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This week in comic book collected editions & graphic novels – April 5, 2017

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Welcome to another wild week in new releases of graphic novels and comic collected editions!

You’d think seeing a list of what comics are out this week along with what they collect and what’s come before would be an easy thing to do since comic book publishers want you to buy comics, right?

Well, they don’t. At least, they don’t without you going through the arcane process of pre-ordering books three months ahead of time from a physical comic shop with no guarantee that the books will come out on time or at all.

When it comes to promoting books to the mass book market (which is exponentially larger than the comic market) on the week of release, most companies do nothing.

Oh, and all of their books come out in the mass market at different delayed intervals from the direct market!

If you’re anything like me, you think that’s a short-sighted bunch of malarky. Well, until we convince comics publishers of the same, I’ll do the heavy lifting for you.

Here’s what’s out this week from all the major publishers and many of the indies, frequently with context on the book and preceding or related collections.

Publishers:

What are the must-read books this week?

Green Arrow was one of my favorite Rebirth one-shots, but my review came with some caveats – I wasn’t sure if the excellent dynamic with Black Canary would continue with her also in Batgirl & The Birds of Prey, and I only wanted to keep reading if I could consume more of the delectable art from Otto Schmidt. His panels look like single cells of animation from a Green Arrow cartoon in the style of the classic Batman: The Animated Series.

Well, last week I caught up with the first trade of Green Arrow, Volume 1: The Death and Life Of Oliver Queen, and it easily took care of both of my caveats. It’s a nice blend of DC’s classic, more mature Arrow with a hint of the romance and adventure of his TV show. This week, the second edition is out – Green Arrow Vol. 2: Island Of Scars – still with art by Schmidt.

This guy is a must-see, must-buy artist and Arrow is so far one of DC’s stronger books. Don’t sleep on this.

Also out this week: Lumberjanes, Vol 06: Sink or Swim! Our house is finally caught up through the end of Vol. 5. More on this treasure of a series, along with everything else out this week, below.

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This week in comic book collected editions & graphic novels – March 22, 2017

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It’s another week of comic collected editions – both gathered single issues and original graphic novels.

So, what’s out this week? It’s not an easy question to answer. While DC and Marvel keep a relatively consistent schedule, other publishers aren’t as consistent – in fact, this week we have a pair of books originally professed to be out a month ago!

This post covers all of the collections out this week, explains what they are and what they contain, and provides easy links to Amazon, where you can either buy them or at least get more helpful info like their prices and ISBNs.

Publishers:

What are the must-read books this week?

None of the major label releases this week are particularly interesting to me (unless, of course, you’ve been waiting with baited-breath for some Bronze Age Justice League!).

However, one that caught my eye was The Interview by Manuele Fior from Fantagraphics, thanks to this description:

Set in 2048, The Interview is a science fiction novel from the author of 5,000 km Per Second that eschews outer space for inner space. It is a moving story about the passage of time, the commonalities and differences between generations, and on our changing society. “I tried to imagine the near future,” says the author, “where not everything is negative and catastrophic, where the end of the world does not come with a violent apocalypse, but rather an intimate and familiar context of daily life that keeps flowing.”

What else is out this week? Keep reading to find out! [Read more…] about This week in comic book collected editions & graphic novels – March 22, 2017

This week in comic book collected editions & graphic novels – March 15, 2017

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Whether or not you are a comic book die-hard, shouldn’t it be an easy thing to say, “Hey, what comic book collected editions are out this Wednesday? Is there a list? Do you think I would like any of them?”

I think it should by easy. And it… kind of is? Previews Magazine has all of the solicits listed, but you can’t actually buy anything from it unless you’ve ordered months in advance through a direct market comic shop. Otherwise, you’re just window-shopping, without even ISBN numbers to guide you.

Plus, the schedule can change literally up until the last day before release. Plus, each publisher releases books at different intervals to the mass market – Dark Horse has some books out this week, DC’s are all next week, and Marvel two weeks from now.

No wonder there’s no easy-to-consume list and relatively few blogs covering the entirety of it.

Luckily, you have this massively obsessed human being to help you out with that. This post covers all of the collections out this week, explains what they are and what they contain, and provides easy links to Amazon, where you can either buy them or at least get more helpful info like their prices and ISBNs.

Publishers:

What are the must-read books this week?

I’ve got two picks this week, and you might be a little bit shocked to learn that neither of them are superheroes!

Different people in different parts of the world have different ideas of what constitutes a “graphic novel.”

In the US we tend to think of them as collections of individual comics, or less often as singular works like Maus or John Lewis’s March. In Europe, they are “graphic albums” of original work. In Japan, they might be a single Manga book or a massive omnibus.

No matter the definition, just as Will Eisner’s historic work helped to define the comic medium in the 40s, so did his graphic novel A Contract with God and Other Tenement Stories literally coined the term “graphic novel” in the US when it was released, partially due to Eisner’s wish that his work be marketed to traditional book shops rather than newsstands and the direct market.

A new volume, Will Eisner’s Contract With God Other Tenement Stories hardcover, collects this work with newly-scanned art and a introduction by comic storyteller and academic Scott McCloud.

It is a collection of four grounded, philosophical, and frankly sexual stories from the same tenement building in Brooklyn, occupied by Jewish-American immigrants and first generation citizens.

Also, the collector in me can’t help but highlight The Chronicles of Conan Volume 34: Betrayal in Zamora and Other Stories. That’s right, Volume Thirty Four. It’s the final Dark Horse volume collecting Marvel’s 25-year run on Conan the Barbarian,

To celebrate it’s release, I crafted my very own Guide to Conan to help you find the 33 other volumes (and what they contain).

And now, onto the full list of books! [Read more…] about This week in comic book collected editions & graphic novels – March 15, 2017

This week in comic book collected editions – March 8, 2017

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For a number of arcane reasons, it’s hard to say, “These are the new comic collections out this week!”

Out where? Mass market booksellers like shops and Amazon get comic collections at a different time than comic stores do, and that lag differs from publisher to publisher.

What’s out? Not every publisher is as big or as consistent as DC and Marvel. The release list shifts day-to-day in the final week before they hit the shelves, so that you have to check the Preview Mag website on a Saturday to see what definitely hit the trucks.

Ah, but here’s the important question: Why care?

First, because single issue AKA “floppy” comics are a pain to keep up with and to keep. It’s way easier and more satisfying to buy complete stories.

But, more importantly – some of these comics are really good stories.

Publishers:

What are the must-read books this week?

DC’s Rebirth initiative has generated a lot of hype for major heroes like Wonder Woman and Superman, but some of the below-the-fold titles are generating the most buzz amongst fans.

One of those has been Deathstroke, by beloved author Christopher Priest – who was also responsible for the definitive run on Black Panther. Deathstroke Vol. 1: The Professional is the first volume of his reboot and from what I’ve heard it’s great. If you’ve never read Deathstroke before, he’s the totally serious and merciless assassin that Deadpool has parodied to much greater success.

And now, onto the full list of books!

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This week in comic book collected editions – March 1, 2017

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Whether you’re a comics obsessee or a floppy books neophyte, parsing the new collected editions out each week is a chore.

Sure, a faithful fan can visit the Previews catalog to see what’s out, but it doesn’t always explain what each series should collect and why you ought to care.

And, why would (or: should) a new or dabbling fan have to know what a Previews catalog even is!

I want to help both the masters and the newbies find the books that interest them the most. Thus, this post.

Publishers:

What are the must-read books this week?

I think DC has the market cornered this week with two of their three scant releases – Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy and Zatanna by Paul Dini.

More on the Zatanna below. As for Lumberjanes: EV has been addicted to Lumberjanes ever since she turned three, to the point that she always has an invisible camper holding her hand when we cross a street. I’m not sure if Gotham Academy is similarly addictive, but this is probably a good buy for your early-grades comic fan – the most objectionable thing about Lumberjanes is generally how much time they spend hollering.

If you want to get started with Lumberjanes, Volume 1 is just okay, but the story begins to get interesting in Volume 2. For more on Gotham Academy collections, see Guide to Gotham or DC New 52.

And now, on to the books!

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