This round of sci-fi spotlights a dark tale of ruin and vengeance set in a dystopian world, plenty of evil alternate universes, a world where humanity has gone extinct, an obscure Doctor Who sequel, a heaping serving of Alejandro Jodorowsky tales, and the debut of a great new talent seeing print from a popular webtoon series.
LABYRINTH HC
(W) Simon Stalenhag (A/CA) Simon Stalenhag
Visionary illustrator and author SIMON STALENHAG (THE ELECTRIC STATE, TALES FROM THE LOOP) presents a tense, dark tale of ruin and vengeance set among a stunning sci-fi apocalypse like you've never seen before.
An eight-wheeled vehicle trundles across a barren landscape of ash and ruined buildings toward a lone bunker deep in the wilderness. Inside the vehicle are three passengers: two scientists - who plan to use the outpost as a home base for the study of world-ending phenomena - and a boy named Charlie.
As the work unfolds, the isolation and claustrophobia of the compound threatens each member of the expedition with madness. Forced to confront their own dark history and the struggles of the haves and have-nots, the members of the expedition find themselves hurtling toward ruin.
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Why this caught my eye:
I'm just a fan of Stalenhag's art and appreciate his utterly depressing dystopian landscapes, and would recommend checking out his Electric State if you've never seen his work before.
STAR TREK MIRROR WAR #0
(W) David Tipton, Scott Tipton (A/CA) Carlos Nieto
Get caught up with the Mirror Enterprise-D before its crew-helmed by Jean-Luc Picard-faces new threats and challenges in the upcoming Mirror War event! Following the failure of the attempt to steal ships from the Prime Universe, Picard and the Mirror Crew are called back to Earth to report to the Emperor personally... so long as they can survive the trip!
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Why this caught my eye:
As I've been making my way through ST: TNG and ST: DS9 this past year I've been hitting a bunch of Mirror Universe stuff in DS9 and I just appreciate evil timelines.
TRANSFORMERS SHATTERED GLASS #1
(W) Danny Lore (A) Guido Guidi (CA) Alex Milne
Shattered Glass isn't your average Transformers tale... "Shards" is the story of the ongoing battle between the power-hungry Autobot autocrats and the freedom-fighting Decepticon laborers. Join author Danny Lore (James Bond, King in Black: Captain America, Champions) in exploring this fractured alternate universe just before it shatters.
In issue #1, many kilocycles after the Cybertronian War has destroyed Earth, Blurr, an evil Autobot Seeker, hunts his newest bounty who holds a piece of information that could reignite the war.
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Why this caught my eye:
Speaking of dark alternate timelines, I really love that IDW is visiting the Shattered Universe and they've got some great artists attached to the project. Milne's covers are all set to be homages to classic Transformer covers (#1 being the first issue of Marvel's Gen 2 series) so it's hitting a lot of geek joy for me.
Also, not to be too evil with the temptation, but Hasbro is of course releasing new figures based on this concept and they come with copies of the comics as well. And to make matters worse (Better? Bworse?), these are variants exclusive to the toy release.
ORIGINS TP
(W) Clay Chapman (A/CA) Jakub Rebelka
Can humanity's last hope for salvation be the very person that destroyed it? One thousand years after humans have gone extinct and artificial intelligence has taken over the world, a single man is brought back to life-David Adams, the genius whose technology was responsible for the destruction of his species. Together with Chloe, his first creation and the android that revived him, David fights against the AI overlords as he seeks to discover if humanity can-or should-have any kind of future.
From acclaimed writer Clay McLeod Chapman (Absolute Carnage: Separation Anxiety) and illustrator Jakub Rebelka (Judas) comes a stunning tale of one man's ultimate mistake and his attempt at redemption.
Collects Origins #1-6.
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Why this caught my eye:
I really enjoy Rebelka's art style so I'm all here for their sci-fi action.
PARADISE TOWERS PARADISE FOUND #1
(W) Sean Mason (A/CA) Silvano Beltramo
Build High for Happiness! An ice hot science fiction adventure and sequel to the Season 24 Doctor Who adventure "Paradise Towers." Years have passed since Kroagnon, the great architect, tried to wipe out the inhabitants of Paradise Towers. Paradise Promises Possibility! Now they prosper under the leadership of General Favalan and her soldiers. The residents want for nothing. They fear nothing. After all, in paradise, what is there to fear?
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Why this caught my eye:
To be honest I'm not sure how much I care about the actual story, I'm just fascinated by this publisher Cutaway Comics. It's seems their main purpose is to publish stories based on the most obscure bits and pieces of Doctor Who lore. And I shouldn't be surprised by this, because there are all sorts of fandoms that do the same, but creating and publishing a sequel to a story from 1987 is just a fascinating amount of commitment.
JODOROWSKY LIBRARY ED MEGALEX HC
(W) Alejandro Jodorowsky (A) Georges Bess
The first in a library of deluxe matching volumes collecting the iconic works of the legendary Alejandro Jodorowsky. Included in this volume are the bawdy secret agent tale ANIBAL 5 (illustrated by Georges Bess) and the sci-fi epic MEGALEX (illustrated by Fred Beltran), along with a selection of stories from SCREAMING PLANET with artwork by Adi Granov, Axel Medellin, and other comics art legends.
Includes previously unseen bonus materials and extras, including rare pages from Jodorowsky's never-reprinted comics debut in 1966!
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Why this caught my eye:
I already have most of this, and yet here I am, ready to buy it again. Curse them for including never-printed work. I mean, yay! But cuuuuuurses......
JUNKWRAITH GN
(W) Ellinor Richey (A/CA) Ellinor Richey
What she once possessed... now threatens to possess her. Sweden's Ellinor Richey's debut graphic novel is an epic quest for the things left behind, with icy-cool artwork and astonishing sci-fi settings.
What happens when our most precious belongings... no longer belong? When something we loved suddenly becomes junk, a powerful energy is unleashed. One night, ice-skating prodigy Florence Sato is overwhelmed by pressure and throws away her skates. This fateful moment accidentally summons a "junkwraith," a terrifying ghost which seeks revenge for its abandonment by attacking the memories of its former owner. Before she forgets who she is, and to find out who she really wants to be, Florence must set off (with her trusty digital assistant Frank) on a long journey into the Wastelands to put to rest the monster she created.
--Ambitious debut from a tremendously talented young artist (under 30).
--Perfect for fans of Adventure Time, Over the Garden Wall, and Steven Universe, with a combination of raw emotions, deep implications, and outlandish sci-fi creativity (including the cutest electronic sidekick/pet since BB-8!)
--Richey has built up an audience for Junkwraith as a serialized webcomic on Webtoon and Tapas.
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Why this caught my eye:
I really like Richey's style, and I love seeing popular webcomics make the leap to print. You can check out the series here to get a taste for it.
That's it for this batch, we'll hit fantasy on the next round!