Mail Call | Tynion offers first ‘Blue Book’ for free

Check out news and updates from Marvel, Dark Horse, Top Shelf, Image Comics and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of cool things we’ve received in our mailboxes recently from comics publishers, creators and more. Hit the links for more information.

James Tynion IV was one of the first creators out of the gate with his plans for his premium Substack newsletter subscription, announcing a new comic called Blue Book with artist Michael Avon Oeming that he planned to share with paid subscribers.

But even if you aren’t a paid subscriber, you can still check out the first one, which he posted for free a couple days ago.

Blue Book is a passion project for myself and Michael Avon Oeming,” Tynion wrote. “We share a lifelong fascination with UFOs and a lifelong frustration with how those stories have been adapted into other media. There is a strangeness in the original accounts of UFO sightings that usually gets swept aside, but Michael and I want to lean into the strangeness. These are human stories of ordinary people who brush against the unknown and must grapple with what they see there. There is a deeper truth, whether you believe in the accounts or not, that lies in the many ways people tell these stories.”

Tynion and Oeming will release 10-page chapters of the series twice a month on Fridays. You can subscribe for $7 a month or $75 annually. And if you’d like to read it on a tablet or phone, I hear the Substack integration with the Panels app on iOS has been completed.

Miles Morales gets a new costume this month

Marvel will celebrate 10 years of Miles Morales later this month in Miles Morales: Spider-Man #30 by Saladin Ahmed, Carmen Carnero, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, Kemp Powers and Sara Pichelli.

Artist Chase Conley designed the new outfit, which you can see up above on the various covers for that issue by Taurin Clarke, Chase Conley, Sara Pichelli and Rachelle Rosenberg, and Javier Garron and Matt Wilson.

Dark Horse announces Hound for 2022

Dark Horse Comics has announced the upcoming graphic novel Hound by Paul J. Bolger (The Land Before Time, Cool World), Barry Devlin (A Man of No Importance, U2: Making of Rattle & Hum), and Dee Cunniffe (Machine Gun Wizards, Redneck). 

Here’s the description: In 50 BCE, Morrigan, the goddess of war, has become restless as a long-lasting peace settles over Ireland. Deciding the time of peace must end, she chooses Setanta, the nephew of the king of the north, to become her ward. After a young Setanta slays the demon-hound of Cullan, he becomes known as Cú Cullan—The Hound of Cullan. As Cú Cullan grows older, it is apparent that an extraordinary power lies within him . . . and a great darkness. When he chooses the quiet life of a farmer over the sword, Morrigan, angry at the betrayal, instigates an invasion of his homeland and Cú Cullan must challenge fate itself to keep the goddess at bay.

The 488-page hardcover graphic novel will be released on March 9.

D+Q to publish Murasaki’s ‘TaLk to My Back’

One of “alt-manga’s pioneering female artists,” Yamada Murasaki’s Talk to My Back is coming to North America next spring courtesy of Drawn and Quarterly. Translated by Ryan Holmberg, the early 1980s manga “explores the fraying of Japan’s suburban middle-class dreams through a woman’s relationship with her two daughters as they mature and assert their independence, and with her husband, who works late and sees his wife as little more than a domestic servant.”

Doctor Strange’s replacement comes to light in The Death of Doctor Strange #4

We know that Doctor Strange will kick the bucket later this year in the pages of The Death of Doctor Strange, but who will take his place as Marvel’s Sorcerer Supreme? It sounds like we’ll find out in the fourth issue of the miniseries in December.

The last month of the year will also bring two more tie in specials, featuring Blade by Danny Lore and Dylan Burnett, and then Black Knight teaming up with the X-Men (and Faiza Hussain!) by Si Spurrier and Bob Quinn:

Kochalka’s Glork Patrol returns next year

Top Shelf Comix has announced that James Kochalka’s Glork Patrol will return in a second book next February, titled Glork Patrol Takes a Bath.

Gunslinger Spawn arrives next month

I don’t know a lot about Gunslinger Spawn beyond these three things: 1) He’s a gunslinger, 2) he’s a Spawn and 3) he’s getting one of those 1:250 signed covers that helped make King Spawn such a big seller. Spawn creator Todd McFarlane will write the new ongoing, with back-up tales by McFarlane and Ales Kot. Providing the art are Brett Booth, Philip Tan, Kevin Keane, Thomas Nachlik and more.

Gunslinger Spawn returns with a vengeance, and he will make Spawn look like a Boy Scout,” said McFarlane in the press release. “Finally, fans will get a glimpse into his history as we dig deeper into his past and explore his future.”  

Amazing Spider-Man #75 preview

Marvel has released a trailer and some additional preview art for Amazing Spider-Man #75, which features the debut of the new, expanded creative team and the return of Ben Reilly. The above preview is by artist Patrick Gleason with colors by Marcio Menyz.

Righteous variant covers

A Righteous Thirst for Vengeance by Rick Remender and André Araújo debuts next month, and Image Comics sent over a look at all the various variant covers for that issue, by Bengal, Farel Dalrymple,Tula Lotay and Rafael Albuquerque. There’s also one by Sanford Greene that hasn’t been revealed yet.

Immortalizing the Hulk

Finally, let’s wrap up today’s edition with a look at the various variant covers Marvel released for Immortal Hulk #50, featuring scenes from the entire Immortal Hulk run. They include covers by Ron Lim, Ed McGuinness, Gary Frank, Carlos Pacheco, Creees Lee, Sanford Greene, InHyuk Lee and Jen Bartel.

One thought on “Mail Call | Tynion offers first ‘Blue Book’ for free”

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.