Comics: Archie and Predator Round 2; AHOY Comics deal with Diamond Books; more

The redhead from Riverdale is about to go toe-to-toe with an alien bounty hunter — again. Archie Comics is reteaming with Dark Horse and 20th Century Fox for Archie vs. Predator II, a sequel to the 2015 crossover that pitted Archie and his pals against the Predator, per CBR. 

The writer of the first series, Alex de Campi, is returning for the sequel, this time with Chilling Adventures of Sabrina artist Robert Hack. "I think as anyone who read the first Archie vs. Predator knows, I’m a huge fan of both franchises," de Campi said in a statement. "It’s massively important to me that both Archie and Predator fans feel like I’m handling their babies with love and respect and knowledge."

In Archie vs. Predator, the gang did battle with a teenage Predator while on vacation in Costa Rica, which resulted in the deaths of several key characters — including Archie himself. Then the Predator was transformed into an Archie clone by the girls that survived. It was wild. 

Anyway, the sequel seems to be picking up from there, with Riverdale at the center of an alien revenge plot. The first of the five-issue limited series will go on sale on July 24. 

(via Archie Comics)

Next up, DC Comics just announced plans to make a handful of their 100-Page Giant line of comics available in Wal-Mart stores across the country. Each of the three stories will come as a six-issue monthly miniseries with two chapters per issue.

The comics will be available for purchase this summer, with Superman: Up in the Sky #1 dropping July 3, followed by Batman Universe #1 on July 10, then Wonder Woman: Come Back to Me #1 on July 17. This will be in addition to the previously announced titles, some of which will go on sale as early as July 1. 

In addition, the books will feature new cover art from Andy Kubert, Nick Derington, and Amanda Conner, which you can get a sneak peek of below.  

Finally, AHOY Comics and Diamond Books have struck a distribution deal. Diamond Book Distributors will exclusively distribute AHOY Comics trade paperbacks to the traditional book market, while Diamond Comic Distributors will distribute the books to the comic book specialty market.

Recently, AHOY Comics acquired the publishing rights to the controversial comic book series Second Coming, a satirical comic book series from writer Mark Russell and artist Richard Pace about Jesus Christ resuming His Holy Mission. 

Additionally, AHOY Comics officially announced the release dates for its first three trade paperback collections. This includes the superhero satire The Wrong Earth, which will come out in May, as well as the feline-heavy sci-fi story Captain Ginger and the religious fantasy High Heaven, both of which are due in June. 

"We’re publishing a superhero parody, an intergalactic epic featuring cats, and not one but two thoughtful satires of contemporary religion,” said AHOY Comics Publisher Hart Seely. “Our publishing line is diverse and eclectic and we’re looking forward to readers discovering these books in comic shops and bookstores this year."

(via First Comics News)