Beyond giving out our yearly awards, the CCBCAA’s mandate is to promote the work of Canadians in the industry, so here we go:

Retailers must have their Diamond orders uploaded by 11:59pm, Tuesday, December 1 — yes, that is tomorrow.

Prices in the Diamond catalogue are listed in US$. Every store has their own currency exchange policy, expect the price to vary.

Please note: Don’t expect this list to be complete, instead this is a selection of books that I find interesting. It would be great if retailers took note and ordered some of these great books by Canuck talent. For the most part, I only denote book content in the capacity of writer/artist as listed in Previews. Cover-only work is typically ignored, unless I decide to include a cover I consider noteworthy.

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Page 71 – DC – Batman and Robin #7
art by Cameron Stewart.
32 pgs – Colour – $2.99

Stewart joins Morrison for a wild romp. Awe-some!

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Page 184 – Arcana Studio – Arcana Magazine
96 pgs – Colour – $3.50

Arcana sent us the press release for their new magazine. Looks to be a comic magazine with reviews and previews, sort of CBR in print.

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Page 184 – Archaia Entertainment LLC – Tumor Hard Cover
art by Noel Tuazon.
224 pgs – Colour – $14.95

Tumor was a huge hit on the Kindle, but for everyone out there that likes their books to have some paper, here is your chance. A detective story with a twist, Tuazon provides a gritty, storyboard quality to the book.

A wonderfully creative artist, Noel has been a big supporter of the Shuster Awards. His most recent self-published story Our Own Shadow – A Song, with Carolynn Unknown, comes out in December 2009.

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Page 203 – BOOM! Studios – The Incredibles #6
art by Marcio Takara.
32 pgs – Colour – $2.99

Page 204 – BOOM! Studios – Wall-E #2
story by J. Torres.
32 pgs – Colour – $2.99

A couple of spin off books from the Disney-based movies of the same name. These are kid friendly entries from BOOM! Studios which would fall into that ‘all ages’ reading category, a topic which has been making the rounds lately.

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Page 223 – Drawns & Quarterly – George Sprott Hard Cover
story and art by Seth.
96 pgs – Colour – $24.95

The oversized 10″ x 14″ really pulls you in. Reprints the New York Times Magazine run. A great book, well deserving of your attention.

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Page 270/271 – UDON Entertainment

The Mega Man Megamix and Darkstalkers books I mentioned earlier in the week.

Udon has a niche amongst the nostalgic readers and video game crowd which, if you aren’t, you’d find quite surprising. They are a huge hit in those markets, producing high quality books. And the Manga for Kids line is Awe-Some!

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Page M46 – Marvel – Marvel Adventures Super Heroes #19
cover by Niko Henrichon.
32 pgs – Colour – $2.99

Yeah, it’s just a cover, but man that Niko can draw.

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Page M79 – Marvel – X-men Forever #15 & #16
art by Tom Grummett.
32 pgs – Colour – $3.99

What can I say, I dig this book. Even I don’t entirely know why, but I will say that even with it’s own thick continuity issues, X-men Forever just seems a lot easier to follow than the current X Universe. And for all you retailers looking for all-ages superhero comics that were just like the ones you grew up reading: this is probably the only one that exists.

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Page M93 – Marvel – Dark Tower: The Fall of Gilead Premiere Hard Cover
cover and art by Richard Isanove.
176 pgs – Colour – $24.99

Current Toronto resident Isanove leads the way in this career-maker project set in the world of top-seller Stephen King.

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Page M99 – Marvel – Runaways: Escape to New York Premiere Hard Cover
cover and some art by Takeshi Miyazawa.
some art by Adrian Alphona.
144 pgs – Colour – $19.99

Such a great series! The art of Alphona and Miyazawa is top notch and fits the feel of the series.

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Page M111 – Marvel – Ultimatum TPB
cover and art by David Finch.
144 pgs – Colour – $19.99

The jury members of the Joe Shuster Awards decided that the quality of work David Finch put forth on this series was deserving of the 2009 Artist of the Year award.

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Non-Canuck notables that are in the Previews, books/series that and I want to point out).

Page 42 – Dark Horse – Shinjuku Hard Cover
A new book by Amano! This will be a wild ride.
160 pgs – Colour – $24.99

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Page 87 – DC – All-Star Superman volume 2 TPB
The wait ends. The best superhero comic series of the past 5 years. Morrison. Quitely. Buy it. If you don’t have part 1, buy that, too. Issues #5, in volume 1, soooooo good.

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Page 223 – Drawn & Quarterly – 32 Stories: The Complete Optic Nerve Box Set
Everything you’ve heard? Adriane Tomine is that good.
Box Set – $19.95