Welcome to the first ever 4 Color Low-Down. Your weekly comics news roundup on Comic Book Yeti. I am Doug Wood and I will be bringing to you all the exciting news announcements, crowdfunding launches and the occasional comic controversy. Bear with me as I find the best format to lavish your eyeballs. There is so much to get to, so let's begin.
Up first, let's start with all the news we have received this week.
NEWS
Let's start this week with my personal pick for most exciting announcement of the week. Image Comics presents a new comic from Peter Canon Thunderbolt team of Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard. Power Fantasy focuses on the world's sole 6 superpowered beings and the express need for them never to come into conflict with one another.
“The Power Fantasy emerged in a similar way to The Wicked + The Divine,” said Gillen “I was doing a book at Marvel, and became aware of exactly the sort of things I could do with the reins taken off. As The Wicked + the Divine was to Young Avengers, this is to Immortal X-men. It’s a comic informed by superheroes, but one where a fight is the absolute lose state, for everyone. It’s set from 1945-1999, and so is a chance to really have fun with an alternate cultural history too. I think you can see it as an extension of my best work: WicDivian alternate-pop culture, a cold-war take on Uber’s realpolitik, Die’s social group drama hyper-charged by genre…”
Wijngaard says: “Once Kieron had pitched the basic outline for The Power Fantasy I knew this was the story I felt comfortable most telling. We’ve been able to create some incredible characters, each with their own vibrant personalities and worlds in which they inhabit. If you are a fan of my most recent image titles Home Sick Pilots and All Against All, you’ll see a lot of its DNA here. I’m truly putting everything I’ve learned into this series, and The Power Fantasy is a large and beautiful canvas for me to operate on.”
Looking forward to this when it launches in August.
Rolling on with Image, we have from imprint Skybound, Ava's Demon. Creator Michelle Fus picks up right where the first book ends, where Ava unlocks a new power and unleashed a devastating attack. Some of her friends won't be too happy in this second book Ava fights to come to terms with everything.
I remember reading a few chapters of Ava's Demon and loved the art. If only I hadn't lost the bookmark. Luckily now I can pick it up in gorgeous book format. The book's release is slated for May.
Further from Image Comics and Skybound is the announcement of Universal Monsters: Frankenstein. Attached to write and draw is Michael Walsh. The iconic story is getting a miniseries looking into the shocking ways the body parts for the monster were obtained.
“The story of Dr. Frankenstein and his poor, misunderstood monster is one of the most recognizable and influential horror tales ever told… It’s also one of my favorites,” said creator Michael Walsh. “The original 1931 film from Universal Pictures is a continuing inspiration for my art and storytelling, so, as you can imagine, I was honored to be able to play in that sandbox. Trying to tell an original story while staying true to the canon of that film was an exciting yet daunting prospect. It’s been some of the most fun I’ve had making comic books, and I know that fans of Frankenstein and horror will have a blast experiencing these characters and iconic scenes like never before.”
Keep an eye out for this book coming to shops August 28.
Rounding out Image news is a big rolling out of New U from Todd McFarlane Productions. From the Spawn Universe we start with a new Sam and Twitch: Case Files, written by Todd McFarlane and drawn by Szymon Kudrański. Moving outside of the usual superhero yarn, Case Files will delve more into hardboiled, true crime mysteries.
Available March 27.
Rat City will follow a post war future where an ex-solider manages to get Hellspawn powers from the nanites in his prosthetics. From writer Erica Schultz and artist Zé Carlos.
Available April 10.
Monolith from writer Sean Lewis and artist Valerio Giangiordano, will be a miniseries exploring the origins of the massive Hellspawn.
Available May 15. I really need to catch up on my Spawn reading. You know I was an early Image kid.
Oni Press announces the debut Graphic Novel from Ren Strapp. How Could You is a coming of age love story. They are presenting it as a humorous story following 4 college upper classmen navigating relationships such as roommates, friends, lovers and exes.
“HOW COULD YOU is for anyone who made mistakes, who spoke unkindly, who were selfish, who lost friends, who lost themselves. It's for people stumbling into adulthood, carrying guilt over faux pas, betrayal, and not making amends when you could. I hope this book finds you and tells you you're not alone." says Ren Strapp.
I am always excited to see work from creators new to me. Look for this book December 17.
Sticking with Oni Press, we have Cemetery Kids Don't Die Issue 2. From writer Zac Thompson and artist Daniel Irizarri, we have the story of a new video game console you can play in your sleep. 4 friends dubbed the Cemetery Kids are looking for ways to dethrone the systems biggest boss, King of Sleep. All is cool, until one of the kids doesn't wake up. That's where the horror begins.
I am a big fan of Daniel Irizarri's art so I picked up issue 1. Second issue goes on sale March 27!
Lastly from Oni Press is an exciting collection from creator Sophie Campbell. Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the series, Wet Moon, we are getting the first volume in omnibus format. As lead character, Cleo Lovedrop, heads to a local art college in the deep south town of Wet Moon, she finds her past is haunting her. I adored Sophie's work on the IDW Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and absolutely enthralled with Image Comic's Glory. Excited to check out a classic collection from her start. The omnibus releases November 26.
Now we dip into digital offerings from Amazon's Comixology Originals. Midstate sees the writing debut of longtime and award winning colorist Lee Loughridge with artist Mack Chater. "The idea for MIDSTATE came from a dream I had," says Loughridge. "It was of a man talking with a corpse. When I asked who he was talking to, he said, "The Devil." I woke up, wrote it down and got to work." The story follows a disgraced clairvoyant having terrifying visions of missing persons case victims. Teaming with a rookie cop the two must solve the case or die trying.
Look for this very soon, on March 12.
Lastly on the comics news docket is Vault Comics. Not much was given to me, so I will let them sum it up for you: BEYOND REAL asks the question -- what if we are living in a simulation, but instead of a Matrix style computer/digital simulation, it's an artistic simulation. After all, creation is artistic - so why wouldn't the simulation be? From writer Zack Kaplan and artists Fabiana Mascolo and Toni Fejzula.
Look out for this second issue this Wednesday.
CROWDFUNDING LAUNCHES
Image Comics imprint Top Cow sees the launch of the third volume of Darkness. From writers: Paul Jenkins, Ron Marz, David Lapham, Brian Buccellato, and David Wohl and artists: Dale Keown, Eric Basaldua, Romano Molenaar, Francis Manapul, Keu Cha, Mark Texiera, Roger Cruz, and more.
I enjoyed early Darkness so I will be checking this out.
The next project I will need to admit I was lucky enough to get an early access to the first chapter. With my disclosure out of the way, I have to highly recommend trying Gunpunch from creator Fernando Pinto. The art is very energetic and the dialog is tight with the right feeling of realness in an absurd situation. The story follows twice loser (job and girlfriend same day) gaining the Gunpunch, a last resort weapon for an oncoming alien invasion.
Gunpunch launches Monday May 11.
No better reason to back a campaign than for charity. When I Was Young is raising funds to donate to the Trevor Project and you can get a neat book out of it. Launched on Backerkit, curator Michele Abounader this anthology is a 100+ page comic featuring short stories of inspiration, advice and triumph from a whos who of comic creators.
Discloser: I have seen an early draft of this Kickstarter. Which that out of the way, we are now looking at Nock. Adam Barnhardt and Nicholas Santos bring you a superhero story about a hero trying to redeem his name after failure. Even if he has to defeat a crazed killer on his lonesome with a bow and a bag of arrows.
Launching on Kickstarter Friday.
I wasn't able to give much info at time of writing this, but I will update as the information becomes available. This is described as: For fans of Vertigo and Gravity Falls comes a collection of short fantasy and horror stories!
Launching on Kickstarter May 10.
Lastly in the launching section is Pistol Shrimp. An under the sea action comedy/western following Pistol Shrimp, a gun slinging shrimp who goes on a quest to find his wife after the two are separated after being dumped into the ocean from their fish tank. From Charlie McFarland, writer of Action Lab Comics' The Citizen and Luis Morocho, artist and creator of El Guachyman.
Launches this weekend.
LEAVING CROWDFUNDING
Ending March 15 is Blood Type V. A modern-day monster hunter with cursed blood battles a powerful vampire to protect her sister. NSFW Black, White, and Red One shot. Created by Chris Moses and line art by Laura Todisco.
Ending March 14 is Bullet Adventures 1-5. With the wild return of Dale DeSouza to the present day and subsequent adventures he had with his speedster granddaughter in the past couple issues, Bullet hasn’t had much time to get reacquainted with the wife who hasn’t seen him in sixteen years! Written by Jordan Alsaqa and art by Nico Carrizo.
Lastly ending March 19 is The Ex-Wives of Frankenstein. Elizabeth Frankenstein and the Bride of the Monster on the day they learn their husbands are alive, living as a gay couple, and returning to the city as heroes of Twitter, Reddit and the MRA movement. All made by creator Richard Fairgray.
WHAT WOOD I BUY
I end this with a homage to something I adored from the old Comic Book Resource site. I dug into the Diamond Previews catalog and I tell you what I would buy if I had $5, $15 or magically $30 to spend on comics in a given week. Hopefully, I will bring on some friends and we can get some varied tastes and maybe help you find a new favorite?
If I Had $5
Say I walked into the shop with only $5 dollars to buy a comic this week, I would have to make some tough choices as there are a few comics I would like to pick up this week. But I have to check out Marvel's Ultimate Comics X-Men issue 1 by Peach Momoko. I have been loving what the Ultimate Universe has been doing thus far and Peach's art on an X-Men comic sounds too sweet to pass up if I had to get only one comic.
If I Had $15
Now I would have a little more wiggle room. There are a few trades I would even consider here. But ultimately I would keep Ultimate X-Men and add The Devil That Wears My Face issue 5 by David Pepose and Alex Cormack. They have been telling a killer horror story about a catholic priest that is possessed by a demon. David Pepose has been on fire lately, putting out many interesting comics at Marvel and I dig Alex Cormack's body of horror comics he has drawn alongside writer Rich Douek Additionally I would pick up Night People issue 1 by Chris Condon and Brian Level. Its a tale of two ex-cons/lovers out of jaill and on a murder streak. I have long been a fan of Brian Level's art so any chance to read a new comic with him drawing is a must. Typically I hate variants but this one spoke to me. Idk lol
If I Had $30
If I magically had $30 for the week, I would sadly put back The Devil That Wears My Face and Night People, because I need a trade that calls to me. Mushroom Knight has it all. Great looking at art. Small creatures in a big world. A frog mount. And Knights! Creator Oliver Bly, please inject this straight into my veins. Fry throws money at screen meme.