It has been a busy old week on the graphic novels front. Following on from a whole new batch of DC titles added to our pre-orders (blogged here) we’ve added new pre-orders for Marvel, Image and Fantagraphics all in the last few days, so there’s a pretty darn diverse range of titles on there to suit pretty much everyone. Among Marvel’s December releases is the first fruits of their recently announced collaboration with Dabel Brothers as they release a premiere hardback edition of the Hedge Knight.
This is adapted from the works of the hugely bestselling fantasy author George R R Martin and is a highly enjoyable read. If you are mostly an SF&F reade who only occassionally dabbles in comics then it is a nice easy way to ease yourself into the medium while if you are mostly a comics fiend and have been wondering why the rest of us keep going on about writers like George then this is a painless way for you to experience his world. Also for George R R Martin fans a rather splendid collection of many of his shorter works and novellas, nicely illustrated, has just hit the shelves in the shape of Dreamsongs: a RRetrospective.
Also among Marvel’s Yuletide releases is a hardback Moon Knight collection by another acclaimed novelist, this time writer Charlie Huston (who coincidentally also has a new vampire novel coming out from Orbit in a few months). The Marvel Visionaries series offers us a collection by the great John Buscema, there’s a handsome hardback of the pivotal Avengers Disassembled and a very tasty-looking Wolverine by Claremont and Miller which should get fans twitching.
Image has also released their schedule for December, which includes a collection of Joseph Michael Linsner’s Angry Christ Comix, the first volume of Occult Crimes Taskforce, part-written by the lucious Hollywood actress Rosario Dawson, star of Sin City, Alexander and the recent Clerks II. The OCT is a special department of the NYPD which deals with the odd and the supernatural threats to the Big Apple’s citizens and if the central heroine Sophia Ottiz looks familiar that’s because she is modelled on Rosario herself (which is no bad thing in my book and if you disagree I don’t care).
Sticking to a theme of dark, supernatural goings-on we have the Art of the Darkness and Deadworld: Requiem for the World also among Image’s December titles. On a brighter theme there is the paperback of Frank Cho’s funny and sexy Liberty Meadows volume 4: Cold, Cold Heart (Cho manages to mix humour and cartoonish art with downright gorgeously sexy brushwork). On the superhero front a third volume of Paul Grist’s British suphero Jack Staff is in the offing (hurrah, always a good read) while at the other end of the superpowers scale, not to mention price scale is the Complete Invincible Library Volume 1, a massive tome of the terrific Robert Kirkman’s cool superhero.
My gods, but it is a lovely looking collection but it is a heroic price too with the hardback coming in at more than £80 or even more for the signed and numbered version. Both are strictly limited numbers though and Image promise they will not be reprinted once sold, so they are going to be hugely collectable if you can stretch to them (even with our generous discount they are pricey, but so desirable).
One of the best independent comics publishers around, Fantagraphics has an interesting slate for January. 2007 sees the 25th anniversary of Love & Rockets by the Jaime and Gilbert – the great Los Bros Hernandez. The brothers and their creations are without a doubt among the most important and influential in comics from the last couple of decades. Starting early next year Fanta will be releasing the first in a very accessible and affordable series collecting Love & Rockets with Heartbreak Soup collecting the first Palomar series and Maggie the Mechanic covering the start of the Locas run. With such a long history it is a fair bet there are comics fans out there who have either never picked up Love & Rockets, more because they are daunted by the length of the back-history than anything else but knowing it is a series they really should read. Well, not is your chance and I strongly recommend you grab these with both hands. I make no apologies for saying anyone who likes serious comics should have some Los Bros Hernandez on their shelves.
Also due in January are three new entries in Fantagraphics’ Ignatz series; if you haven’t come across these before (why not? we’ve sung their praises many a time!) these are haflway between a prestige comic and a graphic novel. Only 32 pages they are a very affordable way to try out some of the finest comics creators on the independent scene, from all around the world – personally I think they are brilliant. Marco Corona has the second of his Reflections (now in a duotone watercolour style) due (the first one just hit the shelves this week – I have mine safely stashed already) while Spanish artist Marti starts a new Ignatz with Calvario Hills #1; a former contributor to the legendary RAW this is Marti’s first return to English-language comics for a long time and includes a short story of his famous Cabbie series.
Anders Nilsen also has an Ignatz (hurrah) which looks as if it may be quite heavy but very worthwhile, dealing with themes of loss and transformation: The End #1. Such themes are not surprising; Anders also has a new book due this autumn from Drawn & Quarterly entitled Don’t Go Where I Can’t Follow, which follows his relationship with his partner and fellow cartoonist Cheryl Weaver and her decline and death from cancer. Despite this I don’t think this is going to be an especially bleak work and I really do want to read it. A diverse range, from Hollywood stars writing comics to the deeply personal, autobiographical via the classic; something for everyone.
Fri, Sep 22, 2006
Books