Hello and welcome to Multiversity’s look at the “Best of the Rest” of what’s coming your way in the now-available October 2016 Previews catalog. Having already taken a look at what Marvel, Dark Horse, DC, and Image have lined up for us, it’s now time to check out the other 75% of the catalog. Before we jump into the things you should keep an eye out for, a quick reminder:
As one-half of the Robots From Tomorrow podcast, I go through the whole Previews catalog each and every month with co-host Mike Romeo, talking about things that catch our eye and quicken our pulse. If you listen to those episodes, you should still read this column because there will not be a 100% overlap, and if you don’t listen to those episodes, they are a great way to hear Mike & I go into further detail about some of the things I’ve spotlighted here.
That said, let’s dive in!
10. RED DAWN!
The previous series in what has become the “Divinity” saga showed up on this list back in February, and part three makes an appearance for the same reasons: Kindt and Hairsine doing intriguing and accessible sci-fi work at a publisher that gives them the latitude to do so. Plus, it seems like this go around gives the Valiant-verse a Soviet makeover, and Im a sucker for the Soviet design aesthetic now that we’re no longer in relative danger of getting nuked by them. So dive in, comrades!
DIVINITY III: STALINVERSE #1
Written by Matt Kindt
Illustrated by Trevor Hairsine
Published by Valiant EntertainmentEarth has a new god. The world you know is gone. Welcome to the Stalinverse, comrade.
9. WALLY’S WORLD…AGAIN!
This appears to be a resolicit of the Wallace Wood book from late last year that never came out, so I will direct you back there to get started on my reasons for picking this. New for 2016 is that it appears to have been expanded into two volumes because one simply would not contain all the awesome Wood-ness. So we’ve got THAT going for us, which is nice.
THE LIFE AND LEGEND OF WALLACE WOOD: VOLUME 1 HC
Written by Bhob Stewart & Michael C. Catron
Illustrated by Wallace Wood
Published by Fantagraphics BooksWho was Wallace Wood? The maddest artist of Mad magazine? The man behind Marvel’s Daredevil? The self-publishing pioneer of Witzend? With a life as dramatic as his compositions, many fans know the legendary artist, but few know the man inside. Until now. The Life and Legend of Wallace Wood is an incisive look back at the life and career of one of the greatest and most mythic figures of cartooning. Edited over the course of thirty years by former Wood assistant Bhob Stewart, The Life and Legend of Wallace Wood is a biographical portrait, generously illustrated with Wood’s gorgeous art as well as little seen personal photos and childhood ephemera. Also: remembrances by Wood’s friends, colleagues, assistants, and loved ones. This collective biographical and critical portrait explores the humorous spirit, dark detours, and psychological twists of a gifted maverick in American pop culture. Contributions by Bill Gaines, Grant Geissman, Larry Hama, Paul Kirchner, Trina Robbins, John Severin, Tom Sutton, Al Williamson and more!
8. WTF!?! FIRST HELLBOY, THEN CEREBUS, NOW…MICKEY???
With Disney owning Marvel Comics, and IDW having a lock on the Disney comics license, I was frankly surprised to see yet ANOTHER company putting out licensed Disney comics. and yet, here we are. Before I even read anything about this book (also available in softcover), the cover alone had me thinking this was some type of Air Pirates-esque parody. Mickey in Hell, as it were. I’d gather from the creators involved that Papercutz is bringing over some more of that European Disney material, and it was they that had the idea for a retelling of Dante’s Inferno with The Mouse. Which is cool. But that cover, tho…
Continued belowDISNEY GREAT PARODIES VOL. 1 HC: MICKEY’S INFERNO
Written by Guido Martina
Illustrated by Angelo Bioletto
Published by PapercutzImagine if you will, a satirical retelling of Dante Aligheri’s Inferno starring Mickey Mouse. This is the very first of the world-famouse, er, famous Great Parodies featuring classic Disney stars in outrageous spoofs of the world’s greatest stories.
7. MERRY NIGHTMARE-INDUCING MELODIES!
From an innocent comic that just looks horrific, we shift over to a horrific comic that looks innocent. Al Columbia’s work is just on another level from everyone else, and that might just be because every else is freaked out by it. The less you know about this book going in to it, the better. But just know that the words “horror” and “dread” used below are completely apt descriptions of what Columbia brings to this work.
PIM & FRANCIE GOLDEN BEAR DAYS HC
Written & Illustrated by Al Columbia
Published by Fantagraphics BooksOriginally published in 2010, Pim & Francie is a cult classic and the only collection of Al Columbia’s work to be published. Collecting more than a decade’s worth of comic strips, animation stills, storybook covers, and much more, this broken jigsaw puzzle of a book tells the story of a pair of childlike imps whose antics get them into horrific, fantastic trouble. Columbia’s brilliant, fairy-tale-like backdrops hint at dread lurking under every gingerbread house and behind every sunny afternoon, all told with a wicked sense of humor.
6. UNTOLD TALES OF JESUS!
Whether you follow it religiously or sarcastically, you would be hard-pressed to disagree with calling the Bible “the Good Book” simply because of the number of spinoffs and alternate takes the work has inspired. From Crumb’s “Genesis” to Gilbert Hernandez’s “Garden of Flesh” to Wheeler & Russell’s earlier collaboration (offered again with “Apocrypha Now” in a sweet slipcase this month), the word of the Judeo-Christian God does provide a plentiful bounty in terms of cartoonist fodder. And now, with this book, we’re getting takes on material deemed too outrageous for a book where entire cities are wiped off the Earth by angels on a mission from an invisible man in the sky? Hallelujah!
APOCRYPHA NOW!
Written by Mark Russell
Illustrated by Shannon Wheeler
Published by IDW/Top ShelfMark Russell & Shannon Wheeler’s faithful-yet-irreverent approach to the Bible made their book GOD IS DISAPPOINTED IN YOU a modern cult classic. Now, by popular demand, they turn their attention to the best parts left out of the canonical Bible, including the Midrash, the Apocrypha, Gnostic Gospels, and more! And if you thought the BIBLE had some weird stuff in it. . .
5. WHAT’S WRONG WITH BEING SEXY?
My understanding and appreciation of the European comics landscape isn’t where I’d like it to be, but it is growing, and its books like this that help shed new light on this corner of the comics landscape. None, or very few, of Crepax’s works are availble both in print and in English, so kudos to Fantagraphics for continuing to correct that oversight. And I feel that Crepax, like a lot of artists who focus primarily on the areas of eroticism and erotic tones, tends to be dismissed unfairly as being “only” good for certain types of appreciation. In the same way that Milo Manara caught a lot of flak as a “bad artist” from the comics blogosphere when his Spider-Woman variant cover appeared simply because the subject matter was inappropriate for the intended audience for that pre-existing character. The actual rendition and craftsmanship of the piece itself was clearly done by a skillful artist. Same with Crepax. Don’t let his being labeled as an ‘erotic’ artist make you pass up the technique and craft on display in his work.
THE COMPLETE CREPAX: THE TIME EATER AND OTHER STORIES HC
Written & Illustrated by Guido Crepax
Published by Fantagraphics BooksThis science-fiction-themed second volume of our complete Guido Crepax library features two more of the famed Italian erotic artist’s heroines, Marianna and Belinda, in addition to the fabled Valentina. Reproduced in a lush, oversized format and also including contextual essays about the cartoonist, The Time Eater more than lives up to the critical reception of our first volume of The Complete Crepax.
4. QUITE THE POV!
I haven’t gotten around to reading “Golem” yet, but I don’t need to in order to see that this artbook for Lorenzo Ceccotti (aka LRNZ) is something I can’t pass up. Two reasons spring to mind. Reason the first? It’s a book put out by Magnetic Press, who know how to do great books (in the physical-product sense if nothing else) and have a wonderful eye for talent. Reason the second? Look at the list of peers! Being placed in company like that might as well put a sign on this book saying “Don’t Ask! Just Buy It!”
Continued belowVIEWPOINT HC
Illustrated by Lorenzo Ceccotti
Published by Magnetic PressLRNZ (penname of artist and designer Lorenzo Ceccotti) has made waves throughout the different fields of visual art around the world, from feature film concept design to animation direction to his first celebrated graphic novel Golem. His unique style blends influence from around the world, from Japanese Manga masters, Italian Renaissance greats, and Western Graphic Design icons. From expressive, comic-style line-art to detailed, passionate oil painting, his work sets him apart within a peer group of worldclass masters such as Terada, Moebius, Otomo, Bilal, Darrow, Madureira, Steranko, Sienkiewicz, and Stout. Viewpoint is the first comprehensive art book celebrating this contemporary superstar, collecting a wide variety of his work from the past 8 years.
3. SP4RX WILL FLY!
I know I’ve mentioned this before, but I have a soft spot for not only science fiction, but science fiction done with an independent voice. Possibly because of FX and world-building cost, sci-fi in movies and television tends to be larger budget and (therefore) hueing to a similar aesthetic and type of storytelling in order to not alienate its audience and not making back its budget costs. But in comics, cost is essentially irrelevant. So you can get off-beat science fiction tales from cartoonists who don’t have a Byrne-esque flair for slick tech or who just want to use science-fiction trappings to tell a smaller or more personal story (see Sophie Goldstein’s award-winning “The Oven” or Francois Vignault’s “Titan”, just to name a few off the top of my head). McDonald seems to be coming from a similar place artistically as Goldstein or Paul Grist or Tom Gault, but not shying away from territory friendly to a large-budget mainstream film. Looks intriguing!
SP4RX HC
Written & Illustrated by Wren McDonald
Published by Nobrow PressSP4RX, a young hacker who lives off grid, hacks into corporations and sells stolen data to wealthy buyers on the black market – just your average thief. Mega corporation Structus Industries introduces a welfare program called the “Elpis Program”, which allows the working class to apply for Cybernetic implants to make workers more efficient. On the surface, it seems like a program to empower the poor and allow them to rise to the ranks of the elite. But SP4RX soon discovers all is not as it seems. SP4RX and Structus are set on a collision course with the fate of humanity at stake in Wren McDonald’s sci-fi tale of survival and corruption!
2. WUVABLE DEATH-METAL FIRE-BREATHING KITTIES!
Having the new “Wuvable Oaf” collection on this month’s list makes it the second time Ed Luce’s series has made an appearance in a Soliciting Multiversity column. To celebrate, let’s look back at what DC3 co-host Vince Ostrowski said about the series back in 2014 (which I agree with and I’m certain still applies to this new book):
“On the premise alone, “Wuvable Oaf” seems totally up my alley. Progressive, daring, goofy, musically-inclined, and totally adorable all at the same time. I’ve seen bits and pieces of “Wuvable Oaf” on the interwebs and I’ve been waiting to get it all in one package for a while now. The thing I like best about the comic is that, although it seems to have a sprawling story to it (one I haven’t read yet), there is all sorts of non-sequitor humor in it that will make you chuckle out of context too.”
WUVABLE OAF: BLOOD & METAL HC
Written and Illustrated by Ed Luce
Published by Fantagraphics BooksFollowing the wildly popular Wuvable Oaf debut comes this full-color sequel! Blood and Metal collects a number of Oaf short stories celebrating Ed Luce’s love of all things wrestling/metal/queercore to create an immersive environment recalling Scott Pilgrim, Love and Rockets, and Archie. Also featuring tales of Oaf’s formative childhood years, and much more
1. LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED
If you buy nothing else on this month’s list, please buy this book. Buy multiple copies if you can. Not only are you getting one hell of a creative line-up doing excellent comicbooking behind that great cover, but ALL the proceeds go to helping people affecting by the recent Orlando mass shooting. We vote with our wallets all the time, showing our support for this particular creator or that particular property in our little slice of escapist entertainment. But with “Love is Love”, we get a chance to have that vote mean so much more, to fight the closest thing to super-villainy we have in this world: ignorance-fueled hate.
Continued belowLOVE IS LOVE
Written by Phil Jimenez, Cat Staggs, Steve Orlando, Dennis Cowen, Paul Dini, Ming Doyle, Brian Michael Bendis, Emma Vicelli, Ed Luce, Kieron Gillen, VariousIllustrated by Phil Jimenez, Cat Staggs, Steve Orlando, Dennis Cowen, Paul Dini, Ming Doyle, Brian Michael Bendis, Emma Vicelli, Ed Luce, Kieron Gillen, Jay Edidin, Various
Published by IDW Publishing
The comic book industry comes together to honor those killed in Orlando this year. From IDW Publishing, with assistance from DC Entertainment, this oversize comic contains moving and heartfelt material from some of the greatest talents in comics – – mourning the victims, supporting the survivors, celebrating the LGBTQ community, and examining love in today’s world.
All material has been kindly donated, from the creative to the production, with ALL PROCEEDS going to the victims, survivors and their families via EQUALITY FLORIDA.
Be a part of an historic comics event! It doesn’t matter who you love. All that matters is that you love.
• Featuring an introduction by the project’s organizer, Marc Andreyko!
• Featuring contributions from some of the biggest names in comics!
Well, that was fun! Be sure to check out the Robots From Tomorrow October Previews episode coming soon and hear us talk about these books and a whole lot more. And let me know what books YOU’RE excited for in the comments section.
