Hulk is getting into a train fight in Marvel‘s upcoming Giant-Size issue. Nicole Maines’s Dreamer is leading a new Suicide Squad for DC Comics. IDW will celebrate its 25th Anniversary next year. All on Comic Book Club News for December 15, 2023.
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Episode Transcript:
Hulk to have a giant-size train fight.
Dreamer to lead new Suicide Squad.
IDW turns 25.
This is Comic Book Club News for December 15, 2023.
Giant-Size Hulk Issue Features Train Fight, New Villain:
Come on ride that train… The Giant-Size train, as in an upcoming issue of the 50th anniversary series, the Hulk will be hitting the railways to battle a new villain, Patchwork Jack.
Written by current Hulk scribe Phillip Kennedy Johnson, with art by Andrea Broccardo, the issue will send the Hulk working on the railroad when Patchwork Jack steals someone from him. Could it be the little girl he’s been paling around with? Or weirder still: Bruce Banner?
Said Johnson via press release: “The North Star I’ve been following on Incredible Hulk is to make EVERY ISSUE a horror and action showcase for the rockstar artists I’ve been so fortunate to work with. I’ve pulled out all the stops to ensure readers don’t miss out on a single page of this book’s potential: new lore, new monsters, fan-favorite guest appearances from across the Marvel U, the most jaw-dropping fights imaginable, the gnarliest transformations Hulk has ever experienced… I want this to be a run that readers never forget. And when my editors asked for a GIANT-SIZE INCREDIBLE HULK one-shot, I knew we had to ramp all that up even more.
“The story we’re telling in GIANT-SIZE HULK #1 has been in the back of my mind since I started writing the series, just waiting for the right moment to be told. It sums up the horror-driven direction of the book, and features some of the most haunting and explosive visuals we’ve seen so far. It also features the first-ever appearance of a horrifying new character: Patchwork Jack, who I can’t wait for readers to meet. I promise you: no Hulk fan will want to miss this issue.”
The issue, which features a reprint of The Incredible Hulk #372 and a cover by Bryan Hitch, will hit stores on April 3, 2024. Marvel certainly hopes you choo-choo-choose it for your pull list.
Nicole Maines’s Dreamer To Lead Suicide Squad For DC Comics:
As teased in this week’s issue of Action Comics, Dreamer is joining a dream team of her own. Or more specifically, she’s getting recruited by Amanda Waller to lead a new version of the Suicide Squad in a series appropriately titled Suicide Squad: Dream Team.
Along with art by Eddy Barrows and Eber Ferreira, the new title will feature the superhero leading a squad that includes Harley Quinn, Bizarro, Clock King, Black Alice, and Deadeye. And it all comes at a time when DC is clearly positioning Amanda Waller as the main villain of the DC universe. So is Dreamer a bad guy now? We’ll have to find out.
While the character of Dreamer pre-dates Maines, this version of the superhero, Nia Nal, was introduced as the first transgender superhero on television on The CW’s Supergirl. Maines has continued to carry the torch for the character, bringing her into DC comics continuity in 2021’s DC Pride #1. Since then, Maines has either written or co-written numerous Dreamer stories, including the upcoming YA graphic novel, Bad Dream: A Dreamer Story.
Suicide Squad: Dream Team hits comic stores on March 12, 2024.
IDW To Celebrate 25th Anniversary:
Good news: IDW is now old enough to rent a car. The publisher has been taking some knocks lately, thanks to some big staff restructuring, and rumblings of financial difficulties. But they’re clearly not so down they can’t celebrate the big two five, as noted in a press release sent Comic Book Club’s way.
Though no specific plans for anniversary sets or looks back to classic books were announced, beginning February, 2024, IDW comics will feature a new logo designed by IDW’s Director of Design, Nate Widdick.
Said IDW Co-Publisher Tara McCrillis: “Helping IDW celebrate 25 years is a true honor. IDW was started with the passion of a few guys in a small office that loved comics and today we still hold true to that sentiment. IDW is filled with some of the most passionate comics professionals in the industry and it is a pleasure to be able to share space with them and keep IDW moving forward toward the next 25!”
There was one more piece of news: starting this week digitally, and next year physically, IDW will release its own solicits catalog, highlighting upcoming titles from the publisher. And the end of the press release teases more to come next year as the anniversary celebrations ramp up.
For Comic Book Club News, I’m Alex Zalben. And IDW, any chance I can bum a ride? I have to pick up some groceries, but… You know what, it’s fine, I’ll just take the bus.
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