Mad Cave Studios has announced Flow, a haunting new horror miniseries written by Paula Sevenbergen and illustrated by Claudia Balboni, with colors by Fabi Marques and letters by Jodie Troutman; featuring by haunting variant covers from Aneke and Colleen Doran.
Flow isn’t just horror—it’s a reckoning. A story of menstruation, manipulation, and long-simmering guilt, Flow isn’t just about coming of age—it’s about coming undone!
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.
With a dual-timeline structure and chilling themes of body horror, Flow dares to confront what’s left unsaid, whether by shame, silence, or social taboo.
Flow #1 hits comic shops and digital platforms September 17, 2025, and is now available for preorder!
DC Pride 2025 #1 is a little different from the previous installments of DC Pride in that it’s not a collection of short stories featuring LGBTQ+ DC Comics characters, but is a single narrative centered around a gay bar that Alan Scott frequented in the 1930s and told predominantly from the POV of a new character named Ethan, who is a trans military veteran that ends up caught up a kind of multiversal/elemental saga. I applaud the scope of this comic book, which has big jam session energy as different characters end up in different pocket realities based on wishes they made at the gay bar or graffiti they scrawled. We get Apollo and Midnighter living in 1950s domestic bliss courtesy of Sam Maggs and Derek Charm, a single, psychiatric girl boss Harley Quinn from Maya Houston, Max Sarin, and Marissa Louise ; and a gorgeous sapphic romance between Jo Mullein and Nubia from Houston, Vita Ayala, and Vincent Cecil to name a few. The reading effect is like jumping from comic to comic and look at paths not trodden with some iconic queer characters and a few new or not so iconic ones.
As Tim Sheridan, Giulio Macaione, and Emilio Pilliu Alan Scott-centric frame story shows, fighting supervillains and having superpowers is a metaphor for being queer in DC Pride 2025. It might be tempting to give up and lie low, especially with the United States’ hard turn to fascism, and homophobia and transphobia promoted by folks in power, but Alan Scott, Ethan, and their companions’ actions in the comic act as a clarion call to resistance. The stuff with the Crimson Flame and Scott having his own Red Lantern is a little Geoff Johnsian for my taste, but it’s so cool to watch Alan Scott have a Sailor Moon type transformation sequence and return into action to help save the next generation of queer heroes symbolized by Ethan. I love Macaione’s use of greens to show a possible, idyllic future for Scott and a non-Red Lantern/Russian spy Johnny Ladd, but it’s a happiness based on a lie like the other possible futures in the book.
However, DC Pride 2025 isn’t all serious action and has a lot of humor and playfulness. Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Alex Moore recontextualize Golden Age Z-list Wonder Woman villain Blue Snowman coming to terms with their gender fluidity alongside nonbinary superhero Envoy in one vignette. I love how they poke fun at the restrictions of the gender binary using the classic tropes of a superhero brawl, and how even well meaning cisgender people can be just plain annoying at times. It’s so cool seeing this kind of story and voice in a mainstream, corporate comic showing that nonbinary characters don’t just have to be righteous heroes, but can be kind of messy too. DC Pride 2025 really hits the spectrum of queer identities, including asexuality with Connor Hawke getting a short story where he resists his father’s reputation as a womanizer and just wants to live his own life. I have to give a special shout out to Philip Sevy’s art in this short sequence, which seems like it’s right out of the late 1990s period where he was member of the JLA. Both the visual and character variety of DC Pride 2025 makes it an engaging read, and the book is a testament to the active work that DC Comics has done to cultivate LGBTQ+ characters in the past decade or so. (I need a monthly Midnighter and/or Apollo book though.)
After a wild and wacky cosmic adventure set in the DC Multiverse, DC Pride 2025 wraps up with a beautiful nonfiction storyfrom Jenny Blake and Sara Soler about Blake coming out as a transgender woman earlier this year. It has gorgeous soft lines and a refreshing color palette to go with Jenny Blake’s honest and humorous script about how old comics about Clark Kent switching genders had an influence on her own gender identity journey. I love how Soler inserts different DC characters into the panel to blur the line between fantasy and non-fiction with Blake’s most famous co-creation Black Lightning making an appearance as well as transgender superheroine Dreamer, who shares coffee with Blake. The story shows that you’re never too old to be your authentic self and hints at a longer graphic memoir, which I hope Jenny Blake gets to realize at DC or elsewhere.
DC Pride 2025 is an ambitious comic with summer crossover energy that tells an epic story with DC’s LGBTQ+ characters while still taking time to dig into their individual hopes, fears, and dreams. It’s a showcase of queer representation on the page and on the issue’s creative teams, and Blake and Sara Soler’s memoir is a beautiful coda and rallying cry to continue to be queer and fearless in an increasingly dark and hateful world.
Story: Vita Ayala, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Maya Houston Story: Sam Maggs, Tim Sheridan, Josh Trujillo, Jenny Blake Art: Don Aguillo, Vincent Cecil, Derek Charm, A.L. Kaplan, Giulio Macaione Art: Emilio Pilliu, Max Sarin, Philip Sevy, Sara Soler, Alex Moore, Skyler Patridge Colors: Eren Angiolini, Jordie Bellaire, Triona Farrell, Marissa Louise Letters: Aditya Bidikar, Frank Cvetkovic, Lucas Gattoni, Ariana Maher, Morgan Martinez, Jodie Troutman Story: 8.9 Art: 9.3 Overall: 9.1 Recommendation: Buy
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Prepare for a heartrending Star Trek comic that is unlike anything you’ve seen before. Starfleet’s fearless and doomed crew members finally get their own story as main characters… and no one is safe. Featuring an all-new cast of characters, what is the true purpose of their deadly mission and who will survive? Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 is a fantastic start taking the classic punchline of “Red Shirts” and turning them into an expendable Dirty Dozen.
If there’s some things you can count on when it comes to science fiction, it’s that Star Wars’ Stormtroopers can’t hit anything and their armor is worthless while Star Trek’s Red Shirts die by the dozen. Writer Christopher Cantwell puts the spotlight on a group of Red Shirts recruited for an undercover mission to root out a spy.
Like classic films and shows that bring together a rag-tag bunch of screw-ups, Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 introduces us to each one by one highlighting their personalities and making sure we understand what sort of conflict they’re bringing to the mission that’s sure to go off the rails. But, Cantwell does more than that and delivers winks and nods and the inside joke of how expendable Red Shirts are and how unlikely you’ll meet one over the age of 30. The comic deftly uses the joke and turns it into a badge of honor making out its band of misfits to be more badasses than the color of their shirt denotes.
The art by Megan Levens is good with each character being unique and standing out. With color by Charlie Kirchoff and lettering by Jodie Troutman and the art feels like it’s a good match for the concept that’s both serious and not. The delivery method of how the crack unit gets to the surface is packed with humor but also a hell of a lot of action that you can imagine on the big screen and delivers a smile on one’s face. Like the overall concept of the comic, the art takes itself seriously and not at the same time.
Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 feels like it’s in on the joke. It has moments that feel like it’s played totally straight and serious and others where it haves fun with its expendable concept. The combination creates some great entertainment where you’re not sure if you want the mission to get all cool, stealth, and full of action, or go completely FUBAR and watch the Red Shirts die in creative and hilarious ways. But, the first issue shows, you can actually have both.
Star Trek: Red Shirts #1 is out in comic shops on July 17.
Story: Christopher Cantwell Art: Megan Levens Color: Charlie Kirchoff Letterer: Jodie Troutman Story: 8.5 Art: 7.6 Overall: 8.4 Recommendation: Buy
IDW Publishing provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
In an extraordinary collaboration between two celebrated voices in comics, DC has announced the addition of an original story, “Master Planner” by writer Jenny Blake and artist Sara Soler with lettering by Jodie Troutman, to DC Pride 2025. This new story, like Kevin Conroy’s personal story “Finding Batman” (art by J. Bone) in 2022 and Phil Jimenez’s autobiographical story “Spaces” (art by Giulio Macaione) in 2024, is a poignant exploration of Blake’s identity, authenticity, and the universal quest for self-understanding. Blake is a co-creator of Black Lightning, along with Trevor Von Eeden, among other accomplishments.
Jenny Blake, a trailblazing figure with over five decades of contributions to the comics industry, shared her heartfelt reflections on the project:
When I came out as transgender, the comics community was overwhelmingly loving and supportive. Being asked to contribute to this anthology was unexpected and so affirming. I’ve done a lot of cool things in my 50-plus years in comics, but this story is one of the things I’m most proud of. I see myself in this story and I hope readers see something of themselves in it. I had a wonderful time writing my story, and I hope the readers enjoy it as much as I did.
The story, brought vividly to life by the extraordinary artistry of Sara Soler, invites readers into a journey that is both deeply personal and widely relatable, bridging human experiences of transformation, resilience, and belonging. Soler’s style beautifully captures the essence of Blake’s narrative, creating a perfect harmony between words and visuals.
Additionally, DC’s editorial team has selected a handful of letters, cosplay, and fan art to be published in a letters column within the pages of DC Pride 2025. Originally shared on the DC Official Discord server, fan contributions to DC Pride 2025 reflect how the legacy of DC’s storytelling has impacted, or reflected, their LGBTQIA+ identity, journey, or experience.
DC Pride 2025 will publish on June 4, available wherever comic books are sold. Contributors include writers Vita Ayala, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Maya Houston, Sam Maggs, Tim Sheridan, and Josh Trujillo; artists Don Aguillo, Vincent Cecil, Derek Charm, A.L. Kaplan, Giulio Macaione, Alex Moore, Skylar Patridge, Emilio Pilliu, Max Sarin, and Phillip Sevy; colorists Eren Angiolini, Jordie Bellaire, Tríona Farrell, and Marissa Louise; letterers Aditya Bidikar, Frank Cvetkovic, Lucas Gattoni, Ariana Maher, Morgan Martinez, and Jodie Troutman for main story “The Heart Wants”; along with Blake, Solar, and Troutman for “Master Planner.” The 96-page Prestige format comic will feature a main cover by Kris Anka and variant covers by Sozomaika, Julia Reck, and Jack Hughes (1:25), all priced at $9.99 US (card stock).
BOOM! Studios has announced that Hello Darkness #1 First Printing and Hello Darkness #1 Second Printing have both sold out at the distributor level! This issue is a terrifying start to a brand new ongoing anthology series featuring what BOOM! Studios is known for–the best in modern Horror, Fantasy, and Mystery, not to mention the darkest stories yet from a murderer’s row of world class creators including R.L. Stine, Francesco Francavilla, Garth Ennis, Becky Cloonan, James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera, John Arcudi, Ryan Sook, Wes Craig, Cullen Bunn, Daniel Bayliss, Sas Milledge, Sarah Gailey, Liana Kangas, Marguerite Bennett, Luana Vecchio, Michael Conrad, Martín Morazzo, Andy Lanning, Trevor Hairsine, Steve Orlando, A.L. Kaplan, Genevieve Valentine, Ming Doyle, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Letizia Cadonici, Sarah Andersen, Chuck Tingle, Robert Hack, and more! Everything from primal fears to modern political horrors will be explored, in the classic style of Creepy and Eerie and the contemporary chills of Black Mirror.
In addition, a deadly new Something is Killing the Children story unfolds across multiple issues of the series, along with a bone-rattling new serialized tale called The War by Garth Ennis and Becky Cloonan for the first 7 issues!
In response to the overwhelming support from retailers and fans, BOOM! Studios has announced Hello Darkness #1 Third Printing (JUN248460), featuring brand new cover art by Reiko Murakami, and a blank sketch cover (JUN248461) available in stores August 28, 2024.
BOOM! Studios has revealed a chilling first look at Hello Darkness #1, the terrifying start to a brand new ongoing anthology series featuring what BOOM! Studios is known for–the best in modern Horror, Fantasy, and Mystery, not to mention the darkest stories yet from a murderer’s row of world class creators including R.L. Stine, Francesco Francavilla, Garth Ennis, Becky Cloonan, James Tynion IV, Werther Dell’Edera, John Arcudi, Ryan Sook, Cullen Bunn, Sas Milledge, Sarah Gailey, Liana Kangas, Marguerite Bennett, Michael Conrad, Martín Morazzo, Andy Lanning, Trevor Hairsine, Steve Orlando, A.L. Kaplan, Genevieve Valentine, Jude Ellison S. Doyle, Letizia Cadonici, Sarah Andersen, and more! Everything from primal fears to modern political horrors will be explored, in the classic style of Creepy and Eerie and the contemporary chills of Black Mirror.
In addition, a deadly new Something is Killing the Children story unfolds in the first 6 issues, along with a bone-rattling new serialized tale called The War by Garth Ennis and Becky Cloonan for the first 7 issues!
Hello Darkness #1 features a main cover by Paolo Rivera, and variant covers by Jenny Frison, Peach Momoko, Jeff Dekal, and a Blank Sketch Cover.
Packed into Hello Darkness #1 is The War #1 written by Garth Ennis, illustrated by Becky Cloonan, colors by Tamra Bonvillain, letters by Pat Brosseau; Something is Killing the Children: A Monster Walks Into a Bar #1 written by James Tynion IV, illustrated by Werther Dell’Edera, colors by Miquel Muerto, letters by AndWorld Design; The Foster written by Steve Orlando, illustrated by A.L. Kaplan, colors by Marissa Louise, letters by Jodie Troutman; The Siren by Sarah Andersen; I Can’t Take You Anywhere #1 by Robert Hack; Contagious written by Jude Ellison S. Doyle, illustrated by Letizia Cadonici, colors by Alessandro Santoro, letters by Becca Carey; and Stay In Your Lane written by Dave Cook, illustrated by David Cousens, colors by Angel De Santiago, letters by Nathan Kempf.
Hello Darkness #1 will be available in comic shops July 24, 2024.
