Flash Gordon, Soul Taker, Ablaze & Greaser: Gemini Blues
Mad Cave Studios, Magma Comix & What's coming from Ablaze
Comics news and previews including:
A new Flash Gordon series.
A new series beginning from Mad Cave Studios.
What’s coming soon from Ablaze.
A new release to look forward to from Magma Comix
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Flash Gordon returns to comics with Mad Cave Studios this year, with more information and covers below.
Mad Cave Studios announces exclusive programs and covers for the release of FLASH GORDON series
Since its debut in 1934, Alex Raymond’s Flash Gordon has captured the imagination of readers worldwide with its dynamic storytelling, captivating artwork, and memorable characters. Now, Mad Cave Studios, in partnership with brand-owner King Features, is thrilled to bring this iconic American comic strip back to its origin in pages and panels, featuring an all-star creative team and a fantastic new sci-fi adventure!
The all-new FLASH GORDON series, written by the critically acclaimed animation screenwriter, Jeremy Adams (Green Lantern, Flashpoint Beyond), features illustrations by top DC and Marvel artist Will Conrad (Black Panther, Wolverine, X-Men, Batman, Justice League), with colors by Lee Loughridge, letters by Taylor Esposito, and amazing cover art by comics legend Dan Panosian (Savage Red Sonja, John Tiffany). The kick-off for issue #1 includes the connecting Cover B by National Comics Award winning artist Frazer Irving (Batman & Robin), Cover C by Reilly Brown (Batman/Fortnite: Zero Point), a Cover D blank sketch edition, and retailer incentive covers by Joe Chiodo (Fantastic Four) and Dan Panosian.
Flash Gordon awakens on a secret prison planet somewhere in the galaxy. Upon learning that Dale Arden is the subject of an assassination plot, he's forced to break out and make his way across the galaxy to save her. Along the way, he encounters old friends, new threats, and a greater mystery surrounding WHO is pulling the strings of this universe. The first exciting issue in an all-new ongoing series!
“I couldn't be more excited to see Flash Gordon come back to the printed page,” said writer Jeremy Adams. “Will Conrad has taken the character to a whole new level with his incredible art, and the team at Mad Cave have been a joy to work with as we take this larger-than-life character on a quest that spans the entire universe. Hold onto your seats and get ready for the adventure of a lifetime!”
"I am beyond excited with the chance to work alongside Jeremy and everyone at Mad Cave on bringing Flash Gordon back to comics,” said artist Will Conrad. “It's like going back in time and bringing all of these beloved characters back to the present, with some new and modern tweaks, but without losing the essence of each one. Can't avoid listening to Queens classic rock riff ‘FLASH! AAAAAHHHHH’ every time I sit to draw a panel. I believe everyone will feel the same!"
Expect thrilling escapades, imaginative worlds, and epic storytelling as Flash Gordon once again takes center stage! Mad Cave Studios invites fans and new audiences to embark on this journey and honor the legacy of Flash Gordon that will surely captivate readers around the globe.
The exciting series begins with Flash Gordon #0, available at participating retailers worldwide on Free Comic Book Day on May 5, dovetailed by the legendary cult classic mini-series, Defenders of The Earth trade paperback (Stan Lee, Bob Harras, Michael Higgins, Alex Saviuk, Fred Fredericks) on June 19th. The saga continues with Flash Gordon #1 on July 24th.
Preorders are open at your local LCS and on the Mad Cave Studios website.
News from Mad Cave Studios continues with a new series coming soon - Soul Taker - Where Eternity Meets Its Match. A New York Times bestselling author teams up with a star-studded roster of creators for an enthralling new supernatural tale…
What if the sweet little old lady living next door to your mother is actually a millennia-old creature that feeds off the life forces of humanity?
What is “old” anyway? But living forever isn’t what it’s all cracked up to be…
Mad Cave Studios is excited to announce its latest supernatural horror series, SOUL TAKER, co-written by New York Times best-selling author Tom Sniegoski (Batman, The Punisher, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and Jeannine Acheson (Vampirella, Pantha), with art by Italian cartoonist and illustrator, Valeria Burzo (Caste Full of Blackbirds). Colors by Emilio Lecce, letters by Jim Campbell, and Cover A by Michael Sta. Maria.
Soul Taker: It’s life, death, and the hunger in between.
Amarantha is the last of her race, an ancient species that has lived among us for millennia, feeding on the life energies of humanity. Now enjoying a peaceful existence in a retirement community, she continues to consume just enough to survive. But Amarantha has made enemies throughout her long life and an ancient foe thought long defeated has returned and is out for blood, while a newer threat seeks to capture her for their own nefarious purposes! Now Amarantha must do everything in her power to vanquish her enemies and protect the life she has made for herself.
Soul Taker launches with a variant cover program for its first issue that includes Cover B by Meghan Hetrick, and a Cover C Pride Variant by Rosi Kampe.
“When Jeannine brought me the germ of an idea—an old lady aging backwards while living in elderly housing—I knew that the project that would eventually come from it would be something special, and that it would need a special home,” said Tom Sniegoski. “We continued to work on the idea which would eventually become Soul Taker, hoping that we would find a publisher that understood the kind of story we were trying to tell, and luckily we did with Mad Cave Studios. Jeannine and I are incredibly excited for everybody to experience the unique characters we have created, and the world in which they live.”
“I’m crazy excited to be working with Mad Cave Studios on Soul Taker, my first creator-owned comic series!” said Jeannine Acheson. “It seems like forever ago that the character of Amara was born from an innocent conversation between Tom and me about our elderly moms. And now, four years later, Amara’s story is here, about to be unleashed on the world. I’m so grateful that Mad Cave decided to take a chance on us, and I can’t wait for everyone to meet Amara and the other colorful characters who inhabit her world. A huge thank you is due to the folks at Mad Cave for assembling such a terrific team of professionals to work with us -- they all helped bring our story to life, just the way we imagined it.”
“When I first read the plot for Soul Taker, I was thrilled!” said Valeria Burzo. “It is a horror story with a romantic and gothic aspect, it has a nostalgic flavor coming from most of its characters. The story is divided between flashbacks dating back between the Renaissance and 1700, the Age of Enlightenment, up to the present day. Amara, the protagonist, has an incredible charm both for her aesthetics and for her story. I am really happy that Mad Cave presented me the task of bringing this special story to images because for me, every chapter is a real journey into a fantastic world.”
For fans of Something Is Killing the Children, Hellblazer, and American Vampire, the series begins with Soul Taker #1 (of 6) on July 3rd.
Ablaze has announced its upcoming releases for the Summer of 2024.
Comics and graphic novel publisher ABLAZE looks ahead to summer as it previews a wide range of highly anticipated new releases for June as well as several advance solicitations for titles set to debut in July, August, and September.
Set for July release, ABLAZE presents the ultimate art book for Zombie Makeout Club. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the development of creator Peter Richardson's stylish and macabre brand, from years-past to today, with this beautifully illustrated hardcover volume. Available in regular and deluxe editions.
June is Pride Month and in honor of this important social movement, ABLAZE presents three titles spotlighting LGBTQ+ themes, characters, and creators with the release of ABLAZE PRIDE ‘24 COLLECTED SET, which bundles 3 notable graphic novels – RED LIGHTNING, TALES OF THE CITY and A MAN’S SKIN.
Also set for June release is the ANIMAL CASTLE MIXED FORMAT COLLECTED SET, a special presentation of the Eisner-nominated (Best Limited Series, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist) graphic novel based on the George Orwell classic with this mixed-format collection from ABLAZE. This set offers the current two volumes of ANIMAL CASTLE, the Vol. 1 hardcover and the three issues of Vol. 2 (Cover A, Felix Delep), PLUS two Blank Cover Editions (Vol. #1, Vol. 2 #1), all at a special price!
Manga fans are also invited in June to catch up on BLITZ, the shonen sports manga about the game of chess, with a collected set of the first three volumes at a special price. Horror fans will also enjoy the June debut of the ABLAZE ARTIST SPOTLIGHT COLLECTED SET – Werther Dell‘Edera, which contains two graphic novels from Werther Dell’Edra Co-creator and Artist of Someone is Killing the Children, collected for the first time at a special price.
New additions to a variety of continuing ABLAZE manhwa and comic book titles for June also include GET SCHOOLED (Vol. 4), TORPEDO 1972 (Issue 4). The publisher also highlights several advance solicitations for the summer that include THE TERROR (Issue 4; August release), and THE AWL (Issue 3; September release).
Magma Comix has announced a new series coming in July 2024. Check out the details of Greaser: Gemini Blues.
Magma Comix offers an exciting first-look at the new genre-bending series from dream team Darick Robertson and Stephen B. Jones
Hot on the heels of the Magma Comix WonderCon panel title drop, it’s the full exclusive first-look at the new post-apocalyptic sci-fi romance series, GREASER: GEMINI BLUES, from celebrated writer and creator Darick Robertson (The Boys, Transmetropolitan) and animation artist Stephen B. Jones (Batman Beyond), featuring an exciting cover B series by Darick Robertson throughout the arc!
Buddy is a Greaser, living in Earth's future in the scorching Nevada desert, surviving by doing repairs on the spacecraft of the aliens that moved in decades ago: the Gemini.
Buddy and his Grandma live a simple hardscrabble life in a roadside diner, where he builds his dream car from scavenged parts and imagines what life would be like under the bio-domes of nearby Old Vegas. This quiet life is interrupted when a ruthless motorcycle gang leaves behind precious cargo in their yard. The owners want it back, and will destroy anything in their way!
Throw in a star-crossed love story and you’ve got the world of Greaser: Gemini Blues!
“Venturing into a new area of my creativity, I am excited to be writing an original idea and work with my talented friend Stephen B. Jones, who is expanding from animation and into comics,” said Darick Robertson. “Magma is a great home for this as they too are venturing into new territory and are supportive of creators in a way that gives us the internal support we need to get a book published but with the creative freedom to try some new ideas and different directions. I’m hoping to take my world-building skills acquired from years of making and co-creating original comics and craft a series that is unlike anything I’ve done before.”
“Darick and I have been friends for decades and we have been talking about doing Greaser together since 2019,” said series co-creator and artist Stephen B. Jones. “I am so thrilled that the stars finally aligned so that he and I could collaborate together on something that we both have so much passion and excitement for! Every day I feel like a kid in a candy store with the crazy, inspiring stuff that Darick is calling upon me to draw! Hoping that fans will fall in love with the characters and the world as much as Darick and I have!”
Where Futurama meets Mad Max, Greaser: Gemini Blues #1 debuts in shops on July 3, and is now available for preorder on Diamond and Lunar.
For every 5 copies of Cover B ordered, retailers may purchase one incentive cover by Dan Panosian (Daredevil: Back in Black, Conan, Red Sonja). Colors by Marcus Collar and letters by Shawn Lee.