It’s a brand-new year and that means brand-new comics! Whether it’s a new series, a new graphic novel or just new issues of an already awesome book, I’ve got five new comics for you to look forward to in 2013.
Dark Horse
Writers: Rob Reger and Mariah Heuhner
Artist: Emily Ivie
I’ve never read any of the Emily the Strange comics, but I’ve always been intrigued by the character. Emily and the Strangers seems like the perfect opportunity to check out this gothic rock star, especially since each issue will feature two different covers — one by Buzz Parker (Emily the Strange: The 13th Hour), and the other by a special guest artist, such as R. Black, Winston Smith and Cynthia Von Buhler.
2. Kill Shakespeare: The Tide of Blood
IDW
Writers: Conor McCreery and Anthony Del Col
Artist: Andy Belanger
Hamlet, Juliet, Othello and Romeo are back! And if that sounds weird to you, you probably still haven’t read Kill Shakespeare, a comic that pits some of Shakespeare’s greatest heroes against his greatest villains. This time around the heroes will face off against Prospero, “a rogue wizard who plans to destroy all of creation.” This is a title you need to read from the beginning, but you still have time to pick up the first two trades, The Blast of War and A Sea of Troubles, before issue #1 of The Tide of Blood hits shelves in February.
Top Shelf
Creator: Jess Fink
I haven’t read any of Jess Fink’s comics before, but when I saw We Can Fix It! on the Top Shelf website I was instantly excited about it. The book is a somewhat fictionalized memoir, where Fink uses a time machine to travel back to her past so she can give advice to her younger self. From what I can tell, Fink’s previous work has mostly been erotica, so it’ll be interesting to see just how graphic this novel gets.
4. Lust
44Flood
Writer: Steve Niles
Artists: Ben Templesmith and menton3
This one’s a little weird, as it’s not technically a comic book, but as a Ben Templesmith fan I had to include it here. Templesmith is once again teaming up with Steve Niles, his creative partner from 30 Days of Night, to create a book that melds prose, art and sequential storytelling. menton3 is also joining them on the book and though I’m not familiar with his work, what he has up on the Kickstarter page looks amazing. The campaign has already ended, with total funds far exceeding the original goal, and the book will ship to backers sometime in March. If you missed the campaign, you can order a copy from 44Flood, but it won’t ship until April.
5. Saga
Image
Writer: Brian K. Vaughan
Artist: Fiona Staples
This book launched in March last year and it’s one of the most original comics I’ve ever read, with compelling characters, a fun story and great artwork. I also highly recommend reading the letters section. Saga Volume 1 collects chapters 1-6 and can be purchased from your local comic book store. You should also still be able to find singles of chapters 7-9, giving you the chance to catch up before chapter 10 is released on February 20.
