Tag: Bryan Hitch

The Fantastic Four battle Atlantis’ past to save its future in ‘Giant-Size Fantastic Four’

Fabian Nicieza and Creees Lee bring a former ruler back from the dead to plague a Namor-less kingdom.

Writer Fabian Nicieza and artist Creees Lee will pit the Fantastic Four against Natlus, an ancient ruler of Atlantis, in Giant-Size Fantastic Four next year.

“As a 12-year-old who bought—and still has—the original Giant-Size Fantastic Four run which featured great Marvel creators of the ‘70s like Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway, Len Wein, Marv Wolfman, Chris Claremont, John Buscema, Rich Buckler and more, it was a thrill to write this issue!” Nicieza said. “I tried to follow in the footsteps of those issues by creating something big and new. I came up with a character whose name and history will have Sub-Mariner fans either chuckling and saying, ‘Why did no one ever think of that?’ or ‘They’ll want to drown me!’ I’m excited to see which it will be!”

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Geoff Johns, Brad Meltzer, Francis Manapul, Bryan Hitch + more form ‘Ghost Machine’

The creator collective will publish new comics across several genres through Image Comics.

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank are doubling down on their creator-owned projects, and they’re bringing a bunch of friends with them.

Along with Jason Fabok, Bryan Hitch, Lamont Magee, Francis Manapul, Brad Meltzer, Peter J. Tomasi, and Maytal Zchut, they’ve formed Ghost Machine, a “first-of-its-kind creator-owned and operated media company,” per the press release, where creators will co-own all the characters and universes developed, “sharing in all publishing, media, merchandise, and beyond.” They point to the recent Hollywood strike as an example of why creators need more empowerment in the current media landscape.

“Our ambition for Ghost Machine is to push beyond superheroes, introducing new genres, characters and shared universes, completely co-owned by all the creators involved. We see this as the future of how creatives will work and retain creative control and meaningfully participate in success like never before,” reads the Ghost Machine founding creators’ joint statement. “Our passion is for the magic of graphic storytelling and the emotional resonance of compelling characters. But we are not just a comic book company—we are the first wholly creator-owned and operated media company of its kind, born out of a desire to create and succeed together.”

The founders released a video explaining their vision for Ghost Machine:

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‘Ultimate Invasion’ sets the stage for a new Ultimate Universe

Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch are setting the table for a superhero universe that’s a ‘reflection of the world outside your window.’

Marvel’s upcoming Ultimate Invasion miniseries won’t just revisit the previous incarnation of the Ultimate Universe — it will also set up a new Ultimate Universe, according to creators Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch.

“What made the Ultimate Universe originally really interesting was that it was a reflection of the world outside your window, in the moment that you were living in. What does it look like in the world we’re living in now?” Hickman said during a call with retailers yesterday. “It’s kind of shocking how much the world has changed in that period of time. The idea of what it would be like to see the genesis of super heroes in a brand-new world is a really fascinating exercise.”

The Ultimate Invasion miniseries, which kicks off June 21, will run through September. Then in November, Marvel will release a one-shot, Ultimate Universe #1 by Hickman and Stefano Caselli:

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Get a better look at the characters from ‘G.O.D.S.’

Several variant covers arriving in August offer a look at the cast of the new series coming from Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti.

A series of variant covers released by Marvel gives us our first good look at the characters who will appear in the upcoming G.O.D.S. by Jonathan Hickman and Valerio Schiti.

The upcoming series, which will launch sometime in the fall, was previewed on Free Comic Book Day, where we got out first look at a character named Wyn. But the variant covers, all of which will land in August, reveal several more characters interacting with some old favorites from the Marvel U.

“When I came back to Marvel a few years ago, I wrote two series bibles. The first was House of X and the other one was G.O.D.S.,” Hickman said back in March. “To say that I’m excited to finally be able to share this story with everyone is a massive understatement. G.O.D.S. takes place in its own special corner of the Marvel Universe — in the cracks that lie at the intersection of science and magic — and revisits some characters and concepts that we’ve reimagined for a more modern, continuity-driven audience.”

Here’s a look at the covers:

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Waid + Hitch team for ‘Last Days of Lex Luthor’ Black Label series

The ‘JLA: Heaven’s Ladder’ team is back together for a story that spins out of ‘Superman: Birthright.’

Mark Waid and Bryan Hitch, who previously worked together on JLA: Heaven’s Ladder, will reunite for a new Superman miniseries under DC’s adult-oriented Black label imprint.

Superman: The Last Days of Lex Luthor will feature the Man of Steel traveling far and wide to find a cure for a dying Lex Luthor, and will extend the story Waid told in Superman: Birthright. Waid and Hitch will be joined by inker Kevin Nowlan and color artist David Baron.

“For the first time, Superman’s fighting the tide of public opinion, embarking on a mission that billions of people outright oppose. But he has his reasons—partly because of who he is, but partly because of a debt he feels he owes—and readers of Superman: Birthright might already guess what that perceived debt is,” Waid said. “Together, Superman and Lex are racing the clock in search of a cure as they travel the breadth of the super-universe, from Atlantis to Kandor to the Phantom Zone, all spectacularly re-imagined by Bryan Hitch.”

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Marvel reveals more about ‘Fall of X’ at MegaCon

Kate Pryde becomes Shadowkat again and gets a new costume, Colossus leads X-Force and Tony Stark teams with Emma Frost.

Marvel shared several tidbits and teasers about the upcoming Fall of X crossover event during a panel at this weekend’s MegaCon. The panel featured Senior Editor Jordan D. White, writers Gerry Duggan and Benjamin Percy, and artist Joshua Cassara.

We don’t know a lot about the overall Fall of X storyline just yet, but we do know a few things. For one, it’ll kick off in this year’s Hellfire Gala special, after getting a preview of sorts in four one-shots. It’ll also involve non-mutant heroes like Iron Man, as Tony Stark lost his company to X-Men villain Feilong and it’s now making its own Sentinels. While the overall plot is still unknown, it’ll involve “danger, conspiracy and sacrifice” that “threatens to shatter everything mutantkind accomplished on Krakoa.”

One thing revealed at the panel is a teaser image that lists all the crossover titles that will be part of the event, including several new titles that we haven’t heard about yet. The list includes current titles like X-Men, Wolverine, X-Force, Immortal X-Men and Invincible Iron Man, as well as the new (yet familiar in some cases) Astonishing Iceman, Children of the Vault, Uncanny Spider-Man, Alpha Flight, Dark X-Men, Realm of X and the previously announced Uncanny Avengers.

Here’s the teaser image by Bryan Hitch:

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Hickman + Hitch will revisit the Ultimate Universe in ‘Ultimate Invasion’

The four-issue miniseries begins in June.

Reports of the death of the Ultimate Universe may have been premature, as Marvel announced today that Jonathan Hickman and Bryan Hitch will spotlight the “other” Marvel Universe in a new four-issue miniseries titled Ultimate Invasion.

Ultimate Marvel, later called Ultimate Comics and sometimes referred to as the Ultimate Universe (designation 1610 in Marvel’s multiverse) launched back in 2000 with Ultimate Spider-Man, Ultimate X-Men, Ultimates and other more “modernized” versions of Marvel’s heroes. Top creators like Brian Michael Bendis, Mark Bagley, Mark Millar and Hitch himself created these alternate stories that went in different directions than their 616 counterparts. For instance, Ultimate Peter Parker died and was replaced by Miles Morales as Spider-Man, while Ultimate Reed Richards became The Maker, a villain who would go on to plague the regular 616.

The whole thing came to a close in 2015, when Hickman wrote Secret Wars and brought the Ultimate universe to an end — though some characters made their way to the 616.

“[Revisiting the idea of Ultimate Comics] couldn’t be replicating or revisiting what Bryan did in the original Ultimates—creating a streamlined, modernized version that would eventually become the spine of the MCU, and it certainly couldn’t be what I did, which was a final chapter of a pre-existing universe,” Hickman told Entertainment Weekly. “We also thought the very idea of Ultimate Comics needed to be inverted from what the original universe was—we wanted this to be something that could really only exist in the comic space: a new way of thinking about, and enjoying, a new version of the Marvel Universe. I’m pretty happy to say that it feels like we’ve accomplished those things and we’re very excited for everyone to get to read it.”

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‘Avengers Assemble’ wraps up Jason Aaron’s Avengers run

The crossover event kicks off in December with an “Alpha” issue.

The upcoming Avengers Assemble crossover, which will bring together Avengers, Avengers Forever and and the Avengers of 1,000,000 B.C., will wrap up Jason Aaron’s almost five-year run of Avengers stories, Marvel announced this week.

Announced this past July at the San Diego Comic-Con, Avengers Assemble kicks off with an “Alpha” issue in December, drawn by Bryan Hitch. Aaron has said the crossover, which will run through both Avengers and Avengers Forever, will bring together story elements not only from those two titles, but also his other work at Marvel. Marvel has not announced how long the crossover will go or when Aaron’s last issues of both titles will be.

“Four years of Avengers stories. Threads from really every major series I’ve worked on throughout my last decade and a half at Marvel, from Ghost Rider to Thor. It all leads to this. The biggest Avengers story I could possibly imagine,” Aaron said. “Featuring a cavalcade of characters from across creation. And I’m so deeply thrilled and honored that it all kicks off with an oversized ALPHA issue that’s being drawn by the legendary Bryan Hitch, who I’m getting to work with here for the very first time. Avengers Assemble. Say the words like a prayer. It’s the only thing that can save you.”

In addition to the Alpha issue, December also brings parts 2 and 3 of the crossover:

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All of Aaron’s Avengers will collide in ‘Avengers Assemble’

The big event kicks off with ‘Avengers Assemble Alpha’ by Jason Aaron and Bryan Hitch in November.

During their Next Big Thing Panel in San Diego today, Marvel announced that all of the various Avengers titles Jason Aaron has worked on over the past few years — Avengers, Avengers Forever and Avengers of 1,000,000 BC — will come together in one epic crossover, suitably titled Avengers Assemble.

The event will kick off in an “alpha” issue, drawn by Bryan Hitch, that will land on Nov. 30.

“Four years of Avengers stories. Threads from really every major series I’ve worked on throughout my last decade and a half at Marvel, from Ghost Rider to Thor. It all leads to this,” Aaron said. “The biggest Avengers story I could possibly imagine. Featuring a cavalcade of characters from across creation. And I’m so deeply thrilled and honored that it all kicks off with an oversized ALPHA issue that’s being drawn by the legendary Bryan Hitch, who I’m getting to work with here for the very first time.”

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Slugfest | A round-up of comics publishing news

Ultraman, Blink, Sleeper Agent, Human Target and more slug it out in our first Slugfest comics publishing news round-up.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you from comics creators, publishers and more. Hit the links for more information.

Ultraman returns in August

Marvel has announced a third Ultraman miniseries by Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom and Davide Tinto. Subtitled ‘The Mystery of Ultraseven,” the story will include “an enigmatic new Ultra and a secret that has remained hidden for decades.”

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Mail Call | More on Al Ewing + Ram V’s symbiotic relationship on ‘Venom’

Check out news, announcements and previews from Image, DC, BOOM! Studios and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we’ve received from comics publishers in our mailboxes recently that we haven’t already covered. Hit the links for more information.

When Venom returns in a new series from Marvel later this fall, it’ll be co-written by Al Ewing and Ram V. Each writer, it turns out, will be writing a separate character in the series, as the book focuses both on Eddie Brock and his son Dylan.

“How me and Ram are working together—we’re a band, essentially. Every issue is a new single, every trade is an album, and Eddie and Dylan are our instruments,” Ewing told Marvel.com. “They’re similar, but they make different notes, produce different sounds, build different stories. And for a while—so you should get used to it now—we’re going to be taking turns in the spotlight, playing Dylan songs or Eddie songs, while the other band member stays in the background. As each new single comes out, you’ll see how it fits together, forms one big concept album—or maybe a symphony. And then, when we’re ready, we bring all the instruments in for the crescendo—and that’s going to be something to hear.”

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Marvel announces new creative teams for ‘Hulk,’ ‘Venom’

Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley will launch a new Hulk title in November, as Al Ewing, Ram V and Bryan Hitch take on Venom.

With Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s run on Immortal Hulk coming to close AND Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman wrapping up their run on Venom, Marvel has announced their plans for both titles, which will relaunch in the fall.

The Hulk will relaunch in a new title simply called Hulk, by Cates and Amazing Spider-Man artist Ryan Ottley. Writers Al Ewing and Ram V, meanwhile, will tag-team on Venom, with art by Bryan Hitch.

“Marvel just gave me the keys to the strongest one there is,” Cates told Marvel.com. “Haha… oh boy. You guys are just not ready for this. You’re about to find out what happens when Ryan Ottley and I get angry… and guess what? Well… pretty sure you’re gonna like us a lot when we’re angry.”

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