It’s a new month ,which means it’s time a for a new Previews magazine. Join me as I go through this month’s book and pick out the coolest, new comics and graphic novels that you should consider adding to your pull list. Just a reminder this month’s magazine features new books that will be released in April, and your local comic shop will need to know what you’d like to pre-order by February 18th, so that they can place their orders on time.
Buckle up, ladies and gentlemen; it’s time for The Previews Party!
Dark Horse gets us started with a new mini-series called House of Gold & Bones, a nightmarish new book inspired by alternative metal band Stone Sour’s new album and written by their front man. The idea of a comic that ties into a new album intrigues me, so this one I’ll definitely be checking out. Then, Mike Mignola, Scott Allie, and Sebastian Fiamura bring us the return of Abe Sapien in the Abe Sapien: Dark and Terrible. Naughty Dog’s awesome, new video game, The Last of Us, gets the comic book treatment with a new miniseries by Faith Erin Hicks. This game looks incredibly cool, and the prequel comic should shed some light on what the game will offer. The Massive and Mind MGMT have been two of Dark Horse’s best, new series, and you can get reprints of Issue #1 of each of these series for just $1 with their 1 for $1 program. Don’t miss a chance to try these awesome titles.
DC Comics promises some big surprises with their WTF April promotion. Every comic in the New 52 gets a double-sized, fold-out cover. These hidden fold-out inserts promise to hold shocking reveals for all your favorite characters, so don’t miss out. While the main lines promise big surprises, I’m most excited for DC’s littlest book this month, Batman: Li’l Gotham. An all-ages tale where Batman must help Robin learn the meaning of Halloween by Dustin Nguyen, which I’m sure, will be a delight to read. Finally, April sees the return of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in a new series by Keith Giffen and Pop Mhan, and He-Man’s not alone. He’s bringing She-Ra to the fight!
IDW finishes out month three of their G.I. Joe relaunch, with G.I. Joe: The Cobra Files. Mike Costa’s Cobra series has been an amazing comic these past couple years, and The Cobra Files offer new readers a great jumping on point, so make sure you don’t miss this one. Then, fantasy superstar and New York Times bestseller R.A. Salvatore returns to comics with Cutter, a new Dungeons & Dragons comic that tells the legend of a bloodthirsty magic sword, and the poor souls who choose to wield it. Then, comes Colonized, a new book from Chris Ryall and Drew Moss that pits zombies vs. aliens.
Image Comics bring us Jupiter’s Legacy by Mark Millar and Frank Quitely, a new, superpowered story about the children of the world’s greatest heroes, as they try to determine what their legacy will be. Steve Niles delivers Chin Music, a tale of demons and gangsters set in the seedy underworld of 1920s Chicago. Then, things get serious as Invincible gathers together heroes from across the galaxy for Invincible Universe, a new series spinning out of Invincible #100. Finally, Jim Zub and Edwin Huang bring us Mighty Skullkickers, the hilarious fantasy book about the misadventures of the last mercenaries in the world anyone should hire.
Over at Marvel, they are retelling the origin of Thanos, the mad titan, the demigod of destruction, the sultan of swat, the king of crash, the colossus of clout, the rogue of wretchedness. Some of those nicknames might have been wrong . . . anywho . . . if you were one of those people who wanted to know more about the mysterious alien at the end of The Avengers movie, then pick up Thanos Rising by Jason Aaron and Simone Bianchi. Then, Brian Wood brings us the coolest X-Men series ever. Why is it the coolest ever you ask? Because it is the first time the X-Men have been composed entirely of women. Even better, he promises to deliver big, universe-saving stories the like of which haven’t been seen since the Claremont days. If you get one new book this month, this should be it.
Archaia Entertainment is releasing Strange Attractors this April, a graphic novel by Charles Soule that may just be the best story being told this year. Stay tuned for a special Previews Party interview with Charles later this month, where we will talk about his new book and how advanced mathematics might just save New York City. As if one great graphic novel a month wasn’t enough, Archaia will also be releasing Siegfried 2: The Valkyrie, Alex Alice’s stunning adaptation of Wagner’s Ring Cycle opera. Finally, there’s a preview issue of Archaia’s modern reimagining of Cyborg 009, the classic manga by Shotaro Ishinomori. F.J. DeSanto and Marcus To promise to blow your mind with this amazing, new graphic novel, and Archaia will be offering a 24-page preview for just $1.
JT Krul debuts a new hero for Aspen Comics with Jirni #1, a tale of terrible sorcerers, mysterious Djinn, and the warrior princess who must defeat them to restore her kingdom. Over at Avatar Press, Kieron Gillen and Canaan White launch new series, Uber, with a double-sized Issue #0. World War II will never be the same once Gillen’s new, superpowered lady gets into the fight.
BOOM! Studios launches a new, all-ages series with Regular Show by KC Greene, creator of the hilarious web comic Gunshow. Then, Max Bemis, front man of indie rock band Say Anything, brings us Polarity, a story of a bipolar artist who discovers he has superpowers. Then, rising comics superstar Shane Houghton delivers a brand new arc of Fanboys vs. Zombies, the series that pits nerds against the unstoppable undead. BOOM! Studios was cool enough to allow The Previews Party to interview the writers of each of these books, so stay tuned for those interviews later this month.
Miss Fury returns to the pages of comics with a brand new series from Dynamite Entertainment. This new series promises plenty of action and a really angry super heroine kicking lots of butt. Then, the world’s coolest roleplaying game, Pathfinder, sees the release of its first graphic novel and the start of a new story arc in the monthly comic series by Jim Zub and Andrew Huerta. Follow this unlikely group of heroes as they save their world from mysterious monsters and try not to kill each other in the process.