October's Bringing Bad News

There were two particularly depressing things in the October solicits. And I don't mean that Marvel is doing Marvel Zombies again, while also releasing a mini-series called Contagion about some bizarre plague that afflicts everyone, which sure as hell sounds like a zombie thing.

So, depressing thing #1: Unbeatable Squirrel Girl #49 is described as the penultimate issue. Which means it's ending at #50. We can't rule out that the book will simply start over again at issue #1 in December, because Marvel, but I'm doubtful.

Depressing thing #2: Giant Days - As Time Goes By is the series finale of Giant Days. Well, shit. I feared this day was coming, but still. That's the two best books I'm buying ending in back-to-back months.

OK, let's see if we can find some good news. DC is bringing back Birds of Prey, but they handed writing chores to Brian Azzarello, with Emanuella Lupacchino as artist. I don't feel like most of Azzarello's superhero stuff is very good, so that's not encouraging, but maybe it'll work out. There's going to be a Metal Men 12-issue mini-series, but Dan Didio's writing that, so *fart noise*. Dial H for Hero has Paulina Ganucheau listed as artist, which is better than last month's "Various", but still not sure about the book minus Joe Quinones. Other than that, DC's a lot of Year of the Villain nonsense and some books written by Joe Hill.

Speaking of Joe Hill, IDW has a new Locke & Key one-shot by he and Gabriel Rodriguez. It's 6 bucks, but it's supposed to be two stories in one issue, so that's not so bad. Assuming we aren't talking two 10-page stories. Dark Horse has the second issue of John Allison's new series, Steeple. Michael Fiffe is doing an ongoing series version of his book Copra, which various Internet folks have been raving about for years. I mean, it's Suicide Squad with the numbers (barely) filed off, but I could just go read my Suicide Squad back issues. So, I don't know.

Marvel's releasing some new X-books, but whatever. Their Excalibur title is going to star Rogue, Gambit, Jubilee, Rictor, and Apocalypse. I think Psylocke is Captain Britain now, back in her original body? Sure, whatever. Let's see, zombie crap, zombie crap, Absolute Carnage crap, Mary Jane mini-series. Dr. Doom's getting an ongoing where he's framed for some terrorist attack and everyone is after him? Like Doom was such a saint before? There's also a new Ghost Rider ongoing, but I was very impressed by Ed Brisson's Iron Fist book two years ago, so no thanks.

Oh, way at the bottom of the solicits is one for a collection called Trial of the Juggernaut, of stories where he tried to be a hero? But most of it is from Chuck Austen's Uncanny X-Men run, plus some Exiles stuff. Shouldn't that have to be shipped in a Biohazard bag?

Outside that, it's pretty quiet. No sign of a new issue of Smooth Criminals. Test will be up to issue 5, Sera and the Royal Stars up to issue 4. Red 5 says its releasing a collection of both volumes of Bonnie Lass, even though I've never seen any sign the second one ever came out as single issues. I don't really want to buy a trade that is 50% stuff I already own.

IDW and Top Shelf are releasing a graphic novel by a Frederick Peeters called Lupus, about a guy wandering the cosmos but tied down by memories of a lady. The solicitation text makes it sound a lot better than I do.