Gargoyle By Moonlight
Written by Timothy Bach
Illustrated by Brian Atkins
Cover A Brian Atkins
Cover B Brian Atkins
Cover C Brian Atkins
Cursed to turn into a gargoyle every night, Gary Doyle fights creepy-crawly demons, all the while determined not to let these battles turn him into a monster. Monster-punching urban fantasy with heart—a comic that’s like Hellboy on Yancy Street! For fans of Do a Powerbomb, Firepower, Werewolf By Night!
GARGOYLE BY MOONLIGHT
Written by TIMOTHY BACH
Illustrated by BRIAN ATKINS
Cover B BRIAN ATKINS
Cover C BRIAN ATKINS
Retailer Price: $5.99
On Sale 09/27
Cursed to turn into a gargoyle every night, Gary Doyle fights creepy-crawly demons, all the while determined not to let these battles turn him into a monster. Monster-punching urban fantasy with heart—a comic that’s like Hellboy on Yancy Street! For fans of Do a Powerbomb, Firepower, Werewolf By Night!
Diamond ID JUN231724 / JUN231725 / JUN231726
Lunar Product Codes 0623CX316 / 0623CX317 / 0623CX318
UPC
Cover A: 79394597462700111
Cover B: 79394597462700121
Cover C: 79394597462700131
MOTHER RUSSIA
Written & Illustrated by JEFF MCCOMSEY
Cover B GANNON BECK
Cover C GILES CRAWFORD
Retailer Price: $4.99
On Sale 09/27
It’s a Ballroom Blitzkrieg in the streets of Stalingrad as Mother Russia fights her way through a sea of undead while a toddler is strapped to her back. The odds are a million to one and that’s the good news. Special 1-in-10 cover by Giles Crawford!
Diamond ID JUN231727 / JUN231728 / JUN231729
Lunar Product Codes 0623CX319 / 0623CX320 / 0623CX321
UPC
Cover A: 79394597460300311
Cover B: 79394597460300321
Cover C: 79394597460300331
SEVEN YEARS IN DARKNESS
Written & Illustrated by JOSEPH SCHMALKE
Cover C S. RED AMPARO
Retailer Price: $4.99
On Sale 09/27
Year One conclusion! The body count rises as the first school year winds to a close at the Academy of Black Magic, Matthew and Zero form an alliance in the House of Disks. While the children settle into their new houses, Mother Night has them participate in a dangerous ritual to commune with spirits from beyond. Tryouts begin for the coveted position of Weathermaker… with deadly results.
Featuring a 1:10 variant cover by Super-Star S. Red Amparo!
Diamond ID JUN231730 / JUN231731 / JUN231732
Lunar Product Codes 0623CX322 / 0623CX323 / 0623CX324
UPC
Cover A: 79394597454200411
Cover B: 79394597454200421
Cover C: 79394597454200431
The non-profit Inkwell Awards, devoted to promoting the art of comic book inking, has released the list of 24 artists participating in its fifth annual Sinnott Inking Challenge Spotlight. This year’s Challenge features artist Ivan Reis‘ take on DC’s iconic super-team The Justice League from the cover art to DC‘s Man of Steel (2018) as originally inked by Ivan‘s partner Joe Prado. The artwork will be auctioned afterward for fundraising.
The artists (in alphabetical order) are:
According to founder/director Bob Almond, the Spotlight Challenge, which grew out of its more inclusive, original Joe Sinnott Inking Challenge, showcases other contemporary, fan-favorite talents on a more limited scale with veteran published inkers who may or may not have participated in other challenges. The previous four pencilers were Jim Lee, Neal Adams, Erik Larsen, and David Finch.
The Challenge Spotlight furthers the inking advocacy’s dual mission of promoting the artform and educating the public. Blue-lined art files featuring a tightly penciled Ivan Reis Justice League pinup are sent to the artists to finish in ink. Each inked page will be signed by Reis and the inker, and include a certificate of authenticity signed and numbered by Almond. All pages will then be auctioned off at a later date as a fundraiser. Fans will be able to see the difference in the penciled and inked versions to better understand how much inkers contribute to the artform.
Who doesn’t love G.I. Joe? Well, I guess some people probably don’t but G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #275 is a big deal and I’ve been reading the series off and on for the last bunch of years. Last issue, COBRA kidnapped a man named Sean Collins, who they think might be the original Snake Eyes and they want to brainwash him to work for them. It sounds like something that might have happened in one of the old cartoons.
But wait, there’s a big twist with the issue that I didn’t see. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #275 calls back to another issue from many years ago, issue 21, or, “Silent Interlude”, in that there are no words. No dialogue. No caption boxes. That means we, the readers, have to piece it together from the art. In removing the dialogue and taking out of my mind the voices of these characters that have been ingrained in it, it actually makes for a rather pleasant read…or viewing.
I think one of the most interesting things about this is that series writer Larry Hama continues to do innovative things with these characters. When I picked up this issue, I had no idea it would be silent. But what is lost in words, this issue certainly makes up with in action. Non-stop, no-holds-barred, all guns blazing. You pick it, it’s what it is. All the big Joes and Cobra guys and gals just blasting each other all throughout a hospital. And it was something you could follow. Does it bug me there’s no dialogue? Eh, not really. I do feel that it would add something substantial to the experience, but having this issue be a silent one does also make for a memorable issue.
The art team on this issue of G.I. Joe had to do a lot of work. Tony Atkins and Netho Diaz create a great action sequence of an issue. I think they do satisfying work on the title. But on a silent issue, the art has to do so much more work to keep the reader invested in what they see and I feel it was mission accomplished in that category. And what’s more, I love seeing their renditions of so many classic characters that I grew up with.
Overall, an issue like this can hit a few different ways. I thought G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #275 was one of the better issues with no words I’ve read. It got me from point A to B and sometimes, or in this case, part 9 to part 10, and what a way to wrap a story. It’s not a perfect issue, but it’s a good one that, I think, pays off for those who have followed Hama’s G.I. Joe comic. It’s not one I’d recommend to a new reader.
Story: Larry Hama Art: Robert Atkins and Netho Diaz
Ink: Brian Atkins and Maria Keane Color: J. Brown Letterer: Neil Uyetake
Story: 6.0 Art: 7.0 Overall: 6.5 Recommendation: Good for those who follow the series but not for new readers
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Purchase: comiXology – Kindle – Zeus Comics
This Summer Devil’s Due Entertainment’s titles will be getting a facelift as the brand changes its name to Devil’s Due Comics. A shift happening to reflect its new Publishing Platform for creator-owned titles.
The first two titles to be released under Devil’s Due Comics are horror title Little Girl (a 4-issue miniseries debuting in July) by writer Pat Shand and artist Olivia Pelaez, and video game homage Final Street (special launch issue dropping in June) by writer Scott Schmidt and artist Brian Atkins.
While most of the changes will remain invisible to the general public, other than a new logo, the company is focusing on alternative deal structures that appeal to what it sees as a growing culture of self-sufficient creators controlling their own properties through social media engagement and comicon weekend “road warrior” promotion. The new platform offers simpler royalty structures for store sales and even flexible one-year contracts. Creators will be allowed a more hands-on, DIY approach to their books, using a web interface developed by Devil’s Due founder Josh Blaylock, which is all part of what he sees as a need in the indie market.
As for its previously existing titles, everything remains as it has been, with creators possibly shifting their publishing arrangements over to the new platform on a case by case basis.
Devil’s Due Comics will continue to be released through comic shops via Diamond under the umbrella label Devil’s Due / 1First Comics.
The company is not accepting open solicitations from the public at this time, and is prepping more titles to be announced later in 2018.
