Sunday, January 01, 2012

Recent Releases: May-August 2011

An expanded look at recently released books relating to or reprinting British comics and cartoons, along with some selected original graphic novels. A fuller list of recent releases can be found below, and expanded coverage of releases from January to April 2011 can be found here.

MAY 2011

The Bendatti Vendetta by Robbie Morrison & John Burns.
Rebellion ISBN 978-1907519864, 12 May 2011, 96pp, £13.99. [£7.29 from Amazon]
For years, rumours have circulated amongst the law enforcement agencies and intelligence services of Europe about a mysterious order known only as the Bendatti. Where legitimate authority has no power, the Bendatti strike; not for justice but for retribution and vengeance! Collected for the first time, this bloody gangland tale set in centemporary Europe and is fully painted thorughout by British comics legend John Burns (Modesty Blaise, Nickolai Dante & Judge Dredd) and written by Robbie Morrison (Nikolai Dante, White Death & Judge Dredd). From the pages of Judge Dredd The Megazine!
Order from Amazon.
    Commando: D-Day Fight or Die!, ed. George Low.
    Carlton Books ISBN  978-1847322838, 12 May 2011, 656pp, £15.99. [£8.00 from Amazon]
    This is the Ten Best D-DAY Commando Comic Books Ever! D-Day was the largest amphibious invasion in history and one of the world's most famous military actions. It has become the stuff of legend through films such as "Saving Private Ryan" and TV series such as "Band of Brothers". This hard-hitting anthology of war comic stories covers all the heroic action of "The Longest Day", 6 June 1944. From "Ambush at Dawn", "Normandy Drop" and "Blood of Heroes" to "Operation Bulldog", Commando: D-Day Fight or Die! features ten action-packed stories of the Tommies who stormed Hitler's formidable Atlantic Wall from air, land and sea - and won.
    Note: This is an abridged version of the 2009 release which had 12 stories and is still available from Amazon for a knockdown £9.52.
    Reviews: Amazon. 
    Order from Amazon.

      Commando: Rogue Raiders!, ed. Calum Laird.
      Carlton Books ISBN 978-1847327918, 12 May 2011, 665pp, £15.99. [£8.00 from Amazon]
      To celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of Commando comic, which was first launched in 1961, the latest in this bestselling series of anthologies presents the ten greatest-ever commando raids stories. Raiding is what Second World War commandos were trained for, and these thrilling comic-strip yarns show true-Brit heroes assaulting all kinds of enemy targets from the land, sea and air. Stealthy, resourceful, daring and hard as nails, the commandos succeed against all odds in accomplishing their missions, whether against fanatical Nazi storm troopers or ruthless Japanese jungle-fighters. "Commando: For Action and Adventure": This epic new collection of classic stories contains plenty of both. 
      Order from Amazon.
        The Complete Alan Moore Future Shocks by Alan Moore & various.
        Rebellion ISBN 978-1907992506, 12 May 2011, 208pp, £13.99. [£10.99 from Amazon]
        To celebrate the appearance of Alan Moore's first Future Shock in 2000AD in 1981 (Prog 203), the classic Complete Future Shocks collection is being rejacketed and re-released. For this series of short stories with a twist ending, Moore created some of his most exciting, memorable and explicitly entertaining work. Also featured in this outstanding collection are his short Time Twister tales, one-offs and Abelard Snazz stories.
        Order from Amazon.
          Eagles Over the Western Front by Mike Butterworth & Bill Lacey.
          Bear Alley Books ISBN 978-1907081552, 12 May 2011, 80pp, £9.99.
          Eagles Over the Western Front is a classic story of aerial warfare set during the days of the R.F.C. Created by Mike Butterworth and Bill Lacey and serialised in the pages of Look and Learn in 1971-73, Eagles ran a magnificent 116 episodes. Now, for the first time in thirty years, the complete story will be available in three volumes to be published over the next three months—with two-thirds of the story scanned from surviving original art boards.
          __Bill Lacey's stunning artwork captures every terrifying moment as Harry Hawkes, the hero of Eagles Over the Western Front, joins the only recently founded Royal Flying Corps and, with only a few weeks training, is sent to France to fly scouting and observation missions over the enemy lines at Ypres.
          __By the time Harry arrives on the front, the British B.E.2c scouting planes have become "Fokker fodder" thanks to the German development of an interrupter gear that synchronized machine guns with the aircraft's propeller, which allows German pilots to fly their planes straight towards their target, firing through the propeller arc.
          __ Harry eventually joins a squadron flying the Airco DH.2 in the era of aerial dogfights and faces some of his most challenging months as German ace Max Immelmann scores victory after victory against British pilots on his way to earning Germany's highest honour, the Pour le Mérite—the 'Blue Max'.
          Order from Bear Alley Books.
            Erotic Comics: A Graphic History Volume 1 by Tim Pilcher.
            Ilex Books, ISBN 978-1907579271, 2 May 2011, 192pp, £16.99.[£11.04 from Amazon]
            Sold in multiple languages, six different countries, and out of print in the UK and US, this successful volume returns, updated and in paperback for the first time. Crammed full of exquisite art from around the world, with fascinating background stories about the artists, editors and publishers, Erotic Comics: A Graphic History examines how this much maligned art form developed into a publishing phenomenon that spans the globe. Volume 1 delves deep into comics history, from the bawdy English cartoons of the 17th century, through the strips impacted by the two World Wars, up to contemporary magazine titles such as Penthouse and Hustler. The book bulges with sassy postcards, provocative Tijuana Bibles, salacious pin-ups, shocking 50s bondage comics, cheeky cartoons and liberated 60s underground comix. Erotic Comics: A Graphic History is perfect for fans of adult comics, art history and erotic illustration.
            Reviews: Amazon; Bear Alley.
            Order from Amazon.

              JUNE 2011

              ABC Warriors: The Volgan War 4 by Pat Mills & Clint Langley.
              Rebellion ISBN 978-1907992193, 23 June 2011, 96pp, £14.99. [£10.04 from Amazon]
              Mars, the far future. War droids created for a conflict that ended centuries ago, the A.B.C. Warriors are resistant to Atomic, Bacterial and Chemical warfare. Recruited to bring peace to the civil war-ravaged frontier colonies on Mars, the Mek-nificent Seven have to bring all their skills to bear on the intractable conflict, with friends and enemies changing sides, there's no knowing how this will end.
              Order from Amazon.
                Eagles Over the Western Front Volume 2 by Mike Butterworth & Bill Lacey.
                Bear Alley Books ISBN 978-1907081569, June 2011, 84pp, £9.99.
                The second volume of Eagles Over the Western Front picks up the action where volume one left off: 2nd Lieutenant Harry Hawkes is the pilot of an Airco DH2 with a squadron based on the Western Front in France during the early dogfighting days of the First World War. It is 1916 and the early hopes that "it'll all be over by Christmas" have died in the stalemate of barbed wire and churned mud of trench warfare.
                __Above the trenches, the aerial action continues as Harry and his chums of the Royal Flying Corps risk their lives against the Spandau's of German Fokkers. Max Immelmann may be dead, but the German Imperial Air Force has other 'Aces' like Oswald Boelcke and Baron von Richthofen cutting a swathe through the British and French airmen in the newly developed Albatross D-1. The Allies respond with the Nieuport, the Sopwith Pup and Sopwith Camel to combat this new menace.
                __But the action isn't all in the air. On the ground, too, Harry risks his life as he gets caught up in the private wars, deserters, impostors, spies and newcomers who seem to have their own agendas in coming to the Front. With tensions running high back at base and Richthofen's 'Flying Circus' turning the skies into a death trap, every flight could be Harry's last...
                Order from Bear Alley Books.
                  Judge Dredd Tour of Duty: Mega-City Justice by John Wagner, Carlos Ezquerra & John Higgins.
                  Rebellion ISBN 978-1907992391, 23 June 2011, 208pp, £19.99. [£12.48 from Amazon]
                  Having sidelined Dredd into managing the Cursed Earth mutant camps, the manipulative Judge Sinfield's plan to take over Mega-City One starts to unfold. With the newly appointed Chief Judge Dan Francisco being too ill to carry out his duties, Sinefield's rise to power seems to go without a hitch; that is until he unknowingly clashes with the wrong man - notorious serial killer PJ Maybe.
                  __With his life in danger, Sinefield can only turn to one man for help - Judge Dredd! Mega-City One's toughest lawman returns to his streets determined to bring Sinefield down and a killer to justice!
                  Order from Amazon

                  Supergods by Grant Morrison.
                  Jonathan Cape ISBN 978-0224089968, 30 June 2011, 464pp, £17.99 [£10.99 from Amazon]
                  "Grant Morrison is the antimatter to the often mundane world of comics - SUPERGODS is the finely tuned death-ray. Far beyond deconstruction, it exposes, challenges, invigorates and detonates everything we know about this modern mythology. SUPERGODS gives meaning to the fictional worlds we create and live within and helps us make sense of the madness within ourselves through the four-color world of the super hero." --Gerard Way, lead singer of My Chemical Romance and author of The Umbrella Academy.
                  __"Excellent ... engrossing ... Morrison is a skilled word magician, seeking creativity in a cosmological dimension." --Publishers Weekly
                  __"Morrison is ideally suited to the task of chronicling the glorious rise, fall, rise, fall and rise again of comic-book superheroes. As thorough an account of the superhero phenomenon as readers are likely to find, filled with unexpected insights and savvy pop-psych analysis. Those who dare enter will find the prose equivalent of a Morrison superhero tale: part perplexing, part weird, fully engrossing." --Kirkus
                  __"Grant Morrison has a hell of a tale to tell: The graphic novelist who co-created Batman's twisted game-changer Arkham Asylum: A Serious House on Serious Earth tripped on psilocybin mushrooms, fought movie execs to keep the Joker in high heels and reaped the benefits of going 50 hours without sleep in order to better access his unconscious. Subtitled What Masked Vigilantes, Miraculous Mutants, and a Sun God from Smallville Can Teach Us About Being Human, this trippy autobiography-cum-critical essay gathers up the deep thoughts and otherworldly hallucinations experienced by the comics writer." --Wired.com
                  Order from Amazon.

                    JULY 2011

                    Alan Moore: Storyteller by Gary Spencer Millidge.
                    Ilex Books ISBN 978-1907579127, 18 April 2011, 320pp, £25.00. [£17.50 on Amazon]
                    Alan Moore: Storyteller is the first serious examination of the life, career and work of one of the UKs most distinctive and popular creative voices. It traces Moore's creative development from his modest contributions to Northampton Arts Lab fanzines and local newspaper strips to the very top of his field, writing some of the most widely read and critically acclaimed comics and graphic novels ever produced: Swamp Thing, Watchmen, From Hell, Lost Girls, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen and V for Vendetta. The book provides an unparalleled insight into the mind and work of this enigmatic and at times controversial creator. Moore's extraordinary body of work is examined in depth, with rare and previously unseen material, glimpses into unfinished and abandoned projects and new light shed on overlooked masterpieces. With co-operation from Moore, and full access to his archives, Gary Spencer Millidge has written a book which will not only be essential reading for Moore's many fans, but for anyone interested in contemporary literature and pop culture.
                    Order from Amazon.
                      Beano Annual 2012.
                      D. C. Thomson ISBN 978-1845354534, 10 July 2011, 112pp, £7.99. [£5.49 from Amazon]
                      Order from Amazon.

                      Commando: Achtung!, ed. Calum Laird.
                      Carlton Books ISBN 978-1847328212, 7 July 2011, 208pp, £4.99. [£2.89 from Amazon]
                      Following the bestselling success of Carlton's man-size Commando anthologies, here is a new pocket-format compilation of three classic comic-strip war stories printed the same size as the original Commando comics. "Achtung!" features a trio of explosive Brits-versus-Wehrmacht yarns that show the heroic British Tommy at his best. From mountain fighting in Italy and armoured-car battles with Tiger tanks in Normandy, to battles with Nazi art-looters in the final weeks of the Second World War, this action-packed but handily formatted collection of stories will thrill Commando fans of all ages.
                      Order from Amazon.

                      Commando: Action Stations!, ed. Calum Laird.
                      Carlton Books ISBN 978-1847328229, 7 July 2011, 208pp, £4.99. [£2.89 from Amazon]
                      Following the bestselling success of Carlton's man-size Commando anthologies, here is a new pocket-format compilation of three classic comic-strip war stories printed the same size as the original Commando comics. "Action Stations!" features a trio of explosive war-at-sea yarns that show the Senior Service at its best. From fast-moving motor torpedo boat engagements in the English Channel to anti-submarine warfare in the Far East, this action-packed but handily formatted collection of Second World War stories will thrill Commando fans of all ages.
                      Order from Amazon.

                      Commando: Banzai!, ed. Calum Laird.
                      Carlton Books ISBN 978-1847328199, 7 July 2011, 208pp, £4.99. [£2.89 from Amazon]
                      Following the bestselling success of Carlton's man-size Commando anthologies, here is a new pocket-format compilation of three classic comic-strip war stories printed the same size as the original Commando comics. "Banzai!" features a trio of explosive Brits-versus-Japanese yarns set in Burma that show the heroic British Tommy at his best: repelling waves of Japanese jungle attacks, cutting enemy supply lines and capturing inaccessible mountain strongholds. This action-packed but handily formatted collection of Second World War stories will thrill Commando fans of all ages.
                      Order from Amazon.

                      Commando: Tally Ho!, ed. Calum Laird.
                      Carlton Books ISBN 978-1847328205, 7 July 2011, 208pp, £4.99. [£2.89 from Amazon]
                      Following the bestselling success of Carlton's man-size Commando anthologies, here is a new pocket-format compilation of three classic comic-strip war stories printed the same size as the original Commando comics. "Tally Ho!" features a trio of explosive air-war yarns that show the heroic RAF flyers at their best. From fighter sorties over occupied France and bombing raids on the Afrika Korps to Hurricane attacks on the Japanese, this action-packed but handily formatted collection of Second World War stories will thrill Commando fans of all ages.
                      Order from Amazon.

                      Dandy Annual 2012.
                      D. C. Thomson ISBN 978-1845354541, 10 July 2011, 112pp, £7.99. [£5.49 from Amazon]
                      Order from Amazon.

                      Eagles Over the Western Front Volume 3 by Mike Butterworth & Bill Lacey.
                      Bear Alley Books ISBN 978-1907081576, 25July 2011, 84pp, £9.99.
                      The third volume of Eagles Over the Western Front brings the epic story of Harry Hawkes to a dramatic climax. As our new book opens, Harry and his comrades, Entwistle and Pootle, are piloting Sopwith Camels for a squadron on the Western Front in France in 1917.
                      __Facing them across the 'line' is Manfred von Richthofen—the Red Baron—and his infamous 'Flying Circus' of German fighter aircraft, the Jagdgeschwader 1 squadron. Richthofen would become the highest scoring ace of the Great War, officially credited with some 80 kills.
                      __Harry faces danger from both sides of the line. At the squadron's base there are newcomers like the despicable and arrogant Dave Buller, or Entwistle's younger brother, Algy, a slacker and a thief. And then there's Polly, the parrot, who may hold the key to a German offensive...
                      __What happens when Harry chooses to aid the escape of a German pilot, finds himself chased through the streets of Berlin and lands up in a shell hole in no-man's land with Crown Prince Wilhelm and the Red Baron, will keep you on the edge of your seat.
                      Order from Bear Alley.

                      Hardware: The Definitive SF Works of Chris Foss by Rian Hughes.
                      Titan Books ISBN 978-1848566989, 22 July 2011, 240pp, £24.99. [£17.99 from Amazon]
                      Foss's groundbreaking and distinctive science fiction art revolutionized paperback covers in the 1970s and 80s. Dramatically raising the bar for realism and invention, his trademark battle-weary spacecraft, dramatic alien landscapes and crumbling brutalist architecture irrevocably changed the aesthetic of science fiction art and cinema. Featuring work for books by Isaac Asimov, E. E. 'Doc' Smith, Arthur C. Clarke, A. E. Van Vogt and Philip K. Dick, and film design for Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick, this volume brings together many rare and classic images that have never been seen or reprinted before. The first comprehensive retrospective of Chris Foss' sf career. Chris Foss' name has become pre-eminent among sf artists...He is in love with the monstrous, with angular momentum, with inertia-free projectiles and irresistable objects. A" - Brian Aldiss [Foss'] creations are real machines, not just an artist's dreams. They combine the two elements so essential to science fiction: realism and a sense of wonder...A medieval goldsmith of future eons.A" - Alejandro Jodorowsky. Rian Hughes is an award-winning graphic designer, illustrator, font designer and comics artist, noted for his work on 2000AD, and Dan Dare. His illustration work is highly distinctive, wearing its design influences on its sleeve. Clients include Virgin Airways, Penguin Books, DC Comics (for whom he has designed numerous logos), Eurostar the BBC and a range of magazines and newspapers. He is the editor and designer of several books including "Lifestyle Illustration of the 60s" and the recently released "Cult-ure". "One of the most successful and prolific designer/illustrators of the past 20 years" - Roger Sabin, Eye magazine
                      Order from Amazon.

                      Judge Dredd: Restricted Files Vol. 3 by John Wagner et al.
                      Rebellion ISBN 978-1907992216, 21 July 2011, 288pp, £19.99. [£12.99 from Amazon]
                      Mega-City One: the future metropolis bustling with life and every crime imaginable. Keeping order are the Judges, a stern police force acting as judge, jury and executioner. Toughest of all is Judge Dredd. He is the law! Restricted Files 03 collects together more forgotten and rare gems from the Thrill-power archives. Readers can experience Judge Dredd strips which have appeared in annuals and specials from the early nineties - many of which have never been reprinted before.
                      Order from Amazon.

                      Nikolai Dante: Hero of the Revolution by Robbie Morrison, Simon Fraser & John M. Burns.
                      Rebellion ISBN 978-1907992223, 21 July 2011, 192pp, £16.99. [£12.74 from Amazon]
                      Year of the Tsar 2676 AD, bastard son of the Romanovs, Nikolai Dante, leads a rebellion against Vladimir the Conqueror. Supported by the tyrant's daughter, Jena Makarov, his mother - pirate queen Katarina Dante - and some of his weapons-crest-enabled siblings, can Dante finally bring down Vladimir? And if so, can he bring peace to the empire, or is there someone else vying for power? Dante's adventures are brought to the brink of conclusion as the epic globe-trotting tale of future empire, revolution, love, lust and action reaches the penultimate collection.
                      Order from Amazon.

                      AUGUST 2011
                        
                      Auntie's Charlie by Charles Chilton.
                      Fantom Books ISBN 978-190626372-0, August 2011, £24.99. Limited to 200 hardcover copies, signed and numbered.
                      Described by the Sunday Telegraph as ‘the one genius the BBC ever had on its staff’, Charles Chilton MBE joined the Corporation at fifteen as a messenger boy and went on to carve out a 46-year career as a presenter, writer and producer.
                      __Auntie’s Charlie discusses his life from growing up on the streets of 1920s St Pancras, via early years at the BBC working for the Gramophone Library, to writing the infamous production Oh What a Lovely War for Joan Littlewood’s Theatre Workshop.
                      __While with the BBC Charles was sent to the United States to research, write and produce a number of series based on American western history. One of these, Riders of the Range, lasted for five years until 1953. However, major international recognition came with his science fiction trilogy Journey into Space which he wrote and produced between 1953 and 1958.
                      __Here, for the first time, is Charles Chilton’s story in his own words – an autobiography that is frank, vivid, wry and engaging.
                      Order from Fantom Books.

                      Missionary Man: Bad Moon Rising by Gordon Rennie, Frank Quitely & Simon Davis.
                      Rebellion ISBN 978-1907992230, 18 August 2011, 112pp, £14.99 [£11.99 from Amazon].
                      The Cursed Earth is a radiation-wasted landscape spanning most of what was once known as America. Only the toughest of the tough, the meanest of the mean, most rotten, evil beings on the planet can survive there.
                      Now, one man has come to bring law this unlawful place. Some say he was a Judge, most say that he's a madman. Armed with a pistol and a bible, Preacher Cain would say that he is a force for law and order...
                      Order from Amazon.

                      Modesty Blaise: Million Dollar Game by Peter O'Donnell & Romero.
                      Titan Books ISBN 978-1848566750, 26 August 2011, 104pp, £11.99. [£10.79 from Amazon]
                      Features the classic stories Butch Cassidy Rides Again, Million Dollar Game and The Vampire of Malvescu  in which Modesty and Willie meet the legendary but dangerous outlaw; Modesty takes on poachers in East Africa; and confronts a mythic blood-sucker in Transylvania! With story introductions that takes the reader behind the scenes of Modesty's world, this outstanding collection is not to be missed.
                      Order from Amazon.

                      Slaine the Wanderer by Pat Mills & Clint Langley.
                      Rebellion ISBN 978-1907992247, 21 August 2011, 128pp, £16.99 [£10.49 from Amazon].
                      Tir Nan Og - the Land of the Young, a mystical place of myth and legend. Celtic warrior Sláine, the first High King of Ireland and Ukko his (un)faithful dwarf sidekick, seek adventure and the chance to kill many Formorian sea demons in the name of Danu the Earth Goddess.
                      The follow-up to the best-selling Books of Invasions, witnesses more ground-breaking art from Clint Langley re-definng the look of modern comics, with writer Pat Mills taking Slaine on ever more astonishing adventures.
                      Order from Amazon.

                       
                      Wuthering Heights (Original Text) by Sean M. Wilson & John M. Burns.
                      Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332877, 31 August 2011, 160pp, £9.99. [£8.99 from Amazon]
                      Wuthering Heights (Quick Text) by Sean M. Wilson & John M. Burns.
                      Classical Comics ISBN 978-1906332884, 31 August 2011, 160pp, £9.99. [£8.99 from Amazon]
                      Emily Bronte's only novel is famous the world over - not least because of Kate Bush's 1978 'tribute song' - but don't let that trivialise this masterpiece of classical literature. Hardship, insanity, cruelty, frustrated love, and ghosts; what more could you want from a book?
                      __The Quick text presents the full story in quick modern English for a fast-paced read!
                      Order from Amazon - Original Text, Quick Text.

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