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TOP PUBLISHERS
MARVEL COMICS
MARVEL’S VOICES: AVENGERS #1
Story: Utkarsh Ambudkar, Robbie Thompson, Jason Concepcion & Justina Ireland | Art: Tadam Gyadu, Sid Kotian, Moisés Hidalgo & Karen Darboe | Cover: Taurin Clarke | Variants: Paco Medina, Ethan Young | Teen+ | $6.99
The Marvel Universe has always strived to reflect the “world outside your window” with diverse and inclusive storytelling. Throughout the year, the breadth of those stories are highlighted in a special way in a variety of Marvel’s Voices one-shots, and later this December, MARVEL’S VOICES: AVENGERS #1 will arrive for the first time!
In addition to backup stories in some of Marvel’s most popular titles, the ongoing Marvel’s Voices Infinity Comics on Marvel Unlimited, and the Marvel’s Voices podcast, the program has evolved this past year by inviting creators from across the industry to bring their unique perspectives and artistry to specific corners of the Marvel Universe. Following the success of Marvel’s Voices: Wakanda Forever, Marvel’s Voices: Spider-Verse and Marvel’s Voices: X-Men, alongside Marvel’s Voices: Pride, Earth’s Mightiest Heroes will get their Marvel’s Voices spotlight!
For 60 years, the Avengers have proven time and time again that despite our differences, we’re stronger together than apart! Now, join a team of Marvel's finest creators, from veterans to new recruits full of potential, for four tremendous tales that tackle diverse ideologies, identities, and backgrounds through the lens of Earth's Mightiest Heroes!
Here’s what’s in store:
Actor Utkarsh Ambudkar (Ghosts) and artist Tadam Gyadu (Spider-Man: India) come together for a poignant Iron Man tale that sees Tony use his own personal journey to help a struggling supervillain.
Two Marvel mainstays, writer Robbie Thompson (Silk) and artist Sid Kotian (Storm), team up to explore the American values that Captain America has always stood for as he has a thrilling showdown with his archenemy, Red Skull!
TV writer and podcast host Jason Concepcion and acclaimed comic book artist Moisés Hidalgo (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) both make their joint Marvel Comics debut with the return of Robbie Reyes, Ghost Rider! Following his role in the Avengers Assemble crossover, Robbie must rev up the Hell Charger to battle a band of demons that are preying on his community.
And rising Marvel talents Justina Ireland (Star Wars: Sana Starros) and artist Karen Darboe (Bloodline: Daughter of Blade) bring readers to the stars where Monica Rambeau, AKA Photon, has to use her one-of-a-kind expertise and training to fend off a new cosmic threat.
- I'd bet a dollar that the Captain America figure on Cover A is a Gil Kane swipe.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
SENTRY #1 (OF 4)
Written By Jason Loo | Art By Luigi Zagaria | Cover By Ben Harvey | Teen+ | $4.99
This December, the SENTRY is back in an all-new limited series by two of Marvel’s most promising new creators, writer Jason Loo (X-Men Unlimited) and artist Luigi Zagaria (Midnight Suns). The saga of Bob Reynolds and the Sentry was one of the defining Marvel Comics mysteries of the 2000s, and now, it’s time to reveal a whole new layer behind Marvel’s Golden Guardian! Bob Reynolds may be gone but the power of the Sentry can never be destroyed and if he doesn’t return to claim it, others will.
WHO WILL BE THE NEW SENTRY? The Sentry is dead, but ordinary people all over the world are suddenly manifesting his powers and experiencing snippets of Bob Reynolds’ memories. But not everyone can be trusted with such responsibility, sparking a violent conflict to control the Sentry’s legacy. Will one of them survive long enough to emerge as the new Sentry? Or will their newfound power destroy them? When Misty Knight and Jessica Jones cross paths in search of answers, they open an investigation that will change everything you think you know about the Sentry!
“This entire series is a mystery where we follow Jessica Jones and Misty Knight as they figure out these catastrophic accidents caused by random strangers with the Sentry’s powers,” Loo said. "You’re going to witness a bunch of origin stories, like Mallory Gibbs, a writer for Front Line news who lives with cerebral palsy. Farhad Anand is a mutant keeping a low profile as a DoorDish bicycle courier. And Ryan Topper, a teenage fanboy who gets to live his dream of becoming a super hero. And there are a few more further into the story. But the real question is ... how are they all connected to Robert Reynolds?”
- Please, Marvel, just let this one bad idea go.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
THUNDERBOLTS #1
Story: Collin Kelly & Jackson Lanzing | Art: Geraldo Borges | Variant: Mahmud Asrar | Teen+ | $4.99
This December, Bucky Barnes will put together an all-new squad of THUNDERBOLTS to kick off a revolution in the Marvel Universe!
Writing duo “Hivemind” Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing’s explosive transformation of Bucky Barnes continues alongside acclaimed artist Geraldo Borges in this new ongoing series that follows Bucky Barnes in his thrilling new role as the Revolution. With the demise of the Outer Circle, Bucky is the last person alive who holds the power of a century of dark secrets. Now, he’ll use that knowledge to embark on a bold quest to take down Marvel’s greatest threats and he’ll call upon some of the toughest, deadliest, and cunning players in the world to assist him! The new THUNDERBOLTS lineup includes Black Widow, Sharon Carter AKA Destroyer, White Widow, Red Guardian, U.S. Agent and Shang-Chi. Allied together under the command of Bucky and the one and only Contessa Valentina Allegra de Fontaine, readers can expect high-stakes missions in each issue as this crew sets out to dish out long overdue justice throughout the Marvel Universe!
Bucky Barnes, the Revolution, just inherited a mountain of covert intel and he has one objective: justice … like lightning! He’s going after the establishment, the people no one else is willing or able to take down, and he’ll do whatever it takes to win. Teaming with the mysterious Contessa Valentina Allegra De Fontaine, Bucky assembles a team of black-ops heavy hitters to pursue high-profile targets like the Red Skull, Kingpin and even Doctor Doom himself. No one is safe from the Thunderbolts!
"Welcome to Operation: Worldstrike! The Hivemind is wildly excited to continue the saga we began with Carmen Carnero in Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty — while also starting anew with a dangerous and unpredictable cast from across the Marvel Universe,” Kelly and Lanzing said. “The call has gone out to all those who call the shadows their home; every spy, assassin and renegade has a part to play in Bucky Barnes' all-encompassing and uncompromising hit on the singular, monstrous living symbol of fascism: the Red Skull. Alongside our old friend Geraldo Borges, we're taking this opportunity to tell a very different kind of team book. This is a whole new era for the Thunderbolts and it starts with a four-part espionage epic, an ever-shifting cast and a single overarching goal: to tear down a century of Nazi evil with justice like lightning."
- It would be nice if someone finally took down the Red Skull, but we know it will never be permanent.
- I don't care for Bucky's new code name — "The Revolution" sounds like an '80s band — but I agree that he needed a conceptual fix. He should be more than just another fill-in Captain America.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
The Black Widow and her symbiote guest star in VENOM #28 (and is a charter member of the new Thunderbolts above).
"Gang War"
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #39
Story: Zeb Wells | Art/Cover: John Romita Jr. | Teen | $5.99
GANG WAR STARTS HERE!
Super-crime is running rampant, and Spider-Man can’t solve just one problem at a time. So Spidey builds a team to take down ALL the super-criminals of NYC in 48 hours. Good luck, Spidey.
- OK, this is really the beginning of Gang War. We mean it! Forget all those things we said last week about it starting then, because it's starting now!
- "Gang War" continues next week. Unless it starts again next week.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
"Dark Droids"
STAR WARS #41
Story: Charles Soule | Art: Madibek Musabekov | Cover: Stephen Segovia | Teen | $4.99
LANDO LOST!
With the final mission to rescue LOBOT from the terrors of THE SCOURGE underway, galactic ne'er-do-well LANDO CALRISSIAN must finally reckon with the sins of his past. Will he be the SCOUNDREL he's always been or the HERO he could be!
- "Dark Droids" continues this week in STAR WARS: DARK DROIDS D-SQUAD #4.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
"Fall of X"
X-MEN #29
Story: Gerry Duggan | Art/Cover: Joshua Cassara | Teen+ | $3.99
ENTER: DOOM'S X-MEN!
With the X-Men at their lowest point, yet another group has moved to claim their title ... this one a band of patriotic Latverian mutants loyal only to the great and terrible Doctor Doom! Beloved and celebrated by the nation they are bound to protect, this is one squad of X-Men for whom the Fall of X has given way to glorious summer.
- I never thought about it before, but sure there'd be Laverian mutants! And like everything else in that country, they would serve Victor Von Doom. Clever idea!
- "Fall of X" continues this week in INVINCIBLE IRON MAN #13.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
DC COMICS
ADVENTURE COMICS #260 FACSIMILE EDITION reprints Aquaman's Silver Age origin, which is a backup to the much more interesting Superboy story, "The Kents' Second Super-Son!" Or so I imagine, as I've never read it.
BATMAN #404 FACSIMILE EDITION reprints the first issue of "Batman: Year One."
BATMAN #5 FACSIMILE EDITION reprints the remodel of the Golden Age Batmobile. Man, is that all? Well, there's a Joker story. Like that's some kind of rarity.
BATMAN/SANTA CLAUS #1 (OF 4)
Story: Jeff Parker | Art: Michele Bandini | Cover: Ra | $3.99
SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN! The four-part crossover event of a generation begins when a not-so-jolly St. Nick hits Gotham City to investigate a brutal crime in the days leading up to Christmas. ... What manner of man or beast could have committed such atrocities?! With the help of his former student, Batman, Santa will team up with the heroes of the DC Universe to right this wrong — or the world wakes up to coal in their stockings! A brutal, two-fisted holiday tale of hope, wonder, and monster hunting is the perfect treat to ring in the holidays — it's Claus in canon!
- Now we're talkin'! Fightin' St. Nick kicking butt and taking names! And he's already got a naughty list!
Lobo guest stars in FIRE & ICE: WELCOME TO SMALLVILLE #4 (OF 6).
Wonder Woman battles Big Barda (according to the cover) in BIRDS OF PREY #4.
Bat-Mite guest stars in a backup story in SHAZAM #6, introducing his cousin, The Captain's biggest fan, Shazamite! Which sounds like something that grows in a cave.
"Titans: Beast World"
TITANS: BEAST WORLD TOUR: METROPOLIS #1 (ONE-SHOT)
Story: Various | Art: Max Raynor, Anthony Marques, Edwin Galmon | Cover: Mikel Janin | $5.99
Written by Nicole Maines, Joshua Williamson, Zipporah Smith, and Dan Jurgens As the ramifications of the Titans' battle with Starro reverberate across the globe, Metropolis is hit with an unexpected surge of electricity from ... is that —? No. It can't be. Livewire? BUT SHE'S A - A — OK, you're going to have to read this one to believe it. Meanwhile, Supergirl and Dreamer take on the terror of the Flamebird, Power Girl is no longer, and amid the chaos a threat continues to grow on the horizon. All signs point to a major new shift in the world of Superman in Beast World Tour: Metropolis!
TITANS: BEAST WORLD — WALLER RISING #1 (ONE-SHOT)
Story: Chuck Brown | Art: Keron Grant | Cover: Jerry Gaylord | $5.99
The Kingdom, a mystical and metaphysical realm, sits at the nexus of the Parliaments. A formidable new adversary, Dr. Hate, emerges with intentions to corrupt both the Kingdom and the Parliament of the Red in the pursuit of chaos. Batwing, Vixen, Val-Zod Superman and Black Manta are thrust together in a desperate fight for survival. They must learn to cooperate to thwart Dr. Hate's destructive plans before The Wicked Entity can devastate this unique plane, which represents a collective consciousness. This consciousness unifies the Red, Green, Rot, Clear, Melt, Metal, and Grey into a harmonious realm of peace. In their struggle against Dr. Hate, these heroes and villains also face the task of unraveling how Amanda Waller's rise is entwined with the ongoing crisis. The saga features guest appearances from Nubia, Dr. Mist, Red Tornado, Dead Eye, and more!
- Naming yourself "Dr. Hate" isn't exactly subtle, is it?
IMAGE COMICS
BLOODRIK #1 (OF 3)
Story/Art: Andrew Krahnke | Mature | $3.99
Up-and-coming creative dynamo Andrew Krahnke (Outrunners, Tartarus) will kick off an all-new, three-issue miniseries, titled Bloodrik.
Bloodrik is angry, confused and starving. After finding nothing but failure in his usual hunting grounds he stomps his way into unfamiliar woods in an attempt to feed his stomach and heal his wounded ego. What he finds will lead him on a journey of madness, violence, fire and BLOOD!
"I came up with the rough idea for this comic in about 10 minutes, after I sketched Bloodrik for the first time. I knew I wanted it to be about a hulking woodsman making his way across a brutal landscape looking for food. Seemed like a simple enough idea. It would be another 10 years before I sat down to finally start drawing it," said Krahnke. "During those 10 years of writing, re-writing and re-re-writing, Bloodrik evolved from that simple idea into a story about how we see ourselves and the trouble we can get into when we let the idea of who we think we are dictate how we see the world. This book is the result of a lot of time, effort and energy and I’m extremely proud of the end result. I think anyone who gives it a chance will find something to enjoy. At the very least it makes a great visual companion to whatever viking metal playlist you prefer."
- Not sure what to make of this.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
CREEPSHOW HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1 (ONE-SHOT)
Stry: Daniel Kraus, James Asmus | Art: Jonathan Wayshak, Letizia Cadonici | Cover: Guillem March | Variants: Jonathan Wayshak, Jorge Corona | $3.99
We proudly present a holiday special of petrifying proportions — Creepshow is here to put fear in your cheer!
First, you’ve heard of Santa, you’ve heard of Krampus, but have you ever heard of “The Christmas Man”? Witness the birth of a new horrifying holiday classic from Daniel “Don’t Call Me Santa” Kraus (The Shape of Water, Shudder’s Creepshow) and jolly Jonathan Wayshak (Skin Crawl, Ferryman)! Then, jingling James Asmus (Survival Street, Rick & Morty) and lively Letizia Cadonici (House of Slaughter) deliver a cautionary tale about stealing the wrong parcel in “Package Thief.”
- These have been good so far.
OUR BONES DUST #1 (OF 4)
Story/Art: Ben Stenbeck | Variant: Mike Mignola | $3.99
MINISERIES PREMIERE
Long time Hellboy collaborator Ben Stenbeck (Baltimore, Frankenstein Underground, Koshchei) will launch an all-new Dystopian tale titled, Our Bones Dust. This four issue miniseries is set to launch this December from Image Comics.
A feral child, equal parts predator and prey, navigates a nightmare landscape of brutality and blood inhabited by scattered cannibal tribes. An interesting place to poke around for a curious Artificial Intelligence.
"I'm really excited to get my first solo series out into the world," said Stenbeck. "My aim was to make something I would enjoy reading myself. It's very different to any of the work I've done before but I hope still as entertaining in its own way."
Early praise for Our Bones Dust:
"I’ve had the great pleasure of working with Ben for about a million years now so I’m a bit conflicted saying this — but I think this, his first big solo effort, is the best thing he’s ever done. I’d like to think maybe I taught him everything he knows but the truth is he’s always been great and now he’s just taken that extra step and has finally become that truly great creator he was always meant to be." — Mike Mignola
"This is great stuff. Our Bones Dust is a perfect example of ambitious world-building and effective storytelling working together to deliver a real page-turner." — Frank Quitely
- I rather like Stenbeck's art. Enough so that when he drew a Mignolaverse book I'd loved to have seen Mignola draw, I wasn't disappointed. That's saying something.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
DARK HORSE
ANDRZEJ SAPKOWSKI’S THE WITCHER: THE LESSER EVIL HC
Story: Andrzej Sapkowski, Jacek Rembis | Art: Adam Gorham | Colors: Jordie Bellaire | Cover: Kai Carpenter | 56 pages | 7” x 10” | $17.99
Dark Horse Books in partnership with CD PROJEKT RED is pleased to follow up the successful The Witcher: A Grain of Truth graphic novel with the second graphic novel adaptation from Andrzej Sapkowski’s acclaimed short story collection, The Last Wish! The Witcher: The Lesser Evil is a standalone story that’s perfect for new and returning The Witcher fans alike. Story adaptation by Jacek Rembiś, art by Adam Gorham, colors by Jordie Bellaire, letters by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and cover art by Kai Carpenter.
A tragic tale of passion, vindication and the root of evil is presented in this adaptation of the original prose short story.
In search of a reward, Geralt brings the carcass of a slain creature to a small town where he is told it may be of use to the local sorcerer — but the mage isn’t who he is alleged to be. In hiding for his life, he requests Geralt’s help in slaying the monster who seeks to murder him: a young woman said to have been born under the Curse of the Black Sun, a prophecy of inborn evil. He declares that she is more a monster than the creature presented before him.
Geralt later encounters the woman, who asserts that it is the sorcerer who is the true monster — committing unspeakable crimes at the behest of his superstitious beliefs. With the boundaries blurred between the evil that is done and the evil done in return, Geralt is met with a quandary. The face of evil is ever-changing and his verdict, whether by choice or by force, can only lead to tragedy.
This graphic novel is the second in a series of adaptations from Sapkowski’s acclaimed short story collection The Last Wish!
- I still haven't read my first Witcher Library book, which I really should since I need to form an opinion while all of these other books are coming out. I did enjoy the TV show well enough. (I don't know if I'll continue to do so without Henry Cavill.)
- Here's a PREVIEW.
BIRDKING VOLUME 2 TP
Story: Daniel Freedman | Art/Cover: CROM | 6 ⅝ x 10 3/16” | 136 pages | $19.99
The fantasy epic continues, as Dark Horse Books presents Birdking Volume 2 from the creative team of Daniel Freedman (Kali, Birdking) and CROM (Raiders). This sequel to the critically acclaimed graphic novel, Birdking, will span 136 pages full of action, drama, and adventure.
Bianca and Birdking continue their quest to reach Atlas, entering the domain of Hinnom, an insurmountable mountain range that is the birthplace of a dead dark empire and the battlefield in the war between the kingdoms of the North and South. Old friends, new allies and scores of enemies await them there. No one has ever crossed Hinnom alive. But Bianca and Birdking might just make it. …Then again, maybe they won’t.
CAIN HC
Story: Walter Hill, Mike Benson | Art: Beni Lobel | $19.99
Dark Horse is proud to team up with film legend Walter Hill and award-winning television and comic writer Mike Benson to present Cain, a thrilling neo-noir tale of a blind hitman operating in the gritty world filled with crime and violence. Hill and Benson are joined by interior artist Beni R. Lobel, colorist Jordi Escuin Llorach and letterer Frank Cvetkovic, with Lobel also providing the cover art for this original graphic novel.
Meet Cain, born blind, but with a unique ability to sense the world around him. Raised from birth by a rogue CIA agent, he’s grown into a borderline alcoholic and sex addict who travels the globe, living off the grid and taking out gangsters, deviants, and corrupt politicians — all while engaging in his own hedonistic pursuits as a hitman.
Cain is a thrilling and mysterious neo-noir tale of a blind professional hitman, operating within a relentless underworld environment of criminal violence, sex, betrayal, and death.
CAIN: Once you’re in the dark — I’m the boss.
- "What If Daredevil Became a Hitman?"
- Here's a PREVIEW.
HELLBOY WINTER SPECIAL: THE YULE CAT #1 (ONE-SHOT)
Story/Art: Matt Smith | Variant: Mike Mignola | $3.99
The holiday season is full of cherished traditions: gatherings with family and friends, exchanging gifts, and, for discerning readers, the publication of the annual Hellboy Winter Special. This year, ahead of the winter solstice, Dark Horse Comics will publish the Hellboy Winter Special: The Yule Cat one-shot, written and illustrated by Barbarian Lord creator and acclaimed cartoonist Matt Smith, colored by Chris O’Halloran, lettered by Clem Robins, and featuring a variant cover
by legendary Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. The special one-shot is inspired by the stories of Jólakötturinn, the ferocious Yule Cat of Icelandic folklore, who is said to come down from the mountains, on the prowl for people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve.
“The land of fire and ice, trolls and necropants, Iceland is as natural a setting for a Hellboy story as any I could think of,” said Matt Smith. “Set in 1990 and coming close to the events of the Hellboy: Bones of Giants, Hellboy likely hasn't forgotten about the wrath of old Norse giants. But a giant, child-eating cat — that would be something new.”
Hellboy Winter Special: The Yule Cat marks Hellboy’s first visit to Iceland in the character’s 30+ year years of publication. In the one-shot, Hellboy travels to Reykjavik, where children are disappearing and a giant beast has been spotted … could it be the infamous Yule Cat of Icelandic lore?
“Matt Smith’s great. I have been very fortunate to have him working on Hellboy and thrilled that he came up with a story of his own, especially a holiday story about a monster cat!” said Mignola. “Merry Christmas to me and to everybody who loves this kind of thing. He does it so well.”
- I can't wait to learn about the Yule Cat. Sit down, Krampus, you've been upstaged!
H.P LOVECRAFT’S: THE SHADOW OVER INNSMOUTH TP
Story: H.P. Lovecraft/Gou Tanabe | Art: Gou Tanabe | $29.99
Dark Horse Manga presents H.P. Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth. This graphic novel collects the full manga series by Eisner and Harvey Award nominee Gou Tanabe in one complete volume, translated by Zack Davisson. It also includes 12 pages in full color with a tip-in title page embellished with silver ink.
In the winter of 1927-28, the isolated coastal settlement of Innsmouth, Massachusetts, was assaulted by U.S. government agents — its waterfront burned and dynamited, its people taken away to internment camps. Yet that was neither the beginning nor the end of the horror uncovered by a young antiquarian who traveled to Innsmouth in search of rumors from the town's dead past, only to find them still very much alive ... and find truths lying under water deeper and colder than any earthly grave!
Based on the only H.P. Lovecraft story published as a book in the author's own lifetime, The Shadow Over Innsmouth is a new adaptation by modern manga horror master Gou Tanabe.
Praise for Gou Tanabe’s Lovecraft adaptations:
“I love H.P. Lovecraft. …It would be great to adapt him as a serialized manga, but I actually saw Gou Tanabe create a great adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft's stories. Afterwards, I ended up not doing it because I thought I wouldn't be as good as Gou's version.” — Junji Ito
“Probably the best comic adaptation of Lovecraft to date.” — AiPT
“Tanabe is an expert in rendering highly detailed landscapes that translate to a palpable sense of foreboding. The scenes in the mountain ranges feel isolating, alive, uninhabitable and impossible to fully understand.” — Anime News Network
“Thankfully, Gou Tanabe really delivers. His ability to capture the majesty of the Antarctic wilderness in his expansive illustrations is impressive. Through his writing and realistic illustrative style, even the most mundane scenes from Lovecraft’s novella are a visual treat and fascinating to read. This attention to detail runs throughout and serves to bring the graphic horror elements of the story to life as well.” — The Right Stuf Anime
- It sounds like they're taking some liberties with the original story, and possibly updating it. But I admit I'm really curious what Lovecraft looks like through Japanese eyes.
I can't believe there's another one of these: MADMAN LIBRARY ED VOL 5 HC. I'm committed to buying them, but I never dreamed there'd be so many.
MATRIARCHS HC
Story: LouAnne Brickhouse, Jennifer Rea | $24.99
They look like us. They act like us. They feed on us. When two female researchers survive a mass prison riot and emerge unscathed, it threatens to reveal them for who they really are: an immortal race of women with superhuman abilities and a violent history of secrets they've left buried with the dead. Racing to head off an impending threat to all men on the planet, they must confront their unforgivable pasts and resurrect the very worst of their demons to save us all. Written by LouAnne Brickhouse and Jennifer Rea making their dynamic comics debut, The Matiarchs is a phenomenal look at the strength of women, and the morals and value of all humankind.
- I have a question: Why would an immortal race of women — or men, for that matter, or a mix — need the rest of us? Better to exterminate all us mortals before we kill the planet or use up all the resources. Unless they need slaves, of course. They might keep a few hundred breeding pairs for servants. Or am I too cynical?
- Here's a PREVIEW.
STAR WARS: HIGH REPUBLIC ADVENTURES PHASE III #1
Story: Daniel Jose Older | Art/Cover: Harvey Tolibao | $3.99
The Force is strong in the latest Dark Horse Comics and Lucasfilm Publishing team-up, beginning with Star Wars: The High Republic Adventures Phase III issue #1. In this new comics chapter, the marauders known as the Nihil have claimed numerous sectors of space for themselves. Worlds are trapped in this insidious Occlusion Zone. And so are the Jedi. But is there still hope? Find out in the latest phase of the The High Republic Adventures saga, written by New York Times bestselling writer Daniel José Older, with interior art and cover by Harvey Tolibao and colors by Michael Atiyeh. The issue will also feature a variant cover by Soroush Barazesh.
“Are you here to help us overthrow the Nihil?”
It has been one year since the fall of Starlight. Padawan Lula Talisola and many others are missing and presumed dead. At the Almohaj Cantina, a Republican Outpost on the planet of Eriadu, Zeen mourns…and waits. When an intriguing transmission is received from Tartak Vil, a warlord on the remote moon of Bracront, Zeen, Qort, and a void-contemplating droid named 5A-G3 must venture once more into hyperspace to repair their fractured team and, perhaps, the galaxy.
Praise for recent Star Wars comics:
“The High Republic Adventures #5 is Daniel José Older and his team firing on all cylinders.” — Star Wars News Net
“The future of Star Wars has arrived, and it takes place hundreds of years in the past.” — The Washington Post
“Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories #1 is a great beginning to this new Dark Horse series. It features a story set in one of the most beloved Star Wars time periods…” — The Comicbook Dispatch
“If this issue [Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories #3] earned a standalone series, we wouldn't be disappointed, as we're given an adventure full of action and humor to flesh out the relationship fans loved watching throughout the sequel trilogy.” — ComicBook.com
- Just like Marvel, DH is re-launching its High Republic series for a third run.
TIME TRAVELER TALES #1 (OF 4) is an all-ages story. Here's a PREVIEW.
OTHER PUBLISHERS
Comic strip collector alert: ALLEY OOP: THE COMPLETE SUNDAYS VOL 4 1942-1944 HC (Manuscript Press, $75.00, COMPLETE PEANUTS TP 1987-1990 (Fantagraphics, $39.99), COMPLETE PEANUTS TP 1989-1990 (Fantagraphics, $22.99), PRINCE VALIANT HC BOX SET VOL 16-18 (Fantagraphics, $99.99) and PRINCE VALIANT HC VOL 27 1989-1990 (Fantagraphics, $39.99).
DEAD DETECTIVE #1 (OF 5)
Story: Bob Heyoka | Art/Cover: Fabio Lima Jansen | Blackbox Comics | $4.99
While investigating the death of his partner, a detective discovers a portal to the afterlife. Reunited in the underworld, they must solve the mystery of a demonic cult-and save the city of Detroit from the forces of evil.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
DRACULA OF TRANSYLVANIA SC
Story/Art: Ricardo Delgado | Clover Press | $39.99
1899. Transylvania bleeds of history and evil. Young Solicitor Jonathan Harker braves ghosts, demons, living skeletons and armies of rats, as he encounters Dracula of Transylvania, the Son of Satan.
The demonic, shapeshifting vampire imposes his wrath, malice and vengeance upon an England about to enter the Modern Era, crushing everything in his path. A fresh, bold retelling of the classic Stoker dark fairy tale with the pulse-pounding pace of the modern thriller, Dracula of Transylvania is a gripping new softcover novel lavished with incredible concept art from one of Hollywood's leading Conceptual Designers, Ricardo Delgado.
Murder among English tombstones! Daring chases through the infamous underground Paris Ossuaries! A spectacular gladiatorial battle within Rome's Colosseum during the Witching Hour! All this topped by a fever-pitch chase through Europe to the most terrifying place on earth: Castle Dracula. The Exorcist meets Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings, a sprawling yet haunting adventure with the air of the Victorian Era ghost story, Dracula of Transylvania is also footnoted throughout with historical facts from the ancient to the modern world. A powerful, unrelenting and fascinating new vision of one of literature's most feared characters.
- At least it's not another straight adaptation. We have plenty of those.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
THE HARD SWITCH GN
Story/Art: Owen D. Pomery | Avery Hill | $20.99
Ada, Haika and Mallic are on a mission ... one last mission, before everything, everywhere shuts down. They're raiding old, abandoned spaceships and wrecks for the (sometimes-expensive) parts-and they make just enough money to get by. But living their nomadic, exploring life isn't sustainable when they can't afford fuel anymore. The time is coming when the mineral that makes inter-system jumps possible runs out. When it does, the scattered inhabitants of the vast galaxy will be stuck where they are. Everything will be different ... unless the discovery in the latest wreck Ada, Haika and Mallic are scavenging can unlock a whole new kind of interstellar transit.
- Here's the KICKSTARTER.
HELLWITCH SACRILEGIOUS #1 (Coffin Comics, $24.99) is in the vein of Lady Death, if that’s your bag.
I AM HEXED VOL 1 GN
Story/Art: Kirsten Thompson Rocketship Entertainment | $19.99
I Am Hexed is a supernatural political thriller. There's magic, mystery, personal drama and an accidentally carnivorous plant. Witches have been a part of the political fabric of Washington D.C. since it was founded. It's only since the 1960s that witches stood together and fought to take back the word "Hexed." A movement was ignited when witches came out of the shadows and proudly showed off their broomsticks. The witch-hunt for Charlie, Jaya, and Florence continues as they find themselves on the run from malevolent forces both inside and outside the government. The three witches must harness their powers to defend themselves while unraveling a mystery that could save the entire witching community.
- Here's the KICKSTARTER.
- A glance at the cover made me think, "oh, another coming-of-age, young adult GN." But from the descripton it seems more ambitious than that.
INVASIVE #1 (of 4)
Story: Cullen Bunn | Art: Jesús Hervás | Covers: Jesús Hervás, Luana Vecchio, Brian Level, Jae Lee & more | Oni Press | Mature | $4.99
Oni Press is proud to reveal ONI 2024 — a high-intensity first wave of five propulsive new monthly comic series from a wide-ranging cast of award-winning creators and fast-rising stars that will fully embrace the potential of the comics medium to invert, collide, and reinvent the foundational genres of horror, science fiction, crime, fantasy, and beyond throughout the new year . . .
With ONI 2024, we’re setting out to redouble the mission that has made Oni one of the most innovative and influential publishers of the past quarter century: to produce utterly distinctive, wholly unrestrained, and singularly provocative series by creators with a relentless passion to make stories that can’t be told in any other medium,” said Oni Press president and publisher Hunter Gorinson. “These are maximalist comics made for maximum impact, with stories and formats specifically tailored to allow creators to do their best and most daring work.”
“The first semester of ONI 2024 delivers something for every reader, with stories that are rooted in genre, but twist and turn and deliver new ideas from a delightful cast of established and up-and-coming storytellers," said editor in chief Sierra Hahn. "Is it 2024 yet?!"
Beyond excess, beyond ethics, beyond science. ... Enter a terrifying new experiment in pain from Eisner Award nominee Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun, Basilisk) and acclaimed illustrator Jesús Hervás (The Empty Man, Cyberpunk 2077)!
Dr. Carrie Reynolds was a veteran trauma surgeon with a godlike mastery of muscle and bone. But outside the operating room, her rigidly ordered life spiraled into chaos when her daughter, Heather — a recovering plastic surgery addict — suddenly disappeared, only to mysteriously reemerge in a catatonic state, her vocal cords removed ... the latest in a series of victims scarred by a battery of brazenly cruel medical procedures that have baffled police and left an alarming number of once-ordinary citizens maimed, mutilated, or dead on arrival.
Deep beneath the streets of Carrie’s city, a new kind of underground hospital has opened its doors ... and, once inside, there are no rules, no oaths, and no taboos too deep to not to be broken. Together, a new class of surgeon has sworn to pierce the final threshold of accepted medical orthodoxy one incision at a time.
The scalpel is their tool. The alleys are their operating theater. Murder is their medicine. And only Carrie can stop what they're planning next.
- This probably isn't for me. I can't even watch the plastic-surgery shows on TV!
- Here's a PREVIEW.
JADE WARRIORS ZETTAI NO EDITION
Story: David Campiti, Michael Buckley | Art/Cover: Mike Deodato | Alpha Comics | $75.00
In an alternate history of Japan, dragons created its islands from which they ruled the world. Warriors defeated them and claimed the islands as their own. But they were petty heroes, and others saw past them to prepare for the dragons' return. Wives and daughters invoked rituals in service to the dragons; over time, they became powerful weapons. Their efforts splintered by men with differing agendas, those women became an elite assassins' guild, Jade Warriors in service of the Yakuza -enhanced assassins much feared throughout the world. Now, as the dragons return, one of the Jade Warriors escapes after discovering terrible truths and fleeing from her life's mission. The hunter becomes the hunted as the fate of the planet hangs in the balance. Superstar artist Mike Deodato's Jade Warriors saga began at Image Comics in the late '90s but was never completed. Now, for its 25th anniversary, Deodato and Vincenzo Cucca have completed the adventure in a 192-page oversized hardcover Zettai No (Absolute format) edition with slipcase and dust jacket. Available as both an unsigned edition and an autographed edition with color book plate. Limited to 1,000 signed and 500 unsigned copies.
- I can't find anything else about this, but it's got Mike Deodato, so at least it will look good.
LIVE FOREVER VOL 1 GN
Story/Art: Raul Trevino | Rocketship Entertainment | $19.99
After a tragedy, Sarah's conviction to never lose another loved one drives her to discover a formula for eternal life that provokes a fatal crisis. Live Forever is a supernatural thriller about finding the formula for eternal life. You will witness the conflicts of a teenager who gets what she wants, but sometimes with serious consequences. If you like characters with guts, surprising moments and stories that not only entertain but inspire reflection, this is the comic for you.
- Here's the KICKSTARTER.
LEGENDERRY RED SONJA (ONE-SHOT)
Story: Katana Collins | Art: Kewber Baal | Covers: Sean Murphy, Corin Howell, Cosplay / Shannon Kingston | Dynamite | 40 pages | Teen+ | $5.99
When last we saw the Legenderry world's Red Sonja, she was living the pirate's life aboard her ship, The Nautilus. But times have changed! In this special 40-page one-shot adventure — created exclusively for Red Sonja's 50th Anniversary — fan-favorite writer KATANA COLLINS weaves a tale of thievery, deception, and a mysterious painting with a decidedly handsome and unaging owner — all set against the steam-powered backdrop of the Legenderry world!
Illustrated by the incomparable KEWBER BAAL, Legenderry Red Sonja also features incredible covers by SEAN MURPHY, CORIN M. HOWELL, and a special cosplay cover by SHANNON KINGSTON!
- Steampunk Sonja?
LUMINE VOL 1 GN
Story/Art: Emma Krogell | Webtoon Unscrolled | $27.99
A runaway werewolf meets a witch boy, and their lives will never be the same.In a world where weredogs, witches and humans live side by side, Lumine is a down-on-his-luck weredog with nowhere to turn ... until he meets Kody.
One causes trouble wherever he goes, and the other attracts trouble like a magnet. So of course, the two end up colliding.
Lumine has a big, fluffy secret — he is a werewolf, a rare and powerful type of magical being thought to be extinct. Except ... he can't transform properly. When robbers attack the two boys, Lumine shifts into his other form: a tiny, fierce and ridiculously cute puppy dog. How is he supposed to instill fear in their enemies like that?!
Impressed with the small but mighty pup, Kody's dad hires Lumine to be his son's bodyguard. Lumine is determined to both protect Kody and become his friend, but the mysterious witch does everything in his power to keep Lumine at arm's length.
Without realizing, Lumine has stumbled paws first into a family full of their own secrets. Kody can't control his magic and is being haunted by an evil spirit, and his father's motivations for hiring Lumine aren't nearly as simple as they seem. Things are far more dangerous than Lumine bargained for, and this is only the beginning.
This volume collects episodes 1 to 14 of the charming WEBTOON comic.
- I don't know when the concept of a weredog came into existence, but the first story I remember reading with one was iZombie.
MADAGASCAR VOL 1: RISE OF THE QUEEN GN
Story/Art: Jaguar Prince | Black Sands Entertainment | $19.99
Madagascar: The Rise of a Queen tells the story of the queen that the world tried to erase, weaving a gripping narrative of defiance, courage and the fight for identity. Join Ramavo on an extraordinary journey as she challenges the status quo and defies her enemies while navigating a world where she is an outsider. With each step, she earns the trust of her people and sparks a revolution to reclaim Madagascar's freedom from foreign invaders threatening to erode the island's cultural heritage. Will she triumph against all odds and lead her people towards a future that honors their roots?
- I don't think I've read a story set in Discovery Age Madagascar. I assume things don't go well for the natives.
MAGNUM OPUS GN
Story: Ghezal Omar | Art: Mingchen Shen | Cover: Fanny Arteaga | Phoenix Studios | Mature | $24.99
A bounty hunter rejoins her hit squad for an easy cash hit. Unfortunately, they apprehend the wrong person and accidentally kill him. Now these bounty hunters are fugitives at risk of being the crime boss' next target.
- Female hit-people in comics are always really good-looking. You'd think they could find a less dangerous line of work that pays as well, like CNN news reader or NFL sideline reporter.
MERCY SPARX: NO MORE ANGELS LEFT TO FALL
Story/Art: Josh Blaylock | Devil’s Due | Mature | $7.99
No one has seen Mercy Sparx in five years, not even her closest friend and ally, Hank. In the act of saving Heaven and Earth, she inadvertently put herself out of a job. The power structure between the divine realms was completely restructured, and with that the need to hunt rogue angels was eliminated. Now, however, it seems that Heaven has a new mission for her.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
MILKY WAY HC
Story/Art: Miguel Vila | Fantagraphics | $24.99
An aspiring yuppie romance is tested when a young couple cross paths with a very unlikely femme fatale in the form of an older single mother and ice cream server.
Marco and Stella's lukewarm, aspiring yuppie romance was already on the ropes when they meet Lulu, an older, working-class ice cream server with a kid and a shady past. But when Marco develops an interest in her that soon veers into obsession, it awakens in him a problematic and dormant sexuality. With a voyeuristic gaze, Miguel Vila lays his characters bare, observing them in their hypocrisies, insecurities, and unmentionable desires. Milky Way is a grotesque comedy, psychological character drama, and erotic thriller about erotic compulsion, inadequacy and affection.
Vila's cartooning is alive. Working in a mostly naturalistic mode, he distorts his characters just enough to imbue them with a visceral charge that fuels the narrative's lust.
A psychological and grotesque character drama that doubles as an erotic thriller about erotic obsession, mourning, a sense of inadequacy and the search for surrogates of affection, Milky Way won prizes and garnered considerable acclaim upon release in Italy in 2022.
Miguel Vila was born in 1993 in Padua, Italy where he lives. He attended the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna and was awarded the Best New Author prize at the 2022 Lucca Comics Festival.
- Not what you'd expect an object of lust to look like. Which I guess is the point.
- Here’s a PREVIEW.
MIRACLES #1 (OF 4, CEX, $6.99) looks like generic superhero wish-fulfillment as an avid high school comic book reader discovers he has super-powers. Here's a PREVIEW.
Boom describes ORCS THE GIFT #1 (OF 4, $5.99) as the third and final chapter of this series. Here's the STORY.
From Tintin comes PROFESSOR CALCULUS: SCIENCE`S FORGOTTEN GENIUS (Farshore, $17.99)
SKEETERS #1 (OF 4)
Story: Kevin Cuffe, Bob Frantz | Art: Kelly Williams | Mad Cave | $4.99
Small town hijinks ensue as extraterrestrial mosquitos descend on a sleepy beach town.
When giant mosquito-like alien creatures invade a rural seaside community, a frustrated sheriff and two oddball exterminators end up being the town's only hope for survival. A comedic and gruesome story for fans of Slither, Arachnophobia and other classic creature-features!
- Giant mosquitos don't terrify me. Giant cockroaches, on the other hand ...
- Here's a PREVIEW.
SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT VOL 1: BAD MAGIC GN
Story: Derek Landy, P. J. Holden | Art: Matt Soffe | Harper Collins | $17.99
Experience Skulduggery Pleasant as never before in this fully original graphic novel brought vibrantly to life in full color! A small town in the middle of Ireland, a string of unexplained deaths and a monster on the loose. Better call in the experts. When Skulduggery Pleasant and Valkyrie Cain drive into Termoncara, they discover a town with a dark past and a people haunted by their own secrets. There is a creature stalking the streets, a creature who delights in cruelty, who feeds off the petty hatreds, who grows stronger with every drop of blood spilled.
- We're to believe "Skulduggery Pleasant" and "Valkyrie Cain" are real names? Bah! Clearly pseudonyms! They're hiding something!
STUFF OF NIGHTMARES: SLAY RIDE #1 ($7.99) is a holiday horror story by R.L. Stine from BOOM. Here's the STORY.
"A team of whimsical food sprites are excited to show you the yummy history of food expirements from all over the world" in TASTY GN (Random House Graphic, $13.99)
THROUGH CLOUDS OF SMOKE: FREUD'S FINAL DAYS GN is pretty self-explanatory (Humanoids, $24.99). Here's a PREVIEW. (Click on "Excerpt.")
THUNDEROUS HC (Dynamite, $21.99) is coming-of-age story about a Lakota teen learning about her heritage in the Spirit World.
VEROTIK 30 (Verotik, $5.95): Wait, Verotik is still in business?
WIRE FENCE ONE-SHOT
Story: Jake Palermo | Art: Raquel Kusiak | Cover: Victor Alpi | $4.99
In the late 1800s, the American bison were being hunted by the millions. In this tale of the old west, BBQ, a wire-slinging bison herder is determined to help one herd escape the "Black Hills Gold Rush" that massacred the bison population. An intense tale of the Old West through a fantasy lens!
- Too bad nobody was looking out for the bison in our world.
- Here's a PREVIEW.
MORE PREVIEWS
ARCHIE CHRISTMAS SPECTACULAR 2023 ONE-SHOT
FIRE AND ICE #2
WORLD OF BETTY & VERONICA JUMBO COMICS DIGEST #31
Replies
I'd bet a dollar that the Captain America figure on Cover A is a Gil Kane swipe.
No bet. (You almost sent me down another rabbit hole, though.)
Please, Marvel, just let this one bad idea go.
Yes, please.
I don't care for Bucky's new code name
Seconded.
ADVENTURE COMICS #260 FACSIMILE EDITION... I've never read it.
Ooh, me neither. I doin't often buy facsimile editions anymore because whatever they're likely to reprint I already have in an archive or omnibus (I recently mentioned this concerning Mystery in Space #75), but this is a facsimile edition I will be buying.
BATMAN #404 FACSIMILE EDITION reprints the first issue of "Batman: Year One."
This one, OTOH...
Or am I too cynical?
Just cynical enough, I'd say.
Ugh, look like another PS ARTbooks dump week. I am looking forward to the Pre-Code Classics edition of the original Ghost Rider, however.
I'd bet a dollar that the Captain America figure on Cover A is a Gil Kane swipe.
No bet. (You almost sent me down another rabbit hole, though.)
It's quite similar to this one, however...
Ugh, look like another PS ARTbooks dump week. I am looking forward to the Pre-Code Classics edition of the original Ghost Rider, however.
I already have the original Ghost Rider collected in some other form, so I won't need that one. But here's some news I didn't know where to put anywhere else: PS Artbooks is going to start collecting Blue Beetle, Black Condor, Amazing Man, Ibis the Invincible and Doll Man! Yes, they will all be in the "Softee" format, so you might not buy them. (You said elsewhere you only collect the hardbacks.) I wish they were in hardback -- Adventures into the Unknown, Forbidden Worlds, Blackhawk and Plastic Man included -- but for some reason, PS reprints their most popular stuff in Softee only. If that's the only way I can get them, then that's how I'll get them. (I had high hopes for Gwandanaland, but that turned out poorly. I don't remember the details, but I didn't get what I ordered and was sent a consolation prize I didn't want.)
I don't recall seeing Ghost Rider from another publisher; must've missed that. Or maybe I did (Hermes Press?) and I passed due to price of lack of shelf space. In addition to Ghost Rider, looks as if I'll also be getting Pre-Code Classics v7: Adventure Comics (featuring Johnny Dynamite) this week. $#!t. I just checked my shelf and realize I've somehow missed Classic Adventure Comics v6. Or maybe it hasn't shipped yet. (You never know with PS Artbooks.) Do you have v6 of that series?
I just pre-ordered Black Condor & The Ray (a single series), but it is in HC. So too is Adventures into the Unknown and Forbidden Worlds (12 volumes each), or at least they were; perhaps not anymore. I think I've already seen (and passed on) the solicitations for Amazing Man and Doll Man, but now you have me double-guessing myself.
I already have so much Blue Beetle from Gwandanaland I don't know if it will be worth my while to get it in PS Artbook format. I had been ordering quite a few collections from Gwandanaland for a while, but I finally stopped with "Sivana--Golden Age Captain Marvel's Arch-Enemy Giant" which reprints Sivana's appaearances in chronological order. I knew going into it that I already had the first half (or so) of them reprinted elsewhere, but it was so inexpensive I was buying it for the ones I didn't have. The reproduction of the early issues wasn't great and, although I'm sure he would have replaced it had I asked, it kind of colled me on ordering further editions. Also, I ordered the first two volumes of Harvey Kurtzman's HELP! which weren't quite ready yet. The publication date kept getting pushed back and back (the did finally ship), but that experience kind of put me off, too. There are several other volumes I had my eye on and, whereas I haven't sworn Gwandanaland off entirely, I've already got so much else to read I haven't been in any hurry.
I'm glad you asked about Ghost Rider, as the book I have has just five issues in it (and some appearances in Tim Holt) For some reason, I thought that was all there was, but it's not. Ghost Rider ran for 14 issues, made 13 appearances in Tim Holt, 14 in A-1 and a host of other places. I guess I'll be collecting that series, too!
I have one book (from DH) reprinting Johnny Dynamite. It's not a very good strip, so I'm glad he's being anthologized to give my brain a break with other features. I'll give PS Artbooks credit for this: They recognize their audience, and try to reprint titles comprehensively.
Adventures into the Unknown and Forbidden Worlds were released as HCs for the first 12 issues each. Then the HC/slipcase options were eliminated, and I've been collecting them in "Softee" ever since. I won't give PS any credit for this, because it bums me out.
I forgot to mention that PS is also going to start reprinting Airboy and Bulletman.
As to Pre-Code Classics: Adventure Comics Vol. 6, I'm sorry to say that I have it already in my to-read pile. I guess you did miss it.
What I really want from Gwandanaland, and haven't ever ordered, were the Captain Marvel books. (The book I did order from them was the complete Charlton Peacemaker, which I still don't have.) But PS is doing some Fawcett characters now, so maybe the Big Red Cheese isn't far behind. Maybe PS can do a deal with DC like Marvel did with Fantagraphics on Atlas horror comics.
As to Pre-Code Classics: Adventure Comics Vol. 6, I'm sorry to say that I have it already in my to-read pile. I guess you did miss it.
AARRGGHH!!
(Thanks.)