Indies Preview Review for July Part 1 of 3

Lee: This is a crazy month for me personally so picks are kinda light. Somehow flying back and forth to France is impacting my comic time. Who knew? There’s still lots of great books to choose from and I can’t wait to share them with French people later.
Jim: And while I have not been moving to France I have had a crazy schedule with graduations and marriages impacting my life. The blog takes a lot of time and I'm always amazed at people who maintain a solo blog and do it daily.

Adhouse Books
3x4 Artbook HC by (A) Scott Morse, Lou Romano, Don Shank, Nate Wragg
The creative team behind the art books The Ancient Book of Myth and War and Sex and Science are at it again, this time with a whole new slant on modern design! 3X4 is a unique collection of paintings built around the simple aesthetic of the numbers 3 and 4. Be it shape, line, texture, or color, this collection boldly adds a new perspective to modern art. $14.95
Lee: You can argue whether music and comics go together but you can’t argue comics and modern art. I love these types of books because it really shows what creators do in their free time and how they continue to push themselves. There isn’t a story but I’m sure this is pretty to look at.
Jim: Wow you can count me out on this book. I hate modern art when it is taken to the extremes and this certainly seems to be one of those artsy type projects that has no appeal to us poor uneducated masses who can't understand the obvious skill of painting monkeys.

Amaze Ink/Slave Labor Graphics
Warlord of Io Vol. 01 SC by (W/A) James Turner
A slacker prince inherits a space empire and finds himself responsible for the lives of billions. Emperor Zoz of Io has retired, leaving his slacker son Zing in charge of the Ion Empire. After initiating sweeping social reforms to impress his friend, Moxy Comet, Zing upsets the army by cutting the military budget to pay for them. Can one slacker prince get up off his ass long enough to save the galaxy? $14.95 There’s a 40 page preview here.
Lee: I really liked Turners work on Rex Libris but I’m not completely sold on this. Turner’s art has improved which I like. But the story appears geared towards tweens. I was hoping for more adult type stuff for me but I’ll get it and give it to the kids. I know they’ll love it.
Jim: Another easy pass for me. I saw some of this book in a comic given to me by the owner of the store I frequent and it does feel like it is geared to a younger set.

Boom! Studios
CBGB #1 by (W) Kieron Gillen, Sam Humphries (A) Marc Ellerby, Rog G
The most legendary name in alternative music comes to comics! For decades CBGB was the club that broke acts - like The Ramones, Blondie, Misfits, and the Talking Heads - that changed the world! Now BOOM! Town brings comics' best talent to tell stories of love, music, heartbreak, confusion and rebellion! The first issue will rock your world with contributions from Kieron Gillen (Phonogram), Rob G (Couriers), Sam Humphries (MySpace Comics), and Marc Ellerby (Love The Way You Love). Featuring a cover from comics' superstar Jaime Hernandez (Love & Rockets)! #1 of 4. $3.99
Lee: YEAH BABY!!!! CBGB in comic book form! I am all over this but I have no clue what to expect. I’m sure the club is just the setting for tales of youth which is ok. But, I’m really hoping for some punk rebellion stories ala Derf’s classic “Punk Rock and Trailer Parks”
Jim: We are three for three with books I will pass on. Maybe it is Lee moving to France, but music and comics is not that natural marriage for me like it is for many.
Lee: Would it make you feel better if you thought that CBGB stood for Comic Book Guy's Bar?

Cartoon Books
Rasl Pocket Edition Vol. 01 SC by (W/A) Jeff Smith
Collected in this new pocket edition is the hard-boiled, sci-fi tale of Jeff Smith's inter-dimensional art thief known only by the strange four letter word found spray-painted at the scene of a crime: RASL. This 6 1/2" x 9" double edition collects the first seven issues of RASL in one heart-pounding book! A compact, affordable, edition of RASL: a sci-fi/noir tale of violence and corruption where murder and passion mix with folklore and cutting-edge physics. $17.95
Lee: Smith must be doing some great drugs because his reprint philosophy has me scratching my head. The first two collections were oversized, and expensive, for 3 issues so I passed. Then there was a ridiculously expensive hc of three issues, so I passed. Now, it’s back to normal size, normal pricing, and a normal number of issues. I hear good things so I’ll get it but he’s not making it easy on me.
Jim: I agree the reprinting of this book has been crazy. A good friend of mine Jeff has been sending me this book and I have really enjoyed it so far, so crazy reprinting aside, it is a good story.

Classic Comics Press Inc
John Cullen Murphy: Big Ben Bolt Dailies Vol. 01 SC by (W) Elliot Caplin (A) John Cullen Murphy
Presenting the first volume in a planned reprinting of the complete run of John Cullen Murphy's classic American comic strip Big Ben Bolt, written by Elliot Caplan. The debut volume will feature dailies from the comic strip's start February 20, 1950 to May 24, 1952, with an introduction by his son, writer Cullen Murphy. $24.95 You can read about Murphy here and here.
Lee: Wow, is it me or is there just a ton of strips being reprinted these days. At some point, they are going to start reprinting bad ones! Luckily this isn’t one of them. Murphy would eventually be the artist on Prince Valiant and if that isn't enough to sell you on this material nothing is.
Jim: Murphy became the Prince Valiant artist after many years, Hal Foster will always be the Prince Valiant artist. The number of strips getting reprinted is crazy. I have had my fill of these and will have to pass on this book.

Drawn & Quarterly
Wild Kingdom HC by (W/A) Kevin Huizenga
Standing out amongst his contemporaries, Kevin Huizenga is the leading cartoonist of his generation. Featured here is suburban everyman Glenn Ganges, a modern day Dagwood Bumstead who tackles and stumbles with such heady topics as mysticism and science. Starting off wordless, The Wild Kingdom grows more complex page-by-page, ending with a cataclysmic encounter of nature and technology. $19.95 You can read Kevin's blog here.
Lee: Ganges is very good and Huizenga is a great artist. If anyone can pull this concept off it's him. It's worth checking out.
Jim: The premise makes my head hurt. This sounds like I need a preview to make a good decision.

D. E./Dynamite Entertainment
Green Hornet: Golden Age #1 (remastered)
A new series of Golden Age reprints featuring the classic adventures of the original Green Hornet! Each issue in this new series of classic Hornet material is 40 big pages, featuring stories all inspired by the man who started it all Fran Striker! Completely re-mastered for today's discerning reader and collector, Dynamite has also commissioned Joe Rubenstein to create brand-new covers, inspired by the Golden Age comics of yesteryear! $3.99
Lee: Wow. GA Green Hornet reprints. Hummm. Really? In comic book form? I guess there’s a market for this stuff, but surprisingly enough, it isn’t me. There’s no hook in this material. I can do GA funny animals, I can do GA horror books, but the capes better have a darn good artist for me to get it. Since they are listing artists, I’m going with generic art. I’m passing.
Jim: I have enough Golden Age material to last forever at this point. I think it is informative and fun to read some Golden Age, but you can fast reach a saturation point. A hard core Green Hornet fan may enjoy this, but it is not for me.