John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction – Twitch
Paperback
Written by Duane Swierczynski
Art by Richard P. Clark
Lettering by Janice Chiang
Cover Art by Tim Bradstreet
Release date: October 8, 2019

While most know John Carpenter for his 40+ years of excellence directing horror and genre films, since 2012 he’s been prevalent in the comic book industry. With his wife and collaborator Sandy King, Storm King Comics was born. Their flagship comic, Asylum, became a global hit and the brand also releases an annual anthology right in time for Halloween called John Carpenter’s Tales for a HalloweeNight. Their monthly anthology series, John Carpenter’s Tales of Science Fiction, has been going continuously for a few years, giving Storm King’s collection of talented authors and artists a chance to tell vivid sci-fi stories. The latest of these is Twitch, written by Duane Swierczynski with art by Richard P. Clark, and lettering by Janice Chiang.

Frogcatchers
Hardcover | Kindle
Written and Illustrated by Jeff Lemire
Publisher: Gallery 13
Release date: September 24, 2019

Frogcatchers begins with an elderly man awakening after a dream in which he was a child again catching frogs in a pond near his home. Where he finds himself is a strange room with no memory of, well, anything save for that dream. He decides to venture out to find out what happened, where he is, and why. What he discovers is a room key identifying that he’s in an old hotel from which he seemingly cannot get out. When he calls out for help, a young boy shows up and quickly ushers him into the basement of the hotel in an attempt to escape from the Frog King and his agents who are out to get them.

Even more confused and desperate now, the man convinces the boy to let him use the key to open its assigned room in hopes of discovering a way out on the other side. Begrudgingly and under extreme duress, the boy relents. Thus their adventure continues.

Once & Future #1
Written by Kieron Gillen
Art by Dan Mora
Colors by Tamra Bonvillain
Letters by Ed Dukeshire
Cover by Dan Mora
Boom! Studios
Release Date: August 14, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

A modern take on an Arthurian legend? Abso-freaking-lutely! I grew up reading everything I could about Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table. Many authors, many tales, but the message always bled through as being simultaneously heroic and tragic.

But what if things were not always so cut and dry? What then? Perhaps Once & Future #1 will be a pleasant change from the norm.

The Magicians: Alice’s Story
Based on the novel The Magicians by Lev Grossman
Hardcover
Written by Lilah Sturges
Art by Pius Bak
Colors by Dan Jackson
Letters by Mike Fiorentino
Cover by Scott Newman
Publisher: Archaia Entertainment
Release Date: July 16, 2019

Before I dive into the review of The Magicians: Alice’s Story, I would like to give you a bit of the history of the source material. I was a store manager for a Waldenbooks, but little did I realize how close to the end that company was. In those days we got ARCs (advance reader copies) of virtually everything and let me tell you, that is no small perk. So when an ARC came in that was touted as an adult Harry Potter-esque book about a magical college, I was intrigued. I have some vague memories of starting it during a lunch break and being swept away by the realism of it all. Lev Grossman‘s book grabbed me by the throat and refused to let go. The book became a trilogy, then later a SyFy series that is spectacular in its own way. So yeah, this graphic novel only adds one more dimension to an already breathtaking franchise. Allow me to elaborate!

Bettie Page: Unbound #1
Written by David Avallone
Art by Julius Ohta
Colors by Ellie Wright
Letters by Taylor Esposito
Covers by John Royal & Mohan, Scott Chantler, David Williams & Kelsey Shannon, Julius Ohta
Dynamite Entertainment
Release Date: June 5, 2019
Cover Price: $3.99

In the world put forth by Dynamite Entertainment, fetish model and actress Bettie Page led a double life working for the government in an underground spy capacity. Indeed, she bore witness to several earth threatening travesties and was paramount in the success of many of the cases.

The story shared here in Bettie Page: Unbound #1 is but one of many times she risked life and limb for the good of humankind. There is, however, something that makes this particular tale more appealing than some of the others. Read on if you must know more!