Another month in the books, another batch of solicitations to look at! As usual we kick things off by looking at what Dark Horse is delivering. August is a fairly quiet month for the publisher with most of this list featuring advance solicits for some excellent collection. There’s a double dose of “Black Hammer” here and the launch of another book in the Karen Berger imprint. Let’s jump into this.
10. I’m…Actually Excited For This
So, I’m not the most loyal reader of Dark Horse’s “Predator” comics but I did really enjoy “Predator: Hunters” and later this year, we’ll get a direct sequel to it. I’m actually excited for this because I think it’s a very good concept even if it’s not groundbreaking. It’s something you can make more stories out of, and that’s not always the case with this property.
Predator: Hunters II #1
Chris Warner (W), Agustin Padilla (A/Cover A), Neeraj Menon (A), and Andy Brase (Cover B)
On sale Aug 8
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
From the islands of the South Pacific to the mountains of Afghanistan, the Hunters go wherever the Predators appear—even if it’s in a war zone and into conflict with a mysterious government group hunting the same prey!
Despite the casualties suffered during their first mission, the Predator Hunters are on the prowl again!
• New Predator movie coming soon!
9. It’s A Me…Mario!
I love reading the history behind pop culture staples and this is definitely a book right up my alley. Who doesn’t love Mario? The only way this book could be better is if Luigi, the true star of this franchise, was on the cover. #YearOfLuigi
Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia HC (advance solicit)
Nintendo (W)
On sale Oct 23
FC, 256 pages
$39.99
HC, 8 1/2” x 12
The Super Mario Bros. Encyclopedia is jam-packed with content from all seventeen Super Mario games and spans more than 30 years of the franchise’s history—from the original Super Mario Bros. to Super Mario 3D World. Track the evolution of the Goomba, witness the introduction of Yoshi, and relive your favorite levels. This tome also contains an interview with producer Takashi Tezuka, tips to help you find every coin, star, sun, and mushroom–even explanations of glitches! With information on enemies, items, obstacles, and worlds from over thirty years of Mario, Super Mario Encyclopedia is the definitive resource for everything Super Mario
8. Potential Gamechanger
This isn’t a landmark issue but it does promise a big reveal and the series has typically been very good at giving us that. The second part of this series has started off in a very big way and I’m excited to see what tricks this team has up its sleeve in August.
Black Hammer: Age of Doom #4
Jeff Lemire (W), Dean Ormston (A/Cover), Dave Stewart (C), and James Harren (Variant Cover)
On sale Aug 22
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Ongoing
The Eisner Award-winning superhero saga returns with lots of revelations!
All is revealed when Lucy makes her way back to the farm from Dreamland, confronting the mastermind of their current situation. The revelations here will alter the fate of the Black Hammer family forever!
7. What?
This actually looks super cute and I really hope that kids love it. Jasmine is easily one of the top 3 Disney Princesses and should have more comics about her. With that said, I’m so confused by this existing! Disney not using Marvel to print books like this feels like a very missed opportunity on Disney’s part. Seems a bit needlessly confusing to have this kind of stuff set up somewhere else. The same goes for their Star Wars comics aimed at a younger audience. This is easy money to me.
Continued belowDisney Princess: Jasmine’s New Pet HC (advance solicit)
Nidhi Chanani (W/A/Cover)
On sale Oct 10
FC, 48 pages
$7.99
HC, 5 1/2″ x 7”
Princess Jasmine loves Rajah, her new tiger cub. But living in the palace has rules, and Rajah finds them difficult to follow! He ruins pillows with his claws, knocks over plants, chases the palace peacock, and wakes Jasmine in the middle of the night with his yowling. If Jasmine can’t teach Rajah to behave better, her father the Sultan will send Rajah away to live with someone else! Will they learn how to follow the rules together . . . in time?
• Tie-in to the Disney classic Aladdin for younger readers!
6. The Next Big Thing?
“One-Punch Man” is a bonafide worldwide hit. People, even the most casual of manga/anime fans, knows what it is. This is One’s other major work that’s already seen a pretty successful anime season stream on Crunchyroll. Now you can buy the manga in the U.S. and that’s a great thing.
Mob Psycho 100 Volume 1 TP(advance solicit)
One (W/A/Cover)
On sale Oct 24
b&w, 200 pages
$11.99
TP, 5 1/8″ x 7 1/4″
From the creator of One-Punch Man! Do you or someone you know need an exorcist who works cheap? Reigen’s your guy! What’s his secret to busting ghosts while keeping prices low? Well, first, he’s a fraud, and second, he pays the guy who’s got the real psychic power—his student assistant Shigeo—less than minimum wage. Shigeo is an awkward but kind boy whose urge to help others and get along with them is bound up with the mental safety locks he’s placed on his own emotions. Reigen knows he needs to exploit Shigeo to stay in business, yet for better or worse he’s also his mentor and counselor. And he also knows whenever the normally repressed kid’s emotions reach level 100, it may unleash more psychic energy than either of them can handle!
5. It Runs In The Family
Leah Moore is a great writer and you could even say that it runs in the family. This story promises magic and girl power and I’m all about that.
Conspiracy of Ravens HC(advance solicit)
Leah Moore (W), John Reppion (W), and Sally Jane Thompson (A)
On sale Oct 3
FC, 136 pages
$14.99
HC, 6” x 9”
Teen schoolgirl Anne unexpectedly inherits a mysterious locket and a crumbing English mansion estate from her long-lost aunt. She unearths the family secret that she’s part of a magical legacy that gives her fantastic abilities, and she isn’t the only girl whose family is involved. But not all the girls are so willing to use their new powers for good . . .
• For fans of Harry Potter, Savvy, Ella Enchanted, and The Phantom Tollbooth
4. For Those Who Waited
“Angel Catbird” was a graphic novel series with a really interesting concept and an art team that pulled up superbly. This massive colume collects the entire series in full for a really great price. Honestly this is worth the buy for Christmas and Bonvillain’s work alone.
The Complete Angel Catbird TP(advance solicit)
Margaret Atwood (W), Johnnie Christmas (A/Cover), and Tamra Bonvillain (C)
On sale Oct 3
FC, 320 pages
$24.99
TP, 6” x 9”
From the Booker Prize-winning author of The Handmaid’s Tale, comes the complete collection of the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel.
A genetic engineer caught in the middle of a chemical accident all of a sudden finds himself with superhuman abilities. With these new powers, he takes on the identity of Angel Catbird and gets caught in the middle of a war between animal/human hybrids. What follows is a humorous, action-driven, educational, and pulp-inspired superhero adventure—with a lot of cat puns. Collects Angel Catbird volumes 1-3.
3. Who Doesn’t Love Talking Dogs?
The answer is no one. Even if you’re unfamiliar with “Beasts of Burden” this will be worth checking out. It’s not a hard property to get into and with Dewey on art for this, you can’t go wrong. Dewey’s work on “The Autumnlands” was the exact kind of thing this series needs and with Dorkin’s sharp writing, this will surely be on a bunch of year end lists.
Continued belowBeasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men #1 (of 4)
Evan Dorkin (W), Benjamin Dewey (A/Cover), and Rafael Albuquerque (Variant cover)
On sale Aug 22
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
A heroic pack of canines known as the Wise Dogs set off on a mission to clean up a Pennsylvania corridor plagued by seemingly unrelated occult disturbances that include a fire salamander and a horde of mutant lurkers. A link is found among the various disturbances, leading our heroes to a mountain village inhabited by a survivalist witch-cult who have discovered the existence of a “Blood Lure” attracting occult forces, creatures, and many more terrors to Burden Hill!
• The eight time Eisner-winning series is back!
• Variant Cover by Rafael Albuquerque!
2. Sleeper Hit?
Ann Nocenti and David Aja as a team sounds like a no brainer. Nocenti is a legend and everyone’s been waiting for Aja to jump into something new for a while now. I think “The Seeds” has potential to be truly great but it may go under the radar a bit.
The Seeds #1
Ann Nocenti (W) and David Aja (A/cover)
On sale Aug 1
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
In a world much like our own, people are smashing their phones and moving to the lawless tech-free Zone B.
A few cantankerous aliens have come to collect the last dregs of humanity’s essence for the celestial embryo bank. One of them falls in love.
Astra is an idealistic journalist who stumbles into the story of a lifetime, only to realize that if she reports it, she’ll destroy the last hope of a dying world. How far will she go to get her story?
A new four-issue series, by award-winning artist David Aja (Hawkeye, Immortal Iron Fist) and filmmaker journalist Ann Nocenti (Daredevil, Catwoman).
• For mature readers.
1. The Precious
I think at this point it’s safe to say that Dark Horse is all in on “Black Hammer” and honestly, that’s great. Dark Horse’s library editions are actually amazing books and I’m really excited to dig into this one.
Black Hammer Library Edition Volume 1 HC
Jeff Lemire (W), Dean Ormston (A/Cover), David Rubin (A), Dustin Nguyen (A), Emi Lenox (A), Nate Powell (A), Matt Kindt (A), Ray Fawkes (A), Michael Allred (A), and Dave Stewart (C)
On sale Oct 24
FC, 440 pages
$49.99
HC, 8” x 12”
Mysteriously banished from existence by a multiversal event, the old superheroes of Spiral City now lead simple lives on a bizarre farm from which there is no escape! But as they employ all of their super abilities to free themselves from this strange purgatory, a mysterious stranger works to bring them back into action for one last adventure!
Collects the first and second volumes of Black Hammer and Black Hammer: Giant Sized Annual in a deluxe, hardcover, and oversized format with a new cover, sketchbook extras, and more!
Did I leave anything out? Let me know in the comments and read the full solicitations over at First Comics News.
