Report: Daniel Cherry III leaves DC

DC’s SVP and GM leaves after 16 months at the company.

Multiple outlets are reporting that Daniel Cherry III has left DC after serving as SVP and general manager for 16 months.

The reason for his exit, which was described as “quitting” by The Hollywood Reporter, was not given.

Cherry joined DC in September of 202o, where he was responsible for business affairs, editorial, talent services, marketing, sales, brand and direct to consumer for the company. While there, he oversaw several new initiatives, including the Batman/Fortnite crossover, a partnership with Webtoon, the launch of the Milestone Initiative and a second DC FanDome event. His hiring was followed very quickly by another round of layoffs at the company as part of a larger restructuring by parent company WarnerMedia.

Prior to his time at DC, Cherry served in several marketing roles at various companies, including Activision, the New Jersey Devils, Diageo and the New York Cosmos soccer team.

Image staff unionize in historic move for the comics industry

Employees vote to form Comic Book Workers United.

The staff members of Image Comics have voted to form a union, Comic Book Workers United, “making Image Comics the FIRST unionized comic book publisher in the United States,” their website reads.

Of the 12 Image staffers who submitted ballots, seven voted yes, two voted no and three ballots were not counted due to questions around eligibility. “Although these three ballots were not opened, their challenge had no impact on our supermajority win. CBWU and the CWA continue to push for their inclusion in the democratic process,” their statement reads.

The staffers had hoped Image Comics would voluntarily recognize the union, which did not happen, leading to the vote. The CBWU is represented by the Communications Workers of America, a union that represents employees in the communications and information industries, as well as those in airlines, public service, higher education, health care and more.

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‘X-Men Red’ will focus on Mars’ mutants

Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli head off-world for more merry Marvel mutant adventures on Planet Arakko.

Al Ewing and Stefano Caselli, who worked together on Marvel’s space-themed X-Men title S.W.O.R.D., are going off planet again for X-Men Red, a Destiny of X title that’ll focus on all those mutants up on Mars, aka Planet Arakko.

“Mutantkind terraformed Mars, bringing a dead world back to life and changing the Marvel Universe forever,” Ewing said. “Mars is now Planet Arakko, home to an ancient mutant society that spent thousands of years facing war, imprisonment and pain – and home to Storm, who won a place of power on their ruling council. Now Arakko has a chance to find peace at last and forge their own path to the future… but there are those who’d rather see them fenced in and subjugated. Does Mars really need X-Men to save it – or can the mutants of Arakko fight for themselves? Storm’s not the only one who’s asking… and the answers are in X-Men Red.”

Russell Dauterman will provide covers and designed Storm’s new outfit:

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Jeff Lemire signs an exclusive deal with Image Comics

The deal will not impact the Black Hammer comics published by Dark Horse or the content on his Substack newsletter.

Jeff Lemire has signed an exclusive deal with Image Comics, his publisher for projects like Ascender, Descender, Gideon Falls, Primordial and more, for an undisclosed amount of time.

“Having worked with Image on so many projects over the last decade, I’ve come to appreciate the complete creative freedom and support that they’ve provided me,” said Lemire. “I’m excited to make Image the exclusive home for all my projects in the years to come, both solo projects that I will draw myself, and my various collaborations. Bone Orchard and Little Monsters are just the start of what I have planned this year and beyond.”

The deal does come with a couple of asterisks, though — Lemire clarified in his Substack newsletter that it will not impact the Black Hammer line of books he co-created at Dark Horse. “I have an exemption in my Image deal to finish the last few Black Hammer series as planned,” he said.

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Mail Call | Doctor Strange journeys to the ‘Nexus of Nightmares’ in April

Check out news and updates from Marvel, DC, Image, Jeff Lemire, Brian Michael Bendis and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of cool things we’ve received in our mailboxes from comics creators, publishers and more. Hit the links for more information.

Although Doctor Strange might currently be dead in the Marvel Universe, Marvel still has stories to tell about Stephen Strange’s past. April brings not only rain this year, but also Doctor Strange: Nexus of Nightmares, by Marvel veteran Ralph Macchio and artist Ibrahim Mostafa.

The one-shot will feature the Sorcerer Supreme taking on Nightmare and Baron Mordo, as they attempt to use Strange’s own nightmares against him. The one-shot comes out April 20, with a cover by Todd Nauck.

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Wolverine gets a fun new partner for ‘Destiny of X’

Following ‘X Lives of Wolverine/X Deaths of Wolverine,” Benjamin Percy and Adam Kubert will bring together Deadpool and Wolverine for a wild team-up.

Following the events of X Lives of Wolverine/X Deaths of Wolverine, which kicks off later this month, Benjamin Percy and Adam Kubert will continue as the creative team on Wolverine as the Canadian mutant picks up a new partner — Deadpool.

The team-up kicks off in April’s Wolverine #20, which returns after a brief hiatus due to the X Lives/X Deaths miniseries and is part of the Destiny of X line-up.

“For 10 weeks, the X Lives of Wolverine/X Deaths of Wolverine will take readers on an epic, time-shredding adventure that sets up the next era of the mutant books: Destiny of X. How do you follow up something like that? You keep raising the bar higher. Readers will not only experience a non-stop thrill ride, starting in April, but a kickoff story that is as irreverent and hilarious as it is heart-bruised,” Percy told Marvel.com. “We’ve been teasing Deadpool for some time now, and he’s bullying his way into the pages of Wolverine for a wild (and reluctant) team-up that feels like some cousin to Midnight Run and The Fugitive. Get ready for more Maverick mayhem, more CIA spycraft, and more DANGER (yes, you read that right) at every turn.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Back in the New Year’s groove

Check out new comics this week from Jonathan Hickman, Valerio Schiti, Gilbert Hernandez, Steve Orlando, Cian Tormey, Mariko Tamaki, Ivan Reis, Juni Ba, Scott Snyder, Denys Cowan and more.

Happy New Year and welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital this week. It’s 2022, and there’s plenty of comics out this week to help you start the new year right.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

Also, as a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

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Spurrier + Bazaldua assemble ‘Legion of X’

The new series, which is part of the ‘Destiny of X’ line-up, debuts in April.

Following the initial announcement of Destiny of X last month and the subsequent news on the creative teams for Marauders and Immortal X-Men, Marvel today shared more details on Legion of X, which will debut in April.

The title spins out of the storylines started in last year’s Way of X and is written by Way of X writer Si Spurrier and drawn by Jan Bazaldua (Winter Guard). They’ll focus on a group of mutants dedicated to bringing “peace, love and justice to Krakoa,” including Legion, Nightcrawler, Pixie and more.

“I’ve wanted to do a precinct-style ensemble story since I first read House of X. For the first time, the Marvel Universe has this densely packed, beautiful (and beautifully volatile) population of superhumans, out in the open, all in one place. It needs peacekeepers, sure… but it’s a mistake to think of them as simply cops. You don’t get far in Krakoa if the limit of your imagination is beating people up or reaching for a gun. Mutant civilization needs those who think differently,” Spurrier told Marvel.com. “That’s where Nightcrawler, Legion, Pixie and Juggernaut come in — along with a rotating cast of your favorite mutants and non-mutants. And a couple of new faces you’re going to want to watch very, very closely…”

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12 for ’21 | In Memory 2021

As we move into the new year, we pay tribute to some of the creators who passed away in 2021.

In another year of pain and loss, the passing of so many talented comics creators again hit hard. Here’s a look at some of the comics people who passed away in 2021.

Artist Steve Lightle passed away in January at the age of 61. Lightle’s career in comics began in the 1980s on DC Comics titles like Doom Patrol and Legion of Super-Heroes, which he worked on alongside writers Paul Levitz and Keith Giffen.

He also worked for Marvel on titles like Classic X-Men and Marvel Comics Presents, where his iconic covers graced both titles.

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Smash Pages Q&A | Jeremy Holt

The writer of ‘After Houdini’ discusses their two recent projects, ‘Made in Korea’ and ‘House of Slay.’

For 12 days, we’re looking back at the 2021 that was in the world of comics, with interviews, commentary and more.

Jeremy Holt is the writer behind a number of comics including the books After Houdini and Before Houdini, and the Comixology Original series Virtual Yours, but 2021 has been a big year for them. The six issue miniseries Made in Korea that Holt made with George Schall came out from Image Comics, with the collection coming out in January. It’s a stunning story, but perhaps even more than being a good story about artificial intelligence and a world where “synthetics” live amongst us, it’s notable for how Holt managed to find a new angle on the idea. Holt is open about being an adoptee and framing the story of AI as a story of adoption is incredibly obvious, but that metaphor adds insight and clarity and reframes a lot of the issues in important ways.

Last month Tapas began serializing House of Slay, which Holt made with cover artist and designer Kevin Wada, artist Too Lee, colorist Kimi Lee, and editor Alex Lu. The story features fashion designers Prabal Gurung, Phillip Lim, Laura Kim of Oscar De La Renta, and Tina Leung and Ezra J William and turns them into superheroes. After a year with two very different high profile projects, I reached out to Holt to talk about artificial intelligence, how projects cross-pollinate, and finding their voice.

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Smash Pages Q&A | Lawrence Lindell + Breena Nuñez

The small press publishers discuss Laneha House, ‘The BAYlies’ anthology and more.

For 12 days, we’re looking back at the 2021 that was in the world of comics, with interviews, commentary and more. Check back often!

Lawrence Lindell and Breena Nuñez have separately been making comics for years, but recently the married couple teamed up to launch the small press Laneha House.

They’re publishing and republishing their work, including One, To Black Girl with Love and many other projects. They also have a quarterly anthology, also titled Laneha House, the fourth issue of which came out this month. They also publish The BAYlies anthology, which is a great collection of work from cartoonists form the San Francisco Bay Area.

I spoke with the two recently about their many projects and looking ahead to the future.

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Mail Call | End of year free-for-all

Check out some recently released free comics from Cullen Bunn, Chip Zdarsky, Molly Knox Ostertag and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of cool things we’ve received in our mailboxes recently from comics creators, publishers and more. For this end of the year edition, we’re putting the spotlight on free comics that various creators have released over the last few weeks. Hit the links for more information, and check out our Comics Newsletter Directory for more newsletter goodness.

In the 100th issue of his Vicious Shivers newsletter, Cullen Bunn shared a new horror story he made with Federico de Luca and Micah Myers called “The Feast.”

“As we move toward the end of the year, I thought it might be fun to share an all-new 8-page horror comic with the world,” Bunn wrote. “Consider it a gift. Amazing artist Federico de Luca messaged me a few weeks back asking if I had a short script he could work from to try a new art style. I have had the script for ‘The Feast’ in my scripts folder for well over 12 years. It was originally written to be part of a small horror anthology, but that never happened. So, I’m so glad to see Federico’s take on the story. I love the way it turned out! Hmm. There was another story written for that anthology. Maybe I should have that one drawn, too.”

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