With a stable of titles that includes time-travel adventure, anthropomorphic astronaut cats, and an unlikely friendship between the world’s greatest hero and Jesus Christ, AHOY Comics has garnered much well-deserved praise with their first three waves of series. After an initial tease back at SDCC, today the publisher officially announced its fourth wave, which includes a self-hating superhero, an octogenarian monster fighter, and a reunion for the acclaimed creative team behind The Flintstones.
Here’s the cover art and descriptions for the three new AHOY Comics series:
BILLIONAIRE ISLAND, a 6 issue mini-series by acclaimed writer Mark Russell (Second Coming) and artist Steve Pugh (Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass), and colorist Chris Chuckry, with lettering by Rob Steen. Issue 1 features a cover by series artist and co-creator Steve Pugh and a variant cover by bestselling artist Pia Guerra (Y The Last Man).
Debuting in March 2020.
Welcome to Billionaire Island, where anything goes…if you can afford it. But the island’s ultra-rich inhabitants are about to learn that their ill-gotten gains come at a VERY high price. BILLIONAIRE ISLAND is a savage satire that reunites the creative team behind DC’s The Flintstones.
“BILLIONAIRE ISLAND tells the story of Freedom Unlimited (FU Island), a private island created and populated by billionaires hoping to wait out the end of the world,” said writer and co-creator Mark Russell. “But because they are in international waters and not subject to any law, their haven is a nightmarish police state for anyone on the island who crosses them. In a broader sense, it’s a series that asks the question: how do we save the world when all its resources are partying offshore?”
“FU Island” made me laugh. This is a series that was teased at SDCC. With his work on Second Coming, Wonder Twins, and The Flintstones, Mark Russell has displayed that he’s an excellent satirist, and Steve Pugh‘s work is an excellent complement for Russell’s sensibilities.
ASH & THORN, a 5 issue mini-series by bestselling writer Mariah McCourt (True Blood, Stitched), artist Soo Lee (Mine!, Charlie’s Angels vs. the Bionic Woman), and colorist Pippa Bowland, with lettering by Rob Steen and covers by legendary artist Jill Thompson (Scary Godmother, Wonder Woman: True Amazon).
Debuting in April 2020.
The apocalypse is nigh! The world needs a Champion, and the only heir to a sacred mystical lineage is…a little old lady? Meet Lottie Thorn, reluctant savior of the world, and her also-elderly trainer Lady Peruvia Ashlington-Voss. They might not look it, but these women are prepared to take on any Big Bad that comes along. But first, perhaps a nice cup of tea?
“Everyone knows Chosen Ones are supposed to be young and extremely expendable, but even the Universe makes mistakes sometimes,” explained McCourt. “And sometimes the mistakes are big ones. Like when it taps an 80+ year old retired art teacher to be the Champion who fights the next Apocalypse. Can an octogenarian overcome age and arthritis to save the world from cosmic monsters, world eaters, and gross creepy crawlies?”
“What if Buffy and Giles were a pair of 80+-year-old women” is a premise I can absolutely get behind. Ash & Thorn is particularly notable for featuring a majority female creative team, with writer Mariah McCourt, artists Soo Lee & Pippa Bowland, and cover artist Jill Thompson.
PENULTIMAN, a 5 issue mini-series by writer Tom Peyer (The Wrong Earth), artist Alan Robinson (Planet of the Nerds), and colorist Lee Loughridge, with lettering by Rob Steen and covers by Robinson.
Debuting in May 2020.
Penultiman is the greatest, best-looking, and most admired superhero in the world. Penultiman is The Next-To-Last-Stage In Human Evolution. So how can he stop hating himself? Only Penultiman’s android understudy, Antepenultiman, knows the answer. Or, at least, he thinks he does!
“Penultiman, The Next-To-Last Stage in Human Evolution, is hailed as the godlike epitome of beauty, power, and compassion in the year 2020,” said Peyer. “In the far-future century he came from, however, his more advanced contemporaries saw him as a brutish evolutionary throwback and exiled him to our era. Paragon or primitive? His one chance for peace is to deny the haters and admirers alike, and discover who he really is–if he only knew how to begin.”
Tom Peyer and Alan Robinson‘s Penultiman debuted as True Identity, one of the contenders in this year’s Steel Cage one-shot. The issue featured three ‘pilot’ stories for new series, with readers left to vote on which would be granted a full series. After apparent voter fraud and hacking of the election, Peyer announced at SDCC that all three stories would be given full series orders.
As always, each of the new AHOY Comics series will feature additional material in the single issues, including back-up stories, text pieces, and other goodies.
In addition to the three new series, AHOY Comics will also be releasing a collected edition of current series Dragonfly & Dragonflyman, as well as of the first batch of issues of Second Coming. Both trade paperback releases are timed for series-specific seasons:
SECOND COMING: Volume One trade paperback by Mark Russell, artists Richard Pace and Leonard Kirk, and colorist Andy Troy, with lettering by Rob Steen and a cover by Richard Pace. The book will be released timed to Lent and will be on sale in comic shops on February 26th and in bookstores on March 10, 2020.
DRAGONFLY & DRAGONFLYMAN: NIGHT & DAY trade paperback by Tom Peyer, artist Peter Krause, and colorist Andy Troy, with lettering by Rob Steen. The book will be released timed to dragonfly season on the east coast and will be on sale in comic shops on May 27th and in bookstores on June 9th, 2020.
After coming out of the gate strong, AHOY has continued to put out consistently interesting and entertaining titles, and this latest group looks to carry on that trend. Keep an eye out for these titles in Spring 2020.
