Books

The following is a selection of new titles due to be published in September 2010.

There is no particular order to the titles presented below.

This list is not comprehensive, as there are over 275 graphic novel titles scheduled for this month. If you would like to browse them at your leisure, click here. Instead, I have selected titles which caught my interest. These are not necessarily titles I will purchase, but which I will definitely look at once they arrive at my local comics shop or bookstore. Please be advised that publication dates are not set in stone. Also, your local comics shop might receive copies before your local neighborhood website or library. Links connected to publishers will link to the publisher's website, sometimes to the exact title. Links for the ISBN-13 (also known as the Bookland EAN) will take you to the title as featured on BarnesAndNoble.com . I consider my tastes to be rather eclectic. If you feel I've neglected or slighted a title, publisher, or creator, please feel free to mention it in the comments below.

Monthly lists such as this will be posted at the end of the previous month. I will also be posting specific subject lists (comic strips, comics history and surveys, superheroes...) for each season, but these will not have a set schedule.

Earlier this week the Borders bookstore chain announced its earnings for the quarter ending July 31 and the results were weak, as expected. Sales fell 11.5%, to $526.1 million, with a $51.6 million loss.

Over on his Flickr page, the very talented designer Paul Buckley has posted a new batch of comics-inspired covers for thePenguin Classics Deluxe series. Contributors include Richard Sala, Killofer, Tara McPherson, Jen Munford, Ten Stearn, Gonzalo, and Grez.

Late last year, DC announced a new line of graphic novels called Earth One. The idea was a line of standalone graphic novels...

This year's edition is guest edited by Neil Gaiman, who tweeted this cover.

Jaime Hernandez and Jason Shiga are highlights of Abrams book offerings. including their new books on Archie, Jerry Robinson and a new grahipc novel by best selling author Audrey Niffenegger.

If we read this PR correctly, the CBG/Impact Books booth will be the center of all things "Ozzy" at the con -- with promotional Ozzy Osbourne fans. At least it wasn't a tote bag! They'll also have a display of how-to books, a new price guide, trivia and portfolio review.

We've mentioned book bloggers a few times lately, and contrasted their peaceful, herbivore ways with the violent, predatory jungle of comics blogging. Now here's a VERY direct comparison -- and also some interesting market research type stuff -- via the Graphic Novels Challenge. This is a blogging program in which book bloggers try to read a bunch of graphic novels in a given period -- one of a series of similar challenge for memoirs, history books or whatever. Most of the bloggers are not trained-from-birth comics experts and heir comments are illuminating. The list is also high on "litereary" and young adult comics -- not very much Marvel or DC. They also check books to read out of the library, so they are not "Wednesday" Crowd" much.

What's this? A new graphic novel illustrated by the amazing Nathan Fox and written by M.F. Wilson? Why yes! OR at least a collection of "Fluorescent Black,", their story that has been running in HEAVY METAL for the last three years. Fox writes "We are really proud of how it turned out and it features a TON of new content including guest pinups, additional narrative pages and more."

A preview of Flight 7 is up. This will be the last volume of the anthology of fantasy comics featuring many animators and illustrators. Editor Kazu Kibuishi had a bit more at his blog:

It's time for pissed off readers to put their money where their mouth is.

Anything billed as an Absolute All-Star has to be great, but Frank Quitely holds up his end with the cover for ABSOLUTE ALL-STAR SUPERMAN,...