Photo by Christopher Butcher
Want to try reading comics? Don’t know where to start? Want to try something different?
Wednesday is New Comics Day! Each week, The Comics Observer spotlights up to three brand new releases worthy of your consideration. All of these have been carefully selected as best bets for someone who has never read comic books, graphic novels or manga before. They each highlight the variety and creativity being produced today. These are also great for those that haven’t read comics in awhile or regular readers looking to try something new.
While we can’t guarantee you’ll like what we’ve picked, we truly believe there’s a comic for everyone. If you like the images and descriptions below, click the links to see previews and learn more about them. You can often buy straight from the publishers or creators. If not, head over to your local comic book store, check out online retailers like Things From Another World and Amazon, or download a copy at comiXology, or the comics and graphic novels sections of the Kindle Store or NOOK store. Let us know what you think in the comments below or on Facebook.
For a full list of this week’s new releases, see comiXology, ComicList.com and PREVIEWSworld.
(Please note these aren’t reviews. Recommendations are based on pre-release buzz, previews, and The Comics Observer‘s patented crystal ball. Product descriptions provided by publisher.)
Bad Machinery Vol. 1: The Case of the Team Spirit by John Allison
Bad Machinery: The Case of the Team Spirit
Written and illustrated by John Allison
Published by Oni Press
Genre: Mystery, Humor
Ages: 8+
112 pages
$19.99
Shauna. Charlotte. Mildred. Three schoolgirl sleuths.
Jack. Linton. Sonny. Three schoolboy investigators.
Tackleford. One mid-sized city with a history of countless mysteries.
Is there enough room at Griswalds Grammar School for two groups of kid detectives? There better be, because once these kids have set their sights on solving a mystery there’s nothing that can derail them. Nothing, except maybe gossip, classwork, new football player cards, torment from siblings, stolen jackets, teacher’s wives, or any number of childhood distractions.
Black Paths by David B.
Black Paths
Written and illustrated by David B.
Published by SelfMadeHero
Genre: Romance, Historical Fiction
Ages: 16+
128 pages
$24.95
“He tried to remain as invisible as possible in everything he did.”
1919 – the defeated Austro-Hungarian Empire is losing control of the city port of Fiume to pirates. A self-styled “Pirate King”, Gabriele d’Annunzio (poet, Italian war hero and Dadaist) storms the city with 3,000 loyal Italian foot soldiers. He declares Fiume a free Republic: a utopian city-state, with himself as Commander. The city soon descends into looting and surreal decadence, reminiscent of the last days of Rome with shades of the Fascist movement to come.
Amid this chaos, the beautiful Mina, a black-haired young singer, is lost in this city gone mad, consumed by a love affair with a young soldier. Haunted by the horror of the trenches, a soldier, Lauriano, hunts Fiume’s alleys in vain for the ghost that haunts his dreams.
Acclaimed comics artist David B. uses real post-World War I events as a backdrop and seamlessly weaves history, hysteria, and highly stylized art into the tragic love story of a beautiful torch singer and a young soldier haunted by the horrors of trench warfare.
Channel Evil by Alan Grant and Shane Oakley
Channel Evil
Written by Alan Grant
Illustrated by Shane Oakley
Published by Renegade Arts Entertainment
Genre: Horror
Ages: 18+
136 pages
$19.99
Jez Manson, slick chat show host, bites off more than he can chew when he channels an ancient source of evil live on prime time TV. Unleashing terror and carnage upon the world, Jez knows he’s on the edge of the abyss but the lure of fame and fortune is too strong.
Collects the 4 issue series, plus original and variant covers, 8 pages of sketches, plus a new 16-page strip ‘An Evening with Ba’al’ written by Alan Grant and illustrated by D’Israeli (Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Future Shocks).
