CIVIL WAR II TIE-INS
ALL-NEW, ALL-DIFFERENT AVENGERS #14
There are only three CWII tie-ins this week, but that's no reason for excitement or alarm (depending on whether you're enjoying it or not). This thing isn't winding down any time soon.
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
Writer: MARK WAID
Art: ADAM KUBERT
Cover by ALEX ROSS
Defenders Variant Cover by PAUL RENAUD
Prostate Awareness Month Variant Cover: MIKE MCKONE
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
Spotlight on the All-New Wasp as she finds her loyalties torn by the war -- and seeks guidance in the most unexpected place.
INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #13
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
Writer: BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Art/Cover: MIKE DEODATO
Defenders Variant: CHRIS STEVENS
Prostate Awareness Month Variant: JAMAL CAMPBELL
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
It’s the end of an era as the events of Civil War II come right to Tony Stark’s front door. Could this be the end of Iron Man as we know him?
Don't get too excited about that blue-and-gold armor. The conceit of the "Prostate Awareness Month Variant" covers are that they use blue like breast cancer awareness uses pink. So he's still in red and gold.
SQUADRON SUPREME #11
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
Writer: JAMES ROBINSON
Art: LEONARD KIRK
Cover by ALEX GARNER
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
• Thanks to the predictions of Ulysses, Warrior Woman now intends to resurrect Namor no matter the risk. To this end, she needs Reed Richards’ time machine, locked away in the Baxter Building…
• … And the Squadron Supreme and their new ally, the real Power Princess, will risk everything to stop her.
• Even if it means facing the current owner of the Baxter Building … Spider-Man!
• Meanwhile, Nighthawk remains missing -- looking for information on Ulysses and the Civil War raging around them. The first step to a major event in the future of the Squadron!
REBIRTH
AQUAMAN #6
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by DAN ABNETT
Art and cover by BRAD WALKER and ANDREW HENNESSEY
Variant cover by JOSHUA MIDDLETON
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“THE DROWNING” conclusion!
As this first epic concludes, Aquaman and Mera are on the run for a crime they didn’t commit.
They’ve fought through every kind of firepower the U.S. military has thrown.
Now all that’s left between them and Atlantis is the Man of Steel …
If they're trying to up Aquaman's power level and/or rep, showing him go toe-to-toe with Superman is a good way to achieve it. Well, assuming he doesn't become a smear on the ocean floor.
BATMAN #6
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by TOM KING
Art by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
Cover by DAVID FINCH and DANNY MIKI
Variant cover by TIM SALE
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U,S, • RATED T
“I AM GOTHAM” epilogue.
In this stand-alone tale, Batman seeks redemption as he tries to keep Gotham Girl from going down a dangerous path. But can the Dark Knight save someone who doesn’t want to be saved?
Since Gotham has committed murder, I'm guessing he will be out as a Bat-ally. (By contrast, it appears Red Hood's many murders don't count, or have been retconned away.) Think Gotham Girl will stick around?
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
CYBORG: REBIRTH #1
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by JOHN SEMPER JR.
Art by PAUL PELLETIER, SANDRA HOPE and TONY KORDOS
Cover by WILL CONRAD
Variant cover by JOE BENITEZ
32 pg • FC • $2.99 US • RATED T
Victor Stone was once a star athlete and brilliant student with a bright future. But after a tragic accident destroyed over half of his body, Victor was kept alive by merging flesh with advanced technology. Today he is the Justice League co-founder called Cyborg. But is the young hero a man … or a machine that merely believes it’s a man?
I try not to think of Cyborg as a token, but DC doesn't make it easy for me. His Rebirth comes two months after the other Leaguers, and in group shots sometimes he isn't even there.
GREEN ARROW #6
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by BENJAMIN PERCY
Art by STEPHEN BYRNE
Cover by W. SCOTT FORBES
Variant cover by NEAL ADAMS
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“SINS OF THE MOTHER”!
Following the shocking events with the Ninth Circle, Green Arrow’s wayward sister/sidekick Emiko travels to Japan on a quest to destroy the crime lords who control her mother, Shado, the assassin who murdered Oliver Queen.
I'm guessing Shado and Emiko will be redeemed. That's good -- Ollie needs allies, and the book needs supporting characters.
HARLEY QUINN #3
Written by AMANDA CONNER and JIMMY PALMIOTTI
Art by CHAD HARDIN
Cover by AMANDA CONNER
Variant cover by BILL SIENKIEWICZ
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T+
“DIE LAUGHING” part 3!
In this concluding chapter, Coney Island threatens to collapse completely under a tidal wave of zombies! Harley’s got a lead on a cure -- but what’s it going to take to administer it to a thousand flesh-hungry fiends? Here’s hoping Poison Ivy has an idea.
The zombies are the result of infected hot dogs. I'm trying to think of a printable joke, but all that comes to mind are variations on the phrase "sausage party."
JUSTICE LEAGUE #4
Written by BRYAN HITCH
Art by JESUS MERINO
Cover by TONY S. DANIEL and SANDU FLOREA
Variant cover by YANICK PAQUETTE
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“THE EXTINCTION MACHINE” part 4!
In the center of the Earth, Superman faces three doomsday machines set to tear the world apart, while Earth’s two Green Lanterns discover just what a purged planet is truly like.
The Kindred are awake and hold the truth about the beginnings of humanity.
Hey, a group shot with Cyborg in it! That's him in the background. No, the other one. The one not in eye-catching primary colors.
NIGHTWING #4
Written by TIM SEELEY
Art and cover by JAVIER FERNANDEZ
Variant cover by IVAN REIS
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“BETTER THAN BATMAN” part 4!
At last, Nightwing and Raptor enact their endgame to shut down the Parliament of Owls permanently!
But the Parliament has one last card up its sleeves: The Moloch, a giant owl monster whose mission is simple: eviscerate Nightwing and Raptor.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
SUPERGIRL #1
Written by STEVE ORLANDO
Art and cover by BRIAN CHING
Variant cover by BENGAL
Blank variant cover
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“REIGN OF THE CYBORG SUPERMAN” part one!
Supergirl is back and working for the DEO to defend National City!
As Kara Danvers, average American teenager and high school student, Supergirl must balance her life as a superhero with her new life on Earth. But some demons from her Kryptonian past are coming back to haunt her, and Kara will find herself face-to-face with her father: the sinister Cyborg Superman!
SUPERMAN #6
Written by PETER J. TOMASI and PATRICK GLEASON
Art by PATRICK GLEASON and MICK GRAY
Cover by DOUG MAHNKE
Variant cover by KENNETH ROCAFORT
32 pg • FC • $2.99 U.S. • RATED T
“SON OF SUPERMAN” part 6!
The evil Eradicator faces off against Superman and son in a battle that may save the day but destroy the moon.
A&A: THE ADVENTURES OF ARCHER & ARMSTRONG #7
Publisher: VALIANT COMICS
Written by RAFER ROBERTS
Art by MIKE NORTON with DAVID LAFUENTE
Cover A by KANO
Cover B by DARICK ROBERTSON
Variant Cover by ADAM GORHAM
Variant Cover by MIKE MCKONE
"NEXT STOP CLOWNTOWN" – PART 2
$3.99 • 32 pgs. • T+
No more clowning around!
The hunt for Armstrong’s estranged wife is taking a strange turn through America’s most bizarre traveling circus … and it’s no laughing matter! Besieged by a deranged troupe of malformed Armstrong clones, the world’s hardest-traveling adventurers may have finally met a match more dysfunctional than they are! And if that wasn’t enough absurdity for one day, a Russian science bear is about to come barreling through the big top with grave news for Archer & Armstrong
NEXT STOP CLOWNTOWN continues its precarious trip trough the fetid underbelly of Americana here … and rising star Rafer Roberts (HARBINGER RENEGADES) and Eisner Award winner Mike Norton (Revival) are coming along for the ride!
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
AFTERMATH BIG CLEAN #1
Publisher: HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE
Writers: KEVIN MOLEN, MATT MOLEN
Art/Cover A: KEVIN MOLEN, MATT MOLEN
Cover B: KEVIN MOLEN, MATT MOLEN
$3.99
From the pages of Heavy Metal magazine, The Molen brothers -- part Sam Keith, part Simon Bisley -- deliver an action packed punch. This ongoing series chronicles a post-apocalyptic future dominated by the cartoon empire Walden where a handful of individuals have been selected for imperial citizenship. Though veiled in celebratory excitement, this roller-coaster-centric ceremony is deadly serious -- a secret final evaluation! And what all newcomers quickly learn is that behind his welcoming grin, Dewey Dog, master of the Walden empire, is quite rabid.
I remember when I dismissed Titan Comics as a wannabe when they hit the U.S. market heavy, but now it's been a couple of years and they are shipping 2-3 books a week. Heavy Metal is coming in strong, too, and this time I'll reserve judgment (and for Aftershock as well). Most of their books seem to appeal to an older audience, but that's just a first impression.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
ALTERS #1
Publisher: AFTERSHOCK COMICS
Writer: PAUL JENKINS
Art: LEILA LEIZ
Cover: BRIAN STELFREEZE
Mature • $3.99
From a diverse team of creators composed of differing genders, gender identities, ethnic backgrounds and sexual orientations comes a groundbreaking new series featuring the world's first transgender superhero!
As the world struggles to accept the emergence of a new kind of mutant species known as alterations, or "Alters," a young woman begins her transition from male to female only to find herself also transitioning into a powerful Alter. Faced with persecution by the multi-powered fascist known only as Matter Man, she will face the world as Chalice -- a hero for a new age. But as Chalice navigates the path to becoming her true self, she must juggle the complications of her civilian life and the responsibilities of her newfound power.
This groundbreaking series -- years in the making -- begins the saga of a young woman who can only really be herself ... whenever she is not herself.
I suppose this was inevitable. I wondered aloud if there was a big enough audience for this -- I can't imagine too many cisgender readers of my acquaintance who would be interested -- but my wife reminded me that "millennials are really into all that." Not the most sensitive way to phrase it but, anecdotally, an observation I've found to be true. So I guess the question is "how many millennials are reading comics?"
ANGEL CATBIRD
Publisher: DARK HORSE
Writer: MARGARET ATWOOD
Art/Cover: JOHNNIE CHRISTMAS
Colors: TAMRA BONVILLAIN
FC • 112 pages • $10.99 • TPB • 6” x 9”
One of the most highly anticipated comic book and literary events of 2016 is by international best-selling and respected novelist Margaret Atwood (the Booker Award-winning author of The Blind Assassin, The Handmaid’s Tale and The Heart Goes Last), illustrated by Johnnie Christmas (Sheltered), colored by Tamra Bonvillain and lettered by Nate Piekos. Hope Nicholson (The Secret Loves of Geek Girls) is the consulting editor, with Daniel Chabon the acquiring editor at Dark Horse.
ANGEL CATBIRD is the latest politically charged book by Atwood, who was recently named the recipient of the 2016 PEN Pinter Prize for her political and environmental activism. ANGEL CATBIRD is being published by Dark Horse Books in tandem with Keep Cats Safe and Save Bird Lives, www.catsandbirds.ca, an initiative led by Nature Canada, the oldest conservation charity in the country. Angel Catbird tells the story of an unusual superhero over the course of three all-ages graphic novels.
“I have concocted a superhero who is part cat, part bird. Due to some spilled genetic Super-Splicer, our hero got tangled up with both a cat and an owl; hence his fur and feathers, and his identity problems,” said Atwood.
“Margaret Atwood has created a bold and unforgettable new character, paying homage to both classic pulp heroes and traditional comic book origin stories,” said Mike Richardson, Dark Horse’s publisher and president. “We’re proud to bring Margaret’s Angel Catbird here to Dark Horse, since it is exactly the kind of creator-owned graphic novel we are committed to publishing."
“What should you expect from Angel Catbird? Imagine, if you will, a strange mix of Will Eisner’s The Spirit, Grant Morrison and Chas Truog’s Animal Man and Ryan North and Erica Henderson’s Squirrel Girl,” said acquiring editor Daniel Chabon. “Angel Catbird is a humorous, action-driven, pulp-inspired story. And the only other thing I can tell you at this early date is to expect a lot of cat puns.”
“I wanted to find an artist whose style Margaret liked, and who I felt comfortable working with and who shared the vision for the project,” said consulting editor Nicholson, who brought Angel Catbird to Dark Horse. “Johnnie Christmas is, by all accounts, a perfect fit.”
“It’s tremendously exciting to work with one of the great contemporary novelists,” said Johnnie Christmas. “I can’t wait for readers to experience the world of Angel Catbird that we’re building. It’s got warmth, heart, humor, and lots of action.”
"I grew up in the 1940s drawing comics, and I've continued: I even drew a strip in the 1970s. So what better way to explore cat/bird interactions and the welfare of both than through a flying catbird superhero? I'm thrilled to be working with Johnnie Christmas, who can draw way better than I can!" said Margaret Atwood.
“This project has been a fun mix of advocacy, humor, and adventure,” said Johnnie Christmas. “Margaret Atwood is a fountain of ideas, it’s been an absolute blast working with her. And our tale of ‘half-cats’ gets a fine boost from the wonderful Tamra Bonvillain. Her vibrant colors help bring the world of ANGEL CATBIRD to life.”
• A young genetic engineer is accidentally mutated by his own experiment when his DNA is merged with that of a cat and an owl. What follows is a humorous, action-driven, pulp-inspired superhero adventure—with a lot of cat puns.
• Margaret Atwood’s first original graphic novel!
• Atwood has been published in over 35 countries, is the author of more than forty books of fiction, poetry, and critical essays, and has won the Man Booker Prize, the Giller Prize, the Premio Mondello, and more.
• Features bonus content by David Mack, Matt Kindt, Tyler Crook and more!
AXIOM (GN)
Publisher: LEGENDARY COMICS
Writer: MARK WAID
Art/Cover: ED BENES
$19.99
A genre-breaking superhero story from Mark Waid, the writer of Kingdom Come, with art by fan-favorite artist Ed Benes! Axiom and Thena, aliens from another world, arrive on earth and exhibit extraordinary powers. Benevolent and godlike, they cure humanity's ills and usher in an era of peace, prosperity and complacency. A series of tragic events reveals another side of Axiom: humanity's savior becomes its worst nightmare. A Defense Department analyst, armed with only scientific knowledge and courageous spirit takes on the turned hero in a fight for mankind's survival!
I wondered if this was an older work being resurrected, but no, this is a new Waid GN that he somehow wrote while doing all that mainstream work. Unfortunately, this is thematically similar to both Kingdom Come and Irredeemable, but I'm enough of Waid fan that he gets the benefit of the doubt from me. I did read an interview where he said what makes this different is that it reflects current authoritarian strains in American politics, and is about the fear that drives them and the fear they cause. I guess that sets it apart from previous work, but I'll have to read it to know for sure.
BATMAN BY SCOTT SNYDER & GREG CAPULLO BOX SET
Publisher: DC COMICS
Writers: SCOTT SNYDER, JAMES TYNION IV
Art: JONATHAN GLAPION, RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE, ANDY CLARKE, JASON FABOK, JOCK, GREG CAPULLO
Cover: GREG CAPULLO
FC • $49.99 U.S. • RATED T
DC presents the newly collected Batman box set with the first three volumes of Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s epic run with the caped crusader! The new, slipcased set will include BATMAN VOL. 1: THE COURT OF OWLS, BATMAN VOL. 2: CITY OF OWLS and BATMAN VOL. 3: DEATH OF THE FAMILY Trade Paperbacks. Enjoy the thrilling stories that introduced the deadly Court of Owls and took the Joker to new, horrifying levels of insanity!
All of Snyder's Bat-work is going to eventually get this treatment as a six-book slipcase set. If that's your druthers you may want to wait. Me, I didn't care much for the Robobunny stories.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
ECLIPSE #1
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer: ZACHARY KAPLAN
Art/Cover: GIOVANNI TIMPANO
32 PAGES • FC • T+ • $3.99
“Live in the night or die by the light.”
Image Comics and Top Cow Productions, Inc. are proud to announce ECLIPSE, a new sci-fi thriller series launching this September from up-and-coming writer Zack Kaplan and artist Giovanni P. Timpano (The Shadow, Lone Ranger/Green Hornet).
Not long from now, Earth will be a very different place. The sun won’t be a source of life and warmth -- instead, it will be the deadliest killer the world has ever known. Following an electromagnetic solar flare that alters our sun forever, most of the world’s population will be dead. Exposure to the sun’s immolating rays threatens to instantly kill the rest. The only choice for humanity’s survival is to adapt, living in nocturnal societies.
“We’ve all thought about droughts or food shortages, but consider what would happen if we lost a precious environmental companion like the sun,” said Kaplan. “ECLIPSE explores that catastrophic possibility, and whether we as people can survive with hope or succumb to our darker nature.”
In ECLIPSE’s recovered New York City, solar engineer David “Bax” Baxter ekes out a disillusioned existence. But the world gets even darker when the daughter of a solar industrialist is targeted by a mysterious killer, one who burns his victims in the sunlight while he walks away unscathed. When Bax agrees to protect this girl, he’s forced to confront a past he’s spent years trying to hide from.
"ECLIPSE reminds us of the fragility of our world, our society and our morality,” said Top Cow Story Editor and POSTAL writer Bryan Hill. “It's not just a story about fearing the harsh light of the sun. It's also a story about fearing the darkness inside the human heart."
“Giovanni and I are both perfectionists,” said Kaplan. “Not only did we try to design a rich world that felt authentic and functional, but every choice we made supported the character’s emotional story. Giovanni’s storytelling and design sense have been staggering, and I’m thrilled to have him as a partner on the book.”
Post-apocalypse stories are dime a dozen these days, but this is an imaginative one.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
EVERAFTER: FROM THE PAGES OF FABLES #1
Written by MATTHEW STURGES and DAVE JUSTUS
Art by TRAVIS MOORE
Cover by TULA LOTAY
32 pg • FC • $3.99 U.S. • MATURE READERS
From the team that brought you FABLES: THE WOLF AMONG US comes a new chapter of the FABLES legacy!
Written by FABLES: THE WOLF AMONG US veterans Matthew Sturges and Dave Justus with gorgeous art by Travis Moore (Fables: The Wolf Among Us, JLA All Stars), you won’t want to miss this series that FABLES creator Bill Willingham himself told us we had to get into your hands as quickly as possible!
"EVERAFTER is a spy thriller featuring a covert-ops team whose mission is to save this newly magical world from itself," explains co-writer Dave Justus. "The story has a uniquely Vertigo flair, filled with twists, double-crosses, and agents willing to give their lives for (fairy) queen and (goblin) country!"
"We've always hated that feeling of getting to the end of a great book and wondering, 'But then what happened?'" says co-writer Matthew Sturges. "Bill Willingham planted so many seeds in the final issue of FABLES that it was impossible for us to let it lie."
In a post-FABLES world where magic abounds, it can be wielded for the greater good or used to sow the ideas of anarchy and terrorism. Enter The Shadow Players, a global network of agents—both Fable and mundane—tasked with policing a newly enchanted world and protecting humanity from itself. The series will feature fan-favorite characters, including Bo Peep, Peter Piper, Hansel, and Connor Wolf, as well as exciting new characters and a terrifying new villain.
"EVERAFTER is an extraordinary opportunity for us to build onto the stories of characters from FABLES that we love, offer new revelations, flesh out the lives of some lesser known characters, and bring brand-new Fables into the mix," explains artist Travis Moore. "For me, it's always a joy to get to design new characters; I'm bringing a more dynamic action style to the FABLES community than fans have seen from me."
"The terrific job Matt Sturges, Dave Justus, and Travis Moore did on the comic adaptations of the Wolf Among Us video games made them the perfect team to carry this new spin-off series," says FABLES creator Bill Willingham. "There are some terrific surprises ahead in a world that is no longer mundy. What happens in a world that now knows about Fables and the sharp rise of magic in their midst? EVERAFTER is going to show us."
I mourned when Fables ended. That was a bit premature, wasn't it?
THE FLINTSTONES #3
Written by MARK RUSSELL
Art by STEVE PUGH
Cover by BEN CALDWELL
Variant cover by BILQUIS EVELY
32 pg • FC • $3.99 U.S. • RATED T
A field trip to the planetarium unexpectedly results in an alien invasion. As interplanetary spring breakers overwhelm Bedrock, Fred, Barney, and the Loyal Order of the Water Buffalos are called into action.
Once the Legionnaires put me in the proper frame of mind, I really got into the second issue of this title. I'm looking forward to the third.
Incidentally, does anyone else think the first cover is an homage to Frazetta's "A Princess of Mars" cover art?
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
GLITTERBOMB #1
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer: JIM ZUB
Art: DJIBRIL MORISSETTE-PHAN & K. MICHAEL RUSSELL
Cover A: DJIBRIL MORISSETTE-PHAN
Cover B: STEVEN CUMMINGS & DJIBRIL MORISSETTE-PHAN
40 PAGES • FC • M • $3.99
Fan-favorite JIM ZUB (WAYWARD, Thunderbolts) and newcomer DJIBRIL MORISSETTE-PHAN tear into the heart of Hollywood in GLITTERBOMB, a dramatic horror story about fame and failure.
“Probably the only thing I love more than comics is cinema,” said Morissette-Phan. “Which makes Glitterbomb a dream project since it's a perfect blend of both.”
Set in Hollywood, GLITTERBOMB is a horror story about failed fame and blood-soaked revenge.
"The entertainment industry feeds on our insecurities, desires, and fears,” said Zub. “You can’t toy with those kinds of primal emotions without them biting back.”
Farrah Durante is a middle-aged actress hunting for her next gig in an industry where youth trumps experience. Her frustrations become an emotional lure for something horrifying out beyond the water … something ready to exact revenge on the shallow celebrity-obsessed culture that's led her astray.
“Hollywood is a place of extremes -- wealth and influence propped up by fragile egos and desperation,” said Zub. “It's fertile ground for telling a story of intense drama and blood-soaked vengeance.”
“GLITTERBOMB is one of my first steps in the world of comics, and I feel very fortunate,” said Morisette-Phan. “It has been a great vehicle for me to start some much-needed reflection about fame culture and the relationship I want to have with it. I'd love GLITTERBOMB to kick-start a conversation we could all be part of.”
First announced at Image Expo, GLITTERBOMB is already raking in accolades: “Sharply written and drawn, with deft insight into the trappings of celebrity culture, GLITTERBOMB just might be the ultimate Hollywood horror story,” said Karen Berger, founder of DC’s Vertigo imprint.
“A gut-punch of glitz and blood and starf**ked culture. You want to read this.” -- Chuck Wendig (Blackbirds)
The art doesn't really seem to synch with the description, so I have no idea what this will be about -- although it's obviously a horror story. I'll report back when I know more.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
THE GREAT DIVIDE #1 (of 6)
Publisher: DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Writer: BEN FISHER
Art: ADAM MARKIEWICZ
Cover A: MIKE HENDERSON
Cover B: ADAM MARKIEWICZ
Cover C: KYLE STRAHM "Homage Variant"
32 pages • full color comic • Mature • $3.99 U.S.
In the near future, humanity awakens to the horrifying reality that the faintest touch from another's skin results in agonizing death. The survivors isolate themselves, many driven mad by fragments of memories "absorbed" from those they've killed. Two years after the "Divide," a pair of thieves stumble upon the means to save their species. But not everyone is eager to see the old world order restored. Includes a free song download -- mood music for the apocalypse!
"An original and compelling twist on the post-apocalyptic genre. A 'must-read' in every sense!" -- Kevin Grevioux (writer/creator of Underworld and I, Frankenstein)
"Immediately compelling, a grabber of a story with eye-catching art, THE GREAT DIVIDE is a breath of post-apocalyptic fresh air!" -- Victor Gischler (Deadpool Corps, X-Men, The Shadow, Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse)
This is another unique apocalypse story -- but "unique" doesn't always mean "good." The cause of the apocalypse seems a bit dopey, since it almost certainly means the extinction of humanity within a generation. And it's unclear why only one person dies when two people touch, or what determines who survives. That just seems like a story crutch for the writer to keep who he wants, and dispose of those he doesn't want. Again, I'll report back when I know more.
HUMANOIDS PRESENTS JODOVERSE
Publisher: HUMANOIDS INC
Writer: ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY
Art: MOEBIUS, JUAN GIMENEZ, ZORAN JANJETOV, FRED BELTRAN
$4.99
Visionary author and filmmaker, Alexandro Jodorowsky (El Topo, Endless Poetry) has created, along with some of the world's most talented sequential artists, an incredible Sci-Fi universe, full of love, revenge, intrigue, betrayal and redemption. Featuring excerpts from The Incal, The Metabarons, The Technopriests and Megalex, this collection provides a peek into this mind-blowing world that will ensure that you'll want to hop onboard and explore it further.
I have trouble understanding Jodorowski when I get the whole meal. I'm not sure I'll get much out of a sampler. But Humanoids, like Heavy Metal and Aftershock, is pushing strongly into the U.S. market, so we should keep an eye on it.
JUGHEAD #9
Publisher: ARCHIE COMICS
Script: RYAN NORTH
Art/Cover: DEREK CHARM
Variant Covers: VERONICA FISH, AUDREY MOK
32 pages • full color comic • $3.99 U.S.
Fan-favorite writer Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics, Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) and artist Derek Charm unite this September for all-new adventures of everyone's favorite slacker.
North and Charm will follow the hilarious and over-the-top groundwork laid by the JUGHEAD launch team of Chip Zdarsky and Erica Henderson as they introduce Sabrina the Teenage Witch into the New Riverdale for the first time!
"Sabrina's interesting because she's literally magic. She is an actual witch in a world where witchcraft isn't known to be a real thing, and she's got this edge to her that you don't often see in Riverdale," said North on the addition of Sabrina to the series.
(It’s kind of like a) BRAND NEW #1 … except it’s issue #9! SABRINA makes her debut in the NEW RIVERDALE and things are about to get INSANE! New story! New arc! New creative team! Pop Tate's has a new mascot: it's a lady in a burger costume with a giant burger for a head! And she never takes off that giant burger head! And she and Jughead really hit it off, probably for that very reason! But is it possible Burger Lady is MORE than she appears? Find out what happens when Jughead meets a burger he REALLY likes—and a POWERFUL and unexpected new force in Riverdale is revealed!! P.S.: that powerful and unexpected new force is SABRINA THE TEENAGE WITCH! SHE'S the Burger Lady!
So, Jughead and Sabrina are going to be an item? That's ... pretty cool.
KILL OR BE KILLED #2
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer: ED BRUBAKER
Art/Cover: SEAN PHILLIPS
Mature • $3.99
The second chapter in Brubaker, Phillips and Breitweiser's new hit book! Every killer has to have his first kill, and they're never easy.
I liked the first issue, although it didn't blow me away like the first issues of Criminal and The Fade Out. But I have faith in Brubaker and Phillips.
KILL SIX BILLION DEMONS (TPB)
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer: TOM PARKINSON-MORGAN
Art/Cover: TOM PARKINSON-MORGAN
Mature • $14.99
Tom Parkinson-Morgan will release the first chapter of his fan-favorite webcomic KILL SIX BILLION DEMONS in trade paperback this September.
Sorority sister Allison Ruth must travel to Throne, the ancient city at the center of the multiverse, in an epic bid to save her boyfriend from the clutches of the seven evil kings who rule creation.
KILL SIX BILLION DEMONS TPB hits comic book stores Wednesday, September 7.
PRAISE FOR KILL SIX BILLION DEMONS:
“This is a project that just gives and gives, and never fails to up the ante.” -- The Werd
“Warning: this sumptuous, demon-filled webcomic may break your brain.” -- iO9
“Each page is a tour de force of psychedelic imagery.” --The Webcomics Review
Evidently this was on the web first. Anybody read it there? What did you think?
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
LORD MARKSMAN & VANADIS VOL 1 (GN)
Publisher: SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT LLC
Writer: TSUKASA KAWAGUCHI
Art/Cover: NOBUHIKO YANAI
$13.99
The country of Zhcted is ruled by seven women known as the Vanadis, a group of warriors who are given powerful weapons and dominion over the country's seven territories. Taking advantage of its neighboring nations' civil unrest, Zhcted goes to war against the country of Brune. In a battle that decimates Brune's army, the brave, young Brune nobleman Tigrevurmund Vorn meets the beautiful Eleonara Viltaria, one of the Vanadis. Impressed with his skill as an archer, Elen allows Tigre to live in exchange for his servitude. But the battle is far from over, and extends further than either of them could have imagined. Tigre and his new mistress become caught in the middle of a plot that threatens not only their homelands, but the entire world.
Nothing sexually suggestive there, no sir. (But she should be very careful with her next move. Swords are sharp!)
LOST WORK OF WILL EISNER (GN)
Publisher: LOCUST MOON PRESS
Writers: WILL EISNER, DENIS KITCHEN
Art/Cover: WILL EISNER
$24.99
Unearthed in a collection of pre-WWII newspaper printing plates, the mid-1930s comic strips Uncle Otto and Harry Karry represent the earliest known cartooning of the great comics and sequential art pioneer Will Eisner. In these never-before-seen strips you see the young Eisner's imagination expanding, as he experiments with the possibilities of serialized storytelling and works through his numerous influences. Contextualized with an exhaustive introduction by Denis Kitchen, these comics document the genesis of one of the most iconic and brilliant cartoonists of all time.
I love me some Eisner, but it seems to me that interest in this work would mostly be for historical reasons.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
MAX RIDE: FINAL FLIGHT #1 (OF 5)
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
Writer: JODY HOUSER
Art: MARCO FAILLA
Cover: DAVID NAKAYAMA
Variant: SIYA OUM
32 PGS. • Rated T • $3.99
JAMES PATTERSON’S SMASH HIT SERIES RETURNS FOR A TRIUMPHANT CONCLUSION!
• THE FLOCK is tired of running. They’re ready to take the fight directly to JEB and the ERASERS!
• But things get complicated when the line between friend and enemy is blurred.
• And all the while, MAXIMUM RIDE keeps hearing that voice in her head – the voice that says she’s destined to save the world!
I didn't read Max Flight, but this is a Marvel first issue, so heads up.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
NIGHT'S DOMINION #1
Publisher: ONI PRESS INC.
Writer/Art/Cover: TED NAIFEH
Mature • $3.99
Umber: an ancient, sprawling city where the rich live like kings and the poor are lucky to get their scraps. At its center, the tower of Uhlume rises, guarding untold riches. Though heavily guarded, with the right plan ... the right people ... the treasure is free for the taking. Enter our five players: the Bard, the Acolyte, the Asp, the Magus ... and a barmaid? But this barmaid knows the city better than anyone. This barmaid hides a dark secret. And this barmaid needs to make a lot of money ... fast. From the mind of Ted Naifeh (Courtney Crumrin, Batman 66) comes a new dark fantasy epic for fans of Rat Queens and Skullkickers.
So it's Ocean's Eleven by way of Dungeons & Dragons?
NINJAK #19
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by KHARI EVANS and ANDRES GUINALDO
Cover A by MIKE CHOI
Cover B by DIEGO LATORRE
Cover C by RYAN BODENHEIM
Variant Cover by MARC LAMING
$3.99 • 40 pgs. • T+
"THE FIST & THE STEEL" – PART 2
Riddled with an uncanny disease in the present, Colin King has seen what the future holds -- and it is death! Decades from today, destruction looms … and Ninjak and the Eternal Warrior will be our only hope! But even after years on the battlefield, are these weathered veterans still strong enough to forestall an evil that now threatens all of humanity? Glimpse the future of Valiant’s two most dangerous men here as Ninjak and the Eternal Warrior baptize their formative partnership in the blood of many men!
And meanwhile, back in the modern day, Ninjak must exhaust every resource at his disposal to find a cure for the mysterious, Deadside-spawned affliction that continues to destroy his body … But the clock is ticking fast and each step that MI-6′s master super-spy takes brings him one step closer to the grave!
New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (4001 A.D.) and explosive artists Khari Evans (HARBINGER) and Andres Guinaldo (Justice League Dark) collide today against tomorrow for THE FIST & THE STEEL’s next 40-page showdown!
Boy, Valiant loves to tell tales of the future when all their characters are decrepit, don't they? I will note that none of them include X-O Manowar, whose book ends next month. Doesn't sound like Aric of Dacia should be reading any continued stories.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
REBEL #1
Publisher: JOE BOOKS INC.
Writers: SARAH SPILLANE, RIK HOSKIN
Art/Cover: GERMAN PONCE
Mature • $3.99
Ducati-driving law student Skylar Moore is the daughter of Joseph Moore, an alleged assassin from The Enterprise, a dangerous organization operating outside of society and outside of the law. But when Joseph is put on trial for murder, Skylar learns he is still indebted to the all-powerful Enterprise -- and that there's more to her father's story. Don't miss this gritty crime series from Joe Books, based on the original, forthcoming production from Prodigy Pictures.
This sounds like a collection of cliches, but just because a story isn't original doesn't mean it has to be bad. That depends on the execution. But, boy, that execution better be really good!
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
RISE OF THE BLACK FLAME #1 (of 5)
Writers: MIKE MIGNOLA, CHRIS ROBERSON
Art: CHRISTOPHER MITTEN
Colors: DAVE STEWART
Cover: LAURENCE CAMPBELL
FC • 32 pages • $3.99 • Miniseries
Young girls are going missing from the cities of Siam, and the trail leads to the jungle hideout of a bloodthirsty cult wielding an ancient evil power -- the Cult of the Black Flame.
Legendary Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, iZOMBIE co-creator Chris Roberson, Criminal Macabre and 30 Days of Night artist Christopher Mitten, award-winning colorist Dave Stewart and cover artist Laurence Campbell will present RISE OF THE BLACK FLAME. This five-issue miniseries from Dark Horse Comics will present a dark horror story about an ancient, evil power.
"There have been several villains in Hellboy’s world who’ve been called the Black Flame, and the striking visual of a skeleton burning with dark flames is pretty hard to beat,” said co-writer Chris Roberson. “In RISE OF THE BLACK FLAME, we reveal that before there was a man called the Black Flame, there was an ancient cult hidden deep in the jungles of Southeast Asia known by that name. We plumb the depths of cruelty and ruthlessness that groups of people are capable of reaching, and explore how this cult which reaches back to prehistoric times is connected to the most dangerous villain in the history of the Hellboy books.”
"After all these years it’s still so exciting to find new corners (or in this case a giant shadowy, uncharted abyss of horror) of the Hellboy world left to explore," said Mike Mignola.
RISE OF THE BLACK FLAME will mark the Mignolaverse debut of artist Christopher Mitten.
“It is tremendous fun -- and a little surreal -- to be given the chance to dive into this fantastic universe,” said Christopher Mitten. “Mike and Chris (with whom I've long wanted to work) have concocted a fantastic story, and then there's Dave Stewart ... I mean, KNOWING Dave would be coloring and then actually SEEING his artistry in action are two wholly different things. Getting a chance to dip my toe into this expansive world has made me want to dig in and explore more of it, to go off into little corners and find what strangeness, what beauty, lurks there.”
Another strong entry in the Hellboy Universe. Somehow, DH always finds artists that fit seamlessly into the Mignola esthetic.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
SKYBOURNE #1
Publisher: BOOM! STUDIOS
Writer/Art/Cover: FRANK CHO
$3.99
• A new, original series from celebrated creator Frank Cho (Totally Awesome Hulk, Savage Wolverine)!
• Full of fast-paced action, Skybourne is James Bond with fantasy elements thrown in and is unlike anything Frank Cho has ever done before.
• The legend of King Arthur is alive and well in modern day. Only one man, Skybourne, can stop the evil Merlin from destroying the world.
The appeal for me here, of course, is Cho's art, rather than what appears to be a relatively derivative concept (as was the case with Liberty Meadows). I mean, if I want James Bond, I've already got him, by Warren Ellis no less.
But the question immediately arises, as it always does with Cho, of whether or not he can handle a monthly schedule. I suspect not, but I'll take what I can get.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
THIN #1 (OF 3)
Publisher: AMERICAN GOTHIC PRESS
Writer/Art/Cover: JON CLARK
$3.99
Winner of the Famous Monsters Silver Scream Fest Award for Best Graphic Novel! Jon Clark's Thin is the visceral and utterly disturbing story of a woman mired in obsession and guilt who desperately tries for a miracle cure, only to uncover a deadly horror. The ordinary world of dieting goes to very dark places in this special oversized first issue.
Yikes!
THE WALKING DEAD #158
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer: ROBERT KIRKMAN
Art: CHARLIE ADLARD, STEFANO GAUDIANO, CLIFF RATHBURN
Cover: ARTHUR ADAMS
"THE WHISPERER WAR" Part Two
The war rages on.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: There was no in-story reason to keep Negan alive. It was writer fiat from a writer who has publicly discussed how much he likes writing Negan. So that decision coming back to bite Rick in the nethers also feels like writer fiat. Irritating, as I like reading about Negan considerably less than Kirkman likes writing about him.
FIRST ISSUE ALERT
WIDOW PROGENY #1
Publisher: MIKE WOLFER ENTERTAINMENT
Writer: MIKE WOLFER
ART: KARL MOLINE
Cover: ROY ALLEN MARTINEZ, CECI DE LA CRUZ
Mature • $4.99
Mike Wolfer's erotic/horror, cult classic Widow series roars back to blood-curdling life with this shocking, new tale of lust, survival and mutant spider creatures with a hunger for human flesh! When a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter crash lands on a remote Caribbean island, the crew find not only a beautiful shipwreck survivor, but a horde on hideous monsters intent on devouring them all. Karl Moline's stark, black-and-white art is hand-painted in gray tones by Mike Wolfer, giving this first new Widow series in 19 years a decidedly Gothic horror feel, making it unlike any other comic on the stands!
I don't remember seeing Widow when it was last published. Heck, I don't even remember where I was 19 years ago! Anybody familiar with the property?
Z FACTOR (GN)
EPICENTER COMICS
Writer: GIONVANNI GUALDONI
Art/Cover: MARCO BIANCHINI
Mature • $11.99
The signs are obvious, the invisible plague is spreading, and the apocalypse is near: the dead are coming back from their eternal sleep and they're hungry for human flesh. For a young woman, Helen, who is stuck and isolated in a ghastly Manhattan, trying to avoid the zombies' terrifying grip will be like crossing hell!
You just can't have too many zombies!
Oh, wait, you actually can. Then you get eaten.
Never mind.
Replies
In the original Sabrina Cartoon series she and Jughead did go out a few times. I think they are actually married in the afterlife with archie series.
Different color scheme for the armor makes more sense when you think of who will be in it from now on.
It looks like old Wasp isn't married to Havoc anymore, I'm relieved.
Regarding Gotham (the hero, I mean) SPOILER SPACE
I mean, SPOILER SPACE
And again, SPOILER SPACE...
I'm pretty sure Gotham's dead, which would most likely rule him out as a future ally.
He's giving up just because he's dead? What a lame excuse.
These new-fangled heroes have no gumption!
Captain Comics said:
JUSTICE LEAGUE #4
Hey, a group shot with Cyborg in it! That's him in the background. No, the other one. The one not in eye-catching primary colors.
.....and facing away from the camera.