News: Etrigan the Demon Mini-Series to be Written by Anthrax's Scott Ian

Scott Ian throwing up the
sign of the horns...

Today was an amazing day for news of future comic book releases. First there was covert agent Venom, and now it has been revealed that Scott Ian of Anthrax will be penning a mini-series starring one of my favorite characters of all time, Etrigan the Demon! The two-part series will be illustrated by none other than Sam Keith. Non-comics fans might recognize his creation, The Maxx, from the awesome 90's MTV cartoon era. 

Ian's tweet announcing the project...

Etrigan the Demon is wicked! Pun intended. Created by comics legend Jack Kirby, Etrigan is the son of the demon Belial, and the half-brother of Merlin. He speaks in rhymes (most of the time - I hope Scott Ian writes him that way), and is bound to Jason Blood, an immortal from the Middle Ages. There is not a release date yet, but Ian promises ancient mythology and lots of violence. Hot damn, it's good to be a comics fan right now!

The Demon and Aquaman, from Brave and the Bold #32

News: Ongoing Venom Series by Rick Remender to Launch March 2011

Tony Moore's Venom in
covert agent gear...

This March, Marvel is launching a new ongoing series starring Venom. It will be written by Rick Remender, and illustrated by Tony Moore. I'm pretty psyched about it! Rick Remender wrote the outrageous FrankenCastle Saga (think the Punisher + Frankenstein...seriously). He's a prime example of the current up-and-coming generation of comic book writers that is revitalizing the industry with their incredibly creative and fun concepts. I don't know much about Tony Moore, but after googling his art, and seeing his illustrations of Venom, I'm definitely sold.

Tony Moore's "My cover is blown and now
I must destroy everything" Venom...

I'm not up-to-date with all of my Spider-Man continuity either, so it was a surprise to hear that Eddie Brock is no longer a host for the Venom symbiote. They haven't revealed who the new host will be yet, but they have revealed that this series is going to kick major ass! Remender described it as international high-adventure a la The Bourne Identity, mixed with "ferocious hardcore violence fans of Venom would expect." This new Venom will be undertaking covert operations in locations such as Eastern Europe and the Savage Land. Count me in!