By Dustin Cabeal

Yay... variants. Themed variants for each month... but only starting in February. This is why I hate variants. Image doesn't need to do this shit. Sure it "sounds" awesome because they aren't known for it, but if you need a reminder of how old this shit gets, look no further than Dark Horse and BOOM!'s celebration last year or Aspen's from two years ago... that shit almost put them out of business. At least it looked that way when they stopped publishing titles. The point is, this seems exactly like the shit that Image publisher Eric Stephenson is always talking about being terrible for the industry. Guess it doesn't matter when you hit 25 years.

By Dustin Cabeal

I have to admit that there's a bit of brilliance to this. A lot of Alterna Comics' titles are in black and white so it would be an easy transition for most. That and I'm curious to see what happens. What do the creators think? Will readers try it? Will other publisher give it a shot? It made me interested because yeah... maybe newsprint is okay for some books. Maybe the generic shit that some of the publishers pump out doesn't need all that detail in their piss poor coloring. I'm curious as hell. Oh, and they got a new logo. I'll be honest, I didn't have the old one committed to memory.

Kitsu, a startup changing the way the community experiences anime, announced today that it has raised six hundred thousand dollars in a seed round between San Francisco, California-based entertainment company VIZ Media, LLC, and Manila, Philippines-based entrepreneur Bernard Chong. Kitsu will use these funds to build out its world-class content discovery platform at kitsu.io, led by Kitsu founder and CEO, Josh Fabian, who started the project under the Hummingbird name. Josh previously was Lead Designer, Groupon Stores, and Lead Designer, oBaz.

Press Release:

Anime Consortium Japan Inc., the Japanese company for official anime streaming has announced today upcoming series starting in January 2017. It includes Fate/Grand Order –First Order-, Blue Exorcist Kyoto Saga, Rewrite and Tales of Zestiria the X Season 2. All titles will be available on www.DAISUKI.net and DAISUKI’s mobile apps with subtitles. Simulcast streaming of the ongoing shows MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM IRON-BLOODED ORPHANS and March comes in like a lion will also continue.

Press Release:

Kodansha Comics presents the Science Fiction Manga by Nihei book bundle in partnership with Humble Bundle. The offering amounts to $185 worth of digital manga, featuring legendary manga-ka Tsutomu Nihei’s early mind-benders BLAME! and NOiSE up to his masterpiece, Knights of Sidonia. The actual cost of the bundle is based on Humble Bundle’s unique pay-what-you-want charitable model.

Press Release:

Japan’s premier streaming service DAISUKI.net will begin streaming BEYBLADE BURST—the latest anime in the long-running BEYBLADE franchise—exclusively for DAIUSKI Premium members beginning on December 27 6:30a.m. (PST), 9:30a.m. (EST), 2016! The anime will be streamed with Japanese audio and English subtitles.

By Dustin Cabeal

I hope you said Dynamite... because it's Dynamite. I know, I know... IDW was a close second. I wish one of my "Worst of 2016" articles were posted already because I would be linking to it right about now. I have zero interest in checking this out and will avoid it upon its release. I feel for whatever creators get attached to it. Also, I love the fact half of the below press release reads like a film review written by the studio.

By Dustin Cabeal

I know that these releases are a necessary part of the biz. How else will people know about them? I just don't get excited for them when they come from IDW because it's almost always their same four or five brands that they actually own and only one of those are exciting. Locke & Key in case you were wondering, but hey... I'm sure we'll get a great looking Wynonna Earp statue right? That's going on the shelf next to the freebie Doc Strange.

By Dustin Cabeal

These puppies are shipping February. You should pre-order them if you're interested, but no one does... god the comic industry is broken. We need this shit faster Diamond! Seriously, though, check out their titles. I have my eye on Scout, good stuff coming out over there.

By Dustin Cabeal

I think we talked about this on the last episode of Super S... it could have been off air. Either way, we're here talking about it now, and I know one co-host that is going to be checking this list asap. Though I can tell her that her city made the list! Mine didn't... at least not a normal showing, some B.S. with the cast that I don't give a crap about. Oh and it's the only good thing to happen to America on the 20th of next month so... yeah, maybe see it twice to numb the pain.