Rob Liefeld quits the upcoming ‘Mighty Crusaders’ revival at Archie

Archie still plans to release the first issue in June as originally planned, but with a new writer providing the script.

Comics creator Rob Liefeld has left the Mighty Crusaders revival project, which was announced last December. He left because he said a key plot point was revealed on a variant cover created by Tone Rodriguez for Camelot Books and Comics.

“When the key plot point/element is revealed on a retail variant cover – it’s probably time to exit the stage on this one…. like seriously?” Liefeld wrote on Facebook earlier this month. He said he found out about the cover when Rodriguez tagged him in a Facebook post about it.

He later added in another post: “So, earlier this week I posted to one of my groups how I’m trying to keep all the contents of one of my upcoming projects under wraps. I want the reveals and the twists to be fresh and happen organically. I love the story and art and was trying to protect it as best I can. And I had succeeded in doing so. The cover with the big twist being publicly shared as I’m walking out the door to a farewell party for friends was like the big gut punch. All the wind goes out of the sails and the enthusiasm with it. It’s this practice … that needs better management. Everyone is trying to one up the other guy because the shelf life on these comics is so small. Publishers need to do better.

Archie followed up today by announcing that The Mighty Crusaders: The Shield #1 will still be released on June 30, as previously announced, using the artwork that Liefeld already turned in. They said that a new writer would be brought in to script Liefeld’s pages.

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Kyle Higgins + Juanan Ramírez tapped for a new ‘Darkhawk’ miniseries

Teenager Connor Young will take up the mantle of Darkhawk in the new miniseries.

About 30 years after he first debuted in his own solo series, Darkhawk flies back this August with a new miniseries.

Kyle Higgins, who contributed to the Darkhawk: Heart of a Hawk 30th anniversary special, will write the series. He’s joined by artist Juanan Ramírez.

“My approach to the mantle and the book in general comes from the same place that some of my other recent superhero work comes from: building something new and contemporary, while staying respectful to what’s come before,” Higgins told IGN.

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DC announces its next Batman event ‘Fear State’

Future State and Infinite Frontier collide in an event that will feature Scarecrow, Jace Fox, Catwoman and more.

DC Comics has announced its next Batman-themed event, Fear State, which will run through several of the Bat titles starting in August.

In its press release, DC said Fear State will be “the launching point for several new series and plotlines across all Batman-family titles, setting a new status quo for 2022.” And one of the tie-in books for the event will star Jace Fox, a.k.a. the Next Batman from DC’s Future State event, as John Ridley returns to write the character following The Next Batman: Second Son.

Here’s a look at all the tie-ins arriving in August:

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DC celebrates 80 years of Aquaman this summer

The ‘Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular’ will feature stories from Dan Jurgens, Geoff Johns, Jeff Parker and more.

Aquaman debuted 80 years ago in More Fun Comics #73, and to celebrate, DC will publish the Aquaman 80th Anniversary 100-Page Super Spectacular in August.

Like the 100-page specials they’ve done for Superman, Batman, Green :antern and other characters over the past few years, this will be an anthology by a variety of creators associated with the King of Atlantis as well as some new faces.

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Earth’s Mightiest Megastar: The Heroes Reborn roundtable, week two

Carla, Tom, Shane and JK assemble to discuss Marvel’s latest comics event.

We’re back with our second installment of the Heroes Reborn roundtable, where we break down the latest Marvel crossover issue by issue. This week Shane Bailey, Tom Bondurant, Carla Hoffman and I talk about Heroes Reborn #2, as well as the two tie-ins from last week, Peter Parker, The Amazing Shutterbug and Hyperion and the Imperial Guard.

You can read part one here.

So grab your copies and let’s jump in …

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Green Lantern Jessica Cruz breaks out into her own young adult OGN

‘Unearthed: A Jessica Cruz Story’ will arrive in September from DC Comics.

DC has revealed more details and some preview pages from the upcoming Unearthed: A Jessica Cruz Story, part of their graphic novel line aimed at young adults.

The story will retell the origin of Cruz as she deals with xenophobia in her hometown, Coast City. The graphic novel is written by Lilliam Rivera (Never Look Back) and drawn by illustrator Steph C.

“I’ve always been fascinated by origin stories and I’m so glad I got to write one for Green Lantern’s Latinx superhero, Jessica Cruz. Unearthed is a story of an everyday high school teenager who strives to make her parents proud. It’s also a story about immigration and how Jessica navigates debilitating anxiety while trying to keep her family together,” said Rivera. “Mexican artist Steph C.’s illustrations not only beautifully capture this struggle; she’s created stunning otherworldly realms that will leave readers breathless. I can’t wait for fans to see a side of Jessica Cruz never before seen.”

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‘Immortal Hulk’ will wrap up with issue #50

Al Ewing and Joe Bennett prepare for the end in August’s ‘Immortal Hulk’ #49.

Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s epic Hulk tale is starting to wind down.

According to Marvel.com, Immortal Hulk #50 will be the finale of the story they’ve been telling since 2018.

“It’s finally time to admit it—Immortal Hulk is reaching the end of the story we set out to tell,” Ewing said. “Issue #49 brings jade-jaws to the gates of the abyss and a final accounting of his life—in time for a last issue you’ll have to experience to believe.”

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Ridley + Cabal take over ‘Black Panther’ this summer

Black Panther returns to Earth in August for an action-packed espionage story.

With Ta-Nehisi Coates’ long run on Black Panther coming to a close next week, Marvel has announced plans to relaunch the title with a new first issue by John Ridley and Juann Cabal.

Following the Panther’s adventures in space, Ridley and Cabal will offer a more grounded take on the character, one filled with action, espionage and love.

“It’s a hybrid espionage-Super Hero thriller, but at its core, it’s a love story,” Ridley told The New York Times. “And I don’t mean just romantic love, although there’s some of that as well. It’s love between friends.”

A certain “friend”/ex-wife does show up on the cover:

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‘Runaways’ celebrates 100 issues in August

Rainbow Rowell, Kris Anka, Adrian Alphona and Andrés Genolet will contribute to the giant-sized milestone issue.

Through its many iterations, from its original run by Brian K. Vaughn and Adrian Alphona to the current one by Rainbow Rowell and Andrés Genolet, Runaways had made it to 100 issues, and Marvel plans to celebrate that milestone in August.

Issue #38 will be a giant-sized issue, as Rowell will work with three artists — Genolet, Alphona and Kris Anka. While they didn’t reveal any story details, Marvel did share the cover by Anka:

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Baltimore Comic-Con plans to return in October

The annual comic convention will return to the Baltimore Convention Center for a live show Oct. 22-24.

The Baltimore Comic-Con has announced plans to hold its next in-person show over the weekend of Oct. 22-24. They’ve also announced a preliminary guest list.

This will be the BCC’s first live show since 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic shut the world down. With changing CDC guidelines and more people getting vaccinated in the U.S., it isn’t surprising to see conventions start to ramp back up.

“The current status of the U.S. is migrating from a very conservative posture to a much more open approach to gatherings,” their statement reads. “We continue to be in contact with the Baltimore Convention Center staff, and all signs point to our ability to having our event this fall.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Wonder Girl’ spins out of Future State into her own series

Also coming out this week: a new Fantastic Four miniseries, Megan Huang’s ‘Rangers of the Divide,’ the first-ever ‘Far Cry’ comic and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital this week. This week brings new comics and graphic novels from Marvel, DC, Top Cow, Dark Horse and more.

Check out a few highlights below, or visit Diamond’s website for this week’s almost complete list of new comics arriving in stores — you can visit Lunar Distribution’s home page to see DC’s release — and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.

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Comics Lowdown | Alex Segura leaves Archie for Oni-Lion Forge

Plus: the comics industry loses two inspirational creators.

Alex Segura has left Archie Comics to become senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group. Segura has been with Archie for a total of about 10 years now, most recently as co-president, and worked for DC Comics before that. He’s also a mystery author and comics writer, on projects like The Dusk, The Black Ghost and Archie Meets the B-52s.

“While it’s been an amazing honor and privilege to call Riverdale my professional and creative home for over a decade, when Oni-Lion Forge approached me with this opportunity, I couldn’t say no,” Segura said in a statement to Publisher’s Weekly. “Getting the chance to help amplify the ever-expanding, talented, and diverse voices at Oni is a great fit.”

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