Author: JK Parkin

Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Introducing ‘Helen of Wyndhorn’

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Tom King, Bilquis Evely, Rick Remender, Bengal, Nicole Maines, Eddy Barrows, Blue Delliquanti, Scott Kurtz, Ngozi Ukazu and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital.

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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‘My Adventures with Superman’ flies from the TV screen to comics this summer

Josie Campbell and Pablo M. Collar bring the hit Adult Swim series to the printed page in June.

Adult Swim’s wonderful My Adventures with Superman animated series is coming to comics, thanks to the show’s producer Josie Campbell and artist Pablo M. Collar. The miniseries will serve as a bridge between the first and second seasons.

“Being the producer of My Adventures with Superman and bringing Clark Kent to TV screens around the world has been nothing but a dream come true for me,” said Campbell. “So I’m absolutely thrilled that Pablo and I get to bring fans even more adventures with Superman, this time in comic book form!”

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It’s mutant vs. mutant this summer as Apocalypse looks for an heir

‘X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse’ by Steve Foxe and Netho Diaz begins in June.

Apocalypse, one of the pillars of those early Krakoa issues, will gather 12 mutants together for a tournament this summer to determine who gets to take his spot as he moves on to his new duties on Arakko.

X-Men: Heir of Apocalypse by writer Steve Foxe and artist Netho Diaz will see Armageddon Girl, Cable, Cypher, Emma Frost, Exodus, Forge, Gorgon, Mirage, Mr. Sinister, Penance, Rictor and Laura Kinney face off for the fate of mutantkind.

“The shadow of Apocalypse has loomed large over not just the Krakoan Era, but a substantial percentage of mutant-focused storytelling since his debut in 1986,” Foxe said. “These past few years have shown so many new facets of En Sabah Nur, and my Krakoan peers aren’t done with him quite yet. So it’s both an immense honor and a ton of pressure to step up to the slab for Heir of Apocalypse, which charts a new path for his legacy in the years to come.”

The four-issue, bi-weekly miniseries will run through June and July. Here’s a look at all four covers by Dotun Akande:

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Tamaki + Rodriguez will ‘Bring Down the House’ in a new Zatanna miniseries

The Black Label miniseries takes the stage in June.

Mariko Tamaki and Javier Rodríguez will work their respective kinds of magic on a new DC Black Label miniseries featuring Zatanna.

The June-debuting Zatanna: Bring Down the House sets the mystical hero in Vegas, where she performs at crappy casinos off the strip. She’ll have to face both her tragic past and a murderous demon when an interdimensional vortex opens up during one of her performances.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to be working with this team, and having the opportunity to tell a story that spotlights Zatanna,” said Tamaki. “We’re very excited for people to see this weird little story we’ve whipped up for their reading pleasure.”   

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Sunday Comics | Joe Sacco’s ‘The War on Gaza’

Check out recent online comics by Joe Latham, Jordan Bolton, Tonci Zonjic and more.

Here’s a round up of some of the best and most interesting comics we’ve seen online recently. If we missed something, let us know in the comments below.

One of cartoonist Joe Sacco’s earliest works was Palestine, a nonfiction graphic novel about the two months he spent in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip in the early 1990s. During that time, he interviewed hundreds of Palestinians and Israelis about their daily lives and the ongoing plight of the Palestinians.

The current conflict between Israel and Hamas has brought renewed interest in Palestine and Sacco’s work in general, and as a result, his publisher has announced not only a reissue of the original graphic novel, but also a series of webcomics that are currently running on The Comics Journal website.

“The demand for Palestine has skyrocketed following the horrific events of Oct. 7 and Israel’s brutal response, indicating a yearning for understanding from readers all over the world,” said Gary Groth, president and co-founder of Fantagraphics. “We hope that the reissue of Palestine and the new series of graphic commentary ‘The War on Gaza’ will help awaken the world to the plight of the Palestinian people and illuminate the political context of the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Sadly, as Amira Hass makes clear in her new Afterword, Joe Sacco’s deeply empathetic account of the Gazan people is even more relevant today than at any time since its original publication.”

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Cartoonist Cooperative announces nominees for the 2024 Minicomic Awards

The annual award recognizes creators making under-the-radar, short-form comics.

The Cartoonist Cooperative has announced the nominees for their 2024 Minicomics Awards, which they started giving out in 2022.

Founded by cartoonists Leslie Hung and Sloane Leong, the awards shine a light on “the unique, challenging, and under-recognized work in this short form medium.” The awards are presented across five categories based on genre, including horror, science fiction, fantasy, romance and autobiography.

The winners will be announced in a virtual ceremony on March 14 at 3 p.m. Pacific. The five winners will split a prize of $3,700.

Here are this year’s nominees:

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The picture’s not so perfect in this preview of a new Shield story from ‘World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #138’

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

Check it out — Archie Comics has shared a preview with us of  World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #138, which will arrives in stores March 13.

In “Picture Perfect,” everyone in Riverdale is pretty excited that they’re filming a new Shield movie — everyone that is, except for the Shield himself. This one’s written and drawn by Dan Parent, with inking by Bob Smith, coloring by Glenn Whitmore and lettering by Jack Morelli.

Check out the preview below, along with a complete classic Jughead story by Bill Golliher and Al Milgrom.

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Smash Pages Q&A | Lara Pickle on ‘I Feel Awful, Thanks’

With Pickle’s debut graphic novel arriving this week, we spoke about her inspiration, drawing from her own mental health experiences when creating the story and more.

I Feel Awful, Thanks is the debut graphic novel by Lara Pickle, a Spanish-Romanian artist and storyteller whose work thus far has been more in the video game and animation arenas, for places like Netflix and Nickelodeon. The graphic novel arrives in stores this week and is published by Oni Press.

From the outside, I Feel Awful, Thanks looks like what you might expect from a YA fantasy graphic novel, featuring witches, magic and dragons and. But the story addresses some serious issues around mental health, something Pickle experienced herself. It’s about a witch named Joana who has secured her dream job with a coven in London, so she relocates and discovers the reality of city life is not so idyllic.

I spoke with Pickle about the graphic novel, pulling in her own experiences into the story and some of the fun design choices she made while creating it.

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | The next generation of Ninja Turtles returns

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by Kevin Eastman, Tom Waltz, Ben Bishop, Peach Momoko, Dan Jurgens, Mike Perkins, Derek Kirk Kim, Greg Weisman, Humberto Ramos, Eduardo Risso, Paul Reiser, Lara Pickle, Johnny Ryan, Katie Cook and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics Wednesday, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. It’s a pretty big week, with the launch of a sequel to last year’s best-selling superhero graphic novel, not to mention another new Ultimate Universe title from Marvel, a new take on classic Bat-Man and the return of Derek Kirk Kim to comics. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg!

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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Quick Hits | Nirvana Comics in Knoxville wins the first Image Select Retailer Award

Plus: News on Rob Liefeld, Scout Comics, G. Willow Wilson and the Robert E. Howard awards.

Nirvana Comics in Knoxville, Tennessee has won Image Comics’ inaugural Image Select Retailer Award. The winner was announced this weekend at the Emerald City Comic Con during an event hosted by Lunar Distribution.

Images Comics announced the award last month as a way to recognize retailers “that are going above and beyond to serve their customers, expand readership and grow a healthier marketplace.” Customers were able to vote for their favorite store via an online form.

“This is such a huge honor,” said Grant and Jasmine Mitchell, co-owners of the store. “Thank you Image Comics for all you’ve done to help the comic shop industry. Thank you to all our customers who nominated us. Your support and friendship is why we do this everyday. The best is yet to come!”

According to Image, the shop was in the top tier of most nominations by sheer volume from “happy customers eager to pay it forward to the store they love.” They’ll receive several prizes from Image, including a commemorative medallion and their choice of a comic with a gold foil exclusive variant cover branded with their store logo.

“The response to this award was phenomenal with thousands of nominations submitted in just a few days,” said Alex Cox, director of direct market sales at Image Comics. “Reading that many testimonials from people praising their local comic shops was a great reminder of how amazing the comics community can be, and Nirvana Comics stood out as a prime example of a store that truly values their customers, and makes new fans every day.”

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Cullen Bunn + Outland Entertainment announce several new horror comics

The Outer Shadows imprint plan to crowdfund several new projects written by Bunn.

Cullen Bunn and Outland Entertainment have announced plans to publish “dozens” of comics, graphic novels and trade paperbacks via Bunn’s dedicated Outer Shadows imprint, starting with a dark fantasy and an erotic thriller.

Outer Shadows was formed to be a home for both prose and comics projects, and thus far they’ve released Bunn’s novel Crooked Hills, the novella Raze and a short story collection. Today they revealed five new comics projects, along with a collection of one of Bunn’s previous titles.

“I’ve always envisioned Outer Shadows as the place for prose and comics,” Bunn said. “Now, we’re following through on that initial idea with a deep dive into the horror and dark fantasy comic market.”

Each Outer Shadows project will start with a crowdfunding campaign, with plans to release them into the direct market once the campaign is finished.

Here’s what to expect in the months ahead …

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Top Shelf will release Alan Moore’s ‘The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic’ in October

The grimoire promises ‘endless necromantic fun for all the family.’

The long-delayed The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic by writer and author Alan Moore and his magical mentor Steve Moore will finally materialize in October from Top Shelf Comix and UK publisher Knockabout Ltd.

This “celebration of magic and the occult” will feature prose, illustration and sequential art, with contributions by several of Alan Moore’s previous colleagues, including John Coulthart, Steve Parkhouse, Rick Veitch, Ben Wickey and the late Kevin O’Neill.

“One of the great honors of my publishing career has been to work with Alan Moore on so many monumental projects, like From Hell and Lost Girls,” said Chris Staros, editor-in-chief of Top Shelf Productions. “The Moon and Serpent Bumper Book of Magic represents an amazing capstone, created by Alan and Steve, and brilliantly brought to life by five unforgettable artists. It’s been a privilege to watch those magical minds spend years building this grimoire, and I’m proud to join Knockabout in finally sharing it with the world.”

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