Month: June 2020

Cantwell + CAFU take over ‘Iron Man’

Tony Stark will don Alex Ross-designed armor in a new series coming this fall.

When Iron Man blasts off this fall in a new series by Christopher Cantwell (Doctor Doom) and CAFU (Jane Foster: Valkyrie), it’ll be Tony Stark once again wearing the armor, in a new suit designed by Alex Ross (Kingdom Come, Marvels).

According to Marvel.com, Tony is “putting away his high-tech toys and high-profile image so he can get his hands dirty again. But can he really lay that Stark-sized ego down? Life isn’t always that simple, something that old friends and frustrating foes are quick to point out.  If you strip a billionaire down to his bolts, does he run solid…or just overheat?”

The series follows the conclusion of the Iron Man 2020 miniseries, which features Tony’s brother Arno as Iron Man. The final three issues of that series will come out this summer.

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Quarantine Comix to be collected in September

‘Ice Cream Man Presents: Quarantine Comix’ #1 will collect stories by W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran and more.

If you’ve been waiting for all the fun Quarantine Comix released by the Ice Cream Man team to come to print, have I got some good news for you, with sprinkles on top — Image Comics will release Ice Cream Man Presents: Quarantine Comix in September.

Originally started to help raise money for retailers who had to close down their shops during the corornavirus pandemic and shelter-in-place orders, Quarantine Comix was the brainchild of the team behind Image’s crazy horror anthology, Ice Cream Man. W. Maxwell Prince, Martin Morazzo, Chris O’Halloran and Good Old Neon created six minicomics that they released and sold online, with half of their profits going to the Book Industry Charitable Foundation, or BINC. Those were followed by a “guest series” that wraps up this week with a new comic by Christopher Cantwell and Eoin Marron.

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‘Detective #1027’ celebrates 1,000 issues of Batman

An all-star team of creators will contribute to this landmark issue.

Batman made his first appearance in Detective Comics #27 more than 80 years ago, and DC will celebrate a huge milestone for the character in Detective #1,027, a 144-page, $9.99 issue.

“Detective #1027 has been a massive undertaking, and I’m really excited for fans to see what editors Paul Kaminski and Dave Wielgosz have in store come September,” said Ben Abernathy, Batman Group Editor. “A great combination of writers and artists are putting in their best work on the book and fans should pay close attention to these stories, since some of them will plant the seeds for both Batman’s future and that of the DC universe.”

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DC boots up ‘DC Cybernetic Summer’ anthology for July

The robots will rise in a new summer-themed anthology.

DC’s next seasonal anthology will celebrate the summer in style — robot style. The publisher has revealed DC Cybernetic Summer, a collection of stories featuring Red Tornado, Robotman, Cyborg and other mechanically themed heroes, as well as Superman, Wonder Woman and others of a non-mechanical nature.

Here’s a rundown of what you can expect to find in the anthology:

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Mail Call | Fantagraphics 40% off sale, Batman, Pearl Jam and more

Rounding up news from IDW, DC, Image and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we received from publishers in our mailboxes recently. Hit the links for more information.

Fantagraphics is holding a 40% off clearance sale on their website right now, which ends this Saturday. There’s a lot of good stuff to choose from, including volumes of the Mome anthology, Dungeon Quest, some Michael Kupperman books, Roger Langridge’s Fred the Clown and more.

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Taylor + Robertson have a ‘twisted’ John Constantine story coming in September

‘Hellblazer: Rise & Fall’ brings the Vertigo bad boy to DC’s Black Label for a three-issue series.

DC Comics has announced Hellblazer: Rise & Fall, a new three-issue Black Label series by Tom Taylor (Suicide Squad, DCeased) and Darick Robertson (The Boys, New Warriors). The story involves a police detective, Aisha Bukhari, trying to solve the mystery behind the bodies of billionaires falling from the sky — with some help from her childhood friend, John Constantine.

If there’s any character who screams “Black Label,” it’s gotta be John Constantine.

“This is a very twisted book,” said Taylor. “But, I actually want to give people exactly the John they’ve seen before. I want to write the bloke who steps out of the shadows with the smirk, the lit cigarette and all the answers. I want a story of shocks and sadness and triumph in the face of utter horror.”

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Comics Lowdown: Can Disney stop cops from using the Punisher symbol?

Plus: News on Al Jaffe, Uncivilized Books, awards and more.

With police brutality once again in the public eye, many fans on social media have called out Disney/Marvel to put their litigious muscles to work and prevent cops from using the Punisher logo — a popular emblem with some members of law enforcement, despite the fact that Frank Castle is a criminal and a killer.

First, you can find some history of both the character and its popularity with police here. That piece’s writer, Brian Cronin, is not only a contributor to CBR, but also a lawyer, and he offers his thoughts on why he doesn’t think Disney would have much success in an article titled “There’s Not Much Marvel Can Do About Cops Using Punisher’s Logo.” Cronin writes:

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Ewing + Di Meo team for a new SF series from BOOM!

‘We Only Find Them When They’re Dead’ features a starship that harvests the giant corpses of alien gods.

Al Ewing and Simone Di Meo will team for a new science fiction series kicking off in September titled We Only Find Them When They’re Dead.

“We Only Find Them When They’re Dead is a concept I’ve been brewing for some years now, something that merges a few of my favorite things – high-concept action, world-building, quests for the meaning behind existence and heavily metaphorical science fiction – and uses them to create a universe we’re building out into something truly vast, rich and strange,” said Ewing. “No matter which parts of my work you’ve enjoyed before, there’ll be something here for you to love.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Get ready for Adventure(man)

See what recommendations we have this week for new comics coming from Marvel, Image, Oni and more.

Comics continue to return this week, with some old favorites and big debuts.

If you’re wondering what to get this week, check out a few recommendations below from the Smash Pages crew. You can check the Comic List page to see what’s arriving in your local shop, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally. As always, you should check with your local shop on their hours, curbside pick-up, etc. in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. Stay safe out there.

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Image announces ‘Inkblot’ by Emma Kubert + Rusty Gladd

The fantasy series involving a magical cat debuts in September.

Image Comics has announced a new series by a Kubert School graduate — and a Kubert. Emma Kubert, granddaughter of legendary comics creator Joe Kubert, is teaming up with writer Rusty Gladd on Inkblot, a new fantasy series debuting in September. It involves cats.

“I’ve been working on Inkblot since I was a student at the Kubert school (about four years in the making). Growing up, I always thought comics were all about masculine super men, which wasn’t quite relatable, so I turned to the world of fantasy, like Harry Potter, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” said Kubert. “I loved the fantasy genre so much that I knew one day, I’d have to forge a world of my own. The creation of Inkblot was an extremely collaborative effort between Rusty and I. We both work in the same studio, talking about plots, checking each other’s work, and making sure everything fits seamlessly together. We each use our strengths to create our magically fun comic and epic fantasy world!”

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Marvel’s 2020 FCBD titles will arrive in July

With no new date for Free Comic Book Day scheduled yet, Marvel has scheduled when their titles will be sent to retailers.

Marvel has announced plans to release their 2020 Free Comic Book Day titles in July.

Originally targeted for release in May as a part of Free Comic Book Day, Marvel’s two books — along with every other title that was going to be offered to fans for free as a part of the annual event –were delayed when Diamond Comics Distributors announced that FCBD would be postponed this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Diamond has not announced a new date for the FCBD yet, and with Marvel’s books offering “a first look at some of Marvel’s biggest upcoming events,” it makes sense they’d want to get their two books out there before these “game-changing” stories start.

Their two titles, and their new release dates, are:

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Sunday Comics | Comic strips pay tribute to COVID-19 essential workers

Check out new comics by Louise Simonson, Jan Duursema, Ali Fitzgerald, Roger Langridge and more.

Here’s a round up of some of the best comics we’ve seen online recently. If we missed something, let us know in the comments below.

Comic strips from Dick Tracy to Doonesbury are celebrating medical personnel on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis today, as the Sunday strips feature six “hidden” items like a microscope and a medical mask that relate to essential workers during the pandemic. The idea for it came from Rick Kirkman, who is one of the creators of the comic strip Baby Blues.

Maria Scriven provides a look at the six items:

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