Justin Eisinger (Senior Editor of Books IDW) and Alonzo Simon (Editor in Collections IDW) brought their video series Book Buzz Live to WonderCon Saturday afternoon. The panelists wanted take some time to shed a light on some IDW books more geared towards new and diverse readership. And with that, here’s a look at some of the books IDW will be publishing in the year ahead.

The Goat Getters

Cover via IDW

From Eddie Campbell (From Hell) for IDW’s Library of American Comics Line comes a history book of early twentieth century cartooning. The pair say the book is Campbell putting his lens on the history of cartooning.

Synopsis via LoAC:

With more than 500 period cartoons, The Goat Getters illustrates how comics were developed by such luminaries as Rube Goldberg, Tad Dorgan, and George Herriman in the sports and lurid crime pages of the daily newspaper. This wild bunch of West Coast-based cartoonists established the dynamic anatomy and bold, tough style that continue to influence comics today, as well as their own goofy slang that enriched the popular lexicon.

AVAILABLE: Mar 21, 2018
MSRP: $49.99

We Spoke Out: Comic Books and the Holocaust

Justin Eisinger says this book brings together comics from the ’50s, ’60s and 70’s during the aftermath of the Holocaust. It represents a time before the Holocaust became part of the American school curriculum and our national dialogue. These comics show us how sequential art was used to help us digest and confront the Holocaust, often through the use of personal stories of the artists whose work is shared in the book. The book is brought to IDW from Neal Adams, Holocaust scholar Rafael Medoff, and comics historian Craig Yoe. 

AVAILABLE: March 2018
ISBN:978-1-63140-888-5

The Reprieve

Artist and writer Jean Pierre Gibrat for IDW’s Euro Comics imprint brings us the second book in the series that follows The Flight of the Raven. Eisinger and Simon say the thing that ties both of these stories together is the idea of the hidden resistance.

Here’s some more information from IDW’s website:

Escaped prisoner-of-war Julien Sarlat is hiding in the small village of Cambeyrac during World War II, using a secret observation post overlooking the village square to watch the permanent theater that people offer in the course of the day. Loves, hatreds, jealousies, cowardices, acts of heroism… nothing escapes the observer’s eye, especially not the beautiful waitress Cécile. Until the moment comes when, spectator no more, he must become an actor himself and meet his destiny. This hidden life he had hoped to live was just a reprieve.

AVAILABLE: March 2018
ISBN:978-1-68405-191-5

A Strange and Beautiful Sound

From artist and author Zep comes a tranquil and contemplative story about a monk named William. When a death in the family occurs, William must return to Paris and encounter the life he left decades ago. William meets a young, terminally ill woman named Méry who forces William to reconsider his life and choices.

AVAILABLE: March 2018
ISBN:978-1-68405-162-5

Eight Million Ways to Die

Adapted from Lawrence Block’s beloved 1980s noir crime story about the New York City ex-cop Matthew Scudder. Scudder is on the hunt to find a serial killer and face his own demons (before it’s too late). According to Eisinger and Simon the graphic novel has been seven years in the making.

AVAILABLE: April 2018
DIAMOND CODE: FEB180444

Gunning for Ramirez

Gunning for Ramirez will be released as a stand alone graphic novel translated for North American audiences from the original French. Simon says it’s a Tarantino style crime action thriller. The novel follows the story of Ramirez, a mute vacuum cleaner repair man who just might also be a world-renowned assassin.

Synopsis:

Falcon City, Arizona. Jacques Ramirez works at Robotop, the leading home appliance company in the southwest United States. Jacques is efficient, thorough, and discreet. That last one is easy: he’s also mute. But everything changes when two members of one Tijuana’s largest drug cartels take Jacques for the deadly hitman who betrayed them in the past: Ramirez. Could it be that the cartel’s legendary clean-up man is really a legendary vacuum cleaner expert? Now that they’ve found him, the men of the cartel will do everything they can to kill this traitor!

Available: Jul 25, 2018
Previews World Code: APR180442

Violette Around the World

The first book in this children’s series will introduce us to Violette and her very unique parents. Violette’s family is in the circus and although she loves her parents, she longs to be normal like other families or at least stay in one place for a while! The series will follow Violette as she begins to learn how to love the family she has and the joys that come from being different.

AVAILABLE: April 2018
ISBN:978-1-68405-188-5

Justin Eisinger and Alonzo Simon wrapped up their hour long discussion by talking about how excited they are for the year ahead at IDW.