Mail Call | The Avengers brace for ‘World War She-Hulk’

Plus: More news and announcements from Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, AfterShock, Top Cow, Skybound 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.

Marvel is dusting off a classic event title for an upcoming Avengers storyline — “World War She-Hulk,” which references the popular “World War Hulk” story from 2007.

The new storyline will find She-Hulk declared a global menace, so the Winter Guard decides to bring her in.

“When the Russian Winter Guard invade Avengers Mountain to arrest She-Hulk, it sets off a global espionage adventure that takes us from the notorious assassin training academy of the Red Room to an undersea kingdom on the verge of violent revolution,” said writer Jason Aaron. “Along the way, traitors will fall, regimes will crumble and the dark evolution of Jennifer Walters will reach its bloody red crescendo, all as we build toward the epic events of Avengers #50.”

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Meet the unluckiest teens in the world in Erman + Simeone’s ‘Good Luck’

New miniseries will debut from BOOM! Studios in June.

In a world where luck is quantifiable and something you’re born with, creators Matthew Erman and Stefano Simeone will tell the story of the Unfortunates, a group of teens with no luck at all, in the upcoming comic Good Luck.

The five-issue miniseries will debut in June from BOOM! Studios.

Good Luck is not only a mind-bending sci-fi adventure about the four unluckiest teens on the planet but also one of the hardest and biggest things I’ve ever written. It wound up being one of the most personal, as well, because it’s a story about unlucky people taking wild swings and hoping for the best, despite what they may believe about themselves,” said Erman, the co-creator of Long Lost. “I’m so excited for you all to meet the unlucky Artie, Cherry, Hilde and Joseph, who live in a universe with a lot of weird little inspirations—Annihilation, Talking Head songs, X-Men, Chrono Trigger—that make this series so unique and hopefully very fun for readers to jump into!”

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Bunn + Scharf reunite for supernatural horror series ‘Basilisk’

The new series debuts from BOOM! Studios in June.

Following the news of Parasomnia this week comes another horror-themes series written by Cullen Bunn — Basilisk, where he reunites with his Bone Parish collaborator Jonas Scharf for a new supernatural horror series from BOOM! Studios.

They’re joined by colorist Alex Guimarães and letterer Ed Dukeshire.

Basilisk is an epic, dark, fantasy horror story, and I can’t wait for readers to meet the players on both sides of this tale of revenge. Here we have a woman who has absolutely nothing left to lose hunting down a group of would-be gods, each of whom can use one of the five senses to destroy those around them. They’re terrifying in their own way–the heroes and the villains,” said Bunn. “This is another collaboration with the amazing Jonas Scharf, who worked with me on Bone Parish, and I think his work here is even more amazing, even more deific, even more haunting.”

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Star Wars, Blade Runner, InvestiGators among the 2021 Free Comic Book Day gold sponsor comics

This year’s Free Comic Book Day on Aug. 14 will include titles from Marvel, IDW, Dark Horse, Titan and more.

Diamond Comics Distributors has announced the 12 gold sponsor titles that retailers will offer on Free Comic Book Day this year. This year’s event will take place Aug. 14.

“This year’s lineup of titles has something for every kind of comic fan,” said Ashton Greenwood, Free Comic Book Day spokesperson. “We can’t wait to once again share the FCBD experience with fans, especially on our landmark 20th anniversary! We hope fans will safely visit their local comic shops to celebrate and to pick up a few of the great titles available this year.”

Missing from the list is DC Comics, who no longer use Diamond to distribute comics to U.S. retailers. DC has indicated their plans to participate, however.

The titles were curated by more than 20 comic shop retailers who make up the FCBD Selection Committee. The Gold Sponsor titles come from Marvel Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing, Image Comics, Archie Comics, BOOM! Studios, Macmillan/First Second Books, Penguin Workshop, AfterShock Comics, Titan Comics, TOKYOPOP and VIZ Media.

This year’s gold sponsor books are:

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Mail Call | Momoko’s ‘Demon Days’ continues in June

Plus: News from BOOM! Studios, Dark Horse 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.

The first issue of Peach Momoko’s Demon Days arrived last Wednesday, and Marvel took the opportunity to announce the second issue’s title and focus: Demon Days: Mariko.

Mariko is the former fiancée of Wolverine; she was the daughter of a Yakuza boss and eventually took over his duties before dying back in the early 1990s. The issue will also introduce Nightcrawler and Black Widow into this alternate reality Momoko has created.

“The first issue of Demon Days starts off in feudal Japan with Sai (Psylocke)… but the next issue will be completely different. Different timeline, different characters (even the main character is changing), different tone to the story. But it is still a connecting story,” Momoko said.

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Mail Call | Black Cat kicks off Marvel’s ‘Infinite Destinies’ event this summer

Plus more news from Marvel, DC, Image, AfterShock, Dark Horse 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.

Last summer the “Infinite Destinies” storyline was supposed to run through several Marvel annuals, including Iron Man, Captain America, Black Cat and Thor, among others. The story revolves around the returning “infinity stones,” those pesky don’t-call-them-infinity-gems MacGuffins that regularly take center stage at Marvel.

Anyway, like with many other things, the COVID pandemic and comics industry shutdown threw a wrench in Marvel’s plans, and those annuals were never released. But now it looks like they are back on the schedule for 2021, with an added prelude comic to kick things off — Black Cat #8 by Jed MacKay and C.F. Villa.

“Felicia Hardy- the Black Cat- gets tangled up with the Infinity Stones, some of the most dangerous prizes in the universe. Felicia may be the most accomplished jewel thief on the planet, but when those jewels hold the power of the cosmos, it’s a whole new ball game. Felicia is in a race against the others who would seek to control the stones for their own ends- like Nick Fury (and a secret someone you won’t see coming!),” MacKay said. “Who can cross the world’s most dangerous men, wrangle a pack of villains hopped up on fragments of infinite power, (hopefully) get the job done and look great all the while? The Black Cat, that’s who!”

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Comics Lowdown | S. Clay Wilson passes away

Plus: ‘Brzrkr’ orders, ‘Immortal Hulk’ #43, Stan Lee, John Porcellino and more!

Underground cartoonist S. Clay Wilson, creator of the Checkered Demon, Captain Pissgums and his Pervert Pirates, and numerous other transgressive characters, all of whom he wedged into his signature hyper-detailed panels, has died at the age of 79. Wilson grew up in Nebraska and eventually moved to San Francisco, where he was a contributor to Zap Comics and an integral part of the underground comix scene. He suffered a traumatic brain injury in 2008 and the condition worsened in 2010.

Brian Cronin sums up his life and career at CBR, but if you really want to get your heart broken, read this 2010 interview with Wilson’s sister about his early work and how the brain injury affected him. And for a fuller appreciation of his art and thought, here’s a Comics Journal interview that was done shortly before his injury.

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Mail Call | Z2 to publish graphic novel inspired by All Time Low

Plus: news from Image, AdHouse, Dark Horse, BOOM! Studios 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.

Z2 Comics has announced another music-related collaboration, this time with the pop-punk band All Time Low. In June, the publisher will release a graphic novel inspired by the 2017 album Last Young Renegade.

“When we wrote our album ‘Last Young Renegade’ we imagined an entire world separate of our own, almost a “what if” version of All Time Low, both with our musical sound and with the visual narrative we put together around it” says All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth. “Creating ‘Young Renegades’ the graphic novel allows us to tell more stories in the universe we imagined and delve deeper into the mythos and thematic ideas that were at play when we were celebrating that era. ‘Young Renegades’ is another branch, another thread and another look into the LYR continuity through an incredible medium we’ve never collaborated in before. Working with the story-tellers and artists on this project has been an incredible new undertaking and we can’t wait for everyone to enjoy it with us.”

Young Renegades will be written by Tres Dean and Robert Wilson IV, with art by Megan Huang.

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BOOM! Studios acquires the license for ‘Magic: The Gathering’ comics

Jed MacKay, Ig Guara, Arianna Consonni and Ed Dukeshire team up for ‘Magic,’ which debuts in April.

BOOM! Studios has announced that they’ve acquired the rights to publish comics based on Magic: The Gathering, the popular card game made by Wizards of the Coast. They plan to start publishing Magic: The Gathering comics in April with, appropriately, a comic called Magic.

Writer Jed MacKay, artist Ig Guara, colorist Arianna Consonni and letterer Ed Dukeshire are the creative team for Magic, which will feature names and concepts that most Magic: The Gathering fans will recognize.

Magic: The Gathering is more than a game—it’s a rich, expansive multiverse and mythology you can really live in and spend an infinite amount of time traversing. This all-new and unique story we’re launching into is full of beloved characters and shocking reveals from the world of Magic that are going to entertain readers new to the brand and surprise lifelong fans in the best possible ways,” said Bryce Carlson, Vice President, Editorial & Creative Strategy, BOOM! Studios. “Jed, Ig, Arianna, Ed, all of our incredible cover artists, and the entire team at BOOM! Studios are firing on all cylinders so I can confidently say that this is far and away the best Magic: The Gathering has ever been executed in the comics medium. Period.”

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Morrison + Child + Franquiz + Bonvillain take a trip down ‘Proctor Valley Road’

The horror miniseries debuts from BOOM! Studios in March.

BOOM! Studios has announced Proctor Valley Road, a new miniseries from the team of Grant Morrison, TV writer Alex Child, artist Naomi Franquiz and colorist Tamra Bonvillain. The comic is being developed in partnership with NBCUniversal, who hope to turn it into a TV series.

“I fell in love with these characters when I read Alex’s original series proposal and I’ve had an amazing time working with him and with Naomi to bring them to life for a spooky rollercoaster ride that feels like Nancy Drew on ‘shrooms!” said Morrison. “Get your kicks…on Proctor Valley Road!”

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BOOM!’s ‘Wynd’ will return in 2021

The series by James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas and Aditya Bidikar will continue with new issues next year.

BOOM! Studios has announced that Wynd, the five-issue miniseries by The Woods team of James Tynion IV, Michael Dialynas and Aditya Bidikar, will return with issue #6 in May.

The series, which was originally supposed to be a graphic novel, was released early and as a miniseries as a way to help retailers when the comics industry returned from its COVID-19 lockdown earlier this year.

“James, Michael, and Aditya have built a world so steeped in magic and adventure, it’s been an absolute pleasure to see it all unfold,” said Eric Harburn, Senior Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Wynd’s story is far from over, and we can’t wait to show fans and new readers alike what’s in store for the magical winged boy and his friends as they journey across Esseriel in search of the place they truly belong.”

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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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