Image Previews Picks: September 2020
Above-the-Board Recommendation:
DRACULA, MOTHERF**CKER!
It’s a 72-page original graphic novel that’s retailing for $17. How did it manage to get the top spot for this round of solicitations — even though it’s also advance-solicited for October? Well, it’s coming from writer Alex De Campi, who has shown she can deliver quality pulp with “Grindhouse” and “No Mercy,” and artist Erica Henderson, who knocked it out of the park with “Assassin Nation” last year. Then there’s the solicitation text which promises a story that begins with Dracula being staked to his coffin by his brides, only for an aging starlet to raise those stakes in Los Angeles, 1974. Throw in a forgotten Harker descendant, crime-scene photographer Quincy, who is here to either lay this matter to rest or be used as quality bait by Dracula’s wives, and you’ve got a story that sounds bloody good time even with its page count and price point — and the advance-solicitation.
The Department of Truth #1: My biggest problem with writer James Tynion IV’s superhero work is how closely it hews to conventional storytelling. His creator-owned work hasn’t really had that problem. At least, not until now. The premise of “The Department of Truth,” illustrated by Martin Simmonds, is that all of the conspiracies you’ve heard about are true. It’s just that one organization has been responsible for covering them up for years. This is both a familiar premise and one that could very well blow up in the creators’ face if they venture anywhere near the “Pizzagate” realm of conspiracy theories. We’ll find out how well Tynion and Simmonds thought this through in a few months…
Stillwater #1: Writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Ramon Perez would like to invite you to Stillwater, a town where nobody dies. Ever. So this is one of those “immortality is a curse” kinds of stories? Okay. Not the greatest pitch I’ve read in these solicitations. Also, I’m still salty over “Spider-Man: Life Story,” so I’m not immediately excited by a new ongoing from Zdarsky. Unless this turns into a big breakout hit, in which case I’ll have to give it a look at some point.
Inkblot #1: I think the Kubert family qualifies as a comics dynasty now. This series is co-written-and-illustrated by Emma Kubert — daughter of Andy, granddaughter of Joe — and co-written-and-illustrated (or maybe just inked and colored, the credits aren’t clear on this) by Rusty Gladd. While I’ve got no real familiarity with the works of either creator, I’m curious to see if Emma draws in a style similar to her dad. More importantly, this series is about a sorceress who has to correct her greatest mistake: creating a magical cat that can travel through time, space, and reality. As a cat person, that makes this series immediately relevant to my interests.
Sex Criminals #69: I see what you did there, Fraction & Zdarsky. I’m still just going to wait until the final volume is on sale for $4 on ComiXology to see if I made the right choice in selling off the previous volumes.
Protector: Hey, I remember this one. It’s the one that was set in a post-apocalyptic America so far in the future that people were now referring to cities phonetically. Such as, Shikka-go. Anyhow, this comes from “Habitat” and “Jan’s Atomic Heart and Other Stories” creator (and artist and co-plotter of “Prophet”) Simon Roy. He’s only co-writing this with Daniel Bensen, but since this is just a miniseries and not an ongoing title, I figure I can pick it up to see how much of the weirdness from his other titles made it into here.
Death or Glory vol. 2: The first volume of Rick Remender and Bengal’s southern-fried, car-chase driven action yarn represented a major break in what you’d expect from the writer. In the sense that the first volume ended on a hugely positive note as Glory and her friends escaped the clutches of those chasing them, all while holding onto the liver her father needs for a transplant. It was a more upbeat ending than… hell, just about any other one I’ve read from Remender. Which means that vol. 2 will either a) open with everyone suffering a major setback before a proper happy ending can be delivered or b) end with everyone dying horribly without accomplishing anything. Maybe there’s something of a middle ground here, but I doubt it. Flip a coin and choose your poison here…
Monstress vol. 5: Warchild: Wherein the long-awaited war between the Federation and the Arcanics finally kicks off and protagonist Maika Halfwolf has to figure out what to do next. Her two choices are: Go do her own thing, or help her friends. My guess is that she’ll go do her own thing before realizing around halfway through the volume that what she really needs to do is help her friends. Call it a hunch. I’d be real happy, however, if she finally got over herself and realized that her best bet is to always stand by her friends.
The Old Guard vol. 2: Force Multiplied: The movie hasn’t hit Netflix yet. Even if it turns out to be terrible, I’ll still be glad that it exists. Because it got us another volume of this series from Greg Rucka and Leandro Fernandez. I’ll only be angry if THIS volume turns out to be terrible.