Category: Comic Books

Ram V + Anand RK resurrect a cult classic DC character

‘Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma’ brings Mitch Shelley back to life for a six-issue Black Label series.

Ram V, Anand RK and Butch Guice are bringing Resurrection Man back to life in a Black Label series coming from DC in April. They’ll be joined by colorist Mike Spicer and letterer Aditya Bidikar for Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma.

This six-issue prestige series brings back Mitch Shelley, the Resurrection Man. Originally created by Dan Abnett, Andy Lanning, and Guice, Shelley debuted in 1997 in an ongoing series that lasted 27 issues. Abnett and Lanning later resurrected the character as a part of DC’s New 52 initiative, but that series only lasted 13 issues. The Resurrection Man has lived thousands of lives throughout history, mingling with Vandal Savage and the Immortal Man along the way, and each time he’s resurrected he gains a new super power based on his cause of death.

“This is a story I’ve wanted to tell since I first started writing for DC,” said Ram V. “It’s lingered and stayed and got its hooks into my mind and my love and excitement for the character and story has only grown. Part of the joy of writing comics for me, is getting to reinvent, reimagine characters in a way that speaks to my own preoccupations and joys; with Resurrection Man: Quantum Karma, I hope readers will share in my excitement as Anand, Mike and Aditya and I tell a story of endless lifetimes, saving universes and falling in love, spanning the length of all existence.”

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‘Adventure Time’ returns to comics this April from Oni Press

Return to the Land of Ooo in a new ongoing series.

Adventure Time, the popular Cartoon Network series that spawned a 75-issue comic run at BOOM! Studios about a decade ago, will return to comics in April, courtesy of Oni Press.

The series will feature rotating creative teams, starting with animator and Bloody Mary creator Nick Winn. The comic will bring back Finn, Jake, Marceline, Princess Bubblegum and the other residents of The Land Of Ooo for the ongoing series.

“Adventure Time was such a huge part of me growing up,” said Winn.” Not only was it hilarious, but it had such an emotional intelligence that very few shows could pull off back then. Being able to revisit the land of Ooo through Oni Press has really been such a joy and a challenge to build something new while still keeping the energy and charm the show cast on me in middle school!”

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My favorite comics of 2024

And some favorite graphic novels as well.

It’s been a number of years since I’ve put together a list of my favorite comics of the year, something I used to do on a regular basis back in the Blog@ or Robot 6 days. Not from a lack of desire, but I spend a lot of time agonizing over my choices and, especially, the write-ups for each of my selections.

So this year I thought, “Screw it; just list your top 10 and be done with it.” So, here are my 10 — no, wait; I narrowed it down to 11, not 10 — 11 favorite comics, as well as five graphic novel favorites. I did not read as many graphic novels this year as I typically would for various reasons, but these are five I really liked.

So without further ado, here they are, in no particular order …

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Slugfest | Three new Absolute titles debut in DC’s March solicitations

Plus: ‘Batman: H2sh” begins, ‘Sonic X Justice League’ races into shops and Harley Quinn gets a fart-themed special.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on the new titles debuting in DC’s February solicitations, which you can find here. Hit the links for more information.

DC’s Absolute Universe has proven to be a big hit for them, and is one of the biggest success stories in the mainstream comic book world this year. DC even put out a press release claiming that Absolute Batman #1 was the best-selling comic of the year when you took into account all the subsequent printings, although they didn’t share any actual numbers so it’s hard to say whether it’s a bigger success than, say, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, which IDW said was the best-selling comic of the year, or Ultimate Spider-Man #1, which Bleeding Cool reported sold more copies across multiple printings.

But hey, no matter who had the higher numbers, it’s good to see all of these comics doing well enough to be in the conversation.

But getting back to the Absolute titles, the line will grow from three to six next March with the addition of Absolute Flash, Absolute Green Lantern and Absolute Martian Manhunter.

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The Predator stalks Spider-Man in a new miniseries next year

Peter Parker’s luck just got even worse, thanks to Benjamin Percy and Marcelo Ferreira.

After being teased in November, Marvel has officially announced Predator vs. Spider-Man, a four-issue miniseries by Benjamin Percy and Marcelo Ferreira. It follows on the heels of the two previous Predator vs. … series featuring Wolverine and Black Panther, which were both written by Percy.

“Spider-Man is at the top of every writer’s wishlist. I’m thrilled and grateful to get this opportunity, putting this beloved webslinger against the galaxy’s greatest hunters in the urban wilderness of New York,” Percy said. “It’s so much fun to live in Peter Parker’s world — and to put my own wild spin on his relationship with MJ, Jonah Jameson, and (yes — oh, hell yes) Kraven. Marcelo Ferreira captures the visual dynamism of Spidey so well, and we’ve had a lot of fun designing a Predator that is unlike any other. This Yautja — who we’re calling Skinner — has no code or clan. He’s the perfect nightmarish foil to the big-hearted Parker.”

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Jon Kent, Dreamer, Catman + more return in ‘Secret Six’ next year

Nicole Maines and Stephen Segovia will bring a new team together find a missing Amanda Waller.

DC’s found (but dysfunctional) family title is getting an All In reboot next year, as writer Nicole Maines and artist Stephen Segovia resurrect Secret Six. The six-issue miniseries will continue the story of Jon Kent, his boyfriend Jay Nakamura and their ally Dreamer, as they search for a missing Amanda Waller.

Fans of the original Secret Six will note that the trio will recruit some additional allies in their search, namely Catman, Deadshot and Black Alice.

“Getting to be part of DC All In and to tell a new story involving Jon Kent, Jay Nakamura, and Dreamer means the world to me,” Maines said. “They’re all at a crossroads right now, at the start of their potential villain origin stories, so having them team up with these Secret Six veterans, all former villains, feels like a mirror into their futures.” 

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Dan Panosian + Alessio Avallone return to Neverland for ‘The Last Boy’

The new series launches at BOOM! next year.

Writer Dan Panosian and artist Alessio Avallone will revisit the story of Peter Pan and Wendy in The Last Boy, a new series from BOOM! Studios that starts in March.

Set years after their first encounter, the boy who never grew up will encounter a Wendy dealing with the challenges of adulthood.

“Having grown up fascinated with the Peter Pan films and books, I desperately wanted to tell a Peter Pan and Wendy story that takes place years after they encountered one another,” Panosian said. “I wondered what would happen if everyone around Peter grew up but he still hadn’t, even if his very life and those he loved depended on it!”

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Marvel plans to reboot ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ in April

Joe Kelly, Pepe Larraz and John Romita Jr. will helm a new ‘Amazing Spider-Man’ #1 next year.

Joe Kelly’s tenure on Amazing Spider-Man will extend beyond “The 8 Deaths of Spider-Man,” the storyline currently running in the title. Marvel has announced that John Romita Jr. and Pepe Larraz will join the writer on a new Amazing Spider-Man #1 next April.

According to Marvel, the new title will feature “classic” Spider-Man storytelling, featuring Peter Parker, his new girlfriend Shay, the redeemed Norman Osborn and “the greatest supervillains in all of pop culture.” Batman may have a thought about that last one …

“Even though this is a new #1, I don’t think of it as a ‘restart’ per se,” Kelly told Polygon. “I’m writing the next chapter of the story of one the world’s greatest characters, lucky enough to follow in the footsteps of the folks before me. After that sinks in, I spend a lot of time thinking about what I love about Spider-Man and his cast, what stories resonated with me at different times of my life, and how I can synthesize all of that into something that works with what came before but breaks new ground. I’m fascinated by the internal lives of these characters and exploring new territory there — Peter’s youth is interesting, for example, the days before he was “puny Parker” in high school. At the same time, I feel a drive to take bold, unexpected swings in order to see how Spider-Man deals with Marvel-sized curve balls. Pressure makes diamonds.”

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Lady Baltimore returns next year with ‘The Daughters of Medusa’

Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden and Bridgit Connell return to the world of ‘Baltimore’ with a two-issue series.

Mike Mignola, Christopher Golden and Bridgit Connell have more Lady Baltimore tales to tell. They’ll return to the character next year with Lady Baltimore: The Daughters of Medusa, along with colorist Michelle Madsen and letterer Clem Robins.

Dark Horse Comics will publish the two-part series beginning next April.

“We’re thrilled to jump back into the Outerverse with this new Lady Baltimore adventure,” Golden said. “This world continues to evolve and surprise us all as we create it, and what a gift it is to have Bridgit Connell bringing these stories to life. It’s a lot to ask of an artist to give us pages that are both beautiful and horrifying, sometimes in the same panel, and Bridgit nails it every time. I can’t wait till readers get their hands on this story!”

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Valiant Beyond: Alien Books will relaunch the Valiant universe in the wake of ‘Resurgence of the Valiant Universe’

New versions of Bloodshot, Shadowman and more will begin appearing in March.

For Alien Books, the “resurgence” of the Valiant properties is only the beginning.

The current Resurgence of the Valiant Universe event series, which ends in January, will pave the way for a rebooted Valiant universe, which they are calling “Valiant Beyond.” Alien Books plans for the new line to be
“new-reader friendly and ultra-accessible,” while featuring new versions of Bloodshot, X-O Manowar, Shadowman and more.

“As we enter into the second year of our partnership with Valiant Comics and come out of the Resurgence crossover event, we wanted to take a big swing and try something new,” said Alien Books Director Matias Timarchi. “The success of the Absolute, Ultimate and Energon universes has shown that there is an appetite from both retailers and readers for accessible and high-quality storytelling. Our goal is to take inspiration from those lines while doing something that is distinctly our own.”

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Professor X goes on the run in ‘X-Manhunt’

The crossover event will take place in March’s X-Men titles.

Marvel has announced X-Manhunt, a crossover that will run through most of the X-Men related titles in March.

The story will revolve around Professor X’s escape from Graymalkin Prison, where he’s been since the “From the Ashes” line-wide reboot earlier this year. His escape and subsequent plea for help will cause strife amongst the many different groups of mutants, and the story will play out in issues of Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, NYX and more, before wrapping up in X-Manhunt Omega #1 at the end of March.

“We’ve mostly been keeping the various groups of X-characters separated from one another as we set up the post-Krakoa landscape,” Executive Editor Tom Brevoort said. “But it feels like now is the right time to send them crashing into one another. And who better to instigate this situation than the disgraced Professor X, who has intimate connections with almost all of our key players?” 

Check out the covers and issue descriptions below for the eight-part crossover, which also reveal the return of at least two mutants to the X-titles — Mister Sinister and Maggott.

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Cullen Bunn + A.C. Zamudio roll the dice on ‘Arcana Royale’

The supernatural thriller kicks off at Dark Horse Comics next year.

Cullen Bunn and A.C. Zamudio, who previously worked together on Shadow Roads at Oni Press, will team up for a new supernatural thriller at Dark Horse Comics. Arcana Royale is about Hudson Tremaine, a gambler who finds herself in a mystical poker tournament alongside magicians, demons and demigods.

“Arcana Royale has been in the works for a while now, and I’m excited for people to get to read it,” said Bunn. “This is a story about controlling your own fate (even if you have to cheat a little) in the face of overwhelming odds. There’s a little bit of Hudson Tremaine… or at least there should be… in each and everyone of us.”

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