The Comics Super Blog!
The pioneer of psychedelic surreal comic book art impacted culture like no other.
by Stephanie Chan and James Vicari
Legendary comic book artist Stephen J. Ditko has passed away at his home at the age of 90. In a statement to the Hollywood Reporter, the New York Police Department said that Ditko’s body was found on June 29th. The cause of death has not been released, but it is believed that he passed away two days prior to being discovered.
Continue reading “Spider-Man, Doctor Strange co-creator Steve Ditko, 90, passes away”
Two canceled series return this fall from Marvel, as Jeremy Whitley once again writes ‘Unstoppable Wasp’ and Sina Grace returns to ‘Iceman.’
Two canceled Marvel titles are getting a second chance at life, as the company has announced that Unstoppable Wasp and Iceman will both return in new series.
Continue reading “‘Iceman,’ ‘Unstoppable Wasp’ get a second life from Marvel”
Angela, Valkyrie and more team up for some space-spanning adventures from Marvel.
Marvel’s Infinity Wars crossover event has left the universe — and their publishing schedule — without Guardians of the Galaxy. But comics hate a void, so starting September, Cullen Bunn and Matteo Lolli will team up on a Asgardians of the Galaxy (see what they did there?) limited series.
“In this story, a group of Asgardians is drawn into an intergalactic quest to stop a terrible villain (I will not reveal who just yet, but this baddie has longstanding ties to cosmic Marvel tales) from unleashing … well … something terrible upon the universe,” Bunn told Marvel.com. “For various reasons, though, this group of Asgardians must work without the knowledge of their peers.”
Continue reading “Bunn, Lolli team up on ‘Asgardians of the Galaxy’”
The ‘Avengers A.I.’ and ‘Generation Gone’ artist once pitched a series where an older Spider-Man took on King Venom in the ruins of New York.
Here’s a fun “what might have been” item: On Tumblr, Generation Gone and Black Panther: Long Live the King artist André Lima Araújo shares a pitch he once created while working on Avengers A.I. “Old Man Peter Parker” would have been a story in the vein of “Old Man Logan,” showing a future Spider-Man in a setting where the villains won.
Continue reading “Check out André Lima Araújo’s unused ‘Old Man Peter Parker’ pitch”
DC Comics, Marvel, BOOM! Studios and Black Mask Studios all represented in the 10 nominees in the comic book category.
The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation, or GLAAD, have announced the nominees for their 2018 Media Awards, which recognize and honor media for their fair, accurate and inclusive representations of the LGBTQ community and the issues that affect their lives.
BOOM! Studios received four nominations, including one for last year’s winner, The Woods. They were followed by Marvel with three, DC Comics with two and Black Mask Studios with one. James Tynion IV, writer of The Woods, was involved with three of the books that received nominations.
The GLAAD Media Awards ceremonies will be held in Los Angeles on April 12 at The Beverly Hilton, and in New York on May 5 at the New York Hilton Midtown.
Check out the full list of nominees below.
Continue reading “‘The Woods,’ ‘Batwoman,’ ‘America’ among 2018 GLAAD Award nominees”
Marvel’s Vice President of International Development Brand Management moves into the top position over Marvel’s comic line as Alonso leaves the company.
Marvel Entertainment has announced that Axel Alonso has left the company. Marvel veteran C.B. Cebulski will replace him as editor-in-chief.
“C.B. is one of the most well-known, liked and respected editors and personalities in the comics industry. He has a keen understanding of the Marvel brand, and knows the importance of publishing within the larger Marvel ecosystem,” said Dan Buckley, President, Marvel Entertainment, in a press release. “As our characters continue to reach unprecedented levels of global popularity, we need to ensure our core comic business sets the standard with fresh and compelling graphic storytelling that excites both our longtime fan base and new fans. Marvel has set a high bar for super hero stories for over 75 years, and we believe C.B. is perfectly positioned to take Marvel Comics to new heights.”
Prior to this, Cebulski was Vice President of International Development Brand Management and Vice President of Marvel Brand Management and Development in Asia. He also worked for Marvel as a talent recruiter, so he brings both a global perspective as well as a lot of earned goodwill with creators.
Alonso has been with Marvel since 2000, and was named editor-in-chief in January 2011. No word yet on what’s next for him.
Continue reading “C.B. Cebulski replaces Axel Alonso as editor-in-chief at Marvel”
New coming to be based on Disney XD television series.
At New York Comic Con this past weekend, IDW Publishing announced plans to publish a comic adaptation of Disney XD’s upcoming Big Hero 6 animated series, which is based on the movie of the same name, which in turn was inspired by a comic book published by Marvel.
Let’s take a second to get our heads around that.
Novelist Nnedi Okorafor and artist Andre Araujo team up for a new miniseries from the comiXology Originals line.
comiXology and Marvel have announced another miniseries as part of the comiXology Originals line — Black Panther: Long Live The King, a six-issue bi-weekly series written by Nnedi Okorafor and with art by Andre Araujo.
Black Panther follows two comiXology Originals/Marvel joints — Immortal Iron Fists (which my kid loves; we hope Pei is going to be ok!) by Kaare Andrews and Afu Chan, and Thor vs. Hulk: Champions of the Universe by Jeremy Whitley and Simone Buonfantino. Both series can bought off comiXology and are available to comiXology Unlimited subscribers.
Continue reading “comiXology, Marvel announce ‘Black Panther: Long Live The King’”
Ethan Sacks and Marco Checchetto revisit the world of “Old Man Logan” with a prequel story about Wolverine’s road trip buddy.
The New York Daily News reports that one of their own, Ethan Sacks, is writing a 12-issue Old Man Hawkeye series for Marvel. This prequel to the Old Man Logan series will be drawn by Marco Checchetto.
“In this story, [Hawkeye is] losing his vision and that sort of forces him to confront something really horrible that happened to him personally 45 years ago, and go on his own hero’s journey while he still can,” Sacks told the Daily News. “It’s very much like a ticking clock that’s forcing him into action.”
In celebration of what would have been Jack Kirby’s 100th birthday, Corey Blake journeys into The Valley of Flame.
Fresh Eyes is a column reassessing milestone stories in comic book history from a modern perspective. Do they hold up, and how might they resonate with today’s readers?
In the late 1970s, Jack Kirby made a triumphant return to Marvel Comics. Among his mini-line of new ideas and character, there was Devil Dinosaur, a prehistoric adventure series about a mighty red T-Rex and his best friend, an early human named Moon Boy. In celebration of what would have been Jack Kirby’s 100th birthday, I sought out to read the comic series for the first time.
Continue reading “Fresh Eyes on ‘Devil Dinosaur’ by Jack Kirby”
A roundup of some of the Jack Kirby 100th birthday news this week!
Not only is it “Kirby Week” here on Smash Pages, but the entire comic industry has come together to honor and remember one of the industry’s greatest and most influential creators, Jack Kirby, for what would have been his 100th birthday. Here’s a round-up of links related to “The King.”
The first place to check is Marvel.com, which has an entire section dedicated to Jack Kirby. The colorful articles have been posted throughout the month of August, with reading lists, character features and articles by Jim Zub, Carlos Pacheco, Mark Waid and Mike Allred. Plus there are several videos about the life of Jack Kirby.
Continue reading “Comics Lowdown: Jack Kirby special edition”
Plus: Roxane Gay thoughts on diversity, Jeff Smith, Cully Hamner, public-domain comics and more!
Excited for the increasing spotlight on Black Panther with the feature film coming out in 2018, retailer Fantom Comics in Washington, D.C. hosted a unique event known as Move or You Will Be Moved: A Black Panther Fashion Show over the weekend. The haute couture show included cosplay and Wakandan street fashion, and a marketplace of local black creators selling their jewelry, clothing and other Afrofuturist fashion accessories. Plus of course, Black Panther comics and paraphernalia.
“Where’s all the Black Panther merchandise? We’re less than a year out, and we don’t have any Happy Meal toys or anything we can just get on hand,” Sellars asked, introducing the concept to the crowd. “So with that came this idea of what about an Afro-futuristic showcase of what it means to be great? Of what it means to be in Wakanda.”
