Chris Roberson

As we contemplate the world of comics (and the world at large) in 2016, and the unfortunately inevitable controversies to come, it seems appropriate to be concerned about the recent events surrounding the cancellation of Legend of Wonder Woman, and the environment that's created when those making comics are afraid to express concerns for fear of losing their jobs. It's troubling enough that very few comics creators have job security or benefits, but expecting them to watch what they say at all times for fear of unemployment can only make that lack of security feel that much worse.

When Monkeybrain Comics launched, it did so with Edison Rex as its flagship title. Created by Chris Roberson and Dennis Culver, with colors by Stephen Downer and letters by John J. Hill, it told the story of a Lex Luthor analogue forced to face the question, "What now?" after finally defeating his arch-nemesis. The creative team have now announced that Edison Rex will be serialized from the beginning as a webcomic --- and once it catches up to the most recent issues, it will continue online with new stories.

Yesterday Dark Horse Comics unveiled a short motion comic-style teaser for a new series by Mike Mignola, Chris Roberson, Paul Grist and Bill Crabtree titled The Visitor: How And Why He Stayed. Today the publisher officially announced the series as a five-issue look at with one of the most unexpected mysteries of the Hellboy world.

This week, in the final installment of this column, we take a look back at the legacy of the Electric Blue Era, and decide once and for all if it's as bad as its reputation would lead you to believe.

Sir Edward Grey returns for another creepy Victorian adventure in Witchfinder: City of the Dead, kicking off the fourth miniseries starring the 18th Century paranormal investigator. The series is a spinoff of Hellboy, in which a Sir Edward Grey, rendered immortal by a demon's curse, has long been an ally of the titular hero. City of the Dead is co-written by Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson, with art by Ben Stenbeck. Roberson and Stenbeck are making their debut on Witchfinder, as the previous series --- In the Service of Angels, Lost and Gone Forever, and The Mysteries of Unland --- have featured different creative teams, with Mignola, the character's creator, as the connective tissue.

It’s the third Monday in May and you know what that means… Good Miracle Monday, everyone! Today of course marks the thirty-fifth anniversary of when Superman defeated the great and powerful C.W. Saturn, and the people of Metropolis learned the meaning of joy. Although our collective memory of that monumental day remains hazy, throughout the world humanity celebrates with a day dedicated to friends, family and recreation and --- if it brings happiness --- reflection. The holiday first appeared in Superman: Miracle Monday, a novel by Elliot S. Maggin, published in 1981, which follows a time-traveler named Kristin Wells from the 29th century who journeys back to discover the origin of the holiday and accidentally becomes wrapped up in its very events. While Miracle Monday has become a holiday for Superman fans in the vein of April 27th for Alien fans or May 4th for Star Wars lovers, it remains a fairly obscure piece of the franchise's history that has only been referenced on a handful of occasions.

Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice is in theaters worldwide right now, and whether you loved or hated it, it's certainly an interesting take on The Caped Crusader and The Man of Tomorrow. A great many independent comics have taken the core ideas of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman and other iconic characters and given them a unique spin that could only be explored outside the confines of DC Comics mainstream continuity. If you're looking for superhero stories with a bit of an edge, we've got five of the best to recommend to you.

This week, Dark Horse announced the plans for the next year of Hellboy and BPRD stories, and while there's something that I think we all expected, there's also one pretty big surprise mixed in there, too.

Here's the good news, Pacific Rim fans: A new Legendary Comics series titled Tales from the Drift, with a story by screenwriter Travis Beacham, script by Joshua Hale Fialkov and art by Marcos Marz, is coming. The bad news? It won't be out until November. The announcement of the new series came Wednesday, along with news of two other titles debuting this fall, including a new spy book by writer Chris Roberson and artist JB Bastos, and a crime comic by writer Steven Grant and artist Pete Woods.

Back in March, I spoke with Kelly Sue DeConnick about the unorthodox creative process behind Dark Horse's new Prometheus/Alien/Predator comics. Essentially, DeConnick and four other writers -- Paul Tobin, Chris Roberson, Christopher Sebela and Joshua Williamson -- got in a room together and hammered out one big story that will be told in a collection of miniseries. DeConnick had a huge notebook in which she collected a sort of series bible. Now, those comics are about to be released into the world, starting with Prometheus: Fire and Stone by Tobin and artist Juan Ferreyra on Sept. 10. Dark Horse has released a trailer that digs into the process a bit and reveals a little about one of the characters who will appear throughout the series, Angela Foster.