Tag: Taki Soma

Slugfest | X-Men, Terminator, ‘Galaxy of Madness’ + more

Today’s round-up includes news and announcements on ‘Life of Wolverine,’ Gatchaman, the Energon Universe, ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you that we haven’t otherwise covered. Hit the links for more information.

Marvel has revealed the cover and more details on the highly anticipated new X-Men title by Jed MacKay and Ryan Stegman, which is part of the bigger X-Men: From the Ashes line that follows the end of the current Krakoa era.

The new title will feature Cyclops leading a team that handle “explosive mutant-specific issues without restrain,” with the first threat being “an existential new enemy that rises out of the remains of Orchis.”

Both MacKay and Stegman are happy to be here.

“Taking on the X-Men is always a daunting prospect, but I’m extremely psyched to take this team of mutants back into the world with Ryan,” MacKay said. 

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Ahoy Comics celebrates five years with several new projects

‘Project: Cryptid,’ an anthology title featuring the work of Grant Morrison, Alex Segura, Mark Russell, Zander Cannon, Hanna Bahedry, Liana Kangas and more, will kick off in September.

Ahoy Comics will celebrate five years of publishing with several fun projects — an anthology titled Project: Cryptid, a “back matter” prose project titled “Partially Naked Came The Corpse!” and several anniversary specials.

“Five years of AHOY?! It doesn’t seem possible!” said editor-in-chief Tom Peyer. “Like sands through the hourglass, so are the comic books of our lives. September ’23 will mark the fifth anniversary of The Wrong Earth #1, the first comic we ever shipped. Jamal Igle, June Brigman, Stuart Moore, Mark Russell, Greg Scott, Grant Morrison — these artists and writers who helped launch AHOY — will return, and new creators will join them in the wildest celebration this young century has seen! The boisterous bacchanalia begins with our bestial new anthology Project: Cryptid and continues with a wave of projects, familiar and new, through the end of the year.”

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Bendis + Oeming’s ‘United States of Murder, Inc.’ returns with a new title

‘Murder, Inc.: Jagger Rose’ will debut in May.

Dark Horse has announced the next project coming from Brian Michael Bendis’ imprint, Jinxworld — Murder, Inc.: Jagger Rose, a title that may sound familiar to longtime Bendis fans.

Bendis announced last year that the United States of Murder Inc., his series with Powers co-creator Michael Avon Oeming, would return, but with a shortened title. (United States of Murder, Inc. was a mouthful). Taki Soma and Carlos Mangual round out the art team.

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Smash Pages Q&A | Taki Soma on ‘Sleeping While Standing’

The artist of ‘Rapture,’ ‘The After Realm,’ ‘Sinergy’ and more discusses her deeply personal new graphic novel, her creative process and more.

Taki Soma is a writer, artist and colorist best known for comics like Rapture, The After Realm, Sinergy, Bitch Planet, The Old Guard: Tales Through Time and many others. But her new book Sleeping While Standing, which is out now from Avery Hill Publishing, is a departure from what she’s done previously.

A collection of stories four pages or less, it’s a deeply personal work, as Soma explores her father’s suicide, moving to Minnesota as a child and her complicated relationship with her mother, among other events in her life. It also looks at the horrifying way she learned that she has MS, features laugh-out-loud stories about pets and children, and shows her deep and complex storytelling skills.

It’s an incredible work by a talented creator, and Soma was kind enough to talk about why she made the book, her creative process and why she makes comics.

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Fund Me Monday | Help bring Avery Hill’s Spring 2022 line to life

Fund new titles by Taki Soma, George Wylesol and Claire Scully.

London-based publisher Avery Hill needs about $16,000 to publish their Spring 2022 line-up, and they’ve launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise the funds.

Avery Hill Publishing came into being about 10 years ago, when Ricky Miller and Dave White began self-publishing comics like Tiny Dancing and Reads. Eventually their small-press efforts evolved into a full publishing house, bringing comics and graphic novels by Tillie Walden, George Wylesol, Zoe Thorogood, Tim Bird and more to press. They describe themselves as a publisher that “helps aspiring creators reach their potential and is a home to the geniuses that the mainstream has yet to recognise.”

Their Spring books include three titles: 2120 by Wylesol, Sleeping While Standing by Taki Soma and Outer Wilderness by Claire Scully.

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Comics Lowdown | RIP Takao Saito

Plus: DC does NFTs, the Uffizi opens its doors to comics, and small publishers discuss distribution.

Cover of Golgo 13, vol. 8, showing a man holding a gun and smoking a cigarette.

Takao Saito, the creator of Golgo 13, died on September 24 at the age of 84. The cause of death was pancreatic cancer. Saito made his manga debut in 1955 and launched Golgo 13, which follows the exploits of a taciturn hitman, in 1968. Volume 202 of the series has just come out in Japan, making Golgo 13 not only the longest continuously running manga series but also the one with the most volumes. Saito has said he would like the manga to continue after his death, and his publisher, Shogakukan, says the series will continue.

Comics at an Exhibition: The Uffizi Gallery, in Florence, Italy, is adding comics to its collection. The museum, which started out in the 1600s as the Medici family’s portrait collection, has commissioned 52 self-portraits by prominent Italian comics artists. The self-portraits will be on display in a special exhibit in Lucca from October 8 to November, 1, then moved to the Uffizio to join its permanent collection.

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Nominees announced for the 2018 British Fantasy Awards

‘Bitch Planet,’ ‘Monstress,’ ‘The Wicked + The Divine’ among this year’s nominees for the comics category.

The British Fantasy Society has announced the nominees for the 2018 British Fantasy Awards, including the “Best Comic/Graphic Novel” category.

The entrants are selected after two rounds of nominations, and votes are tallied from the members of the British Fantasy Society and FantasyCon. Winners will be announced Oct. 21 at FantasyCon 2018. Monstress took home the award last year.

The nominees in the “Best Comic/Graphic Novel” category include:

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Oeming + Soma launch ‘The After Realm’ webcomic

Elves, rangers, Ragnarok and secret doors inhabit a new story from the co-creator of ‘Powers.’

Just in time for the holidays, Michael Avon Oeming and Taki Soma have kicked off a new webcomic about elves — okay, maybe not of the “ho ho ho” variety, but more of the Lord of the Rings/Norse mythology kind.

The After Realm is an all-ages comic about an elf named Oona Lightfoot, who wants to become a ranger so she can reunite with her best friend, who was trapped in the apocalyptic landscape of Ragnarok. So far three pages have been added, with more coming on a weekly basis. You cna help support it by bakcing Oeming on Patreon. Check out some pin-ups of the various characters below.

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