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

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

A-Cover by LUCIANO VECCHIO

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

A-Cover by Carlo Lauro

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

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

Cover by Ed McGuinness

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).

WAUGH!

Cover by Ed McGuinness

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.

Alternate Cover by Ron Lim

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

NYPL Introduces Spider-Man Library Card!

Hi, all.

LIBRARIES!

Now that I have your attention: Spider-Man.

Marvel / NYPL

Back in July, for Amazing Spider-Man #900, I scripted a back-up story — with art by David Lopez, color art by Nathan Fairbairn, and lettering by Joe Caramagna — called AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.

Inspired by an idea from editor Nick Lowe (torn from the headlines, SVU-style) the New York Public Library announced this year that late fees would be forgiven — and Peter Parker would have a lot of late fees.

Art by Lopez, Fairbairn, & Caramagna.

Well, now life is imitating art imitating life with the introduction of the NYPL Spider-Man Library Card — THAT’S RIGHT, LIMITED EDITION SPIDER-MAN VARIANTS ARE NOT JUST FOR COMICS ANYMORE.

Via NYPL

NYPL's Special Edition Spider-Man Library Card Coming October 11

Knowledge is power! Scale new heights with NYPL's special, limited-edition Spider-Man library card, available in branches starting October 11. Tap into the power of reading with book recommendations, including a multitude of Marvel graphic novels, plus free programs, events, and more for all ages at your friendly neighborhood library.

EVERYONE can also now read our Spider-Man library story for free on Marvel Unlimited, RIGHT NOW.

Art by Lopez, Fairbairn, & Caramagna.

It’s a quick five pages, available on all devices and browsers — and then head to your local public library (or library app) for thousands more free comics where that came from.

Patience (or Fortitude?) enjoys Amazing Spider-Man #900; via NYPL

Spook-tober-blessed: Conspiracies, Vampires, and Other Thrills/Chills.

JUMP SCARE!

Hi, all.

It’s spooky season, the time when Jack Skellington has his mid-life crisis and — like so many celebrities whose stars have begun to fade — attempts a Christian re-brand.

Uh-oh.

Uh-oh.

I know he did a bad job and all, but as an adult I realize Jack Skellington only had about two months to pull together his first Christmas, after exhausting the year’s worth of resources they spent on Halloween, so maybe cut the guy some slack.

Here’s what I’ve been up to lately:

NEW TRAILER: INSIDE JOB on NETFLIX

For most of quarantine, my full-time job was writing for Shion Takeuchi’s (Gravity Falls, Rick & Morty) new adult-animated show Inside Job. I loved doing it, I’m incredibly proud of my contributions, and I can’t wait for you to see it.

Via Variety:

The Truth is Out There, and Lizzy Caplan, Christian Slater and Clark Duke will find it in Netflix’s “Inside Job,” a new conspiracy theory office comedy animated series from “Gravity Falls” writer Shion Takeuchi and creator Alex Hirsch.

Part 1 of Inside Job premieres on Netflix on 10.22.21 — Set your Netflix Reminder now and follow @InsideJob on Twitter and Instagram.


DARKHOLD: BLADE on sale from MARVEL 10.27.21

Cover by Juan Ferreyra.

Cover by Juan Ferreyra.

Chilling Fact: Everyone loves the Marvel movies, but very few people ever step foot in their local comic book shop and check out the source material.

Here’s how you can pre-order DARKHOLD: BLADE from a LOCAL COMIC SHOP NEAR YOU and become one of those insufferable geniuses who knows what’s going to happen in the movies because you read the comic books:

  • Go to http://Comicshoplocator.com — or, if you’re more familiar with it (and why wouldn’t you be) — Google Maps.

  • Call that local shop and ask them to reserve you a copy of DARKHOLD: BLADE by Daniel Kibblesmith and Federico Sabbatini, due out in October 2021. Give them your name and telephone number.

  • When they call you, go buy it.

  • Read it immediately on a park bench with an autumnal novelty coffee.

  • Spread the word on social media that you are a comic book expert now and DARKHOLD: BLADE is your favorite comic book of all time (may require a selfie with cover as proof).

You can also pre-order RIGHT NOW digitally for the Kindle and Comixology apps, or buy a copy from a store that ships nationally, like Midtown Comics.

OR you can just pre-order the whole paperback collection of the entire Darkhold storyline, here or from a local bookstore near you.

Via Marvel:

THE DARKHOLD: BLADE #1

DANIEL KIBBLESMITH (W) • Federico Sabbatini (A) • Cover by JUAN FERREYRA | STORMBREAKERS VENOMIZED VARIANT COVER BY NATACHA BUSTOS | VARIANT COVER BY MICO SUAYAN | CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY JOSEMARIA CASANOVAS | DESIGN VARIANT COVER BY CIAN TORMEY

THE KING OF DEATH!

Are you fanged, or are you food? The world is divided into humans and vampires – and Blade, the one who walks between them both…and kills with equal impunity. After reading from the cursed Darkhold, Blade and a cadre of other heroes were meant to enter Chthon’s dimension and stop the ancient god from destroying the Multiverse. But reading the book has changed all their lives and histories…and for Blade, the consequences are far-reaching. Vampires rule the world, and he rules over them all. But there are some heroes left—and Blade is not as omniscient as he thinks. 32 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$3.99


Garfbert Garfberts on.

You’d think having a newborn and several full and part-time writing jobs would make it difficult to do a regularly updated, unpaid, unlicensed Instagram comic about Dilbert living with Garfield, but it turns out all this delirium needs to go somewhere.

All “Classic Garfbert” strips now live on the Garfbert Instagram account (also at Garfbert.com) with new updates every Monday for as long as schedule and fatigue permits.

If you haven’t subscribed yet, here’s a gallery of ALL OF THE NEW ONES SO FAR. “Enjoy.”


Currently Reading:

  • Foundation — it is pretty different from the show.

Currently Watching:

  • Foundation — it is pretty different from the book.

Daniel Kibblesmith

October, 2021

Jump Scare

Two Announcements: OF BABIES AND BLADE-YS

Announcement #1. We Had A Baby

It is much, much more accurate to say that Jennifer Wright had a baby. Our daughter was born on July 10, 2021 at 3:20 A.M. Which makes her — if I correctly recall my astrology lessons — a baby.

Vin_Diesel_saying_FAMILY.wav

Vin_Diesel_saying_FAMILY.wav

RE: Gifts. We truly have everything we need at this point, in terms of clothing, single-purpose chairs, and tumble-dry animal simulacra. But I invite you to make a donation to the NYC-based children’s charity Little Essentials (Charity Navigator score: 94/100).

From their website: Little Essentials offers at-risk families living in poverty urgently needed children’s supplies and parenting education to promote the health, wellbeing and safety of their children under five years of age. Donate money or items here.

But if you know us well enough to have our e-mail addresses and INSIST on getting us a GIFT-gift, please make it Seamless gift cards. I burnt myself pretty bad making short ribs and it’s just now starting to pus.

Announcement #2. I’m Having A Blade-y

Cover by Juan Ferreyra.

Cover by Juan Ferreyra.

I’m writing a Blade one-shot to tie in to Marvel Comics’ October Darkhold event — with the incredible cover above by Juan Ferreyra and interior pencils by Federico Sabbatini. It’s a spooky, alt-future story about Blade confronting an I Am Legend style vampire apocalypse — WHERE EVERY CHARACTER IN THE MARVEL UNIVERSE IS NOW EITHER HUMAN OR VAMPIRE! Call it a “House of V.” So appropriately it drops October 27, 2021, just in time for Halloween.

Via Marvel:

THE DARKHOLD: BLADE #1

DANIEL KIBBLESMITH (W) • Federico Sabbatini (A) • Cover by JUAN FERREYRA | STORMBREAKERS VENOMIZED VARIANT COVER BY NATACHA BUSTOS | VARIANT COVER BY MICO SUAYAN | CONNECTING VARIANT COVER BY JOSEMARIA CASANOVAS | DESIGN VARIANT COVER BY CIAN TORMEY

THE KING OF DEATH!

Are you fanged, or are you food? The world is divided into humans and vampires – and Blade, the one who walks between them both…and kills with equal impunity. After reading from the cursed Darkhold, Blade and a cadre of other heroes were meant to enter Chthon’s dimension and stop the ancient god from destroying the Multiverse. But reading the book has changed all their lives and histories…and for Blade, the consequences are far-reaching. Vampires rule the world, and he rules over them all. But there are some heroes left—and Blade is not as omniscient as he thinks. 32 PGS./ONE-SHOT/Rated T+ …$3.99


It is difficult to overstate how important Blade (1998) and Blade 2 AKA Blade II AKA Blade II: Bloodhunt (2002) were to my development as a fan and a creator.* I have sometimes called them “my Star Wars,” which still isn’t fully accurate, unless there’s a scene I’m forgetting where a power-limping Kris Kristofferson pumps a shotgun into R2-D2.

The Blade movies are perhaps more accurately my Godfather and Godfather Part II, in that I flip back and forth on which is the superior and more important film. Appropriately — and to director Guillermo Del Toro’s apparent regret on the commentary — both sequels contain the line, “Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.” Although only Blade 1 (and zero Godfather films) contains the line, “I’m gonna be a naughty vampire god!” which likely makes it superior to all movies, Godfather and otherwise.

I’m also on the record saying — and I don’t think it’s a remotely controversial opinion — that Blade (1998), as both hit film in its own right and proof of concept, should be getting constant credit for kicking off the superhero movie revolution (leather-clad X-Men would drop a mere two years later). Without Blade (and Snipes, and Goyer, and Dorff, and Norrington, and co.) the trillion-dollar superhero genre juggernaut that now thoroughly dominates global pop culture might have never taken flight, making Blade (and again, this is just math) as or more culturally and commercially important than Star Wars.

Obviously, I’m teasing, no letters please. Although, AGAIN, UNLESS I’VE FORGOTTEN, Star Wars doesn’t feature Norman Reedus exploding into a cloud of brittle pink granules.

Blade is THE character I’ve been gunning for (swording for?) since my first conversation in 2017 with editors Wil Moss and Sarah Brunstad (Team Loki, but also crucially, Team Lockjaw). So it would mean a lot to me if you PRE-ORDERED DARKHOLD: BLADE from a LOCAL COMIC SHOP NEAR YOU.

Here’s how:

  • Go to http://Comicshoplocator.com (yes, it’s just called that) and look up the comic shop nearest you. Or, just use Google Maps, you’re a smart person, everyone is saying so.

  • Call that local shop and ask them to reserve you a copy of DARKHOLD: BLADE by Daniel Kibblesmith and Federico Sabbatini, due out in October 2021. Give them your name and number!

  • Pick it up when they call you (make sure to pay for it first).

  • Read it!

  • Tweet and Instagram yourself holding up the cover and tell other people what beloved local shop you bought your copy at and how they can support them (and me, and Frederico, and dozens others) by doing the same. This final step is crucial.

You can also pre-order digitally here, OR order a mail-order copy from a store that ships nationally, like Midtown Comics here, OR you can just pre-order the whole paperback collection of the entire Darkhold storyline, here or from a bookstore near you.

Currently Reading:

Or just Follow me on GoodReads so we can all earn that personal pan pizza.

Currently Watching:

  • Kevin Can F*ck Himself (AMC)

  • A.P. Bio (Peacock)

  • Physical (Apple TV+)

  • Ted Lasso S2 (Of course. Apple TV+)

JUST FINISHED Watching:

Loki on Disney+ which, to answer an FAQ, I did NOT work on in any capacity, however I did (very proudly) still get a surprise line in from our 2019 run:

Richard E. Grant directed by Kate Herron

Richard E. Grant directed by Kate Herron

Art by Andy MacDonald & David Curiel

Art by Andy MacDonald & David Curiel

Beyond honored. #HailToTheKing

Daniel Kibblesmith

July, 2021

Very tired.


*Blade Trinity is a film that I have seen twice. Once when it was released and once this year for a podcast. We can talk about it in person some time.