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.
Jadzia Axelrod, Nicole Maines, Stein & Brandt, Rosi Kampe, Triona Farrell, and Dearbhla Kelly wrap up their beautiful, action-packed, and soul-searing Pride Month event in Justice League: Dream Girls #4. Most of this issue is set in the Kampe-drawn dream dimension, where Galaxy fights to save her BFF Dreamer from the clutches of the Key, who is very close to having infinite knowledge that will transform him from that one villain you vaguely remember getting knocked out by a boxing glove arrow in Grant Morrison’s JLA run to an A-list baddie. It cements the bond between Galaxy and Dreamer while setting them on two quite different, yet valid heroic paths. Axelrod and Maines give both heroines full arcs while leaving room for either them or other creators to play in the sandbox. In addition to wrapping up the weekly crossover event, JL: Dream Girls #4 features a powerful, personal black and white autobiographical comic from the legendary Klaus Janson about growing up as a gay, immigrant cartoonist in the 1960s and 1970s.
To start, it’s been such a pleasure to follow JL: Dream Girls each week and see transgender superheroes written by transgender comics creators get to be front and center in a big summer crossover with such a buffet of different art styles and a huge cast of characters, LGBTQ+ otherwise. (Batman is a trans ally, y’all!) And it wouldn’t be a summer crossover with some badass fisticuffs, and JL: Dream Girls #4 doesn’t disappoint. There’s a surreal action-horror vibe to Rosi Kampe and Kelly’s visuals, with interesting panel layouts as Galaxy flies around and tries to get Dreamer to literally wake up and not be married to the Key. For example, while Dreamer is under the Key’s thrall, the gutters are black, but when she gets her act together, they’re different colors or non-existent. Kampe’s line art and Dearbhla Kelly’s colors go from something light and almost trance-like to solid and punchy as the story progresses. As someone who has put on a variety of identities throughout the series, it’s so empowering to see Dreamer finally be herself in JL: Dream Girls #4’s climax.
After the big fight, JL: Dream Girls #4 has an extended epilogue that’s drawn by Stein & Brandt and colored by Farrell, who have done an excellent job on the Watchtower sequences throughout the series, giving this large cast of characters their own unique personalities, sometimes with a single eye movement or head tilt. (I live for Jon Kent’s eyes lighting up and wanting to play DnD even though Damian Wayne says it’s for nerds.) The use of “Bwahahaha” all but confirms, but they’re worthy successors to the superhero sitcom era of J.M. DeMatteis, Keith Giffen, and Kevin Maguire’s Justice League. The highlight of this part of the story is a conversation between Batman and Dreamer, where he tells her that if someone is uncomfortable with her being simply present in a space, that’s their problem. It brings the superhero/queerness/trans metaphor full circle and means a lot because it’s DC’s biggest seller saying those words. Jadzia Axelrod and Nicole Maines have done a wonderful job telling a story that is both a sci-fi/superhero epic with psychological dimensions that also works as a personal tale of two very different transgender women coming to terms with who they are. It was in the previous issue, but Coagula and Dreamer talking about being transgender lesbians is an all-time great moment in superhero comics. Finally, Galaxy and Dreamer are just awesome friends, and I hope they have many more adventures either as part of the Justice League or together. (DC editorial, we need a JLQ ongoing.)
After the colorful triumphs of the lead story, the black and white backup story from Janson entirely switches tone, and I appreciate the reader’s advisory between them. He gives a stark portrayal of what it was like to be a gay man in the 60s and 70s, with bullying, slurs, and not having heroes like Galaxy and Dreamer to look up to. However, young Klaus finds hope through superhero comics, which are the only part of the story done in color and give him an escape as he struggles to fit in with the oppressive society around him. Another place of escape for him is one of the first Pride parades that happened after Stonewall, and it’s cool to see the LGBTQ+ culture of the era, like when Klaus shows another young man his art portfolio after getting an early assignment at DC Comics. There’s also a shift in Klaus Janson’s art style as he grows in confidence in himself as an artist and gay man, before culminating in that iconic style that defined Batman and Daredevil for generations of heroes. And, personally, I love that a queer person like myself is partially responsible for those dark stories that were important to me growing up and still are to this day. I appreciate that Mr. Janson was able to share something so personal in such a beautiful way and that DC continues to publish autobiographical stories by LGBTQ+ creators.
Justice League: Dream Girls #4 shows both the triumphant and sad sides of queer identity through its punching and friendship-filled lead story and its sobering, yet hopeful backup story. It’s the perfect comic to read during the last week of Pride Month.
Story: Jadzia Axelrod, Nicole Maines, Klaus Janson Art: Stein & Brandt, Rosi Kampe, Klaus Janson Colors: Triona Farrell, Dearbhla Kelly Letters: Jodie Troutman, Frank Cvetkovic, Lucas Gattoni Story: 9.0 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.3 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
October 2026 will see the return of the Eisner-Nominated horror anthology Scream! Featuring a gruesome cadre of twisted storytellers, The Scream! Halloween Special 2026 will show you the true meaning of fear across 48 ghastly and grotesque pages! With comics from a murderously good lineup of top creators including Alex Paknadel, Babs Tarr, Zoe Tunnell, Zac Thompson, and Vic Malhotra, Rebellion presents five new horror stories to keep you screaming this Halloween!
Scream! has been delivering chills to once-innocent readers for over forty years, horrifying generations of comic fans with tales to make your squirm with pleasure and disgust!
InThe Dracula File, Alex Paknadel and Alejandro Aragón reunite for a new story with Jason Wordie and Jonathan Stevenson which puts extra venom into the modern-day exploits of the legendary blood-sucking fiend.
Cower as Zoe Tunnell, Chloe Brailsford, JP Jordan, and Jodie Troutman team for Consent Is Key. What happens when your sleeping hours are monetized for labor? It’s the true horror story of 21st Century capitalism!
The malevolent A.I. Max returns for more close-quarters carnage as Zac Thompson and Mattia Monaco invite you to once again enter The Thirteenth Floor.
When a bog body is discovered during an archaeological dig, a PhD student finds that the project of a lifetime becomes an obsession with death! Join Oliver Gerlach and Vic Malhotra as they wade into the depths of human nature.
And the grand finale brings together Michael Gorman and Babs Tarr, who’d like to inform readers that the quaint sleepy town of Bishop’s End is in fact open for business, and any reports of haunts at the nearby petrol station are GREATLY exaggerated…
It’s the horror event of the year – if you’re looking for true terror this Halloween, make sure you pre-order your copy of The Scream! Halloween Special 2026 today!You won’t regret it…
From the big screen into the pages of comics, IDW Dark presents spine-chilling new chapters inspired by the hit Paramount Pictures horror franchises Smile and A Quiet Place.
Scaring comic shops this September is Any Given Smile, a frightening five-issue story crafted by Eisner Award-nominated writer Stephanie Williams, GLAAD Media Award-winning artist Pablo Collar, and featuring colors by Triona Farrell and letters by Ariana Maher.
The year is 1995 and all eyes are on the American Arena League football championship game. The Sharks gear up for the most significant event in the AAL’s 20-year history, and their sudden-star backup quarterback is feeling the pressure from his teammates, his fans, and his debts to the city’s gambling underworld. A string of suicides hits the community hard, drawing a suspicious sports journalist deeper into that world to examine their connection to the big game. No one can trust anything or anyone as a mind-bending and mysterious Smile Entity and its horrifying visions threaten their payouts, their sanity, and their lives…
Shhhhh. Don’t make a sound this November when A Quiet Place: Rising Tides crawls into comic shops. The tense and captivating five-issue thriller is created by the acclaimed duo of writer Declan Shalvey and artist Luke Sparrow, featuring colorist Colin Craker and letterer Jodie Troutman.
When a young woman named Grace tracked down her estranged father to a run-down houseboat in the Florida Keys, she expected disappointment, resentment, maybe even closure. Instead, the entire world ended.
Now stranded in the aftermath of the invasion that shattered civilization, she and her sick, aging father cling to survival on the open water – the only space safe from the creatures who attack at the sound of a single breath. But his oxygen is running low, supplies are disappearing quickly, and the deadly predators circling the shoreline are learning fast. And on the horizon, a hurricane is coming.
First, it was America…now, England. It’s 5:00 a.m. at 10 Downing Street. The prime minister gets a call that bolts him upright out of bed: The royal family has been lost at sea. Parliament and Buckingham Palace explode with action in the aftermath. Some suspect the prince and his wife, the princess, were attacked. Others whisper their tragedy was the result of a long-standing family curse…Either way, playboy and recovering addict Theo Belmont is next in line to the throne. Can he step up to the role? Or will he be consumed by his demons? The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #1 is a tense debut full of emotion and mystery.
Written by Hannah Rose May, The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #1 is a fantastic debut that’ll keep you guessing as to what’s going on. At its surface level, the story involves the mysterious disappearance and fallout of some of the royal family. Did they vanish due to a curse or was another nation involved? That alone could drive a series, with a focus on an investigation and the political impact of the event. But, May dives deeper focusing on the next in line to the throne and a past that haunts him.
The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #1 explores trauma and addiction as Theo Belmont fights to stay sober while also clearly uneasy about his royal lineage. But, the crown that weighs is forced upon him as he’s declared the next in line for the throne and struggles with his addiction that has afflicted other family members. It’s a story of ghosts that haunt but ones of addiction and family trauma.
The comic delivers a perfectly moody look with the art of Kelsey Ramsay. With color by Heather Breckel and lettering by Jodie Troutman, the comic has a haunted style that perfectly captures its ominous feel. I can’t say anything as far as the details of the royals and England, but the comic nails a haunting feel and the visuals add to the tension that builds throughout the issue. The art is perfect for the overall vibe, adding to every emotional moment.
The Exorcism at Buckingham Palace #1 is the type of comic you can enjoy on the surface level or dive deeper in to. It’s a solid debut that’ll suck readers in, leaving them guessing as to where this could go. It’s a fantastic debut that delivers a haunting read as the weather warms up.
The bloody end is here! Will the curse be lifted from these former bullies…or will they face a fate worse than death when Dara, their childhood target, finally surfaces? Shocking truths about the past lead to an explosive confrontation in the present. Will they have a future? Don’t miss this revealing final issue!
Desperate to end their suffering, Moe, Conley, and Alister finally reach the house of Dara, the girl they once tormented…but she’s gone. So they head to the scene of their childhood crimes, the now-eerie old campgrounds, where they’re hit with searing pain and loss of bodily control. Just when it seems things can’t get any worse in this penultimate issue, they do–a lot worse!
Random blood stains. Coughed-up insects. Dirt-caked kisses. All things Moe and Alister are plagued with—and all reminiscent of what they did to that girl at summer camp years ago. Have they been cursed? They confront their ringleader from back then, Conley, now a tech star, to see if she has also been bedeviled. But she dismisses them, claiming not to recall much of that summer. Is she telling the truth, or still a master of deception?
(W) Alex Segura, Michael Moreci, Chantelle Aimée Osman (A) Craig Cermak, Brent Schoonover, Emiliana Pinna (C) Mark Englert, Warnia Sahadewa (L) Jim Campbell, Jodie Troutman
THE GHOULS AND GHOSTS ARE OUT IN THE CITY – and so are some of Dick Tracy’s deadliest Rogues…or are they? As Tracy, Pat, Sam, and Tess try to piece together the return of one of The City’s most bloodthirsty killers, other Tracy baddies start to creep out from under the woodwork. But the heroes dig deeper into the twisty mystery and discover something new – and perhaps more sinister! Featuring the Mad Cave debut of one of the most iconic Dick Tracy characters ever – THE KID!
When blood began to run down Dara Lund’s legs at Nature Camp, she thought she was dying. Homeschooled by a protective dad after her mom’s mysterious death, Dara wasn’t told the facts of life. “It’s the Curse,” her bunkmates said, not revealing it was her period. “But we can lift it…if you do everything we say.” So began their week of torment, making naive Dara do torturous tasks for their amusement. But now, 10 years later, as they embark on their careers, the three tormentors find themselves cursed—so they reunite to track down the likely source: a vengeful Dara. And they’ll pursue her to the bloody end. Flow #1 spins horror out of childhood bullying.
Written by Paula Sevenbergen, Flow #1 is an interesting comic. While it focuses on an experience of women, the underlying concept is universal. Much like Carrie, Flow is a story about trauma, gender oppression, and vengeance over the humiliation experienced as a kid. While I am a guy and haven’t experienced this, I have been teased and made fun of for other bodily issues. Kids can be cruel and being bullied is a universal experience that knows no bounds. It makes the comic relatable no matter your age or gender.
Sevenbergen bounces back and forth between the past and present, introducing us to Dara and taking us through the trauma of her time at camp. We see the abuse directed at her not just due to her first period, but also her mother and her mother’s death. It also comes together to paint a picture of a child who had a traumatic upbringing in multiple ways and also tie into the experiences of her tormentors as adults.
In the present, strange occurrences are happening to Dara’s camp tormentors that tease they have something to do with Dara. Going into the comic, I wondered how these individuals would know it has something to do with her, but each experience perfectly ties back to camp and the torture they inflicted on the young girl. But, it’s also clear there’s more to these individuals’ current lives and they each have their own issues they’re going through beyond the strange happenings. It’s an interesting comic teasing the abusers are also abused as well and we’ll see if that’s explored more.
The art by Claudia Balboni is pretty solid with the characters showing some nice emotion and there being a tinge of horror in the every day life. The few instances of real strange experiences is so extreme, it shows a nice visual build towards the moment that really emphasizes the “scare.” The color by Fabi Marques and lettering by Jodie Troutman all combine to create a comic that feels like a slice of life comic but there’s a bit of unease about it all as well. The rather benign day to day leads to scares and a building of tension.
Flow #1 is an intriguing comic. It starts as a solid horror tale that feels like it is inspired by the classic Carrie. And, in today’s environment, it also feels like it has a lot of potential to entertain and scare while also having something to say underneath it all. It’s start is a solid example that horror can be about the scares as well as something deeper.
