Tag Archives: ablaze

Weekly Preview! A trio of graphic novels!

There are a lot of comics coming out every week to be covered. Check out some of what we’ll be reviewing and this is only the beginning!

This week’s reviews include:

  • Dictatorship: It’s Easier Than You Think (First Second)
  • Fann Club: Batman Squad – The Justiest Justice of All (DC Comics)
  • The Talk (Henry Holt and Co.)

Not pictured:

  • Astrobots #2 (Massive/WhatNot)
  • Traveling to Mars #6 (Ablaze)
  • The Walking Dead Deluxe #64 (Skybound)

First Second, DC Comics, Henry Holt and Co. provided Graphic Policy with FREE copies for review

Ablaze renews its distribution deal with Diamond

Ablaze

Diamond Comic Distributors and Diamond Book Distributors have announced a renewed multi-year distribution deal with publisher, ABLAZE, to exclusively distribute their products to North American and international book markets, as well as the comic book specialty market.

Since launching in 2019, ABLAZE has developed an acclaimed catalog featuring a celebrated range of award-winning international creators from North America, Europe, and Asia. The publisher has built a reputation for quality with critically acclaimed releases by noted creators, writers, and artists such as Mark Russell (Traveling to Mars), Michael Moreci (The Mighty Barbarians), Mirka Andolfo (Un/Sacred), Werther Dell’Edera (He Who Fights with Monsters), Maria Llovet (Porcelain, Eros/Psyche), Max Bemis (Belit & Valeria), Zerocalcare (Forget My Name, Tentacles At My Throat),and others. As well as an expanding selection of manga, manhwa and webtoon titles under the ABLAZE MANGA line, including the bestselling manhwa martial arts seriesThe Breaker, planned launches this summer for graphic novels based on a pair of popular Korean webtoon series, Get SchooledandTerror Man, along with Wakfu Manga, inspired by the hit Netflix anime series,  the recent debut of the stylish and macabre webtoon Zombie Makeout Club, andthe announcement of  the publishing rights to four classic manga by the legendary Osamu Tezuka.

ABLAZE continues to garner critical acclaim with various nominations for the 2023 Eisner Awards, including Best Limited Series (Animal Castle), Best New Series (Traveling to Mars), Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (Felix Delep, Animal Castle), and Best Writer (Mark Russell, Traveling to Mars).

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Titans #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) 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 week.

Arcade Kings #1 (Skybound/Image Comics) – This throwback to the arcades of old has us excited to revisit the type of place we spent a lot of time in.

Avengers #1 (Marvel) – It’s a new creative team and a new Avengers team and after the massive run and epic before, we’re interested in the fresh and new start.

Batman: Brave and the Bold #1 (DC Comics) – This anthology sounds exciting and lets be honest, the title has a lot of prestige about it.

Cyborg #1 (DC Comics) – It’s a new status quo for the character that sends him home. In such an odd age of technology in the real world, how will this series stand out?

Danny Ketch: Ghost Rider #1 (Marvel) – Danny was the Ghost Rider we grew up with so we want to see what this series has for us in nostalgia factor.

Dark Ride #6 (Skybound/Image Comics) – This has been a great horror series and we’re sucked in more and more into the weirdness.

Dark Spaces: Good Deeds #1 (IDW Publishing) – The first “Dark Spaces” anthology was solid. This new story focuses on a supernatural conspiracy that may expose a town’s historical sins.

Disney Villains: Maleficent #1 (Dynamite) – The Scar villains series has been great so far, so we’re absolutely excited to see more of what Dynamite does with Disney’s characters. So far, so good!

Fear of a Red Planet #4 (AfterShock) – The series has been a solid sci-fi detective series and we’re sucked in and want to know who did it!

The Gimmick #3 (AHOY Comics) – The series is an interesting mix of wrestling and super powers that has us sucked in.

Guardians of the Galaxy #2 (Marvel) – The first issue was a hell of a new direction and we want to explore more of it. What the hell is Grootfall!?

Hulk Annual #1 (Marvel) – Found footage horror mixed with the Hulk? How has this idea not been done before!?

Jinx: Cursed Life (Archie Comics/Archie Horror) – Archie has done a hell of a job with their horror line, so any new entry has us excited to see what they’re up to.

Mighty Barbarians #2 (Ablaze) – The first issue was solid mixing classic fantasy with a bit of a more modern comic style.

Titans #1 (DC Comics) – With the Justice League sidelined, we want to see how this team stands up in their absence.

The Vigil #1 (DC Comics) – We don’t know a ton about this series and its characters but we’re always intrigued by new characters.

Animal Castle Vol. 2 #1 continues a wonderful new take on the classic Animal Farm with amazing art!

Nestled in the heart of a farm forgotten by men, the Animal Castle is ruled with an iron hoof by President Silvio. The bull and its dog militia savor their power, while the other animals are exhausted by work, until the arrival of the mysterious Azelard, a traveling rat who will teach them the secrets of civil disobedience.

Story: Xavier Dorison
Art: Felix Delep
Letteer: Nathan Kempf

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.

Zeus Comics
Kindle


This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

Animal Castle Vol. 2 #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) 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 week.

Animal Castle Vol. 2 #1 (Ablaze) – A really interesting new take on the classic book Animal Farm.

Astrobots #1 (Massive/Whatnot) – The art for this looks amazing and is about machine lifeforms called Astrobots who scout worlds for humanity and one world where a society of them is rising and humankind is not included in their plans.

Carnage Reigns Alpha #1/Cult of Carnage: Misery #1/Edge of Spider-Verse #1 (Marvel) – There’s a lot going on the fans of Marvel’s Spider-Man corner of their universe. There’s more multiverse action to enjoy and Carnage faces off against Miles Morales!

Hairball #2 (Dark Horse) – As the young girl’s black cat continues to plague her family with horror and tragedy, she decides she must take matters into her own hands to put an end to the feline’s evil ways. The first issue was some impressive an unnerving horror.

History of Japan in Manga (Tuttle Publishing) – The History of Japan in Manga tells the action-packed saga of Japan from its misty origins up to the present day.

Impossible People: A Completely Average Recovery Story (Black Dog & Leventhal) – Julia Wertz chronicles her haphazard attempts at sobriety and the relentlessly challenging, surprisingly funny, and occasionally absurd cycle of addiction and recovery.

Lamentation #1 (Oni Press) – New horror from Cullen Bunn, Hillary Jenkins, and Simon Bowland? Yes please!

Monomyth #1 (Mad Cave Studios) – Magic is all but extinct. When the last ailing wizard casts a final desperate spell to summon the descendants of ancient bloodlines to a school for magic now in disrepair…those chosen ones find a horror of the likes they’ve never experienced. The concept sounds great.

Parker Girls #7 (Abstract Studios) – Every issue has been a great mix of humor and action.

Peacemaker: Tries Hard #1 (DC Comics) – Peacemaker is asked to help steal the world’s most valuable and dangerous DNA!

Shazam #1 (DC Comics) – Mark Waid and Dan Mora taking on Shazam!. Nuff said.

Starsigns #1 (Image Comics) – The constellations of the zodiac fall to earth, granting twelve ordinary people from very different walks of life the superhuman powers of the Starsigns. The concept sounds interesting with a astrology meets X-Men/Heroes spin.

Survival #1 (Dark Horse) – A plane crash leads to a creature bringing ancient terror to the Alaska wilderness.

Where Monsters Lie #4 (Dark Horse) – The series has been fantastic with a mix of a lot of laughs and over-the-top violence.

X-Men: Before the Fall – Sons of X #1 (Marvel) – A series of one-shots kick off with this one seeing Legion taking on Nimrod and more moves from Mother Righteous.

Get Schooled and more from Ablaze in July 2023

GET SCHOOLED Vol. 1

story by Yongtaek Chae, art by Garam Han · SRP: $19.99 · 250 Pages ·
ISBN: 978-1-68497-170-1 · Available July 25th

It is the near future, and student violence in schools is out of control. In a questionnaire survey for teachers, 98.6% say it is far more challenging to teach students than in the past, and 85.8% say it is not only more challenging but now dangerous.

Eventually due to out-of-control youth violence, a teacher is murdered, and the news goes everywhere. As a result, public opinion calling for rapid changes to juvenile law boils over in all parts of the country.

The Ministry of Education and the National Assembly, feeling the seriousness of the collapse of the teaching authority, take the news very seriously and revise the Teaching Rights Protection Act, to create a single supervisory body. The name of the supervisory body is the Office of the Protection of Educational Rights.

Hwajin Na becomes a supervisor of the Educational Rights Protection Bureau and is sent to a school where the collapse of the school authority is severe. His teaching techniques are violent for someone who works in the Ministry of Education. But when punishments don’t seem to work on even the worst of school bullies, there is no better man for the job. Sometimes you can’t get a good education until those bullies are taught a lesson…

GET SCHOOLED Vol. 1

WITCH OF MINE Vol. 2

story by Haeyoon, art by MAS · SRP: $19.99 · 250 Pages · ISBN: 978-1-68497-173-2 · Available August 16th

In these times, if you’re too good or bad at something, or simply too beautiful, you’re called a witch. But there also exist magical beings called witches, who can wield great powers of destruction and manipulation, sometimes doing so in the pursuit of love with human beings.

Spinning out from the events of Volume 1, we find another tale of a witch’s devotion to true, tenderly mortal love. Disguising herself to fit into the world of humans, Cordelia desires to build a life with the kind-hearted Michael, but can their love survive the truth of her origins? Plus: can a resilient human woman change the heart of one of the witches’ cynical sisters?

WITCH OF MINE Vol. 2

ON THE WAY TP Edition

story by Paco Hernández, art by José Ángel Ares · SRP: $19.99 · 172 Pages · ISBN: 978-1-68497-130-5 · Available August 16th

Emma, a newly single cartoonist in her thirties, impulsively finds herself standing in Roncesvalles with her gaze fixed on Santiago de Compostela. Following the pilgrimage route known as The Way of St. James, she realizes the path she is traveling is bringing her closer to and somehow farther away from everyone around her, that the weight of her backpack is more than the clothes and pans inside, and that what she believed to be a simple walk to get some miles behind her (and her past) is a chance to learn not only about the people she meets along the way, but also herself.

Creators Paco Hernández & José Ángel Ares bring you a story of friendship, family, and learning. An emotional journey from which no one will return to being the same.

ON THE WAY TP Edition

THE MINECRAFT-INSPIRED MISADVENTURES OF FRIGIEL & FLUFFY Vol. 5 HC Edition

story by Frigiel and Jean-Christophe Derrien, art by Minte · SRP: $12.99 · 104 Pages · ISBN: 978-1-68497-171-8 ·
Available July 12th

For Minecraft fans! Graphic novels set in the world of the game!

Each adventure transports fans into the world they love!

Join Frigiel & Fluffy and their friends as they explore strange lands, encounter bizarre creatures, do battle against evil and find treasure!

Featuring Frigiel, the brave sorcerer’s apprentice, ever ready to give his all for his friends, who dreams of one day becoming a true adventurer. And his faithful canine companion Fluffy, as cuddly with his master as he is bitey with the bad guys! Vol. 5 contains two complete self-contained stories.

THE MINECRAFT-INSPIRED MISADVENTURES OF FRIGIEL & FLUFFY Vol. 5 HC Edition

ANIMAL CASTLE VOL. 2 #3

story by Xavier Dorison, art by Felix Delep · SRP: $3.99 · Available July 12th

On the Farm, all animals were equal. In the Castle, some are more equal than others.

Picks up shortly after the events of the first series with Miss B trying to convince the animals not to give in to violence, to put an end to Silvio’s reign…

Seeing that the animals are more tenacious than he ever expected, Silvio has Miss B put in solitary. And while that may not break her spirit, it may have consequences that will affect her family forever. And as the struggle continues, the president must consider giving the animals what they want…but that doesn’t mean he won’t give it to them on his own twisted terms.

ANIMAL CASTLE VOL. 2 #3

THE MIGHTY BARBARIANS #4

story by Michael Moreci, art by Giuseppe Cafaro · SRP: $3.99 · Available July 19th

From the writer of Barbaric comes the world-hopping, skull- crushing adventures of The Mighty Barbarians!

Besieged on all sides, the intrepid team of mighty barbarians have one hope: that another hero who has already been taken by the evil Aleph and their creators can be freed from the spell cast upon him…and absolutely obliterate everything and anything in his path. Kull and crew will cross paths and swords with a true legend in hopes that he becomes an ally. Enter Thongor! Before The Avengers, The Justice League, The X-Men, before it all…stood The Mighty Barbarians!

THE MIGHTY BARBARIANS #4

TRAVELING TO MARS #8

story by Mark Russell, art by Roberto Meli · SRP: $3.99 · Available July 26th

The Erimhon arrives on Mars, but unforeseen circumstances threaten Roy’s mission.

TRAVELING TO MARS #8

Traveling to Mars #5 does a great job of transitioning from the opening arc to what comes next

Who will be the first person to travel to Mars? There’s work going on now to determine who that might be in reality. Traveling to Mars is that story, with a twist.

Story: Mark Russell
Art: Roberto Meli
Color: Chiara Di Francia
Letterer: Mattia Gentili

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.

Zeus Comics
comiXology/Kindle


This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site

The Mighty Barbarians #1 gathers warriors from across reality to save existence

The Mighty Barbarians #1

When an unstoppable force starts consuming one world after another, sorceress Morgan Le Fey uses her magic to assemble a team of skull-cracking warriors who must somehow work together to save all of existence. There’s the young trickster Anansi, Viking shield maiden Birka, the shape shifting Nanook, and their leader, heir to a fallen kingdom and mightiest of warriors, KULL! The Mighty Barbarians #1 kicks off an uneasy alliance to take on a mutual enemy and leave a path of ruin through everything that stands in their way to do so.

Writer Michael Moreci is one of those creators whose projects I want to check out when I see their name on them. Moreci’s Barbaric, published by Vault Comics, has taken the sword and sorcery genre and infused it with a lot of new and interesting elements that has made the series stand out. So, going into The Mighty Barbarians #1, I was intrigued to see what Moreci might do with another sword and sorcery fantasy series and how it’d be different. The answer is simple, by playing it relatively straight.

The Mighty Barbarians #1 has existence being threatened by the Aleph forcing Morgan Le Fey to travel across worlds and recruit a team to stop them and save existence. Moreci in the setup has taken a concept and opening that feels like it’d be quite at home in any of the superhero team comics by the big two. It’s a start that’s familiar, we’ve seen so many times. The difference is the fantasy setting and characters that have been established on their own through their various publishing/storied histories. The team brings together characters and personalities we might have not seen interact before setting up a very intriguing and entertaining potential.

At it’s heart, the story feels like a traditional superhero comic in concept, with a fantasy setting. Scenes feel right at home in the Avengers or Justice League and you could see those characters replacing these easily. Hell, with “snake men” being the villains, it feels like a side companion to the recent Savage Avengers run. But what’s interesting is how Moreci makes the comic different from all of those and Barbaric. Despite the setup and imagery, the comic plays things rather straight. There’s little comedy. There’s little jokes. It feels like a fantasy comic in every way. Unlike Barbaric which pokes fun at tropes and norms of the genre, The Mighty Barbarians #1 feels like it leans into them a little, though doesn’t play them up. This is a team fantasy adventure so far, no more, no less.

The art by Giuseppe Cafaro fits the feel Moreci goes for perfectly. The character designs have both a fantasy feel but also a little bit of a “superhero” vibe to it all. The images are full of excitement and energy as the team is assembled and the short segments of battle introduces us to each member. Like the tone of the comic itself, the look has more in common with the Avengers than it does with Conan. That’s not a bad thing as it helps deliver a pop of a start that’s energetic and makes the comic stand out a bit.

The Mighty Barbarians #1 is a fun start. It takes the traditional fantasy adventure and mixes it with a more modern sense and style. While the comic itself doesn’t blaze any really new paths, it does deliver an entertaining start that fans of the characters or fantasy adventure will want to check out.

Story: Michael Moreci Art: Giuseppe Cafaro
Story: 8.1 Art: 8.15 Overall: 8.1 Recommendation: Buy

Ablaze provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review


Purchase: Zeus ComicscomiXology/Kindle

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

The Expanse: The Dragon Tooth #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) 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 week.

Abolition of Work (Floating World Comics) – Bob Black’s essay from 1985 gets a graphic adaptation.

All Eight Eyes #1 (Dark Horse) Jaws meets Arachnophobia in a new vision of creature-feature terror.

Avengers Assemble Omega #1 (Marvel) – It’s the finale to the epic Avengers storyline!

The Boxer Vol. 2 (VIZ Media) – Though the story is about boxing, there’s so much focus on psychology and the characters, boxing is secondary. Watch our review.

Cult of That Wilkin Boy (Archie Comics) – Archie has been putting out some great horror comics and we’re excited to see what this musician gone wrong tale brings.

Darkwing Duck #4 (Dynamite Entertainment) – We’re big fans of the series which picks up on the classic and beloved animated series.

The Expanse: The Dragon Tooth #1 (BOOM! Studios) – Fans of The Expanse won’t want to miss this series which fills in gaps of the television series.

Harrower #3 (BOOM! Studios) – The horror series has been fantastic with a nice mix of modern slasher classics and a modern sensibility and style.

The Mighty Barbarians #1 (Ablaze) – It’s classic fantasy with a modern sensibility about it. Check out our review!

Soko #1 (Sumerian Comics) – A routine traffic stop for two Serbian beat cops quickly descends into corruption and betrayal as a dark trail of evidence leads to the discovery of unimaginable depravity. Sounds like the out of control cop story we enjoy.

Superboy: The Man of Tomorrow #1 (DC Comics) – The Superman family memeber gets the spotlight in this series as Connor heads out on his own.

Terrorwar #1 (Image Comics) – Blue City was the last livable place on Earth. Now it’s crawling with Terrors-creatures that transform into their victims’ worst fears. Humanity’s last hope? Muhammad Cho and his overworked, underpaid crew of freelance Terrorfighters.

Early Review: The Mighty Barbarians #1 gathers warriors from across reality to save existence

The Mighty Barbarians #1

When an unstoppable force starts consuming one world after another, sorceress Morgan Le Fey uses her magic to assemble a team of skull-cracking warriors who must somehow work together to save all of existence. There’s the young trickster Anansi, Viking shield maiden Birka, the shape shifting Nanook, and their leader, heir to a fallen kingdom and mightiest of warriors, KULL! The Mighty Barbarians #1 kicks off an uneasy alliance to take on a mutual enemy and leave a path of ruin through everything that stands in their way to do so.

Writer Michael Moreci is one of those creators whose projects I want to check out when I see their name on them. Moreci’s Barbaric, published by Vault Comics, has taken the sword and sorcery genre and infused it with a lot of new and interesting elements that has made the series stand out. So, going into The Mighty Barbarians #1, I was intrigued to see what Moreci might do with another sword and sorcery fantasy series and how it’d be different. The answer is simple, by playing it relatively straight.

The Mighty Barbarians #1 has existence being threatened by the Aleph forcing Morgan Le Fey to travel across worlds and recruit a team to stop them and save existence. Moreci in the setup has taken a concept and opening that feels like it’d be quite at home in any of the superhero team comics by the big two. It’s a start that’s familiar, we’ve seen so many times. The difference is the fantasy setting and characters that have been established on their own through their various publishing/storied histories. The team brings together characters and personalities we might have not seen interact before setting up a very intriguing and entertaining potential.

At it’s heart, the story feels like a traditional superhero comic in concept, with a fantasy setting. Scenes feel right at home in the Avengers or Justice League and you could see those characters replacing these easily. Hell, with “snake men” being the villains, it feels like a side companion to the recent Savage Avengers run. But what’s interesting is how Moreci makes the comic different from all of those and Barbaric. Despite the setup and imagery, the comic plays things rather straight. There’s little comedy. There’s little jokes. It feels like a fantasy comic in every way. Unlike Barbaric which pokes fun at tropes and norms of the genre, The Mighty Barbarians #1 feels like it leans into them a little, though doesn’t play them up. This is a team fantasy adventure so far, no more, no less.

The art by Giuseppe Cafaro fits the feel Moreci goes for perfectly. The character designs have both a fantasy feel but also a little bit of a “superhero” vibe to it all. The images are full of excitement and energy as the team is assembled and the short segments of battle introduces us to each member. Like the tone of the comic itself, the look has more in common with the Avengers than it does with Conan. That’s not a bad thing as it helps deliver a pop of a start that’s energetic and makes the comic stand out a bit.

The Mighty Barbarians #1 is a fun start. It takes the traditional fantasy adventure and mixes it with a more modern sense and style. While the comic itself doesn’t blaze any really new paths, it does deliver an entertaining start that fans of the characters or fantasy adventure will want to check out.

Story: Michael Moreci Art: Giuseppe Cafaro
Story: 8.1 Art: 8.15 Overall: 8.1 Recommendation: Buy

Ablaze provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review


Purchase: Zeus ComicscomiXology/Kindle

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