Here are the Transformers Daniel Warren Johnson will use in the new Skybound series

See the Autobots and Decepticons who will throw down in the new series.

With their surprise reveal of a whole new universe featuring both G.I. Joe and Transformers in the pages of Void Rival #1, Skybound has revealed the teams of Autobots and Decepticons that will star in the new series by Daniel Warren Johnson.

It sounds like the series is a reboot back to the time when the Transformers first arrived on Earth:

Transformers #1 begins an all-new era for the iconic Robots in Disguise from Daniel Warren Johnson (Extremity, Do a Powerbomb, DC’s Wonder Woman: Dead Earth) and colorist Mike Spicer (Stillwater, Murder Falcon). Optimus Prime was supposed to have led the Autobots to victory. Instead, the fate of Cybertron is unknown, and his allies have crash-landed far from home, alongside their enemies—the Decepticons. As these titanic forces renew their war on Earth, one thing is immediately clear: the planet will never be the same. New alliances are struck. Battle lines are redrawn. And humanity’s only hope for survival is Optimus Prime. 

Here’s who arrives with Optimus Prime:

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(Mr.) Justice is served in this preview of ‘World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest’ #131

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

Mr. Justice and Darkling help keep Riverdale’s summer interesting and fun in these previews of two new stories coming in World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #131, which arrives in stores July 5.

In the first story, Reggie is up to his old tricks until Moose calls him on it — which brings the attention of Mr. Justice. The gallant Moose is rewarded with super powers for his efforts, much to the chagrin of that goofus Reggie. It’s courtesy of writer Ian Flynn, artists Bill Galvan and Jim Amash, colorist Glenn Whitmore and letterer Jack Morelli.

Then in the second story, we find out that the mystical hero Darkling, who doesn’t like beaches, isn’t a fan of fireworks, either. When she tries to make them more to her liking, something goes wrong. This one is written and drawn by Dan Parent, with Bob Smith on inks. They’re joined by Whitmore and Morelli as well.

Check out both previews below, as well as a complete classic Archie story by J. Torres and Craig Boldman.

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Valiant, Alien Books announce a publishing partnership

Alien Books will take over publishing comics for Valiant, with plans to increase the overall number of titles featuring Valiant characters.

Valiant Entertainment has announced a publishing partnership with Alien Books, where Valiant is essentially outsourcing their publishing to the fledgling publisher. According to Popverse, the deal will see Alien Books “take over all publishing of Valiant properties.”

This is not completely unexpected; the surprising part — and good news for fans of the characters — is that Valiant’s comic line isn’t just fading away. For the past couple years Valiant’s output has declined considerably, with the publishing line seemingly on life support as they published somewhere between 0-2 titles per month. The press release said Alien would “expand Valiant’s publishing capabilities,” with clarifications from Popverse and the Beat both saying this is pretty much the end of Valiant publishing their own comics (and graphic novels and the like). The Beat adds that “some remaining Valiant staffers will stay on to work on the transition.”

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Smash Pages Q&A | Cullen Bunn + Brian Hurtt on the return of ‘The Sixth Gun’

The creators of the horror/Western ‘yarn’ talk about returning to their signature creation with a new Kickstarter project.

The 50-issue The Sixth Gun series — along with its several spin-off series — was a hallmark of independent comics publishing from 2010 to 2016. Co-creators Cullen Bunn and Brian Hurtt not only created a compelling “yarn” of a story that combined horror with the Western genre, but they also did a phenomenal job of creating a world that always seemed ripe for more exploration.

They wrapped up the initial story of Becky Montcrief, Arnold Drake and the battle for control of six mystical guns, and now Oni Press has announced The Sixth Gun Deluxe Omnibus Library, which is currently up on Kickstarter. Not only are they releasing all the issues of The Sixth Gun, plus all the spinoff miniseries, plus the spinoff series Shadow Roads, in this deluxe format, but Bunn and Hurtt are also creating new material for it — three new prelude stories will unlock as the campaign reaches new milestones over the course of its 30-day run. It’s also a precursor to a new The Sixth Gun project coming in 2025 for the comic’s 15th anniversary.

I spoke with both creators about what it’s like to return to The Sixth Gun after all this time, their collaborative process and what to expect from the new material they’re creating.

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‘Spider-Boy’ jumps into his own ongoing series in November

Or maybe he’s always had one?

Spider-Boy, the longtime sidekick of Spider-Man who made his debut in the recent Spider-Man #7, will star in his own ongoing series beginning in November.

The character’s co-creator, Dan Slott, will write Spider-Boy, joined by Paco Medina on art. The character’s other co-creator, Humberto Ramos, will provide covers. The series will explore his past and his ties to the Spider-Man mythos, as well as feature a team-up with Squirrel Girl.

“Spider-Man isn’t supposed to have a sidekick. That’s just wrong on so many levels. And that is exactly why we are going to have so much fun with this,” Slott said. “Both this character—and this new title—are going to break all the rules. Bailey Briggs is going to have over-the-top adventures in the Spider-Man corner of the Marvel Universe. He’ll be facing off against a mix of both all-new villains and fan-favorite Spidey bad guys. The one thing we can promise you, whenever you pick up a copy of Spider-Boy, we are going to take the weirdest and wildest swings with every single story! Our goal is to get every reader to ask two questions: ‘What in the hell did I just read?!’ and ‘When is the NEXT one coming out?!'”

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DSTLRY’s ‘The Devil’s Cut’ anthology will launch eight new titles

Check out previews of stories by Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Christian Ward, Ram V, Lee Garbett, Becky Cloonan and more.

DSTLRY , the new comics company formed by former Comixology execs David Steinberger and Chip Mosher, will release their first comic next month — The Devil’s Cut, an anthology featuring the work of Scott Snyder, James Tynion IV, Becky Cloonan, Jock, Tula Lotay and many of the other creators from the murderer’s row of talent they’ve recruited.

Not only has DSTLRY released preview pages from the 11 stories that will appear in it, they’ve also announced that eight of those stories will serve as springboards for new series that will launch later this year and next year.

“With The Devil’s Cut, a majority of the self-contained stories lay the foundation for series to come,” said DSTLRY CCO Chip Mosher. “To be crystal clear, these eight stories found in The Devil’s Cut are not previews, but the first appearances of new worlds from our Founding Creators and Friends.” 

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Christopher Chaos’ comes to print

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving in stores this week by James Tynion IV, Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, Alison Sampson, Dave Stewart, Adam Cesare, Hayley Gold, Tate Brombal, Nick Robles and more.

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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Quick Hits | ‘Chivalry’ wins at the Locus Awards

Plus: #ComicsBrokeMe, Lambda Literary Awards, Hoopla adds manga and more.

Awards | Chivalry, the short story by Neil Gaiman adapted into a graphic novel by Colleen Doran, has won a Locus Award in the category of “Illustrated and Art Book.” The graphic novel, which was published by Dark Horse, was up against several traditional art books and a few other graphic novels like The Night Eaters in the category. Artist Charles Vess also won another Locus Award in the category of “Best Artist.”

Industry | Writing for the Daily Beast, Chris Kindred talks to several comic creators about the #ComicsBrokeMe hashtag that Shivana Sookdeo created after the death of Ian McGinty and the stories they shared about working in the comics industry.

“The act of creating hundreds of well-illustrated pages takes serious time, significant strain on the body, and mental stamina. So many of us have sustained significant damage to our health trying to make ends meet,” Sookdeo told Kindred.

The article also notes the creation of the Cartoonist Cooperative, a creator-run organization trying to address these issues within the industry.

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It’s the kids from ‘Strange Academy’ vs. mathematics in a series of one-shots

Author Carlos Hernandez chaperones a trip to New York for the magical prodigies to meet Miles Morales, Moon Knight and more.

Their ongoing series might have ended, but school is back in session later this year for the students of Strange Academy.

Author Carlos Hernandez (Sal and Gabi Break the Universe) will take the kids on a field trip to New York to meet Moon Knight and two Spider-Man this fall, as the kids enter the Multiversal Math Bowl and take on a new enemy called The Equation. I always knew higher math was evil.

Here’s a look at the three one-shots, all written by Hernandez and featuring artwork by Juann Cabal, Julian Shaw and Vasco Georgiev:

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BOOM! announces ‘Firefly: The Fall Guys’

Sam Humphries, Jordi Perez and Francesco Segala pit the Serenity crew against ‘assassins, jobs gone wrong, and organized crime.’

The crew of the Serenity will fly once again this fall in a new miniseries by Sam Humphries, Jordi Perez and Francesco Segala.

Firefly: The Fall Guys will find Mal and the crew dealing with organized crime and local politics (is that redundant?) as they attempt to make some bank to keep the Serenity in the sky.

“So thrilled to be welcomed into the Firefly ‘verse. I love Westerns, so bringing the best bandits in the galaxy back to their buckaroo roots with a fantastic artist like Jordi has been a dream,” said Humphries. “Don’t worry, there’s still a giant gorram spaceship in the first issue. Yee haw!”

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Dan Schkade + Brennan Wagner create a new hero for Portland in ‘Saint John’

Dark Horse Comics and Portland Gear team up on the four-issue miniseries.

Portland-based publisher Dark Horse Comics has teamed up with apparel company Portland Gear for Saint John, which introduces a new superhero operating in the Oregon city.

Local artist Brennan Wagner will team with writer Dan Schkade and letterer Frank Cvetkovic on the four-issue miniseries that introduces a hero “built for the quirks that make the city unique.”

“A few years ago, I set out to create a positive storyline for the city and utilize the connections I’ve had in town for many years.” said Marcus Harvey, founder and owner of Portland Gear. “With the assistance of Brennan, Dan and Mike Richardson, the idea of a superhero for Portland came to life—an individual radiating positivity and dedicated to community building. Portland is a magical place, and I believe that employing the medium of a comic book would provide a unique opportunity to share its wonders with the world.”

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Love, Assassin Style: Jensen, Baruschel, Micelli + Esposito will ‘Tear Us Apart’

The new miniseries will steal your heart in September.

The Flash writer Van Jensen will team with actor Jay Baruschel and The Ballad of Sang artist Alessandro Micelli for a new miniseries about death cults, assassins … and love.

Tear Us Apart features two teenagers who are being trained to be assassins falling for each other. Award-winning letterer Taylor Esposito rounds out the creative team.

“This comic is a love letter to the 1990s,” Jensen said. “A story we can all relate to: A boy and a girl meet and fall in love, and the only thing between them and a happy ending is a horde of the world’s best killers.”

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