During the Diamond Chapter 11 bankruptcy case, there’s been an “Ad Hoc Committee” that has represented multiple creditors impacted, the creditors being publishers and others Diamond owes money to. But, who makes up the “Ad Hoc Committee?”
Formed on or about July 11, the group is represented by YVS Law, LLC and with a new filing, we now know who is represented answering more questions as to how publishers are responding to the legal proceeding and checking off 11 more who are involved in the proceedings.
The “Ad Hoc Committee” consists of:
Ablaze LLC
American Mythology Productions, LLC
Avatar Press, Inc.
Drawn & Quarterly Books Inc.,
Fantagraphics Books, Inc.
Green Ronin Publishing LLC
Herman & Geer Communications, Inc. dba Hermes Press
Don’t want to go through all of the comic, manga, manhwa, and graphic novel releases each week? In this week’s (Comic) Splash Zone, we run through the top 5 comics that stand out to us.
This week’s list includes:
Justice League Unlimited #3 (DC Comics)
Power Rangers Prime #3 (BOOM! Studios)
Traveling to Mars (Ablaze)
Ultimate Spider-Man #13 (Marvel)
Void Rivals #16 (Skybound)
Find out why these made the list and then go support your local comic shop and get them!
Timed to New York Comic Con, Jeff DiBartolomeo, head of comiXology, unveiled a robust and diverse slate of new digitally exclusive comiCology Originals titles, teased upcoming projects, and announced a new print publisher for the program.
At an event at Amazon’s Midtown Manhattan office, DiBartolomeo underscored the company’s ongoing dedication to the comiXology Originals program as he teased 17 newly acquired projects with writers and artists Serg Acuña, Matthew Arnold, Frank Barbiere, Marc Bernardin, John Broglia, Mike Collins, Alex Cormack, Cat Farris, Valeria Favoccia, Alti Firmansyah, Veronica Fish, Adam Freeman, Davide Gianfelice, Marc Guggenheim, Kim-Joy, Neil Kleid, Szymon Kudranski, Lee Loughridge, Vic Malhotra, Marz Jr., Chris Matthews, Omar Morales, Mau Mora, Tom Morello, Stephen Rhodes, John Romita, Jr., Gonzalo Ruggieri, Mark Schey, Alex Segura, Scott Snyder, Taki Soma, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Jordan Thomas, Steven Thompson, and Harvey Tolibao.
DiBartolomeo also announced the next wave of new creator-owned comiXology Originals titles being released digitally in the coming months from all-stars Noah Bailey, Mike Carey, Whitney Cogar, Michael W. Conrad, Sunando C, Mark Dale, Allie Drake, Valeria Favoccia, Jonathan Hill, Tom Napolitano, Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou, Curt Pires, Pablo Raimondi, MK Reed, Scott and Jack Snyder, and José Villarrubia.
In his remarks, DiBartolomeo underscored Amazon’s commitment to comics as he highlighted Comixology’s expanding print distribution. First, his presentation highlighted the upcoming print releases through comiXology’s new print distribution relationship with the publisher Ablaze, which was announced in May 2024. Beginning this month Ablaze is bringing the stunning 2024 Eisner award-nominated gothic love story Parliament of Rooks, by Abigail Jill Harding and Richard Starkings, to print in single issues. In November, in time for the holiday season, Ablaze will publish the Eisner award-winning graphic novel Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost, by co-writer Josh O’Neill and artist Gideon Kendall, who were on hand to presenttheir take on Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, followed by the publication of Miles Gunter and Briane Andan’s Grammaton Punch in 2025. And he shared that just this week Comixology extended their deal to bring 6 more titles to print with Ablaze including Cold Hard Cash: A Martha Chainey Escapade, Hard Style Juice!, Retroverse, Roderick and the City of Morhil, Sliced, and The Lycan. The release schedule will be announced at a later date.
DiBartolomeo then announced that Comixology has inked a new deal with independent publisher Mad Cave Studios to bring 10 Comixology Originals titles to bookstores, libraries, and comic shops. This exciting slate of releases includes Beneath, Boxed, Breaklands V2 and V3, Ghostbox, The Ghost of Wreckers Cove, Groupies, Midstate, Nostalgia, and Wag. The release schedule will be announced at a later date.
The next wave of Comixology Originals digital releases announced today include:
Ghostbox—Ghostbox #1 (of 5) debuts October 29, 2024
Ghostbox is a fantasy/horror story by acclaimed writer Mike Carey (Lucifer, The Girl With All The Gifts) and artist/letterer Pablo Raimondi (Sacred Creatures, Books of Doom), with colors by José Villarrubia launching just in time for Halloween! When sisters Chloe and Jan Peace unexpectedly inherit a mysterious carved wooden box, they discover that it’s inhabited by ghosts – and sought after by a race of shape-shifting monsters.
Stillman—Stillman #1 (of 5) debuts December 10, 2024
Writer Curt Pires (Endless, Money) and a rotating list of artists including Sunando C along with colorist Mark Dale and letterer Hassan Otsmane-Elhaou tackle a new crime thriller. Peter Stillman leads a double life. By day he is a successful family man with a loving wife and two beautiful children trying to carve out his own little slice of the American dream. By night–his real life–as a violent hitman with deep ties to organized crime.
Budding Crisis–Budding Crisis #1 (of 5) debuts January 21, 2025.
Written by MK Reed (Americus, Science Comics: Dinosaurs, Delver) with art and letters by Jonathan Hill (Americus, Lizard Boy 2) and colors by Allie Drake, Budding Crisis is a new fantasy series about the disappearance of the world’s most precious magical resource, a plant whose seed has the power to grant wishes. With the Onomanthe plant extinct in the wild and the last cultivated strain dying out, what will the population do?
By A Thread Book 2—By A Thread #5 (of 4) debuts Spring 2025
Reuniting the father-and-son team of Scott & Jack Snyder with artists Valeria Favoccia and Whitney Cogar and letterer Tom Napolitano, the world of By A Thread expands with an all-new story arc! Charlie and our young heroes have defied the odds by traversing the deadly Shroud in search of a safe haven. With foes more powerful than ever before on their trail, will they even make it onto land?
The 99 Legs–The 99 Legs (ogn) debuts Spring 2025
Writer Michael W. Conrad (Neptune, Nightwing) and acclaimed artist Noah Bailey (Diabolical, Station Grand) reunite for the horror suspense original graphic novel The 99 Legs. The 99 Legs follows a down on his luck crime writer who discovers a string of murders in his area that seem to align with his newest unpublished manuscript. Terrified by this turn of events, the writer contacts his agent to halt the manuscript’s delivery to publishers, fearing that it will implicate him in the crimes. What follows is a blood spattered, spiraling nightmare, as the mystery of the killer’s identity unfolds.
The Comixology event hosted numerous creators including Jamal Igle, Tula Lotay, Lee Loughridge, Clay McCormack, Helen Mullane, Ricardo López Ortiz, Curt Pires, Alex Segura, Scott Snyder, and Chip Zdarsky showcasing their recent Comixology Originals titles. There were also special guest appearances by Kim-Joy and Marc Guggenheim and video messages from actor Thomas Jane and acclaimed writer Mike Carey talking about the upcoming release of The Lycan, which was announced earlier this year at SDCC, producer Steven DeKnight who talked about his debut original graphic novel Beneath, drawn by artist Michael Gaydos who was on hand at the event, and Ariela Kristantina spotlighted her upcoming graphic novel The Girl Who Draws on Whales.
Ablaze has announced the upcoming release of a stunning comic adaptation of the epicThe Kalevala, which inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to write The Lord of the Rings. It’s the foundational epic of the fantasy genre. The story and art is by Sami Makkonen.
Kalevala tells of the adventures and fates of wizard Väinämöinen, warrior Lemminkäinen, blacksmith Ilmarinen and other larger-than- life characters seeking love, riches, and magic in the faraway lands of the ancient North.
This is a bold approach to The Kalevala by an established talent — visually powerful and accessible.
Sami Makkonen is internationally renowned and is a recipient of the Sarjas Award for Best Fantasy Fiction. He also has been nominated for the Ghastly Awards for his horror work among numerous other awards.
Kalevala: The Graphic Novel is set for release September 24, 2024 and will retail for $29.99.
ComiXology Originals is expanding print distribution by releasing three titles from Amazon’s comiXology Originalsexclusive digital content line in print for the first time with Ablaze. Ablaze will distribute Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost, the Eisner award-winning version of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol in graphic novel form, the stunning Eisner award-nominated gothic love story Parliament of Rooks, and the action-packed supernatural story Grammaton Punch in print for the first time for customers in comic shops, bookstores, and libraries.
In 2023 Ablaze published Promethee 13:13–a prequel to the sci-fi bande dessinée series Prométhée by Christophe Bec–written by Andy Diggle with art by Shawn Martinbrough, in collaboration with Delcourt and first released digitally from comiXology Originals.
Harvey Kurtzman’s Marley’s Ghost
Written by Josh O’Neill and Shannon Wheeler Art by Gideon Kendall
Marley’s Ghost is the posthumous completion of legendary creator Harvey Kurtzman’s adaptation of the classic Charles Dickens’ novel—A Christmas Carol. Kurtzman’s ambitious concept for Marley’s Ghost began in the 1950s—as an early “graphic novel”—but was never realized. Now, over 60 years later, writers Josh O’Neill and Shannon Wheeler expand upon Kurtzman’s extensive adaptation notes while illustrator Gideon Kendall’s outstanding artwork utilizes Kurtzman’s breakdowns and stylistic choices to make this long-lost vision a reality!
136 pages / color / on sale November 6, 2024 in comic shops and November 19, 2024 in bookstores and everywhere books are sold / MSRP $19.99 pbk / ISBN: 978-1-68497-353-8
Parliament of Rooks
Written and Illustrated by Abigail Jill Harding Co-Written and Lettered by Richard Starkings
Artist Abigail Jill Harding (Ask For Mercy) makes her first ever longform writing and illustrating debut with the gothic love story Parliament of Rooks, a tale of dark fantasy, forbidden romance, menacing forces, and enchanting characters.
When architect Darius Ravenscar wakes from a strange and troubling dream. It becomes clear that something is terribly wrong and Ravenscar finds himself in a precarious predicament that will threaten his long-standing affection for the Princess, Seraphina. As Ravenscar becomes more tormented he searches for the truth, confronting ghosts from the past that haunt him and unraveling the mystery of his family, ultimately becoming torn between two worlds and two minds.
Publication date to be announced at a later date.
Grammaton Punch
Written by Miles Gunter Art by Briane Andan
Grammaton Punch is an action-packed story about a boy who sees and fights ghosts. The supernatural story follows a high school freshman who must protect his classmates from the spirits feeding off their adolescent energy, all the while confronting his own self-imposed boundaries that prevent him from connecting with other people.
When Van starts his freshman year, he is shocked to discover his high school is ruled by a gang of ghosts feeding off his classmates’ energy. What’s worse, Van’s mom doesn’t believe that there are ghosts. In order to survive, Van will need to level up.
Ablaze has announced it’ll release the English translation of Shingo Honda‘s manga Happyland. The series is about an extreme amusement park where nothing is as it seems and the horror that lies in store for an unsuspecting family that visits the park.
Welcome to Happyland, an extreme amusement park! The Komiya family is not unusual is any way, two parents love each other and their two children, who are healthy, happy, and accomplished at school and with extracurriculars. In appearance, they’re an ideal family that has everything going for them!
At least… That’s what they believed until the father decided to take them to spend a day at Happyland Park. In this park with its extreme attractions, the most shameful secrets will emerge in the most literally explosive way possible! A horrifying and gory tale of survival begins in this first of two volumes by Shingo Honda!
Happyland Vol. 1 will be released September 11 by Ablaze Manga.
As Roy’s journey to Mars comes to an end, he is forced to reflect on his life and the future of those who still have one.
Story: Mark Russell Art: Roberto Meli Color: Chiara Di Francia Letterer: Mattia Gentili
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
Wednesdays (and Tuesdays) are new comic book day! Each week hundreds of comics are released, and that can be pretty daunting to go over and choose what to buy. That’s where we come in
Each week our contributors choose what they can’t wait to read this week or just sounds interesting. In other words, this is what we’re looking forward to and think you should be taking a look at!
Find out what folks think below, and what comics you should be looking out for this week.
Akogun: Brutalizer of Gods #1 (Oni Press) – In an age thought forgotten . . . when man, monster, and the divine all strode the Earth . . . a lone warrior emerges to test the immortality of the cruel gods who would deal destruction with impunity…
Deadpool #1 (Marvel) – It’s a new era for Deadpool and we’re always intrigued to see how new teams spin the character.
Godzilla vs. Mighty Morphin Power Rangers II #1 (IDW Publishing/BOOM! Studios) – The first volume was a hell of a lot of fun and we’re expecting more!
Principles of Necromancy #1 (Magma Comix) – The debut from Magma Comix has Jackson Lanzing and Collin Kelly writing and Eamon Winkle on art. The concept of a physician during the times of barbarians and knights wanting to overcome death sounds intriguing.
Red Sonja: Empire of the Damned #1 (Dynamite Entertainment) – Steve Niles writing Red Sonja. Nuff said.
The Sandman #19 Remastered (DC Comics/DC Black Label) – A new printing of the classic depiction of William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Spider-Man: Shadow of the Green Goblin #1 (Marvel) – Norman Osborn was not the first goblin… wait, what?!
Traveling to Mars #11 (Ablaze) – Roy’s journey comes to an end as he reflects on his life and those that will live on.
Void Rivals #8 (Skybound) – The previous issue kicked off the new arc and introduced an intriguing bounty hunter to capture the fugitives. While it wasn’t the strongest issue, we’re still intrigued to see how this Energon Universe connected series keeps building its own mythos.
In the 1930s, Lucas Torelli, known as “Torpedo”, was a legend of the suburbs of New York. A tough, trigger-happy Sicilian who only knew how to make friends-anyone else is no longer here to say otherwise. Nearly forty years later, the Big Apple has changed quite a bit. Torpedo, not so much. As a persistent journalist prepares to write an article about the Caputo family, the demons of Torpedo’s past resurface, along with his dirty old habits…
Story: Enrique Sanchez Abuli Art: Eduardo Risso Letters: Vibrant Studio
Get your copy now! To find a comic shop near you, visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com or call 1-888-comicbook or digitally and online with the links below.
This post contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links and make a purchase, we’ll receive a percentage of the sale. Graphic Policy does purchase items from this site. Making purchases through these links helps support the site
Anime fans, it’s time to reaffirm your love for the still image with Ablaze‘s Comics for Anime Lovers Humble Bundle, brimming with thrilling stories that span the genres! Based on the long-running manga and anime series, Saint Seiya: Knights Of The Zodiac – Time Odyssey has the brave Knights struggling to prevent the renegade god Chronos from undoing time itself. Space Pirate Captain Harlock is a brand-new story set in the timeline of the classic anime series, where the valiant captain and his crew fight to save Earth from terrifying menace from another world. Crueler Than Dead provides a graphic, ultraviolent take on the zombie story set in a Tokyo ravaged by the undead. Get all these comics and over 30 more and help support the Starlight Foundation with your purchase!
