It appears Marvel Comics has lost exclusive access to Tini Howard, one of its most high-profile up-and-coming creators. Howard, writer of Excalibur and X-Corp, has been announced as one of the writers for the upcoming Batman: Urban Legends #10 for DC Comics. Though Howard will continue her work at Marvel, the move itself could suggest a serious sea change for Marvel in terms of its talent.
Tini Howard signed an exclusive deal with Marvel Comics in March of 2019. First discovered in 2014 in Top Cow's Talent Hunt competition, Howard continues to maintain a major presence in independent comic book publishing outside of Marvel and DC Comics. She is currently writing a Vampire: The Masquerade series, based on the classic White Wolf RPG. Interestingly, she's also collaborating with former X-Men writer Jonathan Hickman on his recently-announced Substack Pro series 3 Worlds 3 Moons, for which Howard supplied the magic system.
Upcoming solicitations for the much-anticipated Batman: Urban Legends #10 have connected Howard to a story with art by Christian Duce. Previously, Howard had published a back-up piece for DC in Shade the Changing Girl #3 in 2016. Howard has indicated she has no present intentions of stepping away from her writing duties on the X-Books. The end of Howard's exclusivity joins a growing trend of high-profile creators seeking opportunities away from Marvel - or outside the Big Two comic book publishers altogether. In addition to the aforementioned Jonathan Hickman, Chip Zdarsky, Skottie Young, Nick Spencer and several others have recently announced new comic book projects with Substack Pro. Howard's contribution to Hickman's 3 Worlds, 3 Moons provides yet another indication that Marvel may be facing an increased difficulty in maintaining a stable of exclusive, long-term talent. DC Comics seems to be facing similar issues, with Batman writer James Tynion IV turning down a three-year renewal to also join the creator push at Substack.
Of course, all of this upheaval could play to Howard's favor, especially if the writer's turn on Batman: Urban Legends #10 is well-received by fans. In particular, the move could let Howard shore up work for DC Comics while maintaining her titles at Marvel and still maintaining a presence in independent comics. If both Marvel and DC are experiencing difficulty in keeping their top-tier talent, rising stars like Howard will be more valuable than ever in filling the gaps. Howard's apparent freelance status and indie bone fides only adds to the appeal.
Time will tell if Howard maintains her position with the X-Books, or ultimately joins the growing number of creators on Substack Pro. For now, Batman: Urban Legends #10 is Howard's only known upcoming DC project. While it's certainly possible this could be brief detour for the Excalibur and X-Corp writer, it's also very possible Tini Howard could keep among a growing number of writers looking to gauge if the grass is truly greener on the other side of the fence.