Image Comics will release The Walking Dead 20th anniversary box sets this October. Oni Press teases Scott Pilgrim 20th Anniversary plans. Power Girl gets a new secret identity. All on Comic Book Club News for September 26, 2023.
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Episode Transcript:
The Walking Dead to release new box sets.
Scott Pilgrim 20th Anniversary plans afoot?
Power Girl gets a new secret identity.
This is Comic Book Club News for September 26, 2023.
The Walking Dead Releasing 20th Anniversary Box Sets:
True to its name, The Walking Dead will keep shambling along into yet another new format. This time, it’s a series of four 20th Anniversary box sets, which will hit stores weekly this October.
Said writer Robert Kirkman via press release: “It’s staggering to me that after 20 years this series is still in demand and still expanding into different formats. It’s humbling to be hearing stories of this series now being passed down to the next generation of fans, and maybe those fans need a sturdy box for their books to live in.”
Eric Stephenson, Publisher and Chief Creative Officer at Image Comics, added: “When we first launched The Walking Dead in 2003, no one could have guessed that it would go on to become one of our most successful series ever, let alone an international cultural phenomenon, but the stories collected in these four box sets serve as an excellent reminder of not only the series’ broad appeal, but the talent and commitment of Robert Kirkman and his various collaborators.”
Each box set will include eight volumes of the now classic Image Comics series, all with a new slipcover. The first box set, collecting volumes one through eight, will be released on October 3 in bookstores. It will then be released on October 4 in comic book shops. The three subsequent sets will hit over the next three weeks.
The sets currently have a suggested retail price of $125 and are discounted to $116.25 on Bookshop.org. Though, hot tip, if you want to save twenty-five bucks, get the volumes individually and stuff them into a cardboard box.
Are Scott Pilgrim 20th Anniversary Plans In The Works?
The Walking Dead isn’t the only iconic comics property celebrating a 20th Anniversary. 2024 also marks the 20th Anniversary of Oni Press’ first publication of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Little Life. And yes, Oni knows it’s happening.
In conversation with Comic Book Club Live’s crack reporting team at Baltimore Comic Con, Oni Press President and Publisher Hunter Gorinson was asked about the impending anniversary, to which Gorinson replied pointedly: “Yes, we are aware that there is a 20th anniversary next year. So that’s all I can say.”
While Gorinson was light on details about whether this would involve reprintings of the series, a continuation, or something else, he was effusive about the series as a whole. Noting that one of the “huge joys” he’s had working at Oni has been working with O’Malley, he added that he’s “got a small taste of what’s coming up with Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, which is the adaptation slash expansion coming up on Netflix… If you’re a fan of Scott Pilgrim, which even to this day, I feel like is a singular work. There’s nothing else like Scott Pilgrim. It’s a singular thing. And the next closest thing after it is this animated series. So there’s a ton more stuff in there that I think will get people excited [about]. It looks incredible.”
For more on this, as well as Gorinson’s comments about how national bans on Oni’s book Gender Queer actually increase sales of the book, be sure to listen to the full podcast interview.
Power Girl Gets A New Name:
In a story not tied to a 20th Anniversary, DC Comics’ hero Power Girl has gotten a new name in the first issue of her new series. Spoilers for today’s issue past this point!
Previously known as Karen Starr, the alternate Earth version of Supergirl has already taken on the name Paige, an elongated version of her nickname PG. Which itself is short for Power Girl. In Power Girl #1, written by Leah Williams with art by Eduardo Pansica, She gets a full name: Dr. Paige Stetler.
Along with the new name comes a full backstory and identity provided by Superman and Superboy, a renewed interest in the tech sector, and also, glasses. Because you can’t be a Superfamily person in disguise without glasses, right?
That said, by issue’s end Power Girl has already burned away her clothes into her costume in a packed house of attendees and doesn’t seem to be hiding her identity for long. Where’d she get that doctorate from, dum-dum university? Oh god, please don’t kill me.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And the 20th Anniversary is traditionally China, so get ready for the fanciest Scott Pilgrim set of dishware ever.
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