A thief pretending to be a superhero? IMPOSSIBLE! That’s what IMPOSSIBLE JONES hopes people believe as she tries to convince citizens, cops—and fellow superheroes—that she’s New Hope City’s latest and greatest super-powered protector! But she’s also a damn good thief with no intention of giving up her criminal ways. You kidding—with these new powers? Pilfering and purloining have never been easier! Plus, cops don’t shoot at her, they gladly tell her exactly what they’re up to, and everyone’s happy to show her their security systems. But it’s a high-stakes, high-wire balancing act, and even shape-shifting superpowers can be stretched thin. One misstep and Jones will fall so far she’ll never bounce back…
Impossible Jones is written by Karl Kesel who provides the inks, pencils by David Hahn, colors by Tony Aviña, lettering by Comicraft. Out in September it’s edited by Nicole D’Andria, production by Joel Rodriguez, and published by Scout Comics.
Byron has a fight with his best friend and now it’s time to find a new one!
Story: Chris Hamer, Quenton Brodnak Art: Chris Hamer Color: Chris Hamer Letterer: Joel Rodriguez
Get your copy now! 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.
Cherry Blackbird is a rocking musician and if she doesn’t want to go to hell when she turns 27 she needs to capture seven demon souls for the Devil.
Story: Joseph Schmalke Art: Joseph Schmalke Letterer: Joel Rodriguez
Get your copy now! 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.
Stake #2 takes us deeper into Angel’s world and her battle against vampires.
Story: David A. Byrne Art: Francesca Fantini Letterer: Joel Rodriguez
Get your copy now! 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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I loved the first issue of Stake. The series is a sort of new but also familiar take on the vampire genre. With a social media update, the comic follows Angel, a member of the Vampire Bounty Hunting Union. Angel witness vampires rip the heart out of her friend when they announced their presence three years prior. Stake #2 dives a bit more into Angel’s world and this group she belongs to. It’s an interesting and unexpected issue that fleshes out the world and characters.
Written by David A. Byrne, Stake #2 is an issue that really adds a lot to the world set up in the first issue. While it was clear Angel belonged to a group, we now get a better sense of it all. The issue takes the series from Blade territory to more of the X-Men. Angel goes to a school where she’s taught her craft and we as readers get to learn more about the vampire world. It’s a great way to introduce a lot of additional details to the story without bogging down the narrative. The issue doesn’t quite have the action-packed punch of the debut, it still delivers a nice dose of action with an exploration of things.
The art by Francesca Fantini is solid as well. Joined by letterer Joel Rodriguez, the setting of the comic takes us to a school which feels every bit the character of the story. It also feels like a lot of schools I’ve been in. There’s a great amount of detail, not just in the settings but the various characters. And that’s one of the impressive things about the comic. It feels there’s some thought put into the visuals, especially characters, and what they tell us. We learn a lot about each of the characters by what they wear, how they stand, and even their haircuts. It’s a great example of showing, not telling. There’s a minimal amount of color use too. It’s used to emphasize details, enhancing the art instead of distracting. Rodriguez’s lettering is impressive as well packing in a lot of dialogue at times in panels. It never feels like it’s an issue and at times helps the flow of the storytelling.
Stake #2 is a solid issue that fleshes out its world and characters. This is much more than a solo actor taking care of vampires, there’s entire schools and organizations dedicated to it. It’s a broader world than readers will have first thought opening up the potential even further for the series.
Story: David A. Byrne Art: Francesca Fantini Letterer: Joel Rodriguez Story: 8.15 Art: 8.15 Overall: 8.15 Recommendation: Buy
Scout Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
After the loss of his son, a theologian takes on the mission to make sure his son’s soul finds peace in the afterlife.
The Shepherd #1 is a solid debut that’s hampered a bit with a split of artists.
Story: Andrea Lorenzo Molinari, Roberto Xavier Molinari Art: Luca Panciroli, Ryan Showers Color: Pamela Poggiali, Heather Breckel Letterer: Joel Rodriguez, Jacob Bascle
Get your copy now! 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.
There are times you go in reading a comic and expect to be entertained but then are caught off guard as to how good it is. Stake #1is that type of comic. While I expected it to be entertaining, I didn’t expect it to be as good as it is. Stake‘s concept is rather simple. Vampires are real and a young woman is out for revenge after a friend is killed and another injured by them.
Written by David A. Byrne, Stake #1 does an amazing job of introducing us to this world and moving the story along. The story focuses on Angel, aka Stake, who’s out to kill vampires in an act of revenge. It’s hard to really go into detail for the comic because what’s revealed is what makes it so interesting and why it’s unexpected. There are some interesting depth and twists and turns to the comic which has a bit of a Blade meets Lost Boys for the social media age vibe about it all.
Byrne delivers a really interesting debut using media to drive the narrative. The introduction of the vampires is done through video and the news with commentary from Angel. Angel’s initial hunt is broadcast live online. This isn’t your typical vampire comic and there’s a lot packed in to parse out and ruminate on if there’s deeper meaning or it’s just a great way to tell the narrative.
What Byrne also does is deliver a hell of a twist toward the end of the comic. Our expectations of Angel, aka Stake, are subverted as she gets into battle with the vampires she’s hunting. This twist is partially why the comic is so different, there’s an intelligence about how it approaches the concept and world. It also takes some of the silliness we see elsewhere and grounds it in some ways.
The art by Francesca Fantini is fangtastic. The different delivery of the imagery, through video as an example, really shakes things up and creates interesting visuals. The comic is also black and white with a splash of red. The designs of the characters are great playing with some different aesthetics we’d expect and delivering something a bit new too. The lettering by Joel Rodriguez is great as it changes up a bit to give readers a better idea who is talking and also through what medium they’re doing so.
Stake #1 is a fantastic debut that took my expectations and shattered them. There’s parts that caught me as a reader completely off guard. I want to see what comes next and where the series goes from here. It’s not the simple direction I was thinking. While the concept might sound like a vampire story you’ve read and seen so many times before the actual end product is so much different.
Story: David A. Byrne Art: Francesca Fantini Letterer: Joel Rodriguez Story: 9.0 Art: 9.0 Overall: 9.0 Recommendation: Buy
Scout Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Phantom Starkiller #1 by writer Peter Goral, artist Joseph Schmalke, and letterer Joel Rodriguez is going back for a third printing. The launch title of Scout Comics‘ Black Caravan imprint has been a massive success with sell-outs and demand bringing it back multiple times.
Phantom Starkiller #1‘s folllow ups, Count Draco and Knuckleduster are out this upcoming summer.
From the vastness of the unknown regions, whispers of his return paralyzed all in fear: Phantom Starkiller, The Cosmic Ghoul Warrior must now unleash his inner darkness to carry out his master’s wishes, all while plotting his revenge; for he cannot stop his interstellar rampage until The Curse of The Cryptocrystalline Stone has been broken!
Phantom Starkiller delivers Kirby inspired black light delivering cosmic action!
Story: Peter Goral Art: Joseph Schmalke Color: Peter Goral Letterer: Joel Rodriguez
Get your copy now! 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.
Scout Comics & Entertainment Inc. has announced multiple new executive hires to fill out its ranks as the company sees growth in its sixth year of business.
Lesa Miller has come on as Scout’s Chief Operating Officer. Lesa earned her Juris Doctor degree from Stetson University School of Law in St. Petersburg, Florida in 1996, and went on to co-found and manage two successful law practices while also co-founding and managing a flourishing commercial property management company. Lesa has also practiced law in Florida for nearly two decades. Learning the coding language HTML in the 1990s, Lesa is also an accomplished computer programmer and website designer and is certified as a circuit civil mediator.
Trent Miller joins as the new General Counsel of Scout Comics. Trent graduated from the Delaware School of Law in 1997, earning Dean’s Honors and passing the Florida Bar the same year. A member in good standing of the Florida Bar, certified circuit civil mediator, and a Florida litigator for nearly 25 years, Trent began his career at a large Miami-based law firm, working his way up to partnership before establishing his own successful law practice in 2007. Having litigated thousands of cases, Trent has represented some of the most prominent companies, clients, and insurance carriers in America. A highly experienced trial lawyer, Trent has appeared, presented, and argued thousands of motions, hearings, and full-blown trials as lead counsel. Trent has also briefed appeals to the Florida’s First District Court of Appeals and participated in cases briefed to the Florida Supreme Court and the Delaware Supreme Court.
Megan Marsden has come on as Scout’s new Marketing Liaison. Megan’s comics career began by joining the Diamond Comic Distributors marketing team in April 2016. Her tenure in the marketing department included advertisement sales, public relations, representing the Previews brand at trade shows, and assisting in the planning and creation of Free Comic Book Day and Halloween ComicFest content. Megan joined Diamond’s print purchasing team in October 2018 as a brand manager to many independent publishers, including Scout Comics.
Joel Rodriguez is Scout’s new Head of Design. Joel has a background in comic production as a letterer and graphic designer. He has enjoyed crowdfunding success with his comic series THE DUSK COUNTY CHRONICLES through his production company, Metal Ninja Studios. Joel also runs Brink of Reality Productions, through which he helps new and seasoned creators realize their dreams of bringing their comics to life.
Andrea Lorenzo Molinari joins the company as Editorial Director. Andrea is a co-writer/ co-creator of THE SHEPHERD graphic novel series with Scout Comics’ horror imprint Black Caravan. Molinari received his Ph.D. from Marquette University with a specialty in ancient religious history and literature. His previous academic writings include four books and numerous popular and scholarly articles, and he also holds a B.A. in Journalism. In addition, Molinari also has served as a submissions editor and project editor for Caliber Comics since 2016, as editor for the Spanish publisher, Amigo Comics (Málaga, Spain) since 2019, and has done editing work for Action Lab and Behemoth Comics.
