We have a plethora of new comics for you this week to coincide with this weekend’s New York Comic Con.  While some of our staff will be in attendance, the rest of us will still be in Charlotte to make sure you get your books.  With a week as large as this one, make sure you don’t forget to check the full listing on the new releases section of our site.

1) Richard Stark’s Parker: The Outfit HC

Writer/artist Darwyn Cooke returns with his second adaptation of Richard Stark’s classic noir character.  The first volume (Parker: the Hunter) provided some of Cooke’s most interesting work to date and went on to appear on numerous ‘best of the year’ lists.  With this being the second of several planned volumes, expect more of the same craftsmanship as Cooke continues to work on one of his dream projects.  Parker is noir at its most pure, and Cooke’s understanding and appreciation of the simplicity and directness of the form comes across in every page.  Sure to be one of this year’s top books, make sure you pick this one up early!

2) Uncanny X-force #1

Rick Remender and Jerome Opena begin their highly anticipated run on X-force this week.  Featuring fan favorite characters like Wolverine, Deadpool, and Psylocke, the new title brings the black ops mutants into conflict with Apocalypse.  The combination of these characters seems like a natural fit for Remender’s writing, and Opena’s previous work on characters like Moon Knight and the Punisher suggests he’ll bring a welcomed dose of grit to this darker X title.

3) Batman: Hidden Treasures

One of DC’s top offerings this week has to be this long lost story featuring art from the legendary Bernie Wrightson.  The Solomon Grundy focused story was written by Ron Marz and also features inks from Kevin Nowlan.  While the talents of Marz and Nowlan are noteworthy, the most attractive element of the book is the fact that each page is comprised of a single full panel from Wrightson.  Fans of the classic artist should enjoy this one, as should those who are interested in the prospect of reading a lost Batman story.

4) Palookaville HC vol 20

Genius Canadian cartoonist Seth finally brings his lauded Palookaville series back, this time in a hardcover format.  For those unfamiliar with this talented artist, check out some of his previous works like Wimbledon Green, George Sprott, or Clyde Fans.  This week’s new Palookaville volume includes a new chapter of the continuing Clyde Fans story, some of Seth’s first autobiographical comics in many volumes, and a sketchbook section.  Seth is a rare artist who has managed to combine a knowledge of comics history, humor, craftsmanship, and long form storytelling in a way that is both original and entertaining.  Don’t miss this one if  you want to see one of the industry’s top creators at the peak of his craft.

5) Klaws of the Panther #1

This new Marvel miniseries fills in the gap between Doomwar and the upcoming Black Panther: Man Without Fear as the new Black Panther, Shuri, faces the classic villain Klaw.  In an era when we’re seeing all types of character reworkings, the Black Panther has the potential to be one of the better ones.  Not only does the reckless Shuri have to bear the burden of the mantle of ‘Black Panther,’ but she has to protect her fellow Wakandans at a time when they’re more susceptible to outside forces than they may have ever been.

> Bonus picks of the week: SHIELD #4 and Ultimate Comics Thor #1, both from recent Heroes guest Jonathan Hickman, Brightest Day #11, Hellboy TP vol. 11, Baltimore: the Plague Ships # 3, Incorruptible #10, Disney Fairies HC, a new printing of James Jean’s Fables Covers HC, JSA All Stars #11, and Marvel’s new cosmic story begins with Chaos War #1.

Superheroes are the backbone of the comic book industry.  Sure, in the last few decades, comics have progressed by leaps and bounds, encompassing an impressive variety of genres, even portending to literary status in some instances.  The ambitions of comic book artists grow loftier and grander, and that’s constructive.  But regardless of taste or intention, it’s impossible to deny that the capes and tights sustain our beloved medium.

I have a love/hate relationship with superhero comics.  They’ve changed radically from what I grew up with.  The structure of the writing – which tends to favor sweeping, epic arcs that comprise multiple series – and the predominant art direction – hyper realistic with heavy color rendering – are a far cry from the comics I was raised on.  I might love Spider-Man as a character, but I don’t care to read many of the new comics that feature him.

That’s where Savage Dragon comes in.  Savage Dragon is not only the one superhero book I ardently purchase and read, it’s also the longest running book I’ve kept up with.  I’ve bought every issue since its debut, and I am still as enthusiastic about it as I ever was.  There have been dips in that enthusiasm, I’ll admit, but even when it’s seemed time to throw in the towel, a few issues later, series perpetrator Erik Larsen throws out something that makes me realize what a fool notion that had been.

The current arc running in Savage Dragon is Emperor Dragon, and it’s a compelling take on the “good guy gone bad” plot device.  Mark Waid’s running this riff over in Irredeemable, also, but in Savage Dragon, it’s a bit more effective.  We’ve got 150+ issues of the title character being a hero and winning the day.  We’ve got his mysterious origin coming back around to play a crucial part in the proceedings.  Waid trades on tropes and conventions in Irredeemable; with Emperor Dragon, Larsen subverts them.

Larsen himself has said of Savage Dragon on the FAQ page of savagedragon.com, “It’s the missing link between Marvel and Vertigo. More mature than Marvel–less pretentious than Vertigo. The kind of comics I want to read. This book is REALLY self-indulgent.”  I couldn’t say it any better myself.  While it carries a whiff of nostalgia that would appeal to any comic fan, it is also decidedly modern, utilizing “real time” – whereby events are contemporary with the times, and characters age as you and I.  Characters die and are rarely resurrected.  Pregnancies are often the most dramatic revelations in the book.  When something major happens, it has real, lasting impact.  It’s not going to be retconned, or revealed as a dream, or any other such Big Two ballyhoo.

And that’s the biggest perk of reading Savage Dragon, the security.  There’s no worry about a new hotshot writer taking over and wrecking things.  There’s no chance of an artist not befitting of the material putting pencil to page.  Larsen is in for the long haul, so provided you enjoy his style, his kinetic take on the Kirby tradition, then you can rest assured you’re going to get your fix, issue in and issue out.

I understand it can be intimidating to pick up a book with such a high issue number, but we all started somewhere, right?  It’s not like every X-fan started with X-Men #1, is it?  And in this day and age of bargain back issues and reprints, it’s not so hard to catch up.  Matter of fact, as of December, the bulk of the series will be available in three black and white volumes ala Marvel’s Essentials and DC’s Showcase: Savage Dragon Archives (volumes one and two are available NOW, three ships in December).  And I’ll admit a tinge of jealousy for those of you who can start reading now with Emperor Dragon, and subsequently go back to fill in the blanks for yourself.  When it comes to comic books, that’s something of a Holy Grail.  And you get to do it with my favorite superhero book.  Lucky dogs!

Welcome Cliff Chiang to the HeroesCon 2011 guest list! Chiang is an awesome artist whose recent credits include Brave and the Bold #33, Birds of Prey #3, cover artist for Justice League: Generation Lost and Neil Young’s Greendale. He made his mark in the industry with his work on Human Target and  Green Arrow/Black Canary. Earlier this year he did some Star Wars posters for Acme Archives which were amazing! Also, I was super excited to hear that he will be doing the art on Zatanna #8!

Artist Francesco Francavilla is blowing up these days so you better stop by his table early to get on his commission list! He will be doing the Jim Gordon co-feature starting in Detective Comics #871. And recently announced he will be doing the art for Black Panther: The Man Without Fear where Black Panther will take over for Daredevil following the events of Shadowland. Francavilla also maintains several blogs which are definitely worth checking out. His Pulp Sunday blog is currently running Halloween-themed posts based on classic horror movies. He also has a sketch blog that he updates regularly with concept art and illustrations. He is also a regular contributor to the Comic Twart blog. This leaves me wondering, when does he have time to sleep?

New to the guest list but not new to HeroesCon is Buddy Prince! He is a long time friend of the store and a super great guy! He is probably best known for his work on Night published through Jester Press Comics. Recently he has been busy as a Marvel Sketch Card artist, specifically on the Marvel 70th Anniversary and Marvel Heroes and Villains lines. He is also a Moonstone Maximum Sketch Card artist.

We are proud to add the talented Chris Roberson to our guest list! He is the writer for iZombie, the fabulous new series he created with artist Mike Allred. He wrote Cinderella: From Fabletown with Love and it was just announced that he will write the sequel, Cinderella: Fables are Forever. He developed and is the writer for the new ongoing series Starborn for Boom! Studios which he co-created with Stan Lee. He is also the writer of Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep: Dust to Dust the prequel to Philip K. Dick‘s novel. In addition to all of his comic work, he is a prolific science fiction novelist and the publisher of MonkeyBrain Books along with his wife, Allison Baker.

I have the pleasure of adding several guests to the HeroesCon 2011 Indie Island guest list today! First up is Tyson Hesse who is a webcomic artist and Savanna College of Art and Design graduate. Both of which are having an increasing presence at HeroesCon. Hesse is the force behind the digital-animation-infused webcomic Boxer Hockey which updates every Sunday and Wednesday. He also has a new book out called Diesel which follows the futuristic adventures of a young girl as she travels on an airship garage.

I am pleased as punch to announce Roger Langridge as a guest to HeroesCon 2011! It is no secret that he is one of my favorite cartoonists and with his work on The Muppet Show Comic Book, Thor: The Mighty Avenger and Fred the Clown I know I am not alone! The Muppet Show Comic Book recently won a Harvey Award for Best Publication for Young Readers. Welcome him to the show by stopping by his table and checking out some of his mini-comics especially Mugwhump the Great and Frankenstein Meets Shirley Temple!

Next up is Ed Piskor who first made a name for himself with his collaboration on American Splendor: Our Movie Year with Harvey Pekar. He also worked with Pekar on Macedonia and The Beats: A Graphic History. Piskor is currently working on his webcomic, Wizzywig, which he has self-published into three volumes, so far. It is about Kevin “Boingthump” Phenicle who is a phone phreaker and computer hacker. He two updates his site twice a week on Sunday and Wednesday.

Newcomer Mitch Rogers is the writer and artist of the mini-series The Boger. Currently he is working on a new book called Raw Nerve which will debut around the time of HeroesCon. He has been steadily publishing new material since the release of The Boger #1 and I am excited to see what he will bring to the table with Raw Nerve!

It has been a few years now since Rich Tommaso was a guest at HeroesCon and we are happy to welcome him back! He has been in the industry for over 15 years and his recent work on Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow with James Sturm garnered him much acclaim. You may know him from his other work like 8 1/2 Ghosts, The Horror of Collier County or Clover Honey. His website is full of some amazing artwork so I can’t wait to see what he brings to HeroesCon!

We have great news for those of you who like to plan for HeroesCon months in advance. Shelton has worked his magic and the special HeroesCon rate at the Westin is live and ready for you to reserve your room! We are stunned at just how super early we are making this announcement!

Reservations at the Westin Charlotte are now open at the special HeroesCon rate of $115 per night! That group rate will be available until May 13, 2011 but we strongly suggest that you reserve your room early rather than late. We fully expect an early sellout of rooms. So don’t miss out on the Westin’s comfy beds, warm showers and close proximity to the Charlotte Convention Center.

Check out our Hotels page for the complete list of area hotels that we recommend, including the Westin; or go straight to the reservation page. If you have any problems please let us know and we will do our best to fix it right away. They group the rooms in blocks so sometimes the computers say the rate is sold-out but Shelton just needs to release another block and, presto, problem solved!

Shelton, Shelley and Winslow Drum, along with Shawn Daughhetee, are packing up the van and heading to New York City for the fifth New York Comic Con (NYCC)! The entire staff has been working hard for weeks to prepare for this trip. Shelton has been pricing a brand new batch of Golden and Silver Age comics which will debut at the show. The rad selection that we had at Baltimore Comic-Con will pale in comparison to these books! Not only that but Warehouse Manager Seth Peagler has been filling in holes in our ever-popular convention stock which showcases the best of the 80’s to today. And we mean that literally! Each week we pull new releases from the rack to keep the stock fresh and current. Also, this stock has been beefed up thanks to a new acquisition that included a lot of hard-to-find books like early issues of Walking Dead. We will have something for everyone so stop by the Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find booth (#2809) at NYCC!

When we aren’t behind the booth selling our quality offerings, we will be checking out all that NYCC has to offer. The exhibitor list is huge, the guest list is massive and the events schedule is ridiculous!  It is almost too much! They also have an enormous list of show exclusives. Just click here to check out the 15-page list! If you want anything from the show just let us know and we will do our best to get it for you.

New York Comic Con
October 8-10, 2010
1-7 on Fri., 10-7 on Sat. and 10-5 on Sun.
Jacob K. Javits Center
655 West 34th St
New York, NY 10001

Another month of new comics draws to a close, and after a few solid weeks of publishing there are still new comics to talk about.  As always, check our new releases page for a complete listing.  Here are just a few books that caught my attention this week.

1)  Frankencastle #21

Rick Remender‘s horror twist on the Punisher comes to a close with this issue.  While the idea of turning the Punisher into a literal monster was controversial among fans, we can all agree that it was definitely a new take on the character.  The finale boasts art from Dan Brereton, a talented painter who has proven his skills at illustrating monsters with his creator owned title the Nocturnals, along with various projects at Marvel and DC.  This is one to pick up if you’ve followed the Frankencastle story up to this point, or just want to see how they transition the character out of his current monstrous incarnation.

2) Action Comics #893

Writer Paul Cornell has already brought some attention back to Action Comics with his first couple of issues.  By focusing the title primarily on Lex Luthor he has found a way to appeal to old and new fans alike.  This issue offers a showdown between Luthor and Gorilla Grodd, which is made more entertaining by the fact that the talented Sean Chen is illustrating it.  All this and you get a Luthor and Grodd cover by David Finch!

3) De: Tales HC

This new hardcover printing collects various short stories by Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba, the twin creators behind works like Daytripper, Umbrella Academy, and Casanova.  Long out of print and widely considered to be among their best early works, De: Tales offers some of the slice of life qualities that made Daytripper so popular.  At the same time the volume illustrates the different ways in which the duo work, with both creators alternating between writing and illustrating different stories.  With a strong year nearly behind them it’s nice to see Ba and Moon’s early work finally back in print.

4) Captain America #610

I’m spotlighting this book not only because today’s issue wraps up the Bucky vs. Zemo storyline, but also to remind you that Cap is still an entertaining book.  While Steve Rogers will always be the only Captain America in the minds of many that doesn’t take anything away from the quality Bucky stories that Ed Brubaker has continued to write.  With artist Jackson Guice on board Cap remains a Marvel title worth reading.  Hopefully the Brubaker/Guice team will be around for a while and continue to build on the foundation built by Brubaker and Steve Epting.

5) American Vampire vol 1 HC

I’ve spotlighted this title before but it deserves another mention.  In a time where vampires run amok in nearly every genre imaginable American Vampire succeeds by telling entertaining stories that rise above a marketplace inundated with mediocre monsters.  The 200 page hardcover collection is impressive because it contains a new sketchbook and art section along with an introduction from Stephen King, who some of you might remember as the writer of the backup stories in the first five issues.  Writer Scott Snyder and Raphael Albuquerque have done an amazing job on the series thus far and it’s nice to see their first run on the series collected in a prestige format.

> Other notable new releases this week: Chew #14, Justice Society of America #43, DC’s Star Spangled War Stories one shot, the X-men: Second Coming HC, and Mad’s Greatest Artists: Sergio Aragones HC

Before we officially announce Walking Dead HC vol 1 (which is Walking Dead issues #1-12, or Walking Dead TP vol 1 and 2) as the new Heroes Discussion Group topic, we wanted to ask our discussioners when we should meet. We are of two minds about this discussion group. Either we have it Saturday, October 30 so it can be a Halloween event or we have it Saturday, November 6 so we can also discuss the first episode of the new Walking Dead television series on AMC. So what do you think? Do you want to focus on Walking Dead itself or do you want to also discuss the tv show?

[poll id=”5″]

The Mint Museum Uptown will open its doors to the general public October 1, 2010 with a ribbon cutting at 5 pm. Events start Friday at 5:30 pm and end Saturday at 5:30 pm. That’s right, the uptown location will celebrate its grand opening for 24-hours! Admission on Friday is only $10 to non-members while members get in free. Starting at 2 am on Saturday admission is free to everyone! They have a wide array of events to keep everyone entertained, from Curator’s Spotlights to music to live demonstrations. You can view the full list here! Plus, you get to be one of the first to view the new location and their new exhibitions including Contemporary British Studio Ceramics: The Grainer Collection and New Visions: Contemporary Masterworks from the Bank of America Collection.

The Mint Museum Randolf location remains open with a primary focus on Ancient and Native American Art, Decorative Arts and Historic Costumes. The Uptown location will have the American Art, Craft + Design and Contemporary Art collections. Please see The Mint Museum website for more information about exhibitions, directions and parking.

Mint Museum Uptown Grand Opening Celebration
Friday, October 1 at 5:30 pm thru Saturday, October 2 at 5:30 pm
500 South Tryon Street
Charlotte, NC 28202

Last night as I sat down to read Drew Weing’s first graphic novel, Set to Sea, I didn’t realize what an impression it would leave on me. It is so much more than a hauntingly inspiring story about a poet who ends up on a sea vessel. It is so much more than page after page of highly-detailed illustrations. It feels like a small precious art book full of engravings or paintings on each page or an old illustrated maritime novel. Weing has even said that he wanted the book to be reminiscent of old gilded novels from the romantic period and that really comes across, especially with the faux-gilt lettering and embellishments on the cover and the title page.

The story reveals itself with one panel per page and with the sparse use of words, I flew through the book. I regret reading it at such a quick pace and I intend to go back and re-read it (multiple times) to more thoroughly absorb and appreciate the detailed illustrations. Weing’s art is mesmerizing. You could stare at one page for hours. Each page is carefully planned and crafted to maximize its storytelling ability and it is easy to see the love and effort that went into each line and crosshatch.

It would be easy to compare this to Sammy Harkham’s Poor Sailor or Chris Schweizer’s Crogan’s Vengeance. These books are loosely tied together with similar themes and artistic choice but Poor Sailor and Crogan’s Vengeance feel modern in their interpretation of the past. The tone and aesthetic of Set to Sea hearken back to a time long ago. It is as if we have discovered a long-lost relic. Furthermore, Set to Sea is a little more life-affirming than Poor Sailor. Poor Sailor is a heartbreakingly sad story that leaves you feeling morose. Although they both have circular stories that end where they begin you feel like the poet in Set to Sea has lived a happy and fulfilled life. Also, Set to Sea isn’t a kid-friendly boy adventure like Crogan’s Vengeance. There is action and adventure but it is a more character-driven story than an action-driven story. That is a long way of saying, if you enjoyed those two books then I feel certain that you will enjoy Set to Sea. It will have familiar elements but it won’t be the same read.

I don’t want to write a long and exhaustive review of this book to somehow convince you to purchase it. I just want you to pick it up and look at it. Once you do, the art will do the rest.