HOTN: New Beginnings available for pre-order.

I haven't been very lucky with my Heroes of the North news lately.  I always seem to miss it by a few days.

The HOTN crew announced on Facebook this past weekend that their next trade paperback will be available soon. It mostly focuses on the new characters that will be fully introduced during the second season of episodes.  Here's a content breakdown.  Pour yourself a coffee first, it's a long one (the book weighs in at 200 pages).

- See the aftermath of the Jackpot Minisode and the rise of Wild Card! 

- What happens when 8 Ball and Jackpot meet for the first time? 

- The Islander has first world problems in Prince Edward Island. 

- Lighthouse must fight a former sidekick turned to the dark side. 

- Meet Yellow Knife and his first encounter with the deadly Crimson! 

- Discover the wonders of the infinitely small with Nano! 

- Meet Lily Ryder, former eco terrorist and soon to be Saskana, protector of Saskatchewan! 

- Who is the mysterious Yukon Jack? What is his connection to Medusa? 

- Nordik finds a young woman unconscious in the white plains of the Arctic. Who is she and where does she come from? 

- Wild Rose is a rookie at fighting crime in Alberta but her heart is in the right place. 

- A mining accident will bring the hero inside Iron Ore! 

- Discover the origins of Voda, Manitoba's own superheroine! 

- Terra Nova reminisces about her past while fighting her nemesis, Spring Heeled Jack. 

- Mantis and Hornet involve themselves in North Korea's politics! 

- Borealis feels the weight of being a bridge between two cultures.

I quite like HOTN's graphic novel format, especially since their cast continues to grow at a rapid rate. And there's one thing you can always count on with these: variety.  There will be different art styles.  There will be humour, there will be drama and there will be horror.  A story will be as long (or short) as it needs to be, whether that is two pages or 12 or 20.

For this book, since my knowledge of most of the new characters does not extend beyond their design, I'm looking forward to seeing how they are woven in to the backgrounds of the existing characters.  For example, Yellow Knife's history with Crimson was hinted at some time ago.  I'm eager to see what went down between the two of them and what it might lead to down the road.  The same applies to Yukon Jack and the Medusa organization.

Speaking of background material, a story about Nordik is a pleasant surprise since the character was killed off in the Legacies book.  Why let a good character go to waste if you can still tell stories about her past which may have an impact in the future?  I'm curious as to who has art duty on that one.

So quite a bit to like there.  And it seems as though a copy of the second omnibus (Missions) will be included as well.  If you don't already own that book, all told you're looking at nearly 300 pages of material for $30 plus shipping.  Pre-order here.