Tag Archives: elles

Ablaze reveals its September and Halloween 2022 Releases

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THE BOOYMAN #1

MSRP: $3.99 · Available September 7th 

Monsters don’t only exist in children’s imaginations…

Passionate about reading, Elliott has always been drawn to the stories of boogymen, those monstrous creatures which, at night, hide in the shadows or under the bed to frighten little children. He can’t imagine how much they will change his life… Witnessing the bloody murder of his parents, he will discover that boogyman do indeed exist, and very precise codes govern their existence. When one of the most powerful boogymen, “Father-Death,” decides to protect him, Elliott finds himself plunged into a terrible conflict at the heart of a universe as terrifying as it is fascinating. On a dark, stormy night, Elliott’s destiny will be fulfilled…

LOVECRAFT: UNKOWN KADATH #1

MSRP: $3.99 · Available September 14th 

A bold adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath unlike anything you’ve read before. This new version is written by Florentino Flórez, H.P. Lovecraft and features artwork by Guillermo Sanna & Jacques Salomon.

Randolph Carter, a traveler to dreamland, tries not to wake up before reaching his goal, the elusive Kadath: the home of the gods, a place of fantasy and overflowing imagination. Carter walks through a world full of threats and abominable monsters, but also of palaces, exuberant cities, and geographies that remind man of his insignificant role on the gigantic cosmic chessboard. What are the reasons to keep going when everything around us is terrifying and lethal? Kadath may offer some answers to this question! The debut issue also includes H.P. Lovecraft’s original prose story!

MANIX ABRERA’S 14

MSRP: $16.99 · Available September 28th 

“14” tells the story of a human who discovers a mysterious 13th floor of his building and finds himself in the middle of a storytelling session among different mythological creatures of Philippine folklore. Together with a partying crowd of supernatural beings, he listens to stories narrated by creatures such as the Manananggal, Diwata, Tikbalang, Kapre, Tinyanak and even by a White Lady and a Doppelganger. 14 is a grand narrative of weird, yet wonderful tales, humorous albeit dark and spooky, surreal but unarguably true to the emotions of the heart.

Using no words, Manix weaves the stories through careful planning of each scene and sequence. Frame by frame, panel by panel, Manix effectively renders each scene in detail and maximizes the power of images to completely convey the stories and emotions he wants to evoke in his readers. Readers are invited to notice these details, to savor each frame, page by page until the big picture and meaning unfolds, sans traditional word balloons. Truly mind-blowing.

MANIX ABRERA’S 14

ZOMBIE MAKEOUT CLUB, VOL. 1: DEATHWISH Volume 1

by Peter Richardson
MSRP: $9.99 · Available October 12th  

The Hit webtoon comes to print! Welcome to DEATHWISH. A graphic and chaotic comic about life, death, suicide, and the other side.

A rebellious high school student is brought back to life in a strange underground facility after committing suicide. Now, she must piece together not only how and why she has been resurrected, but also confront the fragmented memories of her past and the horrors of the laboratory that want to send her back to the afterlife. This breakneck story illustrates a violent vision of life after death.

ZOMBIE MAKEOUT CLUB, VOL. 1: DEATHWISH Volume 1

THE NIGHTCRAWLERS, VOL. 1: THE BOY WHO CRIED, WOLF

by Marco Lopez & Rachel Distler
MSRP: $14.99 · Available November 9th 

When things go bump in the night, they bump back.

If you think aliens replaced your teachers or your neighbor might be a vampire, then there’s only one group to call for help: The Nightcrawlers.

The Nightcrawlers take on their first case when a friend from school believes werewolves replaced his parents. They get more than they bargained for when their investigation leads them right in the middle of a confrontation between their caretaker William Jones and a former Nightcrawler out for revenge. This story is about the unlikeliest group of friends coming together to help others…with a spooky twist!

THE NIGHTCRAWLERS, VOL. 1: THE BOY WHO CRIED, WOLF

ELLE(S) #2

MSRP: $3.99 · Available September 14th 

In the new issue, it doesn’t take long for Elle’s new friends to realize there is something different about her. Even Elle suspects there is more to her situation than her therapist is willing to admit. But as everyday stress and some bad news start to accumulate, Elle fears that she will reveal another personality that will upend the new life that she is living.

PROMETHEE 13:13 #3

MSRP: $3.99 · Available September 21st 

The Atlantis crew makes a terrifying and baffling discovery as they explore their new surroundings. One that already has and can once again turn deadly. Meanwhile, Darla, with the aid of her captors, makes a startling discovery of her own that may result in the cost of even more human life!

BÊLIT & VALERIA: SWORDS VS SORCERY #5

MSRP: $3.99 · Available September 28th 

A god gone mad. A woman possessed. The ultimate showdown between good and evil manifests in an epic battle between Belit, Valeria, and someone that they were calling a friend. The result of which will lead to the discovery of something beyond the comprehension of even the most powerful wizards in all of Hyperborea…and far, far beyond!

Ablaze Reveals its August Comics and Graphic Novels

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ELLE(S) #1

MSRP: $3.99 · Available August 3rd

ABLAZE proudly presents Elle(s), a vibrant, imaginative new series. Featuring brilliant, Pixar-esque art from Aveline Stokart, and an engaging story by Kid Toussaint that brings moments of real emotion, mystery, intrigue, and humor together during the epic highs and lows of high school.

Elle is just another teenage girl…most of the time. Bubbly and good-natured, she wastes no time making friends on her first day at her new school. But Elle has a secret: she hasn’t come alone. She’s brought with her a colorful mix of personalities, which come out when she least expects it… Who is Elle, really? And will her new friends stand by her when they find out the truth?

INDIE GAMES 2

MSRP: $19.99 · Available August 3rd

The 2nd Volume in the artbook series from ABLAZE covering the history, sounds, artwork and characters of indie video games.

Indie Games 2 explores major developments in indie video games since 2018. Superably illustrated and documented for enthusiasts and curious gamers alike, this book gives voice to those who drive this cultural industry. Featuring exclusive interviews and more than 300 illustrations, concept art and unpublished sketches, through which the reader will get a glimpse behind the scenes and get answers from key people in the indie gaming arena.

Discover more than 300 indie game titles including: A Plague Tale: Innocence, A Short Hike, Children of Morta, Carto, Creaks, Eastward, Factorio, Frostpunk, Genesis Noir, Haven, LUNA – The Shadow Dust, Old Man’s Journey, Return of the Obra Dinn, Sayonara Wild Hearts, Slay the Spire, Spelunky 2, Untitled Goose Game, When The Past Was Around, and many more.

INDIE GAMES 2

RED LIGHTNING

MSRP: $24.99 · Available August 31st

It is the morning of January 10, 2016, and thirty-year-old Samuel is ready to leave the house and live another day of his ordinary existence. As soon as he arrives on the street, he learns about David Bowie’s death. The news strikes him so hard that he is stunned, and his are not moments of bewilderment, but hours, days, years, and centuries…he finds himself catapulted across space and time.

He awakens hundreds of thousands of years later, in a society of the future—in the year 200016—not so different from his own, although he is surrounded by people dressed as dinosaurs, integrated biological technologies, and there is a global well-being. Is it perhaps the utopia of the future? Samuel will have to try to find out and find his own dimension in the process, without losing himself.

RED LIGHTNING

JP ROTH’S THEORY OF MAGIC

MSRP: $19.99 · Available August 31st

Fall into a world of fairytales that tests all the theories of magic…in JP Roth and Sabine Rich’s Theory of Magic.

Every hundred years, a Seelie fairy must be human for three days, in that time, the Unseelie can hunt the Seelie Fey for their immortal flame, and the gods would close their eyes. A princess of firelight and next in line for the Seelie throne, Selyara is a girl who wants only freedom. Given no protection, she must face three days as a human, alone. Lavara sits on the Seelie throne as queen regent until Selyara has completed and survived her human trial. If Selyara dies, Lavara will take the throne… The book also includes a cover gallery as well as sketch and layout bonus pages, and a new cover by J Scott Campbell.

JP ROTH’S THEORY OF MAGIC

THE CIMMERIAN VOL. 4

MSRP: $29.99 · Available August 31st

ABLAZE adds to its bestselling line of UNCENSORED Robert E. Howard Cimmerian graphic novels. Discover the true Conan, unrestrained, violent, and sexual. Read the story as he intended!

The Cimmerian Vol 4 includes two complete stories, “Beyond the Black River”, and “Hour of the Dragon”, plus bonus material, including the original prose stories, in one epic hardcover collection!

THE CIMMERIAN VOL. 4

PROMETHEE 13:13 #2

MSRP: $3.99 · Available August 17th

Promethee 13:13 tells the thrilling fast-paced space drama leading up to the moments of September 21, 2019 at 13:13. During preparation to launch a satellite in orbit, the crew of the Atlantis is pulled off course in a way that makes them question beyond where they are being taken, but HOW they are being taken there. Back on Earth, Darla comes face to face with the people who have taken her captive, forcing her to question what is real and what is a conspiracy that will cost people their lives.

Andy Diggle (Green Arrow: Year One, James Bond, The Losers, Hellblazer), Shawn Martinbrough (Thief of Thieves, Batman: Detective Comics, The Black Panther, Hellboy), Dave Stewart (Hellboy, DC: The New Frontier, The Umbrella Academy), and Jock (Batman, The Losers) bring you a psychological sci-fi horror comic full of alien conspiracy…

BÊLIT & VALERIA: SWORDS VS. SORCERY #4

MSRP: $3.99 · Available August 24th

Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age is unleashed! See its true skull-cracking nature, its unrestrained blood-splattering violence, mayhem, and sexuality! Two she-pirates, one recently dead, and the other less than willing are all that stands between chaos and order.

Bêlit and Valeria take their crew across Hyperborea to stop the wizards and magicians that are threatening the realm to contact the god responsible for Bêlit’s reemergence, but the quest takes a detour when she feels the need to prove herself. And now what was an adventure may turn into a suicide mission!

Review: Elle(s): The New Girl

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Elle(s): The New Girl

I love stories that feature characters with multiple or split personalities. It’s a trope that works in nearly every genre. Demonic possessions in horror, crazed killers in crime thrillers, unreliable narrators a la Fight Club. They all make for compelling stories. The coming-of-age story is one genre where this trope is seldom applied. That’s about to change thanks to Elle(s): The New Girl.

Released in the states by Europe Comics, Elle(s): The New Girl follows the titular character as she adjusts to life at a new high school. It’s hard enough for a single kid to move to a new school. Such difficulties would be exponentially tougher for a student with Multiple Personality Disorder. This is the plight Elle faces in this original graphic novel, written by Kid Toussaint.

Considering that the narrative revolves around Elle, Toussaint does a great job of developing her character. Even while her new friends come off as a little silly at times, Elle is always grounded and comes across very realistically. Toussaint also gives the reader a chance to get to know Elle before any of her split personalities are introduced. This is a smart move on the writer’s part, as it keeps her disorder from becoming gimmicky. I was very impressed with the strength of the English translation. All the dialogue makes sense and none of the context appears to have been lost. Although the narrative is straightforward, this heartwarming story does have a few interesting and unexpected twists.

Aveline Stokart’s artwork immediately catches the reader’s eye. It has a digital quality to it, almost like a two-dimensional Pixar film, yet it still leans closer to realism than animation. Stokart’s color choices make the tight line-work of her illustrations even better. She uses a bright color palate, giving each page a warm look. She also utilizes a fun mix of fonts that separate the regular dialogue from visual onomatopoeia and representations of text message conversations. My only complaint about the art is that there were a few panels where the placement of the speech bubbles made it hard to tell who was speaking. Beyond that minor and rare issue, the rest of the artwork is on point.

Elle(s) is an incredibly cute story about friendship and learning to be true to yourself. I really enjoyed reading a graphic novel that demystifies a common mental illness. Elle is relatable and the reader cannot help but root for her. The compelling story is made all the better by the near-flawless artwork. This title will keep the attention of readers of all ages but would be especially appropriate for a young adult audience.

Story: Kid Toussaint Art: Aveline Stokart
Story: 10 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.8 Recommendation: Buy

Europe Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Europe Comics – comiXology – Kindle