Graphic Novels July 2009: Previews Picks

Diamond Comic Distrubutors’ Previews Catalogue is the place to find the best upcoming graphic novels, comics and manga. Titles are listed in the catalogue approximately 2 months before they are released onto the market which makes this tome a great resource for pre-ordering and staying ahead of upcoming releases.

These titles listed below are highly recommended for both libraries and educators due to their literary content and/or popularity. For each title I have added broad age suggestions to help with selection but final placement will depend on the library/reader level.

Best Upcoming Graphic Novels/Manga:
Previews Catalogue July 2009

BEANWORLD BOOK 3: REMEMBER HERE WHEN YOU ARE THERE!
Larry Marder (W/A)
On sale Nov 25 b&w, 186 pages HC, Junior Fiction
ISBN: 1595823557

Fifteen years in the making, Remember Here When You Are There! completes the “Springtime” cycle of stories, in which the perfect harmony of the Beanworld is interrupted for the first time.
Larry Marder’s Beanworld is a most peculiar comic book experience, inspired by equal parts Jack Kirby, Native American mythology, Marcel Duchamp, and Robert Crumb. Now, Marder returns to his sui generis creation with the first in a series of original Beanworld graphic novels!
Chock full of characters new and old, this volume sees the Pod’l’pool Cuties learn to fly; Beanish efforts to write a love song; and the long-anticipated return of Heyoka and the Big Fish to the Beanworld!
• Features an introduction by Jeff Smith, creator of Bone and RASL.

STAR WARS: THE CLONE WARS—SLAVES OF THE REPUBLIC
Henry Gilroy (W), Scott Hepburn (P), Ramón Pérez (P), Lucas Marangon (P), Dan Parsons (I), and Michael E. Wiggam (C)
On sale Nov 18 FC, 144 pages TPB
Young Adult Fiction ISBN: 1595823492

Anakin Skywalker and Obi-Wan Kenobi discover a dastardly plot by Count Dooku—to enslave the entire city of Kiros and its Togruta population!
Along with Padawan Ahsoka Tano—a Togruta herself—Anakin and Obi-Wan accept a mission to liberate the droid-occupied city. But the Togruta have disappeared! Our Jedi’s search for the missing citizens leads them to a place in the galaxy where pirates and slavers reign. They must find the Togruta before Count Dooku can carry out his master plan!

BATMAN: BATTLE FOR THE COWL HC
Written by Tony Daniel and Fabian NiciezaArt by Tony Daniel,Guillem March, ChrisCross, Jamie McKelvie, Alex Konat
 On sale November 18 • 160 pg, FC
Young Adult Fiction ISBN: 1401224164

Collecting the hit Batman miniseries by Tony Daniel and more! Following the disappearance of her protector, Gotham City may be too far gone for Nightwing, Robin, Commissioner Gordon and the rest of the city’s heroes to save the day. Amid the fires, rioting, looting and gang warfare, one question rings out from the souls of Gotham’s desperate citizens: Where is Batman?

MAGIC CARPET
Scott Christian Sava (w) • Tracy Bailey (a & c)
TPB • FC •  110 Pages •
Junior Fiction ISBN: 1600105637

One day, Kevin inherits a magic carpet and embarks on an adventure of a lifetime that takes him to far off lands where he finds magic, danger, monsters, and even a princess. Written by the award-winning creator of Pet Robots, Hyperactive, and The Dreamland Chronicles, Scott Christian Sava. Hop on for a magical ride you’ll never forget!

STITCHES HC
(W/A) David Small
HC, 7×9, 320pgs, B&W
Mature Fiction ISBN: 0393068579  

One day David Small awoke from a supposedly harmless operation to discover that he had been transformed into a virtual mute. A vocal cord removed, his throat slashed and stitched together like a bloody boot, the young boy had not been told that he had throat cancer and was expected to die. Small, a prize-winning children’s author, re-creates a life story that might have been imagined by Kafka. Readers will be riveted by his journey from speechless victim to his decision to flee his home at sixteen with nothing more than dreams of becoming an artist. Stitches will transform adolescent and adult readers alike with its deeply liberating vision.

ULTIMATUM PREMIERE HC
Written by JEPH LOEB Pencilled by DAVID FINCH
128 PGS. Hardcover
Young Adult Fiction ISBN: 0785133003

The end is here! Or, is it a new beginning? Massive climatic disturbances are wreaking havoc with the planet — underwater volcanic eruptions, tidal waves crashing over whole cities and snowstorms burying entire countries—and even the assemblage of the Ultimate U’s mightiest is no match for this worldwide destruction! Featuring Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Ultimates, the Hulk and more, find out whose lives are at stake in this defining moment of truth for the Ultimate Universe. Brought to you by award-winning scribe Jeph Loeb and superstar artist David Finch, this is the must-have book that will set the stage in the Ultimate U for years to come. If you want to get in on the most astounding changes taking place in all of comics, this is the place to be.

ASTRO BOY MOVIE ADAPTATION
Scott Tipton (w) • E.J. Su (a & c)
TPB • FC • 104 Pages
Junior Fiction ISBN: 1600105173

He’s back! Osamu Tezuka’s beloved Astro Boy continues his amazing return to comics in the official adaptation of his exciting feature film debut in 2009! Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist, powered by positive energy, and endowed with super strength, x-ray vision, unbelievable speed and the ability to fly.

AYA: THE SECRETS COME OUT HC
(W) Marguerite Abouet (A) Clement Oubrerie
HC, 6.5×8.5, 140pgs, FC
Young Adult-Mature Fiction ISBN: 1897299796

Secrets and desires cast long shadows in the third volume of Abouet and Oubrerie’s highly regarded series about life in the Ivory Coast of the 1970s. It’s a world of shifting values, where issues like arranged marriage and gay love have Aya and her friends yearning to break out of the confines of their community, while the ties of friendship and support draw them back into its familiarity. Distinctly African and brilliantly universal, the series offers an unflinching take on human strengths, foibles, and the capriciousness of our natures.

Preorder these titles now from Amazon: