Month: December 2022

‘All-Out Avengers’ ends to make way for ‘Avengers Beyond’

Derek Landy and Greg Land land a new miniseries to continue their Avengers story.

All-Out Avengers, we hardly knew ye. The series, which was initially billed as an ongoing, will end with issue #5 to make way for Avengers Beyond. Both Derek Landy and Greg Land will continue as the creative team for the new miniseries.

The team will figure out the real culprit behind their recent missions — The Beyonder, the powerful being who orchestrated the first Secret Wars back in the 1980s and who recently appeared in Defenders: Beyond. While his origin has been retconned a couple of times since then, one thing that has remained consistent is his Jheri-curl hairdo.

“I am beyond excited to take everything we’ve done in All-Out Avengers and continue it into its next incarnation,” Landy said. “We’re just beginning to brush up against the wider implications of the Beyonder’s agenda and the chance to tell this kind of story—the story of gods, the one thing that scares them, and the Avengers caught in the middle—is an impossible dream come true for a kid who grew up with Secret Wars.”

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Starlin + Morales join the resistance in ‘Order and Outrage’

The miniseries will launch at Dark Horse next March.

Jim Starlin has taken us everywhere from the Empirical Galaxy to New Genesis to the Kree empire to Gotham City, but now he’s teaming with Rags Morales to create a brand new world besieged by social injustice and rebellion.

Dark Horse will publish Order and Outrage, a four-issue miniseries, next year. Starlin and Morales will be joined by colorist Hailey Brown and letterer Michael Heisler for the project.

“I’m super excited to work with the man who taught me how to draw space gauntlets, while perusing my copies of Captain Marvel back in the 1970s.” Morales said. “That, and if anyone knows me, knows how much of a political pain in the xxx I am. So Order and Outrage is my kinda story. Lookout Order, here comes the rebellion!”

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‘Princeless’ creators speak out against Action Lab’s 2023 Free Comic Book Day issue

Jeremy Whitley and Emily C. Martin say they were just as surprised as fans to see Action Lab solicit new ‘Princeless’ material.

Princeless creators Jeremy Whitley and Emily C. Martin are speaking out against publisher Action Lab Entertainment, specifically about the solicitation for the publisher’s Free Comic Book Day issue for 2023.

In a statement, they said the release of “brand new” Princeless material was a surprise to them, especially considering they are engaged in “a protracted legal battle with Action Lab regarding a number of issues that we feel should have voided our publishing contract.” The statement goes on to say the creators have stopped working on new Princeless material and have not been asked to approve any pages for the FCBD release.

“This is the latest in Action Lab’s continued policy of putting their personal profits before creators and we strongly disapprove,” the statement says.

Whitley and Martin are both part of a class-action lawsuit filed against Action Lab earlier this year. The 46-page complaint “contends that although Action Lab promised to print, promote and market creators’ works, report quarterly sales and income numbers, properly maintain social media accounts, and generally make a reasonable effort to sell comics, the company has largely done none of these things and even failed to inform creators when its office shut down ‘without reason.’”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Batman and Spawn, together again

Check out new comics and graphic novels hitting stores this week from Todd McFarlane, Greg Capullo, Gerry Duggan, Juan Frigeri, Tom King, Jorge Fornes, Mark Waid and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights below, but for the complete list of everything you might find at your local comic shop and on digital this week, you’ll want to check out one or more of the following:

As a reminder, things can change and what you find on the above lists may differ from what’s actually arriving in your local shop. So always check with your comics retailer for the final word on availability.

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Ex-lovers fight the forces of Hell in ‘Exorcists Never Die’

Steve Orlando and Sebastián Píriz present a new miniseries coming from Mad Cave next year.

Mad Cave Studios has announced Exorcists Never Die, an action story of Biblical proportions by writer Steve Orlando and artist Sebastián Píriz, with lettering by Carlos M. Mangual.

The story features two exorcists who are also ex-lovers — and they’re brought back together to save thousands of souls being auctioned off in Los Angeles as a part of the bigger war between Heaven and Hell.

“We’re giving you action to the sky in this book, but it’s important to me for much more than that. Here’s a vivid exploration of biblical mythology, of what it means to fight a war, or even merely survive, in a world where only one side’s playing by the rules,” Orlando said. “It’s about the power of belief—not in the unknowable, but the knowable, the one fighting beside you. And in that unjust environment, we have two masters of their craft on the streets and catastrophes in the sheets, ex-lovers who’ve got no choice but to overcome the forces that drove them apart if they want to survive the most dangerous exorcism to ever hit the earthly plane.”

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Slugfest | ‘The Ambassadors,’ ‘Stranger Things’ and more

Check out news and announcements featuring Shazam!, Jeff the Landshark, Chispa Comics, Crash & Troy, and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you from comics creators, publishers and more. Hit the links for more information.

Mark Millar will team with six artists for his next project, The Ambassadors — a six-issue miniseries where each issue is set in a different country.

Frank Quitely, Travis Charest, Olivier Coipel, Matteo Scalera, Matteo Buffagni and Karl Kerschl will join Millar on the project, which was announced in The Hollywood Reporter. Here’s the premise:

It takes place in a world in which the superhuman genome has been cracked, and the scientist behind it is a Korean billionaire who builds the world’s first superhuman headquarters in Seoul and alerts the world that she will turn six ordinary people into super-people. This sparks a global competition for people who want to join a team that will be on call 24/7 for superhuman emergencies.

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Priest + Pagulayan reunite for ‘Superman: Lost’

Superman and Lois face the greatest test of their love in the new 10-issue miniseries.

Eisner Award-nominees and Deathstroke creators Christopher Priest and Carlo Pagulayan will work together once again on Superman: Lost, a new miniseries coming next year from DC.

“Superman: Lost has been several years in the making and it’s been incredibly difficult for me to keep quiet about this,” Priest said. “I am absolutely delighted to be reunited with my Deathstroke team as we explore the emotional toll a tragic loss exacts. A man of steel, from an alien species, is ultimately the most human among us. And finding his way home is only the beginning.”

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Emma Kubert’s ‘Stoneheart’ will debut from Image Comics next March

Kubert will write, draw and letter the new ongoing series.

The very busy Emma Kubert — artist of two comics that debuted earlier this week, Frank Miller’s Pandora and Radiant Pink — has another project lined up to debut at Image Comics next year. Kubert will write, draw and letter Stoneheart, a new action/adventure fantasy series.

“Stoneheart introduces a new perspective on the hero’s journey and a deep dive into our capabilities of great good and great evil. I began this series simply as a catharsis to help me deal with the many worldly problems my generation is facing today, but it slowly culminated into a confrontation of my inner monologue,” Kubert said. “The art, the writing and the lettering is all a reflection of myself and my dedication to the  industry and craft. Through humor, adventure, excitement, action, and love, Stoneheart confronts our inner self-worth and creates an entirely new fantasy; a fantasy where we strive for peace.” 

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Stephen Strange returns to life and his own title next year

Jed MacKay and Pasqual Ferry will resurrect the Sorcerer Supreme in March.

The Doctor Strange story Jed MacKay has been telling over the past year or so will come to a head next March as Stephen Strange will officially return from the dead in a new Doctor Strange title.

MacKay seemingly killed Doctor Strange off in the pages of The Death of Doctor Strange, then replaced him with his wife, Clea, in the pages of Strange. But readers of that title know that death was not the end for the good doctor, who took on a new role serving Death as the Harvestman.

MacKay will be joined by veteran artist Pasqual Ferry on the title, who has always wanted to draw Doctor Strange.

“When I started working for Marvel a long time ago, there were three comics I had always wanted to draw: Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange,” Ferry said. “Why Doctor Strange? Because his stories include all the elements I love as an artist—the fantasy, science fiction, and imagination. Above all, the fact that I could look at Steve Ditko’s work as a reference really motivates me! When he drew Doctor Strange, all the utopian and imaginary sceneries  were incredible. So this is a very special moment in my career, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the character is going to take us with this new narrative. I know a lot of artists, including myself, consider Doctor Strange a challenge, like there is a need to add something new to the character because it offers you that possibility. For me, Doctor Strange is a big challenge, but I embrace it.”

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Venom battles Doctor Doom in ‘Lethal Protector II’ miniseries

David Michelinie and Farid Karami send Eddie Brock to Latveria in the new miniseries.

It was on this day in 1987 that we saw our first glimpse of Venom, the character co-created by David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane in the pages of Amazing Spider-Man #299. So it’s an appropriate day for Marvel to announce a sequel to Venom: Lethal Protector, the recent miniseries by Michelinie and Ivan Fiorelli.

For Venom: Lethal Protector II, Michelinie will be joined by artist Farid Karami as they pit Venom against Doctor Doom.

“One of the happiest parts of my career was when I was originating and developing Venom,” Michelinie told Marvel.com. “So returning to that era is like having my own time machine. And to put Venom up against Doctor Doom, my favorite villain… sweet icing on the cake!”

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Archie falls for the magical superhero Darkling in ‘World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest’ #21

Check out an exclusive preview of two new stories by Ian Flynn and Steven Butler coming in next week’s digest.

Courtesy of Archie Comics, we’re pleased to present a preview of World of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #21, which arrives in stores Dec. 14.

Today we have previews from two of the new stories appearing in this digest. The first, “Expensive Stuffing,” features Betty helping the patriotic superhero Captain Flag and his eagle, Yank. Then“She’s Goth What It Takes!” features a new girl catching Archie’s eye — but when a monster attacks, luckily for Archie this new girl turns out to be Darkling, the 1980s mystical superhero. Both stories are by the team of Ian Flynn and Steven Butler.

Check out the previews below, as well as a classic story by Frank Doyle and Dan DeCarlo.

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Smash Pages Q&A | Cavan Scott + Nick Brokenshire set sail for ‘Dead Seas’

The creative duo talks about their new title for IDW Originals, their influences and how to design the perfect ghost.

After working together on projects like the all-ages Star Wars: Return to Vader’s Castle title, Cavan Scott and Nick Brokenshire continue their partnership with Dead Seas, a six-issue miniseries that was announced earlier this year as part of the first wave of titles from IDW Publishing’s new Originals line.

Dead Seas merges horror, science fiction, action and corporate greed in a story about a convict-turned-reluctant-hero, who finds himself trapped with guards, pirates and his fellow convicts on a prison ship filled with ghosts. Scott and Brokenshire hit the familiar tropes from each genre while at the same time taking a unique approach to the subject matter, particularly regarding how the ghosts appear on our plane. If the rest of the series is as fun as the first issue, we’re all in for a treat.

The first issue arrives in stores Dec. 21, and Scott and Brokenshire were kind enough to answer a few questions about it.

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