Hilary B. Price wins the 2023 Reuben Award

Jay Stephens, Evan Dahm, Sarah Andersen and more win NCS divisional awards.

Hilary B. Price, creator of Rhymes with Orange and the youngest woman to ever have a nationally syndicated comic strip, has won this year’s Reuben Award.

The National Cartoonists Society presented the award last weekend at their annual conference in San Diego. Price was one of six nominees for the award this year, in a field that also included Daniel Clowes, Darrin Bell, Dana Simpson, Mark Tatulli and Will Henry.

Price launched the comic strip in 1995, and it’s remained an award-winning staple of the comics page ever since, winning multiple divisional awards from the National Cartoonists Society. She’s also been nominated for the Reuben Award multiple times in the past.

Rhymes With Orange has been my expressive outlet from my mid-twenties through my mid-forties,” Price told us back in 2018. “There’s a lot of change in that time – from sleeping on a futon to having a box spring and mattress, from negotiating roommates to negotiating a mortgage, from weddings to divorces. I remember a relative noting that when the strip first started, it was a window into the life of a twenty-something, but as I aged, the topics hit a broader audience. For example, more people are in the settled down phase than in the just starting out phase, so gags about long term relationships hit a wider mark than the hook-up at parties gags.”

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Archer & Armstrong face a possessed nun, freemasons + more in this exclusive preview of ‘Assassin Nation’ #2

The miniseries by Fred Van Lente, Emiliano Urdinola and Exequiel F. Roel wraps up this Wednesday, just in time for ‘Road to Resurgence.’

The Road to Resurgence of the Valiant Universe continues next week in the wrap-up to the two-issue Archer & Armstrong miniseries by Fred Van Lente, Emiliano Urdinola and Exequiel F. Roel. And courtesy of Alien Books, the new home of the Valiant line, we have an exclusive look at issue #2.

Van Lente is of course no stranger to Archer & Armstrong, having written numerous issues of the series prior to its move to Alien Books. The “Assassin Nation” story is a sequel to his previous run, bringing in several familiar characters and also spotlighting a change in the dynamic between the pair — Archer has acquired Armstrong’s immortality, which throws them both off. It’s not great timing, as they’re also dealing with possessed nun out to murder them, the usual conspiracy theories and, according to the solicit text, “even a porn-sized penis.” (Which I should note does not appear in the preview, as it is SFW).

The comic arrives in stores next Wednesday, and you can check out the exclusive preview, along with the cover by Nico Di Mattia and its variant by Andres Ponce, below. It’s one of the final stops before Resurgence of the Valiant Universe kicks off later in September.

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Image Comics will release Emma Ríos’ ‘Anzuelo’ in November

The original graphic novel tells a dystopian story about how the rising Sea impacts three kids.

Emma Ríos, the Eisner-winning artist whose work includes Pretty Deadly, Doctor Strange, Osborn and more, returns in November with Anzuelo, an original graphic novel she’s written and drawn.

Image Comics describes the project as “gorgeous and brutal,” as it features a world where the capital-S Sea has risen up to absorb the world.

“No matter how carefully you plan a project like this, the work and the creator always transform and adapt due to learning and experimentation. I wanted to write the Sea under my skin, and I’m fortunate to have become someone else in the process,” Ríos said.

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Abrams ComicsArts will collect the story of Guard Dog from ‘Mutts’ next month

Check out a preview of Patrick McDonnell’s long-running story of a dog chained up in his yard who is ultimately abandoned by his owners.

One of the most endearing characters in the comic strip Mutts by Patrick McDonnell will take the spotlight in a new collection this September. Breaking the Chain: The Guard Dog Story tells the heartbreaking and uplifting story of Guard Dog, the dog that spent more than 20 years chained up in his yard before ultimately being freed.

Abrams ComicsArts will publish the collection of strips that detail how Guard Dog’s owners abandoned him as they moved away, and his subsequent rescue by his friends Mooch and Earl, and a little girl named Doozy who frequently visited him over the years.

“This wasn’t a villain; this was a tragic character,” McDonnell writes in his introduction to the book. “I thought of all the real dogs in this country and around the world who suffer the same unbearable fate. Maybe my dog could be their voice. He could represent the cruelty that animals endure at the hands of humans, and the cruelty we inflict upon ourselves by staying chained to our own unconscious ways of thinking.”

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Smash Pages Q&A | Iron Circus invites you to the ‘Perfect Crime Party’

Hear confessions from 13 contributors to the publisher’s latest crime-themed anthology, which is currently being crowdfunded through BackerKit.

Since 2007, C. Spike Trotman’s Iron Circus Comics has been crowdfunding and publishing themed anthologies, many under the guidance of editor Kel McDonald. McDonald’s latest project, Perfect Crime Party, featured a fun prompt for creators — What’s the perfect crime, and what do you think you could get away with?

The result is an anthology packed with talent, containing 25 stories and more than 300 pages. The stories run the gauntlet of genre and settings, from more traditional crime stories to tales of the supernatural to one set in Ancient Greece to one involving Santa Claus. Several of the creators involved agreed to answer a few questions about their stories, and maybe even incriminate themselves in the process.

I’ve included the complete list of contributors at the end, but for today’s rapid-fire round-robin, we have answers/confessions from Amy Chase, Bevan Thomas, Chuck Harp, David Brothers, Illuminated, John Konrad, Kit Mills, Mariah McCourt, Nick Mamatas, Reetta Linjama, Rodrigo Vargas, Tayson Martindale and Van Jensen. You can check out a few sample pages, as well as Jeff Smith’s cover.

So without further ado, let’s plan a crime.

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The Minor Threats universe continues to expand this year with ‘The Brood’

Heath Corson, I.N.J Culbard and Nate Piekos introduce the dysfunctional family of the world’s greatest villain.

Patton Oswalt, Jordan Blum and Scott Hepburn’s Minor Threats line-up will expand again in December with From the World of Minor Threats: The Brood.

The new series will be written by screenwriter Heath Corson, who worked on TV’s Animal Kingdom and He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. He’ll be joined by artist I.N.J Culbard (Tales from the Umbrella Academy: You Look Like DeathSalamandre), and letterer Nate Piekos. “The Brood” refers to the family of about Napoleon Archimedes, the world’s greatest supervillain, who is ready to pass the family business onto one of his three kids. It follows in the footsteps of the original Minor Threats miniseries and its sequel, as well as the spin-off series Barfly and The Alternates.

“The two major influences were Succession and then Wes Anderson’s Royal Tenenbaums, which you can very much see in Ian’s art and color palette,” said Corson. “The idea came when I was watching the film and thinking: What if this was the continuing story of Gene Hackman’s Lex Luthor? What if he married Ms. Teschmacher, had three children, and tried to raise them in the family business? So, Napleon’s brood was always his big idea: Have a dynasty. Eventually, you’ll outlive the heroes… AND WIN.”

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Tom King and Dan Parent help Archie make ‘The Decision’

See what new comics and graphic novels will arrive in stores this week, by Jonathan Hickman, Esad Ribić, Michael Walsh, Magdalene Visaggio, Eliot Rahal, Craig Cermak, Stephanie Phillips, Brian Azzarello, Danijel Zezelj, Rob Liefeld, Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, Ron Garney, Lawrence Lindell and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week Archie Comics has two big releases, as Tom King joins with Dan Parent to help Archie Andrews make a monumental decision, while their horror titles converge in The Cursed Library. We also have the Avengers facing off with Aliens, Rob Liefeld’s final Deadpool series, the debut of Skybound’s Frankenstein and a celebration of the 1990s and DC’s Zero Hour. It’s another big week for the final month of summer.

I’ve pulled out some of the other highlights for this week 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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BOOM! Studios will launch a new Power Rangers title this fall

‘Power Rangers Prime’ by Melissa Flores and Michael Yg will debut in November.

BOOM! Studios’ Mighty Morphin Power Rangers series ended in July, but it won’t be gone for long — Power Rangers Prime by Power Rangers TV producer Melissa Flores and Iron Fist artist Michael Yg will debut in November.

The new title is a reboot of the property, according to Flores, who wrote the end to the previous incarnation of the team. The new book will feature designs by Absolute Power artist Dan Mora.

“With Power Rangers Prime, we’re bringing the comics into a reimagined world,” Flores said. “Familiar characters and settings will pop up in unexpected ways, but this is an all-new adventure – a crazy journey I can’t wait to share with you that beats with the heart of what it means to be a Power Ranger.”

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Ghost Machine expands in November with ‘The Rocketfellers’ + ‘Hornsby & Halo’

Peter J. Tomasi writes two new titles for the fledgling imprint at Image Comics.

Ghost Machine, the publishing group set up by Geoff Johns and several other creators, has been on a roll over the last few months. They’ve introduced multiple titles across several different genres in different “universes” where their stories are set. In November, they’ll launch two new series, both written by Peter J. Tomasi and set in the “Family Odysseys” universe.

First up is The Rocketfellers, which will debut on Nov. 20. It’s about a family from the future who discover the fate of humanity is in their hands, which makes them targets — so they move to the past as part of the “Time Zone Protection Program.”

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Two pulp heroes hunt down their mentor’s killer in ‘The Green Hornet/Miss Fury’ miniseries

Alex Segura, Henry Barajas and Federico Sorressa bring the two heroes together at Dynamite Entertainment.

Two pulp heroes will meet for the first time in The Green Hornet / Miss Fury, an upcoming miniseries co-written by novelist Alex Segura and Gil Thorp writer Henry Barajas, and featuring artwork by Federico Sorressa.

In the story, Miss Fury and the Green Hornet discover they shared a mentor, the Silver Shrike. When he turns up dead, they’ll have to use their very different crime-fighting styles to solve the mystery of who killed him and why.

“I have a soft spot for two things – writing pulp heroes I grew up reading as a kid, and working with my friends,” Segura said. “So when Dynamite approached me to take this series on, I instantly knew who I wanted to pair with. Henry and I have been brainstorming Green Hornet ideas for a while now, and this felt like the perfect springboard to not only spotlight the iconic hero, but put him up against one of the true classic heroines of comics, Miss Fury. Fleshing out her backstory and watching these two icons play off each other has been a treat – these characters almost write themselves. Add in the detailed, cinematic art Federico brings to every page and the end result is sure to be a fun ride for longtime fans of Green Hornet and Miss Fury – or folks looking for a fun, Bronze Age-style romp.”

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Who is Wonder Teen X? The mystery begins in ‘Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest’ #327

Check out an exclusive preview of the story that brings a new super-heroine to Riverdale!

Courtesy of Archie Comics, we’re delighted to present a preview of a new story from Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #327, which comes out Aug. 28.

The story features Superteen and Powerteen, a.k.a. Betty & Veronica, as the team up with Wonder Teen X, a.k.a … well, that’s the question! The new heroine shows up to help the two heroes against the Brain Emperor and his cloud monsters, but they have no idea who is behind the mask. The new story is by writer Bill Golliher, artists Steven Butler and Jim Amash, colorist Glenn Whitmore and letterer Jack Morelli, and kicks off a storyline that’ll run through future digests.

You can check out the preview pages from the new story below, along with a classic story that’ll appear in the digest by Frank Doyle and Dan DeCarlo.

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The Battle of Jakku continues in November with ‘Republic Under Siege’

Alex Segura, Stefano Raffaele and Jethro Morales continue their post-‘Return of the Jedi’ tale in Marvel’s Star Wars comics.

Marvel announced last month that after their current Star Wars titles end, they plan to fast-forward the timeline, jumping past the events of Return of the Jedi and picking up with the Battle of Jakku, the final confrontation between an Empire struggling on without its two leaders and the New Republic, a.k.a. the evolved Rebel Alliance.

While it was originally announced as 12 issues, Marvel has offered some clarity on their plans. They’re doing three four-issue miniseries, each with the title Star Wars: Battle of Jakku, and a different subtitle. Star Wars does enjoy a good trilogy, right?

Star Wars: Battle of Jakku — Insurgency Rising by writer Alex Segura and artists Leonard Kirk, Stefano Raffaele and Jethro Morales will run through October, followed by Star Wars: Battle of Jakku — Republic Under Siege by Segura, Raffaele and Morales, which kicks off Nov. 20. Here’s the cover by Taurin Clarke:

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