Our weekly recap of IDW Publishing news is highlighted by a TRANSFORMERS / GHOSTBUSTERS series in honor of their 35th anniversaries, as well as the announcement that the legendary Stan Sakai would be bringing his Usagi Yojimbo series to IDW, and more news.
Coming this June from the team of Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, and Luis Antonio Delgado will be the first issue of a new Transformers and Ghostbusters crossover event mini-series.
The first issue of the series will see the Autobots having fled their home world coming face to face with the Ghostbusters.
The first issue will be available in June, and featur variant cover art from
Dan Schoening, Paulina Ganucheau, Nick Roche, and Alex Milne.
In what was probably the biggest news from IDW this week, was the announcement that Stan Sakai’s long running USAGI YOJIMBO title will move from Dark Horse Comics to IDW beginning this June with a new series.
The title which has been at a few different publishers in it’s 35+ years will now start over this June with a new #1 that begins a new three part story.
Also on Friday came news that popular board game (and cult movie) CLUE would be getting a three issue mini-series starting this May from Dash Shaw titled CLUE: CANDLESTICK.
Full press releases below. All artwork courtesy of IDW Publishing.
Egon Meets Energon in Transformers / Ghostbusters Comic Book Series from IDW Publishing
Beloved Franchises Collide in Celebration of Their 35th Anniversaries
SAN DIEGO, CA (February 20, 2019) – Spinning out of the mind-blowing reveal that a Transformers-Ghostbusters™ Collaborative figure, the ECTO-1 ECTOTRON, will be available, IDW Publishing proudly announces that the beloved franchises will unite for an offbeat, out-of-this-world adventure in Transformers / Ghostbusters, a comic book miniseries debuting in June.
In the first chapter of the “Ghost of Cybertron” storyline, the Autobots – having escaped from the war that destroyed their home planet – trace a stray Cybertronian signal to the planet Earth. Investigating the otherworldly source will bring the Robots in Disguise face-to-face with the renowned professionals of paranormal investigation and elimination: Venkman, Spengler, Stantz, and Zeddmore!
“If you are troubled by strange noises in the middle of the night, or if you or any of your family have ever seen a Decepticon in your basement or attic, don’t wait another minute: this is the crossover series for you,” says Michael Kelly, Hasbro’s Vice President of Global Publishing.
Written and illustrated by the long-time fan-favorite Ghostbusters creative team of Erik Burnham, Dan Schoening, and Luis Antonio Delgado, Transformers / Ghostbusters will span five fear-fraught issues, with the first issue’s variant covers featuring the artistic talents of Dan Schoening, Paulina Ganucheau, Nick Roche, and Alex Milne.
“Ghostbusters has shared a long and successful relationship with IDW Publishing,” says Jamie Stevens, Executive Vice President, Worldwide Consumer Products for Sony Pictures Entertainment. “We’re happy to continue our Ghostbusters comic book adventures alongside Hasbro and their amazing Transformers brand with this one-of-a-kind crossover event celebrating our shared 35-year anniversaries.”
The team-up that has been three-and-a-half decades in the making will tie in directly to the announced toy release, featuring appearances by the new Transformers character ECTOTRON… as well as yet-to-be-revealed crossover surprises that are sure to cause mass hysteria in both fandoms.
“1984 was a seismic shift for entertainment, the year that launched both Transformers and Ghostbusters,” says John Barber, IDW Editor-in-Chief. “Back then, Little John Barber was right there for Transformersand a little scared of Ghostbusters — but now, I’m a bit braver and can’t wait to see the two worlds collide. Seriously, it’s amazing to think that these sets of characters would be more alive and relevant in 2019 than ever before… and will be coming together in an unprecedented way right here at IDW!”
IDW Welcomes Stan Sakai and Usagi Yojimbo
The Legendary Creator Brings His Most Famous Character to IDW
SAN DIEGO, CA (February 22, 2019) – IDW Publishing is very pleased to announce that industry icon Stan Sakai will bring his critically acclaimed series Usagi Yojimbo to IDW beginning in June. For the first time ever, new monthly Usagi Yojimbo comic books will be published in full color, and IDW will curate a fully-colored graphic novel library of the complete Usagi Yojimbo – all 35 years of its grand storytelling, plus new stories to come!
“I’m delighted to work with IDW Publishing on the new Usagi Yojimbo color series. IDW is a creative company that brings a lot of energy, enthusiasm, and excitement to the table. The IDW family includes many beloved characters, including (of course) the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, so it is a natural fit,” says Stan Sakai. “Fans, please look forward to this coming June as we’ll be releasing IDW Usagi Yojimbo #1, action-packed and now fully colored.”
Welcome to the world of Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo in June with the first thrilling chapter in an all-new three-part story! Set in the Edo period of Japan, this adventure sees Usagi embroiled in a puppet drama where the players are not quite what they seem.
Sakai adds, “Bunraku (Japanese puppetry) captures many elements that make the world of Usagi Yojimbo unique: an adventure filled with Japanese culture, folklore, and history. It also features the return of a long-awaited fan favorite character and Yokai (Japanese supernatural creatures). I’d like to thank the readers for their continued support of Usagi, and if you haven’t read Usagi before, this is a great place to start.”
Marking this milestone with a spectacular selection of covers, Usagi Yojimbo #1 includes a main cover by Stan Sakai, plus variants by Daniel Warren Johnson (Murder Falcon), Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), and Walt Simonson (Ragnarök, The Mighty Thor).
Written and illustrated by Stan Sakai for over thirty years and published in over fourteen countries, Usagi Yojimbo is set in a unique world based on 17th century Japan. Miyamoto Usagi, who once served as the personal bodyguard for a Japanese warlord, now traverses this unique world – a landscape populated by ghosts, dinosaurs, monsters, and warriors of all kinds – as a ronin. In his many exciting adventures, the swordsrabbit hones his skills, saves villages, and often finds himself navigating the delicate affairs of national/political significance.
“We’re all ecstatic to have Stan Sakai and Usagi join the IDW family,” says IDW President & Publisher/Chief Creative Officer Chris Ryall. “Usagi Yojimbo has been one of the most consistently wonderful comic-book series for decades now, a bright spot in publishing matched only by the consummate skill and professionalism its creator Stan brings to everything he does. It’s a thrill to not only be able to publish new Usagi comics but also present them all in an all-new, vibrantly colored way.”
Follow IDW on social media for the latest updates on new Usagi Yojimbo comic books and graphic novels. Preorder Usagi Yojimbo #1 through your local comic shop in April, or visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.
Creator Bio:
Stan Sakai began his comic book career by lettering, starting with Groo for Sergio Aragonés. His work led him to meet Stan Lee, who asked him to letter for Spider-Man Sunday comics, which he did for 25 years. Sakai is most famous for his original creation of Usagi Yojimbo, an epic saga celebrating its 35thanniversary in 2019 and featuring Miyamoto Usagi, a samurai rabbit living in late-sixteenth and early-seventeenth-century Japan. His work on Usagi has led to multiple awards, including several Eisner Awards, the Harvey Award for Best Cartoonist, the Parent’s Choice Award, and multiple Young Library Association Awards. Skillful weaving of facts, legends, and Japanese culture into his work has made Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo a favorite among educators as a curriculum tool. Since then, Usagi has been featured on television with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and has been consistently named as one of the top 100 comic book characters of all time. A TV show is currently in the works, produced by Gaumont Studios, Sakai, James Wan’s Atomic Monster, and Dark Horse Entertainment. Stan also loves to travel with his wife Julie, cook, and play with his three dogs, Ani, Momo, and Mika.
Dash Shaw Reimagines CLUE with Candlestick Comic Book Miniseries
“An Unsolved Mystery with the Usual Suspects” Gets a Most Unexpected Interpretation by the Acclaimed Animator!
SAN DIEGO, CA (February 22, 2019) – IDW Publishing is proud to announce that Dash Shaw, the comic book auteur and creator of the celebrated animated film My Entire High School Sinking Into the Sea, will unravel an all-new mystery in CLUE: Candlestick, a three-issue comic book miniseries launching in May.
All of your favorite suspicious characters are back in this new brain twister based on the timeless detective game. The CLUE: Candlestick miniseries is rife with puzzles, secrets, and lies, and everyone’s a suspect! Visionary creator, Dash Shaw unleashes his murderous imagination – and writing, illustrative, coloring, and lettering prowess – on the quirky, thrilling and mysterious world of CLUE!
“What a total honor and joy it is to play with the CLUE universe. I grew up loving the colorful characters, the map of the manor, and the whodunit of it all,” says Shaw. “Readers familiar with my other work might be surprised to see me doing this, but when they get the comic, they’ll see it makes total sense… I’m having a total blast drawing this thing. The monthly serialized format will really help milk the mystery, so I hope readers will follow/play along!”
“I’ve been a fan of Dash Shaw since his dynamic experimental work in the early 2000s, and his moving long-form stories like Bottomless Belly Button and Body World really blew me away—it was incredible to see that kind of depth below an already-impressive surface,” says Editor-in-Chief John Barber. “I couldn’t be more excited to see Dash’s mind and pen crafting this CLUE story.”
Shaw’s loyal fans will thrill to know that, in addition to his fantastic main covers for the series, variant editions of each issue will form a triptych of the iconic suspects and their murderous instruments, and illustrator Jed McGowan (Time in Nature) will also provide a special incentive cover. For added value, each issue features extra-length story content and will feature brand new CLUE game cards based on the comic.
For information on how to secure copies of the CLUE: Candlestick comic book series, please contact your local comic shop or visit www.comicshoplocator.com to find a store near you.
CLUE and CLUEDO and all related characters are trademarks of Hasbro and used with permission. © 2019 Hasbro. All Rights Reserved.
