B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 7 | Writer: Mike Mignola, John Arcudi | Artist: Laurence Campbell, Peter Snejbjerg, James Harren, Tyler Crook | Colorist: Dave Stewart | Letterer: Clem Robins | Cover Artist: Mike Mignola With Dave Stewart
In 2018, B.P.R.D. Hell on Earth Vol 3 was released, and Dark Horse is bringing it back for those who did not have the opportunity to snag that wondrous volume in which Abe Sapien wakes up from a coma, Liz starts her slow and painful recovery, and the Ogdru Hem wreak havoc, destroying entire cities and even larger parts of the world (such as the UK).
You know, these stories have taken a whole new meaning to me post-COVID. The fact that the entire paradigm of a planet can shift, with instant destruction and widespread change, where your small story and your own family must adapt, where everything previously seemed calm and ordinary by comparison. Here, the World Order is just a thing of the past, monsters and demons co-habit with us with dire consequences, and even our considerable weaponry is too small to be effective… It feels to me a lot like climate change, where crops and animals die, where water is scarce, and where forests burn at such high temperatures they are nearly inextinguishable.
I take comfort in these stories, though, in their flashes of the solidarity of humanity, our innate ability to fight and defend the people we love against insurmountable odds. It’s one of my favorite human traits. Faced with danger and destruction, we pull together. I hope we can react in the same way to other mini-plagues in the world around us: wars, armed conflict, forest fires, and mass shootings. I guess you could say the real world scares me way more than the Ogdru Hem ever could.
B.P.R.D. Omnibus Volume 7 is available on October 4, 2023.
Format: FC, 424 pages; TPB;
Price: $29.99
Age range: 14+
ISBN-10: 1–50672–955-X
ISBN-13: 978–1–50672–955–8
Genre: Horror, Action/Adventure
On a lighter note, this manga is also out:
Cat + Gamer Vol. 3 | Writer/Artist: Wataru Nadatani | Letterer: Susie Lee | Translator: Zack Davisson
Riko Kozakura is an avid gamer and proud cat owner. Her love for gaming cannot be overstated — -when she wants to open up a new game and try it out, she must balance four things: work, sleep, game time, and cat time!
A bit of a recluse, her life truly revolves around these four elements. Sometimes they interfere with each other — -like when her pet Musubi goes on a classical crazy cat-night rampage that interferes with Riko’s sleep — -but it makes it that much more fulfilling.
Musubi has his cat’s view of what is going on, and as he grows up he is more open to new things, new toys, more exploring time, and playfully attacking his owner — -he even enjoys bath time! He is a truly cute pet, and you want to share in these moments of tenderness they both enjoy.
Cat + Gamer Volume 3 is available on October 11, 2023.
Genre: Manga, Humor
Format: 168 pages; TPB
Price: $11.99
Age range: 14+
ISBN-10: 1–50672–743–3
ISBN-13: 978–1–50672–743–1
Now for another hefty volume full of mystery and a COVID vibe:
Breathers | Writer/Artist: Justin Madson
Ah, dystopia, how we love to see you play out! What caught my attention about this one despite the need for every new author to start their work off with the usual cursing — -if we were to prohibit the F word in every single comic, I fear many would practically turn out blank — -is the droopiness of the characters. They all sag and shuffle, as if dealing with a terrible burden, and their masks have a lot to do with it. Here the air carries a fatal virus, as it has so for many years now.
The lives of the survivors as they struggle to keep going become muted, hung low with despair. There is a detective, a pair of siblings, a mother and daughter, and a traveling salesman who peddles breathing masks (there’s even a mask-related drug). This comic taps deeply into the paranoia we all felt during the COVID times, especially now that it seems the virus is no longer a threat. After living so many years with masks on, would you dare to find out?
Breathers is available on October 4, 2023.
Format: FC, 440 pages; TPB
Price: $29.99
Age range: 16+
ISBN-10: 1–50673–078–7
ISBN-13: 978–1–50673–078–3
