Smash Pages Q&A: Tina Horn talks ‘SfSx: Terms of Service’

The writer, journalist and podcaster returns to talk about the latest volume of her erotic science fiction series with artist G Romero-Johnson.

Journalist and podcaster Tina Horn made a splash in comics when Safe Sex (or SfSx) was released by Image Comics in 2019. Originally developed at Vertigo before the imprint shut down, the comic was masterful.

Horn was a natural at writing fiction, her use of language was powerful, and the way she melded it to a science fiction thriller plot that addressed sex and gender, fascism and politics in exciting ways. The second volume of the series has been released a graphic novel, and it is even better. SfSx: Terms of Service deals with men’s rights, incels and sex robots; it looks at desire and power, and the violence inherent in repression. Horn is so precise with her language, and here she’s been able to examine the language around and dynamics of group identity, which can be helpful and allow people to build community, or can be harmful and be used to give individuals the illusion of autonomy so that people in power can control them. 

Describing the book in purely analytical terms does it a disservice, as Horn and artist G Romero-Johnson craft a story that manages to be as thrilling as it is erotic, and a great science fiction tale that’s so day after tomorrow that calling it dystopic or cyberpunk misses just how contemporary this book is. Horn was kind enough to take time out to talk about how she worked, the genius of Swamp Thing, and rethinking what “bimbos” mean.

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The next X-Men era, Destiny of X, kicks off in the spring

Following ‘Inferno” and January’s dual Wolverine miniseries comes ‘The Second Krakoan Age of X-Men.’

Marvel has put a name to what they’re referring to as “The Second Krakoan Age of X-Men”: Destiny of X. This new era of X-comics will feature several new titles, creative team changes and “revolutionary status quo changes” for the few remaining titles in the X-line-up.

“The journey of the Krakoan Age is far from over!” Senior Editor Jordan D. White told Marvel.com. “Our long-term plan that all our creators have been working on in our secret Council Chamber has only just begun to come to fruition. With the filling of the two empty council seats, the Reign of X has ended, and it’s time for mutantkind to reach for their destiny!”

Marvel shared some teaser art by Leini Francis Yu and Sunny Gho, which also lists the titles you can expect to see next year:

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Devil’s Reign,’ Batman’s new creative team, Old Ma’am Buffy and more

Check out what’s arriving in stores this week from Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Joshua Williamson, Jorge Molina, Mark Russell, Steve Lieber, Ana Galvan and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital this week. This week sees the kickoff of Marvel’s next big event, a new creative team for Batman, Buffy’s last stand and a whole lot more.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

Also, as a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

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The Bloodstone family adds a member in their ‘Death of Doctor Strange’ tie-in

Lyra Bloodstone will join her siblings Elsa and Cullen to battle the forces of evil this January.

Next month The Death of Doctor Strange miniseries wraps up, revealing the identity of his murderer. But January also brings the final tie-in one-shot to for the event series, Death of Doctor Strange: Bloodstone, which puts the spotlight on the monster-hunting Bloodstone family.

The one-shot is by Tini Howard and artist Ig Guara, and introduces a new member to the family.

Notable among this family are Ulysses Bloodstone, the once-immortal, now deceased father who first appeared in Marvel Presents back in 1975; his daughter Elsa Bloodstone, who was introduced in 2001 and later appeared in Nextwave and Fearless Defenders; and her younger brother Cullen Bloodstone, who debuted in Avengers Arena and can transform into a monster called a Glartrox.

And come January, Marvel will introduce their long-lost sister Lyra Bloodstone, whose “unique Blood gem” gives her awesome powers and makes her a target.

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Mail Call | ‘TerrorWar’ debuts from Saladin Ahmed + Dave Acosta

Check out recent news and updates from Saladin Ahmed, Top Shelf, IDW, James Tynion IV, Kyle Higgins and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of cool things we’ve received in our mailboxes recently from comics creators, publishers and more. Hit the links for more information.

Saladin Ahmed posted the first pages of TerrorWar this week, the comic he first announced when he launched the paid version of his Substack newsletter. Drawn by Dave Acosta and Jay Leisten, the comic is about a city where people’s worst fears have come to life somehow, and the terrorfighters who face them with really big guns.

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Subscription-based comics platform Zestworld will launch next year

New titles by Jimmy Palmiotti, Amanda Conner, Phil Jimenez, Eric Canete, Alex Segura, Dean Kotz and more are expected next year.

A new digital comics platform that’s focused on helping creators “monetize their creations” will debut next year with titles by Eric Canete, Amanda Conner, Phil Jimenez, Jimmy Palmiotti, Alex Segura, Peter Tomasi and more, according to The New York Times.

Zestworld, who have a very basic website set up here, was founded by Chris Giliberti, who told the NYT that “this industry is broken for creators; and it’s broken in publishing and TV and film; it’s also broken in events and collectibles.”

“We wanted to build something that’s useful across all areas of their business — anywhere they generate income,” he said, noting that the creators they’re working with will be stockholders in the company.

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Curt Pires + Sunando C’s ‘Memoria’ will debut next Tuesday

The horror noir follows two detectives pursuing the unsolvable case of America’s most prolific serial killer.

ComiXology will release Curt Pires and Sunando C’s Memoria graphic novel next Tuesday, the digital comics platform announced today.

Announced back in April, Memoria is the latest title coming from Pires’ publishing deal with comiXology, following the release of Youth and its sequel, as well as Lost Falls. The two creators are joined by colorist Mark Dale and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou for the project.

“Memoria is a dark and literary exploration of institutional corruption and the fall of America, through the lens of a sprawling murder mystery that sends two broken men on the trail of a prolific serial killer,” Pires said. “This is a book for fans of true crime and the films of David Fincher. I believe this series includes some of my strongest writing and I’m excited for everyone to check out the amazing work that Sunando, Hassan and Mark have done on this project.” 

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Lemire + Nguyen unleash ‘Little Monsters’ in March

The creators of ‘Descender’ re-team for a story about vampire children at the end of the world.

Jeff Lemire and Dustin Nguyen blasted off for new worlds in the pages of Descender and Ascender, but now they’re returning to this world for a new post-apocalyptic ongoing about vampires at the end of the world.

Little Monsters will debut from Image Comics next March.

“Little Monsters is a real departure from the space-opera and sci-fi of Descender,” Lemire said in his Substack newsletter. ” Much more grounded and character-driven, this new series will follow a group of child vampires who have outlived humanity and now live in the decaying husk of Los Angeles, lost in an endless wonderland of innocent childhood games and dramas. But their paradise is soon shattered, and their innocence put to the test, when unforeseen events force them to reconcile with their pasts, and with each other.”

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A third ‘Cat Kid Comic Club’ graphic novel will arrive in April

‘Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose,’ the third graphic novel in Dav Pilkey’s popular series, hits stores April 5.

Dav Pilkey’s Cat Kid Comic Club: Perspectives arrived in stores this week and currently sits at #6 on Amazon’s best-selling books list, but Pilkey isn’t resting on his laurels. Scholastic has announced that the third volume in the series, Cat Kid Comic Club: On Purpose, will arrive in stores next April.

The series spins out of the popular Dog Man series and features Li’l Petey, aka Cat Kid, as he teaches readers — and a bunch of baby frogs, — about making comics.

“With the Cat Kid Comic Club series, my hope is that kids find joy in reading, appreciate different ways of thinking, and find their purpose as they dream up their own stories,” Pilkey said in a press release.

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Marvel + Scholastic send Black Panther + Shuri ‘Into the Heartlands’

Roseanne A. Brown, Dika Araújo, Natacha Bustos and Claudia Aguirre present a new graphic novel starring the brother and sister duo.

Marvel and Scholastic have announced another graphic novel in their ongoing partnership, this one featuring T’Challa, the Black Panther, and his sister Shuri.

Shuri and T’Challa: Into the Heartlands will follow the Miles Morales and Ms. Marvel graphic novels that have already been released (I saw both at my kid’s book fair today, flying off shelves alongside the new Cat Kid Comic Club book). It’s by YA author Roseanne A. Brown and illustrators Dika Araújo, Natacha Bustos and Claudia Aguirre.

The story will be one of sibling rivalry, as Shuri deals with an older brother who will one day be king and an invention that goes awry, causing her mother to become sick.

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Ohioan launches ‘Banned Books Box’ subscription service

The first month’s box will include a copy of ‘Gender Queer,’ along with a lapel pin designed by creator Maia Kobabe.

Ariel Hakim, a librarian former library reference associate in Northeast Ohio, has put a timely spin on the subscription box idea with the Banned Books Box, which delivers banned books and graphic novels to your door each month.

And December’s selection couldn’t come at a better time; it’ll feature Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe, a graphic novel that has been making headlines recently in Virginia, Michigan and Florida as school districts face a barrage of criticism from overzealous parents for including it on their library shelves. (Kobabe recently responded to critics in a write-up published by the Washington Post).

“Maia wrote this graphic novel that parents of high schoolers have found in the school library and been completely vocal about how offended they are by some of the images,” Hakim told Cleveland Scene. “Maia wrote it to explain to family members about what non-binary means. Maia came out as queer and then several years as non-binary. When I decided that this was the book I wanted to use, I emailed the agent to see about getting signed books, and we got some book plates, and then Maia designed an enamel pin that will be one of the pieces of the book box. I like the book a lot, and I think it’s entertaining and educational. I love memoirs. Just reading anyone else’s story written in a sincere way is something I will always enjoy.”

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Fund Me Tuesday | ‘Foulbrood’ by Christopher Sebela and Claire Roe

Help fund a comic about crime and beekeeping.

If you’re looking to back a Kickstarter project with (no, don’t say it) literal buzz (ugh, I said it), then check out Foulbrood, a new comic by Christopher Sebela (.Self, Crowded, Dead Dudes) and Claire Roe (Darkhold: Wasp, Bury the Lede).

The duo previously worked together on the queer reincarnation thriller We(l)come Back, and this time around they’re telling a crime story set in the world of beekeeping — if my cheesy lede didn’t spell that out for you.

Their campaign is to fund the first two issues of a six-issue series. They’re looking for $15,000 to bring them to print, and you’ve got until Dec. 11 to help them avoid the sting that comes with not getting funded.

(Sorry, I’ll stop now, I promise).

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