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May 25, 2011
Atomic Books Comics Preview - May 25th, 2011
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.
Approximate Continuum Comics
by Lewis Trondheim
International comics master Trondheim delivers an excellent collection of autobiographical comics. It's a look inside a cartoonist's life. And trust me, it's far more interesting than that may sound.
Clonk Volume 1
by Ximo Abadia
International comics master Trondheim delivers an excellent collection of autobiographical comics. It's a look inside a cartoonist's life. And trust me, it's far more interesting than that may sound.
Both youthful and mature, Clonk magically conveys the complexities of growing up. Just thumbing through this book will make you feel tingly. In a good way.
Even The Giants
by Jesse Jacobs
The perfect cool-down book as summer gets hotter - Even The Giants deals with a magical icy wild and the creatures that inhabit it. This debut work by Jacobs is beautifully published by AdHouse Books. A remarkable first book.
The Influencing Machine: Brooke Gladstone On The Media
by Brooke Gladstone / Josh Neufeld / Randy Jones / Susann Ferris-Jones
NPR's Brook Gladstone tries her hand at writing a graphic novel and delivers an informative, educational and entertaining look at media with a little manifesto thrown in for good measure.
Strange Adventures #1
by various
Okay, this comic is so close to getting it right that I'm going to take a moment to pretend that the editors of Vertigo are reading this and I'm going to toss my advice on how to take a fun 80-page anthology title like this and make it even better. Okay, Vertigo, are you listening? 1. Yes, Green Lantern is your big parent company's franchise event movie coming out. But a scroll banner ad across the top of your comic is highly intrusive. 2. Format: I know this goes against the comic grain, but make it more magaziney. Make it 8x11 in size, print the covers on a slightly thicker cardstock. Then announce it as a quarterly. 3. The line up of talent here is great. Use this as training ground for odder, non-traditional talent and for more obscure and pieces by noted, veteran talent. You pretty much got that covered. 4. Mix in a few familiar characters. And then, keep it up. Because this collection of Vertigo sci-fi-type tales (sci-fi horror) is so much fun, I want to be able to keep looking forward to it.
Take A Joke: Volume 3 Of The Collected Angry Youth Comix
by Johnny Ryan
The master of the yuks that disturb, Johnny Ryan is back with a new collection of his hilarious Angry Youth Comix. You'll laugh a lot and feel weird about doing it. Genius!
Yeah!
by Peter Bagge & Gilbert Hernandez
The summer of Peter Bagge continues! Yeah! collects the comic series from years ago that was a collaboration between Bagge and Hernandez (Love & Rockets). The result is a rollicking intergalactic Josie & The Pussycats-esque all-ages yarn.
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)
