Joe Hill to oversee pop-up imprint at DC

Hill House Comics brings new work from Mike Carey, Peter Gross, Kelley Jones and more.

Locke & Key co-creator Joe Hill is making a big return to comics with House Hill Comics, a pop-up imprint from DC. House Hill Comics will launch with five miniseries this fall, according to Entertainment Weekly.

“I’ve always been a comic book writer first,” Hill told EW. “When I started writing comics, I felt almost instantly that I had discovered my element. It was the version of writing I liked best. I felt, when I worked in comics, that my strengths were amplified, and the stuff I struggled with as a writer almost completely vanished. Working on Locke & Key was one of the most satisfying creative experiences of my life. But it’s tremendously exciting to get back into it: scripting again, working with artists, working with other writers. Working in comics is the closest you can get as a storyteller to feeling like what it must be like to be in the Rolling Stones.”

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‘Fairlady’ pays tribute to a classic 80s cartoon

Latest issue of the high-fantasy procedural features a fun homage to a Steve Gerber co-creation.

Fairlady, the Image Comics title by Brian Schirmer and Claudia Balboni, promised “a complete 30-page story” every issue when it debuted, and three issues in, it has not disappointed. Issue #3, which came out last week, delivered not only another enjoyable story, but also paid homage to a cartoon with a strong comic book pedigree from the 1980s.

Probably best described as a fantasy detective comic, the “Fairlady” in the title is Jenner Faulds, a specially licensed private investigator who also works security for a local wizard. The “done in one” story in issue #3 revolves around a barbarian who winds up dead on the first page, a barbarian who hired Jenner for a job. It of course gets more complicated from there, and that’s where the fun starts.

(Note: this post contains minor spoilers for issue #3 of Fairlady)

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Help pick AHOY’s next title in ‘Steel Cage’ throwdown

Buy the one-shot this week to get a taste of three potential titles, then crush the dreams of two hopefuls by picking your favorite.

AHOY Comics is ready to rumble, and they want you to help choose the winner of their Steel Cage comics competition.

This Wednesday, Steel Cage arrives in stores, featuring three stories by very un-jobberlike creative teams. But only one of these stories can go on to lose the Money in the Bank briefcase to Brock Lesnar, who wasn’t even in the match win their very own title. You can vote for your choice at https://comicsahoy.com/vote.

Steel Cage just might be the greatest moment of fan participation since fans called a 1-900 number and voted for a teenage sidekick to die,” AHOY Publisher Hart Seely said.

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Canadian creators unite for new ‘Alpha Flight’

A one-shot featuring three stories about the Canadian super team arrives in September.

Marvel is all about the one-shot specials in September, as they continue to celebrate their 80th birthday with special projects. You’ve got Chris Claremont and Bill Sienkiewicz doing New Mutants; Erik Larsen, Gerry Conway and Mark Bagley on Amazing Spider-Man; Roger Stern returning to Avengers; and, heck, you’ve even got Obnoxious the Clown in a Crazy one-shot.

But wait — there’s more! Also announced for September is a one-shot featuring a whole bunch of Canadian creators tackling Canada’s No. 1 team, Alpha Flight. Jim Zub, Scott Hepburn, Jed MacKay and more will contribute to Alpha Flight: True North.

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DC announces new YA/DC Kids projects at ALA

New titles for 2020 and 2021 announced at the American Library Association’s annual convention.

Although they may be dropping the DC Ink and DC Zoom (the latter is still a better name than DC Kids) brands, DC has announced a slew of new projects and updates for their young readers line at the American Library Association’s annual convention this weekend.

Of note in this latest list are several new Teen Titans Go! books; with the comic cancelled as of September, it’s good to see that the young reader-friendly material based on the show will continue. You’ve also got new material by Jeffrey Brown, Art Baltazar and Franco, Louise Simonson, Mariko Tamaki and Leila del Duca. And finally, John Constantine, of all characters, will finally make the leap into a YA title, courtesy of Ryan North and Derek Charm.

Check out the full list below.

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Of course Shannon Wheeler is working on a Mueller Report adaptation

“It’s the Mueller Report… with pictures… and funny.”

I’d be very disappointed if Shannon Wheeler, creator of Sh*t My President Says, wasn’t working on a comic book adaptation of the Mueller Report.

“It’s the Mueller Report… with pictures… and funny,” Wheeler said in the press release.

Wheeler will once again work with his Oil & Water collaborator Steve Duin to adapt the more than 400-page legal document assembled by Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III on his investigation into Russia’s interference with the 2016 U.S. election. IDW promises they’ll produce “a comprehensive, understandable and readable graphic novel version of the book every patriot needs.”

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DC rebrands its publishing; Vertigo to go away at end of the year

Black Label will survive as Vertigo, DC Ink and DC Zoom all get the axe.

Rumors of Vertigo’s demise have proven to be true, as DC Comics has announced a rebranding of its content into three age-specific labels: DC Kids, DC and DC Black Label. The Vertigo imprint will be “sunset” at the end of the year, along with the DC Zoom and DC Ink labels.

“We’re returning to a singular presentation of the DC brand that was present throughout most of our history until 1993 when we launched Vertigo to provide an outlet for edgier material,” said DC Publisher Dan DiDio in a press release. “That kind of material is now mainstream across all genres, so we thought it was the right time to bring greater clarity to the DC brand and reinforce our commitment to storytelling for all of our fans in every age group. This new system will replace the age ratings we currently use on our material.”

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‘Perry Bible Fellowship’ gets an ‘Almanack’ for its birthday

Nicholas Gurewitch’s strip gets a fancy collection in November.

The Perry Bible Fellowship turns 10 this year, and fans of the alt.newspaper-turned-webcomic strip are getting a gift, as Dark Horse puts together an “Almanack” of Nicholas Gurewitch‘s creation.

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Larsen, Conway, Bagley return to ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ for Marvel’s 80th

Dream team of Spider-Man creators brings decades of experience working on the character.

The guest list for Marvel’s 80th anniversary blowout continues to grow, as the publisher has announced Savage Dragon creator and Image Comics co-founder Erik Larsen will return to do an Amazing Spider-Man one-shot in September. He’ll be joined by two other creators known for their work in the character – Gerry Conway and Mark Bagley.

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Berger Books will bring you ‘Everything’ in September

Christopher Cantrell and INJ Culbard bring megastore mayhem to Michigan in a new ongoing series.

Karen Berger’s line of comics at Dark Horse will expand in September to include, well, Everything.

“I love Everything!” said Karen Berger. “It’s like if Twin Peaks and Stranger Things had a baby and Ray Bradbury was the godfather. It’s truly one of the strangest and most surreal series I’ve ever published, while being incredibly moving and relatable.”

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Zub + Medina assemble “Agents of Wakanda” this September

New team spins out of Jason Aaron’s ‘Avengers.’

In Avengers #12, Jason Aaron introduced a new team of “Secret Avengers” called the Agents of Wakanda, who carry out various missions for the Black Panther under the guidance of Okoye. Agents like the original Wasp, Ka-zar, Gorilla-Man and Fat Cobra carry out secret missions and gather intel to help the bigger Avengers team.

Now those secret missions are becoming unclassified, as writer Jim Zub and artist Lan Medina team for Black Panther and the Agents of Wakanda

“This book is Kirby-fueled Mission: Impossible,” Zub said in an email.We’re taking the kind of fun and frenetic action that movie-goers enjoyed so much in the Black Panther film and combining it with mysteries and mayhem in the Marvel Universe.”

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Stjepan Šejić explores Harley Quinn’s origin

‘Harleen’ is about good people ‘falling in love, falling from grace and falling apart.

DC Comics’ Black Label line continues to grow this September with the addition of Harleen, a new miniseries by Stjepan Šejić (Sunstone).

The miniseries will offer a different take on the origin of Harley Quinn, exploring her past as a psychologist and her first meeting with The Joker.

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