Batman: Haunted Gotham
A different take on the Batman mythos with Gotham controlled by demons and Bruce Wayne forced to fight the forces of Hell.
Conan Volume 0: Born On The Battlefield
A fantastic collection of stories about Conan’s childhood by Busiek and Ruth.
Catwoman: Wild Ride
A full helping of Cameron Stewart art; very clean and works so well with Brubaker’s writing.  Catwoman and Slam Bradley keep it interesting.
Long John Silver Volume 1: Lady Vivian Hastings
Stunningly good: top notch story and art fully envelope us.
Ultimate Thor
Nice reworking of the Thor origin in the Ultimate …

After thoroughly enjoying I scanned my local comic book shop and found Conan Volume 6: The Hand Of Nergal softcover.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

A mysterious curse lingers, following Conan as he attempts to return to his homeland, and a great darkness looms ahead in the doomed city of Yaralet. This latest collection in Dark Horse’s smart, innovative Conan series finds the cunning Cimmerian chased by both unfinished business from his past and a strange novice magician who seeks to deliver a …

Was shopping a sale earlier this year and picked up a bunch of Marvel Premiere hardcovers including Black Widow: Web Of Intrigue.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

It’s been a long lively life for Natasha Romanova – in the Avengers, the Champions, S.H.I.E.L.D. and elsewhere – but could it end with her surrounded by international assassins? Old enemies and new are using her instructor, her mentor and her ex-husband against her – or so it seems – but who and what can be …

As I mentioned in my latest Jiminy Christmas rant I picked up The Green Lantern Omnibus Volume 1 at a discount bookseller in Toronto for $38.  It collects material previously collected in DC Archives Green Lantern volumes 1-3 if you can find them.  I do have these volumes on my shelf at home but couldn’t pass this up for two reasons: it was a great price and I wanted to see how DC was handling the oversized format.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

Collecting SHOWCASE #22-24 and GREEN LANTERN #1-21 …

I attended the full first day of Wizard World, roaming the floor from 4:00 – 9:00 PM.  The exhibit hall was significantly smaller than last year and it seemed a better fit, less cavernous.
During my initial pre-show walk around I discovered an alarming dearth of retailers: at best it was five comic resellers set up.  Really only Wes Hagan had items of interest to me: he had purchased a large magazine collection that had a lot of varied material, covering every comics related magazine …

I’ve decided to track my comic reading for 2011: this will be my first full year of reading graphic novels and collected editions only, no monthly comics.  Based on my reading last year books slipped by and I forgot them, which doesn’t work well for a writer and reviewer.  My goal is to provide a link where the book can be purchased, a short overview and a review to the book if I write one for Comic Book Daily.

Fantastic Four By Jonathan Hickman Volume 1
Full review here.

Fantastic Four By Jonathan …

Batman: The Return Of Bruce Wayne
Batman’s return to the DC universe by way of six points in time.  Each chapter drawn by a different artist gives the story a hit and miss feel.  Story is cohesive if slightly convoluted.

Usagi Yojimbo: The Special Edition
Full review here.
Sandman: The Dream Hunters
A fairy tale love story told in feudal Japan.  Simple, clean and beautiful art by Russell.

Nemesis
Full review here.
Daytripper
A wonderful look at a life’s unique moments and the ripples they create.  Lots of talk about the character dieing at the end of …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
During the 1990s The Tick from Ben Edlund and New England Comics was the hottest comic property going.  The black and white comics were a smash success that led to an animated cartoon and a live action television series.
Of course it was the comic books that started it all: Edlund had created the Tick in high school as first appeared in the New England Comics (NEC) newsletter; they are a large chain of comic stores.  A …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Jiminy Christmas! column.
Why are publishers still producing dust jackets?  The technology has been around for a good century or so to print whatever you want right on the book cover.  In fact the dust jacket was meant as a protection for the book binding of the 19th century and was discarded immediately.  It wasn’t until the early 20th century that fancy designs and artsy materials appeared on the dust jacket to attract potential buyers and has …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
I’m a big Mike Mignola fan, admiring his work since Marvel Fanfare.  The Amazing Screw-On Head was a one shot comic published in 2002 but somehow I missed it so I was anxious to pick up The Amazing Screw-On Head and Other Curious Objects hardcover.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

When Emperor Zombie threatens the safety of all life on earth, President Lincoln enlists the aid of a mechanical head. With the help of associates Mr. Groin (a faithful manservant) …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
Dan Brereton has been pigeon-holed as an artist of horror and horror comics.  Image has published Dan Brereton: The Goddess & The Monster, a hardcover art book collecting various horror illustrations.  Let the pigeon-holing continue.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

After more than 20 years, DAN BRERETON, award-winning comics creator and painter, collects his best works for the very first time in this beautiful full-color hardcover volume. THE GODDESS & THE MONSTER features 144 pages of …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
I was a faithful fan of Dark Horse’s Conan relaunch with Cary Nord as artist but after he left I drifted away.  Came across Conan: Cimmeria or Conan Volume 7, depending how you interpret the spine and title page of the book, at my local comic shop and it looked intriguing.  It’s a collection of Conan The Cimmerian issues 0-7 which tells a split story, written by Tim Truman with art by Tomas Giorello and Richard Corben.  …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
I was perusing the new books at my local comic book shop and came across Siege: Embedded in softcover.  I noticed it because Chris Samnee had done the art: he’s been making a name and is doing the art on the recent Thor all ages series that I’m waiting to see in a trade paperback.  I gave it a quick thumbing and added it to my buy pile.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

The SIEGE of Asgard has begun! …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
Long time comic fans will recognize Xenozoic Tales as a long running black and white story told by Mark Schultz, or adapted to the little screen as the animated Cadillacs And Dinosaurs.  I had thumbed the various issues and collections but never had the urge to pick it up.  Flesk Publications has released Xenozoic, the complete collection of all stories to date in one hefty 352 page trade paperback.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

Forced into hiding by …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
This one was a long time coming from its original French issues.  I picked up the first DC Humanoids imprint issue in 2004, but that cross publishing deal collapsed.  Devil’s Due Publishing picked up the series and published it as six issues in 2009 but the announced hardcover collected edition didn’t see light of day as Humanoids was entering the North American market again in September 2010 with I Am Legion, a 176 page 7.75×10.5″ …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
Fantagraphics and Kim Thompson are back with another Jacques Tardi translated work: The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec Volume 1. Appearing in the early 1970s and published as single volumes in French around 1976, Adele Blanc-Sec has a cult following that we’re now privy to. Thompson is a translation whirlwind, working through a good amount of foreign material for our English-speaking audience. Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

Both a rip-roaring adventure series set in pre-World War I Paris and …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
The Scorpion is an excellent European series from Enrico Marini and Stephen Desberg about a treasure hunter during the Renaissance.  Cinebook has been publishing English translations for a few years now and recently shipped volume four: The Treasure Of The Templars.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

On the run from both agents of the Vatican and Ottoman authorities, the Scorpion is forced into uneasy alliances to continue his quest. Riding towards the Holy Land, the motley …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
This book wins for longest title this year by a mile.  Fire & Water: Bill Everett, The Sub-Mariner, And The Birth Of Marvel Comics is a biography of Bill Everett complete with lots and lots of art.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

Written by Blake Bell and compiled with the aid and assistance of Everett’s family, friends, and cartoonist peers, Fire and Water: Bill Everett, the Sub-Mariner & the Birth of Marvel Comics is an intimate biography of a …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
Few people need an introduction to Frank Miller’s seminal take on Batman in his 1986 series Batman: The Dark Knight.  It’s heralded as the birth of the modern comic, along with The Watchmen, and exposed a lot of people to comics through its massive sales in a collected volume.  Three collected editions were released that year: a softcover trade paperback, a hardcover and a signed hardcover.  The softcover trade and hardcover were released by Warner Books …

Originally published at Comic Book Daily under my Bound Together column.
During a flip through Previews a few months back I noticed a solicitation for The Marvel Art Of Joe Quesada: 240 pages dedicated to Quesada’s work at Marvel.  Since all his early work that I enjoyed happened at DC with The Ray and Azrael I skipped it, but a big discount brought the book back into focus and in my hands.  Here’s the publisher’s blurb:

For the last decade, Joe Quesada has guided Marvel and its characters …