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A Great Read #8: Previews Review Edition - Previews Issue 246 - PART 1

Mar 2, 2009 A Great Read, Comics

The new issue of Previews was released this past Wednesday so that means it is time to dive in to see what looks exciting!

I encourage you to get a copy of the new Previews catalog if you don’t already have one so you can follow along with this entry. It’s certainly not required, but it will help out a bit. The catalog is pretty thick, so this entry will be done in 2 parts to ensure that as many items can be covered as possible.

I will be using a very basic ranking method that will answer the question:

Will I Order This Item?

- Yup!
- Maybe So
- Not This Time

The page number and price (in US funds) will also be included for easy reference in case you feel inclined to order an item yourself. So, grab your copy of Previews and let’s get started!

Page #29
Publisher: Dark Horse
Title: Buffy the Vampire Slayer #25
Price: $2.99

The cover to this issue has me hooked.  Jo Chen has combined something grotesque with a little tenderness and I can’t wait to see what the story behind this image is.

Will I Order This Item?
Yup!

 

Page #47
Publisher: Dark Horse
Title: Too Much Coffee Man Omnibus
Price: $24.95

I can remember seeing ads for Too Much Coffee Man in Wizard magazine during the 1990’s and wondering what this comic could be about.  It looked funny enough (in a The Tick sort of way) with its title character literally having a cup of coffee on top of his head, but I never did pick up a copy and give it a shot.  The relatively low cover price ($24.95 for over 525 pages of content) nearly put this tome on my order list this month, but not quite.  Maybe I’ll pick this up after a little research to familiarize myself with the character.

Will I Order This Item?
Maybe So
 

Page #73
Publisher: DC Comics
Title: Superman/Batman
Price: $2.99

I stopped reading Superman/Batman around the 20 issue mark due to budgetary cut backs and a slight lack of interest.  But, the art of Francis Manapul (check out that slick cover image - pencils, inks and coloured versions can be seen on his offical site) has caught my eye.   That art alone has me thinking about getting back into the Man of Steel and Caped Crusaders joint adventures, but this one might have to wait until trade.

Will I Order This Item?
Not This Time

 

Page # 81
Publisher: DC Comics
Title: Power Girl #1
Price: $2.99

Power Girl is a character I have heard good things about, but I’ve never read any stories (JSA) that revolve around her, so I can’t say if I am a fan or not.  The solicit states that Amanda Conner will be drawing the series, so that a BIG check in the plus column.  However, I’m still on the fence with this one and will wait until I see it on the new releases rack to make an impulse decision at that point.  It does “feel” like it will be a fun book and its always exciting to buy a book with little to no knowledge about the character. 

Will I Order This Item?
Not This Time  (but I may pick it up on its release day)

 

Page #85
Publisher: DC Comics
Title: Batman: Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader? Deluxe Edition HC
Price: $24.95

If this were a trade paperback edition, it would definitely fall into the “Yup” category.  As it stands, I will be waiting for the softcover version release to see how Neil Gaiman and Andy Kubert (with friends) handled this Batman tale.  The interest is definitely there to read this story, but the desire to drop $25 on the hardcover is not.  This will find its way to my shelf, just in a more economic fashion a few months down the line.

Will I Order This Item?
Not This Time (but I will pick up the TPB)

 

Page #86
Publisher: DC Comics
Title: All-Star Batman and Robin, the Boy Wonder Vol. 1 TP
Price: $19.99

The hardcover of this release is sitting on my shelf right now.  I highly recommend this seriously bizarre take on the Batman and Robin mythos to anyone willing to take a chance on something unique and different.  Just be sure to go in open-minded as this isn’t necessarily the Gotham Knight you are used to.  If you were waiting for a less expensive version of the initial release, wait no longer.

Will I Order This Item?
Not This Time (because I own the hardcover version already)

 

Page #91
Publisher: DC Comics
Title: Superman: Last Son TP
Price: $12.99

Here’s a great example of a series that I decided to read in trade paperback form.  Although, I’m wondering if that will come back to haunt me this time…  I seem to remember the hardcover version of Last Son including a 3-D section drawn by Adam Kubert complete with 3-D glasses.  But, I see no mention of that section or the included red and blue cardboard specs in the solicit.  I’m ordering this with the hopes that the 3-D section has been left intact.  Fingers crossed!

Will I Order This Item?
Yup!

 

Page #101
Publisher: DC/Wildstorm
Title: Sleeper Season One TP
Price: $24.99

The Coup d’etat crossover issue of Sleeper a few years back is the only time I have ever experiences Ed Brubaker’s slice of crime fiction.  It was enjoyable (thanks in part to Jim Lee’s pencils) but I never picked up another issue.  This seems like a good opportunity to see what main character Holden Carver is all about.  But, I will wait until I have read the Point Blank TPB (a lead in to the Sleeper series) I ordered last month before purchasing the next chapter as presented in this 12-issue collection.

Will I Order This Item?
Not This Time

 

Page #104
Publisher: DC/Wildstorm
Title: Killapalooza #1
Price: $2.99

Here’s an interesting premise; a rock band is actually a team of assassins.  That’s enough for me!  The only thing preventing me from ordering this appealing book is the fact that it’s a 6-issue mini-series.  If it were an ongoing title, I would me more likely to add it to my subscription list.  Rarely do I pick up mini-series any more as the “wait-for-trade” mentality typically prevails as it has done this time around with Killapalooza.   I will be ordering up this Wildstorm offering in about 9 months time when it is fully collected.

Will I Order This Item?
Not This Time (but I will pick up the TPB)

 

Page #108
Publisher: DC/Vertigo
Title: The Unwritten #1
Price: $1.00

A single dollar.  That’s all it will cost you to try The Unwritten from Vertigo.  At a recent convention, the DC comics mature readers imprint announced that 2009 will see the release of a number of new series.  Each of these series will launch with a #1 issue displaying a cover price of only one dollar to encourage fans to try them out.  This particular #1 has a great idea behind it; fiction and reality appear to meet with the possibility of a character springing to life from the pages of a novel his father wrote.  I’d pay regular cover price for a story like that.  Plus, it’s extra sized at 40 pages.  For only a buck! 

Will I Order This Item?
Yup!

 

Page #112
Publisher: DC Comics/Vertigo
Title: The Absolute Death HC
Price: $99.00

Here comes another sure to be impressive release from the DC Absolute line.  Neil Gaiman’s Death character is the latest in a long line of DC mainstays to get the over-sized and extras-packed treatment.  It’s safe to say that if you are a fan of Neil Gaiman or Death herself, this is a definite must have.  I purchased the trade paperback versions of most of the works collected in this hardcover years ago, so I can’t quite justify ordering this surely beautiful hardcover.

Will I Order This Item?
Not This Time

 

Page #131
Publisher: DC Direct
Title: The Dark Knight Returns Collectors Set
Price: $39.99

These figures look awesome.  Joker and Batman are repainted versions of the original line and if the standard hulking Dark Knight wasn’t already standing on my shelf, I might consider grabbing this pair.  The solicit also advertises that a copy of The Dark Knight Returns #1 is included with the set.  I do have to wonder who hasn’t read that comic already if they are ordering a repainted version of figures from that very series.

Will I Order This Item?
Not This Time

 

Page #147
Publisher: Image Comics
Title: Spawn: Origins Vol. 1 TP
Price: $14.99

Here is an affordable way to pick up a collected version of Todd McFarlane’s initial 6 issues of Spawn.  I’m not exactly sure why this TPB is being released instead of a new printing of the larger Spawn Collection Vol. 1 in which issues 1-8, 11 and 12 are collected.  But, it appears if you want those early issues now, you’ll have to grab them in this new format.  According to the solicit text, there will be new interpretations of classic Spawn covers by artist Greg Capullo included so that is a nice added bonus inside Spawn: Origins.

Will I Order This Item?
Not This Time

 

Page #168
Publisher: Top Cow
Title: Fusion - Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer/Avengers/Thunderbolts #1
Price: $2.99

That is one mouthful of a title!  I can’t help but be interested in this crossover.  Top Cow has really made an effort to produce quality comics and they are succeeding with books like The Darkness and their various Pilot Season offerings.  This is another title that seems like it will simply be fun, packed to the brim with characters from the Top Cow (Cyberforce and the Hunter-Killers) and Marvel (Avengers and Thunderbolts) universes.  Plus, the mini-series is only 3 issues, so it’s a tiny gamble with great odds.

Will I Order This Item?
Yup!

 

That is where I will stop for today. Come back for Part 2 of the Previews Review. We’ll be looking at solicits from Marvel Comics and some independent publishers.

See you then!

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