‘Four-Color Heroes,’ ‘Doctor Aphra’ win at the GLAAD Media Awards

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation recognized comics from Marvel and Fanbase Press in their 35th annual Media Awards.

Four-Color Heroes and Doctor Aphra took home awards at the 35th annual GLAAD Media Awards, which recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ+ community and the issues that affect their lives.

GLAAD recognizes the comic arts in two categories — “Outstanding Comic Book” and “Outstanding Original Graphic Novel/Anthology.” The awards were given out Thursday night at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, across categories that recognized film, television, video games and more. Other winners included the TV show Yellowjackets and the video game Baldur’s Gate 3.

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Wong + Bazaldua chart a new flight path for ‘Captain Marvel’

Carol Danvers returns in a new solo series in October.

Alyssa Wong and Jan Bazaldua will set Carol Danvers on a new path as they take over the ongoing adventures of Captain Marvel this fall. The relaunched series follows Kelly Thompson’s historic run on the character, as Wong and Bazaldua introduce an “omniversal entity” who has Captain Marvel in their sights.

“I’m so excited to be writing Captain Marvel!” Wong said. “Carol is such an iconic character with a rich history, and I can’t wait to add to her story. It’s an honor to work with Jan and I hope everyone enjoys what we’ve got coming!”

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‘Star Wars: Dark Droids’ kicks off in August

The crossover event introduces a droid virus that corrupts their programming and spreads like wildfire across the galaxy.

Both the Empire and the Rebel Alliance will face dire consequences when their droids break bad during an event that will run through Marvel’s Star Wars titles starting in August.

Announced during the Star Wars Celebration event earlier this month, Star Wars: Dark Droids will introduce something called the Scourge that will spread through the galaxy. It’ll infect everything from Lobot to a squad of Clone War-Era Prototype Battle Droids, bringing a sense of dread and horror to the Star Wars line.

The event kicks off in Star Wars: Dark Droids #1, which comes out Aug. 3 from writer Charles Soule and artist Luke Ross, before spreading through the other Star Wars titles. Here’s the rundown …

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‘Spirit World,’ ‘The Vigil’ and ‘City Boy’ spin out of ‘Lazarus Planet’ in May

DC will launch three new series featuring Asian heroes and creators during Asian American Pacific Islander Month.

The Dawn of DC will continue in May with three six-issue miniseries featuring characters introduced during the Lazarus Planet event.

DC has announced City Boy, Spirit World and The Vigil, which not only fall under the “Dawn of DC” umbrella but also have their own sub-branding, “We Are Legends.” All three projects were spearheaded by DC Editor Jessica Chen, who shared more about them on Twitter, and feature the talents of Ram V, Alyssa Wong, Haining, Greg Pak, Lalit Kumar Sharma, Minkyu Jung, Sunny Gho and more.

“We Are Legends is a passion project I’ve been dreaming of and working on for a while now (inspired by Milestone 1993 but for the AAPI community & within the DCU)—& I’m lucky to have the support from DC Comics, Jim Lee [and] Marie Javins of making this come true. Representation matters!” Chen said, “…and it matters to me for that Asian kid to realize through these books in We Are Legends that not only are our stories worth being told (and by us), but our stories are also worth being told on mainstream media like DC Comics.”

Here are more details on the three miniseries, courtesy of DC:

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‘Deadpool’ returns to his own title by Alyssa Wong + Martin Coccolo

The new ongoing series launches in November.

The Merc with a Mouth will return to his own title in November, courtesy of writer Alyssa Wong and artist Martin Coccolo.

“I love chaos,” Wong told Marvel.com. “And what is Deadpool if not chaos incarnate? I’m honored to take the reins for Wade’s next solo adventure–expect romance, expect body horror, and expect a wild time!”

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‘New Mutants’ #30 will mark the team’s 40th anniversary

Vita Ayala, Alex Lins, Jason Loo, Emma Kubert, Alyssa Wong, Bob McLeod and more will contribute to the oversized issue.

Although they don’t look that much older than when they first debuted, Marvel will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the original New Mutants #1 in issue #30 of the current series, which comes out in September.

The oversized issue will include a collection of shorter stories starring “classic and new characters alike,” and will feature the work of Vita Ayala, Alex Lins, Jason Loo, Emma Kubert, Alyssa Wong and more. Wong, actually, will write a new Deadpool story for the comic, as Deadpool made his first appearance in New Mutants #98.

The New Mutants were co-created by Chris Claremont and Bob McLeod back in 1982, and they debuted in an original graphic novel that was released in September of that year. The first issue of their ongoing series followed a couple months later and lasted 100 issues before morphing into X-Force during the 1990s. Marvel has revived the title and concept a few times since then, including the current title, which features several of the original members with newer characters.

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A new Iron Fist will debut in February

A new character will inherit the mantle from a powerless Danny Rand.

Marvel has announced that Danny Rand, who lost his powers in the excellent Heart of the Dragon miniseries, will pass on the mantle of Iron Fist to a new hero next year.

Iron Fist by Alyssa Wong and Michael YG will debut in February, and the five-issue miniseries will show the “hero’s journey” of the new Iron Fist, whose idnetity Marvel is keeping under wraps.

“It’s an incredible honor to introduce a new Iron Fist to the Marvel Universe. I’m excited to delve into the comic’s rich mythos and build on it. What does it mean for someone to take up the mantle of the Iron Fist right now, today? As a newcomer, how does one interact with legacy, and how does one honor it while forging a new path?” Wong told Marvel.com.

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Spider-Man, Avengers + more feel the impact of ‘The Death of Doctor Strange’

Several tie-in one-shots will accompany the miniseries showcasing the death of Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme.

The upcoming The Death of Doctor Strange miniseries won’t send the Master of the Mystical Arts off into the great beyond quietly. Marvel has announced several tie-ins that show the “major impact” his death has on the rest of Earth — and on the Avengers, Spider-Man, White Fox and Strange Academy in particular.

If you haven’t heard, the Sorcerer Supreme will follow in the footsteps of many other heroes who were killed in the line of battle in what’s turning out to be more than just a miniseries, but an entire event. Jed MacKay and Lee Garbett are the creative team for the main miniseries, which kicks off next month.

Then in October, Marvel will release two specials, featuring the Avengers and Strange Academy. Alex Paknadel and Ryan Bodenheim will team up for The Death of Doctor Strange: Avengers, while Skottie Young and Mike Del Mundo will helm Strange Academy Presents: The Death of Doctor Strange. Then, in November, Jed MacKay and Marcelo Ferreira present The Death of Doctor Strange: Spider-Man, while Alyssa Wong and Andie Tong bring The White Fox into the action.

Find out more about all three titles below.

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Whilce Portacio, Jeremy Holt + more contribute to ‘Marvel’s Voices: Identity’

The Marvel anthology will arrive Aug. 25.

Marvel has announced more details on Marvel’s Voices: Identity, the anthology they plan to release later this month that will focus on Asian creators and characters.

The anthology has slipped back from its original publication date of Aug. 11 and is now scheduled to be released Aug. 25. It follows in the footsteps of the recent Marvel Voices: Pride, Marvel’s Voices: Indigenous Voices and Marvel’s Voices: Legacy, which, respectively, featured stories by and about the LGBTQ+, Indigenous and Black communities.

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Mail Call | ‘Spawn’s Universe’ #1 orders exceed 200,000

Check out all kinds of announcements and previews from Skybound, Marvel, Bad Idea, AfterShock 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.

Never let it be said that kids don’t still love chains. Image Comics and Todd McFarlane Productions sent out a release this week touting that the upcoming Spawn’s Universe #1 has shattered the record for “Image Comics’ top selling, first issue comic book of the 21st century by selling well over 200K units.”

The release goes on to mention that the comic is only the beginning for this year’s Spawn-pocalypse; Spawn’s Universe #1 will arrive in June, followed by King Spawn #1 in August, Gunslinger #1 in October and The Scorched #1 in December.

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Mail Call | New ‘Avatar,’ ‘Abbott’ and a ‘Batgirl’ debut

Check out recent news and announcements from DC, Marvel, Image, Dark Horse and more.

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

Following the end of the Joker War storyline, DC’s current Batgirl series will wrap up with its extra-sized 50th issue this Tuesday. DC has revealed that this issue will also see the debut of Ryan Wilder, the character taking over the Batwoman mantle on The CW’s Batwoman TV show.

Will this new character also take over as Batwoman in the comics? I guess we’ll find out. You can see a preview of that issue here.

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May the 4th Be With You: ‘Star Wars: Doctor Aphra’ arrives digitally today

The first issue of the new series by Alyssa Wong and Marika Cresta can be found on comiXology now.

Everyone is celebrating Star Wars today, from Disney+to that purse company my wife likes. Marvel is getting in on the action by releasing the first issue of their new Star Wars: Doctor Aphra series on digital today.

Physical copies won’t arrive in comic shops until May 27, in the first wave of Marvel titles scheduled to hit comic shops since the coronavirus shut down Diamond Comics Distributors.

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