The Art Of P. Craig Russell (HC)
by P. Craig Russell
Desperado Publishing
$49.99
In a volume devoted to sumptuous art of P. Craig Russell, this book offers gives a retrospective of his career from start to present, offering glimpses of previously never-before-seen material from his files and sketchbooks, as well as images of his personal favourites. Always a pioneer in the comics medium, opening new avenues previously unexplored and winning numerous industry awards of excellence along the way, Craig has navigated through the industry composing works of epic poetry and offering his artistic touch to virtually all of today's favorite characters and titles.

"The question arrives - as itoften does - alongside the 'Art Of...' volume: How did P. Craig Russell come to be one of the great unsung heroes of the comic book field? As you are about to bear witness, it is an illustrious and near flawless career that goes back thrity years - more than thirty years."
Dave Sim, from the introduction

"Craig Russell is the only artist I know of who gives each of his different comics an 'Opus' number (currently 50 plus) to catalogue them like musical compositions. It's appropriate, since he specialises in adapting seemingly unadaptable operas into accessible, lavishly illustrated graphic novels. And it's not pretension, because he sees every pencilling project as part of his whole personal output, whether they are his commercial gigs on Batman , Sandman or Buffy or his labours of love adapting his chosen composers and authors."
Paul Gravett on P. Craig Russell - Read the full article here.

Tekkon Kinkreet: Black & White
by Taiyo Matsumoto
Viz
$24.99
Street urchins Black and White have skyscraper-sized chips on their shoulders, but are fiercely loyal to each other. Black is especially quick to avenge any slight against his dim-witted pal. The result? The citizens of Treasure Town are afraid of them, the police are afraid of them - even the local yakuza gangsters are afraid of them. But when the crime boss known as the 'Rat' returns to Treasure Town, it looks like there's gonna be a rumble... The violence in this unique European-influenced manga title is more mindful than it seems at first glance, and the subtle relationships between its unique cast of characters are marked by surprising poignancy.

The League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier (HC)
by Alan Moore & Kevin O'Neill
DC/Wildstorm
$29.99
England in the mid 1950s is not the same as it was. The powers that be have instituted... some changes. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen have been disbanded and disavowed, and the country is under the control of an iron-fisted regime. Now, after many years, the still youthful Mina Murray and a rejuvenated Allan Quatermain return and are in search of some answers. Answers that can only be found in a book buried deep in the vaults of their old headquarters, a book that holds the key to the hidden history of the League throughout the ages: The Black Dossier. As Allan and Mina delve into the details of their precursors, some dating back centuries, they must elude their dangerous pursuers who are Hell-bent on retrieving the lost manuscript... and ending the League once and for all.

Black Dossier interviews:
Alan Moore - Comic Book Resources
Alan Moore - Mania Comics Part 1 and Part 2
Kevin O'Neill - Comic Book Resources
Also, Jess Nevins continues his 'approved' League annotations.

Tokyo Is My Garden
by Frederic Boilet & Benoit Peeters
Fanfare/Ponent Mon
$18.99
David Martin is sent to Japan as the sales representitive for Heurault cognacs of France. For months he's indulged in Japanese culture and Toky night life. Then his boss announces an imminent visit to check up on his progress. The trick for David will be to figure out how he can chaperone his boss and seduce his lover at the same time.

The Acme Novelty Datebook Vol 2: 1995 to Present (HC)
by Chris Ware
Drawn & Quarterly
$39.95
Straggling behind the mild 2003 success of cartoonist Chris Ware's first facsimile collection of his miscellaneous sketches, notes, and adolescent fantasies arrives this second volume, updating weary readers with Ware's clichéd and outmoded insights from the late twentieth century. Working directly in pen and ink, watercolor, and white-out whenever he makes a mistake, Ware has cannily edited out all legally sensitive and personally incriminating material from his private journals, carefully recomposing each page to simulate the appearance of an ordered mind and established aesthetic directive. All phone numbers, references to ex-girlfriends, 'false starts', and embarrassing experiments with unfamiliar drawing media have been generously excised to present the reader with the most pleasant and colorful sketchbook reading experience available. Included are Ware's frustrated doodles for his book covers, angry personal assaults on friends, half-finished comic strips, and lengthy and tiresome fulminations of personal disappointments both social and sexual, as well as his now-beloved drawings of the generally miserable inhabitants of the city of Chicago. All in all, a necessary volume for fans of fine art, water-based media, and personal diatribe. This hardcover is attractively designed and easy to resell.

Scott Pilgrim Vol 4: Scott Pilgrim Gets It Together
by Bryan Lee O'Malley
Oni Press
$11.95
Scott Pilgrim's life is awesome. He's 23 years old, in a rock band, "between jobs", and dating a cute high school girl. Everything's fantastic until a seriously mind-blowing, dangerously fashionable, rollerblading delivery girl named Ramona Flowers starts cruising through his dreams and sailing by him at parties. But the path to Ms. Flowers isn't covered in rose petals. Ramona's seven evil ex-boyfriends stand in the way between Scott and true happiness. Can Scott beat the bad guys and get the girl without turning his life upside-down?

In Volume 4... A couple months have passed since we last caught up with Scott, but what could change in a few months? Well, not much has… He's still living with Wallace and playing in a band. Most importantly, he's still dating the lovely Ramona and dealing with the gaggle of superpowered, superstylish, superevil ex-boyfriends determined to take him down. But something *is* different. Don't look now, but Scott might actually be getting it together - just in time to confront Ramona's most intimidating ex yet.

"...dizzyingly hilarious, buoyant and inventive, in both substance and style."
The Washington Post