| Hello, and welcome to our second batch of personal recommendations from the FPI crew. There are a number of excellent titles coming this month but in the meantime here are three titles which caught the eye of our staff - it's a good mix, from super-heroics to mysterious goings-on in rural England. We hope you enjoy them.
Nexus Archives hardcover
OK, so you could probably pick up the original issues cheaper than this book and the size is a bit of a worry as the original black and white issues were printed in a larger format than this book meaning that the art will probably be resized. But this should be the best collection of Steve Rude's early art ever; if you love Steve Rude's art - you'll want this book.
Undoubtedly a modern master of comics art this is still amongst his best work and Mike Baron's storyline and characterisation is great too. Sundra Peale remains one of my favourite comic heroines. Highly recommended and with a cracking 30% discount it makes it one I'll be buying.
Kenny Penman
Young Avengers Collection 1 - Sidekicks hardcover
I'm not usually a big fan of The Avengers, so it took me until issue 3 to pick this one up. And I haven't regretted it since. This hardcover collects the first 6 issues of this new, young and fresh take on Marvel's original Hero Collective. A group of unknown teen superheroes (named by the press the "Young Avengers') suddenly appears on the scene. No one knows who they are; no one knows where they've come from.
They don't even know the full potential of their powers yet! If you want to find out and also read how Kang fits into all of this, buy this book. With great, sharp art by Jim Cheung and engrossing, well paced scripting by TV writer Allan Heinberg (from The O.C. and Sex & the City fame), you really can't go wrong with this one.
Isobel Rips
Strangehaven Volume 3 - Conspiracies
He writes it, he draws it, he publishes and sells it - Gary Spencer Millidge is a one-man example of how you can get into comic publishing, with Strangehaven now being translated into several languages. He has been getting good word of mouth for years now, but is it worth it? The answer is a resounding yes.
Events in Strangehaven circle around what looks like a picture-postcard example of a rural English village into which Alex stumbles after a car crash in the first volume. Naturally all is not as it seems - even his car crash is mysterious. There are strange things going on, a secret society, unusual apparitions and the village seems rather difficult to leave.
The series draws on some classic British fantasy sources, reminding the reader of aspects of The Prisoner, Wicker Man and the Hammer films (with perhaps a tiny bit of Emmerdale Farm thrown in!). The self-published comic issues are not always easy to find, so for many the graphic novel collections will be the only route into this series. If you haven't started it yet I strongly recommend picking up with volume 1 and investing in the series - you'll be getting an unusual and intriguing piece of work which will draw you in and you'll be supporting a damned fine independent artist into the bargain.
Joe Gordon
Writer: Various | Artist: Various | Publisher: Various
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