The Gosh! Authority 03.03.21

Hello!

Lots of positivity in the air as I write this: it looks like - everything going according to plan - we should be reopening on Monday April 12th; the weather is starting to show some spring-like qualities (it's a lovely early-evening outside as I type this); and this coming week is the best-looking week of new stuff we've had in quite some time!

More details on re-opening as we draw nearer to the time, but it's pretty safe to say that when we do, it'll be with the same precautions in place that we had through the latter half of last year. In the meantime I do need to make the usual plea to all those who have let their standing orders build up for a while: please do arrange a mail-out or collection. We are now up to 8 longboxes of standing orders beyond the capacity of our usual S/O shelves, which is pretty scary stuff. That's probably nearing a £10,000 retail value worth of books which we've been having to pay the bills for. So do please drop us a line.

(I should also give a big thanks to all of you who have cleared their orders regularly through this time. It's much-appreciated.)

Alright, let's take a look at those comics, shall we?

HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK

• NOCTERRA #1 - The biggest new Image release since Fire Power hits the shelves with a bumper-sized first issue. Scott Snyder and Tony Daniel's new book is about a future where the world has been plunged into eternal darkness, and staying in artificial light is the only way of keeping the shades that live in the gloom at bay. Our lead is Val Riggs, a "ferryman", who drives the darkened roads in her floodlit 18-wheeler to transport people and goods. What we've seen so far looks pretty good: a fun blend of action and horror.
  

• JONNA AND THE UNPOSSIBLE MONSTERS #1 - A new all-ages fantasy title from Chris and Laura Samnee that looks absolutely brilliant. A young girl explores a world of monsters and magic as she searches for her sister, who went missing over a year ago. It's a good setup, promising a lot of monstrous fun, but the real showcase is, unsurprisingly, Samnee's beautiful art, adapted into an almost Jeff Smith-like style for this adventure series. A must buy!

• BRZRKR #1 - I'll be honest, I wouldn't normally give much time to a celebrity vanity project comic, but I'm willing to make an exception here for three reasons. 1) It's Keanu Reeves, who always gets a pass for being a decent fella. 2) It's co-written by Matt Kindt, who will always get a try-out from me. 3) It's drawn by Ron Garney, who can draw the hell out of anything. So my recommendations is, Brzrkr: check it out! Oh, it's about like an immortal guy doing wetwork for the US government in exchange for the truth about his origins.
  

• DEMON DAYS X-MEN #1 - Cover art superstar Peach Momoko delivers her first sequential storytelling for Marvel with this quarterly miniseries she writes and draws. The Marvel Universe is re-imagined in a fantasy version of feudal Japan, filled with magic and monsters, drawing on Momoko's favourite Japanese mythology and folklore.
  

• INFINITE FRONTIER #0 (ONE SHOT) - The relaunch of the DC Universe, post-Death Metal & Future State, starts here! This one shot sets the stage for all the heroes old and new that will be taking centre stage in DC's upcoming slate of titles. Batman, the Joker, the Green Lantern Corps, Superman and the like are joined by newcomers Tim Fox and Yara Flor, and there's even a Geoff Johns-penned Stargirl strip. Basically a must-have for DC fans, and a good taster for anyone curious about checking out the new books.
  

• MIKE MIGNOLA QUARANTINE SKETCHBOOK HC - A collection of the charity fundraising sketches that Mike Mignola did during lockdown, all brought together in a lovely hardcover book.It's not just Hellboy and his other Mignolaverse characters, either. He tackles all kinds of portraits, from original creations to pop culture icons.
  

• SENSATIONAL WONDER WOMAN #1 - This is something we're going to be seeing a lot more of from DC: a digital-first story that makes its way to print after about a month or so. This celebration of Wonder Woman's 80th anniversary is by Stephanie Phillips and Meghan Hetrick. An amnesiac Wonder Woman is forced to rediscover who she is, highlighting all of her nobility and heroism. I mean, happened to us all at some point, right?
  

• AMERICA CHAVEZ MADE IN USA #1 (OF 5) - The welcome return of America Chavez, this time brought to us by screenwriter Kalinda Vazquez & Carlos Gomez. We discover more of what makes America tick as she's forced to confront the demons of her past in order to protect those closest to her.
  
  

• DEAD DOGS BITE #1 (OF 4) - Always up for some new Tyler Boss! The 4 Kids Walk Into A Bank artist writes and draws this new rural mystery (complete with manifested narrator). When Cormac Guffin vanishes, the town gives up all hope of finding her. All but her best friend, Joe, who begins to uncover the secrets behind Cormac's disappearance.
  

• SUICIDE SQUAD #1 - The return of Task Force X, with Peacemaker now leading the team (just like in the upcoming James Gunn film...hmmm...). Amanda Waller sends the team into Arkham Asylum to recruit Talon, which works out really great and goes off without a hitch, I'm guessing. Robbie Thompson & Eduardo Pansica are the creative duo on this one.
  

• KING IN BLACK CAPTAIN AMERICA #1 - Steve Rogers tries to resist his dark side in this KiB tie-in one shot by Danny Lore & Mirko Colak. Falcon and the Winter Soldier pop up too, because they have a TV show coming. Err...I mean because they're like Steve's family, and they've got his back!
  

• KING IN BLACK WICCAN HULKLING #1 - The honeymoon's postponed as Wiccan and Hulkling battle against Knull's forces, courtesy of Tini Howard & Luciano Vecchio.

And that's it! See you next week, folks!

Andrew.