#But unlike Michael before her she is going to get herself deeper involved with them. For the intel.

[obessivedork]

I know she doesn't have MY level of understanding of the Brotherhood of Steel (has played every Fallout game but that forgotten BoS ?playstation? one and read almost every piece of lore I can get my grubby hands on) but I like to think my Sole Survivor hears that it's somewhat military and IMMEDIATELY can clock the prewar US in its origins, even before anyone gives her a history lesson, just from how Danse and his team talk and behave.

[thevibraniumveterans]

I'M STARTING WITH THE MAN IN THE MIRROR...

I'm asking him to change his ways And no message could have been any clearer If you want to make the world a better place Take a look at yourself, and then make a change

-

A couple of points to make.

1. Loki and identity

According to head writer Michael Waldron, "in a series that, to me, is ultimately about self-love, self-reflection, and forgiving yourself, it just felt right that that would be Loki's first real love story." 

Loki learning to love himself, reflecting on who he really is as a person, and forgiving his past misdeeds, is the ultimate character growth, something that the TVA was hell-bent on preventing because it did not line up with how they saw Loki to be. Loki seeing himself in his mirror and realizing that he needs to change? Yeah. That's the big thing going on here.

According to Tom Hiddleston, "I don't think Loki's relationship with himself has been very healthy. Trying to accept those aspects of himself, which he's been on the run from, was a way of thinking about that in a really interesting way."

Think about how Loki praised Sylvie for being amazing because she's been running rings around the TVA. Again, it's a metaphor, because Loki has never in his entire life, honestly praised himself and talked about himself in a good and honest way. I will talk about how Sylvie is Loki's mirror and metaphor later, because this is important. It's also the reason why I started this post off with the chorus of Michael Jackson's "Man in the Mirror". It's relevant, okay?

According to director Kate Herron, "The whole show is about identity. It's about him, and he is on a very different path, and he is on a different journey." And it is! It's kind of how the saying goes, when one reaches rock bottom, there's nowhere to go but up, right?

2. "Love is a dagger."

Terrible metaphor it may be, according to Tom Hiddleston of what Loki says to Sylvie in Ep3, "They were having a talk about love and trusting other people, and not being able to either love or trust for whatever reason." The dagger, then, would represent "Loki's experience of love, I suppose. He certainly feels like it's not been something he's been close to. It has been some sort of illusion that he has trusted and been let down by."

(https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/loki-love-is-a-dagger-sylvie)

3. "Love is… uh, something I might have to have another drink to think about."

Interestingly enough, I've had several thoughts on the relationship dynamic between Loki and Sylvie.

Yes, Mobius did describe it as "Two Variants of the same being, especially you, forming this kind of sick, twisted, romantic relationship", but even I'm having opinions that would start to contradict each other.

At first I went around saying that the dynamic between Loki and Sylvie are strictly platonic, and I pointed out that to me, the Nexus Event might've been honesty and truth, because according to the "Sacred Timeline", those are two things that nobody associates with Loki, and the fact that in that short amount of time, Loki realizing that he needs to be honest with himself throws the entirety of TVA into disarray. It's a chance for Loki to be honest with himself and really come to terms with who he is as a person.

Now where does Sylvie fit into all of this?

In my opinion, even from Episode 3, I saw Sylvie as a mirror, Loki's perfect metaphor. Why do I say this? Remember in Ep2 when she told Loki, "If anyone's anyone, you're me"?

I had jokingly thought to myself that Loki was just about to tell Sylvie how he feels about her and himself (because Loki talking about his feelings is rare, as he himself said, “this is new to me”), but then I thought a little deeper and went, “hmm, this doesn’t have to be taken in a romantic way at all, Sylvie is not a love interest (because to me that’s just weird, no offense, unless the circumstances were super different, under which I think it might’ve been okay then and depending on the situation, but not here in these circumstances) it’s just Loki admitting what kind of a person he is, and if he can be better, it’s just Loki figuring himself out.” (I'll talk about why I have conflicting thoughts later.)

Even Tom Hiddleston, in a recent interview with ComicBook.com, had specifically stated about his character: "It will be interesting to see what happened when Loki can't talk his way out of a situation, as is his dominant strategy in most encounters. I am most excited for fans to see what happens to Loki when he has nowhere left to run, when he can't delude himself anymore." That last bit with Sylvie? Yeah, Loki coming to terms with himself, being honest, not being able to delude himself anymore. He had nowhere left to run.

I know I did say that at first I did not see Loki and Sylvie as having any romantic tension between them, but please, hear me out first. 

According to Classical Mythology, PSYCHE is "a personification of the soul", which is exactly what Sylvie is to Loki. It would make the "if anyone's anyone, you're me" comment make way more sense. Remember how I said Sylvie is Loki's mirror? Loki getting this close to talking about his (what I see as non-romantic) feelings about himself, how he sees his own person, talking about himself in an emotional way, really admitting to his mirror that reflects the deepest parts of himself who he really was, and then just STOPPED before he could do so was so heartbreaking.

I had said that he was not gonna tell her he loved her because that’s so messed up (I get that narcissism is loving yourself but Sylvie is NOT Loki, nor is Loki Sylvie, they’re two different individuals), but Loki was just about to reveal his true feelings, his real emotions that he’s been trying to hide from himself all along. Loki can no longer run away (remember this comment from one of the interviews?), from himself, his emotions, there’s nowhere for him to run, it was time to be honest with himself.

Somewhere I made a comment that went like this:

Loki finally finding a connection with someone who is so much like him, yet so much unlike him is rare. ("Sylvie's not Loki. Sylvie is Sylvie" and "while they're the same, they're not the same" - Hiddleston / "She is him, but she's not him." - Herron) In that Loki has always been alone, and everything that he did was a cry for help that he never received, while Sylvie had been alone for so many years she's had to rely on herself to survive.

It makes sense then, that both Loki and Sylvie see themselves in each other ("I see a scheme, and in that scheme I see myself" from Ep2) and acknowledge that they are both lonely survivors who made it through so much, that they had each other for even that short amount of time.

That connection they had, that emotional attachment that they came to share, was not romantic in any way. (I'll get to why I’m conflicted about this, and why I may come to be okay with it, in a bit.) I read somewhere that the Nexus Event was not as Mobius described it, but was that Loki finally knowing that he'll never be alone, that he's honest with himself, which is something that goes against the TVA's dictates. THAT's the Nexus Event!

According to the TVA and Ravonna, Loki can't be caring! He can't change from being a homicidal maniac! He can't change! But we know Loki can. Loki himself knows that he can change. This knowledge and acceptance was enough to cause the damn Nexus Event, because the Timekeepers did not decree it! Even in Ep1, Loki declared that he would not let the TVA dictate how his story ends. It's clear that Loki's story is nt over yet.

Two lonely survivors find each other, so it's not surprising that Loki himself was THIS close to finally admitting the truth about himself, admitting and being honest with himself... until Ravonna pruned him.

Ravonna has always been pro-TVA and anti-Loki, so it's not surprising that earlier when she was speaking to Mobius, he's like, "Loki can change" but she's like "no because the TVA said so", so therefore when she hears that Loki is finally being honest with himself (through almost revealing his feelings to Sylvie), Ravonna cannot take it and obliterates him herself. According to her, which says that according to the TVA, Loki having an honest and real change of heart is the real Nexus Event and as such, must be prevented.

Now, about love, I guess, new to Loki as it may be. 

(Talking points from https://www.marvel.com/articles/tv-shows/loki-sylvie-in-love)

Here's where I think I can explain why though I'm not 100% on board with Loki being romantically involved with Sylvie I might warm up to the idea, the possibility of them being kind of a thing. I'm a little divided on it myself, but here goes.

First and foremost, here's something that head writer Michael Waldron says about the possibility of a romance: "That was one of the cruxes of my pitch [for the series], that there was going to be a love story. We went back and forth for a little bit about, like do we really want to have this guy fall in love with another version of himself? Is that too crazy?" Maybe, maybe not.

You see, as you know, Sylvie is a version of Loki, but is not Loki. Mobius describes them as "Two Variants of the same being." Director Kate Herron notes, however, saying of Sylvie about Loki that "she is him, but she's not him. They've had such different life experiences." Tom Hiddleston chimes in with "Sylvie's not Loki. Sylvie is Sylvie. I think he realizes, and she realizes, that while they're the same, they're not the same."

But what about the love story?

Mobius concludes through context clues that Loki is "an incredible seismic narcissist! You fell for yourself!" He taunts Loki, "You like her! Does she like you?"

Here's where it gets interesting. Loki had reassured Sylvie that people like them don't die so easily, they survive. He had praised her for running circles around the TVA, calling her amazing (again, another metaphor, but I think I've covered that), after which she had placed her hand on Loki's arm. Notice his reaction - he looks down at where her hand had made contact with his arm, shifts in a way that suggests his surprise. He's like, 'Is this warmth I'm feeling? I've never felt someone's gentle touch before. I think she cares for me, is that even possible for someone like me?'

He looks up at her, and though his story differs from Sylvie's, he recognizes that though he may have suffered, she had been physically on the run her entire life, whereas Loki had been mentally and metaphorically on the run from himself. We see from the look on his face that though Loki and Sylvie had spent less than 12 hours in each other's presence, he's come to respect her and her courage to do what he could never have. "You're amazing," he says.

Michael Waldron continues, "The look that they share, that moment, [it started as] a blossoming friendship. Then for the first time, they both feel that twinge of, ‘Oh, could this be something more? What is this I'm feeling?’ These are two beings of pure chaos that are the same person falling in love with one another. That's a straight-up and down branch, and exactly the sort of thing that would terrify the TVA."

Sylvie's not sure if she's got any sort of feelings for Loki, but she does ask if he's okay after they reach the golden elevators that would take them to the Timekeepers. Anyway, after the time loop punishment on Asgard, during which Lady Sif tells him, "You deserve to be alone and you always will be", Loki realizes that he's scared of being alone. He hopes that there might be someone out there with whom he can connect on a deeper level.

Director Kate Herron points out, "Who's a better match for Loki than himself?" Or Sylvie, for that matter. But because "but she's not him. They've had such different life experiences," it would make so much sense and would totally be in character for Loki to connect with someone he sees himself in, again, metaphorically speaking.

This is the ultimate journey of "self-love, self-reflection, and forgiving yourself", as Waldron puts it, so for Loki to come to terms that he might possibly love Sylvie is a metaphor for accepting himself as he truly is, not what or who he projects himself to be. It's about being kind to himself, because as he reflects on this new feeling about Sylvie, he's also reflecting upon himself and whether or not he can keep running from his emotions, as Tom Hiddleston says. The answer is no, he cannot run any longer from his acknowledgment that he's got feelings for Sylvie than he can run from his own realizations about himself. He forgives Sylvie as a metaphorical way of forgiving himself for his past misdeeds, like admitting that cutting off Sif's hair was not funny at all. It would make sense then, according to Waldron, that "that would be Loki's first real love story." Not a story about a narcissist, but a story of identity and self-acceptance and honesty.

The fact that Loki and Sylvie are two COMPLETELY different people who are so dissimilar except for the fact that they're two lonely survivors, could possibly result in them having a relationship.

Hear me out on why.

You know how Loki had said to Sylvie at the end, "this is new to me"? He means that he has never before known how to express love and care because he's never received any of either. For all of his life, he had been treated badly by all except perhaps his mother, but as in Ep3, he agrees that though he's had courtships before, none of those relationships, none of it included any type of love that felt tangentially real to him. Loki doesn't know what real love is... until Sylvie comes along. She does not make him know what love is, because he comes to terms to his feelings all on his own.

Tom Hiddleston says, "When Loki meets Sylvie, he's inspired solely by curiosity." Herron adds, about the relationship, "It was just about giving it the space to breathe and digging into it in a way that felt earned." And I think that I might come to accept that it is earned, in some way.

Two lonely survivors who quite literally run into each other, who recognize each other for who they really are, who accept each other and themselves, and who can finally be truthful and honest with themselves and each other. It's not always a game of checkers or chess. Sometimes, it's a maze of metaphors and mirrors.

I understand that this relationship between Sylvie and Loki is controversial for some, cute for others. If I hadn't already made myself clear, I was never really against the pairing, just that I was never 100% sure I'd board that train myself. I was initially of the opinion that their dynamic was strictly platonic, but because I'm open to different interpretations, I decided to have a look at why people saw the relationship between Loki and Sylvie as a beautiful one.

The conclusion I came to, is that there definitely is more than one interpretation of Loki and Sylvie's dynamic, and that I'm okay with both. We've got two episodes left, so I'm curious to see how Sylvie and Loki's dynamic plays itself out.

Ultimately, this story is about Loki.

Loki has to start with the man in the mirror. The person he metaphorically sees himself in is Sylvie, his perfect mirror, and he's asking himself to change his ways. No message, no relationship, no reflection, no realization, no feeling could have been any clearer. So, if Loki wants to be a better person, which we know he can and will be, he will take a look at himself in his mirror and make that change.

[notbemoved-blog]

Dorothy Day and her Hope-filled “Revolution of the Heart”

What a time we’re in! I’ve put my blog on hold while working on my next book, but feel the need to come back with a few pieces to “Keep Hope Alive” in these dark times. And just in time for a Dorothy Day revival!  Dorothy Day, the enterprising journalist and social activist (and perhaps soon to be saint of the Catholic Church) is having something of a revival of her reputation. A new biography (Dorothy Day by John Loughery and Blythe Randolph) and a new documentary (“Revolution of the Heart: The Dorothy Day Story” by Martin Doblmeier) have put Day back in the limelight where she belongs. She’s recently appeared in the New York Times Book Review (written by prominent religion historian Karen Armstrong, no less), for an extensive New Yorker profile, and even today in the REVIEW section of the Wall Street Journal! Day’s renaissance couldn’t come at a better time, when, thanks to the pandemic, the fragility of our safety net for the poor shows itself for what it really is: benign neglect, if not downright abuse.

I’ve been an admirer of Dorothy Day’s for decades, dating back to my time as a Catholic seminarian in Baltimore in the 1970s when we were encouraged to think a lot about the poor and about social conditions and how best to put our social consciences to work to improve things. After leaving the seminary and trying to find my way throughout the rest of the ‘70s, I enrolled in The American University’s School of Communications and set about trying to improve my skills as a writer. While pursuing a second bachelor’s degree in Communications (the first, from St. Mary’s Seminary College, was in Philosophy), I happened upon a wonderful journalist/teacher Joe Tinkelman, who taught some of my earliest writing classes and whose consistent encouragement caused me to believe I might have a career as a writer someday.

For his “American Newspapers” class, Tinkelman pushed us to write a long-form journalistic piece profiling a newspaper of our choice. My mind immediately went to The Catholic Worker, Dorothy Day’s creation from the 1930s that was still going strong in the 1980s. I thought a 50-year retrospective was in order, so I set about to research this little-known gem and report back to Tinkelman and the class. The research I did (mostly at Catholic University) put me in deeper touch with Dorothy Day, her philosophy, her writing, and her work with the poor of New York City.

For the next four weeks, I’m posting a serialized version of the paper I did for Professor Tinkelman as a tribute to his inspiring teaching and to Dorothy Day herself and her incredible work. Read with caution: You may just get radicalized!

 * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The Catholic Worker—The Voice of American Catholic Radicalism Since the 1930’s (Part I)

By Michael J. O’Brien, 12/8/81 – American Newspapers, American University, Professor Joe Tinkelman

 On a piercingly cold night in December of 1978, I stepped from the sub-compact I had so comfortably been traveling in with a former seminarian classmate of mine onto the curb of Second Avenue on the Lower East Side of Manhattan. We were on our way to Maryhouse, the Catholic Worker’s House of Hospitality for homeless women, to attend one of the C.W.’s Friday night meetings. It was my first visit to the Catholic Worker Headquarters. Before I could even close the car door, a middle-aged Black man with the smell of whiskey on his breath and of urine on his clothes—the smell of the destitute in any city—asked me for some money “for a cup of coffee.” I remember looking into this man’s half-dazed eyes, seeing behind him the lights of Second Avenue—the bars and novelty shops, the cafes and movie houses that give the street a feeling of one continuous cabaret—and wondering how to tell him on this of all nights that I could not give him a penny. [Part of our seminary training was to decline to give money to alcoholics. “They’ll only use if to further their illness,” we were told.]

 I was already late for the C.W. meeting, so instead of inviting him for a bite to eat at one of those cafes, I asked him to join me at Maryhouse. I knew he would at least be warm there and perhaps could even get a cup of hot coffee. He refused, and as my friend and I dashed across the street to get to the meeting, I heard him cursing us. I can’t think, now, of a more appropriate greeting for my first visit to the Catholic Worker—a group that has served the poor and the dispossessed of the Bowery for almost 50 years.

At the time, however, I was only thinking of our lateness! As we opened the doors to Maryhouse and rushed up the stairs of this seemingly ancient tenement, I was awed by the thought that Dorothy Day, co-founder of the Catholic Worker—“both a newspaper and a movement”—graced these steps daily. For all I knew, she was there that very night, this being her primary residence in the City. I didn’t know much about Dorothy Day then, but I knew she had chosen to live her life among the poor and to serve them as if they were Christ. That was enough to spark my interest in her and in her work.

 My friend and I entered the doors of the auditorium to a standing-room only crowd. More than two hundred people were packed into this tiny hall that serves as a distribution center for the newspaper and the meeting hall for “the clarification of thought,” as Peter Maurin, the Catholic Worker’s other founder, put it.

We took our places among those standing in the back and I caught a glimpse of Daniel Berrigan, the radical Jesuit pacifist, who was speaking to the throng. Berrigan was scheduled to talk that night—I guess that’s why so many people showed up—on the poetry of Thomas Merton, a well-known Catholic monk and author who died in the late 1960s. Berrigan read to us some of Merton’s poems concerning war, peace, death, and nuclear armaments. After each poem, he gave us his own interpretation of what he believed Merton was trying to convey; they had been good friends.

Thomas Merton, Dorothy Day, and Daniel Berrigan: Three pillars of radical Catholic thought in the 1960s.

The entire evening had an aura of unreality about it for me. Here I was in Dorothy Day’s house listening to Daniel Berrigan speaking on Thomas Merton—three pillars of radical Catholic thought represented under one roof! The history of modern Catholic radicalism came alive for me that night. It is some of that history, particularly  the Catholic Worker’s singular role in its development, that I will attempt to relate in the text that follows.

The Young Radical Journalist

One could say Dorothy Day was a journalist from birth. Her father was a sports writer for the New York Morning Telegraph; her brothers became newspaper editors. Journalism was in her blood.

She became involved in questions of social justice at an early age. She read Upton Sinclair’s  The Jungle and Jack London’s essay on class struggle while still in high school. One of her brothers worked on a Chicago paper (where the family lived during Day’s adolescence) called The Day Book, an experiment by Scripps-Howard that reported on the ups and downs of the Labor Movement. The paper’s accounts of the the struggles of the poor and of the workers stirred Dorothy deeply. She began to feel that her life was linked to theirs, that she had received “a call, a vocation, a direction” for her life.

Dorothy Day began her career as a journalist in 1916 at the age of 18 by taking a job at a newspaper coincidentally named The New York Call—a socialist daily that was heavily involved in the labor issues of the day. Later she worked on The Masses, a monthly Communist magazine. After the periodical’s suppression by the Attorney General during the post-World War II “Red Scare”, Day worked for The Liberator, the successor to The Masses.

Her assignments took her to all kinds of strike meetings, picket lines, and peace rallies. She interviewed Leon Trotsky while he was living in New York and writing for a Russian socialist newspaper. She picketed the White House and went to jail for a month with a group of suffragists. She counted as her friends Eugene O’Neill, the great American playwright; Max Eastman, editor of The Masses; and John Reed, author of Ten Days That Shook the World, a journalists’s account of the Russian Revolution. (The new movie REDS explores aspects of the lives of all three of these men.)

A 1917 photo of Dorothy Day (center, holding a copy of The New York Call) urging the U.S. NOT to enter WWI. 

An Unlikely Convert

Although her early years as a journalist were spent advocating for causes and movements that were considered godless (Communism, after all, considers religion as an opiate), Dorothy Day converted to Catholicism in 1927 at the age of 30. She saw the Catholic Church as the church of the poor and of the worker, and she wanted to be one with them in every way. Also, she had given birth to a little girl through a common-law marriage, and the overwhelming love she experienced for both her lover and her daughter made her believe that there must be a God. 

Day’s conversion caused her much suffering; she had to leave the man she loved because he would not condone her religious leanings. But she put principle before personal comfort, as she would so many times in the future. 

After her Baptism, Day found she was no longer one with her comrades. They could not understand her religious convictions and she found it difficult as a Catholic to participate in demonstrations and meetings that were organized by Communists. She continued to report on the plight of the working man for Catholic periodicals—she even did a series of articles for the Catholic press explaining Marxist-Leninism!—but she felt far removed from her earlier radical involvement. She was at a loss as to how to reconcile her two great loves—her newfound love for God and her continued love for the working man and the poor.

 An Answered Prayer

Dorothy Day often warned people to be careful how they prayed. “God takes you at your word,” she would say. It was through just such a prayer that she found a solution to her dilemma and that The Catholic Worker came to be. 

In early December 1932, Day was covering a march on Washington, D.C., by the Communist-led Unemployment Councils. The march was an attempt by the Depression’s unemployed workers to bring their grievances to Congress. Day was reporting on the march for two Catholic periodicals, America and Commonweal. She became distressed by the march’s lack of Catholic leadership and felt she could no longer sit by and watch as others, especially Communists, took the lead in fighting for the working man. She had to find a way to get involved in the struggle as a Catholic.

On December 8, just after the worker’s march and, coincidentally a Catholic Holy Day, Dorothy Day went to the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception—still under construction in Washington—and prayed fervently that God would show her the way out of the box she was in. Remarkably, God took her at her word. When she returned home to New York, Peter Maurin, the man who was to teach her the way out, was waiting for her in her apartment. 

Peter Maurin

Maurin had been sent to Day by the editor of Commonweal because they “thought alike.” He was a French peasant and was deeply rooted in Catholic social tradition. He had studied Aquinas, Augustine, and the socialy encyclicals of the Popes, as well as the many contemporary Catholic social writers, including Hillaire Belloc, Emmanuel Mounier, and the Russian activist and social theorist Peter Kropotkin.

Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin sitting for a group Catholic Worker photo in the early 1940s.

Maurin had a plan for the reconstruction of the then-crumbling American society. His plan had four planks: (1) houses of hospitality for the immediate relief of those in need; (2) farming communes to relieve the wretched unemployment brought about by urban industrialization; (3) round table discussion “for the clarification of thought” on social issues; and, (4) a newspaper to get these ideas to the man and woman in the street. Maurin’s entire plan was aimed at “creating a new society within the shell of the old” where it would be “easier for men to be good.” 

The Birth of a Newspaper

Dorothy Day didn’t immediately comprehend the breadth of Maurin’s thought, but she jumped at the idea of publishing her own newspaper. She found out that the Paulist Press—a Catholic publishing outlet—would print 2,500 copies of an eight-page tabloid (originally 9”X12”) for fifty-seven dollars. Day feverishly began writing articles for the fledgling paper—articles on the plight of sharecroppers, child labor, the hourly wage for factory workers, and racial injustice. These, along with Maurin’s “Easy Essays”—short, free-flowing verse for quick and easy consumption of ideas by the man in the street—made up the copy for the papers first edition. 

Maurin wanted to call the paper The Catholic Radical, but because of her knowledge of Communist periodicals in the U.S., Day insisted on calling it The Catholic Worker—a direct challenge to the then-popular Communist paper The Daily Worker. “Man proposes, woman disposes,” Maurin jokingly demurred. And so, The Catholic Worker was born. 

They didn’t seek permission from the Church to use the word “Catholic.” Day wondered about this, but a priest friend of hers wisely advised, “Never ask permission.”

 The enduring Catholic Worker masthead

The first issue of The Catholic Worker was ready for distribution on May Day—May first, the great Communist holiday celebrating the working masses—of 1933. In a short column entitled To Our Reader, Day dedicated the paper: 

For those who are sitting on park benches in the warm spring sunlight. For those who are huddling in shelters trying to escape the rain. For those who are walking the streets in the all but futile search for work. For those who think that there is no hope for the future, no recognition  of their plight—this little paper is addressed. It is printed to call their attention to the fact that the Catholic Church  has a social program—to let them know that there are men of God who  are working not only for their spiritual, but for their material welfare.

Dorothy Day was determined to make her stand along with others involved in the workers’ struggle, so in typical in-your-face radical fashion, she along with three of her Catholic supporters went to hock the paper in Union Square, where 50,000 workers had gathered for a massive show of support for Communism. They were scoffed at and they sold few papers, but Day and her friends were satisfied with their results. The paper had been launched. In addition, Day and Maurin had embarked on the great pilgrimage that would consume the rest of their lives. 

(To Be Continued)

[argylemikewheeler]

That was so good!! Prompt idea: El finds out about Will's feelings for Mike

|| making it a sequel (now with a third part) just for you! not as sad and more situational family humor ||

The word was new to El. She had heard it before once, coming out of a not-so-friendly mouth at lunch. The next time Lucas was whispering to Max, looking concerned and at a loss. It was a new look for Lucas, which made the new word all the more troubling.

Gay.

The word wasn’t meant for her ears, she knew that, but she files the word away and waits until she was safe at home to explore it. She was sitting on the edge of the tub at Will brushes his teeth. She doesn’t feel any darkness, no itching. She can ask.

“Will, what’s gay.” She folds her legs up and waits for a response. Will chokes out a response. Literally.

“What?” He coughing into the sink basin, clutching the edges. It’s familiar to El. She’s seen it in some distant dark memory. But this time he was only coughing up foamed toothpaste. “What did you say?”

“A gay? Doing gay? H-how do you use it?” She apologies for her mistake. “Teach me.”

“It’s an adjective. Someone is gay.” Will clarifies, wiping his mouth.

“Like little and bad.” She recounted others she’d learned, trying to match it in with her known vocabulary.

“Uh, sure.” Will didn’t agree. His body language tightens, turning toward the sink but lowering his eyes away from the mirror.

“What did I say wrong?” She demands, snapping her fingers. “I want to be right.”

“You are.” Will sighs. “That’s the worst part.”

The conversation ends without El’s consent but with all of her confusion. She calls after her brother, trying to meet him in his room, but the door is shut behind him. Joyce– Mom, El tries to remember– comes around and asks her if she needs anything before bed. She’s always smiling, and now isn’t any different. It’s a comfort El still isn’t used to.

“I’m confused.” She says to herself, but partly to Joyce. “Describe gay.”

“Y-You mean like ‘happy’?” She says with a laugh. “Like, someone feels gay?” The word was easy on her lips, unlike Lucas’.

“Does it also mean ‘bad’?” She asks, letting Joyce walk her to her room.

“Not in this house it doesn’t.” Joyce becomes serious for a moment, shaking her head. She tucks a piece of El’s hair behind her ear and smiles again. “Never in this house.”

Maybe in Lucas’ house it meant bad things. El had never heard of a word that changed like that before. If it changed by house, who else had a different definition? How was she meant to keep track? El goes to sleep certain that she’d get to the bottom of it the next day with Mike.

She practically corners him in the kitchen as he’s getting her water.

“Mike.” She starts with his name, locking him into her point of discussion. He stills the pitcher he’s pouring and looks at her with lifted eyebrows. “Describe gay. Who is gay? Do we know one?”

He rushes to put the pitcher down and nearly covers her mouth. “Not so loud!”

“Is it bad in your house too?” She whispers, ducking to keep their voices between them.

“Just when my parents are home.” Mike mutters. “It’s not a bad word though, El. I promise.”

“But what kind of word means little, happy, and bad?” She rubs her forehead and tries to soothe her rising temper with the inconsistencies of English.

“It doesn’t mean any of those.” Mike says at a normal volume. He finishes pouring her water and hands it to her with both hands. “It just means boys who have boyfriends and girls who have girlfriends.”

“That’s… That’s not one word. How is that an adjective?”

“Well, it’s like, you’re describing how that person is. How they love, I guess. I’m tall and straight. Will’s short and gay.” He is calm. The word doesn’t worry him the way it did Lucas.

“Will’s gay?”

“Well, I think he is.” Mike shrugs. “I mean, he doesn’t really seem into girls right now. And that’s fine too. It’s not really a big deal… to us at least. Other people aren’t very nice about it. Like my parents, so keep your voice down. Please.” She takes a sip of water and is glad he explained his anger. She understands, if only a little bit better.

“We still love Will, right?”

“Of course we do.” Mike says firmly, nodding. “Will’s always been this way– I’m pretty sure. So like, the Will I grew up with is this Will. But now we know what it’s called.”

El nods and lowers her glass. She lets Mike walk her back to the basement, their voices still lowered as they discuss the finer points of El’s new vocab word. She learns quickly that a house can hate a word, but the people inside can think differently. She hopes her house isn’t that way; Mom had said that it had meant happy only. It was good. Will was good.

She carries that with her all the way home. She wears it to the dining table, to her homework session with Hopper, and to Will’s room as she sits on his floor. He’s standing and picking out clothes for the next day. It’s her favorite part of the night.

“Can I tell you something?” She asks.

“Sure, what’s up?” Will hangs a shirt on his closet door and thumbs through his hanging pants.

“I heard you were gay.” El is merely stating the combination of words she heard– Will and gay– but she misses the greater implication. She still isn’t completely sure what the point of the word is. It isn’t like red or soft– you can’t tell Will is anything. “Are you?”

“W-Where did you– Wait, who said that? Was it Troy? Because he doesn’t– he’s not saying it to be a very nice– Who told you? Who told you!” Will is increasingly frantic, shaking his head and stepping away from the closet to his bed. He doesn’t sit down. He holds it for balance.

“Lucas said it first, at lunch. But then I asked you. And then–”

“I told Lucas to keep his mouth shut!” Will sighs, covering his face. “I tell him about the Snow Ball and he just thinks I’m– God! I’m not going to say anything to him!” There isn’t darkness, but there’s a strange fear that opens up around Will. El feels it in the tips of her fingers.

“Tell who?” El prods. “Michael?” Good thing they’d already discussed it.

“N-No.” Will’s lies sound like jokes. They always make El want to laugh.

“Mike told me you’re short and gay.” She relays the information evenly, not sure what the consequences would be.

“S-Short and what?” Will says leaning his head forward as if to hear better. “He didn’t say that did he?” The fear is vast and surrounds Will’s words. The pain of mentioning Mike has changed into the chill of frostbite in her hands.

“Why does Mike scare you?” She lifts her hands, hoping the shivering is evident. “He says it’s a good word in his house.”

“I’m not scared of Mike.” Will says. El doesn’t want to laugh, but she can’t figure out how it isn’t a lie. “That’s not what it is.”

“Then what is it?” El reaches forward to take Will’s hand, trying to see if his fingers were just as cold. His whole hand was trembling. “You can tell me? Mike is my friend. That means we tell each other everything. I know Mike. He’s not scary.”

“Oh God please don’t tell him about this.” Will winces and pulls himself away from El. He keeps his darkness to himself, arms coiling around and keeping it between his ribs. “God, please don’t. He can think I’m gay all he wants but just don’t confirm it… please, El.”

“Are you gay or no?” El asks. “Little, happy, and gay?” She omits one of the definitions given to her; it’s not correct in their home.

“Y-Yeah. I am.” Will laughs and lets his arms hang by his sides. “But, Mike can’t know. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable.”

“Mike says that it isn’t bad. He says it’s okay!”

“Yeah but that’s because he doesn’t think it involves him! Everyone thinks it’s fine until it’s right next to you or sharing lunch with you or sleeping in your house or sharing your bed or your clothes or your whole damn childhood!” Will snaps suddenly. El swears she feel her own heart break. Her hands just go numb.

She’s cold because Will is too. Not physically, but he’s been hiding from the warmth inside their closest friend. He’s been hiding and refusing to be cast into the light. He’s been hiding himself from Mike.

“I.. I don’t know how to use the word.” She confesses. “You’re gay with… for… to… about Mike.” All of them sound wrong.

“I like Mike.” Will confesses. “I’m gay and I like Mike.”

“Oh.”

“And I know that’s your friend– sorry, your boyfriend, but I’m not asking you to even acknowledge that I feel anything. You can ignore it and ignore me and act like I’m just like everyone else. In fact, yes! Do that! Just act like I’m normal. For once, you can have a normal friend!” Will pleas, crouching and grabbing El’s hands. He’s frantically groveling for his own privacy again, as if he’d even slid out of the dark.

“You’re different, we decided that. And we like different. Different is a good word in this house too!” She holds her arms out around her. “It doesn’t have to be dark.”

Will kneels in front of her, still holding her hands. They’d never truly discussed the darkness inside Will, or the one inside her, but they knew it well without words.

Then again… this? This was something El couldn’t wrap her numb fingers around, couldn’t reason the difference Will was insisting existing between them. It somehow made the darkness inside him deeper, going farther than her reach. Maybe she couldn’t feel it anymore because he’d simply sunken down to her feet.

She really hoped that gay didn’t mean the pain she used to feel and presently saw crossing Will’s face. Was that how she supposed to recognize it in Will, how she was supposed to see that Will was gay? The haggard look of exhaustion on long summer days with the Party that would form out of nowhere? The sniffling she heard as she across the hall but never acknowledged in the light of day? The flocking to light that came from a loving source– Mike– who was also El’s closest and dearest friend? It seemed complicated and troubling. But Will handled it so well, no one would ever know.

El smiled and hugged her brother.

She found a new definition: strong.

[aion-rsa]

The Witcher Season 2 Will Change Yennefer and Ciri Forever

https://ift.tt/3sMUx2N

Although it’s common for any show to shift its characters into new arcs from year to year, The Witcher season 2 is about to completely alter the lives portrayed on screen for a couple of its most important characters. Showrunner Lauren Schmidt Hissrich spoke to reporters along with Anya Chalotra and Freya Allan, who play Yennefer and Ciri, about how massively different the two women will be in the coming chapter, especially when compared to the seemingly unchangeable titular character, Geralt of Rivia.

Viewers could be forgiven, in fact, for thinking the powerful sorceress Yennefer had died at the end of The Witcher season 1 when she sacrificed everything to defeat the Nilfgaardian army. “After her victory at the Battle of Sodden, she’s captured,” Chalotra reveals. “Her whereabouts are unknown and she has to survive being a prisoner of war… She goes back to Aretuza and she has to navigate that situation there after everyone thought she had died.  And we just get a lot deeper into Yennefer’s mind.”

Read more

TV

The Witcher: Blood Origin – Why the Conjunction of the Spheres Matters

By Michael Ahr

TV

The Witcher: Nightmare of the Wolf Review – A Serviceable Supplement to The Netflix Franchise

By Caroline Cao

Because Yennefer spent a significant amount of season 1 pursuing her desire to have a child, her new journey in The Witcher season 2 is bound to be a complete departure. “We know that she meets Ciri in this season which is exciting,” says Chalotra. “What’s lovely is that we established her background in season 1 and now I think the choices she makes in season 2 will resonate with people a lot more and hopefully they’ll be able to empathize with those choices this season.”

Chalotra seemed eager to share more about Yennefer’s upcoming journey in The Witcher season 2, but had to merely hint at what was to come to avoid spoilers. “She makes some unlikely alliances, and those alliances really change her way of thinking,” she teases. “All the experiences that she has in season 2 really change her, and you see those changes this season.  I’m sorry I can’t speak more about Yennefer’s journey but from the get-go, it would be a spoiler to speak of anything that happens with her.”

Ciri, the exiled princess of Cintra, has been more obviously transformed in the trailer for The Witcher season 2 as she begins to fulfill the destiny with Geralt that was only alluded to previously, and Allan has adapted expertly to her changed role. “Part of the journey between Ciri and Geralt this season is also one that involves training to be a Witcher,” says Hissrich, praising Allan’s performance. “Freya would send me videos of herself learning to swordfight before we started production in season 2 and the stunt team was amazed because she’s just a natural.”

Hissrich felt bad, in some ways, that Ciri had to wait so long to realize the transformation that’s to come in The Witcher season 2. “I’ve joked a lot that in season 1, one of my regrets is that the Ciri story ended up being reduced to her kind of running from things all the time,” Hissrich says. “And my favorite thing in this season is that Ciri plants her feet and starts fighting back. It was amazing to see Freya in that role.”

Allan agreed with this sentiment and recalls sharing ideas for a stronger Ciri with the writers in The Witcher season 2. “It was exciting getting to do that because it did feel like in season 1 I was just running, running, running, and I was thinking, ‘I want a scene!’” says Allan. “We had plenty of chats, didn’t we, Lauren, about scenes?  My goodness.  Sometimes chats that last a whole day.”

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

Fans will get to see how Yennefer and Ciri have changed — and finally see them meet, establishing their own unique relationship — when The Witcher season 2 returns to Netflix on December 17, 2021.

The post The Witcher Season 2 Will Change Yennefer and Ciri Forever appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3sxRjQg

[aroselane]

Beside You Ch. 4: Welcome Home

Chapter Four: Welcome Home

I woke up to the familiar alarm, and I sighed.

Benny groaned from across the room “Is it Wednesday already?”

I nodded after I glanced at my phone.

She groaned again before sitting up.

“Why can’t it be Friday already?” she asked.

I smiled lightly at her.

It already felt like home here, and I was enjoying it.

The classes are still very new to me, and I still need some getting used to those, but everything else felt better.

“Are you hungry?” Benny asked.

I nodded.

We were up a little earlier today to eat breakfast, and I was thankful. It was delicious.

We sat in the cafeteria, and I ate while Benny spent her eating time texting Gus.

“Love birds,” I smiled.

She grinned up at me “Are you still up for this weekend?”

I nodded, “What are we doing?”

“Michael insists on mini-golfing,” she said, “So I guess we will be doing that.”

I nodded slowly. He insists?

Why did he insist?

“Did he say why?” I asked her.

She shook her head “He said he just really wanted to golf.”

I felt myself smile.

Even though it probably wasn’t for me, I could still believe for now that it was.

The King can be quite generous, indeed.

I smile wider at Benny. “Mini-golfing sounds fun.”

 ++++++++++

 I sat next to Benny in cooking class, and I frowned at the yarn and the colorful sticks.

I know they weren’t sticks, but I didn’t know what they were called.

“Do you know how to knit?” I asked Benny.

She made a face, “Not really.”

We were both screwed.

“Maybe we can ask Michael,” Benny stated.

I looked at her funny.

“What?” I asked.

“Michael can knit,” she stated.

“Can Gus?” I asked.

She shook her head.

I wasn’t sure how to process this new information.

Michael, the King, can knit? Juvenile Michael?

That was honestly the last thing I’d expect him to be able to do.

Benny smiled at me, “His grandmother taught him when he was younger.”

“What about his mom?” I asked.

She looked at me, “There are very few things that can’t be brought up in a conversation where Michael is involved. His mother is one of them.”

“Can I ask why?” I asked her.

“You can ask,” she stated, “But it isn’t for me to tell you.”

I nodded slowly, so I was right then. Something to do with his parents was one of the reasons he was the way that he is now.

“And I can’t ask him about it?” I asked.

“Only if you want him to hit you,” she said, “I’ve seen him go off on quite a few people because of it.”

“Really?” I asked. That sounded kind of scary.

“It’s been a while, though,” she said.

He wouldn’t really hit me… would he?

What if I told him about how brutally I was picked on? I had to stop the thought, I had already told him.

“Michael won’t care,” she interrupted my thoughts.

“You don’t know what I was thinking,” I stated.

“You could tell him that you were raped, and he still wouldn’t tell you,” she sighed.

That was kind of… wow, alright.

“Do you know about it?”

She nodded, and I saw her face.

He must have had it pretty bad as a kid, but he had Benny and Gus, so that probably made it better.

At least I know part of the reason Benny worries so much about him.

“Was it really that bad?” I asked.

She met my gaze before nodding, “Yes.”

I felt a pain in my chest. I want to know what happened.

His mother hurt him? The scars on his back…

I didn’t ask anything else about it, and I could see Benny relax.

“Hopefully, he can teach us how to knit,” I said, “Because I am hopeless.”

I knew I would wonder about them. The memory of the tree popped into my mind.

I smiled sheepishly at her, and she smiled back.

Poor Michael, his mother, must have beat him.

How old was he? When did it finally stop?

The bell rang, and I left Benny to head to Fitness.

I went into a bathroom stall to change into the dark gray sweats and the pink shirt Benny had got me. After I was dressed and my clothes were in a locker, I headed outside.

I was free to sit on my ass for the rest of the week because of the gate incident.

So, I sit in my usual spot, yes, the one near the very same gate.

A shiver ran down my body once I felt a vibration from my leg.

The only one dumb enough to text me right now was Michael.

I still hadn’t read that message he sent. I didn’t want to know either.

I just sat still as I watched everyone play Tennis or Basketball.

My phone went off again, and again.

I pulled it out to see that it was a phone call.

Part of me wanted to ignore it, the other part didn’t.

I pressed the green accept button.

“Hello,” I said.

“Ignoring me today?” he asked, amused.

His voice was a little deeper on the phone, and I already hated what his voice was doing to me.

I glanced behind me to see him sitting alone.

“Obviously not,” I said, “I did answer the phone.”

He chuckled, “Yeah, you did.”

I waited a minute, but he didn’t say more.

“I actually have a question for you,” I said.

He took in a breath, “What is it?”

“I have a project in Home Ec., and Benny told me that you know how to knit, and I just wanted to know if you could help me with it?”

“Knitting?” he asked, “It isn’t like a five-minute project, knitting takes hours.”

I made a face. Did I sound like I just asked him to do it for me?

“I didn’t mean for you to do it for me,” I stated, “I just don’t know how to knit at all.”

I expected a laugh, but I didn’t hear one.

“I can teach you,” he stated.

“Thank you,” I said.

“Hold on,” he said quickly.

I turned around to see a few people walk up to him. All of them wore the same black pants and a white button-down shirt and gray tie, except for the girl. She wore a knee-length black skirt.

I hadn’t really noticed it before, but they had a uniform.

Voice One: “Who are you talking to?”

Girl: “Is it your girlfriend?”

Voice Two: “Damn, Michael, another one already?”

Michael: “Do you guys mind?” he asked, irritated, “I’m trying to have a conversation.”

Girl: “With who?”

Voice Three: “Yeah, I’m interested too.”

Michael: “None of your fucking business.”

I sat there awkwardly. Was I meant to hear this?

Voice Two: “Damn, is this one that good?”

Voice One: “I Doubt it, Michael has an addiction to the pussy. She’d break before he was satisfied.”

I frowned, but I strangely found that interesting.

“M-Michael?” I asked, “I can always talk to you later.”

Michael: “Fuck that,” he said before sighing, “I’m sorry you have to hear these fucking idiots.”

“I don’t mind, I just…” I was interrupted.

Girl: “Excuse me?” she asked, offended.

Michael: “Shut up,” he snapped “I’m trying to listen.”

I hesitated before continuing.

“I just don’t know what they are going to say,” I stated, “Or if they’ll say something you don’t want me to hear.”

Michael: “That won’t be a problem,” he said, “I can find a bathroom.”

“Why a bathroom?” I practically squeaked.

Voice One: “Kinky.”

Voice Three: “That easy, huh?”

Girl: “What a fucking slut.”

I felt myself getting nervous.

Michael: “She is not a slut, unlike you, so shut the fuck up.”

It was definitely awkward now.

Michael: “You’re a dumb fucking cunt Mandy,” he hissed at her. “Learn to shut that dumb fucking trap of yours.”

It was silent now.

No one came to her rescue, and even she didn’t try to defend herself.

“Don’t you think that was kind of harsh?” I asked him.

“Not even a little bit.”

He really sounded like he didn’t care at all.

There was a minute of silence, and I looked back to where he was before, and he was gone, the other four now occupied the spot.

“Since I’m going to the bathroom anyway,” he said, “Want to make some noises for me?”

My whole body felt his words.

“Why would I?” I tried not to hiss.

“I can get her to suck my dick while you make the noises. It will feel more like the real thing.”

“I don’t want to be a part of that,” I ground my teeth.

What an asshole.

I had to think for a minute before I said anything.

“Do you really have a sex addiction?”

“And if I do?” he asked, “Will you?”

“Why do you even want me to?” I hissed.

“I can always do it myself, and you can listen.”

“Stop messing around,” I hissed.

“Who said I was kidding?” he asked.

His voice didn’t give him away, I think he is serious.

“Why?” I asked.

“Why?” he hissed. “Is that all you ever ask?”

“I thought I was off-limits,” I said in a pleading tone.

“I don’t see you in front of me,” he stated, “I’m not touching you, so stop whining.”

Was he serious?

“Seriously?” I asked.

“Did I strike a nerve?” he hissed.

“Not what I meant,” I said, feeling my whole body shake.

“Then please specify,” he said.

“Are you seriously going to the bathroom to do that?”

“Do what?” he asked irritated.

“I knew you were messing with me,” I glared at the ground.

“I have no idea what you are talking about,” he stated, “I could have a shy bladder, maybe a little noise from you would help distract me.”

“Liar,” I growled.

“It’s not like it matters anyway.”

“I am tired of you messing with me,” I hissed.

There was a short silence.

I barely heard the ding from the other end.

“Michael?” I asked.

“I’m not messing with you,” he stated, “Now, are you going to listen or not?”

“I’m not going to make noises!” I whisper yelled.

“I asked if you were going to listen or not.”

I sat there. Did I want to hear this?

“You’re still messing with me,” I said, “Aren’t you?”

“Never mind,” he hissed, “I’m starting anyway.”

My whole body shook. He was starting?

He let out a sigh, and I was quick to cover my mouth to stifle my gasp.

He was really doing it, with me still on the phone?

“Ren?” he asked.

“Y-Yeah?” I stuttered.

He sighed again, “Just checking.”

He whispered it, but I’ve never heard that tone from him before.

I’ve heard his kind voice. I’ve heard his annoyed voice, his angry voice, and his bored voice.

Was this his sex voice? His horny voice? Is the ground shaking, or is that me?

“Why are you doing this to me?” I asked.

I heard a groan.

“I wasn’t aware I was doing anything to you,” he stated.

I felt all the blood rush to my face.

“Should I be louder?” he moaned.

“N-No!” I gasped.

Another groan came from him.

I had to pull my legs closer together, I felt it.

He was doing something to me. My body was starting to throb.

“Why?” I whimpered.

He growled, “Don’t ruin it.”

“I’m sorry,” I said quickly.

“If you’re really sorry, make a noise.”

How did I know he wasn’t messing with me? Someone might be there, and they could be listening. Then again, I suppose I did walk right into that one.

“Ren,” he said, “One sound.”

He was breathing harder. His face was closer to the phone mic.

Was he using both hands?

“You’re really doing it?” I asked.

“Yes,” he hissed, “You are the worst person to do this with.”

I let out a small gasp. He promised to help me knit later, but how could I look at him after this?

“Okay,” I murmured.

He sighed again.

“Are you using both hands?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Oh Michael,” I said wearily. “Keep this to yourself.”

“I have no reason not to,” he stated.

I nodded to myself.

The sound of whistles stopped me.

“God damn it,” he hissed.

“Hurry up, Michael,” I said.

“Waiting for the big finish?” he asked.

“Yes,” I whispered, “You started it, now finish it.”

“I intend to.”

I felt it again between my thighs.

“Graham!” the coach shouted.

“Hold on a minute,” I said, “Wait for me to change.”

“I’ll try.”

I slipped my phone into my pocket, and I went into the locker room.

I left my sweats on, and I changed my shirt back to the old worn-out band shirt.

The girls in the locker room were giggling.

This one girl was talking to her friend about losing her virginity to an older guy.

She didn’t hold out on the details, and I haven’t even been standing here that long.

I felt my face go red, I needed to hurry up and get out of here.

The girls' friend just laughed and said she didn’t have a boyfriend. She had a vibrator instead.

With that, I was out of there.

I was quick to leave my last class, and I brought my phone back to my ear.

“Michael?” I asked, “Are you still there?”

“Still here,” he said.

He wasn’t being a smart ass, he wasn’t being mean, and I just didn’t get it.

“How does it feel?” I asked.

“Who are you talking to?” I felt an arm wrap around me, and I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“Hey, Benny,” I said.

“Who’s on the phone?” she asked.

Damn, she was persistent.

I didn’t want to lie, so I told her the truth.

“Michael.”

“Oh,” she said, “Did you ask him?”

I nodded, “He said he would help us with the knitting.”

“Hi Michael,” she called.

“Don’t put her on,” he said, sounding frustrated.

“He said hi,” I lied.

Even though I didn’t want to lie before, I lied just then. I felt guilty already.

She grinned, “I’m going to get some lunch, you coming?”

I nodded, “I’m going to put my stuff in the room first. I’ll meet you in the cafeteria.”

“I can always come with you,” she said.

My body shook, I was panicking.

“Damn it, Benny,” Michael said, “I’m going limp here.”

“I was going to call my mom,” I stated, “I can meet you there.”

She shrugged, “Okay.”

I smiled at her as she shrugged and walked away.

“Nice save.”

“I really do have to call my mother,” I sighed.

“Hurry up and make noises then,” he said, “I can only squeeze for so long.”

“W-What?” I gasped.

“Get to your damn room.”

I walked quickly, holding the burning phone as close to my face as I could.

“Almost there,” I said.

“Me too.”

“Shut up,” I hissed, feeling my face heat up.

“I’m serious,” he sighed, “Please hurry.”

I had a bad thought.

“So, that’s what it is!” I gasped once I figured it out.

“Don’t make me ask,” he said.

“You are nice when you are horny,” I stated, “That explains it.”

“If only that were the truth,” he said.

So, then he wasn’t nice?

“This is much different” he stated “I am at your mercy, you promised to make sounds for me. If this were actual sex, I would be in control, going at my own pace.”

I unlocked my door and tossed my stuff on the floor by my bed.

“Good, you’re home.”

I wasn’t sure how much more my body could handle. Would I be like the rest of those girls, begging him to give me release?

“Okay,” I said, “Are you ready?”

“I’ve been ready,” he stated.

Of course, I already knew that. I was just trying to prepare myself.

I sat on my bed as I tried to shake the nerves off.

“Ren,” he sighed.

My blush returned.

The only thing I could think of, to get an actual moan besides doing the same thing he was, was to remove my clothes.

It was hot out today.

“Alright,” I said as I used my shoulder to hold the phone against my face.

I pulled the sweats down, and I felt cold air rush against the burning skin.

I let out a small moan.

He moaned right after. He was breathing harder.

I pulled the arm without my phone out of its sleeve. I held the phone with that hand while I pulled my head and my other arm out.

I moaned again. The cold air still wasn’t enough.

“Fuck,” he whispered.

“What is it?”

Girl: “Michael?” she said, “Everything alright? You’ve been in there for a while.”

He didn’t make a sound.

“Michael?” I asked.

I felt a little stupid as I stood there in only my bra and underwear.

He just shushed me.

I made a face. The kind of pissed me off. He wanted me to make noises for him.

Two can play that game.

“Then maybe I shouldn’t tell you,” I said as seductively as I could.

He didn’t say anything.

Girl: “Michael?”

“Hey Michael,” I said, “I’m only wearing a bra and panties.”

I flinched a little at the use of the word panties, I didn’t like to say it. It made me feel strange.

He groaned, “God damn it.”

I smirked to myself, “You have to finish.”

“I will.”

“Come on,” I said.

I hadn’t realized how much I was looking forward to him, actually finishing.

What would he sound like?

Girl: “Come on, Michael, I can help.”

I was silent, I couldn’t help. I couldn’t touch him. I could barely manage to moan for him.

“Don’t let her help,” I murmured. “Make her go away.”

I heard a small noise from his end.

“Michael,” I said, “Please.”

I didn’t want her to touch him, and I hated myself for feeling jealous.

Michael: “Mandy?”

Mandy: “Yes? You can unlock the door.”

Michael: “Get the fuck out,” he hissed, “I’m busy in here.”

Mandy: “Come on, let me in.”

Michael: “Fuck off,” he growled.

He was really sending her away.

I sat on my bed, and I had to close my legs as tight as I possibly could manage.

Mandy: “Michael, let me in. I’m already wet.”

She actually said it, and it was definitely a porn voice.

Michael: “I don’t give a fuck,” he growled.

Mandy: “Why are you acting this way? You never want me to touch you, I don’t understand.”

Michael: “Because I’m not interested,” he said, “Clearly.”

Mandy: “Fine, but even if you beg, I’ll never put your dick in my mouth!” she shouted.

I heard a door slam.

He groaned, “If I knew it was going to be this difficult to masturbate, I would have just gone to class.”

“You’re ditching?” I gasped.

“Our bells are on the same schedule,” he stated, “No more school talk.”

“Okay,” I mumbled.

“What color are those panties?”

I suddenly stopped hating the word.

“Black,” I stated, “My bra is red.”

He moaned louder.

“Did you finish?” I asked.

“Not yet.”

I nodded, even though I knew he couldn’t see me.

“Are you feeling it?” he asked.

“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t,” I admitted.

“Have you ever done it yourself?” he asked.

I sighed, “Yes.”

“Ever put your fingers inside?” he asked.

“No,” I said.

“Has anyone else used their fingers on you?”

“Why does that matter?” I asked.

“Are you trying to piss me off?” he hissed.

I made a face. Piss him off?

“Me not wanting to answer pisses you off?”

“I’m trying to picture a pure, untouched body,” he growled, “I need to know if anyone ever touched you.”

I really wanted to mess with him now.

It wasn’t fair that he was doing and saying things like that to me.

“I used to have a girlfriend,” I lied. “She was very good with her tongue.”

“You’re lying,” he growled.

“She knew I was saving my hymen for a man.”

“God damn it, Ren,” he growled, “I’m serious. Has anyone ever touched you?!”

“No,” it barely came out as a whisper.

“Good,” he sighed.

“Are you kidding?” I hissed, “Good that I haven’t been touched?”

“I can only imagine how good it would feel to be inside of you.”

There it was, my legs were shaking, and everything around me felt hot.

“Stop saying things like that,” my voice was shaky.

“Ren,” he moaned.

“S-Stop,” I shivered.

“I’ve never been with a virgin before,” he admitted.

He was really thinking about having sex with me?

“Hey,” I practically snapped, “I didn’t give you permission to think about me.”

“The second you said yes to making noises, you gave me permission,” he said, “I didn’t even start thinking about you until you told me what you were wearing.”

That didn’t make me feel better.

“Is the first time painful?” I asked.

“It can be, yes.”

“Was it painful for you?” I asked, “Your first time?”

He went silent.

“Michael?”

He gasped, and a groan followed right after.

“A-Are you okay?” I asked.

“I’m relieved,” he breathed.

I didn’t need any sexual innuendos right now; I just asked him a damn question!

Wait… he finished?!

“You know,” he said, “The other day, when I said there were other ways of doing it, I meant it.”

“What do you mean?”

The hell? What is he talking about?

“If you really are trying to save yourself, there are other ways to have an orgasm.”

My face went red, “What?”

“You’re being difficult, Ren.”

“I don’t even know what to say,” I admitted.

“I can be the first man to touch you.”

“Stop,” I said, “I’m not ready for anything like that.”

Besides, he wouldn’t be the first man to touch me.

“You can be the first girl I use my tongue on,” he said.

“We both know that’s a lie,” I stated.

“So, what if it is?” he asked, “I can still use my tongue either way.”

“Shut up,” I pleaded.

“What?” he asked, amused, “You can talk about someone else licking your clit, but I can’t talk about me licking your clit?”

“No!” I whined.

“That’s hardly fair,” he stated.

I missed the horny Michael. He was much nicer, and less mean.

“There is also anal, but that’s more painful.”

“No,” I snapped.

“It’s okay. You don’t seem like the type.”

“It’s much easier for you to say things like that. You’ve already lost your virginity.”

There was complete silence.

“I-I’m not ready yet,” I said, “And I want to fall in love, I don’t want emotionless sex.”

“You don’t need to be in love to have a mind-shattering orgasm,” he said, “It will be worth it.”

“Not the first time,” I said, “I know that much.”

“If done right,” he said, “It can be a good ache.”

I stared at the pink carpet in my room.

“Was your first time a good ache?” I asked.

“No,” he said, “It was the worst experience of my life.”

My eyes went wide. Was he serious?

“Why?” I asked before I could stop myself.

My brain to mouth filter was currently down.

“I’m not talking to you about this.”

So, his first time was in the ‘do not mention list?’

“Okay,” I said, “Then what do you want to talk about?”

“Monday,” he said, “Why were you crying?”

I really didn’t want to talk about that.

“I was tired.”

“Don’t lie,” he said.

“Then I just don’t want to answer” I stated “It has to do with my family and my family is on my ‘do not mention list.’”

“Benny said something to you,” he said irritated.

“Nothing bad,” I sighed, regretting what I said, “She told me you could knit then the knitting led to your grandmother. Then I asked about your mom, and she said not to ask you about her.”

He didn’t say anything.

“That is all she said,” I stated, “I swear.”

He still didn’t say anything.

“She also said that you’d hit me,” I said, “Are you mad at me?”

I’d like to think that it was just a warning. Though I was still a little worried.

“You didn’t ask about her,” he sighed, “So no, and why would I hit you?”

I felt relieved.

“I don’t know, but I understand,” I said, “Things happening and you needing to keep it a secret, believe me.”

I heard him sigh, “Ren?”

“Yeah?” I asked.

“I have to go,” he stated.

“You have to?” I asked, “You can’t stay on a little longer?”

“My phone is going to die.”

My gaze dropped to my feet after I brought my knees closer to me.

“Okay,” I mumbled.

“I’ll talk to you later, alright?”

“Okay,” I said again.

“Bye,” he said before the line went dead.

I wanted to throw my phone. To be less stupid, to feel less horrible. I just don’t know.

 ++++++++++

 It wasn’t too long after I got off the phone with Michael that I was called to the office. The woman at the main desk, I believe her name is Bernadette. She asked for my number so they could just text me school updates instead of calling me over the loudspeaker.

Now, however, I sat angrily in the office as I stared at the thick book of school rules, and the two plastic bags that contained my three new uniforms were laid out next to me.

“You have to request an outside pass a day in advance,” the woman told me.

“My mom sent me a package, and I need to pick it up.”

“I can write you a pass for tomorrow,” she said, “But you have to be back before 9 PM.”

I nodded. I was confident I could handle that.

I nodded as I felt better.

“Thank you.”

I watched as she wrote something down, and then she handed me a small pink paper.

It said, ‘Day Pass.’

I gathered all my things, and I left the office with a grin.

-

-

Song: 

HELLYEAH - Welcome Home

[lovelyparanormalbooks]

Book Blitz: Grand Finale: Her Secret Life by Tara Taylor Quinn (Giveaway)

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Book Tour Grand Finale for

Her Secret Life

By Tara Taylor Quinn

We hope you enjoyed the tour! If you missed any of the stops, go back and check them out... Launch - Note from the Author

If you’ve never read a ttq novel before, you’re just on the cusp of getting your first introduction. I love glitz and glamour, but it’s not enough for me. My stories look behind the larger than life things that happen in life. They go deep into the messy part of living. The feelings that we all experience, but so often shy away from. The emotions that are confusing. Sometimes threatening. And yet…if we can find a safe place in which to explore them, we can often times find that elusive happiness we’ve been seeking.

The Lemonade Stand is Kacey’s safe place. I hope my books can be one of yours.

—TTQ

Brooke Blogs - Looks (Guest Post)

In Her Secret Life, Kacey and Michael had some things to tell me about looking good. I don’t know that any of us came up with any answers as to why our looks effect how we feel – is it just societal, or is it more than that, a sense of knowing that if we do our best to take care of ourselves, we perform better? But what helped me was to know that when the chips are down, surface beauty really is only skin deep. And that what is underneath is what we need, what turn to and what we draw from, even within ourselves, when challenges face us.

Nicole's Book Musings - Excerpt

Mike Valentine listened unabashedly to the half he could hear of his lunch companion’s phone conversation the first Monday in March.

“I know. Mmm-hmm.” Her tone was more flirty than not. Glancing at Mike, Kacey rolled her eyes. And then mouthed, Bo.

EskieMama & Dragon Lady Reads - Excerpt

Mike could hear the other man’s voice but couldn’t make out the words as Kacey sat forward in her seat again. She was smiling. And hung up shortly afterward.

He raised an eyebrow at her. She could talk. Or not.

He was good either way.

Thoughts of a Blonde - Review

"Another great book revolving around volunteers at the Lemonade Stand women’s shelter in Santa Raquel. Many of you will recognize Kacey from her twin sister Lacey’s story a couple of books ago. It was great to get to see Lacey, Jem & Levi doing well! With this book, we have a story about two unlikely people to become the very best of friends … and how they adjust when the love they feel for their friend starts to turn into more."

Angels with Attitude Book Reviews - Hollywood (Guest Post)

They say to write what you know. I’ve never been a soap opera star. I’ve never even knowingly met one. But when I wrote Her Secret Life, starring soap opera star, Kacey Hamilton, I knew a little bit about what I was getting into.

Book Lover in Florida - Excerpt

The women she helped—all victims of domestic violence—benefited from the gentle way she showed them how to enhance their outer beauty with fashion and makeup advice, makeovers and impromptu fashion shows. But they’d been surviving and healing for years without her.

Celticlady's Reviews - Privilege (Guest Post)

In Her Secret Life Kacey had a blessed life. Her dreams came true and continue to come true. She’s got a job she loves and thrives on it. She loves her condo in Beverly Hills. But when her twin sister gets married, she finds out that the love she’s created for herself is lived largely on the surface. She has things. Ways to spend her time that she enjoys. And in the dark of the night, in the quiet times when her heart has a chance to speak to her, she is…alone.

Deal Sharing Aunt - Excerpt

As owner of MV Cyber Solutions, a successful-beyond-his-imaginings private IT investigative firm with clients in law enforcement—meaning they offered investigative work involving computers and the internet to law enforcement and lawyers—Mike was his own boss with trusted employees. And he could pretty much always squeeze an hour out of his day for Kacey.

He read the email warning her of something that had popped up on the internet over the weekend.

Beck Valley Books - Family Tragedy (Guest Post)

As has happened many times during my career, I found myself inside a book that was going places completely unexpected. All these emotions, from every member of a family…Different emotions. Intense emotions. And a young man who was taking every single one of them upon himself. Wow. I had no idea what was going to happen – where the book would go

Becky on Books - Review

"Sigh…Kacey and Michael–so, so good together! Even if it does take them forever to finally get there. . . . They were so clearly meant to be together, it was painful to read. Yet delicious at the same time."

underneath the covers - Domestic Violence (Guest Post)

Where Secrets Are Safe, my current series with Superromance, is fiction. It’s entertainment. It’s larger than life. And yet…it’s also a voice. And a lesson plan. It revolves around a resort like women’s shelter set off the coast of California. The Lemonade Stand – Where Secrets Are Safe. The Stand is fiction. The characters and stories are pure ‘Hollywood.’ Many of the avenues for help and change are not. The laws are not. The love that heals, that gives hope for a future that includes real happiness, pure joy, is not.

Kindle and Me - Excerpt

She shook her head but didn’t seem ready to take off, like she needed to sit with a friend she could trust for a second.

Part of him wanted to give her that. So he stayed. This wasn’t the first time someone had posted something derogatory about her. That came with the territory. They weren’t dealing with life and death.

So why did it feel like they were?

Harlie's Books - Review

"You are fooling yourself is you are NOT reading this series. It’s powerful, emotional, romantic and just so well written. Ms. Quinn tackles the subject matter with a deft hand and also, with compassion for the victims. Bring on the next one."

Make sure you check out Tara's visit to Harlequin Junkie on March 8th, the giveaway of His First Choice on Goodreads, as well as the Domestic Violence Shelter Drive and the giveaways below...

Her Secret Life

(Where Secrets are Safe #10)

by Tara Taylor Quinn

Adult Contemporary Romance, Suspense

Mass Market Paperback & ebook, 384 pages

March 1st 2017 by Harlequin Superromance

It takes courage to choose love… 

Internet security expert Michael Valentine knows his place in Kacey Hamilton's life. The soap opera star lives in two worlds: glamorous Hollywood and small town Santa Raquel, where she volunteers with him at The Lemonade Stand women's shelter. The key to their friendship is maintaining boundaries. And after an accident years ago left him badly scarred, he won't expect anything more. But when threats against Kacey escalate, Michael will stop at nothing to protect her. Even if his investigation means confronting more than just her attacker as Kacey's interest in him starts to go deeper than friendship…

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Harlequin

Other Books in the Series

(Books released as of February 2017. Each can be read as a standalone.)

         About the Author

The author of more than 70 original novels, in twenty languages, Tara Taylor Quinn is a USA Today bestseller with over six million copies sold. A 2015 RITA finalist Tara appears frequently on bestseller lists, including #1 placement on Amazon lists, and multiple showings on the Publisher’s Weekly Bestseller list. She has appeared on national and local TV across the country, including CBS Sunday Morning.

Tara is a supporter of the National Domestic Violence Hotline. If you or someone you know might be a victim of domestic violence in the United States, please contact 1-800-799-7233.

Website│Goodreads│Amazon│Facebook│Twitter│Pinterest│Instagram│Wattpad│BookBub

Domestic Violence Shelter Drive

As Tara supports speaking out against domestic violence and supporting those who have been abused, both through her books and in her community, she would love for you to join her in donating items to a shelter in your area. Find out more here.

Tour Giveaways

1ST RAFFLECOPTER: 1 winner will receive ebooks of Where Secrets are Safe series books 1 - 13 (open internationally) 1 winner (per the four tour segments) will receive a $10 Amazon eGift Card (open internationally) 2ND RAFFLECOPTER: 1 winner will receive 25,000 Harelquin My Rewards Points, equivalent to 5 books (US and CAN only) 1 winner will receive 5,000 Harelquin My Rewards Points, equivalent to 1 book (US and CAN only)

Both Rafflecopter giveaways end November 30th, 2017

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

[aion-rsa]

IDW Publishing Solicitations for June 2017

IDW Publishing has released solicitation information and images for new comics and products shipping in June 2017. When you’re through checking out these solicitations for new releases, be sure to visit CBR’s Independent Comics forum to discuss these titles and products with fellow readers and fans.

IDW Solicitations – Last Six Months

Product shipping May 2017

Product shipping April 2017

Product shipping March 2017

Product shipping February 2017

Product shipping January 2017

Product shipping December 2016

Jem and the Holograms: Infinite #1 (of 3)— SPOTLIGHT

Kelly Thompson (w) • Stacey Lee (a & c)

The FIRST-EVER Jem/Misfits Crossover Event begins here and now with “INFINITE PART ONE!” Now a happy quintet, Jem and The Holograms are stronger than ever, which is a good thing because they’re about to embark on an adventure unlike anything they’d ever imagined possible. After a public fight with The Misfits at a charity event, a strangely dressed Techrat shows up and takes them to a whole new world… literally. And it is going to change EVERYTHING.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Jem and the Holograms: Infinite #1 (of 3) – Subscription Variant

Kelly Thompson (w) • Stacey Lee (a) • Veronica Fish (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Part 1 of the Jem: Infinite mega-event!

All-new adventures start here in Jem and The Holograms first ever CROSSOVER EVENT!

All the music, all the fashion, all the romance, all the sci-fi shenanigans begin here!

Interconnecting subscription covers on both Jem: Infinite and Jem: The Misfits: Infinite by Veronica Fish!

Variant cover by Marley Zarcone!

Jem and the Holograms: The Misfits: Infinite #1 (of 3)— SPOTLIGHT

Kelly Thompson (w) • Jenn St-Onge (a & c)

The FIRST EVER Jem/Misfits Crossover Event continues here in ” INFINITE PART TWO!” Never okay with letting Jem and The Holograms steal the spotlight, The Misfits have followed them to this “brave new world” and are shocked by what they find… a world ruled by JEM and powered by Synergy Hologram Technology. WHAT. IS. EVEN. HAPPENING!?!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Jem and the Holograms: The Misfits: Infinite #1 (of 3) – Subscription Variant

Kelly Thompson (w) • Jenn St-Onge (a) • Veronica Fish (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Part 2 of the Jem: Infinite mega-event!

Guess Jem and The Holograms secret is out!…but what will The Misfits do with that secret?!

All-new adventures continue here in Jem and The Holograms first ever CROSSOVER EVENT!

Interconnecting subscription covers on both Jem: Infinite and Jem: The Misfits: Infinite by Veronica Fish!

Variant cover by Ben Caldwell!

Jem and the Holograms, Vol. 5: Truly Outrageous

Kelly Thompson (w) • Meredith McClaren, M. Victoria Robado, Maria Jose Barros, Svanna Ganucheau, Katarzyna Witerscheim, Gisele Lagace (a) • Rian Gonzalez (c)

Jem and The Holograms head to Hawaii for some much needed rest and relaxation but with The Stingers renting the beach house next door they instead get shenanigans, betrayals, hi-jinx, and… volcanoes?! Meanwhile, has Jerrica finally made a decision about her future and thus the future of JEM? Collects issues #24–26, and the double-sized 2017 Annual!

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 120 pages

“An exuberantly colorful all-ages tribute to girl power—colorful as in candy-floss pink and lime green—where serious ideas about performance, identity, and embodiment fit comfortably amid sitcom-worthy teen hijinks…” –The New Yorker

Advance solicited for July release!

My Little Pony: The Movie Prequel #1—SPOTLIGHT

Ted Anderson (w) • Andy Price (a & c)

This fall, My Little Pony: The Movie hits theaters, and this prequel mini-series is your first look at the fantastic adventure to come! Danger looms over Equestria as a new villain debuts!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

My Little Pony: The Movie Prequel #1—Subscription Variant

Ted Anderson (w) • Andy Price (a) • Tony Fleecs (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Each issue will focus on a new character from the upcoming movie!

My Little Pony: The Movie in theaters in October!

Variant Cover by Kaori Matsuo!

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #55

Christina Rice (w) • Agnes Garbowska (a & c)

“Wings Over Yakyakistan” part 1 of 2. While on a diplomatic mission to Yakyakistan, Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash are surprised to uncover an imminent attack on the kingdom by dragons! Will Dash be able to rouse the Wonderbolts to aid the Yaks in time to thwart the invasion?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic #55—Subscription Variant

Christina Rice (w) • Agnes Garbowska (a) • Sara Richard (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Ties into the events of MLP season 7!

Variant cover by Billy Martin!

My Little Pony: Legends of Magic #3

Jeremy Whitley (w) • Brenda Hickey (a & c)

Journey back in time to discover the secret origin of Canterlot Castle! Will the legendary Mistmane be able to save the castle from the mysterious forces sabotaging the castle’s construction?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

My Little Pony: Legends of Magic #3 Subscription Variant

Jeremy Whitley (w) • Brenda Hickey (a) • Zachery Sterling (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Featuring Princess Luna!

Variant cover by Paul Abtruse!

My Little Pony: Friends Forever, Vol. 9

Thom Zahler, Rob Anderson, Christina Rice (w) • Agnes Garbowska, Jay Fosgitt, Tony Fleecs (a) • Jay Fosgitt (c)

Friends Forever celebrates the magic of friendship in these stand-alone tales featuring all of your favorite characters. Share adventures with Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich, Twilight Sparkle and Starlight Glimmer, Rainbow Dash and Soarin, and more.

Collects issues #34–38.

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 120 pages

“The creative team manages to write for young readers and sophisticated adults at the same time.” –ComicWow!

Advance solicited for July release!

Hanazuki: Full of Treasures #1—SPOTLIGHT

David Mariotte (w) • Nico Peña (a & c)

“A Moonflower is Born.” The origin of Hanazuki! Based on the new digital-first show, Hanazuki: Full of Treasures comes a comic retelling of the birth of Hanazuki! On a distant moon, Hanazuki is the new protector of a group of cutie-pies known as Hemkas and the guardian of special treasures that will turn back the forces of darkness!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Hanazuki: Full of Treasures #1—Subscription Variant

David Mariotte (w) • Nico Peña (a) • Yasmin Sheikh (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Based on the first episode of Hanazuki: Full of Treasures, which has over 2 million views on YouTube!

Catch the wave of the hit show, interactive app, and more!

Don’t miss out on this treasure, you irresistible yumbuckets!

Check out the retailer incentive covers by animated series artists Nicoletta Baldari and Christina Ellis!

Powerpuff Girls: The Time Tie #2 (of 3)

Haley Mancini & Jake Goldman (w) • Philip Murphy (a & c)

Bubbles finds herself swept up in a High Seas adventure as a swashbuckling pirate! In order to return to the present, she must recover a rare chronogem from a treasure chest buried on Unaliveman’s Island. Can she beat the dreaded pirate Neckbeard to the treasure before time runs out?!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Powerpuff Girls: The Time Tie #2 (of 3)—Subscription Variant

Haley Mancini & Jake Goldman (w) • Philip Murphy (a) • Kyle Neswald (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

The Powerpuff Girls are back in a brand-new three-issue series!

Each Powerpuff Girl travels to a different era and place in time in her own special issue!

Variant cover by Ian McGinty!

Yo-Kai Watch #3

Eric M. Esquivel (w) • Philip Murphy (a) • Dono Sanchez Almara (c)

You’ve played the videogames, watched the cartoons, chewed the bubblegum– now travel deeper into the Yo-Kai realm than ever before with this miniseries that explores the past, present, and future of the world of YO-KAI WATCH!

In this issue: ROBONYAN defends future Springdale from a horde of evil Yo-Kai!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Yo-Kai Watch #3—Subscription Variant

Eric M. Esquivel (w) • Philip Murphy (a) • Fico Ossio (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

All-new, FULL COLOR comic books based on the hit Anime and video game!

Angry Birds: Flight School #3

Paul Tobin & Kari Korhonen (w) • Thomas Cabellic & Cesar Ferioli (a) • Philip Murphy (c)

Ancient legend says that King Pig must eat a Porkini mushroom once a year or disaster will follow! A search party must head to Certain Doom Caverns in hopes of finding a mushroom, but there is one problem, the legend also tells that the caverns are protected by a horrible dragon…!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Angry Birds: Flight School #3 – Subscription Variant

Paul Tobin & Kari Korhonen (w) • Thomas Cabellic & Cesar Ferioli (a) • Paco Rodriquez (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

All-new comics featuring stories continuing from the hit movie!

Michael Recycle #4 (of 4)

Ellie Wharton (w) • Alexandra Colombo (a & c)

Michael Recycle and his sidekick Tin Can Stan have a problem on their hands, and this one involves a great amount of garbage! Can the pair prevent a plastic-patch Indian Ocean meltdown before the world’s precious marine life dies out? Find out in “Michael Recycle and the Great Garbage Patch”!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Young readers who have enjoyed the Michael Recycle books and their eco-friendly messages can now thrill to more adventures in comic-book form!

Children are becoming more and more aware of the environment around them, and Michael’s green tips help them become responsible at an early age.

Alexandra Colombo’s charming art will captivate readers of all ages.

Uncle Scrooge #27

Romano Scarpa, Thad Komorowski, Olaf Solstrand (w) • Romano Scarpa, Flemming Andersen (a) • Henrieke Goorhus (c)

“The Bodacious Butterfly Trail,” Part 1 of 2! When Brigitta MacBridge and Huey, Dewey and Louie find a centuries-old insect with a built-in Columbus-era treasure map, can Scrooge McDuck not try to cash in?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Uncle Scrooge #27—Subscription Variant

Romano Scarpa, Thad Komorowski, Olaf Solstrand (w) • Romano Scarpa, Flemming Andersen (a) • Corrado Mastantuono (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Continues this beloved series’ legacy numbering at #431!

Enjoy the USA debut of a classic Golden Age tale by Disney legend Romano Scarpa!

Variant cover by Marco Mazzarello!

Uncle Scrooge: Timeless Tales, Vol. 3

Francesco Artibani, Alessandro Perina, William Van Horn, Daan Jippes, John Lustig, Romano Scarpa (w & a) • Ulrich Schroeder & Daan Jippes (c)

He’s tougher than the toughies and smarter than the smarties… he’s Scrooge McDuck! But has he got what it takes to survive a combined onslaught from Flintheart Glomgold, John D. Rockerduck, Magica De Spell, and the Beagle Boys in “Scrooge’s Last Adventure”? Also features Glittering Goldie in Romano Scarpa’s “The Miner’s Granddaughter,” new tales of Uncle Rumpus by William Van Horn, and a virtual reality trek through Scrooge’s Life and Times in “Scrooge Vs. Scrooge!”

Collects IDW’s Uncle Scrooge #13–18.

HC • FC • $29.99 • 256 pages • 7.25” x 10”

Collects an assortment of classic and modern Disney tales, many of them published for the first time in the U.S. by highly regarded creators from around the world.

Advance solicited for August release!

Donald Duck #21

Carlo Panaro, Unn and Stefan Printz-Påhlson, Jonathan Gray (w) • Andrea Freccero, Victor “Vicar” Arriagada Rios (a) • Giorgio Cavazzano (c)

“Helmet of the Gods,” Part 2 of 2! Donald at last has Odin’s helmet in his grasp! But the sponsor of his treasure hunt now wants to stop him—by fair means or foul!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Donald Duck #21—Subscription Variant

Carlo Panaro, Unn and Stefan Printz-Påhlson, Jonathan Gray (w) • Andrea Freccero, Victor “Vicar” Arriagada Rios (a) • Paco Rodriguez (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Concluding a new Donald epic by beloved top talents—artist Andrea Freccero (Donald Quest) and dialogue writer Jonathan Gray (Sonic the Hedgehog)!

Continues this beloved series’ legacy numbering at #388!

Variant cover by Massimo Fecchi!

Duck Avenger #5

Alessandro Sisti, Jonathan Gray (w) • Claudio Sciarrone (a/c)

“Day of the Cold Sun!” When a new energy plant opens in Duckburg, time-bandit Red Raider claims it will destroy half the town in a mighty blast—and Donald has no choice but to believe him!

FC • 72 pages • $5.99

Duck Avenger #5—Subscription Variant

Alessandro Sisti, Jonathan Gray (w) • Claudio Sciarrone (a) • Marco Gervasio (c)

FC • 72 pages • $5.99

More of the new-to-USA Donald Duck adventures that fans want most—the famous “Duck Avenger New Adventures” (known in Europe as “PKNA”)!

Adapted for our readers by fan favorite Jonathan Gray (Sonic the Hedgehog)!

Variant cover by Claudio Sciarrone!

Donald Quest: Hammer of Magic

Stefano Ambrosio, Pat McGreal, Davide Aicardi (w) • Andrea Freccero, Paolo De Lorenzi, Francesco D’Ippolito (a) • Andrea Freccero (c)

Get ready for a wild alternate-universe, steampunk epic starring Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and the Disney gang in an entirely new world. Welcome to Feudarnia–part pirates’ cove, part space station, and part steampunk battlefield. It’s under attack by “Meteormaster” Phantom Blot and his Meteorbeasts: giant predatory animals made of enchanted stone! The sky city’s only hope is wannabe “Beastbuster” Donald Duck… but with the terrible Beagle Boys, Magica De Spell, and Pegleg Pete hot on his heels, are Feudarnia’s days numbered?

TPB • FC • $14.99 • 160 pages • 6” x 9”

Disney goes steampunk in this epic tale by top European creators

Advance solicited for July release!

Mickey Mouse #21

Andrea “Casty” Castellan, Jonathan Gray (w) • Andrea “Casty” Castellan (a) • Andrea Freccero (c)

“The Clones of Channel 3000!” After checking out Mouseton’s new TV network, Mickey and Horace seem to see a sinister, weasel-faced man replicating all over the city! What’s this double-army up to… and can Eega Beeva stop them?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Mickey Mouse #21—Subscription Variant

Andrea “Casty” Castellan, Jonathan Gray (w) • Andrea “Casty” Castellan (a) • Andrea Freccero (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Much-requested fan favorite Andrea “Casty” Castellan throws Mickey into an uncanny sci-fi mystery!

Continues this beloved series’ legacy numbering at #330!

Variant cover by Marco Gervasio!

TMNT Amazing Adventures: Robotanimals! #1 (of 3)—SPOTLIGHT

Caleb Goellner (w) • Chad Thomas (a & c)

Baxter Stockman is looking to become the new major villain on the streets! His first step to world domination? Turn the Mutanimals into robots!!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Amazing Adventures: Robotanimals! #1 (of 3)—Subscription Variant

Caleb Goellner (w) • Chad Thomas (a) • Billy Martin (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

All-ages three issue mega-story!

If you dug the Batman/TMNT Adventures books, you’ll get a major kick out of the next adventures of the TMNT from the current Nickelodeon cartoon!

Variant cover by Ryan Jampole!

Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures—SPOTLIGHT

Matthew K. Manning (w) • Jon Sommariva (a & c)

The animated worlds of the current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Nickelodeon cartoon and Batman: The Animated Series collide in this outstanding mini-series featuring fan-favorite characters from both universes! Villains start to mysteriously escape Arkham and Batman seeks to track them down, but he discovers that they have left Gotham completely… and gone to the New York City of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

Collects issues #1-6!

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 144 pages

The first Batman: The Animated Series new material since 2004 when The Batman Adventures concluded.

Advance solicited for July release!

“If you like the animated Batman and Ninja Turtles series, this is the book for you. It’s great for all-ages, an easy introduction to both universes, and overall just a fun time.” – Batman-news.com

“Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures is the most fun you’ll have reading a comic book…” — Comicosity.com

“Fans of both franchises will absolutely flip over it…” — GeekedOutNation.com

“Answers so many of the ‘wouldn’t it be cool if’ type questions that fans have been talking about for decades.” —OutrightGeekery.com

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #71

Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman (w) • Dave Wachter (a & c)

“Pantheon Family Reunion” Part 1 of 2. You are cordially invited to the centennial reunion of the Pantheon, the immortal family that influences the course of history. The main talking point? The fate of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #71—Subscription Variant

Tom Waltz, Kevin Eastman (w) • Dave Wachter (a) • Kevin Eastman (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

New weird and powerful characters introduced!

Only 4 more issues until the big 75th spectacular!

Variant cover by Dylan Burnet!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #11

Rich Douek (w) • Aaron Conley (a) • Freddie Williams II (c)

Man Ray and Sally Pride journey to New Jersey to investigate rumors of a mysterious monster… who happens to be new mutant Dreadmon!

FC • 32 pages • $4.99

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Universe #11—Subscription Variant

Rich Douek (w) • Aaron Conley (a & c)

FC • 32 pages • $4.99

Null introduces her new enforcers!

Variant cover by Yacine Elghorri!

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The IDW Collection, Vol. 5

Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Paul Allor, Erik Burnham (w) • Mateus Santolouco, Cory Smith, Dan

Schoening, Sophie Campbell, Charles Paul Wilson III, Ben Bates, Dan Duncan (a) • Dan Duncan (c)

After meeting a good-natured inter dimensional time traveler named Renet, the Turtles become unstuck in time and go spinning into the past! Meanwhile, Shredder and Krang finally meet up, but will they be able to overcome their differences to join forces, while Old Hob has perfected the art of making mutants! Plus, when a new invention goes haywire, the Turtles are sent to a whole new type of New York City. One with a whole lot more ghosts–and Ghostbusters!

Collects Turtles in Time, issues #38–44 of the ongoing series, and the TMNT/Ghostbusters crossover.

HC • FC • $49.99 • 368 pages • 7” x 11”

“Perfectly balances complex characters, intricate plots, and incredible action…” –Adventures In Poor Taste

Advance solicited for August release!

Back to the Future: Biff to the Future #6 (of 6)

Bob Gale, Derek Fridolfs (w) • Alan Robinson (a & c)

“Biff Goes To Hell” Welcome to Hell Valley! Looking to expand his empire, Biff’s greatest threat to the planet is finally revealed. It’s going to take the combined might of the McFlys to put a stop to Biff’s apocalyptic vision. And if they fail… there won’t be future to go back to.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Back to the Future: Biff to the Future #6 (of 6)—Subscription cover

Bob Gale, Derek Fridolfs (w) • Alan Robinson (a) • Derek Fridolfs (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Variant cover by Anthony Marques!

Back to the Future #21

Bob Gale, John Barber (w) • Marcelo Ferreira (a & c)

“Hard Time” continues. The secret life of Jailbird Joey Baines starts to unravel as Marty uncovers a family mystery that goes deeper than he ever imagined… but what role did Doc Brown play in the crime that sent Joey to prison?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Back to the Future #21—Subscription cover

Bob Gale, John Barber (w) • Marcelo Ferreira (a) • Casey Maloney (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Clue #1 (of 5)—GEM OF THE MONTH

Paul Allor (w) • Nelson Daniel (a) • Gabriel Rodriguez (c)

When the mysterious Mr. Boddy turns up dead at his own dinner party, everyone’s a suspect! Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Mrs. Peacock, Professor Plum—all the familiar faces from the famous board game are back, with a couple new twists. But will Boddy’s Body be the last to fall, or is it just the beginning? Follow the clues and solve the mystery in IDW’s new CLUE series!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Clue #1 (of 5)—Alternate Ending #2

Paul Allor (w) • Nelson Daniel (a & c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Clue #1 (of 5)—Alternate Ending #3

Paul Allor (w) • Nelson Daniel (a) • Valentina Pinto (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

A NEW TAKE ON THE CLASSIC DETECTIVE GAME—WITH NEW DESIGNS BY ARTIST NELSON DANIEL UPDATING ALL THE CLASSIC CHARACTERS!

Featuring three alternate endings! To help you get a clue, we’ve hidden multiple endings to this first issue across the regular and subscription variants that will help you solve the case!

Variant cover by Charles Paul Wilson III!

Kull Eternal #1—SPOTLIGHT

Tom Waltz (w) • Luca Pizzari (a) • Luca Pizzari (c)

Robert E. Howard’s legendary warrior king returns! The evil Serpent Men have attempted to infiltrate and enslave mankind from the time of the very first humans… only to be defeated at every turn by the Elder Race’s ultimate warrior… Kull of Atlantis! And now they must call on Kull once more, as the Serpent Men make a last-ditch gambit to first conquer America… and then the world. Kull’s long journey has come full circle—once a small boy who fled his home of Atlantis, which was lost to a monstrous cataclysm… now a modern warrior who must save the New Atlantis from monstrous creatures!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Kull Eternal #1—Subscription Variant

Tom Waltz (w) • Luca Pizzari (a) • Alex Sanchez (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Robert E. Howard’s legendary warrior king as you’ve never seen him before!

Written by Tom Waltz (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) and illustrated by Luca Pizzari (Marvel’s Black Knight).

Action, adventure, romance, and political intrigue spanning the ages!

Variant covers by Xermanico, Jheremy Raapack, and Julio Das Pastoras!

Star Trek: Boldly Go #9

Mike Johnson (w) • Tony Shasteen (a) • George Caltsoudas (c)

Welcome to New Vulcan! Uhura and Spock adjust to life in the growing colony…and discover an ancient secret that could change the destiny of Vulcans forever!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Star Trek: Boldly Go #9—Subscription Variant

Mike Johnson (w) • Tony Shasteen (a) • Arianna Florean (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Following the events of Star Trek Beyond!

Hit Star Trek artist Tony Shasteen returns!

Variant cover by Cryssy Cheung!

Star Trek: New Visions: Time Out of Joint—CERTIFIED COOL

John Byrne (w & photo-manipulation)

Captain Kirk is torn from his timeline. Every corner he turns, every door he opens, throws him into a different day, a different year—and a different danger.

FC • 48 pages • $7.99

Star Trek: Boldly Go, Vol. 1—SPOTLIGHT

Mike Johnson (w) • Tony Shasteen (a) • George Caltsoudas (c)

All-new Star Trek series following the adventures of Captain Kirk and the iconic crew! New worlds! New species! New ships! And a new danger unlike anything the Federation has encountered before! Boldly go into a new era of STAR TREK!

Collects issues #1-6!

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 136 pages

Trek fever is at an all-time high for the 50th anniversary and the announcement of the new TV series Star Trek: Discovery.

“A delight to read and is visually stunning.” — WordOfTheNerd.com

“IDW’s new Trek titles are forces to be reckoned with.” — Newsarama.com

Advance solicited for July release!

Star Trek: TNG: Mirror Broken #2 (of 6)

Scott Tipton & David Tipton (w) • J.K. Woodward (a & c)

In the sinister Mirror Universe, Captain Jean-Luc Picard is determined to get his hands on the Terran Empire’s new secret weapon, the Galaxy-class warship known as Enterprise, by any means necessary. Unfortunately, one obstacle stands in his way—and his name is William T. Riker!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Star Trek: TNG: Mirror Broken #2 (of 6)—Subscription Variant

Scott Tipton & David Tipton (w) • J.K. Woodward (a) • George Caltsoudas (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

As seen on Free Comic Book Day!

Variant cover by Josh Hood!

Judge Dredd: The Blessed Earth #3

Ulises Fariñas & Erick Freitas (w) • Dan McDaid (a) • Ulises Fariñas (c)

Judge Dredd continues his mission to restore order to a lawless land! When Dredd seeks treatment for his strange and deadly ailment, his Mega-Train is attacked by the robot-hating Neon Knights! Behold the mystery and grandeur of The Blessed Earth!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Judge Dredd: The Blessed Earth #3—Subscription Variant

Ulises Fariñas & Erick Freitas (w) • Dan McDaid (a) • Valentin Ramon (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

The sequel to the critically acclaimed Mega-City Zero storyline continues!

Wynonna Earp: Season Zero #1 (of 5) —SPOTLIGHT

Beau Smith (w) • Angel Hernandez (a) • Chris Evenhuis (c)

Outlaws. Mavericks. Werewolves. These are The Banditos, the gang Wynonna ran with in her wildest, pre-Black Badge days. Somebody, or something is killing them off, one by one. It’s up to Wynonna to return to her roots, and find out why! Telling the never-before-seen story of Wynonna’s outlaw past—only hinted at on Syfy’s Wynonna Earp TV series—finally revealed here!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Wynonna Earp: Season Zero #1 (of 5)—Photo Variant

Beau Smith (w) • Angel Hernandez (a) • Photo (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Never-before-told story that ties into Syfy’s Wynonna Earp TV series!

Wynonna Earp returns to Syfy in June!

Secrets of Wynonna Earp’s past revealed!

Variant cover by Dwayne Turner!

Dirk Gently: The Salmon of Doubt #9

Arvind Ethan David (w) • Ilias Kyriazis (a & c)

Dirk faces the most difficult decision of his holistic life! Featuring favorite characters from the original books as well as the cast from the TV series, including Samuel Barnett and Elijah Wood!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Dirk Gently: The Salmon of Doubt #9—Subscription Variant

Arvind Ethan David (w) • Ilias Kyriazis (a) • Photo (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

The star of two (almost three) beloved Douglas Adams novels!

Written by executive producer of the TV series Arvind Ethan David!

Executive produced by Max Landis (Chronicle and Superman: American Alien), the writer of the BBC America TV series!

Each issue will have a photo cover featuring the cast of the show!

Variant cover by Robert Hack!

Ghostbusters 101 #4 (of 6)

Erik Burnham (w) • Dan Schoening (a & c)

Two teams of Ghostbusters are fighting the clock, trying to understand why their dimensions are being pulled together… even as the merging itself causes such a surge of psychokinetic energy that more ghosts than ever are coming out of the woodwork! Today’s secret phrase is: Hurry, Ghostbusters!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Ghostbusters 101 #4 (of 6)—Subscription Variant

Erik Burnham (w) • Dan Schoening (a) • Tim Lattie (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Straight outta the 2016 film, the Answer the Call Ghostbusters make their comic book debut! Abby, Patty, Erin and Holtzmann join forces with Winston, Egon, Ray and Venkman for some bombastic ghostbustin’ insanity!

Written and illustrated by the fan-favorite and critically-acclaimed creative team of Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening and Luis Antonio Delgado.

Featuring the fourth of six-interconnected covers by Schoening and Delgado.

Retailer incentive covers feature photos of the Original and ATF Ghostbusters casts!

Highlander: The American Dream #5 (of 5)

Brian Ruckley (w) • Andrea Mutti (a) • Nick Percival (c)

The cult-classic film’s triumphant return concludes! The American Dream has followed Scottish swordsman Connor MacLeod as he clashes with powerful immortals from the American Civil War to 1950s Manhattan on an unstoppable march toward The Gathering, where the last of the immortals will duel to the death. And to the victor goes The Prize… and control over humanity’s destiny!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Highlander: The American Dream #5 (of 5)—Subscription Variant

Brian Ruckley (w) • Andrea Mutti (a) • Claudia Gironi (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

The cult phenomenon returns!

Written by Scottish fantasy novelist Brian Ruckley (The Godless World trilogy)!

Interior art by Andrea Mutti (Rebels)!

Subscription covers by Italian artist Claudia Gironi!

Orphan Black: Deviations #4 (of 6)

Heli Kennedy (w) • Wayne Nichols (a) • Cat Staggs (c)

In a world where Sarah managed to save Beth from taking her own life! With this single twist of fate, the Clone Club comes together in a completely different manner and the mystery of Project LEDA unfolds in new, exiting ways! See all your favorite characters return in an all-new light!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Orphan Black: Deviations #4 (of 6)—Subscription Variant

Heli Kennedy (w) • Wayne Nichols (a) • Fico Ossio (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Find out what happens in a world… where Sarah saved Beth!

Ask your retailer about the papercraft covers!

24: Legacy—Rules of Engagement #3 (of 5)

Christopher Farnsworth (w) • Antonio Fuso (a) • Georges Jeanty (c)

The clock has been reset with 24: Legacy, and this limited series will explore the past of its new leading character, Eric Carter, who led the elite squad responsible for killing an infamous terrorist leader and, consequently, forced into hiding. But before he was a national hero and a wanted man, Carter learned the Rules of Engagement in the streets of Iraq and Washington, D.C., hoods.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

24: Legacy—Rules of Engagement #3 (of 5)—Subscription cover

Christopher Farnsworth (w) • Antonio Fuso (a) • Photo (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Based on the new hit iteration of the 24 franchise!

Executive produced by Manny Coto and Evan Katz, writers of the show!

Covers by Georges Jeanty (Serenity)!

Each issue will have a photo cover featuring the cast of the show!

Written by Christopher Farnsworth, journalist, screenwriter and the author of The President’s Vampire series.

The X-Files #15

Joe Harris (w) • Matthew Dow Smith (a) • menton3 (c)

“Resistance,” Part 2 (of 4): The final piece of the puzzle falls into place, threatening to send Mulder over the line, just as shadowy forces are revealed to have compromised the upper echelons of government.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

The X-Files #15—Subscription Variant

Joe Harris (w) • Matthew Dow Smith (a) • Photo (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Executive produced by The X-Files creator Chris Carter!

The X-Files: Origins—Dog Days of Summer #1 (of 4)— SPOTLIGHT

Jody Houser & Matthew Dow Smith (w) • Chris Fenoglio, Corin Howell (a & c)

Before the FBI, before the X-Files, they were just two teenagers in search of the truth. On Martha’s Vineyard, a strange encounter with a deaf girl sends 13-year-old Fox Mulder on the hunt for a mysterious signal. While in San Diego, young Dana Scully looks into a plane crash somehow tied to the man she helped put in jail. Two kids, two mysteries, one conspiracy that threatens the future of humanity.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

The X-Files: Origins —Dog Days of Summer #1 (of 4)—Subscription cover

Jody Houser & Matthew Dow Smith (w) • Chris Fenoglio, Corin Howell (a) • Cat Staggs (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

The hit miniseries of last summer returns!

Mulder and Scully star in separate tales depicting their teen years!

See what made them into the characters we’ve come to love!

Especially crafted for young adult readers!

Mystery novel variant covers by Cat Staggs (Orphan Black)!

Optimus Prime #8

John Barber (w) • Casey W. Coller (a) • Kei Zama (c)

Jazz confronts his past—and the Autobot’s future—in front of millions of television viewers. But will he make the people of Earth understand Optimus Prime’s mission… or turn against it?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Optimus Prime #8—Subscription Variant

John Barber (w) • Casey W. Coller (a) • Casey W. Coller (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Optimus Prime #8—Andrew Griffith Variant

John Barber (w) • Casey W. Coller (a) • Andrew Griffith (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Variant cover by James Raiz!

Transformers: Lost Light #7

James Roberts (w) • Jack Lawrence (a & c)

AFTERMATH! The war with the Functionalists is over—and Rodimus is left wondering whether he won or lost. It’s the beginning of a new chapter for the displaced crew of the Lost Light, as decisions are made that will change their lives forever.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Lost Light #7—Subscription Variant

James Roberts (w) • Jack Lawrence (a) • Nick Roche (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Lost Light #7—Alex Milne Variant

James Roberts (w) • Jack Lawrence (a) • Alex Milne (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Variant cover by James Raiz!

Transformers: Salvation—SPOTLIGHT

John Barber (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a & c)

Exiled from civilization, the Dinobots are the last line of defense against the ultimate Cybertronian dinosaur—Trypticon! But how much are the Dinobots willing to sacrifice for a world that hates them?

FC • 48 pages • $7.99

Transformers: Salvation—Subscription Variant

John Barber (w) • Livio Ramondelli (a) • Jeffrey Veregge (c)

FC • 48 pages • $7.99

Dinobots versus the biggest dino of them all—Trypticon!

John Barber and Livio Ramondelli finish their Dinobot trilogy that started in Transformers: Punishment and Transformers: Redemption!

Transformers: Till All Are One #11

Mairghread Scott (w) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (a & c)

With Elita One’s influence closing in around Starscream, he’s desperate to make any alliances he can. Turns out, a powerful ally might already be within his grasp. But is he willing to risk his own sanity to reach them?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Transformers: Till All Are One #11—Subscription Variant

Mairghread Scott (w) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (a) • Priscilla Tramontano (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Variant cover by James Raiz!

Transformers: Till All Are One, Vol. 2

Mairghread Scott (w) • Sara Pitre-Durocher (a & c)

Epic space-opera action continues as the dramatic TRANSFORMERS continuity leads on to new and explosive revelations! REVOLUTION is over but the danger isn’t! A wave of undead TITANS threatens CYBERTRON! STARSCREAM will need more than secret police to stop the oncoming horde, but our Fearless Leader finds himself short on friends and firepower. Who can be called upon–and why aren’t they stepping up to the plate?

Collects issues #5–9.

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 120 pages

“A great book with some serious art design that fully compliments the Transformers universe as a whole and adds weight and importance to the characters.” –Big Glasgow Comics Page

Advance solicited for July release!

Rom #12

Chris Ryall & Christos Gage (w) • David Messina, Guy Dorian & Sal Buscema (a) • Leonardo Manco (c)

“Long Roads to Ruin,” part 2. Rom and the other two Knights face off against a dire new threat; and Guy Dorian & Sal Buscema illustrate a dark tale of the Solstar Order!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Rom #12—Subscription Variant

Chris Ryall & Christos Gage (w) • David Messina (a) • Nathan Greno (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Rom #12—Subscription Variant

Chris Ryall & Christos Gage (w) • David Messina (a) • David LaFuente (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Rom #12—Subscription Variant

Chris Ryall &a Christos Gage (w) • David Messina (a) • Nick Roche (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Variant cover by Raffaele Ienco!

Revolutionaries, Vol. 1: Crisis Intervention—SPOTLIGHT

John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio & Ron Joseph (a) • Fico Ossio (c)

THE REVOLUTION MAY BE OVER, but the future is just beginning! KUP is a CYBERTRONIAN literally older than the universe; ACTION MAN is the ultimate special agent trying to live up to an impossible legacy; MAYDAY is a G.I. JOE leader trying to rescue her first command; and BLACKROCK is a CYBERTRONIAN that thinks he’s human. It takes the mind-bending clash against the OKTOBER GUARD to bring this unlikely team together… and the secret they learn threatens to unravel the entire universe. Good thing they’ll have help from ROM, the MICRONAUTS, the ADVENTURE TEAM and more!

Collects issues #1–4.

TPB • FC • $17.99 • 104 pages

All-new Hasbro team-up!

The follow-up to REVOLUTION, revealing the secrets behind the new shared universe!

Advance solicited for July release!

REVOLUTIONARIES #7

John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • John Royle (c)

SGT. SAVAGE VS G.I. JOE! The greatest hero of World War II is back—and not for the first time! Vanishing on the battlefields of Europe while fighting robotic soldiers, Sgt. Robert Steven Savage reappeared—in the extreme era of the 1990s! Now he’s reborn again—a ’40s hero with a ’90s ’tude… and G.I. Joe isn’t ready to go retro.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

REVOLUTIONARIES #7—Subscription Variant

John Barber (w) • Fico Ossio (a) • Tone Rodriguez (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

REVOLUTIONARIES #7—Subscription Variant

John Barber (w) • Ron Joseph (a) • Igor Lima (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Variant cover by Pierre Droal!

Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2 (of 3)

John Barber & various (w) • Robert Atkins & various (a) • Fico Ossio (c)

If you’re new to the Hasbro Universe or a long-time fan, this book is for you! Featuring a veritable TON of bios on your favorite characters, from E to O, plus papercraft projects, a map of Metrotitan, the current base of Optimus Prime, and an exclusive story featuring Kup and Bryce Chan’s adventures in London!

FC • 48 pages • $4.99

Hasbro Heroes Sourcebook #2 (of 3)—Subscription Variant

John Barber & Various (w) • Robert Atkins & various (a) • Sam Lotfi (c)FC • 48 pages • $4.99

Written by today’s top Hasbro U talent including John Barber, Aubrey Sitterson, Chris Ryall, David Mariotte, Brandon Easton, Cullen Bunn, Mairghread Scott, and Jimmy Johnston.

Art by some of today’s top Hasbro Universe artists including Robert Atkins, Guido Guidi, Simon Gough, Marcelo Ferreira, Fico Ossio, and Jack Lawrence!

Exclusive paper-crafts, posters and stories in every issue!

Variant cover by Marcelo Borstelmann!

G.I. JOE #7

Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Giannis Milonogiannis (a) • Aaron Conley (c)

G.I. Joe’s subterranean mission takes a turn for the worse after the team is attacked by one of their own! Meanwhile, back in their underground base, Scarlett’s command is challenged and a long-simmering rivalry boils to a head! Plus: Monsters, explosions, jokes and more in The Crown Jewel of the Hasbro universe!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

G.I. JOE #7—Subscription Variant

Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Giannis Milonogiannis (a & c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

G.I. JOE #7—Subscription Variant

Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Giannis Milonogiannis (a) • Drew Johnson (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Variant cover by Ed Luce variant cover!

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #241

Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a & c)

It’s a showdown in Springfield as deadly and disparate forces converge in the search for Dawn! Meanwhile, JOEs, Cobra and Blue Ninjas all collide in Darklonia!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero #241—Subscription Variant

Larry Hama (w) • S L Gallant (a) • John Royle (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

G.I. JOE, Vol. 1—SPOTLIGHT

Aubrey Sitterson (w) • Giannis Milonogiannis (a) • Ariel Olivetti (c)

G.I. JOE finds a new role in a world of globalization, TRANSFORMERS and aliens! After the events of REVOLUTION, the G.I. JOE team returns to the fray and their mission has become a global one–leading the charge against invading TRANSFORMERS and other aliens. But when a US military defense base goes dark, Scarlett has reason to suspect that these enemy forces may have infiltrated G.I. JOE. It’s up to her, Roadblock, Rock ‘n Roll, Quick Kick, Wild Bill, and Shipwreck to move in and root out any traitors before the facility falls into the wrong hands!

Collects issues #1–4 and the G.I. JOE: Revolution one-shot.

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 120 pages

It’s a new look and new mission as G.I. Joe finds itself part of a larger battle.

Advance solicited for July release!

M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand #8

Brandon Easton (w) • Igor Lima (a) • Tone Rodriguez (c)

Determined to end the threat of Ore-13 radiation poisoning, Matt Trakker and the M.A.S.K. team go on a mission into the depths of the Earth where they discover much more than they could have imagined—a race of powerful mutated creatures borne from the strange Cybertronian energy source. Are these monsters too powerful even for the technology of M.A.S.K.?!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand #8—Subscription Variant

Brandon Easton (w) • Igor Lima (a) • Davide Fabbri (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand #8— Subscription Variant

Brandon Easton (w) • Igor Lima- (a) • Vincenzo Federici (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

All-new storyline starts here!

Variant cover by Marcelo Perez Dalannays!

M.A.S.K.: Mobile Armored Strike Kommand, Vol. 1: Mobilize—SPOTLIGHT

Brandon Easton (w) • Tony Vargas & Juan Samu (a) • Tommy Lee Edwards (c)

Launching from the events of REVOLUTION, the M.A.S.K. team streaks into a dangerous, unstable landscape of dark wars, high intrigue, and non-stop action where they’ll encounter the nearly unstoppable threat of Miles Mayhem and his black-ops squadron known as V.E.N.O.M. How will an untested Matt Trakker lead M.A.S.K. through a complex new world order where nothing is what it seems?

Collects the M.A.S.K. Revolution One-Shot and issues #1–5 of the series.

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 136 pages

Expected in-store date: 7/19/17

It’s a new look and new mission as M.A.S.K. finds itself part of a larger battle.

Advance solicited for July release!

Micronauts: Wrath of Karza #3

Cullen Bunn & Jimmy Johnston (w) • Andrew Griffith (a) • Alex Ronald (c)

Baron Karza has begun his invasion of Earth! Leading his people from the impending doom of the Entropy cloud to a single planet capable of sustaining all of Microspace. With M.A.S.K, G.I. JOE, the TRANSFORMERS, and the MICRONAUTS defeated, Karza stands triumphant. Can anything keep him from conquering the planet?

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Micronauts: Wrath of Karza #3—Subscription variant

Cullen Bunn & Jimmy Johnston (w) • Andrew Griffith (a) • Chris “Panda” Mercier (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Variant cover by Marco Turini!

Mike Mignola’s Hellboy Artist’s Edition: New Printing—SPOTLIGHT

Mike Mignola (w & a & c)

Mike Mignola is one of the preeminent comics creators of the past 25 years. His career was already firmly established for his outstanding work on characters like Batman, Wolverine, a myriad of beautiful covers and more… And then came Hellboy. Mike’s iconic creation struck a meteoric chord with fans from the very start and has not abated in the 20 years since his debut. This Artist’s Edition features the first five issues of Hellboy in Hell as well as a wealth of historic supplementary material: the first three Hellboy stories—the two initial four-pagers, produced for promotional purposes, and the 10-page story from John Byrne’s Next Men #21—plus “The Corpse,” and two other tales selected by Mignola for inclusion. All but three pages of Mike Mignola’s Hellboy Artist’s Edition have been shot from the original art and showcases Mignola’s gorgeous work as closely as possible to the physical page—this is a book for fans of great storytelling and students of the craft.

HC • BW • $150.00 • 200 pages • 12” x 17”

Advance solicited for August release!

A new printing with a brand new cover exclusively for this edition!

Brought to you by the same team responsible for IDW Publishing’s multi-Eisner Award-winning series of Artist’s Editions.

Return of the Dapper Men—SPOTLIGHT

Jim McCann (w) • Janet Lee (a & c)

Welcome to Anorev, a land where time has no meaning. Robots work and children play, but the play is no fun and the work is no use. A curious boy named Ayden and his robot friend Zoe know that something’s missing, but they can’t imagine what it might be… until 314 identical men in green bowler hats fall from the sky. At last, our heroes have a chance to discover what happened to their world, what might start the clocks back up again, and what tomorrow really means. Blending clockwork whimsy with majestic art-nouveau visuals, Jim McCann and Janet Lee present a hand-crafted fairy tale that feels both familiar and entirely new in this prestige reprinting!

HC • FC • $34.99 • 144 pages • 11.25” x 9.75”

Reprinting the Eisner Award winning Graphic Novel!

Advance solicited for August release!

Surfside Girls Book One: The Secret of Danger Point—CERTIFIED COOL

Kim Dwinell (w & a & c)

Things are getting weird in Surfside. Lately, Samantha’s best friend Jade explodes into fits of giggles whenever she sees a boy, and it’s throwing a wrench into the kick-back summer of surfing and hanging out that Sam had planned. But after swimming through a secret underwater cave, Sam starts to… see things. Like ghosts. And pirates. And maybe something even scarier! Can she and Jade get to the bottom of this mystery in time to save their town?

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 232 pages • 6” x 9”

Advance solicited for July release!

Shed #1—Certified Cool

Obie Scott Wade & Ken Wegner (w) • Steve Beach (a) • Steve Beach (c)

Tim Cain sheds his elaborately tattooed skin, becoming the first in a new line of hominids destined to flourish on an increasingly radioactive Earth. With his nervous system exposed, Tim gains extrasensory abilities, but loses his freedom. Detained, tortured and stripped of his human rights, Tim’s only desire is to escape his captors and see his wife and daughter again.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Shed #1—Subscription Variant

Obie Scott Wade & Ken Wegner (w) • Steve Beach (a) • Ben Templesmith (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Saucer State #2 (of 6)

Paul Cornell (w) • Ryan Kelly (a & c)

After last issue’s cliffhanger, US President Arcadia Alvarado is acting fast against the biggest event in world history. “Drop everything, spend everything. Give me a damn gun.” “It won’t be a war. It’ll be a slaughter.” “Isn’t that exactly what the post-truth bastards do?” Jump onboard as the conclusion to Saucer Country heads one step closer to the finishing line… and the end of everything!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Saucer State #2 (of 6)—Subscription Variant

Paul Cornell (w) • Ryan Kelly (a) • Jeffrey Veregge (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Picks up where Saucer Country left off!

One of the very few mainstream comics to be nominated for SF’s prestigious Hugo Award!

Darkness Visible #5

Mike Carey & Arvind Ethan David (w) • Brendan Cahill (a & c)

When the demons came, humanity reluctantly learned to share the world with another sentient race. Eighty years later, this uneasy co-existence has spawned an endless terrorist conflict. Last issue’s revelation changes everything for Detective Aston, putting him at odds with his former colleagues!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Darkness Visible #5—Subscription Variant

Mike Carey & Arvind Ethan David (w) • Brendan Cahill (a) • Dave Kendall (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

From bestselling author and screenwriter Mike Carey (Unwritten, Lucifer, Girl with All the Gifts) and Arvind Ethan David (Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency) comes an all-new, original world of darkness and demons.

Brutal Nature: Concrete Fury #4 (of 5)

Luciano Saracino (w) • Ariel Olivetti (a & c)

To fight in the coming battle, Curt must prepare his team of allies and renegades for a confrontation against Thomas Wolf—who’ll stop at nothing to recover the ancient shapeshifting masks!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Brutal Nature: Concrete Fury #4 (of 5)—Subscription Variant

Luciano Saracino (w) • Ariel Olivetti (a & c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

The beautifully painted story continues, featuring art by comics superstar Ariel Olivetti!

Night Owl Society #3 (of 3)

James Venhaus (w) • Pius Bak (a & c)

“Revelation” The final chapter of The Night Owl Society comes to a dramatic finish. David has a confrontation with The Viceroy, and a tragic twist changes both of their lives forever.

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Night Owl Society #3—Subscription Variant

James Venhaus (w) • Pius Bak (a) • Hugo Petrus (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Kill Shakespeare – Past is Prologue: Juliet #4 (of 4)

Conor McCreery (w) • Corin Howell (a & c)

Final chapter! Trapped by Cornwall, Juliet faces a never-ending nightmare of torture and humiliation. The young lover has a plan to win her freedom with blood, but she’s going to need fortune on her side if it is to succeed, because as the Bard himself wrote: so wise so young they say never do live long…

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Kill Shakespeare – Past is Prologue: Juliet #4 (of 4)—Subscription Variant

Conor McCreery (w) • Corin Howell (a) • Simon Davis (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Starstruck: Old Proldiers Never Die #5 (of 6)

Elaine Lee (w) • Michael Kaluta (a & c)

Just the headlines, noos fans: Verloona Ti Naps Guides! Ti Invested in RIP! Droids Using RIP 4 Revenge! Bad RIP: Brigader Becomes Killer! Bartender Chases Brigader! Everyone Chases Harry! It’s a rip-roaring chase scene through never-seen levels of Rec 97… and 24 pages of brand new Kaluta art!

FC • 32 pages • $4.99

Completely new, never-before-published art from Michael Kaluta!

Helena Crash #4 (of 4)

Fabian Rangel, Jr. (w) • Warwick Johnson-Cadwell (a & c)

Having barely survived her duel with White Demon, Helena tries to get back to normal. But she realizes there’s no turning back when she discovers Hemingway has been abducted by Rojo’s men. Down but never out, Helena comes up with a plan. A plan that involves a good old-fashioned death race!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Helena Crash #4 (of 4)—Subscription Variant

Fabian Rangel, Jr. (w) • Warwick Johnson-Cadwell (a) • Toby Cypress (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Don’t miss the subscription cover by Toby Cypress (Rodd Racer, Land of the Dead, and many more )!

Cosmic Scoundrels #5 (of 5)

Andy Suriano & Matt Chapman (w) • Andy Suriano (a & c)

This is it! The culmination of the past four issues coming to a head, Zoltraxican-standoff style! The Scoundrels have run out of time, space and literally anyone left to piss off!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Cosmic Scoundrels #5 (of 5)—Subscription Variant

Andy Suriano & Matt Chapman (w) • Andy Suriano (a) • Veronica Fish (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Andy Suriano is an Emmy and Annie Award-winning artist who has worked on such iconic series as Samurai Jack and Star Wars: The Clone Wars!

Matt Chapman is a writer of Disney’s Gravity Falls and the co-creator of Disney XD’s Two More Eggs and Homestar Runner!

Real Science Adventures: The Flying She-Devils #3 (of 6)

Brian Clevinger (w) • Lo Baker (a) • Scott Wegener (c)

Horsefeathers! Those pirates of Mad Jack’s have cornered the Flying She-Devils! How are they gonna get out of this one? Gee-willickers! Meanwhile, will the Sparrow save the day for the Allies? I hope so!

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

Real Science Adventures: The Flying She-Devils #3 (of 6)—Subscription Variant

Brian Clevinger (w) • Lo Baker (a) • Hollie Mengert (c)

FC • 32 pages • $3.99

From the pages of Atomic Robo, the Flying She-Devils embark on a new daring adventure!

The spinoff story to the online sensation—in print for the first time!

The October Faction: Deadly Season—CERTIFIED COOL

Steve Niles (w) • Damien Worm (a & c)

Meet the Allan family: Fredrick, his wife Deloris and their two children Geoff and Vivian. As Fredrick works to put his monster hunting days behind him, his two kids insist on joining the family business. Ghouls in the graveyard! Giant Monsters downtown! The Allan family comes face to face with a whole new threat. This one comes from the past and it won’t stop until the Allans are all dead.

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 136 pages

“It’s a great comic for horror fans whose level is a bit darker than Buffy. All ’round good read.” –Comic Crusaders

Advance solicited for July release!

The Other Dead

Joshua Ortega (w) • Qing Ping Mui (a) • Reynir Hauksson (c)

The world’s first Zombie Animal epic! A deadly hurricane threatens New Orleans just as a frightening and mysterious outbreak hits the animal kingdom!

TPB • FC • $19.99 • 152 pages

“The Other Dead finds space to be itself in a genre where most practitioners stick to the tried and true. Original and genuinely scary.” —Mike Carey, Eisner Award-winning writer of Unwritten, Suicide Run, and X-Men.

Advance Solicited for July release!

Haunted Horror #28

Various (w) • Al Williamson, Roy Krenkel, George Wilhelms, Robert McCarthy & more (a) • Sid Check (c)

Guest editor “Toxic” Tommy O’Brien gather’s Pre-Code grisly, gory, goodies by his favorite horror comics art masters! Eyeball searing monsterpieces: “The Corpse Who Came to Dinner”, “The Day the World Died”, “Land of the Living Dead”, “The Werewolf Lurks”, “Taylor of Death” and more!

FC • 32 pages • $4.99

Lou Cameron’s Unsleeping Dead—CERTIFIED COOL

Lou Cameron (w & a & c)

Lou Cameron was a groundbreaking art master of the 1950s Pre-Code comics era. With his innovative experimental layouts and frequent use of surrealism, his horror comics have been described as “Jim Steranko meets Graham Ingels.” Zombies, vampires, werewolves, witches, ghosts, and devils from terror-filled stories like “Faceless Horror,” “Lure of the Zombie Diamonds,” “Graveyard of Ghost Ships,” “Kill My Minions of Death,” and “The Unsleeping Dead” will make you scream with delight!

HC • FC • $24.99 • 144 pages • 8.5” x 11”

“What Craig Yoe, author, comics historian, editor, and art director does, is take so much pleasure in the salacious and gruesome ‘classic moments’ in the comics industry and only he is able to perfectly preserve the past, freeze it in time so that we may experience and enjoy a way of life long gone.” –Litreactor.com

Advance solicited for August release!

Spooky & The Strange Tales: Monster Inn—CERTFIED COOL

Carine-M & Élian Black’mor (w & a & c)

Turn the traditional fairy tale tropes topsy-turvy in this lavishly illustrated storybook as Spooky explores her dark, enchanted world. Once upon a time, in the heart of the kingdom of Fairy Tales, a king and queen had the strangest of children… Spooky! And when uncles the Three Little Pigs offer a trip to their London hotel, Spooky trades one improbable setting for another! Monster Inn shines a charming, childish light on contemporary goth culture for a rich and unique story that’s out of this world.

HC • FC • $19.99 • 72 pages • 9” x 11.75”

Freaky, creepy graphic novel for goths and more!

Advance solicited for August release!

Super Weird Heroes: Preposterous But True!—CERTIFIED COOL

Craig Yoe (Editor) • Various (a & c)

Weirdness from A-Z! Airmale to The Zebra! Here’s a new tome crammed with OMG, WTH, and LOL bizarro heroes of the Golden Age. Eisner-winner Craig Yoe provides both witty and fascinating context to heroes like Mr. Whiskers (a young actor who dresses like an old geezer), Hip Knox (who has an eye-ball on his chest and what looks like a woo-woo on his belt), and Pat Parker War Nurse (who fights Nazis in a skimpy nurse/superhero costume)! Over 30 full comic stories in all!

HC • FC • $39.99 • 328 pages • 8.5” x 11”

“Shows readers that the universe of pre-code superheroes was diverse and vibrant and, in its own way, just as rich as the modern era.” –ComicWow!

Advance solicited for August release!

Popeye Classics #59

Bud Sagendorf (w & a & c)

Ahoy, ya swabs! Hilarious, classic tales of the beloved two-fisted one-eyed sailor! This issue features a rousing adventure, you will see Popeye, Olive Swee’pea, the evil Sea Hag and O.G. Wotasnozzle penned by the acclaimed genius Bud Sagedorf! MTV proclaims: “Gloriously funny writing and drawing style! Sagendorf comics are great comics!”

FC • 32 pages • $4.99

Variant cover by Darryl Young!

King of the Creepies

Jon Cohn (design) • Gilbert Jansen (a & c)

In King of the Creepies, you and 5 other combatants must fight to earn Victory Crystals. Smash your foes with powerful attacks. Subvert them with sneaky tricks. Make others fight for you with bribes they just can’t refuse. Spend your winnings on Gear and Abilities to help you become the ultimate warrior. Gamble, fight, and bribe your way to claim the title of King of the Creepies!

MSRP $39.99

A Card Game of Combat, Tricks, and Dirty Deeds

Orphan Black: Clone Club

Daryl Andrews & Bryce Hunter (design) • Bryce Hunter (a) • Sam Barlin (c)

Do you own your genetic code or are you the property of a shadowy corporation? The secrets to your past are locked away in your DNA. Unravel your genes faster than your sister clones or risk becoming a lab rat. Study your genetic code in order to understand your origin and liberate your future in this fast-paced, tactical card game. Control the longest DNA chains to survive! Welcome to the Clone Club!

MSRP $24.99

Based on the hit TV series

A Card Game of Unlimited Sequences

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past: Casey Jones Hero Pack

Kevin Wilson (design) • Juan Samu (a & c)

This Hero pack allows you to use Casey Jones as a playable character in any Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past base game scenario and also contains an additional Adventure Comic with new content!

MSRP $17.99

Each Hero pack contains 1 Casey Jones plastic miniature, 3 custom dice, 1 character sheet, and 1 adventure comic

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shadows of the Past base game is required to play this pack.

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