The Gosh! Authority 03.02.21

Hello!

Not much preamble this week, just the usual plea to arrange a clear-out of your standing order if you've let it build up for a month or more. We're currently at about 7 long boxes of standing order overspill (that is, beyond the capacity of our now-stuffed standard SO boxes). That's a whole lotta cash that we could certainly do with right now, so do please get in touch! We can do mail order (with free postage on standing orders above £50) or - if you are passing through the West End - arrange collection at the door Monday-Friday, 9.30am - 5pm. Give us a shout in advance if you want the latter so that we can get everything ready for when you arrive.

And I thought maybe I'd follow that up with some sweet website and bookshop.org plugging. Remember that all of our book stock is available to order on our webstore, and we have a store page on bookshop.org for all your other book needs. If you visit that page and then search and purchase from there (and that's for any books, not just comics) we get a 30% revenue share from your purchase. The convenience of shopping online with the satisfaction of helping a bricks and mortar store (who pay all their taxes)! That's https://uk.bookshop.org/shop/goshlondon. But obviously right here at goshlondon.com for your graphic novel needs.

Moderate-sized week, with no new Future State first issues which - as much as I'm actually enjoying FS - is something of a relief on the blog-writing front. Let's have a look...

HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK

• FEAR CASE #1 (OF 4) - Matt Kindt and Tyler Jenkins, the team behind Grass Kings, reunite for a horror mystery. Two secret service agents are on the hunt for the "Fear Case": a mysterious box which brings death to those who possess it for more than three days. Always up for checking out new Kindt. At worst he's generally very solid, and at best he can really knock it out of the park.
  

• MAN BAT #1 (OF 5) - He's been significantly delayed by the pandemic, but at last Kirk Langstrom is back. As a horror-obsessed kid, Man-Bat was always my favourite thing about the Batman titles (generally encountered in black and white Australian reprints). So I've got a soft spot for the guy (though of course the Lizard will always be my top scientist-who-experimented-on-himself-and-became-a-monstrous-animal-hybrid bad guy). You're not going to believe this: Langstrom has lost control of his later-ego and now the Man-Bat is rampaging through Gotham! Dave Wielgosz and Sumit Kumar (of These Savage Shores fame) are the pilots on this one.
  

• ASTER OF PAN HC - I have to admit, I don't know a hell of a lot about this book by French creator Merwan, but it looks absolutely stunning, and the guys at Magnetic have a good eye for French properties to translate. In a post-apocalyptic world, the residents of Pan must resist the forces of the Federation of Fortuna by playing a deadly game, and their last hope rests with a hot-headed outcast girl named Aster.
  

• AVENGERS MECH STRIKE #1 (OF 5) - This will be one of those titles we'll look back on in 15 years and think "What?" Well, unless it's a massive breakout hit and Avengers mechs are now a staple part of any book. In which case, CHA-CHING! Though don't quote me on that. Anyway, Jed McKay writes and Carlos Magno (who is a pretty top-draw artist for something like this) draws what looks like a bit of silly fun. And god knows I need some silly fun.
  

• KING IN BLACK BLACK KNIGHT #1 - A King in Black tie-in that will doubtless be elevated by having Simon Spurrier on writing duties, joined by Jesus Saiz on art. Everyone's favourite sword-slinging Avenger teams up with Aero and Sword Master to battle beasties in Shanghai. I'll tell you what that man needs: a mech suit.
  

• KING IN BLACK MARAUDERS #1 - The Marauders don their mechs to...oh wait, nope. Just the normal Marauders, fighting against the forces of Knull, with the added bonus of actually being by regular writer Gerry Duggan and artist Luke Ross.

• LUNA #1 (OF 5) - Spanish writer/artist Maria Llovet breaks out a new series set in a 60's cult, with her usual deft blend of magic, sex and horror. When Teresa joins the Family of the Sun, she'll not only uncover the dark secrets behind the cult, but also truths she has hidden from herself.
  

• AFTERLIFT TP - An Eisner-winning digital-first series by Chip Zdarsky and Jason Loo that's now collected into a graphic novel. Janice drives a ride-share service. It's a humdrum job that's turned on its head when she picks up two passengers who are pursued by demonic forces. Can she survive the night? This looks like a lot of fun, and if it hasn't been snapped for a film option yet I'll eat my Oyster card.

And that's about it this week! See you next time, comics-fans.

Andrew.