01/18/24 @ 12:06 pm EST
The Daughter of Drakulon has been through many stories in her life in comic books. We added them all up and were surprised to come to VAMPIRELLA #666 for the first issue of our next story! It's all heating up soon with Christopher Priest taking her on her newest epic, poetically returning to where he started in 2019 for the 50th anniversary while looking forward as we march toward #700! Preorders are due this weekend with your favorite Local Comic Shop, so make sure to lock yours in ASAP and subscribe to the series to not miss out!
PRIEST REWINDS THE CLOCK, CELEBRATES 666 ISSUES & CHARGES FORWARD IN THE MOST HISTORIC VAMPIRELLA STORY YET! Priest, we must ask you of course what you think of the fun numbering here with Vampirella #666. You've been involved in a few big celebratory anniversary issues through your career, like Conan the Barbarian #200, the big #1,000 marks for Detective Comics and Marvel Comics, and we won't think too hard about how a #1,000,000 issue comes to be...I think it apropos to give the comic the same number as my age :-) I don’t know, I think the biz has changed a lot over time. A lot of us older fans really enjoyed the issue numbering and felt it important to keep our sets complete. A Number One was a huge deal, and milestone numbering was an event to be celebrated. I think all the reboots have diminished this aspect a great deal, with younger generations of fans now not as invested or not invested in quite the same way. You first took on the helm of the Vampirella franchise in 2019 for our big 50th anniversary. It all kicked off with an echo of origins fans had previously seen for the character, with her as the sole survivor of a tragic plane crash. We hear fans will be seeing that moment again here, maybe even more than once, with a big twist. What is going down this time? For Vampirella, we’d completed our 50th anniversary volume with our issue #25, and that allowed us to stretch and explore a bit over the stretch of the pandemic through Vampirella/Dracula: Unholy, its bookend Vampirella/Dracula: Rage and the way-too-much-fun Vampirella: Year One. But I knew that, presuming Dynamite didn’t ship me off to the Old Writers’ Home, what I would want to do most was get back to basics. Our 50th Anniversary run began with a fairly simple premise: a single girl trying to make it on her own in the big city. She just happens to be a vampire from outer space with a pushy, vengeful mother and a collection of supernatural enemies out to kill her. After the heaviness of Rage, wherein a vengeful Vampirella becomes consumed by darkness, I wanted to get back to where we started with the wonder, fun, and poignancy of those first issues and Vampirella restored to her whimsical goodness. We’ve done that... sorta.  There’s always a catch. I mean, that’s the fun of reading ANY story, any novel or magazine or comic. There’s the story you think you know and then there’s the unexpected curve that creates the thrill ride. And that’s where we are with issue #666” back home, back where we belong. Sorta. One of the working titles for this series and perhaps still for the story arc is "Beyond." Could you elaborate a bit on what that means for Vampirella?The “Beyond” arc title was intended to reflect the idea of a woman having all her wishes granted. The basic gist of my Vampirella series has always been, ostensibly, wish fulfillment. Casper The friendly Ghost wants what we all want--community. Friends, family, love, purpose. The only problem is Casper is, in fact, a dead baby, and people find that sort of thing scary. Vampirella’s quest for those very same things has always been complicated by the fact she is a vampire from outer space surrounded by and pursued by a wide ranging cast of characters that might be fright at home in the 60’s sitcom Bewitched. The suggestion is that Vampi might actually find the love and happiness she’s always sought if only these kooks would leave her alone, which of course they won’t do because they’re kooks and she’s a space vampire.  But, thought I, what if Vampirella could achieve those things, what if she could realize the fulfillment and happiness she sought? So what if we went all the way back to our beginning, strip away the tragedy, the heartbreak, the betrayals, even bring dead characters back to life? What if we did all of that... ...only to put Vampirella into a position where she has to un-do it all, lose everything, in order to save the world? We discover Vampirella’s new status quo has been engineered, and the mechanism which created her happiness is dooming the planet. As a writer, the main thing you try to do is put your protagonist into a headlock and then drag him or her into a dark alley toward a brick wall. Then figure out how the protagonist overcomes certain doom before the series ends. Here, in Vampirella Beyond, we’re doing that in spades. Turkish artist Ergün Gündüz is back as well, ready to tap back into the artistic vision he helped debut with you a few years ago, flipping it on its head a bit. While also tying together everything that has been seen to date from our Free Comic Book Day #0 all the way to Vampirella/Dracula: Rage #6. How important was it to bring him back in for this particular story? Oh, it’s vital. I wouldn’t do this idea without Ergün because Vampirella Beyond is a deconstruction of the world Ergün created. Ergün’s characters play key roles in the story and the look and unique feel of Ergün’s world is what drives this arc. We will be revisiting specific landmark scenes in the early issues that Ergün must now match perfectly (and he has!) in a kind of Groundhog’s Day round-robin. As part of the celebration of hitting this nontraditional #666 milestone, we're including a little extra for fans at no extra cost. The issue will feature a wordless short story you did with Alan Davis in 1999, originally published in Vampirella #19, within the series fans often call the "New Monthly." What do you possibly recall about that collaboration and story?How terrified I was of them. Of Vampirella and of Alan Davis. I had the pleasure of hanging out with Mr. Davis in Memphis recently, where I expressed (again) my appreciation for his having taken on that assignment. Yes, I’m just as big a fanboy as the next comic geek, and working with Mr. Davis on that assignment -- which requires precise storytelling on his part since the story was to be “silent” -- is one of the high points of my career.
Vampirella's Next Epic Begins Here! We Celebrated 50 Years in 2019 - Now Join Us For #666 & Road to #700!  A B C A: LUCIO PARRILLO - DEC230232 B: FELIPE MASSAFERA - DEC230233 C: CARLA COHEN - DEC230234  D I D: COSPLAY (RACHEL HOLLON) - DEC230235 I 10 COPY INC: ERGÜN GÜNDÜZ - DEC230240
02/05/25 @ 8:55 pm EST

Ben Affleck is ramping things up on his upcoming Netflix thriller Animals. He not only will direct the pic but star as well, Deadline is reporting. Insiders add that Gillian Anderson also is aboard. The plan is for the film to shoot in Los Angeles from a script by Connor McIntyre and Billy Ray. Plot details are being kept under wraps other than the film revolving around a kidnapping. Affleck was eyeing this film as his next directing outing last year but was only planning to direct, with Matt Damon in line for the starring role. A holdup with the rights delayed start of production, and Affleck ultimately had to move on to a sequel to The Accountant with Animals pushing. Affleck still wanted to make Animals, and after starring alongside Damon in another Netflix and Artists Equity crime thriller RIP, which will bow later this year on the streamer, saw an opportunity to make Animals his next movie.
02/05/25 @ 8:58 pm EST

BOOM! Studios today revealed a first look at WYND: THE POWER OF THE BLOOD #3. Eisner and GLAAD Award Winner James Tynion IV, visionary artist and GLAAD Award Winner Michael Dialynas, and letterer AndWorld Design continue the much-anticipated adventures in the years-long, Eisner and GLAAD Award-nominated fantasy series with WYND: THE POWER OF THE BLOOD, with the third issue of the much-anticipated new bi-monthly series continuing in March. The Teen Vamp and Yorik must rescue Wynd from Zedra and the malignant machine that is harvesting his blood. But to do so, they’ll have to contend with the forces of Zedra’s army and her vampiric guards! WYND: THE POWER OF THE BLOOD #3 features main cover art by series artist Michael Dialynas and variant covers by acclaimed illustrators Frany (The Neighbours) and Tula Lotay (Faithless). WYND: THE POWER OF THE BLOOD is the newest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to critically acclaimed original series, including BRZRKR by Keanu Reeves, Matt Kindt, and Ron Garney; Something is Killing the Children by James Tynion IV and Werther Dell’Edera; bestselling horror anthology Hello Darkness; Grim by Stephanie Phillips and Flaviano; Stuff of Nightmares by R.L. Stine and A.L. Kaplan; A Vicious Circle by Mattson Tomlin and Lee Bermejo; Ghostlore by Cullen Bunn and Leomacs; Rare Flavours by Ram V and Filipe Andrade; Underheist by David and Maria Lapham; Animal Pound by Tom King and Peter Gross; Minor Arcana by Jeff Lemire; Vicarious by Ryan Parrott and Eleonora Carlini; The Creeping Below by Brian Azzarello and Vanesa Del Rey; and the upcoming Bronze Faces by Shobo, Shof, and Alexandre Tefenkgi; and In Bloom by Michael W. Conrad and John J. Pearson. The imprint also publishes popular licensed properties, including Dune: House Corrino from Brian Herbert, Kevin J. Anderson, and Simone Ragazzoni; Power Rangers Prime by Melissa Flores and Michael YG; and The Expanse: Dragon Tooth by Andy Diggle, Rubine, and Francesco Pisa. WYND: THE POWER OF THE BLOOD #3 will be available in comic shops on March 5, 2025. It is available for pre-order at your local comic shop. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including Kindle, iBooks, and Google Play. Wynd: The Power of the Blood #3 A: Main: JAN250050 Wynd: The Power of the Blood #3 B Variant: JAN250051 Wynd: The Power of the Blood #3 C: 1:10 INCV JAN250052 Wynd: The Power of the Blood #3 D: 1:20 INCV JAN250053 Wynd: The Power of the Blood #3 E: Unlockable Variant JAN250054         
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02/05/25 @ 6:25 pm EST

While Sony’s universe of Spider-Man spinoff films may have collapsed, there are still plans for Spider-Man TV series spinoffs in the works. The first of these projects will be the live-action TV series Spider-Noir starring Nicolas Cage, who is reprising his role as the Spider-Man Noir character from the animated Spider-Verse films. The cast of Spider-Noir has been growing as the show has been in production. Today two new names have been added to the cast: Amy Aquino (best known for playing Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan’s therapist in Marvel’s The Falcon and the Winter Soldier) and Andrew Robinson (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine). Character details for both actors are being kept under wraps. The series is set in an alternate reality of Marvel’s New York City, 1930s era, where we find Spider-Man Noir is an aging private investigator and the only superhero the city has. Spider-Noir will stream exclusively on MGM+ before expanding to Amazon Prime Video. (via ComicBook.com)
02/05/25 @ 3:01 pm EST

Universal has unveiled the trailer for “Jurassic World Rebirth.” This feature will mark the seventh film in the 31-year-old cinematic franchise. The official synopsis for “Jurassic World Rebirth” reads: “Five years post-‘Jurassic World Dominion,’ an expedition braves isolated equatorial regions to extract DNA from three massive prehistoric creatures for a groundbreaking medical breakthrough.” Scarlett Johansson plays Zora Bennett, a covert operations expert hired to lead an expedition to secure genetic material from three dinosaurs. The cast also includes Jonathan Bailey, Rupert Friend, Ed Skrein, Mahershala Ali, Manuel Garcia-Rulfo, Luna Blaise, Philippine Velge, David Iacono, Audrina Miranda and Bechir Sylvain. “Jurassic World Rebirth” filmed in select locations in Thailand, London and California. The film will be distributed by Universal and is set for a theatrical release on July 2. (via Variety) Trailer: https://youtu.be/jan5CFWs9ic
02/05/25 @ 2:54 pm EST

L-R: Byron Mann, Milo Ventimiglia, Ashley Greene and Anson Mount Byron Mann (Wu Assassins), Milo Ventimiglia (This Is Us), Ashley Greene (Twilight) and Anson Mount (Star Trek: Strange New Worlds) are set to topline Kill Him ‘Til He’s Dead, a sci-fi action film from writer-director Michael Winnick (Guns, Girls & Gambling), which has wrapped production. Fivel Stewart (The Recruit) rounds out the cast. The film follows a broken-down hitman (Mann) who finds himself waking up in different bodies as he tries to save the love of his life (Greene) from a ruthless tech titan (Ventimiglia) and his deadly associates (Mount & Stewart). Lan Kay (Bob Trevino Likes It) is producing via Lankis Entertainment, alongside Winnick, Mann, Charles Berg and John Zhang. (via Deadline)
02/04/25 @ 1:41 pm EST

Jurassic World Rebirth is expected to be one of the biggest movie trailers to drop during Super Bowl LIX, and Univeral Pictures has let the hype train out of the station for an early promotional run. Today brings a teaser for the upcoming trailer, featuring stars Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali in what look to be some dire straits. This first promotion seems to be selling director Gareth Edwards’ (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) dark and thrilling vision of the Jurassic World franchise. Jurassic World Rebirth has a theatrical release date of July 2nd. (via ComicBook.com) Teaser: https://twitter.com/i/status/1886807176242462981
02/04/25 @ 1:24 pm EST

The first trailer for The Fantastic Four: First Steps teases a retro-future world and an impending threat from Galactus, one of Marvel’s most famous antagonists. The Fantastic Four is one of the most anticipated Marvel movies in some time, as fans have waited years for the Kevin Feige-led studio to make a film starring Marvel’s First Family, as the team is known. The Fantastic Four are a cornerstone of the Marvel Universe in the comics, with writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby’s 1961 Fantastic Four No. 1 launching the universe. But the property has never had its due on the big screen. It spent decades at 20th Century Fox, which made a pair of middling movies in the 2000s and a universally reviled 2015 feature. (A 1994 Roger Coreman-produced Fantastic Four was famously never released). The Fantastic Four: First Steps has a July 25 release date. (via The Hollywood Reporter) First official trailer: https://youtu.be/AzMo-FgRp64
02/04/25 @ 1:14 pm EST
Oni Press – the multiple Eisner and Harvey Award-winning publisher of groundbreaking comics and graphic novels since 1997, is proud to present an extended look inside PLAGUE HOUSE #1 — the FIRST ISSUE of a deep and disorienting reinvention of the haunted house genre from acclaimed writer Michael W. Conrad (Wonder Woman, Double Walker) and 2024 Ringo Award-winning artist Dave Chisholm (Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound)! On April 2nd, it’s not the house that’s haunted… It’s the soul of America itself when PLAGUE HOUSE #1 makes its damnable debut! “I've always loved horror books, movies, and comics--the weird, the occult, and ghost stories are part of my DNA--and so I am incredibly pumped to get to make this book with Michael and Bess Pallares and everyone at Oni Press,” said artist Dave Chisholm. “Michael's story works on so many levels--it's got great characters, it's got a fresh take on the haunted-house genre that's relevant--and it's scary, shocking, and fun all at the same time. I'm really bringing everything I've got to this art, too, and I can't wait for this book to keep people up at night.” “As I’ve worked on this PLAGUE HOUSE I’ve discovered things about myself that I’m not entirely comfortable with, and perhaps that’s where true horror lives,” said writer Michel W. Conrad. “PLAGUE HOUSE is a story about haunted locations, how they work, and the demands they make of the living. It’s a story about violence, revenge, and the petty vulgarity that can get trapped in locations soiled by violence. PLAGUE HOUSE is a horror story about us, and the specters created in the wake of our most selfish deeds.” Thirteen years ago, Orin McCabe was a family man living a privileged life in the suburbs. Today, he’s condemned to death row for murdering his entire family in an unexpected fit of hammerwielding brutality. In the aftermath of his heinous crime, it’s fallen to a trio of eclectic, but dedicated, ghost hunters—Jacob, the holy man; Holland, the skeptic; and their leader, Del, a true believer in the occult and worlds beyond—to surveil the abandoned McCabe home in search of proof for the existence of the undead . . . and whatever supernatural source may have possibly fueled McCabe’s inhuman massacre. But this ill-matched and uneasy squad of investigators is about to discover something much more terrifying than any ordinary spirit. . . . Something much more pernicious, much more contagious, that if not contained, could take full advantage of America’s unquenchable appetite for violence and deliver a plague of blood unto us all . . . These never-before-seen preview pages usher you into a strange and dangerous world stained with blood, fear, and the deepest depths of the unknown... In addition to the issue’s main cover by Dave Chisholm, PLAGUE HOUSE #1 will feature variant covers from Brian Level (Star Wars: Vader – Dark Visions), Noah Bailey (Wonder Woman: Black and Gold, Tremor Dose), Nathan Ooten (Neptune), and Alex Eckman-Lawn (Mouse Guard: Legends of The Guard, Art Brut). The infection is coming, whether you’re ready or not, when PLAGUE HOUSE #1 begins to spread this April! PLAGUE HOUSE is the next chapter in Oni Press’ genre-colliding slate of must-read titles for Spring 2025 that also includes MINE IS A LONG, LONESOME GRAVE #1 by Justin Jordan & Chris Shehan (February), FREE FOR ALL #1 by Patrick Horvath (March), OUT OF ALCATRAZ #1 by Christopher Cantwell & Tyler Crook (March), and THE GODDAMN TRAGEDY #1 by Chris Condon & Shawn Kuruneru (April.)
      




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02/03/25 @ 9:50 pm EST

Those rumors of Marvel Studios re-casting the part of T’Challa in the Marvel Cinematic Universe appear to have been greatly exaggerated. The rumor popped up last month and stated that Marvel is reportedly looking to replace Chadwick Boseman as T’Challa for future appearances, such as Black Panther 3. ComicBook.com spoke to Nate Moore, the VP of Production & Development at Marvel Studios, in support of Captain America: Brave New World. When asked about the rumors of finding a new T’Challa to play Black Panther, Moore shot them down. “The truth is, there’s no truth to those rumors. Never say never to anything, we haven’t really had a lot of creative conversations with Ryan Coogler yet, because he’s finishing his film Sinners, which comes out this year,” Moore said. “We’ll get into it later this year, but everything you read online is not true, if for no other reason than we just haven’t started [working on it].” One person we know who will be starring in Black Panther 3 is Denzel Washington. The famed actor revealed he’d be a part of Black Panther 3 in November while promoting Gladiator II, although it’s unclear what his role in the movie will be.
02/03/25 @ 9:35 pm EST

In every generation, there is a chosen one — again. Variety is reporting that a sequel series to the beloved show “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is nearing a pilot order at Hulu. Sources say that Sarah Michelle Gellar is in final talks to once again play the iconic title character in the untitled project, although it would focus on a new Slayer and Gellar would appear in a recurring role rather than leading the series. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” has proven to be a massive cult hit and highly influential since its debut. The series is credited for helping to popularize ongoing story arcs in television while also building a show around a strong female lead. It is frequently cited as one of the best television shows of all time.
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