‘Groot’ gets an origin story in May

Dan Abnett and Damian Couceiro will revisit Groot’s origins in a new miniseries.

As Marvel’s new Guardians of the Galaxy series sets the stage for the future of the team, a new miniseries will explore one character’s past.

Groot by writer Dan Abnett and artist Damian Couceiro will reveal the origin story of everyone’s favorite alien tree, bringing Abnett back to a character he helped to redefine.

“I am Groot! No, that’s not right… I am delighted to be back WITH Groot for this series that will explore his early life and adventures, reveal some secrets of his home and his people, introduce some fantastic new characters, reveal a couple of big secrets… and also guest star some VERY unexpected Marvel characters,” Abnett told Marvel.com. “So it’s back to the future for a blast from the past…. no, that’s not right either… If you like Marvel Cosmic, you’re going to LOVE this.”

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It’s Vader time in the latest ‘Black, White & Red’ anthology from Marvel

The four-issue anthology miniseries will launch in April.

Darth Vader joins the likes of Elektra, Deadpool and Wolverine later this year as the Star Wars villain headlines in his own Black, White & Red miniseries.

Marvel’s Black, White & Red series feature stories by a variety of creators told in three colors. Luckily Vader’s lightsaber fits the theme.

“This is a project we’ve been waiting to do for a while and we’ve got more amazing talent lined up that I can’t wait to announce,” Editor Mark Paniccia told Marvel.com. “It’s such a thrill to use this unique storytelling approach on one of the greatest villains in the galaxy.”

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‘Day of Blood’ flows through IDW’s Star Trek titles this summer

Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Christopher Cantwell and Mike Feehan will kick off the crossover event on Free Comic Book Day.

Two of IDW’s ongoing Star Trek titles will come together for a crossover event later this year — Star Trek: Day of Blood. The story will kick off in IDW’s Free Comic Book Day issue on May 6, then run through issues of Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant.

Prelude to Day of Blood, the Free Comic Book Day issue, will be co-written by Star Trek writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and Star Trek: Defiant writer Christopher Cantwell. Mike Feehan will provide the art.

“I’ve been nothing short of ecstatic to be a part of this new, larger Star Trek initiative at IDW,” says Cantwell. “There were moments in our writers’ room with Jackson and Collin where I couldn’t believe we were really doing this—not just telling one Star Trek story but weaving together multiple Trek stories at the same time, with plotlines from Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant converging. We threw all our boldest ideas and best character pairings into a story of pure chaos, starship battles, and real epic dramatic resonance you can only achieve in the scope of comics.”

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Betty + Veronica ditch the Archies to form Rock Candi

The Riverdale music scene will never be the same.

Move over, Mary Janes — there’s a new band of girl rockers set to shred your comics. In a story written and drawn by Holly G!, Betty and Veronica have quit The Archies and teamed up with drummer Jola Kitt to form a new band, Rock Candi. 

It all goes down in Betty & Veronica Friends Forever: Rock ‘N’ Roll in March.

Joined by Bob Smith, Glenn Whitmore and Jack Morelli, Holly G! will introduce another new character to Riverdale, following the debut of Cassie Cloud in the Valentine’s Day special coming next month. She’s also breaking up The Archies — or at least sending them in a new direction, a band that’s been part of the pop culture circuit since the 1960s.

“Rock Candi proves that girls can ROCK!” Holly said in a press release. “No more tambourine shaking or backup vocals; these girls are shredding guitars, writing their own songs, and singing them. The story is more drama than comedy — it’s about not letting someone keep your light from shining, and how a band is supposed to support one another. I’m excited for more Rock Candi stories to come!”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Chaos reigns in DC’s ‘Lazarus Planet’

Check out new comics and graphic novels coming out this week by Mark Waid, Riccardo Federici, Paul Dini, Alan Burnett, Paul Levitz, Alan Davis, Kelly Thompson, Dan McDaid 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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Karma gets a new first name in Trung Le Nguyen’s ‘Karma in Love’

The Vietnamese character now has a first name more befitting of her background and culture.

A classic New Mutant received a name change — well, more of a name tweak — in a recent Marvel Unlimited Infinity Comic. Karma, whose real name was Xi’an, is now Xuân.

The Magic Fish creator Trung Le Nguyen, who is also Vietnamese like the character, wrote and drew “Karma in Love,” the story where the new name was noted. He spoke to Marvel.com about the change.

“I’ve had quite a journey around Karma’s civilian name. As a reader who spoke Vietnamese as a child, it was really difficult for me to connect with Karma because I knew her name was gibberish,” he said, noting that the “sh” sound in “Xi’an,” which was shown to be pronounced as “Shan” in various comics, didn’t exist in the Vietnamese language.

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‘She-Hulk’ celebrates 175 issues in April

Rainbow Rowell, Andrés Genolet and more will celebrate with a double-sized milestone issue.

Add up all those issues of She-Hulk and you’ll get to 175 with issue #12 of the latest series, which arrives in April. Writer Rainbow Rowell and artist Andrés Genolet, who worked together on Runaways, will reunite to celebrate the milestone.

The doubled-sized issue that will introduce a new villain, The Scoundrel, into Jennifer Walters’ already complicated life.

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Fantagraphics will publish Maria Bamford + Scott Marvel Cassidy’s ‘Hogbook and Lazer Eyes’

The new graphic novel will arrive in stores in June.

Fantagraphics has announced Hogbook and Lazer Eyes, a new graphic novel from actress and comedian Maria Bamford and painter Scott Marvel Cassidy.

The two creators, who were married in 2015, met through the dating app OK Cupid, as chronicled on the quasi-autobiographical Lady Dynamite! show on Netflix. The graphic novel will recount their story through the eyes of their pug housemates.

“As a dog lover, and as a comics fan, I was immediately charmed by Hogbook and Lazer Eyes from almost the first page,” said Fantagraphics Associate Publisher Eric Reynolds. “Maria and Scott have crafted something as sweet and beautiful as it is laugh out loud funny.”

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Maia Kobabe has a new graphic novel arriving from Scholastic in 2025

Kobabe will team with artist Lucky Srikumar on ‘Saachi’s Stories.’

Gender Queer creator Maia Kobabe’s next graphic novel will arrive from Scholastic in 2025, according to a report on Publisher’s Weekly. Kobabe will team with artist Lucky Srikumar for Saachi’s Stories, a middle-grade graphic novel being released through Scholastic’s Graphix imprint.

“I have sold my second book!” Kobabe said on Tumblr. “It’s called Saachi’s Stories and I wrote it with my wonderful, smart, hot, funny, talented friend @diamoric-comix! It’s due out from Scholastic Graphix in 2025. It’s fiction, and it’s aimed at a younger audience than Gender Queer but it is once again about a character wrestling with gender, identity and sexuality, this time in the crucible of junior high. I am really excited about this book, and can’t wait to share it with you in a couple more years.”

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Marvel will launch a new ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ series in April

Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Kev Walker and Matt Hollingsworth chart a new course into Marvel’s cosmic frontier.

Marvel has announced that co-writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, along with artist Kev Walker and colorist Matt Hollingsworth, will plot a new course for the Guardians of the Galaxy beginning in April.

The team, which will consist of Star-Lord, Gamora, Nebula, Drax and Mantis, will “venture to new, never-before-seen planets, encounter brand-new alien species, and discover long-hidden galaxy-bending truths that will make readers question everything they thought they knew about the cosmic side of Marvel.”

I dig the Western vibe they have going in the preview art:

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Slugfest | ‘Batman/Spawn’ gets an ‘inks only’ edition

Today’s round-up includes news and announcements on ‘Amazing Spider-Man,’ Brian Michael Bendis, Keanu Reeves, Shakespeare, ‘Star Trek: Deep Space Nine’ and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you from comics creators, publishers and more. Most of this edition includes all those end-of-the-year announcements I missed because I was on vacation. Hit the links for more information.

DC and Todd McFarlane have announced Batman/Spawn Unplugged, an uncolored and unlettered version of the recent crossover comic by Todd McFarlane and Greg Capullo.

“It’s always exciting whenever us artists can present our work in as unfiltered a manner as possible,” said McFarlane. “This book will let you see the true skill of how Greg Capullo does his masterful storytelling… and every line that we both put down.”

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Sabrina bonds with Darkling as Steel Sterling teams with Pureheart in this preview of ‘World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest’ #126

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

Courtesy of our friends at Archie Comics, we’re pleased to kick off the new year with a preview of World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #126.

We’re always happy to share the latest stories featuring some of our favorites from the Mighty Crusaders and Archie’s superhero line, and this time is no different. Up first we have a new story by Ian Flynn, Steven Butler and Lily Butler featuring a magical team-up between Sabrina the Teenage Witch and the mystical superhero Darkling. Then Archie in his superhero identity — Pureheart the Powerful — teams with Steel Sterling to take on the villainous Suprema. It’s by the legendary Tom DeFalco, who you might remember as the former editor in chief from Marvel and the writer of Fantastic Four and other titles, along with artists Bill and Ben Galvan.

Check out the previews below, as well as a classic story by Bill Golliher and Bob Bolling.

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