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BRZRKR gets a new one-shot from The Batman writer Mattson Tomlin. Spider-Gwen is hitting the road in Spider-Gwen: Smash, a new series from Marvel. And the Comic Book Resources Twitter account goes rogue, leading to questions about parent company Valnet.
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Episode Transcript:
BRZRKR returns from The Batman writer.
Spider-Gwen hits the road.
Comic Book Resources gets put on blast.
This is Comic Book Club News for August 24, 2023.
BRZRKR Goes Berzerk From The Batman Writer:
The world of Keanu Reeves’ BRZRKR continues to expand. As just announced by BOOM! Studios, a new one-shot titled BRZRKR: Fallen Empire will hit stores later this year.
Written by Mattson Tomlin, who is also scripting the movie version of BRKRKR, the title will feature art by Rebekah Isaacs, and colors by Jordie Bellaire.
Said Tomlin via a release provided to Comic Book Club News: “Given that I’ve been adapting the feature film version of BRZRKR, it’s a surreal honor to have been invited to pen a small chapter in B.’s 80,000 year history and add to his story in comics. Rebekah Isaacs is a rockstar and her wonderful artwork in FALLEN EMPIRE‘s sweeping, violent romance is going to make your heart skip a beat more than once. What a delight to play in the world Keanu, Matt, Ron, Bill, Clem and BOOM! have created!”
Tomlin’s current comic book work includes the lauded A Vicious Circle, and he’s also scripting the upcoming The Batman Part II.
Here’s the synopsis for the book, also per BOOM!: “The lone survivor of Olos, a long-dead–once thriving–empire, tells a tale of B.’s distant past and the death and cataclysm he brought forth. But what did B. find that could have driven him to such violent ends? The desires of the heart are as much a weapon as any in B.’s arsenal…”
The book will hit stores on November 29, 2023.
Spider-Gwen Hits The Road In New Comic:
Spider-Gwen is swinging back into comics with a musical new series. As previously announced at San Diego Comic-Con, the title, now named Spider-Gwen: Smash will send the hero on the road with the Mary Janes, and bring her face to face with her Earth’s versions of Dazzler, Lila Cheney and more.
The series will be written by Melissa Flores, with art by Enid Balám. Said Flores via press release: “I am having the time of my life writing this limited series! Getting to explore Gwen Stacy’s musical side as she goes on tour with the Mary Janes in her home dimension is a utter delight. Not only will the limits of Spider-Gwen’s aka Ghost-Spider’s powers be tested against some unexpected new enemies, but so will her relationships. There isn’t an escape portal to another world when things get uncomfortable inside a tour bus!”
The four-issue series will debut in stores from Marvel on December 14.
Comic Book Resources Twitter Goes Rogue:
And now, some Comic Book Club News about comic book news, news. Or something like that.
The Comic Book Resources Twitter account went rogue on Tuesday, August 22, when an employee seemingly posted the following on the account: “Despite rumors to the contrary, we have not eliminated our News section. We simply fired all the news editors who didn’t resign in protest and have been slowly gutting our other departments as Valnet continues CBR’s shift to an AI-driven, clickbait-focused content mill.”
For those who aren’t deep in comic book news circles, Valnet is the company that owns CBR, as well as ScreenRant, Collider, and many more. Recently, reports have circulated of poor pay and working conditions at Valnet-related companies, including the firing or exit of multiple editors and writers. Reportedly, even a member of the human resources staff left in response to these moves from management.
As usual, The Beat, an actually good comic book news site, has a great rundown of the situation. In their article, they clarify there is no evidence that Valnet properties are using AI to generate articles, and the company itself vehemently denied this, as well. Still, given the outpouring on social media of former employees lamenting the low pay and teasing that the site may be cutting comics coverage down to five comics-related articles a day, it seems like they may need to change CBR, to DNR.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And just a reminder that AI is theft!
Got tips or stories you’d like us to cover? Email us at comicbookclublive@gmail.com.
For more comic book news, reviews, and interviews, check out comicbookclublive.com.
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