The Land of Unfinished Dreams, New Manga, Vampirella, and Star Trek: The Last Starship
From Top Shelf Productions, Manga Mavericks Dynamite Comics and IDW Publishing
It’s getting hotter here, and I’m working with the fan on!
Here are the latest comics news and previews including:
A new graphic novel from Top Shelf Productions.
Three new manga titles from Manga Mavericks.
Halloween with Vampirella.
And a return in a new Star Trek series.
Top Shelf Travel to The Land of Unfinished Dreams this August
Once upon a time, there was a brave hero named…Grandpa?!
What’s he doing in this story?
An interesting and entertaining new graphic novel from Top Shelf Productions is coming out in the summer. Check out The Land Of Unfinished Dreams.
What happens when the storyteller becomes the hero of his own adventure – The Land of Unfinished Dreams! Award-winning independent publisher of graphic novels Top Shelf Productions (IDW Publishing) is set to release The Land of Unfinished Dreams on August 5, 2025, the North American graphic novel debut from Italian creators, writer Marco Daeron Ventura and illustrator Marco Ferraris. This charming collaboration is the tale of grandpa Ned, a storyteller who finds himself on a magical adventure from his own imagination – a hilarious reminder it's never too late to chase your dreams! The Land of Unfinished Dreams is the perfect bedtime story for all ages!
“Hi, I’m Marco Daeron Ventura, the author of The Land of Unfinished Dreams!
This story holds a special place in my heart because it’s inspired by my grandparents, who were such a big part of my childhood. They are all in here, often in different forms and shapes. Writing this book was my way of keeping their memory alive because they meant the world to me, and also a chance to shine a spotlight on grandparents everywhere. They have so many incredible stories to tell, and I genuinely believe there’s a unique kind of magic about them that we often overlook when we’re young.
I was deeply moved while writing Ned and Rose’s great adventure, and I truly hope, from the bottom of my heart, to pass some of these emotions on to everyone who reads it.”
“Hi, from Marco Ferraris, the illustrator of The Land of Unfinished Dreams!
This project was truly a challenge for me—my first time working on something so rich and complex. My goal was to capture the sweetness that flows through the entire story, stylizing my illustrations to reflect memories from my own childhood. Drawing these pages transported me back to when I was seven years old, building cardboard forts in my grandparent’s garden with my friends and embarking on epic adventures. Back then, a strange-looking tree could easily transform into a fierce Silver Dragon, one you could defeat only by expertly throwing a Talking Pear.
What’s a Talking Pear, you ask? By reading this book, you’ll soon find out—and discover just how fearsome they can be!”
Ned is a retired literature teacher without much excitement in his life, but when his grandkids come to visit, he loves to tell them bedtime stories. Every evening, the clumsy knight tries to save the princess in new and different ways, but they never reach the end of the story. On one fateful night, Ned is shocked to wake up inside his fantasy world—full of the characters from his stories, plus many more new friends and foes. And when a terrifying darkness rises, Ned will have to look within himself to confront a threat beyond his imagination.
Bursting with color and creativity, the first collaboration between Italian creators Marco Daeron Ventura and Marco Ferraris is a thrilling and poignant graphic novel about storytelling, family, growing old, and staying young.
The Land of Unfinished Dreams will be available wherever books are sold, as a full-color hard cover graphic novel (ISBN: 9781603095556) as well as a digital edition, on August 5, 2025. For more information please visit the Top Shelf web site.
Manga Mavericks Books & Red String Announce July Release of 3 Additional Manga Titles
More new manga from Manga Mavericks is coming in July 2025.
Manga Mavericks LLC, has announced release dates for 3 additional new manga titles set to debut in print and digitally this summer. These are being sold in partnership with the Japan-based localization company, Red String, and include the queer self-discovery drama, Now No One Lurks Beneath the Snow, the yuri psycho-horror, The Murderer and Her Runaway Desire, and the yuri office romance, Senpai no Kohai. The titles launch on July 16th and are now available for pre-order from the Manga Mavericks Books website.
"I have a bunch of people to thank for helping me on the journey to this point,” says Red String Founder Victoria Esnard. “There is a lot out there that manga fans are clamoring for and these days, we are seeing a lot more mangaka speaking to those foreign fans directly online. I'm happy that Red String can help facilitate more connections by introducing new and unique stories to manga fans. I'm at the point where the help was needed, and I know the Manga Mavericks team is committed to disrupting the current manga landscape. Our values align well and our tastes in manga are totally different. The perfect partnership for diverse titles, I'd say.”
Vampirella Celebrates Halloween With NYC Serial Killer Showdown!
New Vampirella action this Halloween from Dynamite Comics.
One of comicdom's preeminent queens of Halloween is ready to celebrate the season this fall, as the oversized special Vampirella Halloween Horror is set to release this September.
A duo of aptly paired rising creators present a new nightmare for the city that never sleeps. Across 28 stunning story pages, writer Liam Johnson — a modern Judge Dredd / 2000 AD mainstay — and artist Jordan Michael Johnson (no relation) entertain readers with a spooky saga like no other!
Something sinister is stalking the streets of New York City, and encroaching on the Daughter of Drakulon's turf. Vampirella learns of a paranormal serial killer targeting the vulnerable young in her adopted city. With a target in sight, she starts her own hunt to determine the killer's true identity and put an end to their spree. Along the way Vampi will wrestle with a question that has shadowed her entire life: when does a gift become a curse? Does she share more in common with this faceless, violent threat than she thinks, or will her heroic nature prevail?
Johnson and Johnson are joined by four fabulous covers depicting a fearsome Vampirella in her full glory. Returning recent favorites Greg Land, Celina, and cosplayer Joanie Brosas contribute covers. Then longtime Vamp-heads will be excited to see the return of fan-favorite BUZZ, who memorably drew the character's adventures in the mid-1990s, and is back with a Halloween-tastic homage to her first ever cover by Frank Frazetta.
Captain Kirk Back From the Dead in Star Trek: The Last Starship
Captain Kirk returns in Star Trek: The Last Starship from IDW Publishing coming in September 2025.
IDW Publishing is proud to announce STAR TREK: THE LAST STARSHIP, a thrilling new mission the likes of which comics have never seen before. Arriving this September from acclaimed co-writers Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing and featuring breathtaking art by Adrián Bonilla and stellar colors by Heather Moore, the iconic STAR TREK hero Captain Kirk is back from the dead… and just in time for him to watch the Starfleet he loved so dearly burn to the ground.
This epic comic book series takes place during The Burn, a galaxy-wide disaster which caused the destruction of every active warp core, killing trillions and shattering the peace, stability, enlightenment, and mutual protection the United Federation of Planets provided for seven centuries. Facing a true wild west in space, a mysteriously resurrected Captain Kirk will lead a new crew and ship in a seemingly impossible effort to uphold Starfleet’s mission of unity across the cosmos.
"Forget everything you know about STAR TREK,” remarked co-writer Lanzing. “THE LAST STARSHIP is a new crew, a new era, and a completely different tone; our aim is to be literary, intense, innovative, and most of all, accessible. We're bringing you into the Federation's darkest hour through the brilliant, noir-soaked lens of artist Adrián Bonilla with zero homework required.” The Eisner-nominated writer added, “ Longtime Trek fans will have a deep and fascinating reading experience, to be sure - this is a pivotal moment in Trek history that's never been even glimpsed before - but above all, THE LAST STARSHIP is a dark and complex sci-fi you can hand to anyone. We’ve spent the last eight years celebrating all that Trek has ever been. Now, it's time to rebuild it from scratch and discover all it can be."
“The only familiar face is the one you’d never expect to see in this era: Captain James T. Kirk,” stated co-writer Kelly. “William Shatner’s iconic performance transcends borders - Kirk is one of the great characters of the modern fiction canon with a timeless actor to match. He was also the first STAR TREK character we ever wrote - a leader and warrior poet with boundless tragedy and contradiction. Now, we’re honored to be taking this character into truly uncharted, groundbreaking territory in THE LAST STARSHIP - as the Federation’s greatest pioneer must face down the inferno that threatens to consume his entire legacy.”
STAR TREK: THE LAST STARSHIP #1 features a primary cover by Francesco Francavilla, variant by Skyler Patridge, and a foil variant by Michael Cho. Plus, there will be full art variants for Francavilla’s (1:15) and Cho’s (1:15) stunning covers in addition to a Local Comic Shop Day variant by Malachi Ward. The debut issue goes on sale September 24 with a pre-order deadline of August 18. Visit a comic shop near you to pre-order.
