Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we’ve received from comics publishers in our mailboxes recently that we haven’t already covered. Hit the links for more information.
Scout Comics has announced a new digital publishing initiative called Comic Tags, which they describe as “a way to both distribute and collect digital comic books that addresses some of the biggest problems that comic publishers and comic collectors face.”
These comic/trading card hybrids are limited edition collectible cards, but the kicker is that each of them comes with a scratch-off code to download a PDF copy of the graphic novel featured on the card.
“They’re attached to hangable backers that open, close, and look like a mini-comic book,” the press release reads. “These backers have interiors that are pulled right from the comic, giving you a glimpse at what you’re getting and a fun art piece to hang on to along with the collectible card.”
Don Handfield, a member of the Scout Comics board of directors, said, “I always felt like digital sales for comics were not near the numbers they should be. Digital comics should be for comic publishers what the CD was for the music labels or DVDs were for film studios. But digital comic sales account for less than 8-9% of overall sales industry wide. I think this is because collectors want something they can touch and feel. Collectors want to collect.”
You can find more information on them at the Comic Tags website. Scout Comics is selling several of them for $6.99 each, for titles like Mindbender, The Source, Solar Flare and more.
Dark Horse has revealed several variant covers for its upcoming Masters of the Universe: Revelation comic, a tie-in for the Netflix show of the same name. The artists for the covers include Alex Ross, Sergio Aragones, David Rubín, Rich Woodall and more. Many of them are store exclusive, so be sure to check out the press release if you want to know where to find a specific cover.
Speaking of variant covers, Image Comics has released several for the upcoming series M.O.M.: Mother of Madness by Emilia Clarke, Marguerite Bennett and Leila Leiz. They feature artwork by Jo Ratcliffe, Jen Bartel, Leila Leiz and Mirka Andolfo.
First Second has shared the covers and more details on their Fall 2021 releases, which include a new chapter of InvestiGators — they’re investigators who are gators — as well as projects from Damian Alexander, Ben Hatke, Hope Larson and more.
“The Sinister War” is a new Spider-Man storyline/event that will kick off in July, featuring two groups of villains going to war with Spider-Man in the middle. It’s by Nick Spencer, Mark Bagley and Brian Reber, and if you’re curious to know what it’s going to look like, you can check out this five-page preview Marvel released.
Skybound has released a couple of preview pages for Skybound X #2, the anthology miniseries they’re releasing to celebrate their 10-year anniversary. It includes a look at the new comic graphic novel that’ll debut in the miniseries, Everyday Hero Machine Boy.
Kyle Starks and Chris Schweizer have set up a compelling mystery in The Six Sidekicks of Trigger Keaton, which recently debuted from Skybound. In the gallery above, you can check some preview pages for issue #2.