R.L. Stine’s ‘Stuff of Nightmares’ returns this fall

The ‘Goosebumps’ author will work with artist Adam Gorham on a new miniseries about a comic book writer.

Goosebumps author R.L. Stine will return to BOOM! Studios this fall for a second miniseries under his Stuff of Nightmares banner. Stine will team with Adam Gorham, artist of the awesome The Blue Flame, for Stuff of Nightmares: Red Murder.

“The works of R.L. Stine and illustrations of Goosebumps cover artist Tim Jacobus formed pillars of my pop culture DNA while growing up in 1990’s Canada. Their novels were staples of any school book fair or library and coveted by many fifth graders, myself especially,” Gorham said. “The Goosebumps television show (filmed in Canada) was appointment viewing for me, and I have fond memories of drawing any spooky thing I could imagine while watching that program. If you told me then that nearly 30 years later, I would be working with the legendary author on a comic book of our own… actually, that is exactly the kind of opportunity I’d have hoped for as a kid, which makes this project all the more exciting.”

The previous Stuff of Nightmares miniseries, by Stine and artist A.L. Kaplan, was published last year. Stine called it his “first horror comic book work for grownups.”

Continue reading “R.L. Stine’s ‘Stuff of Nightmares’ returns this fall”

Usagi returns to Dark Horse this September

Stan Sakai’s rabbit samurai contends with the mystical villain Jei in a new miniseries.

Stan Sakai’s long-eared samurai, Usagi Yojimbo, will return to Dark Horse this fall in a new miniseries, Usagi Yojimbo: Ice and Snow. The five-issue miniseries is part of Sakai’s Dogu Publishing imprint, which Dark Horse announced last fall.

“I’m very excited, honored and thankful to have my own publishing imprint with Dark Horse,” Sakai said at the time. “As the sole creator and owner of Usagi Yojimbo, this is a significant milestone. I’ve known Mike Richardson for more than 30 years and he is one of the pioneers and champions of creator-owned IP. As the industry continues to change, I feel he brings a unique progressive perspective.”

Dark Horse published Usagi Yojimbo for about 20 years, up until 2019 when it moved to IDW. That relationship did not last long, but did result in several Usagi-related projects, including color versions of the famously black-and-white title and a graphic novel featuring Chibi Usagi. This new miniseries will be in color, thanks to HiFi Colour Design.

Continue reading “Usagi returns to Dark Horse this September”

Head to the beach with Archie and Darkling in this preview of ‘Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest’ #315

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

Courtesy of Archie Comics, we’re pleased to help you kick off the summer with a preview of a new story from Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #315, which comes out June 28.

Writer Ian Flynn and artist Holly G! reunite Archie with Darkling, the mystical superhero from the 1980s who he has had his eye on in the past. Darkling’s not really a fan of the beach, but Archie wants to prove that the beach can be fun. Inker Jim Amash, colorist Glenn Whitmore and letterer Jack Morelli help bring this one to life.

Check out the preview below, along with this issue’s cover by Dan Parent and a complete, classic story starring Sabrina the Teenage Witch by Frank Doyle and Stan Goldberg.

Continue reading “Head to the beach with Archie and Darkling in this preview of ‘Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest’ #315”

Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Ultimate Invasion’ begins; ‘Wonder Woman’ celebrates 800 issues

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Jonathan Hickman, Bryan Hitch, Jeff Lemire, Andrea Sorrentino, Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Nic Klein, Dan Abnett and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. Ultimate Invasion kicks off this week, leading the way toward the return of the Ultimate Universe, while Wonder Woman hits a major milestone and the Bone Orchard Mythos begins a new chapter.

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.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Ultimate Invasion’ begins; ‘Wonder Woman’ celebrates 800 issues”

Exclusive Preview | ‘Dead Jack and Oswald Meet Frankenstein’

Check out some preview pages from Monstrous Magazine, which is currently up on Kickstarter.

Kevin J. Anderson, David Avallone, Nancy A. Collins, John Jennings, Joe and Kasey Lansdale, Rena Mason, Steve Niles and more have united for Dead Detectives Society, a prose anthology that lives at the intersection of crime and horror. Accompanying it is the launch of Monstrous Magazine, a digest-sized magazine featuring prose, comics and articles.

Currently up on Kickstarter, the project has blown past its goal, raising almost $20,000 to date. It brings together several fictional detectives with supernatural origins, including Dan Shamble, Cal McDonald, Sonja Blue, Matt Richter, Dead Jack, Johnny Fade and more.

Dead Detectives Society is my pulpy passion project,” said editor James Aquilone. “With this annual anthology series I hope to expand the weird detective subgenre and have a blast while doing it.”

Courtesy of Monstrous Books, we’re pleased to present some preview pages from “Dead Jack and Oswald Meet Frankenstein,” written by Aquilone and illustrated by J.K. Woodward (Star Trek, Fallen Angel). Check them out below, along with the anthology’s cover by John Jennings and the cover for Monstrous Magazine by Colton Worley.

Continue reading “Exclusive Preview | ‘Dead Jack and Oswald Meet Frankenstein’”

Jack Kirby’s family issues a statement about the Disney+ Stan Lee documentary

‘It’s not any big secret that there has always been controversy over the parts that were played in the creation and success of Marvel’s characters.’

A documentary about Marvel’s Stan Lee that debuted on Disney+ last week has, no surprise, proven controversial. The family of Jack Kirby, co-creator with Stan Lee of the Fantastic Four, Thor, the Hulk, the X-Men and more, has issued a statement in response to the film.

The heart of the controversy is one that has raged since Stan Lee and Jack Kirby first started working together to create the Marvel universe — while both Kirby and Lee played significant roles in Marvel’s success, their contributions and the extent of their involvement in the creation of these characters has always been a subject of debate. While the conflict between the two is brought up in the documentary, it’s not explored in any great detail.

“… most of the narrative is in his voice, literally and figuratively,” Neal Kirby said in his statement. “It’s not any big secret that there has always been controversy over the parts that were played in the creation and success of Marvel’s characters. Stan Lee had the fortunate circumstance to have access to the corporate megaphone and media, and he used these to create his own mythos as to the creation of the Marvel character pantheon. He made himself the voice of Marvel. So, for several decades he was the ‘only’ man standing, and blessed with a long life, the last man standing.”

According to Marvel, the documentary, which was directed by David Gelb, “weaves together personal recorded footage from Lee, along with recorded recollections of his career never before seen by the public. These are accompanied by archived interview clips, newsreels, and models that immerse viewers in Lee’s world, in addition to hearing from some of his closest friends and collaborators.”

Rolling Stone’s David Fear, in his review, called it a “lame infomercial” and that the documentary feels “like it’s just shy of being nothing but a shill.” Variety was a bit kinder in their assessment.

Jillian Kirby, Jack Kirby’s granddaughter, shared the statement from her father on Twitter:

Continue reading “Jack Kirby’s family issues a statement about the Disney+ Stan Lee documentary”

‘Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood’ debuts in October

Garth Ennis, Alex Segura and more tell three-color tales of the undead.

Marvel is reviving Marvel Zombies as part of their Black, White & Blood line, which features stories by different artists and writers told with only three colors. The four-issue Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood will kick off in October.

Marvel Zombies join Darth Vader, Carnage, Deadpool and of course Wolverine in the line, with this new anthology featuring zombie-fied versions of Spider-Man, Daredevil, Moon Knight and more.

Continue reading “‘Marvel Zombies: Black, White & Blood’ debuts in October”

John Stewart returns to Earth in ‘Green Lantern: War Journal’

The new series kicks off in September.

John Stewart will spin off into his own title in September after appearing as a back-up in the current Green Lantern title. While this hasn’t been a secret — they teased a variant cover for the first issue at MegaCon — they have confirmed that the new title will indeed be called Green Lantern: War Journal, and it’ll kick off in September as part of the Dawn of DC initiative.

Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Montos will bring John Stewart back to Earth for a post-superhero life that doesn’t go as expected (at least not for him).

“The most epic ’80s sci-fi action movie you haven’t seen is coming, and it’s set in the DCU,” said Johnson. “That’s what Montos and I are giving readers. The prologue stories in the back of Green Lantern #1-3 have a clear sci-fi/fantasy feel, but when Green Lantern: War Journal #1 drops, it’s going to start feeling less like Dune and a lot more like PredatorThe Terminator and Aliens. Sometimes you just need ’80s James Cameron, and that’s what this is. By the end of this series, readers are going to know exactly who John Stewart is, and why he was born to be a Green Lantern.” 

Continue reading “John Stewart returns to Earth in ‘Green Lantern: War Journal’”

Wong + Bazaldua chart a new flight path for ‘Captain Marvel’

Carol Danvers returns in a new solo series in October.

Alyssa Wong and Jan Bazaldua will set Carol Danvers on a new path as they take over the ongoing adventures of Captain Marvel this fall. The relaunched series follows Kelly Thompson’s historic run on the character, as Wong and Bazaldua introduce an “omniversal entity” who has Captain Marvel in their sights.

“I’m so excited to be writing Captain Marvel!” Wong said. “Carol is such an iconic character with a rich history, and I can’t wait to add to her story. It’s an honor to work with Jan and I hope everyone enjoys what we’ve got coming!”

Continue reading “Wong + Bazaldua chart a new flight path for ‘Captain Marvel’”

Captain Flag + Pureheart battle Tom Twister in this preview of ‘Archie Jumbo Comics Digest’ #341

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

Captain Flag returns in a brand new story appearing in Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #341, which arrives in stores June 21.

The story finds the patriotic member of The Crusaders battling the tornado-wielding villain Tom Twister to save the U.S. post office — with some help from Pureheart the Powerful. Tom DeFalco, Steven Butler, Lily Butler, Glenn Whitmore and Jack Morelli are the creative for this certified-mail worthy story.

Check out the preview below, along with a complete, classic Little Archie story by Bob Bolling.

Continue reading “Captain Flag + Pureheart battle Tom Twister in this preview of ‘Archie Jumbo Comics Digest’ #341”

Larry Hama’s ‘G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero’ will continue at Skybound

Chris Mooneyham joins Hama on the series, which will pick up with issue #301 in November.

When Skybound announced they will work with Hasbro on a new universe featuring Transformers and G.I. Joe, many fans wondered what that meant for Larry Hama, whose name has been synonymous with the G.I. Joe comics since the 1980s. Today Skybound confirmed something Hama had already mentioned on social media — that they will continue to publish G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, and will even keep the legacy numbering.

“Several years ago, a fan at SDCC asked me how long Larry Hama would be writing G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero comics,” said Michael Kelly, VP of Global Publishing at Hasbro. “My response was the only appropriate answer for someone in my position: ‘for as long as Larry wants to keep writing them.’ It’s exciting to be continuing this journey that started back in 1982, and I’m grateful to the great team at Skybound for helping me keep that promise.” 

Hama will be joined by artist Chris Mooneyham and colorist Francesco Segala, with G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #301 coming to shops in November. G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero was originally published by Marvel in 1982 and then revived by IDW in 2010.

“I am delighted to be continuing the saga of G.I. Joe with the good folks at Skybound and totally amped to be taking the G.I. Joe team to issue #301 and beyond,” said Hama. “Little did I know back in 1982 that I would be associated with the Real American Hero for over 40 years. My thanks to the whole crew at Skybound for allowing me to continue to chronicle the exploits of characters who have become like a family to me.” 

Continue reading “Larry Hama’s ‘G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero’ will continue at Skybound”

Nominees announced for the 2023 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award

Annual award for the ‘Most Promising Newcomer’ comic artist will be presented during the Eisner Awards in July at Comic-Con International.

Comic-Con International has announced the nominees for the 2023 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award, named for the creator of Magnus, Robot Fighter and illustrator of the Tarzan and Star Wars comic strips.

Presented almost annually since 1982, the award recognizes an artist who, early in their career, “shows a superior knowledge and ability in the art of creating comics.” The awards took a break during the pandemic, but returned last year when Luana Vecchio received the award.

Previous winners include Dave Stevens, Eleanor Davis, Jeff Smith, Marion Churchland, David Petersen, Tyler Crook, Dan Mora, Lorena Alvarez and Nate Simpson.

The nominees are:

Continue reading “Nominees announced for the 2023 Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer Award”