We’ve looked at upcoming comics from DC, Marvel, Image, and manga publishers. Now it’s time to flip through the rest of the Previews catalogue and see what we can find from mainstream, independent, underground, and small publishers.
Hold on to your butts.
1. Dracula Descends
Uruguayan cartoonist Alberto Breccia was one of the biggest names in Latin American comics. Notable for his work with Héctor Germán Oesterheld, he amassed a bibliography filled with equal parts vitality and controversy. Now, Fantagraphics has started a library series to spotlight his work, the inaugural title this sendup of Dracula. More humorous and even silly, this serves to showcase Breccia’s talents in cartoon storytelling. Like with many of Fantagraphics’ archival works, this is certain to be a gorgeous addition of comic history.
Alberto Breccia’s Dracula
Written and Illustrated by Alberto Breccia
Published by FantagraphicsIn this wordless, full-color collection of satiric short comics stories, Alberto Breccia chronicles the waning days of the most famous vampire of them all. Literally defanged, the protagonist’s glory days are long behind him and corrupt Government officials are now draining the life out of the population far more than one creature of the night ever could. This, Fantagraphics’ first entry in the Alberto Breccia Library, also includes a sketchbook showing the artist’s process.
2. In Other Rooms, Wonders
This ambition Felipe Melo and Juan Cavia show in this title is astounding. Brazilian Melo throws everything he can think of into the script, from huge mansions, rival musicians, to Nazi occupations, all of which Cavia delivers with limpid designs and exaggerated caricatures. It clocks in at 320 pages, and, with everything they’re putting into is, is sure to be an immersive experience.
Ballad for Sophie
Written by Felipe Melo
Illustrated by Juan Cavia
Published by Top ShelfA young journalist prompts a reclusive piano superstar to open up, resulting in this stunning graphic sonata exploring a lifetime of rivalry, regret, and redemption.
1933. In the small French village of Cressy-la-Valoise, a local piano contest brings together two brilliant young players: Julien Dubois, the privileged heir of a wealthy family, and François Samson, the janitor’s son. One wins, one loses, and both are changed forever.
1997. In a huge mansion stained with cigarette smoke and memories, a bitter old man is shaken by the unexpected visit of an interviewer. Somewhere between reality and fantasy, Julien composes, like in a musical score, a complex and moving story about the cost of success, rivalry, redemption, and flying pianos.
When all is said and done, did anyone ever truly win? And is there any music left to play?
Features:
-sweeping, ambitious storytelling that spans seven decades, from the German occupation of France through the wild 1960s to the modern era
-exquisitely dynamic artwork, bursting with life and perfectly suited to the unique and slightly off-kilter story
-Equally appealing to classical piano lovers and fans of sprawling literary/historical fiction
3. Lo Bro Gone Wild, Pt. 6
The “Blubber” series has seen Gilbert Hernandez at his most unhinged and wild. A taboo-breaking title filled with sex, bodily fluids, grotesque violence, and disturbing imagery, it’s so over-the-top you can’t help but have a good time with it. There’s no continuity. There’s no real adherence to story. These are comic sketches whose gags run toward the vile.
Blubber #6
Written and Illustrated by Gilbert Hernandez
Published by FantagraphicsBlubber is back! Unleashing the unfettered Id and imagination of the great Gilbert Hernandez! Absurd, explicit, and profanely comical, Blubber makes all other comics blush. In this issue, we visit ULU Productions, where supersized (??) sexuality knows no bounds! Another pulse-pounding issue in Herculean Hernandez Fashion!
4. Cyberpunk 20_Meow_Meow
Originally published as a webcomic, Victoria Douglas’s imagination goes into overdrive in this wild and inventive cartoon. Douglas gives our titular cat a cyberpunk imagination with fast bikes, a massive megapolis, and loud anime visuals. There’s a lot of clever gags to this world, especially in how Douglas reincorporates kitchen elements. And, on top of that, it presents an immersive and engaging setting, one that wouldn’t be too far off from some self-serious sci-fi epic.
Continued belowCinnamon #1
Written and Illustrated by Victoria Douglas
Published by Behemoth ComicsCinnamon is just your perfectly ordinary, average housecat. At least until we get a glimpse of the world through her eyes! Countertops become skyscrapers, cat toys become biker gangs, and perilous giant robots rampage on the daily! Get drop kicked onto the action packed streets of Big Kitchen City, as she fights the dark forces that dare to keep her from her favorite treat… Catnip!
5. Midwestern Horrors
Eric Powell enlists Harold Schechter, a writer who specializes in true crime narratives, t craft this docu-comic about Ed Gein. Powell’s art is creepy and unsettling, a mood that fits the story of this killer whose legend and reputation grew far beyond anyone’s control.
“Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?”
Written by Eric Powell and Harold Schechter
Illustrated by Eric Powell
Published by Albatross FunnybooksOne of the greats in the field of true-crime literature, Harold Schechter, teams with five-time Eisner Award-winning graphic novelist Eric Powell to bring you the tale of one of the most notoriously deranged murderers in American history, Ed Gein. This is an in-depth exploration of the Gein family and what led to the creation of the necrophile who haunted the dreams of 1950s America and inspired such films as Psycho, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, and The Silence of the Lambs. Schechter and Powell’s true-crime graphic novel takes the Gein story out of the realms of exploitation and gives the reader a fact-based dramatization of these tragic, heartbreaking and psychotic events.
6. Universe of Wonders
The YouNiverse line from Dark Horse Comics and YouNeek Studios use African, specifically Nigerian, folktales and myths to build their world. “Iyanu: Child of Wonder” bears many features and tropes of fantasy adventures, but Akpan’s art is dynamic and vibrant and fresh perspectives can breathe new life into any genre. This is part of a shared universe line of comics, one that spans eons and epochs. I have no idea if they merely share the world or if there will be something that ties them altogether in the end. This is comics we’re talking about, so I’m sure it’ll be the latter.
Iyanu: Child of Wonder
Written by Roye Okupe
Illustrated by Goldwin Akpan
Published by Dark Horse ComicsIyanu, a teenage orphan with no recollection of her past, suddenly discovers that she has abilities that rival the ancient deities told in the folklore of her people. It is these abilities that are the key to bringing back an “age of wonders,” as Iyanu begins her journey to save a world on the brink of destruction! The Corrupt-cursed wildlife and strange, divine beasts-are determined to destroy humanity, unless Iyanu can stop them.
Dark Horse and YouNeek Studios launch a shared universe of African fantasy and superhero stories-the YouNeek YouNiverse!
Extraordinary stories about extraordinary characters inspired by African history, culture, and mythology.
7. To Marmalade Skies
There comes that moment in any kid’s life when The Beatles clicks for them. Their musicianship, their arrangements, their influence, it comes together. Even if pop music has moved beyond what The Beatles set up, the band’s ambition and experimentation led to a relevancy we can still see today. Or maybe it’s that older generations — not just Boomers, either — continue to seek out the band’s songs. Such is the case in this book for young readers, about a young girl who discovers The Beatles and sets out to make a cover band of her own. There’s bound to be life lessons, some emotional upheavals, but it’s also undoubtedly enough to make you find that copy of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band again.
Continued belowLucy in the Sky
Written by Kiara Brinkman
Illustrated by Sean Chiki
Published by First Second BooksIn this contemporary middle-grade graphic novel, twelve-year-old Lucy discovers her father’s collection of Beatles records and is inspired to form an all-girl rock band.
It’s the first day of seventh grade, and everything is going downhill for Lucy Sutcliffe. At school, her friends seem to be leaving her behind. At home, her single father is in a rut, and her perpetually wandering journalist mother is more absent than ever. Worse of all, Lucy’s beloved grandmother is undergoing chemotherapy and is no longer the vital, unflagging presence that her family has come to depend on.Then Lucy discovers the Beatles, gets a drumset, and decides to form a rock band. Things are suddenly looking up.
8. Nilson and Henry are Dead
It’s Stan Sakai allowing himself to have a little fun with the medium. If cartoonists aren’t willing to goof around with their material, what’s the point of comics anyway?
The Adventures of Nelson Grounthumper & Henry
Written and Illustrated by Stan Sakai
Published by Dark Horse ComicsExperience the rabbit action epic that might have been! More than just a precursor to Stan Sakai’s beloved Usagi Yojimbo, his tales of medieval unwits Nilson and Hermy are every bit as funny, exciting, and beautifully illustrated as the saga of the familiar rabbit ronin! Collecting Nilson and Hermy’s complete exploits!
9. Crawlers
There’s a whole mess of media accompanying this title from Patrick Kindlon and Goran Gligoyic. It feels a little bit like the Adventure Time episode “Dungeon Train” or the Infinity Train series, which I think is great since it provides the creative team with plenty of opportunities to explore different styles and designs. Plus, if you like what you read, you’re given the opportunity to play through this world on your own in a pen-and-paper RPG.
Run the Dungeon
Written by Patrick Kindlon
Illustrated by Goran Gligoyic
Published by Z2 ComicsRelst is just your average young man. Except he is stuck in an Endless Dungeon. Follow him as “adventures” through the Dungeon hoping to escape to the surface world. Run the Dungeon is for fans of witty fantasy adventures everywhere. Includes a soundtrack from Self Defense Family and an original pen and paper RPG based on the book.
10. Sensitive Lovers
The basic plot here hints this is something more sensual and suggestive, if not outright erotic, like Super Lovers or Sensitive Pornograph or something. It’s probably very sweet and honest. Kanna Kii delivers a lot of emotion in every panel, which is bound to reflect back on us.
Seaside Stranger
Written and Illustrated by Kanna Kii
Published by Seven Seas EntertainmentA love story between an openly gay novelist and a young man coping with grief that was recently turned into an anime film! Shun has been living in Okinawa with his grandmother ever since a disastrous coming out to his parents. One day he meets Mio, a high school student who recently lost his parents and who now spends his days sitting by the sea. The two of them are just starting to bond when Mio reveals that he’s heading for the mainland. Three years later, an adult Mio returns to Okinawa… and he’s come to find Shun and reveal what’s in his heart.
Well that was fun. Let us know what you’re looking forward to in the comments.
