Tradewaiting – December 5th, 2018 Releases: Childhood Heroes, Grown Up

Happy Hanukkah, everyone! Just like the Maccabee’s oil, a single Wednesday’s comics can easily last a week or more (…ok, maybe it’s not all that similar). A lot of comics come out every week and some get overlooked. It’s easy to get lost in the sea of #1s and dramatic new status quos as they crash. That’s why I’m here. Whether you said you’d revisit checking that series out when it was collected in trade or you simply never noticed the announcement of that awesome OGN, whether you’re just waiting for that hardcover to be published as a trade or have been longing for a collection of your favorite stories since childhood, Tradewaiting is here for you, with the complete Diamond list of graphic novels and collections as well as some recommendations to scoop up.

So, without further ado, here’s what’s coming to the bookshelves of your LCS this fine week of December 5th, 2018.

HIGHLIGHTS

Power Rangers: Soul of the Dragon

Man, Kyle Higgins really loves stories about future versions of my childhood heroes taking on one last mission to rescue their son, doesn’t he? Oh well, Nightwing: The New Order was really clever and, hard as it is to complain when Marguerite Bennett and Ryan Parrott are doing fantastic things with the brand, I already miss Higgins’ Power Rangers. So if he and Jason David Frank, himself, want to put a new capstone on the life of the greatest ranger of them all, I am all for it.
Higgins imagines a world where the Power Rangers seem at once far off and present everywhere you look. Space Patrol Delta remains a peacekeeping force on earth, brought into the intergalactic community by the Rangers’ exploits, for humans and aliens alike. In some sense there have never been more Power Rangers, but it seems that ‘when everyone’s super, no one will be’. Amidst all of it, Dr. Tom Oliver is a respected professor whose teaching days are ending. With a college age son in S.P.D. who can’t tell him anything about Ranger business, the question is very plainly where Tommy fits into the world he’s built. That is until that son goes missing…
This is very much a book that should appeal to those who wonder what Power Rangers would be like if it were taken more seriously. But don’t let that trick you into thinking that it’s another Adi Shankar Power Rangers. The world is admittedly bleak but it’s bleak because it long ago became spectacular. The fantastic life of a Power Ranger has become everyday and it’s all passed Tommy by. It’s a mature take on the Tommy Oliver, but one that defines mature as thoughtful rather than brutal.
Grant Morrison, it is commonly said, gave Scott Snyder some of the best advice he received on writing Batman when he told him to imagine an ending for his version of Batman. After an entire run looking at Tommy’s character, seeing a new side of Higgins’ take on the character is both an exciting change and a welcome return.
The first original Power Rangers graphic novel, Soul of the Dragon arrives as a trade paperback with art by Giuseppe Cafaro and Nick Robles. The book releases at $19.99. The whole team’s love for the entire Power Ranger franchise is on display, making this a must for longtime Ranger fans.

Transformers: The IDW Collection – Phase Two vol. 8

It’s strange to think that the IDW Transformers universe is actually over. But though some of the best stories in the franchise’s thirty year history have come to an end, they will remain available to us to remember fondly, share with friends, or discover for the first time. And now a new chunk of stories have been collected into the oversized IDW Collection format.

The IDW Collection reprints the entirety of the IDW continuity in a suggested reading order. To be honest that’s just one of many reasons why I don’t recommend starting your IDW adventures here, eight volumes in to the second edition of the line, but I did want to draw special attention to this volume for those who are collecting or gifting the IDW Collections.
This volume notably contains one of the best arcs of the critically acclaimed Transformers: More Than Meets The Eye, “Elegant Chaos.” This arc introduces us to the ‘Functionist Universe’, closes out the ‘Chaos Trilogy’ that began James Roberts‘ run, and marks the close of many of the lingering questions from the series’ start. It’s a fantastic mid-season finale and it’s followed by two of the series’ best one-shot stories.
Unfortunately, the arc of Transformers: Robots in Disguise (renamed to The Transformers as of this volume), “Onyx Interface”, remains part of the series’ weakest section, separated from the best of season 2 by the “Combiner Wars” crossover. Despite this admitted weakness, John Barber is still well represented, with some of his most gripping writing to be found in Transformers: Punishment. I’m not sure that many noticed Punishment, originally released as a motion comic, but Barber always comes alive when he’s allowed to write on Cybertron and this is one of the best examples. A clever detective yarn that examines the cost of being an Autobot, Punishment is as close as you’ll find to RiD‘s equivalent of Last Stand of the Wreckers.
Finally, this hardcover collects another of Phase Two’s most overlooked projects, Drift: Empire of Stone. The series sees Drift and Ratchet caught up in the former Decepticon’s unfinished affairs. The mini-series reunites Drifts creators, writer Shane McCarthy and artist Guido Guidi. Even many fans of the twin ongoings let this series slip by them, so getting it alongside some wonderful Transformers stories in a lovely hardcover is all the sweeter.
Like all the IDW Collection titles, this one is no small book. Its pages are only an inch or so larger than the standard printings, but the hardcover presentation is very nice and they cram a lot of story into one package. That package should sell for $49.99 and features over 350 pages from artists including Andrew Griffith, Joana Lafuente, Stephen Baskerville, Livio Ramondelli, Alex Milne, and more.
Paper Girls vol. 5
Paper Girls is a series that I kind of let pass me by, but, luckily, you don’t have to, since the entire series so far is collected in trade. What’s more, even if I didn’t have friends begging me to read this series, Eisner awards to fuel my confidence, or staff picks at countless comic shops to urge me on, I could recommend this series on the creative team alone.
Brian K. Vaughan is a name that it’s worth picking up a book for in almost every situation. Vaughan’s track record is quite honestly one of the most impressive in modern comics. Add to that Cliff Chiang‘s gorgeous, flattened art and you’ve got a winning recipe already.
The series follows a group of 1980s newspaper delivery girls who are unexpectedly caught in a war over the nature of time travel! The latest trade takes the girls to 2171, where our English is archaic and big revelations wait for the cast. Paper Girls thrives on showing you just how limited your view of time is to a chrononaut but giving you real insight into the here and now (whenever it is). Secrets of love, life, and death come out in this one and, through it all, Chiang and Vaughan center a compelling sci-fi mystery around the lives of these young girls.
Paper Girls vol. 5 collects issues #21-25 of the award-winning series. They can all be yours for $14.99 starting today.
*****
Whether you’re buying holiday gifts or looking for just the perfect commercial object to fill the empty void in your life… where was I? Well, the point is that everyone’s tastes are different, so here’s Diamond’s complete listing of collections and graphic novels for this week to help you find exactly what you’re looking for.

IMAGE COMICS

CHRONICLES OF HATE COLLECTED ED TP (MR) $29.99

PAPER GIRLS TP VOL 05 $14.99

PARADISO TP VOL 02 DARK DWELLERS $16.99

WAYWARD TP VOL 06 BOUND TO FATE (MR) $17.99

WICKED & DIVINE HC VOL 03 (MR) $44.99

 

DARK HORSE COMICS

GIGANTIC LIBRARY EDITION HC $24.99

WRECK IT RALPH 2 RALPH BREAKS THE INTERNET HC CLICK START $10.99

 

IDW PUBLISHING

OCTOBER FACTION TP VOL 05 SUPERNATURAL DREAMS $17.99

TMNT ONGOING (IDW) COLL HC VOL 08 $49.99

TRANSFORMERS IDW COLL PHASE 2 HC VOL 08 $49.99

 

DC COMICS

BATGIRL TP VOL 04 STRANGE LOOP REBIRTH (RES) $19.99

BATMAN DETECTIVE COMICS TP VOL 08 ON THE OUTSIDE $16.99

BATMAN REBIRTH DLX COLL HC BOOK 03 $34.99

BATMAN THE GOLDEN AGE OMNIBUS HC VOL 06 $125.00

GOLDFISH TP (MR) $24.99

HARLEY QUINN TP VOL 01 HARLEY VS APOKOLIPS $16.99

INJUSTICE 2 HC VOL 04 $24.99

INJUSTICE 2 TP VOL 03 $16.99

MERA QUEEN OF ATLANTIS TP $16.99

TRINITY TP VOL 04 THE SEARCH FOR STEVE TREVOR $16.99

 

MARVEL COMICS

AVENGERS ASSEMBLE GN TP TIME WILL TELL $9.99

DOCTOR STRANGE BY MARK WAID TP VOL 01 ACROSS THE UNIVERSE $15.99

FANTASTIC FOUR BY WAID & WIERINGO OMNIBUS HC $100.00

HUNT FOR WOLVERINE TP ADAMANTIUM AGENDA $14.99

HUNT FOR WOLVERINE TP CLAWS OF A KILLER $14.99

HUNT FOR WOLVERINE TP MYSTERY IN MADRIPOOR $14.99

HUNT FOR WOLVERINE TP WEAPON LOST $14.99

JEPH LOEB TIM SALE YELLOW BLUE GRAY & WHITE OMNIBUS HC $100.00

MARVEL UNIVERSE BY JOHN BYRNE OMNIBUS HC VOL 02 $125.00

STAR WARS POE DAMERON TP VOL 05 SPARK FIRE $17.99

WOLVERINE OLD MAN LOGAN TP VOL 09 HUNTER HUNTED $15.99

 

BOOM! STUDIOS

AMORY WARS GOOD APOLLO TP VOL 03 $14.99

LUMBERJANES TP VOL 10 $14.99

SABAN POWER RANGERS SOUL DRAGON ORIGINAL GN $19.99

STEVEN UNIVERSE ORIGINAL GN VOL 03 ULTIMATE DOUGH DOWN $14.99

 

COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS

27 RUN HC $24.95

ACCEL WORLD GN VOL 08 $13.00

AMERICAN COMIC BOOK CHRONICLES THE 1990S $44.95

AO HARU RIDE MANGA GN VOL 02 $9.99

APOCALYPSE GIRL TP $19.99

AS MISS BEELZEBUB LIKES GN VOL 04 $13.00

ASTRA LOST IN SPACE GN VOL 05 $9.99

ATTACK ON TITAN GN VOL 26 (MR) $10.99

BAREFOOT GEN GN VOL 02 (CURR PTG) (MR) $16.95

BLACK HC VOL 01 (MR) $34.99

BOARDING SCHOOL JULIET GN VOL 03 $10.99

BOY & BEAST GN VOL 04 $13.00

DARK ARK TP VOL 02 $14.99

DEAD MOUNT DEATH PLAY GN VOL 01 (MR) $13.00

DISNEY MICKEY MOUSE HC GREATEST ADVENTURES $49.99

DUNKIRK ONE SHOT GLANZMAN CVR $9.99

FOOD WARS SHOKUGEKI NO SOMA GN VOL 27 $9.99

GALAKTIKON TP VOL 01 $17.99

GHOST WOLF HORDE OF FANGS TP VOL 01 $19.99

GIRLS LAST TOUR GN VOL 05 $15.00

GOBLIN SLAYER SIDE STORY YEAR ONE GN VOL 01 (MR) $13.00

GYPSY OMNIBUS GN $60.00

HAKUMEI & MIKOCHI GN VOL 03 $15.00

HATSU HARU GN VOL 04 $13.00

HIERONYMUS & BOSCH HC $27.00

HONOR STUDENT AT MAGIC HIGH SCHOOL GN VOL 09 $13.00

HORIMIYA GN VOL 12 $13.00

ISOLATOR GN VOL 04 $13.00

JUNI TAISEN ZODIAC WAR GN VOL 02 $9.99

KAGEROU DAZE GN VOL 11 $13.00

KIMI NI TODOKE GN VOL 30 FROM ME TO YOU $9.99

KISS ME AT STROKE OF MIDNIGHT GN VOL 08 $12.99

KUROKO BASKETBALL 2IN1 TP VOL 15 $16.99

LITTLE GUARDIANS TP VOL 02 $17.99

MAGIC WIND VULTUR MASTERWORK ED HC $29.99

MAXON CRUMB ART OUT OF CHAOS GN $25.00

MEMORABILIA SC $16.99

MERRY MEN COMPLETE TP $19.99

MY HERO ACADEMIA GN VOL 16 $9.99

NE NE NE GN VOL 01 $13.00

NOW #5 NEW COMICS ANTHOLOGY $9.99

ONE PIECE 3IN1 TP VOL 26 $14.99

ONE WEEK FRIENDS GN VOL 05 $15.00

OUR WRETCHED TOWN HALL GN (MR) $10.00

PARALLEL LIVES GN $24.99

PLATINUM END VOL 07 (MR) $9.99

POLAR BEAR IN LOVE GN VOL 04 $15.00

POP TEAM EPIC GN VOL 02 $12.95

PRE CODE CLASSICS BAFFLING MYSTERIES HC VOL 02 $44.99

PRE CODE CLASSICS BAFFLING MYSTERIES SLIPCASE ED VOL 02 $54.99

PRE CODE CLASSICS MISTER MYSTERY HC VOL 02 $44.99

PROMISED NEVERLAND GN VOL 07 $9.99

QQ QUEENS QUALITY GN VOL 06 $9.99

RICK & MORTY TP VOL 08 $19.99

SCHOOL OF HORNS GN VOL 02 $13.00

SEVEN DEADLY SINS SEVEN DAYS GN VOL 02 $10.99

SILVER SPOON GN VOL 06 $15.00

SPICE AND WOLF GN VOL 16 (MR) $13.00

STRANGE CREATURE AT KUROYURI APARTMENTS GN VOL 02 (MR) $13.00

SWORD ART ONLINE PROGRESSIVE GN VOL 07 $13.00

TAKANE & HANA GN VOL 06 $9.99

TERRIFIED TEACHER AT GHOUL SCHOOL GN VOL 05 $13.00

THIMBLE THEATRE PRE POPEYE CARTOONS OF E C SEGAR $85.00

TO LOVE RU DARKNESS GN VOL 08 (MR) $12.99

VANISHING ACT HC $14.99

WARSHIP JOLLY ROGER HC VOL 02 REVENGE (MR) $19.99

WE NEVER LEARN GN VOL 01 $9.99

YONA OF THE DAWN GN VOL 15 $9.99

YOUNG MASTERS REVENGE GN VOL 04 $9.99

YOUR NAME ANOTHER SIDE EARTHBOUND GN VOL 01 $13.00

YOUTH ROMANTIC COMEDY WRONG EXPECTED GN VOL 09 $13.00

YOWAMUSHI PEDAL GN VOL 10 $24.00