Comic Book News

Sean Murphy’s BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT Arrives October 4

In a world where Batman has gone too far, the Joker must save Gotham City.

Superstar writer and artist Sean Gordon Murphy (PUNK ROCK JESUS, THE WAKE) brings you his tale of a twisted Gotham in a seven-issue miniseries with a massive cast of heroes and villains. BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT is told on an epic scale, but at the heart of it all is the tragic story of a hero and a villain, The Batman and The Joker. The question is, which one is the hero and which one is the villain…?

The Joker’s been called a maniac, a killer, and the “Clown Prince of Crime” but “white knight”? Never. Until now…

“We know Joker’s a genius, we know he’s relentless, and we know he can play the crowd, so why not make him a politician?” said Murphy. “Why not strip away the psychosis (the thing that’s holding him back) and let him challenge Batman unimpeded? And to make it even scarier, what if he did it legally and without breaking any rules, so that Batman couldn’t stop him?”

Set in a world where the Joker is cured of his insanity and homicidal tendencies, The Joker, now known as “Jack,” sets about trying to right his wrongs. First by reconciling with Harley Quinn and then by trying to save Gotham city from the one person who he thinks is truly Gotham’s greatest villain—the Batman.

“Seeing Gotham for the first time with clear eyes, his psychosis now cured, he starts to understand the absurdity of vigilantism and how Batman’s actions are only contributing to Gotham’s endless crime cycle,” said Murphy. “Joker sets out to beat Batman by becoming the White Knight that Gotham really needs.”

BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT #1, written and illustrated by Sean Murphy, arrives on October 4. Cover artwork by Murphy with color by Matt Hollingsworth.

Head on over to WIRED for more from Sean Murphy about BATMAN: WHITE KNIGHT!

GOTHAM CITY MEETS RIVERDALE IN NEW

COMIC BOOK CROSSOVER

DC Entertainment and Archie Comics are proud to present the adventure of a lifetime with HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICA. Their hijinks are brought to you by the real-life team-up of Paul Dini (HARLEY QUINN) and Marc Andreyko (WONDER WOMAN ’77), with art by Laura Braga (DC BOMBSHELLS). It all starts this October as these teams of best gal pals cross paths between Gotham and Riverdale!

“It’s the sort of offer you scream out ‘YES!’ to before your eyes reach the middle of the email,” said Dini. “I’ve always wanted the chance to play in Riverdale, and to help Harley and Ivy invade it is a dream come true.  Marc’s a great talent and a good friend. Writing this series with him has been like sitting on the lawn during summer vacation and reading a big pile of DC and Archie comics.  Except we have to stay indoors and type a lot.”

“It’s going to be a blast to bring these amazing ladies together in this once-in-a-lifetime crossover,” said Braga. “Each character is different and special. While Harley is one of my favorite characters ever, Betty and Veronica are giving her a run for her money! I love all these ladies, and this book is going to be non-stop fun. ”

“When I got the call for this, I was in disbelief!” said Andreyko. “Getting to co-write with Paul on a series bringing four of the most iconic ladies in comics together under one roof for the first time? This must be what winning the lottery feels like! I cannot wait for readers to see what mischief Paul, Laura and I have dreamed up!”

HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICAstarts with a plan for free college tuition for all Riverdale residents. The town just needs to build a new campus by draining the wetlands that lie between Riverdale and Gotham City.

The only snag? A certain botany-obsessed super-villain.

When Poison Ivy enlists her bestie Harley to kidnap both Veronica Lodge, daughter of Riverdale’s most important citizen, and her friend Betty, she’s counting on some assistance—and mayhem. Are these two teams of BFF’s headed for disaster?

“Betty and Veronica are the most iconic friends in comic book history, and now, thanks in no small part to the success of the Riverdale TV show, in pop culture,” said Archie Comics Publisher/CEO Jon Goldwater. “It made tons of sense to have them crossover with DC’s own female powerhouses, Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. What you’ll get is a fun story that honors the history of both pairs and adds to it – which is what all great crossovers do. We’re excited by this partnership and we can’t wait for the fans to see what Paul, Marc and Laura cook up.”

“Two of comics’ coolest villains paired with two of comics’ hottest icons are what cross-publisher team-ups were made for,” said DC Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras.

HARLEY & IVY MEET BETTY & VERONICA #1 is on sale October 4, 2017. Cover is by Amanda Conner (shown) and variant cover will be by Adam Hugh

AN ANIMATED NEW COMIC FOR HARLEY QUINN AND HER BEST PAL…BATMAN

The digital series includes a prequel and sequel to the animated film this August

It’s the team-up we’ve been dreaming of as the cute psychopath Harley Quinn joins the brooding Dark Knight for a brand-new Digital First comic series, HARLEY QUINN AND BATMAN. The series, from Batman: The Animated Series writer Ty Templeton and artist Rick Burchett, is an exciting new five-chapter prequel adventure to the Batman And Harley Quinn animated film coming out this August from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.  

“Batman and Harley, Joker and Ivy, Nightwing and Catwoman. Is there a better cast of characters anywhere in fiction?” says Templeton. “I spent some of the best years of my career working with these icons and could not be happier to be returning to Gotham City and their adventures. And to top it off, I get to work with the incomparable Rick Burchett again! Pinch me, I’m dreaming. We’re getting the band back together!”

Harley Quinn is a legend in her own mind, so when she realizes the Joker thinks of her as a sidekick, she takes her revenge. Harley’s now faced with a hard decision to break out as her own super-villain, and she’s willing to go for it!

“I spent quite a few years working with these characters in this art style,” says Burchett. “It’s like visiting old friends. For me, though, the best part is having the opportunity to work with Ty Templeton again. It’s been way too long.”

The digital series will launch Monday, July 31, with the five chapters being released bi-weekly.

But wait! Where’s the sequel?

Beginning in October, seven sequel chapters will be released digitally each week, and to make it extra-crazy, we flipped the names! BATMAN AND HARLEY QUINN is a collection of stories tied to the events of the film. These chapters will feature stories and art by Jeff Parker, Craig Rousseau, Luciano Vecchio, Amanda Deibert, David Hahn, Dario Brizuela, Matthew Dow Smith, Sandy Jarrell, Ty Templeton and more.

All 12 chapters will be collected in trade paperback in summer 2018. Digital chapters will be available for download beginning July 31 via the DC Comics App, readdcentertainment.com, iBooks, comiXology.com, Google Play, Kindle Store and Nook Store.

​To celebrate Simon & Kirby’s legendary patriot hero, Fighting American, 

​returning to comics

​ –

 Titan Comics’ new series debuts on October 11, 2017 – the date of Joe Simon’s birthday, and also during the Kirby centennial year – with an incredible cover by fan-favorite artists, Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson! 

Hard times require hard heroes and in Titan Comics’ all-new series, written by Gordon Rennie (2000AD, Starship Troopers) with artwork by Duke Mighten (Judge Dredd), the original patriot superhero returns with faithful sidekick, Speedboy! 

First published in May 1954 and originally written and drawn by two of the greatest names in the history of comics, Joe Simon and Jack Kirby, Fighting American was the embodiment of the homegrown, god-fearing, patriotic, apple pie-eating American superhero.

 Where Simon and Kirby’s other patriotic hero, Captain America, socked it to the Nazis in World War II, Fighting American brought square-jawed justice to “the Commies” and villains such as Double Header, Hotsky Trotsky, and Round Robin!

 Throughout their long partnership, Simon and Kirby helped revolutionize the comics industry from ground-breaking adventure comics to pioneering romance titles, westerns, crime comics and of course superheroes – a genre they helped to shape and define for generations to come. 

With Fighting American, they brought a tongue-in-cheek irreverence to the world of two-fisted action and its mix of outlandish, satirical humor went on to establish Fighting American as a true American hero.

Illustrated by Mike Norton and Steve Morris

June 19, 2017) This fall Dark Horse Books is publishing bestselling author Chuck Palahniuk’s novella, Legacy: An Off-Color Novella for You to Color, which features colorable illustrations by Steve Morris and Mike Norton. The novella is a dark but colorful fable with aspiring immortals, an amoral banker and his despicable family, a stalker and the kind of extreme storytelling and biting social satire that the readers of Fight Club, Choke and Survivor have come to expect. The new book follows Dark Horse’s release of Palahniuk’s first ever coloring book for adults and most recent short story collection, Bait: Off-Color Stories for You to Color, and the hardcover release of the #1 New York Times bestselling graphic novel Fight Club 2 graphic novel last year. Legacy is Palahniuk’s first long form prose publication since the release of his novel Beautiful You in 2014.

“Imagine if Joseph Campbell produced a coloring book,” said Palahniuk. “Legacy will be one part Art Bell, one part Carl Jung, part George Noory, and right brain from cover to cover.  All cultures have their myths about attaining immortality, but Dark Horse, Mike, Steve and I are the first to slap such high culture anthropology into the low culture world of coloring.”

Legacy: An Off-Color Novella for You to Color is a 8.5 x 11 inch hardcover album, with uncoated and white interior paper stock, accompanied by a cover illustrated and colored by Duncan Fegredo and designed by Nate Piekos. Fegredo is arguably best known for his art on several acclaimed Hellboy graphic novels, including Hellboy: Darkness Calls (the first storyline to not feature art by Hellboy creator Mike Mignola) and Hellboy: The Wild Hunt, featuring the fan favorite Blood Queen storyline.

Two acclaimed artists provides colorable illustrations throughout the book: Mike Norton, the creator of the Eisner and Harvey Award-winning webcomic Battlepug, and Steve Morris, who’s best known for his art for Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic books. Legacy: An Off-Color Novella for You to Color goes on sale from Dark Horse Books in both comic book stores and bookstores on November 7, 2017.

“Each reader will bring his or her final details to the story,” said Palahniuk. “When colored, each book will be a one-of piece of collaborative art worth keeping for the ages!”

LEGENDS COLLIDE IN NEW WONDER WOMAN/CONAN CROSSOVER

Gail Simone pens a new miniseries this September

The wondrous Diana of Themyscira comes face to face with the Cimmerian barbarian Conan in a new miniseries this fall—WONDER WOMAN/CONAN. DC and Dark Horse have teamed up for a crossover of epic proportions, bringing back fan-favorite WONDER WOMAN writer Gail Simone and WONDER WOMAN artist Aaron Lopresti for an adventure unlike anything seen before—a collision of legends.

“I love crossovers, I love Wonder Woman, and being able to bring the undisputed greatest warriors of the DCU and Robert E. Howard’s Hyborian Age together for the very first time is a dream come true,” says Simone. “A major draw is getting to reunite with the great Aaron Lopresti, whose very favorite things to draw are Wonder Woman and barbarians. Its blades and bracelets, wizards and wonder and I couldn’t be more delighted.”

Our tale begins as Conan the Barbarian arrives on the shores of an unknown land, and soon meets the world’s most fearsome arena fighter—Wonder Woman. Ill-fated circumstances force them both into slavery. As they attempt to free themselves from the grips of the rich and powerful slave-owner Dellos, a dark magic descends upon their land, a presence that wants to destroy them both. But who has the might to stop the most talented gladiators who have ever existed?

Wonder Woman has been a pivotal character in the DC Universe for over 75 years as a member of the Trinity and the Justice League, and as a notable icon around the world. Conan the Barbarian, similarly, has long been an important character since his creation 85 years ago. Dark Horse has been publishing Conan stories since 2003, and new and exciting tales continue to hit shelves.

“Uniting the greatest characters of the DC Universe with some of the most famous and notable characters in pop culture is at the core of the most memorable crossovers we’ve ever done,” said DC Entertainment Editor-in-Chief Bob Harras. “Gail and Aaron’s series will surely create a new legend for fans and readers to talk about for years to come.”

A tale of myths and magic, Simone and Lopresti bring to life a new world for these two heroes—weaving a story of fantasy, mythos and adventure. The six-issue saga begins September 20. 

​Captain Kronos will be the second Hammer title following the success of Peter Milligan and Ronilson Freire’s The Mummy: Palimpsest

​ which hits bookstores in August. ​

Written by Dan Abnett (Aquaman, Guardians of the Galaxy) with stunning art by Tom Mandrake (Sidekick, The Spectre) Titan Comics’ new series chronicles the adventures of the mysterious and powerful Kronos who has dedicated his life to destroying the evil vampire plague.

I have attached all 3 variant covers by artist Mike Perkins, series artist Tom Mandrake and also a special “Hammer Glamour” variant cover featuring Hammer actress Caroline Munro! 

HAMMER COMICS: CAPTAIN KRONOS #1

​(Part 1 of 4) 

Writer: Dan Abnett 

Artist: Tom Mandrake 

FC – 32pp – $3.99 – On sale: September 27, 2017 

In the depths of Eastern Europe, the legendary vampire hunter, Captain Kronos, and his two assistants, Grost and Carla, are called upon to help rid a town of its vampire plague. 

However, beneath the surface of the beleaguered town a malevolent force far more evil and deadly is awakening and it might just be the match of Kronos…  ​

​Cover A: Mike Perkins 

Cover B: Hammer Glamour – Caroline Munro 

Cover C: Tom Mandrake