Greetings and Solicitations!
The month of October for Dark Horse Comics has a couple of fine looking new series to offer, but one takes the cake as far as getting us all hot and bothered here at Multiversity Comics. You’ll have to read until the end to find out what that is though! It’s another great month for the home of Hellboy, so let’s dive in!
10. Will the comic have scratches, clicks, and pops?
From the wonderfully strange mind of Alex de Campi, comes a solicitation that should have any grindhouse cinema fan drooling. From the subtitle alone, “Bee Vixens from Mars”, it’s clear that this book is either going to be for you, or it’s not. And I can’t stress how interesting a creator Alex de Campi is. As the solicit says, she’s one to watch in the comic years and we’ll definitely be doing that here at Multiversity.
Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight #1 (of 8)
Alex de Campi (W), Chris Peterson (A), Nolan Woodard (C), Francesco Francavilla (Cover), and Coop (Variant cover)
On sale Oct 2
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
Literature: overrated. Morality: expendable. Tonight is right for some over-the-top sex and violence! Bringing the flavor of midnight exploitation flicks to comics, Grindhouse delivers four two-issue gore operas, starting with “Bee Vixens from Mars,” pitting a one-eyed southern Latina deputy against lusty alien chicks bent on laying eggs in the entire male population!
• Covers by superstar artists Francesco Francavilla and Coop!
• First issue in a brand-new series of B-movie masterpieces!
• Eisner nominee Alex de Campi (Smoke, Ashes) is a writer to watch in 2013!
• Future arcs feature art from Simon Fraser (2000 AD), Federica Manfredi (True Blood, Hack/Slash), and Gary Erskine (The Mask)!
9. A Gaiman comic you just might not own. Yet.
We don’t have to tell you that Neil Gaiman is one of comics’ most celebrated minds, but while “Sandman” is the definite monolith of his career, we should mention that he’s done a lot of other great little comics too. Some of those have been with the incomparable Dave McKean – an artist whose free-from visual style gives his collaborations with Gaiman an ethereal storybook quality. “Signal to Noise” is one of Gaiman’s lesser known works, but it stands right alongside everything the pair has done in comics and its tone is right in the sweet spot between “Sandman” and his prose work.
Signal to Noise HC
Neil Gaiman (W) and Dave McKean (A/Cover)
On sale Dec 11
FC, 96 pages
$24.99
HC, 8 3/4” x 11 1/2”
A film director is dying of cancer. His greatest film would have told the story of a European village as the last hour of 999 AD approached—bringing Armageddon. Now that story will never be told. But he’s still working it out in his head, making a film that no one will ever see.
• A great partner to the Violent Cases hardcover!
• Dave McKean’s acclaimed Cages now back in print!
8. Nevermore? No, seriously – give us more!
Richard Corben’s Poe adaptations have been lovingly rendered odes to Poe’s stories that work as tellings that you could read for the first time, but are even better as works of honor toward one of histories’ finest writers. Here, Corben adapts what is certainly Poe’s most well-known and beloved poems in “The Raven”, which means that this could be the most essential of all of these releases.
Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven and the Red Death
Richard Corben (W/A/Cover)
On sale Oct 30
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
One-shot
Unwelcome and bloodthirsty guests are on the move in these two terrifying Poe stories presented by Eisner Hall of Fame inductee Richard Corben.
• Adaptations of “The Raven” and “The Masque of the Red Death” by horror comics legend Richard Corben.
7. Prime time for the Grendel Omnibi
So, Grendel gets pretty weird at this point, but I’ll be damned if it still wasn’t some of the better comic stuff coming out in the late-80’s, early-90’s. As a bonus, we’re getting the Greg Rucka written ‘Past Prime’ story with illustrations from Wagner himself. These have been terrific releases and, dare I say, an underrated and unsung classic of relatively modern comics.
Continued belowGrendel Omnibus Volume 4: Prime TP
Matt Wagner (W/A), Greg Rucka (W), Patrick McEown (P), Monty Sheldon (I), Bernie Mireault (C), Kathryn Delaney (C), and Simon Bisley (Cover)
On sale Dec 4
FC, 542 pages
$24.99
TP, 6˝ x 9˝
The world belongs to Grendel-Khan Orion Assante and his elite warrior caste of Grendels, but when Orion dies, the world is thrown back into chaos. To protect young Jupiter Assante, rightful heir to the throne, those still loyal to the Grendel-Khan must turn to a new power, the terrifying Grendel Prime! The story of Orion’s cyborg paladin unfolds in War Child, Devil Quest, and Past Prime, three tales that form the apotheosis of Wagner’s groundbreaking, centuries-spanning epic!
• War Child won the Eisner Award for Best Limited Series!
• Includes the Past Prime novel written by Greg Rucka and illustrated by Wagner!
6. More Conan than you can shake a savage sword at!
I’ve been featuring Conan comics pretty heavily in these Dark Horse Solicitation countdowns. Well, it’s only because they’re so darn high quality across the board. With the latest King Conan miniseries (‘Hour of the Dragon’) ending in October, it’s the perfect time to jump on to a new one. Frequent collaborators Fred Van Lente and Ariel Olivetti ensure that this will probably be the case with their upcoming Conan story, as well. From the sound of things, this has all of the elements of a good Conan story and the talent is there to make this one to put on your pull list, if you generally dig what Conan’s all about.
Conan and the People of the Black Circle #1 (of 4)
Fred Van Lente (W) and Ariel Olivetti (A/C/Cover)
On sale Oct 23
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Miniseries
Two of the hottest names in comics—writer Fred Van Lente and artist Ariel Olivetti—reunite for a brutal Conan epic like no other!
Assassins, dark magic, and a beautiful noblewoman mean trouble for the Cimmerian barbarian unlike he’s ever seen in this full-tilt escapade through the mountains of Afghulistan!
• Conan like you’ve never seen him—fully painted by Olivetti!
• A new miniseries set a decade after the Conan ongoing!
5. The Continuing Adventures of Fishstick
If you’re not grabbing the “Abe Sapien” miniseries yet, it’s not too late to grab the first two short arcs before the new arc starts here. Abe is a character that is every bit as important and enjoyable as Hellboy and his solo series has reflected that. Please consider jumping on board, before we get too deep and everything starts to seem impenetrable and unwieldily. One of the Mignolaverse’s strongest traits is the way that it plays upon the stranger events in history, so “blood-soaked Mayan legends” feels like it’ll fit right in here.
Abe Sapien #6
Mike Mignola (W), Scott Allie (W), Sebastián Fiumara (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Max Fiumara
(Cover)
On sale Oct 9
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Ongoing
Abe uncovers connections between the hell on earth he and the B.P.R.D. are experiencing, and blood-soaked Mayan legends of the origins of man and the end of the world.
• Picks up directly from Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible and The New Race of Man.
• New ongoing series!
4. Fantasy comics for discerning young adults
Since the 1970’s, Wendy Pini’s “ElfQuest” has found release through Marvel, DC, self-publishing, and a few other avenues. Now, it finds its latest release courtesy of Dark Horse Comics – a place not known for young-reader-friendly releases, but a welcome addition nonetheless. ElfQuest has been winning awards for decades for its place in history as a female-created, independent, youthful fantasy tale for the ages. Check it out, and check out the rich history (and tons of free digital comics) for the property at the ElfQuest website.
Continued belowElfquest Special: The Final Quest
Wendy Pini (W/A/Cover) and Richard Pini (W)
On sale Oct 9
FC, 64 pages
$5.99
One-shot
For generations, the elves sought a safe haven against all who would do them harm. But the dream that Chief Cutter and his Wolfriders fought and died for may be the very thing destroying them. The skills that helped them survive the harsh world are fading, and the growing threat of a tyrant obsessed with exterminating all elves makes for a disastrous brew that must surely boil over.
• Winner of the Golden Pen Award from the Young Adult Advisory Committee!
• An oversized prologue to the Elfquest: The Final Quest series!
• Marking thirty years of Elfquest action and adventure!
“One of the most important works in American Fantasy.” —American Library Association
“Wendy Pini is probably the most influential female cartoonist of a generation.” —Ninth Art
3. Casey keeps on swinging for the fences
The true superhero event of the year keeps on truckin’ with the focus of the story rotated again and a trio of artists too good to be contained in just one book. Somehow they did it and the results are glorious. You all checked out the first issue, right? Then you know how gorgeous, detailed, and fun this book is; and there’s no slowing it down now.
CATALYST COMIX #4 (of 9)
Joe Casey (W), Dan McDaid (A), Ulises Farinas (A), Paul Maybury (A), Brad Simpson (C), and Rafael Grampá (Cover)
On sale Oct 2
FC, 32 pages
$2.99
Miniseries
Dark Horse wants you to party hard! That’s why you’re invited on a galactic date with Amazing Grace! To the dance club with the Agents of Change! And on a superactivist world tour with Frank “Titan” Wells! Once again, Catalyst delivers all the super those other comics can’t handle!
• Masterminded by Joe Casey (Sex, Gødland)!
• Wraparound cover by Rafael Grampá (Mesmo Delivery)!
• Artists Dan McDaid (Doctor Who), Ulises Farinas (Gamma), and Paul Maybury (Aqua Leung)!
2. Seeley and Norton make a deal with the devil
Any chance to get more work out of the “Revival” team is a good thing. “Revival” is one of the finest ongoing comics being released currently and “The Occultist” sounds like it’s right in that sweet spot, while being a completely separate thing. There’s such a synergy between these two guys right now that I want to see them pumping out comics until their wells run dry. They can make horror books until the apocalypse finally shows up, if you ask me.
The Occultist #1 (of 5)
Tim Seeley (W), Mike Norton (A), Allen Passalaqua (C), and Steve Morris (Cover)
On sale Oct 2
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Miniseries
An evil witch doctor needs the book of spells known as the Sword to reject the Occultist. He needs the weapon itself to decide that he is a bad host in the ongoing war against the realm of the dead. The solution lies in a Catholic schoolgirl who dabbles in death for a quick high.
Art by Mike Norton (Battlepug, The Answer!, Revival).
Written by Hack/Slash creator Tim Seeley!
Variant cover by Eisner winner Paolo Rivera.
1. Darrow!
Geof Darrow hasn’t done a whole lot of interior work in his career, but the man is a modern legend in a lot of ways. From doing tons of conceptual work on the Matrix films, to helming a lot of the creative & character design work on TV shows, cartoons, and other films – the man has been around in the fiction world. He’s also got a brilliantly warped mind unlike any other. Needless to say, we couldn’t be more excited for his return to comic interiors with “Shaolin Cowboy.” Darrow has promised that comic fans can expect the same kind of intricate detail, imagination-bending design-work, and balls-to-the-wall action that we’ve come to expect from his work. And we’ve got no reason to doubt the man.
Shaolin Cowboy #1
Geof Darrow (W/A/Cover), Peter Doherty (C), and Walter Simonson (Variant cover)
On sale Oct 9
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Ongoing
The Shaolin Cowboy returns, but nowhere in sight is there a dead Robin, any infinity gauntlets, or a single conquering Ultron—just flat-out action, intrigue, and plenty of roadkill. Geof Darrow’s slow-talkin’, kung-fu-gripping hero proves once again, in this brand-new new series, that the only thing that can stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a chainsaw!
• From writer/artist Geof Darrow (Hard Boiled, The Matrix)!
• More action than the rest of your pull list combined!
• All-new story! Start reading here!
• Covers by Darrow and Walter Simonson!
“…Everything fans of the original books had grown to love.”—Comics Alliance
“…The intricacies of carnage is one of Darrow’s specialties…” —io9
there has never been a man like the shaolin cowboy!
DARROW!
Those were our picks for Dark Horse’s October 2013. Need to see more? Want to tell us what we missed? The full solicitations can be found over at CBR.
