Dark Horse’s blog is running an online caption contest for U.S residents to write some text for this panel from the upcoming Star Wars: Crimson Empire III issue, as seen in last week’s preview in the relaunched Dark Horse Presents #1. Write you masterful text here. There will be 2 winners. The actual comic will be printed with the winning entry, so I can only assume the runner up will receive a bunch of Star Wars goodies.
Josh Medors is a very talented comics artist, who is also a cancer sufferer. I interviewed him for the Extra Sequential magazine a while ago, which you can see on pages 70-73 right here. Now, as the press release below states, you can help support him and get some great art at the same time.
Artist Josh Medors continues to battle against a rare form of cancer in his spinal column. And Spider-Man’s coming to help save the day.
The Hero Initiative in conjunction with Marvel Comics has created a limited edition print featuring Josh Medors’ recreation of the classic Amazing Spider-Man #33 cover by Steve Ditko. Proceeds from sales of the print, available at Medors’ hometown comic store, Packrat Comics of Hilliard, Ohio, will go directly to Josh to offset medical expenses.
Only 250 individually numbered prints will be available. Of these, 50 will be autographed by both Medors and Spider-Man co-creator Stan Lee at $100 each. The remaining 200 will come autographed by Medors alone at $20 each. Prints will go on sale on Free Comic Book Day, May 7, 2011 at Packrat Comics, and will also be available at PackRatComics.com.
Medors created the artwork for the cover of issue #105 of Alter Ego magazine, on sale October 2011 from Two Morrows Publishing. “It’s an honor to feature Josh’s work on our issue about the Comics Code, which Spider-Man helped bring up to date in the early ’70s,” said Alter Ego editor Roy Thomas. “His reinterpretation of Ditko’s original drawing literally took my breath away.”
“Josh Medors is proof that you don’t need a costume and super powers to be a hero,” said Tim Dillon, Marvel Business Development Manager. “We’re all inspired by his fight against cancer and glad to help support him by joining Hero Initiative on this limited edition print.”
Peter Parker’s old high schoolmate Flash Thompson is the new Venom in this new military/superhero series. Below is a text-free preview of May’s issue.
Your First Look At VENOM #3
Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Venom #3, from superstar writer Rick Remender and red-hot artist Tom Fowler! Flash’s worst nightmare is finally realized; he’s lost control and Venom is on the rampage! Destroying his last chance to shut down the maniacal Jack-O’-Lantern and his mysterious benefactor, the symbiote turns Flash’s latest covert op into a citywide killing spree. Which target will the US military deem a more immediate threat – a payload of weaponized Vibranium or their own homicidal operative run amok? Can the Amazing Spider-Man stop him before it’s too late? Find out this May, only in Venom #3!
VENOM #3 (MAR110661)
VENOM #3 X-MEN EVOLUTIONS VARIANT (MAR110662)
Written by RICK REMENDER
Pencils by TOM FOWLER
Cover by MIKE DEODATO
X-Men Evolutions Variant by PATRICK ZIRCHER
Rated T+ …$2.99
FOC – 5/2/11. On Sale – 5/25/11
70 mins. We talk about Thor and bicker about the classic superhero epic Kingdom Come. Also The Big Bang Theory, Star Trek: The Next Generation and hiding Easter eggs.
LISTEN TO IT BELOW, DOWNLOAD IT HERE OR ON ITUNES
1:20 NEWS
Stan Sakai, the creator of Usagi Yojimbo gets honoured
John Constantine, AKA Hellblazer come sto the mainstream DC Universe
6:25 WHAT WE’VE BEEN READING
The fun, all-ages debut of Super Dinosaur by Robert Kirkman and Jasonn Howard
The lukewarm return of the Dark Horse Presents anthology
Patrick McEown’s experimental No Escape
23:20 THOR MOVIE REVIEW
Kris saw the film in unnecessary 3D and was slightly underwhelmed by the god of thunder’s cinematic adventures. The action is loud, but the romance is well handled.
35:52 FEATURE REVIEW-KINGDOM COME
We pleasantly argue about this 1996 mini-series from DC Comics by Mark Waid and Alex Ross that features a retired Superman in the future returning to teach a careless younger generation of “heroes” a thing or two about justice. Dramatic art, biblical undertones and a massive cast of well known and new characters ensue.
Here’s some perty pics for you. Under the covers you’ll find the list of relevant upcoming issues for these variant covers. Man, the X-Men have had more costume changes over the years than…um, let’s say Cher. In order below are the covers showcasing Cyclops, Jean Grey, Rogue, Wolverine, Angel, White Queen, Iceman, Havok, Storm, Magneto, Beast, Sabretooth and Hope.
Marvel Unveils X-MEN EVOLUTIONS Variant Covers
Just in time for X-Men: First To Last, the next big X-epic from Chris Yost, Paco Medina & Dalibor Talajic, Marvel is proud to unveil new X-Men Evolutions variants! Brought to you by some of the best artists in the industry, get ready for a unique look at your favorite mutants and their iconic costume designs from every era! No fan can miss out on these great covers spotlighting the rich history of the X-Men while X-Men: First To Last gives fans a chance to relive the exciting action of Xavier’s first class and experience the thrill of Cyclops’ current team!
DC’s blog, The Source has a couple of good, new posts spotlighting artists. One is on Moritat and his work on Will Eisner’s The Spirit. Some of his stories sound filled with flights of fancy, but what do I know? Maybe he really did line up at a Japanese temple to see a famed ink brush sensei, and maybe he really does meditate and then speed on his motorcycle to prepare himself. Sounds kinda cool actually. On a related note, go to Imprint Magazine’s post on Eisner’s (and those inspired by him) great masthead designs.
The other informative post is a chat with Teen Titans artists Nicola Scott (an Aussie! Yay!) and Doug Hazlewood.
The previous posters for this June releasing, ’60s set prequel focused solely on Professor X and Magneto. This is the first one showing the main cast and of course, I wasn’t the only person to notice that it’s either a respectful nod, or rip-off of the classic Astonishing X-Men panel from Joss Whedon and John Cassady’s run. It’s such a great pic and has been used a lot, even on the cover of the motion comic. Hopefully the film’s promo people are aware of this.
BOOM! sure do go after the big names; Disney, Planet of the Apes, Mark Waid, Stan Lee. Lee is of course the architect of the early Marvel Universe and helped birth Spider-Man, X-Men, et al, but the last few decades have seen him do not much writing and more overseeing. That’s kind of what he’s doing here, giving a few story ideas to modern scribes and letting them do their thing. I haven’t read may of the handful of Stan Lee’s …. line of new series, but this issue is geared as a jumping on point, so I thought I’d give it a go, and I’m glad I did.
Written by Chris Roberson (Cinderella; From Fabletown With Love, Superman) with art by Kary Randolp and Mateo Scalera it focuses on wannabe novelist Benjamin Warner. Stuck in a droll job he discovers that his dream girl Tara is actually a shape shifter form another planet and that the aliens coming to get him seem to be ripped from his imagination.
As this ish begins, Benjamin in a fancy space suit, Tara and a sceptical General Cur are inside Demon, living spaceship hurtling through space trying to come to grips with how, or if, Ben’s mind has created what he’s living, before getting attacked. On earth a few cool looking aliens, led by a dreadlocked female surmise that Tara’s group, Crimson Hand hid their advanced technology on earth before fleeing and Demon lands on mining planet to heal. While a disguised Tara haggles for supplies, Ben saves a woman and her child from an angry, whip wielding local and Ben learns that A. His hi-tech suit is full of surprises and B. For some reason he’s known on this world, and isn’t popular at all.
It’s not a perfect jumping on point as there is a fair lot of story to digest, but is an entertaining sci-fi story of the classic ordinary-man-in-extraordinary-circumstances approach. I’m curious to know more about Benjamin and just why his imagination is becoming real, and the place he plays in the universe. The art is amongst the best of these Stan Lee tales too, with a slightly sketchy yet expressive cartoony style that works with unfolding drama and Ben’s frequently overwhelmed expressions.
Also included is an action packed 8 page preview of Insurrection V3.6 #1 which looks like an interesting sci-fi tale too.
Peter Parker is about to die – in Marvel’s Ultimate Universe anyway, and there will now be someone else claiming the arachnid identity and he has new threads to prove it.
Marvel Reveals New Ultimate Spider-Man
Peter Parker No Longer Spider-Man After “Death of Spider-Man” Story
Marvel has announced that after the shocking events of Death of Spider-Man, the sold out storyline currently running through Ultimate Comics Spider-Man and Ultimate Comics Avengers Vs Ultimates, there will be a new Spider-Man and a new character under the mask. Something’s happened to Peter Parker and here comes an all-new Spider-Man…in an all-new costume!
“We called this story Death of Spider-Man for a reason,” said Axel Alonso, Marvel Editor In Chief. “This is a huge story that’ll have fans around the world talking for a long time as we set the stage for the debut of our new Spider-Man.”
The Ultimate Universe is irrevocably changed with the conclusion to Death of Spider-Man in June’s polybagged Ultimate Spider-Man #160, but right now you can get in on the red-hot story that leads to the birth of an all-new Spider-Man, including new printings of the sold out issues: And to make sure you don’t miss a single chapter, pick up all the acclaimed issues below:
ULTIMATE COMICS SPIDER-MAN #153 SECOND PRINTING VARIANT (DEC108349)
Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS
Pencils by SARA PICHELLI & DAVID LAFUENTE
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC 4/18/11, ON SALE 5/11/11
Kingdom Come is a 1996 4 issue mini-series published by DC. Written by Mark Waid with great art by Alex Ross (who hasn’t done much interior work since, just covers) it follows a possible future of the DC Universe. Superman is retired, Batman is broken and a cavalcade of new “heroes” and villains have taken their place, causing death and destruction whenever they fight. Seen through the eyes of preacher Norman McCay, with The Spectre as his guide, it is a love letter to DC’s characters with biblical imagery and questions about heroism. In short, I love it, and since we’re talking about it in this week’s Extra Sequential podcast, I thought I’d use it as an excuse to show a few pages from the hefty, oversized Absolute edition.
54 mins. Some DC reviews and a discussion about Rombies #1 and the new Peanuts OGN. Also Joss Whedon’s apparent foot fetish, Snoopy’s cousins and Mladen plays Kris’ former sidekick. It’ll make sense once you listen to the ep.
LISTEN TO IT BELOW, DOWNLOAD IT HERE OR ON ITUNES
1:50 NEWS
Green Lantern’s toes (yes, you read that correctly).
Batman Live World Arena Tour has a press day with costumes and video. And confetti.
Michael Shannon cast as General Zod.
Tokyopop closes.
14: 44 WHAT WE’VE BEEN READING
Brightest Day #23. Swamp Thing returns to the DC Universe and a few characters get turned into elementals.
Fear Itself #7. The Red Skull’s daughter Sin picks up a Norse hammer and brings madness upon the earth!
Batman: Arkham City game.
Tron Legacy: Reconfigured soundtrack.
28:05 The return of Panel Plays (because we demanded it!)
30: 40 FEATURE REVIEWS
Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown. A Peanuts OGN from BOOM! Studios. We both liked it and found it rather funny, with a consistent visual style. Peanuts purists and newbies will enjoy its charms.
Rombies #1, an awesome new series from Tom Taylor, Skye Ogden and Gestalt Publishing. Zombies in Old Testament times. A father’s love brings death. This promising start to the new series is a great looking and highly entertaining comic.
Text-free preview below of New Mutants’ landmark issue.
Your First Look At NEW MUTANTS #25
Marvel is pleased to present to your first look at New Mutants #25, from acclaimed writers Dan Abnett & Andy Lanning and artist Leandro Fernandez! An all-new creative team, all-new starting point and all-new mission for the New Mutants begins in this extra-sized issue! Whatever happened to X-Man? Cyclops needs to know and he’s enlisted the New Mutants to locate and capture Nate Grey – by any means necessary! But after being manipulated at the hands of Norman Osborn, just what has become of the unstoppable X-Man…and how far will he go to stay unfound? The hunt for the Marvel Universe’s most powerful mutant begins this May, only in New Mutants #25!
NEW MUTANTS #25 (MAR110734)
NEW MUTANTS #25 ADAMS VARIANT (MAR110735)
NEW MUTANTS #25 MOLINA VARIANT (MAR110736)
Written by DAN ABNETT & ANDY LANNING
Penciled by LEANDRO FERNANDEZ
Wraparound Cover by MARKO DJURDJEVIC
Variant Cover by ARTHUR ADAMS
Variant Cover by JORGE MOLINA
Rated T+ …$3.99
FOC – 4/18/11. On Sale – 5/11/11
Any excuse is a good one to show some Simone Bianchi art.
Marvel Announces Williams and Bianchi On FEAR ITSELF: UNCANNY X-FORCE
This July, red hot writer Rob Williams and superstar artist Simone Bianchi dispatch Marvel’s breakout mutant black-ops team right into the heart of the year’s biggest comics event in Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #1 (of 3)! The end is nigh and a group of hate-mongering extremists know just who to blame – super humans! But as fear rains down upon the Marvel Universe, Uncanny X-Force will be the only thing that stands between this band of frenzied zealots and mass murder on a global scale.
“What exactly is a mutant super hero kill crew afraid of? That’s the question we had to ask,” said Williams. “A rogue cult of Purifiers believe that the actions of Fear Itself are the early stages of Armageddon and that they must kill many people as possible so their souls can ascend ‘before the devil knows they’re dead.’ You can’t question X-Force for wanting these crazies dead. But was it the actions of ‘heroes’ like X-Force that actually brought about the potential Armageddon of Fear Itself?”
Can X-Force cut down the Purifiers before they touch off a worldwide genocide? Or, with the God of Fear ascendant, will the team’s own trail of slaughter prove to be a self-fulfilling prophecy? In their darkest hour, Wolverine, Deadpool, Psylocke and the rest of Marvel’s most cutthroat strike force will discover that nightmares really can come true, only in Fear Itself: Uncanny X-Force #1 (of 3) – on sale this July!
For more on Fear Itself, check out Marvel.com!
FEAR ITSELF: UNCANNY X-FORCE #1 (of 3)
Written by ROB WILLIAMS
Pencils & Cover by SIMONE BIANCHI
Parental Advisory …$2.99
ON SALE THIS JULY!
The two co-creators behind two successful new series talk to each other about breaking into comics and all manner of things. It’s a very insightful discussion between writers Jim Zubkavich (Image’s Skullkickers) and Cullen Bunn (Oni Press’ The Sixth Gun). It’s a must read for aspiring writers and is quite encouraging.
Zub: Time management is everything. I looked at these opportunities and said to myself, “I want to do all these things. They mean so much to me.” Constantly thinking, “This is what I want to do and if I don’t do them will I regret it?” The answer has always been “yes,” so that drives me when I work.
I’m not perfect about organizing or productivity, but when this all started I looked at what I was spending the majority of my free time doing — watching TV, playing video games or whatever. Social time with friends and family is important but even looking at that I realized what was important and what needed to be prioritized in order to get the work done. I guess I’m just obsessive-compulsive.
Cullen: No, I think that’s a good point. I talk to a lot of people who want to break in and they don’t know how to do it while making ends meet, and I was right there with them for many years — trying to write fiction, short stories and novels. It wasn’t until I started really treating this like a job that I was able to make any headway whatsoever.
Zub: I think people look at this and they say, “Well, it’s just comics” or “Hey, I’ve got a cool idea,” but everyone has ideas. Are you going to develop it, work on it, make it into something and really push yourself? That’s the difference between an idea and completing something worthwhile.
Cullen: Folks always say, “I just don’t have time to do it,” but when they sit down in front of the TV watching shows they don’t even enjoy, some sit-com they don’t even laugh at -– there’s 30 minutes right there. You have to make the time.
Awesome, right? Check the whole thing out here and part two of the chat here.
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