The Foxe Gospel 10/6/2022: S.C.R.E.A.M.
Yelps & Barks
Sending out a newsletter the weekend of NYCC feels like the definition of shouting into the void, but when has anyone in comics let that hold us back? Hell, that's 85% of publishing in general.
Much of my September was a mad dash to make time and space for a wedding out of state followed by a relaxing retreat vacation in Mexico. And…it worked! We had a great time, saw spider monkeys and coatis, and I did only a healthy amount of work on my phone, obliterating my high-speed data for the month in the process. Did you know getting bumped down to low-speed data feels worse than using dial-up modems?
Anyway, the “S.C.R.E.A.M.” in the title is my new acronym for “Spider Characters Rule Everything Around Me,” because…
The big news of the last two weeks is that Cooper Coen, the winsome, witty Web-Weaver, has finally made his debut! As I said on my social media, it is such an immense honor to co-create a brand-new Marvel hero, especially alongside such hugely talented collaborators, none of which I can thank profusely enough:
Suit designer Kris Anka, who also provided two variant covers, and whose design helped the character take off before he even had a civilian name or any published stories!
Artist Kei Zama, who brought an incomparable amount of style and attitude to Cooper’s world, and designed Cooper’s civilian look with flare to spare.
Colorist Brian Reber, who went the extra mile to give Web-Weaver’s first outing unique touches.
Letterer Joe Caramanga, who nailed some really challenging compositions to bring it all home.
Main cover artist Josemaria Casanovas, who gave the world their first look at this new hero.
And of course Dan Slott, the architect of all things Spider-Verse, for the opportunity, and editors extraordinaire Kaeden McGahey, Lindsey Cohick, and Nick Lowe for inviting me into the web and assembling such a perfect team for Cooper.
With a very special thanks to my partner and muse Juni, without whom I wouldn’t know crap about fashion in the first place. Everything I do, I do for him (and our dog).
Most of all, though, thank you to everyone who picks up Edge of Spider-Verse #5 to see Web-Weaver in action! You can find him next in the pages of Spider-Man by Dan Slott and Mark Bagley, and hopefully we’ll get the chance to weave other stories for him soon…
But that’s not the only Spider-related news of the week, as Spider-Ham: Hollywood May-Ham is out in bookstores and digitally now! (And comic shops next week, I think?) It’s such a massive joy to return to Peter Porker alongside Shadia Amin, who just nails visual comedy on such an elevated level. I wrote the first book before I knew Shadia was the artist, but I knew we were reuniting on this one, so I had the opportunity to really play to all of her many strengths.
The Spider-Ham books are appropriate for younger readers, but we really make them for Marvel fans of all ages. If you dug my work on X-Men '92: House of XCII, I think you'd find a lot to enjoy with Peter Porker's misadventures!
But that’s still not the only Spider-related news of the week! Although hey, this section’s running long and I’ve got an appointment this afternoon.
OUT THIS WEEK(ish)
X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comic #54-55
Art by Alan Robinson
Colors by Carlos Lopez
Letters by Joe Sabino
Edited by Lauren Amaro & Jordan White
Published by Marvel Comics on the Marvel Unlimited App
#54: The Secret X-Men versus the Typhon Group! And now they’ve revealed their true state.
#55: The Secret X-Men take down the Typhon Group and prove themselves as the heroes of the Hellfire Gala!
The final two installments of my X-Men Unlimited Infinity Comics serial with Alan Robinson, Carlos Lopez, and Joe Sabino went live these last two Mondays, and it’s a very bittersweet feeling to see it wrap up!
Although the Strange Tales: She-Hulk Infinity Comic published first, this was my first in-continuity work for Marvel. To contribute to the 616 in any form is a dream—for it to be an oversized X-Men story, starring some of my favorite mutants? Still pinching myself.
Getting to thread some secret shenanigans into the second annual Hellfire Gala was a ton of fun, and I’ll always have a soft spot for characters who aren’t currently being featured elsewhere. Hopefully this batch of Election Losers end up breaking out in their own ways, just like Tempo did last year! I know I’d return to any of them again in an instant.
Spider-Man Magazine #415 & #416
#416 Co-Written with Marco Rizzo
Art by Claudio Sciarrone
Colors by Valentina Taddeo
Letters by Arancia Studio
Edited by Guido Frazzini, Caitlin O’Connell & Lauren Bisom
Published by Panini in conjunction with Marvel Comics & Disney
#415: Peter Parker’s got his very first driving lesson! Think it’s gonna go well? Think again, ‘cos the motor maniac Overdrive is loose on the streets and he’s burnin’ rubber like there’s no tomorrow! Will Peter become a great parallel Parker? Find out next issue!
#416: Our friendly neighbourhood Spider-Man comes face to face with the villainous Vulture! And boy, are his feathers about to get ruffled! But the Vulture is no sitting duck when it comes to a rumble, as our web-head is about to discover! How will it pan out? Grab your copy to find out!
Two more Spider-Man Magazines have hit U.K. shelves since my last update. I still don’t know when these might be available stateside, but they’re such an absolute delight to work on. #415 features Pete’s driving test getting hijacked by Overdrive, a favorite modern foe of mine, while #416 is a Vulture-centric tale I co-wrote with Marco Rizzo, a very talented Italian creator who works on the team with me. He brought a very heartening side to old Toomes here. I am fairly sure Claudio drew both, but I’ve not yet seen final credits. Everyone on this project turns out stunning work, though, so fingers crossed these stories keep spreading to other territories!
Spider-Ham: Hollywood May-Ham
Art by Shadia Amin
Published by Scholastic
Legendary director Alfred Peacock has acquired the rights to bring Spider-Ham's spectacular story to the silver screen. There's only one, itsy-bitsy problem: Spider-Ham didn't sell those rights, and Peacock is getting the origin all wrong-making our hero out to be a monstrous menace! Peter Porker uses his Daily Beagle connections to secure on-set credentials, where he not so subtly tries to improve the film's depiction of his alter ego and fix all the "continuity errors" in the movie. Porker soon discovers that some very shady characters are bankrolling the entire operation, in a bid to convince the residents of New Yolk City that their porcine protector is a threat who must be eliminated! Will everyone's favorite pig clear his name? Or is this porky protector headed for the cutting room floor?
As I said above, working with Shadia on these stories is just pure fun. Mary Jane Waterbuffalo takes a much bigger role this time around, and we got to use (the animal versions of) some of the most iconic Spider-goes ever. Plus: cameos galore! Please pick this up so we can keep telling Peter Porker stories foreverrrrrrrr.
Edge of Spider-Verse #5
Art by Kei Zama
Colors by Brian Reber
Letters by Joe Caramagna
Edited by Kaeden McGahey, Lindsey Cohick & Nick Lowe
Main Cover Art by Josemaria Casanovas
Variant Cover Art & Web-Weaver Design by Kris Anka
Published by Marvel Comics
Three brand new Spiders get their start here! WEB-WEAVER: A not-so-mild mannered fashion designer at Van Dyne gets spider-powers and shows us a very different kind of Spider-Slayer. HUNTER-SPIDER: Imagine a world where Sergei Kravinoff got Spider-Powers. You are not ready for the most hardcore Spider yet! Both of these and Phil Lord & Christopher Miller, the filmmakers behind the Spider-Verse movies, create a new Spider just in time for the END OF THE SPIDER-VERSE!
Man, what can I even say: I got to co-create an original Spider-hero for an event masterminded by Dan Slott, the most prolific Spider-writer of all time, featuring a costume designed by Kris Anka. And on top of all of that, I was paired with an incomparably stylish art team in the form of Kei Zama and Brian Reber, with Joe Caramagna on letters—in an issue that also featured the legendary J. M. DeMatteis and Bob McLeod and Phil Lord & Christopher Miller and David Lopez.
Like, what???
The support and excitement we’ve all received for Web-Weaver has been unreal. I sincerely hope we’ll get the chance to tell more stories in his world soon. Trust me, I’ve got a lot of ideas…
Adventure Kingdom #9
Art by Pedro Rodriguez
Colors by Sonia Moruno
Published on the Epic! App
Step right up! Volume 2 of the digital-first comic series continues, exclusively on the Epic! app. Featuring full read-along dialogue and sound effects!
The catch of doing comics directed at younger readers is that some can have a significant reach without really pinging the radar of the mainstream comics world. Adventure Kingdom, which I’ve been writing for quite a while now, runs on the wildly popular Epic! App…which you’ve probably never heard of if you’re not a parent, teacher, or librarian. Thankfully, the first volume is in print, and the second will be next year, too, so readers of all stripes can check out Pedro and Sonia’s luscious art for this theme-park fantasy romp. We’ve got just one issue left—will the gates of Adventure Kingdom come crashing down?!
ON THE HORIZON:
Spooky month is officially here, and that means Creepshow #2 is right around the corner, set to release on October 26th from Skybound. Erica Henderson’s art for this short will melt your eyeballs. I know I shouldn’t choose favorites…but it’s one of my favorite things I’ve ever gotten to work on. Check it out to get in the Halloween spirit!
INPUT, OUTPUT:
I kicked off October by checking out a trio of upcoming releases from pals of mine, so let me hard-pitch you on each of them now. First up, the just-announced IDW series Breath of Shadows reunites Road of Bones and Sea of Sorrows (sensing a theme here…) powerhouses Rich Douek and Alex Cormack, whose names you may also recognize from the Razorblades: The Horror Magazine table of contents. Rich and Alex are one of the most reliable duos in horror, and this new series combines some of my favorite elements: period pieces, drugged-out musicians, journeys into the heart of a hostile environment, and a fabled substance that may or may not be supernatural. It also heavily features one of my biggest fears in the world: centipedes. Why’d it have to be centipedes?! Breath of Shadows isn’t out until February, but it doesn’t hurt to give your retailer a heads up early. And if you somehow haven’t picked up their past collabs, ‘tis the season. Ugh, my skin is still crawling from typing “centipedes.”
Next up is Dark Horse’s Dead Mall, the comic-series debut of Clown in a Cornfield madman Adam Cesare, illustrated by David Stoll. I love Adam’s work in prose (which is why I invited him to contribute to Razorblades!), and I’m so thrilled he’s doing more comics work. Supposedly, the infamous bizarro ‘80s robot slasher Chopping Mall was almost going to be a supernatural flick instead. Well, Adam and David are delivering on that premise, updated to the modern day, when the very concept of malls is a haunting all its own. This is rollicking, grinning-ear-to-ear horror with a cast of teens I can’t wait to see picked off one by one. This is in shops on October 26th, too, so add it to your trick-or-treat bag.
Finally, my good friends Nick Robles (yes, also a Razorblades contributor) and Tate Brombal (who I finally met in person last month!) shared with me an early look at Behold, Behemoth, their upcoming BOOM! Studios series, due in stores November 2nd, with a final order cutoff of this coming Monday. I genuinely don’t think we’re going to be talking about anything else for the rest of the year. This disorienting, affecting kaiju/fantasy/horror/??? story is a stunning example of collaborators working in lockstep with one another. I was gasping at some of Nick’s work here, where he’s providing his own colors, and Tate keeps up beat for beat. Right now, this is set for five issues. I’m going to stomp my way across the city if it doesn’t get expanded into a much longer run. Next-level stuff right here.
I also forgot to mention last time, but my buddy Matt Rosenberg (YES HE’S IN RAZORBLADES TOO) launched the next phase of his excellent newsletter, Ashcan Press, which begins the rollout of a shockingly large slate of exciting original projects. I’ve gotten a little peek at one of these and I can’t wait to see the rest. Subscribe now so you don’t miss a thing.
In less exciting news, I did want to link to this excellent LA Times piece written by Matt Brennan, with the provocative title of “It’s OK to let gay art bomb.” Written in response to Billy Eichner’s less-than-graceful response to Bros under-performing at the box office. Matt says most of my thoughts better than I could, but I have a few to add of my own—chiefly, why foist this unforced error onto us, Billy?
Yes, gay art shouldn’t have to represent or speak for all of us (it can’t), but I admit to being pretty disappointed that Eichner immediately framed the problem as straight audiences failing to show up for a movie that gay audiences didn’t seem overly interested in in the first place. There are a lot of reasons Bros didn’t make bank: romantic comedies have largely been DOA in theaters ever since streaming took off; Eichner and the other guy aren’t bankable leads; the title is terrible and I always forgot what movie people were talking about when they said it; October is an awful month to release romantic comedies; what I’m sure is a perfectly fine and funny comedy about attractive cis gay men in a major city falling for each other was somehow being presented as Important Groundbreaking Gay Art.
It feels a little…giving the bigots what they crave by teeing up “you’re homophobic if you don’t see my movie!!!” I sympathize with the impulse to defend your work. Hell, I sympathize with the nuanced struggles of introducing some form of authentic gay experience into a mainstream media not always receptive to it—see Web-Weaver above. I just wish Eichner hadn’t turned a very explainable under-performance into a culture-war issue. If Bros had been direct to streaming like the fantastic Fire Island, I bet it would have had a very fun little moment. But wide audiences go to theaters for superheroes, action spectacles, and horror movies now. We can lament it, but that’s the state of moviegoing in 2022.
Anyway, on that dour note—read some arachnid-themed comics, binge some spooky stuff, and go see Bros. Or don’t! Who cares.
--Steve