Monday, July 21, 2025

Titan Comics Daily Schedule at SDCC

Conan the Barbarian #22: Jason Shawn Alexander Virgin Cover

 

Here's a detailed list of Titan's panels and signings. Mark these on your calendars, apps, or Daily Planners! (By Crom! Do people still use Daily Planners?)

 

 

Thursday July 24

 

SIGNING: CONAN THE BARBARIAN

11:30am, Thursday July 24

Writer Jim Zub will be signing Conan the Barbarian #21 SDCC

Exclusive Dan Panosian Foil and Conan the Barbarian #22 SDCC Exclusive Jason Shawn Alexander Virgin at Titan booth #5537.

 

PANEL: CONAN THE BARBARIAN: SCOURGE OF THE SERPENT

1PM, Thursday July 24

Room: 5AB   

WARNING! Crom doesn't care about you—but we do! That’s why this year’s official Conan the Barbarian panel will be exploding with EXCLUSIVE REVEALS & FREE GIVEAWAYS, exploring this year’s unmissable comic event Scourge of the Serpent, the launch of the colorful new Savage Sword of Conan: Reforged, and much more. Join Titan Comics and Heroic Signatures as we welcome award-winning writer Jim Zub, artist Dan Panosian, editor Chris Butera, and Conan YouTube Director Shawn Curley for a packed Conan discussion, exclusive reveals, special announcements, and giveaways. Room 5AB 

 

 

Heat Seeker Exposed #1 Tehani Farr Virgin Cover

 

 

SIGNING: HEAT SEEKER EXPOSED - A GUN HONEY SERIES #1

2:30pm, Thursday July 24

Cover artist Tehani Farr & Heat Seeker series inker Juan Castro will be signing Heat Seeker Exposed - A Gun Honey Series #1 SDCC Exclusive Tehani Farr Foil and Heat Seeker Exposed - A Gun Honey Series #1 SDCC Exclusive Tehani Farr Virgin at Titan booth #5537.

Friday July 25

 

SIGNING: CONAN THE BARBARIAN

2:30pm, Friday July 25

Writer Jim Zub will be signing Conan the Barbarian #21 SDCC

Exclusive Dan Panosian Foil and Conan the Barbarian #22 SDCC Exclusive Jason Shawn Alexander Virgin at Titan booth #5537.

 

Saturday July 26

 

PANEL: BLADE RUNNER COMICS: A NEW SAGA BEGINS! 11:00AM, Saturday July 26  

Room 4

Humans and Replicants alike are invited to join Alcon’s Director of Publishing, Jeff Conner, with special video appearances by Mike Johnson (Blade Runner: 2019, 2029 and 2039), Mellow Brown (Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus and Blade Runner: Origins), Nancy Collins (Blade Runner: Black Lotus), and Blade Runner Comics Editor, David Manley-Leach. Moderator Andrew Sumner (Forbidden Planet TV) and the Blade Runner comics creative team will explore the exciting, enticing, and expanding world of Blade Runner comics. Packed with exclusive reveals and updates for the latest comic series, and future plans for Blade Runner comics. Featuring a special sneak peek at the upcoming Blade Runner: Black Lotus - Las Vegas, this panel is a must for Blade Runner fans! Room 4. 

 

 


 

 

SIGNING: LENORE

1:30pm, Saturday July 26

Writer/Artist Roman Dirge will be signing Lenore: The Time War HC Convention Edition at Titan booth #5537.

 

SIGNING: CONAN THE BARBARIAN

4pm, Saturday July 26

Writer Jim Zub will be signing Conan the Barbarian #21 SDCC

Exclusive Dan Panosian Foil and Conan the Barbarian #22 SDCC Exclusive Jason Shawn Alexander Virgin at Titan booth #5537. 

 

 


 

 

 

Sunday July 27

 

PANEL: MAX ALLAN COLLINS: A TITAN AT HARD CASE CRIME

11am, Sunday July 27

ROOM 32AB

In this special discussion, Comic-Con International Special Guest, writer/novelist/movie director Max Allan Collins (Road To Perdition), sits down with Titan Entertainment/Forbidden Planet TV's Andrew Sumner to discuss his glorious twenty-year publishing partnership with Titan Books, Titan Comics & Hard Case Crime. Max will be revealing what's next for his signature PI Nathan Heller, celebrating the Ms. Tree archive series and the completion of the Mike Hammer Legacy Project with the publication of the violent PI’s final case BABY, IT'S MURDER - and taking everyone behind the scenes of his upcoming sequel to Dashiel Hammett's genre-founding Sam Spade novel: THE RETURN OF THE MALTESE FALCON! Room 32AB

Thanks to Titan Comics for sharing their SDCC schedule with us. 



Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu HC Vol 3 Review

 



Writer, Artist, Colorist & Cover Artist: Cynthia Von Buhler

Letterer: Jim Campbell

Publisher: Titan Comics

Price: $3.99

Release Date: July 9, 2025

 

When Howard Lovecraft travels to the Providence Opera House on October 4, 1926, he gets an eyeful. He wants to confer with Harry Houdini on the book they are writing together. Instead, he finds Harry in flagrante delicto with the delectable Minky Woodcock.

 

Minky compliments Howard on the unpublished manuscript for his story, “The Call of Cthulhu,” which Harry had shared with her. But even after she wraps herself in a towel, Howard averts his gaze while speaking with her. How will this chance meeting affect Howard Lovecraft and Minky Woodcock? Let’s grab the latest issue of Weird Tales magazine, leap into Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu HC Vol 3, and find out!

 

Story

Sadly, Harry Houdini died before the month was out. The following year, Howard Lovecraft writes to Minky Woodcock. Despite Minky's participation in Harry's unfaithfulness, Bess Houdini speaks highly of her. Howard asks Minky to approach the widow on his behalf. But before Minky can respond to Howard Lovecraft's plea about finishing The Cancer of Superstition, a man steeped in the supernatural bursts into her New York office.

 

The sign on the door may read Woodcock & Son, but Minky’s father is on a golfing trip, and her brother spends his days auditioning. In their absence, Minky runs the private detective agency. Although she doesn't know him, Aleister Crowley has a long association with Minky's family. He requests her aid in getting a guttersnipe off his back. A woman named Betty May is writing a tell-all memoir, and it doesn't paint Aleister in a positive light. The scandalous Tiger Woman is generating headlines by portraying Aleister as the wickedest man alive. He appeals to Minky to get the feisty tiger off his back.

 

In Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu HC Vol 3, she investigates Aleister's claims. Minky also gets to know the man who inspired W. Somerset Maugham's 1908 novel The Magician and Rex Ingram's 1926 film. Aleister Crowley is a talented author who writes supernatural detective novels, poetry, and nonfiction. Yet, he is a scoundrel who also influences world-shaping events. Perhaps due to his occult ceremonies, Aleister enthralls people, and governments seek his aid.

 

While beginning her story in the 1920s, Cynthia Von Buhler advances the latter half to 1943. Once again, the world is marching toward war. On a trip to England, a friend requests Minky’s aid. Like Houdini, Howard Lovecraft has long since died. Yet, his memory lingers. While seeking to help her friend, Minky helps prevent the spread of the Third Reich. Ironically, for a woman who bonded with Howard Lovecraft over her fear of the sea, Minky Woodcock will become synonymous with one of his immortal creations in Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu HC Vol 3.

 

Art 

Cynthia Von Buhler’s art portrays Minky and Houdini as uninhibited, in love with life, and cruelly parted by fate. Minky has a soft side, as revealed by her white rabbits, Agatha and Miss Marple. And when Crowley enters her office, she pulls away. Then Minky retakes her seat, smiles demurely, and allows the bald man Betty May paints as Dr Evil to treat her like a lady. Aleister Crowley doesn’t say, “Throw me a frickin bone here." Still, he convinces Minky to take his case.

 

The primary colors of red, blue, and yellow energize Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu HC Vol 3. Buhler adds a touch of orange to enhance Minky's hair, wooden furniture, Betty May's cat and tiger costume, and Crowley's cravat. Yellow dominates as Crowley retells his history with Betty May and her husband Raoul at the Abbey of Thelema in Sicily. Green enters Minky's story when she meets Gladys. And that night, green tinges her dreams.

 

Block letters place readers in space and time. Music notes accompany song lyrics. Delicate black uppercase letters in dialogue balloons and narrative boxes relate Minky’s efforts to protect people from danger, uncover mysteries, and learn more about her late mother. Handwritten letters, typed correspondence, and sound effects accompany invocations and symbols drawn in blood. Thanks to Titan Comics for providing a review copy.

 

Final Thoughts

Every man and woman is a star, whether well-known like the famous magician and writer Harry Houdini, the author and occultist Aleister Crowley, a globe-trotting Tiger Woman, or a British Intelligence officer with literary aspirations. Yet the star we most worry about flaming out is the stalwart and fearless private detective in Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu HC Vol 3.

 

Rating 9/10

To look inside see my preview of Minky Woodcock: The Girl Called Cthulhu HCVol 3.



Sunday, July 20, 2025

Yuletide #1 Preview

 

COVER A BY ITO

Some stories sweep readers away from the get-go. Others develop a following over time. This upcoming comic series already has Hollywood talking!

Here's all the info:

 

SDCC 2025: Valhalla Entertainment Preemptively Acquires Oni Press' YULETIDE for Feature Film Development 


Producer Gale Anne Hurd Snaps Up Adaptation of Upcoming Christmas Adventure from Creators George Northy & Rachele Aragno Before the First Issue Hits Stands in October 

 

In advance of Comic-Con International 2025 in San Diego, CA, groundbreaking comic book publisher Oni Press and award-winning production company Valhalla Entertainment today announced that Valhalla has preemptively acquired Oni's upcoming series YULETIDE – created by writer George Northy (EC's Shiver SuspenStories) and artist Rachele Aragno (Mike Mignola's Leonide the Vampire) – for development as a feature film in advance of the comic book series' debut in October 2025.


Northy – a writer/producer best known for his work on Charmed for The CW and his recent comics debut as part of Oni's best-selling EC Comics relaunch – will produce and script the adaptation. Gale Anne Hurd and Phillip Kobylanski will produce for Valhalla, alongside David Steward II, Hunter Gorinson, and Jeremy Colfer for Oni Press.


A fast-placed family adventure in the tradition of The Goonies, Goosebumps, and Hocus Pocus with a horrifying holiday twist, YULETIDE is the story of ancient creatures let loose upon an idyllic Northeastern town at the height of the gift-giving season – and the only three teenagers capable of holding them at bay with an ancient secret tied to the origins of the holiday itself:


Welcome to the small town of Christmas, Pennsylvania – the merriest place on Earth . . . or so they'd like everyone to think. When December rolls around, these folks pull out all the stops for America's biggest, brightest holiday display . . . but not everyone in Christmas, PA, is so enthusiastic. Teenagers Jake, Abe, and Wyn are more interested in the dark side of the holiday that their parents like to pretend doesn't exist . . . The ancient legends of mythic monsters and pagan pandemonium that are deeply tied to the festival's long-forgotten origins. So when their hobby leads them to an abandoned wing of the local Christmas museum to investigate, they'll discover an ancient relic that, when activated, will bring a furious procession of yuletide horrors long since banished from our plane – and with it, a darkness that has been waiting centuries for its chance to overtake the world.


“I’ve long been fascinated by the dark, strange, obscure Yuletide monsters from various cultures, from Germany to Iceland to Wales. The way these demons have been buried and forgotten felt like the perfect metaphor for how we often bury our own darkness and personal demons throughout the holidays,” said writer George Northy. “If Buffy taught us “High School can be Hell,” then Yuletide will show that the best way of dealing with our own holiday demons isn’t by pretending they aren’t there, it’s by facing them together.”


“There is so much fantastic lore of the midwinter that runs the risk of being forgotten to time,” said Gale Anne Hurd of Valhalla Entertainment. “With Yuletide, George and Rachele have given us the perfect opportunity to bring those larger-than-life characters back to life so they can continue to haunt us for generations to come.”


"Every once in a while, a team of creators emerges with a pitch so inspired, so compelling, and so dead-center on the bullseye that it immediately provokes one question: 'Why hasn't anyone thought of this before?' So it was with George and Rachele's vision for YULETIDE – a story that comes joyously filled with heart, humor, and adventure like so many gifts tightly packed into a Christmas stocking. This is a holiday story you'll know by heart in just a few years' time, and we couldn't ask for better partners in bringing to the page and screen," said Oni Press President & Publisher Hunter Gorinson.


With the first issue set to debut in comic shops in October, the YULETIDE comic series from Northy and Aragno will span three, extra-long, 40-page monthly chapters – counting down to an artfully timed finale on shelves just in time for the holidays in December.


YULETIDE joins a long list of high-profile film and television projects currently in development from Oni Press – the iconic indie comics imprint that has inspired many influential adaptations, including director Edgar Wright's Scott Pilgrim vs. The World (based on creator Bryan Lee O'Malley's Eisner Award-winning graphic novel series), director Sam Hargrave's Extraction franchise for Netflix, and director David Leitch's Atomic Blonde – that also includes Sam Hargrave's upcoming feature film Kill Them All (based on the graphic novel by cartoonist Kyle Starks) for Paramount Pictures.

 

Now, let's take a look inside:

 


 

 

 


 

 


Here are more cover options:

 

COVER B BY RACHELE ARAGNO


 

 

COVER C BY JO MI-GYEONG


 

FULL ART VARIANT (1:10) BY ITO


YULETIDE #1 (of 3)

Writer: GEORGE NORTHY

Artist: RACHELE ARAGNO

Publication Date: OCTOBER, 2025 | $4.99| 40 PAGES | FC

Initial Order Date: 8/30/2025

Final Order Cutoff: 9/22/2025

 

 

Oni Press will reveal more about YULETIDE during its upcoming appearance at Comic Con International in San Diego, beginning on Wednesday, July 23rd. Visit them at Booth #1829.


Thanks to Oni Press, Valhalla Entertainment, and Superfan Promotions for sharing this preview with us.

 

About Oni Press


Founded in 1997, Oni Press has a 25-year history as one of the industry’s most respected and acclaimed publishers of award-winning comic books and graphic novels with titles including Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim, K. O’Neill’s Tea Dragon Society, Cullen Bunn & Brian Hurtt's The Sixth Gun, Maia Kobabe's Gender Queer, Ezra Clayton Daniels' Upgrade Soul, Brenna Thummler’s Sheets trilogy, and many hundreds more. In 2019, Oni Press merged with Lion Forge Comics – the Eisner Award-winning independent comic book publisher founded by Academy Award-winning producer and entrepreneur David Steward II – to create one of the largest, independent libraries of comics content anywhere in media. The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group now exists as a publishing subsidiary of Steward’s diversified global media company, Polarity.


The Oni-Lion Forge Publishing Group publishes more than 60 original and licensed graphic novels annually, in addition to an extensive list of periodical comics.


About Valhalla Entertainment


Valhalla Entertainment is an award-winning production company known for critically acclaimed hit films, genre-bending television, thought-provoking documentaries, and bold new global comic book series.

 

Among Valhalla’s TV portfolio are all 11 seasons of the global phenomenon, The Walking Dead, its companion series, Fear the Walking Dead, ratings juggernauts The Walking Dead: Dead City and The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon, as well as the record-setting miniseries, The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live. Other series projects include Lore from Amazon MGM Studios and Falling Water for the USA Network.

 

The company’s movie slate consists of tentpole blockbusters and Academy-award winning films like Aliens, The Abyss, Armageddon, The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, with bothTerminatorfilms since added to the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.  Other films include legendary dark comedy, Tremors, which is currently celebrating its 35th anniversary, Marvel’s The Incredible Hulk and The Punisher, and Sundance Audience Award winner, The Waterdance



 


Titan Comics at SDCC 2025

 

Solomon Kane #1: Mike Mignola B&W Cover

 

Titan Comics has a lot planned for San Diego Comic-Con. Here's an overview of what's on offer:

 

TITAN COMICS @ SDCC 2025

 

CONAN THE BARBARIAN! BLADE RUNNER! ROMAN DIRGE’S LENORE! 

 

FULL DETAILS REVEALED!

 

Titan Comics are thrilled to announce their full plans for San Diego Comic-Con 2025 (July 24–27)! Titan will be bringing hotly anticipated new comic launches, SDCC exclusive variant editions by superstar artists Dan Panosian, Joe Jusko, Mike Mignola, Inhyuk Lee, Tehani Farr, Derrick Chew, Kael Ngu - and appearances from a host of guests including Jim Zub (Conan the Barbarian), Tehani Farr (Heat Seeker: Exposed), Max Allan Collins (Hard Case Crime’s Mike Hammer, Ms. Tree), and creator of the cult classic macabre Lenore - Roman Dirge!  

 

Heroic Signatures & Titan Comics’ blockbuster Conan the Barbarian comics return to San Diego with four exclusive-to-SDCC editions - a stunning foil variant of Dan Panosian’s cover to Conan the Barbarian #21, a virgin variant of Jason Shawn Alexander’s Conan the Barbarian #22, a special foil variant of The Savage Sword of Conan #8 by legendary artist Joe Jusko, and a black-and-white variant of Solomon Kane: The Serpent Ring #1 by famed Hellboy creator Mike Mignola. 

 

Plus! Don’t miss the official Conan the Barbarian: Scourge of the Serpent panel on Thursday July 24th (1pm, Room: 5AB) which will be exploding with exclusive reveals, free giveaways and exploring this year’s unmissable comic event - Scourge of the Serpent! Featuring award-winning writer Jim Zub, artist Dan Panosian, editor Chris Butera, and Conan YouTube Director Shawn Curley for a packed Conan discussion.  

 

Conan The Barbarian #21: Foil Cover by Dan Panosian

 

 

Writer Jim Zub will be signing copies of Conan the Barbarian at the Titan booth #5537 across the SDCC weekend on Thursday (11:30am), Friday (1pm), and Saturday (4pm). 

 

 

Heat Seeker Exposed #1: Derrick Chew Copic Cover

 

Hard Case Crime celebrates the launch of Heat Seeker: Exposed - the newest instalment of the smash-hit spin-off of indie hit Gun Honey with three exclusive editions - an exclusive foil cover, and a virgin variant by artist Tehani Farr of Heat Seeker: Exposed - A Gun Honey Series #1, and a stunning copic SDCC exclusive edition of Derrick Chew’s cover to Heat Seeker: Exposed - A Gun Honey Series #2! Join Heat Seeker cover artist Tehani Farr and inker Juan Castro as they sign copies at Titan booth #5537 on Thursday July 24th (2.30PM). 

 

Plus! Join Hard Case Crime for Max Allan Collins: A Titan at Hard Case Crime: From Ms. Tree to Nolan to Heller to Spade & Hammer! - a very special panel on SDCC special guest, Max Allan Collins on Sunday July 27th (11am, Room 32AB) where Max sits down with Titan Entertainment/Forbidden Planet TV's Andrew Sumner to discuss his glorious 20-year publishing partnership with Titan Books, Titan Comics, and Hard Case Crime.

 

Titan’s critically acclaimed Blade Runner comics continue with a must-see panel Blade Runner Comics: A New Saga Begins on Saturday July 26th (11am, Room 4). Join Alcon’s director of publishing, Jeff Conner, with special video appearances by Mike Johnson (Blade Runner: 2019, 2029, and 2039), Mellow Brown (Blade Runner: Tokyo Nexus and Blade Runner: Origins), Nancy Collins (Blade Runner: Black Lotus), and Blade Runner Comics editor David Manley-Leach as they explore the exciting, enticing, and expanding world of Blade Runner comics. Featuring a special sneak peek at the upcoming Blade Runner: Black Lotus—Las Vegas. Plus, don’t miss a show debut - Blade Runner 2019: The Complete Series Omnibus collecting the whole first year of Titan’s stunning Blade Runner comics saga - only available at Titan booth #5537 during the show!  

 

 


 

 

World renowned magician, animator, and comic book artist Roman Dirge returns to comics after a seven-year hiatus with his cult classic character Lenore, The Cute Little Dead Girl. Roman will be making a special appearance at SDCC 2025, signing copies of a convention exclusive edition of Lenore: The Time War at Titan booth #5537 on Saturday July 26th (1:30pm). Don’t miss out!  

Plus! Titan will be showcasing a range of SDCC exclusives for fans including: Return to Skull Island #1 SDCC Exclusive Inhyuk Lee Inks and Rebel Moon: Nemesis #1 SDCC Exclusive Kael Ngu Foil. Plus, show debuts for Breathtaker, Bloodborne: The Death of Sleep Deluxe Edition and Robotech The Complete Macross Saga Slipcase Edition. Available at Titan booth #5537.

Thanks to Titan Comics for sharing this overview with us. 

Ghost Pepper #1 Review


 


Writer & Artist: Ludo Lullabi

Colorist: Adriano Lucas

Cover Artists: Ludo Lullabi; Artgerm; Kael Ngu & Artgerm; Joe Madureira; Chris O’Halloran & André Lima Araújo; Yasmine Putri

Publisher: Image Comics

Price: $4.99

Release Date: July 16, 2025

 

In a desert village, a man tells a story. The listeners criticize his retelling. He is not a priest. Still, when the man invokes the name of their savior, people drop money into the helmet in his hands. Why should people give this man their offerings? Let's grab a bowl from Loloi's food truck, leap into Ghost Pepper #1, and find out!

 

Story

Loloi lives on the road. She stops in Human settlements and enthralls the locals with her unique flavors. On this day, a visitor enters the village and sits before her truck. While the robot on his shoulder proves talkative, the man eats in silence.

 

Sadly, it’s not the man’s day in Ghost Pepper #1. A giant robot detects an anomaly in the village. When it sends its servants to investigate, Loloi's customer doesn't respond. The villagers gape at this visitor defying the Shortfin Controllers. The robot perched on the man’s shoulder apologizes for the disturbance. Still, from one robot to his kin, it suggests that they leave him in peace.

 

Ghost Pepper #1 introduces a world where people scramble to get by. Like the desert dwellers of Jakku, they live amid the detritus of a fallen civilization. Monuments to the planet's former greatness surround them. Robots dictate their lives. Yet the survivors of the holocaust give thanks to their savior.

 

In Ludo Lullabi’s story, the holy name of Bataar gives the people strength. His profile of courage and defying the odds reinforces their cultural identity. Like the early Christians who gathered regularly in fellow believers’ homes, the poor, oppressed villagers yearn to hear his story retold. Bataar defied the Great Cinder and imprisoned it on the moon. They can make it through another day.

 

Art

A man of ample girth tosses a handful of coins into the helmet. But his son only gives the storyteller with metal hands one. The boy saves the rest for Loloi. She chops vegetables with a flourish and dispenses her secret ingredient from a can. Loloi reaches down from the counter on the side of her Dakar-like truck. As the boy clutches a box of spicy vegetables, his father and Loloi return the delight in his bulging eyes and radiant smile.

 

Long hair shelters the silent diner's features. A robot crouches on the stranger's shoulder like a demon in Ghost Pepper #1. As he plucks noodles from his bowl with chopsticks, the visitor ignores the vast network of towering pillars and the immense beams that extend to the horizon. Metal kaiju stride and leap across the desert. Humanoid robots with V-shaped, pterodactyl-like heads surround Loloi's food truck. With one easy kick, the silent man shoves the desert truck out of the way. Then he rises from the canister to meet the robot guardians.

 

As Adriano Lucas lavishes a loaded palette on Ludo Lullabi’s engaging characters and imaginative settings, the villagers pray to their savior and share stories with white dialogue balloons and narrative boxes. Raised voices deform balloon shapes and swell the black uppercase dialogue. While the protectors of the people speak white and yellow text into blue boxes, the red-eyed robot crouching on the visitor’s shoulder speaks into red balloons. Sound effects help us hear Loloi’s furious cleaver, a diner’s distaste, a kaiju dropping eggs onto a frightened populace, and lasers destroying the survivors’ meager possessions.

 

Final Thoughts

On a world devastated by war, survivors cling to communal beliefs. An oral tradition preserves their history. It teaches that scientists created the instrument of their destruction in Ghost Pepper #1. But when robots dictate their lives and prevent their communities from rebuilding, how much of what the people know should they believe?

 

Rating 9.8/10

 

To look inside see my review at Comic Book Dispatch