Anthology that included AI-generated content removed from Eisner contention

The editor of ‘Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology’ has rescinded the book from the ‘Best Anthology’ category.

A comics anthology that featured pages created with AI has been withdrawn from this year’s Eisner Awards. The book’s editor, Van Jensen, rescinded the nomination after it came back to light that a submission in the book by Michael Todasco was generated using artificial intelligence.

Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology, edited by Van Jensen and published by Blue Creek Creative, was crowdfunded through Zoop and featured a stellar line-up of talent, including Mike Allred, Francesco Francavilla, Pete Woods, Ron Marz, Zander Cannon, Cecil Castellucci, Jesse Lonergan, Jeff Parker, Tom Fowler and many more. The stories featured the legendary Fletcher Hanks’ Stardust, a public domain character from the Golden Age known for his zany adventures.

The Daily Cartoonist shared a statement from Comic-Con International that said this year’s judges did not know the anthology included an AI submission, and they “indicated that had they been aware of this information, they would not have voted for its inclusion.” It also noted that Jensen rescinded the submission, making it ineligible for an Eisner.

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | ‘Absolute Green Arrow’ takes aim at comic shops this week

Check out comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Pornsak Pichetshote, Rafael Albuquerque, Chris Condon, Stefano Caselli, James Tynion IV, Riad Sattouf, Arizona O’Neill 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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Dan Buckley to depart Marvel after nearly 30 years

Marvel’s Brad Winderbaum takes on an expanded leadership role overseeing comics alongside television and animation, while Disney executive David Abdo joins the Marvel team.

Marvel has announced a leadership change that will see Marvel Studios executive Brad Winderbaum expand his role to include comics and franchise in addition to television and animation. David Abdo will move over from Disney to become general manager of comics and franchise.

Dan Buckley, the longtime head of comics and franchise, will depart after a nearly 30 years combined with Marvel. Buckley will remain through mid-2027 to support the transition. C.B. Cebulski, current Marvel editor-in-chief, will report to Abdo.

“Brad’s exceptional creative leadership and David’s deep experience in operations and digital innovation will be a powerful pairing as we begin building out the next 90 years of Marvel’s comic book legacy,” said Kevin Feige, President, Marvel Studios and Chief Creative Officer of Marvel. “Brad brings a proven ability to lead creative teams and craft ongoing, episodic narratives that resonate with our fans around the world, while David offers a strong track record of operational excellence and strategic growth. I’m excited for what they’ll be able to do together.”

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Rick Remender + Steve Epting bring down the ‘Hammerfist’ in August

The ongoing series from Image Comics blends hardboiled crime fiction and splatter horror, as a hitman is forced to fight the supernatural to save his daughter.

Rick Remender and Steve Epting are teaming up on Hammerfist, an ongoing series from Image Comics and Remender’s Giant Generator imprint that will launch in August.

The series is about Mike Denton, a hitman/absentee father who must awaken a supernatural weapon powered by love to save his daughter from an ancient darkness called Black Noon.

“Hammerfist is for people who grew up on those unhinged genre films of the VHS era, over-the-top, hard-R, wildly original, but never forgetting to be fun,” Remender told IGN. “A hardboiled crime story that mutates into an ultra-violent, Raimi-style horror story following a low-rent killer who becomes the only thing standing between us and eternal darkness. Getting to see it come to life in the hands of a master like Steve Epting is a dream come true. I’ve wanted to collaborate with him for years, and the pages speak for themselves, cinematic, brutal, and emotional. Paired with Matt Hollingsworth’s color there just isn’t a better art team.”

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Kevin Smith, Andy McElfresh + R.B. Silva team for ‘Spider-Man/Hulk: Fire and Brimstone’

The five-issue miniseries arrives in August.

Marvel has announced another miniseries bringing together Spider-Man and the Hulk. Spider-Man/Hulk: Fire and Brimstone, by writer/director Kevin Smith, The Tonight Show writer Andy McElfrsh and One World Under Doom artist R.B. Silva, will kick off in August.

With Hulk and Punisher both appearing in this summer’s big Spider-Man flick, Brand New Day, both characters are getting panel time in addition to screen time with the wallcrawler this summer. Both characters are appearing in Spider-Man: Long Way Home in June, while a story set in the early days of the Punisher and Spider-Man’s relationship, titled The Punisher vs. the Amazing Spider-Man, will arrive in July.

“I’ve played with Peter Parker and swung with Spider-Man before but this is the first time I’m having Hulk issues,” Smith said. “Andy and I are dropping two of Marvel’s most well-known scientists into a spiritual story of Biblical proportions as we exorcise the Incredible Hulk—and I’m not talking cross-fit!”

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Mad Cave Studios announces charity anthology ‘You Are on Native Land’

All profits from the September anthology will be donated to Not Our Native Daughters.

Mad Cave Studios will release You Are on Native Land: A Charity Comic for Indigenous Rights, an anthology collecting work by Indigenous comics creators, in September.

All profits from the book will be donated to Not Our Native Daughters, a Native-led, survivor-led organization dedicated to addressing the Missing, Murdered and Exploited Indigenous Women and Girls crisis.

“Storytelling has always been a way our people carry truth forward,” said contributing poet Kelly Lynne D’Angelo. “Being part of You Are on Native Land means honoring that responsibility — not just to be seen, but to be heard, celebrated and held.”

The anthology will also include contributions from Jon Proudstar, Gord Hill, Chas Lowry, Jackie Fawn, Steph Littlebird, Roy Boney, Jim Terry, David Cutler, David Mack and others. It also includes a reprint of Tribal Force #1 by Proudstar and Chris Williams, the first comic to feature a superhero team made up entirely of Indigenous heroes.

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Your 2026 Eisner Award nominees

The winners will be announced this summer at the San Diego Comic-Con.

Comic-Con International has announced the nominees for this year’s Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards, which will be given out on July 24 in San Diego.

DC leads all publishers with 16 nominations, plus 10 shared with other publishers. Absolute Martian Manhunter has six nominations, including Best Limited Series, and Absolute Batman has 5, including Best Continuing Series, where it’s up against Absolute Wonder Woman. In addition to be a sales hit, the Absolute line, critically speaking, is working.

Fantagraphics had 14 nominations, spread across graphic memoirs, U.S. editions of international material, and archival collections.

Speaking of the Absolute line, Deniz Camp leads all creators with 5 nominations: Best Limited Series for Absolute Martian Manhunter, Best New Series for Assorted Crisis Events, two Best Single Issue nominations and Best Writer. He’s competing against himself, which is a remarkable position to be in. James Tynion IV has four nominations, while Juni Ba, Javier Rodriguez, Jesse Lonergan, Linnea Sterte, Kelly Thompson and Eric Zawadski all received three.

Comics’ biggest night will also recognize the new inductees into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame, 18 of which are automatic inductees and six of which will be decided by voters.

Congrats to this year’s nominees!

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DC takes aim at its Next Level titles with a Deadshot one-shot

Gerry Duggan and Fernando Blanco team for a 48-page special this August.

DC Comics is pulling back the curtain on what’s ahead for its Next Level publishing initiative with Next Level: One Shot #1, a 48-page special from Gerry Duggan and Fernando Blanco.

In the issue, Deadshot takes on a job that goes sideways, drawing him into a conspiracy involving a father, his daughter and a web of super-powered lies running through the entire Next Level cast. The story promises to point toward what Duggan and Blanco call “a war on the horizon” for the line.

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Marvel’s Midnight Universe features dark takes on your favorite heroes

Jonathan Hickman, Ben Percy, Scie Tronc and more head to the darkside in the new line of comics that kick off this summer.

Marvel Comics is plunging its most beloved characters into the dark with the Midnight Universe, a new publishing line kicking off in August with three titles.

The initiative launches with Midnight X-Men #1 by Jonathan Hickman and Matteo Della Fonte on Aug. 5, followed by Midnight Fantastic Four #1 by Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker in September and Midnight Spider-Man #1 by Phillip Kennedy Johnson and French artist Scie Tronc, making his Marvel Comics debut, in October.

“From the original New Universe to two Ultimate Universes, Marvel has a long history of creating and inspiring bold worlds filled with unforgettable characters and fresh ideas that feel new yet recognizable at the same time,” Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski said. “With the new Midnight line, we’ve given some of our most outstanding creators the opportunity to delve into the darkest corners of their imaginations and birth some of the creepiest, most terrifying takes on the Marvel Universe you’ve ever seen.”

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Joe Palmer’s ‘Destination Kill’ targets comic shops this week

Check out comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Scott Snyder, Nick Dragotta, Charles Soule, Kev Walker, Mariko Tamaki 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.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Joe Palmer’s ‘Destination Kill’ targets comic shops this week”

DC announces ‘Kingdom of Zod’ crossover

The event will run through the Superman Family titles in August and September.

DC has announced “Kingdom of Zod,” a crossover running through Supergirl, Action Comics, Superman Unlimited and Superman in August and September. The story will see the return of Superman to the present-day DC universe after the events of DC K.O. and Action Comics #1000, as the entire Superman Family takes on a returning General Zod.

The story kicks off in Supergirl #16, where a military coup in the Kryptonite Kingdom of El Caldero prompts Kara to assemble a strike team that includes Superboy-Prime, Conner Kent, Tomorrow Man and Steel — only to discover the occupying force is Kryptonian. In Action Comics #1101, Superman returns to the present, only to get pulled into the conflict. The crossover continues in August in Superman Unlimited #16 and Superman #41, and then through the four titles in September. It’ll wrap in a standalone Superman: Kingdom of Zod Special on Sept. 30.

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Exclusive | First look at the slipcase editions for ‘The Complete Urbance’

Magnetic Press is heading to Kickstarter soon with a deluxe collection of the manga-inspired cyberpunk saga by Joël Dos Reis Viegas.

Urbance by Joël Dos Reis Viegas has had an unusual journey. It began as an animated short film developed at the studio he co-founded, Steambot Studios, went viral and earned a devoted international fanbase after a successful Kickstarter campaign. Yapiko Animation in Tokyo helped bring the 8-minute pilot to life in 2015, and the response was strong enough that Viegas took the world of Neopolis somewhere the animation couldn’t fully go: a four-volume comic series.

Now Magnetic Press and Oni Press are bringing the complete Urbance comic book saga to Kickstarter, and today I’ve got your first look at the slipcase editions that will be available as part of the campaign.

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