Clarence: Rest Stops #1
Imprint: KaBOOM!
Writers: Patrick Crotty, Scott Maynard, Mad Rupert, Derek Fridolfs, Kevin Panetta, Nick Cron-Devico
Artists: Patrick Crotty, Scott Maynard, Mad Rupert, Tait Howard, Andreas Schuster, Meg Omac
It’s a collection of shorts based on the Cartoon Network animated series that takes place during family road trips when Clarence and his pals make it out of the car to stretch their legs.
Both Kevin Panetta and Paulina Ganucheau are relatively new to the medium of comics, but with a bit of experience under their belt, they are both ready to make their mark with the new series from Dark Horse, Zodiac Starforce. The series features a group of teenage girls who have magical powers but also a devotion to an ideal. We got a chance to talk with about the creators about the new series and what their inspirations were.
Graphic Policy: Can you talk about some of your inspirations for the series?
Kevin Panetta: Zodiac Starforce is definitely a melding of influences from both me and Paulina. I love ensemble teams and high school stuff like Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Paulina is a magical girl fanatic.
Paulina Ganucheau: I love team books. And while I’m a big Buffy fan too, a huge influence was obviously Sailor Moon. But you don’t even really need to say that when you mention magical girls. She’s THE magical girl.
GP: As is evident from the name, Zodiac Starforce involves both a sci-fi and a supernatural element, two inspirations that often clash with one another. Why did you choose to incorporate both into this series?
KP: The more sci-fi/cosmic elements of the story are heavily focused on mythology, so it all sort of just worked together to create big supernatural/fantasy universe.
GP: An all-female superhero team is still enough of a rarity in comics, but there are also some changes underway in the medium, with more focus on more realistic female heroes. What do you make of the recent changes?
PG: I think all the changes in creating more female lead comics is incredible and I hope they just keep on changing. Actually, I KNOW they will keep on changing. There’s too many female lead books being created by amazing teams that are on top right now for it to go back. Spider Gwen, Squirrel Girl, Batgirl, Ms. Marvel, Black Canary, Jem and the Holograms, Bombshells… Sorry I could just keep going. There’s so many great new books.
That having been said, some might say that while the representations of female characters has improved that there are still some changes to be made.
GP: What changes do you think need to be done that female heroes can be both likable and more realistic?
KP: I’m not actually sure that realistic women characters need to be likeable. I think every character has flaws and that’s usually the thing that makes them interesting. This has been true of male heroes in comics forever, so I don’t see why women characters should be treated any differently, in that respect. Basically, write PEOPLE not GENDERS.
GP: Team books often use the dynamic of needing to get the core back together as a story element. You use the same idea here, although somewhat differently, but why do you think that there is such an appeal to “original teams”
KP: There is an appeal to a group of characters that have been through a lot together. Even though we don’t explicitly show it in this story, just knowing that these characters have a shared history makes their relationships more complex.
GP: Can you talk a bit about the characters themselves? Each seems to be from a somewhat different social circle, yet they are evidently also adept at working together. Why did you choose these backgrounds for the characters?
KP: When the story starts, the girls are all in different places and aren’t really friends anymore. A lot has changed for them since the last time they were heroes and because of that they’ve drifted apart. They were still a team once, though, so the old connection they have to each other is still there, which is why they can still work together so well when they need to.
GP: Do any of the characters stand out to you?
PG: They’re all pretty unique to me. If I wasn’t involved with the book I would probably be a hardcore fan because of this great group of characters. I have a big connection with Emma though. She’s a lot like me and I really identify with her.
KP: I’ve been a very vocal Kim supporter from the very beginning. She’s so stubborn and she has a cool denim jacket and good hair. They all have really good hair. Zodiac Starforce is a comic full of good hair.
GP: Can you give us a bit of an idea where the series is heading?
KP: All I can say is that the universe of Zodiac Starforce is a lot bigger than these four girls. I’m really excited for what the future holds!
With its brand new series coming out from Dark Horse Comics next week, I thought I’d dig into my back issue bin to pull out a blast from the past, Zodiac Starforce Adventures. I picked this up at a Small Press Expo (though maybe it was Big Planet) a while back, and I could tell when I picked it up it was one of those comics that was a great find. Published by Big Planet Comics this indie comic is created by the team of writer Kevin Panetta and artist Paulina Ganucheau with tones by Savanna Canucheau. The comic also features pin-ups from Savanna, Brooke Allen (of Lumberjanes fame) and Coleman Engle (of Steven Universe). The black and white minicomic exudes talent, and it’s great that Dark Horse sees this too.
Part of a long line of mystic defenders, the Zodiac Starforce is an elite group of teenage girls with magical powers who are sworn to protect our planet against dark creatures.
By the power of Astra, Zodiac Starforce lights the way!
Zodiac Starforce Adventures: Ghost in the Arcade Machine is a short fun comic that has the team in an arcade battling a ghost. Not too complicated stuff, but it has everything it needs. Cool design? Check. Group of kick-ass girls? Check. Fun/entertaining story? Check. Yeah, it’s not hard to see why this got picked up by a major publisher. All that stuff above as far as mystic defenders? Not so much here as far as details. But they fight a dark creature with magical powers.
The art and story is a great mix with just a fun positive vibe about it all. This is girl power for kids of all ages (even us in our 30s).
Zodiac Starforce has everything I love in this type of comic (obviously) and with a new series around the corner, it’s going to be fantastic to see where Panetta and Ganucheau take the series, and how big this will blow up, plus it’ll be in color! I’m predicting a hardcore Tumblr following at least.
You can actually check out the comic on the Zodiac Starforce website, and get prepared for the new series’ debut this coming Wednesday! And of course we’ll have a review. This one is a buy though, if you can find it, and if not, you can read it at the link above.
Story: Kevin Panetta Art: Paulina Ganucheau
Story: 9 Art: 9 Overall: 9 Recommendation: Buy
Steven Universe: Greg Universe Special #1
Authors: Jeremy Sorese, Liz Prince, Coleman Engle, Grace Kraft, Chrystin Garland, and Kevin Panetta
Artists: Jeremy Sorese, Coleman Engle, Grace Kraft, Kelly Turnbull, Rachel Dukes, Chrystin Garland, and Jared Morgan
Imprint: KaBOOM!
Steven Universe and the rest of the Crystal Gems are bonafide heroes, saving Beach City day after day. But you know who else is a hero? Greg Universe! Steven’s dad might not have Crystal Gem powers, but he’s a valuable member of the team, too! This oversized collection of shorts features father-and-son fun, as Greg teaches Steven some valuable life lessons.
At Emerald City Comicon, Dark Horse Comics announced ten new comic series that’ll debut this summer.
Barb Wire #1
Chris Warner (W)
Patrick Olliffe (A)
On Sale in July
Nail-hard tough and drop-dead gorgeous, Barb Wire is the baddest bounty hunter on the mean streets of Steel Harbor, where gangsters can lift bulldozers and leap rusting factories in a single bound. The hunting is stupid good and the bounties are hella big—if Barb lives long enough to collect!
King Tiger #1
Randy Stradley (W)
Doug Wheatley (A)
On Sale in August
Blood, death, and fire—the darkest kind of magic. A monstrous secret from King Tiger’s past has found the mystic warrior, but can Tiger’s skills and sorcery triumph against an unthinkable supernatural obscenity linked to his own destiny? If the Tiger falls, the Dragon will rise!
Negative Space #1
Ryan K Lindsay (W)
Owen Gieni (A)
On Sale in July
When one man’s writer’s block gets in the way of his suicide note, he goes for a walk to clear his head and soon uncovers a century-old conspiracy dedicated to creating and mining the worst lows of human desperation. A corporation has manipulated his life purely so they can farm his suicide note as a sadness artifact that will be packed and shipped to ancient underwater creatures who feed off our strongest and most base emotions. Our hero partners with a cult intent on exposing the corporation, and only a suicide mission can solve the whole mess.
The Tomorrows #1
Curt Pires (W)
Jason Copland (A)
On Sale in July
A bold new speculative-fiction comic from the mind of writer Curt Pires, each issue illustrated by a different brilliant artist!
The future: art is illegal. Everything everyone ever posted online has been weaponized against them. The reign of the Corporation is quickly becoming as absolute as it is brutal—unless the Tomorrows can stop it.
They told you the counterculture was dead. They were wrong. Welcome to the new reality.
Death Head #1
Zack Keller, Nick Keller (W)
Joanna Estep (A)
On Sale in July
When Niles and Justine Burton go camping to get a break from their stressful lives, they expect to find peace . . . not an abandoned village hiding an ancient evil. In a turn of events ripped straight from a horror movie, a brutal killer wearing a plague doctor’s mask begins hunting Niles, Justine, and their two kids. Who is the Plague Doctor? What does he want? And how will the family survive?
Zodiac Starforce #1
Kevin Panetta (W)
Paulina Ganucheau (A)
On Sale in August
They’re an elite group of teenage girls with magical powers who have sworn to protect our planet against dark creatures . . . as long as they can get out of class! Known as the Zodiac Starforce, these high-school girls aren’t just combating math tests. They’re also battling monsters—not your typical afterschool activity! But when an evil force from another dimension infects team leader Emma, she must work with her team of magically powered friends to save herself—and the world—from the evil Diana and her mean-girl minions!
From Kevin Panetta (Bravest Warriors) and Paulina Ganucheau (TMNT: New Animated Adventures, Bravest Warriors), this super-fun and heartfelt story of growing up and friendship—with plenty of magical-girl fighting action—delivers the most exciting new ensemble cast in comics!
Adam.3 #1
Scott Kolins (W/A)
On Sale in August
Award-winning writer and artist Scott Kolins (Past Aways, The Flash, The Avengers, Solomon Grundy) premieres Adam.3.
On a futuristic island paradise populated by talking animals and monitored by orbiting control satellites, the peaceful lives of Adam and his wife Skye are troubled by growing tension between Adam and his previous son, Beo. The situation goes from bad to worse when an alien invader infects the animals—turning them into aliens themselves. When Beo is captured, Adam must battle his transformed animal friends to save his son—and their island home!
Power Cubed #1
Aaron Lopresti (W/A)
On Sale in September
On his eighteenth birthday, Kenny’s inventor father gives him a phenomenal piece of matter-reinterpreting technology, attracting the attention of a bumbling Nazi scientist and an elite government agent. Aaron Lopresti delivers a comical coming-of-age tale in a fantastic sci-fi universe!
The Steam Man #1
Mark Miller (W)
Joe R. Lansdale (W)
Piotr Kowalski (A)
On Sale in October
The Old West (but not as we know it): Giant robots that run on steam power are created to take down invading Martians and armies of killer albino apes in an all-out brawl. The Steam Man, a giant metal man operated by a team of monster hunters, seems to have the town protected and the West under control, until a crazed and powerful vampire comes to town to bring forth the apocalypse.
Chimichanga: Sorrow of the World’s Worst Face #1
Eric Powell (W)
Stephanie Buscema (A)
On Sale in late 2015
Wrinkle’s Traveling Circus’s most adorable bearded girl and her savory-named beast are back, and there is a new act in store! Come one, come all to the Sorrow of the World’s Worst Face! But beware: those who look behind the curtain are in for an awful treat, and it’s not just his face we’re talkin’ about!
Regular Show 2015 March Madness Special #1
Imprint: KaBOOM!
Authors: Molly Ostertag, Kevin Panetta, Kristina Ness, Shanna Matuszak
Artists: Molly Ostertag, Rian Sygh, Kristina Ness, Derek Charm
Spring is in the air, the Earth is reawakened after winter, and hijinks abound at the park! This oversized collection of all-new shorts features the park deep in March Madness, with all sorts of seasonal hijinks afoot. From college basketball to St. Patrick’s Day, there’s nothing sacred for this motley crew.
Mordecai and Rigby will be getting into all sorts of shenanigans this Spring, and we’re bringing you all sorts of wacky adventures in a range of styles to showcase the madness…March madness, that is.
Bravest Warriors 2014 Impossibear Special
Writers: Kevin Panetta, Nikki Mannino, Jeremy Sorese, Kevin Church, Kat Leyh
Artists: Paulina Ganucheau, Nikki Mannino, Jeremy Sorese, Jess Fink, Kat Leyh
If there is one sassy fur ball in BRAVEST WARRIORS that deserves it’s own comic dedicated to how awesome he is, it’s Impossibear. Impossibear and Catbug are up to no good with the Bravest Warriors off on a mission! But have no fear, there are plenty of shenanigans to be had!
