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Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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The Goon #11

Wednesdays (and now 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.

All-America Comix (Image Comics) – Joe Casey and Dustin Nguyen reteam for this new hero that has been teased for quite some time. We’re excited that we finally get to see what the hype was all about.

Billionaire Island #2 (AHOY Comics) – The infiltration of Billionaire Island is on! We’re totally here for it in this biting satire from Mark Russell and Steve Pugh.

Child Star (:01 First Second) – Box Brown’s graphic novel is a biography of Owen Eugene, a fictional 1980s child actor. Brown’s work is amazing and it’s never to be missed.

The Goon #11 (Albatross Funnybooks) – The Goon is like an over the top Popeye. Always funny and entertaining it’s filled with action and humor and most importantly, fun.

Mystery (Van Ryder Games) – We came across this interesting concept at Gen Con last year. It’s a mix of graphic novel and choose your own adventure/roleplaying game. A really great concept and idea.

Nailbiter Returns #2 (Image Comics) – The horror comic is back and the first issue was like revisiting an old friend, in that horror movie sequel sort of way.

Negan Lives #1 (Image Comics/Skybound) – We’re intrigued by this surprise release set in the world of The Walking Dead.

Streamliner Vol. 1 (Magnetic Press) – The action series from Fane gets collected. “An abandoned stretch of road in the middle of the desert, a rusty old gas station, and a plume of dust rising in the distance…” That intro description alone has us interested.

Vampire State Building (Ablaze) – The vampire genre gets mixed with a bit of Die Hard as Vampires take over the Empire State Building and a group of survivors attempt to escape.

ABLAZE Inks Exclusive Distribution Deal with Diamond

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Ablaze

Diamond Comic Distributors has announce that it has signed a distribution agreement with ABLAZE to exclusively distribute their products to comic book specialty markets worldwide. Diamond was also awarded the rights to exclusively distribute ABLAZE’s new releases to the North American book market under the banner of Diamond Book Distributors.

ABLAZE is an independent publisher of original comic books, crowdfunded titles, and art books with a focus on increasing diversity and amplifying the voices of their creators. The company aims to highlight new voices in the comic book industry by bringing together some of the best content from all corners of the globe. Co-founded by Rich Young, ABLAZE promises quality above all else in their line of titles, which features a variety of formats, genres, and age ranges. 

ABLAZE boasts an ever-growing library of work, which ranges from comic books to graphic novels to art books and beyond, featuring tales from across a variety of genres such as horror, action-adventure, sword and sorcery, and coming-of-age, among others. Vampire State Building, written by Patrick Ange-Renault with art from The Walking Dead’s Charlie Adlard, is a horror-thriller centered around a solider, who finds himself trapped at the top of the Empire State Building by a horde of vampires, and must find a way to save himself, his friends, and the city of New York. Wild Thing Or: My Life as a Wolf, from Clayton Junior, tells the tale of an affectionate and inquisitive Labrador who wants to fill his life with adventure. Upon meeting a trio of wolves, the Labrador is enticed by their freedom, and joins their pack, leading to the discovery of love and adventure, as well as the ravages of human civilization and its impact on the animal kingdom. The Old Geezers Vol. 1, from Wilfrid Lupano with art from Paul Cauuet, is a slice-of-life story centering around three septuagenarians who have been friends since childhood, despite following different paths in life. Told through a series of cutscenes between the 1950s and present day, The Old Geezers Vol. 1 stands as the tragic-comic story of our time by underscoring the human impact of the social, political, and cultural upheavals of modern history. Indie Games, written by Bounthavy Suvilay and edited by Sarah Rodriguez, is a strikingly curated art book bursting with anecdotes, illustrations, and behind-the-scenes looks at some of the most successful independent video games to ever stand toe-to-toe with their blockbuster counterparts.

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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The Runaway Princess

Wednesdays 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 Wednesday.

Atlantis Attacks #1 (Marvel) – Marvel has been building to something involving Namor and we’re in for another piece of that bigger picture puzzle.

Batman #87 (DC Comics) – The new team has taken Batman in a new direction and all of the themes and upcoming stories hinted at in the last issue has us intrigued enough to see what else there is to come.

Ghostbusters: Year One #1 (IDW Publishing) – Never before seen adventures of the first year of the team after they’ve defeated Gozer.

Guardians of the Galaxy #1 (Marvel) – The team has saved the universe once again and decided to relax and take a vacation. But the returned Olympians ravaging the universe have a different plan. A new volume that seems to be the main series so much of Marvel’s Cosmic Universe will revolve around.

Kidz #1 (Ablaze) – Ablaze is an up and coming new publisher whose material has been solid so far. This zombie apocalypse has a twist in focusing on young boys whose world is turned upside down when some girls come to town.

Once & Future #6 (BOOM! Studios) – A fantastic modern fantasy series that plays with Arthurian legend. Well worth checking out.

Runaway Princess (Random House Graphic) – The publisher kicks off their new line of graphic novels with this one that follows the adventures of a Princess who has runaway. Kids’ comics are an explosive business and it’s always interesting to see the new releases and imprints focused on that audience.

Vampire State Building #4 (Ablaze) – Vampire survival goodness taking place in the Empire State Building. It’s just entertaining, solid, horror, and action.

The Visitor #2 (Valiant) – The Visitor targets the world’s leaders in this very intriguing series from Valiant written by Paul Levitz that has us wanting to see more and how it fits into the Valiant big picture.

Wonder Woman #750 (DC Comics) – It’s a huge issue with a who’s who of creators celebrating the iconic character. There’s also stories that will define Wonder Woman, and the DC Universe, going forward.

Review: Vampire State Building #2

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Vampire State Building #2

Vampire State Building #2 is the horror film where I could care less about the characters beyond their tropes, and instead, just go with the flow and enjoy it. That’s not a bad thing at all and emphasizes the action more than anything.

Written by Agne and Patrick Renault, the Empire State Building has been taken over by vampires who have awakened their leader who was buried within. Trapped within the building are tourists who are now either being sacrificed or trying to escape.

The story follows a lot of tropes in many ways but it still works. The group work their way through the maze of the building while trying to not get caught. Every exit and plan looks like it has peril ahead. And that’s the real entertainment of the comic. How are they going to escape, if they do at all? The main cast of characters feel a little disposable and within the first two pages are removed one by one. And those deaths? I feel nothing. There’s a missing connection where I care if someone lives or dies in the comic. It’s an action film, all splash, little depth.

Charlie Adlard‘s art is solid as expected. Joined by Sébastien Gérard on colors, the art is Adlard’s usual style. He knows when to show the gore and when to hint at it and let our minds run wild. There’s also a lot of characters packed in no matter how insignificant their role and each look unique. I’d love to know how well Adlard captures the building though. It’d be an excellent addition in a collection edition.

Vampire State Building #2 reveals some history as to the vampires and there’s some wincing moments as far as that but when it comes to the basics, the story is a good one. This is more of a disaster film like the Poseiden Adventure than a vampire story. If you enjoy Adlard’s work or a slightly different vampire story, check the series out. It’s worth the read.

Story: Ange, Patrick Renault Art: Charlie Adlard
Color: Sébastien Gérard
Story: 7.5 Art: 7.95 Overall: 7.6 Recommendation: Read

Ablaze provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #99

Wednesdays 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 Wednesday.

Chrononauts: Futureshock #1, Chrononauts: Futureshock #2, Chrononauts: Futureshock #3, Chrononauts: Futureshock #4 (Image Comics) – The latest from Millarworld is a new volume of Chrononauts, his time travel series. All issues are being released the same day which is interesting as far distribution and we’re intrigued to see how the series holds up this way…. and sales down the road.

Basketful of Heads #1 (DC Comics/Hill House Comics) – The comic line by writer Joe Hill kicks off! The horror focused line (and this series) seems like a perfect match for the Halloween season and we’re always excited for more comics by Joe Hill.

Bloodshot (2019) #2 (Valiant) – The trailer for next year’s film is out and if you want to hop on the bandwagon, this is a good series to start with.

Excalibur #1 (Marvel) – The X-Men dip into the fantasy genre.

Fantastic Four: Grand Design #1 (Marvel) – The X-Men version of this was a lot of fun and compacted their history in some easily digestible comics. This is more of the same focused on Marvel’s First Family!

Giant Days: As Time Goes By #1 (BOOM! Studios) – Wrapping up the beloved series!

Harleen #2 (DC Comics/DC Black Label) – The first issue of the series was interesting in that it cast Harleen Quinn as a profiler in more of a police procedural. It’s a different take and we’re interested in seeing more but still a bit skeptical.

Joker: Killer Smile #1 (DC Comics/DC Black Label) – Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino… yes please!

Last God #1 (DC Comics/DC Black Label) – A new fantasy original series from…. DC!? Yeah, we’re intrigued by this due to the creative team and the publisher.

Marvel Zombies: Resurrection #1 (Marvel) – We’re in the Halloween mood and zombies will help with that. We’re hoping for a new spin on this Marvel favorite property.

Red Goblin: Red Death #1 (Marvel) – It’s a comic we didn’t know we needed and we’re still not sure we do but we’re intrigued. The series is focused on Norman’s time as the Red Goblin that we haven’t seen.

Red Winter #4 (Scout Comics) – We love noir/crime comics and this one has stood out with twists and turns involving the Russian mob… in Russia. An intriguing premise and unique setting has us excited for each issue.

Roku #1 (Valiant) – The villain gets her own series with some “John Wick” style action!

Snow White Zombie Apocalypse (Scout Comics) – It’s Snow White with a zombie apocalypse twist!

Tales From the Dark Multiverse: Death of Superman #1 (DC Comics) – The first “Tales From” knocked it out of the park and seems to be important for the meta story going on at DC. We’re hoping for more of the same with this issue.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #99 (IDW Publishing) – We’re one issue away from the big issue #100! “City at War” rages on.

Vampire State Building #2 (Ablaze) – The first issue was fantastic with a solid vampire premise as they descend upon the Empire State Building where evil has been buried.

Wolvenheart #1 (Mad Cave Studios) – The series sounds like Doctor Who meets Castelvania and that sounds awesome.

Review: Vampire State Building #1

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Vampire State Building #1

Vampire State Building #1 is a new entry in the vampire genre and delivers enough originality to stand out. The debut issue does a solid job balancing the introduction of characters and the eventual chaos of vampires. The story in a nutshell, a mysterious space is discovered in the Empire State Building which sends out a call to vampires living in New York City who attack the building trapping everyone within.

Written by Ange and Patrick Renault the debut issue focuses on two things. First, we have an introduction to the various characters of the series. We get a good idea as to who they are and what they bring to the table. There are some tropes in there and so far the characters don’t have a lot of depth but hopefully, we get more than horror film cliches. The second thing about the issue is building tension.

There’s a great build-up in the issue. There’s a tension there. That begins with some of the interaction of the characters and then explodes during the eventual vampire attack. The use of the character strife to then transition into chaos is a great move. It really helps with the emotional rollercoaster of the issue. There’s also a smart focus on the chaos of the attack itself and keeping the readers on their toes with who dies and what exactly is going on. We experience the same chaos as those in the building. It’s also clear that anyone can die in this series as some of the introduced characters don’t make it.

Vampire State Building #1‘s big selling point is the art of Charlie Adlard, the artist behind The Walking Dead. There’s a familiarity in Adlard’s style so much so his characters feel like they could be in The Walking Dead. There’s both good and bad with that. If you enjoy Adlard’s style, it works. There’s nothing groundbreaking in panel use. But, Adlard hits the right beats much as he did with the more famous property.

Vampire State Building #1 is a solid debut issue. It’s not anything new or amazing but it’s just an entertaining start for those into this type of story. We’ll see where it goes in this tale of survival and hopefully it brings something different. The debut issue has done its job in getting me excited to see what’s next.

Story: Ange, Patrick Renault Art: Charlie Adlard
Color: Sébastien Gérard
Story: 8.0 Art: 8.0 Overall: 8.0 Recommendation: Buy

Ablaze provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Graphic Policy’s Top Comic Picks this Week!

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Vampire State Building

Wednesdays 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 Wednesday.

Are You Listening? (First Second) – Tillie Walden’s latest is an intimate and emotional story about friendship, grief, and healing.

Black Terror #1 (Dynamite Entertainment) – Max Bemis takes on the classic character taking readers for a ride through the life of superhero and all the weirdness along the way.

Bury the Lede (BOOM! Studios) – A young reporter gets tied up in a murder mystery.

Catalyst Prime: Seven Days #1 (Lion Forge) – Announced over a year ago, the Catalyst Prime universe comes together for its first event.

Copra #1 (Image Comics) – The indie superhero comic gets a new start. Think an off the rails Suicide Squad where anything can happen.

Dead Eyes #1 (Image Comics) – An old school gangster is back out of retirement. This issue has been a long time coming and we’re intrigued.

House of X #6 (Marvel) – Jonathan Hickman’s reworking of the X Universe begins to wrap up and we want to see how this ends!

Mezo Premier Edition #1 (A Wave Blue World) – This publisher is trying something different with their single issues in that they’re releasing a premium first then you can buy the rest in trade or digitally. The concept is intriguing and we want to see if this has that extra something to hook readers to go along with this new distribution plan.

Nomen Omen #1 (Image Comics) – A new urban fantasy tale of witchcraft is perfectly timed for the Halloween season.

Strange Skies Over East Berlin #1 (BOOM! Studios) – It’s the Cold War and the Soviets have a secret weapon, an alien monster they don’t understand and can’t control.

Thanos: Infinity Ending (Marvel) – The conclusion to Jim Starlin and Alan Davis’ trilogy!

Vampire State Building #1 (Ablaze) – Artist Charlie Adlard goes from zombies to vampires! A group is caught in the Empire State Building as a legion of vampires attacks. It’s a battle to stop them from escaping and getting out of the building alive!