Black and White Wonder

Want to share your thoughts?

2007-07-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

Just a quick word to remind you that Black and White Wonder is always on the lookout for readers reviews. If any of you would like to voice your opinion on a Showcase Presents or an Essential book, just send me your review at

blackandwhitewonder@gmail.com

and I'll happily post it here with credits and all. I'm not picky on the format or length so don't be shy and try your hand at it!

On Sale This Week (07/11)

2007-07-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

After having missed a couple of weeks, we're finally up to speed with the current releases! This week's book is a sure buy as far as I'm concerned as it features my girlfriend's favorite character of all comicdom, the one true Batgirl, Barbara Gordon.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS BATGIRL VOL 1
Written by John Broome and others; Art by Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane and others; Cover by Infantino and Murphy Anderson

In these fast-paced, fun stories collected from the pages of BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS and more, Batgirl learns from the Dynamic Duo what it takes to battle evil in the streets of Gotham City while taking on a string of unforgettable foes!

On Sale Last Week (07/04)

2007-07-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

In an effort to get back up to date with the new releases, here's what came out last week.

ESSENTIAL DEFENDERS VOL 3
The Story: There's nothing the non-team can't handle when mutants, gods, demons and miscreants of the 1950s all get their crack at the sensational super heroes of the seventies! With Luke Cage! The Guardians of the Galaxy! The Son of Satan vs. the Sons of the Serpent! Brain transplants, foreign intrigue and the tumultuous terror of Tapping Tommy! Daredevil, Yellowjacket, Bambi! And introducing...an Elf!? Featuring the first appearance of the ever-reliable Wrecking Crew! Collecting31-60, and Annual 1
592 PGS./Rated A …$16.99

Collecting the end of Steve Gerber's run on the title, there's no doubt Essential Defenders Vol.3 is worth buying if you already have the first two volumes. Otherwise, I'd suggest starting at the beginning of the series since both previous volumes are definite must-buys for any Essentials fans.

On Sale Last Week (06/27)

2007-07-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

Finally... I have access to the Internet! After moving to my new home and setting things up, I'm just about ready to get back to Black and White Wonder's regular programming. You can expect a couple new posts in the next few days as I try to catch up with what I missed in the black and white comics world. Meanwhile, here's what was published by the big two last week.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS BATMAN VOL 2
Written by Gardner Fox, Bob Kanigher and John Broome; Art by Sheldon Moldoff, Carmine Infantino and Chic Stone; Cover by Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella

The 1960s Batman and Robin adventures continue in this second volume reprinting, in black and white, the original stories created for Batman #175-188 and Detective ComicS #343-358. Witness the first appearances of the behemoth Blockbuster, the pernicious Poison Ivy, the obscure Outsider, and more!

On Sale This Week (06/20)

2007-06-18T09:26:00.000-07:00

As you may have noticed, I've been posting a lot less than usual. I've been particularly busy these past few weeks with work and with an upcoming move this coming weekend, I don't expect to be able to post anything until next week. Luckily - I guess - there won't be anything new on the shelves this week as far as Essentials and Showcase Presents go. So until next week, take care!

On Sale This Week (06/13)

2007-06-11T06:15:00.000-07:00

With the imminent return of Ray Palmer, this week's book couldn't come out at a better time. Collecting The Atom's earliest adventures, this all new Showcase Presents is bound to offer some great sci-fi tales spiced up with some wacky concepts. Anyone willing to discover more about Ray Palmer's history should definitely give this volume a try.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS THE ATOM VOL 1
Written by Gardner Fox
Art by Gil Kane, Murphy Anderson and Sid Greene
Cover by Kane and Anderson

From the Silver Age of Comics comes this collection of science-fiction tales starring Ray Palmer, The Atom! Included here are some of the Atom's greatest adventures, from SHOWCASE #34-36 and THE ATOM #1-17!

cover from dccomics.com

Around the Web

2007-06-07T05:51:00.000-07:00

After an avalanche of news last weeek, the black and white comics world has been pretty calm for the past few days. No news of importance and no time to do reviews on my part has drastically reduced my output so, as usual, I'll rely on good old Internet to provide some content. Here's a thing or two I found on the web that I thought might interest you all.

An interesting discussion on the "1976 wall" thing with Showcase Presents on the Marvel Masterworks Message Boards.
A review of Showcase Presents: Legion of Super-Heroes Vol.1 on Bookgasm.com
A review of Showcase Presents: Justice League of America Vol.1 on Broken Frontier

On Sale This Week (06/06)

2007-06-04T06:17:00.000-07:00

With the new Fantasic Four movie focusing on the Silver Surfer coming up, it's not surprising to see Marvel publishing old material featuring the character.

ESSENTIAL SILVER SURFER VOL.2
After years of Earthbound exile, the Silver Surfer soars the seas of space once more and finds plenty of peril awaiting when the Elders of the Universe try something new: all-out war on Galactus! Plus: space piracy, intergalactic war, doppelgangers and the Surfer caught in an interstellar love triangle! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four, the Eternals, and Annihilation's Ronan and Super-Skrull! Plus: a rare glimpse of a path not traveled on an alternate Earth! Collecting SILVER SURFER (1982) #1, SILVER SURFER (1987) #1-18 and ANNUAL #1, and MARVEL FANFARE #51.
584 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99

Showcase Presents for December 2007

2007-05-31T12:04:00.000-07:00

DC Comics finalized their fall publishing schedule by announcing their plans for December 2007 on Newsarama. Once again, I'm really pleased by the Showcase Presents offerings as both are new volumes of two great series.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: JONAH HEX VOL. 2
Writers: Michael Fleischer, John Albano and David Michelinie
Artists: George Moliterni, Bill Draut, Luis Dominguez, Ernie Chua, José Luis García-López, Oscar Novelle, Tony DeZuñiga, Romeo Tanghal, Vicente Alcazar, Danny Bulanadi, Rich Buckler, Dick Giordano and Val Mayerik
Collects: JONAH HEX #1-22 and stories from WEIRD WESTERN TALES #34-38
$16.99 U.S., 528 pages

Jonah Hex Vol.1 is without a doubt my favorite Showcase Presents thus far. The art is amazing and the western stories are some of the best the medium ever witnessed. If you haven't got it yet, be sure to buy it on your next visit to your LCS. Otherwise, don't forget to pre-order this book as I'm pretty sure it'll fly off the shelves.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: TEEN TITANS VOL. 2
Writers: Mike Friedrich, Bob Haney, Neal Adams, Steve Skeates, Marv Wolfman and Robert Kanigher
Artists: Gil Kane, Neal Adams, Nick Cardy, George Tuska, Carmine Infantino, Sal Amendola, Dick Dillin, Jim Aparo, Wallace Wood and Joe Giella
Collects: TEEN TITANS #19-36, THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #83 and 94 and WORLD'S FINEST COMICS #205
$16.99 U.S., 520 pages

I've heard a lot of good things about this series but I've yet to read it. I probably won't pre-order the new volume, but I'll definitely give this series a try once I find a bit of breathing room in my readings.

Showcase Presents for November 2007

2007-05-30T04:29:00.000-07:00

DC Comics is on a roll! After announcing their September and October collected editions schedules last week, they published their November one this morning. As usual, two Showcase Presents books are coming out that month, one of which I can't wait to get my hands on...

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS VOL. 1 TP
Writers: Gerry Conway, David Kraft, Bob Rozakis and Paul Levitz
Artists: Pablo Marcos, Rich Buckler, Arvell Jones, Dick Ayers, Mike Vosburg, Ric Estrada, Bob Smith, Vince Colletta, Bob Layton, Joe Rubinstein, Bob McLeod, Jack Abel, Romeo Tanghal, Joe Orlando, Frank McLaughlin, Ernie Chua and others
Collects: THE SECRET SOCIETY OF SUPER-VILLAINS #1-15, DC SPECIAL #27, DC SPECIAL SERIES #6, SUPER-TEAM FAMILYI #13 and 14, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #166-168 and a story from CANCELLED COMICS CAVALCADE #2
$16.99 U.S., 520 pages

Comment if you have read any of this before because all I know about this series is that it features a team of super-villains. And that's because I read it in the title. Clever, huh?

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUICIDE SQUAD VOL. 1 TP
Writers: John Ostrander, Keith Giffen, J.M. DeMatteis and Paul Kupperberg
Artists: Luke McDonnell, Keith Giffen, Erik Larsen, Dave Hunt, Karl Kesel, Bob Lewis, Al Gordon and Malcolm Jones III
Collects: SUICIDE SQUAD #1-18, the DOOM PATROL AND SUICIDE SQUAD SPECIAL, and a story from JUSTICE LEAGUE INTERNATIONAL #13
$16.99 U.S., 528 pages

Now this is what I'm talking about. Since the start of the Showcase Presents line, I was hoping to see this kind of book published. It's from the 80's, has a great reputation amongst comics fandom and features the work of some of my favorite creators (Giffen, DeMatteis and Ostrander). November won't come fast enough...

Source : newsarama.com

Rumor Mill: Essentials for October 2007

2007-05-29T05:59:00.001-07:00

Amazon.ca published a tentative list of Marvel trades for October 2007. Only one Essential is in it so far, but it's one I've been looking fowards to ever since the first volume of the series came out. As usual, this is to be taken with a grain of salt as nothing has been confirmed by Marvel yet.

Essential Moon Knight Vol.2

Black Spectre, Stained Glass Scarlet, the White Crusader, all pale before the light of the Moon Knight! The Fist of Khonshu dives headfirst into third world terrorism, costumed clownery and cold-blooded cultists with their hearts set on the blood of his long-time co-star, Werewolf by Night! Also guest-starring Daredevil, the Thing and Brother Voodoo! Plus Marc Spector's mercenary missions and the mysteries of the Moon God himself! Featuring behind-the-scenes secrets of Moon Knight's creation and supporting art by some of the industry's best, past and present! Collects Moon Knight #11-30.

On Sale This Week (05/30)

2007-05-28T00:01:00.000-07:00

Once again, there'll be nothing new on the racks this week as far as Essentials and Showcase Presents are concerned. I can't think of anything black and white to recommend, so read whatever you feel like!

Round of Reviews (Updated)

2007-05-27T05:05:00.000-07:00

As usual, here's a couple of reviews found on the net in the recent days.

Less than stellar review of The War That Time Forgot on Bookgasm.com
A more favorable SP: The War That Time Forgot review from Silver Bullet Comics reviews.
From the same website, a review of SP: Superman Vol.3
Thoughts on Essential Wolverine Vol.1 by Doc Bleechen on the CGS forums

Showcase Presents for October 2007

2007-05-24T04:36:00.000-07:00

There are weeks when there's so many announcements that I can't seem to keep up with them. Monday DC published their September solicitations, Tuesday Marvel published theirs and yesterday DC confirmed their collected editions for October. The Great Disaster Showcase Presents will officially be published, as will be a Metal Men one, though not much info was given on the latter.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE GREAT DISASTER FEATURING THE ATOMIC KNIGHTS TP
Writers: John Broome, Jack Kirby, Gerry Conway, David Michelinie, Cary Bates, Sheldon Mayer, David Kraft, Paul Levitz, Steve Skeates, Dan Mishkin, Gary Cohn, Len Wein, Robin Snyder, Mike Bentley, George Kashdan, Wyatt Gwyon, Paul Kupperberg, Roger McKenzie, Jack Oleck and Elliott S. Maggin
Artists: Murphy Anderson, Jack Kirby, José Luis García-López, Walter Simonson, Pablo Marcos, Mike Nasser, Alex Saviuk, Vicitan, Bill Draut, Alfredo Alcala, Jack Sparling, Rich Buckler, Howard Chaykin, A.B. Magpali, Howard Bender, J.M. Matucenio, Steve Ditko, Buddy Generale, Paul Kirchner, Jeff Aclin, Frank Miller, Alex Niño, Curt Swan, Danny Bulanadi, Wallace Wood, D. Bruce Berry, Andy Mushynsky, Frank McLaughlin, Bob Layton, Bob Smith, Steve Mitchell, Bob Oksner, Terry Austin, Joe Rubinstein, Vince Colletta, Tex Blaisdell, Bob Wiacek, and Danny Bulanadi
Collects: FIRST ISSUE SPECIAL #1, HERCULES UNBOUND #1-10, SUPERMAN #295, DC COMICS PRESENTS #57, and stories from KAMANDI #43-46, STRANGE ADVENTURES #117, 120, 123, 126, 129, 132, 135, 138, 141, 144, 147, 150, 153, 156 and 160, WEIRD WAR TALES #22, 23, 30, 32, 40, 42-44, 46-49, 51-53, 64, 68, 69 and 123, HOUSE OF MYSTERY #318, HOUSE OF SECRETS #86, 95, and 97, TALES OF THE UNEXPECTED #215 and 221, and THE AMAZING WORLD OF DC COMICS #12.
$16.99 U.S., 576 pages

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: METAL MEN TP
Writers: Robert Kanigher and Bob Haney
Artists: Ross Andru & Mike Esposito and Ramona Fradon & Charles Paris
Collects: SHOWCASE #37-40, METAL MEN #1-15 and THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #55
$16.99 U.S., 528 pages

Showcase Presents for September 2007

2007-05-23T06:24:00.000-07:00

Back when the Showcase Presents line started, people were speculating on whether DC Comics were going to stick to collecting pre-1976 comics to avoid paying royalty fees to the creators of the original material. I didn't know much about the whole thing, but all this talk had me and many other fans worried. Well guys, worry no more...

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: BATMAN AND THE OUTSIDERS VOL. 1
Written by Mike W. Barr and Marv Wolfman
Art by Jim Aparo, George Pérez, Bill Willingham and others
Cover by Aparo

In this hard-hitting, value-packed volume, witness Batman's formation of the original Outsiders! Metamorpho, Black Lightning, Katana, Halo and Geo-Force star in these stories from BATMAN & THE OUTSIDERS #1-19, BRAVE & BOLD #200 and NEW TEEN TITANS #16!

on sale September 12 o 552 pg, $16.99 US

I'm so getting this. I love Batman, I love 80's comics and all the talk about *spoiler* Batman leading the Outsiders once again *spoiler* has me very interested about that era's Outsiders.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: CAPTAIN CARROT VOL. 1
Written by Roy Thomas, E. Nelson Bridwell and others
Art by Mike Sekowsky, Scott Shaw, Alfredo Alcala and others
Cover by Shaw, Bob Smith & Ross Andru

Experience the adventures of Captain Carrot and his Zoo-Crew battle Frogzilla, the Armordillo, the alien Bunny from Beyond and many more in this volume collecting NEW TEEN TITANS #16 and CAPTAIN CARROT AND THE ZOO CREW #1-20!

on sale September 26 o 520 pg, $16.99 US

If any of you knows if this is any good, feel free to comment because I had never heard of this series before reading this solicitation.
source: dccomics.com

Upcoming Essentials

2007-05-22T14:36:00.000-07:00

The Comic Geek Speak forums are always a great place to hang out and a wonderful resource for everything comics. Yesterday, one of the members of the boards posted a very interesting list of the upcoming Essentials books. Here it is for your own enjoyment.

Essential Spider-Woman, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials) by Michael Fleisher, J. M. DeMatteis, Chris Claremont, and Steve Leialoha (Paperback - Aug 8, 2007)

The first part of Spider-Woman's career concludes as her collection of challenges and crises is completed! Some of Marvel's most stupendous scribes set the heroine against Morgan le Fay, the Viper, Gypsy Moth and other fearsome foes, forgotten or otherwise! Plus: the first appearances of X-Factor's Siryn and X-Force's Caliban! But after tearing through a gauntlet of magicians, mad scientists, murder and mystery, what final fate awaits the webbed wonder? Guest-starring Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men and the Werewolf! Collects Spider-Woman #26-50, Marvel Team-Up #97 and Uncanny X-Men #148

Essential Dazzler, Vol. 1 (Marvel Essentials) by Chris Claremont, John Byrne, Marv Wolfman, and Tom DeFalco (Paperback - Aug 22, 2007)

Disco may be dead, but Marvel's dynamic diva never says "die!" Beginning as a co-star with the X-Men and Spider-Man, Alison Blaire moved into a world of villains new and old, facing gangsters, gods and Galactus without skipping a beat! Plus: the Inhumans, the Hellfire Club and Project: PEGASUS! World saving, space travel, intrigue and romance in the ultimate disco mix! Guest-starring most of Marvel's heroes, including Spider-Woman and She-Hulk! Collects Dazzler #1-21, Uncanny X-Men #130-131 and Amazing Spider-Man #203

Essential Daredevil Volume 4 TPB by Gerry Conway, Gary Friedrich, Steve Gerber, and Steve Englehart (Paperback - Sep 12, 2007)

Who else but Marvel would set up a robot from the future to play matchmaker for a femme fatale and the Man Without Fear? Mister Kline's android-laden efforts steer Daredevil and the Black Widow together for a trial whose tribulations could mean the end of the fabled Nelson and Murdock partnership! Then the redman and the lady in black relocate to the City of the Golden Gates, but that's not Cupid aiming at them: It's Hawkeye the Marksman! Plus sagas of savagery in South America, indestructible intrigue, and cosmic conflicts with both sides against the Earth! Also featuring the Purple Man, Electro, the Owl, the Gladiator and more from Daredevil's enclave of enemies! Guest-starring Spider-Man, Namor the Sub-Mariner and the Avengers! Collecting Daredevil #75-101 and Avengers #111.

Essential Dr. Strange Volume 3 TPB (Essential) by Steve Englehart, Frank Brunner, Marv Wolfman, and Roy Thomas (Paperback - Sep 19, 2007)

After earning the title of Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange must defend his title, his life and his world against enemies old and new! Dormammu, Silver Dagger, Nightmare, Stygyro and more test Strange's sorcery and sanity! And after a civil war in the Dark Dimension, a summoning of sorcerers, a debacle with Dracula and the apparent annihilation of Earth, can the Master of Mystic Arts stand up to something...Stranger Yet? Guest-starring the Avengers, Blade the Vampire Hunter and Nighthawk of the Defenders! Collects Dr. Strange #1-29, Annual #1 and Tomb of Dracula #44-45.

Essential Punisher, Vol. 2 (Marvel Essentials) by Mike Baron, Roger Salick, Eliot R. Brown, and Ann Nocenti (Paperback - Sep 26, 2007)

Mobsters, terrorists, neo-Nazis, religious fanatics, armored killers, no one's too tough for the Punisher! Follow the trail of blood as Frank Castle's war on crime takes him across the country, south of the border, back to school and Down Under! Plus: The Man With Lots Of Guns vs. the Man Without Fear in a crossover with Daredevil! And who will live and die when the Punisher leads what might be the world's shortest-lived crime-fighting team against the Kingpin of Crime? With Typhoid Mary and a cameo by the X-Men! Collects Punisher #1-20, Annual #1 and Daredevil #257

Essential Moon Knight Volume 2 TPB by Doug Moench, Jack S. Harris, Steven Grant, and Alan Zelenetz (Paperback - Oct 24, 2007)

Black Spectre, Stained Glass Scarlet, the White Crusader, all pale before the light of the Moon Knight! The Fist of Khonshu dives headfirst into third world terrorism, costumed clownery and cold-blooded cultists with their hearts set on the blood of his long-time co-star, Werewolf by Night! Also guest-starring Daredevil, the Thing and Brother Voodoo! Plus Marc Spector's mercenary missions and the mysteries of the Moon God himself! Featuring behind-the-scenes secrets of Moon Knight's creation and supporting art by some of the industry's best, past and present! Collects Moon Knight #11-30.

A lot of great stuff coming out. Enjoy!!

Kevin

source: Kevin from the CGS forums

On Sale This Week (05/23)

2007-05-21T06:32:00.000-07:00

Oh the pain, the agony... There'll be no new Essential or Showcase Presents published this week! I know, I know, it's almost unbearable. The thought of sitting by yourself, stuck to reading - ughhhhh - current stuff. I can almost hear you asking me "David, please, tell us what we could read to make it stop?". Well guys, since I'm a such a nice guy here's what you can do. On Wednesday go to your local comics-shop, buy the current books you were planning to get and set aside $7 for the wonderful black and white magazine that is Back Issue from TwoMorrows Publishing. All kidding aside, Back Issue has been my favorite comics-related mag for a good while now. In fact it's been ever since TwoMorrows gave away issue #18 for free last year. Based on what I know about the upcoming issue, it'll stay that way for at least another month:

In Back Issue 22: “Dynamic Duos”! Two “Pro2Pro” interviews reunite Batman’s ALAN GRANT and NORM BREYFOGLE and Legion of Super-Heroes’ PAUL LEVITZ and KEITH GIFFEN, while “Backstage Pass” takes you to Dark Horse Comics, courtesy of your hosts, MIKE RICHARDSON and RANDY STRADLEY. Also: Robin’s history from sidekick to solo star; KEVIN EASTMAN and PETER LAIRD’s groundbreaking collaboration on Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles; and histories of the dynamite duos of Robin and Batgirl, Captain America and the Falcon, and Blue Beetle and Booster Gold. Plus: a bonus “Scott and Zot!” interview with the influential SCOTT McCLOUD. With a breathtaking Breyfogle cover starring everyone’s favorite Boy Wonder! Edited by MICHAEL EURY.

For those of you who had never heard about that mag before, it focuses on comics from the 70's onwards, which is absolutely perfect for the SP and Essentials readers. You can find in its pages in-dept articles about series of that era, interviews with or between high-profile creators and behind-the-scenes looks at you favorite comic-book runs. Honestly, Back Issue has constantly been one of the best comics magazines on the racks and is well worth the $7 it'll cost you. You can find more info on Back Issue Mag and other great TwoMorrows publications on the publisher's website.

Quick Look: Showcase Presents The Flash

2007-05-19T05:10:00.000-07:00

I got my hands on the all-new Showcase Presents Flash book and, after verification, it does include Showcase Presents #4. For those of you who have never heard of it, this issue is considered by many to be the birth of the silver age of comics.

Even if the art seems so-so at times, as Chris from The ISB reported at the end of his weekly reviews, the book looks VERY interesting . So interesting in fact that my girlfriend took the time to flip through it and said it looked like fun, much more than any of my other Showcase books. Now, how could I argue against my girlfriends thrusty seal of approval?

I'm going to sink my teeth into this volume and get back to you for a more meaty review. Until then, here are some readers comments from the book's topic on the Marvel Masterworks message boards.

Various Reviews of Showcase Presents

2007-05-16T04:36:00.000-07:00

Everybody loves Showcase Presents! Not convinced? Check out these reviews from all over the web...

Showcase Presents Jonah Hex on rpg.net

Showcase Presents Jonah Hex on sequart.com

Showcase Presents Superman Vol.1 on SilverBulletComicBooks.com

Showcase Presents Superman Vol.1 on revolutionsf.com

Quick reviews of various Showcase Presents books on FreakyTrigger.co.uk

Chris of the Invicible Super Blog posts, once again, about The War That Time Forgot

Rumor Mill : Showcase Presents The Great Disaster

2007-05-14T06:24:00.001-07:00

The following was posted byTickTock1 on the DC Comics message boards and reported by HighlandRay on the Marvel Masterworks message boards. Thanks to both of them for the info!

Greetings from the UK!

I attended the Bristol Comic Book Convention this weekend where Bob Wayne was kind enough to point this out as one of the new Showcase titles set for late '07-early '08. The Great Disaster book will cover the tales of the Atomic Knights, the Hercules Unbound series as well as "other related stories". He seemed to smirk a bit as he said that, but it may have just been my imagination. As a graphic, he used one of the covers of the Hercules Unbound series.

I loved the Great disaster stories as a kid and will be looking forward to this. With all of the Atomic Knight stories and the Hercules Unbound together, that still leaves over a hundred pages available doesn't it? Maybe they'll slide in the original OMAC series as well. One can hope anyway.

On Sale This Week (05/16)

2007-05-14T05:58:00.001-07:00

I've been waiting for this book for a long time.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE FLASH VOL. 1
Written by Robert Kanigher, John Broome and Gardner Fox; Art by Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella and various; Cover by Infantino and Giella

Over 500 pages of classic adventures are included in this value-priced volume! The Fastest Man Alive stars in these fantastic tales from late 1950s and into the 1960s! This collection features The Flash in battle against the Mirror Master, the Trickster, Captain Cold and many other villains!

DC Universe 512pg. B&W Softcover $16.99 US

The Flash has always been one of my favorite characters of the DCU and I've always wanted to learn more about his past history. This, my friends, is the perfect opportunity to do so. I've been looking at this series' covers from that era to pump me up for this book and man, I couldn't be more excited than I am right now! I would've liked to have more info on the content of this volume to know if we'll be able to witness the birth of the silver age, but I guess we'll have to wait until wednesday to see what we'll sink our teeth into.

Essential OHOTMU Deluxe Edition Vol.1 Review

2007-05-12T10:27:00.000-07:00

Content
Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe - Deluxe Edition #1-7
480 pages
$16.99

Writers
Mark Gruenwald
Peter Sanderson

Artists
Various

Overall Review

The concept of the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe is a fairly simple one to grasp. The brainchild of Jim Shooter and the late great Mark Gruenwald, this series catalogued alphabetically most of Marvel's characters, teams, organizations, places and weapons. Each item had an illustrated entry dedicated to it reporting its caracteristics, origin and history. The end result is almost 500 pages of some of the most wonderful resources material you'll ever find regarding the Marvel Universe.

Now, I won't lie to you. I haven't read this book from cover to cover. Unlike your typical Essential, OHOTMU Vol.1 is more of an encyclopedia and it is meant to be read as such, picking it up once in a while to answer some question or to learn more about the MU. Ever wondered how Cyclops' visor worked? Always wanted to learn more about the Atlanteans? Just open the book, find the entry of the item and there you have it! Sure the info is dated, but it is perfect for any Essential reader since it covers pretty much everything published so far in that format.

If I haven't read every single entry yet, I did read each of Mr. Gruenwald's text-pieces which can be found at the beginning and end of each issue. They give us a behind-the-scene look at the making of such a project and show the incredible amount of work those guys put into it. Without these texts, the book would've still been useful as reference material, but would've been a lot less entertaining and fun to read.

As far as the production quality goes, Essential OHOTMU Vol.1 is just great. First of all, it boast a brand new trade dress, one without the usual black "Essential" stripe on the left side of the front cover. This makes the wraparound, recolored cover look amazing. Inside, everything is crystal clear and the book is very easy to read despite the somewhat small font type used. With such a text heavy volume, it was absolutely necessary that the guys at Marvel did a good job on reproduction. Once again, they did not disappoint.

Overall, I'd say the Essential OHOTMU series is a worthy investment for any hardcore Marvel fan. It's a handy reference when exploring the silver and bronze ages of Marvel history and makes a great companion for any Essential fan wanting to learn more about the characters and events he reads about. Otherwise, it may not be worth it to get the whole series since most of the info is already easily and freely available on the net.

Grade : B

source : www.comicbookdb.com

Want Some Reviews?

2007-05-09T04:38:00.000-07:00

Here's a bunch of reviews I found on the web in the last couple weeks. Since I can't seem to find the time post some of my own, I thought you'd appreciate. And yes, I'm a Rack Raids regular reader...

Essential Captain America Vol.3 on Rack Raids

Essential Ghost Rider Vol.2 on Rack Raids

Essential Man-Thing Vol.1 on Rack Raids

Essential Man-Thing and Showcase Presents Unkonwn Soldier by the Austin Chronicle

Showcase Presents Aquaman Vol.1 on Rack Raids

Showcase Presents The Brave and The Bold Vol.1 on Rack Raids

Showcase Presents Green Lantern Vol.2 on Rack Raids

Showcase Presents Hawkman Vol.1 on Rack Raids

Showcase Presents House of Mystery Vol.2 on Rack Raids

Showcase Presents Justice League of America Vol.2 on Rack Raids

Showcase Presents Legion of Super-Heroes Vol.1 on Rack Raids

Showcase Presents Shazam Vol.1 on Rack Raids

And finally, why you need to buy Showcase Presents The War That Time Forgot according to BeaucoupKevin

On Sale This Week (05/09)

2007-05-07T07:50:00.000-07:00

This week, Marvel's Essential Fantastic Four series starts a new era of FF history as the all-star team of Lee and Kirby part ways. The following stories are still worth a read, especially considering the new penciller is the great John Buscema. Not the best FF tales, but very strong ones nonetheless.

ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 6 TP
The Story: From the Monster from the Lost Lagoon to the Overmind from beyond the stars, menaces from across time and space converge on Earth's most fabulous foursome! A space angel of death! Future warrior women! The horrors of the 1950s! Plus: Doctor Doom, Diablo and Dragon Man! Guest-starring the Inhumans! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #111-137.
592 PGS./All Ages …$16.99

On Sale This Week (05/02)

2007-04-30T10:53:00.000-07:00

Only DC has a new book out this week and it's one of their most interesting publication from the last couple of month.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS VOL. 1: THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT
Written by Robert Kanigher; Art and Cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

Over 500 pages of classic adventures are included in this value-priced volume collecting one of the most unusual series ever from DC Comics! On an unnamed, uncharted Pacific island, dinosaurs continued to thrive while World War II raged across the globe. It's there that members of the U.S. Military found themselves armed only with standard-issue weapons against the deadliest predators ever to roam the Earth!

DC Universe 560pg. B&W Oversized Softcover $ 16.99 US

You gotta love silver age DC Comics. I mean, where else can you read about World War II soldiers fighting a bunch of mother&@*? dinosaurs?

image source : dccomics.com

Where Can You Get The Best Deals ?

2007-04-25T06:32:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know it by now, I'm Canadian. Besides the fact that I bleed hockey and maple syrup, it means that I have to pay more than my American neighbors to get my comics. If comics fans south of the border can get their books pretty cheap at www.dcbservice.com or www.instocktrades.com, we canucks have to find some alternative to those site as a) they don't ship to Canada or b)shipping, duty and exchange rates makes it useless to order from the States. After having surfed the web for years in search of the best prices, I've come up with the following rules as to where to get comics and collected editions. I thought it'd be nice to share them with you:

If you want to buy monthly comics, stick with your local comics shop, especially if they treat you well and offer you a nice discount (from 20% to 30%). If you live in a remote area or if you don't have access to a comics shop, you can try www.allnewcomics.com, a canadian online store that offers 20% off cover price, free backs and boards and free shipping if you subscribe to at least 16 titles or if you order for more than $50.

If you want to buy DC Comics or any other publishers' collected editions, go to amazon.ca. As collected editions go, amazon.ca and chapters.indigo.ca are the two best bets. I'd suggest to go with Amazon over Chapters for everything but Marvel books , only because they offer a slightly better discount (27% vs. 24% on softcovers, 37% vs. 34% on hardcovers). On small trades, that won't make much of a difference, but on Absolutes or other high-end books, you'll be very glad to save the extra 3%. As far as Showcase Presents volumes go, expect to pay $16,78. Not a bad deal at all.

If you want to buy Marvel collected editions, go to chapters.indigo.ca. The great thing about buying Marvel books at Chapters (and ONLY Mavel books) is that they take the discount off US cover price. That drops the price by around 20% right off the bat ! On top of that, they still offer a 34% discount on most hardcovers and a 24% discount on most softcovers. Usually, an Essential will cost you $15.16, but some of them have a higher discount like Essential Iron Fist Vol.1 which goes for $13.16. All in all, you can expect to get anywhere from 40% to more than 50% off the regular Canadian cover price !

Don't forget that both Amazon and Chapters offer free shipping on orders of more than $39CAN. I strongly suggest you wait until you reach that amount before ordering since the cost of shipping would eat up the money you saved from the discounts.

If any of you have found better deals, or if you're from down south and want to share your buying habits, don't be shy and either post a comment or drop me a line at

blackandwhitewonder@gmail.com

I'd be glad to hear from you !

On Sale This Week (04/25)

2007-04-23T05:30:00.000-07:00

It seems like we get another week off. No Essentials in sight, no Showcase Presents either. It's not really surprising considering Marvel's only putting out one Essential in April (Spider-Man Vol.8) and one in May (Fantastic Four Vol.6). Expect the pace to pick up in June when Marvel gets back to it's "2 Essentials a month" program.

I know it's not exactly black and white...

2007-04-22T20:06:00.000-07:00

...but Chris Marshall from Collected Comics Library just did an interview with one of my favorite current writers, one with a definite silver and golden age sensibility and, most of all, one that creates amazingly fun comics, Mr. Jeff Parker. If you like the kind of comics reprinted in the Essential line, you should try Jeff's Marvel Adventures: The Avengers series as it has the same fun, off the wall vibe as good old silver age comics. I mean, if this doesn't look to be straight out of a silver age Essential, what is?

Oh, and his Agent of Atlas limited series is not to shabby either. A must-buy for any Marvel golden age fan. Anyway, you can hear the whole thing here or read more about the interview here.

And now, back to our regular black and white programming !

image source : newsarama.com

Various Quick Reviews

2007-04-22T09:07:00.001-07:00

As I've stated a couple of times, I'm a rather slow reader. Or maybe I should say I like to take my time while reading comics. I like to look at the art and get fully immersed in the story I have before me. One way or the other, it takes me a while to read a comic. That's not a problem per se, but it makes it hard for me to post reviews regularly. Add to that the fact that I'm simultaneously reading five phonebook-thick books, and you find yourselves with very few reviews to sink your teeth into. To try and resolve this situation, I thought it'd be nice to keep you updated on the books I'm currently tackling. That way, I'll feel less guilty about not posting reviews and you'll still have something to help you decide which books are worth getting.

Showcase Presents House of Mystery Vol.1: I'm about halfway through this one and I still haven't made my mind as to whether or not I'm going to buy the second volume of the series. I love the anthology format and the fact that most of the stories are rather short at about 12 pages each. It makes for quick reads that are perfect for bedtime. My only gripe with the book lies in the execution of some of the stories. Most of the time, the concept will be interesting, but the ending will be very predictable. Otherwise, House of Mystery is well worth its cover price and offers a pretty entertaining, if not really scary read. Recommended.

Showcase Presents Superman Vol.1: I love every single panel of this book. The art is amazing and the writing doesn't take itself too seriously, which makes up for some of he funniest stories I've ever read. In fact, I love these tales so much I've already bought the second volume even if I'm not finished with the first one. Between this book and another one further down the list, it would be very hard to choose which one I consider the single best Showcase Presents available right now. Highly recommended.

Showcase Presents Haunted Tank Vol.1 : I've already given my opinion on this book here and it hasn't changed that much since then. I still like the stories, I still like the artwork, but the plots are a bit too repetitive for my taste. Strangely, I have a feeling that this will change before the end of the book and that the stories will rely less and less on the same formula. I don't know why I've got this feeling and in all honesty I could be dead wrong, but I still think this will get better and better. As for now, I'd say the Haunted Tank is best when taken in small doses. Recommended

Essential X-Men Vol.2 : Chris Claremont and John Byrne at the height of their collective prime. Dark Phoenix Saga, Days of the Future Past, Proteus and Canada's own, Alpha Flight. The plots are captivating, the writing is great and the artwork is... well it's Byrne at the top of his game. Seriously, how could it be any better than that? Highly recommended.

Showcase Presents Jonah Hex Vol.1: As many have stated before, Jonah Hex is one of the best Showcase Presents ever published. The stories are good, the art is simply amazing and the production is top-notch. The paper seems thicker and whiter than the most recent Showcase Presents and the art reproduction is crystal clear. Without a doubt, Showcase Presents Jonah Hex is a must-have for any fan of western comics, any fan of DC comics, or any fan of good comics. Believe me, this is a blast to read and that why it is highly recommended.

On Sale This Week (04/18)

2007-04-18T20:11:00.001-07:00

The next 7 days are my last as a student. Ever. Comes next August, I'll be in front of a class teaching to a bunch of teenagers. Until then, I have to go through one hell of a week, so excuse my briefness over this week's new book.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERMAN VOL. 3
Written by Jerry Siegel and others; Art by Curt Swan and others; Cover by Swan

The third volume collecting early Superman adventures in black-and-white at a value price! This amazing collection includes appearances by Supergirl and Krypto and a retelling of Superman's origin, plus threats from Lex Luthor, Brainiac, the Legion of Super-Villains and the Fifth Dimensional imp known as Mr. Mxyzptlk!

DC Universe | 560pg. | B&W | $ 16.99 US

Superman. Silver-Age. Mr.Mxyzptlk. Buy it.

image source: www.dccomics.com

On Sale This Week (04/11)

2007-04-13T07:34:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't already noticed, there was no new Essential or Showcase Presents out this week. I know, it sucks. To help you get through this, here's something funny from last week's Showcase Presents Legion of the Super-Heroes courtesy of BeaucoupKevin.com

Rumor Mill : September's Essentials

2007-04-08T17:39:00.000-07:00

Once again, Amazon.ca has updated its Marvel Comics publication schedule. Here's what you can expect to see in your favorite comics-shop this coming September. Don't forget, the publication of these books is NOT confirmed by Marvel and their descriptions are subject to changes.

ESSENTIAL DOCTOR STRANGE VOL.3
After earning the title of Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange must defend his title, his life and his world against enemies old and new! Dormammu, Silver Dagger, Nightmare, Stygyro and more test Strange's sorcery and sanity! And after a civil war in the Dark Dimension, a summoning of sorcerers, a debacle with Dracula and the apparent annihilation of Earth, can the Master of Mystic Arts stand up to something...Stranger Yet? Guest-starring the Avengers, Blade the Vampire Hunter and Nighthawk of the Defenders! Collects Dr. Strange #1-29, Annual #1 and Tomb of Dracula #44-45.

Not my kind of book, but I'm sure some people will be very glad to see this series continue.

ESSENTIAL PUNISHER VOL.2
Mobsters, terrorists, neo-Nazis, religious fanatics, armored killers, no one's too tough for the Punisher! Follow the trail of blood as Frank Castle's war on crime takes him across the country, south of the border, back to school and Down Under! Plus: The Man With Lots Of Guns vs. the Man Without Fear in a crossover with Daredevil! And who will live and die when the Punisher leads what might be the world's shortest-lived crime-fighting team against the Kingpin of Crime? With Typhoid Mary and a cameo by the X-Men! Collects Punisher #1-20, Annual #1 and Daredevil #257

I love the Punisher but I haven't read much of his past appearances. I should get the first volume of this series, but I find this one more interesting considering it reprints stories from the very late 80's, a period left almost untouched by the Essential line.

Source : Amazon.ca
Heads-up : Phonics Monkey Vol 2 on the Marvel Masterworks Message Board

On Sale This Week (04/04)

2007-04-03T06:43:00.000-07:00

First of all, let me apologize for the obvious lack of content in the past week. I've been busy with "real life" stuff and I wasn't able to update the site as much as I would've liked. Sorry! Anyways, let's get back to the matter at hand and take a look at this week's books, because ladies and gentlemen, we've got one heck of a Wednesday to look forward to !

Marvel continues one of its bests Essential series with the publication of Essential Spider-Man Vol.8. It collects appearances by Nightcrawler, Nova, The Lizard, The Kingpin, Jigsaw, and best of all, the first ever appearance of the one, the only, Rocket Racer !

I mean, what could we ask more ? Add in some nice Russ Andru art a handful of Len Wein penned scripts and we've got great reads to look forward to !

ESSENTIAL SPIDER-MAN VOLUME 8
Spider-Man is as amazing as ever against adversarial alumni like the Lizard and the Kingpin, as well as up-and-coming enemies such as Stegron and Jigsaw – with the lesser-known larcenies of the Big Wheel and the Spider-Squad to fill his spare time! Featuring the first appearances of Rocket Racer and Will O 'the Wisp! Forgotten chapters from the Green Goblin legacy and the Clone Saga! Spider-Man's origin and Peter Parker's college graduation! And J. Jonah Jameson at his best and worst! Guest-starring the Punisher, Nova the Human Rocket, the Human Torch and the X-Men! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #161-185 and ANNUAL #11, GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN #6, and NOVA #12.

None to let themselves get beaten easily, the guys over at DC Comics got one of their big guns to compete with good old web-head for the undisputed title of book of the week. Forget Superman, Batman and even Wonder Woman. To tackle Spidey, DC needed more than one super-hero. In fact, they needed a whole legion of them... (Now THAT's what I call an intro!)

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES VOL. 1
Written by Jerry Siegel, Otto Binder, Edmond Hamilton and various; Art by Curt Swan, George Papp, John Forte and various; Cover by Swan and Stan Kaye

A massive black-and-white volume collecting classic tales of the Legionnaires, from ADVENTURE COMICS #247, 267, 282, 290, 293, and 300-328, ACTION COMICS #267, 276, 287 and 289, SUPERBOY #86, 89, 98 and 117, SUPERMAN 147, SUPERMAN ANNUAL #4, and SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN#72 and 76!

DC Universe | 552pg. | B&W | Softcover | $ 16.99 US

Now I'm not going to lie. The only LOSH books I've ever read were the first 14 issues of the recent The Legion series by Abnett, Lanning and Coipel. I really loved it, but I expect a completely different thing from this latest Showcase Presents. I hope it's in the same alley as the Superman volumes, which would means more than 500 pages of pure Silver-Age greatness.

With long-awaited publications from both Marvel and DC, this week is shaping up to be THE best week of 2007 for black and white reprints. Pay a little visit to your local comic shop this Wednesday, you won't be disappointed.

image sources: www.survivinggrady.com and www.dccomics.com

On Sale This Week (03/28)

2007-03-26T05:40:00.000-07:00

ESSENTIAL X-MEN VOL 5 TP NEW PRINTING
The Story: NOW INCLUDES THE EPIC X-MEN/ALPHA FLIGHT LIMITED SERIES! The X-Men face off with some of their greatest foes in this all-new edition – including the Juggernaut, Doctor Doom and the Hellfire Club’s newest recruits, the Hellions – and team up with the Avengers, Spider-Man, Power Pack and more! Featuring the first appearances of Forge and Nimrod, and a chapter from the legendary SECRET WARS II crossover! Plus: Parts I and II of Claremont and Windsor-Smith’s unforgettable epic, "Lifedeath." Collects UNCANNY X-MEN #180-198, X-MEN ANNUAL #8 and X-MEN/ALPHA FLIGHT #1-2.
632 PGS./ Rated T+…$16.99

Last printing pictured

Okay, this is an interesting book since it collects a bunch of X-Men comics AND the X-Men/Alpha Flight mini, but what I really want to know is WHERE THE HECK IS VOL.3's NEW PRINTING ? We got Volumes 2 and 4 a while back and now we get the fifth one, but Volume 3 is nowhere to be seen. For those of you who didn't know it yet, Marvel started putting out new printings of the first five Essential X-Men books. The main "raison d'être" of these new printings was to move the Annual issues from one volume to the other so that they are placed in chronological order of publication between the regular issues. They also added new content when they had enough space. If I remember correctly, the whole thing went something like this :

OP : Old Printing NP: New Printing
Volume 2 OP collects #120-145
Volume 2 NP collects #120-144 and Annuals #3-4

Volume 3 OP collects #145-161 and Annuals #3-5
Volume 3 NP IS NOT OUT YET

Volume 4 OP collects #162-179 and Annual #6
Volume 4 NP collects #162-179, Annual #7 and God Loves, Man Kills GN

Volume 5 OP collects #180-198 and Annual #7-8
Volume 5 NP collects #180-198, Annual #8 and X-Men/Alpha Flight

So if everything goes according to plan, the new printing of Volume 3 should collect issues #145-161, Annuals #5-6 (#6 being currently unavailable) and maybe a mini-series. I've been waiting for it ever since Volume 2 was reprinted a couple of years ago and sadly, it doesn't seem to be in Marvel's upcoming publishing schedule. As far as I know, they'll wait until they sell out of the book before going on with the new printing. Anyway, let's get back to this week's book.

The issues collected in Essential X-Men Vol.5 are not classics and are far from being the best the series has had. These are no "Dark Phoenix Saga" or "Days of Future Past", but they should please the X-Men's fans and appeal to anyone who's interested in Marvel's mutants, or in Canada's own super-hero team, Alpha Flight.

Confirmed : June's Essentials and Showcase Presents

2007-03-20T07:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday and today, DC and Marvel respectively announced their black and white reprints for June 2007. Not much surprises here since DC made public its summer publication schedule a while back and Marvel's books were on Amazon.com a few days ago. Anyway, June is shaping up the be a pretty solid month with interesting collections from each brand. Showcase Presents Batgirl alone makes it a month to look forward to. Add in a new Marvel Two-In-One and two heroes from space and you've got a great lineup.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: BATGIRL VOL. 1 TP
Written by John Broome and others
Art by Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane and others
Cover by Infantino & Murphy Anderson
In these fast-paced, fun stories collected from the pages of BATMAN, DETECTIVE COMICS and more, Batgirl learns from the Dynamic Duo what it takes to battle evil in the streets of Gotham City while taking on a string of unforgettable foes!
Advance-solicited; on sale July 11 • 552 pg, B&W, $16.99 US

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: MARTIAN MANHUNTER VOL. 1 TP
Written by Jack Miller and others
Art by Joe Certa and others
Cover by Certa
Collecting stories from the late 1950s starring this charter member of the Justice League of America! Adopting the Earthly identity of Police Detective John Jones, the super-hero known as the Martian Manhunter uses his incredible strength, shape-shifting abilities and other powers to combat crime!
Advance-solicited; on sale July 25 • 544 pg, B&W, $16.99 US

ESSENTIAL MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE VOL. 2
The Story: Cosmic calamities, espionage, black magic, time travel, alien gangsters and martial-arts madness: Benjamin J. Grimm can handle it all, but he won't have to face it alone! Stars old and new shine when the thunderous Thing joins them against many of the most magnificent menaces the Marvel Universe can offer! Invasions, impersonations, assassinations and transformations! Plus: when heroes play poker! Guest-starring Captain America, Daredevil, Ms. Marvel, the Black Panther, Moon Knight, Spider-Woman and more! Collecting MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE #26-52 and ANNUAL #2-3.
568 PGS./Rated A …$16.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2758-5
ESSENTIAL MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE VOL. 1 TPB STILL AVAILABLE!
$16.99 (ISBN: 0-7851-1729-6)

ESSENTIAL SILVER SURFER VOL. 2
The Story: After years of Earthbound exile, the Silver Surfer soars the seas of space once more and finds plenty of peril awaiting when the Elders of the Universe try something new: all-out war on Galactus! Plus: space piracy, intergalactic war, doppelgangers and the Surfer caught in an interstellar love triangle! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four, the Eternals, and Annihilation's Ronan and Super-Skrull! Plus: a rare glimpse of a path not traveled on an alternate Earth! Collecting SILVER SURFER (1982) #1, SILVER SURFER (1987) #1-18 and ANNUAL #1, and MARVEL FANFARE #51.
584 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2700-3
ESSENTIAL SILVER SURFER VOL. 1 TPB STILL AVAILABLE!
$16.99 (ISBN: 0-7851-2008-4)

On Sale This Week (03/21)

2007-03-19T07:12:00.001-07:00

Considering the book published this week, I'll take this opportunity to give a shout out to the guys over at Raging Bullets, one of the best comics podcasts out there. For those of you who don't know about it yet, Raging Bullets is a one of a kind show focusing on DC Comics publications. The hosts, Jim and Sean, offer great in-dept reviews of monthlies, trades and, you guessed it, Showcase Presents. I owe them a lot since the show helped me a great deal during my discovery of the DC universe. Those who listen to the show already know Sean is one of the biggest Hawkman fan alive, so I have no doubt he'll be enjoying this week new Showcase Presents volume. Without further ado, here's the book and don't forget to give Raging Bullets a listen !

SHOWCASE PRESENTS HAWKMAN VOL 1
Written by Gardner Fox and Bob Haney; Art by Joe Kubert, Gil Kane, Carmine Infantino and others; Cover by Joe Kubert

In this fantastic volume filled with over 500 pages of classic 1960s stories, Hawkman and Hawkgirl face menaces including the Shadow Thief and Matter Master, and team up with Adam Strange and Aquaman!

DC Universe | 560pg. | B&W | Softcover | $16.99 US

Haunted Tank Vol.1 First Look Review

2007-03-17T07:17:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I have read the first 200 or so pages of this book and I have to get a couple of things off my chest. First of all, I freckin' love war comics. I always did and I always will. Comics capture the war genre perfectly and The Haunted Tank is no exception. This series follows the crew of a small M-3 as they go from mission to mission, gunning down planes, tanks and anything else from the axis with the help of their leader's namesake, the ghost of former war hero Jeb Stuart.

Sadly, this ghost concept is the main flaw of the book. Many of the stories I've read thus far rely too heavily on this plot device to solve whatever problem the Haunted Tank runs into. Every tale has the same frame. The crew goes on a mission and face incredible odds, only to see Jeb Stuart's ghost intervene and solve the whole thing. This makes the stories look very similar to one another, which can get boring, especially when you read a couple of tales back to back. It rapidly becomes repetitive and you find yourself wanting for changes in the storytelling.

Artwise, the book is simply stunning. Russ Heath and Joe Kubert both did a great job at recreating the war zone settings and both are incredible at drawing war machines. If the writing part of the book is not perfect, its art nearly is and I have nothing bad to say about it.

After having gotten through a third of the book, I've come to the conclusion that it is best when read in small chunks. By doing this, you can avoid getting burned out on the repetitive storytelling while still enjoying the good parts of these stories. And believe me, there's a lot to be enjoyed.

Grade Thus Far : B-

Rumor Mill : August Essentials

2007-03-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

Marvel's collected editions for August 2007 are up on Amazon.ca. It definitely looks like the "2 Essentials a month" program is back on track. Yay !

ESSENTIAL DAZZLER VOL.1
Disco may be dead, but Marvel's dynamic diva never says "die!" Beginning as a co-star with the X-Men and Spider-Man, Alison Blaire moved into a world of villains new and old, facing gangsters, gods and Galactus without skipping a beat! Plus: the Inhumans, the Hellfire Club and Project: PEGASUS! World saving, space travel, intrigue and romance in the ultimate disco mix! Guest-starring most of Marvel's heroes, including Spider-Woman and She-Hulk! Collects Dazzler #1-21, Uncanny X-Men #130-131 and Amazing Spider-Man #203

X-Men + Disco + Marvel in the 70's = I'm so going to get this !

ESSENTIAL SPIDER-WOMAN VOL.2
The first part of Spider-Woman's career concludes as her collection of challenges and crises is completed! Some of Marvel's most stupendous scribes set the heroine against Morgan le Fay, the Viper, Gypsy Moth and other fearsome foes, forgotten or otherwise! Plus: the first appearances of X-Factor's Siryn and X-Force's Caliban! But after tearing through a gauntlet of magicians, mad scientists, murder and mystery, what final fate awaits the webbed wonder? Guest-starring Spider-Man, the Hulk, the X-Men and the Werewolf! Collects Spider-Woman #26-50, Marvel Team-Up #97 and Uncanny X-Men #148

I don't think I'll get this one. I love the current Spider-Woman in New Avengers, but I have very little interest in her old ongoing series.

On Sale This Week (03/14)

2007-03-14T07:58:00.001-07:00

Once again, don't expect any Showcase or Essential to show up at your local comics shop this week because there won't be any. For the second time in less than a month, DC and Marvel give us readers a week to catch up on some old stuff. Not a bad thing for me considering it'll give me time to write new reviews.

Essential Moon Knight Vol.1 Review

2007-03-11T07:18:00.000-07:00

Content
Werewolf By Night #32-33 (August 1975 - September 1975)
Marvel Spotlight #28-29 (June 1976 - August 1976)
Marvel Two-In-One #52 (June 1979)
The Spectacular Spider-Man #22-23 (September 1978 - October 1978)
Moon Knight #1-10 (November 1980 - August 1981)
536 pages
$16.99

Writers
Steven Grant
Bill Mantlo
Doug Moench

Artists
Gene Colan
Jim Craig
Jim Mooney
Don Perlin
Keith Pollard
Bill Sienkiewicz
Mike Zeck

Overall Review

Former mercenary Marc Spector lives an unsual kind of life. By day, he switches between his three personalities : himself, Jake Lockley a cab driver and Steven Grant a playboy millionaire. By night, all three blend into the mysterious Moon Knight. Not unlike its star character, Essential Moon Knight blends many genres, from straightforward super hero to horror. The end result is a thing of its own...

The book starts off with a couple of generic super hero tales, beginning with Moon Knight's first appearance in Werewolf By Night #32. Honestly, these first few stories aren't something to write home about. Most of them use standard team-up plots in which Moon Knight could be replaced by any other Marvel hero. Don't get me wrong, these issues are not bad. In fact they're pretty entertaining reads. But they're nothing like what comes later in the book.

The fun really starts when Moon Knight moves to The Hulk! magazine, starring in its very own feature. No more team-ups, only Marc Spector, his many alter-egos and his supporting cast. Being free of the comics code authority, Doug Moench crafts darker stories, much more horror oriented than what came before. The arrival of Bill Sienkiewicz on art, also has much to do with the switch of mood in Moon Knight's adventures. The man can draw dark and gritty stuff like no other and his work is one of the highlights of this collection. I don't think these issues would be as good as they are without Mr. Sienkiewicz amazing art. All those changes bring out the best of the character and offer some truly great stories, the two-parts "Night Born Ten Years Gone" being one of the best. After his magazine run, Moon Knight moves on to its own ongoing series without missing a single beat. The creative team keeps on going strong until the end of this volume, which leaves the reader wanting more.

Essential Moon Knight should appeal to both super hero fans and horror fans as the book blends both genres perfectly. Even if the book started off pretty weak, it got better and better, leaving me eagerly waiting for a second volume once I turned the last page.

Grade : B+

source : www.comicbookdb.com

Home Sweet Home

2007-03-10T17:37:00.000-08:00

I'm finally back from a week long trip at my parents'. I've had a great time, but I haven't done that much reading so it'll probably be a day or two before I post new reviews here. I guess that's one of the hassle of being a slow reader. Now that I'm thinking about it, if any of you would like to voice your opinion on a Showcase or Essential book, just send me a review at blackandwhitewonder@gmail.com and I'll happily post it here with credits and all. You can also use this address to send news, related links or comments, all of which would be greatly appreciated. Otherwise I'll be back tomorrow with some thoughts on Moon Knight !

Upcoming Showcase Presents Schedule

2007-03-09T09:49:00.000-08:00

Here's a roundup of the upcoming Showcase Presents books (confirmed by DC Comics)

June
The Atom Vol.1 (June 13th)
Batman Vol.2 (June 27th)

July
Batgirl Vol.1 (July 11th)
Martian Manhunter Vol.1 (July 25th)

August
Adam Strange Vol.1 (August 8th)
Wonder Woman Vol.1 (August 22nd)

September
Batman and The Outsiders Vol. 1 (September 12th)
Captain Carrot Vol.1(September 26th)

October
The Great Disaster Featuring The Atomic Knights Vol.1 (TBD)
Metal Men Vol.1 (TBD)

November
Secret Society of Super-Villains Vol.1 (TBD)
Suicide Squad Vol.1 (TBD)

On Sale This Week (03/07)

2007-03-07T12:28:00.000-08:00

I'm currently on vacation so this post will be pretty short. I'll be back with regular coverage on Saturday March 10th.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS HOUSE OF MYSTERY VOL 2
Written and illustrated by Various; Cover by Nick Cardy

Do you dare to enter the House of Mystery? This value-priced collection includes stories from HOUSE OF MYSTERY #195-211. These fantastic black-and-white tales of mystery and suspence from the 1970s feature thrilling stories with surprise twist endings that will keep readers on the edges of their seats!

ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR VOL 3 TP NEW PTG
The Story: This volume collects perhaps the greatest of the legendary Fantastic Four stories – including the first-ever appearances of the Black Panther, the Inhumans, the Negative Zone, and the Silver Surfer and Galactus. Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #41-63 and ANNUAL #3-4.
520 PGS./All Ages …$16.99

Quick Link

2007-02-27T08:15:00.000-08:00

Here's an all new Showcase Presents Brave and The Bold - Batman Team-Ups review by Rod Lott, straight from bookgasm.com. Enjoy !

On Sale This Week (02/28)

2007-02-26T07:40:00.000-08:00

Two great new books are scheduled to be out this wednesday, one from DC and one from Marvel. I'm not going to get any of them since I have so much I have yet to read but both books are going to find their way into my collection one of these days.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS GREEN LANTERN VOL 2
Written by John Broome and Gardner Fox; Art by Gil Kane, Carmine Infantino and others; Cover by Kane

Over 500 pages of black-and-white comics are included in this fast-paced collection that features the Emerald Warrior's battles with the beautiful Star Sapphire, would-be world conqueror Sonar, and the renegade Green Lantern known as Sinestro from GREEN LANTERN #18-37 and THE FLASH #143.

DC Universe | 528pg. | B&W | Softcover | $16.99 US | ISBN
1401212646

I discovered Green Lantern with his current run and I can say he has quickly become one of my all-time favorite characters. His ring makes for some great visuals and the concept of the Green Lantern Corps offers a great supporting cast for Hal. He's definitely a character I'd like to learn more about...

ESSENTIAL PETER PARKER SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN VOL 3
The Story: "Spectacular" isn't just the title as Spider-Man's college years are augmented by authorial and illustrative excellence! Enemies old and new, recurring and rare, line up to teach the web-slinger plenty – but will he become his own worst enemy as the sinister Spider-Lizard? Robots, killer bees, living hallucinations and more! Guest-starring the Human Torch and the White Tiger! Plus: the surprising first appearance of the hero-hater who'll happen into being the Hobgoblin! Collecting SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #32-61 and ANNUALS #1-3.
544 PGS./Rated A …$16.99

The Swarm, Morbius, Roger Stern... What's not to like about this ?

Rumor Mill : New Essentials

2007-02-25T07:47:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the month when Amazon updates its Marvel publishing schedule. Once again, many books that haven't been sollicited yet are part of that list and, if there's any thruth to it, we can expect two all-new Essential books in July.

The first good news is in the numbers. Marvel has picked up the pace and are back to publishing two Essentials a month. Then the books themselves are not too bad. Two proud products of the late 1970's, both of which had previous Essential volumes that were pretty successful. So without further ado, the July Essential books are...

ESSENTIAL DEFENDERS VOL.3
The Day of the Defenders first gathered Doctor Strange, the Hulk and the rest of Marvel's legion of loners - but can they survive "Defenders for a Day?" If the second team calling themselves Defenders doesn't finish them off, the third one just might! Plus: more non-stop action when the non-team faces team after team - including the Emissaries of Evil, Zodiac and the Headmen! Demons and gods alike threaten humanity, leaving its outcasts to defend it! Guest-starring Iron Fist, Ms. Marvel, Havok and Polaris, the Son of Satan, Hercules and more! Collects Defenders #40-69 and Annual #1
592 pages
July 25th 2007

ESSENTIAL MARVEL TWO-IN-ONE VOL.2
Cosmic calamities, espionage, black magic, time travel, alien gangsters and martial-arts madness: Benjamin J. Grimm can handle it all, but he won't have to face it alone! Stars old and new shine when the thunderous Thing joins them against many of the most magnificent menaces the Marvel Universe can offer! Invasions, impersonations, assassinations and transformations! Plus: when heroes play poker! Guest-starring Captain America, Daredevil, Ms. Marvel, the Black Panther, Moon Knight, Spider-Woman and more! Collects Marvel Two-in-One #26-52 and Annual #2-3
568 pages
July 4th 2007

source : amazon.ca

Essential Fantastic Four Vol.1 Review

2007-02-21T06:49:00.000-08:00

A Skrull Walks Among Us

Originally from : Fantastic Four #18
Writer : Stan Lee
Artist : Jack Kirby

Ever since I saw the Fantastic Four : Rise of The Silver Surfer trailer in theaters, I have this urge to read some cosmic Marvel stuff. Since I'm still waiting for the Annihilation Vol.1 hardcover to come out, I decided to glance through my old Essential FF vol.1 copy and see if anything caught my eye. Towards the end of the book, I stumbled upon this issue featuring the Super-Skrull. Considering this character has an important role in Annihilation and considering I never read anything about him, I thought I'd give Fantastic Four #18 a shot. I wasn't disappointed.

Long story short, the Skrulls sends an all-new skrull super soldier to Earth to destroy the Fantastic Four. This aptly named "Super-Skrull" possess the abilities of every FF members, from The Thing's strength to Sue's Invisibleness, while being more powerful than each of them. So the Super-Skrull gets to earth and claim the planet in the name of the Imperial Skrull Empire. The Fantastic Four get there and the fight begins.

That issue was way better than what I remembered those early FF tales to be. It had good art by Kirby, bearable dialogues by Lee, the action was fun and most of all the villain was cool ! I always had a soft spot for the Super-Skrull concept (every FF rolled into one odd-looking alien) and this story made me like him a bit more. Granted, he's not the sharpest tool in the box, but he still managed to give the FF a run for their money. All in all, this was a rather nice silver-age tale that made me want to read more of the Fantastic Four adventures. Guess I'll get the new printing of Vol.3 coming up in March. After all, you can't go wrong with Galactus and the Silver Surfer. I'll keep you posted on that.

Grade : B+

Essential Spider-Man Vol.1 (2nd Edition) Review

2007-02-19T06:52:00.000-08:00

Content
Amazing Fantasy #15 (August 1962)
Amazing Spider-Man #1-20 (March 1963 - January 1965)
Amazing Spider-Man Annual #1 (1964)
552 pages
$16.99

Writer
Stan Lee

Artists
Steve Ditko
Jack Kirby

Overall Review

Even if the stories collected in this book are considered classics by many, I had a hard time finding the courage to jump in and start reading it. You see, I always had a hard time with Stan Lee's scripts. To say he's wordy is a big time understatement. The guy fill up word balloons like no other. Still, once I found the strength to get going with Amazing Fantasy #15, I finally discovered why so many people fell in love with Peter Parker and his alter-ego.

Now don't get fooled by the title of the book, the real star here is Peter. Sure, Spidey's adventures are fun and entertaining, but never as much as Peter's . His love life is a mess, he gets bullied by the school's jock and he needs to help his aunt make ends meet. And on top of all that, he puts on a costume and goes around town chasing criminals all night long. Speaking of which, Spidey's got one of the best (if not THE best) lineup of villains of all comicdom. Luckily for us, many of them are making their first appearances in these pages and we get to witness first hand the incredible design sense of Steve Ditko. On top of creating one of the best looking super-hero costume of all time in Spider-Man's webbed suit, Ditko designed some classics villains that stood the test of time and are still around today.

That's not to say Ditko's artwork is without a fault. His faces are less than stellar to say the least. When you compare his work with, let's say, Curt Swan's or Al Plastino's, you can't help but to notice some flaws in Ditko's art. It's less finished, more sketchy. Still, the man can draw some pretty dynamic action scenes and a mean Spider-Man.

Overall I was pleasantly surprised by this book. Sure it had some pretty heavy dialogue and narration, but it told a very engaging story about a kid everybody can relate to. As I said previously, Peter's the real star of the book and most of the success of the Spider-Man franchise can be attributed to him. Without Peter Parker, Spider-Man would not be the household name it is today.

Grade : A

source : www.comicbookdb.com«

On Sale This Week (02/21)

2007-02-17T08:59:00.000-08:00

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. The good news is you'll have some more free time to plow through your "to read" pile. At least I'll do. And I need it. Badly. 30 single issues, 2 trades, 5 Showcases and 3 Essentials to go. Some great reads to look fowards to!

Showcase Presents Superman Vol.1 Review

2007-02-14T06:58:00.000-08:00

The Man No Prison Could Hold

Originally from : Action Comics #248
Writer : Bill Finger
Artist : Wayne Boring

While "soaring in the ionosphere", Superman finds a strange little satellite. Our hero follows the thing's radio waves transmissions back to a small uncharted island where he discovers a Nazi scientist, Von Kamp, working on the top secret "Project X". Not one to shy away from a mystery, Supes makes up a plan to investigate on Von Kamp's whereabouts -- he's going to become one of his slaves ! A walk in the park, at least until good old Jimmy Olsen messes everything up...

All in all, this is another great tale featuring some pretty nifty ideas from Bill Finger like

Superman throwing his costume in the atmosphere so that it falls back down exactly three hours later. Just enough time to become a slave and investigate.
After having pulled one of his Superman kinda moves, our big guy hollows a ball-and-chain with his finger so that he isn't unmasked.
Superman making an invisible glass boomerang out of sand to hook an escaping Jimmy Olsen and pull him back to the island.
Jimmy actually thinking it was the wind that blew him back.
Supes making a kaleidoscope out of sand and putting it in front of Project X's camera lens so that Von Kamp thinks his invention doesn't work and give up on the whole thing.
And, best of all, the fact that this trick actually works!

Once again, a great read from Showcase Superman. If you don't already own it, get $10, run to your LCS and buy it. Forget the fact you don't like Superman. This is 560 pages of pure comics goodness.
Grade : A+

Confirmed : May's Essential

2007-02-13T08:23:00.000-08:00

ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 6 TPB
Written by STAN LEE, ROY THOMAS & GERRY CONWAY
Penciled by JOHN BUSCEMA, ROSS ANDRU & JOE SINNOTT
Cover by JOHN BUSCEMA
From the Monster from the Lost Lagoon to the Overmind from beyond the stars, menaces from across time and space converge on Earth's most fabulous foursome! A space angel of death! Future warrior women! The horrors of the 1950s! Plus: Doctor Doom, Diablo and Dragon Man! Guest-starring the Inhumans! Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #111-137.
592 PGS./All Ages …$16.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2697-X

Not much surprise here, except maybe that there's only one Essential scheduled for May. Comments to come later...

A.V. Club's Top 10 Essentials

2007-02-12T07:07:00.000-08:00

Here's a nice, even if a bit dated, article on Essentials in which A.V. Club's Noel Murray comments on his 10 favorite books of the line. There's only one thing to say, the guy knows his comics.

On Sale This Week (02/14)

2007-02-09T09:39:00.000-08:00

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: AQUAMAN VOL. 1
Written by Robert Bernstein and Jack Miller; Art by Ramona Fradon, Kurt Schaffenberger, Nick Cardy and others; Cover by Jim Aparo

Collecting classic tales of Aquaman from ADVENTURE COMICS #260-280, 282 and 284 and more! Over 500 pages highlighting classic tales of Aquaman, featuring the debuts of Mera and Aqualad!

DC Universe | 544pg. | B&W | Softcover | $16.99 US | ISBN 1401212239

DC confirms Showcases for June to August

2007-02-06T08:56:00.000-08:00

In a press release from February 2nd, DC Comics confirmed its collected editions publication schedule for June to August 2007. Showcase Presents fans will be glad to know that DC is still strongly pushing the line with two volumes each month. Without further ado, here's what you can expect to see on the shelves this summer :

Scheduled for June 2007
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: BATMAN VOL. 2 TP
Writers: Gardner Fox, Robert Kanigher, John Broome and Bill Finger
Artists: Sheldon Moldoff, Carmine Infantino, Chic Stone, Joe Giella, Murphy Anderson, Sid Greene and others
Collects BATMAN #175-188 and DETECTIVE COMICS #343-358
$16.99 US, 512 pages

I still have to get the first volume of this series but I'm sure fans of the 60's Batman TV show (just like me) will find lots of great stories in this.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE ATOM VOL. 1 TP
Writer: Gardner Fox
Artists: Gil Kane, Murphy Anderson and Sid Greene
Collects SHOWCASE #34-36 and THE ATOM #1-17
$16.99 US, 528 pages

As I'm rather new to the DC universe, I still have a lot to learn on its "second string" characters. I can't say The Atom is one of my favorite but I may give this book a glance to see if it's my kind of stuff.

Scheduled for July 2007
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: BATGIRL VOL. 1 TP
Writers: Gardner Fox, Cary Bates, Bob Haney, Mike Friedrich, Robert Kanigher, Frank Robbins, Dennis O ' Neil and Elliot S. Maggin
Artists: Carmine Infantino, Curt Swan, Frank Springer, Gil Kane, Bob Brown, Win Mortimer, Irv Novick, Don Heck, Mike Sekowsky, Neal Adams and others
Collects stories from DETECTIVE COMICS #359, 363, 369, 371, 384, 385, 388, 389, 392, 393, 396, 397, 400, 401, 404, 405-424, BATMAN #197, ADVENTURE COMICS #381, WORLD ' S FINEST COMICS #169 and 176, THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #78, JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #60 and SUPERMAN #268 and 279
$16.99 US, 520 pages

Now THAT's what I'm talking about ! I absolutely LOVE goofy 60's stories and it probably can't get any better than this. To put some icing on the cake, the artists lineup is pretty good with the likes of Swan, Infantino and Adams. A definite must-buy as far as I'm concerned.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: MARTIAN MANHUNTER VOL. 1 TP
Writers: Jack Miller, Joe Samachson and Dave Wood
Artists: Joe Certa
Collects stories from DETECTIVE COMICS #225-305
$16.99 US, 522 pages

Not my cup of tea but I know there's a more than a couple of guys that requested this on the Marvel Masterworks Message Board (as of this writing, 35 to be exact). Good news for them !

Scheduled for August 2007
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: ADAM STRANGE VOL. 1 TP
Writer: Gardner Fox
Artists: Mike Sekowsky, Carmine Infantino, Gil Kane, Murphy Anderson and others
Collects stories from SHOWCASE #17-19 and MYSTERY IN SPACE #53-84
$16.99 US, 512 pages

Same as for The Atom, tough I prefer Adam Strange as a character.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: WONDER WOMAN VOL. 1 TP
Writer: Robert Kanigher
Artists: Ross Andru and Mike Esposito
Collects stories from WONDER WOMAN #98-117
$16.99 US, 528 pages

The only surprise here is how long it took before Wonder Woman got it's own Showcase. Since she's the only DC main character I know almost nothing about, I'll give it a glance. If it's in the same vein as Superman's silver age goodness, count me in !

On Sale This Week (02/07)

2007-02-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

ESSENTIAL MS. MARVEL VOL. 1
Ms. Marvel's current successes are only the latest in a line of earth-shaking adventures that began in her original series, reprinted here in its entirety! New nemeses like Steeplejack and the Doomsday Man vie for the female fury's attention alongside classic criminals like the Scorpion, Tiger Shark and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! Featuring Namorita and Vance Astro, later of the New Warriors! Alien intrigue with the Kree and Shi'ar! Supernatural thrills! And the first appearance of the marvelously malicious Mystique! Plus: X-Men alumni including Grotesk and the Lizard People! Guest-starring Captain Mar-Vell and the Avengers!
Collecting MS. MARVEL #1-23 and MARVEL SUPER-HEROES MAGAZINE #10-11.
512 PGS./Rated A …$16.99

This book collects every single issue of the short-lived 1977 Ms. Marvel series and two tales from a magazine I couldn't get any info on. It's not what I'd call "earth-shaking" or "essential" but it may be an entertaining read nonetheless.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY VOL. 2
Written and illustrated by Various; Cover by Nick Cardy

Do you dare to enter the House of Mystery? This value-priced collection includes stories from HOUSE OF MYSTERY #195-211. These fantastic black-and-white tales of mystery and suspence from the 1970s feature thrilling stories with surprise twist endings that will keep readers on the edges of their seats!

DC Universe | 552pg. | B&W | Softcover | $16.99 US | ISBN 1401212387

Rumor Mill : Essential Fantastic Four Vol.6

2007-02-01T08:16:00.000-08:00

Can we expect a new Essential Fantastic Four volume to precede the opening of Rise of The Silver ? According to Amazon.com, it's a done deal...

Essential Fantastic Four, Vol. 6
From the Monster from the Lost Lagoon to the Overmind from beyond the stars, menaces from across time and space converge on Earth's most fabulous foursome! A space angel of death! Future warrior women! The horrors of the 1950s! Plus: Doctor Doom, Diablo and Dragon Man! Guest-starring the Inhumans! Collects Fantastic Four #111-137
Paperback: 592 pages
Publisher: Marvel Comics (May 30, 2007)

On Sale This Week (01/31)

2007-01-27T08:52:00.000-08:00

ESSENTIAL GHOST RIDER VOL. 2
The Story: Demons, vampires, cults, actors – nothing's too intense for the Sizzling Cyclist of the Seventies! After mowing down a mob of motorcycling miscreants, the Ghost Rider faces what waits in the Wild West of the Phantom Rider and the Two-Gun Kid! Plus: See Johnny Blaze and Zarathos separated for the first time! Guest-starring Doctor Strange, Professor X and more! Collecting GHOST RIDER #21-50.
568 PGS./Rated T+ …$16.99

Source : Marvel.com

Rumor Mill : New Showcases

2007-01-27T08:44:00.000-08:00

This past week, three new Showcase Presents books came up on Amazon.com, all with a June 6th release date. No description yet, just the titles and covers images :

Showcase Presents : Batman Vol.2
Showcase Presents : The Atom Vol.1
Showcase Presents : Who's Who Vol.1

I'd be surprised if DC puts out those three books the same month. Really surprised. Considering the lack of info on the Batman book, I'd put my money on The Atom and the previously announced Who's Who.

Rumor Mill : Essential Silver Surfer Vol.2

2007-01-22T07:54:00.000-08:00

Once again, a new Essential volume appeared on Amazon. Once again, it's related to a movie coming up pretty soon. By the way, I saw the trailer for Fantastic Four 2 and man that looks cool ! I was never interested in the first movie (still haven't seen it) but they did a great job generating interest in the sequel. If you haven't seen the trailer yet, go watch it right now !

Essential Silver Surfer Vol.2
After years of Earthbound exile, the Silver Surfer soars the seas of space once more and finds plenty of peril awaiting when the Elders of the Universe try something new: all-out war on Galactus! Plus: space piracy, intergalactic war, doppelgangers and the Surfer caught in a four-sided interstellar love triangle! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four, the Eternals, and Annihilation's Ronan and Super-Skrull! Plus: a rare glimpse of a path not traveled on an alternate Earth! Collects Silver Surfer (1982) #1, Silver Surfer (1987) #1-18 & Annual #1 and Marvel Fanfare #51.

source : amazon.com

Confirmed : Essential Spider-Man Vol.8

2007-01-20T08:50:00.000-08:00

It's now official, Essential Spider-Man Vol.8 is coming up in May. Surprise surprise, it's going to be out just in time for the brand new Spider-Man 3 movie. Here's the solicitation straight from Marvel :

ESSENTIAL SPIDER-MAN VOL. 8 TPB
Written by LEN WEIN, BILL MANTLO, MARV WOLFMAN, ARCHIE GOODWIN & STAN LEE
Penciled by ROSS ANDRU, MIKE ESPOSITO, DAVE HUNT,
FRANK GIACOIA, JIM MOONEY, TONY DEZUNIGA, SAL BUSCEMA, ROSS ANDRU, DON PERLIN & LARRY LIEBER
Cover by ROSS ANDRU
Spider-Man is as amazing as ever against adversarial alumni like the Lizard and the Kingpin, as well as up-and-coming enemies such as Stegron and Jigsaw – with the lesser-known larcenies of the Big Wheel and the Spider-Squad to fill his spare time! Featuring the first appearances of Rocket Racer and Will O 'the Wisp! Forgotten chapters from the Green Goblin legacy and the Clone Saga! Spider-Man's origin and Peter Parker's college graduation! And J. Jonah Jameson at his best and worst! Guest-starring the Punisher, Nova the Human Rocket, the Human Torch and the X-Men! Collecting AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #161-185 and ANNUAL #11, GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-MAN #6, and NOVA #12.
512 PGS./All Ages …$16.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2500-0

As you can see, Amazing has a lot of ground to cover before closing in on Spectacular Spider-Man regarding their Essential collections. Amazing Vol.8 goes up to #185 of October 1978 whereas Spectacular Vol.3 ends with #53 of April 1981. That's a three year gap my friends. Still, according to Marvel's VP of sales David Gabriel, we can expect Amazing AND Marvel Team-Up to catch up with Spectacular pretty soon(1).

(1) According to a Q&A with Mr. Gabriel on the Marvel Masterworks MassageBoards
Sources ; www.marvel.com

Showcase Presents for May 2007

2007-01-19T20:35:00.000-08:00

SHOWCASE PRESENTS VOL. 1: THE WAR THAT TIME FORGOT

Written by Robert Kanigher; Art and Cover by Ross Andru and Mike Esposito

Over 500 pages of classic adventures are included in this value-priced volume collecting one of the most unusual series ever from DC Comics! On an unnamed, uncharted Pacific island, dinosaurs continued to thrive while World War II raged across the globe. It's there that members of the U.S. Military found themselves armed only with standard-issue weapons against the deadliest predators ever to roam the Earth!

DC Universe | 560pg. | B&W | Oversized Softcover | $16.99 US

On Sale May 2, 2007

What's cooler than a war comics ? A war comics in which soldiers fight with a bunch of huge mother****ing DINOSAURS !

SHOWCASE PRESENTS VOL. 1: THE FLASH
Written by Robert Kanigher, John Broome and Gardner Fox; Art by Carmine Infantino, Joe Giella and various; Cover by Infantino and Giella

Over 500 pages of classic adventures are included in this value-priced volume! The Fastest Man Alive stars in these fantastic tales from late 1950s and into the 1960s! This collection features The Flash in battle against the Mirror Master, the Trickster, Captain Cold and many other villains!

DC Universe | 512pg. | B&W | Softcover | $16.99 US

I've been waiting for a Flash Showcase ever since the line was first announced. And from what I gathered on the forums I visit, I'm not the only one. I love Flash so much as a character I'm eager to learn more about his history, but I have no idea if the stories in this collection are any good. Let's hope so !

On Sale This Week (01/24)

2007-01-19T20:30:00.000-08:00

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD — THE BATMAN TEAM-UPS VOL. 1
Written by Bob Haney and Mike Sekowsky Cover by Bob Brown; Art by Carmine Infantino, Ross Andru, Neal Adams, and others

Collecting The Brave and The Bold #59, #64, #67, #69-71 and #74-87! Re-presented here are Batman's earliest team-ups with Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, Aquaman, the Atom, Hawkman and more!

DC Universe | 528pg. | B&W | Softcover | $16.99 US | ISBN 1401212093

To my 2 loyal readers

2007-01-02T08:05:00.000-08:00

Don't give up just yet. BWW will be back on its regular schedule this weekend with plenty of Essential news !

Essentials for March 2007

2006-12-16T07:15:00.000-08:00

Sad news coming from Marvel : there'll be no new Essentials published in March 2007. Marvel is going with two new printings of old books for that month. Considering the amount of work the trade department is putting into the line month after month, we'll give them a break. It also seems new printings are as long and hard to put together as all new volumes.

ESSENTIAL FANTASTIC FOUR VOL. 3 TPB (NEW PRINTING)
Written by STAN LEE
Pencils & Cover by JACK KIRBY
This volume collects perhaps the greatest of the legendary Fantastic Four stories - including the first-ever appearances of the Black Panther, the Inhumans, the Negative Zone, and the Silver Surfer and Galactus. Collecting FANTASTIC FOUR #41-63 and ANNUAL #3-4.
520 PGS./All Ages …$16.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2625-2

I think there's no content change here. The previous printing also had FF #41-63 and Annual #3-4. Guess it just ran out of print...

ESSENTIAL X-MEN VOL. 5 TPB (NEW PRINTING)
Written by CHRIS CLAREMONT
Penciled by JOHN ROMITA JR., BARRY WINDSOR-SMITH, MICHAEL GOLDEN, BRET BLEVINS & STEVE LEIALOHA
Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
NOW INCLUDES THE EPIC X-MEN/ALPHA FLIGHT LIMITED SERIES! The X-Men face off with some of their greatest foes in this all-new edition - including the Juggernaut, Doctor Doom and the Hellfire Club's newest recruits, the Hellions - and team up with the Avengers, Spider-Man, Power Pack and more! Featuring the first appearances of Forge and Nimrod, and a chapter from the legendary SECRET WARS II crossover! Plus: Parts I and II of Claremont and Windsor-Smith's unforgettable epic, "Lifedeath." Collects UNCANNY X-MEN #180-198, X-MEN ANNUAL #8 and X-MEN/ALPHA FLIGHT #1-2.
632 PGS./ Rated T+…$16.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2692-9

Since Annual #7 is in the 2nd printing of volume 4, they took out it out from this volume to replace it with the X-Men/Alpha Flight mini series. Probably not worth getting if you already have the previous printing, but a nice addition for those who don't.

On Sale This Week (13/06)

2006-12-14T09:46:00.000-08:00

ESSENTIAL OFFICIAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNIVERSE - UPDATE 89 VOL. 1
Origins and updates of the eighties’ elite in one easy installment! Trace major revisions to major characters such as Archangel and Vision, the Red Skull and S.H.I.E.L.D., the Hulk and Hobgoblin – and who knows who else! Featuring the debut stats of Apocalypse, Sinister, Venom and more! Plus: Marvel’s first go-round of profiles for herodom’s best supporting casts! Collects OFFICAL HANDBOOK OF THE MARVEL UNVIERSE - UPDATE ‘89 #1-8.
496 PGS./Rated A ...$16.99

Linking

2006-12-12T07:28:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, the guys at Bookgasm.com review comic books and trade paperbacks. Last week, they did a pretty interesting, if rather short, review of Essential Marvel Horror Vol.1. This week, they're tackling Showcase Presents Unknown Soldier Vol.1. Enjoy !

Showcase Presents for April 2007

2006-12-11T15:57:00.000-08:00

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES VOL. 1 TP
Written by Jerry Siegel, Otto Binder, Edmond Hamilton and various
Art by Curt Swan, George Papp, John Forte and various
Cover by Swan & Stan Kaye
A massive black-and-white volume collecting classic tales of the Legionnaires, from ADVENTURE COMICS #247, 267, 282, 290, 293, and 300-328, ACTION COMICS #267, 276, 287 and 289, SUPERBOY #86, 89, 98 and 117, SUPERMAN 147, SUPERMAN ANNUAL #4, and SUPERMAN'S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN#72 and 76!
Advance-solicited; on sale April 4 o 552 pg, B&W, $16.99 US

Great, great news ! I honestly can't wait to get this. I hope it'll be as fun and as goofy as Superman ! Speaking of which...

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SUPERMAN VOL. 3 TP
Written by Jerry Siegel and others
Art by Curt Swan and others
Cover by Swan
The third volume collecting early Superman adventures in black-and-white at a value price! This amazing collection includes appearances by Supergirl and Krypto and a retelling of Superman's origin, plus threats from Lex Luthor, Brainiac, the Legion of Super-Villains and the Fifth Dimensional imp known as Mr. Mxyzptlk!
Advance-solicited; on sale April 18 o 560 pg, B&W, $16.99 US

My all-time favorite Showcase series gets a third volume ! Marvel should take notice of the speed at which DC is publishing B&W reprints of their big guns...

Rumor Mill : Essential Spider-Man Vol.8

2006-12-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

It looks like it's that time of the month when Amazon updates Marvel's publishing schedule. Earlier this week, I reported that a Rampaging Hulk book was in the works for May 2007. With the third Spidey movie coming up in theaters May 4th, it's really no surprise to see which is the second Essential planned for that month...

Essential Spider-Man Vol.8
Spider-Man is as amazing as ever against adversarial alumni like the Lizard and the Kingpin, as well as up-and-coming enemies such as Stegron and Jigsaw - with the lesser-known larcenies of the Big Wheel and the Spider-Squad to fill his spare time! Featuring the first appearances of Rocket Racer and Will O'the Wisp! Forgotten chapters from the Green Goblin legacy and the Clone Saga! Spider-Man's origin and Peter Parker's college graduation! And J. Jonah Jameson at his best and worst! Guest-starring the Punisher, Nova the Human Rocket, the Human Torch and the X-Men! Collects Amazing Spider-Man #161-185 & Annual #11, Giant-Size Spider-Man #6 and Nova #12.

Paperback : 512 pages
Publisher : Marvel Comics (May 9, 2007)

Showcase Presents Superman Vol.1 Reviews

2006-12-06T13:27:00.000-08:00

Before going on with the reviews, let me explain a little something. I always tought I hated silver age super-heroes comics. I tried many times to read my Essential Fantastic Four Vol.1 but couldn't get past the extra-heavy dialogue. Same thing with my Essential Uncanny X-Men Vol.1 . I probably shouldn't write this but, reading these books was really a drag. Considering my problems with silver age, I wasn't planning on buying any super-hero Showcase Presents. Thanks God, my grandmother thought otherwise and gave me Superman's first Showcase as a gift for my birthday. I now love her even more than before...

Content
Action Comics 241-257 (June 1958-October 1959)
Superman #122-#134 (July 1958-November 1959)
560 pages
$9.99 US/$13.50 CAN

Writers
Jerry Siegel
Jerry Coleman
Otto Binder
Bill Finger

Artists
Curt Swan
Wayne Boring
Al Plastino
Kurt Schaffenberger

*********************************************
The Super-Key to Fort Superman
Originally from : Action Comics #241
Writer : Jerry Coleman
Pencils : Wayne Boring
Oh my gosh. Just...wow. That's got to be the funniest story I read all year ! To say that this story caught me by surprise is a gross understatement. I expected something somewhat boring and dialogue heavy, but I got a story crazy, wacky and oh so funny ! There was way too many cool moments to list them all here but here are some of the high points :

The Fortress of Solitude's giant door key...and its giant key holder.
Superman having a room dedicated for each of his friends in the Fortress, including one for Clark Kent to preserve his secret identity.
Each room containing gifts for them in case he was ever destroyed, including a hand-made sports car for Jimmy Olsen.
Superman painting a martian landscape with a giant brush. Yep, you read it right, Superman PAINTING !
Supes' interplanetary zoo full of "pets from another world". Inside the Fortress
Tricking the trickster, Superman style !

From beginning to end, a very entertaining story. I'm just hoping the rest of the book is as fun as this !
Grade : A+

*********************************************
The Man No Prison Could Hold

Superman throwing his costume in the atmosphere so that it falls back down exactly three hours later. Just enough time to become a slave and investigate.
After having pulled one of his Superman kinda moves, our big guy hollows a ball-and-chain with his finger so that he isn't unmasked.
Superman making an invisible glass boomerang out of sand to hook an escaping Jimmy Olsen and pull him back to the island.
Jimmy actually thinking it was the wind that blew him back.
Supes making a kaleidoscope out of sand and putting it in front of Project X's camera lens so that Von Kamp thinks his invention doesn't work and give up on the whole thing.
And, best of all, the fact that this trick actually works!

cover source : www.comicsvf.com

Rumor Mill : Essential Rampaging Hulk Vol.1

2006-12-05T07:00:00.001-08:00

A new listing has appeared on amazon.com for Essential Rampaging Hulk Vol.1. Here's the solicitation copy :

Not a hoax, not a dream, not an imaginary story... so what is it? Judge for yourself as the gamma-powered gargantua's long-lost black-and-white adventures are reprinted for the first time! Rarely seen moments of Hulk history featuring aliens, magic, horror and wonder - the full gamut for Marvel's great green giant! Guest-starring the Avengers, the X-Men and more! Collects Rampaging Hulk #1-9, The Hulk! #10-15 and Incredible Hulk #269.

As far as I know, Rampaging Hulk was a black and white magazine published in the late 70's by Marvel to cash in on the success of the Hulk TV show. The series changed its name to The Hulk! and went to colors with issue 10.

So far, they are aiming for a May 16th 2007 publication date. Remember that this solicitation is to be taken with a grain of salt...

Sources : amazon.com and comics.org

Essential Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man Vol.3 Content Update

2006-12-04T06:18:00.000-08:00

I found this bit of info on the Marvel Masterworks Massage Board, courtesy of Beast :

The Essential Peter Parker Spectacular Spider-Man Vol. 3 TP (DEC062387D, $16.99; FOC 02/01/07) will contain Spectacular Spider-Man #54-#74 and Annual #3, not #32-#61 and Annual #1-#3 as mis-solicited in Previews.

The new content makes much more sense since Vol.2 stopped at issue #53.

Source : Beast on the Marvel Masterworks Message Board.

On Sale This Week (12/06)

2006-12-03T08:55:00.000-08:00

Pretty good week with the puclication of a much requested second Defenders collection and the first Shazam Showcase !

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: SHAZAM VOL. 1
Written by Dennis O'Neill, E. Nelson Bridwell and Elliott Maggin; Art by C.C. Beck, Kurt Schaffenberger, Dave Cockrum, Dick Giordano and others; Cover by Bob Oksne

This edition collects all of the new stories from SHAZAM! #1-35 (1973-1978)! The Big Red Cheese is joined by the members of the Marvel Family including Mary Marvel and Capt. Marvel Junior, as they battle the menaces of Black Adam, Dr. Sivana and the Monster Society of Evil!

DC Universe | 560pg. | B&W | Softcover | $16.99 US

On Sale December 6, 2006

ESSENTIAL DEFENDERS VOL.2
There’s nothing the non-team can’t handle when mutants, gods, demons and miscreants of the 1950s all get their crack at the sensational super heroes of the seventies! With Luke Cage! The Guardians of the Galaxy! The Son of Satan vs. the Sons of the Serpent! Brain transplants, foreign intrigue and the tumultuous terror of Tapping Tommy! Daredevil, Yellowjacket, Bambi! And introducing...an Elf!? Featuring the first appearance of the ever-reliable Wrecking Crew! Collects DEFENDERS #15-39 and
GIANT-SIZE DEFENDERS #1-5.
616 PGS./Rated T+ ...$16.99

First Look : Showcase Presents Unknown Soldier Vol.1

2006-12-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

First off, I am the only one finding that the quality of the paper has gone down since the start of the Showcase line ? I remember being VERY impressed by the whiteness of the pages of the first few books, but now the stock's grayish and thinner. In fact, it's very similar to the one Marvel's using for its Essentials. I know I shouldn't expect much at $17 for 500 pages, but DC spoiled me with the amazing production quality of Jonah Hex and Superman Vol.1... Anyway, I was eagerly awaiting this book ever since it was solicited way back this summer. I've always preferred the off-center showcases to the mainstream ones and I've been itching to read some other war stories between Haunted Tank's more repetitive tales.

Artwise the book looks great. Sure, Joe Kubert's the main draw, but let's not forget the other pencillers who also do a pretty nifty job on the art. Something I also noticed while glancing through the book was the cool format of many issues' introduction page. On each of these, a quick text explaining the setting of the story and a small drawing of a scene overlaps a collage of actual war photos. The use of photographs makes one realize that as entertaining as the fiction stories of the Unknown Soldier are, they came from a very real human tragedy. That is never to be forgotten...

I can't wait to read a couple of these stories to see if they live up to my hopes. I'll be back in a couple of days with some reviews.

Showcase Presents for March 2007

2006-11-26T08:01:00.000-08:00

DC announced two weeks ago which Showcase volumes they'll publish in March. Here they are, with quick comments and a slight delay :

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: HAWKMAN VOL. 1 TP
Written by Gardner Fox and Bob Haney
Art by Joe Kubert, Gil Kane, Carmine Infantino and others
Cover by Joe Kubert
In this fantastic volume filled with over 500 pages of classic 1960s stories, Hawkman and Hawkgirl face menaces including the Shadow Thief and Matter Master, and team up with Adam Strange and Aquaman!
Advance-solicited; on sale March 21 • 560 pg, B&W, $16.99 US

Hawkman's fans will be very happy to see this solicited ! For the others, the creative lineup alone warrants giving a look at this book.

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE HOUSE OF MYSTERY VOL. 2 TP
Written and illustrated by Various
Cover by Nick Cardy
Do you dare to enter the House of Mystery? This value-priced collection includes stories from HOUSE OF MYSTERY #195-211. These fantastic black-and-white tales of mystery and suspence from the 1970s feature thrilling stories with surprise twist endings that will keep readers on the edges of their seats!
Advance-solicited; on sale March 7 • 552 pg, B&W, $16.99 US

I was so glad to see this ! I'm currently reading volume 1 and loving every minute of it. The creative lineup is rather interesting and the short stories format make for great bedtime reading. Believe me, there's no better closing to a good evening of comic reading than one or two quick ghost stories.

On Sale This Week (11/29)

2006-11-26T07:52:00.000-08:00

Essential Man-Thing Vol.1
Whosoever knows fear will see just how much there is to know in this compilation of staggering swamp sagas! Explore the heights of the cosmos and the depths of the soul with the mindless Man-Thing! Guest-starring the Fantastic Four! Ka-Zar! Daredevil! Korrek the Peanut Butter Barbarian! And featuring the first web-footed steps into adventure of Howard the Duck! Collects SAVAGE TALES #1, ASTONISHING TALES #12-13, ADVENTURE INTO FEAR #10-19, MAN-THING #1-14, GIANT-SIZE MAN-THING #1-2, and MONSTERS UNLEASHED #5 and #8-9.

544 PGS./Parental Advisory... $16.99

Ferbuary's Essentials

2006-11-19T13:15:00.000-08:00

The new Previews Magazine will show up in comics-shops around next wednesday. As usual, Marvel put out their solicitations on the web a week earlier so we already know which will be the new additions to the Essential line for february :

ESSENTIAL MS. MARVEL VOL. 1 TPB
Written by GERRY CONWAY, CARLA CONWAY, CHRIS CLAREMONT, ARCHIE GOODWIN, JIM SHOOTER & SIMON FURMAN
Penciled by JOHN BUSCEMA, JOE SINNOTT, JIM MOONEY, KEITH POLLARD, SAM GRAINGER,
SAL BUSCEMA, TOM PALMER, FRANK GIACOIA, CARMINE INFANTINO, TONY DEZUNIGA, DAVE COCKRUM, MIKE VOSBURG, MIKE ZECK & MIKE GUSTOVICH
Cover by JOHN ROMITA SR.
Ms. Marvel's current successes are only the latest in a line of earth-shaking adventures that began in her original series, reprinted here in its entirety! New nemeses like Steeplejack and the Doomsday Man vie for the female fury's attention alongside classic criminals like the Scorpion, Tiger Shark and the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants! Featuring Namorita and Vance Astro, later of the New Warriors! Alien intrigue with the Kree and Shi'ar! Supernatural thrills! And the first appearance of the marvelously malicious Mystique! Plus: X-Men alumni including Grotesk and the Lizard People! Guest-starring Captain Mar-Vell and the Avengers!
Collecting MS. MARVEL #1-23 and MARVEL SUPER-HEROES MAGAZINE #10-11.
512 PGS./Rated A ...$16.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2499-3

I'm not surprised to see this book considering Marvel has been pushing the current series A LOT in the past few months. Having not read the issues collected here, I have no idea if this is worth picking up. I've got to say the artists lineup is rather impressing though !

ESSENTIAL PETER PARKER, THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN VOL. 3 TPB
Written by BILL MANTLO, TOM DEFALCO, ROGER STERN, STEVE LEIALOHA, MARV WOLFMAN, TONY ISABELLA, MARIE SEVERIN, RALPH MACCHIO & DAVID KRAFT
Penciled by JIM MOONEY, FRANK SPRINGER, LEE ELIAS, MIKE ESPOSITO, SAL BUSCEMA, CHIC STONE, JOHN ROMITA JR., MIKE ZECK, MARIE SEVERIN, STEVE LEIALOHA, AL GORDON, BRUCE PATTERSON, RICK LEONARDI, LUKE MCDONNELL, JIM SHOOTER, JOHN BYRNE, ED HANNIGAN, RICH BUCKLER, JIM SHERMAN& ALAN WEISS
Cover by FRANK MILLER
"Spectacular" isn't just the title as Spider-Man's college years are augmented by authorial and illustrative excellence! Enemies old and new, recurring and rare, line up to teach the web-slinger plenty - but will he become his own worst enemy as the sinister Spider-Lizard? Robots, killer bees, living hallucinations and more! Guest-starring the Human Torch and the White Tiger! Plus: the surprising first appearance of the hero-hater who'll happen into being the Hobgoblin! Collecting SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN #32-61 and ANNUALS #1-3.
544 PGS./Rated A ...$16.99
ISBN: 0-7851-2501-9

I'm surprised to see a third volume of PPSM being published this early considering Amazing Spider-Man's collections are way behind. Still I'd rather see an Essential PPSM volume than no Spidey volume at all.

On Sale this Week (11/22)

2006-11-19T08:41:00.000-08:00

SHOWCASE PRESENTS: THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER VOL. 1

Written by Joe Kubert, Bob Haney, Frank Robbins,
Robert Kanigher, David Michelinie and Archie Goodwin; Art by Kubert, Jack Sparling, Gerry Talaoc and others Cover by Ken Barr

Assuming a wide variety of disguises to battle the Nazis, the Unknown Soldier plunges deep behind enemy lines in this 560-page black-and-white SHOWCASE trade, collecting stories from his first appearance in STAR-SPANGLED WAR STORIES #151 to issue #190.

DC Universe | 560pg. | Color | Softcover | $16.99 US

ESSENTIAL CAPTAIN AMERICA VOL.3
Cap goes up against the usual villainy of AIM, Hydra and the Red Skull – but could the most familiar enemy face be...Bucky’s!? The Falcon becomes Cap’s full-time crime-fighting partner in the wake of this shocker! Gangsters and gorillas! A mysterious Stranger! Nazis, robots and Nazi robots! Featuring the friends and foes of Spider-Man, and the web-slinger himself! Guest-starring Daredevil and the Avengers! Plus: the secret of the 1950s Captain America and Bucky, foreshadowing the first appearance of the man called Nomad! Collects CAPTAIN AMERICA #127-156.
608 PGS./All Ages ... $16.99

Source : marvel.com & dccomics.com