It’s rare that weeks are this light in Comics Disassembled, but them’s the breaks. Not every week in comics can be a five alarm fire. But still, there were lot of fun things to discuss, so let’s dig into the week that was by exploring ten things I liked or didn’t like from the week of comics, led by a new — but also old — release from a rather notable artist.

Lost Sean Phillips, Being Found

For someone who is a big enough fan of Sean Phillips that I can literally say I wrote a (comic) book about some of his most famous projects, imagine my surprise when I learned that not only were there whole comics of his I’ve never even seen before, they hadn’t even really been collected ever. That was a stunner, but the very excellent news about that is I only learned about this because that previous sentence has a new ending. They hadn’t even really been collected…until now.

That’s because Tombstone Publishing recently launched a Kickstarter for Heartbreaker: The Lost Art of Sean Phillips, a tome that will collect 200 pages of previously uncollected comics by the legendary artist that were originally published by British house DC Thomson. With the permission of DC Thomson and the blessing of Phillips, this work that was at least in part drawn while Phillips was a teen is finally coming together for anyone willing to back this campaign in what promises to be a lovely and oversized hardcover. It’s even a reasonable price at $35, or $18 for those who prefer digital editions, making it all the more appealing.

That’s it. That’s the whole thing. For Sean Phillips fans, this is a must, as it would be a real treat to see where the artist came from on his journey to being one of the best and most consistent to ever do it. If you agree with that statement, then boy, do I have the Kickstarter for you!

Vault Comics, Getting Acquired

In news that might mean everything and might mean nothing — at least for readers — Aethon Books has acquired a majority stake in the previously (mostly) family-owned Vault Comics. It’s a logical deal, to be honest, as Aethon and Vault were already collaborating on adaptations of each publisher’s work into other mediums, the previously existing investors in Vault (like Metallica!) are still invested, and Vault will still be run by Damian and Adrian Wassel, just like before. Sure, folks from Aethon are now on Vault’s board and it has a controlling interest in the publisher, but this is the rare acquisition where not much changes and everything feels…fine? Like it could be a good thing and maybe not a terrible one?

Time will tell, but it sounds like business as usual for Vault going forward beyond the expansion of its capabilities thanks to an influx of resources and financial support. Wassel, of the Damian variety, promised new projects and licenses on the horizon, so consider me optimistic about the potential of this deal. Not even cautiously so! Just optimistic! What a treat!