Turns out it was ‘Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths’ all along

DC announces a name change for its big event series at Comic-Con, plus more details on all things Dark Crisis.

As part of their announcements at Comic-Con International in San Diego, DC Comics has revealed that their Dark Crisis event is actually called something else — Dark Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The announcement came during today’s Dark Crisis panel at the convention, which featured Joshua Williamson, Daniel Sampere, Jeremy Adams, Meghan Fitzmartin, Tom King and Ram V.

“We’ve kept the real name a secret from the start because we didn’t want to give away what was happening in the middle of the story, with the return of the Infinite Earths,” Williamson said.

The event series by Williamson and Sampere was also revealed to be a sequel to the original Crisis on Infinite Earths by Marv Wolfman and the late George Pérez — although I kind of thought that was obvious by the name Dark Crisis, the inclusion of Pariah and the whole “Great Darkness” thing … but Williamson and Sampere have more to say about the connection between the two series:

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Slugfest | A round-up of Marvel announcements for August

Damage Control, Alien, Edge of the Spider-Verse and more are coming in August.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition is all about Marvel’s August announcements, of which there are many. Hit the links for more information.

Marvel released their solicitations for August today (You can find the complete listings on Newsarama or The Beat) and they included several new stories and big storylines that I may or may not have already covered here. So, here’s a round-up of what to expect and what looks interesting …

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Ram V + Francesco Manna unleash ‘Carnage’ next year

The ongoing series starring the homicidal symbiote kicks off in March.

Venom co-writer Ram V and artist Francesco Manna are teaming up to tell new stories about the Carnage symbiote, now on its own after separating from Cletus Kasady.

“This Carnage story is very likely to become the most twisted thing I’ve written,” Ram V told Marvel.com. “The killer symbiote has gone through some pretty significant changes in recent times and I’ve been left with an opportunity to do something new and inventive with the character and the kind of stories you might expect to find in a Carnage book. This is my kind of horror—as frightening in its implications as it is on the page. This is a devilish, scary Carnage and he’s setting out to discover just where the bounds of his abilities really lie. Pity those caught in his wake. The Marvel Universe is not ready for what Carnage is turning into.”

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Mail Call | More on Al Ewing + Ram V’s symbiotic relationship on ‘Venom’

Check out news, announcements and previews from Image, DC, 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.

When Venom returns in a new series from Marvel later this fall, it’ll be co-written by Al Ewing and Ram V. Each writer, it turns out, will be writing a separate character in the series, as the book focuses both on Eddie Brock and his son Dylan.

“How me and Ram are working together—we’re a band, essentially. Every issue is a new single, every trade is an album, and Eddie and Dylan are our instruments,” Ewing told Marvel.com. “They’re similar, but they make different notes, produce different sounds, build different stories. And for a while—so you should get used to it now—we’re going to be taking turns in the spotlight, playing Dylan songs or Eddie songs, while the other band member stays in the background. As each new single comes out, you’ll see how it fits together, forms one big concept album—or maybe a symphony. And then, when we’re ready, we bring all the instruments in for the crescendo—and that’s going to be something to hear.”

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Marvel announces new creative teams for ‘Hulk,’ ‘Venom’

Donny Cates and Ryan Ottley will launch a new Hulk title in November, as Al Ewing, Ram V and Bryan Hitch take on Venom.

With Al Ewing and Joe Bennett’s run on Immortal Hulk coming to close AND Donny Cates and Ryan Stegman wrapping up their run on Venom, Marvel has announced their plans for both titles, which will relaunch in the fall.

The Hulk will relaunch in a new title simply called Hulk, by Cates and Amazing Spider-Man artist Ryan Ottley. Writers Al Ewing and Ram V, meanwhile, will tag-team on Venom, with art by Bryan Hitch.

“Marvel just gave me the keys to the strongest one there is,” Cates told Marvel.com. “Haha… oh boy. You guys are just not ready for this. You’re about to find out what happens when Ryan Ottley and I get angry… and guess what? Well… pretty sure you’re gonna like us a lot when we’re angry.”

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DC announces its next Batman event ‘Fear State’

Future State and Infinite Frontier collide in an event that will feature Scarecrow, Jace Fox, Catwoman and more.

DC Comics has announced its next Batman-themed event, Fear State, which will run through several of the Bat titles starting in August.

In its press release, DC said Fear State will be “the launching point for several new series and plotlines across all Batman-family titles, setting a new status quo for 2022.” And one of the tie-in books for the event will star Jace Fox, a.k.a. the Next Batman from DC’s Future State event, as John Ridley returns to write the character following The Next Batman: Second Son.

Here’s a look at all the tie-ins arriving in August:

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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.

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Swamp Thing blossoms again in March

Ram V and Mike Perkins, who will work on the character during Future State, will re-team for the new series.

Just in time for Spring, Writer Ram V and artist Mike Perkins will harvest a new Swamp Thing title in March. They will be joined by colorist Mike Spicer and letterer Aditya Bidikar.

The seeds for the new title will be planted during DC’s Future State event, as V and Perkins will work on a story featuring the character’s future self during January-February.

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