Comics Guide: Aug. 7-13, 2023

MARVEL COMICS

At the #1 publisher this week, the big news includes Mary Jane Watson's fully-costumed superhero debut, the continuing "Fall of X" and "Dark Droids" crossovers, the launch of "Contest of Chaos" and a splashy Avengers run.

FACT IT, TIGER! YOU'VE HIT THE JACKPOT!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #31

SPECIAL OVERSIZED ISSUE! — NYC VS. TOMBSTONE!

Peter Parker is the best man, and Tombstone is walking the bride down the aisle!
That’s right — Janice Lincoln and Randy Robertson are tying the knot, and there’s NO WAY all the crime bosses in NYC aren't seeing this as an opportunity to off Tombstone.
This story sets up our big Spider-Event of Zeb and Johnny’s second year on ASM, and that’s just the HALF of it!
Also in this issue: bachelor/bachelorette parties, other ASM-story preludes, glimpses of some of the biggest unannounced Spider-projects and extra bonus awesomeness!

A host of all-star talent will join Zeb Wells and John Romita Jr. to set up their exciting second year on the title with story preludes, glimpses of some of the biggest upcoming Spider-projects and awesome extra bonus stories including a tale by writer Celeste Bronfman and artist Alba Glez that launches Mary Jane’s exciting new era as JACKPOT!

Mary Jane Watson’s thrilling new “jackpot” powers were recently explored in the pages of Jed MacKay and Vincenzo Carratu’s hit Mary Jane & Black Cat limited series and now, she’s ready to show off her exciting abilities to the Marvel Universe at large as a bona fide super hero! Bronfman and Glez’s touching story will see MJ come to terms with the heartbreaking tragedy that occurred to her family in recent issues before taking to the streets to help others in need! Mary Jane’s journey as JACKPOT will continue in upcoming issues of AMAZING SPIDER-MAN as well as a yet to be announced new limited series!

In Amazing Spider-Man #31 (well, the latest #31), MJ goes full Jackpot.

Sorry to whine, but it strikes me as weird and wrong for Mary Jane to be a superhero. Why would the girl always described as happy-go-lucky want to get into the grim business of crimefighting? The obvious answer is that she's not happy-go-lucky any more, but if that's the case, is she even still Mary Jane any more?

Besides, she has no hand-to-hand combat training, and no defense against guns. Luck powers or not, she wouldn't last five seconds against ordinary muggers. I'd believe Lois Lane turning into a superhero — she already is, in some ways — but Mary Jane is a bridge too far for me.

But then again, my underlying distaste might stretch back to "One More Day" (2007), which soured me on Spider-Man comics in general, and the Peter/MJ relationship in specific. (2004's "Sins Past" did the same with Gwen Stacy.) Since it's obvious that no writer is going to be allowed to let the two be a happy couple, why should I care about their relationship? This is just another in a series of preposterous twists that distance the characters from each other, and distance me from any interest in them.

This all takes place with the backdrop of Peter Parker's roommate Randy Robertson (son of Robbie Robertson) marrying Janice Lincoln (daughter of Tombstone, and also The Beetle in Superior Foes of Spider-Man). That actually sounds pretty interesting. Imagine a reverse Fantastic Four Annual #3, where all the villains are the wedding party, and the heroes crash the ceremony. And Spidey always looks good fighting New York gangs, going back to the Ditko days.

My cranky-old-man complaints aside, this 96-page whopper is an obvious must-get for today's Spidey fans. Here's the PR:

BAD TIMES AT THE EL KRAKOA

CHILDREN OF THE VAULT #1 (OF 4)

TO SAVE THE FUTURE!

Since 2019’s revolutionary HOUSE OF X and POWERS OF X series, mutantkind has experienced unparalleled growth and prosperity on the island nation Krakoa — but can it really last forever? Following July’s X-MEN: HELLFIRE GALA #1, mutantkind will enter a thrilling new era of uncertainty, danger, and mystery known as FALL OF X! During this perilous time, two of the X-Men’s strongest soldiers will join forces to take down the greatest threat to mutantkind’s future in CHILDREN OF THE VAULT!

A four-issue limited series, CHILDREN OF THE VAULT will be written by Deniz Camp (20th Century Men) in his exciting Marvel Comics debut and drawn by Luca Maresca, following his hit work on Photon: Monica Rambeau. These two rising stars will explore one of the most significant obstacles to mutantkind’s survival, the mega-evolved superbeings known as THE CHILDREN OF THE VAULT. This post-human species is seen as the next stage of evolution, superior to mutants in every way. Their motives and the existential threat they represent has been brewing in the pages of both Jonathan Hickman and Gerry Duggan’s X-MEN runs, and after the dramatic events at this year’s Hellfire Gala, they’re be unleashed from their virtual prison with a new mission. Former enemies become brother-in-arms as Cable and Bishop team-up to fight this crucial war against the Children of the Vault all on their own!

The Children of the Vault are back, and they are determined to be humanity’s salvation! But not everything is as it seems, and every utopia has its costs. What is the motivation behind these highly evolved beings gifting the world with their advanced technology? And how do Bishop and a now-Orchis-captured Cable figure into their plans?

“With CHILDREN OF THE VAULT, we're taking what Mike Carey, Jonathan Hickman, and Gerry Duggan have established and filling in the gaps to more fully flesh out their motivations and methods,” Camp explained. “It's been a real thrill to invent a whole new society for the Marvel Universe, with its own brutal history, culture, prejudices, personalities, and politics. Just as important to this book are Cable and Bishop, two characters I've long known and recently come to love. We're embracing their rich history and complicated pasts (and futures!) to create a dynamic that I think feels fresh but deeply rooted in the characters.

“All of these characters, with their competing visions for the future, are going to collide in a sci-fi story brimming with ‘big ideas,’ accessible to new readers but taking full advantage of the FALL OF X status quo and the Marvel Universe.”

"Fall of X" enters its third week (counting from X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023 #1 on July 26) with three tie-in titles — two of them first issues!

The first is Children of the Vault #1 (of 4), which finally realizes the tease these characters have presented since their introduction in 2006. The Vault, as obliquely discussed in The Baron's Hellfire Gala thread, is an enclosed environment where time is wildly accelerated, and the people inside have evolved into a species of super-powered individuals distinct from both humans and mutants (and presumably Eternals and Inhumans). Their goal, once out of the Vault (and there was some reason they couldn't leave before now that I don't remember), they intend to wipe out all competing species and rule the Earth. Given what we saw of their capabilities when Laura Kinney and Synch were trapped in there, they are formidable. And the X-Men aren't exactly at their best.

GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE ALPHA #1 (OF 4)

LOGAN & BLAZE — THE WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE!

LOGAN’s the best there is at what he does — and what he does as the deadly WOLVERINE isn’t very nice. When innocent blood is spilled, JOHNNY BLAZE becomes the GHOST RIDER, equipped to deal punishment with the power of hellfire! A demonic serial killer is murdering innocent mutants. But what is it about this deadly new villain that forces our two heroes to team up? And what buried secret does he share with Wolverine and Ghost Rider’s never-before-seen very first meeting in the past?

Hotshot writer Benjamin Percy has proven to be a master at crafting hair-raising sagas for Marvel’s most hardcore anti-heroes. This summer, he’ll bring together his hit runs on GHOST RIDER and WOLVERINE in an explosive new crossover: GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE!

The story will kick off in August’s GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE ALPHA where Percy will team up with acclaimed artist Geoff Shaw (Thanos, Guardians of the Galaxy) to reveal Wolverine and Johnny Blaze’s first encounter! Back when Logan was still learning what it meant to be an X-Man and Johnny was still reeling from his demonic transformation, the pair fought side by side against a terrifying supernatural threat. Now in the present, Wolverine is on the run after the shocking events of FALL OF X while Johnny is following a path of destruction. Their paths will collide again when their past enemy resurfaces deadlier than ever! Do Ghost Rider and Wolverine have what it takes to put them down once more? And what secrets will they uncover when their hunt leads them to an ultra-secret and hellish branch of the infamous Weapon Plus program?! After GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE ALPHA, the story will unfold in the pages of GHOST RIDER #17 and WOLVERINE #36 before coming to a fiery end in GHOST RIDER/WOLVERINE: WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE OMEGA.

“Wolverine is metal. Ghost Rider is metal. Together their adamantium and chrome weigh in as HEAVY METAL!” Percy explained. “You know how Metallica and Iron Maiden have toured together, shredded out songs, wailed on music videos? This is a little like that. I write the sheet music that Geoff Shaw brings to pyrotechnic, guitar-smashing life. You're in for a head-banging good time, I promise. This story — WEAPONS OF VENGEANCE — not only unites Logan and Johnny in the present, but also tells the story of their first (never before seen!) first meeting. Here are the quick and dirty liner notes: When Wolverine investigates the possibility of a new Weapons Plus program — one that experiments and specializes in the arsenal of Hell — he finds himself conscripted as a weapon of vengeance. And the only one capable of stopping him is Johnny @#$%& Blaze. Rev your engines, pop your claws.”

The second book is the first issue of a four-part Ghost Rider/Wolverine crossover called "Weapons of Vengeance." It promises to show the duo's first meeting, as well as tie into "Fall of X" in the present somehow. It starts here, runs through the next issues of Wolverine and Ghost Rider, and wraps up in an "Omega" issue. It's got one of those fugly Frank Miller variant covers for those who collect such things.

IMMORTAL X-MEN #14

IMMORTAL X-MEN #14 heralds just how dark mutantkind’s horizon is. Once depicting the shady backstabbing and clever power plays of Krakoa’s leaders, IMMORTAL X-MEN #14 shows the Quiet Council has been reduced to a single member.

TO ME, MY NO ONE. In IMMORTAL X-MEN #14, witness the X-Men’s founder at his lowest. Xavier had a dream. Now he has nothing. He fell. He fell furthest.

The third features Professor X as the lone survivor on Krakoa after the events of X-Men: Hellfire Gala 2023 #1. Well, if you don't count Krakoa itself, which I suspect will play a role. The cover has a strong Planet of the Apes vibe.

DROIDS KEEP GETTING DARKER

Here's the second week of the "Dark Droids" crossover, where some master droid takes over other droids and leads a rebellion. Very Magnus, Robot Fighter, if you ask me. But nobody asked me. There's also a one-shot starring Mos Eisley band leader Max Rebo, but I don't think it's connected to Dark Droids.

STAR WARS #37

LOBOT LOST!

Something has gone horribly wrong with LOBOT, putting the REBELLION at terrible risk! LANDO CALRISSIAN will do anything to save his friend, even if it means betraying the REBELS. Will the SCOURGE OF THE DROIDS destroy any chance to cure Lobot, or will he be lost forever?

STAR WARS: RETURN OF THE JEDI — MAX REBO #1 (ONE-SHOT)

WHO IS PLOTTING TO KILL JABBA THE HUTT?

Wait … someone ELSE is plotting to kill one of the galaxy’s most infamous gangsters? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT! When you’re JABBA THE HUTT, you make a lot of enemies … and sometimes, they’re even under your employ! MAX REBO and the band have their own plans on how to deal with a mobster like Jabba. This issue bookends our JABBA’S PALACE one-shot and leads directly into the RETURN OF THE JEDI film!

CONTEST OF CHAMPIONS!

SPIDER-MAN ANNUAL #1 (ONE-SHOT)

THE CONTEST OF CHAOS BEGINS! SPIDER-MAN VS. WOLVERINE!

Agatha Harkness is building a new Darkhold — and she’s pitting Earth's Mightiest Heroes against each other to do it! First on her list is Spider-Man, whose regular day is turned upside down when he involuntarily walks through a portal to a remote, magical city …and is attacked by Wolverine!

This crossover is called "Contest of Chaos," but it feels like the old Contest of Champions, which was an excuse for superheroes to fight each other, in support of a video game or RPG game or something somewhere. The putative cause is Agatha Harkness, now young and evil (thank you, WandaVision), and runs through, I think, four annuals this summer. Here's the first.

ASHEN COMBINE ARRIVES

AVENGERS #4

Battle is joined as the Avengers race to combat the Ashen Combine. But with Lord Ennui, the Citysmith, Idol Alabaster, the Dead and Meridian Diadem scattered across the planet, each with their own city for prey, have the Avengers spread themselves too thin? United, the Avengers stand. But divided ...?

Check out Stuart Immonen’s cover for August’s AVENGERS #4! The action-packed cover spotlights the deadly upcoming showdown between Iron Man and Citysmith, a member of the new villain team, THE ASHEN COMBINE!

The latest Avengers title, written by Jed MacKay, has introduced a new menace called the Ashen Combine, which must be full of heavy hitters to challenge this particularly heavy-hitting group of Avengers (which includes Captain Marvel, Iron Man, Scarlet Witch, Thor and Vision). The first three issues were apparently a lead-up to this, the first major confrontation.

TIDBITS

AVENGERS WAR ACROSS TIME TP

This is the beautiful Paul Levitz/Alan Davis project that I've been eagerly trade-waiting. But I'd rather have a hardback, so I'll still wait and see. Impatiently.

CAPTAIN MARVEL: DARK TEMPEST #2 (OF 5)

Check out his lovely homage to Captain Marvel #34 (1974), complete with '70s trade dress.

Good lord, has it really been 50 years? I was a teenager when this came out, and couldn't imagine 50 years into the future. Or even being 50. Man, I can't wait to see the next homage cover 50 years from now.

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY #5

"Bonus page written by Jonathan Hickman — WHO ARE THE G.O.D.S.?" (This is the fourth of seven titles to offer this bonus page.)

WEREWOLF BY NIGHT #33 FACSIMILE EDITION

Reprinting the second part of Moon Knight's first appearance.

DC COMICS

Tne best of DC this week includes two Webtoon collections, the ongoing Knight Terrors event and another summer annual.

I don't know anything about Webtoon — it would take me 20 grueling seconds of Googling to find out — but here's what DC says about it:

"WEBTOON is the world’s largest digital comics platform, home to some of the biggest artists, IP and fandoms in comics. As the global leader and pioneer of the mobile webcomic format, WEBTOON has revolutionized the comics industry for comics fans and creators. Today, a diverse new generation of international comics artists have found a home on WEBTOON, where the company’s storytelling technology allows anyone to become a creator and build a global audience for their stories.

"With a massive catalog of incredible digital comics from rising stars on the WEBTOON CANVAS platform and a growing roster of superstar WEBTOON Originals creators, there’s something for every type of comics fan on WEBTOON. With 85.6 million monthly active users and WEBTOON adaptations on Netflix, Crunchyroll, and other screens around the world, WEBTOON’s passionate fandoms are the new face of pop culture. The company has worked with DC Comics, Marvel Entertainment, HYBE and many more of the world’s biggest entertainment brands.

"The WEBTOON app is free to download on Android and iOS devices."

WEBTOON ADVENTURES

BATMAN: WAYNE FAMILY ADVENTURES VOL 1 TP

Story: CRC Payne | Art: Starbite, Maria Li, Lan Ma, Jean Kim | Cover: Vasco Georgiev | $14.99

"Being a father can't be harder than being Batman, right?”

Batman has his hands full. Nightwing, Batgirl, Red Hood, Orphan, Spoiler, a few Robins ... there is no shortage of children — adopted, fostered and biological — for Bruce Wayne to manage. And now, with new vigilante Duke Thomas, a.k.a. the Signal, joining the family, Wayne Manor just got even more crowded. Join us for these wacky, heart-warming adventures and learn the meaning of the world family. Collecting the first 25 episodes of Webtoon's Eisner-nominated series, optimized for a brand-new reading experience in print.

DC today revealed the expansion of its creative partnership with WEBTOON, the world’s largest digital comics platform, into the global book market beginning in fall 2023. Batman: Wayne Family Adventures Vol. 1 and Vixen: NYC Vol. 1 will go to print and be available wherever books are sold in August, and Zatanna & The Ripper Vol. 1 will hit shelves in October, introducing a new audience of comics fans to the DC Universe and DC’s iconic characters.

“Fans can’t get enough of our DC and WEBTOON content,” said Anne DePies, DC’s senior vice president and general manager, “and expanding DC’s creative partnership with WEBTOON into print with books like Batman: Wayne Family Adventures reflects this demand. Each page of these new volumes is meticulously reproduced to be read seamlessly in book narrative format. DC’s continuing partnership with WEBTOON combines legendary franchises with new technologies and global fandoms, and we can’t wait to get these new print editions into your hands.”

“We’re immensely proud of the stories we’ve been able to tell with DC and thrilled to bring these narratives to bookshelves,” said David Lee, VP of content at WEBTOON. “The creative teams behind these series have given fans fresh takes on legendary DC characters, and we’re excited to give WEBTOON and DC fans a new way to enjoy these titles.”

The smash-hit collaboration between DC and WEBTOON began with Batman: Wayne Family Adventures in September 2021. The Eisner Award-nominated webcomic series, exploring Batman’s adventures as a father to a dynamic group of adopted, fostered and biological superhero children, is currently in its second season, with new digital episodes rolling out weekly. Vixen: NYC launched in May 2022 to tell the story of college freshman Mari Jiwe discovering she can channel the power of the animal kingdom, and a time-displaced Zatanna story launched soon afterward in Zatanna & the Ripper, a magical serial-killer murder mystery set in London in the 1800s.

The first Webtoon collection is "Wayne Family Adventures," positing a scenario where Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain, Stephanie Brown, Duke Thomas and Barbara Gordon all live together as a wacky, super-powered The Brady Bunch, with Bruce as paterfamilias and Alfred as Alice. Frankly, that sounds like how Batman comics ought to be. Aren't we all a little tired of grimdark Bat-psycho?

VIXEN: NYC VOL 1 TP

Story: Jasmine Walls | Art: Hailey Stewart, Manou Azumi, Toby Fan, BBM | Cover: Vasco Georgiev | $19.99

Before going off to college in New York City, Mari Jiwe is gifted an ancestral totem, fabled to give its wearer the powers of the animal kingdom. Of course, this is just a silly story based in ancient superstitions, right? Wrong! After arriving in the Big Apple, Mari finds herself in over her head, big time, as the totem gifts her with animal abilities beyond her wildest dreams. And on top of that, she's still a college freshman. While she battles to keep her grades up, she also battles the dark forces that are emerging from the corners of this vast metropolis--forces that will stop at nothing to take away her magic totem. Concrete jungle meets actual jungle in this brand-new origin story for this fan-favorite character! Things are going to get wild in this collection of the first nine episodes of the hit Webtoon, optimized for a print reading experience.

The second is Vixen as a college student, which is more interesting than any adult Vixen story I've read.

SUMMER ANNUALS

SUPERMAN 2023 ANNUAL #1 (ONE SHOT)

Lois Lane is now editor-in-chief of the Daily Planet, but at heart she’ll always be an investigative reporter. And lately Metropolis has had a whole new set of secrets she must uncover. Even if it means investigating her own husband … Superman!

Featuring Livewire, Parasite and Mercy, this special issue is your next big puzzle piece leading to a massive Superman crossover in 2024.

I hope all this effort they're pouring into the Super-books pays off.

The "Knight Terrors" crossover continues in these titles:

KNIGHT TERRORS #3 (OF 4)

KNIGHT TERRORS: FLASH #2 (OF 2)

KNIGHT TERRORS: GREEN LANTERN #2 (OF 2)

KNIGHT TERRORS: ROBIN #2 (OF 2)

KNIGHT TERRORS: SHAZAM #2 (OF 2)

KNIGHT TERRORS: ZATANNA #2 (OF 2)

IMAGE COMICS

The biggest news from Image this week is a Western.

THE ENFIELD GANG MASSACRE #1 (OF 6)

Story: Chris Condon | Art: Jacob Phillips | Mature | $3.99

That Texas Blood duo — Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips — returns to Ambrose County, Texas, with a five-issue miniseries set 150 years in the past. This all new, five-issue tale is set to launch in August from Image Comics.

Gunslinging action meets dark frontier drama in this original Western thriller, as Montgomery Enfield and his gang of outlaws find themselves in the crosshairs of an aging Texas Ranger and a newborn county that’s hungry for law.

"Way back in That Texas Blood issue #7's back matter, I mentioned 'the Enfield Gang’s reign of terror in the 1870s' which ended in a 'shootout.' That got Jacob's imagination going and he wondered if we'd ever see that (or, more importantly, if he'd ever draw it). And, well, now we're here," said Condon. "That may have been the catalyst, but the truth is that I've always wanted to tell the story of the origin of Ambrose County, a birth fraught with violence and terror. This miniseries is a treat for our seasoned readers but it is also an absolutely fantastic spot to jump in as this is a tabula rasa — we have a new set of characters and a county that is nigh-unrecognizable. At its core, this is a story about the truth — how fragile it is — and how whoever wins writes its future."

I've said before that I only like Westerns that have a supernatural element, but that's not really true. What I don't like is Westerns that rely on the false tropes developed in Westerns from the '30s to the '60s.

Showdowns at noon? Most people shot in the Wild West were shot from ambush. Gunfights at all? The OK Corral was an aberration — most people's aim with those big ol' six-shooters wasn't good enough for a gunfight. (Even the OK Corral had a surprisingly low casualty rate for close-quarters gunplay.) Sheriffs who had to deal with armed, drunken cowboys in the saloon? Nope, cowboys had to check their guns in with the sheriff before entering a town. Heroic sheriffs? Most of 'em had shady pasts, including Wyatt Earp. Horse chases with people shooting at each other? Nope, hitting anything with an 1880s Colt while on a moving horse was virtually impossible. Robber gangs? Sure, but TV and movies gloss over how they were usually ex-Confederate war criminals — former soldiers who, perversely, were usually depicted as noble Lost Cause warriors in media. Savage, evil Indians? They were usually just defending their homes and families — and avenging massacres and broken treaties. Shooting guns out of people's hands? Ridiculous. Honest sod-busters in clean clothes? No. Saloon gals with hearts of gold? They were virtually enslaved sex workers. Pretty schoolmarms? Nobody's complexion was peaches and cream on the plains.

I could go on, but you get the idea. I'm actually OK with Westerns that show the gritty, lawless, poverty-stricken nature of those years — which usually isn't pretty. Maybe I was spoiled as a youth by The Wild Bunch, after which I couldn't watch Rawhide, Gunsmoke or Bonanza seriously any more. (On the other hand, I loved Maverick, which delighted in puncturing Western myths.) Anyway, this book looks interesting.

IDW PUBLISHING

The best bet at IDW this week is a book about suicide.

BUT YOU HAVE FRIENDS GN

Story/Art: Emilia McKenzie | 120 pages | Mature (15+) | $19.99

When a dear friend dies by suicide, Emilia is left with only memories. Full of humor and poignancy, this graphic memoir is a meditation on the meaning of friendship and a love letter to an irreplaceable friend.

Emilia first met Charlotte in their school locker room in the late '90s. They quickly bonded over indie music, feminist literature, a love of purple and a shared sense of outsiderness. Their joyful, intense friendship evolved through the years — until Charlotte died in 2018 following a long struggle with depression.

Now, Emilia assembles her memories into a graphic memoir reflecting on the bond they shared and the ways it shaped them. As they pass in and out of each other’s lives, teenage ideals collide with adult realities, prompting reflections about the meaning of friendship.

But You Have Friends is a tender tribute to an irreplaceable friend and a sharply observed, personal account of the aftermath of loss. It is also a humorous, candid memorial that will resonate with anyone who has ever loved.

Praise for Emilia McKenzie's But You Have Friends:

"A tender graphic memoir about the loss of a close friend ... thoughtful, loving, and honest." — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

Sounds like a downer, sure, but those who have never experienced depression rarely understand it. Books like this can only help.

DARK HORSE COMICS

DH'S top offerings this week are two LGBTQ+ books, one a graphic novel and the other a miniseries sequel.

KILLER QUEENS II: KINGS, NOT WINGS #1 (OF 4)

Story: David M. Booher | Art: Bradley Clayton | Cover: Chris Ables | $3.99

They put the sass in assassin!

The deadliest queens in space are back at Dark Horse in Killer Queens 2: Kings, Not Wings. This new miniseries is a continuation of the original Killer Queens, which was nominated for both an Eisner and GLAAD award, and follows two reformed assassins-for-hire, Max and Alex, as they use their slay-worthy skills for good. A queer take on 1950s sci-fi nostalgia, the comic features an all LGBTQ+ creative team including writer David M. Booher, interior artist Bradley Clayton, colorist Harry Saxon, letterer Lucas Gattoni, with cover art by Chris Ables.

The Galaxy’s sassiest (Eisner and GLAAD-nominated!) assassins are back!

During a day of questionable choices at Space Pride, Max and Alex bump into their old boss. The grumpy little simian tries to dragoon them into chasing down a runaway heir to the throne of Sarelia, an alien planet ruled by a brutal patriarchy. Little does he know that Alex and this heir have some, ahem, history. As Alex and Max race to save the runaway heir from a galaxy-wide bounty hunt, they’ll dredge up Alex’s past and confront her planet’s misogynist present. If that means burning the patriarchy to the ground, well, get out the torches.

Praise for Killer Queens:

“Fun to the extreme.” — Comicwatch

“This is how you do comics. This is about as fun as they possibly get.” — Panel Patter

“This is The Jetsons meets Gunpowder Milkshake, and that’s as much fun as it sounds.” — SyFy.com

“With some bold in your face writing and characterization along with these great interiors the universe has two new stars on its horizon and there’s no stopping them now.” — Reading with a Flight Ring

“Sit back and enjoy the ride.” — Multiversity Comics

I'm not really into sass, but the first Killer Queens mini sold well enough to merit a second. Must be something there.

US TP

Story/Art: Sara Soler | $19.99

Us is Sara and Diana's love story, as well as the story of Diana's gender transition. Full of humor, heartache and the everyday triumphs and struggles of identity, this graphic memoir speaks to changing conceptions of the world as well as the self, at the same time revealing that some things don't really have to change.

Written, drawn, and colored by Sara Soler, with English translation by Silvia Perea Labayen and letters by Joamette Gil.

I'm old and set in my ways, and not really into romance books. But I'm not too old to recognize and embrace the enormous cultural shift that has made books like this not only possible, but popular.

BARNSTORMERS #2

I love this cover! So 1930s!

DYNAMITE

Dynamite launches a new Vampirella book this week, and for some reason sent me PR on the second issue of Gargoyles: Dark Ages. Enjoy!

GARGOYLES: DARK AGES #2

Covers: Clayton Crain, Alan Quah, Mirka Andolfo, Kenya Danino, Erica Henderson, Action Smith, Drew Moss

Our new companion series for Gargoyles fans is finally here, and it's delving into a long-discussed and speculated spinoff story concept that fans have been waiting on for years! The first issue of GARGOYLES: DARK AGES has been met with stellar reviews and incredible reactions from fans. Franchise mastermind and writer Greg Weisman is bringing the heat, with a second issue full of drama and action! Each issue is a premium package too, with extra pages featuring a bonus prose tale by Weisman further fleshing out this critical lore, plus cardstock covers for the ultimate comic. Issue #2 is on "Final Order Cutoff" this weekend, and we're sharing some reviews, sneak peek at pages, a new trailer and more!

"The first Gargoyles comic spin-off has arrived, and it's apparent from the leap it's a most welcome addition to the wider canon" — ComicBook.com

"Moss offers some beautifully detailed art with a fantastic style that is as visually compelling as the story itself" — The Superpowered Fancast

"The series can be enjoyed by fans old and new alike, immersing them in a world where superstition and the sword ruled" — AIPT

"Fortunately, whether you're a long-time fan of the series or new the franchise, this first issue serves as a fine jumping-on point but also manages to tie into the current series quite seamlessly" — Geek'd Out

Here's a trailer.

Here's a video creator discussion.

VAMPIRELLA/DRACULA: RAGE #1

THEY'RE COMING FOR HER BABY — AND SHE'S GOING TO KILL EVERY LAST ONE OF THEM! Picking up where Vampirella: Year One left off, Vampirella/Dracula: Rage presents Vampirella as you've never seen her before. Inconsolable grief hardens into unquenchable rage as Vampirella tracks the cultists who threaten her son across Europe and America, unsettling political and economic alliances and unraveling the global network of the baby's father — Dracula!

In a macabre exchange of norms, it is Dracula, the Lord of Vampires, who now hunts the elusive Vampiri in an effort to save Vampirella from herself — or, more precisely, to save her from becoming like him. To this end, Dracula recruits Victory, once Vampirella's closest friend, to act as his ersatz Renfield while they try (and fail) to anticipate the next moves of a woman whose anger has now completely consumed her.

This bold new limited series bookends Vampirella/Dracula: Unholy, bringing Vampirella's conflict with the Prince of Darkness to its ultimate conclusion and setting up a dramatic change in direction for the Daughter of Drakulon!

I haven't really been keeping up with the latest Vampi offerings, as I've been hoping for some sort of omnibus collection of the Christopher Priest-written material. But I'm getting impatient!

MORE COMICS

BATTLE ACTION #1 (OF 5)

Story: Garth Ennis, John Wagner | Art: Dan Cornwell | Art/Cover: Keith Burns | Rebellion / 2000AD | $7.99

Battle Action returns with an all-new miniseries of war stories. This first issue sees the return of Johnny Red and his Falcon Squadron hunting down German raiders, written by Garth Ennis with art by Keith Burns. Also included is a newly-penned HMS Nightshade story by John Wagner, a tale focusing on the bonds of friendship forged during naval battles, drawn by Dan Cornwell. Future issues will feature stories by Torunn Gronbekk, Chris Burnham, Rob Williams, Dan Abnett and more.

These covers seem to be deliberately made to look they're from the '60s, but they are clearly new. And I'll read any war story by Garth Ennis.

COMIC BOOKS KILL #1

Golden Age Comics creator Jack Levi places his life and career on the line when he begins an illicit affair with the femme fatale mistress of his mob boss publisher.

New York. 1939. Comics creator Jack Levi places his life and career on the line when he begins an illicit affair with the femme fatale lover of his mafia boss publisher. Based on long-held rumors that the comics industry of the 30s and 40s served as a front for organized crime, COMIC BOOKS KILL is a crime noir tale of myths, mistresses, and mobsters sure to thrill fans of Lee, Kirby, Brubaker and Phillips.

“Hoyt Silva and I always knew it would take a publisher of vision — of true boldness and daring — to publish a controversial book like COMIC BOOKS KILL. So we were ecstatic when an industry firebrand like Scout Comics took the project onboard. Under their banner, time has proven us to be in the most capable of hands. And our experience with Scout editorial has been second to none!” — Shane Berryhill, writer/co-creator, COMIC BOOKS KILL

This story perfectly captures a time when comics lifted our imaginations and gangsters ruled our nightmares, but it brings them together with a crash of heart and stones.” — Brian Stelfreeze, award-winning artist of Black Panther, Daymen, Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight

Man, that is some classy art. And I do love me some film noir.

COMPLETE PERSEPOLIS 20TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION HC

Story/Art: Marjane Satrapi | Pantheon Books | $35.00

For the first time in hardcover, a stunning twentieth anniversary collected edition of "the most original coming-of-age story from the Middle East yet" (People), with a new introduction by the author that examines the Iranian political landscape in the context of global politics. Here, in one volume: Marjane Satrapi's best-selling, internationally acclaimed memoir-in-comic strips. Persepolis is the story of Satrapi's unforgettable childhood and coming of age within a large and loving family in Tehran during the Islamic Revolution; of the contradictions between private and public life in a country plagued by political upheaval; of her high school years in Vienna facing the trials of adolescence far from her family; of her homecoming, sweet and terrible; and, finally, of her self-imposed exile from her beloved homeland. It is the chronicle of a girlhood and adolescence at once outrageous and familiar, a young life entwined with the history of her country yet filled with the universal trials and joys of growing up.

The first Persepolis was so awesome, that even though I think the sequels bring diminishing returns I would recommend getting this collection. In fact, I may get it myself, even though I have all of it already in a soft-boxed, softcover package. (It's not aging well.)

CON & ON #2 (OF 5)

Ahoy, Ahoy fans!

DEMENTIA 21 BOX SET

A two-volume custom slipcase set featuring the devilishly funny, absurdist adult manga stories by Shintaro Kago, one of the most transgressive and experimental of Japan’s manga auteurs.

Arthritic superheroes! Supernatural old biddies! Zombie caretakers! Mind-controlling dentures! A senile Santa! When plucky young Yukie Sakai is hired as a home aide, little does she know what surreal, absurd and grotesque adventures are in store for her. Dementia 21 is one of the most outrageously satirical comics ever created, written and drawn by Shintaro Kago, one of the most experimental of Japan’s manga auteurs. Initially printed in a super limited edition run, Fantagraphics is bringing this title back into print for trade audiences. Presented in a beautifully designed deluxe slipcase, it contains the complete two-volume paperback set of this engrossing and bestselling manga series.

"Showing influences from Salvador Dali to Katsuhiro Otomo, the combination of Kago's precise, expressive and kinetic line work with his wacky storytelling is at turns engrossing and repulsive. Mature fans of unconventional manga will appreciate the surreal spiral of body horror, tragicomedy, and dark humor." — Publishers Weekly

"Charming, hilarious, and thought-provoking. Dementia 21 proves that Kago is a cutting satirist with a deft touch for black comedy." — Broken Frontier

"As much as I admire Kago's oddness as a writer, his artistic pen is even sharper. [His characters] retain a realistic edge that intensifies their horror-tinged universe." — PopMatters

This looks fascinating, and I don't often say that about manga. (Sorry, Bob!)

DUCHENNE SMILE (ONE-SHOT)

Story/Art: Damian Connelly | Blood Moon Comics | $3.99

Doctor and researcher Guillaume Duchenne de Boulogne became obsessed with smiles. His electrical experiments allowed him to conclude that a truly happy smile is formed not only by the muscles of the mouth but also by those of the eyes. That kind of smile is called a Duchenne smile. Many researchers have suggested that the Duchenne smile indicates spontaneous and genuine emotion since most people cannot contract the orbicularis muscle at will. Duchenne's Smile is a psychological horror thriller that addresses the traumas of those who, in the abandonment of their own mind, can only glimpse at their dark past.

What th--?!

DWELLINGS #1 (OF 3)

Beginning this summer, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher Oni Press will publish DWELLINGS, a bi-monthly limited series from the pop-addled brain of Emmy Award-winning animator and Eisner Award-nominated cartoonist Jay Stephens (TUTENSTEIN, JETCAT CLUBHOUSE). Re-formatting Stephens' acclaimed self-published series — which has drawn praise from a litany of high-profile talents, like Jeff Lemire, Stephen R. Bissette, Phil Hester, and more — into three prestige-format chapters, Oni's new release of DWELLINGS marks the award-winning Canadian cartoonist's return to the publisher that played an early, pivotal role in shaping his career with series like JETCAT CLUBHOUSE, LAND OF NOD, ODDVILLE, and ATOMIC CITY TALES — all of which numbered among some of Oni's earliest and most acclaimed breakout hits alongside series like CLERKS and ONI DOUBLE FEATURE.

Each of DWELLINGS’ three oversized, prestige format issues will be 72 blood-curdling pages long and will include two complete tales. Welcome to Elwich — an oasis of small town perfection, where the schools overflow with cheery-eyed children, lovingly adorned homes line the historic boulevards … and only the crows can see the deep, festering rot that lurks beneath the pristine surface. Murder. Demonology. Possession. Obsession. Elwich has them all on offer — and behind every dwelling awaits a horrifying new story to be told.

“As a young collector in the days before the Internet, before our town even dreamt of a comic shop, I remember walking the train tracks on weekends, hunting back issues at garage sales and flea markets, picking up whatever I could find,” said cartoonist Jay Stephens. “Though considered uncool, I was magnetically attracted to the irresistibly adorable Harvey comics ... Casper, Spooky, Wendy and Hot Stuff in particular ... and always kept an eye out for that one issue where they finally revealed who murdered Casper the Friendly Ghost. If the definition of nostalgia is to 'return home in pain,' DWELLINGS is the most nostalgic work I've ever produced. And my re-imagining of that darker Harvey Comics backstory has festered and intertwined with my personal fears into something truly frightening.”

"It's a sincere pleasure to welcome Jay Stephens back to Oni with one of the scariest, funniest, most twisted comics series of the decade," said Oni Press President & Publisher, Hunter Gorinson. "Like SOMETHING IS KILLING THE CHILDREN force fed through a woodchipper with a stack of old Harvey Comics and a half-empty bottle of absinthe, DWELLINGS is a nightmarish combination of pathological violence, nerve-fraying intensity and day-glo suburban charm — all from the pen of a master cartoonist who has been building toward this series for the better part of two decades. Even if you've read tens of thousands of comics, I can guarantee this: You have never seen anything like DWELLINGS before ... and aren't like to again anytime soon."

DWELLINGS #1 will feature two creepy stories — "They Know" and "Second Tongue."

Advance praise for Jay Stephens’ DWELLINGS:

“Jay Stephens’ DWELLINGS wonderfully mixes glorious and gorgeous old school cartooning with a sinister underbelly, creating a comic unlike anything else out there. Highly recommended!” — Jeff Lemire

“Masterful … I couldn’t be more impressed with the art and storytelling.” — Seth

“Jay polished style thoughtfully subverts nostalgia without losing warmth and humor. An utterly unique voice.” — Matt Kindt

“DWELLINGS is one of my favorite current comic books, and without a doubt my favorite horror comic of the current genre ‘boom.’” — Stephen R. Bissette

“DWELLINGS is just utterly wild, and I love it!” — WWE Wrestler Tegan Nox

“One of the best cartoonists alive.” — PhilHester

“Such a great series.” — Roger Langridge

“THERE IS NO OTHER BOOK LIKE THIS OUT THERE. Simply amazing.” — Karl Kesel

“Don't let the adorable demons fool you,” said Gorinson. “DWELLINGS is definitely not for kids (or cowards). It’s 100% MATURE READERS ONLY!”

Like Stephens said, it's always been uncool to like the Harvey kids' stuff, even when I was a kid. But I always thought the art was fantastic. The Harvey characters were always perfectly on-model no matter what angle you saw them at, and they all lived in a world that was all perfectly in synch. The trees, the houses, the grass, even the ubiquitous little round rocks all looked like they belonged, that they were all part of a single sensibility. I don't now if I'll end up reading this, but I admire the concept.

GUEST IN THE HOUSE GN

Story/Art: Emily Carroll | First Second Books | $27.99

Lonely, isolated Abby has just married a widowed dentist who recently arrived in town with his daughter and begins to go through the motions of becoming a wife and mother. But the more she learns about his first wife, the more things don't add up-did she really just pass away or is something more sinister afoot? As Abby delves deeper, the first wife's memory seems to become a force all its own, ensnaring Abby in a mystery that leaves her obsessed, fascinated, and desperately in love for the first time in her life-all leading up to an explosive, tragic conclusion. Emily's masterful balance of black and white, surreal colors, rich textures, and dramatic lettering is assured to bring this story to life and give readers a chill up their spine as they read.

Didn't you learn anything from Jane Eyre, lady? Always research his first wife before you marry the guy!

JERRY SIEGEL’S THE SYNDICATE OF CRIME VS. THE CROOK FROM SPACE TP

Story: Jerry Siegel | Art/Cover: Reg Bunn | Rebellion / 2000AD | $24.00

He's the undisputed king of crime! The Spider is an amazing mastermind with a stunning array of weaponry and a vast network of villainous henchmen! Now the underworld is fighting back and have sent a strange assassin known as The Exterminator to lure the spider into a trap! But one battle isn't enough for this arachnid adventurer-when a shape shifting crook from another planet arrives on Earth, the Spider must stop the alien from plundering the planet and toppling him from power!

The bulk of this British character's stories were, in fact, written by Superman's co-creator.

THE MADNESS #1 (OF 6)

In THE MADNESS, Sarah Ross has been using her power as a thief, stealing from the rich and … well, keeping it. Until the day she stole from the wrong person, a highly placed official who pressures the government to assassinate her. The plot, aided by so-called “good” superheroes sponsored by the government, misses her but wipes out her family. Driven mad by grief, and laser-focused on revenge for the murder of her family, Sarah and a hidden side of her personality — an imaginary friend who may be more real than she believes — goes after these superpowered operatives determined to take her revenge, at any cost.

So J. Michael Straczynski has landed at AWA, with another unusual twist on the superhero formula. The art's good, too.

MECH CADETS #1

Story: Greg Pak | Art/Cover: Takeshi Miyazawa | Colors: Ian Herring | BOOM! | $4.99

Fans of the highly anticipated Netflix series won't want to miss this perfect companion series by highly acclaimed writer Greg Pak (Star Wars: Darth Vader), superstar artist Takeshi Miyazawa (She-Hulk), and colorist Ian Herring (Spider-Man / Deadpool).

General Park — head of Sky Corps Academy — must assemble a team of heroes to protect humankind from alien invasions, and Stanford Yu, Maya Sanchez, Frank Olivetti, and Park's own daughter Olivia may have been pulled into the role by fate ... as they are Earth's best hope.

But there is more to their relationships with the symbiotic, sentient giant Robos they pilot... and the alien threat of The Sharg is far more epic and widespread than any could imagine!

While Mech Cadets makes a fresh debut for new readers and viewers, long-time fans can delight in having more adventures after the long awaited collection of Mech Cadets Book One!

What's Greg Pak (World War Hulk) doing at tiny BOOM? I guess he's a Mech Cadets fan.

Here's a preview.

NORTH VALLEY GRIMOIRE #3 (OF 6)

How often has this image been homaged, you think?

SILVER AGE CLASSICS: SPACE ADVENTURES VOL 7 HC, SLIPCASE, SOFTEE

Story/Art: Dick Giordano, Bill Molno, Charles Nicholas, Dick Rockwell, Steve Ditko, John Severin, Maurice Whitman, Rocco Mastroserio | Charlton | $52.99 (HC), $62.99 (Slipcase), $32.99 (Softee)

This baby near on demands that you dig out that old goldfish bowl and holster your ray gun space fans; just blast off into these pages and feast your eyes and minds on our universe of space. Not forgetting for the first time the iconic superhero created by Joe Gill and Steve Ditko Captain Atom, aka Captain Allen Adams, of the U.S. Air-Force, who after an atomic accident, finds himself with new superpowers! Collects Space Adventures #32-36 (January-October 1960).

If you somehow failed to get the DC Archives: Action Heroes Vols. 1-2, which collected Charlton's Captain Atom (among others), here's a chance to read his adventures in their original form (with all the suspense backups). The Charlton Captain Atom ran in Space Adventures #33-42, Strange Suspense Stories #75-81, Captain Atom #82-89 and a smattering of appearances in places like Peter Cannon … Thunderbolt #53, Ghost Manor #21 and Charlton Bullseye #1-2. This is the character's beginning in Space Adventures, but I'm sure Strange Suspense Stories isn't far behind.

SCARLETT COUTURE: THE MUNICH FILE #1 (OF 5)

Story/Art: Des Taylor | Cover: Dan Panosian | Variants: Des Taylor, Ken Lashley, Photo , Lesley Leirix Li | Titan | $3.99

Scarlett Couture, the acclaimed animation-style spy/thriller comic book from celebrated DC cover artist Des Taylor, returns this summer as an unmissable new adventure!

Set six months after the events of the critically-acclaimed first volume Project Stardust, this highly-anticipated new adventure sees Agent Scarlett Carver and her team embark on a thrilling game of cat and mouse as they’re thrown into the high stakes world of technological espionage. It soon transpires that the effects of Project Stardust reach further than anyone had anticipated — there are new threats emerging, and this time, it’s personal.

"Comics’ sexiest spy is back!” said creator Des Taylor. “It’s great to bring Scarlett Couture back home to Titan Comics after a successful crowd-funding venture."

The original adventure received high praise from critics and readers alike, and fans include celebrated comic alumni such as Mark Millar (Kick-Ass), Dave Gibbons (Watchmen) and Heath Corson (Writer/Producer, Justice League: War). Titan Comics is delighted to be publishing this new instalment, and to be bringing Scarlett’s unique art style and memorable characters to the page once again.

Readers will also be able to collect a DIGITAL TOKEN they'll get to keep in a unique wallet, commemorating each issue release. Using a QR code, each token will enable special rewards and an opportunity to meet artist Des Taylor in an immersive Metaverse — powered by Metagallery. Ltd.

“Beautiful. … I Love This Style!” — Mark Millar (Kick-Ass, Secret Service)

"Des is a timeless stylist. Always classy, always sexy and suggestive of wider worlds and epic adventures, his art is charm incarnate." — Liam Sharp

"With his keen eye for glamour and sex appeal and a deft mixture of dynamic action-adventure with a touch of nostalgia, brilliant artist Des Taylor wields his mighty pencil with such supreme mastery that his creation, Scarlett Couture, single-handedly brings the FUN back into comic book storytelling!" John Semper Jr (Producer Spider-Man: The Animated Series, DC Rebirth Cyborg)

“Super-Stylish and Super-Sexy!” — Dave Gibbons (Watchmen)

“Really Fantastic Stuff. I’m A Fan!” — Heath Corson (Writer/Producer, Justice League: War)

Given that Ttian's other book this week is Heat Seeker #2, they're apt to get a reputation! Although there's probably not any boobs in this one. Still, sex is part of the equation.

Here's a trailer.

SEA IN YOU GN

Iron Circus Comics | $15.00

A whimsical dark fantasy retelling of "The Little Mermaid," The Sea In You upends everything you thought you knew about magical creaturesof the deep, on a whirlwind journey to a whole new world you've only dreamed of before! 15-year-old Corinth was just trying to clean up the beach; she never expected to meet a mermaid, let alone be nearly drowned by one. It was the start of a very strange friendship! After Skylla, the deadly fanged mermaid, mysteriously lets Corinth live, they grow closer through a cautious exchange of stories, gifts, jokes, and sign language. Mermaids, it turns out, eat people, but however terrifying Skylla may look, she's a little younger, a little smaller, and perhaps a little too soft for all that. Bewitched by Corinth and their growing bond, she learns about all the best things in life on land: books, burgers, donuts, and this strange chattering human sound called laughter. But a storm is brewing-both at sea and in Corinth's increasingly dangerous relationship with her obsessively jealous boyfriend-and a magical bargain may be the only thing that can save her, at a tremendous cost.

As noted as recently as Bob's Supergirl Archives thread, wanting to have sex with mermen/mermaids is not only impossible, but pretty weird.

THOSE WHO HELPED US: ASSISTING JAPANESE-AMERICANS GN

Story: Ken Mochizuki | Art: Kiku Hughes | Chin Music Press | $19.95

Basketball-loving Sumiko Tanaka, then 11, narrates this graphic novel about the World War II incarceration of Japanese Americans. Through her eyes, we watch as her family is forced from their home and subjected to indiscriminate racism as they are shipped off to the concentration camp called Minidoka in Idaho. But Sumiko and her 17-year-old sister Yuri also see acts of charity and solidarity from their non-Japanese neighbors and friends in the Seattle area that make them hopeful for the future. As the young girls struggle with the horrors of being imprisoned in the dusty desert, they also find solace in the fact that some people chose to help.

You hear so much about how badly Japanese Americans were treated in WWII, and how depressing it all was. It's nice to hear that some people had the decency to help their fellow Americans in need.

Replies

Jeff of Earth-J August 4, 2023 at 1:29pm

"Why would the girl always described as happy-go-lucky want to get into the grim business of crimefighting?"

Because continuity no longer matters. (Also, someone's "neat idea".)

Speaking of your "underlying distaste," I still refer to "Sins Past" and "One More Day" and the "one/two punch" that drove me away from Spider-Man. But Douglas Wolk's All of the Marvels (2021) gave me a whole new way of looking at Spider-Man, and I've been reading this current series (except for the issues not drawn by J.R., Jr.) from the beginning. It's not my Spider-Man, but I think of it as an alternate universe Spider-Man.

"Since it's obvious that no writer is going to be allowed to let the two be a happy couple..."

I have recently started reading The Ultimate Newspaper Comics Collection (co-published by Marvel and IDW, six volumes, reprinting 1977-1986) and I couldn't be enjoying it more! The strip may have grown insipid in its declining days, but the early years by Stan Lee and John Romita can't be beat! Seriously, if you've never read them before (or not for 45 years) it's like reading a Lee/Romita Spider-Man you never knew existed. I'll have more to say about these strips in the days to come in the "What Comkics Have You Read Today?" discussion.

"My cranky-old-man complaints aside, this 96-page whopper..."

...costs 10 bucks.

"I... couldn't imagine 50 years into the future. Or even being 50."

When you were a kid, did you ever sit down and figure out how old you'd be in the year 2000? (For me it was 36.) I couldn't image that, either.

"Frankly, that sounds like how Batman comics ought to be."

I've never heard of this, but you've almost talked me into it.
Richard Willis August 5, 2023 at 1:49am

Gunfights at all? The OK Corral was an aberration — most people's aim with those big ol' six-shooters wasn't good enough for a gunfight. (Even the OK Corral had a surprisingly low casualty rate for close-quarters gunplay.) Sheriffs who had to deal with armed, drunken cowboys in the saloon? Nope, cowboys had to check their guns in with the sheriff before entering a town.

The movie Tombstone (1993) seems to come closest to what happened. The Earps and Doc Holiday were enforcing just such a law. The Clantons et al were supposed to surrender their guns when they entered town. (They were guilty of a misdemeanor!) Have anyone who advocates walking around with pistols and rifles watch this movie.

Robber gangs? Sure, but TV and movies gloss over how they were usually ex-Confederate war criminals — former soldiers who, perversely, were usually depicted as noble Lost Cause warriors in media.

The James and Younger gangs weren’t regular Confederate soldiers. They had been terrorists who made war on civilians as part of Quantrill’s Raiders. The movie industry learned early that presenting the Confederacy as noble made money while doing the opposite lost money. There was no backlash to doing this while the opposite would cause their movies to not even be booked into many theaters.

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