Author: JK Parkin

Oni Press launches Kickstarter for ‘Carbon-Based: The Art of Lewis LaRosa’

Check out some exclusive artwork that’ll appear in the oversized hardcover art book.

A new artbook from Oni Press will spotlight Lewis LaRosa’s 20+ year career in comics, as the publisher launches a Kickstarter for Carbon-Based: The Art of Lewis LaRosa.

The 250-page volume will feature LaRosa’s raw line art, along with rarely seen covers, character designs, concepts and more from his work for Marvel Comics, Valiant Entertainment, Epic Games, BOOM! Studios, Creative Beast Studio and more—including Bloodshot Reborn, Divinity, Harbinger, Punisher MAX, Savage, Shadowman, Uncanny X-Men, A Vicious Circle, X-O Manowar and more.

“It’s happening, guys! Thanks to the fine folks at Oni Press, a retrospective of my art spanning over 20 years is in the oven,” LaRosa said. “What an incredible honor. From my early days at Marvel launching Punisher MAX to my years helping relaunch the Valiant Universe, this will showcase some of my best work in one lovely tome. I’m making sure to include some rarely seen odds and ends, as well as insight into my old school analog process revealing how the sausage is made. Whether it’s the muscly figure work, sleek robots or prehistoric dinosaurs, hopefully these images will inspire you to pick up the pencil and DRAW!”

Here’s a look at the cover:

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The Toxic Avenger meets the Justice Warriors in ‘Toxie Team-Up’ #5

Check out Ben Clarkson’s cover for the big event.

Ahoy Comics’ Toxic Summer has put the spotlight on the Toxic Avenger, with multiple titles like Toxic Crusaders and the Toxic Avenger Pin-Up Special arriving to support the re-emergence of the cult classic character into the pop culture sphere.

One of the more interesting titles has been Toxie Team-Up, a take on the classic team-up title that has featured Troma’s best boy meeting characters from other Ahoy titles, like the Jersey Devil from Project: Cryptid, Dragonflyman and even Jesus Christ from Second Coming. And in October, Toxic Avenger writer Matt Bors will have the chance to team up again with artist Ben Clarkson as they bring together the Toxic Avenger with Swamp Cop and Schitt, the breakout stars of the Justice Warriors.

Justice Warriors, if you aren’t familiar, started as a miniseries about two cops in the fictional series of Bubble City. It was followed last year by the graphic novel Justice Warriors: Vote Harder. Swamp Cop is a take off on the Creature from the Black Lagoon, while Schitt is, well … a living poop emoji. The satire poked fun at capitalism, law enforcement and “free” elections in a future of severe inequality — and one populated by mutants. Which makes them the perfect companions for someone like the Toxic Avenger.

Check out Clarkson’s cover for Toxie Team-Up #5 below, which we are pleased to debut today: 

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Greg Rucka + Nicola Scott present the heist of the century

New comics arrive this week by Gilbert Hernandez, Gail Simone, David Marquez, Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden, Chris Claremont, Mike Carey and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics and graphic novels are arriving this week. I’m coming at you a little early this week, as I’ll be out for the next few days.

I’ve pulled out some of the 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 check with your retailer to see what’s arriving at their shop this week.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Greg Rucka + Nicola Scott present the heist of the century”

Marvel’s 2099 era faces the music in ‘The End 2099’

Heroes from different realities fight for their survival in the new miniseries by Steve Orlando and Ibraim Roberson.

As the 2099 era faces its end, a new era, Marvel 3099, makes its debut.

Steve Orlando and Ibraim Roberson will team up again for another 2099-themed miniseries, the ominous-sounding The End 2099, which Marvel bills as revealing the final fate of the 2099 universe. They also say it will feature the debut of a new era, 3099, with Spider-Man 3099 making an appearance.

Oh, and a Galactus fused with Knull, now called Abyssus, is aiming to bring the end of everything.

“Every time the door to 2099 opens, it’s not just an honor–it’s an adventure!” Orlando said. “This is the one for it all, folks. With all existing 2099 timelines united into the one, true, Universe-2099, the stakes are higher than ever when Abyssus, the Devourer in Black, comes to dinner! But not all is as it seems! Mephisto, 2099’s dark dealmaker, pivots from annihilation to a war of champions–with 2099’s greatest battling Abyssus’ finest, plucked from the multiverse!”

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‘Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga’ coming from Dav Pilkey + Motojiro next year

Scholastic will publish the manga in April.

Captain Underpants publisher Schoalstic has announced that the graphic novel series’ creator, Dav Pilkey, is working with manga artist Motojiro on Captain Underpants: The First Epic Manga.

Scholastic will release the book in April of next year, and said it will follow the story arc of the original Captain Underpants book. It’ll also read from left to right, versus in the traditional manga style of right to left.

“It is a huge honor to see Motojiro’s rendering of the Captain Underpants illustrations into manga,” Pilkey said. “His vibrant art inspired me to dig deeper, write new dialogue, and flesh out the story even further. Fans of the series will be thrilled about the new look and new content, and fans of manga will be impressed with Motojiro’s dynamic style. I am grateful to Motojiro for his help in taking Captain Underpants to a whole new level and exciting format that I hope will create a new generation of readers.”

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2000AD celebrates 45 years of Judge Death in October

Dave Taylor, Lauren Beukes, Leigh Gallagher, Alex de Campi and more will contribute stories about the four Dark Judges.

Judge Dredd’s most notorious foe will take the spotlight in October as 2000AD presents The Judge Death Mega-Special, which marks 45 years of stories featuring Judge Death.

Created by John Wagner and Brian Bolland, Judge Death leads the Dark Judges, and each story in the anthology will feature one of these four judges as they “wreck havoc across the universe.”

Sporting a cover by Judge Death’s Bolland, the special will include stories by Dave Taylor, Lauren Beukes, Leigh Gallagher, Alex de Campi, Tazio Bettin, Antony Johnston and more:

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‘Girlmode,’ ‘We Belong’ among the nominees for the 2025 Lambda Literary Awards

The annual awards recognize LGBTQ+ books, poetry, comics and more.

Lambda Literary has announced the nominees for the 34th annual Lambda Literary Awards, which celebrate “the very best in LGBTQ literature.” The awards include an “LGBTQ+ Comics” category.

The nominees were chosen by 80 judges who took part in “the review and deliberation on this year’s 1,339 submitted titles across six months.” The list of judges included literary critics, academics, librarians, students, poets, independent and traditionally published authors, and other avid readers “representing a bright and bold spectrum of LGBTQ+ lived experiences.”

Last year’s winner in the comics category was A Guest in the House by Emily Carroll. Other past winners include Lee Lai’s Stone Fruit, Spinning by Tillie Walden and O Human Star: Volume One by Blue Delliquanti.

Congratulations to this year’s nominees:

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Here comes ‘Speed Racer’

Plus: Goofy becomes Spider-Man, Godzilla takes on Boston, Doom takes on the G.O.D.S. and DC shows Cali some love!

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what comics and graphic novels are arriving this week. With July having five weeks, this Wednesday will be packed with one-shots and specials from the big two.

I’ve pulled out some of the 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 check with your retailer to see what’s arriving at their shop this week.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Here comes ‘Speed Racer’”

Picture + Panel | Mattie Lubchansky + Denali Sai Nalamalapu on resistance and resilience

We continue our interview series in advance of a live question-and-answer session between the two creators in Boston next week.

We continue our interview series on creators speaking at the monthly Picture + Panel event in Boston, which brings together two comic creators to talk about a specific topic — in this case, stories about resistance and resilience.

On Aug. 4, Mattie Lubchansky and Denali Sai Nalamalapu will discuss how their work captures “the spirit of defiance and perseverance in the face of overwhelming odds” in an event hosted by the Boston Comic Arts Foundation, Porter Square Books and the Boston Figurative Arts Center.

Denali Sai Nalamalapu is a climate organizer from Southern Maine and Southern India. Denali lives in Southwest Virginia. They have written for Truthout, Prism and Mergoat Magazine, and their climate activism has been covered in Shondaland, Vogue India, Self, The Independent and elsewhere. They studied English Literature at Bates College and completed a Fulbright grant in Malaysia. You can find them at @DenaliSai on Instagram.

Mattie Lubchansky is a cartoonist and illustrator. She is also an Ignatz winner, a Herblock Prize finalist, and the author of Boys Weekend and The Antifa Super-Soldier Cookbook. She lives in beautiful Queens, New York, with her spouse.

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SDCC | ‘Ultimate Endgame’ begins in December as ‘Ultimate Spider-Man’ ends

Details were shared at the San Diego Comic-Con this week.

Jonathan Hickman and Marco Checchetto’s final issue of Ultimate Spider-Man will arrive in December, just as the Maker returns in Ultimate Endgame.

Hickman attended the Marvel Comics: Ultimate Universe Panel at San Diego Comic-Con today, sharing that the story he and Checchetto have been telling was always meant to end with issue #24.

“This was everything that I pitched,” Hickman said. “Nothing has deviated. It’s been really nice to execute the plan well and everything culminates into this issue. Fans of the Ultimate Universe are going to love it. It’s been a real pleasure being the writer of Ultimate Spider-Man.”

It was almost two years ago that fans were introduced to the Ultimate Universe version of Spider-Man — an older Peter Parker married to Mary Jane and father to two kids who had never been Spider-Man. As the maker tried to supress the hero community, Tony Stark had found a way to bring them back, and one of the first heroes he contacted was Peter Parker.

And now that story will come to an end. Here’s a look at the final cover by Checchetto:

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SDCC Slugfest | ‘Knightfight,’ Bad Batch, ‘Marian Heretic’ + more

Plus: Terrorbytes! Youngblood! And a big sale from Fantagraphics!

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. With the San Diego Comic-Con upon us, we have news and announcements dropping left and right, so here’s an attempt to keep up with it all. Hit the links for more information.

From the DC All In Panel earlier this week came news of a tie-in title for the big DC K.O. event that DC announced last week — and it involves a whole lot of fighting and a whole lot of Robins.

According to reports from the panel, Knightfight by Joshua Williamson and Dan Mora “explores Batman’s worst nightmare: what if the Robins all became Batmen in twisted alternate futures?”

Yes, Dan Mora is adding another book to his schedule, and still killing it:

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SDCC | Marvel’s ‘Deadpool/Batman’ will feature a Frank Miller story

Al Ewing and Dike Ruan also join the line-up with a Rocket Raccoon/Green Lantern story.

It’s 1982, and Frank Miller is drawing Wolverine. It’s 1987, and Frank Miller is writing Batman. It’s 2025, and Frank Miller is writing and drawing Wolverine and Batman.

Marvel announced in San Diego this week that the recent Eisner winner is, indeed, writing and drawing a story for the upcoming Deadpool/Batman one-shot that will feature Wolverine — the Old Man Logan version — and the Batman as seen in Miller’s classic Batman: The Dark Knight Returns. He also drew a variant cover featuring both characters:

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