Welcome to the weekend of edition of Comics Relief! Today we’ve got news on the Avengers facing off against Ultron from across the timestream, Marvel and ESPN joining forces, and a rumor about just what Dark Knight 3 might actually entail. So let’s dive right in, shall we?

Amanda Conner Designs the 2015 Free Comic Book Day Shirt

Diamond Comic Distributors have released the first image of the Free Comic Book Day 2015 commemorative T-shirt, as designed by comic book artist Amanda Conner (Harley Quinn) and colored by Paul Mounts. The image on the shirt shows a group  of young readers, one of them seemingly alien, all reading comic books, set against a FCBD logo. Conner said in a statement “I remembered what many of us comic book readers actually are …  frustrated superheroes; I thought about making a piece of art that would resemble a superhero insignia. Hopefully when you see it from a distance, that’s what it looks like.” The shirt will be made available via January’s Previews catalog, and offered in black and navy in adult sizes, as well as in youth sizes and in women’s v-neck sizes. Conner’s art is set to be adapted for a commemorative poster as well. [Comic Book Resources]

ICYMI: Scott Snyder& Frank Miller Working on Dark Knight 3?

Bleeding Cool broke the rumor first, only to have it corroborated later by Comic Book Resources, but according to them, Frank Miller is working on a threequel to his classic series The Dark Knight Returns, along with current Batman series writer Scott Snyder. Since we first ran that story, there’s been another possible name added to the possible writers on this book: Brian Azzarello, who is coming fresh off his run on Wonder Woman. Also being talked about for the art are John Romita Jr., Dave Gibbons, and Klaus Janson, who inked the original series. This is sounding more and more like Before Watchmen, but unlike that series, this will have the original creator’s blessing and involvement. Apparently, part of the story would have an older Carrie Kelley coming into conflict with the Supergirl who was introduced in DK2, who was the daughter of Superman and Wonder Woman, echoing the Superman vs. Batman conflict of the original book.  [Bleeding Cool]

Marvel Brings Out ESPN College Football Variant Covers In January

To me this bit of news is just weird, but it just goes to show how much has changed in the world. See, in my day, nerds weren’t into things like team sports, and jocks didn’t like comic books. But everything goes these days — nerds are “cool” and jocks line up to see every superhero movie that comes out. Dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria, etc. To show just how much has changed, Marvel is releasing a line of variant covers based on College Football, which is how we end up with this – Marvel’s College Football Playoff on ESPN “IN” Variant Covers series. Of course, more than anything, this is corporate synergy at work-see, Disney owns Marvel and ESPN. Marvel Editor-in-Chief Axel Alonso even said “Don’t you think the Hulk would make a great linebacker?” Well, when you put it that way. The participating Marvel comics in January are All-New Captain America #3, Amazing Spider-Man #12, Ant-Man#1, Avengers #40, Hawkeye Vs Deadpool #4, Hulk #10, Legendary Star Lord #7, and The Punisher #14. [Newsarama]

The Avengers Set To Face Ultron Forever

Speaking of Marvel and corporate synergy, Marvel is putting together a team of time-traveling Avengers from the past, present and future to fight their arch-nemesis Ultron in three oversized comics, slated for release just in time for next summer’s super anticipated  Avengers: Age of Ultron movie. The 90-page “Ultron Forever” story will unfold in Avengers: Ultron Forever #1, New Avengers: Ultron Forever #1 and Uncanny Avengers: Ultron Forever #1. The Ultron Forever books are set to be written by Al Ewing (Loki: Agent of Asgard, Mighty Avengers) and illustrated by comics veteran Alan Davis (Excalibur) will gather the current versions of Black Widow, the Vision and the female Thor as well as classic versions of Thor and the Hulk, James Rhodes as Iron Man, and a never-before-seen future Captain America, the daughter of Marvel heroes Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. They are ostensibly transported through time via Doctor Doom’s time machine in order to defeat Ultron in an apocalyptic world about fifty years in the future. Marvel’s Tom Brevoort said the three Ultron Forever issues will be released between April and May, “right in the umbra of the lead up to the film,” which of course opens in theaters everywhere May 1, 2015. [LA Times]

DC Entertainment Launches Single Issue Comics and Graphic Novels On iVerse Media

DC Entertainment has just announced that their current line-up of comics are now available on iVerse Media’s ComicsPLUS App with their back catalog of titles being added very soon in the coming months. The new, updated ComicsPLUS app includes several features including a “uView” enhanced reading experience, enhanced search functions and presentation, a new event timeline view, parental controls, and all purchases can be made within the application itself. Right now, English versions of DC comics are available for download through iVerse Media. In a statement from iVerse Media CEO, Michael Murphey, he said  “All of us here at iVerse have grown up with these amazing characters and stories, and we could not be more excited to be bringing them to ComicsPLUS; New features like uView are going to be game changers for ComicsPLUS and we are incredibly excited to have DC Entertainment as a major part of it all.” [DC Entertainment]

Cassie Lang, a/k/a Stature, Set To Return to the Land of the Living In New Ant-Man Series From Marvel

A new Ant-Man series is coming this January, starring Ant-Man #2, Scott Lang, who will of course be the star of the upcoming Ant-Man movie from Marvel Studios next year. As longtime readers know, Lang’s daughter Cassie, also known as the hero Stature and member of the Young Avengers, was killed off not too long ago. Well, in an interview with Comic Book Resources, series writer Nick Spencer revealed that we will see the return of Cassie very, very soon; “The darkness around Scott’s life is starting to lift. Cassie Lang is going to be coming back; If you want some details on that story, you can find [them] in Avengers World #16, which is going to be out next week. Scott is going to get a new shot at being a dad.” Whether or not Cassie returns to her role as a superhero is still an open question however, as Spencer said “”Some of that falls under ‘wait and see’.”  [Comic Book Resources]

Dynamite Entertainment Brings A New Pathfinder Mini-Series This February

Dynamite Entertainment and Paizo Publishing have announced a new miniseries of Pathfinder comics, set to be published by Dynamite. Called Pathfinder Origins, this six issue miniseries will explore the characters of the Pathfinder comic and introduce one of the iconic characters of the Pathfinder roleplaying game to the world of the comics. The new miniseries is set to be written by the senior editorial staff of Paizo Publishing: Erik Mona, F. Wesley Schneider and James Sutter.  In a statement for Erik Mona, he said “The Paizo senior editorial team is thrilled to get a chance to pen new stories for the iconic Pathfinder characters we created; because the tales are coming directly from the source, Pathfinder Origins reveals more about the Pathfinder world than we’ve yet seen in comics, with scenes in a half-dozen different nations, featuring all twelve of our core iconic characters, plus some fun extras like Hellknights, devils, chupacabras, and more!” The first issue comes out this coming February from Dynamite. [Bleeding Cool]

ICYMI: Jem and the Holograms Return In New IDW Series Next Year

Proof that 1980’s nostalgia has no end point in sight, IDW this week announced the return of cartoon rockers Jem and the Holograms to the world of comics. The new series will feature updated versions of all the classic characters, including the Hologram’s rival band, Misfits. The new series is written by Kelly Thompson (Storykiller, The Girl Who Would Be King) artist Ross Campbell (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). For more info on the new Jem series, click here.

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