Month: February 2024

Visit a town cast in eternal darkness in Lambert + Sharpe’s ‘The Night Mother’

Jeremy Lambert and Alexa Sharpe’s new graphic novel will arrive in October from Oni Press.

Oni Press will cozy up to The Night Mother, a new graphic novel by Jeremy Lambert, writer of Doom Patrol, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Goosebumps and more, and artist Alexa Sharpe, who has worked on Lumberjanes, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more. They’re joined by letterer Becca Carey for the dark fantasy.

The story is set in a seaside town cast into perpetual night when the sun disappears, where Madeline Tock lives in the local graveyard and talks to the dead — and prepares to battle the Night Mother for the soul of her town.

“The Night Mother is a supernatural snow globe world of the unknown where a frightened Madeline Tock must learn to trust herself in a place of warped expectations. A place where the dead can whisper and the woman from the moon gathers their souls in her lantern,” Lambert said. “We all have our own crucible when we are younger… a pressure cooker of fears, loves and discoveries… when we learn about who we are along with the many shadows that follow us. This is Maddy’s.”

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Michael Walsh will bring ‘Frankenstein’ to comics in August

Skybound announces a third miniseries featuring the classic Universal Monsters.

Skybound has announced a third miniseries in their Universal Monsters line-up, as Michael Walsh will write and draw a miniseries featuring Frankenstein.

Each of the four issues will tell the story behind one of the body parts used to create Frankenstein in the original film — which seems like the perfect approach from the creator and artist of The Silver Coin, an anthology series that follows a cursed coin into different horror stories.

“The story of Dr. Frankenstein and his poor, misunderstood monster is one of the most recognizable and influential horror tales ever told… It’s also one of my favorites,” Walsh said. “The original 1931 film from Universal Pictures is a continuing inspiration for my art and storytelling, so, as you can imagine, I was honored to be able to play in that sandbox. Trying to tell an original story while staying true to the canon of that film was an exciting yet daunting prospect. It’s been some of the most fun I’ve had making comic books, and I know that fans of Frankenstein and horror will have a blast experiencing these characters and iconic scenes like never before.” 

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‘Holler’ tells the story of the ‘unkempt, final generation of analog teenagers’

Dark Horse Comics will collect Jeremy Massie’s comic into one volume later this year.

Dark Horse Comics will collect Holler, Jeremy Massie’s ode to the grunge era of the 1990s, into one volume this fall.

Originally self-published via crowdfunding and It’s Alive, the collection will include all eight issues Massie produced and eventually posted on his website. The comic tells the story of Magnesium Mama, the grunge band formed by four friends in an Appalachian town in Virginia.

“I’ve gotten to a certain time in my life where I’ve gotten introspective, maybe even sentimental, about the time and place I grew up,” said Massie. “Even if the times and place weren’t the greatest, I was dwelling on that period a lot. I was so hung up on it I started making comics about my band-playing teenage years. They’re the type of comics I’ve always wanted to make.”

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Smash Pages Q&A | Sarah Byam on ‘Billi 99’

The writer of one of Tim Sale’s first comics projects talks about the new hardcover being crowdfunded by Clover Press.

Before Long Halloween, Superman for All Seasons or the various shades of Marvel miniseries like Hulk: Gray and Daredevil: Yellow came Billi 99, the first major comics work of Tim Sale.

The legendary artist teamed with writer Sarah Byam on the project, which was first published in black and white by Dark Horse back in 1991. The four-issue miniseries told the story of a teen vigilante, Billi Chadam, who took up her father’s sword to battle corporate greed and a corrupt government.

And now, more than 30 years later, Billi 99 is back. Clover Press is currently crowdfunding a hardcover collecting the almost 200-page story, with added color by José Villarrubia. The project has surpassed its goal by a landslide, and offers several editions and add ons in addition to the hardcover.

I spoke with Byam about the project, the addition of color, and what it means to see her and Sale’s vision for Billi 99 realized.

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Eisner Hall of Fame announces 19 inductees for 2024

The inductees will be honored at a ceremony at this year’s San Diego Comic Con.

Comic-Con International has announced 19 inductees for the Will Eisner Awards Hall of Fame this year, as chosen by their panel of judges. These 19 will automatically be inducted, while additional choices for the general vote will be announced in April.

With four more inductees typically chosen by voting professionals, that means we’re looking at a Hall of Fame class of 23 people. So it’s a good thing they have their own separate ceremony now, prior to the evening’s ceremony where the Eisner winners are announced.

Last year the Eisners announced the split in the ceremony, which was also the first year they began honoring a larger group of people. Typically the Eisner judges would pick 2-6 people to automatically induct, and then voters would choose four more. Last year that number jumped to 15 automatic inductees.

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It’s time to ‘Skate or Die’ with … Godzilla?

Louie Joyce brings the big green kaiju to Australia to battle Varan.

Move over, Night Thrasher — there’s a new skater in town! And he shreds to the name of … Godzilla!

OK, so when I first saw the art for this pass by while scrolling through social media, I thought it was fan art, combining Godzilla with the 1980s video game “Skate or Die!” It didn’t occur to me until a little while later that hey, this is a real comic that’s going to be published by IDW.

But, thank goodness, it is indeed real. IDW will publish Godzilla: Skate or Die by Australian artist and avid roller blader Louie Joyce, who has drawn comics like A Fistful of Pain and Past the Last Mountain. Joyce is writing and drawing the five-issue miniseries, which features Australian skaters fighting kaiju.

“I am so excited to share Godzilla: Skate or Die with the world,” Joyce said. “A story set right here in Australia, inspired by all the amazing DIY spots I’ve had the privilege of skating, as well as the incredible freedom and power that comes with having wheels under your feet! All against the backdrop of an epic Kaiju showdown. It’s gonna get gnarly!”

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Peter Bagge returns to ‘Hate’ this summer

Buddy and the gang return to comics in the four-issue miniseries ‘Hate Revisited.’

Hate creator Peter Bagge will return to the legendary series this summer for Hate Revisited, which catches up with Buddy and the gang in the present day.

While detailed the trials and tribulations of life in grunge-era Seattle, the new miniseries will add “a layer of emotional gravitas as Buddy and Lisa and co. are confronted with the consequences of some of their youthful indiscretions.” It’ll contain flashbacks to the 1980s and 1990s, showing the cast in both timeframes.

“While it was suggested to me that I revisit the old Hate cast, once I got started on it, I was more than happy with the results,” Bagge said. “This stuff writes itself! I’m also glad I decided to split it between the present day as well as flashbacks to the ’80s and ’90s. This was especially true with Stinky. I forgot what a loose cannon that character was!”

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You can pre-order Michel Fiffe’s DIY guide to creating comics

‘Creating Copra: Michel Fiffe’s Definitive DIY Guide to Making and Self-Publishing Comics’ will reveal the ‘Copra’ creator’s secrets.

If you’ve ever wondered how Copra creator Michel Fiffe produces and publishes his own comics, it’s time to find out –he’s offering a guide to making and publishing your own comics for pre-order on his website.

Creating Copra: Michel Fiffe’s Definitive DIY Guide to Making and Self-Publishing Comics is as the title describes, as detailed by one of the modern-day masters. Fiffe has self-published roughly 45 issues of Copra — minus a few that were published by Image — along with several spinoffs.

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Conan draws his ‘Savage Sword’ once again

Check out new comics and graphic novels by Kevin Sacco, Mark Doox, Jeremy Whitley, Megan Huang, Jeremy Holt and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. And yes, with DC’s announcement last week that they plan to return to a Wednesday release date for their comics every week, I am proactively changing the name of this feature back to its original moniker — even if the change won’t occur until July.

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.

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Aaron + Manna fire off ‘BRZRKR: A Faceful of Bullets’

The one-shot starring Keanu Reeves’ creation will arrive in stores this summer.

Jason Aaron has been busy since his exclusive contract with Marvel expired, writing pop culture icons like Superman, Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Uncle Scrooge. He’ll add another icon to that list, Keanu Reeves, with BRZRKR: A Faceful of Bullets.

BOOM! Studios announced the one-shot at the ComicsPRO meeting last week. Aaron will work with Reeves and artist Francesco Manna on the project, which will take the immortal title character to  the 1800s American West. It also serves as the first of several BRZRKR: Bloodlines specials BOOM! will release.

“Having new writers and artists explore B.’s history in these Bloodlines Specials is something that is so exciting to me,” said Reeves, the creator of BRZRKR. “Jason and Francesco teaming up for a brutal, tragic Western was a perfect match for BRZRKR and the types of stories we want to tell in this universe.”

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Josh Gad comes to comics for ‘The Writer’

The actor will team with co-writers Ben and Max Berkowitz and artist Ariel Olivetti on the miniseries, which launches at Dark Horse this summer.

Actor Josh Gad (Wolf Like Me, Frozen) will team with producers Ben and Max Berkowitz and artist Ariel Olivetti for The Writer, a four-issue miniseries that begins this summer.

The Writer “combines the fantastical elements of cultural folklore with the real-life challenges of the creative process, in a story that is unique, familiar and wholly original.” Letterer Frank Cvetkovic rounds out the creative team.

“Teaming up with the brilliant Berkowitz brothers on ‘The Writer‘ has been an absolute blast and an education” Gad said. “Here we are, diving headfirst into a universe where cultural folklore meets the high-octane adventures that defined our youth. It’s like all those Saturdays spent watching action flicks and dreaming up stories are finally paying off. What makes this project truly special, though, is the chance to celebrate personal stories. We’re talking about tales that not only entertain but resonate on a deeper level, reflecting a rich heritage and the kind of heroism that doesn’t always wear a cape. The Writer isn’t just a comic; it’s a milestone for nerds like us, proving heroes come in all shapes, sizes and backgrounds.”

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Rest in peace, Ramona Fradon

The Hall of Fame comics artist and co-creator of Metamorpho and Aqualad has passed away at 97.

Ramona Fradon, the longtime DC artist and co-creator of Metamorpho, passed away yesterday at the age of 97 — a little more than a month after officially retiring from drawing comics.

The news was announced by her art agent, Scott Kress of Catskill Comics, on Facebook.

“Ramona was 97 and had a long career in the comic book industry and was still drawing just a few days ago. She was a remarkable person in so many ways. I will miss all the great conversations and laughs we had. I am blessed that I was able to work with her on a professional level, but also able to call her my friend,” the post reads.

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