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.
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 Mutantsbegins 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!
The fact that this August-releasing prequel exists will surprise a lot of people. It stars James Franco, Brian Cox, Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire) and Andy Serkis, who applied similar techniques to Gollum and King Kong. It could be a good film, but the driving Inception-like score on this first trailer is annoying.
Planet of the Apes has a new BOOM! comic out, to be sure, but there hasn’t been a film out in the franchise since Tim Burton’s version in 2001. Is there a hunger to see another one? I’m unsure, but starting afresh with this modern day prequel is a good choice, with it’s moral dilemmas and intelligent apes.
I’ve been meaning to mention this for far too long, but never got around to it. It’d be a shame to never mention it as it does deserve some attention, so here goes. It’s a great audio drama called Spirit Blade that, although is the kind of future set tale in which the government controls everything, still offers something intriguing, with its refreshing spiritual tones and surprisingly, even a few songs. I must admit, I was rather taken aback when I first heard singing, as I wasn’t expecting it at all, but everything about this production is classy and professional. Now, I’ve never been a regular listener of audio dramas, but i did find this quite believable and entertaining.
I recently moved house, and before I did I used to listen to this on my hour long train rides each day. Since I’m now closer to work, I don’t listen to anything really as my journey is now made up of two much shorter train rides. That means it’s been a few weeks since I last listened to this, so I’ll let the team behind Spirit Blade explain it.
SPIRIT BLADE is a full-cast Audio Drama that uses cinematic sound design, a pulse pounding score, and dynamic acting and musical performances to unleash an action-packed experience for your ears and imagination!
In a future where the government mandates the spiritual beliefs of its citizens, only a few rebellious “Seekers of Truth” remain to free the world from deception.
On his quest for meaning, Merikk follows a path that leads him across our world, and into another. Against his will he is thrown into action alongside members of the Underground Liberation, standing face to face against forces human, alien and demonic. Science fiction and the supernatural collide in a genre-bending adventure! Open your mind and then brace for impact as you discover the power of the Spirit Blade!
Spirit Blade is designed to appeal to fans of science fiction, fantasy and big action films. It is a dark and edgy story with songs and a soundtrack that fans of industrial electronic music will enjoy.
The voice acting and sound effects are great and once Merikk has his eyes opened to the world he’s really living in, the pace and scale and intensity of the story ramps up considerably. For a long story, it’s always easy to follow and the creation of the world just by dialogue is convincing.
You can find heaps of freebies about this unique production here, such as previews and interviews, to see if it’s your cup of tea. Honestly, this is a great time for Christian produced art, with the likes of church driven Sherwood Pictures getting mainstream attention for films like Fireproof and the upcoming Courageous.
Spirt Blade is a 2 and a half hour audio drama and you can buy it in CD ($13) or Mp3 format ($10) right here, as well as other audio dramas, such as the sequel to Spirit Blade, Dark Ritual, which was produced more recently and seems more polished.
Could Warner Bros. have undone all the progress they made with those awesome 4 minutes of Green Lantern film footage shown at Wondercon? Quite possibly, and here’s how – 3 full body looks at Ryan Reynolds’ CGI costume. Will people ignore the fact that we can see his individual toes or will the lack of proper footwear be this millenium’s Bat nipples (as seen in Joel Schumacher’s late ’90s Batman films)?
The domino mask still looks wonky but I can understand why the film makers chose the approach of making the GL suit like a ring constructed body glove, rather than thousands of superhero costumes on different alien races, as it puts the film more in the sci-fi category rather than the superhero category, but it’s still not quite right.
On a positive note, Warner Bros. have chosen their new big screen General Zod wisely, as actor Michael Shannon (TV’s Boardwalk Empire) will portray the Kryptonian villain. From the few films I’ve seen him in, he exudes a confidence and creepiness rather well. The film is now officially called Man of Steel and will be released in December 2012.
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!
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.
I saw this is the monthly Previews catalogue last month and it looks pretty interesting. If you’re not sick of all-ages tales where the villains are the main characters, such as Despicable Me and Megamind, then this could be for you. I doubt it will be another sell out like the recent wave of Image titles, as they are mostly for mature audiences. However, I could very well be wrong. If you didn’t see the sneak peek in March’s Previews, go here to see 4 pages from the fun comic.
GLADSTONE’S SCHOOL IS NOW IN SESSION
Writer Mark Andrew Smith and Artist Armand Villavert Give Readers an Education in Villainy This May
Veteran Image scribe Mark Andrew Smith (AMAZING JOY BUZZARDS, the Eisner-winning POPGUN anthology, and the two-time Harvey nominated THE NEW BRIGHTON ARCHEOLOGICAL SOCIETY) has teamed up with the clean, crisp lines of Armand Villavert to present a brand new title, GLADSTONE’S SCHOOL FOR WORLD CONQUERORS. This series offers a new perspective on the villain training process and a fun new story for kids of all ages to enjoy.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled about GLADSTONE’S SCHOOL FOR WORLD CONQUERORS! Creating the story and the characters has been a truly exciting experience,” Smith exclaimed. “We’re building an entire universe here with GLADSTONE’S and hope the characters will become recognizable icons in the future. GLADSTONE’S has taken on a life of its own. There are so many facets of the GLADSTONE’S universe that we look forward to exploring. Readers are going to fall in love with the universe we’re creating!”
Artist Armand Villavert said, “GLADSTONE’S has been a labor of love for more than 4 years now. I’ve enjoyed drawing GLADSTONE’S every step of the way, mostly because the characters have a great amount of emotion and fun to them. I love drawing and expressing facial expressions and really conveying to the readers what the character is thinking. I hope those readers will have as much fun reading it as I’ve had drawing it. GLADSTONE’S is funny, action packed, and dramatic and I hope I continue to work on it for years to come.”
GLADSTONE’S SCHOOL FOR WORLD CONQUERORS #1 takes place at a top secret academy where many children of the world’s greatest super villains go to learn the family trade. Kid Nefarious, Mummy Girl, Martian Jones, Ghost Girl, and the infamous Skull brothers must navigate the trials of Gladstone’s as they unearth the school’s and their parents’ hidden past. In this action-packed but lighthearted romp, the students find themselves at a time when they must deal with both the problems of growing up as a child of infamous lineage as well as just plain growing up in general.
GLADSTONES SCHOOL FOR WORLD CONQUERORS #1, a 40 page full-color all-ages super villain/adventure comic book, is in stores soon on May 4, 2011 for $2.99.
59 mins. We chat about some of our fave comic book parodies, including poking fun at superheroes. Also the Star Wars episode of That ’70s Show, the beauty of modern video games and Scream 4.
Next DC animated film based on Tower of Babel JLA storyline
DC’s Retro-Active series of one-shots
Supernatural: The Anime Series to be released in July
The 4 minutes of the Green Lantern film that have been officially released
13:43 WHAT WE’VE BEEN READING
Kris – Action Comics #899 filled with Lex vs Braniac and madcap action
Who Is Jake Ellis? #3 by Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic
Undying Love #1 by Tomm Coker and Daniel Freedman. Another winner from Image Comics about a human in love with a Chinese vampire.
Mladen – Crossing Midnight Volume 1 from Mike Carey and Jim Fern about twins born just before and just after midnight. Strange abilities, greedy demons and more ensue.
I haven’t followed the monthly X-Men adventures since the ’90s, but I buy the occasional issue and know enough to understand what’s going on. Marvel’s new Point One one-shots are a good way to help new readrs get the gist though. Uncanny X-Men #534.1 by Kieron Gillen (who has been co-writing with Matt Fraction until now) and Carlos Pacheco is an entertaining newbie-friendly book. It opens with Kate Kildare, a superhuman PR specialist and Donald Evans, a respected photographer landing on the island of Utopia, where the few remaining mutants dwell to give the X-Men some spin so the public will love them more. That’s needed these days, as Magneto is now on the team, and he’s the focus of this issue. That’s not much bad guy bashing, but two pretend A.I.M agents (who are rather amusing) do get a smackdown. They threaten an earthquake in San Francisco and Namor (also a new X-Men member) tells them that, “Only Namor has the ability to make the earth move, and he reserves that privilege for one woman at a time.” It seems out of character, but it is funny. Kate’s chat with Magneto, which includes his philisophies, and a suggested costume change is the main plot of this issue. They chat about the difference between public relations and propaganda, Machiavelli, and if it’s better to be loved or feared. As a talky issue, it lays out Magento’s complex personality very well. Pacheco’s manga tendencies are softened with the inks of Cam Smith, Dan Green and Nathan Lee (yes, 3 inkers. Wow.) and Erik actually looks his age for once, rather than a generic bodybuilder with grey hair.
Superman/Batman Annual #5 – Reign of Doomsday. Superman’s spiky killer Doomsday has been doing the rounds in a few DC titles lately, and this annual picks up after JLA #55 and continues in Superboy #6. It features great art by Miguel Sepulveda, which looks kind of like a cross between Phil Jiminez and Jae Lee. James Robisnson writes this action packed issue. Despite the title, it doesn’t really feature Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent, but rather Dick Grayson as Batman, and Supergirl. For most of the tale Kara (initially in her black costume) is stuck in safety of sick bay in the JLAWatchtower base as she’s sick. After receiving a diagnosis from Dr Mid-Nite and advice from Dr. Fate, (or rather the man under the golden helmet, Kent Nelson), she gets her health and classic costume back and begins punching. Most of the action here is between cyborg Superman and Doomsday, as Cyborg Supes uses the Watchtower itself as a weapon. Doomsday however easily adapts to the attack and becomes Cyborg Doomsday, seen in an awesome double page transformation. Driven mainly by Cyborg Superman’s death wish narration, and a brief Dick and Kara team up inside, it also Blue Lantern Saint Walker and Mikaal Starman are stuck outside and see the Watchtower transform first into Cyborg Supes’ face and then DD’s. Sure it’s in the middle of a story arc I’m not following, but it looks great and Cyborg Supes has always been one of my fave DC bad guys.
Nonplayer #1 has received a lot of praise, and deservedly so. I actually read a preview digital copy last week, but loved it so much I picked up a print copy too, and it looks even more awesome on paper. I, and Mladen, talked about it in our latest podcast, but as every other reviewer who’s read this will tell you – get a copy of this unique sci-fi/fantasy/virtual life debut from Nate Simpson. If you can find a copy that is.
Thankfully a second printing will be released on May 11.
For an old French sci-fi novel, Planet of the Apes sure has some longevity. The upcoming prequel has now had a third title change and is now known as Rise of the Planet of the Apes. It stars James Franco and Andy Serkis and opens in August. If you can’t wait that long, BOOM! Studios has you sorted. The publisher is releasing its new Planet of the Apes comic at the end of this month. Multiple covers and preview pages below.
HITTING STORE SHELVES APRIL 27, 2011!
BOOM! Studios brings you a stunning first look at the all-new ongoing PLANET OF THE APES comic series hitting store shelves April 27,2011! It’s a bold new vision of the classic Apes universe written by award-winning sci-fi novelist Daryl Gregory (Dracula: The Company of Monsters, Pandemonium) and drawn by sensational artist Carlos Magno (Green Lantern Corps). So be sure to contact your local comic shop to reserve your copy of PLANET OF THE APES #1 today!
Taking place before the original 1968 PLANET OF THE APES movie, but true to the continuity of the first five films, this new ongoing comic series begins in a time when Ape society reaches a new golden age. But there are ripples of dissent in both the ape and human ranks. Tensions will rise and soon all will be caught in chaos! And amidst all this uncertainty, what is the fate of…The Lawgiver? Find out as a new chapter of the acclaimed sci-fi classic, PLANET OF THE APES, begins this April!
PLANET OF THE APES #1 is written by Daryl Gregory with art by Carlos Magno and ships with an A & B cover by Karl Richardson and Carlos Magno respectively, a special 1-in-10 “Damn Dirty Apes” incentive cover and a retailer variant for Larry’s Comics by Chad Hardin! This title ships in April and carries a Diamond Code of FEB110852.
My review of the excellent spy Image series by Nathan Edmondson and Tonci Zonjic is up now at Broken Frontier, right here.
Image have been on fire lately, with new series just gaining heaps of acclaim and flying off the shelves. New series like the above, plus Undying Love and Nonplayer are equally worthy of such attention. Here’s a press release from Image that must have been a joy for its writer and has some good advice for retailers.
SELLING OUT
Five More Image Titles Sell Out Simultaneously
Continuing the recent trend of releasing new series to rave reviews and instant sellouts, Image Comics has announced that BLUE ESTATE #1, GREEN WAKE #1, NONPLAYER #1, UNDYING LOVE #1 and the second printing of THE INFINITE VACATION #1 have all sold out at the distributor level and are going back to press.
Taken together, the five titles are an almost perfect example of the diversity of creator-owned comics showcased by Image on a weekly basis: BLUE ESTATE is a crime comic that leads readers through the tangled web of mistaken identities, backstabbing conspirators and dubious alliances; GREEN WAKE is a riveting horror tale set in a town plagued by a string of grisly murders; NONPLAYER is a sci-fi/fantasy epic that takes inspiration from mutli-player online roleplaying games; UNDYING LOVE is a horror/action series set in modern day Hong Kong that mixes Chinese folklore with vampire mythology; THE INFINITE VACATION is a high concept sci-fi love story set in a parallel reality, where an app that allows users to answer the age-old question of “what if” has changed everyone’s lives forever.
“For years, Image has specialized in producing a wide variety of titles, but we’ve just been blown away by the work these creators are bringing us,” said Image Comics Publisher Eric Stephenson. “These are writers and artists with singular visions, telling unique stories that you just can’t find anywhere else, and I think that’s something audiences are responding to more and more. We’re more than happy to keep ’em coming.”
Stephenson also urged direct market retailers to take a closer look at the orders: “We set our print runs based off the orders we receive at final order cut-off, but more and more frequently, we’re finding our overprint estimates aren’t matching demand. Selling out is nice, but honestly, it’s not helping anyone when the books aren’t on the stands. Going back to press takes time, and I’d just as soon have the books available.”
With that in mind, new printings of Image’s most recent sell-out titles are available for order now, with the following ship dates:
FEB118120 BLUE ESTATE #1 (2nd Printing) $2.99 on sale 5/4
FEB118259 GREEN WAKE #1 (2nd Printing) $3.50 on sale 5/4
FEB118267 NONPLAYER #1 (2nd Printing) $2.99 on sale 5/11
FEB118097 UNDYING LOVE #1 (2nd Printing) $2.99 on sale 5/11
FEB118268 THE INFINITE VACATION #1 (3rd Printing) $3.50 on sale 5/11
Remember when characters like Spider-Woman and Moon Knight were at the back of Marvel’s superhero queue? It seems so long ago. Spider-Woman’s been at the forefront for a few years now, and it’s time for Brian Michael Bendis to bring Moon Knight and his multiple identities out of the shadows. Details, text-free preview pages and three variant covers for the May releasing debut issue below.
Your First Look at MOON KNIGHT #1
Marvel is pleased to present your first look at Moon Knight #1, from the Eisner Award-winning creative team of Brian Michael Bendis and Alex Maleev! Moon Knight heads to Los Angeles as a one-man Avengers team to dissolve a criminal syndicate tearing the City of Angels apart. Except there will be no warm welcome, because once word gets out about Marc Spector’s arrival, the mastermind behind LA’s crime circuit will stop at nothing to make an example of any Avengers who cross him. Plagued by incurable schizophrenia, can Moon Knight hold it together to clear out a city riddled with villains? This May, two of comics’ biggest talents reunite to redraw, and redefine one of Marvel’s Big Shots, only in Moon Knight #1!
comicbookjesus 