THE BIG STUFF
Writers/art: Various | Cover: Jim Lee, Scott Williams, Tamra Bonvillain
The Captain's comments: Pride Month continues with DC's My Big Gay Italian Wedding. No, wait, that's a movie. This is DC's Big Gay Anthology One-Shot (and Marvel will follow suit in two weeks). In addition to the nine stories listed below, the book features profiles of gay DC characters on TV and the actors who play them, various pin-ups and the first comic book appearance of trans superhero Dreamer from CW's The Flash. The stories:
• Batwoman: “The Wrong Side of the Looking Glass” by James Tynion IV, Trung Le Nguyen and Aditya Bidikar
• Poison Ivy & Harley Quinn: “Another Word for a Truck to Move Your Furniture” by Mariko Tamaki, Amy Reeder, Marissa Louise and Ariana Maher
• Extraño and Midnighter: “By the Victors” by Steve Orlando, Stephen Byrne and Josh Reed
• Jess Chambers and Andy Curry: “Clothes Makeup Gift” by Danny Lore, Lisa Sterle, Enrica Eren Angiolini and Becca Carey
• Alan Scott and Obsidian: “He’s the Light of My Life” by Sam Johns, Klaus Janson, Dave McCaig and Tom Napolitano
• Jackson Hyde and JLQ: “Love Life” by Andrew Wheeler, Luciano Vecchio, Rain Beredo and Becca Carey
• Dreamer: “Date Night” by Nicole Maines, Rachael Stott, Enrica Eren Angiolini and Steve Wands
• Renee Montoya: “Try the Girl” by Vita Ayala, Skylar Patridge, José Villarrubia and Ariana Maher
• Pied Piper and Drummer Boy: “Be Gay, Do Crimes” by Sina Grace, Ro Stein & Ted Brandt and Aditya Bidikar
CONTINUING EVENTS
'THE CHAMELEON CONSPIRACY' PART 2
Amazing Spider-Man #68Marvel Comics | Teen+ | $3.99
Writer: Nick Spencer | Art: Marcelo Ferreira | Cover: Mark Bagley
Spider-Man aims to get to the bottom of the Chameleon's plan ... but THE FOREIGNER takes his own aim.
The Captain's comments: Still not reading. Those who are can tell us what happens.
HEROES REBORN WEEK 6
Heroes Reborn #6 (of 7)
Marvel Comics | Teen+ | $4.99
Writer: Jason Aaron | Art: Erica D'Urso, Ed McGuinness | Cover: Leinil Francis Yu | Variant: Jeffrey Veregge | Trading Card variant: Mark Bagley | Action Figure variant: John Tyler Christopher | Stormbreakers variant: R.B. Silva
HEROES REBORN #6 will turn the spotlight on the fabled daughter of Utopia Isle known as Power Princess.
The Captain's comments: I wonder if Power Princess is as closely associated with the Greco-Roman gods as Wonder Woman is. But the PR says she's beaten All-Gog, Gorr the God Butcher and the King in Black, so it makes one think Zarda is more powerful than Thor or Diana, and maybe even Odin. Speaking of Thor, it looks like this universe's Mangog ate Asgard. Geez!
Heroes Reborn: Night-Gwen #1Marvel Comics | Teen+ | $4.99
Writer: Vita Ayala | Art: Farid Karami | Cover: David Nakayama | Takeshi Miyazar | Variant: Takeshi Miyaza
By day, Dr. Gwendolyn Stacy is Ravencroft Asylum’s leading psychiatrist. But by night, she dons the guise of the vigilante known as Nightbird!
The Captain's comments: It seems like Nighthawk is not only a Batman analog, but takes the place of Spider-Man in this timeline as well. That's an awkward mix!
Heroes Reborn: Squadron Savage #1Marvel Comics | Teen+ | $4.99
Writer: Ethan Sacks | Art: Luca Pizarri | Cover: Stephen Segovia, David Blatt
There are some threats that require a more savage approach than the Squadron Supreme of America can offer. For those missions, the Department of Defense has put together a team consisting of Elektra, the Punisher, Crossbones, Cloak and the enigmatic new character, Murder Hornet.
The Captain's comments: This gives me a Thunderbolts vibe, the version with Elektra, Punisher, Red Hulk and other anti-heroes. I actually only read a few issues of that, because everyone was being forced so out of character to make the team work (especially Frank Castle) that I stopped in disgust. But still.
And who do you suppose Murder Hornet is? My money's on Janet Van Dyne.
HELLFIRE GALA WEEK 2
Excalibur #21
Marvel Comics | Teen+ | $3.99
Writer: Tini Howard | Art: Marcus To | Cover: Mahnud Asrar | Dauterman Connecting variant: Russell Dauterman | Rogue Character Design variant: Russell Dauterman | Character Design variant: Marcus To
RICTOR HATES PARTIES.
Even the nice ones. And with Captain Britain’s return to a changed world, this one is looking to be not so nice.
The Captain's comments: I read week 1, and it looks like Something Big happens at midnight, which we see reactions to, but not what the event actually is. I assume that is being held for Week 5. In the meantime, there are party hi-jinks (some of which are pretty amusing).
X-Men #21
Marvel Comics | Teen+ | $3.99
Writer: Jonathan Hickman | Art: Russell Dauterman, Nick Dragotta, Sara Pichelli, Lucas Werneck | Cover: Leinil Francis Yu | Pride Month variant featuring Mystique: Phil Jimenez | Jean Grey Character Design variant: Russell Dauterman | Spider-Man Villains variant: Emanuela Lupacchino | Dauterman Connecting variant: Russell Dauterman | Character Design Variant: Lucas Werneck
THE HEROES OF KRAKOA DEBUT!
It’s a changing of the guard as the first X-Men team of Krakoa debuts!
The Captain's comments: We already know who's on the team, so it's no spoiler to say the new X-Men — which is starting over at #1, and being written by Jonathan Hickman — stars Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Polaris, Rogue, Sunfire, Synch and Wolverine (X-23).
PRIDE MONTH VARIANT COVERS WEEK 2
Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton #1
Pride variant by Ed Luce
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #13
Pride variant by Jacopo Camagni
Wonder Woman #773
Pride variant by Paulina Ganucheau
X-Men #21
Pride Month variant featuring Mystique by Phil Jimenez
WAR OF THE BOUNTY HUNTERS WEEK 6
Marvel Comics | 32 pages | Teen | $3.99
Writer: Ethan Sacks | Art: Paolo Villanelli Cover: Giuseppe Camuncoli | LucasFilm 50th Anniversary variant: Chris Sprouse | Pride Month variant: Jacopo Camagni
Hot on the trail of BOBA FETT, VALANCE and DENGAR run into a rather large obstacle-the mighty CHEWBACCA! Will T'ONGA escape the trap set by a mysterious organization out to upend the underworld? And who is the figure in the shadows hunting them all?!
The Captain's comments: This story runs 34 issues. We used to say writers were writing for the trade. Are they writing for the omnibus now?
PRE-READ FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE
Ant #12
Fourteen years after its previous issue was published, Image
Comics partner and CFO Erik Larsen returns to Ant to provide fans with volume one's awe-inspiring conclusion and the promise of more Ant adventures to come.
The Captain's comments: Ant #11 came out 14 years ago, which must be a record of some kind. Anyway, I'm not sure why I read this issue, as I find most of Erik Larsen's work derivative (like the cover above) when it isn't being adolescent (all women have exaggerated breasts). I didn't see anything in Ant to change my mind (Ant is a Bronze Age Spider-Man clone visually, and even the sound effects look like '70s Marvel). The lack of originality is compounded by a cliched story, presumably a result of how Ant evolved in its first 11 issues, in a writer and revamp merry-go-round that Larsen discusses at great length.
A second volume of Ant is on the horizon, and I've already been sent about a dozen variant covers before, I think, the first issue has even been solicited. (Sigh.) Some things at Image never change. Speaking of variant covers:
Archie 80th Anniversary Everything’s Archie #1 one-shot
Archie Comics | 32 pages | $3.99
Writer: Fred Van Lente
Art: Dan Parent, Bob Smith, Glenn Whitmore, Jack Morelli | Cover A: Dan Parent | Cover B: Ben Caldwell | Cover C: Rian Gonzales | Cover D: Aaron Lopestri
Finally, Archie declares his TRUE LOVE ... and it's a very expensive guitar! So, Archie picks up a few extra jobs to make some cash, what could go wrong?! Spies, TV execs, tech warfare, nothing in Riverdale will be the same!
The Captain's comments: I honestly didn't expect to enjoy this, because I don't particularly enjoy Dan Parent's art. (It's almost Dan DeCarlo, but not quite, which gives me the yips ... sort of an "uncanny valley" of comics art. And when he's not swiping DeCarlo, like on the Reggie figure on the cover above, it's ... not good.) But Van Lente's story is so clever that I found myself laughing aloud on occasion. Plus, after all these years, we learn the secret of Jughead's philosophy!
DC Comics Generations HC
DC Comics | 184 pages | $29.99
written by DAN JURGENS, ANDY SCHMIDT, and ROBERT VENDITTI
art by IVAN REIS, BRYAN HITCH, YANICK PAQUETTE, JOHN ROMITA JR., KEVIN NOWLAN, DOUG BRAITHWAITE, RAGS MORALES, EMANUELA LUPACCINO, and others
Cover by IVAN REIS and JOE PRADO
In these tales, a threat of cosmic proportions to DC’s newest (and oldest) universe compels one of the most unusual groups of heroes ever assembled to take on the most mysterious foe they have ever encountered.
Collects Generations Shattered #1, Generations Forged #1 and the story “Generations Fractured” from Detective Comics #1027.
The Captain's comments: By sheer coincidence, I happened to get Generations Shattered #1 this week on the secondary market, after I missed it at the comic shop. So I just read that and Generations: Forged #1 Friday night.
And it was fun! Seeing such a diverse crew in action together was very odd, but in a good way. I think that was the consensus around here, so I'm not saying anything new. But I was surprised how much I enjoyed it, especially since it was re-purposed from 5G, something I did not care for.
Three things:
1) A number of characters died in this adventure, most of them B-list supervillains. So are they now officially dead? Or were they plucked from the timestream moments before they died already? ( I actually don't remember enough about characters like Major Force to say.) Or is this all wiped away with the restoration of the timestream?
2) I had to laugh the first time I saw Artemis, Knockout and Starfire in the same panel, as all have gigantic red hair. Of the four major female characters in Generations: Shattered #1, only one did not have red hair — the Japanese Dr. Light. (Red hair in adults is relatively rare — but not in comics!)
3) I really didn't need to have the concept of long lives for Earth-Prime characters carved into stone. (They were told they would age almost imperceptibly.) I would prefer that they had established that the purple-gloved, 1939 Batman was from a different Earth, and is probably dead by now, while our Batman could live on the sliding scale that never officially admits how old he is. But it's done, and I guess I have to live with it (until the next linewide reboot).
DIE!Namite Lives #1
Dynamite | 32 pages | Teen+ | $3.99
Writer: Fred Van Lente | Artist: Vincenzo Carratu | Cover A: Lucio Parrillo | Cover B: Arthur Suydam | Cover C: Joseph Michael Linsner | Cover D: Dave Acosta | Cover E: Gracie Cosplay Lass | Cover F: Blank Authentix
The hit series returns, 'cuz you can't kill a never-ending army of zombies. You can only hope to beat the $%&# out of them!
The Captain's comments: I didn't read the first DIE!Namite miniseries before picking this up, which I didn't think would be necessary. But it actually kind of is.
Like the first series, this is set in a zombie apocalypse where the Dynamite characters live. That means Vampirella, Red Sonja, Pantha, Project Superpowers, Army of the Dead, Chaos Comics characters, um, probably a few more. Evidently they all fought zombies in the last series and we mostly continue from there.
Ash Williams seems to start from scratch, as he is working at an S-Mart at the beginning of the story and has a regular prosthesis instead of a chainsaw. (He gets back into his Deadite-killing groove fairly quickly.) But all the other characters seem to pick up directly from the end of the last miniseries; they are dealing with a major character death and arguing over unresolved disagreements. Also, Vampirella is bald. I guess it's not important plot-wise to this story how things got this way, but I'm a comics fan, so I want to know. Guess I'll have to read that first series after all.
Godzilla: Unnatural Disasters TPB
IDW Publishing | 368 pages | $29.99
Creators: Chris Mowry, Ulises Farinas
The King of the Monsters is back in this compendium collecting three series.
In Legends, the kaiju of Godzilla's fearsome rogues' gallery get the spotlight. Featuring Anguirus, Rodan, Titanosaurus, Hedorah and Kumonga! Then, meet Godzilla's greatest adversary of all time in In Hell. In Rage Across Time, travel to different time periods to examine the origin of myths that fueled nightmares: Feudal Japan, ancient Greece, medieval England and classic Rome!
The Captain's comments: I had low expectations for this, due to the recent launch of Godzilla: Monsters and Protectors. That series is aimed at young kids (and based on a cartoon, I think), and I found it so Dick & Jane as to be almost unreadable.
But this book collects three Godzilla miniseries which are written for grown-ups (or at least teens). They're not earth-shaking — I'll leave that to the kaiju! — but they're fun in the sense that Godzilla vs. Kong is fun. And, weirdly, the first story made me feel sorry for Anguirus!
The Minamata Story GN
Stone Bridge Press | $14.95
Writer: Sean Michael Wilson | Art: Akiko Shimojima
A powerful graphic novel that tells the story of "Minamata disease," a debilitating and sometimes fatal condition caused by the Chisso chemical factory's careless release of methylmercury into the waters of the coastal community of Minamata in southern Japan.
The Captain's comments: I had never heard of this particular example of corporate vileness until I got PR about the book. I asked for a DRC, despite expecting that it would depress me unutterably.
And, yes, it's freaking awful. A Japanese corporation in the Minamata area was caught dumping incredibly toxic methylmercury into the nearby sea in 1956 — caught because of dead fish, black sludge in the water, convulsions/death in cats, birth defects and illness/death in humans. So they moved their dumping ... into a nearby river's mouth. Good God.
Anyway, the framing device is a college student who is assigned a report on the Minamata disaster, and how evasive of responsibility the corporation was, how little support the victims have received, and how poorly the government responded. He talks to a relative who lived there, visits a support center and interviews a doctor who was present at the time, whereby we get the whole picture.
And, yes, it made me ill. But the graphic novel is so straightforwardly earnest, so unapologetically civic-minded, that it became a balm to my soul.
Red Sonja 1982 one-shotDynamite | 40 pages | Teen+ | $4.99
Writer: Amy Chu | Artist: Eric Blake | Cover A: Dani | Cover B: Jonathan Broxton | Cover C: Stargoddess Cosplay
A mysterious killer android from the future hunts the legendary mercenary from the past.
The Captain's comments: This is a standalone one-shot, where a Terminator-like android from the far future is sent to kill Red Sonja in the Hyborian Age as part of a game played by aliens from that future. By mishap, both warriors end up in 1982 Los Angeles. Writer and artist strive mightily to make the '80s references clever, but they aren't as clever as they could be (speaking as someone who lived through 1982). I found it only mildly diverting, and completely forgettable.
The Secret Land #1
Dark Horse | $3.99
Writer: Christofer Emgard | Art/Cover: Tomas Aira
Cosmic horror from the creators of The Whispering Dark.
The Captain's comments: The premise isn't exactly new. A remnant of the Third Reich attempts to create a wunderwaffen in 1945, but instead makes contact with something eldritch. (Come to think of it, that's basically Hellboy's origin.)
What freshens Secret Land is our protagonists, lovers separated by World War II who nevertheless remain faithful. Ben is fighting the Japanese, while Katharine is with the OSS — and ends up on a secret Nazi base in Antarctica where something old and hungry just got awakened.
Ben thinks Katharine is dead, and is fighting recklessly on some Pacific atoll. Methinks somehow they'll get back together to fight this cosmic horror together. With love, perhaps.
The art isn't all that on the cover, which initially turned me off. But Aira does a better job inside, with a clean style that makes me think everyone just had their pants pressed.
Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton #1
Image |
Writer: Kyle Starks | Art/Cover A: Chris Schweizer | Cover B: Erica Henderson | Cover C Pride variant: Ed Luce
The world’s most unlikable action star has been found dead, and his previous TV sidekicks take it upon themselves to find out who killed him.
The Captain's comments: This book is trying very hard to be quirky and offbeat, and lordy, do they succeed. Six Sidekicks is a hoot! I never know what's going to happen next, but I love all of these awful people and can't wait to read more.
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
Batman: Earth One Vol 3 HC
DC Comics | 160 pages | $24.99
Writer: Geoff Johns | Art: Gary Frank, Jon Sibal | Cover: Gary Frank
A mysteriously well-armed gang of thieves thrusts Gotham City into a state of fear.
The Captain's comments: I haven't been impressed too much by the Earth One characters, which to me are too similar to their Earth-Prime counterparts. If you're going to revamp a character, says I, don't pussyfoot around. Do it! Really think ahead to what a 21st century version of this character would be.
For example, wouldn't a 21st century Batman probably have some method of actually flying? The technology is almost there in our world, and would certainly exist in this one. And would he even bother with a secret ID, given satellite surveillance and face-recognition programs? He'd at least cover his chin. And do we really still want, as Garth Ennis says, “a billionaire aristocrat who beats up poor people?" A 21st century Batman would develop different methods to fight crime than 1940s punch-ups.
But the only serious change Earth One books made in the Bat-mythos is that Alfred is a much more working class ex-SAS agent than he is in the regular Bat-comics (and uses a cane). The rest is pretty much the same. Like the other Earth One books.
The one exception was Wonder Woman Earth One, which created some LOL moments by extrapolating on what sort of culture Themyscira would really have (yonic architecture instead of phallic, for example, and lesbianism as the norm). The first two books were clever, but then the third book came along and it was so confusing that I basically gave up midway through and just skimmed the rest of it for Yanick Paquette's cool art.
Batman: Urban Legends #4
Writers/Art: Various | Cover: Jorge Molina
The Captain's comments: DC sent out a couple of press releases to make sure we know that the actor who plays Luke Fox on Batwoman, Camrus Johnson, writes a Luke Fox story in this issue. Other stories star Grifter, Red Hood and Tim Drake.
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. 1952-1954 HC
Dark Horse | $39.99
Writers: Mike Mignola, Scott Allie | Art: Duncan Fegredo, Ben Stenbeck, Christopher Mitten, Adam Hughes | Cover: Mike Mignola
Revisit the very first adventures with Hellboy and the team that made him the agent he is with this new collection, featuring cases from 1952, 1953 and 1954!
The Captain's comments: Hellboy's still dead, so these stories are flashbacks to his early days with the B.P.R.D. I've really been looking forward to this collection, and had to force my hand away from the mouse every time I saw the TPBs for sale. I want hardback, and finally, here it is!
Mighty Marvel Masterworks
Marvel Comics |
Writer: Stan Lee | Art: Steve Ditko, Jack Kirby | Cover: Michael Cho | Comics Book Shop variant: Steve Ditko
The MIGHTY MARVEL MASTERWORKS will collect the very beginning of Marvel’s most iconic heroes: the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the X-Men, and more. The stories that kicked off the sagas of these beloved franchises will now be available in an accessible new 6 x 9 format that the whole family can enjoy!
The Captain's comments: As everyone can tell from the covers, these are basically Marvel Masterworks in paperback. I don't know how this series varies from the Epic Collection series, since I don't get those, and I don't know if they plan on further TPB editions past volume 1 of MMW Amazing Spider-Man, MMW Fantastic Four and MMW X-Men (the only books mentioned in the press release). Depends on sales, I guess.
Shaolin Cowboy: Shemp Buffet TPB
Dark Horse | $19.99
Writer/Art/Cover: Geof Darrow
Since his first appearance 16 years ago, Geof Darrow’s Shaolin Cowboy has been slaughtering zombies, beheading idiots and leaving a trail of carnage and corpses in his wake.
The Captain's comments: I'm generally in awe of Darrow's phenomenal attention to detail. I really am amazed at his artistry.
But, as I've mentioned elsewhere, I don't care for it when it's used to tell a story. Darrow's panels have so much detail that it's distracting, and Darrow doesn't do anything to direct the eye. (Compare to, say, Kirby, who often used shadows on what he wanted you to look at.) So to my weak old peepers, it's panel after panel of landfill where I can't tell what's important without more work than I'm willing to do.
YMMV. And if it does, post your assessment. I'm still on the fence about reading Shaolin Cowboy someday, and maybe it's better than the other Darrow work I've seen.
Shaolin Cowboy: Who`ll Stop the Reign TPB
Dark Horse | $19.99
Writer/Art/Cover: Geof Darrow
Who doesn't like Surf and Turf? Well, what do you do when Surf and Turf doesn't like YOU? Collects Shaolin Cowboy: Who'll Stop the Reign #1-4.
WHAT TH--?
There are lots of comics every week that I don't know much about but look interesting, quirky or just plain weird. I usually ignore them, since I don't have anything useful to say. But this week in particular has lots of them. So let's tip-toe through the WTFs:
1956 Book 1: Sweet Sweet Little Ramona
Cat-Head Comics | Mature Readers | $9.95
Writer/Art/Cover: Steve Lafler
Notorious alt comix legend Steve Lafler delivers readers to the bright lights and glamor of Manhattan in 1956 with Jack, Susie and Ramona, a trans woman aspiring to the modeling world. They cut deals in the Garment District by day and haunt the legendary jazz clubs of 52nd Street by night.
The Captain's comments: Supposedly the first chapter in a multi-part story, Ramona is set in the world of New York department store buyers in the '50s (sure, isn't that everyone's first job?). This book (and for all I know, all the future ones) is about a Latinx transvestite prostitute with a cocaine habit. Which, oh dear. That seems like a story to endure more than enjoy, since it can't possibly have a happy ending. But it's Pride Month, so it's a good time as any for a story about a drugged-out, ethnic, non-binary prostitute in straight-white-male-dominated 1950s America, amirite?
Here's more info and a preview.
Brindille HC
Magnetic Press Inc. | $29.99
Writer: Frederic Brremaud | Art/Cover: Federico Bertolucci
A young woman wakes up in a tiny village in the woods with no memory. Is she a fairy? A witch? Or just an ordinary young girl lost in the woods?
The Captain's comments: I can't even guess if this has a chance to be good. But I will say the art in the preview is striking.
Here's more info and preview pages.
Bunny Mask #1
Aftershock Comics | $4.99
Writer: Paul Tobin | Art/Cover: Andrea Mutti
A new horror series from the creator of the Eisner-nominated Colder!
Sealed in a cave before the dawn of man, released by a crazed madman, Bunny Mask walks our world once more. But for what dark purpose does she use her unnatural powers? And what's her connection to Bee Foster, a young girl murdered by her father 14 years ago?
The Captain's comments: Well, that doesn't look healthy at all.
Chasing the Dragon #1
Heavy Metal | $3.99
Writer: Denton J. Tipton | Menton3 | Cover: Joseph Michael Linsner
In Chasing the Dragon, New York Times Bestselling writer Denton J. Tipton and celebrated painter menton3 explore a dark fantasy world ravaged by the rampant abuse of a drug made from the blood of dragons.
The Captain's comments: This sounds interesting. If you're interested, here's an attractive preview and more info, including a different cover with an obvious Angelina Jolie photo reference.
Cherry Blackbird #1
Scout Comics | Mature Readers | $3.99
Writer/Art: Joseph Schmalke | Glow-in-the-dark variant: Joseph Schmalke | Promo: Joseph Schmalke |
Black Caravan Imprint. Rock star Cherry Blackbird sold her soul for fame. Now at the age of 26, time is running short. The day she turns 27, she'll be dragged to Hell. But Cherry is not one to go quietly. The Devil tasks her with collecting seven demonic souls that have escaped the Abyss.
Note: Title is for 18+ audiences and comes polybagged.
The Captain's comments: OK, class, let's review: DO NOT MAKE A DEAL WITH THE DEVIL. Haven't we learned anything from '50s horror comics? Also, do not wish on a monkey's paw, do not stay overnight in a house or castle rumored to be haunted that you are willed by an unknown relative and do not turn your back on puppets or creepy dolls.
Crash Site HC
Fantagraphics | 130 pages | $24.99
Writer: Nathan Cowdry | Art: Nathan Cowdry
This debut graphic novel is both a black comedy of the highest order and a psychological drama. Crash Site is a darkly funny, character-driven graphic novel that calls to mind Simon Hanselmann, with Tarantino-levels of gratuitous violence.
The Captain's comments: Strong female lead, check. Drug traffickers in Amazon jungle, check. Talking dog, check. Anthropomorphic underwear OMIGOD THE UNDERWEAR IS TALKING WHILE IT'S IN USE. I cannot un-see that.
Dope Rider: A Fistful of Delirium GN
Editions Tanibis | $32.00
Writer/Art/Cover: Paul Kirchner
Dope Rider is back in town! After a 30-year hiatus, Paul Kirchner restarted the adventures of his iconic, bony stoner hero who first appeared in 1975 in the psychedelic counter-culture magazine High Times. Dope Rider has stayed essentially the same, still smoking bongs, getting high and chasing metaphysical dragons through whimsical realities in meticulously illustrated and colorful one-page adventures.
The Captain's comments: The '70s are never going away, are they? Like the poor, they will always be with us.
Freak Snow #1
Behemoth Comics | $3.99
Writers: Kevin Roditeli, Rob Cannon | Art: Rob Cannon | Cover: Victor Santos
A frozen apocalyptic story in the spirit of Mad Max, Fallout and Borderlands meets Tarantino. It begins with Berny, a psychedelic addict surviving in a glacial wasteland. A fight with brutal gunslingers ensues and crazy hallucinations lead our weird hero on a quest to find the hole of truth. ... Yeah, a mystic hole that tells the truth. The only thing we can promise is: a lot of death!
The Captain's comments: All these apocalypses (apocalypti?) keep getting it wrong. We're not going to freeze to death. The world will end in fire.
The apocalypse is already on the way, and we can clearly see its contours. Soon we're going to be living in a world without enough fresh water, where sea levels will rise to flood highly populated coastal cities and where 1 to 3 million people will be living in areas too hot for humans to endure. Millions of people will be on the move — refugees looking for dry land, cooler climates and/or potable water.
Extreme heat is already the biggest weather-related killer in the U.S. Yet this reality isn't reflected in our apocalypse stories, which always seem to involve a frozen planet. Maybe terrible cold has better story solutions than terrible heat.
The Gift GN
Conundrum Press | $18.00
Writer/Art/Cover: Zoe Maeve
The Gift opens on the snow-blanketed grounds of the Alexander Palace in Western Russia where a moth has come to attend the birth of the fourth Romanov princess, Anastasia. She and her siblings grow up in a gilded world, isolated from the society beyond the palace walls despite their dominion over it. After mysteriously receiving a camera on her fifteenth birthday, she begins to document her world, but the gift carries with it a weight she can't yet see. A creature moves on the edge of her vision and stalks her dreams. As the revolution unfolds, the confines of Anastasia's world keep closing in. Something is following her, and it might not be human.
The Captain's comments: If I remember my history right, ghosts are not Anastasia's biggest problem.
Gutt Ghost Vol. 00
The Captain's comments: No. Just no.
Only the Good Stay Dead HC
Fantagraphics | $20.00
Writer: Joe Queenan | Art: Keith Bendis
Yesterday, Mel McDonnell had been one of the most influential and respected members of the United States Senate. Today, he found himself reincarnated as a moist heap of whale excrement, languishing on the floor of the Atlantic Ocean.
The Captain's comments: It probably helps if you've read Franz Kafka's Metamorphosis.
Terminal Punks TPB
Mad Cave Studios | $14.99
Writer: Matthew Erman | Art/Cover: Shelby Criswell
Four greasy gutter punk teens are en route to their big show in the big apple, but when things go monstrously wrong and mutant animals are unleashed in the airport, our heroes must put on their combat boots, fly their Black Flag and survive a viral genetic mutant nightmare. Collects issues #1-5.
The Captain's comments: Let's go back to the whale thing. It makes more sense.
THE FULL LIST
BOOM! STUDIOS
Eve #2 (of 5)
Magic the Gathering (Mtg) #3
Mighty Morphin #8
Orcs #5 (of 6)
Proctor Valley Road #4 (of 5)
Something Is Killing Children Vol 3 TPB
Wynd #7
DARK HORSE COMICS
Art of Samurai Showdown HC
Black Hammer: Visions #5 (of 8)
God of War: Fallen God #4 (of 4)
Hellboy and the BPRD 1952-1954 HC
Secret Land #1 (of 4)
Shaolin Cowboy: Shemp Buffet TPB
Shaolin Cowboy: Who`ll Stop the Reign TPB
DC COMICS
American Vampire 1976 #9 (of 10)
Aquaman: Deep Dives TPB
Batman & Scooby Mysteries #3 (of 12)
Batman: Earth One Vol 3 HC
Batman The Detective #3 (Of 6)
Batman: Urban Legends #4
Challenge of the Super Sons #3 (of 7)
DC Comics Generations HC
DC Pride #1
Detective Comics #1037
Far Sector #12 (of 12)
Future State: Gotham #2
Joker #4
Justice League: Last Ride #2
Mad Magazine #20
Rorschach #9 (of 12)
Sweet Tooth Compendium TPB
Tales from the DC Dark Multiverse II HC
Wonder Woman #773
DYNAMITE
Die!Namite Lives #1
James Bond: Agent of Spectre #4
Red Sonja 1982 one-shot
Vampirella vs Purgatori #4
IDW PUBLISHING
Canto II Hollow Men TPB
Delicacy GN
GI Joe: A Real American Hero #282
Godzilla: Unnatural Disasters TPB
Sonic the Hedgehog #40
Star Trek TNG: Mirror Universe Collection TPB
TMNT #117
Transformers Annual 2021
IMAGE COMICS
Ant #12
Birthright #50
Die #17
Geiger #3
Good Asian #2 (of 9)
Hey Kids! Comics Vol 2: Prophets & Loss #2 (of 6)
Karmen #4 (of 5)
Oblivion Song by Kirkman & De Felici #31
Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton #1
MARVEL COMICS
Amazing Spider-Man #68
Black Cat Vol 4: Queen in Black TPB
Children of the Atom #4
Conan the Barbarian #22
Excalibur #21
Heroes Reborn #6 (of 7)
Heroes Reborn: Night-Gwen #1
Heroes Reborn: Squadron Savage #1
Immortal Hulk Vol 9: Weakest One There Is TPB
Incredible Hulk Epic Collection: Man or Monster TPB New Ptg
Iron Man #9
Marvel Art of George Perez HC
Mighty MMW Amazing Spider-Man Great Power TPB
Spider-Gwen Omnibus HC
Spider-Man: Spider’s Shadow #3 (of 5)
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters #13
Star Wars: Bounty Hunters Vol 2: Target Valance TPB
Strange Academy #11
Thor Epic Collection: Final Gauntlet TPB
Web of Spider-Man #1 (of 5)
X-Men #21
OTHER COMICS & GRAPHIC NOVELS
1956 Book 1: Sweet Sweet Little Ramona GN
Adventures of Team Pom Vol 1: Squid Happens GN
Alice in Leatherland #3
Animal Rescue Friends GN
Archie 80th Anniversary Everything’s Archie #1
Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #320
Babyteeth #18
Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #294
Black Cotton #3 (of 6)
Bloodshot (2019) Vol 4 TPB
Brindille HC
Bunny Mask #1
Bunuel in the Labyrinth of Turtles GN
Call of the Night Vol 2 GN
Caste Heaven Vol 6 GN
Chasing the Dragon #1 (of 5) 2nd Ptg
Cherry Blackbird #1
Crash Site HC
Dark Wing #5 (Of 10)
Deadworld: Voices from Deadworld TPB
Death By Life #2 (of 8)
Dope Rider: A Fistful of Delirium GN
Dragon Racer TPB
Duel Identity #3
E-Ratic TPB
For the Kid I Saw in My Dreams Vol 6 HC
Freak Snow #1
Gentle Nobles Vacation Recommendation Vol 3 GN
Gift GN
Girl from the Sea GN
Grimm Hercules Payne vs Scorpion Queen
Gutt Ghost Vol 00 TPB
Harvest Of Horror TPB
Hinowa Ga Crush Vol 5 GN
Horror Comics #4
How Do We Relationship Vol 3 GN
Junky Cable #2
Kakegurui Compulsive Gambler Vol 13 GN
Kirby Manga Mania Vol 1 GN
Kodt Bundle of Trouble Vol 63 TPB
Kodt Bundle of Trouble Vol 64 TPB
Komi Can’t Communicate Vol 13 GN
Last Kids on Earth Vol 1: Thrilling Tales from Tree House GN
Like Two Peas in a Pod GN
Maniac of New York #5
Marjorie Finnegan Temporal Criminal #2
Miles Morales: Shock Waves GN
Minamata Story GN
Minerva’s Map: Key to a Perfect Apocalypse #2
Minerva’s Map: Key to a Perfect Apocalypse #3
Minerva’s Map: Key to a Perfect Apocalypse #4
Murder Hobo: Big Floppy Ed
My Dress Up Darling Vol 4 GN
One Piece 3-in-1 Vol 31 TPB
Only the Good Stay Dead HC
Peanut Butter & Crackers Vol 2: Fetch GN
Phantom Starkiller: Legendary Edition
Phantom: Tales of the Night Vol 7 GN
Pokemon Adventures Collectors Edition Vol 8 TPB
Resistance GN
Saga of Tanya Evil Vol 14 GN
School Memories one-shot
Secret Garden GN
Shaman King Omnibus Vol 2 TPB
Shark Summer GN
Shikimori’s Not Just a Cutie Vol 4 GN
Shino Can’t Say Her Name GN
Smilin’ Ed Comics Complete Collection TPB
Space Bastards #6
Spy X Family Vol 5 GN
Street Fighter V Vol 1: Champions Rising HC
Sword Art Online Girls Ops Vol 7 GN
Tales of Wedding Rings Vol 9 GN
Terminal Punks TPB
Uncle from Another World Vol 1 GN
Wizards of Mickey Vol 3 GN
World Piece GN
Yoshi No Zuikara Vol 3: Frog Well Does Not Know Ocean GN
Replies
Wow. Every week I cross reference "This Week in Comics" with my own LCS's online shipping manifest and, for the first ime in, like, forever, there is nothing I am interesting in on either list. Not everything shipping in a given week shows up on my LCS's website, though, and often the things I specifically pre-order tend to be left off for some reason. I'll be making the trek to Dallas tomorrow, though, because it's still the highlight of my week. (Sad, isn't it?)
I read the first volume of Ant when it was published at Arcana before moving to Image.I didn't know anything had come out since then. I was kind of surprised to see Erik Larsen writing and drawing the series. Apparently, Mario Gully sold the property to Erik Larsen back in 2012.
I read the first Shaolin Cowboy series, and while I loved the art, the story was pretty much non-existent if memory serves.
"For the first time in, like, forever, there is nothing I am interesting in."
Not to worry; I found three new comics.
Travis Herrick (Modular Mod) said:
Larsen wrote a lengthy history of the series, and yeah, he did buy the property. He said that Gully started the 12th issue at some point, but Larsen took it over and essentially re-did the whole thing.
Jeff of Earth-J said:
Well, don't keep us in suspense! Which three?
Rorschach #9*
Far Sector #12*
Hey Kids! Comics! v2, #2**
*(See "What Comics Have You Read Today?")
**(See dedicated thread)