Dark Horse Previews Picks: September 2015
Getting a special above-the-board mention this month is B.P.R.D.: Hell on Earth #135. Why? Because the solicitation text mentions that this is the start of the final “Hell on Earth” arc. This doesn’t necessarily mean the end of the series. Were I a betting man, I’d assume that the series will be getting a new subtitle once this is all over. It’s worth noting that up until “B.P.R.D.” assumed its “Hell on Earth” subtitle, Mignola and Arcudi were pretty much just winging it in terms of the overall direction of the series. We got a lot of good stories out of that approach, but with the changeover came a new sense of purpose and a genuine “raising of the stakes” as it became clear that the end of the world is at hand and everyone is basically fighting to shape what comes next. Whatever that is, I look forward to reading about. I just hope that they can finally make the Black Flame into a compelling antagonist as his efforts to test the limits of his power are apparently the starting point for this arc.
Archie vs. Predator HC: I was looking forward to this until I saw that they’re releasing it in hardcover. I’m all for seeing what the Predator gets up to while he’s got a few days to kill in Riverdale, but how exactly does something like this warrant the hardcover treatment? That’s the burning question I have for the company regarding this. Anyway, I’ll likely pick it up when it hits softcover or if I see this overpriced and over-esteemed edition on sale for half of its cover price.
Frankenstein Underground: It’s a strange time to put out another “Hellboy” spinoff. What with the apocalypse at hand and all. Still, it’ll be interesting to see what additional insight this series provides into the mysteries of the Mignolaverse. As it’s written by Mignola, with art from “Baltimore” veteran Ben Stenbeck. I’d like to offer some concrete details for the plot of this volume, but aside from the fact that this takes place right after “House of the Living Dead” there really aren’t any to give.
The Goon Library vol. 1 HC: Collects volumes 0-3, which at this point are pretty much “the best parts” of this series. I don’t know if the upcoming “Once Upon a Hard Time” arc is going to turn things around, but I miss the funny drama-free days of this title. If you’ve never checked this series out, this is a great place to start. Just know that everything after this is varying degrees of absurd, hilarious, heartbreaking, and depressing with the latter two becoming more prominent as things go on.
The Kurosagi Corpse Delivery Service Omnibus vol. 2: All of you who don’t read this series have already pre-ordered the first omnibus. Right? Anyway, this collection features the title at its best and most cliffhanger-ish. Vol. 4 is a definite high point with the guest appearance from the protagonist of “Mail” in one of the title’s few genuinely creepy stories, and the team trying to put the ghost of an alien who possessed a Russian space chimp to rest. As for vol. 5, the stories aren’t quite as good, but it features some of Carl Horn’s best work in localizing the script. Vol. 6 has the team trying to treat the trauma of a spirit and a combustible climax in the main story which will leave you eager for the third omnibus. Or, you could just go pick up vol. 7 while it’s still in print.
Mirror’s Edge: Exordium #1: This new miniseries sets up the current-gen videogame sequel set to arrive next year. Aside from the fact that it features the game’s protagonist, there’s no information as to what the story’s going to be about in the solicitation text. I even googled “exordium” in the hopes that would provide some insight. Turns out that it’s just a fancy way of saying “beginning.” Whatever. This is being written by the writer of the upcoming game, so it’s likely to provide some actual setup for the story. You can also count on Dark Horse to produce a licensed comic that’s of generally high caliber, so there’s that to consider as well.
The Paybacks #1: In this world, superpowers don’t come cheap. So what happens if you take out a loan to finance your superpowered crimefighting career and can’t pay it back? Enter: The Paybacks, a repo squad for superheroes. Not only does this sound like it has the potential for some great black comedy, but it also sounds like an idea right out of Adam Warren’s “Empowered.” For all I know, he’s reading this and cursing its creators for getting to the idea before he could. These creators being writers Donny Cates and Eliot Rahal, and artist Geoff Shaw. I’ve got no familiarity with any of them, but I’ll have to remember to check this out once it’s collected.
Power Cubed #1: Kid invents matter-reinterpreting device — EVERYONE then wants it for themselves. It’s a solid concept for a series, and the first creator-owned project from writer/artist Aaron Lopresti. He’s spent the last decade on various books from Marvel and DC, and I managed to not read any of them. I didn’t actively try to do that. The fact that I can’t think of a single book that he’s done that I have in my library does mean that this is something I’m not going to try to keep in mind. Unless it makes a splash when it comes out. Then we’ll see.
Resident Alien vol. 3: The Sam Hain Mystery: Yes, I still need to pick up vol. 2 of this series about an alien masquerading as a human doctor and solving crimes in his spare time in rural Washington. I promise I’ll get around to it before this becomes the TV movie it was meant to be.