MAJOR PUBLISHERS
MARVEL COMICS
MIGUEL O’HARA: SPIDER-MAN 2099 #4 introduces Terror 2099.
IMMORTAL THOR #6: Skald tells a tale of Young Thor and Young Loki on a quest!
SPIDER-WOMAN #3: "Gang War" continues.
X-MEN #4 FACSIMILE EDITION NEW PTG reprints the 1964 issue that introduced the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants, and was therefore the first appearance of Mastermind, Quicksilver, Scarlet Witch and Toad.
G.O.D.S. #4
Story: Jonathan Hickman | Art: Valerio Schiti | Cover: Mateus Manhanini | Variant: Ron Lim | Teen+ | $4.99
That guy in the beekeeper suit is holding a thing that's freaking everyone out. A Skinner box is bigger on the inside than the outside. The Avatar makes an enemy on the Axis of Power. If you save the universe and no one remembers, is it worth it? Maybe.
At the core of the Marvel Universe, there exists a pantheon of omnipotent forces that shape the very building blocks of reality! Many of these strange beings have been around since the earliest days of Marvel Comics, and are now being transformed before reader’s eyes in Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti’s revolutionary G.O.D.S. series which will delve into their nature and motives like never before. And who better to spotlight their new designs than one of the pioneer architects of the Marvel cosmos — artist Ron Lim! Known for his galaxy shaping work on Silver Surfer and the Infinity sagas, Lim will depict Schiti’s new designs for Marvel’s cosmic entities in six COSMIC HOMAGE VARIANT COVERS.
Gracing the covers of G.O.D.S. #3-8, see Lim take on Schiti’s modern looks for Oblivion, Living Tribunal, Master Chaos, Lord Order, Infinity, and Eternity in homages to his iconic covers for the Cosmic Powers series, the 1994 series where he and Ron Marz spun revelatory tales starring cosmic powerhouses like Thanos, Terrax, and more.
“It’s so cool revisiting these covers after all these years,” Lim shared. “I remember how much fun I had working on them. Valerio Schiti’s new character designs are fantastic and it’s a blast drawing them on these homage covers!”
Lim’s latest COSMIC HOMAGE VARIANT COVER for next month’s G.O.D.S. 4 showcases the new design for THE LIVING TRIBUNAL.
Is this still happening? Forgot all about it.
POWER PACK: INTO THE STORM #1 (OF 5)
Story: Louise Simonson | Art/Cover: June Brigman
The Pack is back — and so are their legendary co-creators! In honor of the group’s 40th anniversary, co-creators Louise Simonson and June Brigman return with an all-new Power Pack saga this January — POWER PACK: INTO THE STORM!
This five-issue retro series takes readers back to Simonson and Brigman’s original run, a beloved era when Power Pack were Marvel’s A-List team of kid superheroes! Although they were mere children, their powers made them brave beyond their years and the threats they faced were far from childish! This new series will capture that same spirit as the group faces a cosmic threat tied to one of their fiercest foes. Up against factions of the Snark, the Brood, and more, it’s a mission with enormous stakes that threatens the very stability of the cosmos. Luckily, Power Pack never fights alone! Fondly remembered for their exciting team-ups with Marvel’s most legendary heroes, the series will also feature Power Pack’s most loyal companion, Franklin Richards, as well as their frequent allies, the Uncanny X-Men!
Alex, Julie, Jack and Katie Power are super hero siblings determined to do their part to protect the world despite their young age. The problem is that their parents don’t want them to have powers — and can’t find out that they do! But when their friend Franklin Richards has a premonition of a galactic threat hurtling their way, the Power siblings will have to decide what kind of heroes they want to be — and what they’re willing to give up along the way!
“It's funny how easy it is to slip back into Power Pack!” Simonson shared. “This story explores the looming question: Should Power Pack tell their parents about their powers? I loved hinting at Franklin's nascent abilities, one blocked by his parents, but too powerful for even them to contain completely. Loved introducing a couple of Snark princesses--good and tragic-- and delving a bit deeper into Snark culture. And I loved writing Alex, Julie, Jack, and Katie one more time. The X-Man Storm, who shares this adventure, also added to the fun. And, of course, June Brigman's art is evocative and lovely.”
“I always love playing with the kids,” Brigman added. “I hope everyone enjoys reading this great story as much as I loved drawing it!”
I find I like the idea of Power Pack better than the actual comics. Because when I'm reading one, I'm aware that children are in mortal danger, and it's being played in a light-hearted manner. I keep waiting for an adult to show up, send the children home, and take care of the danger themselves.
ROM: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS VOL 1 HC
Story: Bill Mantlo, Steven Grant & Jo Duffy | Art: Sal Buscema & Greg Larocque | Cover: Frank Miller | Variants: Frank Miller, George Pérez, Sal Buscema | Teen | $125.00
Marvel Comics is thrilled to announce an exciting new collaboration with Hasbro, a global leader in play, that will result in brand-new collections and reprints of Rom’s original comic book adventures!
The popular toy turned comic book superstar headlined his very own solo series throughout the '80s, igniting readers’ imaginations for 75 issues. Set in the main Marvel Comics universe, Rom was a full-fledged Marvel icon who had memorable team-ups with the Avengers, the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men, and even battled bravely against the likes of Galactus and the Skrulls! These incredible stories by industry legends Bill Mantlo and Sal Buscema, along with various Rom guest appearances, will be reprinted for the first time ever in ROM: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS VOLUME 1, on sale January 2024.
ROM: THE ORIGINAL YEARS OMNIBUS VOLUME 1 will collect ROM (1979) #1-29 and POWER MAN AND IRON FIST (1978) #73. He strikes from outer space … and nothing can stop him! Marvel Comics is proud to present the iconic early adventures of the greatest of Spaceknights — Rom! Centuries ago, Rom pledged his life to protect his planet, Galador, from the evil Dire Wraiths. Now, Rom has tracked these vile creatures across the cosmos to Earth, where they have infiltrated the highest levels of power — including S.H.I.E.L.D. itself! Armed with his energy analyzer, only Rom can see the Wraiths’ true form — and with his neutralizer, he can blast them into Limbo! But what will Earth make of this armored invader? Will Rom’s quest be aided or hindered by encounters with the X-Men, the Fantastic Four, Jack of Hearts, Nova, and Power Man and Iron Fist? And when Galactus targets Galador, can Rom and his fellow Spaceknights save their homeworld from destruction?
Why this wasn't called "Romnibus" is beyond me. But this will only be possible for as long as Marvel has a contract with Hasbro, so get it while you can.
STAR WARS: THRAWN — ALLIANCES #1 (OF 4)
Story: Timothy Zahn & Jody Houser | Art: Andrea Di Vito & Pat Olliffe | Cover: Rod Reis | Teen | $5.99
STAR WARS: THRAWN — ALLIANCES will see Zahn team up with writer Jody Houser and artists Andrea Di Vito and Pat Olliffe to bring his groundbreaking chapter of Thrawn’s saga to Marvel Comics! Witness the tactical prowess of the galaxy's most dangerous mind in action as Thrawn begins his legendary rise to power and forges a lasting and deadly partnership with Darth Vader.
For me, Thrawn was just a name I heard bandied about on the Internet, until Ahsoka on Disney+. (I stopped reading Star Wars books when they became an avalanche, sometime in the '80s, I think.) So now, at least, I know who he is!
SUPERIOR SPIDER-MAN #3
Here's an over-the-shoulder-stink-eye pose just for Jeff of Earth-J!
Also, it makes a stronger connection to Amazing Spider-Man #50 than most of the others.
"Fall of X"
RESURRECTION OF MAGNETO #1 (OF 4)
Story: Al Ewing | Art: Luciano Vecchio | Cover: Stefano Caselli | Variant: John Tyler Christopher | Teen+ | $5.99
LIFEDEATH!
On Krakoa, resurrection from the dead was as easy as completing a circuit — but Krakoa fell. The time of easy miracles is over, and only the hard roads are left. Now it falls to Storm — as the epic conclusion to the Krakoan age looms — to bring their oldest enemy home to fight against the FALL OF THE HOUSE OF X...but after all he did, and all that was done to him, can Magneto bear to return?
"When we killed Magneto, there was a plan," Ewing explained at New York Comic Con. "This isn’t going to be a golden egg, easy path to resurrection. This is the hard road."
The "Fall of X" trade dress was a late add, but apparently this mini was always meant to be part of the event. As another Legionnaire said, "How could it not be?"
X-FORCE #48
Story: Ben Percy | Art: Robert Gill | Cover: Daniel Acuna | Parental Advisory | $3.99
TARGET: BEAST BEGINS HERE!
He was their mission commander. Now he is their mission. At last, X-FORCE takes the fight to HENRY McCOY, A.K.A. BEAST — and he will answer for his crimes!
THE BEST WAY TO STOP BEAST ... IS BEAST!
Please, just ... stop. Stop Beast. Stop all this. This is just a sideshow to "Fall of X," and a really unpleasant take on a character I used to like.
And wasn't Beast superseded by Wolverine, who is a much more impressive version of Beast? Seriously, what can Hank do in combat that Logan can't do better? Compared to Wolverine, Beast is weak tea. I wish they'd just write him out, rather than do this. (I am aware a younger version is on the way. I'd rather that not happen, too.)
DC COMICS
HARLEY QUINN #36 features guest stars/villains Brother Eye and O.M.A.C.
PENGUIN #6 features the Avian Adversary's first battle with Batman.
POWER GIRL #5 features Streaky the Super-Cat.
DC POWER: A CELEBRATION HC
Story/Art: Various | Cover: Jahnoy Lindsay | $19.99
Written by Evan Narcisse, Dorado Quick, Morgan Hampton, Jordan Clark, Chuck Brown, Stephanie Williams, Lamont Magee, and Brandon Thomas Art by Darryl Banks, Clayton Henry, Petterson Oliveira, Chriscross, Valentine De Landro, Alitha Martinez, and Natacha Bustos Cyborg, John Stewart, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Batwing, Vixen, Amazing-Man, and more take center stage to highlight the power of Black excellence across the DC Universe in stories from a variety of comics' finest Black artists and writers! Collects DC POWER: A CELEBRATION #1, a gallery of spectacular Black History Month variant covers from 2021 and 2022, and the Dawn of DC's CYBORG #1!
It's left unsaid, but this book stars DC's Black characters.
TITANS: BEAST WORLD #5 (OF 6)
Story: Tom Taylor | Art/Cover: Ivan Reis, Danny Miki | $4.99
WALLER VERSUS THE WORLD! After the shocking events of the last issue, the world stands divided: half with the Titans and half with the woman whose vicious methods have saved them for now. All this and more as Dr. Hate returns to revel in and spread their own unique brand of chaos!
Just like with The Joker, you'd think somebody like Red Hood or Deathstroke would just up and end Waller. If I were a supervillain, it would be Job One, before I got sucked into Suicide Squad. And the world would be a better place.
TITANS: BEAST WORLD TOUR — STAR CITY #1 (ONE-SHOT)
Story/Art: Various | Cover: Mikel Janin | $5.99
Written by Joshua Williamson, Ryan Parrott, Robert Venditti, and Brandt & Stein Art by Jamal Campbell, Roger Cruz, Gavin Guidry, and Brandt & Stein CITY OF STARS! Father-and-son archer duo Oliver Queen and Connor Hawke are reunited in the face of evil as they investigate rumors of harrowing experiments taking place at the city aquarium. Across town, Black Canary's cry becomes lethal as she succumbs to the Beast Boy spores. Can the city's newest hero, Red Canary, stand up to her idol? Plus, Red Arrow and Stargirl reunite to protect the city from...the Justice Society of America?!
OK, Black Canary's beast form made me laugh.
IMAGE COMICS
GHOST MACHINE (ONE-SHOT)
Story: Geoff Johns, Peter J. Tomasi, Brad Meltzer, Lamont Magee, Maytal Zchut | Art: Bryan Hitch, Jason Fabok, Francis Manapul | Art/Cover: Gary Frank | 48 pages | $4.99
From the powerhouse creative collective that is Ghost Machine comes an extra-sized 48-page special introducing its all-new shared universes of strange, fun and action-packed characters: Geiger! Redcoat! Rook! The Rocketfellers! And many, many more! What ties Geiger, Redcoat, Widow X and the other mysterious, historical heroes of The Unnamed together? Why is Rook the key to saving the war-torn world of Exodus? How will everyone's soon-to-be-favorite family of the future adapt to a new life in the present? The stories all start now! Creators you know. Characters you'll love. This is Ghost Machine.
Ghost Machine #1 which will introduce its FOUR SHARED UNIVERSES of characters:
1) The Unnamed, revealing a mysterious group of genre heroes from across history, featuring characters and titles like Geiger, Junkyard Joe, Redcoat and First Ghost. A Geiger series, based on Johns and Frank’s hit comic of the same name, is already in development at Paramount TV with director Justin Simien.
2) Rook: Exodus, a sprawling sci-fi epic which takes place in the far future, on a world where every aspect of nature is controlled by technology.
3) The universe of family odysseys centering around the time displaced family, The Rocketfellers, and their friends.
4) Hyde Street, an epic horror universe and the name of one of Ghost Machine’s lead series, written by Johns and illustrated by Ivan Reis.
Following Ghost Machine #1, Ghost Machine’s titles will begin shipping in April 2024 with an all-new ongoing Geiger series, Redcoat and Rook: Exodus. Ghost Machine’s titles will be published through Image Comics.
This is yet another shared universe, yawn. But it has undeniably big names attached. And the central figure, Geoff Johns, has a pretty good track record on launching (or re-launching) characters.
DARK HORSE
DEATH STRIKES: THE EMPEROR OF ATLANTIS
Story: Dave Maass | Art: Patrick Lay, Ezra Rose, Richard Bruning | $24.99
DEATH STRIKES: THE EMPEROR OF ATLANTIS is a timely and timeless original graphic novel by EFF journalist Dave Maass and artist Patrick Lay, based on a suppressed opera written by two concentration camp prisoners. In 1943 Peter Kien and Viktor Ullmann, two prisoners at Hitler's Terezín concentration camp in Czechoslovakia, created a gripping one-act opera. They did not live to see their masterpiece performed. This fall, Berger Books and Dark Horse Comics are proud to present their story in a form that the two authors never imagined: as a riveting graphic novel that combines dystopian sci-fi, mythic fantasy and zombie horror to create a one-of-a-kind reading experience.
DEATH STRIKES: THE EMPEROR OF ATLANTIS is written by Electronic Frontier Foundation Director of Investigations Dave Maass and illustrated by Patrick Lay, and features character designs by Ezra Rose and lettering by Richard Bruning. The graphic novel’s extensive back section will include a historical essay on the opera’s creators, the horrific circumstances in which it was created, and the unlikely path of the composition’s survival. The book also includes Kien’s artwork, photographs, and more.
“Written in a concentration camp, Peter Kien and Viktor Ullmann’s opera is the truest form of artistic resistance, a middle finger to the Nazis and all authoritarians across history,” said writer Dave Maass. “By adapting this fierce, genre-blending satire, we hope to introduce this nearly lost masterpiece to new audiences–and to challenge the tyrants of today."
“We've incorporated Peter Kien's own incredible artwork, excellent character designs by Ezra Rose and the architecture of Terezín and Prague to craft visuals draped in passing shadows, smoke and vapor,” said artist Patrick Lay. “From the book's ’Realm of the Unreal’ to the streets of Atlantis, the history of resistance against oppression and censorship is ingrained in the world.”
In DEATH STRIKES: THE EMPEROR OF ATLANTIS, it is everyone against everyone. The book — like the opera, Der Kaiser von Atlantis, that inspired it — presents a world where Atlantis never sank, but instead became a technologically advanced tyranny, one where a power-mad buffoonish Emperor declares all-out war. Death goes on a labor strike, creating a hellscape where everyone fights, but no one dies. Can the spirit of Life stop this terror with the power of love?
"With the frightening rise of anti-Semitism, book-banning and political condemnation of the ‘other’, Dave and Patrick’s powerful adaptation of this dark and dramatic satire about the ravages of war and fascism feels as relevant today as when it was created 80 years ago,” said editor Karen Berger. “It’s a remarkable story that, despite or possibly because of the tragic circumstances in which it was created, is underscored with hope and humanity.”
This was an opera? The things you learn from comic books.
Here's a PREVIEW.
IDW PUBLISHING
D&D SATURDAY MORNING ADVENTURES 2 #1
Story: David Booher | Art/Cover: George Kambadais | $3.99
Some time has passed since the team's adventure in Waterdeep. Now Dungeon Master is growing weaker with an unknown ailment, and while thoughts of returning home are never far from their minds, the team must save their mentor and friend. Sailing between planes in their Spelljammer, the party finds themselves on the swashbuckling Sword Coast. With Venger closing in and pirates blocking the way forward, can our heroes cure Dungeon Master before it's too late? Eisner-nominated writer David M. Booher and George Kambadais are back to kick off a massive plane-hopping quest featuring brand-new locations and some very familiar faces never seen in cartoon form!
IN UTERO GN
Story/Art: Chris Gooch | $24.99
Akira meets Aliens, and Annihilation meets Evangelion, in this coming-of-age monster tale from award-winning graphic novelist Chris Gooch. Twelve years after a disastrous explosion, young Hailey is dropped off by her mum at a holiday camp in a dilapidated shopping mall. Alienated from the other kids, she connects with an eerie older teen named Jen ... but soon dark horrors awaken, and the two new friends are caught up in a cataclysmic battle between two terrifying creatures who have been lying dormant all this time. One of Australia's most acclaimed young graphic novelists, Chris Gooch expertly crafts a taut and intimate thriller about mothers and daughters, the monstrous and the mundane, and the power of friendship in the midst of catastrophe.
It's rare when I find an IDW book this interesting. Most of what they do is for kids.
STAR TREK: DEFIANT ANNUAL #1
Story: Christopher Cantwell | Art/Cover: Ramon Rosanas | $5.99
After the classified information she stole from the Klingon High Council fails to earn back her favor with Romulan intelligence, Commander Sela is forced to take drastic action and turns back the clock-literally. But what was supposed to be a surefire plan to correct her failed coup over the Klingons quickly spirals into chaos when the technology malfunctions and sends her to a devastated war-torn past with the last person Sela ever wanted to see again-her mother, Tasha Yar.
MORE PUBLISHERS
Street Noise's GAYTHEIST GN is a coming-of-age story about a gay kid in an Orthodox Jewish community.
If you didn't get the complete Spirit when DC was publishing it a few years back (as I did), PS Artbooks is beginning to reprint it this week, starting with GOLDEN AGE CLASSICS: THE SPIRIT VOL. 1. Also available in trade paperback (Softee) and slipcase.
First Second's HISTORY COMICS GN HIP HOP BEAT OF AMERICA could be awesome — I haven't seen it — but it sure sounds like somebody realized how much money Ed Piskor's Hip-Hop Family Tree was making.
PROJECT CRYPTID #5 (OF 6): Ahoy Comics alert!
PS Artbooks also begins reprinting BULLETMAN and SHOCKING MYSTERY CASES this week, albeit in Softee only.
COMICS AND MODERNISM HISTORY FORM & CULTURE SC
University of Mississippi Press | $30.00
The first collection to engage with the fascinating overlap between comics and modernism. Since the early 1990s, cartoonist Art Spiegelman has made the case that comics are the natural inheritor of the aesthetic tradition associated with the modernist movement of the early twentieth century. In recent years, scholars have begun to place greater import on the shared historical circumstances of early comics and literary and artistic modernism. Comics and Modernism: History, Form, and Culture is an interdisciplinary consideration of myriad social, cultural, and aesthetic connections.
Sounds educational.
CRASHDOWN #1 (OF 4)
Story: Tom Garcia, Ryan Sargeant | Art/Cover: Ben Templesmith | Massive | Mature | $3.99
Cover by series artist Ben Templesmith, known for his work with IDW, Image, Oni Press, Dark Horse, and more.
Tom Garcia and Ryan Sargeant, the hosts of the Comic Tom 101 YouTube Channel with over 12 million views, team up with legendary horror artist BEN TEMPLESMITH (30 Days of Night) for this three-issue story of suspense and survival.
Equal parts Lost and Alien, with a Lovecraftian twist, Crashdown delivers a dark vision of our world's final days.
The Earth is dead. Humanity's last hope is the distant planet EMPYREAN and the ship full of colonists ready to repopulate our civilization. But what happens when their new home doesn't want them there and it fights back?
You know what you're apt to find on alien worlds? ALIENS! It's implied by the phrase. And on this world, it looks like you should probably stay out of the water.
Massive seems to have high hopes for this. NIne covers AND a PREVIEW? They're going all out!
Yes, I saw the Brave and Bold #28 homage.
Oddly, Diamond says it's a four-issue series, but the blurb says it's three issues.
1
DEER EDITOR #1
Story: Ryan Lindsay |Art: Sami Kivela | Cover: Sami Kivel | Mad Cave | $4.99
A John Doe slaying lures a journalist into a world of political intrigue, a wi-fi-enabled grotto, and a station locker full of secrets. For Bucky, an editor of the crime beat at "The Truth," it's all in a day's work ... but he also happens to be a deer.
Will he chase down his last story in this antler noir series? Deer Editor is perfect for fans of Blacksad and Chinatown.
Ho, ho, a deer investigating a John Doe case. I get it. (But wouldn't he be a buck? I guess then the pun doesn't work.)
Here's a PREVIEW.
EDIE #1 (OF 5)
Story: Paul Catalanotto | Art/Cover: Greg Woronchak | Blood Moon | $4.99
Every aspect of Edie's life appears to be falling apart, but things seem to turn around when the guy of her dreams asks her out. He assaults her, but that's not the worst of it. As she attempts to escape, a voracious alien captures her, consumes her, and changes her forever.
I dunno, Edie, that rash isn't looking good. You'd better have someone take a look at that. Could be catching.
JUSTICE DUCKS #1
Story: Roger Langridge | Art: Carlo Lauro | Cover: Mirka Andolfo | $3.99
Darkwing Duck Is Teaming Up — Whether He Likes It or Not!
Foes of evil! Enemies of injustice! To the mighty heroes of the JUSTICE DUCKS, all bad guys are a total bummer and must be taken down - even if said bad-o's are from OUTER SPACE!
In this thrilling maiden issue: Flying saucers descend from the skies, to (maybe) wreak (possible) havoc upon the (mostly) innocent citizens of St. Canard! All that's stopping these aggressive alien agitators is STEGMUTT, GIZMODUCK, NEPTUNIA, MORGANA, and (most important, in his opinion) DARKWING DUCK!
Written by the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning ROGER LANGRIDGE and illustrated by celebrated Darkwing Duck artist CARLO LAURO, this latest chapter in the ongoing saga of St. Canard's web-footed wonders is surely destined for greatness — just like DD himself!
SMOKING KILLS TP
Story: Thijs Desmet | Art/Cover: Thijs Desmet | Fantagraphics | $30.00
Ghost, a cantankerous character who drowns his cynicism in booze and cigarettes. Skeleton, a sensitive soul full of curiosity and wonder. This odd couple makes for a hilarious pairing as they are doomed to roam a desolate afterlife. Sarcastic and heartfelt in equal measure, this droll adventure sets out to explore the meaning of life in the land of the dead. In Smoking Kills, Flemish cartoonist Thijs Desmet renders a bewitching tale of spooks and truths in vivid colored pencils.
Sometimes Fantagraphics is almost as weird as Silver Sprocket.
Here's a PREVIEW.
SAVAGE PULP #1
Story/Art: Jorge Zevallos | Blood Moon | $4.99
The "Big Apple." A metropolis masked by a beautiful red veneer of good fortune. It covers the grotesque well. Secrets, deep seeded vices. An ethereal graveyard buried with the naive dreams of those who fell prey to its deception, and took a bite. Order is decomposing. Its remnants are barely visible, and the climate has become wilder. On one of the hottest days on record, a lonely man who lives a banal life contemplates in routine existential fashion. To no avail, no revolution of the mind. He is but one man, a random pawn in a game. But the game of life is a game nonetheless, with winners and losers. Little does he know, a new hand is about to be dealt. The slings and arrows of fate have pointed in his direction. Ready to strike with great fervor. And the reaper, always eager to collect. Like a thief, in the night.
All those words, and I still have no idea what this book is about. Nice covers, tho.
SUNSHINE PATRIOT TP
Story/Art: Howard Chaykin | Fairsquare Comics | Mature | $19.90
You think you've read everything about Hollywood? Think Again!
And when legendary creator Howard Chaykin is in the director's chair, expect the unexpected.
Follow the adventures of two former members of Roosevelt's Rough Riders cavalry, who arrive in Hollywood in 1913 and find themselves caught in the web of a dangerous new world. As the first Sicilian mobsters make their way to the City of Angels, the two heroes find themselves recruited as mercenaries for the movie studios and drawn into the cutthroat world of cinema, with a front- row seat to the building of a new American empire.
With its action-packed narrative and exciting new historical setting, Sunshine Patriots is a must-read for fans of the Western genre and anyone interested in the early days of Hollywood and the formation of one of the most important facets of modern American culture. Written, drawn and delivered by Howard Chaykin (Hey Kids, Comics!, American Flagg!).
Whoa! Howard Chaykin! How is it I've never heard of this?
There are blue-eyed Jews in the world, I know. And apparently they all have jobs in Howard Chaykin comics.
WILDFUL GN
Story/Art: Kengo Kurimoto | Groundwood Books | $22.99
Poppy's mother hasn't been the same since Gran passed away. She stays inside and watches TV, unable to leave the couch. So maybe that's why Poppy has started spending more time outside, taking her dog Pepper for walks around the neighborhood. When Pepper leads Poppy through a hole in the fence, she finds a forgotten forest that's been there all along, as well as a new friend named Rob. Rob teaches Poppy that you can find magic in the wilderness ... if you know where to look! Poppy looks, and then she looks closer... and sees flowers opening before her eyes, watches animals slip into their hidden homes, and listens to the sound of water droplets falling gently on puddles, leaves and feathers. She can barely wait to tell Mum about everything she's seen, and asks her to come see, too-but her mother rarely has the energy to leave the couch. Will Poppy ever be able help her mother see the beauty in the woods-and in life?
OK, the "new friend" sounds like a cool dude, but seriously, has "Little Red Riding Hood" taught little girls nothing?
Replies
Hickman's "G.O.D.S." is fairly entertaining IMO. It plays to what I consider to be his strengths - lots of exotics concepts, places and characters, breakneck action, not a whole lot of promise or expectation of a fluid plot.
And the art is impressive, too.
But this will only be possible for as long as Marvel has a contract with Hasbro, so get it while you can.
I passed on the Rom one but I preordered the Micronauts one.
Here's an over-the-shoulder-stink-eye pose just for Jeff of Earth-J!
YAY!
OK, Black Canary's beast form made me laugh.
"I tawt I taw a puddy tat!"
Geoff Johns, has a pretty good track record on launching (or re-launching) characters.
...at DC. He Marvel work was terrible.
PROJECT CRYPTID #5 (OF 6): Ahoy Comics alert!
That'd be me. This'll be the only new comic I buy this week. I thought this series was marketed as "AHOY's first ongoing series"...? I wonder what happened to that idea?
Whoa! Howard Chaykin! How is it I've never heard of this?
I dunno, but here's what I posted about it last year over in "What Comic Books Have You Read Today?":
SUNSHINE PATRIOTS (#1 of 2): No one does historical comics like Howard Chaykin, an odd mix of historical accuracy and anachronism. This one is set during the early days of Hollywood, 1913.
SUNSHINE PATRIOTS #2: More anachronisitc fun set during the early days of Hollywood.
The description in the solicitation gives one a pretty accurate idea of what to expect.
Hickman's "G.O.D.S." is fairly entertaining IMO. It plays to what I consider to be his strengths - lots of exotics concepts, places and characters, breakneck action, not a whole lot of promise or expectation of a fluid plot. And the art is impressive, too.
That's good to hear (and a fine summary of Hickman's technique). I'll probably get it in HC.
His [Geoff Johns] Marvel work was terrible.
All I remember was his Avengers, and it was.
Here's what I posted about it last year over in "What Comic Books Have You Read Today?"
Oh, OK, so this is a collection, and I just didn't pay attention when the individual issues came out. The solicitation didn't indicate it was a collection, leaving me to believe it was an original graphic novel that sprang from Chaykin's brow with no forewarning.
I find I like the idea of Power Pack better than the actual comics
There are a few series that I have said this about over the years.
ROM: THE ORIGINAL MARVEL YEARS OMNIBUS VOL 1 HC
I just remember that my brother got a nearly complete series back in the day from 50 cet boxes...
For me, Thrawn was just a name I heard bandied about on the Internet, until Ahsoka on Disney+. (I stopped reading Star Wars books when they became an avalanche, sometime in the '80s, I think.) So now, at least, I know who he is!
Woof, I've gotta say something here Cap. The avalanche came in the '90s, and that was because of Timothy Zahn's trilogy which introduced Admiral Thrawn. A non-human (which the Emperor generally hated), no- force weilding, non-politcal character. Who was a genius tactician. He was such a great villain, that I loved him.
Woof, I've gotta say something here Cap. The avalanche came in the '90s, and that was because of Timothy Zahn's trilogy which introduced Admiral Thrawn.
I take your word for it Travis, as I was never a Star Wars completist. I like the franchise well enough, and kept up with the books early on, but it was easy decision to stop buying them. For me, the fun of Star Wars is the movies, with their throwback, '40s serial feel. (Although the prequels did a lot to rain on that particular parade.) That doesn't translate well to the printed page.
What books are good for is giving us internal dialogue and extensive history, neither of which I was particularly interested in when it comes to Star Wars. Luke, Leia and company were -- given the movie-serial nature of the series -- basically archetypes, whose internal life, if any, doesn't matter. And to me, the actual Star Wars lore was clearly seat-of-the-pants, make-it-up-as-you-go-along (Luke-Leia kiss, who-fired-first, "midi-choloridians," etc.), so I wasn't interested in learning all the details. Heck, making Darth Vader Luke's father wasn't even planned, and was dreamed up during the production of Empire to give it a socko ending. I'll give George Lucas credit for a lot of things, but I don't think he's a particularly good writer.
I felt differently about Star Trek, which had clearly been thought through (by Gene Roddenberry) from the get-go, and had an established, coherent universe-view. Learning new things about Spock and Co. was more exciting, because it all fit into an established framework. I'll bet a dollar Zahn did a lot to make the Star Wars universe more coherent and consistent, but it was too late for me.
Anyway, the decision to stop buying Star Trek books was more of a tussle, but I made it -- and Star Wars went along for the ride. I stopped buying both franchises' prose efforts at the same time, and I'm thinking '80s. Whenever it was, it was before Thrawn.
A non-human (which the Emperor generally hated), non-Force wielding, non-political character. Who was a genius tactician. He was such a great villain, that I loved him.
I'm interested to learn how the non-human Thrawn was allowed to rise so high, and why he works for an Empire that despises his race. I hope Zahn explained all of that, because in his hands it will be a good story. Which I hope we'll learn in Ahsoka season two -- if not, I'm sure the Thrawn trilogy is available on Amazon, and you've half-talked me into getting it.
My Dad - who hated all science fiction not written by John Wyndham - went to see the first Star Wars mobi while he was out in L.A. visiting my sister. He later told me that he thoight that it was a glorified version of the old serials from when he was a kid, and I told him that that was pretty much meant to be, and he was like, "Those serials weren't that good, either." A bit harsh, maybe, but not entirely infair in my opinion. To me, those pictures were successful popcorn flicks, but I never saw a lot of deep meaning in them.
It has been said that Star Wars was written to appeal to the average 10-year-old, and Star Trek to the average 15-year-old.
Also harsh but not entirely unfair.
I don't mean to harsh on Star Wars, or really any aspect of fandom. We all like different things, peculiar unto ourselves, and we decide for ourselves what we enjoy -- and nobody else's opinion enters into it. Horse races, you know.