Hmmm…looks like something from the Spidey musical.
Your First Look At The NEW SPIDER-ARMOR!
Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Spider-Man’s all new Spider-Armor, debuting in Amazing Spider-Man #656, from the superstar creative team of Dan Slott and Marcos Martin. Peter Parker may have hit the Big Time, but that hasn’t stopped new villains from terrorizing Manhattan. What kind of foe would prompt Spider-Man to suit up in this high-powered costume? Find out in Amazing Spider-Man #656!
AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #656
Written by DAN SLOTT
Penciled & Cover by MARCOS MARTIN
Captain America 70th Anniversary Variant Cover by JOE QUESADA
Udon have released a few great tribute books recently, dedicated to different artistic interpretations of classic video game characters such as those from Street Fighter and Darkstalkers and now it’s Mega Man’s turn, and your trun to get your own artwork featured in its pages. Check out all the official details below.
UDON is sending out a call to comic artists, video game artists, freelance illustrators, and fan artists all around the world to show us your artistic tribute to Mega Man! Give us your best artwork featuring the cast of Mega Man®, Mega Man® X, Mega Man® Zero, Mega Man® ZX,and Mega Man® Legends. All styles are welcome – anime, western comic style, cartoon, pixel-based, sculptures – whatever you can come up with as your tribute to the blue bomber!
The best pieces submitted will be included in Mega Man Tribute, which will premiere as a special 300-page limited-edition hardcover book at the 2011 San Diego Comic-Con. UDON’s past tribute books have had a huge artist turnout, with Street Fighter™ Tribute andDarkstalkers™ Tribute each receiving thousands of entries. As one of the most beloved characters in video game history, and with hundreds of characters to work with from across the Mega Man franchise, Mega Man Tribute is poised to be UDON’s most diverse and exciting art book yet!
Help make Capcom® history as part of the Mega Man Tribute art book and have your artwork showcased alongside top names in the industry! It’s time to show UDON and Capcom your unique vision of Mega Man!
Thanks to the Superman Homepage sharing the just released back cover of the All-Star Superman animated film we know that next in line is Green Lantern: Emerald Knights. Apparently this snippet has been released before, but it doesn’t ring any bells. What we do know is that’s supposed to be released in June, with the live action film and will be an animated anthology showing other members of the GL Corps. Awesome.
The first animated film Green Lantern: First Flight introduced Hal Jordan to a new audience, so hopefully this and the Ryan Reynolds-starring film will make a lot more people aware of Hal and co.
Just shown at the Video Game Awards were a bunch of new trailers including Uncharted 3 and Resistance 3, but of most interest to us comics readers are brand new ones for two cool looking games that are both due out next year.
Out now is the FREE digital PDF of Broken Frontier’s nifty magazine, The Frontiersman. Inside is a great interview with Charles Burns (Black Hole, X’ed Out), a look at Next Men, Thunderbolts, my review of the Hawks of Outremer TPB, an exclusive preview of Secret Warriors #23 and so much more. Check it out right here.
There’s no mention of where the writers got this info from, but it’s an interesting read nonetheless. Essentially it’s what Bryan Singer’s plans were for the sequel to Superman Returns. It certainly seems much more action packed and features Brainiac and removes (if harshly) the whole bad idea of Superman’s son, but I’m still glad this film wasn’t made. Read the article here.
Also on the net are more costume concepts from another Supes film attempt, this time for the J.J Abrams version, though they may have carried over to Singer’s film too in the early stages. Steve Johnson released those Nic Cage/Tim Burton costume test pics a while ago and now you can see them and more recent ones at his Facebook page.
Yes, it’s pretty bland and the character’s name/film title is miniscule, but fans already know what the film version of Thor looks like. I’d expect the posters that are released closer to the May 6, 2011 release date to play up the fantasy angle and the Marvel angle. Really this one-sheet could be of any action movie, but as directed by Kenneth Branagh and tying in to the Iron Man/Avengers film continuity we know it won’t be.
The trailer has also just been released. Some of the footage has been seen in the Comic-Con footage form July this year, but it also shows Thor’s winged helmet, his hammer Mjolnir and the evil Destroyer in action. Oh, and it’s 3D too. Looks pretty awesome.
DC tried a similar approach in the ’90s with an alternate universe tale where the Justice League existed in feudal Japan. It kind of worked. Now it’s Marvel’s turn. Of the 5, Wolvie, Punisher and Psylocke make the most sense to become samurai.
Marvel’s Deadliest Heroes Are The 5 RONIN
Wolverine. Psylocke. The Punisher. Hulk. Deadpool. Five of Marvel’s deadliest heroes will come to the fore this March for a series unlike any other in 5 RONIN. Bound together by the same fate, yet alone in their existence, they are forced to walk the lonely path of the masterless samurai in the violent and tumultuous world of feudal Japan.
Crafted by acclaimed writer Peter Milligan and a rotating cast of today’s hottest artists, 5 RONIN #1-5 is a month-long event with covers from some of the biggest names in the industry. To celebrate the release of this series, retailers will have the opportunity to order two different covers per issue – one by superstar artist David Aja and one by another industry favorite.
“What would the ultimate samurai super hero epic look like? The answer is 5 RONIN” explains Editor Sebastian Girner. “When we came up with the idea of taking our biggest heroes and setting them in this time period, writer Peter Milligan and the amazingly talented cast of artists immediately jumped on board. This is easily one of the most beautiful comics you will read this year.”
Each of the 5 seeks revenge, but against whom? And what powerful secret connects these lone warriors? 5 RONIN will examine the true face of Marvel’s most solitary characters against a majestic — and bloodstained — backdrop.
Firstly, the delightful all-ages book Owly is returning in February.
Top Shelf is proud to announce that the all-new OWLY picture book by Andy Runton is in the current Diamond Previews and available for pre-ordering! This 40-page full-color hardcover picture book (with a dust jacket) is published by Simon & Schuster under license from Top Shelf, and we’re all very excited to add this new dimension to the Owly Universe!
Owly and Wormy want butterflies! But when they come home from Mrs. Raccoon’s nursery with a milkweed plant that’s supposed to attract some fluttering friends, what they get instead are chubby, green bugs! But green bugs are not butterflies! Will butterflies ever come to the forest? Only time will tell… Bold, graphic, and full of fun, this wordless storybook gives all-ages readers the wings they need to start reading on their own, and a firm footing on the idea of metamorphosis as they watch old friends become new friends.
Secondly, their offering for Free Comic Book Day next year consists of 3 new all-ages tales.
And while we’re celebrating the all-new OWLY picture book, here’s a sneak peak at this year’s 2011 FREE COMIC BOOK DAY book, the TOP SHELF KIDS CLUB – 2011, featuring not one, but SIX all-ages tales! In this FCBD edition, we’ll not only present three adventures from our established all-ages series OWLY by Andy Runton, JOHNNY BOO by James Kochalka, and KORGI by Christian Slade; but we’ll also feature three all-new stories from three brand new all-ages series debuting in 2011: OKIE DOKIE DONUTS by Chris Eliopoulos, PIRATE PENGUIN VS NINJA CHICKEN by Ray Friesen, and UPSIDE DOWN by Jess Smart Smiley. Perfect for everyone in the family. With a great cover by Chris Eliopoulos this time around to boot!
DC has always had an interesting history when compared to Marvel. Celebrating their 75th anniversary this year, though they’ve kept it quite low key, is this new documentary from the producers of the excellent Spellbound doco. Written and directed by Mac Carter and narrated by Green Lantern actor Ryan Reynolds, this 90 minute look at the publisher’s past and present is entertaining. There are better books out there that offer more exhaustive examinations, including the recent mammoth tome written by Paul Levitz, but considering this is a film made by the very subject it’s about, it was always going to be a cheery look rather than a dirty expose.
It’s no surprise that it’s the best looking doco of its kind, with plenty of pretty pictures from comics new and old and interviewees in professionally lit environments. Speaking of interviewees, the producers have lined up some rather impressive names including the expected writers and artists such as Neil Gaiman, Mark Waid, Len Wein, Louise Simonson, Gerard Jones, Jim Lee, and Dwayne McDuffie, Vertigo editor Karen Berger, designer Chip Kidd fans, head honcho Dan DiDio and fans at San Diego Comic-Con.
Many would expect this to be a glowing account of the awesomeness of DC, but it’s surprisingly frank at times. It does skip over the legal battle between Superman and Captain Marvel, and dismisses Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson’s exit from the company he helped build, but it also has Neal Adams calling Jay Garrick, the original Flash “stupid” and stating that the DC offices in the ‘70s were filled with hippies “ whose hair was longer than their careers.” Classic.
Denny O’Neill, the writer whose output with Adams gave DC a more realistic edge in their ‘70s Green Lantern/Green Arrow tales admits that in the decade previous DC were floundering when compared to Marvel’s much more fresh titles, with Spider-Man, X-Men, Fantastic Four and more exploding from the shelves. While Batman and Superman were still having zany sci-fi adventures, a relic from the harsh Comics Code form the ‘50s, Stan Lee, Jack Kirby and co. were creating a new age of superheroes.
I did chuckle at two Wonder Woman anecdotes when O’Neill admitted, “boy did I screw that up” when referring to the depowering/white suit karate phase of the Amazonian’s life and hearing that her TV series ‘ theme tune had lyrics such as, “in your satin tights, fightin’ for your rights.” Seeing all the mania that existed over the past few decades during the TV and film adventures of Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman around the world is great too, as is some of the merchandise surrounding those characters. Plus footage of actual events such as comic book burning in the ‘50s and news footage of Superman’s death in 1992 never gets old, and this is also the first time I’ve seen actual interviews with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, Superman’s creators.
Two other things I did learn however are that Frank Miller is 1 of 7 kids and Neil Gaiman almost gave up his dream of writing comics after a disbelieving career counsellor suggested accountancy instead. Yes, not revolutionary facts, but having read books on DC’s history before, most of the info that Secret Origin presents, I was already aware of. I did still enjoy it though as a well presented documentary on a fascinating few decades of DC Comics and newbies will find a lot of great trivia amongst all the great visuals.
Unfortunately there are no extras, not even trailers for DC’s existing animated films, which all the other DC films have, and the trailer below makes it seem like it’s mainly made up of TV and cartoon adaptations, which it isn’t.
The latest issue of the Australian version of film mag Empire has just been released (look for the Tintin cover, which was used by the UK edition previously ) and inside is a 4 page article on the next film from the great British comedy duo of Simon Pegg and Nick Frost. They’ve appeared in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz and as the Thompson twins in December 2011’s Tintin film. Before that however (April, 2011 in fact) is Paul, a film starring the pair as geeks who discover an alien who’s been on earth for decades. That alien is voiced by Seth Rogen and the film is directed by Superbad’s Greg Mottola.
Well, the thing that stood out for me in the article was that the pair, obvious fanboys, are sporting the kinds of shirts you’d see at Comic Con. On the left is Frost with a Project Superpowers shirt from the Dynamite series, while Pegg wears a Daniel Clowes design, which is very good timing as his The Death-Ray tale is being published by Drawn and Quarterly next year.
Thanks to Top Shelf for the heads up on this one. Artist Jeremy Eaton is having a 60% off sale on all his original art, including some great cartoon jumble pieces, some of which you can see below and plenty more here. The sale runs until December 21.
We’ll be doing a Christmas wish list special in one of our podcast episodes soon, but to tide you over check out these two great recent lists from MTV Geek! Sure everything on the lists is relatively expensive but if you have rich and generous loved ones, send them here for general pop culture stocking stuffers (37 of them in fact) including Return of the Dapper Men and Blacksad comic collections (which I highly recommend) and the slightly more unusual such as gaming Christmas tree ornaments and the monstrous Nerf Stampede Full Auto gun.
If your tastes lean more towards the Force, then check out the Star Wars Gift Guide for such delights as a Jawa garden gnome, a Darth Vader spatula and lightsaber bottle opener.
The digital comics revolution continues to build, with Dark Horse now on the bandwagon in what looks to be a rather promising programme, beginning next month. Customers who want to save money and paper should be happy. Here’s the first press release from Marvel that focuses squarely on their new digital releases (and freebies) this week.
Experience X-Men #1, the Number One Comic Of All Time, Only On the Marvel Comics App
Hey there True Believers, here’s your official list of comic books, hitting the Marvel Comics app on December 1, 2010. Now fans can experience their favorite Marvel heroes bursting into action on your iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch! With a wide array of titles already available there is something for everyone! Stay tuned each week for a brand new list of Marvel releases so that you’ll never miss your favorite heroes in action!
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