Variant ‘Redneck’ cover spawns a shirt for a good cause

The Pride Month variant covercby Ed Luce for the Skybound title is now a T-shirt benefiting The Trevor Project.

Redneck #3, the Image Comics/Skybound title about Texas vampires by Donny Cates, Lisandro Estherren and Dee Cunniffe, will help celebrate Pride month this week with a variant cover by Ed Luce. That cover features a vampire wearing a shirt that sports a variant of the LGBT slogan “We’re here. We’re queer. Get used to it.” Only more NSFW:

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Help ‘shine a light in all this darkness’ by resurrecting Pepe the Frog

Matt Furie attempts to #SavePepe with a new crowdfunded comic about the stoned frog who was hijacked by white supremacists.

The Associated Press reports that Pepe the Frog, like all good comic book characters, is returning from the grave.

Pepe’s redemption will come via Kickstarter, where creator Matt Furie and his brother Jason are attempting to raise money “to positively resurrect Pepe through the creation of a brand new comic in the spirit of the original Boy’s Club.” Per the AP story, Matt’s attorney, Kimberly Motley, is exploring possible litigation against those profiting off Pepe’s image without Furie’s permission.

Pepe the Frog debuted in 2006 as part of the Boy’s Club ensemble, appearing on MySpace and in comics published by Buenaventura Press. Later his chill nature became the subject of many memes. In 2015, the white supremacists in the far right “alt.right” movement co-opted Pepe for their own white nationalism campaigns, leading to the Anti-Defamation League branding him as a hate symbol in 2016. Furie killed Pepe off on Free Comic Book Day earlier this year. Since then, the ADL has worked with Matt Furie to help #SavePepe.

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Newlyweds fight boll weevils, drug cartels in ‘Gasolina’

Skybound editor Sean Mackiewicz teams with Niko Walter, Mat Lopes and Rus Wooton for horror-crime series.

Readers of The Walking Dead or Invincible are likely familiar with Sean Mackiewicz, editorial director for Skybound, who can be found on both book’s letters pages. But responses to questions about when Daryl’s going to show up aren’t the only thing Mackiewicz is writing; he’s also branching out and writing a new comic called Gasolina, with artist Niko Walter, colorist Mat Lopes and letterer Rus Wooton.

“So, the pitch: Gasolina is a horror-crime epic set in Mexico, full of gun fights against cartels armed with tanks and perverse creatures… shot through the eyes of newlyweds fighting against a world quickly going to hell, who put a human face on a conflict that’s both harrowing and outrageous,” Mackiewicz wrote on the Skybound site. “The short version: shit goes down.”

The first issue arrives in September. Check out some preview pages for it below.

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Comics Lowdown: IDW adapts ‘The Force Awakens,’ Ringos slated for BCC

Plus: Jack Kirby and William Messner-Loebs to receive the Bill Finger Award, why millennials like webcomics and more.

IDW announced its all-ages Star Wars Adventures comic series a few months ago, but they sprang a surprise this week: In August, they will publish an 80-page graphic novel adaptation of the movie Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The graphic novel, which is also intended for younger readers, is part of Disney’s Journey to Star Wars: The Last Jedi publishing program, which is designed to gin up excitement for the eighth movie, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which will be out in December. The writer of the adaptation is Alessandro Ferrari, and the art is provided by “a group of Disney artists intended to bridge the gap between Star Wars and traditional Disney animation, making it more attractive for younger audiences.” You’d think people with that sort of ability would merit an actual name credit, but I guess not. This same anonymous group has done other Star Wars graphic novel adaptations that were published by Disney Lucasfilm Press, and in fact, Bleeding Cool notes that this graphic novel was announced in an article about them almost a year ago. That means the big news is really the publisher—it looks like IDW, will launch Star Wars Adventures in September, is becoming the chief publisher of Star Wars comics for young readers.

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‘Scales & Scoundrels’ brings all-ages fantasy to Image Comics

Sebastian Girner, Galaad and Jeff Powell team up to tell ‘the adventure of a lifetime.’

Editor and Shirtless Bear-Fighter co-writer Sebastian Girner trades bears for dragons in Scales & Scoundrels, a new all-ages fantasy title he’s working on with artist Galaad and letterer/designer Jeff Powell. The series debuts in September from Image Comics.

Scales & Scoundrels is a dream project for Galaad, Jeff and myself,” Girner said in a press release. “We are crafting a deep and wondrous world for readers to get lost in, creating heroes, villains and rogues to love and loathe, and spinning tales that will delight and entertain, shock and inspire. A fantasy adventure comic for readers of all ages to escape into, and bring a piece of magic back with them into their lives.”

The series stars a treasure hunter named Luvander who heads into a dungeon crawl called “the Dragon’s Maw.” But, per the release, “what starts out as a road to riches becomes the first step on an epic journey of a much different kind—for Luvander holds a secret in her heart that will shatter the chains of fate and bring light to a world encroached upon by an ancient darkness.”

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