Pencilling Opportunity

Consider this a community service announcement to all you budding artists out there. Jaran Studios, the  company behind Dawn of the Dread Force (who featured on pages 26-31 of Extra Sequential #2) are looking for an artist for a potential new web comic. It doesn’t even have to be mech-related. Details are below and more info can be found at the Dread Force website. This is a great opportunity for artists looking for a break.

We’re currently looking for a talented penciller for a potentially upcoming DREAD FORCE web comic, so if you’ve got too much spare time on your hands and are looking for a very low-paying, but rewarding, job working with us, drop us a link to your sequential samples, and we’ll be in touch. Thanks in advance!

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May 16, 2009
Categories: Comic Art, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Comic Con-Test

Budding film-makers and fanboys or girl, sit up and pay attention! If you want to be a special correspondent at Comic-Con that is. Press release from Dark Horse below. 

Beginning today, G4 and Dark Horse Comics are kicking off a search for the ultimate Comic-Con fan who will receive the opportunity of a lifetime — the chance to appear in G4’s special coverage of the year’s most buzzed about convention. One lucky winner will be selected as a “Special Correspondent” to G4 and join “Attack of the Show” hosts Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira, as well as Comic Book Expert Blair Butler on the show floor. Dark Horse, one of the largest comic book publishers, with titles like Hellboy, Star Wars, Umbrella Academy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Alien will also welcome the winner as their “official guest,” granting access to their special events and more. To enter, fans are encouraged to create a video that demonstrates their pop culture knowledge and on-camera abilities, and submit to the official website. The “Con-Test” kicks off Friday, May 15, 2009, and closes at 11:59PM on June 22, 2009. 

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Once again, G4 will present special coverage of Comic-Con 2009 direct from the show floor. Last year’s attendance broke all records, topping 160,000 people and solidifying Comic-Con as the one of the biggest pop culture conventions in the world. G4 and Dark Horse Comics will bring one lucky fan to the heart of it all and put them in the spotlight at this massive event devoted to comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, horror, movies, video games, TV and more. G4’s Kevin Pereira and Blair Butler will announce the winner live on “Attack of the Show” on June 29.

“Comic Con International has become the ultimate pop culture gathering for fans of almost any medium,” said Dark Horse President, Mike Richardson. “What better way to reward our fans than with a chance to appear on the ultimate pop culture television show with our creators and top talent. The winner of this contest is sure to have the time of their life!”

“G4 viewers are huge fans of Dark Horse Comics and Comic-Con is the perfect opportunity for us to team up,” said Neal Tiles, President, G4. “Comic-con is a major event for our audience and we are excited to reward the hard and true comic book fans with a chance to experience the phenomenon in person.” 

Contest details:
*Fans must submit a video that demonstrates their knowledge and love of pop culture.
* Submission dates: May 15, 2009 – June 22, 2009.
* Winner will receive airfare and accommodations for themselves and 1 guest to Comic Con ’09
Winner will have an opportunity to act as “Special Correspondent” for G4 and appear on air.
* Winner and guest will each receive a Dark Horse grab bag valued at $600.
* Winner and guest will be given special access to all Dark Horse related events and signings.

Contestants will be judged on overall knowledge of all things pop culture, creativity and on-screen charisma demonstrated in their videos. G4 and Dark Horse Comics want to find the ultimate pop culture fanatic and stand-out personality who deserves this special Comic-Con opportunity. Videos must be at least 30 seconds in length and no longer than 10 minutes.

Go here for official contest rules and to submit videos.

May 16, 2009
Categories: New To Comics?, News . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Terminator Game

Press release below for gamers on the go.

securedownloadIn celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of The Terminator, Big Head Games and Dark Horse Comics are proud to release this heart-pounding, shoot-everything homage to the movie that started it all. The Terminator for iPhone and iPod Touch is an explosive, top-down, all-action shooter game with an episodic Story Mode and endless Quick Play Mode.

Features:

Bigger and badder weapons, from Gatling guns to bazookas.

Two extreme game modes for a lasting game experience: In Quick Play Mode, rescue fallen soldiers. In Story Mode, play as Kyle Reese taking on challenging missions.

T-800s and Hunter Killer Tanks from the original movie along with an array of new foes.

Multiple control modes and autotargeting options to match game play to every skill level.

Pounding soundtrack and SFX—play this game with headphones for a film-like experience.

Two parts: look out for an imminent update taking you belowground to take on the machines in their home ground.

securedownload-1“From the very beginning, Dark Horse has provided fans with top-notch entertainment experiences, whether in comics, on screen, or, most recently, on the iPhone. We feel our relationship with Big Head Games will do just that for fans of both The Terminator and mobile gaming.”

Big Head’s business director, Dave Vout, states, “We are extremely excited to be bringing one of the world’s top movie and game franchises to the iPhone/iPod Touch. Combining Dark Horse Comics’ extensive catalog of material and our game-development expertise has been a great experience and opportunity that we hope to continue long into the future.”

The Terminator for iPhone and iPod Touch is currently in submission with Apple and on release will be at a sale price of $0.99 for 72 hours.

For even more explosive adventures in the Terminator universe, check out The Terminator: Death Valley, a comic for the iPhone. To celebrate the release of the new game, Dark Horse is making the first issue of Death Valley available for a free download for a limited time. All four issues are available for download now.

May 16, 2009
Categories: Games, New To Comics?, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

The Unwritten Stuff

The Unwritten #1This new series from the Lucifer team of Mike Carey and Peter Gross is different in a number of ways. Firstly it stands out from the other “Un” series launching this month (Unknown and Unthinkable from BOOM! Studios) by being bigger. Not bigger in format, but bigger in its story and by its very approach to the concept of storytelling. This debut issue has extra story pages, so you can feel a little heft when picking it up from the shelf. It’s also only $1! Thanks Vertigo/DC. They’ve had success with similar cheap launches, such as the After Watchmen…What’s Next? series of re-prints. This is a wise marketing move, and will only help give this series the attention it deserves.

So ,what’s it all about then? Imagine Harry Potter was real. That’s the basic premise. Of course, it’s not as straightforward as that, but basically Tom Taylor is a grown man trying to live away from the shadow of the fictional boy wizard Tommy Taylor, the hero of a series of much loved books by Tom’s father, who has been missing for a decade. It’s a very well constructed first issue and barrels along at a nice pace. It takes itself seriously but isn’t melodramatic about it. With clever use of web-site comments, news casts and journal excerpts it becomes obvious that this creative duo have thought long and hard about the story they’re building.  There’s an insightful interview with the creators at Broken Frontier and you can also find Carey’s commentary on the issue at the same site.

If you’re looking for something fresh, with just enough nods to pop culture to make you feel smart, then pick up this ish.

May 16, 2009
Categories: Interviews, New To Comics?, Reviews . Tags: , , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

New DC Busts

Now these look awesome. If I had more money and a funky display cabinet, I’d be gathering up every statue and bust I could get. DC’s characters have always looked good, thanks to the fine folks at DC Direct. Now they have a new line in the works – DC Dynamics. The statues are designed to showcase each character interacting with the environment. So far, 5 have been unveiled. All are 11″ high and don’t go on sale until January next year. Gaze lovingly at the pics until then. Wonder Woman is the first to go on sale, but she and Aquaman look like they’re in their classic costumes for some reason. Batman looks simply awesome though.

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May 15, 2009
Categories: Uncategorized . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: 1 Comment

Pandorum’s Moon

Here’s a couple of new trailers I’ve stumbled across recently. Moon stars Sam Rockwell and is co-written and directed by cinematic newbie Duncan Jones. When I saw the first few seconds of the trailer I thought it was a quirky comedy. It’s not. Rockwell plays Sam Bell in this unique sci-fi tale. Bell is an employee of a mining company called Lunar, who send him to the moon to save our energy crisis. Kevin Spacey provides the voice of Bell’s on-board computer, Gerty. Apparently Bell’s not alone on the moon however. It opens in June and the trailer seems to indicate a restrained intelligence, like Solaris or Sunshine.

Next up is another sci-fi film, but this one seems more mainstream and replaces Moon’s thriller aspects with some horror. It stars Dennis Quaid and Ben Foster and opens in September. It makes me think of Dead Space, because I’m playing it at the moment, but Event Horizon could fit too. It centres on two crewmen who wake up on a spacecraft with no idea why, or what they’re doing there. That’s the beauty of sci-fi; something for everyone.

May 15, 2009
Categories: Movies, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: 2 Comments

War of Kings #4 Sneak Peek

If you haven’t been reading Marvel’s War of Kings mini-series, you can catch up here. It’s a well written space opera, which is surprisingly easy to follow. The 4th issue, of 6, is out on June 3 and is scripted by Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning, otherwise known as DnA, with art by Paul Pelletier. Below you can see some text-free pages, with stunning covers from Brandon Peterson and Jae Lee.

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May 14, 2009
Categories: Comic Art . Tags: , , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Spawn: Endgame TPB

Todd McFarlane’s return to his signature creation appears to have paid off. Press release below.
                                                                                                                                                                                                     SPAWN ‘Endgame’ storyline reaches the halfway point with a complete distributor-level sell out!

SpawnSPAWN, the long-running superhero saga recently relaunched by series creator Todd McFarlane and fellow Image Founder Whilce Portacio, kicks off the second half of its series altering storyline ‘Endgame’ with a distribution-level sell out making way for the upcoming collection.

“Our goal is to slowly build up momentum and the sellout of issue #191 is another indication that we’re accomplishing that goal,” McFarlane said. “With a majority of our single issues out of print, the release of the first Endgame collection couldn’t be more timely.”

SPAWN’s current storyarc, ‘Endgame’, has seen the original Hellspawn, Al Simmons, end his life as the amnesiac Patient 47 awakens with Al’s powers. Soon after, new horrors and allies have come into play with familiar faces, including Al’s widow, Wanda and his worst enemy, The Violator. The next several issues promise to conclude Patient 47’s transformation into SPAWN as the truth about his identity is finally revealed. Readers eager to read the entire first half of ‘Endgame’ can do so in the June-shipping tradepaperback. All fans are advised to check in with their local comic book store to see if copies of SPAWN #191 are still available. 

SPAWN #192 (MAR092463), a 32-page full color comic book for $2.95, will be in-stores June 3rd, 2009. SPAWN, VOL. 1: ENDGAME PART 1 (APR090346), a 160-page full color tradepaperback for $14.99, will be in-stores June 24th, 2009.

May 14, 2009
Categories: New To Comics?, News . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Fusion #1 Review

FUSION001_interiors_Page_01It’s been a while since the comics biz had had a good x-over. In the 90s we couldn’t get enough of them. Batman teamed up with everyone. Spider-Man teamed up with everyone. Punisher and Archie teamed up with each other.

Now the concept is back. In grand fashion. Two teams from Marvel and two teams from Top Cow in the same book is a great way to start. Of course, Top Cow artists have been doing cover and interior work for the House of Ideas recently, so this is no big stretch. Fusion debuts spectacularly, with plenty of cool costumes and powers to please any fan of superheroes. This issue primarily focuses on the Mighty Avengers and Ripclaw, but with two more issues to come, the balance should be restored.

It begins with a lone man named Ellis (from Hunter-Killer) sitting at the ancestral home of Ripclaw (from Cyberforce) before taking us to the Quinjet where we meet the Mighty Avengers, who in this time frame, have only been together for a week. Setting this between Civil War and Dark Reign was a smart move on the part of frequent writing partners Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning. Out of the four teams in this series, The Avengers have the most complicated recent history. They wisely steer away from assuming readers are familiar with the happenings of this assortment of characters, and the two page intro for each costumed character is a welcome aid.

In the Quinjet, where the word “celebritard” is introduced, Wonder Man, Ms. Marvel, Wasp and Black Widow of the Mighty Avengers get attacked by a mad Ripclaw before leading them to an investigation focused on the who and why.

Not much happens in this issue, but it’s impressive that for a series that will contain over 20 characters, this first ish isn’t complicated or overbearing. Abnett and Lanning keep things simple. After the fight with Ripclaw, the Thunderbolts watch the aftermath from a distance, before attacking Ripclaw after another Hulk-out. Then the Mighty Avengers venture to a lighthouse that isn’t what it appears to be before seeing Ripclaw again. I can only assume that there’s more than one crazy Ripclaw out there, due to the absence of time and place transitions, and I guess the Hunter/Killer crew is involved in that.

As is to be expected, the fighting begins right away as the heroes – or at least Ripclaw, isn’t his usual self. Perhaps the two of the teams will join up and fight the other two, or all four teams will become allies and take the battle to a new enemy.

The book looks suitably fast paced and daring. Tyler Kirkham’s style may have early “Image house style” written all over it, but it works, and the use of three different inkers doesn’t show. There’s also no desperate attempt at trying to explain away how these teams meet through a parallel universe or some such, so ths story can focus on lots more pummelling. For fans of any of these teams, or those who know none of them, this superhero smorgasbord is a good entry into two vibrant companies properties.

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May 13, 2009
Categories: Comic Art, New To Comics?, Reviews . Tags: , , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Sherlock, Soulfire & Daredevil

Over at the new, and very spiffy, Broken Frontier my interview with writers Leah Moore and John Reppion over their new Sherlock Holmes series is up. As is my interview with writer Alexander Irvine about his Daredevil Noir. Lastly, my review of Soulfire: New World Order #1 is also at BF, and you can also check out a nifty commentary of that very issue with artist JT Krul.

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May 13, 2009
Categories: Comic Art, Interviews, Reviews . Tags: , , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Two Surrogates Trailers

I actually picked up The Surrogates TPB at the Top Shelf booth at Comic-Con last year. I’d heard good things about its sci-fi tale, with a philosophical bent, and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s also a perfect gateway book for comic book newbies. The prequel to the tale, Flesh and Bone from the same talented creators (writer Robert Venditti and artist Brett Weldele) is out in July. One of the great things about the first series was the fact that it totally immersed the reader in its believable world. A world where most people are reliant on living their lives via robotic avatars. Wisely littered throughout the book are realistically crafted adverts for the modern surrogate user. The trailer for the prequel is below.

Coming soon is a film based on the original mini-series. Starring Bruce Willis and Radha Mitchell it opens on September 25 and is directed by Jonathan Mostow (the excellent Breakdown, U-571 and Terminator 3:Rise of the Machines). Below is a brief look at the film’s production.

May 13, 2009
Categories: Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Comics Writer Detained At LAX

Now this is an interesting piece of news. Writer Mark Sable was detained by airport security because of his latest comic script. It’s both scary and funny at the same time. Poor guy. He took it well though. It reminded me of the time last year when I returned home from Comic-Con and customs went through ALL of my purchases, even my laptop and cameras. That was nowhere near as concerning as this would’ve been though. Of course, this could all be made up. Maybe it never happened at all and is just a clever marketing ploy. Bet it works though.

MARK SABLE DETAINED BY TSA FOR UNTHINKABLE SCRIPT

Ripped-from-the-headlines espionage series causes alarm at LAX


 

TSA did not understand that comic books could be about anything other than superheroes

“My privacy is a small price to pay for educating the government about the medium.”


Comics writer Mark Sable was detained by TSA security guards at LAX this past weekend when they discovered inflammatory material in a script for Sable’s new BOOM Studios miniseries UNTHINKABLE. The comic series follows members of a government think tank that was tasked with coming up with 9/11-type “unthinkable” terrorist scenarios that now are coming true. 

Sable was detained while traveling from LAX to NYC to attend a signing for the premiere of UNTHINKABLE #1 at Jim Hanley’s Universe this Wednesday, May 13th. 

Fans and friends were made aware of the TSA detention when Sable “Twittered” about the events at twitter.com/marksable, after he was released. 

Sable wrote BOOM! Studios a more in-depth version of the encounter to release to the public: 

“Flying from Los Angeles to New York for a signing at Jim Hanley’s Universe Wednesday (May 13th), I was flagged at the gate for ‘extra screening’. I was subjected to not one, but two invasive searches of my person and belongings. TSA agents then “discovered” the script for UNTHINKABLE #3. They sat and read the script while I stood there, without any personal items, identification or ticket, which had all been confiscated. 

“The minute I saw the faces of the agents, I knew I was in trouble. The first page of the UNTHINKABLE script mentioned 9/11, terror plots and the fact that the (fictional) world had become a police state. The TSA agents then proceeded to interrogate me, having a hard time understanding that a comic book could be about anything other than superheroes, let alone that anyone actually wrote scripts for comics. 

“I cooperated politely and tried to explain to them the irony of the situation. While UNTHINKABLE blurs the line between fiction and reality, the story is based on a real-life government think tank where a writer was tasked to design worst-case terror scenarios. The fictional story of UNTHINKABLE unfolds when the writer’s scenarios come true, and he becomes a suspect in the terrorist attacks. 

“In the end, I feel my privacy is a small price to pay for educating the government about the medium.” 

May 12, 2009
Categories: New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: 2 Comments

Female Bucky Returns?

Another teaser image was released from Marvel yesterday. These images seem to be working, as fanboy tongues get wagging each time. To celebrate the release of Captain America #600 on June 17, this image lays hints as to what’s next. The issue is written by Ed Brubaker, Mark Waid, Roger Stern and Stan Lee. That’s some of the best writers Cap has had over the decades. The art will be supplied by a bunch of people too including Butch Guice, Luke Ross and Howard Chaykin. I knew the character in the promo looked familiar, before I picked it – the female Bucky from the controversial late 1990s Heroes Reborn saga. Perhaps the issue will be an anthology issue with looks at Captain America from different eras, like the current Hulk: Broken Worlds series. Either way, it appears that something big is stirring in Cap’s world, as also evidenced by the 5 issue series entitled Reborn (from Brubaker and Bryan Hitch) that hits in July. That’s all we know for now, as Marvel have only released the white word, “Reborn” on a black background as a teaser for that series. Maybe Steve Rogers will be reborn, or perhaps it an allusion to Heroes Reborn, with the female Bucky teaming up with James Barnes, the original Bucky and current Cap. Who knows?

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May 12, 2009
Categories: Comic Art, News . Tags: , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

King City Returns

King CityImage Comics had great success with the new old-timey crime series, Viking in its larger format and are bringing back another series in the same style. Press release below.
The Eisner-nominated major debut by cartoonist Brandon Graham, KING CITY, finally continues in an ongoing series presented in the deluxe, oversized format courtesy of TOKYOPOP and Image Comics!

“Continuing KING CITY has been a long time coming and I’m thrilled that TOKYOPOP and Image Comics are bringing it back in the best way possible,” Graham said. “We’re doing it as thirty-two page monthly issues, the first six issues remastering the original series along with as much cool new work as I can fit, in a format akin to Image’s VIKING. Starting with issue 7, the series will consist entirely of all-new material. This is KING CITY looking better than I’d ever hoped- in burly, deluxe oversized serializations.”

KING CITY is solely populated by the weirdest of the weird including Joe, a thief-for-hire with a cat capable of becoming any tool or weapon.  Amongst his friends are his co-hort,  Pete, who is too busy falling in love with an alien he’s forced to betray to assist in their latest mission and Anna, who can’t help but watch her boyfriend literally turn into the drug he’s addicted to. The ongoing series will consist of remastered and original material, in the same deluxe format as Ivan Brandon and Nic Klein’s VIKING. 

Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson said, “Brandon represents a whole new generation of cartoonists coming into comics with a fresh eye for creating original material unlike anything else out there. We’re excited to be working with both Brandon and TOKYOPOP on returning KING CITY to the stands in a way no one has seen before.”

Added Mike Kiley, Senior VP at TOKYOPOP, ““We’’re very happy that Brandon’’s amazing book is going to appear in this deluxe format. I’’m especially looking forward to seeing Earthling J. Catingsworth III in all his over-sized glory.””

KING CITY #1, a 32-page black and white oversized comic book for $2.99, will be in-stores August 19th.

May 12, 2009
Categories: New To Comics?, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

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