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Comic Books

Wolfsbane and War

Sometimes just a title is going to tell you most of what you need to know. Definitely true for a title like Sgt. Werewolf, a new comic written and illustrated by Rich Woodall. “Sgt. Steve Hovatter leads a small group of U.S. Commandos to infiltrate Lichtenstein castle in Germany and recover intel on Nazi Occult operations. The Commandos are captured, and Sgt. Hovatter is executed. Hours later Sgt. Hovatter is transformed into a Werewolf, and he uncovers a much more sinister plot at Castle Lichtenstein.” It’s coming to the comic book shelves this month from Scout Comics, through their horror imprint Black Caravan.

image c. 2023 Scout Comics

Stella!!

Here’s a new graphic novel for young folks we came across in Previews: The Cosmic Adventures of Astrid and Stella. “Meet Astrid and Stella! These best friends are ready to fire up the turbo blasters and take off into the stratosphere! They’ll just need a few things before it’s time to go: their special space suits, lots and lots of snacks, and their trusty robot Bobo… In their very first adventure, Astrid and Stella will discover the cute and cuddly planet Caturn and the beach-covered planet Bloop. At each stop, they’ll meet new pals, solve friendship conundrums, and stop one evil tyrant—with lots of dance breaks and snack attacks along the way.” It’s available now in hardcover from Amulet books, written by Sabrina Moyle, with art by Eunice Moyle.

image c. 2023 Amulet Books

First They Look Like You…

For a while now Archaia Comics have been bringing us new series based on Jim Henson’s 1980’s TV series The Storyteller, staring John Hurt and Brian Henson. The latest addition is The Storyteller: Shapeshifters mini-series. And now, Archaia have collected all four issues together in a single hardcover omnibus. Sure enough, the stories feature everything from kids turned into swans to tricky fox-people. “Locus Award-winning writer Darcie Little Badger (A Snake Falls to Earth, Marvel’s Voices: Indigenous Voices #1), and esteemed writers Andre R. Frattino (Simon Says: Nazi Hunter) and Deron Bennett, along with up-and-coming artists Nori Retherford, Alexandra Fastovets, Dani Pendergast, and celebrated cartoonist Emilia Cilento (INGOVY) bring together a timeless collection of tales about shapeshifters from around the world.” Jim Henson’s The Storyteller: Shapeshifters is available from Simon & Schuster.

image c. 2023 Archaia

VR to the Next Level

We just learned about Shangri-La Frontier, a black & white manga written by Katarina and illustrated by Ryosuke Fuji. “Second-year high school student Rakuro Hizutome loves nothing more than finding so-called ‘trash games’ and beating the crap out of them. When he decides to change things up by playing a new, ‘god-tier’ VR game known as Shangri-La Frontier (a.k.a. SLF), he does what he does best: Min-maxes, skips the prologue, and jumps straight into action! Clad in nothing but shorts and a bird mask, Rakuro (player name: Sunraku) launches into the world of SLF. Things are going well at first as he takes down a goblin, a bunny, and even a python. But then Sunraku comes up against a huge, hard-hitting wolf known as Lycagon the Nightslayer. Will Sunraku’s years of ‘trash game’ experience be enough, or is he about to suffer a rude awakening just a few hours into his SLF adventure?” The series is available now from Kodansha International. What’s more, there’s already an anime adaptation series available on Crunchyroll — and YouTube has a preview.

image c. 2023 Kodansha International

Bok to the Future

Sometimes manga can go in marvelously strange directions. Like things go in Rooster Fighter by Shu Sakuratami. “The neighborhood cock of the walk is more than just an ordinary rooster — he’s humanity’s greatest defender! His opponents may be ten stories tall, but nothing is bigger than his stout heart and his fearsome battle cry — cock-a-doodle-doo!” You don’t say? Well that’s what Viz Media tell us anyhow! Several black & white issues are out now.

image c. 2023 Viz Media

Don’t Wisk the Wath of a Wizard!

Well thank you, Amazon! They pointed us at The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms, a black & white yaoi manga that’s written and illustrated by Nagabe. “Hidden away deep within the woods, far from the prying eyes of the world, lies the Wizdom’s School of Wizarding. There beasts of all kinds gather to live, to learn, and to love. From everyday animals to fantastical creatures, these BL stories are told with a realistic and light-hearted touch.” Somehow we missed this on its initial release, but it’s available now from Seven Seas.

image c. 2023 Seven Seas Entertainment

All the Violence You Can Bear

IDW Comics just sent us an announcement for Beneath The Trees Where Nobody Sees, a new “cozy horror” (what does that mean?) comic written and illustrated by Patrick Horvath. Set in a small town of anthropomorphic animals, it introduces us to a seemingly-nice middle-aged bear named Samantha. “In the tranquil and welcoming little town of Woodbrook, humanoid animals happily live in harmony. This cute community isn’t quite as calming as it seems, though. On the surface, Samantha is the friendly face who owns and manages the hardware store. But beneath the surface lies something more terrifying. She visits the nearby city to let her violent urges loose, and buries her victims in the woods… But what happens when the killing comes back to her harmonious home town and Samantha isn’t the only one unleashing her inner animal?” Hitting the stands this October, just in time for Halloween. Bleeding Cool (ha ha) has a preview. Make no mistake: This is harrowing stuff, and definitely not for younger readers.

image c. 2023 IDW Publishing

Raw Men

Hey, thanks! A new recommendation recently came across our desk: Ramen Wolf and Curry Tiger, a black & white manga written and illustrated by the creator known as Emboss. “Meet your new favorite food critics: A chubby wolf named Mita Jiro, and a ripped tiger named Yanagi Kagetora. Kagetora used to eat to live, but that changed when he met Jiro — who lives to eat! Jiro is more than happy to help his striped friend explore the restaurants and delicacies tucked within their city, and he enjoys all their finds with great relish. There’s nothing better than a hot meal to bring two (animal) people together in this deliciously illustrated story.” Comixology has sample pages to check out.

image c. 2023 Seven Seas

You Are Diversity Incarnate

BatCat is a new graphic novel for young readers, written and illustrated by Meggie Ramm. “Batcat loves being all alone in their home on Spooky Island. Up in their tree house, they pass the time playing video games and watching TV. But when Batcat suddenly finds themself haunted by an annoying, ice cream–stealing ghost, they visit the local Island Witch for a spell to remove their ghastly guest permanently! With their Ghost-B-Gone spell in hand, Batcat travels across Spooky Island to gather ingredients — to the Cavernous Caves where the bats tell them they’re too round to be a bat, and to the Whispering Cemetery where the cats will help only if they commit to being a true cat. But Batcat is neither, and that’s what makes them special, right? From up-and-coming author Meggie Ramm comes a sweet and fun story about accepting yourself when you’re perfectly in-between here and there.” Find it now at Abrams Books.

image c. 2023 Abrams Books