Dark Horse Previews Picks: October 2014
It turns out that the manga news from Dark Horse at Anime Expo was just too big for one panel to contain. In addition to the new volume of “The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service” and the “Panty & Stocking” anthology, we’re also getting an “Evangelion” parody manga from Tony Takezaki. I realize that most people are going to go “Huh?” to that news, but I’m actually interested in this. Not only is the “Neon Genesis Evangelion Comic Tribute” the best manga based on that series that the company has published, Takezaki also contributed several of the funnier segments to it. The fact that it’s a comedy anthology will also likely give Carl Horn, who I’m assuming will be handling the English adaptation duties here as he has for all of Dark Horse’s “Evangelion” manga, more freedom to make things funnier in his localization.
We were also told that the company will be re-packaging all of “Oh My Goddess” in fifteen omnibi. Given that the series is 48 volumes in length, that seems like a very sensible move on their part. However, even though I’m planning on buying the “Evangelion” parody manga, these other announcements seem to indicate that my continued suspicions that the future of Dark Horse manga will be in managing their backlist and anime-tie-ins of dubious quality.
Athena Voltaire Compendium HC: Based on the solicitation text, the title character is basically a female Indiana Jones who takes on zombies and unspeakable occult creatures in addition to Nazis. While I’ve got no familiarity with the character, or creator/writer/artist Steve Bryant, there is something appealing about this collection. No, not the fact that it was nominated for an Eisner. The fact that it’s a 240-page hardcover for $20. That’s the kind of price/page ratio that gets me to take a chance on something I’ve never heard of before!
Baltimore: The Wolf and the Apostle #1 (of 2): After the most recent volume, Inquisitor Duvic was left changed by his experiences. As a result, he’s now being hunted by the very Inquisition he used to serve. The problem is that they don’t stand a chance against him without the services of the title character. With a setup like that, the waiting for the next hardcover collection of this title just got that much harder for me…
Colder: The Bad Seed #1: Yup, still need to read the original miniseries. It is interesting to note that it was apparently successful enough to launch this new ongoing series from original creators Paul Tobin and Juan Ferreyra. Ferreyra also gives this first issue a really goddamn creepy cover. (It’s those fingers that guy has for a nose. *shudder*) So now all I have to do is get the miniseries collection and get in on the ground floor here. *POST-COMIC-CON UPDATE* I did find the collection and will be writing up my thoughts on it once it comes up on my “to read” pile.
Dream Logic HC: Speaking of series I have yet to read, I’ve never gotten around to reading David Mack’s “Kabuki.” While it was a notable creator-owned series during the time it was being published, its profile seems to have fallen off in recent years as Mack’s output has dwindled. Given that Dark Horse is publishing this oversized collection of odds-and-ends that the creator has done over the years, we may be seeing more of his work brought back into print through them as well. Along with the creator providing writing, art, or covers to some of the publisher’s other projects. That’s usually the way it goes.
The Massive vol. 4: Sahara: In which the crew of the Kapital faces off against Capt. Israel’s comrade-turned-nemesis Arkady and find former crewmember Mary guarding a caravan of fresh water in the Sahara. We’re also told that she’s guarding a secret which may unravel Isreal for good. One: Israel has already been ground down far enough in this series that I don’t need to see it happen to him any further. Two: If this secret is about Mary’s implied “special powers” then that might be the final straw for me and this series. Even after “The Massive #28,” also solicited here, reveals that the title ship has finally been found. I’d certainly like to find out just what happened to it (along with why they kept getting pings on its transponder back in vol. 2), but that’s going to be contingent on the title not doing anything to aggravate me further.
Neon Genesis Evangelion: The Shinji Ikari Raising Project vol. 15: With this volume, the series will have more volumes than Yoshiyuki Sadamoto’s official manga adaptation. Given the quality of the most recent volume, that news is more depressing than anything else. It really is a sign that Japanese “Eva” fans will really buy anything associated with the franchise regardless of its quality.
Wait… I’m still buying it too… FUCK!
Tiger Lung HC: This comes to us courtesy of “Prophet” artist and co-writer Simon Roy with Jason Wordie co-writing and coloring. It’s about a shaman from paleolithic times trying to protect his people from the strange beasts and ancient gods which roam the Earth. Sounds very Lovecraftian, or Mignola-esque since this is being published by Dark Horse. While I have yet to get around to writing it up, I did like “Jan’s Atomic Heart and Other Stories,” the collection of Roy’s short works that was published through Image earlier this year. So I’m inclined to pick this up, even though it’s solicited as a very slim 88-page hardcover.