Opening on July 22 is Captain America: The First Avenger, and here’s the second trailer showing Chris Evans in skinny phase (which doesn’t look so bad now) and bulked up, Nazi fighting phase. This looks better than Thor.
The patriotic, shield slinger also got a new poster.
If you’re going to Supanova Perth this weekend, you might want to pick one of these up. It’s only $10 and all proceeds go to the Premier’s Appeal to aid victims of the recent Queensland flood. Here’s the official info from Supanova and it has contributions from an impressive array of creators, such as Tom Taylor, Colin Wilson, Chris Claremont, Greg Horn, Jason Paulos, Alex Maleev and more.
Inspired by Sydney based comic-book writer Christopher Sequeira, who edited the comic and contributed a story illustrated by hotshot Marvel Comics artist (and visitor to Supanova in Brisbane) Leinil Francis Yu, the comic became reality through his and the combined efforts of Art Director and contributor, Tim McEwen, Publisher and Supanova Event Director, Daniel Zachariou, and all the other amazingly talented individuals who provided their time and art; 47 creators in all!
Sequeira relates that “Seeing true heroism, sacrifice and pathos on my nightly TV screen made me think of the potential of some creative folk reflecting and paying tribute to that in comics-form; so, why not put out the call for help? And our professional colleagues, world-wide, did not shirk that call – they leapt at the chance. They made it a brilliant, moving collection.”
‘Tides of Hope’ is 36 pages with 100% of proceeds from its $10 cover price going to charity while an auction of all the artwork, kindly donated by the illustrators, will ultimately be added to that pool of funds with comic-art collector, dealer and expert Royd Burgoyne also donating his time and expertise to do so.
Cool – a new mini-series from Howard Chaykin revealing a ’50s set team of Avengers with a cast as diverse as Sabretooth, Nick Fury and Kraven. Yep, that could work, and Chaykin’s the right creator for the concept.
Marvel Announces AVENGERS 1959!
Spinning out from the pages of New Avengers, Marvel is pleased to announce Avengers 1959 #1 (of 5), a brand new mini-series from comics legend Howard Chaykin, this fall! An unique team of super powered individuals of the post-World War II era including, Sabretooth, Kraven the Hunter and Namora, must combat threats in New York, Madripoor, and everywhere in between!
“I’m grabbing what feels like a brass ring here, with the opportunity to do an untold story of the lost years of the Marvel Universe,” explained Chaykin. “In a follow up to the sensational stuff laid out by Brian Bendis in NEW AVENGERS, we’ll follow Nick Fury and his Avengers around the world as they track down and take down super powered survivors of the Third Reich–as their ever effort is countermanded by a mysterious agency with a dark agenda of its own.”
Can the team save the day without tearing each other apart and who else will join the ranks of Earth’s Mightiest? Get the full story behind Nick Fury Nick Fury led Avengers Initiative as they trek across the globe saving the entire Marvel Universe from peril, only in the action-packed Avengers 1959 #1 (of 5)!
AVENGERS 1959 #1 (of 5)
Story and Art by HOWARD CHAYKIN
Cover by HOWARD CHAYKIN
Rated T+ …$2.99
ON SALE THIS OCTOBER
Yay! Another Marvel text-free preview! This time from Frank Cho! Yay again! Seeing Rogue on the battlefield sure would be distracting wouldn’t it?
Your First Look At X-MEN: SCHISM #2
Marvel is pleased to present your first look at X-Men: Schism #2, from Marvel Architect Jason Aaron and superstar artist Frank Cho. The blockbuster X-Event of the summer continues as Sentinels threaten to wipe out all of Mutantkind! It’s up to Wolverine and Cyclops to band the X-men together and tackle the threat head-on, and with tensions boiling – one of them will go too far. Find out this July the fate of mutantkind remains unclear in X-Men: Schism #2!
X-MEN: SCHISM #2 (MAY110679)
X-MEN: SCHISM #2 CHO VARIANT (MAY110680)
Written by JASON AARON
Art and Cover by FRANK CHO
Variant Cover by FRANK CHO
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC – 07/04/11, ON SALE – 07/27/11
So, after the Schism mini-series finishes, Wolverine and Cyclops go their separate ways with their own teams and each will get their own ongoing title too. Maybe to show your support for either one, you could buy this great new Cyclops statue from Bowen Designs or this Comic-Con exclusive Wolverine bust.
If you want to know how the Ultimate version of Spider-Man AKA Peter Parker dies in this week’s polybagged Ultimate Comics Spider-Man #160, then don’t read this.
If you do want to see a sneak peek at the upcoming Green Lantern animated series from the Cartoon Network, look below. It looks like simple CGI, but maybe the finished product will be better.
Now at Broken Frontier is my interview with writer David Ziebart about his new Red 5 series, Foster Broussard: Demons of the Gold Rush, an entertaining supernatural/ action mini-series set in the Californian gold rush.
You can read the interview here.
Opening on July 22 is the Captain America film starring Chris Evans as the titular hero and Aussie actor Hugo Weaving as bad guy Red Skull. Below are some new pics showing the characters, plus Cap with his Howling Commando team mates.
Catch more pics here.
Now this is pretty exciting. Titanium Rain is a great, near future war series, published a while ago by Archaia before it went on hiatus. Now it’s getting a new life as an audio drama. With its more grounded, believable sci-fi edge, this could really work. Official details below.
TITANIUM RAIN COMES TO AUDIO
The AudioComics Company to adapt Glitchwerk Studios property as a full-cast radio drama
To be alive is to be at odds with the world. Man against nature. Man against man. The instinct to survive is what has made us who we are.
The AudioComics Company is excited to announce that they will be adapting Glitchwerk Studios’ graphic novel series Titanium Rain as one of their next full-cast audio theatre productions, with the first book in the trilogy recording this fall for a winter 2012 release, with parts two and three to be recorded later that year. The work will be adapted for audio by co-creators Josh Finney and Kat Rocha, and directed by AudioComics Company Co-Producer William Dufris.
Currently published by Archaia Entertainment, Titanium Rain is a sci-fi war epic set in the year 2031 where a civil war in China has escalated into a global conflict that has decimated entire nations and millions of innocent lives. And for many, like US Air Force pilot Alec Killian, survival in this new age means that man and machine must exist as one. In the spirit of films such as Ghost in the Shell and Blackhawk Down, Titanium Rain follows Killian’s journey through mankind’s worst, only to discover its best.
“Titanium Rain is the antithesis of the post-apocalyptic ‘trend’ we’re seeing today in film, on television, in comic books. That’s part of the reason why it’s such an appealing audio project, the idea that we can rise above our mistakes rather than be dragged down by them is one worth exploring,” says director William Dufris, who also directed The AudioComics Company’s premiere production, Starstruck. “Also, it’s a great character-driven book. Actors are always looking for roles they can really sink their teeth into, and TR is chock full of great character studies.”
Co-creator Josh Finney: “From Titanium Rain‘s initial conception I had always wanted to hear the story translated into an audio production, going so far to actually commission a full-blown soundtrack by musician Jonathan Sharp (New Mind, Bio-Tek). Now with the AudioComics Company onboard this dream is finally shaping into a reality. Stay tuned. This is going to be amazing.”
The first volume of Titanium Rain has been a consistent best seller, both in the US and abroad. The title was also the center of a controversy when the first volume was delayed when Chinese printing companies refused to print the book due to Titanium Rain‘s so-called “politically sensitive” content, leading to Archaia Entertainment’s decision to manufacture their books elsewhere.
In addition to adapting the work, both Finney and Rocha will attend the voice-over recording sessions for Part One of the audio trilogy, and will have a hand in casting the project as well. The completed piece will be available on compact disc and pay-per-Mp3 downloads; Jonathan Sharp’s soundtrack for Titanium Rain will also be available as a separate Mp3 download, to be released concurrently with Part One of the TR audio production.
Glitchwerk Studios is the combined talents of husband and wife team Josh Finney and Kat Rocha. Glitchwerk specializes in science-fiction/fantasy art, concept art, and graphic design. Their style features a fusion of 3D modeling, digital painting, and traditional art techniques. In addition to their original comic book properties Utopiates, Titanium Rain, LD30, and the forthcoming World War Kaiju, Glitchwerk’s art has been featured in the acclaimed UK magazine Interzone, on several CD album covers, in numerous collectable card and online games, and on television (Star Trek: Enterprise). Titanium Rain is one of the few graphic novels on the comics landscape created entirely by a married couple.
The AudioComics Company, under the guidance of producers Lance Roger Axt, William Dufris, and Elaine Lee, provides superior audio entertainment with its professional full-cast audio theatre productions of both licensed properties and original works from the world of comic books, graphic novels, and related media, accessible in today’s market with today’s sound. The AudioComics team is working to establish relationships with top name comic book companies, sci-fi writers, sponsors and the entertainment industry in Hollywood and New York, and to give these audio theatre pieces worldwide exposure. Their debut production of the original play script of Elaine Lee and Michael Kaluta’s Starstruck has received critical acclaim from comics and audio professionals alike.
I picked up 2 debut issues from DC’s alternate universe Flashpoint epic this week. There are so many that it’s always a gamble, but I really enjoyed both of these.
Grodd of War #1 has an intriguing premise behind that cool title. Starring the evil, telepathic Gorilla Grodd as a bored leader, the opening narration of the powerful primate tells you all you need to know. “Aquaman sinks half of Europe and he’s considered to be the most dangerous being on the planet. I slaughter half of Africa and most people don’t even know my name.” Written with gusto by Sean Ryan and superb art by Ig Guara, this is a dark tale, to be sure, but the creative duo do a remarkable job of making the grotesque gorilla a somewhat sympathetic character. Not an easy job seeing he kills Congarilla, and later Catman in combat, and forces a human boy to kill his fellow rebel soldiers, before telling him to, “spend every minute of your life planning and thinking about how you’re going to kill me.” This desperation for a worthy foe to ease his boredom, now that he’s ruling all of Africa, finally sees him make a possibly suicidal plan to travel to Europe to take on the mad Aquaman and Wonder Woman. I can’t wait to see where this goes next.
Legion of Doom #1, like Grodd’s title, is a villain centric mini-series. Written by Adam Glass, with art by Rodney Buchemi, it’s not as entertaining as Grodd of War, but it does have a few nice surprises, and a plot that also makes me curious for what comes next. The fire loving baddie gets foiled by Cyborg after killing half of the Firestorm duo, and catching fire and winds up in jail, and even gets the traditional toilet dunking welcome. The prison is divided into normals and metas, and JLA enemy android Amazo is one of the guards. At least the prison looks cool (from the outside) as it resembles the semi-circle swamp base from the ’70s Superfriends cartoon. Throughout the issue, Heatwave boasts that he has a plan to get out, and we see it play out in rather gross way in the last 2 pages, as Plastic Man climbs out of his cell mate’s gut! I wasn’t expecting that, but Plas used to be a crim in the proper DC Universe, so it makes sense to see him all evil. It’s not a bad issue and the plot works well, despite Heatwave’s OTT Bond villain exclamations such as his love for fire being a hunger burning in his gut and, “I’d marry it if I could.”
Or something. In this week’s issue of Batman, Dick Grayson (who won’t be Batman come September, due to the relaunch) hits one of Riddler’s goons in the gut, after descending upon Enigma (Riddler’s daughter). Bats mentions that she doesn’t like to get her hands dirty, “or should I say, bloody?” I must say, Tony Daniel has come a long way as both a writer and an artist on this title, but this panel seems a little…off.
The assumption is that the henchman (who has it bad enough, with the bowler hat/ tutrtleneck combo) is spewing blood. If he is though, that’s an awful lot of blood from one Bat punch to the gut. Of course, it’s the wrong colour to be “bloody” but maybe no-one told colourist Ian Hannin, or in fact, they did, as it was perhaps too gross for a comic without a “mature readers” tag on it and he had to make it brown. I doubt that though.
I like to think that this goon was enjoying a nice, thick chocolate milkshake before Batman jumped through the skylight and ruined his day.
Perth publisher Gestalt is pumping out quality OGNs big time now. There are 4 books coming in August, including The Deep, and you can find my interview with its writer Tom Taylor here and below is all the official info about their other intriguing projects.
An Old West where Myth, Monsters and Magic are all real.
Christian Read and Michael Maier ride off into a blood-red sunset with their new supernatural western, The Eltritch Kid:Whisky and Hate, solicited in the June edition of Diamond Comics’ Previews catalogue.
Ten Shoes Dancing is a shaman of the Lakota people. He also happens to be an Oxford scholar. There’s not much work for literature experts in the Old West, so Ten Shoes finds himself working as a hired gun, an escort for a group of pilgrims and settlers heading West.
Out there he finds a man he scarcely believed to be real, the dime novel hero, the Eldritch Kid. With an impossible reputation as a hero and champion, the Eldritch Kid was known for seeking out the dark forces that plagued those newly United States. But is the Kid all he seems? With bad times coming for the wagon train, the price Ten Shoes will pay for the Kid’s help might be too damn high.
“The book came out of my enduring interest in the history of America and specifically, that expansion after the Civil War. But really, I just wanted to tell a story about cowboys. I kept dreaming, actually, of an uncanny man, whose eyes were hidden behind smoked glass with two evil Colt Peacemakers and I knew it wasn’t a straight historical”, says writer Christian Read.
“Michael Maier’s work is so richly textured you can taste it in your mouth. An eerie colour palette and such strange personalities. He’s turned out to be the perfect partner for this project and we’re both looking forward to this morbid cowboy romance.”
The Eldritch Kid: Whisky & Hate is a 112 page Original Graphic Novel, scheduled for publication 11th August 2011.
Details at a Glance
shelfdate: 11th August 2011
retail price: $11.95
diamond order code: JUN11 1132
website: www.eldritchkid.com
Dive into the Adventures of a Multicultural Family of Underwater Explorers!
The Deep: Here Be Dragons is a new Graphic Novel from the 2011 Aurealis-Award-winning Gestalt Publishing. The Deep tells the tales of the Nekton family – A multicultural family of daring Aquanauts who live on a submarine.
Written by award-winning writer Tom Taylor (Star Wars: Adventures, Star Wars: Invasion, The Authority, The Example) and illustrated by the incredible James Brouwer, The Deep: Here be Dragons is an original Graphic Novel in which we meet the Nekton family, a family who have been exploring the seas for generations. Here Be Dragons sees the Nekton family aboard their state-of-the-art submarine, The Arronax, following strange reports of monster sightings all the way to Greenland. What they discover in those dark depths may change their perceptions of the ocean forever…
A Diverse Family
Not every family of heroes looks like The Incredibles. With this in mind, The Nekton family members aren’t from anywhere. At no point in The Deep will the Nekton family’s ethnicities or countries of origin come up. Simply put, the sea is huge and covers the globe, and so do the Nekton family.
An All-Ages Adventure
Most graphic novels aren’t geared towards, or attractive to, young people. Similarly, some comics under the ‘all-ages’ heading aren’t for all ages. Comics written for young people often hold little appeal for older ones.
With The Deep, Tom Taylor and James Brouwer, both fathers themselves, have created a story of absolute escapism. A story full of humor, full of action and full of adventure. A story you can share with young people which will hopefully spark their love of comics. An action adventure story not bogged down by tortured pasts, shortcomings and ‘real’ life.
Film studios like Pixar have taught us that so-called kids movies can appeal to everyone – can excite and enthrall everyone – and it’s this ethos that has been brought to The Deep.
Tom Taylor is a multi-award-winning playwright, whose comedy, drama and musical works have been produced across four continents. To date his most well-known comics work has been for Star Wars: Blood Ties, The Authority, Star Wars: Invasion (which was nominated for a 2009 Diamond Gem award), and his adaptation of his play, The Example, for Gestalt Publishing. He is also qualified in Child Care and an ex-professional juggler and fire-eater. Tom currently resides in Melbourne, Australia.
The Deep is distributed by Diamond Distribution in the USA with an RRP of $9.95
Details at a Glance
shelfdate: 4th August 2011
retail price: $9.95
diamond order code: JUN11 1131
website: www.exploringthedeep.com
A Werewolf Story in Reverse
Torn is a disturbing action-horror story written by talented newcomer Andrew Constant, and featuring the illustration talents of Nicola Scott and Joh James.
Life is a constant struggle for the leader of the pack. A struggle that has made him strong. Strong enough to provide for his family. Strong enough to protect them. However, providing for them means he’s not always there to protect them from monsters. Monsters like man…
Torn tells of a wolf infected with the most aggressive virus the world has ever seen -humanity – and chronicles his attempts to reclaim the life he once knew and escape the cycle of tragedy.
Andrew Constant makes an impressive debut with Torn, a story that will make you believe horror comics still have teeth.
Nicola Scott is the superstar Australian artist whose work includes Wonder Woman, Secret Six and Birds of Prey for DC Comics.
Joh James’ chaotic style is bursting with energy and unspent rage, perfect for the horror genre. His work includes I.C.E. From 12GaugeComics and Daddy’s Little Girl, a short story published by Marvel.
Torn, a 120 page original graphic novel, is distributed by Diamond Comics in the USA with an RRP of $12.95.
Details at a Glance
shelfdate: 18th August 2011
retail price: $12.95
diamond order code: JUN11 1133
website: www.wolftorn.com
HIS DREAM OF THE SKYLAND
THE WALLED CITY TRILOGY: BOOK 1
Anne Opotowsky & Aya Moron unravel Kowloon in this sumptuous trilogy.
Imperialist controlled Hong Kong, the British ruling classes, the ambitious dynasty influenced Chinese, all create an amazing labyrinth for His Dream of the Skyland, Book One in The Walled City trilogy.
The gorgeous watercolor illustrations create an utterly distinct experience. His Dream of the Skyland immerses the reader in a world that is opulent, dark and absorbing…
304 pages, F/C.
$31.95 USD
Diamond Order Code:
JUN11 1130
To U.S readers at least. We here in Australia have ours in September and here you can find the Father’s Day special that we did at that time last year. We talk about some of the absent, bad, surrogate and great fathers in comics, such as Hulk, Wolverine, Batman, Lone Wolf and Cub and more.
57 mins. Don’t know who or what a Green Lantern is? Fear not, we have it covered. Also, superhero love and just how Smurfs manage to reproduce.
LISTEN TO IT BELOW, DOWNLOAD IT HERE OR ON ITUNES
1:20 NEWS
Avenging Spider-Man kicks off in November. A new ongoing series.
Two new X-Men titles coming soon.
Russel Crowe is set to play Superman’s Kryptonian father. If that ain’t bad enough, the Man of Steel will no longer be married to Lois Lane.
IDW’s new Star Trek movie series.
Frank Miller’s Holy Terror also coming in September.
Movie studios pulling out of the massive San Diego Comic-Con.
Neil Gaiman’s American Gods’ TV series.
14:10 THEME-GREEN LANTERN
Panel Plays returns! Kissing involved.
We give the lowdown on some of the Green Lanterns over the years, including some whacky ring slingers, and some comics you should grab to know more.
Read more GL issues here with this handy app and go here for a perty rundown on all the other colours of the Lanterns Corps.
What a crazy time to be a superhero fan hey? First, DC Comics announce that they are relaunching 52 superhero titles in September, and mow Marvel’s longest running series, Uncanny X-Men is ending, but at least they’ll carry on with the same continuity. Two new series follow the upcoming X-Men: Schism mini-series that kicks off next month that will show teammates Cyclops and Wolverine fighting. Literally.
After Schism Comes X-MEN: REGENESIS!
Marvel is pleased to announce X-Men: ReGenesis, a bold new direction redefining the X-Men franchise! X-Men: ReGenesis kicks off this fall in Uncanny X-Men #1 & Wolverine and the X-Men #1 and its ramifications will send shockwaves throughout every X-Book and the Marvel Universe! Prepare for the X-Men’s new dawn as former allies head off in different directions, taking with them your favorite X-Men characters. Following the unforgettable outcome in X-Men: Schism, mutantkind will be asking one another “Who will you follow?” and their answers may surprise you! Never before have there been TWO teams calling themselves the X-Men and never has anyone had to choose a side. Guided by their different ideologies, each leader has their own mission for saving their species, but is only one of them right?
This October, Marvel Architect Jason Aaron and superstar artist Chris Bachalo launch Wolverine And The X-Men #1, assembling a team led by Logan himself with a line-up that nobody will see coming. Then, in November, history is made with Uncanny X-Men #1. From the superstar writer Kieron Gillen and artists Carlos Pacheco & Greg Land, new leadership rises with a renewed, refocused, and re-imagined group of Uncanny mutants.
“Years of X-Men history have been leading to this. X-Men: ReGenesis will affect our entire line leading up to a major conflict coming up in 2012!” said Marvel Editor in Chief, Axel Alonso. “This is just the start of what we have planned for the X-Men. Next summer all eyes will be on mutantkind – we guarantee it!”
Two new teams lead mutantkind into an all new era and will have everyone asking “Who will you follow?” – only in Wolverine & The X-Men #1 and Uncanny X-Men #1!
To find out more about X-Men: Regenesis, head over to Marvel.com!
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