1. I don't know anyone who reads Conan, but someone clearly is. Dark Horse puts a new team on the book every so often-- I got interested when Brian Wood was working with Becky Cloonan a couple of years ago-- but there always publishing at least one title with the character at any given time. Why he has such legs, I don't know-- nostalgia? This one is written by Fred van Lente, one of comics' great action adventure writers, and drawn by Brian Ching (writing this column is a marvelous exercise in finding out about artists I don't know.) The preview looks good-- I'd say it's worth a shot.
2. Another Wednesday, another new Marvel #1-- this week, it's Elektra. I wasn't interested in this one, written by Haden Blackman and drawn by Mike Del Mundo, and then I saw the preview. If it can balance that self seriousness somehow, we've got another live one.
3. I don't understand who these monthly reprint comics are for-- both Popeye and Peanuts are available in very, very handsome reprint editions. Why would you buy either of these rather than those? I know that sometimes they have new material, but is that really worth the cover price? My hunch is that parents buy them for their children, or that they represent impulse purchases for the curious. Still, from a standpoint of consuming and enjoying certain material, they seem inefficient.
