Big Gems from the Small Press. Early August 2016 Edition

What’s Up CHU? Summer is winding down and it’s been a pretty active one for small press warriors such as myself, a ton of good reads have been released this summer. This month’s offerings have 2 dream team ups, 1 from a major publisher 1 from a small press, both of which I can’t wait to read. And a dark spin on the Fairy Tale world which is amazing. So grab your favorite beverage, and sit tight because we about to get this started.  If you want to pre-order these books from your local LCS cutoff date is Aug 23rd.

He-Man Thundercats #1
Description
(W) Rob David, Lloyd Goldfine (A/CA) Freddie Williams II
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe team up with the ThunderCats-the epic crossover event you’ve waited thirty years to see! In his ever-living desire to destroy the mighty ThunderCats, Mumm-Ra quests for a weapon that can rival the legendary Sword of Omens: He-Man’s Sword of Power! But his dimension-spanning scheme kick starts a cataclysmic crisis that will embroil heroes and villains-Masters, Mutants, and ThunderCats-in a mind-blowing six-part saga!
Item #: 1567239  • Diamond code: AUG160290  •  UPC: 76194134643400111
Why I love this: 30 years…I’ve been waiting for this for 30 years and IT’S here.. Rarely do I highlight books from the big 3 but I just had to showcase this…I remember when I had the toys and tried to make this match-up happen and it just didn’t work cause the Thundercats action figures were bigger than the He-man figures…and all it did was screw up my imagination. Now at last I can see what will go down as these two classic franchises meet

BIG TROUBLE LITTLE CHINA ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK #1
Description
(W) Greg Pak (A/CA) Daniel Bayliss
It’s the mother of all crossovers as Jack Burton and Snake Plissken meet for the first time ever anywhere!
Done with director John Carpenter’s complete blessing, witness this melee of the mullets as two cult classic characters made famous by actor Kurt Russell crossover in an improbable adventure. As lightning cascades around Jack and his good ol’ Pork-Chop Express, he finds himself transported and driving through the horrors of what seems to be the dystopian future of…Escape from New York.. Snake Plissken catches wind of Jack and goes on the hunt to find who is trying to steal his identity. Prepare for the road trip of a lifetime, with Jack and Snake rumblin’ down the streets of a dystopian future to find what craziness caused Jack to jump through worlds. Written by Greg Pak (Totally Awesome Hulk, Action Comics) and illustrated by Russ Manning Award nominee Daniel Bayliss (Kennel Block Blues, Translucid).
Item #: 1567598  • Diamond code: AUG161297  •  UPC: 84428400577701011
Why I Like It – Keeping with the theme of awesome team ups …Boom brings us two classic heroes played by one classic actor…Both these movies ae a staple for anyone that grew up in the 80’s and this comic will definitely be a barn burning great read and for the PC

WARLORDS OF APPALACHIA #1
Description
(W) Phillip Kennedy Johnson (A) Jonas Scharf (CA) Massimo Carnevale
Southern Bastards meets Dune in mid-21st century America. After the New Confederacy is crushed in a second Civil War, only Kentucky holds out, not recognizing U.S. sovereignty. This leads to a particularly brutal crackdown in a small mountain town called Red Rock, where a mechanic and reluctant folk hero named Kade Mercer rises up to become the first feudal warlord of Appalachia. Features 28 pages of story content.
Item #: 1567988  • Diamond code: AUG161302  •  UPC: 84428400575300111
Why I Like it: Wait Wait Wait did this description just say Southern Bastards meets Dune. SOLD!!!!!!! Should be an interesting read I look forward to it

TALES FROM THE SUICIDE FOREST
Description
(W) El Torres (A/CA) Fran Galan
The immense forest of Aokigahara lies in Japan, impressive in its beauty – and scary because of its legends and the many horror stories it harbors. This book contains two horrific ghost stories, complementing the graphic novel ‘The Suicide Forest’ by El Torres and Gabriel Hernández Walta, which will be released soon at Amigo Comics!
Item #: 1567951  • Diamond code: AUG161164  •  UPC: 60380399793700111
Why I Like it – AMIGO is among the best in the comic business at writing horror books, and quite frankly the premise of this book creeps me out already.

SPOOKHOUSE #1
Manufacturer/Publisher: Albatross Exploding Funny Book   (Release Date: 10/26/2016)
Description
(W/A/CA) Eric Powell
Eric Powell presents the first issue of an all new anthology series of scary camp fire tales for kids!
Item #: 1567934  • Diamond code: AUG161117  •  UPC: 64439163003500111
Why I like it: Eric Powell is a flat out super talented individual, I will even read his kid’s books. This one could have some long term legs

THE SKEPTICS #1 (MR)
Manufacturer/Publisher: Black Mask Comics   (Release Date: 10/26/2016)
Description
(W) Tini Howard (A/CA) Devaki Neogi
A stylish, political adventure about a pair of hip, clever teens who fool the world into believing they have superpowers. It is the 1960s. The Russians have the A-bomb, the H-bomb, and now the most terrifying weapon of all: a pair of psychically superpowered young people. Terrified and desperate, the US top brass scours from coast to coast in search of psychic Americans. Enter Dr. Isobel Santaclara, an eccentric illusionist and grifter who has recruited two teenagers and trained them to trick the US government, theRussians, and the whole world into believing they are dangerous psychics. The Skeptics is a pre-punk period piece, a sort of honest, unfuzzy, non-nostalgic look at the Cold War in DC.
Item #: 1567961  • Diamond code: AUG161292  •  UPC: 045778025619
Why I like it: The Premise is interesting, you guys know how I like new and fresh ideas, and I will give this a shot

GIRRION #1
Manufacturer/Publisher: Scout Comics   (Release Date: 10/26/2016)
Writer/Artist: Tom Lintern
Description
(W/A/CA) Tom Lintern
The next big Scout book has arrived! Girrion is a sweeping sci-fi fantasy story of a hero’s journey in a distant world and time, a saga told through the eyes of Jarra, a poor factory worker who dreams of escaping his world of endless toil. His wish comes true, though not in a way he would have ever wanted, when his city is attacked by a dark entity called the Halodron. He escapes the conflict, but only to be thrust into a war of other-worldly magic and weaponry!
Item #: 1567729  • Diamond code: AUG161857  •  UPC: 85999000234700111
Why I Like It: When the homie Drew Kim first told me about this book, I thought ohsure I’ll pick it up cause it’s a Scout Comics book and they have been KILLING it as of late…but when I looked more into the book I fell in love with the art and the first couple pages I seen of the story. Fact is even if this wasn’t from Scout I would have had this on my MUST HAVE list for the month of October. Great looking work

TESLA AND HYDE SCARY FAILS #1
Manufacturer/Publisher: Big City Comics   (Release Date: 10/26/2016)
Writer: Jeffrey Kaufman  •  Artist: Frederico Zumel
Description
(W) Jeffrey Kaufman (A) Frederico Zumel (CA) Franchesco
Since childhood, you have been lied to. The stories you were read were just part of a larger conspiracy to protect the reputations of truly evil people. Immortals, Edward Hyde and Nikola Tesla, hunt the worst of these ‘Scary Fails’. What happens in Vegas… sometimes ends in dismemberment – or worse?!
Item #: 1567956  • Diamond code: AUG161287  •  ISBN: 9781945653018
Why I Love it: I’m not guessing this book will be good. I, for a fact, know it IS good. I had the opportunity to preview this book a couple of months back, and let me tell you Jeffery Kaufman’s superb writing will have you not wanting to put the book down. I’m serious when I say that I went through the first couple of issues in a matter of minutes, the ending of each issue left me wanting to read more of the story. I highly recommend this book as it is a great read