Category Archives: Books & New Comics!

Emerald City Comics added 53 new photos — at Emerald City Comics.

1 day ago

Marvel Studios' massive hit, "Avengers: Infinity War" is finally out on home video, and to celebrate, EC hosted a party with free Iron Man block figures, Captain America and Black Panther cosplayers, and an opportunity for our Guests to guess how much change our Infinity Gauntlet Bank could hold (turns out, the answer is $171.73 - that's a LOT of coins!!!

Thanks so much to everyone who came out to be part of this event, including our gaming session with All Things Nerdy!!! ... See MoreSee Less

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Emerald City Comics added 15 new photos — at Emerald City Comics.

1 day ago

EC Book Club: Deadly Class vol 3! is Wednesday, September 5th in "The Hub" in the center of the store!

The EC Book Club meets the FIRST WEDNESDAY of the month from 6:30-7:30 pm to chat about the featured book.

We usually begin each meeting with a "Comics 101" slideshow giving some historical, artistic, or social background on the book, and then we dive right into discussion! Here's the Comics 101 slideshow for our previous ECBC meeting for SAGA VOL 3! ... See MoreSee Less

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Emerald City Comics added 4 new photos.

4 days ago

MIXTAPE MASSACRE

Mixtape Massacre is a tabletop board game where up to 6 people play as horror film archetypes and compete in a fictional 1986 killing spree to be remembered.

Players travel the streets of Tall Oaks visiting different town locations, vying for a chance to draw a card from the "Killer Scenes, Dude" deck (cards decorated like VHS tapes of old), providing an opportunity to slay victims and collect souvenirs. Claim your prize by rolling the action dice marked in knives, fists, and pentagrams to the amount required on your card.

Along the way, take your chances with the "Bonus Tracks" cards (decorated like your favorite dusty mixtape) or engage in Brawls, where players can battle it out and eliminate one another from the game. To win the game, be the first to rack up a body count of 10 or be the last player left alive.

With tons of jokes and references to all of your favorite 1980's music, films, and pop-culture icons - Mixtape Massacre will have you laughing while you're slashing!

RISE OF TRIBES

In ancient prehistoric times, you have discovered a new land with plentiful lakes, mountains and forests (and apparently many stone rocks that shall be called dice). Your people can develop new things like basketry or find oxen or simply grow and conquer.

In Rise of Tribes, players control a tribal faction in prehistoric times that's looking to grow, move, gather, and lead their people. The board is modular, composed of hexes in various terrain types. Each turn you roll two dice, and may select from four actions. The power of your action depends on your die roll PLUS the last couple of dice on that action card. Victory is possible in a couple ways: gathering resources to build villages and/or completing development and achievement goals for your civilization.

A'WRITHE: A GAME OF ELDRITCH CONTORTIONS

Summon the Great Old Ones by having them align their bodies over Arkham.

In the game A'Writhe: A Game of Eldritch Contortions, players gather in teams of two. Each team consists of a cultist player and a Great Old One player. The cultist is assisting the Great Old One and attempting to summon them to our plane. To do this, the cultist instructs their deity, with great veneration, to place an appendage on top of an Arkham landmark to complete a specific pattern. The problem is that it is nigh impossible to have one Great Old One form this pattern by itself; that's why if another deity is touching any parts of your pattern, you can use that appendage to complete your own pattern!

Up to three teams of two can play in this contortionist battle of positioning.

SCYTHE: MY LITTLE SCYTHE

My Little Scythe is a competitive, family-friendly game in which each player controls 2 animal miniatures embarking upon an adventure in the Kingdom of Pomme.

In an effort to be the first to earn 4 trophies from 8 possible categories, players take turns choosing to Move, Seek, or Make. These actions will allow players to increase their friendship and pies, power up their actions, complete quests, learn magic spells, deliver gems and apples to Castle Everfree, and perhaps even engage in a pie fight.

Some of My Little Scythe’s mechanisms are inspired by the bestselling game, Scythe. It caught the eye of Stonemaier Games as a fan-created print-and-play game in 2017 (it went on to win the BoardGameGeek 2017 award for best print-and-play game). ... See MoreSee Less

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Emerald City Comics added 13 new photos.

1 week ago

Here are the comics and graphic novels that caught our attention in this month’s Previews!

To ensure that you get these books when they arrive, please call the store at 727-398-2665, or email our Books & New Comics Merchant at comics@emeraldcitycomics.com, to reserve a copy!

From the Previews Catalog #359, AUGUST 2018 (for books arriving mainly in OCTOBER 2018)…
www.previewsworld.com/catalog

MISTER MIRACLE TP
DC COMICS
(W) Tom King (A/CA) Mitch Gerads
The critically acclaimed 12-issue mini-series is collected in time for the holidays!
Scott Free is the greatest escape artist who ever lived. So great that he escaped Granny Goodness' gruesome orphanage and the dangers of Apokolips to travel across galaxies and set up a new life on Earth with his wife, the former Female Fury known as Big Barda. Using the stage alter ego of Mister Miracle, he has made a career for himself showing off his acrobatic escape techniques. He even caught the attention of the Justice League, which counted him among its ranks.
You might say Scott Free has everything...so why isn't it enough? Mister Miracle has mastered every illusion, achieved every stunt, pulled off every trick-except one. He has never escaped death. Is it even possible? Our hero is going to have to kill himself if he wants to find out.

SHURI #1
MARVEL COMICS
(W) Nnedi Okorafor (A) Leonardo Romero (CA) Sam Spratt
FOLLOWING IN THE FOOTSTEPS OF THE BLACK PANTHER!
The world fell in love with her in the movie. Now, the Black Panther's techno-genius sister launches her own adventures - written by best-selling Afrofuturist author Nnedi Okorafor and drawn by Eisner-nominated artist Leonardo Romero!
The Black Panther has disappeared, lost on a mission in space. And in his absence, everyone's looking at the next in line for the throne. But Shuri is happiest in a lab, surrounded by gadgets of her own creation. She'd rather be testing gauntlets than throwing them. But a nation without a leader is a vulnerable one - and Shuri may have to choose between Wakanda's welfare and her own.

JESSICA JONES MPGN TP BLIND SPOT
MARVEL COMICS
(W) Kelly Thompson (A) Mattia De Iulis (CA) Martin Simmonds
JeInsteassica has just faced her greatest fears - her most dangerous enemy - and won! Surely everything is smooth sailing from here? Nope! d she finds a corpse in her office - the body of a woman who came to Jessica for help years ago with a case Jessica failed to solve. And now she's being framed for the woman's murder! As Jessica reopens her investigation in hopes of bringing Dia Sloane's killer to justice, she finds herself caught in the web of a serial killer intent on murdering women with powers. Can Jessica figure out how all the pieces connect before the killer claims their next victim? The Sorcerer Supreme, Doctor Strange, is not being helpful - shocker. But how is monster hunter extraordinaire Elsa Bloodstone tied up in this whole mess?

IMMORTAL HULK TP VOL 01 OR IS HE BOTH
MARVEL COMICS
(W) Al Ewing & Various (A) Joe Bennett (CA) Alex Ross
Horror has a name. You'd never notice the man. He doesn't like to be noticed. He's quiet. Calm. If someone were to shoot him in the head...all he'd do is die. Until night falls - and someone else gets up again. The man's name is Banner. The horror is the Immortal Hulk! And trouble has a way of following them both. As reporter Jackie McGee tries to put together the pieces, Banner treads a lonely path from town to town, finding murder, mystery and tragedy as he goes. And what Banner finds, the Hulk smashes! Elsewhere, the hero called Sasquatch can't help but feel involved. In many ways, he's Banner's equal - and his opposite. Sasquatch is about to risk his life by looking for the man - and finding the monster! Collecting IMMORTAL HULK #1-5 and material from AVENGERS (2016) #684 by Jim Zub and Mark Waid.

BLACKBIRD #1
IMAGE COMICS
(W) Sam Humphries (A/CA) Jen Bartel
An all-new ongoing series from fan-favorite writer SAM HUMPHRIES (Harley Quinn, Nightwing) and red-hot artist JEN BARTEL!
In this neo-noir fantasy, Nina Rodriguez is positive that a secret magic world ruled by ruthless cabals is hiding just beneath the veneer of Los Angeles. The problem: everyone thinks she's crazy. The bigger problem: she's not crazy - she's right. Can she unravel the mystery before the Great Beast catches up with her?

DEAD RABBIT #1
IMAGE COMICS
(W) Gerry Duggan (A/CA) John McCrea
Back in the '90s, DEAD RABBIT was a prolific Boston stick-up man and hoodlum, until he took down one last big score and disappeared. Nobody ever discovered the truth: he retired to be with the love of his life. Now he's back in the mask to save her, but no one-not his wife, the mafia, or the cops-is happy that he's out of retirement.
From JOHN McCREA, the artist and co-creator of MYTHIC and Hitman, and GERRY DUGGAN, the writer of ANALOG and Deadpool, comes the action-comedy-drama tale of Martin Dobbs, a.k.a. DEAD RABBIT, the man who says he's descended from one of the original gangs of New York City. Get on board with the oversized first issue of an all-new ONGOING SERIES for mature readers.

NORROWAY TP BOOK 01 BLACK BULL OF NORROWAY
IMAGE COMICS
(W) Cat Seaton (A/CA) Kit Seaton
Sibylla always wanted adventure, but she didn't know it would come in the form of a giant, magical bull. Is he a man, or a monster? And who knew a prophecy could be so literal?
The first title in a new series co-created by sibling writer/artist team CAT SEATON and KIT SEATON, begins the adventure of a lifetime.

UMBRELLA ACADEMY HOTEL OBLIVION #1
DARK HORSE COMICS
(W) Gerard Way (A) Gabriel Ba, Nick Filardi (CA) Gabriel Ba
Faced with an increasing number of lunatics with superpowers eager to face off with his own wunderkind brood, Sir Reginald Hargreeves developed the ultimate solution ...
Now, just a few years after Hargreeves's death, his Umbrella Academy is scattered. Number Five is a hired gun, Kraken is stalking big game, Rumor is dealing with the wreckage of her marriage, a rotund Spaceboy runs around the streets of Tokyo, Vanya continues her physical therapy after being shot in the head-and no one wants to even mention Seance until issue #2.
With a Netflix series soon to debut, the award-winning and best-selling superhero series returns, stranger than ever-
And their past is coming back to hunt them.

HIGHEST HOUSE TP
IDW PUBLISHING
(W) Mike Carey (A) Peter Gross (CA) Yuko Shimizu
To be born a slave is in fact not a fatality. And facts can be changed. In the country of Ossaniul, there is a fortress that is as disproportionate as it is inaccessible: the Highest House. Its masters, the noble family of Aldercrest, reign over a veritable army of slaves. At the bottom of the ladder, young Moth performs the most thankless tasks and has little hope of living past childhood. Until the day he meets Obsidian, a mysterious prisoner of the House who whispers to him in his sleep. If Moth does what he asks, Obsidian will give him fortune and glory. And there's every indication that Obsidian can make good on his promises. Will Moth accept the offer?
Through a subtle alternate history, The Highest House takes us to a fictional country reminiscent of the Balkan kingdoms of the 16th century. Mike Carey and Peter Gross (Lucifer, The Unwritten) draw from this context a captivating fantasy narrative that reflects on the human soul, the corrupting power of slavery, and the inequalities of class, all from the different perspectives of the House's many inhabitants. Both immediate and timeless, Highest House is a multifaceted fantasy sure to stay with readers long after the final page has turned.

LODGER #1
IDW PUBLISHING
(W) David Lapham, Maria Lapham (A/CA) David Lapham
A handsome drifter murders his way through the midwest while hiding in plain sight as a travel blogger, leaving families in shreds and body bags in his wake. Ricky Toledo was fifteen when she fell hard for "Dante"-until he killed her mother and got her father sent to prison for it. It's three years later, and Ricky will stop at nothing to get revenge. Lodger is a dark, grimy, psychological thriller-a game of cat and mouse between a broken young woman and a serial killer-and like all the best crime noir... a twisted love story.
A new series from Eisner Award winners David and Maria Lapham!
BLACK CROWN'S first black and white miniseries!

SPARROWHAWK #1
BOOM! STUDIOS
(W) Delilah Dawson (A) Matias Basla (CA) Miguel Mercado
Teen Victorian fairy fight club!
As the illegitimate daughter of a Naval Captain, Artemesia has never fit in with her father's family, nor the high class world to which they belong. However, when she is targeted by the Faerie Queen and pulled into another realm, she has no choice but to try and save the world that has always hated her.
Writer Delilah S. Dawson (Ladycastle, Star Wars: Forces of Destiny) and artist Matias Basla (The Claw and Fang) present a beautiful, gripping tale perfect for fans of Labyrinth and Princeless.

SONS OF EL TOPO ORIGINAL GN HC VOL 01 CAIN
BOOM! STUDIOS
(W) Alejandro Jodorowsky (A/CA) Jose Ladrönn
Legendary filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky (The Incal, Metabarons) and virtuosic illustrator José Ladrönn (Cable, Incredible Hulk) deliver a sequel to Jodorowsky's cult classic film, El Topo.
El Topo was once a bandit without limits, a man with no moral compass, until his journey through the desert brought him to religion and enlightenment. As he became a holy vessel imbued with the power to perform miracles, he left behind his first born son Cain, and brought forth the birth of Abel.
Fueled by resentment, and unable to kill his saintly father, Cain begins the slow pursuit of his half brother in a tale of magic and mayhem.

ON A SUNBEAM GN
:01 FIRST SECOND
(W/A/CA) Tillie Walden
An epic graphic novel about a girl who travels to the ends of the universe to find a long lost love, from acclaimed author Tillie Walden. Throughout the deepest reaches of space, a crew rebuilds beautiful and broken-down structures, painstakingly putting the past together. As Mia, the newest member, gets to know her team, the story flashes back to her pivotal year in boarding school, where she fell in love with a mysterious new student. When Mia grows close to her new friends, she reveals her true purpose for joining their ship-to track down her long-lost love. An inventive world, a breathtaking love story, and stunning art come together in this new work by award-winning artist Tillie Walden. Available in softcover and hardcover editions. ... See MoreSee Less

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Emerald City Comics added 5 new photos.

2 weeks ago

THORNWATCH

Thornwatch is a graphic novel adventure game for 2-5 players and a Judge. Players are manifestations of the Thornwatch: scarred veterans of the Eyrewood who now live as spirits summoned by the ancient ritual of tying a knot of thorns around a birch tree. The Thornwatch summoned to a particular tree do not necessarily know each other or the true nature of the problem they've been called to resolve; all they know is that they've answered the call, and they're bound to see it through.

Thornwatch bestows upon one player the role of the Judge, who enacts the will of the Judging Wood. Each other player plays a Thornwatch character: the Blade, Briarlock, Greenheart, Guard, Sage, or Warden. The game begins with the Judge selecting a storyboard in which the Thornwatch manifest before a tree adorned with a knot of thorny brambles, surrounded by conflict. If the players overcome this first challenge, the Judge offers choices that lead to new storyboards and further adventure.

The game takes place on one of many maps that display forests, swamps, and villages of the Eyrewood. The pawns lay flat, as if the heroes, enemies, and denizens of the forest are characters in a set of comic book panels.

The core engine is the momentum system. This system tracks turn order and monster health, encourages teamwork, and creates dynamic combat with priorities that change turn-by-turn and round-by-round.

The Thornwatch players each have decks of cards which give them skills and actions, as well as playmats and trait cards to show their unique outlook on the world. They roll custom dice including hero dice gained by manifesting their traits. Each session Thornwatch players have an opportunity to gain knots, which grant their wearer a bonus, regardless of which Thornwatch they choose to manifest in a particular session

DC SPYFALL

Based on the social party game Spyfall, DC Spyfall is an easy-to-learn party game that features bluffing, suspicion, probing questions, and clever answers. At the start of each round, players receive a secret card informing them of the group's location — one of twenty unique DC locations, including Arkham Asylum, the Daily Planet, the Hall of Justice, and S.T.A.R. Labs — except for one player who receives the Joker card instead. The Joker doesn't know where he is, but if he can figure out his location before his cover is blown, he wins the round!

DC Spyfall includes a few twists on the Spyfall formula. Since Harley Quinn usually follows wherever the Joker goes, each round, one player may receive a location card with a Harley image; if they do, they try to feed the Joker player information about the location, even if they don't know that player’s identity! If the Joker player guesses the location, the two collaborators each score points — unless the superheroes can turn the tables on them and determine who Harley is.

The game includes two multiverse decks that contain eight different locations instead of only one, so players will be confused with some of the questions and answers. Keep in mind that no one at the table knows whether or not they are playing with a multiverse deck. An all-Joker deck gives each player a Joker card, which means that all questions and answers will be based on nothing more than whatever players collectively believe. As with the multiverse decks, you won't know you're playing with this deck until someone figures it out.

Super power cards can give a player an ability for a round, such as being able to dodge a question, or require a player to modify their behavior; for example, Super Speed forces a player to answer a question in three words or less.

DISNEY VILLAINOUS

In Villainous, each player takes control of one of six Disney characters, each one a villain in a different Disney movie. Each player has their own villain deck, fate deck, player board, and 3D character.

On a turn, the active player moves their character to a different location on their player board, takes one or more of the actions visible on that space (often by playing cards from their hand), then refills their hand to four cards. Cards are allies, items, effects, conditions, and (for some characters) curses. You need to use your cards to fulfill your unique win condition.

One of the actions allows you to choose another player, draw two cards from that player's fate deck, then play one of them on that player's board, covering two of the four action spaces on one of that player's locations. The fate deck contains heroes, items, and effects from that villain's movie, and these cards allow other players to mess with that particular villain.

SAMURAI JACK: BACK TO THE PAST

Based on the fifth and final season of the animated series, Samurai Jack: Back to the Past picks up the title character's mission to return to the era before the reign of his adversary, the evil demon Aku. Jack's friends accompany him along a path, comprised of various locations from the series, to defeat villains and finish with the most honor. Winning requires utilizing allies, traits, and weapons while guarding Jack's sanity, taking players on an unpredictable ride that mirrors the story-rich episodes revered by critics and loved by fans.

Samurai Jack: Back to the Past features custom sculpted figures for Jack, Aku, Ashi, and more characters from the series.

LEGEND OF THE FIVE RINGS RPG

In Rokugan, it is said that honor is stronger than steel. While even the finest blade can bend and break under the heat of the forge, the Emerald Empire’s society has been folded in the forges of politics and war for more than a thousand years, and it has not yet broken. The society of Rokugan follows a divinely ordered pattern set down by the eight Kami, who shared their celestial blessings with the mortal realm. Rokugan is a land of strict social stratification, where an improper look at the wrong time can mean death.

This is an era of sudden change and upheaval, however. Mortal schemes, natural calamities, and celestial turmoil alike have disrupted the political, military, and spiritual equilibrium of the land. Long-simmering rivalries and fresh betrayals ripple through the courts and on the battlefield. The Chrysanthemum Throne is beset by threats from without and within, and the honor of the seven Great Clans—the families descended from the heroes of legend and sworn to rule their lands in the Emperor's name—shall be put to the test.

This is the stage of The Legend of the Five Rings Beginner Game, a new roleplaying experience in the land of honor and steel.

The Legend of the Five Rings Beginner Game allows anyone to take on the role of a Samurai in Rokugan With a full range of four character folios, a fully realized adventure book, a set of custom dice, a map of Rokugan, a variety of tokens and a complete set of rules including a play example, The Legend of the Five Rings Beginner Game gives newbies and veterans alike the perfect door to the Emerald Empire. ... See MoreSee Less

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Emerald City Comics added 13 new photos.

2 weeks ago

THIS SATURDAY @ EC!!!

Celebrate the release this Wednesday of Marvel's Fantastic Four #1, with our Fantastic Four Number One Celebration at EC! event THIS SATURDAY, where the FIRST 100 GUESTS at 11am will receive a FREE HUMAN TORCH BLOCK FIGURE!!!

The FIRST 50 GUESTS at 11am will receive THEIR CHOICE of a FREE CLASSIC FF BUTTON by JOHN ROMITA, or an FF #1 FULL-COLOR COMIC BACKBOARD!!!

Also, ALL GUESTS, ALL DAY can enter our FREE ALL-DAY RAFFLE for a chance to win* a FANTASTIC FOUR F4N PACK, featuring 1 Fantastic Four: Season One hardcover (2012; 136 pgs.), 1 The Little Book of Fantastic Four hardcover (2017; 192 pgs.), and 1 Fantastic Four Classic Comic short box!!!

(The winner will be called on Monday, Aug. 13th!)

That's THIS Saturday ONLY, and ONLY @ Emerald City Comics!!! Come see why we've been nominated again for Creative Loafing Tampa's Best of the Bay!!! ... See MoreSee Less

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Emerald City Comics added 44 new photos — at Emerald City Comics.

3 weeks ago

Marvel Studios' Ant-Man & The Wasp has been a GIANT-SIZED hit at the box office, and EC helped our EC Family Members "swarm" the store with excitement at these teenie-tiny titans' success!!!

We gave away FREE Ant-Man masks, comics, and of course, a raffle for Ant-Man and Wasp graphic novels for kids, and a $100 EC GIFT CERTIFICATE, which is a pretty gigantic take-away!!!

Even Ant-Man himself was here to party with our Guests... and fortunately no one was stepped on!!!

For even more Marvel goodness, stop by and see your friends at EC!!!

Thanks to everyone who came out to be part of the fun!!! ... See MoreSee Less

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Emerald City Comics added 21 new photos — with Rafael Loureiro and James Haick.

3 weeks ago

Indie comics are hugely popular right now, and the latest debut from Scout Comics is a "totally gnarly" reason why!!!

The Mall Comic takes place in a small Florida town in the 1980s, where three high-schoolers each inherit a store in the local shopping mall. The fact that the mob is a not-so-silent partner spells total, gag-me-with-a-spoon trouble for these well-meaning kids. Think The Breakfast Club meets "Goodfellas," and you've got the idea!!!

The second issue will be available Aug. 29th, and you'll want to reserve your copy with us today!!!

In the meantime, EC was honored to host a special Friday night signing with "The Mall"'s creative team, Fort Myers' James Haick, author of Solar Flare Comic, and emerging artist Rafael Loureiro, who traveled all the way from Sao Paulo, Brazil!!!

Our Guests had an amazing time, discussing comics, and looking at Rafael's breath-taking artwork!!! James also shared details about his next project, Long Live Pro Wrestling, which is coming soon!!! Click all the way through this album to see a sneak preview!!!

We'll be having a special 80s-themed event celebrating the release of issue #2, so stay tuned for details as they arrive!!! ... See MoreSee Less

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