Dark Horse, IDW, and Image July 2011 solicitations (collected editions)

Hey, Image’s solicits are on time this month! In honor of its timeliness, let’s get the show on the road:

Will buy:

Nothing this month. Sorry, independents! Might buy eventually:

• Chew, v. 4: Flambé: I’ve read v. 1, and I frequently consider picking the series back up. I haven’t done so yet, but with this price point, it’s only a matter of time. ($12.99; Image)
• Scud, the Disposable Assassin: The Whole Shebang!: This is a series I’ve heard about almost since it first came out in the mid-‘90s. With the whole series in one volume, I might have to give it a look. ($29.99; Image)

Might buy if the price is right:

• Green River Killer: A True Detective Story (hardcover): I am a sucker for true crime, and I’m familiar with the Green River Killer, having read Anne Rule’s Green River, Running Red. I might be interested enough to pick this up to get another perspective on the serial killer. ($24.99; Dark Horse)
• Parker: The Martini Edition (hardcover): Darwyn Cooke writing and drawing a noir adaptation is always worth a look. Not worth $75, but it is two of Cooke’s Parker tales in one volume. ($75, ISBN: 978-1-60010-980-5; IDW)

The Rest:

• Angel Omnibus, v. 2 ($24.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-968-3; IDW)
• Angel: The Covers (hardcover): No. ($19.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-969-0; IDW)
• Archie: Americana, v. 2: The ’50s (hardcover): The gradual evolution of Archie Comics’s art style continues; the jokes remain the same. ($24.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-945-4; IDW)
• Bomb Queen: Gang Bang: Tasteful, as Bomb Queen always is. ($14.99; Image)
• 'Breed, v. 2: The Book of Ecclesiastes ($17.99; Image)
• Chimichanga (hardcover): One of two Dark Horse collected editions this month. This one, written and drawn by The Goon’s Eric Powell, is about a bearded girl at a circus who trades for an egg that hatches the Chimichanga. Despite the rumors, the book is not going to be a free giveaway at Taco Bell. ($14.99; Dark Horse)
• Classic G.I. Joe, v. 12 ($24.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-972-0; IDW)
• Classic Next Men, v. 1: IDW started John Byrne’s new Next Men last month, and they reprinted the original #1 last ($24.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-971-3; IDW)
• Dave Stevens: The Complete Sketchbook Collection (hardcover): If you like your girls pretty but fictional, Stevens is the man for you. Or at least one of the men for you. ($50; ISBN: 978-1-61377-037-5; IDW)
• Death Valley ($17.99; ISBN: 978-1-60010-973-7; IDW)
• Doctor Who II, v. 1: The Ripper: I watch the Doctor Who TV series, but I have no interest in original comic book stories, no matter what the plot. When the TV show is generally outrageous anyway, what’s the incentive to read a story in a spin-off medium? ($19.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-974-4; IDW)
• Edge of Doom ($19.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-927-0; IDW)
• Elephantmen, v. 2: Fatal Diseases – Revised Edition: I have heard good things about this book, but this solicitation — full of pachyderm puns — makes it seem intolerable. ($24.99; Image)
• Fallen Angel: Return of the Son: Despite what you might think, this has nothing to do with the Whedon vampire Angel. ($17.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-975-1; IDW)
• From Bloom County to Mars: The Imagination of Berkeley Breathed ($20, ISBN: 978-1-61377-008-5; IDW)
• G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, v. 2 ($19.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-941-6; IDW)
• Haunt: The Immortal Edition, v. 1 (hardcover; $34.99; Image)
• Infestation, v. 1: You can hire Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning to write this, but it doesn’t make a zombie crossover involving Star Trek, G.I. Joe, and Ghostbusters any less silly. ($19.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-977-5; IDW)
• Iron Siege: Nazis and monsters — but I repeat myself — are two horrible tastes that do absolutely nothing for me when put together. ($17.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-979-9; IDW)
• Locke & Key: Crown of Shadows: Joe Hill, the writer of this series, is Stephen King’s son. I didn’t know that until last night. How could I not have know that? ($19.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-953-9; IDW)
• Marineman: A Matter of Life and Depth ($17.99; Image)
• Meta 4: The Complete Series (digest): The story is full of symbols, but the title goes for a cheap, text-speak pun. The contradiction is obvious. ($14.99; Image)
• Rip Kirby, v. 4 (hardcover): The final volume in IDW’s collection of a comic strip I’ve never heard of. Comic historians, this one’s for you. ($49.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-989-8; IDW)
• Spawn: New Beginnings: A new Spawn! I … I don’t care. And I’m sure my personal yawn is echoed by most comics fans. ($14.99; Image)
• Spinecrawler ($17.99, ISBN: 978-1-60010-987-4; IDW)
• Strange Girl Omnibus (hardcover; $59.99; Image)
• The Darkness Compendium, v. 2 (hardcover): There are people out there who will pay $100 for a Darkness collection. Well, I assume there are. I haven’t met them. ($99.99; Image)
• Transformers, v. 3 ($19.99; ISBN: 978-1-60010-981-2; IDW)
• Turf (hardcover): BBC presenter Jonathan Ross’s story of Prohibition-era gangsters, vampires, and aliens. Reports I have heard ranged from fun romp to confusing mishmash. ($39.99; Image)
• Twisted Savage Dragon Funnies ($18.99; Image)
• Walter Simonson’s Thor: Artist’s Edition (hardcover): I do not share the general enthusiasm for Simonson’s Thor, but for people who do, this might be a fascinating look at the run. Or it might be an overpriced coffee table book. Who knows? ($75, ISBN: 978-1-61377-038-2; IDW)
• Witchblade: Redemption, v. 3: It is 2011, and Witchblade is still being published. Hooray! ($19.99; Image)

Dark Horse and IDW June 2011 solicitations (collected editions)

Will be picking up: Nothing. Sorry, IDW and Dark Horse! It’s not your fault I have provincial tastes!

Might pick up eventually:

• Dungeons & Dragons, v. 1: Shadowplague (hardcover): Comic adaptations of D&D are generally, well, crap. (Sorry, DC and everyone who worked on their ‘90s D&D comics!) Still, the idea of fantasy comics is a worthwhile one, as the various Conan comics point out and CrossGen noticed. So I might manage to pick this one up eventually and see if it’s a good story or if it’s awkwardly adapted game mechanics and traditions. ($24.99, 9781600109225; IDW)

Might pick up if the price is right:

• Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Ghastly Fiend of London, v. 2 ($15.99; Dark Horse)
• Next Men, v. 1 (hardcover): This is the new series rather than a reprint of the series in the ‘90s. For those of us who didn’t read the original, IDW is also reprinting Next Men, v. 1, #1 for $1 under their 100 Penny Press banner. ($21.99, 9781600109249; IDW)

Competing 1940s Archie collections!:

• Archie Archives, v. 2 (hardcover) ($49.99; Dark Horse)
• Archie: Americana, v. 1: The '40s (hardcover): Which to choose? The IDW book is a compilation of two “Best of the Forties” books, according to the solicitations, and the Dark Horse book reprints material in chronological order. For the casual Archie enthusiast — and you know who you are; yes, you, sir, in the back of the Nebraska — Americana is probably the best idea, but the hard-core Archie fan (the ones who like their malteds double strong) will look forward to the Archives. ($24.99; 9781600109317; IDW)

Manga:

• Drifters, v. 1 ($$12.99; Dark Horse)
• Eden: It’s an Endless World!, v. 13 ($12.99; Dark Horse)
• Gantz, v. 18 ($12.99; Dark Horse)
• Oh My Goddess!, v. 39 ($10.99; Dark Horse)

The Rest:

• 30 Days of Night Prestige Edition: For those who want prestige in their horror comics. ($50, 9781600109560; IDW)
• Angel, v. 3: The Wolf, the Ram, and the Heart ($24.99, 9781600109447; IDW)
• B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth, v. 1: New World: Tough to go wrong with Guy Davis art — I mean, if you can’t have Mignola, Davis would be in my top three choices — but for some reason I resist the BPRD books. Perhaps I’m recalling gradually getting sucked into auxiliary X-titles in ‘90s and transferring the dislike to all spinoff titles. ($19.99; Dark Horse)
• Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery Archives, v. 6 (hardcover) ($49.99; Dark Horse)
• Caniff ($49.99, 9781600109201; IDW)
• Danger Girl Campbell Sketchbook (hardcover): There are people out there that still want this? Really? When did the last Danger Girl come out? (*checks notes*) OK, a mini in 2007, but J. Scott Campbell hasn’t drawn the book since a one-shot in 2004, and he hasn’t worked on more than Danger Girl issue in a year since last century. And why isn’t this coming out from Wildstorm / DC or Image, which are the companies that published Danger Girl in the first place? ($19.99; 9781600109218; IDW)
• Deadworld Classics, v. 2 ($24.99, 9781600109256; IDW)
• Flash Gordon Comic Book Archives, v. 4 (hardcover) ($49.99; Dark Horse)
• G.I. Joe: Cobra, v. 4: Death of Cobra Commander ($17.99, 9781600109881; IDW)
• Jericho: Season Three: Somewhere there is a Venn diagram that shows the overlap between Jericho fans and comic book readers, and I suspect that overlap is pretty tiny. ($19.99, 9781600109393; IDW)
• Jurassic Park: The Devils in the Desert: I realize IDW is making a John Byrne push this month, but this is the best Byrne property it could find? ($17.99, 9781600109232; IDW)
• Little Lulu, v. 28: The Prize Winner and Other Stories: Twenty-eight volumes of Little Lulu? Huh. ($14.99; Dark Horse)
• Locke & Key, v. 4: Keys to the Kingdom (hardcover) ($24.99, 9781600108860; IDW)
• Something Monstrous! ($17.99, 9781600109287; IDW)
• Space Family Robinson Archives, v. 1 (hardcover): Collecting issues from Gold Key Comics … of an idea more famously adapted as Lost in Space. I ask this sarcastically sometimes, but I truly wonder who the audience for this collection is: comics historians? Nostalgic 40- or 50-somethings? Is this a lost gem that I just don’t know about? ($49.99; Dark Horse)
• Star Wars Omnibus: A Long Time Ago..., v. 4: I’m not interested in this, but I have to admit, $25 for eighteen full-color issues is an excellent deal, even when you take the non-standard size into account. ($24.99; Dark Horse)
• Star Wars: Knight Errant—Aflame ($17.99; Dark Horse)
• Suicide Forest: Not to be confused with IDW’s Suicide Girls series. This sounds more like an American attempt at J-horror. ($17.99, 9781600109478; IDW)
• Transformers Classics, v. 1 ($24.99, 9781600109355; IDW)
• Transformers Prime, v. 3 ($7.99, 9781600109607; IDW)
• Transformers: The Complete All Hail Megatron (hardcover) ($75, 9781600109553; IDW)

Dark Horse, IDW, and Image May 2011 solicitations (collected editions)

Must have:

• Usagi Yojimbo, v. 25: Fox Hunt: Always up for the next Usagi book, although it feels like the collected editions are slipping further and further behind the comics. This collects #110-6, but the series will be almost two years ahead of that by the time this comes out in July. ($16.99; Dark Horse)

Might buy if the price is right:

• Barks’ Bear Book: On the same month as DC issues an obscure Jack Kirby collection, IDW releases a collection of Carl Barks’s obscure backups featuring Barney Bear and Benny Burro. The names aren’t promising, but it is Barks. ($34.99, ISBN: 9781600109294; IDW)
• Scary Godmother Comic Book Stories: Haven’t read any of Jill Thompson’s Scary Godmother stories; is this a good place to start? ($24.99; Dark Horse)

Might check out of a library:

• Archie’s Joke Book, v. 1: A Celebration of Bob Montana: I don’t know why they’re celebrating Bob Montana, but I am mildly intrigued. ($29.99, ISBN: 9781600109584; IDW)
• Blackjacked and Pistol-Whipped: A Crime Does Not Pay Primer: Contains a few selected stories and evidently some interesting trivia about the book itself. Could be some fascinating reading. Could be a letdown. You never know. ($19.99; Dark Horse)

Manga:

• Avatar: The Last Airbender — The Lost Adventures: Good to see the M. Night Shyamalan movie hasn’t sunk the series completely. ($14.99; Dark Horse)
• Cardcaptor Sakura Omnibus Book 2 ($19.99; Dark Horse)
• Magic Knight Rayearth Omnibus Edition ($19.99; Dark Horse)

The Rest:

• 30 Days of Night Collector’s Set ($39.99, ISBN: 9781600109652; IDW)
• Angel Omnibus ($24.99; Dark Horse)
• Angel Yearbook ($7.99, ISBN: 9781600109614; IDW)
• The Art of Amanda Conner ($24.99, ISBN: 9781600109508; IDW)
• The Art of Doug Sneyd ($39.99; Dark Horse)
• Bomb Queen, v. 6: Time Bomb ($16.99; Image)
• Choker, v. 1 ($16.99; Image)
• Creepy Archives, v. 10 ($49.99; Dark Horse)
• Creepy Comics, v. 1 ($19.99; Dark Horse)
• Dethklok: I wouldn’t be surprised if this were as good as the TV show itself, since it has stories written by the series’ creator and animation director. Also, it just feels like the kind of TV series that would translate well to the page. ($19.99; Dark Horse)
• Devil's Concubine ($19.99, ISBN: 9781600109485; IDW)
• Doctor Macabre ($17.99, ISBN: 9781600109157; IDW)
• George R.R. Martin's Doorways: Really? George R.R. Martin has reached this level of popularity? ($21.99, ISBN: 9781600109164; IDW)
• Guarding the Globe, v. 1: For those of you needing a Kirkman fix this month. ($16.99; Image)
• Gutwrencher ($19.99, ISBN: 9781600109362; IDW)
• Hellboy Library Edition, v. 4 ($49.99; Dark Horse)
• Kull, v. 2: The Hate Witch ($15.99; Dark Horse)
• Li’l Abner, v. 3 ($49.99, ISBN: 9781600109379; IDW)
• Pilot Season, v. 4: 2010 ($19.99; Image)
• The ’Breed Collection, v. 1: The Book of Genesis ($17.99; Image)
• Transformers: Foundation (17.99, ISBN: 9781600109188; IDW)
• Transformers: Rising Storm ($17.99, ISBN: 9781600109195; IDW)
• Transformers: The IDW Collection, v. 4 (49.99, ISBN: 9781600109386; IDW)
• Wormwood, v. 3 Deviant Edition ($24.99, ISBN: 9781600109263; IDW)