Berkeley Breathed’s Outland The Complete Collection Sunday Comics 1989-1995 (May 8, 2012) will have a selection of Academia Waltz.
Dean Mullaney teased me about this and the Opus collection when he was on my podcast. He even suggested that Academia Waltz would get reprinted, too. If you are not getting the Bloom County volumes, you are really missing out.
Dean also gets busy in April by publishing Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth Volume 2 (of 3)

Coming July 2012 – Secret Warriors Omnibus, Marvel, $100. 904 pages Exact contents TBD
An unusual Omnibus to say the least, but given all the love for Brian Michael Bendis, Jonathan Hickman and Nick Fury these days, it kind of makes sense. I’m unsure just how many units it will sell with the steep price of $100.

Coming July 2012 – Punisher by Rick Remender Omnibus, Marvel, $100. 768 pages. Exact contents TBD
If I had to guess, this will only collect Remender’s run of Punisher Volume 8 which includes Dark Reign and Franken-Castle and not his time on Punisher War Journal Volume 2 (with Matt Fraction and Howard Chaykin) which is the Jigsaw (#19-23) and Secret Invasion (#24-25) storylines. I hope I’m wrong. I’m also wondering if this will collect the more recent Punisher: In the Blood #1-5 which bridges the gap between his run and Greg Rucka’s.

Back in print August 2012 – New X-Men Omnibus HC by Grant Morrison. $125.
Not much to say here other then a whole lot of people will be happy.

Coming July 2012 – Hulk: From the UK Vaults TPB, Marvel, $35, 360 pages. Collects Hulk Comic (The Incredible Hulk Weekly) #1-6, 9-20, 26-28
Marvel has been quietly reprinting several of their classic UK comics lately. This fun new addition is sure to be a big seller with Hulk fanboys.

Coming August 2012 – Marvel Masterworks: The Defenders Volume 3, $60, 256 pages. Exact contents TBD
Coming August 2012 – Marvel Masterworks: Golden Age Marvel Comics Volume 7, $65, 280 pages. Exact contents TBD
Coming July 2012 – Marvel Masterworks: The Amazing Spider-Man Volume 14, $60, 256 pages. Exact contents TBD
A nice slew of Masterworks from Marvel next summer. Wes Wong, who does color restoration, recently posted on his Facebook page that his work is complete on GA Marvel Comics Vol. 7.

In May from Hermes Press be on the lookout for The Best of Dark Shadows, an omnibus-style paperback compilation of only the greatest vintage comic book stories – just in time for the movie.

In April from Oni Press, Courtney Crumrin, Volume 1: The Night Things Special Edition features a special silver ink, embossed cover, and an old-fashioned ribbon bookmark placed in the sewn spine. The 136-page, 6” x 9”, graphic novel will retail for $19.99 and debuts April 2012. Volume 1 kickstarts a full reprint program with new colored special edition hardcovers of all the original Courtney Crumrin books to follow.

Also in April and just in time for another movie, Papercutz will publish The Best Of The Three Stooges Comicbooks Deluxe Hardcover featuring great classic comics featuring Moe, Larry, Shemp, and Curly Joe! With comics written and illustrated by Norman Maurer. What? No Curly? No Joe? Just Curly Joe? For shame!

Came the Dawn and Other Stories HC (The EC Comics Library) by Wally Wood
Corpse on the Imjin and Other Stories HC (The EC Comics Library) by Harvey Kurtzman
Announced last year at Comic Con International, Fantagraphics finally get the ball roling with their new EC Comics Library. Both books are slated for July/August and are sure to be a hit at the 2012 Comic Con, and both come in at a price of under $30. It’s not often I double-dip, but I may have to, along with the newly resurrected GC Press EC Archives.

Lots to go over on today installment of the CCL.
First up I question the timing of a Press Release from Image regarding The Nightly News Anniversary Edition HC, it’s a conspiracy theory is epic proportions. Next, I talk about the New 52 Trades and Hardcovers that will be coming out all year long in 2012. The Flashpoint trades will also be coming out in Q3, but oddly enough there is no Road To Flashpoint trade paperback in the mix. There’s also a lot of great reprints coming out from IDW’s Library Of American Comics imprint including announcements of Bloom County sequels Outland and Opus! Strange happenings with Marvel’s Avengers: The Children’s Crusade HC – not only is there a $5 price hike but it is also moved back on the schedule by 6 weeks! Finally, I go over Hal Jordan’s many origins and wonder if there are too many and just how much tweaking should there be for new readers – and movie goers.
Chris

Links Of Note:
Collected Editions Blog: DC’s New 52 Trades and Hardcovers
Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock
Trades and Forbidden Planet International (UK)

Collected Comics Library Podcast #319
28.1Mb; 30m 28s

It’s that spooky time of year, especially if you live in Detroit! Come on in and grab a scary book!

This year I have a real scary book for you: Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era – Strange Tales Volume 5. It’s scary not because of all the horrific tales of monsters, mad scientists and damsels in distress, it has all that – it’s scary because it’s so bad!!! Thanks to Fredric Wertham and the new Comics Code Authority, Marvel and other publishers had to dumb down their comics for a more general and kid friendly audience. But don’t take my word for it, Dr. Michael J. Vassallo basically says so himself in his wonderful and detailed introduction.

So turn down the lights and curl up with a good podcast!

Boo!

Count Chris

Links of note:
Blake Bell – Bill Everett Archives
Otto Soglow
Kindle Fire / DC Comics pulled
Crime – Simon and Kirby and Crime Does Not Pay

Please visit my site sponsors: In-StockTrades and Forbidden Planet International (UK)

One of the best to come out has now been republished in its entirety in the Marvel Masterworks Atlas Era Battlefield Volume 1. Capping out at just 11 issues (three of which are 53 pages in length), this comic has talents like Bill Everett, Russ Heath, Gene Colon, Hank Chapman, and Joe Maneely. The comics here present an accurate portrayal of the missions and the stress that was put upon the soldiers in order for them to be a success. Unlike romance or superhero comics of the day, character backstory is unnecessary, because you already know these boys as they are your sons and brothers. It’s much more important to understand what they went through – that’s the overall purpose of the war comic.

The comics from this book and others at the time, offered a wide gambit of reading pleasure. From violent to comedic; a choice of three wars: WWI, WWII, and Korean; and a choice of operations: Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines. Sometimes you even got the chance to get the perspective of the enemy or live the life of a civilian. But all the while you had to ask: what was the intent of the story? In many instances it was to show the destruction that war can do, other times it was to be patriotic and it was even used as a propaganda tool. Nowhere, even with the comical war book, does the genre make light of war and that is the most important part of the war comic. War is hell in comic books and unlike television, the images of men dying and bombs exploding do not move to the next frame. They are there forever on the page. The red blood runs from the veins and into you eyes with passion from the artist’s brush. The haunting screams and piercing bullets ricochet into your ear and you can still hear the terrorizing sounds long after you turn the cover closed. Yes, war is hell and it’s important that we always remember that.

Besides the 11 comics collected, is an original house ad promoting Atlas war comics of the day and a very detailed and insightful introduction by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo, a noted comics historian and a chief authority on Marvel’s Atlas Era period. Vassallo is in the process of writing a definitive book on Joe Maneely. I’m looking forward to it.

Marvel Masterworks: Atlas Era Battlefield Volume 1 (Variant Vol. 152)
Written by Hank Chapman, Don Rico and various
Art by Russ Heath, Paul Reinman, Joe Maneely and various
Introduction by Dr. Michael J. Vassallo
336 pgs., $64.99, Marvel
Collects Battlefield #1-11 (April 1952 – May 1953)

Also recommended:
Frontline Combat Archives Volume 1
Sgt. Rock Archives Volumes 1-3

What makes for a great storyline that stand the test of time, copied and refocused and is transformed into another great storyline that will have implications for future generations? A great creative team. They must not only mold their vision but they must also look to the past for inspiration and to the future to envision their long lasting effects.

I’m talking about the Avengers: Kree-Srull War (Avengers #89-97, 1971-1972) by Roy Thomas and Neal Adams (among others). Thomas took the best part of what Stan Lee and Jack Kirby did in the pages of Fantastic Four and created what would turn out to be the first “event” of the Marvel Age of Comics. Even though it was self contained in the Avengers title, it featured a multitude of characters including Captain Mar-vell, Rick Jones, The FF, The Inhumans, and Nick Fury and villains such as Ronan The Accuser and The Super-Skrull. Not only did it establish just where Earth stands in the universe (literally) but also how far humans have come and where they will eventually end up on the evolutionary scale. Minor plot points have lasted into today’s books, as well. The seeds of the relationship with The Vision and Scarlett Witch started here and Infinity Gauntlet series, The (Marvel) Illuminati, Secret Invasion and Annihilation events were based off of this story.

I picked this to read for this past Saturday’s Read Comics In Public Day. I wanted to choose something special and that I have never read before. I pulled out Marvel Masterworks Volume 10 and brought it on a weekend vacation with my family. I’m so glad that I finally got around to reading it. It’s important to delve into history and read the greats. More on my thoughts of this in the podcast.

Also on the show this week:

• The CCL RSS Feed is fixed thanks to Derek Coward (Comics Book Noise)
• The Harvey Awards were announced at the Baltimore Comic Con
• Image Comics is now on iTunes thanks to ComiXology
• Comic Book Apps for your Android phone
• Location based apps – Do you check in at you LCS?
• Giveaway: Manga For The Beginner – Shoujo (Watson-Guptill)

And the New Releases Of The Week!

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades and Forbidden Planet International (UK)

Regular readers of this blog and listeners of the podcast are aware that every year I adopt a character (or creator). This entails me researching and reading a superhero from many different incarnations throughout the entire lifespan. For 2010 I chose Spider-Man with a special focus on the work of Steve Ditko. Sure I’ve read this work in bits and pieces before, but I have never looked at it with the maturity that I have now as an adult. Since starting, I have been drawn into Ditko’s world like no other creator has done to me before. I want to share my experience with you and with that in mind I’m focusing on the complete body of work from Steve Ditko for the entire month of February.

I begin the series of podcasts (one per week) with Ditko’s time at Marvel Comics from 1956 to his departure in July 1966. I go over all of his work in this time period and where you can find it in collected edition form and I also have an interesting email question regarding Marvel Masterworks Dr. Strange Volume 3 – you don’t want to miss it.

In upcoming shows I’ll discuss his first professional work and his long tenure with Charlton, his time at DC Comics, his return to Marvel and various independent works even up until today, where he is still working on Mr. A. I plan on this being a very informative and fun series and I hope to also include a few interviews with industry professionals along the way.

All this including Bat-Manga Volume 2, some news and notes from the Library Binding Company and the New Releases of the Week.

Chris

http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com/

Links of Note:
Steve Ditko Week – Book Steve’s Library
Super I.T.C.H by Craig Yoe

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades, Forbidden Planet International (UK), and Library Binding Company.

Collected Comics Library Podcast #172

44,687Kb; 37m 55s

http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com/

The Motor City Con has come and gone and today on the show I go over what I saw, what I bought and who I met. With all that in mind, I have a brand new giveaway of Annihilation Conquest Book 1 HC; details on how to enter are in the show.

Also, today I go over some major Marvel shipping changes and new solicitations from both DC and Marvel. I also have an e-mail from Joe, Forbidden Planet International, introduce you to two new collected edition themed podcasts and give a tease as to what you can expect on the next TwoMorrows Tune-In, all this and the New Releases of the Week.

Please visit my site sponsors: In-Stock Trades, Forbidden Planet International (UK), and Library Binding Company.

Chris

Links of Note:
Marvel Noise
Waiting For The Trade
Shawn Amberger

Discuss this topic on the CCL forum

http://www.collectedcomicslibrary.com/

This week has been full of new and useful tools, for both you and I, here at the website and podcast: a new survey (which I encourage you to fill out), updated and new checklists, Comments are now turned On, a new Home button/link (it’s about time, eh?) and last, but not least, the CCL on Twitter. I’m most proud of the last one. I’ve been real hesitant to add a new social networking tool to my repertoire, but I now realize its full capability. Not only do you get to know what I’m having for dinner each night, but you can now get the latest news on collected editions as soon as it happens. So please join up and put me on your cell phone. And please do Twitter me so I can be a part of your network. Let’s make this the best it can be together.

For the show today I go over the above and a host of new books coming soon from Oni Press, Dark Horse and Marvel. For the feature today, I go into detail about Mark Millar’s Wanted TPB, soon to be a movie starring Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie and you can win this copy!. I have to warn you though, the book will be very different from the movie – even if it’s rated R.

Chris

Links of Note:
Collected Comics Library on Twitter
Comic Geek Hoop Madness – Official Forum Thread and Sign-up Information
CCL on The Mayo Report: 2008-01 Trades
Discuss this topic on the CCL forum

• John Mayo, Comic Book Resources and Comic Book Page Podcast has his new article about the Sales Estimates for January 2008. I should tell you that John and I did record last night on this very topic. It should be released sometime next week.
• J. Caleb Mozzocco, Every Day Is Like Wednesday, wants an Invasion Trade Paperback. He can have one as long as I get a trade of all the crossover issues to Crisis on Infinite Earths.
• Mark Evanier has posted an additions and corrections page for his Kirby: King of Comics book. He says it will be updated from time to time. I suggest printing it off and sticking it in you book for quick reference or get a pencil and add in the corrections yourself, it’s not like you’re going to sell it or give it away anytime soon.
• Marvel by way the Marvel Masterworks site have announced Sgt. Fury Volume 2 (Variant Volume 97); collecting Sgt. Fury and His Howling Commandos #14-23 and Annual #1 (June 18th) and Tales of Suspense Vol. 2 (Variant Volume 98); collecting Tales of Suspense #11-20 (June 25th).
• Fantagraphics have posted some wonderful images of the Willie & Joe: The WWII Years Slipcase
• Review: Collected Editions Blog on Catwoman: The Replacements TPB. Somewhat related to this I was at my LCS and did see the latest Catwoman trade and the title is indeed Catwoman Dies, not Catwomans Dead
• Review: Wendy Skeleton, Panels of Awesome, on Green Arrow/Black Canary: For Better or For Worse TPB