The Gosh! Authority 25.09.24

Hello!

No events this week, but Sunday was the September equinox, so happy Autumn, everybody!

HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK

• BATMAN THE LONG HALLOWEEN THE LAST HALLOWEEN #1 - The final Long Halloween story begins! Originally planned by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale before Sale's passing, Loeb has picked up the project with an incredible array of artists, all of whom cite Sale as a major inspiration in their work. Each issue features a never-seen Sale cover with a different interior artist, all tied together with Dave Stewart's colours. Eduardo Risso kicks things off, with the likes of Klaus Janson, Mark Chiarello, Cliff Chiang, Bill Sienkiewicz and Chris Samnee to follow, among others. I guess there's also a moody, crime-drenched story among all this, but dear God, look at that line-up!

• MOON IS FOLLOWING US #1 - Daniel Warren Johnson teams up with Riley Rossmo for a science fiction saga. A couple's six-year old daughter is taken by an evil cosmic force called The Cascade. They're going to need help, and the help they get looks a lot like the imaginary play companions of a six-year old girl. It's all love, loss, parental bonds and the power of the imagination in this heartfelt story.

• LOBO CANCELLATION SPECIAL #1 - Kyles Starks and Hotz team up for an off-the-wall, irreverent, borderline-offensive Lobo one-shot, like the Lobo one-shots of old. DC market this as "the scummiest comic book this side of Uranus", so make of that what you will. Starks does a good line in comedic grotesquerie and Hotz is always reliably gruesome, so Lobo fans should be happy.

• HORIZON EXPERIMENT THE MANCHURIAN #1 - Speaking of changing creative teams, The Horizon Experiment is a series of one-shot "pilots" featuring creatives from comics, television, film and prose. This first story, by Pornsak Pichetshote and Terry Dodson, sees a Chinese super-spy running covert missions on US soil.

• MISSIONARY #1 - Ryan Stegman puts down the drawing pen and takes up his fancy writers quill for this new DSTLRY series, with lovely art by Jason Howard. A pious man who wants a try at going off the rails and an evil demon who wants a little righteousness find an uneasy middle ground when the latter possesses the former. Now pursued by both a fanatical exorcist and the powers of hell, the odd couple need to find a happy medium in order to save the world.

• KNIGHTS VS SAMURAI #1 - Cult fave actor David Dastmalchian really should be getting some more recognition for his comics work, he's proving to be a really solid writer, with great horror comedy chops. Hopefully his upcoming Creature Commandos will give him some of the profile he deserves. Anyway, he's in the toybox with artist Federico Mele for this one, smashing together a couple of playsets. It's feudal England vs feudal Japan, with some giants and monsters thrown in for good measure. 

• CREEPSHOW #1 - It's the latest series of the horror anthology based on the classic Stephen King-inspired films. "But this is volume three, Andrew. Why should I check this out if wasn't already?" A James Stokoe story, that's why. Just a PSA.

• VIOLENT FLOWERS #1 - Maria Llovet loves her some sexy supernatural horror, and she's not going off-piste with this one, the story of a dysfunctional vampire clan who reuinite after one of their own is killed. Backstabbing, betrayal, the airing of grudges and vampire sexiness ensue. Oh, and maybe they'll solve the mystery of who killed their relative if they can get their act together.

• SPAWN VIOLATOR ORIGIN #1 - A six issue mini by Marc Andreyko with a different artist on each issue (it's a theme this week, apprently). This time round it's Piotr Kowalski, as the Violator spins his highly unreliable story of a demonic life, from his origins through different periods in history to the present day.

• OLD DOG OPERATIONS #1 - Declan Shalvey puts together a roster of talent for a collection of short Old Dog missions. Alex Paknadel, P.J. Holden, Charles Soule, Rory McConville, Sumeyye Kesgin Leonardo Romero, John McCrea, Matías Bergara, David O'Sullivan, Luke Sparrow and more all contribute to one hell of a one-shot (alongside Shalvey himself, of course).

• VENOM WAR DAREDEVIL #1 - Chris Condon & Lan Medina bring Matt and Elektra into the symbiote fracas as the zombiotes descend upon Hells Kitchen in this one-shot.

• MIGHTY MORPHIN POWER RANGERS USAGI YOJIMBO #1 - Well, I never saw that coming. 

• MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE TMNT TURTLES OF GRAYSKULL #1 - Well, I never saw that coming. (Though I'm down with Michelangelo's blonde wig.)

And that's it! See you next week!

Andrew.