Eric Powell
Food or Comics? | This week’s comics on a budget
Batman and Robin #14
Welcome once again to our weekly round of “What would you buy if your budget was limited?” — or, as we call it, Food or Comics? Every week we set certain hypothetical spending limits on ourselves and go through the agony of trying to determine what comes home and what stays on the shelves. So join Brigid Alverson, Chris Mautner, Kevin Melrose and me as we run down what comics we’d buy if we only had $15 and $30 to spend, as well as what we’d get if we had some “mad” money to splurge with.
This week we’re coming to you a day late, as comics won’t arrive in shops in the United States until tomorrow due to this past Monday’s big holiday. And check out Diamond’s full release list if you’d like to play along in our comments section.
Chris Mautner
If I had $15 …
Batman and Robin #14 ($2.99)
Glamourpuss #15 ($3)
Starstruck #13 ($3.99)
My three main purchases for the week. The one of note is the final issue of Elaine May and Michael Kaluta’s Starstruck. I have no idea if IDW plans on collecting the series or not, or if there are other Starstruck mini-series in the works (I’m guessing not; my Spidey-sense tells me that the series wasn’t a solid seller for the company), but if this is the end (at least for now), I’m grateful to IDW for taking a chance and introducing me to what can only be described as an utterly dense and utterly unique comics-reading experience.
Hotz, Powell cover second issue of Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities
Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities and the Ghastly Fiend of London
As promised back in January, Eric Powell is bringing back Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities this fall in a new mini-series that pits Billy and the crew from Fineas Sproule’s traveling spectacle of biological curiosities against Jack the Ripper.
Courtesy of Dark Horse, we’re pleased to debut both covers for the second issue, which ships in October. The one up top is by series artist Kyle Hotz, and after the jump you can find one by Eric Powell (along with solicitation information).
First look: Eric Powell’s Buzzard #2 cover art
Buzzard #1
Courtesy of the good folks at Dark Horse Comics, here’s your first look at the cover to Buzzard #2, the upcoming miniseries by The Goon creator Eric Powell. The zombie-eating immortal is getting his own three-issue miniseries this June.
For more info the book, check out Shaun Manning’s story from today on CBR.
Update: this is actually issue #2, not #1.
The Goon in 2010: iPhone + Buzzard miniseries
Goon on the iPhone
Dark Horse announced via press release today a few The Goon-related projects. First, The Goon is going digital, as they’ve made Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker and The Goon #7 available on iTunes. And second, creator Eric Powell is working not only on a Goon spinoff miniseries starring The Buzzard, but also on a new Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities miniseries.
From the press release:
Now, The Goon goes digital, as both Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker and The Goon #7, which features Hellboy, are made available on the iPhone platform. Chinatown marks Powell’s first self-contained graphic novel, which chronicles the earliest adventures of Goon and his wisecracking sidekick, Franky. After a new figure in the crime scene begins taking out the Goon’s business operations one by one, the Goon’s darkest moment comes back to haunt him, when his mind and body were left scarred . . . and his heart was left black. This new platform promises to expose an all-new readership to comics’ most beloved brute.
Not to worry, however: longtime fans will be rewarded with an all-new spinoff title based around Goon Year’s most notable character, Buzzard. Eric Powell gives one of his most beloved and mysterious characters his own highly anticipated, three-issue miniseries.
Following his brutal showdown with the loathsome Zombie Priest, Buzzard leaves his home, wandering aimlessly until he steps into the shadowy spirit realm of the forest. A dark path leads him to a small village living in fear of a bestial race of savages. More animal than man, these creatures hunt the villagers and drag them from their slumber in the depth of night.
“Buzzard has always been a personal favorite of mine from the Goon cast, and from the amount of requests I’ve gotten to give him his own series, I imagine he’s a favorite of the readers as well,” said Goon creator Eric Powell. “I’m really excited to finally be giving him his own story, along with the revival of Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities!”
For those who missed Goon Year, Dark Horse will be giving this twelve-issue story line the deluxe treatment with the release of Fancy Pants Edition Volume 3: Goon Year on July seventh. Powell’s all-new Buzzard series will arrive on shelves later this fall.
Look for news forthcoming on the return of the Billy the Kid’s Old Timey Oddities short stories—a revival of the series from 2005 that paired Eric Powell with artist Kyle Hotz. The three-issue series will launch later this year.
Chinatown and the Mystery of Mr. Wicker is available for download today in the iTunes store. For a limited time, this heart-wrenching story is available for the sale price of 1.99. In addition, the celebrated one-shot The Goon #7 is available for free download for the next three days.
For more information, visit www.darkhorse.com/features/mobile.