The Gosh Authority 04.11.20

Hello!

Here's a picture of a butterfly at sunset, because, y'know, relaxing.

So as you may have seen this past Saturday, England will be re-entering a nationwide lockdown this coming Thursday, the 5th November. In accordance with government regulations we will be closing our physical shop until at least the 1st December, when restrictions are currently due to end. There are a lot of unknowns, as is the new normal, but what I can tell you is this:

• Our online store at goshlondon.com will still be operating and we would love it if you could give us whatever support you can, either through making purchases yourself or encouraging friends, loved ones, or complete strangers to do so.
• Staff will be put back on furlough for the lockdown period, but Josh and myself will continue to to come into the store on weekdays to process mail orders, deal with deliveries, handle standing order requests and so on. So we will remain available to contact via email or phone throughout the lockdown.
• We will still be able to send out standing orders, and indeed would encourage you have your comics sent out at least once over the course of November. Just drop us an email whenever you'd like to arrange it.
• We can also operate a "click and collect" service at the door for orders if you are local to Soho or can walk or cycle in.
• As far as we're currently aware, new stock will continue to ship each week. I'll be doing the blog and shipping list as normal, so just let us know if you'd like to make additions to your standing order or reserve any titles.
• It will just be me and Josh again throughout November, so do please be patient with us with regard to correspondence and such!

We should say that while this is tough on us and our staff, we fully support any action to supress the spread of the virus. We have experience with the personal toll COVID-19 can take on people's lives. And as frustrating as it is, at least we have some idea of how to operate under lockdown conditions, which certainly wasn't the case back in March, and are still in pretty good shape to be able to ride this out again. If you have any questions, don't hestitate to drop us a line.

In the meantime, though, there's a chance for one more new comics day as this week's releases will all be on the shelves for you on Wednesday morning! Let's have a look at some highlights, shall we?

HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK

• CROSSOVER #1 - One of the most anticipated series of this year arrives! The creative team behind God Country reunite for an ambitious, post-modern tale about superheroes, event fatigue, the comics medium and the fandom it inspires. The early reviews have been pretty spectacular, so this is definitely worth a crack. A nd, thanks to the good folks at NICE - the excellent Bedford comicon - we've joined a handful of stores stocking copies of the below Ben Oliver variant. Numbers on these are limited, so let us know if you'd like one!

• ORIGINS #1 (OF 6) - Another promising debut this week, this time a far-flug sci-fi about a resurrected human, the last of his kind, trying to bring about the downfall of the AI beings he created a millenia ago. It's an intriguing premise, but we're especially drawn to the incredible artwork by Judas artist Jakub Rebelka.

• WOLVERINE BLACK WHITE BLOOD #1 (OF 4) - We're a sucker for these kind of black & white (and possibly another colour) anthology books, mainly for their ability to showcase work by top creators having fun with the central conceit of the characters. This issue features short pieces by Gerry Duggan, Declan Shalvey, Matthew Rosenberg, Joshua Cassara & Adam Kubert!

• SWEET TOOTH THE RETURN #1 (OF 6) - Here's a strange thing: the return of Jeff Lemire's classic series in a (far shorter it would seem) re-imaginging of the concept. No doubt initiated to tie in to hype around the upcoming Netflix adaptation, Lemire seems to be doing more than coasting here.

• LA DIABLA #1 - A new one-shot written and drawn by Eric Powell that serves as a prelude to his upcoming Lords of Misery graphic novel. Introducing La Diabla, a kind of psycho-billy fever dream that's equal parts lucha libre and Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!.

• TALES FROM THE DARK MULTIVERSE BATMAN HUSH #1 - A new series of these Elseworlds-by-another-name one-shots and their Dark Multiverse takes on the big DC events. Does Hush qualify as an event? Anyway...pivotal events from that series take a different turn early on in Bruce Wayne's life, with dramatic results! 

• HAPPY HOUR #1 - A new series by Peter Milligan (he's been a busy boy lately) and Michael Montenat. In a future American police state where happiness is mandatory, two young men go on the run to try and find a place where they can be miserable.

• US AGENT #1 (OF 5) - Not high on my list of titles I'd expect to see brought back, but sure enough John Walker, the USAgent, is back, courtesy of Christopher Priest & Georges Jeanty!

And that's the lot. Take care all, I'll see you back here next week. Be nice to each other!

Andrew.