And we've come full circle

Superstar comic book creator Sean Gordon Murphy is working on a secret new creator-owned project, and he's been teasing it on Instagram. Details are sparse, but Murphy says the comic will be an OGN the length of four issues, and that it will be launched on IndieGoGo at some point in the future (giving the world time to recover from the current coronavirus pandemic first, which is much-appreciated).

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Concept art for my new SECRET PROJECT, a 4 issue (arounds 88 page) OGN. I'll wait until the virus scare dies down before launching my IndieGoGo. But stay tuned!

A post shared by sean murphy (@seangordonmurphy) on Mar 13, 2020 at 1:50pm PDT

Murphy has shared looks several characters from the book on Instagram.

 

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SECRET PROJECT! So I have a manga character in my next OGN, so I'm learning how to draw manga faces, which is really fun. Stay tuned for my IGG launch.

A post shared by sean murphy (@seangordonmurphy) on Mar 16, 2020 at 10:08am PDT

But details on Murphy's new project are otherwise pretty sparse. Though we do know it will feature a spaceship.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

My SECRET PROJECT has a spaceship, so I'm building a model to help me draw it. It's tedious, but I think it'll be worth it. Plus I can sell the model on IGG when I launch.

A post shared by sean murphy (@seangordonmurphy) on Mar 17, 2020 at 2:58pm PDT

Here's all the character designs Murphy has posted so far.

So what is it? Murphy has referred to it as creator-owned, and he's planning to crowdfund it, so definitely not a part of Murphy's expanding Black Label line at DC.

The first character does bear a resemblance to Vale, the hero of Aubrey Sitterson and Fico Ossio's No One Left to Fight, which came out next year, and which we're still waiting on a follow-up for. Maybe Murphy is teaming up with that duo for that follow-up? That would be something. Can we start that rumor right now?

Our editors are telling us that no, we cannot start rumors during the pandemic. Apparently Google doesn't care for it. Something about the spread of dangerous misinformation or something. Which is a shame, because both books do have a man-cat. It's the perfect fit!

But no, more likely, Murphy's super-secret project is merely inspired by the same primordial materials. We'll find out sometime in, hopefully, the near future. But until then, your speculation in the comments will have to do.

As for Sitterson and Ossio's follow-up to No One Left to Fight, we have a suggestion for them. Get in touch with Netflix and work on a crossover with Tiger King, where Billy Von Katz is captured and put in a cage in Joe Exotic's zoo, forcing Vale, Timor, and Krysta to go on another journey to save him. Turns out there's someone left to fight after all!

The post Sean Gordon Murphy Shares Details About his New Creator-Owned Project appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

Silver Surfer: Black #1 (2019) interior sketches by Tradd Moore

House of X #1 - “The House That Xavier Built” (2019) finished art
pencil & ink by Pepe Larraz
color by marte Gracia

It's been a hectic month full of announcements from comic book publishers reacting to the rapidly-changing business conditions created by the coronavirus pandemic. We've been keeping you informed about current matters within the industry here at Bleeding Cool, as every comic book publisher in the business assesses how to navigate these unprecedented conditions. Here's a current list of how a large portion of all the direct market comic book publishers are behaving regarding comic book publication this week — whether print or digitally, during the coronavirus pandemic shutdowns, lock-ins and general restrictions.

• Diamond Comic Distributors is no longer taking in new comic books. They are making staff redundant. They have extended dates on the recently due orders for April titles. They have also allowed retailers to put their account on hold. Free Comic Book Day has been postponed.
• Diamond UK – not distributing, have held orders from last week with no US comics in the UK for at least a month.
• Aardvark Vanaheim have released a free Coronavirus Cerebus In Hell comic book. No digital comics this week.
• Action Lab, has given no word, digital titles available this week,
• AfterShock Comics have no digital comic books this week.
• Ahoy Comics has delayed schedule, reducing prices of digital collections. No digital comics this week.
• Alterna Comics delays all publications, ships by mail order. No digital comics this week.
• Archie Comics will release general market titles digitally, as well as direct-market titles details that had some stores receive them early. Schedule reduced, comics from April, May and June made returnable. Digital sales of direct-market-aimed titles then stopped. General market sales will continue, in print and digital, through bookstores.
• Aspen Press has suspended all publication, indefinitely.
• Black Mask have no digital comic books this week.
• Boom Studios say no digital comics will be released until print distribution resumes, no single issue comic books will ship, but graphic novels and collections will be released through bookstore distribution. Full  returnability through June. and a Retail Support Programme.
• Dark Horse have ceased all direct market comics publications. No digital comics will be released until print distribution resumes – though some arriving in bookstores this week will be listed. Some collections will continue to be distributed through bookstores. Comics are made returnable for three months. Their printer has closed.
• DC Comics has seen their printer has closed. All comics are fully returnable from March 18 to June 24. Print comics will be published from a new source and distributed through multiple distributor alternatives including  Penguin Random House. Some comics released digitally.
• Dynamite Entertainment has delayed titles, increased discounts, made books returnable but is publishing selected collections digitally.
• Humanoids delay all comic books for at least a month.
• IDW Entertainment is adding delays to schedule, making comics returnable and states they have a plan for supporting retailers through the reduction of books in the coming months. They have digital collections listed this week.
• Image Comics has made all their books returnable, and is delaying and staggering their schedule. No digital titles listed this coming week, but they did make the below strip by Alez Coz and Skottie Young available.
• Kodansha has given no word, the comic book publisher has digital titles available this week.
• Marvel Comics has increased discount to retailers considerably, given Diamond better terms of business.
• Oni Press makes comics returnable, delays schedule. No digital comics this week.
• Rebellion is continuing publication of 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine for subscriptions, newsstand and digital.
• Titan Comics has given no word, no digital titles listed this coming week.
• TKO will continue non-Diamond distribution to open stores or direct to customers but will give 50% of direct customer sales to a nominated comic book store.
• Valiant Comics have told creators told to stop working until at least the end of July. No digital comics until print resumes.
• Vault Comics is delaying all titles.
• Viz Media has given no word, no digital titles listed from this comic book publisher for the coming week.
• Yen Press has given no word, digital titles available this week.

And you can keep an eye on how everything will change in the months of isolation to come, with this tag. And if you are a comic book publisher who wants to get the word out about your current operational status, please let us know. Until then…

The post Comprehensive Rundown of Every Comic Book Publisher's Current Status appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.

You all know about Klaatu, right?  The enemy aliens in the 1960s sci fi classic The Day The Earth Stood still?  The Beatles album from 1966, recorded under a pseudonym?  Jabba the Hutt’s henchman gambler?  And, of course, this guy.

He’s an alien energy entity that’s being hunted by Xeron who, for some reason, has hired Abomination to be the first mate on his intergalactic spaceship.  (Remember, A-bomb was being held in a space prison by The Stranger, back in Thor #178.

After the obligatory battle, Xeron hires Hulk as well, and Hulk has a good time living on a spaceship full of weird green aliens.

Eventually, the spaceship gets into a fight with Klaatu and Hulk and Abomination fall from space back to Earth.

The interstellar characters are revived by Bill Mantlo in 1985 (Hulk #306-307), but other than that we never see them again.

Creators: Roy Thomas and Herb Trimpe
Grade: C-

For the complete history of the MU, year by year, go here.

The post Hulk #136-137 (1971):Klaatu appeared first on Berkeley Place.

Last night, as comics publisher DC Comics' statement to retailers regarding their plans for publishing comic books during the coronavirus shutdown was sent to a number of media organisations, Bleeding Cool was able to confirm that DC Comics would be publishing a select number of titles digitally this Wednesday as well.  This move has caused concern from a number of retailers, many of whom are unable to open. The concerns of comic shop retailers are that such digital sales would remove potential print sales from them after a greater sense of normality resumes, however many months away that may be. Some of these retailers question why DC Comics may not have been as upfront about this decision as on their other moves during this period, relying on a briefing to Bleeding Cool rather than a statement.

But Adam Philips, Director – Marketing Service of DC Comics has now added to the original statement in a private Facebook group, passed to Bleeding Cool, where he states, "Here's where we are on digital. All our data shows the digital consumer and the physical consumer are two different audiences. For now, we're going to continue to release digital comics, but will revisit this if the pipeline for physical distribution continues to be challenged and disrupted."

The counter-argument to this is that the situation may drive print comics buyers towards digital, and may lose a percentage of that audience forever to comic book shops. It is also notable that Marvel Comics hasn't stated which way it will go this week – they still have their original printers operational, but have fewer print distribution options than DC Comics has. Here are the titles that DC Comics had planned for this Wednesday. And you can keep an eye on all of Bleeding Cool's coverage of the effect of the coronavirus pandemic on the comic book industry here.

The post DC Comics on Digital Disruption of Distribution in Coronavirus Shutdown appeared first on Bleeding Cool News And Rumors.