ANDY’S PICK :: LONE RANGER GOLDEN BOOK CLASSIC: Wanna get the kids fired up to go see the new Lone Ranger movie with ya? Wanna see what we used to read before our parents let us read comic books? Wanna see a classic in a beautiful and affordable original-sized edition? If you answered yes to one or more of the questions above, then Lone Ranger Golden Book Classic is for you. In this delightful romp from 1956(!) our stylishly dressed vigilante and his Native American partner (you see what I did there?) fight bandits, bring justice to the untamed west and still find time to help a young boy find his missing brother. This is a book you won’t mind to reading and re-reading and re-reading to your young cow-hands aged 2-6. Hi-Yo!!

ANDY’S PICK :: BAZOOKA JOE AND HIS GANG HC: Quickie Quiz– what was the first mini-comic? If you said The Tijuana Bibles, then you sir or madam have entered the wrong site. If you said Bazooka Joe and his Gang, well then you are most likely suffering from the same dental issues and gingivitis that have plagued me for decades. For those of you who don’t know, Bazooka Joe comics were the inside wrapper of every twin(!) piece of Bazooka Bubble Gum. This was in the years before the Bubble Yum Revolution and, I swear, I still get residual TMJ pains just thinking about  gnawing that rock hard 1 cent piece of “gum” into a soft enough mass to effectively blow bubbles.  But it was the comics with the corny jokes along with the Foreboding Fortune (Don’t look behind you!!) located below each punch line panel that made each jaw dropping (ouch!) experience so memorable. BAZOOKA JOE AND HIS GANG HC is a beautiful new book that provides the history of both the Comic and the Gum and collects several hundred of the ‘best’ of the Bazooka Joe Oeuvre. Now I know comic folks who collect everything comic-related. In fact, I know one guy who saves and bags the entire run of Comic Shop News in MINT!; but I don’t know anyone who collected the Bazooka Joe comics. It was rather difficult to keep them for any length of time, since they were usually carried away by ants if left out in the open for any length of time. So this book  is a true 20th Century artifact–a testament to taste over, well…taste. BAZOOKA JOE AND HIS GANG HC is a collector’s dream. The only thing missing is that glorious bright pink sweet smell.

RICO’S PICK :: THE DREAM MERCHANT #1: I don’t know the premise of this new series by Nathan Edmondson and Konstantin Novosadov but the art stopped me cold. The drawing, composition, and color are inspired. This issue is double sized so it’s like getting the 1st 2 issues of a series for $3.50. Let’s check it out and let’s see where it goes!

JUSTIN’S PICK :: REGULAR SHOW #1: When the Adventure Time comic materialized, I couldn’t help but wonder, “Where’s my Regular Show comic?” Little did I know, my future self answered, “Right here, you crybaby!” Much like its aforementioned Cartoon Network cohort, Regular Show boasts a wildly colorful cast of characters sure to attract the best talent comics has to offer. Worth the price of admission just for the inevitable Rigby/Mordecai trash talk. OOOOOOOOOH!

SETH’S PICK(s) :: JETPACK AND ROCKET EDITIONS: In perusing the list of the week’s new releases, I couldn’t help but see a theme.  Thus there are three books I’m recommending, all bound by their common thread of including jetpacks and rockets among their subject matter.  First up is Tom Gauld’s latest, You’re All Just Jealous of My Jetpack.  This is a collection of Gauld’s single page strips from the Guardian, and a fine place to start reading his work.  Whereas in books like Goliath you see Gauld’s fine line work on display, from what I’ve seen of this book, you get an even greater sense of his skill at humor writing.

Secondly, it wouldn’t be a Jetpack and Rocket edition of staff picks if I didn’t mention my favorite, The Rocketeer.  This week wraps up IDW’s latest mini series, Hollywood Horror.  Like the two volumes of Rocketeer Adventures and last year’s Waid/Samnee Cargo of Doom miniseries, this one has plenty to be happy about.  With Roger Langridge and J. Bone at the helm, if this series doesn’t make you want to go re-read Dave Stevens’ classic Rocketeer stories, you may not have a heart.

Finally, though you won’t find it on the New Releases section of our website, I am excited to remind you about a new book by a talented local creator.  Stan Ford’s Jet-pack Jenny and the Factor of 01 just arrived in the store last week, and it’s a new book you should pick up.  Stan’s a longtime member of Sketch Charlotte, and has always impressed me with his skills as an inker and storyteller.  There are also lots of extras in this one, like pinups and process pages.  It’s well worth your time.

RICO’S PICK :: ANIMAL MAN #20: You should check out my pick of the week  because John Paul Leon drew it! He doesn’t do tons of comics but his work is always sought after by students of sequential storytelling craft. It’s always a great new comics day when something JPL draws hits the shelves!

SETH’S PICK :: MISTER X: EVICTION #1: It’s true that this Saturday is FREE COMIC BOOK DAY, and while you know we’ll have plenty of quality free comics to give you, I’d encourage you to ease through the crowds and find this book on the genre side of the store.  If you don’t know about the character or any of Motter’s work, I’d encourage you to give it a look.  When Mister X appeared in the early eighties, it brought several novel elements into American comics, like art deco design, stylish noir, and even German Expressionism.  Beyond the book’s intelligence, just look at a list of its contributers (Jaime Hernandez, Seth, Dave McKean and more) to find reasons to read this title.  It’s a beautiful book that continues to deliver strong stories and design.  This first issue of a new miniseries is a great place to learn about the character, as is the recent Mister X: Hard Candy one shot that collected new Motter material from Dark Horse Presents.  And if scholarly comics don’t do it for you, there’s always Hawkeye #10 out this week.  It just so happens that this issue is the first of the series to feature art from Francesco Francavilla, who will be among the guests at Heroes for the FCBD excitement this Saturday.  Get him to sign a copy and a few of his excellent Black Beetle issues while you’re at it.

SETH’S PICK :: EAST OF WEST #2: Alongside the excellent new book Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabian Gray, East of West is reminding readers that Image is producing some truly interesting books these days.  It’s something of a post apocalyptic tale, though I feel like that limits it in some way.  When I read the first issue my initial thought was that this is an idea Jonathan Hickman must have been saving for a creator owned book.  It’s got all the scope and intrigue of his Marvel work, but like his other Image title, Manhattan Projects, this one seems like he’s able to stretch out a little more.  Hickman’s scripts are brought to life by Nick Dragotta, and while they’ve collaborated before this project, they seem to be working even more to each other’s strengths this time around.  And don’t feel bad if you missed the sold out first issue – a second print of it will also be available this week.  There are plenty of reasons why so many of us on this blog and other sites are talking about East of West.  Pick up both copies and see why.