Category: Graphic Novels

A girl and her bear: Top Shelf announces ‘Kodi’ for summer

Jared Cullum’s gorgeous graphic novel arrives in August.

Top Shelf Comix has announced a new project for August — Kodi, the story of a girl and her Kodiak bear.

It’s by Jared Cullum, whose previous work includes the 35th anniversay Fraggle Rock miniseries fand Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Giants, both from Archaia. He’s not only an illustrator but also a painter (see his website for some samples), and his work with watercolors is very impressive. In fact, he has several water color tutorials on his YouTube channel, if you’re looking for something new to try during life in quarantine.

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de Campi + Henderson sink their fangs into ‘Dracula, Motherf**ker’

Do you bite your mother with that mouth?

Alex de Campi and Erica Henderson head to California and Austria for a “psychological horror story” called Dracula, Motherf**ker this fall.

The graphic novel with the naughty title will tell a story across two timelines — 1889 Vienna and L.A. circa 1974 — in an action-filled take on the popular Bram Stoker character.

“Most people who know my work are aware that I love pulp/exploitation cinema so me doing a book called Dracula, Motherf**ker shouldn’t really surprise anyone,” said de Campi. “Another thing I wanted to bring to this pulp fantasia was a sensibility from horror anime, with its love of transformation and of the noncorporeal, to push the element of man-as-monster in directions specifically suited to sequential art. Things like the abstract portrayal of Alucard (or Pride in FMA: Brotherhood), and the use of Superflat art in Madoka Magica were tremendously inspirational in this book, especially as that use of flatness dovetails nicely with the work of Gustav Klimt in with the book’s 1889 prologue, and with late-1960s pop art and the psychedelic liquid-light projections of the Joshua Light Show.”

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North +Monteys’ ‘Slaughterhouse-Five’ adaptation arrives Sept. 9

Archaia will bring Kurt Vonnegut’s classic anti-war novel to comic shops.

Archaia’s adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children’s Crusade became unstuck in time this week, as the BOOM! Studios imprint announced the graphic novel will arrive in comic shops Sept. 9 and in bookstores Sept. 15.

The anti-war novel will be adapted by writer Ryan North (The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) and artist Albert Monteys (Universe!), with colors by Ricard Zaplana. Archaia also revealed the cover:

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Fantagraphics to publish Tenacious D’s ‘Post-Apocalypto’ graphic novel

Jack Black and Kyle Gass bring their unique brand of musical humor to comics.

Jack Black and Kyle Gass, a.k.a. the comedy metal duo known as Tenacious D, will make the jump to comics later this year with a project written by the duo and drawn (really!) by Black.

The graphic novel, Post-Apocalypto, will arrive in stores in September from Fantagraphics.

“When we finished this book there was only one publisher we ever really considered,” Tenacious D said in a press statement. “Fantagraphics has been the shining beacon of creativity in comic books for decades. We are thrilled to release our magnum opus with the undisputed greatest and best comic book publisher in the world. Fantagraphics 4 life.”

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Top Shelf to publish Pat Grant’s ‘The Grot’ in May

The creator of ‘Blue’ returns with a new graphic novel about greed and environmental calamity.

Since the release of his well-received debut graphic novel Blue back in 2012, Pat Grant has been busy working on his dytsopian follow-up, The Grot. He’s been serializing the comic online and creating single issues, and come May you’ll be able to get your hands on a printed collection, courtesy of Top Shelf here in the U.S.

Grant is one of several literary cartoonists in Australia who have been catching people’s attention recently and what I’ve read of the webcomic is really strong. So this is one to watch for in May.

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Kochalka’s ‘Monkey vs Robot’ celebrates its 20th anniversary

A collection with new material will arrive from Top Shelf in June.

It was 20 years ago that James Kochalka showed the world what would happen when the monkey faced off with its natural enemy, the robot. To celebrate the anniversary of that confrontation, Top Shelf Comix will collect Kochalka’s original story, its sequel and an all-new chapter into one giant softcover.

Monkey vs Robot: The Complete Epic will arrive in June, with a new, final chapter that brings this long-running feud to its natural conclusion: Monkey Vs. Robot in Love. They’ve also added color to the entire saga — just like the original Star Wars trilogy.

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‘Home Time’ gets a sequel next year

The next volume of the critically acclaimed graphic novel by Campbell Whyte arrives from Top Shelf in May.

Campbell Whyte‘s Home Time received several awards and nominations in 2018 and earned the creator a Russ Manning nomination, among others, and now he’s back with the sequel. Top Shelf will publish Home Time II: Beyond the Weaving next May.

The first graphic novel told the story of a group of kids preparing for high school who ended up transported to a village populated with creatures of fantasy. This second book picks up where the first one left off, as the kids leave the village to find their way home.

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Brubaker + Phillips prepare for next awards season with ‘Pulp’

The new graphic novel is due from Image Comics next May.

Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have consistently turned out critically acclaimed, award-winning comics and graphic novels for what seems like decades now, from their work on Fatale and Criminal to this year’s big Eisner winner, My Heroes Have Always Been Junkies.

It looks like that trend could continue in 2020, as Image today announced Pulp, a new Western graphic novel by the duo.

“When Sean and I decided to do something completely new for our next original graphic novel, he planted the idea of a Western in my head… And I found myself drawn to the era where that genre first hit big—the pulp magazines and the Great Depression,” said Brubaker. “I thought about all these writers telling fictionalized versions of the vanishing days of the Wild West, as their own world was going through one of its darkest hours… And suddenly I realized I had the makings of a really great pulp story, but one set in the real world. A story that I really wanted to tell.”

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Dark Horse to publish Fiffe’s ‘Panorama’

An early project by the creator of ‘Copra” arrives in stores next May.

With his flagship series back on shelves, Michel Fiffe already had a great October, but Dark Horse added some icing to the cake yesterday by revealing a horror graphic novel by the creator called Panorama.

“I’m beyond excited to have Panorama finally back out in the world,” Fiffe said. “It was the first sizable story that I ever created, crackling with the enthusiasm of a cartoonist who wants to do it all. It mixes genres and bends the form and is quite possibly my most personal project yet.”

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DC shares details on next summer’s LGBTQ+ Aqualad graphic novel

Alex Sanchez and Julie Maroh put a ‘contemporary twist’ on Jake Hyde’s origin story.

DC has revealed more details and preview pages from You Brought Me the Ocean, one of their upcoming Young Adult Graphic Novels. According to the press release, the story will feature Jake Hyde, a.k.a. Aqualad, and “a fresh, contemporary twist” on his origin story that “tells an eloquent coming-out romance set against the backdrop of the DC Universe.”

Lambda Award-winning author Alex Sanchez is writing the story, while Julie Maroh, creator of Blue is The Warmest Color, will provide the art.

“This story will allow readers to delve deep into the conflicts of being both a teen and super-powered—and what it’s like to be friends with a super-powered teen,” said Sanchez. “I believe it will be the type of book that fans will read twice—the first time, compelled to turn pages to find out what happens next, and the second time to linger over Julie’s spectacularly beautiful imagery. I hope the book will do what graphic novels do best—tell a story on two levels—through words and art.”

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Faerber + Guglielmini return to the world of ‘Near Death’

Image will publish ‘Over My Dead Body,” an OGN set in the same world as ‘Near Death,’ in January.

Jay Faerber, Simone Guglielmini, Gigi Baldassini and Ron Riley will return to the world of Near Death in an original graphic novel set to be released by Image Comics in January. Titled Over My Dead Body, the story features Markham, a contract killer serving time who is tasked with saving the prison warden’s daughter.

“Since the moment Near Death ended, Simone and I have been planning the next step in Markham’s path to redemption,” said Faerber. “We’re thrilled to unveil this new thriller that serves as a continuation of that series, but is presented in a fresh, accessible format for new readers.”

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Fantagraphics announces ‘The Cloven’ by Stein + Southworth

The author of ‘The Art of Racing in the Rain’ teams up with the artist of ‘Stumptown’ for a three-volume graphic novel series.

Earlier this week Fantagraphics announced a new three-volume graphic novel series from Garth Stein, the author of The Art of Racing in the Rain, and Stumptown artist Matthew Southworth.

The Cloven features a half-man, half-goat hybrid created in a lab who tries to live a normal life, but, you know … he’s got hooves.

“I am having so much fun working on The Cloven with my partner, Matthew Southworth; I can think of no better home for our series than Fantagraphics, a publisher with an impeccable reputation for quality stories and world-class artwork,” Stein said. “This is truly a match made in heaven.  Or in Seattle.  Any connection between ‘heaven’ and ‘Seattle’ is entirely your own…”

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