DC Ink is here with its first release, Mera: Tidebreaker! Mera is on a mission for her independence (and to kill Arthur Curry). The YA graphic novel is by Danielle Paige and Stephen Byrne.
Get your copy in comic shops now and in book stores on April 2! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
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Wednesdays are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in!
Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this Wednesday.
Bad Luck Chuck #1 (Dark Horse Comics) – The concept of a person who rents out their bad luck for profit sounds too funny, and original, to not check out.
Dial H for Hero #1 (DC Comics/Wonder Comics) – The classic character returns with Sam Humphries and Joe Quinones in charge. It’s always been a fun concept, gaining power from dialing a phone, and hopefully this six-issue series stands out.
Glow #1 (IDW Publishing) – The Netflix show comes to comics and we’re so excited to get some more wrestling comics!
The Handmaids Tale (Doubleday Books) – The classic novel is adapted as a graphic novel.
Mera: Tidebreaker (DC Comics/DC Ink) – DC’s dive into young adult entertainment with this first graphic novel in their new DC Ink line. Focused on Mera, the graphic novel has her taking control of her destiny.
Sabrina the Teenage Witch #1 (Archie Comics) – The classic character gets the spotlight in a brand new series! With the Netflix series and her inclusion in the main Archie series, we’re intrigued by what this one is.
The Scar (Fantagraphics) – In the summer of 2017, cartoonist Andrea Ferraris and director Renato Chiocca traveled to southern Arizona to witness the tense situation along the US-Mexico border firsthand.
Super Sons: The Polarshield Project (DC Comics/DC Zoom) – DC Zoom focuses on middle grade readers and this graphic novel debuts the line. We always love the Super Sons and get excited in anything they’re in.
Synergy: Hasbro Creators Showcase (IDW Publishing) – Celebrating the female creators who have made Hasbro’s properties great. Anthologies rule!
Transformers #2 (IDW Publishing) – Transformers are back in a new series exploring the early years of Cybertron and we’re so excited about it all.
DC’s eagerly awaited young adult publishing line, DC Ink, launches on April 2 with the release of Mera: Tidebreaker by New York Times bestselling author Danielle Paige and art by Stephen Byrne. Engaging fans across the country for a national book tour, Paige will participate in a series of intimate and honest conversations with a selection of acclaimed young adult authors to discuss her first graphic novel and how she re-imagined one of DC’s most iconic characters as an empowering and fierce teenage heroine.
Starting Tuesday, April 2 through Tuesday, April 23, Paige will celebrate the launch of DC Ink’s first graphic novel with visits in New York, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles and other cities to meet fans, sign autographs and discuss the project with famed authors such as Mary Pearson (The Remnant Chronicles), singer-songwriter Amerie (Because You Love To Hate Me), Gwenda Bond (Girl on a Wire), Lauren Myracle (Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale), Katharine McGee (The Thousandth Floor) and Soman Chainani (The School for Good and Evil). On Friday, April 5 and 6, Paige will be joined by Ridley Pearson, author of DC Zoom’s Super Sons: The PolarShield Project, in Chicago for a candid discussion about their debut young reader graphic novels from the iconic comics publisher.
Beautifully illustrated by Stephen Byrne, Mera: Tidebreaker is an empowering story about activism, self-discovery and young romance – a perfect read for readers ages 13+ and a relatable tale for today’s times when women of all ages are standing up for equality and what they believe in. The themes of the graphic novel have earned it praise from Today.com, which named it one of the best feminist children’s books for Women’s History Month, in addition to Publisher’s Weekly, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist and School Library Journal.
Princess Mera is teenage royalty and heir to the throne of Xebel, a penal colony ruled by Atlantis. Her father and the entire kingdom are expecting her to marry and introduce a new king. But Mera is destined to wear a different crown…
When the Xebellian military plots to overthrow Atlantis and break free of its oppressive regime, Mera seizes the opportunity to take control of her own destiny by assassinating Arthur Curry—the long-lost prince and heir to the kingdom of Atlantis. But her mission gets sidetracked when Mera and Arthur unexpectedly fall in love. Will Arthur Curry be the king at Mera’s side, or will he die under her blade as she attempts to free her people from persecution? Mera is forced to choose between following her heart and her mission to kill.
Check out all of the stops below.
Tuesday, April 2 at 7:00 PM (With Somain Chainani, author of The School for Good and Evil) Barnes & Noble 82nd & Broadway 2289 Broadway New York, NY 10024 Website
Wednesday, April 3 at 7:00 PM
Midtown Comics Grand Central 459 Lexington Ave New York, NY 10017
Thursday, April 4 at 7:00 PM(With Gwenda Bond, author of (add the Loise Lane prose Girl on a Wire)
Joseph-Beth Booksellers 2692 Madison Road Cincinnati, OH 45208
Friday, April 5 at 7:00 PM(With Ridley Pearson, author of DC Zoom’s Super Sons: The PolarShield Project)
Barnes & Noble Skokie Old Orchard 55 Old Orchard Center Skokie, IL 60077 Website
Saturday, April 6 at 1:00 PM(With Ridley Pearson, author of DC Zoom’s Super Sons: The PolarShield Project)
Anderson’s Bookshop 123 W Jefferson Ave Naperville, IL 60540
Sunday, April 7 at 11:00 AM
Time Warp Comics 3105 28th Street Boulder, CO 80301
Monday, April 8 at 7:00 PM(With fellow DC Ink author Lauren Myracle, author of forthcoming Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale)
Tattered Cover Bookstore 2526 East W Colfax Ave Denver, CO 80206
Tuesday, April 9 at 7:00 PM(With Katharine McGee, author of The Thousandth Floor)
Blue Willow Bookshop 14532 Memorial Drive Houston, TX 77079 Website
Wednesday, April 10 at 5:00 PM
Bedrock Comics 831 Highway 6 Missouri City, TX 77459 Website
Friday, April 12(With Mary Pearson, author of The Remnant Chronicles)
Mysterious Galaxy BookStore Balboa Mesa Shopping Center 5943 Balboa Ave #100 San Diego, CA Website
Saturday, April 13 – Sunday, April 14
LA Times Festival of Books University of Southern California University Park Campus Los Angeles, CA 90890
Tuesday, April 23 at 6:30 PM (With Amerie, author of Because You Love To Hate Me)
Vromans 695 E Colorado Blvd Pasadena, CA 91101 Website
DC announced today new details surrounding its young reader imprints—DC Zoom and DC Ink—and revealed first looks at titles scheduled for release in fall 2019. DC Zoom is focused on readers ages 8-12 while DC Ink is focused on readers 13+.
DC has confirmed on-sale dates for the highly anticipated releases as well as early looks at the graphic novels. All are available for pre-order now.
The highly anticipated young adult publishing line, DC Ink, launches April 2, 2019 with the release of Mera: Tidebreaker, and DC has released an exciting new trailer for the upcoming graphic novel.
Known for her acclaimed re-imaginations of well-known characters in the bestselling series Dorothy Must Die and Stealing Snow, Danielle Paige brings her signature storytelling to the DC universe in her first graphic novel, transforming one of DC’s most popular characters into a fiery teenager who may look like a princess but is no one’s damsel in distress.
Paige is joined by fan-favorite artist Stephen Byrne, whose most recent credits include DC’s popular Wonder Twins series, part of the Wonder Comics imprint curated by bestselling writer Brian Michael Bendis. David Caledron provides the beautiful colors.
Mera: Tidebreakeris an empowering and timely coming-of-age tale for today’s teen, exploring such powerful themes as female equality, activism, social justice and self-discovery.
Princess Mera is teenage royalty and heir to the throne of Xebel, a penal colony ruled by Atlantis. Her father and the entire kingdom are expecting her to marry and introduce a new king. But Mera is destined to wear a different crown.
When the Xebellian military plots to overthrow Atlantis and break free of its oppressive regime, Mera seizes the opportunity to take control of her own destiny by assassinating Arthur Curry—the long-lost prince and heir to the kingdom of Atlantis. But her mission gets sidetracked when Mera and Arthur unexpectedly fall in love. Will Arthur Curry be the king at Mera’s side, or will he die under her blade as she attempts to free her people from persecution? Mera is forced to choose between following her heart and her mission to kill.
If you read some blog reports coming out of ComicsPro, DC Comics is slashing their line with one clickbait site claiming “RIP DC” and another falsely claiming DC would cut their line to just 20 titles! We’re not linking to them because we don’t support clickbait. Instead of spin and lies, we talked to individuals at ComicsPro about what was said to bring the straight honest truth.
In his presentation for DC, Dan DiDio addressed the rumors that they’d be cutting their line. Multiple attendees felt DiDio did so to address the ridiculous rumor their line would be cut to 22 titles. Instead he estimated it’d be about 10-15% of the line. With between 50-60 comics released a month and 30-50 graphic novels, that comes out to 5-9 fewer comics a month and 3 and 8 fewer graphic novels. So maybe 20 fewer graphic novel and comics total, not 20 comics totally published. As usual, comic rumors have turned into a horrible game of telephone so sites can claim first!
The titles being cut? The lower selling comics. They’ll be replaced with new titles which will hopefully sell more. In other words, business as usual. In the end, DC will be producing around the same amount of product they usually do.
From those we talked to, it was also emphasized this cut wasn’t presented as due to struggling or necessary but instead as a way to shift talent and resources to growing categories, something retailers have asked for. An example would be DC’s upcoming young readers lines DC Ink and DC Zoom. Young readers continue to be an explosive category which has seen increased sales. It also helps build the next generation of readers and fans. It’s a move that’s well received by our sources.
There’s hundreds of comics released every week and impossible for retailers to support them all from every company. The goal it seems isn’t fewer comics but to focus on quality and talent and not spread resources too thin.
In fact, DC said they’d be attempting to expand their successful program with Walmart providing the same material to the direct market once more original material was included. Again, an expansion of what’s working.
But, what was interesting and the biggest concern was the break in trust at ComicsPro. An article, with false exaggerated claims, was posted by a clickbait site while DiDio was still talking. As said by multiple attendees ComicsPro is closed so that publishers and retailers can be honest and exchange ideas and concerns. The article was posted without “context” and before DiDio was done talking, angering retailers in the room towards those that broke the trust of the event. As emphasized to me, the ComicsPro meeting is “extremely important for the health of the industry” and the spin and outright incorrect information erodes that trust.
Yes, cuts to the line were mentioned by DC in their presentation but other publishers mentioned the same thing without the hyperbolic coverage (if coverage at all). As an example, BOOM! Studios in their presentation said they’d continue to cut their line, exactly as they did the year before. 15% to be exact. But, where’s the stories about the sky falling for them? They don’t exist because it doesn’t get clicks.
The story coming out of ComicsPro isn’t that the industry is crumbling. The tone, especially after Diamond’s report of explosive gains in January, is rather positive. Instead, the story seems to be that we should expect not just better comics but better and more responsible reporting as well.
Update: It’s such non-news the cut already happened and no one really noticed beyond every month comics are cancelled.
Official DC news from ComicsPro that we've been given the go-ahead to talk about.
– DC's cut of 10-15% has already happened. I'm assuming it was the New Age line along with a few other recent cancellations. No other books are getting cut, at least for now.
DC announced today the publisher will showcase its upcoming young reader imprints – DC Ink (YA) and DC Zoom (middle grade) – at this year’s Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) on Saturday, May 4, 2019. DC’s free comic book offerings will include early looks at Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale (DC Ink) and Dear Justice League (DC Zoom).
Under the Moon: A Catwoman Tale FCBD Special Edition will serve as DC’s Gold Title at the annual event and will feature a free chapter from the upcoming YA original graphic novel by The New York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle and artist Isaac Goodhart. The full graphic novel is slated to hit stores everywhere books are sold on May 7, 2019.
This FCBD special edition will also include a sneak preview of DC Ink’s upcoming Teen Titans: Raven graphic novel by The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kami Garcia and fan-favorite artist Gabriel Picolo which will hit shelves on July 2, 2019.
DC’s FCBD silver comic book will be a kids title featuring two exclusive free chapters from Dear Justice League, an original graphic novel for middle graders from The New York Times bestselling author Michael Northrop and artist Gustavo Duarte. The DC Zoom graphic novel is slated to hit stores everywhere books are sold on August 6, 2019 and the early FCBD special edition will feature two excerpts starring Superman and Hawkgirl.
For complete descriptions of DC’s 2019 FCBD titles, see below:
UNDER THE MOON: A CATWOMAN TALE FCBD SPECIAL EDITION (Gold Title)
When fifteen-year-old Selina Kyle becomes homeless, she must confront questions of who she is and who she will become. From The New York Times bestselling author Lauren Myracle (ttfn, ttyl) and artist Isaac Goodhart, comes a story about a teenage Catwoman as she struggles to find her own identity while living on the streets of Gotham City. This FCBD special edition features a chapter from DC Ink’s upcoming original graphic novel, UNDER THE MOON: A CATWOMAN TALE plus a sneak peek at TEEN TTIANS: RAVEN, another DC Ink graphic novel by The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Kami Garcia and artist Gabriel Picolo.
DEAR JUSTICE LEAGUE FCBD SPECIAL EDITION (Silver Title)
The greatest Super Heroes in the DC universe, the Justice League, answer mail from their biggest fans–kids! Courtesy of Michael Northrop, The New York Times bestselling author ofTombQuest, and artist Gustavo Duarte, DC’s iconic Super Heroes find time to answer questions both big and small when they are not busy saving the world. Their honest and humorous responses will surprise and delight readers of any age, as it turns out that being a superhero is not too different from being a kid. This FCBD special edition features two chapters starring Superman and Hawkgirl from DC Zoom’s upcoming original graphic novel, DEAR JUSTICE LEAGUE.
DC Entertainment has announced the inaugural artist lineup for the publisher’s upcoming young reader imprints, DC Zoom and DC Ink. The artists will join the previously announced roster of bestselling young adult and middle grade authors to create diverse, relatable stories starring DC’s most iconic characters such as Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and many more. Both original graphic novel lines are set to launch in spring 2019.
DC Zoom targets middle grade readers ages 8-12 and will tell stories focused on friends, family and growing up. The line will debut in April 2019 with Super Sons: The Polarshield Project, written by award-winning middle grade author Ridley Pearson and illustrated by Ile Gonzalez.
The complete list of creative teams for the first wave of DC Zoom titles include:
Super Sons: The Polarshield Project (April 2019)- written by Ridley Pearson and illustrated by Ile Gonzalez
DC Super Hero Girls: Spaced Out (May 2019) – written by Shea Fontana, and illustrated by Agnes Garbowska
Batman: Overdrive (August 2019) – Written by Shea Fontana and illustrated by Marcelo Di Chiara
Black Canary: Ignite (October 2019)– Written by Meg Cabot and illustrated by Cara McGee
DC Ink will publish thought provoking stories for young adults, readers ages 13+, that focus on everyday aspirations, struggles and triumphs. The line will also launch in April 2019 with the highly anticipated Mera coming-of-age tale, Mera: Tidebreaker from New York Times bestselling YA author Danielle Paige and artist Stephen Byrne. Complete creative teams for the first round of DC Ink graphic novels include:
Mera: Tidebreaker (April 2019)– written by Danielle Paige and illustrated by Stephen Byrne
Under The Moon: A Catwoman Tale (May 2019) – written by Lauren Myracle and illustrated by Isaac Goodhart
Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass (June 2019) – written by Mariko Tamaki and illustrated by Steve Pugh
Teen Titans: Raven (July 2019) – written by Kami Garcia and illustrated by Gabriel Picolo
The covers and first looks for the first wave of DC Zoom and DC Ink titles are illustrated by each respective artist announced today and can be viewed in the image gallery below.
DC Zoom and DC Ink authors Kami Garcia, Ridley Pearson, Shea Fontana, Meg Cabot, Danielle Paige, Lauren Myracle and Mariko Tamaki will share more details about their upcoming books on various panels at this year’s American Library Association (ALA) Annual Conference & Exhibition in New Orleans from June 21-26.
You’re never too young to be a hero…or to read about them! DC Entertainmentrecently announced two new graphic novel lines, DC Ink, which is geared towards Young Adult readers, and DC Zoom, which targets Middle Graders.
Recently, fans and professionals at ALA learned a lot more about these exciting books—which feature DC’s most popular heroes and are written by prominent YA and middle grade authors—when DC hosted a panel to help launch the two lines.
The video has lots of details about these two graphic novel lines with lots of new art and features bestselling authors like Ridley Pearson, Meg Cabot, Melissa De La Cruz, Danielle Paige, Michael Northrop, Minh Le, and more, all sharing new information about their upcoming DC projects.
DC Zoom targets middle grade readers ages 8-12 and will tell stories focused on friends, family and growing up. The line will debut in April 2019 with Super Sons: The Polarshield Project, written by award-winning middle grade author Ridley Pearson and illustrated by Ile Gonzalez.
