Dark Horse Penguin Picks: August 2023
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Blade of the Immortal Deluxe HC vol. 10
There was always the possibility that the publisher wouldn’t finish re-publishing their omnibus editions of this classic series in oversized hardcover format. Fortunately, with this solicitation, it looks like that fear will be unfounded come October (remember, Dark Horse advance-solicits all of their collections by two months). I’ve been re-buying “Blade” in this format and this has been a very handsome reproduction. It also means that I’ve currently got two versions of this series occupying my shelves, which is an exception in my library. I’m fine with it because the series is good enough to warrant such treatment until I find a proper home for my single-volume paperback editions (read: with someone who really wants to read it). If you haven’t read the series before now, this is the version to get. Though, if you’re strapped for cash, I’ll understand if you’re only able to shell out for the paperback editions.
Black Hammer: The End #1 (of 6): Not actually the end for this navel-gazing superhero series! The solicitation just says that it’s putting the “Black Hammer” universe into crisis following the events of the “Reborn” miniseries. Not that I care because I stopped reading this title after vol. 4! Well, maybe I care just enough to flag this miniseries as another reason as to why I’m glad I stopped reading this title when I did. Jeff Lemire still writes this series while Malachai Ward is now providing the art.
Killer Queens II #1: Writer David Booher and artist Bradley Clayton return to this queer-themed series that puts the sass in assassin (according to the cover solicited here). Max and Alex are pressured into tracking down the heir to the throne of Sarelia by their old boss. It isn’t long before they find out that not only is Sarelia ruled by a brutal patriarchy, but the heir has ties to Alex himself. What are a couple of assassins to do but to get out the torches and burn the patriarchy to the ground. While I didn’t read the first miniseries, the solicitation text makes a good case for me to check it out and see why I should be invested in Max and Alex’s adventures.
Air vol. 4: The concluding chapter to G. Willow Wilson and M.K. Perker’s old Vertigo series that is now being re-published by Dark Horse. Which is apparently very hard to get ahold of these days. Vol. 2 had to be special-ordered from my preferred distributor and they didn’t get ahold of it until the week that I’m writing this column. Hopefully vol. 3 won’t be as difficult to obtain, or (better still) vol. 2 will be good enough to make me more amenable to such waits for subsequent volumes.
Cat + Gamer vol. 3: I’m more glad to see that this series is continuing to be published by Dark Horse than anything else. The first two volumes were satisfying fluff about an adult gamer girl who decided to adopt a cute kitten. I don’t expect vol. 3 to change things up enough to convince anyone who wasn’t onboard with the first two volumes to start reading the series now. However I was one of those who was onboard with the first two volumes (being both a cat person and a gamer), so I’ll be picking this up when it arrives in October.
Grendel: Devil by the Deed Master’s Edition Hardcover: “Devil by the Deed” was the story that introduced the world to Hunter Rose, and began the “Grendel” saga by Matt Wagner. It’s also a very short story, which is why Wagner has returned to flesh out Rose’s life in the “Black, White, and Red,” “Red, White and Black,” and “Behold the Devil” miniseries. However, this “Master’s Edition” represents the creator’s most ambitious effort to add to the original Grendel’s story as it reprints the original tale with an additional 120 pages of story content. This more than doubles the length of “Devil by the Deed” and will either vastly enrich the original story, or show that Wagner is the new George Lucas when it comes to expanding upon the work that made him famous. We’ll be able to find out what the case is in October for $30, while really hardcore fans can shell out for a “Limited Edition” hardcover with unspecified extra content for $125.
Horror HC: Did you read Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” and think, “You know, that was pretty good. But I wonder what Kurtz was like before they find him at the end of that story.” Well writer Lars Jacobson and artist Eduardo Francisco have you covered with this story. See what happens when Kurtz and his family travel to the heart of the Congo with the intention of setting up a free market and ending the slave trade there. If you’ve guessed that THINGS GO BADLY FOR THEM, then you’re already one step ahead of whoever wrote the solicitation text for this volume. Maybe there are genuine surprises to be had in this prequel to one of the most notable works of the Western Canon, but I get the feeling that whatever’s being delivered here is more unnecessary scaffolding being bolted on to the original work than anything else.
Lego Space 1978-1992 HC: A hardcover detailing all of the sets that made up Lego’s “Space” playsets from the era in question. I’ll admit that this is only of interest to those who were aware of such a thing, but… that definitely includes me. I was a huge Lego fan during the time in question and had plenty of “Space” system sets in my collection. While I can’t say that I’m going to shell out $50 for this hardcover, I will admit that it is VERY tempting just for the sake of nostalgia on my end.
Skull and Bones: Savage Storm HC: The three-issue prequel to UbiSoft’s deeply, DEEPLY troubled pirate action game gets a hardcover collection. Unfortunately it seems like it’s still up in the air as to whether the game will ship in time to coincide with the release of this collection.