Swallow Me Whole is one of the best OGNs I’ve ever read and a testament to the emotional power that comics can contain, just like any other medium. Now, its creator Nate Powell is back with his new book. It’s also black and white and it’s also from the same publisher – Top Shelf. Official details below and a preview here.
Nate Powell, hailed by the London Times as “a writer-artist of genius,” is back.
His new book, Any Empire, is a vivid examination of war and violence, and their trickle-down effects on middle America. First, a group of small-town kids find themselves bound together by geography, boredom, and a string of mysterious turtle mutilations. Years later, with Army tanks rolling through the streets of their hometown, these young adults are forced to confront painful questions of privilege, duty, betrayal, and courage.
Any Empire recalls aimless summers of Nancy Drew and GI Joe, treehouses and army surplus stores… but when fantasy starts to bleed into reality, whose mission will be accomplished? — a 304-page deluxe hardcover graphic novel, 6.5″ x 9.5″
ENLIST TODAY IN THE NEXT GREAT BOOK FROM THE AUTHOR OFSWALLOW ME WHOLE, 2009 EISNER AWARD WINNER FOR BEST GRAPHIC NOVEL!
Dc’s The Source blog is letting newbies, and those who need a refresher, know a few important things about the ever growing Green Lantern mythos, just in time for next month’s film. Every Monday to Thursday until the film’s premiere you can get the lowdown on the history and characters. First up is a quick look at the oath, the batteries and the ring. Handy.
As the ’60s set X-Men prequel nears its June 3rd release, this week has seen four character specific trailers. After seeing these, I’m a lot more confident about the quality of the film. Check out Beast, Mystique, Banshee and Havok below.
The Dark Horse blog has a nifty post from art director Lia Ribacchi giving us a peek behind the scenes of the rebranding of Dark Horse, specifically using images of Darth Vader, Conan and Liara from the Mass Effect games and comics. See more of the process at the link above.
It was another great Free Comic Book Day in my neck of the woods this year. I started the day at Comic Zone, who were taking part for the 2nd year running and although I was there only minutes after opening, there were quite a few other customers already there. The bevy of freebies were displayed in an “U” shape on their generous counter so everyone could easily see what was on offer.
Next up was Quality Comics who have taken part for a few years now. With their nifty sign out the front (created by one of their talented staff members I believe) showing Superman and Deadpool in the gear of their opposing publishers, and plenty of people inside, it looked to be another success. With staff wearing hats and this year’s cool FCBD shirts from artist Darwyn Cooke, there was quite the crowd, and lots of parents bringing their kids (some of whom even dressed up as their fave superheroes). The freebies were all displayed on a large board behind the counter, and QC even had people dressed up and promoting the event with flyers in the streets of Perth. Passers by seemed to dig this and take a few photos with them. I saw a few teens dressed up as anime characters and also ran in to Batman and Batgirl.
Last on my journey was Empire Toys. This marks their 4th FCBD and their first in their swanky new location (only metres from their old place, but a lot better). Again, there were heaps of people and a few youngens. Their freebies were wisely numbered and displayed on the counter, so instead of asking, “Can I please have the Super Dinosaur Origin Special?”, they can just ask, “Number 8 please.” Makes sense.
I already had quite a few of the almost 40 (!) freebies on offer this year, but still picked up another 7 new ones today, such as DC’s Young Justice/ Batman: Brave and the Bold, and the all-ages issues from both Oni Press and Top Shelf, all for my nephew. Free Comic Book Day is such an awesome idea and it’s great to see retailers and publishers embracing it. It’s events like this that get the comic curious in to their nearest comic shop, some perhaps for the first time. Hopefully those newbies will become dedicated comics readers, well on their way to discovering the joys of sequential art. Thankfully, all 3 shops mentioned above are all on Hay Street in Perth, Western Australia and although I went to all of them early this morning, they all had more people in them than I usually see. High fives all round!
As if it wasn’t obvious from the podcast post below, it’s the 1oth annual Free Comic Book Day tomorrow – a perfect time to bring a friend or comics newbies to your LCS (local comic shop) to see what freebies are on offer. Bleeding Cool has a handy post on some of the LCSs around the world that are taking part this year, including signings from various creators.
This week, Quality Comics in my hometown of Perth, Western Australia was featured in a local community newspaper about the event, and Comic Zone, and Empire Toys in Perth will also be taking part, and they all happen to be on Hay Street. How convenient! Make sure to drop by.
67 mins. In honour of the awesome annual tradition of Free Comic Book Day around the world, we discuss some of our faves – what you should definitely pick up and what you should avoid. Also, our usual rambling shenanigans.
FCBD is on Saturday May 8. Yay! We read a whole bunch of the many free comics on offer this year and give a rundown of what we like and don’t like this year.
SOME PRETTY GOOD FREEBIES
Bongo Comics’ Bongo Free-For-All, featuring a few The Simpsons stories, including cool ones by Evan Dorkin and Sergio Aragones
Dark Horse’s Avatar: The Last Airbender/ Star Wars: The Clone Wars flip book
Ape Entertainment’s Richie Rich/ Kung-Fu Panda flip book. This ain’t your daddy’s Richie Rich!
Bluewater’s The Misadventures of Adam West (the actor who played Batman in the ‘60s TV series)
FREEBIES THAT ARE OK, BUT NOT AWESOME
2000AD. The classic U.K magazine style format with a bunch of sci-fi stories inside, including a great Judge Dredd tale
Marvel’s The Amazing Spider-Man is good for fans who may have been away from the web slinger for a while and want to know what he’s up to these days
DC Comics’ Green Lantern Special Edition. Same as above, except for Green Lantern AKA Hal Jordan
OUR TOP PICKS (GET THESE IF YOU SEE THEM!)
Fantagraphics’ Walt Disney Mickey Mouse. A dog walking a dog. Yes, that’s right. Floyd Gotfredson’s rascally Mickey.
Archaia’s Mouse Guard/ Dark Crystal flip book, with mature fantasy stories and also Season of the Dapper Men and A Tale of Sand by the legendary Jim Henson
Marvel’s Captain America/ Thor: The Mighty Fighting Avengers! A fun, time travelling adventure featuring the two cinematic superheroes in ye olde Camelot
Super Dinosaur Origin Special from Image. Another fun adventure for kids and adults with a kid, his heroic T-Rex, a secret base and evil mutant dinosaurs
Jake the Dreaming from Radical. An illustrated novel, not a comic. Like most Radical books, it looks superb. For fans of Narnia and Harry Potter
Red 5 bring us the always amusing Atomic Robo at the National Science Fair. Also previews of ’50s heroine Moon Girl, and Foster Broussard: Demons of the Gold Rush
Elric: The Balance Lost #1 from BOOM! Studios. Michael Moorcock’s pale swordsman returns to comic. I liked it much more than Mladen though
CHECK OUT PREVIEWS OF ALL THESE FREEBIES AND MORE, RIGHT HERE AND THE EXCELLENT ROMBIES IS NOW ONLINE FOR FREE FROM GESTALT COMICS. YAY!
I noticed in the last Previews catalogue how many titles Rob Williams was writing, such as Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force, Skaar: King of the Savage Land and Daken: ark Wolverine. He seems to have come from nowhere to be Marvel’s new go-to-guy, and I’m sure he deserves it, with the more responsibilities he’s being given, the latest of which is Ghost Rider. Text-free preview pages for this new series debut below.
POINT ONE Races GHOST RIDER #0.1
New readers, hold on tight – a bold new beginning for Ghost Rider begins amidst the chaos of Fear Itself as Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Ghost Rider #0.1! From the newly exclusive creative team of writer Rob Williams and artist Matthew Clark, Johnny Blaze has finally found a way to defeat the demon within and undo his pact for power. But can he allow himself to ‘Give Up The Ghost’? Find out in this special POINT ONE issue as Vengeance rides in a new direction and scorches the Marvel Universe like never before this June, only in Ghost Rider #0.1!
A huge congrats to writer/artist Robert Luedke for his well deserved win for his great Eye Witness series of OGNs. Details below.
Graphic Novel Series Takes Home Reader’s Choice Award
Head Press Publishing received notification this week that author/illustrator, Robert James Luedke’s, Collected Eye Witness Slipcase Set, was chosen as the winner in the catagory of comics & graphic novels in Family Fiction Magazine’s, 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards! The awards, given in multiple genres of publishing and the media, were announced in the May/June issue of the publication (available for online viewing).
The Eye Witness series has attracted a tremendous amount of media and reader attention over the years due to it’s unique combination of a modern day action thriller with a Biblical adaptation (spanning from Jesus’ Passion story through the Book of Acts). Unlike most graphic novels, the series not only sells well in comic specialty and secular book stores, but also has done well in Christian bookstores and church libraries.
Since it’s premier in 2004, Luedke’s Eye Witness series has been honored with five indy book awards and been named a finalist in four others. “The project started out as my answering a calling to create a single graphic novel that could do a bit more than just entertain,” explains Luedke, “and it ended up becoming a mission that basically consumed the better part of a decade of my life!”
It seems every publisher has been getting in on the all-ages comics act lately, but Top Shelf have been ahead of the curve for a while. If you, or your kids, would like to be in the know on their upcoming releases, like Owly, Johnny Boo, Korgi and more, then sign up here and get a free poster too!
We have yet to see DC’s new Young Justice cartoon here in Oz, but from what I’ve seen it looks right up my alley. Now the first DVD collection is on its way in July. Official info below.
THE NEXT GENERATION OF DC UNIVERSE SUPER HEROES PUT THEIR TRAINING TO THE TEST AS WARNER HOME VIDEO RELEASES YOUNG JUSTICE SEASON 1 VOLUME 1 ON DVD JULY 19, 2011
One Disc Featuring Four Fantastic Episodes of the Brand-New Cartoon Network Show from Warner Bros. Animation
The newest Warner Bros. Animation–produced hit series on Cartoon Network finally arrives on DVD as Warner Home Video (WHV) unleashes its secret weapon with Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1. These DC Universe teenage super heroes have quickly proven to be a hit as the favorite show among boys 9-14. With non-stop action, Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1 comes to DVD for the first time on July 19, 2011.
In Young Justice, being a teenager means proving yourself over and over — to peers, parents, teachers, mentors and, ultimately, to yourself. But what if you’re not just a normal teenager? What if you’re a teenage super hero? How much harder will it be to prove yourself in a world of super powers, super villains and super secrets? Are you ready to come of age in such a world? Are you ready for life or death rites of passage? Are you ready to join the ranks of the great heroes and prove you’re worthy of the Justice League? That’s exactly what the members of Young Justice — Robin, Aqualad, Kid Flash, Superboy, Miss Martian and Artemis — will find out: whether they have what it takes to be a proven hero.
These teenage heroes collectively become the Justice League’s secret weapon against the forces of evil. The young protégés must put their super hero education to the test and band together to covertly fight the evildoers that exist on Earth-16. Utilizing The Cave as their home base, the teen heroes will take on under-the-radar missions that would be impossible for the league’s famous and identifiable elders to handle secretly.
While the team works to take on more super hero responsibilities, they are in constant training by the Justice League to eventually take their place alongside the great heroes. Red Tornado is their supervisor; Black Canary is in charge of their training; and Batman determines and directs their assignments. Of course, in true teenage fashion, the members of the team push the limits of their missions, often turning a simple assignment from Batman into something significantly larger.
“DC fans have been vocal about their love for Young Justice, so I am particularly pleased to announce our first DVD release,” said Sam Register, Executive Vice President Creative Affairs, Warner Bros. Animation.
“We are thrilled to bring the newest and youngest members of the DC Universe to homes with the release of Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1,” said Mary Ellen Thomas, WHV Executive Director of Family and Animation Marketing. “As a brand new series, Young Justice is already a favorite and will continue to excite fans with its group of crime-fighting teenage super heroes.”
Young Justice Season 1 Volume 1 is executive produced by Sam Register and produced by Brandon Vietti and Greg Weisman. The voice cast includes Jesse McCartney as Robin, Khary Payton as Aqualad, Jason Spisak as Kid Flash, Nolan North as Superboy, Danica McKellar as Miss Martian, Stephanie Lemelin as Artemis and Bruce Greenwood as Batman.
As is Marvel’s usual strategy to tie in with a cinematic adaptation, here comes another series relaunch and yes, Steve Rogers is back in his Captain America guise. Covers and text-free preview pages below.
Your First Look At CAPTAIN AMERICA #1!
Marvel is pleased to present your first look at the blockbuster Captain America #1 from the superstar creative team of Ed Brubaker and Steve McNiven. This July, the original Sentinel of Liberty springs back into action for a high octane adventure that no Captain America fan can miss. When a mysterious figure from Steve Rogers’ past returns, deadly secrets surface that put Captain America back in-between crosshairs. The next big chapter in the life of Steve Rogers begins this summer in an action packed adventure throughout the Marvel Universe, only in Captain America #1!
Marvel’s Iconic Super Hero The Mighty Thor Joins Marvel Entertainment Executives to Ring
The Closing Bell® at the NYSE to Celebrate Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios’ Highly-Anticipated Film Event Thor
On Monday, May 2, Marvel Entertainment, LLC will summon the power of its iconic Super Hero Thor to join the Company’s President of Print, Animation and Digital Dan Buckley and Marvel Comics Editor-In-Chief Axel Alonso to ring the NYSE Closing Bell in celebration of the theatrical release of Paramount Pictures and Marvel Studios’ latest highly-anticipated film Thor, in theatres nationwide on May 6.
FCBD has been going for a few years now and is the best yearly event for comics newbies to discover the joys of sequential art. All the info you need to know is here, but the most important thing is that it’s this Saturday, May 7. Mladen and I will be discussing our faves of some of the free comic offerings available this year in this week’s Extra Sequential podcast. Below are previews of some of the comics we’ll talk about and you can see 10 more previews here, including goodies from Marvel, DC, Image and Archaia.
Here’s previews for BOOM! Studios’ Elric and Darkwing Duck/ Chip n Dale Rescue Rangers Flip book.
For 40 years, the exploits of Elric have thrilled comic book fandom, beginning with his introduction to the world of comics in Marvel’s Conan The Barbarian #15 in 1972. Now, Michael Moorcock, the godfather of the Multiverse concept, brings one of the most critically acclaimed and recognizable figures in the history of fantasy fiction back to sequential art! This Free Comic Book Day edition heralds the new ongoing Elric series featuring a crisis across multiple worlds that will involve Moorcock’s other famous fantasy franchise characters: Corum of the Scarlet Robe and Dorian Hawkmoon. Meet the Pale Prince in an epic that could only be called The Balance Lost! And make sure you don’t miss the new ongoing series this summer! Written by white-hot New York Times bestselling author Chris Roberson (Superman, iZombie, Cinderella: From Fabletown With Love)!
An all ages flip book from BOOM! On one side, experience Darkwing Duck! Reprinting the blockbuster sold-out first issue of the Darkwing Duck ongoing series. But don’t forget to flip this comic over, or you’ll miss Chip ‘n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, reprinting the first issue of the critically acclaimed bestseller from BOOM! Two hit series, both all ages, one flip book of pure fun! Don’t miss the return of the Disney Afternoon Revolution that grabbed the attention of Disney fans everywhere!
Nate Powell, hailed by the London Times as “a writer-artist of genius,” is back.
comicbookjesus 