New Trades 13/11/13

All you rich Conan fans are in for a treat today as Dark Horse release the Colossal Conan HC, only $150. Although it is fair to say you get your moneys worth. 50 issues, 1264 pages featuring work from guys like Kurt Busiek (who introduces the book) Mike Mignola, Cary Nord, Eric Powell, Leinil Yu and MANY more.

DC continue their very consistent and commendable roll out of the New 52 with the latest from Auqaman, Red Lanterns and Swamp Thing as well as the Joe Kubert presents TPB, collecting some of his final works including Hawkman and Sgt. Rock stories, it will be a nice tribute if DC manage not to cram it full of in house ads.

Image steal the show for the second week running with the latest instalment of Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead. Sure to be Novembers best seller. My must have item for the week is the Chew Smorgasbord Edition. The deluxe HC comes in a slipcase, collects the first 20 issues and features a tonne of extras.

Marvel continue to push the stand alone Thor books in an attempt to grab cinema goers. the coolest of which being the Warriors Three collection which features all their early appareances. I would recommend The Jeph Loeb HULK collection to anyone who is a fan of guest stars as it features Rulk throwing down with all the major players in the MU. The story fairly divides fans but McGuinness' artwork is incredible, especially in the many fighting sequances. Also essential reading for anyone wh


BOOM! STUDIOS

Adventure Time Sugary Shorts Volume 1 HC

DARK HORSE COMICS

Akaneiro HC
Bandette Volume 1 Presto HC
Colossal Conan HC
Lone Wolf And Cub Omnibus Volume 3 TP
Sabertooth Swordsman HC
Terminator The Burning Earth TP

DC COMICS

Aquaman Volume 2 The Others TP
Aquaman Volume 3 Throne Of Atlantis HC 
Injustice Gods Among Us Volume 1 HC
Joe Kubert Presents TP
Red Lanterns Volume 3 The Second Prophecy TP
Silver Age Teen Titans Archives Volume 2 HC
Swamp Thing Volume 3 Rotworld The Green Kingdom TP

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Army Of Darkness Volume 2 The King Is Dead Long Live The Queen TP
Art Of Sean Phillips HC
Bionic Woman Volume 1 Mission Control TP
Red Sonja Omnibus Volume 4 TP
Red Sonja Volume 12 Swords Against The Jade Kingdom TP
Sherlock Holmes Volume 2 The Liverpool Demon TP
Vampirella Volume 4 Inquisition TP

IDW PUBLISHING

G.I. JOE Future Noir TP
Haunted Horror HC
Star Trek The Star Date Collection Volume 1 The Early Voyages HC
Star Trek Volume 6 After Darkness TP
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Villain Micro-Series Volume 1 TP
Transformers IDW Collection Volume 1 HC
Transformers More Than Meets The Eye Volume 5 TP

IMAGE COMICS

Bomb Queen Deluxe Edition Volume 4 HC
Chew Smorgasbord Edition Volume 1 HC
Son Of Merlin Volume 1 TP
Walking Dead Volume 19 March To War TP

MARVEL COMICS

Essential Daredevil Volume 6 TP
Hulk By Jeph Loeb The Complete Collection Volume 1 TP
Marvel Masterworks Marvel Two-In-One Volume 1 HC
Marvel Universe The Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes Digest Volume 4 TP
Thor Sunlight And Shadows TP
Thor The Warriors Three The Complete Collection TP
Wolverine Sabretooth Reborn TP
X-Men Legacy Volume 3 Revenants TP

VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT

Harbinger Deluxe Edition Volume 1 HC

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT

Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Hunters The Shadowlands TP

Todays New Trades 06/11/13

 

Tarintino fans can get their hands on the 7 issues Hardcover, Django Unchained adaptation which has some pretty spectacular Jim Lee artwork in it. Also don't miss your 1500th chance to get your hands on a Sandman reprinting.

Dynamite have the first collection of Mark Waid's run on Green Hornet which I have been dying to check out. IDW have yet another gorgeous Artist's Edition out, this time for Jee Smith's "Bone."

 

Anyone insane enough not to check out Matt Fraction and David Aja's Hawkeye before now gets their best chance yet as the Oversized hardcover is out today. Collecting #1-11 and Young Avengers Presents #6. The premier HC for volume 2 of Uncanny X-Men has been renamed "broken" from "Lost in Limbo." If you buy the Agents of Shield tie in TPB then let me give you my heart felt commiserations now.

 

 

All of the above is irrelevant as far as my wallet is concerned as Image comics release the third volume of Hickman and Pittara's Manhattan Projects. Easily the best comic of 2013 and one that makes me constantly wrestle over my decision to wait for trades. Roll on pay day!




AVATAR PRESS
Caligula Volume 2 Heart Of Rome TP

DARK HORSE COMICS

Plants Vs Zombies Lawnmageddon HC

DC COMICS

All-Star Western Volume 3 The Black Diamond Probability TP
Batman Night Of The Owls TP
Django Unchained HC
Fraction TP
Judas Coin TP
Justice League Of America Volume 1 World's Most Dangerous HC
Sandman Omnibus Volume 2 HC

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Bionic Man Vs The Bionic Woman TP
Grimm Volume 1 The Coins Of Zakynthos TP
Mark Waid's The Green Hornet Volume 1 Bully Pulpit TP
Miss Fury Volume 1 Anger Is An Energy TP
Spider Volume 2 The Businessman From Hell TP
Vampirella Strikes TP

IDW PUBLISHING

Crow Midnight Legends Volume 5 Resurrection TP
G.I. JOE The Complete Collection Volume 1 HC (Red Label Edition
Jeff Smith's Bone The Great Cow Race Artist's Edition HC
My Little Pony The Return Of Queen Chrysalis Red Label Set, AR
Star Trek Volume 1 Where No Man Has Gone Before HC (Red Label Edition

IMAGE COMICS

Aphrodite IX Rebirth Volume 1 HC
Blackacre Volume 2 TP
Invincible Universe Volume 1 TP
Manhattan Projects Volume 3 TP

MARVEL COMICS

Avengers West Coast Avengers Omnibus Volume 2 HC
Daredevil By Frank Miller And Klaus Janson Omnibus HC (New Printing
Hawkeye Volume 1 HC
Marvel Firsts The 1980s Volume 1 TP
Marvel's Thor The Dark World The Art Of The Movie Slipcase HC
Oz Road To Oz TP
S.H.I.E.L.D. Origins TP
Thanos Redemption TP
Uncanny X-Men Volume 2 Broken HC

VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT

Quantum And Woody Volume 1 The World's Worst Superhero Team TP

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT

Robyn Hood Volume 2 Wanted TP

Todays New Trades 30/10/13

I have 3 new omnibus to talk about this week, firstly from DC comes the 1080 page "One Million" deluxe hardcover. Grant Morrison's 1999 event set in the 853rd century. Collecting -

DC ONE MILLION #1-4, plus the #1,000,000 issues of ACTION COMICS, ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, AQUAMAN, AZRAEL, BATMAN, BATMAN: SHADOW OF THE BAT, BOOSTER GOLD, CATWOMAN, CHASE, CHRONOS, THE CREEPER, DETECTIVE COMICS, THE FLASH, GREEN ARROW, GREEN LANTERN, HITMAN, IMPULSE, JLA, LEGION OF SUPER HEROES, LEGIONNAIRES, LOBO, MARTIAN MANHUNTER, NIGHTWING, POWER OF SHAZAM, RESURRECTION MAN, ROBIN, STARMAN, SUPERBOY, SUPERGIRL, SUPERMAN, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF STEEL, SUPERMAN: THE MAN OF TOMORROW, WONDER WOMAN, YOUNG JUSTICE,
as well as DC ONE MILLION 80-PAGE GIANT #1 and SUPERMAN/BATMAN #79-80.

Yup, all dem comics! Image have a personal favourite of mine, "Revival" getting the deluxe HC treatment. Tim Seely & Mike Norton's beautifully crafted and excellently paced zombie noirfest collects -  Collects REVIVAL #1-11 and the FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2012 short story, plus many behind-the-scenes bonuses and other features. If you have been holding off then now is the time to get in to Revival.    

Thirdly from Valiant there is the X-O Manowar deluxe HC, featuring the Manowars first year at Valiant comics. Collecting - X-O MANOWAR #1-14, 20 pages of never-before-seen art and extras, direct from the Valiant vaults.      
 
DARK HORSE COMICS

Avatar The Last Airbender Volume 6 The Search Part 3 TP
Bad Houses TP
Bride Of The Water God Volume 14 TP
Chronicles Of Conan Volume 25 Exodus And Other Stories TP
EC Archives Tales From The Crypt Volume 4 HC
Gantz Volume 29 TP
Jeremiah Omnibus Volume 3 HC
Last Of Us American Dreams TP

DC COMICS

Batgirl Volume 2 Knightfall Descends TP
Batman Volume 3 Death Of The Family HC
DC Comics One Million Omnibus HC
Deadshot Beginnings TP
JSA The Liberty Files The Whistling Skull TP
Superman Adventures The Man Of Steel TP
Superman The Man Of Steel Believe TP

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Vampirella Masters Series Volume 8 Mike Carey With Joshua Hale Fialkov TP

IDW PUBLISHING

Samurai Jack Classics Volume 1 TP

IMAGE COMICS

Dia De Los Muertos TP
Mara TP
Planetoid Volume1 TP
Revival Deluxe Collection Volume 1 HC
Witchblade Rebirth Volume 4 TP

MARVEL COMICS

Cable And X-Force Volume 2 Dead Or Alive TP
Inhumans By Right Of Birth TP
Marvel Universe Thor Digest TP
Scarlet Spider Volume 3 The Big Leagues TP
Thor Vs Thanos TP
Ultimate Comics The Ultimates Disassembled TP
Wolverine And The X-Men By Jason Aaron Volume 7 TP

VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT

X-O Manowar Deluxe Edition Volume 1 HC

Always try and support your LCS when buying new trades. If you don't have an LCS to support than I recommend Inter Comics in Sheffield. @interComics on twitter. Not only a fantastic service but the website itself rivals the biggest comic blogs and fan sites out there. Great new content every week.

Todays New Trades 23/10/13

DARK HORSE COMICS

Answer TP
Hellboy The Midnight Circus HC

DC COMICS

Absolute Joker Luthor HC
Batgirl Volume 2 Knightfall Descends TP
Batgirl Volume 3 Death Of The Family HC
Fables Encyclopedia Deluxe Edition HC
Fraction TP
Suicide Squad Volume 3 Death Is For Suckers TP

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Garth Ennis' Erf HC

IDW PUBLISHING

Doctor Who Omnibus Volume 2 TP
G.I. JOE America's Elite Disavowed Volume 1 TP
Judge Dredd Year One TP
My Little Pony Pony Tales Volume 1 TP Powerpuff Girls Classics Volume 1 Power Party TP
Star Trek The Next Generation Doctor Who Assimilation2 The Complete Series HC
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 6 City Fall Part 1 TP
Transformers Last Stand Of The Wreckers HC
True Blood Volume 6 Here We Go Again HC
Vitriol The Hunter TP

IMAGE COMICS

Cowboy Ninja Viking Deluxe Edition HC
Walking Dead 100 Project HC (Limited Edition)

MARVEL COMICS

Journey Into Mystery Featuring Sif Volume 2 Seeds Of Destruction TP
Marvel Masterworks Sgt. Fury Volume 1 TP
Spider-Man Life In The Mad Dog Ward TP
Thor Epic Collection War Of The Pantheons TP
Uncanny Avengers Volume 2 The Apocalypse Twins HC
X-Men X-Corps TP

VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT

Shadowman Volume 2 Darque Reckoning TP

Today's New Trades 16/10/13

From Avatar: 

Uber Vol 1 debuts in monstrously huge fashion, with a collection that goes far beyond the story. This epic tome contains Uber #0-5, the first story arc, for the first 176 pages. But then we Enhance that with 160 pages of additional material! From behind-the-scenes interviews, scores of pages of the original pencil art, notes from the writer on development of the story, to an epic cover gallery, this is not to be missed. But all that extra material is only available right here, this edition of 5000 copies, and the Remarqued edition of 350 copies offered this month, are the only editions Previews will offer. Then it's gone. This Enhanced HC will not be reprinted. Uber Vol 1 collection in paperback will be released in 2014, with the full 176 pages of story. But none of the special back matter offered only here. This is also a Direct Market Exclusive, the Uber Vol 1 Enhanced Hardcover edition will not be available in book stores or on Amazon! 

 


DC are releasing the entire Death of The family event in one Hardcover. Collects Catwoman #13-14, Batgirl #13-16, Suicide Squad #14-15, Batman and Robin #15-16, Nightwing #15-16, Detective Comics #15-16, Red Hood and the Outlaws #15-16, and Teen Titans #15-16.





 

Charlie Adlard gets his own art book from Image to celebrate 100 issues on Walking Dead  Mind The Gap by Jim McCann reaches its 3rd volume in Paperback. 

 

The first Volume of Marvel Zombies omnibus reprinting is also out today, if you have been waiting for a chance to read it then volume 1 collects.  ULTIMATE FANTASTIC FOUR #21-23 and #30-32, MARVEL ZOMBIES #1-5, MARVEL ZOMBIES: DEAD DAYS, BLACK PANTHER (2005) #28-30, and material from MARVEL SPOTLIGHT: MARVEL ZOMBIES/MYSTIC ARCANA. 

AVATAR PRESS

Uber Volume 1 Enhanced HC

BOOM! STUDIOS

Adventure Time With Fionna And Cake TP
Dingo Deluxe Edition Volume 1 TP

DARK HORSE COMICS

Black Beetle Volume 1 No Way Out HC

DC COMICS

Catwoman Volume 3 Death Of The Family TP
Green Lantern Volume 2 The Revenge Of Black Hand TP
Green Lantern Volume 3 The End HC
Joker Death Of The Family HC
Sandman Endless Nights TP (New Edition
Smallville Season 11 Volume 3 Haunted TP
Superman Dark Knight Over Metropolis TP

IDW PUBLISHING

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles The Works Volume 2 HC
Transformers Prime Beast Hunters Digest Volume 1 TP
X-Files Classics Volume 2 HC,

IMAGE COMICS

68 Volume 3 Jungle Jim TP
Art Of Charlie Adlard HC
Mind The Gap Volume 3 Out Of Bodies TP

MARVEL COMICS

Avengers Volume 3 Prelude To Infinity HC (Premiere Edition)
Essential Thor Volume 7 TP
Marvel Masterworks The Mighty Thor Volume 12 HC
Marvel Zombies The Complete Collection Volume 1 TP
Marvel's Thor The Dark World Prelude TP
Wolverine MAX Volume 2 Escape To L.A. TP

New IDW Artist Editions

IDW have announced a new wave of their beautiful artists edition hardcovers. While appearing to be in black and white, each page was scanned in color to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art-for instance, corrections and blue pencils. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.

 

These include:

 

 

Allan Moore & Dave Gibbons Watchmen. (March '14)

 

Dave Gibbons' Watchmen will debut later in the year. Watchmen, by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, is the story most often cited as the greatest graphic novel ever published. This Artist's Edition will be atypical in that the stories will not be complete, and will be an Artifact Edition, the first released by IDW. It will be produced to the same exacting standards as an Artist's Edition, and will feature a cornucopia of individual pages and covers from Watchmen, each image a testament to Gibbons' elegant and nuanced style. This book will also measure 12 x 17 inches.

 

 

Jack Kirby's New Gods. (Date TBC)

Jack Kirby's New Gods Artist's Edition will be released in March and feature five complete issues of Kirby's inaugural Fourth World book. Kirby, often called the King of Comics, is arguably the most important and influential comics creator of all time. His work on New Gods, which he wrote as well as drew, clearly reinforces that notion. Filled with amazing imagery and giant concepts, this book will measure 12 x 17 inches.

 

Jim Steranko's Nick Fury and the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

 

The first volume, The Steranko Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Artist's Edition, will feature the initial twelve stories by Steranko that appeared in Strange Tales #151 through #162. All of these stories were drawn in the "twice up" format, meaning the original art is rendered at twice the size of the printed comic. The final book will measure 15 x 22 inches and is currently scheduled for release in May of 2014.

 

 

Jim Steranko's Nick Fury and Captain America. (Date TBC)

The second volume, The Steranko Nick Fury and Captain America Artist's Edition, will collect the remaining Nick Fury stories from Strange Tales 163-168, as well as issues 1, 3, and 5 of the Nick Fury: Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. comic series. As icing on the cake, Steranko's three stellar issues of Captain America will also be included. This volume will measure 12 x 17 inches, and the release date is still to be determined.

Todays New Trades 09/10/2013

Pretty quiet week across the board but still some great books out. The second Mind MGMT hardcover from Dark Horse is my pick of the week. The first volume was beautifully packaged and the two together are going to look great on my shelf. I'm struggling to find what is collected in the latest Star Wars: Wild Space omnibus but it's advertised as being full of hidden gems and never before collected material.

If you ran out to buy the Court of Owls TPB with the mask last week then good news! Batman Volume 2 is out today. Collecting #8-11 and annual #1 of what is, in my opinion, the best title from the New 52.

A very licence driven week from IDW including New reprintings of Transformers and TMNT, new My Little Pony (the I mentioned it!! Happy??) but there's some new original material as well in the Form of Zombies vs Aliens spin off Colonized.

Over at the always intriguing Image Comics there's first volumes for Greg Rucka's Lazarus and Ryan Browne's God Hates Astronauts which features the brilliant blurb. "I don't want to oversell what Ryan has accomplished here, but I gave God Hates Astronauts to a blind man and he regained his sight." - Jonathan Hickman

Busy week for Jason Aarron at Marvel with Thanos Rising getting a paperback release and Volume 2 of his brilliant run on Thor: Godbomb coming out in HC. Although I have already bought and read the Panini reprint for a fraction of the price so as always make sure you shop about.




DARK HORSE COMICS

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 4 Welcome To The Team TP
Chronicles Of King Conan Volume 6 A Death In Stygia And Other Stories TP
Colder TP
Creepy Archives Volume 17 HC
Mind MGMT Volume 2 The Futurist HC
Star Wars Ewoks Shadows Of Endor GN
Star Wars Omnibus Wild Space Volume 2 TP
Trigun Omnibus Volume 1 TP
UXB HC

DC COMICS

Batman Volume 2 The City Of Owls TP
I Vampire Volume 3 Wave Of Mutilation TP
Intensely Dumb MAD TP
Lucifer Volume 2 TP

IDW PUBLISHING

Colonized TP
Danger Girl Trinity TP
G.I. JOE Special Missions Volume 1 TP
Jinnrise Volume 1 TP
Kill Shakespeare Volume 3 The Tide of Blood TP
My Little Pony Animated Volume 1 The Magic Begins TP
Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 3 TP
Transformers Classics Volume 6 TP

IMAGE COMICS

God Hates Astronauts Volume 1 TP
Lazarus Volume 1 TP

MARVEL COMICS

Avengers Kree Skrull War TP
Dark Tower The Gunslinger The Man In Black TP
Iron Man Armored Vengeance TP
Thanos Rising TP
Thor God Of Thunder Volume 2 Godbomb HC
X-Men Storm By Warren Ellis And Terry Dodson TP

Top Selling Trades. September 2013

1. East of West Vol. 1 TPB (Image)

2. Justice League Vol. 3 HC (DC)
3. Star Wars Vol. 1 TPB (Dark Horse)
4. The Walking Dead Vol. 9 TPB (Image)
5. The Walking Dead 100 Project TPB (Image)
6. Justice League Vol. 2 TPB (DC)
7. Saga Vol. 1 TPB (Image)
8. Saga Vol. 2 TPB (Image)
9. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Vol. 2 TPB (IDW)
10. Superior Spider-Man Vol. 1 HC (Marvel)

You have to wonder at what point will Marvel and DC stopped being referred to as the big 2 and incorporate Image into the big 3. With a collection of Walking Dead covers selling considerably better than anything from Marvel and they've published around 50% of the top selling trades consistently every month. 

Without getting into the wider argument of quality of books produced by other publishers, it's worth considering how much Image's pricing policy affects peoples purchasing. Saga and East of West are not only the two best books on the list, they also are the two cheapest, with the first volumes RRP being just £7.50.

I've been meaning to pick up Dark Horse's new Star Wars title, based on the original script and written by Brian Wood, this is a really strong entry. I also had no Idea Geoff John's Justice League was so popular so perhaps I should revisit it as well. The time has come for me to stop glossing over My Little Ponies success as it's constant chart appearances can no longer be put down to a fluke and it's legions of fans are not going to rest until it is number one. Congratulations IDW.

Todays New Trades 03/10/13

Not much out this week but there's still loads to talk about. DC release The Court of Owls arc, the first 7 issues of the New 52 Batman and includes a white PVC owl mask. Pretty sweet deal for £15.

Also at DC, JLA Earth 2 from superstar Scottish creators Morrison and Quitely gets a new deluxe hardcover featuring a new cover by Frank Quitely, plus previously unpublished sketch material and more.

The first volume of Image's Non Human is out, a bit pricier than Image's usual v.1's, especially for 4 issues but I'm led to believe the sketchbook and bonus material is going to be excellent. The second Skullkickers omnibus Collecting SKULLKICKERS #12-23, including the five 'unbooted' issues Uncanny, Savage, Mighty, All-New Secret and Dark Skullkickers Dark. (still giggling at these.)                
Marvel's march in to the OGN market continues with Avengers: Endless Wartime by Warren Ellis and Thor Season One. The season one books are really well packaged in my opinion but never worth the price to established readers, I wouldn't even recommend a new ready pays £20 for a slim HC.

I will finish off with two great Omnibus from Marvel. Firstly a book which I constantly recommend, Hickman's Fantastic Four, gets it's first oversized collection. Right now you can get it all 800 pages on Amazon for £35 (RRP £75) if you have been putting off reading this title for some insane reason, you're never going to get a better chance than this to pick it up cheap.  Collecting: Dark Reign: Fantastic Four 1-5, Dark Reign: The Cabal, Fantastic Four 570-588, FF 1-5

The second omnibus I wanted to mention is the oversized Halo HC, I've read some of the books including and personally loved Van Lente's stuff. Collecting: Halo: Uprising 1-4, Blood Line 1-5, Helljumper 1-5. Depending on where you buy from it might still work out cheaper to buy the 3 individual trades so be sure to check them out first.




BOOM! STUDIOS

Suicide Risk Volume 1 TP

DC COMICS

Batman The Court Of Owls Book And Mask Set HC
Earth 2 Volume 1 The Gathering TP
Earth 2 Volume 2 The Tower of Fate HC
Fables Werewolves Of The Heartland TP
JLA Earth 2 Deluxe Edition HC

IDW PUBLISHING

Chilling Archives Of Horror Volume 4 Jack Cole's Deadly Horror HC
Doctor Who Series I Winter's Dawn Season's End HC
G.I. JOE The Complete Collection Volume 3 HC
Judge Dredd The Complete Carlos Ezquerra Volume 2 HC
Miss Fury Sensational Sundays 1941-1944 HC

IMAGE COMICS

Age Of Bronze Volume 3.B Betrayal Part Two HC
Carbon Grey Volume 2 Daughters Of Stone TP
It Girl And The Atomics Volume 2 The World Is Flat TP
MacGyver Fugitive Gauntlet TP
Non-Humans Volume 1 Runaway American Dream TP
Skullkickers Treasure Trove Volume 2 HC

MARVEL COMICS

Avengers Endless Wartime HC
Dark Tower The Gunslinger Last Shots TP
Fantastic Four By Jonathan Hickman Omnibus Volume 1 HC
Halo Oversized Collection HC
Supercrooks TP (resolicited)
Thor And The Mighty Avengers
Thor By Walter Simonson Volume 2 TP
Thor Season One HC (Premiere Edition)
What If AvX TP
Wolverine Blood Wedding TP

Todays New Trades 24/09/13

Long time no trades, my apologies to the masses who click on every Wednesday, desperate for the latest papery knowledge. Some cool stuff available this week,

The Walking Dead 100 project:

"Robert Kirkman and Skybound team up with the Hero Initiative to present 100 all-new covers envisioning the horrors of the bestselling The Walking Dead. This art book features brand-new pieces by The Walking Dead artist Charlie Adlard, Paolo Rivera, Ryan Ottley, Rafael Albuquerque, and more! This book will never be reprinted and all proceeds go to the Hero Initiative and comic book creators in need!"

Show More

Show Less

Over at DC follow SHAZAM'S new 52 reintroduction with the SHAZAM! HC collecting: JUSTICE LEAGUE #7-11, 0, 14-16 and 18-21. Who doesn't love shouting SHAZAM! There is also the second volume of Vertigo's Preacher TPB reprintings, collecting: PREACHER #13-26, it's a really affordable way to read a book you should have already read, I recommend volume 1 first though.

You can collect the whole Ultimate Marvel "Divided We Stand" event with the new TPB by the same name. Why would you not want a book written by Bendis, Hickman and Humphries? Collecting: ULTIMATE COMICS X-MEN #13-18, ULTIMATE COMICS ULTIMATES #13-18 and ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN (2011) #13-18. There's also some Spider-Man 2099 action, building on the recent buzz. The X-Babies vs Avengers Babies is a good place to collect all the Skottie Young baby variants.


BOOM! STUDIOS

Adventure Time Volume 2 HC (Mathematical Edition

DARK HORSE COMICS


Art Of Akaneiro HC
Criminal Macabre Final Night The 30 Days Of Night Crossover TP
Eerie Archives Volume 14 HC
Sin Titulo HC

DC COMICS


Ame-Comi Girls Volume 1
Justice League Volume 2 The Villain's Journey TP
Justice League Volume 3 Throne Of Atlantis HC
Legends Of The Dark Knight Jim Aparo Volume 2 HC
Preacher Volume 2 TP
Shazam Volume 1 HC


IDW PUBLISHING

Doctor Who Prisoners Of Time Volume 2

IMAGE COMICS

Cyber Force Rebirth Volume 1 TP
Hip Flask Unnatural Selection HC (10th Anniversary Elephantmen Edition
Soho Dives Soho Divas Limited Edition HC
Soho Dives Soho Divas TP
Spawn Origins Volume 19 TP
Walking Dead 100 Project TP


MARVEL COMICS

Dark Tower The Gunslinger Last Shots TP
Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Tales To Astonish Volume 1 TP
Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man Digest Volume 4 TP
S.H.I.E.L.D. Nick Fury Vs S.H.I.E.L.D. TP
Spider-Man 2099 Volume 2 TP
Ultimate Comics Divided We Fall United We Stand TP
Young Marvel Little X-Men Little Avengers Big Trouble TP

Todays New Trades 28/08/13

BOOM! STUDIOS

Higher Earth Volume 2 TP

DARK HORSE COMICS

Crime Does Not Pay Archives Volume 5 HC
Number 13 TP
Savage Sword Of Conan Volume 14 TP

DC COMICS

Absolute Superman Batman Volume 1 HC
Fables Deluxe Edition Volume 7 HC
Hellblazer Volume 6 Bloodlines TP
Jack Kirby's O.M.A.C. One Man Army Corps TP
League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Omnibus TP
Legion Lost Volume 2 The Culling TP
Sandman Omnibus Volume 1 HC
Sword Of Sorcery Volume 1 Amethyst TP
Talon Volume 1 Scourge Of The Owls TP

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Masks Volume 1 TP

IDW PUBLISHING

Library Of American Comics Essentials Volume 3 Polly And Her Pals 1933 HC
Rip Kirby Volume 6 HC
Sam Kieth Samplings And Dabblings A Cartoon Art Museum Exhibition TP
Steve Ditko's Monsters Volume 2 Konga HC
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Animated Volume 2 Never Say Xever The Gauntlet TP
Transformers Classics Volume 5 TP
Visual Funk The Art Of Jim Mahfood HC

IMAGE COMICS

Progeny Volume 1 TP
Spawn Origins Volume 9 HC
Spawn The Dark Ages Complete Collection HC

MARVEL COMICS

Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus Volume 1 HC
Daredevil By Mark Waid Volume 4 TP
Fury MAX Volume 2 My War Gone By TP
Guardians Of The Galaxy Volume 1 Cosmic Avengers HC
Marvel Masterworks The Fantastic Four Volume 15 HC
Marvel Masterworks The Incredible Hulk Volume 3 TP
Secret Avengers Volume 1 Reverie TP X-Men Legacy Volume 2 Invasive Exotics TP
X-Men Magik Storm And Illyana TP
Young Avengers Volume 1 Style > Substance TP

Todays New Trades 21/08/13

Happy new comic day folks. I would imagine volume 7 of Chew will be a big seller for your LCS today. I've fallen behind myself so might just hold back for omnibuses.

Over at Marvel the NOW books continue to roll out with the latest Deadpool and Fantastic Four trades. Two end of an era books with Bendis' New Avengers and Slott's last Amazing Spider-Man trade Dying Wish, no spoilers! :p

I'm still to combine my love for comics and Star wars and the Knights of the Old Republic omnibus looks like a good buy. Collecting the first 18 issues (volumes 1-3) together for only £15. If you have any Star Wars recommendations then please feel free to comment bellow.



DARK HORSE COMICS

Buffy The Vampire Slayer Willow Wonderland TP
Dragon Age Volume 3 Until We Sleep HC
Nexus Omnibus Volume 3 TP
Sacrifice HC
Savage Sword Of Conan Volume 14 TP
Star Wars Omnibus Knights Of The Old Republic Volume 1 TP

DC COMICS

Captain Atom Volume 2 Genesis TP
DC Universe Presents Volume 2 Vandal Savage TP
Green Lantern Sector 2814 Volume 2 TP
World Of Warcraft Bloodsworn HC

IDW PUBLISHING

Berkeleyworks The Art Of Berkeley Breathed From Bloom County And Beyond HC
G.I. JOE The Complete Collection Volume 1 HC (Red Label Edition)
Judge Dredd The Complete Carlos Ezquerra Volume 1 HC (Red Label Edition)
Transformers Last Stand Of The Wreckers HC (Red Label Edition),

IMAGE COMICS

Chew Volume 7 Bad Apples TP

MARVEL COMICS

Avengers The Complete Collection By Geoff Johns Volume 2 TP
Deadpool Volume 2 Soul Hunter TP
Fantastic Four Volume 2 Road Trip TP
Marvel 1602 HC (10th Anniversary Edition)
Mighty Thor Omnibus Volume 2 HC (Esad Ribic Cover)
New Avengers By Brian Michael Bendis Volume 5 TP
Spider-Man Dying Wish TP
Superior Spider-Man #16
Superior Spider-Man Volume 2 A Troubled Mind TP,

Catabloguing Thor. JMS - Marvel NOW

One of the main reasons I started this blog was to help people collect in trade, especially books that are worth reading but nearly impossible to follow through renumberings and title changes. Thor is probably the best example of this about. I considered just doing from Siege up to Marvel now but to read the whole story you really have to start at JMS' volume 1 and I guarantee you will be rewarded with one of the best modern comic sagas on your shelves. 

Credit to Strazynski for the solid foundation and fantastic re imagining of this classic Avenger and hilarious ensemble cast but the real work here is from Gillen and Fraction, now two of the biggest names in comics because of the hard work they did on titles like this and Invincible Iron Man.  

Gillen doesn't just pick up the loose threads from JMS' run and try his best to tie them off. Instead he runs with it, adding layer upon layer that are still paying off right at the end of his JiM run. Fraction's Thor doesn't get the same recognition as his other Marvel works like Hawkeye or Iron Man but his incarnation of Thor will always be my Thor. *blushes*

Thor v.1

JMS/Coipel
#1-6.

Thor v.2
JMS/Coipel/Djurdjevic
#7-12 & Giant Sized 600.

Thor v.3 
JMS/Djurdjevic
#601-603 & Giant sized finale.

Thor: Latverian Prometheus
Gillen/ Tan
#604-606, Sif #1 & Mini Marvels.

Siege
Bendis/Coipel
#Siege 1-4 & The Cabal.

Siege: Thor
Gillen/Tan/McKelvie/Elson/Braithwaite/Henrichon
#607-610, New Mutants #11 & Siege:Loki.

Thor: Siege Aftermath
Gillen/Elson/Braithwaite
#611-614.

Thor: The World Eaters
Fraction/Ferry
#615-620.1 & Thor Spotlight.

The Mighty Thor v.1
Fraction/Coipel
#TMT 1-6.

Journey into Mystery v.1 Fear Itself
Gillen/Braithwaite
#JiM 622-626, Thor & Fear Itself Spotlight.

Fear Itself
Fraction/Immonen
#Fear itself 1-7

The Mighty Thor v.2
Fraction/Ferry/Kubert/Larraz
#TMT 7-12 & Fear Itself 7.2 Thor.

Journey Into Mystery v.2 Fear Itself  Fallout
Gillen/Rodi/Portacio/Ferry/Elson
#JiM 621.1 & 627-631.

Journey Into Mystery v.3 The Terrorism Myth
Gillen/Breitweiser/Elson
#JiM 632-636

The Mighty Thor v.3
Fraction/Kitson/Larraz
#TMT 13-17 & 12.1

Journey Into Myster/New Mutants: Exiled
Gillen/Abnett/Lanning
#Jim 637-638 & New Mutants 42-43.

Journey Into Mystery v.4 The Manchester Gods
Gillen/DeMatteis/Elson
#JiM 639-641 & TMT Annual #1.

Journey Into Mystery & The Mighty Thor: Everything Burns
Fraction/Gillen/Davis/Hans/Kitson/Di Giandomenico
#JiM 642-645 & #TMT 18-22

What to read next.

Thor: God of Thunder by Aaron/Ribic
Journey Into Mystery by K. Immonen.

Other reading.

Dark Avengers.
Thor: Secret Invasion.
Siege tie ins.
Fear Itself Tie ins.
Avengers (Heroic Age onwards)
Chaos War.

Todays New Trades 13/08/13

Never thought I would be most looking forward to a comic based on Smallville but after loving volume 1 I can't wait to read v.2. Never been a fan of the show though. The latest offering promises a showdown between Superman and some mysterious bat guy :)

I don't usually mention books to avoid but please, I beg of you not to pick up The First X-Men. Praised as the return of Neal Adams. Having already read through the Panini reprint I can assure you that it is pointless and truly awful. Plus $20 is too dear even for 5 issues of a decent comic 

DARK HORSE COMICS

B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth Volume 6 The Return Of The Master TP
Ex Sanguine TP
Mike Norton's Battlepug Volume 2 This Savage Bone HC

DC COMICS

Flash Volume 1 Move Forward TP
Flash Volume 2 Rogues Revolution HC
Nightwing Old Friends New Enemies TP
Smallville Season 11 Volume 2 Detective TP

IDW PUBLISHING

Amelia Cole And The Unknown World TP
G.I. JOE Volume 1 Homefront TP
Mark Schultz's Xenozoic Tales Artist's Edition HC
My Little Pony Digest Volume 1 TP
T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents Classics Volume 1 TP
Transformers 30th Anniversary Collection HC
Transformers Dark Prelude TP
Zombies Vs Robots Diplomacy SC

IMAGE COMICS

Frank Cho Women Drawings And Illustrations Volume 2 TP
Invincible Compendium Volume 2 TP
One Trick Rip-Off Deep-Cuts TP

MARVEL COMICS

Alpha Big Time TP
Avengers Assemble Science Bros TP
Dr. Strange And Dr. Doom Triumph And Torment TP
Essential Fantastic Four Volume 9 TP
Fearless Defenders Volume 1 Doom Maidens TP
First X-Men TP
Wolverine Volume 1 Hunting Season TP
X-Force Phalanx Covenant HC

ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT

Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Jungle Book Volume 2 Last Of The Species TP

Review: The Cleaners.

Volume 1. Absent Bodies.
Dark Horse Comics.
#1-4 & sketchbook.

Written by Mark Wheaton & Joshua Fialkov.
Art by Rashan Ekedal.

This random grab from the cheap pile, from creators previously unknown to me, turned out to be a really solid book. Starring ex surgeon Robert Bellarmie and his crime scene clean up crew as they pick their way through the horrific aftermaths of seemingly related crime scenes.

From the start you're aware that Robert has more invested in this career than just making a living.  He's also extremely knowledgeable when it comes to blood, disease and all manner of grisly shit. The story quickly becomes one of mystery, with the cleaners rushing to figure out what is going on after they are contracted to clean up two different crime scenes, dismissed as illegal blood bank dumpings. The supernatural twist at the end was great as well but way to spoilerific to get into on a review.

The Cleaners is really well paced and manages to tell a lot of story over 4 issues. The characters are intelligent and likable, they always know a lot more than about what is going on than the reader and this helps build a great tension in this mystery story. The writers have also done a thorough job researching all the medical science involved in telling a story like this.

Ekedal's art is top notch, it stays well detailed even in the smallest of panels and the action scenes are brilliant. I will definitely be looking out for more work from these guys!

New Trades 07/08/13

Things are slowly starting to pick up after a quiet couple of weeks for trades. Got excited for Savage Wolverine unitl I realised it was premier HC. Although if there's any display of Frank Cho's incredible artwork, similar to his Ultimates pull out cover in the back of Thor reborn, then I will throw money at it.

Looking for a smart investment?  Pick up volume 2 of the Locke & Key special edition. The first volume regularly sells for over £200 now.

AVATAR PRESS

Alan Moore's Fashion Beast HC 
Alan Moore's Fashion Beast TP
Crossed Volume 6 HC
Crossed Volume 6 TB

BOOM! STUDIOS

Damned Volume 1 TP

DARK HORSE COMICS

Lone Wolf And Cub Omnibus Volume 2 TP
Orchid Volume 3 TP
Trekker Omnibus TP

DC COMICS

Batman Arkham Unhinged Volume 1 TP 
Batman Arkham Unhinged Volume 2 HC
Disturbingly Awful MAD TP
In The Days Of The Mob HC
Saucer Country Volume 2 The Reticulan Candidate TP


DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT

Garth Ennis' Battlefields Volume 7 The Green Fields Beyond TP
Red Sonja Volume 11 Echoes Of War TP

IDW PUBLISHING

FELDSTEIN The MAD Life And Fantastic Art Of Al Feldstein HC
Locke And Key Special Edition Volume 2 Head Games HC
Torpedo Volume 4 TP

IMAGE COMICS

Distant Soil Volume 1 The Gathering TP
Todd The Ugliest Kid On Earth Volume 1 TP

MARVEL COMICS

Daredevil By Mark Waid Volume 5 HC (Premiere Edition)
Iron Man Volume 2 The Secret Origin Of Tony Stark Book 1 HC (Premiere Edition)
Savage Wolverine Volume 1 Kill Island HC (Premiere Edition)
Thor By Walter Simonson Volume 1 TP 
Ultimate Spider-Man Ultimate Collection Volume 4 TP
Winter Soldier Volume 4 The Electric Ghost TP

Review. The Manhattan Projects. Volume 2

Manhattan Projects v2

Jonathan Hickman & Nick Pitarra
Image Comics.

MP2 had seriously big shoes to fill after the successful first volume of Hickman's post world war 2, bizarre science masterpiece. Fortunately Hickman has dialled the bat shit crazy up to 10 for the second instalment. We see a shift from The Allies war efforts to more focus on what the soviets have been up to. They have their fare share of monstrosities to rival the Manhattan Projects.

Politics plays a much larger role in the second volume. The two enemies, both ranks full of ex Nazi scientists, try to overcome their differences and join forces to combat the extra dimensional threat introduced in volume one. We see the extend of the Projects autonomy from government as Kennedy's administration begins.

Hickman's writing is still at the top of his game in this book, the time spend fleshing out the characters never detracts from moving the story on at a fantastic pace. The trade is also full of his trademark design elements like logos and quotes, even the gaps in the story are great!

 Nick Pitarra's art is once again outstanding, as much of the story is told through shifting colour changes as is done through the art itself. The back up story featuring Oppenheimer's Civil war, were some of the best pages I've seen in comics all year.

Catabloguing Incredible Hulk. (Greg Pak)

More and more people have been asking me about collecting Greg Pak's Hulk in trade. It suffers from renamings,  renumberings and tie-ins but is rewarding to complete.
While Jeph Loeb's Red Hulk is a really divisive comic, I personally loved it, Ed McGuinness' art is phenomenal and you need it to completely read Greg Pak's run.. An honourable mention for Jeff Parker for almost all the tie in work and for it being tightly written into the overall story. Here goes nothing....

Planet Hulk.
Pak/Pagulayan/Lopresti
# Incredible Hulk 92-105 & Gladiators Guidebook.

World War Hulk.
Pak/Romita Jr
# World War Hulk 1-5 & What if Planet Hulk.

Vol.1 Son of Banner.
Pak/Olivetti/Camuncoli
# Incredible Hulk 601-606 & Dark Reign: The List-Hulk.

Vol.2 Fall of The Hulks.
Pak/Parker/Pelletier
# Incredible Hulk 606-608 & Fall of the Hulks: Alpha.

V.3 World War Hulks.
Pak/Pelletier
# Incredible Hulk 609-611.

Dark Son.
Pak/Reed/Raney/Ching/Kitson
# Incredible Hulk 613-617.

Chaos War: The Incredible Hulks
Pak/Pelletier
# Incredible Hulks 618-622 & 614-617 back ups.

Planet Savage. 
Pak/Eaglesham/Grummet
# Incredible Hulks 623-629.

Heart of the Monster.
Pak/Pelletier
# Incredible Hulks 630-635.

*Other essential reading.

Incredible Hercules.
WWH: The Warbound.
WWH: Damage Control.
Savage She-Hulk.
HULK vol1 Red Hulk.
HULK vol2 Red & Green.
HULK vol3 No More.
HULK vol4 Vs X-Force.
HULK vol5 Fall of the Hulks.
HULK vol6 World War Hulks.
Fall of the Hulks: Red Hulk.
World War Hulks: Hulked Out Heroes.
Chaos War.

What to read next.

The Incredible Hulk by Jason Aaron. 
Red Hulk by Jeff Parker.

Todays New Trades 31/07/13

BOOM! STUDIOS

Freelancers Volume 1 TP

DARK HORSE COMICS

Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan The Sunday Comics Volume 1 1931-1933 HC
Gantz Volume 28 TP
Ghost Volume 1 In The Smoke And Din TP

DC COMICS

Animal Man Omnibus HC

Batman Illustrated By Neal Adams Volume 3 TP

Beware The Creeper TP

Green Lantern New Guardians Volume 1 The Ring Bearer TP
Green Lantern New Guardians Volume 2 Beyond Hope HC
Showcase Presents DC Comics Presents Superman Team-Ups Volume 2 TP

IDW PUBLISHING

Joe Palooka TP
Superman The Silver Age Newspaper Dailies Volume 1 1958-1961 HC
Worlds Of Sam Kieth Volume 1 HC

IMAGE COMICS

39 Minutes Volume 1 HC
Age Of Bronze Volume 3.B Betrayal Part Two TP
Elephantmen Volume 6 Earthly Desires HC
Infinite Vacation Deluxe HC
Invincible Volume 18 The Death Of Everyone TP
Komacon HC

MARVEL COMICS

Uncanny X-Force Volume 1 Let It Bleed TP
X-Men Fallen Angels TP

Events. HC vs TPB

 

September will see Marvel release their Age of Ultron Hardcover, an oversized collection featuring the main event and all relevant tie ins. They did a similar thing with the beautiful AvX hardcover and it's companion.

It's a great way to save money and read an event together instead of waiting for various trades being released separately and the presentation is top class. They also come with a digital code, adding years to the books life and saves the hassle of lugging one of these monsters on to the train with you every morning. However I'm also a fan of a whole line rebranding on paperbacks, events like House of M and Civil War look amazing on a shelf when collected together. So I thought I'd put the question out to you fellow collectors.

One larger, cheaper hardcover collecting the whole event?

or
A run of similarly styled  trade paperbacks?

 

or like ‏@damien14273 are you happy to mix them up as long as you're getting to read the event?

 

 

 

Answers below please :)

Todays New Trades 24/07/13

Quiet week huh? I'd be interested in getting a look at IDW's Locke & Key Treasury Edition TP which is an oversized reprinting of the fight between Tyler and the Shadow Creature from Crown of Shadows. Bendis' last trade from over a decade on Avengers and Hit Girl by Millar/Romita jr will complete my spend. Be sure to look out for different covers on the Hit Girl book as there is both John Romita jr and Movie versions available.

Marvel also have their traditional event prelude out. This time it is Infinity Incoming and seriously,  don't waste your money. Collecting:
Inhumans (98) #2
Thanos Rising #1
Avengers ('12) #1-2
New Avengers ('12) #2
Thor ('66) #146-149 *material from


DARK HORSE COMICS

Creepy Presents Steve Ditko HC
Star Wars Agent Of The Empire Volume 2 Hard Targets TP
Star Wars Dawn Of The Jedi Volume 2 Prisoner Of Bogan TP

DC COMICS

Camelot 3000 TP
Fairest Volume 2 The Hidden Kingdom TP
Nightwing Volume 2 Night Of The Owls TP

IDW PUBLISHING

Locke And Key Treasury Edition TP Popeye Volume 3 TP

IMAGE COMICS

Infinite Vacation Deluxe HC

MARVEL COMICS

Avengers By Brian Michael Bendis Volume 5 TP
Avengers Heavy Metal TP
Fantastic Four Crusaders And Titans TP
Infinity Incoming TP
Kick-Ass 2 Prelude Hit-Girl TP
Marvel Masterworks Golden Age All-Winners Volume 1 TP
Tower Chronicles Volume 1 Geisthawk HC
X-Men X-Termination TP
X-Treme X-Men Volume 2 You Can't Go Home Again TP

REBELLION

ABC Warriors Volgan War Volume 3 GN
Judge Dredd Complete Case Files Volume 20 TP
Judge Dredd Fatties GN

VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT

Archer And Armstrong Volume 2 Wrath Of The Eternal Warrior TP