Eternus, New Titles From Mad Cave & A Month of Mayhem From Archie
New Titles From Scout Comics, Mad Cave Studios And Archie Comics
Some news on new releases coming up from Scout Comics, Mad Cave Studios, and Archie Comics.
First up, it’s another famous addition to the comic creators. With Andy Serkis teaming up with Scout Comics to bring us Eternus.
From seminal actor and filmmaker Andy Serkis (Planet of the Apes, Lord of the Rings) and award-winning artist Andrew Levitas (Minimata), comes Eternus, an all-new seven-issue series from Scout Comics and Thunder Comics, written by Don Handfield (Knightfall, The Source) and Anastazja Davis (Sultana), with art by Karl Moline (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, B.P.R.D.), Alexandre Nascimento (The Dark Age), Marco Del Forno, Inks by Andy Owens, colors by Pamela Poggiali and letters by two-time Eisner award-winner Dave Lanphear.
360 CE. The great god Zeus is long dead, brutally murdered in his own temple some thirty years prior. Heracles, Zeus's son and champion, spends his days drunk and depressed as the old gods struggle to stay alive after decades of Christian disruption. When Athena's Temple is sacked by a mysterious Centurion looking for a powerful relic that once belonged to Zeus, the old gods are convinced they have found Zeus's killer. Now the mighty Heracles must sober up long enough to keep the lone witness, a 9-year-old blind priestess, alive long enough to identify the killer and finally find justice for his dead father.
“When Andy and Andrew pitched us the concept for this series, we were immediately intrigued. Ana and I both discovered the Greek Gods through Edith Hamilton as kids and to us they were the first 'superheros',” said writer and Chief Creative Officer of Scout Comics, Don Handfield. “Powerful, but deeply flawed, much like the humans they ruled over. We really pushed each other to not only ground the story in actual history, but to also make it fun, fresh and different from what we’ve seen around this mythology before.”
The main cover for Eternus features wraparound artwork from fine artist Rob Prior, who recently sold an original painting of Virgil Abloh at Art Basel for 1 million. Eternus is the first title from Thunder Comics, a comic fund founded in 2020 to bridge the gap between comics and established creators from the film and television space.
Be on the lookout for San Diego Comic-Con 2022 exclusives! Eternus hits shelves Aug. 3rd.
Mad Cave Studios has three new releases out this week, including two collections - Nottingham and Battlecats - and a new series - Tiger’s Tongue.
Mad Cave Studios announces the release of exclusive Nottingham: Death and Taxes Hardcover from the Mad Cave website, signed by Shane and David. Next week also finds the exciting new release of The Tiger's Tongue #1 as well as the close of the beloved series, Battlecats Vol. 3!
Nottingham: Death & Taxes
(W) David Hazan (A) Shane Connery Volk (C) Luca Romano (L) Joamette Gil
Limited to 500 Bookplate signed by Shane Connery Volk and David Hazan!
In this twisted medieval noir, the Sheriff of Nottingham hunts a serial killer with a penchant for tax collectors. The Sheriff’s investigation makes him the target of England’s most nefarious power-brokers. That’s to say nothing of the Merry Men, terrorists lurking amongst the trees of Sherwood, led by, an enigma known only as “Hood.” Collects issues #1-5.
Tiger’s Tongue #1
(W) Olivia Stephens (A) Diansakhu Banton-Perry (C) Bex Glendining (L) Joamette Gil
Under the militant rule of The Tiger’s People, empowered by their animal familiars, the Claw is on the brink of war. At the precipice of adulthood, twin princesses Kelindi and Aridani hold the future of the Claw in their hands. Kelindi would sue for peace with The River’s People, those who were subjugated “to bring order,” while Aridani has never aspired to rule. But an ancient prophecy is revealed that’ll force fate’s hand for the sisters…
Battlecats: Volume 3
(W) Mark London (A) Michael Camelo (C) Tekino
(L) Miguel Angel Zapata
It's the end of the series! After the death of King Eramad III, Valderia is lost, and a perpetual state of violence has consumed the land. Valadar now sits on the throne and the Battlecats are without their leader, Kelthan. Now, Queen Adastril has taken charge of a resistance group, and her first order of business: recover the corpse of their fallen king. Secrets will be revealed, hearts will be changed, and Valderia will never be the same again. Witness the battle for Valderia in the final volume of Mad Cave’s longest running series, Battlecats! Collects issues #1- 7.
Archie Comics has announced some special one-shot titles to go with their horror stories.
Archie Comics is taking over Spooky Season with four all-new horror comics launching in October, also known as Archie Horror's Month of Mayhem! Headlined by a sequel to last year's CHILLING ADVENTURES IN SORCERY, the rest of the lineup includes campfire tales for kids, an '80s-tinted solo adventure for Sabrina's cat Salem, and a Twilight Zone-esque flight into the sci-fi side of horror.
Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante said, “Who ever thought Archie Comics and horror would go so well together? We did—but it definitely took a lot of other folks by surprise! Since AFTERLIFE WITH ARCHIE’s debut way back in 2013, we’ve been consistently delivering on unique horror stories featuring our cast, and we have no plans on stopping that any time soon! We’re so excited to bring everyone ‘Archie’s Month of Mayhem’ for the Halloween season. We’ve got something for everyone—three brand new horror one-shots and a middle grade horror anthology!”
Leading the initiative in late September, CHILLING ADVENTURES PRESENTS . . . WEIRDER MYSTERIES is a trio of dark sci-fi tales kicked off by writer Frank Tieri (Deadpool) in a welcome return to the universe of his previous hit Archie Horror series, with art by Federico Sabbatini (Moon Knight). Tieri said, "In 'Betty Cooper: Alien Hunter,' a spine-tingling tale set in the JUGHEAD: THE HUNGER universe, we’ll find the fan-favorite werewolf hunter trade in her silver bullets for a UFO detector as she tries to uncover a mystery that’s not of this world. But in typical Betty Cooper fashion, she may be the bigger threat to the good folks of Riverdale than anything any E.T. can dole out.”
The issue is rounded out with two stories written by Joanne Starer (Sirens of the City) and Ron Robbins (Archie Digest Library) with art by Juan Bobillo (Fantastic Four) and Ryan Jampole (Sonic the Hedgehog), featuring rare appearances by Bingo Wilkin, star of the '70s comic series THAT WILKIN BOY, and Alexandra Cabot, a foil for Josie and the Pussycats.
Archie Comics' beloved teenage witch Sabrina Spellman is no stranger to Archie Horror, having headlined her own comic, CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA, that spawned a Netflix streaming series. Like any good witch, Sabrina has a magical feline familiar named Salem, and now, horror-loving cat fanciers will have something to celebrate on October 12 when he stars in his first solo title, CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SALEM! Written by comics horror master Cullen Bunn (Harrow County) with evocative nostalgic "horror paperback" art by Dan Schoening (Ghostbusters), the one-shot follows Salem as he helps neighborhood animals exact revenge on those who’ve caused them harm.
Archie Horror's first foray into middle grade chills debuts October 19 with FEAR THE FUNHOUSE! Inspired by genuinely scary children's horror like Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the one-shot anthology features a framing sequence in which younger versions of the core Archie Comics cast tell each other increasingly terrifying stories by a campfire. It boasts three stories written by Micol Ostow (Riverdale), Magdalene Visaggio (Eternity Girl), and Michael Northrop (Teen Titans Go!) with art by Lisette Carrera (Lore Olympus), Ryan Caskey (The Spooky Tarot), and Diana Camero (Five Nights At Freddy's).
Rounding out Archie Horror's inaugural Month of Mayhem on October 26 is THE RETURN OF CHILLING ADVENTURES IN SORCERY, a direct sequel to last year's smash hit one-shot starring the iconic Sabrina villain, Madam Satan! Our titular anti-hero has escaped Hell and is on the loose, but not for long; Satan is on the hunt and she's now hiding in Baxter High, posing as the school's principal. Each classroom seems to be a portal back to Hell -- and our window into a new scary story -- culminating in a climactic showdown. Original framing sequence writer Eliot Rahal returns to pick up the thread here, along with writers Sina Grace (Iceman) and Casey Gilly (Dungeons & Dragons), and artists Vincenzo Federici (TMNT: The Armageddon Game), Corin Howell (Transformers), and Liana Kangas (Star Wars Adventures).
CHILLING ADVENTURES PRESENTS... WEIRDER MYSTERIES is available for pre-order now from only the most haunted comic shops, and the rest of the Month of Mayhem lineup will be open to order at the end of July!