ZEB WELLS (writer) DAVID LAFUENTE (artist/cover) ULISES ARREOLA (colors)
You’ve heard of black comedies? Well, this is the first one that’s not just black, but red and green and covered in reams of extremely flammable tinsel that’s already been banned in Canada!
Every Christmas Eve, little Bobby Hamilton and his father rise at dawn for an early morning hunting trip. It was their favorite tradition – until they accidentally killed a certain red-nosed reindeer. They should have known better. They shouldn’t have tried to cover it up. Because Santa Claus knows that they’ve been naughty – and, now like so many fragile Christmas ornaments violently shaken free, the yuletide peace of a quaint Midwestern farming hamlet will forever be shattered as Old Saint Nick comes to town to reap the sweetest gift of all: vengeance.
This July, Emmy Award winner Zeb Wells (Hellions, Robot Chicken), mischief-making artistic all-star David Lafuente (Ultimate Spider-Man), and colorist Ulises Arreola (Action Comics) are ready to ruin Christmas a solid six months in advance with the only thing we really wanted this year, anyway: another king-sized Bad Idea one-shot that will soon go down in infamy!
Written by PAUL LEVITZ Art by MJ KIM Colors by ULISES ARREOLA Letters by SIMON BOWLAND Cover A by AMILCAR PINNA Cover B by ALAN QUAH Preorder Cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA On sale JUNE 16th | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | T+
The Visitor pulls the trigger on tomorrow once and for all in the epic finale…
Written by PAUL LEVITZ Art by SOO LEE Colors by ULISES ARREOLA Letters by SIMON BOWLAND Cover A by AMILCAR PINNA Cover B by CASPAR WIJNGAARD On sale JUNE 2nd | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | T+
With only two of the Visitor’s targets left standing, what extreme lengths will he go to in order to finish the job?
The G.C.P.D. discover a mysterious corpse, a magical box, and a murderer’s row of the city’s most dangerous villains sitting in a jail cell. Now all they need to figure out is what exactly happened! Fortunately, one suspect is willing to talk.
Unfortunately, it’s The Joker. And he’s holding all the cards.
Launching on August 3 with a debut issue by Matthew Rosenberg, Jesús Merino, Joshua Hixon, and Ulises Arreola, over the course of seven installments of The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox, The Joker introduces seemingly unconnected stories of his fellow inmates. As the series progresses, it becomes apparent that each tale is actually a piece of The Joker’s larger plan.
Does an agent of chaos even make plans?
Superstar writer Matthew Rosenberg, magnificent artist Jesús Merino, and a multitude of rising-star artists invite you to spend a night in the Gotham Central interrogation room to make sense of murder, mayhem, and mystery—as told by the Clown Prince of Crime himself! Can you solve this puzzle before the sun comes up?
The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox #1, the beginning of a seven-issue miniseries written by Matthew Rosenberg with art Jesús Merino, Joshua Hixon, and Ulises Arreola, arrives in print on August 3 with a main cover by Chip Zdarsky, card stock open order variants by Riccardo Federicci and Christopher Mooneyham, and a card stock 1:25 variant by Jesús Merino.
Through the run of The Joker Presents: A Puzzlebox, expect to see artwork from Keron Grant, Dani, Domo Stanton, Juni Ba, Vanesa Del Rey, Ricardo Ortiz, Christopher Mooneyham, and more, as The Joker lays down his clues. The Joker Presents: A Puzzleboxwill retail for $4.99 for 40 pages. Card stock covers will retail for $5.99.
Written by DENNIS HOPELESS Art by EMILIO LAISO Colors by RUTH REDMOND Letters by HASSAN OTSMANE-ELHAOU Cover A by CHRISTIAN WARD Cover B by DAVID NAKAYAMA Cover C by DAVID LOPEZ Preorder Variant Cover by GIUSEPPE CAMUNCOLI & ULISES ARREOLA 1:25 Sword of Shanhara Variant Cover by DUSTIN WEAVER On Sale December 23rd | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | T+
Who wins in a fight: X-O Manowar or a cybernetic tech monster formed out of lava?
In order to prevent catastrophe, will Aric hand over the X-O armor to a new ally?
Next summer, Bad Idea is taking the #1 spot on Christmas classics forever with a king-sized holiday spectacular so touching, so hilarious, and so relentlessly bloodthirsty that it has to be released in July!
That’s because Emmy Award-winning writer Zeb Wells, powerhouse artist David Lafuente, and colorist Ulises Arreola are giving the Christmas season what it’s always needed – firepower – as Bad Idea’s battering ram of a rollout continues in Slay Bells #1– a seasonally twisted tale of broken dreams, dead reindeer, and insatiable revenge that will forever live in infamy…and our hearts.
Every Christmas Eve, little Bobby Hamilton and his father rise at dawn for an early morning hunting trip. It was their favorite tradition – until they accidentally killed a certain red-nosed reindeer. They should have known better. They shouldn’t have tried to cover it up. Because Santa Claus knows that they’ve been naughty – and, now like so many fragile Christmas ornaments violently shaken free, the yuletide peace of a quaint Midwestern farming hamlet will forever be shattered as Old Saint Nick comes to town to reap the sweetest gift of all: vengeance.
You’ve heard of black comedies? Well, this is the first one that’s not just black, but red and green and covered in reams of extremely flammable tinsel that’s already been banned in Canada!And it comes packed with all of the holiday-themed accoutrements we’ve come to know and love:
Dark Nights: Death Metal has been an interesting event so far. The “Crisis” by another name has had a main series and story that has bounced around in tone. Then, there’s been a series of tie-in one-shots. They’ve been both key in the storytelling and far superior to the main series. Each of those one-shots is pretty important to the story. They don’t quite stand on their own but also are not easily woven into the main series. Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise of the New God is another example of that. It feels like it introduces really important aspects to the main story but would be difficult to work into the series.
Written by James Tynion IV, Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise of the New God focuses on the battle between the new version of The Batman Who Laughs and Perpetua. It’s occurring on a cosmic scale with the two hurling planets at each other, a concept both awe-inspiring visually and a bit silly at the same time.
The comic though is more focused on Chronicler, a new character to me, whose role is to… watch. Yes, Chronicler is DC”s version of Uatu, Marvel’s Watcher. Its role is to travel the omniverse gathering stories of various realities and their history. With this reality on the brink of destruction, the Chronicler is going to do the same with this universe.
The concept presented is an interesting one with a slight twist more focused on the meta aspect of a storyteller watching a story. The Chronicler becomes obsessed that a reality with such rich stories feels unfinished and so travels around gathering more information. We as readers learn more about the history of the DC Universe and the current situation. In a way Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise of the New God acts as another entry to try to make sense of the current event.
What it does do is add another layer to the already complicated history of DC Crisis events adding in the Omniverse to the Multiverse. It also might be a hint as to what’s to come once Dark Nights: Death Metal is over. It again points to a “new DC universe” driven by this event, one that may return to the classic good vs. evil tropes of classic DC stories.
The art is amazing at times. Jesus Merino is joined by Vicenete Cifuentes on ink and Ulises Arreola on color. The imagery as Chronicler makes his way through the galaxy is just jaw-dropping at times. It’s titans battling in a cosmic way and delivers visuals I don’t believe I’ve ever seen before. Chronicler himself feels like a mix of DC’s history with aspects of classic and modern design mixed together. There’s also some great use of panels and splash pages to really emphasize the epic and titanic nature of what’s happening.
A back-up story takes us to The Bleed where a ship of survivors needs to figure out what to do next. Written by Bryan Edward Hill, the segment has the remaining Green Lanterns unsure of their next move. They know time is not on their side and they’ll eventually be destroyed if they stick to their path. Much like the main story, it too leaves you hanging with whatever to come in another issue elsewhere. It also feels like a segment that couldn’t be fit into the main series, so had to be added somewhere.
With art by Nik Virella, color by Hi-Fi, and lettering by Andworld Design, it’s a decent chapter. The art team is able to mix the desperation the survivors feel with that moment when they decide to fight. While it doesn’t quite hit the level of inspirational, the characters and designs are interesting. It too leaves the reader wanting to see what’s next though this finishes with a more curious “end.”
Dark Nights: Death Metal Rise of the New God is an interesting comic. It has a lot of concepts that could work really well. But, as a comic, it doesn’t stand on its own. It feels like a chapter in the event that without the event, it’d make no sense. As is, it’s inclusion is head-scratching until we read more of what’s to come. It’s a setup of things, clearly, but until that pays off, what’s presented can be a bit confusing and mixed. It has concepts without payoff and new ideas that until this issue hasn’t played into Dark Nights: Death Metal.
Unlike other one-shots, this is one you will likely need to continue to read the event to enjoy. But, if DC is willing to step out into the Omniverse as this comic hints, it’s a sign of some exciting things to come when this event is finally over.
Story: James Tynion IV, Bryan Edward Hill Art: Jesus Merino, Nik Virella Ink: Vicente Cifuentes Color: Ulises Arreola, Hi-Fi Letterer: Andworld Design Story: 6.0 Art: 8.35 Overall: 6.0 Recommendation: Pass
DC Comics provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review
Bad Idea is on the way! After an interesting build-up, the comic publisher is ready to do something new, get some comics on the shelves!
Beginning in March 2021, comic fans will be getting at least one brand-new Bad Idea release per month in a variety of tastes-good, feels-great formats by a fleet of world-class creators, including writers Matt Kindt, Robert Venditti, Marguerite Bennett, and Zeb Wells, artists Doug Braithwaite, Juan Jose Ryp, Adam Pollina, Renato Guedes, and Adam Pollina, and even more yet to come (like Mae Catt, Joshua Dysart, Tomas Giorello, Eric Heisserer, David Lapham, Lewis LaRosa, Jeff Lemire, Peter Milligan, and more).
Bad Idea is taking a new spin on comic distribution. Comic books will be sold exclusively in participating comic book stores. No digital releases. No trade paperbacks or hardcovers. And no variant covers, either. Just super-high quality comics that will always leave you wanting more – because they’ll never publish more than two in a given month.
The publisher’s goal is for every single issue to look and feel special with prestige-format package, deluxe matte laminate covers, and heavy-duty interior paper stock. There’ll also be extra-long page counts, guest appearances from artists, and standalone bonus stories in every issue at no extra cost. That means more The Hero Trade from Matt Kindt and David Lapham and… the bird of a shared universe!?
All of that for just $3.99 per issue.
You’ll have to visit a Bad Idea “destination store” – one of the 100 and counting comic shops around the world that have signed on to join our independent network of direct-distribution retail partners – and buy them on a Wednesday (or simply pre-order them in advance by phone or email and pick them up whenever you’re damn well ready).
What will we see next year? Lets find out!
ENIAC #1 (of 4)
MATT KINDT (writer) DOUG BRAITHWAITE (art) DIEGO RODRIGUEZ (colors) LEWIS LAROSA with LAURA MARTIN (covers)
Seventy-seven years ago, the United States unlocked the key to defeating the Axis powers, but, in their desperation to end the war, created a far more powerful threat: ENIAC (Electronic Numerator Integrator and Computer), the world’s first supercomputer. ENIAC’s calculations proved vital to turning the tide against Germany and Japan – until it ordered the second atomic bomb to be dropped on Nagasaki without any human order or approval. America had inadvertently created the first artificial intelligence without ever realizing the full extent of its abilities…or its ambitions. For the more than 50 years that followed, ENIAC manipulated global affairs from the shadows, waging a cold war that pitted spy against spy, nation against nation…until it went dark and disappeared from view. Now, years later, an encrypted countdown has just been detected in Earth’s satellite network and mankind only has three days left before ENIAC executes its endgame. With few options and even less time, the Secretary of Defense has just given two covert operatives the most important mission in human history: kill ENIAC…before it kills us.
From the minds of New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), incendiary artist Doug Braithwaite (Justice), and colorist Diego Rodriguez (X-O Manowar), Bad Idea’s long-awaited debut starts here with a science-fiction thrill ride that will send shockwaves for decades to come.
FOUR ISSUES // MONTHLY // BEGINNING MARCH 2021
TANKERS #1 (of 3)
ROBERT VENDITTI (writer) JUAN JOSE RYP (art/covers) JORDIE BELLAIRE (colors)
The CEO of global energy conglomerate Greenleaf Oil has just discovered a terrifying secret: the planet only has a decade or less of petroleum left before it’s gone forever. But he has a plan to make sure his great-great grandchildren can continue to generate maximum shareholder value – and secure his own legacy in the process. Rather than develop a game-changing renewable energy source through the power of corporate innovation, Greenleaf has perfected the next best thing – time travel (duh) – so that a team of six field-rat contractors armed to the teeth in individually customized mech suits can go back to the Cretaceous Period, tweak the trajectory of the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, and give mankind another 500 millennia worth of oil reserves. What could go wrong? Only all of human history, of course – because when Greenleaf’s team of Tankers come home, they’ll discover that not only did the dinosaurs never die out, they’ve kept evolving for another 60 million years…and they’re more pissed off than ever.
Bone-shredding destruction! Wanton corporate malfeasance! Reckless use of industrial machinery! And lots and lots of ammunition. Like a Saturday morning cartoon that’s run irresponsibly overbudget, New York Times bestselling writer Robert Venditti (Justice League), blockbuster artist Juan Jose Ryp (Wolverine), and Eisner Award-winning colorist Jordie Bellaire (Pretty Deadly) are here to take all of our insecurities about mankind’s most self-destructive impulses and turn them up until the knob snaps off with THREE DOUBLE-SIZED ISSUES shipping BIMONTHLY (that means every other month, don’t look it up).
THREE ISSUES // DOUBLE-SIZED // BI-MONTHLY // BEGINNING APRIL 2021
WHALESVILLE #1
MATT KINDT (writer) ADAM POLLINA (artist/cover) MATT HOLLINGSWORTH (colors)
You never thought you’d see a Bad Idea like this! From the limitless imaginations of New York Times best-selling writer Matt Kindt (Mind MGMT), veteran artist Adam Pollina (X-Force), and Eisner Award-winning colorist Matt Hollingsworth (Hawkeye) comes a very special whale tale for all ages (and species) in the tradition of Hayao Miyazaki and Pixar!
When young Wawae – the seaborn son of a whaling captain – is thrown overboard and swallowed whole by a whale, he knows his father will relentlessly pursue revenge against the creature that stole away his boy. What he didn’t expect, however, is what he’s about to find inside: the town of “Whalesville” – a colorful, cobbled-together village inhabited by an astounding collection of talking sea creatures, including a crab named Caleb, an angler fish called Angela, and a seadragon that prefers to go by Lilly. But, to Wawae’s new friends, Whalesville isn’t just their home, it’s the whole world – and they don’t understand the danger that now pursues them from above the waves or that they are even inside a whale at all. To rescue his new best buddies, Wawae will have to convince them of the truth…and save Whalesville before his own father sends them sinking into the inky depths forever.
In 1970, legendary filmmaker Oliver Larsen began production on his latest horror masterpiece on the lot of Los Angeles’ famed Cloverleaf Studios. Obsessed with bringing authenticity to the genre, the director insisted on casting real-life occultists to perform a genuine Satanic ritual live on camera – until something went horribly wrong. In the bloody aftermath, the production was shut down, the footage was confiscated, and the soundstage was forever shuttered.
Until today.
On the heels of a promotion that’s just made her the youngest studio chief in decades, Aviva Copeland is planning to overhaul Cloverleaf’s fading image for the 21st century – starting with the prime piece of California real estate that’s gone unused for 50 years: the very same lost soundstage where Larsen filmed his doomed masterpiece. But, as Aviva will soon discover, this corner of the lot may have been closed for a half-century, but it’s far from empty…and the evil that lives within its haunted walls will soon seize its chance to kill again.
New York Times best-selling writer Marguerite Bennett (Animosity, A-Force) and artist Renato Guedes (DCeased: Hope at World’s End) present a terrifying vision of horror and Hollywood in the boldly bloody Bad Idea manner!
FOUR ISSUES // MONTHLY // ON SALE JULY 2021
SLAY BELLS #1
ZEB WELLS (writer) DAVID LAFUENTE (artist/cover) ULISES ARREOLA (colors)
You’ve heard of black comedies? Well, this is the first one that’s not just black, but red and green and covered in reams of extremely flammable tinsel that’s already been banned in Canada!
Every Christmas Eve, little Bobby Hamilton and his father rise at dawn for an early morning hunting trip. It was their favorite tradition – until they accidentally killed a certain red-nosed reindeer. They should have known better. They shouldn’t have tried to cover it up. Because Santa Claus knows that they’ve been naughty – and, now like so many fragile Christmas ornaments violently shaken free, the yuletide peace of a quaint Midwestern farming hamlet will forever be shattered as Old Saint Nick comes to town to reap the sweetest gift of all: vengeance.
This July, Emmy Award winner Zeb Wells (Hellions, Robot Chicken), mischief-making artistic all-star David Lafuente (Ultimate Spider-Man), and colorist Ulises Arreola (Action Comics) are ready to ruin Christmas a solid six months in advance with the only thing we really wanted this year, anyway: another king-sized Bad Idea one-shot that will soon go down in infamy!
Written by ALEJANDRO ARBONA Art by JIM TOWE Colors by KELLY FITZPATRICK Letters by CLAYTON COWLES Cover A by CLAYTON HENRY, ULISES ARREOLA Cover B by KANO Preorder Cover by CARY NORD On sale AUGUST 26th | 32 pages, full color | $3.99 US | T+
After a universe-spanning journey, Doctor Tomorrow must face his greatest foe yet: himself!
Will the combined forces of the Valiant Universe be enough to avert total annihilation?
After the epic conclusion, will there be a tomorrow?
Written by PAUL LEVITZ Art by MJ KIM Colors by ULISES ARREOLA Letters by SIMON BOWLAND Cover A by AMILCAR PINNA Cover B by JON DAVIS-HUNT Cover C by NETHO DIAZ Preorder Cover by TONCI ZONJIC
How many people would you kill to change the world? The Visitor continues to strike from the shadows, but what kind of change is he killing to create?
