Dark Horse Penguin Picks: June 2026
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Powers 25 vol. 1
Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming are regarded as one of the best creative teams in comics and “Powers” is the reason for that. A series that fused a superhero setting with the police procedural, it frequently delivered on the promise of that setup for a very long time. Then the creators other commitments, including a short-lived live-action adaptation, got in the way as its schedule went right off the rails and culminated in a wet fart of a final storyline.
However, there’s nothing the comics industry likes more than returning to what worked and now Bendis and Oeming are back to celebrate “Powers’” 25th anniversary with a new twelve-issue series – the first six of which are collected here. It picks up sometime after the last volume as Deena Pilgrim and Enki Sunrise are now captains on the force, overseeing a new generation of cops working Powers-related crimes. This includes Detective Iris Kutter, daughter to the loveable scumbag of the same name, and Moebius Moon, the first Power to ever make this rank. They’re working together now, on a high-profile murder that threatens to upend the world as they know it.
We’ve heard that promise before, and god knows Bendis’ output in recent years has been, uh… wildly uneven. So I’m not one-hundred percent sure he and Oeming will stick the landing here. Still, you’d think that they wouldn’t return to their signature series without a damn good reason and their “Murder, Inc.: Jagger Rose” was one of the better comics the writer has done in recent years. There’s also the fact that this six issue collection will only set you back $20, which is as good a deal as you’ll see these days from Dark Horse.
Skate Ali #1 (of 5): In a neon-soaked future Los Angeles, skateboarding has been outlawed! That’s only a problem for the title character if the authorities ever catch her, though. Dodging detention by day, rebel on wheels by night, Skate Ali isn’t going to let anyone bring her down. Not even the LA Skull Clan as they have her questioning whether or not she’s ready for some real rebellion. This comes to us from writer Kelly Sue DeConnick and artist Natacha Bustos, both veterans of Marvel and DC. “Skate Ali” sounds, and looks like a fun “fight the power” ride and god knows it’s hitting at the right time for a story like this. Whether or not it’s a story that I need to buy, I’ll likely know better after I’ve read through the collection of DeConnick’s “FML.”
Concrete: Stars Over Sand #1 (of 5): Holy crap! “Concrete” is back! One of the signature titles of Dark Horse’s early days in the 80’s and 90’s, it has been a while since we’ve last seen creator Paul Chadwick’s political speechwriter transplanted into a living suit of stone. I don’t know why we’re getting a new miniseries now, but I’m glad it’s happening. Even if it sounds a bit grim with what sounds like an amnesiac Concrete wandering the desert attacking anyone who comes near him as his friends try to figure out how to save him. Not that the series hasn’t done thriller stuff like this before – as anyone who remembers “Killer Smile” can tell you – so I’ll be interested in seeing how this fits in with the rest of the series (and talking about the whole thing in a podcast at some point).
The Ring: The Man Who Beat the Man #1 (of 8): Now this is interesting. Dark Horse is no stranger to licensed titles, but this is one from boxing magazine “The Ring.” What story is it going to tell? Good question as we’re only told it’s going to dive into the rich history of boxing and the mindsets of those who step into the ring. If nothing else, it sounds like something that plays to the character-driven strengths of writer Gail Simone. I’d say she’s a surprising choice for this kind of story… but that’s also true of most other creators I follow. Elisa Romboli illustrates and make your own joke about the profile of the artist who did “You Never Heard of Me” now.
Only the Savage Are Left #1 (of 5): Dark Horse and writer Zack Kaplan are in business together for the long run and this is their latest joint: A virus has spread across the world turning people into monsters and the only cure is for one infected to kill another. That might be a problem for the young pacifist who sets out from the only home he’s ever known to find out what has happened to his true love. I wasn’t that into Kaplan’s “Kill All Immortals,” which is into its third volume now, but his continued success with Dark Horse does make me want to check out one of his other offerings to see if they may be more up my alley. Might it be this one, with artist Stefano Raffaele? *shrugs*
Hellboy in Love: Obsidian #1 (of 2) & Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.: The Monster of Nivola: The adventures of Big Red continue – with and without love! I’ve not been following “Hellboy in Love” as it got the hardcover-first treatment and you all know how I feel about that. “The Monster of Nivola,” however, has already been announced as being part of the softcover “The Ghost Ships of Labrador” collection in October. Both of these are co-written by frequent Mike Mignola collaborator Christopher Golden so they’re probably going to be pretty good. Good enough to get me to start reading “Hellboy in Love” in hardcover? Probably not, but you never know.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: The Wings of Fate #1 (of ??): I saw this solicitation and thought, “Hey, this is just in time for the new live-action movie.” Then I read the solicitation and saw that this is actually set in that film’s universe. That’s synergy for you. I’m well past my “Masters of the Universe” fandom days, but the trailer for the new movie made it look fun. We’ll see if that’s true of the actual film.
Devil On My Shoulder: She was tortured by five men for forty days and left for dead. Now she’s going to get her revenge, and god help any ex-hitmen, sadistic art enthusiasts, and literal devils who get in her way. This is from the team who brought us “Where Monsters Lie,” writer Kyle Starks and artist Piotr Kowalski, and it sounds like a MUCH different kind of story than that one. One that sounds more in line with the last Starks story I read from Dark Horse, the misfire known as “Those Not Afraid.” To this title’s credit, it sounds like they’re leaning more into straight-up horror than Starks did with that series, and we’ve seen that he does good work with Kowalski. I’m not excited, but I’m at least cautiously optimistic about checking this out.
Keep Your Hands Off Eizouken vol. 8: Resolicited! Again! Oh well… As long as this gets in my hands eventually.