Hey, let's do another comics thread! I love our comics discussions on here.
Here are some things I've read recently and liked a lot, as well as a few books I've heard about that I'm really excited to check out soon. (I'm including book descriptions in case anyone wants to know more about them, too.)
Any Empire
by Nate Powell
Top Shelf
978-1603090773
Nate Powell's follow-up to the Eisner award-winning Swallow Me Whole examines war and violence, and their trickle-down effects on middle America. As a gang of small-town kids find themselves reunited in adulthood, their dark histories collide in a struggle for the future. Any Empire follows three kids in a Southern town as a rash of mysterious turtle mutilations forces each to confront their relationship to their privileged suburban fantasies of violence. Then, after years apart, the three are thrown together again as adults, amid questions of choice and force, belonging, and betrayal.
The Homeland Directive
by Robert Venditti and Mike Huddleston
Top Shelf
978-1603090247
As head of the National Center for Infectious Diseases, Dr. Laura Regan is one of the world's foremost authorities on viral and bacteriological study. Having dedicated her career to halting the spread of infectious disease, she has always considered herself one of the good guys. But when her research partner is murdered and Laura is blamed for the crime, she finds herself at the heart of a vast and deadly conspiracy. Aided by three rogue federal agents who believe the government is behind the frame-up, Laura must evade law enforcement, mercenaries, and a team of cyber-detectives who know more about her life than she does—all while trying to expose a sinister plot that will impact the lives of every American. Set in the Orwellian present, The Homeland Directive is a modern-day political/medical thriller from Robert Venditti (creator and writer of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel The Surrogates).
Marvel Firsts: The 1960s
Marvel Comics
978-0785158646
With the debut of 1961's Fantastic Four #1, Marvel Comics reinvented the superhero genre—and the hits just kept on coming! Compiled in one titanic tome: the famous first issues of dozens of your favorite superheroes and superhero teams, including the Hulk, Dr. Strange, Nick Fury, Iron Man, Thor, Spider-Man, Daredevil, the X-Men, the Avengers, and the Defenders! And witness the unlikely solo breakouts of the Human Torch, Red Wolf, Dr. Doom, the Silver Surfer, the Black Widow, and more!
The Sky Over the Louvre
Bernar Yslaire and Jean-Claude Carriere
NBM Publishing
978-1-56163-602-0
In the next volume in NBM’s co-editions with the Louvre museum, we go back to the very origins of the Louvre as a museum: the tumultuous years of the French revolution. It's the story of a painting of the Supreme Being, ordered by Robespierre from the famous painter David (a painting that was never made). It's also the story of another painting, that of the young Bara, a 13-year-old martyr of the Republic. From the inauguration of the Louvre, former royal palace, as the museum for the people, to the death of Robespierre, this is also the portrayal of the face to face of two major actors of a revolution in a great hurry. Robespierre appears equally enlightened and lost while David accomplishes his destiny: a painter torn between political engagement and artistic ambition. Yslaire, one the great stars of French comics, delivers a stunning masterwork in an epic and disturbing graphic novel seeped in a dramatic and fascinating period of history.
The Someday Funnies
by Michel Choquette
Abrams ComicArts
9780810996182
The Someday Funnies is the long-awaited collection of comic strips created in the early 1970s by world-famous artists and writers such as C. C. Beck, René Goscinny, Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Kirby, Moebius, Art Spiegelman, and Gahan Wilson. What started out as a special insert for Rolling Stone took on a life—and mythology—of its own as writer/editor Michel Choquette traveled the world, commissioning this visual chronicle of the 1960s, only to find himself without a publishing partner or the financial support to continue. Forty years later, readers finally get to experience this legendary anthology as Choquette celebrates the birth, death, and resurrection of The Someday Funnies—129 previously unpublished strips by 169 writers and artists.
Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular and the New Land
edited by Harvey Pekar and Paul Buhle, with an introduction by Neal Gabler
Abrams ComicArts
9780810997493
Yiddish is everywhere. We hear words like nosh, schlep, and schmutz all the time, but how did these words come to pepper American English? In Yiddishkeit: Jewish Vernacular and the New Land, Harvey Pekar and Paul Buhle trace the influence of Yiddish from medieval Europe to the tenements of New York’s Lower East Side. This comics anthology contains original stories by notable writers and artists such as Barry Deutsch, Peter Kuper, Spain Rodriguez, and Sharon Rudahl. Through illustrations, comics art, and a full-length play, four major themes are explored: culture, performance, assimilation, and the revival of the language. The last fully realized work by Harvey Pekar, this book is a thoughtful compilation that reveals the far-reaching influences of Yiddish.
Health Care Reform
by Jonathan Gruber
Hill and Wang
978-0809053971
Healthcare reform is one of the most contested issues of our political moment—and one of the most misunderstood. While polls show Americans’ opinions on healthcare reform ranging across the spectrum, few people can articulate what the Affordable Care Act actually says and does. Enter the award-winning MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, a key architect of the Massachusetts healthcare reform law and a trusted adviser to President Obama on the national reform bill. Named 19th in the 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare by Modern Healthcare and called “possibly the [Democratic] Party’s most influential health-care expert” by The Washington Post, Gruber is the perfect choice to guide readers through the intricacies of the Affordable Care Act—and he does so in the illuminating pages of a comic book: Health Care Reform: What It Is, Why It’s Necessary, How It Works.
Kenk: A Graphic Portrait
by Richard Poplak, Alex Jansen, Jason Gilmore, and Nick Marinkovich
Pop Sandbox
9780986488405
A multiple award-winning 300-page journalistic comic book surrounding Igor Kenk—"the world's most prolific bicycle thief" (The New York Times).
Seeds
by Ross Mackintosh
Com.x
978-0983223801
Seeds is the autobiographical story about a man’s experience of family, life, love, and death. Beginning with the diagnosis, then taking us through the journey of his father’s eventual decline, Seeds is a powerful account combining humor, philosophy, and honesty.
Underwire
by Jennifer Hayden
Top Shelf
978-1603090766
Sometimes you just gotta pick yourself up by your brastraps. Underwire collects the wise and witty autobiographical comics of a captivating new voice: Jennifer Hayden, cartoonist and politically incorrect mother of two. She may not have all the answers, but she's not gonna let that stop her from enjoying the prime of her life—her forties!
The New 52
DC Comics
978-1401234515
This September, DC Comics launched 52 new #1 issues. To commemorate this incredible initiative, DC collected every one of these debut issues in a once-in-a-lifetime massive (more than 1,000 pages!) hardcover that includes Justice League #1 by Geoff Johns and Jim Lee, Action Comics #1 by Grant Morrison and Rags Morales, Batman #1 by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo, Green Lantern #1 by Geoff Johns and Doug Mahnke, Swamp Thing #1 by Scott Snyder and Yanick Paquette, Stormwatch #1 by Paul Cornell and Miguel Sepulveda, and more.
The Definitive Irredeemable, Vol. 1
by Mark Waid and Peter Krause
Boom! Studios
978-1608860715
The first three volumes of the Eisner and Harvey nominated series collected together for the first time in one oversized edition in premium hardcover slipcase format. Irredeemable dares to ask: What if the world's greatest hero decided to become the world's greatest villain? A "twilight of the superheroes"-style story that examines super-villains from the writer of Kingdom Come and Empire!
Infinite Kung Fu
by Kagan McLeod
Top Shelf
978-1891830839
Infinite Kung Fu walks you through familiar corridors in the house of martial mayhem, but still smashes your face through walls of wonder and into rooms where kung fu is afraid to go! The Martial World is ruled by a mysterious emperor whose five armies are each headed by a cruel and highly skilled kung fu master. Lei Kung, a soldier in one of these armies, grows tired of his master's evil ways and seeks enlightenment elsewhere. However, he soon finds that he's been chosen as the one who will put an end to the emperor's tyrannical rule—personally! Allegiances are blurred as techniques are perfected, and Lei Kung becomes less certain who's friend and who's foe in each chapter!
X-Men by Chris Claremont and Jim Lee Omnibus, Vol. 1
by Chris Claremont, Jim Lee, and Marc Silvestri
Marvel Comics
978-0785158226
What happens when you combine an industry veteran at the top of his game with a hot, up-and-coming young artist and let them loose on Marvel's mightiest mutants? You get a fan-favorite, multi-year X-Men run unequaled in style, pizzazz, and wall-to-wall action! It's Chris Claremont's most ambitious story arc ever, featuring Jim Lee's dynamic debut issues and major changes to the X-Men's status quo! Jubilee debuts just as the X-Men disband, granted new lives by the Siege Perilous! The Reavers enact gruesome revenge on Wolverine and decimate Muir Island, while Psylocke is transformed into a ninja! The Shadow King makes his play for Storm, culminating in the action-packed introduction of Gambit! Wolverine's hidden past with Captain America and the Black Widow is revealed! And this is just the first volume! Collecting Uncanny X-Men #244-269, X-Men Annual #13, and Classic X-Men #39.
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