Joe Casey + Sebastián Piriz bring ‘Jonny Quest’ back to comics this summer

Jonny, Race, Hadji, Bandit and more return to comic shops this August.

Although it’s been more than 50 years since it debuted, Hanna-Barbera’s Jonny Quest cartoon still holds a place in the hearts of many fans, thanks to a generous syndication schedule, a 1980s reboot and a popular comic series from Comico. That comic series in particular was a gem, as it featured the work of Doug Wildey, William Messner-Loebs, Wendy Pini, Joe Staton, Steve Rude, Mark Hempel, Dave Stevens, Ernie Colon, Adam Kubert, Ken Steacy and many more.

And now Jonny Quest and the gang return to comics. Dynamite released a taste of what to expect from their new series on Free Comic Book Day, and now they’ve revealed more details on the series itself. It’s written by Joe Casey, writer of Automatic Kafka, Uncanny X-Men, Gødland and so much more, and drawn by Sebastián Piriz, who previously worked on We Ride Titans and Deadweights.

“The hope is that we’re maintaining the bouncy spirit of the original TV show,” Casey said. “From one episode to the next, Jonny Quest always had a particular dramatic rhythm that was completely unique. We want our book to have that same kind of vibe. Plus, the fact that Benton and Jonny are father and son automatically makes this a generational story. We’re taking that angle and really running with it, taking that specific generational aspect to the extreme in ways that, we think, deepen the characters and give them the proper amount of gravitas that we demand from our beloved genre fiction.”

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Villains search for normal lives in ‘Deadweights’ by Tyrone Finch + Sebastián Píriz

The miniseries kicks off in April.

What happens when super villains are fired for being bad at their jobs and try to integrate back into society? They become Deadweights, and the subjects of a new miniseries by Tyrone Finch and Sebastián Píriz.

The six-issue miniseries from Ahoy Comics will follow Cannonbulk and Bounder, two evil mutants trying to go straight.

“At its core, Deadweights is about friendship,” Finch said. “It’s the story of two people who have been relentlessly beaten, battered, tossed off of bridges and forced to live in hideouts with no electricity or plumbing. But somehow, the two of them have never given up on each other or their dreams. When you look past their costumes, battles and vows to subjugate the human race; they’re just a couple of guys looking to find a place for themselves in this crazy, mixed-up world.”

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‘Second Coming’ returns for a third series

Shouldn’t that be ‘Third Coming’? I mean, it’s right there …

Sunstar and Jesus. Mark Russell and Richard Pace. Cranius and God. They’re all back for a third helping of Second Coming, this one subtitled “Trinity.”

Russell, Pace, co-artist Leonard Kirk and colorist Andy Troy are joined this time by editor Sarah Litt for the continuing adventures of the Son of God and the world’s greatest superhero.

“If you haven’t read a Second Coming series and you think you know what it is, I guarantee you do not,” said AHOY Editor in Chief Tom Peyer. “The high concept of ‘What if Jesus lived with a superhero?’ is an arresting one, but it doesn’t begin to suggest what a wise, kind and funny piece of work its creators have given us.”

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‘Second Coming’ returns in December with ‘Only Begotten Son’

Mark Russell, Richard Pace and Leonard Kirk return for more stories about Jesus and his superhero roommate.

Ahoy Comics has announced a sequel to Second Coming subtitled “Only Begotten Son,” which will debut at the end of this year. Mark Russell, Richard Pace, Leonard Kirk and Andy Troy will return to tell the controversial — and also funny, touching and just plain awesome — story of Jesus and his roommate, the superhero Sunstar.

According to the solicitation text Ahoy shared, the new series will “turn back time to witness the interplanetary origin of Sunstar! Warning: portrays science denial, mass extinction and real estate sales!”

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Sunday Comics | Paying tribute to Milton Glaser

Check out comics by Jillian Tamaki, Grant Snider, Matt Bors, Richard Pace and more.

Here’s a round up of some of the best comics we’ve seen online recently. If we missed something, let us know in the comments below.

Graphic designer Milton Glaser passed away last week, and Incidental Comics creator Grant Snider posted this strip in his honor:

“RIP Milton Glaser, one of the greatest designers and illustrators of our time,” Snider wrote. “This comic was inspired by his iconic Bob Dylan poster.” In addition to the Dylan poster Snider referenced, Glaser is also known for his work for AMC’s Mad Men, designing the logo for the “I Love NY” campaign, his work on New York magazine and creating arguably the most recognizable DC Comics logo of the last 50 years, the “bullet” logo.

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Smash Pages Q&A: Mark Russell

The writer of ‘The Snagglepuss Chronicles,’ ‘The Flintstones’ and more discusses ‘Second Coming,’ his new series from AHOY Comics.

In the span of a few years, Mark Russell has written a series of comics that have rethought and re-envisioned a number of characters at DC Comics. From Snagglepuss to Prez to The Flinstones, Russell has rethought the characters and their worlds in new and novel ways, finding depths and concerns that are striking and thoughtful. Russell’s first books in comics were God is Disappointed in You and Apocrypha Now, with Shannon Wheeler, which were published by Top Shelf Comix. So religion has long been an interest of his.

His new book is Second Coming with artist Richard Pace. The first issue arrived last month from AHOY Comics, with the second issue scheduled to arrive tomorrow. The controversy around it has drowned out the actual book, which is a smart look at Sunstar, a Superman-like hero, and Jesus, the character from the Bible. It’s a shocking idea, but perhaps more startling is what Russell does with the idea, which is to explore the limits of superheroes, start a conversation around power, and consider what religion and change mean today.

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Meet Sunstar in this preview of ‘Second Coming’

Mark Russell and Richard Pace’s controversial comic debuts tomorrow.

Mark Russell and Richard Pace’s Second Coming took the long way to get into comic shops, but the first issue will arrive tomorrow in comic shops and digital platforms.

The satirical, controversial and excellent first issue features the first meeting between Jesus and Sunstar, the world’s greatest superhero, and AHOY Comics has provided a few preview pages to whet your appetite before diving in tomorrow.

Check them out below.

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‘Second Coming’ finally makes it to comic shops this week

The first issue of Mark Russell and Richard Pace’s story about Jesus and superheroes arrives Wednesday from AHOY Comics.

It’s been a long, winding road for Mark Russell and Richard Pace’s Second Coming, but this week it finally makes its way into the hands of readers.

The quick version:

  • Second Coming was originally announced more than a year ago as a part of the latest (and, it would turn out, last) wave of Vertigo books, in celebration of their 25th anniversary. The story features a superhero named Sunstar (formerly Sun-Man) becoming roommates with Jesus Christ.
  • News about the comic’s premise caught the eyes of the religious right, who petitioned DC Comics to cancel the book. They called the unreleased comic “inappropriate and blasphemous.” DC canceled it a few weeks before it was slated to hit comic shops.
  • AHOY Comics picked it up in March, with the first issue scheduled to arrive this Wednesday.

So what’s this all about? Let’s break it down …

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Comics Lowdown: Stan Lee’s former manager’s legal troubles grow

Plus: Stolen comics, cease and desist letters, Ted Talks, Jesus and more.

Legal woes for Stan Lee’s former caretaker and manager, Keya Morgan, continue to grow. He has been arrested and appeared in court in Arizona to face the charge of being a fugitive of justice. And he is also being sued by Joan Celia Lee, Stan Lee’s daughter.

In May, Morgan was charged with felony counts of false imprisonment of an elder adult, theft, embezzlement, and forgery or fraud against an elder adult, according to the Los Angeles Superior Court. The LAPD has revealed some of the details on why they brought charges against him.

“Morgan removed Lee from his Hollywood Hills residence to a secured Beverly Hills condominium during the late night hours of June 8, 2018,” the Los Angeles Police Department said in a statement. “Morgan was using this tactic to further deceive Lee into believing he was in danger and needed to be moved from his home to a more secured condominium where Morgan had more control over Lee.”

The LAPD will eventually extradite Morgan to L.A. to face the charges.

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Comic creators share their #spidersona

Joe Quinones, Tony Moore, Dave Johnson and more share their interpretations of the popular meme that spun out of ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse.’

Since Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse hit theaters last month, fans of the film have been sharing their #spidersona on social media. These creations often imagine the artist as a Spider-character.

Many pros have gotten in on the fun as well; here’s a collection of a few we’ve noticed. You can check out more — many, many more! — on Twitter and Instagram.

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Vertigo shares a bunch of art from their upcoming relaunch

Check out artwork from ‘Border Town,’ ‘Safe Sex,’ ‘Goddess’ and more.

Earlier this summer DC’s Vertigo imprint announced seven new titles as part of their 25th anniversary relaunch. At Comic-Con International in San Diego this week, they shared a whole bunch of art from several of those titles.

Let’s take a look:

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Vertigo announces 7 new titles for their 25th anniversary relaunch

The DC Comics imprint will publish new series from Mark Russell, Ramon Villalobos, Ben Blacker, Bryan Hill, Robbi Rodriguez and many more.

DC Comics announced plans last October for a linewide relaunch, and this week they made it official by revealing seven new titles from the 25-year-old imprint.

New titles by Mark Russell, Ramon Villalobos, Ben Blacker, Bryan Hill, Robbi Rodriguez and many more will debut starting next September, joining the already announced Sandman Universe titles.

“It’s time to rebuild DC Vertigo,” said Mark Doyle, Executive Editor of Vertigo. “We’re returning to our roots by spotlighting the most exciting new voices in comics, as well as bringing new voices to comics. From the corners of television, games, music, activism, podcasting, comics and more, all of our creators are passionate and have something to say. These sophisticated stories have amazing new characters and vast worlds to explore. That’s what it has always been about for me—new stories, new voices, new possibilities. We’re creating a new generation of DC Vertigo classics for readers of all genres.”

Here are the new titles:

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