On Sale Now: Marvel’s Holiday Tales to Astonish #1 and Dynamite’s Powerpuff Girls: Winter Snowdown Showdown #1

December 5, 2024 Daniel Kibblesmith

Hi, all.

Very quickly, because I’m in currently in Deadlineopolis (play on Megalopolis), but this is important and time-sensitive. Holiday time sensitive. Is “Holiday Time” a phrase? There’s no way to know something like that.

If you’re reading this, you probably have some loose idea of who I am, and what I do, and may have noticed I write a lot of holiday stories — like Rugrats: C is for Chanukah with Cullen Crawford, Santa’s Husband with Ashley Quach, and Chronicle Books’ insanely named DC Christmas Carols: We Wish You a Harley Christmas — for which I rewrote a number of classic Christmas carols to be about the heroes and villains of the D.C. Universe, including my personal favorite, “Hark The Parademons Sing,” the best and only Christmas Carol ever written about Darkseid.

Which is all to say, this all becomes a bit of a beat once editors know you like doing holiday stuff — and the people who do, I’ve found, really do. So, for the approval of the Midnight Society (You probably think that’s for Halloween right, but Christmas also has a midnight — that’s when when Santa comes — and Hanukkah has eight midnights, so educate yourself) — I’ve written/co-written FOR YOU TO BUY AND READ two new holiday comics for 2024 on sale right now.

Not just holiday comics, but characters you’ve heard of, doing things you might want to see this time of year — like Kitty Pryde and Nightcrawler (near-lifetime bucket list characters for me) celebrating Kitty’s first Hanukkah with the X-Men (nestled neatly in the continuity Claremont/Byrne era, with pencils by Untold Tales of Spider-Man’s Pat Olliffe) and The Powerpuff Girls in a new 40-page Holiday Special where they battle classic villains in interlocking solo-stories, saving the snow-covered city of Townsville and tracking down the perfect gift for Professor Utonium. Do I need to say they meet Santa? Is that a Spoiler? They meet Santa in that one. Why wouldn’t they?

BOTH are on sale now, digitally or from a comic shop near you, but if you require more convincing, read on, in hyper-compelling words crafted by professional P.R. people.

Marvel Comics’ Holiday Tales to Astonish #1

Via Marvel:

MARVEL HOLIDAY TALES TO ASTONISH #1
Written by GERRY DUGGAN, DANIEL KIBBLESMITH & GENE LUEN YANG
Art by PHIL NOTO, PAT OLLIFFE & DYLAN BURNETT
Cover by LUCIANO VECCHIO

This December, get in the holiday spirit with a special new Marvel Comics one-shot: MARVEL HOLIDAY TALES TO ASTONISH!

In the great Marvel tradition, behold the many ways your favorite heroes celebrate the season with stories starring the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, and Spider-Man! Brought to you by a lineup of acclaimed Marvel talent, these three heartwarming, inspirational, and action-packed stories are suited for any reader to enjoy, making them the perfect gift for the Marvel fans in your life!

Today, fans can check out all four covers, including pieces by Luciano Vecchio and Leonardo Romero along with a wraparound homage cover by Lee Garbett and a hidden gem cover from industry legends Gil Kane and John Romita Sr. Plus check out a sneak peek at all three tales!

Here’s what fans can look forward to!

First, you're invited to the Fantastic Four's Holiday Party! But when an uninvited guest decides to spread doom instead of cheer, the FF jump into action in this delightful story from writer Gerry Duggan and artist Phil Noto.
Then, in a tale of Hanukkahs past, Kitty Pryde scrambles to save the day while shopping for gifts for her new teammates—the Uncanny X-Men! Daniel Kibblesmith and Pat Olliffe deliver this X-tra special adventure packed with merry mutant cameos and callbacks to classic X-Men stories!
Can Spider-Man stick to his New Year’s resolution as well as he sticks to walls? Find out as Peter Parker and Miles Morales ring in the New Year as only Spider-Men can in a spectacular tale by Gene Luen Yang and Dylan Burnett.

Wraparound Homage Variant Cover by LEE GARBETT
Variant Cover by LEONARDO ROMERO
Hidden Gem Variant Cover by GIL KANE & JOHN ROMITA SR.
On Sale 12/4

Dynamite Entertainment’s The Powerpuff Girls: Holiday Snowdown Showdown #1

Via Dynamite:

Writer: Daniel Kibblesmith
Artist: Carlo Lauro
Genre: Adventure
Publication Date: December, 2024
Format: Comic Book
Page Count: 40
ON SALE DATE: 12/04/2024
It's the holiday season in the City of Townsville, and that means ice skating, cookie baking, and, above all - at least for its three pint-sized protectors - finding the ideal gift for Professor Utonium!

But what do you get for the man who has (or can make) everything? To find out, the Powerpuff Girls set out in pursuit of the perfect present, and learn some valuable lessons about playing fair, respecting boundaries, and considering others along the way - all while dispensing generous doses of holiday-flavored justice!

Written and illustrated by jolly old elves DANIEL KIBBLESMITH and CARLO LAURO, this all-new 40-page special - decorated with sparkling covers from LAURO, TBD, and FRANCESCO TOMASELLI - will be a welcome addition to any fireplace-adjacent stocking!

It’s been a while since a non-social media update, but the rest of the big news will have to wait due to me being trapped in Megalopolis (I have updated Deadlineopolis to Megalopolis, the actual pretend city from the movie of that name made of moving sidewalks and bioluminescent floral bones. That’s where I am and live now).

“Okay, talk soon. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, and Mega Opolis.”

— Daniel Kibblesmith

On Sale Today: Howard The Duck 50th Anniversary #1

November 29, 2023 Daniel Kibblesmith

"Celebrating" 50 Years Trapped in a World He Never Made.

Hi, all.

ON SALE TODAY FROM MARVEL — Howard The Duck #1: 50th Anniversary Special, featuring a new story scripted by me with art by one of my favorite artists, the great Annie Wu. Together, we finally answer the question WHAT IF … Howard The Duck Had WON His 1972 Bid For The Presidency?

One of the things that happens is this:

Via Annie Wu on Twitter | Art by Annie Wu with color art by Ian Herring

BUY NOW from a Local Comic Shop near you or digitally for all screen devices here.

“Okay, bye.”

— Daniel Kibblesmith

Finally, Justice For America (This is about Howard The Duck).

August 7, 2023 Daniel Kibblesmith

WAUGH!

Coming 11.29.23 from Marvel Comics — Howard The Duck #1: 50th Anniversary Special, featuring a new story scripted by me with art by THE Annie Wu (Hawkeye, Black Canary, much-much-more).

Once again, a tremendous honor to be writing one of my favorite characters in all of fiction and especially to be correcting one of the greatest political injustices in history (and there’s a lot of competition these days).

Namely, our story answers the question — “What If” Howard The Duck had won his Presidential Campaign?!

Vintage Bernie Wrightson 1976 “Howard The Duck For President” button, which was a real campaign and in no way merely a fan club / brilliant cash grab.

Via Marvel:

This November, fans are invited to a birthday blowout for one of comics’ most unique characters in HOWARD THE DUCK #1! Announced this past weekend at San Diego Comic-Con, Howard the Duck’s 50th anniversary one-shot will be an giant-sized spectacle that will reunite writer Chip Zdarsky and artist Joe Quinones, the sensational creative team behind Howard’s smash hit and critically acclaimed 2015 ongoing series.
Meet Howard. He’s a hard-boiled P.I. with problems by the duckload. But a cosmic, all-seeing friend(?) known as the Peeper(!) is giving him a chance to see what his life COULD be! The joys he COULD have! All the ways his life COULD suck way less than it does now! In other words: “Whaugh If?”
Here’s some of the craziness that readers can look forward to:
Emmy-nominated writer and comedian Daniel Kibblesmith and acclaimed artist Annie Wu put Howard in the Oval Office! Inspired by a classic tale from Steve Gerber and Gene Colan’s 70s’ run, Howard the Duck has been sworn in as President. Find out if how gutsy he is as Commander in Chief when the Earth is invaded by aliens in this startling political satire!
Popular video game designer and writer Merritt K makes her Marvel Comics debut alongside artist Will Robson with a cosmic comedy that sees Howard the Duck leaving the chaos of Earth behind to take over as leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy! Playing Star-Lord is all fun and games for Howard until some of his most iconic classic villains band together to take him out once and for all!
And more!

Like other historic headlines — DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN! MAN WALKS ON MOON! and ELVIS SHOOTS NIXON! — You’ll want to PRE-ORDER TWO PHYSICAL COPIES of HOWARD THE DUCK ELECTED PRESIDENT! One to hold in your hands and read and re-read until it’s a beloved dog-eared rag and the other to frame and pass on as an heirloom to your ungrateful cyborg grandchildren. Conveniently for you, there are also two covers.

Call a local comic shop near you or pre-order here to have the comic automatically delivered digitally to your phone or tablet. The more copies we sell, the better the odds of getting another Howard The Duck movie. I really feel like we could get it right this time.

Unrelated: Follow me on Threads.

Substack Notes is dead to me. Threads (by Meta) is my god now.

But if you don’t use Threads (and why would you), the easiest place to find and reach me is probably my “professional” Instagram account. I say “professional” but don’t worry, I still swear.

“Have a great summer, don’t change after graduation.”

— Daniel Kibblesmith

"Get me pictures of Spider... ME?!"

April 24, 2023 Daniel Kibblesmith

This summer, Jonah gets the bite in Marvel's EDGE OF SPIDER-VERSE #4

Hi all.

Coming 07.05.23 from Marvel Comics — a new story scripted by me with art by ChrisCross — wherein “What If” the radioactive spider bit the hand of not Midtown High’s professional wallflower, Peter Parker, but that of his blowhard boss, Daily Bugle Editor-in-Chief, J. Jonah Jameson?!

Insanely excited to get to script a long overdue story about one of the greatest characters in the history of comics getting poured into the spandex of his most hated foil. To egregiously paraphrase Spider-Desk editor, Nick Lowe: We can’t believe we haven’t done this story yet.

What happens when J. Jonah Jameson becomes the very THREAT OR MENACE that he fears?! As his spider-sona, [NAME TO BE REVEALED!] will Jonah play the hero or the villain? The answer of course: Whatever sells more newspapers.

Via Marvel:

DREAM-SPIDER RETURNS! The new spider-character from the hit DEADLY NEIGHBORHOOD SPIDER-MAN miniseries returns in her first solo adventure! ALSO: What if that radioactive spider we all know and love bit…J. JONAH JAMESON?!
40 PGS./Rated T+ …$4.99

Spider-Man 2099 Variant Cover by Simone Bianchi

PRE-ORDER THESE PICTURES OF SPIDER-MAN! At a local comic shop near you or delivered digitally to phones and tablets here. I wrote this ten-page tale of Spider-Jonah in the manner of a backdoor pilot, hoping that it’s only the beginning for this version of the character (hey, worked for Spider-Gwen, Gwenpool and, one hopes, characters not named Gwen).

I’m also a huge fan of the investigative journalistic beat of the Marvel universe — if you loved comics like Frontline, The Pulse, Jessica Jones — really anything where Ben Urich was still allowed to smoke — I’m writing this comic for you.

And if you want to see Amazing Spider-Man-style costumed hero vs. villain crime fighting capers — I’m writing this comic for you.

And [minor spoiler] if you enjoyed any schadenfreude from news this week about any morally-dubious private space launch companies — well, I wrote that part for me. Crazy timing, though.

So help us make this comic a ridiculous best-seller and we’ll finally be able to give audiences the costumed hero they’ve been waiting for: A grouchy middle-aged guy, with old school reporter skills, wearing a skin-tight costume against his better judgment.

“Bye all.”

— Daniel

"Get in the robot, Archie."

February 24, 2023 Daniel Kibblesmith

Manifesting the Archie Mecha Comic of my dreams.

Hi, all. How it started:

How it’s going:

Via Publisher:

ARCHIE & FRIENDS ALL ACTION ONESHOT
(W) Kibblesmith, Daniel (A) Jampole, Ryan (C) Jampole, Ryan
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
StockID: 74583 SKU: FEB231162

A BRAND-NEW STORY kicks off this collection of tales mecha monsters- heroic hijinks- and action-packed adventure! In 'Super Mecha Teens-' a giant monster threatens to attack Riverdale- and only one teen (with some robot help) can save the day. Unfortunately- that teen is Archie Andrews. But he doesn't have to do it alone! But who does he choose? Betty with her rugged- self-built mech- or Veronica with her hi-tech- hi-end robotics? As all the mechs are being mauled by the monster- Archie must decide in this story that's equal parts TRANSFORMERS and PACIFIC RIM.

Emphasis mine. Never give up on your dreams, kids. For a five-page story, I put a ridiculous amount of work and research into this — as recounted on the recent episode of War Rocket Ajax I was graciously asked to co-host. Always an honor to be on my favorite podcast and you can take a listen here.

Even if you despise everything I write (why are you reading this now), this Archie story is worth picking up just for the art by the incredible Ryan Jampole who PACKED every panel with old school manga-inspired personality and deep cut anime mecha references. I researched for months, he researched for a LIFETIME.

Thanks again to EIC Mike Pellerito and everyone at Archie for making this lifelong dream happen.

Pre-order ARCHIE & FRIENDS ALL ACTION ONE-SHOT from a local comic shop near you, or one of MY local comic shops like Golden Apple.

Support it now so we can convince them to let us do a six-part miniseries next!

“Okay, I think that’s everything for now. Talk soon.”

— Daniel

That Jolly Red-Suited Fellow Up On The Rooftop: Spider-Man

December 1, 2022 Daniel Kibblesmith

On Sale Now.

Right in time for gifting season — our five-page ‘Spider-Man goes to the library’ story is now collected in the latest Amazing Spider-Man paperback from ASM writer Zeb Wells and artists including John Romita Jr., Ed McGuinness, and a murderer’s row of other creators of which I am lucky enough to be one.

Via Marvel:

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #6-8. It's Spider-Man's 60th Anniversary - and Marvel is pulling out all the stops! Someone from Spidey's past has captured the Sinister Six and used them to create the truly terrifying…Sinister Adaptoid! Can the webbed wonder possibly triumph against the might of an android that boasts the powers of all of Spidey's deadliest foes? And who is the face behind the Adaptoid's attack? Brace yourself for one of the biggest adventures in Spider-history - and you won't believe how it ends! Plus: Norman Osborn is back! But what does he have planned for Spider-Man?! One of the biggest status-quo shake-ups in years will shock you as Spidey dons a new costume with accessories that look vaguely…familiar. Is that - a glider?!

Available via Bookshop.org (and basically all online retailers) or for direct order from a local comic shop or bookstore near you.

— but if you’re buying gifts written by me this holiday season why. stop. there?

Quick ‘Written By Daniel Kibblesmith’ Gift Guide (2022).

For the Marvel Cinematic Universe fan: Loki: The God Who Fell To Earth

I did not work on the television program Loki (2021) — HOWEVER. It did pull inspiration from the character’s 60+ years of comic evolution, including our short-lived, but now self-contained paperback. Available from online retailers and local book and comic shops.

‘Tis The Season: Santa’s Husband (2017)