By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
As the month of June winds down and I need comics to read as those dog days of summer approaches, I’ve amassed enough graphic novels and comics to make my local comic shop owner give the thumbs up. A few have yet to be released, and thanks to Dark Horse Comics for providing enough of a sample to know I should start adding more titles to my comic book store’s subscription box. My picks range from all-ages (kid friendly) to ultra-violent (not so kid friendly).
Nothing against the superhero genre, but when this company does more for the independents and carries quite a few horror titles, I know where my money is going. Plus, with the Hellboy saga over, I hope an omnibus is being planned. I have lost track of the reading order and a collection can make for a perfect Halloween treat.
Poppy (June 6th)
This comic book has a style that lovingly captures what I felt for titles like Hergé’s Tintin series and Mark Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. I have to say this is recommended reading for the kid in all of us, and I’m looking forward to what else creator Katt Kindt will be putting forth. I find the narrative style comparable to the live action film, The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec, which I saw first before realizing it is based on the comics of the same name.
Weird Detective #1 (June 15th)
From talking cats to glowing man-fish, Weird Detective is a series I have to start picking up. This comic series set in the strange world inspired by H.P. Lovecraft has all the trappings of one of his tales come to illustrative life, and the style presented will have me enjoying reading my monstrous tales late at night. Author Fred Van Lente’s series combines the best in noir style narrative with illustrations by Guiu Vilanova that’s reminiscent of the pulps.
Bounty #1 (July 6th)
Fans of Rat Queens written by Kurtis Wiebe and drawn by Mindy Lee will want to know about a new series, Bounty — due out on July 6th. He’s teamed up with Lee and Leonardo Olea to bring a new tale that teens should enjoy. Weibe describes this piece as a colourful take on the cyberpunk genre, with that familiar sense of humour and adventure you have come to expect from his previous work.
Conan The Slayer (July 13th)
He’s back and he’s bad with Dark Horse bringing life to the Robert E. Howard’s favourite barbarian in an all-new saga! This series deserves special mention because the preview shows him more brutal than I can recall, and with a caption like, “A lesser man might have screamed in rage at the predators who snapped at his heel in pain at the tearing wounds, the arrow shafts digging through muscle and snapping bone,” I know this treatment, like the past series (this company has been printing new tales since 2003), will be no holds barred. Sorry Marvel Comics, but you have been owned!
