Even Greater News For All Our Readers

We're back! Not through choice! I've been on a work trip for the past week and the deadlines are nipping at my heels, and the last thing I want to be doing is writing a newsletter, but there is simply TOO MUCH GOING ON to ignore! And it all starts with the vital question of...

WHAT'S OUT THIS WEEK?

Immortal Thor #16, that's what!

It's an action-packed issue, this one - Radioactive Man is in town, working for Dario Agger, and he's not alone. Agger's building a collection of "Gods of Midgard" out of Thor's earliest foes in order to sully the Thunder God's rep on Earth even further - and his scheme is going to have some roundabout consequences that even he didn't predict. Awesome art by Jan Bazaldua with captivating color by Matt Hollingsworth.

But that's not all...

Venom War #3 is also out today - the third part of the slam-bang finish to the time-warped saga of Eddie Brock, the King(s) In Black, in which the Venom symbiote finally makes a decision on who he wants to bond with. Where does this leave Spidey, Eddie and Dylan? How do their respective factions take it? And when Doctor Doom and Kang pull the triggers on their plans, how does that affect the final score? Iban Coello provides the art with color from Frank D'Armata. Also, Venom Horse continues his endless rampage/discourse on the nature of art, with Carlos Nieto providing visuals!

There's been a lot of Venom War since last time I did one of these - so many, in fact, that sourcing images would get very crazy indeed. My bad entirely for not being up to a newsletter between then and now. But still on shelves, you'll find:

• Venom #37! Continuing Old Man Dylan's quest through the Marvel 60s to find the weapon that'll turn the tide in the final moments of the Venom War!
• Venom War: Carnage #2! In the recent past, Carnage's investigation into Meridius' doings continues, and all manner of horrors are revealed!
• Venom War: Venomous #2! Black Widow and Flash Thompson continue their own investigation - leading Flash into Venom War #3!
• And just today, Venom War: Spider-Man #3! The web-slinger's viewpoint of the cataclysmic events - miss it never!

Plus, the zombiotes are rampaging through the rest of the Marvel Universe, leading to other heroes getting drawn in – is your fave one of them? Pick up Venom War: Wolverine, Venom War: Deadpool, Venom War: Lethal Protectors, Venom War: Daredevil and the ongoing Venom War: Zombiotes to find out!

Okay - that's comics of the present and past covered... but what about comics of... the future...?

WHAT'S OUT IN WEEKS TO COME?

Two big announcements - one got a lot of play in the comics press and socials, and the other could use a few more eyeballs.

First of all... METAMORPHO, THE ELEMENT MAN will be coming to DC on December 25th, courtesy of Scintillatin' Steve Lieber – Lovely Lee Loughridge – Fabulous Ferran Delgado -- and me!

I hereby declare December 25th to be METAMORPHO DAY – this year and every year! Take the day off! Have a feast with relatives! Give gifts, like pristine copies of Metamorpho #1! I'll be doing that, and if anyone else does it I'll take it as a sign that they, too, love Rex Mason and all his supporting cast.

A brief aside - continuity-watchers may be aware of certain... discrepancies in the above image. Certain dead people who are now alive people. I'll take this moment to reassure fans of the flow of time and the ordered sequence of events that we are indeed aware of these causal conundrums – and we'll show our working in the fullness of time. I also make here a solemn promise that you absolutely do not need to read any other comics to grok this one if you'd rather not do so! It's the groovy ground floor of an elevator to the stars, Metamaniacs - everything's explained as we go!

The solicit: To know him is to love him. He’s the one and only Rex Mason, alias Metamorpho… but can even he win out against Cy.C.L.O.P.S., the hairy eyeball of crime that gazes from the top of the pop charts to the lowest depths of evil—and even into the far-off, far-out Ra-Realm? To find out, the Element Man must survive a hand-picked assassin who can match him change for change… and that’s just the first issue!

And that's not all...

YOUNG MEN IN LOVE: NEW ROMANCE is coming in June of 2025... if YOU make it so! That's right, the Ringo-award-winning teen-appropriate anthology of male-focused queer romance is back, in Kickstarter form... and I'm one of the writers! Look, it's me:

And I'm working with Luciano Vecchio and Patricio Oliver! The story's called "Dinner For Two" and it's a meet-cute with the emphasis on "cute". I got to pull a stylistic trick in this one that I don't think I ever used before - but you'll have to back the Kickstarter to find out what it is.

AND THAT'S ALL, FOLKS!

We're well into the afternoon, local time, so time to get going - love and strength to all who need it, and in honour of the late Kris Kristofferson I'll play us out with a favourite of mine - "Highwayman" by The Highwaymen.