Welcome to Down the Line, our monthly look at Previews! Co-written by Randy Lander and Dan Grendell, each Down the Line looks at what’s coming out in comics (and manga) a few months down the road.

This installment covers the April Previews for comics due to ship out June 2008 or later. 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. Thanks to the increasing prevalence of advance solicitation, that some of the books here won’t actually ship until July or later, but the pre-orders are still due by the end of April.

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. Dan and I will both offer up a “Top Five Shiny New Things to Watch Out For,” also in alphabetical order, and then we’ll provide a rundown of “Other Stuff That Caught Our Eye.” The focus in this column is always going to be on jumping-on points and new stuff, so if you’re wondering “Where’s Immortal Iron Fist?” or something along those lines, we still love it, we just don’t want to keep harping on it.

Randy’s Top Five Shiny Things To Watch Out For:

Drawing Words & Writing Pictures SC (:01 First Second Books):
Randy: The projects I’m most anticipating from First Second are Paul Pope’s new book Battling Boy and a long-awaited collection of THB. But this one is damned close. Matt Madden, writer/artist of the excellent 99 Ways To Tell A Story, teams with his wife, talented cartoonist Jessica Abel, to create a course on comics creation (”for college courses or independent study”) with chapters on lettering, story structure, panel layout… fifteen lessons in all. I honestly doubt I’ll ever create a comic, but as someone fascinated by the process and blown away by Madden’s previous ruminations on storytelling and style in 99 Ways, I can’t wait to read this. (page 291)

Dan: Never create a comic, eh? I seem to remember a certain book called After the Facts, Randy…

Randy: You’re right, Dan, I did in fact write a couple short stories for a couple anthologies. I guess I should say I doubt I’ll ever create another comic. But then, I wasn’t really expecting to write those other two, either.

Freddie & Me: A Coming Of Age (Bohemian) Rhapsody GN (Bloomsbury):
Randy: Parts of this book have previously been serialized online, and it looks like an unusual project. An autobiographical told through the lens of his life-long obsession with the rock band Queen, that alone would be enough to set it apart. But Mike Dawson, creator of Freddie & Me, already has some indie cred thanks to his impressive work on Gabagool!, which reminded me in all the right ways of creators like Alex Robinson and Tony Consiglio. Sure to be a bit raunchy, a lot funny and a fair bit insightful, this is one of those graphic novels I think everyone will be talking about. (page 232)

Help Is On The Way: A Collection of Basic Instructions (Dark Horse):
Randy:With Penny-Arcade, Wondermark, Perry Bible Fellowship and K Chronicles already under their belt, Dark Horse turns its eye to collecting a new strip, Scott Meyer’s Basic Instructions. It’s another webcomics gem, as it turns out, and if you don’t believe me, a quick journey through the archives, stopping off at such great recent strips as “How to Confound Your Alien Captor” or “How To Explain Something to Someone Who Doesn’t Get It,” will probably have you as excited about a print compilation as I am. (page 39)

How To Draw Stupid And Other Essentials of Cartooning SC (Kyle Baker):
Randy: Buried in the book section is this can’t miss book on cartooning from animation and comics master Kyle Baker. One need only look at his Bakers graphic novels or the Bakers shorts on his website to see that this is a guy very qualified to give how-to advice, and skilled enough that it’s probably going to be a lot of fun to read. Like Drawing Words & Writing Pictures, this is a book that will have no practical application in my life, but as a process wonk I can’t wait to read it, and aspiring creators should absolutely pick up both books. (page 403)

Madame Xanadu #1 (DC Comics/Vertigo):
Randy: The last time Matt Wagner wrote a Vertigo comic, it was in the early days of the imprint and he gave us the exceptional pulp, sociological exploration and romance comic Sandman Mystery Theatre. Now he’s returned to throw a new spin on DC’s fortune-teller Madame Xanadu, with art by spectacularly impressive newcomer Amy Reeder Hadley. This is a bit of Vertigo returning to its roots, sprucing up dormant DC magic characters with a mature readers dark fantasy twist, and I’m very much hoping (and honestly expecting) that it can stand with DC’s other modern fantasy classic Fables. (page 115)

Dan: I’ve always dug Madame Xanadu, despite her minor character status, and I think the preview art I’ve seen from Hadley has been brilliant. Haters whine about her manga style, but I think she and Wagner are perfect for this project.

Dan’s Top Five Shiny Things To Watch Out For:

Kabuki: The Alchemy HC (Marvel Comics/Icon):
Dan: Kabuki isn’t just a comic, it’s a work of art, so I’m glad to see the latest series getting the full-on oversized hardcover treatment. Extras include a never-before seen ending, new art, a commentary by David Mack, letters from the letters column, and all sorts of other stuff. I’m all over this. (page M79)

Haunt of Horror: Lovecraft #1 (Marvel Comics/MAX):
Randy: Wow. An interpretation of the classic horror of H.P. Lovecraft, from Richard Corben, in Marvel’s MAX imprint? That is a pretty impressive offering. (page M75)

Dan: A horror comics master, adapting a horror genius? Awesome. Corben has chosen some obscure stuff alongside a well-known story too, hitting “Dagon”, “Recognition”, and “A Memory.” Great choices.

Kill All Parents #1 (Image Comics):
Randy: Wow, Wertham would have had a field day with this one. Don’t worry, though, it’s not a how-to manual or a call to action, it’s a superhero book about a crazy government experiment to make sure everyone with powers becomes a superhero, not a supervillain. How do you do that? Well, what motivates some of the best superheroes? That’s right, dead parents. You can see where Amazing Joy Buzzards/Popgun collaborator and writer Mark Andrew Smith is going here, right? (page 150)

Dan: That is crazy. And brilliant. Crilliant?

Secret Invasion: Who Do You Trust? (Marvel Comics):
Dan: Wait a second. More Skrull crap, we get the idea. Why is this worth mentioning? Because one of the stories involves Jeff Parker and Leonard Kirk returning to the Agents of Atlas, that’s why. I hope Iron Man asks them if they are Skrulls and Namora punches him in the crotch. (page M49)

Randy: This sounds a lot like your “Iron Man: Crotch Punched!” 6-issue miniseries proposal, Dan.

Dan: I’d really like it to be an ongoing series, but they told me I’d have to test the waters with a miniseries first.

Randy: That’s silly. I think the market is ready for this project. Maybe even hungry for it.

Wolverine #66 (Marvel Comics):
Dan: The last time Mark Millar wrote Wolverine, we got the excellently crazy Enemy of the State. This time, it’s Old Man Logan, a story that takes place 50 years after the heroes disappeared. Threatened by the Hulk Gang, the man known only as Logan begins a journey with his blind friend, Hawkeye that promises to be full of danger. Steve McNiven on art means it’ll look good, too. (page M65)

Other stuff that caught our eye:

Action Comics #866 (DC Comics):
Randy: It looks like Geoff Johns is going to finagle the continuity a little bit to add a touch of the Superman: Animated Series take on Brainiac into the mix. That is to say, he’s creating a story about how Krypton once went to war with Brainiac. Given that Brainiac has never been more interesting than when he was on the animated series, I think this is a good thing, and given that the creative team here is Johns and Gary Frank, I think it’s probably going to be a pretty good read. (page 83)

Atomic Robo Vol 1 TP (Red 5 Comics):
Randy: Back when Red 5 debuted in Previews, I was impressed with what I saw and picked them as one of my top five shiny things to watch out for. Atomic Robo is the best thing to come out of the company so far, with an off-the-wall sense of humor reminiscent of the work of Matt Fraction and terrific art by Scott Wegener. The trade promises bonus stories and concept art and the like, so it’s a great story in a good package. (page 331)

Dan: This book has been a must-read for me every month, and I’m looking forward to the follow-up mini that I’ve heard is coming. In the meantime, I’ll pick up this trade and enjoy the first mini’s goodness all over again.

B.P.R.D.: War on Frogs #1 (Dark Horse):
Randy:Wow, Herb Trimpe? I did not see that coming. But thanks to G.I. Joe, I’ve got some love for Trimpe’s work, and I love that the artist choices on the various B.P.R.D. and Hellboy projects continue to surprise and delight. This particular story is the first of four one-shots exploring some of the stories in-between the regular B.P.R.D. tales. In this case, the rise of the frog cult, which means that, hooray, Roger is back in action! This month also sees a one-shot featuring the origin of psychic Johann Kraus, the concluding issue of Abe Sapien and the collection of pulp-adventure story Lobster Johnson: The Iron Prometheus. It is a golden age for B.P.R.D. and Hellboy fans. (page 41)

Dan: I remember Trimpe from his Incredible Hulk days, and I’m very curious what this will look like. Not trepidatious, but curious. I’ve come to trust Mignola’s judgment on artists.

Charlatan Ball #1 (Image Comics):
Randy: Is Joe Casey the modern Steve Gerber? His love of the weird mixed with superheroes has been clear in Godland, and it looks like Charlatan’s Ball is in much the same vein. Except that while Godland owes a heavy debt to Kirby, the main character of Charlatan’s Ball (Chuck Amok) seems to indicate a style inspired by the classic Looney Tunes as much as the weird magic superheroes of Steves Ditko and Gerber. Could be just a loud psychedelic mess, could be a lot of fun. Only one way to find out: Drop a lot of acid and psychically time travel to the future.

Or read the comic when it comes out in June. OK, two ways to find out. (page 148)

Dan: Well, the ad does say “you can lick the pages and ride your own melt.” So maybe you can do both.

Chuck #1 (DC Comics/Wildstorm):
Randy: I really like the show Chuck, but I think that a good half (or more) of why it works comes down to the actors and the chemistry, and while the show has genre elements (superspies and nerd culture), I just don’t think it fits comics that well. But everybody is looking for their Buffy Season Eight, and I certainly can’t begrudge the hit-starved Wildstorm for giving this a shot. I’m a fan of the show, I’m glad to see that the writers are guys involved with the show, and both Jeremy Haun and Phil Noto are great picks for this project, I’m just not sure there’s enough developed within the strike-shortened show yet to warrant spinoff other-media material. (page 105)

Conan the Cimmerian #0 (Dark Horse):
Randy: For some folks, there’s a limit to how much Conan you can enjoy. After a certain point, it all starts to look the same. I’m one of those folks, so when Busiek’s run wound down, despite my appreciation for Tim Truman’s work, I kind of drifted away. But for the many people who do not grow tired of ass-kicking barbarian rogues, Tim Truman is finally getting the clean start he probably should have had with a 99 cent issue and an impressive new artist in Tomas Giorello. (page 32)

Contract #0 (A First Salvo):
Randy: Stories about hot women who are assassins or mercenaries in a dark future are a dime a dozen, but something about Contract sparked my interest. Perhaps it was the swanky cover by Franchesco, perhaps it was the 25 cent incentive price, but it was enough to get me to take a look at First Salvo’s message board and get a sneak peek at the book. Looks pretty good. Nice art from Dave Ross, pretty decent action and characters in an ’80s comics kind of way, I can definitely see giving this book a shot. (page 203)

Dan: Those stories may be a dime a dozen, Randy, but they put Top Cow and Avatar through school. Don’t hate.

Dynamo 5 Vol. 2: Moments of Truth TP (Image Comics):
Randy: The first Dynamo 5 trade is one of the absolute best ways a superhero comics fan can spend $10. Dynamo 5 Volume 2 is the best way to spend another $15. Seriously, this comic with a great premise (the illegitimate children of a philandering superhero gathered together by his widow to fight crime) is one of the absolute best team superhero books on the market. (page 160)

Dan: Totally. Great art, great story, great fun.

Eternals #1 (Marvel Comics):
Dan: I dig the Eternals, and I’m glad to see them getting their own ongoing again in the Marvel Universe. I am curious to see where exactly they fit in, though. I’m sure some of that will be played out in their Incredible Herc appearance, but I think they have a lot of potential to be something more than just another superhero group. (page M24)

Femme Noir: The Dark City Diaries #1 (APE Entertainment):
Randy: Another familiar stereotype is the femme fatale pulp heroine, but that doesn’t mean it can’t work, and the previous crime story riff I read from Christopher Mills, Gravediggers, was original and entertaining. So I’m down for a story of a blond bombshell with two guns, especially when you throw in classic artist Joe Staton. (page 212)

House of M Avengers TP (Marvel Comics):
Randy: This ’70s style comic featuring a lot of my favorite B-listers like Luke Cage, Hawkeye, Moon Knight, Iron Fist and the rest was one of my favorite reads of 2007. It’s a weird little out-of-continuity project, but it was a great story from Christos Gage and Mike Perkins, and I’ll more than likely be picking up the trade. (page M104)

Dan: I know I will. I loved this mini. Gage and Perkins did a fantastic job here, and I was as surprised as anyone to love a House of M book.

Knights of the Lunch Table Vol. 1: Dodgeball Chronicles (Graphix):
Randy: Scholastic has really broken the whole maxim of “there aren’t any good comics for kids” into tiny little pieces, and they continue to do so with every new addition. Full color, affordable, digest-sized comics that are great for kids and adults like Bone, Amulet and more make up their line-up thus far, and Knights of the Lunch Table looks like another great addition in that vein. Frank Cammuso, creator of the fairy tale meets detective yarn comic Max Hamm writes and draws this tale of the Arthurian legend set in a middle school. Sounds like fun. (page 295)

Manhunter #31 (DC Comics):
Randy: If I didn’t know better, I’d swear DC was trying to kill this book. Taking it off the market for an entire year, and then returning not with a new #1, but with the less new-reader-friendly #31? Focusing on the Law & Order aspect of the courtroom, which might have been the least interesting thing about the previous series? Bringing in Michael Gaydos, instead of someone with a more traditional superhero bent like previous series artists Jesus Raiz and Javier Pina? I’m glad to see the book back, but I don’t like it’s odds of survival with the elements they’ve chosen to focus on. I’m sure it’ll be good, because Andreyko’s a very good writer and this is his best book, and Gaydos is a good artist even if he wouldn’t be my ideal choice for the book, but I’m just not sure about the marketing wisdom behind the whole thing. (page 90)

Dan: Trying to kill it may be a bit harsh. Don’t know their ass from a hole in the ground might be more accurate.

Marvel Adventures: The Avengers #25 (Marvel Comics):
Dan: Jeff Parker. Arnim Zola. Mind-switching. Do the math- one plus one plus one equals awesome. (page M36)

Pilot Season (Image Comics/Top Cow):
Randy: Despite the talent involved, most of the first round of Top Cow’s “Pilot Season” were pretty stinky. And the notion is kind of weirdly outdated given the changes in TV’s pilot season wrought by the strike anyway. But I still hold out some hope for this next wave, because one of the new books (Genius) is about a 17-year-old warlord uniting the gangs of South Central L.A. and it’s written by Marc Bernardin and Adam Freeman, who gave us the great action book Highwaymen. Another is about a professional killer, written by Joshua Hale Fialkov and allowing artist Jeremy Haun to play around in the modern action vein where his work should excel. Top Cow has rarely, if ever, produced a book I liked, even with creators I like, so my hopes are slim, but I can’t deny being interested. However, if they’re good, I’d rather Top Cow skip the strained TV metaphor and just give the thing a limited series commitment instead to allow the writers room to work. (page 176-177)

Dan: Both of those ideas sound great to me, and I dig both creative teams, so I may be picking up more Top Cow stuff than I have in years. Who’da thunk it?

Project: Superior #3 (Adhouse):
Randy: I don’t tend to comment on the third issue of a series, but Project: Superior, Adhouse’s indie superhero anthology, is more like a series of one-shots than an ongoing, and is quite different from the rest. The reason I single this one out is that it features a new Street Angel story from Jim Rugg and Brian Maruca. And if you don’t know why that’s awesome, get thee to a comics shop and pick up the Street Angel trade. Or go listen to our podcast where we extol the virtues of Street Angel. (page ??)

Real V.1 (Viz):
Dan: From Takehiko Inoue, of Vagabond and Slam Dunk fame, comes this story of a basketball player drowning in guilt. After Tomomi Nomiya gets in a motorcycle accident and a girl is paralyzed for life as a result, his world collapses. How can he deal with having caused such pain? This sounds like just a pile of angst, but I trust Inoue to make it more than that.(page 379)

Reign in Hell #1 (DC Comics):
Dan: I’m pretty tired of events, but I have a soft spot for DC’s magic characters, and Keith Giffen can write, so I’m cautiously looking forward to this one. A war over who is in charge in Hell? It won’t be as cool as what we’ve seen over in Vertigo, but it could be pretty entertaining. (page 69)

Skaar: Son of Hulk #1 (Marvel Comics):
Randy: Unless I miss my guess, this book is going to look a lot like a continuation of the fantasy/science-fiction style story that Greg Pak told so well in Planet Hulk. Given his role in turning second-stringer Hercules into the star of one of the most fun books in the Marvel library at the moment, I’m pretty excited to see what Pak and artist Ron Garney can do with Skaar, Son of Hulk. (page M29)

Dan: I’m right there with you. I’m certainly more interested in reading about Hulk’s son than I am finding out why Hulk changed colors.

Randy: My theory is that it’s just a really bad sunburn.

Dan: I bet that makes more sense than the actual reason.

Superman #677 (DC Comics):
Dan: I haven’t been following this title lately, but with this issue James Robinson takes over as writer. He’s done some great work on books like Starman, and his name is enough to get me to check the book out again. (page 75)

Randy: Robinson hasn’t really had a major hit with me since Starman, and even that had its issues for me, but he’s a fresh voice for Superman and I’m kind of excited to see what he’s going to come up with.

Trinity #1-4 (DC Comics):
Randy: When it comes to the weekly comic, DC has produced the innovative 52 and the excruciating trainwreck Countdown. With any luck, Trinity will hew closer to the former, and certainly the creative team has a lot of reliable stalwart talents like Kurt Busiek, Fabian Nicieza, Mark Bagley, Tom Derenick, Mike Norton and plenty of others. To be honest, I preferred a weekly about the lesser-known characters like 52, but given that Countdown took that to its logical extreme of “characters so lesser-known that nobody gives a crap about them,” I can see where DC wanted a little character star-power for their new weekly. (page 67)

Dan: I’m actually fairly buzzed about this. I have a lot of love for all three of these characters, I’ve enjoyed quite a bit of Busiek’s work (especially Astro City and Conan), and I have high hopes.

The Voyages of the She-Buccaneer #1 (Great Big Comics):
Randy: Fair warning… this could wind up just being a cheesecake comic. On the one hand, the site features pictures of a hot model in costume that it promises will be the “centerfold” of the comics. On the other hand, though, I’m getting a decent action-adventure vibe off of what I’ve seen at the artwork at the Great Big Comics website. And while I’m drawn in by the artwork, which has the vibe of Bruce Timm style animation, I’m even more drawn in by the promise of swashbuckling pirate adventure, dragons, cannibalistic giants and evil genies. If the book can be both sexy and fun, cheesecake and also adventurous, then I’m OK with that balance. (page 296)

Dan: Wait. Go back to the hot model again. Is it a man or a woman?

Randy: I believe it is a woman. But it could be a she-male… what would be better, marketing-wise?

Dan: Well, with a she-male, there’s a little something for the guys, and a little something for the ladies. Everybody’s happy! Or maybe nobody is, I dunno. People can be picky sometimes.

War Heroes #1 (Image Comics):
Randy: I’m not the world’s biggest fan of Mark Millar’s writing these days, but I have to admit, what Image is teasing about War Heroes, his superhero/military book with Tony Harris, certainly does intrigue. The notion of luring in kids who have gotten savvy about the draft and a stupid war with the promise of superpowers has every possibility of turning into the same tired “Americans are stupid, the military is corrupt and evil, pop culture is cool” tropes that Millar has turned into a cliche, but it could also be a fun and subversive read. (page 142)

Dan: Nothing could go wrong if you gave every new recruit a superpower, Randy. NOTHING.

What If? - The Fantastic Four Tribute to Mike Wieringo (HERO Initiative):
Randy: Apparently, before he passed away, Mike Wieringo was working on a What If? story about the ’90s replacement FF of Ghost Rider, Hulk, Spider-Man and Wolverine. The Hero Initiative, a charity that helps creators in need, has gathered up an impressive line-up of artists to finish the story and they’re going to be selling the book. It’s a cool project, a worthy cause and more than likely a really fun comic. Everybody wins. (page 298)

Dan: I can dig it. That’s a fun team, too.