Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.
Dark Horse has announced another miniseries tie-in to the Masters of the Universe Netflix show, which returns to the streaming platform on Jan. 25.
Masters of the Universe: Revolution is written by show producers Tim Sheridan, Rob David and Ted Biaselli, with illustrations by Daniel HDR, inking by Keith Champagne, coloring by Brad Simpson and lettering by AndWorld Design. The first issue features a variant cover by Tyler Boss:
Here are the details from Dark Horse: Journey to the earliest days of one of the universe’s most consequential and fraught team-ups. Hordak is an ambitious general, eager to make his mark; Skeletor is an aspiring mage hungry for power. Joining forces, melding ancient Eternian magic with advanced Horde technology, could bring them all their evil hearts’ desire…but they’ll have to survive each other first.
Dark Horse also revealed a special variant cover for the miniseries’ fourth issue by Tim Seeley and colored by Brad Simpson.
Look for the first issue of four on May 15.
True crime author Harold Schechter will team up again with The Goon creator Eric Powell for another true crime graphic novel — Dr. Werthless: The Man Who Studied Murder (And Nearly Killed the Comics Industry).
It’s about Dr. Frederic Wertham, the “witch-hunting zealot who stirred up panic among the parents of America for his own self-promoting purposes” and, as the title suggests, almost killed the comics industry with his targeted attacks.
“When Harold and I were discussing possible topics for another collaboration to follow Did You Hear What Eddie Gein Done?, the minute Harold said, ‘What about Fredric Wertham?’,I knew we had something,” said Powell. “The history of comics, civil rights and some of the most shocking murder cases in America. And a polarizing, complex individual at the center of it all. I think this book will be fascinating to anyone who is a fan of true crime, American history, psychology or comics.”
The graphic novel will be published by Dark Horse Comics on July 30.
When the Ghost Machine one-shot arrives in shops this week, it will include a look at Hornsby & Halo, a new comic by Peter J. Tomasi and Peter Snejbjerg:
In Hornsby & Halo, nothing less than peace between Heaven and Hell is at stake, as demon daughter Rose Hornsby and angel son Zach Halo are at the center of a cosmic family swap. It’s Nature versus Nurture, as the age-old battle of Good and Evil is as simple as who speaks louder: the angel on Rose’s shoulder, or the demon trying to crack Zach’s halo. Teenage hormones have never been more epic.
Tomasi and Snejbjerg previously worked together on The Light Brigade at DC. No word yet on when Hornsby & Halo will kick off.
Marvel will release Web of Spider-Man #1, a giant-sized one-shot, in March. The comic will serve as a preview of several upcoming Spider-Man related stories in 2024, including Amazing Spider-Man, Miles Morales and something new called Spider-Society by Alex Segura and Salvador Larocca. Look for Web of Spider-Man #1 in stores on March 27.
Dark Horse will release a sequel to Operation Sunshine, the story of a group of young vampires who want to be human again. Subtitled “Already Dead,” the new miniseries is by writers Marcus Parks and Henry Zebrowski, artist David Rubin, colorist KJ Diaz and letterer Ferran Delgado.
In Operation Sunshine: Already Dead, the group of young, alienated vampires heads down to the swamps of Florida to disrupt a nasty ancient vampire party and to put into motion “Operation Sunshine”–their plot to steal a magical object that can turn themselves back to human and put an end to the elder vampires once and for all.
The first issue of four arrives April 24.
Spider-Man 2099 co-creator Peter David will return to tell a new adventure starring Miguel O’Hara in Symbiote Spider-Man 2099, a five-issue miniseries drawn by Rogê Antônio. As you might guess from the title, O’Hara bonds with a symbiote in the miniseries:
Set your time circuits ahead to the techno-dystopian future of 2099! Miguel O’Hara, A.K.A. Spider-Man 2099, is facing a hostile takeover—of his own body! Kron Stone, the Venom of 2099, wages an all-out assault on Alchemax, and the only hope of stopping him lies with the power awakened by a top-secret project gone terribly wrong. What must Miguel sacrifice to seal the bond with his new symbiote—his body? His mind? His very soul?!
Look for the first issue on March 13, with a cover by Leinil Francis Yu and variants by Greg Land and Ken Lashley.
DC will celebrate April Fool’s Day with DC’s Ape-ril Special, an anthology that actually arrives in March (April Fool’s?) Featuring a cover by Dan Mora and variants by Hayden Sherman and Bernard Chang, it’ll feature stories about Gorilla Grodd, Monsieur Mallah and more, by John Layman, Joshua Hale Fialkov, Gene Yang, Karl Mostert, Phil Hester and more.
Archie Horror has announced a follow-up one-shot to Pop’s Chocklit Shoppe of Horrors, subtitled “Fresh Meat.” The anthology will feature new stories of food horror by Amy Chase, Federico Sabbatini, Jordan Morris, Liana Kangas, Ryan Cady, Chris Panda and more. Archie will serve it up on March 20 with a cover by Adam Gorham and a variant cover by Aaron Lea.
OK, on to the variant covers …
Spectacular Spider-Men #1, the upcoming Peter Parker/Miles Morales team-up title, will feature a foil cover by David Marquez.
And Spider-Punk #1, which comes out Feb. 28, will also have a foil variant — this one by Ian Bertram.
Batman/Superman: World’s Finest #25 is an oversized issue that will feature none other than William Shatner on a variant cover, as drawn by Dan Mora. Look for it in stores March 19.
Marvel has revealed five more variant covers from Greg and Tim Hildebrandt’s Marvel Masterpieces card line from the 1990s, which will appear on several Marvel titles this February. Also, today is the Hildebrandts’ birthday, so Happy Birthday!
Resurrection of Magneto #1 arrives in stores tomorrow, and one of the variants you’ll be able to choose from is this one by John Tyler Christopher.
When Kid Venom #1 by Taigami arrives in April, it’ll sport this variant cover by the manga creator.
Marvel has revealed four of the variant covers they have planned for Black History Month, which spotlight Luke Cage, Rocket Racer and more.
Not surpringly, given how taken people are with Skybound’s Energon Universe, but last week’s Cobra Commander #1 is going back for a second printing. The publisher has revealed three variant covers for the second printing, two by Jason Howard and one by Andrea Milana.
Speaking of hits, let’s end this edition with the third printing cover for Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees #1, the mega-popular comic by Patrick Horvath, who is very grateful for the word of mouth that’s helping make the book so popular.
“There’s no way any of this happens without person-to-person recommendations from readers and comic shops, and you all have my deepest gratitude,” said Horvath. “The support from IDW has been incredible and the response from readers continues to astonish me. To everyone picking this comic up, and to everyone spreading the word about it: thank you so much from the bottom of my heart.”
The third printing will arrive in stores Feb. 28.