ABLAZE has announced its upcoming releases for May 2023. Some of these titles are new releases first launching this coming Spring while others have completed their runs and are being released in a collected format. Catch the next story arc in Xavier Dorison and Felix Delep’s acclaimed ANIMAL CASTLE series as they build on the classic Orwellian premise, moving the story of an animal rebellion in a bold and unexpected new direction in ANIMAL CASTLE VOLUME TWO.
LOVECRAFT: UNKOWN KADATH debuts in a definitive softcover edition, collecting the complete 8-issue comic adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s novella, The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, which combines elements of horror and fantasy into an epic tale depicting the scope and wonder of humankind’s ability to dream.
Also set for May release comes the all-ages adventure, FAMILY TIME, in a softcover edition. From the writer/creator of Image Comics Seven Sons, Robert Windom, and his eleven-year-old daughter, Lily, comes this imaginative story featuring cover art by Jae Lee, as well as Art Direction and cover art by Sanford Greene (Bitter Root), both Eisner-Award winning artists, with anime-inspired interior art by new talent and Greene-protégé, Asiah Fulmore (DC’s Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld).
Pre-orders and advance solicitations are also open now for the notable debuts this summer of CENTAURS (June) and THE BREAKER VOL. 1-5 OMNIBUS BOX SET (July) under the ABLAZE MANGA imprint. Fans will not want to miss the launch of Ryo Sumiyoshi’s epic manga fantasy adventure set in an alternate medieval Japan, where humans co-exist with the mythic half-man/half-horse beasts known as centaurs, or “jinba.” Also catch the debut of THE BREAKER BOX SET, containing all 5 volumes of the bestselling, critically acclaimed martial arts manhwa action series. A must-read for action and manhwa fans everywhere!
And don’t miss the latest additions to continuing ABLAZE comic book series for May including new issues of THE MIGHTY BARBARIANS (Issue 2) and TRAVELING TO MARS (Issue 6).
ANIMAL CASTLE VOLUME TWO, Issue 1, story by Xavier Dorison, art by Felix Delep · SRP: $3.99 · Available May 3rd
The acclaimed series returns! On the Farm all animals were equal. In the Castle, some are more equal than others.
Animal Castle Vol. 2 picks up shortly after the events of Vol. 1 with Miss B trying to convince the animals not to use violence, to end Silvio’s reign.
At the castle, the dictatorship continues. Thanks to the efforts of Miss B and her friends, the animals attempt to remobilize the pacifist movement of the Daisies. But Silvio the bull dictator is trying to keep them under his hoof to keep his power. Helped by his cruel canine militia, he decides to have the rebellious animals imprisoned in the dungeon. But Miss B and her friends will respond once again with trickery…and solidarity!
THE MIGHTY BARBARIANS Issue 2, story by Michael Moreci, art by Giuseppe Cafaro · SRP: $3.99 · Available May 10th
They’re barbarians. They loot, they plunder, they conquer. That’s what they do, and they do it alone…until NOW!
When an unstoppable force starts consuming one world after another, sorceress Morgan Le Fey uses her magic to assemble a team of skull-cracking warriors who must somehow work together to save all of existence. There’s the young trickster Anansi, Viking shield maiden Birka, the shape-shifting Nanook, and their leader, heir to a fallen kingdom and mightiest of warriors, KULL!
Though their alliance is uneasy, they will do whatever it takes to cut the heart right out of their mutual enemy, leaving a path of ruin through everything and everyone that stands in their way! Before The Avengers, The Justice League, The X-Men, before it all…stood The Mighty Barbarians!
LOVECRAFT: UNKNOWN KADATH TP, by HP Lovecraft, Florentino Flórez, Guillermo Sanna, and Jacques Salomon · SRP: $19.99 · 200 Pages · ISBN: 978-1-68497-133-6 · Available May 17th
“I think it is beyond doubt that H. P. Lovecraft has yet to be surpassed as the twentieth century’s greatest practitioner of the classic horror tale.” —STEPHEN KING
Randolph Carter, a traveler to dreamland, tries not to wake up before reaching his goal, the elusive Kadath: the home of the gods, a place of fantasy and overflowing imagination. Carter walks through a world full of threats and abominable monsters, but also of palaces, exuberant cities, and geographies that remind man of his insignificant role on the gigantic cosmic chessboard.
What are the reasons to keep going when everything around us is terrifying and lethal? Kadath may offer some answers to this question!
An adaptation of H.P. Lovecraft’s The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath unlike anything you’ve read before. Collects the complete 8-issue series, plus cover gallery, bonus material, and the original prose story!
FAMILY TIME TP, story by Lily Windom, Robert Windom, art by Asiash Fulmore · SRP: $14.99 · 132 pages · ISBN: 978-1-68497-132-9 · Available May 17th
The O’Connell family (Lily – age 13; Tyler – age 11; and their parents) are vacationing in Ireland when they encounter an old man with a mysterious crystal that seemingly teleports them 1,000 years back in time. Unsure whether they have stumbled into a historical re-enactment, the family must befriend Rory, a timid local, battle a medieval tyrant named Ciaran and his henchmen, and figure out how to get back to the present, while Lily learns to use her newfound superpowers.
From the writer/creator of Seven Sons, Robert Windom, and his eleven-year-old daughter, Lily, comes a fun, fantasy adventure. Featuring cover art by Jae Lee, as well as Art Direction and cover art by Sanford Greene (Bitter Root) – both Eisner-Award winning artists–and anime-inspired interior art by new talent and Greene-protege Asiah Fulmore (DC’s Amethyst: Princess of Gemworld).
TRAVELING TO MARS Issue 6, story by Mark Russell, art by Roberto Meli · SRP: $3.99 · Available May 24th
Roy discovers that he is not alone in space, forcing him and the rovers to improvise a strategy for survival.
Eisner award-winning writer Mark Russell and artist Roberto Meli bring you a compelling new sci-fi series…a riveting story of planetary exploration and of finding meaning in your final days.
THE BREAKER VOL. 1-5 OMNIBUS BOX SET, story by Jeon Geuk-jin, art by Park Jin-Hwan · SRP: $90.00 · 1,900 pages · ISBN: 978-1-68497-172-5 · Available July 12th
The story of The Breaker follows Si-woon Lee, a timid high school student who becomes the disciple to Chun-Woo Han, an extremely talented martial artist who is an enemy to the secret martial arts society known as the Murim. However, Si-woon is naive and unaware of his master’s past and the unseen underbelly of the society. How will Chun-Woo manage to teach Si-woon and help him survive in the brutal world of Murim?
Jeon Geuk-jin and Park Jin-Hwan’s fighting manhwa has been praised for its sensational action and captivating storyline, with many charismatic characters and stylish martial arts techniques that will keep you glued to the page! The Breaker Vol 1-5 Omnibus Box Set contains all 5 volumes of the bestselling, critically acclaimed series, collecting them into a handsome box set compilation. Each omnibus contains two volumes, 10 volumes in all. Plus, a folded bonus poster!
CENTAURS, Vol. 1 story and art by Ryo Sumiyoshi · SRP: $12.99 · 200 Pages · ISBN: 978-1-68497-136-7 · Available June 14th
An epic fantasy adventure set in an alternate medieval Japan, where humans co-exist with the mythic half-man/half-horse beasts known as centaurs, or “jinba”. The centaur race was long revered as deities in ancient times; however, with the advent of the sengoku (warring states) period, humans started to enslave and use them for military purposes due to their speed, stamina, and ability to communicate in human language. Centaurs living in the plains were rapidly subjugated; in contrast, large numbers of centaurs living deep in the mountains were still free due to their relative isolation.
A wild and proud warrior jinba from the mountains named Matsukaze, known as the redheaded rock tiger, is caught while protecting his son. He is traded to a feudal lord and taken to his land. There he meets another centaur, named Kohibari, whose village was burned down as a child. He is a tame centaur, who had his arms amputated when he was captured, and has given up hope of escaping his human captors. If they can get over their differences and work together, they just might be able to return to the wilds as free centaurs.
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