Tradewaiting – October 23rd, 2019 Releases: Humble (And Not So Humble) Beginnings
by Noah Sharma
A lot of comics come out every week. 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.
This is a big week for trades and collections, so let’s quit dawdling. It’s time to look at the releases for October 23, 2019.
HIGHLIGHTS
Spider-Man: Life Story
In 1962 the world was introduced to the most amazing teenager there is, one Peter Benjamin Parker. Three years later he graduated from high school. In 1978, Peter narrowly graduated from Empire State University and, nine years after that, he married Mary Jane Watson. In 2006 Peter Parker revealed his identity as Spider-Man, establishing canonically that he had been 15 years old in 1962.
“Marvel Time” is a complicated phenomenon. But what if it wasn’t? What if the Amazing Spider-Man’s adventures played out in real time, what if Peter Parker really lived in the world outside your window? That’s the question behind Spider-Man: Life Story.
I knew that this series was something special from the moment I set down the first issue. Watching Peter Parker actually struggle with his mantra of great responsibility against the backdrop of the Vietnam War was a terrific introduction to the character, but, with each subsequent issue, Chip Zdarsky and Mark Bagley‘s world expanded in strange, wonderful, and tragic ways. With echoes of Watchmen and Marvels hanging over the series, Life Story really interrogates what would challenge the Amazing Spider-Man we know and love and how the Marvel Universe would differ from our own. I kind of felt that the series peaked in its third issue, which brilliantly interweaves the events of Secret Wars and “Kraven’s Last Hunt”, but, since that issue represents Spidey’s adventures in the 1980s, I’m sure there are those who would argue that that’s true of Spider-Man as a whole, so I kind of can’t blame Zdarsky. With the end of the Cold War, the series starts to reimagine the sprawling events of the Iron Age and onward, with each issue reinterpreting the concerns of its decade in wild ways.
This was easily one of my favorite series to pick up each month in 2019 and I don’t know if it received the attention that it deserved. Zdarsky is famed for his humor and cleverness, but he does an incredible job of playing out the melodrama of Peter’s life without exaggerating things or neglecting his worldbuilding. It’s a remarkable treat and the addition of a Spider-Man legend like Bagley means that the series’ alternate evolution of the classic formula is amply replicated by the art.
Six oversized issues and fifty-seven years of history are collected in this 208 page trade paper back, retailing for $24.99. If the higher price point or elseworlds concept put you off of this run when it was out in singles, I urge you to give it a look in collection. This is a real celebration of Spider-Man and a fascinating alternate history from some of the most distinctive voices in comics. I really must insist you give this one a try if you have any interest.
Black Canary: Ignite
There are a lot of characters that I could argue are DC’s most overlooked and underrated heroes, but Black Canary is certain to be on that list any time I try to make it. One of DC’s oldest heroines and a character with an incredible number of facets, Dinah Lance is one of the best and easily earns her place as a qualified butt-kicker and frequent JLA chairperson. But how did she get that way?
Meg Cabot, of The Princess Diaries fame, takes a look at a middle school Dinah Lance in this latest release from the (already restructured) DC Zoom line. Cabot seems to be drawing from all throughout Dinah’s history, from her origins as a feisty, self motivated crime-fighter to her Post-Crisis relationship with her parents to her DC You reinvention as a punk rock icon there’s a lot of choice Black Canary in this book’s DNA. On the other side of the coin is a classic story about growing up, standing out, and learning how and when to raise your (hypersonic) voice.
Cabot is accompanied by rising star Cara McGee, who brings the same unbridled joy and energy to the book as she has to series like Over the Garden Wall and Dodge City. Cabot has said that her greatest desire for the book was to have a “Sailor Moon color palette” and the gorgeous gold and lavender spectrum that McGee provides the book both honors its title character and brings that soft but vibrant hand drawn anime look to the graphic novel.
I’ve been excited to see this book for a long time and hoping to see Black Canary given this kind of push with a new and eager audience for even longer and now it’s finally here. DC has really reinvigorated their all-ages content in recent months and this looks to be the next big addition to that growing wave. You can get reacquainted with Dinah for only $9.99 when Black Canary: Ignite lands this week.
Cosmoknights
You know something cool? Space Opera! You wanna know something else cool? Knights! You wanna know something decidedly uncool? Restrictive systems of patriarchy designed to keep the masses complacent at the cost of innocent women’s freedom.
This is the “neo-medival” world that Pan inhabits, where mech-suited warriors battle for the hands of princesses and hope and choice seem lightyears away. That is until two female knights crash into her world and alert her to one very important loop hole: winners have the right to free the princesses.
Welcome to the world of Cosmoknights, where all the heroes are queer, including the color palette!
A joyous celebration of gayness, rebellion, and awesome space adventure, Cosmoknights comes to us from Hannah Templer. With its sharp yet simple aesthetic and emotive storytelling, this webcomic was rightfully scooped up by IDW who release their paperback edition this week. Collecting the entire webcomic publication, this first book implies that there is plenty more to see in the world of Cosmoknights, making this a fantastic time to get in on the ground floor.
Those looking to support exuberant feminist comics, gorgeous space opera, or indie success stories need look no further for a place to spend their $19.99.
Write Your Own Marvel
This one might be a bit gimmicky, but I can’t bring myself to care.
Write Your Own Marvel is exactly what it sounds like, giving fans their own chance to script superb superhero stories in the might Marvel method. Collecting pages penned and rendered by the all-time greats of Marvel, fans can experiment with penning dialogue for fully drawn and ballooned pages featuring their favorite characters.
As one of those jokers who has taken writing for comics classes, some with actual Marvel alumni, I can attest that this is a real exercise that comic professionals recommend for aspiring creatives – not to mention just a great way to have fun with the comics medium. It’s a brief book with only 64 pages, which makes the low price of $14.99 feel a little steeper, but whether you want to encourage an aspiring comics writer, consider the medium in a different way, or just mess around with Spidey and the Avengers, I think this is a pretty cute offering from the House of Ideas.
*****
This is a massive week for bookstore ready comics. I ran down four great options coming to your local LCS, but that didn’t even include first trades of beloved series like Naomi, Wonder Woman, Ascender, and Invisible Kingdom; new releases for Adventure Time, Mutant X, and Evolution; or a reprint of the complete Adventures of Tintin! There are seriously a huge number of worthwhile options that you won’t find on spinner racks (or whatever more modern system your comic shop might use to display floppy comics) this week. Even more than usual I encourage you to check out Diamond’s complete listings to find that perfect book for you.
IMAGE COMICS
ASCENDER TP VOL 01 (MR) $9.99
EVOLUTION TP VOL 03 (MR) $16.99
DARK HORSE COMICS
BERSERK DELUXE EDITION HC VOL 03 (MR) $49.99
HARROW COUNTY LIBRARY EDITION HC VOL 04 $39.99
I AM A HERO OMNIBUS TP VOL 11 $19.99
INVISIBLE KINGDOM TP VOL 01 (MR) $19.99
STEPHEN MCCRANIES SPACE BOY TP VOL 05 $10.99
IDW PUBLISHING
COSMOKNIGHTS TP VOL 01 $19.99
GI JOE A REAL AMERICAN HERO TP VOL 23 $17.99
GRAMERCY PARK HC $19.99
MARVEL ACTION AVENGERS TP BOOK 02 RUBY EGRESS $9.99
SCREWBALL CARTOONISTS WHO MADE FUNNIES FUNNY HC $59.99
STAR WARS RETURN OF JEDI GN ADAPTATION TP $9.99
DC COMICS
AMERICAN CARNAGE TP (MR) $19.99
BLACK CANARY IGNITE TP DC ZOOM $9.99
HEX WIVES TP (MR) $16.99
NAOMI SEASON ONE HC $19.99
SUPER SONS BOOK 02 THE FOXGLOVE MISSION TP DC ZOOM $9.99
TEEN TITANS TP VOL 02 TURN IT UP $16.99
WONDER WOMAN HC VOL 01 THE JUST WAR $24.99
ZERO HOUR 25TH ANNIVERSARY OMNIBUS HC $150.00
MARVEL COMICS
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN BY NICK SPENCER TP VOL 05 BEHIND SCENES $19.99
DAREDEVIL EPIC COLLECTION TP WOMAN CALLED WIDOW $39.99
DOCTOR STRANGE EPIC COLLECTION TP TRIUMPH AND TORMENT $39.99
FANTASTIC FOUR BEHOLD GALACTUS MARVEL SELECT HC $24.99
MUTANT X COMPLETE COLLECTION TP VOL 02 $39.99
SPIDER-MAN LIFE STORY TP $24.99
STAR WARS GALAXYS EDGE TP $15.99
TIMELYS GREATEST HC GOLDEN AGE SIMON & KIRBY OMNIBUS $150.00
TIMELYS GREATEST HC GOLDEN AGE SIMON & KIRBY OMNIBUS DM VAR $150.00
WRITE YOUR OWN MARVEL TP $14.99
X-MEN MILESTONES TP X-CUTIONERS SONG $34.99
DYNAMITE
NANCY DREW HARDY BOYS HC MYSTERY MISSING ADULTS $12.99
BOOM! STUDIOS
ADVENTURE TIME MARCELINE TP $9.99
ANGEL 20TH ANNIVERSARY ED HC VOL 01 $24.99
GOLDIE VANCE TP GIFT SET $39.99
JIM HENSON POWER OF DARK CRYSTAL TP VOL 02 $16.99
COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
40 DAYS DANS LE DESERT B HC EXP ED $44.99
ADV OF TINTIN COMPLETE COLLECTION SET $200.00
AKAME GA KILL ZERO GN VOL 10 (MR) $13.00
ALICE & ZOROKU GN VOL 06 $12.99
ALISON HER ROCK AWESOME ROBOT GN $19.99
ARCHIE GIANT COMICS HOP GN $9.99
ARCHIE VARSITY ED HC VOL 02 $29.99
BERRYBROOK SCHOOL GN BOX SET AWKWARD BRAVE CRUSH $40.00
BLACK BUTLER GN VOL 28 $13.00
BONNIE LASS TP $19.95
CARDCAPTOR SAKURA COLL ED HC VOL 02 (OF 9) $29.99
CITY GN VOL 06 $12.95
COMIC QUESTS KNIGHTS CLUB MESSAGE OF DESTINY (RES) $9.99
COMPLETE PEANUTS TP BOX SET 1971-1974 $39.99
COMPLETE PEANUTS TP VOL 12 1973-1974 $22.99
CONSPIRACY ILLUMINATI NEW WORLD ORDER TP $19.99
DARK TOWER GUNSLINGER HC GN BOXED SET $149.94
DAYBREAK HC NEW ED (MR) $21.95
DIARY GN BERRYBROOK SCHOOL $13.00
DILBERT TP DILBERT TURNS 30 $14.99
DISNEY MANGA NIGHTMARE XMAS ZEROS JOURNEY TP VOL 03 MACK LTD $15.99
DOG DAYS OF SNAKE PIT TP (MR) $25.00
DR HERBERT WEST & ASTOUNDING TALES OF MEDICAL MALPRACTICE GN $14.95
DREAMIN SUN GN VOL 10 (RES) $13.99
FLEETWAY PICTURE LIBRARY SC JET ACE LOGAN $34.99
FLEETWAY PICTURE LIBRARY SC LARRIGAN $34.99
FORBIDDEN HARBOR GN $29.99
FOWL LANGUAGE TP WINGING IT $14.99
GAIJIN AMERICAN PRISONER OF WAR GN $14.99
GAME ON IN ANCIENT GREECE GN $11.99
GAME ON IN ANCIENT GREECE HC GN $15.99
GERONIMO STILTON REPORTER HC GN VOL 03 $9.99
GETTER ROBO DEVOLUTION GN VOL 04 (MR) $12.99
GLEIPNIR GN VOL 04 (MR) $12.99
GOLDEN KAMUY GN VOL 12 (MR) $12.99
HELLICIOUS TP VOL 02 (RES) (MR) $9.99
HIGH SCHOOL LIFE OF FUDANSHI GN VOL 05 (MR) $12.99
HITORIJIME MY HERO GN VOL 05 (MR) $12.99
HOMESTUCK HC VOL 05 ACT 5 ACT 2 PART 1 $24.99
HORDE HC GN $19.99
IN SPECTRE GN VOL 10 $10.99
INFINITY 8 HC VOL 05 APOCALYPSE DAY $19.99
LA FAUNE DE MARS MARTIAN WILDLIFE HC $44.99
LE MAJOR HC EXP ED $46.99
LONG CON TP VOL 02 $19.99
LOVE AND LIES GN VOL 08 (MR) $12.99
MELTING LOVER GN (MR) $14.95
MORTAL INSTRUMENTS GN VOL 03 $13.00
O MAIDENS IN YOUR SAVAGE SEASON GN VOL 04 $12.99
OPEN BORDERS GN $19.99
OPEN BORDERS HC GN $27.99
PANDORA IN THE CRIMSON SHELL GHOST URN GN VOL 12 (MR) $12.99
PLEADING WITH STARS GN $19.95
PRISON SCHOOL GN VOL 14 (MR) $20.00
SAGA OF TANYA EVIL GN VOL 08 $13.00
SCHOOL LIVE GN VOL 11 $13.00
SILVER SPOON GN VOL 11 $15.00
SOCIALISTS DO AS WE SAY NOT AS WE DO COLORING BOOK $12.99
SONG OF MACHINE DISCO TO TECHNO GN OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC $24.99
STARR CONSPIRACY HC (MR) $24.95
TO TAKE AN ENEMYS HEART GN VOL 07 (MR) $12.99
TO TAKE AN ENEMYS HEART GN VOL 08 (MR) $12.99
TO TAKE AN ENEMYS HEART GN VOL 09 (MR) $12.99
TODAYS MENU FOR EMIYA FAMILY VOL 03 (OF 3) $12.95
TOKYO TARAREBA GIRLS GN VOL 09 (OF 9) $12.99
TOWER IN THE SEA GN $12.95
WATCH DOGS TP $16.99
ZITS TREASURY TP NOT SPARKING JOY $18.99
