END OF MARCH COMIC RUNDOWN - Mix Of Cultural, Grim And Joyful On The Horizon
Image: Kwento Comics, Image Comics, Oni Press, and Titan Comics
An intriguing mix of stories on their way in the coming months for all tastes and walks of life. Whether you like it in your comfort-zone or want to try something new.
The Mask Of Haliya Volume 2: Echoes Of The Forgotten Past On Kickstarter
Timed to Women’s History Month, Kwento Comics, the trailblazing Filipino-American comic book publisher, is partnering with Clover Press for a Kickstarter campaign to publish the second volume of “The Mask of Haliya”. Written by Kaitlyn Fajilan, with art from Susan Bin and Vik Caedo, colors by Liz Buenaventura, lettered by Kiela Sibal, and edited by Arielle Jovellanos.
“The Mask of Haliya Volume 2: Echoes of the Forgotten Past” plunges fans deeper into the soul of ancient Filipino mythology, following Filipina-American teenager Marisol Reyes, as she grapples with the life-changing power of the magical mask she inherited from her great grandmother. Haunted by fragmented memories, Isla races against time to unearth her buried past and protect the Mask's new heir. Meanwhile, Mari grapples with her emerging powers and an awakening that thrusts her into unchartered territories. Deep within the forest, a malevolent organization’s activities draw suspicion as whispers of forbidden rituals and monstrous creatures surface. “The Mask of Haliya: Echoes of the Forgotten Past” will be available as a 192-page Deluxe Hardcover via Kickstarter.
Kwento Comics was founded by a mother and daughter team, Cecilia and Waverley Lim, saw an absence in Asian American representation in media. Their goal is to create lead Asian female characters on the page, while also highlighting the talented Asian women artists and writers in an industry that is heavily male-dominated. With the release of Kwento Comics’ second graphic novel, the company cements its reputation as a source of empowerment and inspiration for women in the arts around the world.
For those looking for new and inventive perspectives in urban fantasy, outside of the American or Eurocentric markets, this is a great jumping on point as you can get both Volume 1 and 2 through the Kickstarter campaign.
The Sixth Gun: Battle For The Six #1
Oni Press has announced the long-awaited return to the Eisner Award-nominated world of The Sixth Gun this July as acclaimed co-creators Cullen Bunn (Harrow County) and Brian Hurtt (The Midnite Show) usher in The “Sixth Gun: Battle For The Six #1”, an all-new, self-contained entry point into the acclaimed saga
Coinciding with the 15th anniversary of The Sixth Gun's debut and initially teased in the aftermath of last year's The Sixth Gun Deluxe Omnibus Library campaign on Kickstarter, Bunn and Hurtt's long-awaited return to the powder-burned world of their supernatural Western classic will be preceded by “The Sixth Gun: Road To The Six #0”. This will be a one-shot prelude featuring three all-new short stories in the years between the series' epic conclusion with issue #50 and its forthcoming resurgence in “The Sixth Gun: Battle For The Six #1”.
In 1866 a race to claim six objects of unfathomable occult power began. The fate of humanity landed in the hands of an ordinary young woman and a hard-nosed gunslinger who, together, were our last, best hope to forestall Armageddon. At a terrible price, they prevailed.
Three decades later, on the cusp of the 20th Century, The Sixth Gun is about to be reborn once more, as it has been countless times across the eons. This time, a brigade of familiar fighters lies in wait to meet The Sixth Gun's nigh-limitless power head on alongside a secret cabal that wish to harness its unspeakable power to incept a new century of war, genocide, and suffering. The Battle For The Six is about to begin!
Great news for new and old fans of the Sixth Gun series. Looks like a good jumping on point with a new time period and cast of characters.
“The Sixth Gun: Road To The Six #0” (One-Shot - On sale June 4th.
“The Sixth Gun: Battle Of The Six #1”(of 3) - On sale July 24th.
News From The Fallout: Atomic Horrors Are Unleashed In New Miniseries
Critically acclaimed writer Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, Ultimate Wolverine), visionary artist Jeffrey Alan Love (The Last Battle At The End Of The World, The Thousand Demon Tree), and star letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou are gearing up together for their new sci-fi horror miniseries “News from the Fallout”.
“News from the Fallout”, a thrillingly dark sci-fi horror, takes place in Nevada in 1962 during a nuclear bomb test that goes horribly awry. A dangerous contaminant gets released into the atmosphere, causing an apocalyptic chain reaction that changes the course of history.
The series follows patrons of an isolated diner in the aptly named 'Atomic Alley' of Nevada, who find themselves besieged by horrors unleashed by an atomic blast at a secret army base located nearby. Forced to flee, the patrons are joined by a defector from the base, Private Otis Fallows, who must contend with hostility from without and within as the unlikely group journeys to the theoretical safe haven of Sin City itself: Las Vegas.
Strikingly crafted with ashy black and white art, the comic gives the feel of turning through the dusty pages of a 60s horror comic met with the experience of watching a staticky science fiction film. Fans of 60s sci-fi films and TV shows like The Twilight Zone and The Outer Limits, classic horror comics like The Vault of Horror, and the works of authors Stephen King and Richard Matheson will enjoy this six-issue miniseries,
Looks to be the sort of post-nuclear-apocalyptic for those that prefer the smaller scale characters and goals set to a larger-than-life backdrop.
“News From The Fallout” - On Sale June 25th
Craniacs Comics: Garbage Pail Kids’ Joe Simko Illustrates New Comic, Based On Hit Trading Cards
The popular trading card property, “Craniacs”, is on the move in 2025 with an eagerly awaited Series 2 in stores this Spring, a highly anticipated TV series in active development from animation studio Titmouse (Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Star Trek: Lower Decks), and brand-new adventures in comic books, coming in the Fall from Titan Comics.
Created by former Topps senior executive Ira Friedman and lead Garbage Pail Kids card artist Joe Simko, “Craniacs” trading cards launched in October 2023. The visually stunning artwork and engaging storyline have hit a nerve with fans and collectors who are having fun chasing exclusive inserts including: 1/1 sketch cards, foil cards, sequentially numbered variants and a “golden ticket” card entitling the grand prize winner to an original painting from the card series.
In the “Craniacs” universe of skull-headed folks, two planets collide and force two very different societies, Stone-Aged Retrovia and ultra-futuristic Futerra, to figure out how they’re going to make this new world order work, or not! (Hint: this often results in crazy competitions in the ‘Chrome Dome’ to settle their differences!)
The new “Craniacs” comic book series will feature fan favourite “GPK” artist Joe Simko teaming up with acclaimed writer Sholly Fisch (Batman, Superman, Scooby-Doo) for comics full of high-octane action, wacky physical comedy, and tournament high jinks, alongside the importance of friendship, fraternity and family.
Looks like an exciting development for anyone, young or old, who like the sort of 90’s nostalgia style of bizarre and energetic, graffiti-style pop culture.
Stay tuned for more announcements about Titan Comics’ new “Craniacs” comics very soon
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