(Graphic) Novel Ideas

Absolute Carnage

Marvel Comics

Donny Cates, Ryan Stegman

Paint the town red… blood red! Carnage, the psychotic offspring of Venom, has returned – and he plans to slaughter everyone who’s ever worn a symbiote!

Cletus Kasady has skirted the periphery of the Marvel Universe for months, but now he stands poised to make his grand return to New York – and he’s more powerful than ever! To make matters worse, a new player is on the board, and it’s not who you’d expect!

Spider-Man and Venom must face down Carnage’s madness, but things aren’t looking good. Barely able to escape with their lives, the uneasy allies have no choice but to drag a slew of other heroes into Carnage’s crosshairs. And the hard truth is that not everybody will make it out of this conflict in one piece… if they make it out at all!

Collecting Absolute Carnage #1-5.

Berserker Unbound

Dark Horse Comics

Jeff Lemire, Mike Deodato

A merciless sword and sorcery warrior finds himself blasted through a wormhole to a modern day metropolis where he must protect those around him from an evil wizard determined to send him to hell.

From the Eisner Award-winning team of Jeff Lemire, Mike Deodato Jr, and Frank Martin, comes this urban warrior fantasy series!

Collecting issues #1-4 of Berserker Unbound and featuring a sketchbook section and pinups by Mike Mignola, Andrea Sorrentino, Dustin Nguyen, and more!

Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn

DC Comics

Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palmiotti, Chad Hardin, Stephane Roux, Tula Lotay

When Gotham’s favorite sociopath inherits a building on the famous Coney Island boardwalk, she feels right at home in the (literal) freakshow. Unfortunately, the legion of bounty hunters after the price on her head seem to know it, too. Who else but Harley Quinn could handle all that Brooklyn’s criminal underbelly has to offer – Russian spies, senior citizens, and rival roller derby teams included – and still have time for a double chili dog!

Collects Harley Quinn #1-7 and Harley Quinn: Future’s End #1 and a story from Secret Origins #4.

Black Cat Vol.1: Grand Theft Marvel

Marvel Comics

Jed Mackay, Nao Fuji, Travel Foreman, J Scott Campbell

The Black Cat is back! Felicia Hardy has a taste for the finer things in life and a certain set of skills that can get her into any mansion, vault or museum to… procure them. But now Felicia’s on the run from the New York Thieves Guild and their boss, Odessa Drake! Prepare for high-octane heists, climactic chases and twists to keep you on the edge of your seat!

The Black Cat prides herself on being able to break into anywhere – but does that include Doctor Strange’s Sanctum Sanctorum? In a magical place where any wrong turn might mean death, it will take an insane amount of luck just to get out alive. But getting out with the loot is even more difficult!

Collecting Black Cat #1-5.

Boys (Omnibus) Vol.6

Dynamite

Garth Ennis, Russell Braun, John McCrea, Darick Robertson

It’s been a long time coming. When the Homelander finally sets an army of superheroes against the forces of the United States military, Billy Butcher and The Boys must finish the job they were recruited for: to take every superhero out of the picture. While the battle rages on the White House lawn, Frenchie and the Female are unleashed, Mother’s Milk uncovers a terrible secret at Vought-American, and Wee Hughie discovers the senses-shattering truth behind Butcher’s ultimate plan of vengeance.

Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson proudly present the final, bloodiest chapter of The Boys.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Vol.2

Boom! Studios

Jordie Bellaire, David Lopez, Marc Aspinall

Buffy Summers, the Slayer – the Chosen One meant to save the world from the literal evil forces of hell – must save her friend Xander before he dies and returns as a vampire.

As Giles and Willow each take drastic measures to find a cure, Buffy faces off against a new enemy.

Eisner Award-nominated writer Jordie Bellaire (Redlands) and artist David Lopez (Captain Marvel) present the next chapter of the fearless pop culture reimagining that generated headlines worldwide.

Collects Buffy the Vampire Slayer #5-8.

Corto Maltese: Ballad of the Salty Sea

IDW Publishing

Hugo Pratt

Celebrate this milestone in the history of graphic novels, winner of the world’s first-ever “Best Graphic Novel” award, taking the prize in 1976 at the Angoulême Fesitval.

Originally serialized beginning in 1967, this book is universally acknowledged as Hugo Pratt’s masterpiece, in which he introduces Corto Maltese to the world. Corto is but one of a strong ensemble cast of characters whose lives permeate the entire 12-book series. It is here that we also meet the young and beautiful Pandora, her brother Cain, the mysterious criminal mastermind Monk, the grim and ferocious Rasputin, Lieutenant Slutter of the German Navy, and the natives Skull and Tarao. The Ballad of the Salty Sea is also hailed as the first example of the literary comic strip.

Pratt was inspired by Conrad, Stevenson, and London, but even more directly by Henry de Vere Stacpool’s Blue Lagoon, from which the author got the idea of a small island in the Pacific which he named “Escondida.”

Crow / Hack/Slash Vol.1

IDW Publishing

Tim Seeley, Jim Terry

One seeks revenge from beyond the grave, the other puts slashers in the grave! Cassie Hack crosses over into the world of The Crow in this graphic novel mashup.

The crow flies. A soul is brought back. But something is wrong.

Angeles Cero won’t stop killing on her quest for revenge, and the bodies are piling up. Now, slasher hunter Cassie Hack and her monstrous partner Vlad are on the trail of the Crow Killer, assuming her to be one of the masked murderers they’ve hunted for years. But they aren’t the only force trying to make the universe right again. Can the legendary killer of undead killers stomach working side by side with the one thing she hates the most?

Five Years Vol.1: Fire in the Sky

Abstract Studios

Terry Moore

Five nations have secretly acquired the formula to build a bomb that will destroy the most common element in the universe, Hydrogen. Worried about what will happen when the news breaks, Katchoo and Francine have moved their family to a remote location with Sam (Motor Girl) as their bodyguard while Tambo employs the services of Rachel and Zoe (Rachel Rising) to gather information in Russia. When things go horribly wrong, Katchoo must make a difficult choice: spend what time is left with her family or join the fight to stop humanity’s extinction.

Five Years is the series from Eisner Award winner Terry Moore that brings all the characters in the Terryverse together for an epic story and high stakes adventure!

Harleen

DC Comics

Stejpan Sejic

It’s been months since Dr. Harleen Quinzel began interviewing criminals at Arkham Asylum, and she’s having strange dreams about one of them in particular: The Joker. What starts off as nightmares will soon evolve into fantasies. Despite warnings from the Dark Knight himself, she’s utterly fascinated by this man who seems the perfect expression of her theory; who says all the things she needs to hear; who seems to know her better than she knows herself.

Harleen is a bold new reimagining of the origin of one of DC’s most beloved characters, as envisioned by writer/artist Stjepan Sejic.

Collects Harleen #1-3.

Klaus: New Adventures of Santa Claus

Boom! Studios

Grant Morrison, Dan Mora

Luminary author Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman, Happy!) and Eisner Award-nominated illustrator Dan Mora (Go Go Power Rangers) bring their lauded reinvention of Santa Claus fully into the 21st century with two modern tales of Klaus saving Christmas from sinister threats that span dimensions.

Collects Klaus and the Witch of Winter and Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville.

Manor Black

Dark Horse Comics

Cullen Bunn, Brian Hurtt, Tyler Crook

Roman Black is the moribund patriarch of a family of powerful sorcerers. As his wicked and corrupt children fight over who will take the reins of Manor Black and become representative of the black arts, Roman adopts a young mage whom he gifts his powers to with the hope that someone good will take his place against the evil forces out to bring down his family and legacy.

Collects Manor Black #1-4 and features a sketchbook section and pinup art by Jill Thompson, Dan Brereton, Erica Henderson, and Greg Smallwood.

Over My Dead Body

Image Comics

Jay Faerber, Simone Guglielmini, Gigi Baldassini, Ron Riley, Jacob Phillips

A prison warden’s daughter has fallen in with a separatist militia, and the warden’s only chance to rescue her is his most dangerous inmate: the notorious contract killer, Markham. Markham claims that a near-death experience convinced him to atone for his past sins, and to start saving lives instead of taking them. This may be Markham’s one last shot at redemption. But is he ready to die for that shot?

A fast-paced, pulpy thriller for fans of Jack Reacher and John Wick, Over My Dead Body is an all-new original graphic novel featuring characters from the acclaimed Near Death comic book series.

Rascal

IDW Publishing – Top Shelf

Jean-Luc Deglin

When a mysterious mewling package arrives in the mail, one busy young woman’s life changes forever. Rascal lives up to his name, filling every day with wild adventures and long naps: brave expeditions into closets, fierce battles with curtains, and wrestling with slumbering giants… Sometimes she’s tempted to throw him out the window. He’s lucky he’s cute.

Over 128 pages, Jean-Luc Deglin paints a purring portrait of one unforgettable black cat, an elegant inky swirl in a world of striking blue tones. Hilarious and heartwarming, exasperating and enchanting, Rascal captures the full range of emotions that come with keeping God’s cutest killing machine as a pet.

If you love cats, or dream of having one, this book is dedicated to you. Once you bring Rascal into your life, you’ll wonder how you ever lived without him.

Sea of Stars Vol.1

Image Comics

Jason Aaron, Dennis Hallum, Stephen Green, Rico Renzi

Being a space trucker may sound like a cool job, but in reality it can be boring as hell. So when recently widowed Gil gets a long-haul gig across the universe, he figures it’s safe enough to bring his young son Kadyn along for the ride. But when their “big rig” gets bitten in half by a gigantic Space Leviathan, Gil is separated from his young son – with a breached suit that’s venting oxygen at an alarming rate. He’ll have to defy the odds and stay alive long enough to rescue Kadyn. But Kadyn seems to be getting all the help he needs from a talking Space Monkey riding a Space Dolphin… or maybe it’s the strange powers he’s suddenly manifesting.

From the writing duo of Jason Aaron (Southern Bastards, Thor) and Dennis Hallum (Cloak and Dagger, Vader: Dark Visions), with dazzling art by Stephen Green (Hellboy and the B.P.R.D.) and cosmic colors by Rico Renzi (Spider-Gwen) comes an intense, galaxy-spanning adventure with all the scope and heart of the The Neverending Story crossed with imaginative weirdness of Miyazaki.

Collects Sea of Stars #1-5.

Shadow of the Batgirl

DC Comics

Sarah Kuhn, Nicole Goux

Cassandra Cain, teenage assassin, isn’t exactly Batgirl material… not yet, at least. But with Batgirl missing from Gotham City, can Cassandra defy her destiny and take on a heroic mantle of her very own? She’ll have to go through an identity crisis of epic proportions to find out.

After a soul-shattering moment that sends Cass reeling, she’ll attempt to answer this question the only way she knows how: learning everything she possibly can about her favorite hero – Batgirl. But Batgirl hasn’t been seen in Gotham for years, and when Cass’s father threatens the world she has grown to love, she’ll have to step out of the shadows and overcome her greatest obstacle – that voice inside her head telling her she can never be a hero.

Sarah Kuhn, author of Heroine Complex and I Love You So Mochi, takes on one of her favorite heroes for a new audience of readers. Featuring the edgy art style of Nicole Goux, Shadow of the Batgirl tells the harrowing story of a girl who overcomes the odds to find her unique identity.

Star Wars: Original Trilogy (Movie Adaptations)

Marvel Comics

Roy Thomas, Archie Goodwin, Howard Chaykin, Al Williamson, Adi Granov

The classic Marvel adaptations of all three films in the original Star Wars trilogy, collected in one blockbuster volume – fully remastered for the modern age by colorist Chris Sotomayor!

Relive the events of A New Hope, The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi as the timeless saga of Luke Skywalker and his rebel allies battling the Empire and its ruthless enforcer Darth Vader unfold in action-packed style – including scenes that never made the silver screen!

Travel from the desert world of Tatooine, to the ice planet Hoth, to the forest moon of Endor on an unforgettable journey across the galaxy – one that’s far, far away and a long time ago!

May the Force be with you, in the mighty Marvel manner!

Collecting Star Wars (1977) #1-6 and #39-44 and Star Wars: Return of the Jedi #1-4.

Stranger Things: Zombie Boys Vol.1

Dark Horse Comics

Greg Pak, Valeria Favoccia, Ron Chan

It’s spring in the normally quiet town of Hawkins, Indiana. Mike, Lucas, Dustin, and Will are still grappling with the traumatic encounters with the Demogorgon and the Upside Down in season one of the hit Netflix series. As tensions rise and fractures begin to form in the group, a new kid shows up to AV club with a Betamax Camcorder and a vision. The new Spielberg-wannabe friend, Joey Kim, wants to make a zombie horror movie based on Will’s drawings, and in the process they come to terms with the real horrors they’ve already faced.

An all-ages story following the events of season one of the popular Netflix show!

Transformers / Ghostbusters Vol.1: Ghosts of Cybertron

IDW Publishing

Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, Nick Roche

After years of civil war, the Autobots fled Cyberton, leaving their home planet in the evil clutches of Megatron and his Decepticons. Years later and millions of miles away, the Autobots pick up a Cybertronian distress signal from a mysterious planet called Earth. The ghostly signal shouldn’t exist, and it’ll bring Optimus Prime and his team – including brand-new Autobot Ectotron – face-to-face with… the Ghostbusters!

Wes Anderson’s Isle of Dogs

Dark Horse Comics

Minetaro Mochizuki

This manga, adapted from the film by legendary director Wes Anderson, features a new take on the story about the banished bowsers of trash island. Here we follow a young orphan boy and his dog Spots on an adventure that all fans of the film will want to follow.

Written and drawn by cult manga icon Minetaro Mochizuki of Dragon Head fame and now available in English for the very first time, and presented in a deluxe hardcover format, this is the perfect gift for all fans of Wes Anderson, dogs, and manga alike.

Zatanna and the House of Secrets

DC Comics

Matthew Cody, Yoshi Yoshitani

Welcome to the magical, mystical, topsy-turvy world of the House of Secrets, where Zatanna embarks on a journey of self-discovery and adventure… all with her pet rabbit, Pocus, at her side.

Zatanna and her stage magician father live in a special house, the House of Secrets, which is full of magic, puzzles, mysterious doors, and storybook creatures – it’s the house everyone in the neighborhood talks about but avoids. Not that Zatanna cares, though, because she is perfectly content.

But at school one day, Zatanna stands up to a bully and everything changes – including her friends. Suddenly, Zatanna isn’t so sure about her place in the world, and when she returns home to tell her father, he’s gone missing, lost within their own home.

With thrilling twists from writer Matthew Cody and dazzling artwork by Yoshi Yoshitani, Zatanna and the House of Secrets will delight readers at the turn of every page – and the opening of every door!