Author: JK Parkin

Humanoids will preview ‘The Incal Universe’ on Free Comic Book Day

Mark Russell, Yanick Paquette, Pete Woods and more will contribute new stories based on ‘The Incal.’

Humanoids’ Free Comic Book Day offering for 2022 will preview an ambitious new graphic novel line based on The Incal, the classic graphic novel by Alejandro Jodorowsky and Mœbius.

“Four decades after its publication, the world of The Incal remains a shock to the system and a transcendent work,” said Humanoids CEO Fabrice Giger. “This new Incal Universe project, to which Alejandro Jodorowsky has given his blessing, will open the door for a new generation of readers to discover all new adventures featuring John Difool, the Metabaron, Kill Wolfhead and the Incal.”

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Vault announces the comedy-fantasy series ‘Quests Aside’

Brian Schirmer and Elena Gogou tell the story of a retired adventurer and his tavern.

Pour a cold one and get ready for some stories, as Vault Comics has announced Quests Aside, a new fantasy-comedy series about the local tavern and the retired adventurer trying to keep it open.

The new series is written by Brian Schirmer, writer of the excellent fantasy comic Fairlady, and drawn by Greek comics artist Elena Gogou (Campfire Stories, My City). They’re joined by colorist Rebecca Nalty and designer Tim Daniel, who brings a creative consistency to everything Vault publishes.

“I’ve always loved stories about the thief who wants to take One Last Score, or the outlaw who needs to take One Last Ride,” said Schirmer. “Their eyes are frequently fixed on retiring thereafter. Usually, things don’t work out as they planned. We take this conceit to a fantasy realm, where a legendary adventurer has already actually succeeded in taking One Last Quest, opened a tavern, and got to retire. That’s where we begin.”

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Titan Comics will adapt David Bowie’s ‘The Man Who Fell to Earth’

Dan Watters and Dev Pramanik will adapt the classic science fiction story into a graphic novel.

Titan Comics has announced plans to adapt the 1976 British science fiction film The Man Who Fell to Earth into a graphic novel by writer Dan Watters and artist Dev Pramanik.

The film starred rock icon David Bowie as an alien searching for water to save his planet, and finds wealth and fame on Earth — a parable about the current climate crisis.

“The Man Who Fell to Earth is a masterpiece of a film with an awful lot to say; about men, about the Earth, and lots of things in between,” Watters said. “There are ideas in the film, about climate crises and corporate greed, that are more relevant now than they were when Nicolas Roeg set out to make it. And now here we are. I think it’s high time to look at the world through Thomas Newton’s mismatched eyes all over again. Perhaps he’ll see something we’ve been missing.”

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Ahoy Comics announces the time-travel dramedy ‘G.I.L.T.’

The new series begins in April.

Comics writer and novelist Alisa Kwitney and artist Mauricet will travel through time — not literally, but literary — in the new series G.I.L.T. from Ahoy Comics.

“G.I.L.T.” stands for “Guild of Independent Lady Temporalists,” and the comic features two women who travel back in time to the day they first met, in 1973. Ahoy describes it as “a snappy, stylish romantic dramedy.”

“G.I.L.T. follows two very different women whose lives become entangled when they both slip through a portal in time to the day they first met in 1973,” said Kwitney. “Trista is the Bill Murray of home health care aides, a cynical screw-up who doesn’t care for anything but her Fleuvog shoes and her paycheck. She meets her match in Hildy, a sarcastic second-wave feminist living on a steady diet of cigarettes and regret. When Hildy seizes her last chance to return to a fateful day in 1973, she accidentally takes Trista along for the ride. But as the old saying goes, there are no accidents in time travel. And Hildy and Trista don’t remember each other, but they met each other 40 years earlier—on Hildy’s wedding day. Now they’ve got to come to terms with the past before they accidentally dismantle the future.”

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Anne Leung DePies replaces Daniel Cherry as DC’s general manager

DePies will be responsible for the operations, revenue, legal, marketing, brand management, and strategic planning of the DC business, with a special focus on driving DC’s international and digital expansion.

DC has announced via press release that Anne Leung DePies has been named senior vice president and general manager, following the departure of Daniel Cherry III earlier this month. DePies will report to Pam Lifford, President, WarnerMedia Global Brands and Experiences.

“Anne’s deep knowledge and appreciation of the DC business, legacy and people will be invaluable in this new leadership role,” Lifford said “She understands our fans, characters and stories, and along with Jim, will passionately build our DC publishing business to even greater heights.”

DePies has been with DC since 2011 and was most recently SVP of global brands and franchises. Prior to DC, DePies worked on acquisitions across Warner Bros. theatrical, television and video games units.

“It is incredibly humbling to step into this role at a place I’ve been for a while now,” DePies said. “I feel like I partially grew up at DC, and I’ve seen how important we are to our fans. To get the chance to lead our company to do even more for them is a dream come true.”

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Preliminary ballot announced for the Bram Stoker Awards

The annual awards recognize “superior achievement” in horror/dark fiction.

The Horror Writers Association has announced the preliminary ballot for the 2021 Bram Stoker Awards. The annual awards for horror/dark fiction include a “Superior Achievement in a Graphic Novel” category.

BOOM! Studios is represented by four different graphic novels on the list, with TKO Studios, Vault Comics and DC represented by one apiece. Last year Nancy Holder, Chiara Di Francia and Amelia Woo won for their work on Mary Shelley Presents, which was published by Kymera Press.

The final ballot will be announced in late February, while the winners are typically announced in conjunction with the annual StokerCon, which is currently scheduled for May 12-15 in Denver.

The preliminary books listed in the graphic novel category are:

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Smash Pages Q&A | Ryan Claytor on ‘A Hunter’s Tale’

The minicomics creator and comics professor discusses adapting a poem by his grandfather into comics form.

It’s been at least 10 years since I first met Ryan Claytor on the floor of the Alternative Press Expo in San Francisco, where he was selling copies of his self-published minicomics. Claytor was living in San Diego at the time, working on his Master of Fine Arts degree.

Since then, Claytor has relocated to Michigan, where he’s now the coordinator of the Comic Art and Graphic Novel Minor and an assistant professor at Michigan State University where he teaches comics studio courses. But he’s still making comics, and his latest, A Hunter’s Tale, is currently up on Kickstarter.

Claytor’s previous work falls into the autobiographical and non-fiction arena, but this project is different — in A Hunter’s Tale, Claytor has adapted a poem written by his grandfather, Charles Kermit Claytor, into a comic. I spoke with Claytor about his approach to adapting his grandfather’s writing, how it helped connect him to his grandfather and more.

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‘Farmhand’ returns to fuel your organic produce nightmares

Image Comics announces that Rob Guillory’s creator-owned series will return later this spring.

About 19 months have passed since we last saw an issue of Rob Guillory‘s Farmhand, but a new crop of issues will sprout in April.

“A lot’s happened since the last issue of Farmhand, in the world of the Jenkins Farm and in our own,” Guillory said in a press release. “And I couldn’t be happier to finally bring to life what I believe will be the darkest, most intense chapter of this strange little story yet. Buckle up.”

Farmhand is about a farmer, Jedidiah Jenkins, who grows fast-healing, highly-customizable human organs. For years, Jed’s organic transplants have brought healing to many, but deep in the soil of the Jenkins Family Farm something sinister has taken root.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Saga’ continues

New comics arrive this week from Brian K. Vaughn, Fiona Staples, Tom King, Mark Waid, Dan Mora, Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto, Garth Ennis and more, including a special tribute to artist John Paul Leon.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital this week. An old favorite returns on Wednesday, while DC pays tribute to an artist who left us way too young.

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:

Also, 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.

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Nominees announced for the 33rd GLAAD Media Awards

Nominees include ‘Guardians of the Galaxy,’ ‘Wynd,’ ‘Superman: Son of Kal-El,’ ‘The Secret to Superhuman Strength’ and more.

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, have announced the nominees for their 33rd annual 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. DC led the pack with seven nominees across the two categories, followed by Marvel and Dark Horse with three each.

Doctor Aphra, the Marvel comic featuring the character from the Star Wars universe, won the comic book award two years ago and is nominated again this year. Last year Marvel’s Empyre event won the award. The graphic novel category is very competitive in its first year, featuring projects by Molly Ostertag, Alison Bechdel, Mariko Tamaki and more.

Here are the nominees in the two comics-focused categories:

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Report: Daniel Cherry III leaves DC

DC’s SVP and GM leaves after 16 months at the company.

Multiple outlets are reporting that Daniel Cherry III has left DC after serving as SVP and general manager for 16 months.

The reason for his exit, which was described as “quitting” by The Hollywood Reporter, was not given.

Cherry joined DC in September of 202o, where he was responsible for business affairs, editorial, talent services, marketing, sales, brand and direct to consumer for the company. While there, he oversaw several new initiatives, including the Batman/Fortnite crossover, a partnership with Webtoon, the launch of the Milestone Initiative and a second DC FanDome event. His hiring was followed very quickly by another round of layoffs at the company as part of a larger restructuring by parent company WarnerMedia.

Prior to his time at DC, Cherry served in several marketing roles at various companies, including Activision, the New Jersey Devils, Diageo and the New York Cosmos soccer team.

Image staff unionize in historic move for the comics industry

Employees vote to form Comic Book Workers United.

The staff members of Image Comics have voted to form a union, Comic Book Workers United, “making Image Comics the FIRST unionized comic book publisher in the United States,” their website reads.

Of the 12 Image staffers who submitted ballots, seven voted yes, two voted no and three ballots were not counted due to questions around eligibility. “Although these three ballots were not opened, their challenge had no impact on our supermajority win. CBWU and the CWA continue to push for their inclusion in the democratic process,” their statement reads.

The staffers had hoped Image Comics would voluntarily recognize the union, which did not happen, leading to the vote. The CBWU is represented by the Communications Workers of America, a union that represents employees in the communications and information industries, as well as those in airlines, public service, higher education, health care and more.

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