I'm already thinking of starting CARP, The Committee for Arthur's Return to Power. It ought to be a fun little game to play while waiting for the first Busiek issue of Aquaman to hit the stands...

Mark Evanier has another edition of There's No Such Website! This time I did awful, not getting the right one until the fourth try. Eric got it on the third try.

Johnny B's NFL Picks. I think the Seahawks chances are very good in tomorrow's game, though nothing is ever certain until the game is played.

More on the music industry's belief that all customers are thieves: Anti-P2P company decides to focus on selling music instead of stopping piracy, Music store downloaders don't care about legality... they care about a good product at a good price, and The EFF urges maker of malware to let people know which CDs are infected so people can avoid installing stuff that lets viruses into their machines. The EFF points out that this malware is on other labels besides Sony, so avoiding Sony doesn't make you entirely safe.

I'm not sure what to make of this story about a guy in Dallas getting 11 days in jail for jaywalking, except that it confirms my desire to never ever visit Texas.

Linda Medley announces that "Previously announced plans to relaunch the CASTLE WAITING series in 2006 have been cancelled." Aw, spit.

Cheyenne Wright, colorist on Girl Genius, has done a T-shirt for Alton Brown, and is scheduled to make three more.

Sidewalk chalk of a Batman Climb. Via Tom Peyer.

The Onion does it again.

I'm with the folks who think it's just a leaf.

The Christmas Story as re-enacted by bunnies.

The Lion, The Witch, And the really foul candy. Slate takes a look at Turkish "delight".

A neat floor chair for the parents of toddlers.

OS-tans. Um. Ok. Thanks, Garrett.

There is a new symbol for the Red Cross/Red Crescent Movement. The "Red Crystal" has been added as a religiously neutral symbol. I don't know, I'd personally be more inclined to call it the "Red Diamond" myself. I think I'll stick with the Red Cross, as it looks to me like crossed bandages.

The North Pole is on the move. No, not the catastrophic change, just a little wandering, although why it wants to visit Siberia is anyone's guess.

Suspended for speaking Spanish in the hallway at school? What century is Kansas in, anyway?

Newsarama has the news of the new Aquaman creative team, and it's Kurt Busiek with artist Jackson Guice. Check out the article for more information and preview images.

Elayne Riggs is in the hospital with atrial fibrillation, go wish her well.

Yes, it's that time again... time for "Things in Previews That Look Interesting But I Can't Afford To Get (with a list of things I am getting just for contrast)". I'm going to start with the bulk of the book, and then come back and cover the "big four" at the end. Please remember, I'm listing what looks interesting. My actual purchase list is going to be much smaller. The numbers after each title are usually the page number in Previews Magazine, so you can follow along at home.

Let's start with the covers. The Beast Wars cover does absolutely nothing for me. It runs page my eyes like an advert. The Warlord cover, on the other hand, almost makes me curious enough to take a look. I'll certainly take a second look, even though I'm unlikely to get the book.

Moving on, let's hit the Splash Page (8-9).I originally looked at the page and thought there was nothing, but then I noticed the Heroclix. Yeah, I'm interested. But mostly to see if there's an Aquaman one. Somehow I really doubt it.

Because this is the Previews for books shipping in February, there's a Valentine's Day suggestion section on pages 12-13. Guys, trust me. Get TRUE STORY, SWEAR TO GOD for your girl. Give it to her with a box of chocolates and a flower (rose is fine, but I'm partial to carnations myself). Only a woman with a heart of stone would fail to enjoy True Story, Swear To God: Chances Are...

Ok, moving on past the "Premier Comics" section, will flop down in the Wizard section (190-196). Nothing at all jumps out at me, so on to the "Featured Items" (198-201). Rod Espinosa is doing an Alice in Wonderland book. Tempting. Mouse Guard also looks intriguing. I'm not sure if it'll make the list, but it does look good. Nothing else jumps out at me. So into the main comics section.

I can't pass up mentioning Following Cerebus #7 (203), which has a Babylon 5 cover featuring J Michael Straczynski himself. I don't intend to get the book, but the cover is very nice.

Alias (206-212) has a couple books to mention. The first is Hammer Kid which looks like yet another variation on the Norse myths. Definitely something that draws me in. The next would be Tempest. I'm not sure I'll get it, but any book that includes the artists that this one does and intends to donate proceeds to disaster relief efforts is worth mentioning. Last up is Lullaby #5 which actually mentions OZ!!!

Antarctic Press (216-219) has been climbing up my list of favorite publishers with their recent books. I keep wishing I had to the nerve to try Gold Digger, which I keep hearing great things about... anyway, this month, they've got Alice in Wonderland #1 by Rod Espinosa, who is one of my favorites. Then, as if that weren't enough, Oz: The Manga - Epilogue is also coming out. I suspect we'll be getting both.

Can't forget to include Arcana Studio (222) and Paradox #3. I enjoyed the first issue, and I'm looking forward to the rest.

Archaia Studios Press (220-223) is a relative newcomer to my list, but Mouse Guard #1 has definitely caught my eye. There is a two-page spread devoted to it on pages 220-221, and there's a preview of the first few pages on the website. We'll have to see how the list shakes out, to see if we can afford it.

Ok, stop everything and write this one down, ok? You are going to order from Clib's Boy Comics (241), True Story, Swear to God #16. Tom takes his mini-comic to WonderCon. This is on the MUST BUY list.

Josh Blaylock is trying to teach people How to Self-Publish Comics... Not Just Create Them through Devil's Due Publishing (249-259). I'm not sure how good this will be, but I'm sure there's going to be a lot of interest in this.

Dork Storm Press (264) is up next, with PS238 #15. Oh yeah, looking forward to this one.

Exhibit A Press (268) thrills and chills with another installment of Supernatural Law. If you aren't reading the webcomic, you are missing out on a fun little tale.

I'll be getting Thieves & Kings #48 from I Box Publishing (277).

IDW Publishing (283-289) has three books that grab me. Angel: Old Friends #4 makes the list unless the first issue (which I got today) is utter crap. Spike vs Dracula #1 might make the list as well, but I'm less sure of that. Fallen Angel #3 will also get on the list, as we've already ordered the first two. Tempting, but unlikely to get on the list unless our finances suddenly get really good, is Supermarket #1, by Brian Wood.

Markosia (292) seems to be taking over the titles of AP Comics, although I'm not sure. In any case, Midnight Kiss #4 talks about "the civil war in Oz" and they aren't talking about Australia, so we'll be getting it.

Local hits Montana, from Oni Press (304-307).

SAF Comics (310) has an interesting-looking book called Two White Wizards. Considering the price and our financial state, we won't be able to get it, but maybe one of my readers will. There is a little bit of preview art at the website, under the News link.

And that concludes the regular comic book section... whew... and off into the back of the book I go.

There's an Aquaman t-shirt on page 406, which I will be getting. I won't be getting the Namor statues on pages 433 and 434, although I think they look quite nice.

New Heroclix expansion set on page 480 from WizKids Games. I really want a Red Tornado Heroclix. Not that robot dude, the original Ma Hunkel as a Heroclix (and not as a token, either!).

Off in the videos, the second Hikaru No Go DVD has been solicited (486), which means I have something else to put on my wishlist.

And that gets us through the comics and extras and sends us back to the front of the book to tackle the big four, and thus the bulk of our comic book order...

Dark Horse (17-52) and Hellboy. I'm really tempted by the new Hellboy book. But I think I'll probably pass on it. I'll get Conan #25. I'm enjoying the book entirely too much. We'll also get Usagi Yojimbo #91. I'm also tempted by the Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic/Rebellion 25-Cent Flip Book, but that's mostly because of the price.

Image Comics (129-175) has nothing I want. Yeah, I was surprised too.

Marvel Comics (178) also has nothing I want. I'm less surprised by this.

And so we reach DC Comics.

Batman (57-64): Nothing leaps out at me.

Superman (65-68): Oh joy, the three main titles are linked. Ug.

DC Universe (69-90): Well, I know we'll get Infinite Crisis #5, but I'm not sure about Infinite Crisis Secret Files 2005. We'll just have to see. I'm thinking we'll definitely get Aquaman #39, because if nothing else, it's the final issue of the current run in all but name. I'm also not sure about Birds of Prey #91 because it appears that there's a fill-in writer. But we'll get Green Lantern #9...

Other books we'll get: JLA #125, JLA Classified #17, JSA #82, JSA Classified #8, JSA Classified #9, Justice #4, Legion of Super-Heroes #15, and Solo #9.

Johnny DC/DC Library/CMX (91-101): Justice League Unlimited #18 has Aquaman on the cover. I doubt he'll be inside, because the story is about... SPACE CABBY! Need I say anything else? Really?

Wildstorm (102-112): Nothing, really.

Vertigo (113-119): Nothing here, either.

DC Direct (120-128): If they make a New Frontier Aquaman, I'll have to get it. But otherwise, nothing here.

And there it is... all of Previews. I'm finally all the way through. Huzzah. So that's it for this month's "Things in Previews That Look Interesting But I Can't Afford To Get (with a list of things I am getting just for contrast)". Comments? Questions? Did I miss any really cool books that you know about and would like to point out? Do you disagree with something I wrote, and want to correct me? There's the comments, right below. Post something. And, yes, I accept review copies. I'm willing to give almost anything a try.

Note: I've posted a mostly Oz-focused version of this at The Wonderful Blog of Oz.

Previous Flipping Through Previews:

• Nov 2005/Jan 2006
  
• Oct/Dec 2005
  
• Sep/Nov 2005
  
• Aug/Oct 2005
  
• Jul/Sep 2005
  
• Rapid Reviews Index

The Dorothy folks play with the warning generator.

The Beat reports on the ultimate wedding. It's no good if you can't see the groom's face, right? Right?

Misuse of English by Thor and friends.

Attack of the Yeti.

If you feel like listening to a "radio" play: Girl Genius Minor Heroes Part 2.

You never know what cool little facts will turn up on the Girl Genius mailing list.

Pirates of the Caribbean

MetaFilter directs folks to the Doctor Who Cuttings Archive. And, if you haven't seen it already, the BBC Doctor Who site has a teaser for the Christmas episode.

I want.

Do you need a passport photo? Make your own.

The Spriggan Mirror will probably be taken down very soon, as the physical book and some other options of e-book are going to become available. If you were thinking about reading it, now's the time. The experiment was a big enough success that Watt-Evans will be continuing the Ethshar series in the same way in the future.

More on Sony: An uninstaller is finally released, a musician editorializes about the rootkit, another attempt to warn people is made, and don't use the uninstaller redux.



FilkerTom Reminds Us.

Marvel Monsters: Where Monsters Dwell: "The Shadow of Manoo": The only reason I bought this book is because Jeff Parker told me I got a namecheck in it.


Unfortunately, my shop didn't have any shelf copies, so I had to backorder it, and I'm glad I did. I took it over to my in-laws where they rolled their eyes in amusement as I showed them that the "Vaag" are a parasitic group while the "Gjo" are enforcers chasing them. Well, I was tickled. I've always wanted my name in a comic book someplace other than the letter page.


The story itself is great, with a nice twist at the end in the style of classic short monster tales. I enjoyed it a lot... but there were other stories in the book. I wasn't as impressed with the other tales. They were nothing special. The Bombu tale did almost nothing for me, the art in particular bothered me. Monstrollo had potential, but seemed over-the-top, and not in a good way. The Titano tale needed to be taken in the context of being written in the past, or else it was too annoying for words.

Anyway... many thanks to Jeff for the namecheck and the excellent story. For a rating, this falls into my "standard book" rating of 2 1/2 starfish.

Congrats to Mike Sterling for two years of Progressive Ruin. How ruined will he be this time next year?

Querldox directs us to singing professors. At the same time, FilkerTom directs us to Science Groove.

Were-Rabbit gets Annie nominations. Much of the time I'm perplexed by Variety's headlines, but this one I understood.

'Tis the season: Snopes lists Christmas carol Mondegreens.

We'll start with Boom! Studios, who've been sending books my way too fast to keep up with. All three books are continuations of books I've read from them before.

Zombie Tales: Death Valley: Well. I remember why I don't much like zombie stories while reading this. Again, the Boom Zombies are more interesting than any I've seen, but they work better for me as anthologies. The full story just doesn't do anything for me. If they send me the next issue, I'll certainly read it, but I won't miss it if they don't. I'll just point out here that I really did enjoy the first two Zombie Tales books, the anthologies, contrary to my expectations. But not this one. It was just ok.

Hero Squared #3: "Zap! Pow! Bam!": I don't know, but I kind of expect resolution at the end of a mini-series, and that is not what I got. I mean, couldn't we have just a little resolution? Just some answers, instead of more questions? I mean, it's a funny book and all, but it's like the entire mini was just set-up and nothing more. I wanted more.

Giant Monster #2: This is just... funny. I mean, how do you beat a giant monster fighting a Nazi robot? It's just hilarious. Yeah, it's thin on story, but the point is not story, it's giant monsters and robots causing mayhem and destruction. And that's exactly what it delivers. Heh.

And on to one of my favorite publishers, AiT/Planet Lar. It's hard not to like a publisher who sends you free stuff to review, but the fact that they also publish collections of some of my favorite books, like True Story, Swear to God and Colonia, just makes them all the better in my book.

Demo Collection: My initial thought was "Why'd he send me this? I have all the issues." Then I cracked it open and turned to a random page. Twenty minutes later I surfaced and realized that I'd been drawn into the book just as if it was the first time, and I found myself really glad to have a copy of the whole set in one volume. I suspect I'm going to reread this a couple of times. If you didn't read these stories when they first came out, I suggest you get a copy of this collection. It's excellent, and well worth buying.

Colonia: On Into The Great Lands: Wow, another collection of a book that I have all the issues of. Of course, I can't find some of the earlier issues that were reprinted in this volume because they were published so long ago. Nicholson tackles that issue in the forward, where he explains some of the problems with self-publishing a book like this. Well, I can't really say all that much about the story. It's a great story, and I love the art style, simple yet it conveys so much. I also love the man-of-fish, Adarro. This one is great, and some of you might recall I gave away copies of the first volume in a contest... get this one too.

16 November 2005:

Green Arrow #56: "Heading Into The Light Part Three: School's Out": Not bad. Nice touch on how Dr Light finds Connor. I'm not really loving this book at the moment, but it isn't bad. Just your standard superhero book.

Birds of Prey #88: "Perfect Pitch Part Two": As a contrast to Green Arrow, I'm really liking this book. This is an example of a good superhero book. The way this issue contrasts Barbara's newfound optimism against Savant's situation really works. All told, a good book.

Green Lantern #5: "Feeding Frenzy": Is that The Shark? The one from the Silver Age who sometimes bothered Aquaman? Do we have a massive retcon going on here, or something else? I'm still not sure what I think of this book. I thought I was growing to like it, but I'm not sure with the current mix of plot threads. I don't know. I probably would have given up on this title awhile ago if hubby-Eric wasn't a fan.

Local #1: "Ten Thousand Thoughts per Second": I already reviewed the preview copy of this book, and everything I said then still stands. I recommend this one, and urge readers to give it a chance.

23 November 2005:

Seven Soldiers: Zatanna #4: "Zor!": Unless I'm counting wrong, this is the last Seven Soldiers book we'll be getting until the final close-out issue. It's been a lackluster series overall, and I don't think it's going to improve, but I do kind of want to see the end. As for this issue, not bad. A bit better than the other series, but still very Morrison-twisted. But reading it just confirmed my decision not to bother with the rest of the series.

The Flash #228: "The Summoner": The nightmare at the beginning of this story was very intense. It's easy to dismiss Mirror Master, but the opening sequence really pulls out all the stops to make him as creepy as he ought to be. The rest of the book was mostly forgettable.

JSA: Classified #5: "Honor Among Thieves": A surprisingly interesting look at the villain side of the superheroing business, from determining the problem to gathering the tools to pull off a heist, right up to the toast before the main event. My only real complaint with this issue is that Ma Hunkel looks nothing like Ma Hunkel. The Red Tornado is more than just a little old lady.

Conan #22: "The Heart of Yag-Kosha": Oddly enough, my enjoyment of this issue of Conan was caused by the fact that this title got me interested in Conan in the first place. After reading the first few issues of this Conan run, I found a couple of Conan collections and read the original texts. This story was nearly my favorite of the ones I read (which was not all of them). And I believe Busiek and Nord really did it justice. So yeah, recommended. Particularly if you are a fan of Conan, which I am now, thanks to Busiek and Nord.

Paradox #1: Wow! This is pretty good. The story is set in a universe where magic took the place of science, and vice versa. Science is considered kooky and silly, while magic is used for all activities. The book could've benefitted from a slightly more imaginative artist, as the magic cops are carrying around things that look like guns, but are surprised when someone uses a gun from the science universe. Other than that little glitch, the book is really good. Worth a look, if you find a copy.

Oz: The Manga #6: Very nice adaptation of the book. I really like this one. It's close to the book, but stretches the story where it needs to be stretched, and tightens it where it needs to be tightened. I don't know what else to say about it, except get it. If you can't get the individual issues, be sure to get the collection when it comes out. I think it'll be a great gift, and a fun read for adults as well as children.

Scott's Advent Calendar with links to other comic book themed advent calendars.

Linda Medley makes a snowman and "blogsturbates" (her word).

A brief conversation about superhero stamps.

I liked User Friendly today.

Warning Label Generator. Via Elayne.


A whole lotta crazy songs.

Katrina Themed Display sparks outrage, then support.

Boing Boing links to the video of a botched building demolition.