Who's that comin' out the sky? R-E-- no no its me, not some wrestler. I am parachuting in to give you the hot gossip or, really, the cold news from last week. Hey, if you missed it, it's still fresh to you, right? Right? Am I wasting my time??? Oh gosh, my life is a lie. Who even reads this? If you do, please tell me the secret phrase chosen by the Yeti master of this site (The secret phrase is Yeti Spaghetti) on the social media platform of your choice. I promise I'll make it worth your time.
There is a lot of news to cover this week in a reversal of last week, and only a few crowdfunding campaigns I want to highlight.
If you missed my spectacular new Twitch livestream last week, don't worry: it was only a test. But if you want to get your weekly news spoken to you, rather than read, please check out our streams on Tuesdays. Oh, I guess that was yesterday. Well, don't worry, there will be another one next Tuesday at 1 pm EST/12 pm CST! Also available on VOD (Video on Demand).
NEWS
Let's start this bake off with news from the comic company DSTLRY (not sure how that is pronounced, don't sue bruv) It's seems a one Jaime McKelvie is making a comic called One For Sorrow. The pitch is a bit wordy so let me try to boil it down. In 1900 London, there is a killer, who is possibly a monster, and there are is a disgraced detective, a barmaid, and Russian medium all pulled into the mystery.
Hey, I like whatever McKelvie has got in the oven. With art like his, you know it'll be delicious. Find this in your shop some time unspecified in June.
We continue on to some news about Oni Press and their recent hirings and promotions. It starts with Daniel Crary leaving Vault Comics to become Oni's new Director of Marketing and Communications. Next, is Matt Dryer leaving Dark Horse Comics to become an editor for Oni. Lastly, Katie Sainz has been promoted to Director of Sales. Cool beans for them all!
Skybound an Image Comic imprint is making big waves. The company announces some new hires and editorial promotions. Ben Abernathy joins as Executive Editor. Blake Kobashigawa joins as Senior Director. Alex Hargett joins as Director of Brand. Lastly, Arune Singh is promoted to VP of Brand. Smart cookie for them.
Image Comics announces new Spawn Universe title Misery. Todd McFarlane and Szymon Kudrański brings Misery to their New U they have created. This comic follows longtime character Cyan Fitzgerald as she deals with loss and blossoming new powers.
Look for it May 13.
Dynamite Comics is the new home of the Terminator series. They are celebrating the 40th anniversary of the IP. So get ready for some killing or something. The word escapes me.
We end this week with Comixology Originals (yes it still exists) new book Hard Style Juice. Clay McCormack and Ricardo López-Ortiz dive into pro-wrestling and hard crime. The story follows a death in the ring. The family of the company now has to decide if it was accident or a murder.
Coming out April 16th.
CROWDFUNDING LAUNCHES
Next up, we have Wells Thompson and Bianca Milanez doing Smut. This story follows a person that is trying to control their urges, but might be falling right back into it when they line up a date with a personal trainer.
This story is also NSFW and features a ton of art. So get yourself prepared. This project is live now.
Here we have the titled comic A Ghost Arm Made of Angry Ghosts. Oliver Mertz and Alex Diotto have made a comic about teen angst, being terminally ill and superheroes in a murder mystery. All of this is so up my alley it’s crazy. Artist Alex has been racking up a impressive resume and Oliver is writing his heart out on this.
Come take a look!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/olivermertz/a-ghost-arm-made-of-angry-ghosts-0?ref=project_link
Debuting soon is Maru Kiru Destroy the Moon vol 1 and vol 2! Brendan Albetski brings the power with the new volume of his comic. Brendan says: "Maru Kiru lost everything to the Cult of the Moon, and the only way to get her revenge is to DESTROY THE MOON. 198 pages of fantasy pulp violence in explosive color, featuring the raging fury of comics' most striking heroine."
Back this sweetness!
WHAT WOULD I BUY
This week I have turned the feature over to indie comic writer extraordinaire Mario Candelaria. Mario has written an amazing comics like Killchella from Scout Comics. Look for his crowdfunding campaign this summer. He is promising a big one and I for one am very pumped to see him bet big on hisself! He is on Twitter/X @TheOtherMarioC
It’s Wednesday, you know what that means - another new comic book day has arrived. I’m coming down off the high of all the WrestleMania festivities that took place here in Philly last week, so a trip to the LCBS (shout out Steve and the gang at Uncanny! in King of Prussia, such a great shop with a friendly staff) is just what the doctor ordered.
Doug didn’t really give me much in the way of prompts or format for how I’m supposed to craft this thing, so I am just going to talk from the heart and give some picks for items that cost $5, $15, and $25. I’m also going to give some prestige price picks because I’m financially irresponsible like that.
So, without further adieu, here are my picks for the April 10th, 2024 comic book releases.
$5 tier - Rat City #1 - $3.99 (Image)
At this price point, I would almost always want to start off with the first issue of a new series. Rat City #1 is a new entry into the Spawn series, and piloting us into this world is my favorite Jersey kid, Erica Schultz, who has been doing a great job over at Marvel with Daredevil Gang War and Hallow’s Eve. Surprisingly, this is the first time a Spawn title will be helmed by a female creator, so that’s something a little extra special. (Apologies I tried and tried to find a better quality image for this and none where better)
$15 tier - Dungeons And Dragons Thief Of Many Things #1 - $9.99 (IDW)
Tied into The Deck of Many Things from D&D, this book written by Jim Zub looks like a fun ride into the chaos that those infamous cards can bring. Jim has been a reliable writer for a minute now so I expect this will be a really entertaining read out of this extra large one-shot comic.
$25 tier - Enfield Gang Massacre TPB - $16.99 (Image)
Anyone who has ever been to my home can attest to my very large TPB collection, so it’s no shock that I will be adding this release from Chris Condon & Jacob Philips to my shelf (just gotta figure out if it is going under “Noire” or “Cowboy Shit”). Spinning off their white hot That Texas Blood series, this interlude builds on the lore while bringing something fresh that I hope informs their future installations in this world.
Financially reckless tier - Art Of Assassin's Creed Mirage HC (Deluxe) - $99.99 (Dark Horse)
I think one of the coolest things comic creators can own are art books of things they love. Even if you’re not an artist, you never know what type of inspiration can hit when you study what went into the creation of anything, especially other mediums. Dark horse has been rolling out video game art books for years, and each one is so cool to see from concept art to alternate looks to 3D model renderings. They really pack a lot into these books, and this deluxe edition is even more special as this version adds an exclusive slipcase that contains the oversized book, the portfolio, and a gallery-quality lithograph if that’s your thing.