By Dustin Cabeal

I wasn’t expecting a lot from “Cat Fight” when I started reading it. Based on the silly name, the extremely busy cover and the sheer number of actual cats illustrated, I began by lowering my expectations. Which was probably the right move considering it ended up impressing me in the end. I will say that the cat gimmick is heavy handed so if you can’t stomach what’s on the cover, then you will not make it through this first issue.

The story follows a thief as he’s lifting a very expensive ruby and being chased by some Italian police. He is in Venice after all. He then jets straight over to a fancy dinner party to hand off the jewel. We’re given the information that the fencer is his ex-girlfriend, the cops chasing him were not actually Italian or cops and that he comes from a rich family that’s he’s been kicked out of. It’s a lot of exposition and there was very little reason to inform the audience of the fake Italian cops. It seems likely that they’ll return to the story in some capacity or another, but otherwise it was just there to show that our main criminal character is smart. Not getting caught at all also shows us that they’re smart. A slew of cat themed thieves from DC and Marvel how shown us that much.

By Dustin Cabeal

I fucking hate hero versus hero titles. The one and only time that it was enjoyable was DC vs Marvel (flip it, I don’t care), and even then, it was a mess of shit. That’s what made it charming – seeing the rage of the fanbases and concessions that each company had to make to keep certain characters powerful and protected. Otherwise, it’s pretty much the same dumb storyline of one or both sides of heroes being mistaken as villains and fighting each other, meanwhile the actual villains are agreeable, cordial, and already working with each other. I’ve lost track of how many of these franchises versus franchises IDW has made, but they're just to sell covers. Go ahead, ask how many covers they have for this first issue.

Thirty-one.

They cutely put “Collect them all” at the back of the issue before showing you thirty-one covers. Kudos to all the artists who got paid for the covers – get that money – but to the poor soul who felt they needed all the covers and spent God knows how many hundreds of dollars to get all the store exclusives… I wish you wouldn’t have. That purchase behavior is irresponsible and damaging to the industry as they focus on sales of covers rather than telling a story worth reading.

By Dustin Cabeal

Yellow Cab is an interesting read to say the least. I spent the entire story waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never did. Instead, it’s just a look at the complicated nature of driving a cab in New York and how basically it’s a money pit trap for immigrants looking at getting their start in the country.

What’s even more disappointing is that it’s not even a true story, but instead the author of the novel has written themselves into the story to give a fake sense of realism. At least if the concept was based on fact, it would have perhaps been a story to bring up for this one interesting aspect.

Press Release

Bernie Wrightson is universally regarded as the finest horror artist of the last 50 years, and Frankenstein was his undisputed opus. IDW Publishing is proud to announce that this masterpiece of illustration will be presented in the Eisner Award-winning Artist’s Edition format for late next year.

Press Release

IDW Publishing is proud to announce that Tom Scioli, the visionary creator that brought you Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, will unleash his imagination on the wonderful world of Go-Bots! Launching in October, Go-Bots will be the first story to feature classic toy and cartoon characters like Leader-1, Scooter, Turbo, and Cy-Kill’s Renegades in over three decades!

Press Release

Top Shelf Productions announced today that Surfside Girls, Kim Dwinell’s celebrated graphic novel series for middle-grade readers about friendship, fun, and lost mysteries of the local landscape, will receive a full-length sequel next summer.

Press Release

IDW Publishing invites readers of all ages to explore the creepiest corners of the Star Wars universe in Star Wars Adventures: Tales from Vader’s Castle, a thrilling five-part comic book event with new issues hitting stands every Wednesday in October. Fan-favorites Cavan Scott and Derek Charm team up with an incredible roster of guest artists for this special miniseries, just in time for Halloween.

Press Release

IDW Publishing and SEGA (R) of America are proud to announce the Team Sonic Racing comic book, a one-shot special arriving October 2018. Following hot on the heels of IDW’s fan-favorite Sonic The Hedgehog (TM) series, the events of the Team Sonic Racing comic will lead directly into the highly-anticipated video game that arrives this winter!

Press Release

IDW is proud to announce that acclaimed TMNT artist Mateus Santolouco will both write and draw Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder in Hell, a five-issue miniseries slated to debut in early 2019 that serves as a sequel to the fan-favorite Secret History of the Foot Clan storyline.

Press Release

As nations around the globe confront new versions of old debates about immigration, incarceration, and family separation, actor/author/activist George Takei is preparing a beautiful and powerfully resonant graphic memoir of his own direct experience with American xenophobia.