Kieran Shiach

On December 10th 1963, Marvel Comics published Tales of Suspense #39 by Stan Lee, Larry Lieber and Don Heck, which introduced the world to the cool exec with a heart of steel, Iron Man. Throughout his comics career, Iron Man has always provided an opportunity for creators to tell more complex and mature stories within the superhero genre, and the character has emerged as a household name thanks to a number of successful feature films.

The Marvel Universe boasts many cosmic beings capable of conquering worlds and bending reality. Whether it's primordial beings that have existed since before time itself, or lowly men who gained power far beyond their understanding, there are cosmic villains of all shapes and sizes. We need to know which one is the best, and we need your help to find the answer.

DC Comics' outreach to independent publishers for crossovers with licensed properties has already yielded some bizarre but entertaining comics, but next year's Planet of the Apes/Green Lantern might take the cake for the weirdest crossover you didn't know you wanted. DC, Boom and 20th Century Fox have unveiled further details for the project previously teased at New York Comic Con, including the news of which creators get to helm this curious title.

After a month of anticipation, "Treehouse of Horror" binges, and spooky Twitter names, Halloween is finally upon us. This special day means so much to so many people, and one of the greatest joys it gives us is licensed costumes based on comic book properties. Some of them are incredibly detailed and accurate to the source material, some of them are hilariously bad, and some, somehow, manage to be both. We've rounded up some of the best comics-themed Halloween costumes from this year to provide you with some last minute inspiration for the big night.

The MacArthur Foundation Fellowship, often referred to as the "MacArthur Genius Grant" is one of the highest honors a person can achieve in recognition of creativity in their field. It is awarded to scientists, artists, community leaders, and other exceptional individuals who display “originality, insight and potential”. Yesterday, the recipients of the 2016 MacArthur Fellowship were announced and among them was cartoonist Gene Luen Yang.

You may be familiar with the hit Dungeons & Dragons podcast The Adventure Zone, starring Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy and Griffin McElroy of My Brother, My Brother & Me alongside their father, Clint McElroy. The show is a light-hearted and hilarious affair as Griffin plays dungeon master for his family, leading them through perilous adventures and battles. Inspired by the podcast, a host of incredibly talented illustrators and indie comics artists have come together to create The Adventure Zine, a fifty page book of fan art dedicated to the show, and today the campaign to create the book has launched with the aim to raise money for Facing Hunger, a network of food banks based in Huntington, West Virginia.

Since acquiring licenses for both DC and Marvel Super-Heroes, Lego has been slowly expanding its line from iconic heroes like Superman and Spider-Man to more beloved fan-favorites such as Scarlet Spider and Captain Marvel. Next year sees the arrival of a few familar faces from the Hulk family of characters as the Green and Red sides go to war.

The similarities between comic books --- especially superhero comic books --- and professional wrestling are nearly endless. Everyone loves to see larger-than-life heroes and villains battle in contests of good versus evil, often with a lofty prize at stake for the victor. However, comic books about wrestling have always been a somewhat tricky proportion, especially licensed ones that are expected to feature the adventures of real life wrestlers that you see on TV. Undeterred, Boom Studios has partnered with WWE to produce new wrestling comics based on their characters and storylines and knowing their pedigree and success rate with licensed comic books, there's every chance they'll be the ones to pull it off.

John Byrne is a controversial figure in comics, all the more so as he's moved to disavow his work with mainstream publishers, yet his legacy within the industry is undeniable, and his contributions to iconic franchise properties and to early creator-owned independent work are worthy of celebration. Born on this day in 1950, John Byrne moved from England to Canada at the age of eight, and it was here that he first encountered American superhero comics. He enrolled in --- but dropped out of --- the Alberta College of Art and Design in Calgary, and began contributing to Roger Stern and Bob Layton’s Contemporary Pictoral Literature. Their character Rog-2000 was spotted by Charlton Comics, and the team began contributing back-up stories in the pages of E-Man.

Since the dawn of the Silver Age, legacy characters have been a staple of superhero fiction, and having a new character step into a well loved role can open up new opportunities for writers and artists to tell different kinds of stories. In The Replacements, we’ll look back at the notable and not-so-notable heroes and villains to assume some of the most iconic mantles in the superhero genre. Peter Parker isn't the only web-headed wonder in the Marvel universe, and this week we're looking at the heroes and the villains, the threats and the menaces, who have donned the webs and proudly called themselves Spider-Man.

This week sees the first wave of DC's new Rebirth line of books, and one of the most eagerly anticipated is the brand new Green Lanterns series, which follows the rookie GLs Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz as they try to get along and work together to protect the Earth. Ahead of the first issue, ComicsAlliance chatted to series writer Sam Humphries about his DC debut, working alongside Green Lantern veterans Geoff Johns and Ethan Van Sciver, and the buddy cop aspects of the new book. Also, DC provided us with a look inside Green Lanterns #1, out this week!

Titan Comics has had great success with its Doctor Who comics of recent years, and with so many incarnations of the time-travelling adventurer to choose from, there are so many stories to be told. This August sees another legendary iteration get their own solo comic spotlight as The Third Doctor gets his own series.