According to the Blu-Ray back cover of September’s animated Superman/Batman: Public Enemies film, DC’s next animated adventure is called Justice League: Crisis on Two Earths. That’s all we know at this stage, apart from it being released sometime next year. I guess it’s a focus on the JLA and the introduction of the Multiverse in animated form.
Well, maybe. Marvel’s celebrating their 70th anniversary this year and are bringing the party to you. If you live in the U.S that is.
MARVEL CELEBRATES MAJOR MILESTONE
MARVEL COMICS 70th Anniversary Parties Nationwide
On August 11, 2009, Over 500 Comic Shop Retailers and Select Barnes & Noble Stores Across the Country Are Set to Celebrate
To celebrate its 70th anniversary, Marvel Comics will commemorate the milestone event on Tuesday, August 11th with special anniversary parties taking place around the world! Over 500 comic shop retailers will be hosting parties to celebrate the comic book giant’s 70 year history from 1939 to today. These events will be offering: early on sale release of The Marvels Project #1, an all new series detailing the origins of super heroes in the Marvel Universe by the creative team behind the worldwide sensation The Death Of Captain America; exclusive limited edition variants, a remastered version of the very first comic Marvel published, Marvel Comics #1, special sales, and more. To download a full list of retailers participating in Marvel 70th Anniversary parties, go here. All retailer parties begin at 9pm local time.
In addition, at 7:00 PM local time, Barnes & Noble will be hosting five in-store events in Los Angeles , New York , Atlanta , Portland and Seattle , with appearances by some of the biggest names in the comic book world, hosting Q&A sessions and a chance to get your favorite comics autographed. Also appearing at these events are some of the most beloved characters from the Marvel Universe.
Barnes & Noble locations include:
NYC SPECIAL GUESTS IRON MAN AND SPIDER-MAN
150 E 86TH Street
New York , NY
Creators:
Joe Quesada Marvel Editor in Chief
Chris Claremont
Greg Pak
Klaus Janson
Fred Van Lente
ATLANTA SPECIAL GUEST WOLVERINE
2900 Peachtree Road NE
Atlanta , GA 30305
Creators:
Daniel Way
Paul Jenkins
Mark Bagley
LOS ANGELES SPECIAL GUEST HULK
The Grove at Farmer’s Market
189 Grove Drive Suite K 30
Los Angeles , CA 90036
Creators:
Jeph Loeb
Craig Kyle
Chris Yost
Mark Waid
PORTLAND SPECIAL GUEST ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
Clackamas Towne Center Mall
2000 SE 82nd Avenue
Portland , OR 97266
Creators:
Brian Michael Bendis
Jeff Parker
Rick Remender
SEATTLE SPECIAL GUEST CAPTAIN AMERICA
2675 NE University Village Street .
Seattle , WA 98105
Creators:
Ed Brubaker
Clayton Crain
And after you’re done at participating Barnes & Noble stores, follow your favorite heroes to participating local comic shops around the country for parties beginning at 9pm!
NYC SPECIAL GUESTS IRON MAN AND SPIDER-MAN
Midtown Comics Times Square
200 W 40th Street (Corner of 7th Avenue )
New York , NY 10018
ATLANTA SPECIAL GUEST WOLVERINE
Great Escape Comics & Games
1050 East Piedmont Road
Suite D
Marietta , GA 30062
LOS ANGELES SPECIAL GUEST HULK
Golden Apple
7018 Melrose Ave
LA, CA 90038
PORTLAND SPECIAL GUEST ULTIMATE SPIDER-MAN
Cosmic Monkey Comics
5335 NE Sandy Blvd.
Portland , OR 97213
SEATTLE SPECIAL GUEST CAPTAIN AMERICA
Comic Book Ink
1625 East 72nd and Portland ave.
Suite 800
Tacoma , WA 98404
For more information on Marvel’s 70th Anniversary, go here.
All comic shop events start at 9:00 PM local time and will run from one to two hours. To learn more about parties in your area, please go here. And remember—Make Mine ’39!
Archaia are obviously pleased as punch to share this with the world. It’s great news for creator David Petersen too, as his fantasy epic starring mice and assorted creatures flies off the shelves. Press release below.
‘MOUSE GUARD: WINTER 1152’ IS A ‘NEW YORK TIMES’ BEST SELLER
DEBUTS AT #4 ON THE HARDCOVER GRAPHIC BOOKS BEST SELLER LIST
Archaia is proud to announce that Archaia’s own Mouse Guard Vol. 2: Winter 1152 by David Petersen has debuted at #4 on The New York Times Hardcover Graphic Books Best Seller List, week ending August 1.
The rankings on the list, according to The New York Times, “reflect sales of graphic novels, for the week ending August 1, at many thousands of venues where a wide range of books are sold nationwide. These include hundreds of independent book retailers (statistically weighted to represent all such outlets); national, regional and local chains; online and multimedia entertainment retailers; university, gift, supermarket, discount department stores and newsstands. In addition, these rankings also include unit sales reported by retailers nationwide that specialize in graphic novels and comic books.”
“I am amazed and honored that Mouse Guard Vol. 2: Winter 1152 even made a list like The New York Times Best Sellers,” said Petersen. “I’m already proud of the work I did on this book, so to see the fans are eager to read it only makes the whole experience more fulfilling and I thank them for that!”
“To keep this one short and sweet, Mouse Guard exemplifies all things Archaia strives to be with every single title,” said PJ Bickett, president of Archaia. “David deserves every accolade and praise and he has paved the way for what a successful Creator title should represent.”
Also available from Archaia are previous Mouse Guard titles Mouse Guard Vol. 1: Fall 1152 and the Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game. For a complete list of Archaia’s Graphic Novel Backlist, see pg. 199 in the August 2009 issue of Previews catalog.
Atomic Comics are having a rather generous sale next week on Marvel products to celebrate Marvel’s 70th anniversary this year. Details below and at Atomic’s website.
The following DC titles are now available on iTunes, while Green Lantern: First Flight and Watchmen: Director’s Cut are also available on DVD, Blu-Ray and On Demand. Here’s 2 preview clips for your vieiwing pleasure.
The new Superman: Red Son Motion Comic is available here.
Green Lantern: First Flight can be bought here and Watchmen: Director’s Cut can be purchased here. Ain’t technology grand?
I saw these guys at Comic-Con where they debuted this impressive trailer for their upcoming film, Resistance, which garnered a lot of well-deserved attention. Watch it from about 1:42 and be even more impressed.
And the love of classic comics characters continues. It’s not only Dynamite and Alex Ross that are getting in to the act. Press release below.
AFTER MUCH SPECULATION, DARK HORSE ANNOUNCES THE RETURN OF TUROK®, DOCTOR SOLAR, MAGNUS, AND MIGHTY SAMSON
DARK HORSE TEAMS WITH COMICS LEGEND, JIM SHOOTER, TO EXPAND GOLD KEY COMICS’ SUPERHEROES
In a packed panel on Saturday morning during Comic Con, Dark Horse president, Mike Richardson called a surprise guest to announce Dark Horse’s plans to develop new comics and graphic novels for the Gold Key Comics’ superheroes. Fans were shocked to see Jim Shooter enter the room; the man recently named the “Steve Jobs of Comics” by Comic Book Bin.
Shooter is perhaps best known for his nine year tenure at Marvel Comics, beginning in 1982, with highlights including Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s run on the Uncanny X-Men, and Frank Miller’s run on Daredevil. Also under Shooter’s editorial reign, Walt Simonsen revamped The Mighty Thor and made it again a bestseller. Following his successful run at Marvel, Shooter launched the well-received Valiant comics imprint in the early 90s, bringing many of Marvel’s creators with him.
Now, Jim Shooter comes to Dark Horse as head writer for the re-launch of the Gold Key Comics characters: Turok, Son of Stone®, Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, Magnus, Robot Fighter, and Mighty Samson, with further characters and new comic writers to be announced shortly.
“It’s great to be at Dark Horse, working with Mike Richardson, world-class creator, honorable gentleman and industry powerhouse” said Jim Shooter. “It’s great to be reunited with Magnus, Solar, Turok, Samson and the other wonderful Gold Key properties. The opportunity is tremendous and the time is ripe. Let’s do it.”
“Jim and I share a great affection for these terrific characters. We have some very exciting ideas on how to introduce them to a whole new generation of fans.” said Mike Richardson, president of Dark Horse Comics.
Turok®
An original comic book hero, Turok is best known today for a successful video game franchise boasting more than five million units sold since the first game was introduced in the 1990s. The legend of the brave and ruthless dinosaur-hunter has lived on for more than thirty years in comic book series from Dell Comics, Gold Key Comics and Valiant. Anthologies of the original classic comics are now available from Dark Horse Comics.
Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom
Doctor Solar must find a way to become normal again after surviving an explosion that leaves him with the power to control atomic energy. When danger and disaster threaten the innocent, Solar leaps into action as the “Man of the Atom.” One of Gold Key Comics’ most popular titles in the 1960s, the original nuclear-powered superhero reached legendary status by the 1990s in new comics from Valiant. The original classic comics now appear in hardcover anthologies published by Dark Horse Comics.
Magnus, Robot Fighter
Haling from the year 4,000 A.D. is the stalwart hero of humanity, Magnus, Robot Fighter. These gripping adventure stories, in which a human who battles evil robots in the sprawling futuristic city of North Am, elevated the comic book medium when they debuted in the 1960s from Gold Key Comics, and captured the imagination of millions in new comics published thirty years later by Valiant. The original science-fiction classics now appear in hardcover anthologies published by Dark Horse Comics.
Mighty Samson
A popular Gold Key Comics character from the 1960s and 70s, the post-apocalyptic adventures of Mighty Samson are set in the land of N’Yark, an earth devastated by nuclear war. Amazingly large and strong, Samson uses his mutant strength only for good—and to protect his friends, Sharmain and Mindor, responsible for saving his life.
I remember the Spidey cartoon from the 1990s. It was a good decade for comics related toons, with Batman: The Animated Series and the X-Men being faithful to their printed origins. Now the Spidey toon is available for free on Marvel’s web-site. Details below.
MARVEL DIGITAL LAUNCHES 1990’s HIT ANIMATED SERIES SPIDER-MAN
First episode available on Marvel.com on August 5, 2009
Adding to its ever-growing selection of streaming video, featuring award winning animated TV series and innovative original short-form video, Marvel Comics announced the launch of the 1994 animated series, Spider-Man on Marvel.com, featuring Marvel’s seminal web-slinging Super Hero. This original 65 episode series aired from 1994-1998 and will be available for free starting on Wednesday, August 5th on Marvel.com. A new 30-minute episode will be made available each week. The 1994 Spider-Man series was created and produced by Bob Richardson and Stan Lee. Christopher Daniel Barnes provides voice over for Peter Parker/Spider-Man.
The 1994 Spider-Man series joins other new and classic Marvel animated TV series available free on Marvel.com, including Wolverine and the X-Men, the 1990’s X-Men series, the 1960’s Spider-Man series, X-Men Evolution, Fantastic Four: World’s Greatest Heroes and the live-action Japanese Spiderman series.
For more information on Marvel’s video offerings, digital comics, motion comics and more please visit Marvel.com at http://www.marvel.com
I first saw the simple image of Oblivion from Radical a while ago and wondered what it was. The publisher has a good handle on sci-fi epics and has been making strong steps in to the film biz lately, so this bodes well. Press release below.
TRON LEGACY’s JOSEPH KOSINSKI SET TO DIRECT OBLIVION
Coming out of San Diego Comic-Con International, Radical Publishing is proud to announce that Joseph Kosinski, director of the upcoming Tron Legacy, is slated to direct Oblivion as a full-length feature film, based on the upcoming hardcover book also created by the director. Oblivion will be produced by Kosinski alongside Radical Publishing’s President and Publisher Barry Levine, filmmaker David Fincher (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button) and Anonymous Content’s David Morrison. Radical Publishing’s Executive Vice President Jesse Berger is attached as executive producer.
Set in the distant future, Oblivion revolves around a court-martialed soldier who is exiled to a desolate planet ravaged by the wrath of time. During his efforts to explore his surroundings and bring an end to the last remains of a primitive alien race, he comes across a mysterious traveler. Through the help of this enigmatic traveler, the soldier begins to question everything he knows – both about the galaxy at large and himself.
“I was looking to make a science fiction film that I could do on a budget,” stated Kosinski of the initial concept. “It’s grown since then, but it’s intended to be a very spare science fiction film, with a small cast but big ideas and big landscapes.”
“We’re very excited to have Joe Kosinski’s Oblivion at Radical,” said Barry Levine. “This our very first non comic property and the first book to debut in our illustrated novels collection. Not only has Joe crafted a unique vision for this book, he’s managed to create an incredible world and a compelling story. We’re pleased and proud to be a part of this project and fans will be overwhelmed with what we are planning for this book’s release.”
Oblivion will debut as a Hardcover hybrid novel in a landscape format, mixing the traditional text based novel with highly rendered illustrations. The book is set for a San Diego Comic-Con 2010 release under the Radical Books imprint.
Something strange is going to happen with the Punisher in November, judging by Marvel’s latest teaser simply image entitled Frankencastle. Also just released is Steve Kurth’s variant cover to Ultimate Armor Wars #1, which is being released on September 16. Marvel describes it thusly:
ULTIMATE ARMOR WARS #1
COVER BY: Steve Kurth
WRITER: Warren Ellis
PENCILS: Steve Kurth
THE STORY:
Exploding from the ruins of ULTIMATUM, Tony Stark races against time to save his crippled corporation and stop the theft of his armored arsenal! Superstar writer Warren Ellis (ULTIMATE HUMAN) teams up with rising talent Steve Kurth (IRON MAN) to bring you a globe-spanning, high-octane thriller with a blast from Tony’s past that you’ve gotta see to believe!
And the Twilight bandwagon rolls on. Press release below.
“TWILIGHT” IN THE SPOTLIGHT: STEPHENIE MEYER FEATURED IN “FEMALE FORCE” BIO COMIC
In time for the November theatrical release of “The Twilight Saga: New Moon,” Bluewater Productions announced it is producing two versions of an upcoming biography comic on best selling author Stephenie Meyer.
“Female Force: Stephenie Meyer”, scheduled for release right before the movie hits theaters on, November 20th, provides readers two options: a standard 22-page version and a double-sized collector’s edition that contains a variety of extras.
“We get to turn the tables on Meyers and she becomes the featured protagonist,” said Bluewater’s president Darren G. Davis. “And we are going to tell her story in a very fun, respectful and unique way.”
The comic, written by Ryan Burton (“Flying Saucers vs. The Earth”) examines her rise to popularity, her “Twilight” saga novels, the launching of the successful movie franchise and her future plans. According to Burton, a very recognizable and iconic vampire will serve as the story’s narrator.
“It’s an equally strange and great feeling to write about an author of this magnitude, especially in a format that’s near and dear to my heart. I think it’s brilliant that Stephenie Meyer’s story will be read by both fans of her work, and fans of the comic book medium,” Burton said.
The alternate 40-page collector’s edition will include the history of Forks; the Washington peninsula town where her stories take place as well as other bonus material not found anywhere else.
The title is being drawn by Dave Macneil and Vinnie Tartamella provides the cover art.
Meyer, Named USA Today’s “Author of the Year” in 2008, is the first author of fiction featured in the Female Force series. The series, to date, has published biographies on such influential women as Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Sarah Palin and Princess Diana.
“Female Force” offers a broad examination of strong and influential women who are shaping modern history and culture.
“Stephenie Meyer has captured the imagination of millions. She has parlayed her stories into a cottage industry and that’s why we felt she was indeed a “Female Force’,’” Davis added. “Also, I’m hooked on the books like everyone else!”
Davis notes other prominent and influential female authors, business executives, entertainers, journalists, politicians and activists are currently in development.
The monthly comic book series, launched earlier this year, has drawn considerable media attention, including features on CNN, MSNBC, Fox News, and “Live with Regis and Kelly.” It has also been featured in such periodicals as People Magazine, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, USA Today and thousands of blogs and other media outlets.
The suggested retail price (SRP) for the upcoming comic book is $3.99 for the standard 22-page version and $6.99 for the 40-page trade paperback collector’s edition.
I’ve been familiar with this unique action, kung-fu series for a while now. The blend of comics and short films is a great idea. I spoke to the guys behind Justice For Hire at Comic-Con and picked up a few things from them, and now they’re launching onto the iPhone, which is an impressive step. Press release below.
“JFH: Justice-For-Hire” Launches on iPhone and Vuze
Following the critically acclaimed comic book’s first season in 2008 and the continuing web series in 2009, the world’s first “ultra-realistic” mixed martial arts action series, “JFH: Justice-For-Hire”, has officially partnered with iPhone developer Iconology, Inc., and Vuze, the world
leading provider of online high definition (HD) video content.
Iconology, Inc.’s iPhone application (app), Comics by ComiXology, debuted at last week’s San Diego Comic Con, and within days shot up the ranks of iTunes’ top selling e-books to the number two position, which it continues to hold this week. “JFH is a fun, high-action, innovative book with some great video content attached. We’re excited to get Creative Impulse comics on the Comics by ComiXology iPhone OS app,” stated Iconology’s principle, David Steinberger. While the “JFH” comic book series is currently available in the Comics app, ComiXology plans a stand-alone “JFH” app to launch this summer, packaged with the live action content that has distinguished the series and the Creative Impulse Entertainment (CIE)
company from the pack of traditional comic book publishers.
Vuze launched both a “JFH: Justice-For-Hire” Channel and a new Media Hub site dedicated to “JFH,” on the Vuze HD Network. According to Jeff Rowe, Vuze’s Executive Produce, “Vuze is thrilled to be partnering with JFH in delivering their cutting edge web series to avid fans on Vuze.”
“We are totally enthusiastic about the partnerships with Vuze and Iconology,” said CIE chief executive officer and “JFH” creator Jan Lucanus. “They are both special companies that are driven by the same goal as Creative Impulse, which is to make the coolest content possible
and get it out to the people in a massive way. Vuze and Iconology are leading the pack in digital distribution, and we are pushing the boundaries of innovation, so it’s a win-win for all, especially the fans”.
To download the Comic app, go here. For the “JFH” Media Hub (launching August 5), go here
and for the “JFH” Channel, go here. Visit www.CreativeImpulseEnt.com
for further information.
From the fine folks at Ardden Entertainment (who I interviewed for Extra Sequential #2) is the long awaited last issue of their new Flash Gordon series, but a new series will debut shortly. Flash Gordon #6 has sold out via Diamond distribution, but re-order copies will be available soon, and available in August is the TPB collecting all 6 issues of The Mercy Wars. Info below.
In this thrilling conclusion to ‘The Mercy Wars’ story arc, Flash, Dale, Zarkov, Barin, Thun, Vultan and their army of Lion Men, Arborian Rangers, and Hawk Men take the fight directly to Ming’s palace! Meanwhile, a new, though familiar, threat rears its head, leading into the next exciting Flash Gordon arc!
Keep an eye out for FLASH GORDON: INVASION OF THE RED SWORD #1, coming this Fall!
Scheduled for a February 2010 release is an animated adaptation of the Greg Pak-penned 2003 Planet Hulk storyline form Marvel Comics. Below is the trailer. It’s not really doing it for me, though the Hulk Vs DVD was very enjoyable.
comicbookjesus 