As I mentioned in my most recent Previews roundup, the comic shop ordering catalog has gone digital for consumers. (The fact that the business owner uses the same catalog as the end customer is a long-standing structural problem that goes along with the blurry line between fan and professional in the comic industry.) If you visit www.previewsworld.com/digital, you will find that it costs $3.99 a month to be able to shop, and Diamond Distributors (the owner of Previews) has typoed […]

Last summer, writer Evan Dorkin tweeted that his award-winning series Beasts of Burden would be returning with a new artist. Now the details (and some lovely covers) have appeared, including a release date. Beasts of Burden: Wise Dogs and Eldritch Men will be a four-issue miniseries, illustrated by Benjamin Dewey, and the first issue is due out August 22. The series was co-created by Dorkin and original artist Jill Thompson back in 2009, telling horror stories starring loyal pets and […]

A little less than a year ago, I wrote about the plans for upcoming releases in First Second’s outstanding line of Science Comics. Looks like some of the dates have changed, so I thought I’d update the list. Released Plagues: The Microscopic Battlefield by Falynn Koch (August 2017) Dogs: From Predator to Protector by Andy Hirsch (October 2017) Robots and Drones: Past, Present, and Future by Mairghread Scott and Jacob Chabot (March 2018) Sharks: Nature’s Perfect Hunter by Joe Flood […]

Diamond Distributors decided to make some (long overdue) changes to their massive monthly Previews catalog, and the latest edition reflects their decisions. (For those who don’t know, Previews was created for comic shops to order their merchandise two months (or more) in advance. However, because the comic market is so fragmented, readers who want access to the smaller press, more diverse, more interesting items are often told they have to preorder in order to get what they want. So it […]

Due out in June is the first issue of Modern Fantasy. It’s written by Rafer Roberts (A&A: The Adventures of Archer and Armstrong, Plastic Farm) and illustrated by Kristen Gudsnuk (Henchgirl), and here’s the description: A young Ranger woman who came to the city with dreams of adventure, her drug-dealing reptilian wizard roommate, and her boisterous Dwarf maiden BFF embark on a modern day quest to save the world while struggling to keep their crappy day jobs and pay off […]

I’ve been interested in finding out more about the publisher Lion Forge. As Heidi MacDonald (whose site the Beat is now owned by a subsidiary of Lion Forge) says, their Catalyst Prime superhero line aims to represent “a diverse and inclusive world of superheroes that reflects the changing demographics of the real world.” That’s a terrific goal. It’s tricky to get concrete information, though. If you click “Titles” at their website, you get a set of names and pictures with […]

I am not as on top of things as I should be this year, or I would have told you about TCAF before now! The Toronto Comic Arts Festival is one of my favorite shows of the year because 1) it’s free (and held in a library) 2) it’s amazing and 3) it’s in another country, so it feels like a real vacation. This year it’s taking place May 12 and 13. There’s also a craft seminar day for comic […]

Diamond Comic Distributors has announced plans to create “a cloud-based software application” that will allow customers to update subscription lists and preorder items from their local comic shop (assuming it subscribes to the product). It will be called Pullbox (TM), but no word yet on release date or pricing for retailers or other details. It will be free to use for customers. (Update: Heidi MacDonald tweeted from the Chicago Retailer Summit that “Diamond is offering Pullbox and ComicsSuite FREE to […]