I no longer keep up with what’s being published, so this is a nice surprise. I thought it was an excellent series, and I enjoyed lettering it. A thoughtful and at times frightening exploration of magic and reality intersecting in the person of Tom Taylor, the inspiration in name for a series of fantasy novels written by his father, but as an adult, Tom is finding out he’s a lot more involved in the magic described in the books than he realized, and it’s coming to destroy him. This new collection contains issues 1-30 plus the graphic novel “Tommy Taylor and the Ship That Sank Twice,” and goes on sale in mid-June. Check with your comics retailer, or there’s an Amazon link below. Retail price is $59.99.

The Unwritten Compendium One

A new printing of this 2014 series has arrived, no doubt prompted by the upcoming TV series which has now been moved to Netflix. I don’t know how the writers strike might affect that. The series was fun to letter, I always enjoy working with Mark Buckingham. The writing by Toby Litt was also good. The retail price is $29.99, and it’s due out in June. Check with your comics retailer, or there’s an Amazon link below.

Dead Boy Detectives by Toby Litt and Mark Buckingham

In matching style to the recent TOP 10 COMPENDIUM, this one encompasses the entire 36-issue run of the series originally released in 1999 to 2006. While Alan Moore is the main writer and Chris Sprouse the main penciller, plenty of other top talents took part, including writers Leah Moore, Peter Hogan, Ed Brubaker, Michael Moorcock, Geoff Johns, Mark Schultz, Brian K. Vaughan, Joe Casey, and Steve Moore. Artists include main inkers Al Gordon and Karl Story plus Jerry Ordway, Shawn McManus, Duncan Fegredo, Cully Hamner, Arthur Adams, Dave Gibbons, Gary Frank, Cam Smith, Alan Weiss, Paul Chadwick, Gary Gianni, Russ Heath, Kyle Baker, Hilary Barta, Howard Chaykin, and Richard Friend. Of all the ABC series I lettered, I think this was the most fun to read, and I might read them again. I like the new front cover design combining my logo for issue #4 with Alex Ross’s art for issue #1. I would have appreciated a design credit somewhere inside for my covers, but one can’t have everything. Release date is May 16, check with your comics retailer, or use the Amazon link below. Original retail price is $59.99.

Tom Strong Compendium

I missed noting this one when in came in a few weeks ago. Book Five of the Netflix tie-in reprints includes SANDMAN MIDNIGHT THEATRE, THE SANDMAN: THE DREAM HUNTERS (prose edition) and THE SANDMAN: ENDLESS NIGHTS written by Neil Gaiman (and Matt Wagner on the first item), art by a host of legends. Retail price is $34.99. Look for it at your comics retailer, or see below for an Amazon link.

The Sandman Book Five Netflix

Just arrived is this 1.5 inch thick trade paperback, 832 pages, collecting all the TOP 10 material originally from America’s Best Comics, now under the DC Comics imprint. Here are the original twelve-issue series and The Forty-Niners graphic novel by Alan Moore, Gene Ha and Zander Cannon, plus these miniseries: SMAX, TOP 1O BEYOND THE FARTHEST PRECINCT, and TOP TEN SEASON TWO with a few other short stories. Writers on the later material are Paul Di Filippo, Zander Cannon and Kevin Cannon, artists in addition to Gene and Zander are Kevin Cannon, Jerry Ordway and Andrew Curry. This was perhaps the most complex series from ABC, imagining a city where everyone had some kind of super-power, and then imagining how difficult it would be to police it. Alan Moore’s concept is essentially a police procedural with all kinds of superhero tropes added on. Wonderful stuff. Due out April 11, check with your comics retailer, or there’s an Amazon link below. Retail price $59.99.

Top 10 Compendium