Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.
DC has released a preview of the upcoming Titans: Beast World miniseries, which was announced this past summer. The crossover event will feature a main series by Tom Taylor, Ivan Reis and Danny Miki, with various tie-ins throughout.
The story centers on The Necrostar, a giant space starfish that rivals Starro and who the Titans, along with the rest of the DC Universe, team up to fight. Along the way, they somehow end up being turned into animal versions of themselves. Beast Boy, in fact, will show that it takes a giant starfish to stop a giant starfish, as he transforms into a version of Starro himself.
Here’s a preview, along with a look at the main cover, which is by Ivan Reis, Danny Miki and Brad Anderson:
And with that preview comes … lenticular covers! Each issue of the miniseries will include a cover featuring a DC hero turning into a beast:
And they have some variant covers of the non-lenticular variety, by Bruno Redondo (Beast Boy), Björn Barends (Nightwing) and Stanley “Artgerm” Lau (Donna Troy):
The first issue arrives in stores Nov. 28.
James Tynion IV and Michael Avon Oeming’s Substack digital comic series Blue Book will return to print next year for a second miniseries, Blue Book: 1947.
The non-fiction series about alien encounters will tell the story of Kenneth Arnold, who “flew his Call-Air A-2 over the skies of the Pacific Northwest when all of a sudden, he saw a blinding flash of silver light. What followed was a bizarre and difficult to explain encounter with several flying objects that would change the course of his life forever.”
The first issue will also include six variant covers by artists Michael Avon Oeming, Fábio Moon, Michael Allred, Cully Hamner, Joe Quinones and Christian Ward. Dark Horse will launch the miniseries on Feb. 7.
BOOM! Studios, through their KaBoom! imprint, will bring the Webtoon series Nomads to print in May of next year. Nomads: The Sky Kingdom, by Captain Juuter, will collect the first 23 episodes into one volume.
“Nothing’s more fun than a ragtag group of friends coming together to traverse a fantasy world. It’s been a dream telling their story so far, and an even bigger dream that it’s being adapted into a book,” said series creator Captain Juuter. “I hope my Nomads will be able to reach a greater audience and that you all enjoy journeying with them!”
Speaking of webcomics coming to print, Dark Horse has announced plans to collect Revel Guts’ Sparks, starting with Sparks Volume 1: Portals next July.
“Sparks has been my passion project for the past three years,” said Guts, “and I’m so excited to be teaming up with Dark Horse to see it in print! I hope everyone who loves epic fantasy plot lines and juicy queer romance will have as much fun reading it as I have creating it.”
Dark Horse has also announced Whodunnit?, a new mystery graphic novel by writer El Torres, artist Vicente Cifuentes and colorist Ulises Arreola.
“The patriarch of one of the wealthiest families in the country is found dead in the bedroom of his mansion,” the description reads. “Every member of the entire family is a suspect! As each of their secrets is revealed and dark pasts come to light, the chief inspector is determined to find the killer. And on the day of the murder, a maid looking to start a new life began her first day on the job, but she holds a secret of her own.”
The anthropomorphic graphic novel arrives in stores next year on July 17.
Last month at the New York Comic Con, Marvel announced that they will release another Women of Marvel anthology next February (just in time for Women’s History Month in March). It will feature a cover by Carmen Carnero, shown above, and stories by Gil Simone and more.
In December, DC plans to publish what they’re calling a “faux-simile” edition of Batman #428, the notorious issue where Jason Todd was killed be the Joker, thanks to a fan vote. This alternate edition will include an ending where Jason Todd survives, which were created just in case fandom voted the other way:
Thirty-Five years ago, “A Death in the Family” was one of the darkest hours in Batman’s crime-fighting career, made even more harrowing by letting fans decide Jason’s fate. Fans dialed into a 900 number to vote if Jason Todd should live or die. From a total of 10,614 votes, fans decided that Jason should succumb to his injuries by a narrow 72-vote margin of 5,343 votes to 5,271.
This “faux-simile” edition features original story and art from the from “A Death in the Family” storytelling team – writer Jim Starlin, artist Jim Aparo, colorist Adrienne Roy, inker Mike DeCarlo, and letterer John Costanza.
In conjunction with NYCC, Viz announced several new manga releases for next summer, including more Battle Royale, a Deadpool Samurai coloring book and a collection of stories from their Star Wars: Visions line.
Also at NYCC, LucasFilm announced several comic projects for early next year. Marvel will celebrate the 25th anniversary of The Phantom Menace with a Mace Windu miniseries and a Jango Fett miniseries. Marvel will also release a miniseries, Thrawn: Alliances, starring Admiral Thrawn, co-written by his creator Timothy Zahn.
Dark Horse, meanwhile, has announced a series of Hyperspace Stories graphic novels focused on specific characters from the Star Wars universe. The first one will feature Qui-Gon Jinn and is by George Mann, Andrea Mutti and Gigi Baldassini, and it arrives in April 2024.
Canto, the series of miniseries published in the past by IDW, has found a new home at Dark Horse. The publisher has announced plans to re-release Canto Volume 1: If I Only Had a Heart and Canto Volume 2: The Hollow Men, with new volumes by David M. Booher and Drew Zucker planned for the future.
“I fell in love with Canto the moment I saw Drew’s character design,” said Booher. “To see his story come to life in Dark Horse’s beautifully designed hardcover editions truly is a dream come true. We’ve said all along that Canto’s quest is meant for all ages, so with these editions coming to schools, libraries, and bookstores, now everyone can join his thrilling adventure. And I’m happy to say his story isn’t done yet!”
Variants!
Let’s end with a bunch of variant covers that have recently been revealed, starting with two covers featuring everyone’s favorite Star Wars rabbit, Jaxxon. Dark Horse sold these variant covers for Star Wars: Hyperspace Stories Annual–Jaxxon 2023 at the New York Comic Con and the Rose City Comic Con, and now they’ve made them available on their Dark Horse Direct webstore.
Here’s Joelle Jones’ variant:
And here’s one by Sergio Aragones:
Speaking of Star Wars, Marvel will celebrate “Life Day” this month with a series of variant covers by Rod Reis and Mike Del Mundo that’ll appear on their Star Wars titles:
In celebration of Native American Heritage Month, artist Roy Boney has created variant covers for Ghost Rider #20 and Sensational She-Hulk #2. Those issues will feature back-up stories starring Kushala, AKA the Spirit Rider, and Wyatt Wingfoot, both of whom appear on the respective variant cover:
Marvel’s Stormbreakers artists are back for another series of variants this month featuring “Marvel’s Greatest Icons“:
And in December, as part of the Ski Chalet Variant Cover line (I still chuckle at that) Marvel has announced two more covers for Amazing Spider-Man #40 and Spider-Woman #2. J Scott Campbell draws Mary Jane on the slopes, while David Nakayama has Jessica Drew armed with a snowball:
