Sunday Comics | 2020, gnomes and Funky Winkerbean

Check out recent comics by Thom Zahler, Tom Kaczynski 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.

Continue reading “Sunday Comics | 2020, gnomes and Funky Winkerbean”

What Are You Reading? | Stargirl, the Beatles, psychics and more

See what the Smash Pages crew has checked off their ‘to read’ list lately.

Welcome to What Are You Reading?, our weekly look at what the Smash Pages crew has been reading lately.

This week’s edition is ripe with not only nostalgic looks at the past, including some that go all the way back to the 1940s, but also at the future of comics by the bright stars of today and tomorrow.

Let us know what you read this week in the comments.

Continue reading “What Are You Reading? | Stargirl, the Beatles, psychics and more”

Orlando + Tinto investigate the death of compassion in ‘Commanders in Crisis’

The new series debuts from Image Comics in October.

Following his well-received runs on comics like Martian Manhunter, Wonder Woman and Midnighter, Steve Orlando will next take his superhero sensibilities to Image Comics for a creator-owned series, Commanders in Crisis, with artist Davide Tinto (IDW’s Marvel Action: Spider-Man).

Commanders in Crisis is all the energy and creativity I’ve served for the past five years, now completely unchained!” said Orlando. “No rules, no restraints, the type of strange and passionate ideas that brought me into the medium in the first place. Comics should be bold, comics should be big, and comics should be badass. This is my first freelance launch since 2015, and we’re taking a nuclear shot across the bow. No vanilla vengeance here! This is a fight for comics as they need to be.”

Continue reading “Orlando + Tinto investigate the death of compassion in ‘Commanders in Crisis’”

Mail Call | Defend-ing the Hero Initiative, new ‘Bad Karma’ and more

Plus: News from DC, Image, Humble Bundle and more.

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

DC Comics has announced a change in the variant covers for the upcoming The Dreaming: Waking Hours #1. The cover shown below, by Yanick Paquette and Nathan Fairbairn, will replace one from Bill Sienkiewicz that they first showed us in May.

Continue reading “Mail Call | Defend-ing the Hero Initiative, new ‘Bad Karma’ and more”

Ibrahim Moustafa’s ‘Count’ coming from Humanoids next year

First GN of a three-book deal will be a science fiction adaptation of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo.’

Humanoids has announced a three-book deal with Eisner-nominated creator Ibrahim Moustafa (High Crimes, Jaeger) starting with a science fiction take on the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

Count will feature Redxan Samud, a man framed for treason and wrongfully imprisoned who escapes a “hover prison” and sets out for revenge.

“Ibrahim Moustafa’s Count is phenomenal,” said Humanoids Publisher Mark Waid. “Ibrahim has taken a classic text and brought a modern sensibility to it, with widescreen storytelling and clever reinvention. This book is a signpost for the kind of graphic novels that we’ll be publishing in the months and years to come.” 

Continue reading “Ibrahim Moustafa’s ‘Count’ coming from Humanoids next year”

Marvel to publish ‘Aliens,’ ‘Predator’ comics

The FOX properties move to a new publisher after about 30 years at Dark Horse.

Marvel has announced plans to published comics based on the Aliens, Predator and Aliens vs. Predator movies — a license formerly held by Dark Horse Comics.

“There’s nothing more thrilling than a story that will keep you at the edge of your seat, and Alien and Predator have delivered that time and time again!” C.B. Cebulski, Editor-in-Chief of Marvel, told IGN. “I can clearly remember where I was when I saw each of these modern masterpieces for the first time, and reveling in how both masterfully weave extraterrestrial dread and drama into some of the most iconic scenes we’ve ever seen on film. And it’s that legacy that we’re going to live up to!”

It’s not surprising to see them land at Marvel, given that they are FOX properties that now fall under the Disney umbrella. They add to Marvel’s growing library of licensed titles, which also include Conan, Star Wars, Warhammer 40,000 and Ultraman.

Continue reading “Marvel to publish ‘Aliens,’ ‘Predator’ comics”

The Mandalorian is coming to comics

We have spoken.

Starwars.com has shared a new publishing program centered on the Disney+ show The Mandalorian, and while it mostly centers on books and novels, it does confirm that the popular bounty hunter and The Child — aka Baby Yoda — are coming to comics.

According to the post, “The Mandalorian-inspired comics are coming from Marvel and IDW Publishing,” both of whom have licenses to create comics based on the Star Wars properties.

Continue reading “The Mandalorian is coming to comics”

Smash Pages Q&A: Carta Monir

The comics creator discusses her latest zine ‘Napkin,’ pornography in the age of COVID-19 and much more.

Carta Monir and I spoke more than a year ago about her work, her career and Diskette Press, which she runs, but late last year she published Napkin, a zine about sex and desire that honestly blew me away. This is a work that is raw and thoughtful and insightful and pornographic – but not really pornography.

Monir writes very specifically about her own life, her own journey and her own sexuality, but besides being a thoughtful and honest document, the book also manages to be something striking. It is a moving documentation of queer thinking and sexuality. More than that, there’s so much in it that queer people, cis people and so many people can relate to. Anyone who has had issues with their bodies, struggled with what they want and what it means, questioned their identity, wanted to let loose or felt unable to let loose will relate to it.

The questions of sex, desire and identity are hard to talk about openly, which made me more impressed by the way that Monir is able to. I admitted before we talked that I am a neurotic New Englander, but we spoke about her book, how she started making porn recently and the connections between these projects. 

Please note this interview includes a frank and mature discussion about sex and pornography that is NSFW or for kids.

Continue reading “Smash Pages Q&A: Carta Monir”

Comics Lowdown | Geppi resumes duties as president of Diamond’s parent company

Plus: News on #BacktheComeback, TCAF, Heavy Metal, Thought Bubble and the first graphic novel to win the Wodehouse Prize and have a pig named after it.

Diamond Comics Distributor’s parent company has a new president, kind of. Stan Heidmann, the president/COO of Geppi Family Enterprises who took that role about a year ago, will depart the company as Steve Geppi resumes the role. Geppi has been serving as Chairman and CEO since Heidmann joined the company.

“Under my guidance, the executive leadership team will support a comprehensive strategic review to position the enterprise for future growth,” Geppi said in the message posted to the Diamond website. “I feel a tremendous responsibility to our employees and the industry, and I fully intend to set all Geppi Family Enterprise brands on a path for robust growth. I am confident we have the right leadership with talented teams in place and I see enormous opportunities for GFE.”

Continue reading “Comics Lowdown | Geppi resumes duties as president of Diamond’s parent company”