Exhibitors, creators pull out of ECCC over coronavirus concerns [Updated]

Emerald City Comic Con offers refunds to attendees who aren’t comfortable attending.

Multiple exhibitors, including DC Comics, Dark Horse and Penguin Random House, have announced they will no longer attend this year’s Emerald City Comic Con, citing concerns over the coronavirus (COVID-19). Seattle, ECCC’s host city, has seen nine people die of the virus since Feb. 26.

In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, DC Comics said they are cancelling all of their convention appearances for the rest of March.

In addition, several comics creators, including Jim Zub, Jen Bartel, Benjamin Percy, Richard Pace, Christian Ward and Jody LeHeup, have said they will no longer appear at ECCC.

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IDW, DC announce a Locke & Key/Sandman crossover

The crossover arrives in October, by Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez.

Locke and Key co-creators Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez are re-teaming for a new story featuring their infamous keys — and this time, they’re unlocking the door to the Sandman universe.

In a move that can only be described as “Netflix synergy,” the IDW title will cross over with DC’s Sandman universe in October.

Besides the creative team, very little has been revealed at this point, but they do have a snazzy teaser video:

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Dan Didio is out as DC publisher

Didio exits the company after serving as co-publisher for 10 years.

Multiple outlets, including ComicBook.com and the Hollywood Reporter, are reporting that Dan Didio is no longer employed at DC Comics after almost 20 years with the company.

No reason has been given as to what happened or why he was released, and DC has not released a statement yet on Didio or their future plans. Didio has been co-publisher of DC alongside Jim Lee since 2010.

Didio joined DC in 2002 and was promoted to vice president and executive editor in 2004. During his tenure, he oversaw the maxi-series 52, the line-wide relaunch The New 52 in 2011, the subsequent reboot DC Universe Rebirth in 2016, the launch of Black Label and the shuttering of the Vertigo imprint. He has also written several comics for DC over the years, including Superboy, Phantom Stranger, OMAC and the current Metal Men miniseries, among others.

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DC announces plans for ‘Green Lantern 80th Anniversary 100-page Super Spectacular #1’

Liam Sharp, Geoff Johns, Darryl Banks, Mike Grell, Jeff Lemire, Ron Marz and more help celebrate DC’s 80th anniversary.

Following the footsteps of Batman, Superman, Wonder and the Flash, Green Lantern will break out into his own 80th anniversary special issue this May.

DC announced the 100-page special will include contributions from Geoff Johns, Darryl Banks, Charlotte Fullerton McDuffie, Sina Grace, Mike Grell, Jeff Lemire, Ron Marz, Denny O’Neil, Fernando Pasarin, Ivan Reis, Rafa Sandoval, Mariko Tamaki, Peter J. Tomasi, James Tynion IV, Robert Venditti and more, with a cover by current Green Lantern artist Liam Sharp. Strangely, current Green Lantern scribe Grant Morrison isn’t listed.

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DC announces the metal-er ‘Death Metal’ miniseries

Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo get the band back together for a sequel to the ‘Metal’ event series.

If DC’s Metal event wasn’t “metal” enough for you, Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo are coming back in May for an encore — Dark Knights: Death Metal. It promises to be “metal-er” than Metal. Metal!

“I’ve been waiting to do this story since we finished Dark Nights: Metal,” said Snyder. “As much as it was a complete event, we left some threads hanging there for sure. I’d hoped that if people liked the first series enough, we’d have a chance to set up something bigger, and that’s our plan for Death Metal.”

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DC shares details on their 2020 Free Comic Book Day titles

Wally West and Wonder Woman take center stage in this year’s ‘gold’ title.

DC has revealed the contents of their two Free Comic Book Day 2020 titles, which were first announced in December without any details.

Their gold title, Generation Zero, “sets the stage for the past, present and future of the DC Universe, ” according to the press release. It will feature Wally West, who has gone through a lot recently in DC continuity, if you’ve been following the story that started in Heroes in Crisis.

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‘Strange Adventures’ becomes a Black Label title

Tom King, Mitch Gerads, Evan “Doc” Shaner and Clayton Cowles’ Adam Strange maxi-series will be aimed at readers over 17.

DC has announced that Strange Adventures, the upcoming Adam Strange maxi-series by Tom King, Mitch Gerads, Evan “Doc” Shaner and Clayton Cowles, will now be a Black Label title and will carry an “Age 17+ content descriptor” on the cover.

“As Strange Adventures was coming together, we had to take a step back and look at what made the most sense for the project,” said DC Group Editor Jamie S. Rich. “Since its tone and themes are more in the vein of Mister Miracle than, say, Tom King’s work on Batman, we decided that it made more sense to give Strange Adventures its own space, where Tom, Mitch, Doc and Clayton could follow the story to all the different places it might take them.”

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DC deletes Batman image from social media after receiving Chinese complaints

An image promoting ‘The Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child’ sparks complaints of ‘support of Hong Kong’s rioters.’

DC Comics deleted social media postings last week featuring a promotional image from the upcoming Dark Knight Returns: The Golden Child one-shot by Frank Miller and Rafael Grampa after receiving numerous complaints from Chinese commenters.

The comments said the image looked like it supported the pro-Democracy protests currently occurring in Hong Kong. The Global Times out of China said it “implied its support of Hong Kong’s rioters,” noting that many critics saw “Batman’s gesture as supportive of Hong Kong’s unrest and violence.”

Grampa, the artist of the piece, had a one-word response to the attention the piece received: “Surreal.” Here’s the image in question:

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DC reveals details for ‘Flash’ #750

The 80-page issue will kick off a new storyline, ‘The Flash Age,’ in addition to featuring stories by Marv Wolfman, Geoff Johns and more.

As revealed in their solicitations for February 2020, DC Comics has announced the line-up for next year’s Flash #750, a prestige format issue with contributions by Marv Wolfman, Geoff Johns, Bryan Hitch, Francis Manapul, David Marquez, Riley Rossmo and more, in addition to series writer Joshua Williamson.

“The Flash is one of my favorite DC characters,” said Williamson in the press release, “so it’s an honor to work on The Flash #750 with so many returning Flash legends! It’s a showcase of awesome talent, each telling a story that celebrates what we love about the Flash and the Flash family. And what a perfect place to kick off our next epic storyline ‘The Flash Age!’ 2020 is going to be a big year for The Flash. It all starts in this massive issue.”

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Comics Lowdown: Outhungering ‘Hunger Games’

Brian Fies reflects on going through the California fires a second time, Jamal Igle shows how he draws a cover, J. Caleb Mozzocco explains War Bears.

Passings: Coila Davis, longtime editorial cartoonist for the Rockford (Illinois) Register Star, has died at the age of 72.

Freedom of Expression: The nonfiction comics blog Cartoon Movement notes that they are currently blocked in China, Iran, Russia, and Turkey.

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DC shares details on next summer’s LGBTQ+ Aqualad graphic novel

Alex Sanchez and Julie Maroh put a ‘contemporary twist’ on Jake Hyde’s origin story.

DC has revealed more details and preview pages from You Brought Me the Ocean, one of their upcoming Young Adult Graphic Novels. According to the press release, the story will feature Jake Hyde, a.k.a. Aqualad, and “a fresh, contemporary twist” on his origin story that “tells an eloquent coming-out romance set against the backdrop of the DC Universe.”

Lambda Award-winning author Alex Sanchez is writing the story, while Julie Maroh, creator of Blue is The Warmest Color, will provide the art.

“This story will allow readers to delve deep into the conflicts of being both a teen and super-powered—and what it’s like to be friends with a super-powered teen,” said Sanchez. “I believe it will be the type of book that fans will read twice—the first time, compelled to turn pages to find out what happens next, and the second time to linger over Julie’s spectacularly beautiful imagery. I hope the book will do what graphic novels do best—tell a story on two levels—through words and art.”

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DC reveals new artwork for Beast Boy, Zatanna, Batgirl YA titles

New concept art + pages revealed at the New York Comic Con.

During their “Super-Powered YA: DC Reads for Your #TBR Pile” panel at the New York Comic Con today, DC Comics revealed new artwork for three upcoming young adult graphic novels: Shadow of the Batgirl, Teen Titans: Beast Boy and Zatanna: The Jewel of Gravesend.

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