Over the past month, a number of smart comics pundits have been trying to think up ways to make Previews work better. This is a bit tricky, since the main problems with Previews are:

It doesn't give anywhere near enough information upon which a wise purchasing decision can be based, and;
It's already punishingly long.

But there are potential solutions. Matt Fraction suggested splitting the catalogue into two, one just for comics and one for everything else, and maybe putting them on CD-ROM, the better to make room for sample pages. Antony Johnston, responding to Fraction in these pages, thought there should be one version of Previews for retailers and another for readers. Most recently, Steven Grant proposed an online database, replete with sample pages, that could be made available to customers in comics shops.

These plans are a lot like the recent Geneva Accord for Mideast peace - they're smart, they're workable, and, as their authors would be first to admit, they will never, ever, ever be implemented. Why should they be? Diamond has no real competition, after all. And Previews makes a profit for them - quite a bit of profit, I've heard - largely thanks to the weird, servile conviction of a substantial chunk of the comics audience that it is a privilege to pay every month to be advertised at.

Increasingly, buying Previews has felt to me like casting a vote for the status quo. Which is one reason this will be my last column. (There are plenty of others, but none of them can be blamed on Diamond - at least, not without some ingenious rationalisation.)

Those of you tuning in for another hate rant will be disappointed. Actually, all of you are going to be disappointed. The plan was that, after dispensing with the bile, I'd be free to conclude with an uplifting and philosophical sort of a grand summation, but, as it has turned out, there's no time for that, or for much of anything else. So this column will be done the cheap and sloppy way, by simply reproducing solicitation copy, with the occasional comment from me in italics.

Thanks for reading. It's been fun, mostly, and much as I disparage Previews, I did discover some excellent self-published and small-press books through it that I might never have heard about otherwise (Richard Hahn's LUMAKICK and Troy Little's CHIAROSCURO are two that leap to mind). I'm glad to have done what little I could to promote them.

And now, onward:

PICK OF THE MONTH

THE PAIN... WHEN WILL IT END, by Tim Kreider, from Fantagraphics Books
DEC03 2426, pg. 286, $14.95

Tim Kreider's cartoons, previously seen only in the Baltimore City Paper, have attracted a cult following for their razor-sharp intelligence and unprecedented viciousness. Kreider's work has been likened to the foul result of inbreeding between Ralph Steadman and B Kliban. Kreider's vision of the human condition is of a man distracted from the vast starship hovering over his city by a glimpse of a pretty girl; his version of the existential abyss is a cruddy Laundromat with old magazines spilled on the plastic chairs and graffiti scratched on a dryer; and the only hope or joy he finds in this life is in jigglin' dem monster juggs or setting a monkey's ass on fire. You may be ashamed to laugh, but laugh you will.

Kreider's brand of funny must be seen and not described. Go to his website right now and delve into the archives. Note: since September 11th, he's been doing a lot of political stuff, much of it completely scurrilous - which I love deeply. But I understand that not everybody does, so if your tastes run more towards absurdity and buffoonery, read the earlier cartoons first.

DARK HORSE

THE ART OF HELLBOY, by Mike Mignola
DEC03 0029, pg. 25, $29.95

HELLBOY: THE ART OF THE MOVIE, by various
DEC03 0030, pg. 27, $24.99

Let it never be said that Dark Horse won't milk a franchise for all it's worth. Not to take anything away from HELLBOY, which I adore, but why couldn't Dark Horse have done a tenth as much to capitalize on the AMERICAN SPLENDOR movie?

Speaking of which:

FROM THE BOX OFFICE

AMERICAN SPLENDOR DVD
DEC03 3949, pg. 480, $27.95

Winner of the 2003 Sundance Grand Jury Prize and the 2003 Cannes Film Festival International Critics Award, American Splendor is the critically acclaimed story of a little-known working-class everyman, and first-class curmudgeon, Harvey Pekar (Paul Giamatti), who finds love, family, and a creative voice through the underground comic books he creates. Approximate running time: 101 minutes.

Hurrah! And now, back to our regular sequence...

DC COMICS

This month at DC: yet another attempt to revive the credibility of THE AUTHORITY, and, also, Lego-based comics. No, really.

TOMORROW STORIES VOL. 2, by Alan Moore and various
Hardcover: DEC03 0311, pg. 112, $24.95

Alan Moore and his esteemed co-conspirators return in the second volume collecting the acclaimed series. Join Jack B Quick, Greyshirt, Splash Brannigan, The First American, and Cobweb as they scurry, lurk, ooze, trip, and slink their way through an amazing array of diverse features!

Mostly this is goofy, throwaway material, so naturally DC is collecting it in an expensive hardcover and scheduling it for a full two years after the series ended. I will never understand how DC makes these decisions, I swear I won't.

IMAGE COMICS

AGE OF BRONZE #19, by Eric Shanower
DEC03 1300, pg. 134, $3.50

THE CONCEPT: The classic story of the Trojan War - retold for a modern audience. Fully dramatized against a background rich with authenticity, AGE OF BRONZE unfolds afresh before your eyes, featuring all the familiar characters and events associated with this timeless tale: The beautiful Helen, the wily Odysseus, the noble Achilles, and the deceptive Trojan Horse.
THIS ISSUE: "Sacrifice," Part 10-The "Sacrifice" storyline reaches its climax as the High King's daughter is led to the slaughter. Can Achilles rescue her in time? Will her father relent? Or will innocent blood be shed at the insistence of the gods?

A FINE LINE

NEW SOULS: STINZ/BOSOM ENEMIES FLIPBOOK, by Donna Barr
DEC03 2001, pg. 195, $19.95

Donna Barr is publishing Stinz/Bosom Enemies as a reversible special. That's right 3/4 103 pages of Stinz. Turn it over for 64 pages of Bosom Enemies. With two covers, it's 192-some pages of Barr-y goodness!

ABBANE INK

THANKS & LOVE LETTERS FROM JOEY FOOL, by Toc Fetch
DEC03 2011, pg. 196, $4.95

Splash page moments delineating the politic of a singular persona of a multiple soul, the voice of a Damion, named Pope Joey Fool. Or... when imaginary friends return.

Fetch is a fine artist, and his books contain far and away the most beautiful, meticulous and effective photo-realistic art I've ever seen in comics. I don't begin to understand them- they're either complete gibberish or just too mystical for an unevolved churl like me to grasp - but by God, they're lovely.

ABSENCE OF INK COMIC PRESS

VÓX VOL. 1, by Leland Purvis
DEC03 2012, pg. 196, $14.95

VÓX collects stories by Leland Purvis from the first four anthology magazines, as well as some all-new material. VÓX #1 was the recipient of a Xeric Grant in 2000. Stories range from the surreal and horrific to profound and sublime.

With, to be honest, occasional pit stops in the pretentious and opaque. This is a guy who ran editorials in VOX - excuse me, VÓX - under the title of 'Mindhammer.' But that's a necessary risk when you're experimenting, and an impressive percentage of Purvis' experiments did pan out - it's not surprising to learn he's a favorite of Scott McCloud's. It's criminal that he's so little-known.

ALTERNATIVE COMICS

ROSETTA VOL. 2, edited by Ng Suat Tong
DEC03 2046, pg. 201, $19.95

Nominated for both the 2003 Eisner Award and 2003 Harvey Award for "Best Anthology," Rosetta is an anthology of sophisticated works by an international cast of award-winning artists. Rosetta is targeted at a Mature Audience that views comics as a valid art form equal to any other. Rosetta not only entertains with new stories by over 20 cartoonists from North America and around the world, but also reveals the creative processes and compromises that occur in the creation of comic art in the form of a sketchbook section. The contributing artists - Edmond Baudoin, Andrea Bruno, Santiago Cohen, Martin Tom Dieck, Anke Feuchtenberger, Jason, Miriam Katin, Megan Kelso, Peter Kuper, Max, Pedro Nora, R. Sikoryak, Vincent Stall, Ted Stearn, Craig Thompson, and a number of other stellar cartoonists - have been set the task to go beyond the boundaries set by their previous works and to push themselves into areas that they consider dangerous to their reputations.

That's one hell of a lineup. And, having read the first ROSETTA, I can vouch that editor Suat isn't accepting insubstantial work just to get an impressive-looking roster.

HI HORSE OMNIBUS VOL. 1, by various
DEC03 2043, pg. 200, $11.95

Hi-Horse leaps in a bold new direction with this gorgeous new special, that introduces a new generation of comics innovators - 18 in all - to the world! Included is Gabrielle Bell's uninhibited-but-clear-headed chronicle of an artist's model, and Dan Zettwoch's "The Crucial Point," a Zen-like anecdote about a cliff diving hobo. Andrice Arp provides the "Cover of the Year!" The Comics Journal calls Hi-Horse "intelligent, imaginative... a striking book that stands out from the other anthologies." Get your Hi-Horse and discover the future of comics!

Yet another anthology, with not a single artist I know anything worth relating about. I can't keep up. You can find a full contributor list and some sample pages in this press release.

MAGIC WHISTLE #9, by Sam Henderson
DEC03 2045, pg. 200, $11.95

Sam Henderson comes out of seclusion with the new "annual" format for his long-running, always funny series! He's added a few sketchbook pages and some longer pieces, such as the full-color 24-page "The Hamburger Joe Story." Don't worry, Sam hasn't gone artsy-fartsy or anything - it's still the same kind of hilarity that has earned him Harvey and Emmy nominations... plus the usual ass or two. If you've never read this title before, find out why it's beloved by intellectual lowlifes and lowlife intellectuals alike.

AMAZE INK (SLAVE LABOR GRAPHICS)

ABSENT FRIENDS #1, by Phil Elliott and Paul Grist
DEC03 2063, pg. 202, $3.50

Paul Grist, already widely respected for his Kane and Jack Staff comics, here re-enforces his stature as a master of graphic storytelling. Illustrating Phil Elliott's scripts, these short stories also showcase Paul's talent to portray poignant and reflective moods. This collection is a must-have for fans of his work.

These stories were done for the British small press in the ?80s, and apparently they bear some resemblance to Eddie Campbell's autobiographical work. TCJ.com critic Daniel Holloway gave the book a very good review.

FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS

SCHIZO #4, by Ivan Brunetti
DEC03 2430, pg. 287, $9.95

America's most beloved depressed cartoonist is off the couch and back to making us laugh at his misery! This long-awaited full-color oversized (11" x 15"!) comic brings you right into the action! This time around, Brunetti taps into his academic side with biographies of Piet Mondrian, Soren Kierkegaard, Erik Satie, James Thurber, Francoise Hardy, Louise Brooks, and J.K. Huysmans. And if that weren't enough, there are tributes to Charles Schulz and the Marx Brothers; a step-by-step guide on how to draw cartoons; and strips on misogyny, 9-11, suicidal ideation, abortive crushes on waitresses, plus so much more!

I saw some of the biographical strips when they ran on Highwater's website, and they're quite good. The Thurber one was especially inspired, portraying from the great humorist's bitter, increasingly miserable life as a series of gag cartoons done in Thurber's own style. It managed to be both a loving homage and a cruel joke, all at once.

THE COMICS JOURNAL #259
DEC03 2429, pg. 287, $6.95

In February, TCJ presents their annual, indispensable "Year In Review" issue, examining 2003's vital events and releases from around the world! And this issue also boasts the "Young Cartoonists" section, featuring scads of interviews and profiles of the next generation of emerging talents! How can you not want this issue? Don't you want to know what the books of the year were? Don't you care about the children? Cover by Drew Weing.

MEATHAUS COMICS MEATHAUS #7: LOVE SONGS, by various
DEC03 2548, pg. 310, $12.95

The Meathaus books just keep getting more inventive! This is the first effort by the collective to take a more active role in formalism, actually applying a shared theme to the book (love songs). Meathaus is still punk and true art, but compiled in such a fashion that can hook any open eye. It's downright subversive!

NBM

LIBRARY OF OPERA: GODFATHER'S CODE #1, by P. Craig Russell
DEC03 2576, pg. 313, $2.95

An all-new adaptation of the classic opera Cavalleria Rusticana. Sicily, Easter Sunday. Turridu comes back to his village to discover his love married to another powerful capo. Yet, they meet secretly. Once this becomes known, however, the code dictates a fight to the death! This is the opera featured at the end of Godfather 3. One-shot.

Enjoy this preview. It's not inked yet, but even Russell's pencils look exquisite.

ATTITUDE VOL. 2, edited by Ted Rall
DEC03 2577, pg. 314, $13.95

The first collection sold more than 8,000 copies, and now it's back for more! Featuring interviews and cartoons by Shannon Wheeler, Alison Bechdel (Dykes to Watch Out For), David Rees (Get Your War On), Aaron McGruder (Boondocks), Keith Knight (The K Chronicles), and 16 others, all with a slant on satirizing our everyday life.

Think what you like of Rall, but the first volume was necessary and overall pretty solid. I'm chuffed to see Bechdel included in this volume - I wish I'd gotten the chance to tout Dykes To Watch Out For in the column. Also includes Stephen Notley (Bob the Angry Flower)! Enjoy this preview, which serendipitously excerpts Bechdel's interview.

TEPID COMICS

TEPID, by John Hankiewicz
DEC03 2654, pg. 323, $4.00

This Xeric Grant-recipient comic is a self-contained story about a boy's last day of little league baseball. Poised uncertainly on the threshold of adolescence, the boy takes refuge in a dreamlike world of imaginary companions. As the day progresses, these companions become all too real, offering him a melancholy and disturbing glimpse of adulthood. Magazine format.

Hankiewicz's work is very, very odd. Imagine Michael Kupperman's style being used for drama rather than for laffs, and you get some idea of the tone.

TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS

BE A MAN #1, by Jeffrey Brown
DEC03 2717, pg. 332, $3.00

Don't trust Previews' listing - somebody screwed up and ran the solicitation text for one of Josh Simmonds' comics instead. This is how it should have read:

Jeffrey Brown's own self-parody of his "ultra-sensitive" graphic novel, "Clumsy." A heaping of in-your-face male chauvinism, over-the-top machismo, and self-involved gratification. For all those jerks who complained that Jeffrey Brown was a sissy, finally you can see him "Be a man!"

I admit, having grown weary of sad-sack autobio comics, I had been avoiding Brown's work, despite the critical acclaim; but anybody willing to take the piss out of themselves this boldly has my attention.

JENNIFER DAYDREAMER #2: ANNA AND EVA, by Jennifer Daydreamer
DEC03 2722, pg. 332, $4.95

Developing a steady cult following, this unique fantasy series is one fans won't want to miss. Each book is a self-contained story, with a continuing cast of characters, set in the melancholic world of Encephalon. In Jennifer Daydreamer's latest volume, Anna and Eva, we meet Ben, a lonely, rebellious boy, longing to run away and join the circus, and the Pettibone family, where Anna longs to talk to her dead sister, Eva. ... Daydreamer's comics aren't just mere stories. Bewitching many readers with her layers of symbol and meaning, fans will delight in the underlying meditation on the nature of psychic phenomena.

SKETCHBOOK DIARIES VOL. 4, by James Kochalka
DEC03 2724, pg. 332, $7.95

The Sketchbook Diaries are Kochalka's masterwork. Sometimes sweet, sometimes twisted, always honest and often hilarious, they've garnered James two Ignatz awards and as well as a Harvey nomination for "Best Cartoonist." In this fourth volume, James grows a beard, gets his wife pregnant, plays a bunch of rock shows, plays a bunch of video games, struggles with the meaning of life, and draws a bunch of the best comics of his career.

That's going to have to be all. There are plenty of worthy-looking books I've excluded or overlooked, but that's been true to some extent every month. Again, thanks to you, and especial, extravagant thanks to my long-suffering editors, who can now rest easily at last.

Chris Ekman is a political cartoonist.

This article is Ideological Freeware. The author grants permission for its reproduction and redistribution by private individuals on condition that the author and source of the article are clearly shown, no charge is made, and the whole article is reproduced intact, including this notice.