Recovered from New York Comic Con yet? Well, we still have tons of news from the event to cover in today’s Comics Relief!  But before we get to that, Marvel has news on a brand new title set in that galaxy far, far away. Read on for all the details.
Star Wars’ Doctor Aphra Gets Her Own Ongoing Series in December
We finally know just what the mysterious “classified” Star Wars title is coming from Marvel this December, and as some have guessed, it’s the continuing adventures of intrepid galactic archeologist Doctor Aphra. The new ongoing series will be written by Darth Vader writer Kieron Gillen and features art from Kev Walker, with Kamome Shirahama on covers.
Star Wars: Doctor Aphra will be the first comic series to star a character originally created for Marvel and not featured in the movies. Introduced in the third issue of Darth Vader, Aphra is a renegade archaeologist who helped Vader in his quest to track down the identity of the Rebel pilot that destroyed the Death Star. In doing so, she also repaired and activated the murder droids BT-1 and 0-0-0, who are like an evil R2 and 3PO. The series also introduced Wookiee bounty hunter Black Krrsantan, who will carry over into the new book. The first two issues debut from Marvel in December. [Star Wars.com]
EW Names Wonder Woman #1 on 50 Most Powerful and Influential Superheroes List
Entertainment Weekly’s latest issue has the magazine counting down the “50 Most Powerful and Influential Superheroes”, and topping the list isn’t Batman, Spider-Man or Superman as one might assume — it’s Wonder Woman, baby! Here’s what the magazine had to say about her #1 status:
“Before Leia, before Rey, before Katniss, Michonne, Ripley, Buffy, or Furiosa, there was Wonder Woman. Diana Prince. The Amazon princess of Themyscira. In the history of heroes, she ascends to the top as the singular icon for half the population— and more if you count all the boys who aren’t afraid to admire her unparalleled hardcore ferocity. On her 75th anniversary, it’s time she finally gets her due.” EW commissioned a special illustration from painter Alex Ross to mark the occassion, which you can see above. [Entertainment Weekly]
DC Announces New Amazons and Captain Atom Mini-series
Speaking of Wonder Woman, her people are the subject of one of two recently announced six-issue mini-series coming from DC in January of 2017, The Odyssey of the Amazons and The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom.
Set in the world myth, of and years before the birth of Wonder Woman, The Odyssey of the Amazons is by Underworld actor/co-creator Kevin Grevioux and artist Ryan Benjamin, and follows “the stalwart Hessia” and a group of Amazons who embark on a “globe-spanning quest to find others of their kind, encountering legendary creatures and beings along the way.” You can see the cover for issue #1 above.
The Fall and Rise of Captain Atom is written by the former Captain Atom writing team of Cary Bates and Greg Weisman, with Will Conrad on art. According to DC’s description, “Captain Atom hasn’t been seen or heard from in years – and even if you think you know what happened to him…you’re wrong! But you’re not alone. To this day, no one on Earth – not even the other superheroes – has an inkling of the missing Captain Atom’s true fate. At last, the truth is about to be revealed in a saga that transcends not only the meaning of life and death, but the limits of time and space.” You can see a sneak peek at Will Condrad’s interior art above. [Newsarama]
Titan Unveils Robotech #1 Cover
UK publisher Titan Comics has revealed the cover for the first issue of their new Robotech series, which is set to arrive in 2017. The cover is Illustrated by Jason and John Waltrip, who hardcore fans should recall from their previous work on Robotech II: The Sentinels back in the early ’90s. The cover features characters from the Macross Saga portion of Robotech, so this indicates that the new comic will be going back to the beginning. You can check out the cover image above. [CBR]
Kodansha Comics Reveals Huge Manga Slate at NYCC
Kodansha Comics announced a huge slate of newly licensed manga at NYCC this past weekend. All but two of these new books are due out in summer 2017. Among the titles are Regarding My Reincarnation as a Slime, about a 37-year-old man who dies and returns as a blind slime demon, Love and Lies, about a future world where the government chooses who you will marry when you turn 16, and Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, a supernatural romance about a boy who is a house cleaner and a girl who is possessed by ghosts. For more details on the other titles, click on the following link: [CBR]
AfterShock Comics Announces Two New Titles for January 2017
New imprint AfterShock Comics has announced two new titles for January 2017. The first is Blood Blister #1, from the creative team of writer Phil Hester and artists Tony Harris and Eric Layton. According to the official description, “Sin is a joke to Brandon Hull. Morality a crutch for the weak, laws mere tools to be abused. But when the corruption he scoffed at begins to manifest on his once-perfect body, Hull finds himself cast into a hidden world of unspeakable horror from which there is no escape. How can you be saved when the evil possessing you is your own soul?”
Also coming in January from AfterShock is the one-shot Animosity: The Rise, by writer Marguerite Bennett and artist Juan Doe. This one-shot is a spin-off of the Animosity series, and puts a spotlight on the devastating effects of “The Wake” and how it affected other parts of the world on that terrifying day, when “The Animals thought, spoke, and took revenge.” You can see the covers for both issues above.
Original Nova Returns In New Marvel Series
Announced at NYCC from Marvel is the return of the original Nova, Richard Rider, in a new ongoing series set to hit this December. But for fans of the new younger Nova, Sam Alexander, fear not – he’s not going anywhere. In December’s Nova #1 by Jeff Loveness and Ramón Pérez, Sam Alexander will be teaming up with his recently resurrected predecessor Richard Rider, “to learn from each other and become better heroes in the process.” Marvel released images of the first two covers, along with some of Pérez’s designs for the characters. You can see the one of the covers above, and the other, along with the designs, in our gallery below. [Comics Alliance]
Images: Marvel Comics / Lucasfilm / DC Comics / AfterShock Comics / Kodansha Comics / Titan Comics
