Dark Horse Previews Picks: March 2022
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
We Have Demons #1 (of 3)
I don’t think that Dark Horse’s recent acquisition by the Embracer Group is going to change anything for the company in the short term. As for the long term, things will only change if Embracer decides that they don’t want to be in the business of producing creator-owned comics. What’s the point of buying a company to act as an IP farm if you don’t actually own the IP being created, after all? Having a corporate owner with large pockets could serve to revitalize the company, as they should have a better ability to offer good deals to creators and actually promote their comics. As opposed to the interesting bit of synchronicity that allowed them to land Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo’s latest comic.
I say “synchronicity” because Dark Horse publishing “We Have Demon’s” print version wasn’t a calculated move by Snyder and Capullo. This is because Dark Horse signed a deal to release ComiXology’s exclusive digital comics in print a while back. This news didn’t make a whole lot of waves because the digital comics publishing platform hadn’t released a lot of must-read comics (unless you’re a big fan of Chip Zdarsky, I guess). Then, earlier this year, they announced that Scott Snyder would be releasing his new creator-owned comics through ComiXology. This included new work with Capullo, Francesco Francavilla, Francis Manapul, and more. Which is how Dark Horse came to be publishing the latest work from the team that gave us the best run of “Batman” in recent memory, and the event comic mega-hits “Metal” and “Death Metal.”
It’s hard to imagine Snyder and Capullo releasing this comic through Dark Horse had their deal with ComiXology not already been in place. Not with companies like Image and BOOM! knocking it out of the park with just about every new comic they launch. So it’ll be interesting to see what kind of numbers this series does when it hits print.
“What about the comic itself?” I hear you ask. It’s about a woman who has always believed in science and rationality suddenly coming face-to-face with the idea that demons actually exist in our world. This is through her meeting with a benevolent one by the name of Hellvis. That’s enough for me.
Radio Spaceman #1 (of 2): Meanwhile the Mike Mignola train keeps trucking along. He’s writing this miniseries, with art from Greg Hinkle, where the title character goes to investigate a ship that crashed into a mysterious planet. Naturally, there’s more going on here than initially advertised and Radio Spaceman soon finds out that he may be in over his head. The series is described as a “steampunk space adventure full of mystery, monsters, and awesome gadgets.” If that works for you, then good. As for everyone else, they’re probably like me in that they’ve read enough Mignola over the years to know whether or not this is for them.
Count Crowley: Amateur Midnight Monster Hunter #1 (of 4): Moving up from the “Reluctant Midnight Monster Hunter” of the original series, Jerri Bartman is still learning the ropes of her chosen profession. She’s also having to take jobs hosting midnight monster shows in between dismembering zombies. That said, she’s going to have to step up her game quick as she’s done something to piss off a certain vampire, and he’s headed to her town… for vengeance! I remember mentioning the first miniseries a while back because it featured art from “Witch Doctor” artist Lukas Ketner. In the space of a year, however, I can say I now know who writer David Dastmalchian is: He’s The Polka-Dot Man from “The Suicide Sqad (2021).” Yes, really. Makes you wonder if this sequel was green-lit because of that or because the original miniseries was just that good. I guess I’ll have to pick up the original to find out.
Assassin’s Creed Valhalla: Forgotten Mists #1 (of 3): This is described as a prequel to “Dawn of Ragnarok” which is going to be the next (and largest) expansion for the game. Baldr, son of Odin, joins Thor and Heimdall in the fight against a fire giant from Muspelheim only to find out that this skirmish is part of a larger plan by the Muspels to invade Svartalfheim. In short, it’s another Tuesday in the Nine Realms. I haven’t played the game yet because I’ve been waiting to enjoy it on a current gen PC. Now that I have one, I’ve also got a sizeable gaming backlog to go along with it. All of this is to say that while this comic may be good, I’m currently in no position to enjoy it as it relates to the game that it’s meant to be promoting.
Elfquest: Stargazer’s Hunt vol. 2: While we’re on the subject of whether or not a miniseries was popular enough to warrant a sequel, consider “Stargazer’s Hunt.” Originally published as a four-issue miniseries, its second half is now going straight-to-graphic-novel. Don’t get me wrong, I’m glad that the story is going to be concluded after vol. 1 ended on a cliffhanger. It does make me wonder if the future of “Elfquest” is going to be in this format rather than single issues. Which would be fine with me, really.
Into Radness: The cover to this volume is attention-getting, as it features an image of an angry, bandaged, smoking punk staring out at the reader. It also has an attention-getting title with “Into Radness” which is plot-relevant as it’s the title of the main characters’ internet series about blowing up VHS tapes and setting slime on fire. This isn’t getting them anywhere, until they’re attacked by some oozing creature and are able to film themselves fighting it off. While this gets them internet famous, it turns out that there’s a lot more where that monster came from. This comes to us from writer Kyle Strahm and artist Jake Smith. I’ve only heard of Strahm because of “Spread,” the Image series he co-wrote with Justin Jordan. So I’ve got no idea of what to expect from this series, quality-wise. Still, the solicitation got my attention and that’s a start.
Mazebook HC: I’m still not sure if I want to jump back on the Jeff Lemire train. Even if this series about a building inspector who thinks his daughter is trying to contact him from the great beyond via her love of mazes has a premise that lends itself to his formalist sensibilities. I will admit that the $30 for 256 pages is on the reasonable side when compared to a collection like “X Lives & Deaths of Wolverine.” Still, everything I’ve read from Lemire over the years tells me that I should wait for the softcover edition if I’m going to give this a shot at all.
Scarlet: While we’re on the subject of what constitutes an affordable release, the Bendis reprint train continues. “Scarlet” is about a woman who, after her boyfriend is gunned down by some corrupt cops, inspires a revolution in society. It’s a setup that has only become more relevant with time, and while the story takes some big leaps as it goes on, it’s not hard to imagine those becoming more plausible as time goes on. That said, this is a 496-page volume for $30, though it’s unclear how many volumes are being reprinted. Is it just the first two volumes published at Marvel under Icon (with extras) or will it include the third volume published at DC as well. While I’ve liked this series, my enjoyment of it has always been hamstrung by the fact that, for whatever reason, Bendis and Alex Maleev don’t seem intent on continuing the story, let alone finishing it.