On The Shelf: Marvel finally decides Predator is ready

 After months of delays, during which time Alien was downgraded to bi-monthly, Marvel Comics is finally launching a Predator series in July. This will be the first series in the franchise produced by a company other than Dark Horse. Like Alien, a licensed property from what is now 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox), Predator appears to be a contemporary science-fiction-horror series. Dark Horse had produced several miniseries, including a pair of crossovers with Archie, but never an "ongoing" series. Marvel is hoping this will be a hit, but we know how fickle readers can be.

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In advance of the feature film with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, DC is rolling out a Black Adam ongoing series, debuting in June, plus some ancillary 1-shot specials, starting with Hawkman in July. The Black Adam who's been a part of Shazam! continuity for years is being rebooted due to the movie, and veteran writer Christopher Priest is being entrusted with the project. 

"Black Adam" is due later this year in theatres and/or HBO Max.

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Some sad news to report.

Neal Adams, one of the architects behind the revising of Batman and Green Lantern, among others, in the 60's, and who created the definitive version of Deadman with Arnold Drake and Carmine Infantino for the original Strange Adventures, has died at 80.

Photo courtesy Hollywood Reporter.

Adams was entrusted with Green Lantern/Green Arrow, together with the late writer, Denny O'Neil, and introduced readers to African-American GL John Stewart. Adams also drew X-Men, among others, for Marvel, and revived Batman for the Bronze Age, including legendary stories pitting the Dark Knight vs. The Joker and Two-Face.

In the 80's, Adams launched his own comics company, Continuity Comics, but the company's output was spotty and inconsistent. Only one of the company's titles, Bucky O'Hare, was later adapted for television.

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Six months ago, there was blowback over DC's editorial-driven decision to flip Jon Kent, the star of Superman: Son of Kal-El, to being bi-sexual, after teasing a future relationship with future-era Wonder Woman Yara Flor at the start of 2021.

Now, sources are reporting that a man arrested for issuing threats to Merriam-Webster, the dictionary company, has also confessed to issuing threats to DC, IGN, and "an unnamed writer" over the storyline in question.

Jeremy Hanson, from California, says he also suffers from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and Asperger's Syndrome, among other issues, and claims he can't control those issues. Mr. Hanson, in this writer's opinion, is wrong when he asserts DC "ruined" Superman. No, they didn't. Seems the fellow is also a fan of right wing conservative media, so, with his condition, he leaves himself vulnerable to anti-LGBTQIA+ propaganda from Tabloid Carlson and friends. The man needs help before he does something just as rash or worse.