What would Barney Google google upon encountering Google? Perhaps “Barney Google” and “IDW,” at which point he’d get plenty of results regarding Barney Google, the $40, 225-page hardcover designed and edited by Craig Yoe and featuring a foreword by Richard Thompson.
Or perhaps he just wants to see what other comics are coming out this week, in order to check out the competition. If that’s the case, here are some of the things the collection of Billy DeBec’s classic strip will be sharing shelf-space with this week…
Action Comics #893: The most fascinating thing about this month’s issue of Action Comics is, I think, that in an issue about Lex Luthor battling Gorilla Grodd, an issue whose solicitation specifically mentions the possibility of Luthor becoming Grodd’s next meal, is that cover artist David Finch appears to have drawn a spoon in Gorilla Grodd’s hand.
A spoon. If you were going to eat Lex Luthor, is a spoon the utensil you would use? I appreciate a comic book cover that begs consideration of such questions. Too bad the logo seems to cover the spoon up entirely, at least based on this preview.
American Vampire Vol. 1: Attention, librarians! You’re going to want a copy of this in your collection! This $25, 190-page hardcover collects the first five issues of Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque’s popular, pretty well-regarded vampire series, featuring stories by whatshisface. Stephen King. Yeah, that’s it—Stephen King, who writes about vampires in the Old West, while Snyder writes a storyline set in the 1920s. Stephen King! Vampires! Graphic novel! It’s a perfect storm of popular publishing elements!
Baseball Heaven: I hope a well-meaning relative of George Will’s accidentally buys this and gives it to him as a Christmas present this year.
Doctor Spektor Archives Vol. 1: With a name like Doctor Spektor, this guy probably had little choice but to become a supernatural investigator, huh? This $50 hardcover collects seven issues of the 1970s Doctor Spektor comics by artists Jesse Santos and writer Donald Glut. I have no idea if these comics are any good or not, but I assume they must be, based on the cover painting of the title character punching the head off of a skeleton.
Franken-Castle #21: Not only is this “the shocking conclusion of the FrankenCastle era,” it’s also an issue of the Punisher with a cover by Dan Brereton, featuring many of Marvel’s mightiest monsters.
Brereton is also, apparently, one of the artists providing interior art as well. Andrea Mutti is the other, Rick Remender is the writer and $4 is what it will cost you.
Howl: A Graphic Novel: Shouldn’t this be “a graphic poem”…?
Image Firsts: Godland #1: You have a dollar to spare, right? Oh come one, don’t even pretend you don’t have a dollar. I know you do! Well this is the best way you can spend that dollar of yours in a comic shop this week.
Iron Man 2: Public Identity: Hey, this $15, 145-page trade paperback featuring set in “the movie world of IRON MAN and IRON MAN 2″ is well-timed, given that the movie gets its DVD release this week as well. It collects the three-issue Public Identity miniseries, by Justin Theroux, Joe Casey and Barry Kitson, plus an issue of Spotlight and paper versions of some digital comics.
Justice Society of America #43: This is a transitional issue between the just-completed JLoA crossover, by the JLoA team of James Robinson and Mark Bagley, and next month’s debut of the new Mark Guggenheim/Scott Kolins creative team. This issue is apparently an epilogue to the JLoA/JSoA crossover, focusing on Obsidian and Green Lantern Alan Scott. Robinson’s sticking around one more issue to script, and drawn by Jesus Merino handles the art.
Machete #0: Machete writer/director Robert Rodriguez and Machete producer Aaron Kaufman script this prequel to the Danny Trejo-starring movie of the same name, with art by Stuart Sayger. The plan is to follow it up with a series in December. It’s a $4 book.
Marvel Adventures Spider-Man: Amazing: This $10, 96-page trade collects the first four issues of the recently rebooted and re-branded title by writer Paul Tobin and artists Matteo Lolli. If their work on the previous MA version of Spider-Man is any indication, this should include some of the better Spider-Man comics of the last year or so.
The Sanctuary: It’s probably insultingly reductive to refer to Nate Neal’s debut graphic novel as “caveman comics,” but that’s generally the sort of two-word phrase that tends to get me excited to read something. The subject matter is indeed a “Paleolithic cave-dwelling tribe,” but the way Neal handles the verbal aspects of a pre-linguistic, vocal communication seem to be a big part of the work as well. It’s a $23, 200-page softcover with an introduction by Dave Sim, and you can download a 15-page preview and check out publisher Fantagraphics’ usual video slideshow preview thingee here.
Star-Spangled War Stories #1: This is the final of DC’s $4, one-issue revivals of their old war-titles, this one focusing on Mademoiselle Marie and featuring work by William Tucci, Justiano, Tom Derenick and Andrew Magnum. You know, after seeing Brian Bolland’s cover for this, I think I might have preferred a gallery of pin-ups along these lines, because the covers for all of these one-shots have been sensational.
Terminator: 1984 #1: The Terminator: 2029 creative team of Zack Whedon and Andy MacDonald launch the next phase of their Terminator comics. Preview here.
Uncle Silas: Genetis: Dark Horse is calling this “an action-packed high-biotech adventure for all ages,” and I can’t recall the last time I read an action-packed high-biotech adventure for all ages. The premise? Kids Selena and Tommy must find their super-genius ecologist uncle when he becomes lost in his super-advanced greenhouse, aided by their uncle’s organic computer and special greenhouse suits. It’s a $10, 70-page trade paperback by David Follett.
You’ll Never Know Book Two: Collateral Damage: Cartoonist C. Tyler continues her comics biography of her Greatest Generation father, wrapped in around a memoir of her own life at the time she was learning his story for herself. If it’s as good as the first book, I imagine it will be one of, if not the, best comics available this week. It’s a $25, 100-page, 12-inch-by-ten-and-a-half-inch hardcover. Excerpt and preview gallery available here.
