Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more info.
Patrick Horvath’s Beneath the Trees Where Nobody Sees will get a Halloween anthology one-shot in October, featuring stories by James Tynion IV, Tony Fleecs, Che Grayson, Dave Wachter and Jared Cullum, among others.
The anthology is set in the years after Samantha Strong, the cuddly bear/hardware store owner/brutal serial killer, left Woodbrook at the end of the second series, with the town’s citizens gathering around a campfire to swap stories about her legend.
“One of the best parts about them is having a variety of different creators having fun together,” Horvath said. “It’s an exciting change of pace to open this world up for other people to step into and add their voices.”
Beneath the Trees has sold over 400,000 copies for IDW and is the publisher’s biggest-selling original series.
The anthology comes out Oct. 7, with a cover by Horvath and variants by Fleecs, Peach Momoko and J. Gonzo.
Marvel launches a Venom-less Amazing Venom in Septemer
Marvel has announced Amazing Venom, a five-issue limited series from writer Jordan Morris and artist Luke Ross, that kicks off in September.
And contrary to what the title might say, it doesn’t actually feature the current (or any) incarnation of Venom. The series stars Fred Myers, the former Boomerang, who now goes by the alias Comeback, following the revelation earlier this year in Web of Venom #1 that he was the wearer of a striking new red-and-blue symbiote suit bonded with a symbiote named Passenger. Fred and Passenger will head to Klyntar, the symbiote homeworld, in the aftermath of the Queen in Black event.
“Boomerang has always been one of my favorite Marvel anti-heroes,” Morris said. “Readers are in for a wild slurry of action, comedy and maybe even a little character growth for everyone’s favorite boomerang-hurling scumbag.”
The main cover for the first issue is byStefano Caselli, with variants by Luke Ross, Erik Larsen and Matteo Lolli. The first issue comes out Sept. 16.
Finn and Jake get spooky in Adventure Time: Halloween Special #1
Oni Press will publish Adventure Time: Halloween Special #1, a 48-page one-shot from writer Jeremy Melloul and artist Adam Seats, in September
The story finds Finn and Jake transformed into dungeon monsters after accepting a quest without reading the fine print.
Covers are by Sean Dove, Agustin Morales, Violet Tobacco, and a 1:10 variant by Seats. It comes out Sept. 30.
BOOM! Studios Announces Hellraiser: Resurrections
Bloody Disgusting reports that BOOM! Studios will release Hellraiser: Resurrections, a series of five weekly one-shots, throughout September, each spotlighting a different corner of Clive Barker’s Hellraiser mythology. The event kicks off a broader publishing initiative that will include a new ongoing series and miniseries through 2027.
The five one-shots are: New Wounds by writer Mike Costa and artist Paco Camallonga, centered on an investigation into the Puzzle Box; The Onanistic Ritual by writer Zac Thompson and artist Gavin Mitchell, following the Chatterer’s bid to reclaim his place beside the Hell Priest; The Deep Gospel by writer Tini Howard and artist Jenna Cha, sending the Female Cenobite into the Nidus after she rejects the Engineer’s plans for her; Hell’s Council by writer Nero Villagallos O’Reilly and artist Francesca Ciregia, tracing Butterball’s rise following his fall in Hellbound: Hellraiser II; and The Return of the Priest by writer Sarah Gailey and artist Alessio Avallone, following Elliot Spencer as he reforges himself as the Hell Priest.
Santos Sisters Vol. 2 Collects the Eisner Award-Winning Series
Fantagraphics is releasing Santos Sisters Vol. 2 by creators Greg & Fake on Oct. 6, collecting more of the Eisner Award-winning series, which took home Best Continuing Series at last year’s awards. Published by Floating World Comics, the series follows superhero duo Ambar and Alana, imbued with the powers of the goddess Madame Sosostris, who battle a new wave of villains including Blue Agua, Billy Bitcoin and Sergeant Murder, alongside returning foes from the first volume. This is truly an excellent series.
Eric Powell Returns to Hillbilly With The Treason of Twelve-Toe Maggie
Dark Horse Comics will publish Hillbilly: The Treason of Twelve-Toe Maggie, a three-issue miniseries from Eric Powell. The series finds Rondel the wandering hillbilly bound to his former captor, the twelve-toed witch Twelve-Toe Maggie, in order to save an old friend.
Powell previously published a Hillbilly arc featuring the character at Albatross Funnybooks in 2020. The first issue features a main cover by Powell and a variant by Becky Cloonan. The first issue arrives Sept. 30.
Amanda Deibert and Carlo Lauro Reunite for TaleSpin at Dynamite
Dynamite Entertainment will bring Disney’s TaleSpin to comics this August in a new series by Amanda Deibert and Carlo Lauro. The creative team previously worked together on Dynamite’s Darkwing Duck adaptation.
The series follows Baloo, Kit and the team from Higher for Hire as they take on a job transporting a mysterious new passenger, only to be intercepted by air pirates led by Don Karnage. Lauro also colors his own art, with lettering by Jeff Eckleberry and a main cover by Cat Staggs.
Jordan Blum, Tim Seeley + Scott Koblish team for post-earthquake L.A. noir comic The Big Shakedown
Dark Horse Comics will kick off The Big Shakedown, a four-issue noir series from writers Jordan Blum and Tim Seeley and artist Scott Koblish, in September.
The series is set five years after a catastrophic earthquake has reduced Los Angeles to a no man’s land. It follows a former private investigator named Ester Blanco who takes a missing persons case that pulls her into a web of cults and corruption. Colorist Hi-Fi and letterer Nate Piekos round out the creative team.
“I’ve now lived in Los Angeles for most of my adult life and The Big Shakedown is a pulpy love/hate letter to a town that can simultaneously be heaven and hell on Earth,” said Blum. “LA noir has a long, rich history and we wanted to do a unique and original spin on the detective thriller, so we set it in the aftermath of every Angeleno’s greatest fear… THE BIG ONE. Who better to explore a filthy, post-earthquake underworld than my co-writer Tim Seeley? And who better to build a city of broken freeways, sinkhole mansions and studio backlot red light districts than artist Scott Koblish? Throw in the beautiful sunsets above the flooded Venice Beach canals colored by Hi-Fi, and the smashed neon letters of Nate Piekos littering Hollywood Blvd and you have yourself a down and dirty, action-packed, pot boiler of a mystery that could only take place in the City of Angels.”
The first issue arrives Sept. 16.
Tom King + Gabriel Walta Reunite for Hollywood Noir Six of Us
The creative team behind Marvel’s acclaimed Vision, writer Tom King, artist Gabriel Walta, colorist Jordie Bellaire and letterer Clayton Cowles, will reunite for Six of Us, a six-issue noir series from Dark Horse Comics.
The story follows the cast of a Friends-style hit TV show in the aftermath of one of their own’s death under mysterious circumstances, as secrets and rivalries surface. The first issue arrives Sept. 9.