Bryan Lee O’Malley returns to Scott Pilgrim for the first time in 16 years with a new one-shot

‘Scott Pilgrim EX: Dawn of Metal Scott’ is a prequel to the Scott Pilgrim EX video game.

Oni Press has announced Scott Pilgrim EX: Dawn of Metal Scott #1, a new one-shot written and drawn by Bryan Lee O’Malley that will arrive in November. The comic is his first new Scott Pilgrim comic since the original series wrapped 16 year ago.

The one-shot serves as a prequel to the Scott Pilgrim EX video game, introducing antagonist Metal Scott across a complete 16-page story, along with never-before-seen extras and a look at O’Malley’s creative process.

“When I was asked to create a minicomic for Scott Pilgrim EX, I quickly said yes without considering the implications,” said O’Malley. “Only when I started writing and drawing it did I realize this would be the first new Scott Pilgrim comic in 16 years. It’s only a trifle, but returning to Scott’s Toronto really did feel like coming home.”

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SDCC Slugfest | Comic-Con renews with San Diego through 2030

Plus: Anniversary specials for Archie and Captain Britain, Halloween specials for Spider-Man and Terrorbytes, and more!

With the San Diego Comic-Con kicking off tonight, we have news and announcements dropping left and right, starting with one about the convention itself.

Comic-Con International and San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria announced earlier today that the San Diego Comic-Con will stay in the city through 2030, a year that will mark 60 years of the pop culture convention.

Gloria made the announcement before preview night kicked off alongside officials from Comic-Con, the San Diego Convention Center and the San Diego Tourism Authority.

“Comic-Con belongs in San Diego, and today’s announcement ensures this incredible tradition will continue here through 2030,” Gloria said. “This agreement is the result of years of partnership and reflects our shared commitment to the fans, creators, businesses and workers who make Comic-Con unlike anything else in the world. We’re proud to welcome everyone back to San Diego for another unforgettable year and excited about the future we’re building together.”

Rumors have circulated for years that the convention could move to another city, for reasons that include the price and availability of hotels, as well as the convention center size. As San Diego’s largest convention, it is of course a huge money maker for the city, with the 2026 event expected to attract more than 135,000 attendees and generate more than $160 million in regional economic impact and $3 million in hotel and sales tax revenue for the city.

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Image will release ‘The Trap’ by Bears legend Lance Briggs + Kyle Higgins + Danilo Beyruth this fall

Sports and comics collide in this graphic novel.

Image Comics will publish a new edition of The Trap by seven-time Pro Bowl linebacker and former Chicago Bear Lance Briggs, Massive-verse architect Kyle Higgins and Catwoman artist Danilo Beyruth.

The project was originally crowdfunded back in 2020, bringing in more than $40,000 on Kickstarter.

“I love working with interesting people and from the moment I met Lance—over a decade ago—I was impressed by how much his love of comics and storytelling was at the forefront of all our conversations, to say nothing of his desire to tell new stories in new corners of fiction,” said Higgins. “We started this journey to make The Trap—what we like to call an interstellar sports noir—over six years ago. Now, I’m so excited to share what we’ve built with the world.”

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Mad Cave will release ’80s-inspired slasher series ‘Hammer Head’ this fall

Ed Brisson and Damian Couceiro’s new five-issue horror series follows the lone survivor of a killing spree that won’t stay in the past.

Mad Cave Studios has announced Hammer Head, a brutal new five-issue horror series from writer Ed Brisson and artist Damian Couceiro, with colors by Dee Cunniffe and letters by Pat Brosseau.

The comic is about the lone survivor of a killing spree by a monstrous Michael Myers-like killer called Hammer Head , who rises from the dead every few years and causes her to relive the guilt and trauma of what she survived.

Brisson hopes to cause some trauma of his own on readers:

“When I first got into comics, my plan was always crime and horror,” said Brisson. “While I’ve managed to write plenty of crime, I’ve only managed to dabble in horror here and there—mostly in short stories in Hellraiser, Creepshow and Hello Darkness—though I guess you could argue that my Ghost Rider run was horror-based. Still, I’ve somehow never done a straight horror project—until now. With Hammer Head, we wanted to create something that had the same feel as an ’80s slasher movie, but without feeling derivative. I wanted something that felt fresh, something that played with the tropes of ’80s slashers in an interesting and new way. Something that people wouldn’t see coming. Something that would horrify readers when they finally discovered what was REALLY happening.”

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Ignition Press announces ‘Mad Science Division,’ a science fiction/comedy series about budget cuts gone wrong

Dan Watters and Brian Level ask what happens when bureaucracy meets bioweapons research.

As their final announcement in the lead-up to the San Diego Comic-Con, Ignition Press has announced Mad Science Division, a creator-owned series by Nightwing and Home Sick Pilots writer Dan Watters and Poison Ivy artist Brian Level. They’re joined by colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Frank Cvetkovic.

“Mad Science Division is my first foray into creator-owned comics for a few years,” Watters said. “I’ve been champing at the bit to work in this space again, and this book is an explosion of all the things I’ve wanted to do. I wanted to make something mad, gross, fun and funny, and I knew Brian was the perfect person to make that comic with. This story delights me. If you like any of my work at all, I think you’ll like this too.”

The new series is about a genetic engineering and bioweapons development company whose R&D arm gets a new chief coordinator, and his job is to cut the budget by 30 percent. Little does he know what sort of genetic experiments fall under this division, and what will happen when the guardrails are down.

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Exclusive | Bit Bot reveals ‘Thief: Pulse of Promise’ apparel ahead of crowdfunding campaign

Bit Bot unveils officially licensed shirts, hats and hoodies inspired by the classic video game franchise ahead of the BackerKit campaign for its new graphic novel.

One of gaming’s most influential stealth franchises is returning as a graphic novel, and we’ve got a first look at some of the merchandise that will accompany it. You can sign up to find out when the campaign will launch on its BackerKit page.

We’re happy to exclusively reveal the first apparel from Bit Bot’s upcoming Thief: Pulse of Promise crowdfunding campaign, including officially licensed T-shirts, hoodies and hats celebrating Garrett and the world of Thief. The collectibles will accompany the publisher’s upcoming BackerKit campaign for the new graphic novel, which bridges the events of Thief: The Dark Project and Thief II: The Metal Age.

Written by Joshua Viola and Sean Eads, with artwork by Emanuele Ercolani and Gianluca Papi, Thief: Pulse of Promise follows master thief Garrett after what appears to be a routine burglary spirals into a mystery involving forgotten Keeper secrets, hidden powers beneath the city and a young boy whose fate could shape the future. The story is set between the original Thief and Thief II: The Metal Age and includes appearances by fan-favorite characters Artemus and Father Karras.

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Punisher takes on Black Widow, Wolverine + Winter Soldier in new Marvel one-shots

Tom Waltz teams with Greg Land, Bruno Büll and Edgar Salazar for three oversized stories about Frank Castle’s anti-social tendencies.

The Punisher’s not exactly a “plays well with others” kind of guy, and that’ll come into play in a series of one-shots arriving later this year.

Marvel has announced Punisher Showdowns by writer Tom Waltz and several different artists, which will pit Frank Castle against Black Widow, Wolverine and the Winter Soldier beginning this October.

Marvel describes the stories as “previously untold conflicts” from Frank Castle’s long war on crime, exploring how his uncompromising methods have repeatedly brought him into conflict with other heroes across the Marvel Universe.

The series kicks off with Punisher Showdowns: Black Widow #1 on Oct. 21, featuring art by Greg Land, followed by Punisher Showdowns: Wolverine #1 on Nov. 4 with art by Bruno Büll and Punisher Showdowns: Winter Soldier #1 on Dec. 2 with art by Edgar Salazar.

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SDCC Slugfest | Chef José Andrés helps the Avengers to take on Ultron in ‘Meals to Astonish: Avengers’ #1

Plus: Archie gets bigger, Christian Ward makes his Oni and more news on the eve of Comic-Con!

With the San Diego Comic-Con coming up on July 23-26, we have news and announcements dropping left and right, so here’s an attempt to keep up with it all. Hit the links for more info.

Chef José Andrés is teaming up with the Avengers this October in Meals to Astonish: Avengers #1, the second one-shot from Marvel to highlight World Central Kitchen’s disaster-relief work.

Following his debut earlier this year in Spider-Man: Meals to Astonish #1, Andrés teams with Tony Stark as they travel to Vegas to unveil new disaster relief technology, only for Ultron to interrupt. Steve Orlando and Roi Mercado return for the main story, joined by a new “Jeff’s Table” installment from Paul Eschbach and E.J. Su, plus the debut of Jacob Chabot’s “VenomNom” backup.

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Mad Cave revisits the ‘Satanic Panic’ with new slasher series this October

Matt Miner and Clayton McCormack blend ’80s horror with real-world moral hysteria in a four-issue miniseries debuting in time for Halloween.

The fears that fueled the moral panics of the 1980s will become the backdrop for a new horror comic from Mad Cave Studios this fall.

Mad Cave has announced Satanic Panic, a four-issue miniseries from writer Matt Miner, artist Clayton McCormack, colorist Oliver Mertz and letterer Matt Krotzer that mixes classic slasher horror with the real-life paranoia that Satan was infecting America’s children through heavy metal music, Dungeons & Dragons and other means during the 1980s.

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Red Sonja + Barbarella will meet for the first time in new Dynamite crossover

Homero Rios and Diego Yapur make their Dynamite debuts as the She-Devil with a Sword and the Siren of the Spaceways collide in a genre-spanning adventure this November.

Dynamite Entertainment continues to roll out their San Diego Comic-Con related announcements, as they share plans to publish Red Sonja/Barbarella, a new crossover miniseries that brings together the two heroines for the first time. The comic launches in November from writer Homero Rios and artist Diego Yapur, who both make their Dynamite debuts.

The story brings the two women from vastly different worlds together. Barbarella is searching for a mysterious black mirror connected to a forgotten part of her past, while Red Sonja rides beneath a blood-red sky to rescue an Oracle whose fate appears sealed by prophecy. As their separate quests begin to intertwine, the series promises to blend science fiction with sword-and-sorcery in a story about memory, destiny, desire and survival.

“Writing Red Sonja and Barbarella together has been a thrill because they are both iconic, fearless and larger than life,” Rios said. “The goal from the start was to give readers a crossover that feels dangerous and worthy of both legends. One way or another, it’s going to be quite a ride.”

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ROM’s surprise Energon Universe debut gets a wider release in August

Skybound will also release ‘M.A.S.K. Origins’ #1 outside the blind bag program where they first debuted.

Fans who missed ROM’s long-awaited return to comics in June will get another chance next month.

Skybound has announced that ROM Special #1 and M.A.S.K. Origins #1 will both receive open-to-order releases on Aug. 26, making the two previously blind bag-exclusive comics widely available. The move follows the not-at-all surprising strong demand from readers after both books debuted as surprise inclusions in the M.A.S.K. #1 blind bag program.

The main covers are only slightly different than what blind-bag buyers received in their bags, and will retail for $3.99 and $4.99 respectively — which is less than a blind bag cost last month, and certainly less than what the comics have been going for on the secondary market.

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Dynamite expands Vampirella’s world with Pathfinder, Darkstalkers crossovers + new compact collection

The publisher announced two crossover miniseries and an affordable digest-sized collection of Kurt Busiek-written stories.

Dynamite Entertainment is giving Vampirella fans plenty to sink their teeth into this fall.

In the lead-up to the San Diego Comic-Con, the publisher has announced a trio of new releases starring the Daughter of Drakulon, including crossover series with Pathfinder and Capcom’s Darkstalkers, as well as the first compact edition collecting one of the character’s most influential modern runs.

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