‘TMNT: Last Ronin’ expands with a new one-shot, director’s cut

IDW announces a tie-in story focused on April O’Neil as well as a ‘director’s cut’ version of the ‘Lost Years’ miniseries.

Tomorrow sees the release of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin–Lost Years #1, the first issue of a new miniseries that serves as prequel to IDW recent smash hit Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin, an “Old Man Logan” approach to the latter years of your favorite heroes in a half shell. To accompany that series, IDW has announced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin—Lost Day Special, a one-shot that will “straddle both the past and the future of the Last Ronin universe.”

The 40-page special issue, available in May, is by writers Kevin Eastman and Tom Waltz, illustrator Ben Bishop and colorist Luis Antonio Delgado. The story will be told from the point of view of April O’Neil, as she and her daughter raise for new mutant turtles.

“As Tom Waltz and I dig deep into the evolution of New York City post-Last Ronin, the Lost Day tale brings the future of all things TMNT up close and very personal,” Eastman said. “Buckle up, things are about to get messy!”

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Preliminary ballot announced for this year’s Bram Stoker Awards

The annual awards recognize “superior achievement” in horror and dark fiction, including graphic novels.

The Horror Writers Association has announced the preliminary ballot for the 2022 Bram Stoker Awards. The annual awards for horror/dark fiction include a “Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel” category.

The graphic novel category includes 10 selections that voting members can choose from to select the final ballot and eventual winner. The final ballot is expected to be announced in late February.

Four selections this year come from Image, while three were published by BOOM! Studios. Of particular note is that James Tynion IV appears on the ballot for four different works — The Closet, The Nice House on the Lake, House of Slaughter and Something is Killing the Children.

The preliminary books listed in the graphic novel category are:

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Atone for the ‘Sins of Sinister’ this Wednesday

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by G. Willow Wilson, Jamie McKelvie, Ram V, Ivan Reis, Rafael Albuquerque, Ryan Parrott, Dan Mora, Paul B. Rainey, Kieron Gillen, Lucas Werneck, Cullen Bunn 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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Dark Horse will publish Sierra Barnes’ ‘Hans Vogel is Dead’

The webcomic comes to print in the U.S. later this year.

Dark Horse has announced plans to publish Hans Vogel is Dead, the webcomic by cartoonist and painter Sierra Barnes, as a trilogy of graphic novels.

Described as “anti-fascist fairytale about a World War II fighter pilot navigating the afterlife,” Hans Vogel is Dead debuted on the web in 2015. Cast Iron Books funded a previously printing through Kickstarter and published the first volume in the UK. The first paperback volume from Dark Horse will feature new cover art as well as an expanded sketchbook section.

Hans Vogel is a passion project that I’ve poured so much love, research, and work into over the last few years, and I can hardly believe how lucky I am to see this weird little webcomic get set loose on the world,” Barnes said. “I’m so thankful to everyone who read and supported Hans and Reineke in their journey over the years, and I hope you’re as excited as I am to see them continue to grow and their adventure keep going. Thank you, thank you all!”

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Ghost Rider + Wolverine will team up this summer in ‘Weapons of Vengeance’

Two Marvel anti-heroes reunite courtesy of writer Benjamin Percy and artist Geoff Shaw.

Writer Benjamin Percy has been tearing it up in the pages of Ghost Rider and Wolverine, and come this summer he’ll bring the two characters together for Weapons of Vengeance.

The event will kick off, naturally, with an Alpha issue, titled Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance. Drawn by Geoff Shaw, the Alpha issue will recount the first encounter between Johnny Blaze and Wolverine.

“Wolverine is metal. Ghost Rider is metal. Together, their adamantium and chrome weigh in as HEAVY METAL!” Percy told Marvel.com. “You know how Metallica and Iron Maiden have toured together, shredded out songs, wailed on music videos? This is a little like that. I write the sheet music that Geoff Shaw brings to pyrotechnic, guitar-smashing life. You’re in for a head-banging good time, I promise.”

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Higgins, Clark + more will play some ‘Deep Cuts’ in April

The new anthology series looks back at the history of jazz.

Kyle Higgins has been slowly but surely building up a new superhero universe — the Massive-verse — over the last few years, but his next project at Image Comics is a departure from that. Higgins will team with Radiant Black co-writer Joe Clark for Deep Cuts, an anthology series inspired by the history of jazz music.

Higgins and Clark will jam with several artists on the series, including Danilo Beyruth, Helena Masellis, Diego Greco, Ramón K Pérez, Juni Ba and Toby Cypress, with all issues colored by Igor Monti, who they’ve worked with on Radiant Black, Inferno Girl Red and Supermassive. The covers will all connect, spanning 60 iconic years of music history and featuring artwork by Chris Brunner and Rico Renzi.

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Carnage will unleash carnage in ‘Spider-Man 2099: Dark Genesis’

Steve Orlando and Justin Mason pit the 2099 universe against a re-imagined, but familiar, threat.

Marvel’s 2099 universe will expand once again in Spider-Man 2099: Dark Genesis, a new miniseries by Steve Orlando and Justin Mason.

Familiar characters like Spider-Man 2099 and Punisher 2099 will be joined by a new Carnage and Blade 2099 in the weekly series. Nick Bradshaw will provide the cover for each issue, which you can see below.

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‘Dawn of DC’ joins the 2023 Free Comic Book Day line-up

DC joins in on the FCBD fun for this year as other publishers reveal their final covers.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you from comics creators, publishers and more. Hit the links for more information.

Through their solicitations for April, DC Comics has revealed at least part of their plans for this year’s Free Comic Book Day — Dawn of DC, which shares a title with their recent publishing initiative that follows Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.

“After the near-Multiverse-ending events in Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths and DC Universe: Lazarus Planet, the DC Universe will be heading toward the light,” Jim Lee, DC publisher and chief creative officer, said last year when Dawn of DC was announced. “With brand-new series and story arcs from some of the top creative members in comics, Dawn of DC is one of our most ambitious initiatives ever and is a chance for us to tell bigger and bolder stories across our line.”

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Venom gets extreme — and an anthology series — in May

‘Extreme Venomverse’ arrives just in time for ‘Death of the Venomverse’ and ‘Summer of Symbiotes,’ as Venom celebrates his 35-year anniversary.

How easy would it be to apply the template of the Spider-Verse to Venom? We’ll find out later this year, as Marvel has announced Extreme Venomverse, an anthology series that will feature various versions of Venom from around the multiverse.

This year is the 35th anniversary of the character, who was created by Todd McFarlane and David Michelinie and had his first, full appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #300. But you have to tip your hat to the creators of Amazing Spider-Man #252 — Roger Stern, Todd DeFalco, Mike Zeck and Ron Frenz — for creating Spider-Man’s black alien costume. And are you familiar with Randy Schueller? He was a comics fan who came up with the idea for putting Spider-Man in a black costume.

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After a decade, ‘Saga’ will finally increase its price to $3.99 an issue

Due to ‘global economic factors,’ ‘Saga’ will no longer ‘hold the line at $2.99.’

It’s the end of an era for Saga and its fans. No, not the end of the series — that’s coming in about 40 or so issues, if I’m remembering correctly — but the end of its $2.99 price point.

Starting with issue #61, which is scheduled to arrive in shops next Wednesday, the hit series by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples will jump to $3.99.

In his Substack newsletter, Vaughn said that “you may have noticed on Fiona’s rocking cover that—after more than a decade of being one of the last comics anywhere still ‘holding the line at $2.99’—Saga has finally joined the ranks of books costing $3.99.

“As I say in next week’s To Be Continued, I’m sorry that various global economic factors that I know everybody’s feeling right now made this a move we couldn’t avoid any longer, but we still promise to always offer more new art and story (and more dopey letter columns) than any other similarly priced book on the stands.”

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Ewing + Allen will launch a new ‘Black Panther’ series in June

Eve L. Ewing and Chris Allen will pick up where John Ridley leaves off.

With John Ridley’s run on Black Panther set to expire with issue #15, Marvel has announced that writer Eve L. Ewing and artist Chris Allen will helm a new Black Panther series that kicks off in June.

“More than anything, I’m bowled over at the opportunity to write such a marquee character. I see it as a big responsibility,” Ewing told ComicBook.com. “Black Panther is a tremendously important legacy character for Marvel fans, but moreover the character has become one of the most important icons in pop culture for people of the African diaspora all over the world. And on a personal note, the title was so indelibly shaped by my friend and mentor, Ta-Nehisi Coates, who is a big part of why I’m even in comics. There are a lot of talented creators working right now and I feel very awed that the editorial team asked me to take this on. It makes me feel really seen as a comics writer, very humbled, and very grateful. It’s a big role for me and I take it extremely seriously.”

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‘The Expanse’ returns to comics in a new maxiseries from BOOM! Studios

Andy Diggle and Rubine tell a story set between ‘Babylon’s Ashes’ and ‘Persepolis Rising.’

The Expanse, the popular science fiction show that wrapped up last year after its sixth season, will return to comics this year with a new 12-issue series. BOOM! Studios has announced The Expanse: Dragon Tooth, by writer Andy Diggle and artist Rubine. Christian Ward will provide covers.

“It’s not often you get to work on something you already love with your whole heart, and everyone who knows me knows how passionate I am about The Expanse. Suit up and strap in — we’re gonna be pulling some high-g maneuvers!” Diggle exclaimed.  

Like they’ve done with titles like BRZRKR, BOOM! plans to run a Kickstarter campaign for the project, which will offer “exclusive premium variants of each issue and exclusive variant editions of each collection, along with highly limited edition collectibles.”

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