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Best Dark Horse Comics Reads of November 2023

It was tough to decide on which comic books and trade paperbacks released by Dark Horse Comics would make the November must read list, and what’s presented are titles I’ve actually read from beginning to end!

As colder nights settle into the Pacific Northwest, instead of regularly heading out to the movies, I’m all tucked in and reading a comic or two. My go to publisher is always Dark Horse Comics, and I turn to Dynamite and IDW after, and when I’m all out, it’s some random manga!

Out of the books I read from this month, I offer my thoughts on these titles:

Avatar: The Last Airbender
Azula in the Spirit Temple

At long last, the work that writer/artist Faith Erin Hicks told me about during Fan Expo Vancouver least year is available to read! All I really knew at the time is that Azula would finally get her solo adventure, and I’m loving it, plain and simple! This story takes a deeper look into this character, warts and all. Although I want to sympathise, what’s presented shows just how tough she’s become.

What’s shown looks at all the skeletons she wants to shove into the closet, and have a conversation with one more time. When they surface yet again, the big question is that will she be able to lock them up again? I won’t say what happens, but had this been made into an episode of the cartoon series, I’d be willing to bet it’d get fans talking.

This comic book creator’s next story is The Bounty Hunter and the Tea Brewer, which already has a listing on Amazon, and that won’t be out until mid next year. It’s terrific she’s a regular writer of these one-shots, and as for what’s next, let’s hope I get some information when I see her again at Terminal City’s finest fandom event.

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Two Shows in One Disc. Spirited Away: Live on Stage, A Blu-ray Review

Spirited Away: Live on Stage could’ve been made better by including the soundtrack like the box set anniversary releases, but that’s okay.

Spirited Away Live on Stage Blu-ray Case — **Available to purchase on Amazon USA**

GKIDS & Shout! Factory
Released Nov 14, 2023

Anyone who did not catch Spirited Away: Live on Stage can enjoy the best of both versions on home video! Although this release doesn’t contain any bonus features that look at behind the scenes, to have the two shows as played by Kanna Hashimoto and Mone Kamishiraishi in the title role, Chihiro, in one single release is a Ghibli fan’s dream release come true.

I wasn’t sure if this film would play in Canada, as locations and dates weren’t offered many weeks in advance. Thankfully, Cineplex eventually added more screenings which included my home town, but I was in Seattle that weekend. I didn’t plan to visit the States just to get my Ghibli fix–it was pure luck that I was at the right place and right time. What was presented at the Regal and where I sat made me feel like I had a front row seat to a live show rather than something broadcasted on a screen. My experience can be read here.

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When Trolls Band Together, What Can Musically or Chaotically Go Wrong?

Three films in, DreamWorks is out to milk Trolls Band Together for everything they can musically put out, and all I have to ask, when will they sing showtunes?

Spoiler Alert

New musical puns and even more tunes have been Troll-matized in DreamWorks latest. Unlike the last film where fans get to discover various subspecies exist, Trolls Band Together broadens the world so that fans can find just how diverse it is. That is, it’s not entirely populated by these tiny singing Muppets. There’s other species who also love breaking out into song.

Although the Mount Rageons are rather creepy looking, perhaps the character design was intentional. They are either modelled after Gumby or are related to a toy line I never played with. However, I can’t help but think that cackling doll from the movie Poltergeist was an influence! When two of them (conveniently a sibling pair named Velvet and Veneer, played by Amy Schumer and Andrew Rannells) have kidnapped Floyd, one of Branch’s brothers, just so they can steal his mojo, I thought this film is a retread of the original.

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Salt and Sacrifice – A Dark Fantasy Journey with Some Rough Edges

The potential for expanded world-building remains untapped, leaving players of Salt and Sacrifice yearning for a more intricate narrative.

Ska Studio‘s latest instalment, Salt and Sacrifice, follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, Salt and Sanctuary. The game plunges players into a dark fantasy world, with gameplay clearly inspired by the challenging Dark Souls series. While it delivers on atmosphere and gameplay, it comes with its share of drawbacks. This game is a 2D side scrolling dark fantasy that plays out in the style of the Dark Souls series. This means pattern memorization, dodge rolls, punishing difficulty, and many MANY deaths as the adventure progresses.

From the outset, players create their character, a convicted criminal who has been condemned to hunt rogue Mages. There are several job classes available, so players can choose skills based on what kind of play style they want to tackle the game with. After immediately being thrown into an unwinnable battle, the condemned is resurrected and tasked with continuing the mage hunts as a half-alive inquisitor, unable to escape their duty even through death. These corrupted magic-users have taken monstrous forms based on whatever form of magic they had practiced as humans, and the player will need to prepare appropriately to survive these battles.

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Arriving from Down Under, Scarygirl is Here to Save The Day in her Canadian Debut!

This Australian made film has some moments to make this animation stand out, and Scarygirl is a franchise few know about!

Scarygiurl Movie Poster After Scarygirl made its Canadian premiere at Spark! Animation Festival yesterday, I had to wonder who would pick up this rather cute Australian film. I’m fairly sure Shout! Studios will acquire it because this narrative packs an environmental type of punch. Back home, she’s very popular, and there are a lot of products featuring this sort of goth girl from the sea!

When Arkie (Jillian Nguyen) wears an eye patch and has arms of an octopus, I can’t help but think she’s half pirate and a creature of the sea. As for how capable she is as a hero, this film sets up what she must learn before she can face Dr Maybee (Sam Neil). He’s a human who is basically Lex Luthor. As a scientist, he’s rather feared, and as a governor, sort of revered since he’s promising to save it from self-destructing. However, what his people don’t know is that he’s destroying one far off world in favour of saving his.

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Revel Guts Web Comic is Getting a Dark Horse Treatment with a Trade Paperback!

Fans of the anime subgenre of magical girls will get to enjoy Sparks as its collected into a trade paperback for all to enjoy in print!

Revel Guts Sparks Volume 1 Portals Original Cover Class is in session in this new magical school series, beginning with Sparks Volume 1: Portals! This fresh LGBTQ+ coming-of-age fantasy tale began as a webcomic by Revel Guts, and will be available in a print edition from Dark Horse Books in July 2024.

In a world rising from the ashes of destruction, Human society thrives only through their complex alliance with the magical Satyr. Philo has always been the worst student in his class at the academy, with powerful magic he can barely control. His lack of ambition and discipline is about to catch up with him as graduation day looms. When he’s paired to train together with the aloof star student Atlas, Philo’s magic backfires, teleporting them both far from home. Now, their futures depend on them working together to make it back to their school in time.

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