Comic Books – SMASH PAGES

Curt Pires + Juan Gedeon go anthropomorphic in ‘Super Mondo Mega Mutts’

The four-issue series from Oni Press follows a team of transformed dogs fighting for justice in a lawless corner of Los Angeles.

Oni Press has announced Super Mondo Mega Mutts, a four-issue series by writer Curt Pires and artist Juan Gedeon. The miniseries will kick off in July.

The series is set in downtown Los Angeles one year after a fragment of an inter-dimensional civilization collided with the city, creating a lawless zone called “The Gleam” where the laws of physics no longer apply. When government contractors send four research animals into the area to recover alien technology, the dogs emerge radically transformed, gaining human-level intelligence and a mission of their own. The four mutts — Wolf, Frankee, Griffy and Freddy — team with a mentor called Mojo to fight back against federal forces and gangs wielding stolen alien tech.

“It’s been thrilling to watch Oni Press reach new heights the last couple years under the tenure of Hunter [Gorinson, President & Publisher], Sierra [Hahn, Editor-in-Chief] and the whole team—and I couldn’t be more excited to be bringing them one of my best ideas ever,” Pires said. “This is a book that is big, bombastic and heartfelt, one that’s capable of bringing new folks into comic shops—and I’m ecstatic to be creating it with my masterful collaborator, Juan Gedeon.”

Joe Palmer makes his solo debut with dystopian thriller ‘Destination Kill’ from Oni Press in May

The British cartoonist writes, illustrates and hand-letters the four-issue series, set in a future London on the brink of a worker uprising.

Oni Press will publish Destination Kill, the solo debut of British artist Joe Palmer, beginning in May. Palmer will write, illustrate and hand-letter the four-issue series, which follows two detectives in 2125 London caught between a powerful corporation and an armed uprising of displaced workers.

“Destination Kill started life as an image in my mind of a lone, masked builder armed with a pistol, standing on the snow-covered rooftop of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London,” said cartoonist Joe Palmer. “That image really stuck with me, and over time, it evolved into this fantastical story of a transatlantic train and a citywide builder-led revolution that I knew I had to make someday. This book is me taking the (long overdue!) step of being in total creative control of my work, which turned out to be one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. I wasn’t consciously thinking about it at the time, but at least part of the reason for doing this was to put something out in the world that represents me and my personality, and I feel like I’ve done that.”

A lonely Abraham Lincoln robot looks for a friend in ‘If Destruction Be Our Lot’

Matthew Rosenberg, Mark Elijah Rosenberg and Andy MacDonald team up for the new science fiction title from Image Comics.

Matthew Rosenberg is teaming up with his brother Mark Elijah Rosenberg and artist Andy MacDonald for a new series from Image Comics, If Destruction Be Our Lot.

The announcement comes via Matthew Rosenberg’s Ashcan Press Substack, where he shared more about the science fiction comic:

Humanity is extinct and all that remains are the robots who once helped us. Despite the computer viruses, electricity addiction, and rampant cannibalism, the robots are happier now doing their jobs in peace. But not an animatronic Abraham Lincoln. He just wants a friend.

DC teases a big debut in ‘Absolute Batman’ #20

‘R’ you seeing this?

DC Comics is teasing the debut of another addition to the Absolute Universe, as they revealed today a redacted version of the cover to Absolute Batman #20 by Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin.

That big giant “R” kind of gives things away, doesn’t it?

Ghost Machine will launch its first crossover event this summer

‘Who Are the Unbelievables?’ rebrands the publisher’s Family Odysseys universe and introduces new characters like The Trillion Dollar Kid.

Ghost Machine, the Image Comics imprint of Geoff Johns and friends, will launch its first summer crossover event, “Who Are the Unbelievables?” The event will also formally rebrand one of Ghost Machine’s four original creator-owned universes, previously known as “Family Odysseys,” as “The Unbelievables.”

Ghost Machine was announced in 2023 by Geoff Johns and several frequent collaborators, built around the idea that creators would co-own all characters and universes developed within the imprint. Its four universes include the horror-themed “Hyde Street,” Johns’ “The Unnamed” universe featuring Geiger and Junkyard Joe, a science fiction universe featuring Johns and Jason Fabok’s Rook, and now “The Unbelievables,” which is anchored by The Rocketfellers by Peter J. Tomasi and Francis Manapul and Hornsby & Halo by Tomasi and Peter Snejbjerg.

The crossover will span four issues and introduce several new characters, chief among them The Trillion Dollar Kid, a 13-year-old secretly tracking individuals with extraordinary abilities whom he dubs “The Unbelievables.” The character was created by Johns, Tomasi and Manapul. Other new characters joining the universe include The Deadtones, described as a rock band of misfit monsters on the run, and Jean Genie, a genie navigating freedom after centuries of servitude.

Here’s a map detailing where they all live:

Skybound + Act 4 will release ‘DC Silver Age Covers and Stories Artist’s Edition’ in November

The oversized collection will include more than 75 classic covers and stories by Jack Kirby, Joe Kubert, Carmine Infantino and more.

Skybound and Scott Dunbier’s Act 4 Publishing have announced that they will release DC Silver Age Covers and Stories Artist’s Edition, an oversized art collection spotlighting some of the most influential work from DC Comics’ Silver Age era, in the fall.

Like the other Artist’s Editions, the collection will measure 15 by 22 inches, and it’ll feature more than 75 covers and interior pages drawn at the original “twice-up” size. Highlights include the complete interior pages from the 1960s Green Lantern #1, full stories from The Flash by Carmine Infantino, Action Comics #282 by Al Plastino and a Sugar and Spike story by Sheldon Mayer. Iconic covers include Flash #123, the first appearance of Earth-Two, and the debut of the Silver Age Hawkman in Brave and the Bold #34 by Joe Kubert.

Writer and historian Mark Waid contributes an introduction to the volume.

Gail Simone + Ig Guara team up on ‘She-Spawn’

The award-winning comics writer brings her voice to the Spawn Universe this May with a five-issue series centered on Jessica Priest.

Image Comics announced today that Uncanny X-Men writer Gail Simone will helm She-Spawn, a new five-issue miniseries set in the Spawn Universe, working with Blue Beetle and All-New Wolverine artist Ig Guara. The first issue will debut in May.

The series will follow Jessica Priest, a former soldier, assassin, superhero and mother, as she battles an angelic cult determined to sacrifice a child.

“It’s a thrill to be chosen specifically by one of the iconic founders of Image to create in his playground,” Simone said. “Apparently, he’d read a DC book I’d done and was impressed by the dialogue, which was incredibly gratifying. The next thing I know, I was having hour-long conversations with Todd McFarlane–not just about She-Spawn, but about his passion for storytelling and character. Each one felt like a masterclass. He asked a lot about my process, with genuine and heartfelt curiosity, and it was one of the nicest and most collaborative introductions I’ve ever had with a publisher. I’m proud to get to write part of the Spawn Universe, and grateful to Todd and his team for making this connection happen.”

The ‘Horror of Godzilla’ arrives in July

IDW is taking the King of the Monsters back to where it all began.

IDW Publishing will unleash The Horror of Godzilla this summer, a new series set in 1954 Japan that revisits humanity’s first catastrophic encounter with the King of the Monsters.

The less spectacle, more dread monster story comes from co-writers Ethan S. Parker and Griffin Sheridan, who have worked on Marvel Zombies: Red Band and Godzilla: Escape the Deadzone, along with Tristan Jones, the acclaimed artist of Alien: Defiance and other horror titles. They’re diving deep into the terror behind Godzilla’s initial onslaught and the consequences of exposure to the creature’s mysterious “Kai-Sei” energy.

“Godzilla’s been such a huge part of my life as far back as I can remember, and as someone that had Godzilla 1985 on near permanent loan from our local video store, and hounding my local bootlegger every day on the walk home from high school for the original Japanese cut, I’m genuinely hard-pressed to think of anything I’ve been this excited about in my career,” Jones said. “As a storyteller that’s become something of a fixture in the horror genre, it’s a genuine honor and a thrill to work with Griffin and Ethan (and our incredible editor Jake) on a Godzilla story that leans so hard into my favorite visuals and even harder into things I always wished the films would. It’s a huge departure from what I’ve been known for so far and everyone’s given me incredible space to both try new things, and bring visuals to comics I’d never had a proper chance to before.”

Spider-Man returns to the ‘Brand New Day’ era

A new series that builds on the 2008-2010 era of Spider-Man debuts in May from Dan Slott, Marcus To and Marcos Martin.

Dan Slott will once again return to write Spider-Man in a new series that launches in May. Spectacular Spider-Man: Brand New Day will build on the 2008-2010 era of Spider-Man stories known as “Brand New Day,” and Slott will be joined by three artists from that era: Marcus To, Marcos Martin and Phil Jimenez.

“Spider-Man is my favorite character in all of fiction. Heart on my sleeve here—I love writing Spider-Man,” Slott said. “We’re going to reveal hidden secrets and plant explosive seeds that will pay off and affect what’s happening in Spider-Man’s world today! These will be stories that matter and that will have major consequences!”

IDW will launch a new Crime imprint in May

The new imprint will launch with ‘Seven Wives’ by Zoe Tunnell, V Gagnon and Tesslyn Bergin-Dicoi.

IDW has announced a new imprint to complement IDW Dark, the horror line they announced last year. IDW Crime will feature — you guessed it — crime comics.

The line will feature stories about “twisted, everyday acts of humans that we just can’t look away from,” and will launch with projects by Zoe Tunnell, V Gagnon, Joey Esposito, Amy Chase and more.

“Crime has a deep, often under-celebrated history in comics, from hard-boiled noir to social thrillers that pushed the medium to be bolder, sharper and more adult,” said IDW Senior Group Editor Heather Antos. “With the IDW Crime imprint, we’re honoring that legacy while giving it a modern spotlight — elevating creator-driven stories that feel urgent, character-forward, and unapologetically human. These are stories about obsession, consequence and the ability to hold a mirror up to society, and we couldn’t be more excited to help bring them back to the forefront of mainstream comics.”

Here’s a look at the three titles IDW announced today:

Chef José Andrés + Mike Mignola join the ‘Meals to Astonish’ line-up

The founder of World Central Kitchen teams up with Spider-Man in a new story by Steve Orlando and Roi Mercado.

Spider-Man is in for a delicious time as he teams up with José Andrés, founder of World Central Kitchen, to battle Electro in next month’s Spider-Man: Meals to Astonish.

Steve Orlando and Roi Mercado will bring the two together in the one-shot, which will feature a cover by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola.

“With my own secret origin, working in the wine and spirits world before comics stepped in as my main gig, Spider-Man: Meals to Astonish feels like a perfect moment of kismet,” Orlando said. “The chance to write a Spider-Man adventure set in the food scene is one I could never pass up—the two arts, the two worlds I love the most are finally colliding in a delicious and exciting way! This is the kind of story I’ve been waiting for—and I can’t wait for folks to dig in!”

The Once and Future Doom: Ryan North + Francesco Mobili launch ‘Doomquest’ in May

It’s Doctor Doom vs. Reed Richards, with all of history at stake, in a 10-issue series.

If you thought Ryan North was done with Doom, think again — the One World Under Doom writer is teaming up with artist Francesco Mobili for Doomquest, a 10-issue miniseries debuting from Marvel in May.

While the recently ended One World Under Doom took the former sorcerer supreme off the proverbial Marvel chessboard, this new series has nothing to do with that. It’s actually an “evergreen” story set before the crossover story, with a less magical but no less dangerous version of the character.

“I thought we’d left Doom in a really interesting place with the events of One World Under Doom, and I was looking forward to seeing what others do with him now – and I still am,” North said. “But when the chance came up to do an evergreen Doom story – meaning one set not in the immediate present but instead in the not-too-distant past, unshackled from his current status quo – it was really alluring, especially when I was told I could go as big and as crazy as I wanted.”

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