The Comics Super Blog!
The new miniseries begins in January.
If you’ve been wondering what’s next for Daredevil scribe Chip Zdarsky at Marvel, today’s The Next Big Thing panel at New York Comic Con brought some good news — he’s teaming up with artist Daniel Acuna for a “final” story starring the Avengers.
In the vein of Marvel’s “The End” projects, this one will feature a future world where the Avengers no longer exist — but Steve Rogers does.
Continue reading “Zdarsky + Acuna avenge the future in ‘Avengers: Twilight’”The National Cartoonist Society recognized cartoonists and artists across several categories this week.
The National Cartoonists Society has awarded Zippy the Pinhead creator Bill Griffith with its prestigious Reuben Award. The award was presented last night at a ceremony and awards dinner in Jersey City, New Jersey.
Griffith was one of five cartoonists nominated for the award, chosen from a field that included Jeff Smith, Hilary B. Price, Will Henry and Mark Tatulli.
Griffith began his career in 1969, with his strips appearing in publications like East Village Other and Screw Magazine. He moved to San Francisco in the early 1970s to become part of the underground comix movement, which is where Zippy was born. The strip first appeared in Real Pulp #1, then became a weekly in 1976.
Continue reading “‘Zippy the Pinhead’ creator Bill Griffith wins the Reuben Award”The National Cartoonist Society announces the divisional nominees for the 77th Annual NCS Reuben Awards.
The National Cartoonists Society has announced the 2022 NCS Divisional finalists for the 77th Annual NCS Reuben Awards, which annually recognize creators of comic strips, illustrations, comic books and more. The winners will be announced Sept. 7, and the nominees for their biggest award, the Reuben itself, should be announced soon.
The awards recognize the artist or cartoonist, so you’ll see work, the writer or publisher aren’t called out in the nominations. The graphic novel category nominees for this year include Colleen Doran, artist of Chivalry; Alex Ross, creator of Fantastic Four: Full Circle; and Christian Meesey, artist of Time Shopper. For comic books, the nominees include Brett Bean, artist of I Hate Fairyland; Ben Bender, creator of The Littlest Viking; and Robert Goodin, creator of The Kurdles.
Webcomics creators are recognized in two categories — long form and short form. In the long-form category, the nominees include Phil Foglio, Brad Guigar and Sheldon creator Dave Kellett. In the short-form category, Sarah Andersen, Tex creator Jesse Atwell and Rich Powell have been nominated.
Below is the full list of the nominees.
Continue reading “Colleen Doran, Alex Ross, Sarah Andersen among this year’s NCS divisional nominees”Al Ewing + Martín Cóccolo will tell new tales featuring Asgard’s All-Father starting in August.
Al Ewing will return to his “Immortal” roots this summer as he and artist Martín Cóccolo plot new adventures and uncover old secrets for the God of Thunder in Immortal Thor.
The title mirrors Ewing’s earlier run on Immortal Hulk, which wrapped up in 2021. In an interview with Polygon, Ewing talked about the differences in his approach to the two titles.
“Hulk was horror and tragedy,” he told Polygon, “but Thor tacks more toward fantasy and hope. Bruce Banner is fractured by his origin, going through a hell of his own making to gain the power of a monster — Don Blake becomes the person he truly is inside, and in so doing, gains the power of a god. (An unconventional god! Long hair in the early ’60s was more of a flex than we might credit, though I do remember Jane fantasizing about giving him a haircut.) To put my biblical hat back on for a second — if Immortal Hulk was the Old Testament, Immortal Thor is the New Testament.”
Continue reading “‘Immortal Thor’ faces elder gods + buried secrets this summer”Jed MacKay and Pasqual Ferry will resurrect the Sorcerer Supreme in March.
The Doctor Strange story Jed MacKay has been telling over the past year or so will come to a head next March as Stephen Strange will officially return from the dead in a new Doctor Strange title.
MacKay seemingly killed Doctor Strange off in the pages of The Death of Doctor Strange, then replaced him with his wife, Clea, in the pages of Strange. But readers of that title know that death was not the end for the good doctor, who took on a new role serving Death as the Harvestman.
MacKay will be joined by veteran artist Pasqual Ferry on the title, who has always wanted to draw Doctor Strange.
“When I started working for Marvel a long time ago, there were three comics I had always wanted to draw: Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, and Doctor Strange,” Ferry said. “Why Doctor Strange? Because his stories include all the elements I love as an artist—the fantasy, science fiction, and imagination. Above all, the fact that I could look at Steve Ditko’s work as a reference really motivates me! When he drew Doctor Strange, all the utopian and imaginary sceneries were incredible. So this is a very special moment in my career, and I’m looking forward to seeing where the character is going to take us with this new narrative. I know a lot of artists, including myself, consider Doctor Strange a challenge, like there is a need to add something new to the character because it offers you that possibility. For me, Doctor Strange is a big challenge, but I embrace it.”
Continue reading “Stephen Strange returns to life and his own title next year”A comics anthology featuring an impressive line-up of talent that’s being offered through Zoop will benefit Operation USA.
A new anthology featuring the works of Walt Simonson, Kurt Busiek, John Layman, Rob Guillory, Stan Sakai, Sergio Aragones, Dave Gibbons and more will benefit relief efforts in the war-torn Ukraine.
Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds can be purchased in several variations from the comics crowdfunding website Zoop, which will donate proceeds to Operation USA. The charitable organization is raising money to support Ukrainian refugees on the ground in Poland and other nearby countries.
The project is being edited by Scott Dunbier, who currently works at IDW and heads up the Artist’s Edition line. The campaign ends in May, when funds will be collected and sent to Operation USA, and delivery of the final books is expected to be wrapped up by December.
“Like everyone, I have been sickened by the atrocities perpetrated on the Ukrainian people for nearly two months,” said Dunbier, “and I had to do something, anything, to try and help. The comic-book community is full of good and caring people who have stepped up to say, ‘I stand with Ukraine,’ and to contribute to this book.”
Continue reading “‘Comics for Ukraine: Sunflower Seeds’ anthology supports Ukraine relief efforts”Marvel teams with Abrams ComicArt for a unique project from the renowned artist.
Marvel and Abrams ComicArt will team up to present a unique project from artist/painter Alex Ross — Fantastic Four: Full Circle, a large-format hardcover graphic novel featuring Marvel’s first family.
The book will be presented in a format that mirrors the Marvel Graphic Novel line from the 1980s. It also ill include a full-color foldout poster featuring the fully painted origin of the Fantastic Four. According to Marvel, this publication also marks the launch of MarvelArts, a graphic novel collaboration between Marvel Comics and Abrams ComicArts.
“This is the Fantastic Four story I have been wanting to tell for years, and visually it is one of the greatest artistic experiments I have attempted,” Ross told Marvel.com. “I’m excited to share this work with everyone, as it unites the two great publishing forces of Marvel and Abrams ComicArts in a bold new collaboration.”
Continue reading “Alex Ross will write and draw large-format ‘Fantastic Four: Full Circle’ graphic novel”‘Astro City: That Was Then…’ asks the question, ‘Who were the Jayhawks?’
It’s been too long since new Astro City has hit comic book shelves, but that drought will end in March. Image Comics has announced Astro City: That Was Then…, a new one-shot by the team of Kurt Busiek, Brent Anderson, Alex Ross, Alex Sinclair and Comicraft.
Image Comics announced the return of Astro City to their publishing line last year — along with several other Busiek projects, like the Arrowsmith sequel and a new comic called Free Agents.
The story in the one-shot will delve into Astro City’s past, specifically the late 1960s — the era of the teenage sidekick. It also sets up the forthcoming Astro City series.
“It’s also wonderful to be back in the world of Astro City,” Busiek said back in October, when the new Image deal was announced. “Alex, Brent and I have been planning this for a long time—we’re introducing a teen-hero team, The Jayhawks (and more), in the special, and setting off a mystery as important to Astro City as what happened to the Silver Agent or the story of the Broken Man. Alex has designed a cornucopia of new characters, and Brent is going to town on the artwork. It’ll be a very fun ride—and yes, longtime readers, we will get to the story of the N-Forcer, I promise!”
Here’s the cover:
Continue reading “The long-awaited return of ‘Astro City’”John Ridley and Juann Cabal send T’Challa to Mars to visit his ex-wife Storm in the oversized issue.
Marvel’s latest Black Panther series will only reach issue #3 in January, but if you add up all his previous series, you get 200 issues — so Marvel’s celebrating with an oversized issue.
The comic is already pretty special, as it’s the third issue of the new series by Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley and artist Juann Cabal. Ridley follows Ta-Nehisi Coates on the title and promises the comic will be a “hybrid espionage-Super Hero thriller, but at its core, it’s a love story.”
The cover to the first issue teased an appearance by Storm, and she’s front and center on issue #200:
Continue reading “Marvel will celebrate 200 issues of Black Panther in January”The publisher will reprint several older Busiek comics, as well as new series like ‘Free Agents.’ Plus, more ‘Autumnlands’!
Image Comics today has announced enough new Kurt Busiek projects to fill that empty space you’ve been saving on your bookshelf. In fact, you may need a bigger bookshelf …
Next year the publisher will launch new volumes of Astro City and Arrowsmith, as well as a new comic called Free Agents. Autumnlands, Busiek’s Image Comics series with artist Benjamin Dewey and Jordie Bellaire, will also return, and the publisher plans to release new editions of Shockrockets, The Wizard’s Tale and Superstar: As Seen on TV.
“I’m thrilled to be back at Image and glad to be working with Eric Stephenson and the whole crew here,” said Busiek. “Image is the best comics publisher for creator-owned work, so it’s very nice to be bringing my books together here, where they can be available as a group, supported by the team here—and sitting alongside such great series as Saga, The Walking Dead, Criminal, Savage Dragon and so many more. And not just because Image is only about 20 minutes from where I live, so I can actually drop by the place, once the pandemic is in the rearview. My creative partners and I are looking forward to a having a home for the work we’re doing now and lots of new ideas to come.”
Here’s a look at what to expect:
Continue reading “Image announces new ‘Astro City,’ ‘Arrowsmith’ + more from Kurt Busiek”‘Astro City,’ ‘Arrowsmith,’ ‘Shockrockets’ and more are coming to comiXology Aug. 4, courtesy of Image Comics.
Several comic series written by Kurt Busiek over the last few decades are coming to digital courtesy of Image Comics, including collaborations with Stuart Immonen, Brent Anderson, Carlos Pacheco and more.
The titles will be added to comiXology on Aug. 4, followed by Apple Books and Google Play at a later date.
“I’m thrilled to be consolidating my creator-owned books at Image,” said Busiek. “Readers have been asking us to make these stories available again, so we’re glad to have them all together at last, and in great company with the rest of the Image line. This is just the beginning, too—there’ll be new material coming as well, but that’ll be another announcement for another day.”
Continue reading “Several of Kurt Busiek’s creator-owned series are coming to digital”Al Ewing and Joe Bennett prepare for the end in August’s ‘Immortal Hulk’ #49.
Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s epic Hulk tale is starting to wind down.
According to Marvel.com, Immortal Hulk #50 will be the finale of the story they’ve been telling since 2018.
“It’s finally time to admit it—Immortal Hulk is reaching the end of the story we set out to tell,” Ewing said. “Issue #49 brings jade-jaws to the gates of the abyss and a final accounting of his life—in time for a last issue you’ll have to experience to believe.”
Continue reading “‘Immortal Hulk’ will wrap up with issue #50”
