SDCC | Gene Yang + Freddie Williams II take on ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’

Plus: TMNT X Godzilla, Battle Nexus and more Turtle-focused news from San Diego.

The 12th issue of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles will be the final issue by Jason Aaron and Juan Ferrerya, who kicked off the new series last year. But December will bring a new creative team as Gene Luen Yang (American Born Chinese) and Freddie Williams II (Batman/TMNT) take over the title.

The creative team change was one of several TMNT-related announcements IDW made this week at the San Diego Comic-Con.

According to publisher IDW, “this all-new story arc will provide fans with a fresh jumping on point as the Heroes in a Half-Shell are back together and hopeful about the future of the city, but there’s a dark and personal danger lurking in the shadows as a deadly new assassin makes their debut.” Yang and Williams will be joined by Jake Thomas, who take over editing the title.

“I’ve been a fan of the TMNT since I was young. I remember watching the ‘80s cartoon with my brother and then reenacting the Turtles’ adventures with our action figures,” Yang said. “I read my first issue of TMNT at a friend’s house, and I was blown away by the melding of gritty martial arts action and wild, out-of-left-field ideas. Many years later, I began my cartooning career in American independent comics. All of us from that corner of comics owe a huge debt to Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. Their talent and creativity, both as comics creators and as businessmen, carved out a path for the rest of us to follow. In fact, the very first comic I ever self-published was funded by a grant from Peter Laird’s Xeric Foundation. I’ve admired the Turtles for a long, long time. I’m absolutely thrilled to get to tell their stories at IDW.”

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SDCC | ‘Age of Revelation’ continues in November

See what’s up with Magik, the Fenris twins, the Iron King, Vindicator and the X-Babies during Marvel’s next big X-Men event.

Marvel has revealed more details about Age of Revelation, their big alternate-history X-Men event that kicks off in October. Following the slow trickle over four days of revealing the titles that’ll take over the X-Men line in October, Marvel has released covers and solicits for the second issues of each of those titles, which will arrive in November.

As a reminder, Age of Revelation is an Age of Apocalypse-style event. Like the 1990s event — which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year — Age of Revelation will show us an alternate world and bring the relaunch of several X-related titles for the duration, as Doug Ramsey, the heir to Apocalypse, creates a new world order and we jump 10 years into the future to see what it brings.

I covered the first issues when they were announced here, here, here and here, if you need to catch up on what was previously announced. Now here’s what you can expect in November … note that a couple of titles, Binary and Rogue Storm, are missing, but Marvel said details on their second issues would be released at a later date.

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SDCC | Robert Kirkman + Mark Englert return to ‘Capes’

Remastered issues of the 2003 series will arrive in November from Skybound, followed by new issues written by Benito Cereno.

Capes, an early superhero comic by Robert Kirkman and Mark Englert, will get a makeover by the creators as it returns in November.

The story revolves around a superhero business, Capes Inc., that’s set in the same universe as Invincible (and has been seen in the animated series). It employs characters like Kid Thor, Knockout, Captain Cosmic and more, who protect New York when they’re on the clock.

Capes originally debuted in 2003, a month before another Kirkman-written series, The Walking Dead, and many years before Kirkman would form Skybound and become an Image partner. At the time, the young up-and-coming writer had already kicked off Invincible and Tech Jacket at Image Comics, so he was turning into a force for the publisher.

Kirkman and Englert’s original Capes stories will be remastered with new art and dialogue by the original creative team and released as single issues. And then with issue #7, the title will continue with new stories drawn by Englert and written by Blood & Thunder writer Benito Cereno.

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SDCC | ‘Kull’ will return at Titan Comics in 2027

Plus more news from Titan’s ‘Conan the Barbarian’ panel.

Robert E. Howard’s Kull, sometimes known as Kull the Conqueror or King Kull, will return to comics in 2027 at Titan Comics.

The publisher returned to San Diego to reveal more details on upcoming Conan the Barbarian projects, revealing to fans at their panel plans for the return of Kull, The Savage Sword of Conan: Reforged, Scourge of the Serpent and more.

Not much was said about Kull, which is still two years away. But in the more immediate future, Oct. 8 brings the extra-sized Conan the Barbarian #25 by longtime Conan writer Jim Zub and fantasy artist Alex Horley, who is painting the issue. Here’s a preview:

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Smash Pages Q&A | Craig Hurd-McKenney on ‘Curse of Dark Shadows’

The writer of the new graphic novel that dives back into the world of the cult classic supernatural soap opera discusses the project, which is currently up on Kickstarter.

Dark Shadows was a supernatural-themed daytime soap opera that ran on ABC from 1966 to 1971, but still holds a place in the hearts of many fans. Barnabas Collins and his brood have lived on in books, movies and through streaming services over the years, bringing new fans to Collinsport, Maine — a city inhabited by vampires, zombies, werewolves, witches, warlocks and more.

Hermes Press has kept the story alive through a series of novels and reprints of previous comics, but now they’re returning to the world of Dark Shadows with an original graphic novel that moves the story into the present. Craig Hurd-McKenney, writer of the recent Station Grand from Oni Press, and Jok, artist of the under-appreciated In Hell We Fight with John Layman at Image Comics, are bringing these characters back to the forefront and continuing the drama that made the show so popular.

Here’s the description of Curse of Dark Shadows:

Carolyn Stoddard-Hawkes made a deathbed promise to her mother. But, in order for Carolyn to complete that promise, she must rely on the one person in the world she doesn’t want to see: vampire Barnabas Collins. His return home after an extended period away sets in motion a chain of events that will change the Collins family forever. Can Carolyn and her cousin David survive the newly-awakened CURSE OF DARK SHADOWS, or will Barnabas be the end of the Collins family line?

The project is currently up on Kickstarter, and Hermes Press has a small number of limited edition copies at the San Diego Comic-Con. They’ll also host a panel this afternoon at 3 p.m. Pacific at the con, featuring Hurd-McKenney and actress Kathryn Leigh Scott, who played Maggie on the show and will join the conversation remotely.

I spoke with Hurd-McKenney about the project, his history with the show and working again with his longtime collaborator Jok.

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SDCC | Abrams ComicArts to publish John Byrne’s ‘X-Men: Elsewhen’

The 600-page story will be told across three hardcover volumes.

I can’t say I ever expected to see this news, but hey, there’s no better time than the week of Comic-Con for a surprise. Abrams ComicArts and Marvel are teaming up to publish X-Men: Elsewhen, a collection of John Byrne’s alternate history X-Men story.

Byrne is one of the legendary artists of the new X-Men, if not THE legendary artist of the new X-Men that debuted back in Giant-Sized X-Men #1. Byrne joined writer Chris Claremont on X-Men with issue #108, shortly before “Uncanny” was added to the title. Together with inker Terry Austin, he drew some of the most well-regarded issues of the title, including the Dark Phoenix Saga, Days of Future Past, the introduction of Alpha Flight and more. He left the title with issue #143, and went on to work on everything from Fantastic Four to Alpha Flight to Sueprman to Doom Patrol and so much more.

Cut to about seven years ago, and Byrne started posting these X-Men: Elsewhen comics on his Byrne Robotics forum. As the press release describes it:

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Jeremy Whitley + Bayleigh Underwood roll for initiative on ‘Strange Tales’

The four-issue miniseries features several of Marvel’s mystical heroes in an RPG-inspired story.

Marvel is reviving Strange Tales, a title used by the company for decades — even before they were Marvel — for a “mystical mystery” story by Jeremy Whitley and Bayleigh Underwood.

The four-issue miniseries will feature magical heroes like Scarlet Witch, Wiccan, Nico Minoru and Doctor Strange in a story that “blends Marvel Comics storytelling with elements of popular tabletop role-playing games.”

“I’ve always been a fan of the spookier side of the Marvel Universe and to get to play in that playground was a ball,” Whitley said. “And to get to add aspects of table-top role-playing games on top of it – who could resist? Then I found out we’d get to see all of the excitement penciled by the amazing Bailey Underwood! Strange Tales is a treat I think all Marvel fans will enjoy!”

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White Tiger returns in Marvel’s Voices Comunidades special this October

Daniel José Older, Bruno Abdias, Cynthia Pelayo, Moises Hidalgo and more will present two stories starring two versions of the character.

With Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month coming up this fall, Marvel has announced their annual Voices Comunidades special in October will focus on White Tiger.

White Tiger Reborn will feature stories about both people who have worn the White Tiger costume — Hector Ayala, who died in the pages of Daredevil, and his sister Ava Ayala, the current White Tiger. The two stories in the special starring the Puerto Rican heroes are by writer Daniel José Older and artist Bruno Abdias, and writer Cynthia Pelayo and artist Moises Hidalgo.

“As a Puerto Rican author, it is an honor to make my Marvel Comics debut with White Tiger,” Pelayo said. “I’m grateful to be a part of the experience of new audiences, and old, learning about the legacy of the first Latin American, and Puerto Rican, superhero in the history of American comic books.”

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SDCC | Jimmy Palmiotti + Dan Panosian enlist for ‘Marvel Knights: Punisher’

Palmiotti returns to the imprint he helped bring to life at Marvel in the 1990s.

Earlier this year Joe Quesada returned to Marvel for Marvel Knights: The World to Come, named for the imprint he helped spearhead starting in 1998 that redefined characters like Daredevil, Black Panther, the Punisher and many more. Now his co-conspirator for Marvel Knights, Jimmy Palmiotti, will return as well for Marvel Knights: Punisher, which is set in the same world as The World to Come.

Palmiotti will work with artist Dan Panosian on the limited series, which features Frank Castle in “one of the most savage comics ever.”

“The secret behind Marvel Knights has always been creative alchemy: the perfect blend of raw talent and fearless storytelling, forged by creators who don’t flinch when things get intense,” Palmiotti said. “Now, years later, under the iconic Marvel Knights banner that Joe Quesada and I created all those years ago, I’m writing a brand-new Punisher series that’s being lit on fire by one of the industry’s most electrifying artists: the incomparable Dan Panosian. This is Frank Castle pushed past his limits into uncharted, brutal territory. Dan and I aren’t revisiting a legend—we’re detonating it.”

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SDCC | Tyler Kirkham levels up to ‘Final Boss’ in November

Kirkham will write and draw the new series, which debuts at Image Comics this November.

Tyler Kirkham started his career at Top Cow, and has since done work for DC and Marvel — enough to get his own The Marvel Art of Tyler Kirkham book from Clover Press — but hasn’t done any creator-owned work at Image, until now. In the lead up to this week’s San Diego Comic-Con, Image has announced Final Boss, a new ongoing series written and drawn by Kirkham that will debut in November.

“Final Boss is a culmination of everything I loved growing up as an ’80s and ’90s kid,” said Kirkham. “From the fan-favorite action heroes and beat ’em up arcade games to the groundbreaking energy of early Image comics. It’s a no-holds-barred nostalgic action adventure!”

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SDCC | Dynamite to publish ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer,’ ‘Angel’ comics

Kelly Thompson will serve as the “master architect and writer” for both series.

In the lead-up to the San Diego Comic-Con, Dynamite Entertainment has announced they are working with 20th Century Television on new comic titles starring Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel.

Kelly Thompson, writer of Absolute Wonder Woman, Birds of Prey and many other comic titles, will write both series and serve as the “architect” for both. No word yet on when the series will be set in the Buffy mythos or the artists involved, although David Nakayama provided the image used with the press release.

Thompson shared more about her personal connection to the character and the original TV series.

“In my early days trying to figure out how to be a writer and what stories mattered to me and why — no heroine quite broke through for me like Buffy Summers,” Thompson said. “She was somehow everything my young geek heart had always wanted but hadn’t known to ask for. Something about that delicate alchemy of horror, fantasy, and comedy paired with a hero so pure of heart and yet flawed and relatable was… impossible to deny. I fell deeply in love with Buffy, and following that, her whole world. Her ex-boyfriend is now a supernatural detective in Los Angeles you say? Inject it directly into my veins! But unlike a lot of other worlds I loved, the world of Buffy and Angel somehow never fell to the wayside. I could always come back to it and find something new, or something I’d missed, or something I needed. And I hope this new story we’re telling can do the same for old and new fans everywhere.”

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Quick Hits | Rounding up the awards

See who’s up for what awards this Friday during the Eisner Awards ceremony in San Diego.

The 56th annual San Diego Comic-Con kicks off today with preview night, which means we’re only a few days away from the Will Eisner Awards ceremony and Hall of Fame inductions. Which means it’s a good time to not only review the nominees for the prestigious awards, but also take a look at some of the other awards that will be given out this week.

The 37th annual Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards ceremony will be held Friday July 25 in the Indigo Ballroom at the Hilton Bayfront, for those attending in person. For those not attending, you can follow along with us on BlueSky as we cover the results live like we have in years past.

In addition to the Eisner Awards and the Russ Manning Awards, the ceremony will include the presentation of the Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award, the Bill Finger Award and the Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award.

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