DARK HORSE COMICS
ALIENS 30TH ANNIVERSARY ORIGINAL COMICS SERIES (HC)
Writer: MARK VERHEIDEN
Art/Cover: MARK A. NELSON
B&W, 184 pages, $39.99, HC, 8” x12”
The original sequel to Aliens!
In 1988, Dark Horse’s Aliens comic debuted, with stunning art by Mark A. Nelson and a script by Mark Verheiden, taking the comics market by storm. For the thirtieth anniversary of the Aliens film, Dark Horse and Twentieth Century Fox Consumer Products are releasing an oversized hardcover edition of the unabridged and unadulterated series!
This must-have collector’s edition delivers 184 pages of original black-and-white art, each panel more horrifying than the last.
In deep space, a salvage crew is attacked by seemingly unstoppable monsters. The marines are called in, but they need someone with experience. Soon Hicks (the horribly scarred survivor from Aliens) and Newt (now almost eighteen) find themselves on a mission to locate and destroy the aliens’ homeworld!
This collection also marks the first major comics work by Mark Verheiden, who went on to write The Mask, Timecop, Battlestar Galactica, Daredevil and many other films and television shows.
I remember reading this 30 (gah!) years ago, and enjoying it. Time hasn't changed that.
For one thing, I really enjoyed Aliens -- it was a sequel that kept all the really cool parts of the original, but transplanted them into a different genre. Alien was a haunted house in space; Aliens was a war story in space. (The Alamo? Custer's Last Stand? Bataan? You pick the battle.) Given the different trappings, they were two distinctly different, but equally enjoyable, stories.
Central to both is the unstoppable xenomorph, perhaps the coolest-looking, most plausible monster ever created. We don't understand how Jason Voorhees keeps coming back, which means there are no rules -- which, to comics readers, is practically heresy. But the aliens make perfect sense -- they have evolved into a life form we sort of recognize (insect behavior) but large enough to kill us and with offensive and defensive organic weaponry far beyond what we're equipped to defeat. They're relentless, unstoppable, thoroughly inhuman -- kicking our arrogance atop the food chain into the ash heap of history.
So when this story came out, I was on it. I wasn't very impressed with Nelson's portrayal of humans (it looked a bit amateurish) and was a bit disappointed with Verheiden's story (it didn't tell us anything about the aliens we didn't already know, which even then I realized was probably contractual).
But Nelson's rendering -- spotting of blacks, cross-hatching, and especially his use of Duotone -- was impressive, and made his VERY well-drawn xenomorphs jump off the page (which is terrifying!). Plus, Verheiden's story was not only serviceable, but given that it used Newt and Hicks (Michael Biehn) -- later demonstrably deceased in the opening credits of Alien3 -- this story is from a parallel reality that couldn't take place in the "official" cinematic universe.
With those caveats, enjoy (or re-enjoy) this story!
B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH #140
Writer: MIKE MIGNOLA
Writer/Art: CAMERON STEWART
Colors: DAVE STEWART
Cover: DUNCAN FEGREDO
Variant: DAVID MACK
FC, 32 pages, $3.50, Ongoing
Cameron Stewart (Fight Club 2, Batgirl) returns to the character he developed in B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: Exorcism. Last time we saw Ashley Strode, she’d learned only the most basic aspects of exorcism as the world started to fall apart around her. Now that Hell’s closed its doors and civilization has ground to a halt in the face of the apocalypse, Ashley’s using what she knows to delay the end. A crumbling house in a small town holds bizarre secrets that make Ashley wish she’d stayed with Liz and Kate—because it might take the whole BPRD to handle this.
Features a David Mack variant cover!
This is long delayed -- it was originally scheduled for Feb. 17 -- but, of course, worth it. I've missed a great many issues of B.P.R.D., so I didn't know the basic plot, but Stewart brought me up to speed painlessly and the art was uncomplicated and inviting.
DEPT. H #1
Writer/Art/Cover: MATT KINDT
Colors: SHARLENE KINDT
Variant: JEFF LEMIRE
FC, 28 pages, $3.99, Ongoing
Matt and Sharlene Kindt present DEPT. H, a riveting, undersea locked-room murder mystery. Each issue of the monthly series from Dark Horse Comics covers a period of 24 hours and follows the exploits of Mia, a special investigator hired to uncover the truth about what happened at a deep-sea research station. What she discovers is a mind-blowing crime scene filled with suspects with terrible secrets, strange deep-sea creatures ... and an impending flood.
The smartest man in the world has been murdered. Six miles deep in the ocean, there are seven suspects with compelling motives. A woman with her own connections to the victim is dispatched to the depths to solve the case. No one is safe.
Inspired by his love of Jacque Cousteau, Jules Verne, CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON and James Bond underwater action scenes, NEW YORK TIMES bestselling creator Matt Kindt collaborates for the first time on an ongoing series with his wife, Sharlene, who colors Kindt’s pages with evocative water colors. Together they’ve created a smart, pulpy adventure, one of the most anticipated new ongoing titles of 2016 and a worthy successor to Kindt’s critically acclaimed, bestselling MIND MGMT. We invite you to dive in.
“Dept. H by Matt Kindt is my new fave comic, an underwater sci-fi whodunnit from Dark Horse Comics. Total, total genius!” — Mark Millar (Huck, Chrononauts, Kickass)
“Matt Kindt takes the murder mystery genre deeper than ever before.” -- THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER/HEAT VISION
"This is flat out fantastic. Classic Matt Kindt -- mesmerizing, strange, soulful. ... Matt Kindt is the man."-- Junot Díaz, Pulitzer-Prize winning author of The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
“Like a cross between sci-fi Jack London, The Abyss and the criss-cross espionage of Kindt’s previous material, there is no element of this new project we’re not ecstatically awaiting.” -- PASTE MAGAZINE
"Dept. H is an enthralling, tense murder mystery, yes, and a damn good one at that. With riveting characters and and heartbreaking drama, it grabs hold and doesn't let go." -- Cullen Bunn (Harrow County)
“A genre-bending mystery that will leave you clamoring for more. ... This is an artistically gorgeous book that exemplifies some of the best comics has to offer as a visual storytelling medium. …. Together, Matt and Sharlene Kindt have crafted an eerie tale of deceit that leaves you sympathetic to the weight bearing down on Mia, not just to find her father’s killer, but to make sure that she and the rest of the crew members don’t find themselves crushed by the looming pressure of an undiscovered killer -- or by the ocean’s depths.” -- NEWSARAMA
“Terrifyingly good.” -- Greg Rucka (Lazarus)
“An intense and unnerving story. … Gripping.” -- MULTIVERSITY
“Take a deep breath and hold on tight as Matt Kindt dives into the heart of a murder mystery at the bottom of the sea where nothing is as it seems.”-- Peter J. Tomasi (House of Penance, Batman and Robin)
“Amazing.” -- COMIC CRUSADERS
“I got to read the first issue of Dept. H by Matt Kindt and it’s rad. Read it or die from the bends. Maybe.” — Justin Jordan (Luthor Strode)
“Great.” -- FANDOM POST
“It’s 24 meets Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy.” -- GRAPHIC POLICY
“Gorgeous and a hell of a good read. Order it!” — Van Jensen (The Flash)
“Downright exceptional.” -- COMIC TRASH
“One of the most exciting and original talents in the business” — The Los Angeles Times
“Kindt understands perfectly how to reveal his mystery to the reader.” — Publishers Weekly
I have mixed feelings about this one.
I'm really excited about Kindt's approach -- not just the story, which is a classic locked-room mystery, but also his vow to be honest and give readers the clues the protagonist gets, so they can solve the mystery on their own. His intent (spelled out in the afterword) is to reward readers for picking up the book monthly and not trade-waiting. I enthusiastically support this concept.
But Kindt also does the art, which is in the "primitive" style. It looks an awful lot like Jeff Lemire's artwork, which I also don't care for. (Did they go to the same school or something?) To me, "primitive" just looks amateurish, especially since I can draw better than that myself -- and I don't consider myself up to professional standards.
But I know that's not what everyone thinks, and I respect that others find the art serviceable and/or attractive. Horse races, and all that. So if you don't mind Kindt's artwork -- and Mind MGMT's success suggests a number of you don't -- then you might like this book. I find the story compelling enough that I'll check out a few subsequent issues. If history is a guide, the artwork will finally put me off around issue 3 or 4. But who knows? Maybe by then I'll be hooked.
LEAVING MEGALOPOLIS: SURVIVING MEGALOPOLIS #4 (OF 6)
Writer: GAIL SIMONE
Art/Cover: J. CALAFIORE
Colors: JASON WRIGHT
FC, 32 pages, $3.99, Miniseries
On the day all the superheroes turned bad, a horrifying creature emerged from a giant hole in the middle of the city. No one has dared look too deeply into that abyss. Until now. What horrors lie at the other end, and what is yet to come through? Our band of ordinary citizens find themselves with answers too terrifying to comprehend as the sequel to the Kickstarter megahit Leaving Megalopolis continues!
Gail Simone and J. Calafiore put their demented imaginations to the test in this gritty new reality!
OK, it's pretty sick (shocking violence and gore), it's pretty familiar territory (superhero dystopia) and the art isn't to my liking (angular and harsh). But, yeah, I'm hooked. This issue begins the explanation of what the heck happened in Megalopolis, which is a welcome relief from one scene after another of awfulness and carnage.
THE SHADOW GLASS #2 (OF 6)
Writer/Art/Cover: ALY FELL
FC, 32 pages, $3.99, Miniseries
Rosalind’s search for the truth about her past brings her face to face with her father at the home of her tutor, where the two men are set to perform a conjuration to loose the powers of a powerful object that pulls Rosalind in as well.
I am so blown away by the art on this book, that I'm uncertain how good the story is. Plus, I'm a sucker for history, and this book nods in that direction, with its 16th century setting and use of real people like John Dee.
So is the story good? Technically, no, because I'm not surprised by anything that's happened so far, and I detect more cliches than I would accept in other stories. But since the art (and the history) are carrying me forward, I'm enjoying it -- so yes.
I hope that helps.
TOMB RAIDER II #3
Writer: MARIKO TAMAKI
Art: PHILLIP SEVY
Colors: MICHAEL ATIYEH
Cover: AGUSTIN ALESSIO
FC, 32 pages, $3.99, Ongoing
After Rise of the Tomb Raider, Lara Croft’s adventure continues with Eisner Award–winning writer Mariko Tamaki!
Lara and Jonah travel to China in search of a cave said to house an immortality-granting mushroom! However, a monsoon, the lethal Knights of the Spore, and disappearing allies and supplies could spell death for them both!
I'm losing interest.
A quest, a Mary Sue protagonist, a loyal retainer, mysterious bad guys looking for the same thing, globetrotting in prop planes ... kinda seen this before.
I liked the first issue because it gave reason for Lara Croft to be slightly better than others -- and that restraint carried over to battles, where she simply survived what other couldn't, instead of leaping buildings in a single bound, which was sufficient to bollix her unseen enemies plans. But with the second issue she was suddenly Batman level with no explanation, and this issue continues the trend. I'm just not seeing anything new, I'm not finding it terribly plausible, and the art is only adequate.
DC COMICS
ACTION COMICS #51
Written by PETER J. TOMASI
Art by FERNANDO PASARIN
Cover by KARL KERSCHL
Variant cover by JOHN ROMITA, JR. and KLAUS JANSON
32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
This issue will ship with two covers.
Superman is shocked to learn that Kara has been missing for some time as part three of “Super League” begins! Now, with Batman’s help, Kal-El is on his cousin’s trail—but he can’t believe where it’s leading him and who she has joined!
This is part 3 of "Final Days of Superman," where the Man of Steel is dying -- again! It'll take him a while, though, running through the last two issues of his four New 52 titles, Action, Batman/Superman, Superman and Superman/Wonder Woman. Which means the following press release about "Last Days of Superman" should have come out three weeks ago, as two issues of the crossover have already come out. But hey, nobody's perfect. Here's the press release, complete with covers:
“The Final Days of Superman” Have Begun
The Last Son of Krypton Searches for Members of His “Super-League” to Continue his Fight for Truth and Justice
Death waits for no man—not even a Superman.
The devastating effects of Apokolips’ fire pits in JUSTICE LEAGUE: DARKSEID WAR, the A.R.G.U.S. Kryptonite chamber from “Savage Dawn” in SUPERMAN, and his battle with the would-be god Rao in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA all combine in a perfect storm of death for the Man of Steel. Determined to protect humanity, despite his impending death, Superman embarks on a quest to seek heroes from across the DC Universe to continue his role as humanity’s protector.
DC Entertainment proudly presents “The Final Days of Superman.” Writer Peter J. Tomasi architects this epic saga, encompassing all four Super-titles in April and May.
SUPERMAN #51 AND #52
(Art by Mikel Janin)
BATMAN/SUPERMAN #31 AND #32
(Issue #31 art by Doug Mahnke and Jaime Mendoza issue #32 art by Doug Mahnke, Jaime Mendoza & Christian Alamy)
ACTION COMICS #51 AND #52
(Issue #51 art by Paul Pelletier, issue #52 art by Scot Eaton and Dale Eaglesham)
SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #28 AND #29
(Art by Jorge Jimenez)
“The Final Days of Superman” saga sets the stage for the DC UNIVERSE: REBIRTH launch beginning on May 25, which will result in new identities, new costumes and … even more Supermen?!
SUPERMAN #51 debuts Part One of the eight-part epic, “This Mortal Coil.” Superman seeks out his closest friends, including Lana Lang and Lois Lane, to let them know his end is drawing near. Meanwhile, at a secret installation in China’s Shanxi Province, the mysterious Dr. Omen performs strange experiments in order to create China’s very own Super-Man. While in Metropolis, an on-the-run parolee falls victim to a strange accident giving him incredible powers, and now he’s calling himself Superman! Check out the debut of this incredible story at your local comics retailer now!
Part Two continues in BATMAN/SUPERMAN #31’s “Dark Discovery,” available now. Superman invades Gotham City to inform Batman that he’s dying—and to enlist the help of the World’s Greatest Detective in locating his cousin Supergirl, who’s mysteriously gone missing. In the process, the World’s Finest heroes must defeat the monsters of the Chinese Zodiac.
Check out this sneak preview of ACTION COMICS #51 featuring “Dazed and Confused,” the third chapter in this explosive arc, available Wednesday, April 20. With Batman’s help, Superman is on his cousin’s trail—but he can’t believe where it’s led him or who she’s teamed with in the Man of Steel’s absence! Dr. Omen reveals more secrets of her experiments as she receives a crucial component—Superman’s blood!
Sounds interesting enough. But my enthusiasm is tempered with the suspicion that none of this will matter after "Rebirth." After all, there will be a Superman after May, maybe even more than one. Again.
ASTRO CITY ALERT!
ASTRO CITY #34
Written by KURT BUSIEK; Art by BRENT ANDERSON; Cover by ALEX ROSS
32 pg, FC, $3.99 US • RATED T
Steeljack goes up against Death Itself to save Cutlass. And that’s just for starters. But even if he survives, is he being set up to be the fall guy? A climactic tale of money, nostalgia, alibis, collecting, jail time and pure indestructible stubbornness.
ASTRO CITY: LOVERS QUARREL (TPB)
Written by KURT BUSIEK; Art by BRENT ANDERSON; Cover by ALEX ROSS
176 pg, FC, $16.99 US
In this new ASTRO CITY paperback, the spotlight falls on Quarrel and Crackerjack as they face a real crisis: what does an aging crimefighter do when time starts to take its toll? Plus, a look into Quarrel’s origins—and the end of the line for one of Astro City’s most stalwart heroes. And what’s a talking gorilla to do when he’s always wanted to be a drummer in a rock ‘n’ roll band? That’s right, you go to Astro City. Collects ASTRO CITY #18-21 and #23-24.
Yay, more Astro City, both old and new. If you're not reading this series, then you really should be. Seriously, it's as good as superhero comics get.
ELSEWORLDS: BATMAN VOL. 1 (TPB)
Written by DOUG MOENCH, MIKE W. BARR, ELLIOT S. MAGGIN, HOWARD CHAYKIN and others
Art by NORM BREYFOGLE, HOWARD CHAYKIN, KELLEY JONES, P. CRAIG RUSSELL and others
536 pg, FC, $34.99 US
Some of the best Elseworlds tales starring the Dark Knight are collected for the first time, including BATMAN: HOLY TERROR #1, BATMAN: DARK ALLEGIANCES #1, BATMAN: DARK JOKER – THE WILD #1, BATMAN: IN DARKEST KNIGHT #1, ROBIN 3000 #1-2 and more.
Strangely, I don't see two of the most important (and best) Bat-Elseworlds, Batman: Gotham by Gaslight and Batman: Red Rain.
The ones they do list are all right, with Holy Terror probably my favorite of the bunch ... because nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!
GREEN LANTERN VOL. 7: RENEGADE (HC)
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by BILLY TAN, MARK IRWIN, ETHAN VAN SCIVER and others
Cover by BILLY TAN
208 pg, FC, $24.99 US
A new chapter in Hal Jordan’s life begins as he becomes the universe’s most wanted outlaw! And what happens when Hal faces Black Hand in a duel unlike any you’ve seen before? Collects stories from GREEN LANTERN #41-46, ANNUAL #1 plus the sneak peek story from CONVERGENCE: THE ATOM #2.
Green Lantern was one of my favorites growing up, so reading this and realizing it's a chore makes me feel really old. Is it just me? You be the judge:
* Hal Jordan is on the run from his "friends" in the Corps. Again. Guys, we've seen this before. And it's starting to feel like maybe Hal needs to join a different club, because these guys keep turning on him. With friends like these ...
* This book gives us six issues of the new status quo, and doesn't answer a single question as to how we got here. We don't know what the gauntlet is that Hal's wearing, nor what happened to his ring. We don't know why he's on the run. We don't know why he's suddenly taken to wearing a different uniform -- and a hoodie. We don't know why he's suddenly wearing shoulder-length hair. Venditti doesn't tell us a blessed thing. Nothing. Zippo. Goose egg.
* C'mon, a hoodie? Really? That's the grand plan to bring in the youngs? Right on, grand-dad.
* In the meantime, Venditti starts setting up a supporting cast. Maybe I am old, but I saw every one of these cliches coming from a mile away: "oh, look, a smart-mouth, amoral rogue whose dialogue Venditti clearly loves writing. Guess he'll somehow become a member of this 'team' even thought that's totally nonsensical, because he's utterly untrustworthy." And lo, he does, with a minimum of plausibility. Which I noticed, because the story mechanics were so upfront and obvious, as opposed to, like, convincing characterization and plotting.
* Venditti attempts to continue the set-up of Relic as a really big bad on the level of Galactus, but Hal runs into him twice, and both times slips away while Relic's distracted. I'm not scared of this guy -- in fact, I think he might have ADD. You know, for a bad guy to be impressive, he has to actually succeed at something.
So, a Hoodie. A boring bad guy. A cliched storyline. A set of supporting characters that practically wear signs saying what their function is. Seriously, is it just me?
JUSTICE LEAGUE: DARKSEID WAR – POWER OF THE GODS (HC)
Written by PETER J. TOMASI, FRANCIS MANAPUL and others
Art by FERNANDO PASARIN, FRANCIS MANAPUL, SCOTT KOLINS and others
Cover by FRANCIS MANAPUL
200 pg, FC, $29.99 US
The world’s greatest heroes have gained the powers of the New Gods—but how will they handle them? And how will this affect the winds of war? Find out in these stories from the JUSTICE LEAGUE: DARKSEID WAR one-shots starring Batman, The Flash, Green Lantern, Superman, Lex Luthor and Shazam!
Some Legionnaires haven't cared for the "Darkseid War," and more power to them. But I find it to be good, solid, old-fashioned superhero comics. (As opposed to Green Lantern above.) This book collects the tie-ins, which appeared as one-shots, with varying creators and therefore varying quality. I'm interested in reading it, though, because I'm enjoying the main book.
LEGENDS OF TOMORROW #2
Cover by LIAM SHARP
96 pg, FC, $7.99 US • RATED T
FIRESTORM
Written by GERRY CONWAY
Art by EDUARDO PANSICA and ROB HUNTER
Multiplex is back—but Jason is in a coma and in critical condition. If Professor Stein is right, finding Multiplex could save Jason—if Stein and Ronnie can fuse together to become Firestorm!
METAL MEN
Written by LEN WEIN
Art by YILDIRAY CINAR and TREVOR SCOTT
The government wants them destroyed. The mysterious hacker called Nameless wants to experiment on them. But Doctor Will Magnus just wants to keep them safe. Someone is going to get what they want...the question is: who?
METAMORPHO
Written by AARON LOPRESTI
Art by AARON LOPRESTI and MATT BANNING
Metamorpho and Sapphire are free of Simon Stagg’s control—but can they reach the Pyramid of Ak-Ton and discover the secret of the Orb of Ra before Kanjar Ro hunts them down?
SUGAR & SPIKE
Written by KEITH GIFFEN
Art by BILQUIS EVELY
Grab your flip-flops and sunscreen—Sugar & Spike are going to Superman Island, a tropical resort shaped like the Man of Steel! Their mission? Stop a group of land developers from uncovering the embarrassing and dangerous Kryptonian secret buried beneath the beach!
when was it that Metamorpho began metamorphosizing from his cartoonish Ramona Fradon look to a more monsterish appearance? Batman and the Outsiders? Well, whenever, he seems to have completed his transformation into something I find revolting to look at. NIce work, DC. I guess.
SUPERMAN: AMERICAN ALIEN #6
Written by MAX LANDIS
Art by JONATHAN CASE
Cover by RYAN SOOK
1:25 Variant cover by JONATHAN CASE
32 pg, FC, 6 of 7, $3.99 US • RATED T+
This issue will ship with two covers.
Pete Ross and Kenny Braverman take a trip to Metropolis to catch up with their old friend Clark Kent, only to find that the “Superman” phenomenon has taken the city by storm! As Clark’s alter ego grows more famous, so do Pete’s concerns, and the rising tensions between the two friends inadvertently result in an epic encounter of an extraterrestrial nature!
I haven't been following this series, but this issue -- sent out for review -- made me wish I had.
For one thing: Awesome cover! Seriously, that's really nice, from concept to design to color choice. I don't really see what it has to do with the interior, but who cares? It's a really dramatic piece of art.
Clark has friends! And they know his secret! I don't know how long Pete Ross and Kenny Braverman have known about Clark's extraterrestrial abilities, but it seems old hat to them. And I'm sure Lana knows as well, which makes more sense than the Silver Age bit where nobody ever put two and two together in a small town. Anyway, it's nice to see young Clark interacting naturally with peers, something we don't usually see. And, as a curveball I didn't see coming, his friends didn't resent his super-powers as much as they resented that he'd become a city mouse whereas they were still country mice.
The art is only adequate, and I think young Clark gets drunk (didn't think he could), but overall, a different and pleasant arrangement of the usual elements in the Clark Kent story.
IDW PUBLISHING
INKS, DRINKS, AND CATFINKS! THE CUSTOM CARTOON ART OF SHAWN DICKINSON
Writer/Art/Cover: SHAWN DICKINSON
HC • FC • 224 pages • 11″ x 11″ • $39.99
Shawn Dickinson’s first deluxe art book! Influenced by old comic strips, 1930s rubber hose cartoons, 1960s “kustom culture” art, pin-up art, and MAD magazine, this collection of cartoons, paintings, comics, and illustrations from the past decade covers a wide range of his personal art as well as professional illustration work for rock bands, companies such as Fender Guitars, Shaun White’s clothing line, and much more. If you’re a fan of cartoony art featuring surf- and hot-rod culture, rock n’ roll art, beer drinking cats, sexy cartoon go-go girls and bug-eyed weirdos, this book is for you!
I doubt John Kricfalusi was the first to take old cartoon styles and make them really disgusting, but he surely made the approach popular. So here's more, by a different guy.
JOHNNY BOO BOOK 7: GOES LIKE THIS!
Writer/Art/Cover:JAMES KOCHALKA
HC • FC • $9.99 • 48 pages • 6” x 9”
Eisner Award winner James Kochalka is a master of many media, from comics to music to film and beyond... but one of his all-time most beloved projects is his series of graphic novels for kids starring the little ghost Johnny Boo, and his pet ghost Squiggle. In the new issue of Diamond Previews, we're delighted to unveil a brand-new adventure, Johnny Boo Goes Like This, plus an awesome new boxed set of the series' first five books, Johnny Boo's Big Boo Box — both coming in March 2016!
Johnny Boo and Squiggle come across a giant pencil! Is it ... magical? Whatever it is, when Johnny Boo draws with it, his drawings come to life. Before you know it, they're off on another adventure, filled with tigers, ice cream monsters, and truly unbelievable hairstyles. Celebrate the power of creativity - the Johnny Boo way!
IDW was proud enough of this one to send a press release. I have never heard of "Johnny Boo," but apparently it's been around enough to have six previous books!
STAR TREK: MANIFEST DESTINY #1 (of 4)
Writers: MIKE JOHNSON & RYAN PARROTT
Art/Cover: ANGEL HERNANDEZ
Subscription Variant: TONY SHASTEEN
Variant Cover by RACHAEL STOTT
Klingon Language Edition available
FC • 40 pages • $4.99
Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the STAR TREK franchise in 2016 with this all-new bi-weekly comics event beginning in April! It's Captain Kirk and the Enterprise crew vs. the Klingons in the ultimate showdown! Art by STAR TREK/GREEN LANTERN fan-favorite Angel Hernandez!
The return of the Klingons as a major foe in the Trek universe!
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of Star Trek and the upcoming blockbuster film with a stunning miniseries, from the talent that brought you Star Trek/Green Lantern and Star Trek: Starfleet Academy!
First issue alert!
I was remiss in not recommending the "Legacy of Spock" two-parter in the regular ongoing series (Star Trek #55-56), which was really good, so I'm making sure I pay more attention to IDW's Trek books.
WALLY WOOD’S T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS: ARTIST’S EDITION PORTFOLIO
HC Portfolio • BW • 12 individual plates • 15″ x 22″ • $49.99
Wally Wood is recognized as one of the finest talents to ever grace the comics medium. In the 1950s, he was one of the brightest stars in the legendary EC stable of artists, including being one of the key artists on the ground breaking MAD! In the 1960s, Wood reinvigorated Marvel’s Daredevil, including designing the classic costume. Soon after Wood turned his sites on a new superhero venture—the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. Agents! Wood co-created the team, including the iconic Dynamo! Now IDW proudly presents a selection of gorgeous Wood art, all scanned from the originals and printed at full size. Wood’s art is increasingly rare and sought after by collectors, few have even seen his originals—don’t miss this opportunity to own the next best thing, and at a fraction of the cost!
I don't normally buy these "Artist's Edition" portfolios, consisting of material I've seen before, just bigger. But, man, I was such a Wally Wood fan during the T.H.U.N.D.E.R. days, this would really please my inner 12-year-old. (Fortunately, my adult self controls my wallet.)
IMAGE COMICS
ALOHA HAWAIIAN DICK #1
Writer: B. CLAY MOORE
Art: JACOB WYATT
Cover: SEAN DOVE
32 PAGES / FC / T / $3.99
The critically-acclaimed tropical noir returns for a brand new series!
While Byrd remains in 1954 Hawaii, we meet another Byrd back in the States, and his impending arrival on the scene is destined to change the landscape of HAWAIIAN DICK forever.The critically-acclaimed HAWAIIAN DICK noir begins an all-new, five-issue miniseries by fan-favorites B. Clay Moore and Jacob Wyatt in ALOHA, HAWAIIAN DICK #1.
“Jake and I have been working on this book for some time, and I'm excited to see Hawaiian Dick return to the shelves looking better than ever,” said Moore. “With the announcement that NBC is working toward a television show, we hope interest is at an all-time high.”
Moore added: “The tone of Aloha is a little darker than previous series, as events take place that alter the entire perspective of our lead characters. I think new readers will feel comfortable, and long-time readers will be rewarded for their patience.”
First issue alert!
I haven't read any of the previous series, so I may give this one a try just to see if I like the flavor. After all, I like pineapple on my pizza ...
CHEW DEMON CHICKEN POYO #1
Writer: JOHN LAYMAN
Art/Cover A: ROB GUILLORY
Cover B: SKETCH VARIANT
32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
Poyo, the secret agent; Poyo, the warrior chicken—and now: Poyo, the demon chicken.
The final episode of the groundbreaking and historic Poyo trilogy: DEMON CHICKEN POYO. Hell wants him. Heaven won't take him. Earth needs him. That was also the tagline for that godawful Constantine movie. But Poyo is so badass, he stole it from Keanu Reeves!
New York Times bestselling creative team John Layman and Rob Guillory will unleash the final one-shot chronicling the action-packed exploits of the beloved homicidal cybernetic kung-fu rooster.
“Several years ago Rob Guillory and I changed the face of comics, and indeed all pop culture, with the release of Secret Agent Poyo,” said Layman. “They said it could not be done, but we followed that up with an even more vital, timely and sense-shattering sequel, Warrior Chicken Poyo. And here, we’ve done the unthinkable, as we’ve outdone ourselves YET AGAIN with our greatest triumph yet, Demon Chicken Poyo.
“We expect this book to shake the very foundations of the comics industry, with a comic so astonishing and impossibly amazing that the world will be forever altered,” Layman added. “Religions will be formed around this comic. Monuments will be built. This is the seminal comic for the 21st Century, and quite likely the new millennium. The wise consumer will buy multiple copies, and the canny retailer will stock their store shelves with this comic, and nothing else."
The art has always put me off Chew, as well as spinoffs such as this. But if you're a Chew fan, you're likely already aware of this book and have it on your pull list, so my comments probably aren't useful.
CRIMINAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL
Writer: ED BRUBAKER
Art: SEAN PHILLIPS & ELIZABETH BREITWEISER
Covers: SEAN PHILLIPS
64 PAGES / FC / M / $4.99
Magazine-size Variant: $5.99
The Eisner Award-winning team of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips (THE FADE OUT, FATALE, Sleeper) release a brand-new 64-page one-shot of their acclaimed noir series CRIMINAL.
It's been 10 years since CRIMINAL launched and to celebrate, Brubaker and Phillips, with acclaimed color artist Elizabeth Breitweiser, are bringing us their darkest and strangest tale yet: a twisted ‘70s noir about a father and son on the run.
“Teeg and Tracy Lawless are our most popular characters, so I knew this Anniversary Special had to showcase their early days,” said Brubaker. “A big part of Criminal is finding new ways into noir stories, and this time we get to see it all from the point of view of a 12-year-old kid forced to help his father, who is a career thief and murderer.”
Known for its creative experimentation, this novella-length CRIMINAL story features a comic-within-the-comic, a bizarre ‘70s-era KUNG FU magazine starring a werewolf.
"Once again I get to try out a new style, after the cartooning of The Last Of The Innocent, and the sword and sorcery of last year's Savage Sword of Criminal,” said Phillips. “This time I get to figure out how to draw a kung fu werewolf without him looking too silly. Let's hope I can pull it off! Even if I can't, it's great to be back in the Criminal universe again, it's like we've never been away."
This 10th Anniversary Special also comes in a magazine-sized variant featuring the star of the comic-within-the-comic—a perfect companion to last year's SAVAGE SWORD OF CRIMINAL magazine-sized variant.
Criminal -- like everything Brubaker & Phillips have done -- was just excellent, at least if you're a noir fan. Any new material is most welcome.
EAST OF WEST #25
Writer/Cover B: JONATHAN HICKMAN
Art/Cover A: NICK DRAGOTTA
32 PAGES / FC / T+ / $3.50
New York Times bestselling creative team Jonathan Hickman (THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS, THE DYING AND THE DEAD) and Nick Dragotta (HOWTOONS) launch the sixth arc in their ongoing sci-fi western series.
Previously in EAST OF WEST, an impressive cavalcade of characters let loose their pawns in a cunning game of deception. Loyalties shifted, alliances were betrayed, old friends were murdered—all in service of, or to thwart, the Apocalypse.
In EAST OF WEST #25, the smashing conclusion of EAST OF WEST: YEAR TWO begins here. Witness the eventful last gathering of the Chosen before the Apocalypse begins. No one gets out alive!
“We’ve reached that wonderful part in the story where everything starts to go very, very wrong for everyone involved,” said Hickman. “And in a book that’s basically about the end of the world, I think we can promise only the most dramatic things for our characters.”
Dragotta added: “And visually, these are the really big scenes we’ve been building towards since the beginning of EAST of WEST. Not only do all of my favorite characters return, but the way in which they do so has been some of the most fun I’ve had drawing. Ever!”
I read the first trade, and it didn't hook me. I liked the style -- both art and story -- but it just didn't hook me. Perhaps your experience has been different.
Oh, yeah -- this is posted because I got a press release and cover images for the new story arc.
I HATE FAIRYLAND, VOL. 1: MADLY EVER AFTER (TPB)
STORY / ART / COVER: SKOTTIE YOUNG
APRIL 20 / 128 PAGES / FC / M / $9.99
SPECIAL LOW INTRODUCTORY PRICE OF $9.99
From superstar writer and artist SKOTTIE YOUNG (Rocket Raccoon, Wizard of Oz, Fortunately, The Milk), comes the first volume of an all-new series of adventure and mayhem.
An Adventure Time/Alice in Wonderland-style epic that smashes its cute little face against grown-up Tank Girl/Deadpool-esque violent madness. Follow Gert, a forty-year-old woman in a six-year-old’s body, who has been stuck in the magical world of Fairyland for nearly thirty years. Join her and her giant battle-axe on a delightfully blood-soaked journey to see who will survive the girl who HATES FAIRYLAND.
Collects I HATE FAIRYLAND #1-5.
This might be the first thing in a long time I've enjoyed from Skottie Young. The kiddie superhero stuff has become irritating.
INVINCIBLE #127
Writer: ROBERT KIRKMAN
Art: CORY WALKER
Cover: RYAN OTTLEY
24 PAGES / FC / T+ / $2.99
NEW STORY ARC
New York Times bestselling author, multiple award-winning creator, and pop culture phenomenon Robert Kirkman (THE WALKING DEAD, OUTCAST BY KIRKMAN & AZACETA) reunites with original series artist—the fan-favorite and industry-beloved Cory Walker—for an all-new, heart-wrenching, jaw-dropping story arc.
In INVINCIBLE #127, Mark has returned from the past ... to a very different future. Now he has to pick up the pieces of his life and try to put them back together.
"It’s great to be working with Cory again on Invincible," said Kirkman. "This is a very special thing for me, while Cory has come back for a couple of issues here and there, this is the real deal—six FULL issues! This is the first time since the first six issues that Cory and I have done a consecutive run on this book. It's very exciting, and as you will see in this issue, Cory is absolutely bringing his A game ... and just wait until you see what's coming."
In an exclusive interview with IGN, Walker added: “I’m a genuine fan of the book and I’ve always been involved in varying degrees through the years, but as the opportunity began to present itself, this possibility that I could come on and fill in for a few issues, it was pretty exciting. I have slowly been working on other things and haven’t had a comic on stands since I shared art duties with Ryan back on the Flaxan invasion/Rex and Monster Girl story back in Invincible 92-96, so the prospect of putting ANY comics out relatively soon was a sweet enough proposition, but make it Invincible and I can’t say no.”
I read the first 50 or so issues of Invincible, but whatever made it unique seemed to evaporate, and I realized that it seemed to be going in circles and I no longer enjoyed it. (For one thing, I got tired of the protagonist's face getting beat to pulp all the time. Shocking the first time, but just torture porn as it continued to happen.)
Maybe whatever enthusiasm I used to have will return with the original artist.
LAZARUS SOURCEBOOK #1
Writers: GREG RUCKA, ERIC TRAUTMANN, DAVID BROTHERS, ROBERT MACKENZIE & DAVE WALKER
Art: MICHAEL LARK & OWEN FREEMAN
Cover: ERIC TRAUTMANN & OWEN FREEMAN
32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
"CARLYLE"
Following the revelations of "Poison" and leading into the bloody events of "Cull" with LAZARUS #22 in May, a new look at the world of LAZARUS: What's it like to live life under the Carlyle regime? This is where you find out!
I'm not a Lazarus reader, and I've grown tired of the conceit of the sourcebook comic book. (Give us more money to rehash things you already know!) But if you're a regular Lazarus reader, you might want this for reference.
MARVEL COMICS
AVENGERS STANDOFF TIE-INS
CAPTAIN AMERICA SAM WILSON #8
Writer: NICK SPENCER • Art/Cover: PAUL RENAUD
Civil War Variant: TBA
32 PGS / Rated T / $3.99
• Captain America Unite! Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers, and Bucky Barnes team up for a heroic stand against the evil that lurks in Pleasant Hill.
• Continues the blockbuster spring Avengers event, STANDOFF!
NEW AVENGERS #10
Writer: AL EWING • Art: MARCUS TO
Cover by DECLAN SHALVEY
32 PGS / Rated T+ / $3.99
• What could possibly hold its own against the American Kaiju? None other than – AVENGER FIVE!
• Five New Avengers in the ultimate ultra-vehicle – fighting to save A.I.M.! But are they giving up their freedom – or their lives?
• Plus: The traitor revealed! Sunspot’s secret schemes! And the guest-star reveal you’ve been waiting for!
SILK #7
Writer: ROBBIE THOMPSON • TANA FORD (A)
Cover: YASMINE PUTRI
Variant: HELEN CHEN
32 PGS. / Rated T / $3.99
Action Figure Variant: JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
Connecting Variant Cover C: J. SCOTT CAMPBELL
SPIDER-WOMEN, PART 3!
• Silk comes face-to-face with the Earth-65 Cindy Moon and her family.
• That’s not all she finds digging into S.I.L.K., and her discoveries change everything about this event!
I belive Avengers Standoff comes to an end next week, leading (I think) into Civil War II. So if you've been following this event, Avengers Standoff Omega is in sight!
THIS WEEK'S CAPTAIN AMERICA
CAPTAIN AMERICA: ROAD TO WAR #1 (ONE-SHOT)
Writer: WILL CORONA PILGRIM
Art: ANDREA DI VITO
Cover: RON LIM
Variant: FRANCESCO MATTINA
Variant: TBA
48 PGS. / ONE-SHOT / Rated T+ / $4.99
• CAPTAIN AMERICA and BLACK WIDOW must train the new Avengers recruits to work together as a team.
• Their first mission: stop the giant robot, ULTIMO!
• Featuring SCARLET WITCH, VISION, FALCON and WAR MACHINE!
• Bonus TALES OF SUSPENSE #58 included.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON VOL. 1: NOT MY CAPTAIN AMERICA (TPB)
Written by NICK SPENCER
Penciled by DANIEL ACUñA & PAUL RENAUD
Cover by DANIEL ACUÑA
136 PGS / Rated T / $17.99
When Steve Rogers was restored to his natural age, he chose one of his closest and most trusted allies to take up his shield: Sam Wilson, formerly the Avenger known as the Falcon! But Sam isn’t Steve — and after recent events, he’s on the outs with both his old friend and S.H.I.E.L.D. What could have sent the high flying new Cap’s approval rating plummeting so dramatically? Things get slithery when the vile Sons of the Serpent make the scene, and you’ll howl at the glorious return of fan-favorite Cap-Wolf — well, Fal-Cap-Wolf! But what other horrors await in the dungeon of Doctor Malus? And who will be the All-New, All-Different Falcon? The headline-making Sam Wilson is a Captain America for today! Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA: SAM WILSON #1-6.
CAPTAIN AMERICA: THEATER OF WAR — THE COMPLETE COLLECTION (TPB)
Written by PAUL JENKINS, DAN JURGENS, HOWARD CHAYKIN, CHARLES & DANIEL KNAUF, KYLE HIGGINS & ALEC SIEGEL
Penciled by GARY ERSKINE, JERRY ORDWAY, JOHN MCCREA, FERNANDO BLANCO, ELIA BONETTI, HOWARD CHAYKIN, MITCH BREITWEISER & AGUSTIN PADILLA
Cover by STEVE EPTING
280 PGS / Rated T+ / $34.99
Seven tales charting the adventures that made Captain America the Sentinel of Liberty we know today — from skinny Steve Rogers to the shield-slinger leading battalions of men into battle! He’ll be forced to choose between his country and his best friend, and will experience one of his darkest days when a World War II mission goes wrong. He’ll take on Soviet Russia and Nazis defying the laws of physics. And wounded behind enemy lines, Cap will face his greatest challenge: escaping a prisoner-of-war camp as plain old Steve Rogers! Plus: Witness the star-spangled super-soldier’s legacy reverberate through the ages in a story set during the Gulf War! Collecting CAPTAIN AMERICA: THEATER OF WAR — AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL #1, A BROTHER IN ARMS #1, TO SOLDIER ON #1, GHOSTS OF MY COUNTRY #1, AMERICA FIRST! #1, OPERATION ZERO POINT #1 and PRISONERS OF DUTY #1.
Boy, that's a lot of Captain America. You'd think he'd have a movie coming up or something.
THIS WEEK'S DEADPOOL
DEADPOOL & CABLE: SPLIT SECOND (TPB)
Written by FABIAN NICIEZA & REILLY BROWN
Penciled by REILLY BROWN
Cover by REILLY BROWN
112 PGS / Parental Advisory / $16.99
The Merc with a Mouth and the Soldier with the Shoulders, together again at last! The odd couple of ’90s comics are back in their own buddy comic, guns blazing and pouches overflowing. But this time Deadpool gets top billing! And they might not be buddies anymore when Cable has a vision of a terrible future set off by the death of one man. As Nathan Summers takes on the job of protecting this key figure no matter what, guess who gets hired to kill the same guy? (Did you guess Deadpool? I hope you did.) Hilarity, action and time-hopping antics ensue. But who or what is the nigh-unbeatable foe that’s throwing Deadpool for a loop? Collecting DEADPOOL & CABLE: SPLIT SECOND #1-3 and TRUE BELIEVERS: DEADPOOL VARIANTS 1.
DEADPOOL #10
Writer: GERRY DUGGAN
Art: MATTEO LOLLI
Cover by MIKE ALLRED
Secret Comic Variant: SCOTT KOBLISH
Civil War Variant: TBA
32 PGS. / Parental Advisory / $3.99
• DEADPOOL VS. SABRETOOTH, Parts III!
• When two unkillable men go to war, there’s bound to be collateral damage.
• But this time, Deadpool is serious about it.
• I know, I know—how can Deadpool be serious?
DEADPOOL & THE MERCS FOR MONEY #3 (OF 5)
Writer: CULLEN BUNN
Art: SALVADOR ESPIN (A)
Cover by DECLAN SHALVEY
Action Figure Variant: JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
Variant: RON LIM
Design Variant: MIKE HAWTHORNE
32 PGS. / Parental Advisory / $3.99
• This issue has enough villains in it to choke a ... uh ...
• ... something that ... eats villains, I guess...
• THE JUSTICE SYSTEM!
• Enough villains to choke the justice system.
DEADPOOL: WORLD’S GREATEST VOL. 1 - MILLIONAIRE WITH A MOUTH (TPB)
Written by GERRY DUGGAN & BRIAN POSEHN
Penciled by MIKE HAWTHORNE & SCOTT KOBLISH
Cover by TONY MOORE
160 PGS / Parental Advisory / $24.99
He’s annoying. He’s dangerous. He smells terrible. But the public loves him! That’s right — the Merc with a Mouth is now the most popular hero in the world. Eat that, Spidey! But with great popularity comes overbearing responsibility, so Wade has called in a little help being him. You won’t believe — or recognize — who he signed up! (Unless you’ve memorized every volume of the Official Handbook.) But when an imposter sets out to ruin Wade Wilson, our hero has the perfect bait to lure the baddie out: his innocent daughter, Ellie! Plus: Jump 84 years into the future for an even-newer, even-different-er Deadpool 2099! And — in an entirely Spanish-language tale — meet Masacre, the Deadpool of Mexico! This book has more Deadpool than you can handle! Collecting DEADPOOL (2015) #1-6 and #3.1: TRES PUNTO UNO.
Wow, STILL a lot of Deadpool in the pipeline! My LCS has an entire bookshelf devoted to the Merc with a Mouth now.
DARK TOWER: THE DRAWING OF THE THREE -- BITTER MEDICINE #1 (of 5)
Writers: ROBIN FURTH & PETER DAVID
Art: JONATHAN MARKS
Cover: NIMIT MALAVIA
32 PGS. / Mature / $3.99
• A brand new chapter in the SUSANNAH DEAN story begins here!
• THE GUNSLINGER has taken Odetta Holmes to Midworld to join his quest to reach the DARK TOWER!
• But little do ROLAND and EDDIE know that Odetta has a dark side that poses a threat to all of Midworld!
First issue alert!
I read the first couple of Dark Tower books and lost interest, so I haven't any interest in the comic book adaptations. But I know a lot of Legionnaires are Stephen King uber-fans, so here ya go.
MARVEL FIRSTS: THE 1990S VOL. 1 (TPB)
Written by HOWARD MACKIE, GREGORY WRIGHT, FABIAN NICIEZA, CHRIS COOPER & MORE
Penciled by JAVIER SALTARES, JACKSON GUICE, ROB LIEFELD, RICHARD CASE & MORE
Cover by VARIOUS
464 PGS / Rated T / $34.99
Marvel’s journey into history reaches comics’ most debated decade: the 1990s! Ghost Rider, Deathlok and Foolkiller are reinvented for a grim-and-gritty era! Mutants go extreme with X-Force and an all-new X-Factor! The New Warriors on the block arrive! Nomad goes solo, Silver Sable shuffles her Wild Pack, Adam Warlock assembles an Infinity Watch, Darkhold Redeemers rise, and new icons are born: Darkhawk, Sleepwalker, Night Thrasher, Terror Inc. and Death’s Head II! Collecting GHOST RIDER (1990) #1, DEATHLOK (1990) #1, NEW WARRIORS (1990) #1, FOOLKILLER (1990) #1, DARKHAWK #1, SLEEPWALKER #1, X-FORCE (1991) #1, X-FACTOR (1986) #71, WARLOCK AND THE INFINITY WATCH #2, DEATH’S HEAD II (1992A) #1, SILVER SABLE & THE WILD PACK #1, TERROR INC. (1992) #1, NIGHT THRASHER: FOUR CONTROL #1, DARKHOLD: PAGES FROM THE BOOK OF SINS #1 and material from CAPTAIN AMERICA ANNUAL #9.
Every time I forget why I think '90s comics sucked, another reason presents itself. Sleepwalker? Terror Inc.? Night Thrasher? Ugh.
OTHER PUBLISHERS
ACTIONVERSE FEATURING MOLLY DANGER #1
Writer/Art: JAMAL IGLE
Colors: ROSS HUGHES
Cover: JAMAL IGLE (REGULAR COVER), RON FRENZ/MARC DEERING/ROSS CAMPBELL/DAVID BEDNARSKI (CONNECTING VARIANT COVER)
32 pgs./ A / FC / $3.99 (reg.), $4.99 (var.)
The transdimensional epic that is ACTIONVERSE has come to our universe as Cascade and Jake Roth meet MOLLY DANGER … and the universe will never be the same! And don’t look now, but Virtue (from FRACTURE) has arrived! Variant limited to 1,500 copies.
First issue alert!
Actually, this is the second issue of the Actionverse crossover. Every issue is a first issue, which would be clever if it wasn't confusing to the very readers they're looking for: Ones willing to sample something new. Because if they pick this one up, they'll have missed the real first issue.
THE ADVENTURES OF PUSS IN BOOTS #1
Publisher: TITAN COMICS
Writers: MAX DAVISON & CHRIS COOPER
Artists: EGLE BARTOLINI & DAVE ALVAREZ
Cover A: Film Art Cover
Cover B: DAVE ALVAREZ
32 PP / FC / $3.99
Outlaw, Hero, Purr-amour! Puss in Boots is back!
Short of money and with a long milk tab to pay, Puss answers an advert that takes him out to sea with a cranky old owl on a pea-green boat. But if you think you know how this fairytale ends … think again! Flying fur balls and derring-do abound! See you on the poop!
First issue alert! (Of something I will never read.)
BLACK EYED KIDS #1
Publisher: AFTERSHOCK COMICS
Writer: JOE PRUETT
Art: SZYMON KUDRANSKI
Cover: FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
Mature / $1.99
It's dark. You're alone. Then there's a knock. You open the door to find two seemingly normal kids. They ask to come in, to borrow your phone to call for a ride. You find yourself overcome with an intense fear that you can't explain. And then you notice their eyes ... black ... SOLID black. You want to run, but now they're inside. It's too late. They have you.
Eisner Award winner Joe Pruett (X-Men Unlimited, Cable) is joined by artist Szymon Kudranski (Spawn, Penguin: Pain and Prejudice) for this terrifying new horror series.
Kids who don't act like kids are the definition of "uncanny" -- liminal beings between states that freak us out because they're simultaneously two things, and neither thing. What? Oh, sorry, slipped off into professorial mode, as my wife would say. Anyway, this could be creepy. I like creepy.
BLOODSHOT REBORN #12
Written by JEFF LEMIRE
Art by LEWIS LAROSA
Cover A by RYAN BODENHEIM
Cover B by PHIL JIMENEZ
Cover C by JEFFREY VEREGGE
Variant Cover by TULA LOTAY
Variant Cover by ROBERTO DE LA TORRE
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PRESTIGE
“THE ANALOG MAN” – PART 3
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PRESTIGE
Assault on Los Angeles!
Thirty years from today, the world's most dangerous man now borders on obsolete, Does the hero once called Bloodshot have enough firepower left to bring order to a world of chaos?
Valiant is proud to present BLOODSHOT REBORN #12 – the next turbo-charged chapter of “THE ANALOG MAN” from New York Times best-selling writer Jeff Lemire (Old Man Logan, Descender) and blockbuster artist Lewis LaRosa (The Punisher)! On April 20th, the most explosive series on shelves today goes to war … as two of Valiant's most hardened heroes invade the fortified walls of Los Angeles 2046 in search of the secrets that transformed our world into a post-apocalyptic wasteland!
Motivated by the latest in a never-ending barrage of tragedies, Bloodshot is teaming with his old friend and ally, Ninjak, to take down the marauding bands of Shadowmen that roam the landscape and the deadly X-O Manowar armor-drones that fly high above it. But Bloodshot is not the technologically advanced warrior he once was. Can he overcome the onslaught of Los Angeles' bleeding-edge “goo-tech” defenses that assault him at every turn? And just who is the Man in the White Tower … and how he is responsible for this extraordinarily dangerous world of tomorrow?
Presented in the deluxe, ad-free VALIANT PRESTIGE format with high-grade card stock covers, custom-designed end sheets and exclusive backmatter, the next gear-stripping act of “THE ANALOG MAN” starts here in BLOODSHOT REBORN #12 – featuring covers by Ryan Bodenheim (The Dying & The Dead), Phil Jimenez (Infinite Crisis), Jeffrey Veregge (Red Wolf), Tula Lotay (The Wicked + The Divine), and Roberto de la Torre (THE DEATH-DEFYING DR. MIRAGE)!
Jump on board here and find out why fans and critics are calling "THE ANALOG MAN" a stunning achievement for one of the most acclaimed series in comics today:
"★★★★★ [BLOODSHOT REBORN] deserves the full attention of the comic book community. It is a literary and visual masterpiece that succeeds in every possible way at entertaining readers and fans." – All-Comic
"★★★★★ [Valiant is] THE best publisher in the comic industry today. If that seems like a bold statement, pick up this book and see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed." – Outright Geekery
"★★★★★ Valiant is doing superheroes better than any other publisher. … Start THE ANALOG MAN on your pull list – today. It is worth it. So worth it." – Fox Force Five News
"★★★★½ [BLOODSHOT REBORN] has some absolutely stunning artwork to go along with Lemire‘s talent… An absolute blinder of a story. This is well worth the price of admission." – Graphic Policy
"★★★★½ [BLOODSHOT REBORN] has added layers of complexity that other franchises have taken years to achieve. … Truly sensational …" – Big Comic Page
“✮✮✮✮✮ Crazy, all-out action that pushes [Valiant’s] characters to their limits. … I cannot recommend this title enough.” – Outright Geekery
“✮✮✮✮✮ [THE ANALOG MAN] is 120-proof pure dystopian fiction and apocalyptic literature at its finest. Writer Jeff Lemire has created a story that you need to go and tell your friends (and enemies) to read. … A pleasure to read and to experience.” – All-Comic
“✮✮✮✮✮ [THE ANALOG MAN] is one of the best comics I have read period. … Giving us a gritty landscape and a compelling narrative, the creative team certainly make this a story worth following, with the dynamic atmosphere and twists adding that extra layer of awesomeness.” – SnapPow.com
“9.5/10… Jaw-dropping good. It’s foreboding and epic like something out of Blade Runner. … This rip roaring story takes you on a ride you don’t want to miss.” – Adventures in Poor Taste!
“✮✮✮✮ ½ One of the best books on the shelves even [as] Lemire and Larosa take us 30 years into the future… You should pick this up for the art alone; it’s that good.” -- Bounding into Comics
“✮✮✮✮ Lewis Larosa and Brian Reber have turned this up to 11 … [THE ANALOG MAN] has some mileage, and it’s going to be lively seeing what Jeff Lemire has dreamed up for us.” – Big Comic Page
“✮✮✮✮ This book is full of excitement and any readers looking to jump onto [BLOODSHOT REBORN] have a great opportunity here.” – Comicosity
Valiant looks at the future a LOT. Marvel has Old Man Logan, but Valiant has shown us a variety of dystopian futures with aged and aging versions of their current lineup. They do it so often that it makes the present seem precarious, with a lot of repercussions for any given action -- which is a good thing.
Replies
DARK SOULS #1
Artist: ALAN QUAH
Cover A: Game Cover
Cover B: Concept Art
Cover C: JOSHUA CASSARA
Cover D: MARCO TURINI
Cover E: Blank Sketch
Gamestop Store Variant: ALAN QUAH
Namco Bandai UK Variant: Joshua Cassara
Diamond UK Variant: NEN
Forbidden Planet Store Variant: DAN BOULTWOOD
AOD Collectables Store Variant: SIMON MYERS
Ongoing / 32pp / FC / $3.99
Welcome to the world of Dark Souls; a landscape bathed in arcane fantasy, where primordial forces govern the tides of time, bonfires flicker in the darkness, and the undead stalk the earth in search of impossible redemption. From Titan Comics and Doctor Who scribe George Mann, comes this original tale of adventure and visceral horror that throws readers deep into the twisted myth of Namco-Bandai’s award-winning video-game franchise.
Titan Comics is thrilled to announce the Official Dark Souls comic -- set in the world of the best-selling BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment /FromSoftware video game series.
The critically acclaimed action role-playing video game was originally released in Japan in 2011 and has now sold over 2.5 million copies worldwide. Dark Souls II: Scholar of the Sin followed in April 2015 and the highly anticipated third game in the series is released worldwide April 2016.
The forthcoming comic series is penned by best-selling writer George Mann (Doctor Who: The Eighth Doctor, Newbury and Hobbes Investigations) and illustrated by Alan Quah (Orphan Black, Godzilla: Awakening).
"I’m ‘dead’ excited to be working on this new series (see what I did, there). Dark Souls has a rich, original universe that’s just begging to be explored in comics, and I’m honoured to have the opportunity to delve in and tell some new stories within it. I’ve been a fan of the games for some time, so it’s a real thrill to be able to contribute to the mythology of the Hollows and their world.” – George Mann.
Dark Souls #1 hits comic stores on April 6, 2016 and comes with five covers to collect including a game cover, concept cover, two art covers by Joshua Cassara and Marco Turini and a blank sketch variant.
To keep up-to-date with news on the Dark Souls comic, join Titan Comics on Facebook or follow @ComicsTitan on Twitter. For more information about Titan Comics, visit Titan-Comics.com
Dark SoulsTM&(c)BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment Inc. / (c)FromSoftware, Inc.
Comics based on video games took a while to come of age -- they were pretty awful for a long time. But they seem to have taken a quantum leap forward, maybe because the games have. I'm just speculating here, as I don't play video games. But what I see (on commercials and online) make today's video games look pretty impressive.
DAUGHTERS OF THE DARK ORACLE
Publisher: MIKE WOLFER ENTERTAINMENT
Writer/Art: MIKE WOLFER
Cover: MIKE WOLFER, CECI DE LA CRUZ
Mature/$3.99
The undead, patchwork Ragdoll lives again! Led from the frozen Carpathian peaks by geologist Sir Peter Wyndham, the duo seek refuge at the wine country estate of one of Wyndham's colleagues. But as Ragdoll slowly acclimates herself to 1877 after 100 years of hibernation, the shadow of an unholy, past nemesis falls upon all within the mansion -- the shadow of Countess Bathory, Vampiress! Also available in a "Psycho '70s" Retailer Incentive Edition.
Publisher: MIKE WOLFER ENTERTAINMENT
Writer: MIKE WOLFER
Art: MIKE WOLFER, DAN PARSONS
Cover: MIKE WOLFER, CECI DE LA CRUZ
Mature/$14.99
The Daughters of the Dark Oracle saga begins with Mike Wolfer's erotic horror masterpiece, "The Curse of Ragdoll!" Set in 18th-century Europe, all of the seductive terror of the Hammer horror films of the '70s is here, as a Frankenstein's monster-type, supernatural creation seeks out the killers of the original owners of the flesh from which she is composed. Also featuring Countess Bathory, the Siren, and other creatures of legend, Ragdoll is the force that binds the "Daughters" together in this tale of love, lust, and revenge from beyond the grave.
I liked the Hammer films, although they could be pretty cheesy and clunky sometimes. (UK productions in the '60s and '70s had the best actors in the world, and the worst production values in the world. The first Doctor Who show I watched had such terrible sound quality that when a character wasn't speaking directly in the direction of the mic, what she or he was saying was a muffled echo from the far side of the room.) Anyway, if Wolfer can achieve that vibe, these might be pretty good.
DIVINITY II #1
Art by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Cover A by JELENA KEVIC-DJURDJEVIC
Cover B by TOM MULLER
Variant Cover by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Variant Cover by PHIL JIMENEZ
Variant Cover by ADAM GORHAM
B&W Sketch Variant by TREVOR HAIRSINE
Blank Cover also available
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+ | VALIANT PRESTIGE
The much-anticipated follow-up to the five-time sold-out series that The Onion/A.V. Club calls the “Best New Superhero of 2015" is here! Don't miss a single universe-shaking moment as the original DIVINITY creative team returns for a perfect new jumping-on point into the expansive sci-fi epic that shook the world!
Valiant is proud to present DIVINITY II #1 (of 4) – the FIRST ISSUE of an all-new limited series continuing 2015's groundbreaking new character debut! This April, be here as New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (4001 A.D., Mind MGMT), blockbuster artist Trevor Hairsine (DIVINITY), explosive inker Ryan Winn (X-O MANOWAR), and acclaimed colorist David Baron (BLOODSHOT REBORN) return with a brand-new beginning for the awe-inspiring superhero odyssey that redefined the Valiant Universe!
"Almost immediately after his first appearance, DIVINITY became a major focal point in the Valiant Universe and with good reason," said Valiant Editor-in-Chief Warren Simons. "From IMPERIUM to BOOK OF DEATH, his actions have had major repercussions, but the story that Matt and Trevor have in store for DIVINITY II isn't just a sequel—it's the closing of the circle that began with Abram Adams' lift-off from Earth and into the unknown. Now, the full consequences of that journey are going to be revealed as DIVINITY II reintroduces a powerful figure from the past – one that DIVINITY is going to wish stayed lost …"
At the height of the Cold War, the Soviet Union – determined to win the Space Race at any cost – green lit a dangerously advanced mission. They sent three cosmonauts farther into space than anyone has gone before or since. Handpicked orphans with no connections to Earth, trained as devout Communists, and restricted from having families, they became lost in the stars and encountered something unknown… Something that changed them.
Long thought lost and erased from the history books, Abram Adams was the first to return, crash-landing in the Australian Outback. The few that have been able to reach him believe him to be a deity. They say he can bend matter, space, and even time to his will. But, even with seemingly limitless power at his fingertips, he is concerned only with the secret love he hid away from his superiors and the unborn child he never had a chance to meet.
Now, Miska, the female co-pilot of the group, has also returned to Earth…but, unlike Abram she had no secret family. Unlike Abram, she still believes in the Communist ideal. And, unlike Abram, she intends to play a very real role in the return of Soviet glory.
Earth is about to meet a new god. And she’s a Communist. How long can it be before the nations of Earth bend before DIVINITY?
"DIVINITY was a true force of nature in 2015. With a seemingly insatiable demand from fans and retailers, it's racked up 11 red-hot printings, a slew of 'best of 'awards, and astronomical back-issue prices. This has been a true runaway hit in every sense of the term," said Valiant CEO & Chief Creative Officer Dinesh Shamdasani. "From the beginning, the origin of DIVINITY was built to be told in two parts, and we are incredibly excited for fans everywhere to have their minds blown again as we reveal more. Each member of the original creative team––from Matt to Trevor to Ryan to David—has not just returned, but redoubled their efforts to make DIVINITY II not just a title, but a statement of purpose. Packed with action, ingenuity, and brilliantly conceptualized storytelling, you're simply not going to find a series like this anywhere else in comics today."
This April, mankind will bear witness to the cosmic force of creation itself as master storytellers Matt Kindt and Trevor Hairsine unleash a cataclysmic new chapter for the breakout new hero of the year, only in DIVINITY II #1 (of 4)! Featuring covers by Jelena Kevic-Djurdjevic (Thor), Tom Muller (Wolf), Trevor Hairsine (X-Men: Deadly Genesis), Phil Jimenez (Infinite Crisis), and Adam Gorham (DEAD DROP), DIVINITY II #1 (of 4) will also be presented in the deluxe Valiant Prestige format with an ad-free presentation featuring matte-laminate cardstock covers, custom-designed endsheets, exclusive back matter, and more.
I'm still annoyed that the lead character of Divinity -- a Soviet Cosmonaut from the 1950s -- is black. Don't get me wrong, I'm no bigot. Quite the reverse. I'm fully behind today's efforts to broaden lead and supporting characters beyond the Square-Jawed White Hero (tm) archetype.
But those stories are taking place today. We should not forget that non-white characters weren't always an option, that black people were, in fact, long excluded from prestige jobs like the Soviet Cosmonaut program. (And how many black people were there in the Soviet Union in the '50s, anyway? How many are there now?) I found the whole idea preposterous, especially a white Soviet woman sleeping with our hero without social repercussions. Heck, in America in the 1950s, where there were a lot more black people, such an arrangement might result in both being lynched! I don't want today's millennials and future generations to forget that, because those who forget history, etc.
OK, with that off my chest, let me go on to say that Divinity is a pure distillation of the superhero concept. When Abram returns from space, he is so much the Superman that he has, essentially, god-like powers. Does he use them for good? For evil? Not at all? And more important, how do the governmental and corporate powers on Earth react to this new power in their midst? (Hint: Badly.)
So the original Divinity series was fascinating. But Abram's actions (and inactions) in that series didn't change the status quo all that much. This new character threatens to turn the whole apple cart upside down, Superman: Red Son fashion. That, too, should be fascinating.
FLASH GORDON DAILIES VOL 1 (HC)
Writer: DAN BARRY
Mature/$39.99
In 1951, Dan Barry revived the Flash Gordon daily newspaper strip, shaping the character for the rest of his extraordinary 52-year run! Collected together here for the first time in over 25 years are the adventures that enthralled a generation, with contributions from such legends as Harry Harrison, Frank Frazetta, Wally Wood and Harvey Kurtzman.
I've been getting the Sunday collections by Titan, and they're lovingly crafted with terrific content. It's not Alex Raymond, of course, but Barry is still awfully good. So I'm looking forward to starting these dailies!
Writer: WARREN ELLIS
Art: JASON MASTERS
Cover A: DOM REARDON
32 pages / Teen + / $3.99
The secret of VARGR is revealed, and it means that Bond has to descend into a nightmare scenario -- alone. Just his gun and his skills versus a murderous conspiracy to turn Britain into a testing zone for death drugs. Dynamite Entertainment proudly concludes the debut storyline to the first ongoing James Bond comic book in over 20 years!
"Ian Fleming's James Bond is an icon, and it's a delight to tell visual narratives with the original, brutal, damaged Bond of the books." -- Warren Ellis
VARGR wraps up here, and it's a good finale -- a step up in violence and consequences from the earlier episodes, as a climax should be. But oddly, I felt a bit let down, because Ellis is keeping himself so firmly in the real world on this series that it's not fantastic enough, in both senses of the word.
Still, that's a pretty minor whinge. If you haven't been following this series, you might want to keep an eye out for the trade, and sample it for yourself. Espionage and Bond fans (not the same thing, although the Venn diagram overlaps quite a bit) should get a kick out of it, although I suspect fantasy and science fiction fans won't see a lot to like.
Writers: JIM BUTCHER, MARK POWERS
Art: CARLOS GOMEZ
Cover A Main: CARLOS GOMEZ
32 pages / Teen + / $3.99
Jim Butcher's worldwide bestselling Dresden Files saga continues in this original limited series! Set in the aftermath of the novel White Night and comic series Down Town, a bizarre double murder draws the interest of Chicago's only wizard for hire. But as Harry Dresden begins his investigation, the clues lead to troubling conclusions about the possible perpetrator, and set him on a path that will place him in the middle of a conflict between the city's three most powerful factions-a conflict that could engulf all of Chicago!
First issue alert!
I have never read word one of Dresden Files in either prose or comics. What is the series like, Legionnaires?
JOYRIDE #1
Writers: JACKSON LANZING, COLLIN KELLY
Art/Cover: MARCUS TO
$3.99
What's to Love: After working together on Hacktivist and Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials original graphic novel, the writing duo of Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (Batman and Robin Eternal) join forces once again with artist Marcus To (New Warriors, The Flash: Season Zero) for their first creator-owned series that takes readers to the stars in this space epic with a punk-rock attitude, perfect for fans of Young Avengers and Runaways.
What It Is: In the future, Earth sucks. The stars have been blocked out for so long that people have forgotten there was anything else besides the dumb World Government Alliance watching over them, training children to join the militarized Allied Youth and eliminating all resistance with a giant ray gun. Uma Akkolyte is a girl who shoots first and leaps before she looks, and when she gets a strange message from outside the barricades of SafeSky, she jacks a spaceship and punches through the stratosphere with an unlikely crew of teens who are totally not ready for what they're about to find.
I understand that teens on the run is a trope, but I find it hard to believe even the best-educated teens could handle a starship without training.
But, OK, teens on the run. Runaways fans take note.
LEGENDS OF OZ: TIK TOK AND KALIDAH #1
Writer: ROB ANDERSON
Art/Cover: RENATO REI
$3.99
The first new 2016 offering of Aspen's Big Dog Ink imprint has arrived!
Tik Tok makes his triumphant debut in the Wicked West, as he and his partner track a mysterious young girl who carries a secret that Oz itself cannot do without!
Featuring an all original story, don't miss out on Aspen's newest BDI launch title with the premiere of LEGENDS OF OZ: TIK TOK AND THE KALIDAH #1!
First issue alert!
Reading the original L. Frank Baum Oz books are on my bucket list, and I want to do that before I read the comic adaptations, and I want to read the comic adaptations before I move on to original stories like this onw. (And would I even understand this one, with my sketchy Oz knowledge?)
But for those of you who aren't as anal retentive as I am, jumping in here might be fun.
LORDS OF THE JUNGLE #2 (of 6)
Art/Cover B: ROBERTO CASTRO
Cover A: FELIPE MASSAFERA
32 pages / Teen + / $3.99
Displaced in time, lost in an unfamiliar wilderness, and beset by enemies on all sides, Sheena must search for a way home before her own jungle is destroyed. There's only one man who might have the key to her salvation, but Tarzan has problems of his own as he battles for his name and his family in London's underbelly, a place more vicious than Sheena can imagine!
Sheena and Tarzan have yet to meet here in the second issue, although the plot has thrown them into the same time frame (Tarzan's in the 1930s here). Not only is that too much set-up, leaving less and less space for the team-up most of us came here to see in a six-issue series, but set-up is boring!
Another complaint: This Castro fellow looks like a graduate of Continuity Studios, with Neal Adams-style blocking and rendering, which is OK. But his depiction of Sheena's boobs is straight out of the Jim Balent school, and said boobs are so preposterously large and buoyant (gravity seems to have no effect) that it's distracting to the point of annoyance.
That being said, it's not a bad series so far, just one that's still holding its breath. I hope it'll pick up when our stars finally meet.
MADBALLS #1
Writer: BRAD MCGINTY
Art: BRIAN SMITH
Cover: BRAD MCGINTY
Backup stories: SCARECROWOVEN & DAN ZETTWOCH
32 pgs / FC / $2.99
You thought – no, HOPED – those creepy heads from the ‘80s were gone forever, but boy, were you wrong! When the headless Torsoids sabotage the Intergalactic Bizarro Bowl, the squabbling Madballs have to team up to take ‘em down -- Madballs may be dirty, but they like to play fair. These wretched pus bags have to set aside their differences, reassemble the field’s elaborate wacky contraptions, and find a way to stop the Torsoids before it’s too late. With bonus stories by some of the world’s most disgusting artists, this volume is packed with so much mayhem it’s almost illegal in several states!
Screamin’ Meemie, Bash Bash, Skullface, and the rest of the Madballs from the hit toy line are back in this grosser-than-gross new adventure!
Freaky fun for everyone -- if that rings a bell then you’re a fellow fan of those disgusting heads from the ‘80s, the Madballs. And if you’re still a little foggy, here’s the scoop: Madballs were sculpted rubber balls sporting outrageously gross faces, each with their own names and personalities, and what you did is ... well, nobody really knew what to do with them. You just wanted them, and thus one of the earliest modern collectible toy crazes was born. Madballs combined the “gotta have it” impulse of trading cards with the fun of a toy you could hold and display, and the always great side benefit of earning your parents' eternal disdain.
That cultural confluence is exactly where Roar Comics comes in with our new Madballs comic book series, a collection of gross-out gags from a curated lineup of today’s most cutting edge artists. And that’s not just me saying stuff. Seriously, here’s the whole list: on top of a main story by Brad McGinty (Adventure Time) and Brian Smith (Stuff of Legend), each issue features backups by Scarecrowoven, Gunsho, Dan Zettwoch, Jenny Zych, Sean Dove, Jesse Balmer, Jimmy Giegerich and Matt Crabe. We crammed as much degeneracy into this as we could before we ran out of pages.
The first of four issues lands in comic shops next week with three variant covers, hot on the heels of new designer toys from Mondo and a crazy-looking apparel collection from Jeremy Scott. Madballs the comic book flows right along with this nostalgic resurgence for older fans (and precocious kids), bringing an art comics A-game that we rarely see in media tie-ins.
Earlier I mentioned the trend of taking older forms of cartooning and making them really gross, as Ren & Stimpy took the "Space Age" style of the late 1950s and early 1960s that gave us such shows as The Jetsons, and adding boogers, bodily functions, rotting teeth, bulging eyes, and the like.
That is not the case here. Madballs was, according to the above, an '80s fad. But its grossness is inbuilt, arising from the tradition that gave us Ed "Big Daddy" Roth's Rat Fink, Wacky Ads and Garbage Pail Kids. That stuff was always gross, appealing directly to the lizard brain of the pre-adolescent male.
Anyway, Roar Comics (or its distributor, Lion Forge) sent me creator bios, which I'm passing on to you:
ABOUT THE CREATORS
Brad McGinty is an illustrator, comic book artist, apparel designer and animator living in Minneapolis, MN. In addition to writing MADBALLS, you can see his sequential work in recent issues of Uncle Grandpa as well as the Adventure Time and Regular Show comic books and the web comic Battle Zoo. His animation clients include Adult Swim, Discovery Channel, How Stuff Works, and Warner Brothers.
Brian Smith is the co-author of the graphic novel series Stuff of Legend, currently in production at Disney Studios, and the writer/artist of The Intrepid Escape Goat and upcoming Tree Mail from Dark Horse Comics. A former editor at both Marvel and DC Comics, Brian also contributes regularly to SpongeBob Comics.
Jesse Balmer is a drawing enthusiast from San Francisco, California. His work has been featured in Cartoon Brew, Meathaus, Juxtapoz, The New York Times, New Statesman, and Lucky Peach, as well as in exhibitions at iam8bit, GRSF (Giant Robot), and Double Punch Gallery.
Sean Dove lives and works in Chicago, IL, where he runs his one-man design studio, And Thank You For Flying. He graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and served as Art Director at Devil's Due Publishing before freelancing full-time. Clients include Hasbro, McDonalds, Marvel Entertainment, Twentieth Century Fox, Shout! Factory, Lanard Toys, Wizards of the Cost, and Capcom. He shares a work space with the other members of 4 Star Studios, where they produce the iPad app Double Feature Comics.
Jimmy Giegerich is an Illustrator currently working, living, and eagerly awaiting the post-apocalypse in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from the Maryland Institute College of Art where he currently teaches illustration. Clients include Bloomberg Businessweek, Front Magazine, The Village Voice, LA Weekly, Flip Skateboards, Unity Skateboarding Co., Stranger BMX, and a bunch of sweet bands. His work has been recognized by The Society of Illustrators and American Illustration.
James Quigley — a.k.a. Gunsho — is an American-born cartoonist. His art has appeared in the form of record covers, shirt designs, comics, skateboard graphics, and animation for the likes of Heroin Skateboards, Hidden Fortress Press, Eyeball Comix, Night Watch Studios, and PORK Magazine.
Illustrator Scarecrowoven is a fan of gore, guts, and oozing appendages. His gnarled creatures take a cue from comic books, sci-fi and horror movies, and all the illustration that came out of the skateboard world in the ‘80s. He describes himself as an alien emissary sent to our planet 12 million seven hundred thousand years ago, but in more earthly terms he is a graduate of the graphic design program at New York's School of the Visual Arts.
Dan Zettwoch was born in Louisville, Kentucky - the birthplace of Muhammad Ali and the cheeseburger - in 1977. In addition to several self-published booklets, his stories have appeared in Kramers Ergot, the Drawn & Quarterly Showcase, Comic Art, Nickelodeon Magazine, Yale University Press' An Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories Volume 2. He is currently working on the weekly newspaper strip Amazing Facts & Beyond with fellow USS Catastrophe crew members Kevin Huizenga and Ted May, a series of screenprints commemorating St. Louis folk icons and gross foods, and his own comic Redbird. See more of his work at danzettwoch.com
Jenny Zych was born at midnight and graduated from The School of Visual Arts with a BFA in Illustration. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, The New Republic, Time Out New York, and BUST, as well as in exhibitions at Gowanus Print Lab, Light Grey Art Lab, and LightSpace Studios.
MEGG & MOGG IN AMSTERDAM AND OTHER STORIES (HC)
Writer/Art/Cover: SIMON HANSELMANN
160 pages / FC / 6" x 8.75" / Mature / $19.99
Fresh off their star turn in the New York Times best seller Megahex, Megg and Mogg decide to take a trip to Amsterdam for some quality couple time, although the trip gets off to a rocky start when they forget their antidepressants. Megg & Mogg in Amsterdam collects all of Simon Hanselmann's contributions to Vice. com, the Ignatz Award-nominated short story "St. Owl's Bay," and other surprises that will add additional color and background for fans of Megahex.
New OGN alert!
This looks like the sort of self-indulgent young creator crap that I normally ignore. But I haven't read it, so it might surprise me. (Well, no, it won't, because I'm not going to read it. But maybe you'll read it, and tell me I'll be surprised, and then I will read it. It's the circle of life!)
MOON GIRL #2 REPLICA EDITION
Writer: WILLIAM WOOLFOLK
Art: SHELDON MOLDOFF, JOHNNY CRAIG
Cover: SHELDON MOLDOFF
$17.99
Moon Girl #2 is an exact replica of this scarce 1947 comic including all ads and editorial content. The issue expands to 52 pages with stories by Shelly Moldoff and Johnny Craig. The artwork is fully restored and in keeping with the classic feel of the artwork. Full color.
As I said last week, I'd rather spend $18 on a collection of the entire series -- should it ever become available -- rather than one issue. This smacks of get-rich-quick gouging, but I'm reluctant to hurl that charge without evidence.
MURDER BY REMOTE CONTROL (GN)
Writer: JANWILLEM VAN
Art/Cover: PAUL KIRCHNER
$12.95
There's no lack of suspects when a notorious oil tycoon is murdered in the midst of his plans to establish an oil refinery in the pristine Maine wilderness. This trippy detective story, unfolding in sequential art format and filled with hypnotic imagery, combines the talents of internationally renowned mystery writer Janwillem van de Wetering, and acclaimed Marvel Comics and Heavy Metal artist Paul Kirchner. New cover art by Paul Kirchner. New Afterword by Stephen R. Bissette.
This book originally came out in 1986, and is just one of many OGNs by Van and Kirchner. I've never seen it, but it looks like it's playing with the illustration and story styles of 1950s or '60s detective noir stories, which could be a lot of fun.
NOVO VOL 1 EXTENDED ED (GN)
Writer/Art/Cover: MICHAEL S. BRACCO
$14.99
Critically-acclaimed award-winning creator Michael S. Bracco crafts the beautiful existential sci-fi fantasy epic known as NOVO! Eight years after its initial release, this Extended Edition combines Birth and the first volume of NOVO. The Aquans and Terans spent their existences warring and decimating their populations until only one Aquan (a male) and one Teran (a female) remained. Together in love and desperation, they created NOVO, a savior born to a world that no longer had use for one. Searching for a meaning to his life, NOVO discovers a history that he will never be a part of and a future beyond his wildest dreams.
Here's a re-release of a 2008 OGN. As with Murder with Remote Control, its first release didn't make enough waves to rock my boat, so I've never seen it.
ORIGINAL FAKE (HC)
Writer: Kirstin Cronn-Mills
Art/Cover: E. Eero Johnson
$17.99
Introvert Frankie Neumann hates his life, and understandably so. He's got a weird, tutu-wearing sister, Lou, and even weirder parents, Bridget and Brett -- Frank Sinatra and Dr. Frank-N-Furter impersonators, respectively. Though he has secret artistic aspirations of his own, his over-the-top family makes him want to stay in the background. After his shift at the pizzeria one night, Frankie meets David and Rory, cousins and errand runners for the mysterious Uncle Epic, a legendary anonymous street artist and Frankie's absolute idol. Little could Frankie dream that his new adventures with Uncle Epic would lead to the perfect opportunity to strike back at his insufferable sister for a lifetime of torture -- until things go haywire!
New OGN alert!
It would help us make up our minds if these obscure publications would at least give us a preview. I'm not dropping $18 on an unknown product -- not when there's so much known product that I know I won't regret buying instead.
RED SONJA VOL 3 #4
Art: ANEKE
Cover A: MARGUERITE SAUVAGE
32 pages / Teen + / $3.99
Hunted by the elite assassins of her own King, Sonja is forced to hide - even among her ex-lovers! With the aid of those from her past, she must rally a rebellion against the new despot, ending his dreams of conquest. Sonja plots a desperate gambit of her own as Hyrkania teeters on the brink of civil war!
This book is really suffering from the departure of Gail Simone, Jenny Frison and the attendant artists. Savage is doing her best in an unfamiliar genre (I think) and it's readable, but the art is pretty bland, both inside and on the cover.
STREET FIGHTER™ UNLIMITED #5
Writer: KEN SIU-CHONG
Art: EDWIN HUANG, JEFFREY CHAMBA CRUZ
Cover A: GENZOMAN
Cover B: Ultra Jam Variant
Cover C: Incenetive Homage Variant
Dover D: Incentive Variant
32pg, Full Color, $3.99
Deep in the Amazon Jungle awaits the most ancient and powerful martial arts master alive - the mysterious Oro. Two fighters seek his wisdom -- the troubled Ryu, and the deadly Akuma! Oro may reveal his secrets to one of them ... but not without a fight! The action continues as Street Fighter Unlimited welcomes new series artist Edwin Huang!
UDON is proud to welcome Edwin Huang as the new lead artist on the monthly STREET FIGHTER™ UNLIMITED comic series! Edwin is well known as the penciler for the fan-favorite Image Comics series Skullkickers and recently wrapped up a successful stint on Archie Comics’ Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man™ comics. Edwin is also the designer of Pop Culture Shock Toys’ upcoming line of Street Fighter™ V 1/6 scale statues.
Edwin’s art will be headlining the series for four issues, starting with STREET FIGHTER™ UNLIMITED #5. This issue sees Ryu, desperate to control the dark forces within him, seeking out a new master - the ancient hermit Oro! Plus, in a special bonus story illustrated by Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz, Oro is paid a visit by another student of the Ansatsuken martial arts – the deadly Akuma!
STREET FIGHTER™ UNLIMITED #5 features two standard covers by Gonzalo “Genzoman” Ordóñez Arias and Jeffrey “Chamba” Cruz, as well as two special incentive variants. Joe Vriens provides the CVR C homage variant, which calls back to a classic 1990s comic event, while Steve “Kandoken” Mack provides a Street Fighter™ V variant featuring the game’s fierce new Brazilian fighter – Laura Matsuda!
I care not a whit for this. But UDON sends PR, and I dutifully post it.
SUN BAKERY #1
Writer/Art/Cover: COREY LEWIS
$5.99
Introducing Sun Bakery: a one-man Shonen Jump-esque comics anthology from Sharknife creator, Corey Lewis. Each 48 page issue is jam packed with robo space adventure, paranormal skateboarding, breakdancing, and social swordplay. This landmark first issue debuts four new stories: "Dream Skills," "Arem," "Bat Rider" and "Freeze."
Now, see, here's a nice preview to help me decide if I want to buy this book. Thanks you, Alternative Comics!
Unfortunately, the preview looks like the kind of art I did in my dorm room in college, so I'm unlikely to buy or read this book. But it's the principle that counts.
TWILIGHT ZONE: THE SHADOW #1 (of 4)
Art: DAVE ACOSTA
Cover A Main: FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
32 pages / Teen + / $3.99
He knows what evil lurks in the hearts of men... but who knows what lurks in the heart of The Shadow? Find out, in the first issue of this mind-blowing four-part storyline entitled "Shadow of a Doubt", as the Master of Men takes a fateful step into that wondrous land bounded only by imagination: an area which we call ... The Twilight Zone.
This is perhaps the strangest "team-up" of titles to date. But it works. It's essentially a psychological study, with The Shadow, Lamont Cranston and Kent Allard all meeting and discussing their strange existence and bifurcated personalities. Weird, but interesting, especially given our familiarity with The Shadow's backstory.
X-O MANOWAR #46
Art by ROBERT GILL
Cover A by PHIL JIMENEZ
Cover B by STEPHEN MOONEY
Variant Cover by CHRISS CROSS
$3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+
The game-changing finale to “THE KILL LIST”!
X-O Manowar and Ninjak have uncovered a Vine terrorist network that goes farther up the rungs of power than they could have ever expected – and revealing its secrets may have just put everyone Aric holds dear in grave danger! Even Valiant’s two most powerful heroes might not be able to stop what’s coming next … and the countdown is about to begin!
The all-star creators behind Valiant’s blockbuster BOOK OF DEATH event, New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti and red-hot artist Robert Gill, present the most dire hour ever in the life of X-O Manowar!
Valiant's flagship title, with a nice preview. Enjoy!
In the preview, Mr Kindt's skill seems to me very apparent in the layouts of the pages and the design of the diving suit. The amateur look is on the surface, an aesthetic choice.
The preview link for The Shadow Glass is defective.
Captain, you actually got me to get Dept. H! If I don't like it, I'm a'blaming you! (heh!)
I wasn't too impressed with Lords of the Jungle #1. If people know who Sheena is in the first place and not Marvel's Shanna the She-Devil which, for all I know, was the whole point of the series. She is a modern jungle "goddess" with her animal companions including a too-cute parrot! Tarzan is barely there at all.
I've enjoyed the vast majority of IDW's Star Trek output but with me, that's probably a given!
I fixed the Shadow Glass link. Thanks Luke!
And I'm glad my comments vis-a-vis Dept. H were useful, Philip! I don't expect everyone to like what I like and dislike what I dislike -- what a boring world that would be -- so I try to say why I like or dislike a thing, especially if the reason is really personal or petty, so you can adjudge whether that's applicable to you. That you were able to find the information you needed makes me happy.
“When was it that Metamorpho began metamorphosizing from his cartoonish Ramona Fradon look to a more monsterish appearance?”
Later than BATO, I think. I wanna say Justice League Europe International.
ALIENS 30TH ANNIVERSARY: I used to always say this should have been the third movie.
AMERICAN ALIEN: I’ve been reading this series from the beginning and I like it (FWIW). I didn’t expect to, but I do. In this retelling, everyone in Smallville knows Clark’s secret.
STAR TREK #55-56: I think “Legacy of Spock” is a four-parter.
WALLY WOOD THUNDER AGENTS PORTFOLIO: It’s more than “just bigger”; you can see every brush stroke, every correction, margin notes, etc. Have you seen one of these up close? The first John Romita Spider-Man and the Wally Wood EC ones are wonders to behold.
INVINCIBLE: You were the one who first got me started reading Invincible, but I eventually gave up on it, too. What happened was, because I started so late into the run, I was reading the trades. Then one day I realized I had missed one. I always meant to go back and pick it up, but I never did.
FLASH GORDON DAILIES: I have the IDW Flash Gordon series (with the Jungle Jim toppers). Volume 4 (I think it is) of the Titan series picks up exactly when IDW left off, and takes the Sundays up to exactly where Mac Raboy takes over. The four Dark Horse Raboy collections are in b&w softcover, so I’ll be replacing them with the color Titan hardcover ones soon. Same thing with these dailies: I have two tpbs, but they’re worth owning in hardback.
JAMES BOND #6: I’m switching to trade at this point.
MOON GIRL REPLICA: I’m getting these for “Tracy of Moon-T” but they truly are a rip-off. PSArtbooks are showing up in local Half Price Books locations for $12 each, and those are several issues, collected in hardcover, printed on more appropriate paper stock.