Mark Millar is addressing retailers alongside both Marvel and DC Comics in London this afternoon, and he has a slew of announcements for them, featuring existing properties, sequels, new projects and most importantly new collaborators. The hit-maker gave ComicBook.com an exclusive look at the announcements for our readers at the same time as he reveals them to the assembled retailers.
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As announced last night on THR, Millar is teaming with Stuart Immonen on a new series called Empress. The book comes from Marvels ICON creator-owned imprint, and features a “bombastic space opera” centered on the wife of a ruthless dictator who decides it’s time to leave, and take the kids with her. In the vein of Star Wars, it takes place “a long time ago,” but not in a galaxy far away: the setting is Earth, 65 million years ago.
Chrononauts 2: Futureshock will continue that series in July 2016. The original series, from Millar and artist Sean Gordon Murphy, saw the volume one trade release in September. It features a pair of time travelers on an adventure that’s less about strict sci-fi and more about a couple of bros having fun through time.
Jupiter’s Circle volume 2 starts in November 2015, and Chris Sprouse is joining the team. The spin-off continues the prequel story to Jupiter’s Legacy, which gets an update as well with the first lettered, colored pages of Frank Quitely’s art for volume 2 of the main series, in the gallery below and a Spring 2016 release window.
While he couldn’t say what the projects will be, Millar did announce two more artists he’s working with in 2016: Greg Capullo and Jae Lee. Capullo has of late been known for his long run on Batman, since the relaunch in 2011. Lee, meanwhile, is probably best known for his recent work on Batman/Superman at DC Comics and the Stephen King’s The Dark Tower series of mini-series at Marvel.
Finally, Millar will be passing off one of his babies, Hit-Girl, to a “superstar creative team” who will do an all-new story with the breakout star from Kick-ass. The creative team will be announced on January 10, 2016. He didn’t say when and where, but if Image Comics holds another Image Expo, that timing would line up well compared to this year’s event, held January 8, 2015, and the previous year, held January 9, 2014.
