Comic Books – SMASH PAGES

Little old ladies vs. the apocalypse: AHOY announces ‘Ash & Thorn’

Mariah McCourt, Soo Lee and Pippa Bowland team up for a new miniseries from AHOY Comics.

The apocalypse is about to get … well, at least a stern talking to as AHOY Comics presents Ash & Thorn, a new miniseries from Mariah McCourt, Soo Lee and Pippa Bowland, with lettering by Rob Steen and covers by Jill Thompson. With the end of the world in sight, the only ones who can stop it are an elderly woman and her friend.

“Everyone knows Chosen Ones are supposed to be young and extremely expendable, but even the Universe makes mistakes sometimes,” McCourt said in a press release. “And sometimes the mistakes are big ones. Like when it taps an 80+ year old retired art teacher to be the Champion who fights the next Apocalypse. Can an octogenarian overcome age and arthritis to save the world from cosmic monsters, world eaters, and gross creepy crawlies?”

DC reveals details for ‘Flash’ #750

The 80-page issue will kick off a new storyline, ‘The Flash Age,’ in addition to featuring stories by Marv Wolfman, Geoff Johns and more.

As revealed in their solicitations for February 2020, DC Comics has announced the line-up for next year’s Flash #750, a prestige format issue with contributions by Marv Wolfman, Geoff Johns, Bryan Hitch, Francis Manapul, David Marquez, Riley Rossmo and more, in addition to series writer Joshua Williamson.

“The Flash is one of my favorite DC characters,” said Williamson in the press release, “so it’s an honor to work on The Flash #750 with so many returning Flash legends! It’s a showcase of awesome talent, each telling a story that celebrates what we love about the Flash and the Flash family. And what a perfect place to kick off our next epic storyline ‘The Flash Age!’ 2020 is going to be a big year for The Flash. It all starts in this massive issue.”

Russell + Pugh reteam for new AHOY title

Find out what the filthy rich are up to in international waters, here on ‘Billionaire Island.’

The team behind DC’s Flintstones reboot are heading to sea for a new series from AHOY Comics (perfect, right?) called Billionaire Island.

Mark Russell and Steve Pugh brought a fresh take to the Hanna Barbera property for DC a few years back, racking up several award nominations and critical praise. The pair is joined by colorist Chris Chuckry and letterer Rob Steen for this new six-issue miniseries about the offshore antics of billionaires facing the end of the world.

“Billionaire Island tells the story of Freedom Unlimited (FU Island), a private island created and populated by billionaires hoping to wait out the end of the world,” Russell said. “But because they are in international waters and not subject to any law, their haven is a nightmarish police state for anyone on the island who crosses them. In a broader sense, it’s a series that asks the question: how do we save the world when all its resources are partying offshore?”

By Crom, Zub + Antônio take over ‘Conan’ with issue #13

The new team takes over in February, with E.M. Gist on covers.

Marvel’s Conan the Barbarian is getting a new, yet familiar, creative team in February, as Jim Zub and Rogê Antônio will take over the title with issue #13. E.M. Gist will provide covers.

Both Zub and Antônio have worked on the character in recent months; Zub wrote him in Avengers: No Road Home and Savage Sword of Conan, while Antônio drew the upcoming Conan 2099. They follow Jason Aaron and Mahmud Asrar on the title.

“Rogê’s line art is going to knock people out,” Zub said in an email. “It has a strong visual tie to the incredible work Masmud Asrar has been doing on the core title this year, but also manages to carve out its own distinct look. E.M. Gist‘s covers are classic pulp fantasy fare with all the grit and earthiness I could hope for. It’s a heck of a creative line up and I’m doing everything I can to live up to their top notch storytelling skills. Deep thanks to editors Mark Basso and C.B. Cebulski for this incredible opportunity and Jason Aaron for setting a high bar on the issues preceding mine.”

Jennika, the fifth Turtle, gets a miniseries next year

‘Guerillas’ creator Brahm Revel will write and draw the miniseries.

The newest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle is getting her own miniseries, courtesy of Guerillas creator Brahm Revel. IDW announced a three-issue miniseries starring Jennika will kick off next year.

“Jennika has always been a fascinating character, and her story is now moving in directions none of us could have ever anticipated,” Revel said in a press release. “I’m very excited about the opportunity to revisit Jenn’s past and explore how she’s been handling the recent changes in her life, all while being tested by a world that’s changing just as rapidly as she is.”

‘X-Men/Fantastic Four’ mini coming in February

Chip Zdarsky, Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson and Laura Martin bring the two teams together.

Marvel has announced a new X-Men/Fantastic Four miniseries by Chip Zdarsky, Terry Dodson, Rachel Dodson and Laura Martin. The story will revolve around Franklin Richards and whether he chooses to go live with all the mutants on Krakoa, their new island nation.

That question stems directly from House of X #1, where Cyclops invited the young hero to come join them.

“I loved that scene in House of X #1 and I knew it needed to be expanded upon, so when I saw the opportunity to pitch this mini, the Franklin question was the heart of it,” Zdarsky, who wrote members of the Fantastic Four in the pages of Marvel Two-In-One, told Newsarama. “Both Jonathan Hickman and Dan Slott have been very encouraging and gracious in allowing me to do what I’ve pitched. Which is surprising. I feel like I’m being punked on some level. You’d tell me if I was, yeah?”

‘Giant-Size X-Men’ returns in February

The classic Marvel title returns with stories by Jonathan Hickman and various artists.

Giant-Size X-Men #1 kicked off a new era of the X-Men back in 1975, introduced Storm, Nightcrawler, Thunderbird and Colossus to the Marvel Universe, and bringing Wolverine and Banshee onto the team.

With Jonathan Hickman introducing a new era to the X-Men this fall, Marvel is bringing back Giant-Size X-Men as a series, written by Hickman and drawn by different artists. The first issue will feature Russell Dauterman and Matt Wilson on a story featuring Jean Grey and Emma Frost.

Inktober Spotlight: Tyrell Cannon

The creator of ‘Eris’ dives into the classic video game ‘DOOM’ this month.

If it’s October, it must be time for Inktober. During Inktober, artists from all over the world create a different ink drawing every day of the month — or whatever schedule works for them. While the official Inktober site provides a list of “prompts” to help inspire artists, many of them choose their own themes.

With many comic artists once again participating this year — you can find a lot of them on Twitter or Tumblr using the #inktober hashtag, and we’ve been posting a bunch on our own Tumblr — we thought we’d spotlight a few of the fun ones we’ve seen so far.

Tyrell Cannon is the creator of the webcomic Eris, which he posts on his website and on his Patreon. He’s also created his own comics like Gary and Victus. For Inktober, Cannon has dedicated his pen to DOOM, the classic first-person shooter that pits space marines against demons from Hell. He’s not just doing drawings, but also telling a story along the way, kind of like he did last year. And if you’re into DOOM, you might like this poster he created as well.

Check out a few of his pieces below, and visit his Twitter feed to follow along with Cannon and his space marine all month.

Cullen Bunn shares an unused pitch for a cosmic X-Men series

The writer shares designs for crew members of the Starship Perilous.

Cullen Bunn’s run on Uncanny X-Men saw Cyclops, Jean Grey and the other time-displaced teenaged originals joining forces with their longtime nemesis Magneto … but that wasn’t Bunn’s original pitch for the series.

His original pitch was to send some of the X-Men into space on a spaceship powered by the Siege Perilous. How cool is that?

“In 2015, I was asked to take over Uncanny X-Men,” he wrote on Twitter. “We all know that yielded the Magneto-led team. My first pitch, however, was a cosmic team with Rachel Summers in charge and a new Captain Britain.”

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