Slugfest | Rounding up news from ComicsPro

Find out what Marvel, Mad Cave, BOOM! and more revealed to retailers this week.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Today we take a look at several projects announced this week during the ComicsPro meeting. Hit the links for more information.

This week’s ComicsPro meeting in Pittsburgh — that’s the retailers’ industry meeting where publishers present their plans to them, among many other activities — brought news from DC, Marvel, Skybound and several more publishers. We already covered DC’s new crossover series, Knight Terrors, and their manga news, as well as the new shared universe coming from Skybound. But there was a lot more revealed at the meeting.

It’s interesting to see what the ComicsPro meeting has evolved into over the years. There was a time when the meeting was pretty clandestine, as publishers talked directly to retailers, and journalists and bloggers would try to suss out what was revealed because press weren’t invited to the meeting. Well, except one — Matthew Price, who wrote about comics for the Oklahoman, is also a comics retailer, and I’d remember, when I was at Blog@Newsarama and maybe even Robot 6, following his writing to see what came out of those meetings. (Nowadays we get multiple press releases, and keynote speeches are regularly posted online — here’s this year’s).

I mention this because this week was also Price’s last week at the Oklahoman; here’s his final farewell letter for the publication, where he worked for more than two decades. Best of luck to him as he focuses not only on Speeding Bullet Comics but also his Substack, where he’ll continue to write about comics.

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Pires + Castaniero team for the dystopian miniseries ‘You’ve Been Cancelled’

Cancel culture gets deadly in the new miniseries from Mad Cave Studios.

Mad Cave Studios has announce a new dystopian action/satire miniseries, You’ve Been Cancelled, by Youth writer Curt Pires, Grit artist Kevin Castaniero, Rogues colorist Jason Wordie and It’s Only Teenage Wasteland letterer Micah Myers.

“I’m ecstatic to be bringing You’ve Been Cancelled to life with Kevin, Jason, Micah and our publishing partners at Mad Cave,” Pires said. “This is a book that has hilarity, satire and good old fashioned ultraviolence in equal measure. Not to mention mind-blowingly beautiful artwork.”  

The new series combines cancel culture with a The Running Man-style show called Cancelled, where bounty hunters attempt to hunt and kill people who have been cancelled by society.

“I personally can not wait for you guys to read this book. Lots of whiskey, sweat and tears went in on my end, so hopefully it delivers,” Castaniero said. “Hell, based on the team we have working on this, I think it will do that and more!!! Hopefully you have as much fun reading the book as I did illustrating it!!! Cheers.”

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Mad Cave will launch ‘Monomyth’ in May

David Hazzan, Cecilia Lo Valvo, Marissa Louise and Lucas Gattoni present a story about ‘the darkest side of stories.’

Mad Cave Studios has announced a new fantasy/horror series by Nottingham scribe David Hazzan, with artwork by Cecilia Lo Valvo of Grimm Tales from the Cave fame. They’re joined by colorist Marissa Louise and award-winning letterer Lucas Gattoni.

Monomyth is “a story about the darkest side of stories…how they use people, twist people and affect people and the dangers of getting stuck telling the same tired tales.”

Monomyth has been a wonderful opportunity to explore both the magic of storytelling as well as to plumb its darkest recesses…because maybe it’s just me, but if I ever got a letter inviting me to a school for magic, I’d tear it up!” Hazan said. “And Cecilia and Marissa together have done such a wonderful job of illustrating that juxtaposition between wonder and terror as our cast discover that magic is both everything and nothing like what they imagined. Lucas’ innovative letters only intensify the mystery and terror in a world where magic is stories.”

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Ex-lovers fight the forces of Hell in ‘Exorcists Never Die’

Steve Orlando and Sebastián Píriz present a new miniseries coming from Mad Cave next year.

Mad Cave Studios has announced Exorcists Never Die, an action story of Biblical proportions by writer Steve Orlando and artist Sebastián Píriz, with lettering by Carlos M. Mangual.

The story features two exorcists who are also ex-lovers — and they’re brought back together to save thousands of souls being auctioned off in Los Angeles as a part of the bigger war between Heaven and Hell.

“We’re giving you action to the sky in this book, but it’s important to me for much more than that. Here’s a vivid exploration of biblical mythology, of what it means to fight a war, or even merely survive, in a world where only one side’s playing by the rules,” Orlando said. “It’s about the power of belief—not in the unknowable, but the knowable, the one fighting beside you. And in that unjust environment, we have two masters of their craft on the streets and catastrophes in the sheets, ex-lovers who’ve got no choice but to overcome the forces that drove them apart if they want to survive the most dangerous exorcism to ever hit the earthly plane.”

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Artemis hunts the gods in ‘Hunt. Kill. Repeat.’ from Mad Cave Studios

Mark London, Francesco Archidiacono + more pit the Goddess of the Hunt against her former family in a new series coming next March.

Hell hath no fury like a goddess scorned, something that Zeus and company will find out first hand in the new Mad Cave Studios series Hunt. Kill. Repeat.

The new title is written by Mark London with art by Francesco Archidiacono and Marc Deering. Lee Loughridge and Rus Wooton round out the team on colors and lettering, while Ryan Kincaid will provide covers.

“From Francesco Archidiacono’s perfectly executed penciling to Lee Loughridge’s vibrant colors, Hunt. Kill. Repeat. came to life exactly the way I had envisioned it in my mind,” London said. “It’s been a wild ride and truly invigorating to work with such talented individuals like the artists mentioned above, but also Marc Deering, Rus Wooton, Ryan Kincaid and Chris Fernandez. I am beyond excited for the fans to get this double-sized first issue in their hands and for everyone to see what we have in store for them with Hunt. Kill. Repeat.

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Mike Marts named editor in chief of Mad Cave Studios

Marts will oversee editorial for Mad Cave, Maverick and Papercutz.

Comics veteran Mike Marts has left his position at AfterShock Comics to become executive vice president and editor in chief of Mad Cave Studios.

Marts brings more than 30 years of experience in the comics industry to the company, including roles as an executive editor for Marvel Comics, group editor for DC Comics and editor in chief for AfterShock, where he has been for the last eight years.

“We are thrilled to welcome Mike Marts to Mad Cave Studios. He’s a proven leader and gifted storyteller with a keen eye for talent and quality,” said Mark London, CEO + CCO of Mad Cave Studios. “Not only does Mike himself have 30 years worth of editorial experience, but also he has proven to be a valuable source of guidance for young creators along the way. As Mad Cave continues to establish itself in the growing comic book and graphic novel industry, we can’t think of a better person than Mike to take the role as executive vice president and editor in chief.” 

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Mad Cave announces three new titles for late 2022

Cullen Bunn, Andrea Mutti, Zac Thompson, Bayleigh Underwood, Joe Corallo, Andrea Milana and more will create new comics this Fall.

Mad Cave Studios has announced three new titles that will arrive in stores at the end of the year.

First up will be A Legacy of Violence, a 12-issue horror/mystery series by Cullen Bunn and Andrea Mutti in October, followed by Nature’s Labyrinth by Zac Thompson and Bayleigh Underwood In November. Then December brings Dahlia In The Dark by Joe Corallo and Andrea Milana.

Here’s a look at the three titles:

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Mad Cave announces ‘Lower Your Sights’ line-up

The charity anthology to benefit children impacted by the Russian invasion of Ukraine arrives in September.

Mad Cave Studios has recruited a solid list of comics creators for their upcoming charity anthology, Lower Your Sights, including Matt Kindt, Jim Zub, Richard Pace, Justin Greenwood and Liana Kangas, among many others.

The book will raise money for the Voices of Children Foundation, a nonprofit seeking to help children affected by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. And several Ukraine creators will be featured in the collection.

“We’re incredibly proud to highlight industry greats, indie darlings, rising stars, and, most importantly, numerous Ukrainian creators,” said Mad Cave Studios Editor Chas! Pangburn. “Watching the industry come together to tell these powerful and poignant tales is a great reminder that the pen really is mightier than the sword.”

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Quick Hits | Chick Tracts artist Fred Carter passes away

Plus: Rachel Pollack, Luke Healy and the Siancong War!

Passings | Fred Carter, an artist whose work was seen by millions in the form of Chick Tracts, passed away earlier this month from heart failure at the age of 83. Carter worked anonymously for Jack Chick, publisher of Chick Publications, and is credited with drawing more than half of the Christian comic pamphlets. He also worked with Chick on The Crusaders, a comic that featured a white former Green Beret and a Black ex-militant who “went on adventures for Christ.” The duo looked a lot like Chick and Carter.

People | Mad Cave Studios has added two new senior editors to their team, Lauren McGrew-Hitzhusen and Chas! Pangburn.

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Check out holiday shopping deals from comiXology, Scout, Z2 and more

Get Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals on comics and more.

Black Friday is here, bringing opportunities for comic fans to find that perfect gift or just a good deal. Here’s a rundown of some comic-related things to check out today, over the weekend and on Cyber Monday. I’ll add others as I see them, so be sure to check back often.

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Mad Cave announces their 2021 talent search winners

Eight new creators have been chosen by the publisher in their fourth annual competition.

Mad Cave Studios has announced the winners of their annual talent search competition, which is going on four years now. The winners were announced on Friday during Mad Cave Studios Showcase 4.0, which was broadcast on Twitch.

“We received a wealth of submissions from many talented creators and regrettably could only select a few to help usher in the next phase of Mad Cave,” Mad Cave said in the their statement announcing the winners. “The Mad Cave Studios Talent Search has created a supportive community of dedicated comic book lovers that leaves us feeling excited for the future of the medium, and we want to thank each creator who put everything they have into their respective submission.”

Previous winners of the competition include Shane Connery Volk and David Hazan, who went on to create the Mad Cave title Nottingham. A sequel has been announced for next year. The winners of the 2020 competition helped create the upcoming Grimm Tales From the Cave, a horror anthology that arrives in stores next week.

Here are the eight creators who won, who I’m sure you’ll be hearing about more in the future:

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Mad Cave announces their 2022 line-up

The publisher will release new comics from Erik Burnham, Nadia Shammas, Ryan K. Lindsay and more.

Mad Cave Studios has announced their 2022 line-up, both for their main comics line and their young-adult Maverick line, including new titles from Erik Burnham, Nadia Shammas, Ryan K. Lindsay, Rachael Smith and more.

“Over the past three years, it has been gratifying to witness how much Mad Cave has grown. We’ve achieved a great lot in a very short time, and I’m beyond excited to announce our 2022 array of titles,” said Mark London, CEO of Mad Cave. “They are going to showcase another step in the right direction of the continued making of quality cutting-edge stories that comic book fans love.”

The announcement comes a few days after Mad Cave revealed they are now part of Diamond Comics Distributors’ Final Order Cut-Off program — which should help them with marketing the new title to retailers.

Here’s a look at what they have planned for next year: 

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