Author: JK Parkin

Marvel returns to the original ‘Planet of the Apes’ era in January

‘Beware the Planet of the Apes’ by Marc Guggenheim and Álvaro López is set before the original film.

Marc Guggenheim and Álvaro López will return to the setting of the original Planet of the Apes films for a new series featuring Cornelius, Zira, Nova and more. The four-issue Beware the Planet of the Apes will launch in January and serve as a prequel to the films.

“I’ve been entertained and intrigued by Planet of the Apes ever since I got a Mego Doctor Zaius doll as a birthday present, and my local television station ran the original pentalogy every afternoon for a week in the summertime,” Guggenheim said. “In many ways, Apes is one of the OG franchises, filled with mystery, fascinating characters, and some truly off-the-wall surprises.”

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The Laphams + Hilary Jenkins create a ‘hellish new hardboiled heist’ series at BOOM! Studios

‘Underheist’ debuts in December.

Stray Bullets creators David and Maria Lapham, along with colorist Hilary Jenkins, will conjure up a supernatural crime story in Underheist, which is coming from BOOM! Studios on December.

“If you know our work then you know that we traditionally come at the crime genre from a very non-traditional angle with very non-traditional noir protagonists,” David Lapham said. “I often call them ‘domestic noirs.’ But with Underheist, we had this idea for a more straightforward story, centered around maybe the most traditional crime trope—the heist. Of course, we can’t do anything straightforward for more than five minutes, and very quickly all these twisted, nightmarish ideas started to flood in…”

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Slash + Vault Comics announce a ‘Deathstalker’ comic

Tim Seeley, Jim Terry and Steven Kostanski join the GNR guitarist on the project that resurrects the 1980s film franchise.

Guns’N’Roses Guitarist Slash and Vault Comics, through their rock’n’roll Headshell imprint, are teaming up to bring the 1980s fantasy film Deathstalker to comics.

“I’m excited to be kicking off a new era of Deathstalker,” Said Slash. “From Tim Seeley, artist Jim Terry, writer-director-creature FX-wizard Steven Kostanski, and myself, our Deathstalker is a re-imagining of that fine specimen of ’80s sword and sorcery. With fantasy, you get a little of everything: horror, magic, sex, thrills, blood, guts, swords and weirdness. You know—all those things you can’t look away from. And that’s what we’re bringing. So—please—if you share my love of all things wicked, check it out!”

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Betty turns venomous thanks to a new jacket in ‘World of Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest’ #29

Check out an exclusive preview of a new story coming in next week’s digest from Archie Comics.

Courtesy of Archie Comics, we’re delighted to present a preview of a new story from World of Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #29, which comes out Sept. 27.

In the story “Denim,” writer Rob Sinnott and artists Bill Galvan and Jim Amash present a cautionary tale about being careful when searching for vintage clothing — you might end up with a monstrous denim jacket that alters your personality. As Betty drops venomous insults on her friends, Veronica recruits the Mighty Crusaders to help end the verbal carnage and save Betty from the jacket. Glenn Whitmore and Jack Morelli are on board for colors and letters, respectively.

Check out the preview below, along with a classic Archie story featuring a fun superhero-themed costume party.

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Bendis + Maleev will deliver a ‘Masterpiece’ in December

The six-issue miniseries features a 16-year-old genius who learns her parents were master criminals.

Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev are reuniting on a new series from Bendis’ Jinxworld imprint at Dark Horse. Masterpiece will star the daughter of two famous criminals who gets pulled into the life when their last victim comes for revenge.

Bendis and Maleev have been working together for more than two decades now, from Sam & Twitch for Todd McFarlane to Moon Knight and Daredevil at Marvel to their creator-owned series Scarlet.

“Anytime we’re given an opportunity to work together, we take it very seriously to make sure it’s everything it should be. I don’t want to waste a moment of his time. A lot of thought goes into what we do,” Bendis told the Hollywood Reporter.

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Mat Groom + Kelly McMahon crowdfund a 1920s speakeasy-themed ‘Bad Blood’ card game

The campaign, which includes a comic by Groom and artist Nicoletta Baldari, launches on Kickstarter today.

When I spoke with Mat Groom a few weeks ago about the Kickstarter campaign for the second volume of Inferno Girl Red, he mentioned he was working with designer Kelly McMahon on a 1920s-themed murder mystery card game called Bad Blood. The crowdfunding campaign for the game is now live, and not only did Groom write the game, but he also wrote a tie-in comic for it.

The comic features artwork by Nicoletta Baldari and is available via one of the many tiers being offered to backers of the campaign. The comic provides some of the back story for the game, showing what life was like for Dee Dumas, the murder victim, and Joseph Field, the journalist who would wind up investigating her death (and who you play as in the card game), before the murder.

“For as long as I can remember, I’ve been enthralled by the mystery genre, be it film, television, literature or a good old fashion internet stalk, I love to be the detective!” said McMahon, a graphic designer and illustrator based in Los Angeles by way of Melbourne, Australia. “The romanticized glamor of the 1920s masquerades for the realities of the era. A ritzy elegant design, lavish lifestyles and devious underground happenings. There is a similar romance in moving your life to the otherside of the world, the dream sparkles but the reality is much less polished. All of this led to Bad Blood, my idea for a card game and murder mystery experience that harkens back to my love of the 1920s and my love for a good whodunnit.” 

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The original X-Men head back to the future in a new one-shot

Marvel announces a new one-shot by writer Christos Gage and artist Greg Land.

Marvel has announced that writer Christos Gage and artist Greg Land will bring the original X-Men — the black-and-yellow clad younger versions of Marvel Girl, Cyclops, Beast, Angel and Iceman — to the future for “a sacred mission across the Multiverse.”

You might remember that Marvel teased a new X-Men title called New X-Men during the San Diego Comic Con this year. Per Marvel.com, this special will “set up a brand-new X-Men series launching next year.” For fans of the Brian Michael Bendis run on All-New X-Men, in which the Beast brought these five into the present day, you’ll be happy to know the story will explore some of the themes introduced during that run.

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Preview: Take a look inside Joseph Kai’s debut graphic novel ‘Restless’

Check out a preview of the new graphic novel from Street Noise Books.

Courtesy of Street Noise Books, we’re pleased to share an eight-page preview of Restless, the debut graphic novel by Joseph Kai.

Although he’s currently living in Paris, Kai’s roots are in Beirut, where this story is set. The story draws from Kai’s own experiences as a young queer comic book artist in the city, weaving together “art, sex and political uprising.” It’s a sultry yet sensitive story that’s enhanced by kaleidoscopic artwork and an inviting color palette of soft pastels.

Restless is in stores now. Kai will kick off a book tour later this week in Canada before heading to the Northeast United States next week:

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Can’t Wait for Comics | A star-spangled week for comics

Check out new comics arriving this week by J. Michael Straczynski, Jesús Saiz, Tom King, Daniel Sampere, Joe Casey, Ryan Quackenbush, Ram V, Filipe Andrade, Victoria Ying and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. Two flag-wearing heroes get relaunches this week, as J. Michael Straczynski and Jesús Saiz take over Captain America, while Tom King and Daniel Sampere launch a new Wonder Woman series as part of Dawn of DC.

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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Bill Willingham says ‘Fables’ is now in the public domain; DC says ‘Nope’

Willingham severs ties with the publisher with extreme prejudice.

Citing ongoing problems in working with DC Comics, Fables writer Bill Willingham has said he is releasing Fables into the public domain.

The quick version:

  • On Sept. 14, Willingham sent out on a press release on his Substack saying that as of Sept. 15, “the comic book property called Fables, including all related Fables spin-offs and characters, is now in the public domain.”
  • Willingham followed the next day with another post where he interviewed himself about he move, citing problems he’s had with DC in recent years and saying “DC doesn’t seem to be capable of acting fairly and above-board.”
  • DC responded with their own statement, saying that they own Fables and that the company “reserves all rights and will take such action as DC deems necessary or appropriate to protect its intellectual property rights.”

So what’s this all about? Let’s break it down …

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Simonson and Brigman return to ‘Power Pack’ next year

‘Power Pack: Into the Storm’ will launch in January.

Louise Simonson and June Brigman, the creators of Marvel’s Power Pack, will return to the characters for a story set during their original run in Power Pack: Into the Storm.

The five-issue miniseries celebrates the team’s 40th anniversary and feature appearances by the Snarks, the Brood, Franklin Richards and the X-Men’s Storm.

“It’s funny how easy it is to slip back into Power Pack!” Simonson shared. “This story explores the looming question: Should Power Pack tell their parents about their powers? I loved hinting at Franklin’s nascent abilities, one blocked by his parents, but too powerful for even them to contain completely.”

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Deck the claws with boughs of Hellboy

Mike Mignola and Matt Smith present a holiday story featuring Hellboy and a giant cat.

I’d never heard of Jólakötturinn, the “ferocious Yule Cat of Icelandic folklore,” who is said to lurk about “the snowy countryside during Christmas time and eats people who have not received any new clothes to wear before Christmas Eve.” Let’s hope Hellboy remembered to buy a new outfit, because he’ll be facing off with the Yule Cat in a new special this December.

It’s by Barbarian Lord creator Matt Smith, with colors by Chris O’Halloran and letters by Clem Robins, and of course the oversight of Hellboy creator Mike Mignola (whose birthday was yesterday! Happy belated birthday, Mike Mignola!)

“The land of fire and ice, trolls and necropants, Iceland is as natural a setting for a Hellboy story as any I could think of,” Smith said. “Set in 1990 and coming close to the events of the Hellboy: Bones of Giants, Hellboy likely hasn’t forgotten about the wrath of old Norse giants. But a giant, child-eating cat—that would be something new.”

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