Mail Call | Marvel celebrates 80 years of Captain America

A round-up of news and announcements from Marvel, DC, Top Shelf, Z2 Comics, AfterShock 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 will pay tribute to the 80th anniversary of Captain America next year with a special project involving John Cassaday, Alex Ross, Marguerite Sauvage, David Lapham, Declan Shalvey and many more. Captain America Tribute #1, coming from Marvel in March, will feature a bunch of current artists redrawing both Captain America Comics #1 and Avengers #4, with each page by a different artist.

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‘Batman: Urban Legends’ anthology title launches in March

First issue will feature stories about Batman and his entourage by Chip Zdarsky, Eddy Barrows, Stephanie Phillips and more.

DC has announced a new, monthly anthology title focused on Batman and all his Gotham City friends.

The first six issues will include a story by Chip Zdarsky and Eddy Barrows, featuring a team-up between Batman and the Red Hood.

“… this has been a ton of fun to work on,” Zdarsky said in his email newsletter. “I’m not going to lie, growing up on the comics, TV shows and movies, it was like Batman raised me. Like he was a father to me and I was simply another one of his Robins, trained to fight in daddy’s war.”

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DC’s Crime Syndicate steals its own miniseries in March

Andy Schmidt and Kieran McKeown will build a new Earth-3 and Crime Syndicate next year.

We know that the end of Dark Nights: Death Metal will set us up for DC Future State in January, but it will also set up the return of the DC Multiverse — and a new Earth-3, the home of the villainous Crime Syndicate. And this “anti-Justice League” will receive its own miniseries in March, by writer Andy Schmidt and artist Kieran McKeown.

Schmidt said they plan to rebuild Earth-3 from the ground up, showcasing new versions of Ultraman, Super Woman, Owlman, Power Ring/Emerald Knight, Johnny Quick and Atomica (she’s the evil version of the Atom, if the name isn’t as familiar as the others).

“Kieran and I were given a once a lifetime opportunity to build a world from the ground up,” said writer Andy Schmidt. “We’re establishing the Crime Syndicate’s origin story for the first time—how and why they came together. And we’re not taking it lightly. You’ll find that you’ve entered a fully realized world—this is the story of the Crime Syndicate, but it’s also the story of Earth-3 and it moves fast and pulls no punches.”

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The Joker break out into his own monthly series in March

Jim Gordon, Punchline and Harper Row will feature heavily in the new series.

Batman’s worst enemy and best ally will get the spotlight in a new monthly series starting in March. While the Joker gets his name on the marquee, the new comic by James Tynion IV and Guillem March will also prominently feature Jim Gordon.

But wait, there’s more: Each issue will also feature a back-up story by Tynion IV, co-writer Sam Johns and artist Mirka Andolfo, starring the Joker’s latest sidekick, Punchline, and Harper Row, a.k.a. Bluebird.

“When I was approached by DC about the concept of an ongoing series spotlighting The Joker, I thought, ‘What would that book even look like?,’” said Tynion. “I’m excited to share this story in a way that honors everything that a series about The Joker can be, while coming at it from an exciting, unexpected angle. I’m also thrilled to continue working with Sam and Mirka to expand the Punchline story we began in November as a back-up feature in this new ongoing Joker series. The Joker War was only the beginning of the terror and mayhem we’re creating!”

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DC reveals additional creative team changes after ‘Future State’

DC held several panels at Brazil’s CCXP to announce new titles, creative team changes and more.

For two months, DC will focus on the future of the DC Universe as they present DC Future State in January and February. Limited series starring future version sof Superman, Batman, Wonder and more will temporarily replace their regular titles.

Come March, though, many of the creators bringing Future State to life will stay on to work on the ongoing titles as well. DC revealed many of these creative changes during CCXP, a big comics convention held in Brazil. This year, the event was held virtually, of course, and DC used it as an opportunity to highlight several of these changes.

Here’s a rundown of what we know so far on what to expect from DC’s regular line-up when it returns in March after their two-month hiatus:

(Note: I’ve updated this based on the press release from DC that came out Dec. 7, with new details and artwork)

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Swamp Thing blossoms again in March

Ram V and Mike Perkins, who will work on the character during Future State, will re-team for the new series.

Just in time for Spring, Writer Ram V and artist Mike Perkins will harvest a new Swamp Thing title in March. They will be joined by colorist Mike Spicer and letterer Aditya Bidikar.

The seeds for the new title will be planted during DC’s Future State event, as V and Perkins will work on a story featuring the character’s future self during January-February.

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New Suicide Squad title by Thompson + Pansica launches in March

Peacemaker, Bolt and more will form a new Squad next year.

At its DC Future State panel at CCXP yesterday, DC Comics announced that writer Robbie Thompson and artist Eduardo Pansica will team up on a new Suicide Squad title that will launch in March. Pansica will be joined by inker Júlio Ferreira, and colorist Marcelo Maiolo.

Thompson is the writer of the DC Future State Suicide Squad miniseries, which will run in January-February as part of the big DC event. While the Future State title focuses on a future version of the team, the new title will be set in the current DC Universe.

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Third ‘Batman: Earth One’ graphic novel coming in June

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank return to tell a third tale of a younger Batman.

Geoff Johns and Gary Frank will once again team up to tell another story about the Earth One Batman. The third graphic novel in DC’s series will arrive next June.

Johns and Frank will be joined by Jon Sibal and Brad Anderson, who they worked with on previous volumes in the series. Johns, Frank and Anderson also worked together on Three Jokers, which recently wrapped up, and will team up on the new Image title Geiger.

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DC to publish ‘Super Sons’ digital title

Peter J. Tomasi returns for a third run starring Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne.

Peter J. Tomasi, who wrote DC’s previous two series starring Jonathan Kent and Damian Wayne, will once again bring Superboy and Robin together for Challenge of the Super Sons.

The DC Digital First series will debut Dec. 14. Joining Tomasi for the 14-part series are artists Max Raynor, Jorge Corona and Evan Stanley, with Raynor set to draw the first chapter.

“Stories about Jon and Damian at this time in their lives allows me to tap back into those early years of my own life of being a crazy kid, while also allowing me to mine the fertile ground of my own son’s current adventures, which in turn helps keep me tapped into the general zeitgeist of today’s youth and what they’re going through and thinking about,” Tomasi said. “Jon and Damian are so different—the angel and the devil on your shoulder so to speak—with each one having such a distinctive backstory and perspective that the drama between them is organic and damn easy to bring to life on the page. Best of all, it’s a helluva lotta fun!”

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DC’s Future State Wonder Woman will become the present state Wonder Girl

Yara Flor, the South American Wonder Woman who will debut in January, will appear in a miniseries by Joelle Jones.

We’re still a couple months away from the debut of DC Future State, the post-Death Metal event that will offer readers a glimpse at the future of the DCU. But one character set to debut in the two-month event will live on — Yara Flor, the future Wonder Woman who hails from South America.

DC announced this week that they are developing a show for The CW featuring the character, but are also giving her a miniseries that will be written and drawn by Joëlle Jones.

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DC to launch digital anthology series ‘Truth & Justice’

The series will kick off with a Vixen story by Geoffrey Thorne, Chris Cross and Jordi Tarragona.

DC has announced a new digital anthology series that will debut early next year called Truth & Justice, which will explore “the length and breadth of DC’s rich character history.” It’ll also serve as a new talent showcase of sorts for “new, emerging storytellers.”

Geoffrey Thorne, Chris Cross and Jordi Tarragona will team up for the first story, which will feature Vixen.

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DC promotes Marie Javins to editor-in-chief; lay off more staff

Javins will serve as the permanent editor-in-chief after serving as co-interim EiC with Michele Wells, who is reportedly being let go from the company.

DC Comics started the week with the announcement that Marie Javins has been named the sole editor-in-chief, a role she had been sharing with Michele Wells since Bob Harris was let go in August. The news, which was generally well-received by the comics industry, was soon followed by reports that DC is again notifying staff of more layoffs.

And among those laid off appears to be Wells, according to The Beat and Bleeding Cool. Before serving jointly with Javins as co-interim EiC, Wells headed up the DC Children’s/Young Adult line.

Other names mentioned as being affected include Alex Carr, group editor for the Justice League titles; Sales Manager Stuart Schreck; Marketing Services Director Adam Phillips; and Events Director Fletcher Chu-Fong.

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