Category: Comic Books

Aaron, Saiz + Azaceta will tell the definitive ‘Punisher’ story

The three creators will get frank about Frank Castle in a 13-issue, prestige format series from Marvel.

Marvel has announced Punisher, a prestige format, 13-issue series by Avengers scribe Jason Aaron with art by Jesús Saiz, Paul Azaceta and Dave Stewart.

According to Aaron, the series will cover “the full life of Frank Castle, from troubled kid to heroic soldier to revenge-driven vigilante…to the duly anointed King of Killers.” Saiz will draw the present-day story, which involves The Hand, while Azaceta will draw Castle’s past through flashbacks.

“After writing the Punisher over the years, I’ve always been fascinated by the character of Frank Castle. What moments made him the Punisher, even before that fateful day in the park? And how far will he go to win the war that has consumed his life? Spoiler: as far as it damn well takes,” said Aaron. “This story is the destined next step in the dark and tragic evolution of Frank Castle, from troubled kid to heroic soldier to revenge-driven vigilante…to the duly anointed King of Killers. Believe me when I say, I am as excited about this story as anything I’ve ever written for Marvel.”

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A dream detective hunts your nightmares in ‘Slumber’

The ongoing series by Tyler Burton Smith and Vanessa Cardinali will debut from Image Comics in March.

Sweet dreams are made of this: Tyler Burton Smith and Vanessa Cardinali springs the forthcoming horror/thriller Slumber. This all-new, ongoing series will launch from Image Comics this March. 

“Slumber is an exploration of the surreal world of dreams that is meant to be as weird, funny, unsettling and unpredictable as the wildest dreams that we’ve all experienced,” said Smith. “Vanessa’s artwork is the perfect marriage of these elements to bring this crazy story to life.”

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Ram V + Francesco Manna unleash ‘Carnage’ next year

The ongoing series starring the homicidal symbiote kicks off in March.

Venom co-writer Ram V and artist Francesco Manna are teaming up to tell new stories about the Carnage symbiote, now on its own after separating from Cletus Kasady.

“This Carnage story is very likely to become the most twisted thing I’ve written,” Ram V told Marvel.com. “The killer symbiote has gone through some pretty significant changes in recent times and I’ve been left with an opportunity to do something new and inventive with the character and the kind of stories you might expect to find in a Carnage book. This is my kind of horror—as frightening in its implications as it is on the page. This is a devilish, scary Carnage and he’s setting out to discover just where the bounds of his abilities really lie. Pity those caught in his wake. The Marvel Universe is not ready for what Carnage is turning into.”

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Chris Claremont returns to Marvel to write ‘Gambit’ next year

The legendary X-Men scribe will team with artist Sid Kotian on the new series.

Legendary X-Men writer Chris Claremont will return to Marvel next year for a new series starring Gambit.

Claremont will team with artist Sid Kotian, creator of Beneath an Alien Sky on Webtoon, while former X-Men artist Whilce Portacio provides what I assume is a cover:

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The long-awaited return of ‘Astro City’

‘Astro City: That Was Then…’ asks the question, ‘Who were the Jayhawks?’

It’s been too long since new Astro City has hit comic book shelves, but that drought will end in March. Image Comics has announced Astro City: That Was Then…, a new one-shot by the team of Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, Alex Ross, Alex Sinclair and Comicraft.

Image Comics announced the return of Astro City to their publishing line last year — along with several other Busiek projects, like the Arrowsmith sequel and a new comic called Free Agents.

The story in the one-shot will delve into Astro City’s past, specifically the late 1960s — the era of the teenage sidekick. It also sets up the forthcoming Astro City series.

“It’s also wonderful to be back in the world of Astro City,” Busiek said back in October, when the new Image deal was announced. “Alex, Brent and I have been planning this for a long time—we’re introducing a teen-hero team, The Jayhawks (and more), in the special, and setting off a mystery as important to Astro City as what happened to the Silver Agent or the story of the Broken Man. Alex has designed a cornucopia of new characters, and Brent is going to town on the artwork. It’ll be a very fun ride—and yes, longtime readers, we will get to the story of the N-Forcer, I promise!” 

Here’s the cover:

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Godzilla meets the Power Rangers in March

IDW and BOOM! Studios bring the two licensed properties together for a titanic meet’n’greet.

IDW has announced Godzilla Vs. The Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, a crossover miniseries featuring Toho International, Inc.’s monstrous celebrity and Hasbro’s morphin’ superheroes, whose comics are published by BOOM! Studios.

That’s a lot of legal departments to get sign-off from, so props to IDW for making it happen. The miniseries will be written by Cullen Bunn and drawn by Freddie Williams II.

“I am honored to bring two iconic franchises like Godzilla and the Power Rangers together. I’ve been a massive Godzilla fan since before I could read, and my love for the King of Monsters has never faded in all those years. Likewise, I’ve always loved Tokusatsu superheroics, and vividly remember watching the first episode of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers when it came out. This is a crossover that I suspect will take readers by surprise—but it makes complete sense!” Bunn said. “Writing for these characters is a dream come true for this giant monster-loving kid-at-heart, and when readers pick up this book, I want them to feel that sense of awe and wonder that these characters have inspired for decades!”

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The Watcher faces a ‘Reckoning’ next March

‘Reckoning War: Trial of the Watcher’ will tie into next year’s big Fantastic Four storyline.

The Watcher isn’t one for the spotlight — he prefers to watch — but that changes next year in Reckoning War: Trial of the Watcher, a one-shot special that ties into the Fantastic Four: Reckoning War storyline by Dan Slott, Carlos Pacheco and Rachael Stott.

Slott will be joined by the wonderful Javier Rodríguez for the one-shot, which will “shed light on the First War that rocked the Marvel Universe.”

“One of the key players in all of this is Uatu,” Slott said to Newsarama. “[The original war] is something the Watchers have been keenly aware of, and the possible thought of it happening again brought Uatu back. Maybe it’s time for the Watcher to stop watching and start doing.”

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Williamson + Leomacs go rogue on new DC Black Label title

The Flash’s villains take the spotlight as they go for one last, big heist — robbing Gorilla Grodd.

DC Comics has announced Rogues, the rare un-Batman project from DC’s Black Label imprint, by Joshua Williamson (Batman, Robin, Flash) and Leomacs (the wonderful Basketful of Heads).

The four-issue, prestige format series will feature the Flash’s rogue gallery 10 years after they disbanded, as Captain Cold brings them together for one more heist. And what a heist it is — he wants to rob Gorilla Grodd.

“Rogues is unlike anything I’ve done at DC,” said Williamson. “It’s closer to my own creator-owned works. It’s a crime book full of super-science, dark humor, lost civilizations, and crazy action set pieces, but it’s all played straight, with the dark edge and morality-play qualities of classic noir stories. Rogues takes everything we love about these classic characters and sends them violently crashing into a noir story that makes the ideal DC Black Label series.”

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Mignola + Hinkle set a course into danger for ‘Radio Spaceman’

The two-issue miniseries will arrive next March.

Mike Mignola and Greg Hinkle are plotting a course into mystery, mayhem, monsters and more in Radio Spaceman, a two-issue miniseries coming from Dark Horse next year.

Mignola and Hinkle will be joined by colorist Dave Stewart and letterer Clem Robins on what the press release calls a “standalone steampunk space adventure.”

“Radio Spaceman started in very much the way Hellboy did—A fast sketch done just for fun and a funny name that just popped into my head,” said Mignola. “That was during the early days of covid-19, when I was banging out sketches to entertain myself and posting them online. People seemed to like the guy, and I liked him—I did five or six sketches of him, but had no plans to do anything REAL with him. I didn’t have a story for him until, suddenly, one day I did. I wasn’t trying. It just happened. I don’t remember how exactly, but I’m suspecting it was one of those things that came to me in the shower. Most of the best ideas happen there.”

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Young + Strahm’s ‘Twig’ will debut next year

Young teases the new series about a fantastical journey.

Skottie Young and Kyle Strahm will debut a new comic at Image Comics next summer called Twig. A teaser for the comic appeared in the final issue of The Me You Love in the Dark, which came out earlier this month.

Young and Strahm will be joined by colorist Jean-Francois Beaulieu and letterer Nate Piekos, both of whom worked with Young and artist Jorge Corona on The Me You Love in the Dark. The teaser says the comic will be about “a fantastical journey of hope, heartache and the determination to overcome insurmountable odds.”

Here’s the teaser:

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A new Sorceress Supreme debuts from Marvel in March

Following the events of ‘The Death of Doctor Strange,’ a new but familiar face takes over the mantle from Stephen Strange.

Jed MacKay and Marcelo Ferreira will continue the story of the fall and rise of Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme in Strange, a new series set to debut in March.

Strange follows The Death of Doctor Strange, the miniseries that is currently chronicling the murder of Stephen Strange, the introduction of a younger version of himself (Magic!) and the return of Clea, Doctor Strange’s longtime love interest/wife/fellow magic user.

And in the new series, she becomes much more than just that.

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Waid + Mora bring Batman + Superman (+ Seinfeld?) together for ‘World’s Finest’

DC resurrects the long-running title next March.

Mark Waid made his return to DC last year with a short Dark Nights: Death Metal story, but he’ll be back in earnest next year writing Batman/Superman: World’s Finest.

The new series will feature artwork by Dan Mora and will debut in March, but readers can get their first glimpse of what to expect in Detective Comics #1050 in January.

Here’s the cover:

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