SMASH PAGES

Ryan Cody is creating an X-Men comic one panel at a time this October

Master Mold returns to plague the X-Men in this fan comic.

October has become a busy month for artists participating in themed drawing challenges, from Inktober to Drawtober to Pouchtober, and then you have your character-specific events. Ryan Cody is taking that idea a step further with The Inexorable X-Men, a project that turns a month of daily art into a complete comic book.

Cody isn’t simply drawing X-Men — he’s sharing the creation process as it unfolds, with each of the 31 daily panels contributing to a finished story. He’s also selling his original art as he goes along.

“This year, since I have the time, I thought I’d do another X-Tober event,” he wrote on his Patreon. “I did this a few years back and it was a smashing success. I had fun, people were able to purchase affordable original art, and I made some money. So I asked myself, what would be cooler than just doing pin-ups of Marvel’s Mightiest Mutants? Thus, The Inexorable X-Men were born.”

Picture + Panel | Ben Hatke + Lily Kim Qian on finding a sense of home

The creators of ‘Home/World’ and ‘Until We Meet Again’ explore the tension between settling down and setting out, and how the places we inhabit shape our identities.

What does it mean to feel at home, especially when life takes you from one place to another? For cartoonists Ben Hatke and Lily Kim Qian, that question has inspired comics that explore the pull of familiar places, the excitement of discovering somewhere new and the complicated feelings that come with being caught between the two.

Hatke, the creator of the Zita the Spacegirl series and Mighty Jack, explores the tension between home and adventure in his work, including his graphic novel Home/World. Qian, whose graphic novel Until We Meet Again draws on her experiences living in different places, uses comics to explore displacement, identity and belonging.

The two creators will discuss these themes at the Boston Comics Arts Foundation’s upcoming Picture + Panel event, where they’ll share their perspectives on the meaning of home, the creative process and the stories that have influenced their work. The event is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET this Monday, Oct. 5 at the Boston Figurative Arts Center.

Ahead of the event, Hatke and Qian shared how they approach the idea of home in their comics, the challenges and rewards of being between places, and the books, films and art that have inspired them.

Craig Thompson, Deniz Camp, ‘Absolute Batman’ + more win at the 2026 Ringo Awards

The winners were announced at the Baltimore Comic-Con.

The winners of this year’s Ringo Awards were announced last weekend at the Baltimore Comic-Con. The awards program is named for artist Mike Wieringo, the artist of Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, Tellos and more who died in 2007, and recognizes creators, comic books, graphic novels and webcomics in multiple categories.

The Mike Wieringo Spirit Award, presented annually during the ceremony, went to The Avengers in the Veracity Trap by Chip Kidd and Michael Cho. This award is selected every year by perennial jurors Todd Dezago, Craig Rousseau, Mark Waid and Matt Wieringo, Mike’s brother.

Below you’ll find the full list of winners:

Picture + Panel | Gemma Correll + Nicole Georges on the intersection of mental health + humor

The two creators discuss anxiety, mental illness and the ways comics can make difficult experiences easier to understand and share.

Mental health has been a recurring subject in comics, particularly for creators working in autobiography and memoir. For artists Gemma Correll and Nicole Georges, it’s also been a subject they’ve explored directly through their own experiences, from anxiety and mental illness to the ways comics can help people feel less alone.

Correll and Georges recently took part in the Boston Comics Arts Foundation’s Picture + Panel: Nervous Laughter event, a conversation about how comics can be used to explore mental health and make difficult experiences easier to understand and share. Correll is the author and illustrator of The Worrier’s Guide to Life and other comics and books about anxiety, while Georges is the author of Calling Dr. Laura and creator of the Emotional Support Animals series.

The conversation took place earlier this month, but the Q&A offers a chance to dig a little deeper into how both creators approach mental health in their work. Correll and Georges discuss how they became interested in mental health, why they began making comics about it, the misconceptions they encounter, and the comics and other media that have influenced their work.

Oni Press takes Adventure Time comics to Kickstarter with six-volume deluxe library

The campaign collects more than 100 issues across six oversized hardcovers, with Kickstarter-exclusive slipcases, a Jake the Dog metal bookmark and sticker set.

Oni Press is bringing 15 years of Adventure Time comics together in a six-volume deluxe hardcover collection that’ll be available through a Kickstarter campaign.

The Adventure Time Deluxe Comics Library campaign, launching today, will collect more than 100 issues of the comics series in six oversized hardcover volumes, including material from the original 2012 run published by BOOM! Studios and Oni Press’ 2025 continuation.

Each volume will come with a Kickstarter-exclusive slipcase, with the books also available individually, as a six-volume bundle or through two limited-edition box sets themed around the Land of Ooo and Land of BMO.

“The Adventure Time Deluxe Comics Library slipcase editions are entirely Kickstarter exclusive and will never be made available in mass quantities anywhere else,” Oni Press Director of Business Development Sam Kusek said. “This campaign is a celebration of the comic adventures of Finn, Jake, Princess Bubblegum, Marceline … the list goes on and on.”

As an exclusive first look for Smash Pages, the campaign’s Land of Ooo box set will include a metal Jake the Dog bookmark and an Adventure Time sticker set:

Slugfest | The Green Lanterns face ‘Training Day’ in DC’s December solicitations

Plus: Poison Ivy reaches #50, the Joker’s Christmas Carol and more hijinks in the final month of 2026.

Slugfest is a roundup of cool announcements about projects coming to a shelf near you. This edition focuses on DC’s December titles. Ho ho ho.

DC has plenty going on this December, from the long-awaited return of a fan-favorite 1990s creation to a major milestone for Poison Ivy. There’s also a farewell to one of the publisher’s longest-running creative teams, a very Joker-ish take on A Christmas Carol and some significant developments for Batman, Superman and the Absolute Universe.

Before we get into it, I’ve previously covered the return of Hitman in a holiday special by Garth Ennis and John McCrea, along with the big finale of Tom King and Daniel Sampere’s run on Wonder Woman. So get caught up on those, then let’s get to it …

Image Comics remembers ‘The Forgotten Five’

The superhero webcomic by Alex Segura, Sara Century, Pat Kennedy and Dean Kotz will launch as an ongoing Image Comics title in December.

The Forgotten Five, the Patreon webcomic-turned-crowdfunded project, will find a new home at Image Comics this December.

Alex Segura, author of Secret Identity, teamed up with writer and Best Issue Ever podcaster Sara Century and artists Pat Kennedy and Dean Kotz for the indie superhero series.

“The Forgotten Five is a potent blend of all the kinds of comics and adventures Sara, Pat, Dean, and I loved growing up—with a decidedly modern twist,” said Segura. “The kind of long-running series with simmering subplots, outcast teen angst, and terrifying powers that we were addicted to as readers ourselves. If the New Mutants were an indie comic, you’d have The Forgotten Five.”

Mirka Andolfo returns to ‘Mercy’ with new series ‘Merciless’

The four-issue Image Comics miniseries reunites Andolfo with artist Lidia Bolognini for a new supernatural mystery set 15 years after the original series.

Mirka Andolfo is teaming with artist Lidia Bolognini for a return to the world of Mercy. Merciless, a new four-issue miniseries, launches in December from Image Comics.

Andolfo previously collaborated with Bolognini on Sweet Paprika: Black, White & Pink. The new series returns to the Victorian-era mining town of Woodsburgh 15 years after the events of Mercy.

“Merciless is a brand-new story with a ‘new’ Lady Hellaine: Rory, now all grown up and ready to uncover some dark secrets in the old town of Woodsburgh,” Andolfo said. “Brought to life by Lidia Bolognini’s amazing art, this is a new horror adventure for fans of Mercy, horror and mystery.”

Rest in peace, Joshua Cassara

The artist of ‘X-Force,’ ‘Deadpool/Wolverine’ and more passed away yesterday.

Joshua Cassara, the artist whose detailed, kinetic work helped define Marvel’s Krakoa era, died Sept. 22.

Cassara’s wife, Martha Cassara, announced his death Wednesday on Instagram, saying he died from heart complications. She described him as “a good man, a wonderful father and husband, my best friend, and the love of my life.” Her post has been shared across multiple social media sites by Cassara’s friends and colleagues.

“If you knew Josh, you know that he approached the world with humor, sweetness and kindness,” she wrote. “He would not have wanted your condolences. He would have wanted your laughter and toasts.”

Exclusive | Clover Press reveals Cal McDonald shirt + hat ahead of Kickstarter

The new merchandise features art by ‘October Faction’ co-creator Damien Worm and the logo for Steve Niles’ Bloody Pulp Books.

Clover Press has given us an early look at two pieces of merchandise planned for its upcoming Kickstarter campaign for Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories, a new collection featuring Steve Niles’ longtime occult detective.

The merch includes a T-shirt featuring new artwork by Damien Worm, co-creator of October Faction, and a hat featuring the logo for Niles’ Bloody Pulp Books.

The merchandise will be offered as part of the crowdfunding campaign for Cal McDonald: Plague of Evil and Other Stories, which will launch through Clover Press’ new The Fourth Leaf imprint. The 216-page hardcover will collect 10 new Cal McDonald short stories, each accompanied by an illustration from a different artist.

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