Fantastic Four gets the ‘Grand Design’ treatment courtesy of Tom Scioli

The two-issue series kicks off in October.

Fans of Tom Scioli‘s creative and inspired approach to comics are in for a treat — the creator behind American Barbarian, Go-Bots and Transformers vs. G.I. Joe will turn his attention to Marvel’s first family in Fantastic Four: Grand Design.

“Fantastic Four is like the Magna Carta of Marvel, this founding document, so being allowed to get my hands on it is thrilling,” Scioli told Comicbook.com. “They’ve given me a tremendous amount of creative freedom to just go for it.”

Continue reading “Fantastic Four gets the ‘Grand Design’ treatment courtesy of Tom Scioli”

‘John Constantine, Hellblazer’ joins the Sandman Universe titles this fall

Simon Spurrier, Marcio Takara and Aaron Campbell take the character back to his roots.

After a move to the regular DC Universe, a movie, a TV show and even the announcement of a YA graphic novel, John Constantine will go back to basics in a new Hellblazer title this fall, as part of the Neil Gaiman-curated Sandman Universe line.

The day before Halloween will bring a one-shot by Simon Spurrier and artist Marcio Takara titled The Sandman Universe Presents Hellblazer. That’ll be followed by a new ongoing titled John Constantine, Hellblazer by Spurrier and artist Aaron Campbell.

“Year One was just the start. Now you get to inhabit the worlds, books and houses we built for you,” said Gaiman. “I was thrilled when I was told that John Constantine—the original, demon-haunted one who first showed up in Swamp Thing’s ‘American Gothic’ story—is coming back to his murky and dangerous roots. More magic and more darkness and not a few gods and dreams are here for you to explore.”

Continue reading “‘John Constantine, Hellblazer’ joins the Sandman Universe titles this fall”

‘Heavy Vinyl’ returns for a second spin

Carly Usdin and Nina Vakueva reunite for another round of music store fight club.

Carly Usdin and Nina Vakueva will reunite for a Heavy Vinyl original graphic novel, a sequel to the 2017 miniseries. Subtitled “Y2K-O!,” this one will take place in the summer of 1999.

“Getting the chance to continue the Heavy Vinyl story is a dream come true! I’m thrilled to be reunited with my precious little ‘90s babies. The story picks up a few months later — it’s 1999, digital music and file sharing have upset the status quo, and Y2K approaches!” Usdin said. “You can expect the same level of exhaustively researched pop culture references with new characters, a new mystery and more Chris/Maggie cuteness. I’ve been having a great time writing it, and I can’t wait for fans to read it.”

The story revolves around a group of girls who work at their local record store, Vinyl Mayhem — which is also the front for a teen girl vigilante fight club. In the new OGN, they’ll have to deal with the led-up to Y2K.

Continue reading “‘Heavy Vinyl’ returns for a second spin”

Haberlin + Hine team up for ‘The Marked’

New series from Image Comics due out in October.

Brian Haberlin and David Hine (Sonata) will re-team for a new series from Image Comics titled The Marked.

“The Marked is my chance to do magical, dark and sexy,” Haberlin said in the press release. “The world may seem familiar, but what lies beneath is certainly not. A world readers of my old series Aria and The Wicked will recognize and maybe we’ll even see some characters from those books appear along the way in this new series!”

Continue reading “Haberlin + Hine team up for ‘The Marked’”

DC reveals more Legion of Super-Heroes art

The Legion reboot by Brian Michael Bendis and Ryan Sook kicks off this fall.

DC Comics has revealed both cover and interior art related to the relaunch of the Legion of Super-Heroes this fall.

If you haven’t heard, Brian Michael Bendis and several artists are working on a two-issue prelude called Legion Of Super-Heroes: Millennium, which will feature not only the Legion, but other “future” characters from the DC Universe, like OMAC, Tommy Tomorrow and Booster Gold, among others. It kicks off in September and will be followed in November by a new Legion title by Bendis and Ryan Sook.

Today DC revealed the cover to issue #2 of Millennium, which features a certain teen-aged superhero who is synonymous with the Legion:

Continue reading “DC reveals more Legion of Super-Heroes art”

‘Second Coming’ finally makes it to comic shops this week

The first issue of Mark Russell and Richard Pace’s story about Jesus and superheroes arrives Wednesday from AHOY Comics.

It’s been a long, winding road for Mark Russell and Richard Pace’s Second Coming, but this week it finally makes its way into the hands of readers.

The quick version:

  • Second Coming was originally announced more than a year ago as a part of the latest (and, it would turn out, last) wave of Vertigo books, in celebration of their 25th anniversary. The story features a superhero named Sunstar (formerly Sun-Man) becoming roommates with Jesus Christ.
  • News about the comic’s premise caught the eyes of the religious right, who petitioned DC Comics to cancel the book. They called the unreleased comic “inappropriate and blasphemous.” DC canceled it a few weeks before it was slated to hit comic shops.
  • AHOY Comics picked it up in March, with the first issue scheduled to arrive this Wednesday.

So what’s this all about? Let’s break it down …

Continue reading “‘Second Coming’ finally makes it to comic shops this week”

Becky Lynch takes center ring in new ‘Smackdown Live’ comic

BOOM! Studios announces a new one-shot focused on The Man and Smackdown Live moving to the Fox network.

BOOM! Studios’ ongoing WWE comic may have been canceled, but the sports entertainment license lives on at the publisher. In their build-up to this year’s Comic-Con International in San Diego, the publisher announced a new one-shot, WWE Smackdown Live #1.

Written by Kevin Panetta with art by Kendall Goode, the comic will focus on Becky Lynch, a.k.a. The Man, arguably the WWE’s most popular superstar right now. It’ll also tie into Smackdown Live, currently seen Tuesday nights on USA, moving to the Fox network in October. Panetta is the writer of Bloom from First Second and Zodiac Starforce from Dark Horse, while Goode has work on previous WWE comics for BOOM!.

“The Man is one of the most electrifying Superstars to hit the ropes, and what better way to begin a new era of SmackDown Live than with Becky Lynch in the lead?” said Chris Rosa, Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Current WWE Superstars collide with WWE Legends, who are all here for one of the biggest and most unpredictable nights that they’ll ever face in the ring.”

Continue reading “Becky Lynch takes center ring in new ‘Smackdown Live’ comic”

MAD Memories: Talking ‘Spy vs. Spy’ with Peter Kuper & John Ficarra

As MAD Magazine closes its doors, we flash back to 2013, when Peter Kuper had just taken over ‘Spy vs, Spy.’

The internet is reverberating this week with the sad news of the changes coming for MAD Magazine. I’m one of the mourners; when I was growing up, we always had MAD in the house, and I’m one of those people who got more pop culture knowledge from the movie and TV satires than from actual movies and TV.

When I saw the news, I remembered an interview I did with Peter Kuper and then MAD editor John Ficarra back in 2013, when Kuper took over the venerable Spy vs. Spy feature. As sometimes happens, the interview slid to the bottom of the pile and never got published. Until now.

Continue reading “MAD Memories: Talking ‘Spy vs. Spy’ with Peter Kuper & John Ficarra”

MAD Magazine to stop newsstand distribution after 67 years

Mad will cease to be available on newsstands, with new material only available in the year-end specials.

After 67 years of publishing, MAD Magazine will cease to be available on newsstands, with new material only available in the year-end specials.

The last surviving title of the EC Comics line and the most culturally significant American satire magazine, MAD, will undergo a major transformation as newsstand distribution ceases. It will only be available to the direct market and subscribers, will reprint old content from their 67-year library and only create new material for the year-end specials.

Continue reading “MAD Magazine to stop newsstand distribution after 67 years”

Snyder + Soule + Camuncoli tease something for San Diego

New adventure comic by the team coming from Image Comics.

Scott Snyder and Charles Soule are both powerhouse comic writers in their own right, but together they form a Voltron-like super writer. The duo will team up on a new Image Comics series, which they began teasing yesterday on social media.

They’ll be joined by the art team of Giuseppe Camuncoli, along with Matt Wilson, Daniele Orlandini, Crank! and editor Will Dennis. The actual announcement will take place at Comic-Con International later this month.

Continue reading “Snyder + Soule + Camuncoli tease something for San Diego”

Hot Toys’ out-of-this-world Stan Lee action figure

Watchers not included.

Hot Toys is paying tribute to the late Stan Lee with an action figure that captures one of his most memorable cameos in a Marvel film.

“Marvel legend Stan Lee, makes a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.2 just as he’s done in every Marvel Cinematic Universe movie,” Hot Toys posted to Facebook. “In his scene, which takes place on a planetoid called Xander, Stan Lee is surrounded by members of the Watchers, the ancient race who observe everything happening in the universe and who occasionally meddle in it despite a strict non-interference policy.”

Continue reading “Hot Toys’ out-of-this-world Stan Lee action figure”

IDW to adapt ‘Cobra Kai’ into comics

Denton J. Tipton and Kagan McLeod will bring the YouTube Premium show to comics this fall.

You’ll be seeing more of Danny’s baby browns this fall, as IDW Publishing has announced a new miniseries featuring characters from The Karate Kid.

Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues will continue the story set up in the YouTube Premium program Cobra Kai, which is a continuation of the story set up in the original movies. Denton J. Tipton and Kagan McLeod are the creative team. Tipton is a group editor at IDW and has written their X-Files comics, while McLeod is an illustrator whose drawings have appeared in numerous publications; he also created the excellent graphic novel Infinite Kung fu.

“I saw The Karate Kid for the first time during a lock-in at the Y. The skeleton costumes captured my attention, while the Miyagi-isms pulled me into the story. And like everyone else at the time, I caught Karate Kid fever. Fast-forward 35 years, and being just a small part of the franchise has made me feel young and inspired all over again,” said Tipton.

Continue reading “IDW to adapt ‘Cobra Kai’ into comics”