Fleischer Cartoons

Fleischer Superman DVDThese Superman cartoons still stand up today, despite being produced in the 1940s. Sure, they might be light on story, but they look great. Now, Warner Bros. is releasing a collection of them all. Press release (and video clip) below.

Warner Bros. and DC comics opened the vault to release the very first animated DC Comics Superman cartoons. Commonly known as the Fleischer Superman Cartoons, the series of seventeen animated Technicolor short films will be released on DVD as a 2-disc  collection featuring 17 action-packed vintage theatrical cartoons.

The Max Fleischer Superman title also includes great bonus features including a revealing documentary which defines the tradition of the “Super Human” archetype of hero and why Superman resonates with fans on such a deep and personal level. Also included in the bonus features are interviews with surviving members, relatives and biographers of the animation and production team and contemporary animators such as Bruce Timm (Batman: The Animated Series), Paul Dini and Dan Riba (Superman: The Animated Series) who detail the influence these cartoons have had on their own works.

April 7, 2009
Categories: Cartoons, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Top Cow Freebies

Official press release below about the 25 participating US and Canadian retailers for April’s excellent Witchblade giveaway programme. See if your LCS is on the list.

TOP COW CONTINUES ‘LET US WIN YOU OVER’ INITIATIVE WITH WITCHBLADE #126
wb126_covs_page_1Top Cow Productions, Inc. revealed today the names of the participating retailers in their “Let Us Win YOU Over” initiative for April and the program would continue the second part of their “War of the Witchblades” storyline – Witchblade #126.
The “Let Us Win YOU Over” initiative is a yearlong campaign by Top Cow Productions to give out free copies of its regular comics to potential fans in the U.S. and Canada through participating comic book stores. Each month, a different set of stores, each month a different free comic. The stores vary by geography and demographics. Top Cow has partnered with ComicsPRO to bring this promotion to fans and all of February’s retailers are members of ComicsPRO.
Witchblade #126 continues the six-part “War of the Witchblades” storyline, which promises to shake the status quo of Witchblade to its foundation. Since the events of First Born, Detective Sara Pezzini and dancer Danielle Baptiste have shared the mystical gauntlet, the Witchblade; but recently cracks have appeared in their relationship. The cracks widen in issue #126 pointing an inevitable battle. Regular writer Ron Marz writes the story with art by ongoing artist Stjepan Sejic. The issue will be in comic shops on Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009 and normally retails for $2.99.
“It’s not a coincidence that we decided to run Let Us Win YOU Over in conjunction with one of our best stories in Witchblade to date,” said Filip Sablik, Publisher of Top Cow. “The second chapter of “War of the Witchblades” digs deeper into the roots of Sara and Dani’s conflict and serves as another great jumping on point for new readers.”

“We are very excited to be a part of this Top Cow promotion,” commented Anna Warren, owner of Illusive Comics & Games of Santa Clara, CA, “Readers love free samples as a generous way to get a taste of a series they might not have otherwise picked up.  And the promotion Top Cow has been doing is a great help to comic book stores, getting new comic book fans into stores. ”

“Top Cow has really listened to retailers and is doing what it takes to fully market Indie titles to the average comic book reader,” added Warren.

A list of the participating retailers during the month of April (listed alphabetically by state) is included below. Additional information can be found at the official online home of the “Let Us Win YOU Over” initiative – www.topcow.com/freecomics. Customers who currently purchase Witchblade at the stores below will be able to purchase an extremely limited “All Beef” Edition (limited to just the stores listed below) at the regular cover price. Fans are encouraged to contact the retailer they wish to visit for specific details:

Continue reading →

April 7, 2009
Categories: New To Comics?, News . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

G-Man Learns To Fly

G-ManPress release below from Image, which is good news for those who like all-ages fun and frivolity in their superhero reading.

Readers shocked by Chris Giarrusso’s departure from Mini-Marvels will be pleased to learn he’s expanding his unique take on superheroes in this May’s G-MAN, VOL. 1: LEARNING TO FLY !

“Working Mini-Marvels was cool, but G-MAN, VOL. 1: LEARNING TO FLY  is what I’ve been wanting to do for years,” Giarrusso said. “It’s the story I was wanting to write and draw the entire time doing Mini-Marvels so I’m happy those fans are psyched by the collection. G-MAN and company are going to be taking up all my attention for the foreseeable future and I aim to make the long-time Mini-Marvels readers happy!”

G-MAN, VOL. 1: LEARNING TO FLY  collects the entirety of Giarrusso’s Comic Bits strips, showcasing his entire line up of all-ages friendly superheroes including G-Man, his mean brother Great Man and friends like Billy Demon, Tan Man & Spark! These strips set the stage for this fall’s G-MAN miniseries, giving fans old and new the chance to catch up. Also included is a full-length origin story, a G-Man Christmas tale and the complete acclaimed Mean Brother/Idiot Brother series.

G-MAN, VOL. 1: LEARNING TO FLY (MAR092415), a 96-page full color digest-sized softcover for $9.99, will be in stores May 20 2009.

April 7, 2009
Categories: Comics, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment