Cthulhu + Mothman throw down in Wandering Planet’s Cryptid Combat figures

VELIKAN’s 5-inch sofubi-style Cthuluchador and Ultimoth Warrior bring cosmic horror and wrestling to the toy shelf.

Cthulhu and Mothman are about to settle their differences the only way two legendary monsters can: by getting in the ring and throwing down.

Wandering Planet Toys has teamed with sculptor and horror artist VELIKAN to crowdfund Cryptid Combat, a new pair of 5-inch soft-vinyl art toys that mash up classic horror, cryptid lore and good ole’ professional wrestling. The lineup pits H.P. Lovecraft’s ancient evil against the legendary creature of Point Pleasant, with Cthuluchador taking on the Ultimoth Warrior.

Inspired in part by VELIKAN’s childhood love of professional wrestling and later fascination with Lovecraft and cryptids, the figures are hand-sculpted and reproduced in Japanese sofubi-style soft vinyl. The original sculpts stand seven inches tall to accommodate the intricate details before being scanned and painstakingly reproduced by sofubi artisans.

Continue reading “Cthulhu + Mothman throw down in Wandering Planet’s Cryptid Combat figures”

Slugfest | See who’s naughty and what’s nice in DC’s November solicitations

Three oversized 25th issues, a new Absolute Batman special, Gotham’s criminal underworld and a very naughty holiday special headline DC’s November lineup.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on DC’s November titles, plus a few extras.

DC is getting a little naughty this November, with a holiday special putting the spotlight on the villains of the DC Universe, but that’s hardly all the publisher has in store. November also brings three oversized 25th issues, a new Absolute Batman special, a Gangs of Gotham series spinning out of the Batman: Bad Seeds crossover and plenty more.

Here’s a look at what’s coming.

Continue reading “Slugfest | See who’s naughty and what’s nice in DC’s November solicitations”

Jeremy Robinson + Tiago Palma bring ‘One Zero Zero One Saves the World’ to Vault Comics

Vault will publish the science-fiction series, based on a character Robinson originally created when he was 18 years old.

A character Jeremy Robinson created more than 30 years ago is finally making his debut this fall. Vault Comics has announced One Zero Zero One Saves the World, a new science-fiction comic series written by Robinson, drawn and lettered by Tiago Palma and colored by Manuel Rodriguez. The first issue is scheduled for November.

The series follows 1001, a genetic experiment who awakens hundreds of years after a post-apocalyptic catastrophe. Confused and alone, 1001 quickly discovers that his ability to adapt to virtually any threat is going to be put to the test when he finds himself hunted by a pack of vicious creatures.

Continue reading “Jeremy Robinson + Tiago Palma bring ‘One Zero Zero One Saves the World’ to Vault Comics”

Smash Pages Q&A | Darryl Cunningham on ‘John of the Night’

The author of ‘Billionaires: The Lives of the Rich and Powerful’ trades nonfiction for cosmic adventure in his newest graphic novel.

After years of turning his sharp eye for politics, history, science and biography toward nonfiction in graphic novels like Supercrash, Billionaires: The Lives of the Rich and Powerful, Putin: The Rise of a Dictator and Elon Musk: American Oligarch, Darryl Cunningham decided to go a different route with his newest graphic novel.

The result is John of the Night, his first fiction graphic novel, which is a wildly imaginative cosmic adventure. The story focuses on scientist John of the Night and his daughter Aysha, who are caught between a fanatical cult determined to “fix” the multiverse and Medea, Aysha’s witch-queen mother, who has plans of her own for her daughter. Inspired in part by the grand cosmic mythology of Jack Kirby, the book combines gods, multiverses, mythology and philosophical questions about good and evil with the much more grounded relationship between a father and daughter.

The new book arrives from Avery Hill Publishing on Sept. 2.

I spoke with Cunningham about the new book, the influence of Jack Kirby, creating Aysha and Medea, finding the balance between cosmic spectacle and emotional grounding, and what’s next for John of the Night.

Continue reading “Smash Pages Q&A | Darryl Cunningham on ‘John of the Night’”

Can’t Wait for Wednesday | DC plants a ‘Bad Seed’ in this week’s comics

See what’s arriving at your local comic shop this week by G. Willow Wilson, Matt Fraction, Giuseppe Camuncoli, Cliff Rathburn, Leandro Fernandez, Rick Remender, Steve Epting, Ashley Allen, Ram V, Mike Perkins, RL Stine, Bob Burden, Jennifer Dugan, Robin Ha 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 | DC plants a ‘Bad Seed’ in this week’s comics”

Rest in peace, Dave Lanphear

The comics letterer and designer has passed away at the age of 58.

Dave Lanphear, a comic book letterer and designer whose credits included Thunderbolts, Mighty Avengers, Secret Warriors, Spider-Man Noir, Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman ’78 and hundreds of other comics, died last week at the age of 58.

His death was shared by his sister, Tera Lanphear, on Facebook, as well as by his business partner, Jan Utstein, who said he died of complications from diabetes.

“David was kind and generous to a fault,” Utstein said. “He loved his family and he especially loved his fiance Laura Bee and their cats. What ultimately took him was an insanely high blood sugar level. Dave was an incredibly talented guy. I will miss him.”

Continue reading “Rest in peace, Dave Lanphear”

Scott Chantler takes on Flash Gordon for two-volume graphic novel series

Mad Cave’s ‘Flash Gordon: Two Worlds’ will feature Flash fighting against a Ming the Merciless who has conquered Earth.

After 25 years and more than a dozen books, Scott Chantler is taking on a classic licensed character. Mad Cave Studios and King Features Syndicate have announced Flash Gordon: Two Worlds, a two-volume graphic novel by the award-winning cartoonist of Two Generals, Northwest Passage, Three Thieves and more.

Chantler will worl with colorist K, J. Díaz. The first volume is scheduled for November.

The standalone story is separate from Mad Cave’s other Flash Gordon series and pulls from the pulp-adventure sensibilities of Alex Raymond’s original comic strip and the Flash Gordon movie serials. It’s also a What If? style story, asking the question — what if Ming conquered Earth?

Continue reading “Scott Chantler takes on Flash Gordon for two-volume graphic novel series”

Pornsak Pichetshote + Alberto Ponticelli team for ‘Exquisite Corpses: Lone Gunman’

The third Exquisite Corpses spinoff will explore the history of the golden mask.

Pornsak Pichetshote and Alberto Ponticelli will team for Exquisite Corpses: Lone Gunman, a five-issue miniseries from Image Comics and James Tynion IV’s Tiny Onion Studios.

The series is the third spinoff based on the first season of the action/horror comic Exquisite Corpses created by Tynion and Michael Walsh. Jordie Bellaire will provide colors and Becca Carey will letter the series.

Pichetshote, who was one of the dozen writers who contributed to the original “round robin” series, will use this new miniseries to delve into the history of the Lone Gunman and the mysterious golden mask. He describes the series as “Season 1.5,” bridging the first and second seasons while also functioning as a standalone story for new readers.

“We follow my favorite killer and trace the history of the golden mask as well as one branch of the all-powerful 13 Families,” said Pichetshote. “But for new readers, you don’t need to read the main series to enjoy this one. We’ll be exploring one of my favorite horror subgenres: the ultimate ‘Final Girl’ story. What happens after you survive the 12 deadliest slashers of all time, and now are forced to uncover the secret history of the organization behind them and how they’ve shaped the course of America? It’s been fun to take the lessons I’ve learned on the Absolute Green Arrow series to tell a very different story about serial killers and billionaires, one that asks how the victims of their callous actions recover and retaliate.”

Continue reading “Pornsak Pichetshote + Alberto Ponticelli team for ‘Exquisite Corpses: Lone Gunman’”

Rest in peace, Roger McKenzie

The editor and writer of books like Daredevil, Captain America, Sun Runners and more has passed away at the age of 75.

Roger McKenzie, writer of Captain America, Daredevil and other titles throughout the 1970s and 1980s, passed away last Friday at the age of 75 while under hospice care, according to a post on his Facebook page.

The post says that McKenzie has been fighting “He’d been dealing with end-stage heart failure and kidney disease for the past several months,” the post reads. “He was certain that he still had some stories to tell in the time he had left, and struggled mightily to write one last script.”

Continue reading “Rest in peace, Roger McKenzie”

Slugfest | Marvel’s November solicitations bring Uncle Scrooge + a new ‘Spectacular Spider-Man’ status quo

See what Marvel has in store for us during the penultimate month of 2026.

Marvel’s November 2026 solicitations are here, and while we’ve already covered several of the month’s bigger announcements like X-Orcists, Jean Grey, Spider-Woman and other new titles, there are more books worth highlighting.

Among them are a new Ghost Rider: Kushala one-shot collecting the character’s Marvel Infinity Comic adventures, a particularly adorable Marvel Meow/Strange Scales team-up, and the news that Dan Slott and Marcus To’s Spectacular Spider-Man is no longer a miniseries.

So let’s get to it …

Continue reading “Slugfest | Marvel’s November solicitations bring Uncle Scrooge + a new ‘Spectacular Spider-Man’ status quo”

Smash Pages Q&A | Mike Kennedy from Magnetic Press on ‘Loba Loca’

The publisher talks with us about their latest team-up with Label 619 and more.

Magnetic Press is about halfway through their Kickstarter campaign for Loba Loca, a graphic novel set in the MFKZ Universe from creators Guillaume “Run” Renard and Guillaume Singelin of Label 619 in France. The project has already blown past its modest goal with more than $46,000 in raised funds and another two weeks to go.

The graphic novel is about Guadalupe “Guada” Mayflower, a 17-year-old who discovers her infamous luchadore father may have once saved the world. This sends her on a dangerous road trip to confront her family’s past that involves other masked luchadores, underworld figures and more.

I caught up with Magnetic Press’ Director of Publishing Mike Kennedy to talk about what drew Magnetic Press to the project, their relationship with Label 619 and, of course, the role of lucha libre in the book.

Continue reading “Smash Pages Q&A | Mike Kennedy from Magnetic Press on ‘Loba Loca’”

American Manga Awards honor ‘Billy Bat,’ ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ + more

The awards were presented last night in conjunction with AnimeNYC.

The third annual American Manga Awards were presented Thursday night at the Japan Society in New York City, in conjunction with AnimeNYC. Zack Davisson served as host for an evening celebrating the creators, publishers and localization teams behind manga released in North America.

In addition to the winners in the awards’ main categories, the ceremony presented the American Manga Award of Distinction to Princess Jellyfish creator Akiko Higashimura. The awards also inducted two new members into the Manga Publishing Hall of Fame: Chigusa Ogino, an advisor and former executive director on the board of Tuttle-Mori Agency who helped pave the way for manga’s entrance into Western markets, and the late Ioannis Mentzas, co-founder of Vertical and former editorial director at Kodansha USA.

Congratulations to last night’s winners:

Continue reading “American Manga Awards honor ‘Billy Bat,’ ‘The Summer Hikaru Died’ + more”