Bettie Page Dynamite Covers Collection
Art by Joseph Michael Linsner, Jim Balent, Scott Chantler, Colton Worley, Greg Hildebrandt, and Terry & Rachel Dodson
Cover Art by Terry & Rachel Dodson
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: April 3, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

I have been a lifelong fan of Bettie Page and must admit that the zany adventure comics that Dynamite has been producing with her as the leading lady have entertained me to no end.

More than just a pretty face, Bettie has saved the world several times over. Her uncommon wit and ability to handle herself have made these new comics ongoing favorites of mine. It is because of that love that I wanted to alert you to the Bettie Page Dynamite Covers Collection.

Jim Henson’s The StoryTeller: Sirens #1
Written by Bartosz Sztybor
Art by Jakub Rebelka
Letters by Jim Campbell
Cover by Cory Godbey
Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: April 3, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

I honestly have not paid too much attention to the comics involving The Jim Henson Company. I guess I always associated them with the Muppets and therefore failed to engage with them. How wrong I was.

Jim Henson’s The StoryTeller: Sirens #1 is produced by Archaia Entertainment and is actually related to the television series of the same name from the eighties. I actually do not remember the show but I was seventeen when it started so that probably explains it; I was always busy back then.

Bad Luck Chuck #1
Written by Lela Gwenn
Art by Matthew Dow Smith
Colors by Kelly Fitzpatrick
Letters by Frank Cvetkovic
Cover by Matthew Dow Smith
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 27, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

What do you get when you combine a bad attitude with entropy at its ugliest? Bad Luck Chuck #1 is what. Chaos incarnate, available for a price, that is exactly what she is and she is damn good at it, too. She might be cursed but Charlene “Chuck” Manchester has found a way to make a living from it.

Unfortunately for her, she is a natural disaster in human form and that has not gone unnoticed. Her arrival and the subsequent destruction that follows has caught the attention of at least one person who is determined to catch her in the act. The only problem with that plan is that she apparently never leaves any evidence of the prosecutable sort. To be fair, though, the reader is left with the feeling she could not care less.

Calamity Kate #1
Written by Magdalene Visaggio
Art by Corin Howell
Colors by Valentina Pinto
Letters by Zakk Saam
Cover by Corin Howell
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: March 13, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

I stumbled upon Calamity Kate #1 completely by accident but I could not be happier! Loaded with sheer fun and an unabashed acceptance of asskickery, this comic does Dark Horse Comics proud.

By serving up a heroine in the form of Kate Strand, monster hunter extraordinaire, we are treated to an adventure that has both boundless energy and a wide field of play. For you see, she seeks to slay the original fiends and not just their progeny.

Sometimes I’m left dumbfounded that many people covering the comic book industry couldn’t understand how Marvel Comics, the publishing arm of the organization, fits perfectly into the overall business strategy for Marvel Entertainment and its parent company Disney — that it is the central hub that connects the dots between all the various departments utilizing Marvel-branded content or licensed products. (It’s also not that important, unless you start writing speculative pieces with a limited understanding of, well, business.)

That was the intention behind a SXSW panel featuring Marvel Chief Creative Officer Joe Quesada and Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski earlier this week. Sure enough, the pair spent nearly an hour outlining the various ways original work in the comic book publishing arm translated over to other mediums with great financial success. Some of the best examples included major comic event storylines being adapted to blockbuster big budget films (Civil War, Infinity War) and mobile game Contest of Champions using exact costume designs from current comic series runs.