In our latest installment of the weekly news recap from BOOM! Studios, we bring you the announcement of their Free Comic Book 2019 release, preview of some variant covers for their BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER series, a new Lumberjanes graphic novel, a WWE Wrestlemania special, and more.
On Monday the Gold Sponsor Comic Books for Free Comic Book Day 2019 were announced, and among them was the WELCOME TO THE WHEDONVERSE FCBD SPECIAL.
The special will have two new stories, one featuring Buffy the Vampire Slayer, with the other focusing on Firefly.
Look for the issue at your local comic book shop on May 4th, 2019 with a cover from Greg Smallwood.
On Wednesday, previews of the upcoming Willow variants for
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1 were released.
Both variants by are by artist Kaiti Infante, the first one showcases Willow in her regular form, while the second is of Willow as a vampire.
All cover versions of the title from writer Jordie Bellaire, and artist Dan Mora will be available on January 23rd, 2019.
Writer Lilah Sturges and artist polterink, will be teaming up for a new Lumberjanes story.
The new story titled LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP from the team that brought you LUMBERJANES: THE INFERNAL COMPASS will be available in November of 2019 with cover art by Alexa Sharpe.
In addition to the new graphic novel for LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF
FRIENDSHIP there will be a special edition for Free Comic Book Day 2019 from the same team of Sturges and polterink.
LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP FCBD SPECIAL will contain the first chapter of the story from the graphic novel.
Look for it at your local comic book shop on May 4th, 2019 as part of Free Comic Book Day.
Just in time for Wrestlemania 35 on April 7th, 2019, BOOM! Studios are releasing a special one-shot that feature some of the most memorable moments from WWE / WWF history.
The issue from writer Bill Hanstock and artist Hyeonjin Kim will be released on March 27th, 2019 will three different cover versions.
The main cover will feature art by Rahzzah, with Xermánico’s art gracing a wraparound pre-order cover, and Marco D’Alfonso handling art work for a variant cover.
In addition to all the Buffy news we’ve already brought to you, comes one more piece of news this week from the new series that will debut in January.
Fan favorite character Robin Wood from the TV series (portrayed by
D. B. Woodside) will be joining the new comic title, but this time he will be a teenage ally of Buffy as opposed to the Principal and vampire hunter he was on the small screen.
Full press releases are below. All artwork courtesy of BOOM! Studios.
BOOM! Studios Brings Joss Whedon’s BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER & FIREFLY to Free Comic Book Day
Discover Two All New Stories From the Pop Culture Franchises on May 4, 2019
LOS ANGELES, CA (December 17, 2018) – BOOM! Studios today announced WELCOME TO THE WHEDONVERSE FCBD SPECIAL, an all-new comic book arriving in comic shops worldwide on Free Comic Book Day (May 4th, 2019), with all new stories featuring two of the greatest creations from visionary Joss Whedon (writer/director Marvel’s The Avengers).
This FREE comic, released in partnership with 20th Century Fox Consumer Products, is the perfect jumping-on point for the “Whedonverse” with all new stories from the worlds of BOOM! Studios’ hit series Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Firefly.
First, Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his first mate Zoe Alleyne Washburne have a bond that was forged in blood during the war that shaped the ‘Verse…but when the awful secret at the core of that bond is finally revealed and they’re called to answer, the people who love them are left to pick up the pieces in an all-new story written by Greg Pak.
Created by Whedon and set 500 years in the future in the wake of a universal civil war,Firefly centers on the crew of Serenity, a small transport spaceship that doesn’t have a planet to call home. Mal Reynolds, a defeated soldier who opposed the unification of the planets by the totalitarian governed Alliance, will undertake any job — legal or not — to stay afloat and keep his crew fed. Thrust together by necessity but staying together out of loyalty, these disparate men and women are seeking adventure and the good life, but face constant challenges on the new frontier, such as avoiding capture by the Alliance, and evading the dangers you find on the fringes of the universe.
And in the second exclusive story, there’s something evil lurking under Sunnydale High School, namely a gateway to a hell dimension that’s been foretold to destroy the world as we know it. Buffy and the gang have mostly got it under control…as long as everything stays exactly as it is, and we mean zero new plot points, no new characters, and absolutely no twists, turns, or misunderstood prophecies. Easy peasy! Writer Jordie Bellaire and artist David López continue the bold reimagining of the groundbreaking mythology that changed pop culture forever.
Buffy The Vampire Slayer premiered on the WB Network on March 10th, 1997. The Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated series, which ran for seven seasons from 1997-2003, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as “Buffy Summers.” Chosen to battle vampires, demons and other forces of darkness, Buffy is aided by a Watcher who guides and teaches her as she surrounds herself with a circle of friends called the “Scooby Gang.”
WELCOME TO THE WHEDONVERSE FCBD SPECIAL, featuring a cover by Greg Smallwood (Moon Knight), is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to a world-class group of licensed comic book series and ambitious original series, including Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Planet of the Apes, Abbott, Mech Cadet Yu, Grass Kings, and Klaus.
“We’re committed to making 2019 the biggest year ever for fans of Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer comic books – and that means giving them the most anticipated release of Free Comic Book Day,” said Jeanine Schaefer, Executive Editor, BOOM! Studios. “We’re laying the seeds for some huge stories in each of these series, along with a massive surprise that no Joss Whedon fan can miss!”
Print copies of WELCOME TO THE WHEDONVERSE FCBD SPECIAL will be available for FREE on May 4th, 2019 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one).
For continuing news on WELCOME TO THE WHEDONVERSE FCBD SPECIAL and more Free Comic Book Day news from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter. And follow Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Willow is #TeamSlayer and #TeamVamp on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1 Covers
BOOM! Studios Reveals Rare Variant Covers from Kaiti Infante for the Most Anticipated ReVAMP of 2019
LOS ANGELES, CA (December 19, 2018) – BOOM! Studios today revealed new #TeamSlayer and #TeamVamp variant covers by illustrator Kaiti Infante, featuring beloved character Willow Rosenberg, for the highly anticipated BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1. The series debuts in comic shops on January 23, 2019 in partnership with 20th Century Fox Consumer Products.
As Eisner Award-nominated writer Jordie Bellaire (Redlands), Russ Manning Award-winning artist Dan Mora (Klaus, Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers), and series creator/story consultant Joss Whedon (the visionary writer/director behind Firefly, Marvel’s The Avengers, and more) reimagine the groundbreaking pop culture phenomenon from the very beginning, readers will meet a Buffy Summers like the one they know – trying to make friends at her new school, get decent grades, and to escape her imposed destiny as the next in a long line of vampire slayers tasked with defeating the forces of evil. But the Slayer’s world looks a lot more like the one outside your window, as this new series brings her into a new era with new challenges, new friends…and a few enemies you might already recognize. The more things change, the more they stay the same, as the Gang – Giles, Willow, Xander, Cordelia and more – faces brand new Big Bads, and a threat lurking beneath the perfectly manicured exterior of Sunnydale High, confirming what every teenager has always known: high school truly is hell.
Now every reader must choose a side and join the fight between Good and Evil – will you stand with the Chosen One (#TeamSlayer) or will you side with the Vampires (#TeamVamp)? You can show your true allegiance in two special variant covers from illustrator Kaiti Infante. One cover depicts fan favorite Willow Rosenberg as Buffy’s best friend and stalwart Scooby. The other spotlights a terrifying possible version of her: the evil and remorseless Vampire Willow.
You can also track down two special interactive variant covers from acclaimed artist Miguel Mercado (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers) that can be held up to your face to reveal your inner Slayer or inner Demon!
“Willow is the heart of the Scooby gang but as devoted fans of Buffy know, she has a dark and deadly side to her as well,” said Jeanine Schaefer, Executive Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Kaiti had no problem at all handling both sides of Willow: both the gentle, fuzzy but brave Scooby and the deep, dark evil version lurking within the vampire. Now it’s just up to fans to choose who they really are deep down inside and pick a side.”
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1 also features main covers by acclaimed Mondo illustrator Matthew Taylor, superstar Kevin Wada (She-Hulk) and Royal Dunlap (Spitball), along with variant covers by Becca Carey (Bitch Planet), and Jen Bartel (Blackbird).
Buffy The Vampire Slayer premiered on the WB Network on March 10th, 1997. The Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated series, which ran for seven seasons from 1997-2003, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as “Buffy Summers.” Chosen to battle vampires, demons and other forces of darkness, Buffy is aided by a Watcher who guides and teaches her as she surrounds herself with a circle of friends called the “Scooby Gang.”
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to a world-class group of licensed comic book series and ambitious original series, including Joss Whedon’s Firefly, Lev Grossman’s The Magicians, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Planet of the Apes, Abbott, Mech Cadet Yu, Grass Kings, and Klaus.
Print copies of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1 will be available for sale on January 23rd, 2019 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.
For continuing news on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER comic books, graphic novels and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow@boomstudios on Twitter. And follow Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
BOOM! Studios Announces New Original Graphic Novel LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP
Discover a Brand New Tale in the The New York Times Best-Selling Series
LOS ANGELES, CA (December 18, 2018) – BOOM! Studios today announced LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP, an all-new original graphic novel reuniting the highly praised Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass team of writer Lilah Sturges (The Magicians: Alice’s Story, Jack of Fables) and artist polterink.LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP will be available in stores in November 2019.
Launched in 2014 under BOOM! Studios’ YA-focused BOOM! Box imprint by series co-creators Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn Allen, and Noelle Stevenson,Lumberjanes was originally solicited as a limited series, but the overwhelming response from fans transformed it into an ongoing series that has become a New York Times best-seller, earned numerous nominations for prestigious awards including the GLAAD Media Award and the Eisner Awards (which it has won twice), and have even crossed over with heroes from the DC Comics Universe (in Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy). The Lumberjanes have expanded to middle-grade novels at Abrams Books, a diverse array of merchandise from pins to patches, and a feature film in development at 20th Century Fox.
The Lumberjanes are at it again, making trouble and making friends, all at the same time. This time their adventurous rambles take them deep into the woods, to the hiding place of a group of magical creatures known as Pookas. The ‘Janes are delighted to meet these magical beings and make new friends. But what they don’t know is that these isolated magical creatures are actually master shapeshifters and just itching for the chance to see what human life is all about. Everything quickly goes awry as the Pookas decide to try life in the ‘Janes shoes and end up turning Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Crumpet’s Camp for Hardcore Lady-Types upside down. Mal, Ripley, Molly, April & Jo will have to work together, using the power of friendship, in order to reclaim their lives and teach the Pookas that sometimes your best self is your true self.
Lilah Sturges is the Eisner Award-nominated co-writer of acclaimed title Jack of Fables, as well as the writer for well-known series such as House of Mystery, Fables: The Wolf Among Us, Doctor Who, Thor, and Justice Society of America, and the upcoming The Magicians: Alice’s Story original graphic novel set in the universe of Lev Grossman’s best-selling trilogy. This will be her second original graphic novel for the beloved Lumberjanes franchise, including Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass.
“Writing the Lumberjanes has been the most fun I’ve ever had writing comics, and I’m really excited for The Shape of Friendship! It’s such a fun, sweet story with lots of action and laughs, but also lots of feelings, too.” said writer, Lilah Sturges. “In this book, we get to focus on April and Jo’s friendship, and I’m especially excited to write about those two; Jo is such an important character to me and I really want to do her justice!”
Claudia Rinofner, known as polterink, is an exciting new artist and illustrator from Austria and the artist of the first Lumberjanes original graphic novel, Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass, with writer Lilah Sturges, released in October 2018. She is also the innovative creator of the online comic series, Crysalis.
“I’m super excited to return to the Lumberjanes universe with this great story! It’s got more friendship, more shenanigans and more magical creatures, pretty much everything awesome you’ve come to expect from the series!” said artist, polterink.
LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ award-winning BOOM! Box imprint, home to groundbreaking original series such as Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Max Sarin; Smooth Criminals by Kirsten ‘Kiwi’ Smith, Kurt Lustgarten, and Leisha Riddell; Fence by C.S. Pacat and Johanna The Mad; and The Avant-Guards by Carly Usdin and Noah Hayes.
“Friendship has always been the most important element of the Lumberjanes’ stories. No matter what kind of magical, supernatural, or spooky situation they get themselves into, their enduring and heartwarming relationships are what save the day.” said Jeanine Schaefer, Executive Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Lilah and polterink do an incredible job of showing fans, young and old, that a hardcore lady-type friendship is all about finding the people with whom you can be your truest self.”
Eisner Award-nominated writer Lilah Sturges will be in attendance as a guest of BOOM! Studios at ALA Midwinter 2019 in Seattle, Washington. She will be available for signings both Saturday and Sunday, 1/26-1/28, as well as a guest on the BOOM! Studios: Discover Yours panel on Monday, 1/28, where she will join some of the most acclaimed voices in graphic fiction today for a discussion on the diverse, award-winning imprints of BOOM! Studios, Archaia, BOOM! Box and KaBOOM!.
Print copies of LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP will be available in November 2019 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), bookstores or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.
For continuing news on LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.
BOOM! Studios Brings LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP to Free Comic Book Day
Discover The All New Original Graphic Adventure on May 4, 2019
LOS ANGELES, CA (December 20, 2018) BOOM! Studios today announced LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP FCBD SPECIAL, an all-new comic book arriving in comic shops worldwide on Free Comic Book Day (May 4th, 2019).
Launched in 2014 under BOOM! Studios’ YA-focused BOOM! Box imprint by series co-creators Shannon Watters, Grace Ellis, Brooklyn Allen, and Noelle Stevenson,Lumberjanes was originally solicited as a limited series, but the overwhelming response from fans transformed it into an ongoing series that has become a New York Times best-seller, earned numerous nominations for prestigious awards including the GLAAD Media Award and the Eisner Awards (which it has won twice), and have even crossed over with heroes from the DC Comics Universe (in Lumberjanes/Gotham Academy). The Lumberjanes have expanded to middle-grade novels at Abrams Books, a diverse array of merchandise from pins to patches, and a feature film in development at 20th Century Fox.
LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP FCBD SPECIAL exclusively presents the first chapter of the all new original graphic novel reuniting the acclaimed Lumberjanes: The Infernal Compass team of writer Lilah Sturges and artist polterink. When the Lumberjanes discover the hiding place of a group of magical creatures called Pookas, they think they’ve found new friends. But what they don’t know is that the Pookas are tired of hiding, and they’ve found the perfect way to join the outside world…by impersonating the ‘Janes themselves and taking over Camp! To reclaim their identities, the ’Janes will have to work together to remember who they really are…and to help another group of friends accept themselves, too, in a story about looking inside yourself and learning to love who you meet there.
LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP FCBD SPECIAL is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ award-winning BOOM! Box imprint, home to groundbreaking original series such as Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, and Max Sarin; Misfit City by Kirsten ‘Kiwi’ Smith, Kurt Lustgarten, and Naomi Franquiz; Fence by C.S. Pacat and Johanna The Mad; and Goldie Vance by Hope Larson and Brittney Williams.
“Free Comic Book Day is more fun with your best friends – and friendship doesn’t get much better than the Lumberjanes,” said Jeanine Schaefer, Executive Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Lilah and polterink return for an incredible new adventure that will force the ‘Janes to discover who they really are – and this is your first chance to get a look inside!”
Print copies of LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP FCBD SPECIAL will be available for FREE on May 4th, 2019 exclusively at local comic book shops (usecomicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one), alongside Welcome to The Whedonverse FCBD Special.
For continuing news on LUMBERJANES: THE SHAPE OF FRIENDSHIP FCBD SPECIAL and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.
BOOM! Studios Announces WWE WRESTLEMANIA 2019 SPECIAL #1
Discover the Untold Stories Behind the Biggest Event in WWE in March 2019
LOS ANGELES, CA (December 20, 2018) – BOOM! Studios and WWE today announced WWE WRESTLEMANIA 2019 SPECIAL #1, an oversized one-shot special featuring action-packed stories of the most iconic moments in modern WWE history on-sale in March 2019.
You never know what to expect at WrestleMania, and this special is no exception! Writer Bill Hanstock (WWE) and artist Hyeonjin Kim (WWE) explore groundbreaking champions Charlotte Flair and Asuka’s rivalry leading up to their match at WrestleMania 24. Andy Belanger (Southern Cross) brings to life the pivotal match between the Brothers of Destruction, Undertaker and Kane. Ryan Ferrier (Jim Henson’s Labyrinth: Coronation) and Kendall Goode (WWE) dive into Ric Flair’s Retirement Match against Shawn Michaels.
WWE WRESTLEMANIA 2019 SPECIAL #1 features a main cover by Rahzzah (Luke Cage), along with a wraparound preorder cover by artist Xermánico (Injustice:Gods Among Us) and a variant cover by Marco D’Alfonso (I Am Groot).
“WrestleMania has brought us some of the most exciting, jaw-dropping moments throughout WWE history,” said Chris Rosa, Editor, BOOM! Studios. “Fans will see brand new sides to their favorite Superstars and discover never-before-seen details of the stories they thought they knew in this can’t-miss special!”
WWE WRESTLEMANIA 2019 SPECIAL is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to a world-class group of licensed comic book series and ambitious original series, including Joss Whedon’s Firefly and Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Planet of the Apes, Bone Parish, Mech Cadet Yu, Grass Kings, and Klaus.
Print copies of WWE WRESTLEMANIA will be available for sale on March 27, 2019 at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.
For continuing news on WWE WRESTLEMANIA and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow @boomstudios on Twitter.
Robin Wood Joins BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER from BOOM! Studios
Fan Favorite Character Makes His Debut in the The Most Anticipated ReVAMP of 2019
LOS ANGELES, CA (December 19, 2018) – BOOM! Studios today announced that iconic Buffy The Vampire Slayer character Robin Wood will join the publisher’s hotly-anticipated reimagining of the pop culture phenomenon, in partnership with 20th Century Fox Consumer Products, with the reveal of the character design by Russ Manning Award-winning artist Dan Mora (Klaus, Saban’s Go Go Power Rangers).
While fans first met Robin Wood in the seventh season of the television series as both the principal of Sunnydale High and a vampire hunter, he will join the cast of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER in 2019 as captain of the Sunnydale Field and Track team – a model student and high school heartthrob with a mysteriously broken wrist. But when Robin meets Buffy and the Scooby Gang, some fists (and sparks) might just fly before they discover the truth about each other…and how they need to work together to save Sunnydale.
Alongside Mora, Eisner Award-nominated writer Jordie Bellaire (Redlands) and series creator/story consultant Joss Whedon (the visionary writer/director behind Firefly, Marvel’s The Avengers, and more) invite readers to meet a Buffy Summers like the one they know – trying to make friends at her new school, get decent grades, and to escape her imposed destiny as the next in a long line of vampire slayers tasked with defeating the forces of evil. But the Slayer’s world looks a lot more like the one outside your window, as this new series brings her into a new era with new challenges, new friends…and a few enemies you might already recognize (including fan-favorite Drusilla’s debut as THE MISTRESS).
“BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is a love letter to everything we love about our favorite Slayer and her world – but as you’ve seen with Drusilla’s introduction as The Mistress, there are no rules we won’t break. Reinventing Robin Wood as a mysterious new teenage ally – and maybe more – for Buffy is a key part of that new direction,” said Jeanine Schaefer, Executive Editor, BOOM! Studios. “But just like his original introduction to TV audiences, our Robin Wood comes loaded with a mysterious past, a secret mission and a special connection to the inhabitants of Sunnydale. We can’t tell you when he debuts in the series… only that it’s going to be big. And we’re not done breaking rules, yet.”
Buffy The Vampire Slayer premiered on the WB Network on March 10th, 1997. The Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated series, which ran for seven seasons from 1997-2003, stars Sarah Michelle Gellar as “Buffy Summers.” Chosen to battle vampires, demons and other forces of darkness, Buffy is aided by a Watcher who guides and teaches her as she surrounds herself with a circle of friends called the “Scooby Gang.”
BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER is the latest release from BOOM! Studios’ eponymous imprint, home to a world-class group of licensed comic book series and ambitious original series, including Joss Whedon’s Firefly, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Planet of the Apes, Abbott, Mech Cadet Yu, Grass Kings, and Klaus.
Print copies of BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER #1 will be available for sale on January 23, 2019 exclusively at local comic book shops (use comicshoplocator.com to find the nearest one) or at the BOOM! Studios webstore. Digital copies can be purchased from content providers, including comiXology, iBooks, Google Play, and the BOOM! Studios app.
For continuing news on BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER comic books, graphic novels and more from BOOM! Studios, stay tuned to www.boom-studios.com and follow@boomstudios on Twitter. And follow Buffy the Vampire Slayer on Facebook, Twitter, andInstagram.
