Marvel's 2026 Swimsuit Issue — Which Should Be Enough — But There’s More.

June 17, 2026 Daniel Kibblesmith

Hi, all.

Coming soon to comic shops and tablets near you—

Marvel Swimsuit Special: Brand New Beach Day' #1

I owned a couple of the Marvel Swimsuit Specials back in the day (which means I still do somewhere) and they felt fully illegal to me. I don’t want to say “Wertham was right” because he was not right — but an honest accounting of superhero comics does have to reckon with a considerable degree of both overt and subconscious horniness and I am honored to become part of the proud tradition. I stand on the shoulders of every creator before me who Va Va’d so I that could Voom.

Our 2026 Marvel Swimsuit Special story — scripted by me, with art by the really fantastic Alessandro Miracolo — is about Namor: The Sub-Mariner (Prince of The Deep) throwing a “Beach Bash” to foster peace with the surface world. And, hey, if that goodwill gesture gets Sue Storm’s attention, that’s a bonus — but it’s obviously not why he’s doing it.

Rogue and Gambit Variant Cover by Mahmud Assar.

Every time Marvel (foolishly) lets me in the door, I use it as an opportunity to write in as many of my Bucket List characters as possible and a giant beach party where the entire Marvel Universe is invited checked a lot of those boxes for me. Each story in this issue also includes a sexy pin-up page for your wall, so of course I chose [REDACTED], doing his best impression of a soaking wet Daniel Craig in Casino Royale. If that doesn’t sell this comic, I’m not sure what will.

Brand New Beach Day #1 is on sale July 1st from a local comic shop near you and can already be pre-ordered digitally here. But don’t take my word for it — read this official press release from Marvel C.E.O., Richard Marvel* — and check out the complete cover gallery below. It is unlikely that a post on my website will ever be this sexy again.

'Marvel Swimsuit Special: Brand New Beach Day' #1 Preview Makes a Splash
This July, Marvel Comics’ iconic Swimsuit Special returns for another one-shot filled with stunning artwork of your favorite heroes hitting the beach, soaking up the sun, and having fun!
Last summer, the Marvel Swimsuit Special, an iconic ‘90s comic one-shot, made its long-awaited return in Marvel Swimsuit Special: Friends, Foes & Rivals #1! Following its success, get ready for things to get even hotter this July with MARVEL SWIMSUIT SPECIAL: BRAND NEW BEACH DAY #1, an all-new one-shot packed with fun and zany stories from across the Marvel Universe:
No one skips the gym here! Hulk, She-Hulk, Doc Samson and new hero Powerlift break a sweat in a story by Cody Ziglar (Miles Morales: Spider-Man).
This is how you throw a party in Atlantis! Namor hosts the most epic beach party you’ve ever seen in a story by Daniel Kibblesmith (Loki).
No one brings the heat like the X-Men! See mutants—of all shapes and sizes—hit the beach in Rainbow Rowell’s story that proves how nothing looks better than self-confidence!
And the adrenaline really gets pumping in a beach slasher tale starring Spider-Man by Anthony Oliveria (Avengers Academy)!
GET YOUR SUPER HERO BEACH BODS READY!
You asked for it, so you’ve got it – Marvel Swimsuit Special is back again! And this time, we’re holding nothing back!
MARVEL SWIMSUIT SPECIAL: BRAND NEW BEACH DAY #1
Written by Cody Ziglar, Daniel Kibblesmith, Rainbow Rowell & Anthony Oliveira
Art by Pasqual Ferry, Valerio Schiti, Dan Panosian, Javier Garron, Carmen Carnero & more
Cover by J. Scott Campbell
On Sale 7/1
In addition to the tongue-and-cheek stories, MARVEL SWIMSUIT SPECIAL: BRAND NEW BEACH DAY #1 features colorful pinups of Marvel heroes from some of today’s top artists including Pasqual Ferry, Valerio Schiti, Dan Panosian, Javier Garrón, Carmen Carnero, and many, many more!

Grab these comics and more at your local comic book shop! Or redeem then read your digital copy on the Marvel Unlimited app by using the code found in your print comic. Find and support your local comic book shop at ComicShopLocator.com.
To read your Marvel comics digitally, download the Marvel Unlimited app for iOS and Android devices. Gain an expansive catalog of 30,000+ comics spanning Marvel Comics history, plus access your entire digital library including comics redeemed from print.

Also Available for Pre-Order:

Darkwing Duck: Year One, Part One

Cover by Tad Stones, with Brandt and Stein.

Darkwing Duck is back — in Comic Book Form. He may be back in Pog Form too, but who has Pog Money these days? Collecting Issues 1-6 of our Darkwing Duck series, scripted by me, for Dynamite Comics.

Also, Also Available for Pre-Order:

Rick And Morty: The End

Finally fully collected in hardcover — the epic conclusion to our Rick And Morty comic series as well as the conclusion to the entire Rick And Morty comics line that has been running for over ten years at Oni Comics. Art by Jarrett Williams, Troy Little, and a murderers’ row of cover artists. Scripted by me, Daniel.

Rick and Morty die in this one, so it will probably be worth a lot of money some day. Preorder it here or call your favorite local comic shop or bookstore now.

Currently Reading

It’s pretty long, so hopefully you’re not in love with updates about what I’m reading. Unless you have placed yourself in a cryogenic sleep (like in the book Hyperion).

*Richard Marvel is, I believe, Stan Lee’s father.

New In Hardcover: Rick And Morty Vs. The Universe — Plus Rick And Morty: The End #5 and C2E2 Round Up

April 8, 2026 Daniel Kibblesmith

Hi, all.

On sale now in hardcover—

The Collected Rick And Morty Vs. The Universe (2025 - 2026)

Incredibly proud of this work — with amazing art by the dynamic and consistently mind-blowing Jarrett Williams, gorgeous colors by the endlessly impressive Alessandro Santoro and tie-ins co-written by me from all-star writers Jody Houser, Jake Black, and Alex Firer — reuniting with longtime Rick And Morty artist partner, Fred C. Stresing. But don’t take it from me, take it from publishers quoted by me. Via Oni Press and Simon & Schuster—

MOVE OVER, BIG BANG! GET WRECKED, BIG CRUNCH! GALAXIES COME AND GALAXIES GO, BUT OUR PLANE OF EXISTENCE HAS NEVER FACED ANYTHING AS CONSEQUENTIAL AS . . . THE FIRST-EVER RICK AND MORTY COMICS EVENT!

From the deviant psyches of comics mastermind and multiple Emmy Award–nominee Daniel Kibblesmith (Loki) and artistic annihilator Jarrett Williams (Speed Force), this summer's seven-part countdown to the end of everything that was, is, and will be begins with . . . a bachelor party that gets a little out of hand?

Rick’s old buddy Dimension C-137 (where Rick and Morty Cronenberg’d Earth) has reached his UNIVERSAL HALF-LIFE and is getting MARRIED—to the female-presenting embodiment of the Parmesan Dimension! He's found true love and wants his old pal Rick to plan his bachelor party! WHAT COULD GO WRONG? Answer: Pretty much everything . . . and it is all Rick's fault! Now Rick and Morty are on the run from EVERY SINGLE UNIVERSE THEY'VE EVER MESSED WITH—meaning, no matter what dimension they escape to, the universe will literally be against them. And, to survive, Rick will be forced to something he hoped he would never have to do—a last resort of EPIC PROPORTIONS!

DON'T CALL IT A CRISIS! The FIRST RICK AND MORTY COMICS EVENT in one EPIC volume, featuring Rick and Morty vs. the Universe #1–4 alongside three event tie-in one-shot issues featuring Summer, Jerry, Beth, Space-Beth, and Morty! Wubba Lubba Dub DUB!!

If you’ve ever watched the famous TV show Rick And Morty, or enjoyed any of my other comics, or follow me online and are curious about the jokes I write not-for-free — this is a big one for me. It’s the hardcover culmination of the first Rick And Morty Comics event from Oni Press, comprised of one four-issue cosmic epic, and three equally epic tie-ins.

It would mean the world to us if you picked it up here or from a local bookseller or comic shop near you. Read it and comment below to let me know what you think.

(And if you enjoy it — the follow-up hardcover Rick And Morty: The End is right around the corner.)

Also On Sale Now:

Rick And Morty: The End #5

This is a good one. I tasked myself and subsequently Jarrett with an insanely challenging premise — essentially doing a locked room mystery version of Twelve Angry Men as a twenty-page comic book. Jarret’s pacing, choreography and overall visual storytelling in this issue is truly masterful and Alessandro’s colors turn it into a psychological noir and battle of wits that adds so much complexity and tension (and comedy!) to the script — I’m eternally blown away by these guys and grateful to be working with them.

Via Oni Press—

From the twisted mind of @daniel.kibblesmith (Loki, Darkwing Duck) and the unceasing brush of @jarrettwilliams (Super Pro KO!) comes a mind-bending, body swapping, courtroom disaster of Rick and Morty proportions!

Rick Sanchez, the smartest man in the universe, is on trial for his life, and his latest tactic to avoid the gallows is to swap bodies with one of the jurors! But just to keep them guessing, he swaps EVERYONE’s bodies! How long can he evade capture trapped in a room with 12 angry, uh, humanoids? It’s literally a who’s who of the Rick and Morty universe! GET IT?!

🌀DON’T MISS THE END OF ‘THE END’ ON 5/13🌀

#rickandmorty #rickandmortycomics #onipress #getshwifty

The hashtags don’t work on my website, but I thought they were funny so I kept them. Pick up Rick And Morty: The End #5 digitally or from a local comic shop near you.

C2E2 2026 Round Up

Sweet home? CHICAGO? It’s more likely than you think.

Thanks to the con for having me, had fun, met fans, and sold a fair amount of books, which is great, because when they’re not in your hands, they’re in my garage — one assumes performing a more depressing version of Toy Story.*

Watched Cubs opening day on the flight in (went bad), met a Vote Loki, met a Low Key, met a very hardcore Darkwing Duck, my dad cosplayed as Tom Baker Doctor Who and I finally hit Red Hot Ranch. You can see most of this in the photo gallery above (I did not take a picture of Red Hot Ranch, but I thought about it). Look for cameos from Eric Lindberg (as Bilbo Baggins) and Andrew Rostan (as Andrew Rostan).

See you next year? Maybe! I’m pretty tired at any given moment.

Coming To Paperback And Hardcover

Darkwing Duck: Year One, Part One

Let’s get dangerous with our wallets.

Cover by Darkwing Duck creator, Tad Stones.

I wrote these for now-adult 90s kids to read with their 2020s kids. It’s working at my house. But don’t trust my child (ever). Trust this other publisher — Via Dynamite:

HE PUTS THE "ABLE" IN "UNRELIABLE NARRATOR"!
He is the terror that flaps in the night! The fowl that felons most fear! A legend in his own time (and his own mind)! He is... DARKWING DUCK!
But how did this avian exemplar develop his redoubtable reputation? What lessons did he learn in his early days of crime-busting and foe-foiling? His legion of fans (or, at least, his adopted daughter, Gosalyn) want to know - and DW is more than happy to tell her the whole (possibly embellished) story in this unauthorized (and unorganized) autobiography!
Acclaimed author DANIEL KIBBLESMITH (Black Panther vs. Deadpool) and the double-headed art team of TED BRANDT & RO STEIN (The Mighty Captain Marvel) return to the rooftops of St. Canard for an all-new tale that revisits (and revises) Darkwing Duck's formative years.
Collecting issues #1-6 of the high-flying series, Darkwing Duck: Year One, Part One also includes a complete cover gallery featuring iconic imagery from BRANDT & STEIN, MARK BAGLEY, NICOLETTA BALDARI, CIRO CANGIALOSI, and TAD STONES - creator of the original Darkwing Duck animated series!

Preorder it directly from Dynamite here or call your favorite local comic shop or bookstore now.

Currently Playing

On a big Blade Runner kick lately, and was astonished to find out that people hold this game in high regard. Given how relatively little Blade Runner expanded media there is (which I do feel is for the best) I was very excited to learn that the licensed tie-in computer game was actually good. This is the “enhanced” version, but the first thing I did was turn off the graphic smoothing because, at my age, 90% of this exercise is pixel nostalgia.

I got my digital copy for the Switch (1) on sale for $2.49 (sale ends 4/15/26). I don’t receive a commission for sales links, this ain’t Wirecutter. I just care about you.

*How do you do a more depressing version of Toy Story?

New Podcast: "Scott Hasn't Seen" — Plus Boing Boing and Comic Block Party Round-Up

November 11, 2025 Daniel Kibblesmith

Hi, all.

I went on another podcast. It’s this one:

Comedian, Podcast Mogul, and Marvel Comics Writer, Scott Aukerman has seen many movies, but (as he would be the first to admit) not all of them. Blade Trinity was a movie he apparently had not seen — or so I learned when he sent me an alphabetized list of potential movies and I did not make it past the B’s.

Blade (1998), at any given moment, might be my favorite movie. It never leaves the top three. So it was a blast and an honor to join Scott and Sprague The Whisperer on Scott Hasn’t Seen to discuss a movie that I have seen many more time than most movies I love. The mild spoiler here being: I do not love this movie.

Listen here or on the podcast platform of your choice by subscribing to Comedy Bang Bang World. That’s right, I’m behind the paywall — but so is a galactic amount of funny, weird, great comedy from many of my favorite people ever to do it. So let me ranting about how Blade 3 is “my Star Wars prequels” be the last push you needed to sign up and check it out.

Me, posing with my bird that is also named me.

‘How To Survive The Marvel Universe’ on Boing BoIng.

I’ve heard of Comedy Bang Bang — but Computers Boing Boing? I’ve heard of that as well.

My friend Ruben Bolling, also the cartoonist behind Tom The Dancing Bug, wrote a very cool feature on So You’ve Been Bitten By A Radioactive Spider: How To Survive The Marvel Universe for Boing Boing — a publication I’ve been reading since the invention of the Internet, one million years ago. Check it out here.

Revenge Of Comic Book Block Party Round-Up

I don’t really know what a “round-up” is, especially in this context. I just like it because it sounds cowboy.

Me again, for real this time. Photo by Alex Firer, but he used my phone, so I’ve decided I own it.

Thanks to everyone who came out to Revenge Of in Eagle Rock for the third annual Comic Book Block Party hosted by Patton Oswalt and Jordan Blum. If you missed it (or you were there and you’re looking for pictures of yourself) photos and highlights are still rolling out over social. Check here for even more — and see you there (again) next year.

What Else Is New?

I joined a WGA off-season softball league and I am terrible. I’m also not clear on what makes this the off-season, I never know what the score is, or how many outs there have been, or how many balls/strikes I have and it’s tremendous fun.

On Sale Now!

From Chronicle Books, cover illustrations by Kyle Hilton.

The aforementioned So You’ve Been Bitten By A Radioactive Spider: How To Survive The Marvel Universe is available now from basically any bookstore that has a phone, because they can order you a copy, so support your favorite local bookstore, and me, and a scrappy little organization called Disney-Marvel.

Makes a great gift and I’m being told is especially popular with 7-12 year olds. This sounds like a lie and I would absolutely still say it if it wasn’t true, but it turns out it’s true.

Also still on sale from a comic shop near you or digitally:

—all available digitally or from a local comic shop near you.

Currently Reading

Careless People by Sarah Wynn-Williams and Frankenstein by Mary Shelley (ever heard of it). I’d planned on finishing it before the movie came out, but then it turned out that the movie is pretty different, which I’m guessing has never happened to a book before and especially not this exact book.

Blade Trinitily yours,

On Sale Today: 'How To Survive The Marvel Universe.'

October 28, 2025 Daniel Kibblesmith

Hi, all.

Today’s the day. So You’ve Been Bitten By A Radioactive Spider: How To Survive The Marvel Universe, written by me, illustrated by Kyle Hilton, is officially on sale from Chronicle Books at online retailers and bookstores near you.

On Sale Now From Chronicle Books

Via Chronicle Books; Cover by Kyle Hilton

Order Now

If you already have a copy, or plan to get one, please don’t forget to flag it for the algorithm by rating and reviewing on Amazon, marking it “To-Read” on Goodreads, and leaving a few kind words on whatever other book-related social media or retailers you might use, as well as requesting your local library order a copy — which can usually be done very easily through their website.

And if you still require convincing (or just want to hype yourself up as you wait for your mail-order copy to arrive) — read on.

Via Chronicle Books:

The Marvel Comics Universe is full of action, adventure, danger, and cosmic peril. Be ready for anything with this illustrated action handbook—whether you have newly developed super-powers, you need to pilot an Iron Man suit, or Galactus is here to eat the Earth.

Written by Marvel Comics and Emmy-nominated humor writer Daniel Kibblesmith, this official illustrated guide to surviving and thriving in the Marvel Universe uses comics-tested advice to steer readers through what to expect when exposed to gamma rays, bonding with a symbiote or—ow!—feeling an unexpected sting at the science fair. Featuring practical information such as wall-crawling tips, along with emergency information (you’ve been plunged into the Quantum Realm) and day-to-day guidance if your cat turns out to be a Flerken, you suspect someone of being a Skrull, or are facing a doombot, this is the must-have handbook as you live in the world of Marvel’s mightiest heroes.

CRUCIAL ADVICE FROM MARVEL COMICS: What would you do if you discover you had mutant abilities, or are the only one on a heroic team without super-powers? Marvel comics writer and lifelong fan Daniel Kibblesmith finds inspiration and advice in the comics to offer tips and strategies for navigating these and many more of the reader’s own 'what if' experiences.

IMAGINATIVE ADVENTURES: The Hulk is totally hulking out, with mayhem imminent; you’re weighing the pros and cons of legal representation from Matt Murdock or Jennifer Walters (or P.I. help from Jessica Jones or Howard the Duck); you need to speak Groot but are not fluent. This book has got you covered!

Perfect for:

Marvel fans looking for a fresh, funny spin on the comics
Fans of action hero handbooks and survival guides
Fans of Marvel Super Graphic, Marvel Mazes, and Thor and Loki: Midgard Family Mayhem

Format: Hardcover

Publication Date: 10/28/2025

ISBN: 9781797233543

Thanks all. Very proud. Please share this post and spread the word.

NEW BOOK: 'How To Survive The Marvel Universe.' (2025)

July 30, 2025 Daniel Kibblesmith

Hi, all.

New from Chronicle Books: October 28, 2025.

Marvel fans looking for a fresh, funny spin on the comics
Fans of action hero handbooks and survival guides
Fans of Marvel Super Graphic, Marvel Mazes, and Thor and Loki: Midgard Family Mayhem

Format: Hardcover

Age Range: Chronicle Books

Publication Date: 10/28/2025

ISBN: 9781797233543

That Jolly Red-Suited Fellow Up On The Rooftop: Spider-Man

December 1, 2022 Daniel Kibblesmith

On Sale Now.

Right in time for gifting season — our five-page ‘Spider-Man goes to the library’ story is now collected in the latest Amazing Spider-Man paperback from ASM writer Zeb Wells and artists including John Romita Jr., Ed McGuinness, and a murderer’s row of other creators of which I am lucky enough to be one.

Via Marvel:

Collects Amazing Spider-Man (2022) #6-8. It's Spider-Man's 60th Anniversary - and Marvel is pulling out all the stops! Someone from Spidey's past has captured the Sinister Six and used them to create the truly terrifying…Sinister Adaptoid! Can the webbed wonder possibly triumph against the might of an android that boasts the powers of all of Spidey's deadliest foes? And who is the face behind the Adaptoid's attack? Brace yourself for one of the biggest adventures in Spider-history - and you won't believe how it ends! Plus: Norman Osborn is back! But what does he have planned for Spider-Man?! One of the biggest status-quo shake-ups in years will shock you as Spidey dons a new costume with accessories that look vaguely…familiar. Is that - a glider?!

Available via Bookshop.org (and basically all online retailers) or for direct order from a local comic shop or bookstore near you.

— but if you’re buying gifts written by me this holiday season why. stop. there?

Quick ‘Written By Daniel Kibblesmith’ Gift Guide (2022).

For the Marvel Cinematic Universe fan: Loki: The God Who Fell To Earth

I did not work on the television program Loki (2021) — HOWEVER. It did pull inspiration from the character’s 60+ years of comic evolution, including our short-lived, but now self-contained paperback. Available from online retailers and local book and comic shops.

‘Tis The Season: Santa’s Husband (2017)

Illustrated by ‏ : ‎ Ashley Quach
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Design; Illustrated edition (October 10, 2017)
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
All-Ages Picture Book

For Kids & Kids At Heart: Princess Dinosaur (2021)

Illustrated by ‏ : ‎ Ashley Quach
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (January 5, 2021)
Language ‏ : ‎ English / Rhyming!
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 3 - 6 years (from customers)

Tis The Season (For Nerds): DC Christmas Carols: We Wish You a Harley Christmas

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Chronicle Books (October 27, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 80 pages
Sing-along-able ‏ : ‎ Fully

For the Belated Gifter Who (Correctly) Prefers Jennifer Wright to Daniel Kibblesmith: Madame Restell: The Life, Death, and Resurrection of Old New York’s Most Fabulous, Fearless, and Infamous Abortionist

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hachette Books (February 28, 2023)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 352 pages
PRE-ORDER NOW!

Everything written by myself and Jennifer available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and independent sellers online and near you.

NYPL Introduces Spider-Man Library Card!

October 11, 2022 Daniel Kibblesmith

Hi, all.

LIBRARIES!

Now that I have your attention: Spider-Man.

Back in July, for Amazing Spider-Man #900, I scripted a back-up story — with art by David Lopez, color art by Nathan Fairbairn, and lettering by Joe Caramagna — called AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: BETTER LATE THAN NEVER.

Inspired by an idea from editor Nick Lowe (torn from the headlines, SVU-style) the New York Public Library announced this year that late fees would be forgiven — and Peter Parker would have a lot of late fees.

Well, now life is imitating art imitating life with the introduction of the NYPL Spider-Man Library Card — THAT’S RIGHT, LIMITED EDITION SPIDER-MAN VARIANTS ARE NOT JUST FOR COMICS ANYMORE.

Via NYPL

NYPL's Special Edition Spider-Man Library Card Coming October 11
Knowledge is power! Scale new heights with NYPL's special, limited-edition Spider-Man library card, available in branches starting October 11. Tap into the power of reading with book recommendations, including a multitude of Marvel graphic novels, plus free programs, events, and more for all ages at your friendly neighborhood library.

EVERYONE can also now read our Spider-Man library story for free on Marvel Unlimited, RIGHT NOW.

It’s a quick five pages, available on all devices and browsers — and then head to your local public library (or library app) for thousands more free comics where that came from.

Patience (or Fortitude?) enjoys *Amazing Spider-Man #900;* via NYPL

'Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red' (2021) Paperback On Sale Now

May 31, 2021 Daniel Kibblesmith

Hi, all.

I wrote a story for this new paperback — a collection of last year’s digital-first series from D.C., Harley Quinn: Black + White + Red — AND I got to work with one of my favorite artists, Marguerite Savage.

Based on the “true” story of Harley Quinn stealing a pirate train — our story is about Harley Quinn taking back a subway train from the D.C. Universe’s fabled Subway Pirates (there’s also some Warriors and Snowpiercer in there). Anyone who has ever ridden the NYC MTA will immediately recognize it as essentially a documentary.

Pick it up from a local comic shop near you, via mail order, or digitally here. Cover & Info below.

Harley Quinn Black + White + Red Paperback – June 1, 2021

by Various

One of the crown jewels of the DC library is the inimitable BATMAN: BLACK & WHITE - innovative short tales of the Caped Crusader, told purely in primal black and white ink. Unfortunately, now Harley Quinn wants in on the action...and she's got her red pen, and some NOTES.

In HARLEY QUINN: BLACK & WHITE & RED, 14 tales of Gotham City's craziest clown princess are presented in nothing but black, white, and bold splashes of red. See how Harley's story unfolds in worlds beyond the DC Universe, in the alternate timelines of Batman: White Knight, Harleen, and the Harley Quinn animated series! Witness her darkest hours and her happiest moments! Wait, did she just...win an underground rap battle?!

An incredible array of award-winning talent from across the comics industry have put their reputations in jeopardy to bring you these stories--so show a little gratitude, will ya?