Month: July 2026

Comixology Originals announces ‘Zero Instance’ by Frank Barbiere, Stephen Rhodes + Vic Malhotra

The five-issue series blends video game development, artificial intelligence and sci-fi suspense, and arrives on Amazon July 14.

Writers Frank Barbiere and Stephen Rhodes are teaming up on Zero Instance, a new five-issue sci-fi thriller debuting July 14 from Comixology Originals. The series features artwork by Vic Malhotra on the first two issues and Eoin Marron on issues #3-5, with colors by Lauren Affe, letters by Taylor Esposito and design by Dylan Todd.

Zero Instance follows Rhys, a recent college grad whose routine raid in his favorite MMO takes an unexpected turn when the game’s final boss appears to break free from the digital world. As an experimental artificial intelligence called Braxir begins manipulating connected technology and human behavior in the real world, Rhys and his friends must confront a threat that no longer ends when the game’s over.

“Zero Instance was born out of a shared love of tense thrillers, MMOs and game development, and I’m so excited to be telling this story with fantastic collaborators,” Barbiere said.

Continue reading “Comixology Originals announces ‘Zero Instance’ by Frank Barbiere, Stephen Rhodes + Vic Malhotra”

Lara Croft makes a surprise appearance in ‘G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero’ this week before headlining a five-issue crossover

Skybound surprises readers with the first meeting of G.I. Joe and the Tomb Raider icon, with a full miniseries launching in October.

Skybound pulled another Wednesday surprise today, hiding an appearance by video game bad ass Lara Croft inside G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero #330. They also announced that a five-issue crossover miniseries, G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero/Tomb Raider, will follow in October from writer Kyle Higgins and artist Elena Casagrande.

The miniseries sends Lara Croft to Cobra Island in search of a hidden treasure called the Arbco Star, teaming her with Shipwreck and several other Joes as they race Destro and the Baroness for the prize. Higgins and Casagrande will be joined by colorist Alex Guimarães and letterer Pat Brosseau on the crossover.

“Tomb Raider meets G.I. Joe. Lost artifact, a Destro plot and a joint infiltration mission to Cobra Island– the appeal of a story like this should be obvious,” Higgins said. “Having never had the opportunity to work with either, I was quite excited when Alex Antone called to ask me if I’d like to build an adventure for both. We’re taking some really fun swings with both brands–and there are definitely some deep cuts for G.I. Joe fans!”

Continue reading “Lara Croft makes a surprise appearance in ‘G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero’ this week before headlining a five-issue crossover”

Quick Hits | Dark Horse announces a new leadership team

Plus: News on Ignition Press, Tillie Walden, Frank Miller, Jeff Lemire, Jeff Smith and more.

Following the removal of founder Mark Richardson as CEO back in March, Dark Horse Comics has announced a new leadership team for the publisher — apparently they’ll be lead by a “three-pillar leadership structure,” as revealed to Publisher’s Weekly. The three department heads are:

  • Tim Wiesch, Head of Publishing and Business Development,
  • Vanessa Todd-Holmes, Head of Publishing Operations, and
  • Melissa Teeman, Head of Finance and Administration.

Gaming executive Jay Komas, who previously served as head of Embracer’s Middle Earth Enterprises division, has been serving as interim CEO after Richardson’s departure, and it’s not clear if he’ll still be involved with Dark Horse. Wiesch was quoted in the press release, and seems to have the biggest piece of the pie, as his responsibilities include editorial, licensing, entertainment and games, product and direct-to-consumer operations. He is a well-respected veteran of the company whose experience also includes stints at Mondo and the Alamo Draft House Cinemas.

“I couldn’t be more excited about the future our team is building at Dark Horse right now,” Wiesch said. “I’ve been lucky enough to know a staggering amount of people here for 20 years and my entire world view on the industry was shaped with their influence. It’s truly an honor to be taking these next steps at the company that literally inspired me to work in comics to begin with.”

Continue reading “Quick Hits | Dark Horse announces a new leadership team”

Smash Pages Q&A | Jordan Mechner on ‘Liberty’

The creator of ‘Prince of Persia’ discusses his new graphic novel on the Revolutionary War, which is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter.

Jordan Mechner has built a career around storytelling. Best known as the creator of Prince of Persia and The Last Express, Mechner has turned his attention to graphic novels in recent years, bringing the same cinematic sensibilities to projects ranging from Monte Cristo and Templar to his award-winning memoir Replay.

His latest graphic novel, Liberty, is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter by Magnetic Press. It tells the true story of a clandestine French operation that helped supply the American Revolution with desperately needed weapons, following playwright Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais and American diplomat Silas Deane as they risk everything to support the fledgling United States from across the Atlantic. Illustrated by Étienne Le Roux, Loïc Chevallier and Elvire De Cock, Liberty shines a light on people whose contributions to history have largely been forgotten.

I spoke with Mechner about discovering the story behind Liberty, why he prefers history’s unsung heroes to its famous names, the challenge of balancing historical accuracy with compelling drama and more.

Continue reading “Smash Pages Q&A | Jordan Mechner on ‘Liberty’”

Nominees announced for the 2026 Harvey Awards

Winners will be announced at the New York Comic-Con in October.

The nominees for this year’s Harvey Awards have been announced; the annual awards named for MAD Magazine founding editor Harvey Kurtzman are presented every autumn at the New York Comic-Con.

The awards recognize graphic novels, manga, digital comics and “adaptations” across seven categories.

Congrats to this year’s nominees:

Continue reading “Nominees announced for the 2026 Harvey Awards”

Tradd Moore’s ‘Touch Me Someplace Nowhere’ launches next year from Oni Press

The cartoonist behind ‘Doctor Strange: Fall Sunrise’ and ‘Luther Strode’ will write, draw and color this NYC gangland epic.

Oni Press has announced Touch Me Someplace Nowhere, a new creator-owned series written, illustrated and colored entirely by Tradd Moore that’ll come out in 2027.

The series follows Kelly Muir, the prodigal child of a powerful New York City crime family, on a self-destructive, lovesick bender through drug-infused Brooklyn after dark. Set in an alternate New York City where street gangs compete for dominance and literal wild animals roam the streets, the comic follows a cascading cast of outsiders through violent and turbulent misadventures across a single night.

Continue reading “Tradd Moore’s ‘Touch Me Someplace Nowhere’ launches next year from Oni Press”

Jhonen Vasquez says he wasn’t consulted on new BOOM! Studios ‘Invader Zim’ comics

“You’d have to be special kind of oblivious to not understand why it still sucks to not have control over something you see as ‘yours.'”

A planned revival of Invader Zim as a comic series by BOOM! Studios has met with controversy, as the cartoon’s creator, Jhonen Vasquez, said on social media that he is not involved in the comic, nor was he consulted on it.

BOOM! revealed the new Invader Zim comic last week, with plans to bring back out-of-print collections alongside new stories later this year. The announcement promised “entirely new invasions, conspiracies, and catastrophically ridiculous adventures” featuring Zim, GIR, Dib and Gaz. The original Invader Zim animated series ran on Nickelodeon and is owned by Paramount.

“I have no involvement in any of the comics, nor was I told they were gonna be happening so I was never offered a chance to throw my voice into the mix in some way,” he said in a long statement posted to Threads and other platforms.

Continue reading “Jhonen Vasquez says he wasn’t consulted on new BOOM! Studios ‘Invader Zim’ comics”

Smash Pages Q&A | Katie Skelly on ‘Heaven’

The creator of ‘Nurse Nurse,’ ‘Maids and more talks about her newest graphic novel, the end of her “cool girls” era and what she’s planning next.

Katie Skelly has spent more than a decade creating stylish graphic novels centered on unforgettable women navigating worlds of horror, desire and mystery. From My Pretty Vampire and Operation Margarine to Nurse Nurse, Skelly has developed a visual style all her own, blending cute images with bold colors, emotional honesty and, at times, brutal violence.

Katie Skelly photo
Katie Skelly

Her latest graphic novel, Heaven, is her first in about six years, following 2020’s Maids. It arrives in stores today courtesy of Fantagraphics. The supernatural strip joint story follows Dolly, a young woman searching for purpose who is drawn to “Heaven,” a mysterious club on the outskirts of town.

Combining supernatural horror with themes of identity and belonging, Heaven also marks the end of an era for Skelly. As she recently revealed, it’s the final story she’ll tell featuring the “cool girl” protagonists who have defined much of her work over the past decade.

I spoke with Skelly about the origins of Heaven and why this graphic novel felt like the right place to close one creative chapter before beginning another.

Continue reading “Smash Pages Q&A | Katie Skelly on ‘Heaven’”

Nakama Press brings Man Tsang’s ‘The Zeros’ to English readers this September

The espionage graphic novel follows a retired assassin forced back into a deadly world of covert operations and unfinished business.

Nakama Press, the manga/manhua imprint of Mad Cave Studios, will publish an English-language edition of The Zeros by creator Man Tsang in September.

The action-espionage graphic novel follows Pak Ling, a former assassin for an organization known as Karma. He abandoned his violent past after a mission ended in tragedy, but as they say, “Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in!” His attempt at a quiet life is shattered when new threats force him back into a world of covert operations, dangerous alliances and old enemies.

Continue reading “Nakama Press brings Man Tsang’s ‘The Zeros’ to English readers this September”

Chainsaws in space: Daniel Warren Johnson will unleash ‘Chainkata’ on an undeserving world in November

Nine years in the making, the Eisner Award-winning creator of ‘Do a Powerbomb’ and ‘Transformers’ introduces a chainsaw-wielding warrior queen seeking peace in a violent universe.

There’s nothing like getting July started off right as we build toward the big San Diego Comic-Con later this month. Image Comics and Daniel Warren Johnson are coming out swinging with a new ongoing series, Chainkata, which the Do a Powerbomb creator will write and draw. The first issue comes out in November.

The series follows Luma, a chainsaw-wielding warrior queen searching for an unknown power in the vastness of space. All she wants is peace, but violence and terror seem to follow her through every black hole.

“Ever since my start in comics, I’ve wanted to make a science fiction book that truly felt different from everything already out there,” Johnson said. “It was 2017 when I drew the first sketch of Luma, Chainkata‘s main character. From that point, it took me NINE years to come up with a story that I felt was worthy of being on the stands, and Chainkata is the end result of that journey. I have pushed myself narratively and artistically further than I ever have before, and I believe it shows in the pages you’ll be reading this fall. Please join me for an epic like none other. The Chain awaits you.”

Continue reading “Chainsaws in space: Daniel Warren Johnson will unleash ‘Chainkata’ on an undeserving world in November”

Art Baltazar expands the Aw Yeah! Universe in ‘Meteor Mite: Up & At ‘Em!’

The cartoonist behind ‘Tiny Titans’ introduces a cosmic origin story years in the making, arriving from Papercutz this September.

The Aw Yeah! comics universe continues to grow — in this case, by a smidge — as Papercutz has announced Meteor Mite: Up & At ‘Em! The original graphic novel from Aw Yeah! co-founder Art Baltazar introduces Meteor Mite, a very small but very powerful addition to the Aw Yeah! Universe.

The story follows Mikey, an ordinary kid whose life changes when a mysterious enchanted crystal from space chooses him as its champion, making him the most powerful hero on Earth. The book follows Mikey as he figures out how to be a superhero while accidentally making enemies along the way.

Baltazar said he’s had this “all-powerful cosmic super hero” in his sketchbook for years. “Meteor Mite is inspired by all the superhero cartoons I watched as a kid,” he said. “Through the years, I wrote and drew bits of his story and created aliens and bad guys along the way. And now it’s finally all coming together!”

Continue reading “Art Baltazar expands the Aw Yeah! Universe in ‘Meteor Mite: Up & At ‘Em!’”

Judge Dredd + the Biker Mice From Mars collide in new crossover from Oni Press + Rebellion

The two-issue series by Dan Watters, Ryan O’Sullivan and Jordi Tarragona launches in December as part of a broader publishing and merchandise partnership.

Judge Dredd is about to meet his match in the form of the Biker Mice From Mars. Oni Press and Rebellion will bring together the two unlikely science fiction franchises for a two-issue series launching this December.

Announced in the lead-up to the San Diego Comic Con, Oni Press, Rebellion and Biker Mice From Mars owners The Nacelle Company have revealed Judge Dredd / Biker Mice From Mars #1, written by Dan Watters and Ryan O’Sullivan with artwork by Jordi Tarragona. The crossover also marks the beginning of a new partnership between Rebellion and Nacelle that will include action figures and other collectibles.

“Mutants and mayhem are two of the founding pillars of Judge Dredd’s world, so when Oni and Nacelle approached us about a crossover with the Biker Mice From Mars we knew this would be exactly our kind of Thrillpower,” said Ben Smith, head of publishing for Rebellion. “The Biker Mice From Mars are the perfect fit for Dredd’s radical, radioactive vision of the future, and this is going to be a revved-up, all-action spectacular for fans. To take this crossover off the page into a new toy range is next-level exciting – Rebellion and 2000 AD are delighted to bring this new partnership with our new partners Oni Press and Nacelle into fifth gear.”

Continue reading “Judge Dredd + the Biker Mice From Mars collide in new crossover from Oni Press + Rebellion”