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The first issue of Marvel’s brand new Secret Wars shipped in May of this year and was originally scheduled to conclude in eight issues. However, it now looks like Jonathan Hickman and Esad Ribic’s epic has been delayed into next year. According to the Diamond Distributors, Secret Wars ninth and final issue now has a January 6th street date. […]

I've been reading a lot of comics this summer, and it's the greatest.

I just finished Ms. Marvel Vol. 3: Crushed and the series continues to be fun, as was Rat Queens Volume 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'Rygoth. I love to read about girls kicking ass! (See also, Nimona) One thing I really appreciate about Rat Queens and Nimona is that it's fantasy kick-ass fun, but there's underlying basis of pain. It's not always there or the focus of the narrative, but it bubbles up to color the story in a way that's really compelling. (Plus, now I have an excuse to yell I'M A SHARK! and see who laughs--new bestie test)

Oh, and I also read Lumberjanes which I loved for it's kick-ass girls and silliness, but also its friendship and their long-suffering camp counselor. I love these girls as an ensemble and their relationships. FRIENDSHIP TO THE MAX for reals.


Also in ongoing series... Fables Vol. 22: Farewell happened. The final Fairest, Fairest Vol. 5: The Clamour for Glamour comes out on Tuesday, but Fables is done. This is the series that turned me onto comics and my feelings about it ending are so bittersweet. I'm going to miss these characters and their stories and their lives and how Willingham played with meta-fiction and what happens when you put fictional characters in the real world. At the same time, the final volume was wonderful. I think it was a fitting tribute and end to the series and, in many ways, it was a farewell. It wrapped up the narrative arc nicely, left some loose ends, but not ones that will drive me batty, and let the characters say goodbye (sometimes very literally). I have been nervous lately because the last few volumes have been a bit of a blood bath, and there is some of that here, too, but... it's good. It's really, really good. My only complaint is that it's done and I very selfishly want more, more, more, more. (Also, I asked my friends at Secret Stacks what I should read to fill the Fables void, and they got Bill Willingham himself to answer and zomg.)

But also, I've been reading some new series!

I read the entirety of Y: The Last Man because Bellwether Friends did an episode about it. I am in love with Saga (which was also a Bellwether recommendation) which is also by Brian K Vaughn, so I thought I'd pick up all the Y before listening to their episode, so I'd be able to better understand. Y is the story of what happens when suddenly, all males (human and animal) drop dead. Except for Yorick and his monkey Ampersand. Science and governments want Yorick, but he just wants to get from New York to Australia where his girlfriend-maybe-fiance was when the gender-cide hit, but it also explores what happens when a gender dies. You get radical feminist movement burning sperm banks, countries that had higher gender equality do better than those who had more men in charge, and also a lot of people in deep morning. Plus little things-- it hit at rush hour so a lot of the highways are clogged with cars and what do you do with that many dead bodies? It was really interesting and good. I like the way it explored the different aspects of this new world as well as all the different theories people had for what caused it. (People have feelings about the ending. It wasn't the ending I necessarily wanted, but I think it was good for the story, if that makes sense. Fangirl Jennie was "eh" but literary critic Jennie was "oh, yes.") Also, let's talk Saga. I've read the four volumes that are out now and so good. It's about love and family and survival against the backdrop of intergalactic war! And their nanny is a ghost. (Basically, star-crossed lovers from opposite sides of this inter-galactic war have a kid and everyone wants them dead because there can't be proof that the two sides can get along and all they want to do is live and survive as a family, but always running puts strain on a relationship!) Also, let's just talk about how the romance novels are also political tracts wrapped in love story, because a romance reader, YES. There is meaning and metaphor and all the other trappings of HIGH LITERATURE in romance (and really, all genre) but it gets written off so often, but not here. That warms my heart.

I've also picked up the first four volumes of East of West. It's this story of a futuristic alternate history US where the country's fractured into several other countries and there's a religious cult and Four Horseman of the Apocalypse are reborn, except for Death, because he's left them for love and it all ties back to this religious cult and a prophesy and it's weird and not quite my usual thing, but really good at the same time.

Also for something amazing, but a little different than my usual fare, Secret Stacks also recommended I check out Pretty Deadly which is also about Death falling in love with a person. But this time it's Death's Daughter who's riding for revenge. And there's a girl in a feather cape and old man who travel from town to town to tell her story. It's hauntingly surreal and I cannot wait for more. (Please tell me there's more!)

What comics are you reading?


Books Provided by... my local library, except for Fables, which I bought.

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Nick Pitarra helps to kickoff the new comic John Flood this week with another one of his stellar variant covers. His intricate line work channels the work of comics legends Geoff Darrow and Seth Fisher, but at the same time Pitarra brings his own brand of mirth and mayhem to the stage!

Proving that artists should take art contests seriously, Pitarra was famously discovered from his submission to the 2007 Comic Book Idol competition. Apparently, superstar writer/artist Jonathan Hickman was so impressed by Pitarra’s work that he later offered him the job as artist on The Manhattan Projects, which would go on to be a multi-Eisner nominated fan favorite hit!

The Manhattan Projects, a satirical, mind-bending re-imagining of what happened after Albert Einstein and his team built the Atom Bomb, is still going strong today. The series just kicked off Volume 2 and Nick Pitarra’s work continues to get better and better. He’s also become one of the top cover illustrators for a slew of special variant covers for a wide range of titles including Red Skull, Weirdworld, And Then Emily Was Gone, Transformers vs. G.I. Joe, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

You can get the latest Nick Pitarra news & art on his twitter page here.

For more comics related art, you can follow me on my website comicstavern.com – Andy Yates

Jonathan Hickman announced that he would return to double duty on his next book, writing and drawing the whole affair.  As someone who was inspired by his unique sense of design in The Nightly News, this is very good news.

By Nick Eskey

On July 9^th at San Diego Comic-Con, the creators of comics “Eat of West” (Jonathan Hickman and Nick Dragotta) and “Invisible Republic” (Gabriel Hardman and Corrina Bechko) gathered on behalf of Image Comics. These comic writers and artists were present to discuss the processes that they use to create their perspective works.

First the prompter asked the panel to talk about the comics themselves. “Eat of West is a Sci-fi Western,” said Jonathan Hickman. “The four horsemen come to bring about the apocalypse. But one of them falls in love; death of course. And he doesn’t feel like fulfilling his duty.” Gabriel Hardman said that “Invisible Republic is about a disgraced reporter that finds a hidden history of a foreign planet.”

Writer Jonathan Hickman and Artist Nick Dragotta (“East of West”)

For any story, the first thing that has to get cleared is its development. “We had an idea for a world going through a rebellion,” said Gabriel. “We were thinking of this song from the 70’s that talked about rebellion in the future.” For East of West, Nick and Jonathan talk about how they went to lunch together. “Nick wanted a Western, and I wanted a Sci-fi,” said Jonathan Hickman. “When we couldn’t argue over which one, we just decided to do both.”

With the idea of the story decided, the teams would need to be able to work well together. With any collaboration between artist and writer, they would each need to learn the other’s habits. “Well, we’re married,” said Gabriel. “We live in the same house. Our working habits have a sort of ‘Jazz’ interplay. If something doesn’t work, we talk to each other and change it… It’s very organic. And if we want to change something, it’s not like we have to go to anyone and get the changed approved.” For East of West, artist Nick said “I just wanted to make the work easy between us.” Gabriel from Invisible Republic laughed as this, then adding “It’s never easy for us.”

Writer Gabriel Hardman and Artist Corinna Bechko (“Invisible Republic”)

What sets apart a graphic novel and a comic from a book is the artwork; it tells the story just as much as the dialogue. Nick Dragotta spoke about his own drawing style. “I like to use thumbnails as panels… to let them lead the reader’s eye. This is easier for me because I work in digital, and use layers.” Writer Jonathan Hickman added that because his time is limited, he has to look at his work as a whole. “I’ll give Nick what idea I have for dialogue, sometimes even the whole thing, knowing there’s a chance I’ll have to rewrite it all… I just try to get the hell out of the way, and let the artist have his way.”

After showing the completed art, Nick said that sometimes Jonathan will say a section “would do better with this addition of dialogue.” This would make Nick either add a page or two, or even go back and redo some of them. “An angle change might have happened,” he further adds.

Gabriel Harman says that he’s in large a story board artist, working on some movies just as “Tropic Thunder” and “Inception.” He prefers to use more traditional means, using paper and pencils to draw out the scenes, defining parts here and there but not fully. “And I’ll ink it as I go,” he said.  “I don’t do full penciling first, or I’ll find that I have this dead thing.”

Soon the topic of rules came up: whether there are rules for their work. “One thing I believe in is arbitrary rules,” said Gabriel. “Things go left and right, and important things to the front. [Also] never use caption to tell where the story is going… For us it’s about drama than literature. These things are how you tell the story.”

This led to a discussion of how the teams decide to convey their story. Some comic writers and artists use captions to partially tell it, and some use over dramatic scenes. “We try to tell emotion with less,” said Gabriel. “Struggle and intensity with how the characters hold themselves. I want them to be like pixies; I want them to be quiet, and I want them to be loud when loud… I don’t want it like ‘Jack Kirby,’ where everything is flying out at you.”

“If you’re a writer, it’s like a huge cheat to just tell someone what’s going on,” said Jonathan of East of West. “It’s like if they said ‘I ran as fast as I could,’ and then they run. There’s nothing worse than telling something twice.” Nick added that, “I first drive for clarity; simplify. And then I draw the heck out of it.”

After the art is pretty much done, coloring comes in. Color palettes can be very important as well when it comes to making the comic tie together well. Gabriel of Invisible Republic mentioned that since their comic has two time streams, they use two different palettes. “The present is a desaturated  film look, when film use to be used for movies.” Nick took it further by talking about the role of colorists. “[They are] like the new finishers… we give the colorist enough space to play and have it. Color sells books, really. If you are in perfect harmony with your colorist, you have it made.”

As a last discussion, the teams discussed their influences; where their ideas come from. “Manga, because they show, not tell,” said Nick Dragotta. Jonathan Hickman had a lot more to say on the subject. “I consumed as much as I could when I was beginning, and my first five projects could be seen as ‘this is like that, but meets this.’ I don’t read as much anymore  though… when I work it could spark an idea that I’ll want to include, or spark another idea that I don’t’ have time for… Nowadays I watch a lot of film.”

Gabriel Hardman said that “I take influences from other outside sources. Pull from everything, not just comics.” This is where Jonathan broke back in, and went on a rampage about comic ideas. “I also work for marvel as a writer, and they write comics for comics. They don’t take any original ideas, just basically mine their previous franchises. It’s incestuous. No, they’ve [expletive] themselves beyond incestuous.” He then discussed how “cool” it is when people are willing to try new original things. “It’s really cool.”

It’s great to see the process from where the story and art of our comics come to life. Because after all, that’s what makes comics, well, comics. And it’s great to have a company like Image that gives their writers and artists the space to let such creativity flow. Keep an eye out for “East of West” and “Invisible Republic.”

Friday kicked off Marvel’s Secret Wars panel that sported a presence from author Jonathan Hickman. With the announcement that the author planned on leaving/scaling back his Marvel work, this could be the last we see of Hickman from a very long time with an official Marvel presence. Included among the panelists was Marvel Executive Editor Tom Brevoort, who spent some time chatting with Hickman before the show proper began. Kieron Gillen was noticeably absent to the panel — after being listed on the Marvel.com description. Josh Williamson of Illuminati joined the fray, and Charles Soule arrived late to the party with editor Wilson Moss, editor Sana Amanat and Jake Friedfeld, Sales Communication & Event Coordinator moderated the panel.

NOTE: Brevoort and Hickman teased that they were working on more Marvel series together and…possibly…a new title featuring The Eternals, no artist is attached as of this moment. What follows is basically Marvel sharing some new covers and dates for their upcoming titles which had to be mostly shuffled around to not spoil anything about Secret Wars.

–Secret Wars #5 is dropping August 12th — or so it seems, “It’s kind of a suggested date” said Brevoort, “A bunch of your questions are answered and then shit goes wrong” said Hickman

–Red Skull issue #2 is launching on August 5th. Red Skull is supposed to be dead in Secret Wars, Williamson’s book focuses on the rumors surrounding Doctor Doom’s team sent to explore the location in search of the Red Skull sent by Magento.

-The new issue of The Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows  is shipping on August 19th “it’s a soft date” said Brevoort acknowledging that the comic was a “Dan Slott” book.

–Civil War #3 is coming on August 26th focusing on Tony Stark never actually surrendering, chronicling what happened if the event had simply continued. The Blue and The Iron led by Captain America and Tony Stark respectively. I like putting She-Hulk in stories said Soule. The comic is a five-issue mini-series.

-Weirdworld #3 is coming August 19th.

-Sana Amanat joined the panel later, however, author Kieron Gillen was nowhere to be seen.

-The New Old Man Logan #4 on August 26th sees Logan explore Battleworld further, and featured on the Andrea Sorrentino drawn cover is a group of spiders including Peter Parker, Miles Morales and more.

–A-Force #3 is launching August 12th.

–Inhumans Attilan Rising #4 is coming August 12th, which contains the the creative team of Charles Soule and John Timms. Black Bolt is leading the resistance within the Quiet Room of Battleworld. Medusa has been sent by Doom to stop his operation. Soule acknowledged that the comic is a Casablanca riff taking place in a bar.

–1872 #2 is launching on August 19th with Gerry Duggan and Nik Virella that has covers from Doc Shaner. Brevoort exclaimed that he had positive feelings for this issue.

-This is one of the few rooms that would clap when asked if anyone had read Squadron Sinister, the third issue is launching on August 19th. Brevoort referred to the story a s noir crime drama.

–Hank Johnson, Agent of Hydra is coming August 26th which was referenced as a title that Axel Alonso wanted to publish for a number of years. Hank Johnson is an everyman that simply works for Marvel on the side.

-House of M #1 with Dennis Hopeless and Marco Failla is coming on August 19th with a cover from Kris Anka. Mutants are the higher race of characters.

-Friedfeld asked if fans liked Howard the Duck, but seemed confused when the next book on the slideshow was Howard the Human, who is a human living in a world full of animals. Skottie young and Jim Mahfood are launching the title on August 19th.

-Secret Wars: Secret Love #1 is shipping on August 19th.

–Ant-Man: Last Days #1 is coming August 26th from Nick Spencer and Ramon Rosanas with a cover by Mark Brooks.

–Secret Wars: Agents of Atlas #1 is coming in October from Tom Taylor and Steve Pugh.

The panel led to fan Q&A:

-A fan asked if the pieces of Avengers and New Avengers from Hickman would see more of a payoff following Secret Wars. “You might not get everything you want, but you’ll get an ending” said Hickman.

-When asked what drew Hickman to the characters of Reed Richards and Doctor Doom Brevoort explained: “Reed is like Jonathan in the morning, Doom is like Jonathan at night.”

-Brevoort shared that Hickman is interested in doing something with The Eternals followed by Skottie Young’s named directly referenced as an artist — but it could have been in a joking manner?

-Joshua Williamson explained that he wanted to write The Punisher eventually during his time at Marvel. Soule shared that he has a good “Steve Rogers book” in him.

-Amanat elaborated that she wanted to try out writing Squirrel Girl. Someone asked Hickman about Starjammers, and the author shared that he wanted to do that and an “X-book” as well.

Writer:

Jonathan Hickman

Artist:

Esad Ribic

Colors:

Ive Svorcina

Letters:

Chris Eliopoulos

• WHEN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE IS GONE, ALL THAT REMAINS IS BATTLEWORLD!
• LEARN THE SECRETS OF THIS BRAVE NEW REALM IN THIS SPECIAL OVERSIZED ISSUE!

Well folks…that’s how to write an event comic.

Secret Wars #1 had so many plot threads to tie-up that it didn’t really have a chance of being a good story in it’s own right. After all, the series opened with the direct continuation of the really interesting plot thread from New Avengers #33 — a story that a lot of Secret Wars readers probably never looked into. The issue even bookended with that same plot point, but in a manner that is likely set to alienate new readers. Even those that are familiar with the first series (from the 80’s) or have read previous Secret Wars comics may not have recognized the new forms that the Beyonders took in the story. With that, comes Secret Wars #2, a story that shifts the Marvel Universe into a brand new place. Without giving away too much, I would like to say that this installment is about Battleworld. Somehow the Marvel press train actually managed to skirt more than a couple surprises about this story that are hidden from even the most astute readers.

The Marvel Universe is gone and Battleworld is now here, but everything else about what is inside the new Secret Wars issue #2 remains a shroud of wonderful mystery. Author Jonathan Hickman bends the mythology of the Avengers franchise, and once again mixes and matches everything he has created into a beautiful mess here. All the pieces already established in Avengers and New Avengers are rearranged in this issue, which is full of characters forming new relationships with each other that feel ancient. When Jim Shooter first ushered in the original Secret Wars series, he did so with pride, promising some lofty goals. Where that series eventually devolved into mindless fighting — this Secret Wars saga promises something else via this issue.

Sure new status quotas, characters, and relationships, are something frequently seen in the Marvel Universe — but this exact world has new things to say about characters.

LIGHT SPOILERS: One such example of these new things are the way that the Thor characters all have different relationships amongst themselves and with others. Yes, there are a ton of people with hammers arranged in this issue — but that doesn’t mean everything about surprise of the heroes’ own mythology is known to the reader.

Thankfully, this inversion of the original premise makes the actual saga of Avengers (the 2012 volume) less relevant. For some fans, that might be a let down, but this new Secret Wars needs to last and be burned into the mythology of the Marvel Universe. If everything about this comic sounds incredibly complicated — that’s because it is — however, this issue did the right thing by averting expectations and shifting pieces off of the board. The main criticism of the tale is that it just should have been the first issue. Confusing readers with context about a threat that they are unfamiliar with is not the good for the average fan. If any new reader is interested in this saga, hand them this second issue first. It will avoid some questions that will lead to trouble further down the round.

This tale is also much more suited to the art of Esad Ribic now. His depiction of Doctor Doom is nothing less than terrifying. The opening scene calls for a certain type of emotion that proves why Ribic can be counted among the best in the industry. Ive Scorcina’s color palette is also a haunting and beautiful. Secret Wars has an expansive scope that is perfectly explored within this tale. Key moments of action retain the fluidity necessary of great comics while still evoking the cerebral line work and sheer beauty of what Ribic is depicting in this comic.

Never before have I seen an event series so confident in it’s own ideas — as Hickman packs the story with loads of Marvel mythology in a king-sized ration. There are but a few plot threads tethering this story to our version of Marvel reality, but this story is meant to be witnessed through the eyes of the outsider, purposefully alienating the reader. For a Marvel comic filled with explosive wonder look no further than this week’s Secret Wars #2. Hickman and Ribic create mythology of lasting impact in Secret Wars #2.

by Zachary Clemente

Writer: Jonathan Hickman

Artist: Ryan Bodenheim

Colors: Michael Garland

Letters: Rus Wooton

Publisher: Image Comics

Leave it to a project helmed by Jonathan Hickman (East of West, Manhattan Projects, The Nightly News) to be impeccably designed. The first issue of The Dying & The Dead brings together long-time collaborator Ryan Bodenheim as artist, colorist Michael Garland from Hickman and Bodenheim’s most recent Image series Secret, and lettering duties by Rus Wooton who currently works on both East of West and Manhattan Projects for a whopping 60-page issue; and the sheer amount of information conveyed is akin to a freight train dropping from the sky at terminal velocity. In a good way, I assure you.

Something I’ve always loved about Hickman’s stories is the extraordinary depth of interconnectedness represented in his work; there’s an undying theme that plays out in iterations, each a microcosm of the previous. This is very present in the first issue of The Dying & The Dead as context and story filter together through different points of view with tiered indicators of how far you’ve plumbed. Each story beat is accompanied by a new setting complete with new a new color set, each reflecting on the past, present, and future both in the narrative as well as what the reader has seen, is seeing, and will see. Despite this, I never really felt lost in way I was uncomfortable with – an important distinction I need to make. These first 60 pages gave us at least 5 locations, a dozen characters to track; each with hints of their own sprawling allegiances and feuds. With the wrong team, this would be a massively unpleasant hot mess, thankfully everyone on the book appears to be more than up to the task.

I want to delve into the colors of the book; as it’s a trend I noticed in Secret, but found less narratively successful than in The Dying & The Dead. This very well may be because it was initially a stylistic choice on part of Garland born from Hickman’s own proclivities and design background and with how well it works with Bodenheim’s strong character lines; but this time around it plays an indispensable role with how characters represent their part of the story and their connection to each other. Each “chapter” of the issue utilizes only 2 or 3 colors, leaning heavily into the representations achieved by contrast, saturation, and highlighting. I’d gander that with a normal coloring technique – this book would be considerably harder to follow and ultimately less successful.

Here’s the thing about this issue in relation to Hickman’s other work, especially that of his other Image titles; it doesn’t feel too big for its britches. Hear me out, that’s not meant to sound like a criticism, it’s actually kind of a compliment. Perhaps this is because of the more than double-sized nature of the issue, but it feels more comprehensive and that makes the overall scope feel smaller than one of his usual titles. I personally find this a great thing, especially as someone who sometimes has trouble getting friends interested in books. His worlds are huge and heavily mired with realistic linkages that affect the fascinating and varied characters in ways that, if not mirror, properly represent the way it seems to happen in reality.

It doesn’t feel like a huge leap, which is something I’m mostly thankful for as a huge leap from the likes of this team would probably be something akin to a new method of delivering single issues to readers by shooting them from the Moon. What it does feel like is a spectacularly crafted beginning to a promising series that will nestle very comfortably in the part of the brain slowing being re-written to fully appreciate Hickman’s work. The more that comes out, the more we’ll understand; just the way it was planned all along.

By: Alexander Jones

Jonathan Hickman is going through a pretty massive career change. First up, he’s relaunching The Manhattan Projects with a new number one and title change, with The Manhattan Projects: The Sun Beyond The Stars #1. Expect the new #1 on March 11, 2015, along with Nick Pitarra on art with Jordie Bellaire on colors.

Next up, is some Marvel news. After spearheading a giant event in the Avengers side of Marvel with infinity, along with two additional Avengers books, it seems the author is seeking a “nap.” Hickman references the furious shipping schedule at Marvel for reasons behind this career move:

I do think that going to Marvel is a very good move for some creators to make. It’s certainly been good for me. And because they’re double-shipping, you really can’t simulate the volume and velocity of the work – it’s like getting live reps in sports. Going to press isn’t something you can practice.

The story came from a Newsarama interview, and it’s also worth noting that Hickman is only a taking a breather at Marvel AFTER the upcoming Secret Wars event that he is writing.

Saying that, I’m on my last couple of issues of Avengers and I’m into the eight issues of Secret Wars, and after that I’m taking a bit of a break. I need it. The Image work will, however, endure nap time.

Of course, Jonathan Hickman isn’t leaving comics entirely either. We have his upcoming title The Dying and the Dead to look forward too, as well as The Manhattan Projects and East of West. Really Hickman is not taking a nap, he might just be working more than ever now!

Oh, and Hickman also says this to Newsarama when asked about what’s next for him:

Feel Better Now – written and drawn by me –  will come out from Image in the back half of 2016, but other than that, sleeping. Oh, and catching up on comics I’ve missed.

Does he actually sleep?

by Zachary Clemente

“The last story of the Greatest Generation”

Don’t let the semi-snarky headline fool you – I love me some Hickman Madness. Secret with artist Bodenheim was one of my favorite short series releases of the past two years and I adore both Manhattan Projects and East of West. Beyond his actual work, what really excites me is that Hickman seems to be utilizing Image’s platform in a way (or at least at a rate) that I wasn’t expecting. I shouldn’t be surprised though; he’s been doing it from day one. After releasing The Nightly News in 2006 with Image, we saw Hickman crank out Pax Romana, Transhuman, Red Mass for Mars, and The Red Wing all within a few years. It’s explosive and exhilarating and hopefully a trend that other creators will be afforded.

New York Times bestselling and award-winning writer Jonathan Hickman (EAST OF WEST, THE AVENGERS) teams up with explosive artist Ryan Bodenheim (RED MASS FOR MARS, SECRET) for an all-new adventure series fraught with mystery, intrigue, and exotic end-of life care in THE DYING AND THE DEAD, coming from Image Comics on January 28.

The adventures begins in THE DYING AND THE DEAD #1 when a murder at a wedding sets off a series of reactions, unraveling secrets hundreds of years old. At great cost, a man with a dying wife is given the opportunity to save her. A lost tribe is reborn in another time. Seemingly unconnected events that force relics from the Greatest Generation to come together for one last hurrah.

“It’s not often that you work on something that feels almost perfect from day one, but working with Ryan again and how we’re both so in sync regarding the story, it really does feel like it could be something special,” said co-creator Hickman.

THE DYING AND THE DEAD (Diamond Code NOV140534) is a massive, over-sized, 60-page Indiana Jones-style high adventure that arrives in stores this 1/28 and will be available for $4.50.

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In an interview with delightful hero Brian Truitt of USA Today, Marvel have unveiled the branding for their next wave of comics. Called All-New Marvel Now, the two launch books will be All-New Invaders by James Robinson and Steve Pugh; as well as Matt Fraction and Joe Madiurera’s Inhumans.

All-New Marvel Now will start in December, and certain current books will be renumbered to take that into account. As a result, Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers will feature an issue 24.NOW, for example. Which, yes, is ridiculous. Across the line, Marvel will be rebranding the design of their comics to match the covers you can see here, whilst Captain America seems set to be put in the spotlight (handy when there’s a new film coming out soon!)

All-New Invaders will see Cap reunited with Namor and the Original Human Torch – AS WELL AS The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes. Written by James Robinson and drawn by Steve Pugh, this new ongoing series will send the team off to another war – one with the Kree, an alien race returning in force.

Inhumans was already announced, and will also launch as part of All-New Marvel Now. Matt Fraction will write and Joe Mad will pencil the series, which looks to redevelop the concept of X-Men – a minority forced to band together in the face of overwhelming oppression – but for a franchise whose film rights aren’t owned by FOX.

Avengers 24.NOW, by Hickman and Esad Ribic, will begin the new phase for Marvel on December 24th. Hey, that’s Christmas! Once Marvel send out larger versions of the covers, I’ll update the article accordinglu.

One of the most notable parts of the announcement, however, is that certain ANMN issues will come with a digital code which gives you access to the original run of comics. So readers can not only get these new comics – they can also get a look at the classic stories as well, to catch them up.

TweetFree Comic Book Day is coming up, and Marvel have today revealed what their release is going to be – Infinity, by Jonathan Hickman and Jim Cheung. This looks like a prelude to the oft-rumoured cosmic event Marvel will be running in Autumn (why have just one event a year?). However, strangely enough there’s no [...]

By Steve Morris

Via that very best of methods: the Dustin Weaver giganti-cover. The covers for issues 1-3 of Jonathan Hickman’s Avengers relaunch have been revealed by Marvel today, establishing that more X-Men have moved over to Cap’s Crew. While there are no surprises about which members of the Avengers movie cast made it into the series (all of them), the cover does still hold a few surprises. So! Who’re The Avengers?

Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Iron Man, Hulk and Thor are all members of the Avengers – unsurprisingly – and they’re joined be fellow non-surprises Spider-Man and Wolverine. But also in amongst the shiny heroes are Sunspot and Cannonball from the New Mutants, as well as Captain Marvel, Spider-Woman and Falcon. This represents perhaps the first time that two minority characters males have been on the main Avengers at the same time, I believe, although that still feels a bit of a low ratio for what’s meant to be a world-spanning team. No sign of Redwing yet either, which is a worry.

There’s also some whizzy technology in the background, suggesting that Hickman will be basing the team in Nick Fury’s helicarrier. The most intriguing part, however, looks to be the mystery character on the far left, silhouetted by the explosion Steve Rogers is manfully walking away from. For my money, this looks like it’s meant to be Shang Chi, but.. well, it could be anybody really. Anybody else got a better guess in mind?

Hickman, artist Jerome Opena and colourist Dean White will start the series off in December. There are still several more characters yet to be revealed as team-members, so don’t lose hope yet, Jarvis fans!