Slugfest | Get ready for ‘The Gimmick’

Check out news and announcements featuring the X-Men, Captain Marvel, The Last Barbarians, Harrower, The Archies in India 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.

Ahoy Comics has announced a new project by writer Joanne Starer (Sirens of the City; Away From Here) and artist Elena Gogou (Quests Aside) — The Gimmick, which is “how I imagine the Coen brothers would tell a story about the wrestling business,” Starer said.

Colorist Andy Troy, letterer Rob Steen and editor Tom Peyer round out the creative team.

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Ed Laroche returns to Image with ‘Almighty’

The high stakes series kicks off in February.

The Warning creator Ed Laroche will return to Image Comics next year with Almighty, a high-stakes sci-fi/fantasy series that he originally self-published as a graphic novel.

“I can’t wait for people to experience this story; each issue ratchets up the tension culminating in one of the most unexpected climaxes put to paper,” said the storyboard artist, who has worked for clients like CBS, Sony, AMC and more.

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Peter J. Tomasi + Maxim Šimić grow a ‘Blood Tree’ at Image in February

The series about the NYPD hunting a serial killer was previously serialized on Zestworld.

Writer Peter J. Tomasi and artist Maxim Šimić are laying down the roots of a Blood Tree. The ongoing series about two NYPD detectives hunting a serial killer will launch in February from Image Comics.

Tomasi has been serializing Blood Tree on Zestworld since earlier this year.

“I always wanted to take a shot at writing a taut and haunting crime drama in the tradition of Silence of the Lambs meets Seven,” said Tomasi.

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‘Local Man’ brings together small town crime and early 1990s superheroes

“Part Extreme Studios, part Vertigo Comics. It’s a story about love and loss, and ego, and murder most foul.”

Tim Seeley and Tony Fleecs have teamed up for a new comic that’s “part Extreme Studios, part Vertigo Comics” as the duo share their love for those early Image superheroes in Local Man.

Local Man is Tony and I teaming up to make a comic book that combines what we love about ’90s superheroes, with our shared affections for crime and horror stories,” Seeley told CBR. “Part Extreme Studios, part Vertigo Comics. It’s a story about love and loss, and ego, and murder most foul. But it’s also about nostalgia, and promises not fulfilled—with lots of gritted teeth, and epic head punches.”

Seeley and Fleecs have both had their own success at Image, with titles like Revival and Stray Dogs. Each issue of the series will come in a “flip book” format, with a lead story drawn by Fleecs and a superhero flashback drawn by Seeley. Both are accomplished writers and artists, so it’s good to see them flexing both those muscles here.

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Barnes + Lins team for new alien invasion series ‘Monarch’

The new series will launch from Image Comics next year.

Killadelphia writer Rodney Barnes and Immortal Hulk artist Alex Lins will bring the horrors of an alien invasion to the streets of Compton in Monarch, a new series coming in February from Image Comics.

“I’ve always loved films like Attack the Block and War of the Worlds, so I decided to put them together to see what would happen. The result? Monarch,” said Barnes. 

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2023 Free Comic Book Day gold titles include Spider-Man, Fishflies, Dog Man and more

The first 13 titles include selections from Marvel, BOOM!, IDW, Image, Dark Horse and more.

Diamond has announced the first round of Free Comic Book Day titles for 2023. The “gold sponsor” titles for next year will include comics from Marvel, Dark Horse, AfterShock, Image, VIZ, Kodansha, Archie, BOOM!, Graphix, IDW, Titan and Dynamite, for a total of 13 titles, as Marvel will have two gold level books.

“This year’s lineup of titles has something for every kind of comic fan,” said Ashton Greenwood, Free Comic Book Day spokesperson. “We’re looking forward to another great year celebrating comic books and comic book shops, and we think this year’s lineup gives fans a lot to be excited about!”

The rest of the batch — otherwise known as the silver sponsor titles — will be announced later this week. Free Comic Book Day is scheduled for May 6, 2023.

Here’s a look at each gold-level title:

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Slugfest | Beware Doom the Living Planet!

Check out news and announcements about ‘Avengers Assemble,’ Miracleman, ‘Space Job,’ Spawn 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.

Marvel’s upcoming Avengers Assemble crossover is set to kick off in Avengers Assemble Alpha later this month, but Marvel’s already teasing what’s in store for the big multiversal event in February.

Those plans include more info on Avenger Prime, the “most important Avenger in the Multiverse,” as well as the introduction of Doom the Living Planet! You’d have to have a pretty big Ego to turn yourself into a planet, so it’s no surprise to see a multiverse version of Dr. Doom has done exactly that.

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Marjorie Liu + Sana Takeda win a World Fantasy Award

The sixth volume of ‘Monstress’ adds another trophy to an already full shelf for the creative duo.

Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda have been awarded a World Fantasy Award for Monstress Volume Six: The Vow.

The winners of the 2022 World Fantasy Awards were announced this weekend at the World Fantasy Convention, which took place in New Orleans.

In the “Special Award – Professional” category, the two creators were up against a strange mix of nominees — including a podcast, a guide to storytelling by Charlie Jane Anders and Tor.com publisher Irene Gallo. Unlike a lot of other science fiction and fantasy literary awards programs, the World Fantasy Awards don’t have a dedicated category for comics or graphic novels.

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Brubaker + Phillips’ ‘Night Fever’ arrives next year

The award-winning duo have a new graphic novel in the works at Image Comics.

Image Comics has announced a new graphic novel from Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips that’s coming out next year. The publisher describes Night Fever as a “Jekyll-and-Hyde story of a man facing the darkness inside himself.”

Colorist Jacob Phillips, who has worked with the duo in the past as well as on his own projects like That Texas Blood, will join them on the project.

Night Fever is a story that’s been scratching at the back of my skull for a long time now and man, is this a weird one,” said Brubaker. “Inspired partly by old Black Lizard noir novels and weird and sexy European comics from the 70s, this book is a dark trip into what being alive right now feels like, but hopefully a thrilling one for our readers, too. I know it’s the best art of Sean’s entire career, which feels almost unbelievable. But it’s true.”

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Jeff Lemire reveals future plans for ‘Black Hammer,’ ‘Bone Orchard Mythos’ + more

The prolific creator also revealed print plans for ‘Fishflies’ and a few new projects to look forward to.

Jeff Lemire has proven to be one of the most prolific comic creators in recent years, and it looks like he has no intention of slowing down. In two different posts to his Tales from the Farm Substack newsletter, Lemire revealed his upcoming plans for The Bone Orchard Mythos, his ambitious publishing initiative with Andrea Sorrentino, as well as projects like Black Hammer, Fishflies, Royal City and more.

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Slugfest | Have a very ‘Criminal’ Christmas

Catch up on recent news and announcements on Criminal, Dragon Age, Blue Beetle, Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, Prism Stalker and more.

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

Image Comics is serving up a Christmas treat for Criminal fans in the pages of their Image! 30th anniversary anthology. Creators Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips have created a Christmas story starring Teeg Lawless in a take-off of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol.

“I’ve been wanting to do a Christmas-themed Criminal story since we first started the book,” said Brubaker. “So, Sean and I had a blast returning to that world for ‘Teeg’s Christmas Carol.’ Twelve pages of bad dad Christmases and history lessons.”

Phillips drew the cover, which features a cigarette puffing, Santa-hat wearing Teeg:

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Tynion + Blanco’s new horror series ‘Worldtr33’ explores ‘the secret architecture beneath the internet’

The new series launches next spring, with a preview appearing in the ‘Image! 30th anniversary anthology next month.

Image Comics has announced W0rldtr33, a new series that will spin out of next month’s Image! Anthology #8. James Tynion IV and his Razorblades collaborator Fernando Blanco will venture into the “secret architecture beneath the internet,” which turns out to be a place filled with unimaginable horrors, kind of like the real internet at times.

Tynion and Blanco will be joined by colorist Jordie Bellaire and letterer Aditya Bidikar for the ongoing series, which Tynion said he hopes will run for several years.

W0rldtr33 is a horror epic that’s been festering in the back of my brain for the better part of five years. I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring this story to life at Image Comics,” said Tynion IV. “I can’t wait to show the world what Fernando, Jordie, Aditya, and I have been building for you.”

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