Lots of news in this week’s Comics Relief, starting with yet another ongoing book for one Wade Wilson over at Marvel. Read on for all the  details…
Deadpool and the Mercs for Money becomes ongoing series
So, it turns out Deadpool is having a very good year. Not only did his long-awaited solo movie beat all expectations box office-wise, the Merc with the Mouth will be getting a second ongoing series this year, as the recent Deadpool and the Mercs for Money mini-series gets extended this July. In the new series, the mercenary team will be “hunting radioactive villains.” (Whether that radioactive means figurative or literal, who knows?). Longtime Deadpool writer Cullen Bunn will continue on the book, and be joined by artist Iban Coello.
According to Bunn, “I really think this will be something very different than what you might expect. It’s safe to say that the tone of this series is pretty different from the tone of the mini. I wish I could say more, but I think all will be made clear by the end of the first arc.” You can check out the cover for issue #1 below. [Comic Book]
IDW teases a Revolution.
The major comic book publishers are all about the cryptic online teases these days, and now IDW Comics is getting in on that action. This past week, they released an image — which you can see below — that says “The Revolution Begins May 2nd.” IDW does a lot of licensed comics…could this mean the long-awaited comic book adaptation of popular video game Dance Dance Revolution? I guess we’ll have to wait till May 2 to find out just what this all means. [Bleeding Cool]
New Rebirth details emerge from DC Previews Catalog
This week in comic shops, DC Comics has released their own special editon of Diamond Previews, with new art and details about June’s upcoming big DC Rebirth event. While some of this info inside was revealed at WonderCon a few weeks back, some new info can be had in the new catalog, including the following tidbits:
-There’s a new Oracle in Batgirl and the Birds of Prey, and apparently, she’s not a good guy.
-Lois Lane will be the new Superwoman, but the powers she aquires are slowly killing her.
–Greg Rucka will attempt to make sense of all the various and contradictory backstories given in his new Wonder Woman run, which will be titled “True Lies.”
-Kara Zor-El will be a member of the DEO in her new Supergirl series, much like in her TV show.
And there’s a lot more info where that came from, which you can read by picking up the special DC Rebirth Previews edition at your local comic shop. The new DC Previews Catalog has a wraparound cover by Ivan Reis, which shows three different hourglasses — one with the new Rebirth DCU characters, and the others with a Golden Age Justice Society of America and a Bronze Age Justice League team. What could this all mean? We’ll have to wait till May 25 When DC Rebirth #1 hits to find out. For now, you can see the wraparound cover below.
New Betty & Veronica and Life With Kevin series coming from Archie
It’s been a big year so far for Archie Comics, as the publisher is celebrating 75 years of teenage antics in Riverdale. Not only did Archie get a modern reboot thanks to Mark Waid and Fiona Staples, but there’s now two more Riverdale comics coming this year – one featuring the adventures of Kevin Keller as an adult, and a Betty and Veronica book by the legendary Adam Hughes.
Adam Hughes’ Betty & Veronica and Dan Parent’s Life With Kevin are finally back on track according to the publisher, after being announced back in May 2015 in the now-cancelled company-wide Kickstarter. Betty & Veronica #1 hits stores on July 20, with Hughes both writing and drawing the new ongoing series described with the phrase “Best friends. Bitter rivals.”
As for Dan Parent’s four-issue Life With Kevin series, that one will debut digitally in June, featuring “an older, more mature” Kevin Keller. According to the publisher, “Life With Kevin will explore Kevin’s life after high school and college as he ventures beyond the cozy confines of Riverdale and into a new world of challenges and opportunities in the big city.” You can check out images from both new series below: [Newsarama]
Phil Noto creates amazing Rogue One image
Artist Phil Noto, who is currently best known for working on the new Poe Dameron ongoing series for Marvel, surprised fans last year when the first trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens dropped. With just that one trailer to go on, Noto created an incredible poster featuring the characters, and he seemingly did it in one day.
Now Noto has gone and done the same, creating a Rogue One image that he posted online just 24 hours after the trailer hit. Just like all his work, this one’s beautiful, and worthing of being a real movie poster. You can check out Noto’s Rogue One image below: [Bleeding Cool]
I couldn’t help myself… pic.twitter.com/wtCWchFIne
— Phil Noto (@philnoto) April 8, 2016
Dark Horse, IDW and 2000 A.D. Announce Predator vs Judge Dredd vs Aliens
Just when you think that those pesky xenomoprhs and ugly alien hunters have run out of ways to fight each other and somehow involve some other famous characters, at this past weekend’s Emerald City Comic Con, Dark Horse Comics, IDW, and 2000AD jointly revealed that a Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens four-issue miniseries will launch this summer.
The new series will be coming from John Layman, with Chris Mooneyham on board as the interior artist, and Glenn Fabry as the cover artist. The first cover shows Dredd ready to pick a fight with his two infamous alien opponents. You can check out our full story on Predator vs. Judge Dredd vs. Aliens by clicking on the following link: [Nerdist]
Marvel previews Civil War II retro variant covers
The latest variant covers from Marvel for the upcoming Civil War II event series are among their coolest yet, featuring art by Michael Cho done in a retro style, reminiscent of vintage boxing posters. There will be seven total, but so far four have been released. You can see all four so far in our gallery below: [CBR]
Images: Marvel Comics / DC Comics / IDW / Dark Horse Comics / Archie Comics/ 2000 AD
