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Jedi Master KC Carlson.
by KC Carlson
Hard to believe that it’s only June, yet we’re going to be taking care of some holiday gift books this time around. considering that there are so lots of interesting items to talk about this month, it’s another two-part column. this week we concentrate on items from publishers other than marvel and DC, and we’ll spotlight the big two next week. but don’t worry — there’s some marvel and DC stuff being used from other publishers (what madness is this?), so their presence will be felt here this week, also.
THIS MONTH IN classic COMIC book COLLECTIONS
Bob Powell’s compete Cave Girl
Bob Powell’s compete Cave girl (Dark Horse): Collecting the lesser-known jungle girl work of golden Age cult artist Bob Powell (best known for his work on Sheena for Fiction House). This features Powell’s work on Cave girl and Thun’da from the early 50s, mainly written by Gardner Fox. featuring (it says here): “campy and sexy ‘jungle girl’ genre material at its leopard-skinned finest!” as well as an introduction by mark Schultz and an historical essay by James Vance and John Wooley. 176-page color hardcover. available in November.
The Chronicles of Conan volume 28: Blood and Ice and other Stories
The Chronicles of Conan volume 28: Blood and Ice and other stories (Dark Horse): Collecting, for the first time, marvel Comics’ Conan the Barbarian #215-223, featuring work by Charles Santino, Val Semeiks, Gary Kwapisz, Alfredo Alcala, and with a cover by Jim Lee and Scott Williams. 224-page color softcover. available in November.
Popular Skullture: The Skull motif in Pulps, Paperbacks, and Comics
Popular Skullture: The Skull motif in Pulps, Paperbacks, and Comics (Dark Horse): That’s one of those terrific titles that really describe the contents. This is a collection of the oddest, creepiest, and weirdest skull covers from the 1930s to the mid-50s. featuring work by Wally Wood, Graham Ingels, bill Everett, Matt Baker, norm Saunders, and other terrific artists of the era. Edited and created by Monte Beauchamp, introduction by graphic design guru Steven Heller, and presented by Denis kitchen — lover of old and odd things. The best Christmas gift for Grandma! 176-page skulltastic color hardcover. available in November.
Star Trek: Gold crucial Archives volume 2
Star Trek: Gold crucial Archives volume 2 (IDW): Collecting a lot more of the original run of the star trek 1960s comic book series by Gold crucial Comics. fully remastered (including new coloring), this collects issues #7-12 of the classic crew, featuring work by Len Wein, Alberto Giolitti, and Michael Stribling. You’ll believe you can hear a “whoosh!” in outer space! 168-page color hardcover. available in October.
Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge: The seven Cities of Gold
Walt Disney’s Uncle Scrooge: The seven Cities of Gold (Fantagraphics): Carl Barks inspires Hollywood in this collection of the always-fantastic series of duck tales. In the title story, Scrooge, Donald, and the kids set out on a perilous journey for the fabled seven Cities of Gold! This story famously inspired Steven Spielberg and George Lucas for sections of Raiders of the lost Ark. Then, in “The Mysterious stone Ray”, Uncle Scrooge’s pores fill with gold dust from his money bin, and it makes him so ill he needs a holiday (a situation similar to one in the James Bond film Goldfinger, although a lot more deadly there). Also, Scrooge makes a decision to run for Treasurer of Duckburg, but it seems the only way to get votes is to spend a lot of money. (See any recent election.) and you know that rubs Uncle Scrooge’s feathers the wrong way! Guaranteed to be packed with creative plot twists, laugh-out-loud comedy, and all-around cartooning brilliance. 240-page color hardcover. available in November.
THIS MONTH IN classic COMIC strip COLLECTIONS
The epic Chronicles of Hagar the Horrible volume 6: 1980-81
The epic Chronicles of Hagar the Horrible volume 6: 1980-81 (Titan Books): continuing the adventures of the world’s mildest marauder in his quest to put food on the family table and loot in his coffers. He’s arguably the most popular Viking in history. Collects every daily strip from July 1, 1980, to December 31, 1981, with a introduction by Lynn Johnson and a feature by Chris Browne about his father, Dik. 248-page 5” x 6” B&W hardcover.
Johnny Hazard: The complete Sundays volume 1: 1944-1946
As usual, Hermes press is resoliciting one of their books: Johnny Hazard: The complete Sundays volume 1: 1944-1946 is supposedly shipping later this year (although it must be noted that even Amazon doesn’t have a new ship date for this). All previous orders have been canceled. Please reorder if you still want this 208-page hardcover collection of Frank Robbins’ classic action/adventure strip.
Mickey mouse volume 6: lost in Lands of long Ago
Mickey mouse volume 6: lost in Lands of long ago (Fantagraphics): decades before Jurassic Park, Doc Dustibones brings Mickey to Cave-Man Island — a lost world where fossil monsters survive alive! From stampeding brontosaurs to saber-tooth tigers, all of Goofy’s least favorite stone Age scares are here… and Dustibones is building a blimp to carry them to America! What could possibly go wrong? Writer/artist Floyd Gottfredson produced a canon of legendary, rip-roaring tales starring Mickey as a daring, two-fisted hero in a world-famous series of legendary adventures! lost in Lands of long ago also includes several other stories and a lot more than 30 pages of prehistoric extras. You’ll take pleasure in rare behind-the-scenes art, vintage publicity materials, and fascinating commentary by a clan of Disney cave bears! also available in a decorative box set with Mickey mouse volume 5. 288-page 10.5” x 8.75” B&W (w/partial color) hardcover. available in October.
Nancy loves Sluggo: complete Dailies 1949-1951
Nancy loves Sluggo: complete Dailies 1949-1951 (Fantagraphics): Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy: Corny or zen-like? vintage American military experiment? Or just a bad trip on a very loopy road? possibly all/none of the above. Remember, these people are big fans: Art Spiegelman, Daniel Clowes, Scott McCloud (creator of the “Five-Card Nancy” game), Denis Kitchen, Joe Brainard, and Andy Warhol. Plus, The American Heritage Dictionary can’t be wrong, can it? They use an illustration from a Nancy comic strip to illustrate the phase “comic strip”. This volume features three years of primo Nancy strips. think of what that could do to your brain if you read them all in one sitting! Here’s your chance, America!!! 336-page, 8.5” x 8.5” (square, daddy-o) B&W (w/partial color) hardcover. available in October.
Puck: What Fools These Mortals Be!
Puck: What Fools These Mortals Be! (IDW/LoAC): When I was in high school and beginning my (apparently life-long) study of all things comics, I would regularly see references to the classic Puck political satire magazine. Then, I wished that I could see a lot more than the occasional sample or two in the classic comic histories of that era. Now, decades later (never you mind how many!), I’m going to be able to read a full-blown history of “America’s first and a lot of influential magazine of color Political Cartoons”. Puck is now regarded as the most crucial political satire and cartoon magazine in American history. It’s said that the magazine was so influential, it’s credited with single-handedly thwarting the third-term ambitions of Ulysses grant in 1880 and electing Grover Cleveland to the presidency in 1884.
They did it with art. It was the first American magazine to publish color lithographs on a weekly basis, lots of of them full-page or two-page centerspreads. (This book consists of nearly 300 full-color plates.) Led by artist and co-founder Joseph Keppler, Puck published work by Bernhard Gillam, Livingston Hopkins, Frederick Burr Opper, rose O’Neill, and lots of other significant artists of the era. Puck was also published in several international editions from 1877 to 1918. Years later, even mad magazine noted its influence, parodying its popular motto as “What food these morsels be!”
Puck: What Fools These Mortals Be! is written by Michael Alexander Kahn and Richard Samuel West, with a forward by bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes). probably not for everyone, but this book will be sweet panacea for comic history wonks like me. 328-page 12” x 11” color hardcover. available in October.
Superman: The golden Age Sundays: 1946-1949
Superman: The golden Age Sundays: 1946-1949 (DC Comics/IDW/LoAC): Collecting nearly 170 full-color sequential Superman Sunday pages from August 11, 1946, to October 16, 1949, which have never been collected until now! a lot of likely featuring artwork by Wayne boring and Stan Kaye (and probably others), this volume consists of 18 complete adventures from around the globe as well as through time and space. includes Supes becoming a rival for Cleopatra’s affections in ancient Egypt, battles with a prehistoric “Paleomatzoball” (?!?), encounters with an ancient civilization in the lost valley of Ru, aid for war veterans, an invasion from Mars, getting turned into a baby (again?), and Lois Lane marrying Clark Kent — or does she?!? Cover by Pete Poplaski. 180-page fully restored 9.25” x 12” color hardcover. available in October.
ARTIST’S EDITIONS
John Buscema’s Silver Surfer Artist’s Edition
John Buscema’s Silver Surfer Artist’s edition (IDW): big John Buscema is the next terrific classic marvel Comics artist to get the artist edition treatment for some of his very best comic book work: Silver Surfer. Spotlighting two classic double-size issues of the legendary series (#5 and #6), plus other stories, a cover, a classic page gallery, and more! shot directly from the original art, with the full endorsement and teamwork of the Buscema family. This terrific Stan Lee/John Buscema work will be once again available in the breathtaking huge format in October. 144-page, huge (12” x 17”), B&W (but scanned and printed in color to reveal details) hardcover.
Will Eisner’s The Spirit volume 2 Artist’s Edition
Will Eisner’s The Spirit volume 2 Artist’s edition (IDW): The first volume of will Eisner’s classic Spirit stories was nominated for a Eisner award and flew off the shelf, so don’t wait too long to get this collection of classic post-war (1946-1950) stories by the master. Plus, because this work was conceived during a time when artists were allowed to work large on their original art, this volume is massive! some of the best comic stories ever produced, now in the utmost presentation. No kidding — don’t wait! 144-page, huge (15” x 22”), B&W (but scanned and printed in color to reveal details) hardcover. available in October.
BOOKS about COMICS (including gift BOOKS)
Batman Year By Year: A visual History
Batman Year By Year: A visual history (DK): I’m really looking forward to this one. This is the publishing history of Batman told in chronological order, similar to the previous DC Comics: Year by Year, except focusing on this particular character and series/character offshoots. It starts in 1939 with the creation of the character by Bob Kane and bill Finger (who probably won’t be “officially” mentioned, but we’ll know better, considering that he was left out of the sell copy…) and proceeds with a in-depth history of all of Batman’s greatest stories and events, accompanied by hundreds of famous or rare illustrations from the top artists from all Batman eras. Covers storylines, heroes, villains, writers, and artists, and also includes information on Batman’s media appearances and series. forward by Frank Miller. Written by Matthew K. Manning and Matt Forbeck. also includes two art prints, of which we have no details. 352-page oversized (10” x 12”) color hardcover w/slipcase.
The Batman Files
MORE BATMAN BOOKS: 2011’s hardcover The Batman files (Andrews McMeel) is now available as a a lot more moderately-priced softcover. This is an oversized 308-page compendium of (I think) Bat-artifacts and text that tells the history and adventures of the character. (The hardcovers were sealed and I’ve never seen an open copy) . . . The world According to Batman and The world According to the Joker (Insight Legends): These appear to be small (64-page) all-age compendiums of information on the characters, including some removable artifacts. The Joker book is written by Matthew K. Manning, but there seems to be some confusion in the promotional material about who wrote the Batman volume (possibly Daniel Wallace). all of these books are available in October.
Exploring Calvin and Hobbes: An exhibition Catalogue
Exploring Calvin and Hobbes: An exhibition catalogue (Andrews McMeel): hard to believe that it’s been nearly 20 years considering that we last saw Calvin and Hobbes regularly, yet its presence in the American consciousness has barely faded. Its collections are endlessly reprinted. It is one of the most beloved, studied, and re-read strips in history. and its designer bill Watterson still makes headlines — recently, by just contributing a few anonymous panels to a current strip (Stephan Pastis’ Pearls before Swine). This book is a collection of classic Calvin and Hobbes strips that were part of the exhibit of the same name at the Billy Ireland cartoon museum at Ohio state University, which opened in March 2014. The show is Watterson’s personal exploration of how the wonder of Calvin and Hobbes pertained to be. for each strip, the book includes the original art, along with Watterson’s commentary. The show (and book?) also includes art from cartoons and cartoonists that Watterson has identified as influential in the development of his art, including Peanuts, Pogo, Krazy Kat, Doonesbury, Pat Oliphant, Jim Borgman, Flash Gordon, Bloom County, and Steadman. 144-page