Dark Horse Penguin Picks: February 2025
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Groo: Minstrel Melodies
I’ve made no secret that I think the last few volumes of “Groo” haven’t found this series at its best. More overtly preachy, less funny, lacking the fun of the old done-in-one stories of the original Epic run, or even the twelve-issue “Friends & Foes” series. Well, good news everyone! This series is harkening back to these as this mini follows the exploits of the Minstrel and his daughter Kayli as they go from town-to-town singing the exploits of Groo. While we’re not given any specifics about said exploits, the implication is that we will be getting some done-in-one stories about the Cheese Dip Wanderer and his faithful pet Rufferto. Which will hopefully herald a return to form for this series… or possibly be the last new* volume of “Groo” I’ll buy.
*I’d still pay for some kind of omnibus collection of the title’s Epic run. Why the hell hasn’t that happened yet? Or, for that matter, some kind of omnibus collection of the earlier “Groo” comics published at Dark Horse?
Sister Imperator #1: I’m only bringing this up because it’s being billed as “From the World of Ghost.” But not the “Ghost” comics series that were published by Dark Horse way back in the 90’s. No, this is about the band “Ghost” and its mythology, of which this Sister Imperator is said to be a significant part of. So if you’re a fan, this miniseries is said to reveal her secret history. As for me and everyone else… *shrugs*.
Usagi Yojimbo: Ten Thousand Plums #1 (of 5): This is billed as a five-part miniseries, but after “Ice & Snow” it’s clear that “Usagi’s” new series-of-miniseries format at the publisher is more to indicate how these issues are going to be collected after they’re serialized. So even though this issue is solicited as the start of an arc where Usagi, Gen, and Stray Dog run afoul of a shogun official after wandering through a grove of plum trees, it’s not likely to be the only story in this arc. My guess is that when creator Stan Sakai wants to do another epic “Usagi” story that takes up an entire volume, he’ll extend the length of the “miniseries” out to six or even seven issues.
Who Are the Power Pals? #1: A couple of small-time actors who had a brief brush with fame when they starred in the 90’s series “Power Pals.” It was a brief brush because it only lasted three episodes, but it left them hungry for more. Now they stroll Hollywood Boulevard in their old superhero costumes trying to stage a viral moment that will catapult them back into the public eye. Unfortunately for them, when that viral moment finally happens it winds up disrupting the plans of a crime boss who now wants some payback. This comes to us from writer Duane Murray and artist Ahmad Raafat who I have never heard of before this. Still, it’s a cute premise so maybe this will turn out all right.
Assassin’s Creed: Mirage – A Soar of Eagles #1 (of 3): Wait, how many times has this miniseries been solicited? I’ve lost track and it now looks like it’s set to arrive just in time for the next game in the series “Shadows,” to come out.
From the World of Minor Threats: Welcome to Twilight #1 (of 4): Joining co-creators Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum for this latest spinoff miniseries is writer Matt Fraction and artist Michael Allred. Wait, I thought that these spinoffs weren’t supposed to have bigger-name talent than the people who created “Minor Threats.” All the better for this as we’re introduced to Benjamin “Brock” Bronkowicz, a bird-winged actor who isn’t a superhero, but he once played one on TV. These days he spends his days on the convention circuit trying to cash in on his old fame until a chance encounter with a mysterious woman convinces him he has more to live for than he thought. There’s no doubt that Allred is going to make this look great, I just hope we get the Fraction from the beginning and end of “Invincible Iron Man” and not its middle. Or the Fraction from the first two volumes of “Sex Criminals” and not the ones that followed.
Drifters Omnibus vols. 1 & 2: Resolicited with vol. 1 now arriving in March and vol. 2 in April. Good to know that these are still coming. Though I’m sure that Dark Horse is waiting to see how these sell before they make any decisions about licensing future volumes (or “volume” since vol. 7 only came out last year).
Kill All Immortals: “Succession” meets “John Wick” in this series about an immortal viking family whose daughter has had enough and wants to bring down their whole empire. Best of luck to her as vikings can be notoriously hard to kill. Especially big, burly roid-rage-looking ones named Thorkell. I remember being more impressed that this was being illustrated by “No One Left To Fight’s” Fico Ossio than written by Zack Kaplan (who?). Even if Ossio doesn’t bring the same game here that he did to his great “Dragonball” homage, his presence implies there’s at least a chance that “John Wick’s” name hasn’t been invoked here in vain. While we’re on the subject of artists elevating a comic…
Paranoid Gardens: The last time I read a comic co-written by Gerard Way and Shaun Simon, it was the disappointing “The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys” that at least had Becky Cloonan’s art to recommend it. This time, veteran of “The Invisibles,” “The Filth,” “The Twelve,” and more mature-readers and oddball superhero comics, Chris Weston is illustrating the co-writer’s story of Loo. She works at a care center for strange individuals like ghosts, aliens, superheroes, and the like. It can be a lot to take in, but Loo believes this is part of her higher calling. So she’s either right… or she’s on her way to being a patient here as well. Weston will make this look good, maybe just enough to convince me to take a chance on something co-written by Way and Simon again.