Tag: Marvel

Jane Foster soars again in ‘The Mighty Valkyries’

The new ongoing series begins in April.

Following Return of the Valkyries, the King in Black tie-in miniseries that’s currently in stores, Jane Foster, aka the former Thor and current Valkyrie, will star in another ongoing series, Marvel has announced.

As the title implies — The Mighty Valkyries — Jane Foster won’t be the only Valkyrie appearing in the series. She’ll be joined by the new Valkyrie, the one who looks more like Tessa Thompson, who debuted in the KiB tie-in.

Jason Aaron and Torunn Grønbekk will re-team as writers on the series, with Mattia de Iulis providing art. (de Iulis designed the new Valkyrie).

Continue reading “Jane Foster soars again in ‘The Mighty Valkyries’”

Spurrier and Quinn put Nightcrawler at the center of ‘Way of X’

The new X-Men title will explore “the dark mysteries of the X-Men’s new way of life.”

With X of Swords in the back issue bins and the X-titles moving into what they’re calling “Reign of X,” Simon Spurrier and Bob Quinn are preparing for their own arrival on Krakoa. The duo will team up on a new title, Way of X, which features Nightcrawler, Dr. Nemesis, Pixie and Blink, among others, confronting “the dark mysteries of the X-Men’s new way of life.”

“I should probably just tell a lie for the sake of a neat elevator pitch and say that Way of X is a story about the creation of a new mutant religion,” Spurrier told Marvel.com. “But it’s not—not really. That’s kinda where it starts, for sure. Nightcrawler realizes something’s wrong with the hearts and minds of mutantkind and sets out to fix it. But as he quickly discovers, this isn’t a job for priests and prayers… The question is, what do they have to become in order to fight it? Preachers? Cops? Executioners? Or something entirely new?”

Continue reading “Spurrier and Quinn put Nightcrawler at the center of ‘Way of X’”

Tom and Carla lock down 2020

Tom Bondurant and Carla Hoffman review the year that was for Marvel and DC, while looking toward the future for both companies.

From 2009 to 2015, Tom Bondurant and Carla Hoffman collaborated on year-in-review posts centered around DC and Marvel. Circumstances kept them apart for a while; but it turns out that being stuck in your house for months on end can also help you reconnect. Therefore, Smash Pages proudly presents the return of an annual tradition, as Tom & Carla lock down 2020!

[This conversation has been edited from an extended Slack chat that occurred in December.]

Carla: Okay, so main topics for the year I see right up front are production (company decisions, strategies, etc), story (what’s actually happening in the comics) and media (TV and movie stuff).

Anything else this doesn’t cover? What’s the most important of these do you think?

Tom: I would say the production side of things – shutting down Diamond for six weeks, plus all the DC layoffs and cancellations, and DC changing distributors twice (or at least 1 1/2 times). Didn’t Marvel have some cancellations as well? Feels like Marvel had a low-key year event-wise, although it went from Empyre to X Of Swords to King In Black.

Continue reading “Tom and Carla lock down 2020”

‘The Marvels’ returns to Marvel’s schedule in April

The new series by Kurt Busiek and Yildiray Cinar will offer ‘a smorgasbord of Marvel heroes and history.’

Marvel has announced that The Marvels, a new series by Kurt Busiek and Yildiray Cinar, will now arrive in April.

The series, which was described as telling “stories that span decades and range from grand adventure to intense human drama, from street-level to cosmic, starring Marvel’s very first heroes to the superstars of tomorrow,” was originally announced last year, but was delayed due to the pandemic.

Alex Ross, who Busiek previously worked with on the Marvels miniseries and Astro City — two projects whose influences seems to live on in this series — will provide the covers.

Continue reading “‘The Marvels’ returns to Marvel’s schedule in April”

Marvel debuts a new suit for Spider-Man

Dustin Weaver designs a new costume for the webslinger.

Marvel has revealed the variant covers for Amazing Spider-Man #62 and #63 — both of which feature a brand new costume for Spider-Man designed by Dustin Weaver (Paklis, Avengers).

“This design was really a collaborative effort between Nick Spencer, Editor Nick Lowe and I. They reined in the weirder and more tech-y features I was bringing and helped create something that I think is simple and both futuristic and classical,” Weaver said. “I can’t wait to see Patrick Gleason really bring it to life!” 

Continue reading “Marvel debuts a new suit for Spider-Man”

Black Knight spins out into a solo miniseries after ‘King in Black’

Simon Spurrier and Sergio Dávila will tell a new story featuring Dane Whitman and the Ebony Blade.

Simon Spurrier and Sergio Dávila will launch a new Black Knight miniseries in March, following the character’s appearance in Marvel’s King in Black crossover.

Marvel recruited Spurrier, fresh off a recent stint on the critically acclaimed but unfortunately cancelled Hellblazer, for the King in Black: Black Knight one-shot that arrives next month, and must have liked what they read. Spurrier said he enjoyed himself as well:

“Having enjoyed myself a positively indecent amount while writing King in Black: Black Knight, I found that I was even more fascinated by the central character — Dane Whitman — than I’d realized. The surprising new take on him which we present in the one-shot opened so many new doors. Dane and his tangled lore are a treasure trove for anyone fascinated by story, mythology, folklore and psychology — all of which are very much my bag — not to mention the simple thrill of seeing a not-totally-well-adjusted man flying around on a winged warhorse with one of the world’s most devastating magical weapons in his hand,” Spurrier told Marvel.com.

Continue reading “Black Knight spins out into a solo miniseries after ‘King in Black’”

More ‘Ultraman’ on the way next year from Marvel

Kyle Higgins, Mat Groom and Francesco Manna return for the new miniseries.

Following The Rise of Ultraman, which came out earlier this year, Marvel has announced a second miniseries starring the popular Japanese superhero. The Trials of Ultraman will feature the same creative team as the first series — writers Kyle Higgins and Mat Groom, and artist Francesco Manna.

Continue reading “More ‘Ultraman’ on the way next year from Marvel”

Marvel announces ‘Demon Days: X-Men’ by Peach Momoko

The project kicks off in March.

Peach Momoko, who is probably best known these days for her cover work, will write and draw a five-issue series for Marvel, the publisher announced.

Demon Days: X-Men #1 will start a five-part prestige series featuring Wolverine, Psylocke, Venom and others in “Momoko’s one-of-a-kind style.” Each issue of the series will be released once every three months, with reimagined versions of these popular characters.

“The entire series takes place in Japan,” Momoko told Marvel.com. “I will be introducing numerous Marvel characters in a brand-new format. So, I would like everyone to forget about what they are supposed to be in the real Marvel universe. My characters aren’t Super Heroes. Some are samurai, some are oni and other yōkai, some are shamans, some are yojimbos… and many others. I have kept many of their special power, but also tweaked a lot to give it a natural yōkai story power. Again, I pushed a lot of boundaries with all the characters. I hope everyone enjoys the different versions that I created. But I kept enough that I think everyone can still know who each are.”

Continue reading “Marvel announces ‘Demon Days: X-Men’ by Peach Momoko”

Marvel will celebrate Man-Thing’s 50th anniversary next year

Steve Orlando and Francesco Mobili put Man-Thing at the center of a worldwide threat, starting in ‘Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1.’

Marvel will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the debut of Man-Thing next year with three comics featuring the muck monster by Steve Orlando and Francesco Mobili.

Avengers: Curse of the Man-Thing #1 kicks things off, “the start of a three-part Marvel Universe-spanning saga that will redefine one of Marvel’s most unique characters for a new age.” Each issue will focus on a different corner of the Marvel Universe, starting with Earth’s Mightiest Heroes.

“It’s a huge honor to be asked to make my debut as part of a character’s anniversary. There’s an incredible amount of faith and opportunity there, and it’s something I never take lightly!” Orlando told the website Bloody Disgusting. “It is honestly amazing to be welcomed to Marvel and tell this nailbiter of a story that’s going to remind people just how unique Man-Thing is. He’ll be better positioned than ever to shock and scare readers and villains alike, but first he’ll have to survive an attack that cuts him to his core and sets the Marvel Universe ablaze.”

Man-Thing was created by Stan Lee, Roy Thomas, Gerry Conway and Gray Morrow. making his first appearance in 1971’s Savage Tales #1. Since then, he’s had his own ongoing title, several miniseries and has appeared in other comics like Avengers and Thunderbolts.

Continue reading “Marvel will celebrate Man-Thing’s 50th anniversary next year”

America Chavez returns in a new series by Kalinda Vazquez + Carlos Gómez

The series begins in March.

America Chavez, the character who debuted in the pages of Vengeance and later joined the Young Avengers, will break out into a new solo series next year. America Chavez: Made in the USA will kick off in March from the team of Kalinda Vazquez and Carlos Gómez.

This comic was originally announced in March 2020, when the COVID pandemic started to take hold of the world.

“I’m so hyped for this new series!” Gómez said. “Her style and her powers make her an awesome character… There is so much you can do with her, it’s insane. I couldn’t be happier to jump on this ship. So be ready for a new origin story with a ton of unexpected twists!”

Continue reading “America Chavez returns in a new series by Kalinda Vazquez + Carlos Gómez”

Mail Call | Marvel celebrates 80 years of Captain America

A round-up of news and announcements from Marvel, DC, Top Shelf, Z2 Comics, AfterShock and more.

Mail Call is a roundup of the announcements we’ve received from comics publishers in our mailboxes recently that we haven’t already covered. Hit the links for more information.

Marvel will pay tribute to the 80th anniversary of Captain America next year with a special project involving John Cassaday, Alex Ross, Marguerite Sauvage, David Lapham, Declan Shalvey and many more. Captain America Tribute #1, coming from Marvel in March, will feature a bunch of current artists redrawing both Captain America Comics #1 and Avengers #4, with each page by a different artist.

Continue reading “Mail Call | Marvel celebrates 80 years of Captain America”

Daniel Warren Johnson will write and draw a new ‘Beta Ray Bill’ miniseries

The new series spins out of ‘King in Black’ and ‘Thor,’ with Mike Spicer providing colors.

Beta Ray Bill will jump into the spotlight once again, courtesy of Wonder Woman: Dead Earth creator Daniel Warren Johnson. Johnson will write and draw a new limited series starring the worthy Korbinite, which spins out of recent events in both Thor and King in Black.

Colorist Mike Spicer joins Johnson on the title, which naturally will feature Fin Fang Foom.

“Beta Ray Bill is literally my favorite Marvel character, so it’s a dream come true, and there are images in this book I’ve been wanting to illustrate for years. It’s even more exciting that I get to write this series in the context of the current Thor universe,” Johnson said. “There’s a lot to unpack with Beta Ray and I can’t wait to share my story with you all.”

Continue reading “Daniel Warren Johnson will write and draw a new ‘Beta Ray Bill’ miniseries”