Hello and welcome to Multiversity’s look at the “Best of the Rest” of what’s coming your way in the now-available February 2015 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 couple of quick asides:
First off, a huge thanks to Vince Ostrowski for handing over the column reins. Those are some big shoes to fill, to be sure!
And second, 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. Israeli Autobio
I was going to say I’m judging this book by just its cover (which I like), but then I checked out some of Hanuka’s strips on his website so I can’t say that anymore. While the rest of his work doesn’t quite have the rendering that cover does, it more than makes up for it in emotional conveyance. And incidentally, emotional doesn’t automatically mean ‘sad’, as his capturing his daughter’s tantrum as transforming her face into a demon’s visage delivering a point-blank yawp into daddy’s ear had me laughing out loud. But it doesn’t automatically NOT mean sad, either. Hanuka draws on real life, which gives you both ends at the same time.
The Realist
Written and Illustrated by Asaf Hanuka
Published by BOOM! / ArchaiaWhat’s To Love: Asaf Hanuka, in a very short period of time, has become one of comics’ most critically acclaimed and sought-after creators. His autobiographical webcomic, The Realist, began winning awards shortly after its launch, including a Gold Medal from The Society of Illustrators.
What It Is: Acclaimed Israeli cartoonist Asaf Hanuka’s weekly strips unfold an emotional autobiography full of humor and melancholy, wild imagination, and quiet desperation. Collected for the first time in English and including never-before-collected strips, The Realist delivers both honesty and whimsy from a master of his craft. With echoes of R. Crumb and Daniel Clowes, Hanuka moves readers with his depictions of everyday life, commenting on everything from marriage to technology to social activism through intimate moments of triumph and failure.
9. Bloodshot Reborn #1
Bloodshot has been a character I shouldn’t have cared about or given the time of day, but in the current Valiant universe, that hasn’t been the case at all. But what really got me psyched about this series, besides the art, was Lemire’s mention of eschewing from the more action-oriented path the character’s been on and heading for something closer to a noir/True Detective bent. I’m in!
Continued belowBloodshot Reborn #1
Written by Jeff Lemire
Illustrated by Mico Suayan and Jeff Lemire
Published by Valiant ComicsFrom New York Times best-selling writer Jeff Lemire (THE VALIANT, Green Arrow) and red-hot rising star Mico Suayan (HARBINGER, Moon Knight), VALIANT NEXT delivers an all-new ongoing series for Valiant’s most unrelenting hero!
Bloodshot’s nanites made him a nearly unstoppable killing machine. His enhanced strength, speed, endurance, and healing made him the perfect weapon, and he served his masters at Project Rising Spirit – a private contractor trafficking in violence – very well.
Now, Bloodshot is a shadow of his former self. He lives in self-imposed exile, reeling from the consequences of his past life and the recent events that nearly drove him mad. But when a rash of shootings by gunmen who appear to look just like Bloodshot begin, his guilt will send him on a mission to stop the killers, even if it means diving headlong into the violence that nearly destroyed him.
8. Plague-Carrying WWII Robotic Zombie Sharks
Sold. That was the first line of the shoutout bulletin in Previews for this collection, and I’m 1000% on board. I know absolute zero about this book other than that and that its manga, but you know what? That’s enough.
Gyo
Written and Illustrated by Junji Ito
Published by Viz Media, LLCThe floating smell of death hangs over the island. What is it? A strange, legged fish appears on the scene… So begins Tadashi and Kaori’s spiral into the horror and stench of the sea. Here is the creepiest masterpiece of horror manga ever from the creator of Uzumaki, Junji Ito. Hold your breath until all is revealed. Something’s rotten in Okinawa…
7. Daughter of the Archie Revolution
Archie’s next superhero relaunch looks like a winner to me. Christopher and Wendig (man, I want to put an “o” on the end of that name so bad!!!) don’t seem to have done very much comics work at all prior to this, but they have done other writing, and I trust Archie’s judgment in letting them handle this new incarnation of their patriotic hero. Plus that suit design is great. Goes right in line with those new looks for Batgirl, Spider-Gwen (sorry, Mike), and Spider-Woman as being practical, flattering, and badass simultaneously.
The Shield #1
Written by Adam Christopher and Chuck Wendig
Illustrated by David Williams and Gary Martin
Published by Archie Comics/Dark CircleNew ongoing series from Dark Circle! “Daughter of the Revolution,” Part 1. Since the dawn of the republic, whenever her country faces its blackest days, she returns: a spirit of the revolution sent to fight for what is right. But when she reappears for the first time in a generation with no memories — not even of her own identity — and encounters an evil force expecting her arrival, all the Shield can do is run!
6. They’re back!
The next collection of one of the best superhero book on the stands, “Copra: Round Two” finishes the first arc of the series in a way that only a creator giving everything and leaving nothing on the table can do. With the issues long out-of-print, these Bergen Street collections are the only way to get your hands on these comics. Like a modern band reinterpreting a mainstream pop hit from the 1980’s, “Copra” reveals not only the underlying strength of the original concept, but Fiffe’s talent in making it new and relevant to today’s readers.
COPRA: Round Two
Written and Illustrated by Michel Fiffe
Published by Bergen Street PressGenocide ain’t a pretty thing to see. But there’s no time to mourn when your face is at the edge of the gun. Scared, desperate, and alone, Copra’s gonna clear their name in a brutal reckoning with the forces that screwed them over and sold them out. Will hate be enough? This is it: Copra: Round Two, the second volume of Michel Fiffe’s unmatched juggernaut of self-published violence.
5. Godzilla Meets “Lockup”
Whether he’s teaming up with Gene Ha and Alan Moore on “Top Ten”, doing his own thing on “Heck”, or making the complicated concepts of genetics and DNA as plain as day with Mark Schultz and Kevin (no relation) Cannon in “The Stuff of Life”, Zander Cannon is someone to keep on your radar. And when your radar picks up a giant-monster-sized blip like “Kaijumax”, you preorder that bad boy as soon as you can. Prison life for giant monsters! Could be like The Shawshank Redemption, could be like Escape From Alcatraz, could be like Prison Break, could be like nothing we’ve ever seen!
Continued belowKaijumax #1
Written and Illustrated by Zander Cannon
Published by Oni PressWelcome to Kaijumax, where the worst of the worst monsters are safely locked away from the human world, whether they be villains, anti-heroes, eco-parables, or nuclear metaphors. Electrogor is ripped away from his family and struggles to determine whom to trust, which gangs to avoid, and when to take on the big man to show you aren’t to be trifled with. Also: the nation of Mecha!
4. Find Out Why We Named One Of Our Most Prestigious Awards After Him
Spoiler: it’s because the man was a genius. And while the title of this biography emphasizes his comedic acuity, it’s worth remembering that he was an all-around comic master. Some of the best war stories ever told in sequential art came from Kurtzman’s pencil and typewriter in those EC books. I’m sure this book will touch on that enough for context, but it looks like the ‘humor in a jugular vein’ is getting the spotlight here. And rightly so. My bookshelf has a 644-page-sized gap in it in the Kurtzman section that needs filling…
Harvey Kurtzman: The Man Who Created MAD And Revolutionized Comedy In America
Written by Bill Schelly
Published by FantagraphicsHarvey Kurtzman created MAD, and MAD revolutionized humor in America. Kurtzman’s groundwork as the original editor, artist, and sole writer of MAD provided the foundation for one of the greatest publishing successes of the 20th century. But how did Kurtzman invent MAD, and why did he leave it shortly after it burst nova-like onto the American scene? Bill Schelly’s heavily researched biography finally and fully answers these question for the first time. Through fresh interviews with Kurtzman’s colleagues, friends and family, including Hugh Hefner, Al Feldstein, James Warren, R. Crumb, Jack Davis, Gilbert Shelton, and many others, and an examination of Kurtzman’s personal archives, this book tells the true story of one of the 20th century’s greatest humorists. His family life, an FBI investigation during the McCarthy Era, his legal battles with William M. Gaines (publisher of MAD), all are revealed for the first time. Rich with anecdotes, from Kurtzman’s Brooklyn beginnings to his post-MAD years, when his ceaseless creativity produced more innovations: new magazines, a graphic novel, and “Little Annie Fanny” in Playboy.
3. A Bug’s Life
As comics gain acceptance with parents and teachers, it’s becoming more and more obvious that comics can be wonderful teaching tools. One of the creators making comics that prove this fact is Dr. Jay Hosler. His “Clan Apis” is a great story that happens to also be very educational, and this new book looks to be striking the same balance of wonderful cartooning and informative storytelling.
Last of the Sandwalkers
Written and Illustrated by Jay Hosler
Published by First SecondNestled in the grass under the big palm tree by the edge of the desert there is an entire civilization–a civilization of beetles. In this bug’s paradise, beetles write books, run restaurants, and even do scientific research. But not too much scientific research is allowed by the powerful elders, who guard a terrible secret about the world outside the shadow of the palm tree. Lucy is not one to quietly cooperate, however. This tiny field scientist defies the law of her safe but authoritarian home and leads a team of researchers out into the desert. Their mission is to discover something about the greater world…but what lies in wait for them is going to change everything Lucy thought she knew. Beetles are not the only living creatures in the world. Deftly combining suspenseful adventure storytelling with the principles and tools of scientific inquiry, entomologist and cartoonist Jay Hosler has created in Last of the Sandwalkers a tale that satisfies and fascinates even the most bug-averse among us.
2. A Chip Off One Huge Block Of A Book
Back in 2010, Taschen put out “75 Years of DC Comics”, a literal coffee table of a book written by Paul Levitz about…well, you can probably guess that. Seriously, you could glue some legs on this thing and serve drinks on it. But that tome’s 720 pages weren’t enough to contain the breadth & scope of that company’s output to everyone’s satisfaction, so Taschen is breaking each of the four Ages into their own book. They do GORGEOUS work at making these things real artifacts in their own right, and Levitz’s original book racked up an Eisner award, so don’t miss this chance to get even more historical goodness!
Continued belowThe Bronze Age of DC Comics
Written by Paul Levtiz
Published by TaschenOn December 15, 1978, the dreams of generations of American children finally came true. “You’ll believe a man can fly,” read the posters and billboards for the blockbuster film Superman. With an undeniable mass appeal, it cemented the role of the superhero as America’s most enduring archetype, and the comic book as one of the country’s most significant native art forms. That art form, however, was already moving in a new direction. Influenced by the emergence of underground comics and shifting political tides, DC’s line of comics was increasingly aimed at adults, and sold in comic book shops, rather than on newsstands. Socially relevant subjects such as drug addiction, racism, and women’s rights had entered the mainstream, and comics weren’t just for kids anymore. The Bronze Age of DC Comics includes an original interview with Green Lantern/Green Arrow writer Denny O’Neil.
1. Artist? Artisan? What’s the difference?
Between 75 and 100 bucks, probably. But before we get to that, there’s Scott Dunbier’s latest assassination attempt against my bank account. I used to hold some comfort in the fact that I could probably skip a few of these Artist Editions because the chances of them picking creators I admired enough to plunk down the money several months in a row were pretty slim. But all these Kirby books are KILLING me…
Written and Illustrated by Jack Kirby
Published by IDWJack Kirby’s most beloved creation is now an extraordinary Artist’s Edition, collecting six complete issues of Kamandi: 1, 2, 5, 6, 7 and 9, as well as covers and extras. There is no better way to view the magic of King Kirby than in the one and only Artist’s Edition format—reserve your copy early!
•What is an Artist’s Edition?
•AN ARTIST’S EDITION PRESENTS COMPLETE STORIES WITH EACH PAGE SCANNED FROM THE ACTUAL ORIGINAL ART.
•While appearing to be in black & white, each page has been scanned in COLOR to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for example, you are able to clearly see paste-overs, blue pencils in the art, editorial notes, art corrections. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.
•Advance solicited for a May release!
•Kamandi lives in a world populated by intelligent, talking animals—everything from lions to bats to whales, all are the inheritors of this strange new world—except for mankind…people are now the animals!
•”Kamandi by Jack Kirby was my favorite comic when I was 9 years old, and I’m thrilled to see it as an Artist’s Edition!”—Scott Dunbier
…Which is why everyone needs to buy the hell out of them, so IDW will reprint them in this new, more-affordable Artisan Edition format and I can buy one and pay rent the same month. Seriously. I picked up the Wally Wood book and helped it go out-of-print so they’re reprinting it more affordably (you’re welcome), so help me out here.
Written by Al Feldstein, Harvey Kurtzman, and more
Illustrated by Wally Wood
Published by IDWIntroducing a new format within the Artist’s Edition brand—the Artisan Edition! Softcover format, 8 x 12 inches, but still collecting complete stories that are all painstakingly scanned from the original art. If you have been holding off exploring the wonderful world of Artist’s Edition, this is the perfect place to begin!
•Introducing the IDW Artisan Edition line! Reprinting hard-to-find Artist’s Editions in a new affordable trade paperback format! Only certain Artist’s Editions will be reprinted in this format, and no more than two books will be done per year. Get in on the ground floor now!
•Advance solicited for May release!
•The Wally Wood EC Comics Artist’s Edition was a huge critical and commercial success, selling out two printings in record time!
Well, that was fun! Be sure to check out next week’s Robots From Tomorrow Previews episode, 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.
