Tag: dark horse comics

Alas, Poor Hellboy: Dark Horse & Mignola Turn Up the Heat

Post author By Peter Parrella
Post date July 30, 2015

Hellboy In Hell #7
Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Mike Mignola
Artist: Mike Mignola
Colorist: Dave Stewart
Letters: Clem Robins
Editor: Scott Allie
Cover Artist: Mignola with Stewart

Release Date: August 26, 2015

I Took a Dog’s Paw, A Hog Jaw, and Tied ’em in a Knot…
There is no rest for the expired when you happen to be Hellboy. He’s dead. He’s in Hell. He’s all messed up. Yet even in death he’s going to have to face a world of deadly problems, possibly the expunging of his eternal soul thereby becoming a hollow howling haunter of hell. He is not without benefactors but their needs are reciprocal and large.

Written and rendered for the printed page by HellBoy creator Mike Mignola and his trusty wingman, colorist Dave Stewart, issue #7 of Dark Horse Comics’ Hellboy In Hell presents us with the first of the two-part story “The Hounds of Pluto.”

hellboy, mike mignola, dave stewart, dark horse comics, bellboy in hell — Hellboy writer and artist Mike Mignola ponders his creation’s next adventure. (photo by Christine Mignola/Courtesy of Dark Horse Comics)

I Took a Black Cat, A Cave Bat, and Threw ’em in a Pot…
Inspiration can come in the strangest forms, and editor Scott Allie informs us that Mignola found his muse for a key story element in a skeletal feline Halloween ornament. That item is elevated to star status on the cover of HBiH #8 (September 2015).

Mignola brews his stories in a cauldron of classic motifs that often suggest the frames of a silent era film. Caligariesque street-scapes, post grave grudges, glitchy golems and Shakespearean incantations are all part of the mix here. To heighten the effect, colorist Stewart juxtaposes the hard lines and stark tones of Hell’s very active memento mori against subtle watercolor washes depicting Hellboy’s verdant reveries of Alice and the rebirth of existence in the wake of what was once England.

What role must HB play in the rise of the new Albion? Not even those intrinsically involved know for sure, but you can begin your own deductions when this issue hits the bookstore shelves.

SkeletonPete Says…
If you want to catch up with just how our hero got to this place in time and space before HBiH #7 is released, check out Dark Horse’s The Storm and The Fury: HellBoy Volume 12 compilation which pulls together the two story arcs you need under one cover.

BTW, if you’re wondering where my lyrical paragraph headers come from give Johnny Otis‘s “Castin’ My Spell” a listen. I particularly dig the version done by Johnny Kid and the Pirates in 1964.

Tags castin' my spell, clem robins, dark horse comics, dave stewart, hellboy, hellboy in hell, johnny kid and the pirates, johnny otis, mike mignola, scott allie, the hounds of pluto

Books & Graphic Novels

Dress Your Wounds: Dark Horse’s “Archie Vs. Predator” Finale

Post author By Peter Parrella
Post date July 21, 2015

archie versus predator, riverdale, dark horse comics, betty and veronica, archie andrews — Mud Honeys Betty and Veronica grace Andrew Pepoy’s cover for the final “Archie Versus Predator installment.

Archie Versus Predator #4
Dark Horse Comics
Writer: Alex de Campi
Penciller: Fernando Ruiz
Inker: Rich Koslowski
Colorist: Jason Millet
Cover Artist: Andrew Pepoy

#BFF’s, Battle Friends Forever…
The end is nigh but what started out as a “you can’t be serious” concept turned out to be a ridiculously fun excursion into post-millennial farce. Issue 4 of Dark Horse Comics‘ Archie Versus Predator finds the last few Riverdale residents intact preparing for their ultimate fight for survival, while also attempting to stay well appointed in the best of togs.

With a cover blurb like “Frenemies No More” it’s no spoiler to tell you that our forever teenage gal rivals Betty and Veronica make formidable foes for the extraterrestrial hunter in the finale.

Author Alex de Campi has kept the plot unpredictable and the action on high, ramping up the body count on an issue by issue basis. The swift scenarios almost make you forget that iconic characters are meeting their demise in the bloodiest of ways.

SkeletonPete Says…
From here I’m totally prepared to learn that My Little Pony is the God-Head overlord of the Engineers in Prometheus 2. Mr. Ridley Scott, if you’re listening, the old Hollywood axiom “If you can’t make it bigger, make it funnier” applies.

Tags archie, archie andrews, archie comics, archie versus predator, betty and veronica, dark horse comics, jughead, jughead jones, predator, riverdale

Books & Graphic Novels

Dark Horse’s Phoenix Con “Archie Vs. Predator” Variant

Post author By Peter Parrella
Post date May 22, 2015

dark horse comics, archie versus predator, betty and veronica, cover variant, phoenix comic con — Betty and Veronica battle the Predator on this Archie Vs. Predator #1 Phoenix Con Variant,

Betty and Veronica Get Their Groove Back…
Dark Horse Comics continues the mash-up mayhem with an exclusive edition of Archie Versus Predator #1 available to attendees at next week’s Phoenix ComicCon. Artist Darick Robertson‘s action packed scene pits Betty and Veronica against the other worldly hunter instead of each other for a change.

This variant is limited to 500 copies, maximum 5 to a customer, for $5.00 each and will be available at the Dark Horse convention booth #7052. Check below for specific sales and signing times.

Dark Horse will also offer plenty of neat swag and FREE artist signings, including Archie Versus Predator and Grindhouse‘s Alexi De Campi.

Just in case you were wondering, this ain’t your grandma’s Archie Comic as you can see from the bloody issue #2 splash page (slupt page?) below.

PHOENIX CONVENTION DARK HORSE SIGNING SCHEDULE
All creators signing in our booth offer their autographs for FREE. FREE prints, comics, or posters are provided for signings (while supplies last). You may purchase or bring items to be signed; however, we may restrict the type or number of items to be signed as necessary. Please note that some of the titles listed below have not been released for sale yet—in those cases, special prints will be available. Lines may also be closed for some signings due to crowding or time restrictions.

All events are subject to change. Some restrictions apply. Please ask the Dark Horse Comics staff if you have questions.

THURSDAY, MAY 28
5:00 p.m.–5:50 p.m. ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR, GRINDHOUSE: Alex de Campi
Archie vs. Predator #1 Phoenix Comicon exclusive variant cover by Darick Robertson available for purchase.

7:00 p.m.–7:50 p.m. MIDNIGHT SOCIETY: Drew Edward Johnson

FRIDAY, MAY 29
11:00 a.m.–11:50 a.m. MIDNIGHT SOCIETY: Drew Edward Johnson

2:00 p.m.–2:50 p.m. THIS DAMNED BAND: Paul Cornell, Tony Parker

3:00 p.m.–3:50 p.m. TWO BROTHERS, DE:TALES, PIXU, THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon

4:00 p.m.–4:50 p.m. EI8HT, X, B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH: Rafael Albuquerque

5:00 p.m.–5:50 p.m. GRINDHOUSE, ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR: Alex de Campi
Archie vs. Predator #1 Phoenix Comicon exclusive variant cover by Darick Robertson available for purchase.

SATURDAY, MAY 30
11:00 a.m.–11:50 a.m. TWO BROTHERS, DE:TALES, PIXU, THE UMBRELLA ACADEMY: Gabriel Bá, Fábio Moon

12:00 p.m.–12:50 p.m. ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR, GRINDHOUSE: Alex de Campi
Archie vs. Predator #1 Phoenix Comicon exclusive variant cover by Darick Robertson available for purchase.

1:00 p.m.–1:50 p.m. MASS EFFECT, X: Tony Parker

2:00 p.m.–2:50 p.m. THIS DAMNED BAND: Paul Cornell, Tony Parker

3:00 p.m.–3:50 p.m. EI8HT, X, B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH: Rafael Albuquerque

4:00 p.m.–4:50 p.m. MIDNIGHT SOCIETY: Drew Edward Johnson

SUNDAY, MAY 31
11:00 a.m.–11:50 a.m. THIS DAMNED BAND: Paul Cornell, Tony Parker

12:00 p.m.–12:50 p.m. MIDNIGHT SOCIETY: Drew Edward Johnson

1:00 p.m.–1:50 p.m. EI8HT, X, B.P.R.D. HELL ON EARTH: Rafael Albuquerque

2:00 p.m.–2:50 p.m. GRINDHOUSE, ARCHIE VS. PREDATOR: Alex de Campi
Archie vs. Predator #1 Phoenix Comicon exclusive variant cover by Darick Robertson available for purchase.

Tags alex de campi, archie comics, archie versus predator, betty and veronica, darick robertson, dark horse, dark horse comics, phoenix comic con, phoenix con 2015, variant covers

Books & Graphic Novels

Harrowing Experience: Dark Horse Horror/Fantasy Series

Post author By Peter Parrella
Post date April 16, 2015

dark horse comics, cullen bunn, tyler cook, harrow county, fantasy horror graphic novel — Dark Horse Comics “Harrow County” will have you crawling out of your skin.

What It Is…
With no spoilers given, I can say that Dark Horse Comics’ newest horror fantasy called Harrow County is like tucking into a good Ray Bradbury tale. It’s a coming of age story about rural farm girl Emmy and a community with some secrets.

The opening pages, worthy of Mario Bava’s Black Sunday, immediately draw us in as “healer” Hester Beck loses her life at the hands of the titular town’s folks. Her dying words threaten that there will to be hell to pay and her murderers can only wait for the other shoe to drop.

County Crows…
Harrow County is an excellent pairing of prose and art that truly compliment each other. Cullen Bunn’s (Deadpool) script is thoroughly attentive to sense and natural surroundings (“Her earliest memories were those of the taste of freshly turned earth and the bleating of goats.”) as well as the progress of the narrative. The work is peppered with colloquialisms like “haints” (ghosts) and “snake doctors” (dragon flies) that ground us in the locale. There is also a one page strip “Tales of Harrow County,” drawn by Owen Gieni, that gives us an additional glimpse of the supernatural events plaguing the residents.

Tyler Crook’s (B.R.P.D.) renderings of Emmy and her circumscribed world are embellished with a palette of watercolor washes of muted autumnal green and burnt orange. The children’s book look of the art balances the descriptive gravity of the text and makes the gorier visuals all the more impactful.

Issue #1 is a fine set-up for this new ongoing series with just enough of a creepy cliff-hanger to make you wait breathlessly for answers. Look for it at your favorite comic shoppe on May 13^th.

Tags cullen bunn, dark horse comics, graphic novels 2015, harrow county, owen gieni, tyler cook

Books & Graphic Novels

Heads, You Lose: Archie Vs. Predator Cover Variants

Post author By Peter Parrella
Post date April 3, 2015

archie vs predator, dark horse comics — Eric Powell’s variant cover art for Archie Versus Predator #1 forecasts a grim outcome for Jughead Jones.

There Will Be Blood…
We’ve already given you the heads-up about Dark Horse Comics’ whacked out Archie Vs. Predator series. Now that the variant covers have been revealed it looks like it’s heads-off for the unsuspecting gang.

Artists Eric Powell and Francesco Francavilla take no prisoners in their gritty depictions of the rumble in the jungles of Costa Rica. Will the hunter from another planet run rampant ‘round Riverdale and really make a jug out of Jughead’s head? You’ll find out in issue #1, due on April 15 just like your taxes.

Tags archie, archie andrews, archie comics, archie meets predator, archie versus predator, cover variants, dark horse comics, eric powell, Francesco Francavilla, jughead jones, predator