ALEISTER ARCANE (TPB)
Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
Writer: STEVE NILES
Art: BREEHN BURNS
Cover: SAM SHEARON
$17.99
Aleister Green loves playing late night TV horror host Aleister Arcane in his hometown of Jackson, OK... at least, until Jackson's establishment forces him off the air and into unhappy retirement and an early grave. But Aleister has left a little gift behind-will Jackson ever be the same?
I wonder if he's related to the Houma Arcanes? I hear the old man's not doing so well, and the daughter is really into plants.
BRIGHTER THAN YOU THINK: 10 SHORT WORKS BY ALAN MOORE (TPB)
Publisher: UNCIVILIZED BOOKS
Writers: MARC SOBEL, ALAN MOORE
Art: STEPHEN R. BISSETTE, RICK VEITCH, JOHN TOTLEBEN, PETER BAGGE, MARK BEYER, DON SIMPSON, MELINDA GEBBIE, BILL WRAY, OSCAR ZARATE
Mature • $22.95
A collection of Alan Moore's difficult-to-find comics short stories. From bold experiments, through early takes on his favorite subjects, to self-critiques of his older work, this wide-ranging collection is an essential look at Moore's illuminating short stories. Each story is drawn by some of the best artists in comics from mainstream mavericks like Steven Bissette, Rick Veitch, and John Totleben to underground iconoclasts like Mark Beyer and Peter Bagge. Comic book critic Marc Sobel provides insightful commentary and context for each of the stories.
Alan Moore alert!
Anybody have any guesses as to where these stories first appeared, or what they might be about? Some of the artists listed would fall into the "Whatever happened to ...?" category.
BRITANNIA #4 (of 4)
Written by PETER MILLIGAN
Art by JUAN JOSÉ RYP
Cover A by CARY NORD
Cover B by ADAM GORHAM
Variant Cover by JUAN JOSÉ RYP
Variant Cover by RENATO GUEDES
Variant Cover by DAVE JOHNSON
Valiant Cat Cosplay Cover Also Available
$3.99 • 32 pgs. • VALIANT PRESTIGE • T+
Final Fates!
Antonius Axia’s nightmarish journey through the heart of the remote Roman colony of Britannia has brought him to death’s door. But when the world’s first detective confronts his deepest fears about gods, men and civilization, will he be able to complete the mission given to him by Emperor Nero, or will his mind collapse under the unfathomable weight of the void that now stands revealed before him?
The horrifying secret at the heart of Britannia is laid bare as comics master Peter Milligan (Detective Comics) and blockbuster artist Juan José Ryp (NINJAK) erase the lines between fact and fable and bring Valiant’s prestige format opus to an unforgettable finale!
Still enjoying this. But then, I love historical-type books, even when they're ahistorical.
CINDERELLA SERIAL KILLER PRINCESS #1
Publisher: ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT INC
Writer PATRICK SHAND, JOE BRUSHA
Cover A: JOE BRUSHA
Cover B: MALSUNI
Cover C: SALONGA
Cover D: CHEN
SRP: $3.99
Cinderella is back in a brand new series!
A loyal servant to the Dark Horde, Cindy, turned her back on it to help save the world. And all she got for her trouble was a brutal death. But sometimes those that die get a second chance and now Cindy is back with a thirst for blood. And once she's had her revenge not a single hero in the Grimm Universe will be left alive.
I'm guessing all of these heroines will survive somehow.
DARK KNIGHT RETURNS: THE LAST CRUSADE (DLX ED HC)
Publisher: DC COMICS
Writer: FRANK MILLER, BRIAN AZZARELLO
Art: PETER STEIGERWALD
Cover: JOHN ROMITA
SRP: $17.99
The epic story that serves as a prelude to THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS is back in a new, oversized hardcover edition that includes the plot breakdown and John Romita, Jr.'s pencil artwork!
Any recommendations? I fell off the Dark Knight Returns bandwagon after Dark Knight Returns Again or whatever the sequel was.
DC REBIRTH HOLIDAY SPECIAL #1
Publisher: DC COMICS
Written by PAUL DINI, JAMES TYNION IV, STEVE ORLANDO, VITA AYALA, CULLEN BUNN, TIM SEELEY, JAMES ASMUS, HEATH CORSON, K. PERKINS and others
Art by ROBBI RODRIGUEZ, GUSTAVO DUARTE and others
Cover by DUSTIN NGUYEN
ONE-SHOT • 96 pg, FC, $9.99 US • RATED T
DC’s biggest and brightest heroes celebrate the holidays in this new special! Don’t miss a Chanukah crisis for Batwoman, a Flash family Christmas, Wonder Woman interrupting John Constantine’s hellblazing pagan party and more—including the return of Detective Chimp! Today’s top talents bring you a very special holiday gift that’ll keep on giving through the New Year! And writer Paul Dini crafts a Harley holiday tale featuring DCU guests that bridges all the stories in the weirdest, wildest way.
I generally enjoy these if they avoid treacle.
DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS #1
DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS #1 Unites Two Unlikely Heroes!
New York, NY—November 9th, 2016 — The team-up to end all team-ups is here! That’s right True Believers, the Mater of the Mystic Arts and the One Man War on Crime collide this December – with combustible results! Today, Marvel is pleased to present your first look at DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS #1 – the new four issue limited series coming to comic shops everywhere on December 7th! From creators John Barber, Andrea Broccardo and Jason Muhr – there are new players in the organized crime game, and they’re turning to magic to get the upper hand. Frank Castle is a bit out of his league so he’s calling in a little help from the Sorcerer Supreme himself! Is it time for the Punisher to use a little magic? Or is it time for Doctor Strange to adapt to Frank Castle’s lethal way of thinking? Be there as the Marvel Universe’s newest odd couple embarks on a new adventure in DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS #1 – coming to comic shops everywhere on December 7th!
DOCTOR STRANGE/PUNISHER: MAGIC BULLETS #1 (of 4)
JOHN BARBER (W) • ANDREA BROCCARDO & JASON MUHR (A)
Cover by MICHAEL WALSH
Variant Cover by TBA
40 PGS. • Rated T+ • $4.99
Boy, Doc's really getting around the MU these days, isn't he? Who's next on his team-up list, Gwenpool?
FRONTIER #1
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer/Art: JONATHAN HICKMAN
Image Comics is pleased to announce that for the first time in eight years, Jonathan Hickman (THE BLACK MONDAY MURDERS, EAST OF WEST) will both write and draw an all-new ongoing series, FRONTIER, which will launch this November.
A somber science-fiction epic in the same vein as Star Trek, FRONTIER #1 will embark on on a vast, world-building story about utopia lost, and how humanity might just gain it back.
“I’m so excited about this book,” said Hickman. “It’s been a long time coming, and I’m so glad I’m a working cartoonist again. I really think people are going to get a kick out of both what Frontier looks like and where the story takes them. I can’t wait!”
Readers will enjoy a double-sized first issue and each issue in the series will contain galaxy-expanding bonus content like star maps, breakdowns of alien races, interstellar factions, and detailed spaceship schematics.
FRONTIER #1 hits stores on Nov. 16.
I'm not really sure if this is coming out this week or not. If you search for it on Previews it says it is, but it's not on the weekly list. Your guess is as good as mine.
GWENPOOL HOLIDAY SPECIAL MERRY MIX-UP
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
Writers: CHRISTOPHER HASTINGS, RYAN NORTH, NICK KOCHER,
KARLA PACHECO, CHYNNA CLUGSTON-FLORES
CHYNNA CLUGSTON-FLORES, MYISHA HAYNES, NATHAN STOCKMAN & More (A)
Cover by SALVA ESPIN
Variant Cover by RON LIM
Variant cover by CHIP ZDARSKY
Variant by ERICA HENDERSON
64 PGS. • Rated T+ • $5.99
It’s the holidays yet again, and that means it’s time to join EVERYONE’S FAVORITE GWEN (take that, Stacy!) and celebrate good times, come on! Only problem is…somehow this year’s festive traditions seem to be a little…off…and Gwen’s the only one who notices. FEATURING: Gwenpool (duh), Spider-Man, Red Skull, Punisher and even Deadpool! This is one present you know you gotta buy yourself!
Now here's a holiday special I can get behind! I'm guessing it's entirely treacle-free.
HAWKEYE #1
An Avenging Archer Rises – Your First Look at HAWKEYE #1!
New York, NY—November 11th, 2016 — This December, the City of Angels has a new guardian angel. Load your quivers and nock your arrows, True Believer because there’s a new archer in town when the all-new HAWKEYE #1 comes to comic shops and digital devices everywhere! Kate Bishop is flying solo in a brand new series courtesy of rising comic stars Kelly Thompson (A-Force) and Leonardo Romero (Doctor Strange). Kate’s back on the west coast with nothing but her bow, some arrows and her P.I. badge in tow. There’s crime to fight and she’s the best archer to handle it! It’s Kate Bishop like you’ve never seen her before – in a can’t-miss new series that really hits the mark! Be there when HAWKEYE #1 comes to comic shops and digital devices everywhere on December 14th!
HAWKEYE #1
Written by KELLY THOMPSON
Art by LEONARDO ROMERO
Cover by JULIAN TOTINO TEDESCO
Variant Covers by MARGUERITE SAUVAGE
And DAVID AJA
Design Variant by LEONARDO ROMERO
Hip-Hop Variant by MARCO RUDY
ICX Variant by MIKE MCKONE
Blank Cover Also Available
32 PGS. • Rated T+ • $3.99
It was only a matter of time before they retired the white guy. Well, he had a pretty good run for a man who brings arrows to gun fights. Gun fights with aliens.
HOLY CORPSE RISING VOL 1
Publisher: SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT LLC
Writer/Art/Cover: HOSANA TANAKA
SRP: $12.99
In fifteenth-century Rome, witches have declared war against humanity. A young man named Nikola, whose parents were cruelly murdered by a witch before his eyes, discovers that he is now the key to winning the war. Using his sorcery skills acquired through years of careful study, Nikola must revive twelve witches known as the "First Witches" who will become his allies and weapons to defeat evil witches. But there is one small hitch: in order to revive them from their eternal slumber, Nikola must form a marriage contract with each witch. Just how many witches must Nikola marry in order to save humankind?
Here's another youth-with-problem manga where the kid's dilemma doesn't really sound all that bad. Twelve wives? OK, they're witches, but that worked out pretty good for Darren Stevens. And as long as the witches are cool with bigamy, it's more of a middle-school fantasy come true than a real problem. Especially if the all look like the cover girl up there, and not like Sabrina's aunts.
INHUMANS VS. X-MEN #1 (of 6)
The War for Survival Begins in INHUMANS VS. X-MEN #1!
New York, NY—July 27th, 2016— Two super-powered races clash as Mutantkind and Inhumanity collide with the fates of their species at stake! Announced this weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, Marvel is pleased to bring you INHUMANS VS. X-MEN – a six issue event series coming to you this December! Blockbuster creators Charles Soule (Uncanny Inhumans), Jeff Lemire (Extraordinary X-Men) and Leinil Yu (Secret Invasion) bring the two groups to war – with explosive results!
"Tensions have been rising between the X-Men and the Inhumans for a long time,” says Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso. “Now they've reached the boiling point and both sides have everything to lose. Charles, Jeff and Leinil are bringing the fireworks for a cataclysmic confrontation that answers the inevitable question: 'Is the Marvel Universe big enough for Inhumans AND Mutants'?"
As the Terrigen Mists roll across the Earth, birthing new Inhumans and poisoning the planet’s Mutants, time has run out! Terrigen is on the verge of reaching a saturation point in the Earth’s atmosphere. The X-Men have one choice – destroy the mists, or risk the planet becoming permanently poisonous to their kind. With their backs to the wall, it’s take action now…or become extinct forever.
United together, the entire Mutant race stages a desperate final strike. There’s only one problem – the Inhumans won’t go down without a fight. And they’re calling in everyone! The Royal Family, the Nuhumans, Ms. Marvel, Quake and even Moon Girl!
It’s all on the line as these two Marvel mainstays go head-to-head! Only one can survive. Who will be left standing when the dust clears? It’s all been leading to this! The ultimate war for survival begins this December in INHUMANS VS. X-MEN #1!
INHUMANS VS. X-MEN #1
INHUMANS VS. X-MEN LAUNCH PARTY OPT-IN Variant
ACTION FIGURE VARIANT COVER BY JOHN TYLER CHRISTOPHER
BLACK PANTHER 50TH ANNIVERSARY COVER BY MIKE DEL MUNDO
VARIANT COVER BY MICHAEL CHO
VARIANT COVER BY KENNETH ROCAFORT
PARTY VARIANT BY CHIP ZDARSKY
PARTY SKETCH VARIANT BY CHIP ZDARSKY ALSO AVAILABLE
HIP-HOP VARIANT BY WILFRED SANTIAGO
INHUMANS VARIANT BY TERRY DODSON
PREMIERE VARIANT BY LEINIL FRANCIS YU
X-MEN VARIANT BY ARDIAN SYAF
BLANK COVER VARIANT ALSO AVAILABLE
Written by CHARLES SOULE & JEFF LEMIRE
Art & Cover by LEINIL YU
48 PGS. • Rated T+ • $5.99
INHUMANS VS. X-MEN #1 Launch Parties Bring The Epic Clash to Your Local Comic Shop!
The battle for survival begins as two super-powered races clash in a battle for their very existence! The fuse is lit in the current Death of X prelude series, but this December – the powder keg explodes in the can’t-miss INHUMANS VS. X-MEN #1! We’re closing out 2016 with a bang and making sure retailers everywhere are locked and loaded for this massive 6-issue series with INHUMANS VS. X-MEN LAUNCH PARTIES! Not only is your local retailer the place to be on December 14th for the release of the first issue, but you’ll also be able get your hands on some special items exclusive to these launch parties!
To ensure the launch of INHUMANS VS. X-MEN is a sales success, each retailer opting in to the event will receive an Inhumans vs. X-Men Party Kit, containing exclusive promotional materials and sales tools to assist their efforts. Check your Marvel Mailer for more information on how to opt-in by 10/24 (SEP160878) to ensure access to these items.
“These two groups have been on a collision course for a while, but neither is ready for how big this fight is going to get,” says David Gabriel, Marvel SVP Sales & Marketing. “As tensions reach their boiling point, it’s time to settle this grudge match once and for all. Inhumans vs. X-Men will provide the Marvel Universe with some explosive endings for some and blockbuster beginnings for others so we’re backing retailers with incentives, variant and more. There’s a lot of twists and turns to come and we want fans buzzing all the way through the entire event!”
All qualifying retailers will receive the following as part of the Inhumans vs. X-Men Party Kit:
IVX Invitational Postcard
Deep Ordering Discounts
Access to Exclusive First Looks & Previews
IVX 2017 Calendar Promotional Item
IVX Leinil Yu Lithographs
IVX Chip Zdarsky Party Sketch Variant
Downloadable Cake Toppers
But that’s not all! Retailers who qualify will also be eligible to order the INHUMANS VS. X-MEN #1 Zdarsky Party Variant! From Eisner Award-winning artist Chip Zdarsky brings Inhumans and X-Men together for a can’t-miss cover!
MIDNIGHT OF THE SOUL VOL 1 (TPB)
MIDNIGHT OF THE SOUL HITS SHELVES THIS DECEMBER
The complete series collected into trade paperback
Image Comics is pleased to announce that fan-favorite MIDNIGHT OF THE SOUL by Howard Chaykin (SATELLITE SAM) will be collected into trade paperback and available in stores this December. It will collect issues #1-5.
In MIDNIGHT OF THE SOUL, Joel Breakstone, a GI liberator of Buchenwald and brutally damaged goods, follows a path of vengeance. But what begins as a quest for vengeance, transforms into one of redemption in a violent journey into his own heart of darkness — in a spiritual adventure from comics' contemporary master of crime and punishment.
Select praise for MIDNIGHT OF THE SOUL:
“Chaykin’s work is always a joy to read.” -- ComicWOWTV
“A powerful story from the start.” -- Bounding into Comics
“Well-told.” -- Comicosity
“A puzzle worth pondering.” -- Newsarama
NIGHT OF LIVING DEAD VOL 1: SINS OF FATHER (HC)
Publisher: FIREFLY BOOKS LTD.
(W) Jean-Luc Istin (A/CA) Elia Bonetti
It's Halloween. Lizbeth leaves her husband and two children to accompany her brother Leland, the favorite son, to visit the grave of their adoptive parents. But no sooner do they arrive at the cemetery than they are attacked by a group of living dead! Will Lizbeth survive? Will she be reunited with her husband and children? Night of the Living Dead Volume 1: Sins of the Father is the first of three volumes that retell the classic story for modern readers and fans of graphic novels. Istin's tight text and Bonetti's skilled art bring the terror and horrid fear to life and the convey the psychology of the characters. Together they resurrect the zombie story for a new generation.
SRP: $19.95
After the puzzling flop of Double Take, it's a relief to return to what made NotLD so interesting.
OPTIMUS PRIME #1
Writer: JOHN BARBER
Art/Cover: KEI ZAMA
Subscription Variant: CASEY COLLER
Variant: ANDREW GRIFFITH
Blank Sketch Variant
FC • 32 pages • $3.99
REVOLUTION is over -- but the danger to Earth is just beginning. As OPTIMUS PRIME pulls Earth into the larger universe, he’s painted a target on Earth … and a new alien incursion begins when a corkscrew shaped craft drills into our world!
• The next evolution of TRANSFORMERS is here!
• OPTIMUS PRIME’s past on CYBERTRON haunts his present on Earth!
• Amazing artist Kei Zama (Scarlet Witch) makes her debut with veteran writer John Barber (Transformers)!
• Variant cover by Sara Pitre-Durocher, Sonny Lieu, and Paul Pope!
I'm not really up on my Transformers, but wasn't this guy killed once? I thought Rodimus Prime (that's Latin for "Big Rod," right?) took over.
PRE-CODE CLASSIC: AMAZING ADVENTURES VOL 1
Oh, boy, we got an out’n’out doozy for you this time, with the six 1950’s issues of Ziff Davis’s AMAZING ADVENTURES, brim full with work from the likes of Murphy Anderson, Jerry Siegel, Ogden Whitney, Wally Wood, Alex Schomburg, Frank Giacola, Bernard Krigstein, Norman Saunders, Ross Andru and a host of other talented writers and artists. I could say more—like how #2 contains ‘The Steel Monster,’ a kickass riff on Ted Sturgeon’s ‘Killdozer’ yarn from 1944 (also homaged by Marvel some 20 years later)--but, just take a look at those covers! And get your money ready ...
About Amazing Adventures...
Due to be published for September, this single volume brings together the ZIFF-DAVIES issues #1-6 from 1950 to Fall 1952.
Artists include Clinton Spooner, Harry Sahle, Murphy Anderson, Ogden Whitney, Wally Wood, Alex Schomburg, Arthur Peddy, Allen Anderson and Norman Saunders.
Limited to just 2,000 copies and split across two editions.
Slipcase Edition: 125 copies in full colour slipcase, 256 Pages, £44.99 / $69.99
Bookshop Edition: 1,875 Copies hardback book, 256 Pages, £36.99 / $59.99
PRE-CODE CLASSIC: WEIRD TERROR VOL 1
Hey, it’s all here, culture-lovers: walking dead folks (loads of ‘em) -- some of them even still sporting their heads -- witches, ghosts, werewolves and enough vampires to go into the second-hand dentures business. Every now and again you come across a bevy of four color frights that seem to have been created just for you. Well, they were created just for us folks here at PS Towers ... and, because we loves ya so much, we’re sharing ‘em wit youse. Sheesh, ya never had it so good, ya big lunks.
About Weird Terror – Volume 1...
Due to be published for September, this volume brings together the COMIC MEDIA issues #1-7 from September 1952 to September 1953.
Artists include H.C. Kiefer, Don Heck, Don Perlin, C.A. Winter, John Belcastro, Rudy Palais, Pete Morisi and Mannie Banks
Limited to just 2,000 copies and split across two editions.
Slipcase Edition: 125 copies in full colour slipcase, 256 Pages, £44.99 / $69.99
Bookshop Edition: 1,875 Copies hardback book, 256 Pages, £36.99 / $59.99
RED SONJA #0
Publisher: DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Cover: Nick Bradshaw
Writer: Amy Chu
Art: Carlos Gomez
Page Count: 24 pages • Teen + • $0.25
The barbarian She-Devil with a Sword faces a whole different world and challenges in this new adventure written by Amy Chu and drawn by Carlos Gomez. Somewhere deep underground, strange and powerful demons clad in metal armor attack and roust Red Sonja from a deep magical sleep. Confused and weaponless, she must find a way to defeat these mysterious creatures, escape from her solitary prison, and make her way to the surface to discover where she is, and why she was put there ...
I'm not familiar with Amy Chu. But Gail Simone showed this characters has some legs (*koff*) if handled correctly.
THE RETURN OF ZOMBIES! (HC)
Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
Writer/Art: Various
Cover: FRANK FRAZETTA
HC • FC • $24.99 • 148 pages • 8.5” x 11”
The Chillling Archives of Horror Comics first gave the world the book Zombies! Now, by popular dead-mand we present more never-before-assembled terrifying tales of the walking dead! Dug from graves these are grisly, gory, gruesome Pre-Code comic book stories that rotted kids’ minds in the ’50s and were condemned by the Senate! The most deft and depraved artists of the time serve up these spine-chilling horrors! Read “An Army of Walking Dead,” “The Zombie Disciple,” “The Fleshless Ones” and “Dial C for Corpse,”! If you dare devour, “The Corpse That Prowled by Night,” “The Dead are Never Lonely,” “Born in the Grave,” “Zombie Vengence” and much morbid more.
“If you want to get a real fill of undead tales, tales that paved the way for our current zombie obsessed culture, you need to check this out.” -- Bloody Disgusting
Isn't "returning" what zombies are pretty famous for doing?
ROCKSTARS
UNRAVEL ROCK MUSIC’S GREATEST MYSTERIES IN ROCKSTARS THIS DECEMBER
A brand-new rock ‘n’ roll secret history series
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
Writer: JOE HARRIS
Art: MEGAN HUTCHISON
Fan-favorite Joe Harris (THE X-FILES, SNOWFALL) teams up with artist Megan Hutchison for an all-new, ongoing series a la Almost Famous meets Supernatural called ROCKSTARS.
ROCKSTARS follows a pair of young, rock 'n' roll investigators as they uncover a mystery involving a legendary band, dead groupies, human sacrifice and a supernatural undercurrent connecting so many famous -- and even more undiscovered -- secrets, myths and conspiracies peppering rock music throughout the ages.
When a pattern of unsolved "groupie" murders dating back to the 1970s resumes in present-day Los Angeles, nobody makes the connection except for Jackie Mayer, a young rock nerd who not only knows everything about music history, trivia and its myriad secrets and factoids, but also harbors a mysterious, almost magical ability to ‘see’ what most people miss, and determine and divine what’s going unreported.
Joined by a music writer and aspiring investigative reporter named Dorothy Buell, and his loyal cat, Skydog, they soon uncover a vast mystery involving a legendary band’s exploits, their mercurial guitarist’s occult associations, demonic possession, and sacrifices to the dark gods of rock.
“Rockstars is a story I’ve wanted to tell since I was a little kid, flipping through old records, trading bootlegs with the older kids in school, sewing patches onto my denim jacket, playing guitar in bands, and absolutely surrendering my imagination to the majesty of rock 'n' roll music and excess, the crazy culture both within and behind it, and what it means and has meant to fans throughout the years. It’s a supernatural investigation into the music I love, the kinds of genre stories I adore, and the kind of larger-than-life figures that always felt so suited to the comics medium.”
“Rock 'n' roll history is filled with the kinds of super-powered beings and colorful characters I was awed by growing up, and bringing that mystique, glamour, pageantry, and power to comics is something I've wanted to do for a long time,” said Harris. “This is my love letter to the bands, era, and music I adore and which has captured my imagination like little else for what feels like forever. Honestly, I feel like I've been writing this series, in my head and heart, since I was 8 years old.”
“I’ve yet to work on a project that has challenged and excited me the way ROCKSTARS has,” said Hutchison. “From the music to the costumes to the characters and the settings, ROCKSTARS is a rich world of horror, humor, mystery, and bad-assness."
Each story arc will feature a case sprung from a different rock n’ roll era -- British Invasion, Punk, '80s Heavy Metal, etc. -- and draw on Jackie’s unique connection, knowledge, and darkly magical associations to crack them.
Every so often someone tries to tie rock music and comics together, but it's never really worked for me.
SHADOWS ON THE GRAVE #1
DARK HORSE PRESENTS NEW TALES OF TERROR FROM THE MASTER OF HORROR
Richard Corben pens horrifically disturbing anthology series
The master of horror returns to Dark Horse! For nearly 50 years, Richard Corben (Rat God, Ragemoor, Creepy, Eerie) has been terrifying readers with his unique visions of the macabre and the horrific. On December 14, 2016, the Eisner Hall of Famer launches his newest nightmarishly beautiful series: Shadows on the Grave.
Shadows on the Grave is an eight-issue mini anthology of bizarre horror stories told in Corben’s signature black-and-white style. Each issue of Shadows on the Grave features four tales of horror, including the ongoing saga of Denaeus, a Greco-Roman-era version of Corben’s Den from Heavy Metal.
Praise for Corben’s past works:
“He is the mainstay in my collection of original art and one of the most precise and admirable storytellers in the medium.”—Guillermo del Toro
“Corben has been an artist’s artist for longer than some of us have been alive, and Rat God #1 illustrates that he is still working at the peak of his weird powers, delivering a true-to-form Lovecraftian set-up, wrapped in gorgeous, rock album ready artwork.”—Newsarama
“There’s also something about Corben’s distinctive artwork that’s inherently unnerving, from the grotesquely exaggerated facial features to his tense, claustrophobic panels and layouts.”—Big Comic Page
Corben is genuinely creepy, even when he's not trying to be.
SILK #15
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
(W) Robbie Thompson (A) Irene Strychalsk (CA) Helen Chen
THE CLONE CONSPIRACY TIE-IN!
• In the midst of DEAD NO MORE: THE CLONE CONSPIRACY, SILK faces off against a SPIDER-WOMAN!
• NEW U has given J. Jonah Jameson his life back. First, his wife Marla was brought back from the dead, and now his adopted daughter, Mattie Franklin, a.k.a. SPIDER-WOMAN, is alive again as well!
• It should be a time for celebration, but Cindy Moon, a.k.a. SILK, is feeling anything but festive, especially since her boss' entire family has been resurrected and is setting off her spider-sense!
Rated T • $3.99
I haven't been following this series. Cindy Moon works for J. Jonah Jameson? And is he still the mayor?
STREET FIGHTER UNLIMITED ANNUAL #1
DETAILS: 32 pg, Full Color, $3.99 USD
RELEASE DATE: December 2016
DIAMOND COMICS ORDER CODES:
OCT161939 STREET FIGHTER UNLIMITED ANNUAL #1 CVR A (Story cover)
OCT161940 STREET FIGHTER UNLIMITED ANNUAL #1 CVR A (Dan variant)
OCT161941 STREET FIGHTER UNLIMITED ANNUAL #1 CVR C (Incentive – Homage variant)
UDON wraps up 2016 with Street Fighter Unlimited Annual #1, in stores in December! This special one-shot includes four short stories previously only available as bonus content in UDON’s hardcover Street Fighter collections. Juri faces off against the deadly doll Decapre! Ibuki battles the mysterious Q! Sakura and Dan get down to some serious training, and Chun-li tangles with the Mad Gear Gang!
It’s a truly legendary gathering of rare tales in Street Fighter’s first Annual 1-shot. Featuring the creative talents of Omar Dogan, Jim Zub, Ken Siu-Chong, Matt Moylan and Takeshi Myazawa.
This issue features two standard covers by Rob “Robaato” Porter, along with a retailer incentive cover by Hanzo Steinbach homaging a classic comic cover from the 1970s. Ask your local comics retailer about how to obtain this rare incentive cover.
Comic book specialty retailers everywhere are now taking pre-orders for Street Fighter Unlimited Annual #1. Head in to your local comics retailer to reserve your copy now, or find a comic shop near you by using www.comicshoplocator.com. Media inquiries and/or requests for review copies should be directed to Jenny Myung at press@udonentertainment.com.
TRANSFORMERS LOST LIGHT #1
Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
(W) James Roberts (A/CA) Jack Lawrence
Five years ago, Rodimus and a collection of traumatised, lovelorn and/or sarcastic Autobots set off on a quest to find Cyberutopia. So far, they've made a right hash of it. They've misplaced their map. They've lost their ship, the Lost Light, to a mutinous escapologist. Oh, and they're dead.
• The crew from MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE might be dead, but the LOST LIGHT lives on!
• Incredible artist Jack Lawrence (Skylanders, Micronauts) makes his Transformers debut with returning writer James Roberts (Transformers: MTMTE)!
SRP: $3.99
WE TOLD YOU SO: COMICS AS ART
Publisher: FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
This summer marks the 40th anniversary of Fantagraphics Books, and the publisher will celebrate the occasion with a series of events throughout the rest of 2016. Founded in 1976 by Gary Groth and Mike Catron (soon to be followed by Kim Thompson), the company published over 5,000 comic books and graphic novels over the next four decades, confirming its reputation as the publisher of the world’s greatest cartoonists, and as a champion for cartoonists who don’t fit within the commercial confines of traditional corporate publishing.
The highlight of the anniversary celebrations will be the long awaited release of We Told You So: Comics As Art, an irreverent, 600-page oral history of Fantagraphics edited by Tom Spurgeon with Michael Dean, as told through interviews with virtually every key player in the company’s history – as well as a few of its adversaries – and copiously illustrated with hundreds of photos, comics, drawings, and rare ephemera from the Fantagraphics vaults.
Throughout the summer and fall, Fantagraphics will also celebrate its anniversary at various comics festivals. Comic-Con International in San Diego, the Small Press Expo (SPX) in Bethesda, MD and the Columbus Crossroads Festival (CXC) will each sponsor events and programming and host special guests spanning Fantagraphics’ provocative and pioneering history, with details for each to be rolled out over the comings weeks. Additionally, Fantagraphics will close out the year with a birthday bash back home in Seattle for our staff, cartoonists, and fans. Slated for Dec. 10th, the event will also mark the tenth anniversary of Seattle’s beloved Fantagraphics Bookstore & Gallery.
Fantagraphics began its activist agenda by publishing The Comics Journal in 1976, which, over nearly 300 issues and over 5,000 pages, fought for the economic and creative rights of three generations of cartoonists and militantly insisted that comic art was as capable of the same heights of expression as the greatest accomplishments in every other popular form. “In the mid-to-late-1970s, underground comix were in their death throes and another generation of cartoonists who would take up their mantle of independence and creative freedom had not yet been envisioned,” recalls co-founder and President Gary Groth. “The mainstream comics industry looked as if it were on its last legs creatively and commercially — a low point in a low industry. It may have been exactly the right moment in comics history to begin publishing a magazine of criticism and investigative journalism and help foment a revolution in the form.”
The editorial standards of The Comics Journal led Groth and company to soon put its money where its mouth was, and beginning with Jack Jackson’s Los Tejanos in 1981, followed the next year with its flagship title, Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez’s Love & Rockets, the floodgates opened and introduced readers to a murderer’s row of new talent throughout the ’80s. “I could never have anticipated as a kid collecting comics and publishing fanzines that I would go on to publish artists like Carl Barks, Jack Kirby, Steve Ditko, Gil Kane, the EC guys, Jules Feiffer, Charles Schulz, or Robert Crumb,” added Groth. “And much less that I’d publish a new generation of artists whose existence I couldn’t even have imagined or foresaw, like Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez, Dan Clowes, Jim Woodring, Peter Bagge, Joe Sacco, Carol Tyler, Tony Millionaire, Stan Sakai, Linda Medley, and Chris Ware.”
Fantagraphics’ devotion to the past, present, and future of comics remains undiminished, and recent years have seen the rise of a new generation of cartoonists that represent the depth and diversity of the form that Fantagraphics stands for, including Ed Piskor, Eleanor Davis, Dash Shaw, Simon Hanselmann, Lucy Knisley, Olivier Schrauwen, Jason, Ulli Lust, Johnny Ryan, Cathy Malkasian, Lilli Carré, Leah Hayes, Josh Simmons, Noah Van Sciver, Liz Suburbia, and so many others.
Forty years ago, comic books were seen as little more than mindless, adolescent escapism, shunned by literate adults and ignored by the wider culture. Changing the perception —and the fact— has been hard fought, and, 40 years strong, Fantagraphics remains committed to the belief that comics is art, and continues to elevate the form by publishing the most encompassing range of contemporary, cutting-edge cartooning, collections of the seminal underground artists, classic and gag cartoonists, international cartoonists in translation, and library-quality editions of classic newspaper strips and comic books that showcase the form as an artistically sophisticated medium of expression.
“Fantagraphics… has published and championed many of the finest cartoonists working today.” – John Hodgman, The New York Times
“[Fantagraphics] have consistently published America’s most important comix artists…” – TIME Magazine
“It’d be difficult to find more challenging and entertaining rabble-rousers amid the panorama of popular culture.” – The Village Voice
“These guys know what the hell they’re doing.” – Salon
“Fantagraphics Books has been what City Lights was to the ’50s and ’60s: the premiere gathering place, publisher and promoter of the era’s most exciting and multi-faceted form of literature.” — Utne Reader
“Fantagraphics publishes the best comics in the world.” — Wired
“Fantagraphics can absolutely claim a critically important and enduring influence over the growth of literary comics. And this influence goes beyond just being a publisher of thoughtful, nuanced comics work.” — Publishers Weekly
“I’m just grateful that Fantagraphics exists.” — Neil Gaiman
“Their nurturing of certain cartoonists, like Dan Clowes and the Hernandez Brothers, helped me appreciate those cartoonists.” — Art Spiegelman
“On November 14th, 2004, the word ‘zeitgeist’ appeared on my Learn-A-Word-A-Day desk calendar, and I’ve been straining at the leash to use it ever since. I think I’ve found my moment.” — Dana Gould
“When the undergrounds had lost their fire, I looked in vain for new sparks. Then Fantagraphics emerged like that proverbial Phoenix or Eagle or Swallow or whatever and its anthologies, journals, and original books gave new hope to those of us wandering in the wilderness. Of course, to my surprise graphic novels are now a major industry – so many books so little time. But I always make time for the Fantagraphics productions. They are the chronicler of a vintage age of comics and the beacon, too.” — Steven Heller, New York Times
“A book ought to be idiosyncratic and reflect a distinctive personality. And piss off all the right people.” — Gary Groth
WRATH OF THE ETERNAL WARRIOR #14
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art by ROBERT GILL
Cover A by STEPHEN SEGOVIA
Cover B by JEFFREY VEREGGE
Variant Cover by AL BARRIONUEVO
Valiant Cat Cosplay Cover Also Available
FINAL ISSUE | $3.99 | 32 pgs. | T+
Out of the abyss…and into oblivion!
Gilad Anni-Padda has faced tanks, trenches, and legions many thousands strong. Now, true peace is finally within reach of the man that myth calls the Eternal Warrior… but, to claim it, he must undertake a mission beyond the grasp of any mortal soldier…and rescue the soul of his long-lost son from the underworld. But to venture into the land of death itself means suicide even for an immortal master of war… and the cruel being known as the Pale Herder intends to make sure that this time, Earth’s Fist and Steel stays dead once and for all…
New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (X-O MANOWAR) and rising star Robert Gill (BOOK OF DEATH) mark “A DEAL WITH A DEVIL” as the Eternal Warrior enters the final ring of fire!
Cats. Why did it have to be cats? [/Indiana Jones voice]
Replies
Bleeding Cool lists some of the Alan Moore stories in that anthology. I've read "This Is Information" from one of the 9-11 anthologies (I remember thinking it was excellent), and "In Pictopia" is a Roger Rabbit-ish murder mystery that was published in an issue of Fantagraphics' Anything Goes! anthology. I'm not sure if I've read the others, although Peter Bagge's Kool-Aid man sure looks familiar.
I remember picking up the issues of Alistair Arcane for a dollar each at a comic shop while I was traveling years ago, thinking it was worth a shot, and that at least I had the complete story. I loved it. In fact, I loved it so much that I passed it on to someone else and told them they had to read it. I think they paid it forward. Not sure whatever became of it, but I just remember the story being a lot of fun.
The cover blurb says "Soon to be a major motion picture!" so I guess I have to read it!
Wandering Sensei: Moderator Man said:
Interesting.
Speaking of Double Take, they recently released most or all of their comics for public reading in their website. It takes a fair while of time and is... less than quite faithful to the source, shall we say.
Optimus Prime did in fact die in the original (animated) Transformers movie back in the 1980s. And several times before that as well.
The movie was set in the (then) future, and I assume it is being treated as sliding forever into the future far as present-day continuity is concerned.
I found a lot of the Double Take material baffling on a number of levels, some of which was explained when I read somewhere that the ultimate end was going to be a superhero universe.
Well, that would at least explain some of the most extreme weirdness.
And also make the name "Double Take" somewhat more meaningful in the context.