Comics Lowdown | RIP Takao Saito

Plus: DC does NFTs, the Uffizi opens its doors to comics, and small publishers discuss distribution.

Cover of Golgo 13, vol. 8, showing a man holding a gun and smoking a cigarette.

Takao Saito, the creator of Golgo 13, died on September 24 at the age of 84. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer. Saito made his manga debut in 1955 and launched Golgo 13, which follows the exploits of a taciturn hitman, in 1968. Volume 202 of the series has just come out in Japan, making Golgo 13 not only the longest continuously running manga series but also the one with the most volumes. Saito has said he would like the manga to continue after his death, and his publisher, Shogakukan, says the series will continue.

Comics at an Exhibition: The Uffizi Gallery, in Florence, Italy, is adding comics to its collection. The museum, which started out in the 1600s as the Medici family’s portrait collection, has commissioned 52 self-portraits by prominent Italian comics artists. The self-portraits will be on display in a special exhibit in Lucca from October 8 to November, 1, then moved to the Uffizio to join its permanent collection.

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DC reveals some of their Milestone plans at FanDome

New comics featuring Static, Icon, Rocket and more return next year.

During today’s FanDome event, DC’s “surprise” comics panel focused on Milestone Media, as Denys Cowan, Reggie Hudlin, Phil LaMarr, Jim Lee and moderator Marc Bernardin discussed the imprint’s past and future.

At the panel, they confirmed:

  • A new Static Shock original graphic novel by Hudlin and artist Kyle Baker.
  • A new Static Digital First series by an unnamed creative team.
  • New Icon and Rocket by Hudlin and Cowan.
  • The re-release of classic Milestone comics on comiXology and other digital platforms, starting in September.
  • On day two of FanDome, coming up in September, they will release Milestone Returns #0, a 17-page sampler, that you can read for 24 hours online. Written by Hudlin with Greg Pak and cover by Denys Cowan and Chris Sotomayor, the sampler will introduce and re-introduce fans to Milestone characters such as Static Shock, Icon, Rocket, Duo and others. The sampler features art by Cowan, Jim Lee, Ryan Benjamin, Khoi Pham, Scott Hanna, Bill Sienkiewicz, Don Ho, Alex Sinclair and Deron Bennett.
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DC announces the return of Milestone with five new titles

Static Shock, Icon, Rocket and more set to return next spring as a part of ‘Earth M.’

Milestone Comics was a big, groundbreaking idea back in the 1990s, and now it’s coming back to comics in a big way.

At the New York Comic Con, DC Comics announced plans to launch five new titles featuring characters from the 1990s imprint. The new initiative, called Earth M, will feature creators like Reginald Hudlin, Ken Lashley, Greg Pak, Kyle Baker and more.

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Gumby tackles fashion in this complete story by Kyle Baker

In advance of the first issue of ‘Gumby’ coming next week, Papercutz shares a story from that issue by one of comics’ greats.

NBM’s kid-friendly comics imprint Papercutz announced a new comic series starring everyone’s favorite bendable green guy, Gumby, earlier this year, and now in advance of its July 5 release they’ve shared a full story from the first issue by the wonderful Kyle Baker, who does not disappoint.

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