July 2016 PREVIEWS Pre-Order Picks: IDW, IMAGE

EDITOR’S NOTE:  Last month we started a new feature, looking through the monthly PREVIEWS catalog and highlighting some books we feel are worthy of your attention.  It became a massive task, as there were a large number of books from various publishers that needed to be singled out.  But not an exhausting task.  We feel invigorated and excited about the diversity and creativity currently prevalent in today’s comics.  We also feel that by identifying specific books - - our readers obtain additional insight into the types that appeal to us, and are better able to judge what books would interest them. 

Since we’ve already singled out our favorites last month, we are going to pare down that mountainous list this month and concentrate on brand new titles or series.  That should make the list more manageable.  We’re not going to list something just because it’s a #1 issue or it's a “ rebirth".  We expect the title to bring something new or different to the table, based on what we know about the concept and/or the creators.

Your local comic shop depends on your pre-orders to make sure they have the books you want when you want them. Since business reality makes it impossible for a local comic shop to order some of everything, they depend on the comics readers to tell them what they want to see.  It’s a dice roll for them every month.  Won’t you help with the odds by at least telling them what you want to buy from them in two months?  Please give it a try.  We’ll do our best here to help you with those selections, from a BC Refugees point of view.  Not objective, but absolutely subjective.

IDW PUBLISHING:

STAR TREK: WAYPOINT #1 of 6: Writers Donny Cates, Sandra Lanz.  Artists Mack Chater, Sandra Lanz. Upon the 50-year anniversary of Star Trek, IDW puts together new stories featuring all the various Star Fleets.  This ought to be fun!

From the PREVIEWS catalog:  “A blockbuster bi-monthly anthology to celebrate 50 years of STAR TREK, featuring short stories across all Treks, by the top talent of today and yesterday.

First, a NEXT GENERATION story by Donny Cates and Mack Chater.  Unable to decipher a mysterious ship’s coded messages, Starfleet has enlisted its two greatest scientific minds, Captain Geordi La Forge and his best friend Data, to investigate.  What they discover will alter the course of scientific human history as we know it.

Then, an original series story by Sandra Lanz, where a crew member, stranded on a strange planet, encounters a bizarre alien creature.  They must learn how to interact, but how?

IMAGE COMICS:

SURGEON X #1: Story by Sara Kenney.  Art by John Watkins.  A female medical villain (of sorts)?  That’s different.

From the PREVIEWS catalog:  “What do you get if you cross a far-right British government with an antibiotic apocalypse and a gruesome murder?  The birth of Surgeon X and her renegade practice  Extreme times call for extreme medicine.

Sara Kenney, acclaimed documentary, factual drama and animation filmmaker (Angels and Ghosts) and master artist John Watkins (Sandman, Conan, Deadman) join forces with Karen Berger, award-winning and Vertigo-founding editor to produce this unique, darkly comic medical thriller, which will horrify and delight in equal measure."

  BLACK ROAD VOL. 1 Trade Paperback: Brian Wood story.  Art by Garry Brown, Dave McCaig.  We admire the work of Brian Wood and have been looking forward to this collection.

From the PREVIEWS catalog:  “1000 CE.  When a Vatican official is murdered on the infamous ‘Black Road’ while under the care of Mangus The Black, Mangus uncovers a secret so big it threatens to change the balance of power in all of Europe."