Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Indies Previews Review for December - Part 2 of 2

Part 2 of 2 !!!!

Jippi Comics
Angst Vol. 02: Best of Norwegian Comics SC
by Various
Norway, the land of the fjords, is at the forefront of the European comics scene, and Angst demonstrates the variety and uniqueness of Norwegian comics. Some of the leading creators of the Norwegian comics scene - Jason, Cristopher Nielsen, Lars Fiske, Steffen Kverneland, Bendik Kaltenborne, Tor Aerlig, Rui Tenreiro - have their latest works reprinted in this collection. .
Pages:128, 7x10, $15.00

Lee: I got Vol 1 of this collection and was completely pleased with it. This doesn’t mean all the work is good but it was a great variety of different styles in both art and storytelling. If you want to try something completely new and different this is a good start.
Jim: It does look like a great way to sample a lot of different material for a decent price.

Pure Imagination Publishing
Bill Ward's Torchy Vol. 01 SC
by Bill Ward
The first three issues of Bill Ward's classic cutie, Torchy, are reprinted here for the first time! Also included is her first appearance in Modern Comics. Foreword from comics historian, Greg Theakston. Pages: 160, 8x11, B&W, $25.00

Lee: I always love Pure I’s offering but they are always SO FRIGGIN’ LATE! This release actually cancels all previous orders (from Feb 08 previews). These books are high quality reprints of fantastic material so I highly recommend them, just don’t plan on getting it any time soon.
Jim: That has to be one of the funniest recommendations ever made. Personally I have a hard time remembering to constantly reorder something, so my advice is for the publisher to get their act together before soliciting a book.

Rebellion
Nikolai Dante: Beast of Rudinshtein SC
by Robbie Morrison, John Burns & Simon Fraser
Year of the Tsar 2674 AD, and the bastard son of the Romanov's, Nikolai Dante, has bonded with a cyberorganic Weapons Crest, an alien combat computer, which allows him to extrude lethal bio-blades. Following the civil war, Tsar Vladimir the Conqueror is strengthening his control over Imperial Russia, and he's appointed Dante as his troubleshooter!
Pages: 192, FC, $27.50

Lee: Nikolai Dante is a very fun and entertaining read. I picked up one of the earlier trades of this material and regretted not getting more after I read it. But now it doesn’t matter because I’ll get it all in one sitting. Great art, great story… this is another winner from Rebellion. I managed to find a review of some earlier Dante work here
Jim: Rebellion is a publisher who produces some great stuff. I think that if a publisher has a good reputation it is a lot easier trying something out from them.

Secret Acres
Capacity GN
by Theo Ellsworth
Intricate, even exquisite, but never immaculate, Theo Ellsworth's Capacity takes readers into a mind turned inside-out. Ellsworth's careful line gives shape to profound and profoundly silly thoughts alike, bringing a visionary, startling new life to the doubts and hopes familiar to everyone. Visit Theo here to check out some illustration art, his weekly strip here and a preview(??) here
Pages: 336, SC, B&W, $15.00

Lee: I picked some books from Secret Acres last month and I thought they had potential. This month Secret Acres previewed this... and it's far more interesting than last months stuff. I looked at the weekly strip and the first part was ok, but it got better. Then I checked out Theo's illustration work and I was sold. It looks fantastic. I wish we had better previews of the story though.
Jim: I need more before I would try this.

Titan Publishing
Best of Simon & Kirby HC
by Joe Simon & Jack Kirby; Edited Steve Saffel
This stunning collection of complete comic book stories from the legendary team of Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, presenting hand-selected adventures from every genre in which they made their mark! From the very beginning in the late 1930s, Simon and Kirby produced the finest stories around, creating dramatic new super heroes (Captain America, Blue Bolt, Fighting American, The Fly), western action (Boy's Ranch), gruesome horror (Black Magic), explosive detective fiction (Justice Traps the Guilty), and the very first romance comics (Young Romance). This is the only edition authorized by both Joe Simon and the estate of Jack Kirby, and each story is hand-picked by Joe Simon himself! Pages: 320, 9x12, PC, $40.00

Lee: Very simply this appears to be an awesome oversized collection of early Simon & Kirby work. And I can wait to get it. But, would someone please explain to me why Titan, a British company, is publishing this? Order it now because it will be special order and hard to get.
Jim:I have enough of the golden age Simon/Kirby stuff to last a lifetime. I have a threshold with types of material and I once I hit it, enough is enough.

Secret Invasion Poster Book
Thirty-six posters commemorating thecrossover event of 2008!
Pages: 72, $6.99

Lee: And, because the series was SO cool. And, the art was SO good. And, this was a cash generating machine for Marvel so let’s milk the fanboys some more… we have the poster book. I can’t wait to give this to Jim for Christmas…. Christmas 2009. And, yes, I will save it for you.
Jim: Joy, joy - I can hardly wait.


Lee: Next month I'm sure I can find more picks.
Jim:A shorter post as time was tight and the picking were slimmer.

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