Hello and welcome to Multiversity’s look at the “Best of the Rest,” where we try to summarize what’s coming your way this January 2020. We’ve already looked at DC, Marvel, and Image, as well as some manga options. Now let’s check out what else the Previews Catalog has in store to kick off the new year.
Get your pull lists ready because January has a lot of great stuff slated to come out.
10. New Identities, Old Problems
Niki Smith blends several elements together in this all-ages adventure comic. There’s elements of the mythologized Romonovs, secret societies, and alternate realities. All ages books — while generally not the most form-breaking, genre-bending comics available — tend to be some of the most fun on the shelves.
The Deep and Dark Blue
Written and Illustrated by Niki Smith
Published by Little, Brown“The Witch Boy” meets “The Legend of Korra” in this breathtaking, epic graphic novel. After a terrible political coup usurps their noble house, Hawke and Grayson flee to stay alive and assume new identities, Hanna and Grayce. Desperation and chance lead them to the Communion of Blue, an order of magical women who spin the threads of reality to their will. As the twins learn more about the Communion, and themselves, they begin to hatch a plan to avenge their family and retake their royal home. While Hawke wants to return to his old life, Grayce struggles to keep the threads of her new life from unraveling, and realizes she wants to stay in the one place that will allow her to finally live as a girl. Available in softcover and hardcover editions.
9. She Saves Herself in This One
The charm that emanates off this graphic novel is palpable. Troïanowski, a French cartoonist, has turned in a wide assortment of surreal and poetic shorts, filled with impressionistic colors and wild shapes. It should be interesting to see what he’s capable of while handling a longer form story.
The Runaway Princess
Written and Illustrated by Johan Troïanowski
Published by Random HouseThis princess can’t resist the lure of adventure, but her parents aren’t quite on board in this fantastical graphic novel perfect for fans of “Princess in Black” and “Phoebe and Her Unicorn!” Princesses don’t run away to have their own adventures. Princesses stay quietly and obediently at home. They would never want mermaids and swamps and pirates and getting kidnapped to be a part of their lives. Not this princess! Adventures await when Robin (bored of princess-ing all the time) embarks on the best adventure of her life-meeting friends along the way as she travels through the magical landscape of her country. But her parents aren’t so pleased-and they’re coming to find her and bring her back to the castle, no matter how she feels about it! Available in softcover and hardcover editions.
.
8. Endure Beyond the Unendurable
The animated artwork sort of undersells how bizarre and bonkers this whole thing looks. That storyboard-style work undoubtedly lends Howard with a lot of room to go crazy. And I think crazy is what we want out of a story like this.
Continued belowThe Sunken Tower
Written and Illustrated by Tait Howard
Published by Oni PressSet deep underground in a sunken city, a young wizard and his two companions embark on a journey to escape the clutches of an evil cult. Dig is having a very bad day. His bag is broken, he can’t catch a break at the local market, and just when things are looking up, he’s kidnapped by a couple of Blood Cultists and taken to the underground city that serves as their base, where he’ll make a tasty human sacrifice for an unspeakably horrible monster. Thrown into a dungeon, he’s left to feel sorry for himself. But his new cellmates, Iana and Crina, are ecstatic about Dig’s appearance. He’s a wizard, which means he knows magic, which means he can help get them all out of this terrible sunken city for good! If Iana can get her hands on a sword, and Crina can remember the way to the giant tower that leads to the surface, then everything will go smoothly.
That is, until the Blood Cultists catch up with them, and Dig’s magical abilities are put to the ultimate test. Because Dig’s been keeping a secret. And if it’s found out… he may never see the surface again.
7. They Will Go Far, Unless They Go Too Far
Thus far, we’ve featured a lot of fun adventures, which leaves us room for a more introspective journey. Expect moody, tragic, and ultimately honest out of this one.
Lincoln Highway 750
Written by Bernard Chambaz
Illustrated by Barroux
Published by NBM“I hate marathons. Hate running. An hour before leaving, I received a text. Instead of ‘Good luck,’ it was ‘We’re finished.’ So, I went to a bar next to the subway on 95th. Had a few bourbons with some other mope. Then I got on a bike. I took off down the old Highway 750, the Lincoln Highway.” Forget Route 66. This is the original cross-country highway that takes you through real America, the first to cross all of the US from the Big Apple to the City on the Bay. This is the road trip. On a bike.
6. Youth Culture Forever
Ram V and Anand Radhakrishnan’s “Grafity’s Wall” was an independently published graphic novel from 2018. It’s incredibly moving, incredibly expressive, one of those books that tries to balance out everything the medium is capable of. Now, Dark Horse has picked up the rights to it and offer up this new expanded edition. Which means it much more likely to appear on the rack at your local comic shop.
Grafity’s Wall
Written by Ram V
Illustrated by Anand Radhakrishnan
Published by Dark Horse ComicsA coming-of-age graphic novel about rebellion, ambition, self-expression, and acceptance, expertly painted against the backdrop of Mumbai’s ever-changing and evolving street culture. Giving brief glimpses into the incandescent lives of four teens chasing their dreams impeded and inspired by the impossible city that they live in.
o From rising comic-book stars Anand RK and Ram V (Paradiso, These Savage Shores, Batman Secret Files).
“Anand RK’s dizzying art gorgeously captures not just the exciting hustle and bustle of Mumbai, but its challenging underside . . .” -Paste
5. To Live and Die Without Confrontation in the Darkness
I find it immensely frustrating that the easiest way to access these Russell stories is through these cripplingly expensive artist editions. Don’t get me wrong, these things are gorgeous. They’re beautifully made and assembled with a clear reverence to the source material. Seeing Russell’s artistic process also remains a fascinating study. But that there isn’t a more accessible and prohibitive way to get these stories (in print) is ridiculous.
The Selfish Giant & Other Stories
Written and Illustrated by P. Craig Russell
Published by Wayne Alan Harold ProductionsThis beautiful 12″X17″ oversized hardcover features complete stories scanned from P. Craig Russell’s stunning original art. The book includes six classic Oscar Wilde fairy tales adapted to comics by Russell: “The Selfish Giant,” “The Star Child,” “The Young King,” “The Remarkable Rocket,” “The Devoted Friend,” and “The Nightingale and the Rose.” Each page has been scanned in color to recreate as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual originals, including blue pencils, notes, art corrections and more. Pages are reproduced at original size on heavy paper stock to provide fans, aficionados and collectors with the best possible reproductions.
4. To the Brink
Here’s a book awash in atmospheric art. It takes place in a dystopian future, which leaves plenty of room for the story to go off the rails. I’m getting The Fountain vibes out of this one, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
Nils: The Tree of Life
Written by Jerome Hamon
Illustrated by Anotine Carrion
Published by Magnetic PressIn a distant future where nature has reclaimed much of the Earth, young Nils and his father set out to discover why the ground has recently grown infertile, only to discover a conspiracy between a high-tech neighboring kingdom and the supernatural beings who can offer them eternal life.
3. A Life Through the Lens
This biographical comic focuses on photographer Catherine Colin and her attempt to navigate life under an oppressive regime. This one looks like it’s going right for the heartstrings, so I’m sure a box of tissues is necessary to keep beside you while reading this one.
Continued belowCatherine’s War
Written by Julia Billet
Illustrated by Claire Fauvel
Published by Harper AlleyAt the Sèvres Children’s Home outside Paris, Rachel Cohen has discovered her passion: photography. Though she’s not heard from her parents in months, she loves the people at her school, adores capturing what she sees in pictures, and tries not to worry too much about Hitler’s war. But as France buckles under the Nazi regime, danger closes in, and Rachel must change her name and go into hiding. As Catherine Colin, Rachel is faced with leaving the Sèvres Home and the friends she made there behind. But with her beautiful camera, Catherine possesses an object with the power to remember. For the rest of the war, Catherine bears witness to her own journey, and to the countless heroes whose courage and generosity saved the lives of many, including her own. Includes a map and photographs of the real Catherine and her wartime experiences, as well as an interview with author Julia Billet. Available in softcover and hardcover editions.
2. Resistance Art
Castellucci and Rugg are the dream team for this story, about oddball high schoolers who form a secret club to spread art throughout the world. It’s that energy. It’s that enthusiasm. It’s that off-kilter attitude. Little, Brown collects the original two shorts, and then adds a third one to make sure this collection is well rounded out.
The Plain Janes
Written by Cecil Castellucci
Illustrated by Jim Rugg
Published by Little, BrownThe Janes are back! For the very first time, the first two installments of the cult classic graphic novel The Plain Janes–‘The Plain Janes’ and ‘Janes in Love’–are available bound up into one volume with a never-before-seen third story, ‘Janes Attack Back.’After getting caught in the midst of a terrorist attack on Metro City, artsy misfit Jane Beckles is forced to leave her beloved bustling metropolis for the boring suburb of Kent Waters. At first Jane thinks her life is over, but then she finds where she belongs: at the reject table in the cafeteria, along with Brain Jayne, Theater Jane, and sporty Polly Jane. United by only two things – a shared name and an all-too-relatable frustration with the adults around them – the girls form P.L.A.I.N., aka People Loving Art In Neighborhoods, a secret club dedicated to waking up their fellow citizens with guerrilla works of art scattered around town. But for Main Jane, the group is more than just a simple act of teenaged rebellion, it’s an act of survival. Armed with her sketchbook and a mission of resistance, she’s out to prove that true passion and a group of good friends can save anyone from the hell that is high school. Available in softcover and hardcover editions.
.
1. The Duke Abides
This sounds sort of in the vein of “The Fifth Beatle.” “Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams” focuses on the Ziggy Stardust years of Bowie’s career. From the sounds of it, it parallels his rise with the story of Ziggy Stardust himself. I love comics that try to match music to their medium and I love David Bowie, so I think we should keep our eye out for this.
Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns & Moonage Daydreams
Written by Steve Horton
Illustrated by Michael Allred
Published by Insight ComicsInspired by the one and only superhero, extraterrestrial, and rock and roll deity in history, BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams is the original graphic memoir of the great Ziggy Stardust!
In life, David Bowie was one of the most magnetic icons of modern pop culture, seducing generations of fans with both his music and his counterculture persona. In death, the cult of Bowie has only intensified. As a musician alone, Bowie’s legacy is remarkable, but his place in the popular imagination is due to so much more than his music. As a visual performer, he defied classification with his psychedelic aesthetics, his larger-than-life image, and his way of hovering on the border of the surreal.
BOWIE: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams chronicles the rise of Bowie’s career from obscurity to fame; and paralleled by the rise and fall of his alter ego as well as the rise and fall of Ziggy Stardust. As the Spiders from Mars slowly implode, Bowie wrestles with his Ziggy persona. The outcome of this internal conflict will change not only David Bowie, but also, the world.
Well that was fun! Feel free to let us know what you’re excited for!
