October 6, 2015 by joshuaon

THE SHAMAN IS HERE

SUPERNATURAL GRAPHIC NOVEL SHAMAN SUMMONS COMEDY FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE

In what editor Andrew Carl calls, “perhaps the greatest comic ever about a single father necromancer,” New York writer Ben Kahn and Barcelona artist Bruno Hidalgo have teamed up to bring their debut creator-owned graphic novel to stores.

In a universe populated by superheroes and megalomaniacal villains, death is nothing more than a temporary nuisance. A hero makes a noble sacrifice only to come back seven months later thanks to an implausible story contrivance. But what if resurrection was the domain of one, unpredictable man? That is the question Shaman seeks to answer.

Shaman collects five chapters of witty and wild adventures in an urban-fantasy setting. Comicosity writes, “Shaman will stretch the limits of your imagination and provide a poignantly sharp and thoughtful presentation on superhero absurdity that fans of Constantine and The Venture Brothers will be easily drawn to.” Ben and Bruno set the Shaman and his adoptive family against an imaginative array of villains, from skeletons and space heroes, to zombies and baseball monsters. Shaman is a gleeful dismemberment of superhero tropes that follows the one man in control of superhero comics’ infamous revolving door of death.

Now, Locust Moon Press is ready to unleash this creation upon the world. Shaman is available in stores everywhere. The 132-page graphic novel features art by Farel Dalrymple, Alice Meichi Li, Rob Woods, JG Jones, James Comey, and Jim Rugg.

Kahn imbues Shaman with energy and wit. He crafts tales of imaginative characters on mind-bending adventures. And it is in Hidalgo’s deft hands that the book comes alive. Thanks to Hidalgo’s unique style, Shaman bursts at the seams with charm and character.

Shaman is available now in stores (DIAMOND CODE JUL151468), through www.locustmoon.com, and via the spirit realm.

Bruno Hidalgo is a Spanish illustrator and cartoonist. He’s the co-creator of Shaman and has had his work featured in Dark Horse’s Once Upon A Time Machine.

Ben Kahn is a New York based writer. He is the co-creator of Shaman and a writer on several mobile adventure games. The graphic novel represents Ben’s comic-making debut.

Ben Kahn is available for interviews and press appearances. Contact him at kahanartist@gmail.com or 203.644.2522.

Trade cover by Farel Dalrymple

Issue 1 cover by Bruno Hidalgo

Issue 3 cover by JG Jones

Issue 5 cover by Jim Rugg

May 7, 2014 by joshuaon

The Locust Moon Top 40: April 2014

40. ALL NEW X-MEN #25

An all-star line-up of creators beautifies this anniversary issue of Brian Bendis’ goofily fun stab at adding to the X-mythos.

39. Compendium of Comic Maps

Every comic (and every book) should start with a map. Delving into this wealth of literary cartography, it’s easy to imagine that they do.

38. DARKSEID MINUS NEW GODS

Remember Garfield Minus Garfield? Imagine that, juiced with the Anti-Life Equation.

37. SEX CRIMINALS

Matt Fraction & Chip Zdarsky bring an oddball eroticism to this supernatural sex-caper comedy, a generally gleeful creativity that springs from their ultimate turn-on: the expressive freedom of creator-owned comics.

36. MoCCAFest 2014

Another MoCCAFest, another inspiring celebration of comics & craftsmanship, this one presided over by a Staypuft-Marshmallow-Man-Scale Charlie Brown balloon, and featuring well-deserved awards for Locust Moon contributors and our pals Alexandra Beguez & Dave Plunkert.

Continue reading →

January 28, 2014 by Andrew

Tuesday Tease

We’re inching closer to the release of Quarter Moon issue 3, the “erotic” entry in our quarterly comics & illustration magazine. It’s off at the printer now, and will be gracing our shelves come Valentine’s Day.

Well, I don’t think we’ve announced this yet, but the incomparable JG Jones decided to join in on the sexy fun we’re all having, and painted this beautiful — and maybe sort of ominous — pinup for us. Here’s Bettie…

We’ve also been helping JG put together an art book that we’ll publish, collecting all the most stunning pieces in his many, many, many notebooks full of pencil sketches and watercolor studies.

This is the kind of stuff we’ve been finding page after page of, often drawn at seemingly impossibly small scales. You can’t imagine how hard it is to narrow these things down to just the “best.”

– Andrew Carl

January 14, 2014 by Andrew

Tuesday Tease

With Valentine’s Day exactly a month away, we couldn’t pass up the chance to tease a little more of our Quarter Moon for lovers, issue #3.

Last week (link!) we showed off the first of its beautiful interior pages (by Alexandra Beguez), and laid out the stories you’ll be reading in this “erotic” installment of our quarterly anthology.

This week we’ve decided to reveal ONE of our cover artists, and slip you just the tip of the carnal iceberg that is his cover. Quarter Moon #3 will in fact have two covers, a reversible affair (unlike the affairs within). And each of them will knock you out.

So welcome he of Blades & Lazers, Lincoln Washington: Free Man, and Night Business fame, Benjamin Marra! What in hell has this guy gotten himself into? You’re gonna have to wait and see the full cover to figure that one out…

– Andrew Carl

July 10, 2013 by joshuaon

good this week

the true lives of the fabulous killjoys #2 : the first issue killed it. looking forward to getting deeper into this world.

hawkeye volume #2 : the second collection of this rock solid series has the much-talked about ‘pizza dog’ issue, which came out two short weeks ago, included. that’s gotta be some kind of record.

the comedian hardcover : the BEFORE WATCHMEN books have taken a lot of heat, rightfully so i believe, but this book is a fine look into the life of the character i think is the most interesting new character of the last 25 years.

the invincible haggard west #101 : this little chunk of paul pope’s upcoming BATTLING BOY is pure comics gold. pope kills every aspect of making a good comic, and i cannot wait to read the whole shebang.

the best of ec comics artist edition : a true treasure trove of amazing, inspiring comic book art.

–chris stevens

June 19, 2013 by Andrew

Locust Moon Comics Festival 2013

This October, the LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL returns! If you want to find more info on the festival, its guests, and its programming, check out the Locust Moon Comics Festival website. And if you’re an artist, creator, or publisher yourself, you can apply for a table at the event. But before all that, check out the wonderful poster Rob Woods whipped up for the occasion:

On Saturday, October 5^th, Locust Moon Comics will host the second LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL, an annual celebration of comics, illustration, and graphic arts, to be held at the Rotunda in West Philadelphia (4014 Walnut Street).

Building on last year’s event, this year’s iteration will feature more than twice as many creators in a larger, more versatile space, and add an expansive schedule of programs including workshops, panels, and discussions on the art, business, and history of comics. More than just a convention, this unique event will honor comic creators and comic creations. The emphasis will be on independent and creator-owned books, as the Rotunda will play host to some of the most distinguished and acclaimed artists, writers, and publishers in the comics world.

The LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL will boast a variety of local Philadelphia talent such as J.G. Jones (Final Crisis), Robert Woods (36 Lessons in Self-Destruction), James Comey (Donkey Punch), and Box Brown (Everything Dies), alongside acclaimed cartoonists from across North America including Farel Dalrymple (Pop Gun War), Chrissie Zullo (Cinderella), Todd Klein (Fables), Tom Scioli (Gødland), Michael Kupperman (Tales Designed to Thrizzle), and Benjamin Marra (Lincoln Washington: Free Man).

The festival will be an all-day affair on Saturday (10am to 6pm), as a cornucopia of publishers and creators vend their wares, sign books, and greet fans. A number of artists will debut festival-exclusive prints, and several will debut new books, including Robert Woods’ 36 LESSONS IN SELF-DESTRUCTION, the long-awaited complete collection of DEPRESSED PUNX mini-comics. While the festival itself takes place on Saturday, events and festivities at Locust Moon Comics will spill across the weekend, including a Drink & Draw, 36 LESSONS book release party, and post-con pancake breakfast.

“This new annual tradition is our way of recognizing and celebrating the huge variety of unique, independent voices in the world of comics,” says Locust Moon co-owner Josh O’Neill. “We want to exalt the infinite possibilities of the medium and acknowledge the intrepid talents that restlessly explore and expand its edges.”

Locust Moon Comics is a retail store, art gallery, and publishing company based in West Philadelphia. This event is the most recent of their many efforts to unify, accelerate, and publicize the burgeoning Philadelphia comic book scene.

Find further information about the event and more guests as they’re announced on the LOCUST MOON COMICS FESTIVAL website (locustmoonfest.com), Facebook (facebook.com/locustmoonfest), and Twitter (twitter.com/locustmoonfest).

May 2, 2013 by joshuaon

The Locust Moon Top 40

40. Unwritten vol. 7

Just when you expect Gross & Carey’s literary-metaphysical magnum opus to start buckling down and wrapping up, it gets headier and wilder.

39. Waking Sleeping Beauty

An absolute love song to the guys who resurrected Disney’s majesty after a muddled, disappointing ’80s. The Howard Ashman stuff is inspiring and tragic.

38. Foxing Quarterly

Art directed by Jim Rugg, this might be the best-looking zine we have ever seen.

37. James Ensor

The powerful works of this turn-of-the-century Belgian expressionist can be seen at the MoMA. The combination of tiny, obsessive detail with big, broad gestures reminded us of our own David Proch.

36. TCAF

We’re headed north again as the Time Machine travels across the border. Now if we could just find our passports…

35. Print Show

Instead of featuring one particular artist, in May we’re filling the gallery with beautiful low-priced prints from our books and our friends. Our buddies sure do make some pretty pictures here…

34. IDW’s Spirit Artist’s Edition

Now that’s the spirit! Continue reading →

April 25, 2013 by joshuaon

good this week

a pretty great week for comics — covers especially. there are some great images jumping off the new comics wall. marvel especially is doing a great job with their covers — even some of their less-notable books, like X-MEN LEGACY and MORBIUS THE LIVING VAMPIRE feature consistently stunning covers.

covers aside, here’s what we’re excited about this week.

comedian #6: azarello and local legend j.g. jones literally end this story with a bang. a twisted trip into the mind of one of comics’ most impenetrable characters. i have a feeling this thing will read a lot better in the collection than it did month to month. as it is, jones’ beautiful & elegant linework carried us through a ramshackle origin story.

B.P.R.D. Vampire #2: ba & moon continue their loving homage to their spiritual forefather mr. mignola. two of comics very best young artists, working at the very tip top of their game. not to be missed.

jupiter’s legacy: not much besides set-up in this hotly anticipated debut issue, but it’s a pretty good set-up. and damn if frank quitely doesn’t draw some pretty pictures.

five ghosts #2: not much to say about this besides that it rolls along with its greasy retro-adventure energy, playing it straight and doing justice to its gloriously goofball concept. you might forget about it five minutes after you read it, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t time well spent.

foxing #2: collecting poetry, illustration, comics, fiction, and whatever other cool shit they can get their hands on, jim rugg’s quarterly is definitely the best-looking zine we’ve seen this year.

east of west #2: i’m pretty sure that jonathan hickman is using this book to found his own world religion. sign us up, wash our brains, take us away.