Tag: Boom Studios

YA Graphic Novel Preview: Forever Home by Jenna Ayoub

Forever Home

Creator: Jenna Ayoub (writer/artist)
Publisher: BOOM! Studios via their YA Kaboom! imprint Release Date: February 17, 2021
Format: Graphic novel, smaller-sized for younger readers

An all-new story about finding your place and learning to love where you are..

Willow has had a nomadic childhood—with two parents in the military, staying put has become a pipe dream. And when the family arrives at their latest stop— the historic Hadleigh House— Willow encounters something that doesn’t help her chances of finding home…ghosts!

Hadleigh House’s spectral residents have been scaring off would-be homebuyers for decades, and they intend to keep the house to themselves. But Willow’s not about to let some nagging spirits force her to move for the millionth time. As Willow spends time in the house and gains the ghosts’ respect through her own strong will to stay in the house no matter what, they find that all of them belong there. Together, the restless spirits are finally able to find some peace, and Willow finds a home. Then it’s just a matter of convincing Willow’s parents that this old house is the one for them- ghosts included.

Forever Home is a fresh graphic novel for middle grade and younger readers by cartoonist Jenna Ayoub (Adventure Time), from Boom! Studios through its Kaboom! young readers imprint.

Check your local and online comic book stores for availability and order options. Digital version is available at the BOOM! Studios webstore or purchased from content providers, including ComiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and Madefire.

Huge thanks to BOOM @ Studios for the following preview. For more on this release and more, visit www.boom-studios.com.

Bestselling author Gaby Dunn and artist Claire Roe set for Bury The Lede, graphic novel in 2019

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BOOM! Studios recently announced Bury The Lede, a new original graphic novel from New York Times bestselling author Gaby Dunn (I Hate Everyone But You) and artist Claire Roe (Batgirl and The Birds of Prey).

The following is select info from a recent full news release from BOOM Studios, detailing more on Bury The Lede.

Bury The Lede is for comic stores next year, in October 2019. This new series if inspired by Dunn’s own experiences at The Boston Globe as a reporter, about how we find answers in an increasingly complex world and the hidden threats surrounding those truths.

Twenty-one-year-old Madison T. Jackson is already the star of the Emerson College student newspaper when she nabs a coveted night internship at Boston’s premiere newspaper, The Boston Lede. The job’s simple: do whatever the senior reporters tell you to do, from fetching coffee to getting a quote from a grieving parent. It’s grueling work, so when the murder of a prominent Boston businessman comes up on the police scanner, Madison races to the scene of the grisly crime. There, Madison meets the woman who will change her life forever: prominent socialite Dahlia Kennedy, who is covered in gore and being arrested for the murder of her family. The newspapers put everyone they can in front of her with no results until, with nothing to lose, Madison gets a chance – and unexpectedly barrels headfirst into danger she never anticipated.

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Dunn is a New York Times bestselling author, journalist, YouTuber, actress, and comedian. She and her comedy partner, Allison Raskin, created the successful YouTube channel Just Between Us along with the novel “I Hate Everyone But You,” published under Wednesday Books.

She has written for The New York Times, Cosmopolitan, New York Magazine, The Boston Globe, and Vulture, as well as a finance column for Marie Claire. Dunn served as a writer on ”Big Mouth” (Netflix) and in 2016, co-created and starred in a pilot for MTV, later developing original half-hour pilots for 20th Century Fox, YouTube Red, and FX, as well as joining the cast of “Take My Wife” (Starz) in the role of Brie. She is also the host and creator of the podcast, Bad With Money With Gaby Dunn, which has been featured as one of the “Best New Podcasts of 2016” by The New York Times and Vulture.

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Claire Roe remains an acclaimed artist from the east of Scotland and studied animation at Duncan of Jordonstone College of Art, graduating in 2013. She has distinguished herself with dynamic work on some of the biggest properties in comics, including Wonder Woman and Batgirl and The Birds of Prey from DC Comics; Halo: Rise of Atriox from Dark Horse;The Wicked + The Divine from Image Comics; and Welcome Back from BOOM! Studios.

Bury The Lede will be available for sale in October 2019 at local comic book shops, bookstores or digital through the BOOM! official site and popular new comics apps.

New fantasy comic mini-series SPARROWHAWK rising this Fall, sneak preview now

Sparrowhawk_001_Main_PROMO

Sparrowhawk, a new fantasy comic mini-series is coming this coming Fall, from acclaimed writer Delilah S. Dawson (Ladycastle, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny) and artist Matias Basla (The Claw and Fang).

Hyping up its San Diego Comic Con 2018 presence, BOOM! Studios unveiled this fresh five-issue series, set for October. The following story synopsis, promises much:

“As the daughter of a Naval Captain born of two very different worlds, Artemesia has never fit in with her father’s family, nor the high-class life to which they belong in the complicated time that is London, 1851. However, when she is targeted by the Faerie Queen and pulled into another realm with even deadlier threats than she’s experienced in the Victorian Era, Art finds she has no choice but to try and save the world that has always hated her.”

“Dark and twisted but alive with hope, Sparrowhawk plunges you into a savagely beautiful world where I hope you, too, will want to earn your wings,” said Delilah S. Dawson. “You’ll meet a heroine who will spit her own blood in a fairy’s face to survive; her mentor who happens to be a flying jackalope who can’t lie… and yet still doesn’t quite tell the truth; an evil fairy who refuses to kill; and the monstrous twin of Pumbaa from The Lion King. Get ready to join the fairy fight club that’s one part Labyrinth, another part Alexander McQueen’s Savage Beauty and married to the beautiful visual landscape that Matias has created.”

“Sparrowhawk is one of the most of the inspiring stories I’ve read in a long time – I knew I had to work on this after reading Delilah’s amazing script,” said Matias Basla. “As an artist, the series leaves me a lot of room to experiment in creating the look for a new, rich fantasy world that evolves in exciting ways with each issue.”

Sparrowhawk #1 will release with its main cover done by Miguel Mercado (Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers) and a variant cover by Stephanie Hans (Star Wars).

Here is a little 4-page preview, character and cover art, thanks to the boom-studios.com site. Check them out for more info, and other happenings.


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New full-color edition of graphic novel Pizzeria Kamikaze, coming in 2018

BOOM! Studios recently announced a new full-color edition of Pizzeria Kamikaze, a haunting, sometimes surreal graphic novel by award-winning writer Etgar Keret (The Seven Good Years) and Eisner Award-winning cartoonist Asaf Hanuka (The Realist), to its Archaia imprint.

This unexpectedly powerful story of love, loss, and escape was first published in black and white by Alternative Comics in 2006 and is based on Keret’s own short story, Kneller’s Happy Campers, which also served as the basis for the independent film, Goran Dukić’s Wristcutters: A Love Story. Its new edition will debut in February 2018, full color and in hardcover for the first time.

In Pizzeria Kamikaze, after committing suicide, narrator Mordy is condemned to an afterlife where he still has to attend a crappy job in a place no less crappy than the place he came from. When he discovers that his beloved ex-girlfriend is there, too, he embarks on a much-needed road trip through an absurdist and fantastical landscape to find her.

“What was both surprising and beautiful, from my perspective, was that the original black-and-white Pizzeria Kamikaze and the film were both amazing adaptations and each had a completely different tone and sensibility but, at the same time, both of them were incredibly moving and loyal to the text,” says Keret, who wrote Kneller’s Happy Campers after an ex-girlfriend tragically passed away. “As a writer, you can meet your reader but will never really know what they’ve experienced when they’ve read your text. These two adaptations were a rare chance for me to take a peek into the mind of two brilliant and talented artists and I feel very lucky and very grateful for that.”

Pizzeria Kamikaze will also feature a new cover by Hanuka, who also has had two volumes of The Realist—curated collections of his semi-autobiographical comic strips—published by BOOM! Studios. The first volume won an Eisner Award in 2016.

“When I first worked on Pizzeria Kamikaze, I was 25 and felt the good times were over and now I’m just going to become old and lonely,” says Hanuka. “The story starts at this point but then goes somewhere magical and full of hope. Working on the book literally made me better. I consider myself lucky to get a second chance to do this book a bit differently. The colors came out beyond anything I could imagine, and with a new cover I feel like this story is finally getting a chance to reach new readers.”

 

Pizzeria Kamikaze will arrive in print at better comic stores, retail booksellers, and in digital format through direct comic-reader apps in February 2018.

Grant Morrison brings new KLAUS this holiday season

Klaus will return this holiday season with Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville, from BOOM! Studios.

Eisner Award-winning writer Grant Morrison (All-Star Superman, The Multiversity) and Eisner Award-nominated artist Dan Mora (Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers, WWE: Then. Now. Forever.) will bring the third story in the critically acclaimed reimagining of the Santa Claus origin story. Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville is set for December, dating back to the franchise launch in 2015.

In Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville, an evil Santa from an alternate dimension has founded a soda corporation that uses Christmas and holiday cheer as a marketing tactic to build their fortunes. Only Klaus can defeat the Pola-Cola Corp. and the zombie-like Santas that are in the evil Santa’s thrall.

“Last year’s Klaus special drew on a lot of traditional Christmas lore from around the world. This year, the influences are more contemporary, and CRISIS IN XMASVILLE takes some of its inspiration from the history of soda marketing and Santa,” says Morrison.

“It is a pleasure to once again be working with Grant Morrison on a new Klaus story,” says Mora. “I’ve been waiting for this all year!”

Klaus and the Crisis in Xmasville features a main cover illustrated by Mora and a variant cover by John Cassaday. Print copies will hit local comic book shops and popular digital apps carrying Boom! titles, this December.

Greg Pak’s hit comic MECH CADET YU, now an ongoing series

Great news is here for those who enjoyed the premiere issue of Mech Cadet Yu. ‘

BOOM! Studios recently announced Mech Cadet Yu, previously planned as a limited series, will carry on as an ongoing series. Its first issue sold out on the week of release at the distributor level (copies may still be available at local comic shops) and received many rave reviews.

The superstar dream team of writer Greg Pak (Hulk, Weapon X) and artist Takeshi Miyazawa (Ms. Marvel, Runaways) reunited to deliver the story of Stanford Yu, a young janitor who is unexpectedly chosen to join the sacred ranks of the mech cadets at Sky Corps Academy. Once a year, giant robots from outer space come to Earth to bond with the cadets to defend the world from terrifying aliens known as the Sharg. After he unintentionally bonds with his robot, Yu is thrown into training, hoping to prove he is worthy of being there at all.

“I’m hugely thrilled and so grateful to all of the readers, reviewers, and retailers who showed the first issue so much love and spread the word about the book,” says Pak. “That kind of word-of-mouth means all the world to an underdog book about an underdog hero and his underdog robot, so thank you so much! None of this would have happened without you, and we’re doing our best to make every issue the best and most fun it can possibly be.”

“I feel like we would just be getting on our two feet with the first four issues, so it’s going to be amazing to see where the story goes and watch Stanford and Co. face bigger threats and become even bigger heroes,” adds Miyazawa. “Stanford has come such a long way already. I hope everyone keeps rooting for the kid!”

“Greg and Takeshi are one the of most exciting pairs of collaborators in comics, creating characters with unmatched charm and heart,” says Cameron Chittock, BOOM! Studios associate editor of MECH CADET YU. “It’s impossible not to root for Stanford and his fellow cadets and with even more story to be told, I cannot wait for fans to see how their relationships evolve as they face worldwide threats together.”

Mech Cadet Yu #2 is scheduled for release on September 13, at comic stores and special digital apps everywhere.

 

BOOM! Studios welcomes new readers to FENCE

BOOM! Studios recently announced Fence, an all-new original comic book series from best-selling novelist C.S. Pacat (Captive Prince) and popular online sensation Johanna The Mad, set for this November from the BOOM! Box imprint.

Fence brings together the worlds of teen soap opera with the adrenaline rush of competitive fencing, an exciting journey of self-discovery that challenges readers with one simple phrase: En garde!

“Fence follows the rise of sixteen-year-old outsider Nicholas in the world of competitive fencing, as he joins the team at an elite boys school,” says Pacat. “Readers will experience the world of fencing, its elegance and danger, and the high stakes of a combat sport. But most of all, Fence is about the characters—with intense rivalries, lifelong friendships, and the thrill of romance between teammates—a diverse cast and a story that is exuberantly queer.”

“Fence means the world to me,” says Johanna The Mad. “It has always been one of my biggest dreams to draw comics, but I never thought I’d be able to work on one that I’d end up fangirling about!”

“Johanna’s artwork captures everything that is hot, dangerous, and exciting about fencing,” adds Pacat.

ABOVE: Character concept art by Johanna the Mad

Fence #1 will have two different covers. The main cover is by Johanna The Mad. The variant is by artist Kevin Wada (Scarlet Witch). Rebecca Nalty will be the series colorist.

“Teen drama, pretty people, self-discovery, and the thrill of competitive sports? Fence is everything I love in one comic,” says Dafna Pleban, BOOM! Studios editor. “C.S Pacat and Johanna The Mad have created a truly special comic we can’t wait for people to read.”

Fence #1 will strike at local comic book shops and through popular digital comics apps, this coming November.

Kong on the Planet of the Apes, an epic crossover in comics will happen.

BOOM! Studios, DeVito Artworks, and Twentieth Century Fox unite and go full ape, putting Kong on the Planet of the Apes in a new comic series

This new six-issue series will be a first for the two worlds as writer Ryan Ferrier (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Kennel Block Blues) and artist Carlos Magno (Planet of the Apes, Kong of Skull Island) team-up to deliver an epic story starring the best-known primates in pop culture.

Following the events of the first Planet of the Apes film (1968), Dr. Zaius and General Ursus lead a small group of soldiers to the Forbidden Zone to destroy any remaining evidence of Taylor’s time among them. To their surprise, they discover… a KONG! Now they must travel to Skull Island to discover the truth, but they may not survive the deadliest journey of their lives!

BOOM! Studios’ Kong comics are based on Joe DeVito’s Skull Island and Merian C. Cooper’s King Kong. The publisher recently completed a 12-issue series, Kong of Skull Island, written by James Asmus (All-New Inhumans) and illustrated by Carlos Magno. BOOM! Studios continues to publish Planet of the Apes comics since 2011, the longest-running comic book adaptation of the property (with comics produced on both the original and current series of films). War for the Planet of the Apes is currently out, as a four-issue series by David F. Walker (Luke Cage) and Jonas Scharf (Warlords of Appalachia), set before the Fox film.

“There’s such a deep mythology to both properties, especially if you consider all of the amazing Kong and Apes comics that have come out in recent years,” said Ryan Ferrier. “With this series, we’ve found a coherent, meaningful way of having these two worlds and their legacies fold into each other. The implications of the Ape civilization discovering the Kong world are huge, and that’s certainly on the forefront of the series.”

Covers for Kong on the Planet of the Apes #1 are illustrated by Mike Huddleston (The Coffin), series artist Carlos Magno, and movie poster artist Hans Woody.

Kong on the Planet of the Apes #1 hits the comic book shops and popular comic digital apps in November.

San Diego Comic Con 2017 – BOOM! Studios reveals show exclusives

Here is a list of the limited exclusive comics from BOOM! Studios at this year’s 2017 San Diego Comic-Con, on Wednesday, July 19th through Sunday, July 23rd.

These convention show exclusives are directly available for purchase at the BOOM! Studios booth #2229. Quantities are limited per day on a first come, first served basis.

See below for all the basic info and available pics.

Adventure Time/Regular Show # 1 SDCC Exclusive

Four bros. Two shows. One epic quest. Cartoon Network’s Adventure Time and Regular Show mash together in this unprecedented crossover event written by Conor McCreery (Kill Shakespeare) and illustrated by Mattia Di Meo, published by the KaBOOM! imprint of BOOM! Studios. This San Diego Comic-Con exclusive of issue #1 is the worldwide debut of the series and features a cover by Sanford Greene (Power Man and Iron Fist).

The Amory Wars: Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV #3 SDCC Exclusive

This San Diego Comic-Con exclusive cover by Eryk Donovan (Quantum Teens Are Go) connects with the San Diego Comic-Con exclusive cover to Amory Wars: Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV #4, available at the Evil Ink booth, to form the complete “Good Vs. Evil” image (see below). Written by Claudio Sanchez (of Coheed and Cambria) and Chondra Echert (Translucid), illustrated by Rags Morales (Action Comics), and published by BOOM! Studios.

Misfit City #1 SDCC Exclusive

This new series that counts Ellen Page and Anna Faris as fans is written by screenwriter Kirsten “Kiwi” Smith (“10 Things I Hate About You,” “Legally Blonde”) and Kurt Lustgarten, and illustrated by Naomi Franquiz. Published by BOOM! Studios’ BOOM! Box imprint (Lumberjanes, Goldie Vance), this San Diego Comic-Con Exclusive of the debut issue features a cover illustrated by critically acclaimed cartoonist John Allison (Giant Days, Scary Go Round).

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #17 SDCC Exclusive
Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #1 SDCC Exclusive A
Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #1 SDCC Exclusive B
Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2017 Annual SDCC Exclusive

and Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers #1 Double Gatefold SDCC Exclusive C

 

Four Power Rangers SDCC Exclusive covers connect to form one image illustrated by Dan Mora (Klaus), an homage to Jim Lee’s iconic cover to 1991′s X-Men (Vol. 2) #1.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers #17 continues BOOM! Studios’ critically acclaimed run of Power Rangers comics, kicking off a new story arc and is a great jumping-on point for new readers. Written by Kyle Higgins and illustrated by Hendry Prasetya.

With Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers, BOOM! Studios launched a new Power Rangers ongoing series by writer Ryan Parrott (Saban’s Power Rangers: Aftershock) and artist Dan Mora (Klaus) that will have a heavy emphasis on the team trying to lead their lives as normal teens—while being superheroes.

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers 2017 Annual is a one-shot, special anthology issue that contains Power Rangers short stories by Kyle Higgins, Tom Taylor, Jamal Campbell, Goñi Montes, Dan Mora, Frazer Irving, and more!

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Over the Garden Wall: Rock Facts! 2017 Zine SDCC Exclusive

 

“BOOM! Studios’ KaBOOM! Imprint presents a one-of-a-kind item, extremely limited, for fans of Patrick McHale’s Over the Garden Wall. From the publisher of the tie-in comics comes a 7” x 5” zine written by Ryan Ferrier (Regular Show: Wrasslesplosion) and illustrated by Over the Garden Wall storyboard artist Jim Campbell, featuring two different covers, each by Campbell.”

 

Sisters of Sorrow #1 SDCC Exclusive

“Kurt Sutter’s (Sons of Anarchy) first, original comic book series is a crime story about four women who dress as nuns to exact revenge against those who victimized them. Sutter writes alongside novelist Courtney Alameda (Shutter) with art by newcomer Hyeonjin Kim. This San Diego Comic-Con exclusive features a cover illustrated by Vanesa R. Del Rey (Redlands, The Empty Man).”

Steven Universe (Ongoing) #5 SDCC Exclusive

“By popular demand, Cartoon Network’s Steven Universe is now an ongoing comic book series from BOOM! Studios’ KaBOOM! imprint. This issue is written by Grace Kraft—who wrote and illustrated four issues of the original Steven Universe limited comic series—and illustrated by Meg Omac (Adventure Time Comics), with a San Diego Comic-Con exclusive cover by Paulina Ganucheau (Zodiac Starforce).”

WWE #7 SDCC Exclusive

“BOOM! Studios’ widely praised run on WWE comics continues! Written by Dennis Hopeless (All-New X-Men) and illustrated by fantastic newcomer Serg Acuña, this San Diego Comic-Con exclusive cover by Lynne Yoshii celebrates the Women’s Revolution of the WWE.”

Comic Reading Review: Godshaper #1

Godshaper #1

  • Artist: Jonas Goonface
  • Writer: Simon Spurrier
  • Published by: Boom! Entertainment
  • Publish Date: April 19, 2017
  • Notes: The first issue in a monthly series.

Synopsis:

“Written by Eisner Award-nominated writer Simon Spurrier (The Spire, X-Men Legacy) and illustrated by breakout talent Jonas Goonface, Godshaper introduces a vast world where there’s a god for every person and a person for every god…though for Ennay, unfortunately exceptions may apply. People like him are Godshapers, godless social pariahs with the ability to mold and shape the gods of others. Paired with Bud, an off-kilter but affectionate god without a human, the two travel from town to town looking for shelter, a hot meal, and the next paying rock ‘n’ roll gig”

Personal Thoughts (big spoilers):

I loved Simon Spurrier recent work, Spire. So, I was quite excited to finally get my hands on Godshaper...Yes!

Simon Spurrier has a knack for great world-building from the ground-up. Here, is no different and an extent into the very depths of an imaginary world, where nearly every person has a personal “god.” Those that don’t can shape other “gods,” or “Godshapers.” To what power, size or extent of the god depends on the person (I think, as I am not exactly clear on this). Then we have a Ennay, a man of music with no god of his own, except he has a god friend Bud, as companion. Together, they have a business that helps pay the bills, though he takes a little extra on the side, as Bud also steals.

Altogether, the set-up is a very far out concept, yet has familiar elements to a sort of yesterday’s Deep Southern culture and atmosphere. Yet for the god elements, I think of how close we are in our needs of technology in becoming gods of our technology at least. In Godshapers, there is no technology yet there is a symbiosis with these gods and a need for them (like our current technology). Not sure, that’s what was on the mind of Spurrier but I felt that. For Ennay, we have an identifiable person who is excluded, in many ways. He lives on and looks to his more natural ability to make his world, his music, and intelligence.

Yet, he makes friends along the way. For the first issue, we see some development of his moral compass, to help someone in need and decide how best to use his Godshaper ability. This first issue develops that character well, setting him and the world he deals with for exciting things to come.

The art is awesome and special to this unique series. There is a fine blend of humanity that merges with its cartoonish nature. The visuals merge a vintage 1960s cultural style, with a modern multi-layered edge in its colors and creature god designs. It’s an overall escape for the eyes if the reader is willing to pack the brain for the trip.

Overall, a fresh and exciting read for those looking for something very new in comics, and highly recommended.