Emerald City Comic Con canceled for 2020

A live convention, which was postponed to August, is now off the books for this year due to COVID-19.

It seems like such a different time now — compared to all way back in March, when Emerald City Comic Con had to decide whether to move forward with their annual convention or postpone to a later date. They opted to postpone, looking toward the end of August as their new dates, and became the first major comic book convention to be affected by COVID-19.

Three months later, everything else has been canceled, too, to the point that the surprise is gone when you hear about another event that won’t move forward. But ECCC has officially announced that the convention won’t go on as planned in August. Instead, they’re planning to hold a digital event, with the hopes that a live convention can occur next March.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Jam with Snyder and Capullo on ‘Death Metal’

New comics arrive this week from Michel Fiffe, James Tynion IV, Tom King, Evan Shaner, Mitch Gerads and more.

This week brings another Wednesday without single issues from Dark Horse and Marvel arriving in shops, as they both only have trade paperbacks and graphic novels on their lists for the week. But DC, IDW, Image and other publishers are offering plenty if you’re looking for a single-issue fix.

If you’re wondering what to get this week, check out a few recommendations below. You can check the Comic List page to see what’s arriving in your local shop, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally. As always, you should check with your local shop on their hours, curbside pick-up, etc. due to the coronavirus pandemic. Stay safe out there.

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Green Goblin returns in ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #850

The oversized issue will feature the work of Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley, Mark Bagley, Kurt Busiek, Humberto Ramos and more.

Marvel has announced that Amazing Spider-Man #850 — or #49 if you’re using the current numbering — will be an oversized issue with stories by a variety of creators, and will feature the return of the Green Goblin.

Those contributing include Nick Spencer, Ryan Ottley, Tradd Moore, Humberto Ramos, Mark Bagley, Kurt Busiek, Chris Bachalo, Saladin Ahmed and Aaron Kuder. Ottley will supply this issue’s cover.

“This is maybe the most action-packed and harrowing issue of Amazing Spider-Man ever,” said Executive Editor Nick Lowe. “There are so many twists and turns and Spidey has never had his back up against a wall like this before.”

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Fund Me Monday | ‘The Bone Herder,’ TCAF Showcase and more

Check out projects by Simon Roy, Malachi Ward, Rich Tommaso, Kyle Starks and more.

Crowdfunding continues to serve as a viable method for creators to fund their creative endeavors, as comic-related projects flourish on sites like Kickstarter, Patreon and IndieGoGo. The internet also allows creators to sell their creations direct to fans, through sites like Gumroad, Etsy and of course their own websites. If you’re looking to buy something from or support a creator directly, you’ve come to the right place. And that’s a good thing to do, now more than ever.

Send any suggestions of your own to jkparkin@yahoo.com.

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Panosian + Ignazzi team for ‘An Unkindness of Ravens’

Five-issue miniseries about witches in high school begins in September.

Slots creator Dan Panosian is teaming with artist Marianna Ignazzi for a five-issue miniseries involving high school kids, witchcraft and hidden secrets. The wonderfully titled An Unkindness of Ravens will kick off from BOOM! Studios in September.

“Revenge is a dish best served monthly. Add some magic, murder and mystery—and you’re in for a treat,” Panosian said. “An Unkindness of Ravens is the kindest gift you can give yourself this summer.”

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What Are You Reading? | Detective, Uncanny X-Force and more

See what the Smash Pages crew has checked off their “to read” list lately.

Welcome to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately. In this week’s edition, we take a look back at Rick Remender’s opening salvo on Uncanny X-Force and the first Batman collaboration between Denny O’Neil and Neal Adams, among other comics. You can play along in the comments if you’d like.

Now here we go …

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Sunday Comics | Ezra Claytan Daniels designs ‘new agencies that serve and protect’

Check out new comics by Jillian Tamaki, Ethan Sacks, Dalibor Talajić, Gavin Guidry and more.

Here’s a round up of some of the best comics we’ve seen online recently. If we missed something, let us know in the comments below.

As calls to “defund the police” spread in protests, on the news and in social media, Ezra Claytan Daniels imagines a few “departments that will replace police in the not-too-distant future.”

Posted at The Nib, Daniels’ new concepts include the “Los Angeles Department of Food Security,” pictured at the top of this post, and the “Department of Crime Deduction,” pictured above, which he calls a “diversely skilled roster of detectives who excel in creative thinking and problem solving.” Probably recruited heavily from crime podcasts.

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Gerry Conway’s Skulls for Justice shirts raise $45,000 for Black Lives Matter so far

The Punisher co-creator uses the skull symbol ‘for the cause of equal justice and Black Lives Matter;’ the campaign runs through June 30.

The death of George Floyd and the protests against police brutality that followed have also once again put the spotlight on the use of the Punisher logo by police officers. The skull logo, often altered to include a blue line, has become a popular symbol with some members of law enforcement, with many websites selling bootleg merchandise.

While Disney hasn’t done anything (yet) to stop the sale of this merchandise, Punisher co-creator Gerry Conway has taken matters into his own hands. He has a campaign up on the website Custom Ink call Skulls for Justice, and has teamed with several artists to sell shirts featuring altered versions of the Punisher logo, in support of Black Lives Matter. And so far, he said, they’ve raised more than $45,000 for the organization.

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Mail Call | James Stokoe is doing a Clownhunter story for a ‘Joker Wars’ one-shot

Plus: News from Image, Aftershock and the CBLDF.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we’ve received from publishers in our mailboxes recently. Hit the links for more information.

Batman: The Joker War Zone #1 is a collection of short stories that tie into the upcoming “Joker Wars” storyline in Batman. The 48-page one-shot will include stories by James Tynion IV, John Ridley, Guillem March, James Stokoe, Joshua Williamson, David Lafuente and more.

The artwork above is from Stokoe’s contribution, a story featuring the new character Clownhunter. In the press release, DC says this is “the brutal full debut of the mysterious new anti-hero known as Clownhunter.”

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Denny O’Neil passes away at 81

The prolific writer, editor and teacher died from natural causes June 11.

Writer, editor and teacher Denny O’Neil has passed away at the age of 81. According to Newsarama, O’Neil died of natural causes in his home last night.

O’Neil was one of the most prolific writers of Batman, having written more than 200 issues featuring the character. His work appeared in Batman, Detective Comics and Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight. In the 1970s, he was credited with bringing Batman back to his darker roots, following the campy Batman TV show of the 1960s. He co-created Ra’s al Ghul, Talia al Ghul, Leslie Thompkins and Azrael, and also edited the Batman titles from 1986 through 2000.

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Cantwell + CAFU take over ‘Iron Man’

Tony Stark will don Alex Ross-designed armor in a new series coming this fall.

When Iron Man blasts off this fall in a new series by Christopher Cantwell (Doctor Doom) and CAFU (Jane Foster: Valkyrie), it’ll be Tony Stark once again wearing the armor, in a new suit designed by Alex Ross (Kingdom Come, Marvels).

According to Marvel.com, Tony is “putting away his high-tech toys and high-profile image so he can get his hands dirty again. But can he really lay that Stark-sized ego down? Life isn’t always that simple, something that old friends and frustrating foes are quick to point out.  If you strip a billionaire down to his bolts, does he run solid…or just overheat?”

The series follows the conclusion of the Iron Man 2020 miniseries, which features Tony’s brother Arno as Iron Man. The final three issues of that series will come out this summer.

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Quarantine Comix to be collected in September

‘Ice Cream Man Presents: Quarantine Comix’ #1 will collect stories by W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran and more.

If you’ve been waiting for all the fun Quarantine Comix released by the Ice Cream Man team to come to print, have I got some good news for you, with sprinkles on top — Image Comics will release Ice Cream Man Presents: Quarantine Comix in September.

Originally started to help raise money for retailers who had to close down their shops during the corornavirus pandemic and shelter-in-place orders, Quarantine Comix was the brainchild of the team behind Image’s crazy horror anthology, Ice Cream Man. W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran and Good Old Neon created six minicomics that they released and sold online, with half of their profits going to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, or BINC. Those were followed by a “guest series” that wraps up this week with a new comic by Christopher Cantwell and Eoin Marron.

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