Hello and welcome to Multiversity’s look at the “Best of the Rest” of what’s coming your way in the now-available October 2023 Previews catalog. I’m excited to help you navigate the vast majority of what Diamond is offering via your LCS for the month of December 2023 (and probably beyond). Having already taken a look at what Marvel, DC, Image, and the Manga Previews sections have lined up for us, it’s now time to check out the other 75% of the catalog.
Let’s dive in!
10. 11 Issues To Mars. . .
I somehow missed this series as it was coming out, but now its 11-issue run is collected in this trade paperback. Russell is a writer that you never quite know what you’re gonna get, but you have a pretty good idea it’s going to be worth your time. From God Is Disappointed With You to Superman: Space Race to The Second Coming, he balances humor and heart across multiple stories.
TRAVELING TO MARS TPB
Written by Mark Rusell
Drawn by Roberto Meli
Published by ABLAZE Publishing
In Shops: Feb 28, 2024
SRP: $29.99
From Eisner Award winning writer Mark Russell and artist Roberto Meli comes the Eisner-nominated compelling sci-fi story…
Traveling to Mars tells the story of former pet store manager Roy Livingston, the first human to ever set foot on Mars. Roy was chosen for this unlikely mission for one simple reason: he is terminally ill and therefore has no expectation of returning. Roy is joined on his mission to Mars by Leopold and Albert, two Mars rovers equipped with artificial intelligence, who look upon the dying pet store manager as a sort of god. Against the backdrop of not only his waning days but those of human civilization as well, Roy has ample time to think about where things went wrong for both of them and what it means to be a dying god. A riveting story of planetary exploration and of finding meaning in your final days.
Collects the critically acclaimed 11-issue series plus cover gallery and bonus material.
9. Art Calculated To Drive You BERZERK!
Say what you will about celebrity-driven comics (and I honestly can’t speak to the quality of BRZRKR specifically tho it seems to have some legs to it), Hollywood money can get some top talent on them to help carry much of the creative load when needed. And speaking just on the art side, Ron Garney brings Olympic weightlifter status as an artist in that regard. Doesn’t matter if you like the story he’s telling or not, I don’t think you can really argue about his talent in making it as dynamic and moody and entirely a comics-centric experience. And this lets you see and study his linework front & center without any color getting in the way (with apologies to excellent colorist Bill Crabtree).
BRZRKR: PEN & INK #1
Written by Keanu Reeves & Matt Kindt
Drawn by Ron Garney
Published by BOOM! Studios
In Shops: Dec 6, 2023
SRP: $6.99For those that couldn’t get enough of Keanu Reeves’ record-obliterating jump into the comics world, BRZRKR returns in a new format while fans eagerly await the Netflix feature film, the Netflix anime series, the novel, and more comic books!
In addition to enjoying the brutality in the refreshingly bleak black and white of BOOM! Studios’ Pen & Ink line, series artist Ron Garney brings some method to the mayhem with brand new exclusive commentary!
8. Near Dark Meets Ocean’s Eleven? Sign Me Up!
The first of two horror-themed Dark Horse comics for the month comes from a writing team I am unfamiliar with and an artist I am VERY familiar with. Given that comics is such a visual medium and experience, I’m more than willing to roll the dice on a book with that combo, especially if the premise sounds interesting, which this does.
Continued belowOPERATION SUNSHINE #1
Written by Henry Zebrowski & Marcus Parks
Drawn by David Rubin
Published by Dark Horse Comics
In Shops: Dec 13, 2023
SRP: $3.99From the New York Times-bestselling hosts of the hit The Last Podcast on the Left and Black Hammer’s David Rubin comes this all-new humorous, horror, and action-packed comic book series that’s Near Dark meets Ocean’s Eleven. A group of young, alienated vampires known as “bugs” plot to steal a magical object from ancient monstrous vampires to turn themselves back to human. Along the way they uncover a sprawling monster underground, a top-secret plot run by the elder creatures, elite militant vampire slayers, and madness beyond imagining blocking their path to humanity.
7. Ripped From The Silver Scream!
This book, however, is from a team I’m very familiar with. Hurtt & Bunn are back in your LCS this October with another eventual story to put on your shelves alongside their previous collabs Shadow Roads, The Damned, and of course The Sixth Gun. And since they’re bringing along frequent colorist Bill Crabtree, I can feel even less guilty about recommending BRZRKR specifically because he isn’t in it. Plus, it’s a horror book by a crew that knows how to do horror, so it’s got THAT going for it.
THE MIDNITE SHOW #1 (OF 4)
Written by Cullen Bunn
Drawn by Brian Hurtt
Published by Dark Horse Comics
In Shops: Dec 6, 2023
SRP: $3.99From the creators of The Sixth Gun and Manor Black comes this new supernatural horror series about monsters of the silver screen coming to life and wreaking havoc on a small town. Basil Saxon is a legend among horror fans. Over fifty years ago, he vanished during a freak accident on the set of the film that would have been his masterpiece. The cursed film — God of Monsters — was never completed and has never been seen. But when a film festival shows footage from the long-lost movie, classic horror monsters manifest to wreak havoc and terror on the unsuspecting populace. A ragtag group of misfits must band together to stop the most famous creatures of all time and send them back to the realm of celluloid nightmares.
6. Same Drink, Smaller Glass
This is probably not a new-to-October release but I don’t remember seeing it in prior Previews catalogs and it deserves to be mentioned so I’m doing so here. As advertised, this book collects all the Parker graphic novels and short stories Darwyn Cooke adapted from the Richard Stark crime canon. I know this has been done before (and gorgeously) in the Martini Editions, but I believe this is the first softcover collection of this material, with all the price lowering that comes with it. Plus it looks like this will be an oversized collection (well, oversized from the original releases) so even if you have those, this still gives you something new.
RICHARD STARK’S PARKER: THE COMPLETE COLLECTION BY DARWYN COOKE TPB
Written by Richard Stark & Darwyn Cooke
Drawn by Darwyn Cooke
Published by IDW Publishing
In Shops: Dec 13, 2023
SRP: $69.99The groundbreaking and multiple award-winning graphic novels by Darwyn Cooke, collected in their entirety for the first time in one softcover volume. Collecting the four Parker graphic novels (The Score, The Outfit, The Score, and Slayground) as well as two shorts (The Man with the Getaway Face and The Seventh). These stories encompass all Darwyn Cooke’s sequential stories of Parker.
5. The Cat Came Back . . .
This does look surreal and imaginative, just as described in the solicit, but the preview pages I’ve seen also make it look . . . adorable? I’m not quite sure that’s the word I should be using because I don’t know if it will translate some of the vibe I get to other folks, but it’s a word that pops into my head every time I see certain pages, even if I wouldn’t necessarily think of them if I was asked to pick something adorable, if that makes any sense.
THE CAT FROM THE KIMONO OGN
Written & Drawn by Nancy Pena
Published by Humanoids Inc.
In Shops: Dec 13, 2023
SRP: $19.99This surreal and imaginative adult fairy tale follows a beautiful black cat through a fantastical world where he’ll survive impossible odds to make his way home. . . to his mistress’ kimono!
4. Read Them Again . . . For The First Time!
It’s a Halloween tradition of mine (and probably many of you) to break out not only classic horror literature but usually comics adaptations of the same. Be it Mignola’s Bram Stoker’s Dracula, one of Gou Tanabe’s H.P. Lovecraft adaptations, or Bernie Wrightson’s legendary illustrated Frankenstein, the season brings these works back into focus for me. And now thanks to Magnetic Press, I have two new adaptations to add to the list, but a cartoonist I’m shamefully unfamiliar with. Looking forward to correcting that oversight in three short months . . .
Continued belowDRACULA BY GEORGES BESS HC / FRANKENSTEIN BY GEORGES BESS HC
Written by Bram Stoker & Georges Bess / Mary Shelley & Georges Bess Drawn by Georges Bess
Published by Magnetic Press Inc.
In Shops: Dec 6, 2023
SRP: $34.99Bram Stoker’s original novel about the world-renowned vampire, Dracula, is adapted into a beautiful graphic novel by the renowned artist Georges Bess. This volume includes an epilogue adapting Stoker’s short story “Dracula’s Guest” (believed to be the original novel’s first draft chapter before later revived for publication two years after the author’s passing).
Mary Shelley’s classic tale about a scientist’s hubris and the pitiable creature who did not ask to be brought to life is adapted into a breathtaking graphic novel illustrated by the renowned artist Georges Bess.
3. A Hardcover Worth Selling A Soul For!
If we’re being honest, friends, it wouldn’t be my soul sold to add this to my library. Quinn & Vigil’s Faust is one of the premier ‘outlaw’ comics and has been for decades. It’s also been a book that just hasn’t been my cuppa, as the kids hopefully said at one point. Having said that, I do recognize it’s place in the landscape of comics AND the achievement of getting this large a chunk of material assembled and curated into what looks like a wonderful celebration of the property. If you’re into this particular brand of ultraviolent transgressive comics, then this is absolutely something you should check out, and let me know how it is.
FAUST: LOVE OF THE DAMNED HC
Written by David Quinn
Drawn by Tim Vigil
Published by Black Mask Studios
In Shops: Dec 20, 2023
SRP: $89.99The Wait is Over!
Rebel Studios, in partnership with Black Mask Studios, collects the complete masterwork of ‘outlaw comics’ in one outrageous oversize hardcover. Dare to go beyond good and evil, immersing yourself in this 500-page adult horror odyssey, including the rarest ‘grail’ issues, Acts 14 and 15, plus color cover galleries and behind the scenes content, in an oversize (8’x12′) deluxe edition.
A man seduced by power plunges into an underground urban hell dominated by madness and the mystical. Haunted by tortured love, he rages through primal hallucinations in a blood-drenched nightmare of Attraction and Repulsion, Sex and Death, Revenge and Reclamation. Following a rocking Kickstarter that killed its goal in 20 minutes, this stunning oversize deluxe edition will be available in comics shops this October!
2. This Pick’s List Position Is Completely Coincidental!
I cast absolutely zero aspersions to those folks getting the Faust hardcover by following that pick with a guide to mental health. None. Nada. Zip. This is the only place on the list for this pick, given how important I think it is and how much I wanted to highlight it and its mission.
LETS TALK ABOUT IT: A GRAPHIC GUIDE TO MENTAL HEALTH
Written & Drawn by Cara Bean
Published by The Center for Cartoon Studies
In Shops: Dec 27, 2023
SRP: PIThis warm and engaging comic offers concrete tips for dealing with stress, getting adequate sleep, facing substance abuse, building resilience, facing depression, addressing suicidal ideation, and reducing stigma around mental health issues. Created in consultation with mental health experts and educators, Let’s Talk About It was designed to be a resource to help address our country’s mental health crisis.
1. Be Pure! Be Vigilant! Behave!
As said below, this strip primarily by Mills & O’Neill (with other artists like Jesus Redondo and Luther Arkwright creator Bryan Talbot in later volumes) really is one of the stone cold killer strips from the 2000AD library. And how can it not be? The raging writer taking aim at hypocrisy wrapped in the deliciously demented renderings of a cartoonist whose entire art style was deemed too extreme by the Comics Code Authority. If you don’t have Nemesis on your shelf from one of its earlier collections, you owe it to yourself to get it there with this series!
NEMESIS THE WARLOCK DEFINITIVE ED TP VOL 01
Written by Pat Mills
Drawn by Kevin O’Neill and Jesus Redondo
Published by Rebellion/2000AD
In Shops: Dec 06, 2023
SRP: $25.95
Long regarded as one of the crown-jewel epics from the pages of 2000 AD, at long last Nemesis the Warlock is back in print and better than ever. Written by Pat Mills (Marshal Law) and drawn by Kevin O’Neill (League of Extraordinary Gentlemen), this definitive series is a comprehensive collection of the complete storyline in order, and features development sketches showing the evolution of Nemesis and the Blitzspear. Termight is the ruling planet of a cruel galactic empire, an empire led by the diabolically evil Torquemada, a twisted human despot intent on purging all alien life from the galaxy and punishing the deviants. His motto: Be pure! Be vigilant! Behave! But there is rebellion and resistance to his rule in the form of a devilish-looking alien warlock called Nemesis, who represents everything that Torquemada hates and fears. Together Nemesis and Torquemada are locked in a duel which will affect the fate of humanity and each of them on a personal level as their conflict spans time and space!
Be sure to let us know what books YOU’RE excited for in the Comments section!
