Comics Review: "CABRA CINI: Interdimensional Hitwoman #0" is a Dark Gem

CABRA CINI: INTERDIMENSTIONAL HITWOMAN #0

ACTUALITY PRESS

STORY: Sam Johnson

ART: Mike J.C.; Fernando Melek

COLORS: Mark Dodson; Harwan Stia Yoga

LETTERS: Kris Johnson with Paul McLaren; Paul McLaren

COVER: Carlos Granda with Chunlin Zhao

VARIANT COVER ARTISTS: Carlos Villas; Yannis Rubus Rubulias

28pp, Color, £12 (print), £8 (digital)

Suggest for mature readers

Cabra Cini created by Sam Johnson

“Control/Freaked (a flashback story)”; “One-Night Stand”

Cabra Cini is a comics character created by writer Sam Johnson.  He is best known as the writer and creator of the sexy superhero, Geek-Girl, who has starred both in a comedy-fantasy miniseries and in an ongoing series.  Cabra Cini is a former sex worker who used “voodoo magik” to free herself of her abusive pimp/boyfriend.  Now, she is the hit woman addicted to voodoo, Cabra Cini: Hitwoman.

Johnson recently launched a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign in order to publish Cabra Cini: Interdimensional Hitwoman #0.  This standalone comic book collects two Cabra Cini stories, “Control/Freaked (a flashback story)” and “One-Night Stand.”  Both stories are a prelude to the upcoming Cabri Cini/Geek-Girl: Exodus four-issue miniseries.

Cabra Cini: Interdimensional Hitwoman #0 begins with the story, “Control/Freaked (a flashback story),” which is drawn by Mike J.C., colored by Mark Dodson; and lettered by Kris Johnson with Paul McLaren.  “Control/Freaked (a flashback story)” opens in Detroit.  The pimp, Joe Note, is having zombie trouble, and he wants Cabra's help.  To help this criminal, however, Cabra will have to rely a “Voodoo Warlord” who does not want to be summoned.

Next, is “One-Night Stand,” which is drawn by Fernando Melek; colored by Harwan Stia Yoga, and lettered by Paul McLaren.  The story is set in Detroit and in the Infinite.  Jacob Trencher and Henry talk “E” and the amazing way it enhances sexual intercourse before talking of payback against Ethan Drew arises. Meanwhile, Cabra is tripping on drugs, having a baby, and getting the crap kicked out of her.

THE LOWDOWN:  Sam Johnson provided me with a PDF review copy of Cabra Cini: Interdimensional Hitwoman #0.  The Kickstarter campaign for this comic book has already started.

Cabra Cini is both weird and dark, which I think is a natural feature of the genre.  Like its predecessor, Cabra Cini: Voodoo Junkie Hitwoman #0 Deluxe, Cabra Cini: Interdimensional Hitwoman #0 is darkly weird and weirdly dark in that its stories go deep into various sectors of the criminal underworld.  Once more, Johnson, as usual, has a good time writing the poison darts and tart treats that are the adventures of Cabra Cini in a lascivious and down and dirty world.

Mike J.C. gives “Control/Freaked” the edgy energy it needs to punch readers in the face.  I really like Mike's graphical storytelling, and the energy he brings made want this story to not end.  Artist Fernando Melek and colorist Harwan Stia Yoga give Sam Johnson's surreal merry-go-round that is One-Night Stand” the slick, pretty art and bright colors that it needs to thrive.

This comic book ties into the Cabra Cini/Geek-Girl: Exodus miniseries, but there is also a Kickstarter for  Cabra Cini: Interdimensional Hitwoman #0.

I READS YOU RECOMMENDS:  Fans of writer Sam Johnson's comic books and of Cabra Cini will want to both fund and read Cabra Cini: Interdimensional Hitwoman #0.

A

Reviewed by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

The “Cabra Cini: Interdimensional Hitwoman #0” Kickstarter page is here or at https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/geekgirlcomics/cabracini-0. 

Or you can preorder it here or at https://www.indyplanet.com/cabra-cini-interdimensional-hitwoman-0.

https://twitter.com/daSamJohnson

https://twitter.com/Markosia

https://twitter.com/Markosia_News

https://markosia.com/

The text is copyright © 2026 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 13th to 19th, 2026 - UPDATE #8

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links to join Prime Video, or to shop at my MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

MOVIES - From THR:  John Leguizamo will play the main bad guy in "Miami Vice '85" next to stars Michael B. Jordan and Austin Butler.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Brad Pitt will return for a sequel to his 2013 smash hit film, "World War Z." Edward Berger ("Conclave") will direct.

NETFLIX - From WorldofReel:  "Empire Magazine" has a first look at director Greta Gerwig's "Narnia" movies, "Narnia: The Magician's Nephew."

MOVIES - From CincinnatiEnquirer:  Mark Wahlberg provides details concerning his biopic about Major League Baseball legend, the late Pete Rose (1941-2024).  According the Oscar-nominated actor and producer, the film will focus on the last part of Rose's career as a player and a manager, his pursuit of Ty Cobb's MLB hit record (4,189), and Rose's life after baseball. 

EMMYS - From Variety:  The winners at the 2026 / 78th Primetime Emmy Awards have been announced.  Apple TV+'s "Widow's Bay," won "Outstanding Comedy Series."  That was one of its 14 wins, the most for a comedy series in Emmy Awards history.  HBO Max's "The Pitt" won for "Outstanding Drama Series," one of its seven wins.  This is "The Pitt's" second win in this category.

From Deadline:  Night 1 of the 2026 / 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards have kicked off.  "Deadline" has a complete list of "Night 1" winners at what was formerly known as the "Creative Arts Emmys."

From Variety:  Night 2 of the 2026 / 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards are completed.  "Variety" has a complete list of "Night 2" winners at what was formerly known as the "Creative Arts Emmys."

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BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/11 to 9/13/2026 weekend box office is Warner Bros' "Practical Magic 2" with an estimated gross of 30 million dollars.

AWARDS - From Variety:  The winners at the 2026 / 83rd Venice Film Festival have been announced.  The "Golden Lion for Best Film" went to Danish director May El-Toukhy's "Woman Unknown."  John Malkovich won the "Volpi Cup for Best Actor" for his performance in director Martin McDonagh's "Wild Horse Nine."

OBITS:

From Deadline:  American fashion designer and costumier, Bob Mackie, has died at the age of 87, Monday, September 14, 2026.  Mackie is best known for his dressing of numerous entertainment personalities for television, movies, concerts, and live stage shows, including Elton John, Dolly Parton, Barbara Streisand, Tina Turner, and most notably Cher.  He was the costume designer for the former CBS variety show, "The Carol Burnett Show," during its 11-year run.  Mackie was nominated three times for the "Best Costume Designer" Oscar.  He was nominated 32 times at the Primetime Emmy Awards, winning nine times.  In 2019, he won a Tony Award for his work on "The Cher Show."

From Deadline:  The British film producer, Jeremy Thomas, has died at the age of 77, Friday, September 11, 2026.  Thomas won the "Best Picture" Oscar for producing director Bernardo Bertolucci's 1987 film, "The Last Emperor."  Thomas also produced Bertolucci's "The Sheltering Sky" (1990), ""Little Buddha" (1993), and "Stealing Beauty" (1995).  He also produced such acclaimed films as "Naked Lunch" (1991), "Crash" (1996), "Sexy Beast" (2001), and "Fast Food Nation" (2006), to name a few.

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Review: "DEAD SPACE: DOWNFALL" is Insane-in-the-Membrane Entertainment

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 10 of 2026 (No. 2058) by Leroy Douresseaux

Dead Space: Downfall (2008) – Video

Running time:  74 minutes (1 hour, 14 minutes)

Rating: MPAA – not rated

DIRECTOR:  Chuck Patton with Curt Geda and Vinton Heuck

WRITERS:  Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray (based on the story and characters from the video game, Dead Space)

PRODUCERS:  Chuck Beaver, Joe Goyette, Cate Latchford, Glen A. Schofield, and Robert Weaver

EDITOR: John Hoyos

COMPOSER: Seth Podowitz

ANIMATION STUDIOS:  Film Roman, JM Animation, Digital eMation, Inc., and Hanho Heung Up Co., Ltd

ANIME/HORROR/SCI-FI/ACTION

Starring:  (voices) Nika Futterman, Keith Szarabajka, Jim Cummings, Kevin Michael Richardson, Kelly Hu, Bruce Boxleitner, Phil Morris, and Grey DeLisle

Dead Space: Downfall is a 2008 American straight-to-video, horror, science fiction, and action animated film from director Chuck Patton.  The film is a co-production between Starz Media, Film Roman, and Electronic Arts.  The film is based on Electronic Arts' 2008 survival horror video game, Dead Space.  Dead Space: Downfall the movie was first released direct-to-DVD in October 2008.  Downfall focuses on a spaceship security chief who must fight a horde of animated and mutated corpses.

Dead Space: Downfall is set in the year 2508 and begins on the planet “Aegis VII.”  It is the site of an illegal mining operation funded by Earth's “Church of Unitology.”  During a scouting mission, a team of geologists discovers a strange monolith-like structure that is dubbed “the Artifact.”

Sometime later, a spaceship, “the USG Ishimura,” arrives in orbit over the planet.  The Ishimura's Captain Mathius (Jim Cummings) orders that the Artifact be brought aboard.  Alissa Vincent (Nika Futterman), the security chief of the Ishimura, believes that bringing the Artifact aboard is a mistake, especially as the Aegis VII colony seems to be undergoing a catastrophic breakdown.  Vincent's misgivings prove to be correct.  Now, she leads her six-person security team through the bowels of the Ishimura in a bid to stop a growing infestation of reanimated and mutated corpses.  This outbreak may have begun on Aegis VII and worse, been instigated by the Artifact.

I don't play video games, and, prior to just seeing Dead Space: Downfall, the only thing I knew about the Dead Space game was its name.  However, I am a fan of comic book writer-artist-publisher, Jimmy Palmiotti (Paper Films), and I am a fan of the work he does with his writing partner, Justin Gray.  Palmiotti occasionally reminds his social media followers that he and Gray wrote the screenplay for a movie tie-in to Dead Space, the animated film that is Dead Space: Downfall.

After having watched Downfall, I highly recommend it because it is both a hugely entertaining science fiction-action film and a genuine, true-blood horror film.  I understand that Dead Space the game has specific media inspirations, some of them unfamiliar to me.  However, I would favorably compare it to director Ridley Scott's Alien (1979), director John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982), and director James Cameron's Aliens (1986).

Palmiotti and Gray offer a tight screenplay that grabs the background and back story of the first Dead Space games and creates a tight action-thriller that does not hold back on its darkest elements.  Downfall's director, Chuck Patton, leads a team of filmmakers and animators that take the script and brings its gleeful insanity to life.  There is gore galore, manically-depicted evisceration, dismemberment, and disembowelment.

With that said, Dead Space: Downfall is genuinely a very good and very entertaining movie.  It is no-holds-barred scary, and there is an intense sense of hopeless that offers just a teeny bit of hope in order to keep the audience invested.  This certainly is an enjoyable film worth the investment.  I kept watching because I couldn't stop, no matter how much dread I felt, and there is dread aplenty.

The animation is top-notch, although some of the CGI elements occasionally turn transparent, and I could see the background through them.  The voice actors, lead by strong performances from Nika Futterman and Kevin Michael Richardson, make their characters come across as authentic and authentically nuts.

I can nitpick a few things, mainly because this animated film needed a longer running time in order to give its storytelling ambitions time to expand.  Regardless, Dead Space: Downfall is a shocker.  As far as American anime films go, and especially as far as straight-to-video films go, Dead Space: Downfall is exceptional in its execution and in its unrestrained madness.

7 of 10

A-

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, September 15, 2026

NOTES:

"DEADSPACE: DOWNFALL" is available at Amazon on Bluray, DVD, and on PrimeVideo, where it is free if you have a Prime Video membership.  You can stream it for free on the FAST (free ad-supported streaming television) services, Tubi, Plex, and TheCW.  Regarding "Plex," when I used my smart TV and searched for "Downfall" on the "Plex" app, the movie didn't show up in the search results, but it is available at the Plex website.

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The text is copyright © 2026 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site or blog for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links to join Amazon Prime, or to shop at my BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).

Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 6th to 12th, 2026 - UPDATE #5

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links to join Prime Video, or to shop at my MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Hot off his monster hit, "Spider-Man: Brand New Day," director Destin Daniel Cretton is leading Paramount's development of a film based on the late CBS police drama, "Hawaii Five-O" (1968-80).

BOX OFFICE - From BoxOfficePro:  The winner of the 9/4 to 9/6/2026 weekend box office is Sony Pictures/Marvel Studios' "Spider-Man: Brand New Day" with an estimated 18 million dollars.

From Variety:  Summer 2026 breaks the all-time box office with 4.67 million dollars, surpassing 2013's 4.755 billion dollars.

EMMYS - From Deadline:  Night 1 of the 2026 / 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards have kicked off.  "Deadline" has a complete list of "Night 1" winners at what was formerly known as the "Creative Arts Emmys."

From Variety:  Night 2 of the 2026 / 78th annual Primetime Emmy Awards are completed.  "Variety" has a complete list of "Night 2" winners at what was formerly known as the "Creative Arts Emmys."

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MOVIES - From Deadline:  Oscar-winner, Danny Boyle ("Slumdog Millionaire"), reveals that he used generative AI in his new film, "Ink."

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Review: Pixar's "HOPPERS" Surprises and Amazes

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 9 of 2026 (No. 2057) by Leroy Douresseaux

Hoppers (2026)

Running time:  104 minutes (1 hour, 44 minutes)

Rating:  MPA – PG for action/peril, some scary images and mild language

DIRECTOR:  Daniel Chong

WRITERS:  Jesse Andrews and Daniel Chong; from a story by Jesse Andrews

PRODUCER:  Nicole Paradis Grindle

CINEMATOGRAPHERS:  Jeremy Lasky and Ian Megibben

EDITOR:  Axel Geddes

COMPOSER: Mark Mothersbaugh

SONG: “Save the Day” sung by SZA and written by SZA, Ben Lovett, and Rob Bisel

ANIMATION/FANTASY/FAMILY and ADVENTURE/COMEDY

SUMMARY OF REVIEW:

Disney/Pixar's Hoppers has some of the best chase sequences and action scenes that I've ever seen in a Pixar film. They're better than what audiences find in a lot of live-action films

The characters are an utter delight. I think most viewers of Hoppers will see themselves in Mabel Tanaka, and the animal characters memorable in the way many Disney/Pixar animated characters tend to be

The science fiction elements in Hoppers are as charming as the magical elements found in the best fantasy films. This movie is made to delight adults and children of many ages because it is one of Disney/Pixar's best

Starring:  (voices) Piper Curda, Bobby Moynihan, Jon Hamm, Kathy Najimy, Dave Franco, Eduardo Franco, Aparna Nancherla, Tom Law, Sam Richardson, Melissa Villasenor, Isiah Whitlock, Jr., Steve Purcell, Ego Nwodim, Nichole Sakura, Meryl Streep, Karen Huie, Lila Liu, Carlos Alazraqui, Grey DeLisle, Jorden Wyrick, and Secunda Wood

Hoppers is a 2026 American animated science fiction, action, and comedy film from director Daniel Chong.  It was produced by Pixar Animation Studios for Walt Disney Pictures.  The film follows an animal-loving college student who transfers her mind into a robotic beaver in a bid to save a beaver habitat from destruction, actions that only lead to disaster.

Hoppers is set in and around the city of Beaverton.  The story introduces Mabel Tanaka (Piper Curda), a 19-year-old college student and an intense animal-lover.  When she was a child, Mabel and Grandmother Tanaka (Karen Huie) found solace in a glade in a nearby forest.  After her grandmother passes, Mabel takes it upon herself to care for the glade.

However, Beaverton's Mayor Jerry Generazzo (Jon Hamm) has announced his new “Beaverton Beltway,” a highway system that will encircle the city in order to better connect it.  Mayor Jerry's plan includes routing the beltway through Mabel's glade mainly because he says that the animals have abandoned it.

While trying to lure the animals back to the glade, Mabel discovers that her biology professor, Dr. Sam Fairfax (Kathy Najimy), and her colleagues, Nisha (Aparna Nancherla) and Conner (Sam Richardson), have developed the “Hoppers” program.  It is a new technology that allows them to transfer their minds into robotic animals.  Mabel transfers her mind into a robotic beaver that will allow her to communicate with the beavers that once inhabited the glade.  Mabel then discovers a world of animals beyond her imagination, but her activities will lead to one disaster after another.

I won't waste my time or yours, dear readers, preaching about the quality of the animation in a Pixar film. I'd rather wait until there is a day I can complain when I find a Pixar film that visually looks inferior.  However, I will do something I have done in almost all of my reviews of Pixar films, praise this movie a lot.  Not only does Hoppers have that magical Pixar charm and heartwarming storytelling, but it also has a really strong message.  I know some people claim films should not have messages, and they are right.  If a studio is making fast food-like entertainment, if the studio is making yet another movie featuring characters running away from CGI-generated weather phenomena, then, yeah, there probably is no message that it could deliver in an interesting fashion.

However, Hoppers isn't mere entertainment product, so it does have a message.  Mabel wants to save the glade so badly that she her advocacy becomes interference and turns as disastrous and practically as destructive as Mayor Jerry's plans.  Mabel is certainly one of those Pixar characters that is both lovable and has universal appeal, but she is more than just a heartwarming character.  With here as the lead, Hoppers manages to have a message and also be a wonderful tale of friendship and redemption filled with Pixar's usual eye-popping action set pieces.  The scenes with Diane (Vanessa Bayer), the great white shark, are... well, I think they the stuff of cinematic magic.

Hoppers represents peak Pixar storytelling, and I wish that I'd seen this grand, inventively-visual cinematic gem on a theater's big screen.  Hoppers makes me want to invent adjectives to describe and to praise it, but I can simply highly recommend it.

9 of 10

A+

Saturday, September 5, 2026

The text is copyright © 2026 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved.  Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Negromancer News Bits and Bites from September 1st to 5th, 2026 - UPDATE #7

by Leroy Douresseaux a.k.a. "I Reads You"

You can support Leroy via Paypal or on Patreon:

Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like this, MOVIES PAGE, and BUY something(s).

TREATS: From AnotherCookie?:  There is a new online cookie retailer, "AnotherCookie?" The cookies are delicious.

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NEWS:

HARRY POTTER - From Variety:  HBO Max has released the first trailer for its "Harry Potter" television series. The first episode is due December 26, 2026.

MOVIES - From Deadline:  Angel (Angel Studios) has acquired the worldwide rights to director Michael Keaton's Western film, "Road to Ruin." Keaton also stars in the film with Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman.

From Deadline:  Michael Keaton is set to direct and to star in the Western film, "Road to Ruin."  Oscar-winner Morgan Freeman will star opposite Keaton.

NETFLIX - From Variety:  Netflix's three-part docuseries about the late "Friends" star, Matthew Perry (1969-2023), entitled "The One About Matthew Perry," will debut Oct. 27th, 2026.

MOVIES - From WorldofReel:  Acclaimed director Mike Leigh says that "Tender Loving Care" is "almost certainly" his final film because he is "somewhat handicapped" due to the muscle-wasting condition, "miyositis."

OBITS:

From NPR:  American author, activist, and journalist, Gloria Steinem, has died at the age of 92, Wednesday, September 2, 2026.  She is nationally recognized as the leader of "second-wave feminism." Starting in the 1960s, Steinem challenged gender stereotypes and championed feminist ideals like equality, sisterhood, and reproductive freedom.  At a time when women were largely limited to domestic roles, this made Steinem an inspiration to generations of women to do the same.  In 1971, Steinem was one of the founders of "Ms." magazine.  In 1971, Steinem also cofounded the National Women's Political Coalition," which provided training and support for women who sought elected and political office.  Among the honors Steinem received was the "Presidential Medal of Freedom" in 2013.  Steinem was nominated for two Primetime Emmy Award nominations and one News & Documentary Emmy Award nomination for her work in television.

From Deadline:  American film and television writer and author, Victor Miller, has died at the age of 86, Monday, August 31, 2026.  Miller was best known for writing the screenplay for the 1980 slasher film, "Friday the 13th," creating the characters, "Pamela Voorhees" and her son, "Jason Voorhees."  Miller was also a longtime writer for daytime soap opera from the early 1980s to the early 2000s.  He worked on such soap operas as "All My Children," "One Life to Live," and "Another World," to name a few.  Miller was nominated at the Daytime Emmy Awards 11 times, and won three Emmys for his work on "All My Children." 

From Deadline:  American stand-up comic and television writer and producer, Marty Nadler, has died at the age of 80, Wednesday, August 26, 2026.  Nadler was best known for his four-decade with legendary TV writer and creator Garry Marshall.  For Marshall, Nadler worked on the former ABC sitcoms as "Happy Days" and "Laverne & Shirley," among others.  As a producer, script consultant, and story consultant, Nadler contributed to such TV series as "Amen," "The Carol Burnett Show," "Chico and the Man," "That's My Mama," and "The Red Foxx Show," to name a few.

A Negromancer September 2026

Welcome to September 2026. Welcome to Negromancer 2.0.  This is the rebirth of the Negromancer, the former movie review site, as a movie review and entertainment and culture news blog.

All images and text appearing on this blog are © copyright and/or trademarks of their respective owners.

While you're at it, have AnotherCookie.

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Also, my first original graphic novel, THE WRATH OF KARAPACE: A BIG SPIRITS EPIC, which is published by Candle Light Press.  Co-created by Carter J. Allen, (Warning Comics), The Wrath of Karapace is now on sale at Amazon and Barnes and Noble online.

Other online shops that are selling "The Wrath of Karapace" include the following:

- AmazonUK;

- Bookshop.org;

- ElmStreetBooks;

- the German book shop, OrrellFussli;

- Powells.com;

- Russell Books.com;

- SuperBookDeals.com;

- Walmart online.

Of note, The Wrath of Karapace is also available on eBay from a few different sellers.

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"The Wrath of Karapace" also a "Google Books" listing.

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Amazon wants me to inform/remind you that any affiliate links found on this page are PAID ADS, but I technically only get paid (eventually) if you click on affiliate links like these, BOOKS PAGE, GRAPHIC NOVELS, or MANGA PAGE and BUY something(s).