Dark Horse Previews Picks: May 2021
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
Manifest Destiny #43
Yes, I know that the first volume of “Crossover” is in these solicitations. The thing is I already mentioned the first issue here way back when it was solicited, and after the 150,000+ copies it sold I really don’t think it needs any additional press to help its commercial prospects. “Manifest Destiny,” on the other hand, had a buzzy launch only to see said buzz and sales trail off over the course of its run. Which is is a shame since it has been a pretty fun bit of monster-filled revisionist history. The hook for this series has been that Lewis and Clark weren’t just tasked with exploring the new lands gained in the Louisiana Purchase, they were sent to take care of the many unknown otherworldly ad demonic entities that had taken up root in these new lands.
Vol. 7 ended with some major shake-ups, including one that literally exploded the status quo, that had me thinking that whatever arc was coming next would be the title’s last one. The solicitation text for issue #43 tells me that I’m write and “Manifest Destiny” will be wrapping up with this first of six (or eight if they want to end with issue #50) issues leading to the finale. Said text is light on specifics for this arc, though it does mention Lewis and Clark having to resolve their bargain with a demon. Which may or may not involve child sacrifice according to how the story has been setting things up so far.
And without further ado…
Crossover vol. 1: Kids Love Chains: Yes, I am very hyped for this series even if the subtitle for vol. 1 is referencing “Spawn.” After “God Country,” “Thanos Wins,” and volume of “Guardians of the Galaxy” (plus solid work on titles like “Buzzkill,” and “The Paybacks” prior to their breakthrough) Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw have established themselves as one of comics’ Dream Teams. They’ve shown that they can do great work together and their return to creator-owned work at Image was always going to be big. That the series is about what happens when a big superhero crossover explodes into our world also gives it a solid hook to appeal to people who maybe aren’t quite sold on the team yet. In any event, I’m expecting the best from Cates and Shaw here, and history has shown that it’s likely that they’ll deliver.
The Good Asian #1 (of 9): Writer Pornsak Pichetshote made a solid debut as a writer with the “Racist ghost haunts a Muslim family in an apartment” story “Infidel,” and I’ve been wondering when he’d be following that up. After a few short stories at Marvel, he’s back at Image for this series with artist Alexandre Tefenkgi. Edison Hark is a Chinese-American detective tracking down a serial killer in Chinatown circa 1936. That’s all we have to go on for this series. What it may lack in detail, it makes up for with its setting and protagonist. The Chinatown of 1936 (and my guess is that it’ll be San Francisco’s) is a very unexplored setting, especially with a Chinese-American protagonist. Even if the solicitation text didn’t say that this series was going to dive headfirst into the racial politics of the era, the setup should have given you the impression that it will. Still, after “Infidel” I’m pretty certain Pichetshote will be able to make this stuff entertaining as well as informative.
Time Before Time #1: It’s the year 2140 and the future is looking dim for everyone. The good news is that, for the right price, you can escape this future and go back into the past to live a better life. Tatsuo and Oscar don’t have that much, so they decide to steal a time machine and find a better era for themselves. The pitch is “Looper” meets “Saga” and it’s coming to us from co-writers Declan Shalvey and Rory McConville, with art from Joe Palmer. I’m not convinced that Shalvey is as good a writer as he is an artist after my experience with “Bog Bodies.” That said, McConville and Palmer are the British team behind the upcoming “Write it in Blood” OGN that’s been getting some buzz. Maybe I’ll be more excited about this series after I’ve checked that out.
Die #16: “Bleed,” the closing arc of Kieron Gillen and Stephanie Hans’ tabletop RPG-influenced series begins. Which is odd, because I’d heard that this was planned to be a 25-issue series, and I doubt we’re getting a 10-issue closing arc. I can’t say I’m too broken up about this development either way. The first two volumes of this series didn’t click with me the way Gillen’s other work has, even if they were still interesting to read. Maybe I’ll have a better impression after I get through vol. 3, which is currently sitting in the middle of my larger-than-usual “To Read” pile. Still, the ending of this series means that its creators will now be free to work on new series that may actually grab me from the start.
Hey Kids! Comics! Vol. 2: Prophets and Loss #1 (of 6): Howard Chaykin’s original “Hey Kids! Comics!” miniseries had an irresistible premise: The creator was going to give his history of comics, dirty deeds and all, with the names changed to protect the innocent as well as the guilty. Its execution, however, was a complete mess. There was a cast of well over a dozen that all seemed to blend together (personality-wise) with a structure that tried to tell different, unconnected stories across the 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s in a single issue. Even if Chaykin had named names, it’s doubtful that would’ve made things more interesting. The solicitation for this new series doesn’t indicate the creator is returning to that same structure, so maybe it’ll be better? That’d be great, but this will have to be REALLY good in order to get me to pick it up after I sold off the previous volume.
Killadelphia #13: This kicks off the newest story arc and the solicitation text spoils what looks like a MAJOR plot point from the previous arc. Would it have killed whoever wrote this to have been vague about who’s dead now? Then again, this is a series about vampires infesting the City of Brotherly Love. So it could be that the person identified as being dead is actually undead and this is all a plan to misdirect trade-waiters like me? If only I could find it in my heart to give whoever wrote this that much credit…
Sunstone HC: The hardcover collection of vols. 1-3 of this excellent S&M-themed romance series is back in print. Go pick it up if you haven’t bought it or the three volumes it collects yet.