IDW Round-Up – Star Wars, Big Hero 6, Goosebumps, GI Joe vs. Six Million Dollar Man

IDW’s been dropping  a bit of news around NYCC:

Star Wars: Forces of Destiny  is a 5 week series based on the animated shorts:

Fans who took their first step into a larger world with Star Wars Adventures are destined to love Star Wars Adventures: Forces of Destiny. IDW Publishing and Lucasfilm are excited to collaborate on a new series further exploring the comic book adventures of Star Wars for all ages— Star Wars Adventures: Forces of Destiny is a weekly comic book series that will star such popular Star Warsheroines as Leia, Rey, Padmé, Ahsoka, and Hera along with the newest stars from Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Rose and Paige.

Just as exciting are the talented creators who will be bringing these beloved characters’ stories to life, including an impressive roster of female writers from across the galaxy: Delilah S. Dawson, Elsa Charretier, Beth Revis, Jody Houser, and Devin Grayson.

Art and covers will be provided by Elsa Charretier, Arianna Florean, Eva Widermann, Valentina Pinto, andNicoletta Baldari. Charretier will also contribute five interconnected variant covers, which combine to create an iconic Forces of Destiny image. Collectible animation cell variant covers will be available from your retailer, as will a super-rare variant by Annie Wu.

G.I. Joe and The Six Million Dollar Man will be having a crossover mini-series.  And the promotional image teases the possibility of Snake Eyes vs. Bigfoot.

Yo, Steve! The Six Million Dollar Man (aka Steve Austin) and G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero, are teaming up for a 4-part comic book crossover from IDW and Dynamite Entertainment beginning January 2018.

The series will be scripted by rising star writer Ryan Ferrier (TMNT: Dimension X, Rocko’s Modern Life) with art by SL Gallant, who has achieved an epic run on G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero, alongside legendary G.I. JOE writer, Larry Hama, for over 75 issues.

“To say Shannon and I are having fun with bringing these two iconic properties together would be a massive understatement,” said Ferrier. “We are going full-tilt and no-holds-barred with this story. It’s everything we love about G.I. JOE, the classic characters, and massive action, colliding face-first with the steel-infused, secret agent coolness of The Six Million Dollar Man. We are chomping at the bit for everyone to read this comic with a kung fu grip.”

“Ryan and Shannon have found the perfect story to tell,” said IDW’s Editor in Chief, David Hedgecock. “Fans both new and old are going to be amazed at what this creative team is putting together. This series beautifully blends all the classic tropes of the characters while simultaneously creating something exciting and fresh. We are thrilled to be working with this team and with the fine folks at Dynamite to bring this series to the fans.”

“G.I. JOE and Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man, are two pop culture mainstays who have influenced the comics industry for years,” said Dynamite CEO/Publisher Nick Barrucci. “We’ve had great runs with our Six Million Dollar Man series, and long been admirers of IDW’s ongoing G.I. JOE series. Now is the time for these two to cross-over and we couldn’t be more excited to be collaborating on this event series, and working with our good friends at IDW.”

Variant covers will be provided by John Cassaday, Ken Lashley, and Mike Zeck. Special action figure covers will also be may orderable from your local comic shop. Subject to availability while supplies last.

Another R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps miniseries is on the way.

IDW Publishing, in association with Scholastic, is releasing the second three-issue arc in R.L Stine’s Goosebumps comic series. “DOWNLOAD AND DIE!” is a brand-new self-contained story set in the Goosebumps universe from the talented duo of writer Jen Vaughn (Adventure Time) and artist Michelle Wong (Tomboy).
In the tradition of the classic “Say Cheese and Die!” story, this spiritual successor takes that concept and puts a digital spin on it for the iPhone generation. Today’s kids will now have to contend with a smartphone app that snaps filtered pictures which depict nightmarish outcomes. In true Goosebumps fashion, the danger is real!

“This Goosebumps tale is going to delve into what makes friends tick and what can drive them apart,” said Vaughn. “What’s that saying, ‘you can always make new friends?’ Well, not when people find out what you did to your last ones. Michelle brought my characters to life so well…too well. They laugh, they cry, they dream, and bleed through the power of her lines. I’m terrified to read the comic now.”

“Creepy stories are my favorite, and Jen is making this one so much fun to work with,” said Wong. “I love drawing cute characters, and I love drawing monsters – it’s a dream come true.”

“DOWNLOAD AND DIE!” will follow on the horrifying heels of the highly anticipated debut series, Goosebumps: Monsters at Midnight, from writer Jeremy Lambert and artist Chris Fenoglio, launching on 10/25, just in time for Halloween!

Comic readers, beware, you’re in for a scare when “DOWNLOAD AND DIE!” launches in February.

We’re also hearing that IDW has received the comics license for Big Hero 6.  Yes, that means IDW has the license for a property that was originally a Marvel comic.  More details on that will come in a month or two.