By Larry Hama, Michael Golden & Cory Adams (Continuity Publishing)
No ISBN: ASIN: B000E4SUCM
In the darkest depths of another kind of cosmos justice is upheld and right enforced by agents of S.P.A.C.E (Sentient Protoplasm Against Colonial Encroachment): the police arm of the United Animal Federation. The mammals of this Aniverse are at war with the amphibians of the Toad Empire, and their evil overlord the computer tyrant Komplex.
When a running battle forces the S.P.A.C.E Frigate Righteous Indignation to crack the walls of the continuum, captain Bucky O’Hare, Jenny the Cat, android Blinky, and Deadeye the four-armed duck end up in little Willie DuWitt’s closet in San Francisco. The ingenious Grade Schooler helps out the refugees from beyond, but is subsequently trapped in the Aniverse, becoming a crew member until they can find another portal to his home.
But meanwhile Willie’s got front row seats for the greatest adventure in two universes!
This fabulously cool and charming light-adventure began as serial segments in Neal Adam’s Continuity Comics anthology Echoes of Futurepast, before being collected into a great all-ages album, and for a brief moment was the toast of kids entertainment, spawning an animated TV series (1991-1992), computer games and action figures and toys, and a British company (DC Thomson if I remember aright) picked up the UK rights, publishing a dozen or so all-new adventures after reprinting the Larry Hama/Michael Golden mini masterpiece.
In 2007, Vanguard reprinted the original graphic novel and a couple of the UK issues in a manga format, black-and-white book collection, called ‘Bucky O’Hare and the Toad Menace’ (ISBN-13: 978-1-88759-196-6) but as both the hardcover and paperback originals from 1986 are still readily available and sparkle with Cory Adams’ vibrant, contagious colours, I’d advise you hunt either of those down as Golden’s incredible artwork is a tad to busy at the reduced size.
Hama reputedly wrote a second complete Bucky O’Hare tale which has never been published, so if I can do my bit to create an atmosphere where he can, maybe I can win a MMM (Muddled Mammal Medal) for services to Great Fun…
By Yukinobu Hoshino, translated by Fred Burke & Matt Thorn (Viz Spectrum Editions) ISBN: 0-929279-62-X ISBN-13: 978-0-929279-62-6
Yukinobu Hoshino is probably the most respected “hard science†science fiction manga creator in Japan with the phenomenal 2001 Nights saga of exploration and survival as his best known and regarded work, although ‘Steel Queen’ and the Tezuka award-winning ‘Morning Faraway’ are also seminal classics.
After finishing the reincarnation thriller ‘The Legends of a Witch’ in 1980 he began working on the shared theme short stories that became Saber Tiger.
The two stories presented in this book explore his signature fascination with expansion and colonisation, and are underpinned with dour philosophical musings about Man’s place in the universe. In the title story time-travellers from 2479 arrive in the midst of the Ice Age with the sole intention of protecting their distant ancestors from extinction, but the Sabre Tooth Tiger, undisputed master of the frozen wastes has his own ideas…
This bleak, savage examination of evolutionary principles is drawn with captivating skill and guile, as is the second tale ‘the Planet of the Unicorn’ wherein a human colony vessel lands on a perfect world but soon finds that their inexplicable unease was fully justified as both animals and humans suffer behavioural problems and even radical mutations…
Chilling, moving and eerily pensive in the manner of British SF authors J G Ballard, John Lymington or Christopher Priest this is a superb evocation of the dark, cerebral side of science fiction rendered real by the efficient, effective art of a master art technician. Why this isn’t still in print I shall never know, but I have my suspicions…
By Geoff Johns & various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: ISBN13: 978-1-4012-1800-3
The universe-shaking battle between absolute security and total terror crashes to a stupendous climax with Earth as the prize and final battleground. The renegade Green Lantern Sinestro has declared war on the entire cosmos and his legions of eager brutalists are carving a bloody swathe through civilised worlds and peacekeepers alike aided by his evil lieutenants Superman-Prime, the Manhunters, Mongul, Cyborg Superman and the Anti-Monitor, and especially the very embodiment of fear: Parallax.
Reduced to a desperate last stand the Green Lanterns unite with the heroes of Earth to snatch a victory of sorts from the jaws of defeat in a action-packed, visually mind-blowing blockbuster which is only the portent of greater dramas to come…
This concluding volume collects Green Lantern #24-25 and Green Lantern Corps #16-19 written by Geoff Johns, Dave Gibbons and Peter J. Tomasi, illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Jamal Igle, Jerry Ordway, Angel Unzueta, Oclair Albert, Pascal Alixe, Dustin Nguyen, Vincente Cifuentes, Rodney Ramos, Rob Hunter, Marlo Alquiza, Rod Reis, Prentis Rollins, Julio Ferreira, Derek Fridolfs, Dan Davis Rebecca Buchman. Tom Nguyen, Drew Geraci, with colour from Moose Bauman, David Curiel, JD Smith and Guy Major.
Also included is an extensive commentary section, stuffed with production art. A pictorial feast, this book is best read in close conjunction with volume 1 (ISBN13: 978-1-4012-1650-4) and the ancillary Green Lantern: Tales of the Sinestro Corps (ISBN13: 978-1-4012-1801-0).
Flash Greatest StoriesBy various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 978-1-4012-1372-5
The Greatest Stories series of collections has thrown up some unexpected treats in its selection of material, so kudos to all the researchers and editors involved. This volume presents some genuinely intriguing choices featuring three of the characters DC has featured as “the Fastest Man Aliveâ€.
From the Golden Age come two classics of Jay Garrick – a scientist exposed to “hard water fumes†which gave him his super-speed and endurance. Both written by Robert Kanigher, the first, ‘Stone Age Menace’ (Flash Comics #86, 1947) is illustrated by Lee Elias and Joe Kubert and has the irresistible enticements of gangsters and dinosaurs, whilst the much reprinted ‘The Rival Flash’ was the last published tale of the first speedster with the bonus of recapping his origins whilst tackling a villain with all his powers. The art was by Carmine Infantino and Frank Giacoia – who would both work wonders with the Silver Age revival – and originally appeared in Flash Comics #104, 1940.
For nearly a decade, licensed properties, Westerns, War, Mystery and other genre fare dominated the newsstands and despite the odd sally, costumed heroes barely held their own until Julius Schwartz ushered in a new age of brightly clad mystery-men by reviving the Flash in 1956.
For the great majority of fans (aging baby-boomers that they are) police scientist Barry Allen will always be the “real†Scarlet Speedster, struck by lightning, bathed in chemicals – if you couldn’t find an atomic blast to survive, that kind of freak accident was the only way to start a career. From his spectacular run comes the absolute landmark which marked the beginning of a way of life for do many addicted kids.
‘Flash of Two Worlds’ by Gardner Fox, Carmine Infantino and Joe Giella (Flash #123, 1961) revived the Golden Age Flash, and by implication, the whole 1940s DC pantheon, by introducing the concept of parallel worlds and multiple Earths which became the bedrock of the entire continuity, and which the company still mines to such great effect. What’s seldom mentioned is that this initial meeting between the two Flashes is a great super-villain romp featuring a perfect pitched battle against three truly eerie foes: The Fiddler, the Thinker and the Shade.
Villain team-ups were increasingly a major part of the comics experience. Stacking the odds always increased the tension for the thrill-hungry reader and ‘The Gauntlet of Super-Villains!’ by John Broome, Infantino and Giella (Flash #155, 1965) which pits the Vizier of Velocity (don’t you just love those cool alliterative appellatives?) against Mirror Master, Captains Boomerang and Cold, Heatwave, Pied Piper and the Top is one of the best ever, stuffed with action, whimsy and sly wit, and with a hidden mystery foe to crank up the element of danger even more.
Every married man already knows the answer* but for us kids reading this the first time around that question was real stumper.
When Carmine Infantino left the strip most fans were convinced the Flash was ruined. Replacement art team Ross Andru and Mike Esposito were highly controversial and suffered most unfairly in unjust comparisons – and I count myself among their biggest detractors at the time – but in the intervening years I’ve leaned to appreciate the superb quality of their work.
Their tenure is represented here by ‘The Flash – Fact of Fiction?’ from Flash #179 (1968). Written by newcomer Cary Bates and Gardner Fox it took the multiple Earths concept to its logical conclusion by trapping the Monarch of Motion in “our†Reality, where the Flash was just a comic-book character!
Bates eventually became the regular writer of the series and in 1978, when the industry was at its lowest commercial point, wrote the longest single adventure in the Flash’s history. Desperately trying new formats the company launched DC Special Series, a extra-long format for non-standard material. Issue #11 was a 63 page Flash Spectacular which featured Jay Garrick and fellow 1940s speedster Johnny Quick, Barry Allen and the sidekick speedster Kid Flash in a Sci Fi extravaganza ‘Beyond the Super-Speed Barrier!’
Barry Allen died during the Crisis on Infinite Earths (ISBN13: 978-1-5638-9750-4) – whatever that means in comics – and his nephew Wally West graduated from sidekick to the third Sultan of Speed. From Flash volume 2, #91(1994) comes ‘Out of Time’ to close the book. Writer Mark Waid and the much-missed Mike Wieringo (inked here by Jose Marzan Jr.) utterly revitalised the character in the 1990s and this snappy, stylish tale of impossible circumstances clearly shows why and how.
Not quite an icon like Superman, Batman or Wonder Woman, the Flash is nevertheless the quintessential superhero and the reason we’re all doing this today. This book is a great example of why and readily accessible to nostalgists and neophytes alike. Whatever your age there’s something great here for you to enjoy and treasure.
*In case you’re not married, or not a man, the answer is: Fake your own death and move to Bolivia. And if you find a woman there, always tell her everything before she asks or finds out.
By Charles Vess (Archival Press)
ISBN: 0-915822-25-3
The Comics Arts movement was in its infancy in the mid 1970s and it’s through the efforts of such folk as the Archival Press on one hand and the likes of Ken Pierce on the other that the works of our industry were gradually legitimised into the budding art-form we all aspire to – sadly, a process still not completed in most English speaking countries.
From 1979 then comes this lovely compendium of the early works of Charles Vess, fantasist, supreme stylist and champion of the craft of the illustrator. In bold, dynamic, beguiling black and white this entrancing collection of prose vignettes and comic strip displays his love of the form and his striking ability with pen and brush, as well as his wry and gentle sense of humour.
‘The Shadow Witch’ is a gloriously baroque fairytale copiously illustrated with fine pen (or maybe quill!) work that is wonderfully balanced by the fantasy adventure strip ‘Demon Sword’ whilst the lyrical whimsy of ‘the Fiddler and the Swan’ shows the deep regard the artist has for the Victorian and Edwardian illustrators such as Arthur Rackham.
Vess’ modern works are a highpoint of the form and along with Kaluta and Gary Gianni form the last bastion of a classical revivalist style lost in the rush to modern techniques and technology. These examples of the power of the ink line should be mandatory viewing for any aspiring artist, and the easy skill with which these stories are told make them compelling beyond belief. Let’s have a definitive collection now!
By Walter Simonson & various (DC Comics)
ISBN: 0-930289-41-2
Here’s an endeavour DC should have pursued when they first thought of it. In 1989, at the dawn of commercial trade paperback publishing, instead of collecting key or beloved storylines into spiffy book editions, someone had the bright idea of collecting the less well known works of a particular fan-favourite artist: in this case Walt “my signature is a dinosaur†(and you’ve got to be a fan-boy of a certain age to remember that one) Simonson.
A brilliant imagination and, by his own admission, more designer than artist, Simonson broke through in the standard manner in the early 1970s by illustrating a few short stories for DC’s large complement of anthology comics – a valuable and much-missed proving ground for budding talent. Whilst working on Fritz Leiber’s licensed property Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser for the seminal Sword of Sorcery comic-book he was commissioned by Archie Goodwin to illustrate the groundbreaking, award-winning Manhunter feature for Detective Comics (#437-443), and was instantly catapulted to the forefront of comics creators.
This 208 page volume features some fine examples of his long and illustrious career, highlighting a great deal of superb material that newer fans might be unaware of, and indeed many older lags too. After the lovely introduction from comrade and compatriot Howard Chaykin the wonderment begins with ‘The Cape & Cowl Deathtrap’ from Detective Comics #450 (1975), a stylish Batman thriller scripted by Elliot Maggin, followed by the best Dr. Fate story of the decade from First Issue Special #9 (1975). This untitled delight, written by Martin Pasko, and featuring a diabolical Egyptian mummy, allowed the artist to stretch himself and explore his increasing fascination with patterns, symbols and especially typography. It’s a cracking good read too.
Marvel Comics have been producing creator-specific compilations for the last couple of years and I’ve been less than kind about many of them. My biggest beef is not just empty griping though as this book proved nearly twenty years ago.
Captain Fear was a pirate strip that had run in Adventure Comics, illustrated by the unique Alex Nino. Simonson and writer David Michelinie (with lettering whiz John Workman) revived the feature for a superb three-issue run in the back of Unknown Soldier (#254-256, 1981), and all three chapters are presented here, rather than just an unsatisfactory, incomplete fragment. At least some editors remember that readers like to know how stories begin and end…
‘U.F.M’, scripted by Gerry Boudreau, was Simonson’s second professional sale to DC and appeared in the Goodwin edited Star-Spangled War Stories #170 (1973). It’s a straight but stylish “Future Shock†type of science fiction tale but was popular enough to warrant a sequel the following year. ‘The Return’ by the same team (Star-Spangled War Stories #180) might also charm the celebrity conscious comics fan since the likes of Howard Chaykin, Daina Grazunias and Gray Morrow modeled for the humans in this little treat.
Hercules Unbound was a post-apocalyptic fantasy title created by Gerry Conway when he first joined DC in 1976. It was bizarre, eclectic and a little hit-or-miss, but it had art by a veritable who’s who of top artists including Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez and Wally Wood. By the time Cary Bates and Simonson took over the title it was already slated for cancellation, bur DC deferred the chop until the creators could bring the saga to a proper conclusion. From the last two issues in 1977, (#11 and 12 if you’re counting) comes ‘Dark Side of the Gods’ and ‘Chaos Among the Gods’ a bravura cosmic romp and a clear indication to me that a complete volume should be a matter of priority for DC’s powers-that-be.
The book concludes with a true epic, both in content but also in length. Beginning with a one-shot scripted by Steve Gerber, and published as Metal Men #45 it turned into a full revival of the robotic heroes, with Conway and Pasko continuing the writing and Simonson having great fun producing five full issues of metallic mayhem, both funny and thrilling. And again, the whole lot is included here. ‘Evil is in the Eye of the Beholder’, ‘The Chemo Conspiracy’, ‘The X Effect’, ‘Who is Bruce Gordon’ and ‘The Dark God Cometh’ (Metal Men #45-49 inclusive, 1976-1977) form a wonderful, old fashioned comics experience, packed with humour, dazzling to look at, and it even features a classic guest-villain in the nefarious Eclipso.
With each tale supported by informative commentaries from Simonson and topped off by a superb 10 page portfolio of sketches and cover reproductions at the back, this is a deeply satisfying treat for eyes and brains everywhere, long overdue for re-release and a valuable example of a type of book that DC’s back catalogue is perfect for.
How many comics legends can you think of that could easily and satisfactorily fill a book like this? Kirby, Wrightson, Wood, Redondo, Garcia-Lopez, Toth, Aragones… the list really is endless.
Edited by Steve Holland (Prion)
ISBN: 978-1-85375-673-3
During the science fiction boom of the 1950s thrill hungry kids just couldn’t get enough of The Great Beyond. Fuelled by seemingly daily technical advances and the groundbreaking weekly adventures of Dan Dare in the Eagle they devoured everything Outer Spacial and the rest of Britain’s entertainment industries had to adapt or die.
Super Detective Library was a pocket-sized black-and-white digest magazine launched in 1953, and published fortnightly by Amalgamated Press as companions to Thriller Picture Library and Cowboy Picture Library. As the name suggests the complete picture stories starred a number of famous crime-busters including Sexton Blake, The Saint, Nick Barton, Bulldog Drummond and even Fu Manchu – although obviously the steely-eyed Nayland Smith was the titular star there – as well as newspaper strip heroes such as Rip Kirby, Buck Ryan and others.
In response to the demand for outer space drama editor Edward Holmes created Rick Random, who worked for the Interplanetary Bureau of Investigations and the Interplanetary Council. Set in 2040 after a cataclysmic global war, the adventures dealt with a society expanding into unknown space bringing civilisation with it: A realm of pure adventure on the borders of comfortable safety and security.
Originally scripted by Holmes and Conrad Frost with art from Bill Lacey and the brilliant Reg Bunn (whose masterpiece The Spider: King of Crooks ISBN 1-84576-000-X is still available from Titan Books) Rick Random reached a peak of excellence when the Canadian Bob Kesten and American Harry (Stainless Steel Rat) Harrison were teamed with the artist Ron Turner, whose sense of style and colossal imagination made it the only real rival to Dan Dare.
This too brief volume (the first of many, I hope) collects ten of the best in its 650+ pages. ‘Kidnappers from Mars’, ‘Emperor of the Moon’, ‘Planet of Terror’, ‘Space Pirates’, ‘Perilous Mission’, ‘Mystery of the Frozen World’, ‘Mystery of the Robot World’, ‘Killer in Space’, ‘Threat from Space’ and ‘Kidnapped Planet’ are reproduced here about half as large again as when they first appeared and on much better paper stock.
These are wonderfully clear, crisp, uncomplicated romps that will appeal as much to your granddad as your kids, but you’d best get everyone their own copies so they won’t steal yours!
By Bob Layton and various (Marvel)
ISBN-13: 978-0-78510-555-8
There are too few lighthearted adventure comics around for my liking. Have readers become so sullen and depressed that it takes nothing but angst and cosmic trauma to rouse them? I hope not because I love a little laughter with my mayhem, and let’s be honest, there’s lots of comedic potential to men-in-tights hitting each other with cars and buildings. Here’s a perfect example collected a decade ago, but still widely available online and in selected retail outlets.
In the 1982 Marvel tested the potential of miniseries as a viable product-stream with an out-of-continuity four-parter starring the mythological Avenger Hercules. Set a few hundred years in the future, the boisterous demi-god ticked off Father Zeus once too often and was banished to roam outer space until he grew up.
Travelling via Apollo’s chariot, complete with faster-than-light carnivorous horses, he had many adventures, met a few beautiful ladies and picked up a Rigellian Recorder (an AI mechanoid programmed to acquire all knowledge) which he promptly corrupted with his good-natured bluster, carousing and hero-ing. Light-hearted and very amusing the series famously culminated with a drinking match against planet-devouring Galactus.
Spectacularly popular, there was a sequel as soon as writer/artist Bob Layton could manage it. Released in 1984 the second miniseries carried on in much the same manner. Herc or “old Steroid Breath†as he became known, gained a timid, but unscrupulous Skrull named Skyppi, fought a Skrull-hunting future version of the sometimes Avenger Red Wolf and defeated the last disciple of mad god Thanos.
A darker sub-plot underpinned the shenanigans as the son of Zeus had seemingly lost his immortality, and whilst he was making his way back to Earth his divine father was insanely slaughtering all the denizens of Olympus, and waiting with gory anticipation for his last son to return…
Without blowing the ending, suffice it to say that there was genuine advancement of the character, and plenty of triumph and tragedy. Although considered non-canonical by most fans this book collecting both series is a great example of self-contained Marvel Magic, funny, outrageous, charming and full of good-natured punch-ups.
This is a great taste of the company without all the excess baggage that daunts so many new readers of old comics material. An earlier trade paperback reprinting containing just the first miniseries (ISBN: 0-87135-365-2) was published in 1988 to coincide with the release of a further sequel Hercules: Full Circle.
By Geoff Johns & various (DC Comics)
ISBN13: 978-1-4012-1650-4
After the mega-successful return and relaunch of Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern of the Silver Age (see Green Lantern: Rebirth ISBN-13: 978-1-84576-131-8), scripter Geoff Johns continued in his avowed mission to make the character a pivotal cornerstone of the entire DC Universe. Increasingly ambitious storylines which directly lead into all the company’s major crossover events eventually culminated in this pan-galactic extravaganza featuring not only the Green Lantern Corps but also many DCU icons wrong-footed and desperately battling their evil counterpart created by their ultimate nemesis Sinestro.
This first volume collects Green Lantern #21-23, Green Lantern Corps #14-15 and the one-shot Green Lantern: Sinestro Corps War Special which kicked it all off. Illustrated by Ethan Van Sciver it reveals how Sinestro tamed the yellow light of the emotional spectrum – Fear – and created his own army to destroy the intergalactic police force of the Guardians of the Universe.
Pseudo-Science Note: This spectrum is a cosmos spanning phenomenon that reduces the various emotions of sentient beings into visible energy wavelengths, each capable of affecting the material world in astounding ways. Green Light is the power of will, Blue is hope, Red is rage, Yellow is fear and so on…
Using the reanimated corpse of the Anti-Monitor – one of the universe’s greatest monsters – as a battery Sinestro recruits beings capable of “instilling great fear†and gives them yellow-powered rings. He allies with the Parallax, the living embodiment of Fear, and joins with some of Earth’s greatest villains such as the Cyborg Superman and Superboy-Prime in an all-out assault on everything good and safe and decent in existence.
Attacking all over creation the devious renegade swiftly decimates the ranks of the Green Lantern Corps, subverting where he doesn’t destroy outright, and the fate of the universe has never been in greater doubt. As the heroes make ready for their last stand the defenders realize that Sinestro’s entire campaign has been a huger bluff, as his real intentions have been…
And that’s where this outrageously over the top blockbuster breaks off, with the tale to be expanded and concluded in Green Lantern: the Sinestro Corps War Volume 2 (ISBN13: 978-1-4012-1800-3) and Green Lantern: Tales of the Sinestro Corps (ISBN13: 978-1-4012-1801-0).
Despite being every action-fan’s dream there’s still room found for character development and moments of tangible tragedy. Illustrated by Van Sciver, Ivan Reis, Patrick Gleason, Angel Unzueta, Oclair Albert, Prentis Rollins, Drew Geraci, with colours from Moose Bauman and Guy Major, and lettering by Rob Leigh and Phil Balsman, the GL Corps chapters are written by comics veteran Dave Gibbons, no stranger to cosmic conflagration from his early days at 2000AD, and this book just rockets along, dragging you helpless in its wake.
If you’re the impatient sort you’d best ensure you have all the volumes to hand when you start to read, because once you’re hooked there’s no stopping or going back.
By Roger Stern, Michael Mignola & Mark Badger (Marvel)
ISBN: 0- 87135-559-0
I can’t recall the last time Marvel published an all-original graphic novel as opposed to a collection, but not so very long ago they were a market leader in the field with an entire range of “big stories†told on larger than normal pages (285 x 220 mm rather than the now customary 258 x 168 mm) featuring not only proprietary characters but also licensed assets like Conan and even creator-owned properties like Jim Starlin’s Dreadstar.
This odd seeming concoction is perhaps one of the very best Marvel Universe tales from the post Kirby years and tells a powerful tale by contrasting the mandatory origin sequences of the two doctors to produce effective motivations and deeper insights for both characters.
Victor Von Doom is a troubled gypsy genius who escaped the oppression of his homeland on a scholarship to America. Whilst there he was a rival to young Reed Richards, perhaps the most brilliant man alive. The arrogant Von Doom performed unsanctioned experiments which marred his perfect features, leading him down a path to super-science and an overwhelming hunger for power and control. His mother, a sorceress, burns in hell for the unholy powers she used in life, powers which her son also possesses.
Steven Strange was America’s greatest surgeon, a vain and arrogant man who cared nothing for the sick, except as a means to wealth and glory. When a drunken car-crash ended his career, Strange hit the skids until an overheard barroom tale led him to Tibet, an ancient magician and eventual enlightenment through daily redemption. He battles otherworldly evil as the Sorcerer Supreme, Master of the Mystic arts.
When a magical call goes out to all the World’s adepts offering a granted wish to the victor in a contest of sorcery both Doom and Strange are among the gathered. After mystic combat reduces the assemblage to the two doctors, Doom’s granted wish is to rescue his mother’s soul from Hell…
A classic quest saga, Triumph and Torment sees the two mages storm the gates of the Underworld in a mission of vain hope and warped mercy, battling the hordes of Mephisto and their own natures in a mesmerizing epic of power and pathos.
Roger Stern is at his absolute writing peak here and the unlikely art team of Michael Mignola and Mark Badger defy any superlatives I could use. The art is simply magical, especially the mesmerising colouring, also courtesy of Mr Badger.
High drama, heroism, perfidy and plenty of surprises wrapped in superb craftsmanship typify all that’s best in the “Marvel Style†and this tale has it all aplenty. A softcover edition (ISBN13: 978-0-87135-660-4) with an alternative cover is also available.
