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.
When Venom returns in a new series from Marvel later this fall, it’ll be co-written by Al Ewing and Ram V. Each writer, it turns out, will be writing a separate character in the series, as the book focuses both on Eddie Brock and his son Dylan.
“How me and Ram are working together—we’re a band, essentially. Every issue is a new single, every trade is an album, and Eddie and Dylan are our instruments,” Ewing told Marvel.com. “They’re similar, but they make different notes, produce different sounds, build different stories. And for a while—so you should get used to it now—we’re going to be taking turns in the spotlight, playing Dylan songs or Eddie songs, while the other band member stays in the background. As each new single comes out, you’ll see how it fits together, forms one big concept album—or maybe a symphony. And then, when we’re ready, we bring all the instruments in for the crescendo—and that’s going to be something to hear.”
Bryan Hitch, meanwhile, will pull all that sound together into something cohesive as the artist for the book. And while Eddie is off in space playing symbiote god, Dylan will be on Earth learning to be a superhero in December’s issue #3.
“When I knew I was going to be writing Dylan’s story about his time as Venom I pitched it as a story told through the eyes of a boy on a road-trip wearing his father’s jacket learning a thing or two about where his father picked up his scars and scuff-marks along the way,” Ram V said. “I think the story interactions between Venom the symbiote, Venom—his father’s symbiote, Dylan’s own history and his attempt at finding a new equilibrium are all fascinating things to delve into as we tell this drama through an action-packed tense thriller with a hint of sci-fi, horror.”
Vaughan promises ‘exciting news is coming’ about Saga
Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples’ award-winning, critically acclaimed Saga has been on hiatus for a couple of years now, as they took an extended break after reaching the halfway point in 2018. To remind you that the comic still exists, Image Comics is releasing a box set of the first nine trade paperbacks in November, along with art prints of the covers.
“Thank you for your undying patience while Fiona Staples and I have been hard at work on the second half of Hazel’s epic journey,” said Vaughan. “We promise that exciting news is coming, and we wanted to offer your customers a cool new way to catch up on our Eisner Award-winning series: this gorgeous box set, collecting all nine of our bestselling trade paperback collections in one affordable package. We think it’s the perfect way to introduce any ‘mature readers’ who haven’t yet tried Saga to our weirdly wonderful universe. Thanks again, and we look forward to gracing your stands with more issues very soon!”
Adventureman! returns later this month
Matt Fraction and Terry Dodson’s break from Adventureman! hasn’t been near as long as Saga, but it returns this month with a new storyline.
Adventureman! #5, which arrives Sept. 29, finds New York teetering “on the brink of a strange Armageddon” and our hero Claire trying “the Adventureman mantle on for size just in time to face the monstrous evil that vanquished her predecessor—only he didn’t have a family like hers.”
“We’re very excited to unveil the next chapters of Adventureman so everyone can see what we’ve been cooking up—to get the chance to explore the depth of the world and characters we’re creating in this story,” Dodson said in the release.
Here’s a preview:
‘Inferno’ burns it all down Sept. 29
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Marvel has released a trailer for the upcoming Inferno miniseries, Jonathan Hickman’s swan song on the X-Men era he kicked off with House of X. They also released some preview pages — or in some cases, preview panels — for the first issue, which arrives Sept. 29:
Nicole Andelfinger will write Power Rangers Universe
When BOOM! Studios announced their Power Rangers Universe event series last month, they did not mention the writer in the press release. They’ve now corrected that, as they’ve announced writer Nicole Andelfinger will work with artist Simone Ragazzoni on the series.
“My twelve year old self—and current self—are screaming! When the Power Rangers team comes knocking at your door, of course you say yes,” said Andelfinger. “I’m so honored and excited to be a part of Power Rangers Universe and can’t wait to help expand the universe just a bit more for fans new and old to enjoy.”
X-Men prepare for an ‘Onslaught’ in September
Inferno isn’t the only X-Men event comic coming in September. Also coming up is X-Men: The Onslaught Revelation, which spins out of the Way of X series by Si Spurrier and Bob Quinn. It’s got Nightcrawler, Legion … and the return of Onslaught, the villainous entity that’s responsible for the 1990s Heroes Reborn event. So, yeah, not good. Here’s a preview:
Nott the Brave takes the spotlight next April
Dark Horse’s Critical Role comics have proven quite popular, so much so that they’ve gotten a companion series of hardcover origin stories for the various CR characters. Next April you can learn more about halfling-turned-goblin Nott the Brave, courtesy of Sam Maggs, Matthew Mercer, Sam Riegel, William Kirkby, Mildred Louis and Ariana Maher.
Previewing Aquaman: The Becoming #1
DC’s Aqualad — and future Aquaman — takes the spotlight in a new miniseries that kicks off this month called Aquaman: The Becoming. DC has released a preview of the first issue by writer Brandon Thomas and artists Diego Olortegui, Wade von Grawbadger, Scott Koblish, Skylar Patridge and Adriano Lucas, as well as a whole bunch of covers for subsequent issues.
“Aquaman: The Becoming is a coming-of-age story for Jackson Hyde, marking his final transformation from Aqualad to Aquaman,” said Thomas. “When the series begins, Jackson has everything he’s ever wanted—acceptance, respect and a strong web of found family and friends around him. He and his mother are finally on the same page and his training with Arthur Curry (with an assist from Batman) is going extremely well. The shadow of his father Black Manta still looms, but he’s refusing to let that completely define him and his life. Everything is perfect.”
Here’s the preview:
And here are the covers and variant covers for issues 2-3, and the cover for issue #4. Covers are by David Talaski and variant covers are by Khary Randolph and Emilio Lopez.
