I have a suggestion for publishers, though it's one that would almost put me out of a job. None the less, someone has to say it: publishers, is it too much to ask that you update your website with information on your upcoming books when the solicitations are released?

Now I'm not saying that everyone is bad about this. There are some publishers, like Top Shelf and DC, who are fantastic about updating. Covers, informational blurbs, sometimes even sneak previews are already available when the new Previews ships. And to them, I say thank you, because they make my life much easier. When I'm trying to find cover images for the latest Things To Come, I usually make a list of seven or so different comics that I think would look nice. Then, by the time I've ruled out all the ones from publishers that can't be bothered to make the covers easy to find, I've got three (if I'm lucky) and I send them in to my editors.

So consider this a plea: as soon as Previews hits shelves, maybe you could update your website? I mean, it's almost like you don't want to sell comics or something. It's a little mind-boggling.

ADV FILMS

YOTSUBA&! VOL 3 by Kiyohiko Azuma
AUG05 2608, p205, $9.99

This is one of those strangely adorable books that I just can't get enough of, and I can't help but think that just about everyone else who read it would feel the same way. It's about a little girl named Yotsuba who moves into a new neighborhood with her father, but anything and everything seems radically new to her. Is she an alien? Just extremely naive? Maybe just good-hearted and innocent? It's hard to say, but it's undeniable that Kiyohiko Azuma makes her adventures extremely appealing. YOTSUBA&! just makes me grin every time I read it; this is one of those criminally unrecognized books that deserves far more attention than it ever gets.

DARK HORSE

NEXUS ARCHIVES VOL 1 HC by Mike Baron and Steve Rude
AUG05 0020, p23, $49.95

I must admit that I was a little surprised to see this book on the schedule. Mike Baron and Steve Rude's NEXUS was a much beloved book during its time at First Comics, but after being stuck in limbo for years thanks to legal proceedings surrounding First's collapse into bankruptcy, by the time Dark Horse rescued NEXUS the steam seemed to be gone. Two collections of old material and several mini-series later, that seemed to be the end of NEXUS, and it's a pity: a combination of Rude's gorgeous and classically styled art with Baron's stories about the galaxy's unwilling executioner were great stories that deserved better. Hopefully these new hardcover editions will breath new life into NEXUS, although one has to wonder if the additional money received from this expensive format will offset the inevitable lower sales. It should be interesting to find out.

EDEN VOL 1: IT'S AN ENDLESS WORLD by Niroki Endo
AUG05 0045, p34, $12.95

This is one of those books I know absolutely nothing about, but I'm intrigued by the cover image. The image of two teenagers sprawled on the ground next to some sort of cybernetic hookup device just looks nice, and comparisons to Katsuhiro Otomo's AKIRA are certainly promising. I could be falling flat on my face here by recommending it (the text of the solicitation, about a virus that forces survivors to become cyborgs, and something about combat robots, sounds so-so), but I'm going on a hunch here that it'll be good.

CLUB 9 VOL 4 by Makoto Kobayashi
AUG05 0062, p37, $15.95

I've said it before, I'll say it again. CLUB 9 is just fantastic. Who knew the stories of a college student who goes to work in a ginza (hostess) bar could be so romantic and sweet? I literally started bouncing up and down with glee at the news that we were getting a fourth collection of Harou's adventures already; it's nice to see that someone at Dark Horse clearly shares my high affection for the book.

DC COMICS

BATMAN: GOTHAM COUNTY LINE #1 by Steve Niles and Scott Hampton
AUG05 0179, p57, $5.99

What's this? A book from Steve Niles not published by IDW or Dark Horse? I know I exaggerate a bit, but seriously, it's nice to see other publishers giving Niles work as well. The idea of a Batman story set in the suburbs sounds a little dull, to be honest, but I'm sucked in with the promise of beautifully painted Scott Hampton art. Hampton's an amazing artist, and a new comic by him is always reason to celebrate.

INFINITE CRISIS #1 by Geoff Johns, Phil Jimenez, and Andy Lanning
AUG05 0205, p71, $3.99

I suppose I would be remiss in not mentioning that this begins in October. So, here we go. If you're into this sort of thing, jump up and down with glee. If you're not, let's move on to the next solicitation, which is much more interesting...

SEVEN SOLDIERS: KLARION THE WITCHBOY #4 by Grant Morrison and Frazer Irving
AUG05 0233, p81, $2.99

Have I told you how fantastic KLARION THE WITCHBOY is? I'm enjoying all of the SEVEN SOLDIERS books to date, but KLARION, with its underground Puritan-styled village of blue-skinned witches is stunning, both in Grant Morrison's enthralling writing and in the absolutely gorgeous art from Frazer Irving. I remember hearing at one point of the possibility of a SEVEN SOLDIERS character getting his or her own monthly series. There are admittedly three more SEVEN SOLDIERS mini-series that haven't even debuted yet, but right now I've got to put my money on wanting more KLARION. It's absolutely fantastic.

TOMORROW STORIES SPECIAL #1 by Alan Moore, Steve Moore, Kevin Nowlan, Hilary Barta, Rick Veitch, and Melinda Gebbie
AUG05 0276, p108, $6.99

This is a little odd; to be honest, I'm more than a little surprised to see it. The idea of another Jack B Quick story by Alan Moore and Kevin Nowlan, as well as a Greyshirt piece by Moore and Rick Veitch, is enough to make me very happy indeed. With just about all of the ABC books having wound down or been handed off to other creators, though, this suddenly materializing on the schedule is a legitimate reason to be perplexed.

Perhaps it's just a bunch of stories that were slated for the ultimately never-published TOMORROW STORIES #13. (Although wasn't there supposed to also be a story drawn by John Totleben, called Pearl of the Deep?) Still, like I said, more Jack B Quick and Greyshirt are definitely reason to celebrate.

LOVELESS #1 by Brian Azzarello and Marcelo Frusin
AUG05 0279, p111, $2.99

So sue me: I really liked Brian Azzarello and Marcelo Frusin's run on HELLBLAZER. I thought it was a lot of fun, and that the two worked quite well together. For those horrified at what the duo did to John Constantine, though, they'll be relieved to hear that LOVELESS has no connection to Constantine or any other pre-existing Vertigo character. Instead it's a Western set in the days after the American Civil War, with a former Confederate soldier and his wife just looking for some peace and quiet - but the rest of the world won't leave them (and their secrets) alone. I think this sounds really promising.

DOOM PATROL VOL 3: DOWN PARADISE WAY by Grant Morrison, Richard Case, Kim DeMulder, and Kelley Jones
AUG05 0282, p115, $19.99

Well, that should end the question once and for all as to whether we would ever see a third Grant Morrison DOOM PATROL collection. While some of my all-time favorite stories by Morrison and company were in the second volume ('The Painting that Ate Paris', 'Going Underground', and 'The Soul of a New Machine'), there's still a lot to recommend this third collection. It's populated with characters like Danny the Street (a sentient, transvestite street that can teleport across the world), the Men From N.O.W.H.E.R.E. (who only speak in acronyms of "nowhere"), and yes, Flex Mentallo (the hero of the beach!), and if you think the characters are great, wait until you read the stories they're appearing in. Three cheers for more Morrison DOOM PATROL.

DIGITAL MANGA PUBLISHING

BAMBI AND HER PINK GUN VOL 2 by Atsushi Kaneko
AUG05 2874, p269, $12.95

I haven't read BAMBI AND HER PINK GUN yet, but I did get to see a preview copy at San Diego last month and it looked fantastic; a "girl on the road" story that looked like it was drawn by Philip Bond's secret twin from Japan. Just looking at the cover for the second volume, I'm really psyched with the idea of sitting down and reading all about Bambi... and of course, her pink gun. (It's so nice to see fashion-conscious comic book characters.)

DRAWN & QUARTERLY

PYONGYANG: A JOURNEY TO NORTH KOREA HC by Guy Delisle
AUG05 2897, p277, $19.95

I know very little about life in North Korea, and I think that's why I really want to see PYONGYANG. A travelogue of a Westerner's trip to North Korea sounds fascinating, a real journey for not only Guy Delisle, but the reader as well through Delisle's eyes. When I was a little kid I was told that I got to travel the world through reading, and that definitely applies here.

FANTAGRAPHICS

ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY #16 by Chris Ware
AUG05 2917, p284, $15.95

Wow. Four years later, a new issue of ACME NOVELTY LIBRARY is finally released. Chris Ware's new opus, 'Rusty Brown', about the world's most powerful (and annoying) collector, promises to be disturbing, intriguing, and perfectly illustrated in a wonderfully anal-retentive way. What more can you ask for? What's that? How about it's a nice hardcover edition that you can stick on your bookshelf? Done!

BEG THE QUESTION by Bob Fingerman
AUG05 2918, -284, $16.95

Bob Fingerman's BEG THE QUESTION is one of those brilliant comics that I feel like no one's ever read. Originally serialized in the pages of MINIMUM WAGE (before being collected and revised as a graphic novel), it's Fingerman's mostly-autobiographical story, about trying to make ends meet as a comic creator, living with a crazy roommate, and falling hopelessly in love. This is one of those hysterically funny yet serious books that you just can't put down; there's so much good stuff going on here you'll be amazed that you've never read it before. Trust me, folks, you need this book. Now that it's coming out in softcover, the time for excuses is over.

IMAGE COMICS

AGE OF BRONZE #21 by Eric Shanower
AUG05 1663, p144, $3.50

Unlike Chris Ware, Eric Shanower releases issues of AGE OF BRONZE much faster than once every four years. Like Chris Ware, though, a new comic from Shanower is much reason to celebrate. His telling of the Trojan War is engrossing from start to finish, one of those projects that can't help but take your breath away with the sheer scope of it all, coupled with the amazing skill that puts it all together. There aren't many books being published today that I'd call perfect, but in the case of AGE OF BRONZE there isn't a more apt adjective.

MARVEL

SHE-HULK 2 #1 by Dan Slott and Juan Bobillo
AUG05 1888, pM11, $2.99

I have friends who are going to yell at me for this, but I still haven't read Dan Slott and Juan Bobillo's SHE-HULK. I've been told that it's hysterically funny and beautifully drawn, though, so I hereby promise that I will give it a try with the relaunching of the series this October. I do have to laugh at the solicitation, though, since it seems to be giving away at least one small part of the ending of Marvel's HOUSE OF M crossover bonanza that's still being published. Oops!

FANTASTIC FOUR/IRON MAN: BIG IN JAPAN #1 by Zeb Wells and Seth Fisher
AUG05 1938, pM53, $3.50

Zeb Wells is another creator whose work I'm unfamiliar with (but hear very positive things about), but I do know all about Seth Fisher's art. It's a wonderfully crazy, hyper-detailed creation, and the cover for FANTASTIC FOUR/IRON MAN: BIG IN JAPAN is almost breathtaking in its beauty. If you're willing to take a chance on a book based entirely on the art, this is a book to gamble on.

ONI PRESS

ARMAGEDDON & SON by John Layman and Dave Dumeer
AUG05 3058, p317, $9.95

At a glance, the new graphic novel ARMAGEDDON & SON sounds sort of familiar; an evil genius and his slacker son have to team up to save the world from other evil geniuses who want to beat our evil genius to the punch. John Layman's has proved in the past that he can take the ordinary and make it clever and entertaining, so I suspect the end result will be a hell of a lot of fun.

SPEAKEASY COMICS

ROCKETO #3 by Frank Espinosa
AUG05 3111, p336, $2.99

I picked up a copy of ROCKETO #0 at San Diego, and while I haven't sat down to actually read it yet, just glancing at the art got me very excited. It reminds me a lot of Darwyn Cooke's work, a beautiful synthesis of comics and animation influences boiled down into a single, distinct style. This is definitely a book that I'm ordering just based on the art alone. (Rocket ships and exploration? Well, that's an added bonus.)

360EP

ADVENT RISING: ROCK THE PLANET #1 by... um...
AUG05 3121, p340, $2.25

Who the heck is working on this book? The solicitation states that the answer is Rob M Worley, Cliff Richards, and Cris DeLara. The full-page advertisement leaves off Cris DeLara's name, but adds in Bill Jemas and gives him first billing. Then, if that's not enough, the interview with Jemas also says that Arthur De La Cruz is working on the story and layouts - but he leaves himself out of the equation. And of course, nowhere but the interview does it mention that ADVENT RISING is actually based on a game that was based on the writings of Orson Scott Card.

Tell you what, you guys figure out who's actually responsible for ADVENT RISING and get back to us.

TOKYOPOP

LOVE MODE VOL 1 by Yuki Shimizu
AUG05 3224, p363, $9.99

One of the debut books from TokyoPop's new Blu imprint is LOVE MODE by Yuki Shimizu, and I love this solicitation so much that I'm going to reproduce it here wholesale:

When Izumi, a typical straight high school student, is mistaken for a male escort from a gay dating club, he begins a sexual odyssey filled with heated passion and sparking romance. After a surprising date with the charming Takamiya, Izumi tries to deny that he is developing feelings for another man. But desire begins to take over, and Izumi's amorous feelings are further catapulted into the stratosphere when Takamiya showers him with affection, and talks of taking a vacation - and more - with his new young stud...

In other words, it's your typical romance story, only with two men instead of a mixed-sex couple, and the added question of sexual identity. What can I say? I'm there.

TOP SHELF

SUPERF*CKERS #2 by James Kochalka
AUG05 3230, p364, $5.00

The first issue of SUPERF*CKERS, James Kochalka's story of slacker teenage superheroes and the clubhouse where they hang out, made me laugh so hard I almost cried. People who take superhero comics very seriously might not be impressed, but this thinly disguised riff on the Legion of Super-Heroes is absolutely inspired in my eyes. In an ideal world, we'd get a new SUPERF*CKERS every month, but this is a book that I'm willing to wait for.

VIZ

STEAMBOY ANI-MANGA VOL 1 by Katsuhiro Otomo
AUG05 3296, p381, $19.99

I am not normally a fan of 'ani-manga' at all. Most books I've seen using animation cel captures to try and create a comic look stiff and frozen, and it just doesn't work. I think that's why I was so shocked with the preview pages Viz was handing out at San Diego of the STEAMBOY ANI-MANGA book. Maybe it's because the film was directed by Katsuhiro Otomo, but the manga looks gorgeous; if I didn't know better I'd have thought it was a full-color comic instead of images from an actual movie. I've heard that the movie itself was just so-so, but that visually it's a masterpiece, so perhaps the ani-manga edition really is the way to go, where you can just spend your time gazing at each image. Yeah, I like that idea.

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.