SHIPPING MARCH 4th, 2009
The following comics and graphic novels are scheduled to ship to The Beguiling Books & Art in Toronto, Canada, on Wednesday March 4th 2009. All prices are listed in U.S. Funds.
Click here for the complete list: /090304shipping.txt
The Beguiling Recommends… bringing extra money.
Seriously, I can’t believe how much stuff is coming out this week. Due to a combination of factors (we have no control over…), we have more books and manga shipping this week than in the past two weeks combined, and there’s tons of must-own stuff. Hopefully the economic downturn hasn’t hit everyone too hard, because there is literally an embarassment of riches this week at the comic book store. Here’s our top 10, followed by another dozen notable books:
NOV084199 Barefoot Gen Vol 07 Bones Into Dust 14.95
NOV084200 Barefoot Gen Vol 08 Merchants Of Death 14.95
It now looks like the epic, groundbreaking manga series Barefoot Gen will be finished in our lifetimes! Thanks, Last Gasp! Barefoot Gen is an expanded version of the short story “I Saw It“, which features a boy’s first-hand account of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima, during WWII. Barefoot Gen follows the boy, Gen, through the horrors and weariness of life after the bomb, and eventually the slow rebuilding of Japan. It is a remarkable, terrible, must-own work. We’re happy to say that all eight volumes are currently in stock at the store, no need to wait until Wednesday.
DEC084024 Humbug Hc (Res) 60.00
Congratulations to Peter Birkemoe, who this week will see the arrival of the comic he has waited for since he was a young boy. THE COMPLETE HUMBUG collects all 11-issues of the highly-regarded humour magazine, which features stories and art from Harvey Kurtzman, Jack Davis, Will Elder, Al Jaffee, and Arnold Roth. It’s a lovely two-volume slipcase hardcover set for just US$60.00, a bargain at twice the price (especially if you’ve ever tried to track down the original issues… like Peter did…!).
APR082337 Kabuki HC Alchemy 29.99
It’s been years (and years) since the last collection of David Mack’s Kabuki, and even longer still since the last collection of work actually written and illustrated by Mack. I have to admit–I totally gave up reading it in single issues, I just couldn’t deal. But once-upon-a-time, Kabuki was my favourite series on the rack thanks to its gorgeous art and really inventive storytelling. Mack has used storytelling devices I still haven’t seen anyone approach, and although he’s knocked for sometimes wearing his influences a little too-clearly on his sleeve (and for the book being about a series of beautiful and deadly lady-assassins…) for my money it’s still a great read, and a great buy.
NOV084212 Little Nothings Gn Vol 02 Prisoner Syndrome 14.95
Little Nothings 1, the ‘sketchbook diary’ collection of strips by French comics auteur Lewis Trondheim, was one of my favourite comics of 2008. I’d like to thank NBM for following up so quickly with the release of this second collection, and look forward to spending some quality time with it. I’d definitely recommend this if you enjoy the diary-comics of James Kochalka, Jeff Brown, or autobigraphy in general.
JAN092398 Madman Atomic Comics #14 (Res) 3.50
This issue: MADMAN: THE MOVIE, by Darwyn Cooke and J. Bone. Inside a framing sequence by Madman creator Mike Allred, Darwyn and J. tell a story about Hollywood’s attempt to adapt Madman’s life story into a movie. It’s a great issue to check out even if you’ve never read MADMAN before, and just like everything Darwyn and J. work on we expect this one to do really well. We’ve ordered a ton, but just in case make sure to get here on Wednesday!
DEC084030 Mome Gn Vol 14 14.99
Are you reading Mome? No? Why not? Check out this line up for the 14th volume:
“The Spring 2009 edition of MOME is anchored with Lilli Carré’s (The Lagoon) new, 32-page graphic novella, “The Carnival.” Gilbert Shelton is back with the second part (of three) of his new graphic novel, “The Last Gig in Shnagrlig.” Othe contributors include Olivier Schrauwen, Laura Park, Dash Shaw, Derek Van Gieson, Ray Fenwick, Jon Vermilyea, Sara Edward-Corbett, Conor O’Keefe, Émile Bravo, and Josh Simmons all return. To wrap it up, Ben Jones, Frank Santoro, Hernán Migoya and Juaco Vizuete all pop their Mome cherries this issue as well (the former two with a Cold Heat-related story).”
Seriously, all kinds of interesting and ground-breaking new cartooning in here, and each issue features at least one truly outstanding piece. Don’t miss it!
SEP084031 Sams Strip Comic About Comics Gn 22.99
Actually, Fantagraphics has done a great job of explaining why this is neat, particularly if you’re a comic-strip aficionado. Take it away guys:
“Sam’s Strip was ahead of its time when it debuted in 1961. Mort Walker and Jerry Dumas’ offbeat creation took the inside joke of breaking the “fourth wall” to a new level, playing with the basic elements of the cartoon form, experimenting with different art styles and featuring famous characters from other strips. Sam and his cartoonist assistant owned and operated the comic strip they inhabited. The Yellow Kid, Jiggs, Krazy Kat, Dagwood, and Charlie Brown were among the many familiar faces who made walk-on appearances. Sam and his assistant discussed the inner workings and hidden secrets of life within the panel borders. … Sam’s Strip, which never appeared in more than 60 newpapers, was too esoteric for most readers, and was terminated by its creators in 1963. It is considered a cult classic among comic-strip aficionados today.”
DEC080160 Shazam Monster Society Of Evil Tp 19.99
BONE and RASL creator Jeff Smith’s retelling of the classic Monster Society of Evil storyline in Shazam is a fantastic book for readers of all ages. In the last couple years we’ve seen DC put out some really bizarre, questionable interpretations of their characters, and Smith’s Shazam! stands as a wonderful counterpoint; the series is dark, intense, anxious, but also truly heroic, adventurous, and fun. If you “miss” superhero comics the way they used to be, make sure not to miss this one.
OCT084410 Tezukas Black Jack Px Hc Vol 03 24.95
After much waiting and many questions asked by our customers, we’re happy to announce that Diamond has finally gotten around to shipping the third Black Jack collection after apparently having lost it for a few months. :-/ If you haven’t been reading this series? Start. Tezuka, unsurprisingly, knocks it out of the park, and makes you care about this scarred and deceptively cold-hearted doctor, and all of his completely insane surgeries. As of Wednesday all three volumes will be in stock, in both hardcover and softcover formats.
OCT084158 Wolverton Bible Hc Gn 24.99
Back to Fantagraphics for the description on this one (they seem to be having a banner week!):
“From 1953 through 1974, Basil Wolverton, a deeply religious man, was commissioned and later employed by the church to write and illustrate a narrative of the Old Testament (including over 550 illustrations), some 20 apocalyptic illustrations inspired by the Book of Revelations, and dozens of cartoons and humorous illustrations for various Worldwide Church publications.
“Compiled and edited by Wolverton’s son, Monte, the 304-page Wolverton Bible includes all of Wolverton’s artwork for the Worldwide Church of God corporation. Recording artist and noted EC authority Grant Geissman (Tales of Terror: The E.C. Companion and Foul Play!: The Art and Artists of the Notorious 1950s E.C. Comics!) provides an insightful foreword, while Monte Wolverton delivers commentary and background in the introduction and in each section. This volume is authorized and commissioned by the Worldwide Church of God and endorsed by the Wolverton family.
“Many of the illustrations in this book are regarded as Basil Wolverton’s finest work. Still others have never been published, and some of the humorous drawings printed here rival Wolverton’s work in MAD magazine.”
Also of note…
JAN092488 Agents Of Atlas #2 Dkr 2.99 – The first issue of this one sold out much faster than I thought it would. Well don’t worry, we’ve bumped our orders a bunch on the second issue, and more #1s are on their way.
NOV080143 Batman Cacophony #3 (Of 3) 3.99 – How about that, it actually shipped. Who had 2 months late in the pool?
DEC080047 Buffy The Vampire Slayer #23 Chen Cvr 2.99 – A new issue of BUFFY, must be the first Wednesday of the month! Actually, heh, I can’t believe that 22 of the 23 issues of this series ACTUALLY shipped on time. That’s a rare feat for anything with Whedon’s name on it. And they’ve been pretty good too! Three cheers for everyone!
DEC082456 Captain America Tp Vol 03 Death Of Captain America 14.99 – This continues to be very strong indeed.
DEC084117 Danger Unlimited Tp 19.99 – Now featuring the BABE mini-series. I know some of you still love John Byrne. It’s okay. That’s why we order these books, for you to buy them.
JAN090136 Goon #32 10Th Anniversary Issue 3.99 – Congrats to The Goon creator Eric Powell, who shipped a full year’s worth of issues monthly, and on time. Our sales on The Goon have continued to rise, and it’s down to Eric’s hard work. Oh, and good news! We discovered a whole new cache of the filthy dirty Goon one-shot SATAN’S SODOMY BABY! It’s like 4 or 5 bucks, over by The Goon back issues.
JAN090112 Hellboy Wild Hunt #4 (Of 8) 2.99 – The next issue in the current Hellboy Serial.
DEC082451 Invincible Iron Man Tp Vol 01 Five Nightmares 19.99 – The first collection of Matt Fraction’s new ongoing Invincible Iron Man series. A good place to jump on if you liked the movie, but never read the comics.
DEC080163 Justice League International Tp Vol 01 17.99 – It looks like DC will be releasing slightly more inexpensive softcover editions of the recent JLI HC’s by Giffen, Dematteis, and McGuire. These are some funny and fun comics, ranking among many readers’ favourites of all time. $18 is a pretty reasonable buy-in price, I’d say.
OCT083948 Last One Tp 24.99
OCT083947 Seekers Into The Mystery Tp Vol 01 Pilgrimage Of L 15.99
Two long out-of-print creator-owned miniseries, originally published by Vertigo. Now published by Boom Studios. I remember liking Seekers in my “Vertigo phase”, although it did feature some pretty new-agey imagery. Still, I’m happy to see it back in print and I’ll probably give it a read, see how it holds up. The Last One was before my time… I think I was still reading X-Men and/or Transformers at that point.
DEC084332 Nana Tp Vol 15 8.99
JAN094482 Naruto Tp Vol 38 7.95, JAN094483 Naruto Tp Vol 39 7.95, JAN094484 Naruto Tp Vol 40 7.95, JAN094485 Naruto Tp Vol 41 7.95
Just wanted to say, we’ve already got these in stock, and about another 40 (seriously) manga bit shipping through Diamond until Wednesday. Come by this weekend if you want to get a jump on these books.
OCT083876 No Hero #4 (Of 7) 3.99 – I’ve been digging this one, and sales are going up all the time. With any luck all of our backorders on #0-#3 have come in, so those of you looking to pick up the series starting this week Should be good-to-go.
JAN094381 North World Gn Vol 02 11.95 – North World is a fun, smart little fantasy adventure comic with enough twists and innovation to make it seem comfortable, but also exciting. It’s a bit like Scott Pilgrim, but more RPG and less Street Fighter, if that makes sense? Anyway, it’s definitely worth a read if you’re already jonesing for SP6.
OCT080178 Starman Omnibus Hc Vol 02 49.99 – Diamond keeps shorting us on this. Rest assured we’re putting every copy we get out for sale and no staff are picking up theirs until we get our full order. Sorry everyone.
JAN090192 Superman World Of New Krypton #1 (Of 12) 2.99 – Just a note for Superman and Action Comics fans and readers–Superman is apparently going to be out of the Superman books for the next year, and in this mini-series. I don’t quite get it myself, but we will be adding this series to your subscription, so you won’t miss out.
JAN092452 Ultimate Wolverine Vs Hulk #3 (Of 6) 2.99 – The book 25 years in the making, or something.
JAN092531 War Of Kings #1 (Of 6) 3.99 – If you liked ANNHILATION or any of the other recent, not-sucky Marvel crossovers, you may want to check this one out. It’s all of Marvel’s Space Characters, a few mutants, and Darkhawk, and they fight. That either sounds awful, or like the best thing ever, depending on your taste.
JAN092591 Wolverine By Claremont & Miller Tp 16.99
DEC082436 Wolverine Origin Tp New Ptg 16.99
JAN092592 Wolverine Tp Weapon X New Ptg 16.99
Just in time for that Wolverine movie on the way, Wolverine’s greatest adventures are brought back into print. Well, Wolverine’s greatest adventures and Origin, which… yeah.
The Beguiling and The Toronto Comic Arts Festival are once again proud to partner with Toronto Public Library for Keep Toronto Reading Month, a month-long celebration of reading and library services. For more on Keep Toronto Reading, please visit http://www.keeptorontoreading.ca.
