Orlando + Tormey reopen the book of the ‘Darkhold’ at Marvel

The notorious tomb returns to the Marvel Universe — lands in the hands of Doctor Doom.

Former DC-exclusive writer Steve Orlando will make his debut for Marvel on a book of mystical proportions — Darkhold, named for the evil text that exists within the Marvel Universe. Darkhold Alpha #1, which suggests it’s tied to a bigger event, will come out in June.

Orlando will team with artist Cian Tormey on the comic, which features a cover by Greg Smallwood.

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Nominees announced for the 2020 Lambda Literary Awards

Winners will be announced in June.

The Lambda Literary Awards have announced their nominees for 2020, which honor LGBTQ writing across 24 categories, including one for comics.

The finalists were selected by a panel of over 60 literary professionals from more than 1,000 book submissions from over 300 publishers. The winners will be announced at an event in New York City in June.

The nominees are:

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PDX Popup Con 2020 to take place this weekend [Update: It is cancelled]

Portland area retailers will host creators this Saturday and Sunday as an alternative to ECCC.

Update, March 12: PDX Popup Con has been cancelled.

Original story:

With ECCC postponed, we’ve seen several alternatives pop up, from Pajama Con to Oni’s online convention shop. For those in Portland, here’s another way to spend your weekend — PDX Popup Con, which is being put on by PDXComicArts.com and several Portland-area comics retailers.

“With the last-minute cancellation of Emerald City Comic-Con due to fears of a COVID-19 outbreak, many artists, publishers and exhibitors have been left without an opportunity to share their work and chat with their audience next weekend,” their site reads. “Many self-published artists rely on conventions like ECCC as a financial foundation for their year, and income lost from these shows can be devastating. Not to mention the upfront costs of booking travel and hotels, which at this point probably cannot be canceled or refunded.”

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Mariko Tamaki to write ‘Wonder Woman’ beginning in June

The award-winning writer joins artist Mikel Janín on the title.

DC Comics has recruited Mariko Tamaki for one of their key flagship titles. The writer of This One Summer and Laura Dean keeps Breaking Up With Me will begin writing Wonder Woman with issue #759 in June.

“Writing for comics is pretty much a dream job, full stop,” Tamaki said. “It’s pretty fricking cool. Wonder Woman was the hero I grew up with, she was my little-kid-living-room-cosplay. I have always wanted a golden lasso and an invisible jet, and I feel like now, writing Wonder Woman, I’m one step closer.”

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Smash Pages Q&A: Tom Peyer on ‘Penultiman’

The prolific writer and editor discusses his upcoming title from Ahoy Press, the state of the company and more.

Tom Peyer has been writing and editing comics for years, but in the past two years since he helped to launch Ahoy Comics, Peyer has been writing up a storm. From the two very different titles that launched the publisher, The Wrong Earth and High Heaven, to subsequent books like Hashtag: Danger and Dragonfly and Dragonflyman, Peyer has shaped the sensibility and approach of the company.

Last year Ahoy released Steel Cage #1, which contained three short comics: Bright Boy by Stuart Moore and Peter Gross, Noah Zark by Mark Waid and Lanna Souvanny, and True Identity by Peyer and Alan Robinson. Readers were encouraged to vote for their favorite, but because of voting irregularities, the company declared that all three would get their own series. Now Peyer and Robinson have their series, renamed Penultiman, launching on May 6. People can read the short comic from Steel Cage for free on ComiXology right now, and Peyer stopped by to answer a few questions about superheroes and the Silver Age, and show off some of Robinson’s artwork.

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