The Beatles Yellow Submarine
Hardcover | Kindle
Written and illustrated by Bill Morrison
Inks by Andrew Pepoy
Colors by Nathan Kane
Lettering by Aditya Bidikar
Titan Comics
Release date: August 28, 2018

Yellow Submarine, the animated, trippy, visually eclectic and highly memorable film which starred The Beatles and is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, has been given the graphic novel treatment, and it’s a fun and colorful whimsical ride on paper as much its film counterpart.

Written and illustrated by Bill Morrison, founder of Bongo Comics, well known for its Simpsons adaptations, The Beatles Yellow Submarine takes the best elements of the original cinematic release and adds a vibrancy and clearly long-rooted passion for the intrinsic subject matter.

Planet Of The Apes: Visionaries
Hardcover | Kindle
Original screenplay by Rod Serling
Adapted by Dana Gould
Art by Chad Lewis
Inks Assist by David Wilson
Colors by Darrin Moore, Miquel Muerto, Marcelo Costa
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Cover by Paolo Rivera
Publisher: BOOM! Studios
Release date: August 28, 2018

Imagine if Planet Of The Apes‘s Ape City had been a New York City-like metropolis and its simian inhabitants much more technologically advanced. That is what Rod Serling had in mind when he penned a screenplay from Pierre Boulle’s novel for the 1968 film for 20th Century Fox. But the studio felt Serling’s adaptation would be too costly to translate to the big screen, so they hired Michael Wilson (who had previously adapted Boulle’s The Bridge over the River Kwai) to rewrite the dialogue and revise the script to give the apes a more primitive society. Now, Serling’s original vision has been brought to life in Planet Of The Apes: Visionaries, a new graphic novel from BOOM! Studios.

Illegal
Hardcover | Paperback | Kindle | Audiobook
Written by Eoin Colfer and Andrew Donkin
Art by Giovanni Rigano
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Release Date: August 7, 2018

When you mention the words graphic novel, most people assume you are going to be talking about superheroes or fantasy themes. There are, however, a wide range of genres that are in no way connected to mutants, space creatures, science experiments, and the like. Sometimes, authors use sequential art to reach new fans or tell their stories in a new way. Illegal definitely falls into this latter category, as I will explain below.

Our main character is named Ebo, a 12-year-old boy from a poorer than poor village in Ghana. This is his story of how he attempts to escape the shackles of poverty and make a new life for himself and his family in Europe. The best laid plans do not always work, unfortunately. The tale begins in the middle, but we get to jump back and see the events that started our young protagonist on his path to a new life.

A Study in Emerald
Written by Neil Gaiman, Rafael Albuquerque, Rafael Scavone
Art by Rafael Albuquerque, Dave Stewart
Colors by Dave Stewart
Letters by Todd Klein
Dark Horse Comics
Release Date: June 27, 2018
Cover Price: $17.99

Sherlock Holmes and Lovecraftian horrors? Uh, yeah! Let’s do this! What could possibly go wrong? Well, quite possibly everything, to be honest!

A Study in Emerald comes from writers Neil Gaiman, Rafael Albuquerque, and Rafael Scavone, with artwork by Albuquerque and Dave Stewart. Continue reading for more info, a synopsis, and a look at the cover art.

Over the past few years, I’ve found that one of the best places to discover independent comic book creators is via the crowdfunding site Kickstarter. For those interested in self-publishing their stories – whether in lieu of or on the road to traditional publishing – Kickstarter is a great avenue to get their books in the eyes of others, and to begin building a solid fanbase.

One such upcoming book, currently raising funds on Kickstarter, is Spirits: The Soul Collector by Colin Lawler and Joseph Grabowski. With 10 days to go, the book is very close to reaching its intended goal of $7,000 (and may have already passed it by the time you read this). From the synopsis of the story and the unique cartoon style of illustration, Spirits looks to be a fun all-ages series that I can’t wait to get my hands on.

Lawler and Grabowski were generous enough to spend some time with Geeks of Doom, discussing Spirits and more. Continue below to check out the interview and watch their Kickstarter video.