Sparks fly and bullets blaze when the original Grendel, Hunter Rose, is transported to 1930s New York and faces off with the original dark-night avenger, the Shadow! Two pulp-noir icons go head to head in this three-issue prestige-format series written and drawn by legendary Grendel creator Matt Wagner.
* A great starting point for new Grendel and The Shadow readers!
* Matt Wagner continues his fan-favorite character—Grendel!
A troubled young outcast from Earth awakens on a distant desert planet that’s gripped by gang war. Will the exiles of Scare City destroy each other or create something surprising, beautiful, and new? Concrete Park returns with volume 2’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T arc—a sexy sci-fi saga by Tony Puryear (Eraser) and Erika Alexander!
* Blockbuster screenwriter Tony Puryear cowrites and draws!
“The swagger of the characters and their surroundings just burst off of the page.”—Read about Comics
“Every time I think I know what is going on in Concrete Park, [it] throws me for a loop. I have to read more.”—Comics Bulletin
There’s no denying that Hall H, which I’ve never seen, is the big attraction. It’s all about the movie companies pulling their casts together to represent whatever big blockbuster is coming and the hottest movie trailers. The best news to come out of there this year was that image of Gal Gadot dressed as Wonder Woman for Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice.
While all of this was happening, comic publishers and creators were representing their brands to the fullest. Tons of new comics were announced for this year and next. This included books from mainstream and independent publishers. Some of the news flew under the radar. This gave me pause to wonder: has it always been this way or is the show returning to its former glory?
I’ll admit I’m one of the people who think Comic Con isn’t as much of a “comic” convention as it once was. That’s debatable. The amount of publicity comic books receive, however, might not. Despite this, as a comic fan, I was excited. Leading up to the show, publishers rolled out numerous announcements such as BOOM! Studios dropping a new story on us every day for 15 consecutive days up to Comic Con. Marvel Comics of course went to other outlets to reveal Falcon will take over as Captain America in All-New Captain America and that a woman would become the new Thor.
Dark Horse Comics held nothing back either when they revealed the titles and creative teams for 12 new series to be released later this year and throughout 2015. One of those, by Paul Tobin and Juan Ferreyra, will be Colder: The Bad Seed. It's a sequel to their hit mini-series Colder which I highly recommend. Dynamite Entertainment surely excited fans with the news of a crossover written by Gail Simone which will focus on the women characters in their library. Keep in mind all of this was occurred BEFORE the convention. Comic fans had plenty of reasons to geek out before stepping foot on the show floor.
Once the doors opened, the industry didn’t lose a step. Image Comics kicked off the show with the stunning news of 13 new titles. One of those I’m anticipating is Dustin Nguyen and Jeff Lemire’s Descender. Another big news item from the indie publisher, especially interesting as a long-time Spawn fan, was Todd McFarlane revealing that with December’s Spawn #250, fans will see the return of the original Spawn, Al Simmons. Besides that and being the monumental 250th issue, it’s also notable because the creative reins will change hands to an as yet to be announced team.
Action Lab Entertainment, publishing home of Jamal Igle’s Molly Danger graphic novel, joined in the fun during their panel when they revealed they’d be publishing a comic based on the classic film series Puppet Master. This is a franchise I mentioned on Twitter some time ago as being more than capable of holding its own in comic form. The series will be written by Shawn Gabborin. The names of the artists have yet to be revealed.
I’ve used more examples here than intended due to the excitement of all the awesome prospects. Yet I’m okay with that as it actually serves my point about the perception of comics at Comic Con. Though the comics and their creators might not receive as much attention as they did several years ago, they’re still around. The difference now is people may have to seek it out or pay extra attention to the publishers and creators. Comparisons are often made between mainstream and indie comics, but during the convention, publishers of various sizes made their presence known. Some may have made a bigger splash than others. In the end though, we all win. Publishers and creators get to keep publishing comics and of course making money, while fans can continue to read good comics.
Comic conventions can be what you make of them. The schedule was filled with panels and events held for publishers and creators to discuss current comics and announce new projects. Comic Con’s programming schedule allows you to separate items by filter and I found all the panels referencing comics. You can find the list here. Expand your boundaries when a convention approaches. Dig through the programming to find the appealing panels. Don’t let the lack of publicity deter you from soaking up all the comic book fun.
MILWAUKIE, OR — As the world gears up for the premiere of the new FX television program adapting the original novel trilogy The Strain, Dark Horse announces The Night Eternal, the third comics chapter of this ongoing vampire epic, adapted by David Lapham and Mike Huddleston.
Following the first two comics series, The Strain and the recently wrapped The Fall, The Night Eternal will begin on August 20, just after The Strain’s television debut on FX!
It’s been two years since the Master’s plan succeeded and a near apocalypse coated the world in darkness. Now able to roam freely, the Master’s legion of vampires rule the world—a horrifying police state where humans are harvested for blood. As humanity despairs, Dr. Ephraim Goodweather and an unlikely team of heroes continue their fight against extinction, all the while hoping to unlock the secret to the Master’s demise. The final chapter in the Strain Trilogy, the series that put a terrifying twist on the vampire genre, begins here.
Dark Horse is giving readers a chance to catch up on what they’ve been missing with a one-dollar reprint of the first issue of The Strain. This horrifying first chapter of the original Strain saga takes readers back to the beginning of an outbreak of diabolical proportions. On shelves June 18.
It doesn’t stop there! July will see the reprint of the entire first series of The Strain in a deluxe hardcover. This all-new edition will collect the first eleven issues in 272 full-color pages for only $29.99! On sale July 9 in comic shops everywhere.
July will also see the release of The Strain Volume 4: The Fall, wrapping up the second series. This collection arrives at your local comic shop on July 2 for $19.99.
Veil #1 comes to us from the minds of Greg Rucka and Toni Fejzula. Before even opening the book, we get a glimpse of what Fejzula offers with a cover that commands your attention. It features the character, Veil, surrounded by creepy rats with red eyes. This first issue introduces readers to her as she awakens on subway tracks surrounded by the aforementioned rats. From there we follow the adventure of someone with seemingly no memory of her identity.
Rucka is a creator who’s frequently been commended for how he writes women in comics. Here, he addresses some social issues, which he also expounds upon in a letter at the end of the book. When a woman appears naked on the streets of a populated city, trouble can occur. It develops in a fashion likely unseen before. It is here where she comes into contact with characters she'll interact with for the remainder of the book.
Veil has a particular speech pattern, which may be odd to some readers initially. With that, Rucka doesn’t reveal much through her. Instead the story is conveyed visually as she rejoins the world and interacts with other characters. This is where the problems come in. Veil doesn’t express herself verbally. This led to me never feeling attached to her or the other characters. But this is where Fejzula gets to shine. This is particularly true when she displays her strange powers and how she reacts to them.
With the seemingly never-ending debate of “writer vs. artist,” the role of artists is often diminished. That shouldn’t be an issue in the first place, but Fejzula provides more evidence of his artist’s storytelling skills. His style is unique. His characters are expressive. He also employs neat uses of light and shadow. The coloring truly gives the book life.
Veil #1 is an unpredictable comic. I don’t believe that’s rare in any regard, but you really don’t know what to expect as you turn the pages here. It’s bizarre in how Rucka and Fejzula introduce the main character. It’s beautiful in how the narrative unfolds. But I didn't connect with any of the characters. It was more about the overall story. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but I’ll be back for the second issue to find out.
Score: 3.5/5
Veil #1 was provided by Dark Horse Comics for review purposes.
DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES STARTING POINTS: A NEW WAY FOR FANS AND RETAILERS TO TRY NEW SERIES!
Each month, Dark Horse will highlight an issue in an ongoing or long-running series that is a great place for readers to try something new! Starting Points titles will be noted in Previews with a special logo and incentivized for increased orders.
June’s Previews will launch this program with two great ongoing series: Mike Mignola’s Abe Sapien and Captain Midnight, a key title in Dark Horse’s ever-evolving Project Black Sky line of books!
In Abe Sapien #13, the amphibious Abe is haunted by guilt over the staggering death toll in Arizona and vows to never let such horrors happen again—until a crazed healer and a frog-possessed teen block his path! If you haven’t been keeping up with Hellboy’s one-time partner, there’s never been a better time to get onboard with this ongoing series cowritten by Mike Mignola and Scott Allie, with art from Sebastián Fiumara!
Meanwhile, Captain Midnight #12 kicks off a brand-new arc! Reeling from the death of one friend and the betrayal of another, Captain Midnight throws himself into his work. Disillusioned with why he wears a costume, the time-traveling hero ponders what the world needs more of: the brawn of Captain Midnight or the brains of his civilian identity, genius inventor Jim Albright.
Dark Horse will offer retailers an additional 10% discount for orders exceeding 110% of the previous issue!
Look for one Starting Points title in the catalog each month, with evolving incentives and promotional support to help retailers bring new readers in to great Dark Horse series!
A beautiful girl wakes up in an abandoned subway station with no memory of how she got there. When men try to hurt her . . . they wind up dead. Where did she come from? And what is she capable of?
Superstar writer Gail Simone picks up Lara Croft’s story where the smash hit Tomb Raider game left off—in a new ongoing comics series!
Following the game acclaimed for its bold and sophisticated new vision, this series launches Lara Croft on the formative adventures that will change her life forever!
I'll be looking forward to this series. I also highly recommend playing the video game if you haven't done so.
Mysterious killers dressed in white, they savaged the Cold War Russian underworld—then disappeared. Now they have resurfaced in New York, leaving a trail of dead mobsters. In this bloody wake, an amnesiac and an FBI agent search for the answer to a single question: Who are the White Suits?
The concept is intriguing and it already stands out on a visual level. Yes, I've already pre-ordered this.
Ripped out of retirement by an assassination attempt, the world’s most deadly spy—Black Kaiser—is on a collision course with a stab-happy torture expert and a seductive but deadly redhead. His mission only ends if he dies or kills everyone out to get him, and he’s not in the habit of dying. This webcomic hit has been rescripted for print!
* A guns-blazing espionage action-adventure in the grand tradition of Jim Steranko and Frank Miller.
* By Victor Santos (Mice Templar)!
