So there will be comics in 2010, which means that the comics industry has officially lasted about forty years longer than expected. Lucas has party favors. Here’s a look at some of the comics that will kick off the end of the century’s first decade, courtesy of Diamond’s Previews catalog.
Ever since it was announced that BOOM! obtained the Disney license, I’ve been hoping for some Carl Barks-centric trade paperbacks. Well, I kind of got what I wanted. Donald Duck Classics vol. 1: Quack Up is credited to Barks, and certainly will merit a flip-through. But let me clarify: I’m hoping for 100% Barks-created Uncle Scrooge collections! 
I’ve been digging on Jason’s comics a lot lately, as anybody who reads my “It Came From the NYPL” series should know. Almost Silent is nearly 300 pages, in hardcover, of Jason’s superb comics, compiling four classics (none of which I’ve read yet) into one convenient volume. More pages, better price, I’m going to finally buy a Jason comic!
First Second always entertains. George O’Connor’s Olympians vol. 1: Zeus, King of the Gods is probably worth a look. I haven’t read O’Connor’s Journey into Mohawk Country. Kazu Kibuishi’s webcomic Copper comes to print from Graphix. Another one to look at; I wasn’t so taken with Amulet that I wanted to follow it indefinitely, but if Copper’s one book and done, I’ll certainly be tempted. Guess I’ll have to make it a point to check out the webcomic before then and decide for myself!
Beyond Jason’s book, I found only one must-have title in the back section of the catalog this month. Lewis Trondheim’s back with another Little Nothings! Uneasy Happiness is the third collection of Trondheim’s hilarious weblog observations on life. Sign me up.
In the front of the catalog, it’s bizarrely quiet at Dark Horse and Image.
At DC, my affection for Superman will probably get New Krypton vol. 3 and Nightwing and Flamebird vol. 1 a look. I’m one third into New Krypton vol. 2 now and undecided how convinced I am with the direction of the titles. There’s some intrigue there, but the whole epic is skewing Michael Bay-style bold-and-stupid right now. I’m leaning, ever so slightly, toward picking up Hitman vol. 2: 10,000 Bullets if only to have the Annual in a collection. I might still have that issue in some box somewhere, and may need to re-read it before replacing my existing copy of 10,000 Bullets. Though, honestly, I’d gladly rebuy the entire series of DC would amp up the collection and jam 300 or so pages into each edition. Fat books, DC, fat books is what I want! Man, I quit reading monthlies nearly ten years ago, but now trades are so slight, five issues in many cases, that they’re still serializing even in collected formats! Jack up the page count, please. Fantagraphics is going to win my wallet because they’re doing it with Jason.
Newsboy Legion by Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, cool! First, gotta read that Sandman hardcover that keeps getting pushed off though…
The Bronx Kill will get a look, as both Milligan and Romberger have done great work in the past and I want to check out Vertigo’s crime books one of these days. This looks like as good an excuse as any. Matt Wagner and Mike Kaluta always get my attention, so Madame Xanadu vol. 2: Exodus Noir deserves mention, though vol. 1 (ten full issues, awesome job, guys!) was just okay. A hair too much DCU noddage for my tastes.
Same old song at Marvel – I literally didn’t read any of the catalog prior to the collected edition section, as there are so many titles that I can’t distinguish them at all. Marvel Masterworks: Fantastic Four vol. 3 and Hulk Visionaries: Peter David vol. 7 continue two of the established Marvel series that I’ve been digging, however.
