Comic writer and author Alex Segura joins the Capes and Tights Podcast for Episode 198 on November 20, 2024. To prepare for the conversation, we have compiled 11 comics and books by Segura you should read.
Alex Segura is the bestselling and award-winning author of Secret Identity, which The New York Times called “wittily original” and named an Editor’s Choice. NPR described the novel as “masterful,” and it received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, and Booklist. The sequel, Alter Ego, hits shelves everywhere on December 3, 2024. His science fiction novel Dark Space with Rob Hart released on October 8 while his Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow book released in May 2023.
In the world of comics, Segura is the writer of Archie, Dick Tracy (Mad Cave), Spider-Society (Marvel), Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku (Marvel), The Black Ghost (ComiXology), Batman: The Brave and the Bold (DC), and many more! Alex also has the upcoming trade paperback of The Legendary Lynx which ties into to his novels Secret Identity and Alter Ego.
Secret Identity
From Anthony Award-winning writer Alex Segura comes Secret Identity, a rollicking literary mystery set in the world of comic books.
It’s 1975 and the comic book industry is struggling, but Carmen Valdez doesn’t care. She’s an assistant at Triumph Comics, which doesn’t have the creative zeal of Marvel nor the buttoned-up efficiency of DC, but it doesn’t matter. Carmen is tantalizingly close to fulfilling her dream of writing a superhero book.
That dream is nearly a reality when one of the Triumph writers enlists her help to create a new character, which they call “The Lethal Lynx,” Triumph’s first female hero. But her colleague is acting strangely and asking to keep her involvement a secret. And then he’s found dead, with all of their scripts turned into the publisher without her name.
Carmen is desperate to piece together what happened to him, to hang on to her piece of the Lynx, which turns out to be a runaway hit. But that’s complicated by a surprise visitor from her home in Miami, a tenacious cop who is piecing everything together too quickly for Carmen, and the tangled web of secrets and resentments among the passionate eccentrics who write comics for a living.
The Black Ghost
From Segura (Silent City) and Monica Gallagher comes a new original graphic novel about corruption and justice.
Meet Lara Dominguez–a troubled Creighton cops reporter obsessed with the city’s debonair vigilante–the Black Ghost.
With the help of a mysterious cyber-informant named LONE, Lara’s inched closer to uncovering the Ghost’s identity. But as she searched for the breakthrough story she desperately needs, Lara will have to navigate the corruption of her city, the uncertainties of virtue, and her own personal demons. Will she have the strength to be part of the solution–or will she become the problem?
Batman: The Brave and the Bold
Nightwing and Deadman’s journey down long-forgotten circus paths begins to reveal answers…but they might wish it hadn’t! Booster Gold realizes getting everyone to agree on a perfect timeline is easier said than done! Batman and Guy Gardner face the secrets of the universe! And finally, our hard-hitting Question story begins as Renee Montoya finds herself under attack as both the commissioner and the Question!
Alter Ego
Segura, award–winning author of Secret Identity, returns with a clever and escapist standalone sequel set in the world of comic books. In the present day, a comics legend is given the chance to revive a beloved but forgotten character. But at what price?
Annie Bustamante is a cultural force like none other: an acclaimed filmmaker, an author, a comic book artist known for one of the all time best superhero comics in recent memory. But she’s never been able to tackle her longtime favorite superhero, the Lethal Lynx. Only known to the most die-hard comics fans and long out of print, the rights were never available―until now.
But Annie is skeptical of who is making the offer: Bert Carlyle’s father started Triumph Comics, and has long claimed ownership of the Lynx. When she starts getting anonymous messages urging her not to trust anyone, Annie’s inner alarms go off. Even worse? Carlyle wants to pair her with a disgraced filmmaker for a desperate media play.
Annie, who has been called a genius, a sell-out, a visionary, a hack, and everything else under the sun, is sick of the money grab. For the first time since she started reading a tattered copy of The Legendary Lynx #1 as a kid, she feels a pure, creative spark. The chance to tell a story her way. She’s not about to let that go. Even if it means uncovering the dark truth about the character she loves.
Blood Oath
A dark, moody, and menacing horror/crime graphic novel from acclaimed and bestselling novelists Rob Hart and Segura, with lush, compelling art from star artist Joe Eisma and colorist Hilary Jenkins.
1927. New York. The peak of Prohibition. Hazel Crenshaw just wants to be left alone, to tend to her farm, to care for her younger sister, and to run her business.
But her business is inescapably tangled up with the New York gangs that will eventually coalesce into the mafia, and a new, unknown partner. When the Crenshaw farm is attacked, Hazel must not only defend her home, she must cope with the realization that her flirtation with the other side of the law might also put her in the crosshairs of something else–something much more sinister…
Archie Meets Kiss
The biggest comic book crossover in history, in one essential volume!
Two of the most iconic groups in pop culture meet for the first time as the rock-fueled demons of Kiss crash-land in Riverdale, home to America’s favorite teenager, Archie Andrews!
When one of Sabrina the Teenage Witch’s spells goes awry and summons forth a gang of dangerous monsters bent on turning the people of Riverdale into mindless zombies, what can Archie, Jughead, Reggie, Kevin Keller, and Betty & Veronica do to save their town?
Enter KISS: The Demon, Starchild, Catman, and Spaceman, four supernatural heroes with their sights set on the frightening invaders and their mysterious weapon, the Dynasty Amulet.
Dark Space
Bestselling and acclaimed authors Hart and Segura join forces on Dark Space, a sweeping sci-fi spy thriller that blends the epic scope and character-driven spark of Star Trek with the intrigue of John le Carré‘s Smiley novels.
If life were fair, ace pilot Jose Carriles should have ended up a desk jockey like his former friend Corin Timony, back on the lunar colony of New Destiny. Instead, he’s the pilot of the Mosaic–a massive ship taking the Interstellar Union’s first-ever mission to outside our solar system.
Timony should have been the best spy at the Bazaar, the lunar colony’s international intelligence arm. Instead, she’s been demoted to admin duties like monitoring long-range communications. She has no one to blame but herself–and maybe Carriles.
But when the Mosaic experiences a series of strange malfunctions and Carriles is forced to take a wild gamble to save the ship, he begins to suspect the reasons behind the exploratory mission weren’t exactly on the up-and-up.
At the same time, Timony’s old instincts kick in as she realizes the distress call she received from the Mosaic has been wiped without a trace.
As people start to end up dead and loyalties are tested, Timony and Carriles find themselves entangled in a star-spanning conspiracy that drags them through the darkest corners of their government–and their own personal failures–and face-to-face with a reckoning that could destroy humanity as we know it.
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy returns in a new ongoing comic book series from Mad Cave Studios!
A new era for the iconic detective starts here, from bestselling and acclaimed authors Segura and Michael Moreci, as an all-new, noir-infused chapter in the Dick Tracy legacy kicks off with superstar artist Geraldo Borges.
In the aftermath of World War II, the country stands frozen-waiting for the next shoe to drop. In The City, a brutal murder draws the attention of rising star detective Dick Tracy, who soon discovers the bloodshed is just the beginning of a complicated web that threatens to ensnare everything he cares about.
Blending the classic elements of the Dick Tracy world (including his iconic villains, supporting cast, and unforgettable watch radio) with a hardboiled and realistic take, Dick Tracy Vol. 1 kicks off a fresh and modern take on the iconic detective that remains true to his rich history.
Spider-Society
Swing back into the Spider-Verse with the biggest gathering of Spider-Heroes ever seen!
May the first meeting of the Spider-Society commence! That’s right, all the Spider-heroes are in the same room for the craziest meeting the Multiverse has ever seen. These Spiders aren’t all Peter Parker — but they all have that same Parker Luck, and you can bet this meeting won’t end as peacefully as it started!
Araña and Spider-Man 2099: Dark Tomorrow
Araña is a Spider-Girl lost in time. . . . Miguel is a Spider-Man who’s lost his way. . . . Together, they’re our only hope.
Araña. It means spider–and it also means Anya Corazon. She was a normal Brooklyn teenager with normal Brooklyn problems–until a few months ago, when she was gifted with amazing spiderlike abilities, from super-strength and heightened agility to web-slinging. A powerful mentor guided her on how best to use these new powers for good–until Anya lost him, just as she lost her mother, just as she’s about to lose everything she knows.
Nueva York. It is the future of New York City, the home of the Spider-Man of 2099, and where Anya finds herself stranded, tossed across the century. And Nueva York’s Spider-Man, billionaire CEO Miguel O’Hara, is Araña’s only hope of getting home. But Araña and Spider-Man are about to discover that the enemies they face have dark and powerful connections to both heroes–and that this unlikely team across time will need to save much more than each other…
Alex Segura, the Anthony Award-winning author of Secret Identity and Star Wars Poe Dameron: Free Fall, brings two fan-favorite Spider-Verse heroes together in prose for the first time in this thrilling new time-hopping adventure.
The Legendary Lynx
Experience one of comics’ most-beloved “lost” stories – 1970s superhero classic The Legendary Lynx is finally back in print.
The influential street-level superhero saga is available again for the first time in 50 years – remastered and featuring essential bonus material!
Welcome to Triumph City. A city plagued by corruption and crime, where every alleyway and dark corner holds a deadly secret. The lone figure, standing against the onslaught of crime, is a savvy crimefighter known as the Lynx – sworn to protect the city that forged her.
By day, she’s Claudia Calla, a quiet secretary at Triumph City’s biggest paper. A woman haunted by a dark tragedy that has pushed her toward taking on the mantle of the Lynx – to prevent others from experiencing the same pain she’s dealt with. But when a specter from her earliest days returns, asking for her help against a cabal of dark forces, the Lynx must choose between her heroic responsibilities and her debt to a dear friend.
The Legendary Lynx was created by writer Harvey Stern and artist Doug Detmer, two creators who died under mysterious circumstances before and shortly after the series was first published. Though originally credited solely to Stern as the writer, diligent research has uncovered that Stern co-created the script and story to the Lynx’s seminal debut by renowned novelist and writer Carmen Valdez. For the first time ever, she is given proper credit in this volume.
(But in reality, The Legendary Lynx is no reprint. Crafted by LA Times Book Prize-winning novelist Alex Segura in his 2022 work, Secret Identity – a story that continues in the follow-up, Alter Ego, – and brought to life by artist Sandy Jarrell‘s masterful artwork, this series blurs the lines between fiction and reality in the best way possible – the remastered pages of this forgotten gem, restored to its former glory and presented anew for readers hungry for adventure.)
