(W) Steve Orlando, Tom Waltz, Josh Trujillo (A) Bruno Büll, Athila Fabbio, Ryusei Yamada
YOU’RE INVITED – TO EXPERIENCE THE MARVEL UNIVERSE LIKE NEVER BEFORE!
As MARVEL TŌKON: FIGHTING SOULS makes its debut on gaming systems near you this Fall, don’t miss out on this exciting anthology showcasing brand-new high-octane adventures from the MARVEL TŌKON Universe that you won’t get anywhere else! From show-stopping brawls to deep abiding mysteries — this one-shot acts as a companion piece to the upcoming 4v4 tag-team fighting game! Uncover secrets and more in this action-packed special!
Jim Hoke is burning everything else in his life to track down his daughter Wendy after her abduction by the mysterious Floating Man. But Wendy’s not waiting. She may be captive in a dark, surreal wonderland…but she doesn’t plan on staying. As Jim hunts for the Floating Man, he finds an ally—Casey Smith, whose son Rufus was also abducted by the Floating Man. As Wendy tries to outwit the Floating Man, Jim and Casey track the cryptid’s history to the infamous Lighthouse Orphanage…where long ago, a lost boy was failed—and became something tragic.
CHAOS IN THE OUTBACK! With the world believing them dead, the X-Men have relocated to the Reavers’ abandoned headquarters. But when an old Reavers security system is set off, the team must protect themselves from their own home! With the X-Men down, can Wolverine save them? Or will the team be torn apart by the most dangerous Reaver ever?
The Bear is still watching—long after the Oorts have ravaged the planet—and this time the world is watching Thomas Bruin just as closely. Rumors swirl about whether he fathered the Oort Worldkiller; believers and doubters battle louder than the invaders themselves. But once Bruin crawls out of his self-pity, he realizes the truth doesn’t matter—only his next move does. With Earth suffocating under the Oort assault, he reports for duty one last time, prepared to lead humanity in every arena: the halls of power, the battered streets, and anywhere the fight demands. For Bruin, it’s finally back to basics.
THE WEAPONS OF EXTINCTION! Wanda and TURIN — Sorcerer Supreme of the Quantum Realm – defend the Sanctum Sanctorum in London from the EXTINCTION KING’s first Extinction Weapon — a giant astral super cannon poised to destroy everything in its sights!
The story of Hurricane Helene as told by those who survived. Islands in the Sky brings those stories to life by pairing real survivors with award-winning comics creators to preserve what happened and help the region recover. This project, the first from the Appalachia Comics Project, is part record, part resistance, and part recovery. It is a testament to the power of community and creativity to bring healing and preserve the truth about one of America’s deadliest and costliest national disasters. Islands in the Sky was selected this year as the First Year Reading Book for Berea College in Kentucky.
Contributors to Islands in the Sky include a Nobel Prize winner, two Pulitzer Winners, two National Book Award winners, a MacArthur Genius grant recipient, and a Peabody winner.
Story: Jim Bourdy, Allie Bourdy. Greg Pak, Tera McIntosh, Amy McIntosh, Gene Luen Yang, Suzanne Palmer, Anthony Del Col, Matthew K. Manning, Andrew Aydin, Cory Vaillancourt, Steve Orlando, Nick Filardi, Shannon Burcham, Angie Stone, Alex Segura, Hannah Roy, Brian Michael Bendis, Jessica Stepp Edney, Matt Fraction, Dr. David Easterling Art: Josh Adams, Thien Pham, Briana Loewnsohn, Ned Wolfe, Jarrett Rutland, Valentine De Landro, June Kim, Brent Schoonover, David Hahn, C.A.P. Ward, Aster D’Amico, Nate Powell Color: Nick Filardi, Matthew Wilson, Laura Martin Letterer: Jodie Troutman, Josh Reed, C.A.P. Ward, Nate Powell
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.
Journey back to a time when the public believed Storm, Wolverine, Rogue, Colossus, Dazzler, Havok, Psylocke and Longshot were dead. But from the shadows, these X-Men protected humanity from their Australian headquarters! But why did the team choose the Outback as their home base? How did tensions between them almost tear the team apart? And which of their old enemies threatened to expose their secret? Steve Orlando and Stephen Segovia revisit a fan-favorite era in the mighty mutants’ past!
Six months ago, Jim Hoke’s daughter Wendy disappeared from her room. All Jim caught was a glimpse of a hulking figure at the window—the kind of late night vision that’s easily written off as a hallucination. No one believes Jim’s story—and six months later, the retired pathologist is just looking for anyone who’ll still listen. With Wendy’s disappearance declared the coldest of cases, Jim believes he’s the only one who cares about finding his daughter. And he’s got a withered Father’s Day card in his pocket to remind him—all he can do is his best. Land of Never #1 delivers a new take on the classic Peter Pan.
Written by Steve Orlando, Land of Never #1 is a solid start taking a classic story and giving it a nice updated twist. When you really think about it, the story of Peter Pan is a rather twisted one that’s been sanitized by Disney making it feel a bit more wholesome. Children are take away from their family, willingly or unwillingly, it has a tinge of kidnapping that you think would leave their families in fear and devastated.
Land of Never #1 takes all of that and just cuts things out mixing the beloved classic with a true crime spin. A disgraced father is desperate searching for his daughter and all he knows is an individual flew her out of her room. The Floating Man is an internet myth, spotted in the area committing similar acts, with children disappearing.
What Orlando does really well is drives home the emotional fallout of the situation. Not just with Wendy’s father, but other individuals he meets while trying to discover the truth. He doesn’t know what to expect and is confronted by individuals whose reaction varies… a lot. It teases at a possible conspiracy but more of the emotional devastation the events have brought upon individuals.
The art drives home the horrific nature of it all. Miguel Mora not just depicts the Floating Man as a massive hulking being, feeling slightly twisted and non-human, but Wendy’s father Jim is shown as a broken man spiraling. With color by Fares Maese and lettering by Micah Myers, the visuals of the comic teases the desperation and the damaged life of Jim. But, it’s not just in his search for his daughter. Leading up to that moment, the visuals tell the readers all they need to know about Jim without going into specifics yet. We know just from the panels that he’s a screw-up and sunk to low depths. It’s only later we find out why. The visuals tease what is eventually revealed.
Land of Never #1 is a solid start to the series that delivers an interesting spin and unknown future direction. This isn’t as simple as Wendy being taken to a magical land, and the Floating Man is teased as something a bit more sinister. If you’re a fan of Peter Pan but want to see a bit more horror infused into the story, this is a debut to check out.
Story: Steve Orlando Art: Miguel Mora Color: Fares Maese Letterer: Micah Myers Story: 8.25 Art: 8.25 Overall: 8.25 Recommendation: Buy
Mad Cave Studios provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
The Oorts have returned, launching an invasion more devastating than before—and Thomas Bruin always knew this day would come, even if he lied to the world about it. Their first strike is personal: the Oort Worldkiller, a hybrid general claiming to be Bruin’s own son, incinerates his childhood home. Bruin and the Worldkiller clash in the streets as cameras capture every blow, but the public is focused on the scandal, not the war. Is Bruin truly the father of this alien destroyer? Did he betray Earth to create an extraterrestrial heir? The truth may shatter the planet before the Oorts do.
Six months ago, Jim Hoke’s daughter Wendy disappeared from her room. All Jim caught was a glimpse of a hulking figure at the window—the kind of late night vision that’s easily written off as a hallucination. No one believes Jim’s story—and six months later, the retired pathologist is just looking for anyone who’ll still listen. And even if he finds someone, should they believe him? Jim already retired early for planting evidence against an alleged killer. His word doesn’t mean much—and it means even less with him as a suspect in Wendy’s disappearance. He can’t leave town, he can’t forget what he saw, and he get any sleep thanks to the nightmares.
With Wendy’s disappearance declared the coldest of cases, Jim believes he’s the only one who cares about finding his daughter. And he’s got a withered Father’s Day card in his pocket to remind him—all he can do is his best. So he better step it up. Jim goes into business for himself, tracking leads and harassing anyone who’s polite enough to listen to his story. He dives into rabbit hole after rabbit hole, until he meets someone else like him. Then another, then another, a whole community of people who’ve lost someone to a cryptid they call the Floating Man—just like the huge creature Jim saw take Wendy. Suddenly, Wendy’s abductor has a name—the Floating Man. And Jim’s obsession has direction—he’s got to track down the Floating Man, uncover his crimes and free not just his daughter Wendy, but everyone who’s been lost.
