Fred Van Lente

The full-color history of comic books continues in IDW's The Comics Book History of Comics #5, by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey. This issue covers American comics from 1955 to 1965, which is an incredibly eventful decade. That takes us from the dawning of the Silver Age at DC Comics, through the birth of the Marvel Universe, and also the beginning of Underground Comix, as the issue incorporates the biography of a young man named Robert Crumb.

If you're already familiar with Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, that classic piece of Arthurian Lore, then you're no doubt aware that it's a pretty weird story. It's built around strange trickery and tests of loyalty, suspiciously non-fatal beheadings, and, of course, Christmas. But despite the best efforts of the 14th century, it does not involve time travelers, the Eternal Warrior, or glowing sunglasses. Until now! Next month, Fred Van Lente and Cary Nord's Immortal Brothers: The Tale of the Green Knight, in which Faith is down with a bit of con crud and Archer (of & Armstrong fame) tells her a story of chivalry and knighthood that bears a suspicious resemblance to Valiant's three immortal brothers.

Good news for those of you who enjoy your Arthurian legends mixed up with superheroes: Last week, Valiant announced Immortal Brothers: The Tale of the Green Knight, a new 48-page one-shot from Fred Van Lente and Cary Nord that retells the story of Sir Gawain through the lens of the Valiant Universe's three immortal brothers. Inspired by Barry Windsor-Smith's take on the Three Musketeers from 1993, this one finds Aram, Ivar, and Gilad --- alias Armstrong, the Timewalker, and the Eternal Warrior -- involved with a life-and-death wager against the mysterious Green Knight. To find out more, ComicsAlliance spoke to Van Lente about his inspiration for the story, the ease of mapping the brothers to their Arthurian counterparts, and why a story so weird makes for a great superhero comic.

Those two Marvel guys you like with the guns are in one book together this spring. Deadpool Versus The Punisher is a five-issue miniseries written by Fred Van Lente with art by Pere Perez. It seems like this is something that should have already happened by now, but I'm sure there's an appetite for it either way. The guy with all the weapons and the sense of humor who can't be killed, versus the guy with even more weapons and no sense of humor, who can be killed but somehow never dies. It's a match made in gun-based-crossover heaven.

We live in politically charged times, and it seems that more people are finding their voice and speaking out about the very many negative aspects of modern politics and politicians. If you have someone in your life that seeks to shake up the system and speak truth to power, we've assembled a holiday gift guide packed with comics perfect for the dissident in you life.

The percentage of comics consumers who actually want to become comics creators is probably higher than in most other mediums, and while the barriers to comics publication are lower than ever, with multiple sites offering hosting for free, there are still plenty of barriers to creation to overcome, from acquiring the right tools to developing the right skills. We've put together this gift guide to help you buy the ideal present for an aspiring comic creator.

The holiday season is fast approaching, and that means it's time to hit the shops! If you're looking for inspiration for gifts for all the important people in your life, ComicsAlliance has put together a series of guides centered on different themes and personalities! It's likely that everyone read some form of comics as a child, and for many of us it's where our passion for the medium first began. If you've got a young reader in your life who can't get enough of comic books, or you're ready to start them on that adventure, we've put together a list of some of the best titles for young readers available to buy today.

As a medium, comics has grown and shifted in so many interesting ways over the past century, and even further beyond that. Originally self-published in black and white, IDW are re-releasing Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey's enormously entertaining and informational The Comic Book History of Comics with colors by Adam Guzowski and the publisher has provided us with a look at the first issue.

For the past five years, XO Manowar has been Valiant's flagship title, but now the story of Aric of Dacia, a barbarian plucked from the fringes of the Roman empire and returned to Earth with an alien battle-suit that might be the single most powerful weapon in the galaxy, is coming to a close. And given that high concept, you can probably guess that it's not going to be a quiet ending. When the final issue hits shelves next week, it's coming with 64 pages of story and a truly overwhelming number of variant covers --- including a Ninjak story from Jody Houser and Javier Pulido that looks fantastic. Check it out with a preview below!

In its first issue of Generation Zero, Fred Van Lente and Francis Portela kicked off a story of teenagers in trouble by including everything that today's #teens are into. There's stuff like text messaging, parties out in the woods, conspiracies, urban renewal, weaponized geometry, anagrams. You know, everything the kids these days enjoy. When the book hits its second issue next month, though, the danger of the corner men and the sinister motivations behind Rook, and Michigan's rebirth as a technological suburban paradise, are going to go even deeper. Check out a preview below!