Hello, sweethearts.

Welcome to my new monthly column, in which I plumb the depths of the Previews catalog and separate the nuggets from the turds. The ultimate goal is to point out good books that may be flying under your radar, while occasionally taking advantage of the platform to mock and sneer at stuff I don’t like.

Remember, no retailer can afford to order everything that is solicited every month, so letting your favored store know that you’re interested in a certain title will go a long way toward ensuring that it recieves the appropriate attention. Otherwise, it might not get ordered, and, thanks to Diamond’s new cut-off policies, it might never come out at all.

I’ll start with the covers:

The cover to the August 2009 Previews catalog announces the final issue of Planetary by writer Warren Ellis and artist John Cassaday, which is probably a wise move by DC since most of the world has by now forgotten that this was still coming out. Call me fickle, but after three years I find it hard to muster up a lot of excitement for this, apart from the pretty Cassaday cover, especially considering how silly the previous issue was.

Speaking of silly, the flip side (or: the cover for people who like to read Previews upside down) features something called Cowboy Ninja Viking by Image Comics (apparently Monkey Pirate Zombie was taken). Seriously? From the writer whose only memorable accomplishment was having the most forgettable run on a Batman title in recent history, and the artist of that one book my Jewish friend liked because it had a Golem in it or something. Seriously? This is your cover feature? Oy vey.

Moving on:

SUGARSHOCK by Joss Whedon and Fabio Moon (Dark Horse, pg. 22, $3.50) The Eisner Award winner for Best Web Comic, originally appearing in MySpace Dark Horse Presents, and published here with never-before-seen material. The story is fun and kinetic, if a bit slight, but it’s Moon’s art that sells it for me.

BATMAN #692 by Tony Daniel (DC Comics, pg.73, $2.99) Just when you thought things couldn’t get any worse for the Caped Crusader, Tony Daniel returns to the title as artist and writer. But hey, maybe he’ll be able to interpret his own scripts better than he did Morrison’s?

WARLORD #7 by Mike Grell (DC Comics, pg. 94, $2.99) Mike Grell takes over pencilling duties from local boy Chad Hardin, likely in order to appease the nostalgia-driven fanbase who has been pretty vocal in in their distaste for Hardin, presumably for not being Grell-like enough. Which is exactly the kind of reactionary knee-jerk behavior aging comics nerds seem to do best, as if that 70’s shit was really all that good to begin with. Then again, we might actually find out just how good it was, because between Grell writing and illustrating Warlord, and Gerry Conway, Doug Moench, Walter Simonson,Jim Starlin, and Marv Wolfman all doing something for DC this month, these solicitations read like they’re about thirty years late.

HELLBLAZER: SCAB TP by Peter Milligan and Giuseppe Camuncoli (DC Comics/Vertigo, pg. 115, $14.99) I haven’t read this, but according to some, this is a return to greatness for both Milligan and Constantine, from which they’ve both been absent for far too long (I dropped Hellblazer sometime during the dismal Denise Mina run, and Milligan has been on auto-pilot since the cancellation of Human Target, if not earlier). So, I will probably give it a shot. As usual, a new writer on the title signals a good jumping-on point for this Vertigo mainstay.

SHADE THE CHANGING MAN VOL.1: THE AMERICAN SCREAM TP by Peter  Milligan and Chris Bachalo (DC Comics/Vertigo, pg. 119, $17.99) A new printing of the first half of the first storyline of what is one of my favorite series of all time, with a new cover by original cover artist Brendan McCarthy (yay). It’s a bit rough in places, and Bachalo’s art certainly isn’t as refined as it would become later on, but it sets the stage for some of the most innovative and mind-bending comics Vertigo has ever produced, and that includes the majority of Grant Morrison’s output.

SHADE THE CHANGING MAN VOL.2: THE EDGE OF VISION TP by Peter Milligan and Chris Bachalo (DC Comics/Vertigo, pg. 119, $19.99) The concluding half of The American Scream, reprinted here for the first time ever. Further collected editions probably hinge on the sales of these two trade paperbacks, so please, do us both a favor and pick this up, valued reader!

X-MEN: ASGARDIAN WARS HC by Chris Claremont, Arthur Adams, and Paul Smith (Marvel, pg. Marvel 90, $34.99) Chris Claremont’s words usually make my eyes bleed, but the pretty artwork from Art Adams and Paul Smith in oversized format might be worth a look. Hopefully, the recoloring only goes as far as that unfortunately defaced cover.

GHOST COMICS by various (Bare Bones Studios, pg. 208, $10.00) Themed anthology featuring a solid line-up of indie cartoonists, including Jeffrey Brown, John Porcellino, and that guy from Low. A Xeric Grant recipient AND a benefit book, you practically HAVE TO buy this.

THE BOX MAN HC by Imiri Sakabashira (Drawn & Quarterly, pg. 261, $19.95) Described as a surrealist scooter trip featuring animal people and weird sex stuff (which, along with the preview panels posted here, suggests all kinds of awesome). I have never read any Sakabashira, but if Red Colored Elegy and the Tatsumi books are any indication, D&Q knows exactly what kind of manga appeals to the discerning art comics reader (right, the filthy kind).

THE BEST AMERICAN COMICS 2009 HC edited by Charles Burns (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, pg. 269, $22.00) I usually have a hard time recommending these, for the work they reprint is often not in its original length or context, but anyone looking for a very broad sampler of some of the best work currently being done in comics could probably do no better than picking up one of them. The line-up for this year, featuring work by Kevin Huizenga, Adrian Tomine, and Chris Ware, strikes me as particularly strong.

ACT-I-VATE PRIMER HC by various (IDW, pg. 282, $24.99) New stories by the web comics collective, featuring Nick Bertozzi, Dean Haspiel, and Roger Langridge. If you’ve spent any time on the Act-i-vate website, you know this is not to be missed.

BINKY BROWN MEETS THE HOLY VIRGIN MARY HC by Justin Green (McSweeney’s, pg. 287, $29.00) A classic of sorts, and the first long autobiographical work to appear in underground comics, this is a gloriously fucked-up study of OCD and Catholic guilt. And the incredibly corruptive power of penis rays.

STUMPTOWN #1 by Greg Rucka and Matthew Southworth (Oni Press, pg. 294, $3.99) With Queen & Country indefinitely on hold, Rucka trades in international intrigue for neighborhood crime watch, with a new creator-owned crime series set in his current city of residence. If by now you aren’t aware that Rucka does crime as well as anyone else in comics, a mere $3.99 are likely going to correct that.

GOGO MONSTER by Taiyo Matsumoto (Viz Media, pg. 310, $27.99) Another brick of a book by one of my favorite comics auteurs, creator of the boldly original No. 5 and Tekkon Kinkreet, who draws equally from American, European, and Japanese influences to create a uniquely gorgeous style of his own, and one whose work has been criminally underrepresented here in the States. Billed as a tale of a young boy with an overly active imagination, this is bound to be as wonderfully imaginative and surreal as anything he’s done, but hopefully not as overlooked. Seriously, if there is a book in this catalog that I wish everyone reading this column would give a chance, it’s this one. Check out the pictures of the Japanese edition!

NEXT MONTH: Bigger, Better, Faster, More!

First up, SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #1 five page preview! (all via DC’s Blog the SOURCE!)

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is close at hand. The superstar team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank reunite to present the modern origin of the Man of Steel, and it all starts with a gigantic 48-[age first issue. Chronicling Clark Kent’s journey from Smallville to Metropolis, you’ll experience the beginnings of some of comics’ most beloved characters, including Lex Luthor, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and more. And if you were a fan of Johns’ deft handling of Green Lantern’s origin back in GREEN LANTERN: SECRET ORIGIN, you know that this isn’t just a recap — but also a sign of things to come.

SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #1 hits 9/23.

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Needless to say from the above on sale date in the preview, the ship date has since sailed (hence the new sale date listing above- 9/23). As is, I feel like I’ve been waiting for a year or more for this, and I’m sure it will be worth the wait! Despite being the third Superman “Origin Reboot”, this looks to be the best. I was never a big fan of the watered down Man of Steel John Byrne mini/ Superman series (not without it’s importance or moments), and Superman: Birthright by Mark Waid (my favorite “Origin”, as it went back to the actual origin, though it sped through the Metropolis intro). No disrespect to either of them, but it looks like the third time is the charm, as Geoff Johns (the writer who turns DC characters into gold like a “Midas of the written word”) goes back to the character of Clark Kent and how he grew up in Smallville, became friend/ enemy to Lex, and hung out in the future with the Legion of Superheroes. All of these things that make up Superman were long lost to the character, until a few years back where DC slowly reintegrated these important parts of the Superman origin back into his history. This time around, there won’t be slipped in retcons, as Johns builds on the original foundation with some twists and tweaks to the greatest superhero ever.

Now, a look at November’s BATMAN Covers!  BATMAN AND ROBIN #6by Philip Tan,  BATMAN #693 by Tony Daniel, and AZRAEL #2 by Jock!

What will be contained behind those covers, only Batman knows!

Thanks to Alex Segura and DC comics, mater of fact go check out dccomics.com for upcoming books and more!

Playboy Magazine (who, incidentally, is featuring a new, previously unpublished piece of fiction from Kurt Vonnegut this month) has got their hands on two exclusive previews from the first two books in the new Vertigo Crime imprint.

You can check out the previews here.

I’ve read both of these books and can say that they’re quite good and live up to the standard of quality you’d expect from Vertigo, but we’ll have full reviews up at the beginning of next week.

In the meantime, you can pre-order them on Amazon, and read the official press release from DC below:

PLAYBOY Magazine has had a long history of supporting literature and writers with a  particular emphasis on crime and noir. They have published stories by such notable names as James Ellroy, Lawrence Block, Jess Walter, Mario Puzo, Donald Westlake, TC Boyle and Denis Johnson’s “Nobody Move” was first serialized in PLAYBOY.

Following in that storied tradition, PLAYBOY.com is posting exclusive previews of two of the Vertigo Crime lead titles. Starting Tuesday, August 11, new pages of FILTHY RICH by Brian Azzarello and artist Victor Santos and DARK ENTRIES by Ian Rankin and artist Werther Dell’Edera will be posted each day through Friday, so check back daily.

Vertigo Crime will have everything that crime and mystery fans crave: the police  procedural, the murder mystery, the sci-fi thriller, and straight up  hardboiled, classic noir.  Each hardcover release will be packed with a striking cover by Lee Bermejo (Joker) and will feature dramatic black, white and gray interior art.

PLAYBOY has also long supported comic books and graphic novels. In fact, they published an exclusive “making of” the Vertigo original graphic novel THE QUITTER by Harvey Pekar and Dean Haspiel.

Official Press Release from Marvel:

The Torch #1 Ignites this September!

As seen on G4, the original Marvel super hero is back in The Torch #1! Acclaimed writer Mike Carey (X-Men Legacy) & legendary creator Alex Ross (Marvels) join rising star artist Patrick Berkenkotter for a red-hot limited series event, with packaging by Dynamite Entertainment! The Mad Thinker is obsessed with learning the secrets of Jim Hammond, AKA the Human Torch, but how far will he go? How does this all new limited series affect the Marvel heroes of today? And just what secrets from the Torch’s past will be revealed? And don’t miss a sketch variant from the legend himself, Alex Ross!

“[The Human Torch is] one of the first generation of super heroes, the ones who defined the new genre and gave it a distinctive shape,” Carey told Marvel.Com. “Everything that followed flowed on naturally from that; from the Torch, Namor, Cap, and those early stories of super heroes as the world’s peacekeepers. The paradigm has changed many times since, but all the later elaborations used that as their starting point. The Torch is one of the tiny number of iconic figures who was in there on the ground floor.”

With an all star creative team behind it, Marvel urges retailers to check their orders on The Torch!

THE TORCH #1
Written by MIKE CAREY & ALEX ROSS
Penciled by PATRICK BERKENKOTTER
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—8/13/09, On-Sale—9/2/09

For some reason, those in control of the Batman family like to fix things that aren’t broken. And the one thing they fixed in the mythos that was the least broken was Cassandra Cain as Batgirl. Her book was one of the best Bat books I’ve ever read, it ended abruptly, and then the character began appearing in nonsensical situations.

Now we have a new Batgirl. Her identity? I have no idea.

My ardent hope is that Cassandra is getting her own book again.

In the meantime, here are some preview pages that lead me to believe that this is not the case. This book hits the stands soon and is by writer Bryan Q. Miller and artist Lee Garbett.

Ever dreamed of flying? We all have. Whether it be jet propulsion boots, wings on your back, or cape in tow, we’ve all dreamed of flying like our favorite super heroes.  And why stop there?  Wouldn’t it be great to be able to lift cars over your head and throw them hundreds of yards? How about shooting beams of raw energy from your eyes, or getting all matrix with some crazy acrobatics while holding a high powered rifle? How about all of the above? Cryptic’s new Super hero MMO, Champions Online offers all of the above and so so very much more.

Now, this isn’t my first rodeo when it comes to superhero MMOs. I played City of Heroes for years (Triumph server represent!),  but lets not confuse the issue here. City of Heroes had an awesome costume creator and I was able to do what I wanted to when it came to looks, but the system for picking your powers was very linear. Once you picked a character archetype, there was no way to deviate from their power sets, so what you’d basically end up with is the same stack of hero archetypes in different costumes. Needless to say the fun of City of Heroes eventually got stale and I turned in my cape thinking I’d never care to pick up an MMO again.

Then Champions online decided to rear its beautiful and malleable head.

For Champions, Cryptic has literally broken the mold of City of Heroes. The difference between your standard mold breakings and the Cryptic style newfangled superhero MMO mold breaking, is that they want you to put the mold back together, and make something new. In Champions Online. I could make a hero with super strength, flight, laser eyes, ice breath, and all the other Kryptonian fixins’, or go for something more original and make a hero that controls minds but also has a gun fetish. Stack the flexibility of making a hero with the powers you want on top of a character creation tool that’s even more extensive and customizable than the ridiculously groundbreaking character creator in City of Heroes, and you’ve got a game that I will play enough to make my girlfriend break up with me!

I’ve been tinkering around in the BETA version, and I’ve built and made more than 10 characters of different types now and I have yet to make one that feels like a reskinned version of a previously made one. This is mostly due to the fact that there are no archetypes in champions, at least not in the conventional sense. You can select from prebuilt powersets when you initially create your character and follow that build all the way to level 40, or you can deviate anywhere along the lines if you decide that your arcane mage needs a shoulder cannon.

This ability to choose is what is going to keep me coming back to this game. To not be tied down by an archtype and instead create a character that has the powers you want them to have in the colors you want them to be makes this game something every comic book nerd should try. If you’ve got a character concept in your mind right now, I’m willing to bet you could make said character 80% accurate, if not greater.  I’ve seen some great character concepts in BETA and can’t wait to see what people come up with when the game hits stores on September 1st.

I would say that the biggest draw for me is actually that I can purchase a lifetime membership to Champions. that way i won’t have to worry about a monthly fee. Cryptic is only doing this for a limited time, but if you Click Here you can purchase a 6 month or lifetime membership. Both come with some other free perks as well.

If you want to taste test before taking the dive into an eternal relationship with Champions online, you can always just preorder the game to get some cool perks and try it out for a month.

I will be doing both.

Hope to see you all there! Thanks for reading!

You can also preorder Champions Online on Amazon by clicking the link.  And be sure to check out the trailer below!

Editor’s Note: Sk8tron will be back with regular updates about Champions Online from the BETA test and will be covering some more video game and nerd news for us here.

When I said yesterday that I was only trepidatious about Red Robin since the new relaunch, I had forgotten about Judd Winick’s work on Batman. I’ve been reading Batman regularly since as long as I can remember and the only writer to make me yell at a comic book for being so bad was Judd Winick during his previous tenure.

There are some things I can’t abide, and bringing Jason Todd back from the dead is one of them. (And Winick wrote it into a Batman annual, regenerating in his coffin and it was perhaps one of the worst comics I’ve ever read. Ever.)

But the point is, he’s here on Batman again. And Mark Bagley, whom I like, is drawing it. So I’m going to give it a shot. But seriously, if Winick screws things up anymore I think I’ll scream.

Issue #689 (the one previewed below) hits stands 8/12.  I’ll read Winick’s run on Batman through to this issue and give you guys a report on it.

DC Comics has been kind enough to offer a 7 page preview of the issue of Red Robin that hits the shelves on August 12th.  I have to say, of all the Bat-family titles that have launched in the wake of Bruce’s “death” this is the one I’ve been the most trepidatious about.  I really, really love Tim Drake and the Robin persona and I was very sad to see Chuck Dixon leave the book and the direction he was taking it.

With Tim donning the surname Wayne and putting on the cape and cowl of “Red Robin” I’m worried that he’ll end up relegated to some nether world of the DCU and not be able to take his rightful place at Batman’s side as Robin.

I know a lot of people have an issue with Robin in general, but I think he’s a lynchpin to the success of Batman.  Perhaps I’ll write more about why Robin works so well for me and why Tim in particular fills the shoes so capably in my eyes.

Also, it’s been announced that Ramon Bach’s will be replaced on this book starting with issue 6.  Here’s DC’s Alex Segura from their blog:

Starting in November with RED ROBIN #6, Marcus To (Aspen’s Soulfire) will step in as the new ongoing artist on RED ROBIN, taking over for Ramon Bachs, who steps over to launch AZRAEL with writer Fabian Nicieza. And, in lieu of me saying nice things about Marcus, I’ve cornered his editor, Michael Marts to give us the skinny on why Mr. To is the perfect choice to chronicle the continuing adventures of Tim Drake. Take it away, Marts:

“Marcus’s energetic and dynamic art style is the perfect match for Chris Yost’s fast-paced writing style. We’re extremely excited to have Marcus on board as a Bat-team regular.”

In the meantime, here’s 7 pages of Red Robin written by Chris Yost and drawn by Ramon Bachs.

I know this hit stands yesterday, but Batman Confidential doesn’t seem to be a book a lot of people get.  I get all the Batman books….except this one.  After seeing this, though, and knowing that Peter Milligan is writing it, it’s giving me second thoughts.

So, above is the cover and here are 7 pages of the book.

Like I said, it hit the streets yesterday, August 5, 2009.

Look for it on the shelves.

The Monitor Tapes for Monday, August 03, 2009

DETECTIVE COMICS #855

Written by Greg Rucka; Art by JH Williams III; co-feature Art by Cully Hamner; Cover by JH Williams III

“Elegy” part 2 of 4 by Greg Rucka and JH Williams III! Batwoman captures her enemy, a madwoman known only as Alice who sees her life as a fairy tale and everyone around her as expendable extras – including Kate! But when the tables are turned, Batwoman finds herself in a hallucination slamming the present into a collision with the past, and the hints of a threat that will claim the lives of every man, woman and child in Gotham City.

And in the all-new co-feature starring the Question, Montoya’s quest to find a missing young girl turns deadly.

• After last issue’s set up’s and intro, Detective Comics #855 jumps straight into action in both the Batwoman and Question features.

  Batwoman, kicks into high gear with Kate Kane roughing up “Alice” in an attempt to get info regarding the perpetual attacks upon herself in regards to the “Cult of Cain”. Since her introduction, she’s not had it very easy, from being stabbed in the chest back in 52, to the recent possession of her body by evil gods in Final Crisis, she’s managed to be on a perpetual end of repeated ass-kickings. Despite not many wins in her book, you’re still rooting for her, even more so now as Rucka’s sent her hell bent on bringing the fight to the enemy rather than wait around for another shoe to drop so to speak.

  Picking up from the first issue of the story, Kate with a fabulous grin no less, stars the issue off with the upper hand, pumping Alice full of pepper spray and whisking her away from her cultist goons. While Batwoman attempts to beat information out of Alice in regards to the previously mentioned attacks, the “Mad” Alice retaliates producing a poisoned razorblade from her mouth, slashing Kate’s face, turning the tide as if she’d been toying with her the whole time. Clearly despite Alice’s presented “madness”, she’s schooled in the “Superman Method” of allowing her opponent to beat upon her to gauge her foe’s strength and ability. Frankly, I personally question her madness, not unlike the Joker.

  On a random tangent, I’m sure due to the white face and madness, she’s liable to be compared to the Joker. I’m not sure if that’s the intention however as Gotham has a penchant for turning out mad monsters like McDonalds pumps out burgers. There’s even a mention by Kate that Gotham already has a devotee to the “Alice in Wonderland” motif in Jervis Tetch, the Mad Hatter. You might wonder if this will somehow tie back to Hatter, though I’d be more inclined to think it’s more independent “Catcher in the Rye” on acid than anything. With such a new character, it’s unknown if Alice will remain amongst the living after the story. if she does manage though, I want to see Rucka do a romance comic featuring her and the Joker go-a-courtin’ in a mini series! Seriously, I’m in love with this new villain, she almost steals the show in her appearance in just two issues!

  Back to the story it’s self, Batwoman now poisoned manages to slip out of Alice’s clutches sans wig. Along with the poisoning, she takes quite a fall from the high tower balcony, despite the aid of her winged cape and body armor. In the haze of poison and pain (hmm, sounds like a goth band name), Kate begins having fractal flashbacks revealing more of her origins and motivation. Don’t want to spoil it, but I’ll say Kate and Bruce have much more in common than dressing like nocturnal mammals (as hinted at in the previous issue).

  As Kate finds herself in a common state, the Colonel (her father and “Alfred” to her Batwoman) rushes to the rescue when his monitoring of her finds that she’s in trouble. Alice gathers her goons while what looks to be “higher-up” corporate types of “Cain” offer up apologies, thanks, prayers and an opportunity to ease Alice’s frustrations via their wholesale slaughter. Though “Dad” comes to the rescue as Alice and her goons catch up, the worst is yet to come with the arrival of the shape shifting monsters, Whisper A’Daire (the snakewoman), Kyle Abbot (the wolfman), and an unnamed “Octopusman”. Needless to say, the plot gets thicker than blood, which is sure to run next issue.

  DC COMICS for 8.5.2009

DC/ JOHNNY DC

*  BATMAN CONFIDENTIAL #32
* BOOSTER GOLD VOL. 3: REALITY LOST
* DC COMICS CLASSICS LIBRARY: FLASH OF TWO WORLDS
* DEAD ROMEO #5 (OF 6)
* THE DEATH OF THE NEW GODS
* DOOM PATROL #1
* FINAL CRISIS AFTERMATH: RUN! #4 (OF 6)
* FINAL CRISIS: REVELATIONS
* JONAH HEX #46
* JUSTICE LEAGUE: CRY FOR JUSTICE #2 (OF 6)
* METAL MEN
* NIGHTWING: THE GREAT LEAP
* THE RED CIRCLE: THE HANGMAN
* SCOOBY-DOO #147
* SECRET SIX #12
* SOLOMON GRUNDY #6 (OF 7)
* THE SPIRIT #32
* STRANGE ADVENTURES #6 (OF 8)
* SUPERMAN: WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON #6 (OF 12)
* THE WARLORD #5
* WEDNESDAY COMICS #5 (OF 12)

Vertigo

* GREEK STREET #2 (AUG-05)
* HOUSE OF MYSTERY #16 (AUG-05)
* TRANSMETROPOLITAN VOL. 3: YEAR OF THE BASTARD-NEW EDITION (AUG-05)
Wildstorm

*  ASTRO CITY: THE DARK AGE BOOK 3 #4 (OF 4)
* THE AUTHORITY #13
* NORTH 40 #2 (OF 6)
* PROTOTYPE #5 (OF 6)

Check out http://dccomics.com for more news, previews, and more!

Thanks for reading!

Mandroid!