Dark Horse to publish S. Craig Zahler’s ‘Organisms from an Ancient Cosmos’

The novelist, musician and director of ‘Bone Tomahawk’ writes and draws his second graphic novel.

Dark Horse has announced plans to publish a graphic novel by S. Craig Zahler, the director of the movies Bone Tomahawk and Dragged Across Concrete, as well as the creator of the graphic novel Forbidden Surgeries Of The Hideous Dr. Divinus.

He’s also a novelist and the drummer for the metal band Charnel Valley, and he’s working to bring one of his novels, Hug Chickenpenny: The Panegyric of an Anomalous Child, to the screen with the help of The Jim Henson Company. So he has a lot going on creatively, but he still found time to write and draw Organisms from an Ancient Cosmos, his new graphic novel.

“My first artistic interest was illustration, and after writing eight novels, recording nine albums, and directing three movies, it was a pleasure to draw once more. In this graphic novel, which is my second, I explore morally complex characters, intimate human drama, large-scale world building, and speculative science,” Zahler said. “I began working on the piece at the very beginning of lockdown and finished more than a year later when I received my first vaccine. Creating ‘Organisms from an Ancient Cosmos’ was an incredibly gratifying experience, and I’m thrilled to have it published by Dark Horse Comics, whose books I’ve read since the eighties.”

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Webtoon + DC announce three new webcomics

Vixen, Zatanna and the Red Hood will arrive on Webtoon later this year.

Following the success of Batman: Wayne Family Adventures, which launched last year, DC Comics and Webtoon have announced three new projects that will debut on the popular mobile comics platform.

The first, titled Vixen NYC, will debut in May, while two others — Red Hood: Outlaws and Zatanna & The Ripper, are expected to launch this summer.

“WEBTOON is home to a new generation of comics fans, and DC is home to some of the most iconic characters and franchises in comics,” said David Lee, Head of Content at WEBTOON U.S. “Our partnership with DC represents the future of the comic industry, combining legendary franchises with new technologies and global fandoms that cross borders. Fans can’t get enough of ‘Batman: Wayne Family Adventures,’ and we know they are going to love what we have in store for the 2022 slate.”

Here are a few more details and the creative teams for each of them:

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Nominees announced for the 2022 Hugo Awards

The winners will be announced in September.

The nominees have been announced for the 2022 Hugo Awards, which includes a “Best Graphic Story or Comic” category.

Image Comics and DC Comics each received two nominations, while BOOM! Studios and Del Ray each received one. Notably, the Del Ray nomination is for Lore Olympus, the popular Webtoon comic. True Believer: The Rise and Fall of Stan Lee by Abraham Riesman received a nomination in the “Best Related Work” category.

Presented annually since 1955, the Hugo Awards recognize the best science fiction in books, comics, movies, TV and more. The Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story has been awarded since 2009, with previous winners including volumes of Saga, Ms. Marvel, Girl Genius, Sandman: Overture, LaGuardia and Monstress, which is up for the award again this year.

Here are the nominees for the “Best Graphic Story or Comic” category:

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HBO Max’s ‘Young Justice’ jumps into a digital-first comic

Showrunner Greg Weisman and storyboard artist Christopher Jones present a ‘fully canon’ story.

Fans of HBO Max’s Young Justice cartoon will be happy to know that DC will continue the story from the latest season, Young Justice: Phantoms, in a new digital-first, “fully canon” comic.

Young Justice: Targets will be written by showrunner Greg Weisman, with art by storyboard artist Christopher Jones.

“It’s been terrific working with Christopher Jones again on another Young Justice comic, and I’m really excited for the fans to read Young Justice: Targets,” said Weisman. “It’s a fully canon six-issue mini-series, picking up right where Young Justice: Phantoms left off, with plenty of action, nearly our entire cast, and multiple new revelations.”

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2021 Joe Shuster Award winners announced

Jason Fabok, Kimiko Tobumatsu, Gillian Goerz and more received awards for their work from 2020.

The Joe Shuster Awards have announced the winners of their annual awards for 2021, which covers material released back in 2020. The awards recognize outstanding achievement in the creation of comic books, graphic novels and webcomics by Canadian creators.

In the post, they admit that “it took a lot longer than we would have liked” to put together the list of nominees and choose winners. Given everything that’s happened over the last couple years, I can’t find fault with anyone who has suffered delays like this. And it’s never too late to recognize good work.

The nominees and winners are:

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DC’s latest Round Robin tournament moves into round two

DC has revealed the creative teams for the eight possible titles still left in its second Round Robin tournament.

The votes are in, and DC has announced the eight titles that moved forward in its second Round Robin tournament, where the company asks fans to vote on its next title.

Votes were cast on Twitter, Instagram and through the DC Community message boards (where you can also vote in the second round). Here’s what moved on:

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‘Gender Queer’ tops the ALA’s ‘Most Challenged Books of 2021’ list

Half the books on 2021’s top 10 list were targeted for including LGBTQIA+ content.

In a year that saw the highest number of book challenges in libraries and schools since the ALA began compiling data on the topic, the graphic novel Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe topped the American Library Association’s list of most challenged books for 2021.

More than 700 book challenges — which are reported attempts by citizens and parents to have books removed from their public library or a school library — were recorded by the ALA, a record number since they began sharing data and making this list in 2000. This resulted in almost 1,600 individual book challenges or removals, as some challenges were against multiple titles.

“The 729 challenges tracked by ALA represent the highest number of attempted book bans since we began compiling these lists 20 years ago,” said ALA President Patricia “Patty” Wong. “We support individual parents’ choices concerning their child’s reading and believe that parents should not have those choices dictated by others. Young people need to have access to a variety of books from which they can learn about different perspectives. So, despite this organized effort to ban books, libraries remain ready to do what we always have: make knowledge and ideas available so people are free to choose what to read.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Devil’s Reign’ concludes, ‘Batman Beyond’ returns + more

New comics and graphic novels arrive this week from Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Al Ewing, Stefano Caselli, Stephen Mooney, Tri Vuong, Dan Panosian, Tyler Page and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital this week.

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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‘Crush & Lobo,’ ‘Cheer Up!’ win at the 2022 GLAAD Media Awards

GLAAD expands to two comics-related categories this year — comics and graphic novels — recognizing titles from DC Comics and Oni Press.

Crush & Lobo from DC Comics and Cheer Up! Love and Pompoms from Oni Press both took home awards in the 33rd annual GLAAD Media Awards, which recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ+ community and the issues that affect their lives.

This year GLAAD doubled their recognition of the comic industry by expanding to two categories — one for comics books and one for graphic novels.

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Russell + Allred send Superman on ‘an unforgettable journey through U.S. history’ in ‘Superman: Space Age’

The three-issue prestige series will offer ‘head-spinning iconography, top tier characters, twists, thrills, and chills,’ according to its artist.

Second Coming co-creator Mark Russell and Madman creator Mike Allred will team up for a unique look at the Man of Steel in Superman: Space Age. The three-issue prestige series kicks off in July.

“This is a dream project for me,” Russell said. “Not only because I get to work with a genius like Mike Allred, but because I’ve always found Superman such a philosophically fascinating character, one which forces us to ask how different would the world be if we chose to be our best selves?”

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DC’s battle of the comic pitches returns for another round

DC brings back the controversial Round Robin tournament for its second year.

DC has brought back their Round Robin tournament, where they ask fans to vote on which one of 16 pitches will be made into a miniseries. Last year’s winner, Robins by Tim Seeley and Baldemar Rivas, brought together all the heroes who had worn the “Robin” moniker for a miniseries.

Like last year, DC only revealed the title, a brief pitch and the logo for each pitch in this first round. It wasn’t until round two that we found out who the actual creative teams would be for each of them.

Here’s a look at the bracket:

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Peach Momoko’s ‘Demon Wars’ re-imagines Marvel’s ‘Civil War’

The sequel miniseries to ‘Demon Days’ will run for four issues.

Peach Momoko’s Demon Wars, the sequel to her five-part Demon Days saga, will debut in July.

Demon Days re-imagined the Marvel universe through the lens of traditional Japanese folklore, as it followed Mariko Yashida through an unfamiliar landscape filled with familiar characters. Demon Wars will continue Yashida’s journey, as she finds herself in the middle of a war reminiscent of Marvel’s 2006 event series Civil War.

“I am very happy to expand the series and get to show more of the love that I have for Japanese folklore and the way it inspires me with new stories told through my Momoko-verse lens,” Momoko said. “I am also very excited to redesign even more characters because I love character designing!”

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