Welcome to the first Comics Relief of 2016, all you comics fans out there! We have a lot to cover this week, including Ms. Marvel getting a nice, big promotional push on late night TV. Read on for all the details…

Ms. Marvel Gets a push on Late Night with Seth Meyers

Marvel editor Sana Amanat appeared on Late Night with Seth Meyers this week to talk about all things Marvel, but mostly she talked about the incredible success of Ms.Marvel, the first Muslim-American hero with her own ongoing title. Inevitably, Seth Meyers asked just what Kamala Khan would say to one Donald Trump, were she to bump into him one day in New Jersey in between Avengers missions. You can watch the video below and hear just what Amanat thinks Ms. Marvel would have to say….

Marvel Announces “The Story Thus Far” Variant Cover Series

Marvel Comics has announced something that is such a no-brainer, we have to wonder why no one’s ever done it before. Beginning in February, when several of the “All-New, All-Different” Marvel books are starting their second story arcs, the publisher will feature brand new “Story Thus Far” variant covers, with images that encapsulate the big key moments from the first several issues. It’s like the recap pages, only way prettier.

According to Marvel’s David Gabriel, “The Story Thus Far Variants are something new we’ve never attempted before. Using one piece of artwork to give new fans a quick snapshot of what’s going on and get them ready for the second arc. In an effort to continue promotion of these exciting new titles, we’ll also be using this artwork for online advertising and in comic shops across the country.” For the full list of titles featuring these variants, click on the following link: [Newsarama]

Image Comics Celebrates 10 Years of Criminal This April

This year marks the tenth anniversary of Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillip’s breakthrough series Criminal, and to celebrate, the two co-creators will be joined by colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser this April for a special one-shot return. The Criminal: Tenth Anniversary Special issue is being described by Image Comics as a “novella-length” story, and will feature a comic-within-the-comic in the form of a ’70s-style Kung Fu magazine starring a werewolf.

The main story will center around the early days of the series’ father and son duo Teeg and Tracy Lawless, on the run from the police. In a statement, Ed brubaker said, “A big part of Criminal is finding new ways into noir stories. This time we get to see it all from the point of view of a 12-year-old kid forced to help his father, who is a career thief and murderer.” The Criminal: 10th Anniversary Special hits stores Wednesday, April 13. You can check out a preview of the cover below. [CBR]

Superman: Lois & Clark to End after 8 Issues

For those of you old school DC fans who were happy to see the return of the pre-Flashpoint version of Superman, and Lois Lane in the series Superman: Lois and Clark, well… it turns out that the new series was only a mini-series. Originally announced without an endpoint in mind, writer Dan Jurgens (who famously killed this version of Superman and brought him back to life) has confirmed the news via Twitter. The series will end with issue #8.

The new Lois and Clark series was a little weird in its conception; instead of giving us version of those characters in their own Earth where they were allowed to be on their own, this book instead gave us the classic Superman and Lois living on the New 52 Earth, alongside the younger Clark and Lois, but in the shadows. Hopefully the Kents can find the pre-Flashpoint Earth still out there somewhere and come home, and DC can give fans a series set on that world. Is that too much to ask? [Bleeding Cool]

Cartoon Network’s Over The Garden Wall Gets Ongoing Comics Series from KaBOOM!

Coming this April, one of the Cartoon Network’s most acclaimed recent miniseries is getting its own ongoing companion comic book series. KaBOOM!, an imprint of BOOM! Studios, will debut Over The Garden Wall written by Jim Campbell, together with show writer Amalia Levari, with art by Campbell and Cara McGee. KaBOOM! originally published a one-shot followed by a four-issue miniseries, which focused on stories set between episodes of the show that McHale could not fit into the original 10 episodes. You can check out a preview of the subscription variant cover below: [EW]

The Walking Dead Adds One More Variant Cover for Issue #150

And in more variant cover news, the ever popular The Walking Dead is scheduled to have several variants for its milestone issue #150.  Now Image Comics have announced one more cover, a new “retailer incentive” B&W variant by series artist Charlie Adlard. You can check out the cover below. The 150th issue of The Walking Dead hits comics shops on January 13th. [Newsarama]

Doctor Who Comics Pay Tribute to The Smiths

There are few things as quintessentially British as Doctor Who and The Smiths, so why not mash them up together? That’s what’s happening in a new variant cover for Titan Comics’ upcoming Doctor Who: The Tenth Doctor #2.6, Illustrated by artist Simon Myers. The variant is an homage to the inside cover of 1986’s The Queen Is Dead album from The Smiths, featuring David Tennant’s Tenth Doctor in front of the Salford Lads’ Club in Greater Manchester, just like Morrissey and the boys.

In the illustration, the good Doctor is holding gladioli, which Morrissey was known to swing about on stage wildly (and sometimes throw at his fans. I’ve see it happen, it’s not pretty). You can see a side-by-side comparison of the Doctor Who cover alongside the Smiths image below. [CBR]

Images: Marvel Comics / DC Comics / BOOM! Studios / Image Comics / Titan Comics / Warner Brothers Records