Legendary writer Harlan Ellison passed away in his sleep on June 27, 2018 at the age of 84. Known as one of the most diverse science fiction writers of his time, Ellison worked in a variety of mediums during his career. Be it short stories, novellas, scripts, or comics, he was able to create some extraordinarily memorable works.

His attitude was probably what made him most famous within the literary world. He even referred to himself as “possibly the most contentious person on Earth.” Nonetheless his achievements were myriad and his fan base immense.

This Off Beat Town, Issues 1-4
Written and Illustrated by Jake Smith
Dead Gremlin Comix
Release Date: April, 2018
Cover Price: $3.00

What do you get when you place together on the pages of a comic book series a mercenary monkey, flying robots, a mad scientist, and cloning experiments gone wrong? You get This Off Beat Town: an awesomely unique action-packed world full of adventure, danger, and a whole slew of crass characters.

Felix is a mercenary. He’s also a monkey. And he’s made one mad scientist very angry. On the run from a multitude of enemies bent on completing a successful hit on Felix, he must evade their attempts on his life while also deciding whether or not saving the life of hipster chef friend is worth the extra trouble.

By Tom Fink

Doctor Who: The Seventh Doctor #1
Written by Andrew Cartmel
Art by Christopher Jones
Colors by Marko Lesko
Executive Produced by Ben Aaronovitch
COVER A: Alice X. Zhang
COVER B: Photo – Will Brooks
“‹COVER C: Christopher Jones
COVER D: Simon Myers “‹
Titan Comics
Release date: June 6, 2018
Cover price: $5.99

While the Seventh Doctor may have gotten an unfairly bad rap during his time in the TARDIS, the last Doctor of the “Classic” era returns this week in Titan Comics’s 3-issue miniseries, simply titled Doctor Who: The Seventh Doctor.

For those unfamiliar with actor Sylvester McCoy’s history in the role, he came along in the wake of a particularly tumultuous time in the television series as the previous Doctor (Colin Baker) failed to endear himself to audiences and ratings reach an all-time low. Controversy on-and-off the screen led to the series taking an 18-month hiatus before returning for one final season of Colin Baker episodes before McCoy assumed duties as the titular Time Lord.

Ether: The Copper Golems #1
Written by Matt Kindt
Art by David Rubin
Covers by David Rubin, Paul Pope
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: May 16, 2018
Cover Price: $3.99

Apparently, I have missed some amazing comics lately. Ether: The Copper Golems #1 is the first issue of the second series. That’s right, second series. So guess who gets to go shopping for some back issues? That’s right, this guy. But before I do, let me tell you a little about this comic gem.

Persephone HC
Story and Art by Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky
Letters by Deron Bennett
Translated by Edward Gavvin
Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: May 16, 2018
Cover Price: $19.99

I have yet to read Persephone but just flipping through it I am struck by the amalgamation of so many different styles blended into one unique, yet disturbing, tale.

This contemporary re-imagining by Loïc Locatelli-Kournwsky has been translated into English from its original French.