Spring is in full swing here in the U.S. Northeast, with all its joys (warmer weather, longer days), and its pitfalls (allergy season, that groundhog that chews on my doorframe to my back patio door). It’s a perfect time to take your comics reading outdoors. But maybe keep them away from the woodland creatures.
This month, we look at the finale of Kamen Rider Zero-One, the end of the first arc of Blade Runner 2039, and Titan’s Free Comic Book Day 2023 offering that kicks off its new Conan the Barbarian series.
Titan Comics News and Announcements
May – July 2023 Release Schedule
Below is Titan’s current release schedule for May – July 2023. Going forward, we’ll be including schedules for the next three months in our PUBWATCH news section. These come from Titan’s website, and are always subject to change.
May 2023
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- The Three Ghosts of Tesla Vol. 1: May 2nd
- Kamen Rider Kuuga Vol. 3: May 16th
- Moriarity: Clockwork Empire #4: May 17th
- Kamen Rider Zero-One #4: May 24th
June 2023
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- NOUNS #1: June 7th
- Sea of Thieves: Origins: Champion of Souls Vol. 2: June 13th
- Dead by Daylight #1: June 14th
- Blade Runner 2039: Luv Vol. 1: June 20th
- Bloodborne: Lady of the Lanterns Vol. 5: June 20th
- Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series #1: June 28th
July 2023
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- NOUNS #2: July 5th
- Doctor Who: Doom’s Day #1: July 5th
- ATOM: The Beginning Vol. 5: July 11th
- Rivers of London: Here Be Dragons #1: July 12th
- Conan the Barbarian #1: July 26th
- Doctor Who: Doom’s Day #2: July 26th
- Blade Runner 2039 #5: July 26th
- Dead by Daylight #2: July 26th
- Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series #2: July 26th
Sexy Spy Scarlett Couture Heats Up Your Summer
I’ve been a fan of Des Taylor’s modern takes on pin up art for several years now, owning several of his prints. So the news that his flagship series Scarlett Couture returns to comics this summer is welcome news indeed! The new series, Scarlett Couture: The Munich File, starts six months after the end of Project Stardust. And it’s a very modern thriller for our noir detective, as she finds herself in the throes of technological espionage, dealing with a Project Stardust perhaps bigger than anything anyone expected.
“Comics’ sexiest spy is back!” said creator Des Taylor. “It’s great to bring Scarlett Couture back home to Titan Comics after a successful crowd-funding venture.”
The first issue drops on August 9th, and will feature covers from Dan Panosian (Wolverine) and Ken Lashley (Bishop: War College), among others. You can check out the trailer for the series here, as well as a preview of some interior art from the premiere issue above.
Preview Trailers Galore!
In addition to the trailer for Scarlett Couture: The Munich File above, Titan has trailers for several of its other upcoming series coming this summer. You can watch trailers for Conan the Barbarian #1 and Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series #1. The debut issue of the new Conan the Barbarian series drops on July 26th, and Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series comes a month earlier on June 28th.
Here There Be Dragons (and Covers!) in The Rivers of London
Last PUBWATCH saw the announcement of a new Rivers of London series featuring dragons, Jimi Hendrix, and lots of magical shenanigans. We’re thrilled to show one of the covers of the debut issue above, drawn by José María Beroy and featuring one of the titular dragons menacing Westminster while a Met Police helicopter attempts to bring it under control. You can imagine that this might not end too well.
Rivers of London: Here There Be Dragons #1 drops on July 12th.
Travel Through the Purple Haze with Jimi Hendrix in a New Graphic Novel
And while we’re on the topic of Jimi Hendrix…
The iconic guitarist is the star of a new graphic novel from Blade Runner: Origins writer Mellow Brown, writer DJ Benhameen, and artist Tom Mandrake. Developed in collaboration with Jimi’s sister Janie Hendrix, Jimi Hendrix: Purple Haze sees Hendrix on a cosmic quest to free a population starved of music with his own unique sound. (Sounds like Footloose with guitars and space to me.) The graphic novel blends influences of sci-fi pulp and Afrofuturism for this unique space adventure.
“Jimi transcended time and space with his music, leaping generations into the future,“ said Janie Hendrix, Jimi’s sister and head of the family company, Experience Hendrix, LLC. “There was an otherworldliness about him that was a true fascination for many. It’s thrilling to have a Sci-Fi story told introducing Jimi as a time traveler, freedom fighter, and magical musician.
You can check out the cover for this graphic novel above, and look for it in comic shops this November.
Two Sci-Fit Titans Come To Titan Comics
August sees two unique sci-fi series debut at Titan. One is an 80s classic making its triumphant return. And the other is an innovative public-domain fantasy.
The month kicks off with the return of Robotech in Robotech: Rick Hunter on August 2nd. This series, set after the Macross saga, sees its title character face threats new and old, with past and future colliding. Brandon Easton (Transformers, Kamen Rider Zero-One) will provide the script for this new series with art from acclaimed Power Rangers artist Simone Ragazzoni. The four part miniseries is a perfect companion to the classic Robotech series, currently available on Crunchyroll.
At the end of the month, science fantasy Blitmap comes to comics with an original series. This series, debuting on August 30th, introduces readers to the Blitnauts and their world. Jack Timmer and Matias Basla are the creative team behind this series, which will also introduce a new cover printing technique that makes each cover a unique work of art. The “every cover is unique” approach is in line with the creativity of the Blitmap community, which has seen 100 digital collectibles turned into 1,700 remixes thanks to fans.
We’ll have more on these two new series in upcoming editions of PUBWATCH.
What I’m Reading
We catch up on the latest adventures in Blade Runner and Kamen Rider Zero-One and dive into the world of Conan the Barbarian with one of Titan’s Free Comic Book Day titles.
(Note that our reviews may contain spoilers, so proceed carefully!)
Blade Runner 2039 #4
Jim Campbell (letterer), Andres Guinaldo (artist), Mike Johnson (writer), Marco Lesko (colorist)
April 19, 2023
There’s one woman, one Replicant, that has Ash and Cleo in her sights: LUV. While Ash still searches for answers about Cleo’s mother Isobel, Cleo comes face to face with LUV herself. Although Ash and Cleo look to be out-powered by the Replicant, Ash has one trick up her sleeve: knowledge. And not just knowledge about who LUV is, but also how to trick LUV at her own game. It buys them just enough time to escape with Selwyn’s data and plan their next moves off-world. Meanwhile, LUV’s retiring from the force due to her failures, but it’s not the end of her mission to capture Ash and Cleo.
One thing the Blade Runner series has done well is action. And the chase between Ash and Cleo in one ship and LUV in the other about halfway through this book is an example of that. Framing these moments in smaller panels raises tension, but it doesn’t cut off the action either. A variety of perspective choices allows you to see the chase from all angles, something that only comics can do and do well when done properly. The final layer of this comes from Jim Campbell’s letters that emphasize sound over dialogue. All put together, it’s quite the masterclass in adapting a three-dimensional scene to a two-dimensional medium.
And while there’s nothing overly revolutionary in Mike Johnson’s script in terms of reveals, it flows quite well in ending one story and setting the stage for another. I’m also happy it doesn’t lean into tropes either. It would have been easy to reveal LUV as Cleo’s long-lost mother Isobel, but Johnson keeps the mysteries of LUV close to the vest, for now at least.
The next Blade Runner 2039 arc kicks off this summer. And I am eager to see where it goes next.
Kamen Rider Zero-One #4
Andworld Design’s Jame (letterer), David Clarke (story and original characters), Brandon Easton (writer), Hendry Prasetya (artist), Bryan Valenza (colorist)
May 24, 2023
If I had to describe this comic, I would probably call it “a little bit of Succession drama and a whole lot of fighting kaiju-like monsters.” And there’s plenty of the latter as the final issue opens, with Ragnarok giving Kamen Rider and Vulcan quite the challenge. Fortunately, they get a little help from their friends – and some of Vulcan’s tech. But it’s an appeal to humanity that finally brings our villain down, as Kamen Rider removes his mask and appeals to his enemy not as a superhero, but as Aruto. In the end, our big bad goes down – but there is still much for this Kamen Rider to learn.
This entire issue is the final confrontation between Ragnarok and our heroes. And it has just what you expect from this series: ginormous anime-style fighting. There’s plenty of action and explosions, and it’s a visual field day for an artist who cut his teeth on the Power Rangers series. At times, there’s almost too much of it, as the art obscures dialogue necessary to understand the complex plan Kamen-Rider and Vulcan have in place. All this fighting looks good, but when it causes the reader to lose the main thread of the plot, it’s all for naught.
Another thread that was missing in this issue and the series is the character conflict for Aruto. This is a man head of a company dealing with conflict on all levels, including his own self-doubts. But that storyline is only present in fits and starts. The big monster fights can carry an anime TV series effectively, but not a two-dimensional medium. Now, I’m not looking for any great intellectual truths, but there has to be some level of character development to keep readers invested. Throughout this series, there just wasn’t enough.
Kamen Rider Zero-One was Titan’s first original series from its manga imprint. I would call this a middling success. It’s executed effectively but with plenty of room for improvement. Let’s hope this isn’t the last we see of Aruto and company.
Conan the Barbarian #0 (Free Comic Book Day)
Richard Starkings (letterer), Rob de la Torre (artist), Jose Villarrubia (colorist), Jim Zub (Writer)
May 6, 2023
Robert E. Howard’s classic Cimmerian has a new home at Titan Comics in 2023. Thus, it is only fitting that the publisher uses one of its Free Comic Book Day titles to introduce readers to the Titan Conan adventures. Let’s get to know this legend born in an unlikely place.
Everything that you expect from a Conan comic is right here in these 23 pages: epic battles, glorious victories, and a sense of longing for more. There isn’t much of a hint as to what readers can expect from the upcoming Conan ongoing, but that’s okay. The purpose here is to introduce the character and set up the world of the Cimmerians. And it does this well with expository text, a fascinating back matter essay, and a script that balances the ideas of show and tell well. Jim Zub’s script acts as narrator, letting the art propel the story. And it adds context to action beautifully.
And what artwork that is from Rob de la Torre! This artist knows the challenge he has in creating a world that builds upon itself and propels itself forward, and he rises to the occasion. Even the smallest of panels are packed with detail and emotion. And in those large panels of battle do not hold back either. Whether it’s Conan battling creatures himself or a large-scale battle, de la Torre’s linework that alternates between fine line and shadow adds layers to this amazing world. And Jose Villarrubia’s colors complement the linework, sticking to a palette of browns and greys with bright touches at just the right times to add necessary symbolism.
Before there was Khal Drogo, before there was He-Man, there was Conan the Barbarian at the height of the Great Depression. And perhaps now is the right time for the world to meet this son of Crom once more.
