ARCHIE #10
Publisher: ARCHIE COMICS
Script: MARK WAID
Art: VERONICA FISH, ANDRE SZYMANOWICZ, JEN VAUGHN, JACK MORELLI
Cover A Reg: VERONICA FISH
Cover B Variant: ELLIOT FERNANDEZ
Cover C Variant: SANDY JARRELL, KELLY FITZPATRICK
32-page • full color comic • $3.99 U.S.
IT’S TEAM ARCHIE VS. TEAM BETTY! A civil war has broken out in Riverdale—friends against friends, parents against parents, with the entire town torn down the middle by an event that forces everyone to take sides! No joke—the events of this issue will impact Archie and his pals for some time to come!
A long-running joke about Betty & Veronica is that they were drawn exactly alike, and could only be distinguished by hair color. The New Riverdale stories are burying that idea. It's not always consistent, but a number of artists -- especially Adam Hughes in the new Betty & Veronica -- are establishing that Betty is slightly shorter, broader-shouldered and buxom (girl next door), whereas Veronica is tall and thin (supermodel).
BADGER VOL 1: BATTLE OF THE FIVE WIZARDS (TPB)
Publisher: DEVIL'S DUE/1FIRST COMICS LLC
Writer: MIKE BARON
Art: VAL MAYERIK
Cover: ZACH HOWARD
$21.99
A contest in wizardry is brewing beyond the earthly seats of power, and the fate of the world will be decided by The Battle of the Five Wizards! Badger, Ham and Daisy venture to Russia in search of a rare frozen mammoth! Russian President Putin challenges Badger to a decisive contest in the ring! Who will become the Wizard of the West? There's a shake-up that will leave you breathless, if you can stop laughing! Written by Badger creator, the incomparable Mike Baron, with art by Howard The Duck co-creator Val Mayerik with a cover from Shaun of the Dead's Zach Howard, this collects the five-issue mini-series.
Whoa, how'd I miss a Badger miniseries with Baron and Mayerik?
BLUE MONDAY: THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT (TPB)
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer/Art/Cover: CHYNNA CLUGSTONFLORES
136 PAGES • FC • T • $9.99
Chynna Clugston Flores (IT GIRL & THE ATOMICS, Scooter Girl) will release the fan-favorite first volume of BLUE MONDAY, with all-new colors from Jordie Bellaire, this July.
Experience the Pepsi-fueled misadventures of Bleu L. Finnegan, comics’ favorite blue-haired, Buster Keaton-obsessed, Adam Ant-worshipping teenager from the very beginning! Featuring an introduction from Kieron Gillen (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE), this collects the original first volume miniseries as well as early short stories and more.
"BLUE MONDAY in full color is like a dream come true for me, since it's always appeared in the brightest of colors in my head,” said Flores. “The whole thing has been remastered in a sense––the art's been cleaned, it's as bright and alive as it always wanted to be, and it'll be full comic size instead of digest. It'll be at full-volume, maximum obnoxiousness, and I really can't wait for everyone to see its new incarnation."
"I grew up reading BLUE MONDAY in my teenage years, and it is the foundation for exposing me to all sorts of music, comics and films that saved my adolescence from shit-kicker suburban hell,” said editor Ian Shaughnessy. “As a fan and now a friend, I couldn’t be happier working as Chynna’s editor on these new full-color editions, as well as on the new adventures of Bleu and the gang in future BLUE MONDAY comics. Jordie Bellaire’s vibrant palette is the perfect match for Chynna’s material, and seeing it in color is like reading it all over again, for the first time."
PRAISE FOR CHYNNA CLUGSTON FLORES AND BLUE MONDAY:
"I think a generation owes Blue Monday. It's the missing link. You remove it, you remove huge chunks of the '00s, or at least the stuff that made the '00s worth living, and the stuff that grew from the '00s into the present scene."—Kieron Gillen (THE WICKED + THE DIVINE, PHONOGRAM)
"The art has attitude, just like the characters."—Comics Worth Reading
"I love Blue Monday. Like John Hughes before her, Chynna perfectly recreates that feeling of hanging out with your high school friends (except Chynna has way better taste in music than your high school friends). It’s a beautifully rendered time capsule of a time in your life when the stakes were so small but felt so big. The perfect blend of boredom, anxiousness and sexual frustration that is high school."—Clark Duke (Hot Tub Time Machine, The Office, Clark and Michael)
“As charming and funny and melodramatic as anything you could want.”—Multiversity
“Her art style is always welcome: with tight, slightly angular lines defining a sleek figure, there's something about it that is just instantly appealing.”—Comic Book Resources
I read some of this when somebody else was publishing it, and found it uninteresting. Aside from the frequent musical references (which I imagine people in the know about that music would like), I found Blue Monday to be unremarkable -- Archie Comics without the humor. Yes, high school students are insecure, self-important and arrogant in their ignorance about the world ... but that, in and of itself, isn't something I find amusing. I mean, I went to high school, where much of this sort of material happened around me, and it wasn't particularly hilarious.
I'm beginning to wonder if maybe high school books are for people who didn't enjoy high school, and therefore want to go back and re-experience it better. I had a pretty good time in high school, did all I wanted to do there, and moved on. I have no need or interest in re-visiting it.
Anyway, when I was reading Blue Monday back when it first came out (via review copies), I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for something to happen that made me want to see what happened next. I never found that moment. What was I missing, Blue Monday fans?
BOYS OF SHERIFF STREET (GN)
Writer: JEROME CHARYN
Art/Cover: JACQUES DE LOUSTAL
Publisher: DOVER PUBLICATIONS
Mature • $14.95
With its moody, atmospheric images of New York City's underworld during the 1930s, this graphic novel conjures up the timeless allure of film noir. Twin brothers Max and Morris, rivals for the love of a savage beauty, conduct a gangland war amid the Lower East Side's tenements and wharfs. Features a new English translation by the author.
From their depiction, I'm guessing that Max and Morris are part of the Jewish mob that existed in the early part of the last century in NYC -- a concept that still intrigues me. Tough Jews are, like, the antithesis of the Jewish stereotype established by Jewish comedians for the last 75 years -- when we think "Jewish," we think "Woody Allen," not "Al Capone." But, like other immigrant communities -- the Irish and Italians spring to mind -- the Jewish immigrant community burped its own mafia and racketeer organizations. I don't know much about them, so I'm a bit curious.
BUT LIKE MAYBE #1
Publisher: BLISS ON TAP
Writers: DRU RADOVICH, ARIANNA MARGULIS
Art/Cover: ARIANNA MARGULIS
$3.99
Based on the smash-hit Instagram account, But Like Maybe? is a new comic book about life and stuff, examining the complicated world of selfies, brunch, hangovers, love, rejection, and over-analyzing everything. The first issue follows millennial heroine "BLM" as she obsesses over her love interest "Hot Brad," while her teddy bear confidant attempts to intercept her crazy-girl antics. The voice of a generation ... but like maybe?
Every generation feels that they are unique, and that their parents don't understand them. Human nature doesn't really change, and most generations are exactly alike in their differentness. (Teenagers just think they're unlike anything that's come before.)
However, how they express their differentness does change -- because technology changes. I expect, therefore, that the content in this book will be nothing new, but will vary slightly from the self-discovery manifestos of previous generations due to the opportunities and/or limitations of the medium in which they were originally expressed (Instagram).
You know, when I was a kid, I learned to express myself in pen and ink, because that's how you prepared art for printing, which was the only technology I had access to. But I dreamed of making mini-movies or cartoons. With iMovie and such, that's now possible for kids in backwaters like Memphis, and I'm a bit envious.
CAPTAIN KID #1
Publisher: AFTERSHOCK COMICS
Writers: MARK WAID, TOM PEYER
Art/Cover: WILFREDO TORRES
Mature • $3.99
Chris Vargas is a middle-aged man with a hacking cough, an obsolete job, and a bombastic secret: whenever he likes, he can transform into the teenage superhero Captain Kid! In this, his first recorded adventure, he encounters Helea, a mystery woman who knows more about him than he does, and Halliday, a mad businessman with a catastrophic weapon!
I'd dismiss this as another riff on Captain Marvel, with the ages reversed -- just like Micky Moran in Miracleman or the middle-aged schlub who became The Sentry at Marvel. But then I saw Mark Waid's name attached. How have I not heard of this?
CHILDREN OF GAPTAIN GRANT (GN)
Publisher: SUPER GENIUS
Writes: JULES VERNE, ALEXIS NESME
Art/Cover: ALEXIS NESME
HC ($19.99) • TPB ($14.99)
In this adaptation of Jules Verne's classic novel, The Children of Captain Grant, the entire cast of characters has been transformed into anthropomorphic animals! It begins with a message - actually three water-damaged messages - found in a bottle removed from the belly of a shark. Written in three different languages the messages reveal that the long-missing Captain Grant was shipwrecked and is being held hostage. The only clue from the messages that might be of any help, will lead Lord Glenarvan and Captain Grant's children on an adventure literally around the world! Available in Softcover and Hardcover editions.
I read a lot of Jules Verne as a kid, but not this one. In fact, I've never heard of this one! Evidently my elementary/junior high libraries didn't think it warranted inclusion. If anybody has any personal experience with this work, give a shout.
CIVIL WAR II TIE-INS (MARVEL COMICS)
Six more books this week for Marvel's big summer event. Hopefully The Baron will keep us informed!
CAPTAIN MARVEL #7
Writers: RUTH & CHRIS GAGE
Art/Cover: KRIS ANKA
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
• Captain Marvel’s determination reaches new heights as her rift with Iron Man gets deeper.
• It’s a fight for the future as Carol and the Alpha Flight recruit more to their cause.
• But will forces outside of Captain Marvel destroy everything she’s trying to protect?
• Ruth and Chris Gage, the talented writing duo from Marvel’s Daredevil on Netflix, bring you a Captain Marvel Civil War story you will never forget!
CIVIL WAR II #4 (OF 7)
Writer: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art: DAVID MARQUEZ
Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Variant by MICHAEL CHO
Connecting B&W Virgin Variant E by KIM JUNG GI
Character Variant by PHIL NOTO
40 PGS. • Rated T+ • $4.99
Sides are harshly divided as the Marvel Universe’s trial of the century reaches its shocking verdict! Now, the abstract issues are very real for the heroes of the Marvel Universe and battle lines must be drawn. Captain Marvel or Iron Man, who will each hero stand behind?
CIVIL WAR II: CHOOSING SIDES #3 (of 6)
Writers: DECLAN SHALVEY, CHUCK BROWN & MORE
Art: DECLAN SHALVEY, CHRIS VISIONS & MORE
Cover by JIM CHEUNG and DECLAN SHALVEY
VARIANT COVER BY JAMIE McKELVIE
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
• The trial of the century! Even with the eyes of the Marvel Universe upon them, neither side is backing down …
• Featuring Nick Fury, The Punisher and Kate Bishop!
MS. MARVEL #9
Writer: G. WILLOW WILSON
Art: AKESHI MIYAZAWA
Cover by Cameron Stewart
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
• As war intensifies, tragedy strikes too close to home for Ms. Marvel.
• Growing pains become all too real and Ms. Marvel must choose between her heroes and her home.
• Don’t miss one of the most important Civil War tie-in stories!
NEW AVENGERS #14
Writer: AL EWING
Art: PACO MEDINA
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
• All-action issue! Will the New Revengers take down A.I.M. — or will S.H.I.E.L.D. get there first?
• And will anyone be left to stop W.H.I.S.P.E.R. before it’s too late?
• Featuring White Tiger vs. White Tiger — the rematch! And more twists and turns than a plate of spaghetti, True Believer!
THE TOTALLY AWESOME HULK #9
Writer: GREG PAK
Art: MIKE DEL MUNDO
Cover by TERRY DODSON
32 PGS. • Rated T • $3.99
• AMADEUS CHO has lost someone very close to him. Now he’s mad. VERY MAD. No one would like him when he’s very mad.
• Introducing new series artist, the critically acclaimed Mike del Mundo!
DREAM GANG (TPB)
Publisher: DARK HORSE
Writer/Art/Cover: BRENDAN MCCARTHY
FC • 112 pages • $14.99 • TPB • 7” x 10”
“Brendan McCarthy’s art with the bright, trippy coloring looks great in or out of context.”—AiPT!
To stop a psychic bomb that threatens to render all of humanity catatonic, the last Dream Voyager awakens! When the evil Zeirio goes on a rampage throughout the Dreamworlds, it’s up to a new generation of the Dream Gang to put him down. From the fertile mind of Brendan McCarthy—the co-writer/designer of Mad Max: Fury Road and a contributor to Dark Horse Presents and 2000 AD! Collects Dream Gang chapters from DHP #1-4, #7-10 and #14-17.
“Dream Gang is a story that takes place in dreams entirely,” says McCarthy. “It is the story of a young man who lives a dreary, gray life. One night he has a vivid dream that connects him to a group of naturally gifted psychic voyagers known as the Dream Gang. The dream that follows changes him forever.”
A Fantastic Voyage through the mind! Features new artwork and remastered lettering for this collection.
Praise for Dream Gang:
“Dream Gang is the legendary Brendan McCarthy at his visionary best.”—Frank Quitely (All-Star Superman, Jupiter’s Legacy)
“A psychedelic masterpiece, from one of the architects of post-modern comics.”—Gerard Way (Umbrella Academy, True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys)
"Nice to see that Brendan McCarthy still writes, draws, paints, thinks and dreams in pure, unadulterated magic."—Garth Ennis (Preacher, The Punisher)
“Plunge into the mind-warping, surrealistic maelstrom of Dream Gang, Brendan McCarthy’s fantastic psychedelic adventure story.”—Bryan Talbot (Grandville, One Bad Rat)
“TechnoDreamFreakWavePsychedelicPunkPopartMadmaxYellowSubmarineTasticness!”—Rufus Dayglo (Tank Girl, Bad Company)
"Dream Gang is the best thing I've read in years. A feast for the eyes, a trip for the mind.”—Bambos Georgiou (Conan, Nick Fury)
“Engaging surrealism, a fever dream of a tale that is gorgeous in its roughness and, like real dreams, leaves the reader guessing as to what the next step is in the story being told.”—Comic Book Resources
“Dream Gang is fascinating with a hook strong enough to make me want to read more.”—Major Spoilers
“Dream Gang never lacks for interesting panels. Primarily set in a dream, it takes advantage of its surreal concept to toy with backgrounds and characters.”—ComicBook.com
I'm not usually a fan of fiction involving dreams, because literally anything can happen. And as we like to say around here, if anything can happen, nobody cares what eventually does. Drama needs structure and rules to work, and dreams don't have either. But this book is by a couple of seasoned British pros, and DH sent out the enormous press release above, so it might be worth a look.
INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #5
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
Writer: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art/Cover: ALEX MALEEV
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
As Tony Stark stands at the frontlines of one of the biggest events in Marvel’s history, behind the scenes he wages a much more personal battle. Long teased and long rumored, the truth will finally stand revealed as Tony Stark comes face-to-face with his biological mother in INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #5! Amid sins past and villains long dormant, superstar creators Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev reveal another piece in the puzzle of the Armored Avenger’s history! So, who is Tony Stark really? The time has come to uncover what his true legacy is. As half his true parentage comes to light, how did his adoption long ago by Howard and Maria Stark come to pass? The answers you’ve been searching for start here! Find out as the mystery unfolds in INTERNATIONAL IRON MAN #5 – coming to comic shops and digital devices this July!
Strangely, here is an Iron Man book in the middle of Civil War II that has nothing to do with Civil War II. Maybe we'll finally get this "Who are my parents" thing over with.
JUPITER'S LEGACY VOL. 2 #2 (OF 5)
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer: MARK MILLAR
Art/Covers A & C: FRANK QUITELY
Cover B:JOHN ROMITA JR.
32 PAGES • FC • M • $3.99
Our superheroes face off with psychic Japanese villain Raikou, battling through different levels of consciousness to assume her powers and recruit Repro for their team. While the villains seize cities and begin their stranglehold on the global economy, will faces from the past distract our heroes from their goal?
Heads up, Jupiter's Legacy readers!
LISELOTTE & WITCHS FOREST VOL 1 (GN)
Publisher: YEN PRESS
Writer: NATSUKI TAKAYA
Art/Cover: NATSUKI TAKAYA
$15.00
From the bestselling creator of Fruits Basket comes Natsuki Takaya's latest series, never before published in English! Despite being completely hopeless at endeavors like farming and cooking, Liselotte, a young lady of noble birth and guardian to twins Alto and Anna, picks up and moves to a remote land. At the easternmost reaches of her new home lies a forest where it's said witches roam. When Lise one day finds herself at the receiving end of an attack by one such witch, she's saved by the sudden appearance of a young man named Engetsu. Though they're strangers, Engetsu is remarkably similar to someone she already knows?
The description doesn't sound very interesting, but it's by the Fruits Basket guy, and that series was pretty popular.
LIVING FINGER (TPB)
Publisher: DARBY POP
Writer: GARTH MATTHAMS
Art/Cover: ARMIN OZDIC
Mature • $14.99
When well-meaning Jason discovers a disembodied finger that appears to be "alive," it quickly becomes the sole focus of his life. He names the digit "Wendy," learns to communicate with it via "tap code," and discovers that the one thing Wendy wants more than anything else in the world is a living, breathing human body to attach to. Just how far will Jason go to satisfy his ambulatory friend?
Aw, c'mon. There was a movie in the '50s with a whole hand! That's, like five times as much disembodied finger fun!
LOBSTER JOHNSON: METAL MONSTERS OF MIDTOWN #3 (OF 3)
Publisher: DARK HORSE
Writer: MIKE MIGNOLA, JOHN ARCUDI
Art/Cover: TONCI ZONJIC
Colors: DAVE STEWART
FC • 32 pages • $3.50 • Miniseries
The giant robot invasion of New York comes to a showdown when the Lobster has to get into a machine’s head to drive it out of the city.
Mignola, Arcudi, Zonjic, and Stewart do pulp right with this epic conclusion!
“Grimy and Gritty until the very end, it’s a pleasure as always.”—Big Comic Page
Heads up, Lobster fans! MECHANISM #1
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer/Art/Covers A & B: RAFFAELE IENCO
32 PAGES • FC • T+ • $3.99
In the aftermath of an alien invasion, a prototype military robot is rushed into the field before it is combat ready. Now attached to a group of survivors, it studies them to learn what it means to be human. Will it come to understand man as a noble creature worth preserving or that the human race isn’t worth saving at all?
If I was a robot, I wouldn't be very impressed with humans. We're defective!OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #19
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer: ROBERT KIRKMAN
Art/Cover: PAUL AZACETA & ELIZABETH BREITWEISER
32 PAGES • FC • M • $2.99
NEW STORY ARC
Bestselling creative team of Robert Kirkman (THE WALKING DEAD, INVINCIBLE) and Paul Azaceta (Daredevil, Punisher Noir) will launch a new story arc in their ongoing horror series OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA from Skybound this July.
Previously in OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA, Kyle was faced with the most emotional exorcism he’d performed yet, as he learned more about his abilities and what’s really happening around him. Secrets were revealed that changed everything.
In OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #19, answers are given and secrets are revealed, as the start of a new story arc finds Kyle and Sidney having a conversation that will change EVERYTHING. Kyle has never been in more danger.
“For the first three story arcs we've been laying out the mystery of this world and now it's time for answers,” said Kirkman. “It's been very exciting to finally be revealing the bits and pieces that will explain this world a little better and set the stage for many years to come.”
"What I love about where we are now in the story is that we're getting to really see the scope of what's happening,” said Azaceta. “If you thought it was scary when Kyle and Anderson were dealing with one possessed child, you're going to be in for some big fun."
Here's a press release for a book I'm not reading. But I will read it, I promise, because y'all have told me I need to.
Anybody have any idea how I can watch the TV show? We don't get Cinemax. Where else will it be available?
POSTAL #13
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer: BRYAN HILL
Art/Cover B: ISAAC GOODHART
Cover A: LINDA SEJIC
32 PAGES • FC • M • $3.99
NEW STORY ARC
Writer Bryan Edward Hill (BROKEN TRINITY, NETHERWORLD) and artist Isaac Goodhart will launch a new story arc in their ongoing crime series from Top Cow this July.
Previously in POSTAL, Mark Shiffron learned that he could either protect his innocence or he could protect his town. He couldn’t save both.
In POSTAL #13, the FBI tightens its noose around Eden. Mark and his mother Laura must either choose to let one of their own suffer at the hands of revenge, or help him take a stand against his enemies—the Aryan Brotherhood. Does everyone deserve redemption, or are there some deeds that can’t be forgiven?
"With POSTAL, Matt Hawkins has allowed me to explore the darkest aspects of human nature with an unflinching view of the equally violent and righteous world of Eden, Wyoming and its town filled with criminals,” said Hill. “In this arc, the stakes are even higher for Eden, and for the first time in the series, Mayor Laura Shiffron, and her postman son Mark, find themselves targeted by people who are even more dangerous than they are. Isaac Goodhart is firing on all cylinders and new colorist K. Michael Russell has brought a brutally beautiful perspective to the word of POSTAL."
“We're definitely not showing any signs of slowing down,” said Goodhart. “The new arc is challenging and intense, and Bryan Hill continues to be one of the most fearless writers around. The new scripts are some of the best comics I've ever read and I'm giving them everything I've got. This fourth story arc is going to blow readers away.”
Here's a press release for another book I'm not reading. But this and Nailbiter are the two Image crime books I've had on my to-do list for a while.
PRE-CODE CLASSIC: AVON EERIE VOL 3
Publisher: PS ARTBOOKS
Limited to just 2,000 copies and split across two editions.
Slipcase Edition: 125 copies in full-colour slipcase, 232 Pages, £44.99 / $69.99
Bookshop Edition: 1,875 copies in full colour slipcase, 232 Pages, £36.99 / $59.99
Collected together for the very first time, these classic anthologies will thrill you today as much as when they were first published.
Hey kids, come on! What’re ya waitin’ for! Moe Marcus, Fred Kida, Wally Wood, Louis Ravielli, Henry C. Kiefer and Joe Kubert? Avon’s rightly revered Eerie run kicking off in 1951, and you want me to say something that’s gonna make you wanna buy this volume? Gimme a break, will ya! Just get your money out and save us all a lot of time.
Now for the first time we have collected together all the stories its own hardback collection.
About Eerie - Volume 3
Volume Three features all the original comic stories digitally enhanced and faithfully reproduced. This third volume features stories from issues #15-17 from April/May 1954 to August/September 1954. Also features bonus issues of Phantom Witch Doctor 1952, Night of Mystery 1953 & Eerie Comics 1947, "The First Horror Comic."
Yep, I'm still buying these.
PREDATOR VS. JUDGE DREDD VS. ALIENS #1 (OF 4)
Publisher: DARK HORSE
Writer: JOHN LAYMAN
Art: CHRIS MOONEYHAM
Colors: MICHAEL AYIYEH
Cover: GLENN FABRY
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 • Miniseries
“Exactly as awesome as it sounds.”—ComicsAlliance
Three of the universe’s most feared figures cross paths in the ultimate science-fiction crossover!
Written by New York Times best-selling and Eisner Award–winning author John Layman (Chew, Mars Attacks: Occupation) with stunning interior artwork by Chris Mooneyham (Five Ghosts, Predator: Fire and Stone) and iconic covers by Eisner Award winner Glenn Fabry, this series will be the wild ride of the summer for readers everywhere!
“Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens is just the sort of concept that would have Teenage John Layman wetting his pants with excitement … just at the possibility of reading it. Here, many, many years later, Old Man Layman is writing it, and it’s still every bit as thrilling,” remarked writer John Layman.
The crossover pits the legendary lawman Judge Dredd against the universe’s supreme hunters, the Predators, as they both try to survive an onslaught by the galaxy’s ultimate killing machines, the Aliens!
Judge Dredd and Judge Anderson have tracked a criminal cult across the Cursed Earth and into the Alabama morass, where a mad genetic scientist with destructive designs has acquired the best genes that evolution has to offer -- a xenomorph skull!
A Predator, attracted to the warm climate and superior prey, has declared hunting season as he calls for backup. All paths will cross in a mind-blowing sci-fi showdown with the fate of the Earth at stake!
“This really is a dream-come-true project for me. I got to work on Aliens once before -- a super-cool experience, and one that was always on my creative bucket list. Dredd’s been on the bucket list as well, and you throw Predator into the mix, and it’s a trifecta of awesome. I’m loving every minute of this project so far,” added Layman.
C'mon, how can you resist? I sure couldn't, and enjoyed the first issue. There's no telling who will align with whom or what, or who will win, but my money's on Dredd.
QUEEN EMERALDAS VOL 1 (of 2, HC)
Publisher: KODANSHA COMICS
Writer: LEIJI MATSUMOTO
Art/Cover: LEIJI MATSUMOTO
$24.99
The first manga in more than 10 years to be translated into English from the legendary creator Leiji Mastumoto (Space Battleship Yamato/Star Blazers)! Emeraldas, known throughout the galaxy as the Pirate Queen, travels through space on her heavily-armed ship, searching for a secret. Hiroshi Umino is a young boy who escaped the bounds of Earth only by building his own spaceship. He crashes on Mars, where he encounters Emeraldas, who sees a little of herself in the reckless young man. Together, they travel the galaxy, striking down the wicked and arrogant and helping the innocent. Leiji Matsumoto's most famous characters make appearances, including Maetel, Captain Harlock, Toshiro, and, of course, the Galaxy Express.
REBIRTH (DC COMICS)
BATGIRL #1
Written by HOPE LARSON
Art and cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
Variant cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
“Beyond Burnside” Chapter One: The Batgirl you know and love is going global with Eisner Award-winning and New York Times best-selling writer Hope Larson (A Wrinkle in Time, Goldie Vance) and all-star artist Rafael Albuquerque (AMERICAN VAMPIRE). In order to up her game, Babs travels to Japan on a quest to train with the most elite modern combat masters of the East. But when a chance meeting with an old friend puts a target on her back, Batgirl may need to use her new skills to solve a deadly mystery.
I loved Albuquerque on American Vampire. Dunno anything about Hope Larson, but she does have an impressive resume.
HAL JORDAN AND THE GREEN LANTERN CORPS #1
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art and cover by RAFA SANDOVAL and JORDI TARRAGONA
Variant cover by KEVIN NOWLAN
32 pg • FC • $2.99 US • RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
“SINESTRO’S LAW” Chapter One
With no backup and only his ring and battery to keep him alive, Hal Jordan streaks toward battle with the Sinestro Corps, while his greatest foe prepares to wipe the last Green Lantern of them all out of existence!
How can Hal Jordan be the last Green Lantern when there are two more on Earth? And what about Kyle Rayner? He's out there somewhere, even if he dresses in white now.
NIGHTWING #1
Written by TIM SEELEY
Art and cover by JAVIER FERNANDEZ
Variant cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
“BETTER THAN BATMAN” Chapter One: Batman taught Nightwing everything he knows—but what if everything he taught him is wrong? When Dick is stuck with a new mentor who challenges everything Batman taught him, Nightwing has to shatter his concept of justice in order to fight for what he knows is right. Writer Tim Seeley (GRAYSON, BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL) launches Nightwing onto a new quest alongside rising talent Javier Fernandez (RED HOOD/ARSENAL).
I didn't get a sense of where this book is going to go from the Rebirth issue. This issue will likely tell the tale.
RED HOOD AND THE OUTLAWS: REBIRTH #1
Written by SCOTT LOBDELL
Art by DEXTER SOY
Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI and CAM SMITH
Variant cover by BENGAL
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T+
This issue will ship with two covers.
When a shocking encounter with Batman solidifies the Red Hood’s status as a villain, Jason Todd goes deep undercover to take down Gotham City’s criminal underworld from the inside. Along the way, Jason meets two unlikely allies: a disgraced Amazon warrior named Artemis and a half-baked Superman clone called Bizarro—and the DCU’s “Dark Trinity” is born!
Who is the target market for this book? Are there a legion of Red Hood fans out there I don't know about? Does Lobdell have a big following? This book's existence has always baffled me.
TITANS #1
Written by DAN ABNETT
Art and cover by BRETT BOOTH and NORM RAPMUND
Variant cover by MIKE CHOI
This issue will ship with two covers.
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“REMEMBER THE TITANS” Chapter One
After an old ally returns to the team, the Titans set their sights on a dangerous enemy with the power to change reality itself! But the Titans have never faced a threat this massive before, and with so much on the line, will they be able to stand united as a team? Or will their past mistakes be their undoing?
So this is the book that goes directly after Dr. Manhattan. That elevates its importance to at least Justice League level, if not higher.
ROM #1
Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
Writers: CHRIS RYALL, CHRISTOS GAGE
Art: DAVID MESSINA
Cover: J. H. WILLIAMS
40 pages • FC • $4.99
WE'VE BEEN INVADED AND ONLY A SPACE KNIGHT CAN SAVE US! First there was his epic return in this year's FCBD #0, and now the ongoing tale of ROM begins in earnest! Christos Gage, Chris Ryall, and David Messina kick off the wildest new series of the year as Rom's war with the DIRE WRAITHS hits close to home in "Earthfall, part 1!"
• The long-beloved and even longer absent space hero returns at long last!
• First, we brought back MICRONAUTS! And Now... ROM!
• As if Rom's return wasn't enough, wait'll you see how this one ends!
• 24-page kick-off story plus interviews, bonus sketch material and more!
What did y'all think of the zero issue, Rom fans? I read it, and it did nothing for me, but I don't have any nostalgia for the action figure, so that's to be expected.
ROY THOMAS PRESENTS: CAPTAIN SCIENCE
Publisher: PS ARTBOOKS
Limited to just 2,000 copies and split across two editions.
Slipcase Edition: 125 copies in full-colour slipcase, 288 Pages, £44.99 / $69.99
Bookshop Edition: 1,875 Copies hardback book, 288 Pages, £36.99 / $59.99
Here’s another forgotten or bypassed old comicbook in the great tradition of PLANET COMICS, featuring spaceships and saucers galore (not to mention the usual line-up of gorgeous gals and malevolent monsters) plus the wonderful artwork of, amongst others, the great Wally Wood. The first seven issues are presented to you for just a tiny fraction of what you would expect to pay for a mint-condition version of just one copy of the actual comic.
Now for the first time we have collected together all the stories its own single hardback book.
About Captain Science
Features all the original Comic Stories digitally enhanced and faithfully reproduced. Collects issues #1-7 (November 1950 to December 1951) of the original titles from Youthful.
Yep, getting this one too.
SHADOW TIGER VOL 1 (TPB)
GRAPHIC INDIA PTE. LTD
SHADOW TIGER TP VOL 01
Writers: CHUCK DIXON, SHARAD DEVARAJAN
Art/Cover: GRAHAM NOLAN
$14.99
From the legendary Detective Comics creative team of Chuck Dixon and Graham Nolan comes their newest superhero collaboration -- Shadow Tiger! This first trade paperback collection tells the story of Rajan Shah who, as a kid, lost his parents to a hit-and-run driver. Resigned to a life of poverty, Rajan is stunned when a mysterious benefactor pays for his education. Determined to make the most of his good fortune, Rajan becomes a lawyer to fight for justice. But Rajan quickly learns his benefactor is not what he seems and that some forms of justice must take place outside the law!
Dixon and Nolan are quite a team, but how much do they really know about India? For that matter, how much does the average American comics reader know about India? Does it matter?
SLEIGHER: THE HEAVY METAL SANTA CLAUS #1 (OF 4)
Publisher: ACTION LAB - DANGER ZONE
Writers: ROB HARRINGTON, ADAM HORRIGAN
Art/Cover: AXUR ENEAS
$3.99
Sleigher is the most recent (and reluctant) heir of the centuries old lineage to bear the title of "Santa Claus." He'd rather slam back bourbon than glasses of milk, and blast metal instead of carols. But when evil rears its head before he's delivered a single present, maybe he's found his true calling-dishing out a holiday ass whoopin!!!
Not a terribly original idea any more, but the preview is interesting.
SUICIDE SQUAD THE SILVER AGE OMNIBUS (HC)
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by ROBERT KANIGHER
Art by ROSS ANDRU and MIKE ESPOSITO
Cover by MICHAEL CHO
336 pg• FC • $49.99 U.S.
The original 1960s missions of the Suicide Squad are collected at last, including stories from THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #25-27 and 37-39, plus STAR SPANGLED WAR STORIES #110-111, 116-121, 125, 127 and 128. When all other options are exhausted, the U.S. calls in their new team, Task Force X, led by Rick Flag! Whether a scientist is missing, a dangerous serum is in the wrong hands, or dinosaurs threaten our fighting forces, the Suicide Squad is ready for action!
This represents the trifecta of Silver Age DC talent of which I have had my fill (Kanigher, Andru, Esposito), but it's probably something I should read on general principle. I notice it's labeled "Volume One" -- is there still more Silver Age Suicide Squad out there somewhere? Frankly, I didn't realize there was this much!
X-O MANOWAR #48
As the countdown to X-O MANOWAR's landmark issue #50 finale continues, our world's greatest hero must join forces with his own bitterest foe to prevent armageddon!
Valiant is proud to present X-O MANOWAR #48 – the cataclysmic continuation of the year's seismic storyline, “LONG LIVE THE KING," by New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps) and acclaimed artists Joe Bennett (52) and Roberto de la Torre (Daredevil)! On July 27, Aric of Dacia – the unstoppable X-O Manowar – faces his darkest days as the ancient alien race known as the Torment incite a reign of terror upon all of humanity! With annihilation nigh, X-O Manowar must charge into his greatest battle yet – one that will change his future … and the fate of the entire Valiant Universe … forever!
They’re here! The Torment – a world-devouring race older than history itself— has arrived on Earth. And now, all that stands between our existence and complete extermination is Aric of Dacia, heir to the Visigoth throne and wielder of the X-O Manowar armor! But as the Torment unleash a wrath unlike anything the galaxy has seen, even Earth’s most powerful protector will find himself hopelessly outmatched. With humanity standing on the brink of extinction, X-O Manowar must turn to his greatest adversary for help…the cunning, but savage Commander Trill!
On July 27, history will be made across the cosmos when Robert Venditti, Joe Bennett and Roberto de la Torre bring Valiant's landmark series one step closer to the ultimate reckoning! With only two issues to go until the milestone issue #50 finale, don’t miss a single game-changing moment here in X-O MANOWAR #48 – featuring covers by Kano (Swamp Thing), Phil Jimenez (DC Universe: Rebirth), Khoi Pham (NINJAK), Diego Latorre (Dante’s Inferno), Thony Silas (Justice League: Gods & Monsters), and Sergio Davila (Injustice: Gods Among Us) – as "LONG LIVE THE KING" marches onward!
Also, the X-O MANOWAR #50 COUNTDOWN GIVEAWAY continues right here! For no extra cost, each issue of the massive “LONG LIVE THE KING” epic will be bagged with one of 50 exclusive, 4-by-6 inch “micro-prints” featuring the one and only X-O Manowar as realized by a sensational cast of comics’ biggest talents – or original, hand-drawn original artwork randomly inserted in each issue! The X-O MANOWAR #50 COUNTDOWN GIVEAWAY will continue all summer long across all issues of “LONG LIVE THE KING” – including September’s oversized, blockbuster issue #50 finale!
Plus: Valiant is marking 50 epic issues with a formidable line-up of covers from an all-star cast of comics greats! Leading the charge is the X-O MANOWAR #50 All-Star Jam Cover – the biggest-ever jam cover in comics history, featuring 50 major comics talents in celebration of 50 issues for Valiant’s flagship series! Debuting as X-O MANOWAR #50‘s standard shelf cover, this never-before-attempted comics breakthrough features a breathtaking collection of top talents as they each deliver an all-new take on Valiant’s leading hero in their own signature style.
Then, this September, a whole new era for Valiant's flagship hero begins in X-O MANOWAR #50 … and you won't believe what's coming next!
First: “LONG LIVE THE KING” goes out in a world-shaking blaze of glory with New York Times best-selling writer and longtime scribe Robert Venditti and extraordinary artists Joe Bennett and Roberto de la Torre manning the front line, alongside an all-star battalion of artists from across X-O MANOWAR‘s landmark 56-issue run: Cary Nord (Conan), Doug Braithwaite (ARMOR HUNTERS), Diego Bernard (NINJAK), Rafa Sandoval (Green Lantern), and Robert Gill (BOOK OF DEATH)! Then, from all corners, the Valiant Universe assembles to salute X-O Manowar’s unparalleled impact as one of the longest running superhero series in comics today with all-new, never-before-seen tales and tributes from Jody Houser (FAITH) & Javier Pulido (Amazing Spider-Man), Matt Kindt (DIVINITY II) & Tomas Giorello (4001 A.D.: WAR MOTHER), Philip Tan (Suicide Squad), and more along the way!
Spanning X-O Manowar’s five-year-long impact on the people of Earth, and setting the stage for star-smashing adventures yet to come in 2017 and beyond, no comic book fan can afford to miss the ultimate cosmic battle for the fate of Valiant’s most powerful hero, only in X-O MANOWAR #50!
Two months until Valiant's flagship title is no more. I hope that doesn't bode poorly for the publisher's continued existence.
Replies
"Burped"?
The Matsumoto book looks interesting, I'll have to keep an eye out for that.
BOYS OF SHERIFF STREET (GN)
From their depiction, I'm guessing that Max and Morris are part of the Jewish mob that existed in the early part of the last century in NYC -- a concept that still intrigues me. Tough Jews are, like, the antithesis of the Jewish stereotype established by Jewish comedians for the last 75 years -- when we think "Jewish," we think "Woody Allen," not "Al Capone." But, like other immigrant communities -- the Irish and Italians spring to mind -- the Jewish immigrant community burped its own mafia and racketeer organizations. I don't know much about them, so I'm a bit curious.
Some examples are Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel, Arthur "Dutch Schultz" Flegenheimer, Meyer Lansky (who guided the Mafia and with Siegel created Las Vegas), Louis "Lepke" Buchalter (who ran Murder Inc) and Arnold Rothstein (who fixed the 1919 World Series).
OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA #19
Anybody have any idea how I can watch the TV show? We don't get Cinemax. Where else will it be available?
I'm not able to watch it either. Presumably after the season is over it will be scheduled for a DVD release like the HBO shows, then we can rent it. Streaming may be available from Amazon then. Streaming now would probably require a Cinemax account.
The Baron said:
And here I thought the softball you'd take a swing at would be "disembodied finger fun."
Richard Willis said:
Yep, I'm familiar with all of those. I thought, though, that the Jewish gangs of New York were subsumed into larger structures run by other ethnicities by the '40s and '50s. IOW, I thought Lansky and Rothstein and the like were at that point working with or for organizations that were no longer primarily Jewish. Am I wrong about that? I really only have impressions of all this, and I don't know the facts. Hence, my curiosity.
I will say that I didn't know Dutch Schultz was Jewish! From the name, I always assumed he was Irish or German!
I was really disappointed by the Zero issue too Cap.
I so wanted this to be a return to glory but they seemed to have removed the best bits and diluted the rest.
What did y'all think of the zero issue, Rom fans? I read it, and it did nothing for me, but I don't have any nostalgia for the action figure, so that's to be expected.
I think Captain Kid is one of the best concepts you could try to sell to the aging comics community. Who wouldn't take the chance to get their sixteen year old body back knowing now what they didn't know then? Plus some super-powers?
Shazam/Captain Marvel appealed to kids once upon a time who wanted to be grown-ups. Those kids don't read comics anymore in the numbers that they once did. But who does? Middle-aged men. I can't wait to see what Mark Waid and Tom Peyer do with this one.
The novel was the basis of the film In Search of the Castaways (1962).
The names seem borrowed from Max und Moritz, a famous children's book about two misbehaving boys. The Katzenjammer Kids were modelled after them.The collection has all the Silver Age Suicide Squad stories and padded the rest with War That Time Forgot/Dinosaur Island tales.
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