Guggenheim + Chaykin re-team for ‘Too Dead To Die’

The original graphic novel will return to the world of Simon Cross, a faux comic published in the 1980s.

Marc Guggenheim and Howard Chaykin, who previously worked together on Marvel’s Blade and Wolverine titles almost two decades ago, will reunite for Too Dead To Die, a new graphic novel coming from Image Comics.

Guggenheim said the story of a 1980s spy set in the world of today is an idea he’s been planning for years.

“Too Dead To Die is one of those ideas I’ve been thinking about for years before the COVID quarantine gave me the opportunity to actually write it,” Guggenheim said. “I started off writing ‘on spec’ without any particular artist in mind. But 10 pages in, I realized that all the images I was seeing in my head were illustrated by Howard, whom I had the good fortune to collaborate with on Blade and Wolverine. I was writing with Howard in mind without realizing it. Fortunately, Howard was amenable to coming aboard and I love how he’s brought Simon’s story to life. It’s very exciting to be getting Too Dead To Die out into the world after all this time.”

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Stan Sakai returns to Dark Horse to spearhead a new imprint

‘Usagi Yojimbo’ returns to the publisher as a part of Sakai’s Dogu Publishing imprint.

Stan Sakai’s legendary run on Usagi Yojimbo has walked the path with multiple publishers over the decades, including Fantagraphics and, most recently, IDW. But now the legendary ronin rabbit will return to the publisher where he stayed the longest — Dark Horse Comics.

Following a more than two-year stint at IDW, Stan Sakai will return to Dark Horse to helm his own imprint: Dogu Publishing — joining Karen Berger, Matt Kindt, Kevin Smith and Brian Michael Bendis, who also have their own imprints at Dark Horse. Prior to 2019, Dark Horse had published Usagi for more than 20 years.

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Smash Pages Q&A | Noah Van Sciver

The critically acclaimed cartoonist discusses his two latest projects, ‘Joseph Smith and the Mormons’ and ‘As a Cartoonist.’

Noah Van Sciver has always been a prolific cartoonist. This summer he released two new books, which represent the best work he’s done so far in his career.

Joseph Smith and the Mormons, which is out now from Abrams, is a project Van Sciver has been working on for more than a decade. To say that it’s Van Sciver’s best book, which I believe, is to sell it short, because the book is also the most ambitious project that Van Sciver has attempted. The book looks at the life of Smith and, without captions or word balloons, manages to convey so much information as it charts the early years of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It’s an incredible work of cartooning and of history.

His other book is As a Cartoonist, a collection of short comics published by Fantagraphics, which were made in the same period, and share a number of concerns and approaches. Both books are deeply personal in different ways. I’ve talked with Van Sciver a few times over the years, and I was thrilled to be able to talk with him about these two books.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Everyday Hero Machine Boy,’ ‘All-Out Avengers’ and more

Check out what’s arriving in comic shops this week.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.

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:

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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‘Far Sector’ wins the Hugo Award

N.K. Jemisin wins a fifth Hugo for her work with artist Jamal Campbell on the DC title.

Far Sector, the critically acclaimed Green Lantern story written by N.K. Jemisin with art by Jamal Campbell, has added another award to the Oan trophy case, as it took home the Hugo Award in the Best Graphic Story or Comic category this past weekend.

The winners of the annual awards were announced during a ceremony at Chicon 8, the 80th World Science Fiction Convention.

“Well, that’s some nice news to get surprised by at 3 am!” Jemisin posted to Twitter. “Woo hoo, Hugo #5! I’m super-proud of the work we did there, so nice to get some extra recognition! Congrats fellow Far Sector folks!”

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‘Miracleman’ #0 preview features Young Miracleman, Big Ben, a new Warpsmith and more

The one-shot anthology includes stories by Jason Aaron, Leinil Francis Yu, Ty Templeton, Ryan Stegman, Peach Momoko and more.

Marvel has revealed more details and some preview artwork from the upcoming Miracleman #0, a one-shot anthology that celebrates the character’s anniversary and return to comics. It will also preview Miracleman: The Silver Age, which marks the return of Neil Gaiman and Mark Buckingham to a story they began telling several decades ago.

Other creators contributing to the anthology include Jason Aaron, Leinil Francis Yu, Michael Carey, Ty Templeton, Ryan Stegman, Peach Momoko and Paul Davidson.

Stories in the special zero issue include, according to Marvel:

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DC signs a distribution deal with Universal Distribution

The agreement kicks into gear in January.

Canada-based Universal Distribution will begin directly distributing DC’s comics and graphic novels to comic retailers in January 2023. Retailers can begin placing orders through them in October.

“The DC and Universal Distribution partnership is an exciting opportunity to reach new audiences with DC’s iconic Super Heroes and Super-Villains,” said Nancy Spears, DC’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “Our new partnership with Universal is in line with DC’s overall strategic vision to strengthen the Direct Market and grow the number of fans who read comics worldwide.”

While Universal is based in Canada and already serves that market for comics and other collectibles, this new deal is a global agreement, according to ICv2. Universal will distribute DC product to retailers in Canada, the U.S. and other territories.

“This agreement enables us to provide retailers with the tools they need to grow their DC business,” said Angelo Exarhakos, CEO of Universal Distribution, in the press release. “Our primary focus has always been to work closely with our key partners to help retailers provide a great experience for their customers. We are huge fans of DC and are extremely excited with this new relationship between our companies.”

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Archie + Sam Hill team up to take down a hacker in ‘Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #333’ [Exclusive Preview]

Check out an exclusive preview of a new story coming in next week’s digest from Archie Comics.

Courtesy of Archie Comics, we’re pleased to present a preview of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #333, which comes out Sept. 7.

This digest will include two brand-new stories, in addition to a selection of classic Archie material. Our preview today includes pages from “Case of the High Grade Hacker!” by Ian Flynn and Ryan Jampole, who you might know from their work on Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man. This one has Archie teaming up with Sam Hill, the private investigator who was first introduced back in the 1950s, as they take on a hacker who is plaguing Riverdale.

We also have a full-length classic Archie story for you, featuring the work of Bob White, the creator of Cosmo the Merry Martian. The story features Archie having all sorts of money troubles.

Check out the preview and solicitation information below.

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Jillian Tamaki + Mariko Tamaki’s 2023 graphic novel gets a name + cover

‘Roaming!” will arrive in the fall of 2023.

Drawn + Quarterly announced a new graphic novel by Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki project for 2023, and this week they revealed both the title and the cover.

Roaming!, which is about two best friends going to college in New York, will arrive in stores in fall 2023. Here’s the cover:

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Nominees announced for the 2022 Ringo Awards

The awards will be presented during the Baltimore Comic-Con on Oct. 29.

The nominees for the 2022 Ringo Awards have been announced, marking the sixth year for the awards program named for artist Mike Wieringo, who passed away in 2007.

Nominees were chosen by fans, along with a panel of judges. The awards presentation will take place at The Baltimore Comic-Con on Oct. 29.

And the nominees are …

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Marvel revives the Forgiven for a mini-event by Tim Seeley and Sid Kotian next year

The team, which first appeared during ‘Fear Itself,’ will team with Spider-Man, the X-Men and the Avengers across three one-shots.

Marvel is reviving an obscure team of superhero vampires that first appeared during the 2011 event Fear Itself for a mini-event that will be published next year.

Spider-Man: Unforgiven will kick things off, by Tim Seeley and Sid Kotian. Mini-events, as we’ve taken to describing them, are a series of connected one-shots that typically feature a similar theme or hero. In the past they might have been miniseries, but Marvel has brilliantly come up with a way to ensure every issue has a #1 on it.

The three-part Unforgiven will kick off with the Spider-Man issue, to be followed by one-shots featuring the X-Men and the Avengers teaming up with The Forgiven. They first appeared in the Fear Itself: Hulk vs. Dracula miniseries by Victor Gischler and Ryan Stegman.

“I love Marvel super heroes, no doubt, but I’ve got a special obsession with Marvel’s horror heroes,” Seeley told Marvel.com. “Unforgiven gives that creepy, sexy, weird underbelly a chance to shine as a horrific conspiracy unites a crew of vampires with Spider-Man, the X-Men and Captain America, and shows us the stark differences (and surprisingly similarities) of those who are gifted with the ability to fight evil, and those who have to carry evil’s curse. By the end of this epic event, we’ll have toured a lot of dark corners of the Marvel Universe, and reminded readers that monsters are at its shrunken black heart!”

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Virginia judge dismisses case against ‘Gender Queer’

The court dismissed it based on First Amendment and due process grounds.

Circuit Court Judge Pamela Baskervill has dismissed the case that sought to label the graphic novel Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe and the novel A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. K. Maas as obscene and illegal to sell.

The judge found that the statute pursuant to which the petitions were filed violated the First Amendment and the constitutional right to due process. You can read the judge’s full decision here.

Jeff Trexler from the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund served as Kobabe’s co-counsel and offered more details on the decision in a lengthy Twitter thread.

“Normally an obscenity statute works the way you’d expect a criminal statute to work: a person produces, possesses, distributes, etc. certain material, gets arrested on obscenity charges, gets convicted or found not guilty,” he posted. “Virginia Code § 18.2-384 is different. It provides that a citizen or attorney of any VA county/city in which sale or commercial distribution of a book occurs can initiate a proceeding to have the book declared obscene. When that happens, the judge can issue an order to show cause that the book is not obscene & can also issue a temporary restraining order against the sale or distribution of the book!”

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