New Looks, Same Characters

Comic-Con is only days away. I’ve been twice and it is awesome (but also expensive) and as the news on panels, exclusives and celebrities ramps up, so do the freebies, including the Souvenir Book, which features the second piece of art by Jim Lee of the new Justice League. Oddly enough, or maybe not actually, Wonder Woman has her pants back on, after originally having them, and then not. It seems even DC doesn’t know what her costume should look like. Poor woman.

If you are going to Comic-Con, these exclusives (of many available) may be of interest.

Next year’s Spider-Man reboot has had a bunch of cool pics released in the pages of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly. 15 in total in fact. See more here including mechanical web shooters (as it should be), Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker/Spidey and Emma Stone as his first love (again, as it should be) Gwen Stacy.

Finally, there’s more pretty pictures at an Abduzeedo post on artist DC Miller and his excellent cartoon-ish designs on some classic characters seen in films like Star Wars, Watchmen, 300, The Dark Knight and more.

July 15, 2011
Categories: Comic Art, Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: 1 Comment

Thor on Blu-Ray and DVD in September

Well, the headline says its all, but Marvel have released the first details, although I’m sure more specific ones will be released closer to the shelf date. Here goes…

From Marvel Studios and Paramount Pictures comes a unique and compelling twist on the Super Hero genre with the out-of-this-world warrior “Thor,” debuting on high definition Blu-ray 3D, Blu-ray and DVD September 13, 2011.  Called “spectacular” (USA Today), “thrilling, entertaining and cool” (Ain’t It Cool News) the phenomenal screen debut of the legendary God of Thunder took audiences by storm, earning more than $440 million at the global box office.  When the arrogant god is banished to Earth from his home world, Asgard, and then pursued by the darkest forces of Asgard, he must learn what it takes to become a true hero in this exhilarating story that “delivers epic fireworks” (Rolling Stone).  Featuring an all-star cast including Chris Hemsworth, Natalie Portman and Anthony Hopkins, stunning visual effects and explosive action sequences, “Thor” wields outstanding entertainment that the whole family can enjoy.

The “Thor” three-disc set includes the film on Blu-ray in high-definition 3D and on high definition 2D, as well as on standard definition DVD with a digital copy.  The two-disc Blu-ray/DVD combo pack includes a high definition presentation of the film, plus a standard definition presentation with a digital copy.  Both sets come fully loaded with 80 minutes of immersive bonus materials including an exclusive special feature that goes deeper into the Marvel Universe, a sneak peek into “Marvel’s The Avengers,” an unprecedented look inside the world of director Kenneth Branagh and much more.

“Thor” Blu-ray and DVD specs

The “Thor” Blu-ray Discs are presented in 1080p high definition with English 7.1 DTS HD Master Audio, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital, Portuguese 5.1 Dolby Digital and English Audio Description with English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The DVD is presented in widescreen enhanced for 16:9 TVs with English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround and English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles.  The digital copy is presented with an English Audio track.  “Thor” will also be available as a single-disc DVD.

About “Thor”

Marvel Studios expands its film universe with a new type of Super Hero: Thor. This epic adventure spans the Marvel Universe, from present day Earth to the realm of Asgard. At the center of the story is the Mighty Thor, a powerful but arrogant warrior whose reckless actions reignite an ancient war. Thor is cast down to Earth and forced to live among humans as punishment. Once here, Thor learns what it takes to be a true hero when the most dangerous villain of his world sends the darkest forces of Asgard to invade Earth. Directed by Kenneth Branagh and produced by Kevin Feige, with Alan Fine, Stan Lee, David Maisel, Patricia Whitcher and Louis D’Esposito serving as executive producers from a screenplay by Ashley Edward Miller & Zack Stentz and Don Payne and a story by J. Michael Straczynski and Mark Protosevich, this fantasy epic  stars Australian actor Chris Hemsworth as the god of thunder, Natalie Portman as Jane Foster, a young woman who befriends Thor on Earth, Tom Hiddleston as Thor’s evil brother Loki, with Rene Russo as Frigga, the wife of Odin,  mother to Thor and Loki, and Anthony Hopkins as Odin, Thor’s father and king of Asgard. Expect to see agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., previously seen in the Iron Man movies, foreshadowing the coming of “Marvel’s The Avengers”! Thor was released by Paramount Pictures on May 6, 2011.

July 14, 2011
Categories: Movies . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

It’s All About Planet of the Apes

It’s a good time to be a POTA fan, and next month will be even better. BOOM! Studios’ new Planet of the Apes comic has recently started, and next month sees the release of the first TPB collecting the series’ first four issues for only $10, which ties into the mythology of (and is set before) the original films. The same month, the fifth issue is released, for only $1 and is the start of a new story arc.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you can’t wait until then, you might want to check out the just launched Apes webcomic, which updates every Wednesday and is written by the man behind BOOM!’s series, Daryl Gregory.

A new free five page RISE OF THE PLANET OF THE APES digital comic book story debuts on http://www.apescomics.com July 13th and each Wednesday afterwards until the final 10 page epic conclusion on August 3rd, two days before the film’s release!

It’s set before the newest film, which opens on August 5 and stars James Franco and Andy Serkis in another motion capture role.

Speaking of the film, here’s the latest trailer.

Finally, Archaia are publishing their first illustrated novel on July 25. It’s called Conspiracy of the Planet of the Apes and is described thusly:

After his spacecraft smashes into the dead sea of an alien planet, a man is separated from his fellow astronauts when a raiding party of intelligent apes attacks them. Captured, he finds himself a prisoner in a world turned upside down, with apes as the rulers and man in its zoos. His only hope is to communicate with a couple of chimpanzee scientists who just might be open-minded and compassionate enough to be sympathetic to his cause. But the man named John Landon will discover that intelligent minds, be they ape or man, all fear the unknown, and his destiny is not to become part of this new world, but instead to find himself under the knife of a simian brain surgeon on the PLANET OF THE APES.

Written by Andrew E.C. Gaska and featuring 30 full colour paintings and 19 illustrations by some great artists and a cover by Jim Steranko, it’s set within the events of the original 1968 film.

July 13, 2011
Categories: Movies, New To Comics?, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

The Dark Knight Rises Poster

The film, the final one on Christopher Nolan’s trilogy, is still a year away, but we have the first official poster. We know Bane and Catwoman are in it, and that’s about it really. Like the posters for the first two films, it doesn’t reveal much. Upon seeing it though, it did vaguely remind me of two comic covers, which also use the cityscape as a Batman design element. Below is the poster, which doesn’t even feature the title as a main element, but rather as the official site.

That’s Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight #150 from 2002, with a John Cassady cover, and the third issue of the still unreleased Batman: Europa mini-series with a cover from Diego Latorre.

July 12, 2011
Categories: Comic Art, Movies . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Amazing Spider-Man #667 Variant

Cool, and rare, variant cover below from one of the best comics cover artists around.

Spider-Island Gets Even Bigger With A Stunning Gabrielle Dell’Otto Variant for AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #667!

Kick off Spider-Island in style, with an all-new, ultra rare variant cover (1 for 100) by superstar artist Gabrielle Dell’otto! This summer, Peter Parker comes to the startling realization that he’s only one of several million people with spider-powers! As the infestation becomes an epidemic, can Spider-Man with the help of Earth’s Mightiest, find a cure? Find out as the biggest Spider-Man event of the year turns it up a notch with Amazing Spider-Man #667 Dell’Otto Variant!

Retailers should check the Marvel Mailer for information about this variant cover as well as a number of deep discounts on all issues of Spider-Island including tie-ins! No retailer will want to be unprepared for the Spider-Man event of the year!

AMAZING SPIDER-MAN #667 DELL’OTTO VARIANT (MAY118321)

Written by DAN SLOTT

Art & Cover by HUMBERTO RAMOS

Variant Cover by GABRIELLE DELL’OTTO

Rated A…$3.99

FOC – 7/18/11, ON-SALE – 8/10/11

July 11, 2011
Categories: Comic Art, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Best ’80s Cartoons

Ah, you gotta love YouTube, or more precisely, the people who taped these shows back in the day and put them on the net for all of us Gen Xers to enjoy. They really don’t make them like this anymore. I don’t know all of the 10, but DinoRiders, Voltron, Ulysses 31, Centurions and MASK sure bought back some pleasant memories. Today’s toons just don’t have cool intros incorporating vocice-overs or theme songs anymore.

Of course, there’s plenty more on YouTube where these came from.

July 11, 2011
Categories: Cartoons . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Xenobrood #1 Review

I haven’t flicked through the dollar bins at my LCS (local comic shop) in years, but recently I had a rather tiny selection of new comics, so I thought I’d revisit some oldies. I also thought it’d be a good time to cast my eyes over a few DC #1s from the ’90s, in light of September’s 52 title relaunch that the publisher is pinning their hopes on. I picked up a surprising number of older debut issues and it reminded me yet again that superhero relaunches are nothing new.

So, my aim is to look at these issues, without jumping to Wiki, and approaching them as if I was a first timer to this series. OK, let’s jump in. First up is Xenobrood #1.

Written by Doug Moench with art by Tomm Coker (whose new, excellent Image series Undying Love has been picked up for a potential film) it’s a 7 issue mini-series that has a cover date of November 1994. The best way to cast your mind back to such days is by checking out the ads inside. We have more ads for video games in this issue than we do today, including Mortal Kombat II, the Looney Tunes’ Tasmanian Devil in Taz: Escape From Mars on the Sega Genesis and Game Gear, and The Death and Return of Superman on the SNES, which I still wish I could play. House ads include a 1 year subscription for $15, and ads for Hawkman, The Flash (my fave Wally West) and Guy Gardner in his weird Warrior phase. I must admit those three ads look cool and they do seem simple and enticing enough for a newbie to be curious about.

OK, the cover.  It’s pretty generic, much like the team’s costumes, which are skintight with bits of shiny metal (another ’90s excess) and Zechaharia Leight cowering on the floor looks more weak and nerdy than he does inside. It’s a pretty standard “posing superheroes” approach that doesn’t offer much enticement, or even hint at the greater goings-on within the pages.

The first thing I noticed is that I was playing catch up with this issue right from the first page. There’s four oddly dressed beings standing in front of a young guy (with a mullet) and girl (without a mullet) in “The Genetrix Lab.” These four tell the pair that they “await your commands.”A couple of pages later and we decipher that the pair are scientists (Zechariah and Lorna) and have accidentally created/awoken these beings, who are kind of like alien genies in a bottle, here to serve their unwitting scientist masters.

It turns out that these beings were cooked from four crystals found in an ancient (and probably of alien origin) rock strata in Sumeria by Leight, and the Xenobrood are formed instantly with Lorna’s help. The first few pages show the four aliens and two humans getting to know each other while they are awkwardly given names. Astra is a ghost who can inhabit bodies and is so called because she can perform astral travel. The guy in purple emits power beams from his hands and is called “Zapatak,” since, “his zaps can attack anything.” The second female in the foursome can teleport stuff and is nicknamed Blip. Finally, the big guy in brown and gold (and with another mullet) is the strongman. They call him Thrasher since when he shows off his powers he gives a wall, “a sound thrashing.” So, that’s the obligatory origin of codenames over with, but it’s really no more cringeworthy than the similar scene in X-Men: First Class. Actually, there’s one more codename to be explained – the one on the cover, for the entire team, which comes together from Zecharaiah stating that, “People’s xenophobia is bound to click in faced with a…brood of aliens.”

Zechariah then buys an old, rundown place in a bad neighbourhood to house his new alien buddies and to protect them from the world and their lurking-in-the-wings enemies. Upon their arrival, they’re accosted by a few of the local youths. Blip teleports the teeth of the mouthy leader and drops them on his head. Nice. The rest of the Xenobrood scare off the remaining gang members with their abilities and then renovate their new abode while the last two gang members fight outside, in what is a neato idea for a sequence. Their building soon catches fire (due to the junkie hangout on the roof) so Astra flies up there, possesses the junkie’s body and jumps down into Thrasher’s arms. Another neato idea. The final page shows a guy with a white ponytail and three eyes watching all this and declaring that he must recapture the four.

A letter from editor Kevin Dooley explains the origins of this title and introduces the creative team, which isn’t a bad idea, seeing as Moench’s Batman work was everywhere at the time.

This title was actually a spinoff from DC’s previous retcon/relaunch, Zero Hour and there was a Xenobrood #0 before this which probably explained a few more details of how Leight found the crystals and formed the team.

I must admit that although the series has a premise that seems to come straight out of some harried Image meeting back in the day (“Four superpowered aliens on earth helping two scientists while avoiding alien ninjas? Sounds awesome. Get it done.”) Moench does manage to convey moments of simple humour and charm. Coker’s art is fine, with the crosshatching of the era prevalent but not distracting, and there’s some definite hints here as to Coker’s future more realistic art, with the use of facial expressions. Would I want to read the remaining six issues though? If I saw them all in the dollar bin, probably.

There seems to be some confusion as to if this was supposed to be an ongoing series (as DC’s Wikia states) or a mini-series (which the cover states) and Wiki also mentions that it was cancelled due to low sales, like  a lot of titles in the ’90s philosophy of “let’s publish every idea.” It hasn’t been collected in TPB and will probably never be, but series like this are a nice reminder that flicking through the dollar bins can sometimes be a good idea. It’s only a dollar after all.

July 10, 2011
Categories: New To Comics?, Reviews . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Extra Sequential Podcast #48-July Previews

46 mins. We look at the goodies in the latest Previews monthly catalogue, for September releasing comics. Also, Mladen guesses the identities of the new Justice League International,  plush toy that reminds us of Kevin Bacon, Ice Man’s clothing choices and the Dead Block zombie game.

LISTEN TO IT BELOW, DOWNLOAD IT HERE OR ON ITUNES

You can email us at kris (at)extrasequential(dot)com and befriend us on the NEW ES Facebook page.

1:20 NEWS

Marvel’s Facebook popularity

Dark Horizons’ best comics films list

The upcoming animated film Batman: Year One trailer

Warren Ellis and D’Israeli’s unique, ultraviolet comic, SVK

Harvey Award nominees

Read Orc stain #1 for free

Heroes and Villains comics exhibition

11:52 THEME-JULY PREVIEWS

We recommend stuff from a gamut of publishers including Dark Horse, IDW, Alterna, BOOM! Studios, and Fantagraphics. We check out comics such as a few of the DC relaunches, Ghostbusters #1, classic Flash Gordon, Jim Henson’s A Tale of Sand, Daniel Clowes’ The Death Ray, Michael Zulli’s The Fracture of the Universal Boy, Frank Miller’s Holy Terror!, Korgi, James Jean’s Rebus art book, Star Wars comics art, and blueprints books, and some possibly alluring Halloween costumes. Phew.

July 9, 2011
Categories: Comic Art, New To Comics?, Podcast . Tags: , , , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: 2 Comments

Cullen Bunn Chat

Writer Jason Aaron (Scalped, Wolverine) has a regular column at CBR in which he talks about the process of writing. His latest instalment is a brief, but insightful, interview with fellow scribe Cullen Bunn. Bunn has risen to acclaim with his work on the Oni Press series, The Sixth Gun, and he tells Aaron about the daily life of a writer and what it took to get there. For most of us dreamers, it’s a good reminder of what it takes.

I think it’s kind of funny when I hear people say they have no time to write, but they also talk endlessly about the syndicated re-run they watched just last night for the umpteenth time. I also had to (painfully) say no to hanging out with friends, playing video games and going out to the movies. A couple of weeks ago I went to see a matinee movie and it was the first thing I’ve watched at the theater in years. Basically, I cut out almost every non-essential activity. I worked late into the night and I got up early before heading to work. At lunch, I skipped going out with co-workers and locked myself in my office and wrote. Did it get old? Oh, yeah. But I knew I was working toward something and I kept telling myself I could see the light at the end of the tunnel (even on — especially on — days that I couldn’t).

Read the whole interview here.

 

July 8, 2011
Categories: Interviews, New To Comics? . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Bucky and Jason

What a sitcom this pair would make! Both characters were superhero sidekicks who had been dead for decades and were oddly resurrected a few years ago within a few weeks of each other, despite Bucky Barnes being a Marvel character and the second Robin, Jason Todd, being a character from DC Comics. Both have pretty complex histories, but Comics Alliance’s latest Comics, Everybody! post joyfully simplifies it.

Read the whole post here.

July 8, 2011
Categories: Comics, New To Comics? . Tags: , . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Best Comic Book Films

I’ve been following fellow Aussie Garth Franklin’s film site, Dark Horizons for years now, and I recommend you do too! Up there now is, what’s sure to be a much debated, list of the so-called best films based on comic books. It’s not an exhaustive list, but is pretty close with 124 entries. Franklin has worked hard to get an average score for each film, and here’s a summary of how he did it.

To do that I combined three scores for each film using three major sites – the wide-sweeping critical countings of Rotten Tomatoes, the more selective critical assessments ofMetacritic, and the open to the public IMDb user ratings.

It’s pretty interesting and is good to see non-superhero films getting their due too. Below you can see the proud top 5, and the sad bottom 5. Go here for the full list.

July 7, 2011
Categories: Movies . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Elric: The Balance Lost

I quite enjoyed the Elric #0 issue BOOM! offered during this year’s Free Comic Book Day, and I’m looking forward to this official kick-off of the new series too. Yes, what follows is a rather lengthy press release, but the point it raises of BOOM! premiering digital releases is a good one, and people tend to forget that. I remember when North Wind #1 debuted on MySpace and it being a pretty controversial move at the time. Now, however, everyone’s getting on the digital bandwagon,  including The Big Two (Marvel and DC) and realising its potential.

BOOM! STUDIOS DEBUTS ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST AS DAY-AND-DATE RELEASE

READ THE ELRIC FREE ONLINE PRELUDE AT WWW.ELRICCOMIC.COM

BUY ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST #1 IN PRINT OR DIGITALLY TODAY

THE PIONEERS OF “DAY-AND-DATE” KEEP LEADING THE FIELD

Today BOOM! Studios launches their latest epic series ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST #1 with a historic day-and-date release of print and digital, making this new series available through your local comic shop and online exclusively through the BOOM! Studios Comics App and the Comics by comiXology App at the same time! Paired with this epic promotion, BOOM! also gives comic fans a chance to try out ELRIC absolutely free through their web browser with the ELRIC FREE ONLINE PRELUDE available at www.elriccomic.com. That’s right! Three ways to try the all-new epic series ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST written byNew York Times bestselling author Chris Roberson (iZOMBIE, SUPERMAN) and drawn by white-hot artist Francesco Biagini (DINGO) based on Michael Moorcock’s seminal fantasy creation. Pick up or download your copy today!

BOOM! Studios pioneered day-and-date releases in the comic industry back in January of 2008 with the debut of the NORTH WIND series and continued this innovative promotion with HEXED a year later. With ELRIC, BOOM! enters its third year as the cutting-edge leader of “day-and-date” release.

“We were the first to do day-and-date back in 2008 and now we’re doing it again with Elric! We’re pumped to offer ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST in both print and digital on the same day partnered with a new website, www.elriccomic.com, that hosts an original 10-page story.  If you love Elric or are new to the character, the website will introduce you to the series and leads directly into the new issue for sale in print or digital!” says BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. “Chris Roberson and Francesco Biagini take Michael Moorcock’s seminal fantasy character to the next level with such an epic scope from the very first page that it’ll be hard to put down!”

“Jumping aboard an all-new comic series has never been this easy!” says BOOM! Studios Marketing & Sales Director Chip Mosher. “With so many ways to check out ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST, you’d be crazy to not take advantage of these great promotions. And be sure to let your friends know that they too can check out the exciting prelude to the ELRIC series, absolutely free at www.elriccomic.com!”

“With ELRIC, we’re not only focusing on print and mobile devices exclusively, but getting out onto internet browsers that billions of people use every day,” says Marketing & Sales Director Chip Mosher. “While there are only 25 million iPads out in the marketplace, there are billions of potential readers that have the ability to find comic books through their internet browsers. With our ELRIC microsite at www.elriccomic.com we’ve not only included a complete prelude for free, but information on how and where to buy our comics both in print and digital — linking to both print, mobile vendors, and the lesser-known web-based option where you can buy and read through the browser as well.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comic fans, be sure to visit your local comic shop today to pick up your copy of ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST #1. Not sure where there’s a comic shop near you? Visit http://www.elriccomic.com/local-comic-shop to find out! And for all you folks that love digital comics, you can download ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST #1 from the BOOM! Studios Comics App or Comics by comiXology App today!

Created by Michael Moorcock, Elric has thrilled comic fans for more than 40 years beginning with an appearance in Marvel Comics’ CONAN THE BARBARIAN #15 in 1972. Neil Gaiman called Michael Moorcock “my model for what a writer was” while Warren Ellis said he is one of the “eight core sites in my creative genome” — now, the godfather of the Multiverse concept brings one of the most critically acclaimed and most recognizable figures in the history of fantasy fiction back to sequential art with BOOM! Studios’ ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST!

And if you’ve never heard of ELRIC, you’re in luck! BOOM! Studios is offering the ELRIC FREE ONLINE PRELUDE for anyone to read online at www.elriccomic.com! Showcasing an original complete 10-page story not found in the first issue, along with artist bios and a brief history of Michael Moorcock’s Eternal Champion ELRIC!

ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST features the return of Michael Moorcock’s legendary Multiverse, featuring some of the greatest fantasy characters of all time: Elric of Melniboné, Corum of the Scarlet Robe, and Dorian Hawkmoon in a brand-new story that will test the courage of the Eternal Champion! In this new series, the workings of Fate are being tampered with across the Multiverse, upsetting the Cosmic Balance. Elric of Melniboné must preserve the Balance and save the entire Multiverse from ruin. But no sooner has his journey begun than he is waylaid by dark forces and lost on the Moonbeam Roads. Elric finds himself stranded on a world where Chaos holds sway and where change is the only constant. Heroes are forced into action far and wide, but will they fight on the side of Law or Chaos?

With both the BOOM! Studios Comics App on the iOS platform and the Comics by comiXology App on iOS and Android devices, you can buy ELRIC on either your iPhone, iPad or Android device and enjoy it on that device. When you buy a comic on one of these mobile platforms, you can also enjoy reading the comic through the comics.comixology.com website. If you do not own a mobile device and want to read the comic digitally, all you have to do is go to comics.comixology.com to buy ELRIC to read on your PC or Mac through your browser. Utilizing www.elriccomic.com as an introduction and a portal gives comic book readers an easy way to enjoy the free prelude, then buy the first issue in print at their local comic shop, on their mobile device or on their browser.

In late August, comic book retailers everywhere will be able to participate in the sales of BOOM! Studios digital comics as BOOM! Studios and comiXology roll out retailer digital store fronts.

ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST #1 debuts in print and digitally today, July 6, 2011, and is written by Chris Roberson (iZOMBIE, SUPERMAN) and drawn by Francesco Biagini (DINGO) and includes an afterword by Neil Gaiman. This title ships with A & B covers in a 50/50 split with art by Francesco Mattina and Francesco Biagini respectively, as well as a 1-in-10 incentive cover by Dennis Calero and a 1-in-25 incentive cover by Tim Bradstreet. This premiere issue can be purchased at your local comic shop, through the BOOM! Studios Comics App, Comics by comiXology App and the web atcomics.comixology.com for $3.99. ELRIC: THE BALANCE LOST #1 carries a Diamond Code of MAY110918.

July 6, 2011
Categories: Comic Art, New To Comics?, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

27 Aliens

Image Comics imprint Shadowline released 2 new upcoming series today. The killer premise of 27 (a conspiracy asking why so many famous musicians die at 27) gets collected, and a sequel, and a teaser image annoucning an October releasing project, presumably called Xenoholics.

27: SECOND SET ROCKS
Soule and Podesta Return To the Stage With 27 Backup Story & Second Miniseries

Image Comics and Shadowline recently announced that 27, the first story arc of the sell out miniseries by writer Charles Soule (Strongman) and artist Renzo Podesta, will be followed by a second story arc. The second arc, 27: SECOND SET, will include more mysteries of rock and roll history, more of those talented and famous musicians that become legend, and more untimely deaths!

27: FIRST SET has wrapped up and is already on sale. This first collection includes issues 1-4 as well as a new 12-page backup story called “Crossroad Blues.”
“We’re thrilled to bring readers more of this excellent comic,” said Shadowline Publisher and Image founder Jim Valentino. “Everything about this book, from Scott Forbe’s gorgeous covers, Renzo Podesta’s edgy interior art, and Charles Soule’s dark twists about the mysteries of rock and roll legend spells great storytelling. This book has it all!”
Not only does the first volume include new material, but as a show of appreciation to fans, Charles Soule hid a puzzle contest within the pages of the first miniseries story arc. The first person to solve the puzzle will win a plane ticket to this year’s San Diego Comic Con!
“While I know a ton of people have been working on it, I may have made it too tricky, because no one has actually solved the puzzle yet!” explained Soule. “So, I decided to change up the rules just a bit – after all, I do want someone to win. I put the answer to the puzzle into the 27: FIRST SET trade – it’s right there in the back, in plain English. The solution involves doing a certain thing, and anyone who picks up the trade and does that thing within a week after the book hits shelves will be entered into a drawing for the plane ticket. It’s open to everyone, and I hope plenty of people give it a shot!”

27: FIRST SET TP (APR110417), a 136-page Golden Age size full color trade paperback, is on sale now for $16.99. 27: SECOND SET #1 (JUL110437), a 32 page full color comic book for $3.99, is available to order in the July edition of the Diamond Previews catalog, and goes on sale in September. For more information about Charles Soule, the 27 series, and the puzzle contest, visit http://charlessoule.wordpress.com or follow him on Twitter @charlessoule.

July 5, 2011
Categories: Comic Art, Comics, New To Comics?, News . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

Courageous Cats and Swords

It’s very encouraging to see the team from Sherwood Pictures, from Sherwood Baptist Church gaining more ground with each new film, and it just goes to show how much the church can do when they pull together. Sure, some cynics may scoff at its mainly amateur cast, but after the praise heaped on their previous films Flywheel, Facing The Giants, and Fireproof, this is sure to be another winner. Courageous is out on September 30.

As discovered by Bleeding Cool, what looks like most of the first 9 and a bit minutes of Cartoon Network’s upcoming ThunderCats reboot has made its way online, plus a cool new trailer. It has all the characters you know and love, including young prince Lion-O, Cheetara, Tygra (whose Lion-O’s brother here), WilyKit and Kat and more. There’s plenty of action packed exposition and it has a great anime flavour. I’m hanging out for this. It has its 1 hour premiere in July.

Hmmm…the director of the Resident Evil films takes on a literary classic and casts his wife as a balletic assassin. It’s out on October 14.

Surely Orlando Bloom must be tired of all the period costumes by now.

July 4, 2011
Categories: Movies . Tags: . Author: Kris Bather . Comments: Leave a comment

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