The New York comic con is over for another year, and amidst all the cosplayers, television announcements, movie news, and video game reveals, there was some actual comic book news that broke. Dark Horse Comics has several new series lined up for the next year, with some familiar faces and some brand new properties on the publisher’s schedule.
Green Lantern Corps and Flash writer Van Jensen heads to Dark Horse in 2016 with two all-new creator-owned series. First, in May, Jensen brings Cryptocracy, a thriller following a secret society with ties to every major conspiracy in history. Not much info has leaked about Cryptocracy yet, but the promo material makes it sound like a fun, X-Files sort of story. Then, in September, Jensen goes back to his true crime roots with Two Dead, based on the true story of a murder-suicide in 1947 Little Rock.
In February, This One Summer writer Mariko Tamaki takes the helm of a brand-new Tomb Raider series. While not much has leaked about this book, Tamaki’s enthusiasm is apparent: “I feel like I’ve just gotten this new, incredibly daring, strong, valiant friend, and now I get to think up super-cool stuff for her to do…What could be better than that?”
January 6, 2016 marks the release of the Lone Wolf 2100 miniseries. Writer Eric Heisserer (Shaper) and artist Miguel Sepulveda (Action Comics) team up for this reimagining of the classic Lone Wolf and Cub manga. Taking the series from feudal Japan into the future, Lone Wolf 2010 will document the journey of Daisy Ogami and her android protector, Itto, as they race to find a cure for a cannibalistic plague sweeping the world. Sounds like another excuse to capitalize on the current zombie fad, but I’ll reserve judgement until the series launches.
Writer Brian Wood (Rebels) and artist Tristan Jones (Mad Max: Fury Road) blast off for deep space in April. Aliens: Defiance is Dark Horse’s new entry into the rich Aliens mythology, timed to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the release of Aliens. Not much is known about Aliens: Defiance, but you can look for issue #1 (of 12) on April 27, 2016.
June 15 sees the release of Buffy: The High School Years – Freaks and Geeks. The first in a new series of graphic novel adventures, Freaks and Geeks takes readers back to Buffy’s first season, promising fresh tales and new takes on the classic Scooby gang. Buffy comes from the creative team of Eisner Award-winning writer Faith Erin Hicks (The Adventures of Superhero Girl) and artist Yishan Li.
Dark Horse also has a slate of all-ages comics lined up for next year. The company has announced a series of graphic novels based on the How to Train Your Dragon franchise, starting with How to Train Your Dragon: The Serpent’s Heir in 2016. The story takes place immediately following the events of How to Train Your Dragon 2 and is written by Richard Hamilton (the Dragons: Race to the Edge television series) and co-written by Dean DuBois (writer/director of the How to Train Your Dragon movie), so it looks like it’ll be a faithful continuation of the HtTYD franchise.
Rounding out the Dark Horse all-ages stable next year are a series of The Legend of Korra graphic novels, a collection of Anne Szabla’s Bird Boy webcomics, and a new Art Baltazar and Franco miniseries, Aw Yeah Comics: Action Cat!
With new series and returning favorites, there appears to be something to appeal to everyone coming from Dark Horse Comics in 2016. Look for these titles soon from your local comic retailer and from online retailers such as Comixology.
