ANDY’S PICK :: Nemo: Roses of Berlin is the newest installment in the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill do it again.  The creative team takes us back to 1941 and Janni–Nemo’s daughter (and current Captain of the Nautilus)– gets involved with the military action of WWII.  What makes this book along with all the other LoEG books stand out above other books is the ‘fictional’ world in which these adventures occur.  It is not just populated by the heroes of British Pulp fiction, comic books, radio and TV series, Moore and O’Neill add extra layers to their reality. For example, in the world of LoEG, the Beatles did not exist.  Instead it was The Rutles that changed the musical world in the MOD sixties.  So as we drift back towards Nazi era Europe, it is not Adolph Hitler in charge, but rather Adenoid Hynkel–the title character from Charles Chaplin’s farce The Great Dictator.  This looks to be something special.  Worth the money; worth the effort.

ANDY’S PICK :: AIRBOY OMNIBUS VOLUME 1: Back in the late eighties when I was buying 40 to 50 floppies per month, one title surprisingly leapt to the top of my new comics pile every time a new issue was released.  And that was Eclipse Publishing’s update of the Golden Age aviator classic Airboy.  I bought the first issue (published on a bold Bi-weekly schedule) because I was sure Airboy #1– along with every other premiere issue that came out– would one day make me independently wealthy (sigh) But from that first issue on, with a fast paced exciting story by Chuck Dixon and incredible art by Tim Truman, Stan Woch, Tom Yeates and  inker Willie Blyberg, I was hooked.  I read it faithfully all the way to the last issue and was sorry to see Airboy (and the rest of Eclipse) disappear over that last horizon. But now it’s back! This hefty edition– 308 color pages for only 29.95! collects Airboy #1-16–including the terrific Skywolf back-up series that begins in issue 9.  BTW–Skywolf is the Man!

ANDY’S PICK :: OZ HC: EMERALD CITY OF OZ: Have you been reading the adaptations of the L. Frank Baum OZ books from writer Eric Shanower and artist Skottie Young?  They are a genuine delight and they are also a textbook for successful comic adaptations.  Shanower and Young maintain the integrity and spirit of the source material but still manage to put their personal stamp on Baum’s enduring creations.  All 6 of their OZ collaborations are worth your time and money, but I have to say,I find this final story (at least for the foreseeable future) to be the best of the bunch.  The Emerald City of OZ focuses on Dorothy;s family.  Because of financial problems in the real world, she brings her parents/guardians Aunt Em and Uncle Henry to live in OZ.  The enchanted and overwhelmed Kansas couple take a grand tour of OZ with Dorothy and the Wizard while unbeknownst to all, the nefarious Nome King plots to have his army invade  the Emerald City. Can the Scarecrow, Glinda the Good and OZMA the really GOOD save the day?  You’ll just have to read this marvelous story to find out.  This HC edition collects EMERALD CITY OF OZ #1-5.  You will read it over and over!

Have you seen all the Trailers for The Great Muppet Heist?  It looks like it will be one of the funniest movies of the year. To celebrate this event– in the tradition of The Handbook of the Marvel Universe (but less dry and much more fun!), Disney/Muppets/Lucas/ESPN in association with every subsidiary that has slipped my mind,  proudly presents The Muppets Character Encyclopedia.  From the pages I’ve seen in preview, this book guarantees to be a reading riot and offers some fun backstory for many of the secondary (but still beloved) characters like the Swedish Chef and Gonzo’s girlfriend Camilla the Chicken.  This is a must-have for any fans of the Muppets.

It’s finally here!  Alan Moore and Steve Parkhouse’s grand finale to The Bojeffries Saga.  This comic delight was first published in short segments in Britain’s Warrior (along with Miracleman and V for Vendetta–whoa!) and continued throughout the ’90s in A1 and Dalgoda. This is a chilling and hilarious and quite frankly delightful take of the macabre goings on in the Bojeffries household.  Imagine if Charles Addams published by The Village Voice instead of the droll  New Yorker.  What a family!! AND It’s only 15.00!!!  this is for all fans of Alan Moore, the Far Side, Gahan Wilson, Basil Wolverton and the aforementioned master Charles Addams.  Don’t miss this!

ANDY’S PICK :: BATMAN SILVER AGE NEWSPAPER COMICS HC: God bless those guys at IDW PUBLISHING.  In addition to all the other classic comic strips they offer–everything from Baron Bean (1916) to Goodwin and Williamson’s great run on Secret Agent Corrigan that ran through 1980, IDW is scheduled to publish all of the Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman newspaper strips.  So far they have released two volumes of Superman-dailies from the late 50s) and one Sunday collection from the late 40s.  With their third volume of DC reprints they are offering quite a rare gem indeed.  When ABC launched the Batman TV series in 1966, it was full speed ahead for any and all product tie-ins featuring the Dynamic Du o.  That included a newspaper strip  published from 1966 to 1972 and until now has never been reprinted!  If you are a fan of the mid-sixties Silver Age comics, this is the strip collection for you.  Volume 1 (of 3) includes stories featuring Catwoman, the Joker, the Penguin, Batgirl and Poison Ivy  written by Whitney Ellsworth with art by  Sheldon Moldoff, Joe Giella and Carmine Infantino; all with a stunning period inspired cover by the great Peter Poplaski.  The first volume, reprinting all B&W dailies and color Sundays from 1966 and 1967, features an all-star list of Batman and Robin characters, including Catwoman, the Penguin, the Joker, Poison Ivy, and Batgirl! In the months ahead they will alternate between Superman and Batman volumes, so be here when it happens, Same Bat-time, same Bat-publisher.

ANDY’S PICK :: DEAD BOY DETECTIVES #2: Attention all fans of of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman and Bill Willingham’s Fables:  Mark Buckingham— the insanely talented artist of the latter takes charge (co-writing and drawing) of two of the most beloved supporting characters from the former. Our deceased yet upbeat and ever so polite British sleuths, Charles and Edwin formerly (and presently) of St. Hilarion’s School join forces with the young and lovely (can Buckingham draw women any other way?–I suggest–no, he cannot) Crystal as the three investigate look into the past to uncover the truth about the  one’s who (as Eliza Doolittle might say) ‘Done them in‘.  Don’t miss this series.

ANDY’S PICK :: PLANETARY is a super-group comprised of Elijah Snow, Jakita Wagner, and The Drummer. They are the greatest power trio since RUSH and perhaps  CREAM (but not GRAND FUNK— you got a problem with that?).  This is far and away my favorite superhero series from the past ten years.  There is more to think about, revel in and just plain enjoy than just about any other series I can think of.  And if the story by Warren Ellis, firing on all cylinders  isn’t enough– but it is–I swear– then how about 500 pages of art from John Cassaday?  A while back,   the Heroes Discussion Group focused on PLANETARY and it was one of the best round tables we’ve ever had. Archetypes Ahoy!! This is well work a Grant, a Jackson and a Lincoln (yet another famed power trio!).  This is a book you will read and re-read many times.This omnibus collects PLANETARY #1-27, PLANETARY/BATMAN #1, PLANETARY/JLA #1 and PLANETARY/AUTHORITY #1.

ANDY’S PICK :: MIRACLEMAN #1: Short and sweet.  Buy this comic book.  Forget about all the litigious baggage this series carries and revel in a great (not good–GREAT) comic series that changed things up in the superhero world as much as Dark Knight and Watchmen.  This is Alan Moore’s re-imagining the Captain Marvel legend (changed to Marvelman then Miracleman for British publication) tailor made for a modern audience.  I don’t want to give anything away.  Just buy it and make sure you have Justin add MIRACLEMAN to your subscriber pull-list.  The book just gets better and better.  Issues 14 to 16 will take your breath away and then Neil Gaiman takes over and the results are truly sponge-worthy!!  I can’t wait!!!!

ANDY’S PICK :: ART OF HARVEY KURTZMAN HC  is a fine career retrospective from Denis Kitchen that is offered again from the good folks at ABRAMS.  The book is subtitled, “The MAD Genius of Comics” highlighting Kurtzman’s role as the creator of MAD Magazine.  That alone would make Kurtzman a first ballot Hall of Famer (no steroids here) , but Kurtzman deserves recognition for developing the Modern War Comic in two famous must-read EC titles Two Fisted Tales and Front Line Combat.  And to add yet another layer to the legacy, with his humor magazine titles Trump and Humbug, Kurtzman unwittingly became the patron saint of the ’60s Underground Comix as well as  Independent Comics publishers that followed in their wake.  It matter not if you know a lot or a little about this talented visionary; this is a terrific book for your library.