app-subdomain-redirection:comics

The 4 best Christmas comics in history

Do you already have the whole Christmas table ready? The food, the prawns, the carols, the whole family sitting around ready to argue at any moment about anything? Well, then you only need one more thing: to have some good Christmas comics to hide when things heat up. And here we are to take care of you and pamper you! That’s why we’ve prepared this list with the 4 best Christmas comics in history. 4-Hellboy: A Christmas Underground In 1997, Mike Mignola created a fabulous story in which he visits a dying woman on Christmas Eve 1989 who mistakes Hellboy for […]

Do you already have the entire Christmas table ready? The food, the prawns, the carols, the whole family sitting around ready to argue at any moment about anything? Well, then you only need one more thing: to have some good Christmas comics to hide when things heat up. And here we are to take care of you and pamper you! That’s why we’ve prepared this list of the 4 best Christmas comics in history.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

4-Hellboy: A Christmas Underground

In 1997, Mike Mignola created a fabulous story in which he visits a dying woman on Christmas Eve 1989 who mistakes Hellboy for Santa Claus. He agrees to give her daughter, who died five years earlier, a Christmas gift. Surprisingly, he finds her and gives her the gift, a necklace with a cross. Of course, things end up in chaos, but it is, in its own way, charming, beautiful, and strange. Just as a good Christmas should be, indeed.

3-Batman: Noël

Of course, Batman also had to have his Christmas version, in a Gotham that seems to have been born to have trees and garlands within its gothic darkness. Here, the masked guardian will experience a kind of Christmas Carol (the legendary novel by Charles Dickens) with the definition of heroism at stake. With Lee Bermejo on script and art, it’s hard not to fall in love with this comic with spectacular page design.

2-The Lobo Paramilitary Christmas Special

The anti-Christmas comic par excellence: the Easter Bunny is tired of being a second fiddle, so he hires Lobo to take out Santa Claus, whom we see smoking a gigantic cigar on his sofa, next to a gorilla. Loose limbs around, dead elves in the corners, dark humor, swear words, gunshots and all sorts of nonsense typical of this comic from 1991, absolutely essential in every respectable home.

1-Hawkeye

Some might say that this fantastic comic by Fraction and Aja is not Christmas-themed, but… When does it take place, at least in part? Huh? Exactly: at Christmas. And look, even though it doesn’t have Santa Claus or gift-giving, you get a masterpiece. After all, that’s what these holidays are for, right? To give and share, to receive good advice and discover new things. This is my gift to you. Ho, ho, ho. You’re welcome.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

Marvel and DC are no longer the only ones who can use the word “superhero”

Superman did not invent the word “superhero,” nor did Captain America. The origin of the term dates back to 1899, and some of its earliest examples were characters like The Scarlet Pimpernel, Buck Rogers, or Zorro, all of whom were created years before DC Comics was established in 1934 (under the name National Comics Publications). However, in 1977, this publisher and Marvel jointly trademarked the term “superhero” so that only they could use it. Surprisingly, nearly five decades later, the trademark was still in effect… until now. I’m not Superman The company’s request […]

Superman did not invent the word “superhero,” just as Captain America did not. The origin of the term dates back to 1899, and some of its earliest examples were characters like The Scarlet Pimpernel, Buck Rogers, or Zorro, all of whom were created years before DC Comics was established in 1934 (under the name National Comics Publications). However, in 1977, Marvel and the publisher jointly registered the term “superhero” so that only they could use it. Surprisingly, almost five decades later, the registration was still in effect… until now.

Subscribe to the Softonic newsletter and get the latest in tech, gaming, entertainment and deals right in your inbox.

Subscribe (it's FREE) ►

I’m not Superman

The request from Superbabies Ltd, creators of a collection of books and dolls titled, obviously, Superbabies, indicates that “DC and Marvel are mistaken. The law does not allow companies to claim ownership of an entire genre.” This does not mean that the two companies cannot use the term, but they will not have exclusivity over it because others can use it as well.

“This result is not only a victory for our client, but a victory for creativity and innovation.” Basically, now anyone can create a superhero and call it as such because it is in the public domain. It was about time, in 2024, for the two publishers to realize that the publishing world is becoming exciting… and they are starting to smell, whether they like it or not, like mothballs.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

Superman introduces a mysterious new Superwoman by his side, but we have all guessed who she is

Lois Lane first appeared in a comic book in June 1938, 86 years ago, and, as you can guess, she has experienced all kinds of things and suffered misfortunes over the decades, especially in the “golden age” where she had her own comic book title, which lasted 137 issues and featured some of the most bizarre covers in the history of comics. And the new modern times haven’t exactly forgotten about her…

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

What a (super) woman!

The new comic series, Superman, has been announcing for a while that a new Superwoman was coming who would fight alongside our hero, but her identity would be very mysterious…if it weren’t for the comic’s own synopsis revealing that it is Lois Lane. And this is not the first time she has gained powers: in fact, she has already been Superwoman not long ago, in 2016, during the “Rebirth” era.

But hey, the first time the superheroine’s suit was tested was in issue 60 of “Action Comics” and the most memorable one was in the epic “All-Star Superman.” So, it’s not a surprise to anyone that now, suddenly, she has powers again. In the end, in the comics of DC and Marvel, everything changes… to going back to being the same.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

Dark Horse makes it clear: they want AI far away

Llevan publicando cómics desde julio de 1986 y ahora, casi cuarenta años despues, ninguna máquina les va a enseñar cómo se hacen las cosas.

If you are a fan of the world of comics, you are well aware of the Dark Horse publishing house. But if not, here are a few titles that have made history in the medium: ‘Hellboy’, ‘Sin City’, ‘300’, ‘Usagi Yojimbo’, ‘The Umbrella Academy’ or ‘American Splendor’. They have been publishing comics since July 1986 and now, almost forty years later, no machine is going to teach them how things are done.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

Little intelligence, very artificial

No matter how much the “AI-generated art creators” boast, the truth is that major publishers are not buying their bragging and Marvel, DC, Image, and other major publishers, except for an occasional image that may slip through (and would cost the artist their job), still do not allow the use of MidJourney or any type of generative artificial intelligence. Dark Horse is no exception.

“Dark Horse was originally founded to establish an ideal publishing atmosphere for creative professionals and maintains this focus on supporting independent creators today. And as such, Dark Horse does not support the use of AI-generated material in the works we publish“. We didn’t expect any less, but it’s good to emphasize that true creative people want nothing to do with prompts, stolen images, and cheesy AI. Luckily.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

Comic writer calls out AI for solving a problem that didn’t exist

The use of artificial intelligence has consequences in DC Comics too

Y a muy pocos les está gustando (e incluso haciendo ilusión, por algún motivo) que deje sin trabajo a gente realmente creativa. Por el camino, la IA ha salpicado a Pokémon, Dungeons & Dragons e incluso a los cómics de DC.

Artificial intelligence has directly impacted creative jobs. And it is evident: some governments have adopted it as part of their daily lives to avoid paying artists for institutional advertising, we have read apology letters written with ChatGPT, and even some video games are considering incorporating it into everyday life as something inevitable. However, the public has reacted.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

Not over here

Since OpenAI, they believed it was going to be a piece of cake: A machine gives a drawing, a worker digitally touches up the mistakes, and voila. However, they didn’t count on the fact that the public is much smarter than they seem and can spot the AI from miles away. And very few people are pleased (and even stirring up excitement, for some reason) that it’s taking away jobs from truly creative people. Along the way, AI has affected Pokémon, Dungeons & Dragons, and even DC Comics.

Although the publisher has been strongly against art made by an AI, there are artists who have preferred to save themselves the work of thinking about a plan and drawing it by asking the machine of the moment. In May, AI influence was caught in a few panels that basically shamelessly plagiarized (the usual modus operandi, you know), yet in June it happened again.

The artist in this case was Francesco Mattina, who, among others, illustrated the 2017 series ‘Darth Vader: Dark Lord’ and who will now be known as “the one with the covers”. And the fact is that several of the alternative covers he has made for various DC comics (‘Superman’ and ‘The Brave and the Bold’, among others) had AI errors even in such mythical things as the Superman logo on his chest.

Mattina already had a long record of plagiarism, and DC has withdrawn not just these covers from future circulation, but they’ve also banned him from working with them again. Despite insisting that artificial intelligence is the future, it sometimes seems to be the present. Specifically, a present filled with layoffs and long faces.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

And what would happen if Donald Duck became Thor? No, it’s not an internet joke—it’s an official Marvel comic

Throughout the history of Marvel, not only Thor Odinson has been worthy of wielding his hammer: other mythical Marvel characters like Jane Foster, Bill Rayos Beta, Volstagg, Storm, and even Eric Masterson have managed to lift the weapon that Captain America also lifted in the movies. In fact, even a frog has been worthy of being worthy. But we didn’t see the crossover with Disney coming.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

By the power of Uncle Scrooge!

And it is that in What if… Donald Duck became Thor?, on sale in September, we will have exactly what was promised: the Disney character, who has just turned 90 years old, finds the hammer by chance and transforms into a superhero. At first glance, it’s just a little joke for the fans, but you never know when it can become something more.

In the current crossovers between Disney and Marvel, we have already seen Donald with Wolverine’s claws, and although it is very difficult to reach the level of Don Rosa or Carl Barks’ classics, at least it is nice to see that, beyond the big and small screen, they have decided to play a little with the licenses so that they are not stagnant. Now we need to know if the Odin in this story is also a duck. The least they could do, right?

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

You may not believe it, but GI Joe comics are experiencing a second wind

Y no solo eso: el número 1 de ‘Comandante Cobra’ ya ha superado los 100.000 ejemplares vendidos, ‘Transformers’ ha superado los 200.000

‘GI Joe’ has been entertaining children and bringing the “American way of life” to households around the world for 60 years. The first dolls were born in 1963, although most of us remember them for their figures from the 80s, the animated series, and the Marvel comics. And now, in 2024, after they were all but forgotten beyond the cameos in ‘Transformers’ movies, they’ve come back stronger than ever.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

The Great American Hero!

The individual ‘GI Joe’ comics written by professionals like Kelly Thompson (‘Scarlett’) or Dan Watters (‘Destro’) have been printed, in the United States alone, in excess of 80,000 copies each, records that the franchise had not seen for at least twenty years. And it’s especially remarkable in these times of paper crisis and unthinkable prices.

And not only that… the number 1 ‘Comandante Cobra’ has already surpassed 100,000 copies sold, ‘Transformers’ has surpassed 200,000, and everything seems to point to a rebirth of Hasbro in comics and ‘GI Joe’ in particular, which still won’t announce its next regular series (which, obviously, will arrive sooner rather than later). With some of these comics even surpassing Spiderman and Batman in sales, is it possible we’re seeing a full-fledged change in the industry? It certainly could be. Nothing stays the same forever…

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

Bruce Wayne is about to publicly reveal that he is Batman and turn over more than 85 years of history

Batman’s problem is different: after 85 years of keeping Bruce Wayne separate from the bat, little by little, the circle is closing in on him.

This summer, issue number 150 of Batman will be released. Well, it’s not the real 150th issue, of course, but the one from this stage (we’re actually looking at thousands and thousands of issues since its debut in 1939). But this time there’s a slight difference: he’s ready to unmask himself in front of the whole world, just like Spider-man did after ‘Civil War’. Spoiler: that didn’t turn out well for the web-slinger, with a series of disasters that culminated in Mephisto making him forget his marriage to Mary Jane. Maybe it will turn out better for the Dark Knight.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

Bat-Wayne

It’s really more of a slight intuition than a reality. But it begins to be sensed on the horizon, especially now that the two titular heroes of DC have their secret civilian identities: Clark Kent returned to being a friendly reporter last year, when Lex Luthor telepathically erased the memory of absolutely everyone about who Superman really is. Batman’s problem is different: after 85 years of hiding Bruce Wayne from the bat, little by little the noose is tightening in front of him.

The worst of his enemies, in this case, is The Penguin, who in his new series seems to know who is really hiding under the hood. In fact, he has just received a warning to go visit him, and now he controls a gigantic group of supervillains who are dying to attack whoever is under the bat-mantle. The revelation would put the masked man in serious trouble, but there’s more.

It turns out that one of the henchmen who works for Catwoman also accidentally discovered the secret a few months ago, and it doesn’t seem like he’s one to keep things quiet. Oh, yes, Joker knows it too. And Question, who bought Wayne Manor. And meanwhile, Batman has been on a hallucinogenic journey for months. It wouldn’t be surprising if, upon his return, he finds out that either the villains have revealed his name, or it’s about time he does it himself. Eight decades to reach this pivotal point in his life. Will they dare in DC? Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

GI Joe removes censorship from a dialogue… 40 years later.

We are soldiers… our job is to do the unthinkable… and be forgotten.

We often underestimate what GI Joe once was. Created in 1964, in a peaceful America that felt victorious after World War II, the t oy line started with four action figures based on different branches of the military and, not long after, they abandoned realism to fight alongside a bionic warrior (Atomic Man) and battle against Cobra Commander. They sold like hotcakes all over the world, spread American patriotism across Europe, and to this day, thanks to the movies, they are still riding high.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

God bless censorship

So much so that the little figurines continue to sell (more geared toward collectors than children), and their cameo in the latest ‘Transformers‘ movie, anticipating a Hasbro-verse, made it very clear that no one had forgotten about them. In fact, in addition to the famous 80s series, there have been several well into the 21st century, although none have surpassed those episodes of limited animation, repetitive plots, and which we devoured.

What’s interesting is that before the action figures, there was a comic in 1942 within the military magazine ‘Yank,’ intended for American soldiers in the war. Dave Breger was its creator, although it didn’t last long because he soon signed with another company to cover his experiences as a special envoy to the United Kingdom. From there, ‘GI Joe’ went through all sorts of writers, artists, and wars, from the Korean War to its fictional battle against Cobra.

But the main comic book series began in September 1983, published by Marvel. In that issue, written by the legendary Larry Hama, there was a dialogue dedicated to boosting patriotic sentiment: “We’re soldiers… Our job is to follow orders… do the impossible, and make it look easy.” The problem is that Hama hadn’t written that, but he suffered unilateral censorship from Marvel. Now, in its reissue forty years later, it will finally have the (much better) dialogue he wrote.

“We are soldiers… our job is to do the unthinkable… and be forgotten.” A key moment that finally appears unaltered, a thorn the author had after enduring 300 subsequent issues with an axe to grind. “This is why I never rewrite any script that comes to my office. I always give the writers the option to rewrite them themselves. I do the same with the art. I’ve always hated it when I see redrawn heads that bear no resemblance to the original style. I think this is a courtesy that is rarely given these days,” the author confessed, who completed his work in 2022 after a 16-year hiatus. Who said GI Joe was out of fashion?

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

28 years later, the creator of ‘Calvin and Hobbes’ publishes a work again (although it’s not what you expect)

And, out of nowhere, in 2023 he released his first published work in a long time: ‘The mysteries’, a fable for adults that he created half-heartedly with the cartoonist John Kascht.

‘Calvin and Hobbes’ is the best comic in history. Yes, it’s that straightforward. If you only have to read one comic in your entire life, make sure it’s this masterpiece by Bill Watterson, which lasted almost exactly ten years (from 1985 to 1995) and has never had a sequel or even merchandise, all by direct order of the author. Watterson withdrew from public life and has hardly given any interviews. In fact, he doesn’t even appear in the documentary solely dedicated to searching for him around the world, ‘Dear Mr. Watterson’. And now, suddenly, he comes out with something new unexpectedly.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD

What a mystery

Watterson hasn’t exactly been lounging on the couch for nearly thirty years. During this time, he has created paintings, curated exhibitions, written forewords, and even, on rare occasions, crafted posters and illustrations with a style reminiscent of comics. Out of nowhere, in 2023, he released his first published work in a very long time: ‘The Mysteries,’ an adult fable he co-created with illustrator John Kascht.

The book tells the tale of an ancient kingdom plagued by continuous misfortunes. Hoping to put an end to them, the king sends his knights to uncover the cause… but only one returns. To depict the story, both creators devised different illustrations, elements they couldn’t even anticipate, collaborating closely. It all sounds lovely, but… How’s the book, you ask? Well… let’s see.

Perhaps it’s due to the excessive hype or maybe it’s just not worth the fuss, but the initial reviews aren’t overly enthusiastic. Let’s face it: it’s not bad, but it’s not good either. Certainly not on par with ‘Calvin and Hobbes,’ something most of us could have already predicted. Basic nihilism that was already portrayed better through the mouth of a stuffed tiger.

Curious about what the creator of the best work of the last forty years is up to? Well, here it is. Want to read more ‘Calvin and Hobbes’? Maybe it’s time to, well, reread it. Because there won’t be any new strips. All we’re left with… is the mystery.

Comics++ DOWNLOAD