starlight #2 : issue #1 was no fluke–this book is flat-out fun, and drop dead gorgeous to look at thanks to goran parlov. this looks like it’s going to be a real fun ride.
judge dredd mega city two #3 : there’s a spread in here that’s worth the $4 all on its own. sorry, geoff darrow.
elephantmen #55 : wrapping up a hallucinatory storyline that got us deeper into the proceedings than ever.
copra #13 : michel fiffe revs up season two. yee haw!
pretty deadly #5 : wrapping up the first arc, this series has been beautiful, impenetrable, and compelling, often all at once. look out for the upcoming trade, this one’s a keeper.
batman by doug moench and kelley jones vol. #1 : the current bat team of snyder & capullo gets a lot of praise, and the bat is riding high on the sales charts. hopefully some of those fans will turn on to this incredible collection of one of the finest creative teams ever to work in gotham. doug moench had a long and successful history with the character before kelley jones, coming off the famous ‘season of mists’ SANDMAN storyline, took over art chores. the rest is history. jones’ muscular, shadowy portrayal of batman and his world, ably abetted by inker john beatty, is unforgettable. snarling, snapping, this is a batman where there is no daylight.
–chris stevens
And I’ve got to add…
She-Hulk #3 : Charles Soule, Javier Pulido, and Muntsa Vicente continue their charming and beautiful take on the lady lawyer — this time bringing in Doc Doom’s wonderfully perfect son Kristoff as client and foil (and potential love interest?). Everything about this book puts a smile on my face, up to and including Kevin Wada’s covers.
trillium #6 : this series is going to make for a great evergreen once it’s done. a huge heart, compelling story, and killer cartooning & atmosphere from jeff lemire and josé villarrubia.
red light properties : haunted real estate and tasty storytelling chops, courtesy of dan goldman. one of the more interesting books to come out in a while.
ant colony : michael deforge seems like he was born speaking comics instead of english, his first words a 9 panel grid. then, as he grew up, the language became one that’s all his own. come hear him speak it next wednesday.
Yeah, there’s a bit of a wait. We’ll be standing in line over here.
39. DEADLY CLASS
Between BLACK SCIENCE and DEADLY CLASS, Rick Remember is on a roll, launching wild new mythologies at what looks like the speed of thought. His tantalizing story is perfectly matched by Wes Craig’s stellar art, and we can’t wait to see where this one takes us.
These richly detailed oil paintings detailing the adventures of a hero who we have dubbed GRANDPAMAN are surreally funny and a little bit heartbreaking.
37. SUPERZELDA
With the manic, propulsive energy of a Gatsbian lawn party, this beautiful two-color bio details the graphic life of a fascinating woman whose story too often gets folded into her husband’s.
36. THE SAVIORS
James Robinson’s low-key sci-fi-stoner shaggy dog story is presented in J. Bone’s enviably crisp, energetic black & white.
What if Winsor McCay threw a party, and EVERYBODY came?
JILL THOMPSON
As the artist behind such glowingly gorgeous creations as SANDMAN: BRIEF LIVES, BEASTS OF BURDEN and SCARY GODMOTHER (as well as a delightful page in our own first book, ONCE UPON A TIME MACHINE), the remarkable Ms. Thompson has one of the wildest imaginations and most sumptuously appealing styles in all of comics. She will be painting her Little Nemo in watercolor, and we can’t wait to share it with you.
ULISES FARINAS
In the past year, the frizzy-headed, turbo-powered explosion of comics and creative energy that goes by the name Ulises Farinas has created such bizarrely wonderful entertainments as the post-apocalyptic Pokemon western GAMMA, the Twilight Zone-ish anthology AMAZING FOREST, and the eye-poppingly, mind-numbingly awesome JUDGE DREDD: MEGA CITY 2. Next, he’ll be creating a Nemo strip of his own.
ROB WOODS
The one and only Rob Woods, Locust Moon’s main muse and maestro, the madman behind DEPRESSED PUNX, 36 LESSONS IN SELF DESTRUCTION and the upcoming Locust Moon Press title SIX SEXY SEX STORIES OF THE SEXUALLY DEPRAVED, is dreaming up a nightmarish Nemo as only he can. Help support his GOFUNDME campaign to keep him in ink, cigarettes and Pop Tarts while he makes the magic happen.
We’re keeping this list of Nemo names updated with most of the contributors we have publicly announced – so check it out if you’re wondering who else has signed up! And our first revealed pages from the book can be found here.
the midas flesh #2 : i missed the first issue of this charming little sci-fi series from the creators of the ADVENTURE TIME comic. with a solid gold concept, breezy dialogue, and pleasing, clean art, this book was a nice surprise and one i’ll be looking out for from now on.
pretty deadly #4 : another magnetic issue from a sure-fire series of the year candidate–and we’re less than a month in. this issue sets things up for a walloping climax to the opening storyline.
there’s also a killer brandon graham pin-up…
judge dredd mega city two #1 : the venerable judge steps into a wacky west coast version of mega city that’s modern day L.A./hollywood to the max. but what really matters here is ulises farinas’ crazy-in-the-best-way artwork. i haven’t had so much fun poring over background details since zander cannon and gene ha delivered the goods in alan moore’s TOP 10. mixing insane detail with hyper-clean lines, ulises brings his A game and firmly announces himself on the scene.
deadly class #1 : rick remender and wes craig kick up some dust in this elegantly designed & drawn entry into the teenage assassin club genre, with the twist being this feels kind of like an inverted real-ish world original x-men. let’s see where it goes.
yearling masked detective #1 : rich tommaso’s super avenger crime series kinda reminds me of a straight-edge, non-team version of COPRA that’s more interested in dan clowes than jack kirby and frank miller. with a 1st issue that’s all set-up i’m curious to see where he takes it.
unwritten apocalypse #1 : as one of the best modern day vertigo series looks into the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s a good time to celebrate what mike carey, peter gross, and yuko shimizu have accomplished. get into it, whether you start here or with volume one.
ff #16 : sad to see this book come to an end, but it’s a glorious end, with 15 extra pages of art from mike & laura allred and all the character moments and then some that you’ve come to expect from this first rate series. one of the more endearing marvel books of the last decade.
Locust Moon is undertaking a lot this fall, between the publication of QUARTER MOON #2: “Locust Man vs. Monster” and Rob Woods’ 36 LESSONS IN SELF-DESTRUCTION, the hosting of our second comics festival (at which both of those books are set to debut), and putting together all of various other comic projects we currently have in the works. That’s why we’re asking for a hand on QUARTER MOON – we’ve got a lot riding on October 2013, and we hope you can help us make it through in one piece!
Any little thing you can donate will earn our eternal thanks – but we’re not about to ask for money for nothing! We want to send you stuff in return like the book itself (naturally), the first issue of QUARTER MOON (“Silence”), signatures, sketches, and some special extra stuff thrown in from Locust Moon projects old (ONCE UPON A TIME MACHINE) and new (36 LESSONS).
Pages from “Bow to the Wizard” by Bodie Chewning
QUARTER MOON#2: “Locust Man vs. Monster” will be 48 pages and contain 5 complete stories, by cartoonists Steve Lafler (Bughouse), Kate Farquhar (Zodiac & friends), Dave Proch (Once Upon a Time Machine), Bodie Chewning (IdN Extra 02: Neo York – Mightnight Sessions), and Daryl Seitchik (Smarter Child). It will also include 3 one-page strips by James Comey (American Monster Buffet), illustrations by Lindsey Wavrek & Steven Bradshaw, and exclusive peeks into the sketchbook of Farel Dalrymple (Pop Gun War, It Will All Hurt). Providing this issue’s cover – and title – is Ulises Farinas (Gamma, Catalyst Comix).
The beginning of “A Hard Boiled Heart” by Dave Proch
Here’s a little breakdown of the main stories we’re going to be sharing with you guys:
Bodie Chewning‘s “Bow to the Wizard” or “Don’t Get Your Diapers in a Twist It’s Only a Cthuloid” stars a narcissistic Wizard who may need a little more help from his assistant than he thinks.
Dave Proch‘s “A Hard Boiled Heart” teaches us that underneath every hard shell is the wrong man who will go to the ends of the Earth for the right woman.
Steve Lafler will introduce us to an expat family in Oaxaca, where Steve currently lives. There’s a wannabe superhero Luchadora (female Mexican wrestler), an existential encounter with death, and a 2500-year-old vampire. Chickens are involved.
Kate Farquhar is uncovering some secret, fantastical histories of Philadelphia.
And Daryl Seitchik will take us on a semi-autobiographical jaunt through a cartoonist’s dreams.
Page from “Oaxaca” by Steve Lafler
Like the first issue of QUARTER MOON, “Locust Man vs. Monster” will be partially in color and partially in B&W, depending on how each artist wishes to present his or her art.
But unlike the first issue, “Locust Man vs. Monster” has no single theme. The guys & gals are running wild here.
1 of 3 prints by Lindsey Wavrek & Steven Bradshaw
QUARTER MOON #1, “Silence” (56 pages), spotlighted wordless comics from Charles Fetherolf, Alex Eckman-Lawn, Sophia Wiedeman, Jeremy Baum, Alexandra Beguez, Chris Stevens and Rob Woods, along with sketch pages by Farel Dalrymple and a wraparound cover by Jeremy Baum.
Jeremy Baum
Charles Fetherolf
Alex Eckman-Lawn
Sophia Wiedeman
Jeremy Baum
Alexandra Beguez
Chris Stevens & Rob Woods
We hope you guys will help us out! We love the idea of getting this great work out into the world, and it’s really wonderful to see other people getting behind the idea, too.
jack kirby collector #61 : every issue of this magazine is a treasure chest of kirby goodness. thanks, john morrow.
the little prince book nine : the timeless characters of the childhood classic get into new adventures in outer space in this charming children’s series of graphic novels.
all new x-men #15 : an improbably fun x book that keeps on rolling. is jean grey gonna hook up with the beast?
manhattan projects #13 : one of the best books month in and month out.
catalyst comics #2 : ulises farinas goodness in a paul pope package.
wolverine & the x-men #33 : jason aaron and nick bradshaw keep bringing the fun. this issue sports my favorite cover nick’s done yet.
gamma one-shot : this book is rad. i want more comics like this.
king the special edition : ho che anderson’s masterful biography of the great martin luther king collected in an affordable hardcover. good stuff, fantagraphics.
copra compendium volume #2 : collecting issues 4-6 of michel fiffe’s badass exercise in indy superheroics.
hawkeye annual #1 : the hawkeye crew keeps getting it right, with perfect-fit javier pulido joining matt fraction on this one.
batman/superman #2 : jae lee is worth the price of admission alone. the man is on fire.
it will all hurt : wonder. loss. ache. old worlds and new worlds. farel dalrymple gives it all to us the way only he can.
catalyst comix #1 : the most intriguing shot in dark horse’s latest superhero ramp up, this book has three features and three artists and is written by joe casey. with paul maybury, dan mcdaid, and ulises farinas each handling their own chapter, it’s a fine looking book removed from the cookie-cutter look that so many super hero books suffer from these days.
mister x : eviction #3 : dean motter’s masterfully elegant cartooning put a special smile on our faces this month with a little nemo inspired strip and will eisner homage on the cover.
satellite sam #1 : more and more, what turns me on in comics are books that do things other books don’t. it’s safe to say there aren’t too many comics like matt fraction & howard chaykin’s early 1950s live tv murder mystery.
dexter #1 : i’ll be honest, i haven’t seen the show and i haven’t read this book. but i like the fact jeff lindsay, the show’s creator, is writing the series. projects like this are good for comics.
grendel omnibus #3 : one of the great series in comics history is also, due to a long history of legal & publisher nonsense, one of the most criminally unknown amongst today’s audience. these priced-right collections from dark horse will hopefully change that. highly recommended.
Locust Moon Comics 