Hey there everyone! August’s here and with it a new collection of reviews and recommendations from our team to you. This month’s recommendations come courtesy of Sloane, Elise, Max, and Nick! So if you’re interested in hearing what we’re excited for this September, read on and check out what we found in the ole comic catalogs.

Reviews and Recommendations

September’s new series reviews and recommendations features an “evil” wizard, a return of an old DC series and a new Jeff Lemire tarot inspired series, just to name a few. As always - if you do see something you want to order just reach out to us via the subscription update form, or send us an email and we'll get your order processed. Also let us know if you read a review that really sparked your curiosity next time you're in the shop. Feedback is always appreciated and welcome.

Irving The Evil Wizard 

 

Aloha Comics

By Eugeen (writer and artist)

This book looks NUTS. Irving The Evil Wizard is a four part mini-series being billed as an adult fairytale full of drugs, debauchery and other equally disturbing D words! Originally published in Russia and credited to Kiyamov Zhenya, it is being republished and credited simply to “Eugeen” which I think already sets the tone for this colorful ridiculous romp. According to the original description of this book “Irving is 100% an evil wizard, and don't let his rosy cheeks and beady eyes fool you”, and when the Rainbow Kingdom is taken over by King Ominus, Irving is enlisted to help clean up the kingdom. How will King Ominus achieve this lofty goal you may ask? By retrieving none other than the former head of the Third Reich himself straight from the pits of hell, of course! 

This book has what the kids would call Big Goblin Energy (I don’t actually know if kids call it that but I am calling it that and I think Sloane will back me up on this) and it looks like its going to be irreverent, colorful, unpredictable, and most of all: laugh out loud funny. I for one can’t wait to see what wacky hijinks this totally (wink wink) evil wizard gets up to.

- Elise

The Autumn Kingdom

Oni Press

By Cullen Bunn (writer) and Christopher Mitten (artist)

Dark fantasy has really been on the up and up the last couple of years. People seem to yearn for that edgy yet sincere genre of bloodthirsty elves and angry fey. I love all of it. I’ve been recently getting my butt kicked by the new Elden Ring DLC (I’m writing this in June) and the idyllic yet horrifying landscape of the Lands Between has me hankering for more. Luckily, we have this new comic coming in September!

The story follows a family taking a vacation in an idyllic cabin at the edge of a lush Swedish forest. While the father of the family finishes his new novel, sisters Sommer and Winter happen upon a garden of fantastical statues and an ancient sword that exudes a bad vibe. After returning home, something sinister viciously snatches their parents in the night. Thus begins the sisters' quest to save their parents in the Autumn Kingdom!

- Max

Batman the Long Halloween: The Last Halloween

 

DC Comics

By Jeph Loeb (writer) and Eduardo Risso (artist) with cover art by Tim Sale (just issue 1)

Loads of people, myself included, count Batman: the Long Halloween as one of the big bat-stories. It’s got it all - the whole rogue’s gallery, a new rogue origin story, a mystery, stellar art and top notch writing. And DC is not one to let a story this good rest on its laurels. Multiple sequels later, it felt like the story had run its course, but in 2021, Jeph Loeb wrote a one-shot that sets up this series final act, and that story begins. We don’t have a ton of info yet about this I nonetheless excited to see what Loeb’s got in store for us. We sadly don’t have Tim Sale with us anymore, but Eduardo Risso is the right artist to follow in his footsteps.

- Nick

PS - If you missed the 2021 short, there’s a Long Halloween / Last Halloween #0 that’s reprinting it coming out shortly before the main event. We didn’t order as many of it as the first issue though, so ask us to set one aside if it’s something you’re interested in!

Minor Arcana

 

BOOM! Studios

By Jeffy BOY (writer/artist)

According to Boom Studios, JEFF LEMIRE HAS ARRIVED! 

He’s pulled up to the function READY TO CAST SPELLS. 

He’s been pulling cards from his Tarot Deck and he’s READY TO TELL YOU ABOUT IT.

MISTER PHANTOM FISHFLIES THE BLACK HAMMER HAS DESCENDED UPON THE MASSES TO BRING YOU MYSTIC ANGST.

And I’m excited about it!

This new ongoing series follows Theresa, who has begrudgingly returned to her hometown to take care of her ailing fake psychic of a mother. But as she spends more time with her mother and the people of the town that raised her, she discovers that the magic her mother peddled might be more real than she thought (gasp!).

I’m a sucker for stories like this. I love characters addressing trauma and reconciling with their past, not ready for forgiveness. This comic also seems to be one of my favorite genres, rural surrealism! I adore when the weird magical stuff happens to the people of small towns!

Hype.

- Max

Storm 

Marvel

By Murewa Ayodele (writer) and Lucas Werneck (artist)

Look I know I’ve talked about the new X-line before so just hear me out. If there is a character of the Krakoan Age that truly stood out, it was Ororo Munroe. Storm has had the benefit of some of the best writers in the industry backing her up in the last 5 years, and she has truly truly come into her own right now. Not just as a team leader, or an omega level mutant, but as a goddess. And I can’t think of a better artist / writer team to lead her into a new solo series than this one. I think the choice of writer is an excellent one, and Lucas Werneck has already drawn the heck out of her before. I am all about this series and I hope you’re hype for it too!

- Nick

One-Shots & Graphic Novels

New comic series not your bag? That’s okay! We’ve got a few new fun one-shot comics and new graphic novels here for your perusal too. This month features a couple of excellent educational resources, a thrilling teddy bear adventure, a manga that Max is very excited to talk about, and a double feature from Elise! Enjoy!

Abortion Pill Zine

 

Silver Sprocket

By Isabella Rotman, Sage Coffey & Marnie Galloway

As access to abortion care becomes an increasingly fraught issue in this country, it’s rarely been as important to make sure you’re educated on the topic. This short, 40-page zine provides a handy reference for questions like: “What options are available for medical abortion?” “How do they work?” “How can I access them?” and “What should I expect the process to be like?” The book’s friendly artwork and non-judgemental tone make it a perfect resource for anyone who needs to know about medicated abortion, for whatever reason. A great book to keep on hand just in case, either for yourself or if someone you know ends up needing it.

- Sloane

A Quick and Easy Guide to Coming Out 

Oni Press

By Kristen Russo (writer) and Ravi Teixeira (artist)

Coming out can be hard. Trust me, I’ve had to do it a lot in the last thirty something years. Between being concerned that you might change someone’s perception of you, or even not be accepted at all, it can be a hugely stressful situation. Luckily for us, and our loved ones who are struggling to find the words to tell others who they truly are, this newest Quick and Easy Guide has us covered.

Like previous titles in the series, like A Quick and Easy Guide to They/Them Pronouns or A Quick and Easy Guide to Asexuality, this book is design to explain a part of the queer experience in simple and easy to understand terms, either to help folks figuring out their own identities, or to help their loved ones to understand. They’re pocket sized and easy to carry around, and are cheap enough on their own (or in bundles) that they’re easy to hand to folks who you think might need them. I can think of at least a few people in my life who’ll be getting copies of this one in the mail when it comes out this fall.

- Sloane

Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees

IDW

By Patrick Horvath (writer and artist)

There’s a truism in comics retailing - you will fail to order a comic series correctly a lot. You will miss something that is truly fantastic from time to time. That’s the story with Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees. We ordered it on a whim (literally I think it was returnable?), and what showed up was some seriously good @#$%. It went to second, third, fourth, and even a fifth printing for the first issue, which was unheard of for a book that we initially ordered maybe 10-12 of?

This book is what happens when the Busy World of Richard Scarry meets Dexter. We’re talking lovable small town full of critters just having a perfect little idyllic world…completely not knowing that their town plays host to a serial killer in form of genial hardware store owner Samantha Strong. Samantha’s careful - cautious to an extreme and she's managed to live unnoticed there for a long time. Until someone less cautious decides to upend all of that. 

So...if you have been drafting the heck out of Bloomburrow lately and maybe wondered to yourself "hmm, which one of these cute lil guys is the serial killer?" This book is for you!

- Nick

Guy She was Interested in wasn’t a Guy at All

Yen Press

By Sumiko Arai (w/a)

I’ve been waiting for this for years. This has been my most anticipated English release since 2021. This is one of my FAVORITE Romance comics, ever. Period, bar none, end of sentence.

Safe to say, I’m very normal about it. >:-)

The manga started out as a Twitter (sorry, X) webcomic in 2021. It was a simple story about two girls falling in love over their mutual adoration for alternative music (also one of them mistook the other for a hot emo guy). It ended up being so popular that it eventually got serialized in 2022 and was released physically in Japan last year. I’ve been reading poorly translated scans on the internet for the last 3 years, but now I (as well as you hopefully) can support the creator directly!

The story is cute, the art is beautiful, the colors are lime green and only lime green, the characters are gay, and Car Seat Headrest is mentioned multiple times. WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR? 

- Max

My Dear Pierrot and Lost Letters

 

Magnetic Press

By Jim Bishop (writer and artist)

This is a bit of a two for one because I need to tell you about two books from Jim Bishop and trying to separate them from each other doesnt make sense. My Dear Pierrot and Lost Letters are two gorgeous Studio Ghibli inspired stories that the author considers companion pieces. He calls them the first two installments in “the child’s trilogy” and they both focus on different aspects of growing up and different transitions into adulthood. Lost Letters explores grief where My Dear Pierrot explores love. In both stories there is a throughline of transition and loss of innocence. 

Lost Letters was originally published a few years ago in France to widespread acclaim. It focuses on the story of Iode who lives on an island coinhabited by humans and fish who live on land. Iode is waiting for an important letter which seems to be perpetually delayed and leading him to travel into town to investigate. Along the way he encounters the courier of a mysterious package and his world is turned upside down. 

In My Dear Pierrot Cléa is a young noblewoman with her whole life laid out before her standing on the verge of throwing it all away. After she meets a charming street musician Pierrot and is swept off her feet by all the wonders of a life she’s never known. This hauntingly beautiful fairytale romance takes a dark turn as Cléa questions if she is truly following a path of self-determination or if she has been ensnared in Pierrot’s magical web. 

Jim Bishop has sighted Hayao Miyazaki and Osamu Tezuka as major inspirations of his and I think that really shows through in the bright whimsical art and nostalgic slightly somber tone of these books. The preview panels and pages I can find for these two are absolutely bursting with color and movement. As a certified Peter Pan kid who never wanted to grow up, I just know I’m going to sob my way through these.

I’ve been unbelievably excited for these books since I heard about them a few months ago through a crowdfunding campaign the publisher put out. When I saw them in the table of contents in Previews I dropped everything and furiously tore through pages until I found them (it’s page 395 by the way). All of this to say, I’m counting the days til these are in my hands and I hope you will be too.

- Elise

And that's it for our September look aheads! Next month's look aheads should be up by early-mid September for October. Thanks for reading, and if you saw something you wanted to add to your pull (or want to start a subscription for the book), use our handy little google form and submit that request! We'll get right on that.