Slugfest | Frank Miller draws a new variant cover featuring Wolverine

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

It’s been awhile since we’ve seen Frank Miller draw Wolverine. Before moving on to DC to work on Batman: Year One and The Dark Knight Returns, Miller worked with writer Chris Claremont on the character’s first miniseries in the early 1980s, which, along with his work on Daredevil, established Miller as a top-tier creator.

Decades later, Miller has drawn a variant cover for Ghost Rider/Wolverine: Weapons of Vengeance Alpha #1:

The comic will be available with both a variant cover and a virgin variant cover by Miller, and it arrives in stores Aug. 9.

Comedian/actress Whoopi Goldberg will join a long list of celebrities in co-writing a graphic novel. Goldberg will work with co-writer Jaime Paglia, Sunkanmi Akinboye, colorist Alexandria Batchelor and letterer Frank Cvetkovic on The Change. Here’s how Dark Horse Comics describes it:

Isabel Frost is a woman who has spent her life as wife, mother, grandmother – a life she feels isn’t all she had hoped for, with a husband who has grown in another direction. A college graduate with a degree in science, Isabel is an amazing gamer, who plays with people all over the country. With the help of her comic-loving grandson and irreverent best friend, she must learn to control her abilities and embrace her new identity as The Change – both the change of life AND her surprising and extraordinary superpowers.

DC Comics has revealed a new Jen Bartel variant cover, the full table of contents and some preview artwork for their upcoming DC Pride special, which arrives in stores May 30.

Skottie Young worked with several different artists over the last couple of years to create a tie-in comic for I Hate Fairyland on his Substack. Image Comics will collect those stories into a five-issue miniseries with the overwhelming title of The Unbelievable, Unfortunately Mostly Unreadable & Nearly Unpublishable Untold Tales of I Hate Fairyland. The first issue, previewed above, features art by Aaron Conley, who Young collaborated with on Bully Wars. The miniseries kicks off July 5.

Speaking of Substack, BOOM! Studios will bring Joanne Starer and Khary Randolph’s Sirens of the City to print. The comic, a “gritty urban fantasy” set in 1980s New York, debuted on their Substack in 2022.

In July, Marvel and Viz Media will release Marvel Comics: A Manga Tribute, an art book featuring the work of Ryu Moto, Sana Takeda, Mizuki Sakakibara, Peach Momoko, Yoshitaka Amano and more artists from Japan drawing the Marvel Universe. It will arrive in stores July 18.

BOOM! Studios has announced Power Rangers Unlimited: Hyperforce, a one-shot set in the same universe as the HyperForce Rangers tabletop RPG web series. The story is written by Melissa Flores (Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, Radiant Pink) and the voice of the HyperForce Pink Ranger in the HyperForce RPG, Meghan Camarena, with art by Federico Sabbatini and colorist Bryan Valenza.

“It’s nearly impossible to put into words how excited I am to be revisiting the special group of chaotic misfits that is the HyperForce team with Meghan, Federico and BOOM! Studios,” said co-writer Melissa Flores. “I’ve never forgotten the incredible amount of love the TTRPG series received from the fans, and I’m so thankful to be able to pay back just a little bit of that with a new adventure for them in this medium.”

The one-shot arrives in stores July 19.

Dark Horse Books and Stan Sakai’s Dogu Publishing have announced their first project together: Oni Ronin, written by Mack Flavelle and Kohei Naganime, with art by Tatsubi and creative assistance from Maldoror, Manabu Seko, and Keojimal.

The graphic novel combines Japanese history and mythology: Set in Japan during the Sengoku or “Warring States” period, Oni Ronin is a tale of cowardice, sacrifice, and redemption. Combining historically accurate characters and locations with mythical kitsune and malevolent demons from Japanese folklore, Oni Ronin is the redemption story of the cowardly Sarobei, a samurai messenger who meets feudal lords, brave warriors, and heroic ghosts on his journey of self-discovery.

Oni Ronin arrives in stores Nov. 28.

IDW has revealed more details and some covers for Day of Blood, their Star Trek crossover series that kicks off in July and was previewed on Free Comic Book Day earlier this month. Star Trek: Day of Blood arrives first, before the crossover continues in the regular Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant titles. This “alpha” issue is by Collin Kelly, Jackson Lanzing, Christopher Cantwell and Ramon Rosanas.

“I sincerely believe that Day of Blood is the ‘lost episode/movie/epic limited series’ that Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and The Next Generation fans have been dying for. But what’s truly amazing is that beyond those series, we’re tying in a heaping dose of Lower Decks (in the form of Shaxs), the original series (including a reunion of Spock and Scotty) and so many other aspects of this universe. It’s truly a galactic panacea unlike any Trek story I’ve encountered in the past as a fan,” said Cantwell. “What’s also wonderful about this series is that things happen in it that can only exist in the realm of comics in terms of scope and pure sci-fi imagination, all anchored by beautiful core themes of partnership, parenthood, second chances, and the belief in a better tomorrow…whether that be a utopian or a vainglorious one. Buckle in because this is the Trek saga of my dreams!”

In December, Dark Horse will publish Shelter for Lost Dreams, a middle grade graphic novel written and drawn by Spanish comic creator Alfonso Font. Here’s the description:

During his first stay with his uncle, a boy discovers the magical world that is his uncle’s house. Surrounded by eclectic antiques, a vast library of books, strange objects, and whimsical animals, he is overcome with curiosity. Here, he meets a girl who shares his sense of wonder. With his uncle’s wisdom and an enchanted gift, the children will learn important lessons through the diverse experiences of people throughout time—from common hikers encountering an unusual creature, to a general making the final decision to end a war, and many more!

Speaking of graphic novels, Mad Cave’s Maverick imprint will release Confetti Realms by writer Nadia Shammas, artist Karnessa and colorist Hackto Oshiro in October. Described as “Tim Burton-esque,” here’s the synopsis:

On Halloween night, when the moon is full, teenagers get up to mischief. But when an encounter with a giant, sentient puppet in a graveyard sends four teens to a mysterious dimension called the Confetti Realms, they must overcome obstacles in their own friendships–and collect the debted teeth owed to the puppet–in order to make their way home. But the allure of staying in a fantasy world is a hard one to beat, and going home to their normal lives is starting to sound less and less appealing for some. Will these friends return home?

Naturally, it arrives Oct. 31.

Let’s wrap up this edition with a look at several variant covers coming from Marvel. Starting with Ultimate Invasion #1, which comes out in June. Both Russell Dauterman and Sara Pichelli will provide variants for the first issue of the Jonathan Hickman/Bryan Hitch return-to-the-Ultimate-Universe miniseries:

Mark Brooks has two more “corner box” variant covers coming in May and June, for X-Men #23 and Avengers #2:

Jerry Ordway and Nolan Woodward celebrate the 40th anniversary of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in these “classic trade dress variant covers” for Marvel’s July Star Wars titles:

And finally, Marvel’s “Stormbreaker” artists are at it again in June, providing variant covers that spotlight various Avengers line-ups throughout the book’s history (in celebration of the new Avengers title):