Ollo, I am unwell this week. Blargh. Forgive me for a light week. I will write to the best of my worst ability. On to the news that I could care about enough to write up this week.
Witchblade is back, in pog (reboot) form! Let's see...they say (Image Comics) that fans have been begging for more Witchblade. So they enlisted the creative team of Marguerite Bennett and Giuseppe Cafaro. The team says they are pulling from True Detective, Berserk, and Zodiac for there newly created universe for the Witchblade to live in.
Shop for it July 17.
In further exciting Image Comics news, they announce a new book from Charlie Adlard! Heretic is a standalone graphic novel. Described as: "Belgium, 1529: The city of Antwerp is ravaged by a macabre series of killings. Forced to investigate by the all-powerful Inquisition, knight, doctor, lawyer and reputed Occultist Cornelius Agrippa and his young pupil Johan Weyer are plunged into a maelstrom of murder, madness and magic."
Shopping shop in October
It took all my strength to not post creator Chip Zdarsky's new author photo instead of this cover, but I think professionalism won out in the end. (Thanks Yeti!) Public Domain returns to be read by you, the people. Their synopsis is good: "Public Domain follows Syd Dallas, the legendary comic book artist responsible for pop culture’s greatest hero: The Domain! But his sons Miles and David have a complicated relationship with both the creation and their creator. Can they come together and create a comic worthy of Syd’s legacy?"
Shoppy July 3.
Oni Press is returning EC Comics. If you like old comics that were so good that people got scared and set up legislation to stop them (Gross oversimplification, Doug), then these comics are for you! Get you some spooky comics that loads of creators are begging to be apart of.
In Shoplies July 24
CROWDFUNDERS
Curve ball time! I am recommending only one campaign this week, and it ain't a comic! And no it's not because I am the aforementioned unwell. Writer Eastin Deverna has been an incredible comic creator, who has been telling intriguing and deeply inventive stories for years now. Here we have him stretching his legs and tackling some impressive prose. In this novel, we are getting fantasy comparable to Legend of Zelda mixed with romance of Sleeping Beauty.
"On the eve of the Festival of Light . . .
. . . the night Princess Lux of Sylvanna is born, the great and fearsome Dark Dragon spawns from the abyss of twilight. The beast devours the stars from the sky and descends upon the Kingdom of Sylvanna, forcing the king and queen and the entirety of their people into the long sleep.
The Seraphim Guard are the last of the angels. They are charged with protecting the kingdom, but despite their power, there is little they can do against the suffocating shadow and black fire of the Dark Dragon. The eldest three of the seraphim sacrifice themselves, granting their might to the youngest, Cygnus of Alarch, and with their last breath, they command him to watch over the princess. He is to stand guard over her in the Grotto of Light, shielding her from the Dark Dragon for as long as it takes for the light to return and the long sleep to end."
Launched now! Please help a terrific indie creator.
WHAT WOULD I BUY
As I am unwell this week, we have a special guest for our weekly trip to the comic shop! Jessica Maison of Mary Shelly's School for Monsters!!!! Please give a warm and attentive welcome to Jessica as she tells you what she would buy if she had the budget of $5, $15 or $30 for comics this week.
What If Jessica Had $5
I will start by shouting out Monstress #51 by Sana Takeda and Marjorie Liu because I am in love with their storytelling, but I only buy Monstress in TP. Something is Killing the Children is the same story. So, if I walk into a comic shop this week with only $5, I’m checking out American Psycho #5. The cover by Lorenzo Colangeli caught my eye. It’s perfect. The comics Massive Publishing and Michael Calero put out are quality, and I haven’t had the chance to check out this title yet. I’m a huge fan of the film American Psycho directed by Mary Harron, and this issue promises to give me some closure on some unanswered questions. I didn’t know it until I saw the cover and read the blurb, but you know what, I do need closure.
What If Jessica Had $15
With $15 dollars, I’m reluctantly putting back American Psycho issue 5 because I’ve decided I’m waiting for the trade. Not to worry, Massive Publishing will eventually get my money for this title. There are several other amazing single issues that will have the same fate. I will
momentarily wish I had 20 bucks so I can grab A Fox in My Brain by Lou Lubie. It looks
charming and is such a unique way to address mental health. I would also be extremely tempted by The Mapmakers graphic novel to read with my daughters. The art style and story of this book by Cameron Chittock and Amanda Castillo is right up my ally and reminds me of Melissa Pagluica’s Above the Clouds which I adore. I’ll have to go buy the whole trilogy at some point. For this week with only $15 bucks, I’m picking up Drawing Blood from Image Comics by Kevin Eastman, David Avallone, Troy Little and Ben Bishop. I’m a fan of both Eastman and Avallone and am super interested in this series premiere. I’m confident it will be a wild and imaginative ride. I’m probably going with Cover B by Bishop, but game time, I could switch over to the Eastman cover. Next, I’m picking up Ghostbusters isssue 2 from Dark Horse by David M. Booher, Blue Delliquanti, and Caspar Wijngaard. Besides my lifelong obsession with Ghostbusters and my more recent obsession with Caspar Wijngaard’s work, I recently participated in a live Writers Block with David at Wondercon, and he is not only very insightful, but is a super talented writer. I enjoyed Ghostbusters issue 1 and look forward to reading this next issue. Finally, I’m going to add Operation Sunshine from Dark Horse by Henry Zebrowski, Marcus Parks and David Rubin. I don’t know much about this title, but Rubin’s cover caught my eye immediately, and drew me right in. I love Near Dark, Ocean’s Eleven, vampires, and horror comedy so since that’s the mash-up in the series, I’m all in.
What If Jessica Had $30
If I have $30, I’m buying a convention exclusive horror graphic novel this week. Honestly, I’m buying a horror graphic novel most weeks. It’s just who I am. All my single issues, very
reluctantly, get put back on the shelf, and I will run through the store to get my hands on the
hardcover of Wytches from Image Comics. When a title combines the talents of Scott Snyder,
Jock, and Matt Hollingsworth, and I have the money, there’s little chance this book doesn’t end up at my house. Throw in a haunting trauma, a family in the woods, and something ancient and hungry, it’s a sure thing I’m getting it. I did somehow miss reading the comic series when it first came out, so I’m super pumped to jump into a story that Joe Hill calls “scary as hell”. As tempted as I might be to switch it out for The Harrowing by Kristen Kiesling and Rye Hickman, I won’t. The Wytches cast an evil spell on me, reminding me that I once forgot to get it, and now, a higher price must be paid. I’ll happily oblige.