My wife is working on her professional program for her Pharmacy degree. She asked me to look over her latest paper and I felt bad giving her critique because as I read it I didn’t get the impression that the topic was something she was passionate about. It felt like something she had to write and she was just filling space to accomplish her goals. I told her that, and I told her to write from her heart. With that in mind I was planning on writing about the Ignatz Awards this week. The Ignatz are meant to honor and recognize outstanding achievements in comics and cartooning by small press and creator owned projects. Now I’m certainly learning to appreciate these creators but as I look over the nominees and the winners I find myself not recognizing, or being excited by, anything. I don’t want to write about them. Steve Murphy stopped by today and talked about Tom Spurgeon’s The Comics Reporter. He likes the way that Tom disseminates a lot of information in a very timely manner. I visited the site and didn’t get it. Maybe I’m just melancholy tonight and I’ll get it when I’m more receptive tomorrow.
So with nothing in particular to blab about I’m going to write from the heart and right now I’m hot for Barry Windsor Smith’s Red Nails Artist Edition by Genesis West. I bought this on accident (I do that a lot). Diamond Comics had it listed as “Low stock” and “Out of stock” so I sent an inquiry to my rep who said it was out of stock and asked if I wanted one ordered. I told him if it was going to be stuck on back order and have the order canceled in six months I didn’t want it. If I could order it and actually get it, then I was in. He replied “OK.” It was out of stock. I didn’t expect it to come in. At $120.00 wholesale, I also wasn’t prepared for it to come in. Yet here it was. I can’t tell you what inspired me to open the book, but I commented to someone that if I decided to sell it, it would be sold as “Slightly looked at”. I won’t sell this. I understand that the original printing was in black and white but this book, reproduced at the original size, is astoundingly beautiful. The presentation of this book is equally gorgeous. Better than IDW’s Artist Editions this book is slip cased and sewn in the binding. The only complaint I have of this book produced by a company I’d never previously heard of was that every opposing page in this book was filler with a single enlarged image on it. I look at that and see so many wasted pages and think the book could’ve been published at half the size. Either way I feel it’s so very worth it.
What else might be worth it this week begins with DC Comics’ Justice League hardcover volume three: Throne of Atlantis, $24.99, written by Geoff Johns and Jeff Lemire with art by Ivan Reis and “Various” others. This volume collects Justice League #13 – 17 and Aquaman #15 and 16. It’s another of those complete story books that are great if you don’t read the books regularly but, if you collect either Justice League or Aquaman, this will duplicate stories in your collection…
Shazam hardcover volume one, $24.99, by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank collects Justice League #7 – 11, #0, #14 – 16, and #18 – 21. Back up stories? It sure seems bigger than the Throne of Atlantis book but it’s the same price that introduces Shazam to the New 52…
Preacher tradepaperback book two, $19.99, is one of my very personally favorite stories. Written by Garth Ennis with art by Steve Dillon and covers by Glenn Fabry, the main character, Jesse Custer, finds himself imbued with an (un)holy new power and instead of becoming a hero or a villain goes on a quest to find God and hold him responsible for creating all of this and leaving us here on our own. It’s definitely not for children! This really is a treasure if you can get past what you might find offensive…
Unwritten #53, $2.99, by Mike Carey, Bill Willingham, Peter Gross, and Mark Buckingham is part of the Fables Universe and I have no idea what it is or what it entails but I know that when I was reaching for a new book to start last night reading I wished desperately that I’d had another Fables story to get into…
Scott Snyder and Sean Murphy have created The Wake #4, $2.99, and if it lives up to the talk I hear of it and what I’ve read in the first issue alone the collection will be a very welcome addition to my shelf…
Now see, Scholastic’s got a book called The Lost Boy hardcover, $24.99, by Greg Ruth. Having looked into it right now while writing this I found a ten page preview and I was impressed enough that I just bought two copies. I hope the rest of the book is just as good…
A new super team is formed in the Valiant Entertainment Universe when Bloodshot & HARD Corps #14, $3.99, hits the stands. Acclaimed writer Christos Gage joins New York Times Best-Selling author Joshua M. Dysart and superstar artist in the making Emanuela Lupacchino for the new story arc in this very exciting series…
And there are plenty more that are not listed. For a more complete list, feel free to visit your local comic store or favorite site. If you’re interested in more of what I think, follow me on Twitter at Mycomicstore001 or like my Facebook page.
Michael R. Murray is a full-time Letter Carrier for the United States Postal Service who was very saddened to find that the woman fighting cancer that he wrote about a few weeks ago has succumbed to her illness. He wishes nothing but quick peace for her family!