Comic Book Feeds

James Bond: Origin #12

writer: Jeff Parker  |  artist: Ibrahim Moustafa

covers: Dan Panosian (A), Dean Kotz (B)

              Vasco Georgiev (C), Ibrahim Moustafa (D)

              Bob Q (E), Dan Panosian (RI-Virg)

FC  |  32 pages  |  Action/Adventure |  $3.99  | Teen+

“The Debt: Finale”

In 1941, Lietuenant Bond finally learns the truth of his deceased mentor, Commander Weldon. But truth comes at a cost. The conclusion of Bond’s adventures in 1941, by JEFF PARKER (Aquaman, Fantastic Four) and IBRAHIM MOUSTAFA (James Bond: Solstice, Mother Panic).

KISS: Blood & Stardust TP

writer: Bryan Hill

artist: Rodney Buchemi

cover: Stuart Sayger

FC  |  144 Pages |  Rock ‘n’ Roll  |  $19.99  |   Teen+ 

KISS returns to rock’n’roll and save the world!

An immortal cabal is taking the lives of innocents and the only ones who can stop them are KISS! The only problem…they are dead. And now they have to make a deal with a demon to save their souls and return to Earth to fight evil!

Join Bryan Edward Hill (The Wildstorm: Michael Cray, Postal) and Rodney Buchemi (Death of Hawkman, The Librarians) as they bring you the KISS series we have all been waiting for!

Pathfinder Seoni Battle Ready Diamond Eye Statue

artist: Steve Kiwus (sculptor)

12”h x 3.75w” (base)  |  $399.99  |  Teen+ 

The world of Pathfinder comes to life in this stunning, hand-painted, collectible statue of the renown sorcerer, Seoni. Highly-detailed from head-to-toe, and standing just over 12’ tall, this quality, resin figure features intricate tattoo and clothing reproduction, dual-wielded weapons, and simulated “scars and dirt” earned in battle. The extremely limited “Diamond Eye” edition features the same great detail of the original statue, but with real diamonds added to Seoni’s pupils to make her really sparkle on the shelf!

 

Pathfinder Seoni Battle Ready Statue

artist: Steve Kiwus (sculptor)

12”h x 3.75w” (base)  |  $249.99  |  Teen+ 

The world of Pathfinder comes to life in this stunning, hand-painted, collectible statue of the renown sorcerer, Seoni. Highly-detailed from head-to-toe, and standing just over 12’ tall, this quality, resin figure features intricate tattoo and clothing reproduction, dual-wielded weapons, and simulated “scars and dirt” earned in battle. Fans have never been offered a Seoni like this before, and this extremely limited run means it may never be offered again!

Pathfinder Seoni Spellcasting Statue

artist: Steve Kiwus (sculptor)

12”h x 3.75w” (base)  |  $199.99  |  Teen+ 

The world of Pathfinder comes to life in this stunning, hand-painted, collectible statue of the renown sorcerer, Seoni. Highly-detailed from head-to-toe, and

standing just over 12’ tall, this quality, resin figure features removable spell effect, and intricate tattoo and clothing reproduction. Fans have never been

offered a Seoni like this before, and this extremely limited run means it may never be offered again!

 

Pathfinder Seoni Spellcasting Diamond Eye Statue

artist: Steve Kiwus (sculptor)

12”h x 3.75w” (base)  |  $349.99  |  Teen+ 

The world of Pathfinder comes to life in this stunning, hand-painted, collectible statue of the renown sorcerer, Seoni. Highly-detailed from head-to-toe, and

standing just over 12’ tall, this quality, resin figure features removable spell effect, and intricate tattoo and clothing reproduction. The extremely limited “Diamond Eye” edition features the same great detail of the original statue, but with real diamonds added to Seoni’s pupils to make her really sparkle on the shelf!

Our 5e Land of Azurth campaign continued last night, with the party climbing the stairs to the next level, despite the madness-inducing noise. (Their plan of using Silence proved to be unwieldy.) They all stuffed wax in their ears (except the frogling that has no external ears to put wax in!). Shade was the first up. She found a room full of automata pieces with a whole in the ceiling and bodies of birds beneath it. Beyond that room was an iris-type door.

After retrieving the rest of the party (most of whom made their saves, and the one's that didn't were only minorly impaired), they opened the door. Inside they found a circular shaft with an obelisk, skirted with a platform floating inside. Leading to it was a climbing, arcing path of floating discs, each separated by about 5 feet. Interestingly, the dread noise seemed absent from the shaft--but no other spells worked, either.

Waylon the Frogling was made for leaping, so he was chosen to jump from disk to disk to reach the obelisk and platform. There, he discovered another brass mechanical face. The face explained it was the guardian of the obelisk's treasure, which certainly got Waylon's interesting. It initially was reluctant to reveal the treasure but Kully the Bard connived the head into doing it, though he strongly warned them any attempt to tamper with it would lead to the collapse of the floating obelisk and the release of the "criminal" fire elemental, leading to everyone's death.

Within a milky, glass sphere and festooned with wires, Waylon found a book called The Wondrous Wizard of Azurth, with a drawing of a smiling, benevolent old man on the cover. The book was dangerous, he was told, because it was an anomaly. Not heresy per se (as Dagmar though), but perhaps heresy against the nature of reality.   The book was somehow related to the Clockwork Princess' madness. It's author is listed as O. March Loam (which brought to mind Mirabilis Lum for the player's), but the guardian suggests this was the actual identity of the author who is a "thought form" of some other being, a being with name such "fragments."

Despite Waylon's desire to look for other treasure, the party is more eager now than ever to seek out the princess. On the next level of the castle, they find her. Her face, frozen in horror or madness, is on a great tree like shape of brass and iron, gears and wires. It's wire and conduit canopy spreads out across the ceiling, and his root-like tendrils radiate out along the floor.

There is a shadow, think as velvet, along the ceiling, that slowly brings itself together like a snake coiling for a strike. The party doesn't notice at first. When the shadow has become a whispy sphere, and triangular eyes open in its void like malevolent stars, they do take notice! It tells them it has waited so long for someone to kill so it can be released from this prison of cold light and return to the embrace of the dark void.


Then it nearly kills half the party with a blast of necrotic damage.

The party flees to heal and regroup. Dagmar's knowledge of the arcane suggests it's a aberration from the Outer Dark, which hates light. The party them remembers they are in possession of energy weapons they do radiant damage. Gearing out with Haste spells, Light, and of course those energy guns, they return the challenge the creature.

Though still a fearsome foe, it is perhaps overconfident from its last victory and they catch it off guard. It doesn't long survive what is practically artillery fire of laser beams form Hasted gunmen.

They now have the Princess to confront.

TO BE CONTINUED.

I really enjoyed working on Issue 1 of the Echo City Sentinel, and I knocked out a second issue a few weeks ago, but left it on the back burner so I could stagger releases a little bit. As I was getting it ready today, I was also going through notes for Tales of the Splintered Realm, and realized I have a bunch of stuff I want to release, but it doesn't really all work together nicely in any sort of 6-8 page form. So, I stole the format for the Echo City Sentinel, and started a new series of 1-page modules for Tales of the Splintered Realm.

From my perspective, this is all win. I can keep releasing content more regularly, and I can get a supplement done in a few hours. I hope to leave room for a little art in the future, but that one page goes quick. I do like that the designs of the two games allow for quite a bit of content to be delivered in small spaces; each of these is only one page, but I think that there is enough meat on the bones to make them useful.

I plan to keep cranking these out. These were fun and quick to make.

Go get your copies! Get them now, and pay me later if you feel like it. Or don't. It's all good.

The Echo City Sentinel Issue 2

Tales of the Splintered Realm Module M1: Way of the Warrior

This post originally appeared in June 2014.

I've being thinking on the idea that all deities in fiction can be defined by two axes: Mythological-Literal and Transcendent-Physical. Mythological gods have origins and interactions that don't make sense in a literal sense; Think gods born from salt licks or jumping from their fathers' skulls. On the other end of the scale are literal beings whose origins are at least logical and generally pretty much biologically or technologically similar to other classes of lifeforms. Transcendent beings are bound by the usual limitations of single body, mind, and/or perspective, while physical beings certainly are.

The gods from the Greek or Norse mythology are typically mythological, but either physical or transcendent. (They tend to be physical seeming in the texts of the myths, but seem somewhat transcendent in terms their actual historical worship.) 
The Asgardians of Marvel Comics or Apollo of the Star Trek episode "Who Mourns for Adonis?" are mostly literal and mostly physical in portrayal. The Asgardians of the movie Thor and its sequel are entirely literal and physical.
AI masquerading as gods? Literal, transcendent or physical. The Endless from Sandman? Straddling the literal-mythologic border, transcendent. Kirby's New Gods? Slightly mythological, physical.
So there it is. There may be other factors I haven't thought of.

After yesterday's podcast, I had the Universal Monsters on the brain. Probably got another, less frivolous, post on a monster topic.

We're normally going to do biweekly episodes, but we were on a roll, so here's the second episode of the Bronze Age Book Club podcast: Marvel Premiere #45!


Listen to "Episode 2: MARVEL PREMIERE #45" on Spreaker.

In addition to Spreaker, you can find the podcast on Spotify, Castbox, and Deezer. Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts are coming soon.

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND – August 6, 2019 – Come celebrate 20 years of comics at the Baltimore Comic-Con on October 18-20, 2019 at the Inner Harbor’s Baltimore Convention Center. You can purchase tickets online now on our website. The Baltimore Comic-Con is pleased to welcome back friends of the show Francesco Francavilla, Ron Randall, Stan Sakai, Doug Wagner, and Kelly Yates.

Eisner and Eagle Award-winning Francesco Francavilla has found a niche in the comics industry with his noir stylings. His Afterlife with Archie from Archie Comics received a Harvey Award nomination in 2014 for Best New Series. He has also provided art on DC Comics’ Detective Comics and Swamp Thing, Marvel’s Black Panther: The Man Without Fear, and you will find his artwork gracing covers for Marvel’s All-New Hawkeye, Master of Kung Fu, and Princess Leia, Archie’s Archie vs. Predator and The Black Hood, and Dynamite Entertainment’s Reanimator and The Twilight Zone: Shadow and Substance. Most recently, you’ll find his covers and interiors on IDW’s Star Wars Adventures: Return to Vader’s Castle. and covers on Archie’s Archie: 1955 and Dynamite Entertainment’s Red Sonja & Vampirella Meet Betty & Veronica.

Ron Randall started his professional career at DC Comics with a two page back-up story in Unknown Soldier, which was followed by stories in Sgt. Rock, The Warlord, Arak, Son of Thunder, and Swamp Thing. He is well-known for having created Trekker at Dark Horse Comics back in 1987 for Dark Horse Presents, and he published the character again in a new serialized version of the same title starting in 2013. More recently, Ron provided art on Sasquatch Detective Special from DC Comics, and his collected trade paperback Trekker: Chapeltown was published in 2018 by Dark Horse Comics..

Best known as writer and artist for his Usagi Yojimbo title, Stan Sakai first created and published it in 1984, launching in Albedo, a self-published anthology, followed by an appearance in Critters from Fantagraphics in 1985, and finally as its own series from the same publisher in 1987, all in black & white. In 1993, Usagi made the jump to color at Mirage Publishing, and moved to Dark Horse in 1996. In 2019, Usagi Yojimbo moved to IDW Publishing, relaunching with an issue #1. Nearly 30 years of Usagi Yojimbo have seen print in book, TV, and digital formats.

Doug Wagner has been writing comics professionally since 2004 and has worked with a mulititude of companies. The list includes DC Comics, Image Comics, 12-Gauge Comics, Top Cow Productions, Dynamite Entertainment, and Table Taffy Studios. His recent projects include Plastic (April 2017) and The Hard Place (August 2017), both from Image Comics, as is his current Image title, The Ride: Burning Desire. Doug now lives in the Wasatch Mountains of Utah with his lovely wife. His days are filled with fighting deadlines and flirting with distractions.

Kelly Yates has provided artwork for Amber Atoms, Tales of Tellos, and The Perhapanauts at Image Comics, numerous Doctor Who titles at IDW, Fear Agent at Dark Horse Comics, and JLA-Z at DC Comics. He also wrote Image’s Amber Atoms, and contributed to Artist Alley Comics as well with his creator-owned MonstHer title. “We’re so happy to have these guys back,” said Marc Nathan, show promoter for the Baltimore Comic-Con. “We have a lot of friends in the industry, but between their obligations and the limits of physics, we can’t always have them back. But this year, Francesco, Ron, Stan, Doug, and Kelly are back, and we’re thrilled they’ll be rejoining us. We’re looking forward to seeing them, and their fans will be excited for their return.”

The team that rebooted an Archie Comics classic in 2018’s hit sci-fi comedy romp COSMO is back with a space-age sequel for all ages launching this November: COSMO THE MIGHTY MARTIAN!

Archie mainstays Ian Flynn and Tracy Yardley are at the helm again as Cosmo, Astra, and the rest of the swashbuckling Martian exploration crew strike out for the asteroid belt in a new space-faring adventure. Colorist Matt Herms and letterer Jack Morelli will also return to round out the creative team.

“It’s both exciting and satisfying that COSMO was so well received we get to continue his adventures. This time we have to go bigger and bolder!” Flynn said. “Just as Cosmo is embarking with his crew again, I’m so happy to be reuniting with the same creative crew. Tracy Yardley and Matt Herms are a visual power duo that will bring COSMO THE MIGHTY MARTIAN to life like nobody else!”

The five-issue sequel finds the crew on a mission to investigate mysterious events on Ceres when they’re ambushed by a new villain and stumble upon the perilous plottings of the Queen of Venus.

“In this new arc the stakes are higher than ever before,” said series editor and Archie Comics Art Director Vin Lovallo. “Cosmo’s leadership is tested, and the villainous forces of Venus are hot on his trail! There are a lot of new worlds and characters to be excited for, as well. Personally, I’m even more excited to be working with the amazing team of Ian, Tracy, Matt, and Jack again. They are an incredibly talented team and I know they’re going to make COSMO THE MIGHTY MARTIAN the best it can be!”

COSMO THE MIGHTY MARTIAN #1 arrives in comic shops on November 13, 2019. Subscriptions are now available from the Archie Comics website, and the first collected volume, COSMO: SPACE ACES, is available now everywhere books and comics are sold.

Aces Weekly is the award-winning, exclusively cyberspace – NO PRINTING, NO PAPER – comic art magazine from David Lloyd – the guy who brought you V FOR VENDETTA! Every Monday, serials and short stories designed specifically for your tablet, laptop, desktop – AND SMART TV – are ready to read at your command in massive, seven-week volumes featuring top talent from across the globe. David Lloyd was nice enough to stop by First Comics News and let our readers know all about Aces Weekly.

First Comics News: You have worked with all the major publishers and some of the most notable writers in the industry, what made you decide to start Aces Weekly?

David Lloyd: Because it’s the 21st Cent, and in repro and distribution, the computer/internet can’t be beat for comic storytelling unless you happen to think comics have to be a thing and not a great way of storytelling that doesn’t need to be a thing.

1st: How much of your time does Aces Weekly take up?

David: All bar essential relaxation and sleep.

1st: How much harder is it to do a weekly instead of a monthly?

David: No harder – but then prep for digital isn’t hard at all. Just slot files of art into place and go live every Monday for subscribers.

1st: How many stories are there per issue?

David: There are six ‘ streams ‘ in every 7 week volume made up of six 7-part serials or shorts : e.g. 5 serials and a stream of shorts. Each week has 3 page episodes from those serials or shorts plus Extras, making over 20 pages per week

1st: How many creators do you have working on an average issue?

David: Well if its six teams doing serials then it’s 12. Could be more with added creative input, of course, or shorts making up a stream.

1st: What happens if a creator misses a deadline?

David: I have backup work in hand always. And the creator has to stay alive to finish their work, so I never act on my first impulse when that happens.

1st: How do creators pitch to Aces Comics Weekly?

David: We have a contact address on our site to which intial samples and proposals can be sent. We answer quickly mostly.

1st: Do you just select stories from the pitches you receive to do you, recruit creators, as well?

David: When we began I invited all the good people who knew me to take a shot at it, but now we mostly benefit from submissions. There’s lots of great talent out there that doesn’t get enough exposure.

1st: What type of stories are you looking for?

David: We deal in everything. We’re a non-thematic anthology. It has to be said that creators seem to gravitate towards sf more than most other things, so you’re liable to find lots of that in our volumes.

1st: How far in advance do you have to work?

David: Every creator has as long as they need so we place them in a volume far ahead or closer depending on their work pace.

1st: Ace weekly started 7 years ago. With 52 weeks over 7 years, how is it that we are on Volume 40?

David: Our volumes run 7 weeks then we have a two week interval before starting the next.

1st: Are each week and each volume a standard length?

David: 21 pages minimum per stream but creators can do more if they want to. Minimum per week episode is 3 pages.

1st: Do all the stories begin and end in the same volume?

David: No, some continue into the following volumes, consecutive or with breaks. But we keep the mix, importantly. We’re always fresh – and literally surprising, because no subscriber knows exactly what will be in each volume.

1st: You charge £1 per week, how does that split work between all the creators and a profit for the business?

David: We’re not making a profit, we’re still trying to. It’s split 7 ways, to the creator/teams and to the admin.

1st: If the work appears in Aces Weekly, is it exclusive to Aces Weekly?

David: For two years from date of appearance in English ( they can republish in any other language immediately ). After that they can republish anywhere. Settings and characters don’t count. We only want the benefit of the story itself they’ve done with us for that 2 years.

1st: If you don’t want the weekly subscription can you buy the completed volume?

David: As soon as a 7-week volume completes it becomes a Previous Volume and can be bought as a separate item. All Previous Volumes are listed in our Buy section.

1st: How much is a volume?

David: US $9.99 for up to 150 fantastic pages.

1st: It the experience the same on a tablet, laptop, desktop, smart TV and cell phone?

David: We were never designed for phones – too small. Comixology has 18 of our volumes in a tailor-made format that have the guided view facility for those who need it. Across other screen formats we have consistency of appearance via our commitment to landscape – the natural ratio to maintain look across our designed-for devices.

1st: Why should no true comic fan not miss an issue of Aces Weekly?

David: Because it’s great, different, surprising, new, pioneering, and of NOW, and a bargain – that is unless you must have dead trees and expensive delivery in your entertainment choices.

PORTLAND, Ore. 08/05/2019 — Image Comics is pleased to reveal the jaw-dropping Jason Shawn Alexander cover for the upcoming milestone SPAWN #300 issue by Todd McFarlane, President at Image Comics and creator of SPAWN. This is just one of many exciting cover reveals to come on the #Roadto300!

The record-setting SPAWN #300 hits stores on Wednesday, September 4. The final order cutoff for retailers is Monday, August 12.

• SPAWN #300 CVR A MCFARLANE – Diamond Code JUN190014

• SPAWN #300 CVR B B&W MCFARLANE – Diamond Code JUN190015

• SPAWN #300 CVR C CAPULLO – Diamond Code JUN190016

• SPAWN #300 CVR D CAPULLO VIRGIN – Diamond Code JUN190017

• SPAWN #300 CVR E CAPULLO & MCFARLANE – Diamond Code JUN190018

• SPAWN #300 CVR F B&W CAPULLO & MCFARLANE – Diamond Code JUN190019

• SPAWN #300 CVR G CAMPBELL – Diamond Code JUN190020

• SPAWN #300 CVR H OPEÑA – Diamond Code JUN190021

• SPAWN #300 CVR I ALEXANDER – Diamond Code JUN190022

• SPAWN #300 CVR J PARODY VAR MCFARLANE – JUN190023

Momentum and frenzied buzz surrounding the classic antihero series continues to build leading into historic SPAWN #300 and record-breaking SPAWN #301 when SPAWN becomes the longest running creator-owned comic in the world.

The celebration of SPAWN’s 300th and 301st issues is just beginning. More art and cover reveals will be shared over the coming weeks as the road to comic book history nears its destination.

SPAWN is currently being adapted for film—a gritty, R-rated reimagining—which will mark Image President, co-founder and SPAWN creator, Todd McFarlane’s film directorial debut. McFarlane, an Emmy/Grammy-winning producer/director is also on board as screenwriter and producer.

SPAWN sold an unprecedented 1.7 million copies at the time it was released and is one of the world’s best-selling and longest-running monthly comic books, with hundreds of millions sold worldwide in more than 120 countries, and 15 different languages.

The comic became an Emmy Award-winning animated series on HBO and a New Line Cinema feature film that grossed more than $100 million. McFarlane went on to direct and produce award-winning and critically acclaimed projects for top movie studios and record labels.

Discover the Hidden Secrets Behind an Epic Legend and a Twisted Reality in November 2019

LOS ANGELES, CA (August 5, 2019) – BOOM! Studios is proud to announce FOLKLORDS, an all-new original five-issue series from Eisner Award-nominated writer Matt Kindt (Grass Kings, Black Badge) and acclaimed artist Matt Smith (Hellboy & the BPRD: Long Night at Goloski, Lake of Fire) about a young man whose forbidden quest reveals the shocking truth about his world and turns everything he ever knew upside down, available in November 2019.

In a world of magic and monsters, Ansel is an outsider haunted by visions of well-pressed suits and modern technology. When it comes time for him to declare his Quest on his 16th birthday, Ansel decides to seek out a legend that is only spoken in hushed whispers—the Folklords—hoping they can explain his visions…but looking for the Folklords is expressly forbidden and going on a rogue quest is punishable by death. What will Ansel risk to find out about the world he has never truly belonged in?

Matt Kindt is the New York Times bestselling writer and artist of the comics and graphic novels Dept. H, Mind MGMT, Revolver, 3 Story, Super Spy, 2 Sisters, and Pistolwhip, as well as the writer of Eisner Award-nominated Grass Kings and Black Badge with BOOM! Studios, Ether with Dark Horse Comics, Justice League of America with DC Comics, Spider-Man with Marvel Comics, and Unity, Ninjak, Rai, and Divinity with Valiant Comics. He has won the PubWest book design award, been nominated for six Eisner Awards, and six Harvey Awards (and won once). His work has been published in French, Spanish, Italian, German, and Korean.

“Ideas usually sneak up on you. But this one came in a flash. As soon as my plucky editor, Eric, said the word ‘FOLKLORDS’, I had an image of this teenage kid in a black suit and tie…walking through a small folk tale-style village full of gnomes, witches, and trolls. It looked jarring, seeing that kid there. He was completely out of place. What’s this kid wearing a suit for? Is he living in a fairy tale? Why is he there?” said writer Matt Kindt. “I’m not sure why the word triggered that image in my head but I didn’t question it. The question I did have? Who the heck are the FOLKLORDS? This kid…in this suit and tie…who doesn’t seem to belong? He’s going to find out.”

Matt Smith is an illustrator and comic artist based out of Massachusetts. He started out in comics with his tribute to the medieval Icelandic Sagas, Barbarian Lord, published by Clarion Books. Since then, Smith has gone on to collaborate with comics creator Mike Mignola on the upcoming Hellboy & the BPRD: Long Night at Goloski Station for Dark Horse Comics, writer Nathan Fairbairn on Lake of Fire for Image Comics, and several short stories for BOOM! Studios, including Planet of the Apes: When Worlds Collide with writer Matt Kindt.

“Getting to work with Matt Kindt again was something I couldn’t pass up. He brings a depth and  thoughtfulness to the characters that makes me want to invest in them. That’s what I look for in a script. Well, that and a great story to put those characters in,” said artist Matt Smith.  “Of course, it also doesn’t hurt that there are armored librarians, psychotic killers, angry gnomes, and a big ol’ troll, too. Ok, forget all that stuff about depth and whatever, it’s about the troll.”

FOLKLORDS is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including Once & Future by Kieron Gillen and Dan Mora; Faithless by Brian Azzarello and Maria Llovet; Abbott by Saladin Ahmed and Sami Kivelä; Bury The Lede by Gaby Dunn and Claire Roe; and Klaus by Grant Morrison and Dan Mora. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties including Joss Whedon’s Firefly from Greg Pak and Dan McDaid; Buffy The Vampire Slayer from Jordie Bellaire and David Lopez; and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers from Ryan Parrott and Daniele Di Nicuolo.

“We’ve all had that sense that we just don’t fit in, that there’s some other world out there where we truly belong — and for Ansel, that might just be the case,” said Eric Harburn, Senior Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Matt Kindt and Matt Smith, along with colorist Chris O’Halloran and letterer Jim Campbell, are a powerhouse team with a brilliant new take on the epic fantasy quest, one that no reader will see coming.”

Print copies of FOLKLORDS #1 will be available for sale November 13, 2019 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.

For continuing news on FOLKLORDS and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.

First Comics News takes a look at the offsite for Stan Lee’s A Trick Of Light during San Diego Comic-Con 2019. It was one of the last projects Stan Lee worked on before his untimely passing.  A Trick Of Light is now available on Audible.

ARCHIE: THE MARRIED LIFE 10 YEARS LATER #1 (of 6)
Ten years later, a landmark moment in Archie Comics history is being revisited! ARCHIE: THE MARRIED LIFE 10th ANNIVERSARY is a sequel to the headline-making 2009 “Archie wedding” storyline. The original story written by Michael Uslan answered Riverdale’s longest-running question: will Archie marry Betty or Veronica? Fans were treated to two alternate worlds that explored each possibility and Uslan’s sequel picks up both stories ten years later. See how much life has changed for Archie, his family, and the rest of Riverdale in this new and exciting mini-series!
Script: Michael Uslan
Art: Dan Parent, J. Bone, Glenn Whitmore, Jack Morelli
Cover: Dan Parent
Variant Covers: J. Bone, Francesco Francavilla, Robert Hack, Aaron Lopresti
On Sale Date: 8/7
32-page, full color comic
$3.99 U.S.

ARCHIE 1000 PAGE COMICS JUBILEE (TP)
Get ready for a fun-filled JUBILEE with over 100 of Archie’s most hilarious and entertaining stories!
Script: Various
Art: Various
Cover: Dan Parent
978-1-68255-781-5
$14.99 US/$16.99 CAN
4 7/8 x 6 9/16”
TR
1000 pp, Full Color
Direct Market On-Sale Date: 8/7

Pulitzer-Prize winning artist to discuss Maus as part of Rockwell’s Questioning Identity series

Corning, N.Y. (August 5, 2019): The Rockwell Museum is pleased to host an evening with Pulitzer-Prize Winning artist Art Spiegelman. Spiegelman will discuss his groundbreaking Maus graphic novel and its place in current global conversations in this culminating program of The Rockwell’s Year of Questioning Identity.

Art Spiegelman’s impressive accomplishments have helped secure comics’ place as an important part of literature. In 1992, he won the Pulitzer Prize for his masterful Holocaust narrative, Maus—which portrayed Jews as mice and Nazis as cats. Maus II continued the remarkable story of his parents’ survival of the Nazi regime and their lives later in America. In 1999, he was inducted into the Eisner Award’s Hall of Fame.

As a pioneer in underground comix, Spiegelman, along with publisher Francoise Mouly, co-edited RAW, which helped launch the careers of Chris Ware, Gary Panter, and Charles Burns. His boundary-breaking career stretches from his artwork in The New Yorker to creating The Garbage Pail Kids for Topps.

His other books include In the Shadow of No Towers, Jack Cole, and Plastic Man: Forms Stretched to Their Limits and MetaMaus.  His comics are best known for their shifting graphic styles, their formal complexity, and controversial content.

Spiegelman currently advocates for greater comics literacy.  As an editor, a teacher at the School of Visual Arts in New York City, and a lecturer, Spiegelman has promoted a better understanding of comics and has mentored younger cartoonists.

“The Rockwell Museum is thrilled to welcome Art Spiegelman to discuss his seminal book, Maus, one of the graphic novels that propelled the literary form into the mainstream,” said Brian Lee Wisenhunt, Executive Director.  “As both the artist and writer, Spiegelman intertwined both into an innovative narrative format that still feels fresh almost thirty years later.  This underscores not only his contribution to the field but also the importance of his story and its continued ability to reach people with an important story of the Holocaust.”

The event begins at 7 pm on Tuesday, September 10, 2019, and this Rockwell event is located at The Corning Museum of Glass Auditorium, 1 Museum Way, Corning, NY.  After an hourlong discussion, Spiegelman will engage with the audience for a question and answer segment. General admission is $20, while student tickets are $10. Rockwell members are admitted free for this event.  More details and tickets are available at www.rockwellmuseum.org.

Justin Maller is a freelance Illustrator & Art Director from Melbourne, Australia. He has been producing artwork professionally since graduating from the University of Melbourne in 2006. He is also the Chief Creative Officer of deviantART. Justin was nice enough to stop by First Comics News and let our readers know about his career and DeviantArt.

First Comics News: You were going to the University of Melbourne in Australia at the same time you were serving as Creative Director at Depthcore in New York, how did that work?

Justin Maller: At the time, Depthcore was not based in NYC. I started Depthcore in Melbourne, so I suppose if it was based anywhere in those days it was in the Southern Hemisphere!

1st: What facilitated your move to Los Angeles?

Justin: In early 2018, I moved from NYC to LA to start work as the Chief Creative Officer of DeviantArt. It was a great opportunity for me to take the experience I’d had as the Creative Director of Depthcore – and as a freelance artist for more than 10 years – and translate it into projects with greater scope and impact.

1st: You have worked with brands like Nike, American Express, NBA, Coca-Cola, and Sony Pictures what made DeviantArt the right fit?

Justin: Transitioning from being a full-time artist to being part of the team here at DeviantArt was big, but I thought getting the chance to use my unusual career experience to benefit the artistic community that jump-started my passion for art and career was too great to pass up. A member of DeviantArt since 2001, I have deep roots here and a long term perspective of the community, as well as the way it has evolved over the years. The opportunity to fuse my community outlook with the point of view I gained over the course of progressing from an amateur artist to a full-time professional was a unique proposition.

1st: As Chief Creative Officer, what are your duties?

Justin: As the chief creative officer I am involved in a lot of different aspects of the company, but my two primary concerns are product development and community interaction. For product development, I am involved in strategically updating the website, the features that we are building for it and the direction that we want to move in. From a high level, I am able to represent an artist who has been through the various walks of an artistic life from beginner to a full time professional. One of the most rewarding aspects of my job is being able to represent the creative point of view as we make products for artists. My day to day consists of brand partnerships, such as Universal How to Train Your Dragon, and community activations.

1st: What is the split with the artist when their art sells on DeviantArt?

Justin: Subscribed members are able to set any sale price they like above the base cost price, which gives them the ability to specify their own margins.

1st: How do artists find work from DeviantArt?

Justin: One-way artists can find work on DeviantArt is to always be creating more art. The DeviantArt team is always interacting with the community and a lot of brand partnerships have formed from our team reaching out to the artist because their artwork is a great fit for a brand we are working with.

1st: What can you do to make your art stand out on DeviantArt?

Justin: The best way to be noticed is to always interact! Giving other members feedback on their work and being involved with the community at large is a great way to begin to grow your own network.

1st: What makes DeviantArt better than other services like Pencil Jack, Art Station or even Instagram?

Justin: DeviantArt has always been a great place to learn to be an artist. We have a culture of constructive criticism and are very welcoming of all artists at any stage of their creative development.

1st: What is The Comic Creator Connection?

Justin: DeviantArt took 10 emerging, young artists to the Comic Creator Connection to connect them to writers. The Comic Creator Connection is best described as speed dating for writers and graphic artists. This is a great way for writers and comic artists to collaborate and discuss a project they would like to work on together and to gain experience in their professional lives. Since we’ve seen a lot more writers in the room than artists in the past, DeviantArt hand-selected 10 artists to become involved in this collaboration of creatives.

1st: How did this year’s Comic Creator Connection go?

Justin: From the artists to the creators of the Comic Creator Connection and the San Diego Comic-Con, feedback from everyone involved has been overwhelmingly positive. It was so wonderful to watch the group of artists we brought to the event bond and create together. I’m excited to see what projects emerge from the connections made at the event!

Truthfully, I find Cthulhu himself a bit played out, but invoking his name is a nice shorthand for the concept I had in mind. Warning: This will contain some spoilers for Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, so read at your own risk.



In contrast to the rather enervated protagonists of a number Lovecraft stories and pastiches, rpg characters tend to face eldritch horrors with action. Cue Rick Dalton and Cliff Booth, the (perhaps unlikely) protagonists of Tarantino's latest, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, who prove surprisingly handy at dealing with kill-crazed hippie cultists, even then intoxicated.

Los Angeles in 1969 is pretty far from Lovecraft country both geographically and conceptually, but their is precedent at least for California Noir as a Lovecraft pastiche setting. (See Kim Newman's "Big Fish," for one.) And if Charlie and the Manson family lurking in the desert and an abandon TV and movie Old West town can't be connected to the Mythos, then what is the Mythos good for?

I could see an initially clash with Manson just being the tip of the iceberg. A raid by the protagonist on the Spahn Ranch would follow, and what horrors would be uncovered?

Of course, the horror need not be cosmic and certainly it can be cosmic without any of the Lovecraft staples, but I think this sort of spin on the film would make a good one shot or con game, at least.