The Gosh! Authority 30.04.25

Hello, it's the week of FREE COMIC BOOK DAY!

Yes, that's right, this Saturday we'll be having our usual roster of the ever-popular kids drawing table and signings to celebrate FCBD (sadly Peter Milligan had to cancel for the 1pm signing). And of course we'll have some lovely grab bags of comics to give aways as well!

Get all the details here, but to sum it up:

10am - 1pm will be the kids drawing table, where the little ones get to draw along with professional comics creators. Details here.

1-2pm will be a special signing to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Boom Studios, with Boom creators John Allison and Ram V. Details here.

And then 2-3pm will be a signing with Rick & Morty comics creators Marc Ellerby & Beck Kubrick! Details here.

Grown-ups get a pack of 5 random FCBD comics with a purchase, and kids get a bag of younger readers comics with no purchase required.

Come on down, we'll all be here!

Then afterwards enjoy your bank holiday weekend, but don't forget: that'll mean next week's new comics will not be arriving here until Wednesday to go out same day, so expect them on the shelves around lunchtime!

HIGHLIGHTS THIS WEEK

• HEAVY METAL #1 - Heavy Metal is back! It's the return of the magazine that launched a generation of Euro-comics fandom in the English-language world, and unlike recent years before it fizzled out, the folks behind it understand the brief. Alongside all-new work from a range of creators from around the world, old favourites like Enki Bilal, Jose Ortiz, Vincente Segrelles and Paul Kirchner are on hand to give it that classic Heavy Metal feel. And needless to say, we've gone heavy on the Frank Frazetta cover, because why would you not?

• LOST FANTASY #1 - Curt Pires and Luca Casalanguida introduce us to a place where creatures of myth and magic have been kept in check beneath the surface of the world thanks to the work of a society of hunters. But something has gone wrong and they're breaking through, with only a rookie hunter to stand in the way.

• WOLVERINE & KITTY PRYDE #1 - Remember when Marvel seemed to be producing one of these "untold tales of the 80s" minis every other week? That's settled down now, but they're still keeping dear old Chris Claremont in beer and skittles with them. So we're headed back to Japan in the wake of the original Kitty Pryde and Wolverine mini-series for a final tale before they head back to the US. I'm not familiar with artist Damian Couceiro's work, but you do get a nice Alan Davis cover on there for that sweet nostalgic hit.

• SINCEREST FORM OF PARODY TP - When Mad hit big in the 1950's, it spawned a raft of imitators doing their own spin on cartoon satire. Mostly lost to time, this collection gathers together 30 of the best stories from those 50's mags, with work by the likes of Jack Davis, Will Elder, Norman Maurer, Carl Hubbell, William Overgard, Jack Kirby, Dick Ayers, Bill Everett, Al Hartley, Ross Andru and Mike Esposito, Hy Fleischman, Jay Disbrow, Howard Nostrand, and Bob Powell.

• POWER COMPANY RECHARGED #1 - Following on from DC Power Rise of the Power Company, Bryan Hill & Khary Randolph bring Black Lightning, Jefferson Pierce, Jace Fox Batman, Signal and Vixen back together to track down a serial killer.

• GODZILLA VS AMERICA LOS ANGELES #1 - Second in a series of one-shots that sees Big G bring the hurt to various places in the USA, with story contributions by locals. Now he's off to LA, with Dave Baker, Gabriel Hardman, J. Gonzo, Jordan Morris and Nicole Goux letting loose with the creative duties!

• GODZILLA VS SPIDER-MAN #1 - Then he's off to Manhattan in a technically unrelated but thematically linked attack on NYC! Post-Secret Wars Spidey has his work cut out for him what with fighting a giant lizard and dealing with this strange new gooey black suit he got on the Battleworld....

• KID JUGGERNAUT #1 - Bringing the digital story by Emily Kim and Minkyu Jung into print for the first time, it's time to learn the origin of Justin Jin, the Avengers Academy Juggernaut.

• SLASHERS APPRENTICE #1 - A young podcaster and slasher fan decides to take her interest to the next level by getting her hands dirty. She wants to rehabilitate the reputation of her hero The Hopton Valley Killer, but in the worst possible way. I've seen enough films where someone develops an unhealthy fixation with a serial killer to know that this can't end well. A new horror series by Justin Richards & Val Halvorson.

And that's it! See you Saturday!

Andrew.