Tag Archive: Dark Horse Presents


Young Hellboy–Hellboy heads to 1847 South America in new Dark Horse mini-series

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February 24, 2021

Hellboy is doing more traveling in his next adventure from Dark Horse Comics.  In 1847 we meet Hellboy–Young Hellboy–the mini red, brick-armed, demon with sawed-off horns–as a curious little chatterbox.  As you’d expect he gets into trouble in the first scene.  Taking place before Hellboy: The Midnight Circus, where we last saw the young incarnation of the character, the new mini-series Hellboy: The Hidden Land catches up with him accompanied by Professor Bruttenholm.  They’re both heading to South America for an archaeology dig, where Hellboy might just get to meet his hero–if they can get off the ground first.

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola teams up with writer Thomas Sniegoski, artist Craig Rousseau, and colorist Dave Stewart for the latest fun.  Check out our preview of the first issue and Mignola/Stewart variant cover below.

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Hellboy goes to 1850s Mexico in new Dark Horse compilation

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April 4, 2016

Hellboy in Mexico

Mike Mignola’s Hellboy is doing some traveling in his next trade edition coming next week from Dark Horse Comics.  In 1856 the red, brick-armed, demon with sawed-off horns called Hellboy journeyed across Mexico in a five-month blur of drinking with wrestlers and fighting along the way against monsters.  A few months later some agents found him blacked out in a bar near Morales.  This is Hellboy In Mexico, Hellboy’s own Lost Weekend story.  It’s a good assemblage of funny encounters in nicely creepy locales.

Mignola serves as writer and creator of the stories, with artwork by Mignola, Richard Corben, Mick McMahon, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, and color work by Dave Stewart.  Corben’s work really shines.  He evokes the elaborate styling of Alex Niño in his Aztec environments, while Corben’s version of Dr. Frankenstein has a crazed Robert Crumb quality.  Mignola’s style is a constant, and his work–and the entire book–is a great start point for anyone who thinks they might like the character, or fans of the two Hellboy movies.

Hellboy in Mexico cover

Vampire hunting with luchadores, searching for Aztec gods, fighting evil turkeys and Frankenstein’s monster, drinking way too much tequila, and a bad marriage–this is one of Hellboy’s strangest, and maybe even one of the best, collections of his adventures so far.  Check out a preview below after the break.

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Dorkin and Thompson’s Beasts of Burden to return to Dark Horse

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February 12, 2016

Thompson 1 What the Cat Dragged In

One of the best world-building series and some of our favorite comic book characters are making a brief return to Dark Horse Comics this May.  Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson’s fantastic Beasts of Burden will make an appearance at your local comic book store in the one-shot story Beasts of Burden: What the Cat Dragged In.

When curiosity gets the best of Burden Hill’s cats (and one reluctant raccoon), sleeping demons are awakened and black magic is unleashed on the town of Burden Hill.

This is the same series that garnered Eisner Awards for Best Short Story and Best Publication for Teens.  Dorkin and Thompson first introduced their animal sleuths in The Dark Horse Book of Hauntings and made regular appearances throughout the “Dark Horse Book of” series, earning them Eisners for Best Short Story and Best Painter.  In 2009 the beasts of Burden Hill received their own miniseries, Animal Rites, and in 2010, they met up with Hellboy.  And Beasts of Burden: Hunters and Gatherers won the Best Single Issue Eisner in 2015.  Sarah Dyer joins the creative team for this latest story.

What the Cat Dragged In

We here at borg.com will brag up the Beasts of Burden series whenever we can.  It’s simply among the best writing and artwork that comic books have to offer.  Do yourself a favor and check out what we had to say here about the past stories in the series.

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New previews for this week’s comic book releases include Buffy, Bionic Man, and Mars Attacks

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September 9, 2014

New Neil Simon Buffy incentive cover   SMDMSeasonSix06Cov-Ross

It’s going to be another big comic book store Wednesday with plenty of new releases from the best in independent publishers.

The re-started Dark Horse Presents series features Issue #2 this week.  Chris Roberson and Paul Lee reveal an untold tale from Aliens featuring favorite character Hicks.   Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey provide a new Action Philosophers! story.  Plus, new chapters of Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse’s Resident Alien, Brendan McCarthy’s Dream Gang, Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and Andy Kuhn’s Wrestling with Demons, and Damon Gentry and Aaron Conley’s Sabertooth Swordsman.

Also from Dark Horse Comics, Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 10, Issue #7, features a play on Neil Simon’s The Odd Couple featuring Xander and Spike.  It even has a great alternate cover that plays off like the classic ad for the movie with Jack Lemmon and Walter Mathau and TV series with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman.

DHP1   Mars Attacks Art Gallery cover

In case you missed it, we previously previewed Dark Horse’s Prometheus: Fire and Stone, Issue #1, here.

From Dynamite Comics, The Six Million Dollar Man Season Six is already up to Issue #6 this week.  And fans of Mars Attacks will want to see this new artists edition from IDW Publishing, Mars Attacks Art Gallery, here.

Check out the rest of the previews after the break:

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Hawkeye, Mouse Guard, Daredevil, Saga top Harvey Award nominations; results from Eisners

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August 10, 2014

Hawkeye issue 11   Afterlife with Archie main cover

The annual Harvey Award nominations close tomorrow.  The nominees for best works in the comic book industry are being voted on by comic book creators, with the final award ceremony to be held at Baltimore Comic-Con on September 6, 2014.  The recently combined publisher BOOM! Studios and imprint Archaia lead this year out of the gates with 30 nominations.  Independent publisher IDW Publishing received no nominations and the biggest, DC Comics, received only one.  Probably not surprisingly one of our favorite books, Marvel Comics’ Hawkeye, is a top contender, along with David Petersen’s latest Mouse Guard work.

More of our favorites are recognized again this year: Francesco Francavilla’s Afterlife With Archie is up for Best New Series and Mike Norton’s Battlepug for best online comic.  Here are the 2014 nominations for 2013 works, followed by this year’s Eisner Award winners for those that may have missed their announcement during the busy weekend of SDCC 2014.

2014 Harvey Award Nominees

Best Writer

James Asmus, Quantum and Woody, Valiant Entertainment
Matt Fraction, Hawkeye, Marvel Comics
Matt Kindt, Mind Mgmt, Dark Horse Comics
Brian K. Vaughn, Saga, Image Comics
Mark Waid, Daredevil, Marvel Comics

Best Artist

David Aja, Hawkeye, Marvel Comics
Dan Parent, Kevin Keller, Archie Comics
Nate Powell, March: Book One, Top Shelf Production
Chris Samnee, Daredevil, Marvel Comics
Fiona Staples, Saga, Image Comics
Jeff Stokely, Six Gun Gorilla, BOOM! Studios

Best Cartoonist

Matt Kindt, Mind Mgmt, Dark Horse Comics
Comfort Love and Adam Withers, Rainbow in the Dark, uniquescomic.com
Terry Moore, Rachel Rising, Abstract Studios
Dan Parent, Kevin Keller, Archie Comics
David Petersen, Mouse Guard: The Black Axe, BOOM! Studios/Archaia
Paul Pope, Battling Boy, First Second

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Several favorites nominated for 2014 Eisner Awards

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April 16, 2014

Hawkeye issue 11

The 2014 Eisner Award nominations were released today.  Not a lot of surprises again this year.  The nominations tend toward more serious subjects in the year’s comic book offerings as opposed to action-packed superhero titles, sci-fi, fantasy, humor, or popular works.  But there are exceptions, and some can be found this year.  And should you think the books reviewed and lauded here at borg.com might be out of touch with the Eisner nomination committee, actually some of our favorite books from 2013 can be found throughout this year’s nominees.

The ringer of course is Marvel Comics’ Hawkeye series.  Not only do we like it, everyone seems to agree this is the best book around, two years running.  And it’s up for multiple awards again this year.

But no Afterlife With Archie?  Where are all the Dynamite Comics nominees?  Where is recognition for the jaw-dropping visuals on Dark Horse Comics’ landmark series, The Star Wars?  Why not more from IDW and Dark Horse?  How about some variety?

So… congratulations to all the nominees, and extra snaps to some of our favorites (the full nomination list is after the break):

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)
Hawkeye #11: “Pizza Is My Business,” by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel).  This made the borg.com Best of 2013 for Best Single Issue.  I even bought extra copies of this one.  It’s that good.

Best Continuing Series
Hawkeye, by Matt Fraction and David Aja (Marvel)

I read books this year from other nominations in this category: Saga, East of West, and Nowhere Men (we weren’t fans, but reviewed Issue #1 here), and the others just didn’t make our review list.

Black Beetle poster

Best Limited Series
The Black Beetle: No Way Out, by Francesco Francavilla (Dark Horse).

We reviewed this series here at borg.com this year and decided it should have made our Best of 2013 list had we reviewed it earlier.

I also read nominee Mike Richardson’s 47 Ronin–a good read, which I may review here later this year.  I had a review copy of The Wake from DC Comics, but didn’t find the story or art as gripping as others.

Best Publication for Early Readers (up to age 7)
Itty Bitty Hellboy, by Art Baltazar and Franco (Dark Horse).  Reviewed here, I’m glad this wasn’t passed up for consideration.

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Eisner/Harvey winning team goes to the dogs again in Beasts of Burden: Hunters & Gatherers

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March 3, 2014

Beasts of Burden cover

Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson are back again with their expertly realized Burden Hill gang, the canine paranormal investigators and a feline familiar that earned them a Harvey Award and multiple Eisner Awards.  We’ve reviewed previous Beasts of Burden stories before here at borg.com and the animal stories are among the best of the outgrowth of shorts from Dark Horse Presents, the best anthology series around.

This time ’round we find the team defending Burden Hill from a giant monster.  Real or a specter?  A plan is hatched and the whole town of furry ones plays a part.

Here’s a preview of a few pages:

bobhgp1

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Look for Beasts of Burden: Hunters & Gatherers in comic book stores everywhere March 12, 2014.

Rusty swordsman

Dedicated to Rusty, borg.com’s mascot, Krypto of my avatar, and my cosplay conspirator, whose smarts and curiosity would have fit right in to the Burden Hill pack.

C.J. Bunce
Editor
borg.com

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DeConnick teams with Sook in new Ghost ongoing series

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December 10, 2013

Ghost 1 cover

If you’ve read Dark Horse Presents or past mini-series featuring Elisa Cameron aka the Ghost, then you’ll likely say “it’s about time”.  We thought Ghost deserved her own monthly series months ago when we reviewed here at borg.com Issue #1 of last year’s Ghost limited series back in October 2012.  Now previous Ghost writer (not ghost writer) Kelly Sue DeConnick, who has proven she knows this character well, is partnering with writer Chris Sebela, and they are teaming up with the awesome artistry of Ryan Sook to carry Elisa’s story forward.

Elisa is back with her two male investigator friends as she tries to learn more about her past, before she became part of the spirit world.  Dr. October will return to the series, too.  DeConnick wastes no time plunging Elisa into battle with the demon world.  Will she reclaim her memory?  DeConnick creates an easy-going story that will allow readers old and new easy access to the three main characters, mixing the light-hearted with the dramatic.

Like Phil Noto’s beautiful renderings in the mini-series, Ryan Sook’s equally lush characters and landscapes will make the new series a must-read for fans of his work.  Where Noto’s pencil work leaned toward the Adam Hughes camp, Sook’s Ghost could be interchangeable with Frank Cho’s pencil work.  This means that along with DeConnick’s compelling story telling, as with the mini-series you’re in for an equally great looking book.

Check out this preview of Ghost Issue #1 courtesy of Dark Horse Comics:

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New one-shot “Station to Station” conjures The Twilight Zone, Outer Limits

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August 25, 2013

Station to Station cover

Readers of the anthology series Dark Horse Presents will have already read it in serial form, but those who haven’t will be in for a sci-fi TV inspired treat with this week’s release of the one-shot Station to Station.  Co-written by Gabriel Hardman and Corinna Sara Bechko with art by Hardman, this Outer Limits-inspired tale chronicles the aftermath of a laboratory experiment into parallel universes when the experiment goes incredibly wrong.  Set in San Francisco Bay’s Treasure Island, Station to Station reads like a short story from a sci-fi compilation like Philip K. Dick’s Short Stories or Ray Bradbury’s Short Stories, only in graphic novel form.  It begs the question:  Why not take a bunch of sci-fi stories like these and make an ongoing monthly comic book series out of them?

Station to Station from GabrielHardman website

As to genre, Station to Station fits in the mix of sci-fi that crosses over into horror, like many of the best tales from The Twilight Zone–the cool thrilling and chilling kind of horror as opposed to the goopy gory kind.  Unlike a lot that comes out of Dark Horse Presents that have grown into ongoing series, Station to Station doesn’t need a series because it does what it needs in a single issue.

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Resident Alien: The Suicide Blonde–Latest series from the pages of Dark Horse Presents blends sci-fi and crime

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August 4, 2013

Resident Alien issue 0

In the small U.S. town of Patience, the town revolves around a Doctor, who is not from around here.  It’s a town like the suburb in Mumford only the doctor is not a psychologist, he’s an alien.  He’s the resident alien of the title, a pointy eared fellow named Harry.  He also has an affinity for solving crimes.

Resident Alien: The Suicide Blonde is the latest offshoot of Dark Horse Comics’ Dark Horse Presents monthly anthology series.  The newest Resident Alien series is a four-issue mini-series beginning with this month’s Issue #0, which reprints chapters 1 to 3 of the story, originally found in DHP Issues #18-20.

Resident Alien interior page

Creators of classic British fare, writer Peter Hogan (2000 A.D., Tom Strong) and artist Steve Parkhouse (Milkman Murders, Doctor Who) team up to continue their earlier four-issue standalone series released this past March as the trade paperback Resident Alien: Welcome to Earth!  In his first adventure the extra-terrestrial hero of the story survived when his ship crashed on Earth.  Taking on the part of Dr. Harry Vanderspeigle, he was able to mask his appearance using his otherworldly powers.  Like E.T. from the movie, he just wants to go home, but he’ll wait in the town of Patience until his friends come to find him, with Everwood-style small town medical crises.  Along the way he gets pulled into a murder mystery, which he takes to like Agent Cooper in the town of Twin Peaks.  It’s this police procedural drama meets sci-fi genre blend that is taken forward in this summer’s new series.

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