Month: May 2023

‘That Texas Blood’ spinoff miniseries will explore the past of Ambrose County

Creators Chris Condon and Jacob Phillips will tell the story of ‘The Enfield Gang Massacre’ this August.

That Texas Blood, one of my favorite comics from the past few years, is getting a spinoff miniseries this summer that will explore the past of Ambrose County, Texas, the comic’s setting.

Writer Chris Condon and artist Jacob Phillips will tell the story of The Enfield Gang Massacre in a six issue miniseries at Image Comics. Condon said he unknowingly set the stage for the new series in the back matter of a previous issue.

“Way back in That Texas Blood issue seven’s back matter, I mentioned ‘the Enfield Gang’s reign of terror in the 1870s’ which ended in a ‘shootout.’ That got Jacob’s imagination going and he wondered if we’d ever see that (or, more importantly, if he’d ever draw it). And, well, now we’re here,” said Condon. “That may have been the catalyst, but the truth is that I’ve always wanted to tell the story of the origin of Ambrose County, a birth fraught with violence and terror.”

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Bunn + Luckert go ‘Beyond Mortal’ in a new graphic novel at Dark Horse

Superheroes battle the elder gods in the new project, which will arrive next January.

Cullen Bunn and Danny Luckert, who collaborated on the recent Shock Shop, will re-team for a new graphic novel from Dark Horse.

Beyond Mortal combines two things Bunn is famous for — super-heroes and horror, as a world protected by a pantheon of heroes must face it’s greatest challenge — an invasion by the elder gods.

“If you know me, you know I love superheroes,” said Bunn. “You also know I love-love-love horror. While I’ve frequently infused horror elements into my superhero comics, I’ve never done a full-on horror book in a superhero universe. Well, here you have it. Beyond Mortal is sort of a fever dream of heroics and terror. And I think fans of superheroes will love it. And so will horror fiends.”

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Marvel’s next ‘Voices’ anthology will spotlight the X-Men

Al Ewing, Greg Pak, Jay Edidin, Jan Bazaldua, Jethro Morales and more will contribute to the anthology.

Marvel’s next “Voices” anthology will turn to the denizens of Krakoa, as the publisher has announced Marvel’s Voices: X-Men.

The anthology series, which followed a podcast on Marvel.com with the same name, has been published since 2020 and has spotlighted “diverse storytellers and their journeys,” as well as characters from diverse backgrounds. This year Marvel began spotlighting specific character groups, like the Spider-Verse characters and the citizens of Wakanda, in stories by diverse creators.

Marvel’s Voices: X-Men will feature stories from the past and present:

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Scott Bryan Wilson + Al Barrionuevo unleash an ‘Angry Ape Army’ next week

The digital comic will debut on Zestworld, Comixology and GlobalComix.

Technology and magic will clash on a world inhabited by apes in Angry Ape Army, a new digital comic coming from EEP Universe, the production house behind House of Slay, as well as Zumeta Studios and XRM Media.

Writer Scott Bryan Wilson and artist Al Barrionuevo, who worked together on Savage Tales, will bring this world to the comics page.

The story revolves around a tribe of peaceful apes on a planet called Genesis World, where they have lived under the thumb of the more advanced Nano Apes for generations. The Nano Apes strip-mine the Genesis Apes’ natural magic for fuel, and their culture has been eradicated. Then a secret warrior tribe arrives just in time to start an uprising.

“Angry Ape Army is a high-octane sci-fi adventure full of twists and turns and heroes you love to love and villains you love to hate. It’s breathless, character-driven action in a world where the nearly forgotten ancient forces of magic are needed to ward off a seemingly unstoppable technological threat. Al Barrionuevo and I are thrilled to team up again to bring this story, world, and characters to life,” Wilson said.

Here’s an exclusive first look at the trailer:

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‘The Oddly Pedestrian Life Of Christopher Chaos’ promoted to an ongoing series

The chaos will live on at Dark Horse.

Although the first issue hasn’t even hit stands yet, Dark Horse has already announced a second printing for the first issue of The Oddly Pedestrian Life Of Christopher Chaos. Also, the miniseries is now an ongoing series.

The comic by James Tynion IV, Tate Brombal and Isaac Goodhart first debuted on Substack last year, and a deal with Dark Horse to bring it to print was announced in November.

“Christopher Chaos means a lot to me,” Tynion said in his Substack newsletter. “I’m immensely proud of the work Tate, Isaac, Miquel, Nick, and Aditya have done building it all out. You’ve seen early version of the work here on Substack (though we’ve made some changes to the print addition, namely bringing on Miquel Muerto as the new series colorist starting with Issue #1), but the most fun here has been talking about the world that surrounds Christopher, and Adam, and Jordi, and the Helwing Corps. We have lots of stories we want to tell, and your support will help make that happen.”

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Everybody out of the water: DC + G’nort revive the illustrated swimsuit comic

The world needed more G’nort. But maybe not this much.

I was a little surprised and very ashamed when I started this post and noticed we didn’t have a G’nort tag yet. “How is such a thing possible?” I asked myself, but then again, maybe the universe’s favorite Green Lantern just hasn’t had a high-profile role in recent years.

But that will change in August when DC releases the G’nort’s Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, which both raises G’nort’s profile and brings back a fun and somewhat cheesy idea that Marvel published back in the 1990s. The Marvel Swimsuit Special would showcase Marvel characters in various tropical locales — like Wakanda, Madripoor and the Blue Area of the Moon (transformed by the Inhumans into a tropical paradise) — in their swimwear. They were light on story and heavy on the cheesecake. But they were a lot of fun.

And now, we have G’nort bringing them back, for the Distinguished Competition.

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Saladin Ahmed + Aaron Kuder will take over ‘Daredevil’ in September

Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checcetto’s run ends in August.

With Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checcetto’s epic (and Eisner nominated) run on Daredevil coming to an end this summer, Marvel has announced that Saladin Ahmed and Aaron Kuder will take over the title in September.

“I wanted to only take this job on if I felt like I had a new, unique take on Matt and on Hell’s Kitchen,” Ahmed said. “And so that’s at the center of this… him and his world, but it’s the Marvel Universe. What I’ve really enjoyed in talking with other editors, other offices, is finding ways through these first couple of arcs we have planned to keep this centered on Matt, keep this centered on his people, in his world, but to bring (in a very organic and surprising fun way) some familiar Marvel figures that I think are going to blow people’s mind when they pop up on the page!”

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Heroes unite in this preview of ‘Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics #314’

Check out an exclusive look at new stories by Tom DeFalco, Rex Lindsey, Ian Flynn, Ryan Jampole and more.

Archie Comics has shared a preview with us of Betty and Veronica Jumbo Comics #314, which will feature two new stories in addition to a whole lot of classic material.

Over the past couple years, Archie has been re-introducing some of their classic superhero characters in these digests, teaming them up with the gang from Riverdale. We’ve seen everyone from Pow-Girl to The Web to Fly-Girl appear, and in this issue, a lot of those threads come together. The villainous Blast Master is causing havoc in Riverdale, and the SuperTeens put out the call for assistance from the Mighty Crusaders, Bob Phantom and even the Power Pets. It’s a who’s who of the Archie Universe, written by Tom DeFalco with art by Rex Lindsey and Glenn Whitmore.

The second story, which is by Ian Flynn, Ryan Jampole, Whitmore and Jack Morelli, puts the focus on the new Fly-Girl and Evilheart, the “heroic” identity of Reggie. Is he good or evil? Is he trying to help, or just looking out for himself? Fly-Girl has to figure that out.

Check out previews of both stories below. Archie Comics also provided a complete “Betty and Veronica” story from years past by Bob Bolling, where they imagine what it would be like to live underwater. (I dig the colors on Archie’s outfit.) The digest will go on sale May 24.

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‘Immortal Thor’ faces elder gods + buried secrets this summer

Al Ewing + Martín Cóccolo will tell new tales featuring Asgard’s All-Father starting in August.

Al Ewing will return to his “Immortal” roots this summer as he and artist Martín Cóccolo plot new adventures and uncover old secrets for the God of Thunder in Immortal Thor.

The title mirrors Ewing’s earlier run on Immortal Hulk, which wrapped up in 2021. In an interview with Polygon, Ewing talked about the differences in his approach to the two titles.

“Hulk was horror and tragedy,” he told Polygon, “but Thor tacks more toward fantasy and hope. Bruce Banner is fractured by his origin, going through a hell of his own making to gain the power of a monster — Don Blake becomes the person he truly is inside, and in so doing, gains the power of a god. (An unconventional god! Long hair in the early ’60s was more of a flex than we might credit, though I do remember Jane fantasizing about giving him a haircut.) To put my biblical hat back on for a second — if Immortal Hulk was the Old Testament, Immortal Thor is the New Testament.”

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Nominees announced for the 2023 Eisner Awards

Winners will be announced at Comic-Con International in July.

Comic-Con International has announced the nominees for this year’s Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards. This is the 35th year for the awards, which will be given out at this year’s Comic-Con International on July 21.

In terms of publishers, Image Comics received the most nominations, followed by DC, Fantagraphics, Marvel and Dark Horse. Creator-wise, Zoe Thorogood led the pack with five nominations. Hall of Fame nominees and inductees were announced earlier this month.

And the nominees are …

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Pak + Miyazawa’s ‘Mech Cadets’ return to comics

The hit series from BOOM! Studios returns just in time for its debut on Netflix.

The story of Mech Cadet Yu will continue in comics this summer just as it starts up on TV. BOOM! Studios has announced Mech Cadets by Greg Pak and Takeshi Miyazawa, with colors by Ian Herring.

Mech Cadet Yu debuted back in 2017 and ran for 12 issues. It’s since been collected in three trade paperbacks, with a collection of all 12 issues due out today. It’s about an interstellar war, an alien invasion, giant robots and the unlikely teenager who finds himself at the center of it all. The new series picks up after Stanford Yu and his fellow pilots saved the world.

“The original Mech Cadet Yu series is one of my favorite of all the things I’ve ever written, so I’m beyond thrilled to be working with Tak on the next chapter in the Mech Cadets saga,” said Pak. “Tak’s bringing all his magic to every page and every panel, with that special combination of incredible genre thrills, amazing humor, and fantastic emotional subtlety. And all of our characters are a bit older and the world has gotten a bit more complex, with some shocking twists and challenges. I’m biased, of course, but it feels vital and real and just as fun as ever, and I can’t wait for y’all to see it!”

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Oni will collect Derek M. Ballard’s ‘Cartoonshow’ in August

The online strips pull from Ballard’s own life as a single father.

Oni Press has announced plans to collect Cartoonshow, the online comic strips of animator Derek M. Ballard, in August.

Ballard, who has worked on the megahit Adventure Time for Cartoon Network and on Netflix’s The Midnight Gospel, created the strips based on his own life as a single father.

“This book of cartoons is a whole slew of dumb, funny, embarrassing and true things that happened to my kids and me. Stuff that befalls average families every single day,” Ballard said. “Oni Press made it possible to support my family while I brought my uncompromised scribbly vision to the page. That’s a big deal. Unbelievable really. Extra special thanks to my editor Zack Soto.”

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