Down the Line is our monthly look at Previews, and what titles are coming out a few months, well, “down the line.”

This installment covers the February Previews for comics due to ship out in April 2007. Remember, especially with the indy books, that pre-ordering is your friend, and the best way to make sure you get the books you want. I should mention, thanks to the increasing prevalence of advance solicitation, that several of the books here won’t actually ship until May or later, but the preorders are still due by the end of February.

As always, the Previews rundown is in alphabetical order, rather than the order used in the catalog. To facilitate those seeking more information, each entry will include the page number of the solicitation. I’m going to offer up my “Top Ten Shiny New Things to Watch Out For,” which is in a 1-10 order of what I’m most looking forward to (the first item is my “pick of the month,” as it were.) Then I’ll provide a rundown of “Other Stuff That Caught My Eye.” My focus in this column is always going to be on jumping-on points and new stuff, so if you’re wondering “Where’s Criminal?” or something along those lines, I still love it, I just don’t want to keep harping on it. I’m also going to do my best to provide links to art and other preview material, or at the very least official websites, so you can track down more information.

By the way, April looks like a spectacularly good month, with a lot of cool mainstream and indie stuff alike. Save some money aside from the weak February and March offerings and treat yourself in April. The announcements for Free Comic Book Day 2007 in May are also in this issue, so look for a Down The Line special on those books later this week.

Top Ten Shiny Things To Watch Out For:

The Art of Bone HC (Dark Horse) - This was a surprise, and a really pleasant one at that. Dark Horse’s deluxe, oversized “Art Of” volumes are some of my favorite books in the whole of my graphic novel collection, and I expect that a big ‘ol hardcover looking at the art of master cartoonist Jeff Smith will be no exception. Smith self-publishes Bone, so it says something that he’s chosen Dark Horse to do his “Art Of” books, and one of the things it says is that this cartoonist recognized that Dark Horse is quite possibly the best there is at this format. If you’ve never read Bone, first of all, shame on you, second pick it up, grow to love Smith’s cartooning and then come back in June for this deluxe hardcover that is bound to be another art-lover’s dream. (page 32)

Hellboy: Darkness Calls #1 (Dark Horse) - Hellboy… drawn by someone other than Mike Mignola? It seems like blasphemy, I know, but here’s the thing: Guy Davis has actually surpassed Mignola’s take on the B.P.R.D. (in my opinion), and the artist Mignola has chosen for Darkness Calls is Duncan Fegredo, a remarkably talented illustrator who is carrying a heavy Mignola influence on his Hellboy work, if the preview page is any indication. This is also a six-issue miniseries, rather than the somewhat anemic two-parters we’ve been getting, so hopefully Mignola will give Hellboy a little more of the meaty, engaging story he has been giving his B.P.R.D. characters. Even better, B.P.R.D.: Garden of Souls continues this month, plus there’s a Hellboy Companion and a new volume of Hellboy Animated, so this is a good month to be a Hellboy fan. (page 22)

Owly Vol. 4 TP (Top Shelf Productions) - A new volume of Andy Runton’s delightful all-ages series Owly is always worthy of celebration. Owly always carries with it simple, effective lessons, but more importantly it features exquisite cartooning and clever, funny storytelling. An Owly comic is the equivalent of a warm cup of hot chocolate and a good hug on a cold winter’s day. Top Shelf has recently added preview pages to all of their online catalog pages, so you can see preview pages from the first volume of Owly if you’ve never taken a look at this charming, can’t-miss series. (page 346)

Korgi Vol. 1 TP (Top Shelf Productions) - Given my love for Owly and my trust in the Top Shelf folks’ talent radar, I’m delighted to see them breaking a new all-ages book this month as well. Korgi is the creation of a former Disney animator, and promises to be a story about a young girl and her dog (a corgi, naturally) in woodland adventures. The six page preview is cute, full of beautifully detailed art reminiscent of Mike Ploog’s work on Abadazad, and features a strange, compelling twist at the end of its six pages. It’s getting a big push, being paired with Owly in Top Shelf’s Free Comic Book Day offerings this year. You’ll find preview pages, as well as a Flash animated trailer, at Top Shelf’s site. (page 346)

Mouse Guard Vol. 1: Fall 1152 HC (Archaia Studios Press) - Archaia’s breakout fantasy series has completed its first story, and as is traditional for the publisher, they’re putting the completed story into what is sure to be a gorgeous and affordable hardcover. David Petersen’s series is a classic fantasy tale, with the realistically rendered mice, snakes and crabs providing an interesting visual filter. The hardcover promises bonus pages as well, but even if it didn’t, this is a must-read for anyone with a love for fantasy. I have all the books, but I can’t wait to see the hardcover edition as well. You’ll find almost thirty preview pages at the bottom of this page on Archaia’s website. (page 230)

The Ancient Book of Myth and War HC (Adhouse Books) - Here’s another cool-looking art book, a deluxe hardcover full of images about mythology and war from Scott Morse, Lou Romano, Don Shank and Nate Wragg. You can see previews from each of these artists at their blogs, which I linked under their names. All are artists working for Pixar, and all of them produce beautiful work. (page 213)

Spider-Man/Fantastic Four #1 (Marvel) - This looks like a Marvel project made just for me. Written by Jeff Parker, king of Marvel’s all-ages line and fun, inventive books like Agents of Atlas, with approachable art by the talented Mike Wieringo, it’s a team-up of the Fantastic Four and Spider-Man. I know, you’re thinking “Duh. It says that in the title!” But the solicitation text really sells it, promising that it’s “nowhere near Civil War.” Yes, I’m aware I’m basically being counter-programmed. I’m excited enough about the promise of a well-crafted old school adventure romp that I don’t care. (page M18)

Spider-Man Visionaries: Roger Stern Vol. 1 TP (Marvel) - Speaking of Spidey and old school, I’m very excited to finally see some of Roger Stern’s work being reprinted. Along with Mark Gruenwald and John Byrne, Stern makes up the holy trinity of guys who defined what Marvel Comics could be for me in the ’80s. This is early stuff, and weirdly for a Stern Visionaries, it features three other writers, so it’s unlikely to be as strong as when he hit his groove on Amazing Spider-Man, but the upside is that it’s Spectacular Spider-Man stuff I’ve never read. If you’re not onboard unmasked Spidey, Spider-Totem Spidey or Norman Osborn-lovin’ Gwen Stacy, give Stern’s Spidey a try. It’s probably the best the character ever got after the Stan Lee years, and in some ways it’s actually better than the original Stan Lee stuff. Shame that it costs $25, given how much cheaper it was back in the day, but that’s the same cost as the Civil War trade, which has 60 less pages and 100% more suckage. So it’s still a good deal. Now I’ll start hoping for sequential reprints of Stern’s Avengers and Gruenwald’s Captain America. (page M90)

Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus Vol 1 HC (Marvel) - It’s a good month to be an old school Spidey fan. Roger Stern reprinted, new work by Jeff Parker and Mike Wieringo, and the original Spider-Man stories get the deluxe Omnibus treatment. I already have this material, both in black and white in Essential form and very soon in full-color digital format on GIT Corp’s Amazing Spider-Man DVD, but I still see myself picking this up. Why? Well, it’s 40 issues of Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, complete with letter pages, unused covers and other bonuses, just over 1000 pages for $100, and the previous Marvel Omnibus format books have been fantastic. I bought the Uncanny X-Men Omnibus and haven’t regretted it for a second… I think it’s very likely I’ll buy the Amazing Spider-Man Omnibus as well. (page M86)

The Last Sane Cowboy & Other Stories TP (AIT/Planet Lar) - Daniel Merlin Goodbrey not only has one of the best creator names there is, he has a sense of weird that really informs his storytelling. I’ve read his experimental online comic Sixgun at CBR, but what really draws me to this graphic novel is having read the mini-comic The Last Sane Cowboy, one of the stories reprinted here. It’s odd, compelling and full of strange ideas and great moments, and I described it when I read it as “a folk tale done in the style of Grant Morrison, with insanity as a physical location as well as a state of mind and the demons of the id represented in solid form.” That still sounds about right. You can find preview pages of Last Sane Cowboy HERE. (page 218)

Other Stuff That Caught My Eye:

52 Volume 1 TP (DC) - A few months ago, I would greeted this trade with a resounding yawn. As is, I’m still probably not interested enough in the project to have it in lasting trade paperback form, but I have to applaud DC for the format they’ve chosen. 13 issues per trade (no superstition in DC’s collections department, apparently) for $20 makes it cheaper than the single issues, and four trades is a reasonable, not unwieldy size for the collected story. The trade hits less than a month after the final issue hits the stands, so while DC may have promised no trades until it was finished, it’s clear they’ve been chomping at the bit to get those trades out there. No harm, no foul, really… if someone’s been waiting for the trade, the quick reprint will be great for them, and if someone’s been following the book in issues, they’re not going to want to quit at this point and wait for collected editions. Everyone is probably getting the format they wanted in the first place. (page 71)

Adventures in Oz HC (IDW) - Damn you, IDW! Don’t you know I’m trying to save money! I coveted the limited hardcover of Eric Shanower’s Oz when I saw it in San Diego, but it was too late to order it at that point, and so I got the excellent softcover instead. Now, after I’ve dropped $40 on that softcover, IDW tempts with another run of the hardcover, which is $75 but features a ton of extra pages and stories. I think I have to hold off, but I’m still tempted to take this second chance. (page 303)

Agents of Atlas Premiere HC (Marvel) - How I hate the premiere hardcovers. Extra price, same size, longer wait for trade paperback editions. If the premiere hardcovers were actually premiere in some way, say featuring cool extras, commentary by the creators, tons of sketches, etc. or at the very least oversized, that would be alright. As it is, it looks like a money-grubbing move by Marvel. Agents of Atlas, in some ways, is even worse. The collection goes almost far enough to be one of Marvel’s cool oversized hardcovers, promising blogs, creator interviews and character designs as well as throwing in reprints of the original comics that introduced these characters… but they’re all in the regular trim size. Oversized, I’d be tempted by the $25 price tag. Regular size, I’ll wait and see what makes it into a more affordable trade paperback. (page M97)

Alan Moore: Wild Worlds (DC/Wildstorm) - Speaking of money-grubbing moves, this “new” title from Wildstorm strongly implies that it’s new Alan Moore material, even it doesn’t outright say it. It isn’t. It’s a reprint of some of his weakest work for the Wildstorm imprint, including a Spawn/WildC.A.T.s limited series, a bizarre Deathblow two-parter, a Voodoo miniseries and others. There’s some OK stuff here, but this is for extreme die-hard Alan Moore fans only, and even then, you’ll probably feel a little ashamed of yourself for buying it. (page 112)

Alien Pig Farm 3000 #1 (Image) - I don’t know writer Todd Farmer, but I know that his pitch for this miniseries, featuring “pig-eating, flesh-gnarling” aliens attacking Kentucky and battling it out with Johnny Ray, his moronic brother Elvis and the “sister he loves” sounds like high concept, lowest common denominator fun. I also know that the artwork from Don Marquez previewed looks really nice. On the downside, this is from the same comics studio that gave us one issue of Bad Planet before that book utterly disappeared, and Farmer’s previous writing credits are the movies Jason X and upcoming horror flick The Messengers, so his pedigree is uncertain but a little worrying. I think the over/under on this being dumb fun and just plain dumb is probably about 50%… but I’m really hoping it’s good, because it has a lot of dumb fun potential. (page 142)

Alpha Flight Classic Vol. 1 TP (Marvel) - Slowly but surely, Marvel is getting around to printing some of their classic superhero stuff that really should be a permanent part of their back catalog. Now I already have all the issues of Byrne’s Alpha Flight, so this isn’t really on my shopping list, but if you’ve never read the early days of the Canadian superteam, I highly recommend them. Byrne’s Alpha Flight is made up of really interesting characters, and the stories are classic superhero tales with just a little bit of an edge to them. No doubt this is being timed for the release of Omega Flight, but whatever the reason, I’m glad to see these stories back in print. (page M110)

Amazons Attack #1 (DC) - Looking at the title, I can’t help but feel that it should have an exclamation point. That aside, the last thing DC really needs is another crossover, but I have to admit, my interest is piqued by this one. For one thing, Pete Woods continues to impress with each art assignment, and the two-page spread in Previews is no exception. For another, Will Pfeifer is a solid writer who has done some nice work on Catwoman, and for another, the notion of the Amazons mounting an attack on modern-day America is a very interesting premise. (page 73)

Annotated Northwest Passage TP (Oni Press) - Scott Chantler’s excellent Canadian history/adventure book gets collected. I already got the series in mini-trade format, but this package puts the whole thing together with the promise of extensive annotations from the creator. Combine the exquisite cartooning and unusual premise with the promise of historical footnotes and such and you’ve got a pretty good package. (page 317)

Avengers: The Initiative #1 (Marvel) - Dan Slott has gone over to the dark side, eschewing his fun, carefree approach to The Thing, She-Hulk and Spider-Man/Human Torch for a big ‘ol post-Civil War tie-in. Given the sales his projects have met with, I can’t blame him, but it’s still a shame. That said, the preview pages in Marvel Previews are kind of fun, with nice art from Stefano Caselli, and while I imagine that there will be some Civil War tie-in aspects that just make me cringe, there might also be some fun to be had. Of course, I have no idea what the series is actually about, since Marvel is blacking out all their post-Civil War solicitations, preventing readers and retailers alike from knowing what’s coming up. And making ordering projects like these a bitch and a half, I might add. Of course, many retailers can’t be counted on to keep their mouths shut about upcoming information, so I can’t entirely blame them for the tight-lipped solicits, annoying as they might be. (page M24)

Batman Black & White Vol. 3 (DC) - Based on the info and the solicited cover, I’m guessing that this is all (or maybe just most) of the black and white backup stories from the now-defunct Batman: Gotham Knights series. The stories were hit and miss, but there were some gems in there, and with contributors like Darwyn Cooke, Jill Thompson and Michael William Kaluta, I’m inclined to add this to my shelf next to the other two Black and White volumes. (page 78)

Comics Gone Ape! SC (Twomorrows Publishing) - Give Twomorrows credit for publishing some of the weirder comics collections, as this collection of essays, articles, sketches and more focuses on monkeys, gorillas and maybe the occasional gibbon in comics. (page 346)

Doctor Fate #1 (DC) - Here’s the thing: Doctor Fate has never been that interesting a character. He seems to get revamped every few years, usually with a new identity and a new twist, and while the character himself seems to have potential, nobody ever seems to make him interesting on his own. Kind of like Marvel’s Dr. Strange, actually. Next up to take their shot with this new series are Steve Gerber and Paul Gulacy, sort of a ’70s throwback team. Gerber has a rep for weirdness with Marvel’s Defenders and Man-Thing, so this might just be a take worth checking out. But I will say this… the solicitation reveals that they’re going back to basics in some ways with the character, and also spoils any suspense from the Helmet of Fate one-shots, and nothing here really screams “bold and new” in any way. But then again, Identity Crisis was “bold and new” so maybe there’s something to be said for a classic, throwback take. (page 84)

Essential Spider-Man Vol. 8 TP (Marvel) - We’re getting into the weaker era of the original Spider-Man, as the solicitations promise the first appearances of Big Wheel, Rocket Racer and Will O ‘the Wisp, not to mention stories that set the stage for the Clone Saga, which says to me it’s probably the weaker Spidey stuff. However, I’m glad to see the Essential series going on this long, so I might just read through this for curiosity’s sake while I wait for it to catch up to the Stern era. (page M110)

Fallen Angel #15 (IDW) - Reading the second trade DC produced for Fallen Angel reminded me how much I once loved this series, and got me in the mood to check out the IDW iteration again. Good timing, it turns out, as should-be superstar artist Kristian checks in for this standalone issue. If you’ve never read Fallen Angel or seen Kristian’s art, give this one a look. If you have seen Kristian’s art, you probably already planned to. (page 302)

Fell Vol. 1: Feral City TP (Image) - My first thought was “jeez, took them long enough” when I saw the solicit for this trade of the Warren Ellis/Ben Templesmith series, but then my buddy Nate Southard pointed out that the trade is supposed to contain Fell #1-8. Considering that #6 came out months ago, and there hasn’t even been word of another issue since, soliciting a trade with two more issues in it seems wildly optimistic. At any rate, whenever it actually comes out, Fell is my favorite Ben Templesmith project, and one of my favorite Warren Ellis projects in years. (page 150)

Ferro City Vol. 1 TP (Image) - Jason Armstrong’s story, mixing noir and robots, was an interesting tale with fantastic artwork, so I’m glad to see Image giving it the trade paperback treatment. (page 150)

First in Space GN (Oni Press) - James Vining has a good pedigree, first being picked for the Xeric Grant and then being picked up by Oni Press. His debut graphic novel is based on the true story of the training of the first American chimpanzee in space, which is interesting subject matter to me, and the folks who have taken notice of him would indicate that he’s probably executing that premise pretty well. (page 317)

Frank Frazetta’s Death Dealer #1 (Image) - I don’t have a lot of interest in Death Dealer, whose appeal basically boils down to an iconic painting by Frank Frazetta, but I know that many others do. This is a good “get” for Image, and Nat Jones’ previous work on Spawn and The Nail would indicate he’s got the metal head sensibilities required for the property. (page 138)

Garage Band GN (:01 First Second) - There’s too little information and images to completely judge the newest offering from First Second, but here’s what I can tell: First of all, the subject matter, about a garage band trying to make it and facing individual problems as well as the band problem of a blown amp, sounds potentially interesting. Second, a glimpse of Gipi’s full-color artwork shows it to be of that cool watercolor look that makes so many European comics so appealing. Third, First Second has earned a justifiable reputation for picking talent. In summation, color me interested. Update: You can check out 12 pages on First Second’s site. (page 290)

Godland Vol. 3: Proto-Plastic Party TP (Image) - I’ve said a lot of nice things about Godland in the past, so I don’t know what new words I can offer. I’ll just say that Joe Casey and Tom Scioli provide one of the most action-packed, whacked-out pure fun comics on the market, and this is the third collection. The past two have never failed to put a smile on my face, and I recommend them highly. (page 151)

Invincible: Ultimate Collection Vol. 3 HC (Image) - Invincible, on the other hand, I’ve been sort of up and down on, but there are a lot of things to recommend Kirkman’s personal superhero opus, and he’s been on a bit of a roll in the last couple issues, so I’ll probably go ahead and pick up this third deluxe hardcover. If nothing else, the sheer coolness of extras that have been in these hardcovers makes them worth a look. These are really the standard by which deluxe hardcovers should be measured, and much cheaper than the ultra-deluxe treatment would cost you at Marvel or DC. (page 151)

The Legend of Grimjack Vol. 7 (IDW) - In some ways, this volume and those that follow present Grimjack on its way down, as a resurrected Grimjack and a radically altered supporting cast lead to stories that weren’t as strong as the original concept. That said, there are still great stories to be had, even up until the end, and I’ll be buying these collections even though I already have all the issues, because IDW is doing such a nice job with them. (page 303)

The Legion of Super-Heroes in the 31st Century #1 (DC) - Like Teen Titans Go!, this animated tie-in is being offered mere months after its release as a Free Comic Book Day offering, which means it’s hard to recommend buying it instead of picking it up for free. Hopefully, it will echo the success of Teen Titans Go! with the younger crowd. With J. Torres writing and Chynna Clugston-Flores doing the art, I’m sure it will be a treat creatively speaking. (page 101)

Loners #1 (Marvel) - I’ll be honest, my expectations for this Runaways spinoff is that it’s going to disappoint. Nothing against C.B. Cebulski, but he hasn’t written anything that has really wowed me, and I want that at the very least from someone who is taking on this interesting group of C-listers rescued in Brian Vaughan’s original Marvel creation. However, I like Karl Moline’s art, I like the characters, and I suspect that Joss Whedon taking over the parent title will lend a big boost to this spinoff’s sales. I’ll at least give it a shot, although I’m skeptical. (page M39)

Madame Mirage (Image/Top Cow) - There’s not much to be gained from looking at the solicitation of Madame Mirage, in terms of figuring out who she is. It looks just like another Magdalena or Witchblade, and that holds little interest to me. But the creator is Paul Dini, which means I’ll at least give it a look when the actual first issue comes out. I’ll expect disappointment, since Top Cow has never produced anything of interest to me, even with creators I liked. And certainly I’d still advise skipping this 16-page, 99 cent comic, if only because every other preview like it that Top Cow produced has been skimpy on content even for a bargain-priced book. Just launch the first issue, these teasers are worthless unless they’re free or quarter-priced at most. (page 173)

Madman Atomic Comics #1 (Image) - I’ve read a fair amount of Madman, and I like it, but I can’t call myself a fanatic. Certainly not enough to pick up that king-sized hardcover collection Image solicited a month or two back. But a new series from Mike Allred? Sure, I’ll give it a go, and the full-color art pages from Allred look terrific. The question is, if you’ve never read an issue of Madman at all, will this be accessible? Well, the solicit promises an innovative recap of every essential event, and Allred is inventive enough to live up to that claim, so all signs point to yes. (page 140)

Marvel Illustrated: Jungle Book (Marvel) - This is a weird one, reprinting stores from Marvel Fanfare by Mary Jo Duffy (a vastly underrated writer) and Gil Kane that present Rudyard Kipling’s Jungle Book in comic book form. This will almost certainly flop in the direct market, but it’s an interesting experiment from Marvel, and I kind of hope it pans out in the wider market, if only because it could broaden their audience a bit more. (page M8)

Maxwell Strangewell (Dark Horse) - The Fillbach Brothers, talented cartoonists who are best known for their work on the Star Wars Clone Wars Adventures comics, present a near-400 page sci-fi epic featuring a telepathic ten-foot tall alien, Tibetan monks, alien assassins, alien accountants and what sounds like plenty of off-the-wall adventure. These kind of deliberately shticky sci-fi projects can easily go off the rails, but every so often you get one that is every bit as fun as its creators think it is, and my bet is that the Fillbach Brothers have the talent to pull it off. (page 34)

Nightwing Annual #2 (DC) - Two of DC’s under-appreciated talents, Marc Andreyko and Joe Bennett, team up to tell the love story of Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon, inspired by the marriage proposal that didn’t result in a marriage from pre-Infinite Crisis Nightwing. I’m interested in the relationship anyway, but I’m even more interested because I think these creators will pull off an interesting look at the story. (page 77)

Nova #1 (Marvel) - My first exposure to Nova was in the pages of New Warriors, and truthfully, that’s where I like him, but since the New Warriors are well and truly f*cked as a concept thanks to Civil War, and Nova had an interesting miniseries leading into Annihilation, I’m mildly curious about his new role as a cosmic character. And it has a good creative team in Abnett, Lanning and Sean Chen. I’m not exactly looking forward to it, but I’d categorize myself as “mildly interested.” (page M50)

Omega Flight #1 (Marvel) - This one, on the other hand, gets my attention almost solely because of the artist, Scott Kolins. The digitally-inked pages of his work look pretty nice, although I honestly preferred his more traditional work on The Flash and Beyond. The book itself, however… eh. Mike Oeming, though a talented illustrator, is a writer whose work rarely clicks with me, and this lineup for Canada’s superteam, consisting of uber-patriot U.S. Agent, cosmic Thor stand-in Beta Ray Bill and the Julia Carpenter Spider-Woman alongside a couple of the Canadian characters looks, quite plainly, stupid. Now maybe there’s some genius concept that explains why on Earth U.S. Agent would be coming to Canada, or makes up for the pointless waste of the original Alpha Flight in the pages of New Avengers, but I’m skeptical. (page M51)

The Plain Janes (DC/Minx) - DC’s new graphic novel imprint, aimed at teenage girls, seems to be doing a lot of things right. The writer of this initial book is an award-winning writer of fiction for young readers, the artist is the amazingly talented creator of Street Angel Jim Rugg, and DC is going that extra mile by making it returnable for retailers. Like Breaking Up, a recent Scholastic release with art by Christine Norrie, I don’t think this is aimed at me, but I may have to buy it anyway because the craft looks so strong. That tells me that the target audience should really have cause to appreciate it, if DC can break the marketing barriers between teenage girls and American comics. I wish them luck. (page 64)

The Ride: Savannah (Image) - The stories on The Ride have been hit and miss for me, but this one-shot gets my attention for the artists featured. It’s a cool idea, pairing with the Savannah College of Art and Design to showcase new artists, and it’s a good cause, as the profits from the issue go into these art students’ scholarship funds. Barring any nobler ideas about supporting higher education, though, the odds are this art will be pretty good, as past SCAD graduates include a lot of artists I like, including Kristian, Mark Brooks, Brett Weldele and plenty more. (page 146)

Rock and Roll Love GN (Hyperion Books) - I remember seeing the promo for Biker Girl, a graphic novel from Misako Rocks (surely a pen name), but I couldn’t find a lot of information, so I didn’t mention it. Now I see another postage stamp sized solicitation featuring her work, and it again caught my attention, so I can only guess that my instincts are telling me to check out her work. This is a story of a 16-year-old Japanese exchange student who falls in love with the lead singer of an American band, and whether or not they can be friends or maybe more than friends. (page 296)

Runaways #25 (Marvel) - Joss Whedon takes over Runaways. For most fans, these words inspire great excitement. For me? Disappointment. Whedon’s comics work has been occasionally weak and almost entirely late, and while he’s one of the few people who might even have a shot of successfully continuing Vaughan’s creation, I’m not sure the odds are good that anyone could properly do it. Certainly moving them to New York seems like an utter betrayal of the concept. However… the preview pages in Marvel Previews this month feature some nice art from artist Michael Ryan, and a pretty decent vibe to the writing. If by some miracle Whedon can maintain a monthly schedule, and his take on the Runaways is stronger than his take on the X-Men, I might just wind up onboard. Not that it matters in the grand scheme of things… given Whedon’s sizable fanbase, Runaways will no doubt sell better with him than it ever did without him.

At any rate, even if Whedon whiffs it for me, the good news is that Marvel is giving us longtime Runaways fans a going-away present for Vaughan’s run, printing the remainder of his run in a third hardcover, also solicited this month, just a few months after volume two finally came out. (page M55)

Satan’s ***** Baby (Dark Horse) - Eric Powell presents the Goon story so offensive that they have to censor the title. Dark Horse promises it will never be collected. Honestly, usually when a creator goes this far over the top, the work winds up reading as self-indulgent and nowhere near as funny and outrageous as the creator thinks (see also: Everything Howard Stern has ever done), but I’ll admit, I’m at least curious. (page 25)

Showcase Presents: The War That Time Forgot Vol. 1 TP (DC) - World War II soldiers battle dinosaurs on a lost island! Gotta love that concept, and my built-in soft spot for this kind of Silver Age cheese is even further softened by Darwyn Cooke’s fantastic use of the concept in the pages of New Frontier. I’ve found that in general, these Showcase volumes aren’t my cup of tea, but this might be the exception. (page 95)

Sollitaria #1 (Praxis Comics) - Well, this is interesting. A new series from a group of South African comics creators, Sollitaria has all the haunting moodiness of the Se7en comics with artwork that recalls Ben Templesmith and Ashley Wood but figures more strongly defined figure work and storytelling. It could wind up being just pretentious, but the artwork certainly intrigues. (page 319)

Spider-Man Family #2 (Marvel) - Why am I mentioning a random second issue of a Marvel book? Three reasons. First of all, Marvel’s new Spider-Man Family title features a lead story by Sean McKeever and Kano, and that’s an impressive creative team that is worthy of notice. Two, the story features Venom and Peter matching wits with him as a journalist rather than a superhero, which is an interesting concept and should draw some of the Spidey 3 movie interest since if features Venom. Thirdly, and most importantly, there’s a 10-page backup story written by my friend Paul Benjamin (creator of Tokyopop’s Pantheon High) and featuring art by Pirates of Coney Island’s Vasilis Lolos. I’ve seen the black and white art, and it looks great. (page M17)

Star Trek: Klingons: Blood Will Tell #1 (IDW) - I’m not even remotely a Star Trek fan, but I’ve got to give props to IDW for knowing what to do with their geek properties. Classic Trek stories told from the point of view of the Klingons? Clever. A Klingon language variant? Sheer mad genius. Totally not for me, but kudos to IDW for inventive marketing. (page 297)

The Tick 20th Anniversary Special Edition #1 (New England Comics) - The Tick, like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is one of those classic properties where I throw my hands up in frustration. You’ve got these beloved indy series, and there are no good, sequential collections of the work easily available. Putting aside the boneheaded failure to present good, easily available trades of the work, however, this 20th anniversary special looks like some fun. In addition to work by the creator, Ben Edlund, the all-star lineup includes some of my personal favorites, like Fred Hembeck, Terry Moore, Zander Cannon and Sean Wang. (page 313)

Warhammer: Forge of War #1 (Boom! Studios) - After a strong showing on their Warhammer 40K comic (it’s sold out, and in dire need of a second printing and a quick second issue), Boom! Studios is forging ahead with a Warhammer title exploring the fantasy side of the property. Truth to tell, I’d rather see a story that focuses on the more mundane adventures of Warhammer Fantasy Role-Play than the fancy army stories of Warhammer Fantasy, but I’m not really the majority of the audience for these books. Instead, Boom! is aiming square at fans of the new RTS game and upcoming MMORPG, and they’ll probably hit dead on with another success. (page 250)

World War III (DC) - I hate these crossover events, especially since they inevitably result in characters being offed (or worse) for shock value. And yet… 52 has won back my interest, and the writer of two of these one-shots is one of my favorite writers, John Ostrander. I’ve been suckered into 52, I’ll probably at least give these a look. (page 68-69)

XS Hybrid (Dark Horse) - Dark Horse seems to have a good eye for Manwha. Banya: The Explosive Delivery Man, their first Korean manga, was a whole lot of fun, and the premise of XS Hybrid sounds intriguing as well. Futuristic setting, “hybrid” humans, a young boy with psychic powers… color me interested, at any rate. (page 45)

Y: The Last Man Vol. 9: Motherland TP (DC/Vertigo) - The penultimate Y: The Last Man trade paperback. The second half of this trade features the weakest story in Y thus far, and in fact one of the weakest stories that Brian Vaughan has told, but I’m hopeful that when read all at once in trade format it will hold up better. (page 125)