Heroine, The Cursed Library, Miraculous Chibi, Kosher Mafia & The Pedestrian
Markosia, Archie Comics, Papercutz, Mad Cave Studios, and Magma Comix
Here are the latest comics news and previews, including:
This week’s graphic novel release from Markosia.
Discover the secrets of The Cursed Library.
Miraculous Chibi in October.
A new series from Mad Cave Studios.
Something new from Magama Comix.
New from Markosia is Heroine, available in print and digitally.
Markosia is pleased to announce its latest graphic novel release!
In 2050, a dystopian future ravaged by crime and gangs, a woman wages her own battle.
Her name is Heroine and her past in the underworld earned her a death and resurrection, like a phoenix, she rose from the ashes.
Being reborn, she has a second chance to correct her life and will seek to do so with her own personal revenge.
Created by Fernando Sosa, written by Pedro Belushi and illustrated by Guillermo Zerda
Archie Comics is building on its horror collection with a new limited series - The Cursed Library.
Archie Comics scream queens Jinx, Danni, and Madam Satan team up in THE CURSED LIBRARY series launching in August!
Dark worlds converge in August when Archie Comics opens the doors to THE CURSED LIBRARY, an all-new premium-printed limited series that unites Archie's three main horror heroines — and its various one-shot comics — in one explosive storyline by writers Magdalene Visaggio (Eternity Girl) and Eliot Rahal (Bleed Them Dry) with art by Craig Cermak (Red Team).
“The CURSED LIBRARY event that Mags and I have been asked to helm is unlike any other moment in Archie Comics history," Rahal said. "It’s both a throughline and nexus point that weaves together everything in the Archie Horror universe that’s happened so far. Its goal is to provide shape to the world that has been created. THE CURSED LIBRARY is essentially saying: ‘All of this matters. There is a fabric.’"
Archie Horror readers have been treated to a series of standalone one-shot comics in recent years that can be enjoyed as chilling ghost stories and campfire tales, but eagle-eyed fans will have noticed hints of connection, which came to a head in last fall's MADAM SATAN: HELL ON EARTH. That story ended with Madam Satan, the escaped Queen of Hell, captured by Jinx Holliday, a teenager interested in magic and rock 'n' roll who is rumored to be Satan's daughter. Jinx is often aided by her loyal best friend Danni, who made global headlines last summer when she was revealed to be Archie's first transgender character. While all three protagonists have charted their own course thus far, their worlds collide in THE CURSED LIBRARY when each will be tested as Danni descends into the depths of Hell to save her friend's soul — and the world.
“This is an ambitious project led by two of the best writers we've had the pleasure of working with on our horror titles, and, honestly, two of the best writers in comics, period," said Archie Comics Senior Director of Editorial Jamie L. Rotante. "I have the ultimate trust in them to craft a story that is layered, poignant, and still metal AF. This feels like the culmination of almost everything I've personally worked on as an editor, and I'm thrilled that I get to watch Eliot and Mags create a world (or rather, convergence of worlds) that I'm, frankly, in awe of. This is not just a love letter to our fans, but to the art of storytelling as a whole, complemented by the stunning artwork of Craig Cermak.”
Cermak has made a big impact on the Archie Horror line, having illustrated Jinx's horror adventures and the initial appearances of The Cursed Library itself, a mysterious collection of books that seem to chronicle the events depicted in recent one-shot comics like CAMP PICKENS and BETTY: THE FINAL GIRL. “It's been exciting to go on this journey with Jinx and see it develop into something much grander," Cermak said. "Building on top of all the various horror tales featuring so many great Archie characters is providing such a gratifying opportunity as an artist, with so much great material from which to pull.”
Rahal has written all of Madam Satan's modern adventures, relating the anti-hero's struggle against Satan and her efforts to chart her own destiny. Madam Satan is one of Archie Comics' oldest characters, debuting in PEP COMICS #16 in 1941. She was reintroduced as Sabrina's antagonist in the horror series CHILLING ADVENTURES OF SABRINA, which was adapted as a Netflix streaming series in 2018. Visaggio is the architect of Jinx's modern resurgence, where she is an older and more macabre version of the classic Archie humor character known as Li'l Jinx, who first appeared in PEP COMICS #62 in 1947. Visaggio scripted Danni's return alongside Jinx and her solo star turn in last year's STRANGE SCIENCE one-shot. Danni first appeared in DILTON'S STRANGE SCIENCE in 1989 as an equally brilliant friend and foil to Dilton, Riverdale's resident genius. The talents of, and more importantly, the bonds between all three women will be the focus of THE CURSED LIBRARY.
"I think what I love and am most proud of is that this connectivity is secondary to the story," Rahal added. "THE CURSED LIBRARY can stand alone because, at its heart, this is the culmination of two stories: Madam Satan’s and Jinx’s. These two characters have had painful journeys of self-discovery and are finally meeting their climax –– but it’s all wrapped up in the Apocalypse. It’s both the end and a new beginning. And by the time we’ve closed the chapter on the Cursed Library, the Archie Horror line will be diving into a very new and exciting future.”
THE CURSED LIBRARY: ALPHA releases August 21 in comic shops nationwide, with colors by Matt Herms, lettering by Jack Morelli, and open-to-order variant covers by Robert Hack, Soo Lee, and Reiko Murakami. It will be available for pre-order on May 24. The first issue will be followed by OMEGA in September and the final chapter, UNBOUND, in October.
Miraculous returns - now from Papercutz in Chibi form!
Papercutz Announces Official MIRACULOUS CHIBI Graphic Novels Series, with Volume One Out This Fall!
ZAG and Papercutz are pleased to announce the first book in their exciting new publishing partnership: MIRACULOUS CHIBI: VOLUME ONE PIZZA PURSUIT AND OTHER CAT SALES (Out Fall 2024)!
Spots on with everyone's favorite bugaboo, Ladybug, and her trusted partner, the purrfect Cat Noir. This dynamic hero duo is hanging out on Parisian roofs and, when they're not saving the day, they're getting into some super hijinks! What happens when Ladybug and Cat Noir share a pizza - and Cat Noir runs off with it?!
Plus, does catnip work only on felines? Or... could a little spritz attract the miraculous Ladybug?
All this and more in the first volume of the Miraculous Ladybug graphic novel series, influenced by the award-winning TV show and with the chibi art from the Youtube shorts!
Papercutz Editor Stephanie Brooks said, "Zag Heroez Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir is a feat of animation. I remember watching all of season one on Netflix, in one night. It’s mesmerizing. The show is part of a long legacy of empowered and powerful girls in magical action. Papercutz really honors and curates that legacy. Both the show and graphic novel feature a fantastically diverse cast. Miraculous Ladybug stars Marinette Dupain-Cheng, a French-Korean young girl. The cast is made up of very distinct (and very distinctly designed) characters with incredibly diverse backstories, relationships, etc.”
Brooks added, “Marinette, or Ladybug, has a special place in my heart. Genuinely, every time I see Asian representation on the screen or in a book, I am thrilled. I am honored. I am so excited for the kid I once was, and I wholeheartedly hope that what I missed is here for today’s audience. It is my personal and professional goal that our books will continue to inspire and empower people - the ordinary can be miraculous, and anyone can be a hero."
MIRACULOUS CHIBI: VOLUME ONE PIZZA PURSUIT AND OTHER CAT SALES (Ages 7-12; ISBN 9781545811511; Paperback; 64PP; $7.99] is on-sale on Fall 2024. It is available wherever books are sold, including Amazon, Bookshop, and Barnes & Noble.
Kosher Mafia—coming soon from Mad Cave Studios—looks to continue the publisher's run on excellent-looking comics.
Mad Cave Studios is proud to announce KOSHER MAFIA, the gripping new crime thriller series, written by acclaimed author David Hazan (Nottingham, Death Drop Drag Assassin) with interior art and cover A by Sami Kivelä (Deer Editor, Machine Gun Wizards).
In Cleveland, Ohio, in 1936, Howard Berkowicz, the bookkeeper for the Jewish Mob finds himself on the wrong end of an enforcer’s gun when he tries to spur the Kosher Mafia into action against the rising tide of domestic Nazism in the German American Bund.
“I poured my heart and soul into Kosher Mafia,” said David Hazan. “The characters live and breathe and talk like people I know, love, or would love to have known, family or otherwise. It's a crime thriller that's more than a little transgressive and provocative, and it's steeped in Jewish Cleveland, where our modern comic book industry was born. This comic is about antisemitism, specifically that it neither started nor ended with the Holocaust. When I took the idea to Mad Cave, they didn't just take a chance on this book, they threw their support behind it, full-throated, and that kicked off with reaching out to Samï, who is a singular talent whose work I'd admired for so long...and the work, once we got started, exceeded all expectations. I hope what we've created provides not only a feast for the eyes, but also for the soul, and to that, ess gezunt!”
“As a huge fan of crime and noir comics, it’s been exciting to work with David and bring his vision of the Cleveland’s Mafia scene of the 1930s to life,” said Sami Kivelä. “I hope readers will enjoy diving into this adventure where our heroes Howard and Eph try to escape the wrath of the mobsters.”
Kosher Mafia #1 drops in shops Aug. 7th.
From writer Joey Esposito and artist Sean Von Gorman, Magma Comix has a new comic - The Pedestrian - that has been described as Super meets Twin Peaks!
Colour me interested!
Walk, don’t run! This is a series you won’t wanna miss.
This summer, writer Joey Esposito (Batman: Urban Legends) reunites with Pawn Shop collaborator, artist Sean Von Gorman (Ghost Planet), for the latest quirky Magma Comix title, THE PEDESTRIAN!
Behold, The Pedestrian! A strange visitor speedwalks into Summer City and silently changes the lives of its residents. But not all is quiet in this sleepy, small town—an ancient conflict linked to the secret history of street signs is brewing! DON’T WALK... RUN! In The Pedestrian, justice always has the right of way!
The Pedestrian #1 features a variant cover by Dean Haspiel (The Red Hook) and an additional retailer incentive cover by Mike Allred (Madman). Interior colors are by famed IDW, Dark Horse, and DC pro Josh Jensen.
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to have finally found myself in a partnership with people who share the same comics-making ethos as myself,” said Joey Esposito. “I love making comics because at the end of the day, in the best case scenario, at least for me, it's about making something cool with your friends. That's what this book is—born out of a collab-turned-friendship with Sean (more than a decade old at this point) because we're both pushing each other to another level—and having a blast doing it. Working with Magma is a huge part of this equation as well, because in my 15 years of making comics, I've never had a publisher so supportive. They make comics for comics' sake and support their creators. This is the most excited I’ve ever been about a book, perhaps because it's been the most collaborative.”
“This book could not be coming out at a better time, with a hero who tries to help make the world a slightly better place without using violence,” said Sean Von Gorman. “When we started working together during the pandemic, Joey and I set out to make the best comic we could make. We knew we had something really special, and to be on the ground floor with Magma Comix, the next powerhouse in creator-owned comics, we couldn’t be more excited about finally bringing The Pedestrian into the world!”
The Pedestrian #1 drops in comic shops Aug. 7th, and is now available for preorder.