SETH’S PICK :: Father Gaetano’s Puppet Catechism Illustrated Novella: This is the latest collaboration between Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and writer Christopher Golden, following Joe Golem and the Drowning City and Baltimore, which started as a novel before turning into several comic series.  The joy of these books lies in their simplicity.  Mignola and Golden don’t presume to try to reinvent any kind of literary wheels, they just tell straightforward horror stories.  This one is set in World War II era Sicily and follows the troubled lives of orphans.  If the dregs of war weren’t enough, the orphans have to deal with a haunted puppet theater.  Like I said, there’s nothing especially unique about the premise, but thanks to the creators its bound to be an entertaining read.  And for those of you who don’t like books without pictures, don’t forget that this one is aided by Mignola’s illustrations throughout.

It looks like departments stores are already setting up their Christmas displays so it’s not too early for me to remind you that Heroes is a great place to do some Christmas shopping while you’re picking up your own comics.  From an excellent All Ages section to art books to comic strip collections, there’s something for everyone on your list.  There’s also the annual Holiday Sale for the bargain hunters among us.  Keep an eye on the blog for that announcement.

Avengers #1 and #2:  Jonathan Hickman and Jerome Opena take on an expanded Avengers roster as the team entered the Marvel NOW! era.  This title will be shipping twice a month and the preview art is stunning.  (Marvel Previews, pages 4-8)

Amazing Spider-Man #700: While new titles are launching in the Marvel-verse, this long running Spider-Man series is coming to an end.  It’s ending in a big way with 104 pages and some great covers, including a variant with the names of the creators who have worked on the book appearing in the city skyline. (Marvel Previews, pages 47-50)

Monsters, Inc. #1: Marvel is bringing another hit Disney movie into comics with this adaption of Monsters, Inc. in a mini-series that follows the adventures of a human girl who has sneaked into Monstropolis. (Marvel Previews, page 67)

Hellboy in Hell #1: Mike Mignola returns to both writing and drawing duties as we join Hellboy after his sacrifice in Great Britain landed him in hell with both familiar faces and a throne that have been awaiting his arrival. (pages 31-33)

Rotten Apple: Heroes regular, Sanford Greene, teams with writer Chuck Brown on a hunt for a priceless relic in the dystopian city of Rotten Apple. (page 50)

House of Fun:  Evan Dorkin brings the fun in only the way he can with this issue that includes new Milk and Cheese strips, stories from Dark Horse Presents and much, much more.  (page 66)

Django Unchained #1 and #2: Quentin Tarantino’s latest movie hits comics as an adaption of his full screenplay that tells the story of a dentist turned bounty hunter and his partner a newly freed slave.  If that’s not enough, the art for the series is provided by Scalped‘s R.M. Guera and Charlotte’s own Jason Latour.   (page 137)

Sweet Tooth #40: The journey of Gus comes to an end in this final issue of Jeff Lemire’s acclaimed series.   (page 143)

Dave Stevens’ The Rocketeer Artist’s Edition New Printing: If you missed out on the first printing of this beautiful artist’s edition, never fear, just in time for the holidays a new printing is available. (page 173)

MARA #1: Brian Wood and Ming Doyle tell the story of Mara Prince, a celebrity athlete with supernatural abilities that is now famous for all the wrong reasons.  Ming’s art is gorgeous and in Brian’s hands this is sure to be an interesting tale.   (pages 182-184)

Chew volume 6: Space Cakes TP : I’ve been reading Chew in trade and I am ecstatic that a new volume awaits me in December.  Collecting issues 26-30, plus the amazing Secret Agent Poyo one-shot, this trade is sure to make the Chew fan in your life have a very happy holidays indeed. (page 203)

Love and Rockets: The Covers: Fantagraphics has collected over 150 covers from Los Bros. Hernandez and brought them together in one glorious oversized art book for our viewing pleasure.  The covers are almost exclusively presented without cover logos or texts (page 296)

Mermin volume 1: Out of Water: Don’t miss the full color hardcover of the adventures of Mermin the Merman and his human friends after he washes ashore following his escape from the underwater kingdom of Mer.  Originally published by Joey Weiser in mini-comics, this new collection is sure to please comic fans of all ages. (pages 306-307)

Chu’s Day: A new children’s book from Neil Gaiman about a cute little panda with a giant sneeze is the only description anyone should need to pick up this adorable picture book.  (page 352)

Get a head start on holiday shopping with this month’s Previews order and don’t forget to throw in a little something for yourself!

RICO’S PICK :: B.P.R.D. 1948: This new B.P.R.D. looks like the perfect book for the season. Max Fiumara and Dave Stewart make everything look exciting and Max does a great and unique version of Hellboy as a…boy. Mignola and Arcudi’s latest B.P.R.D. tale is wrapped in a beautifully spooky Dave Johnson cover.

It’s no secret to readers of this blog that my husband/Heroes blogger Seth loves all things Hellboy, but he has been completely unable to get me to read anything outside of Hellboy Jr. and the Beasts of Burden crossover one-shot.  There’s no real reason for my stance on this.  I liked the Hellboy movies, but that’s more about my love for Ron Perlman in beastly make-up than any particular attachment to the Hellboy storyline.  (While we’re on Mr. Perlman, can we all have the warm fuzzies again about the Make-A-Wish kid and Hellboy story from this summer?) Anyhoo, back to comics…Seth has full shelves in our house dedicated to Hellboy and B.P.R.D., but they had been gathering dust where I was concerned until recently.

At this year’s HeroesCon, I stumbled into a conversation between B.P.R.D. artists Jason Latour and James Harren in which I mentioned that I had not read B.P.R.D. and I wasn’t sure it was for me.  Not daunted at all by my hesitation, Jason immediately suggested that I start with Plague of Frogs and assured me that I would like it.  August rolled around without me picking up any of the trades on our shelves until I had a week without many new comics in my reserve bag and decided to pull volume 3 and it give it a go.  Cut to about a week and half later and I am about to start volume 13. (more…)

RICO’S PICK :: LOBSTER JOHNSON: PRAYER OF NEFERU ONE SHOT:  Wilfredo Torres provides art on this self contained Lobster Johnson story. Torres’ talents are well displayed depicting Egyptian motifs, bloated fat cats, and the brilliantly designed neo-pulp protagonist, Lobster Johnson. Arcudi and Mignola always deliver a great ride and Dave Stewart drenches the entire Mignolaverse in pitch-perfect color. Oh yeah, and how about that sweet cover by Tonci Zonjic!

There have been several occasions in recent years when a customer heard me talking about Hellboy (which is a frequent occurence) and asked: Where Do I Start?  The Hellboy shelf is chock full of choices, and for those who might only know of the character through the two films, it can be a daunting challenge to pick where to begin.  The obvious choice would be to start with volume 1: Seed of Destruction.  After all, this volume does present Hellboy’s origin and kicks off the big themes that persist throughout the story.  I would suggest that even though this is where it all starts, newcomers might be better served to start elsewhere.  Hellboy: Seed of Destruction, while essential to understanding the big picture of Hellboy, doesn’t quite feel as cohesive as later volumes.

This is partially due to the fact that it was scripted by John Byrne.  Byrne has rightly earned a place of respect for his huge body of work as both an artist and a writer, but Hellboy is Mike Mignola’s baby, and was much better served when he started writing it full time.  As Mignola’s confidence as a writer grew, so did the overall quality of the book.  While you’ll never hear me complain about the artwork, it’s also evident in later volumes that the quality consistently improved once Mignola got more comfortable with the character.

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