Alien Books is getting a mild-by-comparison to publishing partner IDW rebrand before San Diego Comic-Con 2025, with a new logo and teases of several upcoming projects. Those include manga series Badducks, an anthology titled X-O Manowar: Black, White & Gold, and more.
“It’s been an exceptionally busy year here at Alien Books,” said Director/Editor-in-Chief Matias Timarchi via a press release provided to Comic Book Club. “From beginning our new partnership with IDW Publishing, to launching multiple successful crowdfunding projects on Kickstarter, teaming up with Zorro Productions, and continuing the revitalization of Valiant Comics with DMG Entertainment, we’ve grown fast and are reaching more readers than ever before. And we’re not stopping anytime soon!”
First up is Badducks, by Toryumon Takeda, which joins Alien’s growing manga library. The fantasy/sci-fi series follows a man who sold his organs to pay off his debt, and in the process, becomes a powerful cyborg. Can I also sell my organs, in that case? Anyway, after ending up in servitude to the mob, he and a lady named Lisa escape with a suitcase full of money and a baby. The first of four volumes will arrive in Fall 2026.
“It’s a joy to be able to bring mangaka Toryumon Takeda’s exceptional BADDUCKS series to a global audience,” continued Timarchi. “We’re always looking for new titles from creators on the rise and BADDUCKS fits the bill, no pun intended.”
As for the Valiant part of the equation, the X-O Manowar anthology mentioned above will head to Kickstarter for a hardcover edition, and feature new stories by: Shintaro Kago, Marc Guggenheim, Kevin Roditeli, Sylvain Runberg, Roberto Meli, Adriano Barone, Luca Blengino, Mike Baron, Alex Segura, Diego Agrimbau, Sean Lewis, Dan Abnett, Peter Milligan, Louis Southard, Derek Fridolfs, AJ Ampadu and many more. Kickstarter pledgers will also have the option to add on the previously announced X-O Manowar #0, Artist’s Edition and Facsimile Edition.
As you may have noticed in the teasers, a new glitched-out version of the Alien Books logo will begin appearing on first issues of Valiant Beyond comics. Explained Timarchi, “I’m a big fan of The X-Files and the glitchy VHS aesthetic of the 80s and 90s. I wanted our logo to be something that calls back to an earlier era of media, where people still valued physical goods and shared them with friends. It’s not a play for nostalgia as much as it’s a desire to stick out in a sea of overly polished and sterile logos that are everywhere these days.”
Alongside the anthology and an ashcan teasing the new reader-friendly Valiant Beyond line available at SDCC, Timarchi also revealed there’s an as-yet unannounced crossover coming between a Valiant character and “a mystery opponent from an iconic fighting game franchise.”
“I can’t say anything else about this crossover or I’ll get in trouble,” said Timarchi. “It’s something very unexpected but it also makes perfect sense for anyone who grew up in the 1990s as a fan of comics and video games to see these two brands collide.”
My guess is Blanka from Street Fighter taking on Archer and Armstrong, but I guess we’ll see! You can find out more about all of this at IDW’s booth at SDCC, #2729.
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