graphic novels – SMASH PAGES

Slugfest | Dark Horse turns the tables on dungeon-crawling with ‘Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers’ in July

Today’s round-up brings milestone issues, beloved licenses and monster adventurers to comic shops this spring and summer.

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

As announced at this weekend’s Emerald City Comic Con, Dark Horse Comics will publish Dungeons & Dragons: Total Party Killers, a four-issue series arriving in July that flips the script and makes the monsters the heroes.

Written by Christopher Hastings and illustrated by Denis Medri, the series follows a lycanthrope, gelatinous cube, mind flayer, death knight and baby beholder who must band together to protect the lair of their recently deceased wizard master — or find a way to trick someone into setting them free.

‘Gaysians,’ ‘Avengers Academy: Marvel’s Voices’ win at the GLAAD Media Awards

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation recognized comics from Marvel and Algonquin Books in their 37th annual Media Awards.

Gaysians and Avengers Academy: Marvel’s Voices were among the winners at the 37th annual GLAAD Media Awards, which recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ+ community and the issues that affect their lives.

GLAAD recognizes the comic arts in two categories — “Outstanding Comic Book” and “Outstanding Original Graphic Novel/Anthology.” The awards were given out Thursday night in Los Angeles, across categories that recognized film, television, video games and more. Other winners included the TV show Heated Rivalry and the video game Lost Records: Bloom & Rage.

Jeff Lemire signs five-book deal with HarperCollins’ Harper Alley imprint

The deal kicks off with a three-volume series illustrated by Teddy Kristiansen, followed by two standalone graphic novels.

Jeff Lemire has signed a five-book deal with HarperCollins’ Harper Alley imprint as part of the publisher’s inaugural line of original graphic novels for adults, the super-prolific Canadian cartoonist announced on his Substack newsletter.

The deal kicks off with Mr. Oblivion, a three-volume supernatural detective series with artist Teddy Kristiansen. The duo previously worked together on Black Hammer: Spiral City.

The series follows Marty McCabe, who was once the world’s greatest occult detective. But 20 years later, he sells real estate in the suburbs and struggles with middle age, marriage and a teenage daughter. When the demons of his past return, Marty must put on the fabled Merlin Mask to save his family, even if it eats his soul alive.

Exclusive | Two new ‘Weird Tales’ comics join Monstrous’ Kickstarter campaign for the franchise’s first graphic novel

The hardcover will include comic adaptations of classic stories by Ray Bradbury, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft and more.

Monstrous and Weird Tales Magazine are collaborating on the first-ever official Weird Tales graphic novel, currently funding on Kickstarter with more than 1,200 backers in its first two weeks. And we have an exclusive first look at two limited-edition saddle-stitch comics being offered as part of the campaign.

Weird Tales #1 is a 28-page floppy featuring “Doctor Satan vs. Jules de Grandin” by writer James Aquilone and artist Dave Swartz. It also includes an adaptation of “Ooze,” the very first story published in Weird Tales in 1923, by Weird Tales president John Harlacher and artist Zac Atkinson, who also provides the cover. Weird Tales #2, also 28 pages, features “The Cthulhu Project” by Richard Krepit and artist EV Cantada, and “The Abominable Professor Gaius” by Aquilone and Atkinson, again with a cover by Atkinson.

Here’s a look at the covers:

Top Shelf’s ‘We Are Pan’ recounts the secret operation that brought 14,000 Cuban children to America

Andre Frattino and Yasmin Flores Montanez tell the true story of Operation Pedro Pan, which brought 14,000 children from Cuba to the United States between 1960 and 1962.

Top Shelf Productions will publish We Are Pan, an original graphic novel written by Andre Frattino and illustrated by Yasmin Flores Montanez, this summer. The hardcover tells the true story of Operación Pedro Pan, a secret joint effort between the U.S. government and the Catholic Welfare Bureau to evacuate Cuban children to the United States in the wake of Fidel Castro’s revolution.

Between 1960 and 1962, 14,000 children were sent from Cuba to America by parents who feared for their futures under communism. The children, later known as “Pedro Pans,” were relocated across the United States, most living in foster homes. In many cases, they never saw their families again.

Slugfest | New Absolute titles, Next Level expansions, Guy Gardner + a MAD milestone from DC in May

From a reimagined Superman origin to a Barbara Gordon prison break, here’s a rundown of the notable items from DC’s May solicitations.

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

The creative team behind Marvel’s Deadpool reunites at DC for Tales of the Green Lantern Corps: Guy Gardner #1, a 48-page one-shot arriving May 6.

“Guy Gardener has always been one of my favorite comics characters, so working with Paul Kaminsky, Jillian Grant…and I couldn’t be more excited about reuniting with one of the stars of my Deadpool days, Matteo Lolli. He’s got everything you need for an action packed comic with some laugh out loud beats — and Matteo can break your heart,” writer Gerry Duggan said on his Substack.

Oni Press announces four creator-owned graphic novels for fall 2026

The slate ranges from a 1990s D.C. punk murder mystery to a mostly wordless intergalactic chase.

Oni Press has announced four creator-owned graphic novels arriving this fall, spanning middle-grade adventure, young adult fantasy, literary horror and science fiction.

“This fall we have creator-driven graphic novels for readers of every age,” said Oni Press Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn. “A murder mystery in an uncanny world not entirely dissimilar from our own. A space adventure with heart and heartache. A ghost that inadvertently brings two outcasts closer together. And a young woman facing an impossible task amidst a yearning for self-discovery.”

Lee Lai, Carol Tyler, Jaime Hernandez + more nominated for the L.A. Times Book Prize

Winners will be announced in April.

The Los Angeles Times has announced the finalists for this year’s L.A. Times Book Prize, which includes a category for Graphic Novels/Comics. The prize recognizes books published in 2025.

The Los Angeles Times has given an award in the graphic novel category since 2009, when Asterios Polyp by David Mazzucchelli won the award. Other winners include The Love Bunglers by Jaime Hernandez, Duncan the Wonder Dog by Adam Hines, Beverly by Nick Drnaso, Tillie Walden’s On a Sunbeam, The Hard Tomorrow by Eleanor Davis, R. Kikuo Johnson’s No One Else, and Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith’s Wash Day Diaries. Tokyo These Days by Taiyō Matsumoto won the award last year.

The winners will be revealed on April 2517 Check out the finalists for this year below.

Oni Press and Archie Comics announce wave of classic collections for fall 2026

The publishers will release seven collected editions spanning 85 years of Archie history, alongside the three new ongoing series that were previously announced.

Oni Press and Archie Comics have announced a robust slate of new collections timed to the 85th anniversary of Archie Andrews’ debut, with the first titles arriving in September 2026.

The announcement, made ahead of this week’s ComicsPro industry meeting, includes seven collected editions across two formats: a line of compact editions reprinting stories from the “New Riverdale” era, and a series of premium deluxe hardcovers spanning decades of Archie history.

The releases coincide with the three all-new series that Oni and Archie previously announced for this fall, including Archie by W. Maxwell Prince, Fábio Moon and Nick Cagnetti; Sabrina the Teenage Witch by Corinna Bechko and Kano; and Archie in Hell by Patrick Horvath and Tyler Crook.

“We’re so thrilled to be deepening Oni’s exciting new partnership with Archie Comics even further beyond our slate of brand-new, upcoming series and far into the most beloved corners of the Archie library with a selection of Riverdale’s most cherished stories from recent decades,” said Sierra Hahn, Oni Press Editor-in-Chief. “Whether you’re a longtime Archie devotee or a first-time reader, each of these volumes is a warm, welcome introduction to this storied cast of characters. And, over time, we’ll be reaching back even further into the vaults to spotlight and celebrate the long and influential legacy of Archie Comics in all its many forms. As we gear up for the new Archie #1 this fall, there’s never been a better time to visit Riverdale!”

Darcy Van Poelgeest + Erin Connally team for gothic graphic novel ‘The Cutting Garden’

The standalone hardcover, set in New Orleans and described as a literary horror story, arrives from Image Comics in September

Image Comics will release the graphic novel The Cutting Garden by Eisner Award-winning writer Darcy Van Poelgeest and watercolor artist Erin Connally this fall.

Set on a quiet street in New Orleans, The Cutting Garden follows a mysterious girl who seeks out a florist to deliver a life-altering truth in a final act of kindness and redemption.

“The Cutting Garden has been a labor of love for many years and I’m thrilled we can finally share it with the world,” said Van Poelgeest. “The process of writing and creating this story has sincerely changed me, as a writer, and a person. My hope now is that readers will take this journey themselves through the stifling shadows of Louisiana, and perhaps they too might feel a change.”

Fantagraphics will publish ‘Requiem for Gaza’ by Chris Hedges + Joe Sacco

The graphic novel draws on interviews with 29 Palestinian families displaced from Gaza.

Fantagraphics has announced Requiem for Gaza, a new work of investigative graphic journalism by writer Chris Hedges and cartoonist Joe Sacco, that they’ll publish in October.

The two creators previously worked together on Days of Destruction, Days of Revolt, which chronicled what life in poverty in different parts of the United States was like, and was published in 2012.

Requiem for Gaza pulls from the duo’s time talking to families who had recently fled Gaza. In the spring of last year, Hedges, a former Middle East bureau chief for The New York Times, and Sacco, author of Palestine and Footnotes in Gaza, traveled to Cairo where they interviewed 29 Palestinian families. The resulting book chronicles the families’ experiences of displacement, loss and survival, detailing the horrors they faced, like forced evacuations, targeted killings, failed ceasefires, exile and the deprivation of living without adequate food, water or shelter.

Dark Horse + Tiny Onion team for ‘Monsters in Love: A Pride Anthology’

James Tynion IV, Tate Brombal, Isaac Goodhart, Lilah Sturges and more will contribute stories to the Pride Month anthology.

Dark Horse Comics and James Tynion IV’s Tiny Onion Studios have teamed up for a 10-story anthology for Pride Month. Monsters in Love: A Pride Anthology will arrive in June and will feature stories by Tate Brombal, Jadzia Axelrod, Lilah Sturges and more.

The idea spun out of The Oddly Pedestrian Life of Christopher Chaos by Brombal and Isaac Goodhart, where the title character can be seen reading an EC Comics-like comic called Monsters in Love. That in-universe comic became a back-up feature in the Christopher Chaos comics, with rotating creators contributing stories.

“Love takes many shapes, and so do monsters,” Tynion IV said. “I’m thrilled that Tiny Onion can present Monsters in Love: A Pride Anthology this June for Pride Month with Dark Horse. These 10 stories represent some of the most exciting creators in the industry as well as the love and hope we need now more than ever.”

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