comic books – Page 4

Watch the launch trailer for Matt Kindt’s ‘Mind MGMT: New & Improved’

The print-only, 100% Human-Made first issue debuts in June.

Matt Kindt’s return to Mind MGMT is shaping up to be one of the most carefully constructed comic book launches in recent memory, as Oni Press continues to march toward the June debut of Mind MGMT: New & Improved #1.

Today, they’ve released a trailer for the series, which will mark Kindt’s return to the world of Mind MGMT after the original series concluded in 2015. The new series, published under Kindt’s Flux House imprint, begins with an entirely self-contained entry point, following two investigators, Detective Delphi and Detective Swon, who find themselves at the center of a string of seemingly impossible murders: former Mind Management agents being killed in arcane and untraceable ways by a faceless killer capable of evading digital surveillance.

“I’ve been working on this book for 10 years — without even realizing it,” Kindt said. “Mind MGMT: New & Improved was a subliminal message I sent myself. And for the last decade it’s grown in my head, like a virus, with every passing day. I can’t imagine a better, more truthful time in the world to release it than 2026. Mind MGMT: New & Improved will shatter all the lies from my previous series and the truth shall set us free.”

Slugfest | ‘Action Comics’ hits issue #1100 in DC’s July solicitations

From a milestone issue to a Dark Knight/Lex Luthor team-up, here’s a rundown of the notable items from DC’s July solicitations.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on DC’s July 2026 titles. Hit the links for more info.

Action Comics will hit a big milestone in July as it reaches issue #1100 — following several months behind Detective Comics, which hit issue #1100 last year. The oversized issue will feature stories from creators from across the Superman titles, including Mark Waid, Skylar Patridge, Sophie Campbell, Joshua Williamson, Dan Mora, Dan Slott and more.

Her’s a look at the main cover by Ryan Sook:

Zack Kaplan + John Pearson reunite for ‘The Smart Division’

The five-issue series arrives in August from Dark Horse Comics.

Zack Kaplan and John Pearson, who previously collaborated on the Vault Comics series Mindset, reunite for The Smart Division, a five-issue modern sci-fi detective series arriving in August from Dark Horse Comics. The series is lettered by Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou and designed by Tom Muller.

The story is built around a mysterious, predictive AI program that has begun helping people commit the perfect murder. When the technology surfaces, a mismatched pair of investigators must establish the Bureau’s first AI crimes division to hunt down the killer and the app enabling them.

“The Smart Division takes everything you loved about our first series Mindset — the playing with form, the thoughtful commentary on technology, and the tense character drama — and raises the bar, with more danger and dread,” Kaplan said. “Artificial intelligence is the hot topic of our time, but we’re exploring it like you’ve never seen — what happens when it helps us commit the perfect crimes.”

‘Absolute Wonder Woman,’ ‘The Power Fantasy’ among nominees for the 2026 Hugo Awards

Winners will be announced in August.

The nominees have been announced for the 2026 Hugo Awards, which includes a “Best Graphic Story or Comic” category.

Presented annually since 1955, the Hugo Awards recognize the best science fiction in books, comics, movies, TV and more. The Hugo Award for Best Graphic Story has been awarded since 2009, with previous winners including volumes of Saga, Ms. Marvel, Girl Genius, LaGuardia, Far Sector and Monstress. The graphic novel Star Trek: Lower Decks: Warp Your Own Way won the category last year.

This year DC, Image and First Second all scored a nomination, with a picture book, a webcomic and an Ursula K. Le Guin adaptation rounding out the category.

This year’s nominees are:

Exclusive | First look at the slipcase for ‘The Marvel Art of Mike Zeck’

The Kickstarter campaign for the 200-plus page coffee table book celebrating the artist behind ‘Secret Wars,’ ‘Kraven’s Last Hunt’ and the first ‘Punisher’ miniseries, launches soon

Today we have an exclusive first look at the slipcase for The Marvel Art of Mike Zeck, the 10th volume in Clover Press and Marvel’s ongoing series of high-end artbooks celebrating legendary Marvel artists.

You can follow the campaign on Kickstarter.

The slipcase itself is a showcase of some of Zeck’s most iconic imagery. The front features his artwork from the cover of Captain America #286, which featured a Deathlok story by J.M. DeMatteis and Zeck. It’s inked by John Beatty, Zeck’s frequent collaborator during his celebrated run on the title. The back features a striking pin-up from Silver Surfer Annual #4, and tucked on the spine is an image of Kraven the Hunter from Kraven’s Last Hunt, the landmark Spider-Man story that remains one of Zeck’s most enduring projects.

“I first met Mike at the Chicago Comicon in 1986 right after his Punisher was released, and he left such a positive impression on this very impressionable kid,” said Clover Press Publisher Hank Kanalz. “I had the privilege of working with him on a couple of projects over the years, and I am thrilled that in retirement, he’s agreed to be a part of our prestigious The Marvel Art Of… line of art books.

Smash Pages Q&A | Matt Kindt on ‘Mind MGMT: New & Improved’

After moving his Flux House imprint from Dark Horse to Oni Press, the cartoonist prepares to launch another round of his mind-bending series.

Matt Kindt has proven to be one of comic’s most restlessly inventive creators, particularly when it comes to story structure, formal experimentation and the physical design of the books themselves. From his early work on Pistolwhip and Super Spy to Mind MGMT and beyond, Kindt has never been content to make a comic that looks or reads like anything else on the shelf.

Now he’s making a move. After launching Flux House at Dark Horse Comics, Kindt is relocating his imprint to Oni Press, where his first two titles will be Mind MGMT: New & Improved and Fort Psycho, the latter co-created with artist Brian Hurtt. Mind MGMT: New & Improved #1 arrives in June, billed as a self-contained entry point for new readers. Although Kindt would be the first to tell you, you should probably read that disclaimer with some skepticism.

I spoke with Kindt about this new chapter, both for Flux House and for Mind MGMT, how the new series differs from the previous one and his zany approach to the blind bag cover program for the first issue. My thanks for his time.

Kelly Thompson + Stephen Byrne’s new ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ comic series launches at Dynamite in July

Dynamite Entertainment’s new Buffy ongoing kicks off with an oversized first issue tying in the cast of both Buffy and Angel.

Dynamite Entertainment has revealed the full creative team, launch date and story details for their new Buffy the Vampire Slayer series, the first details since the publisher announced the license at San Diego Comic-Con last summer.

Artist Stephen Byrne will join Kelly Thompson on the title, along with colorist Lee Loughridge and letterer Jeff Eckleberry. Nate Cosby is editing the series.

The oversized first issue kicks off an event story drawing in characters from both Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, with Thompson describing a “mythic new villain” and a major twist she says will shake longtime fans. The series picks up at a pivotal point in the character’s timeline and includes the comics debut of a beloved character from the TV series. Thompson is also writing a companion Angel title, with further details to come.

The bunny did it: ‘Exquisite Corpses: Rascal Randy’ launches in July

Tyler Boss and Dylan Burnett explore the dark origins of the fan-favorite mascot killer in a five-issue series from Tiny Onion and Image Comics.

Tiny Onion and Image Comics have announced that the rabbit suit-wearing killer from Exquisite Corpses, Rascal Randy, will star in a five-issue spinoff series from writer Tyler Boss and artist Dylan Burnett. Colorist Jordie Bellaire and letterer Becca Carey round out the creative team.

Rascal Randy is one of a dozen assassins dispatched to the town of Oak Valley, Maine, where they compete in a deadly game of, well, trying to kill each other for their ultra-powerful and ultra-demented clients, in the pages of James Tynion IV and Michael Walsh’s Exquisite Corpses.

“From the moment I saw the full cast of killers for Exquisite Corpses, I, like most discerning readers, knew Randy would be the winner of the first season’s game,” said Boss. “Now while I still can’t say whether we’ve been proven correct or not, I can say the story Dylan and I have created for everyone’s favorite furry fiend is as sweet and cuddly as a porcupine.”

DC announces ‘Clayface: Celebrity Dirt’ for July

Jude Ellison S. Doyle and Fran Galán present a noir horror series starring the Batman villain.

Following the debut of the first footage from the upcoming Clayface movie, DC Comics has announced Clayface: Celebrity Dirt, a six-issue miniseries from writer Jude Ellison S. Doyle and artist Fran Galán that will launch in July.

The series follows Basil Karlo after he escapes Arkham Towers to find that a doppelgänger has stolen his identity and achieved the Hollywood stardom he never could. A spreading plague is transforming ordinary people into clay-warped figures, and tracing both mysteries draws Basil deeper into the history of the Clayface legacy.

Exclusive | The Power Pets + Superteens team up in ‘Archie Comics 85th Anniversary Presents: Archie’s Movie Mania’

Writer Jamie L. Rotante and artists Steven Butler and Lily Butler bring the Superteens and Power Pets together in the upcoming one-shot.

Archie Comics has shared an exclusive first look with us of a new superhero story appearing in Archie Comics 85th Anniversary Presents: Archie’s Movie Mania, on sale May 13.

The story teams the Superteens and the Power Pets against a group of rampaging zoo animals, who are being controlled by a sinister force. Writer Jamie L. Rotante is joined by penciler Steven Butler, inker Lily Butler, colorist Glenn Whitmore and letterer Jack Morelli.

The one-shot also includes a fashion-world story starring Veronica Lodge and Ginger Lopez, with the issue taking inspiration from upcoming films including Masters of the Universe, The Mandalorian and Grogu, and The Devil Wears Prada 2. Dan Parent provides the main cover, with variant covers by Holly G! and Adrian Ropp, and a foil virgin variant by Parent.

Take a look at the preview, covers and a complete “classic” Archie story below.

Smash Pages Q&A | Joe Palmer on ‘Destination Kill’

The ‘Time Before Time’ and ‘2000 AD’ artist talks about his new series from Oni Press, which debuts in May.

Joe Palmer had been carrying pieces of Destination Kill around in his head for years before he finally had the chance to put them all together. The British cartoonist, known for his work on 2000 AD, Time Before Time, Write it in Blood and more, spent that time accumulating ideas, characters and images that didn’t quite have a home yet, but found one in this new title that he’s writing and drawing.

The result arrives from Oni Press on May 13: a 40-page first issue set in 2125 London, where a superfast transatlantic train, a robot workforce and a citywide worker uprising collide. We talked about the genesis of the project, going solo and lettering your own comics, among other topics. My thanks for his time.

‘100 Bullets: The US of Anger’ debuts in July

The long-running Vertigo series returns with a new miniseries featuring Brother Lono.

When DC announced that the beloved Vertigo imprint would return, most of the titles they announced were new to the world. But the exception was 100 Bullets: The US of Anger, which will see Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso return to the long-running Vertigo title.

The first issue of the eight-issue miniseries will debut July 1.

100 Bullets first debuted back in 1999 and ran for 100 issues — plus a spinoff miniseries in 2014 featuring Brother Lono, one of several “minutemen” who helped safeguard the mysterious group known as The Trust. This new series will also feature Lono, one of the few surviving cast members from the original series, as well as his former protege Loop Hughes.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: