Dark Horse Comics’ solicitations sure do look a little different without the “Star Wars” line there. Regardless, it was easy to find 10 items to put on my list this month (hell, I had to whittle it down from a tough top 15), proving that they have enough going on with Mike Mignola’s corner, prestige releases of international material, and a strong stable of creator-owned reliables like “Usagi Yojimbo” and “Mind MGMT.” With no main theme this month (other than the continued 20th anniversary celebration of “Hellboy”), let’s take a look at the grab bag!
10. Back to the Park
To hear Tony Puryear talk about “Concrete Park” and its influences is to hear him rifle off a list of bastions of great storytelling. Game of Thrones, The Wire – yes, these are timely and popular works to draw upon, but their quality speaks for themselves. There’s clearly a lot of passion going into this project and his art looks great. “Concrete Park” looks like it’s worth taking a chance on.
Concrete Park: R-E-S-P-E-C-T #1 (of 5)
Tony Puryear (W/A/Cover) and Erika Alexander (W)
On sale Sept 3
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
A troubled young outcast from Earth awakens on a distant desert planet that’s gripped by gang war. Will the exiles of Scare City destroy each other or create something surprising, beautiful, and new? Concrete Park returns with volume 2’s R-E-S-P-E-C-T arc — a sexy sci-fi saga by Tony Puryear (Eraser) and Erika Alexander!
• Blockbuster screenwriter Tony Puryear cowrites and draws!
“The swagger of the characters and their surroundings just burst off of the page.” — Read about Comics
“Every time I think I know what is going on in Concrete Park, [it] throws me for a loop. I have to read more.” — Comics Bulletin
9. Keepin’ it Surreal
Have you watched Paprika or Perfect Blue? Is your brain still a solid organ, not having been melted into a buttery mess? There’s no doubt that Satoshi Kon was a visionary. Where those visions were coming from is anybody’s guess. That said, I’m definitely interested in seeing the fruits of his earlier work as a mangaka.
Satoshi Kon’s OPUS TP
Satoshi Kon (W/A/Cover)
On sale Nov 26
b&w, 384 pages
$19.99
TP, 5 3/4″ x 8 1/4″
Brilliant anime director Satoshi Kon (Paprika, Paranoia Agent, Tokyo Godfathers, Millennium Actress, Perfect Blue) died tragically young in 2010 at the age of forty-six. But before he became a director, he was a manga artist, and Dark Horse is honored to remember Kon with the release of Satoshi Kon’s OPUS, an omnibus collection of a two-volume manga from 1996, created by Kon on the eve of his first film. OPUS contains the mastery of both realism and surrealism that would make Kon famous in Perfect Blue, as a manga artist planning a shocking surprise ending to his story gets literally pulled into his own work — to face for himself what he had planned for his characters!
• Satoshi Kon was a Time magazine 2010 Person of the Year.
• Kon was eulogized by director Darren Aronofsky.
• Kon was a chief assistant to Katsuhiro Otomo on the Akira manga.
• Printed on prestige paper; first four pages are in color.
8. Alfonso Font’s Fears for the Future
European science fiction with a heavy satirical or socially-conscious bent? Count me in. Alfonso Font’s art is stupid good – Euro stylish and detailed.
Continued belowTales of an Imperfect Future HC
Alfonso Font (W/A/Cover)
On sale Nov 19
b&w, 88 pages
$17.99
HC, 8.375″ x 10.875″
European comics master Alfonso Font presents three satirical science fiction tales, as told by an extraterrestrial, that warn of the dangers that await the human race if it fails to change its ways: a planet so polluted that life on its surface is almost impossible; the human race continuing its destructive and fatal expedition into the galaxy to colonize other planets; humans killed for their organs to transplant into their “superiors”; and the keeping of robot companions, whose emotionlessness may be the only way to avoid catastrophe.
• Satirical science fiction from one of Europe’s greats!
• Published in collaboration with Strip Art Features.
7. Til we meet again, Dream Thief
The final issue of the 2nd volume of Nitz & Smallwood’s “Dream Thief” comes to an end. These books are Multiversity favorites, so we’re surely going to be talking about these in the months to come. Smallwood is up after Declan Shalvey on the “Moon Knight” ongoing over at Marvel, so now is a good time to see what he’s all about.
Dream Thief: Escape #4 (of 4)
Jai Nitz (W) and Greg Smallwood (A/Cover)
On sale Sept 24
FC, 32 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
Ever since he crawled from the Florida swamp, John Lincoln has had one target: the rogue Dream Thief Patricio Brown-Eagle. John’s mission to avenge his girlfriend and free the restless spirit of his murdered father leads to a climactic showdown that will either resolve his past… or end his future!
• Dream Thief’s ultimate baddie takes a stand!
“An ambitious and beautifully produced fever dream. Don’t wake me up, I want to stay in.” — Jonathan Hickman
6. Reminding you to Mind MGMT
“Mind MGMT” is becoming more and more mind-bending the longer it goes on. In fact, recent issues have kind of changed the game a bit. Kindt has gotten more artsy and mysterious with no end game in sight.
MIND MGMT #26
Matt Kindt (W/A/Cover)
On sale Sept 24
FC, 24 pages
$3.99
Ongoing
Lyme, Dusty, Bill, and Perrier are all dead or missing. Alone in a world of rogue mind managers, Meru sets out in search of the first Immortal… rumored to still be alive somewhere in South America!
• New York Times bestseller!
“It will blow your mind.” — Unleash the Fanboy
“There is simply nothing quite like MIND MGMT. And there probably never will be.” — Comic Bastards
5. Dark Horse Presents is a Resident, not Alien to my Pull List
The format, new price point “Dark Horse Presents” continues this month. It’s traditionally been your first place to get in on the ground floor of great stories like “Resident Alien” – so don’t miss it! Most of us bemoan the new $4.99 price point that’s been creeping out at Marvel – why not turn that 5 dollars over for something that definitely earns that money?
Dark Horse Presents #2
Peter Hogan (W), Brendan McCarthy (W/A), Jimmy Palmiotti (W), Justin Gray (W), Damon Gentry (W), Fred Van Lente (W), Chris Roberson (W), Steve Parkhouse (A/Cover), Andy Kuhn (A), Aaron Conley (A), Ryan Dunlavey (A), and Paul Lee (A)
On sale Sept 17FC, 48 pages
$4.99
Ongoing
Chris Roberson and Paul Lee reveal an untold tale from the movie Aliens featuring the character Hicks! Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey deliver a new Action Philosophers! that pulls the entire series together in “Action Philosophy!”
Plus, new chapters of Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse’s Resident Alien, Brendan McCarthy’s Dream Gang, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Andy Kuhn’s Wrestling with Demons, and Damon Gentry and Aaron Conley’s Sabertooth Swordsman!
• An untold tale from the Aliens movie, by Roberson and Lee!
• The award-winning series returns at a new price — $4.99!
• New 48 page format!
• Eisner and Harvey award winner!
4. A comic so good, why, just look at the pull quote
The best ongoing from Dark Horse rolls on, with Joe Querio on art. Querio was the artist on the “Witcher” series and it looks like the publisher is going to try to keep him in the fold. “BPRD” is known for carrying heavyweight art talent on it. Putting Querio on it says a lot about their faith in him.
Continued belowB.P.R.D. Hell on Earth #123
Mike Mignola (W), John Arcudi (W), Joe Querio (A), Dave Stewart (C), and Laurence Campbell (Cover)
On sale Sept 17
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Ongoing
A giant monster unlike anything the BPRD has seen yet battles the Ogdru Hem for dominion over Japan!
• Twenty years of Hellboy!
“Each month, I wish I had more insightful things to say about the book other than ‘GAAAAH THIS IS SO GOOD,’ but eventually, you run out of praise to hurl.” — Multiversity
3. The Meta-Groo Cometh
I see a “brain-damaged Sergio Aragonés” is mentioned in the solicitation for “Groo Vs. Conan” #3. Does that mean it’s a heavy dose of metatext that brings the pair together in this duel? Regardless, the reader wins, because we’re talking about two classic properties here that are the perfect “odd couple.”
Groo vs. Conan #3 (of 4)
Mark Evanier (W), Sergio Aragonés (A/Cover), Thomas Yeates (A/Cover), and Lovern Kindzierski (C)
On sale Sept 24
FC, 32 pages
$3.50
Miniseries
As a brain-damaged Sergio Aragonés wanders the streets, the indomitable barbarian Conan crosses paths — and swords! — with the insufferable birdbrain Groo. Has the warrior that vanquished a thousand wizards met his match? Does Groo even know the meaning of the word defeat? Knowing him, probably not!
• Crossover art from living legends Thomas Yeates and Sergio Aragonés!
• By the end of this issue, one will be defeated!
2. Usagi Yojimbo – sci-fi samurai?
Stan Sakai is a master. I’ll likely be featuring his new “Usagi Yojimbo” in this column as long as it’s coming out. Sakai has written some of my most treasured stories and I get the feeling that “Senso” is going to be no less inspirational than his past work with the character.
Usagi Yojimbo: Senso #2 (of 6)
Stan Sakai (W/A/Cover) and Tom Luth (Cover colors)
On sale Sept 3
b&w, 24 pages
$3.99
Miniseries
The sudden crash landing of a rocket from the heavens has shattered the warring armies of Lords Noriyuki and Hikiji. His forces all but annihilated, Hikiji himself is taken — and when the ninja Chizu goes to investigate, she encounters bizarre beings constructing fearsome machines. Will the remaining samurai be enough to overcome the aliens’ unbelievably destructive weaponry?
• From multiple Eisner Award–winning creator Stan Sakai!
1. Who knows what great comics lurk over at Dark Horse? Grendel knows.
Finally – another Grendel story! Another hefty price tag comes with this one, but Dark Horse promises a quality release. Matt Wagner has plenty of experience writing “The Shadow” and he’s the creator of “Grendel” for crying out loud. “Grendel” had a way of mixing moody pulp with the visual style of its time. These two properties should play well together. And, again – new Grendel!
Grendel vs. The Shadow #1 (of 3)
Matt Wagner (W/A/Cover) and Brennan Wagner (C)
On sale Sept 3
FC, 48 pages
$5.99
Miniseries
Sparks fly and bullets blaze when the original Grendel, Hunter Rose, is transported to 1930s New York and faces off with the original dark-night avenger, the Shadow! Two pulp-noir icons go head to head in this three-issue prestige-format series written and drawn by legendary Grendel creator Matt Wagner.
• A great starting point for new Grendel and The Shadow readers!
• Matt Wagner continues his fan-favorite character — Grendel!
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.
