DC’s Young Adult line of graphic novels has resulted in some amazing stories, and soon DC will be adding a brand new Wonder Woman story to the fold. The new graphic novel is titled Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed, and will be written by Laurie Halse Anderson (Speak, Chains) and drawn by Leila del Duca (Sleepless, American Vampire), who are reimagining Wonder Woman’s origins with an eye towards the refugee experience, teenage activism, and creating change through love and strength. You can get your first look at the new take on Wonder Woman starting on the next slide!
“My work on Wonder Woman combines my love for the character with my respect for the issues facing teenagers today,” said Anderson. “It was a dream project to write. But when Leila del Duca was brought on board as the artist? BOOM: creative magic through and through!”
“Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed was a dream to work on. Laurie wrote such a smart script, creating a new, special take on Diana that is the perfect match to what I love about Wonder Woman and the morals she represents. I hope readers enjoy following Diana’s journey as she faces heartbreaking obstacles head on, with an open heart, a quick mind, and her indomitable spirit.”
“Princess Diana of Themyscira believes that her 16th birthday will be one of new beginnings—namely, acceptance into the warrior tribe of the Amazons. But her birthday celebrations are cut short when rafts carrying refugees break through the barrier that separates her island home from the outside world. When Diana defies the Amazons to try to bring the outsiders to safety, she finds herself swept away by the stormy sea. Cut off from everything she’s ever known, Diana herself becomes a refugee in an unfamiliar land.
Now Diana must survive in the world beyond Themyscira for the first time—a world that is filled with danger and injustice unlike anything she’s ever experienced. With new battles to be fought and new friends to be made, she must redefine what it means to belong, to be an Amazon, and to make a difference.
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed is a story about growing into your strength, fighting for justice, and finding home.”
Wonder Woman: Tempest Tossed hits stores on June 2nd, 2020, and you can get a better look at the new book starting on the next slide! Let us know what you think in the comments or hit me up on Twitter @MattAguilarCB for all things comics!
MAIN COVER BY LEILA DEL DUCACOMMANDING FIRETHE CLIMBGOING FOR THE SAVETHE FALLDROWNINGA RESCUEA NEW JOURNEYA MEETING OF MINDS
WARNING: The following article contains spoilers for Excalibur #1 by Tini Howard, Marcus To and Erick Arciniega, on sale now.
The Clan Akkaba is one of the oldest groups in the Marvel Universe, and now, it got a new lease on life as a coven in the epilogue to Excalibur #1. Furthermore, the appearance of the Coven Akkaba has heightened all of our concerns about Apocalypse — or A as he insists to be called in this issue – and his alignment with Charles Xavier’s vision for the future.
For the moment, Apocalypse has effortlessly assumed a leadership role on the new Excalibur team, and he seems to be working with the X-Men’s best interests in mind. However, the return of Akkaba adds a layer of mystery and distinction to the series right at the outset. After the issue put Apocalypse at the center or the newly-revealed world of mutant magic, Marianna Stern kills her covenmates and joins the Coven Akkaba at the end of the issue.
While Apocalypse’s presence in Excalibur may have initially been puzzling, the series is about the fusion of magic and mutants. As a newly-revealed core figure at the intersection of those interests, Apocalypse and the mysterious Clan (no Coven) Akkaba seem positioned to have the perfect backstory for this new era of Excalibur.
Over 5000 years ago, Apocalypse was born in a small village called Akkaba, which was massacred by a scavenger named Baal. The raider took Apocalypse in, named him En Sabah Nur and raised him by the strict codes of his own tribe – the Sandstormers. They were devout believers in the “survival of the fittest” ethos, long before Charles Darwin introduced the concept to the rest of the world.
As Apocalypse lived through the ensuing years, he escaped death many times, had many children and figured out how to perpetually sustain his life. Apocalypse ’s descendants founded the Clan Akkaba and dedicated themselves to carrying out the designs of Apocalypse whenever he would rest/hibernate in order to restore his vitality. Clan Akkaba worshiped Apocalypse, especially embracing his ‘survival of the fittest’ ethos. Several members of the Clan embodied some of Apocalypse ’s extraordinary abilities used them when they fought Dracula and various mutant vampires in the Victorian era.
As of now, it is unclear what the current relationship is between Coven Akkaba and Apocalypse or if they’re even working towards the same goals. Apocalypse seemed to enthusiastically accept Xavier’s invitation to join the X-Men on the mutant nation Krakoa, and his presence on its ruling Quiet Council suggests that he is in alignment with Xavier and the other political leaders of Krakoa. Consider how much Moira MacTaggert’s own experience with Apocalypse informed how she, Charles Xavier and Magneto established Krakoa, it looks like Xavier’s ideology is converging with Apocalypse’s long-stated goals, not diverging from them.
While a vague notion of “survival of the fittest” is still guiding Krakoa, Apocalypse may have finally, truly become a team player for Krakoa in Excalibur. That’s only underscored by Apocalypse’s renewed interest in magic, which fits in seamlessly with Otherworld, Arthurian legends and the medieval magic that’s the cornerstone of the Excalibur franchise. Still, just because Apocalypse has decided to throw in his lot with Xavier, there’s no reason to assume that all of his descendants have (or will) follow suit. If the Coven Akkaba has a vision of the world, it wouldn’t be the first time that Apocalypse has found himself fighting the people he was once allied with.
Things are changing among the cosmos and come Wednesday, comic readers will be down one Guardians of the Galaxy. Marvel released the first batch of preview pages from the upcoming Yondu mini-series and unfortunately for fans of the space-faring group, one of its members — at least how it currently stands in the Marvel Cinematic Universe — meets their untimely end. Spoilers up ahead for the first issue of Yondu#1, due out November 6th.
The issue opens up with Yondu Udonta, the 21st-century version modeled after Michael Rooker’s Ravager version from the Guardians of the Galaxy film franchise. He’s responding from a distress signal from one of his Ravage buddies and as he arrives at the ship, he seemingly finds Kraglin — the character played by Sean Gunn in the MCU — dead.
(Photo: Marvel Entertainment)
From the debut issue’s solicitation, we know Yondu stumbles across an item called the Herald’s Urn, a cosmic item that’s apparently on par for being as powerful as the Cosmic Control Rod, the Ultimate Nullifier, and the Infinity Stones. Judging by the above scene, it looks like Kraglin and his team were after the same thing as some pretty bad people.
The full solicitation for Yondu #1 can be found below.
YONDU #1 & #2 (of 5)
LONNIE NADLER & ZAC THOMPSON (W) • JOHN MCCREA (A)
CoverS by Cully Hamner
ISSUE #1 – VARIANT COVER BY CARLOS PACHECO
ISSUE #1 – HIDDEN GEM VARIANT COVER BY AL MILGRoM
ISSUE #2 – VARIANT COVER BY Stephanie Hans
ISSUE #1 – Yondu, lone Ravager and all-around scoundrel is about to hit the biggest pay day of his life when he stumbles upon a dangerous new weapon! But when this artifact turns out to be deadlier than he bargained for, will the reward outweigh the risk as Yondu finds himself targeted by a mysterious mercenary? Plus, when an unexpected visitor from the future turns up to stop Yondu, it begs the question: exactly how bad did he screw up?! Find out in this all-new miniseries from ZAC THOMPSON and LONNIE NADLER (AGE OF X-MAN, GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY ANNUAL) and JOHN MCCREA (Dead Eyes)!
Variant
