Matt D. Wilson
‘Rat Queens’ Snags a Full-Time Art Team of Tess Fowler and Tamra Bonvillain
It's been a tough eight months or so for Image Comics' Rat Queens, art-wise. Artist John Upchurch was removed from the book last November after he was arrested on domestic abuse charges, and his replacement, Stjepan Sejic, has been fighting illness and was only able to draw two issues in the interim.
A Wednesday announcement from Image indicates that clearer skies are ahead, however, as artist Tess Fowler and colorist Tamra Bonvillain have taken the art reins of the series about a band of plundering adventurers full-time, starting with issue #11 in August. Sejic will remain as cover artist through issue #15. Series co-creator Kurtis J. Wiebe remains in place as writer.
Gallery: Best ‘Terminator’ Art Ever
Check out this gallery of some of the greats in Terminator comic art (such as Simon Bisley and Paul Gulacy), a few famous Terminator lovers (Dan Hipp and Brandon Graham, to name two) and some incredibly talented fan artists' take on the world of the T-800, the Connors, Skynet and all that other future stuff.
Gallery: Best Black Panther Art Ever
This week's rumors that Selma director Ava DuVernay had signed on to direct a Black Panther movie were a bit premature (though talks apparently continue), but the excitement that surrounded the news confirmed one thing: People really want to see Wakandan King T'Challa on the big screen, and they want to see him done right.
Here's some of the best art featuring T'Challa from the past five decades, from Kirby, Denys Cowan and John Buscema, to Francesco Francavilla, Olivier Coipel, and the best fan art around.
Gallery: Best Wonder Woman Art Ever
Since her 1941 debut, Wonder Woman has been one of the cornerstones of DC Comics, and of superhero comics in general.
In her 74-year-history, scores of artists have put their spin on the character, from subtle changes to her classic red, white, blue and gold costume to the "new" Wonder Woman of the late 1960s to some far more maligned interpretations that featured jackets and long pants. We've compiled a gallery of some of the most iconic Wonder Woman artists of the past seven decades, along with some positively stunning modern designs.
Z2 Comics Announces New Creator-Owned Line of Periodicals
Z2 Comics, a publisher known as a boutique publisher of graphic novels from names including Paul Pope, Harvey Pekar and Dean Haspiel, announced today that it's expanding into the world of old-fashioned floppy comics.
The line will debut this fall with an all-ages comic from Bravest Warriors artist Ian McGinty; a historical fiction book from Chris Hunt --- a protege of Paul Pope; and a farcical fantasy comic from Last Week Tonight writer Will Tracy with collaborators Gabe Koplowitz and artist Miguel Porto.
You Won’t Believe Who Gets Voted In Next: ‘Prez’ #1 Nails the Satire [Review]
There’s probably no better time for a biting, trenchant and smart political satire comic than right now, as candidates in the United States start up their presidential campaign machines a full 18 months before anyone heads into a voting booth.
The good news is DC Comics’ relaunch of Prez, written by Mark Russell and with art by Ben Caldwell, accomplishes that, and with style. It’s a powerfully clever, not-all-that-far-fetched prediction of what U.S. politics could easily become in a few more cycles. It shines a light on a system that’s hollow, shallow, and deep in the pocket of corporations without being heavy-handed about it (at least most of the time).
Diversity, History and Batman: Highlights From Michael Uslan’s Reddit AMA
Look in the credits on any Batman feature of the past 26 years, and you'll see one name on all of them: Michael Uslan. In addition to serving as a producer/executive producer on seven Batman films, Uslan was executive producer on the Swamp Thing movies, Catwoman, The Spirit and, believe it or not, Where in the World is Carmen San Diego? Uslan is also a comics writer, with Archie and DC credits including The Shadow under his belt, and a professor who teaches a class called The Comic Book in America.
On Thursday Uslan opened up for a Reddit AMA Thursday, answering a handful of questions using his wealth of knowledge about superheroes, Hollywood and comics history.
Evil All Around You: Robert Venditti Talks ‘Book of Death’ [Interview]
When you think of the revived Valiant Comics, a few standout creators come to mind, and oe of those is certainly Robert Venditti, a writer who has been on board since the company came back to life in 2012.
After taking the reins on last year's Armor Hunters event, Venditti is picking up the baton once again, along with artists Robert Gill and Doug Braithwaite, for Book of Death, a four-issue miniseries that explores the fallout from this spring's The Valiant and blasts ahead into an uncertain, dangerous future for the Valiant Universe, with excerpts from the titular book --- which comes from the future ---- playing a big part in each issue.
After getting a sneak peek at the script for issue one, we spent a few minutes on the phone with Venditti to talk about whether his future for the Valiant U is concrete or fluid, the art of writing a comic script, the concept of a villain who can manipulate nature, whether trees can be threatening, and much more.
‘Arrow’ Season 3 Recap, Episode 23: ‘My Name Is Oliver Queen’
The CW’s superhero series Arrow re-imagines Green Arrow for a TV audience as a tough, often ruthless vigilante bent on setting things right in his home of Starling City by punishing the wicked. ComicsAlliance’s Matt Wilson is here to wrap up the third season of the popular series in our recap feature we’re dubbing Pointed Commentary.
This week: Everything comes to a head in the big finale! Viruses unleashed! Feelings laid bare! Decisions made! Lives ended! Alcoholism pep talked away! Explosions exploded!
And The New Thor’s Identity Is… [Spoiler]
Since her debut in September, Marvel has been making a lot of hay out of the new Thor being somebody readers will recognize, and playing up her secret identity as a big reveal.
As often happens, that big reveal was leaked online before the release of Wednesday's Thor #8. In response, Marvel confirmed the news to The New York Times, and the holder of the hammer is definitely someone longtime fans will be familiar with. Spoilers ahead.