I'm A Mess, Barbaric Vs Deathstalker, Happyland, The Beast Player, Magma Comix, Kelpie: The Boy Wizard & 2000 AD Vs Battle Action
Maverick, Vault Comics, Ablaze, Kodansha, GlobalComix, Treasury Of British Comics and Rebellion
Comics news and previews including:
I’m A Mess: The Guide For A Messy Life is coming soon.
A new crossover comic from Vault Comics.
New horror manga from Ablaze.
The Beast Player in May 2024.
A new publisher on GlobalComix
A new collection of a classic story from the Treasury Of British Comics.
2000 AD and Battle Action collide!
Maverick has a new young-adult book out in July 2024, I’m A Mess: The Guide For A Messy Life.
I'm A Mess, out July 9, is a funny and deep exploration of messiness in people's lives. It invites readers into a world where messiness is not a flaw but a feature. It humorously examines the characteristics and behaviors associated with different kinds of messy types and discusses the unexpected advantages that messy individuals may possess, such as enhanced visual memory. The book also includes a section that provides practical advice on managing and organizing clutter in a non-traditional way. It reminds us that, within the chaos, lies creativity and resourcefulness.
This engaging and thought-provoking book also addresses challenges faced by individuals with neurodiversities such as ADHD, and explores the societal impacts of living in our tech-saturated age of abundance.
“Creating 'I'm a Mess' was a long journey into the heart of my own cluttered life, embracing the chaos that I've navigated for the first thirty-seven years of my life. This book tries to show that messiness isn't a flaw to fix but a facet of our identity to celebrate. It's a deeply personal narrative, yet universal in its message. Finding humor in the mess, resilience in the disarray, and creativity amidst the chaos are values that have guided my life. This work is an ode to those who've felt overshadowed by the pressure to conform to tidiness, offering instead a playful and profound look at how our messes make us marvelously human," said Einat Tsarfati.
I’M A MESS (9781545800867; $14.99) is on-sale on July 24, 2024 and available for pre-order from Maverick now.
Hot on the heels of the excellent Deathstalker #1, Vault Comics has announced a one-shot comic with a crossover with Barbaric.
Vault is thrilled to announce a Barbaric vs. Deathstalker one-shot is coming to comic book stores everywhere on July 24th, 2024. Co-written by Michael Moreci & Tim Seeley, drawn by Nathan Gooden, colored by Fabi Marques, and lettered by Jim Campbell, the epic overlength issue features two of the most iconic sword and sorcery heroes locked in epic battle! Cursed barbarian versus warrior king! Axe versus sword! Owen versus Deathstalker! When an evil wizard summons the two most reluctant heroes of all time, they'll have to square off. But a clash of steel alone may not decide the final victor.
"As a kid who grew up on Guns N' Roses and considered Slash to be pretty much one of the coolest people on the planet,” said Barbaric co-creator, Michael Moreci. “Having a chance to collaborate with him is more than I could have ever hoped for. Couple that with Deathstalker, one of the coolest so-bad-its-good sword and sorcery movies ever (and as most know, I love sword and sorcery), this is a dream pairing. You've got Barbaric, Slash, and Deathstalker all in one place--I can't think of much cooler than that. And, obviously, we all know Owen and Axe will come out on top!"
The Deathstalker comic book series, in stores now, is presented by Vault in partnership with Slash of Guns N’ Roses, Shout! Studios, and Raven Banner Entertainment. Based on a story by writer, director, and legendary creature effects artist Steven Kostanski (Psycho Goreman, The Void), the Deathstalker comic reunites the team from Vault’s hit weird western series, West of Sundown, bestselling writer Tim Seeley (Grayson, Hack/Slash, Money Shot) and acclaimed artist Jim Terry (Come Home, Indio).
Barbaric is co-created by writer Michael Moreci and artist Nathan Gooden. Among Vault’s best-selling series, Barbaric has sold hundreds of thousands of copies worldwide and was named one of the best comics of 2021 by Entertainment Weekly, Thrillest, CBR, Comics Beat, & more. The story follows Owen, a bloodthirsty barbarian and his drunk axe as they roam an untamed, mythic realm battling supernatural cultists, hungry giants, creatures of the night, and more in their quest to somehow, amidst all this chaos, do some good.
Barbaric Vs. Deathstalker will feature a gorgeous set of variant covers from Barbaric artist and co-creator Nathan Gooden, and Deathstalker artist Jim Terry.
The full synopsis for the Barbaric vs Deathstalker can be read below:
Overlength one-shot featuring two of the most iconic sword and sorcery heroes locked in epic battle! Cursed barbarian versus warrior king! Axe versus sword! Owen versus Deathstalker! When an evil wizard summons the two most reluctant heroes of all time, they’ll have to square off. But a clash of steel alone may not decide the final victor.
Comics and graphic novel publisher ABLAZE expands its ABLAZE Manga imprint this summer with the September advance solicitation for HAPPYLAND, the manga series by creator Shingo Honda about an extreme amusement park where nothing is as it seems and the horror that lies in store for an unsuspecting family that visits the park.
Welcome to Happyland, an extreme amusement park! The Komiya family is not unusual is any way, two parents love each other and their two children, who are healthy, happy, and accomplished at school and with extracurriculars. In appearance, they’re an ideal family that has everything going for them!
At least… That's what they believed until the father decided to take them to spend a day at Happyland Park. In this park with its extreme attractions, the most shameful secrets will emerge in the most literally explosive way possible! A horrifying and gory tale of survival begins in this first of two volumes by Shingo Honda!
Comics and graphic novel publisher ABLAZE expands its ABLAZE Manga imprint this summer with the September advance solicitation for HAPPYLAND, the manga series by creator Shingo Honda about an extreme amusement park where nothing is as it seems and the horror that lies in store for an unsuspecting family that visits the park.
HAPPYLAND will be published in-print and digitally. ABLAZE titles are distributed in-print worldwide by Diamond Comic and Diamond Book Distributors. Digital versions of ABLAZE titles are available via most major digital platforms.
Kodansha has announced its digital manga debut for May 2024 - The Beast Player.
Debuting digitally May 14, 2024, The Beast Player, tells the story of Elin, a young girl exiled after her mother, a revered beast doctor, is accused of causing a mysterious illness that claimed the lives of the village's battle beasts, the Toda.
Ten-year-old Elin loves her brave and beautiful mother, a gifted beast doctor charged with the care of the Toda—the fearsome giant serpents that the kingdom’s warriors ride into battle. Their modest but happy life together is shattered when a mysterious illness fells the entire stable of the prized serpents overnight, and Elin’s mother is saddled with the blame. Before she knows it, Elin finds herself cast out from all she has ever known, alone in a faraway land, with only her mother’s words and the kindness of strangers to guide her. A sumptuous manga adaptation of the hit fantasy novel series, The Beast Player, by Nahoko Uehashi.
The Beast Player will be available upon release across all our participating digital vendors, including Bookwalker, Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, Google Play, Nook, Kobo, MyAnimeList, Mangamo and more! Fans can also purchase and read all Kodansha digital manga via kodansha.us.
Magma Comix is the new publisher addition to GlobalComix.
In honor of shops and collectors, digital distribution of Magma Comix titles will be held for two weeks post direct market release
GlobalComix, the leading digital platform, believes that amazing comics should be accessible, no matter where they’re made, what language they’re in, or how they’ve been formatted. Whether you read comics online, on a tablet or phone, in vertical scroll, single or double-page layouts, or panel-to-panel, you can customize it the way you like for a powerful reading experience. The app is also available on iOS and Google Play.
To honor retailers and comic collectors alike, Magma Comix will be holding all issues and graphic novel collections for digital distribution for two weeks after their issues’ physical release into the Direct Market, giving readership multiformat access to the boutique publisher’s amazing catalog.
“I’ve been working with Chris, Eric, and their team since the early days of GlobalComix, and our shared mission of empowering creators and readers has never wavered,” said Denton J. Tipton, Magma Comix Founder. “This viewpoint has contributed to their massive growth these past few years, and I’m excited about what a fully independent Magma can accomplish with them.”
“We're thrilled that Denton and the Magma Comix team are bringing their exceptional creator-owned storytelling to GlobalComix,” said Christopher Carter, CEO & Founder of GlobalComix. “Their philosophy of empowering creators with the resources to succeed aligns perfectly with our vision for the future of comics, manga, and webcomics. We're looking forward to working with the Magma Comix team to bring that future into the present.”
Check out Magma Comix on GlobalComix. The Principles of Necromancy #1 by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing and Eamon Winkle is now available to read, with Silicon Bandits #1 and The Scale Trade #1 coming soon!
Whether you prefer to add physical or digital reads to your library, Magma Comix has got you covered.
Some magic and Arthurian legends are coming soon from the Treasury Of British Comics in this collection of Kelpie: The Boy Wizard.
CREATIVE TEAM: Ken Mennell (w) John Burns (a)
RELEASE DATE: 19 June
HARDCOVER, 96 pages
PRICE: £16.99
ISBN: 9781837861705
In days of old, when King Arthur reigned over Britain, there was at royal Camelot an apprentice sorcerer by the name of Kelpie.
Together with his venerable master, the great and powerful Merlin, Kelpie uses his magic to protect the kingdom from evil doers including The Raven and the Weird Sisters of Doon!
First published sixty years ago by Odhams press in Wham!, the complete saga of Kelpie the Boy Wizard channels Arthurian legend through a Harry Potter filter, presented through the gorgeous black and white artwork of John Burns.
Available in print from: Treasury of British comics webshop, online retailers, book stores, and comic book stores via Diamond
Available in digital from: Treasury of British Comics webshop, 2000 AD app for Apple & Android
Merging two classic titles from Rebellion, check out the details of 2000 AD Vs Battle Action: Comics Collide.
CREATIVE TEAM: Ken Niemand, Geoffrey D. Wessel, Chris Weston, Karl Stock, Arthur Wyatt, Gordon Rennie, Mike Carroll, Alec Worley, Alex De Campi (w), Simon Coleby, Nick Dyer, Paul Marshall, Jake Lynch, Dan Cornwell, Nick Percival, Kieran McKeown, Staz Johnson, Patrick Goddard (a).
RELEASE DATE: 16 July
PAPERBACK, 112 pages
PRICE: £16.99
ISBN: 9781837861897
THE CROSSOVER 50 YEARS IN THE MAKING!
What if the old Battle Action comic was merged with 2000 AD in the early ‘80s? That’s the question posed by this all-new collection that reveals the answer is – action-packed thrills by the bucket-load. It takes old Battle Action strips and reworks them as 2000 AD-appropriate adventures, while remaining true to their original concept and continuity.
This kick-ass crossover sees Judge Dredd feature in a brand-new reimagining of Action’s most controversial strip – Kids Rule O.K., and also includes Darkie’s Mob, Death Game 2049 and Major Eazy amongst others.
Available in print from: 2000 AD webshop, book stores, Amazon, and comic book stores via Diamond
Available in digital from: 2000 AD webshop, 2000 AD app for Apple & Android