Rob's Picks:
BPRD Omnibus Vol 1 by Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Geoff Johns, Michael Avon Oeming, Joe Harris, Ryan Sook, Matthew Dow Smith, Scott Kolins, Dave Stewart, Michelle Masden, Lee Loughridge, Clem Robins, and others, published by Dark Horse
Hard to believe it's been over twenty years since this spinoff of the Hellboy Universe got started. When Hellboy leaves the team, it's up to his friends like Abe, Liz, and Roger to keep the fight going, especially given the Plague of Frogs that threatens everything. These are of course really awesome stories that take on the fallout of prior events. I especially like that Abe gets to take on a larger role, because he's such an awesome character. I don't think I appreciated these as much as I could have initially, because I really missed Hellboy. But they're awesome to return to, and the artists involved are amazing: Sook, Smith, Oeming--how can you possibly beat people like this working within one of the greatest sole creator-driven universes of all time? This is a great pick up if you missed the stories initially or, like me, are ready to revisit them.
The EC Archives: Shock Suspense Stories Vol 2 by Various Creators, published by Dark Horse (originally EC)
Horror comics are always on my mind, but that feeling grows as we move towards October, and here's Dark Horse with another collection for those of us who are looking to pick up more classic 1950s classics in an affordable paperback version. This edition features stories by Bill Gaines, Al Feldstein, Joe Orlando, Wally Wood, Frank Frazetta, and Marie Severin (on line art!) as well as Bradbury adaptations by George Evans and Jack Kaman. These reprints include ads, letters and more, which is really cool and always feature some amazing storytelling that's still influencing comics now, decades later.
James' Picks:
The Bone Orchard Mythos: Ten Thousand Black Feathers #1 by Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, and Dave Stewart, published by Image Comics
Jeff Lemire is someone I really trust to create a new comic universe. He's done amazing work (with lots of other artistic/creative collaborators) on the Black Hammer universe. So when I found out he was creating a new horror universe, WITH Andrea Sorrentino, I was thrilled. And Dave Stewart was coming back to color? I was even more excited. These 3 have made terrifying, weird, highly entertaining comics magic with Gideon Falls and Primordial, and now they're back for more. I'm happy to report that the very first story in this series (the graphic novella The Passageway) was excellent and was legitimately terrifying, and I am on board for whatever this team wants to do and whatever stories they want to tell. I will follow this team down that creepy passageway, and so should you.Love Everlasting #2 by Tom King, Elsa Charretier, Matt Hollingsworth, and Clayton Cowles, published by Image Comics
I adored the first issue of Love Everlasting (my full review here) and I feel equally strongly about issue 2. This is a romance comic series but it’s also a series that’s about romance comics. Even if you haven’t read a ton of romance comics, you’ll catch on with the meta aspects of the story. Write Tom King and artist Elsa Charretier do a terrific job of drawing you into the premise and the story, even as they change things around you and pull the rug out from under you. Charretier is a wonderful artist whose classic, clean style works very well for the vintage settings of the story. Her art pairs so well with the colors from Matt Hollingsworth, who colors in a flat, period-appropriate style that just looks fantastic. This series is a blast and you’re going to want to get in on it.