Month: December 2024

Valiant Beyond: Alien Books will relaunch the Valiant universe in the wake of ‘Resurgence of the Valiant Universe’

New versions of Bloodshot, Shadowman and more will begin appearing in March.

For Alien Books, the “resurgence” of the Valiant properties is only the beginning.

The current Resurgence of the Valiant Universe event series, which ends in January, will pave the way for a rebooted Valiant universe, which they are calling “Valiant Beyond.” Alien Books plans for the new line to be
“new-reader friendly and ultra-accessible,” while featuring new versions of Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Shadowman and more.

“As we enter into the second year of our partnership with Valiant Comics and come out of the Resurgence crossover event, we wanted to take a big swing and try something new,” said Alien Books Director Matias Timarchi. “The success of the Absolute, Ultimate and Energon universes has shown that there is an appetite from both retailers and readers for accessible and high-quality storytelling. Our goal is to take inspiration from those lines while doing something that is distinctly our own.”

Continue reading “Valiant Beyond: Alien Books will relaunch the Valiant universe in the wake of ‘Resurgence of the Valiant Universe’”

Professor X goes on the run in ‘X-Manhunt’

The crossover event will take place in March’s X-Men titles.

Marvel has announced X-Manhunt, a crossover that will run through most of the X-Men related titles in March.

The story will revolve around Professor X’s escape from Graymalkin Prison, where he’s been since the “From the Ashes” line-wide reboot earlier this year. His escape and subsequent plea for help will cause strife amongst the many different groups of mutants, and the story will play out in issues of Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, NYX and more, before wrapping up in X-Manhunt Omega #1 at the end of March.

“We’ve mostly been keeping the various groups of X-characters separated from one another as we set up the post-Krakoa landscape,” Executive Editor Tom Brevoort said. “But it feels like now is the right time to send them crashing into one another. And who better to instigate this situation than the disgraced Professor X, who has intimate connections with almost all of our key players?” 

Check out the covers and issue descriptions below for the eight-part crossover, which also reveal the return of at least two mutants to the X-titles — Mister Sinister and Maggott.

Continue reading “Professor X goes on the run in ‘X-Manhunt’”

Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Ram V + Evan Cagle resurrect ‘New Gods’

See what’s arriving in comic shops this week by Benjamin Percy, Raffaele Ienco, Garth Ennis, Mike Perkins, Eric Haven, Jimmy Palmiotti and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. Things typically tend to slow down at this time of year, but this week brings several notable releases for your end-of-the-year reading pleasure.

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.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Ram V + Evan Cagle resurrect ‘New Gods’”

Cullen Bunn + A.C. Zamudio roll the dice on ‘Arcana Royale’

The supernatural thriller kicks off at Dark Horse Comics next year.

Cullen Bunn and A.C. Zamudio, who previously worked together on Shadow Roads at Oni Press, will team up for a new supernatural thriller at Dark Horse Comics. Arcana Royale is about Hudson Tremaine, a gambler who finds herself in a mystical poker tournament alongside magicians, demons and demigods.

“Arcana Royale has been in the works for a while now, and I’m excited for people to get to read it,” said Bunn. “This is a story about controlling your own fate (even if you have to cheat a little) in the face of overwhelming odds. There’s a little bit of Hudson Tremaine… or at least there should be… in each and everyone of us.”

Continue reading “Cullen Bunn + A.C. Zamudio roll the dice on ‘Arcana Royale’”

‘Bitter Root’ returns next year with ‘The Next Movement’

David F. Walker, Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene jump to the 1960s to show us a new generation of the Sangerye family.

David F. Walker, Chuck Brown and Sanford Greene’s award-winning Image Comics title Bitter Root will return next year with Bitter Root: The Next Movement.

Bitter Root tells the story of the Sangeryes, a dysfunctional, monster-hunting family battling supernatural forces during the 1920’s Harlem Renaissance. This new series will jump into the future, showing what the family is up to during the Civil Rights Movement.

The team originally announced a follow-up series set in the 1960s back in 2022. “I’m excited to return to what I believe is one of the most important books of our time,” Greene said in the press release.

Continue reading “‘Bitter Root’ returns next year with ‘The Next Movement’”

Tim Daniel, DB Andry + Alex Sanchez dive into ‘Crush Depth’ next March

The Mad Cave Studios series begins in March.

Morning Star co-creators Tim Daniel and David ‘DB’ Andry will explore the depths of horror in the post-apocalyptic undersea thriller Crush Depth, teaming with artist Alex Sanchez, colorist Kurt Michael Russell and letterer Justin Birch.

Mad Cave will publish the first issue of the horror/action series next March. The story follows the Chief Science Officer on a submarine that’s afraid to surface in a world devastated by climate change — but when something alien arrives on the sub, she may not have a choice.

“The DNA of Crush Depth is laced with inspiration from John Carpenter’s The Thing to Jeff Vandermeer’s Annihilation and several other touchstones such as The Abyss, Underwater and Neville Shute’s novel On The Beach,” said Tim Daniel. “It’s evocative of that time but ultimately will prove to be as cathartic as the moment when we collectively threw open our doors once again and ventured out of our homes to find the world had changed some and maybe we had too.”

Continue reading “Tim Daniel, DB Andry + Alex Sanchez dive into ‘Crush Depth’ next March”

Faith Erin Hicks digs up ‘The Mummy’ at Skybound next year

The Universal Monster will rise again in a four-issue miniseries about love and death.

Skybound’s Universal Monsters line will grow next March as they dust off The Mummy for a four-issue miniseries, written and drawn by Faith Erin Hicks.

Skybound has done a great job of matching creators to the Universal Monsters, from James Tynion IV and Martin Simmonds’ Dracula to Michael Walsh’s creative approach to Frankenstein. Hicks, who has worked on everything from Dark Horse’s Avatar: The Last Airbender series to her own The Nameless City Trilogy, has an eye for character-driven stories about ancient civilizations.

“What I enjoy the most about The Mummy is the romance underlying all the horror,” Hicks said. “A mortal man defies ancient gods to bring his dead lover back to life and pays the ultimate price, transformed thousands of years later into a walking specter of death. The Mummy is intrinsically a tragic figure driven by his own pain and loss, his understandable human emotions twisted into acts.”

Continue reading “Faith Erin Hicks digs up ‘The Mummy’ at Skybound next year”

John Allison + Max Sarin enter the ‘vindictive world of quilting’ in ‘The Great British Bump-Off’ sequel

‘Kill or Be Quilt’ begins next April.

John Allison and Max Sarin will team up again for a sequel to The Great British Bump-Off next year, shifting from competitive baking to quilting. The Great British Bump-Off: Kill or Be Quilt is a “cozy mystery” that’ll launch next April from Dark Horse Comics.

“I wouldn’t say that I went into the heart of darkness to research this story,” said Allison, “but I certainly went into several quilting shops. I believe this is the first direct market comic book ever to try to blow the lid clean off the hitherto secretive world of daggers-drawn patchwork. I would like to thank my collaborators on KOBK… mostly for their bravery.”

Continue reading “John Allison + Max Sarin enter the ‘vindictive world of quilting’ in ‘The Great British Bump-Off’ sequel”

Godzilla returns to the Marvel universe next year in a series of one-shots

‘Marvel vs. Godzilla’ sees the kaiju facing off with the Fantastic Four, Avengers and more for the first time in decades.

Following a series of reprints of the 1970s series and a line of variant covers, Marvel and Toho International have announced Godzilla vs. Marvel, a series of one-shots arriving next year.

Each issue will feature the king of monsters and other kaiju facing off with the Avengers, X-Men and, right out of the gate, the Fantastic Four. Godzilla vs. Fantastic Four #1 by current FF writer Ryan North and artist John Romita Jr. will pit the Fantastic Four against Galactus and his newest herald, King Ghidorah. Godzilla and the Silver Surfer will team up to try and save the world.

“We approached them initially for our reprints, but a while after those conversations, it was clear that both of our teams were excited to do more together,” Marvel Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski told The Hollywood Reporter. “These crossovers started coming together over that time, in direct collaboration with Toho, and we felt the perfect time for them was for Godzilla’s 70th anniversary next year. We’ve been thrilled to work with them on these, and we hope this will be a sign for more exciting projects to come.”

Continue reading “Godzilla returns to the Marvel universe next year in a series of one-shots”

After losing his job, Doctor Strange looks for a new opportunity … in Asgard

Derek Landy and Carlos Magno will end Doctor Strange’s forced retirement and send him to an unexpected location next March.

If you’ve been wondering what Doctor Strange’s “future endeavors” might include, wonder no more — the former sorcerer supreme of Earth is headed to Asgard to see if they have any openings. Hopefully Thor can give him a good recommendation.

The series starts in March as part of the bigger One World Under Doom storyline, and its by writer Derek Landy and artist Carlos Magno.

“It’s been a daunting prospect, taking the reins of Doctor Strange and leading him into a new era,” Landy said. “To follow on from the last few years of stories, which have seen huge creative leaps from astonishing creative teams, would have been a terrifying prospect were it not for Editor Alanna Smith’s primary instruction: move him to Asgard.”

Continue reading “After losing his job, Doctor Strange looks for a new opportunity … in Asgard”

Doctor Doom recruits South Korea’s Tiger Division to enforce his new world order

Yoon Ha Lee + Minkyu Jung bring the South Korean heroes into the One World Under Doom event.

Doctor Doom’s influence as the new sorcerer supreme will take an international flavor in Doom’s Division, a five-issue miniseries featuring the South Korean team Tiger Division. It ties in to the bigger One World Under Doom crossover event that kicks off in February.

Writer Yoon Ha Lee and artist Minkyu Jung will give the heroes a new mandate in the series, which comes at an interesting time in South Korea’s history. In other news, I hear Doom might be named Time’s “Man of the Year.”

“South Korea has a painful history, but we always overcome them, and this time, Marvel’s South Korean super hero team is facing tough times,” Jung said. “I can’t wait to see how they are going to show that spirit during One World Under Doom and I’m grateful to be a part of this event.”

Continue reading “Doctor Doom recruits South Korea’s Tiger Division to enforce his new world order”

Jack Boniface faces a creature with a hearty appetite in this preview of ‘Shadowman: Soul Eaters’ #3

AJ Ampadu and Sergio Monjes send Shadowman to the Soulside in this tie-in to ‘Resurgence of the Valiant Universe.’

When Jack Boniface travels to the Soulside to convince Master Darque’s sister to help stop her brother, he finds he doesn’t have a leg to stand on — quite literally. Courtesy of Alien Books, we’re pleased to present a preview of Shadowman: Soul Eaters #3, which arrives in stores next week.

The issue ties into Resurgence of the Valiant Universe, the event series that is reigniting the Valiant line-up. Writer AJ Ampadu and artist Sergio Monjes have sent Shadowman to find Sandria Darque, Matser Darque’s twin, not only to help against her brother but also with a more personal mission — to save his friend Alyssa from a curse. As you’ll see in the preview, Boniface has some other challenges to overcome before he can find Sandria.

You can check out the preview below, along with the issue’s covers by Leo Lujan and Andres Ponce, below.

Continue reading “Jack Boniface faces a creature with a hearty appetite in this preview of ‘Shadowman: Soul Eaters’ #3”