Catch Up!
I haven’t posted an update in a little while, so apologies for that. I’ll blame deadlines, travel, and life in general, including my trip to Belgium for the Heroes Comic Con in Brussels. A great experience, as all the Heroes shows in Europe are. We were able to visit Bruges and Ghent as well as Brussels. Yes, there was beer, waffles, French fries, and chocolate.
Every place we visited was wonderful, but Bruges in particular was magical, a perfect little medieval/fairy tale city. I really hope to get back there someday and stay in the city for at least a few days, do some writing at the cafes and breweries.
I’ll be in Grand Rapids, Michigan this weekend for Grand Rapids Comic-Con, which I was expecting to be my last convention for the year. However, an invitation for a December appearance just arrived. It’s short notice, so we’ll see if logistics allow. In any event, see you in Michigan.
Oh! X-O!
The first issue of the X-O Manowar anthology “Black, White & Gold” is out, containing the X-O story I wrote with my buddy Bart Sears on art. As I’ve mentioned before, I always felt like my time writing the X-O series (with Bart again on art) was too brief, as I had to depart when the writing gig on “Marvel vs DC” was offered to me. This was a chance to go back and scratch that itch.
The Comic Crusaders review of our story, “Memento,” said:
“This one reaches for the character’s legacy, with Aric’s warrior identity and the weight of his past coming back into focus. Marz has a knack for giving big superhero mythology a human pulse, and Sears brings that unmistakable larger-than-life anatomy, intense expressions, and old-school action energy. The figures practically burst out of their panels. I grew up on comics that weren’t afraid to look like COMICS, baby, and Sears still understands the assignment.”
Issue #1 of “Black, White & Gold” is in stores now. The Kickstarter-exclusive hardcover of the entire anthology series is set to be released soon.
Son of Tarzan
The Sunday-style strips starring Tarzan’s son, Korak, that I write for the Edgar Rice Burroughs website have started up again, now with Ronn Sutton on the art duties.
The initial storyline featured Rick Leonardi’s amazing art and color by Neeraj Menon, with Korak visiting the lost Egyptian city of Memnon, which initially appeared in the “Batman-Tarzan: Claws of the Catwoman” crossover series I wrote with Igor Kordey on art, and published by Dark Horse.
Ronn and I are starting a new storyline with strip #49, with months of strips in the can already. When I asked Ronn was he wanted to draw, he said, “Dinosaurs.” So you’ll get a good dose of those in the story.
You can subscribe to the ERB strips on the website, which gets you access to the ongoing strips, as well as everything that’s already been published, for less than $2 a month:
Seeing Red & Silver
One of my Red Sonja stories will be reprinted in the upcoming Red Sonja 80 Page Giant from Dynamite, expected to be in stores January 13, 2027. The book will reprint Red Sonja #30, by me and my late, great artist pal Lee Moder, along with a number of other Sonja tales by a variety of creative teams.
Our story sends Sonja to Hades, with absolutely gorgeous (of course) art by Lee. I’m so happy Lee’s work is getting out in front of the audience again. I feel like he was absolutely underappreciated when he was working, and now that he’s gone, sadly forgotten.
I loved the 80 Page Giant format as a kid, so it’s a pleasure to be included in a new edition in that tradition.
I should also mention the Silver Surfer Infinity Gauntlet Omnibus, releasing on Nov. 17 (which happens to be my birthday). At almost 1,400 pages, it contains some of my earliest comics work, from when I took over the Surfer monthly from Jim Starlin, with Infinity Gauntlet tie-in issues. I’ve said those issues were my on-the-job training for both writing comics and working in a shared universe. I learned invaluable lessons, so hopefully those stories still hold up.
2028?
I’ve started work on a comic project that won’t actually be released until the first half of 2028. Or maybe I should stay re-started work? I can’t reveal what it is; I’m not even sure when it will be announced. But it’s something that means a lot to me and I’m keen to share more when I can.
There’s more to come in 2027, of course, including more in Savage Sword of Conan, and some creator-owned projects yet to be announced. Plenty to do. Idle hands are the devil’s playthings.
Comments