By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)
The last day of Summer and beginning of Autumn marks a busy time in my schedule. There are theatrical productions to enjoy and there’s a stack of comics piling up at home. Oh the choices! What can I say? Yes, I’m behind. But I offer selections of what I have waited to read (offering my thoughts mixed in with the official synopsis this time ’round) and a few I’m anxiously waiting for. I must admit that I tend to binge read. Having just issue #1 is not enough to know what’s ahead in the following titles from Dark Horse Comics:
Kingsway West #1 (Aug 24)
After spending thirteen years in a war that made him a monster, a Chinese gunslinger named Kingsway Law just wants to live in peace with his wife, Sonia. While this comic is not the Kung Fu series starring David Carradine, I’m liking this unique take on mysticism. The fantastical Old West is crackling with magic! When a woman with a red-gold sword brings bloody chaos to his doorstep, Kingsway must fight for his life, his wife, and his very soul.
World of Tanks #1 (Aug 31st)
Although I have played the game only briefly, I am intriqued with this world that Garth Ennis (Preacher, Hellblazer) and Carlos Ezquerra (Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog) created. With over 100 million players, I want to know the story more than just play the game, and this team-up is perhaps enough to sway me away from Pokémon GO. I can hear my writing partner James Shaw gasp right now.
With a tale set in the past, where an untested British crew inadvertently commands an unconventional Cromwell tank into France while hunted by a hardened German panzer unit, you can blast me intrigued.
Witchfinder: City of the Dead #1 (Aug 31)
Maybe this comic series can expand upon the mysticism that I was first introduced to in Young Sherlock Holmes and get darker with it. Here, Sir Edward Grey, occult adviser to the queen, confronts flesh-eating corpses and discovers a temple beneath London. The mystery that compels him the most is what the sinister Heliopic Brotherhood of Ra wants with it—and from him. With Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson handling the writing chores, and Ben Stenbeck doing the art, I’m excited!
Avatar: The Last Airbender — North and South Part One. (Sept 21)
I tend to read these volume collections all in one go, and when Parts Two and Three are out, I can say more about how I love how the original animated series (as seen on Nickelodeon) is still ongoing. Here, Eisner Award winning Gene Luen Yang is keeping the story of Aang’s adventures alive. I’m still looking for hints at how his world will lead in to what is presented in The Legend of Korra.
When Aang leaves to aid Zuko with the Kemurikage, Katara and Sokka return to the Southern Water Tribe by themselves. Katara is shocked to find that her beloved village has become a bustling city, with none other than their father, Hakoda, in charge! A northerner named Malina seems to be behind this change, pushing the North and South to be more unified … but what are her true goals?
Tarzan on the Planet of the Apes #1 (Sept 28th)
I’m loving the fact this title is coming out on my birthday, and while the date is purely coincidental, I’ll be picking up this comic to see how the King of the Apes can handle being on a planet dominated by Apes. Just how does it happen? Well, quite simply they find themselves in another world — hidden in the center of the Earth.
This comic is a co-publication with Boom! Studios.
