Tag Archives: unnatural order

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Pine and Merrimac #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Beware the Planet of the Apes #1 (Marvel) – Cornelius and Zira must trust a human named Nova to find their missing nephew Lucius.

Conan the Barbarian #6 (Titan Comics) – The new Conan series has been excellent with solid storytelling and great art. This issue kicks off a new arc and should be a solid spot to dive in.

Fall of the House of X #1 (Marvel) – Krakoa has been broken and the current phase of the X-Men begins to wind down with this series.

Kaiju No. 8 Vol. 9 (VIZ Media) – The series has been a solid twist on the monster/kaiju genre full of twists and solid action.

Kneel Before Zod #1 (DC Comics) – General Zod now has a planet to rule. What happens next?

Maple Terrace #3 (Uncivilized Comics) – Noah Van Sciver’s biographical comic has been intriguing and a curtain pulled back on the Van Sciver family growing up.

Marvel Meow #1 (Marvel) – The all-ages webcomics that have come to print has been really cute so far and we expect more of that.

Miguel O’Hara: Spider-Man 2099 #1 (Marvel) – Spider-Man 2099 and Blade 2099 team up to take on Marvel Zombie 2099.

Ministry of Compliance #2 (IDW Publishing) – John Ridley spins conspiracies of an alien race who has been manipulating Earth and those in charge of that have no been cut off from their bosses.

Pine and Merrimac #1 (BOOM! Studios) – On the corner of Pine and Merrimac sits a small, unassuming town… Just a simple place, simple people, and one horrifying secret that could change everything…

Unnatural Order #2 (Vault Comics) – The first issue was part of Vault’s new distribution test of giving it away for free. The ending was rather intriguing and enough for us to come back to see what’s next.

Vengeance of the Moon Knight #1 (Marvel) – Moon Knight is dead! What’s next?

Unnatural Order #1 is an interesting debut but it’s the marketing that stands out

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After the fall of the Britons and the Roman invasion of Hibernia, the captive known only as the Druid is released, sending a darkness across the world…an age of horrors, of fire and entrails. As the innocent burn in the Wicker fields, those who would resist learn of the existence of a man who even the Druid fears. Unnatural Order #1 is an interesting debut whose ending and marketing is what really stands out.

Story: Christopher Yost
Art: Val Rodrigues
Color: Dearbhla Kelly
Letterer: Andworld Design

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.

Zeus Comics
Kindle

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Unnatural Order #1 is a choppy opening but that ending…

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Unnatural Order #1

After the fall of the Britons and the Roman invasion of Hibernia, the captive known only as the Druid is released, sending a darkness across the world…an age of horrors, of fire and entrails. As the innocent burn in the Wicker fields, those who would resist learn of the existence of a man who even the Druid fears. Unnatural Order #1 is an interesting debut whose ending and marketing is what really stands out.

Written by Christopher Yost, Unnatural Order #1 is an intriguing comic. Unlike others, it was offered for free to comic shops resulting in an impressive amount being ordered. The thought process is simple, get enough out there to start you then hook enough people to come back for the second issue and beyond and make the money there. But, to do that you need a really solid debut issue. I’m not sure Unnatural Order #1 really pulls that off.

The comic introduces us to The Druid, a being were supposed to fear but with little to go off of other than his powers and what others say, it’s a villain that feels more myth than actually a threat.

Beyond that opening, much of what we know is a group of survivors who have banded together and whose lives have been ruined by the Druid. We get a bit of what he did to them and their backgrounds but none of it really connects enough to deliver the fear and strength that Yost is going through with his force of nature. The telling isn’t as effective as the showing would be.

The group decides to split, never a good idea, with some going after the Druid trying to destroy his base of power while the others on a mission to free a person who the Druid fears. If you skipped the solicit, who that person is, is actually interesting but after the long slog to get there, it feels a little too little too late.

The issue is a bit choppy in its narrative jumping locations as our band of warriors travel and none of it really connecting together. It’s a series of events and scenes as opposed to a flowing narrative. The end result feels very choppy like there’s sequences that ended on the cutting room floor.

The art by Val Rodrigues is good. With color by Deadbhla Kelly and lettering by Andworld Design, the art captures both the fantasy and hellish nature of what’s going on. The character have a unique look but at the same time cohesive. The Druid’s powers and his allies have a nightmarish quality about them that’s interesting like the overall concept. None of it is really explained, so the visuals are what stands out as far as that.

Unnatural Order #1 has an interesting ending, enough for me to see where it’s going for the second issue but I’m not sure it gets to that quickly enough or an interesting way. Things drag on a bit and how it’s all presented doesn’t really build to either excitement or builds up the dread. It just kind of is. Still, depending on how your shop treats the issue, it’s worth picking up if it’s free or cheap but beyond that, not sure it’s worth the cover price on its own.

Story: Christopher Yost Art: Val Rodrigues
Color: Dearbhla Kelly Letterer: Andworld Design
Story: 7.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 7.0 Recommendation: Read

Vault Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Zeus Comics – Kindle

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Faceless and the Family #1

Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in

Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!

Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.

Almost Dead #1 (Ablaze) – After having an accident on her way home to visit her family, Sara Walker awakens to find that the world has changed. Now she must travel up the Eastern Seaboard, using suppressed survival skills she learned as a child, in hopes of reuniting with her loved ones in the midst of a viral pandemic that has turned humans into monsters.

Blood Commandment #1 (Image Comics) – Living an isolated life in a shadowed valley surrounded by mountains and a thick forest, a father and son are terrorized by a dangerous supernatural presence. Only the father’s dark secrets can save them…or damn their souls for all eternity!

Count Dante #4 (Scout Comics) – The series has done an amazing job of balancing fact and fiction in the world of martial arts and based on a true story.

Dying Days #1 (Red 5 Comics) – It’s the ultimate race against time! When “The Aging” starts, people are aging at a rapid rate. Can the cause and solution be found, before it’s too late?

Faceless and the Family #1 (Oni Press) – Matt Lesniewski’s art alone will suck you in.

A Haunting on Mars #1 (Scout Comics) – Mars is a wasteland: A dead colony, founded by a dead billionaire, holding darkness and secrets within. Secrets which Echo Team are sent to uncover. A hacker. A psionic. An empath. A soldier. And their corpo loyalist leader. They’ve crashed far from the LZ and their sanity’s already unraveling!

It’s Jeff: The Jeff-Verse #1 (Marvel) – The first issue was really cute and a lot of fun and we’re hoping for more of that.

Ranger Academy #2 (BOOM! Studios) – The first issue was a lot of fun with a familiar concept of an outsider arriving at a school. In this case, it’s one dealing with the Power Rangers.

Red Light #1 (AWA Studios) – Get ready for a red-hot futuristic erotic thriller that sits at the intersection of sex and tech!

Return of Superman 30th Anniversary Special (DC Comics) – It should be fun to revisit this classic period with the creators behind it.

Savage Red Sonja #1 (Dynamite Entertainment) – Tasked with retrieving a long-hidden gem from a crumbled, ancient kingdom, the She-Devil With a Sword is traveling alone through a dangerous wasteland when fate intervenes, and her solo adventure is sidetracked by a wayward prince and his bride as they try desperately to escape from fearsome desert bandits – only to be attacked by a monstrous beast from beneath the sands!

Space Between #1 (BOOM! Studios) – Two individuals from two different social castes meet aboard an interstellar ark.

Spider-Boy #1 (Marvel) – We haven’t paid too much attention to the character, but we’re intrigued to see where the long game goes with him.

Stories of the Islands (Holiday House) – In Stories of the Islands, debut graphic novelist Clar Angkasa takes three folk tales from her childhood in Indonesia and gives them back to the girl characters, following their hopes, dreams, and journeys for independence from malevolent forces-both natural and unnatural.

Traveling to Mars #9 (Ablaze) – One of the best comics on the market right now.

Ultimate Universe #1 (Marvel) – While the recent limited series left us unimpressed, this first issue is actually solid and more of what we were looking for.

Unnatural Order #1 (Vault Comics) – After the fall of the Britons and the Roman invasion of Hibernia, the captive known only as the Druid is released, sending a darkness across the world…an age of horrors, of fire and entrails.

White Widow #1 (Marvel) – Yelena Belova gets the spotlight!

Vault’s Unnatural Order #1 gets over 137,000 in orders after going free

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Vault Comics has announced that orders for Unnatural Order #1 from writer Chris Yost and artist Val Rodrigues dramatically outperformed on every level, exceeding 137,000 copies at the time of the issue’s final order cutoff. This makes Unnatural Order #1 one of the best-selling new independent comics of 2023 and of the last decade.

Last month in an industry-shaking move, Vault upended the traditional comic book sales model and made Unnatural Order #1 completely free to retailers. The issue retains its $4.99 SRP, enabling this gigantic launch to be a financial windfall for comic book retailers everywhere. The results are in, and Vault has established a completely new model for launching new titles in the comic book direct market.

Unnatural Order #1 marks the return to comics of writer and MCU screenwriter Christopher Yost, joined by star artist Val Rodrigues, beloved colorist Dearbhla Kelly, extraordinary lettering house Andworld Design, and renowned designer Tim Daniel. Unnatural Order blends fantasy, science fiction, and high-stakes action. In ancient Britain an unstoppable evil known only as the Druid plunges the world into an age of horror, fire, and sacrifice. But there is one man even the Druid fears. A soldier from another time, who alone knows the Druid’s secret: this is not how the world is supposed to be.

Issue #1 is on sale this October, and features stunning variant covers from legendary artists Tula Lotay, Maria Wolf, and Joshua Hixson.

Vault makes Unnatural Order #1 free for retailers

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In an industry-shaking move, Vault is making Unnatural Order #1 completely free to retailers. Unnatural Order #1 marks the return to comics of legendary writer and MCU screenwriter Christopher Yost, joined by star artist Val Rodrigues. This landmark event is guaranteed to be one of the biggest comic launches of 2023 and Vault, Yost, and Rodrigues want to ensure it’s a windfall event for retailers, too. Unnatural Order blends fantasy, science fiction, and high-stakes action. In ancient Britain an unstoppable evil known only as the Druid plunges the world into an age of horror, fire, and sacrifice. But there is one man even the Druid fears. A soldier from another time, who alone knows the Druid’s secret: this is not how the world is supposed to be.

The standard cover of Unnatural Order #1 will be offered to retailers in free bundles of 25 copies. The issue will retain its $4.99 SRP, and retailers will be free to sell, discount, or freely distribute copies to their customers.

In addition to the standard cover, Vault will offer net-priced, open order premium variants from Tula Lotay and Maria Wolf that are sure to be some of the most in-demand variants of the year.

Retailers can contact retailers@vaultcomics.com for more information.

SDCC 2023: Vault returns with exclusives, signings, and panels

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Unnatural Order #1 SDCC exclusive

Vault Comics first debuted at Comic Con International, and this year will return in their first appearance since 2019, with a full slate of programming and signings; including a special early exclusive debut of Unnatural Order, the highly anticipated series from Christopher Yost, co-creator of X-23, writer of hundreds of X-Men issues and films and shows like Thor: Ragnarok and The Mandalorian, and artist Val Rodrigues. 

THURSDAY:

The festivities kick off on Thursday with a special cross-publisher panel presented by the publisher in partnership with friends from around the industry.

Vault Comics Presents: Stranger Than (Science) Fiction- Outer Worlds and Other Voices in Comics
Thursday, 7/20/23, 10:15AM – 11:15AM, Room: 6DE 

When independent upstart publisher Vault Comics arrived on the scene in 2017, the mission was simple: to publish the BEST in science fiction, fantasy, and horror comics. Since that time, the company has established new voices in the genre as well as worked with some of the most well known names in fiction, graphic or otherwise. To celebrate the company’s now firmly established place in the industry, Vault creators and friends share the stage to discuss how these creators are pushing the genre to the furthest reaches of the universe and back again.  Join Rodney Barnes (Monarch), Christopher Yost (Unnatural Order), Zack Kaplan (Mindset) and more.

Following that, Yost will be joined by Vault co-founder and Barbaric co-creator Nathan Gooden to sign a special exclusive edition cover of Unnatural Order #1, drawn by Gooden.

Limited to 100 copies, this special edition of Unnatural Order will only be available for pickup at We Can Heroes, booth 1901 at San Diego Comic-Con! Pre-Order now so you don’t miss your chance at this exclusive, limited edition early release! With your preorder you are guaranteed a spot at the signings with Chris and Nathan!

Signing: Unnatural Order SDCC Exclusive cover w/Christopher Yost and Nathan Gooden @ We Can Be Heroes Booth #1901 12PM – 1PM  

The schedule continues throughout the weekend as below!

FRIDAY:

Crack Open the Vault: The Best in Creator-Owned Comics Unlocked
Friday, 7/21/23, 11:00AM – 12:00PM, Room: 25ABC

Vault Comics has risen to the title of the best in genre-based sequential storytelling with multiple award winning series from comics’ top creators over the course of their six year history, including critical darlings, fan favorites, and sales record breaking series. Vault makes their triumphant return to Comic Con International this year to premier their latest series Unnatural Order from X-23 co-creator Christopher Yost. Vault invites attendees to join Yost, alongside Christopher Cantwell (The Blue Flame, Iron Man, Doctor Doom), Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly (Dark One, Captain America, WifWulf), Corin Howell (Queen of Swords, Shadow Service), and Zack Kaplan (Mindset), as the publisher offers a sneak peek at their fall lineup of the best in science fiction, fantasy, horror and more! Moderated by Vault’s own Daniel Crary, host of the company’s weekly WhatNot stream and Director of Community Engagement and Events.

Signing: Unnatural Order SDCC Exclusive cover w/Christopher Yost and Nathan Gooden @ We Can Be Heroes Booth #1901 1PM – 2PM

SATURDAY:

Signing: Mindset and The Blue Flame with Zack Kaplan and Chistopher Cantwell @ We Can Be Heroes Booth #1901 1PM – 2PM 

Vault Comics: The Horror of it All – The Golden Age of Scary Stories
Saturday, 7/22/23, 4:00PM – 5:00PM, Room: 28DE

Independent comics have never been more prominent and more diverse. Bold ideas across genres are being released every Wednesday by more publishers than perhaps any other time in the history of the medium. Vault Comics, known for some of the most celebrated science fiction and fantasy, have expanded their reach into horror under their Nightfall imprint, and to celebrate, is inviting some friends on stage to discuss what makes for the best blood in four colors. Join Knotfest’s Ryan J. Downey, alongside Tim Seeley (West of Sundown), Cavan Scott and Corin Howell (Shadow Service), Rodney Barnes (Killadelphia, Blacula), Storm King publisher Sandy King Carpenter, Patrick Kindlon (Leaded Gasoline), and more.

Christopher Yost returns to comics with Unnatural Order

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Vault Comics has revealed official details on Christopher Yost’s return to comic books with Val Rodrigues, who will weave together Dark Fantasy and action-packed SciFi in Unnatural Order!

After the fall of the Britons and the Roman invasion of Hibernia, the captive known only as the Druid is released, sending a darkness across the world…an age of horrors, of fire and entrails. As the innocent burn in the Wicker fields, those who would resist learn of the existence of a man who even the Druid fears. For it is this prisoner, a soldier from a different time, who alone knows the Druid’s secret: this is not how the world is supposed to be.

Unnatural Order will be solicited in the May dated catalogs for release this July ahead of Comic Con International, with related events planned at the convention in San Diego. Reserve your copy today with your favorite retailer, with two covers available from series artist Val Rodrigues and a variant by Joshua Hixson.

Unnatural Order