The Gosh! Authority 02.10.24

Hello!

Welcome to the spooky season!

This Saturday we've got the legendary Steve Bell here, 1-2pm, to sign copies of his latest collection of biting political satire, If...Stands Up. Get the details here.

On with the comics!

HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK

• DC ALL IN SPECIAL #1 - Unless you've been hiding behind the Source Wall, you're probably aware of DC's upcoming Absolute initiative, essentially their version of the Ultimate Universe. Masterminded by Scott Snyder, it's a reimagining of DC's core heroes that has created a fervour the likes of which we haven't seen since the New 52. Well, it all kicks off here, as Darkseid gets up to some Universe-shattering mischief that threatens not one, but two realities. This will be your first looks at the heroes of the Absolute Universe, so get on board!

• HYDE STREET #1 - Geoff Johns adds a horror title to his Ghost Machine universe of books, along with another of his classic collaborators, Ivan Reis. Every town has a path that leads to Hyde Street, some kind of purgatory pocket dimension filled with creepy characters who presumbly torment anyone unlucky enough to find themselves there. I get the impression there might be some Twilight Zone-esque morality plays going on here. A pretty interesting addition to his imprint.

• CREEPING BELOW #1 - Brian Azzarello & Vanesa R. Del Rey spin a story of horror and revenge with a distinctly death metal flavour in this new series. A woman seeks to take revenge on a popular metal band after being victimised at a music festival in Oslo. But guided by the Old Gods of Norse mythology, will her revenge bring her justice or damnation? Bjóða vörnuð!

• STORM #1 - Ororo gets her own series by Murewa Ayodele and Lucas Werneck. Following the events the brought about the end of the Krakoan era, Storm is now based in Atlanta. She's determined to do right by the world, using her powers and new status as an Avenger to do good. Afraid that's not going to get off to a good start as she heads out to handle a meltdown at a nuclear plant, with disastrous consequences.

• HEARING THINGS HC - Gosh fave Ben Sears is back with an all new kids GN from Toon Books. Two kids have just moved to a new neighbourhood. The youngest, Tim, heads out with his cat Frankie to find inspirational sounds to help his unhappy sister, Martha, complete her latest spooky musical piece. The town is a bit of dud on the scares front until they make some new friends courtesy of Frankie. Sears is terrific, whether you're a kid or not. Check it out.

• SKIN POLICE #1 - Jordan Thomas is a writer who has stormed onto our radar with the likes of Shaky Kane collaborations Weird Work and the Man From Maybe, and his recent Brighton-set crime thriller Mugshots (with stunning art by Chris Matthews.) This new series, created with artist Daniel Gete, is set in a dystopian future with cloning gone awry. With murderous clones on the streets, it's up to the Skin Police to keep us safe. Not that easy, I suspect.

• DC HORROR PRESENTS CREATURE COMMANDOS #1 - I know I banged on about David Dastmalchian last week, but he's back again with a contemporary take on my old faves the Creature Commandos. Not surprising to see them again given there's an animated series on the way as a part of James Gunn's new DC cinematic universe. Dastmalchian teams up with artist Jesús Hervás for a new vampire / gorgon / werewolf / Frankenstein-ish monster combat team. No GI Robot, sorry Weird War Tales fans!

• CRYPTOLOGY #1 - Twomorrows launches a new magazine with an eye to the creeps and weirdos. Yes, it's Halloween all year round in the pages of Cryptology, a celebration of all things retro-horror from the editor of the much-missed From the Tomb magazine. Comics, toys, tv shows - it's all here my ghoulish friends!

• GHOST RIDER ROBBIE REYES SPECIAL #1 - A one-shot celebration of Robbie Reyes, one of the modern iterations of Ghost Rider that really worked, gaining representation in the worlds of tv and gaming. It's an anthology featuring shorts by Carlos Hernandez, Moisés Hidalgo, Felipe Smith, Daniel Bayliss, Melissa Flores and Jan Bazaldua.

• DCS I KNOW WHAT YOU DID LAST CRISIS #1 - It's the usual DC seasonal anthology offering, this time telling scary stories set during various DC events. From Crisis on Infinite Earths to Final Crisis, with the likes and Blackest Night and Zero Hour in between, a host of creators take on a bevy of characters for this 80 page giant.

• BARBARELLA #1 - Blake Northcott and Anna Morozova kick off a new era for the swinging 60's sci-fi icon, as a holiday on a pleasure planet turns out to be anything but a holiday or a pleasure.

And finally, just a heads up that we've got two more of DC's terrific value Compact Editions coming this week!

First up there's a bundle of the first eleven issues of Scott Snyder and Rafael Albuquerque's American Vampire (including the backup story scripted by Stephen King and drawn by Mateus Santolouco). Weirdly DC are also releasing a new edition of this at regular size this week, so choice of format for you.

And then a biggie as Darwyn Cooke and Ed Brubaker's Catwoman material gets a collection, featuring Selina's Big Score, the first 9 issues of the ongoing series, and backup stories from Detective Comics. You'd be hard pressed to find better bang for buck than this at £8.99!

And with that little hit of quality, I exit, stage right!

Andrew.