Aaron + Manna fire off ‘BRZRKR: A Faceful of Bullets’

The one-shot starring Keanu Reeves’ creation will arrive in stores this summer.

Jason Aaron has been busy since his exclusive contract with Marvel expired, writing pop culture icons like Superman, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Uncle Scrooge. He’ll add another icon to that list, Keanu Reeves, with BRZRKR: A Faceful of Bullets.

BOOM! Studios announced the one-shot at the ComicsPRO meeting last week. Aaron will work with Reeves and artist Francesco Manna on the project, which will take the immortal title character to  the 1800s American West. It also serves as the first of several BRZRKR: Bloodlines specials BOOM! will release.

“Having new writers and artists explore B.’s history in these Bloodlines Specials is something that is so exciting to me,” said Reeves, the creator of BRZRKR. “Jason and Francesco teaming up for a brutal, tragic Western was a perfect match for BRZRKR and the types of stories we want to tell in this universe.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Beast World,’ ‘Gang War’ and more of this week’s comics

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Tom Taylor, Ivan Reis, Dav Pilkey, Maria Llovet, Keanu Reeves, Mattson Tomlin, Rebekah Isaacs and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. Both Marvel and DC have new crossovers kicking off this week, while Dav Pilkey returns with another session of Cat Kid Comics Club. Maria Llovet is back with a new miniseries, while an unexpected movie tie-in arrives.

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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Slugfest | Soule + Alburquerque continue ‘The Shrouded College’ storyline in a new miniseries

Plus: News and announcements about Star Wars, Sea Serpent’s Heir, Richard Corben, Kingdom Come, Stranger Things and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Charles Soule and Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque will present the second of seven interconnected miniseries in “The Shrouded College” saga that started with Soule and Will Sliney’s Hell to Pay.

The Bloody Dozen will run for six issues and kicks off in December.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Welcome to the Hellfire Gala … hope you survive the experience

This week’s look at new comics includes ‘Knight Terrors,’ Godzilla, new BRZRKR, Black Label Superman, a new Scrooge McDuck graphic novel 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.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | Welcome to the Hellfire Gala … hope you survive the experience”

BRZRKR returns in a new one-shot this summer

Keanu Reeves, Steve Skroce and Dave Stewart pit the title character against an ancient evil in ‘Poetry of Madness.’

BRZRKR may have ended last month, but you can’t keep a good immortal warrior down. BOOM! Studios has announced that writer Keanu Reeves will team with Steve Skroce and Dave Stewart on BRZRKR: Poetry of Madness in July.

The one-shot special will find the immortal B. facing off against a “Lovecraftian nightmare” in the ancient city of Atlantis.

“I loved the original BRZRKR series and I’m thrilled to be helping Keanu craft a tale of high fantasy and adventure in his creation’s singular, blood soaked style.  It’s action horror on a scale you can only get on the comics page,” said Skroce.

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Smash Pages Q&A | Matt Kindt on ‘Hairball,’ Flux House, ‘BRZRKR’ and more

The award-winning creator discusses several of his recent projects, the success of his collaboration with Keanu Reeves, working with Jean-Denis Pendanx and more.

Over the years he’s been working in comics, Matt Kindt has proven not only to be highly prolific, but also one of comic’s most creative minds, particularly when it comes to things like story structure and design. From his early work on Pistolwhip and Super Spy to more recent projects like MIND MGMT, Kindt has always been one to push the boundaries on comics, their format and how to make them more interesting.

Over the last year or so, Kindt has been involved in two high-profile projects — BRZRKR, a best-selling project at BOOM! Studios spearheaded by actor Keanu Reeves, and the launch of Flux House, Kindt’s own imprint at Dark Horse Comics. While the former has brought him possibility more attention than just about anything else he’s worked on, the latter has given him the opportunity to be even more creative in areas outside his typical domain.

I caught up with Kindt to discuss his recent projects, including Hairball, which kicks off this week, as well as his approach to running his own imprint and how the design of a book or comic impacts the experience of reading it.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Superman is lost, ‘Brzrkr’ ends and Worf is ‘Defiant’ in this week’s comics

Check out what’s coming to comic shops this week by Christopher Priest, Carlo Pagulayan, Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, Ron Garney, Peter Milligan, Mike Allred, Greg Rucka, Dav Pilkey, Leslie Stein, Colin Kaepernick 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.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | Superman is lost, ‘Brzrkr’ ends and Worf is ‘Defiant’ in this week’s comics”

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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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Infinite Frontier,’ ‘Nocterra’ and more

This week brings new comics by Keanu Reeves, Dan Rather, Scott Snyder, Tim S. Daniel, Chris Samnee, Peach Momoko, Kalinda Vazquez, Carlos Gómez, Tyler Boss and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide each week to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week sees a new one-shot setting up the return of DC’s regular titles, more King in Black tie-ins, new comics by Scott Snyder and Keanu Reeves, and much more.

Also this week I’m happy to welcome aboard Brigid Alverson, who will be helping to cover manga and other things she finds interesting each week.

Check out a few highlights below, or visit ComicList for this week’s full list of new comics arriving in stores, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.

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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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Keanu Reeves comes crashing into comics with ‘BRZRKR’

Reeves will team up with co-writer Matt Kindt and artist Alessandro Vitti for a 12-issue miniseries.

Actor Keanu Reeves of John Wick and Bill & Ted fame will make his comic co-writing debut on a new title from BOOM! Studios called BRZRKR.

“I guess I’m in the writing room,” Reeves told USA Today’s Brian Truitt. He said he’s having Skype sessions with his co-writer, Matt Kindt, fairly regularly as he also works on the fourth Matrix film.

Kindt and Reeves are joined on the 12-issue series by artist Alessandro Vitti, colorist Bill Crabtree and letterer Clem Robins.

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