Comics Alliance: An AOL Comic Book Community

Picking up where yesterday's post left off, this is a look at ten books being published in October 2007 that you might otherwise miss. From art school girls to gun-toting library police, there's a little something for everyone to enjoy here.

RIVERHEAD BOOKS

GORILLAZ: RISE OF THE OGRE TP
by Gorillaz
The graphic novel meets the rock & roll celebrity tell-all! Gorillaz - bass-slayer mastermind Murdoc Niccals, hip-hop hardman drummer Russel Hobbs, Japanese girl-guitarist Noodle, and spiky blue-haired singer 3D - have lived the rock & roll life that other stars only dream of, a life rife with demonic possessions, underworld dealings, amnesia, prison terms, and jaw-dropping stupidity! In Gorillaz: Rise of the Ogre the Gorillaz put mouth to paper, revealing the complete story of this ground-breaking band from inception to fame and all the depraved misadventures along the way in a graphic novel that's part satire, part history, and entirely entertaining. (C: 0-1-2)
SC, 8x11, 304pgs, FC, SRP: $20.00

Ok, I'm going out on a limb here, but bear with me. One of the creators of the Gorillaz is long-absent-from-comics Jamie Hewlett, best known for creating Tank Girl. Now, I'm not a big fan of the Gorillaz (time to turn in my cool music card, huh?) but I've always loved the visual style of the characters thanks to Hewlett. Now, since this is a graphic novel, I'm hoping and praying that it's illustrated by Hewlett. Because if so, I'm running out and buying it. If not? Well, perhaps not. So this potential hit might really be a bit of a miss. Fingers crossed, everyone, because we need more Hewlett comics.

I know what you're thinking. Summer is barely over and I'm trying to get you to think about October? Well, my local grocery store is already putting out Halloween candy, and even more terrifyingly the solicitations for the November books are being released even as I type. So here's a dip through ten books that you might otherwise miss, all scheduled for an October release. From rock stars to trolls, it's all good.

DRAWN & QUARTERLY

MOOMIN: THE COMPLETE TOVE JANNSON COMIC STRIP VOLUME 2 HC
by Tove Jansson
Drawn & Quarterly's best-selling collection of the Tove Jansson's Moomin comic strips, original published in the London Evening News in the 1950s, continues in this second volume. The Moomins - a family of Scandinavian trolls that resemble hairless hippos - attempt to hibernate, discover love and jealousy, meet new neighbors, and reinvent themselves in a "return to nature." Discover the comic strip that Neil Gaiman calls a "surrealist masterpiece" and Jeff Bone describes as "gentle, witty, and completely engrossing."
HC, 8x12, 88pgs, B&W, SRP: $19.95

A friend of mine is Moomin-crazy; he's been talking about the original novels by Tove Jansson for years and even has a Moomin tattoo. Needless to say, when someone is that in love with something I become a little skeptical. (It's why when I start waxing nostalgic about Doctor Who I'm not surprised to see friends slowly backing away.) That said, the first volume of the collection of the Moomin comic strip that ran in newspapers back in the 1950s was a real treat. It's very stream of consciousness, one random but funny event following another in rapid-fire succession. It's great because Jansson uses the serial format to her advantage, keeping everything moving at a brisk pace with repeated new cliffhangers. And come on, it stars trolls that look like hippos. Trust me, it's all good.

The cold desolate shores of Norway have birthed the one true black metal band, Frost Axe! Play their record backwards and enter the bowels of hell!! Only evil twins Shawn and Sam Stronghold have the metalocity to acquire an artifact that holds the key to true evil!!! But...you know...for kids.

Oni's new manga-sized graphic novel, BLACK METAL, by Rick Spears and Chuck BB is about as metal as it gets. The story, a combination of Norse mythology, tween angst and high adventure, is a ridiculous amount of fun. The art is a blast, too. It feels both grim and cartoony and the hectic panel layouts give the whole thing a sense of inertia that keeps you barreling through the book. Basically, BLACK METAL is the SCOTT PILGRIM of hard rock.
Four mano cornutas out of five. \m/ \m/ \m/ \m/

Picking up where yesterday's article left off, these are five more books from the "back of the catalog"-titles not published by Dark Horse, DC, Image, or Marvel-that you may otherwise have missed. Check them out!

SCHOLASTIC INC.

THE ARRIVAL GN
by Shaun Tan
In a heartbreaking parting, a man gives his wife and daughter a last kiss and boards a steamship to cross the ocean. He's embarking on the most painful yet important journey of his life - he's leaving home to build a better future for his family. In this wordless graphic novel Shaun Tan captures the immigrant experience through clear, mesmerizing images allowing the reader to experience the main character's linguistic isolation and his ultimate joy. Enter the world that Jeff Smith, author of Bone, calls "Shockingly imaginative... One of the best graphic novels of the year!"
128pgs, B&W, $19.99

I first heard about The Arrival through Eddie Campbell's blog. Campbell was raving about Tan's storytelling, so much that I went over to Shaun Tan's website to find out a little more. Saying that I was blown away was an understatement; his soft, gentle art is nothing short of outstanding. It's a combination of inventiveness and sheer wonder that greets you with each illustration. The wordless aspect of the book makes perfect sense to me as well; if the immigrant main character doesn't know the local language and doesn't understand what anyone is saying, then it's a very effective way to bring that sort of isolation across to the reader. And ultimately, if Eddie Campbell, Jeff Smith, and Craig Thompson are all pushing a book, I know I'm going to have to take a look for myself.

When the comic book industry releases its upcoming solicitations (two months in advance), there's always a lot of buzz and fanfare over the announcements for the four "front of the book" publishers: Dark Horse, DC, Image, and Marvel. The thing is, some of the most exciting books due to hit are actually the ones from the other publishers. This, then, is the second in a series of monthly rundowns of the other books you should be talking about, the big books you might have missed.

Trust me, if you've never checked some of these other creators or series out, you've seriously been missing out.

:01 FIRST SECOND

LAIKA GN
by Nick Abadzis
Laika was an abandoned puppy destined to become Earth's first space traveler. This is her journey. Nick Abadzis masterfully blends fiction and fact in the intertwined stories of three compelling lives. Along with Laika, there is Korolev, once a political prisoner, now a driven engineer at the top of the Soviet space program, and Yelena, the lab technician responsible for Laika's health and life. This intense triangle is rendered with the pitch-perfect emotionality of classics like Because of Winn Dixie, Shiloh, and Old Yeller. Abadzis gives life to a pivotal moment in modern history, casting light on the hidden moments of deep humanity behind history. Available in Softcover and a Collector's Edition Hardcover.
208pgs, color, $17.95 (hardcover $29.95)

You know how every now and then two different movies are in production for years and then are released in a matter of months of each other, at which point you wonder why two movies so similar ended up completed around the same time period? (Antz vs. A Bug's Life, or Deep Impact vs. Armageddon.) That's almost how I feel about Laika, because even though Nick Abadzis has been working on it for quite a while now, just recently released through Oni Press was James Vining's First in Space (about Ham the chimpanzee, though, not Laika).

Regardless, though, that shouldn't keep you away from Laika. Abadzis is a brilliant cartoonist, and what I've seen so far of Laika shows a real sensitivity to the material as well as keeping it interesting and exciting. First Second's books are always packaged beautifully, and I'm sure this is going to be another great volume that you'll want sitting on your bookshelf.

Picking up where yesterday's post left off... this is the second half of a rundown of ten books scheduled for August 2007 that aren't in the "front of the book" solicitations. As great as stuff from Dark Horse, DC, Image, and Marvel are, if you only look at those solicitations, you're missing a wealth of other great books. Check these out!

LIGHTSPEED PRESS

FINDER SIN-EATER 10TH ANNIVERSARY HC
by Carla Speed McNeil
This series and its creator have been nominated for the Eisner award seven times, won the Kim Yale once, and the Ignatz twice! Jump on at the beginning with this chunky 'manga-sized' volume collecting two previous TPBs into one! Also included is the 'lost' issue #22, "Fight Scene," reprinted for the first time (with a new scene added)! Jaeger is a Finder, which is an aboriginal detective. Jaeger is also a sin-eater, which is a ritual scapegoat. Jaeger returns to an old girlfriend only to find that her husband isn't really out of the picture and now appears to be dangerously crazy... but hasn't done anything to hurt her. Yet. On top of that, the husband isn't just some twerp Jaeger's girlfriend can't get rid of; he's Jaeger's former commanding officer. This complex story of conflicting loyalties sets the stage for the rest of Jaeger's life as told in the ongoing series, Finder.
384pgs, B&W, $29.95

Finder is that sort of series that is really hard to describe. The solicitation calls it a complex story of conflicting loyalties, and that's a better summation than I think I could ever come up with. Life isn't neat, simple packages, and neither is Finder. The good news is that it's a neat, fully-realized series with a futuristic world not quite like anything else you've seen, crashing high technologies and low-tech elements of the past all into one. "Sin-Eater" comprised the first 14 issues of the series, and to say that Carla Speed McNeil got better with each issue is an understatement. This collection, even more than the already-in-print two-volume edition, really shows a creator with a continual dedication to improving her craft. Probably one of the best series you aren't reading.

By Brain Wood
Art by Ryan Kelly

I cannot say enough good things about the Local series. I am obsessed with it and as it doesn't seem to be running on any sort of schedule it is very frustrating to wait for.

This issue of Local takes us to Wicker Park, Chicago (part of the charm of Local is that each issue takes a place in a different location, the illustration of which is as accurate as possible). Meghan, the main character of the series, is now working as a waitress. She is involved in a relationship with one of the cooks and is not sure if it is what she should be doing.

This uncertainty about her relationship comes to a head when a customer comes into her restaurant and begins to shower her with compliments and huge tips. Meghan decides that she is tired of the loser boys she has been dating and would like to try to date a man who is at least financially stable