Sean Winningham
Today is Saturday, May 27th, 2023, and here are this week’s biggest news stories in the world of comic books.
1. New Marvel Solicits Suggest Kamala Khan Will Return In August
After leaks of Kamala Khan’s death in The Amazing Spider-Man #26 hit the internet (and Marvel’s blundering response to the situation), a Reddit thread suggests that the latest August solicits imply that Ms. Marvel (Kamala Khan) will return in August, possibly giving her powers similar to her MCU character and reviving her as a mutant. This has many fans criticizing the decision, ranging from why her death was necessary to begin with in order to enact this change to why the new powers are needed at all in order to make her a mutant.
Kamala Khan was introduced into Marvel Comics in 2013, getting her first dedicated title series in 2014 as Ms. Marvel. Khan is a Pakistani Muslim high school female from New Jersey who is an Inhuman with powers such as morphogenetics, superhuman elasticity, appearance/size alteration, and regenerative healing factor. She was created by G. Willow Wilson, Sana Amanat, Stephen Wacker, Adrian Alphona, and Jamie McKelvie.
2. Ray Stevenson Dies At Age 58
Renowned actor Ray Stevenson died suddenly on May 21st while filming Cassino on Ischia. He was 58. He was known for playing certain comic book characters such as Frank Castle in Punisher: War Zone and Volstagg in the Thor movies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He also played the character Baylon Skoll in the upcoming Star Wars series Ahsoka starring Rosario Dawson, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, and Hayden Christensen, which premieres in August. No cause of death has been released at this time.
3. Eisner Award Nominee Under Fire
After Comic-Con released its list of nominees for its annual Eisner Awards, many people took to social media to express their concern for nominee Thomas Woodruff. Woodruff’s work, Francis Rothbart!, has been nominated for Best Graphic Album–new, Best Painter/Multimedia Artist, Best Lettering, and Best Publication Design, and ties for second most nominations for an individual. Woodruff served as a long-time faculty member and chair of the Illustrating and Cartooning department at the School Of Visual Arts in New York City, retiring in 2021.
Many of his former students spoke out about their disappointment in the nomination, citing behaviors of his in the past towards students and his disdain for comics as a medium. Some of these stories include flat-out disrespecting students, using his own feces to make a painting of Donald Trump, and comments that were racist and misogynist.
4. Spider-Man 2 Gameplay Footage
On May 24th, PlayStation held its annual showcase, revealing a number of new game announcements and gameplay, including the highly-anticipated Spider-Man 2. The gaming console company revealed a first look, 10-minute gameplay that reveals Peter Parker Venom as a playable character, the return of Miles Morales (also as a playable character), and new characters in the game such as Lizard and Kraven The Hunter.
Spider-Man was released exclusively on PlayStation in 2020, with the follow-up Spider-Man: Miles Morales in 2020. Spider-Man 2 is expected to release this fall. All three games are developed by Insomniac Games. PlayStation did not provide any updates for Wolverine, a game in development that was teased in 2021’s showcase.
