Hector Umbra HC by (W/A/C) Uli Oesterle
Master DJ Osaka Best has disappeared, mysteriously vanishing in a blast of blinding light during the climax of his set at a nightclub. Enter Hector Umbra, Osaka's best friend and artist-turned-detective, to solve the mystery of a lifetime. Hector turns over every dirty stone in Munich on the hunt for the displaced DJ. Soon he will learn that not all is as it seems, and Hector will find himself embroiled in a plot involving religious freaks, Elvis impersonators, aliens, and even the dead! 216 pgs. Visit the blog here and a five page preview here. $27.99
Lee: Like most indies I noticed the stylish cover and fell in love with the art when I saw the previews. This has stylish art and an interesting premise so I am sold!
Gwen: I'm just a sucker for detective stories. But yes, the art is cool looking too :)
Terror on the Planet of the Apes #1 by (W) Doug Moench (A) Mike Ploog (C) Bob Larkin
In 1974, mighty Marvel Comics published the bone-breaking Planet of the Apes Magazine featuring a fan-loved all-new original story written by Moon Knight co-creator Doug Moench and drawn by Ghost Rider co-creator Mike Ploog: Terror on the Planet of the Apes! With an all-new Age of the Apes happening between the hit BOOM! series and the blockbuster Rise of the Planet of the Apes movie this past summer, you've hit us on Facebook, you've hit us on Twitter and we're listening: by popular demand, we're reprinting this classic! Featuring The Lawgiver and Fugitives on the Planet of the Apes in the first issue! $3.99
Lee: This should actually be very good. Ploog was at his peak when this was first released and Moench, by all accounts, turned in a heck of a script. The original b/w magazines are fairly hard to find in good condition so this is perfect for me.
Gwen: I can't say I'm all that interested in anything Planet of the Apes anymore. It feels like it's been overdone for me - like all the Star Wars spin offs. Of course I still enjoy the original material but I tend to pass on these. The newer material is good from what I hear, I'm just not feeling it.
Garth Ennis' Jennifer Blood Vol. 01 SC by (W) Garth Ennis (A) Adriano Batista (C) Tim Bradstreet
Jennifer Blood is a suburban wife and mom by day - and a ruthless vigilante by night! Every day she makes breakfast, takes the kids to school, cleans the house, naps for an hour or two, makes dinner, puts the kids to bed, and kisses her husband goodnight. This suburban punisher is ready to be unleashed in a story that can only be told by the legendary Garth Ennis. $19.99
Lee: So, was this any good? It appeared to me to a response to Bendis’ Scarlet series. There hasn’t been a lot of hype around it so I am cautious about picking it up.
Gwen: I gotta say - I have a hard time imagining how she has the energy to be a vigilante after all that. Maybe it's the midday nap.
From the imagination of legendary comic book creator Stan Lee comes a superheroine with a pair of huge attributes - courage and determination! Exotica Jones is a dancer by trade, but when she's not swinging from a pole and tucking twenties into her g-string, Exotica is the sexiest costumed superhero you've ever seen. While hot an heavy action and adventure are her forte, the object of Exotica's desire is Nick, who just may be the only man on earth who doesn't seem to notice her at all! Join Stripperella as she battles The Macabre Menace of the Mad Melter. $14.99
Lee: And another classic is back in print! I remember all the hub-bub when this was first announced. And with a little wiki research I learned it was actually a 13 issue animated series. How did I miss that? Fool me once... as they say.
Gwen: Wow, what a role model. Hah. I can see why Jim never gave this to my sister and I to read as kids...
Gloriana HC by (W/A/C) Kevin Huizenga
Kevin Huizenga exposes the mechanics that underpin everyday life. His protagonist, Glenn Ganges, has conversations about dish soap and library visits that are both faithful depictions of the mundane interactions we all have and so much more: existential dissections of the units that construct our lives. Huizenga has an understated, quiet approach to story writing that allows his characters (and his readers) the self-awareness to recognize the humor and tragedy of every moment. Huizenga's much-lauded work is finely detailed, and in its innovative use of form, it explores the boundaries of the comic medium, deconstructing and reconstructing panels to express temporality and lived experience more fully. Presented in this expanded edition, Gloriana employs familiar settings and thorough, sometimes scientific explanations to reach thoughtful conclusions. 5 x 6.5, FC, 96 pages $19.95
Lee: This is a little small but Huizenga’s work on his other series Ganges has been so good that I might just dive right in. This is just fantastic stuff exploring life and… well if not it’s meaning then at least it’s mundane-ness. Great stuff.
Gwen: This looks very interesting but probably something I'd have to have more time to delve into. Sadly I have to keep my reading fairly light during the school year.
Jinchalo is Korean for Really? and that question is at the heart of this book. A companion to Ojingogo, Jinchalo stars the same little girl as its heroine. When the mischevious shapeshifter Jinchalo hatches from a mysterious egg, he starts our heroine adventuring anew. Magical troubles drag the pair out of the safety of her home. These comics are firmly rooted in Korean folktakes and stylistic conventions, with a playful, joyous line to create a Miyazaki-tinged dreamscape where spotted octopi fly and bears give piggyback rides. 120 pgs $19.95 Visit Forsythe’s site here and see a little preview here.
Lee: I've always had a weakness for cutesy artwork and this qualifies. It appears to be wordless but it has something... I don't know... special going on? It just looks like it will be fun.
Gwen: This is awesome. I'd love to get this for my former Korean roommate as I remember she used to tell us stories about Korean mythology. She had a great story about how her family was descended from bears :)
Kolor Klimax: Nordic Comics Now GN
Scandinavia has become a hotbed of cartooning activity, from the internationally acclaimed Jason (Norway) to Sweden's Martin Kellerman and Denmark's Eisner-nominated Nikoline Werdelin. This anthology of comics, many of them created for this book, offers an intoxicating and compelling sampling of current works from a new generation of Scandinavian alternative cartoonists. $29.99
Lee: Who would’ve thunk, Norway home of Death Metal and all sorts of nasty music is also the home of a budding underground comix scene! I have a couple of collections of scandavian comics and I have always enjoyed them. The art always entertains and the stories are surprisingly tight.
Gwen: I think I'd need to see a bit more of this before I decide whether or not it would draw me in.
T. Ott guides us through a funhouse of fear with five graphic horror novelettes, each executed in his hallucinatory and hyper-detailed scratchboard style. Dark, stark and grimly funny, Ott's plot twists will delight fans of classic horror like The Twilight Zone and Tales From the Crypt and his artwork will haunt you long after you've put the book down. $16.99 Visit Ott here. http://www.tott.ch/
Lee: Words I have heard describe Ott’s work include dark, darker, and even darkest. This is a collection of horror stories in the same vein as EC and Creepy. I believe they are wordless but the art is just incredible. If you have an extra dollar or two this is worth it.
Gwen: This does look cool. Personally I would have solicited it for October though.
One more day to go... Friday.
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