LOOKING AHEAD :: MARCH 2012
Hi, I’m Heather, long time reader and first time contributor to the Heroes Blog. You may recognize me from the Info Booth at HeroesCon or from my photography here on the blog and Flickr. You may have also seen me around the store with my new husband, Seth Peagler, Heroes’ Warehouse Manager. I’ll be digging through all the goodness that is the Previews Catalog bringing you things that the staff and I think look interesting .
B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth: The Pickens County Horror #1: Dark Horse brings us a new chapter in the paranormal agency’s fight against evil with this two part mini-series. Vampires have been notably absent in the world of Hellboy, and this title will reveal their history focusing on a Gothic Southern clan dealing with the fallout of hell on Earth. With covers by Becky Cloonan and Mike Mignola this scary title is co-written by Mignola and Scott Allie. Even better, Charlotte’s own Jason Latour is the interior artist! (page 34-35)
Fairest #1: While one shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, Adam Hughes’ wraparound cover is so full of beauty that it alone is enough to entice many readers. Writer and creator Bill Willingham introduces a new series in the popular Fables universe focusing on the women of the fairy tale world. With art by Phil Jimenez and Andy Lanning, the first arc focuses on Briar Rose with promised arcs centering on other characters like Rapunzel and Snow White to follow. (page 140 as well as the front cover)
Saga #1: Saga launches with a double-sized first issue to bring us the story of Alana and Marko, a young couple with a new baby, trying to survive a war. Written by Brian K. Vaughan and drawn by Fiona Staples, Saga looks to be an interesting take on family dynamics in the midst of an intergalactic crisis. Alana and Marko are on opposite sides of the battle, when they fall in love and retreat from the conflict. The story begins nine months later at the birth of their daughter. Fans of Vaughan know this isn’t his first survival in a brave new world setting and if his work in Y:The Last Man can be used as an example, Saga should be outstanding. (page 182-185 as well as the back cover)
Art of Daniel Clowes: Modern Cartoonist Hardcover: The Heroes Discussion Group recently featured one of Clowes’ more well-known works, Ghost World. Part of the discussion focused on the art style of Clowes, particularly the main characters, Enid and Rebecca. This hardcover goes beyond Clowes’ better known illustrations to include unpublished and rare work as well as essays from Chris Ware and Chip Kidd. With 224 pages packed full of great art and writing, this is sure to be a great addition to any collector’s library. (page 231)
Avengers Assemble #1: Getting Thor and Captain America dvds for Christmas has just made me more excited about the Avengers movie coming out this summer. Marvel has anticipated this excitement not only by releasing a mini-series, A Prelude to Marvel’s the Avengers, but with a new ongoing series, Avengers Assemble. This new series reunites one of my favorite Marvel creative teams, Brian Michael Bendis and Mark Bagley, and centers on the roster featured in the film. Avengers Assemble #1 has multiple cover options with the main cover by Bagley, a variant cover by Art Adams, a blank variant and other retailer variants. This new title provides a good opportunity for readers new to the Avengers universe or movie fans to jump right in the action. (Marvel Previews cover and pages 7 – 9)
Bonus Picks: Rocketeer Adventures 2, Batman: Death by Design Deluxe Edition Hardcover by Chip Kidd and Dave Taylor, Joe Golem and the Drowning City by Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden, Cinderella: Fables are Forever trade paperback, and Cow Boy by Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos. An extra special bonus pick: January Previews includes the FCBD books for Free Comic Book Day on May 5, 2012. There are a lot of great titles for FREE!
If these or any of the other titles appearing in January 2012 Previews look like the books for you, be sure to let Heroes know so they can add them to your pull list or place them on special order. Pre-ordering helps everyone from creators, to your local comic shop, to you. The best way to make sure you have a copy when books are released is requesting them early. Please have your pre-orders for March 2012 in to Heroes by January 18 at the latest. Let them know when you’re in the store or email Shelley. Happy Reading!
Great column–Way to go Heather! Will this be a monthly column?
This provides a great service to readers–Previews can be a bit daunting to circumnavigate. It’s great to have a helping hand.
I can’t wait for Fairest–I’ve heard that the 2nd or 3rd story arc will be written by Cinderella scribe Chris Roberson.
May I be so bold as to piggy-back on your recommendations and suggest Corto Maltese: The Ballad of the Salty Sea. on pg 330? Corto Maltese is a true comic classic. I’ve been waiting over 20 years for this particular tale to be reprinted in a collected format.
And again….well done!
Andy, Heather will indeed be writing a “Looking Ahead” column every month focusing on the newest issue of Previews. Thanks for pointing out Corto Maltese. I’m also excited to finally have that available in the store.
Love the idea of this column! Great job, Heather!
“Vampires have been notably absent in the world of Hellboy…”
Seriously???
So I guess you somehow missed “Hellboy: Wake the Devil”, “Hellboy: The Varcolac”, “Hellboy: The Vampire of Prague”, “Hellboy: The Sleeping and the Dead”, “Hellboy in Mexico” and most recently “Hellboy: House of the Living Dead” all of which featured vampires.
Not to mention “BPRD: 1946” and “BPRD: 1947” which also focus on vampires and go into great detail about their history in the Hellboy universe.
I suggest that if you are going to contribute to a blog on comics you at least be familiar with the comics you are reviewing.
Justin, we appreciate your comment. As one of the Heroes blog’s editors (and Heroes’ resident Hellboy/B.P.R.D. scholar), I admit that line caught my eye when I first read it. That said, I also took it to mean that vampires haven’t really been in any B.P.R.D. stories set in the present day. The purpose of this column and everything our contributors write is to increase awareness about upcoming comics that might appeal to our readers and customers. It’s impossible to be aware of every aspect of a new title based solely on a preview of it, but we really just want people to get excited about new books. Our intent and ultimate goal for the blog is to enourage new readership and be a place where readers might learn information that might help them in their buying. Most importantly, we take immense pride in being a comics blog that maintains positivity about this medium we all love so much. Thanks again for your comment.