Stabby the Unicorn is a well-known character from the popular comic series called Mother Goth Rhymes. (We hadn’t heard either.) Well now it turns out that he’s popular enough to have his very own hardcover graphic novel called If UR Stabby, written and illustrated by series creator Kaz Windness. Here’s what we’re told: “Stabby is a unicorn who has had a very bad day. Who’s positively magical and ready for sunshine, giggles, and sliding down rainbows? Not Stabby! Meet the world’s surliest unicorn. If UR Stabby follows Stabby as he deals with life’s challenges the only way he knows how: Horn first.” Coming this September (in black & white, of course!) from Hermes Press.
Comic Book News
You Think YOUR Dog Is Cool…
Recently we came across Lacey & Lily, a new full-color graphic novel for young readers from Darby Pop Publishing. According to Previews, “A quick-witted pre-teen (Lacey) and her extraordinary dog (Lily) must unravel the mystery connected to a pair of super-powered hero costumes while simultaneously navigating middle school… and saving the world.” Written by Dave Dellecese and illustrated by Andrew Cieslinski, Lacey & Lily just hit the shelves. The official web site has lots of interactive stuff too.
One Last Turtle
“This summer, IDW Publishing brings you a TMNT story you’ve never seen before. A thrilling script set in the distant future of NYC, where one lone surviving turtle must seek justice for the fallen.” Got your attention yet? Original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird return with a new full-color series, The Last Ronin — helped out by Andy Kuhn on the inking and Tom Waltz on the script. Due this September, it’s available for pre-order now.
Monsters On Our Side… They Hope
Okay, follow along with this one: Panda Mony is an alternative toy company. One of there signature creations is a line of “cryptid” monsters called Alter Nation. Well now they have teamed up with Dark Horse Comics to bring us Alter Nation: They Hide Hybrids, a new full-color graphic novel. From Dark Horse: “The top-secret team of cryptid-heroes, GK Delta, are committed to protecting humanity from extraordinary threats.When you are all that stands between humanity and certain annihilation, you must be able to trust each other. So when Bomber betrays his brothers in arms, the team is forced to fight one of their own! What’s worse, what if he was right to leave?The team must confront their worst enemies while grappling with the fact that they may not be the heroes they think they are!” It’s written by Tim Seeley, illustrated by Mike Norton and Allan Passalaqua, and coming to stores this October.
… And the Shenanigans of a Cat
Oni Press are bringing a popular on-line comic to dead trees with the release of the Frankie Comics hardcover collection by Rachel Dukes. “When they discover a kitten asleep in their doorway, real-life artist couple Rachel and Mike immediately fall prey to her charms. Soon, the new queen of their home is a blue point Siamese cat named Frankie. Stealing snacks, making mischief, and taking snuggling very seriously, Frankie proves, again and again, the wholesome joys of a feline companion.” As with many things at the moment, the release has been pushed back — in this case to October 21st, but you can pre-order it now.
The Senses of a Dog
Here’s an interesting new hardcover graphic novel from Boom! Studios. Simply called Bear, it’s actually based on scientific research into the brains of animals. “Bear is a service dog who would do anything for his owner and best friend Patrick who is blind. But when Bear suddenly loses his vision, he worries he’s lost his purpose in life—protecting Patrick! Following the misguided advice from some self-serving raccoons, Bear embarks on a transformative journey to regain his eyesight. Out of both necessity and survival, he learns to tap into his other senses and begins to see the world from a new perspective that is at times more rich and colorful than the world he’s always known.” Written by Ben Queen (Disney/Pixar’s Cars 2 and Cars 3) and illustrated by Joe Todd-Stanton (A Mouse Called Julian), Bear is available now from Simon & Schuster.
Friendship is High-Caliber
Remember the comic series Franklin and Ghost from last year? Well now from the same universe — and the busy busy mind of writer/creator Garrett Gunn — comes the new one-shot Warcorns: Combat Unicorns For Hire. Now there’s a title you’re gonna notice! Here’s what they say in Previews: “After having successfully evaded two complete dispatches of Retrieval Bots from Defilion, Franklin and Ghost are sent by their female accomplice, Delilah, to retrieve a rare weapon that is instrumental to the destruction of Defilion. Warcorns Special Forces Group Alpha is dispatched, at the behest of General Erich Badguey, to intercept Franklin and Ghost and return them to Defilion dead or alive.” Illustrated by Kevin Stokes and Nicolas Touris, Warcorns should be available at comic book stores and sites any time now.
And They Thought This Would Be Easy
Woo, here’s a complicated set-up! Listen to the pitch for Hyperbreed, a new full-color science fiction comic from Storm King Productions: “Byrr, Fext and Cammo: Hyperbreed human-animal ‘splices’. They’ve been given a cushy assignment: Board an ancient freighter, transport valuable Explosive Ore to a mining colony, and earn a large delivery bonus. But when they drop out of spacefold, Mak pirates — robot monsters wearing the body parts of vanquished enemies — attack. Fighting against cruel odds, with Mak Yik crystals infesting their ship, our heroes begin to suspect that their lucky break is really a setup for annihilation.” Written by Louise Simonson and illustrated by Guy Dorian, the whole series is overseen by horror great John Carpenter. Issues are available now.
No He’s Not a Ninja
Loggerhead is a new apocalyptic monster comic by Bryan Silverbax. “The world as we knew it changed after the last of the great wars leaving a large portion of North America a dead wasteland. It’s in that wasteland that tales of a monster only known as Loggerhead exist. Within this wasteland valuable elements and minerals have been unearthed creating a hotbed of illegal mining and overrun with scavengers. When some children find themselves endangered while witnessing an illegal scavenger mineral hunt, a protector rises from the murky depths of the wasteland to exact retribution.” Issues (and other merch!) are available now from Scout Comics. There’s a preview video up on YouTube also.