Thanos faces a new Illuminati in a miniseries by Cantwell + Pizzari

Marvel will release the first issue in November.

Mr. Fantastic, Doctor Strange and Iron Man will unite with Emma Frost and the Blue Marvel just in time to face Thanos, as the Mad Titan returns to Earth in a new four-issue miniseries.

“I’ve had the honor and joy of writing some of Marvel’s greatest villains, so you can imagine how excited I am to not only tackle the Mad Titan himself, but pit him against some of the most powerful brains and fists out there—this latest lineup of the Illuminati,” Cantwell said. “But I think folks will find the backdrop of this story quite unexpected, mischievously funny, and heartbreakingly human, for what has drawn Thanos back screaming into the universe is a singular pain and desire for connection that he believes only one essence in existence (and non-existence) can give him… while this being is in turn grappling with some deeper questions about what they are, and what they want to be. Plus, Thanos hot-wires a pickup truck.”

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‘Batman: The Brave and the Bold’ anthology lands in May

The first issue features stories by Tom King, Mitch Gerads, Dan Mora, Christopher Cantwell, Javier Rodríguez and more.

DC has revealed more details about the new Batman: Brave and the Bold series they announced back in November. The series will be an anthology, with not every story featuring Batman.

The comic takes its title from the series that ran from the 1950s until 1983, which started as an anthology title but eventually evolved into a Batman team-up title. It was replaced by Batman and the Outsiders, and the title has been dusted off for a couple of mini-series projects since then.

The first issue will have four stories:

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‘Day of Blood’ flows through IDW’s Star Trek titles this summer

Jackson Lanzing, Collin Kelly, Christopher Cantwell and Mike Feehan will kick off the crossover event on Free Comic Book Day.

Two of IDW’s ongoing Star Trek titles will come together for a crossover event later this year — Star Trek: Day of Blood. The story will kick off in IDW’s Free Comic Book Day issue on May 6, then run through issues of Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant.

Prelude to Day of Blood, the Free Comic Book Day issue, will be co-written by Star Trek writers Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly, and Star Trek: Defiant writer Christopher Cantwell. Mike Feehan will provide the art.

“I’ve been nothing short of ecstatic to be a part of this new, larger Star Trek initiative at IDW,” says Cantwell. “There were moments in our writers’ room with Jackson and Collin where I couldn’t believe we were really doing this—not just telling one Star Trek story but weaving together multiple Trek stories at the same time, with plotlines from Star Trek and Star Trek: Defiant converging. We threw all our boldest ideas and best character pairings into a story of pure chaos, starship battles, and real epic dramatic resonance you can only achieve in the scope of comics.”

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Hellcat leaps into a new miniseries by Cantwell + Lins

The new series will feature themes and settings introduced in Cantwell’s run on ‘Iron Man.’

So I originally typed “Catwell” in the headline, accidentally, but it might have worked in this context. And that context is that Christopher Cantwell — note the “n” — is writing a miniseries featuring Hellcat, a character he brought into prominence and into Tony Stark’s life in his recent run on Iron Man.

Cantwell will be joined by artist Alex Lins, who previously worked with the writer on Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood. Unfortunately I don’t think I can make his name into a cat pun. Alex Lynx? That’s probably a stretch.

In any event, the series is set in the haunted house that Patsy Walker inherited and last appeared in the Iron Man/Hellcat Annual for 2022.

“It’s been so rewarding to go even deeper with Hellcat in this new miniseries, and work so closely with Alex Lins on this book,” Cantwell said. “I feel like Patsy was a great voice of conscience and groundedness in Iron Man, but we also hinted at some internal struggles and lingering darkness within her, which we explored even more in our Iron Man/Hellcat Annual issue this summer.”

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Worf, Spock and more are ‘Defiant’ in new Star Trek comic

The new title by Chris Cantwell and Ángel Unzueta sets its course in March.

Following the launch of Star Trek later this month, which features Benjamin Sisko leading a “motley crew” made up of characters from various Star Treks, comes Star Trek: Defiant, which features Worf leading an even motlier crew of Star Trek characters against “a galaxy-spanning threat.”

Star Trek: Defiant will feature the recent Iron Man creative team of Chris Cantwell and Ángel Unzueta, who reunite on this “dirty dozen” approach to Star Trek. Joining Worf on his mission are Lore, B’Elanna and Mr. Spock, among others.

“Ever since I made my dad take me to my first Star Trek convention when I was ten, I have been waiting for this moment,” Cantwell said. “When Heather Antos, Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly reached out to me about writing the first book to spin out of their flagship Star Trek title, I wanted the quality to match my massive wells of enthusiasm; I knew this book needed to be undeniably Star Trek first and foremost, but also something new and complex that would have readers leaning forward as they engaged with a more unexpected journey to the stars. Whereas the new Star Trek book carries forward the grand tradition of Starfleet’s saga of discovery and exploration, Defiant immediately sets out to break the rules of the Federation and go on a fugitive run from Starfleet with a cast of Trek’s best iconoclastic heroes and ne’er-do-wells, each of them straddling worlds in their identities and calibrations in their moral compasses as they embark on a high-stakes galactic manhunt…the Prime Directive be damned.”

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‘Thanos: Death Notes’ anthology explores the villain’s past + future

The one-shot spins out of recent issues of ‘Thor’ and ‘Eternals.’

No matter how many times you go for the head, Thanos just keeps coming back. The Mad Titan will return in November as Marvel releases Thanos: Death Notes, an anthology of stories about his past, present and future.

The anthology will include tales by Ron Lim, J. Michael Straczynski, Torunn Grønbekk, Kyle Starks, Christopher Cantwell, Andrea Di Vito, Travel Foreman and more, with Thor playing a big role.

“Ever since the Black Winter gave Thor a glimpse of how he was going to die way back in Thor #6, and Thor saw that it was going to be at the hands of a Thanos wielding not only an Infinity Stones-encrusted Mjolnir but also seemingly a new black Infinity Stone (not to mention with an army of undead super heroes and villains at his side), Thor has been working to prevent this horrific fate,” said editor Wil Moss. “In this Thanos one-shot, his quest brings him to look to Thanos’ past for clues. But in doing so, will Thor learn something of use, or merely realize that Thanos truly is inevitable? Big things are set up here, brought to you by an all-star cast of creators — don’t miss it!”

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Cantwell’s run on ‘Iron Man’ will wrap up with the oversized ‘Iron Man’ #25

Marvel celebrates 650 issues of ‘Iron Man’ in November with stories by Christopher Cantwell, Angel Unzueta, Kurt Busiek and more.

November brings not only the 65oth issue of Iron Man, if you go by Marvel’s “legacy numbering” system, but also the finale of Christopher Cantwell’s run on the title.

Iron Man #25 is an “oversized celebration” of Iron Man, featuring stories by a variety of creators, including Murewa Ayodele, Dotun Akande, Kurt Busiek, Ben Dewey and more. But the main story will focus on “Iron Man Day” in New York, as Cantwell and Angel Unzueta bring their run to a close.

“I have come to love this guy so much. This book has been a highlight of my career,” Cantwell said on Twitter. “I will miss Tony. I already do.”

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Spider-Man’s gonna have a busy Fall

Marvel reveals more about the upcoming ‘Dark Web’ event, plus Gold Goblin, Hallow’s Eve and more.

As the temperatures cool down, the Spider-Verse will heat up — in San Diego this week, Marvel shared details on several Spider-Man related titles and events that will keep the wall-crawler busy through the end of the year.

First let’s talk about Dark Web, the Spider-Man/X-Men crossover event spearheaded by Zeb Wells that involves the Goblyn Queen and Chasm, aka Ben Reilly. The story will begin in “prelude” issues throughout November (in Amazing Spider-Man, for example), followed by December’s Dark Web Alpha #1 where Wells will be joined by Adam Kubert to kick things off in earnest. From there, the story continues in Amazing Spider-Man as well as various tie-in one-shots and limited series.  

Marvel released the cover for Dark Web Alpha, by Ryan Stegman. Here’s his line art:

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Cantwell + Ferry dive into ‘Namor the Sub-Mariner’ this Fall

“This book is basically my love letter to Marvel Comics itself.”

Christopher Cantwell and Pasqual Ferry will team for a new series starring Namor the Sub-Mariner, subtitled “Conquered Shores.”

“This is the first idea I ever blind pitched to Marvel and I’m thrilled that they said yes,” Cantwell said on Twitter.

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Cantwell + García awaken ‘Briar’ at BOOM!

What if Sleeping Beauty had to save herself?

The Blue Flame writer Christopher Cantwell and Ka-Zar: Lord of the Savage Land artist Germán García will retell the story of Sleeping Beauty as “an epic dark fantasy adventure” in a new miniseries coming from BOOM! Studios. They’ll be joined by colorist Matheus Lopes, who has been doing some phenomenal work on Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow.

Cantwell sited the creator of Conan the Barbarian as an inspiration for the series.

“I’ve never gotten a chance to tell a high fantasy story of any kind, but I’ve always wanted to, ever since I discovered old Robert E. Howard stories. One thing that kept me hesitant was finding a proper way in—something new and different that also celebrates all the sword & sorcery fun seen in the best of the genre,” Cantwell said. “In tandem, as I grow older, the world around us seems less and less stable with so many things falling into crisis. These two things came together in my head in the form of Briar… here’s someone that remembers the world one way, during a time of sheltered innocence, but has now overslept… and found herself in a place of complete entropic disarray. The question is, how will she even survive? And what happens when the plans for the entire rest of your life turn out to be completely meaningless and absurd? Where do you turn to in order to conjure up your own new meaning and purpose?”

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Mail Call | Say hello to the New (Old) Fantastic Four

Check out news and announcements from Marvel, IDW, AfterShock, Drawn and Quarterly, and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of cool things we’ve received in our mailboxes from comics creators, publishers and more. Hit the links for more information.

Back in the early 1990s Wolverine, Spider-Man, Ghost Rider and Hulk had a brief team-up in the pages of Fantastic Four while the actual Fantastic Four were out of town. It was a fun story by Walt Simonson and Art Adams that only last a few issues. But now Marvel will revisit that team — and time period — in The New Fantastic Four, a limited series by Peter David and Alan Robinson.

“Although their original stint was extremely short-lived, the alternate version of the FF has had its fans for years, including myself,” David said. “I am fortunate Marvel has given me the opportunity to revisit with them and take their battles to new heights in a new location with new allies and new enemies.” 

Like Maestro and X-Men Legends, this story takes place in the past, shortly after the quartet’s first appearance.

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Cantwell + Casalanguida create an ‘oddball love letter’ to Texas conspiracies

‘Regarding The Matter Of Oswald’s Body’ will feature a cast of crazy characters brought in to clean up ‘the crime of the century.’

BOOM! Studios has announced Regarding The Matter Of Oswald’s Body, a new “off-kilter crime thriller” built around the assassination of John F. Kennedy, by writer Christopher Cantwell and artist Luca Casalanguida.

“As a Dallas native and born obsessive, the Kennedy assassination and its infinite mysteries have often occupied my stray thoughts,” said Cantwell. “Regarding The Matter Of Oswald’s Body is both an oddball love letter and an offbeat elegy to the strangest, most wistful and ultimately tragic elements of the state of Texas, with a cast of characters you’ll love, love to hate and be sometimes hilariously confounded by.”

Cantwell and Casalanguida are joined by colorist Giada Marchisio and letterer AndWorld Design on the project.

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