Month: March 2023

Slugfest | Scholastic outlines their plans for the new ‘Dog Man’ book

Plus: The Oloris, Poison Ivy, The X-Cellent, Whistleblowers, Patrick McDonnell and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

The graphic novel phenomenon Dog Man will return at the end of the month with a new book, Dog Man: Twenty Thousand Fleas Under the Sea, continuing the adventures of our hero, Li’l Petey, 80-HD and the rest of the gang.

Scholastic has announced their promotional plans for Dav Pilkey’s latest, which include a Free Comic Book Day issue, the return of Dog Man: The Musical and Dog Man Day celebrations.

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Sunday Comics | Several Tapas series will come to print via Dark Horse

Plus webcomics by Reimena Yee, Kazu Kibuishi 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.

Dark Horse Comics and Tapas Entertainment have announced a new partnership that will see the longtime independent comics company bring the webcomics platform’s comics to print.

Much like their deal with Comxiology, Dark Horse will collect titles like Animalheads, Signals, The Flying Ship and Tomahawk Angel, with the first collections due out in October.

“We couldn’t be more excited about this partnership,” said Alex R. Carr with Tapas Entertainment. “Seeing these creators and their stories in the Dark Horse pantheon is a dream come true for all involved.”

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‘Marvel’s Voices: Spider-Verse’ will introduce two new spidersonas

Recluse and Spider-Friend make their debut in April.

Next month’s Marvel’s Vices: Spider-Verse special will put the spotlight on several existing Spider-folks, including Miles Morales and Silk, but they’ll be joined by two new characters: Recluse and Spider-Friend.

Spider-Friend will debut in a story written and drawn by Jason Loo, co-creator of The All-Nighter and the award-winning Afterlift. According to Marvel.com, he “comes from a corner of the Marvel Multiverse that’s filled with laugh tracks and filmed in front a live studio audience.”

Recluse, meanwhile, is co-created by Cheryl Lynn Eaton (Batman Secret Files, Bitch Planet) and Julian Shaw (Marvel’s Voices: Legacy). This spidersona lives on a dystopian world where Electro controls the power grid.

Here’s a look at the two new characters, who share the spotlight on a variant cover for the issue by InHyuk Lee:

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Dark Horse will publish Caitlin Like’s debut graphic novel ‘The Hundredth Voice’

The new graphic novel will hit stores in October.

Dark Horse Comics has announced plans to publish The Hundredth Voice, a graphic novel by a new voice, Caitlin Like.

“The Hundredth Voice was written for kids getting into bootleg musical theater and trying to communicate with ghost,” Caitlin said. “It’s about being an artist, especially the serious resolve that feels like life or death when you’re young and told you’re gifted- that fear that you’re going to run out of time, even when you’re still a kid.”

While this is Like’s debut graphic novel, it’s far from her first comics work. She’s the creator of the webcomic Maiden of the Machine, and she also drew Dark Horse’s collaboration with Portland General Electric, a comic called Climate Keepers: Agents of Project Zero. But what really caught my eye on her website were the Supernatural fan comics she did.

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Dean Haspiel puts out a warrant for ‘Covid Cop’

The creator of ‘Billy Dogma’ seeks to crowdfund a new comic book.

Emmy Award-winning cartoonist Dean Haspiel has announced Covid Cop, a new horror/romance comic he’s crowdfunding on Kickstarter about an antihero attempting to save what’s left of humanity — and his marriage.

“A cross between Judge Dredd, Toxic Avenger, Mad Max and Sin City, Covid Cop is my response to a pandemic that never found its cure and has wiped out 98% of mankind,” Haspiel said.

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Marvel launches 20th Century Studios imprint

The new comics line will house its comics featuring ‘Planet of the Apes,’ ‘Predator’ and more.

In a move bubbling with corporate synergy, Marvel has announced plans to launch a 20th Century Studios imprint to house its Alien, Predator and Planet of the Apes comics.

“Ever since we announced our Alien and Predator comics, we hoped to create a special space within our comics line to go even bigger and bolder and keep building on the iconic moments from these properties that we all know and love. This 20th Century Studios comics imprint, in collaboration with our friends at 20th Century Studios, is the perfect way to do that,” said C.B. Cebulski, Marvel’s editor-in-chief. “Now that we’re bringing back Planet of the Apes again through classic comic book storytelling, we are absolutely thrilled to officially launch this imprint for the fans, and we’re all honored to expand upon it in the coming months.”

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House of Slay returns with a new story by Cherish Chen + Ashley Liu next week

Check out an exclusive preview of the story “The Remarkable Helen Huynh” before it lands on Webtoon and Tapas on March 7.

House of Slay, the webcomic created by and starring fashion icons Prabal Gurung, Phillip Lim, Laura Kim, Tina Leung and Ezra Williams, returns next week with a new episode written by Cherish Chen (Radiant Red) and drawn by Ashley Liu. Today we’re pleased to present a sneak preview of their short story, which will debut on both Tapas and Webtoon on March 7.

House of Slay debuted back in 2021, with the first season chronicling the fictional story of how the five fashion icons became superheroes. Season two, which debuted at the end of last year, will include in total five different short stories by different creative teams, with key art and character designs by Kevin Wada.

“While Season 1 of House of Slay was a story about five friends who come together to overpower hate, Season 2 is much wider in scope, taking us all over the world to meet fascinating new additions to the team. What’s so special about this concept is how it serves to remind us what we can do when we organize and empower ourselves,” Lim said.

Gurung sets up Chen and Liu’s story:

“In Cherish Chen’s and Ashley Liu’s story we get to meet Helen Huynh, one of the most memorable new cast members of the House of Slay universe. She’s so relatable!” Gurung said. “We are all in a constant crush of responsibilities and duties and if we don’t take time out to breathe and notice the world we’re in we can’t have a positive impact on it. Even though she’s a professional photographer, Helen’s learning how to see for the first time, and the first thing she observes is the kind of just-barely hidden injustice that’s so challenging to overcome in our society. But it’s never impossible, and that’s what House of Slay is all about.”

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Agatha Harkness takes the stage in ‘Contest of Chaos’ this summer

Heroes fueled by chaos magic will battle in Marvel’s annuals this summer.

Last week’s teaser showing several Marvel characters involved in a battle royal might have made you wonder who or what could cause your favorites to throw down like that. Well … it turns out it was Agatha all along.

Marvel has revealed more details on Contest of Chaos, a new storyline involving the now younger, rejuvenated Agatha Harkness that’ll run through the publisher’s annuals this summer. Stephanie Phillips is spearheading the event, which will kick off with a prelude issue in Scarlet Witch Annual #1 by Steve Orlando and Carlos Nieto.

“Contest of Chaos is the kind of story I would absolutely sprint to the comic store to buy as a reader,” Phillips said. “There’s action, mystery, magic and my favorite characters from all over the Marvel Universe. To be spearheading the storyline is just incredibly cool for me as a creator. It’s going to be big with ramifications for the larger universe …”

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Celebrity chef Kim-Joy teams with artist Alti Firmansyah for the OGN ‘Turtle Bread’

The graphic novel arrives on digital from Comixology Originals in May and in print from Dark Horse this fall.

The Great British Bake Off finalist and bestselling cookbook author Kim-Joy is collaborating with Alti Firmansyah on her first graphic novel, Turtle Bread: A Graphic Novel About Baking, Fitting In, and the Power of Friendship. The project will arrive on digital via Comixology Originals in May, to be followed in print from Dark Horse Comics in October.

They’ll be joined by letterer Joamette Gil, designer Cindy Leong, and editors Felix Horne and Allison O’Toole for a project that explores not only friendship and baked goods, but also mental health issues.

“Turtle Bread is a book about self-awareness,” said Kim-Joy. “It’s about that feeling of loneliness, of not fitting in or feeling good enough, of self-criticism, and the path towards self-acceptance. This is explored through baking, and in particular, the symbolism of the turtle–coming out of its shell and moving forward; however slowly that may be. Hence: Turtle Bread! (And yes, there’s actual turtle themed bread! Plus loads of other recipes). It’s NOT a magical story about how baking and friendship fix everything, but a story about the small steps forward (and sometimes sideways and backwards) gradually adding up.”

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Ghost Fox returns in ‘Archie Jumbo Comics Digest’ #338

Check out an exclusive preview of two new stories coming in next week’s digest from Archie Comics.

Ghost Fox, the teenage son of The Fox and She-Fox, returns in a brand new story appearing in Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #338, which arrives in stores March 8.

Next week’s digest includes two new stories, and courtesy of Archie we’re happy to share previews of them with you today. The first, “The Beast of Bolling Bay,” features Little Archie teaming up with Captain Valor to investigate a monster sighting in Bolling Bay. It’s by Tom DeFalco, Bill Galvan, Ben Galvan, Glenn Whitmore and Jack Morelli.

The second story features Ghost Fox embarking on a rescue mission to save his dad from Mr. Smile and Evil Heart, the Superteen persona of Reggie Mantle. The creative team on this one includes Ian Flynn, Steven Butler, Jim Amash, Glenn Whitmore and Jack Morelli.

Below you’ll find previews of both stories, plus a complete classic Little Archie tale featuring some strange alien visitors.

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Tillie Walden named Vermont’s next Cartoonist Laureate

The creator of “Spinning” and “On A Sunbeam” will begin her tenure in April.

The Vermont Arts Council and the Center for Cartoon Studies have announced that Tillie Walden will serve as the next Cartoonist Laureate for the state. Her tenure will begin on April 13 when she will be recognized on the Vermont Statehouse floor.

“I’m so pleased Tillie Walden will serve as Vermont’s next cartoonist laureate,” said U.S. Representative Becca Balint (D-Vermont) in a press release. “She creates richly imagined worlds that transport readers on emotional and fantastical journeys and reminds us all of the importance of having a deep sense of self. Congratulations for this special accomplishment, and thank you for being part of a unique tradition that sets Vermont apart.”

Walden is the award-winning creator of several graphic novels, including the Eisner-winning Are You Listening? and Spinning, the L.A. Times Book Prize-winning On A Sunbeam and The Walking Dead tie-in graphic novel Clementine. She has two new graphic novels due out this year — a second Clementine book and Junior High, a collaboration with musicians Tegan and Sara.

Walden will be the fifth Cartoonist Laureate for Vermont, which I believe is still the only state that has one. Her term will last three years. She joins a list that includes James Kolchalka, Ed Koren, Alison Bechdel and Rick Veitch in holding the title.

Image releases more details on Lemire + Sorrentino’s ‘Tenement’

The Bone Orchard Mythos project will kick off in June.

Jeff Lemire and Andrea Sorrentino’s The Bone Orchard Mythos horror universe will continue in June with Tenement, which Lemire referred to as “the centerpiece of our new horror universe up to this point.”

Previously teased as a six-issue miniseries, Tenement will now run 10 issues beginning in June with an oversized first issue.

“Tenement is the first book I started developing in the early days of planning The Bone Orchard Mythos with Andrea Sorrentino,”Lemire told Popverse. “In many ways it will be the centerpiece of our new horror universe up to this point. It will be our longest story so far and, like Gideon Falls, this new series will follow an ensemble of characters and the readers will really be able to spend time with them and invest in their stories. This will also be a book that starts to connect all the threads of our previous Bone Orchard books and begins to reveal the larger mythology we have been building. Andrea’s work on this one is even more mind-blowing than usual (if that’s possible).”

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