Dark Horse Comics’ outlook for November 2014 looks like business as usual, to me. Lots of great comics coming out from the publisher – even more than I had room to name here. Standards like “Mind MGMT” and “The Massive” should remain on your pulls, but I’ve highlighted a number of things below that need your love too. To top it all off, the #1 pick on this list is the definition of a “pleasant surprise.” Check out the list and then let me know what I missed in the comments section.
10. The Midnight Special
“Captain Midnight” is a class act of a comic book. I know that kind of sounds like a boring way to say it, but that’s what “Captain Midnight” is – a superhero comic that is solid in every way but goes unheralded because there’s not much that’s “flashy” about it. Don’t make the mistake of skipping it because of that, because Joshua Williamson is in top form on it and Fernando Dagnino does dynamic cape comics with the best of ’em.
Captain Midnight #17
Joshua Williamson (W), Fernando Dagnino (A), Javier Mena (C), and Michael Broussard (Cover)
On sale Nov 26
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Ongoing
Captain Midnight may be a genius, an inventor, and a fighter . . . but is the time traveler ready to be a superhero in the modern era? And is he ready for his first date since 1944?! Meanwhile, a mysterious power has taken over Sharkbyte Technology and the assassin Helios has forged a rocky allegiance with Midnight’s closest allies.
• Written by Joshua Williamson (Nailbiter, Ghosted)!
“It is entertaining, exciting, well written, with expertly driven artwork and color.” —Comic Bastards
9. Still stumping for anthology comics
I can’t stress enough just how valuable I think anthology comics are. Everything in “Dark Horse Presents” has some mark of quality going for it or a pedigree that makes it worth a look. Sometimes the really good stuff is collected elsewhere, but what if it’s not? More than that, it’s a place for creators to be a little weirder or more flexible to create. With “Dark Horse Presents”, there’s rarely a dud, especially with a smaller page count.
Dark Horse Presents #4
Alex de Campi (W), Brendan McCarthy (W/A), Jimmy Palmiotti (W), Justin Gray (W), Tyler Jenkins (W/A), Keith Champagne (W), Evan Dorkin (W/A), Jerry Ordway (A/Cover), Andy Kuhn (A), and Leonard Kirk (A)
On sale Nov 19
FC, 48 pages
$4.99
Ongoing
After a demon steals a child’s soul, occult professor Alice Creed must track down the evil culprit in Alex de Campi and Jerry Ordway’s Semiautomagic. A new tale of conspiratorial superheroics from the world of Peter Tomasi and Keith Champagne’s The Mighty, written by Keith Champagne with art by Leonard Kirk! Plus, Evan Dorkin delivers eight hilarious pages of House of Fun!
New chapters of Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray, and Andy Kuhn’s Wrestling with Demons and Tyler Jenkins’s The Chaining fill out the rest of this awesome issue!
• The award-winning series returns at a new price—$4.99!
• New 48-page format!
“Seriously, this is comics’ best kept secret trove of great comics.”—Comic Book Resources
8. Lone wolf on the prowl
If my calculations are correct, we are crossing the halfway point with the release of the 7th omnibus of “Lone Wolf and Cub.” The 7th omnibus contains material that had previously been released in volumes 15, 16, and 17 – which explains why these little guys are so damn thick. If you haven’t collected them before, these are basically essential. I sound like a broken record whenever I talk about “Lone Wolf and Cub”, but it’s a “desert-island-pick-worthy” story.
Continued belowLone Wolf and Cub Omnibus Volume 7 TP
Kazuo Koike (W), Goseki Kojima (A), and Frank Miller (Cover)
On sale Jan 7
b&w, 680 pages
$19.99
TP, 5” x 7”
Yagyu Retsudo will stop at nothing to kill Itto Ogami—even sending his last child to kill the Lone Wolf. And if his daughter can’t finish the job, Retsudo is prepared to offer a reward for Itto that should have every bounty hunter, ronin, and peasant out for Itto’s head! Collects Four stories from volumes 15, all of volume 16, and two stories from from volume 17.
• The acclaimed classic by Kazuo Koike and Goseki Kojima.
• Over 700 pages, value priced.
7. Ravin’ about rabbits
And here’s Dark Horse Comics’ other favorite samurai. Issue #1 was as gorgeous, charming, and clever as we’ve come to expect from Stan Sakai, but it was only a taste of things to come. We’ve yet to see what’s going to happen with this “alien invasion”, but it’s sure to be unlike anything we’ve seen from this property before.
Usagi Yojimbo: Senso #4 (of 6)
Stan Sakai (W/A/Cover) and Tom Luth (Cover colors)
On sale Nov 5
b&w, 24 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
Trapped underneath the wreckage from another Martian rocket’s crash landing, Usagi and Tomoe only have one way out: through the alien craft! As they desperately fight for their lives, one major villain returns, and another makes a fateful decision. With the town ravaged, and more rockets on the way, is all hope finally lost?
• From multiple Eisner Award-winning creator Stan Sakai!
• Celebrating Usagi’s 30th anniversary!
6. Put this on your pull list if you’re a wealthy young man about town
Dark Horse Comics seems to be the place to be for a great crossover between unexpected characters. By now, crossovers in Marvel and DC comics are old hat, and just about every possible combination has already occurred. But in the world of Dark Horse, every new crossover is something unexpected and exciting. Grendel and The Shadow certainly feel like they could occupy the same world. I can’t wait to see the talented Matt Wagner put them together.
Grendel vs. The Shadow #3 (of 3)
Matt Wagner (W/A/Cover/variant cover) and Brennan Wagner (C)
On sale Nov 5
FC, 48 pages
$5.99
Miniseries
Eisner Award winner Matt Wagner brings this exciting miniseries to its dramatic conclusion as two pulp-noir icons go head to head! Will GRENDEL succumb to the seductive temptations of the past? Or will THE SHADOW finally fall prey to the most dangerous foe he’s ever faced? WHO will prevail as . . . the Master of Darkness?
• Matt Wagner (Grendel, Zorro) brings his iconic character face to face with the Shadow.
• 48-page action-packed issues!
“Grendel vs. The Shadow is an example of the perfect creator on a perfect, and highly unexpected, project . . . Wagner taking on this historical pairing could be the stuff of comic book legend.” —Comic Book Resources
5. How a Resurrection Really Feels
Fred Van Lente is about as reliable as they come when it comes to launching new series with stellar #1s. For that reason, I at least check out the first issue of everything he writes. But for all of the fine #1 issues Van Lente has written over the years (creator-owned or otherwise), perhaps none of them have had a premise as intriguing as this one. People who can embody their own past lives? My mind’s exploring about a million directions that this could go and I can’t wait to see which ones Van Lente chooses.
Resurrectionists #1
Fred Van Lente (W), Maurizio Rosenzweig (P), Moreno Dinisio (I/C), and Juan Doe (Cover)
On sale Nov12
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Ongoing
Are you near-death experienced? Framed architect-turned-thief Jericho Way has discovered he’s a Resurrectionist, one of a select group of people who can not only remember their past lives, but become them. Two groups are now after his services—the Sojourn corporation, which wants to exploit his powers for mysterious purposes, and a motley crew of modern-day tomb robbers who have been trying to pull the same impossible heist for 3,000 years—and if Jericho joins them, he may steal back his own future!
• A new creator-owned ongoing comic series.
• Art by rising stars Maurizio Rosenzweig (Clown Fatale) and Moreno Dinisio (Dead Body Road)!
• CBLDF member retailer exclusive, contact the CBLDF for more info on the Jenny Frison benefit variant!
4. Farewell to the dark ages
I reviewed the first issue of “Dark Ages” for the site and found myself incredibly impressed with how clever and thoughtful it was for a genre fiction mash-up. I was also surprised at how effective I.N.J. Culbard was working with these genres, even though I already regarded him as a terrific artist.
Continued belowDark Ages #4 (of 4)
Dan Abnett (W) and I. N. J. Culbard (A/Cover)
On sale Nov 12
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
When a godless mercenary war band discovers an ancient and bizarre piece of alien technology, they find themselves enlisted in the violent conflict against cosmic demon invaders!
• From the creators of Vertigo’s The New Deadwardians!
3. Hop on “POP”
“POP” comes to an end here. By now I’ve had the benefit of reading the 1st issue, so I can tell you that it’s well worth a look. There’s a bit of satire, a bit of mind-fuckery, and a whole lot of great-looking art from Jason Copland. As is always the case when a miniseries comes to an end, I can only say that I look forward to whatever these creators do next. “POP” was a step forward in both of their careers. If you weren’t on board from the start, make sure to check out the trade.
POP #4 (of 4)
Curt Pires (W), Jason Copland (A), Pete Toms (C), and Dylan Todd (Cover)
On sale Nov 26
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
Captured within the Cartel’s lair, Elle and Coop fight for their minds, bodies, and souls! Can they escape and take down the Cartel as their diabolical reach extends farther than anyone could have imagined? Can Elle transcend her programming? Can you? Find out in the explosive final issue of POP!
“[Jason Copland is] A creator to watch.” —Comicbook.com
2. Back to the grind
You already read Alex de Campi’s first “Grindhouse” series, right? Like classic “grindhouse” films, for 8 issues the miniseries was a quadruple feature of debauchery, violence, sex, and grotesqueries indescribable here. Okay, so it wasn’t that bad. It’s no Joe Casey’s “Sex”, but it was provocative, full of great art, and entertaining the whole way through. Expect “Volume 2” to be more of the same.
Grindhouse: Drive In, Bleed Out #1 (of 8)
Alex de Campi (W), R. M. Guéra (A/Cover), and Giulia Brusco(C)
On sale Nov 12
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
Grindhouse is back from the dead, and it’s meaner, badder, and dirtier than ever! In the first of four new exploitation opuses, Scalped’s R. M. Guéra joins series writer Alex de Campi for “Slay Ride,” a brutal holiday tale of revenge and supernatural terror in the driven snow!
• We’re back, just in time to celebrate the holidays in bloody style!
• From the perverted mind of Alex de Campi (Smoke/Ashes, Lady Zorro)!
• World-renowned artist R. M. Guéra (Django Unchained, Scalped)!
1. Too young to be Smmmmmmokin’
Originally created by John Arcudi and Doug Mahnke (two comic book talents still doing great work today), The Mask has now easily become more well-known for being a wildly successful Jim Carrey film from the mid-90’s. While I expect Art and Franco will no doubt make a cheeky reference to the film, I’ll be more interested to see what they lampoon from the character’s comic book history. It’s been well over a decade since we’ve seen a “Mask” comic. What a pleasant and unexpected surprise. What’s next? “Itty Bitty Grendel”? “Itty Bitty Buffy”?
Itty Bitty Comics: The Mask #1
Art Baltazar (W/A) and Franco (W/A)
On sale Nov 12
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Ongoing
The Mask is back, and it’s Herman Shazbert’s turn! When the mild-mannered zookeeper buys his wife a strange mask, the whole family wants to try it on! But watch out, Grandma Shazbert—it will put quite the pep in your step!
• From the guys who brought you the Eisner-nominated Itty Bitty Hellboy and Tiny Titans and Aw Yeah Comics!
• All-ages mayhem from Art Baltazar and Franco!
• The Mask is back, and crazier than ever!
Did we miss anything you like? Tell us about it! And check out the full solicitations from our friends at Comic Book Resources to find out more.
