Awesome artist David Mack was kind enough to send me these two links relating to his work. Last Saturday he gave a talk at the Salt Lake Library. There’s some beautifully massive pics and two great videos right here.
There’s also an insightful interview with the man himself here. Mack is always generous with his interviews and are definitely worth reading and I don’t just say that because we have an interview with him in next month’s Arcana magazine! Yay!
Irredeemable by Mark Waid and Peter Krause is BOOM!’s best series, and now the reverse of that series can be told in this month’s new Incorruptible. Press release and preview below.
What happens when a villain becomes a hero? Find out on December 16th when BOOM! Studios’ new series, INCORRUPTIBLE, the flip side to Mark Waid’s super hero epic IRREDEEMABLE, hits store shelves! Written by Waid and sporting sensational interior art by Jean Diaz (WONDER WOMAN), INCORRUPTIBLE features A & B covers by John Cassaday (ASTONISHING X-MEN) and Tim Sale (BATMAN: LONG HALLOWEEN) with a C cover by Jeffrey Spokes.
INCORRUPTIBLE showcases super villain Max Damage, who had an epiphany the day The Plutonian destroyed Sky City. That day, when The Plutonian turned his back on humanity, Max Damage decided to step up. Now Max Damage has changed his name to Max Daring and turned from his formerly selfish ways to become… INCORRUPTIBLE. The flip side to this year’s break-out smash hit IRREDEEMABLE, INCORRUPTIBLE examines the hard, difficult road to changing your ways and making a difference in the world.
“Buckle yourselves in and prepare for one of the best titles you’ve seen of this or any year,” said BOOM Marketing Director Chip Mosher. “And while you don’t need to be picking up IRREDEEMABLE to enjoy this new series, INCORRUPTIBLE continues Waid’s complex study of caped morality at the end of the world.”
INCORRUPTIBLE is an ongoing series written by Mark Waid, with sensational interior art by Jean Diaz (WONDER WOMAN). INCORRUPTIBLE #1 ships with two covers featuring art by John Cassaday (IRREDEEMABLE, PLANETARY) and Tim Sale (BATMAN: HAUNTED KNIGHT, HEROES), and an incentive cover by Jeffrey Spokes. INCORRUPTIBLE carries a Diamond Code of OCT090784.
DC have been dabbling in the whole multiple Earth concept for decades and I’m glad to see their parallel universes (all 52 of them) at the fore these days. DC’s latest attempt at attracting bookstore browsers is a series of Original Graphic Novels set on Earth One. DC’s The Source blog describe the project like this:
Original stories featuring Batman and Superman in graphic novel form from the biggest creators out there. But these aren’t one-offs. We’re talking ongoing series of OGNs in a new continuity, on a new Earth.
Sound appealing?
Starting next year, DC Comics will unveil SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE and BATMAN: EARTH ONE, two graphic novels spotlighting the most powerful heroes of the DC Universe, with their first years and earliest moments retold in a standalone, original graphic novel format, on a new earth with an all-new continuity.
Superman: Earth One reveals Supes’ origins and is written by J. Michael Straczynki with art by Shane Davis. Batman: Earth One is by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, the Action Comics team. It’s a grand idea and the format is much more attractive to the comic book newbie than having to visit the comic shop every month to get a complete story. I don’t think a new continuity is necessary to attract new readers though.
Both OGNs will be released next year. Oh, and that tattooed gent with the goatee? That’s Bruce Wayne’s trusty butler Alfred.
Last week I received a box of great books from NBM’s recent sale. Apparently NBM are the second largest indie publisher (after Fantagraphics) with sales of over $3 mil a year. That’s impressive. They specialise in non-spandex adventures and translations of European books, as well as American and Canadian works. I took the opportunity to grab some bargains and now they are sitting on my ever growing pile of unread comics and books. They’re all such unique and beautiful books though. Below are a few photos to try and capture the elegant diversity of goodies.
Chris Ware's Acme Novelty Library
It's so hard to portray the unique packaging and contents of Acme
The Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde OGN by Mattotti & Kramsky
Raptors IV by Dufaux & Marini
From the art book The Book of (Francois) Schuiten
Schuiten again
Leviathan by Jens Harder
Being released tomorrow is the third issue of Top Cow’s Cyberforce/ Hunter-Killer mini-series. Here’s what the Cow have to say about the issue, plus a few perty pics from artist Kenneth Rocafort. Looks good, hey?
Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #3
Mark Waid (A) Kenneth Rocafort (Cov) Rocafort, Whilce Portacio
The reason for Morningstar’s alliance with Cyberdata becomes clear and the teams of Cyberforce and Hunter-Killer team members rush to destroy key facilities around the world. Only Morningstar is one step ahead and has a deadly welcoming party ready!
Featuring a cover by series artist Rocafort as well as a variant cover by Whilce Portacio (Spawn).
Cover A – Kenneth Rocafort
Cover B – Whilce Portacio
Ardden Entertainment made a good impression with their new Flash Gordon series and look set to use the same contemporary approach to another classic character – Casper. I know when the cover of the first issue was released a while back a few jaded fanboys rolled their eyes with this apparently desperate attempt to make the loveable ghost “down with the kids,” but really there are so few all-ages series on the shelves today, especially those in which parents, (or even grandparents in this case as Casper is turning 60!) can enjoy with their children. Newsarama seemed to enjoy the first issue and it is written by Ardden’s Brendan Deneen as well as great Spider-Man writers J.M DeMatteis and Todd Dezago, so is worth a look. Details below. The first issue is available this week.
Just in time for Casper the Friendly Ghost’s 60th anniversary, Ardden Entertainment proudly debuts Casper And The Spectrals, an all-new take on the world’s most famous ghost and his two friends, Wendy the Witch and Hot Stuff! There is a city within New York City known as Spooky Town, but most humans are unable to see it. Within this city live the Spectrals, the ghosts, goblins, demons and witches of the world. When an ancient entity known as the Volbragg threatens both New York and Spooky Town, Casper and his friends are forced to band together and defeat an unimaginable evil!
Story by JM DeMatteis & Brendan Deneen; Script by Todd DeZago; Art by Pedro Delgado; Color by Kieran Oats
Hitting stores on November 18 is the penultimate part of the pretty, and action packed Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer series. Details from Top Cow below.
TWO OPPOSING TEAMS MUST TRUST EACH OTHER TO SURVIVE
CYBERFORCE/HUNTER-KILLER #4
Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today the upcoming release of the penultimate installment of Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #4 the first crossover between Top Cow’s Cyberforce and Hunter-Killer teams. Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #4 is written by Mark Waid (Amazing Spider-Man, Strange), who co-created Hunter-Killer with Top Cow’s CEO and founder Marc Silvestri in 2005, with artwork by Kenneth Rocafort (Madame Mirage, Pilot Season: The Core), who drew the final four issues of the initial Hunter-Killer Season One series.
In Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #4, both the Cyberforce and Hunter-Killer teams have discovered that Morningstar and Cyberdata are working towards a frightening global-spanning goal, but will the two teams be able to trust each other enough to survive the encounter against their true foes?
Silvestri created Cyberforce as the first comic book title to be produced by his newly-formed company in 1992. Hunter-Killer was created in 2005 by Silvestri and Waid. Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer picks up after Hunter-Killer: Season One wrapped up.
Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #4 will arrive in stores on November 18th and features covers by Rocafort and Whilce Portacio (Image United).
Two cover variants will be offered for Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #4, one by series artist Rocafort and another by Top Cow “Artist Pit” alumni Joe Benitez (Soulfire, Teen Titans). The fully colored Benitez cover is revealed for the first time now.
Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer #4 will retail for $2.99 as part of Top Cow’s own initiative to keep all of their regular comics priced at $2.99 for the duration of the 2009 calendar year.
Marvel’s newest epic is called Siege and revolves around Norman Osborn and his nefarious plans for Thor’s home of Asgard. They’ve been releasing teaser images for the last 2 weeks, and below is the latest, by Simone Bianchi with the relevant info (including the Final Order Cutoff and release dates for the mini-series). You can see the whole collection of teaser images over at Broken Frontier.
What Price Victory?
SIEGE: THE CABAL [Prologue to Siege] (OCT090467)
SIEGE: THE CABAL DAVIS VARIANT (SEP098227)
SIEGE: THE CABAL FINCH SKETCH VARIANT (SEP098228)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Penciled by MICHAEL LARK
Cover by DAVID FINCH
Variant Cover by ALAN DAVIS
Sketch Variant Cover by DAVID FINCH
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—11/12/09, On-Sale—12/2/09
SIEGE #1 (of 4) (NOV090419)
SIEGE #1 (of 4) DELL’OTTO VARIANT (NOV090420)
SIEGE #1 (of 4) QUESADA VARIANT (NOV090421)
SIEGE #1 (of 4) COIPEL SKETCH VARIANT (NOV090422)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils & Cover by OLIVIER COIPEL
Variant Cover by GABRIELE DELL’OTTO
Variant Cover by JOE QUESADA
Sketch Variant by OLIVIER COIPEL
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC—12/10/09, On-Sale—1/6/10
Those delightful folks at TwoMorrows give the gerky portion of the world some pretty good products, with their books and magazines mainly focused on comics of the 1970s and 80s. They currently have a sale on (until the end of November) where you can get their entire back catalogue of Modern Master books for only $10. Each book is over 100 pages and primarily black and white and centres on a particular talented artist, with interviews, art and such. Artists covered include George Perez, Bruce Timm, Alan Davis and more. See them all here.
Hulk is fast becoming the Batman of the Marvel Universe, with more superheroes running around associated with Bruce Banner’s alter ego than any one series can contain. Marvel’s next Hulk-focused epic, after Planet Hulk and World War Hulk, is Fall of the Hulks. It begins with Fall of the Hulks: Alpha which lands on December 30 and is written by Jeff Parker with pencils by Paul Pelletier. Ed McGuiness and David Finch provide covers. Preview pages below.
The Avengers (Dark and Mighty) are about the only Marvel titles I read on any regular basis. I’ll pick up an issue every now and then and both titles are consistently enjoyable. Details, and text-free pages, below regarding Mighty Avengers #31 on sale November 18.
The Final Showdown With The Unspoken in Mighty Avengers #31!
The Mighty Avengers, Young Avengers, New Avengers and more must assemble in Mighty Avengers #31 to take down The Unspoken! Red hot writers Dan Slott and Christos N. Gage, along with fan-favorite artist Sean Chen, present the epic conclusion of the Avengers battle against the ancient enemy of the Inhumans! Hank Pym, newly named the Scientist Supreme, returns to Earth, but is his genius enough to help his Avengers allies turn the tide, after a lethal toxin turns many of the Avengers into a gang of mindless barbarians?
“This is the Avengers title you should be reading…” – Doug Zawisza, ComicBookResources.com
“There’s certainly an undeniable old-school charm about this new incarnation of the title.” – Bryan Joel, IGN.com
Marvel urges retailers to check all orders of Mighty Avengers as it continues to impress fans and critics. Will Hank Pym’s promotion to Scientist Supreme and the inclusion of multiple Avengers teams be enough to take down the dreaded Unspoken? Mighty Avengers #31 has all the answers!
I met creator Chandra Free at Comic-Con this year at the Archaia booth as she was promoting her upcoming original graphic novel, The God Machine. It looks pretty impressive. Below are a few random pages of the preview book, as well as what Archaia say about it.
THE GOD MACHINE OGN PREVIEW BOOK
(W/A) Chandra FreeA Preview Book of the upcoming God Machine graphic novel! Guy Salvatore can’t get a break. After his girlfriend Sith dies, he can’t seem to go through a morning without monsters coming out of the bathroom mirror, or being pressed at school with his friends’ concern over his well-being. All Guy wants is to be left alone. One night after a bad dream, Guy seeks solace in the graveyard by Sith’s tombstone and is confronted by an odd bunch of characters that will change his life forever with the promise that Sith might be alive! Meanwhile, a beautiful Goddess known as Good God has lost the key to heaven. She needs the help of her fellow compatriot, Evil God, to search for it down on Earth. But what starts off as a minor chore becomes more when Guy catches them in the graveyard, especially since Gods are supposed to be invisible to mortals…
Full Color 48 pages $3.95 Mature Readers (Contains Adult Content)
Any excuse is a good one to show some Stjepan Sejic art, so here’s the cover for December’s Angelus #1 from Top Cow, and the official info from the Cow about the new series.
DANI BAPTISTE IS THE ANGELUS
ANGELUS #1
Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that the Witchblade character Dani Baptiste will assume her new role as the Angelus in Angelus #1, the first in a six-part series, hitting comic book store shelves December 2, 2009.
Written by Ron Marz (Witchblade, Magdalena) and featuring art by Stjepan Sejic (Witchblade), Angelus #1 finds Danielle Baptiste returning home to New Orleans and coming to grips with her new role as the Angelus—the human bearer of the primal force of light. To complicate matters, Dani must sort out her undefined relationship with Finch, all while maintaining control of the Angelus host who covets her power.
“Sara and Dani were really dual leads for the better part of the last three years in Witchblade, and I liked having both characters be part of the storyline. But now that we’ve paid off everything we’d been working toward since issue #100, I’m looking forward to Sara regaining the solo spot in Witchblade.” said Marz. “Moving Dani into her new role as the Angelus, and into her own mini-series, allows me to approach her character and the concept from a fresh perspective. Just like when I took over Witchblade, my goal with Angelus is to start with the foundation we already have, and build something new and exciting from there.”
Angelus #1 begins where the Witchblade: War of the Witchblades storyline left off. The issue will carry a cover price of $2.99, maintaining Top Cow’s pledge to keep all normal comics locked in at $2.99 for the 2009 calendar year.
Indie publisher Com.x made a splash with their series Cla$$war in 2003 but haven’t done much since. However, their new project, entitled 45 looks set to be another winner. In the current Previews catalogue, and set for a December release the book seems like one of those, “why has no-one thought of this before?” ideas. Com.x can describe it better than me, so here goes…
What makes “45” unique is that each page of art has been illustrated by a different artist, with no predetermined brief given; just the written page as guidance. It truly is an original attempt at redefining what people expect from a comic book format. Featuring the art of Liam Sharp, Jock, Sean Philips, Randy Green, Charlie Adlard and Dan Brereton, to name but a few of the 45 contributors. The story is a series of interconnected interviews documented by the fictional James Stanley. As a soon-to-be father, James wants to find out what lies in store for his family if his unborn child turns out to have a Superpower.
The dedicated blog has more info on the 132 pager. It seems like a fresh spin on the spandex genre and a great entry point for the superhero-curious.
comicbookjesus 