Previews! (March 2015)

As I head West to attend the Emerald City Comicon, here are some thoughts and recommendations about this month’s Previews catalog for product shipping mostly in May. There’s not a whole lot for me to be excited about (compared to last month), but there are few things to highlight.

Convergence concludes this month with the final four issues of the weekly series, along with the #2 issues of all the Convergence mini-series.
Injustice: Gods Among Us begins Year 4 (and I heard it’s the final arc, maybe?). One of these days I will read the trades.
Hey, do yourself a favor and pick up the first Grayson trade if you haven’t tried the series yet. It includes the wonderful Futures End tie-in.
OMG! We’re getting finally Sandman: Overture #5! I jest (barely) because it is a visual feast, and the story is Gaiman coming home to familiar territory.
Speaking of Sandman, if you’re an uber fan, you may want to pick up the Gallery Edition HC for a mere $175.

Marvel

Secret Wars is here! Because of what Hickman has been doing in the Avengers books for the last few years, I am really looking forward to this Marvel event, unlike every past event Marvel has done.
But I am avoiding like the plague the tie-in stuff, like Battleworld and Warzones.
Thor’s secret identity will be revealed in #8. I don’t really care who the woman behind the mask is–I’ve enjoyed this series (starting with God of Thunder) from day one of buying it. Jason Aaron is killing it with this series.
Marvel plays the number game again with Uncanny X-Men #600, which is also BMB’s final issue.

Dark Horse

Fight Club 2 debuts. I’m really curious how much interest there is in this. Do we really want a sequel?
Harrow County by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook sounds interesting, but Crook’s art style reminds me too much of Matt Kindt’s, so it’s a pass for me.

IDW

I am very tempted to buy the Little Nemo: Return to Slumberland digest tpb for my girls (and me).
One of Douglas Adams’ creations (Dirk Gently) stars in his own series. Will the wonderful Adams’ humor translate well?
Fans of Frank Miller’s Daredevil will appreciate the Artifact Edition (coming in June).
I’ve been loving the John Byrne New Visions Star Trek series, but the latest edition has the TOS cast meeting the Borg? Oh jeez. I think we’ve jumped the shark.
Thrillbent begins a “new” series with IDW: Insufferable. If you’re like me, you paid the $3.99 monthly subscription and have already read this (at least season 2 or volume 2 or whatever they’re calling it). Also, how will the transitions used to great effect in the digital version translate (if at all) in the print versions? Finally, if this the Thrillbent model, why am I wasting $3.99 a month when I can wait for the paper copies of this and the Empire sequel?
Finally, the Womanthology: Heroic trade is offered, with the “proceeds [going] to charities through Global Giving”.

Image

Warren Ellis and Declan Shalvey return to collaborating with Injection. The preview pages are somewhat interesting.
I really debated getting The Mantle by Ed Brisson and Brian Level, but decided to trade wait.
Valhalla Mad by Joe Casey and Paul Maybury looks like fun: three warrior gods come to Earth “to get their drink on”.
Rocket Girl is back with issue 6, but I won’t be blasting off with her (that was really, really bad).
If you were waiting for the Wytches trade, wait no longer! (And let me know what you thought of it.)
I almost ordered the Intersect trade, but many people warned me away.
Lazarus starts a new arc with #17. Buy it!
Preorder Velvet #13. Thank me later.
WicDiv #11 ends the first arc.

Other

Terry Moore gives us a Spring Break story in SIP Kids. Much fun is sure to be had by all.
Avatar is publishing new Alan Moore stuff, proclaiming Providence as the “most important work of 2015” (already!). We’ll be the judge.
Blue Juice Comics’ Accelerators: Momentum mini-series looks interesting. A time machine that can only go forward? How will they get back to their time?!
While I didn’t continue with Suicide Risk beyond the first arc, the final issue, #25, arrives soon.
Archaia’s Lantern City looks nice, but I’m just not into steampunk.
Hey, did you know that Captain Canuck was “kinetic and accessible”? ;) I’ve always been mildly interested in this character (and know virtually nothing about him), but promotional text like that is a red light for me.
Dynamite teams up its female characters in the mini-series Swords of Sorrow by Gail Simone and Sergio Davila.
If you missed the wacky, fantastic ride that was Grant Morrison’s and Frazer Irving’s Annihilator, try the hard cover collection.
Notice that the Ivar, Time Walker first trade collection is only $9.99. If you get a discount somewhere, this will be a great read for your money.
Twomorrows Back Issue #81 will examine DC’s “giants and reprints”. This is right up my alley.
I have finally broken down and bought one of those Star Trek ship magazines because I can get the Enterprise C model from the TNG episode “Yesterday’s Enterprise”. I just really love the look of that design and always wished we could see the Ambassador class onscreen more.