After 2+ hours locked in a grueling battle with the EEEEVILL website config thingy I am forced to use, I am proud to present yet another week of picks from hype master and stock room slave, Anna Pederson to bring meaning to your pitiful, routine lives!! (Or y'know, just distract you from work for 5 min) DISTRACT ME!!
(W/A) Scott Adams
Sukotto is the story of a lone surviving ninja, whose clan was mercilessly wiped out by a corrupt and evil samurai lord. Events begin to unfold that place Sukotto on a path that will take him on an incredible journey unimagined. Sukotto must surmount ever increasing challenges, all the while striving to avenge his lost clan.
Check out Scott's website for more ninja nonsense!!
Coming up on Wednesday, August 20, 2014, Danish writer/artist Palle Schmidt will be in Seattle to sign copies of his books, The Devil's Concubine and Thomas Alsop. He will be at Zanadu Comics (1923 3rd Ave) from 3-7 pm.
"Palle Schmidt's art combines European and American illustration styles to make something uniquely appealing - and that's not even talking about the writing. He's all about down and dirty, neo-noir stories that you won't be able to get out of your head - beautifully drawn characters doing ugly things to each other. Read his stuff"
-- Charles Soule, writer of Swamp Thing, Strongman and 27
Thomas Alsop is tm & c 2014 Boom Entertainment Inc Cover art by Palle Schmidt
THOMAS ALSOP
Chris Miskiewicz (W) Palle Schmidt (A)
Thomas Alsop is the current "Hand of the Island," a title handed down from generation to generation. He guards Manhattan from evil, using his family's prowess for magic. Being a thoroughly modern warlock, he deals with something even more evil than demons... reality television! Issues 1, 2 and 3 will be available at the signing.
Cover art by Peter Snejbjerg
THE DEVIL'S CONCUBINE
Palle Schmidt (W/A)
Set in a large European city, the story revolves around two cool but not too clever hitmen, hired to retrieve a mysterious cooler case by an unknown party. When the two hitmen accidentally shoot their contacts at the exchange without getting their money first, stuff really hits the fan. Chased by the police, a gang of dangerous rastafaris, and an erratic crime boss out for their blood, the pair bluff and shoot their way through the seedy underworld, on their way to the man who hired them, towards their own destruction.
(W/A) Michel Fiffe
"I’ll admit that this was one of the most difficult issues to produce. I basically knew what the story was, what the dialogue lines and general staging would be, but… I didn’t really know until I started to actually work on it. It was very odd. The process probably didn’t help: I wanted to invoke a little bit of Jack Kirby in this chapter (being that Guthie is based on one of his creations). I’ve been running on a Kirby influence in a spontaneous, gut level, get-it-done kind of way, but this time I wanted to try it a little differently.
I’ve heard of Jack drawing a page by starting at the top left hand corner and continuing down to the lower right hand corner until the page was complete. The drawing sounded like it was more stream of consciousness and less obviously calculated. The planning was all in Jack’s head.
So in the spirit of that anecdote, I decided to forego any layouts whatsoever. I also didn’t break up the stages into workload batches the way I usually do. This meant that I woke up with two blank pages staring at me, equipped with only a vague notion of what I wanted to do. By the end of the day, my aim was to have two complete pages, fully colored and ready to scan.
Wake up, coffee, write, lay out, podcast, pencil, lunch, ink, coffee, walk dog, more ink, more podcasts, dinner, question life choices, stretch legs, more ink, color, pass out, repeat next day.
Sometimes I nailed it, sometimes I was too wiped out to even erase a page. This issue kicked my ass, but I’m really happy with the results. You’ll like it.
And of course, it’s about Guthie, whom last we saw crashing and falling through a window in some far off world. Looks like she survived and when you read the issue, you’ll know how."
--FIFFE!
(W) Justin Jordan (A) Kyle Strahm
Raiders. Slavers. A gigantic Spreadworm. A hungry baby.
No has problems.
(W) Joe Casey (A) Nathan Fox & Various
Joe Casey is one of the industry's most popular writers having written for Marvel and DC, from The Uncanny X-Men to Superman, and many more best-selling titles, and most recently created and writes the acclaimed Sex series from Image Comics! Now he is tackling one of Jack Kirby's greatest creations, Captain Victory! And this story will Blow! Your! Mind! Out of the hell of a cosmic firefight, Captain Victory is launched into an epic adventure that spans both space and time! All your favorites are here -- as well as all-new enemies to face! Your new favorite cosmic comic book has finally arrived!
In the mid to late 80's, Kirby had reached another stage of his creative evolution--pure insanity. Some say he had gone crazy by then, but in reality, he had just refined his process to where his conscious brain was no longer making the decisions and the result was some of the strangest, most off the wall books Kirby's cosmic imagination ever created. Now, 30 years later, cosmic madman Joe Casey and a host of highly talented, Kirby worshiping artists reinvigorate the title with enough Kirby Krackle to blow your mind, your kid's minds, and on and on until the end of time!!
(W) Greg Rucka (A) Michael Lark
'EXTRACTION' A stand-alone in the critically-acclaimed and New York Times bestselling series, this issue sets the stage for the third arc of LAZARUS, 'Conclave.' In the wake of his failed attempt to seize control of his Family, Jonah Carlyle ran for his life and straight into the arms of the enemy. But in the embrace of the Bittner and Hock Families, there is no shelter, aid, or comfort to be found.
(W) Paul Tobin (A) Ben Dewey
Allison Breaking is a talented journalist with her own blog and a lot of bills to pay, so when she receives an offer from a mysterious stranger named Burma to write his memoirs, it's an offer she can't refuse, not even with all the red flags popping up. But Burma is quite literally unlike any man Allison's ever known - because he's a cat. And this cat has stories to tell about how he (over the course of a few lifetimes) has shaped the world - and another, darker story that Allison must risk all to uncover... a story of what this particular cat has been doing with the LAST of his nine lives.
(W) Peter Milligan (A) Piotr Kowalski
With Shade: The Changing Man, X-Statix, Doop and of course Hellblazer under his belt, Peter Milligan is now taking on Terminal Hero! Rory Fletcher is a good man. The problem is, he's dying of an inoperable brain tumor. And then his best friend introduces him to the mysterious Treatment Q. This strange and forbidden therapy might just save Rory's life. But its nightmarish side effects could make him question just how good he really is, and just how much he really does want to live.
ALL HAIL THE LORDS OF THE PRISON PIT!! AHEM, I mean, oh hey, guys, how ya'll doin? Sorry, we are a bit excited by the seriously awesome Prison Pit swag Anna smuggled back from SDCC, which was apparently quite the experience, but still lots of fun. This week sees the Remender juggernaut rolling forward with LOW, yet another new #1 as well as the return of Black Science! Vertigo drops two new books and marvel finally puts out Hawkeye after god knows how many months. ...and Prophet, well, kinda ends. SADNESS!! But it will return in the ashes of Earth War!!
This week sees the end of the beginning of Brandon Graham and co.'s magnum space opus that has dazzled readers and astounded critics and naysayers alike, Prophet stands as a shining example of the true power of comicbooks. Every page is an example of pure, unbridled comic energy that is truly unique to the form, not to mention the fact that they took what was considered a "goof" character from the 90's and turned him into the most badass space hero/villain this side of the Metabaron. So thank you thank you to Simon Roy, Giannis Milonogiannis, Farel Dalrymple, Brandon Graham, and the host of absolutely talented artists and writers who contributed to the book, for reminding us all why we love this medium in the first place.
(W) Rick Remender (A) Greg Tocchini
In the far distant future, the sun's premature expansion has irradiated Earth, sending humanity to the lowest depths of the seas, hidden within radiation-shielded cities, while probes scour the universe for inhabitable worlds to relocate to. After tens of thousands of years, a single probe returns, crashing on Earth's surface, a now-alien place no human has seen for many millennia.
Frequent collaborators RICK REMENDER (BLACK SCIENCE, Uncanny Avengers) and GREG TOCCHINI (Last Days of American Crime, Uncanny X-Force) dive into an aquatic sci-fi/fantasy tale following two teams from the last remaining cities undersea as they race to the most unexpected alien world of all-the surface of Earth.
Special introductory issue features 30 full pages of painted art!
The comics juggernaut that is Rick Remender adds ANOTHER new ongoing series to his arsenal at Image, this time focusing on the murky depths of our future with astounding painted art by Greg Tocchini! The duo's previous project "Last Days of American Crime" is probably my favorite thing Remender has ever written and I am overjoyed to see this blockbuster team reunite to create what is sure to be another Image classic!!
(W) Rick Remender (A) Matteo Scalera
THE SECOND ARC OF THE SMASH SCI-FI HIT BEGINS HERE!
The mystery of the onion's truth unfolds the deeper one travels. The mythology of the Eververse unveils new truths and new dangers. The team is hurled to a seemingly alien world that holds the key to their true purpose. For what is magic but science that we don't yet understand?
(W) Si Spencer (A) Dean Ormston & Various
VERTIGO brings you the miniseries of the summer, with four detectives, four time periods, and four dead bodies - all set in London. Edmond Hillinghead is an 1890s overachiever who's trying to solve a murder no one cares about while hiding his own secret. Karl Whiteman is our dashing 1940s adventurer with a shocking past. Shahara Hasan is 2014's kickass female Detective Sergeant, who walks the line between religion and power. And Maplewood, an amnesiac from post-apocalyptic 2050, brings a haunting perspective to it all. Si Spencer (HELLBLAZER: CITY OF DEMONS, THE VINYL UNDERGROUND) executes a centuries-spanning murder mystery like nothing you've ever seen before, with four sensational artists illustrating a six-page chapter in each issue: Dean Ormston, Phil Winslade, Meghan Hetrick and Tula Lotay.
(W) Matt Fraction (A) David Aja
• Kate gets to the bottom of the greatest mystery in the entire Marvel Universe right this very hot second: just who the H is that guy in the trench coat that seems to live in her cat food aisle? The answer may surprise you.
• Or maybe not, maybe you're super-good at this kind of thing.
• Anyway a simple investigation dovetails into Kate's desperate race to stay one step ahead of the woman that's sworn to kill her: Madame Masque and what started off as a zany summer vacation gets a little bloody. Buckle up, buttercups.
(W) Neil Gaiman (A) J.H. Williams III
The armies of the night are gathering. The universe is beginning its final dance. Morpheus, far from home, walks the path of madness, accompanied only by himself.
With San Diego Comic Con upon us, all who work in the industry are consumed by the tornado like flurry of prepping, packing, shipping, printing and totally not sleeping, so be glad that Anna had the time at all to eek out a few picks for the ONSLAUGHT of comics that are coming out this week. Look--look at the madness that will be SDCC 2014!!
(W/A) Katsuya Terada
Dark Horse proudly presents the first Englishlanguage art book showcasing one of Japan's most sought-after painters and illustrators, Katsuya Terada! Dragon Girl and Monkey King collects Terada's art in every mood: sexy, brutal, bizarre, and humorous, including his distinctive Hellboy figurine work, commentary, and an exclusive interview with the artist!
There were so many books this week that I had to make two picks. Truly one of the greatest artists to come out of Japan, this book is the first English art book to ever be published and is an ABSOLUTE NECESSITY for anyone and everyone!!!
RECOMMENDED BY CASEY!!
(W/A) James Stokoe
Following the failed Badoon invasion of Earth and America's disappearance into the Negative Zone, how will the Avengers of 2061 cope?!
THE MADNESS OF STOKOE IS UNLEASHED UPON THE MARVEL U!! POOR, POOR MAINSTREAM COMIC READERS!!!! Um, yes, well, I'm a little excited about this comic (as you can probably tell) but this signifys a real shift in what Marvel is considering acceptable these days. Not only have they been letting people like Mike Allred, Tradd Moore, Felipe Smith and Kaare Andrews do their thing on big shot titles, Marvel is now handing over the reigns of the Avengers (yes the multi billion dollar property) to a guy who puts more gigantic dongs in his comics than your average hentai movie! Multi-clored gradients, bad-ass future versions of Beta-Ray Bill, Dr. Strange and more, this is one book that 100 years from now, will still be blowing other comics out of the water!!
(W) Paul Kupperberg (A) Jack Morelli & Various
It's been one year since the death of Archie that took place in Life With Archie #36 shook Riverdale to its very core. The residents of the most welcoming town in America, where the chocolate malts are always delicious and the neighbors are always smiling, gather together one last time for the closing ceremony of this groundbreaking series and a celebration of a Life with Archie.
Located in the very heart of downtown Seattle, WA, we are full service comic book store with 46 years experience in not just selling comics, but finding stories that will live with you forever.
In January of 2018, Zanadu Comics closed the doors of its retail shop after 42 years. Please browse our selection of comic books and graphic novels digitally through our online storefront. Thank you to everyone who has supported the mighty Zanadu since 1975.
Follow us on social media for the latest news
