Image Comics remembers ‘The Forgotten Five’

The superhero webcomic by Alex Segura, Sara Century, Pat Kennedy and Dean Kotz will launch as an ongoing Image Comics title in December.

The Forgotten Five, the Patreon webcomic-turned-crowdfunded project, will find a new home at Image Comics this December.

Alex Segura, author of Secret Identity, teamed up with writer and Best Issue Ever podcaster Sara Century and artists Pat Kennedy and Dean Kotz for the indie superhero series.

“The Forgotten Five is a potent blend of all the kinds of comics and adventures Sara, Pat, Dean, and I loved growing up—with a decidedly modern twist,” said Segura. “The kind of long-running series with simmering subplots, outcast teen angst, and terrifying powers that we were addicted to as readers ourselves. If the New Mutants were an indie comic, you’d have The Forgotten Five.”

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Mirka Andolfo returns to ‘Mercy’ with new series ‘Merciless’

The four-issue Image Comics miniseries reunites Andolfo with artist Lidia Bolognini for a new supernatural mystery set 15 years after the original series.

Mirka Andolfo is teaming with artist Lidia Bolognini for a return to the world of Mercy. Merciless, a new four-issue miniseries, launches in December from Image Comics.

Andolfo previously collaborated with Bolognini on Sweet Paprika: Black, White & Pink. The new series returns to the Victorian-era mining town of Woodsburgh 15 years after the events of Mercy.

“Merciless is a brand-new story with a ‘new’ Lady Hellaine: Rory, now all grown up and ready to uncover some dark secrets in the old town of Woodsburgh,” Andolfo said. “Brought to life by Lidia Bolognini’s amazing art, this is a new horror adventure for fans of Mercy, horror and mystery.”

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Rest in peace, Joshua Cassara

The artist of ‘X-Force,’ ‘Deadpool/Wolverine’ and more passed away yesterday.

Joshua Cassara, the artist whose detailed, kinetic work helped define Marvel’s Krakoa era, died Sept. 22.

Cassara’s wife, Martha Cassara, announced his death Wednesday on Instagram, saying he died from heart complications. She described him as “a good man, a wonderful father and husband, my best friend, and the love of my life.” Her post has been shared across multiple social media sites by Cassara’s friends and colleagues.

“If you knew Josh, you know that he approached the world with humor, sweetness and kindness,” she wrote. “He would not have wanted your condolences. He would have wanted your laughter and toasts.”

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Kakao reportedly shutting down Tapas

The North American webtoon platform will close following the shutdown of Radish, as Kakao scales back its direct platform strategy.

Several Korean news outlets, including MoneyToday, are reporting that entertainment giant Kakao plans to shut down Tapas, the North American webtoon platform it purchased in 2021.

Kakao has not released any details yet on this themselves, either on the Tapas site or in their corporate newsroom, leaving many creators and subscribers with questions. The news follows the shutdown of Radish, a U.S.-based web novel site the company also purchased in 2021.

The shutdown comes as Kakao Entertainment is undertaking a broader restructuring of its story businesses. The company has announced plans to consolidate two of its platforms, KakaoPage and Kakao Webtoon, into a single platform by the end of the year.

I’ll add more details on Kakao’s plans for shutting down the site once they release them. “Developing,” as they say.

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Exclusive | Clover Press reveals Cal McDonald shirt + hat ahead of Kickstarter

The new merchandise features art by ‘October Faction’ co-creator Damien Worm and the logo for Steve Niles’ Bloody Pulp Books.

Clover Press has given us an early look at two pieces of merchandise planned for its upcoming Kickstarter campaign for Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories, a new collection featuring Steve Niles’ longtime occult detective.

The merch includes a T-shirt featuring new artwork by Damien Worm, co-creator of October Faction, and a hat featuring the logo for Niles’ Bloody Pulp Books.

The merchandise will be offered as part of the crowdfunding campaign for Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories, which will launch through Clover Press’ new The Fourth Leaf imprint. The 216-page hardcover will collect 10 new Cal McDonald short stories, each accompanied by an illustration from a different artist.

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | ‘That Texas Blood’ saddles up again in a new miniseries

New comics and graphic novels arrive this week by Chris Condon, Jacob Phillips, Christopher Cantwell, Dennis Menheere, Raina Telgemeier, Gale Galligan, Jim Zub, Jesus Merino and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what’s coming to your local comic shop this week.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights for this week 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 check with your retailer to see what’s arriving at their shop this week.

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Tony Fleecs + Tim Seeley team up again for ‘The Princess Murders’

The creators of ‘Local Man’ return with a fairy tale-inspired slasher mystery launching from Image Comics in December.

Tony Fleecs and Tim Seeley are back together again for another new series following 2023’s excellent Local Man. Their new dark comedy series, The Princess Murders, will launch from Image Comics in December.

“The Princess Murders combines our love (and hate) for fairy tale animation and whodunnit slasher horror,” Seeley said. “It’s got all of the affection and innovation that’s become the hallmark of one of our collaborations—plus lots of really twisted ideas.”

The Princess Murders is, as the title suggests, about a princess who has been murdered, leaving her wicked stepsister and Fairy Godmother to find the killer. The story combines fairy tale characters with slasher conventions, landing somewhere between self-awareness and campy horror. Fleecs and Seeley will be joined by colorist Brian Reber on the project.

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‘Avengers’ pick up another new member following ‘Avengers: Armageddon’ #4

Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto’s upcoming line-up grows by one.

Marvel’s big reveal from this week’s Avengers: Armageddon will remain at the forefront of the publisher’s plans, as Marvel revealed David Colton’s new identity will join Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto’s upcoming Avengers line-up.

David Colton, of course, is the former Captain America who Zdarsky introduced in his recent run on the book, a replacement for Steve Rogers while he was still frozen. He didn’t do so well as Cap, and popped up again in Wolverine: Weapons of Armageddon, where he gained some pretty extraordinary powers from an Origin Box that was brought over by Miles Morales from the Ultimate Universe.

A lot of people probably had their money on that Origin Box containing the powers of the Sentry or Hyperion or some other Superman clone character that already existed in the Marvel universe, but Marvel had others plans.

SPOILERS below for Avengers: Armageddon #4 …

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Garth Ennis + John McCrea return to Hitman for ‘It Was the Nineties Special’

The band gets back together for a new Christmas story featuring Tommy Monaghan and friends.

DC’s December solicitations have brought an early gift — the return of Hitman by Garth Ennis and John McCrea, as least for one issue.

It’s been 25 years since the acclaimed series ended and Tommy Monaghan met his final fate, and in the Christmas-themed special, Ennis and McCrea will return to the 1990s for a story featuring Christmas trees, ninjas and the true meaning of the holiday season. There’s also a back-up story featuring the demon Baytor, of “I am Baytor!” fame.

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Tom King + Daniel Sampere will wrap up their ‘Wonder Woman’ run in December

‘Wonder Woman’ #40 will bring the ‘Wonder War’ storyline to a close.

Tom King and Daniel Sampere’s time on Wonder Woman is drawing to a close, as DC has announced December’s Wonder Woman #40 will both wrap up the “Wonder War” storyline and serve as the end of the creative team’s run.

King and Sampere have been working together on the book since 2023, with King writing all 40 issues and Sampere drawing most of the run. Together they’ve had Wonder Woman hunted by the U.S. government and made her a mom. They’ve brought Trinity, Wonder Woman’s daughter from the future, and villains like the Sovereign and the Matriarch to the book. The series was nominated for an Eisner Award in 2024, in both the Best Continuing Series category and the Best Short Story category, while King was nominated for Best Writer in 2025.

Here’s the issue’s solicitation:

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‘Criminal’ defendants call Ed Brubaker lawsuit “meritless,” seek dismissal of all claims

Amazon MGM, Ed Brubaker and the other defendants dispute a former production assistant’s allegations and call the firearm claim ‘pure invention.’

The defendants in a lawsuit brought by a former production assistant on Amazon MGM’s upcoming Criminal series have formally asked a Los Angeles court to dismiss the case, calling the allegations against showrunner Ed Brubaker and the production companies “meritless” and disputing several of the claims made in the complaint.

The defendants filed a demurrer Sept. 17 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, arguing that Ijaaz Noohu’s complaint fails to adequately establish any of its 12 causes of action under California law. The court is scheduled to hear the demurrer Oct. 15.

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Smash Pages Q&A | Hank Kanalz on the Marvel Masterworks line moving to Clover Press

The Kickstarter for the first four volumes is now live.

For nearly 40 years, Marvel Masterworks has been one of Marvel Comics’ definitive archival collections, bringing classic stories from across the company’s history to readers in carefully produced hardcover editions. Now the long-running line enters a new era with a new publisher, as Clover Press takes over publication.

The boutique publisher behind the line of comics-related art books, special editions and original comics launched its first Marvel Masterworks releases yesterday through Kickstarter, with plans to bring them to the direct market. The first wave includes Marvel Masterworks: The Uncanny X-Men, Vol. 18; The Mighty Thor, Vol. 25; The Tomb of Dracula, Vol. 6; and Super-Villain Team-Up, Vol. 1.

The new editions will retain the familiar Marvel Masterworks legacy trade dress while also introducing a new variant design by Clover Press art director and co-founder Robbie Robbins. But the publisher’s plans go well beyond a new look. The books will feature extensive restoration work overseen by longtime Marvel Masterworks editor Cory Sedlmeier, including material restored from original art, new scans and high-resolution reproduction.

I spoke with Clover Press co-founder Hank Kanalz about how the partnership with Marvel came together, why maintaining continuity with the existing line was important, the challenges of restoring hundreds of pages of classic comics and what Clover Press has planned for Marvel Masterworks over the next three years.

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