Action Lab Entertainment

The weekend is here! Take a look back at what’s happened in the past seven days. New comics, new stories, new podcasts, new art being made — it’s all part of the ComicsAlliance Weekender!

It was only last month that Comixology launched Comixology Unlimited, a new subscription-base service with a Netflix-style model that gives access to a library of titles to read for a flat monthly fee. Since then, there's been one major question among readers: What exactly are we going to get on there? Now, a month after the launch with titles from Image, Dark Horse, Valiant and IDW, the digital comics platform has announced the first wave of additions, set to hit Unlimited on June 27 --- including the first three issues of Afterlife With Archie, the first five of Ryan Browne's God Hates Astronauts, and the first eight issues of Matt Wagner's Mage: The Hero Discovered.

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.

In February, Action Lab Entertainment's Voracious debuted under the tagline, "Top Chef meets Jurassic Park." Needless to say, we were intrigued. The series tells the story of chef Nate Willner revitalizing his career by using time travel technology he inherited from his uncle to cook and serve dinosaur meat in the present day, and it's been a success both for Action Lab and for indigenous representation in comics. ComicsAlliance talked with writer Markisan Naso and artist Jason Muhr about the book's influences, the research involved, and handling another culture's representation with care.

What a week! I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to sit back and read some comics. The weekend is finally here, and the world can relax and rest once more — but the comics industry has been busy too, you know, and the last seven days have seen a flurry of comics-based news and announcements fly past at high speed. ComicsAlliance has got your back, though: when it comes to comics, we never slow down, so here’s a look back and just what’s been going on. New comics, new stories, new podcasts, new art being made — it’s all part of the ComicsAlliance Weekender!

For the fourth year in a row, Diamond is holding their Halloween ComicFest, where comic shops will have special Halloween-related events and offer a bunch of free comics. Basically, it's like a Halloween-themed Free Comic Book Day, which seems like a fun deal all around. Plus, some shops will be selling mini-comic packs of 25 comics that people can give out to trick-or-treaters! There are 21 free comics available this year, and you can check them all out below!

Writer/artist Jamal Igle has had a busy few years in comics. Fresh off an exclusive at DC Comics where he became known as probably the defining Supergirl artist, he's joined Action Lab Comics, become a lecturer on comics issues, and --- oh yes --- created Molly Danger. The first volume of his series proved a knockout success on Kickstarter when it launched, raising over $50,000 from fans and acclaim from readers. This year Igle is returning to Kickstarter for Book Two of the series, which is currently proposed to run for four volumes --- and things are really starting to get interesting for the young superhero. She's gained new allies, new enemies, and a whole load of new complications in her life. We spoke to Igle about his hero, and his plans for book two of the series.

Back in July, ComiXology addressed one of the biggest questions people had with its digital comics service: Do customers actually own the issues they buy? The company unviled a DRM-free backup feature, but only for a handful of publishers, including Image Comics, Dynamite Entertainment, and Top Shelf Productions, among others. This week, ComiXology announced a second wave of publishers that will offer DRM-free downloads -- and no, Marvel and DC still aren't part of the deal.