Feature: Black Hammer: Age of Doom #12 Columns 

Soliciting Multiversity: Dark Horse’s Top 10 For June 2019

By | March 28th, 2019
Posted in Columns | % Comments

Dark Horse’s June 2019 solicitations have an art book, some prose, material from Belgium and Japan . . . there’s a nice mix here.

10. You’ve got to learn to express your moop in more productive ways.

OK, thanks to region restrictions I haven’t been able to watch any of Bravest Warriors beyond season 3, so needless to say I’ve got some moopiness to deal with. Maybe if I sit back with a head of butter lettuce and a nice art book it’ll take my mind off it, and we all know Dark Horse knows how to do nice art books. Speaking of art books . . .

The Art of Bravest Warriors HC
Frederator Studios (W), Nelvana Ltd. (W), and Pendleton Ward (W)

On sale Aug 27
FC, 200 pages
$39.99
HC, 11″ x 10″

Reminisce about the super-powered team’s greatest adventures from the animated series the Bravest Warriors! Warp through informative chapters on the show’s main characters, beloved environments, and unique alien species that the team’s encountered. This exclusive collection of beautiful art from the creative mind of Pendleton Ward includes storyboards and scripts from early stages of the show’s production, as well as comics and fan art for the most impassioned fans of the series. Enjoy the most comprehensive collection of illustrations and dive into the development and production materials of Bravest Warriors—all available in this exclusive art book!

• Featuring a behind-the-scenes look at the production of the animated series!
• Get in-depth information on characters and worlds from the show!

9. Huh. This is prose.

Apparently it took writing this column for me to read the Dark Horse solicitations closely enough to realize that their series of Vampire Hunter D books are prose, not manga. I am genuinely surprised I did not know this.

Vampire Hunter D Volume 28: The Tiger in Winter TP
Hideyuki Kikuchi (W) and Yoshitaka Amano (A/Cover)

On sale Aug 28
B&W, 200 pages
$11.99
TP, 5 1/8″ x 7 1/4″

D is a vampire hunter—and he’s just been paid ten times his asking price to do exactly that: an assignment to destroy Duke Van Doren, administrator of the northern Frontier. Among the complications is that no less than three other groups, each with their own agenda, are headed for the Duke themselves . . . and D’s supposed to hang back from striking until his target has eliminated all three! The question is, will the Duke oblige the terms of the contract—or does he actually want to be destroyed?

8. The passing of the torch

So this issue marks the first time the main “Beasts of Burden” story isn’t drawn by Jill Thompson. Given that it’s taken three years to draw a single issue, I suppose this was inevitable. Thankfully, Benjamin Dewey has proven himself up to shoulder the series for the foreseeable future with the ‘Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men’ miniseries. And considering Evan Dorkin has hinted at big plans for the future, I expect we’ll be seeing more of this series sooner rather than later.

Beasts of Burden: The Presence of Others Part Two (of Two)
Evan Dorkin (W) and Ben Dewey (A/Cover)

On sale June 5
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries

A possessing spirit. A murder of crows. An act of betrayal. Can the beasts of Burden Hill survive the growing presence of evil in their midst?

7. Joe Golem returns . . . sort of.

I reread the original prose novel Joe Golem and the Drowning City after the end of the last arc of the comic and I was surprised how vague my memory of it had become. This arc is the second half of the prose novel’s adaptation, and I think it’ll end up being the more interesting of the two. I suspect it’ll also be somewhat of a reinvention of the series . . .

Joe Golem: Occult Detective—The Conjurors #2
Mike Mignola (W), Christopher Golden (W), Peter Bergting (A), Michelle Madsen (C), and David Palumbo (Cover)

On sale June 12
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries

The golem has returned!

As his humanity slips away, one driving thought remains in Joe Golem’s mind: hunt the witches, save the girl. But time is running out as he treks through the submerged tunnels of the Drowning City in search of Dr. Cocteau and the horrible revelation that awaits in his lab! Meanwhile, the ghosts of Simon Church’s past associates pay a call. But are they there to help, or to hinder?

Continued below

6. A familiar tale from an unfamiliar point of view.

Neil Gaiman’s 1994 short story gets adapted to comics by Colleen Doran. Dark Horse has been doing several of these over the past few years. In fact, Doran adapted “Troll Bridge,” and given how well that adaptation turned out, this is certainly worth checking out too.

NEIL GAIMAN! COLLEEN DORAN!
Snow, Glass, Apples HC
Neil Gaiman (W) and Colleen Doran (W/A/C/Cover)

On sale Aug 7
FC, 56 pages
$17.99
HC, 6″ x 10″

A chilling fantasy retelling of the Snow White fairy tale by New York Times bestselling creators Neil Gaiman and Colleen Doran!

A not-so-evil queen is terrified of her monstrous stepdaughter and determined to repel this creature and save her kingdom from a world where happy endings aren’t so happily ever after. From the Hugo, Bram Stoker, Locus, World Fantasy and Nebula Award–winning, and New York Times bestselling writer Neil Gaiman (American Gods) comes this graphic novel adaptation by Colleen Doran (Troll Bridge)!

5. Is that . . . Captain Haddock?

This is the sequel to “Trout: Bits & Bobs,” which came out earlier this month, collecting material going back as far as 1997 from both Oni Press and Dark Horse Comics. Eternal Tintin fan that I am, I couldn’t help but notice one the characters on this cover bears a striking resemblance to Hergé’s Captain Haddock. Is this a simple nod to an influence or something more? Either way, this looks like fun.

A strange trip into the supernatural!
Trout: The Hollowest Knock #1 (of 4)
Troy Nixey (W/A/Cover) and Dave Stewart (C)

On sale June 19
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries

Blaming him for the loss of the children of lower Upton, the townsfolk burn down Giuseppe’s turnip factory and run him and Trout out of town. Sick and distraught, the two have no other recourse but to travel across the ocean to Giuseppe’s childhood village. Trout is lost along the way, and Giuseppe is forced to deal with his brother’s meddling in order to find the mysterious little boy he’s sworn to protect. Can Giuseppe find him before Trout meets his fate at the hands of the god of the sea?! And who is the shadowy figure trapped in a giant shark egg who is struggling to keep Trout alive?! One thing’s for certain: for better or worse, Trout will never be the same again.

4. Speaking of Belgian comics . . .

So Dark Horse is bringing out Raule and Gabor’s six-album “Isabellae” series. This first book appears to collect ‘The Night Man,’ ‘A Sea of Corpses,’ and ‘Daughters of Fire.’ My only quibble is that instead of the original 9″ x 12″ format, it’s being released in the smaller American 8″ x 10″ format. Still, considering “Isabellae” had previously only been available in English digitally, it’ll be nice to have a hardcover print version.

Isabellae is in for the fight of her life!
Isabellae Volume 1 HC
Raule (W) and Gabor (A/Cover)

On sale Aug 7
FC, 152 pages
$29.99
HC, 8″ x 10″

In the midst of feudal Japan, a young girl who is the daughter of an Irish witch and a samurai master, Isabellae Ashiwara, roams the countryside with her father’s ghost at her side, earning her living by her sword and searching for her long-lost sister, Siuko. Fighting against all odds, Isabellae must take charge of her destiny once and for all and face her past in order to move forward.

• From the brilliant creative minds of Raule and Gabor!
• Three French volumes collected in one English volume!
• Offered in English print-format for the first time!

3. An expanded edition.

Richard Corben’s “Spirits of the Dead” gets a new edition and a new story to boot.

Spirits of the Dead Second Edition TP
Richard Corben (W/A/Cover)

On sale Aug 7
FC, 232 pages
$19.99
TP, 7″ x 10″

Eisner Hall of Fame inductee and Angoulême 2018 Grand Prix winner Richard Corben brings his favorite Edgar Allan Poe stories to life. Sixteen color tales from the award-winning and celebrated creator are collected—including a brand-new Poe adaptation, “The Man of the Crowd.” Masterful adaptations of such classics as “The Raven,” “The Masque of the Red Death,” and “The Cask of Amontillado” are included.

Continued below

2. Hell yes.

With “B.P.R.D.: The Devil You Know” ending in April, we’re going to be seeing a lot more “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.” stories, but it seems there’s going to be a shift for the series. Since its debut, “Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.” has proceeded chronologically through the 1950s, but with this new one-shot we’ll be jumping forward to the 1960s. However, I doubt we’re done with the ’50s yet. I expect we’ll see the Occult Cold War cycle continue on into the ’60s with side stories jumping around the timeline acting as fill-ins between arcs. But that’s just a theory.

Far more importantly, Duncan Fegredo is back drawing Hellboy, which is cause for celebration all on its own. And Mike Mignola’s writing this one for him. This is a pairing that can do no wrong.

Mike Mignola! Duncan Fegredo!
Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Beast of Vargu
Mike Mignola (W/Variant Cover), Duncan Fegredo (A/Cover), and Dave Stewart (C)

On sale June 19
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
One-shot

Mike Mignola and fan-favorite artist Duncan Fegredo reunite in this all-new one-shot!

This first issue in a new era of Hellboy and the B.P.R.D. sees Mignola and Fegredo send Hellboy to Romania for a pair of tales set in a small village with a centuries-old curse and a man-eating monster which culminate in a sinister puppet show and a demigod’s ill-fated dinner.

1. All good things must come to their doom.

I already suspected #12 would end the ‘Age of Doom’ run of “Black Hammer.” I mean, with “Black Hammer / Justice League: Hammer of Justice” starting in July, and knowing that the crossover is going to be in continuity, it had to end here. Considering Madame Dragonfly’s prominence on the cover, hopefully we’ll be digging further into her part in the Rockwood illusory world . . .

Black Hammer: Age of Doom #12
Jeff Lemire (W), Dean Ormston (A/Cover), Dave Stewart (C), and Paul Pope (Variant Cover)

On sale June 27
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Ongoing

The Eisner Award-winning superhero saga concludes!

In this final episode of the Age of Doom series, all the questions are finally answered about what put our heroes on the farm, why, and where we go from here.

Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below and check out the whole solicitations at Newsarama.


//TAGS | Soliciting Multiversity

Mark Tweedale

Mark writes Haunted Trails, The Harrow County Observer, The Damned Speakeasy, and a bunch of stuff for Mignolaversity. An animator and an eternal Tintin fan, he spends his free time reading comics, listening to film scores, watching far too many video essays, and consuming the finest dark chocolates. You can find him on BlueSky.

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