I got a pretty positive response to a question I posted on Facebook a week ago on if spotlighting future new titles in the comic order catalogs would be helpful. The Previews catalog is a bit of a beast to work through on a good day, and a lot of good stuff is hiding throughout it that even retailers have trouble spotting cool things. So I'll do my best to catch cool projects and share them with you!
And a quick note, you'll see that I'll try to include a little order code with most items (ex:JUL200019). If you give those little codes to your comic retailer, THEY WILL LOVE YOU SO HARD.
DRACULA MOTHERF**KER HC
(W) Alex De Campi (A/CA) Erica Henderson
Vienna, 1889: Dracula's brides nail him to the bottom of his coffin. Los Angeles, 1974: an aging starlet decides to raise the stakes. Crime scene photographer Quincy Harker is the only man who knows it happened, but will anyone believe him before he gets his own chalk outline? And are Dracula's three brides there to help him...or use him as bait? A pulpy, pulse-pounding graphic novel of California psych-horror from acclaimed creators ALEX DE CAMPI and ERICA HENDERSON. JUL200019
Why this caught my eye:
Alex De Campi is just a fun writer (Archie VS Predator), and Erica Henderson is a superstar in my eyes due to her run on Squirrel Girl.
WE ONLY FIND THEM WHEN THEY'RE DEAD #1
(W) Al Ewing (A/CA) Simone Di Meo
* For fans of Decorum and Something is Killing the Children comes a new sci-fi epic from Al Ewing (Immortal Hulk) and Simone Di Meo (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) on the edge of space where humanity is harvesting the corpses of giant alien gods to survive.
* No one has ever seen a living god, but Captain Malik is obsessed with being the first.
* Captain Malik and the crew of the Vihaan II harvest the only resources that matter from the giant corpses of alien gods found on the edge of human space. While other autopsy ships race to salvage the meat, minerals, and metals that sustain the human race, Malik sees an opportunity to finally break free from this system.
* But Malik's obsession with the gods will push his crew into the darkest reaches of space, bringing them face to face with a threat unlike anything they've ever imagined - unless the rogue agent on their trail can stop them first... JUL200871
Why this caught my eye:
I love Al Ewing Immortal Hulk, and if you ever get a chance to check out his 2000AD work such as Zombo you'll understand my love for him as a creator. While I want him to succeed at Marvel, seeing him do projects like this excite me waaaaaay more.
HEAVENS DESIGN TEAM GN VOL 01
(W) Hebi-Zou, Tsuta Suzuki (A) Tarako
God created the heavens and the Earth -- but, little-known fact, he outsourced the animals to the office of Heaven's Design Team! This hilarious and educational manga features weird real-life animals and puts even some humdrum critters in a strange new light.
On the seventh day, God rested. But it turns out He started getting tired long before... In fact, when it came time to design the animals, God contracted the whole thing out to an agency... Heaven's Design Team! They love their work -- the giraffe, the koala, the ping-pong tree sponge(?!) -- but their divine client's demands are often vague, and the results are sometimes wild in more ways than one. Then there's prototyping and testing to worry about, not to mention Ms. Pluto's penchant for grotesque and Mr. Saturn, who just wants to make everything look like a horse... But in the end, all creatures great and small get their due!
Includes photos and educational information about the REAL animals created in this volume... Giraffe Red-eyed tree frog Koala Horsehair worm Armadillo Anteater Sea cucumber American red deer Fiddler crab Narwhal Sperm whale Giant squid Seahorse ...and many more! A digital-first hit for Kodansha Surprising, educational facts makes this a spiritual successor to Kodansha hit Cells at Work! Each chapter ends with photos of the real animals featured in the story.
JUL201599
Why this caught my eye: C'mon, just read that summary yo.
ROALD DAHL WITCHES GN VOL 01
(W) Roald Dahl (A) Pénélope Bagieu
Roald Dahl's darkly funny masterpiece, The Witches, now available as a graphic novel from Eisner Award-winning artist Pénélope Bagieu! Witches are real, and they are very, very dangerous. They wear ordinary clothes and have ordinary jobs, living in ordinary towns all across the world - and there's nothing they despise more than children. When an eight-year-old boy and his grandmother come face-to-face with the Grand High Witch herself, they may be the only ones who can stop the witches' latest plot to stamp out every last child in the country! Available in softcover and hardcover editions. JUL201217
Why this caught my eye:
It's The Witches and it's Scholastic. No wonder Scholastic is the best selling publisher of comics hands down, they keep nailing down surefire hits.
AQUATLANTIC HC
(W) Giorgio Carpinteri (A/CA) Giorgio Carpinteri
A Raw artist returns, and Atlantis exists, in this new and original graphic novel from one of the great Italian comics masters, published in English for the first time.
In this graphic novel, Aqualantics maintain a fragile peace with their "surface brothers"-as long as their world remains a myth. But when an actor who plays the character of the "indefensible Earthman," all cynicism and vulgarity, is gradually possessed by his role, a chain reaction jeopardizes the entire kingdom and the uneasy peace between the two species. Giorgio Carpinteri's sheer graphic brilliance - fusing aspects of Futurism, Cubism, Russian Constructivism, and German Expressionism with echoes of Bauhaus and distinct whims of Art Deco - would be enough to carry this brilliant fantasy, but Aqualantic is also a lyrical, allegorical masterpiece exploring the relationship between the conscious and unconscious, the known and the unknown. JUL201170
Why this caught my eye:
I swear Fantagraphics, you make it so hard to want to buy stuff at times. So the cover drew my attention, and there's really not much info about Carpinteri on the Fanta website, so here's his Instagram page and a small gallery to get a better feel for his stuff.
HEDRA (ONE-SHOT)
(W) Jesse Lonergan (A/CA) Jesse Lonergan
In a glorious exploration of the comics medium with echoes of 2001: A Space Odyssey, Flash Gordon, Chris Ware, and Moebius, a lone astronaut leaves a world ravaged by nuclear war in search of life. What she finds is beyond all explanation. JUN200077
Why this caught my eye:
Saw a nice preview up on Polygon, just looks neat.
LIGHTFALL GN VOL 01 GIRL & GALDURIAN
(W) Tim Probert (A) Tim Probert
Bea and Cad are two unlikely friends who get swept up in a quest way above their pay grade to save their world from falling into eternal darkness. Deep in the heart of the planet Irpa stands the Salty Pig's Tonics & Tinctures, home of the wise Pig Wizard and his adopted granddaughter, Bea. They live a quiet life, crafting medicines and potions for the people of their once-prosperous world. All that changes when Bea meets Cad, a member of the Galdurians, a race thought to be long-extinct. Cad believes that if anyone can help him find his missing people, it's the Pig Wizard. But when the two arrive home, the Pig Wizard is nowhere to be found. Fearing for the Pig Wizard's safety, Bea and Cad set out across Irpa to find him. Will these two unexpected friends find the beloved Pig Wizard and prevent eternal darkness from blanketing their world? Available in softcover and hardcover editions. JUL201219
Why this caught my eye:
This art style is just my jam these days, plus when Kazu Kibuishi(AMULET) plugs something you listen to him.
DISPLACEMENT SC GN
(W) Kiku Hughes (A) Kiku Hughes
1940s Japanese-American internment camp that her late grandmother, Ernestina, was forcibly relocated to during World War II. These displacements keep occurring until Kiku finds herself "stuck" back in time. Living alongside her young grandmother and other Japanese-American citizens in internment camps, Kiku gets the education she never received in history class. She witnesses the lives of Japanese-Americans who were denied their civil liberties and suffered greatly, but managed to cultivate community and commit acts of resistance in order to survive. JUL201185
Why this caught my eye:
It sounds like a fascinating premise, and educational piece, and a good companion book to go with They Called Us Enemy.
CORPSE TALK SC GN GROUNDBREAKING WOMEN
(A) Adam Murphy, Lisa Murphy
Welcome to Corpse Talk, the chat show with a difference - all of the guests are dead! Your host, comic book artist Adam Murphy, interviews eighteen ground-breaking
women throughout history. Have you ever heard of Khutulun, the wrestling princess from Mongolia? Wondered about Jane Austen's love life? Or asked how Harriet Tubman managed to escape from slavery and help so many others do the same? This graphic novel answers all of your questions about the lives of these significant historical figures, from their amazing achievements to their personal lives. Available in softcover and hardcover editions. JUL201142
Why this caught my eye:
Just sounded fun and could be good for kids who like creepy stuff.
CORPSE TALK HC GN GROUNDBREAKING SCIENTISTS
(A) Adam Murphy, Lisa Murphy
Discover the incredible stories of scientists throughout history in this hilarious graphic novel for kids aged 9 to 12 that brings the dead famous to life. Welcome to Corpse Talk, the chat show with a difference - all of the guests are dead! Meet your host, comic book artist Adam Murphy, as he interviews eighteen groundbreaking scientists throughout history. Discover what happened to Galileo when he suggested that the Earth goes round the Sun, and why Archimedes jumped out of his bath and ran naked through the streets shouting "Eureka!" This graphic novel answers all your questions about the lives of famous scientists from history, and introduces you to some you may not have heard of, such as brilliant dinosaur expert Mary Anning. JUL201141
Why this caught my eye:
See above recommendation.
Hopefully that's a good start! Please leave a comment on my Patreon, Facebook, and Twitter pages to let me know if you like this type of content, I can try to make it pretty frequent because there is definitely no shortage of good stuff coming out soon!