Boom Studios

There’s an expectation of what comics will be when we pick one up, particularly in the monthly "floppy" format that most of us are reading. At Thought Bubble recently, on the Image Comics panel, a few of the creators were talking about how they were able to play around with the medium a little more, and change expectations of what comics are, especially away from "mainstream" books. This week, rather than dissect a single storytelling approach in a comic, I want to look at a comic doing something unusual with the form --- the Boom Studios roller derby comic Slam, by Pamela Ribon, Veronica Fish, Brittany Peer, and Jim Campbell.

The question most often asked of the ComicsAlliance staff is a variation of, “Which comic books should I be reading?” or, “I’m new to comics, what’s a good place to start?” The Wednesday deluge of new comic books, graphic novels and collected editions can be daunting even for the longtime reader, much less for those totally unfamiliar with creators, characters and publishers, and the dark mysteries of comic book shopping like variants, pre-ordering, and formats. It’s with these challenges in mind that we’ve created Best Comic Books Ever (This Week), an ongoing guide curated by the ComicsAlliance staff. This is where new comics readers and seasoned Wednesday shoppers alike can find our picks of the best books the medium has to offer.

Steven Universe fans rejoice! Boom Studios has announced a new ongoing comic based on the popular Cartoon Network series by writer Melanie Gillman and artist Katy Farina. Gillman is best known for their webcomic As the Crow Flies, while Farina has previously worked on licensed properties for Boom, drawing The Amazing World of Gumball and coloring Rick & Morty.

Over a decade ago, The Jim Henson Company announced plans to produce a sequel to the cult hit film The Dark Crystal, but those plans never materialized. Now, that might-have-been movie is being adapted into comics by Si Spurrier, Kelly Matthews and Nicole Matthews as a twelve-part miniseries adapted from the original screenplay titled The Power of The Dark Crystal.

In Boom's upcoming four-issue comic Ladycastle, as you might guess from the name, the women are in charge. But this isn't a utopian feminist world, or at least it didn't start that way. The women are in charge because almost all of the men are dead at the hands of a dragon. With more monsters on the way, the Princess Aeve and a blacksmith named Merinor must take charge. ComicsAlliance chatted with writer Delilah S. Dawson and artist Ashley A. Woods about their particular take on a kingdom ruled by women, and all of the elements that went into building this very special castle.

To mark Trans Week of Visibility, ComicsAlliance has put together a list of great comics for younger readers featuring transgender or nonbinary characters. These are comics that are suitable for a wide range of ages, and come from a wide array of genres, from fantasy to electro-pop to superheroes to slice-of-life --- so there should be something for everyone. If you're a young trans or nonbinary comics reader, or if you know someone who is, or if you just want to read some amazing comics, these are our recommendations!

DC Comics' outreach to independent publishers for crossovers with licensed properties has already yielded some bizarre but entertaining comics, but next year's Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern might take the cake for the weirdest crossover you didn't know you wanted. DC, Boom and 20th Century Fox have unveiled further details for the project previously teased at New York Comic Con, including the news of which creators get to helm this curious title.

Grant Morrison and Dan Mora's Klaus was my favorite comic book story of the year. The reimagining of Santa Claus as a superhero with an origin story that was equal parts Rankin-Bass and Batman RIP is probably the platonic ideal of what I want out of entertainment, and after reading the entire first series, I really just wanted more. Now, I'm getting my Christmas wish: on December 21, Klaus returns in Klaus and the Witch of Winter, an extra-sized one-shot in which Morrison and Mora bring Santa to the modern world and go beyond his origin story for an all-new adventure. ComicsAlliance spoke to Morrison about his feelings about Santa Claus, why the series is like his personal Doctor Who, and why Santa Claus is real. Because of course Santa Claus is real.

The question most often asked of the ComicsAlliance staff is a variation of, “Which comic books should I be reading?” or, “I’m new to comics, what’s a good place to start?” The Wednesday deluge of new comic books, graphic novels and collected editions can be daunting even for the longtime reader, much less for those totally unfamiliar with creators, characters and publishers, and the dark mysteries of comic book shopping like variants, pre-ordering, and formats. It’s with these challenges in mind that we’ve created Best Comic Books Ever (This Week), an ongoing guide curated by the ComicsAlliance staff. This is where new comics readers and seasoned Wednesday shoppers alike can find our picks of the best books the medium has to offer.

Last week was tough for a lot of people, and as the US election results came in on Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, a lot of us just didn't want to read comics or do much of anything as we adjusted to a changing world. Last Wednesday wasn't New Comic Book Day so much as "What Do We Do Now?" Day, and a lot of comics got lost in the shuffle. However, last week was packed with some really stellar comic debuts and new #1s, and many of them might not have got the attention they deserved due to the omnipresence of the election results. It was a bad week to launch a new book, and a weak launch can be very bad news for a book's future. With that in mind, we've gone back to highlight six new comics from last week that are worth picking up this week.