Take a Ditko-esque trip into the ‘Topsy Turvey’ with Jake Chang and Archie [Preview]

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

Archie Comics has shared a preview with us of World of Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #133, which will feature two new stories in addition to a whole lot of classic material.

The first story features Archie falling into something called the “Topsy Turvey” — think The Upside-Down by way of Steve Ditko — and detective Jake Chang has to figure out how to get him out (with some help from Vegas, Archie’s dog). Tom DeFalco, Steven Butler and Jim Amash present this strange adventure.

Then, Dan Parent and Bob Smith bring together the Superteens and She-Fox to face the menace of Metra. This mullet-sporting villain can control time and space, but seems very hung up on the 1980s, much to our heroes’ dismay.

Colorist Glenn Whitmore and letterer Jack Morelli are on board for both stories, which arrive in next week’s digest. Check out the previews below, along with a complete classic Little Archie story featuring a new friend from outer space.

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Slugfest | ‘Antarctica’ will continue as an ongoing

Plus: a new ‘Alien’ series, Marv Wolfman returns to ‘Tomb of Dracula,’ ‘The Walking Dead’ tribute covers and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Antarctica by Simon Birks and Willi Roberts, the Top Cow miniseries that debuted in July, will continue as an ongoing series after issue #5.

“If readers already love the first two issues of volume one, they’re going to love this new arc as we get the chance to delve deep into the previous events surrounding the Fracture and explore the Hannahs’ stories,” Birks said. “We’re thrilled to once again be working with the team at Top Cow. Not only have they been professional, but they’ve really taken the time to get to know us, and I’m delighted they love the book as much as we do. Antarctica takes no prisoners, and I’m excited to share our adventure with the readers. Willi and I have created something exceptional; an incredible experience full of unique twists and turns to keep everyone guessing right up until the end. As if one married The Fugitive with The Cabin in the Woods.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Birds of Prey’ soar once more

Check out new comics and graphic novels by Brenna Thummler, Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, Van Jensen, Jay Baruschel, Alessandro Micelli, Matt Emmons, Scott Hoffman, Juan Bobillo and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week brings several new titles from DC, including Blue Beetle and Birds of Prey, along with the high-concept love story Tear Us Apart and the third volume of Brenna Thummler’s Sheets series, titled Lights.

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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Smash Pages Q&A | Mat Groom returns to discuss the second ‘Inferno Girl Red’

The writer returns to the Massive-Verse for the second volume of the graphic novel series, which is currently up on Kickstarter.

Following a very successful campaign on Kickstarter for the first book back in 2021, Mat Groom, Erica D’Urso and the rest of the team have returned to crowdfund Inferno Girl Red Book Two. The new campaign is currently live.

If you aren’t familiar with Inferno Girl Red, it’s one of the many titles that make up the Massive-Verse, the collection of titles overseen by Kyle Higgins that include Radiant Black, The Dead Lucky and Rogue Sun, among others. It combines Groom’s love of tokusatsu superheroes and boarding school dramas, and it looks great thanks to D’Urso, colorist Igor Monti, letterer Becca Carey and design group For The People.

At press time, the campaign has brought in just over $45,000, which is more than halfway to its $85,000 goal. I spoke with groom about the new campaign, what he learned from the first one, how Inferno Girl Red fits into the Massive-Verse and more. He also shares a few details on his involvement with the upcoming Bad Blood playing cards/murder mystery game.

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Rev it up to save the world in ‘Petrol Head’ this fall

Rob Williams and Pye Parr hit the road on a new series at Image Comics.

Rob Williams and Pye Parr of 2000AD fame will bring a new post-apocalyptic series to Image this fall, as they prepare to start their engines on the car-themed Petrol Head this November.

The series will feature a hot-rod racing robot and 12-year-old girl who may be the only chance to save humanity.

“Petrol Head is that rare thing in comics—art that feels like it’s actually moving on the page,” said Williams. “Pye’s racing sequences have this kinetic, Akira-like energy and he draws the best robots, and cars, and robots driving cars. We both come from a 2000AD background and we wanted to bring that same punky, funny edge to what is basically a heartfelt story about one smart little girl who may just be able to save the whole human race from a climate emergency, but she has to team up with a grumpy, obsolete hotrod-racing robot to do it.”

Here’s a look at the trailer:

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Szymon Kudrański sinks his teeth into ‘Blood Commandment’

The four-issue miniseries kicks off in November.

Something Epic creator Szymon Kudrański will take a brief break from the series for a few months as he focuses his efforts on a miniseries about survival and vampires.

Like he’s done with Something Epic, Kudrański will write and draw Blood Commandment, the story of a father and son living in isolation in a shadowed valley surrounded by mountains and a thick forest, who are terrorized by a “dangerous supernatural presence.”

“It’s a story about the relationship between a father and his growing up son, facing a danger that threatens their lives,” said Kudrański. “Living far away from civilization in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by thick forests and mountains, they’re trying to survive the attack of a vampire. In such an isolated place, you can’t count on help from outside, it’s either fight or… run.”

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Nevada Jones rides to the rescue in this preview of ‘Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest’ #317

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

Courtesy of Archie Comics, we’re pleased to present a preview of two new stories from Betty & Veronica Jumbo Comics Digest #317, which comes out Sept. 6.

In the first story, Hiram Lodge invites Nevada Jones to check out his new Western-themed attraction — which happens to be populated with out-of-this-Westworld robot versions of the cowboy. Ian Flynn, Pat Kennedy, Bob Smith, Glenn Whitmore and Jack Morelli bring this one to life.

Then in the second story, Jack Chang is back to help Betty and Veronica solve the mystery of a vanishing case of money at Riverdale’s annual charity cricket match. Tom DeFalco, Steven Butler, Lily Butler, Whitmore and Morelli are the creative team for this “Whodunit?”

Check out both previews below, along with a complete Josie and the Pussycats story by Frank Doyle and Dan DeCarlo.

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DSTLRY announces an ‘erotic folk-horror comic series’ from Tula Lotay + Becky Cloonan

‘Somna’ will launch in November.

With The Devil’s Cut arriving in (brick and mortar) stores this week, DSTLRY has announced a second title that will spin out of the anthology — Somna by Tula Lotay and Becky Cloonan.

The project will feature both creators as writers and artists, and DSTLRY says it’s been a decade in the making. It spins out of their 11-page story “What Blighted Flame Burns in Thee?” from The Devil’s Cut anthology and is an “eerie exploration of puritanical oppression and forbidden passion presented in oversized, 48-page perfect bound issues.”

“Somna culminates from a decade plus reveling in the darkest mythologies of history,” Cloonan said in a statement. “Being able to explore these lifetime obsessions alongside one of my favorite creators has made this a career-defining project.”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | Batman and Catwoman collide in ‘Gotham War’

Check out new comics and graphic novels coming this week from Chip Zdarsky, Tini Howard, Garth Stein, Matthew Southworth, Jeff Lemire, Malachi Ward, Iman Vellani and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week brings the end of one DC crossover and the beginning of a new one, as Knight Terrors wraps up and The Gotham War kicks off. We also have the resurrection of Ms. Marvel, the beginning of the end for Black Hammer, lots of anthologies and, oh yeah, G’Nort!

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.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Comics | Batman and Catwoman collide in ‘Gotham War’”

Ghost Fox takes a radical trip back in time in this preview of ‘Archie Jumbo Comics’ #343

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

If you’re still coming to terms with the fact that Riverdale has aired its last episode ever, fear not — the comic book adventures of Archie and his friends continue every week. And this week, thanks to Archie Comics, we have a preview of two new stories appearing in next week’s Archie Jumbo Comics Digest #343.

The first story features Archie, Dilton and Moose helping out Nevada Jones with harvesting the Nevada Orchard fruit trees, with a little “help” from Dilton’s drones. Things do not go well in this story by Ian Flynn, Pat Kennedy, Jim Amash, Glenn Whitmore and Jack Morelli.

In the second story, Ghost Fox is preoccupied with 1985 when he is accidentally transported back in time thanks to one of Dilton’s machines. (Are we sure it’s a good idea for this kid to have access to technology?) This totally tubular story is by Dan Parent and Bob Smith, along with Whitmore and Morelli.

Check them both out below, along with a classic Archie story featuring Archie cowboying up after a relative gifts him a pair of boots.

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Check out Chrissie Zullo’s variant cover for ‘Armored’ #2 [Exclusive]

The Kickstarter for the five-issue miniseries from Clover Press is now live.

Screenwriter Michael Schwartz is making his comic book writing debut with a five-issue miniseries called Armored, which is about a boy and his new best friend, a haunted suit of armor. Schwartz has teamed up with artist Ismael Hernandez and letterer Ferran Delgado on the project, which publisher Clover Press is currently crowdfunding on Kickstarter.

“A few years ago, my entire comic book collection was stolen,” said Schwartz, who penned the screenplay for Gnome Alone. “After that I started to re-collect and revisit the thousands of books I loved — from Silver Age classics to modern era epics — and realized the potential comic books offered me for telling this ambitious and personal tale. Working with Clover has been a real pleasure as they truly understood the scope of the story and how Ismael Hernandez and I wanted this narrative to unfold for the reader.”

Each issue will feature covers and variants by different artists, and we’re pleased to debut Chrissie Zullo‘s variant cover for Armored #2, which you can see below. Her trademark whimsical style has been featured on covers for Archie Comics, the various Fables titles, Star Wars and many more, and it’s great to see it here:

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Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon and Peter Bergting will inspire ‘Mortal Terror’ this November

The miniseries imagines an underground London filled with vampires.

Christopher Golden, Tim Lebbon and Peter Bergting will flip the vampire world upside down in Mortal Terror, a new miniseries coming this fall from Dark Horse Comics. Golden and Lebbon will write the series with art by Bergting, along with colors by Chris O’Halloran and letters by Clem Robins.

Mortal Terror is set in an underground version of London filled with vampires who think the mortals living above ground and the stories of Count Dracula are just myths.

“Inventing this world with Tim and Peter has been some of the most fun I’ve had telling stories in a long time,” Golden said in a statement to Daily Dead. “It first occurred to me the way so many things do, floating up from the depths to grab my attention with a single question—what if we inverted Dracula? But that question was really just the spark. When I mentioned it to Tim, we started talking, and I knew this was the perfect next collaboration for us—not only because we enjoy working together so much, but because I knew he would have a hundred world-building questions and ideas that would make Mortal Terror so much richer.”

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