Mark Russell + Ramon Rosanas invite you to their ‘Rumpus Room’

AWA presents a new parable about billionaires, skin cream and revenge.

Second Coming and Not All Robots writer Mark Russell is back at AWA Studios this fall for a new miniseries, Rumpus Room, with artist Ramon Rosanas.

Rumps Room tells the story of a psychotic billionaire who needs a special cream to hide his skin condition. That cream is made from people, so naturally he kidnaps all the people he hates and locks them in his Rumpus Room, letting them vote for his next victim.

Rumpus Room is a parable for how in American civilization, on some level, we’re set against each other by forces that are too powerful for us to reach,” Russell said. “It parallels the underlying assumption of American life as well: ‘I can’t do anything about the real things that are destroying me, so I’ll take all my rage out against the people who cross me. Rumpus Room is about this misguided anger that we all have and how it weaponizes us against each other.”

Continue reading “Mark Russell + Ramon Rosanas invite you to their ‘Rumpus Room’”

Thomas + Kane present ‘a hard-boiled future detective yarn’ this summer

‘Weird Work’ by Jordan Thomas and Shaky Kane will introduce a gritty world filled with crazy characters.

Frank At Home On The Farm writer Jordan Thomas and Bulletproof Coffin artist Shaky Kane will team for a new miniseries, Weird Work, that applies Kane’s colorful, psychedelic artwork to a detective story.

Described as a mix of the “hard-boiled noir of LA Confidential” with “the bright, alien-filled worlds of Futurama,” the four-issue miniseries will arrive from Image Comics in July.

“While tightly scripted, the Weird Work universe was broad enough to allow me to put a pure comic book, Shaky-spin on the visuals,” Kane said. “A real fun book to draw. I just know that readers are going to share our enthusiasm for this off-kilter take on a hard-boiled future detective yarn.”

Continue reading “Thomas + Kane present ‘a hard-boiled future detective yarn’ this summer”

Quick Hits | Remembering Tim Sale

Plus: News on Comixology, Mark Russell, Michael Allred, Tillie Walden, TCAF, Jerry Craft and Ric Flair!

Passings | Via Tim Sale’s Twitter account comes word that the 66-year-old artist died of kidney failure.

“He was sick for years and was even in the hospital since May 24. He was a private person and never wanted to worry all of you, but his death was neither preventable or unexpected. Tim was a wonderful man and simply didn’t want to cause any unnecessary stress to his friends and fans,” the statement says.

Many have posted remembrances of the Long Halloween artist since his death last week. At The Comics Journal, Joseph McCabe posts an in-depth obituary. Augie De Blieck looks back at several of Sale’s comics, including Batman: The Long Halloween. And artist Elsa Charretier shares a post on Substack titled “I wouldn’t be drawing comics if not for Tim Sale.”

Continue reading “Quick Hits | Remembering Tim Sale”

Weird Al’s songs come to comics, courtesy of Z2

Songs by the legendary singer will be adapted into comics by Peter Bagge, Michael Kupperman, Ryan Dunlavey, Bob Fingerman and more.

Weird Al Yankovic, the legendary parody/humor songwriter known for such classics as “Eat It” and “Amish Paradise,” will have his songs adapted into comics by some of the industry’s best talent.

Z2 Comics will release The Illustrated Al: The Songs of “Weird Al” Yankovic as a softcover and hardcover, featuring cover art by Drew Friedman and Mike & Laura Allred.

“It’s such an incredible honor to see my song lyrics brought to life by some of my all-time favorite cartoonists and illustrators,” Yankovic said. “I’ve actually been playing the long game—the only reason I spent four decades in the music business is so that one day I could have my very own graphic novel.”

Continue reading “Weird Al’s songs come to comics, courtesy of Z2”

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!”

Continue reading “Allred + Milligan’s ‘X-Cellent’ debuts in February”

Mail Call | Z2 to publish graphic novel inspired by All Time Low

Plus: news from Image, AdHouse, Dark Horse, BOOM! Studios 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.

Z2 Comics has announced another music-related collaboration, this time with the pop-punk band All Time Low. In June, the publisher will release a graphic novel inspired by the 2017 album Last Young Renegade.

“When we wrote our album ‘Last Young Renegade’ we imagined an entire world separate of our own, almost a “what if” version of All Time Low, both with our musical sound and with the visual narrative we put together around it” says All Time Low’s Alex Gaskarth. “Creating ‘Young Renegades’ the graphic novel allows us to tell more stories in the universe we imagined and delve deeper into the mythos and thematic ideas that were at play when we were celebrating that era. ‘Young Renegades’ is another branch, another thread and another look into the LYR continuity through an incredible medium we’ve never collaborated in before. Working with the story-tellers and artists on this project has been an incredible new undertaking and we can’t wait for everyone to enjoy it with us.”

Young Renegades will be written by Tres Dean and Robert Wilson IV, with art by Megan Huang.

Continue reading “Mail Call | Z2 to publish graphic novel inspired by All Time Low”

All-star line-up assembles for new Spider-Man tale

‘Amazing Spider-Man: Full Circle’ will feature appearances by Nick Fury, Wolverine and Peter Porker.

Marvel has announced a new Spider-Man project titled “Full Circle,” which brings the character together with Wolverine, Nick Fury and Peter Porker — and features the work of a Murderer’s Row of writers and artist.

I mean, check out this line-up: Written by Nick Spencer, Jonathan Hickman, Gerry Duggan, Al Ewing, Chip Zdarsky, Kelly Thompson and Jason Aaron; Art by Chris Bachalo, Chris Sprouse, Greg Smallwood, Michael Allred, Rachael Stott, Valerio Schiti, Cameron Stewart and Mark Bagley; Cover by Rod Reis.

Continue reading “All-star line-up assembles for new Spider-Man tale”

Milligan + Allred teaming for an ‘X-Statix’ spinoff next year

This week’s ‘Giant-Sized X-Statix’ brings old friends and new surprises.

Fans who were happy to see the team reunite again in the pages of this week’s Giant-Size X-Statix #1 will be positively, um, ecstatic to see the final page.

(Spoilers for Giant-Size X-Statix #1 below)

Continue reading “Milligan + Allred teaming for an ‘X-Statix’ spinoff next year”

Tommaso + the Allreds bring Dick Tracy back to comics at IDW

The four-issue ‘Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive’ miniseries starts in September.

After a false start late last year involving a licensing snafu that kept Archie from publishing a Dick Tracy comic, the fedora-wearing detective is back in a new series from IDW Publishing.

Michael Allred, Lee Allred, Rich Tommaso and Laura Allred will team up for Dick Tracy: Dead or Alive, a four-issue miniseries launching in September. Lee and Michael will co-write the series, while Tommaso will draw it.

Continue reading “Tommaso + the Allreds bring Dick Tracy back to comics at IDW”

Batman ’66 to meet the Legion of Super-Heroes, courtesy of the Allreds

Lee, Michael and Laura Allred team up for a one-shot featuring time travel, Egghead, Universo and more.

The creative team behind the DC/Young Animal Bug title Bug!: The Adventures of Forager will turn their attention to the 30th century this June in the Batman ’66 Meets The Legion of Super-Heroes one-shot special.

Continue reading “Batman ’66 to meet the Legion of Super-Heroes, courtesy of the Allreds”

DC previews ‘Bug,’ announces ‘Cave Carson’ back-up at WonderCon

Gerard Way shares that ‘Doom Patrol’ lives, announces Mike Allred will draw an issue in July.

WonderCon returned to Anaheim this weekend, and the crew behind DC’s Young Animal imprint were there for a panel on everybody’s favorite pop-up imprint. DC shared some of the highlights from the panel, including:

Continue reading “DC previews ‘Bug,’ announces ‘Cave Carson’ back-up at WonderCon”

Team Allred assembles for ‘Bug!: The Adventures of Forager’ from Young Animal

Michael, Laura and Lee Allred team up to tell a story straight from Jack Kirby’s Fourth World.

DC Comics’ Young Animal line will expand in May with ‘Bug!: The Adventures of Forager’ by Michael, Lee and Laura Allred. The six-issue miniseries is set to debut May 10.

“Every time I get to work with my ‘big bro’ Lee, it’s like tapping into our most thrilling childhood comic book daydreams,” Michael Allred said in the press release. “If you gave me the chance to list the characters I’d most like to get my hands on from Kirby’s ‘Fourth World,’ Forager the Bug sits squarely at the top. And now we are throwing him into the DC’s Young Animal mix, winding him up and letting him go! When you add in our not-so-secret weapon of Laura’s magical colors, I couldn’t possibly be more pumped about this series!”

Continue reading “Team Allred assembles for ‘Bug!: The Adventures of Forager’ from Young Animal”