Since this is dropping on the last day of the spooky season, Happy Halloween! It’s all treats and no tricks in this PUBWATCH.
This month, we have a double dose of Scarlett Couture: The Munich File and the latest Conan the Barbarian adventures.
Titan Comics November 2023 – January 2024 Release Schedule
Below is Titan’s current release schedule for November 2023 – January 2024. These come from Titan’s website, as well as the PREVIEWSWORLD catalogue, and are always subject to change.
November 2023
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- Heat Seeker: A Gun Honey Series #4: November 1st
- The Night Eaters: Her Little Reapers Vol. 2: November 7th
- Doctor Who: Once Upon a Time Lord: November 7th
- ATOM: The Beginning Vol. 6: November 7th
- Scarlett Couture: The Munich File #4: November 8th
- Inside the Mind of Sherlock Holmes: November 14th
- Horizon Zero Dawn Vol. 1-2 Boxed Set: November 14th
- Afro Samurai Vol. 1-2 Boxed Set: November 14th
- Disenchantment: Untold Tales: Treasury the First Vol.1: November 14th
- ExtraOrdinary Anniversary Edition Vol. 1: November 21st
- Conan the Barbarian #5: November 22nd
- Forgotten Runes: Wizard’s Cult #1: November 22nd
- Robotech: Rick Hunter #3: November 29th
- Bloodborne: The Bleak Dominion #3: November 29th
December 2023
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- Witch of Thistle Castle Vol. 2: December 5th
- Scarlett Couture: The Munich File #5: December 6th
- GUMAA: The Beginning of Her #1: December 6th
- The Tribute Vol. 1: December 12th
- Ms. Tree: Heroine Withdrawal Vol. 5: December 12th
- The Poetry of Ran Vol. 1: December 12th
- Michael Moorcock’s Elric: The White Wolf Deluxe Edition Vol. 3: December 12th
- The Michael Moorcock’s Library The Multiverse Vol. 1: December 12th
- NOUNS #3: December 13th
- Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not #1: December 13th
- The Michael Moorcock’s Library The Multiverse Vol. 2: December 19th
- The Great Yokai War: Guardians Vol. 1: December 19th
- Dead by Daylight #4: December 20th
- Conan the Barbarian #6: January 24th
- BLITMAP #2: December 20th
January 2024
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- GUMAA: The Beginning of Her #1: January 3rd
- Underground: Cursed Rockers and High Priestesses of Sound: January 9th
- ATOM: The Beginning Vol. 7: January 9th
- Rebel Moon: House of the Bloodwave #1: January 10th
- Robotech: Rick Hunter #4: January 10th
- Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not #2: January 10th
- Bloodborne: The Bleak Dominion #4: January 10th
- NOUNS #4: January 10th
- NOUNS #5: January 10th
- BLITMAP #3: January 17th
- Forgotten Runes: Wizard’s Cult #2: January 17th
- Blade Runner 2039 #9: January 17th
- Kamen Rider Kuuga Vol. 4: January 23rd
- Conan the Barbarian #7: January 24th
- Tengen Hero Wars Vol. 1: January 30th
- Dark Souls: The Willow King #1: January 31st
Titan Comics News and Announcements
Inside the Newest Life is Strange title
It’s no secret I’m a big fan of Life is Strange, both the source video game and the comic spinoffs, particularly in how each of those grows by expanding their supporting characters. This is just what the new series Life is Strange: Forget-Me-Not will do when it debuts in December, focusing on Alex and Steph from the previous Life is Strange: True Colors series. We have a first look at some interior art from that issue. It’s that pivotal first meeting between Alex, Steph, and the teenager Lily that will change all their lives.
You can also check out a trailer for the series, which features the debut of Eisner winning writer of It’s Lonely at the Centre of the Earth, Zoe Thorogood, here.
The Runiverse Comcs to Titan Comics (Plus, a Free Game Code!)
Get ready for the world of Forgotten Runes to come to comics in November, with the debut of Forgotten Runes: Wizard’s Cult. Written by screenwriter Joe Rechtman and featuring art by Reilly Brown (Deadpool, Batman/Fortnite). the comic takes us to the Runiverse, a world of powerful wizards that continues to evolve since the game’s launch in 2021. These are stories of fantastic wizards that on the surface don’t seem to connect, but eventually become an epic and dramatic story. Who is the narrator of these tales and their connection to these stories? Is this a trip through the past, visions of the future, or the darkest threat the Runiverse has ever seen?
The debut issue, available on November 22nd, will also include an in game code that readers can redeem towards the upcoming Forgotten Runiverse MMORPG game. You can get a look at a trailer for the comic here, and at the main cover by series artist Reilly Brown above . . . which certainly hints at some mischief to be afoot!
Titan Manga’s Continued Expansion
In the world of comics, manga is one of the hottest (if not the hottest) media. So it’s not a surprise Titan’s manga line continues to expand with some exciting new titles for 2024.
The first will come in February from legendary manga creator Himuro (aka Kinoko Higurashi). Grace Rosa, described as manga for fans of John Wick, is a story of a woman on a mission to find the truth about her father. He trained her to be a killing machine, and one of the best, for the for the organization Athena. That truth, however, might be much closer than she realizes. Vengeance is the name of the game for this woman on February 13th.
The following month will see the debut of Three Exorcism Siblings. This is the tale of Mamoru Yamaemori, destined to die young thanks to his parents and a blood curse from the Tengu, the monsters that feast on human flesh. His days include protecting his family (his family shrine and his younger brothers), and fighting the Tengu. It’s not an easy balance, and less so with a curse to die young in the service of others upon your head. The first volume of this tale, perfect for Demon Slayer fans, comes on March 19th.
April sees a manga adaptation of the Speed Grapher anime, courtesy of the anime’s creator Tomozo. If you don’t know the anime, it’s a story set in underground Tokyo with a 15 year old gifted powered girl, and the photographer who wants to save her from those that want to exploit her. The first of three volumes drops for purchase on April 23rd.
Another anime getting a manga adaptation is the series Burst Angel, which is currently airing on Crunchyroll. Like Speed Grapher, Burst Angel Vol. 1 also explores an alternative Tokyo, one where firearms are legal. This manga will serve as a prequel to the series, showing how the four Burst Angels came together and became the mercenary group they currently are. This manga will be available on May 21st.
The Rise of the Rebel Moon
After you watch the first part of Zack Snyder’s Rebel Moon on Netflix in December, you can read a prequel to his sci-fi epic on January 10th. Written by Kim and Kim writer Mags Visaggio and art by Killtopia artist Clark Bint, Rebel Moon: House of the Bloodaxe provides backstory for the siblings Devra and Darrian Bloodaxe. Set five years before the first part of the series, the Bloodaxe family faces the tension between peace and war. It’s family tension at its finest, which may make all-out planetary war look tame by comparison.
Visaggio describes the comic as a ‘Shakespearean tragedy…It’s all extremely personal, a family in conflict with its patriarch who is in conflict with himself at a moment when they need to be united. It’s a story about failure and the consequences of failure.”
The debut issue on January 10th 2024, will feature covers by Stanley ‘Artgerm’ Lau and Rafael Albuquerque, and you can see the Artgerm cover above.
The World of Dark Souls Returns
It’s time for more Dark Souls stories this January with Dark Souls: The Willow King. The series, the fifth in the Dark Souls comic saga, will see the return of sci-fi and fantasy writer George Mann, and the art of Mann House. The star of this series if Herad the Unlived, and will explore his resurrection after failing to link the First Flame. Herad’s mission? Find the revived Willow King. But it won’t be an easy journey.
“I’m overjoyed to be returning to the dark, grim, Hollow-ridden world OF DARK SOULS for this brand-new comic series,” says writer George Mann, also known for comic work on Doctor Who and his Newbury and Hobbes novel series. “Like an Unkindled, we’re rising from the ashes to bring you something entirely new and exciting.”
The debut issue of Dark Souls: The Willow King, with covers by series artist Maan House and Stephanie Hans, arrives on January 10th.
GUMAA: The Beginning of Her Begins
Another new series kicking off in December is one that started on Kickstarter – GUMAA: The Beginning of Her. It’s also the debut of Marvel and DC cover artist Jeehyung Lee. Come to a crime ridden hell of the 1980s and follow Khalida in her escape from a drug syndicate. A magic blade in an abandoned temple transforms Khalida from runaway to Goddess of the City, and give her power to control the entire city. But with that power comes great consequences: an ancient war between Heaven and Hell.
Something is Killing the Children and The Department of Truth writer James Tynion, who first saw the series on Kickstarter, calls it “an urban fantasy, laced with horror and noir, brought to incredible life with Jeehyung’s phenomenal artwork.”
You can check out a preview page from the first issue, which drops on December 6th.
What I’m Reading
We have more Conan and Scarlett adventures for you, and a Doctor Who debut!
(Note that our reviews may contain spoilers, so proceed carefully!)
Scarlett Couture: The Munich File #2
Des Taylor (writer/artist)
September 13, 2023
Someone’s on the hunt for Scarlett, and will leave no stone unturned in this quest. But Scarlett is one step ahead of them, recording secret conversations and confirming her suspicions en route to London. Her goal is to find out not just who killed Kelly, but what of Project Stardust those killers want – before they get to it. Scarlett uses some strategic assets and her ex boyfriend to help move her investigation along, discovering just who is finally behind everything: Klass Bank.
One of the characters we get to meet in this issue is Scarlett’s mother, Chase – and you can see where Scarlett gets her smarts (and fashion sense) from. The influence in her look is clearly Meryl Streep as Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada. And she’s just as cold as Beastly Priestly, going behind her daughter’s back for a meeting with Klass that may put her in even greater danger. Scarlett can’t trust anyone, not even family.
We also get to know one of Scarlett’s exes, Alex, the man who helps her crack what’s behind Project Stardust. But matters of the heart remain complicated, and there might be a little more unfinished business between the two. Both these supporting characters help to round out Scarlett past blond bombshell who knows her way around a pistol, keeping you invested in the overall story. This is context that had been missing from the first issue, and I’m happy to see it.
I still love this Archer-meets-Avengers artwork, and the moments where the script gets tongue-in-cheek with the art, such as Scarlett deploying her, ahem, “assets” in her meeting with Alex. And the action scene in the back third of the book uses lettering – along with an absence of text from the script – expertly to show the tension Scarlett faces. Though I do wish she took those heels off. After last week’s sensible footwear in South America, Scarlett’s fight against Stefano’s hired goons in black heels just doesn’t seem like something this smart spy would do. But this is the heat of the moment, when adrenaline takes over.
The end of this issue introduces us to Scarlett’s father, who she calls to get some help out of this current jam. But whose side is he on?
Scarlett Couture: The Munich File #3
Des Taylor (writer/artist)
October 11, 2023
Scarlett Couture wears many hats. After the high stakes super-spy adventures of the last issue, it’s time for her to play the role of fashion icon and get back to running the family business. Of course, that’s an act. Project Stardust is of utmost importance. Meanwhile, Simon Klass bides his time, knowing the information he has on the family and what it will do to them. It’s also time for a bit of a history lesson, as Scarlett shares with her colleagues the history of the Special Operations Executive (SOE) and the involvement of Scarlett’s grandmother Elizabeth in one of their missions.
This a very text-heavy issue. I certainly got what I asked for with my request for more context into the world of Scarlett! I now have a well detailed history lesson on her family that also connects well to the current plot. Simon’s gallery visit ties back to our flashback as he’s viewing – and potentially purchasing – the art stolen by that Nazi officer. There’s certainly enough in this backstory about the SOE to create its own series. So if Des Taylor is sowing the seeds of a Scarlett Couture Universe, he’s set things up quite well.
The beauty of Des Taylor’s retro art is that it lends itself well to both the present day story and the World War II flashbacks, and he does change up lettering of the script and colors of text boxes to indicate this. I was hoping, though, for something else in the art to really illustrate that shift I can understand keeping the art and colors between past and present very similar, to show how things come full circle. Perhaps a color palette change can set that sense of time without sacrificing the exquisite linework.
Back in the present, Scarlett’s loved ones are in danger. Alex is dead, and Simon’s got his secrets over her head. The key to her life lies within Project Stardust, but is sacrificing the mission worth saving her own head. Difficult decisions abound.
Conan the Barbarian #4
Richard Starkings of Comicraft (letterer), Roberto de la Torre (artist), Jose Villarrubia (colorist), Jim Zub (writer)
October 25, 2o23
Conan liberated his people from the dark tower and done battle with those who have joined its forces, including some of his allies. Unfortunately for Conan, this led to him thrown into that dark tower’s abyss. This puts him in a sort of suspended world, facing past and future, death and life. It is in this suspension between the worlds that he begins to learn, and understand, his history, thanks to Brule Chieftain. There is no doubt Conan will see victory. But the question is: at what cost does he see that victory?
I continue to love the Golden Age influences in art and letters throughout this series. It’s certainly done by people who know and love Conan, and want to pay homage properly to its comics history. Roberto de la Torre knows his subject, and knows when to show it off, particularly in full page spreads of battle or supernatural terror. But what I can do without is the excessive narration. Let the art show. There is no need to telegraph every move, every thought. Use it only when necessary, and not on every page. Perhaps that is part of this Golden Age homage, but today’s comic readers are more savvy to symbolism in art.
That said, in an issue that puts the focus solely on Conan and his inner realm, it’s not so much of a bad thing, as this is one of those times we really need to know what Conan is thinking. And with the flashback scenes with extended narration, Zub does pull back on this propensity to tell and not show.
Another one of de la Torre’s talents is knowing how to use art to set a sense of time. During flashback scenes with Brule Chieftain, the art becomes more two dimensional with rougher pencil and ink work. Panels have jagged borders, emphasizing the trip back through memory, and how it can sometimes be imprecise. When compared to my review of Scarlett Couture: The Munich File #3 above, this is flashback done right.
One component of the hero’s journey is the importance of past to doing battle and succeeding over present trials and tribulations. This issue provides just that.
