previews
Preview: The Activity #2 by Edmondson and Gerads
The Activity
Courtesy of writer Nathan Edmondson (Grifter, Who Is Jake Ellis?), we’re pleased to present a preview of the second issue of The Activity, which goes on sale Jan. 11. Illustrated by Mitch Gerads and published by Image Comics, The Activity debuted this past week and focuses on the U.S Army’s last secret special operations tribe, The Intelligence Support Activity, or Gray Fox. Within Gray Fox is a team of elite men and women whose mission is flexible, whose technology is bleeding edge, and whose execution is precise and lethal. They are Team Omaha, and they serve The Activity.
“After the overwhelming response to issue #1, we’re primed to light the fuse on issue #2, out in just two weeks!” Edmondson said about the preview.
Check out the preview and solicitation text after the jump. You can read more about the series in CBR’s interview with Edmondson about the book.
Preview: Jughead Double Digest #176
Of all the Archie lines, the Jughead comics seem to be the most interesting. I know the main Archie comic has Kevin Keller and Kiss and all that, but the Jughead authors seem to mix things up a bit more and come up with more original story lines.
What struck me about this preview, though, was the art in the first story—it’s very much in the Archie tradition (look at Jughead’s sideways smile in the first panel, below) but somehow more dynamic as well. Penciler Ron Frenz seems to be a longtime Archie artist, so I don’t know why I’m noticing this for the first time, but it really pulled me in. That said, the first page is a bit disturbing; I think it’s the look on Archie’s face that does it. He’s simpering. Archie does not simper, dammit!
Anyway, here is a quick look at two stories from Jughead Double Digest #176; if you like ‘em, the comic goes on sale this week.
Exclusive Preview: Jughead #210
While the Life With Archie magazine is getting a lot of attention, something interesting is going on in the Jughead comic as well. In the current story, written by Craig Boldman, Jughead leaves home after a disagreement with his parents and crashes in the homes of various friends. As I mentioned earlier this year, this storyline shows Jughead being a bit more introspective than we are used to seeing him—just a bit, as every situation is still played for maximum laughs. It all seems to be coming to a head in Jughead #210, when he decides to move in with Trula Twyst, a fellow student with a penchant for pop psychology. The comic comes out next week, but we have an exclusive preview after the jump.
Swastikas removed from Image Comics artwork for December’s Previews
Pigs #6
Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson said on his blog yesterday that the cover for Pigs #6 and an image from Glory #23 include swastikas and thus will not be featured as originally drawn in Diamond’s December Previews. The catalog is distributed in Germany, where the law prohibits the “use of symbols of unconstitutional organisations,” which includes the swastika if used in conjunction with Nazi idealism.
“This is nothing new,” Stephenson wrote. “Swastika-laden images have been prohibited from appearing in publications sold in Germany for decades at this point. I’m not sure I understand what the point is, though. World War II did happen, and Nazis did exist. I understand not wanting to encourage modern day Neo-Nazi groups, but censorship isn’t a particularly effective weapon against hate groups of any kind. Plus outlawing specific Nazi iconography seems strangely revisionist, as though it’s best to just not acknowledge the impact that symbol had, or the evil associated with it.”
The law Stephenson refers to is a remnant of the “Denazification” efforts in Germany by the Allies after World War II. Among other initiatives, the Allies sought to remove all symbols of Nazism, such as the swastika, from German culture. In a post written in 2009, when a swastika appeared on a cover for The Boys, German writer Marc-Oliver Frisch noted that the law has an exceptions clause, that it “shall not be applicable if the means of propaganda or the act serves to further civil enlightenment, to avert unconstitutional aims, to promote art or science, research or teaching, reporting about current historical events or similar purposes.” While The Boys issue with the swastika was not distributed in Germany, the German version of Maus, however, uses the original cover art that includes the swastika — but convention posters that used the Maus artwork have also been known to be confiscated by German authorities.
“Now you could argue that the paragraph clearly says that one of the exceptions is a work of art, which comics clearly are,” German blogger Subzero wrote in a post earlier this year. ” Well, not here in Germany and I guess it’s going to take a few decades till somebody here is willing to go to court on that point. In Germany comics don’t have that position.”
The Glory image that will appear in the catalog will not include the symbol, while the Pigs cover will be blurred out, as seen in the above image. You can find the Glory image by artist Ross Campbell, and a larger version of the uncensored Christian Ward-drawn Pigs cover, after the jump.
Preview: Super Pro K.O.! returns for a second fall
Super Pro K.O. Volume 2
The second volume of Jarrett Williams’ awesome wrestling comics, Super Pro K.O.!: Chaos in the Cage, headbutts its way into comic shops today. Courtesy of Oni Press, we’re pleased to present a look at 23 pages from the new volume. Check it out after the jump.
Previews: What looks good for December
The Dare Detectives: The Snow Pea Plot
It’s time once again for our monthly trip through Previews looking for cool, new comics. As usual, we’re focusing on graphic novels, collected volumes, and first issues so that I don’t have to come up with a new way to say, “ Life with Archie is still awesome!” every month. And I’ll continue letting Tom and Carla do the heavy lifting in regards to DC and Marvel’s solicitations.
Also, please feel free to play along in the comments. Tell me what I missed that you’re looking forward to or – if you’re a comics creator – mention your own stuff.
Ape
Richie Rich Gems Winter Special - In addition to their modern-look Richie Rich, Ape has also re-introducied the classic version in both new and reprinted adventures. I missed the solicit for Richie Rich Gems #44 last month (which picked up where the Harvey series left off in 1982), but the series continues with not only the Winter Special, but #45 as well.
Arcana
Dragons vs Dinosaurs - I haven’t had great luck with Arcana’s books in the past, but c’mon. The title alone…
Hero Happy Hour: On the Rocks - This, on the other hand, is no risk at all. I’m a big fan of Dan Taylor and Chris Fason’s superhero bar stories and this is an all-new, 80-page adventure. Not reprints; not even a printed version of the webcomic. It’s all-new and I need it.
Archaia
The Dare Detectives: The Snow Pea Plot Collected Edition – Archaia prepares for their publishing Ben Caldwell’s Dare Detectives: The Kula Kola Caper by re-publishing the first story that was originally put out by Dark Horse.
The Middle Ground #72 | Internet fail, apparently
I’ve written before about my frustration with Previews, the monthly catalog that’s roughly the size of what we used to call “a phone book” — just think, one day phone books won’t exist, and yet we’ll still say that things are “like a phone book,” because that’s how language works — but this weekend, I realized: Previews is still better than the Internet.
Preview: Betty and Veronica’s bikini battle
Those of us in the East Coast Division of Robot 6 have already endured an earthquake, which knocked the pictures on my office walls askew and caused several moments of consternation; now there’s a hurricane pounding its way up the coast towards us. Time for some escape reading! In these previews of B&V Friends Double Digest #217 and Jughead Double Digest #173, both due out next week in comics shops and digital apps everywhere, Betty and Veronica are still at the beach, battling over bikinis, and at the mall, battling with Jughead. Get some bottled water, make sure there are batteries in your flashlight, and settle down for a little light reading!
Preview: Sail the high seas with Betty and Veronica
Another Comic-Con is over, and even those of us who didn’t go are probably suffering convention fatigue from the deluge of news and awesomeness. Time for a break! Here’s a quick preview of B & V Friends Double Digest #216, which is out in comics stores tomorrow — but here at Robot 6 today!
SDCC ’11 | Check out pages from Constant, Scott and James’ Torn
Following up on the interview I posted today, we’re happy to bring you a preview of Torn, the graphic novel by Andrew Constant, Nicola Scott (Birds of Prey, Secret Six) and Joh James (I.C.E., RPM). The pages include the prologue drawn by Scott (who also drew the cover), followed by a sequence of pages drawn by James.
The book is published by Gestalt Comics, who can be found in San Diego at booth #4500-4501. Check out the preview after the jump …
Preview: Archie’s Weird Mysteries
Let’s take a break from the mid-July Comic-Con madness and get into a Halloween mood! Archie’s Weird Mysteries is an Archie trade paperback that compiles stories from the comic of the same name, which was based on the animated Archie’s Weird Mysteries series—writer Paul Castiglia explains the relationship between the comic and the cartoon on his blog, and in a 2009 interview he discusses the challenges of writing Archie horror comics. Of course, this is Riverdale, so the horror is pretty lite. Really, they are just having fun with the conventions of the genre.
Anyway, enjoy a couple of pages of Betty being mildly terrorized after the jump. The book arrives in comics shops next week.
Previews: What looks good for September
Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes
It’s time once again for our monthly trip through Previews looking for cool, new comics. As usual, we’re focusing on graphic novels, collected volumes, and first issues so that I don’t have to come up with a new way to say, “Planet of the Apes is still awesome!” every month. And I’ll continue letting Tom and Carla do the heavy lifting in regards to DC and Marvel’s solicitations.
Also, please feel free to play along in the comments. Tell me what I missed that you’re looking forward to or – if you’re a comics creator – mention your own stuff.
Ape
White Picket Fences: Red Scare and ongoing series - One of my favorite Ape comics is getting collected and then relaunched as an ongoing. I’m a big fan of Micah Farritor’s art in Red Scare, so it’s sad that he won’t be back for the ongoing, but the little kids vs. UFOs concept is ripe enough to keep me interested, particularly in the wake of Super 8.
Archaia
Man, Archaia lays low for a couple of months and then BAM!
Jim Henson’s A Tale of Sand - I saw the presentation on this at C2E2 at it looks amazing. No Muppets, but Henson’s fingerprints are all over it in the surreal, subversive craziness that he’s known for.
Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes - This is an illustrated novel, not a comic, so I debated about including it, but it’s being Planet of the Apes and published by Archaia won out. It’s set during the original movie and covers stuff that we know happened, but didn’t see (the fate of Landon, for instance) as well as working in characters from other movies (like Dr. Milo from Escape from the Planet of the Apes). And when they say it’s illustrated, they’re talking about folks like Jim Steranko, Joe Jusko, and Dave Dorman. This is a must-have.
This year’s Treehouse of Horror comic features Woodring, Wiedlin, Cannon, Ha
Simpsons Treehouse of Horror
Although I stopped watching the show on a regular basis a few seasons back, I try not to miss the Simpsons Treehouse of Horror episode every year that for some reason is typically shown the Sunday after Halloween. I also try not to miss Bongo’s Treehouse of Horror comic special, which seems to go out of its way every year to recruit an interesting array of contributors. The last couple of years have featured everyone from cat and transforming robot cartoonist Jeffrey Brown to Lemmy of Motorhead.
This year is no different, as it features stories by Go-Go/Lady Robotika‘s Jane Wiedlin, Zander Cannon and Gene Ha of Top Ten fame and indie artist Jim Woodring. I’ll be sure to add this to my buy list when it comes out Sept. 28.
Previews announces San Diego Comic Con exclusives
Diamond Comics Distributors announced this week the exclusive comics and merchandise they’ll offer to retailers through their Previews catalog to sell on the floor of the San Diego Comic Con, which is a little more than a month away. Check them out:
DOLLHOUSE EPITAPHS #1 2011 SDCC VERSION
Exclusive original cover! Retailer Bonus: 1 in every 5 copy that is picked up at the SDCC will be signed by the creators Jed Whedon, Andrew Chambliss, & Maurissa Tancharoen! Overwhelmed by multiple personalities after mind-altering technology, Alpha must save mankind from itself as the viral technology turns everyone into murderous automatons. The fate of the world rests in the hands of Psychotic Alpha.
LIMITED TO 2,500 COPIES
Comic SRP: $3.50
Previews | What looks good for August
Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 3
The talk this week’s been focused on September, but let’s not forget that there’s some great stuff coming in August too. It’s time once again for our monthly trip through Previews looking for cool, new comics. As usual, we’re focusing on graphic novels, collected volumes, and first issues so that I don’t have to come up with a new way to say, “Dark Horse Presents is still awesome!” every month. And I’ll continue letting Tom and Carla do the heavy lifting in regards to DC and Marvel’s solicitations.
Also, please feel free to play along in the comments. Tell me what I missed that you’re looking forward to or – if you’re a comics creator – mention your own stuff.
Archaia
Gunnerkrigg Court, Volume 3 - I’ve only read Archaia’s first volume of Tom Siddell’s webcomic about a young girl at a strange school, but I’m eager for more. As much as publishers like to shove series at me telling me they’re going to scratch my Harry Potter itch, this is the only one that’s actually done it.
Boom!
Planet of the Apes, Volume 1 - If the rest of the story is as strong as the first issue, this collection will be well worth having. Likely even better than re-watching some of the PotA movies themselves.
