Tag Archives: j.h. williams iii

EC Comics returns with soul-searing tales of torment in Cruel Universe #1

CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 (of 5)

WRITTEN BY CORINNA BECHKO, CHRIS CONDON, MATT KINDT, & BEN H. WINTERS
ART BY JONATHAN CASE, KANO, LEOMACS, ARTYOM TOPILIN, & CAITLIN YARSKY
COVER A BY GREG SMALLWOOD
COVER B BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
EC HOMAGE VARIANT (1:10) BY JAY STEPHENS
B&W ARTIST EDITION VARIANT (1:50) BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
SPA FON VARIANT (1:100) BY TOM FOWLER WITH BILL CRABTREE
FOIL COVER (SILVER) BY GREG SMALLWOOD
FOIL COVER (GOLD) BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
BLANK COVER ALSO AVAILABLE

CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 welcomes cosmic annihilation August 7th with four bizarre tales of time and space, packed with strange extraterrestrial entities, malevolent scientists, and terrifying technological catastrophes: “THE CHAMPION” by Matt Kindt & Kano, “SOLO SHIFT” by Corinna Bechko & Caitlin Yarsky, “DRINK UP!” by Chris Condon & Jonathan Case, “PRICELESS” by Ben H. Winters & Artyom Topilin,

CRUEL UNIVERSE #1 (of 5)

EC’s Relentless Return Continues with Cruel Universe

Compelled to OBLIVION, driven to ENTROPY, all life in our cosmos can only end in one place: COMPLETE ANNIHILATION! Spilling forth from the aftermath of EC Comics’ hugely anticipated resurrection this July in the pages of Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 from Oni Press, the limitless fury of the most infamous and influential comics imprint of all time rages onward to wrench bizarre tales of time and space into our dimensional plane on August 7th in Cruel Universe #1 – featuring 40, all-new pages of destructive wonder with cosmic implications!

Who are our guides across this double-sized, 40-page introduction to a cosmic maelstrom of strange extraterrestrial entities, malevolent scientists, and terrifying technological catastrophes? Learn to fear the void with the irradiated imaginations of Hugo Award nominee Corinna Bechko, rising star Chris Condon, Eisner Award nominee Matt Kindt, and Edgar Award winner Ben H. Winters as they collide with the wondrously destructive visions of artists Jonathan CaseKano, Artyom Topilin, and Caitlin Yarsky!

Galaxies will collapse. Space-time will be distorted. And your very will to exist, too, shall be broken . . . Just remember: it’s all in the name of SCIENCE! The unpredictable return of EC Comics on August 7th continues here with the quantum comics event of the millennium, only in Cruel Universe #1 – featuring a quark-colliding line-up of covers from Greg Smallwood, J.H. WIlliams IIIJay Stephens, and Rian Hughes, plus a top-secret SPA FON! Variant by Tom Fowler to be revealed soon.

Get a whole new look at J.H. Williams III’s art in Desolation Jones: The Biohazard Edition Deluxe Hardcover

The critically acclaimed espionage/science-fiction thriller Desolation Jones—by writer Warren Ellis and artist J.H. Williams III with colorist José Villarrubia and letterer Todd Klein—will be collected into a hardcover in the upcoming, Desolation Jones: The Biohazard Edition. This deluxe edition will collect Desolation Jones issues #1-6—along with an extensive gallery showcasing select, raw artwork by Williams III—and be available this November from Image Comics.

In this new edition, the art and lettering placements will also feature minor retouches throughout by Williams III.

Desolation Jones follows one Michael Jones, a former agent for British intelligence before a procedure to make him a better operative left him mentally and physically shattered. Now he survives in Los Angeles as a private investigator, eking out a living within the city’s ghost community of damaged spooks. If he had any better future to look forward to, he probably wouldn’t be embarking on his newest job: locating the lost pornographic home movies of… Adolf Hitler.

Desolation Jones: The Biohazard Edition (ISBN: 9781534350755) will be available at local comic book shops on Wednesday, November 27 and independent bookstores, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-a-Million, and Indigo on Tuesday, December 10.

Preview: Night People #1

Night People #1

WRITTEN BY BARRY GIFFORD & CHRIS CONDON
ART BY BRIAN LEVEL
COVER A BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
COVER B BY JOËLLE JONES
COVER C BY JACOB PHILLIPS
COVER D BY BRIAN LEVEL
FULL ART VARIANT (1:20) BY JOËLLE JONES
B&W VARIANT (1:30) BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
ON SALE MARCH 6TH, 2024 | $4.99 | 32 pgs. | FC

From literary icon Barry Gifford—internationally renowned creator of Wild At Heart and cowriter of David Lynch’s neo-noir masterpiece Lost Highway—Night People is a pulsating roadmap of the American subconscious, where neon-lit Southern nights give way to lipstick, sweat, and blood, and the odd, innocent, and evil are all fellow travelers down an interstate of dark, elusive dreams.

Adapted from Gifford’s acclaimed novel by breakout writer Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, The Enfield Gang Massacre) and a rotating cast of stunning artistic talents, follow an uneasy company of wanted criminals, cartel killers, and lost souls through four interlocking tales as they travel a path of intoxication, lust, and spontaneous violence from New Orleans to Egypt City, Florida, and back again. In our first tale of desperation, fanaticism, and murder, drawn by Brian Level (Poison Ivy), two ex-convicts—a pair of inseparable lovers named Big Betty Stalcup and Miss Cutie Early—are out on parole using their newfound freedom to purify the world of men’s evil influence.

Night People #1

Preview: Night People #1

Night People #1

WRITTEN BY BARRY GIFFORD & CHRIS CONDON
ART BY BRIAN LEVEL
COVER A BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
COVER B BY JOËLLE JONES
COVER C BY JACOB PHILLIPS
COVER D BY BRIAN LEVEL
FULL ART VARIANT (1:20) BY JOËLLE JONES
B&W VARIANT (1:30) BY J.H. WILLIAMS III
ON SALE MARCH 6TH, 2024 | $4.99 | 32 pgs. | FC

From literary icon Barry Gifford—internationally renowned creator of Wild At Heart and cowriter of David Lynch’s neo-noir masterpiece Lost Highway—Night People is a pulsating roadmap of the American subconscious, where neon-lit Southern nights give way to lipstick, sweat, and blood, and the odd, innocent, and evil are all fellow travelers down an interstate of dark, elusive dreams.

Adapted from Gifford’s acclaimed novel by breakout writer Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, The Enfield Gang Massacre) and a rotating cast of stunning artistic talents, follow an uneasy company of wanted criminals, cartel killers, and lost souls through four interlocking tales as they travel a path of intoxication, lust, and spontaneous violence from New Orleans to Egypt City, Florida, and back again. In our first tale of desperation, fanaticism, and murder, drawn by Brian Level (Poison Ivy), two ex-convicts—a pair of inseparable lovers named Big Betty Stalcup and Miss Cutie Early—are out on parole using their newfound freedom to purify the world of men’s evil influence.

Night People #1

EC Comics is back with Oni Press

EC Comics

Oni Press has announced a publishing partnership with William M. Gaines Agent, Inc. that will see the full-fledged return of EC Comics to comic shop and bookstore shelves worldwide with a slate of all-new series beginning in the summer of 2024. 

Beginning with Epitaphs From the Abyss #1 in July and Cruel Universe #1 in August – the first official EC Comics series produced in nearly seven decades – Oni’s ambitious EC Comics publishing program will be overseen by Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson and Editor-in-Chief Sierra Hahn in partnership with Cathy Gaines Mifsud and Corey Mifsud, the daughter and grandson of legendary EC Publisher William M. Gaines and administrators of William M. Gaines Agent, Inc

Edited by Hahn, Oni’s curated line of EC titles – which will include at least two series on a monthly basis from July 2024 onward in the genres of horror, science fiction, fantasy, and more – will feature contributions from a rotating cast of high-profile comics talents that includes writers Jason AaronBrian Azzarello, Rodney BarnesCorinna Bechko, Cullen Bunn, Christopher CantwellCecil CastellucciChris CondonJoshua Hale Fialkov, J. Holtham, Jeff Jensen, Matt Kindt, Sean Lewis, Stephanie PhillipsJay StephensZac Thompson, Ben H. Winters, and more; artists Kano, Peter KrauseLeomacsMalachi WardDustin Weaver, and more; designer Rian Hughes; alongside covers from Lee BermejoGreg SmallwoodJ.H. Williams III, and more to be revealed in the weeks and months ahead. 

Founded by M.C. “Max” Gaines – often cited as one of the original creators of the comic book format – as “Educational Comics” in 1944, EC spearheaded a watershed evolution in the craft, quality, and power of the comics medium under Max’s son, William M. Gaines, following the elder Gaines’ sudden death in 1947. Rechristening his father’s creation as “Entertaining Comics,” publisher, editor, and writer William M. Gaines recruited one of the most legendary creative stables in the history of the comics medium – including future Eisner Hall of Fame inductees Johnny Craig, Reed Crandall, Jack Davis, Will Elder, Al Feldstein, Frank Frazetta, Bernard Krigstein, Harvey Kurtzman, Joe Orlando, John Severin, Marie Severin, Al Williamson, Wally Wood, and many more – to oversee the creation of a revolutionary slate of new series that would soon grow to include Tales From the Crypt, Mad Magazine, Weird Sience, Two-Fist Talesand more. 

Widely celebrated for fearlessly confrontational stories that were as creatively innovative as they were culturally subversive – confronting racial and gender inequality, militarism, and environmental degradation in ways that would anticipate both the burgeoning counterculture and Civil Rights movements – EC’s urge to probe the darkness lurking beyond the edges of post-war America through tales of horror, science fiction, humor, and war earned the company millions of readers … and established a new high watermark for one of the first definitively American artforms: the comic book. 

However, EC’s reign at the forefront of the American comic book industry – a period during which it eclipsed Marvel, DC, and Archie with sales of 10 million comics per year – would come crashing down in 1954 as an anti-comics moral panic swept America, inspiring book burnings, police surveillance, and a Congressional investigation that would see William M. Gaines’ testimony broadcast live in households across the country. This pro-censorship movement soon culminated in the creation of the Comics Code Authority, a sanitizing regulatory group whose guidelines were specifically tailored to remove EC’s comics from newsstands. EC’s final comics – until now – were published in 1956, and the hugely popular MAD was re-formatted as a magazine to escape Code scrutiny. Even so, the untimely death of EC could not erase the company’s far-reaching impact, having already inspired a young generation of readers – including John Carpenter, Guillermo del Toro, Matt Groening, James Gunn, George LucasStephen King, George R.R. Martin, The Ramones, George Romero, Steven Spielberg, and hundreds more – who have cited EC’s iconoclastic brand of storytelling as a deep and primordial influence. 

Noir Bleeds Neon in Barry Gifford’s Night People #1 – Debuting in March with Chris Condon and Brian Level

FOR SOME OF US, IT’S ALWAYS MIDNIGHT. Oni Press has released a first look at Night People #1 (of 4) – the first issue of the violent and volatile new series from literary icon Barry Gifford

Adapted from Gifford’s acclaimed novel by breakout writer Chris Condon with 30 pages of story in each deluxe, ad-free issue, Night People is a pulsating roadmap of the American subconscious that follows an uneasy company of wanted criminals, cartel killers, and lost souls as illustrated by a chorus of visually provocative artistic talents – Brian Level, Eisner Award winner Alexandre TefenkgiArtyom Topilin, and Marco Finnegan – through four interlocking tales punctuated by lipstick, sweat, and blood.

In our first tale of desperation, fanaticism, and murder, as told by Gifford, Condon, and Level, two ex-convicts—a pair of inseparable lovers named Big Betty Stalcup and Miss Cutie Early—are out on parole using their newfound freedom to purify the world of men’s evil influence . . . and leave a trail of mutilated bodies in their wake. As the psychotic dimensions of their star-crossed romance—and the twisting paths that first led them to their fateful meeting at the Fort Sumatra Detention Center for Wayward Women—come into full view, their experiment in righteousness culminates in the kidnapping of Rollo Lamar, a kindly attorney whom Betty and Cutie abduct just to see if they can reeducate at least one man on the planet before the demise of civilization.

Featuring a stunning line-up for covers from a murderer’s row of visionary talents – including J.H. Williams IIIJoëlle JonesJacob Phillips, and Brian Level – travel down the interstate of dark, elusive dreams from New Orleans to Egypt City, Florida, and back again when Night People #1 debuts in comic shops everywhere on March 6, 2024. 

NYCC 2023: Oni reveals a first wave of five new series

Oni Press has revealed ONI 2024—a high-intensity first wave of five propulsive new monthly comic series from a wide-ranging cast of award-winning creators and fast-rising stars that will fully embrace the potential of the comics medium to invert, collide, and reinvent the foundational genres of horror, science fiction, crime, fantasy, and beyond throughout the new year . . . 

INVASIVE

Written by CULLEN BUNN
Art by JESÚS HERVÁS
Covers by JESÚS HERVÁS, LUANA VECCHIO, BRIAN LEVEL, JAE LEE & MORE

Beyond excess, beyond ethics, beyond science . . . Enter a terrifying new experiment in pain from Eisner Award nominee Cullen Bunn (The Sixth Gun, Basilisk) and acclaimed illustrator Jesús Hervás (The Empty Man, Cyberpunk 2077)!

Dr. Carrie Reynolds was a veteran trauma surgeon with a godlike mastery of muscle and bone. But outside the operating room, her rigidly ordered life spiraled into chaos when her daughter, Heather—a recovering plastic surgery addict—suddenly disappeared, only to mysteriously reemerge in a catatonic state, her vocal cords removed . . . the latest in a series of victims scarred by a battery of brazenly cruel medical procedures that have baffled police and left an alarming number of once-ordinary citizens maimed, mutilated, or dead on arrival.

Deep beneath the streets of Carrie’s city, a new kind of underground hospital has opened its doors . . . and, once inside, there are no rules, no oaths, and no taboos too deep to not to be broken. Together, a new class of surgeon has sworn to pierce the final threshold of accepted medical orthodoxy one incision at a time.

The scalpel is their tool. The alleys are their operating theater. Murder is their medicine. And only Carrie can stop what they’re planning next . . .

FOUR ISSUES | BEGINNING DECEMBER 2023

INVASIVE

JILL AND THE KILLERS

Written by OLIVIA CUARTERO-BRIGGS
Art by ROBERTA INGRANATA
Covers by SANYA ANWAR, MARGUERITE SAUVAGE, ALISON SAMPSON & MORE

A DOUBLE-SIZED AND DANGEROUS 48-PAGE DEBUT! Rising stars Olivia Cuartero-Briggs (Mary Shelley Monster Hunter) and Roberta Ingranata (Witchblade, Doctor Who) present a new kind of game where even murder is much more than it seems . . .

Returning to school after the unsolved disappearance of her mother, teenager Jill Estrada can’t wait for things to return to normal . . . even as her friends become compulsively obsessed with Box Killers, a true-crime subscription game where each month’s “unsolved case” is custom-tailored to the life of its player. There’s only one catch: Jill’s game seems to be all too real . . . and when her clues begin to connect to a series of disappearances in her town, Jill and her friends must uncover the truth behind these mysterious crimes before one of their own becomes the next victim.

FOUR ISSUES | BEGINNING JANUARY 2024

JILL AND THE KILLERS

CEMETERY KIDS DON’T DIE

Written by ZAC THOMPSON
Art by DANIEL IRIZARRI
Covers by DANIEL IRIZARRI, DUSTIN WEAVER & MORE

YOU’RE ONLY ALIVE IF YOU’RE ONLINE . . . Experience 2024’s most exhilarating, terrifying adventure downloading from critically acclaimed writer Zac Thompson (Hunt for the Skinwalker, The Dregs) and blockbuster artist Daniel Irizarri (XINO, Judge Dredd)!

The 21st century sucks hard, but it’s been made somewhat tolerable by the latest and greatest media innovation to finally unseat the iPhone. Enter the Dreamwave: the first gaming console played entirely while you sleep.

Now the obsession of millions around the globe, it’s also the one point of solace for four friends whose lives have been marred by trauma and dysfunction. Together, this group of ultra-online “Cemetery Kids” spend their nights roaming the open world of the most immersive and brutal horror game ever created: “Nightmare Cemetery.” Together they seek to dethrone an enigmatic humanoid monster known only as the “The King of Sleep.”

Which was fun—until one of them doesn’t wake up . . . and finds their consciousness locked inside a horror game that is anything but imaginary. Now, the three remaining Cemetery Kids must navigate the game’s forbidden landscape to rescue their friend . . . and pray that the secret lurking at its center doesn’t follow them home.

FOUR ISSUES | BEGINNING FEBRUARY 2024

CEMETERY KIDS DON'T DIE

NIGHT PEOPLE

Written by BARRY GIFFORD & CHRIS CONDON
Art by BRIAN LEVEL, ALEXANDRE TEFENKGI, ARTYOM TOPILIN & MORE
Covers by BRIAN LEVEL, JOËLLE JONES, J.H. WILLIAMS III & MORE

From the mind of literary icon Barry Gifford—internationally renowned creator of Wild at Heart and cowriter of David Lynch’s neo-noir masterpiece Lost Highway—Night People is a pulsating roadmap of the American subconscious, where neon-lit Southern nights give way to lipstick, sweat, and blood, and the odd, the innocent, and the evil are all fellow travelers down an interstate of dark, elusive dreams.

Adapted from Gifford’s acclaimed novel by breakout writer Chris Condon (That Texas Blood, The Enfield Gang Massacre) and a rotating cast of stunning artistic talents—including Brian Level (Poison Ivy), Alexandre Tefenkgi (The Good Asian), Artyom Topilin (I Hate This Place), and more—follow an uneasy cast of wanted men, cartel-killers, and lost souls through four interlocking tales as they travel a path of intoxication, lust, and spontaneous violence from New Orleans to Egypt City, Florida, and back again.

In our first tale of desperation, fanaticism, and murder: Two ex-convicts—a pair of inseparable lovers named Big Betty Stalcup and Miss Cutie Early—are out on parole using their newfound freedom to purify the world of men’s evil influence . . . and leaving a trail of mutilated bodies in their wake. As the psychotic dimensions of their star-crossed romance—and the twisting paths that first led them to their fateful meeting at the Fort Sumatra Detention Center for Wayward Women—come into full view, their experiment in righteousness culminates in the kidnapping of Rollo Lamar, a kindly attorney whom Betty and Cutie abduct just to see if they can reeducate at least one man on the planet before the demise of civilization.

FOUR ISSUES | BEGINNING MARCH 2024

NIGHT PEOPLE

AKỌGUN: BRUTALIZER OF GODS

Written by MUREWA AYODELE
Art & Cover by DOTUN AKANDE

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 . . . He is a one-man reckoning that stands in defiance of his divine masters with a sword in hand and a thirst for godblood. His name: AKỌGUN THE BRUTALIZER!

In the tradition of Robert E. Howard’s Conan the Barbarian, Stan Lee and Jack Kirby’s Thor, and the best-selling God of War franchise, superstars-in-the-making Murewa Ayodele and Dotun Akande—the creative duo behind I Am Iron Man and Moon Knight: Black, White & Blood—usher in a new epoch of African dark fantasy on the ancient continent of Alkebulan with a mythic cycle of cosmic destiny and unrelenting warfare colliding man against god . . . and blade against blade!

Told across three powerfully oversized chapters, steady your mind and spirit for a glorious new comics milestone revealing the fabled origin and battle-tested fury of . . . Akǫgun: Brutalizer of Gods!

THREE OVERSIZED ISSUES | BEGINNING APRIL 2024

AKỌGUN: BRUTALIZER OF GODS

Skybound celebrates 20 years of The Walking Dead with variants and weekly drops in October

Skybound has announced its 20th anniversary celebration of The Walking Dead, the groundbreaking comic series created by Robert Kirkman. The deluxe version of the series will see weekly releases throughout its anniversary month of October, all leading up to the legendary issue #75, now presented in glorious full color for the first time.

Skybound debuted a stacked variant lineup for these issues, featuring iconic comics talent like J.H. Williams III, Julian Totino Tedesco, Greg Capullo, and legendary icon Joe Quesada. These all-new covers will appear as variants to The Walking Dead Deluxe #72-75, with each issue presenting the series in full color format for the first time from writer/creator Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard and colors by Dave McCaig. Fans will also receive a new look at the worldwide pop culture phenomenon with pinups and exclusive “Cutting Room Floor” commentary by Kirkman, celebrating the secret history of the series. 

A special Newsprint Edition of The Walking Dead Deluxe #1 will also be available in comic book shops on October 11, 2023The 20th anniversary special edition will allow fans to revisit the issue that started it all, now in full color and printed on newsprint for that classic comic feeling!  

The Walking Dead Deluxe (Lunar codes listed below | $3.99) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play every Wednesday of October 2023.  

A full list of the covers is below: 

The Walking Dead Deluxe #72 by Robert Kirkman, available October 4, 2023 

  • CVR A by David Finch & Dave McCaig
  • Art/CVR B by Charlie Adlard & Dave McCaig
  • CVR C (CONNECTING) by Conor Hughes

The Walking Dead Deluxe #1 (Newsprint Edition) by Robert Kirkman, art by Tony Moore & Dave McCaig, available October 11, 2023 

  • CVR A by David Finch & Dave McCaig 

The Walking Dead Deluxe #73 by Robert Kirkman, available October 11, 2023  

  • CVR A by David Finch & Dave McCaig
  • Art/CVR B by Charlie Adlard & Dave McCaig
  • CVR C (CONNECTING) by J.H. Williams III

The Walking Dead Deluxe #74 by Robert Kirkman, available October 18, 2023 

  • CVR A by David Finch & Dave McCaig
  • Art/CVR B by Charlie Adlard & Dave McCaig
  • CVR C (CONNECTING) by J.H. Williams III
  • CVR D by Julian Totino Tedesco

The Walking Dead Deluxe #75 by Robert Kirkman, available October 25, 2023 

  • CVR A by David Finch & Dave McCaig
  • Art/CVR B by Charlie Adlard & Dave McCaig
  • CVR C by J.H. Williams III
  • CVR D by Julian Totino Tedesco
  • CVR E by Joe Quesada & Richard Isanove
  • CVR F by Greg Capullo & Dave McCaig

J.H. Williams III The Walking Dead Deluxe variant covers revealed

Skybound has revealed a breathtaking set of all-new The Walking Dead Deluxe connecting variant covers from award-winning comics legend J.H. Williams III. Covering the “Too Far Gone” arc of the landmark comic series, Williams III’s covers showcase a breathtaking depiction of fan-favorite characters.  

These all-new covers will appear as variants to The Walking Dead Deluxe #73-78with each issue presenting the series in full color format for the first time from writer/creator Robert Kirkman, with art by Charlie Adlard and colors by Dave McCaig. Fans will also receive a new look at the worldwide pop culture phenomenon with pinups and exclusive “Cutting Room Floor” commentary by Kirkman, celebrating the secret history of the series. 

The Walking Dead Deluxe #73 (Lunar codes listed below | $3.99) will be available at comic book shops and digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, comiXology, and Google Play on Wednesday, October 11, 2023.

A full list of the connecting covers is below: 

  • The Walking Dead Deluxe #73 CVR C Williams (Lunar Code 0823IM317) 
  • The Walking Dead Deluxe #74 CVR C Williams (Lunar Code 0823IM320) 
  • The Walking Dead Deluxe #75 CVR C Williams (Lunar Code 0823IM324) 
  • The Walking Dead Deluxe #76 CVR C Williams (Lunar Code Coming Soon) 
  • The Walking Dead Deluxe #77 CVR C Williams (Lunar Code Coming Soon) 
  • The Walking Dead Deluxe #78 CVR C Williams (Lunar Code Coming Soon) 
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