Welcome to the Part-Time Fanboy picks of the week for December 3, 2014! Each week some of the crew at PTF will pick their most anticipated books for that Wednesday’s releases based on their own individual tastes. Hopefully this list will help give you, the discerning comic book reader, some ideas on what to pick up at the comic shop during that particular week.
Paul’s Picks
By: Jonathan Maberry, Tyler Crook
Genre: Horror
Publisher: Dark Horse Comics
Jonathan Maberry is best known in comic book circles for writing the Black Panther series and Marvel Universe Vs. The Punisher. He’s also a great horror novelist who won the Bram Stoker Award in 2007 for his first novel Ghost Road Blues and again in 2010 for his post-apocalyptic Rot & Ruin.
This limited series for Dark Horse tells the story of a college student named Trick Croft. He’s struggling with cancer and he’s about to give up on life. A pep talk from his friend Kyle is interrupted by a vampire attack. However, when the vampire bites him, it begins to burn from the inside. Turns out, Trick’s blood is poisonous to the vampire’s biology.
It takes a lot to bring in anything new to the vampire legend. The idea of a vampire hunter who kills them by giving in to the attack is pretty novel. Tyler Crook illustrates with an expressionist style and uses watercolors that are primarily grays broken up with bright red and yellow accents. This story looks to be an exciting new take on vampires.
Absolute Batman Haunted Knight HC
Genre: Superhero
Publisher: DC Comics
Loeb and Sale’s Batman: The Long Halloween stands as one of the high marks of superhero comic storytelling. A near perfect balance of crime drama and superhero story, it proudly displayed noir and pulp influences. The movie The Dark Knight borrowed heavily from its depiction of Harvey Dent.
This story collects a number of one-shot specials that feature different villains over the course of three Halloweens. There’s a Scarecrow story that features Batman trapped in a giant snow maze like in the end of The Shining. There’s a Mad Hatter story with a pre-Batgirl Barbara Gordon. Finally, there’s a Batman version of A Christmas Carol. Since this is the Absolute Edition, it will be hardcover with a dust jacket and slipcase. It will have all sorts of great material such as sketches, scripts, and development memos in a recolored 8 by 12 format. They’re super pricey, but GORGEOUS.
Even if it can’t reach the heights of The Long Halloween, Loeb & Sale are a great Batman team. If you don’t want to spring for the Absolute Edition, it’s already available in a trade paperback.
