The Golden Age of Horror Comics - Part 1

Find Out Much More About Batman Than You Should Ever Know

Can't be bothered to read our Top 10 Batman Books but still fancy pretending to be a Batman expert? Want to know the secret behind Batman RIP? Wonder what the difference is between the original murder of Bruce Wayne's parents and the current version? What is the origin of the Joker? All you need to answer all of those questions and far too many more is Bob Greenberger's new Essential Batman Encyclopedia.

Released to give the fact-obsessed yet comic-phobic fans of The Dark Knight their batfacts fix, Greenberger's newly updated and rewritten collection of Batman trivia is both exhaustive and exhausting, tracing multiple fictional histories of almost everyone who's ever had any contact with Bruce Wayne whatsoever (It even explains the origins of "Zur-Eh-Arrh," the phrase at the center of the current Batman RIP storyline, but be warned; it's probably not what you expect) alongside a wealth of art from various Batman comics of the last 69 years. It's very much a book to dip in and out of rather than sit down and read, although you'll find yourself getting sucked in to the differences between Earth-1, Earth-2, Post-Crisis and New Earth versions of history (Earth-2's Batman was probably the luckiest, apart from that whole death thing). Greenberger - a former editor for not only DC Comics, but Marvel and the Weekly World News - manages to condense everything into a format that's not only easy to understand, but easy to read, as well; no mean feat when explaining just how Jason Todd managed to be blown up and murdered until Superboy Prime punched the walls of reality.

If the book has a flaw, it's that it's almost too much information; Greenberger has talked about the difficulties of creating entries for minor characters from the 50s, and you can understand why; while every character may be someone's favorite, that doesn't mean that all of them have to be bulking up an already impressive project like this one.

That aside, it's a strange book to recommend; curiously addictive, yet at the same time, utterly unnecessary, it's the kind of book that you should tell people not to get you for your birthday, but secretly covet at the same time. How else, after all, can you easily find out the entire history of Ted Grant?

The Essential Batman Encyclopedia [Random House] [via io9.com]

Julie Doucet’s 365 Days

A book dense with ink drawings and meticulously-lettered blocks of text fill its pages to the edges, with no mercy for whitespace. It’s a quality, along with the biographical minutia that populates the book, that make it unlike traditional autobiographical comics. There’s no story here that compels you to turn the page, but I learned quickly that the real joy is in flipping around and reading random pages. Reading the book becomes a lot like randomly discovering an artist’s blog. You read one entry, and then another, until you gradually get a sense of the person’s day-to-day life as well as their creative growth as an artist. It’s at once mundane and fascinating.
See Brian Heater’s review here.
Via drawn.ca

Holy Collectibles, Batman!

A near-mint copy of Detective Comics No. 27, a pre-Second World War comic featuring Batman's debut, was recently found in an attic and sold to a local collector in Ellwood City, Pa.

The comic is considered to be the second-most valuable available and can fetch up to US$500,000. The only comic considered more valuable is Action Comics No. 1, in which Superman makes his first appearance.

Collector Todd McDevitt said the Batman issue he bought is worth about $250,000, but he won't say exactly how much he paid or who sold it to him.

"It was a typical story of someone cleaning up junk in their attic and finding an old comic book and wondering if this was one of those ones that was worth a lot of money," McDevitt told the Beaver County Times.

McDevitt, owner of the Pittsburgh region's five New Dimension Comics stores, said he has been saving money since 1986 so that he could buy a valuable comic when it appeared.

When the seller walked in with the Batman issue, "my eyes almost popped out of my head," McDevitt said.

"I guess I should have been more reserved, but I'm not a very good poker player," he said.

Experts estimate there are between 20 and a few hundred copies of the Batman debut.

McDevitt's comic now sits safely in an airtight bag in a bank vault. On occasion, he takes it out to show friends and customers.

"I've been toying with the idea of reading it, but I haven't yet," he said. "I'm going to savour it."

Paleo Sharks: Survival of the Strangest

Paleo sharks were the largest sharks from the times of dinosaurs! Everyone will love the richly drawn illustrations found in this 48 page volume of shark history.

Courtesy of Sandbox World

Cooking

What’s Cooking?: A Cookbook for Kids (Ratatouille)
Kids will love the Ratatouille-inspired recipes. The concealed wire binding allows the book to lie flat for ease of use while preparing such fun dishes as Remy’s Famous Omelets and Emile’s Sewer Sandwiches.

Courtesy of Sandbox World

Wonderment

What Would Wonder Woman Do?: An Amazon’s Guide to the Working World

Suspend your disbelief and imagine Wonder Woman in the working force of the world. How would she handle the pressure?

Courtesy of Sandbox World

Mad’s Greatest Artists: The Completely Mad Don Martin

Mad’s Greatest Artists:
The Completely Mad Don Martin

What has 1200 pages and you would have to be completely mad not to buy. Don Martin’s new offering of his "Mad" comic strips. For many years Don has entertained many generations with his strips in many magazines and digests. From 1957-1987 this tome collects all his mad rant doodles on paper. While growing up, Don Martin & Jack Davis were always two of my favorite Mad Magazine artists.

Courtesy of The Sandbox.

Peanuts!

Peanuts Classics The Ultimate Box Set

This motley collection of Peanuts books will be the envy of any collector.

This one of a kind collection is a little gem that every fan of Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, and the gang will cherish. Packaged in an adorable replica of Snoopy’s red dog house, and with a limited print run during its first year in the market, it contains all eight classic titles AND The Peanuts Cookbook…which has been unavailable for over 30 years! Just lift the roof and see what’s inside:

Christmas is Together Time
Happiness is a Sad Song
Happiness is a Warm Puppy
Home is on Top of a Dog House
I Need All the Friends I Can Get
Love is Walking Hand in Hand
Security is a Thumb and a Blanket
Suppertime!
And the cookbook, which includes such recipes as Charlie Brown’s Brownies, Snoopy’s Pizza, Patty’s Buttermilk Pancakes, and More Macaroni and Cheese, Please. Best of all, every book is just how readers remember it: the paper, the ink, even the lamination look and feel just like the originals.

Courtesy of The Sandbox

New Animation Bookstore in Toronto

If this would have been around when I visited Toronto a short while a go, I think I might still be paying off my credit card from the fun I would have had in this shop.

Toronto-area folks now have their own local alternative to Bud Plant and Stuart Ng’s. The Labyrinth is a brand new bookstore specializing in animation, illustration, artist sketchbooks, graphic novels and manga. The store, open seven days a week, is located at 386 Bloor Street West (2 blocks west of Spadina Subway station). The shop also has a small gallery space which owner Dan Merisanu says will be used for monthly artist shows starting in July. A website with basic details is over here and there’s also a blog which lists new books in stock.

Thanks to CartoonBrew for the info!

The Simpsons Handbook- Secret Tips from the Pros

Ever wonder how they draw the Simpsons? The Simpsons Handbook: Secret Tips from the Pros is the perfect book to learn the secrets of the top running cartoon of all time.

Mouse Guard Volume One

Mouse Guard Volume One: Fall 1152

David Peterson is the author and illustrator of Mouse Guard, the hottest comic series in the past year. Mouse Guard has gone under the radar. This is going to be the next Bone, and make waves with young kids all over the world. If you missed earlier issues, not to fret, they have been collected in one capacious 192 page book. This is a real book that you can feel secure your kids will enjoy and learn something about human values through the personification of mouse culture. Never mind Flushed Away which has merits, Mouse Guard will make you want to read it over and over again.

Thanks to Sandbox World for the info.

Showcase Presents- The Flash

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Over 500 pages of classic adventures are included in this value-priced volume! The Fastest Man Alive stars in these fantastic tales from late 1950s and into the 1960s — the Silver Age of Comics! A strange accident transformed police scientist Barry Allen into the super-speedster known as The Flash — but it was no accident that made him a hero! This value-priced title features The Flash in battle against the Mirror Master, the Trickster, Captain Cold and many other villains.

Clockwork Girl

Arcana Studio’s Clockwork Girl is making the rounds this summer. This great comic has the talented duo of Kevin Hanna and Grant Bond. Kevin is a multi talented writer on past projects like Narnia, Meet the Robinsons, Chicken Little, Disney Princess and dozens of other projects. He made his move to comics like many writers in the industry who do both and compliment both mediums. Grant Bond really fleshes out the characters and the preview first issue will cost only .25¢ and you will find other artists’ interpretation of Clockwork Girl.  That is a bargain for a promising book. Sandbox World will keep an eye on this project. Preview art >>

The Superman Guide to Life - Living the Super Hero Lifestyle

Need wisdom? Look no further the man of steel is willing to give it out with Magnetic Wisdom™ . You could say this is the Chicken Soup for heroes. Lois Lane has her own book of Magnetic Wisdom™ too.