SDCC | Marvel announces ‘Laura Kinney: Wolverine’ by Erica Schultz + Giada Belviso

The ongoing series begins in December.

At the Women of Marvel panel today at the San Diego Comic Con, writer Erica Schultz was on hand to announce a new title featuring the former X-23, Laura Kinney: Wolverine.

The ongoing series will feature solo stories starring the former member of the X-Men and current cast member of NYX. Schultz is working with artist Giada Belviso, whose work appeared in the recent Blood Hunters miniseries.

“We want to show you all different sides of Laura. There will be laughing and crying,” Schultz said. “Laura has dealt with a lot, and when she’s met her other clones, she’s asked herself ‘Is that the person I’m supposed to be? Am I fated to be that person? Should I take my own path, or end up like Logan?’ She decides to forge her own path. This will be her solo adventure.”

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SDCC | Psylocke slices + dices her way into an ongoing series by Alyssa Wong + Vincenzo Carratù

The ongoing title is part of the X-Men: From the Ashes line and will debut in November.

Alyssa Wong and Vincenzo Carratù have some “super dark” plans for Psylocke, a.k.a. Kwannon, the X-Men’s resident telepathic ninja. The character will break out into her first ongoing solo series this November, as part of the X-Men: From the Ashes publishing initiative.

Kwannon, who appeared in several of the Krakoa-era titles, was the Hand assassin whose mind was swapped with Betsy Braddock in the early 1990s, which initially led to the X-Men having a psychic ninja on the team. Both women have since died and been resurrected, because comics, and are back in their original bodies — with Betsy Braddock taking up the mantle of Captain Britain and Kwannon keeping the Psylocke name.

Psylocke is currently dating John Greycrow, the former Marauder who gained amnesty on Krakoa, and he’ll appear in the title as well. Psylocke’s back story with the ninja assassins known as The Hand will be explored, and she’ll encounter a new villain called the Taxonomist.

“Everything in her history points her to the path of a villain,” Wong said. “Her background is so full of tragedy—so why does she choose to be a hero?”

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Slugfest | BOOM! announces a second ‘I Heart Skull-Crusher!’ arc

Today’s round-up includes news on SDCC, Power Rangers, Something is Killing the Children, Groo, Venom War and more.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. With the San Diego Comic Con rapidly approaching, you’ll probably see more of these over the next few weeks. Hit the links for more information.

As a part of their annual “Road to SDCC” announcements, BOOM! Studios has revealed that Josie Campbell and Alessio Zonno’s I Heart Skull-Crusher! will continue in October.

The BOOM! Box series was announced late last year and began in March as a miniseries, but it looks like it has grown into something more.

“Josie Campbell and Alessio Zonno have even more action-packed, hilarious hijinks in store for us,” said BOOM! Studios Editor Elizabeth Brei. “The new arc is funny, chaotic and shockingly touching, just as you’d expect from Trini and the rest of her Screaming Pain Ball teammates! We’re so excited for readers to discover the surprises still to come!”

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Mystique is up to her old tricks in a new series by Declan Shalvey

The shapeshifting super-spy fights to protect mutants in a five-issue miniseries that starts in October.

Declan Shalvey has proven he has a very particular set of skills when crafting espionage stories, and this fall he’ll apply them to the greatest spy in mutantdom, Mystique.

As a part of the X-Men: From the Ashes initiative, Marvel has announced a new series starring the former leader of the Brotherhood of Evil Mutants. Shalvey will write and draw a five-issue miniseries, which will feature Mystique sifting “through the dark underbelly of the Marvel Universe for an unpredictable tale of action and espionage.” Nick Fury’s appearing in it as well.

“Mystique is hands down one of the most compelling characters to come from the Marvel Universe,” Shalvey said. “To have an opportunity to put my own stamp on such an iconic character and showcase her in a series of her own is a unique privilege.”

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Alex Paknadel + Justin Mason upgrade the ‘Sentinels’ this fall

Lawrence Trask and a team of enhanced soldiers will hunt dangerous mutants in a five-issue miniseries.

An old X-Men mainstay receives an upgrade in October, as Alex Paknadel and Justin Mason bring a new version of Sentinels to Marvel and the From the Ashes X-Men reboot.

But these aren’t the giant robots you may be familiar with, or even the upgraded Nimrod version — these Sentinels are a squad of soldiers, “each one scarred from Earth-shattering super hero conflicts and upgraded with nanotechnology,” who hunt dangerous mutants.

“As an X-fan going back to my first set of teeth, I couldn’t be prouder or more excited to share Sentinels with the fans,” Paknadel said. “This book is about flawed human beings doing a dirty job for a dirty cause, and Justin Mason and I are determined to make you care about each and every one of them. Whatever your expectations are going in, I promise this book will surprise you.”

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Murewa Ayodele + Lucas Werneck unleash a ‘Storm’ at Marvel

The new ongoing series featuring the Omega-level mutant begins in October.

Marvel has revealed more details on the upcoming Storm solo title, which was teased in the initial X-Men: From the Ashes line announcement. The new title will be written by Akogun: Brutalizer of Gods writer Murewa Ayodele and drawn by Immortal X-Men artist Lucas Werneck, and will feature Storm in an enhanced role: prime protector of the planet.

“As a fan of Storm, her duties to the X-Men and what she stands for in various real-world communities, I would like to assure the audience that Storm is in danger. Extremely so,” Ayodele said. “We love Ororo Munroe, and that is why we have crafted a thrilling story that will put the strength of her character on wide-open display.”

Storm will operate out of Atlanta from a new headquarters, where she will be “making decisions that will forecast the future of the Marvel Universe.” Oh yeah, and she’s also joining the Avengers.

“But when you’re an Omega-level mutant, few things can test your limits, and even fewer things can shatter those limits,” Ayodele said. “For our Storm series, one thing we would like fans to remember is that there are threats that are beyond Omega. Prepare yourselves for an extraordinary display of superheroism that leaves knuckles bloody, knees bashed in, and mountains cratered.”

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Dazzler hits the road in a new miniseries by Jason Loo + Rafael Loureiro

The world tour begins in September.

It’s been decades since Dazzler has headlined her own series, but this September she returns to the spotlight in a four-issue miniseries by Jason Loo and Rafael Loureiro.

Part of the From the Ashes initiative, Dazzler is heading out on tour in a post-Krakoa world to promote mutant rights and celebrate her music career. She’ll be joined by her squad, which includes a whole bunch of mutants — head of security Domino, personal guard Strong Guy, one-man roadie Multiple Man, drummer Shark Girl, and publicist Wind Dancer.

“Rafael and I are giving everyone backstage access to the greatest show of the decade: the Dazzler World Tour!” Loo said. “Sounds exciting? Not for Dazzler when she’s facing tons of pressure from all sorts of people trying to cancel her shows. But she’s not going down without a fight.”

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A Storm is coming to ‘Avengers’

And so is artist Valerio Schiti.

The Avengers will get a new member and a new artist in August following in the wake of both Blood Hunt and Fall of the House of X. Valerio Schiti will join Jed MacKay on the title, as they welcome Storm from the X-Men to the team.

“As a reader, I am a great fan of Jed’s run, and I really love the way he writes the team: not just as fellow soldiers, but as a group of friends with a shared past,” Schiti said. “At the same time, he doesn’t hold back on action and fight scenes! The balance between these two moods is exactly what excites me the most when I have to start a new gig!”

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Emma Frost + Kitty Pryde prove the X-Men are still ‘Exceptional’ this September

Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero send the duo back to school this fall to train a new generation of mutants.

The post-Krakoa world of the X-Men continues to take shape as Marvel shares more details on Eve L. Ewing and Carmen Carnero’s plans for Exceptional X-Men.

Along with X-Men and Uncanny X-Men, this new title will serve as the third “flagship” title for the From the Ashes line. It focuses on two popular mutants who have had a love/hate thing going since they were introduced, Kitty Pryde and Emma Frost. Together they’ll train three new mutants whose powers recently revealed themselves — the metallic and whip-wielding Bronze, the emotion-stirring Axo and the stealth-skilled fighter Melee.

“Regarding the young mutants, I think the whole team fell in love with all three of them,” Carnero said. “I love that they are such opposites. Eve had very clear personalities, hobbies, musical tastes, how they feel… And when it came to designing them, it all developed naturally, and the whole team had a clear vision of what their final looks would be. I can’t wait for readers to meet them.”

This is a full circle moment for Kitty Pryde, who started her tenure with the X-Men as a recruit to Professor Xavier’s School for Gifted Youngsters, way back in Uncanny X-Men #129. That’s also the first issue where we met the Hellfire Club’s White Queen, Emma Frost.

“Longtime fans of Kitty Pryde can count on the kinds of adventures you expect from her as a classic favorite, while I hope new and old readers alike will get to love this all-new team of young mutants,” Ewing said. “Kitty, the one-time kid sister figure of the X-Men, has to reckon with her own memories—good and bad—of being a child of Xavier as she navigates a role as leader and mentor for a new generation of mutants who are trying to make their way in a time of crisis.”

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Saladin Ahmed + Martín Cóccolo bring Wolverine back to his roots in September

Part of the ‘X-Men: From the Ashes’ line, the new title kicks off in September.

Marvel has announced that Daredevil writer Saladin Ahmed and “Stormbreakers” artist Martín Cóccolo will helm the new Wolverine title that will launch in September as a part of the X-Men: From the Ashes initiative.

According to Marvel.com, Wolverine will “turn his back on humanity, mutantkind and the X-Men” in the new series following the end of Krakoa and the “Sabretooth War” storyline that will finish out his current title. Which seems counter to the fact that he’s one of the characters in Gail Simone and David Marquez’s Uncanny X-Men title.

In any event, the new series finds Logan in the Canadian wilderness, where he’s back with his wolfpack and being attacked by his most hated foes, one by one, at the bequest of some ancient villain that “has been bubbling under the surface of the Marvel Universe since the days of myth.”

“Logan is simultaneously a mythic hero, an abused animal, and a man of flesh, blood, and adamantium,” Ahmed said. “Our story is about what happens when these parts of him all pull in opposite directions – and threaten to rip Logan to pieces that won’t come back together again.”

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‘X-Factor’ returns as a government-sponsored team in August

Mark Russell and Bob Quinn bring Angel, Havok, Frenzy and more into a world of hidden agendas and shady politics.

Havok returns to the world of government employment as he and Angel reform X-Factor this August. Mark Russell and Bob Quinn will team up for new stories that see the group of mutants serve as a special missions team and a propaganda machine for the U.S. government.

X-Factor will include not only Angel and Havok, but also Feral, Frenzy, Pyro and more. Together they’ll contend with hidden agendas, shady politics, dark consequences and disastrous public opinion from the inside. Russell, the writer of DC’s The Flintstones and AWA’s Rumpus Room, will no doubt poke fun at politics and the government along the way.

“The thing I’ve always loved about the X-Men is that they’re characters first, Super Heroes second,” Russell told Marvel.com. “So being able to write characters like Havok and Angel and Frenzy in a post-Krakoa reality is an opportunity to write about what I really care about, which is how do we help each other survive the apathy of the world we live in?”

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Slugfest | Spawny returns to kill off … Spawn?

Plus: News and announcements on ‘Uncanny X-Men,’ ‘Gilt Frame,’ Godzilla, Blacksad, ThunderCats 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.

McFarlane Productions has been on a roll introducing Spawn into various genres, and this summer they’ll return to the world of humor and satire with Spawn Kills Every Spawn. Like the previous Spawn Kills Everyone and Spawn Kills Everyone Too, this comic features the tiniest Spawn, Spawny, deciding to kill another set of comic characters — the Spawn universe.

Written by John Layman and illustrated by Rob “Sketchcraft” Duenas and colorist Robert Nugent, the five-issue miniseries sees Spawny arrive at a Spawn convention filled with Spawns from around the multiverse, all of whom are more popular than him. So he decides to become the most popular by eliminating the competition.

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