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October 20, 2010
Atomic Books Comics Preview - October 20, 2010
In the weekly Atomic Books Comics Preview, Benn Ray highlights notable new comics and graphic novels.
Benn Ray is the owner of Atomic Books, an independent bookstore in Baltimore. The Mobtown Shank is his blog, and his comic Said What? is syndicated weekly in the Baltimore Sun's B-Paper.
Atomic Books was recently named one of Bizarre Magazine's 51 geekiest places on the planet, as well as one of Flavorwire's 10 greatest comic and graphic novel stores in America.
The Horror! The Horror!: Comic Books the Government Didn't Want You to Read!
by Jim Trombetta (editor)
There has been a treasure of archival comics collections coming out lately - especially of pre-Code horror (aka “the good stuff”). Here is another rich collection of ghastly, gory tales featuring Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Steve Ditko, Bill Everett, Al Feldstein, William M. Gaines, Dick Giordano, Russ Heath, Marie Severin, Alex Toth, Wally Wood, Basil Wolverton and more! These are the comics that, if you were a kid of the 50s, your parents didn't want you to read (and honestly, not many parents today would want their kids to read them). The book smartly includes a DVD of a 1950s TV show that explains how comics cause juvenile delinquency.
Three #1
by Robert Kirby / Eric Orner / Joey Alison Sayers
Here's a fun anthology showcasing 3 short stories by 3 cartoonists with fairly different styles: A gay American in Israel, a group of yardworkers in need of a bathroom and a twentysomething who actually vanishes. All the artwork, while stylistically different, is very good, and the stories are very personable.
Vertigo Resurrected #1
by Warren Ellis / Brian Azzarello / Grant Morrison / Garth Ennis / Jim Lee / Phil Jimenez / Bernie Wrightson
A collection of previously censored and/or rarely seen Vertigo stories by Warren Ellis, Brian Azzarello, Grant Morrison, and Garth Ennis. And of course, with the names of those involved, “censored” and “rarely seen” means “stuff you really want to read”.
Victorian Undead
by Ian Edginton / Davide Fabbri
This book proves the maxim, "Zombies make everything better." In this instance, Sherlock Holmes must save England from Moriarty's nefarious zombie plot.
X'ed Out
by Charles Burns
Wow! New Charles Burns! And in full-color, too! Yes, I'm using a lot of exclamation points here! X'ed Out is the beginning of a new epic by the genius artist who brought us the masterpiece Black Hole. Charles Burns weaves an apocalyptic tale by weaving strands of Tintin and William S. Burroughs to create a fabric all his own.
Questions, concerns, comments or gripes – e-mail benn@atomicbooks.com. If there’s a comic I should know about, send it my way at Atomic, c/o Atomic Books 3620 Falls Rd., Baltimore, MD 21211.
Atomic Books & Benn Ray links:
Atomic Books website
Atomic Books blog
Atomic Books on Twitter
Atomic Books on Facebook
Benn Ray's blog (The Mobtown Shank)
Benn Ray's comic, Said What?
also at Largehearted Boy:
other Atomic Books Comics Preview lists (weekly new comics & graphic novel highlights)
52 Books, 52 Weeks
Antiheroines (interviews with up and coming female comics artists)
Book Notes (authors create music playlists for their book)
guest book reviews
Largehearted Word (weekly new book highlights)
musician/author interviews
Note Books (musicians discuss literature)
