Slugfest | Soule + Alburquerque continue ‘The Shrouded College’ storyline in a new miniseries

Plus: News and announcements about Star Wars, Sea Serpent’s Heir, Richard Corben, Kingdom Come, Stranger Things and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Charles Soule and Alberto Jiménez Alburquerque will present the second of seven interconnected miniseries in “The Shrouded College” saga that started with Soule and Will Sliney’s Hell to Pay.

The Bloody Dozen will run for six issues and kicks off in December.

Continue reading “Slugfest | Soule + Alburquerque continue ‘The Shrouded College’ storyline in a new miniseries”

Slugfest | ‘Antarctica’ will continue as an ongoing

Plus: a new ‘Alien’ series, Marv Wolfman returns to ‘Tomb of Dracula,’ ‘The Walking Dead’ tribute covers and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Antarctica by Simon Birks and Willi Roberts, the Top Cow miniseries that debuted in July, will continue as an ongoing series after issue #5.

“If readers already love the first two issues of volume one, they’re going to love this new arc as we get the chance to delve deep into the previous events surrounding the Fracture and explore the Hannahs’ stories,” Birks said. “We’re thrilled to once again be working with the team at Top Cow. Not only have they been professional, but they’ve really taken the time to get to know us, and I’m delighted they love the book as much as we do. Antarctica takes no prisoners, and I’m excited to share our adventure with the readers. Willi and I have created something exceptional; an incredible experience full of unique twists and turns to keep everyone guessing right up until the end. As if one married The Fugitive with The Cabin in the Woods.”

Continue reading “Slugfest | ‘Antarctica’ will continue as an ongoing”

Top Cow opens ‘Destiny Gate’ in October

Ryan Cady, Christian DiBari and Simon Gough bring the upcoming video game to comics.

Top Cow is teaming once again with video game designers EP1T0ME Studios to co-produce and to publish Destiny Gate, a “noir thriller” comic.

This will be the fourth title the two companies have collaborated on, following St. Mercy, The Clay People: Colossus, and Revolvers. This one is based on a video game concept by Paul Limon, which EP1T0ME plans to make in the future.

“I told Paul, an ex-Blizzard artist, that his Destiny Gate game pitch was one of the best I’d ever read;” said Richard Leibowitz, President at EP1T0ME. “We’re happy to work with Paul and Top Cow to make the comic and look forward to making the game next.”

Writer Ryan Cady, whose Haunt You to the End debuted a few weeks ago, will work with illustrator Christian DiBari, who drew The Clay People: Colossus, and colorist Simon Gough.

Continue reading “Top Cow opens ‘Destiny Gate’ in October”

Birks + Roberts head south — far, far south — for the science fiction tale ‘Antarctica’

Top Cow and Image Comics will kick off the new series in July.

Simon Birks and Willi Roberts will follow a conspiracy to the bottom of the world in Antarctica, a new title debuting from Top Cow in July.

The story’s roots go back to a six-page short story in Top Cow’s Stairway Anthology, which came out in 2020. It follows a woman whose search for her missing father takes her to an Antarctic research station.

Antarctica takes no prisoners, and I’m excited to share our adventure with the readers. Willi and I have created something exceptional; an incredible experience full of unique twists and turns to keep everyone guessing right up until the end,” Birks said.

Continue reading “Birks + Roberts head south — far, far south — for the science fiction tale ‘Antarctica’”

Slugfest | Groo goes wild in a new miniseries

Plus: Batman Beyond, more Birdking, Thor vs. M.O.D.O.K., the return of ‘Fire Power,’ Hellfire Gala fashion and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. Hit the links for more information.

Sergio Aragonés and Mark Evanier will reunite for Groo: In the Wild, a new miniseries that kicks off in July.

The duo is joined by letterer Stan Sakai and colorist Carrie Strachan for a story that sees the barbarian and his dog looking for food. Things go downhill from there, in typical Groo fashion.

Continue reading “Slugfest | Groo goes wild in a new miniseries”

Fund Me Sunday | Top Cow celebrates 30 years of ‘Cyberforce’

Pledge today to get a hardcover edition of ‘Cyberforce Complete Collection Volume 1.’

Top Cow is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the debut of Marc Silvestri’s Cyberforce with a crowdfunding project for a hardcover collecting many of the early stories featuring the characters.

The project is already live on Kickstarter and has blown well past its $30,000 goal, with more than $100,000 raised thus far.

The collection will include Silvestri’s original Cyberforce series from 1994, which has never been collected, in addition to volume 2 of the series, several miniseries and one-shots, and a crossover with Jim Lee’s WildCATS. In addition to Silverstri and Lee, the hardcover will feature early Image work by Todd McFarlane, Walter Simonson, David Finch, Joe Chiodo, Scott Williams, Brian Haberlin, Joe Benitez and Michael Turner.

Continue reading “Fund Me Sunday | Top Cow celebrates 30 years of ‘Cyberforce’”

Smash Pages Q&A | Stjepan Šejić explains ‘Fine Print’

The acclaimed creator of ‘Sunstone’ talks about his newest project, creating a supernatural world, what makes a good sex scene and more.

Stjepan Šejić was an acclaimed artist who spent years drawing comics like Witchblade, Artifacts and Aphrodite IX before he wrote and drew Sunstone, which has become a smash hit. The series has been acclaimed for his skill at telling a romance story, and the realistic and thoughtful details with which he portrays BDSM.

In recent years Šejić has been busier than ever. DC’s Black Label imprint released Harleen, but Šejić has made clear that his focus is on creator-owned projects, which include Sunstone, Death Vigil and The Queen and The Woodborn.

Top Cow will release the first book of a new series from Šejić, Fine Print on Nov. 24. The story bears some resemblance to some of his other books (and is part of a shared universe of other books by Šejić and his wife Linda Šejić’s book Punderworld) but Šejić’s art continues to be masterful in his ability to convey so much through body language and facial expressions. The book manages to be a story about mythology and a tale of a self-destructive antihero, but has the same wry sense of humor that Šejić’s work is known for. Startling and laugh-out-loud funny, the first volume of Fine Print is some of Šejić’s best work, and he was kind enough to answer a few questions about it.

Continue reading “Smash Pages Q&A | Stjepan Šejić explains ‘Fine Print’”

Mail Call | The Avengers brace for ‘World War She-Hulk’

Plus: More news and announcements from Marvel, DC, Dark Horse, AfterShock, Top Cow, Skybound 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.

Marvel is dusting off a classic event title for an upcoming Avengers storyline — “World War She-Hulk,” which references the popular “World War Hulk” story from 2007.

The new storyline will find She-Hulk declared a global menace, so the Winter Guard decides to bring her in.

“When the Russian Winter Guard invade Avengers Mountain to arrest She-Hulk, it sets off a global espionage adventure that takes us from the notorious assassin training academy of the Red Room to an undersea kingdom on the verge of violent revolution,” said writer Jason Aaron. “Along the way, traitors will fall, regimes will crumble and the dark evolution of Jennifer Walters will reach its bloody red crescendo, all as we build toward the epic events of Avengers #50.”

Continue reading “Mail Call | The Avengers brace for ‘World War She-Hulk’”

Top Cow announces supernatural noir series ‘Syphon’

The three-issue miniseries by Patrick Meaney, Mohsen Ashraf and Jeff Edwards begins in July.

Patrick Meaney, who worked on the comic book documentaries Grant Morrison: Talking With Gods and The Image Revolution, among others, is trading his camera for the keyboard as he writes a new miniseries for Top Cow.

Meaney will team up with Mohsen Ashraf and Jeff Edwards for Syphon, a three-issue “fantasy noir” miniseries about a supernatural empath.

Syphon explores how much of a burden we can take on ourselves in trying to help others and the world around us,” said Meaney. “After the past few years of world events, it feels extremely relevant to ask, how much can you do to try and save the world before you destroy yourself.”

Continue reading “Top Cow announces supernatural noir series ‘Syphon’”

Top Cow to publish J. Gonzo’s ‘La Mano del Destino’

The collection of Gonzo’s original six-issue miniseries arrives in May.

Here’s one I missed when Image’s solicitations came out for May, but Top Cow reminded me of it with a press release: After self-publishing six issues and crowdfunding a bilingual flipbook, J. Gonzo‘s epic luche libre comic La Mano del Destino will be collected and published by Top Cow in May.

“Top Cow is a place where creative ideas win,” Gonzo said in a press release. “If you look at their current projects, or even their back catalog, there is a rich variety of story types and approaches that is unlike most other publishers or studios. They are less interested in a homogeneity of some house style and truly promote the best, creative ideas. It really is an ‘artist’s company.’”

Continue reading “Top Cow to publish J. Gonzo’s ‘La Mano del Destino’”

Top Cow announces ‘Helm Greycastle’ by Barajas + Handoko + Valenza

New miniseries combines high fantasy with Aztec myths.

Henry Barajas, Rahmat M. Handoko and Bryan Valenza are teaming up on a new comic that combines high fantasy with Aztec mythology. Helm Greycastle — both the title of the miniseries coming from Top Cow and the name of the main character — is both an ode to J. R. R. Tolkien and Dungeons and Dragons, and an opportunity for the creative team to showcase Mesoamerican history.

“What if the Aztec Empire defeated the Spanish Conquistadors? As a Mexican-American who has had no formal education on my indigenous background, writing this book has been very empowering,” said Barajas. “I’m excited to share some Mesoamerican history while mixing it with swords and sorcery.”

Continue reading “Top Cow announces ‘Helm Greycastle’ by Barajas + Handoko + Valenza”

‘Cyber Force’ reloads in 2018

Matt Hawkins, Bryan Hill and Atilio Rojo revive Marc Silvestri’s first Image title.

An Image Comics original returns next year as Marc Silvestri’s Cyber Force reboots in March, courtesy of Matt Hawkins, Bryan Hill and Atilio Rojo.

“I’ve always loved Cyber Force,” said Hawkins. “These heroes are more technologically based, and we’re very close to transhumanism as it is! This story has a philosophical slant to it that is very appropriate to the changing times we’re in.”

Continue reading “‘Cyber Force’ reloads in 2018”