Friday 1 September 2017

Diamond Preview Picks: August 2017

Here a selection of good looking comics heading in to your local comic store in October (or there abouts) as listed in the Diamond Previews Catalog for August. As always, I'm keen to know what other comics Cerebus readers enjoy, so let us know what you're currently reading in the comments section below. Thanks.


Strange Cerebus #1
by Dave Sim & Sandeep Atwal
Aardvark Vanaheim, $4.00
In Stores: 25 October 2017
Diamond Order Code: AUG171057

The publisher says:
First (and last?) appearances of Varkternity (Vark-Finite?) and Galactamungus (who mentions Platinum Surfer-Boy); the CIH? house drummer; reprints online strips from July-August 2016: Super-Cerebus Revenge Squad; The Whore of Babylon gets a tattoo; MILESTONE! the first time Dante suspected Cerebus and Super-Cerebus were one and the same! LeonTrotzky; Plato vs. Aristotle; Obama voters; MILESTONE! Super-Suberec, the Anti-Super-Cerebus and Cerebus go to Starbucks; hardcore Madonna fans; Wildcat: Total Golden-Age Dick the memoir; Francis' Sacred Church of NFL Football; West Side Story, and more!


Comic Shop: 
The Retail Mavericks Who Gave Us A New Geek Culture
by Dan Gearino
Ohio University Press, $26.95
In Stores: 1 November 2017
Diamond Order Code: AUG172285

The publisher says:
Comic book shops came into their own in the 1970s, a new breed of small businesses that transformed the way comics are marketed and sold. The shops created a space for quirky ideas to gain an audience, and helped some small-press comics turn into media giants. Gearino, a business journalist, leads a tour through this world, going back to the dawn of the modern comic shop, and also looking at the present-day market. Along the way, he captures the voices of creators, store owners, and players from around the U.S. and Canada including Steve Geppi, Paul Levitz, Diana Schutz, Chuck Rozanski, Bud Plant, and many more. 


The Complete Strange Growths 1991-1997
by Jenny Zervakis
Spit & A Half, $10.00
In Stores: 25 October 2017
Diamond Order Code: AUG171140

John Porcellino says:
I’m very proud to announce Spit & A Half’s first book-form publication: The Complete Strange Growths, 1991-1997 by Jenny Zervakis. Jenny Zervakis is one of the great unsung creators of 1990’s DIY comics. Her zine Strange Growths was gentle and sincere at a time when most alt-comics were loud and sarcastic. Her stories were poetic and allusive, delving into the heart of the human experience, and they were one of my biggest influences as a cartoonist. In 1997, as the Spit & A Half distro grew, I had plans to begin publishing a series of nice but simple book collections of my favorite underground cartoonists, and Jenny was at the top of that short list. Unfortunately, shortly thereafter, I fell seriously ill and had to spend the next 10 or 12 years focusing on my health issues. So this publishing venture was delayed… for twenty years! The Complete Strange Growths, 1991-1997 is a 240 page paperback, and collect the entirety of Strange Growths numbers 1-13, plus an assortment of rare comics from anthologies, and a new interview with Jenny conducted by Robert Clough. Sample pages here... 


Baking With Kafka
by Tom Gauld
Drawn & Quarterly, $19.95
In Stores: 25 October 2017
Diamond Order Code: AUG171647

The publisher says:
In his inimitable style, British cartoonist Tom Gauld has opened comics to a crossover audience and challenged perceptions of what the medium can be. Simultaneously silly and serious, Gauld adds an undeniable lightness to traditionally highbrow themes. From sarcastic panels about the health hazards of being a best-selling writer to a list of magical items for fantasy writers (such as the Amulet of Attraction, which summons mainstream acceptance, Hollywood money, and fresh coffee), Gauld's cartoons are timely and droll - his trademark British humor, impeccable timing, and distinctive visual style sets him apart from the rest. 


Cartoon Clouds
by Joseph Remnant
Fantagraphics Books, $22.99
In Stores: 25 October 2017
Diamond Order Code: AUG171709

The publisher says:
Cartoon Clouds follows a recent art school graduate and his three friends as they try to navigate that anxiety-fueled time between finishing college and trying to figure out what they're going to do with the rest of their lives. Drawn in a naturalistic style, the philosophical nature of Cartoon Clouds is reminiscent of the films of Éric Rohmer or Noah Baumbach. Joseph Remnant has been a prominent presence in the cartooning scene recently, self-publishing his own comic book Blindspot, illustrating Harvey Pekar's acclaimed Cleveland, and appearing in such magazines as The Believer. 


Monet: Itinerant Of Light
by Salva Rubio & Efa
NBM, $24.99
In Stores: 25 October 2017
Diamond Order Code: AUG171855

The publisher says:
The life of the great French painter, one of the founders of Impressionism, is narrated in lush comic art reminiscent of his style. From the Salon des Refuses ("Salon of the Rejected") and many struggling years without recognition, money and yet a family to raise, all the way to great success, critically and financially, Monet pursued insistently one vision: catching the light in painting, refusing to compromise on this ethereal pursuit. It cost him dearly but he was a beacon for his contemporaries. We discover in this comics biography how he came to this vision as well as his turbulent life pursuing it.  Sample pages here...


Going Into Town: A Love Letter To New York
by Roz Chast
Bloomsbury, $28.00
In Stores: 4 October 2017
Diamond Order Code: AUG171295

The publisher says:
For native Brooklynite Roz Chast, adjusting to life in the suburbs (where people own trees!?) was surreal. But she recognized that for her kids, the reverse was true. On trips into town, they would marvel at the strange world of Manhattan: its gum-wad-dotted sidewalks, honey-combed streets, and "those West Side Story-things" (fire escapes). Their wonder inspired Going into Town, part playful guide, part New York stories, and part love letter to the city, told through Chast's laugh-out-loud, touching, and true cartoons. 


Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Jaime Hernandez
by Jaime Hernandez
Fantagraphics Books, $150.00
In Stores: 25 October 2017
Diamond Order Code: AUG171699

The publisher says:
Fantagraphics Studio Edition: Jaime Hernandez collects almost 200 pages of the raw, original art from the first fifty issues of the Love and Rockets comic book, including such classic stories as "The Death of Speedy," "Chester Square," and "Wigwam Bam." This book traces his evolution from his punk-poster beginnings to his current style and is indispensable for collectors, fans, and cartooning students alike.  


Book Of Ballads: Original Art Edition
by Charles Vess
Titan Comics, $100.00
In Stores: 13 September 2017
Diamond Order Code: AUG172039

The publisher says:
This limited edition oversized deluxe hardback collection contains original script pages from award-winning writer Neil Gaiman, as well as never-before-seen art and an amazing gallery of sketches. Illustrated and presented by one of the leading artists in modern fantasy, Charles Vess, The Book of Ballads presents the great songs and folktales of the English, Irish, and Scottish traditions re-imagined in sequential-art form, in collaboration with some of today's strongest fantasy writers.



Gene Colan: Tomb Of Dracula Artists Edition
by Gene Colan & Marv Wolfman
IDW, $125.00
In Stores: 13 December 2017
Diamond Order Code: AUG170497

The publisher says:
Tomb of Dracula by Wolfman, Colan, and Palmer has long been considered one of the best Marvel Comics of the 1970s. Colan's atmospheric artwork was the perfect companion to Wolfman's dark and foreboding stories-together they formed a classic series. This Artist's Edition collects five fantastic stories, plus an incredible gallery section.

6 comments:

A Moment Of Cerebus said...

At the top of my own reading list this month has to be "Tongues" #1 by Anders Nilsen (self-published), which seems to be a prequel / sequel / reinterpretation of his 2004 "Dogs & Water". Amazing art and story which pushed the boundaries of what comics can be. What more can a Cerebus fan ask for?

http://www.andersbrekhusnilsen.com/tongues

Tony Dunlop said...

Lordy, maybe I need to rethink my retirement from contemporary comics patronage. How is it that I never heard of Jenny Zervakis? The Nineties was my peak "alt-comics" period, and her stuff sounds right up my alley.

My latest purchase, from "The Nostalgia Zone" near my house in south Minneapolis (as the name suggests, they do not carry new comics) was two more squarebound volumes of Eddie Campbell's Alec strips, which I absolutely love. Within ten pages or so I went from grinning, to softly chuckling, to full belly laughs, plus his deceptively simple drawing style has an endless variety of poses, facial expressions, and perspectives that make the whole thing look like real life - more so, I think, than "photorealism."

So. I'm buying The Complete Strange Growths when it comes out. Thanks, Tim (and Travis?).

Anonymous said...

Tony--First of all, I *love* The Nostalgia Zone! Secondly, the crazy Canadian lady bought me the complete "Alec" hardbound doorstop one year for Christmas--one of my favorite possessions. I still agree with James A Owen, though, that Dave repeatedly spoofed other artists' characters and did them better. That sequence in "Guys", where Dave moshed up Bacchus was one of my favorite sequences in the whole book.

Travis? Where are your additional reviews, upon which I had come to rely?

--Jeff

Travis Pelkie said...

Hey guys, thanks for asking about me. I consulted on this one, but this feature is going to be Tim's from here on out (although if I see a significantly Cerebus-related comic coming up, I'll be sure to let Tim know). You can see my picks with my co-author Greg Burgas over at the Flippin' Through Previews posts on the Atomic Junk Shop (click on my name for the one that includes some of these picks, and look for the new one some time this week).

I'll include some picks here, though, so Jeff doesn't miss out.

The one that hurt me to cut from my list this month was the Xaime art book that Tim featured in this post. Man oh man do I want that!

Neal Adams is doing a Deadman 6 issue series (that may be bi-monthly, unless I've missed it going through the new catalog), and the first issue has a glow in the dark variant cover. If it's half as wacky as Batman: Odyssey, it'll be at least twice as wacky as anything else on the stands!

Kevin Eastman and Billy the Sink team up on TMNT Inside Out Director's Cut. What else do you need to know?

Eastman also collects a bunch of '90s stories he did in Roninbebop, also from IDW, as was the TMNT book.

The second collection of the first part of Matt Wagner's Mage is going to be out in trade.

Chapterhouse is collecting the original Golden Age Mr. Monster comics that Michael T. Gilbert later resurrected, in the Mr. Monster Compendium.

I think I mentioned it before, but the Kelly Green collection by Stan Drake and Leonard Starr was reoffered as well.

Zen Home is a new one shot comic of Zen the Intergalactic Ninja from Devil's Due/1First comics, of the long-running indie comic.

Hermes is collecting the Steve Canyon comic book stories in a HC.

And that should be a good start. Don't forget to check out the latest Flippin' Through Previews at the Atomic Junk Shop soon, for more fun comics!

Jim Sheridan said...

Nice to see an Artist's Edition of Gene Colan's Dracula but I wish Marvel did a better job of keeping the Colan Dracula trades in print.

Travis Pelkie said...

Jim, coming in October, I believe, Tomb of Dracula is getting reprinted again.

https://www.previewsworld.com/Catalog/JUL171231

Yeah, there it is. First 15 issues and 4 issues of Dracula Lives!