The Bum’s Rush #39

Hello Stumblebum readers, David DeGrand here again far from my comfort zone (which is drawing) to tell you about what new comics will be available this week. After going around to every comic shop in the metroplex and asking each individual shop owner what’s coming out, this is the info I gathered:

DARK HORSE COMICS
Berserk Vol 10 TPB, $13.95
Blade of the Immortal #109, $2.99
Samurai Executioner Vol 8 TPB, $9.95

DC COMICS
Batgirl #72, $2.50
Batman Gotham Knights #73, $2.50
Ex Machina #17, $2.99
Flash Rogue War TPB, $17.99
Hellblazer #216, $2.75
Kamikaze Kaito Jeanne Vol 2, $9.99
Kikaider Code 02 Vol 2, $9.99
Land Of The Blindfolded Vol 6, $9.99
Losers #31, $2.99
Lucifer #70, $2.75
Manhunter #18, $2.50
Robotech Prelude To The Shadow Chronicles #5 (Of 5), $3.50
Seimaden Vol 3, $9.99
Seven Soldiers Mister Miracle #3 (Of 4), $2.99
Sgt Rock The Prophecy #1 (Of 6), $2.99
Showcase Presents Green Arrow Vol 1 TPB, $16.99
Teen Titans Outsiders Insiders TPB, $9.99
Tenjho Tenge Vol 5, $9.99
Tenryu The Dragon Cycle Vol 4, $9.99
Testament #2, $2.99

IMAGE COMICS
Dusty Star #1 (resolicited), $3.50
Girls #9, $2.99
Godland #7, $2.99
Iron Ghost #5 (Of 6), $2.99
Kabuki Vol 5 Metamorphosis TPB (New Prtg), $24.99
Rex Mundi #16, $2.99
Spawn Collection Vol 1 Ltd Ed HC, $59.95
Vice #4, $2.99
Walking Dead #25, $2.99

MARVEL COMICS
Avengers Above And Beyond TPB, $24.99
Books Of Doom #3 (Of 6), $2.99
Daredevil Vs Punisher TPB, $15.99
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man #4, $2.99
Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man Wieringo Var #4, $2.99
Generation M #3 (Of 5), $2.99
Incredible Hulk #91, $2.99
Iron Man The Inevitable #2 (Of 6), $2.99
Marvel Adventures Flip Magazine #8, $3.99
Marvel Knights 4 #26, $2.99
Marvel Knights Spider-Man #22, $2.99
Marvel Knights Spider-Man Wieringo Var #22, $2.99
Marvel Spotlight Warren Ellis & Jim Cheung, $2.99
New Mangaverse #1 (Of 5), $2.99
Pulse #13, $2.99
Punisher Vs Bullseye #3 (Of 5), $2.99
Runaways #12, $2.99
Runaways Vol 1 Pride And Joy Digest TPB, $7.99
Sentinel Squad One #1 (Of 5), $2.99
Spider-Girl Vol 5 Endgame Digest TPB, $7.99
Spider-Woman Origin #2 (Of 5), $2.99
Uncanny X-Men #468, $2.50
Weapon X Days Of Future Now TPB, $13.99
X-Factor 2nd Ptg Var #1, $2.99
X-Men Kitty Pryde Shadow & Flame TPB, $14.99
X-Statix Presents Dead Girl #1 (Of 5), $2.99

WIZARD ENTERTAINMENT
Wizard Anime Insider Inu Yasha Cvr #29, $5.99

ASSORTED
1 World Manga Vol 1 TPB, $3.99
7 Days To Fame #2 (Of 3), $3.99
Alex Toth Reader Vol 2 TPB (resolicited), $25.00
Archie #563, $2.25
Archie Double Digest #167, $3.59
Atomika #6 (Of 12), $2.99
Back Issue #14, $6.95
Backwards Folding Mirror #2, $2.95
Betty & Veronica Spectacular #73, $2.25
Comic Shop News #970, AR
Comics Journal #273, $9.95
Dark Age Grim Great & Gimmicky Post Modern Comics SC, $19.95
Exalted #1 Reg Ed, $3.49
Full Metal Panic Overload Manga Vol 3 TPB, $9.99
GI Joe Americas Elite 2nd Ptg #3, $2.95
Haunted Mansion #2, $2.95
Little Gloomys Super Scary Monster Show #3, $2.95
Little Star #6 (Of 6), $2.99
Living In Infamy #2 (Of 4), $2.95
Lo Fi Dec 2005 Vol 2 #3 Cvr A, $5.95
Lo Fi Dec 2005 Vol 2 #3 Cvr B, $5.95
Phantom #9, $3.50
Red Sonja #4, $2.99
Simpsons Comics #114, $2.99
Soulfire Vol 1 Slipcase Ed HC, $69.99
Street Fighter II #1 Power Foil Jo Chen Cvr C, $12.50
Transformers Infiltration #1, $2.99
Vaistron #3, $2.95


Now then, since I don’t give a wombats asshole about any of those, I thought I would take this opportunity to discuss a cartoon which I have been in love with since the fifth grade, Bill Watterson’s masterpiece Calvin and Hobbes. I know this is a vastly different area of cartooning than what you may be used to reading about in this article, bear with me. With the massive and expensive Complete Calvin and Hobbes Collection available, it got me thinking about how much I loved reading one of the few last great newspaper strips. After Watterson retired and Charles Schulz died, there is absolutely no reason for me to even look at the newspaper comic page any more. Calvin and Hobbes was a masterpiece for several reasons. The thing that I always loved most of all was that Hobbes only became “alive” whenever Calvin was alone with him. I never took this to mean that he literally did that, it was how Calvin saw him, while the rest of the world saw him as a stuffed tiger. I never have seen a more accurate depiction of how children view the world than with that simple concept. Watterson also is able to get away with that drawing style the looks slightly sloppy but doesn’t, the same way Charles Schulz got away with it. This always intrigued me since it makes the comic seem to come from a child’s world instead of an alien adult intruder documenting what he sees. The strip was also just plain funny, a rarity on the comics page. The strips where Calvin pretends to be different characters, from an astronaut to a private detective, are hilarious in that he so shamelessly thinks he is what he is pretending. Calvin and Hobbes was an important cartoon in my life and I am glad that the new collection is available for people to discover its genius.