New Releases: April 2024

stories by Michel Corday, André Couvreur, ,Jules Janin, Maurice Renard, Esward Rod and Jacques Spitz; translated by Brian Stableford; edited by J.-M. & Randy Lofficier; cover by Stephan Martiniere. US$29.95 - 6x9 tpb, 400  p. 
The mad scientist is a stereotypical, archetypal scientist who is often a cliché or commonplace in popular fiction. He can be absent-minded and harmless, or wicked and dangerous. French science fiction, in particular, features a remarkable number of novels and stories on this theme, enough to justify the three volumes that we intend to devote to this topic. 
In this thematic collection we have gathered six remarkable stories by Michel Corday, André Couvreur, Jules Janin, Maurice Renard, Edward Rod and Jacques Spitz, published between 1845 and 1939, that encapsulate the basic archetypes of the mad scientist: he is obsessed with his research; he develops innovative technologies at the cutting edge of his era’s knowledge, often out of sheer daring; he appears to be lacking in common sense; he likes to play God without realizing the consequences of his actions.

story & art by Guido Zamperoni, adapted by JM & R Lofficier. cover by Alfredo Macall..  7x10 squarebound comic, 88 pages b&w,  US$12.95.
Twenty-five year-old Ben Leonard, a journalist working for the newspaper The Globe, suddenly discovers that he is the reincarnation of the mythical Egyptian sun-god Râ, the Lord of Light and King of Heliopolis, a legendary “lost city” of mysterious Immortals, which once gave rise to the Ancient Egyptians’ pantheon. Murdered by his evil and jealous brother Set, Râ’s soul was hidden inside a mortal body for millennia by the powers of the wise Thô, to await the time for him to rise again. Having now recovered his true identity and powers, Ben’s awesome task is to defeat Set and free the Immortals of Heliopolis whom the villainous Set has turned to stone. His only allies in this tremendous battle are his two colleagues, journalists Pip and Lucy. Ben Leonard made his first appearance in 1971 in Kiwi magazine. It was the creation of Milanese artist Guido Zamperoni (1912-2003).