It’s been quite the week for comic book news, hasn’t it? In this weekend’s edition of Comics Relief, we’ve got the skinny on DC Comics’ new relaunch (don’t call it a reboot) and Marvel’s first all-women Avengers team. We’ve also got news on the Marvel’s latest event series, including a certain fan-favorite character’s involvement in the original Secret Wars. Can you say “retcon”?

Marvel Announces Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars

If you don’t remember Deadpool being among the army of Marvel heroes involved with the original 1984 Secret Wars mini-series, well…that’s because he wasn’t (the character wouldn’t even officially debut until 1991). But now, thanks to writer Cullen Bunn’s upcoming mini-series Deadpool’s Secret Secret Wars, we’ll find out that not only was he around, but a vital player in the events….we just didn’t know it.

According to writer Cullen Bunn, “Deadpool was and always has been part of the original Secret Wars. Because that’s what happened. He was there, and his actions helped shape every major shake-up and revelation from that event!” Right now, all we know is that Bunn is writing it, and that Tony Harris is providing the cover art. Look for Marvel to reveal the artist, length of the series and debut date very soon. [Buzzfeed]

DC Ends The New 52, Re-Launches Line In June

What comes next for DC Comics after Convergence ends is May? While they aren’t scrapping the New 52 continuity, they are dumping the branding, and launching some 24 new titles, including many new directions for old favorites. Included among the new books is a new Justice League of America title from writer/artist Bryan Hitch, who is possibly best known for his work on Marvel’s The Ultimates. Also returning to DC is Garth Ennis for the new series Section Eight, which will reprise his Hitman character. For more info, click  right here.

Marvel To Showcase All-Female Avengers Team In A-Force

Marvel has been making many strides towards a more diversified market in the past few years, with titles like Captain Marvel, Ms. Marvel, She-Hulk, and others (there are now more female Spider-people in the Marvel universe then male ones.) Taking an even bigger step towards female representation is A-Force, the latest book from Ms.Marvel writer G. Willow Wilson and Angela writer Marguerite Bennett, featuring the biggest assortment of Marvel heroines ever assembled. Although it was originally supposed to be announced on The View, for reasons unknown it never was, meaning tons of geeks sat through a whole hour of that annoying show for nothing. For more info on A-Force, click our story for details.

Dark Horse Unveils Mike Mignola and Christopher Golden’s Baltimore: Cult of the Red King

Hellboy creator Mike Mignola, and novelist Christopher Golden are reuniting to present the rise of a new villain in the form of the Red King, debuting in Baltimore: Cult of the Red King, a five part comic book series from Dark Horse Comics with art by award winning children’s book illustrator Peter Bergting, with colors by Dave Stewart and covers by Ben Stenbeck (Frankenstein Underground).

The events of The Cult of the Red King take place after the events of the Baltimore novel co-written by Mignola and Golden. “I’m really excited about this new direction we’re taking with the Baltimore book and Peter Bergting and Dave Stewart continue to really deliver the goods,” said Mignola. According to Christopher Golden, “The Cult of the Red King is epic horror spanning three continents, with a large cast of characters and a real sense of dread.” The first issue hits on May 6th.

Todd McFarlane Talks About The Spawn/Batman Crossover That Almost Was

In last week’s Comics Relief, I mentioned how Spawn creator and Image co-founder Todd McFarlane swore off any freelance work for Marvel of DC…except maybe in the case of crossovers. Now we’ve learned that, apparently, a crossover with DC did almost happen in the not too distant past, as Image Comics and DC were planning to team up for a second Spawn/Batman crossover. This one would have had art by current Batman artist Greg Capullo, with inks by McFarlane himself (the first Batman/Spawn came out in 1994).

Without really going into too much detail, McFarlane blames himself for the crossover never happening, saying “I was to have written and inked it, while a talented penciller, Greg Capullo, was going to draw it. For a variety of reasons (mostly on my shoulders) the book never got off the ground, but a few pages and promo pieces were done for it.” McFarlane did release a cover image that he and Capullo completed for the project, which you can check out below. [Comic Book Resources]

Marvel Unveils More Details About the Worlds of Secret Wars’ Battleworld

The map to Marvel’s upcoming Battleworld keeps growing, as the publisher is giving details about each portion of the planet and just who (and what) is where when Secret Wars hits. We learned this week that the world of 2099 is getting a chunk of Battleworld to themselves, and now we learn that in the section known as “the Regency”, Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson are still married, and the deal with Mephisto in One More Day never went through. Also included is a zone called “Hala Field”, which is the base of Captain Marvel and her own militarized “Carol Corp”, an interstellar defense team in the new Secret Wars reality. For a more detailed look at the map of Battleworld, click on this link: [Marvel.com]

Archie’s Expands The Dark Circle Hero’s Digital Library

Archie Comics’ Dark Circle superhero imprint has unveiled the first phase of a huge digital initiative featuring many acclaimed titles starring the major Dark Circle stable of characters. These comics will be available digitally for the first time, and include the hard-to-find Impact Comics (published under arrangement with DC Comics in the early ’90s) as well as the titles and the best-selling Red Circle Comics books from the 1980s.

The newly expanded digital offerings will also herald the return of The New Crusaders in a new one-shot reuniting the most recent update of the classic Dark Circle heroes. These classic titles, along with the new series coming from Dark Circle Comics including The Black Hood, The Fox, and The Shield, will be available through all of Archie’s major digital partners, including iVerse, ComiXology, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Google and more. [Newsarama]

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Excited about the new DC relaunch, or any of the news items this week? Let us know in the comments below!