Tag: Comixology Originals

Smash Pages Q&A | Taki Soma on ‘Alienated’

The creator of ‘Sleeping While Standing’ and more discusses her newest miniseries from Comixology Originals.

Taki Soma has shown her mastery of comics several times over in her career, working as a writer, artist and colorist — and sometimes all three. Her previous works include titles like Rapture, The After Realm, Sinergy, The Old Guard: Tales Through Time, Iron Man, the autobiographical Sleeping While Standing and Bitch Planet, for which she was nominated for a Hugo Award back in 2018.

Her most recent work is Alienated, a digital miniseries she’s writing that Comixology Originals launched last month. For Alienated, Soma is working with artist John Broglia, whose most recent work includes Nice Jewish Boys.

Alienated is a different take on the alien invasion story, one that’s less about shady government officials and wide-scale panic, and more about how a specific set of characters — which include a retired teacher and his grandkids — react to finding a live alien.

I spoke with Soma about the title and what to expect from it. The first and second issues of the six-issue miniseries are available now.

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Comixology announces four new science fiction titles for 2025

Taki Soma, Marc Guggenheim, John Broglia, Chuck Austen and more have new projects at the digital comics publisher coming this year.

In advance of this weekend’s WonderCon, Comixology Originals has announced four new digital titles that’ll debut between now and the end of July. All four fall into the science fiction category and include two new comic series, a sequel and an original graphic novel.

“Comixology Originals has been releasing compelling creator-owned comic book series and original graphic novels in a variety of genres—fantasy, sci-fi, horror, superhero—since its start,” said Jeff DiBartolomeo, Comixology’s GM and CTO. ”This year, science fiction is back in a big way–from the recent release of the original graphic novel Major Thomás by Omar Morales, to these four new projects, with more underway.”

The line-up includes a new “first contact” miniseries by Taki Soma and John Broglia, and an adventure series set 1,000 years in the future by Marc Guggenheim and Harvey Tolibao, both of which will debut in April. May will bring a third season of Chuck Austen and Pat Oliffe’s EdgeWorld, while the OGN Outer Lands by TV writer Matthew Arnold and Northlanders artist Davide Gianfelice arrives in August. You can find more information on all four projects below.

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Smash Pages Q&A | MK Reed + Jonathan Hill on ‘Budding Crisis’

The creators of ‘Americus’ reunite for a new fantasy series from Comixology Originals.

MK Reed and Jonathan Hill are no strangers to collaboration. Having previously joined forces on graphic novels like Americus and Science Comics: Wild Weather, they’ve established themselves as a formidable creative duo. Now, they’re venturing into new territory with their latest digital comic series, Budding Crisis, for Comixology Originals.

This fantasy epic plunges readers into a world where the Onamanthe plant—whose seeds possess the extraordinary power to grant wishes—has become extinct. When the remaining seeds aboard a ship called The Eclipse are stolen in the Bay of Cygnus, the Dureni people must race against time to recover this irreplaceable treasure. As they hunt for both the magical seeds and the thieves who took them, they stumble upon a conspiracy far greater than they could have imagined.

I spoke with Reed and Hill about the origins of this new series, their creative process and the unique challenges of crafting a fantasy world where the most precious resource is rapidly disappearing. The second issue arrived on Amazon today.

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NYCC | ‘The Comixology Originals program is here to stay,’ declares the head of Comixology

The digital comics platform held an event during New York Comic Con to announce new Originals titles and talk about the future of the platform.

During an event at Amazon’s New York office this week, Comixology’s Jeff DiBartolomeo announced the next wave of Comixology Originals titles as well as teased 17 newly acquired projects.

More than that, though, he showed that the original digital comics program — and Comixology itself — is still alive and moving forward inside Amazon.

“The Comixology Originals exclusive digital content line plays a key part in our business,” said DiBartolomeo. “The Comixology Originals program is here to stay. We’ve been busy signing deals for 17 new creator-owned projects with new teams joining the family and some fan favorite creators returning to work with us again. We’re thrilled to help both new faces and industry veterans bring their stories to the public through Comixology Originals. To say we are excited about the future is an understatement.”

It’s been almost two years now since Amazon laid off a large portion of the staff working on Comixology and a year since Comixology announced plans to retire the stand-alone Comxiology app. Since then, we haven’t heard much from Comixology about its future, although they have continued to announce and release new additions to the Originals program.

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SDCC | Comixology Originals announce ‘Groupies’ by Helen Mullane + Tula Lotay

“Our story is a blood-soaked and acid-drenched journey into the heart of darkness …”

Superstate writer Helen Mullane and Somna co-creator Tula Lotay will turn it up to 11 in Groupies, a five-issue miniseries about sex, drugs and the “true cost of rock’n’roll.”

The supernatural tale set in a world of parties and excess will arrive in October from Comixology Originals.

“I’ve always been fascinated by the lives of groupies,” Mullane said. “The daring fashion, devil-may-care lifestyle, and the girls’ determination, getting their kicks despite most people’s censure and judgement. It’s a world of glamour and darkness, where some people have their wildest dreams come true, while others are chewed up and spat out. Our story is a blood-soaked and acid-drenched journey into the heart of darkness, where most people are out for what they can get. But just because the girls are living in a world that sees them as disposable, doesn’t make them any less extraordinary.” 

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SDCC | Ariela Kristantina returns to Comixology Originals for ‘The Girl Who Draws on Whales’

The new graphic novel arrives on digital in October and in print from Dark Horse Comics next March.

Ariela Kristantina, the artist of the Comixology Original graphic novel Adora and the Distance, is working again with the digital comics platform on a new original graphic novel she’ll both write and draw: The Girl Who Draws on Whales.

The OGN will arrive on the digital platform in October, and features colors by Sarah Stern, letters by Bernardo Brice and edits by Will Dennis. Inspired by her homeland of Indonesia, Kristantina’s post-apocalyptic story is about a flooded Earth where the remaining villages are separated by water — but connected by the art they draw on whales.

“Creating The Girl Who Draws on Whales has been a deeply personal and exhilarating experience,” Kristantina said. “Living in the island nation of Indonesia, surrounded by the beauty and mystery of the sea, I drew inspiration from the rich landscapes and diverse cultures of our islands. Through Wangi and Banyu’s story, I wanted to capture the bravery it takes to defy expectations and the strength found in siblinghood. This journey of art, courage, and discovery reflects the resilience of our spirit and the magic that storytelling brings to life. I hope readers feel the same sense of wonder and connection that I felt while crafting this tale.”

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SDCC | Comixology + Dark Horse announces ‘Neptune’ by Michael Conrad + Nathan Ooten

The graphic novel will arrive on the digital platform in September, followed by a print edition from Dark Horse next year.

Comixology Originals will publish the revenge tale Neptune in September by Tremor Dose writer Michael Conrad and debuting artist Nathan Ooten.

They’re joined by letterer Kyle Arends on the project, which is described as “a bleak examination of the capitalist machine.” The story revolves around a former prison inmate investigating the mysterious death of his brother.

“Following books like Tremor Dose and Double Walker isn’t easy, I remain quite proud of both of those stories,” Conrad said. “With Neptune, I wanted to rip something from the headlines and address it in a graphic novel. The result feels far less like ‘entertainment’ and more like observing a car crash, a thing you don’t wish to see, but can’t look away from. Nathan Ooten nailed it; each page manages to be at once a beautiful display of his multimedia approach to sequential art, and a profane representation of quite vile subject matter.”

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Steven S. DeKnight goes all in on comics with two new graphic novel projects

‘Beneath’ will debut from Comixology in August, while ‘Hard Bargain’ from Humanoids kicks off a crowdfunding campaign today.

While Steven S. DeKnight is no stranger to comics, he’s probably best known for his TV work, on shows like Smallville, Daredevil, Spartacus and many others. But that perception could change, as DeKnight has not one but two new graphic novels coming up that were both announced today.

Now up on Kickstarter is Hard Bargain, which features artwork by Leno Carvalho and will be published by Humanoids.

“Hard Bargain has been a dream 30 years in the making. An idea that sprang from my love of two-fisted, hard-boiled detective stories and matinee creature-features of days gone by,” said DeKnight. “I’m thrilled to finally have that dream realized via the incredible artwork of Leno Carvalho and the good people at Humanoids.”

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Curt Pires’ ‘Endless’ will debut on Comixology this Tuesday

Pires will team with Diana Nguyen, Jacoby Salcedo, Stefano Cardoselli and Ryan Quackenbush for the story of a thief lost in the multiverse.

Curt Pires’ partnership with Comixology Originals, which has brought us titles like Youth and Lost Falls, will continue this Tuesday with Endless, a five-issue miniseries drawn by several different artists.

“Endless is the story of one man’s lives across the multiverse,” Pires said in the news release. “Each issue–a new universe, a new life, drawn by one of freshest new talents in comics. Strap in and come aboard, because we’re about to take you on one hell of a trip.”

Pires is working with artists Diana Nguyen, Jacoby Salcedo, Stefano Cardoselli and Ryan Quackenbush on the story, which is about a thief who becomes unbound in space and time. They’re joined by colorist Mark Dale and letterer Micah Myers, while Sunando C provides the cover for the first issue:

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Jordan Alsaqa + Ray Nadine will ‘Raise Hell!’ on Comixology next week

The coming of age horror story arrives digitally on Tuesday.

Jordan Alsaqa and Ray Nadine are bringing a little Hell to Comixology next week.

The writer of Terminal Protocol, Finding Peace and more has teamed with the GLAAD award-nominated cartoonist on Raise Hell!, a six-issue coming-of-age horror/comedy miniseries about three friends who decide to summon a demon one summer, which makes the upcoming school year hell — well, even more hellish than normal.

“Raise Hell! is a love letter to our own teen years,” said Alsaqa. “When Ray and I met, we bonded over our mutual love of Ska, horror and the anime of the mid-2000s. It’s a time period we’re nostalgic for, so many of our story ideas come from recalling our favorite childhood memories and injecting the supernatural and demonic into them.”

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Clay McCormack + Ricardo López-Ortiz tag-team on the wrestling crime drama ‘Hard Style Juice!’

The five-issue digital series will debut from Comixology Originals on April 16.

Just in time for Wrestlemania, Comixology Originals has announced Hard Style Juice!, which brings together the worlds of family crime and pro wrestling.

Writer Clay McCormack, artist Ricardo López-Ortiz, colorist Heather Moore and letterer DC Hopkins have formed a stable and will bring the story of King Castro and his family to the arena. Or, in this case, to Amazon and their digital comics platform.

“Pro wrestling and comic books have always felt like two sides of the same coin for me, so combining the two was a no-brainer,” McCormack said. “Hard Style Juice! is a crime drama, but instead of organized crime the family is dedicated to the glitz and spectacle of professional wrestling.”

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Austen + Olliffe re-team for ‘The Tormented’

The horror miniseries will launch on Comixology Originals next week.

Chuck Austen and Patrick Olliffe have reunited for another new series from Comixology Originals — The Tormented, a new five-issue digital comics series that will debut next week. They’re joined by colorist Lee Loughridge, letterer Jodi Wynne and editor Greg Lockard.

Austen, Olliffe and Loughridge previously worked together on Edgeworld, a science fiction series released by Comixology. This new series brings together horror and reality TV.

“Ryan Auster, our protagonist in The Tormented, sees ghosts, but kept it from his ghost-hunting family because he feared his family more than the ghosts, and because he’s been hiding it his whole life. Now in his 20s, he still hasn’t quite learned how to deal with the unexpected spirits, demons and otherworldly creatures that are constantly invading his life,” said Austen. “This series has been an absolute trip to create with Pat, and I hope readers have as much fun reading the story as we’ve had making it.”

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