Judge Bao and the Jade Phoenix

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, “ Wonder Woman 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

Judge Bao and the Jade Phoenix - A detective story set in ancient China. Plus: cool name.

Avatar

Dicks #1 – Garth Ennis and John McCrea’s humor makes my top hat explode and my monocle fly off my face, but I remember this being pretty popular back in the day and I imagine that it’s new presentation in color and leading into a new storyline could make it popular again.

Bongo

Ralph Wiggum Comics #1 – This, on the other hand, is exactly my kind of funny. Kind of like 30 Days of Night, I’m astonished no one’s thought of it before. Too bad it’s just a one-shot, but hearing that Sergio Aragones is one of the contributors makes me want to poke myself with my Viking helmet to see if I’m dreaming.

Terror on the Planet of the Apes #1

Boom!

Terror on the Planet of the Apes #1 – Boom continues its domination of the Planet of the Apes by reprinting classic stories from Marvel’s time with the concept. Between Rise of the Planet of the Apes and Boom’s other PotA comics, I’ve been itching to read these stories.

Adventure Time #1 – As much a welcome no-brainer as Ralph Wiggums Comics. Oh, man. Now I want a crossover!

Dark Horse

Conan the Barbarian #1 – Not only does this have Brian Wood and Becky Cloonan; it also features one of my favorite Conan characters, Bêlit the pirate queen.

BPRD Hell on Earth: The Long Death #1 – The Mignola-verse is managing to come out with some kind of first issue or collected volume just about every month now. That’s amazing. In this mini-series, the team returns to the spooky woods from New World.

Star Wars: Dawn of the Jedi #1 – If this had come out fifteen years ago when I was still voraciously devouring all the Star Wars EU history I could get my hands on, I would’ve been dancing like a Twi’lek slave girl over finally getting the story of how the Jedi came to be. It’s one of the few events in Star Wars history that haven’t yet been explored.

Dark Horse Presents #9 – Featuring Tarzan, Lobster Johnson, and the world’s largest pirate ship. Not in the same story, unfortunately, but still pretty cool.

DC Universe Presents #6

DC

DC Universe Presents #6 – The Challengers of the Unknown take over the title with a beautiful, fantastic cover by Ryan Sook.

Legends of the Dark Knight: Jim Aparo - This isn’t even out yet and I’m already impatient for Volume 2.

Northlanders, Volume 6: Thor’s Daughter - I’ve been looking forward to finally trying out Northlanders with this volume. Telling the story of the Siege of Paris through the eyes of a Viking woman is a great hook.

Dynamite

Warriors of Mars #1 – Edgar Rice Burroughs’ John Carter stories couldn’t be more different in tone from Edwin Lester Arnold’s goofy Lieutenant Gullivar Jones: His Vacation, but the similarities in concepts (Southern soldiers transported to Mars where they fall in love with princesses) has had fans and writers making connections between them for decades, including Alan Moore in League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Now Dynamite’s taking a turn with Carter’s princess (or her people, anyway) kidnapping Gullivar’s.

First Second

Friends With Boys - I’m all for three things: First Second publications, Faith Erin Hicks comics, and stories about people learning to communicate with people unlike themselves. No, wait: four things. Ghost stories.

The Big Town

Fantagraphics

The Big Town - Charles Schulz’ son wrote this novel (the last in his jazz-age trilogy) about the end of the Roaring Twenties and “the role of business, crime, morality, and love in our lives.” It’s not comics, but it sounds ambitious and transporting.

Humanoids

Celestial Bibendum – New York is now on the Seine and there’s a lonely seal named Diego living in it. That’s weird enough that I’d like to know more.

IDW

Road Rage #1 – You might think that the short story “Trucks” was Stephen King’s ultimate homage to the Richard Matheson novella Duel. After all, “Trucks” was collected in Night Shift and King himself directed the movie adaptation of it, Maximum Overdrive featuring Emilio Estevez, AC/DC, and a giant Green Goblin mask. What you might not know is that King also collaborated with his son Joe Hill on a biker-gang novella called Throttle that’s more directly inspired by Duel (which you probably remember was also adapted to film as Stephen Spielberg’s first feature-length project). IDW is now adapting both Duel and Throttle to comics with this four-issue mini-series.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Volume 1: Change is Constant – The first issues of the new, ongoing series are collected.

Jack Avarice is the Courier - I love the way IDW released this mini-series: weekly over the course of a single month, then the entire collection the month after that. I’d love to know how it sold for them, but for me as a consumer, that’s a perfect system.

Thief of Thieves

Image

Thief of Thieves #1 – Some new guys named Robert Kirkman and Nick Spencer team up to write one of those crime comics the kids love these days.

Glory #23 – Rob Liefeld’s Extreme relaunch continues to impress me with the talent it’s choosing. In this case, Joe Keatinge (Popgun) and Ross Campbell (Shadoweyes) offer a very different take on the Wonder Woman archetype.

King City - Brandon Graham’s masterwork is finally collected.

Marvel

Winter Soldier #1 – The closest thing we’re going to get to a Black Widow comic right now.

Ka-Zar by Mark Waid and Andy Kubert, Volume 2 - Ka-Zar vs. Thanos. ‘Nuff said.

Metropolitan

Journalism - A collection of short comics by cartoonist/war-reporter Joe Sacco.

Moonstone

The Lone Ranger: Vendetta - The concealed cowpoke and Tonto investigate a serial killer with possible connections to the Ranger’s dead nemesis, Butch Cavendish.

Rohan at the Louvre (French edition)

NBM

Rohan at the Louvre - A newly famous mangaka meddles with a cursed painting deep in the bowels of the famous museum. This will not end well.

Oni

Sixth Gun, Volume 3 – Trade-waiters have reason to whoop it up now that the next installment of the awesome Weird Western is on its way.

Courtney Crumrin, Volume 1: The Night Things Special Edition – The comic that put Ted Naifeh on so many radars gets color and a hardcover.

SLG

Malleus Maleficarum: A Guide to Catching Witches - Everyone’s favorite Inquisitorial treatise on How to Hunt and Torture Pagans, the Homeless, and Other People You Don’t Like is adapted to comics.

Top Shelf

Harvey Pekar’s Cleveland – One of the last projects Pekar worked on before his death is also – according to Alan Moore’s intro – “one of [his] very greatest works.”

That’s it for me. What are you looking forward to?

But from a creative standpoint? What do you do with the characters in 2011, after their mega-successful first life as black-and-white comics stars from the mid-eighties, their even more successful second life as late-eighties cartoon, toy, movie and marketing juggernauts, and the many, many less successful attempts to rejigger them in various media, with varying levels of success, over the course of the last ten to fifteen years? After all, even if approached as a nostalgia-driven project, there are two very different most-prevalent takes on the characters to try and tap into.

I think IDW probably has the right idea.

They somehow managed to lure  back one of the two creators, Kevin Eastman, after he had been largely absent from the comics for years (His fellow co-creator, Peter Laird, had been heavily involved in the last Mirage series, just previous to the Viacom sale). Eastman is co-writing the new series with Tom Waltz, and co-penciling with artist Dan Duncan, essentially providing layouts for Duncan to finish.

They also chose to start fresh with the narrative instead of picking up where one of the past volumes of the comics left off, or simply rebooting and telling the same old story all over again. There are, so far, some pretty key differences, including a new villain and the fact that the four title characters didn’t all grow up together.

I don’t know how well IDW is serving the many potential TMNT audiences, but I was pretty excited to see a “micro-series” starring Raphael on the stands this week.

During Eastman and Laird’s original, 1984-1993 volume of the series, they published four such micro-series featuring solo stories of the each character, beginning in 1985 with Raphael. Half of them were fairly standalone stories. 1985’s Michaelanglo was a Christmas special, and 1986’s Donatello was an unofficial team-up with Jack Kirby. The others were pretty integral to that volume’s story. In 1986’s Leonardo, for example, Shredder and The Foot Clan return from the first issue to hound the title character back to his home and drive the characters out of New York City to the farm much of the rest of the series would be based at.

And in Raphael, Eastman and Laird introduced Casey Jones, presented as a worse version of the angry, violent Raphael. In his original appearance, Casey Jones was basically a maniac vigilante, beating up muggers with sporting equipment.

Appreciating the nod to the first volume of turtle comics (a nod that includes, among the way-too-many variant covers, transposing Eastman images of the covers for the original special onto the new one), I thought this would be a pretty good time to check in on IDW’s progress with TMNT.

The differences between 1985′s Raphael and 2011′s are dramatic.

Firstly, this is a different creative team than the monthly, with Brian Lynch writing and Franco Urru drawing. Urru’s design for the the Turtles, well, Turtle, seems very much in keeping with Duncan’s, but unlike the Mirage version, it’s by different guys than the series it spins out of.

It’s also in color, which was, of course, to be expected, although ninja turtles in color still strike me as somehow off, like a colorized black-and-white movie. There was a grittiness to the black ink on white paper, and immediacy and urgency that felt in keeping with the 1980s NYC urban setting. The color art, by Fabio Mantovani, is also pretty forceful, in the showy, over-powering style that has become the standard at Marvel and way too many of the non-Big Two companies in the past five years.

There’s a neat stippling effect on Raphael, that gives his skin a reptilian look, but the coloring is extremely effects-heavy, to the point that every square inch has several such effects, so that it all blends together, and nothing pops out. Raphael’s skin has the same look and texture as the rooftops he stands on, for example. Shadow effects on top of the colors make the darkness seem weak compared to the more dramatic, stark black of regular old ink or Crayola-colored solid black.  And luminescent lighting effects are applied to stars, windows, the reflection of light from Raphael’s shell or a new character’s white fur.

The story, like that of the original Raphael, definitely stands alone, with a beginning, middle and end, but it also quite noticeably picks up on a bigger story already in the telling, and ends with a very dramatic, full-page splash cliffhanger with a very 1960’s Marvel technique hinting at the return of the characters’ most well-known villain. It introduces a new character in Alopex, an arctic snow fox mutant, just as the previous Raphael introduced a new character, although in this case its made quite clear she’s meant to stick around.

After the story, in which Raphael and his friend Casey Jones are interrupted from crime patrol/talking about their feelings by the introduction of a new mutant pursued by familiar foes, there are three pages of sketches of the new character by Eastman. The first of these is a full-page one, in which we see the character in Eastman’s familiar, rough style (Is she a fox, or a werewolf, or a rat, like Master Splinter, whom she resembles?). She’s leaping in mid-air, a cityscape of rooftops and chimneys and heavy clouds in the background.

It’s in color, but only just, mostly blue on top of the black ink, with some green, brown and red in Alopex’s clothing to distinguish it from her fur. It’s certainly more finished than the other two pages of more preliminary sketches, but it still looks like the dashed off work of a great artist. It looks drawn, by human hand, and it looks urgent and unmediated.

I wish the rest of comic looked like that. Not necessarily drawn by Eastman, but more like this drawing of his: Drawn by hand, from memory instead of reference, less fussed-over, less-realistic.

Perhaps even more than the characters, I think that’s what I liked most about the original comics, and what I like more about them now when I look back at them, as the production values of mainstream, serial comic book-comics get higher and higher, and the pursuit of realism is coloring and setting becomes more and more prevalent.

I still think IDW’s going about their management of the franchise in the right way, and there’s certainly a lot more right about Raphael than there is wrong, but, as always, I found myself wanting it to be more right.

Or maybe just more like the way I personally want it to look, and to hell with industry trends or what seems to sell these days.

Yeah, that sounds about right. After all, I am a fan.

*And if you think that sai-based headline pun was bad, you shoulda seen the other nine on the list I decided against using.

Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList, and tell us what you’re getting in our comments field.

Action Comics #4

Chris Arrant

If I had $15, I’d start with Image’s new anthology Thought Bubble Anthology #1 (Image, $2.99). That Becky Cloonan cover is great, and seeing that the book holds new shorts from Andy Diggle, Duncan Fegredo and others is enticing. Next up would be a DC three-pack: Swamp Thing #4 (DC, $2.99), Animal Man #4 (DC, $2.99), Action Comics #4 (DC, $3.99). DC really wins this week when it comes to my wallet, and these three books are becoming the key titles in the New 52.

If I had $30, I’d try out Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson’s Defenders #1 (Marvel, $3.99). While I was nonplussed by their previous collaboration in Uncanny X-Men, I remain high on other segments of their work and hope this one lives up to that potential. Next up would be X-Club #1 (Marvel, $2.99), based solely on this eclectic line-up. The X-Club was one of the few parts of the previously mentioned Fraction run on Uncanny X-Men I enjoyed, and I hope this mini makes them a more viable part of the universe long-term. Next up I’d get iZombie #20 (DC/Vertigo, $2.99) for the ongoing adventures of Roberson and Allred and Irredeemable #32. I’m really enjoying what Diego Barreto brings to the book, and Mark Waid continues to deliver.

If I could splurge, I’d get IDW’s collection of Mike Grell’s Shaman’s Tears maxi-series. This was one of the early Image titles, and gave me my first glimpse of Grell’s work and the potential for Image outside the original 7. As the series went on I ended up going back to track down Grell’s earlier work, but Shaman’s Tears holds a special place and I’m anxious to relive it without dusting off my longboxes.

The Eyes of the Cat

Chris Mautner

If I had $15:

A lot of my regular monthly buys are out this week, so my first $15 would be split in some manner between Boys #61 (gross-out humor!), Glamorpuss #22 (Misogyny! Jeff Jones tribute!) and Vol. 8 of Bakuman (paper-thin leads sweat profusely over making manga – but in exciting ways!).

If I had $30:

I’m way behind in the series (I only just got Vol. 9), but Vol. 17 of Osamu Tezuka’s Black Jack is out this week, so I might get that, but hold off on reading it for awhile.

Splurge:

My splurge pick for the week would likely be one of three books. Firstly there’s Grant Morrison: Combining the World of Contemporary Comics, a new lengthy analysis of the noted writer by Marc Singer, who’s no slouch himself with words. Secondly there’s Vol. 3 of the Art of Herge, a collection of hardcover books featuring stuff George Remi (his real name) did outside of his most famous creation. I have the first volume, and it’s a lot of fun to pour over. Finally there’s Eyes of the Cat, which collects the first collaboration of Moebius and Jodorowsky. Humanoids apparently is only doing a limited run of this $70 book — 750 copies — so get ‘em while they’re hot.

The Defenders #1

Graeme McMillan

It’s been a long time since I’ve bought a single issue of DC’s Hellblazer – I’ve been reading it in trades for awhile – but this week’s Hellblazer Annual #1 (DC, $4.99) seems particular enticing for many reasons, not least of which is the creative team of Peter Milligan and Simon Bisley, 2000AD veterans both and a pairing that’s proven surprisingly well-suited to the title on issues of the regular book. For the remaining amount of my $15 starter, I’ll add the still-great Action Comics #4 (DC, $3.99), including the much-teased Steel solo story back-up strip, and the debut of Marvel’s latest attempt to revive The Defenders (#1, $3.99). For this week’s episode of Wait, Wait, Jeff Lester and I re-read the entire Steve Gerber run on the original incarnation of this title, and it reminded me just how much I really love the idea of the Defenders as a “non-team,” and the characters involved. I’m really hopeful about this book, and really, really praying that it doesn’t break my comic-loving heart.

If I had $30, I’d pick up Image’s Thought Bubble Anthology #1 ($2.99) to see what Andy Diggle, Duncan Fegredo and the like are up to these days, as well as my guilty pleasure from the New 52, OMAC #4 (DC, $2.99); I’m very worried about the future of this title if Keith Giffen really is off the title as artist with #6, but we’ll see what lunacy happens between now and then nonetheless.

In terms of splurging, Vertigo’s Bad Doings, Big Ideas hardcover collection of Bill Willingham’s non-Fables material (DC, $49.99) looks very, very tempting indeed, but if I had suddenly discovered a large amount of disposible income, Marvel’s X-Statix Omnibus ($125.00) would be coming home with me, thankyouverymuch.

Jurassic Strike Force #0

Michael May

If I had $15, I’d start with a couple of $1 comics: Jurassic Strike Force 5 #0 ($0.99) from Zenescope and Boom’s Valen the Outcsast #1 ($1.00). Zenescope doesn’t usually publish my kind of comics, but they’ve got me figured out with a bunch of lightsaber-wielding, mutated dinosaurs who fight an army of other mutated dinosaurs and the alien warlord who created them. The pitch for Valen is Undead Conan, so as long as his eyes aren’t falling out of their sockets and I can’t see his intestines, I’m interested. Next, I’d grab a trio of comics featuring some cool, female heroes. I’m not thrilled by the mediocre story being told in Huntress, but I do like a globe-trotting adventuress and I’m not frustrated enough yet to give up on it. I’ll give #3 ($2.99) a shot. Fear Itself: The Fearless #4 ($2.99) features another international adventure with a butt-kicking woman, but has a much more fun plot. Then there’s Bonnie Lass #4 ($2.99), which is still a funny, unique pirate comic set in an interesting, not-always-that-piratey world. Finally, I’m getting Action Comics #4 ($3.99). I’m still enjoying it, but I’m beginning to question whether I’m enjoying it an extra dollar’s worth over my other comics. This issue and it’s back-up story (as opposed to lame Making Of featurettes) will help determine that.

If I had $30, I’d add X-Club #1 ($2.99). Since Alpha Flight‘s going away, I’ll be back to making due with former AF members like Madison Jeffries appearing in other people’s series. Plus, a mutant science team is just a cool concept. Then I’d get Betrayal on the Planet of the Apes #2 ($3.99) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Micro-Series #1: Raphael ($3.99), two books that would have made the $15 cut if they were priced lower. I’d top off the stack with Voltron #1 ($3.99). I know nothing about Voltron, but it’s about a giant robot, so I’m willing to learn.

My splurge item this week is Girls: The Complete Collection ($49.99). I read some of the last issues in that creepily sexy series and was hooked enough to want to go back and start at the beginning.

Harvey Comics Classics Vol. 1

Yesterday we kicked off our holiday gift-giving guide, where we asked creators like Jim McCann, Matt Kindt and more for gift suggestion and what they’d want to receive this year. Today we’re back with six more creators, and we asked them the same questions:

1. What comic-related gift or gifts would you recommend giving this year, and why?
2. What gift (comic or otherwise) is at the top of your personal wish list, and why?

So without further ado, let the joy continue …

Jeff Parker

1. If you have young children, you can give them hours of quality time with any of Dark Horse’s Harvey Comics collections. My kids have been poring through them repeatedly. I’ll be following up with old back issues of Casper, Dot, Richie Rich and Hot Stuff from the local comics shops; they’re always very cheap.

2. I would not sneeze at getting that Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes volume from Fantagraphics.

Jeff Parker is the writer of Hulk, Thunderbolts and the webcomic Bucko.

Tim Seeley

All-Star Superman

1. I’m a firm believer in buying comics for everyone on your list, even if they aren’t an avid fan. Make ‘em a fan! All-Star Superman for the superhero fan, Dungeons & Dragons from IDW for the gamer, Habibi for the sophisticated reader, and, of course, my Hack/Slash Omnibi for the horror fan. Or, if you’re planning on dropping a bit more, might I suggest an iPad, loaded with comics apps?

2. I want the collected version of the web strip OGLAF, which I thoroughly enjoy. I wouldn’t mind a CS Moore Witchblade statue to inspire me while I write.

Tim Seeley seems to be all over the place lately, whether it’s writing the new Bloodstrike series from Extreme or Witchblade for Top Cow, drawing issues of Marvel’s Generation Hope, or working on his own creations like Hack/Slash and Jack Kraken. There’s a good chance I forgot something, but you can follow him on Twitter to learn more.

Ross Campbell

1. Comic-related gifts I recommend:

Remake

• Remake/Remake Special by Lamar Abrams (AdHouse): This is the funniest comic I’ve ever read. The first Remake is awesome and the second volume, Remake Special, somehow managed to top it, ending up one of my favorite comics of all time.
• IDW’s Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles hardcover volume one: since the old Turtles collections are so hard to find, it’s cool IDW is reprinting the original Eastman and Laird material. This first book has issues 1-7 and the Raphael one-shot, and even though it would’ve been cooler if they put the first 11 issues and all four one-shots together like the original collected book back in the day, this one is a great place to start. I hope they eventually get to a “City At War” collection!
• Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol (First Second): one of my favorite comics of the year and also Brosgol’s debut book, i think this is probably a pretty good gift to new and seasoned comic readers alike. awesome art, charming characters, solid one-and-done story.

2. Personal gifts:

• A new computer would be nice; my current one sure is finicky.
• The new X-Force books collecting the old Fabian Nicieza/Rob Liefeld/Greg Capullo stuff would also be nice. I think there are three out so far with a fourth yet to be released.

Ross Campbell is the creator of the Wet Moon and Shadoweyes series of graphic novels, and is the artist on the upcoming relaunch of Glory for Extreme Studios.

Kody Chamberlain

CLiNT #6

1. For those with (or receiving) a digital tablet, I would take advantage of the ComiXology “Gift This Comic” feature to share some of the great comics you know and love with friends and family. Just pick out a few titles you think they might enjoy and get ‘em hooked! I think this is a great gift for savvy readers AND new readers. It’s also a great opportunity to introduce kids to some of the better young reader titles on the market.

A subscription to CLiNT magazine is also a great idea for savvy readers AND new readers. The magazine offers quality pop culture coverage and a steady stream of quality serialized comics that readers might have overlooked. So far, each issue has been fantastic.

2. The top comic-related gifts on my list are Richard Stark’s Parker: The Martini Edition by Darwyn Cooke and Genius, Isolated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth hardcover. Both from IDW Publishing.

Kody Chamberlain is the creator of Sweets: A New Orleans Crime Story, which is available at ” just about any quality comic shop or bookstore, including Amazon.com.” He and Joshua Fialkov will launch Punks: The Comic at MTV this month as a part of the MTV Comics digital imprint.

Ian Brill

The Storyteller

1. Jim Henson’s The Storyteller, Vol. 1: I was lucky enough to pick up an early copy at NYCC. It is one of the rare anthologies that delivers in both variety and quality. The format, based on the 1988 HBO show from Jim Henson, is based on exploring myths and folktales with visual flair. It’s a fantastic line-up of creators: Roger Langridge (being colored by the fantastic Jordie Bellaire), Colleen Coover, Paul Tobin, Jeff Parker, Tom Fowler, Katie Cook, and many more amazing talents. With its wide-ranging concept, all bound by a simple-to-grasp concept, I feel there’s something here to please all readers. I have experience editing anthologies before (the CBGB comic series) and I know the challenges therein. I feel editor Nathan Cosby did triumphant work here.

2. Evan Dorkin’s Milk & Cheese comic is an all-time fav. I discovered them pretty young, and they made a huge impression on me in terms of humor, storytelling, as well as how much you can jam into a short comic story. I wouldn’t mind the Milk & Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad collection from Dark Horse, which collects all of these little guys’ appearances under one cover.

Ian Brill, a former editor at BOOM! Studios, is the writer of things undead and feathered: he has three stories in Zombie Tales Omnibus: Outbreak and wrote the series Darkwing Duck and Chip ‘N’ Dale Rescue Rangers.

Jamaica Dyer

Batwoman

1. I would give the Batwoman graphic novel and first three issues of the new series. It is absolutely amazing to have a book with art this gorgeous, a story this strong, and such a complex cast of female characters. I love everything about it, and think I could turn a lot of my non-comic-reading friends on with the storyline.

2. A Winsor and Newton watercolor travel set. This is a vital tool for painting comics!

Jamaica Dyer is the creator of Weird Fishes and the upcoming Fox Head Stew, which will be released online in 2012. Follow the process at jamaicad.com.

Wolverine and the X-Men

Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy at our local comic shop based on certain spending limits — $15 and $30 — as well as what we’d get if we had extra money or a gift card to spend on a “Splurge” item.

Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList, and tell us what you’re getting in our comments field.

Chris Arrant

If I had $15, I’d get one from almost every box–Image’s Invincible #85 ($2.99), DC’s DMZ #71 ($2.99), Marvel’s Wolverine and The X-Men #2 ($3.99) and independent title RASL #12 ($3.50). Not much to say about any of these I haven’t already said, except anytime Cory Walker draws a book I’d pay twice cover price.

If I had $30, I’d sneak out of Thanksgiving preparations to first get a book I was surprised I liked as much as I did, despite the last issue’s ending: Shade #2 (DC, $2.99). One thing I wasn’t amped to see was Deathstroke, but given James Robinson and Cully Hammer’s track record I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt. Next up would be the epic (in my mind, at least) team-up of Warren Ellis and Michael Lark on Secret Avengers #19 (Marvel, $3.99). Seeing Ellis boil down the concept into “Run the mission. Don’t get seen. Save the world.” Hits me right between the eyes, and this new issue’s preview has be salivating over it. Last up, I’d pay the giant size price tag for Fantastic Four #600 (Marvel, $7.99) although my patience has worn a little thin with ending the series then bringing it back for #600.

For splurging, I’d put it all down on IDW’s Parker: The Martini Edition hardcover ($75). I already have the individual books on my shelf, but getting it all under one roof plus beaucoup process sketches and conversation from Darwyn Cooke makes this a must-have for me. And I can always gift my old individual Parker graphic novels to someone else!

Graeme McMillan

Flash #3

It’s a surprisingly light week for me this week, so if I had $15, I’d go for some books that I know I liked last time around. For example, The Flash #3 (DC, $2.99); Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato are doing a great job on this title based on the first couple of issues, so I’m on board for awhile. Same with Wolverine and The X-Men #2 (Marvel, $3.99); I was surprised by just how much I loved the debut, and bringing back what seems to be Krakatoa only makes me even more gleeful about the sense of humor on display here. Peter Milligan’s Justice League Dark #3 (DC, $2.99) would round out the haul; I liked that the second issue felt much more like Milligan’s Vertigo heyday to me than much of his recent work, and I’ll happily go for more of that, please.

If I had $30, I’d add DC Comics Presents The Life Story of The Flash #1 (DC, $7.99) to my pile; I didn’t read this book in its previous original graphic novel incarnation, but I loved Mark Waid’s original Flash run, so this feels like a lost gem from that incarnation for me. And I might go for Fantastic Four #600 (Marvel, $7.99), too, depending on whether or not I was feeling up for Jonathan Hickman’s style when I got to the store; if nothing else, I’m curious about the Ming Doyle strip therein.

Splurgewise, while I admit I’m tempted by the Parker Martini Edition (IDW, $75), my heart well and truly belongs to Evan Dorkin’s Milk & Cheese: Dairy Products Gone Bad hardcover (Dark Horse, $19.99), collecting all of Dorkin’s hilarious, manic, violent strip from the 1990s; I first discovered it in Deadline way back when, and that led me to find out about Pirate Corp$, Dork! and all of Dorkin’s other stuff. He’s really one of the most underrated cartoonists around, as far as I’m concerned, and I can’t wait to get this book.

Chris Mautner

RASL #12

If I had $15: It would be a toss-up for me between getting the 12th issue of Jeff Smith’s RASL and the ninth volume of NBM’s Smurf line, Gargamel and the Smurfs, and the 29th Little Lulu volume, The Cranky Giant. It would be a tough decision, but I suspect Little Lulu would win out in the end.

If I had $30: Assuming I didn’t get those Smurf and RASL books, I’d face another tough choice between the impressive Milk and Cheese collection from Dark Horse or The New Adventures of Herge, a docudrama/biography of sorts of the famed Tintin author by L’Association co-founder Stanislas and writers Jose-Louis Bocquet and Jean-Luc Fromental. (I’d probably get them discounted online in order to squeak under my budget — sorry local LCS.) Milk and Cheese would likely win out this round, as I love those little homicidal maniacs. Merv Griffin!

Splurge: OK, but all the really cool, must-have books are in the splurge category this week (as usual). In one corner, after years and years of fits and starts and delays and promises galore is the first volume of Fantagraphics Complete Pogo collection, Through the Wild Blue Yonder. In the other corner we have the first volume in Fantagraphics other, other, other big reprint project, Donald Duck, Lost in the Andes, which collects some great stories by the masterful Carl Barks. Then, in our third and final corner, there’s Everything: Blabber Blabber Blabber, the first in a series of big hardcover books collecting everything the also masterful Lynda Barry has ever done. Any of these books would be a pick of the week on their own. All three together? Just forget about your budget this one time. Your bank account will understand.

Michael May

Justice League Dark #3

If I had $15, I’d begin with my usual DC series for the week: Aquaman #3 ($2.99), Superman #3 ($2.99), and Justice League Dark #3 ($2.99). As I think about those though, I realize that I’m reading JLD for the potential of what I think it could be and where I hope it’s going, not because I’m particularly enjoying what it is. That sounds like something I need to stop buying monthly and wait for the collection. I’ll give it this one more month before trimming it out. I’m much more looking forward to Alpha Flight #6 ($2.99), which has been reliably entertaining since it started. I’m heart-broken that there are only three issues left. Finally, since I’ve still got three bucks in my pocket, I’ll pick up another issue from a canceled series, Daken: Dark Wolverine #17 ($2.99), but that’s because it’s got the Runaways in it and I miss those kids.

If I had $30, I’d add All-Star Western #3 ($3.99), the only New 52 title I don’t mind paying four bucks for. With Justice League and Action Comics, I count pages and look at back-up material before wincing that I’m paying that much for a comic. With All-Star Western, I feel like I’m getting four bucks of value in the pages themselves, however many there are. After that, I’d add Super Dinosaur, Volume 1 ($9.99). I read the first issue and it was fantastic. Nine-year-old me was thrilled, and he largely controls my wallet.

It’s easy to pick a splurge item this week. I’ve been wanting to read a good collection of the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics for decades and IDW is making that finally possible with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Ultimate Collection, Volume 1 ($49.99).

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Publishing | IDW’s Chief Operating Officer Greg Goldstein attributes a bump in the company’s September sales to several factors, including DC’s big relaunch: “The reality is the DC New 52 brought some people into comic book stores that hadn’t been in comic stores for a while, and we had the opportunity to sell them some of our books as well as the other books that are available to them. But clearly, people who had not been focused on comics came out of the woodwork a bit.” It didn’t hurt that IDW had its own launches of properties familiar to those outside of comics, including the new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series, an ongoing Star Trek series and the Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes crossover. [ICv2]

Legal | A Belgian judicial adviser has recommended that the nation’s courts reject a four-year-old bid by a Congolese student to have Herge’s 1931 Tintin in the Congo banned, or at least restricted, because of its racist depictions. The recommendation is being viewed as a major setback for the case, as the opinion of the Procureur du Roi (Senior Crown prosecutor) is requested and typically followed by the court. [The Guardian]

Creators | Francis Manapul and Brian Buccellato talk about the tone of their new Flash series. “We definitely decided we wanted an optimistic, hopeful, and noble story because that’s who Barry Allen is to us,” Buccellato said. “It was important for us to go in that direction, and not toward the darker or more tortured hero. He’s a guy from the Silver Age who does the right thing because it’s the right thing.” [io9]

Creators | Lee Bermejo discusses his upcoming Gotham-meets-Dickens graphic novel Batman: Noel. [MTV Geek]

Enigma

Creators | Peter Milligan opens up about Red Lanterns, Justice League Dark and the potential for more Enigma: “I was re-reading Enigma. This is the really early, early stages but I’m considering doing a sequel. So much has happened in the world since it came out, in terms of how gays are treated in the West. I’d like to highlight those differences of lives of homosexuals in the West compared to gays in Africa, the Middle East, and lots of developing countries.” [io9]

Creators | A bandana-wearing Nathan Edmondson discusses his work on DC’s Grifter series. [Creative Loafing]

Creators | Scott Snyder talks about Swamp Thing. [USA Today]

Conventions | The Free Press profiles the Coast City Comicon, coming up Nov. 11-13 in Portland, Maine. [Free Press]

Infestation 2

In advance of this week’s New York Comic Con, IDW Publishing announced a sequel to last year’s Infestation crossover that will run from January through April.

Infestation 2, like its predecessor, will feature a supernatural threat that spreads into several different “universes” inhabited by IDW properties. Instead of zombies, this time around the threat is the “Old Ones” from horror writer H.P Lovercraft’s stories. Duane Swierczynski (Birds of Prey, Cable) and David Messina, who drew the original Infestation series, are the creative team on the two-issue Infestation 2 series, while other creative teams will tackle the related books featuring Transformers, G.I. Joe, 30 Days of Night and more. Here’s a breakdown of the event:

• Infestation 2 #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores on Jan. 25, with covers by Alex Garner and Livio Ramondelli.
• Infestation 2: Transformers #1 and #2 will be in stores on Feb. 1 and 15, respectively. It’s by writer Chuck Dixon and artist Guido Guidi and is set in the “Hearts of Steel” timeline.
• Infestation 2: Dungeons & Dragons: Eberron #1 and #2 will be in stores on Feb. 8 and 22, respectively, written by Dungeons & Dragons novelist Paul Krill.
• Infestation 2: Team-up one-shot will be in stores on Feb. 29, featuring the Weekly World News‘ Bat Boy and Groom Lake’s grey alien Archibald. It’s by Chris Ryall and Alan Robinson, with covers by Eric Powell and Bill Morrison.
• Infestation 2: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 and #2 will be in stores on March 7 and 21, respectively, by Tristan Jones and Mark Torres.
• Infestation 2: G.I. Joe #1 and #2 will be in stores on March 14 and 28, respectively, by Mike Raicht and Valentine de Landro.
• Infestation 2: 30 Days of Night one-shot will be in stores on April 4, by Swierczynski and artist Stuart Sayger.
• Infestation 2 #2 will be available in stores on April 11.

Every issue of the event will feature a connected cover by artist Livio Ramondelli, and IDW will produce special incentive temporary tattoos with each issue. IDW will also release promotional ashcans in November with interviews and artwork.

Update: Comic Book Resources talks to Ryall about the project. He confirms that J. Scott Campbell’s Danger Girl will be a part of the event, although she won’t have her own series or one-shot tie-in. IDW will publish a new Danger Girl series next spring.

IDW Publishing Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall has posted some interesting bits from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #2 at his blog, including the variant covers, a link to a preview, and side-by-side comparisons of Kevin Eastman’s storyboards and Dan Duncan’s finished art (colored by Ronda Pattison). It’s interesting to see how much the layout changes from draft to finished product, and also how dynamic Eastman’s drawings are — the figures are rough, but there’s a lot of energy to them, and they could almost stand on their own.

The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths

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.

Ape

Puss in Boots Movie Prequel – I don’t care for movie prequel comics as a rule, but swashbuckling cats are awesome in any incarnation. As long as these are fresh gags and not just ones warmed up from Shrek, I expect to enjoy this.

Archaia

Jim Henson’s The Dark Crystal: Creation Myths, Book 1 - I just introduced my son to The Dark Crystal and Labyrinth a couple of weeks ago, so this is great timing. He had the same questions about The Dark Crystal‘s world that I always do, so I’m looking forward to seeing Archaia’s take on answering those. Totally feel like the world’s in good hands with this publisher and these creators.

The Sigh - If Archaia’s snagging Marjane Satrapi’s (Persepolis, Chicken With Plums) new book has been reported already, I missed it. I’m surprised that wasn’t bigger news.

Siegfried, Volume 1 – I’ve been meaning to read P Craig Russell’s Ring of the Nibelung adaptation for years, so I think this might be what pushes me to finally do it. It would be fun to read Russell’s and compare it to this version by Alex Alice.

Bone: One-Volume Color Edition

Boom!

Seven Warriors #1 – Francis Manapul draws this story of seven warrior-women who fight to save the king of 6th-century Libya from the armies of the Persian and Byzantine empires.

Betrayal of the Planet of the Apes #1 – I’m absolutely loving Boom’s ongoing Planet of the Apes series, so I expect to also like this mini-series set during the events of the ’68 film and featuring Dr Zaius.

Operation: Iron Cross #1 – Boom’s already got my attention this month, so this WWII spy thriller also stands out.

The first volumes of Stan Lee’s Soldier Zero, Stan Lee’s Starborn, and Stan Lee’s The Traveler - After Graeme’s warm recommendation of Boom’s Stan Lee line, I want to check them out. And at $10 each, these are made for checking.

Peanuts #0 – I’m still curious to know who the creators on this are, but the idea of new Peanuts material is exciting and Boom has a good record for getting this kind of thing right.

Cartoon Books

Bone: The One-Volume 20th Anniversary Slipcased Color Edition - The affordable version I’ve been waiting for. It’s still $150, but that’s money well spent on a book this good-looking.

Dark Horse

House of Night #1 – Ordinarily I wouldn’t be excited by yet another vampire story set at yet another school for supernatural teens. And indeed, I haven’t paid any attention to the series of YA novellas this is based on. It’s Joëlle Jones and Karl Kerschl on the art that sells it.

Uncharted

Avatar: The Last Airbender, Volume 1 – The Promise, Part 1 – Aang’s adventures continue as written by Gene Yang (American Born Chinese).

Brothers of the Spear Archives, Volume 1 - Collecting the back-up stories to Dell’s Tarzan series featuring art by Jesse Marsh and Russ Manning. I haven’t read this stuff, but it’s ’50s jungle adventure, so I imagine that the standard warnings about racist characterizations apply.

Disney Comics and Stories Classic Characters #5: The Phantom Blot – We usually stick to comics in this column, but a Phantom Blot statue warrants an exception.

DC

Uncharted #1 – The treasure-hunting game that most makes me want to buy a PS3 becomes a comic with a Hollow Earth story.

Dynamite

Flash Gordon: Zeitgeist #1 – Dynamite puts their spin on the universe’s greatest space pulp hero.

EC

EC Archives - I know that EC’s been reprinting archive editions of Weird Science and Two-Fisted Tales for a little while now, but this is the first time I’ve noticed their getting a whole Previews page to themselves to advertise it.  Very eye-catching.

Mr Twee Deedle

Fantagraphics

Mr. Twee Diddle: Raggedy Ann’s Sprightly Cousin – The Forgotten Fantasy Masterpieces of Johnny Gruelle – I almost drowned in the amount of praise Fantagraphics poured on Gruelle’s work in the ad, but simply looking at the cover, it appears to be justified.

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec, Volume 2: The Mad Scientist/Mummies on Parade – Even if I wasn’t already turned on to the awesomeness of Jacques Tardi’s Belle-Époquian heroine, “Mummies on Parade” would be enough to necessitate this purchase.

Athos in America – Jason returns to The Last Musketeer and includes other Jasony stories like “The Brain That Wouldn’t Virginia Woolf.”

Gumby Comics

Gumby’s Spring Specials Collection – I haven’t read these, but if they’re anything like the Gumby Summer Specials by the same creative team (Bob Burden, Steve Purcell, and Art Adams), they’ll be worth having.

IDW

Jack Avarice is The Courier #1-5 – I like the idea of a mini-series told in weekly installments over a month. That sounds cool and exciting, especially when it’s a spy/voodoo action-adventure thriller thingy.

Rocketeer Adventures, Volume 1 - The anthology about everyone’s favorite jetpack-wearing hero by everyone’s favorite creators is finally collected. I say “finally” like it’s been a huge wait only because it’s felt that way.

Hawken

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Micro-Series #1: Raphael - IDW’s determined to get me back into TMNT again. It’s working.

Godzilla: Goliaths and Gangsters – The Monster Island crime story is collected.

Godzilla: Legends #1 – TMNT isn’t the only IDW license getting a series of spotlight issues. In this one: Anguirus vs Destoroyah.

30 Days of Night: Night Again - The Joe Lansdale/Sam Kieth mini-series gets a collection.

Hawken #1 – IDW’s not going to let Oni and Image have all the Western weirdness with The Sixth Gun and Deadlands. And I can’t think of many artists I’d rather see do this kind of story than Tim Truman.

Shaman’s Tears - It’s been more than a decade since I read this story by Mike Grell, but my memory is that it was one of my favorite of Image’s second wave of creator-owned series. The other being Jerry Ordway’s WildStar, in case anyone wants to reprint that.

Image

Guns and Dinos #1 – I’m rooting for the dinos.

Mudman #1 – Paul Grist has a new superhero comic. That’s all fans of Jack Staff need to know.

Giant-Size Elephantmen #1 – I’ve got some catching up to do on Elephantmen and this inexpensive collection (three issues for $6) looks like a good place to jump back in.

Super Dinosaur

Girls: The Complete Collection – I got into the Luna Brothers’ creepy series late and always meant to go back and read the earlier issues, because it was really very good. It was underrated (the title and the abundance of naked women understandably leading many readers to think it was just about gratuitous nudity), but it’s a serious horror story with an unsettling vibe similar to something by Charles Burns.

Gladstone’s School for World Conquerors, Volume 1 – This collection was difficult to wait for, so I’m glad it’s here.

Reed Gunther, Volume 1 – Same with this one.

Super Dinosaur, Volume 1 – And this one too. Especially this one, ’cause I read the first issue and was immediately anxious to read the next. Fantastic, all-ages fun. Image is going to kill my wallet in November, but I’ll be smiling as I bury its poor, leather corpse.

Marvel

Northanger Abby #1 – Jane Austen’s parody of a gothic romance novel is as sensational as any actual gothic romance novel. I love Janet Lee’s work and am looking forward to this adaptation, but there’s a part of me that wishes Marvel had gone for a Haunted Love/House of Secrets vibe with it.

Six Guns #1 and 2 – It’s too soon to say that Western comics have made a comeback, but I’m really excited that we’re seeing so many of them lately. Even modern ones like this. Andy Diggle seems perfect for it too.

Victor Von Doom #1 – Doom’s early days as illustrated by Becky Cloonan. Thank you, Marvel.

Skaar: King of the Savage Land

Skaar: King of the Savage Land – Ka-Zar vs Son of Hulk, dinosaurs, and some giant robots.

Oni

Salt Water Taffy, Volume 5: Caldera’s Revenge, Part 2 – Jack and Benny continue trying to survive ghost ships and evil whale hunters.

Papercutz

The Smurfs, Volume 9: Gargamel and the Smurfs – I recently read one of Papercutz’ Smurf volumes to see what the fuss is about. I never really enjoyed the cartoon as a kid and I stayed far, far away from the movie, but Peyo’s comics are so well-liked that I got curious. And they’re really good. They remind me of what I loved about Casper when I was a kid: fantastic creatures having adventures in a forest fantasy world and occasionally learning some nice lessons about how to get along with other people. I’m looking forward to reading more.

That’s it for me. What are you looking forward to?

Marathon County Sheriff's Department

Well, not this Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, but one who looks a lot like him. Police in Marathon County, Wisconsin, have released a photo of the type of mask — Raphael, I do believe! — used last week in the robbery of a Wendy’s in the delightfully named town of Rib Mountain. That’s right, a Wendy’s, not a pizza parlor.

According to WSAW-TV, employees arrived to work last Monday morning to find Raphael and another man, wearing a nondescript black ski mask, already inside. Detectives say one suspect had a gun, and the two duct-taped the employees’ hands and ankles before making off with an undisclosed amount of cash.

There’s no mention of how the robbers got inside the restaurant. I’d suggest that police start by searching for sewer access. But be warned: The suspect is believed to be cool but crude.

In his new webcomic series Paleo: Loner, Lawson shows the paleolithic story of one of dinosaurs’ fiercest members, a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Using a more realistic style than his TMNT work,Lawson contrasts the visuals with a third-person narrative that gets inside the head of this fearsome monster and why he does what he does.

In addition to the story and the art, one of the things that stood out to me is although Lawson is presenting this digitally as webcomic, looking at the pages you’ll see they’re hand-drawn and hand-lettered — a rare thing in print comics or digital.

Anne Rice Servant of the Bones

IDW Publishing has released a list of the items they’ll be selling at their booth at this year’s San Diego Comic-Con, many of which are available for pre-order. The list includes advanced copies of Anne Rice’s Servant of the Bones #1, several Ashley Wood books, Walter Simonson’s The Mighty Thor: Artist’s Edition, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Baja ashcans, Locke & Key keys and much more. Check out the list below:

Anne Rice’s Servant of the Bones

• Visitors to Comic-Con can purchase an exclusive advance copy of Anne Rice’s Servant of the Bones #1 with a variant cover; only 400 copies of this exclusive issue will be available.
• Beginning in August, the first issue of Anne Rice’s Servant of the Bones will tell of the demon Azriel, who sets out to find the murderer of a beautiful young woman in the streets of New York City, only to discover a far more sinister plot that could end the world. Once a human in ancient Babylon, Azriel is a spirit of rage and terror that gradually rediscovers his humanity through holy vengeance and spiritual love.
• Anne Rice will be signing at the IDW booth #2643 on Thursday July 21, 2011 during Comic-Con. With the purchase of a SERVANT OF THE BONES #1, fans will be able to have one additional item signed.
• ANNE RICE’S SERVANT OF THE BONES #1 (Comic-Con Edition $5.00, 32 pages, full color) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.
• ANNE RICE’S SERVANT OF THE BONES #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores in August 2011.

Baja

Baja

• Attendees of Comic-Con can pick up a free ashcan of Baja and get an early look at the upcoming October release.
• In Baja, a beautiful woman and a man who knows better must escape a stalker whose fate is tied to their own.
• BAJA (FREE, Ashcan) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.
• BAJA ($19.99, 128 pages, partial color, trade paperback) will be available in comic and book stores in October 2011.

Dorothy of Oz Prequel

• Get a sneak peek at the Dorothy of Oz animated feature film coming in 2012 in the free preview comic!
• Featuring a star-studded cast, including Lea Michele, Martin Short and Patrick Stewart, the film draws inspiration from the classic story “The Wonderful Wizard of Oz” by Frank L. Baum and the Oz adventure book series written by his great-grandson Roger S. Baum.
• DOROTHY OF OZ preview comic (FREE) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.

Fat Tarino

Fat Tarino

• FAT TARINO, featuring the impossible to find art books UNO TARINO, DOS TARINO and TRES TARINO, all in one gorgeous hardcover. This slip-cased edition offers over 350 pages of Ashley Wood art and is strictly limited to 500 copies.
• Now available for pre-order at http://bit.ly/fattarino.
• Ashley Wood will be based at the IDW booth #2643 throughout Comic-Con, and will be available for signings.
• FAT TARINO ($100, hardcover with slipcase, 360 pages, 12” X 12”) is available for pre-order through IDW Publishing, for pick up at San Diego Comic-Con or delivery after August 1.

Godzilla: Kingdom of Monsters

• Comic-Con attendees will have the chance to purchase the never-before-sold IDW office promo covers in a single set. Get all four exclusive and limited covers and watch as your favorite IDW Publishing staffers tremble in fear of the great Godzilla as he destroys the IDW office.
• Readers can also collect the signatures of the IDW employees featured on each of the four covers.
• GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1 IDW Edition ($20.00, set of 4, 32 pages each, full color) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.
• GODZILLA: KINGDOM OF MONSTERS #1-5 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) are now available in comic stores.

Locke & Key key

Locke & Key

• LOCKE & KEY action will be non-stop, with exclusive keys, books and temporary tattoos; plus signings with the multiple Eisner-nominated creative team of Joe Hill (Horns) and Gabriel Rodriguez.
• Legacy Edition Ghost Key ($20, 3.5 inches, antique silver-plated pewter cast, printed black velvet bag) will be available at the IDW booth, while supplies last.
• 100 Legacy Edition Head Keys ($25, 4.6 inches, bright rose gold-plated pewter cast, printed black velvet bag) will be available at the IDW booth, while supplies last.
• Legacy Edition Shadow Keys ($20, 3 inches, pewter cast, bright nickel finish and black enamel, black velvet bag) will be available at the IDW booth, while supplies last.
• 100 Legacy Edition Hercules Keys ($25, 3.6 inches, antique yellow gold-plated pewter cast, printed black velvet bag) will be available at the IDW booth, while supplies last.
• 250 2011 Comic-Con exclusive IDW Keys ($25, 5 inches, antique silver-plated pewter cast, printed black velvet bag with a hand numbered tag) will be available at the IDW booth, while supplies last.
• Locke & Key fans can also collect a complete set of seven free LOCKE & KEY temporary tattoos. Different keys will be given out each day.
• Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez will be signing at the IDW booth #2643.
• LOCKE & KEY: VOLUME 4 KEYS TO THE KINGDOM (Comic-Con Edition, $25.00, 160 pages, hardcover) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.
• LOCKE & KEY: VOLUME 4 KEYS TO THE KINGDOM ($25.00, 160 pages, hardcover) is now available in comic and book stores.

Dave Stevens: The Complete Sketchbook Collection

Dave Stevens: The Complete Sketchbook Collection

• Comic-Con attendees can pick-up or pre-order Dave Stevens: The Complete Sketchbook with variant cover at http://bit.ly/stevenssketchbook.
• For several years, Dave Stevens self-published four sketchbooks to sell specifically at the San Diego Comic Con. This volume collects the entire contents of those four sketchbooks, plus approximately 100 additional sketches that have never before been published!
• DAVE STEVENS: THE COMPLETE SKETCHBOOK COLLECTION Comic-Con Edition ($50.00, 256 pages, black and white, hardcover) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.
• DAVE STEVENS: THE COMPLETE SKETCHBOOK COLLECTION ($50.00, 256 pages, black and white, hardcover) will be available in comic & book stores on July 27, 2011.

Walter Simonson’s The Mighty Thor: Artist’s Edition

• This collection presents Thor 337-340 and 360-362—Simonson’s first story, followed by one of his favorite story arcs. A variant cover edition will also be made available and is limited to 250 copies.
• Pre-order at http://bit.ly/mightythor.
• Walter Simonson will be signing daily at the IDW booth #2643.
• WALTER SIMONSON’S THE MIGHTY THOR: Artist’s Edition (Comic-Con Edition, $100.00, 176 pages, black and white, hardcover) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.
• WALTER SIMONSON’S THE MIGHTY THOR: Artist’s Edition ($100.00, 176 pages, black and white, hardcover) is available for pre-order through IDW Publishing, for pick up at San Diego Comic-Con or delivery after August 1

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

• Visitors to Comic-Con can pick up a free ashcan of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and get an early look at the upcoming August release for the new series.
• Leonardo, Donatello, Michaelangelo, and Raphael reunite to bring their ninja aptitude and teenage attitude to IDW Publishing in this all-new action-packed series.
• Members of the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES will be signing at the IDW booth #2643.
• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES Ashcan (FREE) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.
• TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores in August 2011.

Transformers

• Comic-Con attendees will have the opportunity to purchase a special TRANSFORMERS #22 variant issue.
• MEGATRON: firebrand, tyrant, psychopath… prisoner? The DECEPTICONS leader had the AUTOBOTS at his mercy—and then surrendered. OPTIMUS PRIME tries to find out why in a story that spans four million years and features a cast of thousands. Events in this issue will forever change the way you look at the TRANSFORMERS Universe.
• Members of the TRANSFORMERS creative teams will be signing at the IDW booth #2643.
• TRANSFORMERS #22 Variant ($5.00, 32 pages, full color) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.
• TRANSFORMERS #22 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores on July 13, 2011.

Popbot

Popbot

• POPBOT BIG BEAUTIFUL BOOK, which collects the long sold-out POPBOT Volumes 1 through 8. This huge 11″ x 14″ hardcover collection showcases over 400 pages of Ashley Wood art and comes with a slipcase. Strictly limited to 500 copies.
• Now available for pre-order at http://bit.ly/popbot.
• Ashley Wood will be based at the IDW booth #2643 throughout Comic-Con, and will be available for signings.
• POPBOT BIG BEAUTIFUL BOOK ($125, hardcover with slipcase, 400 pages, 11” X 14”) is available for pre-order through IDW Publishing, for pick up at San Diego Comic-Con or delivery after August 1.

True Blood: Tainted Love #1 Legacy Edition

• The Legacy Edition of our debut True Blood comic was such a huge success; we’re doing it again! In celebration of the acclaimed follow-up series, we are proud to release a special Legacy Edition of the first issue of Tainted Love a Comic-Con variant cover will also be made available!
• True Blood: Tainted Love #1 Legacy Edition contains all six covers, as well as the first script, giving a rare insight into the inner workings of a comic book from initial thought to publication… if you want to see how hit comics come together, this is the book for you!
• Members of the TRUE BLOOD creative teams will be signing at the IDW booth #2643.
• TRUE BLOOD: TAINTED LOVE #1 LEGACY EDITION (Comic-Con Edition, $10.00, 48 pages, full color) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.
• TRUE BLOOD: TAINTED LOVE #1 LEGACY EDITION ($4.99, 48 pages, full color) will be available in comic stores on July 27, 2011.

Complete Zombies vs. Robots

• Exclusive new hardcover edition of the COMPLETE ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS. The acclaimed, 160-page volume, written by co-creator Chris Ryall and fully illustrated by Ashley Wood, is now available in an exclusive hardcover for only $29.99, and is limited to approximately 400 copies.
• Ashley Wood will be based at the IDW booth #2643 throughout Comic-Con, and will be available for signings with Chris Ryall.
• COMPLETE ZOMBIES VS ROBOTS (Comic-Con Edition, $29.99, 160 pages, hardcover) will be available at the IDW booth #2643 during Comic-Con, while supplies last.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #50

Hello and welcome to What Are You Reading? This week our special guest is Ross Campbell, creator of Shadoweyes and its recent sequel, Shadoweyes in Love, as well as Wet Moon, Water Baby, The Abandoned and “Refuse,” a short story in the recent Strange Adventures anthology from Vertigo.

To see what Ross and the Robot 6 crew have been reading lately, click below.

*****

Tim O’Shea

Avengers Academy #15

Avengers Academy #15: As much as I love the teen stars of this series, Christos Gage is writing the best dang Hank Pym since the days of Kurt Busiek’s Avengers. At the heart of most comic book series I enjoy, there’s a soap opera element. And artist Tom Raney pulls off the soap opera angle in this issue, showing the anguish in Pym’s face, when faced with certain hard choices.

Last week I avoided contributing to WAYR, because all I could think to write about DC comics was “What the hell is the point of recommending these any DC main titles, given that the series–no matter how great they may be–will end in a few months?” Well, Bryan Q. Miller’s Batgirl coming to an end is a prime example of a comic and creator who I will hate to see go. I expect Gail Simone’s Batgirl will be a big hit with folks, but I was dismayed to see Miller has not been tapped (to date) to work on any new DC projects. Here’s hoping that’s not the last I will see of Miller’s writing in comics.

Hulk #35: I love Jeff Parker for writing a scene where Thunderbolt “Red Hulk” Ross opines on his admiration for George Washington, Ulysses S. Grant, Teddy Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower. Few other mainstream comics are as equal parts quirky and entertaining as Parker’s Hulk.

Michael May

Alpha Flight #1

My enjoyment of Alpha Flight #1 was unfortunately tainted by paying an extra buck for two story pages and a bunch of behind-the-scenes stuff I’d already seen online, but the story itself was a welcome return to what I originally liked about the team when Byrne created the series. I’m even digging Marrina’s new personality now. Van Lente and Pak sold me on it in three panels that simultaneously made me laugh and suddenly, totally get why Marrina would be exactly the way she is now. I’m still a bit sad about innocence lost, but they’ve found the silver lining in the storm clouds of Marrina’s history. Also, hell of a cliffhanger.

I don’t know what it was, but I just couldn’t stop adding periodical issues to my stack this week. I’m a stubborn trade-waiter by nature, so that surprised me. Cullen Bunn’s (The Sixth Gun) writing a Defenders vs Atlantis story in Fear Itself: The Deep was too tempting to pass up and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s gotta be hard to make a team starring Doctor Strange, Namor, and a Hulk feel like underdogs, but Bunn pulls it off and makes it look easy.

I also read Kelly Sue DeConnick and ChrisCross’ Supergirl #65 and it reminded me that there are still great comics being published by DC that don’t tie into a larger story. This is the first of three issues that have Supergirl going undercover for Lois Lane at a college to investigate some student disappearances involving robots and possibly faeries. Maybe even robot faeries. It’s a lot of fun, and it’s only going to cost $12 to read.

I did pick up another event-related comic though: last week’s Flashpoint: Frankenstein and the Creatures of the Unknown #1. (I think it was last week. Two weeks ago?) It’s sort of the perfect Flashpoint tie-in because it starts during WWII and drops its heroes into the present, Captain America-style, so that readers can learn about the Flashpoint world along with them. Unlike Grodd of War, which I also read, I didn’t feel like I needed to have purchased Flashpoint and World of Flashpoint and three other mini-series to understand everything that was happening. It’s just Frankenstein and a bunch of monsters whooping up on some bad guys and trying to figure out what’s going on. Cool characters, great action, and a nice mystery.

Carla Hoffman

Batgirl #22

I gotta go with Tim on this one: I love Batgirl so much. Batgirl #22 was just as good as the issues that came before it and was totally bittersweet because I just don’t know if we’ll ever see its like again. The art was clever and fast paced, the writing was swift and adventurous, never leaving you too long to explain anything but connecting all the dots along the way. Stephanie Brown is fun, funny and confident in her role, a fantastic female character without having to be The Best Female Character, if that makes any sense. However, this is the killer part: you get a full story in that one issue. It’s one of the reasons I’ve kept up with Batgirl as much as I have: each issue tends to give you the most bang for you buck and requires very little from me but to kick back and enjoy. I kind of want to go back and read the Knight and Squire mini-series thanks to the fun I had with this book.

To show my true colors, I also read X-Men: Prelude to Schism #3 and have deemed it the best of the prelude books out thus far. I still don’t know what’s going on plot-wise besides the obvious (there is a threat! there is a decision!), but this week we took a peek inside the head of Scott Summers as he makes the decision to fight … something. Jenkins hasn’t been this on for personal storytelling in awhile, at least for me; I enjoy a good quiet moment where we really look at the motivations of why a particular hero is the way they are and he nails it for one of the quietest load-bearing characters of the X-Universe. Scott, even in his new souped up position as the leader of Utopia, remains reserved and thoughtful and it’s easy to see why in this issue. He is, in effect, a blind man leading people who are in a whole new phase of existence, which is a neat little way to look at this event, whatever this event may be.

I also read Avengers #14 because I have a streak of masochism. It’s embarrassing how much I don’t enjoy a book I actively seek out every month, like I should have learned by now not to do this because I’m just not the person Brian Michael Bendis is writing these books for. There are plenty of people who enjoy this flagship book of the Marvel Universe, its sales are consistent and the story is popular, so they don’t need me as a reader. But yet, here I am. Whereas X-Men: Prelude to Schism #3 is giving me one quiet character moment, this tries to give me several with a variety of talking heads, some living, some dead, being interviewed. At the same time, the main point of the story is that the Thing fights the Hulk. Not only that, but the Godly-Hammer-Chosen Thing fights the nigh-unstoppable Red Hulk! And it’s drawn by John Romita Jr. who, from his work on World War Hulk, kind of sort of declared himself Artist King of Hulk Fights(tm) in my humble opinion. Why didn’t I like this? Why won’t you let me love you, Avengers!? Because it’s slow. There’s a whole lot of tell-not-showing in the issue, some beautiful shots that have these little head shot boxes dotting their margins telling you how awesome this picture is. Because they destroy Stark Tower and I can’t say I’m worried for where the Avengers will live now, nor is Stark Tower so endeared to our hearts as the Avengers Mansion was when it also was destroyed by Bendis. Because at the end of the book, Jarvis tells us that this moment was more terrifying to him than having his life threatened in front of Captain America in the classic “Under Siege” story line. This is just, what, two issues in? He tells me this point blank, instead of showing me a moment that tops the classic panels from the Avengers’ past and, as a reader, I don’t feel like that’s really happening between the panels.

Ross Campbell

Remake Special

Remake Special by Lamar Abrams: The first Remake is hilarious but this second book is without a doubt the funniest comic I’ve ever read. Being a connoisseur of poop humor, I was delighted to see that Remake Special features hero Max Guy and his pals Magma Boy and Sick Rick going up against people made of poop.

Happyface by Steve Emond: Emond is most known for his comic Emo Boy from SLG Publishing, but he really shines in his first novel. It does include artwork, though, which is interesting, I’ve never read a book quite like it. Anyway it’s really good, I saw a lot of my younger self in the main character, a self-absorbed, angsty, whiny, sometimes delusional hopeless romantic high school boy, which isn’t something I look for in fiction but which turned out to be entertainingly embarrassing. It starts off kind of superficial seeming but it unfolds really interestingly and unexpectedly, and ends up being honest and unflinching.

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor: I only just started reading this the other day but I had to include it! I’ve been reading Nnedi’s books for a while and they’re all great, and her last book Who Fears Death, about a powerful mystic girl in post-apocalyptic North Africa, was amazing but it looks like she may top it with Akata Witch, which is about an albino black American girl, Sunny, living in Nigeria, who discovers she has magical powers.

Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson: Man, this book sucked me the hell in, I was so absorbed in this. It’s about a girl dealing with anorexia and it’s brutal and sad and compelling.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: City At War by Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird and Jim Lawson: I grew up on the old Mirage TMNT comics and felt like reading City At War again, and I’d forgotten how awesome it is. Issue #50, all wordless, is super awesome. I love when Leonardo says of Splinter “I would gladly die for him… but I don’t know if I can give him my life.” DANG.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles by Andrew Degraff

Even superheroes have to do their laundry, and no one understands the power of Febreze quite like the sewer-dwelling Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Artist Andrew Degraff created the piece for “Shell-Shock – A TMNT Art Show and Tribute,” which opens today at Brave New Worlds in Philadelphia.

The Governator

Publishing | As the fallout mounts from the revelation that former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger fathered a child more than a decade ago with a member of his household staff, plans to revive the Terminator star’s acting career have been put on hold — a move that now extends to The Governator, the comics and animation project co-developed by Stan Lee. “In light of recent events,” representatives announced last night, “A Squared Entertainment, POW, Stan Lee Comics, and Archie Comics, have chosen to not go forward with The Governator project.” However, Entertainment Weekly notes the statement was revised two hours later, putting the project “on hold.”

Unveiled in late March, on the cover of Entertainment Weekly, no less, The Governator features a semi-fictional Schwarzenegger who, after leaving the governor’s office, decides to become a superhero — complete with a secret Arnold Cave under his Brentwood home that not even his family knows about. “We’re using all the personal elements of Arnold’s life,” Lee said at the time of the announcement. “We’re using his wife [Maria Shriver]. We’re using his kids. We’re using the fact that he used to be governor.” But even before the couple’s separation became public, producers had backed off depicting Shriver and their children. [TMZ, Entertainment Weekly]

Retailing | Barnes & Noble announced Thursday that Liberty Media, which has stakes in cable, satellite television and interactive companies, has offered to buy the nation’s largest book chain for about $1.02 billion. The proposal, which comes nine months after the retailer put itself up for sale, is contingent on the participation of Barnes & Noble chairman Leonard Riggio. [The New York Times]

Amazon Kindle

Retailing | Reaching a digital milestone, Amazon has revealed it’s now selling more e-books than print editions, just four years after launching its Kindle. [TechCrunch]

Awards | The Anthony Awards, presented annually at the Bouchercon World Mystery Convention for excellence in crime fiction, have introduced a graphic novel category. The inaugural nominees are: Scalped, Vol. 6: The Gnawing, by Jason Aaron and Jock (Vertigo); Richard Stark’s Parker, Vol. 2: The Outfit, by Darwyn Cooke (IDW Publishing); Tumor, by Joshua Hale Fialkov and Noel Tuazon (Archaia); A Sickness in the Family, by Denise Mina and Antonio Fuso (Vertigo); Beasts of Burden, by Jill Thompson and Evan Dorkin (Dark Horse); and The Chill, by Jason Starr and Mick Bertilorenzi (Vertigo). The winner will be announced in September at Bouchercon in St. Louis. [via Comics Worth Reading]

Conventions | Nick Thompson previews this weekend’s Dallas Comic Con, which is expected to attract about 10,000 people. [CNN.com]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

Publishing | Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles co-creator Kevin Eastman will team with co-writer Tom Waltz and artist Dan Duncan on IDW Publishing’s upcoming TMNT series. [Comics Alliance]

Publishing | Jason Wood examines “the myth of the sell out announcement.” [iFanboy]

Creators | Michael Cavna profiles Cul de Sac creator Richard Thompson, soliciting quotes from reclusive cartoonist Bill Watterson and others in the process. “Where to start?… ” Watterson writes in an e-mail. “The strip has a unique and honest voice, a seemingly intuitive feel for what comics do best … a very funny intelligence … the artwork, which I just slobber over. It’s a wonderful surprise to see that this level of talent is still out there, and that a strip like this is still possible.” [The Washington Post]

Creators | Mark Andrew Smith discusses using Kickstarter to fund the second volume of The New Brighton Archeological Society, and surpassing the $6,000 goal: “This got the word out on a huge scale. We saw other high-profile creators throw their support behind us and we got a lot of mail from people telling us how much they enjoyed the book. It was an incredible feeling to see such a show of support and to have people be so vocal that they like our work, and to see them rallying to support us.” [USA Today]

Shinku #1

Creators | Ron Marz talks about Shinku, his new samurai vs. vampires series from Image Comics. [USA Today]

Creators | Matt Wagner chats about his Dynamite Entertainment series Zorro Rides Again. [ICv2.com]

Creators | Jaime Woo profiles Snow creator Benjamin Rivers, recipient of a 2011 Xeric Grant. [Torontoist]

Creators | Collaborators Zan Christensen and Mark Brill discuss their anti-bullying comic The Power Within, which was inspired by Dan Savage’s It Gets Better project. [KOMOnews.com]

Comics | Comics historian Paul Gravett selects the Top 5 political graphic novels. [CNN.com]

Comics | Mark Ginocchio, whose blog chronicles his efforts to collect every issue of The Amazing Spider-Man, explains why he’s expanding to include the newly launched FF: “… Something felt different about this new Fantastic Four series. Yes, I realize that Spider-Man is also technically a member of the Avengers, in a series being written by Brian Michael Bendis that is drawing both extreme praise and criticism. But Spidey and The Avengers don’t resonate with me. When I look at the current Avengers lineup and see characters like Spidey and Wolverine, it feels like a professional sports all-star game. Sure it’s entertaining to watch all these guys get together once a year, but you wouldn’t want to see it every night.” [Chasing Amazing]

Welcome to another edition of Shelf Porn. Today’s shelves comes from 17-year-old Grady Dixson in upstate New York, who shares a room I wish I’d had when I was 17.

If you’d like to show off your collection, it’s easy — just send a write-up and some jpgs to jkparkin@yahoo.com.

And now here’s Grady …

*****

Hi, I’m Grady Dixson, I’m 17 and from upstate NY. I’ve officially been collecting since I was 12, and unofficially my entire life.

When you go upstairs in my house (or more accurately my Dad’s house) you admittedly know which rooms mine before you even open the door.

As you can see the inside of my room is just as cluttered and wild as the door would suggest.

DC universe character Origins, as well as my Light sabre.

A bunch of posters, and trophies from my journeys.

Some of my trades …

The following is a butt load of pictures of my Action Figure Collection………….

The majority of my favorite figures get crammed on this top shelf. I like it, I think it gives an overall view of all my interests, almost like what a movie poster would look like, if the movie had all my favorite characters in it.

My collection of all the rings in the spectrum. And look it’s the big 3!

The Justice Society of America!

Again very Random but don’t they look awesome together?

Shazam!

Some of my trades and hardcovers …

(as you can see I’m a big mountain dew fan).

More trades as well as some of my star wars figures……

Some of my DVD’s as well as my DeLorean………..

Some more of my DVD’s …

The entertainment system, not exactly state of the art but it gets the job done …

My favorite ninja turtle action figures, as well as my collection of classic NES games……..oh and Ash is just hanging out up there, protecting my room, from any armies, dark or otherwise.

More proof of just how random my setup is……….

And this is where I put my comics from the current month….. The rest of my comic collection is in storage, Dads orders :/

Two of my favorite comics, Blue Beetle #1 (Charlton series Vol. 2) the first solo issue of Ted Kord, as well as the first appearance of The Question, and Booster Gold (DC Vol. 2) Signed by Geoff Johns.

And that’s my collection, hope you guys enjoyed checking out what this Jr. Geek had hidden away.

Over on his Tumblr blog, Ross Campbell (Wet Moon, Shadoweyes) talks about plans for him to draw a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series at Dark Horse. Apparently, DH was among several comic companies that bid on the TMNT license. Although IDW eventually beat out DH, the idea of Ross Campbell doing a TMNT series is amazing — in addition to this failed project, Campbell was in talks at one point to do an issue of Mirage’s Tales of the TMNT, although he ended up only doing some covers.

As much as I love seeing Campbell doing his own creator-owned projects, I’d love to see him spend some time on company-owned character he’s inspired by, whether it be TMNT or even a young X-Men series, which he’s talked about for years and did some art for over at Project: Rooftop.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtledoves

AOL’s ComicsAlliance blog has teamed up with the creators at Periscope Studios this holiday season to reimagine the classic Christmas carol “The 12 Days of Christmas.”

“Every day until the 25th, we’ll be posting a new illustration from a comics creator at Periscope Studio that reinterprets the days of the traditional carol as comic book parodies,” writes Laura Hudson. Today’s post features the above image by Andreas Schuster — which is kind of an “Oh my god, are they really doing what I think they’re doing?” moment — while yesterday’s featured Ben Bates replacing the fabled partridge with another type of bird. Be sure to check back between now and Christmas to see what the rest of the Periscope crew comes up with.

Tales of the TMNT #55

Publishing | Following the purchase last week of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles property by Viacom/Nickelodeon, Mirage Studios announced it will publish Tales of the TMNT at least through May 2010.

On the official website, cartoonist Dan Berger writes that co-creator Peter Laird retained an option to publish up to 18 TMNT comics a year. Elsewhere, writer Tristan Jones notes that the agreement only covers single issues “based on the current Mirage Universe stuff (eg: a continuation/conclusion to Volume 4).”

However, judging by comments made yesterday afternoon by Laird, it seems unlikely he will invoke that option in the near future: “One thing that is becoming clear to me is that, right now, I need to really step back from Turtle stuff. I am feeling strongly that I need to distance myself from the TMNT to truly grasp what has happened, and become accustomed to it. With that in mind, I have to say that it is likely that any new TMNT comics coming from me/Mirage (under the ‘reserved rights’ clause negotiated in the sale) are probably not going to be seen anytime soon. Although I do have the right to publish up to eighteen issues of TMNT comics per year, it is highly unlikely that I will do that right away. In all honesty, the idea of doing ANY new Turtle stuff right now leaves me cold.” [NinjaTurtles.com]

Legal | A court has ordered South Korean cartoonist Choi to pay $17,000 to settle a dispute with Wonju City over a cartoon that included offensive words about President Lee Myung-bak. The city recalled about 20,000 copies of the promotional paper after readers discovered the hidden message. [The Korea Times]

Retailing | Dirk Deppey wonders whether the current state of specialty music, movie and video-game stores offers A Christmas Carol-like glimpse at the future of the direct market. [Eurogamer]

The Muppet Show #1

Publishing | I knew that Disney’s Studio Fountain and Soda Store carried the BOOM! Kids line of Muppets and Disney/Pixar comics, but this is the first mention I’ve seen of any of the books in a Disney theme park. [Westfield Comics]

Publishing | Jessica Reed uses an appreciation of Asterix on the eve of the character’s 50th birthday as an opportunity to take a few jabs at the French: “There’s something endearing about the French and their illusions de grandeur, in which they like to think of themselves as the underdogs putting up a righteous fight for the survival of their perceived uniqueness. I fear the French are too often guilty of clinging to obsolete historical landmarks, most of which paint a picture of their country as having an important and respected say in world culture – from international diplomacy to food, fashion and art. This is a vestige of the past, and yet Asterix charmingly perpetuates this comfortable illusion of control for many a French reader: they’re depicted as feisty, fun-loving patriots with a culture and spirit of résistance that can’t be obliterated, even under duress.” [Guardian]

Casper, The Friendly Ghost #1

Publishing | Speaking of milestones: Casper, The Friendly Ghost is 60. [Express-News]

Creators | Brian Heater continues his multi-part interview with Guy Delisle. [The Daily Cross Hatch]

Creators | Deb Aoki talks with Matt Alt and Hiroko Yoda about their book Yokai Attack! [About.com]

Manga | David Welsh gathers a panel of notables to recommend horror/supernatural manga. [The Comics Reporter]

Comics | A Welsh scholar has included the 1970s DC Comics series Beowulf, Dragon Slayer in her study of “representations of masculinity in modern reworkings of the Beowulf story.” [WalesOnline]

Comics | A candidate for the most boring superhero comic of all time: Adventures of the Super Site Selectors: The Search for the Perfect Location. [The Charleston Gazette]

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1

Although many were surprised by yesterday’s announcement that Viacom had purchased Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles for $60 million, co-creator Peter Laird makes it clear the sale of the ’80s indie-comics hit turned multimedia franchise was a long time coming.

“Why did I sell the TMNT?” Laird wrote yesterday afternoon on his blog. “There are a number of reasons, but first and foremost is that I have been doing this TMNT thing for twenty-five years, sixteen of them in partnership with TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman and the last nine as sole owner of the property. That is a long time. It is almost half my life (I’m 55). I never expected to be working on the same thing for this long. And it has worn me down. I am no longer that guy who carries his sketchbook around with him and draws in it every chance he gets. … I miss — I really, really miss — being that guy.”

Laird, who in March 2008 completed a buyout of Eastman’s interests in TMNT and Mirage Studios that had begun in 2000, noted that his interest in the property had faded in recent years: “As one result, the production of TMNT Volume 4 comics has slowed to a crawl. That’s not good. I have a conclusion planned out for that series, and at some point I want to get to it. Maybe this sale will help me get to that point. We’ll see.”

He also stressed that he still owns Mirage, the company he founded with Eastman in 1983.

Debuting in 1984 as a black-and-white self-published comic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles began as a parody of Cerebus, Daredevil, New Mutants and Ronin. However, thanks largely to the efforts of licensing agent Mark Freedman, the property soon spawned animated TV series, movies, video games and endless merchandise.

Under Viacom’s ownership, TMNT is destined for a new feature film from Paramount and a CG-animated TV series from Nickelodeon, both in 2012.