Summer of Superman, in the Year of the Bug
Notes on what's to come for BUG WARS & ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN
Last week saw the release of BUG WARS #6, the over-sized finale of Book One of the new red-hot dark fantasy series from Image Comics that’s had everyone checking under their beds at night for spiders, man-eating beetles and bug-sized barbarians with swords. Book One ends with a slam bang motherfucker of a fight, the Battle of the Mowed Lands, as brought to life by the inimitable team of artist Mahmud Asrar and colorist Matt Wilson, who’ve delivered what’s absolutely one of the year’s best-looking comic series and already, for my money, one of the most gorgeous and visceral fantasy series ever brought to life in comic book form.
If you’ve read BUG WARS #6, you already know that Book One: Lost in the Yard is far from the end of our story. Slade Slaymaker’s first adventure in the dangerous wilds of his own backyard may have come to an end, but there’s much more warring yet to come.
First up, there’s the BUG WARS trade paperback collection that’s coming in October, collecting every issue of the sold-out series, including our extensive backmatter, making for a goliath-sized read with a killer new cover by Mahmud and an introduction by esteemed entomologist Dr. Adrian Smith, creator of Ant Lab.
Dr. Smith and I previously chatted about BUG WARS before the release of issue #1:
Let's Talk Comics BONUS: A Real Bug Expert (Dr. Adrian Smith) Talks Bug Wars with Jason Aaron!
After that, we’ll be back in January 2026 with BUG WARS: THE SPYDER WYTCH SPECIAL, a jumbo-sized one-shot featuring stories of the mysterious and deadly Spider Sect, including the adventures of the exiled warrior sorceress, Wysta the Wayward Wytch. It’ll come courtesy of the usual crew of me, Mahmud, Matt and letterer/designer Becca Carey, plus the Special will feature the dynamic talents of artist Baldemar Rivas, a fellow KC creator who you may know from his recent eye-popping covers for DC’s TWO-FACE or his work on the upcoming GODZILLA VS. KANSAS CITY one-shot from IDW.
The backyard of the Slaymaker house in West Bottom, Alabama is a place teaming with wondrous life, and Mahmud and I are so excited to explore the world of the Mytes for many more stories to come. So what comes after the Spyder Special? What’s the next chapter in the chronicles of the Slaymaker family? Well, for now, all I’ll offer you is this:
And if you missed an issue, know that copies of all BUG WARS comics are for sale right now in my online shop, including another small batch of copies of last year’s limited-edition NYCC Ashcan, the first appearance of BUG WARS and the only way to read the special prose prequel I wrote titled “The Boys from Bug Tussle.”
Miss An Issue? All BUG WARS Comics Now For Sale In My Online Shop
The Summer of Superman
It may have been the Year of the Bug, but the summer has belonged to Superman. What a great time to be writing a Superman comic, especially one designed to be fresh and accessible for new readers. DC’s Absolute line has been one of the year’s biggest success stories in comics, to the point that every issue of the entire line is getting reprinted, which is crazy:
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN continues to be one of the top-selling series in all of comics, which is incredibly exciting, especially since it still feels like we’re just getting started. The most recent issue, ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #10, with art by Carmine Di Giandomenico, featured a surprise ending that left Kal-El in dire straits. With #11, Superman finds himself a prisoner of Brainiac, in a story called “Man of Steel, Mind of Ash.” After that, our story arc “Superman, Son of the Demon” gives way to “The Battle of Kansas” and the return of artist Rafa Sandoval, which will take us through issue #14 and the end of my original outline. Expect more surprises along the way, not all of them great for the Last Son of Krypton.
And as for where we go from there, with Superman and the Absolute line overall, let me point you in the direction of October’s ABSOLUTE EVIL Special from writer Al Ewing and artist Giuseppe Camuncoli. Believe me, fans of ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN are gonna want to pick that up. I feel like all of us working in the Absolute line have tried to be very measured and considerate about how we start to connect the threads of the various Absolute titles and create a cohesive universe, without going against these characters’ natural evolution or simply defaulting to the usual and the expected. ABSOLUTE EVIL is an important piece of that plan, as the Absolute Universe becomes an even more dangerous place for its young heroes.
And hey, if you haven’t yet jumped on board for the World’s Bestselling Superman Comic Mag, the first trade paperback collection of ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN will be waiting for you in stores this week, as a perfect way to cap off the Summer of Superman.
We also just uploaded a huge selection of signed issues to my store, including a wealth of rare variants.
Signed ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN Issues For Sale In My Online Store
Notes & Links & Things & Stuff
—Last week also saw my return to one of my all-time favorite characters, Uncle Scrooge. After the surprising success of last year’s UNCLE SCROOGE & THE INFINITY DIME, Marvel offered me the chance to write some more Scrooge, but I only wanted to come back if we could somehow go even bigger and crazier than we did the first time. With this new mini-series, UNCLE SCROOGE: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST DUCK, I think we’ve done exactly that, as Scrooge fights a battle to save his most precious treasures: his own memories of a life of adventure. Like INFINITY DIME, this book is very much a love letter to the legendary work of the great Don Rosa, who I’ve gushed about in this newsletter before. And looks like issue #1 has already sold out and gone to a second printing, so cheers to you all.
—This week I’ll be headed to Toronto for FanExpo Canada, appearing all four days, August 21-24. You can find me with the folks from Comic Sketch Art at the following signing times:
Thursday, August 21
3:30pm-5pm — Signing at CSA Booth
6pm-8pm — Signing at CSA Booth
Friday, August 22
12pm-2pm — Signing at CSA Booth
4pm-6:30pm — Signing at CSA Booth
Saturday, August 23
11am-1:30pm — Signing at CSA Booth
1:45pm-2:30pm — SUPER SPOTLIGHT ON JASON AARON Panel, Theatre 7 (713)
4pm-6pm — Signing at CSA Booth
Sunday, August 24
12pm-4pm — Signing at CSA Booth
This has been Beard Missives, direct from the international face of Jason Aaron.
This week’s newsletter has been brought to you by Kind Pineapple Mango Energy Bars, Brach’s Mellowcreme Autumn Mix, MICRONAUTS back issues from the Elite Comics Summer Jam, and our returning sponsor, Angel’s Envy Rye Whiskey Finished in Caribbean Rum Casks.
Cheers. Love to you and yours. Stay bug-free. Stay worthy.
Jason Aaron
KC, August 19, 2025
Selected Works Available Now
Once Upon a Time at the End of the World
Things To Come
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN Vol. 1 Collection —August 20, 2025
ONCE UPON A TIME AT THE END OF THE WORLD Deluxe Edition Hardcover — September 3, 2025
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #11 — September 3, 2025
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #11 — September 3, 2025
UNCLE SCROOGE: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST DUCK #2 — September 17, 2025
UNCLE SCROOGE: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST DUCK #1 2nd Printing — September 24, 2025
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #12 — October 1, 2025
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES #12 — October 8, 2025
BUG WARS Vol. 1 Trade Paperback — October 22, 2025
UNCLE SCROOGE: EARTH’S MIGHTIEST DUCK #3 — October 22, 2025
ABSOLUTE SUPERMAN #13 — November 5, 2025
STAR WARS: DARTH VADER MODERN ERA EPIC COLLECTION: VADER DOWN — November 25, 2025
Where I’ll Be
FanExpo Canada, Toronto — August 21-24, 2025
My LCS forgot to keep my pull list going with Bug Wars, which broke my heart, so I’ll definitely look forward to the trade. (I’m a super-nerd first printing kind of guy, and said no to the reprints.)
Loving what you’ve laid down with it! I even have the zero issue a friend snagged for me at NYCC last year!
It’s the Summer of Jason Aaron for my money. TMNT has also been a blast. All three books have been a joy to read.