DARK HORSE
ASTRO BOY OMNIBUS VOL 2 (TPB)
Writer/Art/Cover: OSAMU TEZUKA
B&W, 680 pages
$19.99, TPB, 4 1/2" x 6 1/2"
Who will stand against invaders from space, robot slave masters, and a dictator producing human clones? Astro Boy, that’s who! The most popular and influential creation of Osamu Tezuka, “the Walt Disney of Japan,” Astro Boy is all-ages adventure packed with action, laughs, and a few tugs at the heartstrings.
Osamu Tezuka is renowned internationally as a master cartoonist, animator and storyteller.
“Tezuka is widely considered the most important and influential figure in post–World War II Japanese animation.”—New York Times
This character is so famous, and yet I know so little about him. One day, Astro Boy, I will binge on your adventures and find out what makes you so famous!
BLOOD-C VOL 4 (TPB)
Writer: CLAMP
Art: RANMARU KOTONE
B&W, 200 pages, $12.99, TPB, 5 1/8” x 7 1/4"
SAYA’S FINAL SHOWDOWN WITH FUMITO!
Expanding on the film Blood-C: The Last Dark! With her memories now intact, a vengeful Saya joins a group that shares her goal of destroying the manipulative Fumito and his organization. A collaboration between powerhouse manga team CLAMP and Production I.G—the studio behind Blood: The Last Vampire and the Blood+ series!
• Based on CLAMP’s original story line and character designs!
• Blood-C’s connection to the CLAMP universe is revealed!
Wait -- there's a movie? Maybe just in Japan.
CONAN THE AVENGER #21
Writer: FRED VAN LENTE
Art: JOSÉ LUIS
Inks: ANDY OWENS
Colors: MICHAEL ATIYEH
Cover: PAUL RENAUD
FC, 32 pages, $3.50, Ongoing
Conan’s greatest ordeal!
A false queen—the evil twin sister of the rightful ruler—sits on the throne of Khauran. After quashing Conan’s brief rebellion against the impostor, the brutal mercenary leader Constantius orders the Cimmerian to be crucified.
Now, Conan will suffer the most agonizing ordeal of his life.
Featuring the most famous sequence in the Conan canon: Conan’s crucifixion!
The conventional wisdom says this is one of Conan's more pedestrian adventures, except for this scene.
DC COMICS
BLACK CANARY #6
Written by BRENDEN FLETCHER
Art and cover by ANNIE WU
LOONEY TUNES Variant cover by
PIA GUERRA and Warner Bros. Animation
32 pg, FC, $2.99 US • RATED T
The secret of who assembled this pack of misfits into the band that became Black Canary is revealed—and the answer is stranger than you’d ever dream! There’s a higher purpose to dropping Ditto into Dinah’s life, but will they both survive the mission they’re meant to complete?
Delayed from the Looney Tunes variant cover month, with all of animated birds in the linup with BC.
THE FLASH #47
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI and VAN JENSEN
Art and cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
Variant covers by TERRY DODSON
32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Professor Zoom’s endgame goes into effect as we learn the dark truth behind Nora Allen’s murder!
This issue features open-to-order variant covers by Terry Dodson that will be shipped in opaque polybags.
How strange. This is starting to look a lot like the TV show!
THE MULTIVERSITY #1-2 DIRECTOR’S CUT
Written by GRANT MORRISON
Art and cover by IVAN REIS
On sale DECEMBER 23 • 96 pg, FC, $7.99 US • RATED T
The bookend issues that opened and closed the epic known as THE MULTIVERSITY are re-presented here in this new Director’s Cut Edition, with script pages, sketch material and the art of Ivan Reis presented in pencil form.
I'm not much interested in "director's cuts," for a variety of reasons. But if Multiversity was one of your favorite series of 2015, this might be a must-get for your.
IDW PUBLISHING
CRYSTAL CADETS
Writer: ANNE TOOLE
Art: KATIE O'NEILL, PAULINA GANUCHEAU
Cover: KATIE O'NEILL
TPB • FC • $12.99 • 128 pages
Cadets Go! Join this team of darkness-fighting, world-saving, power-packed teen girls from all over the world on their first adventure! When an unusual crystal grants Zoe mysterious powers of light she becomes the Diamond Cadet, but she’s not the only one! Suddenly she’s meeting new friends with their own powers! It’s all fun at first, but every light casts a shadow… and this group of action-hero girls will have to confront a growing threat—The Darkness.
Popular Studio Ghibli-esque look appeals to a younger generation of fans raised on both American animation and Anime.
Here's another book starring tween or teen girls. It's a real trend, and I hope the sales are supporting it.
LOCKE & KEY: SHADES OF TERROR ADULT COLORING BOOK
Writer: JOE HILL
Art/Cover: GABRIEL RODRIGUEZ
TPB • BW • $9.99 • 64 pages • 8.5” x 11”
Color yourself a fan! Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s wonder-filled world of Locke & Key produced gorgeous, detailed pages of comic book art… and the best of those illustrations is collected here for your coloring enjoyment!
Gabriel Rodriguez’s luscious artwork is ready for YOUR colors!
Someday I'll read this book, too, and see if the endless re-packaging of the same material for more of your money is justified.
RAGNAROK #7
Writer/Art/Cover: WALTER SIMONSON
Subscription variant: ART ADAMS
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
The Black Elf assassin, Regn, and his young daughter, Drifa, have hunted Thor for countless leagues across the Dusk Lands, to the ruins of Asgard. Now, as Thor calls down the lightning to create a funeral pyre for the dead of Asgard, Regn prepares himself for his greatest challenge, to kill the last god standing, the god responsible for the death of his wife.
The next arc of Walter Simonson’s masterpiece begins!
Not your daddy's Thor!
IMAGE COMICS
BLACK MAGICK #3
Writer: GREG RUCKA
Art/Cover A: NICOLA SCOTT
Cover B: AFUA RICHARDSON
32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
BOOK 1: AWAKENING,Part Three. The threat begins to reveal itself. Rowan casts twice.
The jury's still out on the story, but the art is good enough to sell this book.
IMAGE GIANT-SIZED ARTIST'S PROOF EDITION WYTCHES #1
Story: SCOTT SNYDER
Art / Cover: JOCK
40 PAGES / BW / M / $24.99
The all-new IMAGE GIANT SIZED ARTIST’S PROOF EDITION series presents special artist achievements in their raw form in an oversized format. JOCK’s gruesomely gorgeous line work from WYTCHES #1 is presented here in glorious black and white inks, free of grey tones, at 11x17.
This is a book worth a few extra shekels!
RAT QUEENS #14
Writer: KURTIS J. WIEBE
Art/Cover: STJEPAN SEJIC
32 pages / Full Color / Mature Readers / $3.99
“DEMONS,” Part Four.
Hannah is reunited with her father for the first time in many years and in a way she never could have expected.
This book is four months off schedule, no doubt due to the unexpected change in artists. But worth the wait.
REVIVAL, VOL. 6: THY LOYAL SONS & DAUGHTERS (TPB)
Writer: TIM SEELEY
Art: MIKE NORTON
Cover: MIKE NORTON & JENNY FRISON
128 PAGES / FC / M / $14.99
For one day in rural central Wisconsin, the dead came back to life. Now it's up to Officer Dana Cypress to deal with the media scrutiny, religious zealots, and government quarantine that has come with them. Her sister, Em, is on the hunt for the murderer of her friend, while Dana tries to prevent her from revealing herself to the world and being confined to a new concentration camp for the recently revived. The hit series created by New York Times bestselling author TIM SEELEY and Eisner Award-winning artist MIKE NORTON is collected with bonus material!
Collects REVIVAL #30-35.
I haven't read this since the second trade. Should I jump back on board, Legionnaires?
MARVEL COMICS
THE ASTONISHING ANT-MAN #3
Writer: NICK SPENCER
Art: RAMON ROSANAS
Cover by MARK BROOKS
Variant cover by ULISES FARINAS
Variant byFRED HEMBECK
32 PGS / Rated T+ / $3.99
• Because you demanded it: Scott Lang, the Astonishing Ant-Man, teams up with Sam Wilson, Captain America! Just like you saw in the movie!
• Except in the movie, they actually got in a fight. And in the movie, Sam was still Falcon, not Captain America. But... close enough, right?!! Please buy our book, movie-watcher people!
• The return of The Slug! Er, he wasn’t in the movie either. Dang it.
Could Falcon/Cap and Ant-Man become the Hawkman-Atom team of the modern day? Oh, wait, those guys were canceled after about five issues. Never mind.
DEADPOOL & CABLE: SPLIT SECOND #1 (of 3)
Written by FABIAN NICIEZA & REILLY BROWN
Art & Cover by REILLY BROWN
Variant Covers by KRIS ANKA and ROB LIEFELD
40 PGS / Parental Advisory / $4.99
Call them a duo with a special kind of dynamics...call them the odd couple but with guns...call them 90s comics distilled down into two characters—DEADPOOL AND CABLE ARE BACK, BABY! Shooting and stabbing their way into your hearts and comic shops this December in DEADPOOL & CABLE: SPLIT SECOND #1 – the print adaptation of the smash hit Marvel Infinite Comic series. Fan-favorite Cable & Deadpool creative team of Fabian Nicieza & Reilly Brown bring you a brand new adventure of the Merc With a Mouth and the Soldier With a Scowl. Cable has received a terrifying vision of the future brought on by the assassination of one man. Now he’ll do anything to prevent that horrible timeline from becoming reality. Too bad Deadpool has been hired to hill that guy. This is going to get messy. And just who is the mysterious Split Second, who’s causing all sorts of trouble for this titanic twosome. Find out when DEADPOOL & CABLE: SPLIT SECOND #1 comes to comic shops this December!
I've never really understood this "team" -- why Cable puts up with Deadpool is unclear -- but it's usually fairly amusing.
GHOST RACERS (TPB)
Written by FELIPE SMITH & JIM STARLIN
Penciled by JUAN GEDEON, JUAN PABLO CUELLO VILLANUEVA, JIM STARLIN & FELIPE SMITH
Cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
120 PGS / Rated T / $15.99
Dare you brave the hellish arena that provides the ultimate in adrenaline-fueled entertainment on Battleworld — Arcade’s Killiseum? It’s the scorching-hot track where cursed souls race at the speed of sin, everything goes, and the only rule is: don’t even think there are any rules! As Ghost Riders both fiendishly familiar and blazingly bizarre go skull-to-flaming-skull, first is first and anywhere else is nowhere. Robbie Reyes, Johnny Blaze, Dan Ketch, Carter Slade, Alejandra Blaze and Zero Cochrane assemble on the starting line! Choose your favorite, and watch them go to war! But on this track of treachery, can anyone truly emerge victorious? Plus: Johnny faces a classic Deathrace! And will Robbie Reyes fall in love with Ms. Marvel herself, Kamala Khan? Collecting GHOST RACERS #1-4, GHOST RIDER (1973) #35 and material from SECRET WARS: SECRET LOVE #1.
Here's what you guys had to say:
WANDERING SENSEI
Issue #1: While the latest version of Ghost Rider is my favorite, and really the only one I've ever read all the way through, it's clear that this was written by his creator! Still, I liked it and I loved the artwork also. It would really help if you've read the latest series, to be honest.
Issue #3: Yikes! Not only do things really get turned up a notch, but things get downright terrifying! After a death-defying race, Robbie finally talks some sense into his fellow racers and they regain their memories from before the races began. Arcade sees to it that they all suffer as a result (in literally hellish ways), and then Robbie finds out the horrifying set-up for the next issue. I have to say that Gedeon's art looks really simple in places, but almost hyper-kinetic in others. I'm really taking a shine to it the more I see it. This was by Smith and Gedeon.
DETECTIVE 445
Issue #1: I found it to be less than compelling. It features versions of several characters who have held the mantle of Ghost Rider including Johnny Blaze, Dan Ketch, the old Night Rider/Ghost Rider Western character and some others I’m not familiar with. The story takes place in the Doomstadt (The Capital of Battleworld) and features the characters racing in an arena called The Killeseum. This sort of thing might appeal to fans of the Death Race movies, Nascar or maybe Speed Racer but for me, there just wasn’t any kind of a hook that made me want to continue.
HAIL HYDRA (TPB)
Written by RICK REMENDER & DAVID MANDEL
Penciled by ROLAND BOSCHI & MICHAEL WALSH
Cover by Juan Doe
112 PGS / Rated T / $16.99
Safety through obedience. Strength in conformity. Hydra is watching. Welcome to Hydra World, and its capital, New York. The city that had better sleep after curfew, if it knows what’s good for it. But when Ian Rogers, the hero named Nomad, finds himself in this rotten Big Apple, he will challenge its regime of terror. Nomad is no stranger to hellish surroundings — but in Hydra’s Battleworld domain, he will face a new kind of nightmare. A very personal foe with an all-too-familiar face: the Sentinel of Subjugation called Captain Hydra! As SECRET WARS rages, Nomad fights impossible odds. Can one man defeat a world? Or will he be forced to…Hail Hydra?! Plus: Hank Johnson, agent of Hydra, will make you look at faceless henchmen in a whole new light! Collecting HAIL HYDRA #1-4 and HANK JOHNSON, AGENT OF HYDRA #1.
Here's what DETECTIVE 445 had to say:
Issue #1: Hail Hydra apparently spins out of the Captain America Dimension Z storyline which I haven't read yet. 616 Ian Rogers/Nomad seems to have avoided the incursion event and has wound up in a portion of Battleworld that has been ruled by Hydra for hundreds of years. Needless to say, he's not welcome there. I was previously unaware of Ian but I liked him enough that I'll probably check out the second issue.
NOVA #3
Writer: SEAN RYAN
Art: CORY SMITH
Cover: HUMBERTO RAMOS
32 PGS / Rated T / $3.99
• NOVA IN NEW YORK!
• Sam Alexander and the other ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS team up, and love might be in the air!
• Featuring guest stars MILES MORALES and KAMALA KHAN!
I just don't care about teenage romances. At all. Am I just too old for this book? Or have these characters not been fleshed out enough for me to care?
PLANET HULK: WARZONES! (TPB)
Written by SAM HUMPHRIES
Penciled by MARC LAMING
Cover by MICHAEL DEL MUNDO
120 PGS / Rated T / $17.99
It’s Battleworld’s most incredible warzone — a land of monstrous, roaming Hulks! Few ordinary humans could survive Greenland for long. But Steve Rogers is no mere mortal — he’s an indomitable gladiator, especially when sitting astride his trusty steed, Devil Dinosaur! With the mysterious Doc Green his only ally, can this shield-wielding hero ride into the Mud Kingdom and rescue Bucky before the Red King sentences him to death? They’ll face wild Hulks in the jungle, giant Hulks in lakes of fire, bull Hulks and plant Hulks and plenty more besides! It’s a Gamma Mamma-Jamma that may break the spirit of even the world’s greatest freedom fighter. But how did this Hulk-infested realm come to exist in the first place? Collecting PLANET HULK #1-5.
I didn't find any remarks in our Secret Wars thread about this book. Did no one read it?
SQUADRON SUPREME #2
Writer: JAMES ROBINSON
Art: LEONARD KIRK
Cover: ALEX ROSS
32 PGS / Rated T+ / $3.99
They're each the sole survivor of a lost Earth and they'll do anything to protect this one, whether you like it or not. The Squadron Supreme -- comprising Hyperion (Avengers), Nighthawk (Supreme Power), Dr. Spectrum (the Great Society), Blur (DP7) and Power Princess -- are a team that doesn't ask permission or what the rules are. To them all that matters is the safety of Earth and if you stand in the way...that's your problem! Tell that to the Squadron's first target -- Namor, destroyer of Dr. Spectrum's homeworld, who will have to pay for his crimes...but at what cost to the people of Atlantis.
According to Bill Gaines' testimony at Senate subcommittee hearings on juvenile delinquency, this is a tasteful beheading.
OTHER PUBLISHERS
THE 27 CLUB: A COMIC ANTHOLOGY (HC)
Edited by ENRICA JANG
Art: 57 CONTRIBUTORS, INTRODUCTION BY DIANNA KENNY MARIO CANDELARIA, ALEX CORMACK, CHUCK HARRISON, SHAUN MANNING , RYAN SCHRODT, ERICA SCHULTZ, JENNIE WOOD, JEREMY WHITLEY
Cover: MARK MULLANEY
250 pgs./ Mature Readers / FC $39.99
Stars burn bright and then go out forever, but their light shines on for ages after. Members of the "27 Club" reached musical stardom before dying at 27, including Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse. This collection of original comic stories pays tribute to these lost stars and their tragic legacy.
Kinda morbid, but probably interesting. There's a preview to help you decide.
ARCHON BOOK ONE: BATTLE OF THE DRAGON (TPB)
Writer: JOHN J. PEREZ
Art: MARCO MACCAGNI, BOBBY HERNANDEZ, ANGELA FATO, SALVATORE R. VILLIRILLO, AMANDA SYKES
Cover: MARCO MACCAGNI
160 pgs./ Teen / FC $17.99
In 1981 Las Vegas is changing. The Mafia is being pushed out and Big Corporations are moving in. But something mysterious is taking up residency.
Gareth Thompson, the Archon’s new chief of security, will soon discover a mythical new world hidden behind the guise of a fantasy themed Hotel and Casino. Collects the adventure of ARCHON #1-5.
Somebody had one drink too many in Las Vegas to dream this up. OK, maybe not, but Action Lab has been doing some good work, and it might be worth a look.
BELLADONNA #0
Publisher: BOUNDLESS COMICS
Writer: MIKE COSTA
Art/Cover: IGNACIO CALERO
Blood Lust Variant: JOSE LUIS
Celtic Variant: MICHAEL DIPASCALE
Shield Maiden Variant: JOSE LUIS
Warrior Women Variant: JOSE LUIS
Mature / $4.99
The all-new Belladonna epic begins here! It's the story of a Viking warrior and her army of shield maidens in a century of massive upheaval in the Celtic north. Belladonna uses her ferocious bloodlust and supernatural strength to wage war against the cruel Picts and mythical beasts, surrounded by a bleak and unforgiving landscape. But bloodletting and supernatural beasts aside, Belladonna is also a meticulously researched evocation of the pre-Roman British isles during the 9th century. It was a century of blood and fire, kingdoms rising and falling in the contest between the Vikings and the Picts, with Belladonna and her irregular war-party of women fighters are caught in the middle. With the breathtaking art of Ignacio Calero, this sweeping, sexy epic is not one to be missed! This super-size first issue also features a cover gallery of her previous series as well as an archive story from Raulo Caceres in color for the first time! Don't miss the fantastic array of seductive covers with this issue including Regular Cover by Ignacio Calero, Shield Maiden, Blood Lust & Warrior Women by Jose Luis, Celtic Deco by Michael DiPascale, ultra-collectable Costume Change 6 cover set (with sexy topless and nude covers included) limited to just 250 sets by Christian Zanier, and a Pure Art Retailer Order Incentive by Ron Adrian. For the ultimate in collectible editions, there is a Century cover - Red Hot - by Jose Luis that is limited to 100 copies!
Apparently this character is a Brian Pulido creation (Lady Death), and has had previous adventures. Whatever, it plays fast and loose with history to the point where it doesn't make any sense at all:
* "Belladonna is also a meticulously researched evocation of the pre-Roman British isles during the 9th century." The research couldn't have been too meticulous, as the 9th century is POST-Roman Britain. The Romans left Britain no later than 410 A.D., some 500 years earlier than the setting of this "pre-Roman Britain" tale.
* "Belladonna ... is the story of a Viking warrior ..." Belladonna is an Italian word, not a VIking one. Italian, as a language, didn't come into existence until the 12th century or later. No Viking warrior would be likely to adopt a Latinate name -- the Germanic-speaking peoples and the Romans didn't get along -- especially one that wouldn't exist for another three centuries.
* ".... a century of massive upheaval in the Celtic north." Nonsense. The primary conflict in Britain in the 9th century was between Danes and Saxons, with the faultline between Wessex and the Danelaw, in the south. What did happen was that the Anglians (a German tribe) established the kingdoms of Northumbria and Mercia during the 5th through 7th centuries. Both were more or less conquered by the Danes (Vikings) in the 7th and 8th centuries. Since the Picts (Scots) and the Anglians didn't get along, that wouldn't have been too unpleasant a thing for the Picts. The Vikings and the Picts did have some skirmishes, but the Danes weren't interested in the cold, difficult-to-farm lands of the Picts so much like their own: Their sights were set on the green, arable land to the south.
* "ultra-collectable Costume Change 6 cover set ..." It's "collectible." Given how easy it is to Google spelling these days, poor spelling in any prose makes me suspect the entire piece.
Now, there are mythological monsters in the story, so I'll cut some slack that it may be some sort of alternate history/parallel world. But if so, the writers shouldn't brag about "meticulous research" of the real history that it doesn't remotely resemble.
CLARENCE REST STOPS #1
Publisher: BOOM! STUDIOS
Writerse: SCOTT MAYNARD & VARIOUS
Art: PATRICK CROTTY & VARIOUS
Cover: SCOTT MAYNARD
$4.99
What's to Love: Clarence's unstoppable optimism has captured our hearts, and we're sharing that joy with a collection of shorts from some of our favorite indie writers and artists!
What It Is: It's a collection of shorts based on the Cartoon Network animated series that takes place during family road trips when Clarence and his pals make it out of the car to stretch their legs.
Is that a gorilla at the wheel?
CODE PRU #1
Publisher: AVATAR PRESS INC
Writer: GARTH ENNIS
Art/Cover: RAULO CACERES
Movie Poster Variant: RAULO CACERES
Nightlife Variant: RAULO CACERES
Wrap Variant: RAULO CACERES
Mature / $3.99
Garth Ennis and Raulo Caceres bring you a black humor horror book unlike anything you've read! Pru wanted nothing more than to join the FDNY and help people as a paramedic. However, that was not to be, as she gets assigned to a special unit that tends to the monsters that live in modern day New York. Vampires, zombies, ghouls and all the creepy things that live around us in he shadows. But no one told her that was her assignment. Learning on-the-job is much more challenging with the supernatural! This series is a lead-in to the ongoing monthly Code Pru stories running in an anthology to be announced shortly! Raulo Caceres' art never looked better than in the luscious black and white of this series. Available with Regular, Wraparound, Movie Poster, Nightlife, and a special Pure Art Incentive cover, all by series artist Raulo Caceres.
Garth Ennis alert!
DAN DARE 2000 AD YEARS VOL 1 (HC)
Publisher: REBELLION / 2000AD
Writers: PAT MILLS, GERRY FINLEY-DAY
Art: DAVE GIBBONS, MASSIMO BELARDINELLI
$42.00
Dan Dare, Pilot of the Future is a British icon. He was created by Frank Hampson in 1950, and first appeared in the Eagle comic where he was an instant hit with the British public. Almost a decade after the original series had ended, Dan Dare was resurrected in the pages of a brand new sci-fi comic for boys -- 2000 AD! Waking from suspended animation after two hundred years, Dan Dare faced an unfamiliar universe, filled with terrible new threats, but also included all too familiar ones, such as his old nemesis The Mekon! Collected for the first time, the first volume of this punk-fueled space opera.
Even Americans have heard of Dan Dare. I haven't heard if this revival was any good or not, but the reprints of the original series a few years back were pretty decent.
DIE WERGELDER (GN)
Publisher: KODANSHA COMICS
Writer/Art/Cover: HIROAKI SAMURA
Mature / $19.99
An exquisitely drawn tale of vengeance, blood, and sex from creator of the classic samurai comic Blade of the Immortal! A mysterious murder takes place in a shopping arcade in China, while in Japan a yakuza gang discovers a large amount of money is missing. These volatile ingredients will combine to set off an explosion of violence on a remote island, that will eventually grow to consume more and more lives across the world! Presented in a 400-page 2-in-1 edition, in a special large trim size to accentuate the detailed black-and-white artwork.
I don't know anything about this book, but I think it remarkable that it has a German name! It's an appropriate name, too, in that "wergeld" was a Danish term during the Viking age for what one man owed to another for some some wrong, usually a killing.
DRAGON SONG (TPB)
Publisher: SQPINC
Mature / $19.95
Dragon Song takes a loving look (from a safe distance) at that most special relationship between a girl and her dragon! A magnificent oversized collectiPublisher: SQPINC
Dragon Song takes a loving look (from a safe distance) at that most special relationship between a girl and her dragon! A magnificent oversized collection of paintings and illustrations by Pelaez, James Hottinger, Dave Dunstan, Carlos Valenzuela, and many more. on of paintings and illustrations by Pelaez, James Hottinger, Dave Dunstan, Carlos Valenzuela, and many more.
I looked up this publisher, and it does publish -- as this cover suggests -- porn. But this book, at least from the samples, is soft-core. It's page after page of half-dressed girls and dragons. Nothing wrong with that, if that's your thing.
DREAMING EAGLES #1
Publisher: AFTERSHOCK COMICS
Writer: GARTH ENNIS
Art: SIMON COLEBY
Cover: FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
Mature/ $3.99
Inspired by true events, Dreaming Eagles tells the story of the first African American fighter pilots to join the United States Army Air Force in WWII and whose humble beginnings in Tuskegee, Alabama propelled them into the deadly skies above Adolf Hitler's Third Reich. Not only were they instrumental against the Nazi war machine, but also braved an equally great challenge, overcoming everyday bigotry amongst their fellow American soldiers as well as civilians at home. High in the heavens, they fought a battle that would change their country and their world forever. Industry legend Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Boys, Hellblazer) joins artist Simon Coleby (2000 AD, The Authority) for this high-flying tale of love, war and family.
Another Garth Ennis alert! Although I have to wonder how much an Irish writer can add to the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, a thoroughly American -- and thoroughly African-American -- story. Not that good writers can't tackle any subject; they can. But this is such a sensitive story that this American -- being white -- wouldn't touch it. It's way too easy for those who are not black to insult those who are with misunderstanding, condescension and ignorance.
THE F1RST HERO: FIGHT FOR YOUR LIFE (TPB)
Writer: ANTHONY RUTTGAIZER
Art: DANNY ZABBAL
Letters/Colors: FRED C STRESING
Cover: DANNY ZABBAL
128 pgs / Teen / FC / $14.99
Jake Roth is still trying to keep his new powers a secret but when an old friend reappears, Jake is drawn into direct conflict with the
Philly mafia that has its own extrahuman enforcer: a three-armed fighting machine named Odinson!
Can the government’s Extrahuman Task Force be far behind? Bullets fly and bodies fall as The First Hero’s adventure continues!
Here's another Action Lab collection. It's a good week to sample Action Lab!
GAHAN WILSON OUT THERE (TPB)
Publisher: FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Writer/Art/Cover: GAHAN WILSON
$29.99
In 1964, Gahan Wilson brought his freaks and geeks to The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. Out There features the over 250 cartoons that Wilson drew during his tenure with the magazine as well as four covers, none of which have seen the light of day in 50 years. Wilson also contributed short stories and movie and book reviews, all of which are included as well. Out There resurrects hundreds of virtually unseen cartoons by one of the 20th century's masters of the form.
Gahan Wilson was part of the Nerd Canon of my youth, up there with Charles Addams and Ralph Steadman. I haven't seen a Wilson collection for years, so this might be worth a look.
JAMES BOND #3
Writer: WARREN ELLIS
Art: JASON MASTERS
Cover A: DOM REARDON
32 pages / Teen + / $3.99
Bond is on his way to break up a small, agile drug-trafficking operation in Berlin. The truth about what he's walking into is bigger, scarier and much more lethal. Berlin is about to catch fire, and James Bond is trapped inside. Dynamite Entertainment proudly continues the "VARGR" storyline, the debut chapter of the ongoing James Bond saga as written by industry legend Warren Ellis and illustrated by Jason Masters!
We have a thread on this, so here's a heads up!
JUGHEAD #3
Publisher: ARCHIE COMICS
Script: CHIP ZDARSKY
Art: ERICA HENDERSON
Jughead #3 CVR A Reg Cover: ERICA HENDERSON
Jughead #3 CVR B Variant: KHARY RANDOLPH
Jughead #3 CVR C Variant: TY TEMPLETON
32-page, full color comic, $3.99 U.S.Zdarsky and Henderson are back with another out-of-this-world issue of the all-new Jughead! Drones? Explosives? A firing range? Science class under the new regime of Principal Stanger has taken a turn for the dangerous. And who do you call when danger is about? I guess, uh, 9-1-1? But if THEY can’t help? You call Jones. Jughead Jones.
A Ty Templeton Jughead cover? If nothing else, this revamp has mainstreamed the Archie gang, so we can see mainstream artists do their take on them.
LAST OF THE DRAGONS (GN)
Publisher: DOVER PUBLICATIONS
Writer: CARL POTTS, DENNIS O'NEIL
Art: TERRY AUSTIN, CARL POTTS
Mature / $14.95
Along with a team of comic book legends - Dennis O'Neil, Terry Austin, and Marie Severin - Carl Potts presents an awe-inspiring and gloriously illustrated tale set in nineteenth-century Japan, a land of noble and serene dragons. But when a sect of deranged monks begin training the huge reptiles to kill in Northern California, only an aging samurai and a half-American ninja stand in their way. Originally published as a six-part series in Marvel's Epic Illustrated magazine, Last of the Dragons combines an exciting, action-packed story with fascinating elements of Chinese and Japanese mythology and philosophy.
I haven't heard anything about this, but look at that murderer's row of talent!
MANCHETTE'S FATALE VOL 1
Publisher: TITAN COMICS
Writers: JEAN-PATRICK MANCHETTE, DOUG HEADLINE
Art: MAX CABANES
Titan Comics are proud to announce their publication of Manchette's Fatale , a comics adaptation of the work of world-renowned noir crime author, Jean-Patrick Manchette.
This edition, adapted by Doug Headline and illustrated by Max Cabanes, has been described by editor Lizzie Kaye as, " Lolita meets The Virgin Suicides."
Aimée is a beautiful young widow – she’s also a killer. Driven by a deep-rooted desire for revenge, she sets about uncovering the secrets of the inhabitants of the sleepy rural town of Bleville, before ruthlessly murdering them. Faced with corruption of a kind she had scarcely imagined, she discovers a deeply moral core under her murderous instincts.
Looks nice!
NANCY DREW DIARIES VOL 6 (GN)
Publisher: PAPERCUTZ
Writer: STEFAN PETRUCHA
Art/Cover: SHO MURASE
$9.99
In "Monkey-Wrench Blues," Nancy (and mechanic Bess) is asked to drive a fuel-efficient prototype in a government-sponsored race. But someone is determined that Nancy and Bess lose- at any cost! Plus, when Bess and George help Nancy pick out a dress for Deirdre's big party, little do they suspect it's the identical dress Deirdre will be wearing. After a minor altercation with the perturbed hostess, Nancy leaves the party only to be grabbed by a dark figure, tossed into a van and kidnapped! That leaves Bess and George, with some help from Ned, to try and solve the mystery of exactly what just happened to Nancy in "Dress Reversal."
This looks pretty serious for Nancy Drew, even though the art is a bit on the cartoony manga side.
PERSIA BLUES VOL 2: LOVE AND WAR (TPB)
Publisher: NBM
Writer: DARA NARAGHI
Art/Cover: BRENT BOWMAN
$12.99
Minoo Shirazi's mysterious double-life continues to unfold across 2000 years of history. In the fantastical world of ancient Persia, the shock of discovering her royal heritage is overshadowed by the imminent invasion of Ahriman's armies. Only by finding the empire's champion, Rostam, can she hope to turn back the tide of evil. While in the modern world, Minoo's life in Iran and America, where she has recently begun her graduate studies, she deals with her stern father, dying mother, lost brother, and new American boyfriend. Across myths and modern realities, we delve deeper into the truth of Minoo's life.
Anything that increases understanding of Persia (Iran) and decreases suspicion is a good thing. And certainly Persia has a lot of cool history to explore.
ROSES IN DECEMBER STORY OF LOVE & ALZHEIMERS (TPB)
Publisher: KENT STATE UNIVERSITY PRESS
Writer: TOM BATIUK
Art/Cover: CHUCK AYERS
$24.95
Since its debut in 1987, Crankshaft has engendered reader loyalty and affection with its wry wit, engaging storylines, and identifiable characters. Roses in December is a touching collection of two Crankshaft storylines with characters who find themselves dealing with the incurable condition of Alzheimer's disease. First, Ed Crankshaft's best friend Ralph is confronted with the trauma of his wife Helen's worsening Alzheimer's, and their love story unfolds with humor and heartbreak. In the second story arc, Crankshaft's neighbor Lucy McKenzie also exhibits symptoms of Alzheimer's and eventually is moved to Sunny Days Nursing Home by her sister Lillian.
This looks really depressing.
ROWDY RODDY PIPER MONSTER KILLER (GN)
Publisher: GRIND HOUSE COMICS
Writer: IAN EDGINTON
Art: CLIFF RICHARDS, MICHAEL S. BARTOLO
Cover: JOE JUSKO
$12.99
Wrestling gave him the cover, but Rowdy Roddy Piper's real job isn't something he chose - it was handed down to him by his ancestors, and now it's time to pass it along to his son, Colt, who wants nothing to do with him. See one of wrestling's legends battle monsters as only he can!
Didn't Roddy Piper die recently? I assume this was approved before that. And look at that: A Joe Jusko cover!
SQUARRIORS (TPB)
Publisher: DEVILS DUE /1FIRST COMICS, LLC
Writer: ASH MACZKO
Art/Cover: ASHLEY WITTER
Mature / $18.99
Collecting the breakout hit series' debut miniseries, and setting the stage for more! Squarriors is a comic book serial that centers around several clans of animals living in a world recently voided of humans. Since the demise of humanity, the remaining animal life have become intelligent. The spark of rational thought creates an internal struggle for these creatures; instinct versus reason. And the clashing of these ideas erupts into ultra-violent wars across the planet!
They don't mention it, but I'm guessing the animals somehow got opposable thumbs when they get smarter. But with thumbs or without, squirrels are scary anyway!
TITMOUSE VOL 1 (HC)
Publisher: TITMOUSE INC
Writer/Art: Various
Cover: DAVE JOHNSON
Mature / $24.99
Titmouse is not a cartoon. It is also not a comic book, not a magazine, and it's not a book - it's a Mook, a magazine-book. Like Sushi, Mook is an addictive Japanese concept that will take the world by storm. We have assembled a team of weirdo artist-types to create this 100 page hardcover anthology and printed it in full color on fancy paper featuring comic strips, paintings, and interviews from some of the art world's most interesting individuals. It's 1/3 Heavy Metal, 1/3 MAD Magazine, 1/3 Juxtapoz, and 1/3 Ralph Bakshi film-on-paper, fancy paper.
I think I actually know less about this book after I read the solicitation.
VINLAND SAGA VOL 7 (GN)
Publisher: KODANSHA COMICS
Writer/Art/Cover: MAKOTO YUKIMURA
$22.99
After months of hard labor as a farm slave, Thorfinn begins to realize what his father meant by the words, "A true warrior needs no sword." Perhaps he can find a new purchase on life in the mysterious land he heard tell of in his childhood: the continent to the west known as Vinland. From the creator of the classic Planetes manga comes this epic, highly-anticipated tale.
Is this the golden age of Viking stories? Viking Prince was about six decades too early!
ZOMBIE TRAMP SAVES XXXMAS SPECIAL
Writers: JASON MARTIN, DAN MENDOZA
Art: MARCELO TROM
Cover: MARCELO TROM, DAN MENDOZA
MARCELO TROM regular, and risque variant cover (limited to 2500)
DAN MENDOZA variant cover (limited to 1500)
DAN MENDOZA risqué variant cover (limited to 2000)
MARCELO TROM variant cover (limited to 1500)
MARCELO TROM variant risqué cover (limited to 1500)
When a fat old man dressed as Santa throws Christmas raves to drug select young women to ship to the “North Pole”, only Zombie Tramp’s undead blood can stop the potent cocktail, and turn the tables on him and his perverted “elves”.
It’s time for another very special issue, it’s time for Zombie Tramp Saves XXXMas!
Features three holiday themed covers, and risqué variants of each!
Because nothing says "Merry Christmas" like a half-dressed, brain-eating, zombie prostitute.
Replies
It's flipped, but that Conan cover has a familiar motif:
They were both preceded by this:
Cap said:
Actually, Cap, that Harley image is from the Harley's Little Black Book comic book cover, and the comic is polybagged inside with a variant. I got the Batman one, and it has an Alex Ross sketch variant inside for example.
D'oh! I'll fix.
The 2000 A.D. strip wasn't closely based on the Eagle one. He was separated from his original context and supporting cast. Its first phase it was drawn by Massimo Belardinelli. The Belardinelli pages I've seen are sensationalistic in approach, but he was a good artist. The storyline I know about involved an invasion of our system by a race that used organic spaceships. This was years before the Acanti in Uncanny X-Men. This gentleman calls the phase "typically 2000AD: fast, brutal, uncultured, flashy and basically a bit crap", which strikes me as a spot on description of the title as I remember it.
In Dave Gibbons's phase Dan was the captain of a ship exploring the universe. Gibbons was already a solid artist, and the Gibbons one knows from his later work. I recently described this version of the strip as like a blue collar Star Trek. (But I should note I only saw a handful of instalments.) The collection's cover uses Gibbons's version of Dan.
There's no defending "pre-Roman", but it sounds like the series is set in Scotland. I think there was more Viking takeover and settlement in Scotland than you imply.
Luke Blanchard said:
Maybe, I'm no expert. But there sure was a lot less of it than this solicitation flat-out states. "Massive upheaval" is what was happening further south, which I've heard of. I had never heard of any serious conflict between the Danes and the Pictish tribes in modern-day Scotland, so I looked it up on Wiki -- where it was dismissed in a single sentence -- and a couple of other sites where I found a skirmish between a Viking scouting party and some Picts as the only battle mentioned.
That's hardly comprehensive, of course, but given all the other mistakes I'm not inclined to take their word for anything.
Wikipedia has an article "Scandinavian Scotland" with more detail.
Cap said:
I know you have been down on all of the repackaging of this series (Locke and Key), but ultimately I thought this was an amazing run. This ended up being like 6 trades, and I read them all in less than a month. There isn't much I can say I blew through in less time.
Locke and Key isn't the only series that I feel has been re-packaged to the point of shamelessly gouging the fan, but until the recent explosion of Lady Death titles/covers, it was the most obvious offender. (Lady Death is the all-time champ right now.) Unless, of course, it's justified by new material, in which case I'll gladly retract the snark.
The only way I'll know for sure, I guess, is to read it.
It's just like the many alternate covers. If you don't buy them you won't die. Not buying them hasn't killed me. Just because they publish yet another reprint version doesn't mean the "gouged fan" has to buy it.
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