Fred Van Lente (writer of Comic Book Comics, Action Philosophers, and the comic that a little movie called Cowboys & Aliens is based on) and Sarah Oleksyk (Ivy) are teaming up for a new comic, Renaissance. That link is not work-safe, since it features a naked, foul-mouthed Pope, his mistress, and his daughter (!) advising him. But gracious, it’s lovely. With Van Lente’s love of history (and penchant for good research) and Oleksyk’s elegant figures, this looks to be a […]

Archie Comics has announced that Archie #627, due in November, will be the first part of a four-part storyline guest-starring the 70s rock band Kiss. It’s written by “Archie’s own Executive Director of Publicity and Marketing Alex Segura”; art is by mainstay Dan Parent. The story involves Sabrina the Teenage Witch messing up a spell. Kiss helps the Archie gang save the town from the monsters that result. While Archie may be hoping for the “I can’t believe they did […]

After the successful five-issue Love and Capes: Ever After miniseries run at IDW, to be collected this fall as Wake Up Where You Are, Thom Zahler has announced on Twitter that the publishing relationship is continuing. Love and Capes: What to Expect will cover the next major milestone in a couple’s life: pregnancy. I can’t wait to see how Zahler handles the possibility of a super-baby! It will run six issues, debuting in 2012. Since this is my favorite comic […]

Five months after the Diamond Digital program was announced, a plan for physical comic stores to sell online comics, we finally have some details. A press release reveals that the program will launch in September. The reason for the delay? According to Dave Bowen, Director of Diamond Digital, they want “to get every detail of this launch right.” Good plan. It’s kooky enough to start that bugs would likely kill it. After all, the appeal of digital comic shopping is […]

Well, THAT’s the end of an era. Established by Peter A. Laird with some of that Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles money, for 20 years, the Xeric Foundation has awarded twice-yearly grants to aid cartoonists in self-publishing. From their FAQ (no longer available): “Xeric grants can be used for the physical production and distribution of your new or previously unpublished work: printing, color separation, photocopying, solicitation, shipping, advertising, and securing an ISBN number or domain name.” They were also seen as […]