Held at the expansive Perth Convention Centre in Western Australia again this year is G03. It’s an exhibition with free entry that focuses on games, cosplay, tech, manga, anime, etc. Go here for all the details, including the list of exhibitors and special guests, including New Moon’s Chaske Spencer, Star Trek: Enterprise’s Connor Trinneer and David Nykl from Stargate Atlantis. The Expo is on this weekend, October 2-4.
Street Fighter Art Book
Earlier in the month Udon released SF20: The Art of Street Fighter. You can probably guess what it’s all about, but here’s what Udon say about it.
This is the most complete collection of Street Fighter artwork ever, and is loaded with roughs sketches, promo art, character designs, and detailed artist commentary. There’s the complete artwork of every Street Fighter game, plus never before collected art from Street Figther IV, Street Fighter EX, Capcom crossovers with Marvel, SNK and Tastunoko and lots more!
And now, here’s some drool inducing pics. The handsome tome can be ordered from your comic shop, or Amazon. If you feel like your SF needs are still not satisfied, may I suggest reading the entire first issue of Street Fighter Legends: Chun-Li for free.
Irredeemable On Your iPhone
Digital comics shop comiXology keep pulling out all the stops. Not only do they offer a free app for your iPhone, and dozens of free comics to go with it, but now they have a new “push notification,” which basically alerts subscribers to new releases of their fave comics. You can also post a Tweet from the app itself, see your purchasing history and manage your library. Phew.
If that’s not exciting enough, comiXology has just added BOOM! Studio’s best series, Irredeemable to their line-up. The first 4 issues of the dark superhero tale by Mark Waid and Peter Krause will be available for only 99c from iTunes tomorrow, October 1.
That’s a bargain for such a great series.
Hero Initiative 2010 Memberships
Last year was the first time the noble charity, Hero Initiative had a membership drive. Now they’re doing it again. It’s a great chance to support creators in need and get a few goodies in the process. Details below.
It’s that time of year— to renew your Hero Initiative membership! 2009 marked the first year ever for Hero Initiative memberships, and for 2010, we’ve revamped with more and better premiums! You can get full information and order today at www.heroinitiative.org or www. heroinitiative.org/2010members.
Proceeds benefit the Hero Initiative, the only charitable organization dedicated to helping comic creators in medical or financial need. In addition to the great items listed below, many EXTRA excellent events and special discounts will be made available ONLY to Hero Initiative members throughout the year. Don’t miss out on the insider’s scoop and invites to very special events! As we say over here at Hero…DO IT!
Memberships are available as follows:
BRONZE $29
You get:
• Personalized membership card
• Quarterly newsletter
• A copy of the Hero Initiative Marvel Apes #1 variant
• Hero Initiative sketch card from a randomly selected artist! Artists include: Chris Bachalo, Dan Brereton, Mike Deodato, Scott Koblish, Mike Mayhew, Mike Perkins, Joe Quesada, Humberto Ramos, Tone Rodriguez, John Romita Sr., Leinil Yu and MORE!
SILVER $99
You get ALL the above, PLUS:
• A NEW 2010 Hero Initiative T-shirt
• A copy of The Ultimate Spider-Man #100 Project
• “First in Line” and special members-only signings at select 2010 conventions
EXCELSIOR! $500
You get ALL the above, PLUS:
• A $50 gift card for Sideshow Collectibles
• Your flat item signed and personalized by Stan Lee!
ComicArtFans.com members will also want to take special note, as combo memberships for BOTH Hero and ComicArtFans are available. ComicArtFans is offering its members an additional $10 off their annual Premium Membership program if you are also a Hero member. “When ComicArtFans learned that the Hero Initiative would have membership opportunities we felt the need to help promote this new program to our membership as well. We’ve been a supporter of Hero for several years and feel very strongly that our members are also interested in supporting Hero,” said Bill Cox of ComicArtFans.com
Returning 2009 members will get a members-only discount off the prices listed above IF YOU RENEW BEFORE JANUARY 1st 2010. So if you haven’t signed up yet, do so today to guarantee your savings for the future!
And if you want to sign up on-site at the Long Beach Comic Con (Oct. 2-4, 2009) or Mid-Ohio Comic Con (Oct. 3-4, 2009), we encourage you to do that quickly! The first 50 signups at each of those cons will get a bonus gift card from Sideshow Collectibles worth a random amount from $10 to $50 at SideshowCollectibles.com
Robert Venditti Is Everywhere
Not surprisingly, Robert Venditti is a popular guy these days. The film based on the writer’s first work, Surrogates is out now starring Bruce Willis and Ving Rhames. The Surrogates is a great book from Top Shelf, and the prequel, Flesh and Bone was also released recently. The Surroagtes’ future tale tells of a world where everyone lives vicariously through robotic avatars, and daily face to face interactions with actual people are rare. Yes, it explores some deep themes but in a mature, cop tale way. Venditti’s tale itself is an interesting one. You can read all about his rise from non-comics reader to mailroom worker to Hollywood visitor in these interviews with Broken Frontier, CBR and Newsarama. At the latter you can also read the first full issue of the series by Venditti and artist Brett Weldele for free.
Hotwire Collected
Hotwire, the grand sci-fi mini-series from writer/artist Steve Pugh is now collected in Trade form. It’s by far Radical’s best series and is one of the best looking books of recent times. If you like tough, pale heroines with Blade Runner-like visuals, techno-ghosts and a superb sense of design, just grab this book. Trust me. Details below.
RADICAL COLLECTS THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED HOTWIRE
In the near future, the living and the dead share the same space. Known as “Blue Lights,” the non-living are mostly harmless, roaming the streets, hiding from city lights, scuttling in the shadows. But when they begin to appear as ghostly weapons of mass destruction, Metro Police has only one person for the job: Alice Hotwire, Detective Exorcist. Underfunded, undermanned and under investigation, her department is the only thing standing between the city and certain destruction.
Radical Publishing is proud to announce a hardcover edition of Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead, available this November. Written and illustrated by Steve Pugh (Preacher: Saint of Killers) and co-created by legendary writer Warren Ellis (Planetary, Transmetropolitan), Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead tells the story of a detective exorcist who must uncover a supernatural mystery and a new form of ghostly terrorism.
Called “an all around phenomenal book,” by Ain’t It Cool News, and “one of the most entertaining bangs for your buck,” by Newsarama, the hardcover edition of Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead collects all four issues of the critically acclaimed series in a special “director’s cut” edition with additional story pages. Also included in this collection are newly remastered tales from Alice Hotwire’s past, featuring never-before-seen pages and amazing newly painted artwork, as well as newly unearthed, previously unreleased pages written by co-creator Warren Ellis; an extensive gallery showcasing the evolution of the character; a spotlight gallery of artwork from celebrated artists Steve Pugh, Stjepan Sejic (Witchblade), Jelena Djurdjevic (The Immortal Iron Fist) and Garry Leach (Judge Dredd, Marvelman); an in-depth interview with co-creator Steve Pugh as well as a dustjacket showcasing an all new cover by Steve Pugh
Hotwire: Requiem for the Dead hardcover trade will be 128 full color pages for $19.95 and is available to order in the September 2009 Diamond Previews catalog (Diamond order code: SEP090956).
Top Cow’s Pilot Season 2009
Below is the press release, (and Marc Silvestri designs) about the latest Pilot Season special from Top Cow. Pilot Season is a grand idea – the Cow give readers a few different one-shots, fans vote and the most popular one gets its own mini-series.
FROM THE TOP SECRET FILES OF ROBERT KIRKMAN AND MARC SILVESTRI PILOT SEASON: DECLASSIFIED ONLY $1
Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that the 2009 year of Pilot Season will kick off with Pilot Season: Declassified. The 32-page full color preview book is expected to be available in stores on October 14th, 2009 and will retail for one dollar.
Five brand new comic book properties born out of the collaboration between Image partners Robert Kirkman (The Walking Dead, Invincible) and Marc Silvestri (Dark Avengers/X-Men: Utopia, The Darkness) will compete against each other to win the votes of the fans who will determine the winning property that will be rewarded with its own full series. This highly anticipated year of Pilot Season begins in November, but fans will get a first look at all five of the new properties this October in the $1 Pilot Season: Declassified. The secrets behind the inception of each property will be revealed in trailer pages, secret documents, and design sketches ripped from the pages of Marc Silvestri’s sketchbook.
For only $1, Pilot Season: Declassified continues Top Cow’s recently established annual tradition that gives fan the final say in what comic books they want to read. Since 2007, Top Cow has given fans the power to choose a Top Cow series based on a selection of one-shot Pilot Season “pilot” issues through online voting. The inaugural Pilot Season initiative garnered more than four million votes from fans across the globe.
“Pilot Season is something I look forward to each year and a unique event for the comic industry,” commented Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik, “With two creative masterminds like Robert and Marc at the helm, I have no doubt we’ll get some of the most unique and stunning creations we’ve seen in the competition to date.”
Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut Out November 3
I really enjoyed Watchmen. I saw it once at the cinema, twice on DVD, and also liked the Motion Comic and Tales of the Black Freighter. Now the whole mammoth experience is coming together in the ultimate edition. All the details below.
The limited quantity multi-disc set includes a whole new movie: Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut, which weaves Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter into Zack Snyder’s Director’s Cut.
Be the first to own the must-have collectible for Watchmen fans when Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut arrives on Blu-ray and DVD on November 3 from Warner Home Video. From director Zack Snyder, this new and complete version of the action-packed blockbuster weaves Watchmen: Tales of the Black Freighter, the animated story-within-a-story into the Director’s Cut of the film, creating a true ultimate version of the critically acclaimed story.
Available in a limited quantity of 70,000, Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut also features new commentary by Dave Gibbons and Zack Snyder along with almost 3 hours of extras, including Hollis Mason’s animated tell-all, Under the Hood. Also included is Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic. Overseen by “Watchmen” illustrator Dave Gibbons and produced by Snyder, Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comic contains all 12 chapters of “Watchmen,” the most celebrated graphic novel of all time, adding motion, voice and sound to the book’s strikingly drawn panels, spanning everything from the mysterious demise of the Comedian to the crisscrossed destinies of loosely allied superheroes to their fateful impact on the world.
From Director, Zack Snyder (300, Dawn of the Dead) Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut stars Jackie Earle Haley (Little Children, Semi-Pro), Malin Akerman (27 Dresses, The Heartbreak Kid), Billy Crudup (Mission Impossible III, Almost Famous), Jeffrey Dean Morgan (TV’s Grey’s Anatomy, Supernatural), Patrick Wilson (Lakeview Terrace, Little Children), and Carla Gugino (Race to Witch Mountain, Night at the Museum).
SYNOPSIS
Someone’s killing our super heroes. The year is 1985 and super heroes have banded together to respond to the murder of one of their own. They soon uncover a sinister plot that puts all of humanity in grave danger. The super heroes fight to stop the impending doom only to find themselves a target for annihilation. But, if our super heroes are gone, who will save us?
Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut will be available on Blu-ray (4 discs) for $59.99, and DVD (5 discs) for $43.87.
BLU-RAY and DVD ELEMENTS
· Watchmen: The Ultimate Cut film
· Audio Commentary with Zack Snyder and Dave Gibbons
· The Phenomenon: The Comic that Changed Comics (RT: 28:50) – Learn how the subversive, thematically complex, award winning comic that changed literature, inspired analytical debate, and won countless fans, was created.
· Real Super Heroes, Real Vigilantes (RT: 27:28) – Explores the fascination and psychology behind real-world vigilantes and where that behavior crosses over into actually donning the hood and behaving as superheroes.
· Mechanics: Technologies of a Fantastic World (RT: 16:46) – The creators of Watchmen had a great understanding of engineering and science, allowing for plausible mechanics in their characters tools and the world itself. This featurette will guide the viewer through the filmmakers process of turning these technologies into cinematic reality.
· Watchmen: Video Journals
· My Chemical Romance video Desolation Row (RT: 3:16)
· Under The Hood (RT: 36:00) – A retrospective look on the biography by Hollis Mason – the original Nite Owl – and the world of those who stood for hooded justice.
· Story Within A Story: The Books of Watchmen (RT: 26:00) – Weave through the nuanced layers of detail to see how a comic-within-a comic acts as parallel commentary to the acclaimed work of Literature, Watchmen.
· Digital Copy of the Theatrical Version
· Watchmen: The Complete Motion Comics
BASICS
PRODUCT SRP
4-Disc Blu-ray set $ 59.99
5-disc DVD set $ 43.87
Drawn And Quarterly Sale
For all you penny pinchers out there (which I assume is all of us these days) diverse indie publisher Drawn and Quarterly is having a sale. The guys are cleaning out their warehouse and so a lot of stuff is discounted by 30-50%. It’s an online sale only and you can check out their impressive catalogue right here.
Stephenie Meyer Bio Comic Preview
Before the Twilight sequel, New Moon hits the screens in mid-November, here’s a preview of the biographical comic about the novelist behind the magic – Stephenie Meyer. I’m one of the few fanboys who didn’t mind Twilight and I certainly don’t think the stars and its many fans, “ruined Comic-Con,” this year. The more people that maybe get exposed to comics, the better. I always thought Kristen Stewart would be a star one day too as I’ve seen her in indie flicks and popcorn films over the years. I am looking forward to New Moon, but I can wait for the DVD.
Anyway, here’s a few random pages of the Meyer bio comic from Bluewater Productions, which arrives on November 11. At least Meyer seems to have faith and talent. Boo to you Dan Brown! Underneath the pics is the official info from Bluewater.
The Diamond Comics order codes are:
$3.99 – comic book SEP090667
$6.99 -graphic novel version – SEP090668
Call your local comic book store to order.
Female Force: Stephenie Meyer
From a dream to a string of best sellers to a successful movie franchise, Stephenie Meyer has captured the imagination of millions with her stories about a young girl and her vampire lover. Now the tables are turned as Stephenie Meyer becomes the featured protagonist in a special Female Force doubled-sized one shot. Female Force: Stephenie Meyer, released just in time for the upcoming movie sequel based on her book “New Moon,” examines her rise to popularity, her Twilight saga novels and her future plans. This book will also include the history of Forks; the Washington peninsula town where her stories take place as well as other bonus material not found anywhere else.
Marvel/Aniboom Competition
Here is just one example from the new Aniboom competition, in which creative types download a bunch of pages and effects and get to work on creating their own Marvel motion comics. Prizes include cash and 50 12 month subscriptions. Check out more videos here and get involved yourself if you feel suitably challenged and/or inspired.
Nola #1 Preview
Thanks to BOOM! Studios, here’s a preview of the first issue of a new series debuting in December. Details and random preview pages below. Interesting concept. Great covers too.
An epic journey of blood-thirsty revenge in a decimated land by the acclaimed writer/director of RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR.
Post-Katrina New Orleans comes alive this December when BOOM! Studios premieres NOLA. Writer/director Chris Gorak of the critically acclaimed RIGHT AT YOUR DOOR brings you NOLA, a relentless story about dead-cold vengeance in the face of losing everything.
After cheating death, Nola Thomas wakes up alone in a deserted New Orleans hospital. Bruised, broken, and badly burned, she emerges from the flood waters of Hurricane Katrina with one thing on her mind…revenge.
“NOLA takes the revenge/crime story to a complex setting, amongst a national disaster, where crime, and poverty reached a fever pitch,” says Managing Editor Matt Gagnon. “Combine one of the most culturally rich environments on the planet with a tragedy of biblical proportions, and a passionate anti-hero with a righteous mission and you get NOLA.”
NOLA is a four issue miniseries written by Chris Gorak, scripted by Pierluigi Cothran with sensational interior art by red hot newcomer Damian Couceiro. Issue one ships with two covers in a 50/50 split, featuring art by Erik Jones (THE UNKNOWN) and Chris Brunner (HELLBLAZER), and carries a Diamond Code of SEP090694.
Awakening Interview
Described as an “existential horror,” the slow-burn zombie series, Awakening from Archaia recently launched the Trade collecting the first few issues. I interviewed writer Nick Tapalansky and artist Alex Eckman-Lawn at Broken Frontier here. While you’re there check out the latest news about the creators’ tour in the States and your chance to get a peek at Awakening Volume 2, due for release next year.
It’s a pretty entertaining book and more like a thriller than a full throttle action series. Plus, the art is suitably creepy.
Lee Covers Liberty Comics #2
The recent first issue of Liberty Comics was a great anthology and raised funds for a worthy cause – the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund. Next month’s second issue has more great contributors and a variant cover by Jim Lee. Press release, and said cover, below, and if you want to see a few more perty pics by Lee, from his story with Neil Gaiman, check out CBR’s look at Lee’s artistic process.
Image Comics Founder Jim Lee provides gorgeous rendition for the CBLDF anthology’s limited edition cover!
JIM LEE, the fan favorite artist of Batman, X-Men & WildC.A.T.s, provides the Image Comics published Comic Book Legal Defense Fund benefit anthology, LIBERTY COMICS #2 with an all-new, limited edition 1-in-25 variant cover based off his collaboration with Sandman writer NEIL GAIMAN.
“Jim has long been a true Defender of Liberty with his ongoing support of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund and his cover goes above and beyond the call of duty,” CBLDF Executive Director Charles Brownstein said. “We’re very thankful for his generosity.”
LEE and his story with NEIL GAIMAN, ‘100 Words’, lead off an all-star ensemble of industry greats in the all-new second volume of LIBERTY COMICS. Passionate comic book storytelling, all in service to an important cause, the incredible contributions list includes a Painkiller Jane story by JIMMY PALMIOTTI and JIM RUGG; a new Mr. Gum adventure from MIKE ALLRED, DAVE JOHNSON and JAMIE S. RICH; The Apocalypstix by RAY FAWKES and CAMERON STEWART, a return to Channel Zero by BRIAN WOOD; a preview of Choker by BEN MCCOOL and BEN TEMPLESMITH; and a special Martha Washington piece by DAVE GIBBONS, alongside exclusive material by PAUL POPE; KATHRYN & STUART IMMONEN; CHYNNA CLUGSTON; PAUL GRIST; and JASON AARON & MORITAT. LIBERTY COMICS already features two covers, one by Batman: The Long Halloween’s TIM SALE and a new Kick Ass image by creator JOHN ROMITA JR.
LIBERTY COMICS #2 (AUG090303), a 48-page full color comic book for $4.99, will be in stores October, 14 2009.
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