Waid + Adams team for a new Fantastic Four project

Neal Adams draws Marvel’s first family for the first time in ‘Fantastic Four: Antithesis.’

Neal Adams will draw a new story starring the Fantastic Four — his first time to draw the team in a full-length adventure.

“I have always had the sense of missing the chance to draw the Fantastic Four,” Adams told Marvel.com. “It was a quiet sense, since I’ve had every opportunity to do my favorites. More, I felt Kirby and Buscema had done it all, hadn’t they…? When Marvel’s Tom Brevoort asked if I’d like to do the Fantastic Four, I knew I had to ask for Galactus and the Silver Surfer as well. I am humbled and thankful to Tom for the opportunity.”

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‘The Dreaming: Waking Hours’ arrives in August

The new Sandman Universe series will feature a nightmare named Ruin, by G. Willow Wilson and Nick Robles.

After wrapping up The Dreaming with issue #20 last month, DC Comics has announced the follow-up series by Ms. Marvel co-creator G. Willow Wilson and Euthanauts artist Nick Robles — The Dreaming: Waking Hours — will now debut in August.

The story will focus on Ruin, “the nightmare of catastrophic failure,” who finds his way into the waking world.

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DC releases trailer for ‘Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed’

The YA graphic novel by Laurie Halse Anderson, Leila del Duca, Kelly Fitzpatrick and Saida Temofonte arrives in June.

DC Comics has shared a new trailer for Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed, a new young adult graphic novel drawn by the wonderful Leila del Duca.

She’s joined by author Laurie Halse Anderson, writer of books like Speak and Chain, colorist Kelly Fitzpatrick and letterer Saida Temofonte.

According to DC, the graphic novel “follows Diana as she is separated from her family and her home and becomes a refugee and immigrant in a new world. As Diana battles for social justice and discovers new friendships, she must grow into her strength to begin a new life away from Themyscira.”

Check out the trailer below:

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Warren Ellis writing T-Rex Batman is the news the world needs right now [Update: No, it’s not]

Ellis joins many other writers in two anthologies that tie into DC’s ‘Death Metal.’

Update, June 30: Following allegations of sexual misconduct, DC Comics has removed the Warren Ellis-written story from Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1. And good riddance to it.

Original story:

DC Comics put out a press release today detailing two new titles related to their upcoming Death Metal event by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. Dark Nights: Death Metal Guidebook #1 and Dark Nights: Death Metal Legends of the Dark Knights #1 are both anthologies, containing various stories related to the event by a host of creators.

The guidebook will “showcase the new factions of Earth and explore the mystery of what happened to the Justice League after their battle with Perpetua,” while the Legends title will be “collection of short tales where demons dwell and reality is overrun by monstrous versions of the Dark Knight.”

Including T-Rex Batman, as written by Warren Ellis.

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Lemire teases new ‘Sweet Tooth’ comics

Following the announcement of an adaptation coming from Netflix, Jeff Lemire offers some chocolate-covered hope for a new comic series.

Using a fun Twin Peaks reference, Jeff Lemire has teased the return of Sweet Tooth, the long-running Vertigo Comics series he wrote and drew.

“It is happening again…that candy bar you liked is going to come back in style,” he wrote on Twitter, as he shared some new art and a page labeled “Sweet Tooth: The Return #2, Page 13.” It’s dated April 15, and at the rate he works, he’s probably on issue #22 by now.

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BOOM! announces ‘Dune: House Atreides’ adaptation

Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson will write the adaptation of their prequel novel set in Frank Herbert’s ‘Dune” universe.

The prequel to Frank Herbert’s classic novel Dune will be adapted into a comic book by BOOM! Studios. The team who wrote Dune: House Atreides, Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, will also write the adaptation.

Dune: House Atreides holds a special place in my heart,” said Brian Herbert. “It was the first novel Kevin and I wrote in my father’s fantastic Dune universe, and it is our first collaborative novel to be adapted for comics. In 1999, our novel was a surprise New York Times bestseller, and we have equally high expectations for this special BOOM! Studios adaptation.”

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday: If you buy one plague-themed comic this week …

See what the Smash Pages crew has their eyes on this week, as a small number of comics make their way to stores and digital.

It’s week two of DC’s attempt to get comics in front of people during the global pandemic, and they’ve got more on their release list this week than they did last week. It’s still a very small number of comics, but here’s what Carla and I have our eyes on.

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IDW announces Sonic spinoff series, new writer

Artist Evan Stanley will write the main Sonic title as Ian Flynn focuses on the four-issue “Sonic: Bad Guys.”

IDW has announced Sonic the Hedgehog’s summer plans, which include a new writer for the main title and a spinoff series featuring several Sonic bad guys.

Beginning with issue #33, Sonic illustrator Evan Stanley will take over both writing and drawing the main title.

Sonic the Hedgehog comics have been a constant source of joy and inspiration for me for well over 10 years, and the truth is, this opportunity is a dream I didn’t believe could come true,” said Stanley. “The world of Sonic has a truly amazing creative legacy, and I’ve always pushed myself to make my contributions as meaningful and worthwhile as they can be — and that’s more important than ever now. I hope I can deepen the world of IDW’s Sonic The Hedgehog comics, exploring new places and characters while continuing to deliver exciting adventures about Sonic and his friends!”

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Diamond targets May to restart comics distribution, as DC makes their own plans

DC will work with two new distributors with ties to comic retailers to deliver comics in late April and the first half of May.

It’s been a crazy day on the comics distribution front. Since Diamond Comics Distributors announced in March plans to temporarily halt comics distribution because of the coronavirus, the question has been when we’ll see new comics start to hit direct market shelves again. Now Diamond has provided an answer, as one of their biggest customers has given a different one.

Let’s start with the Diamond news, which you can find on Newsarama. That article quotes from a letter sent to retailers and publishers, saying that “While there are many steps and conversations that need to happen between today and resuming distribution of new weekly product, we are currently targeting mid- to late-May with the hope that, as an industry, we can all work toward that timeframe.”

The way that’s worded is interesting, as it was not long after that DC put out a press release of their own, saying they planned to have a limited number of comics in shops on Tuesday, April 28, as well as on May 5 and May 12. “After surveying more than 2,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada, it became clear that many comic book store owners are finding new and creative ways to get books to the fans who want them,” the press release reads. They’ve also set up a comic shop tracker on their site so you can see who will have their comics on April 28.

So what exactly is DC doing to get comics out to shops?

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DC spotlights medal of honor recipient in ‘Our Fighting Forces 100-Page Giant’

Brad Meltzer, Jim Lee and Scott Williams team up on a story featuring U.S. Army Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta and Batman.

DC’s upcoming Our Fighting Forces 100-Page Giant, part of its line of anthologies available at Walmart and comic shops, will include a previously announced story about U.S. Army Specialist Salvatore A. Giunta, the first living person since the Vietnam War to receive the U.S. military’s Medal of Honor.

The eight-page story is written by Giunta and Brad Meltzer, with art by Jim Lee and Scott Williams. And it also features Batman. Here’s the description:

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Binge-worthy Backlist Bonanza: Terry Moore’s ‘Strangers in Paradise’

Looking for something to read while stuck at home? The Smash Pages crew recommends a meet-up with ‘Strangers in Paradise.’

In the current climate, many industries are in a standstill as people isolate and wait out the coronavirus. The comics industry is no different, with Diamond Comic Distributors shutting down, leaving comic shops without a supply of new weekly comics.

With that in mind, we’ve introduced a new feature this week, Binge-worthy Backlist Bonzana. While new comics might not be arriving for a while, your local retailer, favorite online site, digital comics provider or even favorite creator can still supply older comics that you might not have read yet.

Today Corey Blake revisits old friends between the pages of Terry Moore’s Strangers in Paradise. Watch for more from the Smash Pages crew over the next days and weeks.

In this age of social distancing and isolation, there is a strong need to reconnect with old friends, fictional or otherwise. Cartoonist Terry Moore has an uncanny ability to create instant lifelong friends in his comics. His current project Five Years brings together characters from almost all of his previous comics into one storyline. As that series (and all comics) are forced into a pause, it’s a good opportunity to revisit old friends.

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Binge-worthy Backlist Bonanza: The extended John Allison library

Looking for something to read while stuck at home? The Smash Pages crew offers some helpful suggestions, starting with the many selections available from the John Allison universe.

In the current climate, many industries are in a standstill as people isolate and wait out the coronavirus. The comics industry is no different, as Diamond Comic Distributors shut down, leaving comic shops without a supply of new weekly comics.

With that in mind, we’re introducing a new feature, Backlist Bonzana. While new comics might not be arriving for a while, your local retailer, favorite online site, digital comics provider or even favorite creator can still supply older comics that you might not have read yet. Today Tom Bondurant shares the joy that comes from reading John Allison’s comics. Watch for more from the Smash Pages crew over the next few days and weeks.

Because John Allison’s Scary Go Round universe spans 20-plus years and a few different webcomics series, I feel pretty secure in describing it as “sprawling.” The main portal at www.scarygoround.com is organized helpfully by comic, with links to print versions where available.

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