Category: Creators

‘Criminal’ defendants call Ed Brubaker lawsuit “meritless,” seek dismissal of all claims

Amazon MGM, Ed Brubaker and the other defendants dispute a former production assistant’s allegations and call the firearm claim ‘pure invention.’

The defendants in a lawsuit brought by a former production assistant on Amazon MGM’s upcoming Criminal series have formally asked a Los Angeles court to dismiss the case, calling the allegations against showrunner Ed Brubaker and the production companies “meritless” and disputing several of the claims made in the complaint.

The defendants filed a demurrer Sept. 17 in Los Angeles County Superior Court, arguing that Ijaaz Noohu’s complaint fails to adequately establish any of its 12 causes of action under California law. The court is scheduled to hear the demurrer Oct. 15.

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Lawsuit filed against Ed Brubaker, Amazon + others alleging harassment on the set of the ‘Criminal’ TV show

A former production assistant has filed a lawsuit this week alleging harassment, discrimination and retaliation on the set of the show based on the Eisner-winning comics series.

As reported by The Hollywood Reporter and other outlets, Ed Brubaker, the Eisner Award-winning comic book writer and showrunner of Amazon MGM’s upcoming Criminal series, is being sued by a former production assistant who alleges he was subjected to sexual, racial and religious harassment while working on the series, among other allegations.

Ijaaz Noohu filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against Brubaker, fellow executive producer Phillipp Barnett, Big Indie Pictures, Big Indie Gemini, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios and Amazon.com Services. The complaint, filed Wednesday, contains 12 causes of action, including claims of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, assault and defamation. Noohu is requesting a jury trial as part of the suit.

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Rest in peace, Will Murray

The prolific writer and co-creator of Squirrel Girl has passed away at 73.

Will Murray, the prolific pulp writer and historian who co-created Squirrel Girl with Steve Ditko, died on Aug. 25 at the age of 73.

Murray had a long and varied career as a writer, researcher and historian, but he was perhaps best known for his deep knowledge of pulp magazines and the characters they created. He wrote numerous novels featuring characters like Doc Savage, The Shadow, The Spider, Tarzan and The Destroyer, while also writing extensively about pulp fiction and its creators.

Murray grew up in Boston, Massachusetts, and became a fan of comics and pulp novels at a young age. His career would grow out of his fandom. As Murray explained in a 2019 interview with Alex Dueben here at Smash Pages, he began as a Doc Savage expert writing for fanzines before those interests led to professional opportunities.

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Rest in peace, Dave Lanphear

The comics letterer and designer has passed away at the age of 58.

Dave Lanphear, a comic book letterer and designer whose credits included Thunderbolts, Mighty Avengers, Secret Warriors, Spider-Man Noir, Batman: The Long Halloween, Superman ’78 and hundreds of other comics, died last week at the age of 58.

His death was shared by his sister, Tera Lanphear, on Facebook, as well as by his business partner, Jan Utstein, who said he died of complications from diabetes.

“David was kind and generous to a fault,” Utstein said. “He loved his family and he especially loved his fiance Laura Bee and their cats. What ultimately took him was an insanely high blood sugar level. Dave was an incredibly talented guy. I will miss him.”

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Rest in peace, Roger McKenzie

The editor and writer of books like Daredevil, Captain America, Sun Runners and more has passed away at the age of 75.

Roger McKenzie, writer of Captain America, Daredevil and other titles throughout the 1970s and 1980s, passed away last Friday at the age of 75 while under hospice care, according to a post on his Facebook page.

The post says that McKenzie has been fighting “He’d been dealing with end-stage heart failure and kidney disease for the past several months,” the post reads. “He was certain that he still had some stories to tell in the time he had left, and struggled mightily to write one last script.”

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First trailer for Bill Sienkiewicz documentary ‘That Polish Guy’ debuts at SDCC

The film explores the artist’s career through interviews with Vincent D’Onofrio, Jim Lee, Jimmy Palmiotti and more.

The first trailer for Bill Sienkiewicz: That Polish Guy dropped during a San Diego Comic-Con panel, giving fans a look at the upcoming documentary on the influential artist. The title comes from a nickname Sienkiewicz received from actor-director Clint Eastwood.

Sienkiewicz was joined by the documentary’s director Remsy Atassi and producer Sal Abbinanti at the con to discuss his career and the making of the film, followed by an audience Q&A.

“I’m incredibly excited about the documentary; it’s both humbling and nerve-wracking to see my life’s work splayed out on-screen accompanied by observations by so many of my creative heroes,” said Sienkiewicz. “But more, I’m excited because the documentary discusses the obsessive need to make art, as part of the unifying human experience, a drive that defies language, place or even medium of choice. That drive is something we all share and I’m proud, in the words of the great Cormac McCarthy, to carry that fire.”

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Jhonen Vasquez says he wasn’t consulted on new BOOM! Studios ‘Invader Zim’ comics

“You’d have to be special kind of oblivious to not understand why it still sucks to not have control over something you see as ‘yours.'”

A planned revival of Invader Zim as a comic series by BOOM! Studios has met with controversy, as the cartoon’s creator, Jhonen Vasquez, said on social media that he is not involved in the comic, nor was he consulted on it.

BOOM! revealed the new Invader Zim comic last week, with plans to bring back out-of-print collections alongside new stories later this year. The announcement promised “entirely new invasions, conspiracies, and catastrophically ridiculous adventures” featuring Zim, GIR, Dib and Gaz. The original Invader Zim animated series ran on Nickelodeon and is owned by Paramount.

“I have no involvement in any of the comics, nor was I told they were gonna be happening so I was never offered a chance to throw my voice into the mix in some way,” he said in a long statement posted to Threads and other platforms.

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Rest in peace, Marjane Satrapi

The creator of ‘Persepolis’ passed away this week at the age of 56.

Marjane Satrapi, the French-Iranian cartoonist and filmmaker who created the renowned graphic memoir Persepolis, died June 3 in Paris. She was 56.

A statement from close friends and family sent to the Agence France-Presse newswire announced her death. “Marjane Satrapi died of sadness a little over a year after the death of Mattias Ripa, her husband and the love of her life,” the statement read. Ripa, a producer, actor and screenwriter, died in April 2025.

Born Nov. 22, 1969, in Rasht, Iran, Satrapi had an upper-middle-class upbringing in Tehran. She became one of the most internationally recognized voices of the Iranian diaspora through her writing, artwork and outspoken criticism of Iran’s government.

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Anthology that included AI-generated content removed from Eisner contention

The editor of ‘Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology’ has rescinded the book from the ‘Best Anthology’ category.

A comics anthology that featured pages created with AI has been withdrawn from this year’s Eisner Awards. The book’s editor, Van Jensen, rescinded the nomination after it came back to light that a submission in the book by Michael Todasco was generated using artificial intelligence.

Stardust the Super Wizard Anthology, edited by Van Jensen and published by Blue Creek Creative, was crowdfunded through Zoop and featured a stellar line-up of talent, including Mike Allred, Francesco Francavilla, Pete Woods, Ron Marz, Zander Cannon, Cecil Castellucci, Jesse Lonergan, Jeff Parker, Tom Fowler and many more. The stories featured the legendary Fletcher Hanks’ Stardust, a public domain character from the Golden Age known for his zany adventures.

The Daily Cartoonist shared a statement from Comic-Con International that said this year’s judges did not know the anthology included an AI submission, and they “indicated that had they been aware of this information, they would not have voted for its inclusion.” It also noted that Jensen rescinded the submission, making it ineligible for an Eisner.

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Rest in peace, Gerry Conway

The writer, editor and co-creator of the Punisher and Firestorm has passed away at the age of 73.

Gerry Conway, the writer and editor whose work helped define the landscape of superhero comics across the 1970s, 1980s and beyond, has passed away. He was 73.

Marvel announced his death on behalf of his family. No cause of death was given. Conway had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2022 and underwent surgery to remove the tumor before declaring himself cancer-free in September 2023.

“From Spider-Man to the Avengers, Iron Man to Captain Marvel, Gerry Conway has deftly written almost every character in the Marvel Universe,” said Marvel Comics Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski. “He thrilled us with new characters like the Punisher and broke our hearts in emotional tales like ‘The Night Gwen Stacy Died,’ a story that affects Spider-Man to this day. Gerry Conway’s legacy has made an undeniable and indelible impact on the super hero stories we know and love. He will be dearly missed.”

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Rest in peace, Sam Kieth

The creator of ‘The Maxx’ and co-creator of ‘The Sandman’ has passed away at the age of 63.

Sam Kieth, the visionary comic book artist, writer and creator of The Maxx, passed away on March 15, at the age of 63, following complications from Lewy body dementia.

Former Wildstorm and IDW editor Scott Dunbier confirmed the news on social media and shared a statement from Kieth’s family. As per Kieth’s wishes, there will be no memorial service, and in lieu of flowers, his family has asked for donations to be made in his name to the Hero Initiative, the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund or the Lewy Body Dementia Association.

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Rest in peace, Jacopo Camagni

The artist of ‘Generation X-23,’ ‘Nomen Omen’ and more passed away after complications from heart surgery.

As reported by Bleeding Cool and several Italian outlets, comic artist Jacopo Camagni died this past Sunday following complications from heart surgery. He was 48 years old.

Camagni’s work spanned continents, as he began working in the industry in Italy in the late 1990s and eventually found success in the United States working for Marvel, most recently on Generation X-23, which launched in February. His final Marvel work, Generation X-23 #2–4, is scheduled for release in March, April and May.

“We are deeply saddened to share artist Jacopo Camagni has passed away,” Marvel said in a statement on social media. “To those who experienced his work, he brought undeniable energy both on and off the page. He was Marvel family and a dear friend to so many more. We will be honoring his memory and work in the weeks to come.”

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