE EC ARCHIVES: TWO-FISTED TALES V1 TPB
Written by Harvey Kurtzman
Art by Wally Wood, Johnny Craig, Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, John Severin, Will Elder, and Dave Berg
Published by Dark Horse Comics
In Shops: Jul 19, 2023
SRP: $19.99
Writer-artist-editor Harvey Kurtzman teamed with legendary artists Wally Wood, Johnny Craig, Jack Davis, Al Feldstein, John Severin, Will Elder, and Dave Berg to create these powerful stories of struggle and humanity that are considered to be among the best war stories ever told. Now, Dark Horse presents this first incredible volume, reprinting the first six complete issues of Two-Fisted Tales, originally published in 1950 and 1951.
8. Don’t Myth These Adventures!
We’ll get to comics from this decade later in the column, I swear. But here’s another collection of material now back into print that I wanted to call out. It’s work that I haven’t read specifically, but I have heard it mentioned in glowing terms. What I am familiar with is the work of Phil Foglio. I was reading his strip “What’s New” in Dragon Magazine around the same time as I was taking in those Bloom County strips and they were a hoot! Smart, funny, punny, and well-paced for comedic timing. If you tell me that guy teamed up with another comedic writer to do a full-on fantasy comic? Sold.
Continued belowMYTHADVENTURES TPB
Published by Airship Entertainment
Written by Robert Asprin
Art by Phil Foglio
In Shops: May 31, 2023
SRP: $39.95
Aahz is a powerful wizard from another dimension who’s been stripped of his magic. Skeeve is his untried apprentice. Together they must stop a powerful madman who’s determined to destroy the universe. This fast paced, witty, comic adaptation of the popular novel by award-winning author Robert Asprin has long been out of print. It is fondly remembered and eagerly sought after by longtime fans of Asprin and artist Phil Foglio. Inked by Tim Sale, (his first professional job!) who adds the stylish detail and rich atmosphere that has made him a fan favorite.
7. The Stairway to Rock Heaven’s Got Some Steps Missing For These Kids
Mike Norton (who cut his artistic teeth on Sean McKeever’s The Waiting Place) doing another teen book? Sold. Teaming up with past collaborator Rafer Roberts? Sold. Throw in garage band/youth in revolt antics? Sold. Oh, and rampaging monsters? SOLD!
ROCK GODS OF JACKSON TENNESSEE OGN
Written by Rafer Roberts
Art by Mike Norton!
Published by Dark Horse Comics
In Shops: Jun 7, 2023
SRP: $19.99
It’s 1989 and Marty Ward-Jackson, Tennessee’s number one juvenile delinquent-never wanted to join the Rock Gods. After all, who wants to play with nerds like Jonny, Lenny, and Doug? But after the high schoolers stumble into the gig of a lifetime-opening for local rock legend Tommi Tungstun-the four outcasts must put aside their differences and play together if they want to achieve their dreams of fame, freedom, and popularity. Standing in these future superstars’ way are: their parents, their teachers, a school full of jerks and bullies, a townful of bad bosses, sanctimonious preachers, and corrupt politicians, each other, and a rampaging horde of mutated monsters tearing through Jackson and eating everything in their path. Wait. Monsters?!?!
6. This Ain’t Yer Mamma’s Nancy!
….and yet, it’s ain’t not your mamma’s Nancy. (English teachers everywhere are shuddering to themselves over that sentence, I can feel it.)
Jaimes’ tenure on the strip has been one of the best cases of bringing an older generation’s property into a new and modern era. It keeps all the Ernie Bushmiller visual language and setting and trappings; nothing is jettisoned for the sake of the ‘kewl’. But Olivia Jaimes really shines when they play with those conventions and also push 4th wall boundaries in ways that we see so many other creators try and fail at. Nancy has been a joy to read since Jaimes took over, and this collection should prove no different.
OLIVIA JAIMES’ NANCY: NANCY WINS AT FRIENDSHIP HC
Written and drawn by Olivia Jaimes
Published by Andres McMeel
In Shops: May 17, 2023
SRP: $12.99
From critically acclaimed cartoonist Olivia Jaimes, this fresh new spin on the beloved comic Nancy will delight young readers. Life is going great for Nancy. She’s enjoying school, having fun with her friends, and has even earned a spot on the Robotics Club. But when the pandemic forces everyone to stay home and go to school online, she develops a bad case of the blues. Fortunately, nothing can keep Nancy’s spirit down for too long-not with her ingenious imagination, epic talent for mischief, and the loyal companionship of friends like Sluggo, Agnes, Esther, Lucy, and her dog, Poochie.
5. Return to Bad House
I know this isn’t a new release per se, but this OGN has been out-of-print for a while so it’s definitely new to a lot of folks. And why only have one Dark Horse OGN on your list (or in your shopping cart) when you can have two? It’s been a few years since I’ve read this but I remember enjoying it as a change-of-pace read. And I would read Carla Speed McNeil’s adaptation of the phone book if she put one out; she’s that good of a cartoonist. Don’t miss this one a second time!
Continued belowBAD HOUSES OGN
Written by Sara Ryan
Art by Carla Speed McNeil
Published by Dark Horse Comics
In Shops: Apr 12, 2023
SRP: $19.99
Lives intersect in the most unexpected ways when teenagers Anne and Lewis cross paths at an estate sale in sleepy Failin, Oregon. Failin was once a thriving logging community. Now the town’s businesses are crumbling, its citizens bitter and disaffected. Anne and Lewis refuse to succumb to the fate of the older generation as they discover-together-the secrets of their hometown and their own families.
4. More Of 2000 AD’s Best
BEST OF 2000 AD V3 TPB
Written & Drawn by Various Creators
Cover by Erica Henderson
Published by Rebellion/2000AD
In Shops: May 10, 2023
SRP: $22.99
Every Best of 2000 AD contains a mix of modern classics and gems from the vault. In each edition you’ll find an explosive new Judge Dredd adventure, fresh essays by prominent popular culture writers, a graphic novel-length feature presentation by global legends and a vintage Dredd case. In this volume: Spend a night on The Graveyard Shift with Judge Dredd; Gordon Rennie and Frazer Irving tune in and drop tab of superpowers before Storming Heaven; get lost in the darkness lying in the belly of the good ship Leviathan from Ian Edginton and D’Israeli. Boasting brand new covers from an all-star line-up of artists including Erica Henderson and Declan Shalvey with designer Tom Muller, Best of 2000 AD is the essential gateway into the Galaxy’s Greatest Comic.
3. Last Dance For Salome…
I know zero about this other than it looks neat and comes from Fantagraphics, but how wrong can you go with “absurdist, psychedelic crime fantasy”? Not wrong at all, I say!
SALOME’S LAST DANCE HC
Written and Drawn by Daria Tessler
Published by Fantagraphics Books
In Shops: May 10, 2023
SRP: $19.99
An absurdist, psychedelic crime fantasy / graphic novella from an acclaimed artist and printmaker. The Astounding Magnus has been hypnotizing audiences at the Feedbag cocktail bar with his resplendent dancing dog act, Salome, and her “Serpentine Dance of the Seven Veils.” Yet despite his success, the pearl of life has lost its luster for Magnus. He visits the psychologist, Dr. Silkini, who promises to massage Magnus’s id into a higher dimension: the pearly gates of full life satisfaction. Meanwhile, Salome’s crowd-pleasing performances have attracted unwanted attention from sinister forces who want to know the dog’s secret.Daria Tessler’s new graphic novella, Salome’s Last Dance, showcases her phenomenal talent for incorporating elements of collage and pen-and-ink illustration to create a beautifully phantasmagoric experience under the guise of an absurdist, psychedelic fantasy (including an extended visual tour de force depicting a hallucinogenic tea trip), one that favorably compares to Yellow Submarine or the comics of Jim Woodring. Tessler’s rich ear for language and sharp sense of humor also liven every inventively stunning page of Salome’s Last Dance. Born in Finland, Daria Tessler is a cartoonist and printmaker based in Portland, OR. Her books include Cult of the Ibis, Loop of the Sun, and Music of Changes. She also creates silkscreen prints, stationary, and more that can be found on her website animalsleepstories.com.
2. It’s Not Just About Clacking Coconuts Together!
I adore Scott Chantler’s work, and put him in the same all-ages category as Chris Schweizer and Stan Sakai. I started with his OGNs Northwest Passage and Two Generals, but his Three Thieves book series is a real treat as well. Can’t wait for this to get here!
SQUIRE & KNIGHT V1 OGN
Written & Drawn by Scott Chantler
Published by First Second Books
In Shops: May 10, 2023
SRP: $22.99
In this first volume of a duology, a young squire tackles mysteries, monsters, and magic, but the inept knight he serves takes the credit. Every time.
Squire is brainy, bookish, and terribly under-appreciated by his boss, the brawny, inept knight, Sir Kelton, who somehow always gets all the glory. So, when the two mis-matched heroes find themselves in a cursed village, plagued by a demonic dragon, Kelton rides off to slay it, and Squire stays behind to catch up on some reading. But Squire starts to notice that something isn’t quite right about this town . . . can he uncover its strange secrets?
Scott Chantler’s prolific pen has inked a fantastic world with a compelling mystery. With characters that are relatable and dynamic, Squire & Knight is an instant classic that will enthrall readers.
1. The Road to Recovery
For all the spaceships and aliens, swords and sorcery, capes and cowls thst show up on this list month after month, I do try and leave some space for more grounded fare. So when this popped onto my radar, I knew it would have a spot here. I like celebrated cartoonists, I like funny, I like absurd, and I like seeing folks overcome adversity. Seems like this is a nice marriage of all that and more.
Continued belowIMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE OGN
Written & Drawn by Julia Wertz
Published by Black Dog & Leventhal
In Shops: May 10, 2023
SRP: $30.00
In her keenly observed graphic memoir, celebrated cartoonist Julia Wertz chronicles her haphazard attempts at sobriety and the relentlessly challenging, surprisingly funny, and occasionally absurd cycle of addiction and recovery. Opening at the culmination of a disastrous trip to Puerto Rico, Julia stands stupefied in the middle of the jungle beside a rental Jeep she’s just crashed. From this moment, the story flashes back to the beginning of her five-year journey towards sobriety that includes group therapy sessions, relapses, an ill-fated relationship, terrible dates, and an unceremonious eviction from her New York City apartment. Impossible People portrays the lesser told but more common story of addiction: That the road to recovers is not always linear.
Be sure to let us know what books YOU’RE excited for in the Comments section
