Matthew K. Manning's Blog, page 5

Free Comic Book Day 2019...

I'll be back at my local comic shop Comic Envy this Saturday for Free Comic Book Day. If you're in the Asheville, North Carolina area, drop by to get some free books, maybe nab a drawing or two by a local artist, and get your Marvel Action: Avengers or Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles issues signed.

I start signing at 10:30! Hope to see you there!

To be continued...

Marvel Action: Avengers # 4...

Regular cover by Jon Sommariva
Out now is Marvel Action: Avengers # 4. This is the start of a brand new storyline and a great jumping on point for new readers. It's a Thor/Captain Marvel team-up riddled with classic Kirby and Ditko Marvel monsters. Guest starring Dr. Strange!
Here's what IDW has to say about it:
(W) Matthew K. Manning (A/CA) Jon Sommariva Magic and mayhem collide for more mighty Marvel action in this new adventure featuring Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Thor, Captain Marvel, and Doctor Strange have gone missing! Forced to face fiendish foes without their teammates, can the rest of the Avengers find their friends before it's too late? And what's this about a ruby?! It's an adventure you'll need to see, True Believers! Earth's Mightiest Heroes tackle adventures perfect for young and old readers alike! Jump in to Marvel action as you've never seen it before! All your favorite heroes are here: team up with Captain America, Black Panther, Black Widow, and more!

Variant cover by my Rise of the TMNT partner in crime, Chad Thomas!
To be continued...

Avengers and Power ComiCon...

If you're the type of reader who waits for the trade paperback, then I've got good news for you. Marvel Action: Avengers Vol. 1 is out this week in comic shops and in book stores nationwide. For the nice price of $10, you can read all three issues in my first Avengers storyline, "The Iron Mechanic," featuring art by the always great Jon Sommariva, colorist Protobunker, letterer Christa Miesner, and editors Megan Brown and Bobby Curnow.


Find out what happens when Tony Stark's Iron Man suit falls into the hands of the terrorist organization A.I.M. Plus Madame Masque, Fin Fang Foom, the U-Foes, and some deep cuts from Marvel continuity. It's appropriate for all ages and plants some seeds for big storylines to come.


In other news, if you're in the South Carolina area, I'm a guest at the one day show Power ComiCon on Saturday the 27th. It's my first time at this particular convention, and I'm looking forward to meeting fans local to the Florence area. See you at the show!

(More info about the show here.)

To be continued...

Happy 80th Birthday, Batman...

On March 30th, 1939, Detective Comics # 27 debuted on newsstands (with a cover date of May 1939), the brainchild of writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane. Happy 80th birthday, Batman! May your day be full of justice, dark vengeance, and cake.

Rise of the TMNT Vol. 1...

The first half of our Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles miniseries is collected in a handy smaller-size trade paperback out March 26th.
This volume collects issue #'s 0-2 of Rise, featuring my scripts, the pencil and inking wizardry of Chad Thomas, coloring by Heather Breckel, lettering by Christa Miesner, assistant edits by Megan Brown, edits by Bobby Curnow, and even some covers by Rise producer Andy Suriano.
If you missed the first appearance of Man-Bun, the half bunny/half hipster mutant, this is your chance to rectify that glaring, glaring mistake in your life.

Volume 1 of Rise of the TMNT is available at your local comic shop or by clicking here.
To be continued...

Marvel Action: Avengers # 3...

Cover by Jon Sommariva.
In comic shops Wednesday, March 20th is the third and final part of our first storyline for Marvel Action: Avengers. We've got an evil Iron Man called the Advanced Iron Mechanic, the monstrous alien dragon Fin Fang Foom, the creeeptastic Madame Masque, and a surprise villain on our final page to kick off the next story arc.
Variant cover by Ryan Jampole.
Lots of big Marvel action coming your way from artist Jon Sommariva, colorist Protobunker, letter Christa Miesner, editors Bobby Curnow and Megan Brown, and the guy who decided to write all this chaos and only regrets it mildly: me.
Everything builds from here, so don't miss this one!
To be continued...

SC ComiCon 2019...

This weekend (March 9th and 10th), I'll be guest once again at this year's SC ComiCon in Greenville, South Carolina. It's always a fun show, and this year in particular they have a great line-up of talent. (Click here for more info.)

I'll be at table # 623. You can find me standing in front of my new Marvel Action Avengers banner.

Banner art by Marvel Action Avengers' lovely Jon Sommariva. Banner design by the even lovelier Dorothy Manning.

*Goofball children not included.
To be continued...

Marvel Action: Avengers # 2 and Rise of the TMNT # 5...

It's a big week this week for my IDW comics. Not only is the second issue of Marvel Action: Avengers being released, but also the final issue of our first Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles miniseries hits stands on Wednesday.

Cover by Jon Sommariva
Marvel Action: Avengers # 2 continues the plot established in our first issue as the Avengers hunt for the missing Iron Man, while also trying to figure out A.I.M.'s new scheme. Oh, and did I mention the giant alien dragon guy? Because he's in this one, too.

Variant cover by Nelson Daniel
As before, the fantastic Jon Sommariva tackles the art chores, with colors by Protobunker. Christa Miesner is our letterer, and the whole thing is edited by Bobby Curnow and Megan Brown.

Cover by Andy Suriano
Meanwhile, in Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles # 5, the TMNT and April finally discover the mysterious villain who has been kidnapping mutants for the last four issues. And then things get really weird. Even for me.

Variant cover by Chad Thomas
Chad Thomas once again lends his energy and excellent cartoon prowess to pencil and ink, while Heather Breckel tackles the colors. Christa Miesner again letters our nonsense, and Bobby Curnow and Megan Brown edit the whole shebang.

And don't worry, if you're enjoying Rise, this won't be the last you'll see of them in comic book form. Why, we may be working on something as I type this...

Okay, not as I type this. But pretty soon afterwards. I'm probably going to take a lunch break first if I'm being honest. But you get the idea.

To be continued...

Flash: The Secret Files of Barry Allen...

Not too long ago, I wrote a pair of books for Abrams set in the universe of the popular DC Comics shows airing on the CW.

The first of which is already out in bookstores: The Flash: The Secret Files of Barry Allen.

Containing everything from crime files to personal notes, from weapon schematics to journal entries, this book is written almost entirely in Barry Allen's voice, giving readers insight into the mind of the Fastest Man Alive.




The book even includes a handy episode guide in the back that covers the first four seasons of the show.

The next in the series will be Supergirl: The Secret Files of Kara Danvers, due out in March. Be sure to check back soon for more info on that book as well.
Please note, I made it through this entire blog post without a "speed reading" pun.
Well, almost.
To be continued...

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles # 4...

Cover by Andy Suriano
When I first heard about Nickelodeon's new Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles TV show, I was immediately interested in writing the tie-in book. The style looked great and the new direction sounded like a fun departure from past TMNT incarnations. But when I heard they were including a character named Meat Sweats, I went from WANTING to write the comic to NEEDING to write the comic.

You never pass up the chance to script a character named Meat Sweats.

Nevah.
Fast forward to this week. Our penultimate issue of the first Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles miniseries is hitting stands. And you guessed it, the villain of the month is Meat Sweats. Artist Chad Thomas again knocked this issue out of the park, helped by colorist Heather Breckel and letterer Christa Miesner. There's one complex action sequence in particular I was hoping Chad would deliver on, and man did he ever.

Incentive cover by Chad Thomas
Pick up the issue and see for yourself. It won't disappoint.

You'll get the Meat Sweats or your money back.

To be continued...