We’re back with another edition of Soliciting Multiversity, where we give a rundown of the highlights from the next round of comics solicitations. Today, we’re taking a look at Dark Horse’s May 2013, and we’ve got a lot to look forward to, including seven new miniseries, the next “Avatar: The Last Airbender” OGN and a new “Legend of Korra” art book, as well as the usual stellar lineup of creator-owned titles, licensed properties, manga reprints, and the revitalization of Dark Horse’s own lineup of superheroes.
There’s a lot to get to, so I’ll spare you all a lengthy introduction, but I do want to point out that we finally have confirmation from someone at Dark Horse that the rumors about “Star Wars” moving to Marvel are false, at least for the foreseeable future, and Dark Horse has some sort of “huge announcement” related to their Star Wars lineup coming up for us soon. You can read the full CBR interview with Dark Horse Vice President of Publishing Randy Stradley here. Now, let’s get to the fun part!
From Spicy Horse To Dark Horse
Our first new series is a three-issue tie-in with American McGee’s new free-to-play multiplayer RPG, “Akaneiro: Demon Hunters.” The story is a take on the classic fairy tale “Little Red Riding Hood,” transplanting the character to feudal Japan and taking away the “damsel in distress” aspect of the story. From the looks of it, this “Little” Red Riding Hood needs no woodsman to come to her rescue! I haven’t tried the game yet myself, but if you’re curious you can find it here. The comic will be scripted by Justin Aclin (“Wizard”, “Star Wars: Clone Wars–Defenders of the Lost Temple”) and drawn by Vasilis Lolos (“Conan the Barbarian”). Let’s see that solicitation:
Exciting new series!
AKANEIRO #1 (of 3)
Justin Aclin (W), Vasilis Lolos (A), and TBD (Cover)
On sale May 22
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
From the brilliant imagination of video game auteur American McGee comes a dazzling reenvisioning of Red Riding Hood set in the wondrous world of Japanese folklore! Justin Aclin and Vasilis Lolos take Kania young woman torn between two cultureson an epic adventure battling devious yokai for the fate of her world!
• Based on the hot new game by American McGee’s Spicy Horse Games!
A Serious Case of Sleepwalking
This next one caught my eye, and not just because of the sweet Alex Ross cover, above. “Dream Thief” is a five-issue miniseries about a thief who steals a cursed mask from a museum, and discovers he’s being possessed by the dead as he sleeps, and made to commit some pretty heinous crimes that he has to try to constantly cover up. It’s written by Jai Nitz, best known for the Bram Stoker Award-winning “Heaven’s Devils,” and illustrated by Greg Smallwood, one of the contributing artists to Alex De Campi’s “Ashes.” It’s a great concept, I’m curious to see where they go with it.
Your dreams . . . His nightmare!
DREAM THIEF #1 (of 5)
Jai Nitz (W), Greg Smallwood (A), and Alex Ross (Cover)
On sale May 15
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
After stealing an Aboriginal mask from a museum, John Lincoln realizes that the spirits of the vengeful dead are possessing his body and mind while he sleeps! His old problems have been replaced by bloody hands and the disposal of bodies—and now remembering where he spent last night has never been more important!
• Bram Stoker Award winner Jai Nitz and Greg Smallwood craft a gritty, fast-paced drama.
• Cover by Alex Ross!
A Match Made In Hell
If you don’t follow “Dark Horse Presents” and missed the “Conqueror Worm” one-shot, you may not have noticed that master horror artist Richard Corben (whose credits are too long to fit in this article) has been putting out some absolutely stellar interpretations of Edgar Allan Poe’s classic poems and short stories for Dark Horse. That’s right, one of the greatest American horror artists teamed up with the words of the man who is arguably America’s greatest horror writer. Poe’s work is vividly visual, and perfect for adapting to the comics medium. This two-issue miniseries adapts the short story “The Fall of the House of Usher,” which many consider his most famous prose piece, as well as one of the most disturbing. It’s the perfect vessel for Corben’s particular style, and I can’t wait to devour it!
Continued belowCorben adapts Poe!
EDGAR ALLAN POE’S THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER #1 (of 2)
Richard Corben (W/A/Cover)
On sale May 15
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
A sickness resides in the house of Usher. Its history is cursed, its tenants plagued by abominable love, and it’s hallways lined with coffins and the rotted dead.
Things are about to get worse.
• An incestuous nightmare brought to you by horror legend Richard Corben.
Conan Is King!
While Brian Wood’s run on “Conan the Barbarian” has been nothing short of epic, it’s been somewhat lacking in one major aspect of Conan mythology: sorcery. If you’ve been missing the spell-weaving and sorcerer-slaying side of everyone’s favorite barbarian, Dark Horse now has you covered with this new miniseries adapting the Robert E. Howard novel also known as “Conan the Conqueror”:
An imprisoned King Conan battles a forgotten evil!
KING CONAN: HOUR OF THE DRAGON #1 (of 6)
Timothy Truman (W), Tomás Giorello (P), José Villarrubia (C), Gerald Parel (Cover), and Sanjulian (Variant cover)
On sale May 29
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Ongoing
King Conan has faced many threats to his throne in Aquilonia—but none more deadly than a traitorous alliance backed by the resurrected sorcerer Xaltotun, at whose command mountains crumble!
• Adapts Robert E. Howard’s only Conan novel in two six-issue miniseries!
• The return of a fan-favorite Conan creative team!
• With The Legend of Conan announced for 2014, Conan is essential reading!
Declaring Victories
This one’s a tad confusing, as the solicitation mentions that Michael Avon Oeming’s “The Victories”* is “Now an ongoing series!” but also lists this issue as “#1 (of 5).” I’m assuming they mean to start releasing the series in the Mignola-esque series-of-miniseries style, but the “(of 5)” could just be a typo of sorts. Either way, this new superhero team from the artist of “Powers” has kicked enough ass to keep on fighting, and that’s a victory for all of us.
Super %$#@ed Up!
MICHAEL AVON OEMING’S THE VICTORIES #1 (of 5)
Michael Avon Oeming (W/A/Cover) and Nick Filardi (C)
On sale May 1
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Ongoing
Following the Jackal’s faceoff with Faustus and an attack on the US infrastructure, the Victories face a plague of new evils threatening their city. Who is trying to destroy our nation? Can the Victories overcome their own spiritual demons to keep the team together and save the world?
• Now an ongoing series!
“If you like Powers, you will love The Victories!”— Brian Michael Bendis
“One of the most anticipated comics of the year” —Comic Booked
*As much as I love MAO’s work, I refuse to consider his name part of the title!
Mister X Returns, Gets Immediately Evicted
Dean Motter is a celebrated comics veteran considered to be an early pioneer of the graphic novel format. His groundbreaking series “Mister X” helped jump-start the careers of several alternative comics masters, including Los Bros. Hernandez and D’Israeli, and now finds a new home at Dark Horse with a new three-issue miniseries subtitled “Eviction.”
Dean Motter’s acclaimed series!
MISTER X: EVICTION #1 (of 3)
Dean Motter (W/P/Cover) and Hamid Bahrami (I/C)
On sale May 1
FC, 24 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
Dean Motter and his groundbreaking creation are back in a new series perfect for first-time readers and longtime fans! Radiant City’s government has been overtaken in a coup, and only the mysterious Mister. X can stop its new masters from using authoritarian psychetecture to remake the minds of every citizen!
• From visionary artist and designer Dean Motter!
• A great jumping-on point to the classic series!
• Features an additional, standalone Mister X tale!
X Marks The Spot
Not to be confused with Mister X, Dark Horse’s revival of the classic “Comics’ Greatest World” vigilante hero spins out of “Dark Horse Presents” and in to his own four-issue miniseries. Dark Horse has begun reviving its own superhero universe, and to prove they’re serious about it, they brought in heavyweights Duane Swierczynski (“Bloodshot,” “Immortal Iron Fist”) and Eric Nguyen (“Strange Girl,” “Arkham Unhinged”) to helm the reboot. It’ll have two great covers, but my favorite is the variant cover by Paolo Rivera, above.
Continued belowSuper Brutal!
X #1 (of 4)
Duane Swierczynski (W), Eric Nguyen (A), Michelle Madsen (C), Dave Wilkins (Cover), and Paolo Rivera (Variant cover)
On sale May 8
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Miniseries
The enigmatic vigilante X has shattered Arcadia’s criminal triumvirate, the Three Pigs, and fixed his eye on an even tougher target. But with the police department AND the crime establishment teamed up against him, muckraking blogger Leigh Ferguson may be X’s only ally! The brutal story of Dark Horse’s bloodiest hero begins anew!
• Swierczynski and Nguyen relaunch the classic Dark Horse vigilante!
• X is the letter of the law!
More Aang And A Legendary Art Book
Following up on their recent series of high-quality, best-selling art books, including one for “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” they’re now following it up with “The Legend of Korra: The Art of the Animated Series.” If orders for the previous art books in this series are any indication, this could be a pretty big book, definitely a must-have for hardcore fans of the series.
Also coming up for fans of “Avatar” is the second volume of “The Search,” with Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru. These OGNs have been selling like hotcakes, and are bridging the gap between the direct market and in the book market. Hopefully they’ll help bring in some of those elusive new comic book readers we always talk about finding:
Dark Horse Presents Blackout!
As I mentioned before, Dark Horse has been bringing back some of its own superheroes, like X, Ghost, Captain Midnight and Bloodhound. But reviving the old isn’t enough, apparently, as the big news for “Dark Horse Presents” #24 is the introduction of a new superhero named Blackout, with Frank Barberie and Micah Kaneshiro at the helm. I’m not sure whether or not he’s powered, or much about him at all, but the cover by Raymond Swanland has definitely piqued my interest! I say this every month, but more people should be reading “Dark Horse Presents,” it always has a great lineup. Two other new stories, “Trekker” and “Hunter Quaid,” are supplemented by new installments of “Alabaster: Boxcar Tales,” “Nexus,” “Bloodhound” and more. It should be a great issue, check out the solicit:
Introducing Blackout, An all-new hero!
DARK HORSE PRESENTS #24
Frank Barbiere (W), Caitlín R. Kiernan (W), Ron Randall (W/A), Fred Van Lente (W), Phil Stanford (W), Peter Hogan (W), Dan Jolley (W), Mike Baron (W), Donny Cates (W), Eliot Rahal (W), Shannon Wheeler (W/A), Micah Kaneshiro (A), Steve Lieber (A), Freddie Williams II (A), Patric Reynolds (A), Phil Winslade (A), Leonard Kirk (A), Steve Rude (A), Melissa Curtin (A), and Raymond Swanland (Cover)
On sale May 22
FC, 80 pages
$7.99
Ongoing
Step into the darkness with the brand-new Dark Horse superhero Blackout, written by Frank Barbiere with art by Micah Kaneshiro! Get ready for sci-fi action with the return of Ron Randall’s Trekker! Take the case and save the world with Donny Cates and Eliot Rahal’s Hunter Quaid! Plus, new installments of Alabaster: Boxcar Tales, Nexus, Crime Does Not Pay, Brain Boy, King’s Road, Bloodhound, and Villain House.
The Force Is Strong With This One
As I mentioned in the intro, Dark Horse still holds the reins on the Star Wars universe. There’s nothing new to announce this month other than more installments of our current series and three new trade paperbacks: “Purge,” “Agent of the Empire Vol. 2,” and “Dawn of the Jedi Vol. 2.” Your guess is probably better than mine what the “huge announcement” could be, feel free to speculate in the comments!
Hellboy Takes A Break, The Lobster Fills In
There’s no issue of “Hellboy In Hell” to look forward to in May, but it sure doesn’t seem like it’s going to slow down the Mignolaverse much. John Arcudi teams up with Kevin Nowlan for a Lobster Johnson one-shot subtitled “Satan Smells A Rat,” and while they don’t count as new miniseries any more, a new story arc begins in “BPRD” #107, ‘Wasteland.’ Laurence Campbell (Punisher MAX) will take over on artwork for this one, which follows in the aftermath of ‘The Abyss of Time.’ We’ll also see a trade paperback collecting “The Pickens County Horror,” “The Transformation of J. H. O’Donnell, and “The Abyss of Time” and new issues of Abe Sapien’s new ongoing and the ‘Vampire’ mini by Ba and Moon.
Continued below
LOBSTER JOHNSON: SATAN SMELLS A RAT
Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W), Kevin Nowlan (A/Cover), and Kevin Nowlan (C)
On sale May 22
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
One-shot
The artist of Hellboy: Buster Oakley Gets His Wish returns for two-gun vengeance!
Someone is killing off skid row bums and dumping their corpses. The only one who can deliver justice is Hellboy’s favorite gun-blazing vigilante.
“This series continues to prove why Mike Mignola is one of the best creative forces in comic books and should be a must read for anyone.” —Technorati
Welcome to the end of the world!
B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH #107: WASTELAND part 1 (of 3)
Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W), Laurence Campbell (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Dave Johnson (Cover)
On sale May 15
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Ongoing
Johann leads a B.P.R.D. team on a rescue mission in Chicago to locate the group of agents lost in B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth: The Abyss of Time. What they find is a devastated city, full of giant Ogdru Hem, and a flood of humans transformed into monsters.
• Art by Laurence Campbell (Marvel Universe vs. Wolverine, Punisher MAX).
• Cover by Dave Johnson (100 Bullets).
• Cowritten by Mike Mignola!
“It’s as good a time as any to check in with a series that started as a Hellboy spin-off but has become a force in its own right.”—Comic Book Resources
Shelf Decorations
I already mentioned the “Legend of Korra” art book, but there will be a few beautiful new hardcovers for us to look forward to. “Fagin the Jew,” Will Eisner’s take on “Oliver Twist,” gets a 10th Anniversary edition hardcover, and we’ll see a hardcover as well for the fourteenth volume of Conan. There will also be a collection of Tarzan Sunday comics strips from the early 1930’s that should be interesting for fans of the character or classic newspaper strips.
Dark Horse Manga
Dark Horse has three new volumes of manga reprints on the way. Since I am sadly ignorant when it comes to manga, I’ll let the solicitations speak for themselves:
GANTZ VOLUME 28 TP
Hiroya Oku (W/A)
On sale July 24
b&w, 234 pages
$13.99
TP, 5 1/8” x 7 1/16”
With America in ruins and Gantz teams the world over slaughtered, an armada of war machines the size of skyscrapers rains down on Japan and begins the systematic extermination of the population. But even without the support of the now-silent Gantz orb, the former Osaka Gantz warriors take to the streets to fight back in what can only be a suicide mission!
• Gantz has sold over fifteen million copies in Japan!
• Popular anime series and live-action feature.
“Drawn with eye-popping realism, Oku’s scenes range from infanticide to bestiality to painful adolescent awkwardness, raising standard geek fare to a new level of sophistication.”—Entertainment Weekly
“Gantz is the nastiest manga in the North American market.” —Ain’t It Cool News
GATE 7 VOLUME 4 TP
CLAMP (W/A)
On sale July 17
b&w, 176 pages
$10.99
TP, 5 1/8″ x 7 3/16″
Hana’s team of warriors, including the slightly overwhelmed Chikahito, must convince more reincarnated historical figures to join their side. The supernatural battle between strange mystical clans and their powerful oni creatures intensifies! The latest volume in CLAMP’s gorgeous, fast-paced series comes to readers just a few months after its Japanese release date.
• CLAMP has more titles released in English than any other manga creator!
• Urban fantasy in the vein of Buffy and the Harry Potter series!
Continued belowCLAMP’s great manga epic!
TOKYO BABYLON BOOK TWO TP
CLAMP (W/A)
On sale July 10
b&w, 560 pages
$19.99
TP, 5 3/4″ x 8 1/4″
Tokyo, 1991, rich and glittering: the city of twelve million dreams—and just as many nightmares, none darker than the vision Subaru retains of his meeting under the cherry tree with Seishiro as a child. The kindly Seishiro begins to show a sinister face to the mirror as Subaru’s grandmother, the matriarch of the Sumeragi clan, arrives in Tokyo—warning her young relative of what she has foreseen—and never to remove the stylish gloves she has insisted he wear all these years. What will be revealed, and what touched, in the conclusion to Tokyo Babylon . . . ?
• Tokyo Babylon is a prequel to the events of CLAMP’s X.
• Contains over a dozen illustrations in full color.
• The anime was released in English by Manga Entertainment.
“Tokyo Babylon is CLAMP’s first really great work.”—Manga: The Complete Guide
New Conan Artist
Our last noteworthy news item for the month is the start of a new story arc on Brian Wood’s “Conan the Barbarian,” which of course means a new artist takes a turn. Davide Gianfelice was one of the regulars on “Northlanders,” so the two have collaborated in the recent past. Gianfelice is also known for his work on “Greek Street”, “Six Guns” and “Daredevil: Reborn.”
And That’s A Wrap
Of course, as always, there are plenty of things coming out that we didn’t have time to go over. Things are quiet in the Buffyverse now that “Willow: Wonderland” is over, so we’ll only get the usual installments of “Season 9” and “Angel & Faith.” “Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Orm of the Loch Ness” and “Orchid” both get new trade paperbacks, Palmiotti & Gray’s “The Deep Sea” gets collected from “DHP” into a one-shot of its own, and of course a gang of the usual suspects: “47 Ronin,” “Creepy,” “Mind MGMT,” “The Massive,” and so on. Check out the full list of solicits if you’d like to take a closer look.
That’s it for Dark Horse, we’ll be back tomorrow with a look at DC and yet another impending round of change-ups in the “New” 52.
