Breakfast at Forbidden Planet

Books A Million

There's been so much going on at the FP recently that I've had nary a moment, nor clarity of a single thought, these past few weeks. And it shows. I'm haggard, baby, and my sense of humor could use a serious kick in the boondoon, What's more, in my biggest existential slight I have also neglected to recommend the proceeding recent Graphic Novel releases. I'm sorry, world. I'll make it up to you, somehow, someway, someday.

Books I totally forgot to mention the last few weeks, that are totally rad, and you should totally buy:

Elvis Road - Swiss art duo Xavier Robel and Helge Reumann team up for this sexily designed HC: a dense, 24ft. drawing, rumination on our mutually frenzied experience, accordion folded to be viewed as a single experience wherever you can possibly find that kinda space in NYC, or as a sequential narrative. Highly recommended.

Criminal - Ding-dang-doo, that Ed Brubaker sure do write them funnybooks darned good, don't he? The guy's written, like 37.59% of American comics released the last few years, up to and including: The last year or so's Daredevil, one of the character's standout storylines (and that's saying a lot, considering the talent the book's showcased through the years), he killed Captain America, helped revitalize Iron Fist, revolutionized the Authority... Sheesh, I thought I was a busy dude! For my money, his creator-owned book collaborations with Sean Phillips (Sleeper + Criminal) take the proverbial cake. And I just know you've read all of Sleeper, so I guess it's time for you to complete your collection, huh?

Cassanova HC - Collecting what is easily one of the funnest, most imaginitive comics I've ever read. I'm am not being facetious at all. This is not hyperbole. I'm as serious as cancer. Props, big-ups, and many, many thanks to Messrs. Fraction and Ba.

Releasing 5/31

Silver Surfer Requiem #1 - The long promised and hyped Silver Surfer series by JM Straczynski is finally upon us, and consider me excited by more than a smidge. A lot more. Being the creator and primary writer of the seminal TV series Babylon 5 (a masterpiece, even if it does look cheaply made and outdated in this century- but ideas transcend production value, kiddos) JMS has deftly proven his speculative faction acumen time and again, so a Surfer comic by this hallowed craftsman is indeed something to drool for. Get yours now, homies.

And btw, Denzel, make my Silver Surfer Moebius!
JEFF

THE STATIC AGE: Zombies Ate My Sense of Humor

So it's another one of those big weeks here at FP. Not only did one lucky customer get to walk out our doors with a 7 foot Batman Begins Statue for free; On Tuesday June 5th we are hosting a exclusive super special advanced screening of Lionsgate's newest zombie comedy Fido.

I can't wait, this flick looks wicked gnarly. Imagine a world (I can't believe I just said that) long after a zombie outbreak in which the remaining zombies were domesticated. With wild man Billy Connolly as main zombie Fido you can count on some serious belly bursting laughs. I don't think I've ever seen or heard of any zombie related comic, novel, movie, anything that's even remotely similar in concept. Mad props to Andrew Currie (director/writer) for breathing some new life into a genre that's been, how can I put this nicely... a little less than original lately (that wasn't so bad).

Did I mention Billy is gonna be at the screening do a little Q&A with none other than FP's very own Jeff Ayers, lucky stiff. (Just a little zombie comedy of my own, I'm not jealous or anything, no really I'm not, ok maybe just a little)

So come down to the planet and ask how you can get a spot reserved for this special screening, but make haste for seating is very limited. But wait there's more... as an extra bonus you can show up here at FP before the screening to get made up as a zombie, provided by professional make up artist Josh Potter and the good people at New York Costumes.

In celebration of said event I figure I would suggest a few other great zombie comedies to get you guys stoked.

Shaun Of The Dead - Edgar Wright (Director, Writer) and Simon Pegg (Actor, Writer) dropped this amazing piece of cinema upon us just a little over 3 years ago. I instantly fell in love, It's what I would like to call a modern classic. Seriously, dude, I went to see it in theaters like 3 times before I bought a bootleg. They dubbed it the first romantic comedy with zombies. Shaun is your average late twenties, no direction, dead end job having, slacker. His girlfriend Liz is less than happy with Shaun's life style, so she decides to give him the boot. It takes the dead to rise from their graves for Shaun to get his life back on track, get the girl, and save the day... or at least try his best. Lots of gore, laughs, and hilarious horror movie references, you will not be disappointed.

Dead Alive - Before Peter Jackson was a ring obsessed hobbit loving dingle berry (If you haven't noticed I'm not really a L.O.T.R. kind of guy) he made some of the raddest horror movies out there. Dead Alive was named one of the goriest movies of all time, and rightfully so. When Lionel's overbearing mom gets bitten by one of those nasty Sumatran Rat-Monkeys she turns into a flesh hungry fiend, and you thought she was hard to deal with when she was alive. Pretty soon more than a few locals get infected and it’s up to Lionel to finally take a stand and do something about his mama. What's the best way to get rid of alot of zombies at once? Leave the chainsaw at home, bring on the lawnmower. Also check out Jackson's first film ever Bad Taste for more nasty laughs.

Night Of The Creeps - So what if I'm mentioning this movie for the 500th time, you have got to see it. Unfortunately it still doesn't have an official DVD release. Fred Dekker, the mastermind behind genre classic Monster Squad (which is finally getting an official DVD release later this summer, thank you DVD gods) started his directorial career with this gem. You see there are these slugs from outer space that jump into your mouth and turn you into zombies. They take over a college and its up to the biggest geeks on campus to save the chicks from their newly infected frat boy dates. All you're going to need is your standard flamethrower and it's Miller time.

Check em' out kids, I know you'll love them as much as I do. Man, I can't wait to see you guys all painted up as zombies on the 5th.

- Matt D.

Shannon Wheeler : Postage Funnies 004

THE STATIC AGE: All Hacked Up

Hack/Slash, do you know it? No!?! What the heck is wrong with you? I thought my readers liked comics, and horror. Then why wouldn't you know about one of the raddest horror comics out there? O.K. I'm judging. Maybe it's your favorite comic and I'm just assuming, and you know what they say about that. I know you're all familiar with the slasher genre, but just in case you're not let me fill you in. They usually revolve around a madman terrorizing a group of hip and sexy teens, made famous in the 80's with the likes of Freddy, Jason and Michael Myers (In my opinion Halloween is the pinnacle, all others just aped Carpenter).

So let me pose a question. What if there was someone out there who hunted down and killed these killers? Now what if that person just so happened to be one tough, sexy and scantily clad female? Now that's something that might spark your interest, eh, ehhh. The concept is so good I wish I thought of it. The stories revolve around Cassie Hack (daughter of slasher The Lunch Lady, Dun Dun Dunnhhh!) and her over-sized monster partner Vlad.

As a child Cassie was an outcast, constantly made fun of. You know the type. She knew her mother was killing those who did the fun poking and had no choice but to get the authorities involved. Unfortunately her mother didn't know when to stop and Cassie was present as she committed suicide to escape the fuzz. Finally, she found comfort with her new foster father but soon he died at the hands of another slasher. Witnessing these events transformed once introverted nerdy Cassie into outspoken bombshell slasher killer Hack.

Devil's Due Publishing dropped the first Hack/Slash one shot, Euthanized, in 2004. It became a cult hit, so DDP quickly followed with more and a crossover with Chaos Comics'Evil Ernie. After that young Cassie was glorified in her first trade collecting the first three one shots and a slew of sketches and a never-before printed story.

Next up we were treated to two mini series (Land of Lost Toys and Slice Hard) but between the two were one of the most clever comic ideas I've ever heard of. Another one shot simply called Trailers a collection of shorts featuring the Hack/Slash stories we've never seen but always wanted to (kinda like movie trailers, duh!).

Most recently, DDP has really been cashing in on this title's success with a second trade, a crossover with everyone's favorite loud mouth good guy doll Chucky (the first non series created slasher to grace the pages) and finally the very long over due Hack/Slash ongoing series. "Wait did you just say Chucky was in an issue of Hack/Slash?" Why yes I did. "But how can that be possible Chucky is a licensed character?" Well here's the deal, kids. Rouge Pictures which owns the license to Chucky recently bought the rights to make a Hack/Slash movie. I know this is all too overwhelming but control yourself. It's supposed to come out some time in the Oh Eight and is going to be directed by Todd Lincoln whose only other film credits I can find are as a P.A. on From Dusk Till Dawn, which is cool by me.

Other than that there's really little info leaked on the film as of yet. Other than just getting excited about the live action version of this kick ass series think about the other possibilities that Rogue Pictures have opened up for the comic. How's about a Shaun Of The Dead crossover! Not to mention Rogue has also announced a Castlevania movie. Cassie Hack and Simon Belmont, if that's not a match made in heaven I don't know what is. So thank you Tim Seeley and Stefano Casseli (creators of Hack/Slash, I had to find some way of getting their names in here) for pumping out such a wicked horror comic. I'll be collecting the new series and will be patiently waiting for the movie's release.

-Matt D.

WANTED: BOOKS!

Call us greedy, but no matter how many thousands upon thousands of books Forbidden Planet's got, we want more, more, more! There's a bevy of terrific material on our shelves already (I would go so far as to say we're better stocked these days than we have been in years), but it ain't as good as it could be, as there's a whole lotta stuff no longer available, or way out of print for a myriad of reasons. A lot of material we want to get in your hands, lovely customer. Books that are so good it's a crime they're not available in perpetuity- like the Bible. Here's what we're gonna do about it:

Here is a list of books and authors whose stuff we are looking for. Forbidden Planet will only be buying copies of these books, and only for credit. If you have copies to sell, kindly let me know, either by accosting me in the store, calling me @ 212-473-1576, or in print. My email for this endeavor will be: jeff.fpnyc@gmail.com. Remember: only stuff on the want list, and no cash involved, and English editions, please. The list will be updated on the Weekly Planet blog on our websit ( www.fpnyc.com) periodically, so check it often. And bring us your books!!!

PRELIMINARY WANT LIST

1. Walt Kelly's POGO (any and all volumes)


2. Hugo Pratt's CORTO MALTESE (any/all)


3. Howard Chaykin's American Flagg (any/all)


4. Rob Schrab's Scud the Disposable Assassain (any/all)


5. Dan Clowes' Lloyd Llewellyn


6. Bill Sienkiewicz's Voodoo Child HC


7. Chester Brown's Ed the Happy Clown


8. Lucky Luke (any/all)



9. Anything by Moebius!!!






10. Paul Pope's THBs, P-City Parade, Buzz Buzz, Sin Titulo, etc.

Let's move on to...

Books Coveted releasing 5/23:

ARF Forum - edited by Craig Yoe The third volume of the popular Arf series, Arf Forum's contributors are a dazzling spectral array of culturally significant icons: from Krazy Kat's kartoonist George Herriman to heartbreak rocker Elvis, Spider-Man's Stan Lee to New Yorker cartoonist Otto Soglow, Little Nemo's Winsor McCay to silent film star Charlie Chaplin, Nancy's Ernie Bushmiller to Surrealist Max Ernst. If you haven't hipped on to the Arf series of anthologies yet you're missing out. Why don't you come in with the tam for the big win? Jump into the plasma pool today!

Fell Vol 1 Feral City - Limited Edition HC And Tp- Detective Richard Fell is transferred over the bridge from the big city to Snowtown, a feral district whose police investigations department numbers three and a half people (one detective has no legs). Dumped in this collapsing urban trashzone, Richard Fell is starting all over again and it's one helluva ride. Also- if you're on the fence about buying either the HC or the Tpb, know that the former was only printed to order, and once we gone they gone!

Other Side TPCollecting the hard-hitting, critically acclaimed miniseries examining life on opposing sides of the Vietnam War through the eyes of two young men: Bill Everette, an Alabama farm boy who's been drafted into the Marine Corps, and Vietnamese farmer Vo Dai, who enlists in the People's Army of Vietnam to fulfill his duty to his country. Written by Jason Aaron, art by Cameron Stewart (whom is a swell fellow we love, and was the artist on Grant Morrison's Seaguy, which we love, too).

Books Bought: Tarzan vol. 13 by Burne Hogarth Rose Jeff Smith & Charles Vess

Books Read: NY Daily News The Encyclopedia Shatnerica

ALSO! New release comics and GNs are Thursday the 31st next week!

"Have a good time all the time. That's my philosophy, Marty"
JEFFY

Shannon Wheeler : Postage Funnies 003

The Static Age: Read 'Em and Weep!

I love movies, you know this, I know this, we all know this. If you didn't know this by now this is probably your first issue of the Weekly Planet. Either that or you always skip over my article and go straight to Matt McKee's Toy Chest, but I highly doubt that. Anyway, back to my love of cinema. I find my self totally obsessing over movies, especially those nasty, gory, horror flicks. My thirst for an extreme viewing experience can never be quenched. But it doesn't end when the credits roll, I try to absorb my self in as many film facts as possible. I guess if I'm gonna do something why not do it at 110%.

I wish I could take all my favorite movies with me everywhere I go, but I know that's just silly. I know what you're thinking. "What about those darn PSP's I see all those kids on the trains with, they're watching stuff all the time." True that, but there's no way that Blood Diner, Frankenhooker, and Monster Squad are available on PSP. So for me it's not even an option. My alternative is reading, and I'm not talking about The Toxic Avenger The Novel (Yes there is such a thing, and yes we have it at the Planet).

I’m talking movie reference. Horror mags, complete genre guides, making of books, director biographies and interviews, pretty much any cold hard facts I can get my hands on. Lucky for me (and you, that is if you care) we have lots of that crap right here on the shelves of Forbidden Planet. I use the word crap in only the most endearing of ways. Let me start off with giving you a rundown on all the rags (magazines) we always carry here at FP.

Fangoria - A classic, every horror fan I know has bought at least one copy of this. Alot of people talk yang on it because it hypes up every movie, and god knows I've been fooled into seeing a couple stinkers due to the big F. But it doesn't stop me from buying it every month. Regardless of their opinions its worth picking up just because of the DVD Chopping List, which extensively compiles everything hitting shelves for months to come.

Rue Morgue - Canada's answer to Fangoria. I dig the fact that they focus more on classics than just promoting the newest gore fest. Not that they don't have new stuff. I always love checking out The Weird Stats and Morbid Facts for 13 of the oddest real horror tidbits out there.

HorrorHound - Jesus Christ! The magazine I've been waiting for all my life. New on the scene and not yet jaded by advertisements and false hype. For a good run down on all the horror haps check this one out. New Movies, In-depth old movie retrospectives, toy reviews,and so much more. There's even an article by my buddy Sean Clark (Who prints The Warriors T-Shirts that you kids love like the crack) called Horror's Hallowed Grounds. He visits the locations that all our favorite horror flicks were filmed and gives you a little of the history behind them. Pretty rad, go and check out http://www.horroshallowedgrounds.com for more info. That's enough for the periodical department, lets take a look at some books.

Asia Shock: Horror And Dark Cinema from Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, And Thailand by Patrick Galloway. Brought to you by the same dude who wrote Stray Dogs & Lone Wolves: The Samurai Film Handbook (also available here at the planet). A nifty run down of the most important extreme asian flicks. A good book to reference while browsing our extensive Asian Cinema section.

Book of the Dead: The Complete History of Zombie Cinema by Jamie Russell. Now that the zombie boom has taken over like a plague of... well... zombies, every household should have a copy of this book. They give you everything from the history of the real Haitian voodoo undead creeps to one of the most complete filmographies I have ever seen. Not to mention a butt load of black and white, and color posters and photos. I snagged my copy before it even made it to the sales floor.

Sleazoid Express: A Mind-Twisting Tour Through the Grindhouse Cinema of Times Square by Bill Landis and Michelle Clifford. So you were floored by the Rodriguez/Tarantino homage. Now get a feel for what it really was like by thumbing through the writings of two experts on the subject. They've been doing a zine of the same name and have it all cataloged on their website http://www.sleazoidexpress.com/. Go ahead, take a peek. Experience a 1970's West 42nd street theater at 3 in the morning, that is with out the perverts, bums, prostitutes, and muggers. Seems alot safer to me.

Profondo Argento: The Man, The Myths And The Magic by Alan Jones. A complete history of the master of Italian shock cinema. Everything you ever wanted to know about the man who brought us Suspuira, Opera, Phenomena, and countless other genre classics. Tons of interviews with the man himself and many of his collaborators, including plenty of Romero and Dawn Of The Dead info. He's definately one of my all time favorite directors. Buy this book here at FP now and pick up a copy of Suspira (also instock) on DVD while your at it. If you already own it buy one for a friend and turn them on to the wonders of Argento. Everyone needs a little Italian Horror in their life.

Wowie, zowie, yaoi!!! Wait scratch that last one. I could go on and on, we have so much of this stuff in stock right now I could write my own reference book on reference books in the Planet. Come in and take a look for yourself. I know you might think I'm some sort of sicko based on the stuff I write about, but really I'm not. I can be very pleasant. So don't be afraid to ask for me, I would be more than happy to show you each and every item we have here in the store... even the Yaoi.

- Matt D.

BATMAN STATUE GIVEAWAY BEGINS

Hold onto your potatoes, Doctah Jones! We're giving away our seven foot tall Batman Begins statue!!! Free!!! All you have to do is come by the store (840 Broadway @13th St.) on any of the following days and pick up a raffle ticket, no purchase necessary. What's more, even if you don't win, you do: All ticket holders are eligible for a huge, one-time only 25% discount on ANY and ALL items in the store between 6/1 & 6/3. Members of our comics subscription program get a nice little perk: an extra ticket. Pick up your ticket on:

Friday, 5/18 & 5/25

Saturday 5/19 & 5/26

Sunday 5/20 & 5/27

***** TERMS AND CONDITIONS *****

• Members of Forbidden Planet's Comics Subscription Program are entitled to two entries. All other multiple entries will be discarded.
• Tickets must be picked up IN STORE. Sorry, no phone or mail service offered.
• Winner must claim prize within 24 hours of notifaction, otherwise FP will redraw a potential winner.
• Winner must pick up prize, with valid ID, within 7 days of claiming prize, otherwize FP will redraw a potential winner.
• FP is not responsible for delivery, nor re-assembly of statue.
• Statue is to be given away AS IS and holds no cash value with regards to resale/return to FP.
• Drawing will be held Monday 5/28/07.
• Raffle contestants MUST be 18 & over only.
• Ticket stub must be presented at point of sale to be eligible for 25% Discount between 6/1-6/3/07.

Pretty damn cool, huh. Told ya a coupla weeks ago we were gonna give something huge away. What's bigger than a 7ft. Bats? Not much.

Releasing 5/16/07:

Magician Apprentice Vol 1 HC (Marvel Comics) by Raymond Feist, adapted by Glass, Booth & Stegman. The scene: My brother and I in the fair city of Dublin, Grafton Street I believe, flush with whatever spending cash we have left after a week of teenaged debauchery, when some bloke comes up to us asking if we want to buy U2 homecoming tickets. Also on the bill were Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, whom I was obssessed with at the time. Tickets were crazy cheap, relatively speaking, and what an opportunity! But we declined. Our dough was reserved for spending at the local Forbidden Planet, of course. Looking back this scene makes me cringe sometimes, but then I beam with the warm satisfaction of knowing had I rocked out that night we might not have even gone to the FP. Not even, on an employee's recommendation, have bought Mr. Feist's amazing fantasy novel epic: Magician, what was the first in a long line of super swell series of books the author called the Riftwar Saga that we tore through with a voracious palette not know to hyena nor pig. Mr. Feist is by no means the Dostoyevsky of fantasy writers, but he is one of the genre's best character writers. What's also wild- he writes books that drive the story forward, an ungodly anomaly in modern fantasy!

So here come the Dabel Brothers, who, in conjunction with Marvel, are acquiring the rights to and publishing some of the best Fantasy properties in the world as comics. Thing about comics is you don't have page after page to describe people and situations. The eye scans that page super fast and the writer and artist have only so much room to convey a hella lot of information and emotion. Messrs. Glass, Booth, and Stegman pull it off. No easy feat, and considering the above story you might imagine what lofty standards, what a fine magnifying glass I'd hold an adaptation to. The story's tersely effective and the art puts a very fresh and welcome spin on a book I've read so many times it's ingrained in my skull. If this collection of the first six issues wasn't so good, I'd be smearing it to holy hell instead of politely nudging you to Buy These Books!

Showcase Presents: The Flash Vol.1 TP - Robert Kanigher, John Broome and Gardner Fox (w) And Carmine Infantino (a). DC continues their procession of b&w phone book reprints of some of their best Silver Age comics. The Flash's first appearance in the pages of Showcase ushered in the Silver Age, and his adventures during those years, edited by the late, great Julie Schwartz, and deftly executed by the gentlemen above (virtuosoes all of them) heralded unprecedented and previously untouched heights of wacky imagination and inventiveness in the world of comicdom that holds up to this very day. Wanna see what Grant Morrison's career? These are the comics.

Why do you know the term "Rogues Gallery?" Well, forget, Batman's adversaries- the really bad baddies were born in these pages. Captain Cold, Mirror Master, Gorilla Grodd, The Trickster... to quote Otis and Lex Luthor from the '78 Superman movie: What more could anyone ask?

So to conclude this week's WP, I'm gonna pull a Nick Hornby. The author of High Fidelity has a regular column in The Believer, a wonderful magazine published by McSweeney's which he begins with a list of books bought, and a list of books read. Just letting ya know I'm gonna ape it this week, crediting my inspiration so's you don't call me a complete ripoff stylist:

Books Bought: I Wish There Was Something I Could Quit by Aaron Cometbus DC Countdown 51 by Paul Dini & Keith Giffen

Books Read: World War Hulk Prologue by Peter David (w) Clemente by David Maraniss

"Otis, do you know why the number two hundred is so vitally descriptive of both you and me? It's your weight and my I.Q."

Love Ya,
JEFF

The Static Age: Thank you Spider-Fans!

So Spider-Man Week has come and gone, and what a week it was kids. I would like to thank all the wonderful FP customers who came down to our Spidey Week event.

It was great seeing everyone on that line, going down the block and around the corner! Patiently waiting hours to get Topher Grace's autograph, passing time by talking, living and breathing Spider-Man. The real kids (you know, the young ones) in their Spider-Man shirts and Spidey costumes, their excitement really put a smile on my face. Who knew it was gonna be that big? I would also like to apologize to all of you who waited and didn't get in. It was nothing personal, but you know those hollyweird types with their busy schedules and all. Seriously though, From the bottom of my black heart. I really am sorry. I hope the goodies and promo stuff helped ease the pain.

Then on free comic book day it was a spectacularly, amazing, friendly surprise when Spider-Man himself swung into FP to greet all the boys and girls. He signed a few autographs and then had to be on his way to keep the streets of NYC safe. Of course this string of events was all leading up to the release of the Spider-Man 3 movie.

The papers said that we here at Forbidden Planet were having a free screening on Thursday at midnight. We all know that wasn't the case. Oh, how the media can be with their false hype and what not. What it should have said was on Thursday at midnight you could watch Spider-Man 3 with the staff of FP across the street at Regal Cinema. That's right, a good portion of us bought tickets way, way in advance for said showing. I thought the line for our signing was big until I got to 13th street that night. It was playing on almost every screen, people were mobbed around the theater starting at 5 o'clock.

When I finally got in I was welcomed by an entire row of FP staff hooting and hollering, waiting for midnight to strike. The closing shift filed in just in time for previews. That's when the fun really began. I had my extra large popcorn, coke and a big box of goobers, it's not a true movie experience without the snacks.

Now I'm not stupid enough to talk about a movie that you guys might not have seen yet, but I will tell you I loved it. In fact I love all the Spider-Man movies. Of course you think i'm just stroking the franchise cause it was directed by non other than Mr. Evil Dead himself Sam Raimi, not to mention the perfectly placed Bruce Campbell cameo's (this film being the best one yet) but history aside I just can't help but love the Spidey flicks. I relate man, we’re both kids from Queens!

Just to put the rumors to ease, its true I cried. I can't help but feel for my web slinging brother. I didn't just cry, I laughed, got scared, excited, I felt every emotion in the book. The action was packed, the fights were intense, the special effects were mind blowing, it had everything I wanted and more. Don't give me that "it's not true to the comic" crap. Listen up, it's not the comic and it never will be. It's a movie, and movies are meant to entertain differently than comics. Just go and see it yourself. Don't judge it, enjoy it.

Bring your friends, bring your dog, bring your Mom for mother's day, I promise she'll love it too.

- Matt D.

Shannon Wheeler : Postage Funnies 002

Your Mother

...Loves comics and SF and toys and manga and all that jazz? Don't worry, we gotcha covered this Mother's Day.

First and foremost on my list of gifts for your momma: DC Comics Covergirls. There's a swanky display copy of this book at the front counter, but for those of you who haven't had the pleasure of a leaf-through yet, rest assured this is one sexy, gifty book. Featuring a detailed history and celebration of sixty someodd years worth of iconic ladies of the DC Universe, DCC features hundreds of full color reproductions of classic covers. And you know what that means? Hundreds of different illustrators! Jim Lee, Adam Hughes, Dave McKean, Brian Bolland George Perez, and more all have pieces. And the book's got character- from Zatanna to Wonder Woman, from Death to Promethea, the girl-gang's all here.

What's more, you can add a little treat to your momz copy by getting it signed here, at Forbidden Planet, Saturday the 12th at 2:00pm, by its esteemed author Louise Simonson. Mrs. S is a more than accomplished author of hundreds of comics, notably various X-title runs and Superman. This thing's got girl power written all over it, and isn't your mom your favorite girl?

Remember: 5/12/07. FP NYC 2:00pm. Be here.

But superheroines aren't the only things we represent in the comic world. We have a google of books by female creators mom might like. My personal recommendations?

• The Ticking by Renee French. My pick for graphic novel of 2006 any way ya slice it. It's a lovely little hardcover by the accomplished author of The Soap Lady and Marbles in my Underpants.



• La Perdida by Jessica Abel. The lushly illustrated story of a road trip to Mexico City gone all self-discovery is not to be missed.



• One Hundred Demons by Lynda Barry. If someone were to ask me to name a comic illustrator with a style all their own, an artistic voice to imitate and amire, my answer would be Lynda Barry in a heartbeat. Her strips have more originality and self-effacing wit than most anything the shelves.



• Except for anything by Roz Chast! Buy her Theories of Everything!



• My New York Diary by Julie Doucet. I think the title says it all.



• One Hundred Demons by Becky Cloonan. New school pirates (punky kinda kids) do battle off the turbulent shores of Jersey, the new East Coast.

And those are just the biggies, the obvious ones. If you need less known books or authors cuz mom's already got 'em, find me at the store and I'll find ya something.

Of course these books aren't just recommended to your maternal figure. Also, if your maternal figure no longer exists in this dimension I don't mean to exclude you. I want everybody to read 'em!

And thank that sweet, sweet lady what gave birth to you for the chicken soup she sent over the other day. It really hit the spot.

Love Ya,
JEFFY