Welcome to another spotlight for new and interesting books soon to be released!
You'll see that I'll try to include a little order code with most items (ex:JUL200019). Show some love to your retailer and use those codes when you can, it saves a lot of time on the data entry end of things.
CHASING THE BIRD CHARLIE PARKER IN CALIFORNIA HC GN
(W) Dave Chisholm (A) Dave Chisholm
Charlie "Bird" Parker and and Dizzy Gillespie brought frenetic sounds of bebop from the East Coast jazz underground to the West Coast for a two-month residency at Billy Berg's Hollywood jazz club in 1945. This marked the beginning of a tumultuous two year-stint for Bird bumming around L.A., showing up at jam sessions, crashing on people's couches, causing havoc in public places, and recording some of his most groundbreaking tracks, "A Night in Tunisia" and "Ornithology." Chasing the Bird explores Bird's relationship with the people he met encountered during his L.A. sojourn and those found themselves in the orbit of the jazz genius. JUL201558
Why this caught my eye:
Dave Chisholm has been doing some interesting work with the release of Canopus this year. This sounds like a fascinating biography and we've been living in kind of a golden age of graphic novel bios and autobios so we should take advantage.
DUNE HOUSE ATREIDES #1
(W) Brian Herbet, Kevin J. Anderson (A) Dev Pramanik (CA) Jae Lee
* Set in the years leading up the Hugo and Nebula Award-winning Dune-which inspired the upcoming feature film from Legendary Pictures- DUNE: HOUSE ATREIDES transports readers to the far future on the desert planet Arrakis where Pardot Kynes seeks its secrets.
* Meanwhile, a violent coup is planned by the son of Emperor Elrood; an eight-year-old slave Duncan Idaho seeks to escape his cruel masters; and a young man named Leto Atreides begins a fateful journey.
* These unlikely souls are drawn together first as renegades and then as something more, as they discover their true fate - to change the very shape of history! AUG200952
Why this caught my eye:
Just a signal flair for all the Dune fans who have been eagerly awaiting the new movie. This prequel could be an interesting add-on to the movie if done well.
DUNE GN BOOK 01 DUNE
(W) Frank Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, Brian Herbert (A) Raul Allen, Mart?n Patricia (CA) Bill Sienkiewicz
The definitive graphic novel adaptation of Dune, the groundbreaking science-fiction classic by Frank Herbert. Dune, Frank Herbert's epic science-fiction masterpiece set in the far future amidst a sprawling feudal interstellar society, tells the story of Paul Atreides as he and his family accept control of the desert planet Arrakis. A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism, and politics, Dune is a powerful, fantastical tale that takes an unprecedented look into our universe, and is transformed by the graphic novel format. Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's adaptation retains the integrity of the original novel, and Ra l Allén and Patricia Mart n's magnificent illustrations, along with cover art by Bill Sienkiewicz, bring the book to life for a new generation of readers. AUG201048
Why this caught my eye:
Might as well get all our Dunes covered in one fell swoop. Nice touch with having a new Bill Sienkiewicz cover to bookend against the 80's Marvel adaptation.
DARK WING #1 (OF 10)
(W) Matt Medney (A/CA) German Ponce
The Dark Wing, a planet turned into a spaceship by human-like people known as the Quails, searches the cosmos for a solar system to call home. Piloted by the legendary Benedict Gunn, the exploration of this gargantuan ship is an adventure like no other. But when Captain Gunn pulls a daring interstellar maneuver, the price he and his crew must pay is deadly! AUG201401
Why this caught my eye:
Ya had me at 'planet turned spaceship'. Also, if you look up German Ponce's art, it looks fairly 'epic sci-fi'.
HEY AMATEUR GO FROM NOVICE TO NAILING IT IN PANELS SC
(W) Gail Simone, Delilah Dawson, Leah Moore, Gene Ha, VARIOUS (A) Martin Simmonds, Jen Hickman, Rafael Albuquerque, Gilbert Hernandez, Various (CA) Michael Allred
What do you want to learn about? Take your pick in this anthology combining the unprecedented approach of a "how to" book with the diverse subject matter from over 100 contributors sharing their hidden talents via one-page, nine-panel comics!
Includes entries from a variety of comics creatives including John Allison, Kelly Sue DeConnick, Becky Cloonan, Sanford Greene, Paul Pope, Gail Simone, Mark Buckingham, Box Brown, Gilbert Hernandez, Jill Thompson, Chynna Clugston Flores, and more.
Each story is part personal "how to," part "how-so." Some of these one-pagers will illuminate aspects of the comic book storytelling process like drawing likenesses, lettering, and cropping art panels. Others go beyond the comics world from the practical (catching a loose dog, changing a tire, speaking in public), to the fun (creating cheap horror makeup, skanking at a ska show, faking a guitar solo), to the peculiar (destroying the Internet, training your doppelgänger, surviving a bear attack--probably).
All-star creators from South Africa, South America, North America, England, India, and other parts of the world share their favorite recipes, traditions, and talents in this fun, educational anthology. Learn new skills or hone the ones you've got.
Bonus features include a brand-new story, "How to Wash Your Hands," an introduction by Kelly Sue DeConnick and an essay about the traditional 9-panel grid by Jim Rugg. JUL200576
Why this caught my eye:
Just look at the start of that creator list. Sure, it may be just one page per creator, but when's the last time you saw Chynna Clugston Flores? We've got Paul Pope too? This just looks like a really cool anthology.
EVER AFTER GN
(W) Olivia Vieweg (A/CA) Olivia Vieweg
Vivi and Eva are two travelers in a countryside filled with the undead. After a train breaks down, stranding them between safe zones, the young women partner up to stay alive. Vivi is struggling with grief-and guilt-over the loss of her sister. Eva is hiding the start of a horrifying transformation. Together they'll face heat, zombie hordes, and their own inner demons, searching for signs of life in a land of the dead. JUL201271
Why this caught my eye:
The more I see of Vieweg's art the more I like. Lerner Publishing Group has been starting to put out some really good stuff as well, so want to keep an eye on them.
That does it for this batch! I'll mix up the size of these posts a bit, I don't want to always hit you over the head with too many things all at once :)