Matthew K. Manning's Blog, page 6

Marvel Action: Avengers # 1...

Main cover by Jon Sommariva
On December 26th, Marvel Action: Avengers  # 1 hits stands! The second in IDW's new line of all-ages comics, this project is one in a long line of dream books for me. The series is a monthly ongoing title, one we hope will appeal both to new readers as well as longtime Marvel fans. Expect lots of crazy major and minor Avengers' villains, starting with a focus on some of the rogues in Iron Man's particular gallery.
Variant cover by Sara Pitre-Durocher
I provided the script which was brought to life by the lively pencils of my collaborator Jon Sommariva. You might remember that Jon and I paired for the six-issue Batman/Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Adventures miniseries a few years ago. Jon is built for this type of book, really helping put the "action" in "Marvel Action." Jon was under a tremendous deadline for this first issue, and nevertheless put in some of the most stellar work of his career. Colorist Protobunker lent a great vivacity to Jon's finished artwork, and letterer Christa Miesner did a great job putting up with both my -- and Tony Stark's -- verbose tendencies, as did editors Bobby Curnow and Megan Brown.
Variant cover by Sophie Campbell
There are lots of fun variants for this issue, including foil and regular retailer incentive covers by artist Gabriel Rodriguez and colorist Nelson Daniel:
You should see it in foil!There's also a great exclusive cover from Stadium Comics (limited to just 1,000 issues!) that connects with the other two Marvel Action titles, Black Panther and Spider-Man. You can pick one up (or all three) here.
Stadium Comics variant cover by artist Alex Milne and colorist Paris Alleyne
Still curious about the issue? You can find some preview pages as well as some interviews at Syfy as well as Newsarama.
Tidewater Comic Con exclusive variant cover by Jerrett Williams
Hope you all have a great holiday season, one chock full of avenging.
To be continued...

Rise of the TMNT # 3...

Cover by Andy Suriano
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles # 3 is out this week at comic stores and digitally. As the mystery of the disappearing mutants deepens, the Turtles are faced with a threat of Chuck E. Cheese-like proportions.

Chad Thomas once again outdoes himself illustrating my goofball script, with help from colorist Heather Breckel and letterer Shawn Lee. The whole crazy shebang was edited by Bobby Curnow and Megan Brown.

Variant cover by Chad Thomas
Here's IDW's official solicitation for the issue:

"The TMNT are in a bitter fight with each other over an extremely sensitive topic… which pizza place has the fastest delivery! When a villain butts in, the Turtles will have to put aside their differences and do what they do best: beat up bad guys!"

To be continued...

Teen Titans Go! # 31...

Cover by Dario Brizuela and Franco Riesco!
What better way to escape those awkward political arguments with your uncle this Thanksgiving than by retreating into the wonderful world of comic books. Teen Titans Go! # 31 debuts this week, and it's one on my favorite stories to date. Agnes Garbowska handles the art chores from my script, with colors by Franco Riesco, letters by Wes Abbott and edits by Kristy Quinn.
Here's DC Comics' official write-up of the issue:
When Robin catches Starfire, Raven, and Cyborg making paper airplanes, he warns them that they’re dangerously close to unlocking “The Deadliest Art”: origami.
Find it at your local comic shop this Wednesday, or grab a digital copy now at comixology.
To be continued...

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles # 2...

Regular cover by Andy Suriano!
As if fighting the terrifying Man-Bun last issue wasn't enough for our Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in training, this issue they're forced to face two different threats, the mutated worm Warren Stone and the mesmerizing Hypno-Potamus!
Variant cover by Chad Thomas!
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles # 2 is out in stores this week (November 14th). Chad Thomas did another fantastic job illustrating my script, while colorist Heather Breckel, letterer Christa Miesner, and editors Bobby Curnow and Megan Brown made sure our nonsense looks as good as mutant-ly possible.
Curious to see more? The nice people over at the 13th Dimension have a five-page preview of the issue that you can check out here.
To be continued...

Asheville Comic Expo 2018...

After some time off, the Asheville Comic Expo is back. On Saturday, November 10th, this great one day show will be at the US Cellular Center in the heart of downtown Asheville from 11:00 a.m. all the way to 7:00 in the evening.

This is my local comic con, so I don't miss it. I'll have a table overflowing with my latest books and comics. So stop by and help with my overflow problem.

Seriously, I'm running out of closet space for this stuff.

To be continued...

Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles # 1…

Regular cover by Rise of the TMNT show creator Andy Suriano!
Comic books have a long history of “man” villains. So in the grand tradition of characters like Man-Thing, Man-Wolf, and Man-Bat comes the newest evil sensation: Man-Bun!

Half bunny rabbit, half hipster, this mutant gives the Ninja Turtles a run for their money in the premiere issue of our new series, Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
I wrote the script (chock-full of Brooklyn-based puns and ninja hijinks) and artist Chad Thomas handled the heavy lifting alongside colorist Heather Breckel, letterer Christa Mesner, and editors Bobby Curnow and Megan Brown.

Variant cover by Chad Thomas!
And don’t worry, if kale jokes and braided beards aren’t your cup of tea, this issue also begins the start of a new mystery that will continue throughout all five issues of this epic miniseries. (You can catch up on the likely suspects by watching Rise of the TMNT on Nick.com right now.)
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles # 1 arrives in comic shops this week. For Man-Bun’s sake, don’t miss it!

To be continued…

New York Comic Con 2018...

I'm happy to report I'll be at the New York Comic Con again this year. While I'll mostly be wandering the floor in a low-functioning daze, you can find me for certain at:

Insight Editions (Booth # 1946)
Friday, October 5th at 5:00 p.m.Saturday, October 6th at 5:00 p.m.
I'll be signing copies of my new book DC Comics: Anatomy of a Metahuman .
Then on Sunday, October the 7th at 11:00 a.m., I'll be in Room 1A24 for the IDW all-ages comics panel. There I'll be giving away secrets about Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Marvel Action: Avengers.
Here's the panel's description:
Join an all-star team IDW creators for an out-of-this-world interactive experience bringing best comics for kids (of all ages) right to you! From people who bring you Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, My Little Pony, Star Wars Adventures, Sonic the Hedgehog, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and more—get a hands-on crash course on making comics… plus take a peek behind the curtain to see what’s coming next!
I'm also told IDW (Booth #1844) will have a Rise of the TMNT # 0 variant cover just for the show (limited to 200 copies). So find one and then find me, and I'll be happy to sign it for you!
Hope to see you at the show.
To be continued...

Guide to Groot...

Out now is my newest book, Guide To Groot: A Sound Book. With ten different sound recordings of Groot's famous "I am Groot" line, our book attempts the impossible: translating the words of everyone's favorite walking shrubbery.
The book features fully illustrated pages by artist Nicolas Rix. It's great lively work that captures the Guardians of the Galaxy we know and love from the Marvel Studios films.
Now obviously, I couldn't write this one alone. I don't personally have a firm grasp on Groot-speak. So I had to enlist a professional for his translation services. But I'll let him explain:
Introduction By Rocket (Raccoon)I gotta get this outta the way right off the top. I didn’t want to write this book. I got better things to do like-I don’t know-save the galaxy for the sixteenth time?But that’s not the point. The point is, Groot’s my buddy. We’ve been close even before we signed on to be Guardians of the Galaxy. He might look like a walking topiary, but the guy’s tough as they come.Problem is, not a day goes by where some schmuck doesn’t ask me to translate for him. Yeah, I get it. Everything he says comes out all 'I am Groot'. But ya’ gotta listen-really listen. When you do that, you realize he’s saying way more than you originally thought. Too much, even.So that brings me to this masterpiece, a handy guide to some of Groot’s most common phrases and sayings. You study this book, you’ll be understanding Groot-speak in no time.And then maybe you’ll leave me alone. (Like I’ll be that lucky.)Check out a few snippets below from this sure-to-be classic illustrated masterwork. And as always...
To be continued...

Marvel Action: Avengers...

Looks like the Cap is out of the bag!

Sorry about that pun.


Sorry.

I'll just let the article in this link do the rest of the talking:

Marvel Action: Avengers

Sorry again.

(I'm writing the Avengers.)

So sorry.

To be continued...

DC Comics: Anatomy of a Metahuman...

The wait is finally over. DC Comics: Anatomy of a Metahuman , my new book from Insight Editions with co-author S.D. Perry and artist Ming Doyle, is out now in stores nationwide.

Written from Bruce Wayne's perspective and full of his anatomical drawings about his theories on what makes his friends and enemies tick (who knew Bruce was such a good artist?), Anatomy of a Metahuman attempts to explain some of the most powerful super-beings in the DC Universe.

And thanks to S.D. Perry, we do a pretty good job of it, too. While she did all the heavy-lifting and scientific postulating, I was hired to translate the book into Batman-speak, making everything sound like Bruce Wayne's voice. I was also in charge of writing special features, like a note from Alec Holland (Swamp Thing), a DEO memo written by Cameron Chase about the Martian Manhunter, and minutes from Bane's Venom operation. I also added plenty of fun DC continuity into the book, and penned Batman's theories on the exact methods he would use to best the villain or hero of each entry.

Ming Doyle's fantastic illustrations bring Batman's ideas to life, taking our 160-page manuscript and turning it into a true art book. It really is one of the prettiest books I've worked on.

And it looks like people are already noticing. As I write this, we're the # 1 New Release in Science Fiction & Fantasy Art on Amazon as well as the # 1 in Educational & Nonfiction Graphic Novels. (Psst... don't tell them it's neither a graphic novel nor nonfiction. We'll take what we can get!)

For more info the the book, you can check it out on Amazon here, or read an interview/review here. Still not convinced? Here's a link to another review and another still. I'd link to more, but I think you're spending too much time online. Take a break and read an educational and/or nonfiction graphic novel.

To be continued...