Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer and enjoy some comics! We’ve been enjoying summer so much we took an extra month off (to read some comics, of course) so we have three months of PUBWATCH goodness for you!
This month, we have a set of debut issues for you – a new Conan the Barbarian series, the return of Doctor Who comics, the return of Scarlett Couture in a new adventure, and the adventures of the Nouns!
Titan Comics August – October Release Schedule
Below is Titan’s current release schedule for August – October 2023. These come from Titan’s website, as well as the PREVIEWSWORLD catalogue, and are always subject to change.
August 2023
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- Dead by Daylight #2: August 2nd
- Conan the Barbarian #1: August 2nd
- Robotech: Rick Hunter #1: August 2nd
- Mother Nature: August 8th
- Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series #2: August 9th
- Scarlett Couture: The Munich File #1: August 9th
- In Search of Gil-Scott Heron: August 23rd
- Rivers of London: Here Be Dragons #2: August 23rd
- Conan the Barbarian #2: August 23rd
- Blade Runner 2039 #6: August 23rd
- Kamen Rider Kuuga Vol. 4: August 29th
- Moriarity: Clockwork Empire Vol. 1: August 30th
- BLITMAP #1: August 30th
- NOUNS #2: August 30th
September 2023
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- Blade Runner Origins Vol. 1 -3 Boxed Set: September 5th
- Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series #3: September 6th
- Rivers of London Here Be Dragons #3: September 6th
- Dead by Daylight #3: September 6th
- Robotech: Rick Hunter #2: September 6th
- Rivers of London: Here Be Dragons #2: September 6th
- Kamen Rider Zero-One Vol. 1: September 12th
- Rivers of London Vol. 7-9 Boxed Set: September 12th
- Scarlett Couture: The Munich File #2: September 13th
- Bloodborne: The Bleak Dominion #1: September 13th
- BLITMAP #2: September 13th
- Conan the Barbarian: The Original Comics Omnibus Vol. 1: September 19th
- Love Kills: September 19th
- Blade Runner 2039: Luv Vol. 1: September 19th
- Conan the Barbarian #3: September 20th
- Noir Burlesque: September 26th
- Lone Sloane: Babel: September 26th
- Witch of Thistle Castle Vol. 1: September 26th
- BLITMAP #3: September 27th
- Blade Runner 2039 #7: September 27th
October 2023
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- The Savage Sword of Conan: The Original Comics Omnibus Vol. 1: October 3rd
- Alpi the Soul Sender Vol. 1: October 3rd
- Robotech: Rick Hunter #3: October 4th
- Rivers of London: Here Be Dragons #4: October 4th
- Doctor Who: Once Upon a Time Lord: October 10th
- ATOM: The Beginning Vol. 6: October 10th
- NOUNS #3: October 11th
- Scarlett Couture: The Munich File #3: October 11th
- Bloodborne: The Bleak Dominion #1: October 11th
- Quentin by Tarantino: October 17th
- Inside the Mind of Sherlock Holmes: October 17th
- Dead by Daylight #4: October 18th
- Disenchantment: Untold Tales: Treasury the First Vol. 1: October 24th
- The Michael Moorcock Library The Multiverse Vol. 1: October 24th
- Ms. Tree: Heroine Withdrawal Vol. 5: October 24th
- Michael Moorcock’s Elric: The White Wolf Deluxe Edition Vol. 3: October 24th
- Afro Samurai Vol. 1-2 Boxed Set: October 24th
- Horizon Zero Dawn Vol. 1-2 Boxed Set: October 24th
- Conan the Barbarian #3: October 25th
- Blade Runner 2039 #8: October 25th
- Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series #4: October 25th
- Conan the Barbarian: The Original Comics Omnibus Vol. 2: October 31st
- Sherlock: A Scandal in Belgravia Vol. 1-2 Boxed Set: October 31st
Titan Comics News and Announcements
Titan Comics at SDCC 2023
It may have been a very different SDCC without the TV and movie presence, but there was no shortage of announcements to drop from publishers. And Titan Comics is no exception to this.
Titan welcomes Marvel writer Jeremy Whitley and artist Megan Huang for their publisher debuts on The Cold Ever After, a graphic novel that mixes noir with high fantasy. Sir Noelani Mahi’ai has quite the task ahead of her: find her Queen’s daughter before the wedding, or it’s off with her head. And she only has a week to do it. With the challenge of a missing princess and her own past (among others) hanging over her head, Noelani has a lot of on her plate. And if she doesn’t find the wayward royal, she may not have a life left. The Cold Ever After will drop in February 2024.
On the manga side of things, Titan Manga announced two new titles for the imprint at SDCC. The Poetry of Ran Vol. 1, coming in December, tells the story of a warrior poet, a monster hunter, and their partnership to tell tales of high adventure. Dropping the next month will be Tengen Hero Wars Vol. 1, a tale of a history obsessed teen who finds himself in a fantasy world where the greatest warriors from history do battle with each other. Think Napoleon versus Julius Caesar. It’s a story for those who love alternative history and historical fiction, perfect perhaps for that Outlander fan in your life that wants to try manga.
And during SDCC’s “Conan the Barbarian” panel, Titan revealed that The Savage Sword of Conan will return in 2024, just in time for the title’s 50th anniversary. The Savage Sword of Conan was a darker take on the Conan tales, free from Comics Code Authority requirements. This new version of the magazine will retain the original black and white art style and feature a lineup of creators including Frank Tieri, Dan Panosian, Cary Nord, and Howard Chaykin. Titan will also continue to reprint the original The Savage Sword of Conan collections. Also announced at this panel was that the sales of the new Conan the Barbarian #1, at over 80,000 copies, markes the largest selling issue in Titan’s history. With at least one more printing planned, the debut will most likely reach 100,000 copies sold.
Magical Girls and Monster Hunters Come to Titan Manga.
If Titan’s inaugural manga titles have you wanting more manga, there’s two titles coming up that should have your attention.
The first is a magical girl story of souls and spirits. Alpi: The Soul Sender Vol. 1, coming in October, tells a story of the Soul Senders, those who send evil spirits to the afterlife once their lives end and they turn to the dark side. The young Alpi is one such Soul Sender, and she is the most talented of her age. Volume 1 arrives on October 3rd, with Volume 2 arriving in January 2024.
November brings the manga adaptation of the hit film The Great Yokai War. Released in 2021, the film (and manga) is the story of student Watanabe who somehow inherits powers of a legendary monster hunter. And it’s just in time too, as there are giant kaiju heading towards Tokyo with destruction on their minds. The Great Yokai War Vol. 1 arrives on November 14, 2023.
An Eisner Winner Gets Strange
Nearly two years after a remastered version of the Life is Strange video game dropped and the end of Emma Vieceli’s four year Life Is Strange comic series, the Square Enix game returns to comics in December 2023 with Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not. The new title will focus on characters from Life is Strange: True Colors, Alex Chen and Steph Gingerich. They’re on a cross-country tour with their band, and it’s not as glamorous as they thought. Just as they start to doubt their decision, a runaway teen named Lily comes into their lives. Of course, there is more to Lily than meets the eye, and her story inspires Alex to consider her own fate. And coming on board alongside original series artist Claudia Leonardi is the Eisner winning writer of It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth, Zoe Thorogood.
“Personally, LIFE IS STRANGE has always been a series about misfits trying to find themselves and their crowd, with the superpowers being stand-ins for real life divergences we may have,” Thorogood said. Tonally, it has the perfect balance of whimsical and dark what-the-heck-ery that I adore in stories. I’m hoping LIFE IS STRANGE: FORGET-ME-NOT will appeal to new and old fans alike, and have all the charm and heartbreak as the rest of the series.”
You can get a look at the cover of the first issue above, which arrives in your comic shop and in digital format on December 13th, 2023.
A Bleak Dominion for Bloodborne
The creative team behind the last Bloodborne is back for one more round in this fall’s Bloodborne: Bleak Dominion Writer Cullen Bunn and artist Piotr Kowalski are together again for another story set in the world of this gothic video game. The Bloodborne adventures take us in this new series to Yharnam, and two hunters in search of one of their own. And it won’t be an easy search, with beasts. chalice dungeons, and all kinds of other horrors awaiting them.
We have a look at one of the variant covers for the first issue above, drawn by Abigail Harding. The first issue of Bloodborne: Bleak Dominion drops on October 11th.
Cthulhu 4 Kids? Cthulhu 4 Kids!
You don’t often think of H.P. Lovecraft’s stories as child-friendly, but Titan’s young adult imprint Titan Nova will change that in November with A Call to Cthulhu, a journey through some of the character’s legendary stories that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Creator of The Junction, Norm Konyu, lends his talents to bringing the world of Lovecraft to life in a world that is part art book, part graphic novel, and part storybook. All it takes is one phone call that the Great Old One receives during the night to open the door to a life changing conversation.
“HP Lovecraft was a bit of a serious soul.” Konyu said. “So, after rediscovering his material many, many years after originally reading it, I had an enjoyable experience cooking his Cthulhu Mythos and other tales into an irreverent, pseudo-storybook.”
The newest release from Titan Nova, after NBA superstar Rudy Gobert’s BASH! and Sweeney Boo’s Over My Dead Body, arrives in bookstores and comic shops on November 14th.
Classic French Sci-Fi Comes to English Shores
Also out on November 14th is a French sci-fi classic receiving its first ever English translation. First published in 1987, The Tribute (Le Tribut) comes from the same creative team that developed the Snowpiercer series, writer Benjamin Legrand and artist Jean-Marc Rochette. Set on an alien planet, The Tribute focuses on a team of scientists looking for new energy sources to ensure humanity’s survival. But this won’t be easy as the team has to battle the planet itself, and its inhabitants, to find the key to saving humankind before it is too late.
You can check out a preview of the new translated edition above, and preorder your copy now from your comics shop.
What I’m Reading
We have a quartet of debut issues for you, everything from sexy spy Scarlett Couture to the return of Doctor Who comics!
(Note that our reviews may contain spoilers, so proceed carefully!)
Conan the Barbarian #1
Richard Starkings of Comicraft (letterer), Roberto de la Torre (artist), Jose Villarrubia (colorist), Jim Zub (writer)
August 2, 2023
It’s time to travel on the Road of Kings with Robert E. Howard’s Cimmerian. Picking up right after Titan’s Free Comic Book Day title of the same name, Conan’s on the road of kicking ass and taking names – and on the road back to Cimmeria, a place he hasn’t seen in eight years. There’s someone else also taking the same path: a woman, who offers them assistance and warnings of an upcoming threat. And her warnings are just in time. Bring on the zombies and lost warrior tribes!
This is a Conan on a mission, who cuts right to the chase in conversations with supporting characters. It could cause worry that the sword and sorcery lore that makes a Conan comic could get pushed aside for continuous plot movement (which itself really is not a bad thing, let’s be clear). But writing this script is Jim Zub, who knows how to write the sword and sorcery genre. So we’re in capable hands with someone that knows how to use the external narration effectively. Where this comes across is in narration, the look into the psyche of Conan that helps build character. There are moments, though, where the narration isn’t necessary, telling things that the artwork makes clear.
The look from Roberto de la Torre is a love letter for classic Conan, and you see this in characters. Conan himself is overly muscular, almost to the point of cartoonish. A bar wench is shown in a low cut top with breasts that definitely aren’t proportioned to the rest of the body. But action scenes show the heat of battle, particularly in his two page battle spreads featuring jumbles of bodies and zombies. And if you love crosshatching and dark shadows in your comic art, this is the comic for you.
If this new Conan series wants to succeed, it will have to balance modern sensibilities alongside classic Conan. Issue #1 is certainly the homage, but nostalgia can only go so far.
Doctor Who: Doom’s Day #1
Comicraft’s Jimmy Betancourt (letterer), Jody Houser (writer), Roberta Ingranata (artist), Warina K. Sahadewa (colorist), Richard Starkings (letterer)
July 5, 2023
While we patiently wait for Doctor Who‘s return later this year, we have some new comics to tide us over! The Doctor in the house this time is Peter Capaldi’s Twelfth Doctor. But the first issue of Doom’s Day doesn’t seem him anywhere in sight. It’s Missy as the star, ready to cause her own brand of trouble. The setting is 19th century New York with a very unique costume ball and Missy on the hunt for Lord and Lady Prettypaw: half human, half cat, but all cat burglar in the literal and figurative sense. Someone else beats Missy to the prize of the Prettypaws – Doom, the greatest bounty hunter of the universe. And she’s not too happy with her competition.
If you were expecting to see the Twelfth Doctor in this issue based on the introduction, you would be mistaken and perhaps disappointed. But you can guess that he’s going to show up at some point to clean up whatever messess Doom and and Missy leave behind. Meanwhile, revel in the fun that is Missy’s return to comics with the biting but fun dialogue from Houser and her steampunk look from Ingranata. Houser does leave some room in her script for wit for Doom, hinting that Missy may have met her match in this bounty hunter.
While this script is a joy to behold, it’s really the art that steals the show. In previous interviews about Doctor Who comics, Ingranata said the best part of her job is coming up with the aliens and out of this world creatures of the universe. And there’s no shortage of that here, from the Prettypaws who may remind classic Who fans of that final story from the original era to unpaid intern and parrot Jaxxo who also has secrets of his own. Complementing the artwork is the colors from Sahadewa to add brightness to Victorian-era New York and the futuristic cosmic prison.
There’s a reason that Ingranata and Houser are back on Doctor Who comics series after series. And Doom’s Day shows that they are very much still at the top of their game.
Nouns: Nountown #1
David Leach (writer), Danny Schlitz (artist)
July 19, 2023
Meet the Nouns! Our introduction to this NFT project now in comic form is a road trip gone awry with several Nouns lost in the desert looking for Nountown. No food, no water, and no cell service. It’s a Noun’s nightmare. Fortunately, Nountown is a place that lives in your heart and mind, and before long these Nouns are in their proper paradise. But just who are the Nouns actually? Thanks to Otto Von Clippity-Clop, our Context Co-Ordinator and Ted Lasso lookalike, we learn all about the Nouns, their spiritual leader Uncle Bob, and Uncle Bob’s Great Big Nefarious (and perhaps Quite Delicious) Plan.
Nouns: Nountown #1 has quite the job on its plate. It not only has to set up the story for the series, but also set up the world of Nouns, as many people may not have heard of the Nouns before. The use of Otto Von Clippity-Clop is genius here, particularly in the placement. His two appearances in this issue come at just the right times to introduce new concepts and characters. And the journey to get to those moments is full of irreverent fun, silly enough for kids to enjoy but with intelligent touches and fourth wall breaking moments to keep adults engaged.
The Nouns themselves, humanoid bodies with unrelated heads, retain their 8-bit flat structure in the comic with touches of detail to give them more dimension. Oddly enough, they all wear glasses with square shaped lens – which makes them bear some resemblance to Rugrats’ Chuckie Finster. (One particular Noun with a red fox as its head takes this comparison even further.) The humans also keep a similar flat style, but more shading to give them an extra level of three-dimensionality. Whether Noun or human, there’s no shortage of color throughout, setting up a story that wouldn’t be out of place on a Saturday morning cartoon.
Sometimes you just want something light and fun in your comics, particularly for long summer weekends. And Nouns: Nountown can just fill that need quite well.
Scarlett Couture: The Munich Files #1
Des Taylor (writer/artist)
August 9, 2023
Corporate mergers and cybercrime come together in the return of Des Taylor’s stylish spy Scarlett Couture, who can break your neck without breaking a nail. Hot off a job in South America, and with little time to rest before prepping for Paris Fashion Week, the death of Scarlett’s friend Kelly put her (and her other friends) in serious danger. Someone wants the intelligence they have from Project Stardust, and will stop at nothing to get to it.
This series picks up right after the events of the first Scarlett Couture series. And as such, you’re thrown right into the thick of the action, literally and figuratively. There’s enough in the introductory matter to set scene, but for a proper appreciation of Scarlett and her world, I recommend reading the previous series first. It will no doubt help in setting up the cast of characters and how they all connect, and understanding the high stakes of the plot. At the very least, reading this issue without that context will show you that Scarlett is a force to be reckoned with, without a doubt.
I make no secret of the fact that I love Des Taylor’s art, owning several of his prints and having one as my background for my computer until recently. He uses the sexiness of the pinup in tasteful ways, drawing women as alluring but not objectifying them. Proportions are properly thought out, and women are dressed properly for their tasks at hand. No running through the Argentinian jungle in heels! The flat style lends a mod mid-60s look to the art, making you think this is what an Avengers (of the Emma Peel and not Marvel variety) animated series could look like.
Gorgeous art isn’t enough to paper over the flaw of lack of context in this issue for new readers. With just a little more of that, we could have another hit on our hands.
