Mail Call | DC announces ‘Milestones in History’ anthology

Check out news, announcements and previews from DC, Marvel, Dark Horse, Image, Z2 and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of cool things we’ve received in our mailboxes recently from comics creators, publishers and more. Hit the links for more information.

DC Comics and Milestone Media revealed more details about the anthology they plan to release this coming February during Black History Month, which was initially announced during DC FanDome last month.

Milestones in History will feature Hardware, Icon, Static and more narrating stories “Black trailblazers from across human history,” including Hannibal, the Queen of Sheba, Alexandre Dumas and more.

The 96-page prestige one-shot will cost $9.99 and arrives Feb. 15.

Here’s the full solicitation:

Celebrate Black History Month the Milestone way, as the superpowered citizens of Dakota (including Static, Icon, Rocket, Hardware, and more) narrate the true stories of Black trailblazers from across human history! Witness the military campaigns of Hannibal and the Queen of Sheba, the literary accomplishments of Alexandre Dumas, the World War One dogfights of Eugene Bullard against the legendary Red Baron, and many, many more, all written and drawn by a who’s who of comics and literary talent! On sale February 15th, this 96 page anthology honors Black History from around the world in a beautiful, prestige format book.

Written by REGINALD HUDLIN, ALICE RANDALL, TOURÉ, MICHAEL HARRIOT, and more
Art by VARIOUS
Cover by CHRISCROSS
Variant cover by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
$9.99 US | 96 pages | Prestige Format | One-shot

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Dark Horse will publish all-ages ‘Star Wars’ titles starting next year

Dark Horse returns to a galaxy far, far away next spring.

Dark Horse is back in the Star Wars business.

Starting next year, the publisher will once again tell stories set in the Star Wars universe, publishing all-ages comics and graphic novels in partnership with Lucasfilm.

“Dark Horse has a rich history publishing Star Wars comics and graphic novels,” said Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics CEO. “Star Wars is near and dear to all of our hearts and I’ve been a fan since I saw the original film 19 times during its original release. I am thrilled that Dark Horse will once again bring new stories to life from this incredible galaxy and I’m not exaggerating when I say we can’t wait to bring these new adventures to fans of every age.”

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Participation trophy: X-Men fan vote runner-ups assemble for ‘Secret X-Men’

The one-shot by Tini Howard and Francesco Mobili arrives next February.

Remember the fan vote Marvel held to see who the new member of the X-Men would be? Polaris went on to win, but all the losers runner ups are getting a chance at the spotlight in Secret X-Men.

The one-shot will feature Strong Guy, Forge, Tempo (our choice!), Boom-Boom, Marrow, Armor, Cannonball, Sunspot and Banshee teaming up for a secret mission, written by Tini Howard and drawn by Francesco Mobili.

“We had to do it, yeah? And I jumped at the chance to tell the story while I had the time,” Howard told Marvel.com. “Cannonball was my vote, and Strong Guy? Tempo? Boom-Boom? This is the perfect team for an intergalactic X-Men mission. I hope they didn’t forget anything important!”

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‘Devil’s Reign’ gets all sorts of crazy crossover titles in January + February

Moon Knight, Spider-Man, Emma Frost and more get caught up in the Kingpin’s war on superheroes.

Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto’s epic run on Daredevil will give way to a crossover event called Devil’s Reign in December, one of several “tentpole” events Marvel announced in August. And in the Mighty Marvel fashion, the main Devil’s Reign title will be accompanied by all sorts of tie-in titles in January, February and beyond.

In case you missed the news, Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto, the creative team for the ongoing Daredevil title, are also the creative team behind the crossover event’s main miniseries. It will run for six issues and will see the Kingpin “bring his full criminal and political power to bear on the super heroes who call NYC home.” Yep, NYC’s mayor is declaring war on the superhero community, and he’s got his new team of Thunderbolts on his side.

Let’s take a look at what’s coming in January and February …

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‘How to Create Comics the Marvel Way’ by Mark Waid coming next year

The guide will walk readers through the production process of creating a comic.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to create comics for Marvel, Mark Waid is going to show you how.

Simon & Schuster will publish How to Create Comics the Marvel Way next summer. The guide will walk readers through the comic book production process from pencil roughs, inking, coloring, as well as how comic book illustration has been revolutionized through advances in digital/desktop technology.

“Putting a book like this together is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me, and it’s thrilling,” Waid told Marvel.com. “My goal was to write the kind of how-to I wish I’d had when I first started out. No matter what discipline is calling to you — writing, art, coloring, lettering, or all of the above — you’ll come away from How to Create Comics the Marvel Way with the tools and guidance you’ll need to bring your favorite heroes and villains to life on the page.”

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A new Iron Fist will debut in February

A new character will inherit the mantle from a powerless Danny Rand.

Marvel has announced that Danny Rand, who lost his powers in the excellent Heart of the Dragon miniseries, will pass on the mantle of Iron Fist to a new hero next year.

Iron Fist by Alyssa Wong and Michael YG will debut in February, and the five-issue miniseries will show the “hero’s journey” of the new Iron Fist, whose idnetity Marvel is keeping under wraps.

“It’s an incredible honor to introduce a new Iron Fist to the Marvel Universe. I’m excited to delve into the comic’s rich mythos and build on it. What does it mean for someone to take up the mantle of the Iron Fist right now, today? As a newcomer, how does one interact with legacy, and how does one honor it while forging a new path?” Wong told Marvel.com.

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Percy + Smith are planning a new road trip for ‘Ghost Rider’

The new series launches in February.

Marvel has announced that Johnny Blaze will ride again as Ghost Rider in a new series by Benjamin Percy and Cory Smith.

“I’m a horror head. I grew up reading Stephen King, watching John Carpenter and listening to Black Sabbath, and when it came to comics, I always reached first for the dark and weird which means I read a hell of a lot of Ghost Rider. That flaming skull. That spiked leather jacket. That monstrous bike coughing out clouds of sulfurous exhaust. To this day, the sight of the character blazing along a midnight highway makes my heart rev like a four-stroke engine,” Percy told Marvel.com.

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Spider-Man goes from ‘Non-Stop’ to ‘Savage’ in a new miniseries

Joe Kelly and Gerardo Sandoval present a monstrous look at Spider-Man next year.

Joe Kelly and Chris Bachalo’s adrenaline-fueled Non-Stop Spider-Man ended up being, um, not so non-stop, as it ended on a bit of a cliffhanger. But now Marvel has revealed where you can read the next chapter — in the pages of Savage Spider-Man, a miniseries kicking off in February.

The series finds Peter Parker once again mutating into something more monstrous, in a story told by Kelly and artist Gerardo Sandoval.

“You may think you’ve seen a monstrous or vicious Spider-Man before, but never like this,” Spider-Man Editor Nick Lowe told Marvel.com. “This book is so intense that you’re going to need to put it down between pages to get your breath back.”

You’ve been warned! Make sure you’re hydrated as well before you start reading it as well, just in case..

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Allred + Milligan’s ‘X-Cellent’ debuts in February

The X-Statix team returns to the Marvel universe to confront a new team of mutants taking their spotlight.

The creative team behind one of Marvel’s most creative and fun comics from the early 2000s will reunite in February for The X-Cellent.

Writer Peter Milligan and artists Michael and Laura Allred, whose run on X-Force and X-Statix introduced us to Doop, Anarchist, Mister Sensitive, Vivisector, U-Go Girl, Dead Girl and many others (most of whom ended up dead), will return to Marvel for the new series.

“I’m thoroughly X-Statix to be working with Mike and Laura Allred again,” Milligan told Marvel.com. “And it’s been truly X-CELLENT to discover that we’ve lost none of our alchemical fizz in conjuring up this new comic, this new title, this new beginning: The X-Cellent!”

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Marvel will celebrate 200 issues of Black Panther in January

John Ridley and Juann Cabal send T’Challa to Mars to visit his ex-wife Storm in the oversized issue.

Marvel’s latest Black Panther series will only reach issue #3 in January, but if you add up all his previous series, you get 200 issues — so Marvel’s celebrating with an oversized issue.

The comic is already pretty special, as it’s the third issue of the new series by Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Ridley and artist Juann Cabal. Ridley follows Ta-Nehisi Coates on the title and promises the comic will be a “hybrid espionage-Super Hero thriller, but at its core, it’s a love story.”

The cover to the first issue teased an appearance by Storm, and she’s front and center on issue #200:

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She-Hulk will put her ‘rage-filled days behind her’ in new series

Rainbow Rowell and Rogê Antônio bring the Jade Giant back to her legal practice in a new series this January.

Marvel’s upcoming She-Hulk title by Rainbow Rowell and Rogê Antônio will see the return of the Jennifer Walters we know and love, as she returns to practicing law and defending the innocent. But Marvel still promises a shocker at the end of the first issue that will “send Jen down a road she’s never traveled, one that will shake up her life and possibly the whole Marvel Universe.”

Marvel announced that Bruce Banner’s cousin would get her own title back in September, along with seven other “tentpole” titles set to debut this winter. Given the character will soon debut on Disney+, it makes sense she would return to her own title.

“She-Hulk is the best of the best,” Rowell told Marvel.com. “She’s smart, she’s funny—and she’s really and truly heroic (all that and she has the best hair in comics). Jen has always been at the top of my Marvel wishlist, and I’m thrilled to be writing her next chapter.”

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Comics Lowdown | Texas school reverses ‘New Kid’ ban

Plus: Penguin Classics to publish Marvel classics, Joe Ollmann’s ‘Fictional Father’ nominated for Governor General’s award, and more!

Cover of New Kid by Jerry Craft

School administrators in Katy, Texas, have returned Jerry Craft’s New Kid to library shelves and rescheduled a video visit from the creator, according to NBC News. The district pulled the book and canceled the visit after a parent started a petition claiming that New Kid espoused critical race theory. The district told NBC that it had “determined the appropriateness” of the book, which was the first graphic novel to be awarded the Newbery Medal. In a statement last week, Craft said his intention was simply to portray children of color in a realistic setting: “Books aimed at kids like me seemed to deal only with history or misery. That’s why it has always been important to me to show kids of color as just regular kids, and to create iconic African American characters like Jordan Banks from ‘New Kid.’ I hope that readers of all ages will see the kindness and understanding that my characters exhibit and emulate those feelings in their day-to-day lives.” However, parent Bonnie Anderson, who started the petition, disagreed, saying, “The books don’t come out and say we want white children to feel like oppressors, but that is absolutely what they will do.”

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