Here are the books that make an impression on me staring at this week's no-doubt largely accurate list of books shipping from Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. to comic book and hobby shops across North America.
I might not buy all of the works listed here. I might not buy any. You never know. I'd sure look at the following, though.
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JAN131108 YOURE ALL JUST JEALOUS OF MY JETPACK HC (MR) $19.95
Neither Kurt Busiek nor I is right about everything, but as I recall we're both fans of Tom Gauld and we're right about enough stuff that our overlapping tastes should be worth a peek from you. I think these are funny, smart, classy cartoons.
MAR131303 WE CAN FIX IT GN (MR) $14.95Sometimes you want to go to the comics shop and buy a book where you don't really know all that much about it; this would probably be mine this week if I were near a comics shop. This is the latest Jess Fink, and the dirty robot story Chester 5000 was cute enough I'm going to look at whatever she's up to for the next few volumes.
FEB131124 SANDCASTLE GN $19.95
MAR131156 NOTHING CAN POSSIBLY GO WRONG GN $16.99
Of course, another reason to go to the comics shops is to buy high-end material in your favorite genre, and you don't find as classy a two-fer as this little grouping most weeks. Sandcastle is Frederik Peeters, meaning those who can't figure out why Blue Pills wasn't the next Persepolis have another chance to dive into the artist's work. The second book here is drawn by Faith Erin Hicks, the kind of comics lifer where our ability to keep her and put her to good use is the kind of thing on which an entire generation of the comics industry will be judged. So: literary comics/teen comics, take your pick.
MAR131158 RED HANDED FINE ART STRANGE CRIMES HC $26.99
Matt Kindt is wonderfully prolific, and this First Second book, apparently an oddball detective story told with Kindt's increasingly well-known patterned narratives, is yet another option in a very strong week for look-and-perhaps-buy stand-alone volume buying.
FEB131117 SLAINE GRAIL WAR GN (MR) $29.99
MAR131235 SMURFS GN VOL 15 SMURFLINGS $5.99
MAR131236 SMURFS HC VOL 15 SMURFLINGS $10.99
MAR131234 BENNY BREAKIRON HC VOL 01 RED TAXIS $11.99
Two general series I don't buy although I like when I see them are the various 2000 AD spin-off series -- the latest iteration of which are all pretty great right now, too -- and the Smurfs material from NBM. That last book listed is a shot at another Peyo series, which would have a high curiosity factor from me.
MAR130905 SNAKE PIT GETS OLD GN (MR) $16.95
I haven't this material in years, but it's straight-up of the kind that people tend to say exists everywhere when really it's only a few dedicated souls that are making enough work there to engage a reader over the long-term.
JAN130602 PROPHET #35 [DIG] $3.99
MAR130595 WALKING DEAD #110 (MR) [DIG] $2.99
This may be the weakest week in a while in terms of genre adventure comics. I guess the Brubaker/Phillips WW2 issue of Fatale comes out next week, so this I'd probably stick with Teams Brandon Graham and Robert Kirkman. I like some of the Marvel stuff okay, but I have a hard time figuring out which X-Men book is which, particularly when they don't have the same creative teams all the time within a specific title.
MAR130989 LIBRARY CHIHOI HC (MR) $20.00
Here's another title from Conundrum Press' strong Spring; it's awfully nice-looking, but while I can see one staring back at me from the bookshelf I haven't read it yet. If you're in Toronto, I believe the cartoonist Chihoi will be on hand; certainly the book will be.
MAR130993 PAYING FOR IT GN $19.95
MAR130994 PLAYBOY GN (NEW ED) (MR) $16.95
If you don't have these two books by Chester Brown, and you're an adult reader of comics books with an eye towards material other than adventure comics, these are two must-haves.
MAR131167 WALT DISNEY DONALD DUCK HC VOL 03 CASTLES SECRET $28.99
Finally, I hope we don't forget these Carl Barks books continue to roll out, in sturdy enough editions I don't mind keeping them next to the tub (the covers actually don't get soaked even sitting in a tiny bit of water; I wouldn't test that, though). There's something fun about reading comics that are about people constantly trying to make a living, set in a time when a lot more folks worked the same job the summer after high school until age 65. It's a testament to Barks' skill that the title story doesn't turn into an exercise in tedium.
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The full list of this week's releases, including some titles with multiple cover variations and a long, impressive list of toys and other stuff that isn't comics, can be found here. Despite this official list there's no guarantee a comic will show up in the stores as promised, or in all of the stores as opposed to just a few. Also, stores choose what they carry and don't carry so your shop may not carry a specific publication. There are a lot of comics out there.
To find your local comic book store, check this list; and for one I can personally recommend because I've shopped there, albeit a while back, try this.
The above titles are listed with their Diamond order code in the first field, which may assist you in finding comics at your shop or having them order something for you they don't have in-stock. Ordering through a direct market shop can be a frustrating experience, so if you have a direct line to something -- you know another shop has it, you know a bookstore has it -- I'd urge you to consider all of your options.
If I failed to list your comic, that's because I hate you.
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