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Soliciting Multiversity: The Best of the Rest for March 2017

By | December 30th, 2016
Posted in Columns | % Comments

Hello and welcome to Multiversity’s look at the “Best of the Rest” of what’s coming your way in the now-available November 2016 Previews catalog. Having already taken a look at what Marvel, Dark Horse, DC, and Image have lined up for us, it’s now time to consolidate the entire 75% of the catalogue into one list!

That said, let’s dive in:

10. Arrest This Girl

Okay okay okay, we’re all singing Radiohead right now, and in all honesty, this book grabbed my attention as I flipping through the catalogue because of its name. But it sounds fun? And like it’s trying to use the concepts toward its advantage? I don’t know. For a minute there, I lost myself.

Karma Police #1
Written by Chris Lewis
Illustrated by Jasen Smith
Published by Vault Comics

Jack Allen is a young woman who has been recognized as the reincarnation of a Tibetan monastery’s holiest monk. Trained as a compassionate assassin, Jack soon discovers an enchanted dagger from her previous incarnation’s bloody past. But she’ll have to resist its lure to stop the violence surrounding her in the present.

 

9. Appalachian Monstrosities

What is this book? It’s from Eric Powell, so there’s obviously going to be some level of insanity to it. There’s a lot of Powell fans in the Multiversity offices, so I’m sure they’ll be happy at having this series in one convenient volume.

Hillbilly Vol. 1
Written and Illustrated by Eric Powell
Published by Albatross Funnybooks

The first four issues and the ComiXology short story of Eric Powell’s Appalachian fantasy series are collected here along with bonus sketch material!

 

8. Paraplegic Punks

What I love about Boom! Studios is that they grab all these great cartoonists and get them to put out some ridiculous and imaginative series. Liz Prince has produced some great work, and Amanda Kirk’s artwork bears that animated crispness that’s engaging and delightful while managing to hide its more morbid tendencies.

Coady & The Creepies #1
Written by Liz Prince
Illustrated by Amanda Kirk
Published by Boom! Studios

Punk isn’t dead…but Coady is.

Coady, Criss, and Corey are sisters and bandmates in the band Coady and the Creepies. After a van accident leaves Corey badly scarred and Criss in a wheelchair, they’re getting back into the punk scene.

But they still need to contend with the challenges of staying true to their punk ideals, while also dealing with the media attention they’ve attracted, as well as the tension surrounding the fact that Coady escaped the accident seemingly unscathed.

Now on tour, they’re fighting their way through the (sometimes literal) battle of the bands, earning enamel pins, and heading for the gig of their lives…so long as no one realizes that Coady is actually a ghost

 

7. Not Your Father’s Hardy Boys

I am not entirely sure what D.E., Del Col, and Dell’Edera are going for with this book. The gritty reboot craze is still a thing, I guess. At the same time, I’m interested in seeing this reinterpretation of the characters who sleuthed through all our youths. It could be “Afterlife with Archie”/“Sabrina” or it could be Dog Sees God. I’m curious to find out. And okay I do like that cover.

Nancy Drew/Hardy Boys #1
Written by Anthony Del Col
Illustrated by Wrther Dell’Edera
Published by D.E.

THE BIG LIE is a Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys mystery unlike any other you’ve ever read…

When the teenage brothers Frank and Joe Hardy are accused of the murder of their father – a detective in the small resort town of Bayport – they must team up with the femme fatale Nancy Drew to prove their innocence (and find the real guilty party in the process) in a twisting, hard-boiled tale, complete with double-crosses, deceit and dames.

Inspired by new crime classics like Ed Brubaker’s Fatale and Darwyn Cooke’s Parker series, writer Anthony Del Col (Assassin’s Creed, Kill Shakespeare) and artist Werther Dell’Edera (Batman: Detective Comics, House of Mystery) bring the iconic teen detectives into the modern age, and redefine noir for a new generation of readers!

Continued below

 

6. Baltazar and Franco Come to Riverdale

All right, you only need to look at the names of the creative teams to know this is going to be great.

Little Archie
Written by Art Baltazar & Franco
Illustrated by Art Baltazar
Published by Archie Comics

Brand New One-Shot Special! Archie’s wildest day ever starts with a cat eating his homework – and things just get crazier from there! But this isn’t just an ordinary cat, and this certainly won’t be an ordinary day for Little Archie and his friends. Join in on the fun adventure from the superstar comics team Art Baltazar and Franco (Tiny Titans, Action Cat and Adventure Bug)!

 

5. Who Ya Gonna Call?

The 2016 Ghostbusters are coming to comics! It sounds like a “Crisis on Infinite Earths” type situation that’s okay. I really dig the new Ghostbusters crew (HOLTZMANN FOR LIFE), and I hope Burnham and Schoening are able to capture their voices and personalities. And hopefully not make it an apology for the 2016 movie because of them friggin fanboys.

Ghostbusters 101 #1
Written by Eric Burnham
Illustrated by Dan Schoening
Published by IDW Publishing

“Let’s Do The Space-Warp Again!” Before they began investigating the supernatural, most of the original Ghostbusters were teachers… and they’ve decided it’s time they start sharing their knowledge again. But when their first batch of students start poking around the firehouse and accidentally set in motion the merging of two universes (it’s easier than you’d think) Venkman, Stantz, Zeddemore, and Spengler will need all the help they can get to put things right! And who do you think will Answer The Call? (If you guessed Holtzmann, Yates, Tolan, and Gilbert… you get a gold star!) It’s a brand new inter-dimensional meeting of the minds, starting here!

 

4. People of Eartha

Cathy Malkasian’s (“Percy Gloom”) work is constantly something to behold. She gets a lot of emotion from her pencil drawings and captures a great deal of beauty about the world around us. I’ve only seen a couple preview images from “Eartha”, but goddammit is it gorgeous.

Eartha
Written and Illustrated by Cathy Malkasian
Published by Fantagraphics

Cathy Malkasian’s Eartha is an expansive tale of pastoral life, city corruption, greed, and addictions, and reverberates with questions plaguing us today, such as the alienating effects of hyper-connectivity and the self-destructive obsession with novelty. Malkasian’s rigorous draftsmanship, stunning landscapes and sophisticated storytelling are all on display in Eartha, making this the author’s lushest and most impressive graphic novel yet.

 

3. From Italy to New York

It’s a New York tale, but it’s a New York tale told by an outsider. I think as a certain sect of American people want so badly to become exclusive, it’s more than necessary to see what else is out there, how people from other places may view our weird, melting pot culture.

Sound of the World by Heart (Il Suono del Mondo a Memoria)
Written and Illustrated by Giacomo Bevilacqua
Published by Lion Forge

An experiment in social isolation turns into a journey of self-discovery as a photojournalist commits to chronicle 60 days in New York City without talking to a single person. More than just an exercise in observation and self-control, he’s hoping to forget a troubled past and mend a broken heart. But the city has a sneaky way of throwing the best laid plans and noble efforts to waste revealing secrets that lie right in front of him. All he has to do is open his eyes. A touching, vividly illustrated journey through contemporary modern New York, exploring what it takes to find yourself – and maybe your soulmate – in the middle of a crowded, bustling modern world.

 

2. Save the Animals, Save Yourself

I mean, I wish we all could have some magic something-or-another to help us cope when we discover a thing we love is produced through questionable and problematic means.

Animals Crackers
Written by Scott Christian Sava
Illustrated by Alison Acton
Published by :01 First Second

Dangerous stunts, flying acrobats, and even the clowns Uncle Doug hated so much – Owen is itching to see all of it. But when his little sister Zoe, a self-proclaimed animal whisperer, accuses the ringmaster of mistreating the circus animals, the last thing Owen has time to do is to watch the show! With the help of some magical animal crackers that can transform him into a bear, a hippo, or even a hamster, Owen sets out to rescue his kidnapped uncle and sister from the hands of the scheming ringmaster and his circus lackeys.

Continued below

 

1. Kindt by Any Other Name

This is another one of the books where the creative team alone is enough to warrant interest. It’s odd seeing Kindt’s name on an original project not at Dark Horse, though.

Grass Kings #1
Written by Matt Kindt
Illustrated by Tyler Jenkins
Published by Boom! Studios

From The New York Times bestselling writer Matt Kindt (“Mind MGMT”) and “Peter Panzerfaust” artist Tyler Jenkins comes a rural mystery series chronicling the tragic lives of the Grass Kings, three brothers and rulers of a trailer park kingdom, a fiefdom of the hopeless and lost, of the desperate poor seeking a promised land.

Eldest brother Robert leads a grief-stricken life, having lost his daughter to a tragic accident, followed by his wife disappearing one morning never to return.

When an enigmatic young woman named Maria flees to their community in search of safe haven, Robert takes her in. Will his decision lead to ruin and retribution dooming the Kingdom?

Perfect for fans of True Detective Season One or “Scalped”.

Oversized, prestige format first issue featuring 30 pages of story!

Well, that was fun! And let me know what books YOU’RE excited for in the comments section.


//TAGS | Soliciting Multiversity

Matthew Garcia

Matt hails from Colorado. He can be found on Twitter as @MattSG.

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