With the Carrier setting to shut down in August, I got to thinking about Mark Millar.
wait, what?
Yeah, we’re going to Discord on August.
See here https://thecarrier.net/forums/topic/support-the-carrier/#post-147788
And the Discord link https://discord.com/invite/SjQZ29URZk
Oh wait, were you just surprised that Todd thinks of Millar? (Not that there’s anything wrong with that)
UPDATED AFTER EXCLUSIVE: Paramount-Miramax’s Scary Movie will win the weekend, but Fathom Entertainment’s YouTube sensation The Amazing Digital Circus led Thursday with a reported $7.8M at 2,235 theaters in its first regular day of release. Sources believe the pic’s weekend will be extremely front-loaded. Others were seeing $8M+ for the Glitch Productions animated finale to the cult series that also had a run on Netflix.
Scary Movie posted $7.7M in previews. Amazon MGM Studio’s Masters of the Universe wound up at $4.4M, close to where we were spotting them. Updated Rotten Tomatoes for Scary Movie is 30% Rotten for critics, 69% audience, while He-Man and friends are 70% certified fresh with critics, 88% with audiences. Both pics are sharing PLFs with Masters of the Universe conquering some of Mandalorian and Grogu‘s Imax auditoriums.
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PREVIOUS EXCLUSIVE: Paramount-Miramax’s reboot Scary Movie as of right now is having the first laugh (and ultimately the last) at the box office, and big, with an estimated $7.5M in previews that began at 2 p.m. Thursday. Meanwhile, Amazon MGM Studios’ $170M production of Mattel and Escape Artists’ Masters of the Universe is eyeing around $4M. That Travis Knight-directed take of the 1980s toys and cartoon series began its showtimes at 2 p.m. as well.
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International Space Station astronauts resume normal duties after evacuation order – Guardian
Crew previously told to enter docked spacecraft and don spacesuits in case an air leak worsened
Astronauts onboard the International Space Station have been told to return to normal duties after previously being on evacuation alert due to a worsening air leak.
The four astronauts of Nasa’s Crew-12 mission on the station – two US astronauts, a French astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut – received orders from Nasa mission control at 9.04am ET (2pm BST) on Friday to enter their Crew Dragon spacecraft docked to the station and don their spacesuits in case the air leak warranted an emergency evacuation, a Nasa official said.
But on Friday afternoon Nasa spokesperson Bethany Stevens announced that Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, had paused structural repairs as measurements and data is assessed.
In a post on X she said: “Given this development, Nasa has instructed the crew members inside the Dragon spacecraft to end the safe haven procedures and return to planned operations aboard the International Space Station. We look forward to working with Roscosmos on a collaborative approach to address the leaks.”
Nasa and Roscosmos, the station’s two primary operators, have debated for months over the cause and potential fixes of small air leaks onboard Russia’s Zvezda service module, a key structure of the football-pitch-sized laboratory.
The air leaks have been relatively minor in recent months. But on Monday the problem escalated from one pound of air a day to two pounds (0.9kg), a senior Nasa official told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
According to Russia’s Interfax news, Roscosmos said its experts had detected two oxygen leaks aboard the ISS but there was no immediate threat to the crew.
The first leak was quickly sealed, and preparations were under way to seal the second one, Roscosmos said.
Earlier Stevens said the order for the four crew to prepare for evacuation was made “out of an abundance of caution.” In a post on X she said: “The Zvezda service module transfer tunnel, known as PrK, has suffered from cracks and leaks for some time, and has been mitigated by Roscosmos as much as possible to date.
“The cracks have always been a concern that Nasa watches very closely. Nasa and Roscosmos have been working to determine the root cause of the cracks, and Roscosmos manages the issue through operational mitigation measures and periodic partial-repair efforts. Following new leaks, Roscosmos has elected to proceed with a more extensive repair operation on Friday.”
Stevens added: “Out of an abundance of caution, Nasa has directed all four of the agency’s SpaceX Crew-12 members and Nasa astronaut Chris Williams to assume an elevated safety posture in the Dragon spacecraft while the repair is under way. We continue to work with our Russian counterparts, along with the rest of the international community that supports the space station, to arrive at a more permanent resolution.”
3 out of the 10 Canadian Provinces are larger than the U S. state of Texas.
Quebec: 1,542,056 sq. km
2.2 times larger than Texas
Ontario: 1,076,395 sq. km
1.5 times larger than Texas
British Columbia: 944,735 sq. km
1.4 times larger than Texas
Additionally, two (out of 3) Canadian territories (Nunavut and the Northwest Territories) are also significantly larger than Texas.
Dark Horse Comics agrees to voluntarily recognize Dark Horse Workers United – AIPT
Dark Horse Comics has announced it will voluntarily recognize Dark Horse Workers United, marking a significant development just one week after employees publicly launched their unionization effort.
In a statement released Wednesday, interim CEO Jay Komas said the company is prepared to recognize the union under National Labor Relations Board standards and has already contacted the union’s attorney to begin the process.
“I am pleased to announce that Dark Horse Comics is willing to voluntarily recognize Dark Horse Workers United as a recognized collective bargaining representative under standards established by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB),” Komas said. “Our representatives have reached out to the union’s attorney to initiate the appropriate next steps in this process.”
The announcement follows last week’s news that employees at Dark Horse Media and its affiliated retailer Things From Another World had organized under Communications Workers of America Local 7901. At the time, organizers said 59 eligible employees had signed a letter requesting voluntary recognition by June 3, with plans to pursue a formal NLRB election if recognition was denied.
According to Dark Horse Workers United, the campaign was driven by concerns including pay equity, workplace representation, recent layoffs, wage and hiring freezes, leadership changes, artificial intelligence policies, and return-to-office requirements.
In his statement, Komas acknowledged employee frustrations and expressed support for the organizing effort.
I’ve read your statement carefully, and I realize that organizing a union is not something people do lightly,” Komas said. “It takes courage, coordination, and a level of trust in each other. I understand the employees’ disappointment with how issues have historically been addressed. You’ve taken this step because you believe Dark Horse can be better. So do I.”
Komas also described the company’s decision to voluntarily recognize the union as part of a broader commitment from current leadership.
“Voluntary recognition is an unusual step for employers,” Komas said. “Dark Horse intends to reaffirm its commitment that this new leadership wants to do things differently and enter into good-faith bargaining. Not because we are required to, but because it is the right thing to do.”
The statement also addressed creators, licensors, and readers, emphasizing the company’s intention to create a more supportive workplace while continuing to deliver the comics and licensed projects for which Dark Horse is known.
The unionization effort arrives during a period of substantial change for the publisher. Earlier this year, founder Mike Richardson departed the company after nearly four decades, while Dark Horse also announced the closure of its Things From Another World retail stores and underwent staff reductions.
Founded in 1986, Dark Horse remains one of the comics industry’s most prominent publishers, known for creator-owned titles such as Hellboy and The Umbrella Academy alongside licensed properties including Star Wars, Alien, Berserk, and Trigun.
With voluntary recognition now on the table, Dark Horse Workers United and company leadership are expected to begin the collective bargaining process in the coming months.
“AIPT” most commonly refers to AIPT Comics (formerly Adventures in Poor Taste), a popular pop culture website. However, the acronym is shared by a few different organizations.
Australian Institute of Personal Training (Fitness Education)
AI-Powered Persistent Threat (AiPT)
Association for International Practical Training
‘Stargate’ TV Series From Martin Gero Not Moving Forward at Amazon (EXCLUSIVE) – Variety
The new “Stargate” TV series has been axed at Amazon, Variety has learned exclusively.
The show was first announced with a series order in November 2025. It hailed from writer, executive producer, and showrunner Martin Gero, who was a writer on “Stargate SG-1” and “Stargate: Atlantis” early in his career.
According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, Amazon execs were concerned that Gero’s take on the series would not have broad appeal beyond the franchise’s already dedicated fanbase.
More in link…
Future fun and fisticuffs: Carlos Javier Olivares discusses the wonderful and weird ‘Junk Punch’ – AIPT
From time to time, a comic comes a long that you know will be truly great long before word one.
Junk Punch just such a book.
Admittedly, my love for this new Mad Cave Studios title initially centered on the title alone (which I attest to be the best in at least a decade if not much longer). Then, my admiration only grew when I realized it was another book by Paul Tobin and Carlos Javier Olivares, who made the generally affective String. But once I actually got into Junk Punch (where the duo are joined by colorist Francesca Vivaldi and letterer Taylor Esposito), it too socked me right where it most hurts — squarely in my head and heart.
In Junk Punch, we meet Clara Castanelle, who lives in a world where “new compulsions have arisen to afflict individuals in bizarre ways.” As the title suggests, Clara’s compulsion means she can’t stop KO-ing folks’ nether regions, which she then uses to “solve a bizarre series of thefts, such as kisses stolen from willing and waiting lips.”
And, again, if all you wanted to take away from Junk Punch was the insanity and absurdity, there’s volumes of that to go around. But beyond the neon-colored, near-future hijinks lies something of real depth. A title with this intensely charming lead; oddly resonant themes about being yourself; and attitude and joy to spare. It is, as Mad Cave put it, “entertainment with IMPACT!”
Junk Punch #1 is due out this week (June 3). Ahead of this first blow, we caught up with Olivares earlier this week via email. There, we discussed his collaborations with Tobin, the book’s identity and influences, why Clara works as such a compelling protagonist, balancing the many threads and ideas in this story, and even a possible “Junk Punch-verse,” among other topics and tidbits.
… Click link for interview …
This weekend was one for the box office history books.
Movie theaters across the nation were jamming with Gen Z crowds, who showed up en masse for not one but two buzzy horror films. A24’s “Backrooms” collected a jaw-dropping, record-breaking $81 million from 3,442 North American theaters in its opening weekend. That’s as ticket sales for the Focus Features breakout “Obsession” jumped again in its third frame with $26.4 million from 2,781 cinemas — and crossed the $100 million mark domestically. Both movies were directed by YouTube stars and cost nearly nothing to produce, upending conventional wisdom about the necessary components for a hit.
“This should empower the industry. There’s a new audience, and they’re waiting for this kind of content,” says analyst Jeff Bock of Exhibitor Relations. “We knew indie horror was hot, but we didn’t know how hot. It’s actually competing with the big summer blockbusters.”
The original fare ruling is especially striking at the start of summer movie season, a period that’s usually dominated by major franchises. Yet Disney’s “Star Wars” spinoff, “The Mandalorian and Grogu,” suffered a catastrophic 70% drop in its second weekend, signaling the property isn’t catering beyond an aging group of core fans. Despite playing on far more screens, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” landed in third place on weekend charts behind “Backrooms” and “Obsession.”
Directed by 20-year-old Kane Parsons, “Backrooms” has earned $118 million globally so far. The psychological thriller has obliterated projections, with early tracking suggesting a $40 million to $50 million domestic debut. With a production budget of roughly $10 million, it’s already one of the most profitable movies of the year. Though a sequel hasn’t been announced, Parsons has already started toying with the idea of turning “Backrooms” into a film franchise.
“Backrooms” also set several box office benchmarks: It delivered the largest opening weekend ever for A24, crushing the record set by Alex Garland’s 2024 thriller “Civil War” with $25.5 million. It also ranked as the biggest debut in history for original horror, as well as the best start for a first-time filmmaker on a non-franchise film. Parsons is the youngest director, by far, to have the No. 1 film at the box office. The benchmark was previously held by Josh Trank, who was 27 when 2012’s “Chronicle” opened in first place with $22 million.
Based on Parsons’ hit web series, “Backrooms” follows a furniture store owner (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who finds a secret doorway that leads him to a seemingly endless stretch of nondescript rooms. When he disappears, his therapist (Renate Reinsve) ventures into the unknown to rescue him. Nearly 85% of audiences were under the age of 35, and more than 50% were 25 or younger, according to PostTrak data.
Parsons and Barker are part of a wave of YouTubers who have turned their talents to the big screen — and brought their enormous, youthful fanbases along with them. Earlier this year, YouTube creator Mark Fischback directed, self-financed and distributed the horror film “Iron Lung,” which earned a stellar $50 million against a $3 million budget.
“Whether or not this is ushering in a new era or a paradigm shift for the business remains to be seen, but this YouTube creator-to-big screen pathway should be viewed as complementary,” says Comscore’s head of marketplace trends, Paul Dergarabedian. “It’s a production pipeline that has not existed until now.”
What’s all the more impressive is that “Backrooms” and “Obsession” aren’t cannibalizing each other at the box office. In fact, “Obsession” rose 10% from the prior weekend, which was already up a stunning 39% from its solid $17 million debut. It’s defying box office norms as the first film since “E.T. The Extraterrestrial” in 1982 to see ticket sales increase in its second and third weekends outside of the holiday season, according to Focus. After three weekends of release, “Obsession” has grossed $106 million domestically and $148 million worldwide against a mere $1 million production budget. It’s already the highest-grossing domestic release for Focus, besting the tally of 2019’s “Downton Abbey” with $96.8 million in North America.
“Blumhouse-Atomic Monster has the No. 1 and No. 2 movies in the country this weekend, both made for almost no money. Theaters are packed,” producer Jason Blum wrote on Twitter. “What a time to be making scary movies.”
As “Backrooms” and “Obsession” generated the lion’s share of attention, “The Mandalorian and Grogu” tumbled to third place with just $25 million from 4,300 venues in its sophomore outing. Such a catastrophic decline signals the Force didn’t remain strong during the franchise’s seven-year absence from the big screen, though insiders at the company were aware “The Mandalorian and Grogu” could pose a challenge as the continuation of a Disney+ series.
So far, the “Star Wars” installment has generated $137.4 million domestically and $246.6 million globally. It’s found money in the eyes of cinema operators, who knew Disney could have dropped “The Mandalorian and Grogu” on its streaming service. For the studio, which produced the space opera spinoff for $165 million, movie theaters represent another revenue stream before the movie lands on Disney+ — not to mention the hordes of Grogu toy sales. Meanwhile, the company is hoping that next summer’s “Star Wars: Starfighter,” an original adventure directed by Shawn Levy and starring Ryan Gosling, serves as a fresh start for the franchise.
“Weekend two had to be big, but ‘Mandalorian and Grogu’ just crashed and burned,” says Bock. “That’s more of a reception of this film than the larger ‘Star Wars’ universe.”
With much of the attention on “Backrooms” and “Obsession,” two other new releases — Sony’s PG family comedy “The Breadwinner” and Focus Features’ war drama “Pressure — fell short of expectations.
“The Breadwinner” rounded out the top five on North American charts with $7.5 million from 2,352 theaters. The movie landed behind Lionsgate’s musical biopic “Michael,” which is in its sixth weekend of release. “The Breadwinner” stars Nate Bargatze, one of the world’s top-touring comedians, as a husband who agrees to become a stay-at-home dad when his wife lands a deal on “Shark Tank.” Audiences were much fonder of the film compared to critics, as evidenced by the “A-” grade on CinemaScore and the 28% on Rotten Tomatoes. Sony produced the film for $25 million.
The movie is over-performing in the middle states of the country,” says David A. Gross, who publishes the box office newsletter FranchiseRe. However, he notes, “these [comedies] generally do not travel overseas.”
“Pressure” debuted at No. 7 with a soft $5.4 million from 1,829 venues. Although the film, a World War II drama, was set as counter-programming against the family-oriented tentpoles and horror hits, older crowds weren’t as eager to leave home. Ticket buyers who did venture out seemed pleased, awarding the movie an “A” grade on CinemaScore. Brendan Fraser portrays Dwight D. Eisenhower in “Pressure,” which takes place in the tense 72 hours leading up to D-Day.
Michael,” which has demonstrated exceptional staying power since April, brought in $11.7 million over the weekend. So far, the Michael Jackson biopic has earned $339.9 million in North America and a mighty $851.3 million globally. It should soon outpace 2018’s “Bohemian Rhapsody” ($911 million) as the highest-grossing musical biopic of all time.
Next weekend could produce a horror trifecta with Paramount’s parody sequel “Scary Movie.” Then summer should be sizzling with Steven Spielberg’s sci-fi adventure “Disclosure Day” (June 12), Pixar’s “Toy Story 5” (June 19) and DC’s “Supergirl” (June 26). Meanwhile, July brings Universal’s “Minions and Monsters” (July 1), Disney’s “Moana” remake (July 10), Christopher Nolan’s historical epic “The Odyssey” (July 17) and Sony’s “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” (July 31). Box office watchers believe the four-month stretch, regularly the most profitable period for the business, could hit $4 billion for only the second time since the pandemic.
“Moviegoing is hot. ‘Backrooms’ and ‘Obsession’ are electrifying the market, and it’s sensational,” says Gross. “But the industry also needs the big summer productions and franchises to deliver.”
Woody, Odysseus and Peter Parker — the industry is looking to you.
First, how is it possible that there are no Canadian teams in the finals?! It just doesn’t seem right.
Yeah, no wins since 1993 (Montreal over Gretzky and LA).
As long as its not Toronto.
Carolina is a spectacular team.
Won it in 2006, coach Rod Brindamour (BC boy!) Played back then.
100 playoff wins for Carolina, and Brindamour has played or coached in 98 of them.
I hope they trounce League darlings Vegas.
‘Star Wars’ editor Marcia Lucas, former wife of George Lucas, dies at 80 – SF Chronicle
Oscar winner Marcia Lucas, the former wife of George Lucas who edited some of the seminal films of the 1970s, including the original “Star Wars,” has died.
Lucas, whose primary residence was in San Francisco, died at her vacation home in Rancho Mirage (Riverside County) on the evening of Wednesday, May 27, her family told the Chronicle through their San Francisco attorney, Deidre Von Rock. The cause was metastatic cancer.
“Marcia was a force,” her family said in a statement. “A true trailblazer for women in film and one of the most influential editors in cinematic history; she helped redefine what film editing could be and paved the way for generations of women who followed.”
Born Marcia Lou Griffin in Modesto but raised in North Hollywood, she met her future husband when both were assistants for pioneering female film editor Verna Fields (1975’s “Jaws”). They married in 1969.
As George Lucas, also a Modesto native, began his directing career working with Francis Ford Coppola’s American Zoetrope, Marcia Lucas rose in the ranks to help shape several groundbreaking works by the young auteurs of New Hollywood.
She co-edited George Lucas’ breakthrough film “American Graffiti” (1973) with Fields, and went on to edit “Star Wars” (1977) and “Return of the Jedi” (1983). She also edited Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore” (1974), “Taxi Driver” (1976) and “New York, New York” (1977).
“She will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, an incredible friend, a loving mother, a generous host, and a woman whose humor and sparkle filled every room she entered,” her family said. “Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember something even greater: the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun, and more full of love.”
Lucas received her first Academy Award nomination for “American Graffiti” and won her only Oscar for “Star Wars,” which she co-edited with Paul Hirsch and Richard Chew.
Marcia Lucas and George Lucas adopted a daughter, Amanda, who was born in 1981. The couple divorced in 1983.
That same year Marcia married Tom Rodrigues, a stained glass artist. They had a daughter, Amy, in 1985 but divorced in 1993.
Lucas is survived by her daughters Amanda Lucas and Amy Soper; her grandchildren Felix and Aeliana Hallikainen, and Knox Soper; and her chosen family Sarah Dyer and Jon Taylor.
Funeral arrangements are pending. The family has asked for privacy.
Che Grayson reveals how ‘Absolute Catwoman’ turns Selina Kyle into DC’s deadliest spy – AIPT
Plus, we talk cyberpunk espionage influences and why this rage-fueled take is especially dangerous.
There’s a moment in Absolute Catwoman when Selina Kyle makes her intentions perfectly, abundantly clear.
As we might expect with other “versions,” she’s not sneaking through Gotham alleyways looking for leftovers. She is not flirting her way through danger with nerves of steel. She is also not waiting for Batman to determine her orbit. Instead, this Selina walks into a room already knowing that she’s the smartest person there, armed with gadgets worthy of Ethan Hunt, enough rage to fuel a revolution, and the kind of confidence only someone who clawed their way out of hell could possess.
For co-writer Che Grayson, that reinvention starts with reframing why Selina steals in the first place.
“She learned to be a thief because she understood all of the things, all of the resources that are taken from her and people like her,” Grayson said in a recent all. “And so it’s a complete reframing of why Selina Kyle and Catwoman does what she does.”
Absolute Catwoman #1 — launching June 10 from DC — reunites Grayson with co-writer Scott Snyder. Meanwhile, artist Bengal brings Nick Dragotta’s original Absolute Universe design into motion with sleek cyberpunk energy and globe-trotting espionage thrills. The series spins Selina out of Gotham and into a dangerous international conspiracy, where high-tech heists, buried trauma, and a fractured past collide.
The setup appears closer to Mission: Impossible, The Matrix, and The Girl with Dragon Tattoo than a traditional Batman comic, though Grayson says that’s exactly the point. That said, Che made it clear that Absolute Catwoman is the Batman of this universe.
“If she’s the Batman of this world, if she has the wealth and all the gear and all the gadgets, what does that look like?,” Grayson said. “When you think about an Ethan Hunt or a Batman, none of them look like her.”
That very question became the backbone of the book. In the Absolute Universe, Selina isn’t simply surviving Gotham; she escaped it. At 25 years old, she’s already one of the most accomplished thieves on the planet, stealing secrets instead of diamonds while attempting to leave behind the pain of her upbringing in Gotham’s foster system. She’s bought herself a villa in Sicily. She wants peace, isolation, and, ultimately, freedom. Naturally, the comics have other plans.
“She wants to be free. She wants to be untouchable,” Grayson said. “It seems like she’s always almost there.”
Part of what makes this Selina feel so distinct is Grayson’s decision to root the character in an Afro-Cuban identity, something she says was central to her original pitch to Snyder. Rather than relying on the traditional superhero shorthand of dead parents and endless tragedy, Grayson wanted Selina’s deepest wound to come from disconnection itself.
“The thing that she’s dealing with is this idea of being separated from this home,” Grayson said. “If you’re torn from a place, who are you?”
In Grayson’s version, Selina has almost no connection to the place she came from before Gotham consumed her entirely. That absence informs everything about how she moves through the world. She isn’t driven by nostalgia or legacy — she’s driven by survival and self-invention.
“There is nothing for her in the past,” Grayson said. “The second you accept that you can’t get those answers, you have to decide to take control of who you become.”
That emotional foundation also fuels one of the more surprising ideas in the Absolute line so far: the Calicoes, a crew of cat burglars tied directly to Selina’s past. Grayson describes them as this universe’s answer to the Bat-Family or Birds of Prey, though with considerably more anger and emotional baggage attached.
“We’ve never really seen a crew that revolves around her,” Grayson said. “This idea that instead of a Bat-Family, there could be a cat family is something that I really wanted to play with.”
That focus on identity, found family, and emotional survival comes naturally to Grayson, whose background stretches far beyond comics. Before co-writing one of DC’s biggest launches of the summer, she built a career as a filmmaker, TED speaker, and storyteller fascinated by horror, trauma, and transformation. Her original comic Rigamo — about a young Black girl whose tears resurrect the dead — emerged from those same themes.
Grayson studied filmmaking under Spike Lee and Kasi Lemmons at NYU, developed genre projects rooted in emotional conflict, and spent years refining stories focused less on spectacle and more on the people surviving it.
That shared focus on character is exactly why Snyder became an ideal collaborator for Graysin.
“What he has to say is always so clear,” Grayson said. “There’s always going to be a heart. There’s always going to be a theme. He’s not going to leave you with just, ‘That was the most awesome thing I’ve seen.’ He’s going to leave you with, ‘How do I feel about what these characters went through?’”
The collaboration also helped Grayson rebalance how she handled superhero comics structurally. Coming from filmmaking and creator-owned work, she admits that her early scripts tend to cram “18 things” into 22 pages. Snyder encouraged her to slow down, let moments breathe, and to really trust readers to sit with the characters instead of rushing towards the next explosion.
Still, the explosions are there. So are motorcycles, spy gadgets, globe-spanning conspiracies, and action sequences. Bengal reportedly attacks the story with near-total creative freedom. Grayson repeatedly returns to the idea that each Absolute title occupies its own genre lane. Absolute Wonder Woman leans heavily into the mythical and supernatural, and Absolute Green Arrow channels some gripping horror. Absolute Catwoman lives firmly in sleek espionage thrillers and cyberpunk noir.
“You’re going to get little bits of cyberpunk, little bits of thriller espionage, and that globe-trotting feel,” Grayson said.
Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of Grayson’s approach is what she intentionally avoids. Catwoman’s sexuality has long been central to the character across comics, film, and television. However, Grayson wanted this version’s power to stem from somewhere else entirely.
“My biggest influence for her was Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” Grayson said. “There’s a way that you can be sexy and angry.”
This Selina doesn’t seduce people because she rarely needs such access. She’s too capable, too armed, and too furious to rely on manipulation. Her anger becomes the defining force behind the character, fueled by systemic inequality, displacement, and years spent building herself into someone truly untouchable.
And when the past finally catches up to her, Grayson promises Absolute Catwoman is prepared to go bigger, stranger, and more dangerous than readers expect.
“We want to take it all the way,” Grayson said. “The kind of people she’s rubbing elbows with are so powerful, they’re the ones you don’t even know about.”
Absolute Catwoman #1 arrives in comic shops on June 10.
Is the Transformers comic written by Ralph Macchio from Karate Kid?
Ralph Macchio (not to be confused with the actor) is a legendary comic book writer and editor best known for his 30+ year career at Marvel Comics. For Transformers, he notably scripted the historic premiere issue of the original 1984 Marvel G1 series, alongside writing the comic adaptation of Transformers: The Movie.
Image Comics August 2026 Solicitations – League of Comic Geeks
Solicitations for August 2026 – at Image
Full August 2026 Marvel Comics solicitations: Spider-Man #1000, Midnight X-Men, and more – AIPT
Spider-Man #1000, Midnight X-Men, Queen in Black, and more headline a massive month of Marvel comics packed with new launches, major milestones, and universe-shaking stories.
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Marvel Comics August 2026 Solicitations – League of Comic Geeks
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Marvel August 2026 Solicitations: MIDNIGHT X-MEN #1 and more debut – Comics Beat
Tickets for Supergirl go on sale this Tuesday (May 26th) at 12pm noon everywhere.
And?
And I shall leave the house for once Going to see the Imax screening (well, plan to).
Hope it does well.
Full August 2026 DC Comics solicitations: Batman: Bad Seeds, Absolute Universe chaos, and more – AIPT
‘Batman: Bad Seeds’ begins, the Absolute Universe keeps escalating, and Gotham faces major upheaval in a packed month of DC launches, crossovers, and milestone issues.
DC’s August 2026 solicitations are loaded with major Batman developments, huge Absolute Universe moments, and ambitious new launches across the DC line.
It all leads with Poison Ivy’s terrifying Bad Seeds crossover, but fans of Mark Waid and Chris Samnee get a return to Gotham for Batman & Robin: Year One – Dynamic Duos. At the same time, the Absolute Universe continues to expand with big turns for Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, Green Arrow, and more. Add in new projects from Ram V, Jeff Lemire, Tom Taylor, Sophie Campbell, and Dan Slott, plus a wave of anniversary facsimiles and deluxe collections, and August is shaping up to be a massive month for DC fans.
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DC Comics August 2026 Solicitations – League of Comic Geeks
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DC Comics August 2026 Solicitations – Comics Beat
‘Absolute Green Arrow’ #1 is a brutal reinvention that hits the bullseye – AIPT
Absolute Green Arrow #1 Is Worth All the Hype (Review)
Review – Absolute Green Arrow #1: The Hunter’s Bow
DC Round-Up: ABSOLUTE GREEN ARROW #1 hits like a grenade arrow to the face – Comics Beat
Absolute Green Arrow #1 Review: Another Bullseye Hit for DC – SuperHeroHype
Mike Mignola and Michael Avon Oeming launch new Hellboy Universe series ‘Ghost of a Ghost’ – AIPT
‘Ghost of a Ghost’ #1 is due out on September 23, 2026
Mike Mignola and Chris Roberson are teaming with superstar artist Michael Avon Oeming for Ghost of a Ghost, a new four-issue limited series spinning out of Giant Robot Hellboy. Written by Mignola and Roberson, with art by Oeming, colors by Taki Soma, and letters by Clem Robins, the series follows Agent Jian through a psychedelic spy adventure set in the 1960s. Ghost of a Ghost #1 features a cover by Oeming alongside a variant by Dave Johnson, with later issues featuring variants by Kevin Nowlan, Elsa Charretier, and Michael Cho.
“Many of the stories that I’ve worked on in the Hellboy Universe have started with a conversation, with me having the germ of an idea or Mignola having a half-formed notion he wants to explore,” explained Chris Roberson. “Sometimes the inspiration leans more toward one of us, but this was fully Mike Mignola’s idea from the start. A few years ago at a convention, he sat down with me, Mike Oeming, and Taki Soma and laid out his vision for this character introduced in Giant Robot Hellboy. From there, we got to work bringing it to life. We were all completely aligned on Jian and her story from the start: a globe-trotting spy-fi thriller set in the swinging Sixties, approached in a way the Hellboy Universe hasn’t really explored before.”
Readers first met superspy Agent Jian in Mike Mignola and Duncan Fegredo’s 2023 Giant Robot Hellboy, where she was exposed to enkeladite, a radioactive substance capable of causing horrifying mutations. Now Jian is tied to a shadowy spy network and using her strange new abilities to stop enkeladite from falling into dangerous hands. The trouble is figuring out whose hands are truly dangerous.
“I’m excited to be working on another Mignola project with writer Chris Roberson and colorist Taki Soma,” said artist Michael Avon Oeming. “We’re bringing a fun retro 1960s spy vibe into the Hellboy world, and if readers have even half as much fun with it as we did making it, they’re going to have a blast.”
Out this coming Wednesday (May 27th) at Local Comic Shops.
Or you can wait until June 23rd from other retailers.
FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE A CRIMINAL BOOK HC
A brand new CRIMINAL graphic novel featuring the legendary RICKY LAWLESS and the crazy tale of how he and MALLORY fell in love in the midst of a crime spree. **
In one of the wildest, most action-packed books that Brubaker and Phillips have ever done, we delve deep into the life of one of CRIMINAL’s most complex and tragic characters, Ricky Lawless as he tries to pay off a deep debt to a mobster, while things just keep going from bad to worse.
FIVE GEARS IN REVERSE will have long-time CRIMINAL fans cheering the return of RICKY LAWLESS and new readers will find it a perfect jumping-on-point for the greatest crime comic series of the 21st century.
“Brubaker and Phillips don’t hit a wrong note.” – Shane Black
Retail: $24.99
ISBN: 9781534333208
Product Code: 1225IM0263
“The Mandalorian and Grogu’ Splits Critics: “Most Boring Star Wars” vs. “Best in Decades” – Hollywood Reporter
The official review embargo has ended and here’s what critics are saying about ‘The Mandalorian and Grogu.’
Mark Fuhrman, Former LAPD Detective Involved in O.J. Simpson Murder Trial, Dies at 78 – Hollywood Reporter
Marvel Comics Shake-Up: TV Chief Brad Winderbaum Takes on Publishing as Veteran Dan Buckley Exits – Hollywood Reporter
At the same time, David Abdo will segue from Disney’s music group to serve as general manager, comics and franchise.
Marvel has shaken up its comics publishing unit.
The Disney division has promoted Brad Winderbaum, already its chief of television and animation, to head of Marvel television, animation, comics and franchise, Marvel has announced.
At the same time, David Abdo will segue from Disney to serve as Marvel’s general manager, comics and franchise, reporting to Winderbaum.
With the new top leadership coming in, that means that Dan Buckley, the longtime Marvel Comics topper, is departing. Buckley will remain at Marvel through mid-2027 to support the leadership transition.
The leadership change is, in some ways, a long time coming. Marvel Studios chief Kevin Feige added publishing to his portfolio in 2023 and observers have been waiting for him to put his imprint on the comics side of the company. And the change comes after Marvel ceded its position of comics market share leader for the first time this century, losing it to historic rival DC and the runaway success of its Absolute Universe line. DC also dominated the industry’s Eisner Awards which were announced last week.
According to Marvel, Winderbaum will oversee the creative direction of Marvel’s publishing portfolio, as well as Marvel’s global brand and franchise efforts, in addition to his current role overseeing television and animation. C.B. Cebulski, Marvel Comics’ current editor-in-chief, will report to Winderbaum.
“Brad’s exceptional creative leadership and David’s deep experience in operations and digital innovation will be a powerful pairing as we begin building out the next 90 years of Marvel’s comic book legacy,” said Feige in a statement. “Brad brings a proven ability to lead creative teams and craft ongoing, episodic narratives that resonate with our fans around the world, while David offers a strong track record of operational excellence and strategic growth. I’m excited for what they’ll be able to do together.”
Winderbaum has been with Marvel since the making of its inaugural movie, Iron Man. Moving up the ranks, he took on its live-action and animated series, serving as executive producer on all Marvel Studios shows including Hawkeye, Loki season 2, Agatha: All Along, Daredevil: Born Again, X-Men ’97, and Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man.
Abdo is described as a strategic and results-focused executive with digital expertise and 20-plus years of leadership experience transforming and building media businesses. He was most recently general manager of Disney Music Group, responsible for the day-to-day management of Disney’s global music division.
Buckley acted as Marvel Comics’ publisher and then president of Marvel Entertainment before having the more recent title of head of Marvel comics and franchise. Feige praised the departing exec for his years of service.
“From events like Civil War, Secret Wars, X-Men: Age of Krakoa, and the soon to be released Marvel Midnight imprint, to the expansion into video games, television, animation and more, Marvel’s influence on popular culture expanded under Dan’s leadership, bringing our characters and stories to new fans around the world,” stated Feige. “Dan has left a lasting mark on Marvel’s legacy and on the comics industry, and I’m deeply grateful to him and pleased we will have his full support through this transition.”
‘Law & Order: SVU’ Star Mariska Hargitay’s Rape Kit Backlog Campaign Marks Legislative Wins in All 50 States – Hollywood Reporter
The actress and the Joyful Heart Foundation have reached a milestone 16 years in the making.
Mariska Hargitay’s Joyful Heart Foundation has achieved a milestone more than a decade in the making.
On Friday, it was announced that after 16 years, the End the Backlog campaign has successfully driven rape kit reform legislation in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. Maine became the final state to enact at least one of the campaign’s six pillars of reform, marking a nationwide breakthrough in efforts to eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits and help prevent future backlogs.
According to End the Backlog, the six pillars of rape kit reform include mandating the submission and testing of all backlogged kits, requiring the testing of all new kits, creating statewide rape kit tracking systems, conducting statewide inventories, ensuring survivors have access to the status of their kits, and securing dedicated funding to support submission, testing and tracking.
Hargitay — best known for playing Captain Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit — founded the Joyful Heart Foundation in 2004 after her work on the NBC series deepened her awareness of the trauma survivors often carry. The organization’s mission is to transform society’s response to sexual assault, domestic violence, child abuse, support survivors’ healing and end violence. Central to that mission is the End the Backlog campaign, which seeks to eliminate the hundreds of thousands of untested rape kits stored across the United States so survivors can pursue justice and closure.
“Today marks a watershed moment not only for the State of Maine, but for every survivor who has asked if their rape kit was forgotten, if their truth was abandoned on a shelf, if they have hope of finding justice,” Hargitay said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. “This did not happen overnight. It happened because survivors spoke their truth. It happened because advocates refused to let urgency become complacency. It happened because Rep. Geiger, Sen. Bennett, and Sen. Duson, along with many other inspired legislators, championed a cause that demanded their persistence and years of dedicated work. And it happened because our community insisted that every survivor deserves accountability, transparency, and dignity in the handling of their kit.”
“This moment is a promise that the system can and will be transformed into a source of light, not darkness,” Hargitay concluded. “To the survivors who have carried this cause in their hearts: this milestone belongs to you. We are far from done, but how glorious to take this moment to honor how far we have come together.”
Finished my Star Blazers re-watch.
Season 1 – Quest for Iscandar.
Good stuff, just ended a bit flat.
Good ride all in all
But where can I find season 2, The Comet Empire?
All on You Tube, watching it now.
Honestly starting flat, just started episode 4, finally disobeying and heading out, I think? Should happen this episode.
And might be unfair to judge Japanese Season one 1974, season 2 1978, and season 3 1980.
But only one wonan? I love Nova, just scared lady friend (sometimes demon woman) wakes up and sees me.
Or should I just stop talking now?
The new Evan Dorkin compilation from dark horse
Love it, absolutely!
And not complaining.
Just
With the tight nature of some of those single pages, this is very much deserving of a massive oversized edition.
I would pre-order two copies day one.
Boom! Comic Porn…
Just saying. I should be happy with this, as today is better than yesterday.
Who knows what it took to make this happen.
How Lanterns gave DC’s ‘space cops’ a gritty drama with dueling timelines (exclusive) – Entertainment Weekly
Of all the heroes in the pantheon of DC Comics, the Green Lanterns are more fantastical than most of their peers. That’s courtesy of their power rings, a perk of entering the Green Lantern Corps., the intergalactic policing organization that protects sectors of the cosmos.
Fueled by the green energy of will, the alien bling allows its bearer to summon virtually anything they can imagine into existence. Need to catch a falling civilian in a giant baseball mitt? Want to suit up inside a glowing green Gundam-style battle bot? Power blasts, force fields, armor, weapons, constructs — it’s all on the table.
“It’s the power of creativity to a certain extent. You’re thinking on the fly,” Chris Mundy, the showrunner behind HBO and DC Studios’ upcoming Lanterns drama, tells Entertainment Weekly. “It’s the power of whatever your brain decides will solve the thing in front of you. So we try to have fun with that. There are times where we use it as a funny thing in the middle of a situation and then there are times where we use it [practically].”
It’s what makes the specific vision for the new prestige drama so intriguing. You can’t get more intergalactic than the Lanterns, yet Lanterns, the series, is a very grounded Earth-based mystery in the style of True Detective. Kyle Chandler (Friday Night Lights) and Aaron Pierre (Mufasa: The Lion King) star as two of these heroes, veteran Hal Jordan and newbie John Stewart, who investigate a crime in Nebraska.
Basically, Mundy & co. — including fellow co-creators Damon Lindelof (Watchmen, Lost) and Tom King (comics scribe) — gave the so-called “space cops” of the DC universe their own cop show.
“We wanted to tell an on-the-ground story, and that has a couple of different mysteries inside of it,” Mundy explains. “What we have going for us is that it’s a Green Lantern story. They can conjure anything from the ring. They do go off the planet. There’s all these other powers that they have. We wanna use everything that’s great about the mythology of the Green Lanterns, but at the same time, we wanted it to feel like an upscale mystery, a very emotionally tangible story about these people that are in it.”
The old guard and the heir apparent”
That story begins in 2016, when a shooting occurs in the small rural town of Rushville, Neb. Hal Jordan, who has been keeping tabs on the town from afar for quite a while, is convinced it’s an alien incident. However, the local authority, Sheriff Kerry (Kelly Macdonald), finds no evidence to support that assertion.
“There’s a familiar tension just in terms of jurisdiction,” Mundy describes. “It’s not like F.B.I. and locals. It’s the Lantern Corps. and a local sheriff. That’s our entry into that town and into the mystery.”
Hal is forced to bring along John Stewart, the new Earth-bound Lantern recruit he still reluctantly mentors two months in. John remains a constant source of ire for Hal due to the fact that he is an anomaly.
In the history of the Corps., the ring always chooses the Lantern. Those are the rules. It’s how Hal got the job in the first place. There was never meant to be a Green Lantern of Earth, Mundy says, but after one of their members, Abin Sur, fatally crash landed on the planet, the alien’s ring was drawn to this former pilot to be its new bearer.
John’s recruitment, however, marks the first time the Guardians of the Universe, the very founders of the Corps. itself, intervened to self-anoint a member of their order. They felt they had just cause.
Back when Hal was a recruit, he was mentored by a veteran Lantern named Thaal Sinestro. Fans know the character’s story well from the pages of DC comics: The once-storied member of the Corps. went rogue and became consumed by the more corrupt yellow energy of fear. Ulrich Thomsen portrays Sinestro on the HBO drama, but Mundy plays coy about whether he is the big bad of season 1.
“Obviously in the canon, Sinestro’s the big bad,” he prefaces. “The thing that interests us is this idea [that] Hal was trained by Sinestro, Hal is training John. In the coaching tree, we’re very interested in what gets passed on, what doesn’t, how much is human nature. We talked a lot about programming and parenting and training…What did Hal take away from Sinestro that was good or bad? It brings up a lot of interesting worries.”
The main worry being that Hal is now forced to train his own replacement. John is the backup Lantern in the event anything happens to Hal. It’s “the old guard and the heir apparent,” Mundy notes. “We lean into that tension quite a bit in that early time period.”
Dueling timelines
No, Mundy didn’t slip up. There are two timelines in season 1 of Lanterns. The drama unfolds between the 2016 setting involving the shooting in Rushville and 10 years later “to something else” in 2026, the showrunner teases.
“That becomes a second mystery that we know is down the road for us,” he continues. “So eventually two different mysteries get worked out over the course of the show.”
Going back to the True Detective reference, Mundy explains how the dueling timelines of Lanterns “create emotional mysteries.” Referring to that Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson season, in particular, he says, “It was less of a whodunnit as much as like, what happened and why? We think of this as a relationship show between John and Hal, and there’s a lot to unpack over the course of the eight episodes.”
Within the 10-year gap between the timelines are the events of last summer’s Superman movie, which introduced Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) as the Green Lantern of Earth’s sector. Mundy confirms Guy, whom he describes as “fabulously obnoxious,” will “be in the show a few different times.”
“There are a bunch of other people from the mythology, from the canon, but not the other Lanterns,” he notes. “We talk about them at different times, but they’re not gonna interact with them in the course of this season.”
Lanterns is designed as a multi-season show, should they get the opportunity to do more, so more Lantern pop-ins could be in the cards down the line. “I’d be totally bluffing if I said I could tell you the last thing of the endgame,” Mundy adds.
But so far, the mashup of the cosmic with the Earthly is working out well, at least behind the scenes. According to Mundy, the visual effects will lean toward the “medium-to-low side,” though “there’s plenty in it.” He says, “There are a couple episodes where they’re incredibly heavy, but from the jump, it’s a much more boots-on-the-ground approach.”
One thing he makes clear: “It’s a Green Lantern show, so there’s green.”
It’s in reference to a so-called “controversy” that was blown out of proportion on the internet due to a general lack of green in the early marketing for Lanterns. After Lindelof addressed a past joke that was making the rounds, Mundy further helps level-set the matter.
“The aesthetic of the show — it’s supposed to be very grounded and real, so we’re shooting practically in places,” he says. “We’re not heavily green-screened. It’s not like day glow in its presentation of anything. I think Green Lantern fans will not feel like we’ve somehow made a brown show of their green comic at all. It’s very much ‘we’re in the world,’ and then when we use the constructs, they’re what people would expect them to be.”
Muundy acknowledges how part of being a fan involves guessing what the show is going to be, though he feels some of the worry is based on preconceived notions of what they think it is.
“We could have put out a trailer that was tremendously green,” he continues. “So the fact that people are talking about it just means, to me, that they’re excited about the show. We have a lot of respect for the source material, otherwise we wouldn’t be doing this show. I think when people see it, it won’t be a controversy.”
Lanterns premieres August 16 on HBO and HBO Max.
The New Cape Fear TV Series Will Mess With Your Sanity – Esquire
“Part of what’s so scary is getting people to turn on each other,” says Amy Adams about the upcoming Apple TV thriller. Plus—what Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg added to the madness.
Am I crazy, or has the rest of the world lost it? This is one of those innate terrors, the sinking self-doubt that consumes everything you know to be true, moral and obvious. We are bewildered when others don’t see what we perceive, frustrated when we are misunderstood, and terrified when no one listens as the undeniable danger closes in. Brace yourself—the new Cape Fear series from Apple TV takes this reality distortion to a nightmarish new level.
In a new ten-episode take on the classic stalker thriller, debuting June 5, gaslighting becomes a scorched-Earth tale of revenge that consumes a seemingly ordinary family, led by Amy Adams and Patrick Wilson. The Cape Fear series may take its inspiration from a nearly 70-year-old novel, but all the modern-day sources of anxiety are present in this update: AI fakes, social media catfishing, false accusation, public shaming, and all-around psychological overload are just the start of the trouble. The real trauma is the never-ending uncertainty about what outrage is coming next.
Showrunner and executive producer Nick Antosca, a novelist and screenwriter who specializes in mind-warping tales of dread, says that’s the whole reason to remake Cape Fear, which has stood for decades as an example of bad things happening to good (or seemingly good) people.
“For a while in this story, there is uncertainty about the nature of the threat, and we kind of go back and forth. That reflects the atmosphere in which we live,” Antosca tells Esquire for this exclusive look behind the scenes. “It’s sort of like, what is true? What can I believe? I may feel threatened, but am I justified in feeling that way? In various forms, we find ourselves asking questions like that a lot now.”
Click link for more…
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Behind the 11th Hour Renewal for ‘Law & Order’ Season 26 – Hollywood Reporter
NBC executives say the late decision came down mostly to scheduling and budget concerns.
The detectives and prosecutors of Law & Order will remain on the job for another season.
NBC has renewed the long-running drama for a 26th installment in 2026-27, and the sixth season since L&O was revived in 2022. The pickup comes later than usual for Law & Order — the official word comes just before the start of NBCUniversal’s upfront presentation Monday. Its spinoff Law & Order: SVU was renewed in mid-April, and NBC’s three Chicago dramas — which, like the L&O franchise, come from Dick Wolf’s Wolf Entertainment — earned pickups near the end of March.
Law & Order will remain on Thursdays in NBC’s schedule for next season, but it’s moving from 8 to 10 p.m. — following rather than preceding SVU. A civilian version of The Traitors will lead off Thursdays in the fall.
The delay in renewing Law & Order came down to budget discussions and finding a place on the schedule, said Lisa Katz, president scripted content for NBC and Peacock.
“It’s funny that people were saying it was a bubble show,” Katz told reporters on a call about the 2026-27 schedule. “We love the show. We love the [Law & Order] block. It was very much a puzzle of figuring out what went where, and we have civilian Traitors coming in the fall. So it was just trying to put all the pieces [together] and figure out how many episodes and when they would come. But we’re very excited to have it back.”
The Surprising A-Listers Who Got Their Break on ‘Law & Order’: “A Rite of Passage” – Hollywood Reporter
How the franchise has been turning nobodies — like Samuel L. Jackson, Clare Danes, Adam Driver and Timothée Chalamet — into A-list actors for 35 years.
Before Timothée Chalamet set foot on Arrakis, before Pedro Pascal started battling post-apocalyptic fungi, before Bradley Cooper, Viola Davis and Samuel L. Jackson became Bradley Cooper, Viola Davis and Samuel L. Jackson, they all underwent the same New York actor initiation: showing up on Law & Order to get murdered, accused of murder, arrested, raped, stabbed, stalked, strangled or — in John Stamos’ case — commit condom-related crimes too weird to get into here.
Since the franchise began shooting on the streets of New York in 1990, it has become more than a rite of passage for hungry young actors — it’s become the East Coast’s most reliable incubator of future stars. Michael B. Jordan, Kerry Washington, Claire Danes, Idris Elba, J.K. Simmons and Allison Janney, among scads of others, all got their start by getting interrogated by Jerry Orbach or Mariska Hargitay.
Of course, it wasn’t only unknowns who landed on the procedural as perps, victims and corpses. Established names wandered through, too: former child actors eager to prove they had a darker gear, comedians stretching dramatic muscles, even giant movie stars doing favors for their boyfriends. Julia Roberts, who was dating Benjamin Bratt at the time, dropped by the set in 1999 to play a glamorous party planner caught up in the murder of a powerful real estate mogul.
Still, it’s the bit players who later became big deals that make reruns extra eye-popping. So, what follows here is a who’s who of Law & Order guest stars, back when many of them were still nobodies.
Click link for more, but starts with Chadwick Boseman…
Marvel to launch Midnight Universe August 2026 turning heroes into nightmares – AIPT
A new horror-driven line reimagines the X-Men, Fantastic Four, and Spider-Man with darker origins and shocking twists.
Marvel is stepping into darker territory this August with the launch of the Midnight Universe, a new publishing line that reimagines its biggest heroes through a horror lens. Teased last week, the series launches with Midnight X-Men by Jonathan Hickman and Mateo Della Fonte.
After more than 80 years of stories built on hope, Marvel is flipping the script with a line that leans into fear, transformation, and the unknown. The Midnight Universe kicks off with three titles: Midnight X-Men by Jonathan Hickman and Matteo Della Fonte, Midnight Fantastic Four by Benjamin Percy and Kev Walker, and Midnight Spider-Man by Phillip Kennedy Johnson with artist Scie Tronc making his Marvel debut.
Each series is part of a shared world, with creators given the freedom to push these characters into far more unsettling territory. In this universe, the X-Men are no longer fighting for acceptance, the Fantastic Four’s discoveries lead to horror, and Spider-Man’s powers come with a monstrous cost.
“From the original New Universe to two Ultimate Universes, Marvel has a long history of creating and inspiring bold worlds filled with unforgettable characters and fresh ideas that feel new yet recognizable at the same time,” said Editor-in-Chief C.B. Cebulski. “With the new Midnight line, we’ve given some of our most outstanding creators the opportunity to delve into the darkest corners of their imaginations and birth some of the creepiest, most terrifying takes on the Marvel Universe you’ve ever seen.”
Marvel also revealed the main cover for Midnight X-Men #1 by Dike Ruan, introducing a “Cloaked Cover” approach that partially obscures the artwork. Future issues will keep their full visuals hidden, only revealing the complete image to readers who pick up the book.
The first wave of stories sets the tone immediately. In Midnight X-Men, vampires and mutants exist in a fragile balance as tensions rise toward war. Hickman, returning to the franchise, said, “I’m so enthusiastic about this project—it’s the most excited I’ve been in years. The conceit of MIDNIGHT X-MEN aligns perfectly with the kind of stories I like to tell. It has a rich, open-ended mythology that equally mixes old and new ideas into something that feels both familiar and original.”
Midnight Fantastic Four takes a different route, following a scientist whose obsession with unlocking the universe leads to horrifying consequences. Percy leaned into the tone, saying, “If you’ve read my work, you know that I see the world through a dark, disturbed lens. To me, it’s always midnight,” Percy explained. “When Hickman called me, it was from a landline in the basement of an abandoned house with the wires cut. Blood poured from the receiver into my ear. I said yes.”
He added, “When I imagined this other version of Marvel—a terrifying, poisoned universe—my mind immediately went to the Fantastic Four. This is a title I have always loved, but would never be allowed to write otherwise. Now I could lean into my worst instincts and reimagine their story as one of cosmic, Lovecraftian dread. I am joined in this by the visionary Kev Walker, who is hard at work bringing a new origin story for Marvel’s ‘first family’ to screaming life. I can’t wait to share our nightmares with you.”
Meanwhile, Midnight Spider-Man introduces a version of Peter Parker transformed into a spider hybrid by Oscorp, as the corporation uses his mutation to experiment further. Johnson said, “The work we’re doing right now on the Midnight line feels like history being made. We’re all bringing creator-owned sensibilities to our projects, we’re redefining boundaries, we’re reinventing these timeless characters in a way that’s never been done. Midnight is nothing like the main line, nothing like the Ultimate line. You will see things in these books that shock you.”
“You don’t take on a job like reinventing Spider-Man to go halfway,” he added. “I’m leaving it all in the ring with MIDNIGHT SPIDER-MAN and I know Jonathan and Ben are doing the same.”
Midnight X-Men #1 arrives first, with more details and reveals on the rest of the line coming soon.
Don’t blame me, blame Uncle Ramblamamdada
Ah, remembered why I came here
In Philly, they went with “God Bless America”
Not very well done.
I honestly love “America The Beautiful”
Okay, right now my American friends need to (insert wake-up call here).
But that is a superior song to most, when done right.
And Buffalo got an earful for playing the Canadian Anthem in the first round against a U.S. opponent.
Um. hello! How many season ticket holders are from Hamilton, ONT?
Play to your strengths (and who has woefully paid the bills
So, NHL Playoffs, round two.
The Carolina Hurricanes are a perfect 7-0 and looking to sweep the Philadelphia Flyers in game 4 tonight (in Philly).
Jeez, Fredrick Anderson!
When was the last time a starting Goaltender was 7-0?
Alcohol not helping my war with AI…
…The 1985 Edmonton Oilers started 9-0
Gretzky, Kurri, Coffey, Messier, and Fuhr.
Won in the Finals over Philadelphia.
The 1969 St. Louis Blues started 8-0.
Lost to Montreal (C’mon, they were the good expansion team, then the roadrunner ran off the cliff.
So as I type, Philly leads 1-0, halfway point in first period.
Nice! Never want to get swept.
But Carolina is honestly good.
3rd round? Your heart will lose money.
The Finals is Colorado vs. Carolina
Yet I am cheering on Philly
‘Brilliant Minds’ & ‘Stumble’ Canceled By NBC, ‘Law & Order’ & ‘Hunting Party’ Remain On The Bubble – Deadline
Boo! I loved Brilliant Minds.
And I’m a L&O junkie. Hope it survives.
But yeah, TV is getting cutthroat now.
Even thing that survive are cutting back to 20 episodes, and ensemble casts (Chicago’s) won’t have full casts all season.
Global National (after Sunday morning news – world politics)
Talking to somebody who has had a press pass since Reagan.
Couple of quotes…
“They tell him to say the image has ‘been doctored’
He says ‘that’s me as a doctor'”
“If it was a secret ballot, Trump wpuld be impeached and in jail.
Yet it would never be a secret ballot and the Republicans do not have the courage of their convictions ”
“No one can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory quite like a Democrat”
I’d also say that Wonder Woman is simply the best written book of those
I really like that. I’m honestly enjoying them all, but this feels fresh, intriguing (plus more bigger words).
The premise? Well, how the fuck did that come about?
I figured the Azzarello run was as edgy as they could get, but this is touching both the dark and the light, smartly to boot, and wow!
The art fits just right.
In another world (wrong fit) and I may nitpick, here it works for me very well.
Well done!
