Pretty Deadly #6 Columns 

Soliciting Multiversity: Image’s Top Ten For November 2015

By | August 26th, 2015
Posted in Columns | % Comments

Welcome back, one and all, to Soliciting Multiversity! This month we’ll be looking into the far flung future of November to look at the Top Ten picks from Image’s solicitations. This is a pretty beefy month so without further ado, let’s get to it!

Honourable mention: “The Autumnlands”, “Birthright”, “Black Science”, “Descender”, “Nailbiter”, “Outcast By Kirkman & Azaceta”, “Saga” and “Wayward” all begin new story arcs this month. So check all that goodness out!

I just realised I wrote “without further ado” and then immediately stalled in order to do the honourable mention. Well, now we can get to the Top Ten!

10. Two Emma Rios Comics In One Month And It’s Not Even My Birthday

“8House” is a fascinating experiment of a comic to me. It’s kind of like an anthology except each issue is a whole story and every new story arc completely changes not only the story, but the creative team as well. This month begins the ‘Mirror’ story arc and will be by Emma Rios and Hwei Lim. This sounds amazing and I cannot wait.

8HOUSE #6: MIRROR, PART 1 (of 4)
STORY: EMMA RÍOS
ART / COVER: HWEI LIM
NOVEMBER 11 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $2.99
NEW STORY ARC!

What is worthy of being human? EMMA RÍOS (PRETTY DEADLY, ISLAND) and HWEI LIM (LALAGE, HERO) team up to tell a new story within the 8HOUSE universe. MIRROR follows a terrorist talking dog, an idealistic mage, and a heroic lab rat on their quest for acceptance.

9. I Haven’t Seen A Comic Book Soundtrack Since “The Crow”

While I am very wary of the concept that the main character will be using “excess body mass” to fuel his superpowers and how that is handled (hopefully with tact), I’m incredibly interested in the idea that this graphic novel will complete with a soundtrack album. That’s such an amazing gimmick that I haven’t thought about since Fear And Bullets, the soundtrack to “The Crow” comic. Plus, this graphic novel is lettered by our boy, Colin Bell, so at least it has that going for it.

DOUBLE D BOOK 1 OGN
STORY: EDDIE ARGOS
ART: STEVEN HORRY
NOVEMBER 11 / 152 PAGES / FC / T+ / $9.99

After the official Worst Day Ever, overweight bully magnet Danny Carter discovers he can use his excess body mass to fuel superpowers. Obviously he’s going to be a superhero and fight crime, but when you’re fifteen years old and you live in the suburbs it’s not quite as easy as expected…
Written by EDDIE ARGOS, singer and lyricist of critically-acclaimed classic rock band Art Brut, with art by STEVEN HORRY, colors by DAVID COOPER, and lettering by COLIN BELL.
To coincide with the release of the graphic novel, Eddie and Steven have—alongside musicians Mark Heffernan and Grant Purser—recorded a soundtrack album, which will be released on Post/Pop Records in late November/early December.

8. The Sequel To The Prequel

While I’m sure Frank Quietly must be hard at work somewhere in Glasgow on the next volume of “Jupiter’s Legacy”, Mark Millar and Wilfredo Torres are going to keep stalling for time with the next volume of “Jupiter’s Circle”. I haven’t read the first volume of this series as I was largely reading “Jupiter’s Legacy” for Frank Quitely’s art as opposed to Mark Millar’s involvement, but I’ve heard enough good things about “Jupiter’s Circle” to imagine that this new volume will continue to be pretty good.

JUPITER’S CIRCLE, VOL. 2 #1
STORY: MARK MILLAR
ART: WILFREDO TORRES
COVER A: BILL SIENKIEWICZ
COVER B: FRANK QUITELY
NOVEMBER 4 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.50

Legendary MARK MILLAR reunites with the superlative WILFREDO TORRES in this epic prequel to the smash-hit JUPITER’S LEGACY series! In midcentury America, the world’s greatest superheroes triumph in their public battles, while struggling with private ones. Mad Men-style period drama meets Justice League-inspired team action in a brand new volume. Introducing new regular cover artist BILL SIENKIEWICZ. Also features a character design cover by FRANK QUITELY.

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7. This Could Be About Anything And I’d Read It

Honestly, you could tell me that there is no story to this comic whatsover and I’d still hand over my $4.99 because Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda teaming up again is the greatest thing I’ve heard since… well, our number one pick for this month, actually. I love Marjorie Liu’s writing and I love Sana Takeda’s artwork and their work together on the “X-23” series was fantastic so I’m definitely glad that they’re working together again. And 60+ pages of story for $4.99 for a first issue is a pretty solid deal for that much Sana Takeda art.

MONSTRESS #1
STORY: MARJORIE LIU
ART / COVER: SANA TAKEDA
NOVEMBER 4 / 72 PAGES / FC / M / $4.99

Astonishing X-Men and Black Widow writer MARJORIE LIU returns to comics with artist SANA TAKEDA (X-23) for an all-new ONGOING SERIES! Steampunk meets Kaiju in this original fantasy epic for mature readers, as young Maika risks everything to control her psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, placing her in the center of a devastating war between human and otherworldly forces. The adventure begins in a spectacular TRIPLE-SIZED FIRST ISSUE, with SIXTY-SIX pages of story and no ads for this one-time price of 4.99!

6. Long Live The New Flesh?

I don’t really know what to say about this other than it sounds like someone is trying to mix Naked Lunch with Videodrome and I am all about that. Surrealist horror is something we don’t see all that often in comics so if this can get that feeling right, then I think we have a new big horror comic hit on our hands.

LIMBO #1
STORY: DAN WATTERS
ART: CASPAR WIJNGAARD
NOVEMBER 11 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $2.99

A detective with no memory, no identity, and no manners. A femme fatale seeking escape from a powerful crime lord. A voodoo queen with a penchant for mixtapes and hi-tops. A goat-eating TV…
Welcome to Dedande City, where good people check under their beds at night and reality is never quite what it seems.
A NEW surreal neon-noir series crossing ’50s pulp with an ’80s VHS visual aesthetic, drawing from the likes of Carpenter, Cronenberg, and Lynch.

5. Is This Just Forrest Gump With Superpowers

Remember how I mentioned I didn’t read “Jupiter’s Legacy” for Mark Millar, but for Frank Quitely instead. Well, it looks like I might end up reading “Huck” for Rafael Albuquerque instead of Mark Millar. While the solicit for this does claim that it’s a comic unlike anything we’ve read before, I’m not sure I have enough faith in Millar’s abilities as a writer to write something that I’ll enjoy. Sure will look pretty, though!

HUCK #1
STORY: MARK MILLAR
ART / COVERS A & B: RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE
NOVEMBER 18 / 32 PAGES / FC / T / $3.50

In a quiet seaside town, Huck uses his special gifts to do a good deed each day. His neighbors return the favors by keeping his abilities a secret. But when a newcomer alerts the media, a firestorm erupts, sending Huck on an adventure that will change everything. This brand-new series from writer MARK MILLAR and artist RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE presents a comic book unlike anything you’ve read before. Featuring a Feel-Good Movie variant cover by RAFAEL ALBUQUERQUE.

4. There’s A Donald Trump Joke Just Waiting To Happen Here

So a presidential candidate in the U.S. election is a devil worshipper and is teaming up with a demon in order to influence people to vote for his campaign?

Come on… do I even have to make the Donald Trump joke?

In all seriousness, this looks like a pretty fun series and it’s good to see Sam Humphries doing some creator owned as I like his writing style, but I’ve never gelled with his work at Marvel. Hopefully I’ll enjoy this a lot more.

CITIZEN JACK #1
STORY: SAM HUMPHRIES
ART / COVER A: TOMMY PATTERSON
COVER B: CHIP ZDARKSY
NOVEMBER 4 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
A HORROR-COMEDY FOR ANYONE WHO HATES POLITICS!

Every presidential candidate has a skeleton in their closet—Jack Northworthy worships the devil! A scandal-plagued small town politician, Jack should in no way be president. But he’s got a secret weapon: Marlinspike, a malevolent demon of high ambitions. Together, they’re running for president in an outrageous campaign that America will never forget! Blockbuster writer SAM HUMPHRIES (Guardians of the Galaxy, X-Men: Black Vortex) and New York Times bestselling artist TOMMY PATTERSON (Game of Thrones) debut a brand new ONGOING SERIES with a DIABOLICAL EXTRA-SIZED FIRST ISSUE!

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3. When Comics And Wrestling Collide!

I love professional wrestling. I love comic books. So when one of my favourite writers, Joe Keatinge, announced that he and artist Nick Barber will be creating a comic that explores the behind-the-scenes world of professional I completely marked out. I cannot wait to see all the crazy dark places that this series could go. There are wrestler biographies that paint the industry in the most insane light possible and if this comic goes even half as nuts as the real wrestling industry, it’s going to be an amazing read.

RINGSIDE #1
STORY: JOE KEATINGE
ART: NICK BARBER & SIMON GOUGH
NOVEMBER 25 / 40 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99
THE PROFESSIONAL WRESTLING EPIC BEGINS WITH AN OVER-SIZED FIRST ISSUE!

RINGSIDE is an ongoing series set within the world of professional wrestling, written by JOE KEATINGE (SHUTTER, GLORY, TECH JACKET) and drawn by acclaimed illustrator NICK BARBER, combining the ensemble drama of THE WALKING DEAD with interconnected rotating perspectives akin to The Wire. Each issue will explore the relationship between art and industry from the view of the wrestlers themselves, the creatives they work with, the suits in charge and the fans cheering them all on.
But that’s just the beginning.
The real violence is outside the ring.

2. Aaron & Guera Go Biblical

Jason Aaron and R.M. Guera worked on one of the greatest Vertigo series of all time in “Scalped”. It was a fantastically gritty crime drama and was one of the books that really put Jason Aaron on the map as an amazing writer. Well, they’re getting the band back together and they’re going back to the beginning with “The Goddamned”. Literally. This series is labelled as a biblical noir. It’s going to be the greatest thing you’ve ever read. Don’t miss this.

THE GODDAMNED #1
STORY: JASON AARON
ART: R.M. GUÉRA & GIULIA BRUSCO
COVER A: R.M. GUÉRA & GIULIA BRUSCO
COVER B: JOCK
COVER C: JASON LATOUR
NOVEMBER 11 / 40 PAGES / FC / M / $3.99

Writer JASON AARON & artist R.M. GUÉRA, the creators of the seminal crime series Scalped, reunite for a new ongoing series of stark and brutal biblical noir, which begins with a SPECIAL OVER-SIZED DEBUT ISSUE featuring thirty pages of story.
“And the earth was filled with violence.”
Genesis 6:11
It’s 1,655 years after Eden, and life on Earth has already gone to hell. The world of man is a place of wanton cruelty and wickedness. Prehistoric monsters and stone-age marauders roam the land. Murder and destruction are the rule of the day. Humankind is a failed experiment. This is life before the Flood. The story of man on the verge of his first apocalypse. Welcome to the world of the Goddamned.

1. Finally, “Pretty Deadly” Has Come Back!

“Pretty Deadly” is a comic I love so much I have a tattoo of Deathface Ginny. I am so hyped that it’s coming back for the new volume in the story that the only way I could convey that is by key-mashing in all-caps, but that doesn’t make for a good write-up, you know? If you somehow missed “Pretty Deadly” the first time around, I highly recommend going back to read the first trade paperback. It’s a fantasy western and is the best work so far by the collaboration of Kelly Sue DeConnick and Emma Rios. November is going to be amazing.

PRETTY DEADLY #6
STORY: KELLY SUE DeCONNICK
ART: EMMA RÍOS
COVER A / COVER B (VALKYRIE SHOP VARIANT): EMMA RÍOS
NOVEMBER 18 / 32 PAGES / FC / M / $3.50
NEW ARC: “THE BEAR”

KELLY SUE DeCONNICK (BITCH PLANET, Captain Marvel) & EMMA RÍOS (ISLAND, Dr. Strange) reunite for the continuing story of Deathface Ginny, Fox, and Sissy. The survivors of the battle against Death enter a new century, where they face fresh violence and the horrors of war.


//TAGS | Soliciting Multiversity

Alice W. Castle

Sworn to protect a world that hates and fears her, Alice W. Castle is a trans femme writing about comics. All things considered, it’s going surprisingly well. Ask her about the unproduced Superman films of 1990 - 2006. She can be found on various corners of the internet, but most frequently on Twitter: @alicewcastle

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