Recommendations: Stuff to Read

Art Book of the Week: Fairies by Yoshitaka Amano. Sah. Amano. I love pretty much everything that man does, but here, in this volume, brought to our shores by Dark Horse, he appears to have taken a trip down Froud Lane and brought his own sensibilities to the folks of Titania and Oberon. Yes, plenty of Midsummer Night's Dream is here, and along with the short squat creatures there are the gorgeous, long-limbed beauties that Amano is famous for. Amazing colors and mind-blowing details. You'd want just about every page of this hanging on your wall. Maybe if we ask nicely Dark Horse can do a 2007 calendar of some of this stuff, hmm? I had to import an Amano calendar for this year from Japan. Help us, DH! In the meantime, slake your thirst for incredible art with this. (Buy it)

Movie Book of the Week: The Art of Cars by Michael Wallis with Suzanne Fitzgerald Wallis. For some reason, a lot of people were disappointed in this film. I think it's a matter of screwed up expectations. But regardless, for those of us who appreciate Pixar and appreciate their work, especially those of us who like to peek behind the curtain, this is a great opportunity to do so without having to wait for the inevitable Uber Mongo DVD. It's all here: from photos to concept art to various stages of the development process. And Wallis, you might have caught, was the voice of the Sheriff in the flick. Nice. This hits from Chronicle Books. (Buy it)

Classic of the Week: The Complete Peanuts 1959-1960 by Charles M. Schulz. For those of us who caught a lot of these strips either as repeats or reprints, the ability to actually sit down and read through the strips in their original order is a revelation. And, what's more, there are strips in here that I'm fairly certain are among the ones that are seeing reprint here for the first time. Fantagraphics is to be commended heavily for bringing these (and several more volumes to come) to everyone's collection. This volume features the first appearance of Sally, the first appearance of "Doctor Lucy," and many other classic bits. Highly recommended. (Buy it)

Collection of the Week: Random Encounter, Vol. 1 by Nicc Balce. In this Viper Comics release, Balce has attempted to create a comic book that reads like a video game, complete with power-ups, bosses, and, as the title implies, random interactions with killer aliens who must have a good solid stomping delivered unto them. Gamers of all stripes will want to check this out, as the first four issues are all here (plus some bonus bits) that get you started. Of course, there's far more questions than answers, so we need Vol. 2--stat. (Buy it)

Magazine of the Week: Alter Ego #59. Behind that badass Dark Knight cover by Arthur Suydam you will find plenty of classic Silver and Golden Age Batman and Superman info to make you feel better about the crap versions that DC's putting out these days. Suydam's also on tap for an interview, as are Neal Adams and Shelly Moldoff. There's also information on Siegel and Shuster, Bob Kane and, as always, much more. It's TwoMorrows and Roy Thomas with the best fanzine money can buy. (Buy it)