This batch features a silent dark fantasy, multiversal witches and alternate histories, the blurring between fantasy and reality, a new installment in the world of Coda, a tribute to Frazetta and Bakshi's Fire & Ice, a new printing of the all-ages adventure Tellos, and Sean Gordon Murphy's newest genre bending creator owned project.
MAGE & THE ENDLESS UNKNOWN GN
(W) S.J. Miller (A) S.J. Miller
Peek through the leaves, beyond the clouded mountains, you will find a garden with a strange attendant and an even stranger purpose. Follow the wordless Mage and his companions as they travel through a shadowy and fantastical land full of monsters. Will they survive this curious quest, or will the darkness swallow them whole? APR231640
Why this caught my eye:
This one has been published online for a while now so it's something we should all catch up on (read it here). Miller also contributed to the Heartwood Anthology, which is something you should definitely check out if you've never come across it before. And finally, Miller's bio on their website reads, "They love exploring the fear of flesh and the dread of inevitability.", and I love that for them.
EDENWOOD #1
(W) Tony S. Daniel (A/CA) Tony S. Daniel
SERIES PREMIERE
An eons-long series of multiverse wars between demons and witches has found Earth as its latest and final battleground. The battle pits NECRONEMA, the ever-expanding demonic land that supplanted the Midwest twenty years ago, against EDENWOOD, the witchcraft-controlled land that acts as a barrier against the war zone and the rest of the U.S.RION, a young DEMON HUNTER, is thrust into the role of hero and leader after defeating a magical demon called a GATHER, a transient demon with the power to cross any barrier or dimension.
Summoned by the WITCH WAR COUNCIL, Rion must assemble an elite team of DEMON HUNTERS tasked with annihilating a list of targets within the demon-controlled lands. The men and women he selects happen to be the most famous and revered demon hunters of all time, dating back to the 1700s. JUL230420
Why this caught my eye:
An 'eons-long series of multiverse wars between demons and witches' is a pretty good hook, ok?
KILL YOUR DARLINGS #1
(W) Ethan S. Parker, Griffin Sheridan (A) John J. Hill (A/CA) Bob Quinn
SERIES PREMIERE
Eight-year-old Rose loves nothing more than to play pretend in a magical land of her own creation. To her, that world is as real as our own, from her fluffy friends to the terrible evil that lurks at the center of it all. In one night, the line between fantasy and reality will disappear, an ancient hunger will feed again, and Rose will be pulled into a gruesome saga that began centuries before her birth.
A new epic begins from debut writers ETHAN S. PARKER and GRIFFIN SHERIDAN, and superstar art team BOB QUINN (Knights of X) and JOHN J. HILL (VANISH)!
JUL230430
Why this caught my eye:
New creators + a decent pitch, always worth getting in at the start and checking out.
CODA #1 (OF 5)
(W) Simon Spurrier (A/CA) Matias Bergara
In this brand new adventure in the Eisner Award-Nominated apocalyptic fantasy world of Coda, the despondent bard Hum finds a slice of tranquility with his wife, the Urken named Serka, in an ever-darkening, magic-less apocalypse - or so it seems. Prophecies of paradise and the return of magic? Hum is skeptical, while Serka faces difficult moral decisions on the road, with winter quickly approaching...
New and returning fans alike shouldn't miss the highly anticipated return of Coda from GLAAD Media Award winning writer Simon Spurrier (Damn Them All, The Flash) and EW's 2019 Artist of the Year Mat as Bergara (Step By Bloody Step)!
JUL230009
Why this caught my eye:
Almost missed the announcement on this sequel. I'm a sucker for the creative team, if you've never checked out the previous Coda or Steb By Bloody Step give them a look. In the meantime, preview pages here.
FIRE AND ICE #1
(W) Bill Willingham (A) Leonardo Manco (CA) Bill Sienkiewicz
A FANTASY CLASSIC RETURNS TO LIFE WITH AN ALL-NEW PREQUEL SERIES!
More than four decades ago, two iconic creators came together to bring to the silver screen an amazing new world of magic and adventure. In their classic animated film Fire and Ice, legendary artist FRANK FRAZETTA and famed director RALPH BAKSHI crafted a unique vision of beauty and danger, of good versus evil, all cast against a hypnotic backdrop of savage prehistoric splendor. Now, at long last, this timeless vision is expanding into comics with the first new story to revisit Frazetta and Bakshi's remarkable realm since 1982!
Before the fire waned and the ice spread across the world...before Teegra met Larn...before everything you know about the unforgettable animated movie came to be, there were the before times - times when evil might still be blunted, times when innocence was not yet lost. In Fire and Ice #1, acclaimed comics writer BILL WILLINGHAM (Fables, Legenderry) joins forces with artist LEONARDO MANCO (Hellstorm: Prince of Lies, Blaze of Glory) - making his triumphant return to comics - and a new legend is about to be born!
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Why this caught my eye:
Willingham is kinda hit and miss with me, but I love me some Leonardo Manco. His late 90's early aughts Marvel work left an impression on me (Deathlok, Werewolf By Night, Doom, Apache Skies, Blaze of Glory, more art here ), and I always recommend hunting it down in the back issue bins. Plus hey, a Sienkiewicz cover doesn't hurt either. First issue is already out but #2 isn't due until early Sept so you can catch up.
TELLOS SAGA HC
(W) Todd DeZago (A/CA) Mike Wieringo
The epic Tellos adventure is back and collected in this beautiful hardcover edition to enchant a new generation of fantasy lovers! Written by TODD DEZAGO and illustrated by the legendary MIKE WIERINGO.
JUL230449
Why this caught my eye:
I always loved Wieringo's work, so it does my heart good whenever they do nice reprints of stuff like Tellos.
PLOT HOLES #1 (OF 5)
(W) Sean Gordon Murphy (A/CA) Sean Gordon Murphy
Superstar artist Sean Gordon Murphy, known for his groundbreaking series Batman: White Knight, delivers an all-new tale of world-hopping adventure.
THE PLOT HOLES are a squad of fictional warriors who transport themselves into the pages of other books, using their unique skills to save the plots in order to stop them from being destroyed. And Cliff is their newest recruit, a comic creator who's just realized his world isn't real-in fact, it's a complete fiction that literally exists inside a novel. The other members are misfits like him, pulled from unpublished books that couldn't be saved: a manga samurai, a barbarian tiger, a kid from a comic strip, and a vampire assassin. Outclassed by the other members, Cliff sets out to prove his worth to The Plot Holes as they fight to save as many books as possible.
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Why this caught my eye:
First if all it's great that Murphy is launching his own publishing venture, so support him on that. Next he's also just a great creator, and this is giving me some Joe The Barbarian vibes so it should just be fun. There's a chunk of preview pages here so give it a look.
That's it for this batch, we'll check out some non-fiction on the next round!