It took me a while to truly understand the hate. "What's the big deal?" I'd say. "Previews can't be that hard for people to read. Just ignore all the crap and push on. At least it's more or less in order, right?" And then, flipping through the latest Previews catalog from Diamond Comics, I idly paged through the back half of the book, and there I saw it. The reason for my great hatred of Previews this month. I'm talking about the burying of KRAMER'S ERGOT.

AVODAH BOOKS

KRAMER'S ERGOT FIVE TP, edited by Sammy Harkham
JUN04 3142, p392, $34.95

You may notice that for a publisher's name beginning with the letter "A", the page number is awfully high for this solicitation. That's because for reasons unknown, it's not listed with the other comics. No, Previews has decided to list it in the "books" section, or in other words "that last third of the catalog that no one ever reads". And of course, it's not like they did this to some rinky dink comic that no one cares about. The KRAMER'S ERGOT anthologies are hit and miss, but there's enough good stuff in each book that anyone who cares about alternative comics really should take a look at this book. And of course, the solicitation for it got completely and utterly buried. Brilliant job, everyone involved.

For people who do like comics by people like Chris Ware, Jordan Crane, Mat Brinkman, Marc Bell, Gary Panter, Kevin Huizenga, and Ron Rege (to name a few contributors to this volume), make sure you don't let this anthology linger in obscurity at your local store.

ADHOUSE BOOKS

PINK SKETCHBOOK VOL 1: GRRR!, by Scott Morse
JUN04 2091, p204, $10.00

Is there anything Scott Morse can't do? Every time I turn around he seems to have a new book out, and they always end up being absolutely gorgeous to boot. I'm not sure why AdHouse Books publisher Chris Pitzer decided to start a series of limited-edition mini-sketchbooks, but I'm not complaining. Thirty-two pages of Morse drawing monsters is a winner in my book, that's for certain.

AMAZE INK/SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS

BILL & TED'S MOST EXCELLENT ADVENTURES VOL 1 TP, by Evan Dorkin
JUN04 2133, p214, $13.95

No, no, wait, I haven't lost my mind. When Marvel first published the comic adaptation of BILL & TED'S BOGUS JOURNEY, I remember being really surprised at just how funny the book was. I mean, we're talking about fall down and laugh a lot funny. It wasn't until years later that I understood that the sheer fun of the adaptation was thanks in large part to cartoonist Evan Dorkin.

Now that Slave Labor is publishing the 12-issue series (plus movie adaptation) in two volumes, I'm really excited to re-read these. I figure even if my memory is deceiving me and it's only half as funny as I think it was, I'm still definitely coming out ahead. Dorkin's one of the funniest cartoonists in comics, and I think this is going to prove that no matter what the subject matter, he's always able to triumph.

CARTOON BOOKS

BONE: THE ONE VOLUME EDITION
JUN04 2322, p248, $39.95

Well, Jeff Smith's officially gone crazy. That's the only reason why I can see he decided to issue a special, all-in-one-volume edition of BONE. We're talking about a 1300-page book here, for under $40. Yes, he's crazy, because this is one of the best deals ever in comics and he's going to make a lot of enemies because now everyone looks bad in comparison to him.

And of course, not only is Smith incredibly generous, but he's talented. From the slapstick comedy of the early issues to the gradual darkening and epic quest of the latter instalments, BONE is a real masterpiece, one that I think has shown Smith to be one of comics's greater talents. And if this isn't convincing you, let me now repeat the most important part of all: 1300 pages for just $39.95. Smith isn't planning on keeping this in print (I think it's because he'd like to be able to buy food), so don't pass up this deal of a lifetime.

DARK HORSE

BMW FILMS: THE HIRE #2 (Of 6), by Bruce Campbell and Kilian Plunkett
JUN04 0015, p25, $2.99

Now I was a little impressed when I heard that Dark Horse lined up Matt Wagner for BMW FILMS: THE HIRE #1. And I keep hearing rumors that Katsuhiro Otomo is actually going to draw one of the issues as well. But somehow, having Bruce Campbell on board as a writer for THE HIRE #2 is the coolest thing I've heard about the series so far.

Maybe it's because Dark Horse stands to bring in a lot of non-comic readers on board for this issue (and the eventual collection). Maybe it's because they've teamed him up with the criminally underrated Kilian Plunkett, whose art gets better every time I look at it. But maybe it's because, geez, it's Bruce Campbell. That's really cool. Heck, if THE HIRE comics are half as good as the original short films that ran at bmwfilms.com, this is going to be a real blast.

DC COMICS

BATMAN: THE 12 CENT ADVENTURE, by Devin Grayson, Ramon Backs, & Raoul Fernandez
JUN04 0187, p59, $0.12

Did we really need another massive three-month crossover between all the Batman-related books? Apparently, the answer is yes. Who knew? Then again, with BATMAN sales slipping post-Jim Lee and DETECTIVE COMICS and GOTHAM KNIGHTS both watching their sales continually decrease, I suppose the inevitable sales bump for a line-wide crossover is a good thing for the company. But honestly, now... who the heck buys these? Someone must, because retailers keep ordering them like they're going out of style. But I can never find anyone who admits to actually going into their comic store and deliberately buying each part of the story.

Hmmm, maybe I'm onto something here. Is there some sort of back-alley Batman-crossover black market going on? Are people covertly telling their retailers, "Don't forget to sign me up for the return of FEMFORCE!" when it's in fact a code-phrase for promising to make a three-month, 24-issue purchase commitment? I think this could bear a little investigative journalism...

BATMAN: DEATH AND THE MAIDENS TP, by Greg Rucka and Klaus Janson
JUN04 0197, p63, $19.95

Now, conversely, this is what should have been setting the BATMAN family sales charts on fire. Greg Rucka's the only writer who I've ever thought made Ra's Al Ghul even remotely interesting, and he and Klaus Janson tell an epic story taking place over centuries that really grabbed my attention. Forget about the 12 CENT ADVENTURE and the 'War Games' crossover, save your money for this.

MANHUNTER #1, by Marc Andreyko, Jesus Saiz, and Jimmy Palmiotti
JUN04 0414, p91, $2.50

Darn it. I was all ready to start this review with the subtitle of "or as I like to call it, 'cancelled in 12 issues'" but then I saw the creative team attached to the book. And you know what? If I had to wager I'd say that MANHUNTER's probably going to be really good. Marc Andreyko's writing on the cult series THE LOST as well as TORSO (the latter with Brian Michael Bendis) was really strong, and Jesus Saiz and Jimmy Palmiotti's art on 21 DOWN and MIDNIGHT MASS was visually appealing. And even with snazzy covers by Jae Lee, this book's probably going to fall to the wayside because everyone's going to look at the title and, like me, assume "cancelled in 12 issues". So to make up to Andreyko, Saiz, and Palmiotti for jumping to conclusions, I'm hereby promising that I'll buy the first issue. I bet I'll like it. I bet you will, too.

(What's it about? Hmmm, let's take a look. Federal prosecutor snaps, gets metahuman weaponry, and starts killing those that she thinks deserves it. Depending on how Andreyko handles it, this has real potential. Based on his earlier projects, I think he's going to succeed, too.)

ABSOLUTE PLANETARY HC, by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday
JUN04 0803, p102, $49.95

Let's see... An oversized hardcover on glossy paper of some of the best comics that Warren Ellis, John Cassaday, and Laura DePuy Martin have worked on in their career. Never mind that I've already bought PLANETARY #1-12 twice now, first as single issues and then as regular collections. This is the sort of project I'm willing to buy a third time, because it is going to be one of the most beautiful comics on my bookshelf, by a long shot. I'm sure the inevitable ABSOLUTE BATMAN HUSH is what many more fanboys are waiting for, but this to me is the real deal.

WILDCATS/CYBERFORCE: KILLER INSTINCT TP, by Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, Brandon Choi, Eric Silvestri, and Scott Williams
JUN04 0812, p107, $14.95

Oh good god. Why don't they just title this, "We'll release any old piece of crap that Jim Lee worked on" and get it over with? I have great respect for Jim Lee as a person, and I do enjoy his art, but trust me: this was dreadful when it was first published, and it's going to be even more dreadful when revisited years later. Just say no. (Then go buy copies of the Joe Casey/Dustin Nguyen WILDCATS TPBs. Who knows, maybe if enough people buy the two that were printed we'll finally get collections of the rest of the series. I can dream, can't I?) What's next, Marvel reprinting the issues of ALPHA FLIGHT that Lee drew? (Don't get any ideas, Marvel.)

I AM LEGION: THE DANCING FAUN, by Fabien Nury and John Cassaday
JUN04 0816, p109, $6.95

HOLLOW GROUNDS TP, by Luc and Francois Schuiten
JUN04 0818, p110, $19.95

I find it deeply ironic that in the same solicitations of a gorgeous oversized John Cassaday art extravaganza, DC is also publishing Cassaday's first graphic novel for Humanoids... as a prestige-format, shrunk down one-shot. Half of the fun of the Humanoids line was the larger than life dimensions of the books, letting you really appreciate the artistic talent working on the graphic novels. Making them standard comic book size just seems to really miss the entire point. At least you can still get the original English-language oversized hardcovers for the three HOLLOW GROUNDS books. Trust me, once you see Schuiten's amazingly detailed and intricate art, the idea of shrinking it down will seem like heresy to you, too.

DEL REY

NEGIMA VOL 2, by Ken Akamatsu
JUN04 2401, p263, $10.95

Am I the only person a little weirded out by the fact that a book with a huge "For Mature Audiences, Ages 16+" sticker on the cover is starring a 10-year old boy? There's just something very wrong about this. Then again, as far as I can tell from looking at the first volume, the entire plot consists of the young boy teaching at an all-girls school, and every time he sneezes women's clothing flies off.

Folks, I couldn't make this up if I tried.

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS

FRED THE CLOWN GN, by Roger Langridge
JUN04 2524, p296, $16.95

It's hard to describe the sort of comedy that Roger Langridge puts into FRED THE CLOWN. I think it's really because he puts it all there, one way or another. It's slapstick, it's screwball, it's 1920s silent movies, it's bawdy limericks, it's gonzo insanity, it's carefully crafted satires. What it is, above all else, is fall-over-laughing funny.

Langridge's ability to shift styles looks effortless in the extreme, and his art matches the joke every time. I'm delighted to see that Fantagraphics has picked up the FRED THE CLOWN collection, because this truly is a delight to read.

LOCAS: A LOVE & ROCKETS BOOK HC, by Jaime Hernandez
JUN04 2525, p298, $49.95

This is the most gorgeous book I will not be buying in August.

Don't get me wrong, this is an incredible bargain. All of Jaime Hernandez's critically-acclaimed 'Locas' stories from LOVE & ROCKETS #1-50 in a single volume is a great thing indeed. Maggie and Hopey are two of alternative comics's poster children, and Hernandez's stories about love, separation, and the Los Angeles punk rock scene have entranced me ever since I first encountered them over a decade ago. His brother Gilbert Hernandez's similar monstrous compilation PALOMAR looked nothing short of fantastic, and I'm sure that Fantagraphics and Hernandez will make sure that LOCAS looks just as nice.

So why am I not buying it? Because I've already got all of the stories in the other LOVE & ROCKETS collections. People like me who've been around the block a couple of times aren't necessarily going to be as entranced because we own and have read all of these stories so often we can recite them from memory. For everyone else, though, this is an incredible steal. Heck, I might buy a copy or two after all. This is going to be one really fantastic Christmas present for some lucky person.

IMAGE COMICS

ART OF GREG HORN HC, by Greg Horn
JUN04 1350, p133, $39.95

Just think, now young boys who can't buy a copy of PLAYBOY yet will have an easy-to-acquire alternative. Start saving your allowance up now!

INVINCIBLE VOL 3: PERFECT STRANGERS TP, by Robert Kirkman and Ryan Ottley
JUN04 1362, p142, $12.95

JACK STAFF VOL 2: SOLDIERS TP, by Paul Grist
JUN04 1363, p143, $15.95

Thanks to the joys of alphabetical order, two of my favorite ongoing series being published have collections right next to each other. Both INVINCIBLE and JACK STAFF bring a real sense of wonder and excitement to a genre that has perhaps seen slightly better days.

It's easy to get very jaded when you feel like you've seen it all, but Robert Kirkman and Paul Grist write like you've encountered these situations and ideas for the very first time, and both of them pull it off wonderfully. Both of them sport nice, clean artwork thanks to Ryan Ottley and Grist, harkening back to a much simpler, innocent time. Don't let that fool you, though. Both INVINCIBLE (with its coming-of-age narrative) and JACK STAFF (where sins of the past revisit the present) have complex, intricate stories with lots of surprises and twists waiting for you around the corner.

Thankfully, Kirkman and Grist both also understand that each issue could be someone's first, so they're easy to jump into and try at any point. And believe me, once you read these, you'll be wanting those earlier collections too. This is great stuff.

LAST GASP

RENT GIRL GN, by Michelle Tea and Laurenn McCubbin
JUN04 2646, p318, $24.95

I adore Laurenn McCubbin's art. It's like she's held tracing paper up to the real world and shakily drawn what she sees. Her self-published XXXLIVENUDEGIRLS was really sharp, and the short stories in SPX 2002 and on Artbomb just proved to me that she wasn't a one-hit wonder.

So while RENT GIRL may not strictly be a comic (it's closer in form to an illustrated book, although there is definitely a sequential progression of the illustrations), it's close enough in my book to include it here as part of the Previews roundup. And with Michelle Tea writing about rent girls in a firm, unflinching manner for McCubbin to illustrate, well, RENT GIRL sounds like it's going to be 300 pages of enjoyment. Once you head over to Artbomb and read McCubbin's HARVEST GYPSY story (It's free! Go on and check it out!), you'll see why I'm so excited about this book.

MARVEL COMICS

ULTIMATE NIGHTMARE #1 (Of 5), by Warren Ellis and Trevor Hairsine
JUN04 1568, p04(M), $2.25

Competing covert agencies, mysterious forces, and the Tunguska crater in Russia? Yep, it's a Warren Ellis comic, all right. To some die-hard fanboys, their "ultimate nightmare" is Ellis unleashed on Marvel's Ultimate Universe, but to me, this sounds like a lot of fun. If Ellis is allowed to keep it more about espionage and secrets and less about who hits harder, I'm on board.

X-FORCE #1, by Rob Liefeld and Fabian Nicieza
JUN04 1594, p25(M), $2.99

I feel very old right about now. History is repeating itself, and it really stunk the first time. Oh well. I see that Arcade Comics is offering up the first issue of Liefeld's YOUNGBLOOD: BLOODSPORT mini-series that he never got around to drawing the rest of. Bets on how long before Rob Liefeld gets fired from Marvel for a third time? (Or fourth, depending on if you count Liefeld's removal from X-FORCE as "writer" after he left the art chores way back when.)

MONKEYSUIT PRESS

ADVENTURES OF MIA #2, by Enrico Casarosa
JUN04 2658, p320, $3.99

Anyone who's heard me talk about the MONKEYSUIT anthologies will probably know that my favorite stories are always Enrico Casarosa's THE ADVENTURES OF MIA. Well let me tell you, I almost did a dance of joy when I found out that Casarosa was starting an ADVENTURES OF MIA comic book series.

Casarosa's storytelling brings to mind the great masters of animation like Hayao Miyazaki (SPIRITED AWAY, PRINCESS MONONOKE) with his delicate lines and complex world-building. Each page is a piece of art unto its own, and the world into which Casarosa brings you, with biplanes soaring over the ocean and racing one another in the sky, is absolutely fantastic. When we see an ADVENTURES OF MIA movie in ten years win an Oscar, those of us who've been reading these comics won't be surprised at all. Yep, Casarosa's just that good.

NBM

BOOK OF SCHUITEN HC, by Francois Schuiten
JUN04 2672, p322, $45.00

All right, this is a tough sell, I'll admit it. For $45 you're getting a 136 page hardcover, and I can already imagine a lot of reader's eyes skipping down to the next paragraph. Yes, it's expensive. And to be honest, I don't think this is for everyone. But if you do like intricately drawn art by Schuiten, whom in another life would have been an award-winning architect, then you've absolutely got to get this art book up.

Featuring art from all points of his career (theatre and opera set design, movie posters, and artistic recreations), this is the sort of coffee table book that you'll want to have sitting out to wow and excite your friends. Now if you've never seen Schuiten's books before, there's always a cheaper introduction from NBM, like BRUSEL or THE INVISIBLE FRONTIER. And yes, this is going to be a really daunting price tag for the casual buyer. But at the same time, it's because of that price tag that not pre-ordering this might make it a little harder to find if you're just browsing at your comic store. So if you do want it, make sure you say something now rather than miss out later.

DUNGEON VOL 1 TP, by Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim
JUN04 2672, p324, $14.95

Ah, this solicitation warms my Joann Sfar and Lewis Trondheim-loving little heart. When NBM first announced they were going to publish Sfar and Trondheim's comic fantasy series DONJON (or DUNGEON in English), my heart sunk when I saw that it would be in black and white single issues. I'm not an anti-black-and-white snob, but not getting those colors just made the books seem a little less alive.

I'm thrilled to see that NBM's collections, however, will be in full colour, so you can fully appreciate one of the goofier comics out there. This is by no stretch of the imagination a terribly serious comic, as readers of Sfar's LITTLE VAMPIRE DOES KUNG FU or Trondheim's MISTER O might have guessed. It will make you laugh, though, as a lone duck has to become the savior of the evil Dungeon and all its inhabitants.

It kills me that despite being one of the major forces in comics in France, Trondheim's barely made a dent in the English language. I keep hoping that every new project brought over will be the one to help him break through. Who knows, maybe this will be it?

ONI PRESS

OJO #1 (Of 5), by Sam Kieth and Alex Pardee
JUN04 2704, p326, $2.99

I have no idea if Sam Kieth is making more money in comics than he did during his brief stint in film, but I like to think he's having more fun. His recent projects ZERO GIRL and FOUR WOMEN have really showcased the inventive and emotional storytelling that he's capable of, so seeing another new project arrive in the form of OJO is definitely a good thing. I don't know too much about OJO, but I do know that Kieth telling a "girl and her pet monster" story will be anything but predictable in his twisted little hands. I'm sold.

SICK MIND PRESS

SHEBA VOL 3 TP, by Walter S. Crane IV
JUN04 2741, p332, $17.95

In many ways, SHEBA is the little comic that could. Going from self-published to Sirius's ill-fated Dog Star Press imprint, back to self-published, and then to Shanda Fantasy arts, SHEBA just seems to keep on going no matter who's sending the solicitations on.

The comic itself is a strange one, but in a good way, involving the mummy of Cleopatra's cat, who in the afterlife has to team up with gods and other celestial beings from different pantheons to stop a usurper from stomping out all other religions.

Walter S Crane IV has a dry sense of humour on display here (almost a necessity when you're writing a comic about a cat encased in funeral wrappings), and his art just keeps getting better as he draws one of the cutest mummies in comics. There aren't too many sweet and fun comics being published these days, but SHEBA is definitely one of them.

VIZ

MERMAID SAGA VOL 2 GN, by Rumiko Takahashi
JUN04 2918, p372, $9.99

Rumiko Takahashi, the Japanese Queen of Comics, is probably best known in English-speaking countries for the cute martial arts extravaganza RANMA 1/2, the romantic comedy MAISON IKKOKU, and the fantasy epic INU-YASHA. What most people haven't seen, though, is a darker side of Takahashi with her MERMAID SAGA comics.

Legend tells us that if you eat the flesh of a mermaid, those who survive the experience will become immortal. But what happens when the never-aging eaters of the mermaid desperately want to die? The resulting story is a quest across Japan in search of any living mermaids... but trust me, mermaids in these stories are anything but sweet and innocent. This is grim and unrelenting, and it's one of the most mature and adult stories that I've ever seen from Takahashi. Great, great stuff, and I wish she'd draw some more installments soon. Three volumes just isn't enough for me.

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.