Month: July 2023

Ridley + Raffaele bring ‘The Ministry of Compliance’ to IDW

An alien conspiracy goes wrong in the new IDW Originals series, which debuts in November.

John Ridley and Stefano Raffaele, the team behind DC’s GCPD: The Blue Wall, will re-team for a conspiracy-laden action series from IDW. The Ministry of Compliance will feature a secret cabal of aliens who are running the world who believe they’re doing the right thing for humanity — but what happens when they start fighting amongst themselves?

They’re joined by colorist Brad Anderson on the IDW Originals series.

“I’ve been real fortunate to have had many ‘phases’ in my career, from starting out writing on The Martin Show all the way up to 12 Years A Slave and everything that flowed from it. But there’s always going to be part of me which is the kid who fell in love with storytelling by way of comic books. And to be real this is the craft that brings me the most joy. The trio of Avigail, Quinn and Kingsley are easily my three favorite characters in thirty-plus years of creating,” Ridley said.

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Nightcrawler’s origin gets a long overdue clean-up this fall

Si Spurrier and Wilton Santos will spotlight Nightcrawler and Mystique in ‘X-Men Origins Blue.’

During the Designing the X-Men panel in San Diego, Marvel announced a couple of new projects related to their merry mutants.

The first is X-Men Origins Blue, which arrives in November. The one-shot will delve into the origins of both Nightcrawler and Mystique, and, knock on wood, will retcon the terrible retcons made to the character in the early 2000s. It’s by Si Spurrier and Wilton Santos, and Spurrier’s quote offers a glimmer of hope in the right direction.

“It’s not often you get the chance to shine new light into the origins of a truly beloved character. To do so for two at once is an unprecedented privilege,” Spurrier said. “With this book, we’re breaking new ground in more ways than one. We’re walking this path with the deepest love for Nightcrawler and Mystique, and the deepest respect for the formative stories that surround them.”

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Lee + Li lead an ‘Army of One’ at Oni Press

The graphic novel will land in stores next March.

Writer Tony Lee and artist Yishan Li will team up for Army of One, a new graphic novel coming from Oni Press next year that spotlights one hero’s journey through the multiverse.

Announced at this year’s San Diego Comic Con, the story’s origins go back as far as the 2016 SDCC, when Lee pitched the idea to Li of a story about a girl who finds out that she came from the shard of a sorceress whose body was shattered into the pieces that formed the multiverse.

“When we pitched this, multiverse stories in comics were rare, but now they’re ten-a-penny,” said Lee. “But over the years, the story changed and grew as we progressed deeper into it; it became less about the worlds, and more about the loneliness of a character while surrounded by others, and how even one person can create a revolution. Finishing the third book in the series during a global pandemic really brought that home, and after four years wait since it was first announced, I can’t wait for people to finally see the journeys of Carrie and her fellow Shards, as they try to fulfill a prophecy given by an unreliable narrator!” 

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‘Outsiders’ get a ‘Planetary’-style makeover in a new series

Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly will helm the new series, which starts in November.

At a panel in San Diego today focused on all things Gotham, writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly revealed they’re working on a new Outsiders title, which will feature Batwoman and Luke Fox (aka Batwing).

But hey, if you get some Planetary vibes from the main cover — the old Wildstorm title by Warren Ellis and John Cassaday — you aren’t alone. Not only does the series feature a new version of The Drummer, but Luke Fox seems to be sporting an Elijah Snow-esque ensemble:

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Atomic cowboys ride again in ‘The Man From Maybe’ by Shaky Kane + Jordan Thomas

“… you’ll YEE-HAW! for sure when you pick this one up …”

Jordan Thomas and Shaky Kane are already shaking up the detective genre with their L.A. Confidential meets Futurama series Weird Work, and next they’re taking aim at a post-apocalyptic western in The Man From Maybe, which was announced today at the San Diego Comic Con by Oni Press.

“Saddle-up the Atomic Hoss, turn Grandma’s TV up to full retina burn, and head out across the wasteland,” said Kane. “There’s no maybe about it, you’ll YEE-HAW! for sure when you pick this one up. Some of the treats Jordan served up surprised even me, and I drew the dang thing!”

Each of the three issues of the miniseries will run 48 pages and will feature a “high potency dose of eye-searing, shoot-’em-up action on the high plains of our ruined planet.”

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King Arthur meets noir in ‘The Cold Ever After’

Jeremy Whitley and Megan Huang’s new graphic novel, which has been years in the making, will arrive from Titan Comics next year.

Jeremy Whitley and Megan Huang will combine Arthurian fantasy with a dose of detective noir in The Cold Ever After, a new graphic novel announced by Titan Comics this week at the San Diego Comic Con.

“Longer ago than I’d like to admit, I had this idea. I was stumped for a new idea for a story I wanted to tell, but I had all these genres I loved. So I thought, what if I combine a couple of very disparate genres and see what I can make out of that? One was ‘Arthurian Noir,'” Whitley, the co-creator of Princeless, said on Twitter. “Arthurian Noir really stuck with me, and I thought: the noir detective and the disgraced knight are really compatible ideas that I really like together, but also I’m really tired of Lancelot stories. I wanted a beautiful queen and a stalwart knight I had never seen so that’s how we ended up with Noelani. She was taken from her home by the church based on a holy test and trained to be the king’s Holy Champion for years. Shown no love or care, just training, until she was sent on a dangerous mission to retrieve the would-be queen.”

Huang said the idea predates her first published comics work. “This OGN was a pitch even before my first big comics work. So it’s amazing to finally talk about it,” the artist of Jia and the Nian Monster said on Twitter.

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Ahmed + Ferreyra return to ‘Spine-Tingling Spider-Man’ in October

The Marvel Unlimited series gets a print sequel just in time for Halloween.

Following a collection of the Marvel Unlimited series in September, Marvel will release a new four-issue Spine-Tingling Spider-Man miniseries starting in October.

The digital series by writer Saladin Ahmed and artist Juan Ferreyra put Peter Parker through the ringer, and it looks like it only gets worse for the wall-crawler as he ends up powerless in a haunted house.

“We’re putting Peter through a grueling horror movie grinder, and that resilient spirit of his will be tested like never before,” Ahmed said. “I tapped into some darkness writing this, but the real star here is Juan’s mind-blowing, visionary work—which is genuinely some of the best Spider-art I’ve ever seen.”

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Rafael Grampá is editing an anthology for Fantagraphics

‘Braba’ will collect 13 stories from 16 Brazilian comic creators.

Rafael Grampá, the artist of Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child and the creator of the upcoming DC Black Label series Batman: Gargoyle of Gotham, will co-edit an anthology of Brazilian creators for Fantagraphics and Brazilian publisher MINO.

Grampá will work with Brazilian comics editor Janaina de Luna on Braba, which will feature “13 short stories created by 16 pioneering Brazilian cartoonists captures the vibrant and daring nature of the Brazilian comics scene.”

“I discovered many artists I love through anthologies,” Grampá said. “I have always dreamed of working with Fantagraphics, and I’m happy to be able to share this opportunity with some of the most talented Brazilian comic artists today. I hope BRABA will impact more readers around the world with the vibrant and powerful comic scene happening in Brazil.”

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‘Giant Robot Hellboy’ is exactly what it sounds like

And that word would be ‘awesome,’ as Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo pit Hellboy against giant monsters.

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola and artist Duncan Fegredo will team with colorist Dave Stewart and letterer Clem Robins for what could end up being the most brilliant Hellboy story of all time — Giant Robot Hellboy.

The project was inspired by Mignola’s pencil drawings from Mike Mignola: The Quarantine Sketchbook — as well as his fellow artists Geof Darrow and Art Adams.

“Giant Robot Hellboy is my very obvious nod to all those Japanese giant monster movies—which I actually have no particular love for. What I DO love is listening to Geof Darrow and Art Adams TALK about those movies—so really, I guess this series was inspired by those guys,” Mignola said. “I had the idea for this one a long time ago but figured it was too silly to actually do—then the pandemic came along and I started to do all those sketches I would post online. I had never given a serious thought to what a giant robot Hellboy would look like but I knocked out a few sketches and I liked them—and so the thing started to seem like something that could actually be done.”

While Mignola did the initial sketches, he felt like the idea would work better with a different artist.

“But I knew I wasn’t the artist for it and I knew both Arthur and Geof were busy with other things, so the only other artist I thought of was Duncan,” he said. “I had no idea how Duncan would respond. Too silly? I didn’t know,  but I figured I’d pitch it to him and if he said no that would be an end to it. The rest is history.”

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DSTLRY’s first series will be ‘Gone’ by Jock

The new series begins in October.

DSTLRY, the fledgling comics company with a different ownership model and digital comics strategy, have announced their first planned series following the release of The Devil’s Cut — Gone by Batman: One Dark Knight‘s Jock.

Gone is described as “an action-packed sci-fi adventure featuring oversized, 48-page perfect bound issues,” which Jock will write, draw and color.

“Gone is a labor of love with which I have the rare opportunity to fine-tune every aspect of the story as both writer and artist,” Jock said. “I’m grateful to DSTLRY for their unwavering support and for providing a platform where creators can push the boundaries of their craft. I can’t wait to share this journey and the world of Gone with everyone this fall.”

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The Justice League will throw down with Godzilla and King Kong in a new miniseries

Brian Buccellato, Christian Duce and Luis Guerrero will bring together two worlds filled with big characters.

DC kicked off the first full day of the San Diego Comic Con with a king-sized announcement — a crossover featuring the Justice League, Godzilla and King Kong.

DC will work with Legendary Comics and Toho International on Justice League vs. Godzilla vs. Kong, the seven-issue miniseries, which will be written by Brian Buccellato, with art by Christian Duce and colorist Luis Guerrero.

“As a comics fan—there’s nothing more fun and exciting than exploring those amazing ‘What If’ situations that come up when fandoms cross streams,” said Jim Lee, DC president, publisher and CCO. “In this case, it’s a match-up of the world’s greatest super heroes in the Justice League who take on not only the King of the Monsters—Godzilla—but the mighty Kong himself! It’s a crossover no-holds-barred battle, decades in the making, and no bona fide comics fan will want to miss it!”

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She-Hulk is ‘Sensational’ again beginning in October

Rainbow Rowell and Andrés Genolet will reboot the adventures of Jennifer Walters with a new first issue.

Marvel will relaunch She-Hulk in October as Sensational She-Hulk. Rainbow Rowell and Andrés Genolet will continue to tell Jennifer Walters’ adventures in the new series.

Rowell said the title is, of course, an ode to the original Sensational She-Hulk title from the 1980s/1990s.

“That word makes me think of the original Sensational She-Hulk from artist/writer John Byrne,” Rowell told Marvel.com. “It’s a vibe, really: gorgeous art, gorgeous Jen, jokes, a feeling that anything can happen, and a focus on a Jen as a person, a woman. We were definitely inspired by that run in our previous issues, and we’re leaning in even more with the new book. I want it to feel really smooth and buoyant, an ongoing celebration of Jen as a character.”

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