Ibrahim Moustafa’s ‘Count’ coming from Humanoids next year

First GN of a three-book deal will be a science fiction adaptation of ‘The Count of Monte Cristo.’

Humanoids has announced a three-book deal with Eisner-nominated creator Ibrahim Moustafa (High Crimes, Jaeger) starting with a science fiction take on the classic novel The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.

Count will feature Redxan Samud, a man framed for treason and wrongfully imprisoned who escapes a “hover prison” and sets out for revenge.

“Ibrahim Moustafa’s Count is phenomenal,” said Humanoids Publisher Mark Waid. “Ibrahim has taken a classic text and brought a modern sensibility to it, with widescreen storytelling and clever reinvention. This book is a signpost for the kind of graphic novels that we’ll be publishing in the months and years to come.” 

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Fund Me Monday: Liberty Brigade, blacklight comics and more

Support projects by Jim Rugg, Ethan Aldridge, Wes Craig and more.

As crowdfunding continues to serve as a viable method for creators to fund their creative endeavors, comic-related projects flourish on sites like Kickstarter, Patreon and IndieGoGo. The internet also allows creators to sell their creations direct to fans, through sites like Gumroad, Etsy and of course their own websites. If you’re looking to buy something from or support a creator directly, you’ve come to the right place. And that’ a good thing to do, now more than ever.

Send any suggestions of your own to jkparkin@yahoo.com.

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Waid + Adams team for a new Fantastic Four project

Neal Adams draws Marvel’s first family for the first time in ‘Fantastic Four: Antithesis.’

Neal Adams will draw a new story starring the Fantastic Four — his first time to draw the team in a full-length adventure.

“I have always had the sense of missing the chance to draw the Fantastic Four,” Adams told Marvel.com. “It was a quiet sense, since I’ve had every opportunity to do my favorites. More, I felt Kirby and Buscema had done it all, hadn’t they…? When Marvel’s Tom Brevoort asked if I’d like to do the Fantastic Four, I knew I had to ask for Galactus and the Silver Surfer as well. I am humbled and thankful to Tom for the opportunity.”

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Mail Call | Mark Waid named publisher of Humanoids

Plus: ‘Snake Eyes: Deadgame,’ ‘Dead Body Road,’ ‘Adventureman!’ and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we received from publishers in our mailboxes recently. Hit the links for more information.

Congratulations to Mark Waid, who has been promoted to publisher of Humanoids. Waid has served as Director of Creative Development for the publisher since 2018, and in his new role, will be responsible for “overseeing editorial, sales and marketing; expanding Humanoids’ relationships within the creative community; and deepening its ties to retailers and librarians.”

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AHOY Comics announces ‘Steel Cage’ winner(s) [Updated]

Spoiler alert: It’s all of them.

I think maybe we got a “swerve” here … AHOY Comics announced the winner of its Steel Cage comics competition at Comic-Con International today. In a move that no one saw coming, all three of the titles that were previewed in the comic will receive their own series next year, instead of just one.

The Steel Cage comic arrived in June and featured comics by Mark Waid and Lanna Souvanny, Tom Peyer and Alan Robinson, and Stuart Moore and Peter Gross. Fans were asked to pick their favorite and vote for it on the AHOY Comics website, with the winner getting its own title.

Steel Cage just might be the greatest moment of fan participation since fans called a 1-900 number and voted for a teenage sidekick to die,” AHOY Publisher Hart Seely said.

But apparently AHOY is blaming “voting irregularities” for deciding to publish all three:

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Help pick AHOY’s next title in ‘Steel Cage’ throwdown

Buy the one-shot this week to get a taste of three potential titles, then crush the dreams of two hopefuls by picking your favorite.

AHOY Comics is ready to rumble, and they want you to help choose the winner of their Steel Cage comics competition.

This Wednesday, Steel Cage arrives in stores, featuring three stories by very un-jobberlike creative teams. But only one of these stories can go on to lose the Money in the Bank briefcase to Brock Lesnar, who wasn’t even in the match win their very own title. You can vote for your choice at https://comicsahoy.com/vote.

Steel Cage just might be the greatest moment of fan participation since fans called a 1-900 number and voted for a teenage sidekick to die,” AHOY Publisher Hart Seely said.

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Archie rocks ’n’ rolls into the 1950s

Waid and Augustyn unite for another take on history through the eyes of the Archie gang.

Mark Waid and Brian Augustyn recently took the Archie gang back to the 1940s, and now they’re turning their attention to a different decade — the 1950s.

“As a boy who grew up in Tupelo, Mississippi, I’ve been a rock-origins aficionado my entire life,” Waid said. “Archie: 1955 is my chance to visit that era I so love, and do it with an Archie spin. As with Archie: 1941 we’re very true to the time while telling a story in a modern way that’s exciting and dramatic. Using Archie as a lens through which to really examine the beginnings of rock ‘n’ roll is a blast.”

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Waid, Osajyefo + Briones ignite the H1 universe [Preview]

Check out a preview of ‘Ignited #1,’ which debuts June 5.

It’s a ballsy thing to do, kicking off your new superhero universe with a first issue that barely features any costumed superheroes. That’s one of the things I admired about Ignited #1.

Last October French comics publisher Humanoids, which has brought comics like Metabarons, Technopriests and The Incal, among many others, to America over the past 20 years announced their intention to launch a shared universe that would kick off with three monthly titles — Ignited being the flagship. They announced an impressive amount of talent behind this new universe, including Waid and Osajyefo, as well as John Cassaday, Yanick Paquette and Carla Speed McNeil.

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Comics Lowdown: 2018 sales, Michael Davis hacked

Plus: News on Mark Waid, Mary Fleener, Free Comic Book Day and more!

ICv2 and the Comichron held a special crossover event this week to share the news that “Comics and graphic novel sales hit a new high in 2018.”

“After a brief downturn in 2017, the market bounced back last year,” said Comichron‘s John Jackson Miller. “Popular releases helped right the ship in comics shops, even as other sales avenues made significant gains.”

Their report looks at three formats — comics, graphic novels and digital — across multiple channels, including crowdfunding, book fairs, mass merchants, newsstands and more.

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Rodriguez +Lopez kill it in these ‘History of the Marvel Universe’ preview pages

New series written by Mark Waid will cover everything from the Big Bang until the ‘twilight of existence.’

During C2E2 last weekend, Marvel announced a new project by Mark Waid, Javier Rodriguez and Alvaro Lopez — History of the Marvel Universe, which will detail exactly what the title implies. According to Marvel, the comic “will go all the way back to the Big Bang and the beginning of time and conclude with the twilight of existence.”

And boy, are Rodriguez and Lopez bringing their “A” game on these preview pages. It’s not surprising, of course; they brought their vibrant visual style to Spider-Woman, Exiles and other titles, but these pages in particular really blew me away when I saw them.

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Comics Lowdown: Mark Waid’s attorney asks for dismissal of Richard C. Meyer’s lawsuit

BOOM! Studios cancels ‘Husband and Husband’ collection after plagiarism charges! Image stops selling DRM-free digital comics directly! Chicago Sun-Times drops two pages of comics! Plus: Chip Zdarsky, NaNoWriMo, best of 2018 lists and more!

Mark Waid’s legal representative has asked the U.S. District Court for the Western district of Texas to dismiss the lawsuit filed against him by Richard C. Meyer. The civil lawsuit was filed in September and claims “tortious interference with contract and defamation.” You can read the motion on Newsarama.

“[Meyer] asserts claims against Mr. Waid for tortious interference with contract and defamation. These claims are completely meritless. But the problem at the outset, and which is proper to address, is that this Court lacks personal jurisdiction over Mr. Waid,” reads the motion. “Plaintiff’s Complaint fails to identify any allegations or facts establishing any connection between Mr. Waid and Texas. Instead, Plaintiff merely alleges a single phone call between Mr. Waid, who was in California at the time, and a San Antonio publishing company. That is far short of the necessary substantial connection with Texas to justify personal jurisdiction.”

Mark Waid and Richard Meyer have GoFundMe campaigns going to pay for their legal fees, both of which have reached their goals.

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Weekly ‘Avengers: No Road Home’ kicks off next year

Writer Jim Zub shares details on the spiritual sequel to last year’s ‘Avengers: No Surrender,’ as he teams up with Al Ewing and Mark Waid for another weekly story.

Last year Avengers: No Surrender ran through all of Marvel’s various Avengers titles on a weekly basis, as the creators of those books tag-teamed on a giant story involving lots of Avengers, the Grandmaster, the Black Order, several new villains and a plot to steal the Earth.

One of the writers involved in the story was Jim Zub, who attended New York Comic Con last weekend to announce the “spiritual successor” to that story, the 10-week Avengers: No Road Home. He took to his blog this week to provide more details on the project.

Unlike “No Surrender,” “No Road Home” will not run through the Avengers titles — there’s actually only the one now, written by Jason Aaron. Instead it’ll be its own stand-alone series. Zub will once again work with Mark Waid and Al Ewing on writing it, while Paco Medina and Sean Izaakse will provide the art.

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