Vertigo will return as DC’s creator-owned imprint

Jim Lee announced the return of the iconic brand this weekend during the New York Comic Con.

At his Jim Lee & Friends Panel during this weekend’s New York Comic Con, DC Publisher Jim Lee announced plans to revive Vertigo, the long-running imprint that was home to Preacher, Fables, Y the Last Man and more over its more than 25-year history.

The imprint will under Chris Conroy and will feature creator-owned titles.

“This is my editorial dream come true,” Conroy said on social media. He currently oversees DC’s Black Label imprint as well, and confirmed Vertigo isn’t replacing it.

“DC Black Label continues, with some red-hot stories for DC’s superhero characters still on the way for years to come,” Conroy said. “Vertigo puts us back into the creator-owned business in a very big way. Yes, I’m running both; no, I haven’t lost my mind yet.”

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A ‘G.I. Joe’ ongoing series set in the Energon Universe will launch this fall

Joshua Williamson, Tom Reilly and Jordie Bellaire bring ‘a bold new vision’ of G.I. Joe and Cobra to comics in November.

Following the series of miniseries featuring Duke, Cobra Commander, Scarlett and Destro, Skybound has announced a new ongoing series featuring the war between G.I. Joe and the villainous Cobra. G.I. Joe, set in the Energon Universe alongside Void Rivals and Transformers, will launch in November.

Writer Joshua Williamson, artist Tom Reilly and colorist Jordie Bellaire will bring the Joe team together under the command of Conrad Hauser, Codename Duke, “to battle the rising power of the mysterious Cobra in the aftermath of the Autobots and Decepticons’ arrival on Earth.” It will be published alongside G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero, which continues the continuity of the original Marvel (and later IDW) title launched in the 1980s that does not tie into the bigger universe Skybound has built.

“Finally! The team is together! The response to the mini-series that led to this moment has been phenomenal, it’s been exciting to see lifelong fans of the iconic series and new readers come together to support G.I. JOE in the Energon Universe,” Williamson said. “What has come before was just a glimpse into the massive world full of action and drama that we’re bringing with the new ongoing series. Now it’s time to amp up the story as newly formed G.I. Joe and Cobra meet for the first time! Our first issue rocks the Energon Universe in major ways with big moments we’ve been dying to unleash. Tom and Jordie are killing it and bringing the heat with every page. You do not want to miss G.I. JOE #1. Yo Joe!” 

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There’s a demon in the White House in ‘The Exorcism at 1600 Penn’

Hannah Rose May + Vanesa Del Rey’s new IDW title arrives this October, just in time for election season.

IDW returns to its horror roots this October with The Exorcism at 1600 Penn, a four-issue miniseries by writer Hannah Rose May, artist Vanesa Del Rey, colorist Jordie Bellaire and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

The series is about the first woman president of the United States and the demons she must contend with when she and her family move into the White House. Literal demons, just for clarification.

“As someone who has always loved horror, I wanted to tell a story that let me play with the genre’s tropes but in a setting we haven’t seen before,” Rose May said. “The White House is arguably the most famous house in the world and I thought it would be fun to use it as a location to set an exorcism. At its core, this is a story about family and faith, but it also addresses the intensity of the 24/7 news cycle, the noise of social media and the expectations put upon the First Family.”

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Smash Pages Q&A | Luke Arnold + Chris ‘Doc’ Wyatt on ‘Essentials’

The writing duo discusses their crowdfunding project for the new graphic novel from The Lab Press.

Luke Arnold is an actor and writer best known for his roles as Long John Silver in Black Sails and INXS frontman Michael Hutchence in Never Tear Us Apart. His first novel The Last Smile in Sunder City came out in 2020 as part of the ongoing series The Fetch Phillips Archives.

Chris “Doc” Wyatt is a writer and producer whose work includes independent films like Napoleon Dynamite and Coyote, as well as animated series like Rocket and Groot, Lego Ninjago: Dragons Rising, Ultimate Spider-Man, Marvel’s Avengers Assemble, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and many more. He’s also written comics for Marvel, Dark Horse, 1First Comics and more.

Together, they are the writing team for Essentials, a new graphic novel coming from the newly formed The Lab Press. The story centers on a mathematician who predicted the end of the world but failed to prevent it. He discovers there are other survivors, but they’re trapped in alternate realities full of zombies, robots, mythical creatures and more.

Each of these alternate realities will be illustrated by a different artist, including Vince Locke, Andrea Mutti, MK Perker,Brendan McCarthy, DaNi and Jason Howard, with colors by Jordie Bellaire, Brad Simpson and Wesley Wong, and lettering by DC Hopkins. Bill Sienkiewicz provides a chilling main cover.  

The graphic novel is currently up on Kickstarter, and has already reached its goal. (Please note that the interview was conducted prior to the project’s launch). I spoke with Arnold and Wyatt about the project, working with seven different artists and what’s “Essential” in this story. My thanks to them both for their time.

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James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire reunite for ‘The Nice House by the Sea’

The award-winning team behind ‘The Nice House on the Lake’ return for more end-of-the-world shenanigans.

The award-winning team behind The Nice House on the Lake returns in July with another house, another cast and more end-of-the-world drama in The Nice House by the Sea.

James Tynion IV, Álvaro Martínez Bueno, Jordie Bellaire and Andworld Design reunite for the story of Max, a woman who invites several “titans of industry” to her house by the ocean as the human race is being eradicated.

“The people in this house do not like each other,” Tynion said. “They don’t want to spend time with each other. There have been some weak bonds that have formed over time, but none of them are particularly affectionate toward each other. This is a house of strangers and tension much more than a house of friendship, and we’re going to see the way that guilt, boredom and loneliness has twisted each of them.”

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DC will publish YA takes on Wonder Woman, Blue Beetle this year

DC will collect ‘Young Diana’ by Jordie Bellaire and Paulina Ganucheau, and publish a Blue Beetle OGN by Julio Anta and Jacoby Salcedo.

DC has announced two projects coming later this year aimed at the young adult market, which include a Wonder Woman collection and a new Blue Beetle graphic novel.

Up first is Wonder Woman: The Adventures of Young Diana, written by Jordie Bellaire and drawn by Paulina Ganucheau. These stories originally ran as a back-up in the regular Wonder Woman title starting 2021, and featured a look at Diana’s early life on Themyscira.

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Spurrier, Campbell + Bellaire reunite for more Hellblazer

‘John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America’ kicks off in January.

Si Spurrier, Aaron Campbell and Jordie Bellaire’s run on John Constantine was cut short back in 2020, but as we’ve seen many times before, the rapscallion’s pretty good at cheating death. At NYCC last weekend, DC announced that the trio will team up once again for John Constantine, Hellblazer: Dead in America, an eight-issue Black Label miniseries.

“Hellblazer is back. Between 2019 and 2021, Aaron Campbell and I chronicled John Constantine’s sly progress through London,” said writer Si Spurrier. “For 13 issues, the book dripped with heart and hate and rage—rage at the state of the world, rage at the state of our minds and lives. Those 13 issues were our poisonous love letter to the Constantines of the past—[Alan] Moore’s, [Jamie] Delano’s, [Garth] Ennis’s. It was the best work we’ve ever done. And then it stopped. On a note of death and despair, with—like all magic—a heavy price levied. And now it’s back. Because the cost doesn’t count if we don’t get to see it being paid. Because even dead things can make a difference.”

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Viking bankers go to war in ‘Kill All Immortals’

Zack Kaplan, Fico Ossio + team present a new tale starring Erik the Red in the modern day.

Ahead of New York Comic Con this weekend, Dark Horse Comics has announced Kill All Immortals by prolific writer Zack Kaplan, artist Fico Ossio, colorist Jordie Bellaire, designer Tom Muller and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou.

The story will feature famed Viking explorer Erik the Red, who discovered the secret of immortality and runs a banking empire in the modern world. His daughter decides to leave the family business, which leads to a savage conflict with the rest of her family.

Kill All Immortals is my 10th creator-owned series to date and I am so freaking thrilled to return to Dark Horse Comics,” said Kaplan, “a publisher that is a pinnacle for supernatural action comics, from Hellboy to Black Hammer. And I’m stoked to be joined in combat by this team of immortal and cutthroat comic warriors, Fico Ossio, Jordie Bellaire, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Oliver Barrett, Tom Muller and the entire Dark Horse family, all ready to bring this series to life.”

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Slugfest | Soule + Alburquerque continue ‘The Shrouded College’ storyline in a new miniseries

Plus: News and announcements about Star Wars, Sea Serpent’s Heir, Richard Corben, Kingdom Come, Stranger Things and more.

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

Charles Soule and Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque will present the second of seven interconnected miniseries in “The Shrouded College” saga that started with Soule and Will Sliney’s Hell to Pay.

The Bloody Dozen will run for six issues and kicks off in December.

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Skybound ‘stealth launches’ a new Transformers/G.I. Joe universe

‘Void Rivals,’ which arrived in stores today, also kicked off the Energon Universe, which will feature both Hasbro properties.

If you’ve read the new Skybound title Void Rivals today, then you know it’s actually part of a bigger Energon Universe launch — a universe that includes both G.I. Joe and Transformers.

Last seen in comics in 2022 as IDW wrapped up their work on both properties, early rumors and speculation mentioned Skybound as a potential new home. Now, through a license with Hasbro, Skybound has launched them in a way that only the company who once put out fake solicitations to keep the ending of The Walking Dead a secret could — as a surprise. Surprise!

“It’s a tremendous honor to be able to reintroduce this world to a new audience under the Skybound banner,” said Kirkman. “I’ve loved these characters for most of my life and to have the opportunity to add to the already rich tapestry Hasbro has built with the all-new Void Rivals is an unbelievable opportunity. If you look at everything done with Transformers and G.I. Joe, you can see the inkling of a vast universe with tremendous potential for crossovers and interaction that will enhance the fan experience while staying true to the individual identities of both concepts. I look forward to exploring that potential for years to come.” 

In addition to Void Rivals, Skybound has plans for three additional titles, including a Transformers title written and drawn by Daniel Warren Johnson of Do A Powerbomb and Beta Ray Bill fame.

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Black Canary recruits Harley, Zealot, Barda and Batgirl for ‘Birds of Prey’

The new series by Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero, Jordie Bellaire and Clayton Cowles debuts in September.

After a week of social media teases by writer Kelly Thompson, DC Comics has officially announced the new Birds of Prey series.

Thompson will team with artist Leonardo Romero and colorist Jordie Bellaire, who she worked with on Hawkeye for Marvel, and letterer Clayton Cowles. The series will feature Black Canary, Cassandra Cain, Big Barda, Zealot and Harley Quinn.

“When I say this is a dream come true for me, I mean not just working on the iconic Birds of Prey title, but also the characters we were able to fold in, and the creative team we assembled,” Thompson said. “Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire were two of my first partners-in-crime making superhero books and I’ve been trying to make this happen ever since. It won’t surprise anyone to learn that Leonardo and Jordie are even better than they were the last time we worked together—and working together on this wild book is pure magic.”

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‘Birds of Prey’ will return this fall by Thompson, Romero + Bellaire

Black Canary will assemble the ‘most dangerous’ Birds of Prey ‘for mysterious reasons.’

DC’s Birds of Prey will return in September by the creative team of Kelly Thompson, Leonardo Romero and Jordie Bellaire.

Thompson revealed the news both on Twitter and via her Substack, and also shared the team’s first member, Black Canary, with the promise to reveal more of the members throughout the week. Here’s a look at Romero’s design:

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