Author: JK Parkin

Bill Morrison named executive editor of MAD Magazine

The former creative director for Bongo will assume the role as MAD moves to the west coast; current Executive Editor John Ficarra will stay on until the end of the year through the transition.

Just the other day we were wondering about the future of MAD Magazine, and today we know: Bill Morrison has been named incoming executive editor of the long-running humor magazine. Per the press release from DC Comics, longtime and current Executive Editor John Ficarra, along with other key members of the MAD team, will continue to publish the magazine from MAD’s New York offices through the year’s end.

Morrison will report to Hank Kanalz, SVP, Editorial Strategy & Administration and begin to take on the day-to-day operations of the magazine, hire and direct a MAD editorial and creative team for both MAD magazine and MAD books, as well as manage the development and implementation of the annual publishing schedule.

“Joining up with the crew at MAD is thrilling, exciting and an incredible responsibility,” said Morrison. “I don’t know anyone who loves and respects MAD as much as I do. I’ll definitely have my work cut out for me, but I’m dedicated to upholding the high standards of absurd and irreverent humor that the public has come to expect from MAD. I’ve been asked if I will continue to include artist Al Jaffee in the magazine; as soon as I find out who he is, I’ll let everyone know.”

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Quoted: Kate Beaton on the end of ‘Octopus Pie’

As Meredith Gran’s award-winning webcomic ends, ‘Hark! A Vagrant’ creator Kate Beaton reflects on the comic’s run.

Meredith Gran’s long-running webcomic Octopus Pie came to an end earlier this month, and her fellow webcomic creator (and former roommate) Kate Beaton paid tribute to it on Tumblr:

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Bear-ing your heart: Oni announces new graphic novel from Ribon & Farris

Due next April, ‘My Boyfriend is a Bear’ features a woman who falls for a 500-pound American black bear.

Oni Press has announced a romantic comedy of a different breed — My Boyfriend is a Bear, by Pamela Ribon and Cat Farris. Fed up with the dating scene, Nora starts dating a 500-pound American black bear. Comedy ensues.

“The comics market right now has a lot of very dark, serious stories,” Farris said in a press release. “I’m really excited to help put a story out there that is silly and sweet. Something that hopefully makes people smile. It’s not every day you get to sell people a book about a girl dating a literal bear, and I hope folks are as charmed by this story as I have been while working on it.”

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Titan Comics, Bethesda announce three video game adaptations

Titan will create new ‘in-canon’ stories based on ‘The Evil Within 2,’ ‘Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus’ and ‘Dishonored 2.’

Bethesda Software announced several new projects at the big E3 video game show this past month, including The Evil Within 2, Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus and new downloadable content for Dishonored 2. And all three of those games will have comic book tie-ins, thanks to publisher Titan Comics. All three comics arrive in September.

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Kickstarter ‘Gold’ brings back 7 comic projects

‘Black,’ ‘Plume,’ ‘The Secret Loves of Geek Girls” and more get remixed as they return to the crowdfunding site for another go.

Kickstarter is giving new life to several of their past campaigns, including seven of them from the comics category.

“Kickstarter Gold” brings back projects by creators who were “specially selected for their creativity, ingenuity and past success on Kickstarter,” the site reads. “We’re spotlighting them because they do excellent work — and because creators who repeatedly use Kickstarter to support and sustain creative ventures are an integral part of our community’s ecosystem.”

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Peck, Haun team for post-apocalyptic fantasy series ‘The Realm’

New series from Image Comics launches in September.

Former “X-Men” writer Seth Peck is teaming with “The Beauty” artist Jeremy Haun on “The Realm,” a story about a post-apocalyptic Earth invaded by orcs, dragons and other Dungeons and Dragons monsters.

“Creator-owned comics are the only place you can tell stories like ‘The Realm’ exactly as you want them to be told,” Peck said in a statement. “You can have an F-14 take on a dragon in the skies over Chicago, or have a horde of orcs lay siege to the White House without worrying about special effects or budgets. At the same time, you can tell very intimate, emotional, and human stories and develop complicated, meaningful characters over the course of time. With ‘The Realm,’ Jeremy and I wanted to blend all the genres we enjoy, mix in plenty of action, and give readers something unique and exciting to look forward to each month.”

The duo will work with colorist Nick Filardi and letterer Thomas Mauer on the project, which launches in September.

“’The Realm’ is the book I’ve wanted to do my entire life,” said Haun. “It’s the perfect mash of everything I love to draw. Post-apocalyptic landscapes, dark magical citadels, machine gun-toting barbarians, unnamable horrors, DRAGONS—it doesn’t get more fun than this.”

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Samurai Jack returns to comics

Genndy Tartakovsky’s popular animated samurai returns in a new comic by Fabian Rangel Jr. and Warwick Johnson Cadwell.

Samurai Jack returns to comics this fall for a new series by Fabian Rangel Jr. and Warwick Johnson Cadwell, the team behind IDW’s recent “Helena Crash” series.

Titled “Quantum Jack,” the new series will send Jack to alternate realities with “his memories erased, but his spirit intact,” as he becomes the leader of a biker gang and more. It sounds kind of like “Quantum Leap,” only with Genndy Tartakovsky’s popular animated character doing the leaping.

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‘Rocket Girl’ returns in August

Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder’s time-traveling teen returns this summer.

Brandon Montclare and Amy Reeder’s Kickstarter-turned-Image Comics series “Rocket Girl” returns in August with issue #8.

“I don’t mean to sound alarmist, but everything we’ve done so far with ‘Rocket Girl’ has been leading up to these next few, completed issues,” said Reeder in a press release. “Major things are about to happen! And I for one wouldn’t want to hear the gossip second-hand at the water cooler.”

“Rocket Girl” debuted back in 2013, following a successful Kickstarter for the first issue. The book stars DaYoung Johansson, a teenaged cop from the future who goes back to 1986 to investigate “crimes against time.” The project followed the duo’s work on “Halloween Eve” and preceded their all-ages Marvel title, “Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur.”

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Negan’s origin story collected this October

“The Walking Dead” villain’s story from Image+ gets collected this fall.

The baddest bad guy from “The Walking Dead” started life on a different path, as Robert Kirkman and Charlie Adlard revealed in the pages of Image+ magazine. Now that story is being collected in “Here’s Negan!” this October, as Image Comics gives Lucille’s main man the hardcover treatment.

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Smash Pages Q&A: May + Copland on ‘Kill All Monsters’ Omnibus

Michael May and Jason Copland discuss the massive collection of their giant monster series coming from Dark Horse, the future of the series and more.

Michael May and Jason Copland have been working on Kill All Monsters! for more than a decade now, and come July they — and you — will see all their work on it collected into an omnibus from Dark Horse Comics.

And in the interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I’ve been blogging with Michael in some form or fashion for about a decade now myself. So I’ve watched from ringside as KAM progressed from a webcomic to a Kickstarter project to a story in Dark Horse Presents and now to this giant-sized collection. It’s a fun story about an Earth overrun with giant monsters and the humans trying to take it back. I’m glad I’ve gotten to watch it come to life, just as I’m happy to talk with the two of them about the project’s origins and what comes next for this world they’ve created.

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When monkeys fly: Image announces ‘Angelic’

Simon Spurrier and Caspar Wijngaard tell the story of teenage rebellion on a human-less Earth.

Simon Spurrier and Caspar Wijngaard are teaming up for a new “young adult” title called Angelic, which launches from Image Comics in September.

“Angelic’s about teenage flying monkeys having adventures in the far future, because that’s totally a genre now,” Spurrier said in a press release. “But in the best traditions of age-friendly fiction—think Pixar or Ghibli—there’s also a bunch of meaty themes beneath the fun: religion, parenthood, technology and responsibility, it’s all in the mix. Ultimately it’s a tale about the Earth—after us. And all rendered in the unmistakably vivid color and crackle of superstar-in-the-making Caspar Wijngaard.”

Featuring genetically modified winged monkeys, techno-dolphins and quantum alley cats, Angelic tells the story of Qora, a flying monkey who doesn’t want to lose her wings in a human-less future.

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Sean Galloway taking pre-orders for ‘Table Taffy’

New collection of comics available for $10.

Comic creator and animator Sean Galloway is working with Doug Wagner and Leonel Castellani on “Table Taffy Comic ‘Zine,” a self-published collection of several comics, games and more.

“‘TableTaffy Comic’Zine’ is a new line of books to showcase comics based on my creator owned projects,” he wrote on Instagram. “Issue #1 features Shadow Pirates oneshot #1 as well as comics for my Bastion’s 7, Gumshoes 4 Hire, Little Big Heads and introducing my new property, Mohnstur Watch! Games and activities are also included, so the whole family can enjoy!”

The book can be pre-ordered here for $10, with delivery expected in July. Check out some preview art below.

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