Strange Academy enters the ‘Blood Hunt’ in May

School’s back in session, as Daniel José Older and Luigi Zagaria send the Strange Academy students on a scavenger hunt for the Darkhold.

The students from Strange Academy will return in May courtesy of writer Daniel José Older and artist Luigi Zagaria, as they engage with the bloodthirsty undead in this summer’s Blood Hunt.

“As a huge fan of the incredible work of Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos, I was beyond honored to be able to jump into the world of Strange Academy,” Older said. “And what better way to do it than in this epic crossover event? Truly a comic writer’s dream come true. I’ve spent the past couple weeks walking around my home city of New Orleans, dreaming up thrilling adventures for these kids, and I can’t wait to watch them come to life in Luigi Zagaria’s brilliant art.”

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It’s the kids from ‘Strange Academy’ vs. mathematics in a series of one-shots

Author Carlos Hernandez chaperones a trip to New York for the magical prodigies to meet Miles Morales, Moon Knight and more.

Their ongoing series might have ended, but school is back in session later this year for the students of Strange Academy.

Author Carlos Hernandez (Sal and Gabi Break the Universe) will take the kids on a field trip to New York to meet Moon Knight and two Spider-Man this fall, as the kids enter the Multiversal Math Bowl and take on a new enemy called The Equation. I always knew higher math was evil.

Here’s a look at the three one-shots, all written by Hernandez and featuring artwork by Juann Cabal, Julian Shaw and Vasco Georgiev:

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Young + Ramos’ Strange Academy story will wrap up with ‘Strange Academy: Finals’ #6

The creators set out to tell a 24-issue story, with the final issue arriving in April.

In an interview on Marvel.com and in his Substack newsletter, Strange Academy writer Skottie Young has revealed that the story he and Humberto Ramos set out to tell will come to an end with issue #6 of Strange Academy: Finals.

“We made it to the end,” Young told Marvel.com. “We planned this as a 24-issue story with a very specific set of goals in mind and we’ve made it!”

The first series, Strange Academy, launched in March of 2020 and ran for 18 issues, until this past summer. It introduced the titular institution, a school for young magicians started by Doctor Strange and featuring mystical instructors from around the Marvel universe, including Magik, Agatha Harkness and the Scarlet Witch. Bu the real focus was on the students, a set of new characters created by Young and Ramos. It returned in the Mighty Marvel fashion with a new title and a new first issue in October as Strange Academy: Finals.

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Strange Academy returns in October with ‘Strange Academy: Finals’

Class is back in session, courtesy of Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos.

Marvel’s magical teens will return in October to finish out their freshman year in Strange Academy: Finals. Although the series receives a reboot with a new first issue, fans will be happy to know that the creative team of Skottie Young and Humberto Ramos are still in charge at the academy.

The first series, Strange Academy, ended just this past month with some heavy revelations and a field trip to the dark dimension. Young promises we’ll see the ramifications from the first series’ final issue.

“This is a real passion project for me and Humberto, and we’ve never had so much fun making this project,” Young said. “All of the high school teen drama between Dormammu’s son Doyle and Emily Bright is going to come back, but this is not just a continuation of the next day of class! You will see the ramifications of how the first series ended, and we’re going to be focusing on some really cool characters. And with the prophecy over the last few years…someone’s going to come out of this changed in a big way.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | A new era of ‘Batman’ begins

New comics and graphic novels arrive this week from Chip Zdarsky, Jorge Jimenez, Liam Sharp, Matt Kindt, Farel Dalrymple, Skottie Young, Humberto Ramos, Rachel Smythe, Sam Beck and more.

Happy Fourth of July — or Happy Monday, depending on where you are in the world — and welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week sees Chip Zdarsky and Jorge Jimenez take over Batman, and Strange Academy and The Joker come to an end. And let’s not forget the white-hot Lore Olympus, as the popular Webtoon jumps to print for its second collection.

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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Mail Call | Say hello to the New (Old) Fantastic Four

Check out news and announcements from Marvel, IDW, AfterShock, Drawn and Quarterly, and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of cool things we’ve received in our mailboxes from comics creators, publishers and more. Hit the links for more information.

Back in the early 1990s Wolverine, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider and Hulk had a brief team-up in the pages of Fantastic Four while the actual Fantastic Four were out of town. It was a fun story by Walt Simonson and Art Adams that only last a few issues. But now Marvel will revisit that team — and time period — in The New Fantastic Four, a limited series by Peter David and Alan Robinson.

“Although their original stint was extremely short-lived, the alternate version of the FF has had its fans for years, including myself,” David said. “I am fortunate Marvel has given me the opportunity to revisit with them and take their battles to new heights in a new location with new allies and new enemies.” 

Like Maestro and X-Men Legends, this story takes place in the past, shortly after the quartet’s first appearance.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | A cold winter’s comics list

New comics arrive this week from Peach Momoko, Becky Cloonan, Michael Conrad, Jorge Corona, Stephen DeKnight and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital this week. It feels like a lighter week than usual, unless you’re a Tom King fan — then DC has you covered.

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:

Also, 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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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Dark Knights of Steel’ draw their swords

New comics arrive this week from Chip Zdarsky, Jacob Phillips, Tom King, Greg Smallwood, Tom Taylor, Mark Millar, Stuart Immonen, Mike Mignola and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week sees the return of the Human Target and the Magic Order, as well as debuts from DC, Image, Vault and more.

You can visit Diamond’s website for this week’s almost complete list of new comics arriving in stores. The Lunar Distribution home page has DC’s releases and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.

I should also add that the list of what is actually arriving at your local shop can vary from what’s on anyone’s official website for a myriad of reasons — so always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

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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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What Are You Reading? | ‘King in Black,’ ‘Department of Truth’ and more

See what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately.

Welcome to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately. In this edition, we talk about King in Black, X-Factor, James Tynion IV and more.

Let us know what you read this week in the comments or on social media.

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What Are You Reading? | Strange Academy, Green Lantern, Dryad and more

See what the Smash Pages crew has checked off their ‘to read’ list lately.

Welcome to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately.

Most of the comics in this edition came out this past week, so if you’re curious about new comics, we have some thoughts. Although a couple of older books managed to squeeze their way in between the Empyres and Green Lanterns.

Let us know what you read this week in the comments.

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday: This week’s releases get a little strange

Check out what’s hitting comic shops this week from DC, Marvel, Ahoy Comics and more.

It’s the return of one of our favorite columns — or at least one of my favorite columns — our weekly look at this week’s new comics and graphic novels. It seems like only yesterday that we kicked this column off at our original stomping grounds, The Great Curve, but it’s actually been more than a decade. Yikes, does time fly …

Anyway, here are a few of this week’s comics that I’m planning on checking out. You can see the complete list of this week’s releases over at The Comic List, and I encourage you to share what you’re planning to get in the comments below.

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