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MARVEL COMICS
ALIENS: WHAT IF #1 (OF 5)
Story: Hans Rodionoff | Art: Guiu Villanova | Cover: Phil Noto | Teen+ | $4.99
For decades, What If …? has allowed creators to put bold twists on classic Marvel Universe stories. This March, this beloved comic series format enters the groundbreaking — and terrifying — world of Alien for the first time in ALIENS: WHAT IF…?.
The five-issue comic series will take readers back to the events of the franchise’s historic original sequel, Aliens, to ask the question, “What If … Carter Burke has lived?” The actor behind the 1987 film’s beloved villain, Paul Reiser, joins his son Leon and the star-studded team of writers and producers Adam F. Goldberg (The Goldbergs), Brian Volk-Weiss (The Toys That Made Us) and Hans Rodionoff (Damage Control) for this pulse-pounding journey back to Hadley’s Hope and the twisted escape of a man who should have died. On art duties is Guiu Villanova, known for providing intergalactic excellence on titles like Cosmic Ghost Rider and Eternals. The saga will further explore the nature of the man who infamously betrayed Ripley and the lengths he’s willing to go to get his hands on the deadliest species in the galaxy …
For years, fans of James Cameron’s legendary Aliens questioned whether Carter Burke, a company man more hateable than the Xenomorphs themselves, had actually survived the traumatic events on the terraforming colony Hadley’s Hope. Thirty-five years later, Burke is eeking out a cursed existence on a backwater asteroid. With his once-promising career in the toilet, Burke's only remaining purpose in life is to care for his daughter, Brie. She hates him, probably for being a horrible person. And when she finds out what he’s up to now? It’s not going to be a friendly reunion. Has Burke learned his lesson, or is he about to get all of his companions killed again?
On the chance to revisit the character’s motives, Reiser said, “For years, people have asked me about Burke, what it was like to play such a ‘bad guy,’ to which my response was always ‘You say "bad," I say "misunderstood." Now the world will find out!”
I'm not really interested in the fate of Carter Burke, but evidently the actor who played him is. I predict a redemption arc.
But honestly, the only "What If" for Alien that's different from any other Alien story is "What If ... the humans won?"
Jarvis returns in AVENGERS #11. It ain't the Avengers without Jarvis!
"Gang War" continues this week in DAREDEVIL: GANG WAR #4.
GIANT SIZE SPIDER-GWEN #1
Story: Melissa Flores | Art: Glez, Alba | Cover: Bryan Hitch | Teen+ | $6.99
GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-GWEN #1 will be part of next year’s 50th anniversary celebration of the epic Giant-Size storytelling of 1970s, home to some of the most pivotal and earth-shattering tales of the Marvel mythos! Melissa Flores will continue to redefine Ghost-Spider’s adventures in her home dimension, this time alongside rising star artist Alba Glez, as the most sinister threats of Earth-65, including a new Doc Ock, join forces to bring down their universe’s greatest super hero!
Swinging from the pages of SPIDER-GWEN: SMASH, Gwen Stacy has finally found some balance in her home dimension. But when the remnants of the Carnage symbiote resurface in Gwen’s bandmate Mary Jane, they attract the attention of something … sinister. Orlando Octavius, the adopted son of Dr. Octopus, now has his sights set on MJ. And Spider-Gwen will have to save her friend from a gauntlet of new and terrifying villains in this oversized spectacular!
"Helping Gwen Stacy settle into her home dimension in SPIDER-GWEN: SMASH was an incredible pleasure,” Flores shared. “Being given the opportunity to continue to develop those relationships in this one-shot was an unexpected jolt of euphoria that I never saw coming. I wasn't ready to leave Gwen or Earth-65 behind, and I'm so thankful that now I don't have to!"
Like all of next year’s GIANT-SIZE installments, GIANT-SIZE SPIDER-GWEN #1 will boast a cover by superstar artist Bryan Hitch and reprint a classic adventure of its titular star, SPIDER-GWEN #13 (2015), in which Gwen and the Mary Janes first face off against Earth-65’s Mysterio!
"Giant-Size Spider-Gwen"? I didn't see that coming. Now I want to see an 80-foot Gwen Stacy.
MS. MARVEL: MUTANT MENACE #1 (OF 4)
Story: Iman Vellani | Art: Scott Godlewski | Cover: Carlos E. Gomez | Variant: Derrick Chew | Teen+ | $4.99
HATED AND FEARED!
This March, Kamala Khan returns to Jersey City as a full-fledged member of the X-Men in MS. MARVEL: MUTANT MENACE!
A sequel to last year’s acclaimed Ms. Marvel: The New Mutant limited series, MS. MARVEL: MUTANT MENACE will once again be written by Marvel Studios’ own Ms. Marvel, actress Iman Vellani, and writer Sabir Pirzada. Joining them this time around will be artist Scott Godlewski, who recently made his Marvel Comics debut in the Fall of X tie-in series Alpha Flight.
MS. MARVEL: MUTANT MENACE sees Kamala continue to adjust to her mutant identity as she makes her way back home following her explosive first mission with the X-Men. Discovering she was a mutant during the fall of Krakoa has proven to be quite the challenge and in order to survive the experience, she’ll have to learn how to balance her family and friends with her new X-Men responsibilities — including singlehandedly taking down iconic X-villain Mojo!
The highly-anticipated debut issue will sport a stunning variant by best-selling cover artist Derrick Chew. Also available as a virgin variant cover, the piece shows Kamala rocking her new X-costume, ready to protect a world that hates and fears her!
Ms. Marvel has officially come out to the world as a mutant and a member of the X-Men … and she’s about to learn just how hard things can get for mutantkind! Kamala Khan is used to being a hometown hero — there’s no way her community would turn on her just because she’s a mutant, right? … Right??
“It's been an absolute joy and privilege to get to co-write Ms. Marvel with Iman Vellani, who has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is THE voice of Ms. Marvel on the page just as much as she is on the screen,” Pirzada said. “We are excited to report that Kamala's mutant journey will continue on in MS. MARVEL: MUTANT MENACE. It will be Kamala's most dangerous ride yet.”
Does Ms. Marvel sell well enough to deserve all this attention, or is it just because of The Marvels? I don't know, but I hope she sells well.
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MEN #1
Story: Greg Weisman | Art/Cover: Humberto Ramos | Variant: David Marquez | Teen | $4.99
The Marvel Universe proudly boasts two amazing Spider-Men, and this March, they’ll join forces in their first ongoing series ever: SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MEN! Not only will the series team up two of comic books’ biggest icons, it’ll also team up two industry superstars — writer Greg Weisman and artist Humberto Ramos.
Weisman, known for writing the beloved animated Spectacular Spider-Man animated series and creating Gargoyles, returns with all the web-slinging drama and adventure that made Spectacular Spider-Man a fan-favorite series. And who better to bring these new sagas to life than one of the definitive Amazing Spider-Man artists, Spidey legend Humberto Ramos! Together, they’ll introduce a fresh dynamic between Peter and Miles as super hero partners who swap intelligence and tips, combine their strength against threats, and learn from each other’s differences in age and experience. The duo’s journey kicks off with an epic run-in with the Jackal, and fans can get their first look at the action in a special announcement video, featuring never-before-seen interior artwork.
Peter Parker and Miles Morales are going to team up on the regular, comparing notes and using said notes to take on some of their most dangerous bad guys. This duo is better than dynamic, amazing, sensational, superior…they’re SPECTACULAR!
"I'm so thrilled to be writing Spidey again, and the fact that I get to write both Spideys, together, makes the gig doubly sweet,” Weisman shared. “It's fun for me, because in this book, I see the younger Miles trying really hard to show his maturity to his mentor Peter, while the older Pete feels free to let out his inner 16-year-old with Miles. So there's a bit of role reversal to the normal mentor-protege relationship than one might expect to see. But I think both Pete and Miles still feel very true to character. And when things get serious, so do our boys (quippage notwithstanding.) What we're seeing here is the evolution from mentor and protegee to them simply being good friends. And that change of status (in process, as it is) really interests me as a writer. Oh, and Humberto's art is so damn gorgeous.”
“From a very young age, my goal was to draw Spider-Man for Marvel Comics, and now that it has become a recurring reality in my life, I enjoy every occasion in which I am called to do so, or as I like to say ‘come back home,’ and I could not ask for a better way to do that than alongside Greg Weisman who gave us the greatest Spider-Man TV series!” Ramos said. “Not only that, but in this book I not only have the joy of drawing not one but two Spider-Mans. Drawing Peter's adventures was exciting enough, I can only imagine how it will be drawing both Peter and Miles’ adventures! I love my job!”
It took me a long time to accept a second Spider-Man, feeling that it undermined the uniqueness and importance of the first. But as I've grown cool to the modern Spider-Man, it was easier to accept another as his equal. I've still got my old Ditko and Romita books to re-read if I miss "my" Spider-Man. These new versions are for These Kids Today (tm), and I hope they have as much fun as I did.
ULTIMATE X-MEN #1
Story/Art: Peach Momoko | Variants: Peach Momoko, Aka, Mark Brooks, Inhyuk Lee, Betsy Cola, Dike Ruan | Teen+ | $5.99
Set in Japan, ULTIMATE X-MEN stars Hisako Ichiki, AKA Armor, a fan-favorite young X-Man who debuted in the groundbreaking Astonishing X-Men. When she discovers her unusual exoskeleton powers, the new Ultimate Universe’s Armor’s normal life is shattered as she becomes the first of a new generation of mutants! Witness the X-Men mythos like you’ve never seen before as Momoko blends the classic mutant metaphor with Japanese folklore and urban legends. The resulting saga infuses horror into the franchise’s trademark mutant origin stories as Armor must overcome her darkest fears in order to unlock her full mutant potential. The series also marks the debut of Maystorm, the Storm-inspired character who Momoko created for last year’s New Champions Variant Covers.
“At first, I was worried about being chosen for such an important project, but the more I draw and write the series, the more confident I am with my own vision of ULTIMATE X-MEN,” Momoko told AiPT Comics in last week’s X-Men Monday column. “ULTIMATE X-MEN isn’t directly influenced by classic X-Men stories. I like to believe C.B. [Cebulski] and Jonathan Hickman chose me because they wanted something completely new and different.”
ULTIMATE X-MEN is the third launch in Marvel’s new ULTIMATE line that was born out of Hickman and Bryan Hitch’s ULTIMATE INVASION series. The saga began with the Maker, one of the final survivors of the doomed Ultimate Universe, travelling back in time on a parallel Earth to create a world without heroes. He succeeded in preventing various iconic heroes from achieving their destiny and ruled this world in secret through various global factions.
Now, he’s vanished and a secret war has broken out across the planet to shape what will happen to his kingdom. Some want to control the world. Some want to free it. In Japan, new mutants emerge with no one to teach them. Who will step forward to guide the hated and feared?
Filled with modern takes on classic Marvel ideas and characters, the new Ultimate Universe is ripe for rich storytelling and a perfect evolution of the Ultimate brand. See it grow and develop in upcoming issues of ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN, ULTIMATE BLACK PANTHER, and ULTIMATE X-MEN along with more Ultimate titles launching in the months ahead, including an all-new ULTIMATES.
“I am very honored to be a part of the new Ultimate Universe,” Momoko said. “I am very careful in delivering the unique X-Men mutant elements while still being true to my vision and voice. I am also very proud (and surprised) that I was given enough freedom from C.B. Cebulski and Jonathan Hickman to create a brand new X-Men character. It might not be the normal portrayal of a super hero … but, just like with my Momoko-verse stories, I am excited to introduce everyone to this new world.”
I hope this version of Ultimate X-Men is better than the original, because that one (with the teenage Logan) bored me to tears.
VENOM #31
Story: Torunn Gronbekk | Art: Ken Lashley | Cover: CAFU | Teen+ | $3.99
“SYMBIOSIS NECROSIS” PART 1
Written by current Venom and Carnage scribes Torunn Grønbekk and Al Ewing and drawn by Ken Lashley and Pere Pérez, this four-part crossover will take over both titles in March and April. Grønbekk stopped by This Week in Marvel to reveal the scope of the story which kicks off when Carnage, fresh off his latest slaughter spree in Death of the Venomverse, targets Eddie Brock — and how better to get to his mortal enemy then going after Eddie’s son — and fellow Venom — Dylan?!
The father/son pair are currently on interwoven journeys across space and time in the pages of Venom but their paths will collide dramatically when Dylan faces off against Cletus for the first time. The saga will be packed with explosive developments including a new look for Carnage that fans can see now in Cafu’s VENOM #32 cover, a power up for Dylan, a shocking twist to Cletus and Carnage’s bond, and an epic showdown with the only symbiote Carnage truly fears — Anti-Venom!
It all kicks off in VENOM #31 where, born anew in symbiote goo and blood, Cletus Kasady is more dangerous and violent than ever before — and has his sights dead set on the unsuspecting Venom! Untested against the might of his symbiotic sibling without his father by his side, will Dylan Brock be able to hold the sadistic serial killer at bay? Or will Carnage live up to its namesake and leave another brutalized symbiote host in its wake?
Didn't we just finish a Venom crossover?
WEAPON X-MEN #1
Story: Christos Gage | Art: Yildiray Cinar | Cover: Dike Ruan | Teen+ | $4.99
Throughout X-Men history, there’s been certain missions that require a specific set of claws, and this March comes a threat that will take an entire squad of them in WEAPON X-MEN! Written by Christos Gage and drawn by Yildiray Çinar, this four-issue epic will star Wolverines from fan-favorite Marvel realities like Age of Apocalypse, Earth X and Marvel Zombies, plus an all-new Wolverine hero named Jane Howlett.
The action-packed saga will spin directly out of Gage and Greg Land’s Original X-Men #1 which hits stands this Wednesday. In the special anniversary one-shot, readers will witness the Phoenix recruit the Professor X’s original five students to fix yet another time-displaced disaster. But now the threat is deadlier than ever … and it’s time to call in the X-Men's big gun.
Afterwards, A MULTIVERSE OF LOGANS BANDS TOGETHER! He’s the best there is at what he does, in every universe he does it in ... and this job is too big for just one of him. Wolverines from across the Multiverse converge to take on a foe even the Phoenix fears! But with friends like Old Man Logan, Age of Apocalypse Wolverine, Zombie Wolverine, Earth X Wolverine and newcomer Jane Howlett of Earth-1281, who needs enemies?
“Getting a chance to continue to explore the Marvel Multiverse in the pages of WEAPON X-MEN with the amazing Yildiray Çinar is the perfect Christmas gift!” Gage shared. A team of nothing but Wolverines ... one of whom, Jane Howlett, has never been seen before? Against a threat from the pages of Original X-Men? With Yildiray Çinar, whose character acting is as brilliant as his action scenes and who has a George Perez-level of skill with crowds? Moving from one alternate Earth to another? Sign me up! We are packing a TON of action, story, character moments, pathos, and sometimes literally earth-shattering moments into these four issues, so don't miss it!”
I don't see what the big deal is about Jane Howlett. We already have, what, three Wolverwomen? I don't know what good Fat Logan will be, and Zomberine seems like a major liability. What's to keep him from attacking his "teammates"?
"Fall of the House of X" continues this week in X-MEN #32.
DC COMICS
THE BAT-MAN: FIRST KNIGHT #1 (OF 3)
Story: Dan Jurgens | Art/Cover: Mike Perkins | $6.99
The year is 1939. The world, still reeling from the horrors of the First World War, is on the brink of tipping into an even more gruesome conflict, as fascism is on the march — and gathering strength in America's darkest corners. Against this backdrop, a series of violent murders has begun in Gotham, and the recent emergence of the mysterious vigilante known as The Bat-Man has the power brokers of the city living in fear of institutional collapse. All of the evidence in the murder investigation defies logic: The perpetrators are all men who died in the electric chair. But when the Bat- Man comes face to face with one of these sickening anomalies, he barely escapes with his life — throwing into question his ability to survive in a world that is brutally evolving around him! Legendary writer Dan Jurgens and superstar artist Mike Perkins return to the earliest days of the Dark Knight, re-telling one of his most infamous cases through an acutely modern lens, depicting a world paralyzed by anxiety and a desperate populace crying out for release!
This sounds awesome — and timely. Maybe Batman should have always been a horror character.
BIRDS OF PREY #7 promises a new team, but doesn't say who's on it.
BLUE BEETLE #7 guest stars Booster Gold. Yes, the newest Blue Beetle and the "old" Booster Gold.
DETECTIVE COMICS #411 FACSIMILE EDITION reprints the first appearance of Talia al Ghul.
SHAZAM #9 guest stars The Creeper. That's sure a weird team-up.
IMAGE COMICS
I feel obligated to mention that the aftermath of Spawn #350 continues this week in KING SPAWN #31 and GUNSLINGER SPAWN #29.
DARK HORSE
MARBLE QUEEN TP
Story: Anna Kopp | Art: Gabrielle Kari | $19.99
The Marble Queen is a YA fantasy graphic novel that's the political drama of Nimona meets the heartfelt romance of The Princess and the Dressmaker, but this time in a sapphic romance surrounded by a mist of magic. Princess Amelia's kingdom, Marion, is in shambles after months of their trade routes being ravaged by pirates, and now the only seemingly option left is for her to save it through a marriage alliance. When she gets an exorbitant offer from the royalty of Iliad-a country shrouded in mystery-Amelia accepts without question and leaves her home to begin a new life. But she lands on Iliad's shores to find that her betrothed isn't the country's prince, but the recently coronated Queen Salira. Shocked, Amelia tries to make sense of her situation and her confused heart: Salira has awakened strange new feelings inside her, but something dark hides behind the Queen's sorrowful eyes. Amelia must fight the demons of her own anxiety disorder before she can tackle her wife's, all while war looms on the horizon.
I don't usually publish YA press releases. But what the heck, it looks cute.
IDW PUBLISHING
GODZILLA: BEST OF DESTOROYAH #1
Story: Various | Art: Various | Cover: James Biggie | $7.99
Swarming. Evolving. Becoming stronger as the already powerful juveniles come together and create a monster of devastation. Destoroyah! With the power of oxygen destruction, when Destoroyah arrives, no one is safe!
I'm determined to see Shin Godzilla, but it doesn't seem to want to show up on any streaming service, because it's never available when I remember to check. I guess I'll have to bite the bullet and buy the Blu-ray. And if I do that, I might as well get Godzilla (1954) and Godzilla (2014) and Godzilla Minus One (2023), to have the best G-films on my shelf. And if do that, I really ought to get the rest of the Legendary films. And if I do that ...
That has nothing to do with this book, although I'm sure Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995) is on TV somewhere.
GOLGOTHA: MOTOR MOUNTAIN #1
Story: Matthew Erman, Lonnie Nadler | Art/Cover: Robbi Rodriguez | $5.99
Join superstar artist Robbi Rodriguez (Spider-Gwen) and the dynamic writing duo of Matthew Erman (Witchblood) & Lonnie Nadler (Age of X-Man) on a high-octane redneck motor massacre! When a derelict chunk of a passing interstellar rock rains down on Elwood and Vernon Damnage's meth lab in Golgotha Knob, Kentucky, their lives are turned into a redneck body horror nightmare.
Still needing to make their deliveries to the buyers, mutations or not, they set off down Golgotha Knob only to be beset on all sides by crazed addicts, cannibal police and mutated neo-Nazis. It doesn't matter what waits at the bottom of Golgotha Knob for the Damnage brothers because they must ride through a cosmic hell that they're unlikely to survive. ... But if these brothers do survive, they'll finally have made enough money to start over in the beautiful utopia that is Cincinnati.
OK, this sounds like fun. Here's a PREVIEW.
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE LAST RONIN II — RE-EVOLUTION #1
Story: Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz | Art: Ben Bishop | Art/Cover: Esau Escorza, Issac Escorza | $8.99
More than a decade after the Last Ronin defeated the Foot Clan, New York City finds itself in a state of steady decline. Now, the disparate gangs vie for economic and political control and that the chaos is taking its toll. It's clear to Casey Marie that if something isn't done soon, the city she knows and loves will be lost forever. So, whether they're ready or not, she and her young pupils must raise a new coalition and lead the charge to keep the peace. Witness the rise of the next generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles as they fight to restore peace to the streets they live below! Legendary TMNT co-creator Kevin Eastman proudly presents the next epic chapter of The Last Ronin, reassembling the acclaimed creative team from the original monster bestseller for a second oversized, prestige format miniseries event!
Guided by Casey Marie Jones, the formidable and strategic daughter of April O’Neil and the late Casey Jones, the next generation of Ninja Turtles — Yi, Uno, Odyn, and Moja — will face the ultimate enemy! Will the young heroes be able to adapt to the pressure of a city at war? Featuring new foes and foils, this exhilarating and compelling next chapter in the Ronin-verse is overflowing with turtle power as THE LAST RONIN team returns to continue the stunning story. TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: THE LAST RONIN II — RE-EVOLUTION is co-written by Eastman and Tom Waltz, illustrated by Ben Bishop, Esau Escorza and Isaac Escorza, colored by Luis Antonio Delgado, and lettered by Shawn Lee.
“The real heart and soul for me with dusting off and bringing THE LAST RONIN to life three years ago was my belief that ‘Every beginning must have an end,’” said Eastman. “With all the respect in the world for my co-creator Peter Laird, I wanted to bring full circle to what we started in 1984 and set out to do in 1987. With THE LAST RONIN, with my friend Tom Waltz and an incredible gathering of brilliant artisans, we accomplished that 33 years later. A very fitting end indeed.”
Eastman is happy to reunite with his fellow creators behind THE LAST RONIN and expand the Ronin-verse. “The incredible surprise on coming out of the end of that journey, was the opportunity to continue to tell stories beyond that ending. All new characters, in a whole new universe to really sink our teeth into and the best part — with all the original crew back to make sure we get it right. I can’t wait for you to see what we have in store for them.”
Waltz reflected on the original mission statement behind THE LAST RONIN. “When Kevin Eastman and I got together to adapt and update the future TMNT outline that he and Peter Laird had written together in 1987, our hope was always that we’d be creating an evergreen tale that longtime TMNT fans would enjoy for years to come.” Waltz continued, “Little did we know — and much to our absolute pleasure — THE LAST RONIN would become a publishing sensation, a New York Times bestseller, far surpassing our initial hopes and expectations. And not only was it successful, it offered Kevin and I the opportunity to revisit what we’ve lovingly come to call the Ronin-verse in the form of prequels and sequels — first with THE LAST RONIN: THE LOST YEARS and THE LOST DAY, and now with THE LAST RONIN II — RE-EVOLUTION.”
Waltz added how honored he is to continue exploring the future of the franchise. “I couldn’t be more excited and humbled to help bring the next generation of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to the world … awesome new stories and characters that stand firmly and respectfully atop the shoulders of the beloved legacy of their original namesakes. We’re going to have our pizza and eat it, too!”
TMNT Senior Editor Charles Beacham is confident this sequel will be something really special for fans of the Heroes in a Half Shell. ”Kevin, Tom, and the rest of the team have cooked up something truly incredible for this next chapter in the THE LAST RONIN story. Yes there’s more Turtles. Yes there are exciting new enemies, but even more than that, there’s a lot of heart. I can tell you that this book is a labor of love for ALL involved and it shows.”
This "Last Ronin" business must be selling like Aunt May's wheatcakes to get sequels and wall-to-wall PR. I'm never going to be a TMNT fan, but if you are, this could be an exciting extension of the franchise.
MORE COMICS
Spero Toy Enterprise's ANIMAL WARRIORS OF THE KINGDOM #1 (OF 5) is set up in a Kamandi-like world without Kamandi. Based on the toy line.
Comic-strip collectors alert: CALVIN AND HOBBES PORTABLE COMPENDIUM VOL 2 SC and JOHNNY HAZARD DAILIES VOL 11 1961-1963 HC ship this week.
Fantagraphics' FAT COP HC is about a cop who is not only fat, but brutal and stupid. The art is reminiscent of Peter Bagge. None of this appeals to me, but here's a PREVIEW to help you make up your own mind.
FEEDING GHOSTS GRAPHIC MEMOIR
Writer/Artist: Tessa Hulls | MCD Books | $40.00
In her evocative, genre-defying graphic memoir, Tessa Hulls tells the story of three generations of women in her family: her Chinese grandmother, Sun Yi; her mother, Rose; and herself. Sun Yi was a Shanghai journalist caught in the political crosshairs of the 1949 Communist victory. After years of government harassment, she fled to Hong Kong with her daughter, Rose. Rose eventually came to the United States on a scholarship and brought Sun Yi to live with her. Tessa watched her mother care for Sun Yi, both of them struggling under the weight of Sun Yi's unexamined trauma and mental illness. Vowing to escape her mother's smothering fear, Tessa left home, traveling to the farthest corners of the globe. At age 30, it started to feel less like freedom and more like running away, so Tessa returned home to face the history that shaped her family. By turns fascinating and heartbreaking, inventive and poignant, Feeding Ghosts exposes the fear and trauma that haunt generations, and the love that holds them together.
I usually post snarky stuff about autobiographical graphic novels, because I usually find the subject matter so pedestrian and quotidian it shouldn't find print as prose or comics. And I hate that our hobby is so over-represented with this navel-gazing, for the image it presents to outsiders. This story, however, sounds like it deserves the memoir treatment. Family trauma, PTSD, important world history ... it covers a lot of ground. Here's an ARTIST INTERVIEW in the South Seattle Emerald with a couple of interior pages.
Tundra's GULF GN is this week's gay coming-of-age story. At least it's not a memoir this time. It's about four teens who run away to a commune, although the story is about the journey. And, of course, all the adolescent self-discovery.
Humanoids' I AM LEGION (2024 OVERSIZED EDITION) HC is a supernatural take on World War II espionage. But the real draw is John Cassaday's art. Here's a PREVIEW.
MONSTER TAG TEAM BOOGEYMAN VS. SCARECROW #1
Story: S.A. Check | Art: Ken Haeser, Buz Hasson | Cover: Neil Vokes | American Mythology | $3.99
The first rule of Monster Tag Team is to always expect the unexpected! An unstoppable killing machine plucked straight from your deepest childhood nightmares fueled by pain and malice. A creature bred by both man and magic, born to protect that which it can only imitate with an immortal soul longing for humanity. A decades old feud comes to a climatic end where only one survives! Boogeyman vs. Scarecrow! Lock your doors, check under the bed, and keep your closet door shut. This one's gonna get messy!
I've never read an American Mythology book, but it often looks like they're having fun. They seem to have invented their own, non-Universal monsters out of familiar names and are throwing them at each other.
I don't know if the C cover is a specific homage, but the trade dress is '70s Marvel. It seems familiar, but I might be thinking of Dead of Night #11, because of the Scarecrow connection. But that cover is only approximate.
The protagonist of Mad Cave's MUSHROOM KNIGHT VOL 1 GN is "a sentient bipedal fungus created by a race of woodland gnomes." Because why not? Here's a PREVIEW.
NIGHT PEOPLE #1
Story: Barry Gifford, Chris Condon | Art: Brian Level | Cover: J. H. Williams | Oni Press | Mature | $4.99
From the mind of literary icon Barry Gifford — internationally renowned creator of Wild at Heart and co-writer of David Lynch's neo-noir masterpiece Lost Highway — Night People is a pulsating roadmap of the American subconscious, where neon-lit Southern nights give way to lipstick, sweat and blood, and the odd, the innocent and the evil are all fellow travelers down an interstate of dark, elusive dreams.
Adapted from Gifford's acclaimed novel by breakout writer Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, The Enfield Gang Massacre) and a rotating cast of stunning artistic talents — including Brian Level (Poison Ivy), Alexandre Tefenkgi (The Good Asian), Artyom Topilin (I Hate This Place) and more — follow an uneasy cast of wanted men, cartel killers and lost souls through four interlocking tales as they travel a path of intoxication, lust and spontaneous violence from New Orleans to Egypt City, Florida, and back again.
“Night People is beyond noir, a parable that embodies both a revision of the past and riddle for the present, informed by the Church on the One Hand and the Church on the Other Hand that portends a future wherein whomever is left on the planet are cast forth on an even more mysterious and perilous voyage on a ghost ship sailing into the Sea of Red,” said Gifford. “As evidenced by this powerful graphic representation of my novel, the quest for a safe harbor is neverending.”
“Each issue is unique in terms of story, so it makes sense to have each issue have a different, unique artistic approach,” said Condon. “I'm so thrilled to see the artistic powerhouses Oni Press has brought onboard to tackle this adaptation with me. The way Barry's book works is that you never know what turns it will take or what characters you'll be following in any particular chapter. We've utilized that approach in this adaptation, and I think we're crafting something that should be exciting for readers and will have them coming back issue after issue to see where this wild story is going to go next.”
In our first tale of desperation, fanaticism and murder: Two ex-convicts — a pair of inseparable lovers named Big Betty Stalcup and Miss Cutie Early — are out on parole using their newfound freedom to purify the world of men's evil influence ... and leaving a trail of mutilated bodies in their wake. As the psychotic dimensions of their star-crossed romance — and the twisting paths that first led them to their fateful meeting at the Fort Sumatra Detention Center for Wayward Women — come into full view, their experiment in righteousness culminates in the kidnapping of Rollo Lamar, a kindly attorney whom Betty and Cutie abduct just to see if they can re-educate at least one man on the planet before the demise of civilization.
Praise for Barry Gifford’s NIGHT PEOPLE
“Gifford’s night people are pure American. …. Pure in their madness ... [and] in their evil.” — NPR
“A lively and lunatic underworld of mobsters, motor-mouthed oddballs, profound innocents and other desperadoes.” — VICE
”William Faulkner by way of B-movie film noir, porn paperbacks, and Sun Records rockabilly ..." — Jonathan Lethem, author of Motherless Brooklyn and The Fortress of Solitude
"Unsettling. ... The kinds of people who always seem to show up at night because they carry their own private night with them." — Los Angeles Times
"[A] somehow contemporary America that is threaded with equal parts grit and grace ..." — LA Review of Books
Looks blood-curdlingly good. Here's a PREVIEW.
SEVEN YEARS IN DARKNESS: SHAMIR WORM (ONE-SHOT)
Story/Art: Joseph Schmalke | CEX Publishing | $4.99
Late at night in the city of Scholomance, a group of locals scheme to overthrow the school of Black Magic and kill its students. Zero has been watching, however, and plans to unleash The Shamir Worm on this underground city. The Shamir, a creature of extraordinary power, hasn't been seen for thousands of years and has never been used for such nefarious purposes ... until now.
I don't really have anything to say about this. I just found it hard to summarize!
Terry Moore alert: STRANGERS IN PARADISE VOL 3 TP ships this week.
Massive's THE FOG #1 (OF 4) is a sequel to the 1980 John Carpenter movie. Here's a PREVIEW.
Webtoon Unscrolled's THIRD SHIFT SOCIETY VOL 1 GN stars a girl with newly discovered psychic powers who goes to work for a pumpkin-headed boss named Ichabod (of course) as a paranormal detective. Here's the WEBTOON.
Ablaze's TORPEDO 1972 #1 is a sequel to Enrique Sanchez Abuli's brilliant Torpedo. That would normally be sacrilege, except that it's written by Abuli, and drawn by his spiritual successor, Eduardo Risso. Here's a PREVIEW.
Invader's UNKNOWN CALLER GN is a new printing, so it may sound familiar to some. In it, a man returns to his hometown seeking revenge, directed by voices in his head. Is it a supernatural event, or is he just a schizophrenic? (Like there's a difference to the people getting murdered.)
MORE PREVIEWS
B&V FRIENDS FOREVER: SLEEPOVER ONE-SHOT
BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #322
DARK SOULS: WILLOW KING #2 (OF 4)
DEAD BY DAYLIGHT #4 (OF 4)
GUMAA: BEGINNING OF HER #4 (OF 7)
THE MICHAEL MOORCOCK LIBRARY: THE MULTIVERSE VOL. 2
VOID RIVALS #7
Replies
"Fat Logan"? Is there gonna be "Tall Logan" and "Hill Logan", too?
Hill Logan: "Ah'm the best thar is at whut Ah does!"
"For years, fans of James Cameron’s legendary Aliens questioned whether Carter Burke... had actually survived the traumatic events on the terraforming colony Hadley’s Hope."
Not so. I never thought about it at all, and if I had I wouldn't have considered it even remotely possible.
Now I want to see an 80-foot Gwen Stacy.
How about a 50-foot Janet van Dyne?
...or a 50-foot Edgar Allan Poe?
I hope this version of Ultimate X-Men is better than the original, because that one (with the teenage Logan) bored me to tears.
I know what you meant, but it struck me as funny to think of the one with the teenage Logan as the "original."
JOHNNY HAZARD DAILIES VOL 11 1961-1963 HC ships this week.
Thanks for the heads up. This was solicited to ship months ago, but it's from Hermes Press. If it's on your list for this coming week, that means it'll be in my LCS March 13.
I don't know if the C cover is a specific homage...
It is:
I know the movie poster being homaged says "50-foot woman," but these characters are a lot more than 50 feet tall.
It's a very popular poster for homage. From page 32 of the "Three of a Kind" thread:
"Great minds run in the same channel" (or is it "Fools think alike"?). :)
At least the movie didn't have her clothes enlarge with her. What she's wearing was put on her body after she enlarged but before she broke out.
Hill Logan: "Ah'm the best thar is at whut Ah does!"
Bwah-ha-ha! It's funny how Hill Billy Batson and Reb Ralston talk exactly alike. I'm beginning to think that New York comic book writers learned Southern dialects exclusively through Li'l Abner.
Not so. I never thought about it at all.
That was exactly the thought that went through my head. I think the only person who ever cared about Carter Burke is the actor who played him.
How about a 50-foot Janet van Dyne?
I know the movie poster being homaged says "50-foot woman," but these characters are a lot more than 50 feet tall.
It's a very popular poster for homage.
I erroneously wrote "80-foot Spider-Gwen," when I was, of course, thinking about this 1958 movie. I had no idea that poster was such a popular homage topic! It's probably not in the top 10, but it's up there.
As to the woman's height, I watched the movie a year or so ago, and her size wasn't consistent. It's not the only Giant Whatever movie to suffer from that flaw.
They really should have homaged Attack of the 50-Foot Woman for the first issue of Giant-Size Spider-Gwen. How did they miss that opportunity. It's like when my sister adopted two Scottie puppies and one was named Toobie and the other had a conventional name. How could she miss the opportunity to re-name the other one "Not Toobie"? It's criminal to pass up a joke like that when the universe hands it to you.
It is:
Yes! That's it! It's even got the helicopter! Thanks -- that was bugging me.
I think the only person who ever cared about Carter Burke is the actor who played him.
Paul Reiser. I liked him in Diner and Mad About You and read his book (Couplehood). There is a scene in an episode of Mad About You in which Paul Buckman (Reiser's character) is watching Aliens on television and says something along the lines of, "I really don't trust that Burke guy."
"Ah'm the best thar is at whut Ah does!"
"An' whut Ah does is hates thet rabbit!"
I'm beginning to think that New York comic book writers learned Southern dialects exclusively through Li'l Abner.
Well, thet's whar Ah l'arned 'em. To be fair, I'm sure they learned them from Snuffy Smith, as well.
And as you imply, Yosemite Sam.
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