As this article goes live, it's Independence Day here in the United States. At first I wasn't sure if it would really be possible to "celebrate" the holiday in the column, short of suddenly telling my (British) editors that I'd quit, but I don't think they'd have found that particularly amusing.

Then, inspiration struck as I looked at the slate of movies being released this summer, and just how many of them are remakes or sequels. Where's the originality? Where's something new? And it hit me... how is this different from comics, with the same characters hogging most of the shelf space?

So, this month's "Things to Come" is anti-sequel, in the spirit of independence. No continuing characters, no latest instalments of an already-established series of stories. (The first volume of something new? That's ok. So is a collection of older material if it otherwise qualifies. Hey, it's my column, I make the rules.)

The end result? Well, it means that some good books (like Harvey Pekar and Dean Haspiel's THE QUITTER, for instance) don't really qualify, so it's not something I'm going to do every month. Other than that, though, just take a look for yourself and see.

COMIC BOOK LEGAL DEFENSE FUND

SPX 2005 ANTHOLOGY edited by Brian Ralph
JUL05 2752, p253, $12.95

I know what you're thinking... "Hey, I thought you said this was anti-sequel month?" Trust me, it is. The only connection from one volume of the annual SPX anthology to the next is the publisher and occasionally the editor; the important thing is that it's a celebration of small, independent, and creator-owned press.

This year Brian Ralph (CAVE IN, CLIMBING OUT) is guest-editing the book and the line up... well, here's just a few of the names: Charles Burns, Gary Panter, Chester Brown, Jordan Crane, Scott Morse, Seth, Megan Kelso, Andy Runton, Daniel Krall, Kurt Wolfgang, Greg Cook... and tons more still to be announced. This sounds like a must-buy to me, and as an added bonus, all proceeds benefit the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. It'll be hard to find more bang for your buck than this book.

(Disclaimer: from 1998 to 2004 I was on the Steering Committee and then Board of Directors for SPX, although that is no longer the case. So I can now push the anthology with no nepotistic links remaining!)

DC COMICS

A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE by John Wagner and Vince Locke
JUL05 0303, p112, $9.99

Last night in the movie theatre (finally seeing the quite-excellent MR AND MRS SMITH) a preview for a movie starring Viggo Mortensen, Maria Bello, and Ed Harris kicked off the feature. It was about a small-town diner owner who saves his family and customers from bank robbers and, upon getting thrust into the spotlight, has his past come back to haunt him.

The trailer looked really good, and it wasn't until the very end when they flashed the name that I suddenly said, "Hey! I know this!" I'd forgotten that A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE was being made into a movie, another one of the forgotten books from DC's old Paradox Press line.

I'm relieved that it's being rushed back into print in time for the film, because what I saw on the big screen looked really good. If the graphic novel is as strong (and based on it being by John Wagner and Vince Locke, I'm willing to give it the benefit of the doubt), this could finally become a hit.

(Oh, and for any Hollywood moguls reading this... so far we've had THE ROAD TO PERDITION and now A HISTORY OF VIOLENCE from the Paradox Press line made into movies. Might I suggest that the next one to get made be Tom DeHaven and Robin Smith's GREEN CANDLES? Fantastic suspense thriller, and I can't help but think that it's a smash hit just waiting to invade the public's consciousness everywhere.)

DRAWN & QUARTERLY

THE PUSH MAN AND OTHER STORIES by Yoshihiro Tatsumi
JUL05 2818, p276, $19.95

I love the fact that when Drawn & Quarterly decides that it's time to get into the wild world of manga, they manage to do it completely and utterly on their own terms. That's the only way to describe their publishing of THE PUSH MAN AND OTHER STORIES, which is explained as being stories about Japanese urban life that comments "on the interplay between an overwhelming, bustling, crowded, modern society, and the troubled emotional and sexual life of the individual."

In other words, they've found someone in Japan whose work fits in perfectly with the Drawn & Quarterly ethos. I think it's brilliant; publisher Chris Oliveros rarely leads me wrong, and the idea of getting a glimpse into living in a Japanese urban environment sounds fascinating, something we can't really get domestically. Big thumbs up from yours truly in the hope that it's as good as it sounds.

IMAGE COMICS

FELL #1 by Warren Ellis and Ben Templesmith
JUL05 1609, p132, $1.99

This looks really nice; an ongoing series of stand-alone stories centred on Detective Richard Fell and his new assignment in the hellacious district of Snowdown. Ellis's crime fiction is probably my favourite of the genres he's dipped into over the years, and having to put together single-story shots sounds perfect to me, because I think when he's concise it results in his strongest efforts.

As an added bonus, having seen Ben Templesmith work with an eight-panel grid on his and Matt Fraction's serial for BLOODSUCKER TALES, I know that he can handle tight layouts well. Even the format has caught my eye: 24-page comics for just $1.99. If there's any justice, this'll be a hit.

LONG HOT SUMMER by Eric Stephenson and Jamie McKelvie
JUL05 1621, p138, $7.99

So help me god, when I first saw this solicitation my initial thought was, "How did I end up in the Oni Press section?" (That's a complement, I might add.) Eric Stephenson's someone who, in the last six month, has really gained a lot of stock in my book; his editing of FOUR LETTER WORLDS was great, and his own contributions as a writer to both it and NEGATIVE BURN: WINTER 2005 impressed me.

Jamie McKelvie's art in both of those volumes was strong as well, and best of all it's perfectly suited to a comic involving mods, scooters, and Southern California; it's just got that attitude and style that feels almost retro while still remaining current. Image Comics' continuing reinvention of itself was given a great boost by the two anthologies I just mentioned, and I think this book will definitely continue in that same positive trend.

NEW RELIABLE PRESS

YOU AIN'T NO DANCER VOL 1
JUL05 3011, p314, $5.95

All right, this sounds interesting. An anthology of "up and coming" artists both from print and web comics, all taking the theme 'The Worst of Times' as their starting point. To be honest, any book that wants to try and define its sensibility by slapping a Dave Cooper painting on the cover has successfully grabbed my attention. This could end up being an utter disaster, don't get me wrong, but it's something new, and I applaud them for that. Between that and the fact that it's 96 pages long, they've got me wanting to pick up their debut.

ONI PRESS

POLLY & THE PIRATES #1 by Ted Naifeh
JUL05 3015, p314, $2.99

I love Ted Naifeh's comics; he's really brilliant, both when he writes and draws his own books (like COURTNEY CRUMRIN) or when he's just lending his visuals to other people's tales (DEATH JR). I think it's because he's got such a dead-on grasp of what people want in comics; his characters are appealing because they're fun to read about. They're real, but cool because Naifeh's characters always walk to the beat of their old drum, to dig up a cliche.

His new project, a six-issue mini-series about a boarding school girl who becomes a pirate queen, sounds like it's going to continue in the fine tradition he's set up until now. If this book is anything less than immensely fun I will be shocked.

PENG ONE-SHOT by Corey S Lewis and Brandon Graham
JUL05 3014, p314, $5.95

You know, if anyone else did a comic about kickball I'd be raising an eyebrow is scepticism. The fact that it's from the same creator as SHARKNIFE, though? Well, that changes everything. SHARKNIFE was crazy, over-the-top fun, and that's just what a comic about kickball should be, too. I think this may very well end up being a book like IRON WOK JAN, where at first just a handful of people read it, but word of mouth turns it into a bona fide hit. Time to get in on the ground floor, folks.

PANTHEON BOOKS

BLACK HOLE by Charles Burns
JUL05 3023, p315, $24.95

As I lay me down to sleep
I pray the lord my soul to keep
And if I die before I wake
I pray that I do not end up in a Charles Burns comic...

OK, the rhyme meter is off a bit there. None the less, Burns is definitely one of those creators whose books are great to read, but you'd never want to live it. BLACK HOLE is in many ways Burns's magnum opus, a twelve-issue story about a sexually transmitted disease passing through teenagers that warps and reshapes their bodies in horrific ways.

In most people's hands, that story would be about lumbering beasts of children rampaging through downtown. Here it's about puberty, fear, isolation, and self-image. It's a very subtle yet disturbing series, about children forced to live in camps on the edge of suburbia after they begin to change. For everyone that's been waiting for the collection all this time, your wait is almost over.

SPEAKEASY COMICS

SPELLGAME #1 by Dan Mishkin and Ramon Perez
JUL05 3065, p332, $2.99

I love Dan Mishkin's writing - I think he's one of the unsung heroes of comics. He and Tom Mandrake's short-lived series CREEPS for Image was wonderful, and I just recently unearthed my collection of his work on DC's ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS comic that he'd made far better than anyone could have imagined. (And of course, his BLUE DEVIL comics are a cult classic, to put it mildly.)

This new series sounds really clever: a con man and stage magician who discovers real magic is starting to seep into the world, and he's one of the only people who instinctively knows how to use it. Speakeasy Comics has been unveiling a lot of new and interesting looking series and books as of late, and this seems to continue the trend. I'm definitely checking this book out.

TOKYOPOP

I LUV HALLOWEEN VOL 1 by Keith Giffen and Ben Roman
JUL05 3074, p339, $9.99

Oh, this looks fantastic. Keith Giffen's sarcastic sense of humour is great fun, and the art samples from Ben Roman look wonderful. This seems like a perfect book for people who like titles like SERENITY ROSE, LENORE, or COURTNEY CRUMRIN; funny and a little sarcastic and cutting in its humour.

If there's any justice in the world, I LUV HALLOWEEN will get shelved right next to copies of Tim Burton's THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS, because they've both got such a unique look to them, I can't help but feel that fans of one will be drawn to the other by its strength of vision. Roman's a great find for TokyoPop, and after hearing about this book a year ago, I'm thrilled that it's finally on the schedule.

TOP SHELF

WILL YOU STILL LOVE ME IF I WET THE BED? by Liz Prince
JUL05 3179, p360, $7.00

There's a right and a wrong way to handle a solicitation, and Liz Prince's debut book is definitely the right way:

What started out as an exercise in keeping a personal comics journal, quickly evolved into Liz Prince's first solo graphic novel. Described as a mix between Jeffrey Brown and James Kochalka, Liz's comics are made up of short vignettes that capture all the cute, gross, and endearing aspects of relationships. It's the perfect book for all those fans of autobiographical comics who want to see a happy ending.

You see? Everything you need to know is there. I've got creators whose works I can compare it to, an idea of the tone of the book, and even a little glimpse into the history of its making. Sold.

VIZ

DEATH NOTE VOL 1 by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata
JUL05 3236, p368, $7.99

... and DEATH NOTE is the wrong way:

Light tests the boundaries of the Death Note's powers as L and the police begin to close in. Luckily Light's father is the head of the Japanese National Police Agency and leaves information about the case lying around the house. With access to the files, Light can keep one step ahead of the authorities. But who is the strange man following him, and how can Light guard against enemies whose names he doesn't know?

The sad thing is, when I saw the name DEATH NOTE it rang a bell; perhaps someone told me something good about it. Unfortunately, this is a mess of a solicitation. This is the first volume, for Pete's sake; maybe something a little more helpful could have been put here?

NAOKI URASAWA'S MONSTER VOL 1 by Naoki Urasawa
JUL05 3257, p372, $9.99

Fellow Ninth Art contributor Alex de Campi has been telling me how great MONSTER is, so I'm delighted that it's finally being translated into English. The series kicks off with a twist on the old "if you could kill a genocidal maniac as a child, would you do so?" by having Doctor Kenzo Tenma save the life of a critically injured boy... who grows up to be a serial killer.

This is supposed to be one of the absolute best series running in Japan, involving conspiracies, murders, and more tension than you can possibly imagine. Based on all the raves I keep hearing about MONSTER, I think I'd be a fool not to buy it.

... And that's it.

Surprised? So was I. There's a real lack of original books out there; heck, if you add in reprints or series being translated, you'd lose half of the ones I just listed.

Don't take brand-new graphic novels or series for granted. Try something and reward publishers for taking chances on good, new, and original comics. That's the only way we're going to get more, after all. Vote with your wallet.

Greg McElhatton writes reviews for iComics.com, and has also written for anthologies, magazines, web sites, and technical manuals.

This article is Ideological Freeware. The author grants permission for its reproduction and redistribution by private individuals on condition that the author and source of the article are clearly shown, no charge is made, and the whole article is reproduced intact, including this notice.