BIG GEMS FROM THE SMALL PRESS

What’s Up CHU? Mel the Movie guy here. I’m looking at some upcoming books and thought I’d share what I think would be some good books to pick up in the month of August, whether it be for good reads or just for spec. If you want to preorder these books the cutoff date is June 23rd
So here we go!
(Click on pics for bigger view)

Let’s start off with Zodiac Starforce– Dark Horse- Girl books are super-hot right now and this one should see some nice speculation in the up and coming months. I could definitely see some sort of Media deal in place for this in the future
An elite group of teenage girls with magical powers have sworn to protect our planet against dark creatures . . . as long as they can get out of class!
These high-school girls aren’t just combating math tests. They’re also battling monsters! But when an evil force infects leader Emma, she must work with her team to save herself—and the world—from the evil Diana and her mean-girl minions!
* A brand-new creator-owned series from Kevin Panetta (Bravest Warriors) and Paulina Ganucheau (TMNT: New Animated Adventures, Bravest Warriors).
* For fans of Sailor Moon, Buffy, and Lumberjanes!
“Zodiac Starforce is everything I want in a modern magical girl story—friendship, diversity, sweet battles and enviable costumes. Kevin and Paulina have crafted a both stunningly beautiful and heartfelt adventure series I honestly can’t wait to read.”—Kate Leth (Adventure Time: Seeing Red, Edward Scissorhands)

BOY-1 –IDW
This book has an interesting premise for all you SCI-FI fans out there
BOY-1 is set in a world after the completion of The Human Genome Project heralds a new age in science, medicine, and technology, but any form of human cloning has been deemed incompatible with society’s standard of ethics. It then goes on to explore what could happen if a group of intrepid researchers didn’t listen

The Beauty #1– Image –Again a very intriguing premise ,definitely interested in seeing how this plays out .(NOTE This was the winner of the pilot season award in 2011 ,and I believe an issue was released in 2011,could be something to look for on eBay just in case the book heats up)
THE PILOT SEASON WINNER RETURNS! Modern society is obsessed with outward beauty. What if there was a way to guarantee you could become more and more beautiful every day? What if it was a sexually transmitted disease? In the world of The Beauty, physical perfection is attainable. The vast majority of the population has taken advantage of it, but Detectives Foster and Vaughn will soon discover it comes at a terrible price. Writer/artist JEREMY HAUN (Constantine, Batwoman) and co-writer JASON A. HURLEY offer up a startling reflection on the cost of looking good in this procedural science fiction tale.”

AMERITOWN -BOOM Studios
(W) Bradford Winters (A) Daniel Irizarri (CA) Mike Choi
What’s to Love: Part social commentary, part family drama, Americatown asks: What if the American Dream were no longer possible? In their inaugural comic series, screenwriters Bradford Winters (Oz, Boss, Kings) and Larry Cohen (Phone Booth, Cellular), give us a story great for fans of Transmetropolitan, Hacktivist, and the TV show Black Mirror. What It Is: After an economic collapse, Americans are illegally emigrating to other countries to find work, creating ‘Americatowns’ wherever they go. Owen has a difficult time trying to sneak back into Buenos Aires in Argentina to rejoin his family; his struggle is just a small part of the hardships and conflicting agendas in an immigrant community trying to build itself in the shadow of a once great nation. ”

King– Jet City Comics- THIS SOUNDS LIKE A FUN BOOK
“(W) Joshua Hale Fialkov (A) Bernard Chang (CA) Bernard Chang, Marcelo Maiolo
From critically acclaimed writer Joshua Hale Fialkov (I, Vampire) and superstar artists Bernard Chang and Marcelo Maiolo (Green Lantern Corps) comes a post-apocalyptic Conan the Barbarian as directed by Sam Raimi circa Army of Darkness. King just wants what anybody wants: not to get fired, eaten, or forced to mate with a cheetah lady. As Earth’s sole human survivor after the apocalypse, life among Los Angeles’ strange, new populace ain’t easy. Working for the LA Department of Reclamation, King gets a lot of crappy jobs going on quests and searching for artifacts from the ‘old world,’ which can range from the mythical (Excalibur!) to the absurd (an iPod Shuffle). The work commute can be a real pain in the asphalt, the 405 freeway is filled with mutants, monsters, mayhem and tentacled Elder Gods. And that’s all before you hit the horrors of the San Fernando Valley. As the world’s freakish inhabitant’s battle for supremacy, King searches for the ‘seed of life,’ which may give Earth the second chance it probably doesn’t even deserve. ”

JOHN FLOOD #1– BOOM –JUSTIN JORDAN NEW BOOK
“(W) Justin Jordan (A) Jorge Coehlo (CA) Jorge Coelho
What’s to Love: Justin Jordan exploded onto the comic’s scene just four short years ago with The Strange Talent of Luther Strode and caught everyone by surprise. Now he brings us John Flood, a series that combines the metaphysical with the procedural in a way we think is really fresh. Joining him is Jorge Coelho, whose fantastic work on Polarity and Sleepy Hollow made him a BOOM! Favorite. Perfect for fans of Desolation Jones and Sherlock Holmes. What It Is: As the result of a government experiment, John Flood no longer needs to sleep, but now he’s in a constant dream state and sometimes can’t tell what’s real and what isn’t. But a side effect is that he sees patterns and makes connections no one else can, which serve him well in his new ‘career’ as a make-shift PI. Together with a burly ex-cop, Flood begins to investigate when he ‘sees’ one man responsible for thousands of unsolved murders, but now he himself has caught the killer’s attention…”
HONORABLE MENTION

Steam Wars BOUNTY HUNTER ONE SHOT–
WHY: BECAUSE BOUNTY HUNTERS ARE COOL
“(W/A) Ben Dunn, Joe Wight
Driven by greed, on the edge of the law, their business is blood. They are the killers, the assassins, the merciless trackers of the underworld, and if you’re their enemy, you’re probably dead. Remember, a bounty hunter only follows the Rule of Gold.”