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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What Are You Reading? | ‘Monsters’ is ‘a beautiful reading experience’

The Smash Pages crew talks about ‘Justice League: Last Ride,’ ‘Write It in Blood’ and more.

Welcome to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at what the Smash Pages crew has been checking off their “to read” list lately — from older stuff like Crying Freeman and the Marvel Swimsuit Special to newer stuff like Justice League: Last Ride and Barry Windsor-Smith’s Monsters.

Let us know what you read this week in the comments or on social media.

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Mail Call | ‘That Texas Blood’ returns with a new story arc in June

Today’s round-up includes announcements and previews from Marvel, DC, Skybound, Image, Dark Horse and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we’ve received from comics publishers in our mailboxes recently that we haven’t already covered. Hit the links for more information.

That Texas Blood, the excellent small-town noir series by Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips, returns next month from Image Comics with a new story arc that delves into Ambrose County’s past, “blowing off some of that desert dust and seeing what lurks beneath,” Phillips said.

That Texas Blood #7 will arrive in comic shops on June 30.

“Returning to Ambrose County and these characters is like going home in many ways. They feel like old friends more than old creations and none more so than Sheriff Joe Bob Coates. I’m beyond excited to explore a bit of Joe’s past in this next story arc as we travel back in time to 1981. We’ll see new places, meet new people, and explore ideas we haven’t before. I’ve always believed that the beginning years of any decade are the hangover of the previous one, and I am absolutely thrilled that we are allowed to dissect this over the next six issues with our merry band of Ambrose Countians,” said Condon. “But don’t be fooled, we aren’t viewing the past through rose-colored glasses. I’ve said before that Texas is America’s mystical land, but every fantasy world has a minotaur lurking in the dark or a dragon breathing through smoking nostrils over armor-clad corpses. Our Texas is no different. The shadows there stretch to the horizon, devouring all light. But there are some who see the darkness and strike a match to light the way. I hope that you’ll join us on our trip down Highway 90, into the heart of Ambrose County and into the dark depths of the past. But don’t you fret, we’re not out of matches yet.”

Check out the first issue’s covers:

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Skybound Xpo reveals new comic series, teases ‘Skybound X’

Creators appeared to discuss ‘Rick Grimes 2000,’ ‘Everyday Hero Machine Boy,’ ‘Clementine’ and more.

Robert Kirkman’s Skybound held one of its online Xpo events today, revealing a comic adaption of the video game Trover Saves the Universe as well as some addition details and preview art from the upcoming Skybound X miniseries.

Trover Saves the Universe is a video game created by Justin Roiland, co-creator of the hit cartoon series Rick & Morty. Skybound has enlisted Tess Stone to work with Roiland on the miniseries.

“When Skybound mentioned they were interested in doing a Trover Saves the Universe comic with the help of Tess Stone, I knew it was going to be something of high quality,” said Roiland, who is also CEO and co-founder of Squanch Games. “Important cosmic jobs is such fertile soil for storytelling, and Tess has successfully expanded it beyond the game’s DLC to create a whole new crazy adventure for Trover fans to follow.”

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Kelly, Lanzing + Magno will provide the definitive origin of ‘Kang the Conquerer’

The Marvel villain takes the spotlight in a new miniseries that starts in August.

Marvel has announced plans to release a miniseries that’ll tell the “definitive origin story” of one of the Avengers’ greatest foes. Kang the Conquerer will launch in August by the writing team of Collin Kelly and Jackson Lanzing, with art by Carlos Magno, Espen Grundetjern and Joe Caramagna.

“Time may mean nothing to Kang, but Kang means everything to us. This is the book we’ve been wanting to write for years,” Lanzing said. “It’s a total dream come true for Collin and I to be making our Marvel debut – we’re best friends who first met through a mutual love of Young Avengers, Runaways and Ultimate Spider-Man. But to make our first mark with a character as storied as Kang the Conqueror, on a very personal pitch we never in a million years thought would be greenlit, is a genuine honor. Carlos Magno is delivering jaw-dropping work that recalls the exacting detail and operatic emotion of Kang’s co-creator Jack Kirby. We’re genuinely stunned by every new page. Add the brilliant colors by Espen Grundetjern, letters by the Marvel master Joe Caramanga, and the insightful leadership of our editor Alanna Smith, and you’ve got a team worthy of one of Marvel’s greatest unsung characters.”

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Erik Larsen will launch a new ‘Ant’ series in August

Larsen will debut a new origin story for the character in the first issue.

Image Comics has announced that Erik Larsen will launch a new ongoing Ant series in August, sharing a new origin story for the character he bought from her creator, Mario Gully.

Back in March, Larsen announced he had obtained the rights to Ant. Previously Ant has been published by both Image and Arcana Comics. Larsen helped bring the series to Image and also helped out with the initial storyline, but it was never completed. It’s been 14 years since the last issue of Ant appeared, but Larsen will release Ant #12 in June, which brings the first volume to a close.

“I’ve been invested in Ant ever since Mario Gully initially pitched the book at Image back when I was the publisher,” said Larsen. “Mario and I threw a lot of ideas back and forth about how to make the character work at Image and the more I thought about the possibilities—the more I liked the character. I even plotted and laid out a final Ant chapter for Mario’s run on the book, which I ended up completing myself as the finale to her initial series.”

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Marvel announces ‘Marvel’s Voices: Identity’ featuring Asian creators

Gene Yang, Greg Pak, Jason Loo, Marcus To and more will contribute stories to the anthology.

Marvel has announced the next one-shot in their Marvel’s Voices series, Marvel’s Voices: Identity, which will focus on Asian creators and characters.

“It’s unreal to me that one of Marvel’s first Asian super heroes, Jimmy Woo, was first introduced in in 1956. He predates the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and the X-Men,” Editor Darren Shan told Marvel.com. “It just goes to show that Asians have been an integral part of Marvel’s history, both on the page and behind it. So I’m incredibly excited to celebrate that with all these amazing creators, new and established, featuring some of Marvel’s greatest (and dare I say it, best) super heroes!”

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Marvel celebrates 60 years of the Fantastic Four in August

Dan Slott, John Romita Jr. Mark Waid, Paul Renaud and more contribute stories to the giant-sized issue #35.

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Fantastic Four, Marvel has announced that August’s issue #35 will be special giant-sized issue featuring three stories.

The main story will featured the FF going up against all the Kangs, as the time lord and his various incarnations target the team at different points in history. It’ll be written by Dan Slott and drawn by John Romita Jr., who recently returned to Marvel after spending a few years at DC, and inker JP Mayer.

“I’ve read, and been told by much smarter people, that ‘luck is the residue of design’ so I won’t even attempt to claim I designed the events of these last few months, but I will take this kind of luck any day any time,” Romita Jr. said. “I was lucky to begin my career with Marvel and now am extremely lucky to re-connect with Marvel. That’s an enormous amount of good fortune. I sincerely thank all the folks up at Marvel, and Disney, who worked for this fortunate re-connection to happen.

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‘Death Metal’ soundtrack arrives this summer

Mastodon, Denzel Curry, Manchester Orchestra and more provide tracks for the album that ties into the DC Comics event series.

As announced at last year’s DC FanDome, Dark Nights: Death Metal is getting a soundtrack, a joint production between DC and Loma Vista Records. The soundtrack will arrive on digital platforms on June 18, with a physical release set for July 16.

The album is executive produced by Tyler Bates and will feature tracks from Mastodon, Denzel Curry, Manchester Orchestra, Chelsea Wolfe, IDLES, Soccer Mommy and more.

“This soundtrack and motion-comic series was made by fans of comics, for fans of comics and music,” said Bates, who previously worked on the soundtracks for the films John Wick, Guardians of the Galaxy and Watchmen. “Dark Nights: Death Metal is next-level storytelling by two incredibly talented artists in Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo. The visual aspect of this comic is entirely compelling, and resonates throughout each song on the soundtrack.”

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It’s a New Day comic (yes it is)

The popular WWE trio break out into their own solo miniseries from BOOM! Studios.

Don’t you dare be sour — WWE’s tag-team trio The New Day are bringing the power of positivity to comics, with a new miniseries arriving from BOOM! Studios this summer.

Writers Evan Narcisse and Austin Walker, along with artist Daniel Bayliss, will tell the story of the early days of the group, including how Kofi Kingston, Big E and Xavier Woods came together to become The New Day.

“Collaborating with my colleague Austin Walker so we could tap into the personalities of The New Day to tell the origin story of this history-making trio has been an incredibly enriching experience,” said Narcisse. “We tried to write a love letter to an unseen side of WWE history, and I’m so excited that WWE fans everywhere will finally be able to read how Kofi, Xavier, and Big E came together to form sports entertainment’s most electrifying tag team.”

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