JUSTIN’S PICK :: THE MYSTERIOUS UNDERGROUND MEN HC: Like most of my generation, I went through a manga/anime phase. I call it a phase not in derision; it was just a passing interest. There are a few exceptions, however: Kenichi Sonoda’s Gunsmith Cats, the animated Ninja Scroll (clips of which I witnessed at one of my very first Heroes Con attendances) and the work of Osamu Tezuka. Famed as the creator of Astro Boy and likened to Walt Disney, Tezuka’s work deserves every accolade it garners for its charm, impact and timelessness. Picturebox presents this first-time English translation of one of the man’s earlier works. This volume is also notable for appearing in its original format, in full color. It boasts a synopsis and range of reference points that is absolutely intriguing. From the solicitation: The Mysterious Underground Men tells the story of Mimio the talking rabbit as he struggles to prove his humanity while helping his friends save earth from an invasion of angry humanoid termites. Sign me up, Mimio!

JUSTIN’S PICK :: SABERTOOTH SWORDSMAN HC : Maybe I belabor the point a bit too much, but comics’ real strength as a medium is that it can embrace concepts that other mediums simply can’t. This is evident in the fact that filmic special effects took thirty years to catch up with what Jack Kirby was laying down with a piece of graphite in the 1960s. But that, now, makes for some stiff competition. So, books like Dark Horse’s Sabertooth Swordsman are vital and welcome entries into any library. Morphing and bending genre conventions into a mutant whole, this is a dash of Avatar the Last Airbender, a little Chronicles of Narnia, undercut with the tried and true sidescroller formula. A humble farmer is called upon to rescue his wife and his village from the machinations of the malevolent Mastodon Mathematician. By the power of the Cloud God of Sasquatch Mountain, the farmer is imbued with the power of the Sabertooth Swordsman, and embarks on his sacred quest. Aaron Conley’s art is dynamic and stylized, tastefully shaded, with clear storytelling. Conceptually, writer Damon Gentry has conjured a premise that is at once original and familiar, and I look forward to experiencing the pair’s effort. Along with Tobin & Coover’s Bandette, this is a good week for artful action/adventure.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES VILLAINS MICRO-SERIES #7: IDW’s Turtles ongoing has been a commendable mix of old and new, blending elements of the Mirage books with the 80s animated series, all while adding its own twists and flavors. Now, this supplemental series does something no Turtles book has dared to do before: introducing Bebop and Rocksteady to mainstream continuity. Despite being fan favorites for those of us who grew up with the show, B & R remain a sharp reminder of the commodification of a beloved indie success story. Regardless, such politics are moot in the presence of quality entertainment, and I, for one, am super-excited to see these mutant marauders brought into the stapled fold.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: MARVEL NOW WHAT #1: Marvel Comics have a pretty decent track record of self-parody, from Not Brand Echh, to the wonderful send-ups by Fred Hembeck, on through to Chris G’s Mini Marvels. The tradition continues with Marvel Now What #1, an anthology guaranteed to tickle the McRibs of many-a Marvelite. The Skottie Young cover alone is worth the price of admission, but you can rest assured that the House of Ideas has plenty of yuks lurking in these pages. Now, can we just get a third series of Strange Tales? Please?

JUSTIN’S PICK :: BUZZKILL #2 : This is a concept that, in incapable hands, could be dreadfully rote: a guy derives superpowers from drug and alcohol abuse. Not necessarily a wholly original premise, but the creative team’s approach elevates the proceedings beyond the mundane. Donny Cates’ characterization of the main character is sympathetic and believable, without making a sappy sob story out of it (truth be told, he’s kind of a jerk, but a likable jerk). Geoff Shaw’s art inhabits a comfortable space somewhere between the likes of Tradd Moore and Matteo Scalera, with Lauren Affe punching things up quite beautifully in the color department. Issue one ended on an ingenious cliffhanger; I’m clamoring for issue two. If you missed this Dark Horse offering in the shuffle, pick #1 up along with #2, and save yourself the agony of turnaround.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: GOD HATES ASTRONAUTS : This is comics. Unbridled imagination and compulsion. [adult swim] without the brackets. I can’t really tell you exactly what Ryan Browne‘s God Hates Astronauts is “about”; I can tell you it is one of the most wildly entertaining (and therefore endearing) books I’ve read in some time. This is the comic that that Axe Cop kid would make if he had access to an unsecured Internet connection and a time machine. GHA falls vaguely under the “superhero” umbrella, and while it may have a parodic tone, it’s not taking the piss. Rather, it’s a love letter to a vilified sub-sub-genre, much like Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca‘s exemplary Afrodisiac. This will not please readers of extreme indie or mainstream bias, as it’s a Frankenstein’s Monster of the two, but fans of humor and creativity will be delighted. I mean, the cast includes a character called King Tiger Eating a Cheeseburger. If that doesn’t entice you, I’d suggest you stop reading comics altogether and take up a more meditative hobby, such as soap making, or maybe carp farming.

JUSTIN’S PICK :: GRINDHOUSE: DOORS OPEN AT MIDNIGHT #1: Comics have a long-standing tradition of tastelessness, for better or worse. For better, EC Comics churned out some of the medium’s high watermarks in the 50s; for worse, see some of the small press books released in the 90s. But objectively, that freedom is what makes comics such an attractive creative endeavor. Alex de Campi‘s new Dark Horse series doesn’t sound very illuminating (first up: Bee Vixens from Mars, drawn by Chris Peterson, pitting a one-eyed sheriff’s deputy against a horde of alien seductresses!), but certainly – and more importantly – it will be entertaining. In a critical climate of mounting pretension, a book so pure in its mission is a welcome respite.

Welcome friends, to week four of DC’s massive Villains Month event! We’re in the home stretch, and last week we attempted to clarify some aspects of this situation. A friendly reminder:

Demand is far outstripping supply, especially now that everyone and their mother wants some sweet, sweet lenticular goodness. This event has been in the making for a while, and savvy customers were already logging their requests as early as late June.  We must repeat: as always, orders will be filled in the order in which they were received, while supplies last.

We cannot guarantee we will be able to fill every request we’ve received. This might sound unfair, but it is the nature of big bandwagon events where demand outnumbers supply.  However, this is a perfect opportunity to remind everyone about Previews, the catalogue that Diamond Comic Distributors publishes on a monthly basis. This catalogue advertises product three months in advance, is available to the public, and is the exact same resource Heroes uses to stock its shelves. Previews is available to you every single month, and we are happy to order anything (within reason) you’d like to purchase, even products we might not opt to stock in the store itself.  This is the best way to ensure you get any items you want or need.

Again, we understand the frustration, and even empathize. It hasn’t been easy for us, either! But also, isn’t this part of the fun of collecting? Do we want everything in a nice, neat package, simply for convenience sake? The hunt is part of the fun! For those of you who might scoff at that last statement, DC is also offering a complete box set of second printings of the villains books, complete with 3D covers, that will be available in February 2014. And we will have the standard, 2D editions of all the villains issues on hand in the coming weeks, as well.

Thanks again for your business and your patience, and we will see you soon!

JUSTIN’S PICK :: BENNY BREAKIRON HC VOL 02 MADAME ADOLPHINE: While I’ve never been a huge fan of the Smurfs, I find the work of their creator – Belgian cartoonist Peyo – to be very rich and admirable. Benny Breakiron is one of Peyo’s more obscure characters, a polite little French boy who possesses superhuman strength (unless, of course, he catches a cold). The first book in this new, translated series from Papercutz, titled The Red Taxis, was an absolute delight, with wonderful characterization and a surprisingly complex plot. The art was the bait, the story the hook, and I can only guess at what hijinks little Benny will find himself in in this second volume. I’d heartily endorse this book to any parent, or any comic strip enthusiast, animation buff, etc.

Well, dear readers and loyal customers, it’s official: we have our first DC Villains Month book where the demand has exceeded the supply. Batman #23.3, the Penguin issue, will not be available on the rack Wednesday morning. From allocations before the books even hit the streets, to the enthusiastic response to the motion covers, DC’s event has been an odd mix of stress and success.

At Heroes, we didn’t want to make our reserve customers feel obligated to buy (in some cases) four times the normal amount of comics they would for a given title in the month of September, so we went the special order route. It seems to have worked out pretty well, all things considered, but as they say, nothing’s perfect. With so many requests still continually coming in to the store, we want to remind you that we WILL fill all requests while supplies last. These requests will be honored in the order in which they are/were received, so if you miss an issue that you requested, it simply means we didn’t have enough for everyone to have one.

There is an alternative, however. As the lenticular editions sell out, Heroes will be restocking with the regular, 2D versions of every issue. So, if you just want to read the story, and aren’t necessarily concerned with having the “hot” 3D cover, then we’ve got you covered! If you’ve requested a 3D cover of an issue and we don’t have enough quantity to fill your request, we will automatically fill it with a 2D cover when they arrive in the store. There is no need to specify; if we pull you a 2D cover and you decide against purchasing it, as always, that is totally fine.

Thank you all for sticking with us through this heady and unprecedented event, and we will see you soon!