I'm Jim Gibbons and this is the news you can use from last week. This! Is! Dark Horse in the Headlines!
B.P.R.D.
Up at Emerald City Comicion this weekend, the news was bittersweet for fans of B.P.R.D. Long time, fan favorite and award-winning series artist Guy Davis' tour on B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth has come to an end, as announced via ComicBookResources.com. Mr. Davis' unique and exhilarating style, not to mention his incredible talent for storytelling and monster design will undoubtedly be missed on the title. However, the pain of Davis' departure is lessened somewhat by the announcement that newcomer Tyler Crook will be taking over art duties on B.P.R.D. Hell On Earth—also announced via CBR. Get a taste of the flavor Mr. Crook will soon be bringing to everybody's favorite paranormal investigation team!
It's a changing of the guard that's cause for sadness and excitement. Best of luck to both Mr. Davis and Mr. Crook!
It's no shock that news about a change up on one of the most lauded team books in comics would make the rounds online, and this story is already circulating across the web. Comics Alliance has a great piece up about the artist transition, and The Beat and iFanboy (Twice!) both reported on the news.
The Guild
More news from ECCC, Ron Chan was announced as the interior artist on the upcoming one-shot The Guild: Clara. With that news and Felicia Day hanging out at Emerald City over the weekend, io9 got in on the action and premiered the three covers for The Guild: Bladezz, including this great 25th Anniversary cover (Dark Horse's, not The Guild's.) by Sean Phillips!
On top of that, Guild fans got their first peek inside next week's The Guild: Tink one-shot over at USA Today's Pop Candy.
Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth
Man, where do I even start when it comes to running down the insane amount of press this book got last week? Aside from a series of shout outs, recommendations and mentions on Comics Alliance (Twice!), MTV Geek, io9 and iFanboy, Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1 received rave reviews from…
-IGN: "By simply embracing every idea that comes to mind and never flinching or holding back, the Nicolle brothers succeed where most other comic creators have failed—making a book that's actually funny." 9/10!
-Paste Magazine: "Axe Cop perfects the sort of thrill-powered ridiculousness found in more mannered webcomics like The Adventures of Dr. McNinja and Awesome Hospital, where plot and character are often subservient to outlandish comic-book craziness. It’s born out of the effortless absurdity that comes naturally to children but is exceedingly difficult for adults to channel... Bad Guy Earth successfully translates Axe Cop to the physical realm."
-Comic Vine: "Get ready for a comic unlike anything you've seen before. The comic, written by a six-year-old, is so over the top with its crazy shenanigans that you won't be able to resist laughing out loud. Comics often become variations on the same theme. Axe Cop is definitely something different. It doesn't follow the familiar formula often seen in other books and the crazy pacing will keep you on your toes as there's no way to predict what will happen next. This book is so absurd that it deserves to be read again and again. I need more Axe Cop in my life."
-Bleeding Cool: "It's an insanely joyous read, with beautiful coloured art now, that's not just an addition to the strip but an integral part of how the reality and surreality of the book is played."
-iFanboy: "This comic book is pure imagination, unconstrained by the things that hold adults back, and by all accounts it should not work, and an educated and discerning reader such as myself should rightly scoff, but I did not scoff. I laughed, and was impressed." "Let a kid show you what fun it was to be a kid." Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1 was also iFanboy "Pick of the Week."
-Panels On Pages: "Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth is a delightful glimpse into a young, creative mind. 4 out of 5 'Faint Bullets.'"
-Techland: "This is still a fun, inventive comic with a particular energy that propels it quickly towards its cliffhanger ending, and everyone involved seems to have had as much fun making it as I did reading it."
-Major Spoilers: "Axe Cop: Bad Guy Earth #1 is a genuine treasure, a gem of all-out storytelling brilliance, and earns a straight-up hardcase 5 out of 5 stars overall. I came in with no expectations, and a few reservations, and found that the fun factor overwhelmed everything else… This is the kind of book I want my kid to write."
-Newsarama: "Without the jaded hindrance of predictable cause and effect, the reader is faced with the absurd at every corner. I tried to analyze why the books resonate so well, but picking apart fun isn't fun, so I did what Malachi would do: Ate a bowl of ice cream with the King of France who was wearing a hat made out of crystals. The crystals were magic."
You can also check out two great interviews with Axe Cop artist Ethan Nicolle at Sequential Tart and io9!
Dark Horse Presents
Hot on the heels of the premiere of Paul Pope's Ultra-Rare Variant cover for Dark Horse Presents #1, last week it was announced that Fábio Moon would be doing the Ultra-Rare Variant for issue #2! The cover was picked up by Newsarama, iFanboy, Comics Alliance and The Weekly Crisis.
Fans anxious for the return of DHP should also check out an interview that Neil Adams did with MTV Geek. Head honcho Mike Richardson chatted with ICV2, as well! And lastly, if you haven't read DHP assistant editor John "The Spork" Schork's insane (And insanely awesome!) intro to the cover, check it out on the Dark Horse blog!
The Art of Alice: Madness Returns
Video game super site Kotaku premiered the first interior pages from American McGee's The Art of Alice: Madness Returns. Offering an intimate look into the stunning and scary artwork behind this reinterpretation of Lewis Carroll’s enduring masterpiece, these The Art of Alice: Madness Returns pages are as interesting and awe-inspiring as they are completely terrifying. Check'em out!
The Comics
The fully reworked and updated edition of the 1974 classic tome chronicling the comprehensive history of a truly American art form (Newspaper comic strips) is headed to store shelves on March 9. The book's author, comics legend Jerry Robinson, spoke with CBR about the upcoming edition. Mr. Robinson also launched his own website last week. Take a look at both those links!
Your Highness
MTV Geek showcased an exclusive first look at the interiors of Danny McBride's first comic work, an introduction to his upcoming movie "Your Highness." With work from Sean Phillips, this beauty is worth a look for fans of great art and hilarious comics.
Solomon Kane: Red Shadows
The adventures of Robert E. Howard's bad ass, gun-slinging puritan continue in April under the able pen of Bruce Jones. The veteran writer spoke with both MTV Geek and Newsarama about the new series and his excitement is infectious. I was already psyched, but now I'm lamenting the long wait until this book comes out even more!
Hodgepodge
-iFanboy premiered some of the last Fear Agent covers you'll ever see. Check out these beauties!
-Both ComicAttack.net and Ain't It Cool News loved issue #5 of Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom.
-In similar news, ComicAttack.net raved about a pair o' barbarian books last week. Both King Conan: Scarlet Citadel #1 and Kull: The Hate Witch #4 received high marks!
-TwitchFilm really enjoyed both the B.P.R.D. Plague of Frogs hardcover and Vampire Boy. "In an age where we are beset with endless numbers of characters, Vampire Boy manages to deliver something of the mythic. Not for the squeamish or those sensitive to the sensual, this book is nonetheless one of the best graphic novels I've read all year."
-The Daily Cross Hatch's interview series with Stan Sakai continues!
-The Occultist got a nice mention on the LA Times website.
-The second book in Mark Crilley's Brody's Ghost series was the subject of a great piece over at Newsarama.
Well, I think that about does it, ladies and gents! As always, thanks much for stopping by to check out this column and for your continuing patronage of our work at the Dark Horse blog! After reading this, I recommend taking some time to get nostalgic about old Nickelodeon game shows before heading out into the week. Why not, right? Should be fun! Anywho, head back here next week for more Dark Horse in the Headlines! Till then, I'm Jim Gibbons, signing off.