SAGA Vol. 7, by Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples
From the worldwide bestselling team of FIONA STAPLES and BRIAN K. VAUGHAN, “The War for Phang” is an epic, self-contained SAGA event! Finally reunited with her ever-expanding family, Hazel travels to a war-torn comet that Wreath and Landfall have been battling over for ages. New friendships are forged and others are lost forever in this action-packed volume about families, combat, and the refugee experience.
Available March 29, click here to pre-order and have it ready to download as soon as it drops!
If you’re a fan of Fiona Staples, make sure to check out some of her work before she started Saga.
In Mystery Society by Steve Niles aka arcaneimages & Ashley Wood aka threeaadventure, Hammond and Anastasia Collins are the Mystery Society and bring new meaning to “underground cult” status! Stealthily avoiding the authorities, this skullduggery duo spend their time and money righting wrongs committed in the world’s underbellies.
Pick up volume 1 for just $4.99 as part of our idwcomics Halloween Sale
Now only $3.99 as part of this year’s sale!
A comiXologist recommends:
Archie #1
by: Emily Forster
Recently, we’ve seen bold new stories like Afterlife With Archie, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, and Archie Vs. Predator mash up the horror genre with the bubblegum world Riverdale. While I’m also a fan of these series (check them out!) what impresses me about Archie #1 is that it is equally bold in a way that can’t be described with one simple sentence. There’s no twist. It just does what every reboot aspires to do: it truly reinvents an old story without changing anything that made the original beloved in the first place.
Gossip is flying at Riverdale High following the breakup of Archie Andrews and Betty Cooper. Everyone is absolutely dying for details on the mysterious “lipstick incident” that triggered the split. The couple themselves seem resolved to move on and get past the drama, but their friends aren’t giving up on them so easily… and if you’ve ever read an Archie comic, you probably know without me telling you that plenty of hijinks ensue. But this isn’t just the latest twist in the road for Archie and the gang - it’s the beginning of Archie #1, kicking off a total relaunch of the series for the first time since the 1940s.
Writer Mark Waid has struck a perfect balance between preserving the goofy tone of classic Archie and gently pushing it into something a little more believable, with snappy dialogue that’s got just a touch of teenage angst mellowing out the silliness. No one says “gee,” but no one goes out of their way to drop obtrusively current slang either, maintaining the kind of timeless quality that is purely Archie while still grounding it in the present day. It is Fiona Staples’ art that takes this comic to another level, though. Her characters are so wonderfully observed and true to life that for the first time in many years, Archie and his friends feel like real teenagers again. Oh, and I have a crush on everyone. Especially Jughead.
It was also strikingly wonderful to read a first issue of Archie where characters who were introduced over the years to diversify the cast were there from the get-go, instantly lending a new authenticity to their friendships. The student body of Riverdale High feels more alive than ever before, and I can’t wait to see what they get up to this time around.
[Read Archie #1 on comiXology]
Emily Forster is a Digital Editor at ComiXology and a cartoonist. She likes comics about food and fights to the death.
comiXology’s #GeekStageGiveaway Day 2 Recap
- Use the code ADVENTURE to get The Thrilling Adventure Hour for 99¢
- Use the code LOVECRAFT to get Locke & Key Vol. 1 for Free
- Use the code SAGA to get Saga #1 for Free
- Use the code WICDIV to get The Wicked + The Divine #1 for Free
- Use the code PILGRIM to get Scott Pilgrim Vol. 1 for Free
- Use the code SXSWDC to get Fables: The Wolf Among Us #1 & 2, Batman: Arkham Knight #1 & 2, and Mortal Kombat X #1 & 2 for Free
Just head over to http://bit.ly/geekstagegiveaway and plug in those codes to add the books to your library!
Also we’ve got an incredible comiXology Submit bundle featuring 30 indie comics by people like gailsimone & maisonimmonen for only $2.99 available all weekend!
Even more coming this weekend so stay tuned to this tumblr so you don’t miss out!
A #GeekStageGiveaway two-fer!
Head over to bit.ly/geekstagegiveaway & use the code SAGA to get Saga #1 and then use the code WICDIV to get The Wicked + The Divine #1 for FREE!
and of course, follow this tumblr for more giveaways all weekend.
A comiXologist Recommends:
Jonah Chuang recommends Saga #25
Saga continues down its dark path. Hazel’s been kidnapped by that disgruntled TV
head while Alana and her mother in law are trapped helplessly in their crippled
ship. Meanwhile, Gwen, the Brand, Sophie, and their devastatingly clever animal
companions fight to save the Will on an alien world filled with crazy aliens.
Then all the way off to the side of the universe (and on the cover), Marko,
Prince Robot IV, Yuma, and Ghus (that adorable Seal guy that walks that giant
walrus around?) scream disparaging remarks at each other while simultaneously
reminding each other that they need each other.
This issue is a solid reminder of why Saga is so great. Aside from being just a good, well-constructed story, it’s also a title that’s defiant and takes risks, making comics fresh again for veteran readers. While it’s sometimes reminiscent of the adventures that the misfits from Star Wars go through, it’s not as clean and wholesome. It’s very much as if Star Wars grew up and realized that everyone’s been copying it for the last thirty years and the audience is bored of it. (Weirdly, that seems to be what’s happening with the actual Star Wars, too.) As I mentioned earlier, this issue sees the Freelancer gang go to an alien planet and deal with crazy aliens, but instead of fighting rancors, space slugs, sand people to rescue each other, the Saga gang is attacking giant komodo dragons to harvest some semen for the Will’s antidote.
Issue #25 also makes some pretty big statements about war, youth, and society’s attitudes about veterans that make the world of Saga hit a bit closer to home. If that’s not impressive or intriguing to you, just know that in this issue, the fun anthropomorphic animals move a little bit further into the foreground, too.
Jonah Chuang is a Production Coordinator Assistant at comiXology. He stays up late at night wondering how many midichlorians are knocking around inside him.