Dark Horse Penguin Picks: May 2026
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Koshchei the Deathless Omnibus
Collecting the “Koshchei the Deathless,” “Koshchei in Hell,” “The Serpent in the Garden: Ed Grey and the Last Battle for England” miniseries, and the “Edward Grey: Acheron” one-shot, this collection is as much about the title character as it is the former Witchfinder. I also imagine that this is going to be for a very specific kind of fan: The one who is very invested in the Mignolaverse but hasn’t already bought the collected editions for these miniseries. You’d think that there aren’t a lot of those out there, but this will be very much worth it for them as they’re generally pretty good. “Serpent in the Garden” is the standout, of course, and all of them feature great art from Ben Stenbeck, with Mike Mignola himself illustrating “Acheron.”
That said, I imagine there are more Mignolaverse fans out there these days who would appreciate a collection like this. Those who have seen most of the collections for Mignolaverse titles go straight to hardcover, with a $5 surcharge to cover that. I can say that I’ve stopped collecting every new title in the line because of that, and the idea of more reasonably priced omnibus collections like this is something I wouldn’t mind seeing more of in the future.
Hidden Springs #1 (of 4): This just sounds weird, which is good. Four aging Hollywood stars on a retirement community field trip encounter a baby kaiju and decide to protect it from the military. Oh, and the kaiju might be the harbinger of the end of the world. Marvel, DC, and 2000 A.D. veteran Rob Williams writes, while “Shirtless Bear-Fighter’s” Nil Vendrell provides the art. Whether or not Vendrell tones things down now that there won’t be any shirtless dudes fighting bears (Or will there?) here remains to be seen.
American Caper vol. 1: Red-Pilled Blues: A Mormon hitman, a gambling-addict lawyer, two neighbors intertwined in a real estate deal gone wrong, a Mexican beauty queen on the run from her past, a red-pilled housewife, two escaped convicts in love, a Wall Street billionaire who has become a cowboy, and a maniac hell-bent on revenge are all part of the story taking place in Verona, Wisconsin. It’s the setting for an American tragedy that everyone involved is convinced is someone else’s fault. This comes to us from some of the key creatives of the “Grand Theft Auto” series, Dan Houser and Lazlow whose involvement would’ve been enough to convince me this is a must-read during the series’ heyday on the PS2 & 3. Now? I’m wondering if their brand of satire has passed its expiration date. At least this collection of the first four issues is decently priced at $20 for 136 pages and will feature art from David Lapham who knows a thing or two about making the absurdity of crime and criminals look good.
FML: Riley is a high-school teen who dreams of heavy metal stardom. Unfortunately his former riot-grrl mother’s temper, goth sister’s morbid obsessions, and eccentricities of his bandmates make that seem impossible. Then he winds up involved in a ritual during a party at Portland’s Forest Park and suddenly the world of the music he loves starts seeping into his own. While Kelly Sue DeConnick has never been what I’d consider a must-read writer, this does sound like it could be fun, particularly with the talented David Lopez illustrating it. This edition also collects the entire eight-issue series at $30 for 264 pages and I’d like to support Dark Horse in releasing more collections at this page-to-price ratio.
Orphan and the Five Beasts vol. 2: Bath of Blood: It may have taken nearly four years, but creator James Stokoe is back with the second volume of his martial arts epic. Orphan Mo took out two of the titular beasts in the first volume and now she’s looking to take down a couple more, regardless of what kind of eccentrics, villains, or eccentric villains get in her way. Now, I’ve been playing the price-to-page ratio for a few titles now so it’s only fair that I mention this is a 104-page collection that will set you back $20. However, this is a new miniseries from Stokoe and I really liked the first volume so I’ve got no issue with the price here.
Synthetics vol. 1: Writer J. Michael Straczynski delivers a series about a dying Earth where toxic dead zones are growing at a rate that leaves humanity with only twenty years left to live. However, if humans could be engineered to live in these dead zones then that would solve the problem. Right? The title and cover imply that Straczynski is going for his own take on “Blade Runner,” but the solicitation text implies something more interesting. I’m curious enough to see what he and artist Tony Parker have planned for this first volume, as well as seeing if putting that “vol. 1” in the title is a good thing or just misplaced confidence on the part of the creators.
Adabana vol. 3: The true details of the murder of Mako Igarashi and her uncle are brought to light. Now, the lawyers for the alleged perpetrator, Mizuki, have to decide what to do about them. The second volume (review forthcoming) was a departure from the procedural-driven style of the first as we got to see Mako’s side of the story and how it contradicted Mizuki’s version. What happened to the deceased girl was predictable, but managed to be no less affecting because of that. I think we’re going to be in for a very solid wrap-up to this series regardless of what kind of perspective mangaka NON takes when the truth finally comes out.