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New Comics for New Readers – November 14, 2012
Wednesday is New Comics Day! Each week, The Comics Observer spotlights three brand new releases worth checking out that should be suitable for someone who has never read comic books, graphic novels or manga before.
These are out today! If you like what you see here, click the links to see previews and learn more about them. Then head to your local comic book store, or check out online retailers like Things From Another World and Amazon. Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook.
For a full list of this week’s new releases, see comiXology and ComicList.com.
(Disclaimer: These aren’t reviews. Recommendations are based on pre-release press, previews, and The Comics Observer‘s patented crystal ball. Product descriptions provided by publisher.)
City in the Desert by Moro Rogers
City in the Desert Vol. 1: The Monster Problem
Written and illustrated by Moro Rogers
Published by Archaia Entertainment
Genre: Science-fiction
Age: 16+
144 pages
$24.95
A monster hunter is suddenly out of a job when a religious sect supposedly rids the world of them, but is the sect’s noble deed too good to be true?
Monster hunter Irro is perhaps the only person in Kevala making a good living. The city pays him and his tailed assistant, Hari, a bounty for each monster carcass they bring in. But one day a religious sect called The Way of the Sacred Peace comes to Kevala to solve the monster problem by capping the city’s Spirit Fountain. Out of a job with all the monsters gone, Irro and Hari are determined to prove that there is a more sinister plot behind the Sacred Peace’s plan.
Scene of the Crime by Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark
Scene of the Crime
Written by Ed Brubaker
Illustrated by Michael Lark and Sean Phillips
Published by Image Comics
Genre: Crime
Age: 18+
128 pages
$24.99
From the co-creators of Gotham Central and Fatale comes a lost crime noir masterpiece. Long out of print, and presented here for the first time in an oversized hardback edition, Scene of the Crime was the first time Ed Brubaker and Michael Lark worked together – before their acclaimed runs on Daredevil and Gotham Central – and it was inked by Sean Phillips, who also designed this deluxe edition.
This is where it all began, with a hard-hitting mystery story, a modern day “Chinatown” that garnered nominations for Best Miniseries and Best Writer in the 2000 Eisner Awards. Also included in this new collection are behind the scenes art and stories, a new foreword by Brubaker, and many other extras. This is the book you’ll want on your shelves.
Aron’s Absurd Armada Omnibus Vol. 1 by MiSun Kim
Aron’s Absurd Armada Volume 1
Written and illustrated by MiSun Kim
Published by Yen Press
Genre: Comedy
Age: 16+
256 pages
$18.99
We are pirates…
Yup, we are totally pirates…
Whatever anyone may think, we are definitely pirates…
We have a captain, a crew (?), and even Robin, so we are absolutely pirates…
Captain Aron is a brainless idiot, and Robin only loves money, but we are still pirates…
Sailing in search of treasure (or not), we are unquestionably pirates…
So, in conclusion, we are pirates…!
On a whim, Aron Cornwall decides he wants to live a pirate’s life of thrills, sailing on the high seas in search of distant lands and buried treasure. And when you are the son of a duke, you generally get what you want. Accompanied by his reluctant manservant, Robin, Aron scrounges up a crew — including a cook who cannot cook, a transvestite assassin, and a boy (girl?) genius — and sets off on the craziest pirate adventure you’ve ever seen!
Looking at the Eisners: Nominees for Best Short Story
The 2011 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards released their nominees for excellence in comic books for the previous year last Friday. A panel of 6 judges made up of professionals throughout the industry selected the nominees. People throughout the industry will now begin voting on the nominees. Winners will be announced at the award show put on at this summer’s huge Comic-Con International convention in San Diego. The Eisners are basically the comic book equivalent of the film industry’s Academy Awards, TV’s Emmy Awards, music’s Grammy Awards, and theater’s Tony Awards, so it deserves a closer look.
Over the coming weeks, I’ll be breaking down the nominees in each category, providing context and background info, and I’ll also give you a link to Amazon and other sites so you can buy your own copy, if possible. I can’t read everything, so lots of this stuff passed by me or is on my way-too-high to-read pile, so I’m going to avoid saying what “should” win. (I’m also pretty bad at predicting award show winners, so I’m not going to bother embarrassing myself.) Please feel free to post your predictions, preferences, opinions, or questions.
Today we’re taking a look at the nominees for the Best Short Story category, kind of the equivalent of the Oscar for Best Short Film.
Best Short Story
- “Bart on the Fourth of July,” by Peter Kuper, in Bart Simpson #54 (Bongo)
- “Batman, in Trick for the Scarecrow,” by Billy Tucci, in DCU Halloween Special 2010 (DC)
- “Cinderella,” by Nick Spencer and Rodin Esquejo, in Fractured Fables (Silverline Books/Image)
- “Hamburgers for One,” by Frank Stockton, in Popgun vol. 4 (Image)
- “Little Red Riding Hood,” by Bryan Talbot and Camilla d’Errico, in Fractured Fables (Silverline Books/Image)
- “Post Mortem,” by Greg Rucka and Michael Lark, in I Am an Avenger #2 (Marvel)
Take a closer look with the click through: Read the rest of this entry
