Smash Pages Q&A | Joshua Viola on serving up a meta-horror finale in ‘True Believer’ #3

With the three-issue miniseries from Bit Bot Media wrapped, we caught up with the co-writer on its horror-filled Easter eggs, special guests and more.

The final issue of True Believers arrived Oct. 13, bringing the blood-soaked comic book series from Stephen Graham Jones, Joshua Viola, Ben Matsuya and Jeremiah Lambert to its chaotic conclusion.

The third issue reunites the creative team behind the meta-horror series that’s featured cameos from Jamie Lee Curtis, GWAR, R.L. Stine and more horror icons across its run. This time, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash, Re-Animator stars Barbara Crampton and Jeffrey Combs, and Celldweller’s Klayton join the mayhem as another masked killer terrorizes convention-goers obsessed with the fictional slasher franchise Killr™.

Jones, whose novel The Buffalo Hunter Hunter appeared on President Barack Obama’s 2025 Summer Reading List, co-wrote the series with Viola. The duo has crafted a trilogy that blends outrageous kills, tongue-in-cheek humor and meta Easter eggs while questioning just how far fandom can go.

I spoke to Viola about wrapping up the final arc for Killr™, collaborating with Jones on the chaotic horror narrative and the Easter eggs horror fans should watch for in the issue. Fans can purchase all three issues of the series from Bit Bot Media.

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Keep warm this winter with an adorable ‘Mutts’-themed blanket

The image is based on the cover to McDonnell’s newest book, ‘The Gift of Everything.’

Winter is coming, as they say, and there’s no better time to hunker down indoors with a fire, a few comics — and a blanket designed by Mutts creator Patrick McDonnell.

To celebrate the recent release of The Gift of Everything, McDonnell has released a new blanket on his website featuring a few characters fans might recognize:

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Exclusive | Valiant Beyond continues in January with ‘X-O Manowar: The God Hunt’

Steve Orlando returns with new artists Diego Giribaldi and Tomas Aira to chronicle more of Aric of Dacia’s adventures next year.

Valiant Beyond is taking Aric of Dacia on his most personal mission yet with X-O Manowar: The God Hunt in January. Writer Steve Orlando returns with new artists Diego Giribaldi and Tomas Aira for this four-issue arc.

The new miniseries will follow Valiant Beyond’s The X-O Manowar miniseries, which debuted in September and finishes up in December.

“The next X-O Manowar blockbuster kicks off with The God Hunt!” Orlando exclaimed. “Aric of Dacia walks the wastelands of tomorrow in search of honor–but he doesn’t walk alone. His ally, his queen, his armor…Shanhara is with him. They’re one! So if the God Marshal comes to take Shanhara’s head for a prize, he’ll have to go through the Man of War!”

And it sounds like that’s exactly what the God Marshal has planned.

“From the depths of the cosmos comes The God Marshal, the most feared of the Starwatch, tasked with bringing in all fugitive deities–dead or alive,” Orlando said. “But if the Marshal wants Shanhara, he’ll have to rip her from Aric of Dacia’s cold, dead, heart!”

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | EC Comics saddles up for ‘Outlaw Showdown’ #1

This week will bring new comics and graphic novels by Todd McFarlane, David Pepose, Sebastian Piriz, Mark Russell, Steve Orlando, Ethan Sacks, Mike Mignola, Bruce Zick and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what’s coming to your local comic shop this week.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights for this week 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 check with your retailer to see what’s arriving at their shop this week.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday | EC Comics saddles up for ‘Outlaw Showdown’ #1”

Eric Powell, Chris Samnee, Kelly Thompson, ‘The Pedestrian’ + more win at the 2025 Ringo Awards

The winners were announced at the Baltimore Comic-Con this weekend.

The winners of this year’s Ringo Awards were announced last night at the Baltimore Comic-Con. The awards program is named for artist Mike Wieringo, the artist of Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Tellos and more who died in 2007, and recognizes creators, comic books, graphic novels and webcomics in 16 categories.

In addition to the Ringos, several other recognitions were given out last night. The Mike Wieringo Spirit Award went to Welcome to the Maynard by James Robinson and J Bone, published by Dark Horse Comics. This award is selected every year by perennial jurors Todd Dezago, Craig Rousseau, Mark Waid and Matt Wieringo, Mike’s brother.

The Hero Initiative gave out three awards:

  • Dick Giordano Humanitarian of the Year Award: Stan Sakai
  • Hero Initiative Lifetime Achievement Award: Kevin Nowlan
  • Brogan Fidelity Award: Mike McKone

Congrats to this year’s winners:

Continue reading “Eric Powell, Chris Samnee, Kelly Thompson, ‘The Pedestrian’ + more win at the 2025 Ringo Awards”

‘Lunar Boy’ by Jes and Cin Wibowo wins at the 2025 Ignyte Awards

The awards ‘celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of the current and future landscapes of science fiction, fantasy and horror.’

Lunar Boy, the graphic novel created by Jes and Cin Wibowo and published by Harper Alley, has won a 2025 Ignyte Award in the “Outstanding Comics Team” category.

The first graphic novel created by the Indonesian identical twins is the story of Indu, a young trans boy who lives on the moon until his mom takes him to Earth to live with his new blended family.

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Exclusive | Oni Press serves up another helping of ‘Chef’s Kiss’ in 2026

Series co-creator Jarrett Melendez teams with artist Irene Flores for the next chapter in the culinary love story.

Love is in the air—or is that the aroma of garlic and butter sizzling in a pan? For fans of culinary romance, it’s about to be both: Oni Press will publish Chef’s Kiss Again!, the sequel to the Alex Award-winning graphic novel Chef’s Kiss. The new volume arrives in stores next August.

Series co-creator Jarrett Melendez returns to write the continuation of Ben and Liam’s love story, this time teaming with artist Irene Flores (Heavy Vinyl, Disney’s Mirrorverse: Belle).

“The response to the first volume of Chef’s Kiss was better than I ever could have dreamed,” Melendez said. “I knew right away I wanted to pick up where our dear crew leaves off. Now we get to see the aftermath of Ben’s article, what that does for the restaurant, Watson’s ego, and the relationship between Ben and Liam. Like the first volume, this chapter is deeply personal to me, and I hope it will resonate with readers as it deals with all sorts of new universal problems: how to balance life and work, the horrors and delights of a new relationship, and the many varied flavors of anxiety. This volume is bigger, gayer, and has what volume one was missing: DRAG!”

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Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Fantastic Four + Gargoyles unite this week as Marvel’s crossover spree continues

Check out new comics and graphic novels arriving this week by creators like Greg Pak, Matt Kindt, Mark Russell, David Pepose, Greg Weisman, Megan J. Grey, George Northy, Rachele Aragno and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Wednesday, your guide to what’s coming to your local comic shop this week. It’s a huge week for comics, so let’s get to it.

I’ve pulled out some of the highlights for this week 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 check with your retailer to see what’s arriving at their shop this week.

Continue reading “Can’t Wait for Wednesday | Fantastic Four + Gargoyles unite this week as Marvel’s crossover spree continues”

NYCC | Enter the ‘Dungeons of Doom,’ if you dare, in January

Phillip Kennedy Johnson, Benjamin Percy and more engage in the ultimate heist — stealing the unguarded secrets of Doctor Doom.

Doom’s reign as sorcerer supreme and emperor of the world may be coming to an end soon, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some fallout. At New York Comic Con, Marvel announced Dungeons of Doom, a three-issue miniseries that will find “a new cast of characters from various corners of the Marvel Universe” shifting through the wreckage of Latveria to find Doom’s secret weapons.

Phillip Kennedy Johnson and Benjamin Percy are co-writing the series, which will feature art by Carlos Magno, Robert Gill, Justin Mason and Georges Jeanty.

“Ben Percy is a kindred spirit, and we both love horror books,” Johnson said. “Without spoiling the events that lead up to this series, there’s going to be a big conflict in Latveria, and all these factions end up in a place they didn’t ever know that was there. It gives us a set up for a horror anthology in the Marvel Universe, where we’ll see various factions of the Marvel Universe opening these doors and finding these horrors that Doom has been keeping hidden.”

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Let’s Do the Time Warp Again: ‘Bride of Rocky Horror’ brings back the madness

Bit Bot Media’s Kickstarter will feature a sequel graphic novel, as well as Rocky Horror–themed hoodies, hats, plushies and more.

Fans of the cult classic The Rocky Horror Show are about to shiver with antici…pation once more. Bit Bot Media has announced Bride of Rocky Horror, an officially licensed graphic novel sequel to the original stage production that includes exclusive collectibles, a retro video game and newly revealed Rocky Horror–themed apparel — which we’re happy to share today.

You can sign up now to be noticed when the crowdfunding campaign launches.

Written by Magdalene Visaggio (Girlmode) and illustrated by Noemi Vettori (X-Men Unlimited), Bride of Rocky Horror picks up seven years after that fateful night with Janet Weiss and Brad Majors. Janet has embraced a life of decadence and debauchery, but when a mysterious invitation reunites her with Brad, she’s pulled into a new mystery involving an enigmatic figure named Bridget Von Frankenstein.

“It was the safest queer art I had access to when I was young because my parents were both huge fans,” said Visaggio. “So to get the chance to look beyond it and see how it could have played out once that fateful night ended was a dream come true.”

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NYCC | Marvel’s Ultimate Universe will end next year

Each series will end between December and April, with the final battle with the Maker coming in ‘Ultimate Endgame.’

For the second time, Marvel’s Ultimate Universe will come to an end.

During Marvel’s Next Big Thing Panel at NYCC, Head of Marvel Comics and Franchise Dan Buckley, Editor in Chief C.B. Cebulski, Senior Editor Wil Moss, The Ultimates writer Deniz Camp and Ultimate Wolverine writer Chris Condon confirmed that the finite story, as it was conceived by story architect Jonathan Hickman, would wrap up in 2026.

“It’s hard to talk about without getting emotional,” said Camp. “It really is the culmination of everything Jonathan began. Everything from my book and everyone else’s book are all converging. It’s gonna be definitive, it’s going to be big, it’s going to be emotional, there’s going to be death…it’s just wild.”

Marvel previously announced this past summer that December’s Ultimate Spider-Man #24 would be the final issue of that title, and have confirmed that Ultimate Black Panther, Ultimate X-Men and The Ultimates will all end with their 24th issues. Ultimate Wolverine will end with issue #16. The showdown with the Maker will conclude with the previously announced Ultimate Endgame, the five-issue miniseries that kicks off in December and concludes in April.

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NYCC | Joshua Williamson returns to Marvel to write ‘Iron Man’

The writer of ‘Superman’ and ‘G.I. Joe’ takes on the Armored Avenger in January.

It’s been almost a decade since Joshua Williamson did any work for Marvel, as he’s flown his flag for the past 10 years at DC and Image, writing high-profile titles like Superman, G.I. Joe and more. But he’ll make his return to the House of Ideas next year to write Iron Man.

Williamson will work with artist Carmen Carnero on the title, which will feature Madame Masque, members of the classic Thunderbolts team and a new archenemy.

“I am a huge Iron Man fan. A massive Iron Man fan… and I knew it was time. I absolutely had to do this,” said Williamson. “Part of our tagline for this book is that Tony Stark is the most dangerous weapon in the Marvel Universe. When he went into the cave, Tony built the armor… but after I thought about it more, the armor wasn’t what he built in the cave. Tony built Tony.”

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