Quick Hits | DC is looking into whether Andrea Sorrentino used AI to create art for a recent ‘Batman’ story

Plus: Steve Ditko is a Disney Legend, Ngozi Ukazu, Denny O’Neil, banned books and more!

DC is investigating whether artist Andrea Sorrentino used AI to create some of the artwork in a recent Batman arc. Sorrentino contributed some of the artwork to the recent “The Joker Year One” story that ran in Batman #142-144, and that work has come into question as to whether he drew it or if he used AI in some capacity.

A spokesperson for DC Comics told indy100 that”DC Comics has longstanding policies in place that all artwork must be the artist’s original work. We are looking into the specifics of this situation.”

The concern was initially raised on social media by James Leech, who expressed his concerns that Sorrentino hadn’t drawn the artwork himself. “First off, there are the usual telltale signs – strange anatomy, errors a human is unlikely to make. The weird hands, Joker being insanely ripped in one panel and wasting away in another. His wandering nipples!” Leech said. “Secondly, there’s the style, which Sorrentino doesn’t appear to have used before outside of a couple of instagram posts. His other work is very distinctive – heavily photo-referenced, high contrast lighting. This is quite a departure from that. Not enough on its own, but telling.”

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Papercutz will publish several Disney + Pixar graphic novels later this year

The Mad Cave imprint will release graphic novels featuring ‘Turning Red,’ ‘Encanto’ and more.

Papercutz, the kid’s graphic novel imprint owned by Mad Cave Studios, has announced a publishing partnership with Disney that’ll bring Turning Red, Phineas & Ferb, Encanto, Frozen and more to comics — or back to comics, in some cases — later this year.

The partnership isn’t too much of a surprise, as Papercutz announced a Free Comic Book Day title featuring Encanto and Turning Red for this year’s event. But the bench goes deeper than those two titles, as their plans include several titles that look like they may be reprints. For instance, the listing for Phineas & Ferb notes that it’s collecting comics that originally appeared in the Disney Presents magazine.

Here’s a rundown on what they plan to publish:

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X-Men ’97 comic leads into the Disney+ show

Steve Foxe and Salva Espín return to the world of ‘X-Men: The Animated Series’ in a new miniseries.

Steve Foxe and Salva Espín, the duo behind Marvel’s X-Men ’92: House of XCII, will reunite for another miniseries based on the animated mutants — a four-issue X-Men ’97 series that leads into the upcoming animated show on Disney+.

“There’s a very good chance I wouldn’t be writing comics today if not for the impact X-Men: The Animated Series had on me as a kid—heck, the voice actors from the show are still the voices I hear when I read the comics today!” Foxe said. “Getting to reunite with my X-Men ’92: House of XCII collaborator Salva Espín on this official prelude to X-Men ’97 has felt like a bucket-list project a lifetime in the making, and Beau [DeMayo] and the rest of the ’97 team gave us a fantastic runway to come up with our own original tale that feeds right into what viewers will get to experience in the new season.”

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Slugfest | Martinbrough + Greene take Red Hood back to ‘The Hill’

Plus: News and announcements on Marvel’s Godzilla series, John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando, Ultimate Spider-Man, Sinister Sons and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Shawn Martinbrough will return to write Jason Todd again next year with Red Hood: The Hill, a miniseries that follows his work on the character’s previous series. Sanford Greene will draw the six-issue series.

Here’s how DC describes the series:

In Gotham City’s early days, The Hill was one of Gotham City’s most dangerous neighborhoods, one that required the residents to band together to keep themselves safe when the police – and sometimes even Batman – wouldn’t.

Now, as the Hill finds itself gentrifying, old habits die hard as the vigilante known only as Strike works with her team to keep the town safe—but she’s not alone. Jason Todd, one of the Hill’s newest residents, is more than happy to don the visage of Red Hood to help Strike keep his new home safe. But a new villain is emerging from the shadows. Will Red Hood, Strike and the Hill’s small militia of vigilantes be able to keep their home safe? This series features a main cover by series artist Greene, with a variant cover by Tirso Cons.

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Slugfest | Groo goes wild in a new miniseries

Plus: Batman Beyond, more Birdking, Thor vs. M.O.D.O.K., the return of ‘Fire Power,’ Hellfire Gala fashion and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier will reunite for Groo: In the Wild, a new miniseries that kicks off in July.

The duo is joined by letterer Stan Sakai and colorist Carrie Strachan for a story that sees the barbarian and his dog looking for food. Things go downhill from there, in typical Groo fashion.

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Slugfest | Gustavo Duarte’s ‘Speechless’ arrives in print in April

Plus: Jimmie Robinson, Mecha Archie, Sins of Sinister, Dead Romans and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you from comics creators, publishers and more. Hit the links for more information.

DC Comics will release a print collection of the digital series Speechless by cartoonist Gustavo Duarte in April.

The series has been appearing on the DC Universe Infinite app, with three issues featuring Harley Quinn, Cyborg and Superman appearing thus far. Like much of the Brazilian creator’s comics, each chapter is wordless.

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Marvel gets in on Disney’s ‘100 Years of Wonder’ fun

Marvel will release a series of variant covers featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and other characters as Marvel heroes.

For the past few years it’s felt like you’ve been more likely to find Mickey Mouse on the covers of comics published by other comics companies rather than the one Disney actually owns, but that will change next year.

As a part of Disney’s “100 Years of Wonder” event, Marvel will publish a series of variant covers featuring Mickey Mouse and company, starting with Amazing Spider-Man #17 in January. 100 Years of Wonder celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Walt Disney Company.

The covers mash-up Mickey and his pals with classic Marvel covers, including classic issues of Avengers, Fantastic Four and Hulk, with a fun What If? twist on each of them:

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Comics Lowdown | Marvel editors participate in #DisneyWalkout

Plus: ‘Persepolis’ under fire in Pennsylvania school district! David Gallaher, real-life superhero! News on Behemoth, Zestworld, Julie Doucet and more!

Marvel employees joined their colleagues from Pixar, Lucasfilm and other Disney-owned divisions in a walk-out on Tuesday to protest the company’s response to Florida’s Parental Rights in Education act, which has become to be known as the “Don’t Say Gay bill.”

The bill bans lessons about sexual orientation in kindergarten through third grade and prohibits lessons in other grades unless they are “age-appropriate and developmentally appropriate.” Critics say the law could stigmatize LGBTQ+ students, and lead to bullying and attacks. The bill has yet to be signed by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, but it’s just a matter of time, as the governor has expressed his support for it.

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Grim grinning ghosts arrive at IDW

Sina Grace and Egle Bartolini team up on a Haunted Mansion graphic novel for the 50th anniversary of the ride.

IDW Publishing has added another Disney property to their line-up, joining books like Duck Tales, Big Hero 6 and their “younger reader” Marvel books. Sina Grace and Egle Bartolini are teaming up for a Haunted Mansion original graphic novel, based on the popular ride that originated at Disneyland in California about 50 years ago.

“As someone who solemnly swears to have boarded a Doombuggy every Disneyland visit, I am utterly thrilled to join the 999 happy haunts with a story full of laughs, gasps, and a few surprises,” Grace said in a press release. “The Haunted Mansion is one of the most iconic attractions in all of Disneyland, and I am so honored to be writing a tale commemorating its historic 50th anniversary.”

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IDW to publish ‘Spider-Man,’ ‘Avengers,’ ‘Black Panther’ series aimed at younger readers

Marvel and IDW team up to ‘develop middle-grade comic books designed for younger readers.’

I guess this shouldn’t come as a shock, given how Disney has licensed IDW to create Big Hero 6 and Star Wars comics aimed at younger readers, but still, that headline …

IDW and Marvel announced today that they “will develop middle-grade comic books designed for younger readers. Featuring some of Marvel’s most popular characters, the monthly issues and trade paperback collections, published by IDW, will be available for sale at local comic book shops and book retailers across the country, expanding opportunities for the next generation of Super Heroes to experience the Marvel Universe.”

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IDW announces their ‘Big Hero 6’ creative team

Hannah Blumenreich and Nicoletta Baldari bring the Disney characters back to comics.

IDW Publishing has announced the creative team and release date for Big Hero 6, the comic based a TV show based on a movie based on a Marvel comic that they announced at New York Comic-Con last year.

Hannah Blumenreich, creator of some pretty awesome “Spidey” fan comics as well as some that were published by Marvel, will write Big Hero 6. Nicoletta Baldari, who has worked for IDW on Star Wars: Forces of Destiny, will join her on art. (Baldari is also working on another Disney property, The Incredibles, over at Dark Horse). The first issue will feature covers by Gurihiru (Gwenpool) and Sophie Campbell (Jem and the Holograms, TMNT, Wet Moon).

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Fantagraphics’ ‘Disney Masters’ line begins in May

New line of hardcovers includes work by Romano Scarpa, Luciano Bottaro, Paul Murry, Freddy Milton and Daan Jippes.

Beginning in May, Fantagraphics will publish a new line called “Disney Masters,” building on their already impressive line of classic Disney comics collections. The new line is devoted to “Disney’s greatest cartoonists,” and will include the works of Romano Scarpa, Luciano Bottaro, Paul Murry, Freddy Milton and Daan Jippes.

These will be full-color hardcovers, running about 200 pages each. Many of these stories originated overseas, and this will be their first American appearance.

Here’s the rundown of what you can expect from the first four volumes, which come out later this year:

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