As a child of the 1980s, I grew up in an era that many considered a golden age of cinema. The movie industry started to produce movies that many would soon be known as “blockbusters”. These movies got audiences to come to the theaters by the millions creating an experience for friends and families. One of those movies was Top Gun, a film that embraced American machismo and set a new standard for what was considered “cool”.
The movie has many anachronisms that, though they served the story well, is considered politically incorrect today. From a technical perspective, as someone who used to be in the military, there is a ton of inaccuracies as well. One glaring omission was the lack of female pilots, something that existed before the movie was made. In Garth Ennis and Russ Braun’s The Night Witches, we get a tale of one famous squadron during WWII. It’s a story where one pilot must prove her mettle.
We’re taken to World War II Russia, where we meet Guards Major Aleksander Lukin, who just has been given the task of training the first all-female fighter squadron, the first of its kind anywhere. This is where we meet our protagonist, Lt. Anna Kharkova, who soon finds out that their mission is night bombing, a dangerous assignment, which will cost them several casualties on the first flight operation. This first mission also reveals to the Germans, that Russia is using female pilots, an anomaly no one could have anticipated and something, the Nazi battalions start to target. Eventually, Anna and her fellow pilots start to become proficient, effectively taking out forward bases and catching the eye of the Russian secret police and the Nazi army. Eventually, things don’t go as planned, and one of the fighter planes crashes in Nazi territory, leaving one survivor, Guards Captain Nadia Popova, alone with a rifle and behind enemy lines. Before long, Anna becomes an experienced pilot, flying over 200 successful missions and only wounded twice, but gets transferred to a unit of all-male pilots where she is the most experienced combat pilot there. She would rise to the rank of Captain and lead a unit of six female combat pilots which she is charged with training. The one mission she goes with her newly trained unit results in her plane getting shot down and being imprisoned in a German POW camp, which is eventually liberated. Fast forward to 1951, and Anna, after a few political missteps get busted down, not before pissing off a higher up which sends her and her best friend to jail. By the book’s end, our heroine outwits some of the same men who were threatened by her ability and possibly becoming the best pilot in all of Russia.
Overall, an engrossing read that makes the audience invest in the characters and their story arcs, as Maverick has nothing on the Night Witch. The story by Garth Ennis is well developed, well-characterized, and stays with the reader long after. The art by Russ Braun, Tony Avina, and Simon Bowland is elegant. Altogether, one of the best stories that Ennis has ever written, as it is more than inspirational, it is a vision for a progressive world.
Story: Garth Ennis Art: Russ Braun, Tony Avina, and Simon Bowland Story: 10 Art: 10 Overall: 10 Recommendation: Buy
Twelve years after the events of The Boys, Hughie finds himself back home in Scotland where he intends to finally marry Annie in the company of friends and family. But the sudden appearance of a peculiar document sends our hero into a tailspin and threatens to bring the events of his nightmarish past crashing down on him in the worst possible way. There was one story about The Boys that Hughie never knew. Now, whether he likes it or not, he’s going to.
Eight years after their final issue and in the context of their successful Amazon TV adaptation, which sanitized this superhero satire for a broad audience, The Boysis back from writer/co-creator Garth Ennis, artist Russ Braun (Who drew 24 issues of the original series, and colorist TonyAviña. The Boys: Dear Becky #1 is concerned with the future of the relationship between Wee Hughie and Annie January, but also the past relationship between Billy Butcher and his wife Becky, who was one of the few people that saw beneath his violent, hateful, asshole self. And it’s sad to say that the scenes set in the present come across as a tone-deaf Scottish boomer ranting on Facebook while the past scenes actually do hold up with poignant narration from Ennis paired with his usual dark humor and gruesome visuals from Braun and Aviña, who unleashes an abattoir of a color palette.
The Boys: Dear Becky #1 is truly a half good, half bad comic. The first half is Wee Hughie moaning at a pub about the state of the world to his friend Bobbi, who is trans and misgendered immediately. Paired with Russ Braun’s stereotypical art that is reminiscent of Howard Chaykin’s recent, hateful work on Divided States of Hysteria, it’s not a great way to start the story. But it is par for the course for the “Everyone’s bastards, especially superheroes.” sensibility of Ennis’ writing on The Boys. It seems like the goal of the pub scene is to reintroduce readers to Wee Hughie and his post-Boys life, but it’s all overwhelmed by tone deaf takes on everything from white male privilege to affirmative action. However, it’s not all punching down with (In true Scottish manner.) Wee Hughie and Bobbi taking the piss out of Brexit with the loss of the E.U. safety net negatively impacting rural Scotland and also wondering why so many of their fellow citizens are afraid of immigrants in such a racially homogenous area.
All in all, this scene that definitely needed a spot of editing (Although Ennis’ dialogue is still entertaining and colorful, if a bit cringeworthy.) shows that The Boys along with South Park and most of Mark Millar and Sean Gordon Murphy’s oeuvre have outstayed their welcome in 2020. At its finest, The Boys was a darkly hilarious satire of fanboy culture and American foreign policy with a dash of coming to terms with the effects of violence. Now, it’s just cynical for the sake of being cynical. Bright eyed, optimistic Wee Hughie is now just another middle aged libertarian moaning about keyboard warriors and safe spaces. And to add insult upon injury, Russ Braun uses his skill to makes jokes at the expense of aka pot shots at one of the most marginalized groups in 21st century society.
However, to look at the issue and Hughie from another perspective, not giving a shit could definitely be an after effect of the trauma he went through in The Boys. When Ennis and Braun aren’t trying to be edgy, middle-aged white male commentators on society, they do a good job of showing of how Hughie is unable to move on with his life, including several panels of him lying in the bathroom looking at a letter from Butcher that brings his past all the way back. The letters adds depth to the now-dead Butcher, who could take a step back and see that maybe pulling the tongue out of a ten year old copyright-friendly version of Shazam is not a good idea. Braun and Aviña’s art is definitely representative of The Boys’ cartoonish ultraviolence towards superheroes, but Garth Ennis adds an air of conscience in both Butcher’s dialogue and narrative captions that are Hughie reading his letter. He thinks about how the effects of his actions will have both on himself and on Becky and comes across like Wee Hughie when he first joined the team.
If The Boys: Dear Becky #1 was just the Butcher flashback with a bit of a Wee Hughie framing device to see what he’s been up to 12 years after the original series, then it would definitely be worth picking up. However, the new effort from Garth Ennis, Russ Braun, and Tony Aviña gets a pass thanks to half the comic being a privileged white man punching down and a woeful mishandling of a trans character, especially on the art side. It speaks to the conflict in The Boys comic, which could be both a funny, if over the top satire of the comics industry and power structures with surprisingly deep character studies, and a tasteless, stereotyped-filled book that didn’t meet a female character that ended up raped or murdered in a macabre manner. This comic reminded me of my days as a closeted, libertarian teenage edgelord reading The Boys, and why I shudder at them.
Story: Garth Ennis Art: Russ Braun Colors: Tony Aviña Letters: Simon Bowland Story: 6.0 Art: 4.0 Overall: 5.0 Recommendation: Pass
Dynamite Entertainment provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
The Boys are returning to comics, or at least what’s left of them, with their original writer and creator Garth Ennis for the sequel, Dear Becky.
Following the massive success of the comics and Prime adaptation, with over 150,000 omnibuses sold in 2019, Garth Ennis returns to Wee Hughie, Billy Butcher, Vought and more in this hotly anticipated new entry. Picking up in-story 12 years after the finale of the 90 issue epic run, the marriage of Hughie and Annie (Starlight) is derailed by a mysterious document that threatens to rip open the scars of the past and reveal nightmarish truths about The Boys.
Joining Ennis on this series are some returning greats. Russ Braun picks right back up on interiors years later, after drawing a large chunk of the original series following series co-creator Darick Robertson. Robertson returns to contribute covers. For his first, Robertson once more calls back to the very first cover with The Boys looking down on something, as was also seen with #7 and #50.
Using a flashback structure, Dear Becky will flesh out both the pre-history of The Boys, call back to classic moments, and move the story forward. It’s an indispensable chapter for all fans of The Boys, going back nearly 15 years or new to the story from the show.
Dynamite will also release a promotional poster of The Boys, perfect for both retailers and fans to advertise the series or show off their fandom. Additionally, all six volumes of The Boys Omnibus are available to catch up on the original comic, as well as art books and collectibles.
Includes: Over the Hill with the Swords of a Thousand Men (#60-65) The Bloody Doors Off (#66-71), You Found Me (#72)
It’s been a long time coming. When the Homelander finally sets an army of superheroes against the forces of the United States military, Billy Butcher and The Boys must finish the job they were recruited for: to take every superhero out of the picture. While the battle rages on the White House lawn, Frenchie and the Female are unleashed, Mother’s Milk uncovers a terrible secret at Vought-American, and Wee Hughie discovers the senses-shattering truth behind Butcher’s ultimate plan of vengeance.
Volume 9: The Big Ride Volume 10: Butcher, Baker, Candlestickmaker
In Volume 9, all the pieces are falling into place, for the Boys as well as their most mortal enemies. The long-dreaded superhuman conflict is on its way. But first there are secrets still to be uncovered: like the story of the team’s first encounter with supergroup The Seven, and the shockwaves from that disastrous meeting that still reverberate today. Hughie, meanwhile, discovers his comrades’ hidden history, as their original leader Colonel Greg Mallory takes him through sixty years of the filthiest black operations imaginable. And finally, with good and bad guys teetering on the brink, a shadowy force sets events in motion that will push even Butcher over the edge.
He could have been a very different man. Billy Butcher, leader of The Boys, once had a chance at another life entirely — when the love of a good woman pulled him aside from his dreadful path of violence and despair. Volume 10 is the story of Billy and Becky, told by the man himself, from the heights of love to the depths of tragedy. And when he’s done, he’ll be ready… to finish things once and for all.
So where are the real superheroes? The warriors for truth and justice, the defenders of the American way, the heroes who fight to make things right and ask for nothing in return? Hughie finds out when he meets the teenage adventurers known as SUPERDUPER… but unknown to the little Scotsman, Butcher has finally learned his secret. A dire scheme is set in motion, and at the vast superhero evangelist festival of BELIEVE, Hughie’s relationship with Annie January – aka Starlight of the Seven – reaches its terrible conclusion.
Next… a special story featuring everyone’s favorite pint-sized Scotsman, Hughie. Mind reeling from cataclysmic events in New York, Wee Hughie heads home to Auchterladle — the semi-idyllic Scottish seaside town where he grew up. All Hughie wants is some time to himself, to return to the bosom of family and friends, and get his head together after two years of unimaginable chaos. But our hero’s luck has always been more cloud than silver lining, and the familiar surroundings he craves are not all they might be. Old pals are warped beyond recognition, strangers in town are up to no good, and a figure from Hughie’s recent past has come back to resolve some unfinished business. You can go home again – but whether or not you should is another matter entirely.
Collects: Issues 39-47, plus Highland Laddie
The Boys Omnibus Vol. 4 Photo Cover Edition
writer: Garth Ennis
artists: Darick Robertson, John McCrea, Russ Braun
cover: Mother’s Milk Photo Cover From The Boys TV Series!
FC | 328 pages | $29.99 | Superheroes | Mature
Both Versions of Volume 4 Contain: Issues 39-47, plus Highland Laddie
You don’t want to miss a celebration of comics at the 20th annual Baltimore Comic-Con October 18-20, 2019 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. Baltimore Comic-Con has announced the additions of Russ Braun, Brenden Fletcher, Karl Moline, Bart Sears, Brian Stelfreeze, and Peter J. Tomasi to the 2019 event. Buy tickets to the event now at the Baltimore Comic-Con website.
Russ Braun has been drawing comics for 30 years, with a 7-year break for a stint with Walt Disney Feature Animation. He’s worked for most of the major comics publishers on everything from Batman, Swamp Thing, and Fables for DC/Vertigo to Son of Satan and Where Monsters Dwell for Marvel. He is perhaps best known for his frequent collaborations with Garth Ennis, on their creator-owned Jimmy’s Bastards, The Night Witches, Sixpack, and Dogwelder, and particularly on The Boys, now a hit TV series on Amazon. You can find him on Facebook and Instagram at russ.braun.589 or at his website russ-braun.com.
Brenden Fletcher is a New York Times bestselling writer of comic books and animation. His current projects include the Eisner Award-nominated series Isola and Motor Crush for Image Comics, as well as the upcoming Robotech comic series relaunch for Titan. Previous work includes DC Comics’ Batgirl of Burnside, the YA mystery/adventure series Gotham Academy, and Entertainment Weekly’s “Best New Series” of 2015, Black Canary. Brenden contributed the acclaimed Flash story to the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning Wednesday Comics, co-created the Power Rangers: Pink mini-series for BOOM! Studios, and contributed to Ghost in the Shell: Global Neural Network and the Attack on Titan Anthology for Kodansha. He currently lives in Brooklyn, NY with his wife and two cats.
Karl Moline has been a professional comic book artist working for all of the major comics publishers over the last twenty years. He is best known for his work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and co-creating Fray with Joss Whedon, but has also worked on titles such as Superboy-Convergence, Avengers Arena, Avengers Academy, Rogue, Route 666, Daredevil 2099, Loners, Seekers of the Weird, Hulk Smash, Avengers, B.P.R.D., and Spider-Man Unlimited, among others. He lives near Tampa, Florida and likes cats and magic.
Bart Sears has accomplished much in his years working in the creative arts. His works have been published in every major comics publishers, many smaller press publishers, and he even had a running feature in Wizard Magazine on drawing instruction called “Brutes and Babes”. He designed action figures and packaging at Hasbro and ToyBiz, and has served in leadership roles in comics companies like CrossGen and his own Ominous Press. His recent work can be seen on covers for titles such as Valiant’s Rai, Dynamite Entertainment’s John Carter: Warlord of Mars and Turok, and DC Comics’ Deathstroke.
Brian Stelfreeze, one of the original Gaijin Studios members, is a multi-talented artist, with experience and credits penciling, inking, coloring, painting, and even writing. His comic book covers have gained him much attention and lauding, and his run painting covers on DC Comics’ Shadow of the Bat for over 50 issues is noteworthy by itself. Brian’s creative output can be found on BOOM! Studios’ Day Men, Marvel Comics’ Black Panther, and be sure to pick up BOOM! Studios’ The Signature Art of Brian Stelfreeze to get a definitive look at the works of his publishing career.
Peter Tomasi is a writer and editor best known for his work at DC Comics. He began his career in 1993, editing such titles as Green Lantern, the Batman titles, Aquaman, Hawkman, and JSA before being promoted to Senior Editor in 2003. In 2007, Tomasi decided to move from editing to writing full-time and, in 2010, took over writing Batman and Robin with issue #20. Since the launch of the New 52, Tomasi has helmed the new volumes of both Batman and Robin and Green Lantern Corps. His The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York from Abrams is a 2019 Ringo Awards Nominee for Best Non-fiction Comic Work.
In addition to on-site CGC grading, this year’s confirmed guests for the show include: Joel Adams (Savage Eve), Neal Adams (Detective Comics), Zeea Adams (Neal Adams Monsters), Scott Ethan Ambruson (Destiny, Queen of Thieves), Art Way Alliance, Brian Azzarello (Batman: Damned), Darryl Banks (Green Lantern), Jeremy Bastian (Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Under The Spell), Marty Baumann (Disney/Pixar), John Beatty (Secret Wars), Carolyn Belefski (Curls), Josh Blaylock (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force), Ziggy Blumenthal (Operation Pajama Pants), Russ Braun (The Boys), Brett Breeding (Superman, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Harold Buchholz (MST3K), Mark Buckingham (Justice League Dark), Cullen Bunn (Harrow County, courtesy of AfterShock Comics), Greg Burnham (Tuskegee Heirs), Buzz (Superman: Coming of the Supermen), Jim Calafiore (The Mike Wieringo Tellos Tribute), Chris Campana (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Joe Carabeo (The Legettes), Richard Case (Doom Patrol), Christa Cassano (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force), Castillo Studios, Ally Cat (Death of Love), Jacob Chabot (Ziggy Pig – Silly Seal Comics), Howard Chaykin (Hey Kids! Comics!), Frank Cho (Harley Quinn), Amy Chu (KISS: The End), Steve Conley (The Middle Age), Steve Conte (Action Figure Kingdom), Katie Cook (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Jamie Cosley (Star Wars Insider), Clayton Crain (Absolute Carnage: Miles Morales, courtesy of Frankie’s Comics), Kristina Deak-Linsner (Vampirella: Roses for the Dead), The Deans Family (La Moo Du Chocolat: A Shakes Adventure), Vito Delsante (Midnight Tiger: Stronger), Christian DiBari (Magdalena), Steve Ellis (The Only Living Girl), Tod Emko and Piggy (A Piggy’s Tale), Steve Englehart (Doctor Strange, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Garth Ennis (The Boys, Friday and Saturday only), G.D. Falksen (Mine!), Rob Feldman (Cyko KO), Brenden Fletcher (Isola), Chris Flick (Capes & Babes), LJ and Kayla Fowlkes (The Adventures of CHIBIWONGTONG), Shea Fontana (DC SuperHero Girls), Francesco Francavilla (Red Sonja and Vampirella Meet Betty and Veronica), Franco (Superman of Smallville), Simon Fraser (Tales of the Night Watchman, courtesy of So What? Press), Julie Fujii Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo: The Hidden), John Gallagher (Max Meow), David Gallaher (The Only Living Girl), SL Gallant (Magic: The Gathering: Chandra – Tales of Alara), Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez (DC Nation), Mitch Gerads (Mr. Miracle), Gerhard (Cerberus the Aardvark), Ransom Getty (Suicide Squad Special Edition), Chris Giarrusso (Hashtag: Danger), Mike Gold (The Whisper Campaign), Jimmy Gownley (Disney Zootopia: School Days), Garth Graham (Star Power), John Patrick Green (Kim Possible Adventures), Dawn Griffin (Zorphbert & Fred), Juanjo Guarnido (Blacksad), Laura Lee Gulledge (Will & Whit), Bob Hall (West Coast Avengers), Cully Hamner (Batman Beyond), N. Steven Harris (Michael Cray), Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook), Glenn Hauman (Mine!), Mark Hempel (Sandman), Greg Hildebrandt (Old Man Logan), Clinton Hobart (Disney fine artist), Javon and Tarik Holmes (The Adventuers of Waffle Boy), Greg Horn (Strikeforce), Adam Hughes (Superman), Jamal Igle (Wrong Earth), Chris Ivy (Venom: Tooth and Claw, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Sean Izaakse (Champions), Klaus Janson (New Challengers), Justin Jordan (Reaver), Kata Kane (G.F.F.s Ghost Friends Forever), Chris Kemple (The Mike Wieringo Tellos Tribute), Matt Kindt (X-O Manowar), Sharlene Kindt (Dept. H), Tom King (Batman), Todd Klein (Black Hammer: Age of Doom), Evelyn Kriete (Hullabaloo), Greg Land (Hulkverines, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Jeehyung Lee (The Batman’s Grave, courtesy of Frankie’s Comics), Jim Lee (Batman: Hush, Saturday only), Jeff Lemire (Black Hammer), Joseph Michael Linsner (Red Sonja), Nate Lovett (Marvel Comics Presents), Howard Mackie (Ghost Rider), Mike Manley (Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Comic), Chris Mariano (Claire Lost Her Bear at the World’s Fair), Mark Mariano (Puddleton Farm: Ewing! What Are You Doing?), Ron Marz (Turok), Xavier McLaren (The Bubbler), John McCrea (Hitman, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Bill McKay (Vampblade), Bob McLeod (New Mutants), Carla Speed McNeil (Twisted Romance), Pop Mhan (Raven, Daughter of Darkness), David Michelinie (Amazing Spider-Man, Saturday and Sunday only, courtesy of The Living Corpse), Matt Miner (All We Ever Wanted: Stories of a Better World), Edgardo Miranda-Rodriguez (Ricanstruction: Reminiscing & Rebuilding Puerto Rico), Karl Moline (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Mark Morales (Justice League), Jamar Nicholas (Leon: Protector of the Playground), Kevin Nowlan (Black Widow, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Jerry Ordway (Archie Meets Batman ’66), Rachel Ordway (FTL, Y’all!), Greg Pak (Star Wars), Tom Palmer (Doctor Strange), Dan Parent (Archie: The Married Life – 10th Anniversary), Paul Pelletier (Aquaman/Jabberjaw Special), Andrew Pepoy (Archie: The Married Life – 10th Anniversary), Mike Perkins (Swamp Thing), David Petersen (Mouse Guard), Kasey Pierce (Seeress, Book One: The Reckless), Mark Poulton (Koni Waves), Andy Price (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Dave Proch (Mango Lizard), Livio Ramondelli (Transformers), Ron Randall (Trekker), Tom Raney (Dog Days of Summer), Mark Redfield (Vampire Hunters Incorporated), Afua Richardson (Run), Rafer Roberts (Grumble), Don Rosa (The Life and Times of Scrooge McDuck), Peter Rostovsky (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and the Freshman Force), Jennifer Rouse (The Death of Poe), Craig Rousseau (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Dimension X), Mike Royer (New Gods), Arsia Rozegar (Man Plus), Stan Sakai (Usagi Yojimbo), Stuart Sayger (KISS: The End), Bob Schreck (Batman: Hush), Greg Schigiel (Pix: One Weirdest Weekend), Erica Schultz (Xena: Warrior Princess), Bart Sears (Turok), Jeff Shultz (Archie Jumbo Comics Digest), Louise Simonson (Death of Superman), Walter Simonson (Ragnarok), Matt Slay (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Andy Smith (Demi-God), Brian “Smitty” Smith (The Stuff of Legend), John K. Snyder III (Killers), Allison Sohn (The Art of Red Sonja, Volume 2), Charles Soule (Curse Words), Joe Staton (Dick Tracy), Brian Stelfreeze (Rise of the Black Panther), Jim Steranko (Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Paul D. Storrie (The Viking Queen), Karl Story (Star Wars: Age of Rebellion – Han Solo), William Stout (Fantastic Worlds – The Art of William Stout), Nathan Szerdy (Vampirella), Ty Templeton (Marvel Super-Hero Adventures, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Michael Terracciano (Star Power), Peter J. Tomasi (The Bridge: How the Roeblings Connected Brooklyn to New York), David and Sarah Trustman (The Memory Arts), Timothy Truman (Grimjack), Billy Tucci (Shi), Ted Tucker (Caricatures), Mike Vasquez (Rick & Morty, courtesy of Frankie’s Comics), Brian K. Vaughan (Paper Girls), Gus Vazquez (Big Hero 6), Emilio Velez Jr. (The Dodgeball Teens), Robert Venditti (Hawkman), Doug Wagner (The Hard Place), Mark Waid (Avengers: No Road Home), Adam Wallenta (Punk Taco), Adam Warren (Empowered And Sistah Spooky’s High School Hell), Todd Webb (Mr. Toast Comics), Lee Weeks (Batman), Mark Wheatley (Songs of Giants: The Poetry of Pulp), Emily Whitten (The Underfoot), Bob Wiacek (Iron Man), Matt Wieringo (Stargate Atlantis Gateways), Marcus Williams (Tuskegee Heirs), Javier Cruz Winnik (Puerto Rico Strong), Marv Wolfman (Raven: Daughter of Darkness, courtesy of Hero Initiative), Rich Woodall (Electric Black), John Workman (Riverdale), Kelly Yates (Torchwood), Thom Zahler (Star Trek: Waypoint Special 2019), and Mike Zeck (The Punisher).
Writers: R.L. Stine, Garth Ennis, Cullen Bunn, Marguerite Bennett & others Artists: Russ Braun, Francesco Francavilla, Juan Doe, Sam Kieth & others Cover: Tim Bradstreet $34.99 / 160 pages / FULL COLOR / On sale 06.26.19
The highly anticipated follow up to the widely successful first volume of the SHOCK anthology, this oversized second volume continues to push boundaries and mix genres, inviting today’s top creative talent of both comics and prose to craft tales of the fantastic, the horrific and the bizarre.
This handsome hardcover features the talents of Goosebumps creator R.L. Stine, Garth Ennis, Cullen Bunn, Russ Braun, Marguerite Bennett, Juan Doe, Jill Thompson, Sam Kieth, Aaron Douglas, Cliff Richards, Jim Starlin, Larry Stroman, Jamal Igle, Ray Fawkes, Joe Pruett, Kevin J. Anderson, Steve Rasnic Tem, Andrei Bressan, Tony Harris, Francesco Francavilla, Darko Macan, Don Handsfield, Phil Hester, Supernatural show runner Andrew Dabb and more – with outstanding Cover art by Timothy Bradstreet!
Conceived and edited by AfterShock Publisher and Chief Creative Officer, Joe Pruett, the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award nominated editor of the classic Negative Burn anthology series.
(W) Tom Peyer, Paul Constant (A) Chris Giarrusso, Fred Harper (C) Richard Williams
Exploding from the pages of High Heaven, three scientific adventurers face strange creatures, lost civilizations, and supernatural threats–when they’re not too busy being complete jerks to each other. PLUS! Follow the depressing misadventures of Snelson, an over-the-hill comedian who peaked in the 90s. EXTRA! Pics, prose, and possibly poems!
Painted cover by Richard Williams (MAD, Edgar Allan Poe’s Snifter of Terror)
May 1, 2019 $3.99
DRAGONFLY AND DRAGONFLYMAN #1
(Free Comic Book Day title) (W) Tom Peyer, Stuart Moore, Hunt Emerson (A) Russ Braun, June Brigman, Roy Richardson, Hunt Emerson (C) Jamal Igle
All new! From the hit series THE WRONG EARTH: On gritty Earth-Omega, Dragonfly prowls the darkness for his evil prey; on sun-splashed Earth-Alpha, Dragonflyman protects the status quo! PLUS! A tale of space hero CAPTAIN GINGER when he was a kitten! AND! Edgar Allan Poe battles the Black Cat!
May 4, 2019 FREE
BRONZE AGE BOOGIE #2
(W) Stuart Moore, Tyrone Finch (A) Alberto Ponticelli, Mauricet (C) Alberto Ponticelli
AHOY’s 1970s genre mashup slams into high gear! Teenage barbarian Brita finds herself transported to 1975 A.D., right in the middle of a second Martian invasion. Can her new friends—Lynda Darrk and martial arts master Jackson Li—save two Bronze Ages? Back feature: the frightening evolution of Major Ursa, the first bear in space! Plus the usual illustrated text features!
May 8, 2019 $3.99
PLANET OF THE NERDS #2
(W) Paul Constant (A) Alan Robinson, Randy Elliott (C) David Nakayama
After the thawed-out 1980s jocks start a riot at a comic convention, they learn to their horror that everyone in 2019 uses computers like a bunch of poindexters. PLUS! An untold tale of teen jock Drew from the pastel world of the 1980s. EXTRA! A selection of AHOY text stories, beautifully illustrated.
