Mail Call | The Avengers brace for ‘World War She-Hulk’

Plus: More news and announcements from Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, AfterShock, Top Cow, Skybound 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.

Marvel is dusting off a classic event title for an upcoming Avengers storyline — “World War She-Hulk,” which references the popular “World War Hulk” story from 2007.

The new storyline will find She-Hulk declared a global menace, so the Winter Guard decides to bring her in.

“When the Russian Winter Guard invade Avengers Mountain to arrest She-Hulk, it sets off a global espionage adventure that takes us from the notorious assassin training academy of the Red Room to an undersea kingdom on the verge of violent revolution,” said writer Jason Aaron. “Along the way, traitors will fall, regimes will crumble and the dark evolution of Jennifer Walters will reach its bloody red crescendo, all as we build toward the epic events of Avengers #50.”

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Marvel reveals the new X-Men line-up

The new roster will debut in ‘X-Men’ #1 this July, by Gerry Duggan, Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia.

Following the reveal earlier this week of who won the fan vote, Marvel has revealed the roster of the new team of X-Men that will debut during the upcoming Hellfire Gala storyline.

The team will headline the relaunched X-Men title, which debuts in July from Gerry Duggan, Pepe Larraz and Marte Gracia. The new team will be based in New York City, according to Duggan.

“It’s my privilege and honor to be reteamed with Pepe Larraz as we throw beautiful and deadly threats at the X-Men beginning in July,” Duggan said. “Mutants have saved themselves, and are now going to save the world. Krakoa will grow roots in the capital of the world, New York City, and the inaugural year will star Cyclops, Marvel Girl, Rogue, Wolverine, Synch, Sunfire, and Polaris. The threats to Earth will come fast and hit hard, and every page from Pepe and Marte will blow your hair back. See you in July.”

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DC puts the spotlight on Batman’s associates this summer

The Signal and the Huntress are the first to take center stage in ‘Batman Secret Files.’

In addition to Batman: Urban Legends, Future State: Gotham and various back-up features in the regular Batman books, DC has announced Batman Secret Files, “a new monthly series of one-shots featuring Batman’s partners in crimefighting.” Just in case you weren’t getting enough Batman in your life.

The first one will feature The Signal in a story by Tony Patrick with art by Christian Duce, while the second will focus on the Huntress, by the inspired team of Mariko Tamaki and David Lapham.

Here are the details on each from DC’s press release:

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Christmas comes in July in the ‘Batman/Catwoman Special’

Tom King and John Paul Leon team up for the story of Catwoman before she was Catwoman.

The Eisner-nominated team of Tom King and John Paul Leon will reunite for a one-shot interlude to the Batman/Catwoman comic book maxiseries. Dave Stewart joins them on colors.

Batman/Catwoman Special arrives in July, tracing the life of Selina Kyle from he early days to her arrival in the criminal underworld, showing how Bruce Wayne factored into her life during that time.

It also sports a fun holiday cover:

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Marvel announces a new ‘Amazing Fantasy’ series by Kaare Andrews

Versions of Black Widow, Spider-Man and Captain America from different points in history come together in this new miniseries.

Marvel has announced a new five-issue miniseries, named after the classic series Amazing Fantasy, set on an island of high fantasy and featuring iconic versions of three of their heroes. Kaare Andrews of Spider-Man: Reign, E-Ratic and Iron Fist: The Living Weapon fame, will write and draw the series.

In the series, Red Room-era Black Widow, teenage Spider-Man and World War II-era Captain America find themselves on a dangerous “island of intrigue.”

“This is a story that combines not just different Marvel eras but different art styles to depict them,” Andrews said. “As a creator, sometimes you want to invent new heroes and villains to expand the universe into different places or ideas, but sometimes there is an even greater power in embracing what has come before. In telling fresh and passionate tales with heroes that an audience has already invested a lifetime in. There is a beating heart to these archetypes. And they need to live again!”

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Skybound will celebrate its 10th anniversary with ‘Skybound X’

New stories featuring Rick Grimes, Clementine, Science Dog, Ultramega and more will appear in the five-issue weekly anthology series.

To celebrate its 10-year anniversary, Robert Kirkman’s Skybound will publish a five-issue miniseries featuring character from across their line, including a few new ones.

Skybound X will run weekly in July and will include new stories featuring The Walking Dead, Ultramega, Manifest Destiny, Rednecks, Stillwater, Excellence, Birthright and more. Each issue will feature a Rick Grimes 2000 story, which spins out of The Walking Dead #75 and features the re-teaming of Invincible creators Kirkman and Ryan Ottley for a different take on The Walking Dead saga. Also, Clementine from The Walking Dead Telltale Games will make her comic book debut.

“Surprise! Did you really think we would let Skybound’s 10-year anniversary pass us by without bringing back some of our favorite characters?” Kirkman said. “We are forever thankful for our community’s support over the past decade and are honored to share this special series with the larger Skybound family. None of these characters have such monumental journeys without the fans, so Skybound X is for all of you!”

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Top Cow announces supernatural noir series ‘Syphon’

The three-issue miniseries by Patrick Meaney, Mohsen Ashraf and Jeff Edwards begins in July.

Patrick Meaney, who worked on the comic book documentaries Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods and The Image Revolution, among others, is trading his camera for the keyboard as he writes a new miniseries for Top Cow.

Meaney will team up with Mohsen Ashraf and Jeff Edwards for Syphon, a three-issue “fantasy noir” miniseries about a supernatural empath.

Syphon explores how much of a burden we can take on ourselves in trying to help others and the world around us,” said Meaney. “After the past few years of world events, it feels extremely relevant to ask, how much can you do to try and save the world before you destroy yourself.”

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‘Moon Knight’ rises again in July

Jed MacKay and Alessandro Cappuccio bring back ‘one of Marvel’s biggest messes’ in July.

With his Disney+ TV show on the horizon, Moon Knight will return to comics in July with a new ongoing series by Black Cat writer Jed MacKay and Power Rangers artist Alessandro Cappuccio.

The series spins out of Moon Knight’s recent appearance in Avengers.

“I’m very excited to be working with Alessando Cappuccio on the continuing adventures of one of Marvel’s biggest messes – Moon Knight!” MacKay told Marvel.com. “In the wake of his disastrous attempt to take over the world in the “Age of Khonshu,” Marc Spector (et al) has retreated to what he knows – busting heads on the streets. But despite betraying his god to the Avengers, the Fist of Khonshu’s obligations remain the same – to protect those traveling at night. Apostate priest of the moon god, the mysterious Mr. Knight has opened the doors of his Midnight Mission, where those in fear of the weird and strange may petition for the aid of the Moon Knight! But this doesn’t sit well with everyone, and hidden threats circle Marc’s new start from the shadows…”

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‘Barbaric’ tells the story of Owen and his talking axe

New series from Vault Comics, by Michael Moreci, Nathan Gooden, Addison Duke, Jim Campbell and Tim Daniel, debuts in June.

Vault Comics has announced Barbaric, the story of a barbarian named Owen and his “sentient, blood-drunk” axe.

It’s written by Michael Moreci, with art by Nathan Gooden and colors by Addison Duke. Jim Campbell will letter the comic, and Tim Daniel serves as designer.

Barbaric, to me, is a series that wraps both its arms around the comics medium–it’s big, from the get-go, in ways only comics can be,” Moreci said. “I want this to be a huge story that continues on the way Hellboy does, and I want it to feel like that kind of epic. It’s my ode to pulp adventures, and immersive world-building, and larger-than-life characters. I feel so energized writing it, and I hope, between my scripts and Nate’s insanely amazing art, that energy comes off of every page.”

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Joe Benitez’s ‘Lady Mechanika’ moves to Image

The character takes the spotlight in one of Image’s Free Comic Book Day offerings in August.

As revealed in the 2021 Free Comic Book Day offerings announcement, Joe Benitez’s steampunk comic Lady Mechanika is moving to Image Comics. The entire backlist of the comic will be reprinted by Image, with plans for a new series coming later this year.

“I’m very excited that Lady Mechanika is moving to Image!” said Benitez. “We hope this move will provide an opportunity to share the series with a new, wider audience, and also give us more time to focus on our creative strengths while letting the experts at Image handle publishing and marketing. We have so many stories to tell, hopefully this will help us get more of them out faster. The next story arc we’re calling ‘The Monster of the Ministry of Hell-th’ will deal with a piece of Lady Mechanika’s haunted past. Check out a preview of the new book in our FCBD issue!”

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Non-Stop Spider-Man,’ ‘The Joker’ and more

See what comics and graphic novels arrive this week in a comic shop near you.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide each week to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week DC continues the rollout of their Infinite Frontier publishing initiative, while two Marvel books delayed by the pandemic finally arrive in comic shops.

Check out a few highlights below, or visit ComicList for this week’s full list of new comics arriving in stores, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.

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Can’t Wait for Comics | ‘Infinite Frontier,’ ‘Nocterra’ and more

This week brings new comics by Keanu Reeves, Dan Rather, Scott Snyder, Tim S. Daniel, Chris Samnee, Peach Momoko, Kalinda Vazquez, Carlos Gómez, Tyler Boss and more.

Welcome to Can’t Wait for Comics, your guide each week to what comics are arriving in comic book stores, bookstores and on digital. This week sees a new one-shot setting up the return of DC’s regular titles, more King in Black tie-ins, new comics by Scott Snyder and Keanu Reeves, and much more.

Also this week I’m happy to welcome aboard Brigid Alverson, who will be helping to cover manga and other things she finds interesting each week.

Check out a few highlights below, or visit ComicList for this week’s full list of new comics arriving in stores, and the comiXology new releases page for what’s available digitally.

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