Autumn #5 by Tommy Kovac
24 pages, $2.95

Now that the villagers blame Autumn for Ferula's death, what will happen if she is exiled from the village?

Frustrated by her faulty memory, Autumn attempts to prize some answers to her past from the stubborn grimoire. When she pushes for information about the dreaded witch, Baba Yag, the results are startling and bloody.

At night, Autumn is tormented by more nightmares of violence and menacing specters, leading her to the edge of the Black Wood in the dark early hours of morning. A betrayal is revealed, and ignites an unstoppable fury which threatens to destroy everything in its path.


Emo Boy #7 by Steve Emond
24 pages, $2.95

Emo Boy's one-man fan club labels him a sell out after Emo Boy finally gets a girlfriend and finds himself feeling not-so-blue anymore. Find out how love impacts a true emo boy and his emo superpowers in this issue; a tip of the hat to Woody Allen's classic "Annie Hall."


GloomCookie #27 by Serena Valentino and Vincent Batignole
24 pages, $2.95

Damion’s fears have caused him to become insanely possessive and suspicious, putting Lex and one of her best friends lives’ in danger. Meanwhile Moon Raven is wandering the streets of San Francisco in her tattered wedding dress loath to believe Vermilion will not marry her.


Next Exit: Memory of Figment by Christy Lijewski
168 pages trade paper back. $12.95

Welcome to Alkaline, a world where humans are the minority and fragments of memory come to life. Here reality is a whim that can be bent to one’s will. Those who can manipulate reality are governed by those who can not and existence is held in a tenuous balance. Join Markesh and Retrab, two young adventurers who may have found the only means to escape from this reality- An Exit map leading to an ancient gateway said to release one from the bounds of Alkaline. But escape is never easy and countless obstacles stand in their way. Hunted by the government, attacked by serial killers and haunted by their own pasts, they may have found an Exit but getting out alive is going to be a lot harder than they ever imagined possible. Collects Issues 1-7. Includes bonus sketchbook materials, illustrations and side story after the story.

The quietly whimsical Malinky Robot: Bicycle by Sonny Liew will be coming out in December, but you can read a little interview with Sonny now at Newsarama. (Just a little correction in case you want to check out Sonny's earlier work -- Sonny's first Malinky Robot comic is "Stinky Fish Blues" not "Stinky Blue Fish.") Sonny's also illustrated our forthcoming Wonderland book, which is written by Tommy Kovac.

Hey! Speaking of Tommy Kovac, Comic World News has a review of his miniseries Autumn, up through the latest issue, #4. And just in time for the best night of the year, too! Michael May writes, "The aesthetics and the setting, with the Black Wood and the secret village and all the masks and superstitions, are as delicious and welcoming as Halloween night."

Yep, even if Tommy is responsible for magically giving Serena a cold from 400 miles away so I won't see her tonight at the Bauhaus show, he still is pretty darn cool. Especially since he keeps gross Cheeto-covered boys out of the library.

As promised, SLG comics in stores this week!


Autumn #4 by Tommy Kovac
24-page comic book, $2.95

Something gruesome has happened to Ferula, a quiet, simple girl. The villagers are darkly suspicious of Autumn, who had a public altercation with Ferula and her friends. Open animosity flares between Autumn and the other village folk. Even Splinter, Autumn's only real friend, knows that there is some connection between Autumn, and Ferula's demise.
Meanwhile, Autumn is noticing some alarming changes in the behavior of her shape-changing familiar, Widdershin, who is disappearing for hours at a time. Autumn's unease deepens when she has a startling and violent dream.



Little Scrowlie Volume 2: Dawn of the Living Fashion Victims by Jennifer Feinberg and Todd Meister
144-page trade paperback, $12.95

Little Scrowlie Volume 2: Dawn of the Fashion Victims collects issues five through nine of Little Scrowlie, in which Scrowlie and co. journey to the darkened depths of the underworld and a credit-enabled fashion zombie army is unleashed onto the unsuspecting world. Ripped from today's headlines in a parallel universe, Little Scrowlie Volume 2 exposes the inner life of cats and mall rats, all the while showing (not telling) the importance of keeping up with current fashions.

Blair Marnell, writer of the All the Rage column at Silver Bullet Comic Books, had a chat with SLG Prez Dan Vado, and tells you some of what he found out. You have to scroll down a bit to find it, but you know you want to know the juicy details.

Also at Silver Bullet Comic Books is Jim Kingman's Comic Effects column, where he writes of discovering Autumn by Tommy Kovac and Pirate Club by Derek Hunter at Comic-Con. That's what I really love about conventions -- finding great work that I might have overlooked or not heard about. I get really annoyed with the people who stand in line for an autograph and don't look at all the books in front of them along the way. It speaks to a real lack of creative and intellectual curiosity, I think. And in some cases, a real lack of critical thinking skills: "Have you read any other SLG comics?" "No. I don't like any other ones." "Have you ever even looked at them?" "No." "Then how do you know?" "I just do." Sigh. It's too bad for some people that they are so fixated on a goal that they can't enjoy themselves on the way or discover something new.

Well, onto other things, and speaking of creative and intellectual curiosity: James Turner gives you an extensive (and completely true! we swear!) history of librarians and a glimspe into his upcoming comic Rex Libris at Comics Readers. Rex Libris #1 is due out in stores on August 17th, and it's full of demon samurai and lost love and underground chambers and literary references that you don't have to get to enjoy the story but make you feel so clever if you do get them.

Toodles for the weekend kids. Don't party too hardy.

JdG