Tag Archives: marz jr

Lee Loughridge and Marz Jr introduce The Adequates – a Group of Teenage Misfits With…”Powers”

Hot off the heels of his debut comic series MidState, featuring a small-town amateur detective with a supernatural twist, acclaimed writer and Eisner award-winning colorist Lee Loughridge takes on high school superheroes…well, sort of…in the new comic series, The Adequates. Joined by acclaimed artist Marz Jr, Loughridge weaves a humorous and touching supernatural story about a group of students who find themselves transformed after a field trip.

High school is full of cliques and Savannah High is no different. From The Elites, an overachieving bunch of nerd-jocks, to The Goths, a group of nonconformists, and now, a group of misfits known as The Adequates.

In The Adequetes, Principal Myers is obsessed with Halloween. Every year he and the students create a haunted house in the school, and he takes the entire student body and staff on a “haunted” field trip. This year, while on the field trip to the Bonaventure cemetery, a group of five awkward freshmen – Julie, Chad, Randy, Panama, and Grey – stick around for extra credit and accidentally acquire superpowers. Technically, more “adequate” than “super,” these kids have powers nonetheless. The Adequates must overcome their own personal vulnerabilities and learn to use their newfound “powers” to the best of their abilities. They quickly become proficient and defend themselves against the school bullies… However, bullies aren’t The Adequates’ biggest problem. It turns out everyone’s favorite history teacher, Mr. Woods, has been possessed by a powerful demon. Culminating in a battle on Halloween night, The Adequates must join forces with The Goths in the hopes of expelling the demons to save Mr. Woods and the school.

The Adequates is a quirky 5-issue YA series written and colored by Loughridge and drawn by Marz Jr that will be released monthly from Amazon’s comiXology Originals exclusive digital content line beginning with The Adequates #1 on March 3, 2026.

The Adequates #1

Your First Look at the World’s Worst Decepticon in Transformers: Worst Bot Ever from Skybound Comet, Image, Hasbro

Skybound Comet, Image Comics, and Hasbro have revealed a first look at interior pages from Transformers: Worst Bot Ever – Meet Ballpointthe first book in a new series of OGNs from writer Brian “Smitty” Smith and artist Marz Jr.

Middle grade readers will be introduced to the misadventures of the bot who is mightier than the sword with the arrival of Transformers: Worst Bot Ever – Meet Ballpoint. The OGN will be available everywhere books are sold in July 2025 from Skybound Comet, the original graphic novel imprint aimed at Young Adult (Ages 12+) and Middle Grade (Ages 8-12) audiences, but sure to captivate readers of all ages. 

The Decepticons are known for being bad…but Ballpoint is truly the worst –the biggest failure of them all. After the latest attempt to take down the Autobots goes horribly wrong, he’s kicked out of the Decepticons, for good! Will Ballpoint be able to prove his worth by defeating the Autobots all by himself? Or will he keep failing and find that being the “best” is…More than Meets the Eye? 

Transformers: Worst Bot Ever – Meet Ballpoint (ISBN: 978-1-5343-2799-3 | SRP $12.99) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday July 9, 2025, and at booksellers like Amazon and Bookshop along with digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Tuesday July 22, 2025

Transformers: Worst Bot Ever - Meet Ballpoint

Free Comic Book Day 2025: Skybound Comet, Image, and Hasbro release Transformers: Worst Bot Ever

Skybound Comet, Image Comics, and Hasbro have announced that they will publish a Transformers: Worst Bot Ever Special for Free Comic Book Day (FCBD) on Saturday, May 3, 2025. In celebration of the power of comic books, this special serves as a first look at the most anticipated graphic novel of the year.  

Featuring the first appearance of Ballpoint, everyone’s new favorite Decepticon, this FCBD special precedes the upcoming OGN release of Transformers: Worst Bot Ever: Meet Ballpoint, the start of a new OGN series about the misadventures of the bot who is mightier than the sword by Brian “Smitty” Smith and Marz Jr., available July 2025 for Middle Grade Readers.  

Plus, meet the most unexpected family of superheroes with a special look inside Family Force V, the soon-to-be YA OGN phenomenon about your new favorite alien fighting family, from writer Matt Braly (Disney’s Amphibia) and artist Ainsworth Lin, coming June 2025 from Skybound Comet. 

In Transformers: Worst Bot Ever: Meet Ballpoint, the Decepticons are known for being bad…but Ballpoint is truly the worst –the biggest failure of them all. After the latest attempt to take down the Autobots goes horribly wrong, he’s kicked out of the evil Decepticons, for good! Will Ballpoint be able to prove his worth by defeating the Autobots all by himself? Or will he keep failing and find that being the “best” is …More than Meets the Eye

Transformers: Worst Bot Ever: Meet Ballpoint (ISBN: 978-1-5343-2799-3 | SRP $12.99) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, and at booksellers, along with digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Tuesday, July 22, 2025. 

Skybound Entertainment | TRANSFORMERS: WORST BOT EVER

Skybound, Image, and Hasbro announce Transformers: Worst Bot Ever, a new middle grade graphic novel series

Skybound Comet, Image Comics, and Hasbro, have announced Transformers: Worst Bot Ever: Meet Ballpointthe first book in a new series of OGNs from writer Brian “Smitty” Smith and artist Marz Jr.  

Middle grade readers will be introduced to the misadventures of the bot who is mightier than the sword when Transformers: Worst Bot Ever: Meet Ballpoint hits stores next July. 

The Decepticons are known for being bad…but Ballpoint is truly the worst –the biggest failure of them all. After the latest attempt to take down the Autobots goes horribly wrong, he’s kicked out of the Decepticons, for good! Will Ballpoint be able to prove his worth by defeating the Autobots all by himself? Or will he keep failing and find that being the “best” is…More than Meets the Eye? 

Transformers: Worst Bot Ever: Meet Ballpoint (ISBN: 978-1-5343-2799-3 | SRP $12.99) will be available at comic book shops on Wednesday July 9, 2025 and at booksellers, along with digital platforms including Amazon Kindle, Apple Books, and Google Play on Tuesday July 22, 2025.

Transformers: Worst Bot Ever: Meet Ballpoint

Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici’s Void Rivals #1 is An Instant Sellout

Skybound has announced that Void Rivals #1, the debut issue of the massive new comic book series, sold out at the distributor level on the same day it hit comic book shops. Void Rivals #1, from the iconic Oblivion Song team of Robert Kirkman and Lorenzo De Felici, along with colorist Matheus Lopes and letterer Rus Wooton, will return with a second printing on July 19, 2023, the same day Void Rivals #2 arrives in comic book shops.  

Void Rivals #1 launches the all-new shared “Energon Universe” with the surprise first appearance of iconic Transformers character Jetfire. The stealth launch introduced the historic new partnership between toy and game company Hasbro and Skybound, with Transformers and G.I. Joe comics finding a new home with the publisher. 

The issue will return with two brand-new second printing variant covers drawn by Jason Howard and Marz Jr. 

In Void Rivals, war rages around the Sacred Ring, where the last remnants of two worlds have collapsed around a black hole in a never-ending war. However, when pilot Darak and his rival Solila both crash on a desolate planet, these two enemies must find a way to escape together. But are they alone on this strange planet? And what dark forces await that threaten the entire universe?   

Void Rivals #1 Second Printing Variants (Diamond 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, July 19, 2023. 

The new covers available include: 

  • Void Rivals #1 Second Printing Variant Cover A by Jason Howard (APR239177) 
  • Void Rivals #1 Second Printing Variant Cover B by Marz Jr (APR239178)