Intro Intro Intro. I am here this week, now filled with a cornucopia of injectable medicines prescribe to me by the doctors at the veteran's hospital. Please be wary of any side effects they may cause to my writing. They might make me more aggressive as I DEMAND you look at this weeks Crowdfunding Campaign section. It's IMPERITIVE that you read all about that campaign this week and make a wise decision about it. In the mean time, let me reheat the news I get from press releases and serve them to you in a more palatable meal. All the corpo speak just ain't good for your tummy. And I'll treat you right. (Oh glob what have these meds done to me...Am I turning into a Yeti?!? Please shave yourselves--save yourselves.)
NEWS
Fresh from Dark Horse Comics is a brand new shared universe from creator Mike Mignola! Bowling With Corpses is a folklore inspired anthology. This is going to be presented as glorious hardcover. You know it will be beautiful.
In your shop December 3rd.
Well well well...Looks like IDW has gotten Godzilla to shred. As they present Godzilla: Skate or Die! Holy smokes folks. This will be written and drawn by Louie Joyce. All the story features skater punks, monsters and Joyce's hometown in Australia. Should rip.
In shops June 12.
Mad Cave announces the hiring of Kristen Simon as their new senior editor. Congratulations!
Papercutz an imprint of Mad Cave has announced that Art Baltazar and Franco Aureliani are working on Flash Gordon Adventures. This all ages adventure book features Flash and friends teaming to beat Ming the Merciless.
I have been a long fan of the teams work on things like Aw Yea Titans, so I know this will continue their amazing run. This will come to shops in November.
Maverick another imprint of Mad Cave announces ogn I'm A Mess by Einat Tsarfati. Their text sums it up the best: "...a funny and deep exploration of messiness in people's lives. It invites readers into a world where messiness is not a flaw but a feature. It humorously examines the characteristics and behaviors associated with different kinds of messy types and discusses the unexpected advantages that messy individuals may possess, such as enhanced visual memory. The book also includes a section that provides practical advice on managing and organizing clutter in a non-traditional way. It reminds us that, within the chaos, lies creativity and resourcefulness."
Coming out July 9th.
Now we come to the Image part off our news coverage. Now with more Chip Chop Zdarsky. Teaming with Rachel Stott, they are spinning off of Chip's main series with Domain. Within the main series the creators reimagine their characters for a new series and this is that series. Whoa.
Give it a try July 10th.
Image Comics proudly collects Rick Remender and Jerome Opena's Seven To Eternity. This compendium will be presented as they say a jaw-droppingly, door-stopping paperback style. The story focuses on a God who whispers paranoia throughout a kingdom and a dying knight trying to free everyone.
Shop shop September 24th.
CROWDFUNDING
The mighty Yeti contributor Grant Stoye has brought mega powerhouse artist Minerva Fox to create the biggest epic of our lifetimes. The Legend of Dog Witch!!!!!! Nothing will prepare your eyes for the glorious blistering they will receive from viewing the pages of this wonderous book! Does over hyping sell the book? Back this book? Was this too much? Forgive me I just want these two to succeed beyond all imagination. Please don't fault them for my eagerness. Let's here from them on what the book is about:
"This is the story of a girl and her dog.
And demons. And ghosts. And murder. And coffee. Lots and lots of coffee.
Claudia hails from a long line of witches and leads a life of for-hire work as an exorcist and occult investigator. Part of her family's lineage is her demonic familiar Oli, who has been bound to Claudia's ancestors for nearly two hundred years.
The pair journey to New England to visit an old friend, but between massive jugs of coffee, they hear about a grisly murder at a nearby college campus. Their curiosity is piqued, and they soon encounter a supernatural mystery whose answers seem very familiar.."
GET TO BACKING NOW! OR ELSE!
WHAT WOULD I BUY
This week I am blessed to have cartoonist Brendan Albetski on board to tell you what he'd buy if he had a budget of $5, $15 or $30. Brendan as you may remember has a Kickstarter ongoing, so if you haven't seen please take a look. Link at the bottom of the page!
What If Brendan Had $5
This is impossible, Doug. You’ve set an impossible task for me. Luckily I’m into that kind of thing.
If I only have 5 bucks, and had to make some real hard decisions, I think I’m walking out of the shop with KAYA #18. Wes Craig is a BEAST and Kaya’s first arc was brilliant. I’m admittedly a little behind, but grabbing this issue should inspire me to catch up. It was a hard choice between this and DWJ’s Transformers, but I’m really into this “fantasy with a dash of sci-fi” thing, and the more I think about it, the easier this decision gets.
I’m rockin with cover B on this one, just going by my own personal aesthetic preferences. (Apologies again folks, I cannot get a good quality version of this cover)
What If Brendan Had $15
I’m a guy who likes to come home with a stack, so if I’ve got 15 bucks I’m looking to grab a couple issues….
Starting with The White Trees. I’ve never heard of this comic but I historically enjoy Chip Zdarsky and I’d like to see him do a fantasy. Also I’m sure he’s only going to work with some top-tier multi-horse artists, and this cover looks rad so I’m all in. There’s 5.99 gone….
Swinging back around for DWJ’s Transformers. Johnson never fails to break my heart, and I love G1 Optimus so I’m certain he’s just going to crush my soul with this series. Much love for Mike Spicer, too, probably my favorite colorist. (up to $10.98)
I’ve only got 4 bucks left so it’s time to roll the dice on vibes alone… GRIM looks cool, and I see it’s number 16 so I’ll be confused as all hell. Great place to be, let’s discover something new! And look, 3 cents to spare!
What If Brendan Had $30?
I’m a cartoonist, Doug, when am I ever going to have 30 dollars? Well, I write fantasy, so I can at least use my imagination!
I’m starting with Gachiakuta because I love the feel of a tankobon and reading the summary for this I think this dude is a trash wizard which sounds awesome. Plus, check it out, there’s a separate credit for GRAFITI DESIGN so you know this thing is gonna go hard on the aesthetic.
Aw JEEZ, how did I miss the Andrew MacLean Godzilla comic? Well, throw that on the stack, that’s coming home.
Lastly, this Sept N Ember One Shot because, damn, it looks weird and I am very into weird. I’m particularly attracted by the word “One Shot” because that’s a rare find in this wide world of serials. This vibes like a freaky indie zine and I am all about that so let’s give it a go!
My goal in any comic shop dive is to come out with a mix of sure-fire hits and mysterious weirdos, and I think I’ve managed to do that here. Anything I have left over I’m throwing into the pot for the (shameless plug) Maru Kiru Destroy the Moon Kickstarter, funding until May 9th at 9AM EDT! https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/brendanalbetski/maru-kiru-destroy-the-moon-volumes-1and2