This month we say a fond farewell to Dark Horse Comics’ long-running line of Star Wars comics as they transition to their new publishing home at Marvel & the House of Mouse. One of my very first comic book memories was going to my LCS as a kid and trying to fill in the holes in the Archie Goodwin/Al Williamson “Classic Star Wars” run that were passed down to me. There are a lot of great stories, both new and re-told, among the Dark Horse “Star Wars” line. I hope that as the property departs from the company, comic readers will be inspired to seek out some of these runs.
So with that said, we begin:
10. “You’re all clear, kid! Now let’s blow this thing and go home!”
This is an honorary pick for all the Dark Horse “Star Wars” books this month. Please check ’em out and look back into their catalogue. Dark Horse was put into a jam on this one; they’ll do just fine without “Star Wars”, but they sure did right by the property.
Star Wars: Legacy #18
Corinna Bechko (W), Gabriel Hardman (W/A), Brian Albert Thies (A), Jordan Boyd (C), and Agustin Alessio (Cover)
On sale Aug 27
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Ongoing
Ania Solo and her friends find themselves fighting alongside the Imperial Knights and the Empress herself against a legion of Sith! While the others fight for control of the galaxy, Ania fights to save her friend—Imperial Knight Jao Assam, who has been enslaved by the dark side!
9. Dan Abnett takes you to the Dark side
I don’t know about you, but “The New Deadwardians” was something else. Exactly the kind of weirdly specific genre comic that the world needs more of. That’s kind of what “Dark Ages” sounds like – from the same creatives, to boot.
Dark Ages #1 (of 4)
Dan Abnett (W) and I.N.J. Culbard (A/Cover)
On sale Aug 13
FC, 40 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
The medieval world is locked in war. As a godless mercenary company slogs across Europe in search of sustenance and coin, they encounter a demonic force born not of hell, but of somewhere else entirely!
• From the creators of Vertigo’s The New Deadwardians!
• Starship Troopers meets Kingdom of Heaven!
• From New York Times best-selling author Dan Abnett!
8. Pires pops off the page
“POP” looks and sounds great. Sometimes all it takes is a great cover and a winning pitch to sell me on something. It doesn’t hurt to have Curt Pires involved; he’s a Multiversity favorite. The solicitation even says so.
POP #1 (of 4)
Curt Pires (W), Jason Copland (A), Pete Toms (C), and Dylan Todd (Cover)
On sale Aug 27
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
What if the world’s pop stars and celebrities were literally products, grown by the world’s wealthiest (and most depraved) minds—and one of them escaped?
As unique as it is entertaining, POP is a white-knuckled thrill ride through the marketing-mastered, technologically tethered tragicomedy we call life.
• Multiversity Comics named Curt Pires a “Creator to Watch in 2013.”
• ComicBook.com named Jason Copland a “Creator to Watch in 2014.”
• Smart and savage! Sexy and scathing!
7. Best Mignola of the month
I’m not sure how good or bad a “jumping-on point” any issue of “BPRD” is. I think you can jump in at the start of any storyline or one-off and have fun learning as you go. On the other hand, you owe it to yourself to get inside this universe and read all the great stories it has to offer. Go back and do it. Trust us – it’s worth it.
Continued belowB.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #122
Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W), Joe Querio (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Laurence Campbell (Cover)
On sale Aug 20
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Ongoing
Johann travels to Japan to fight giant monsters, but what he discovers is even more disturbing. A man with no brain has been drawing pictures . . . and they tell a terrifying story.
• Perfect jumping-on point for new readers.
6. “Science has not yet taught us if madness is or is not the sublimity of the intelligence.”
I’ve been pimping these in individual issues throughout past installments of this column. Lo and behold, they’re all in one place. I’ve accidentally missed one or two of these in individual release, but I can tell you right now – I’m picking this collection up. These are gorgeous to look at. Labors of love from one historic comic talent toward a master of language.
Edgar Allan Poe’s Spirits of the Dead HC
Richard Corben (W/A/Cover)
On sale Oct 1
FC, 216 pages
$24.99
HC, 7″ x 10″
This is the complete collection of Edgar Allan Poe classics adapted by master horror comics artist and Eisner Hall of Fame inductee Richard Corben. Collects all DHP stories, The Conqueror Worm, The Fall of the House of Usher #1–#2, The Raven and the Red Death, Morella and the Murders in the Rue Morgue and more.
5. Detective Spain Cat ™
If you’re not interested in a book about a cat-detective driving a Caddy through our scenic country, then we can’t be friends. Truth be told, “Blacksad” seems like an unlikely candidate to be as legitimately good as it is. Award-worthy stuff.
Blacksad: Amarillo HC
Juan Díaz Canales (W) and Juanjo Guarnido (A/Cover)
On sale Oct 8
FC, 72 pages
$17.99
HC, 8 3/8″ x 10 7/8″
Hard-boiled feline detective John Blacksad is back in the latest tour de force from the multiple-award-winning duo of writer Juan Díaz Canales and artist Juanjo Guarnido!
Taking a much-needed break after the events of A Silent Hell, Blacksad lands a side job driving a rich Texan’s prized yellow Cadillac Eldorado across 1950s America, hitting the back roads from New Orleans to Tulsa. But before long, the car is stolen and Blacksad finds himself mixed up in another murder, with roughneck bikers, a shifty lawyer, one down-and-out Beat generation writer, and some sinister circus folk! When John Blacksad goes on the road, trouble is dead ahead!
• Eisner and Harvey award-winner!
• Available in English for the very first time!
• Translated by Katie LaBarbera and Neal Adams!
Introduction by Neal Adams!
4. Another Seeley stunner
Right now, as far as I’m concerned, Tim Seeley can do no wrong. Whether its his stand-out work at the somewhat haphazard DC Comics or his ongoing success at Image Comics with “Revival”, the Seeley name is becoming a mark of quality. Jim Terry did some nice work in his recent “Jack Kraken” one-shot, really selling the emotion in a complex little story.
Sundowners #1
Tim Seeley (W), Jim Terry (A), Sean Dove (C), and Chris Brunner (Cover)
On sale Aug 27
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Ongoing
Faster than lightning! Stronger than steel! Crazier than an outhouse rat? Enter the Sundowners—sworn to protect humanity from interdimensional invaders! But is the threat real, or is it all in their heads?
• From Tim Seeley (Revival, Hack/Slash, The Occultist)!
• A dark look at the thin line between heroism and insanity!
3. Loverboy and Rockets
Might as well get ready for the end-of-year awards, right? Because “Loverboys” is going to be on plenty of those lists. Jaime & Gilbert Hernandez, or some combination of them, have been living on the awards circuit for years and years now. And they totally deserve it.
Continued belowLoverboys HC
Gilbert Hernandez (W/A/Cover)
On sale Oct 1
b&w, 88 pages
$19.99
HC, 6″ x 9″
In the small Palomar-like town of Lagrimas, a young “loverboy” has a torrid affair with the woman who once was his seventh grade teacher, while three young girls plot to poison the populace. It’s a passionate tale as only Gilbert Hernandez, the legendary cocreator of Love and Rockets, can deliver!
• Original hardcover graphic novel!
Gilbert Hernandez is “one of the greatest American storytellers. It’s so hard to do funny, tragic, local and epic, and he does all simultaneously, and with great aplomb.”—Junot Díaz, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
2. Now! That’s What I Call Dark Horse
This is like a “creator-owned greatest hits” package, isn’t it? “Big Guy and Rusty”, “Resident Alien”, “Kabuki”, etcetera – these are all classic names at this point. This is the only place to get them all in one gorgeous book, relaunched with a more palatable price point. I’m going to support the hell out of this.
And seriously, “Big Guy and Rusty”, you guys.
Dark Horse Presents #1
Geof Darrow (W/A/Cover/Variant cover), Frank Miller (W), Peter Hogan (W), Brendan McCarthy (W/A), Jimmy Palmiotti (W), Justin Gray (W), Damon Gentry (W), David Mack (W/A), Steve Parkhouse (A), Andy Kuhn (A), and Aaron Conley (A)
On sale Aug 20
FC, 48 pages
$4.99
Ongoing
Geof Darrow and Frank Miller’s Big Guy and Rusty the Boy Robot returns in this new volume of the award-winning, long-running anthology powerhouse Dark Horse Presents! Also in the 48-page tome of awesome comics: Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse’s Resident Alien, Brendan McCarthy’s Dream Gang, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Andy Kuhn’s Wrestling with Demons, Damon Gentry and Aaron Conley’s Sabertooth Swordsman, and David Mack’s Kabuki!
• Big Guy and Rusty return!
• The award-winning series returns at a new price—$4.99!
• Features special Geof Darrow gallery!
1. Happy Birthday, Usagi!
Could it be anything else at #1? The slow leak of Stan Sakai-related Dark Horse stuff has been happening for a few months now, with “Nilson Groundthumper”, the “Sakai Project”, and recent issues of “Dark Horse Presents”, but here it finally is: the return of Usagi Yojimbo in an all-new miniseries. This is special, folks.
Usagi Yojimbo: Senso #1 (of 6)
Stan Sakai (W/A/Cover) and Tom Luth (Cover colors)
On sale Aug 6
b&w, 24 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
Twenty years in his future, Miyamoto Usagi fights as a general for Lord Noriyuki, against the treacherous Lord Hikiji. In the fury of the final battle, a metal rocket crashes to earth—and inside is an enemy that neither side could have ever imagined! Witness the final fates of your favorite Usagi characters, in this all-new samurai epic with a startling science fiction twist!
• From multiple–Eisner award-winning creator Stan Sakai!
• An all new story set in Usagi’s future!
Celebrating Usagi’s 30th anniversary!
So there you have it. If we snubbed anything you like, mention it in the comments! If you want to see everything on tap for July 2014 from Dark Horse, CBR’s got everything right here.
