As promised, Oni Press seems to be back in the business of making comics.
Following a dramatic 2022 that saw most of the staff leave via layoff or resignation, and no announcements of new titles, Oni recently announced their first new title since the summer – Lamentation by Cullen Benn and Arjuna Susuni – but they made their comeback ComicsPRO-official with the reveal of XINO #1, the first in a series of three 40-page collections of work by many Oni stars of the past and future. According to PR, it’s a preview of things to come and XINO will “slowly tune your hopes, dreams, desires, paranoia, alienation, anxiety, and adrenaline to produce the desired results.”
I don’t know about that but the art samples they sent along do look extremely nice!
Contents of the first issue include:
- Rising stars Melissa Flores (The Dead Lucky, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) & Daniel Irizarri (Judge Dredd) surgically activate the hidden dimensions of the human senses
- Cult phenoms Christopher Condon (That Texas Blood) and Nick Cagnetti (Pink Lemonade) debut the world’s first intravenous video game system
- Underground radicals Jordan Thomas (Weird Work) and Shaky Kane (Bulletproof Coffin) surveil the suburbs for signs of covert infiltration
- Master cartoonist and foundational Oni creator Phil Hester (Gotham City: Year One, The Coffin) returns to the fold to leave his deepest mark yet
The series is edited by Zack Soto, no stranger to many levels of comics talent, and he confirmed that “Oni’s commitment to creator-owned comics runs deep, and, with XINO, we’re paying tribute to some of the company’s earliest and most beloved releases, like the seminal ONI DOUBLE FEATURE, while teeing up some big pieces for the future. This is big-swing, big-idea science fiction with an edge—the exact kind of thing that made me fall in love with the comics medium in the first place.”
New publisher Hunter Gorinson had this to say: “XINO is definitely not an anthology–it’s more of a premonition of what’s to come. Using an exacting scientific process, we’ve identified a highly concentrated cast of celebrated creators from Oni’s recent past and imminent future to confront our deepest fears…and then turn them loose to do their worst.”
Cover artists include Matt Lesniewski (Crimson Flower),
André Lima Araújo (A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance),
Malachi Ward & Matt Sheean (Black Hammer Reborn),
and Shaky Kane (Deadline, 2000 AD), seen above.
The series also comes with its own cool animated gif.
And the solicit info:
XINO #1 (of 3)
Written by CHRISTOPHER CONDON, MELISSA FLORES, PHIL HESTER, & JORDAN THOMAS
Art by NICK CAGNETTI, PHIL HESTER, DANIEL IRIZARRI & SHAKY KANE
Cover A by MATT LESNIEWSKI
Cover B by ANDRES LIMA ARAUJO
Cover C by MATT SHEEAN & MALACHI WARD
Cover D by SHAKY KANE
Full Art Variant (1:10) by SHAKY KANE
B&W Variant (1:15) by MATT LESNIEWSKI
B&W Variant (1:20) by ANDRES LIMA ARAUJO
ON SALE JUNE 14, 2023 | $5.99 | 40 pgs. | FULL COLOR
Oni also announced publication of the final volume of the early reader graphic novel Tiny Fox and Great Boar Book Three: Dawn on April 5, 2023. PR:
This is the third and final installment of award-winning Polish cartoonist Berenika Kolomycka’s critically-acclaimed charming adventures of two unlikely companions, Tiny Fox and Great Boar, as their friendship endures while bravely facing new challenges. For more information visit Oni Press.
The stunning collection has been well-received including early praise for Tiny Fox and Great Boar Book One: There – “It’s not so much what happens, but how it happens in this unvarnished friendship tale” from Publishers Weekly and “An early comic drills home the lesson that you never know how much you need someone until you find a friend” courtesy of Kirkus Reviews. While Tiny Fox and Great Boar Book Two: Furthest found mainstream support “…a delightful series for young readers,” and “the real star is the lovely watercolor art that presents a world swimming with dream-life color. Every page is a pleasure to turn and behold.” earning 4/5 from The Stranger.
Book Description
Tiny Fox and Great Boar have spent so much of their time together playing, exploring, and adventuring, from beautiful forests all the way to the enchanting seaside. What joyous times they have had! When they set their sights on the marshy wetlands, they soon meet a young mayfly and become quick friends. But when their time with the mayfly is unexpectedly cut short, Fox and Boar experience true sadness from missing their dear friend. The sadness feels too much for Fox to bear, but luckily he has Boar by his side to teach him how to be brave and remain hopeful for the adventures ahead.
