Method Man aims to tackle racial injustice with weed brand, TICAL!

“We are going to lead by example and ensure that this newly created market is as inclusive as possible,” Method Man says.

Method Man is bringing his love of weed to New York’s cannabis market.

The Staten Island-based Wu-Tang Clanveteran rapper — whose lyrics often include riffs on pot — is naming his cannabis brand after his first solo album TICAL, a k a Taking into Consideration All Lives.

Method Man told The Post that his socially conscious TICAL firm in New York will aim to tackle racial injustice by offering job opportunities to residents in communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.

“I’m absolutely thrilled at the prospect of bringing TICAL to New York’s newly legalized adult-use market in 2022. Our team has worked long and hard to bring the same energy, creativity and equity to this brand that I have to everything I have done throughout my career,” Method Man, whose real name is Clifford Smith Jr., said in a statement.

“I’m particularly excited about TICAL’s focus and leadership in the cannabis space in working with Black, Women and Minority-owned partners from cultivation to dispensaries.

Method Man is known for being part of Wu-Tang Clan

“We are going to lead by example and ensure that this newly created market is as inclusive as possible. We can’t right all the wrongs that disparate criminalization of cannabis has done to our communities, but we most certainly can make a down payment on the way forward with social equity, inclusion and full economic participation.”

TICAL will offer different cannabis strains including FREE M.A.C., Orange Cookie Kush, Sweet Grease, Spazzola, C.R.E.A.M., Gold Tang and Crowd Walker.

TICAL is already marketing its product in Colorado, where the first stores in the world began peddling recreational marijuana legally in 2014.

On TICAL’s Web site, Method Man says smoking reefer is ingrained in the hip-hop culture. Method Man is naming his cannabis brand after his first solo album TICAL.

“To all street intellectually inclined cannabis enthusiasts who embody music, art, fashion, sneakers and subculture. We will continue the TICAL legacy by offering premium flower and spreading love throughout the community,” the site says. “We believe it’s important to provide our customers with essential products that offer healing, serenity and peace.”

Still, Albany’s dysfunction over the state’s launch of the local cannabis market has been a buzzkill for many.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo and the legislature approved a law legalizing marijuana back in March.

But the pot sales program is stuck in the weeds because of a dispute between Cuomo and fellow Democrats in the state Senate over appointments to the Cannabis Control Board and Office of Cannabis Management. Cuomo linked the cannabis appointments to a separate fight with the Senate over his leadership appointments at the MTA.

TICAL will offer job opportunities to residents in communities disproportionately impacted by the war on drugs.

The governor’s role in the foot-dragging is apparently now moot — he announced he was resigning as governor last week after a devastating probe by state Attorney General Letitia James found he sexually harassed 11 women, including current and former staffers.

It looks like any movement on the state’s new pot-sales law will now be up to Kathy Hochul — New York’s current lieutenant governor who will take the reins of power from Cuomo when he officially steps aside Aug. 24.

State Sen. Diane Savino (D-Staten Island) said she, for one, is thrilled that Method Man is trying to be a cannabis pioneer in New York while vowing to employ local residents from disadvantaged neighborhoods.

“Method Man can serve as a mentor and model for others who want to get into the cannabis business. We need people who are serious players,” Savino said.State Sen. Diane Savino says “Method Man can serve as a mentor and model for others who want to get into the cannabis business.”

She added that she has spoken to Hochul about the importance of breaking the logjam on appointments to the new cannabis regulatory board and agency, so the state can set up rules and approve licenses for the budding industry.

“I talked to Lt. Gov. Hochul about getting the cannabis program up and running. We have to make the appointments necessary to make that happen,” Savino said.

Method Man’s New York cannabis marketing campaign comes as two of his Wu-Tang Clan comrades — Raekow and Ghostface Killah — headline a concert on Staten Island Tuesday to celebrate the city’s emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic.

More News to Come! Stay Tuned!

HERO TRADE: PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE Kicks Off The FINAL FIVE Today And You Are Not Prepared!

It’s BAD IDEA DAY and boy do we have a surprise for you today!

Perhaps the most devious in BAD IDEA history…so let us apologize for that right now.

But until you all figure it out, lets focus on what you do know:

HERO TRADE: PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE is on sale NOW in BAD IDEA Destination Stores around the world and to celebrate the beginning of the FINAL FIVE we’ve got another First Customer Pin!

Are you one of the amazing (but also crazy) fans camping out overnight to make sure you’re the first person to buy a copy of HERO TRADE: PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE and get the First Copy Pin?

We salute you! 

Don’t forget to take a picture with the gold pin and your copy of HERO TRADE: PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE at your store and post it. Tag @badideahello, so that our crack social media team can amplify it and spread the word.

If you don’t get a pin, we still love you. Post a picture of HERO TRADE: PASSIVE/AGGRESSIVE on the shelf of your local comic shop or in a selfie, and we’ll show you that sweet social media love.

Remember, the BAD IDEA way also means no variants, no trades, no digital, select stores, perennially available Not First Printings, and approximately two comics a month – just monthly comics, sold in comic book shops. Goodbye, troubles. Hello, BAD IDEA SIMPLICITY™.

A complete list of Bad Idea Destination Stores can be found right here and you can pre-order every Bad Idea title by simply clicking here and filling out the little form.

For more information, visit Bad Idea online at BadIdeaCorp.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or just mash the screen with your palm and do all four simultaneously.

Comic Book Writers and Artists Follow Other Creators to Substack

A group of creators will publish new comic book stories, essays and how-to guides on the platform as a way to connect directly with fans.

The writer James Tynion IV and the artist Michael Avon Oeming will tell nonfiction stories based on testimonies about alien encounters in “Blue Book.”Credit…Michael Avon Oeming

In recent years, dozens of top journalists, historians and essayists have tried their luck as solo practitioners on Substack, the digital newsletter platform that has built an audience of more than 500,000 subscribers since it started in 2017. Now, a number of comic book creators have decided to do the same.

Nick Spencer, a comic book writer best known for his work for Marvel Entertainment, was the liaison between Substack and a group of creators who, starting Monday, will publish new comic book stories, essays and how-to guides on the platform.

He said he approached Chris Best, a Substack founder, with the idea last year, when the pandemic was keeping many fans out of the comic book shops and the creators were looking for new ways to connect with readers.

The initial lineup includes comic-centric newsletters from Saladin Ahmed, Jonathan Hickman, Molly Ostertag, Scott Snyder and James Tynion IV, with other writers and artists to be announced.

The writer Saladin Ahmed and the artist Dave Acosta are teaming up for the science fiction comic “Terrorwar,” where residents of the future must confront the physical manifestation of their fears.Credit…Dave Acosta

The creators will be paid by Substack while keeping ownership of their work. The company will take most of the subscription revenue in the first year; after that, it will take a 10 percent cut.

Mr. Tynion, who last month won an Eisner Award, the comic industry’s highest honor, for best writer, said he would break away from writing Batman for DC Entertainment to devote time to his creator-owned series and his Substack newsletter.

“This wasn’t an easy decision,” he said. “In order to invest my time in new material, I needed to choose. I could not do both.”

For his newsletter, one of his projects will be working with the artist Michael Avon Oeming on “Blue Book,” stories based on testimonies about alien encounters.

Mr. Tynion said he would step away from writing Batman comics to devote time to his Substack newsletter, which will include “Blue Book.”Credit…Michael Avon Oeming

Mr. Hickman, who recently helped revitalize Marvel’s X-Men franchise, said he had thought a lot about digital comics during the early days of the pandemic, when distribution was temporarily halted.

“I found the things you can potentially do with it to be very fascinating,” he said. “I love the idea of surprising the reader again.”

For his newsletter, Mr. Hickman is working with the artists Mike del Mundo and Mike Huddleston on a new series, “Three Worlds, Three Moons,” in which they will let fans in on the process of building a fictional universe.

“We’re treating it like a bunch of guys jamming together on a concept album, but we’re calling it a concept universe,” he said.

The group approach, which will also include contributions from the writers Ram V. and Tini Howard and others, will allow them to share the responsibility for the newsletter. “If someone is having a heavy week or a heavy month, someone else can pick up the slack,” Mr. Hickman said.

Mr. Snyder, a veteran comic book writer who has taught creative writing at Columbia University, New York University and Sarah Lawrence College, will offer advice to budding comic book writers in his newsletter.

“I’ve always wanted to find a way to do it that would allow me to reach more students, as many as wanted to learn from me, while keeping the cost as low as possible,” he said.

Writers of Substack newsletters choose whether subscriptions are free or paid. Subscriptions typically start at $5 a month. Prominent Substack writers include the Hollywood writer Richard Rushfield, the historian Heather Cox Richardson, the economist Emily Oster and the former Slate advice columnist Danny Lavery.

Oddly enough, before all the hype, I began putting a Substack together to get feedback on short stories and some comics I’ve been working on. Should you like to check it out, I’ll be posting the link here very shortly. I’m not looking to be paid, I’m simply looking for feedback! And thanks to the New York Times for recognizing these excellent talents. What this means for the comic industry, time will tell?

SHADOWMAN Coffee Now Available from Geek Grind Coffee!

SHADOWMAN COFFEE ROASTS NOW AVAILABLE FROM VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT & GEEK GRIND COFFEE

Why have ordinary coffee when you can take a sip of a supernatural roast?

Valiant Entertainment has partnered with Geek Grind Coffee Company to release two SHADOWMAN coffee roasts: the Spirit of the LOA Medium Roast and the Darque Roaste! These special roasts are made from 100% single source, small-lot Columbian coffee from women-owned farms.

Russell Brown, the President of Consumer Products at Valiant Entertainment, is happy to partner with the company and give Valiant fans a new drink to enjoy. “The quality of Greek Grind’s mountain-grown coffee, their ethical Colombian origin production process, and marketing prowess
are all of the highest standards that Valiant looks for. And we’re so excited to have coffee and tea this special to sip out of our Valiant mugs!”

Geek Grind Coffee appreciates all that the Valiant Universe has to offer and wants to provide a product that can make fans proud. “As fans for many years of the Valiant deep library of characters, I can say that Geek Grind Coffee could not be any more excited to work with the Valiant team to develop this delicious line-up of releases,” stated Patrick Meyer, CEO and Co-founder Geek Grind Coffee. “Today, more than ever, fans demand products that reflect their passions which they can integrate into their daily routines. Coffee and tea products translate very well into these needs while delighting and surprising those same fans with gorgeous packaging and world-class coffee direct from our own family farms in Colombia.”

Fans can purchase the Spirit of the LOA blend here and the Darque Roaste here. For more information, visit geekgrindcoffee.com. The Bloodshot “First Shot” Espresso Roast will be released at a later date.

SHADOWMAN #1, a brand-new horror series from Cullen Bunn and Jon Davis-Hunt, goes on sale April 28th wherever comics are sold.

Vault Announces THE LAST BOOK YOU’LL EVER READ by Cullen Bunn & Leila Leiz

VAULT ANNOUNCES THE LAST BOOK YOU’LL EVER READ BY CULLEN BUNN, LEILA LEIZ, GIADA MARCHISIO & JIM CAMPBELL

READ AT YOUR OWN PERIL.

Vault is thrilled to announce THE LAST BOOK YOU’LL EVER READ, a harrowing new horror series from writer Cullen Bunn, artist Leila Leiz, colorist Giada Marchisio, letterer Jim Campbell, and designer Tim Daniel.

Olivia Kade wrote the book that ended the world. Now she needs someone who won’t read it.

Civilization is a lie. Hidden deep in our genes is the truth. And it is slowly clawing its way to the surface. Olivia Kade knows the truth, and she has become the prophet of the coming collapse. Her book, SATYR, is an international bestseller, and it is being blamed for acts of senseless violence and bloodshed all over the world. Olivia’s own life is in danger from those who have read her work. Determined to conduct a book tour, she hires security professional Connor Wilson to act as her bodyguard. She only has one requirement: he cannot read her work.

“With this story, I’m exploring some concepts and themes that really trouble and frighten me,” said Cullen Bunn. “This is a story of fantasy and supernatural horror, but the themes and concepts haunt me like a ghost in the dark. THE LAST BOOK YOU’LL EVER READ is about the collapse of society, about the descent or de-evolution of mankind. The book referenced in the title is the Bible of this massive shift. In ourselves. In our friends and neighbors. In our culture. In the world around us. Reality itself is becoming more fierce and wild, and it is taking us with it. Is the ‘last book’ sort of a doctrine to what is coming? Is it somehow bringing about this cataclysmic reckoning? Not even the author of the book, Olivia Kade, seems to know. She knows only that the people around her want her dead because of the words she’s written. She hires a security consultant, Connor Wilson, to protect her. In order to protect him, she asks that he never reads her work.

From that moment forward, the fates of Olivia and Connor are intertwined. And they are facing a horror of unbelievable proportions. This isn’t a story about the end times. It’s about a new beginning that is violent and terrifying.”

“When I read the first script for THE LAST BOOK YOU’LL EVER READ, I was immediately captivated,” added Leila Leiz. “It got its hooks in me. This mixture of horror, suspense, and sensuality already inspires my art. Being an admirer of film noir and 50’s style, I wanted to bring a little touch of both to the book. Marlene Dietrich, Lauren Bacall, and Audrey Hepburn inspired me when designing Olivia, who’s a mysterious and cold, but fragile character. Every issue is full of action, and Cullen manages to keep me always in suspense. I always look forward to reading the new script, and I can’t wait to read the end of the book… just hoping that it isn’t really the last one.”

THE LAST BOOK YOU’LL READ #1 will hit store shelves in July 2021, and will debut with a variant cover by Vault Cover Artist-in-Residence, Jen Hickman.

BAD IDEA // Solicitations for July 2021 — THE LOT #1 and SLAY BELLS

*** THE LOT #1 ***
Written by MARGUERITE BENNETT
Art & Cover by RENATO GUEDES
PLUS: An All-New BAD IDEA B-SIDE
FOUR ISSUES | MONTHLY | IN GLORIOUS BLACK AND WHITE
$5.99 EACH | 40 PGS. | ON SALE JULY 7, 2021
RATED: T+ FOR ABJECT TERROR, PSYCHOLOGICAL HORROR AND INVOKING DESPAIR

In the 1970s, legendary filmmaker Oliver Larsen began production on what was to be his horror masterpiece. Obsessed with authenticity, the megalomaniacal director insisted on filming a real-life occult ritual performed by actual cult members. The cast and crew, of course, gave no credence to the cultists’ beliefs, but soon were proselytised as something awoke that day on the studio lot. In the bloody aftermath, the production was permanently shut down, the footage suppressed, and the soundstage that bore witness forever shuttered.

Until today.

Aviva Copeland is the newly promoted studio head — the youngest in decades. Great things are expected of her. Maybe greater than is fair. She has the unenviable task of restoring the studio’s fading image and resurrecting its financial viability. She’s up for the challenge. Poring over the sea of red in the company ledger she finds just the thing to help her do it — a prime piece of California real estate has been sitting unused on the studio books, hemorrhaging money for decades. Why would they let a lot this valuable just rot? Aviva will soon find her answer and with it she will discover that though the lot may have been closed for a half-century, it’s far from empty…and the evil that lives within its haunted walls will soon seize its chance to kill again.

New York Times best-selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, A-Force) and artist Renato Guedes (DCeased: Hope at World’s End) present a terrifying vision of horror and Hollywood in the boldly bloody Bad Idea manner!

A NOTE REGARDING THE LOT PREVIEW PAGES

Out of an abundance of caution rising from the early reactions to THE LOT, we will be withholding story and art pages, as well as details beyond the synopsis until further notice. We cannot, in good conscious, continue to make widely avaliable pages that have caused such a disturbing response. We appreciate your understanding and patience in this matter.

*** SLAY BELLS ***
Written by ZEB WELLS
Art & Cover by DAVID LAFUENTE
Colors by ULISES ARREOLA
PLUS: An All-New BAD IDEA B-SIDE
SANTA-SIZED ONE-SHOT | NO ADS
$7.99 EACH | 48 PGS. | RATED T+ | ON SALE JULY 7, 2021

This July — six cautious months before Christmas — get ready for the greatest action-comedy in BAD IDEA’s long and storied history… A yuletide themed comic-book event wrapped in flammable tinsel, soaked in the blood of reindeer, and surrounded by the 5.56mm spent shell casings of the hapless SWAT team sent to try and stop the hellish force of death and destruction known as Santa Claus.

Our story begins on Christmas Eve, when little Bobby Hamilton and his father rise at dawn for their annual hunting trip — a family tradition. This year’s hunt is slow. No sign of deer all day. But just as their patience is about to give, they spot it. On the ridge. A deer. Shooting game on a ridge is strictly forbidden — no telling where it might fall. But Bobby’s father insists. They’ve waited all day and, after all, it’s Christmas. How could they know the deer peeking over the ridge was…a reindeer? How could they know it was part of a group harnessed together pulling a sleigh? How could they know they were going to kill Old Saint Nick’s beautiful baby boys? They run. They hide. But it doesn’t matter. The quiet peace of this quaint Midwestern farming hamlet will soon be shattered because Santa Claus knows that they’ve been naughty, and he’s coming to town to maim, kill and magically murder them all.

It’s a Santa-sized Bad Idea one-shot, written by Emmy Award winner Zeb Wells (Hellions, Robot Chicken) and illustrated by artistic all-star David Lafuente (Ultimate Spider-Man) with colors by the incredible Ulises Arreola (Action Comics) that is destined to go down in infamy!

SLAY BELLS SNEAK PREVIEW
Interior Art by David Lafuente with Ulises Areola.

Merry Vengeance and a Happy Retribution!

SLAY BELLS

BAD IDEA releases ‘The Making of TANKERS’ Promotional Video On Eve Of Series Launch!

WHO IS TANKERS?
From the deeply unsettling and sugar-dependent imaginations of New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (Justice League), blockbuster artist Juan Jose Ryp (Wolverinde), and colorist supreme, Andrew Dalhouse (Batman).

WHAT IS TANKERS?
TANKERS is the insane baby of time travel, mech armor, tough-guy roughnecks, deep-seated grudges against prehistoric reptiles, ethically debased oil executives, and, the horrors of evolution run amok.

WHERE IS TANKERS?
At any one of the 200 and counting Bad Idea Destination Stores around the world. Click here for a complete list of stores.

WHEN IS TANKERS?
This Wednesday, April, 7th 2021

WHY IS TANKERS?
Because someone has to be brave enough to admit that the biggest injustice of the dinosaurs’ extinction is that mankind didn’t get to kill them all ourselves. 

HOW IS TANKERS?
The entire sordid journey is chronicled in the video below:

Guaranteed to melt your face, eyes, and prefrontal cortex when Bad Idea unloads THREE DOUBLE-SIZED ISSUES of dinosaur-battling intensity shipping bi-monthly into select comic shops worldwide beginning tomorrow!

The CEO of global energy conglomerate Greenleaf Oil has just discovered a terrifying secret: the planet only has a decade or less of petroleum left before it’s gone forever. But he has a plan to make sure his great-great grandchildren can continue to generate maximum shareholder value – and secure his own legacy in the process. Rather than develop a game-changing renewable energy source through the power of corporate innovation, Greenleaf has perfected the next best thing – time travel (duh) – so that a team of six field-rat contractors armed to the teeth in individually customized mech suits can go back to the Cretaceous Period, tweak the trajectory of the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, and give mankind another 500 millennia worth of oil reserves. What could go wrong? Only all of human history, of course – because when Greenleaf’s team of Tankers come home, they’ll discover that not only did the dinosaurs never die out, they’ve kept evolving for another 60 million years…and they’re more pissed off than ever.

Featuring an all-new cover by artistic T-Rex Lewis LaRosa (Punisher MAX), practically bursting out of its comic book-sized muscle tee with more than 40 pages of content (including a top-secret, standalone bonus B-Side story we can’t even talk about yet) and currently allocation free!

But that’s not all, on the same day, the runaway train of comics anticipation that is BAD IDEA continues with ENIAC #2 by New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) and incendiary artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice). And in the wake of ENIAC and TANKERS steamrolling debuts, Bad Idea will be delivering even more right hooks throughout the spring and summer:

MAY 2021
*** WHALESVILLE x ROCKS AND MINERALS ***

WHALESVILLE
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by ADAM POLLINA
Colors by MATT HOLLINGSWORTH
ROCKS AND MINERALS
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by TONY MILLIONAIRE
Colors by JAMES CAMPBELL
Cover by ADAM POLLINA with MATT HOLLINGSWORTH
WHALE-SIZED ONE-SHOT | NO ADS
$9.99 EACH | 72 PGS. | RATED: E – EVERYONE | ON SALE MAY 5, 2021

JULY 2021
THE LOT #1 (of 4)
Marguerite Bennett (writer) ** Renato Guedes (art/colors/cover)
FOUR ISSUES ** MONTHLY

JULY 2021
SLAY BELLS #1
Zeb Wells (writer) ** David Lafuente (art/cover) ** Ulises Arreola (colors)
SANTA-SIZED ONE-SHOT

Remember, the BAD IDEA way also means no variants, no trades, no digital, select stores, perennially available Not First Printings and no more than two comics a month – just monthly comics, sold in comic book shops. Goodbye, troubles. Hello, BAD IDEA SIMPLICITY™.

Wanna get in while the gettin’s good with Bad Idea? You simply have to visit a Bad Idea “Destination Store” — one of the 200 and counting comic shops around the world that have joined our independent network of direct-distribution retail partners — to pick up all the glorious BAD IDEA books every first Wednesday of the month. (Or pre-order in advance to make sure you secure your copy.)

We’ve made it even easier, too. To locate a Bad Idea retailer near you and then pre-order any and every Bad Idea title, simply click here and fill out the little form.

Dear God, Bad Idea Was Serious About The HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE in CALIGULA’S SAFE 24 Hour Comic

No Joke, the genius talents behind BAD IDEA were deadly serious on April Fool’s Day — HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE in CALIGULA’S SAFE is a real thing. I have that feeling that this isn’t going to be a title you want to miss! The things I’ve done in a 24 hour period, no question, Hank Howard and I will be chums by midnight May 12th!

Also, we really do hate April Fool’s Day. And as of today we will be joining our righteous brothers and sisters at Google and T-Mobile in their war against this most despicable of days. The carnage must stop.

Below you’ll find more details and a first look at this vital story. Check it out quick before the corporate interests that run Big Fool begin their suppression campaign.

Just what is HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE in CALIGULA’S SAFE?
It’s a brand-new, 16-page one-shot by Robert Venditti (TANKERS — out this Wednesday) and David Lapham (THE HERO TRADE).

But what’s it about?
It’s a thrilling and uncompromising new neo-noir adventure delving deep into the darkest corners of our national obsession with crime and pizza chains. It also serves as the introduction to an epic new hero in the BAD IDEA pantheon — Hank Howard, not the champion we need but certainly the one we deserve.

Where can I buy it?
At any one of the over 200 BAD IDEA Destination Stores around the world. Click here for a complete list of stores.

How much is it?
We’ve given the book the entry level price of just one dollar! At a price like that everyone can try their first taste of the BAD IDEA difference.

Why are you doing this?

We’ve been completely blown away and absolutely humbled by the massive interest in BAD IDEA. We continue to keep the ENIAC #1 Not First Printing available for order, but want to do even more to help those interested in BAD IDEA get their hands on one of our books. We’re skipping the order cycle completely for CALIGULA’S SAFE and instead are sending every BAD IDEA Destination Store an allotment that matches up to their full original, pre-allocation order of ENIAC #1 (or TANKERS #1 for Wave 2 stores).

How can I make sure I get this comic?
The absolute best thing you can do to make sure you get any BAD IDEA comic is to pre-order ahead of time with one of the BAD IDEA Destination Stores. 

I’ve heard there’s a catch?
In addition to being governed by the regular BAD IDEA rules, CALIGULA’S SAFE will only be on sale for 24 hours. Every BAD IDEA Destination Store will only be able to sell it for one day — Wednesday, May 12th. They can take pre-orders between now and May 12th but can not complete any HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE in CALIGULA’S SAFE transactions after midnight on May 12th.

So I can pre-order it and pay ahead of time?
Yes. Every store is able to sell CALIGULA’S SAFE by all the same means they sell every other BAD IDEA comic — from in-store, off-the-shelf sales to mail-order to phone orders or pre-orders. At the stroke of midnight on May 12th, however, any unsold copies are forbidden from sale and must be returned to BAD IDEA HQ using the materials we provide.

But I can’t get off work that day, how do I get my copy even if I pre-order and use a credit card to pay ahead of time?
If you’ve pre-ordered and paid before midnight on May 12th your store is able to mail you your book or keep it safe in your pullbox for you to pick up later. They are only restricted from transactions after May 12th.

What if I just want to read it, will you make it available digitally?
BAD IDEA does not release its comics digitally — just comics, sold in comic book shops. We will, however, be reprinting the HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE in CALIGULA’S SAFE story in all it’s glory in one of our upcoming December 2021 releases.

Just one week after WHALESVILLE x ROCKS AND MINERALS, we will unleash this dollar slice of BAD IDEA:

MAY 12th 2021
*** HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE in CALIGULA’S SAFE***
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art & Cover by DAVID LAPHAM
A TOTALLY REAL ONE SHOT | NO ADS
$1.00 EACH | 16 PGS. | RATED: T+ | ON SALE MAY 12, 2021

Remember, the BAD IDEA way also means no variants, no trades, no digital, select stores, perennially available Not First Printings and no more than two comics a month – just monthly comics, sold in comic book shops. Goodbye, troubles. Hello, BAD IDEA SIMPLICITY™.

Wanna get in while the gettin’s good with Bad Idea? You simply have to visit a Bad Idea “Destination Store” — one of the 200 and counting comic shops around the world that have joined our independent network of direct-distribution retail partners — to pick up all the glorious BAD IDEA books every first Wednesday of the month. (Or pre-order in — to pick up all the glorious BAD IDEA books every first Wednesday of the month. (Or pre-order in advance to make sure you secure your copy.)

We’ve made it even easier, too. To locate a Bad Idea retailer near you and then pre-order any and every Bad Idea title, simply click here and fill out the little form.

Vault Announces Interlocking Witchblood Variant Series by Yoshi Yoshitani & More!

Vault is thrilled to announce an out-of-this-world series of interlocking Witchblood variants from Vault Cover-Artist-in-Residence, Yoshi Yoshitani. Each of the five connected pieces will be published as open-order variants for Witchblood issues #1 through #5.

Vault’s 2021 Cover Artists-in-Residence (or “CAIR”) variant program, features Yoshi Yoshitani (Beneath the Moon), Martin Simmonds (The Department of Truth), Corin Howell(Shadow Service), Joshua Hixson (The Plot), and Jen Hickman (I Breathed a Body). The CAIR program will see each of these artists drawing open-order variants for the entire run of the Vault series of their choosing.

“In comics, we want to be judged by our covers, said Vault Co-Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Adrian Wassel, about the Cover-Artist-in-Residence program.

“That’s why we started CAIR—our Cover Artist in Residence program. On top of our phenomenal core teams, our 2021 CAIR roster of Jen Hickman, Joshua Hixson, Corin Howell, Martin Simmonds, and Yoshi Yoshitani will be making covers that leap off the shelf and shake you by the shoulders for our entire 2021 catalogue. This team represents an expansion of last year’s team—our first year of CAIR, that saw astonishingly gorgeous covers from Jen Hickman(returning!), Adam Gorham, and Rebekah Isaacs. So please, between this roster and Tim Daniel’s daring and indelible design, I’d very much like to invite you to judge us by our covers.”

WITCHBLOOD is written by MatthewErman, drawn by Lisa Sterle, colored by Gab Contreras, lettered by Jim Campbell, and designed by Tim Daniel.

The synopsis for WITCHBLOOD #1 can be read below:

A modern, Wild West road trip about a witch named Yonna cruising the Southwest as a band of bloodthirsty biker vampires, The Hounds of Love, hunt her scattered coven for the source of all magic: witch blood. From the critically acclaimed creators of The Modern Witch Tarot Deck and Long Lost comes WITCHBLOOD, a blend of action, lore, and Americana-perfect for fans of Buffy and American Gods.

ABOUT YOSHI YOSHITANI: Yoshi Yoshitani is a California-based artist whose vibrant illustrations draw on inspiration from across the globe, with a particular focus on multicultural identity. Past clients include Disney, DC Comics, Valiant, Image, Dreamworks, and Netflix. Yoshi spends time researching world mythologies, listening to audiobooks, creating fashion inspiration boards, and attending comic conventions and art expos across the country. Discover more about Yoshi’s work at yoshiyoshitani.com

Panel Alchemy Approved!

BAD IDEA Refuses To Reveal TANKERS #1 B-Side Spoilers, Offers Preview Of New HERO TRADE B-Side From ENIAC #2 Instead

In a world dominated by instant gratification, ubiquitous access to information and spoilers — so many spoilers — one company dares to be different. One company dares to not market the f@#k out of every last ounce of story before the comics are even released. Especially when it comes to TANKERS #1 by Robert Venditti & Juan José Ryp — the only comic brave enough to admit that the biggest injustice of the dinosaurs’ extinction is that mankind didn’t get to kill them all ourselves! BAD IDEA may not be the comics publisher we deserve, but it’s the one we need!

And that is why, no matter what you offer us, no matter how you threaten us, we will never tell you any of the amazing, stupendous, mind-blasting secrets of the BAD IDEA B-Side story in this Wednesday’s TANKERS #1!

Unless, of course, we’ve hidden the secrets in a code and weaved them into the first two paragraphs of this email. Why else would we write such ridiculous copy? The first person to crack the code and correctly decipher this Wednesday’s TANKERS #1 B-Side secret spoiler wins a lifetime supply of Robert Venditti (taxes and fees not included).

For the rest of you — and in honor of the second ever BAD IDEA DAY and the release of both TANKERS #1 and ENIAC #2 on April 7th — we proudly present a preview of the brand-new HERO TRADE B-Side by Matt Kindt and David Lapham as well as a peak at the color cover to TANKERS #2.

Cover by Lewis LaRosa & Laura Martin

Remember: TANKERS will be released bi-monthly as THREE DOUBLE-SIZED ISSUES of dinosaur-battling intensity containing more than 40 pages of content beginning April 7th and is guaranteed to melt your face, eyes, and prefrontal cortex.

The CEO of global energy conglomerate Greenleaf Oil has just discovered a terrifying secret: the planet only has a decade or less of petroleum left before it’s gone forever. But he has a plan to make sure his great-great grandchildren can continue to generate maximum shareholder value – and secure his own legacy in the process. Rather than develop a game-changing renewable energy source through the power of corporate innovation, Greenleaf has perfected the next best thing – time travel (duh) – so that a team of six field-rat contractors armed to the teeth in individually customized mech suits can go back to the the Cretaceous Period, tweak the trajectory of the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, and give mankind another 500 millennia worth of oil reserves. What could go wrong? Only all of human history, of course – because when Greenleaf’s team of Tankers come home, they’ll discover that not only did the dinosaurs never die out, they’ve kept evolving for another 60 million years…and they’re more pissed off than ever.

But that’s not all, on the same day, the runaway train of comics anticipation that is BAD IDEA continues with ENIAC #2 by New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) and incendiary artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice). And in the wake of ENIAC and TANKERS steamrolling debuts, Bad Idea will be delivering even more right hooks throughout the spring and summer:

MAY 2021
*** WHALESVILLE x ROCKS AND MINERALS ***
WHALESVILLE
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by ADAM POLLINA
Colors by MATT HOLLINGSWORTH
ROCKS AND MINERALS
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by TONY MILLIONAIRE
Colors by JAMES CAMPBELL
Cover by ADAM POLLINA with MATT HOLLINGSWORTH
WHALE-SIZED ONE-SHOT | NO ADS
$9.99 EACH | 72 PGS. | RATED: E – EVERYONE | ON SALE MAY 5, 2021

JULY 2021
THE LOT #1 (of 4)
Marguerite Bennett (writer) ** Renato Guedes (art/colors/cover)
FOUR ISSUES ** MONTHLY

JULY 2021
SLAY BELLS #1
Zeb Wells (writer) ** David Lafuente (art/cover) ** Ulises Arreola (colors)
SANTA-SIZED ONE-SHOT

Remember, the BAD IDEA way also means no variants, no trades, no digital, select stores, perennially available Not First Printings and no more than two comics a month – just monthly comics, sold in comic book shops. Goodbye, troubles. Hello, BAD IDEA SIMPLICITY™.

Wanna get in while the gettin’s good with Bad Idea? You simply have to visit a Bad Idea “Destination Store” — one of the 200 and counting comic shops around the world that have joined our independent network of direct-distribution retail partners — to pick up all the glorious BAD IDEA books every first Wednesday of the month. (Or pre-order in advance to make sure you secure your copy.)

We’ve made it even easier, too. To locate a Bad Idea retailer near you and then pre-order any and every Bad Idea title, simply click here and fill out the little form.

< Peep this sneak preview below, these aren’t your momma’s comic books, this is the comic equivalent of Tyson biting the ear off his opponent, not because he’s losing, because he likes the taste of ears! Are you hearing me yet?! Don’t say Panel Alchemist didn’t try to get you on the program!>

Scout Comics Imprint Black Caravan announces new horror comic SWAMP DOGS

Black Caravan, the sci-fi/horror imprint for Scout Comics, has signed a deal to publish Swamp Dogs. To help promote Swamp Dogs, Black Caravan is embarking on a mystery campaign leading up to the release of an ashcan comic July 2021. “We have never attempted a mystery campaign before, but it just felt right with this book!” said Rich Woodall, Co-Publisher of Black Caravan. Black Caravan will be distributing bookmarks featuring teasers leading up to July. Bookmarks will be included in all subscription boxes for Scout Comics and Black Caravan, as well as being distributed to comic shops around the U.S. The cover of issue 1, as well as a plot synopsis, will be revealed in July.

Swamp Dogs will begin with a 5-issue miniseries. Woodall continued, “We are really pumped to bring this book to the people. We fell in love with the pitch… and it has so much opportunity to grow and shift in different configurations.” Following the miniseries, Swamp Dogs will tentatively continue in phases that will include multiple ongoing series, future minis, and standalone issues. “The book is everything we wanted to represent when we started Black Caravan,” said Joseph Schmalke, Co-Publisher of Black Caravan and CCO of toy division Tracker Collectibles, “And the book is just screaming out for some cool figures. We have some great plans for the merchandising on Swamp Dogs. Really, this book has the chance to be the marquee title for our 2021, and something of a game-changer for us as we continue to grow.”

The creative team behind Swamp Dogs has been announced as well. Kewber Baal is illustrating the book. His past work includes Army of Darkness: Furious Road, KISS, and Garth Ennis’ Jennifer Blood. Coloring the book is comic veteran Ruth Redmond, whose past work includes Deadpool, Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows, and Giant-Size X-Men from Marvel, Eve of Extinction from TKO Studios, and work for BOOM! and Valiant. Letterer Steve Wands is a comic industry veteran with over 1400 credits to his name from Attack on Titan, Action Comics, and Batman to Peanuts, Scalped, and Image hit Gideon Falls. Covers are being illustrated by Robert Sammelin, whose comic work includes Green Lantern: Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Escape From New York, and Neal Stephenson’s Cimarronin. He has also worked as lead artist for the Battlefield, Star Wars: Battlefront, and Mirror’s Edge video game franchises and done work for the New York Times, Entertainment Weekly, Nike, Waxworks, and Mondo. J.M. Brandt, a former contributor to popular entertainment sites Screen Rant and The Sportster, and newcomer to comics, is co-writer. Theo Prasidis, author of Image Comics’ The Doomster’s Monolithic Pocket Alphabet and an upcoming TKO Studios horror series, is also co-writing.

For inquiries on carrying Swamp Dogs and other Scout Comics/Black Caravan titles, contact store@scoutcomics.com.

Bad Idea Claims It Will Actually Make Comic Called HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE in CALIGULA’S SAFE

-Only Sell It For 24 Hours April Fool’s Day is stupid.

We at BAD IDEA are determined to end its reign of terror. That’s why today we are taking the unprecedented step of making an actual, real life, honest-to-goodness announcement on this day of lies.

Are we brave? That’s not for us to say.

Are we pioneers? Yes, certainly, but did we have a choice? We’re just regular people doing the only thing we felt we could. The right thing.

So here we go. A genuine, for-real, on-the-level announcement on April 1st:

We at BAD IDEA are proud to announce a brand-new epic by the uncompromising Robert Venditti and the incomparable David Lapham — CALIGULA’S SAFE.

Or to be more accurate, the introduction of a brand-new, epic hero for these absurd and ridiculous times:

HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE™ in CALIGULA’S SAFE

And because we want to give everyone a chance to read a BAD IDEA comic (totally not because so many more of you wanted a copy of ENIAC #1 than pre-ordered…) we’re going to be skipping the regular order cycle completely and will instead be sending every BAD IDEA Destination Store an allotment of CALIGULA’S SAFE that matches up to their full original, pre-allocation order of ENIAC #1 (or TANKERS #1 for you Wave 2 stores)!

The best part is that this 16-page, single-issue story will be available for just one dollar! ONE DOLLAR! At a price like that, everyone can jump in and try their first taste of the BAD IDEA difference. Not to mention that it also almost certainly reduces the psychological value of our comics in a futile attempt to attract and convert new readers who have already decided that the only thing they want to read is stories about characters they grew up with so they can, if only fleetingly, once again touch that childlike innocence the world so viciously beats out of us all. “SNIKTY SNIKT” indeed.

Now here’s the catch. Yes, the title is awesome. And yes, it’s just a dollar. But CALIGULA’S SAFE will only be on sale for 24 hours. That’s right, every BAD IDEA Destination Store will be instructed to only sell this triumph of storytelling for just one day — Wednesday, May 12th.

Every store is able to sell CALIGULA’S SAFE by all the same means they sell every other BAD IDEA comic — from in-store, off-the-shelf sales to mail-order (must be mailed that day) to phone orders or pre-orders that are picked up that day — and must still adhere to the BAD IDEA rules. At the stroke of midnight on May 12th, however, any unsold copies are forbidden from sale and must be returned to BAD IDEA HQ using the materials we provide.

We know what you’re thinking. BAD IDEA is announcing a 16-page comic by Robert Venditti and David Lapham that will be sent to stores by matching up to the full, original ENIAC #1 orders, priced at just one dollar but available to purchase for just 24 hours? And BAD IDEA is announcing this on April Fool’s Day as a 100% authentic, on the up-and-up, official thing? Correct! And to prove it here’s a logo:Just one week after WHALESVILLE x ROCKS AND MINERALS, we will unleash the one dollar slice of BAD IDEA: MAY 12th 2021

*** HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE in CALIGULA’S SAFE***
Written by ROBERT VENDITTI
Art & Cover by DAVID LAPHAM
A TOTALLY REAL ONE SHOT | NO ADS
$1.00 EACH | 16 PGS. | RATED: T+ | ON SALE MAY 12, 2021

Remember, the BAD IDEA way also means no variants, no trades, no digital, select stores, perennially available Not First Printings and no more than two comics a month – just monthly comics, sold in comic book shops. Goodbye, troubles. Hello, BAD IDEA SIMPLICITY™.

Wanna get in while the gettin’s good with Bad Idea?  You simply have to visit a Bad Idea “Destination Store” — one of the 200 and counting comic shops around the world that have joined our independent network of direct-distribution retail partners — to pick up all the glorious BAD IDEA books every first Wednesday of the month. (Or pre-order in advance to make sure you secure your copy.)

We’ve made it even easier, too. To locate a Bad Idea retailer near you and then pre-order any and every Bad Idea title, simply click here and fill out the little form.

VAULT ANNOUNCES THE BLUE FLAME BY CHRISTOPHER CANTWELL, ADAM GORHAM, KURT MICHAEL RUSSELL, & HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU!

VAULT DELIVERS WHAT PROMISES TO BE ANOTHER GROUNDBREAKING TITLE- THE BLUE FLAME -DYNAMITE CREATIVE TEAM INCLUDES CHRISTOPHER CANTWELL, ADAM GORHAM, KURT MICHAEL RUSSELL, HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU & TIM DANIEL! YOU COULD SAY THIS VAULT FAN IS STOKED!

Vault Comics is thrilled to announce The Blue Flame, an utterly unique and thought-provoking cosmic superhero maxi-series from writer Christopher Cantwell, (Iron Man, Doctor Doom, Halt and Catch Fire), star artist Adam Gorham (Punk Mambo, New Mutants, The Violent), colorist Kurt Michael Russell (Money Shot, The Plot, Brandon Sanderson’s Dark One), letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou (Black Stars Above, Engineward), and designer Tim Daniel.

The Blue Flame is a cosmic hero. The Blue Flame is a DIY vigilante that fights crime on the streets of Milwaukee. The Blue Flame is a blue collar HVAC repairman named SAM BRAUSAM. In the wake of a horrific tragedy, the boundaries of the Blue Flame’s identity blur even further. Now, before a universal trial, the Blue Flame must prove that humanity is worth saving. But in order to do that, Sam Brausam has to save himself. Can he?

“Contrary to what Adam’s incredible cosmic art might suggest, the concept of Blue Flame was actually born out of a real feeling of helplessness,” said Cantwell. “So far the 21st century has provided some truly intense and infinitely complex tragedy that I believe challenges the very idea of what it means to be human, let alone superhuman. Personally—in the face of so much compounding unprecedented anxiety and strife—I’ve recently been in full retreat mode culturally as an adult. I have found myself dreaming of farther and farther away places, and escaping into the more and more fantastical, if just for some way to stay sane. That’s because the truth remains that we are all struggling in a very difficult contemporary reality with all sorts of seemingly insurmountable problems that don’t seem to be easily solved by anything.”

“So as someone who has found solace in super hero books since a young age, I thought, what if we took that very solace away, even from the super hero who is supposed to provide it?

Our story is bifurcated into two “worlds”: one is a high stakes cosmic quest that is so daunting it threatens to overwhelm even this idealized noble hero, and the other is the daily survival of a real man in a real world beset by all kinds of real problems. It feels at times that we are all constantly living in the wake of tragedy or on the crest of impending doom. Has the weight of that become so heavy that the idea of an ever-reliable hero is now irrelevant?”

Christopher Cantwell is currently doing truly amazing work on Iron Man, on one of the titles best runs of all time and it will be a treat for fans to see what he does with a comics character of his own creation.

Vault’s Editor-in-Chief, Adrian Wassel, added, “The Blue Flame is either the truest superhero story I’ve read, or it’s not a superhero story at all. Maybe that sounds ridiculous, but it’s that dichotomy that drew me to The Blue Flame in the first place, and made it fit so well within Vault’s catalogue. The series is, really, the life of a man split between three realities played out in triptych. It is also a trial story. A trial for all of humanity, where flying around and shooting flames won’t do our hero (or us!) much good; and instead, we’d all rather have a seasoned litigator ready to defend us. No matter which way you slice it, The Blue Flame is science fiction of the most ambitious variety. Most days, I don’t think of it as a superhero story at all. Other days, if you asked me what story most carefully handles the question—What does it mean to save humanity?—I’d say The Blue Flame. And isn’t that the whole point of a superhero?”

The Blue Flame #1 will arrive at Impulse Creations on May 2021, and will debut with a special Vault Vintage cover from Nathan Gooden and Tim Daniel that pays homage to Dave Stevens’ legendary cover to Rocketeer Adventure Magazine #1.

While waiting on May to arrive, check out what else Vault has to offer:

Sera & Royal Stars (2019) #1 (IMPULSE CREATIONS EXCLUSIVE COVER BY NATAS…

Heathen (2016) #7

Heathen TP Volume 1

MONEY SHOT (2019) #9

DEVILS RED BRIDE #1 CVR A BIVENS

Money Shot (2019) #3

MONEY SHOT #2 (MR)

Resonant (2019) #1 (CVR B)

RESONANT #6 (MR)

SEE ALL VAULT COMICS

THE ELECTRIC BLACK is now in development as a adult cartoon TV series with STARBURN INDUSTRIES!

Scout Comics does it again! A huge Congrats & Thank You to the creative team behind Electric Black & Black Caravan!

THE ELECTRIC BLACK is now in development as a adult cartoon TV series. MAKE GOOD CONTENT, STARBURNS INDUSTRIES and SCOUT COMICS are attached to produce.

Scout Comics & Entertainment Holdings Inc. is proud to announce that THE ELECTRIC BLACK, created, written, and illustrated by Joseph Schmalke and Rich Woodall, is in development as a horror cartoon with producers Mike Griffin, Paul Young (Make Good Content) and James Fino from Starburns Industries Inc.

The Electric Black is a cursed antique shop, appearing in any time or space, soliciting customers it hungers to corrupt or devour. The mysterious Julius Black is the store’s demonic proprietor. He, along with his psychopathic employees, regularly manipulate patrons for their own devious purposes. Inside this eerie emporium, all of the forbidden objects have secrets to unlock. The poor souls that enter never leave without something. Its dark light will shine on macabre mysteries, grisly murders, and other frightful occurrences.

Starburns Industries is an innovative and imaginative full-service production company, specializing in stop-motion, traditional 2D, and CG animation as well as live-action production. Starburns is a creator-driven studio, whose founders are responsible for the creation of Adult Swim series like “Moral Orel”, “Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole” and “Rick & Morty”; as well as the Academy Award nominated animated film “Anomalisa” and the upcoming Netflix animated feature film “Bubbles”.

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Adult Swim series like “Moral Orel”, “Mary Shelley’s Frankenhole” and “Rick & Morty”

Scout Comics & Entertainment Holdings, Inc. launched in October 2015 to immediate critical acclaim. Over five years later, the comic book and multi-media company has over 170 titles published and scheduled for future release, spanning the gamut of genres. Additionally, Scout has multiple movie, TV and streaming adaptations in development, including projects at Amazon Studios and Freeform/Disney.

For more information, please contact James Haick at store@scoutcomics.com

Click on The Electric Black Cover below, back issues are available on
Scout’s Website. It would be hard to find a more deserving title, Electric Black is one my personal favorites, check it out!

Click on The Electric Black Cover above, back issues are available on
Scout’s Website.

ENIAC #1 arrives 3/3/21, & BAD IDEA comes bearing gifts, debuting its very first “B-SIDE” bonus story – “SAVE NOW”! Don’t Miss the Beginning!

Dropping Atomically in select comic shops around the world on March 3, 2021, ENIAC #1 – the much-anticipated FIRST ISSUE spectacular and 48-page debut of BAD IDEA from New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), incendiary artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice), and powerhouse colorist Diego Rodriguez (Hellblazer: Rise & Fall).

It’s down to two covert operatives to save the 21st century from the 20th century’s greatest secret: ENIAC (Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer) – a government-sanctioned artificial intelligence that secretly defied its creators to end World War II at Nagasaki, but created a far more powerful threat in the aftermath. Now, after decades in the shadows, ENIAC is about to execute its endgame with a countdown that could erase mankind, once and for all.

Wait for it….

BUT that’s not all, for this goose lays golden eggs! I kid you not! ALSO, included in the very same 48-page bonanza for no added cost…

BAD IDEA debuts its very first “B-SIDE” bonus story – “SAVE NOW” –

Reuniting the chart-topping creative team of multi-hyphenate writer Matt Kindt, artistic dynamo Tomas Giorello (X-O Manowar, Conan), and colorist supreme Diego Rodriguez.

This is just the beginning because, throughout Spring & Summer 2021, Bad Idea is going to be hitting store shelves with a slew of attention-grabbing new releases, shaking the very foundations of this industry with titles such as:

This is only the first in a new series of brand-new, self-contained short-form features — BAD IDEA’s “B-SIDES” — that will appear in EVERY BAD IDEA ISSUE, “SAVE NOW” is a sharp-edged piece of sci-fi/superhero shrapnel that will lodge itself in your cerebral cortex for a good long while.(I’d have it no other way!) Yahtzee!

MARCH 2021
ENIAC #1 (of 4)
Matt Kindt (writer) ** Doug Braithwaite (art) ** Diego Rodriguez (colors) ** Lewis LaRosa with Laura Martin (cover)
FOUR ISSUES ** MONTHLY

APRIL 2021
TANKERS #1 (of 3) Robert Venditti (writer) ** Juan Jose Ryp (art/cover) ** Andrew Dalhouse (colors). THREE ISSUES ** DOUBLE-SIZED ** BI-MONTHLY

MAY 2021
WHALESVILLE #1
Matt Kindt (writer) ** Adam Pollina (art/cover) ** Matt Hollingsworth (colors)
WHALE-SIZED ONE-SHOT

JULY 2021
THE LOT #1 (of 4)
Marguerite Bennett (writer) ** Renato Guedes (art/colors/cover)
FOUR ISSUES ** MONTHLY

JULY 2021
SLAY BELLS #1
Zeb Wells (writer) ** David Lafuente (art/cover) ** Ulises Arreola (colors)
SANTA-SIZED ONE-SHOT

I’m a hardcore comic fan, a student of the infinite methods & techniques employed by such talented creative teams whose collective body of work leaves me in awe, as they each consistently share such amazing work, wielding the tools of the trade with a surgical precision. I have gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure that when the lighting strikes, I’m there to catch it, allowing it to ignite in me EVERYTHING that makes this industry what it is! When creative teams of this caliber work in unison, real magic takes place. ENIAC for instance, will soon be alive in so many of us! I’m honored to a part of these narratives; Thank You to everyone at BAD IDEA pushing to make comics great, pushing the boundaries of imagination, and allowing us to come along.

I promise you that you will Want to make sure you don’t miss your crack at ENIAC #1! Or any subsequent Bad Idea release when they first hit stands? You simply have to visit a Bad Idea “destination store” — one of the 154 comic shops around the world that have signed on to join our independent network of direct-distribution retail partners — to pick them up on a Wednesday. (Or pre-order in advance to make sure you secure your copy. We’ve made it even easier, too. To locate a Bad Idea retailer near you and then pre-order ENIAC #1 and every other Bad Idea title, simply click here and fill out the little form.

For more information, (follow my site), but most importantly, visit Bad Idea online at BadIdeaCorp.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or just mash the screen with your palm and do all four simultaneously.

ENIAC #1
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Colors by DIEGO RODRIGUEZ
PLUS: An All-New BAD IDEA B-SIDE: “SAVE NOW”
Written by MATT KINDT // Art by TOMAS GIORELLO // Colors by DIEGO RODRIGUEZ
Cover by LEWIS LAROSA with LAURA MARTIN
*** $3.99 // 48 PGS. // RATED T+ // ON SALE MARCH 3, 2021 ***

ENIAC #2
Written by MATT KINDT
Art by DOUG BRAITHWAITE
Colors by DIEGO RODRIGUEZ
PLUS: An All-New BAD IDEA B-SIDE
Cover by LEWIS LAROSA with DIEGO RODRIGUEZ
*** $3.99 // 32 PGS. // RATED T+ // ON SALE APRIL 7, 2021

*** ***end transmission***

STAR WARS THE MANDALORIAN Concept Art Next Level…Like a Boss! Next Up? BOBA FETT

If you watched the The Mandalorian, you’ll recall that the series did something very cool at the end of each episode — it showed concept art from that episodes as the credits played.

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The imagery was created by some of the best concept artists in the business, including Ryan Church, Christian Alzmann, Brian Matyas, series production designer Doug Chiang, and others.

The Mandalorian

Sensing the demand, StarWars.com began posting the art on its blog along with “character posters” like the ones below.

Bo Katan & Mandalorians

Ahsoka Tano

A third season of The Mandalorian is in pre-production, but THE LEGEND WILL RETURN NEXT YEAR as first fans will see The Book of Boba Fett in December 2021.

THE BOOK OF BOBA FETT, A NEW SERIES, COMING DECEMBER 2021.

Boba Fett

Three other connected series, The Book of Boba Fett, Rangers of the New Republic and Ahsoka are also in the works, plus another season of The Mandalorian as well as Obi Wan Kenobi is on the way as well!

Moff Gideon

So much happening, I’ve been waiting so long, the production level, the writing, we have years, if not decades of Star Wars ahead of us! I personally have worked with the Disney Imagineers, and I will tell you, these are some of the brilliant people that make the magic happen, for Marvel Studios & the MCU, Star Wars, and I’m positive they have a blueprint for decades to come! I’ll read, write, create, or listen to music often before I consider television, unless a series or film I’ve been waiting on is upon us, Empty Man is one I cannot stop watching! The plans Star Wars & Disney+ have released thus far have me prepared to suit up, take to the stars, where no central government exists, chaos reigns, because the secrets out, I’m a Mandalorian. Weapons are part of my religion.

GET YOUR HANDS ON THE RAREST COVER OF ONE OF THE HOTTEST COMICS OF THE YEAR

Vault Comics’ sold out, smash-hit comic GIGA is getting an exceptional, hyper-limited edition variant cover featuring beautiful spot foil and gloss, on deluxe heavyweight paper. With cover art by John Lê, and designed by Tim Daniel, this limited edition of 100 copies will never be reprinted!

Order your copy, here!

The collectible cover ships direct from Vault, bagged and boarded, in a Gemini mailer. Purchases will begin shipping during the week of December 13, 2020.

Giga is co-created and written by Alex Paknadel, co-created and drawn by John Lê, colored by Rosh, lettered by Aditya Bidikar. 32 pages, plus cover. Full color.

The synopsis for Giga #1 can be read bellow:

Nobody knows why the skyscraper-sized mechs known as ‘Giga’ fought their bitter, centuries’ long war. All they know is that when the fighting finally stopped, the dormant Giga became humanity’s new habitat and new gods in one. When disgraced engineer Evan Calhoun finds an apparently murdered Giga, his society and the fascistic tech-centered religious order that controls it are rapidly thrown into chaos.

Vault Comics is an independent publisher of science fiction, fantasy, & supernatural horror comics!

If you haven’t read any Vault Comics, I highly recommend picking up some of Vaults’ amazing titles!

Vault 2021: Ram V & Anand RK, Peter Milligan, Si Spurrier & Nathan Gooden!

VAULT 2021…be Prepared.

Did someone say the talent had arrived?! That seems to be the case, I’m sure it’s an oversight that my name hasn’t been mentioned yet in a release…I joke, yet, once my work, or rather our work, my creative team, is published, I’ve always felt Vault is amongst one of the Publishers my work would be a perfect fit, another addition to the amazing Vault library! Follow my blog, I soon will begin blogging the process of taking novella, to script, concept art, to publication!

Vault Comics is an independent publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror comics…and so much more!

Bad Idea Gets Bigger, Badder with New “B-SIDE” Stories in Every Oversized, Ad-Free Issue! Details here!

Mega-Sized ENIAC #1 Adds “SAVE NOW” from Kindt & Giorello; Plus New Debuts & First Appearances from Burrini, Catt, Flores, Janson, Lapham, Milligan, Paknadel, Rahal, Ryan, Venditti & More

So far, we at Bad Idea have been pretty good at keeping the comic book industry on pins and needles.

Variant covers? Don’t need ’em. Trade paperbacks and digital comics? Not for us. Tasteful subtlety? Nah.

You see, at Bad Idea, what really zips our denim is monthly, single-issue comics. Comics so good, so audaciously entertaining, so mind-alteringly spectacular that it’ll feel like your brain is trapped inside a house on fire rolling down a mountain of dynamite.

Sounds like fun, right? You’ll find out what we mean soon when Bad Idea drops its first book into select “destination store” retailers on March 3, 2021 with ENIAC #1 by New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), incendiary artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice), and colorist Diego Rodriguez (X-O Manowar).

But even with achievable goals like “blow everyone’s mind,” we decided that there was work yet to be done — new ways to make Bad Idea’s books even more engrossing, more awesomely rewarding, and, hey, even physically heavier to carry.

Which brings us to the point of the press release. Each and every Bad Idea comic — beginning with March’s ENIAC #1 and continuing thereafter — will include a brand-new, never-before-seen, and entirely self-contained “B-SIDE” story.

These aren’t “back-ups” or “bonus stories” in any traditional sense — they’re short-form, self-contained gut-punches designed to take full advantage of the comics medium. In fact, THE HERO TRADE — Bad Idea’s “secret” hit comic by Matt Kindt and David Lapham — from earlier this year — actually began as a Bad Idea “B-SIDE”. And because we like them so much, they’re going to push each Bad Idea issue to maximum capacity — meaning that every issue we publish is going to have an oversized, ad-free page count that will always feature a new “B-SIDE” tale.

Every month, that “B-SIDE” will feature a standalone, done-in-one dose of high potency comics storytelling unlike anything we’ve published before — new genres, new characters, new concepts. (Some of them could even be a complete out-of-left-field surprise that you won’t see coming. We reserve the right to mess with you.

And because we’re good guys, we’re even going to reprint THE HERO TRADE later on in ENIAC #3, too, since it was the idea that kicked this whole thing off.

Future “B-SIDES” will feature all-new contributions from creators like Karl Bollers (Emma Frost), Sarah Burrini (Snifter of Terror), Mae Catt (Young Justice), Khari Evans (Immortal Iron Fist), Melissa Flores (Power Rangers), Klaus Janson (The Dark Knight Returns), David Lapham (Stray Bullets), Peter Milligan (X-Statix), Alex Paknadel (Giga), Eliot Rahal (Knock ‘Em Dead), Sean Ryan(New Suicide Squad), Robert Venditti (Justice League), and many, many more.

Here’s just a few of the Bad Idea “B-SIDES” coming soon to a comic book near you:

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“SAVE NOW”
Matt Kindt (writer) ** Tomas Giorello (art) Diego Rodriguez (colors) ** Lewis LaRosa (cover)

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“HANK HOWARD, PIZZA DETECTIVE”
Robert Venditti (writer) ** David Lapham (art + cover) ** Jose Villarrubia (colors)

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“MONSTERS IN MY LIFE”
Peter Milligan (writer) ** Sarah Burrini (art + colors + cover)

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“MONSTERS IN MY LIFE”
Peter Milligan (writer) ** Sarah Burrini (art + colors + cover)

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“THE HERO TRADE”
Matt Kindt (writer) ** David Lapham (art + letters + cover)

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“THE PROVIDER”
Sean Ryan (writer) ** Khari Evans (art + cover) ** Andrew Dalhouse (colors)

Wanna make sure you never miss an issue? You simply have to visit a Bad Idea “destination store” — one of the 154 comic shops around the world that have signed on to join our independent network of direct-distribution retail partners — to pick them up on a Wednesday. (Or pre-order in advance to make sure you secure your copy.)

We’ve made it even easier, too. To locate a Bad Idea retailer near you and then pre-order ENIAC #1 and every other Bad Idea title, simply click here and fill out the little form.

Stay Tuned as we plan on bringing you the most up to date on BAD IDEA!

THE MAPMAKER Is Set To Launch This February From Scout Comics Imprint SCOOT!

To some, he is but a myth. To others, a source of immeasurable power and wealth. Commanding a mysterious energy known as The Light, he creates maps that give rise to new lands and the Great Age of Discovery. He is… the Mapmaker.

Scout Comics announces a new adventure title being released in February, 2021. Published under the all-ages Scoot! imprint, The Mapmaker brings high-seas adventure to the lineup. Imagine a parallel Earth during The Age of Discovery where The Pirates of the Caribbean are searching for a prize of fantastic power wielded by a mysterious individual known simply as “The Mapmaker”. Any map he creates comes to life, a power highly desired by King Gus, who will stop at nothing to obtain it. The crew of the privateer ship ‘The Rogue Wave’, captained by courageous Lei Li, are the only ones standing in their way. Their mission is to deliver The Mapmaker’s successor before his power wanes and it is lost forever.

DIAMOND ORDER CODE DEC201664

Creator & Writer: Ben Slabak

Ben Slabak is a writer/creator based in Sydney, Australia. Since 2014, he has written several original comic book series and graphic novels, including the hit six-issue sci-fi series Exilium, published by Alterna Comics. The collected Exilium graphic novel has become Australia’s all-time highest crowdfunded graphic novel. Ben has another title slated for the Scoot! lineup that will be announced soon.

Illustrator & Colorist: Francesca Carità

Francesca is an Italian cartoonist and illustrator, having studied at the International School of Comics in Florence. The graphic novel Le due metà della Luna (The two halves of the Moon) was her debut work.

Letterer: HdE

HdE is a UK-based comic book letterer. He’s been lettering for a decade, and his work can be found in books printed by Darby Pop, Aspen Comics, Source Point Press, Alterna Comics, Big Dog Ink, and Attic Studios.

“The entire team behind The Mapmaker was absolutely thrilled when an opportunity recently arose to sign a publishing deal with Scout Comics, whom I have been following since their early days. I have been left impressed with the array of creative talent they have assembled as well as their growing library of some amazing books. I’m really excited to be joining the Scout Comics team and working with them in bringing The Mapmaker to a wider, global audience.”

CREATOR BEN SLABAK

DIAMOND CODE – DEC201664

Imagine a parallel Earth during The Age of Discovery. Imagine The Pirates of the Caribbean where the prize is a fantastical power wielded by a mysterious individual known simply as “The Mapmaker.” Any map he creates comes to life, a power highly desired by King Gus, who will stop at nothing to obtain it. The crew of the privateer ship The Rogue Wave, captained by the courageous Lei Li, are the only ones standing in their way with a mission to deliver The Mapmaker’s successor before his power wanes and is lost forever. A fun tale for all ages! Enjoy the first issue of this NON-STOP! followed by the entire story collected soon after in one volume.

THE MAPMAKER ASHCAN NOW AVAILABLE!

BLACK COTTON Launching this February from Scout Comics!

DIAMOND ORDER CODE DEC201650

Set in an alternate reality where the social order of “white” and “black” is reversed, an elitist family, the Cottons, are rocked by a tragic shooting that begins to unravel long standing family secrets that could not only destroy the family, but also divide the fragile social climate of the world.

Creative Team:

Patrick Foreman — co-creator/writer Brian Hawkins — co-creator/writer Marco Perugini — artist Francisco Zamora — letterer Jerry Nilsson — graphic design

Synopsis

Elijah Cotton, the modern patriarch of the Cotton family and business mogul of Black Cotton Ventures, tries to manage the public outrage and fallout from his police officer son, Zion Cotton’s, shooting of a young white woman.

Meanwhile, Qia Cotton, the only daughter of Eljiah and the CEO of Black Cotton Ventures, attempts to assuage the situation by paying off the victim and her family; Xavier Cotton, the youngest Cotton and sophomore in high school, works on a history project that takes him down a rabbit hole of family history.

“Black Cotton is a comic, but it’s also a mindset; it’s a mindset that’s being explored in a comic.”

Co-Creator/Co-Writer Brian Hawkins

Check Back More & Follow for the most Up to Date on what’s happening on the Indie Comic Scene… I’m a one man army…

Cullen Bunn is bringing a new dark fantasy world to life in RAZE: MOTHER, MAIDEN, CRONE.

Cullen Bunn is bringing a new dark fantasy world to life in RAZE: MOTHER, MAIDEN, CRONE. This is the first prose novella in a series, introducing Siris and Kast, a pair of cold-blooded adventurers seeking to profit from the impending apocalypse.

The World is Ending. It’s Their Golden Opportunity.

Arriving on Kindle in late November, RAZE: MOTHER, MAIDEN, CRONE introduces readers to a new dark fantasy universe. Cover art by Baldemar Rivas.

Blood soaks the earth. The ground is carpeted in corpses. Carrion birds feast as power-crazed warlords indulge their bloodlust in never-ending battle.

An ancient convent watches over the ceaseless struggle. A sanctuary from war, the Convent of Sacred Visitation offers care, medicine, and healing to any who seek their aid. Within these walls, no creed nor code nor fealty is recognized.

Through the haze of battle, two strangers arrive at the convent’s gates. One is a healer. The other is a warrior. They have treachery, thievery, and murder on their minds.

But lies and betrayal and corruption are not unknown to the Sisterhood of Sacred Visitation. The secrets hidden in the depths of the convent have brought death to many who have sought to bring them into the light.

And an antediluvian evil is stirring in the realm—an ancient hunger roused by the ever-growing miasma of warfare, strife, and slaughter. The time of the Razing has dawned.

“RAZE is a dark story,” says Bunn. “I also think it’s going to be a hell of a lot of fun. This is a fantasy world, but there are no dragons, dwarves, elves or the like. It’s an even darker version of the Dark Ages, a heavy metal ‘pre-apocalypse,’ if you will. Here we have a world that is so fouled up by hatred and war that the closest thing we have to heroes is a pair of self-destructive, pitiless, malicious monsters. Siris and Kast aren’t seeking redemption. They aren’t putting aside their evil ways for the greater good. They serve their own lusts and desires and all else be damned. And readers will be cheering them on.”

The world of RAZE was created by Cullen Bunn and Shawn Lee. Bunn is writing the novellas. MOTHER, MAIDEN, CRONE is the first in a series of prose novellas set in the world of RAZE. It is also the first publication in the Pulp Monster line.

“Pulp Monster is an idea I’ve been tinkering with for a couple of years now,” says Bunn. “Short stories and novellas introducing new worlds of fantasy and science fiction and horror. I have fantasy, dark fantasy, and horror stories lined up for this initiative, each introducing new characters and concepts for readers to enjoy. I’m thrilled to finally launch the first title, and there are more on the way!”

-Creator/Writer- Cullen Bunn on Pulp Monster

The novella will be available on November 27 for Kindle through Amazon. It can be pre-ordered here – https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08P26FHV9?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

Scout Comics’ imprint, Black Caravan announcing BLACK FRIDAY is almost here…February 2021!

A very unlucky clean-up crew dealing with the aftermath of Black Friday discovers that years of pent-up negative energy has released something very evil and dark into their superstore, just the way corporate wanted.

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Scout Comics’ imprint, Black Caravan

Meet the Team: Jon Clark – Writer, Cover Artist – Hag, Thin Travis Williamson – Artist – Nun Assassin, Fat Cow, The Importance of Being Superfluous. April Brown – Letterer – Only Living Boy, To End All Wars: A WW1 Graphic Anthology

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BLACK FRIDAY Synopsis

Pent up negative energy has been building up in the local superstore, Star-Mart, from yearly, monthly and daily “deplorable” things that happen there. Javier and a few other unlucky employees are cleaning the aftermath of a particularly awful Black Friday, when Ceci discovers a trail of blood that leads directly into the toy aisle. Beneath it, they discover what appears to be a sheet of glass inlaid in the floor, and numerous freakishly large dead humanoid-like bodies — only, they aren’t dead. They’re alive and begin to break free and attack the workers with a vicious hunger. Javier and his coworkers must battle their way through the store to survive and uncover the real, even more sinister reason why the creatures are here.

There’s a demon infestation in Star-Mart, and it isn’t that day’s crazy shoppers, this has been building, waiting, and about to pounce on them in an onslaught of nonstop pure evil. Can anyone survive the day that puts them all in the black?

Creator: Jon Clark

BLACK FRIDAY ASHCAN PREVIEW WILL BE AVAILABLE ON BLACK FRIDAY! Details to be revealed on Thanksgiving via email! Stay Tuned!

Bad Idea Reveals New Destination Stores Worldwide with More Than 200+ Participating Retailers

Bad Idea Reveals New Destination Stores Worldwide with More Than 200+ Participating Retailers
We’re Bigger, Badder, and Getting Positively Jacked with More Stores Than Ever, FolksStop! Listen – do you hear that?

Yes, yes, our power grows! Listen!

(BADIDEABADIDEABADIDEA)

You hear it now, don’t you? That’s the sound of a multitude of new destination stores entering Bad Idea’s comics self-distribution system! 

As we absorb their power, Bad Idea can feel its deltoids swelling with new retail partners that will have the duty – nay, privilege – of carrying our hotly anticipated new comic book series in 2021 and beyond.

Earlier this year, we told you that Bad Idea was a dangerously unruly and equally experimental new comic book publisher with one straightforward mission: Monthly comic books, sold exclusively in comic book stores. No digital releases. No trade paperbacks or hardcovers. And no variant covers, either. Just super high-quality comics packed from cover to cover with audaciously entertaining storytelling in a single sharp-looking package.

And, because we’ll never publish more than two issues in a given month, every single issue we produce has to look and feel special. To that end, we’ve been tinkering away on books withenormously extra-long page counts, surprise guest appearances by some of your favorite artists, and even standalone bonus stories in EVERY issue we publish. Because we like

Because we like comics and think if you’re going to sink your bucks into one of ours, it should be awesome.

But there’s one catch, you see: BAD IDEA’s new releases won’t be available everywhere all at once. From the get-go, BAD IDEA has always intended to self-distribute its titles to a carefully selected roster of friendly neighborhood comic shops with the grit and vision to do things “the Bad Idea way.”

Our crusade began with just 20 retail partners. Within weeks, that number had rocketed skyward to 100. Now, as we stand on the precipice of greatness to await the judgment of history,

Bad Idea can boldly proclaim that its first wave of destination store retail partners will top more than 150 stores with over 200 individual locations on three continents when our first release – ENIAC #1 by New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) and incendiary artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice) – hits shelves on March 3, 2021.

And we’ll only continue to add more from there.

So, you’re upset that your local store isn’t included and you have half a mind to write us a strongly worded email, right? Remember this: Every Bad Idea destination store in our network has qualified to participate by jumping through some pretty egregious, but also fairly entertaining, hoops that include enhanced signage and promotional displays for Bad Idea’s titles and strictly enforced rules for selling Bad Idea releases, like our patented “limit one per customer” policy on each and every BAD IDEA comic – month in, month out. Plus, there’s a bunch of secret rules that the public doesn’t even know about yet. (Exciting!!!)

That is the weight of Bad Idea’s retailer code and not even the sweet release of death can unbind you from it. We reserve the right to relentlessly shame any retailer that violates its bond and, frankly, we’re kind of hoping that someone does, so that we can prove we mean business. 

Behold Bad Idea’s complete list of participating destination store retailers in its resplendent glory below (**current as of November 24, 2020**) and we encourage you to start preparing for ENIAC #1 now – March is just around the corner, after all. To make sure you secure your copy of Bad Idea’s debut issue, either contact your preferred retailer from the list below or simply visit WhereIsBadIdea.com and follow the instructions to submit your pre-order today. 

And, while you’re it, check out the first 10 pages of ENIAC #1 right here. Enjoy!

ENIAC #1 by New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT) and incendiary artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice) – hits shelves on March 3, 2021.

Stay Tuned! For more on BAD IDEA, Exclusive Interviews, News & Interviews, as well as Blogging an upcoming title as I take it from novella to script, working with a creative team that’s going to really bring it! Let me what you want more of, and if you’d like to participate, I’m looking for volunteers to help with the site before I take it 100% live! Meaning no more WordPress! I need like minded individuals who are interested in reviewing, editorials, discussing writing, art, and methods of all types of art!

P.E.A.C.E.

Protons & Electrons Always Cause Explosions!

W-BAD IDEA TV…it’s BAD IDEA’S First Panel…Movie? Live from Baltimore Comic-Con?

BAD IDEA BEGINS IN 2021!

~Starring in Order of Appearance~
Matt Kindt, Doug Braithwaite,
E.N.I.A.C., that one guy from ferris bueller
Dinesh “vitamin d” Shamdasani, Andy Liegl of Brave New World Comics,
Robert Venditti, Hunter Gorinson,
USPS, Lewis Larosa, Ramon Villalobos
Jen King of Space Cadets Comics,
Atom Freeman, Marguerite Bennett
Ultimate Comics Crew, Joshua Dysart,
Its, The Button (RIP), Karl Bollers,
Warren Simons, Zeb Wells, The Spirit of Christmas, & your host, Joshua Johns, CEO of BAD IDEA TV!

Here’s the deal: Beginning in March 2021, you’ll be getting at least one brand-new Bad Idea release per month in a variety of tastes-good, feels-great formats by a fleet of world-class creators, including writers Matt Kindt, Robert Venditti, Marguerite Bennett, and Zeb Wells, artists Doug Braithwaite, Juan Jose Ryp, Adam Pollina, Renato Guedes, and David Lafuente, and even more yet to come (like Mae Catt, Joshua Dysart, Tomas Giorello, Eric Heisserer, David Lapham, Lewis LaRosa, Jeff Lemire, Peter Milligan, and more).

But before we tell you more about what those books are, here’s a quick refresher on what Bad Idea does best: Comic books, sold exclusively in participating comic book stores. No digital releases. No trade paperbacks or hardcovers. And no variant covers, either. Just super-high quality comics that will always leave you wanting more – because we’ll never publish more than two in a given month.

When it comes to our books, Bad Idea has one pretty straightforward goal: Every single issue we produce has to look and feel special, and earn its place on the shelf. Not only will every Bad Idea release feature audaciously entertaining comics storytelling in a crisply designed, prestige-format package with deluxe matte laminate covers and heavy-duty interior paper stock, but we’ll also be splurging on some enormously extra-long page counts, guest appearances by some of your favorite artists, and even standalone bonus stories in EVERY issue we publish for no extra-added cost. That’s where the next chapter of THE HERO TRADE – our insane series of shorts by creators Matt Kindt and David Lapham – will appear, as well as the birth of Bad Idea’s own subversive twist on what a shared universe can be and do. (Shh, we’ve said too much already.)

Oh yeah, and did we mention? They’re always just $3.99 per issue.

Here’s the kicker: If you want to pick up one or all of them (and we know you do), you’ll have to visit a Bad Idea “destination store”– one of the 100 and counting comic shops around the world that have signed on to join our independent network of direct-distribution retail partners – and buy them on a Wednesday (or simply pre-order them in advance by phone or email and pick them up whenever you’re damn well ready). We’ll be revealing more stores in the weeks and months to come and progressively adding even more on a rolling basis too, so if you’re a retailer and would like to get some of what Bad Idea’s got, just email us at hello@badideacorp.com.

Now that we’re up to speed, here’s what you came for: the comics. We’re calling this little publishing soiree our stable of BAD IDEA BEGINS titles, but let’s see if that sticks:

** ENIAC by Matt Kindt & Doug Braithwaite ** 

** TANKERS by Robert Venditti & Juan Jose Ryp **

** WHALESVILLE by Matt Kindt & Adam Pollina **

** THE LOT by Marguerite Bennett & Renato Guedes **

** SLAY BELLS by Zeb Wells & David Lafuente **

Expect lots more as BAD IDEA’s launch date approaches, and the site grows! We will have an exclusive feature on each title with a few interviews with some of these incredible creators and much much more! Stay tuned!

The Button (RIP)

THE SHEPHERD Arrives! Scout Comics Imprint Black Caravan Announces New Series Jan. 2021!

BLACK CARAVAN (Imprint of Scout Comics)

Grieving his son’s tragic death, a professor begins hearing his boy’s desperate cries. Recklessly, he enters the afterlife, seeking his son and exacting revenge on those responsible for the boy’s death.

Creative Team:

Co-writers/co-creators — Andrea Lorenzo Molinari & Roberto Xavier Molinari. Artist — Ryan Showers, Luca Panciroli Colorist — Heather Breckel, Pamela Poggiali Letterer — Jacob Bascle, Joel Rodriguez Project Manager — Jason Dube

Synopsis

Prof. Lawrence Miller falls into a dark vortex of guilt and anger after enduring the tragic death of his teenage son from a drug overdose. He cannot shake the sense that his son is now a lost soul, wandering between heaven and earth. Grieving and profoundly disturbed, he opts for suicide, pursuing his son into the afterlife. Once on the other side, he encounters his deceased father and is given a mystical pendant of great power. Unfortunately, in Lawrence’s hands it becomes a weapon that allows him to unleash his fury on those who brought the drugs to his son, leaving a trail of insanity and chaos in his wake. His existence becomes a terrifying conflict between his unchecked anger and his knowledge that he might have lost his way.

The Shepherd team has been interacting with Scout Comics at conventions and in an editorial scope for some time now. We’ve always admired their exemplary energy and drive and it was the most natural thing to want to be a part of that team. We have a lot of faith in the leadership at Scout/Black Caravan to take not only our title, but a lot of other titles, to the next level. With regard to the The Shepherd series in particular, we look forward to building our universe together for years to come.

Co-Creator/Co-Writer Andrea Lorenzo Molinari

Scout Comics Artist, Bryan SilverBax, Masters of The Universe Print Inktober. I just can’t get enough of this one!

Ignacio Noe’s ‘Suddenly’ Pinups in Peril

Artwork, Featured, From the Forge, Interviews, News, Top News, Web Exclusives, Heavy Metal

Argentine artist Ignacio Noe depicts classic cheesecake models cheerily posing as all hell breaks loose around them. Explosions, avalanches, nuclear accidents, giant beasts — none of it fazes Noe’s women in the least!

Argentine artist Ignacio Noe has published numerous books in a wide range of genres — from children’s books all the way to not-at-all children’s books. His most recent project, an erotic book called The Piano Tuner, just wrapped its Kickstarter funding campaign. You can see examples of his art on his Facebook page (and his workshop Facebook), his Instagram and his Blogspot blog.

A few years ago he combined his love of pinup art with more action-style illustration in a series called “Suddenly,” which finds classic cheesecake models cheerily posing as all hell breaks loose around them. Explosions, avalanches, nuclear accidents, giant beasts — none of it fazes Noe’s models in the least. We asked him just what’s going on here.

You have beautiful pinup girls here with all sorts of disaster or deadly chaos happening around them. That’s a bit of a contrast. Why are you combining these things?

That combining began to take shape in a comic. I’ve always had a fondness for the naive erotism in classic ’50s pinup, and in my comic book Exposition I found the opportunity to develop it. In this book, I show an old illustrator of pinups visiting the retrospective exhibition of his works. Each illustration shows a beautiful woman who is lightly stripped by a naive accident, and as he looks at each of them he remembers the sordid circumstances that inspired the image. In his memories, the accidents are dangerous, and the women ending completely undressed.

When I made the illustration portfolio “Suddenly” I focused on the intensity of accidents, not on the moral intention. In these illustrations, it is not a small accident that undresses the women but a great catastrophe. I started to create the images making a reference to a classic pin-up and playing with the contrasts. But then, I began to work on the meanings that this awakened in me and I felt that it was necessary to avoid the tragic, the gore, and the sarcasm, and as a consequence, little by little another idea emerged. Thus, the accident became an expression of the forces of nature in action and the beauty of women is one of these forces.

On one hand, these could be seen as damsels in distress — but on the other hand, they’re undisturbed or even amused by the chaos around them. How do you describe them?

The accidents of my illustrations are uncommon, there are no injuries or deaths. I avoid the tragic in my images, this gives me the possibility of seeing in the accidents only the action of the forces whose only consequence is undressing a woman. The girls smile because they do not feel threatened, they have nothing to fear, they accept nudity as an inevitable consequence of the accident because they are aware of its power. Nothing that happens is alien to them. By representing women and chaos united in this way, I feel that the beauty of women is revealed to us as one of the elemental forces of nature.

Now, in my more recent illustrations, I am working on this subject in a more explicit way. I am making a book with them.

These make us think of the weird pinups by Art Frahm, who always caught his women in a moment of panic as they are carrying groceries and their underwear falls down. But this is like Art Frahm with a lot more danger and no groceries. Was he — or was some other artist — an inspiration?

I know the illustrations of Art Frahm but I don’t like the image of the dropped panties. When I say that I love classic pinup I mean almost exclusively George Petty and especially Gil Elvgren.

George Petty’s watercolors are astonishing for their precision and subtle art deco stylization of his happy, carefree women. And Gil Elvgren’s oils set the standard and the best of style with his almost unaware women of their beauty and troubled by small domestic accidents. The character in my comic “Exposicion” is named Gil in homage to Elvgren.

The last two images here are from a new project in the “Suddenly” vein that Noe is currently developing.

Ignacio Noe has been published in the Argentinian magazines Fierro, Noticias, and Genios; as well as Lancio Story and Leternauta in Italy; and Kiss Comix in Spain. His books have been published by Delcourt, Dynamite, Les Sculpteurs de Bulles, Other Criteria, and Casterman. He is currently published by Advance Publishing in the U.S. and Glenat in Europe.

STAKE Is Coming This January From Scout Comics

When an ancient vampire rips out her friend’s heart on national TV, an angsty teenager sets out on a quest to avenge her fallen friend.
 

Meet the Creative Team behind Stake!

Written by David A. Byrne (Spy-DeerMan, The Couch)

Illustrated by Francesca Fantini (Artemis and Assassin, .

Lettered by Joel Rodriguez (Vlad Dracul, Phantom Starkiller, and Dusk County Chronicles)
 

The Story…

Three years ago, Vampires announced their presence to the world in grand fashion; in one instant, Angel lost her two best friends and her existence changed forever. Now, as a member of the Vampire Bounty Hunter Union, and with the help of her ancient vampiric mentor Jessamy, she’s out to track down the bloodthirsty monsters who destroyed her life. She is… Stake.

Francesca Fantini Cover
Diamond Order Code – NOV201504

Stake has been a fantastic journey so far, from working with fantastic cover artists to Francesca’s awesome interiors. I couldn’t imagine anyone but Scout publishing this book and can’t wait for the world to get their hands on it!

Creator/Writer David A. Byrne

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Derrick Chew Retailer Incentive Cover –Diamond Order Code – NOV201505

Tell your store to order it!

Stake Ashcan Preview Now Available

Panel911 Crossover #1/God Country Homage Alert🔥!

Crossover #1 – Rad Raptor Comics Exclusive God Country Variant By Bryan SilverBax

Donny Cates and Geoff Shaw, the creative powerhouses behind the bestselling, critically acclaimed God Country (the 2018 Rad Raptor Book of the Year), Thanos Wins, Redneck, Buzzkill, & The Paybacks return for, quite possibly, the biggest launch of the 2020, Image Comics Crossover #1!

Crossover #1 – Rad Raptor Comics Exclusive God Country Variant By Bryan SilverBax

This Crossover #1 Rad Raptor Exclusive, by the talented Bryan Silverbax, is a homage to God Country #1, limited to 500 copies worldwide! Grab yours NOW!

Imagine everything you thought was fantasy…was real. And now join us, in a world where reality is dead…and anything is possible…Crossover #1, Image Comics.

While supplies last, pickup Crossover #1 Exclusive Black & White God Country Homage Variant, limited to 300 copies worldwide. Pickup this amazing Crossover #1 set, by Bryan Silverbax, at Rad Raptor Comics while sets are still available!

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Crossover #1

Crossover #1 is an amazing start, a love letter to comics and the comic community. It is also a larger discussion about community as a whole with a lot of interpretation possible by readers. This is a comic that should be on everyone’s pull list, and have no doubt, it’ll be seeing multiple printings, and massive buzz when it comes to shelves next month. Do yourself a favor and don’t miss out. Crossover is the one title that should be on every comic fans’ pull-list.

Bryan Silverbax is a husband, father, brother, and US Army veteran who tries to make living by staying creative (MetalShark Bro, LoggerHead, Planet Caravan). Bryan has been working as a creative professional since 2015. Bryan stays busy dodging my messages while establishing himself as a creator & artist with Scout Comics and Entertainment.

F*ck Me, TANKERS #1 is Coming Soon from BAD IDEA – We’re Holding Robert Venditti & Juan Jose Ryp Responsible for This!

PANEL ALCHEMISTS take Note!

Q: What is the secret to making great comics the Bad Idea way?

A: Time travel, cutting-edge mech armor, tough-guy roughnecks with a deep-seated grudge against dinosaurs, ethically debased oil executives, and, um, the horrors of evolution run amok?

That is correct!

If you like all these things and more, then good news: TANKERS #1 is absolutely going to melt your face, eyes, and prefrontal cortex (in that order) when Bad Idea unloads THREE DOUBLE-SIZED ISSUES of dinosaur-battling intensity into select comic shops worldwide beginning in April 2021!

From the deeply unsettling and sugar-dependent imaginations of New York Times best-selling writer Robert Venditti (Justice League), blockbuster artist Juan Jose Ryp (Wolverine), ..

..Eisner Award-winning colorist Jordie Bellaire (Pretty Deadly), TANKERS #1 is the only comic brave enough to admit that the biggest injustice of the dinosaurs’ extinction is that mankind didn’t get to kill them all ourselves.

And now, 60 million years on, we finally have our chance to correct that wrong.

Bone-shredding destruction! Wanton corporate malfeasance! Reckless use of industrial machinery! And lots and lots of ammunition. Like a Saturday morning cartoon that’s run irresponsibly overbudget, Venditti, Ryp & Bellaire are going to take all of our insecurities about mankind’s most self-destructive impulses and turn them up until the knob snaps off with a premise that goes something like this:

The CEO of global energy conglomerate Greenleaf Oil has just discovered a terrifying secret: the planet only has a decade or less of petroleum left before it’s gone forever. But he has a plan to make sure his great-great grandchildren can continue to generate maximum shareholder value – and secure his own legacy in the process. Rather than develop a game-changing renewable energy source through the power of corporate innovation, Greenleaf has perfected the next best thing –

–time travel (duh)-

– so that a team of six field-rat contractors armed to the teeth in individually customized mech suits can go back to the Cretaceous Period, tweak the trajectory of the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, and give mankind another 500 millennia worth of oil reserves. What could go wrong? Only all of human history, of course – because when Greenleaf’s team of Tankers come home, they’ll discover that not only did the dinosaurs never die out, they’ve kept evolving for another 60 million years…and they’re more pissed off than ever.

Please be advised that prolonged exposure to TANKERS #1 may cause the following side effects: fist pumping, extended dependency on cargo shorts long after it is appropriate, “the shakes,” all caps emails, yearning for a father’s love, Mountain Dew, and brain damage (in a good way, we think).

Also, the series will be shipping BI-MONTHLY (that means every other month, don’t look it up) because too much at one time would probably make you die.

So, now, you’re probably asking yourself: “That all sounds incredibly tasteful and understated, but what is Bad Idea, anyway?”

We’re delighted by the question. Bad Idea is a dangerously unruly, equally experimental, and audaciously entertaining new comics publisher built in service of just one idea: Monthly comics, sold exclusively in comic books stores. No digital releases. No trade paperbacks or hardcovers, and no variant covers, either. 💥Just super-high quality comics storytelling published in a deluxe, prestige format package that will always leave you wanting more 💥– because we’ll never publish more than two in a given month.

And TANKERS #1 is just one of several new sizzling slabs of full-on comics greatness that we will be releasing throughout spring and summer 2021:
MARCH 2021

ENIAC #1 (of 4)
Matt Kindt (writer) ** Doug Braithwaite (art) ** Diego Rodriguez (colors) ** Lewis LaRosa with Laura Martin (cover)
FOUR ISSUES ** MONTHLY

APRIL 2021
TANKERS #1 (of 3)
Robert Venditti (writer) ** Juan Jose Ryp (art/cover) ** Jordie Bellaire (colors)
THREE ISSUES ** DOUBLE-SIZED ** BI-MONTHLY

MAY 2021
WHALESVILLE #1
Matt Kindt (writer) ** Adam Pollina (art/cover) ** Matt Hollingsworth (colors)
WHALE-SIZED ONE-SHOT

JULY 2021:
THE LOT #1 (of 4)
Marguerite Bennett (writer) ** Renato Guedes (art/colors/cover)
FOUR ISSUES ** MONTHLY

July 2021
SLAY BELLS #1
Zeb Wells (writer) ** David Lafuente (art/cover) ** Ulises Arreola (colors)
SANTA-SIZED ONE-SHOT

Want to partake of any upcoming Bad Idea release?

You simply have to visit a Bad Idea “destination store” – one of the 100 and counting comic shops around the world that have signed on to join our independent network of direct-distribution retail partners – to pick them up on a Wednesday. (Or pre-order in advance to make sure you secure your copy.)

We’ll be revealing more stores in the weeks and months to come and progressively adding even more on a rolling basis too, so if you’re a retailer and would like to get some of what Bad Idea’s got, just email us at hello@badideacorp.com. We’ve made it even easier, too. To locate a Bad Idea retailer near you and then pre-order ENIAC #1 and every other Bad Idea title, simply click here and fill out the little form.

For more information and witty asides, visit Bad Idea online at BadIdeaCorp.com, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, or just mash the screen with your palm and do all four simultaneously.

Zac
TANKERS #1 (of 3)
** ROBERT VENDITTI (writer) **
** JUAN JOSE RYP (art/cover) **
** JORDIE BELLAIRE (colors) **
** DAVE SHARPE (letters) **
** $3.99 // DOUBLE-SIZED // BI-MONTHLY // ON SALE APRIL 2021 **

Dinosaur Wins!

Give us a Follow at Panel Alchemy as BAD IDEA represents the type of quality independent comics that we aim to represent! I hope to have interviews with creators of TANKERS #1, so expect more to follow!

New Comics Publisher BAD IDEA has Arrived!

Bad Idea has officially arrived, unveiling its first slate of comics, launching in March 2021, Bad Idea will publish at least one release per month. As announced earlier this year, Bad Idea sells comics exclusively in participating comic book stores. There are no digital releases, no trade paperbacks or hardcovers, and no variant covers. The publisher will also never publish more than two in a given month.

Creators involved include writers Matt Kindt, Robert Venditti, Marguerite Bennett, and Zeb Wells, artists Doug Braithwaite, Juan Jose Ryp, David Lafuente, Renato Guedes, and Adam Pollina, and more to come including Mae Catt, Joshua Dysart, Tomas Giorello, Eric Heisserer, David Lapham, Lewis LaRosa, Jeff Lemire, Peter Milligan, and others.

Bad Idea states in a press release that its goal for its titles is that “Every single issue we produce has to look and feel special, and earn its place on the shelf. Not only will every Bad Idea release feature audaciously entertaining comics storytelling in a crisply designed, prestige-format package with deluxe matte laminate covers and heavy-duty interior paper stock, but we’ll also be splurging on some enormously extra-long page counts, guest appearances by some of your favorite artists, and even standalone bonus stories in EVERY issue we publish for no extra-added cost.

That’s where the next chapter of The Hero Trade – our insane series of shorts by creators Matt Kindt and David Lapham – will appear, as well as the birth of Bad Idea’s own subversive twist on what a shared universe can be and do. (Shh, we’ve said too much already.) Oh yeah, and did we mention? They’re always just $3.99 per issue.”

Bad Idea’s titles will be available only at “destination stores,” of which there are currently 100 around the world. The publisher says more store reveals are coming in the weeks and months to come and that it will progressively add more on a rolling basis.

Keep reading to see Bad Idea’s full debut slate:

Eniac #1

(Photo: BAD IDEA / DOUG BRAITHWAITE/ DIEGO RODRIGUEZ)

** MATT KINDT (writer) **
** DOUG BRAITHWAITE (art) **
** DIEGO RODRIGUEZ (colors) **
** LEWIS LAROSA with LAURA MARTIN (covers) **
 
Seventy-seven years ago, the United States unlocked the key to defeating the Axis powers, but, in their desperation to end the war, created a far more powerful threat: ENIAC (Electronic Numerator Integrator and Computer), the world’s first supercomputer. ENIAC’s calculations proved vital to turning the tide against Germany and Japan – until it ordered the second atomic bomb to be dropped on Nagasaki without any human order or approval. America had inadvertently created the first artificial intelligence without ever realizing the full extent of its abilities…or its ambitions. For the more than 50 years that followed, ENIAC manipulated global affairs from the shadows, waging a cold war that pitted spy against spy, nation against nation…until it went dark and disappeared from view. Now, years later, an encrypted countdown has just been detected in Earth’s satellite network and mankind only has three days left before ENIAC executes its endgame. With few options and even less time, the Secretary of Defense has just given two covert operatives the most important mission in human history: kill ENIAC…before it kills us.

From the minds of New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), incendiary artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice), and colorist Diego Rodriguez (X-O Manowar), Bad Idea’s long-awaited debut starts here with a science-fiction thrill ride that will send shockwaves for decades to come.

F*ck Me, TANKERS #1

(Photo: BAD IDEA / JUAN JOSE RYP / JORDIE BELLAIRE)

** ROBERT VENDITTI (writer) **
**JUAN JOSE RYP (art/covers) **
**JORDIE BELLAIRE (colors)**

The CEO of global energy conglomerate Greenleaf Oil has just discovered a terrifying secret: the planet only has a decade or less of petroleum left before it’s gone forever. But he has a plan to make sure his great-great grandchildren can continue to generate maximum shareholder value – and secure his own legacy in the process. Rather than develop a game-changing renewable energy source through the power of corporate innovation, Greenleaf has perfected the next best thing – time travel (duh) – so that a team of six field-rat contractors armed to the teeth in individually customized mech suits can go back to the Cretaceous Period, tweak the trajectory of the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, and give mankind another 500 millennia worth of oil reserves. What could go wrong? Only all of human history, of course – because when Greenleaf’s team of Tankers come home, they’ll discover that not only did the dinosaurs never die out, they’ve kept evolving for another 60 million years…and they’re more pissed off than ever.

Bone-shredding destruction! Wanton corporate malfeasance! Reckless use of industrial machinery! And lots and lots of ammunition. Like a Saturday morning cartoon that’s run irresponsibly overbudget, New York Times bestselling writer Robert Venditti (Justice League), blockbuster artist Juan Jose Ryp (Wolverine), and Eisner Award-winning colorist Jordie Bellaire (Pretty Deadly) are here to take all of our insecurities about mankind’s most self-destructive impulses and turn them up until the knob snaps off with THREE DOUBLE-SIZED ISSUES shipping BIMONTHLY (that means every other month, don’t look it up).

Whalesville #1

(Photo: BAD IDEA / ADAM POLLINA / MATT HOLLINGSWORTH )

** MATT KINDT (writer) **
** ADAM POLLINA (artist/cover) **
** MATT HOLLINGSWORTH (colors) **
 
You never thought you’d see a Bad Idea like this! From the limitless imaginations of New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), veteran artist Adam Pollina (X-Force), and Eisner Award-winning colorist Matt Hollingsworth (Hawkeye) comes a very special whale tale for all ages (and species) in the tradition of Hayao Miyazaki and Pixar!

When young Wawae – the seaborn son of a whaling captain – is thrown overboard and swallowed whole by a whale, he knows his father will relentlessly pursue revenge against the creature that stole away his boy. What he didn’t expect, however, is what he’s about to find inside: the town of “Whalesville” – a colorful, cobbled-together village inhabited by an astounding collection of talking sea creatures, including a crab named Caleb, an angler fish called Angela, and a seadragon that prefers to go by Lilly. But, to Wawae’s new friends, Whalesville isn’t just their home, it’s the whole world – and they don’t understand the danger that now pursues them from above the waves or that they are even inside a whale at all. To rescue his new best buddies, Wawae will have to convince them of the truth…and save Whalesville before his own father sends them sinking into the inky depths forever.

THE LOT #1

(Photo: RENATO GUEDES)

**MARGUERITE BENNETT (writer) **
** RENATO GUEDES (artist/cover) **

In 1970, legendary filmmaker Oliver Larsen began production on his latest horror masterpiece on the lot of Los Angeles’ famed Cloverleaf Studios. Obsessed with bringing authenticity to the genre, the director insisted on casting real-life occultists to perform a genuine Satanic ritual live on camera – until something went horribly wrong. In the bloody aftermath, the production was shut down, the footage was confiscated, and the soundstage was forever shuttered.

Until today.

On the heels of a promotion that’s just made her the youngest studio chief in decades, Aviva Copeland is planning to overhaul Cloverleaf’s fading image for the 21st century – starting with the prime piece of California real estate that’s gone unused for 50 years: the very same lost soundstage where Larsen filmed his doomed masterpiece. But, as Aviva will soon discover, this corner of the lot may have been closed for a half-century, but it’s far from empty…and the evil that lives within its haunted walls will soon seize its chance to kill again.

New York Times best-selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, A-Force) and artist Renato Guedes (DCeased: Hope at World’s End) present a terrifying vision of horror and Hollywood in the boldly bloody Bad Idea manner!

Slay Bells #1

(Photo: Bad Idea / David Lafuente / Ulises Arreola)

** ZEB WELLS (writer) **
**DAVID LAFUENTE (artist/cover) **
** ULISES ARREOLA (colors) **

You’ve heard of black comedies? Well, this is the first one that’s not just black, but red and green and covered in reams of extremely flammable tinsel that’s already been banned in Canada!

Every Christmas Eve, little Bobby Hamilton and his father rise at dawn for an early morning hunting trip. It was their favorite tradition – until they accidentally killed a certain red-nosed reindeer. They should have known better. They shouldn’t have tried to cover it up. Because Santa Claus knows that they’ve been naughty – and, now like so many fragile Christmas ornaments violently shaken free, the yuletide peace of a quaint Midwestern farming hamlet will forever be shattered as Old Saint Nick comes to town to reap the sweetest gift of all: vengeance.

This July, Emmy Award winner Zeb Wells (Hellions, Robot Chicken), mischief-making artistic all-star David Lafuente (Ultimate Spider-Man), and colorist Ulises Arreola (Action Comics) are ready to ruin Christmas a solid six months in advance with the only thing we really wanted this year, anyway: another king-sized Bad Idea one-shot that will soon go down in infamy!

STAY TUNED * Much More Coming from BAD IDEA!

Scout Comics is proud to announce its NYCC Exclusive offerings for the 2020 New York Comic Con 🔥at 50% OFF!🔥

Scout Comics & Entertainment Inc. is proud to announce they will be offering four NYCC exclusives this year, and these exclusives will be title-free Virgin covers on gorgeous 100lb heavy card stock!

All four are first issues of some current and upcoming Scout titles: PHANTOM STARKILLER, SH*TSHOW, GRIT and IT EATS WHAT FEEDS IT.

All exclusive Scout NYCC titles will be available at the Scout’s webstore www.scoutcomics.com starting NOW, October 7, 2020 for $25.00 a piece. But…

Use Order Code: NYCC2020 at checkout to receive 50% off these exclusives and ALL other NYCC past exclusives until Sunday October 11th at 11:59pm eastern time. A huge thank you to Scout Comics!

This is a deal is too dope to miss!

….but sure as Hell doesn’t end here! 👊🏽💥

VAULT ANNOUNCES GORGEOUS DAVID MACK INCENTIVE COVERS FOR GIGA #1

Vault Comics is thrilled to announce two new gorgeous David Mack incentive covers for Giga #1. Mack’s cover art will come in two different versions. A regular cover will be available as a 1:15 variant, while a deluxe foil edition printed on thick card stock will be available as a 1:30 variant.

Cover D (Mack): AUG208832
Cover E Foil (Mack): AUG208833

Giga is co-created by writer Alex Paknadel (Empyre: Celestial Messiah, Friendo) and rising star artist John Lê, with colors by Rosh, letters by Aditya Bidikar, and design by Tim Daniel.

Cover A (Lê): AUG201706

Nobody knows why the skyscraper-sized mechs known as ‘Giga’ fought their bitter, centuries’ long war. All they know is that when the fighting finally stopped, the dormant Giga became humanity’s new habitat and new gods in one. When disgraced engineer Evan Calhoun finds an apparently murdered Giga, his society and the fascistic tech-centered religious order that controls it are rapidly thrown into chaos.

Cover B (Gooden & Daniel): AUG201707

Giga #1 hits store shelves on October 28th.

Cover C (Gorham): AUG201708

Cover A (Lê): AUG201706
Cover B (Gooden & Daniel): AUG201707
Cover C (Gorham): AUG201708
Cover D (Mack): AUG208832
Cover E Foil (Mack): AUG208833

Giga #1 hits store shelves on October 28th.

Vault Announces The Picture of Everything Else, a New Literary Horror Story from Dan Watters, Kishore Mohan, & Aditya Bidikar.

Vault Comics is thrilled to announce The PICTURE OF EVERYTHING ELSE, a dark new literary horror story from star writer Dan Watters (Coffin Bound, Lucifer), artist Kishore Mohan, letterer Aditya Bidikar (These Savage Shores, Blue in Green), and designer Tim Daniel.

As the 20th century dawns, art promises to change the world…and steep it in blood. A rash of impossible killings sweep through Paris, tearing the rich and beautiful apart in their beds. When two art thieves stumble upon the portraits of the victims damaged in the exact same manner they died, it appears the man who once painted the immortal portrait of Dorian Gray has returned—with darker plans for future works. From the minds of Dan Watters (Coffin Bound, Lucifer, Deep Roots) and Kishore Mohan comes a haunting balance of depravity and beauty.

“The Picture of Dorian Grey has always been a favorite of mine, both as a novel and a concept,” said Watters. “But I think it’s been squandered a little when it’s been revisited. We’ll often see Dorian crop up in other mediums — the immortal, beautiful young decadent with his picture hidden in the attic. But what of the man who made the painting? There was a man who made art which rendered its subject immortal. What if he started to change his works, and change the world with them? What if he sought to make the world a paradise- or a hell? Maybe art could get us there. Maybe it still will.”

“I’ve always been fascinated by how art influences the world, not by merely translating experiences across space and time, but by actually altering opinions, normalising taboos, instilling new values, and changing every damned thing that it touches,” added Mohan.

“And having grown up on my mother’s collection of Classics Illustrated, later discovering all of my favourite characters in Alan Moore’s League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, and now being a huge fan of shows like Penny Dreadful, Ripper Street, and The Alienist, I never stopped being enamored by the late 19th and the early 20th centuries.

Dan and I have been wanting to create something together for a quite a while and when he told me the story of ’The Picture of Everything Else’ I remember thinking to myself that here’s a story that’ll let me explore all that I’ve wanted to with my craft. I get to actually let my craft mess around with my favourite time period in all of history!”

THE PICTURE OF EVERYTHING ELSE #1 hits store shelves in December 2020, and will launch with variant covers by Nathan Gooden and Adam Gorham.

ABOUT VAULT COMICS:
Vault Comics is an independent publisher of science fiction, fantasy, and supernatural horror comics, based in Missoula, Montana.

RED XMAS Hits Comic Stores This December By SCOUT COMICS!

No-nonsense FBI agent Ellie Tewksberry doesn’t believe in Santa… until a fed-up St. Nick snaps and kidnaps the world’s kids. Now Ellie must team up with her wannabe-elf ex-husband to save their son—and Christmas!

DIAMOND ORDER CODE: OCT201554

THE CREATORS:

Clay Adams (CO-WRITER): is as a voice actor, with roles on TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: FAST FORWARD and several seasons of YU-GIOH. His feature script, THE ECLIPSE, placed second in the horror category of the FADE In Awards. He has written and directed for Georgia Public Broadcasting and holds a BFA in Dramatic Writing from NYU.

Alexandre Philippe (CO-WRITER):  most recent movie is MEMORY: THE ORIGIN OF ALIEN, an acclaimed documentary about the making of Ridley Scott’s classic film.His other award-winning docs include LEAP OF FAITH: WILLIAM FRIEDKIN ON THEEXORCIST, 78/52: HITCHCOCK’S SHOWER SCENE, and the cult classic THE PEOPLE vs.GEORGE LUCAS.

Fabio Ramacci (ARTIST): is an Italian artist who has published with Star
Comics and Sergio Bonelli Editore. He recently contributed to the horror anthology Modern Dread.

laria Chiocca (COLORIST): Italian comic artist and colorist. She has
published two euro-manga style books with Kasaobake as co-author and co-artist.

STORY SUMMARY:

Ellie Tewksberry isn’t the world’s best mom. How can she be, when she’s too busy fighting evil as a top FBI agent? But when her son Byron runs away, you better believe she’ll use all her grit and experience to bring him home alive.

She’s gonna need it, because plucky Byron’s made it allll the way to The North Pole in search of his dad—a wannabe-elf who ran off years ago to join Santa at the workshop.

But not only isn’t Dad there, Byron’s timing sucks. Mrs. Claus just bit the big one in a tragic toy accident, and Santa vows to make all the world’s brats pay.

When Ellie catches wind of his scheme—to use monster toys to kidnap every child on Earth—she teams up with the Easter Bunny and St. Patrick’s Day Leprechaun to try and bring him down.

But when that fails, she must swallow her pride and work with her ex-husband, Witherspoon…the one man who understands Santa’s operation better than anyone she knows.

Turns out, he’s just the man for the job, wielder of an ancient Santa-killer weapon. Together, they must finally put family first and confront the not-so-jolly St. Nick at his icy stronghold.

And maybe—just maybe—learn to live happily ever after…

Merchandise, News, Exclusives & More can be found at Scout Comics & Entertainment.

Vault is Pleased to Announce Martin Simmonds Cover for The Autumnal #1 Second Printing!

Vault is extremely pleased to announce The Autumnal #1 second printing cover by white-hot star artist Martin Simmonds(The Department of Truth, Friendo). The second print will hit store shelves October 28th, the same date as issue #2. The first printing of The Autumnal #1 has garneded tremendous praise already, with the first printing selling out at the distributor two weeks ahead of sale date.

Simmonds’ cover will be available in two different versions. The first version (AUG208061) will be a standard comic cover with a $3,99 SRP. The second version (AUG208062) will be a special foil cover on deluxe heavy-weight card stock, with a $9.99 SRP.

AUG208061: AUTUMNAL #1 SIMMONDS VAR (2NDPTG)

“The Autumnal is amazing,” said Martin Simmonds. “If you’re a fan of horror, you won’t want to miss out on this.”

• AUG208061: AUTUMNAL #1 SIMMONDS VAR (2NDPTG)
• AUG208062: AUTUMNAL #1 SIMMONDS FOIL VAR (2ND PTG)

The Autumnal is co-created by writer Daniel Kraus (The Shape of Water, Trollhunters, The Living Dead), and artist Chris Shehan, with colors by Jason Wordie, letters by Jim Campbell, and designs by Tim Daniel. The sold out first printing of issue #1 goes on sale September 23rd, 2020.

The Autumnal is co-created by writer Daniel Kraus (The Shape of Water, Trollhunters, The Living Dead), and artist Chris Shehan, with colors by Jason Wordie, letters by Jim Campbell, and designs by Tim Daniel. The sold out first printing of issue #1 goes on sale September 23rd, 2020. 

The Autumnal #1 is already one of the most talked-about horror titles of the year:

“Horror stories have made clowns creepy and this one might do the same for fall foliage.”

-THE NEW YORK TIMES

“I immediately fell in love with the unsettling world of Comfort Notch. I just added it to my pull list. Definitely one of the must-read horror titles running as we enter the spooky months…Add it to your pull lists!”

-JAMES TYNION IV (The Department of Truth, Something is Killing the Children)

“I just read a sneak peek of The Autumnal. It’s terrific! Just my kind of horror series! And that cliffhanger! I cannot wait for issue 2!”

-CULLEN BUNN (Harrow County, The Sixth Gun)

“Got an early read of The Autumnal. Has the beautiful electricity of an establishing shot in a horror movie, the first crack of thunder before a storm, an A+ mom/daughter relationship that makes the sense of foreboding that much more suffocating & VIBES. FOR. DAYS.”

–COURTNEY SUMMERS (NY Times bestselling author of Sadie)

“The Autumnal is a chilling look at generational trauma & how our past can consume us with all the flavor of 80’s horror classics. A gorgeous descent into the simmering dread beneath the veneer of an idyllic small town. Don’t miss this book.” -ZAC THOMPSON (Cable, Yondu,Undone By Blood, No One’s Rose)

“The Autumnal is amazing. If you’re a fan of horror, you won’t want to miss out on this.”

–MARTIN SIMMONDS (The Department of Truth, Friendo)

“The Autumnal is deftly crafted with heartfelt characters, and a meaningful monster. The ideal read for Halloween season.”

– LONNIE NADLER (Undone By Blood, Black Stars Above)

“Had an early peek at this fire the other day, and boy is it the real deal. Beautifully-paced and plotted horror.” -ALEX PAKNADEL (Lords of Empyre: Celestial Messiah, Friendo)

SCOUT Announces CULT OF IKARUS is Coming Soon!

A rebellious, teenage foster kid goes searching for her roots, only to discover that she’s something more than human and possibly a harbinger of the apocalypse.

The Creative Team behind CULT OF IKARUS:

Jenna Lyn Wright: Writer (AMBITION, feature film / THE HELLION SAGA, novels)

Karl Slominski: Artist (TEETER TOPPLE, EVERMORE FALLS)

Taylor Esposito: Letterer (BABYTEETH, BETTY PAGE UNBOUND, ELVIRA: MISTRESS OF THE DARK)

The Story…CULT OF IKARUS

Tossed out by her foster family after one-too-many rides home in the back of a cop car, Hunter packs up her meager belongings and sets out on a mission: stop drifting and find out who she is.

That journey turns out to be more like a trip down the rabbit hole, as she’s introduced to a covert world of magic and danger running parallel to our own, complete with undead rock stars, a pair of sorcerer brothers with questionable morals, and a prophecy that puts her at the top of an ancient vampire coven’s hit list.

Hunter came looking for answers. What will become of her once she gets them?

Cult of Ikarus is my love letter to spooky kids who wish the monsters they read about were real. Scout is the perfect place to tell a badass genre story with some teeth, and I couldn’t be more excited to be partnering with them on this!

From writer Jenna Lyn Wright

Scout is putting out some of the industry’s most dynamic and engaging stories from creators that are actively leveling-up the quality of sequential art in the modern comics landscape. It’s an absolute THRILL to have Ikarus joining their roster.

From Artist Karl Slominski

Scout Comics Proudly Presents The New Horror Series KILLCHELLA!

Dancing past midnight, surviving until dawn.

A group of friends drive from Los Angeles to attend an ultra-trendy music festival in the Coachella Valley desert. They soon face a bloody night of terror when a reclusive pop star making her big return after years in hiding recruits her most fanatical devotees to assist in a massive human sacrifice ritual.

CREATIVE TEAM:

– WRITER – Mario Candelaria (ASHES, Corktown, Epilogue, The Good Fight Anthology)

– ILLUSTRATOR – Serg Acuña (BOOM Studio’s WWE, Undertaker)

– COLOR ARTIST – Katherine Lobo (Go Go Power Rangers, The Love She Offered)

– LETTERER – Matt Krotzer (Lab Raider, Mine Anthology, Strayed)

– STORY EDITOR – James Ferguson (Reviewer at HorrorDNA.com, Senior Editor at Comicon.com)

“The idea of Killchella was born in the desert, just outside of Los Angeles. There’s something primal out in that terrain that washed over me at a time when creatively I was at my lowest point. I thought on the people who come out there for spiritual healing, and the people who left big city life behind to live in the shadow of Mount San Jacinto. There’s a lot of positivity to be found out there, but what if all those good vibes flipped the wrong switch in someone? What if someone like an influential celebrity got the message wrong, and then used their following of rabid fans to spread a twisted message of love and warmth onto an unsuspecting crowd?”

Quote from writer Mario Canelaria

Scout Presents the Epic Upcoming Series TALYN: SEED OF DARKNESS

TALYN: SEED OF DARKNESS

In a Gothic metropolis filled with dark denizen creatures of the night, an emerging streetfighter searches for her missing sister, whose disappearance is part of an ancient plot against humans to take over the world.

From Writers The Brothers Harrow (Scar) with Art by Banished Shadow.

The Story…

Talyn is an orphaned streetfighter carving out a life in the dangerous underworld of Remnant, a Gothic metropolis filled with Lycans, Demons, and other denizen creatures of the night, where humans are as dispensable as the trash littering the street. Talyn finds hope and light in her mischievous and resourceful little sister, Tessa. When Tessa is abducted by a mysterious ghost-like entity, The Pale One, Talyn joins forces with a mutated police detective, and is thrust into a supernatural mystery that is part of the oldest revenge plot ever conceived.

“We loved the characters and the art style Banished created, and we took our time extracting the backstory of the characters to create an immersive, exciting, and living world. We were inspired by the 80s and 90s anime and film noir boxing films. But we didn’t want to rely on caricatures or troupes. So instead, we put three-dimensional characters and their emotional journeys at the heart of our story. All of us also have younger siblings, so we wanted to create a story exploring the power of that relationship.”

From writers The Brothers Harrow

:

“Growing up, I guess there just weren’t many strong female characters out there. With the characters in Talyn, I just ended up doing it myself and making characters that I like. But really, I make all females cause their awesome. So why not?”

“On a personal connection, I would say the sibling story between Tessa and Talyn is my main inspiration. Family is pretty important to me, so drawing the characters in those scenes hit close to home.”

“Regarding social media, I try not to pay close attention to the numbers, but knowing people enjoy your content is great and a little overwhelming sometimes. So my audience is important and I am thankful for them.”

From Artist Banished Shadow

Vault’s Nightfall Imprint Returns with THE AUTUMNAL, a New Horror Series by Daniel Kraus!

VAULT Comics is thrilled to announce THE AUTUMNAL, a terrifying new horror series by NYT bestselling author Daniel Kraus (The Shape of Water, Trollhunters), rising star artist Chris Shehan, colorist Jason Wordie, and letterer Jim Campbell. THE AUTUMNAL is the first title under Vault’s 2021 NIGHTFALL horror imprint.

Daniel Kraus is the New York Times bestselling author, who, with Guillermo del Toro, co-authored The Shape of Water, based on the same idea the two created for the Oscar-winning film. Also with del Toro, Kraus co-authored Trollhunters, which was adapted into the Emmy-winning Netflix series. Kraus’s The Death and Life of Zebulon Finch was named one of Entertainment Weekly‘s Top 10 Books of the Year, and he has won two Odyssey Awards (for both Rotters and Scowler) and has been a Library Guild selection, YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults, Bram Stoker finalist, and more.

“In ten novels, I’d written about a lot of monsters, but most were humans, or lighthearted, or greatly sympathetic,” said Daniel Kraus. “I still had a hankering to create an original, frightening, supernatural thing that had a shot at being iconic. While discussing horror with friends, I stumbled upon the concept of fallen leaves being like stepping stones for some kind of forest monster — a pathway it could use to follow you home and so forth. It was such a visual idea to me that I thought it’d be the perfect story to be my comic debut. I’m a gigantic fan of EC Comics, but I wanted to go in the opposite direction here, and make something sophisticated and sad.

In THE AUTUMNAL, following the death of her estranged mother, Kat Somerville and her daughter, Sybil, flee a difficult life in Chicago for the quaint–and possibly pernicious–town of Comfort Notch, New Hampshire.

“I’ve been a devotee of folk horror since I saw The Wicker Man on late-night TV as a little kid,” continued Kraus, “and coming from a rural area, I’ve always been especially keyed into the isolating dread of small towns. You whiz by them on interstates in a flash, but you never really know what’s going on inside all those little houses, do you?”

“When you write novels without pictures, you have to be good at giving the reader strong visuals through your words, and Daniel is very good at that,” added Chris Shehan. “For this comic, I’m drawing the visuals (along with outstanding colorist Jason Wordie), but before I drew a single line, I could see this entire story in my head beautifully and that’s thanks to a great writer like Daniel. My goal with this book is to move you, scare you, make you laugh, and make you cry with my art. This story has haunted me in the best way and I’m excited and grateful to be able to pass that on to you.”

NIGHTFALL is Vault’s annual fall horror imprint. Every year as the weather turns brisk and autumn sets in, NIGHTFALL comes. As Vault continues its usual line, select new series introduced from September to December will bear the NIGHTFALL icon, promising genuine horror. Past NIGHTFALL titles include THE PLOT by Tim Daniel, Michael Moreci, and Joshua Hixson, and BLACK STARS ABOVE by Lonnie Nadler and Jenna Cha. More 2020 NIGHTFALL titles will be announced very soon!

Introducing DREXLER, The New Thriller From Scout Comics!

Logline:

When his sister summons him home to help solve a string of grisly murders, the town outcast must outrun his own demons to help save the town that cast him out.

Creative Team…

Bob Salley – Writer (Salvagers, Ogre, Broken Gargoyles)
Nathan Kelly – Artist/Creator (SNARL)
Marco Pagnotta – Colorist (The Gentleman)
HdE – Letterer (Salvagers)

Welcome to Marvin, a small isolated town at the edge of nowhere with a rotten history. A town where something sinister is stalking its residents in the darkness. Local Sheriff Cara Ramon is overwhelmed investigating a string of grisly killings and reaches out to the only person she knows capable of stopping the massacre: the resident “monster” and town outcast, her half-brother Drexler…As a youth, Drexler was ostracized by his community, evicted for crimes he allegedly committed. Now as a kinetic agent for Jupiter Security Branch, he will return to his home town to confront his past and help the public that despises him…

Or will he? For Drexler is a hunted man and in his possession is a stolen weapon, a conduit of mass devastation. And one ruthless arms dealer with dark intentions is determined to have it no matter the cost. Willing even to track him down all the way to the edge of nowhere to get it back…

From Creator/Artist Nathan Kelly: I’m thrilled to have my comic Drexler be a part of the SCOUT Comics library! We’re gonna do BIG things with this one!

SCOUT COMICS Brings the Heat this Winter with DOOMSPEAKER!

Coming This Winter From SCOUT COMICS!

DOOMSPEAKER

“A weird carnival, a sinister prophecy, and magic. What else can you really ask for!”-Creator, Walter Ostlie

A boy with the ability to foretell the manner of a person’s death joins with a traveling carnival that hides dark magic and even darker secrets.

Creative Team

• Walter Ostlie (Metalshark Bro, Shiver Bureau)
• Neil Allen Moherman (Cog & Flame)
• Chas! Pangburn (Strayed, Metalshark Bro)

The DOOMSPEAKER Story…When Jarden’s traveling carnival touches down in a small town, he discovers a boy with the ability to foretell the manner of a person’s death. Jarden is fearful of the boy’s role in the prophecy of a Doomspeaker. After the boy’s father, the town sheriff, hangs a member of the carnival, Jarden destroys the town with dark magic and the boy joins the carnival so Jarden can keep an eye on him. Jarden’s carnival continues its journey with the sheriff following and killing any magical beings who get in his way. Along their travels it becomes evident the traveling carnival hides dark magic and even darker secrets.

Chas! Pangburn really sums it all up with Scouts announcement of DOOMSPEAKER, “Neil and Walter have crafted a serious tale about latent abilities, curiosities, prejudices, family, and (literal) “barking irons.” Giddy-up and pre-order before this one’s a goner. “

The SH*TSHOW Is FINALLY HERE From SCOUT COMICS!

Years after a mysterious force ripped the powers from the world’s power-enabled heroes and villains alike, those left have made the best with what remains, joining together to use their powers as part of a traveling circus!

Adam Barnhardt’s debut title, SH*TSHOW is finally almost here! Don’t get caught sleeping on this one!

THE SH*TSHOW STORY

There was once an Age of Heroes, a time Earth was protected by the demigod hero Legend and his band of heroes called Legend’s Legion until one day, the three-headed demon Balam was summoned to the planet. In the ensuing fight, the powers were ripped away from any enabled beings on the planet — heroes and villains, alike. Battered, broken, and losing his entire Legion in the process, Legend was able to cobble together whatever remaining powered beings he could find but by that time, Balam was long gone.

To try coping with an all new world, the heroes banded together to form The Magnificent McCoys, a traveling circus where the performers use their powers to entertain the masses in a time where powers are rare. A god with a dying star for a heart, Legend has taken Balam’s destruction worse than anyone and has since become a crippling alcoholic. Then suddenly one day, Balam returns. Will Legend be able to stay sober long enough to use his powers and end this threat once and for all or will he give up only to doom humanity forever?

CREATIVE TEAM

Adam Barnhardt, Writer –SH*TSHOW debut published comic. Current entertainment journalist for ComicBook.com.

Samir Simao, Pencils/Inks – Descending Outlands (Evil Kat Studios)

Warnia K. Sahadewa, Colors – Wasted Space variant covers (Vault Comics)

LetterQuids, Letters – The Comic Jam, Advent Comics, Insight Editions

 

First and foremost, I’d like to thank James, Brendan, and the rest of the team at Scout for opening up a slot for SH*TSHOW in the lineup. Judging by the other books the label has to offer, SH*TSHOW has found the perfect home alongside like titles. I’m beyond thrilled to work with the Scout team to see where we can take this book.

Writer – Adam Barnhardt

Checkout the amazing SH*TSHOW trailer below!

MERCHANDISE NOW AVAILABLE CLICK HERE

CHECK BACK FOR MORE ON SH*TSHOW!