In today’s edition of  Comics Relief,  we must bow our heads in a moment of silence for one of Marvel’s first mutants and one of their first ever superheroes. Continue reading for all the details…

Marvel to Kill Off Namor the Sub-Mariner in Squadron Supreme #1

He’s one of Marvel’s very first superheroes, and they’ve just sent him on a one-way trip to the Pearly Gates. (Well, maybe not one-way…this is comics after all.) Namor the Sub-Mariner, Prince of Atlantis and Marvel’s first mutant, is set to be killed off unceremoniously in the first issue of Squadron Supreme by team member Hyperion. The Squadron has been pretty ticked off at Namor for destroying Doctor Spectrum’s world, and have now paid him back in kind.

So why kill Prince Namor? According to series writer James Robinson, in an interview with Comic Book, “In the last few years Namor has crossed the line from an anti-hero to something a little bit darker. I mean we’ve seen absolutely no remorse whatsoever from him lately.” In other words: he had it comin’. The fact that Marvel Studios can’t use the character as his rights are tied up elsewhere almost certainly had nothing to do with the fact that he got killed off. Right?  [Comic Book]

Gerard Way and Becky Cloonan Almost Did a New Doom Patrol Series for DC

They’re a group of super-powered outcasts led by a wheelchair-bound genius, protecting a world that fears them. No, they’re not the X-Men, although they did debut the same year, in 1963. I’m talking about DC Comics’ Doom Patrol. Although the Doom Patrol never found the same success the X-Men did, despite one very memorable run from writer Grant Morrison in the ’90s, that hasn’t stopped DC from trying over and over. One of the most recent attempts nearly came from My Chemical Romance frontman Gerard Way, writer of the Umbrella Academy, and Gotham Academy’s Becky Cloonan.

At NC Comicon, Way revealed that he had a pitch for Doom Patrol approved by DC, with Cloonan doing the art, and she had even created character designs. Sadly, neither had time to make it fit in their schedule yet. Cloonan posted the character designs for the revamped team on Twitter, but stressed to fans “this is also not something we are currently working on so don’t ask me about when we are starting it.” You can see the concept art below: [Bleeding Cool]

Frank Miller Wants to Make an All-Ages Carrie Kelley Comic

Despite formally announcing that Frank Miller’s and Brian Azzarello’s upcoming Dark Knight III: The Master Race would be the end of the trilogy, Miller just recently announced a fourth chapter in the saga, which he will produce on his own. But that’s not all — Miller also wants to expand on the role of Carrie Kelley, the former Robin and current “Batman” of the story, in a new series of Nancy Drew-style mystery stories aimed at younger readers.

“It would be her detective stories,” Miller told ComicBook.com. “They would be smaller-sized, they would be designed to that they could be, even though they would be comic books, they would be comic books for children. That’s something I intend to do. Just picture a small figure of Robin on a cover holding a magnifying glass.”

Considering how graphic and adult Miller’s work has been over the past 25 years or so, an all-ages series would definitely be a challenge for him. [Comic Book]

Jae Lee to Auction Off His Cover for Dark Knight III

In even more Dark Knight-centric news, Dynamic Forces has teamed with auction house ComicLink.com to auction off artist Jae Lee’s The Dark Knight III: The Master Race #1 variant cover art. The cover is a tribute to Frank Miller’s iconic image from the classic Dark Knight Returns. This is the very first time that Lee has put his art up for auction.

In a statement, Lee said, “The care and promotion that they are placing into the auctioning of the art has been incredible. The best part is that the auction gives every fan the opportunity to win this cover, and I cannot wait to see the results of the auction.”  [Comics Beat]

IDW Announces Street Fighter X G.I. Joe

IDW Comics has announced a new crossover series uniting two of our childhood loves, Street Fighter X G.I. Joe. The six issue mini-series is set to hit in early 2016.  In Street Fighter X G.I. Joe, Destro and Bison combine forces, forcing the G.I. Joes and the World Warriors to team up in an effort to defeat them. The mini-series will be written by Aubrey Sitterson, with art from Emilio Laiso. For more on this new series, check out our story on it right here: [Nerdist]

Aliens Gets a Special Edition For Its 30th Birthday

Dark Horse Comics and James Cameron’s Aliens go way back, as the movie was one of the company’s first big licensed titles. Well, next year is the 30th anniversary of the film, and Dark Horse is celebrating by putting out a new hardcover edition of Mark Verheiden and Mark A. Nelson‘s original six-issue Aliens comic. This anniversary reissue marks the first time that the series will be available in an oversized edition, as well as in black and white. Aliens 30th Anniversary: The Original Comics Series will be on sale April 26, 2016. [Comics Alliance]

Tony Moore Trades Zombies for Classic Disney Villains

Artist Tony Moore is best known as the co-creator of The Walking Dead, but recently he’s been sharing (via his blog) his own renditions of classic Disney villains, and they are gorgeous… in a decidedly sinister way of course. You can take a peek at his renditions of The Little Mermaid‘s Ursula the Sea Witch, the Hag from Snow White, Scar from The Lion King, Captain Hook, and Maleficent all in our the gallery below: [Tony Moore via Newsarama]

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IMAGES: DC Comics / Marvel Comics / IDW / Dark Horse Comics