Officer Downe

Hello and welcome to a special birthday bash edition of our weekly “What Are You Reading” feature. Typically the Robot 6 crew talks about what books we’ve read recently, but since it’s our anniversary, we thought we’d invite all our friends and colleagues from Comic Book Resources and Comics Should Be Good! to join in the fun.

To see what everyone has been reading, click below …

*****

Timothy Callahan

Uncanny X-Force #1

Uncanny X-Force #1-19, by Rick Remender, Jerome Opena, Dean White, and others. I’ve been reading — and enjoying — this series since the first issue debuted, but I carved out a couple of hours recently to reread the entire run to see the whole Archangel saga play out as a single story. I wondered if this was, perhaps, the defining run for the character — the way the Brubaker/Fraction Immortal Iron Fist defined Danny Rand, or the way Jason Aaron provided the definitive Ghost Rider. And upon rereading, I have to say “yes.” This first year-and-a-half of Uncanny X-Force is the definitive Angel/Archangel story, and what’s so great about it is that Remender built upon the mythology of the character’s past instead of trying to revert him to some oversimplified version of the original Lee/Kirby creation. Also, this series is just packed with characters and plot points and yet maintains a deep emotional core. Good stuff, all around.

The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner. I’m only about 50 pages into this novel so far, and though I’ve read a decent amount of Faulkner — and plenty of Fitzgerald and Hemingway, the other two Big American Moderns — I’ve never taken the time to read this acclaimed masterpiece. I’ll reserve complete judgment on it until I’ve finished it, of course, but I already know that it lacks a direct through-line like you’d find in my favorite Faulkner book, As I Lay Dying. When I used to teach that novel, we would explore Faulkner’s use of heteroglossia — basically, the multiplicity of narrative voices — and he’s clearly up to the same tricks in The Sound and the Fury. My prejudice against this novel, and the reason why I’ve avoided it for so long, is that I assume it will be more of a portrait of a time and a place than an actual, compelling story. I have always been more of a story guy than a portrait guy, personally, but we will see what treasures this novel holds.

Tom Spurgeon’s Holiday Interview series. Every year, during the Christmas season, Tom treats us to daily interviews with some of the most interesting people in and around the comic book industry. From Kim Thompson to Jeff Parker to Tucker Stone, we get a profile of the current state of comics from all angles, and the interviews go far deeper than the standard online promotional pieces. These are actual conversations with people who have things to say. Every one of them is worth reading, even if you don’t think you’re interested in the topic at first.

Timothy Callahan writes CBR’s When Words Collide column. He also writes about comics for Tor.com and has his own blog.

Chad Nevett

1. A bunch of Joe Casey comics. Anyone who knows me probably isn’t surprised by that statement, but, look at December: Doc Bizarre, the Officer Downe hardcover, new issues of Haunt and Gødland, and the conclusion to Vengeance. All that was missing was a little Butcher Baker… Any month with that much Joe Casey is going to seem a little crazy. Doc Bizarre is some madcap fun, Officer Downe manages to be even more fucked up, and Vengeance ends on such a crazy high note that I think I need to send Mr. Casey a big thank you letter for writing a comic book series so squarely aimed at yours truly. I know I’m not the only one who marked out at Z making a cameo appearance at the end…! I’m still not entirely sure about Haunt (aside from loving Nathan Fox’s art). Casey obviously has some plans, but it’s hard to see where they’re heading. I dug the new issue, though. Ending the year with that small stack of December Joe Casey comics is pretty nice.

The Visible Man

2. The Visible Man by Chuck Klosterman. Probably the last book I’ll finish in 2011 (I finished reading it late Friday night) and it was a big leap from his first novel Downtown Owl. I’ve really enjoyed Klosterman’s non-fiction (or semi-fiction, maybe?) work for years. Funny, insightful, and always interesting in his essays on pop culture in all its forms. I tend to blow through his books, because they’re so damn enjoyable. His fiction, on the other hand, hasn’t always grabbed me. Downtown Owl was entertaining and had its moments, but it was definitely something that I read because I like Klosterman’s writing. The Visible Man has me thinking that Klosterman may have some strong fiction chops. It’s a novel framed as a non-fictional account of a therapist and her (failed) treatment of a man who wears a suit that renders him virtually impossible to see by reflecting light in such a way that you see what’s on the other side of him. The protagonist ‘Y____’ reminds me a lot of a character who has stepped out of a Paul Auster book. Forceful and strange with a strong and unique perspective on the world and himself. Some of the ideas discussed are wonderful. The stories he tells of observing people in their homes without detection are rather engaging — to the point where the novel suffers a little when it moves away from those stories. The ending is what it is… it doesn’t live up to the potential the book or Y____ showed, but… entertaining book that made me stop and think from time to time. And has me wondering what Klosterman’s next novel will be like.

3. Banner by Brian Azzarello and Richard Corben, and Filthy Rich by Brian Azzarello and Victor Santos. A couple of Azzarello books that I’ve been meaning to get for a while. I read Banner years ago on Marvel’s website and it’s both very like and very unlike Azzarello’s other writing. The language games are there in spots, but his dialogue is very sparse — he really steps back and lets Corben run the show to a degree. Filthy Rich had its moments, but is so rooted in being ‘pulp’ that it doesn’t do much more than work within the confines of the genre. It’s a fun little exercise. Santos’s art is wildly inconsistent — but, when he’s on, he does a mean Frank Miller impression.

Chad Nevett talks about comics in several different places around the web — at his personal blog GraphiContent, at Comics Should Be Good! and as a reviewer for Comic Book Resources. He also writes about wrestling for 411mania.

Bill Reed

These days I’ve found myself reading more and more webcomics, and as someone who still hasn’t figured out how an RSS feed works, that involves me remembering to read a strip on a specific schedule, and then clicking or typing myself over to the designated webspace from which the particular comic springs forth. I would totally pay real dollars for the following:

Al’Rashad, from Christopher Bird and Davinder Brar, which goes up weekly at Mightygodking, a clever, funny, and superbly drawn fantasy adventure comic that features pirate action, bizarre bazaars and the wiliest mop-haired street orphan since Flim-Flam from The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo.

Bearmageddon

Bearmageddon, artist Ethan Nicolle’s other, non-Axe-Cop webcomic, which has been slowly building its way to the titular Grizzly apocalypse, and has just recently leaped into the Kodiak carnage we’ve been waiting for, with well-meaning hippies versus nature’s hungry killing machines. Nicolle’s gorgeous cartooning and Noah Maas and company’s vibrant colors give the series the most beautiful mayhem since, well, Axe Cop.

Bucko, by Jeff Parker and Erika Moen, a freewheeling (actually, fixed-gear) epic for our times, populated by hipsters, cyclists, Juggalos, and fartmongers, the strip turns Portland into a magical, madcap fantasy land filled with delightful, deranged characters, the true Oz of the Northwest. Moen’s lines have been getting sparer and more confident, the art style becoming more refined, like the evolution of a newspaper comic strip, only at hyperspeed.

Lady Sabre & the Pirates of the Ineffable Aether by Greg Rucka and Rick Burchett, a beautifully realized space pirate cowboy adventure serial that opens with a tremendous swordfight on a space zeppelin before segueing into Sam Elliot kicking ass. I shouldn’t have to say any more, but I will: it’s the best artwork of Burchett’s career, and the included script with each new installment provides a great insight into the collaborative process, specifically in terms of how artwork interprets and diverges from the narrative skeleton.

Bill Reed contributes regularly to Comics Should Be Good! and has his own personal blog.

Ryan K Lindsay

11.22.63

11.22.63: I’m a massive Stephen King fan. Always have been and always will be. Most of his recent fare hasn’t been anything compared to his late 70’s stuff (but what is?) though his short stories continue to thrill and I enjoyed Under The Dome right up until the cop out ending. I am, however, thoroughly enjoying 11.22.63.

There might not be any subtext to this book but you must cast that aside and revel in the fact King is one of the premiere storytellers when it comes to sinking you right into the narrative. There are some King tics that’ll stand out (constantly naming songs to set the tone and you’ll hear his unmistakable voice coming through some of these characters) but the swell of this tale is captivating. King turns a phrase well but mostly he just wants to tell an enjoyable tale and he really is.

There has been more than one occasion in this book where I have stopped because the events have floored me. That’s the sign of a good book to be read. Oh, and this is my first novel read on the iPad and I’m completely digging the way it goes. I have no issue with it at all.

The Cape: This is the sort of comic that makes me excessively proud to be a comic fan. Just by tangentially knowing this product through purchasing, reading, enjoying and reviewing this book, my life is better and I’ve spread the love out into the world. This book started with the acorn of an idea from a Joe Hill short story, and now Jason Ciaramella and Zach Howard have grown it into a mighty tree with a canopy of rich ideas and a nasty lead character at the peak.

If you haven’t picked up The Cape then you need to do it. If you have any member of your family who digs on subversive fare then buy this for them. The level of amazing this comic goes to will win you over completely. Comics need to try this hard more often.

The Mighty Thor Omnibus

Simonson’s Everything: I listened to Walt Simonson on Word Balloon, and it’s put me in a spin. I’ve owned the SIMONSOMNIBUS (The Mighty Thor Omnibus) for half a year and my New Year’s Resolution is to burn through it all. I might even annotate my thoughts. I also found some Simonson Fantastic Four issues on ComiXology for only $1.99 so I snapped those up. And I’ve also pulled down my old Havok & Wolverine: Meltdown issues for another spin through.

I’m a big back issue fan, as a kid I loved coming back from the comic shop (an hour train ride to and back) and spreading all my swag out on the bed and spending the day losing myself in old Marvel U history. It’s now nice to have my pick of them in authentic old school issues, a massive omnibus presentation, and crystal clear on my iPad. We do truly live in the future – here’s to 2012.

Ryan K Lindsay is a reviewer for CBR and a podcaster with Kurtis J Wiebe and Jeremy Holt on The Process, where they talk about comic writing. He is planning to have a very big 2012 in all things comics.

Greg McElhatton

Kushiel's Dart

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey: I still remember when Kushiel’s Dart was published in 2001; I was living in Falls Church and the local Borders had copies of it everywhere. Clocking in around 700 pages, it looked interesting but daunting at the same time. There are nine books in the series now, and I’ve still never gotten around to reading them. Fortunately for me, my book club picked it as the January 2012 book, which means I finally have an excuse to dive in. I’m still in the early pages and it’s slow-moving, but Jacqueline Carey’s prose is comfortable and I’m interested in what I’ve seen so far about this alternate history. Half of the fun is piecing together what’s different when it comes to an alternate history, and this one is no exception.

Embassytown by China Mieville: I’ve put Embassytown temporarily aside so I can finish up Kushiel’s Dart, and already I’m dying to get back to China Mieville’s latest novel. Mieville’s ideas are always wonderfully huge and crazy, and Embassytown is no exception. What starts out as a simple “humans co-existing with aliens on another planet” story has rapidly turned into a mixture of social dynamics and linguistic oddities. Similar to his novel The City & The City (with its two cities that exist side-by-side where the inhabitants have learned to block out the opposite side), it’s hard to describe the joy and wonder of Embassytown without giving away a lot of the wonderful surprises, but if you can make it to the point where you first meet the Ambassadors, you’ll quickly learn just why Embassytown is in a class of its own. If you’ve never read a Mieville book before, Embassytown is a great place to start.

Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes

Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes by Carl Barks: I’m a little mortified to admit that Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: Lost in the Andes is my first exposure to Carl Barks (after decades of being interested in finally seeing why he’s so revered as a comic creator), but it definitely won’t be my last. Fantagraphics’ first volume of Barks material is a great place to start; a mixture of epic quests, short stories, and gag strips that are all impressively funny and awesome. There’s something wonderfully evil about a strip where a witch is forcing the Duck nephews to cry so that she can turn their tears into a potion to destroy all Christmas trees, only to turn around and have a hilarious transformation sequence to break up the gloom and make you laugh.

A friend once said, “Everything good in the DuckTales cartoon was first done by Carl Barks” and I can see that now. This is one of those rare comics that really is meant for all ages, or for that matter all interests; the only reason it took me a few weeks to finish the book is that halfway through, my non-comics-reading boyfriend started flipping through it and then temporarily claimed it as his own so that he could finish it first. Trust me when I say, that’s high praise indeed.

Greg McElhatton writes reviews for Comic Book Resources and Read About Comics, and he has a cool personal blog as well.

Dave Richards

Beautiful, Naked & Dead and Out There Bad by Josh Stallings: If you’re like me, you love a great crime story regardless of whether it’s published in four color or prose formats and these two prose novels which I recently discovered were some of the best crime stories I read all year. In Beautiful, Naked, & Dead, Stallings’ stellar debut novel, you’re introduced to Moses McGuire; an ex-marine, ex-con, and strip club bouncer as he goes on a quest to avenge a friend’s murder. In the even better follow up novel, Out There Bad, Stallings sends Moses to Mexico for a confrontation with human traffickers. If you love the work of Ed Brubaker, Jason Aaron and Greg Rucka pick these two books up. You won’t regret it.

Batman: Noel

Batman: Noel by Lee Bermejo: I got this as a Christmas present and read it Christmas eve. I don’t think I really need to say a whole lot about Bermejo’s art. It’s beautiful, breathtaking and speaks for itself for the most part. His renderings of Gotham City and the Joker were especially impressive in this. I believe this is Bermejo’s first book as a writer though and he does a pretty great job with it. He tells a fun story that does a nice job working the framework of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol into a Batman story. Bermejo also did a great job with characterization, especially Superman who serves as the Ghost of Christmas Present. All in all this was a fun holiday read and might just become a Christmas Eve tradition for me.

Hellboy: House of the Living Dead by Mike Mignola and Richard Corben: House of the Living Dead is a tale that involves Hellboy, a Frankenstein style monster, a werewolf, a vampire and Mexican Lucha Libre style wrestling. That’s a pretty awesome recipe, and Mignola and Corben cook it up very well for this original graphic novel. In the story it’s 1952, and an alcoholic Hellboy is working as a masked wrestler. Thanks to the machinations of a mysterious foe he has to wrestle a scientist’s monstrous creation to save a young girl. The result is a fun, strange, exciting tale with a lot of heart.

Dave Richards covers all things Marvel for Comic Book Resources.

Greg Hatcher

Kamandi

Well. I’m sort of reading all three of these at the same time, alternating.

1. The new Kamandi omnibus, because it arrived recently and Kamandi is awesome. I could go on and on but Alex Cox really said it all here a couple of years back…

2. The Green Hornet Casefiles. I love the Moonstone prose anthologies and already own a bunch of them– the Avenger, the Phantom, Kolchak, the Domino Lady. But I think the ones featuring the Green Hornet may be my favorites and this is the new one. Full disclosure– editor Win Eckert and I occasionally correspond and he asked permission to use a quote of mine for a cover blurb on the deluxe edition. But I went out and spent my own money on this because I enjoyed the first one so much. New, original prose adventures featuring the Green Hornet and Kato– and it’s clearly MY Hornet and Kato, the Van Williams and Bruce Lee version from the mid-sixties. What with Kevin Smith and Matt Wagner and Seth Rogen and God knows who else doing versions of the Hornet these days, it can get confusing. But this version’s mine. Rocking it old-school.

Rider of the Rifle Rock

3. For Christmas my wife Julie found me Bennett Foster’s Rider of the Rifle Rock, a vintage Western hardcover from 1939. It’s a great story of how young Chet Minor learns how to be a real man again after a riding accident that leaves him crippled. I love old westerns and I’m a sucker for a redemption story. This actually is pretty easy to find–reprinted in hardcover under the “Sagebrush Western” imprint not to long ago–but mine’s the original one. Because my wife is even more awesome than Kamandi.

You can read more from Greg Hatcher every Friday at Comics Should Be Good!

Pól Rua

Infinite Kung-Fu by Kagan McLeod (Top Shelf Publishing): First, read that again… Infinite. Kung. Fu. Roll it around inside your head for a bit. Give it a bit of reverb. Now try saying it out loud, feeling each syllable thunder off your lips. That’s some serious righteousness right there, and a comic book would have to be pretty damn good to live up to a name like that. So, it’s damn lucky that Kagan McLeod has the chops (and the kicks, stomps and strikes) to do just that and exceed it.

Infinite Kung Fu

First of all, he’s good. Crazy good. He has a kinetic, graphitti-inspired art style that leaps, glides and dives across the stage like righteous combat lightning. But, in conjunction with that, he’s also a hell of a storyteller. He effortlessly translates the classic style of 1970′s Hong Kong Kung Fu cinema into comic form, using an incredible degree of craft, draftsmanship and skill to convey all the style, dynamism and impact of martial arts combat into pictures which seem to come alive on the page. And what’s more, he knows his stuff, combining bone-shattering kung fu, Taoist mysticism, bloodthirsty zombies, ruthless villainy and funky blaxploitation-fuelled grooves seamlessly together without the disparate elements clashing with each other. In short, this is an amazingly good comic, and Top Shelf have really put it all together into a gorgeous package.

Moriarty and the Hound of the D’urbevilles by Kim Newman (Titan Books): Kim Newman is one of my favourite writers. He’s an incredibly literate pop culture critic and commentator and an astoundingly skilled storyteller. He uses similar techniques to Phillip Jose Farmer (in his Wold Newton stories) and Alan Moore (in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) in a way that’s playful, frequently funny as hell and always utterly captivating.

In this collection of short stories, we are introduced to Professor James Moriarty, a genius obsessed with the “mathematics of crime,” who has made his life’s work the imposition of pure reason onto the chaotic realm of criminal endeavor. Our point-of-view on this extraordinary criminal is Colonel Sebastian Moran, big game hunter, ex-soldier and rapacious scoundrel, as a kind of anti-Watson. Like many of his other stories, most notably the Anno Dracula series (an alternate world in which Count Dracula became ruler of the world in the late 19th Century) and the Diogenes Club (about an organization of paranormal investigators stretching from Victorian London to
Thatcher’s Britain), Newman liberally sprinkles his stories with obscure and not-so-obscure references to various historical and literary character. These don’t impede the storytelling–each story is an engaging and entertaining work of fiction in its own right–but they provide an additional layer of entertainment, where the stories can also be read as a fascinating literary game.

King City #1

King City by Brandon Graham (Image Comics): If there is any justice in the world, Brandon Graham is one name you will be hearing a lot of in the upcoming years. He is ridiculously talented, and has an undeniable style and energy. Imagine, if you can, a story that combines the freewheeling whimsy and character-driven
storytelling of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim with the streetwise neo-futurism of Ellis and Robertson’s Transmetropolitan or Paul Pope’s Heavy Liquid or THB, and you have the world of King City. It’s a world of costumed spy gangs and giant atomic monsters, alien pornography and Sasquatch inn-keepers, but it’s more than that…

It’s a world where our hero, arriving back in town after a long stretch, dreads seeing his ex-girlfriend as he re-connects with old friends. It’s a world where a young woman worries about her lover, a recently returned war veteran whose only solace for his night terrors is a drug which may be slowly killing him, but it’s more than THAT…

It’s a comic where the creator throws in puzzles and games even, in one place, a board game all of which are actually parts of the story and serve a plot purpose. This is GREAT comics. Playful comics. Fun Comics. All delivered with a charm, verve, wit and skill that deserves wider attention. The trade paperback collection should be out in February which I’m as excited as all get out about.

Pól Rua is an artist and occasionally contributes to Comics Should Be Good!

Kelly Thompson

Warren Ellis’ Secret Avengers run (Secret Avengers #16 – #20): There’s still one more issue left in Warren Ellis’ wonderful Secret Avengers run, but he has been blowing my mind with these amazing superhero comics. With incredibly smart standalone stories with limited casts that all feel like they tie together even though they don’t depend on one another to make sense Ellis has been creating some of the best superhero comics I’ve read in 2011. It doesn’t hurt that he’s got a rotating cast of amazing artists helping him bring these stories to life. Reading this short run reminds me how great a wonderful 20-page superhero comic can be. I wish comics could do more of this and I will be decidedly sad to see this run end. I’ll be first in line for the trade when released as well – it’ll make for a hell of a strong collection.

Hinges

Hinges by Meredith McClaren: I’m been reading Meredith McClaren (artist for Jen Van Meter’s upcoming Hopeless Savages Volume 4) excellent webcomic Hinges for a while now and I am just constantly blown away by her beautiful haunting work. The mastery of craft in her pages – from the well-developed drawing style, to pitch perfect color choice, to even her stylized execution of word balloons – is just phenomenal. The story of Hinges is frequently text free, relying on McClaren’s strong artistic chops to tell the story – but even without words it’s emotional and haunting. McClaren is a major new talent in comics and I simply can’t wait to see what she does next.

Buffy The Vampire Slayer: Season 9 by Andrew Chambliss and Georges Jeanty: The first arc of Buffy The Vampire Slayer‘s new series has wrapped and I have to say, I’m pretty enchanted with it. The end of Season 8 had me frustrated and confused, but as always with Joss Whedon, he’s managed to bring things back around to a place where I’m re-engaged and highly intrigued by where he wants to take these characters that I adore. The comics have been a funny animal, since they’re able to do things and go places that the television show never could and because of that they have different boundaries and rules, but somehow, thanks to great creators and a strong guiding hand from Whedon, the characters, which are the important part in all of this, remain as fascinating and as emotionally engaging as ever. Steve Morris’ stunning covers aren’t hurting the series any either!

Kelly Thompson writes (and podcasts) for Comics Should Be Good! and reviews comics for CBR. You can also read more from her on her personal site.

Brian Cronin

This week saw the release of two noteworthy Vertigo issues, one an ending and one a beginning.

DMZ

The final issue of DMZ gave a powerful conclusion to Brian Wood and Riccardo Burchielli’s excellent series. Wood chose to use the “leap forward a bunch of years” approach to a finale, which I am always a fan of. I especially enjoyed how Wood decided to give the focus of the final issue to New York City itself…it was a very satisfying goodbye to the book. Much like the tributes within the comic, the subtly of the farewell worked beautifully.

As we say goodbye to the DMZ, we say hello to yet another fascinating new character in Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque’s American Vampire. One of the most impressive aspects of Snyder’s work in this series has been his ability to quickly develop compelling new characters. This was on fine display in the start of the new American Vampire storyline, where Snyder gave a brilliant take on the 1950′s greaser hood archetype.

Brian Cronin runs our sister blog, Comics Should Be Good! and was part of The Great Curve team way back in the day, before we were ever Robot 6. He’s also the author of Was Superman a Spy?: And Other Comic Book Legends Revealed.

Sonia Harris

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diáz: I initially picked this paperback up because I liked the cover art and the grainy texture of the coating they had used on it. Then when I flipped it open, the quote on the first page is “Of what import are brief, nameless lives… to Galactus??”, which is from the Fantastic Four, by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby in 1966. How could I resist? Inside the book chronicles the life of an unattractive geeky boy and his oddly endearing family life. I’m half way through and so far I’m loving the constant references to comic books which I know and love. It gives me another way to understand the environment the author is describing and I am more involved than I might otherwise be. The book is heavily peppered with long footnotes, explaining all of the cultural and historical references the author makes, which gives the book a conversationally tangential air. So far the author has mentioned Gilbert Hernandez’ Love & Rockets characters enough that I am basically imagining this as another “Palomar” story, not so much as a visual reference but as a way to understand the mood and feel behind Diáz’ immigrant story.

JLA Vol. 3, Deluxe Edition by Grant Morrison, Howard Porter and John Dell: Along with Vol 4, this was a thoughtful holiday gift I received after I read the first two volumes of Morrison’s groundbreaking JLA run and wrote about them in my column. It is lucky I received this, since I don’t know if I would have bought the book myself as I felt like I’d just read a ton of this run and didn’t want to risk spoiling it. Of course once I started reading I was extremely happy about it. The groundwork Morrison initially laid, now builds to great effect. He continues to develop and elaborate on the storylines of the team and individual characters to the point where I found myself actually wanting to read the crossover stories that were referenced (and I usually hate crossover stories.) In amongst his complex and gloriously random storylines, there is a basic humanity to the character’s conversations which is terrifically endearing, it works to anchor and ground the fantastic stories. As it began, it continues, with Morrison giving everyone their own voice and distinctly relatable character. Now I’ve still got volume 4 to read next and I’m excited to get to it.

Sonia Harris writes her column–Committed–every Wednesday on Comics Should Be Good!

Varmints

Andy Hirsch, illustrator of the SLG comic The Royal Historian of Oz, is self-publishing a digital comic called Varmints. The first two issues are available on his website and through Graphicly for $1 each, and he’s also serializing the first issue on the web.

The story revolves around Opie and Ned, two kids hunting down their deadbeat dad, the Criminal King of the West. The first issue alone features a saloon fight, a guy in a bear suit, a lucky hat and beans, so if you’re looking for a fun Western comic with all those elements, go check it out.

Around here, we’re big fans of Strangeways, Matt Maxwell’s series of horror-Western graphic novels. Maxwelll’s practically family, having serialized his second book The Thirsty on Robot 6, so it’s exciting that he’s now announced the third volume. Whereas Murder Moon was a werewolf tale and The Thirsty featured vampires, The Land Will Know is all about the ghosts. Maxwell calls it “the campfire ghost story reinvented” and describes it as sort of an EC-inspired anthology, but with a bridge story that ties the individual tales together into a single piece.

He’s started announcing artists for the various stories, but more details will be coming later. Gervasio and Jok (who’ve both worked on Strangeways before) will be drawing the bridge story as well as one of the other tales. Benjamin Dewey (Dark Horse Presents), Tom Neely (The Blot, The Wolf), and Tom Fowler (Venom) will each be doing stories as well. Check out Maxwell’s website for more details, samples of the artists’ work, and future updates.

Spera, Volume 1

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, “Jeff Lemire’s Frankenstein 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

The Grave Doug Freshley – A lot of publishers are doing Weird Western comics lately and that’s just fine with me.

Spera, Volume 1 – I like the sound of this fairy tale in which a couple of princesses combine efforts to save their kingdoms. It’s not that I’m anti-prince, but that’s a cool, new way to do that story.

Avatar

Captain Swing and the Electrical Pirates of Cindery Island – Warren Ellis doing Steampunk sounds thrilling, but really all they had to say was “pirates.” I bet this is still really good though, even if you’re pickier than I am.

Boom!

Roger Langridge’s Snarked #1 – After a well-loved zero-issue, Langridge’s version of Wonderland gets its real, official start.

The Huntress #1

Dark Horse

Turok, Son of Stone, Volume 1: Aztlan – I never read any of the Valiant stuff, nor the original comics they were based on, but having rediscovered my interest in dinosaurs in the last few years, I gave the first issue of this a shot and enjoyed it.

DC

The Huntress #1 – How’s Levitz doing with his new Legion stuff? Can he still write? DC finally rebooted the Legion enough times to pound the fandom right out of me, so I haven’t been keeping up. I’m always curious about the Huntress though, because she seems like a character with a ton of potential. I’m drowning in the hype in this solicit (“Hot new miniseries!” “Largest price on her head in DC Universe history!” “Jaw-dropping events!” “Defines her life!” “Tie-in to upcoming Birds of Prey!”), but I’d like to read a good Huntress story and am hoping this qualifies.

The Shade #1 – This is probably as close as we’re going to get to a new James Robinson Starman series, but you know what? It’s really damn close. And it’s got some amazing artists scheduled for it like Darwyn Cooke, Javier Pulido, Jill Thompson, Frazer Irving, and Gene Ha.

Jack Kirby’s Fourth World Omnibus, Volume 1 tpb – Hey! Cheapskate edition! I hadn’t even dared to hope.

Showcase Presents: Batman, Volume 5 – I was getting all excited about the Tales of the Batman: Don Newton collection also coming out this month and was about to write something about how much I love Bronze Age Batman. Then I realized that that’s what this collects too, only cheaper and it’s slightly earlier stuff. Still, that Newton volume is in color, so I’ll probably want both books.

The All-New Batman: The Brave and the Bold #12 – Do you know what I like better than a Batman/Zatanna team-up? I don’t either.

Hark! A Vagrant

The Annotated Sandman, Volume 1 - Dammit, DC. You’re going to make me buy this again, aren’t you?

Drawn and Quarterly

Hark! A Vagrant – If I could only buy one thing this month, Kate Beaton’s collection would be it. I cannot wait to start loaning this out and sharing her stuff with my friends and family who don’t read webcomics.

Dynamite

Warlord of Mars: Dejah Thoris, Volume 1 – Colossus of Mars – Unlike the glut of Green Hornet comics, there seem to be solid reasons for each of Dynamite’s John Carter series to exist side-by-side. I’m eager to hear what Burroughs fans think of this one.

Sherlock Holmes: Year One – Ditto this and Holmes fans. Is it closer in tone to A Study in Scarlet or Young Sherlock Holmes?

First Second

Orcs, Volume 1: Forged for War - Orcs are my least-favorite Tolkien/D&D mythical race, but I trust First Second to change my mind about that. Dwarves better watch their backs if they don’t want to get bumped to the bottom of the list.

Humanoids

The Zombies That Ate the World, Volume 1: Bring Me Back My Head! – My Guy Davis collection is one step closer to being complete.

IDW

Star Trek/Legion of Super-Heroes #1 – In spite of what I said about my Legion fandom earlier, this really does sound cool. Then again, I’m the guy who liked the Star Trek/X-Men crossovers.

Legion of Monsters #1

30 Days of Night #1 – Very excited about a 30 Days of Night ongoing. This means I probably need to catch up on the last couple of mini-series though.

Cold War #1 – Yes, I do believe I could get into a John Byrne spy series.

Bloom County: The Complete Library, Volume 5 – Eep! I’m falling behind!

Kill Shakespeare, Volume 2: The Blast of War - The massive Fables-meets-the-Bard mini-series is all collected finally. Which means I get to read it now.

Marvel

Avengers 1959 #1 and 2 – See what I said about John Byrne’s Cold War, substitute Howard Chaykin for Byrne; add Namora and Kraven the Hunter.

Legion of Monsters #1 – Someone started a meme a while ago about what titles you’d want in a Marvel version of DC’s New 52. I’ve been giving that some thought and a couple of my wishes were a  comic about all of Marvel’s monster characters and another about Elsa Bloodstone. Marvel’s apparently reading my mind.

Moonstone

Return of the Monsters – I’m already pretty interested in Moonstone’s pulp characters: Black Bat, Phantom Detective, Domino Lady, and the Spider. But I’m hooked right through the cheek when they meet Dracula, Frankenstein’s Monster, a mummy, and a werewolf in a series of four, separate comics.

Airboy Presents The Airfighters - I’m a little confused about whether this has already been solicited before, but I guess it doesn’t really matter. I haven’t read it yet and I want to.

Nordguard

NBM

Salvatore, Volume 2: An Eventful Crossfire – I do love a good anthropomorphic animal story. Blame Blacksad.

Scar

Madame Samurai, Volume 2 – The first volume of this was quiet and beautiful. Glad there’s a second.

Sofawolf

Nordguard – The blurb for this reads like a standard Northern adventure story about a team of sled dogs who have to brave a variety of dangers to save some miners. I dig Jack London and all, but I’ve seen that story before, usually on Disney. Then I looked at the cover and realized that the sled dogs are wearing parkas and carrying revolvers.

And that’s it for me. What did I leave out?

Daredevil #1

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. We’re coming a little late today due to a power outage in my neck of the woods — due to a blackout, not because I spent the money for the electric bill on Flashpoint or Fear Itself tie-ins.

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

Graeme McMillan

Because I’m not doing San Diego this year, some kind of crazy comic karma has decided that this week will be filled with comics I want to read. For example, if I had $15, I’d run to grab Daredevil #1 (Marvel, $3.99), which I’ve been looking forward to for some time — Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera *and* Marcos Martin? How can anyone refuse? — before scooting back to the DC aisle to pick up both DC Retroactive: The Flash – The ’70s #1 and DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman – The ’70s #1 (Both DC, $4.99), because I am such a sucker for old-school DC that even this weird “slight return” of the same seems exciting to me.

If I had $30, I’d probably pick up both last month’s #1 and this month’s #2 of Image’s Witch Doctor mini, after getting recommendations from friends (Both $2.99), before wandering grabbing Locke & Key: Clockworks #1 (IDW, $3.99) and then rounding it out with Batman: Gates of Gotham #3 (DC, $2.99), which is turning into an enjoyable little Batfamily series.

To splurge or not to splurge? Well, there *is* that Thor: The Black Galaxy Saga trade (Marvel, $19.99), and I really *do* like my Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz Thor, so that might have to be coming home with me…

Chris Mautner

Butcher Baker, Candlestickmaker

If I had $15:

Unlike Graeme, this is another quiet week for me, with my initial purchase being the first issue of The Boys: Butcher Baker, Candlestickmaker, the latest (and, I believe, final) spin-off of the Boys franchise, this time delving into the origins of the group’s leader Billy Butcher. I’ve been a bit down on the comic lately, disappointed with the heavy info dumps and not really digging John McCrea’s art, but this issue features the return of co-creator Darick Robertson, so I’m hopeful.

If I had $30:

I’d either grab Neptune, a charming all-ages book by Aron Nels Steinke about a girl and her dog, courtesy of Sparkplug Books, or I’d nab La Quinta Camera: The Fifth Room, a new manga series from Natsume Ono. I haven’t been exactly wow’d by Ono’s work, but this book seems to adopt a cartoonier style and, like I said, it’s a slow week.

Splurge:

The sixth volume of Fumi Yoshinaga’s Ooku is out this week. I’ve only read the first volume so far, so for my splurge I’d get Vol. 6 and the other four books to catch up.

Michael May

Deadlands

If I had $15, I’d start with a couple of Weird Western comics: Deadlands: Massacre at Red Wing ($2.99) and Zeke Deadwood: Zombie Lawman #2 ($3.50). The Deadlands one-shot is by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, who know a thing or two about the genre and Zeke just looks and sounds fun. Next I’d add Criminal Macabre/The Goon: When Freaks Collide ($3.99) because Cal McDonald and the Goon are a match made somewhere very far away from heaven. Finally, I’d add Daredevil #1 ($3.99), not just because Mark Waid fills me with confidence about every Marvel or DC series he writes, but I’m just happy to see a superhero smiling again on that cover.

If I had $30, I’d add a few more single issues. The top of this part of the list is Marineman #6 ($4.99), the double-sized wrap-up to the first story in Ian Churchill’s excellent underwater superhero series. Besides the price, the only thing keeping this out of my $15 list is knowing that the collected version is coming out next month and I’m going to want that anyway. After that I’d add the redundantly titled Sergio Aragones Funnies #1 ($3.50) and Rocketeer Adventures #3 ($3.99).

My splurge item for the week is Ray Fawkes’ One Soul graphic novel ($24.99) that Brigid’s written about a few times. I saw a preview of it at C2E2 and was so impressed that this really isn’t a splurge item. I’d find money for it regardless of my budget.

Chris Arrant

DMZ #67

If I had $15, I’d dial into DMZ #67 (DC/Vertigo, $2.99) by Wood and Burchielli; although this book has entered the marketing doldrums the way 100 Bullets and Preacher did during it’s last year of release, the book’s reaching a high point quality-wise. After that I’d pick up Rocketeer Adventures #3 (IDW, $3.99), which has been non-stop hit and thanks in no small part to editor Scott Dunbier. After those two, I’d settle in for the next Walking Dead #87 (Image, $2.99) and then try the new Daredevil #1. For the latter, I’ll borrow a phrase from Tom Spurgeon and feel like I’ve read all I need to read on Daredevil… but the creative team on this has given me second thoughts enough to try this out.

And since this is Food or Comics, with my $1 left over I’d get an Icee from Burger King.

If I had $30, I’d drink my Icee and put my money all in at Marvel with Uncanny X-Men #541 ($3.99), Invincible Iron Man #506 ($3.99), Avengers #15 ($3.99) and Generation Hope #9 ($2.99).

For my splurge this week, I’d write a check to Misters Ross and Edwards for the Turf hardcover (Image, $39.99). Tommy’s art here is more than worth the cover price even though I bought the single issues, especially for the extra features promised.

Stumptown

Hello and welcome to What Are You Reading? This week’s guest is Alex Segura, executive director of publicity and marketing at Archie Comics. But we’ll always know him as the guy who founded The Great Curve, the blog that would one day morph into Robot 6.

To see what Alex and the Robot 6 crew have been reading lately, click below …

*****

Tim O’Shea

So this week, I snagged a few books from the library, one of which was Fantagraphics 2006 volume one edition of E.C. Segar’s Popeye. It was still in the car when my son first started reading it and brought it into the house for himself to read. And thus inspired by a shot I saw of Chris Mautner (obscured by his copy of Kramer’s Ergot 7), I photographed my son reading Popeye. He’s enjoying the read, but when pressed to give a critical analysis of what appeals to him, the 11-year-old confided: “I don’t know, I just like to read it.”

Now on to the rest of this week’s pile, as read by me.

Cyclops #1 (one shot): Dean Haspiel plays with Cyclops and Batroc the Leaper, among a cast of many others. For me, all it took was Dean’s art. Jose Villarrubia on colors was just gravy.

Wonder Woman #609: Phil Hester continues to improve upon JMS’ initial plot pitch.I hope he gets a chance to tell his own Wonder Woman tales without a JMS structure before he leaves the book. It is interesting and effective how the book’s editors have used the reinstated letter’s column to help defend the JMS plot. Savvy use of the forum by the editor Brian Cunningham and assistant editor Darren Shan.

Detective Comics #875: I’m a longtime fan of Jim Gordon, so while Scott Snyder’s writing got seemingly bogged down at points, the exquisite art from Francesco Francavilla makes this issue a must read. Francavilla gives J.H. Williams III a run for his money in terms of trippy layout.

Captain America #616: So much talent in this giant-sized 70th anniversary issue. I’m not sure what I love more: the Mike Benson and Paul Grist 1940s vampire tale or Cullen Bunn and Jason Latour tale about the complicated aftermath of a tornado in Oklahoma. Let’s call it a tie. Honorable mention to Howard Chaykin (an artist I love) who drew an entire story involving at least two women with not one erect nipple in the whole tale.

Zatanna #11: I love Jamal Igle’s art and I want to see him have a nice long run on Zatanna. But just as Paul Dini had just won me back over to reading the book with Cliff Chiang’s arc, he’s driving me away again. For one thing, was the actual last panel of this issue’s story an inexplicable black panel? And there is a character in this issue protected by magic (not Zatanna’s) that serves as a major plot point, which is never explained. In fact, Dini has Zatanna acknowledge the plot point and then say: “I don’t have time to explain this.” Really? Where was DC editorial on that one–it cries for a revision.

Brigid Alverson

Cowboys and Aliens

What with all the talk about the Cowboys and Aliens movie, I thought it would be interesting to check out the graphic novel. My expectations were pretty low, given the unfortunate publicity stunt that launched this comic a few years ago, so I was pleasantly surprised. It’s a basic action comic with a bit of a plot twist, which is spelled out in the prologue so you can’t possibly miss it: Manifest Destiny is a lot like an alien invasion from outer space; in both cases, the invaders have superior weapons, don’t speak the language, and regard the indigenous people as disposable. The metaphor is carried through with ringing clarity as this particular bunch of aliens chooses to invade a wagon train of settlers who have been duped into buying land that belongs to the Indians. Then it all gets tossed out the window as the Indians and settlers gang up on the aliens, steal their weapons, co-opt their technology, and kick them out of Dodge. It’s good old-fashioned fun, with a fairly predictable cast but some clever moments. I know people think the movie should be a comedy, but it actually works pretty well as a straight-faced western.

On the same theme, and frankly, more to my tastes, is Graphic Classics’ latest volume, Western Classics. As always, the Graphic Classics folks do a great job of pairing artists and writers to really bring out the essence of a story. The book opens with an adaptation of Zane Gray’s “Riders of the Purple Sage,” a straight-up horse opera and a good one, and also includes the vaguely supernatural “The Right Eye of the Commander,” by Bret Harte, and an over-the-top Robert E. Howard tale of the big, dumb guy who sets everything right, “Knife River Prodigal.” There’s a nice blend of styles and stories, and not a clunker in the bunch.

Alex Segura

The Faceless Killers

Henning Mankell’s Kurt Wallander novels: If you read my interview with Tim O’Shea on this here blog, you probably know I’m a big mystery and crime fiction fan. One of the best things about reading crime novels is that you can get in on the ground floor of a good series and you know you’ll have a ton of great books to plow through. I loved Mankell’s standalone The Man from Beijing, which I read last year, but was hesitant to dive into the Wallander books until a few months ago. Now, I can’t stop. Set in Sweden, they spotlight the grizzled Ystad cop Kurt Wallander, as he battles his own doubts, insecurities and general malaise while tracking down some of the deadliest thieves and murderers his country’s ever seen. Well paced, intricate and full of surprises, the books are a handy guide to what a great mystery should be. Start with The Faceless Killers and you’ll be hooked.

Stumptown HC (Oni Press): See above. Add a dash of Greg Rucka’s writing and Matthew Southworth’s moody pencils and you’ve got a certified crime comic classic. Dex Parios isn’t your typical P.I. — she’s got a drinking problem, gambles too much and isn’t scared to dive into things feet first. And that’s what makes her a compelling read. Rucka knows how to tease readers and cagily build up the tension. Plus, the whole series is out now in one handy HC. What more do you need?

Detective Comics (DC Comics): If you kept up with my antics at my old gig, you know I’m a Batman fan. That hasn’t changed. And when I want a instant classic Batman story, I know which book to pick up at my LCS: Detective Comics. The all-star team of writer Scott Snyder, artists Jock and Francesco Francavilla have pieced together a story that feels grounded, gritty, dirty and epic all at the same time. From mysterious figures from the past lurching into the present to a host of new villains, this book’s got it all. Don’t wait for the trade on this one.

Life with Archie Magazine (Archie): One of my earliest fan geek memories involved me staying up past my bedtime with my sister to watch the live-action TV movie To Riverdale and Back Again, which featured older, adult versions of the Archies reconvening in Riverdale for their high school reunion. Now, let’s be frank — that movie wasn’t very good. But the concept is sound — what would life be like for the ol’ redhead and his friends once high school was over? Well, with Life with Archie, you have the answer, in two great storylines — one telling the tale of Archie after he marries Betty and the other featuring Archie’s married life to Veronica. Full of cameos, real life drama and great characterization from writer Paul Kupperberg (along with some of the best work of artist Norm Breyfogle’s career!), the stories are a treat for fans of Archie new and old.

20th century Boys

Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy on Wednesday 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 what we call our “Splurge” item.

Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList if you’d like to play along in our comments section.

Brigid Alverson

If I had $15,

I’d get volume 13 of 20th Century Boys. This series is fantastic, and I hear there’s a big reveal in this volume.

If I had $30,

I’d add some floppies to the mix. This is a good week for a lot of the series I have been following on and off: Atomic Robo: Deadly Art of Science #4 ($3.50), Sixth Gun #9 ($3.99), Kill Shakespeare #9 ($3.99). Since I have a bit left over, I’ll throw in Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories #716 ($3.99), because I really have been enjoying that classic Disney.

Splurge

Dark Horse’s Giant Size Little Lulu, vol. 3, weighs in at over 700 pages, so for $24.99 it’s a splurge that brings value for the money. If I’m feeling particularly flush, I’d throw in Boom! Studios’ Muppet Sherlock Holmes ($9.99), just for laughs.

Chris Mautner

Godland #34

If I had $15:

It’s a quiet week for me, but the arrival of a new issue of Godland ($2.99) is always a good thing, and I’m in the need for some tongue-in-cheek Kirby riffs this week.

If I had $30:

The 13th volume of Naoki Urasawa’s 20th Century Boys is my first and really only pick here this week ($12.99). Perhaps I’ll use the money I save to get some of the other volumes in the series I currently don’t have.

Splurge:

If you’re a fan of classic comics and have the scratch to feed your need, this is a pretty good week. Marvel has volume one of their Golden Age Mystic Comics series, featuring some nice pulp-style work by Alex Schomburg ($59.99). Meanwhile, Dark Horse has the sixth volume of their Eerie Archives out ($49.99), and the third volume of the Giant Sized Little Lulu collections ($24.99). Any of those books would offer a good day’s read.

Michael May

If I had $15:

Namor: The First Mutant #7

I’d start with Namor: The First Mutant #7 ($2.99). I jumped on board with issue #5 and like what Stuart Moore’s up to with a new (to me) supporting cast. He also seems to have hit a nice balance between Namor’s dickish and heroic natures. That’s crucial to what makes the character so fascinating. I’m not totally sold on the Hell plot, but there’s enough other stuff to keep me interested for now. Three other series I’m following also hit this week: Echoes #3 (3.99), Secret Avengers #10 ($3.99), and Atomic Robo and the Deadly Art of Science ($3.50).

If I had $30:

I’d trade-wait all of those and pick up a couple of larger volumes instead. Muppet Sherlock Holmes ($9.99) combines two of my favorite things, so that’s an easy one. Also, I enjoyed the first volume of Outlaw Territory and want to read the second one ($19.99). There are a good number of weird westerns out lately, but as much as I enjoy those, it’s also nice to be able to get western stories with cowboys shooting other cowboys instead of ghosts and witches.

Splurge:

I’m having a difficult time deciding between Dark Horse’s collection of Marvel’s John Carter of Mars: Warlord of Mars ($39.99) and Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Mystic Comics, Volume 1 ($59.99). Thanks to a few blogs that have exposed me to them, I’ve grown very fond of Golden Age adventure stories and Mystic Comics includes several genres, including superheroes, space pulp, mythological fantasy, and jungle adventures. Also, as Chris mentioned: Alex Schomburg art.

That price tag is killing me though, so I’ll probably hope for an eventual paperback collection and go with Warlord of Mars for now. I have fond memories of those John Carter comics from when I was a kid and I’d love to revisit them.

Graeme McMillan

Action Comics #898

It’s a relatively slow week when it comes to trying out new books for me, it seems. If I had $15, I’d probably go with Action Comics #898 (DC, $2.99), because I’ve been really enjoying Paul Cornell’s take on Lex Luthor and found the previous issue to be the best yet by far; New York Five #2 (DC/Vertigo, $2.99), the follow-up to a debut for Brian Wood and Ryan Kelly’s Minx sequel that impressed the hell out’ve me, even though I was really looking forward to it; and Matt Fraction and Sal Larocca’s Invincible Iron Man #501 (Marvel, $3.99), which again gets a chance based on a more-impressive-than-I’d-been-expecting previous issue (The .1 issue, which I found so much more engaging than the last year or so of the book). Sure, that’s only $10 used, but that’s because…

…If I had $30, I’d use the “spare” $15 to go add DC’s Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol. 5 ($19.99). I’ve been loving this series, and have waited a long time for this collection, which includes the 100th issue of the series, complete with JSA and Seven Soldiers of Victory team-ups. I really, really love this stuff.

Splurgewise, I’d probably pick up the hardcover collection of Oni Press’ Ghost Projekt Vol. 1 ($19.99); I’ve heard really good things about Joe Harris and Steve Rolston’s supernatural thriller, and the early issues I read left me ready to read more.

Jk Parkin

Illustration by Dan Hipp

This certainly isn’t the first time Dan Hipp has graced the pages of Robot 6 with his one-off illustrations, but now his rousing and relentless blog features a drawing of the so-called Harmonica from a Clint Eastwood Sergio Leone classic. Hipp has a habit of posting new artwork almost daily, spanning superheroes, Hayao Miyazaki and now Western movies. Earlier this year, Kevin Melrose spied some pages from an unpublished spaghetti Western that Hipp is also working on.

The postings will continue until Hipp is hip-deep in tall dollars. Be warned.

This weekend marks the coming of the  Harvest Moon,  the full Moon that occurs closest to the autumn equinox.

In two years out of three, the Harvest Moon comes in September, but this year it occurs in October just before hunting season.

This ominous moon also signals the debut the long-awaited fourth season of the werewolf epic – HIGH MOON!

Written by myself, illustrated by Steve Ellis, and lettered by Scott O. Brown, this season brings Macgregor to the streets of London where he must unravel a hidden family curse before it claims its next victim.

After this weekend’s update, you see new pages every Monday by sundown.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow

Time again for our monthly trip through Previews looking for interesting new adventure comics.

Antarctic

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: There are some stories that I’m just going to have to check out every time they’re adapted. Ichabod and the Headless Horseman is one of them. I can’t get enough of that galloping, Colonial-era, pumpkin-headed noggin-chopper.

Archaia

The Grave Doug Freshley: I swear I didn’t notice the pun when I went through the catalog the first time. I’m observant that way. Honestly, that cools my interest a little. Even though the solicitation compares the book to Sergio Aragones and Looney Tunes, I’m hoping that there’s as much soul as schtick to this story about a gunfighter who comes back from the dead to protect a boy in order to fulfill a promise. I tend to trust Archaia’s taste though, so it’s hope with a foundation. That title though…

Okko: The Cycle of Earth: Now this I have no reservations about. I read the first volume as single issues and decided that I needed the rest on my bookshelf instead of my comic boxes. Absolutely gorgeous and mysterious Japanese-inspired fantasy.

Beasts of Burden

Dark Horse

Beasts of Burden #1: If you’ve read about Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson’s adventurous pet investigators of the supernatural in Dark Horse’s Books of Horror anthologies, you know how funny and charming this is going to be.

Usagi Yojimbo: Yokai: I’ve only recently begun indulging my Usagi Yojimbo curiosity by reading his early adventures, but it’s only proven what I suspected would be true. I love that noble, little rabbit and his diverse cast of friends and enemies. Looking forward to this full color graphic novel.

Amazon: I’m not a huge fan of the Heart of Darkness plot in general, but I absolutely trust Steven Seagle and I like Tim Sale’s covers for this. If the the interior art is at all similar, I expect that I’ll enjoy this jungle story even if no one wrestles a rhinoceros in it.

DC

The Web #1: I don’t know much about the Red Circle characters and I honestly don’t care at all about the Web. What I do care about is that John Rozum’s writing supernatural comics again in this issue with the Hood co-feature (with Bill Sienkiewicz helping on art, no less). I’m not expecting Xombi or even Midnight, Mass, but it’s Rozum so I know it’ll be excellent.

High Moon: I haven’t read the online version of this Zuda comic, but werewolves and Westerns go together like chocolate and peanut butter. If this is anywhere as good as Strangeways, I’ll be a satisfied reader.

Trick 'r Treat

Trick ‘r Treat: Throw a scarecrow in your horror story and you’ve immediately got an audience of at least me. Make it a creepy little kid and I’m wiggling in my seat anticipating the chills. I’ve wanted to see the movie version of this ever since the poster came out. And since they’ve made the cover of the comic from the same image, it has the same effect. And the comic could have much worse people involved in it than Marc Andreyko, Mike Huddleston, and Breehn Burns.

Dynamite

The Lone Ranger Comic Strips Collection: It’s the Lone Ranger and it’s Russ Heath. That’s all I need to know.

Hermes

The Phantom: The Complete Dailies, Volume 1 (1936-1938): Because I’ve enjoyed the Billy Zane movie and a lot of Moonstone’s comics so much, I’ve always been curious to see more of the Phantom in his original environment. Even though this has the most boring cover I’ve ever seen (the Phantom punching nothing? Really?), I really want to spend some time with the insides.

Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu

Marvel

Shang-Chi: Master of Kung Fu: A very large part of me is bristling at the thought of paying $4 for 48 black-and-white pages, but it’s Shang-Chi and it’s a one-shot, so they’ve got me. Plus Jonathan Hickman and Kody Chamberlain are involved. And did they say, “Kung Fu Motorcycle Race?” Why yes, they did.

SLG

Pinocchio: Vampire Slayer: I don’t need anything other than the title and the visual it conjures to know that I’m going to want this book. It’s so high concept that if it was published by someone else I might be worried about the quality of the story, but SLG’s never released anything without a heart in it and I don’t expect they’re starting now.

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