10. The most lovable gay wrestler since Goldust
On the premise alone, “Wuvable Oaf” seems totally up my alley. Progressive, daring, goofy, musically-inclined, and totally adorable all at the same time. I’ve seen bits and pieces of “Wuvable Oaf” on the interwebs and I’ve been waiting to get it all in one package for a while now. The thing I like best about the comic is that, although it seems to have a sprawling story to it (one I haven’t read yet), there is all sorts of non-sequitor humor in it that will make you chuckle out of context too.
Wuvable Oaf HC
Published by Fantagraphics
Written and Illustrated by Ed LuceThis is the first-ever collection of the acclaimed self-published comic book series; it’s about a big, hairy, gay ex-wrestler’s search for love in the big city, set against the backdrop of San Francisco’s queer and music scenes.
Wuvable Oaf is the first-ever collection of the acclaimed self-published comic book series by cartoonist Ed Luce. Oaf is a large, hirsute, scary-looking ex-wrestler who lives in San Francisco with his adorable kitties and listens to a lot of Morrissey. The book follows Oaf’s search for love in the big city, especially his pursuit of Eiffel, the lead singer of the black metal/queercore/ progressive disco grindcore band Ejaculoid. Luce weaves between the friends, associates, enemies, ex-lovers and pasts of both men into the story of their courtship. A romantic comedy at its core, Wuvable Oaf recalls elements of comics as diverse as Scott Pilgrim, Love and Rockets, and Archie, set against the background of San Francisco’s queer community and music scene. Black & white with 16 pages of color
9. Foxy! *guitar jam* Foxy!
I thoroughly enjoyed the revival of “The Fox” when Mark Waid and Dean Haspiel started it up a couple years back. Why not do it all over again? I expect nothing different this time around – another enjoyable trip into the past courtesy of two great creators. The best thing they did last time around was really lean on Lee/Ditko/Romita “Amazing Spider-Man”-style storytelling to bring The Fox back into prominence. I got shit in my review for suggesting that “The Fox” rips off “Amazing Spider-Man”, despite it pre-dating Spidey by several years. My only point was that Waid and Haspiel’s storytelling used some of the same elements and visual queues that made “Amazing Spider-Man” such a classic. Regardless of chronology, it’s difficult to escape Spidey’s influence in the year 2014. If you liked that type of street-level hero storytelling, you’ll like “The Fox.”
The Fox #1
Publisher: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
(W) Mark Waid (A) Dean Haspiel & Various (CA) Dean HaspielNew ongoing series from Dark Circle! The Fox Is Back! Emmy Award winning writer/artist Dean Haspiel is once again united with Eisner award-winning writer Mark Waid (Daredevil, Thrillbent) for “Fox Hunt,” Part 1, “The Situation”: When a billionaire philanthropist prepares Paul Patton Jr’s home town for demolition, our hero is sent on assignment to photograph the event. But what strange force lurks in the shadows, and why will it take Paul’s alter-ego, The Fox, to stop it? The answer is the beginning of a deadly fox hunt and you won’t believe what happens next! Don’t miss the debut issue from the critically-acclaimed team that brought you The Fox: Freak Magnet, featuring FOUR all-new variant covers with art from Dean Haspiel, David Mack, Thomas Pitilli, Ulises Farinas, and Chris Samnee!
8. Death comes for the space gods
Let’s check all the boxes on this one. A creative team that boasts the writer of “Spera”, one of “Spera’s” most detailed and intriguing artists in Afu Chan, with covers from Giannis Milonogiannis for good measure. It’s from Boom! Studios, which has become a mark of quality as they’ve been tripping our trigger a lot over the last year. And it’s sci-fi storytelling in the spirit of “Prophet”, which is great because “Prophet” is coming to an end and I’m not sure what I’m going to do about that.
Continued belowHalogen #1
Publisher: BOOM! STUDIOS
(W) Josh Tierney (A/CA) Afu ChanWHY WE LOVE IT: We’ve published four books thus far in Josh Tierney’s Spera series because we simply love his characters and storytelling. Now, he teams up with fellow webcomic creators Afu Chan (Spera) and Giannis Milonogiannis (Old City Blues, Prophet) for a new creator-owned, sci-fi adventure.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: Having first collaborated on the Eisner Award-nominated Spera series, the creative team behind HaloGen is no stranger to kickbutt ladies, epic world-building, and sweeping adventures. This time they’re strapping on their sci-fi boots for a series perfect for fans of Prophet, Rocket Girl, and The Fifth Element.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: There’s a rumor on Cityship Q that the gigantic body of a dead god was found floating in space. Rell, an agent woking for the HaloGen organization, is tasked with finding the location of the god and retrieving it by any means necessary. Using her ability to form hyperrealistic holograms, Rell is about to take on the first mission she might not be able to finish.
7. Strange things are afoot at Boom! Studios
I thought long and hard about what Bill and Ted quote to pull, but I just ended up settling on the most appropriate one. You see, for all they’re faults (and there are many), the Bill and Ted movies are childhood treasures of mine. And, though I feel like a broken record, this book is coming from Boom! Studios so there’s no way it’s going to be bogus, right?
Bill & Ted’s Most Triumphant Return #1
Publisher: BOOM! STUDIOS
(W) Brian Lynch, Ryan North (A) Jerry Gaylord, Ian McGinty (CA) Felipe SmithWHY WE LOVE IT: Similar to our Big Trouble in Little China comics, we’re returning readers to one of our favorite-and most excellent-cult-classic properties with a new Bill & Ted adventure of epic proportions. And because we’re fans first, we’re making sure it’s something WE would read. Wyld Stallyns forever!
WHY YOU’LL LOVE IT: If you’re a fan of the films, our comics will pick up where they left off. Main creative team Brian Lynch (Angel: After the Fall) and Jerry Gaylord (Fanboys vs. Zombies) bring you all the silly humor and likable characters mixed with some cool historical science fiction you love! Plus, each story will have a backup adventure! This issue features a tale of tech terror by Ryan North (Adventure Time) and Ian McGinty (Bravest Warriors)!
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Following the time-traveling historic epic of Excellent Adventure and the turbulent life and death of Bogus Journey, Bill and Ted must now fulfill their destiny as the inspiration for galactic harmony! How can someone hate the Wyld Stallyns as much as the evil Chuck De Nomolos? With the power of time travel, Bill and Ted set their sights on turning a young 27th-century Nomolos’ non-nonheinous attitude into something most outstanding and metal!
6. A new home for “Hoax Hunters”
“Hoax Hunters” and Heavy Metal seems like a good match for both parties. “Hoax Hunters”, coming back from a hiatus, could use a brand like Heavy Metal to make a splash in their second volume. Heavy Metal could use an established property like “Hoax Hunters” to kickstart their new comics publishing initiative in earnest. Hey, I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the ride. It’s been a year since we’ve had a new issue of “Hoax Hunters” – we’ve been waiting long enough.
Hoax Hunters v2 #1
Publisher: HEAVY METAL MAGAZINE
(W) Steve Seeley, Michael Moreci (A) Chris Dibari (CA) Rob PriorHistory is made this month with the first-ever monthly comic to be published under the legendary banner of Heavy Metal! With the Hoax Hunters team in shambles following Jack’s untimely departure, they head to Paris under Donovan’s controversial leadership. The Image Comic series makes its Heavy Metal debut and reaches a crucial turning point on and off of the page! Ask your retailer about the special Rob Prior incentive cover!
5. Return to a run cut short
I love Doctor Who, but I’m not all that enamored or involved in the fandom, so I’m not sure where Christopher Eccleston stands among the ranks of doctors in the eyes of the fans. All I know is that I would have gladly signed up for a few more seasons of his acting take on the property. In some small way, we now get a chance to spend more time with him, as Titan is coming out with a 9th Doctor series to go with their David Tennant, Matt Smith, and Peter Capaldi iterations.
Doctor Who: The 9th Doctor #1
Publisher: TITAN COMICS
(W) Cavan Scott (A) Blair Shedd (CA) Alice X ZhangThe ninth Doctor is back with a brand-new miniseries: Weapons of Past Destruction! Leaving World War II behind, the Doctor, Rose, and Captain Jack discover that Time Lord technology, lost in the wake of the Time War, is being sold on the intergalactic black market! Now the threat of a new temporal war brews on the horizon. Can the Doctor stop history repeating itself?
4. Another extraordinary hardcover graphic novel from Moore & O’Neill
Continued below
Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neill have been continuing their “League of Extraordinary Gentlemen” story through these “Nemo” ancillary graphic novels. This will be the third one in a series that has been essential for fans of these creators. O’Neill really takes his time with these, making each page a top-notch work of art. If they’re just going to keep on doing what they do, I’ll keep on lining up for it.
Nemo: River of Ghosts HC
Publisher: TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS
(W) Alan Moore (A/CA) Kevin O’NeillIn a world where all the fictions ever written coalesce into a rich mosaic, it’s 1975. Janni Dakkar, pirate queen of Lincoln Island and head of the fabled Nemo family, is eighty years old and beginning to display a tenuous grasp on reality. Pursuing shadows from her past – or her imagination – she embarks on what may be a final voyage down the vastness of the Amazon, a last attempt to put to rest the blood-drenched spectres of old. With allies and adversaries old and new, we accompany an aging predator on her obsessive trek into the cultural landscape of a strange new continent, from the ruined city of Yu-Atlanchi to the fabulous plateau of Maple White Land. As the dark threads in her narrative are drawn into an inescapable web, Captain Nemo leads her hearse-black Nautilus in a desperate raid on horrors believed dead for decades.
3. A daring revival for “Ninjak”
Did Ninjak still get his abilities from a video game in the new Valiant continuity? Nah, probably not. Regardless, the character is still a cool-looking replacement for Snake Eyes, who isn’t faring all that well over in the “G.I. Joe” titles. Matt Kindt, Clay Mann, and Butch Guice are on the revival, which bodes well for it.
Ninjak #1
Publisher: VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC
(W) Matt Kindt (A) Clay Mann, Butch Guice (CA) Lewis LaRosaFor the first time, Ninjak’s past and future collide in the pages of an all-new ongoing series from New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (RAI, Mind MGMT) and superstar artists Clay Mann (X-Men: Legacy, Gambit) and Butch Guice (Captain America, Action Comics)!
Then: Meet inexperienced MI-6 recruit Colin King on his first mission in the field as he learns the basics of spycraft and counterintelligence, and develops a volatile relationship with his first handler.
Now: Colin King is Ninjak, the world’s foremost intelligence operative, weapons expert, and master assassin. And he’s hunting the Shadow Seven – a secret cabal of shinobi masters with mysterious ties to his training and tragic past.
2. Jem is excitement. Jem is adventure.
Look, to make a good “Jem and the Holograms” comic, all these creators would have to do is look at the theme song lyrics. Make it exciting, adventurous, and outrageous, and I’ll pull it every month. It’s nostalgia, but it’s good nostalgia, dammit. It’s also written by a self-descibed “feminist troublemaker” and drawn by the incomparable Ross Campbell (“Glory”!), and that all just seems too perfect to be true.
Jem and the Holograms #1
Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
(W) Kelly Thompson (A) Ross Campbell (CA) Ross Campbell, Amy MebbersonSHOWTIME, SYNERGY! Meet JERRICA BENTON-a girl with a secret. She and her sister KIMBER team with two friends to become… JEM AND THE HOLOGRAMS! But what does it mean to be JEM today? Fashion, art, action, and style collide in the most outrageous comic of 2015!
1. Might need to open up the big gold coin vault for this one
If I had a massive vault to fill with something of value as inconvenient, non-liquid, and non-conducive to swimming in as gold coins – I’d fill that vault with volumes of Duck stories from Don Rosa and Carl Barks. The longer I live and the more I age, the more and more I appreciate these comics. It’s getting to the point where I might take these with me on a desert island, even if it means having to toss my “Bone” and “Hellboy” volumes off the raft (that would break my heart). The adventurous quality and importance of the Scrooge books, particularly “The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck” by Don Rosa, cannot be overstated. And here they are, getting the “Artist Edition” treatment. Happy holidays, everybody.
Continued belowDon Rosa “Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck” Artist Edition HC
Publisher: IDW PUBLISHING
(W/A/CA) Don RosaDon Rosa is the universally acclaimed Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge creator and artistic heir to the remarkable legacy of the “Good Duck” artist, Carl Barks. Now, with the full cooperation and assistance of Rosa, IDW Publishing is proud to present the first volume of The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck. Included in this edition will be a cover gallery and a selection of Rosa’s layouts done for these stories.
