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Image: Invincible #102 Preview!
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The Ninja Turtles Get Their Mutant Back
The Ninja Turtles Get Their Mutant Back
By: Jay
Ever since Paramount announced that they will be rebooting the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies with Michael Bay
The main concern from fans started with the rumor that the Turtles will no longer be mutants, but will instead be aliens. This rumor seemed to be confirmed by Michael Bay
Bay’s words could have been “taken out of context” since director Jonathan Liebesman stated, “I’ve just been locked in a room with Kevin Eastman (co-creator of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles). I think what we’re developing, the fans will love. I’m a fan, and I love what we’re doing. It’s a lot of stuff Kevin’s been thinking about for a long time and just hasn’t done. Anything we expand will tie right into the mythology, so I think fans will go apeshit when they see it.”
Liebesman also mentioned that the alien concept isn’t so foreign since it was in the comics and added, “Look, it’s so funny—if everyone was such a die-hard fan, they would know that the TCRI canisters where the ooze comes from. That is alien ooze. Now I’m not saying what Michael said is exactly what the movie is, because we’re sitting in a room now figuring everything out. So we don’t know, but we are like Michael said: we’re expanding it, and the expansion will be true to the mythology. I promise you: fans will love it.”
Even with all that said fans are still unsure about the Alien/Mutant controversy, but perhaps the old saying “a picture speaks a thousand words” might finally ease their fears. This past week the Paramount presentation at CinemaCon 2013 in Las Vegas included the reveal of the upcoming movie's logo, which according to TMNT Lair clearly read “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”
Is this enough to get fans excited? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.
Related News: Michael Bay Has Found His Turtles
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Ultimate Comics: Spider-Man #22 Review
Almost two years ago Peter Parker died fighting some of his greatest villains in front of his house. Months before this, a young kid named Miles Morales was bitten by a radioactive spider giving him amazing powers. Miles is new to the hero life but with the help of old and new friends he is learning that “With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility.”
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The “Venom War” story arc concludes in this issue. Mile Morales must face his ultimate threat, Venom. When Miles hears that Venom is attacking the hospital that his mom is at with his father, he races to take out Venom with his parents lives on the line. Can Miles do it? Or will he learn the painful lesson Peter learned?
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I wasn’t a fan of Ultimate Spider-Man. I know I’m the one person who didn’t see it as revolutionary when it first came out. Over the years I did pick up Ultimate Spider-Man and started to enjoy it, then came, the “Ultimate Clone Saga” which promised to introduce Ben Reilly to the Ultimate Universe. One of my favorite Spider-Man characters was coming to the Ultimate Universe. They had me! But then they pulled the carpet out from under my feet and I walked away from the book. I did pick it up again the last year of its run, only to have Peter killed, and replaced.
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I gave Miles a shot and I’m glad I did. This isn’t my Spider-Man, but I enjoy it. The first 22 issues really work together to tell the journey of a kid given incredible powers and the shaping of a young man.
This issue was just spectacular! Brian Michael Bendis is at his best here. This story hits all the emotional beats without taking away from the action. The script reads like a movie, where Bendis masterfully pulls at your heartstrings. This is a fine art. Bendis takes us on this action packed adventure ride and just when your adrenaline is pumping at full force “pluck” the emotional heartstring is pulled and you feel for Miles, and then “BOOM” you get kicked in the gut with the action.
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I’m a fan of Venom from the 616 universe. I grew up with Eddie Brock terrorizing Peter Parker. But now in the 616, Eddie isn’t Venom, Flash Thompson is. Venom started out as a villain then walked the line as an anti-hero, and now he is really a hero. The Venom book is great right now, but I miss the fear that Venom struck into readers in those early days, and Bendis trumps that with the Ultimate Venom. This Venom is just monstrous. There is no line here, Bendis Venom ate the line and wants more. The way he breaks through the hospital saying “Give me my Spider-Man!! He’s nothing to you!! He’s everything to me!! He’s mine!!” sends chills, and lets you know how truly disturbed Venom is in the Ultimate Universe.
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This is Sara Pichelli’s last issue as artist and she does a near perfect job. I think it is because Pichelli has these moments where her art is so perfect, that when we get anything less than that it shows. Where as with another artist it might blend in more. If you look at the first page in the book she does the bricks and other building details so perfectly that it almost looks like a picture, which continues on the first two panels of the second page. Then you get to the third panel and the tree kind of looks like a fake plant from a doctor’s office. But then she pulls you back in with the last panel and the close up of Miles eye, and the emotion that pours out of it is just sensational. I hope the new artist can capture the emotions as well as Pichelli does.
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The art and the story compliment each other so much. Pichelli and Bendis have found a rhythm where the two work in tangent with one another, yet can tell the story on their own. Just as I said, Bendis' story reads like a movie. Pichelli’s panel layouts give the book a cinematic feel. Benids’ script tells us how terrifying Venom is, but Pichelli’s art brings that message to life, presenting us with this image of a huge monstrosity. Pichelli’s Venom is right out of a horror film, giving the character that intimation and unpredictability that made the 616 Venom so awesome when I was growing up, then shoots it with steroids and rabies.
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The final few pages of this issue really tug at the heart and just have you feeling for Miles in the way that you did for Peter Parker. In just under two years Bendis and Pichell have created the perfect legacy character for Peter Parker. If anyone isn’t reading this because it’s not Peter Parker, I highly recommend you give this title a shot. This isn’t Peter, but all the things that made you love Peter over the years are in this book without it being repetitive.
That is what I think about this book. Let us know what you think in the comments.
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Free Comic Book Day 2013: May The 4th Be With You!
Publisher: BONGO COMICS
(W/A/CA) Matt Groening
Bongo rings in another Free Comic Book Day with a comical cornucopia of four-color comics and games. First, Bart becomes a model citizen for a day...with disastrous results. Then, Jimbo and the gang escalate and elevate their juvenile delinquency to new heights. Stick around for a bedtime tale with the dim but adorable Li'l Homer and go in search of the Happy Little Elves with Maggie.
Publisher: DARK HORSE
(W) Joshua Williamson & Various (A/CA) Ryan Hill & Various
All-ages adventure! Star Wars joins fan-favorite villains Darth Vader and Boba Fett! Then explore the upcoming Dark Horse series Captain Midnight, where the search for the missing superhero is on! And the smash hit Avatar: The Last Airbender follows Mai as she deals with her broken heart . . .
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
(W) Jonathan Hickman (A/CA) Jim Cheung
Publisher: VIZ LLC
(W) David Horvath & Various (A) James Kolchaka & Various
Say, Friend. Do you need a hero? Then this comic isn't for you. (Though being Ugly is a super power - "ugly" means unique!) Do you need a cookie? Then this is your book!
Join OX™, Wage™, Babo™, Ice-Bat™ and all their friends in the Uglydolls' first ever comic book adventure.
The Uglydolls may not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound, but they sure will eat your candy!
And don't miss the bonus features from other famous members of the VIZ Kids family!
Publisher: BOOM ENTERTAINMENT
(W/A/CA) Various
An explosion of All-Ages awesomeness from KaBOOM! this Free Comic Book Day! Sure to be one of the most popular offerings this Free Comic Book Day, the KaBOOM! Summer Blast is 48 pages chock-full of the most popular all-ages comics on the stands today! Featuring excerpts from Adventure Time, Peanuts, Regular Show, Bravest Warriors, Garfield, Ice Age and some brand-new surprises, these series will keep readers young and old coming back to your comic shop again and again!
Publisher: APE ENTERTAINMENT
(W) Georgia Ball, Jason M. Burns (A/CA) Amy Mebberson
On side one, Elmo, Cookie Monster, The Count and Super Grover teach you about the magic of reading comics! It's GUARANTEED to chase the clouds away!
On side two, join Strawberry Shortcake and friends on 3 berry sweet adventures!
Includes "The Blue Flu", "The Hunt for Blackberry's Treasure", and "Blueberry's Book Tour".
It's a bushel of fun!
Publisher: UNITED PLANKTON PICTURES
(W) Derek Drymon, Maris Wicks (A) Graham Annable & Various
United Plankton brings you a completely original collection of SpongeBob comics for FCBD 2013. In "Paint Misbehavin'" Squidward teaches SpongeBob and Patrick how to paint realistically--but how did they learn to bring their painted creations to life? Then in "Day of the Free Comic" SpongeBob must foil Plankton's latest plan: invading the Krusty Krab inside a...giveaway comic book! Will funny books ever be the same? And: Mermaid Man and Barnacle Boy take on a new villain: the sultry Catfishstress. All this plus facts about the colorful cuttlefish, a fill-in comic, and a preview of this summer's SpongeBob superhero-themed annual!
Publisher: DC
Superman: The Last Son of Krypton #1 is a great jumping-on point for fans who can't wait to see Warner Bros. Pictures' Man of Steel major motion picture! This issue features the first chapter of the Superman: Last Son of Krypton graphic novel, written by Richard Donner and Geoff Johns and illustrated by Adam Kubert, featuring Superman's epic battle with General Zod and the Phantom Zone villains.
In addition, it includes a special sneak preview of the blockbuster new monthly series starring The Man of Steel by the all-star team of Scott Snyder and Jim Lee!
Publisher: NBM
(W/A) Peyo & Various (CA) Peyo
THE SMURFS return to Free Comic Book Day with two stories never-before-seen in the US ! Gargamel has tormented the Smurfs time and time again, always vowing his revenge on the small creatures. But what happens when he is forced to tangle with someone bigger than him- a nasty Ogre? Will the Smurfs let the Ogre destroy Gargamel, or will they decide to help their oldest foe? Find out in "The Ogre and the Smurfs"! Also featuring comics from two of the hottest new Papercutz series-ANNOYING ORANGE and ARIOL, a new series from Emmanuel Guibert!
Publisher: IDEA & DESIGN WORKS LLC
(W/A) Various (CA) Dario Brizuela
Jumping from screen to page, it's Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles NEW ANIMATED ADVENTURES! This unique series captures the heart of the smash Nickelodeon television show with brand-new stories. Full of action, excitement and laughs, this is the perfect all-ages comic to get you seeing green!!
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
(W) Robert Kirkman (A/CA) Charlie Adlard, Cliff Rathburn
This special Walking Dead issue contains a new Tyrese short story, who made his television debut in The Walking Dead Season 3! It also reprints short stories featuring Michonne, The Governor and Morgan. This special issue is a must-have for Walking Dead fans--none of these stories will be reprinted in the trade paperbacks!
Publisher: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
(W/A) Various (CA) TBD
Archie, Betty, Veronica, Jughead! The world's most famous teenagers for over seven decades are all here in this FREE digest! Packed with non-stop laughs and gaffs that the Riverdale gang is known for, we challenge you to find a Free Comic Book Day offering with more pages than this! The perfect introduction to the world of Archie and friends, this digest is a great primer to the double digests that Archie Comics are known for. Filled with stories from some of the best creators in the business, this is the one to pick up on Free Comic Book Day!
Publisher: DIAMOND COMIC DIST--ENGLAND
(W) John Wagner & Various (A) Henry Flint & Various (CA) Henry Flint
Home of Judge Dredd, 2000 AD is the UK 's award-winning weekly SF anthology comic.
In this bumper 48-page FCBD special, The Jimps Club is a brand new Judge Dredd story about a club of Judge impersonators compete against each other to see who can last the longest on the harsh streets of the 'Big Meg'. They've got being a Judge down to a fine art, nailed the mannerisms and the stance, but all it takes is one mistake for Dredd to spot an imposter...; Zombo returns in the all-new Planetronix: Mohawk Of Menace! - the failed government(TM) robot defense force Planetronix (TM) are on a mission to just say NO to DRUGS! But when Yellow Lion (TM) starts getting into insidious punk rock music, Zombo has to intervene; plus thrill-pounding action from The Visible Man, dimensional instability issues for Indigo Prime and dubious thermo-nuclear advice from alien delinquents DR & Quinch.
Publisher: AVATAR PRESS INC
Christos Gage (Avengers Academy
Publisher: ANTARCTIC PRESS
(W) Robby Bevard (A/CA) Fred Perry
Kid the Adventurer and Bro the Kung-Fu Pegasus are back in an ALL-NEW story for Free Comic Book Day! The fan-favorite best buds will face fierce forests, soaring snakes, nincompoop ninjas, doofy dinosaurs, and vile villains all in the name of fun! Don't miss out on this growing hit!
Publisher: IMAGE COMICS
(W) Matt Hawkins (A) Stjepan Sejic
Aphrodite IX returns for Free Comic Book Day! This first free issue launches a new ongoing series of Top Cow's fan favorite, memory challenged, green haired, questionably human heroine. Hundreds of years after a cataclysmic event scorched the surface, Earth and its inhabitants have been forever altered and a new landscape and political struggle has taken hold with three distinct factions fighting for control. Aphrodite IX is both anachronism and advanced technology in a world that she no longer recognizes. No aliens, just humans and their genetically and technologically altered descendants in a mixture of the best Sci-Fi and Fantasy has to offer!
Publisher: RED 5 COMICS
(W) Brian Clevinger (A/CA) Scott Wegener
Unanimously heralded by fans, creators, retailers and critics as the perfect first comic to give to a non-comic-reader. It's a robotic experiment gone wrong, and only Atomic Robo's brand of violent science can save the day. We've got lasers, explosions, and robots. It's like the transforming-robot movies, but comprehensible! Plus, previews of 2013 adventures of Red 5 favorites and new faces.
Publisher: MARVEL COMICS
(W/A/CA) TBD
It's out action featuring the newest stars to be of Disney XD: Avengers and the Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H.! Featuring art pulled directly from the animated series, this sneak peek at the two newest animated series from the geniuses at Marvel Animation promises to make this the biggest Free* Comic Book Day Ever! *Are we really giving this away?! YES!
Publisher: AVATAR PRESS INC
Bleeding Cool Magazine celebrates Free Comic Book Day with an all-new issue dedicated to the best new comics, creators, and events of this year's FCBD! Filled with all-ages accessible previews, interviews, and articles that help the fans to enjoy the comic collecting hobby, BCM FCBD is the perfect supplement to help readers new and old find the best comics and expand their experience at the party into a passion for a lifetime. In this issue, we give the new FCBD reader everything they need to become a lifelong collector - a Collecting Comics 101 feature, the Top Genre & Starter Graphic Novels in stores, and Tips and Tricks for the Back Issue Hunt! This perfect entry point into Bleeding Cool Magazine is ideal for giving readers tons of extra FCBD content and to introduce our hot comics, speculation, and unique brand of entertainment to a host of new customers.
Publisher: HERMES PRESS
(W/A/CA) Rick Yager
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, the first, best and original sci-fi hero is supporting free comic book day with a special re-print of two complete Sunday stories by fabled artist Rick Yager, who defined the look of the character for over twenty years. Hermes Press' Buck Rogers FCBD issue will feature two complete, exciting storylines starring Buck Rogers and Wilma Deering in "The Mind of Minds" and "Wilma to the Rescue." These stories have been painstakingly digitally reconstructed to perfection and look better than the original newspaper Sundays! Hermes Press' Buck Rogers FDBD issue will also offer bonus material and tons of surprises!
Publisher: CAPSTONE PUBLISHING
(W/A/CA) Chris Eliopoulos
Who is Mr. Puzzle, you ask? Well, he's the perfect fit for any problem, of course! And Capstone brings him to you for the perfect price...FREE! Follow Mr. Puzzle on two exclusive, never-before-seen adventures by Chris "Elio" Eliopoulos. Watch the superhero stretch, bend, shrink, and grow, all to keep the folks of Busyville safe. Don't miss this two-for-none of fun with Mr. Puzzle!!
Publisher: DYNAMIC FORCES
(W) Matthew Sturges (A) Jean-Paul Deshong (CA) Stephanie Hans
The Little Mermaid has been captured by a cruel wizard, who intends to keep her locked away forever. But help comes in the form of a valiant one-legged tin soldier whose heart is far bigger than he is. Can the Little Mermaid escape her vicious captor with nothing but a talking toy to guide her? Find out in this fairy tale for all ages written by Matthew Sturges (Jack of Fables, Doctor Who).
Publisher: DC
This super sampler is the perfect place to check out two sensational series from the DC Kids line, Beware The Batman and Teen Titans Go!, based on Warner Bros. Animation's new animated series coming soon to Cartoon Network's DC Nation Saturday morning programming block. It includes two exciting, all-new stories that readers of all ages will enjoy!
Publisher: NBM
(W/A) Disney, JayJay Jackson (CA) Disney
Papercutz presents DISNEY FAIRIES featuring Tinker Bell, along with comics from the new hit series, STARDOLL! There's only one fairy in Pixie Hollow who can't fly- Water-Talent Fairy, Rani. Why doesn't Rani have wings? Was she always this way? Find out in "Tinker Bell and the Wings of Rani".
Publisher: VIZ LLC
(W) Akira Toriyama (A) Nobuhiro Watsuki, Nobuhiro Watsuki
A seminal series from a legendary creator. Dragon Ball, a wry update on the Chinese "Monkey King" myth, introduces us to Son Goku, a young monkey-tailed boy whose quiet life is turned upside-down when he meets Bulma, a girl determined to collect the seven "Dragon Balls." If she gathers them all, an incredibly powerful dragon will appear and grant her one wish. But the precious orbs are scattered all over the world, and to get them she needs the help of a certain super-strong boy...
During the violent upheaval of the Bakumatsu era, Hitokiri Battosai was a feared and ruthless assassin. But now that the Meiji Restoration has begun to heal the wounds of civil war, Battosai has taken up a new name...and a new calling! He is now Himura Kenshin , a rurouni wanderer who has vowed to only draw his sword to protect those in need. But not everyone is pleased with Kenshin's new direction, and enemies from his dark past have vowed to bring him down!
Publisher: DIAMOND COMIC DIST--ENGLAND
(W) David Tallerman (A/CA) Robert Molesworth
What kind of lunatic forces a grizzly bear to wear mechanized combat armor and fight his battles? What kind of fiend kidnaps a beautiful Polynesian computer genius to be his child bride? And just who has a ninja for a butler anyway? Meet the Professor: eccentric, scientist, explorer and Englishman par excellence. Madcap steampunk high jinks in Endangered Weapon B.
Publisher: FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
(W/A/CA) Hal Foster
This full-color comic collects two Prince Valiant stories from Hal Foster's 1950 peak: "Home Again," in which Val, Aleta, and newborn baby Prince Arn enjoy an eventful ocean journey back to Thule, and "The Challenge," in which another knight's unwelcome advances on Aleta result in a classic duel with Valiant.
Publisher: TH3RD WORLD STUDIOS
(W) David Rodriguez & Various (A) Sarah Ellerton, Charles Paul Wilson (CA) Charles Paul Wilson, Sarah Ellerton
Return to the fantastic world of Gossamyr as Th3rd World's critically acclaimed, all-ages series continues in an brand new, original, adventure just for Free Comic Book Day! The Lorelarks are tasked with chronicling the tales of Gossamyr. But when a young novice feels that the growing legends of Jenna and her brother Denny might become a danger to the siblings, she is moved to action and challenges the code of her order. Also in this issue, the saga of the New York Times Bestselling Graphic Novel, The Stuff of Legend continues!
Publisher: ALTERNA COMICS INC
(W) Jeff McClelland, Shawn Aldridge (A) Jeff McComsey, Steve Becker (CA) Mike Hawthorne
The New York Times-best selling zombie series FUBAR returns with an all-new Free Comic Book Day one-shot! This 32-page issue contains four stories that span the entire American experience from Valley Forge to the present day. Select stories from FUBAR: American History Z (in Previews this February) will put you in the boots of the founding fathers as they come face to face with thewalking dead. If you're new to FUBAR, now's the perfect time to jump on board!
Publisher: DYNAMIC FORCES
(W) David Greenwalt & Various (A) Jose Malaga (CA) Whilce Portacio
Discover the characters, creatures and inspiration behind the storyline of NBC's hit-series, Grimm! From the producers of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel, Grimm features Portland homicide detective Nick Buckhardt, as he discovers he's descended from a long line of "Grimms," who are charged with keeping balance between humanity and the creatures of myth. With newly awoken abilities to detect the evil lurking among us, Nick struggles to keep his old life separate and safe as he becomes ever more entrenched in the ancient rivalries of the Grimm world.
Publisher: VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC
(W) Joshua D. M. Dysart & Various (A) Clayton Henry & Various (CA) Clayton Crain
Everything you need to know about the Valiant Universe in 2013 happens right here this Free Comic Book Day! The critically acclaimed, best-selling comics launch of the decade throws it into high gear with HARBINGER WARS, Valiant's first-ever family crossover! The blistering conflict between BLOODSHOT and HARBINGER will crack the Valiant Universe in half and reveal the true cost of power. Plus -- who will stand to oppose X-O MANOWAR on PLANET DEATH? What adventure lies beyond the horizon for ARCHER & ARMSTRONG? Who is the true heir to the legacy of the SHADOWMAN? And what top-secret projects could possibly be coming next? Get all the answers right here.
Publisher: IDEA & DESIGN WORKS LLC
(W) John Howard, Joe Collins (A/CA) Brian Bolland
In advance of IDW's coming ongoing series re-presenting the best Judge Dredd stories from the past with all-new coloring, this special FCBD release offers one of the most beloved Dredd stories of all time: the introduction of Judge Death, with all-new color! Plus: bonus "Walter the Wobot" strips appearing in color for the very first time, all beautifully illustrated by the brilliant Brian Bolland!
Publisher: RANDOM HOUSE
(W) Jonathan Kellerman & Various (A) Tom Yeates, Michael Gaydos
Kellerman / L'Amour features thrilling excerpts from 2 of the Random House Publishing Group's stalwart authors; Jonathan Kellerman and Louis L'Amour. Kellerman's THE WEB is the 2nd graphic novel adaptation that brings new life to a classic Alex Delaware psychological thriller. L'Amour's LAW OF THE DESERT BORN is a classic Western-and an all-new L'Amour story told in a style like no other! The Free Comic Book Day sampler will feature a 14 page excerpt for each graphic novel, both are scheduled to publish in Fall 2013.
Publisher: DRAWN & QUARTERLY
(W/A/CA) Gilbert Hernandez
Drawn & Quarterly continues its FCBD tradition of offering the best free comic in the industry by publishing an exclusive excerpt of its lead Spring 2013 book by legendary alternative cartoonist Gilbert Hernandez of Love & Rockets fame. Marble Season is a semi autobiographical epic about a group of kids growing up in the 1960s seen through the eyes of a young boy. Comics and popular culture of the day will dominate the proceedings and tell the untold story of one of the medium's greatest and most respected artists. This FCBD has no nudity and no swearing and it will serve as a great preview for the upcoming book of the same name, which will be one of D+Q's lead titles of 2013.
Publisher: DARK HORSE
(W) Jeremy Barlow & Various (A/CA) Garry Brown & Various
Three blockbuster titles fill this FCBD offering! In R.I.P.D., a séance goes terribly wrong! Then, in Mass Effect, follow a flight-school grad as he breaks the rules to prove himself in space! Finally, check out the police-state landscape of the highly anticipated miniseries The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys!
Publisher: ACTION LAB ENTERTAINMENT
(W) Jamal Igle, Jeremy Whitley (A) Jamal Igle & Various
Two complete stories! She's Strong, She's smart, and she's incredibly brave. She's the protector of Coopersville, the Princess of Finesse, the petite powerhouse known only as Molly Danger! But what secrets threaten everything she holds dear. And on her way to rescue her sisters, Adrienne finds another mysterious princess locked away in a tower, but she's guarded by one of the knights sent to hunt Adrienne. Who is this princess and will Adrienne and Bedelia survive trying to rescue her?
Publisher: ARCHAIA ENTERTAINMENT LLC
(W/A) David Peterson & Various (CA) Royden Lepp, David Peterson
For Free Comic Book Day, Archaia is proud to present a square flip book containing a collection of original short stories from some of its all-ages-friendly titles! In David Petersen's Mouse Guard short, a young Sadie is told a mouse fairy tale about proving one's self and the best trait to look for in love. Royden Lepp's Rust tells how rocket-boy Jet Jones learns an important lesson while helping the younger members of the Taylor family with their daily chores on the farm. This spectacular, free one-shot also includes original short stories from Sean Rubin's upcoming, enchanting dinosaur tale, Bolivar; Jim Henson's fantasy classic, Labyrinth (an Archaia original graphic novel by Ted Naifeh, Adrianne Ambrose, and Cory Godbey is in the works); and Nate Cosby and Chris Eliopoulos' justice-seekin' boy hero, Cow Boy. As an added bonus, there's also fun Pantalones , TX
Publisher: ACTION LAB ENTERTAINMENT
(W) Kevin Freeman, Jeremy Whitley (A) M Goodwin, Jerry Gaylord (CA) M Goodwin
Two complete stories! A referee's flag is corrupted by the power. The Guardians must arrive at the Bengals-Titans game and get that flag before the referee throws it, bringing it to life. And the villainous Coach Carnage is on the recruit for his interstellar team "The Visitors," and it's up to the Guardians, with the help of previous draft picks, to stop him from ruining the draft and taking this year's recruiting class.
This FCBD book also includes an exclusive preview of Jeremy Dale's adventure/fantasy comic series, "Skyward."
Publisher: GEMSTONE PUBLISHING
(W) Robert M. Overstreet, J. C. Vaughn
Christopher Nolan's Dark Knight trilogy and Joss Whedon's Avengers film wouldn't have happened without the comic book adventures that spawned them. The same is true Superman, The X-Men, Spider-Man, Thor and Captain America , and it's also true for non-superhero films like Sin City
Publisher: DRAWN & QUARTERLY
(W) Astrid Lindgren (A/CA) Ingrid Vang
Drawn & Quarterly offers a second FCBD title for the first time this year and it will feature one of the world's most beloved and popular characters, Pippi Longstocking! The Pippi Longstocking Color Special will offer a sneak peak at the brand new Pippi Longstocking title that D+Q will publish in May 2013 to coincide with FCBD. Pippi Longstocking was created by Astrid Lindgren and has developed a dedicated fan base of both children and adults for over six decades. The comics presented here were originally published in Swedish in the 1950s and are now being presented for the first time ever in English. This will be the perfect All Ages comic book, ideal for developing a new readership of kids in the 6 to 10 age set.
Publisher: LIQUID COMICS LLC
(W) Ron Marz (A) Jim Starlin & Various (CA) Michael Avon Oeming
The original "blue skinned avatar," returns in these epic tales of Rama from the hit Ramayan 3392AD series. Set in a time two thousand years in the future and against a backdrop of one of the most immortal mythological tales of all time. Ramayan Reloaded re-imagines one of the most epic tales in history, and this special origins issue provides all the information on the myriad characters and settings of the series. Collecting short stories written by Ron Marz and illustrated by leading talents such as Michael Avon Oeming, Luke Ross, Bart Sears, Jim Starlin and David Peterson.
Publisher: ONI PRESS INC.
(W) Chris Schweizer, Joey Weiser (A) Joey Weiser, Chris Schweizer
Oni Press: Rated Free for Everyone returns for 2013! Featuring two stories by two incredibly talented creators, a new Crogan's Adventure by Chris Schweizer, and an introduction to Mermin, a new story by Joey Weiser! In the Mermin Adventure, Mermin goes with Pete and his human classmates to the zoo. And in the Crogan's Adventure, you'll get an epilogue to the story of one of the brothers from Crogan's Loyalty.
Publisher: HERMES PRESS
(W) Rob M. Worley (A) Jason T. Kruse (CA) Armand Villavert
Scratch9, the worlds greatest superhero cat returns for free comic book day with a special reprint issue #1 of the title and features all new cover art by Armand Villavert, Jr. Scratch9, as fans of the title already know, is the Eisner Award nominated all-ages comic book featuring a cat with the ability to summon any of his 9 lives to aid him in his adventures! Hermes Press' Scratch9 FCBD issue will also offer bonus material and tons of surprises!
Publisher: ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
(W) Ian Flynn (A) Ryan Jampole & Various (CA) Ben Bates
"Worlds Collide: PRELUDE" - It's TWO free comic books in ONE! Just in time for the start of the epic Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man crossover event, "Worlds Collide," comes a primer issue exclusively for Free Comic Book Day! Witness the journey these two epic heroes from both Sega and Capcom took to finally meet each other - Mega Man's journey chronicled on one side, and Sonic the Hedgehog's on the other! This is the must-have primer for the biggest comic book event of 2013 - as video game icons Sonic the Hedgehog and Mega Man meet for the very first time anywhere - featuring art from both Sonic and Mega Man comic book fame!
Publisher: LIQUID COMICS LLC
(W) Stan Lee (A) Graphic (CA) Jeevan Kang
From the mind of legendary creator Stan Lee comes his newest superhero, CHAKRA THE INVINCIBLE. Chakra tells the story of young Indian teenager, Raju Rai, a technology genius living in Mumbai. Determined to use science to unlock the secrets of human potential, Raju develops a technological suit that activates the mystical Chakras of the body, unleashing newfound abilities and powers.
"Against the spectacular backdrop of the great Indian metropolis of Mumbai, we tell the incredible saga of Chakra, our daring and dangerous teenage hero." - Stan Lee
Publisher: ARCANA STUDIO
(W) Erik W. Hendrix, Sean O'Reilly (A/CA) Yannis Roumboulias
SteamPunk Originals Presents: The Steam Engines of Oz FCBD. Get a special sneak peek at the upcoming re-imagining of Oz through a SteamPunk lens. Find out what happens 100 years AFTER the witch is dead. In an Oz ruled by a once revered hero, salvation comes from the unlikely wrench of Victoria Wright, who dares to question status quo and sparks a rebellion. This FCBD Edition will give you an exciting extended preview of the upcoming graphic novel AND a look at what else Arcana's SteamPunk Originals line has in store for readers!
Publisher: ONI PRESS INC.
(W) Chris Roberson (A/CA) Scott Kowalchuck
"The last thing you want to see is my hands." They're called the Strangers. They're deadly. Dangerous. And you'll never see them unless they want you to. But now they've come up against something big - United States government big. A cover-up of international proportions, and at the center of it all is the Strangers' deadliest foe, a man known only as Capricorn. A man who knows the Strangers. A man who sees them.
Publisher: COMIXTRIBE
(W) Tyler James, Paul Allor (A) Cesar Feliciano & Various (CA) Joe Mulvey
Who are THE RED TEN? And who wants them dead? Delve deeper into the murder mystery maxi-series that is a superhero retelling of Agatha Christie's classic whodunit "And Then There Were None." Also features OXYMORON: QUIET RIOT, where a super-criminal psychopath holds a city hostage in terrifying silence as one cop struggles to stop the madman before her city burns to the ground
Publisher: NEW ENGLAND COMICS
(W) Jeff McClelland (A) Pietro, Duane Redhead (CA) Duane Redhead
This FCBD, NEC Press offers fans---both old and new!---a FULL-COLOR 32-page comic book with an ALL-NEW FULL-LENGTH Tick story! Plus exciting all-new backup features as well. "A Day at the Beach" starts out innocently enough for The Tick, Arthur, Bumbling Bee & their friends---until The Tick encounters an invasion force from under the sea! A story sure to be enjoyed by existing Tick fans as well as suitable to introduce new readers to the world of The Tick and his cohorts!
Publisher: TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS
(W/A) Andy Runton & Various (CA) Rob Harrell
Here at Top Shelf, we're celebrating FREE COMIC BOOK DAY 2013 with friends old and new -- the latest lineup of the Top Shelf Kids Club! This FREE comic book contains not one, not two, but SIX different adventures for readers of all ages.
Inside are brand-new stories featuring OWLY by Andy Runton, JOHNNY BOO by James Kochalka, KORGI by Christian Slade, PIRATE PENGUIN VS NINJA CHICKEN by Ray Friesen, and UPSIDE DOWN by Jess Smart Smiley, plus the debut of MONSTER ON THE HILL by Rob Harrell, who also contributes this year's cover! Come on in and join the party!
Publisher: VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC
(W) Jim Shooter & Various (A) Barry Windsor Smith & Various (CA) Barry Windsor Smith
This Free Comic Book Day, dive deep into the greatest stories of the original Valiant Universe -- remastered and collected together for the first time anywhere! Relive the best-selling adventures of Valiant's definitive heroes -- NINJAK, SHADOWMAN, the ETERNAL WARRIOR, and more -- in this special FCBD-only edition previewing the next year's worth of VALIANT MASTERS hardcover collections. Featuring all-time classic work by some of comics' most celebrated talent including Jim Shooter, Joe Quesada, Barry Windsor-Smith, David Lapham, Bob Layton and more. There's never been a better time to discover why the Valiant Universe created a new generation of comics fans and became the stuff of legend.
Publisher: ASPEN MLT INC
(W) J. T. Krul, David Wohl (A/CA) Alex Konat, Beth Sotelo
That's what the companies are offering up. What are you getting? What does your Comic Shop do for Free Comic Book Day? What does your Comic Book Shop do for Star Wars Day? Let us know in the comments and....
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The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 3
The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 3
Writers, Artist & Editors
The job of a writer is to tell a story. To create a successful story it must have an intriguing plot, make compelling and memorable characters but most importantly it must entertain the reader.
In comics the job of an artist is to create a visual representation for the ideas that the writer attempts to create.
The job of the editors, for a company like DC or Marvel, is to set up parameters for the writers and artist not to hinder their creativity. A good editor can inspire a writer with a single idea.
There are times that because of an editorial decision the writer and artist encounter problems along the way. This can happen for a lot of different reasons.
An example of this is when DC wants to replace a character for another one or change the roster of a team for any number of reasons. These things are inconvenient but they are also inevitable for the most part.
However this is not what is happening at DC. The problem with the editors is not just random mandates to improve sales or coordination with the titles. The #1 problem with the editors is INDECISION.
“I didn't mind the changes in Superman, I just wish it was the same decision issue 1 or issue 2, and I had to kept rewriting things because another person changed their mind, and that was a lot tougher…”
- George Perez on Superman
SourceCreating comics requires teamwork, the writers, artists, inkers and colorist; all are as important as the editor. The current problem with DC is that we are reaching a point where the editor has too much power than what they should have. There is a struggle between writers/artist and editors, and the editors seem to have the upper hand. This wouldn’t be so bad if the editors had an idea of what they were doing.
One editor may have an idea and impose it to the writer and then another editor higher up will overrule it. This is not an effective system at all because it doesn’t allow the story to flow naturally. This sudden change of ideas might end up with also changing the writer or even changing the editor.
-Ron Marz on his departure from Voodoo
It is understandable to eliminate the things that do not work but I don’t think this is the right way to do it. Wouldn’t it be better to find a way to make those things work?
DIGGLE and FIALKOV and..
On July 25 of 2012 Andy Diggle tweeted that he had got the biggest job in his entire career. Andy Diggle is not a new writer, he has been in this game for a long time and has had amazing and critically acclaimed projects like The Losers, Green Arrow: Year One and Adam Strange: Planet Heist.
The aforementioned “Biggest job in his entire career” was rumored and later confirmed to be Action Comics, he would be taking over the title after Grant Morrison. He was suppose to take over with issue 18 but it was delayed to issue 19 because Morrison needed a little more time to complete his saga. However on March 20 of 2013 Diggle announced that he was not going to be writing Action Comics.
Later it was announced that Tony Daniel was going to take over the writing duties for the next two issues and after that he will also be gone from the title. Issue 19 will be the only issue written by Diggle, issues 20-21 will only slightly carry on the plot.
I am putting emphasis on these dates for a reason, they are 9 months apart from one another.Comic books take about three months to complete from the first stages to the final product.
Diggle did not just do anything during those 8-9 months, he would have had written at least 6 issues of the series on that time. Not to mention he could have had plotted at least the entire first year and maybe even part of the second one.
Yet the only thing that is going to be used is one single issue. Maybe it is because the second and third issue contain subplots that needed to be removed but the point is that whatever Diggle planned for this run, those plans are not going to happen.
At the same time, this was happening when Geoff Johns announced that he was ending his nine year run on Green Lantern. All of the Green Lantern writers were leaving and were being replaced by a brand new team which included Joshua Hale Fialkov, writer of I, Vampire who was now taking over Red Lanterns and Green Lantern Corps. Sadly he would have the same fate as Diggle and would need to quit both of these books leaving only one single issue ready and the rest to be re-worked by other teams.
“Just a quick note to confirm what everyone knows, I am no longer the writer of GLC and Red Lanterns for DC Comics. There were editorial decisions about the direction of the book that conflicted with the story I was hired to tell, and I felt that it was better to let DC tell their story the way they want. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’ll miss working with the entire Green Lantern team.”
-Joshua Hale Fialkov
Changes on creative teams are not something new. In fact these things are just inevitable because a team from an ongoing book will eventually reach the conclusion of their own stories and give the reigns to a new team. However that is not what is happening here, these changes aren’t the product of Diggle and Fialkov reaching the natural conclusion of their own stories, at the contrary those stories didn’t even begin.
This is the result of the editors having NO IDEA what the hell they want.
Diggle quit from his “Biggest job ever” out of professional reasons. That means that writing Action Comics was NOT A GOOD THINGfor his career, that “Biggest job ever” is just a mirage. This became a warning for any new writer who might come along.
As for Fialkov he said it pretty clearly, he is letting DC tell the story that they want to tell.
This is a pretty bad message for both the public, for any writer and aspiring writers who want to write for DC because this is saying that writers are just nothing but interchangeable cogs. That their input doesn’t matter.
Writers are not interchangeable; you cannot expect the same product from someone like Snyder as you would from someone like Liefeld.
And here is the worst part. This is not something New.
- · Green Arrow had four different creative teams since the new 52 began.
- · Fury of the Firestorm had three
- · Superman had three
- · Superboy had three
- · Legion Lost had two
- · Hawkman, Grifter and Deathstoke were taken over by Rob Liefeld who then left and was replaced by different creative teams. Two in the case of Deathstroke.
- · Voodoo had its writer and editor changed after just five issues
- · John Rozum left Static after just three issues
- · Jim Zub got accepted to be the new writer of Birds of Prey only to be replaced by Christy Marx without having made a single issue
Of course there are cases ok books that get fill ins by other writers like on Teen Titans for scheduling reasons, or new creative teams like on Swamp Thing because the writer ended their run. These are none of those cases and you can believe that there will be more just like these, just like with Diggle and Fialkov.
What the editors need is to allow the creators to create, and to keep consistency in their plans.
END OF PART 3
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Image: Preview Ten Grand!
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Shipping This Week May 1, 2013
New Comic Book & Related Merchandise Scheduled for Wednesday, May 1, 2013
This is a list of comic books, graphic novels, and other related merchandise that should be available in comic book shops this week.
Take a look and let us know what books and other goodies you're picking up this week in the comments!
( * = Check your local shop for price )
ABRAMS COMICARTS
Good Riddance A Graphic Memoir Of Divorce GN, $17.95
Legends Of The Blues HC, $19.95
Raven Girl GN, $19.95
ALTERNA COMICS
FUBAR Volume 3 American History Z SC, $16.95
AMP! COMICS FOR KIDS
Big Nate Game On TP, $9.99
AMULET BOOKS
Army Of Frogs Volume 1 HC, $15.95
Will And Whit GN, $12.95
APE ENTERTAINMENT
Croods Prequel Digest GN, $6.99
Sesame Street I Is For Imagination #1 (Cover A Amy Mebberson), $3.99
Sesame Street I Is For Imagination #1 (Cover B Amy Mebberson), $3.99
Sesame Street I Is For Imagination #1 (Cover C Amy Mebberson), $3.99
Sesame Street I Is For Imagination #1 (Cover D Amy Mebberson), $3.99
Sesame Street I Is For Imagination #1 (Cover E Amy Mebberson), $3.99
Sesame Street I Is For Imagination #1 (Cover F Amy Mebberson), *
Sesame Street I Is For Imagination #1 (Cover G Amy Mebberson), *
APPLAUSE PUBLISHING
Treasures Of Bruce Lee HC (Slipcased Edition), $45.00
ARCHAIA ENTERTAINMENT
Cyborg 009 Chapter 000 (One Shot), $1.00
ARCHIE COMICS
Archie #643 (Archie Meets Glee Part 3)(Cover A Dan Parent), $2.99
Archie #643 (Archie Meets Glee Part 3)(Cover B Dan Parent), $2.99
Archie Double Digest #239, $3.99
Sonic The Hedgehog #248 (Matt Herms Regular Cover), $2.99
Sonic The Hedgehog #248 (Patrick Spaziante Variant Cover), $2.99
ASPEN COMICS
Charismagic Volume 2 #1 (Of 6)(Khary Randolph Aspen Reserved Cover), $1.00
Charismagic Volume 2 #1 (Of 6)(Khary Randolph Direct Market Cover), $1.00
Charismagic Volume 2 #1 (Of 6)(Khary Randolph Retailer Exclusive Cover), *
Charismagic Volume 2 #1 (Of 6)(Original Sketch Edition Cover), *
ATHENEUM BOOKS
Zebrafish TP, $7.99
AVATAR PRESS
Dan The Unharmable #12 (Rafael Ortiz Regular Cover), $3.99
Dan The Unharmable #12 (Rafael Ortiz Retro Incentive Cover), *
Dan The Unharmable #12 (Rafael Ortiz Wraparound Cover), $3.99
Fashion Beast #9 (Facundo Percio Haute Couture Incentive Cover), *
Fashion Beast #9 (Facundo Percio Regular Cover), $3.99
Fashion Beast #9 (Facundo Percio Tarot Incentive Cover), *
Fashion Beast #9 (Facundo Percio Wraparound Cover), $3.99
BBC AUDIOBOOKS
Torchwood Long Time Dead Audio CD, $19.95
BIRDCAGE BOTTOM BOOKS
Snake Pit Gets Old Daily Diary Comics 2010-2012 GN, $16.95
BONGO COMICS
Simpsons Illustrated #6, $3.99
BOOM! STUDIOS
Hypernaturals #11 (Cover A Kris Anka), $3.99
Planet Of The Apes Cataclysm #9 (Cover A Gabriel Hardman), $3.99
Polarity #1 (Of 4)(Paul Maybury 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Polarity #2 (Of 4)(Cover A Frazer Irving), $3.99
Polarity #2 (Of 4)(Cover B Tyler Crook), *
Suicide Risk #1 (Cover A Tommy Lee Edwards), $3.99
Suicide Risk #1 (Cover B Stephanie Hans), *
BROADWAY
Doctor Who Dreams Of Empire MMPB (50th Anniversary Collection Edition), $12.99
Doctor Who Players MMPB (50th Anniversary Collection Edition), $12.99
Doctor Who Remembrance Of The Daleks MMPB (50th Anniversary Collection Edition), $12.99
Doctor Who Ten Little Aliens MMPB (50th Anniversary Collection Edition), $12.99
COMIC SHOP NEWS
Comic Shop News #1350, *
COMIXTRIBE
Red Ten #3 (Of 10), $3.99
CONUNDRUM PRESS
Grey Museum GN, $20.00
DARK HORSE COMICS
47 Ronin #4 (Of 5), $3.99
Abe Sapien #2 (Dark And Terrible #2 Of 3)(Sebastian Fiumara Regular Cover), $3.50
Gary Baseman Playing Cards, $4.99
Korak Son Of Tarzan Archives Volume 1 HC, $49.99
Michael Avon Oeming's The Victories #1 (Of 5)(Transhuman Part 1)(Michael Avon Oeming Regular Cover), $3.99
Mister X Eviction #1 (Of 3), $3.99
Star Wars Dark Times Fire Carrier #4 (Of 5), $2.99
DC COMICS
Action Comics #20 (Tony S. Daniel Black & White Variant Cover), *
Action Comics #20 (Tony S. Daniel Combo Pack Cover), $4.99
Action Comics #20 (Tony S. Daniel Regular Cover), $3.99
Ame-Comi Girls #3, $3.99
Animal Man #20, $2.99
Aquaman #19 (Paul Pelletier & Sean Parsons Regular Fold-Out Cover), $2.99
Aquaman #19 (Tom Bunk MAD Variant Cover), *
Arrow 1:6 Scale Oliver Queen Statue, $149.95
Batwing #20, $2.99
Detective Comics #20 (Jason Fabok Black & White Variant Cover), *
Detective Comics #20 (Jason Fabok Combo Pack Cover), $4.99
Detective Comics #20 (Jason Fabok Regular Cover), $3.99
Detective Comics #20 (We Can Be Heroes Blank Variant Cover), *
Dial H #12, $2.99
Earth 2 #12 (Brett Booth & Norm Rapmund Black & White Variant Cover), *
Earth 2 #12 (Brett Booth & Norm Rapmund Regular Cover), $2.99
Fairest #15, $2.99
Get Jiro TP, $14.99
Girl With The Dragon Tattoo Volume 2 HC, $19.99
Green Arrow #20 (Andrea Sorrentino Black & White Variant Cover), *
Green Arrow #20 (Andrea Sorrentino Regular Cover), $2.99
Jack Kirby Omnibus Volume 2 HC, $39.99
Legends Of The Dark Knight #8, $3.99
MAD Magazine #521, $5.99
Man Of Steel Faora 1:6 Scale Iconic Statue, $129.95
Man Of Steel Jor-El 1:6 Scale Iconic Statue, $129.95
Man Of Steel Superman 1:6 Scale Iconic Statue, $129.95
Man Of Steel Zod 1:6 Scale Iconic Statue, $129.95
Movement #1 (Amanda Conner Regular Cover), $2.99
Movement #1 (Cliff Chang Variant Cover), *
Phantom Stranger #8, $2.99
Scooby-Doo Where Are You #33, $2.99
Stormwatch #20, $2.99
Superman Action Comics Volume 1 Superman And The Men Of Steel TP, $16.99
Superman Action Comics Volume 2 Bulletproof HC, $24.99
Superman Earth One Volume 1 TP, $12.99
Swamp Thing #20, $2.99
World Of Warcraft Dark Riders HC, $24.99
Worlds' Finest #12, $2.99
DEVIL'S DUE ENTERTAINMENT
Plume #4 (Of 5)(Cover A K. Lynn Smith), $3.99
Plume #4 (Of 5)(Cover B K. Lynn Smith), $3.99
DK PUBLISHING
Superman The Ultimate Guide To The Man Of Steel HC (Updated Edition), $24.99
DRAWN AND QUARTERLY
You're All Just Jealous Of My Jetpack HC, $19.95
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Army Of Darkness #13 (Daniel Leister Regular Cover), $3.99
Army Of Darkness Omnibus Volume 3 TP, $29.99
Army Of Darkness Volume 1 Hail To The Queen Baby TP, $19.99
Black Bat #1 (Ardian Syaf Black & White Variant Cover), *
Black Bat #1 (Brian Buccellato Variant Cover), *
Black Bat #1 (Chris Eliopoulos Variant Cover), *
Black Bat #1 (Cover A J. Scott Campbell), $3.99
Black Bat #1 (Cover B Joe Benitez), $3.99
Black Bat #1 (Cover C Ardian Syaf), $3.99
Black Bat #1 (Cover D Billy Tan), $3.99
Black Bat #1 (J. Scott Campbell Virgin Variant Cover), *
Black Bat #1 (Marcos Martin Subscription Variant), *
George R.R. Martin's A Game Of Thrones #14 (Mike S. Miller Regular Cover), $3.99
Kevin Smith's The Bionic Man #19 (Ed Tadeo Variant Cover), *
Kevin Smith's The Bionic Man #19 (Mike Mayhew Regular Cover), $3.99
Kevin Smith's The Bionic Man #19 (Mike Mayhew Virgin Variant Cover), *
Lone Ranger Snake Of Iron TP, $16.99
Miss Fury #2 (Ale Garza Risque Variant Cover), *
Miss Fury #2 (Billy Tan Black & White Variant Cover), *
Miss Fury #2 (Cover A Joe Benitez), $3.99
Miss Fury #2 (Cover B Paul Renaud), $3.99
Miss Fury #2 (Cover C Billy Tan), $3.99
Miss Fury #2 (Cover D Warner Reis), $3.99
Miss Fury #2 (Wagner Reis Black & White Variant Cover), *
Red Sonja Unchained #2 (Of 4)(Mel Rubi Classic Chain Mail Variant Cover), *
Red Sonja Unchained #2 (Of 4)(Mel Rubi Regular Cover), $3.99
Red Sonja Unchained #2 (Of 4)(Walter Geovani Subscription Variant Cover), $3.99
Shadow Year One #1 (Of 10)(John K Snyder Variant Cover), *
Sherlock Holmes The Liverpool Demon #4 (Of 5)(Francesco Francavilla Regular Cover), $3.99
Spider #11 (Francesco Francavilla Regular Cover), $3.99
Vampirella Strikes #5 (Cover A Johnny Desjardins), $3.99
Vampirella Strikes #5 (Cover B Fabio Neves), $3.99
Vampirella Strikes #5 (Fabiano Neves Black & White Variant Cover), *
Vampirella Strikes #5 (Johnny Desjardins Red Variant Cover), *
Vampirella Strikes #5 (Johnny Desjardins Subscription Variant Cover), $3.99
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS
Classic Marvel Figurine Collection Magazine #196 (Firelord), $14.00
DC Batman Automobilia Figurine Collection Magazine #5 (Detective #400), $20.00
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
3 New Stories (One Shot), $3.99
Castle Waiting Volume 2 HC (Definitive Edition), $29.99
Complete Crumb Comics Volume 5 Happy Hippy Comix TP (New Printing), $19.99
Peter Bagge's Other Stuff TP, $19.99
Walt Disney's Donald Duck Volume 1 The Old Castle
FIRST SECOND
Feynman TP, $19.99
FUTURE PUBLISHING
SFX #234, $10.99
HEAVY METAL MAGZINE
Heavy Metal #262 (Newsstand Edition), $7.95
Heavy Metal #262 (Previews Exclusive Edition), $7.95
HIGH SPEED PRODUCTIONS
Juxtapoz #148 (May 2013), $5.99
HUMANOIDS PUBLISHING
Pietrolino HC, $29.95
What Lies Beneath HC, $79.95
IDW PUBLISHING
Colonized #2 (Of 4)(Cover A Dave Sim), $3.99
Colonized #2 (Of 4)(Cover SUB Zach Howard), *
Dungeons And Dragons Forgotten Realms Cutter #2 (Of 5)(Cover A Steve Ellis), $3.99
Dungeons And Dragons Forgotten Realms Cutter #2 (Of 5)(Cover B David Baldeon), $3.99
Dungeons And Dragons The Legend Of Drizzt Volume 1 Neverwinter Tales TP, $19.99
Ghostbusters #1 (2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Jack Davis' EC Stories Artist's Edition HC, *
Joe Palooka #6 (Of 6)(Cover A Kevin Colden), $3.99
Joe Palooka #6 (Of 6)(Cover RI Michael Marsicano), *
Judge Dredd #1 (2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Magic The Gathering Volume 3 Path Of Vengeance TP, $17.99
Mars Attacks #10 (Cover A John McCrea), $3.99
Mars Attacks #10 (Cover RI Sam Shearon), *
Michael William Kaluta Sketchbook Series Volume 4 TP, $9.99
Star Trek Countdown To Darkness #1 (Of 4)(David Messina 3rd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Color Classics #10 (Cover A Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird), $3.99
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Secret History Of The Foot Clan #2 (Of 4)(2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Secret History Of The Foot Clan #3 (Of 4)(2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Volume 5 Krang War TP, $17.99
Transformers Regeneration One Volume 2 TP, $19.99
Transformers Spotlight Hoist #1 (One Shot)(Cover A Agustin Padilla), $3.99
Transformers Spotlight Hoist #1 (One Shot)(Cover B Livio Ramondelli), $3.99
Transformers Spotlight Hoist #1 (One Shot)(Cover RI Clayton Crain), *
IMAGE COMICS
68 Jungle Jim #2 (Of 4)(Cover A Jeff Zornow & Jay Fotos), $3.99
68 Jungle Jim #2 (Of 4)(Cover A Nat Van Dyke & Jay Fotos), $3.99
Activity #12, $3.50
Artifacts #27 (Cover A Stjepan Sejic), $3.99
Artifacts #27 (Cover B Marco Turini), $3.99
Bedlam #1 (Image Firsts Edition), $1.00
Bedlam Volume 1 TP, $9.99
Blackacre #6, $2.99
Blackacre Volume 1 TP, $9.99
Epic Kill #10, $2.99
G-Man Volume 3 Coming Home TP, $9.99
Graveyard Of Empires Volume 1 TP, $14.99
Great Pacific #1 (Image Firsts Edition), $1.00
Great Pacific Volume 1 Trashed TP, $9.99
Invincible Universe #2, $2.99
Mice Templar IV Legend #2 (Cover A Victor Santos), $2.99
Mice Templar IV Legend #2 (Cover B Michael Avon Oeming), $2.99
Mind The Gap #1 (Image Firsts Edition), $1.00
Morning Glories #1 (Image Firsts Edition), $1.00
Peter Panzerfaust #1 (Image Firsts Edition), $1.00
Savage Dragon #187, $3.99
Sex #1 (3rd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99
Snapshot #4 (Of 4), $2.99
Son Of Merlin #4, $2.99
Spawn #231 (Cover A Todd McFarlane), $2.99
Spawn #231 (Cover B Todd McFarlane), *
Super Dinosaur #1 (Image Firsts Edition), $1.00
Super Dinosaur #19, $2.99
Ten Grand #1 (Cover A Ben Templesmith), $2.99
Ten Grand #1 (Cover B Bill Sienkiewicz), $2.99
KODANSHA COMICS
Bloody Monday Volume 10 GN, $10.99
Fairy Tail Volume 25 GN, $10.99
Negima Volume 38 GN, $10.99
LERNER PUBLISHING GROUP
Little Prince Volume 7 The Planet Of The Overhearers GN, $7.95
Little Prince Volume 8 ThePlanet Of The Tortoise Driver GN, $7.95
MANUSCRIPT PRESS
Comics Revue Presents April 2013, $19.95
MARVEL COMICS
Age Of Ultron #2 (Of 10)(Bryan Hitch 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Age Of Ultron #7 (Of 10)(Brandon Peterson Regular Cover), $3.99
Age Of Ultron #7 (Of 10)(Leinil Francis Yu Variant Cover), *
Age Of Ultron #7 (Of 10)(Rock-He Kim Ultron Variant Cover), *
All-New X-Men #11, $3.99
All-New X-Men #9 (Stuart Immonen 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Cable And X-Force Volume 1 Wanted TP, $17.99
Hawkeye #10 (Francesco Francavilla Regular Cover), $2.99
Hawkeye #10 (Paolo Rivera Many Armors Of Iron Man Variant Cover), *
Hawkeye #8 (David Aja 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99
Hellfire Saga May 2013 Checklist Postcard (Promotional Item), *
Indestructible Hulk #7, $3.99
Iron Man #258.1 (Bob Layton Variant Cover), *
Iron Man #258.1 (Dave Ross Regular Cover), $3.99
Iron Man #9 (Greg Land Deadpool Variant Cover), *
Iron Man #9 (Greg Land Regular Cover), $3.99
Iron Man #9 (Greg Land Variant Cover), *
Iron Man #9 (Iron Man Movie Variant Cover), *
Iron Man The Coming Of The Melter (Gil Kane Variant Cover), *
Iron Man The Coming Of The Melter (Ron Lim Regular Cover), $3.99
Iron Man War Machine Hands Of The Mandarin TP, $24.99
Kick-Ass Volume 1 HC, $39.99
Marvel Universe Avengers Assemble FCBD Postcard (Promotional Item), *
Marvel Universe The Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes Digest Volume 3 TP, $9.99
Marvel's Iron Man 3 The Art Of The Movie HC (Slipcase Edition), $49.99
New Avengers #4 (Jock 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Nova #2 (Ed McGuinness 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Red She-Hulk #65, $2.99
Superior Spider-Man #1 (Dynamic Forces Stan Lee Signed Edition), $399.99
Superior Spider-Man #6 (Humberto Ramos 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Superior Spider-Man #9 (Marcos Martin Regular Cover), $3.99
Superior Spider-Man #9 (Ryan Stegman Variant Cover), *
Thanos Rising #2 (Of 5)(Ed McGuinness Variant Cover), *
Thanos Rising #2 (Of 5)(Simone Bianchi Regular Cover), $3.99
Ultimate Comics X-Men #26, $3.99
Winter Soldier #18 (Dave Johnson Variant Cover), *
Winter Soldier #18 (Declan Shalvey Regular Cover), $2.99
X-Factor #255, $2.99
X-Men Legacy #10, $2.99
ONI PRESS
Wasteland #44, $3.99
PANINI PUBLISHING
Doctor Who Magazine #459, $9.99
PS ARTBOOKS
American Comics Group Collected Works Out Of The Night Volume 1 HC (Slipcase Edition), $62.99
Roy Thomas Presents The Heap Volume 1 HC (Slipcase Edition), $119.99
REBELLION
Slaine The Grail War GN, $29.99
RENEGADE ARTS ENTERTAINMENT
Shame Volume 2 Pursuit GN, $9.99
SANCTUM PRODUCTIONS
Shadow Double Novel Volume 72 SC, $14.95
SCREEN POWER PUBLISHING
Scream Magazine #17, $8.99
SELFMADEHERO
Complete Don Quixote GN, $27.50
Sandcastle GN, $19.95
SKIRA
Gary Baseman The Door Is Always Open HC, $45.00
TASCHEN AMERICA
Mark Ryden Pinxit HC, $69.99
TH3RD WORLD STUDIOS
TITAN PUBLISHING
Art Of Epic HC, $34.95
Star Wars Insider #141 (Newsstand Edition), $7.99
Star Wars Insider #141 (Previews Exclusive Edition), $7.99
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Back Issue #64, $8.95
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT
Archer And Armstrong #1 (One-Dollar Debut Edition), $1.00
Bloodshot #1 (One-Dollar Debut Edition), $1.00
Harbinger #1 (One-Dollar Debut Edition), $1.00
Harbinger Wars #2 (Of 4)(Clayton Crain Variant Cover), *
Harbinger Wars #2 (Of 4)(Stephane Perger Variant Cover), *
Harbinger Wars #2 (Of 4)(Lewis Larosa Pullbox Cover), $3.99
Harbinger Wars #2 (Of 4)(Clayton Henry Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadowman #0 (Lewis Larosa Wraparound Gatefold Cover), *
Shadowman #0 (Khari Evans Pullbox Cover), $3.99
Shadowman #0 (Dave Johnson Regular Cover), $3.99
Shadowman #1 (One-Dollar Debut Edition), $1.00
Valiant One-Dollar Debut Bundle Wave 1, $4.95
X-O Manowar #1 (One-Dollar Debut Edition), $1.00
VEROTIK
Satanika Anniversary Special, $4.95
YEN PRESS
Twilight Saga New Moon Volume 1 HC (resolicited), $19.99
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents The Jungle Book Last Of The Species #3 (Of 5)(Cover A Ivan Nunes), $3.99
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents The Jungle Book Last Of The Species #3 (Of 5)(Cover B Jimbo Salgado), $3.99
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Superman: Unbound - Advance DVD Review
Superman Unbound Advance Review
By: Jay
Based on the 2008 Action Comics arc “Brainiac” by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank, Superman: Unbound finds the all-knowing, ever-evolving force responsible for the disappearance of Krypton’s Capital City Kandor – Brainiac. Brainiac has crossed the universe, collecting cities from interesting planets, and now he has his sights set on Metropolis. Superman must summon all of his physical and intellectual resources to protect his city, the love of his life, and his newly-arrived cousin, Supergirl.
I was lucky enough to get to see an advance viewing of the latest DC Animated Movie, Superman: Unbound, and I thought I’d review it. Before I get into the actual review I want to let you know how this review will be broken down. First, there will be mid-level spoilers, so if you haven’t read the “Brainiac” arc in Action Comics or the collected graphic novel Superman: Brainiac, and don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading now. Next this review will be divided in three sections: Story, Art, and Overall. Finally, I will be comparing and referencing the source material throughout the review. With all that said, on to the review.
Story: For the most part the plot is the same as the comic, but while the original comic arc was a foundation for future stories this movie is a stand-alone, so those subplots aren’t required. There are three main subplots removed for this reason. First is the set up for “New Krypton,” so they removed Zod from the story. The next subplot was Jonathan Kent’s passing. In fact he had one scene where he was just sleeping on a Lazy Boy chair. Finally, they removed Kat Grant and the subplot of her trying to expose the dirt on Supergirl. While these subplots were essential elements in the comic arc due to them setting up future stories, without any promised sequels they aren’t needed for this movie.
The movie starts off with a new scene. Lois is being taken hostage by armed gunman in helicopters. Lois reminds them where they are and who they took, but the head gunman tells her he knows and Superman is away because of an earthquake. Lois informs the gunman that Superman isn’t the only one in town and introduces him to Supergirl, who doesn’t like bullies and isn’t as soft handed as cousin.
This scene is pretty good because it shows us right from the start how strong Lois is and sets up Kara’s thoughts on bullies. The bad thing about it though is that it is essentially just to show those points. We never find out who the men are or what happened that got Lois to that point. There are two underlying character plots through the movie which are Lois’ strength and independence and Kara’s stance on bullies and why she feels that way.
The Lois and Clark relationship is changed from the comic. I would compare their relationship to the one that they shared at the end of Smallville. They aren’t married here but they are dating secretly to protect Lois in case anyone ever figures out that Superman and Clark Kent are the same person.
The movie takes this as the first time Brainiac and Superman ever meet, where in the comics Superman knows of Brainiac and in the arc he finally meets his true form. I prefer this take on it, but given the years of using Brainiac, this route wasn’t an option in the comics. Superman goes looking for Brainiac and finds him. Brainiac uploads his memories and learns of Earth, and Kara. I like this scene better in the movie. The meeting is better. In the comic Superman talks to Zor-El and Allura In-Ze (Kara’s parents) via telepathy, and that is how he finds Kandor. In the movie Superman actually uses his brains and notices the ship is set up like the galaxy. Brainiac sends him into the bottled city where he meets his uncle and aunt and Superman has to use his intellect to get out of Kandor to save Earth. I prefer Brainiac in the movie, he has that almost Lex Luthor level of arrogance telling Superman how smart he is, and how he is superior to him.
Kara in the comic seemed too emotionally weak. She was shaken about Brainiac, as she was in the movie, but unlike the comic, the movie balances that by showing her taking action and fighting slave traders and the like around the world. In the comic she didn’t show any of this strength until they fought Brainiac.
While both final battles lacked epicness, I prefer the movie’s because in the end Brainiac wasn’t just locked up. I also prefer the way the movie ended because it wasn’t a set up for a “New Krypton.” There was resolution.
Art: Usually for the DC Animated DVDs they try to bring the comic to life visually by adapting the artist’s style to an animation form. This one they didn’t. I like this style for the most part with only a few minor issues here and there. The main issue I have with the art is Superman himself. His build is a bit too top heavy and a bit too lanky. I also didn’t like the way the briefs were fitted. I would have loved to have seen Gary Frank’s art style adapted for this. Gary Frank drew Superman/Clark Kent like Christopher Reeve, and come on, how cool would it be to see Christopher Reeve brought to life in animation?
The rest of the cast were drawn beautifully. Lois especially looked amazing. They really used the art to sell her personality. The way she walked, her facial expressions all sold us on her character, that she is this strong, confident, sexy woman.
Overall: Overall, I enjoyed the movie. Is it Public Enemies, or Apocalypse? Yes and no. This story isn’t as action-packed as those movies, but character-wise I think it is better. The best thing about the story that they changed from the comic is how they handled the Lois and Clark relationship, and his relationship with Metropolis to some extent. There is that realization on Superman’s part where he sees he has been keeping Lois in a metaphoric bottle by keeping their relationship a secret and trying to always protect her from everything.
The voice cast all did an excellent job. These are all iconic characters who have been animated and voiced by others. I am a huge fan of Superman: The Animated Series and for me those voices are synonymous with the characters, but this voice cast fit right in there flawlessly. They really bring the characters to life and make them their own while staying true to the characters.
If you liked the original comic arc, then you will love this, it adds new layers to that story and improves on it. My favorite additions were the opening scene with Lois and Superman. Their chemistry was great. And the scene where Brainiac looks at the bottled city of Metropolis and Lois Lane sends him a very clear message. The only thing I think could have made the movie better would have been a more epic battle between Brainiac and Superman, but they did improve it from the comic.
The title of the movie is a bit misleading. When I see Superman: Unbound, I think of something like the epic battle between Superman and Darkseid in Justice League Unlimited. They should have titled this Superman: Brainiac, but given how bad the last Brainiac movie was, I understand them not wanting to do that. If you give me the comic and the movie and ask me which is better, I would choose the movie as a stand-alone piece of work. I highly recommend seeing this, especially if you enjoyed the arc in the comics.
Superman: Unbound is a PG-13 rated film produced by DC Entertainment and Warner Bros. Animation. James Tucker will be directing and producing the film from a script written by screenwriter Bob Goodman. Superman Unbound will be available on May 7, 2013 from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Group on Blu-Ray Combo Pack ($24.98 SRP), DVD ($19.98), and Digital Download.
Extras
- Bonus Episodes (85 min.; SD): First up are four episodes from Superman: The Animated Series, spanning all three seasons: The first installment of "The Last Son of Krypton", "New Kids in Town", where Brainiac is the focal point of these two, and the two-parter "Little Girl Lost", is where Supergirl makes her debut in the Animated Universe.
- Superman: Brainiac (HD): Excerpts of a few pages from Geoff Johns and Gary Frank's 2009 graphic novel from which this movie was adapted have also been included, complete with the ability to zoom in on panels as you read.
- Kandor: History of the
- Brainiac: Technology and Terror (25 min.; HD): The second featurette explores the evolution of Brainiac over the years in various mediums, from the alien in the '50s and '60s to the mechanical creature that became so iconic throughout the '80s up to the Kryptonian A.I. in Superman: The Animated Series.
- Audio Commentary: Commentary with producer/director James Tucker, screenwriter Bob Goodman, and DC Entertainment creative director Mark Carlin.
- Trailers: (11 min.; HD) As with all of the DC Animated Movies they included the trailer and teasers for future and already released DC Animated Movies. In this we get to see a sneak peek of Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox.
That is what I thought about Superman: Unbound. Now let us know your thoughts. Did you like the comic arc? Are you looking forward to this movie? Are you buying the DVD/Blu-ray? Or are you going to Netflix it? Let us know in the comments.
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Free Comic Book Day 2013 Philly Style
Free Comic Book Day 2013: Philly Style
By: Jay
Free Comic Book Day is the first Saturday in May, a day when comic book companies put out books for comic shops all around the world to give away for free. Some use this as an opportunity to showcase a new series or a special event, while others use it as a sampler to show readers what their company has to offer on a regular basis. I live in Philadelphia and I thought it would be really cool to share with you the Philly experience, or as I like to call it, Free Comic Book Day: Philly Style!
There are a few comic shops in Philly and the surrounding area. The two big guys though are Atomc City Comics on South Street and Fat Jack’s Comicrypt on Sansom St . My plan was to hit both stores and see what each had to offer, to give a more well rounded experience of Free Comic Book Day here. But things don’t always go as planned. While the experience at Atomic City Comics was truly awesome, Fat Jack’s Comicrypt was not, due to the fact that they were hit really hard and within an hour and a half of opening were down to just three free titles and offered nothing outside of the Free Comic Book Day offerings.
While it was a bummer that I couldn’t showcase two great experiences, I choose to focus on the positive and showcase the epicness that Atomic City Comics had to offer. First, I want to explain what South Street is. South Street is a street here in Philly that runs East to West for blocks and is full of retailers. If you can think of it, they have a shop for it on South Street : comics, books, music, clothes, food, bars, hats, adult items, crystals, etc. You can find a store that specializes in preppy clothes and a few doors down one that specializes in goth clothing, pretty much something for everyone. It’s a great little community within our community.
Now yesterday was Free Comic Book Day and this little community made it HUGE. The weather was perfect, upper 70’s and bright and sunny. There was food, drink, live music, cosplayers, and yeah, FREE COMICS! There was that cool vibe about the whole thing that felt like Comic Con meets a block party. Everyone was enjoying themselves. From little kids to seniors, this was truly fun for all ages.
Inside the store was very busy, but very organized. They really controlled the flow of people there and had a great spread of books, even hours after opening. I got my free books and my weekly titles, along with some extra goodies that were very well priced, with 60% off! I will be doing a review of all the Free Comic Book Day offerings in a "Mega Review" that will include a short rundown on each book offered and my thoughts on them later this week.
If you’re in or around Philly on May 3, 2013 I suggest you stop by Action City Comics on South Street , and join in the festivities.
That was my Free Comic Book Day experience. What did the comic shops in your city do for it? What books did you get? What else, if anything, did your shop do for the day outside of the free books offered all over? Let us know and share your experience in the comments.
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Shipping This Week May 8, 2013
New Comic Book & Related Merchandise Scheduled for Wednesday, May 8, 2013
This is a list of comic books, graphic novels, and other related merchandise that should be available in comic book shops this week.
Take a look and let us know what books and other goodies you're picking up this week in the comments!
( * = Check your local shop for price )
ABRAMS COMICARTS
Good Riddance A Graphic Memoir Of Divorce GN, $17.95
Legends Of The Blues HC, $19.95
Raven Girl GN, $19.95
AC COMICS
Men Of Mystery #89, $29.95
AMULET BOOKS
Will And Whit GN, $12.95
APE ENTERTAINMENT
Drew Hayes' Poison Elves #1 (2nd Printing Variant Cover), $2.99
ARCHAIA ENTERTAINMENT
Mumbai Confidential Volume 1 Good Cop Bad Cop HC, $24.95
ARCHIE COMIC PUBLICATIONS
Jugheads Double Digest #192, $3.99
Life With Archie #29 (Fernando Ruiz Regular Cover), $3.99
Life With Archie #29 (Jon Gray Variant Cover), $3.99
Mega Man #25 (Matt Herms Evil Friends Forever Variant Cover), $2.99
Mega Man #25 (Patrick Spaziante Gatefold Regular Cover), $2.99
Sonic Super Special Magazine #7, $9.99
ASPEN COMICS
Executive Assistant Assassins #10 (Cover A Jorden Gunderson), $3.99
Executive Assistant Assassins #10 (Cover B Ryan Odagawa), $3.99
Fathom Volume 4 #9 (Cover A Alex Konat), $3.50
Fathom Volume 4 #9 (Cover B Giuseppe Cafaro), $3.50
Fathom Volume 4 #9 (Cover C Alex Konat), *
Legend Of The Shadowclan #4 (Of 5)(Cover A Cory Smith), $3.99
Legend Of The Shadowclan #4 (Of 5)(Cover B Cory Smith), $3.99
Legend Of The Shadowclan #4 (Of 5)(Cover C Cory Smith), $3.99
Legend Of The Shadowclan #4 (Of 5)(Cover D Cory Smith), $3.99
AUTOMATIC PICTURES
Hatter M The Looking Glass Wars Volume 4 Zen HC, $24.99
Hatter M The Looking Glass Wars Volume 4 Zen TP, $14.95
AVATAR PRESS
Ferals #14 (Gabriel Andrade Regular Cover), $3.99
Ferals #14 (Gabriel Andrade Gore Cover), $3.99
Ferals #14 (Gabriel Andrade Slashed Incentive Cover), *
Ferals #14 (Gabriel Andrade Wraparound Cover), $3.99
Uber #0 (Caanan White Enhanced Edition Cover), $4.99
Uber #1 (Caanan White Regular Cover), $3.99
Uber #1 (Caanan White Blitzkrieg Incentive Cover), *
Uber #1 (Michael Dipascale Propaganda Poster Cover), $3.99
Uber #1 (Caanan White Wraparound Cover), $3.99
BIG DOG INK
Critter #11 (Fico Ossio Cover), $3.50
Critter #11 (Romano Molenaar Cover), $3.50
Legend Of Oz The Scarecrow #1 (Of 2)(Carlos Reno Cover), $3.50
Legend Of Oz The Scarecrow #1 (Of 2)(Nei Ruffino Cover), $3.50
Legend Of Oz The Wicked West #7 (Carlos Reno Cover), $3.50
Legend Of Oz The Wicked West #7 (Nei Ruffino Cover), $3.50
BIG FINISH
Doctor Who The Auntie Matter Audio CD, $18.99
Doctor Who The Companion Chronicles TheFlames Of Cadiz Audio CD, $21.99
Doctor Who The Wrong Doctors Audio CD, $24.99
BIRDCAGE BOTTOM BOOKS
Snake Pit Gets Old Daily Diary Comics 2010-2012 GN, $16.95
BLACK MASK COMICS
12 Reasons To Die #1 (Christopher Mitten Cover), $3.50
12 Reasons To Die #1 (Ronald Wimberly Cover), $3.50
BONGO COMICS
Mylo Xyloto #4, $3.99
BOOM! STUDIOS
Bravest Warriors #8 (Cover A Tyson Hesse), $3.99
Bravest Warriors #8 (Cover B Nick Edwards), $3.99
Bravest Warriors #8 (Cover C Yehudi Mercado), *
Bravest Warriors #8 (Cover D Jeremy Sorese), *
Clive Barker's Hellraiser The Road Below Volume 1 TP, $14.99
Fanboys Vs Zombies Volume 2 TP, $14.99
Grace Randolph's Supurbia #7 (Cover A Stephane Roux), $3.99
Planet Of The Apes Cataclysm Volume 1 TP, $14.99
Steed And Mrs Peel Volume 1 A Very Civil Armageddon TP, $14.99
Two Guns Second Shot TP (Deluxe Edition), $19.99
BROADWAY
Doctor Who Earthworld MMPB (50th Anniversary Collection Edition), $12.99
Doctor Who Fear Of Dark MMPB (50th Anniversary Collection Edition), $12.99
COFFEE TABLE COMICS
Remind Volume 1 HC (not verified by Diamond), $24.95
Remind Volume 2 HC (not verified by Diamond), $24.95
COMIC SHOP NEWS
Comic Shop News #1351, *
CONUNDRUM PRESS
Library HC (by Chihoi), $20.00
DARK HORSE COMICS
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #21 (Georges Jeanty Variant Cover), $2.99
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 #21 (Phil Noto Regular Cover), $2.99
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 9 Volume 3 Guarded TP, $17.99
Chronicles Of King Conan Volume 5 The Black Dragons And Other Stories TP, $18.99
Creepy Comics #12, $4.99
Criminal Macabre No Peace For Dead Men TP, $17.99
Freaks' Amour GN, $17.99
Star Wars #5 (Alex Ross Sketch Variant Cover), *
Star Wars #5 (Rodolfo Migliari Regular Cover), $2.99
X #1 (Of 4)(Dave Wilkins Regular Cover), $2.99
X #1 (Of 4)(Paolo Rivera Variant Cover), *
DC COMICS
Batman #20 (Greg Capullo Black & White Variant Cover), *
Batman #20 (Greg Capullo Combo Pack Cover), $4.99
Batman #20 (Greg Capullo Regular Cover), $3.99
Batman #20 (Jock Variant Cover), *
Batman And Red Hood #20, $2.99
Batman Arkham Unhinged #14, $3.99
Batman Death By Design TP, $14.99
Batman Incorporated Volume 1 Demon Star HC, $24.99
DC Entertainment Essentials And Chronology 2013, *
Deathstroke #20 (Final Issue), $2.99
Demon Knights #20, $2.99
Green Lantern Corps #20 (Andy Kubert Black & White Variant Cover), *
Green Lantern Corps #20 (Andy Kubert Regular Cover), $2.99
Green Lantern Simon Baz Action Figure, $24.95
Hellblazer Volume 5 Dangerous Habits TP (New Edition), $19.99
Injustice Gods Among Us #1 (3rd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Justice League Of America #3 (David Finch Black & White Variant Cover), *
Justice League Of America #3 (David Finch Combo Pack Cover), $4.99
Justice League Of America #3 (David Finch Regular Fold-Out Cover), $3.99
Justice League Of America #3 (Herman Mejia MAD Variant Cover), *
Katana #4 (Juan Jose Ryp Black & White Variant Cover), *
Katana #4 (Juan Jose Ryp Regular Cover), $2.99
Legion Of Super-Heroes Volume 2 The Dominators TP, $16.99
Ravagers #12 (Final Issue), $2.99
Ravagers Volume 1 The Kids From N.O.W.H.E.R.E. TP, $16.99
Showcase Presents Superman Family Volume 4 TP, $19.99
Smallville Season 11 #13, $3.99
Suicide Squad #20, $2.99
Superboy #20, $2.99
Team 7 #8 (Final Issue), $2.99
Threshold #5, $3.99
DRAWN AND QUARTERLY
Paying For It GN, $19.95
Playboy GN (New Edition), $16.95
You're All Just Jealous Of My Jetpack HC, $19.95
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Damsels Mermaids #1 (Chris Eliopoulos Subscription Variant Cover), $3.99
Damsels Mermaids #1 (Cover A Paul Renaud), $3.99
Damsels Mermaids #1 (Cover B Jay Anacleto), $3.99
Damsels Mermaids #1 (Jay Anacleto Black & White Variant Cover), *
Damsels Mermaids #1 (Paul Renaud Black & White Variant Cover), *
Dark Shadows #16 (Francesco Francavilla Regular Cover), $3.99
Garth Ennis' Battlefields #6 (Of 6)(Fall And Rise Part 3)(Russ Braun Regular Cover), $3.99
Grimm #1 (Alex Ross Black & White Variant Cover), *
Grimm #1 (Alex Ross Regular Cover), $3.99
Grimm #1 (Phantom Variant Cover), *
Grimm #1 (Photo Subscription Variant Cover), $3.99
Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files Ghoul Goblin #4 (Of 6)(Ardian Syaf Regular Cover), $3.99
Prophecy Volume 1 TP, $19.99
Red Sonja Annual #4 (Jose Malaga Regular Cover), $4.99
Vampirella #29 (Fabiano Neves Regular Cover), $3.99
Vampirella #29 (Lucio Parrillo Regular Cover), $3.99
Vampirella #29 (Paul Renaud Red Variant Cover), *
Vampirella #29 (Paul Renaud Regular Cover), $3.99
Warlord Of Mars #24 (Joe Jusko Regular Cover), $3.99
Warlord Of Mars #24 (Lucio Parillo Regular Cover), $3.99
Warlord Of Mars #24 (Lucio Parillo Virgin Variant Cover), *
Warlord Of Mars #24 (Risque Variant Cover), *
Warlord Of Mars Dejah Thoris #25 (Fabiano Neves Regular Cover), $3.99
Warlord Of Mars Dejah Thoris #25 (Paul Renaud Regular Cover), $3.99
Warlord Of Mars Dejah Thoris #25 (Sergio Fernandez Davila Risque Variant Cover), *
Warlord Of Mars Dejah Thoris #25 (Wagner Reis Risque Variant Cover), *
EAGLEMOSS PUBLICATIONS
Classic Marvel Figurine Collection Magazine #198 (Wiccan), $14.00
Classic Marvel Figurine Collection Magazine #199 (Deathbird), $14.00
Classic Marvel Figurine Collection Magazine #200 (Hela), $14.00
DC Batman Automobilia Figurine Collection Magazine #6 (Detective #156), $20.00
DC Superhero Chess Figurine Collection Magazine #30 (Killer Croc Black Rook), $16.00
DC Superhero Chess Figurine Collection Magazine #31 (Azrael White Pawn), $16.00
FANTAGRAPHICS BOOKS
Walt Disney's Donald Duck Volume 1 The Old Castle
Wandering Son Volume 4 HC, $19.99
FIRST SECOND
Nothing Can Possibly Go Wrong GN, $16.99
Red Handed The Fine Art Of Strange Crimes HC, $26.99
FUTURE PUBLISHING
SFX #234, $10.99
HARPER COLLINS
InterWorld TP (by Neil Gaiman), $9.99
Silver Dream An InterWorld Novel HC, $18.99
Unnatural Creatures Stories Selected By Neil Gaiman SC, $9.99
HERMES PRESS
Frank Robbins' Johnny Hazard The Newspaper Dailies Volume 2 1946-1948 HC (resolicited), $49.99
IDW PUBLISHING
Fever Ridge A Tale Of MacArthur's Jungle War #3 (Of 8)(Cover A Nick Runge), $3.99
Fever Ridge A Tale Of MacArthur's Jungle War #3 (Of 8)(Cover RI Nick Runge), *
Memorial Imaginary Fiends #3 (Of 3)(Cover A Rich Ellis), $3.99
Michael Golden's G.I. JOE Yearbook Artist's Edition Portfolio TP, *
Rocketeer Adventures Treasury Edition TP, $9.99
Rocketeer Hollywood Horror #4 (Of 4)(Cover A Walter Simonson), $3.99
Rocketeer Hollywood Horror #4 (Of 4)(Cover RI Walter Simonson), *
Star Trek #20 (Cover A Tim Bradstreet), $3.99
Star Trek #20 (Cover RI-A Tim Bradstreet), *
Star Trek #20 (Cover RI-B Photo), *
Transformers Spot Trailcutter #1 (Dynamic Forces Exclusive Cover), $10.00
IMAGE COMICS
Bomb Queen Deluxe Edition Volume 2 HC, $24.99
Chin Music #1, $2.99
Comeback TP, $14.99
Prophet #35, $3.99
Storm Dogs #5 (Of 6), $3.50
Thief Of Thieves Volume 2 TP, $14.99
Walking Dead #110, $2.99
Witchblade #166 (Cover A Diego Bernard), $2.99
Witchblade #166 (Cover B John Tyler Christopher), $2.99
KENZER AND COMPANY
Knights Of The Dinner Table #197, $5.99
MARVEL COMICS
Alpha Big Time #4 (Of 5), $2.99
Astonishing X-Men #62, $3.99
Avengers #11, $3.99
Avengers Arena #9, $2.99
Avengers Arena Volume 1 Kill Or Die TP, $15.99
Avengers Assemble #15AU, $3.99
Avengers Heart Of Stone TP, $24.99
Avengers Vs X-Men Companion HC, $99.99
Avenging Spider-Man #20, $3.99
Avenging Spider-Man Threats And Menaces TP, $14.99
Castle A Calm Before The Storm #5 (Of 5), $3.99
Deadpool #9, $2.99
Disney Princess Magazine #13 (Disney Publishing Worldwide), $4.99
Essential Defenders Volume 7 TP, $19.99
Fearless Defenders #4 (Mark Brooks Regular Cover), $2.99
Fearless Defenders #4 (Stephanie Hans Variant Cover), *
Iron Man #258.2, $3.99
Marvel Universe The Avengers Earth's Mightiest Heroes #14, $2.99
Marvel Universe Ultimate Spider-Man Digest Volume 3 TP, $9.99
Secret Avengers #4 (Mark Brooks Variant Cover), *
Secret Avengers #4 (Tomm Coker Regular Cover), $3.99
Shanna By Milo Manara Poster, $8.99
Spider-Men TP, $19.99
Stand Volume 6 The Night Has Come TP, $19.99
Storm By Milo Manara Poster, $8.99
Superior Spider-Man By Marcos Martin Poster, $8.99
Thor God Of Thunder #8, $3.99
Thunderbolts Volume 1 No Quarter TP, $15.99
Ultimate Comics Spider-Man By Brian Michael Bendis Volume 3 TP, $19.99
Ultimate Comics The Ultimates #24, $3.99
Uncanny Avengers #8 (John Cassaday Regular Cover), $3.99
Uncanny Avengers #8 (Milo Manara Variant Cover), *
Uncanny X-Force #4 (Giusieppe Camuncoli Variant Cover), *
Uncanny X-Force #4 (Kris Anka Regular Cover), $3.99
Wolverine #3 (Alan Davis Regular Cover), $3.99
Wolverine #3 (Ed McGuinness Variant Cover), *
Wolverine By Gabrielle Dell'Otto Poster, $8.99
Wolverine Young Readers Novel SC
MOONSTONE
Savage Beauty TP, $11.99
NBM
Treasury Of Murder Softcover Set, $26.99
PANINI PUBLISHING
Doctor Who Magazine #459, $9.99
PAPERCUTZ
Benny Breakiron Volume 1 The Red Taxis HC, $11.99
Smurfs Volume 15 The Smurflings SC, $5.99
Smurfs Volume 15 The Smurflings HC, $10.99
PS ARTBOOKS
American Comics Group Collected Works Out Of The Night Volume 1 HC (Slipcase Edition), $62.99
Roy Thomas Presents The Heap Volume 1 HC (Slipcase Edition), $119.99
REBELLION
Slaine The Grail War GN, $29.99
SCREEN POWER PUBLISHING
Scream Magazine #17, $8.99
SELFMADEHERO
Complete Don Quixote GN, $27.50
Sandcastle GN, $19.95
SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT
Dance In The Vampire Bund Volume 14 GN, $13.99
Zero's Familiar Omnibus Volume 1 TP (Volumes 1-3), $19.99
TH3RD WORLD STUDIOS
Shadowgirls HC, $29.95
TITAN PUBLISHING
CLiNT 2.0 #7, $6.99
Once Upon A Time Souvenir Special Magazine #2, $14.99
Star Trek Magazine #45 (Newsstand Edition), $14.99
Star Trek Magazine #45 (Previews Exclusive Edition), $14.99
TOOL PUBLICATIONS
Westward Volume 1 TP, $15.99
TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS
We Can Fix It GN, $14.95
UNITED PLANKTON PICTURES
SpongeBob Comics #20, $2.99
VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT
Archer And Armstrong #0 (Clayton Henry Regular Cover), $3.99
Archer And Armstrong #0 (Lee Garbett Pullbox Cover), $3.99
Archer And Armstrong #0 (Tom Fowler Variant Cover), *
Harbinger #0 (David Lapham 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99
Harbinger #12 (Amy Reeder Regular Cover), $3.99
Harbinger #12 (Khari Evans Pullbox Cover), $3.99
VERTICAL
Heroman Volume 4 GN, $10.95
VIZ MEDIA
Bakuman Volume 19 TP, $9.99
Black Bird Volume 16 GN, $9.99
Bleach 3-In-1 Edition Volume 5 TP (Volumes 13-15), $14.99
Claymore Volume 22 TP, $9.99
Dengeki Daisy Volume 12 GN, $9.99
Hunter x Hunter Volume 30 TP, $9.99
La Corda d'Oro Volume 17 TP, $9.99
Naruto 3-In-1 Edition Volume 5 TP (Volumes 13-15), $14.99
Naruto Volume 61 TP, $9.99
Otomen Volume 15 GN, $9.99
Pokemon Adventures Volume 16 TP, $9.99
Psyren Volume 10 GN, $9.99
Strobe Edge Volume 4 GN, $9.99
Tegami Bachi Volume 13 GN, $9.99
We Were There Volume 16 GN, $9.99
WINX Club Volume 7 GN, $6.99
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood Wanted #1 (Of 5)(Cover A Artgerm), $2.99
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood Wanted #1 (Of 5)(Cover B Stjepan Sejic), $2.99
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood Wanted #1 (Of 5)(Cover C Harvey Taliboa), $2.99
Grimm Fairy Tales Presents Robyn Hood Wanted #1 (Of 5)(Cover D Artgerm), *
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Action Comics #20 Review
Action Comics #20 Review
By: Jay
Andy Diggle and Tony S. Daniel are back with Action Comics. However, those who keep up with the latest news know that Diggle left the book and Daniel will be finishing the arc based on Diggle’s story. Find out what this creative team’s next chapter of Action Comics brings us.
Once again this story is taking place a year before the present day DCU. This issue picks up a little while after the ending of the last issue. Superman battles the Hybrid with help from Dr. Veritas. Lex decides to escalate his plan. In the back-up: On Krypton while Jor-El explores the ocean’s depths, there is a coup in the Science Council.
I usually don’t review consecutive issues of a series, but due to my love of Superman, and the abrupt departure of Diggle, I will review each issue of this arc. With that said, you can really tell the difference between this issue and the last. While Daniel does a great job, you can see the focus has shifted. Where the last issue dealt with emotional and inter-personal relationships while packing in the action, this issue the focus is on the action and the inter-personal side is very low. You can clearly see that Daniel reworked Diggle’s story to fit with the editorial changes.
The story felt a bit rushed. This can be seen in the conversation with Dr. Veritas. She says she had been observing Superman for a while and teleported him there after he fell in the last issue. That’s not to say Daniel is telling a bad story, he has me interested still, and I am enjoying the action of the book. I just hope he can balance the action with the character-driven story that we saw in the last issue.
While Daniel’s writing is lacking the emotion that Diggle’s story gave us, his art brought it. Daniel has a way of drawing eyes where they convey emotion. Daniel has to know this because he has those moments where he does that zoom in on the eyes, and in that panel you know how the character is feeling. Daniel does one other thing: he makes me like Superman’s “Kryptonian Armor” costume. Since I first saw this costume, I didn’t like it. It looked overly complicated (something I find in a few other New 52 redesigns), but Daniel makes it more subtle and I really like it. He took Superman from that regal knight standing above us to that inspirational figure lifting us up with hope.
This is a $3.99 book even though DC “Draws the Line at $2.99,” but with the extra $1.00 they give us an additional 8-Page story by Scott Lobdell titled “The World of Krypton.” I haven’t been a fan of Lobdell’s New 52 work so far, but I will admit he has me interested with “Part 1: The Discovery.” This tale takes us to Krypton with a younger Jor-El, and a new twist with Lara. We get to see Jor-El exploring Krypton, and what he finds has me wanting to read the next part of this back-up story. Jor-El’s story isn’t all that has me interested. Lara is usually seen as “Jor-El’s wife,” “Superman’s mom.” See a pattern? But with this story it seems Lobdell is portraying her as her own woman, which I love.
Philip Tan has some really great art, not as polished as Daniel’s but he does a great job. His Krypton is fantastic. From the garb, to the tech, to the sea creatures, to the structures, it all looks amazing. With what Jor-El discovered in the ocean, I can’t wait to see part two and see how Tan tackles it.
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There's No Place Like OZ: Anthony Spay Interview
There’s No Place Like OZ: Anthony Spay Interview
Zenescope Entertainment recently announced their plans for their newest Grimm Fairy Talescomic book spinoff entitled OZ. Fans of Zenescope’s comics have been anxiously awaiting the company’s re-imagining of this iconic story since they started planting the seeds over the past two years.
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| OZ #1 Cover B |
This July those seeds will come to fruition when Zenescope Entertainment’s OZ lands on the shelves of local comic book shops everywhere. Comic Frontline was lucky enough to have the chance to chat with Zenescope Entertainment’s Art Director/ Staff Artist Anthony Spay, who handled the designs of this epic land of OZ.
Comic Frontline: First I would like to thank you for taking the time out of your day for this interview. Can you tell our readers a little about yourself?
Anthony Spay: My name is Anthony Spay. I am currently the Art Director/ Staff Artist for Zenescope Entertainment. As Art Director, I am in charge of finding new talent to work on our books, designing new characters for our stories, and proofing and editing the pages that come in. For the Staff Artist part of my job description, I do any page corrections that are needed, and pencil about 40 covers a year.
I’ve been reading comic books as far back as I remember, so working in the industry is something that has always been a dream of mine. I also like watching sports, puppies, and long walks on the beach.
CF: When did you start drawing?
AS: I've been drawing from as far back as I can remember. Art and specifically drawing comics was always a hobby for me. As far as seriously pursuing it as a career, I was a bit of a late bloomer; I didn't really start focusing all of my energy on it until after I graduated from college and had been working in the 'real world' for a couple of years.
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| OZ #1 Cover A |
CF: What was your first big break?
AS: Although I had done some professional work for magazines and some smaller publishers, I consider Zenescope hiring me as a freelance penciler my first “big break”. They gave me a shot to work on some interiors about four years ago, which led into me eventually becoming the Art Director/ Staff Artist for them two years ago.
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| Queen Of Hearts |
CF: What is your favorite character that you designed?
AS: My favorite (non-OZ related) Zenescope character that I designed is the (second) Queen of Hearts from Wonderland. We have an action figure coming out based on the character, and I think it will be really cool to own an action figure of a character that I designed.
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| Emerald City King |
CF: What did you think when you were asked to design OZ?
AS: I was excited and ready to go. They are great, great characters to play with. And honestly, people within the company are just as excited about the series as everyone else, so it's pretty easy to be inspired and motivated for this project.
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| Emerald City King |
CF: The Wizard of Oz is so visually iconic were you nervous at all?
AS: A little bit- but I really enjoy the character design part of the job, and think that I have developed a pretty good Idea of what our writers are looking for when they come up with these characters. Particularly on Joe Brusha’s projects, I feel like I usually have a good sense of what he is going for with a character, as we have a fairly similar taste in comics. And I have been coming up with crazy characters my whole life, so it is more of an exciting challenge, rather than something to be nervous about.
The one thing that did make me nervous was the sheer scope of it. I have designed a lot of things for Zenescope, but usually there were some previous books to use as inspiration, or some basis in our established universe of characters to work off of. We had a few early designs for some characters from way back before I started with the company, but that was about it. This will be the first time I have gotten to start from scratch, and come up with the look of everything.
CF: Did you feel any pressure because that world is so beloved by people all over the world?
AS: Absolutely; The Wizard of Oz is one of the most iconic stories of our time. Oz fans are pretty tough whenever a new version is released. It is a delicate balance between staying loyal to what people know and want to see, and re-imagining the whole thing. As a fan and a comic book reader myself, I just tried to go with what I would want to see. I'm a bit of a traditionalist- I don’t want to make things unrecognizably different. I used how we treated the Wonderland series as a guideline- There is an interesting, fresh take on it and reinterpretations of what already existed, but you still feel like it’s the place you know. That's what I'm going for with the characters in OZ- You’ll see the four main characters together and know “That’s OZ”, but at the same time, know it is Zenescope’s take on them.
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| Scarecrow |
CF: Which character is visually the most similar and the most different from what we know?
AS: I'd say the Scarecrow is the most similar. But really, I don't know how many different ways you can really go with that, without becoming too similar to other, non-Oz Scarecrow characters in comic books. There's straw and there's some rags and clothing to keep the straw in... Don't get me wrong, he's definitely a little darker and different from the classic version, but I didn't want to change things just for the sake of changing them.
The munchkins might just be the most different. And no, they are not tall, they are still very short. But they have a whole different feel to them; they aren't the friendly, singing munchkins you might be used to…
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| Tin Man |
CF: What character or other part of OZ did you have the most fun designing?
AS: My favorite character that I designed for OZis the Tin Man - who is also the first character that I designed for OZ. As soon as Joe mentioned the idea behind him, I knew exactly what I wanted to do. I love the look; he is just someone that you don't want to mess with.
CF: What is next for you?
AS: Right now I am working on a ton of covers, which is great; I love doing covers, and I think we have some really cool ones coming up. I'm drawing some for the OZ series, and I have a couple of sets of connecting covers coming out for our Unleashed event and our upcoming Realm Knights miniseries. I also recently wrote my first issue, Grimm Universe#4, so there will hopefully be more to come as far as writing is concerned. My next big goal is to both write and draw a project; it's just a matter of finding the time to do it!
I’ll like to thank Anthony Spay once again for taking time out of his busy schedule for this interview. Don’t forget to check out OZthis July from Zenescope Entertainment.
Are you excited about OZ? What are you most looking forward to seeing? Let us know what you think about in the comments and follow us on Twitter
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The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 4
The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 4
By Arnoldo Acosta
SECOND CHANCES
“The one thing about The New 52 is that you can’t reintroduce these characters twice. You have to make sure when you do it; you do it right, If you look at them across the line, there are some books where they’ve done a great job reintroducing characters and some where they’ve done a terrible job.”
-James Robinson
This quote from James Robinson speaks loud of the sad truth of the New 52. I said this before in part one of this article. The New 52 was an opportunity to make a better DC, but that doesn’t mean that such opportunities should be wasted.
There are many characters that I can point out as wasted opportunities but those are just consequences of a bigger problem. I just want to give attention to a little thing:
As I mentioned in Part 2, in 2010 DC rebooted Wonder Woman under the pen of writer J. Michael Straczynski(JMS). This was similar to an elseworld story in which Wonder Woman had to leave Themisira when she was just a child and ends up being raised in the “Men’s World”. The general consensus was that most fans disliked this story for many different reasons, which included the sudden departure of JMS from the book. Personally I thought it was a pretty good “Elseworld story”. I think most people just hated it out of fear because they thought this was going to permanently replace Wonder Woman.
The thing that is impressive about this story is the coverage. This was a huge story at the time for many reasons but one of the most important reasons was that “Wonder Woman was getting pants”. It received coverage from different news outlets including The New York Times
The story ran its course and was later replaced by Brian Azzarello’s version of WW, which I already covered in part 2 of this analysis. However there was one single feature that was carried from the JMS All-New Wonder Woman into the New 52. THE PANTS
It seemed that DC was going to commit on covering the sexy legs of the legendary Amazon. It looked that the change would be permanent and Wonder Woman was going to get a new iconic look.
WRONG!
Despite Diana being featured with pants on the solicitations for the covers for issues #1 and #2 of Wonder Woman and Issue #1 of The Justice League she still had to be redesigned to shorts instead of pants.
This was a complete last minute decision.
That is the problem with DC: No Commitment.
This is the reason why the New 52 exists, DC lost the commitment to their own universe and than rebooted their universe, some titles benefitted but most didn’t. I’m not complaining over the fact that Wonder Woman is not wearing pants (though she does look better with pants). The problem is that DC, and that includes its editors, writers, and artists made a decision to do something and then they regretted that decision and made another one.
Now this wouldn’t be a big problem especially after the new 52, except it keeps happening again:
And again…
And again…
And again…
\
And again…
There are many more examples than even I can count and show here.
This are not things that have earn a second chance, and it is impossible to conceive this as part of the long term plan. In some cases this are the results of just minor changes, but others is because DC is trying to correct mistakes but at the same time not progressing the story. All are symptoms of the same illness, lack of foresight.
DC needs to think about the decisions they make; think of the positives, think of the negatives, think where these ideas will lead the story next year, next two, three years, and if the ideas end up having ill results then find a way to fix them, not just start all over again because it just renews the cycle it doesnt stop it.
Here is a humble suggestion from my behalf:
Measure Twice, Cut Once!
"…Why should readers care about the current cast if DC has already shown a willingness to ignore 18 issues worth of plot developments at the drop of a hat?And if the old status quo is intended to be restored eventually, that's even less reason to care about this team…"
I really cannot put it in better words.
To be concluded…
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TMNT Set Photos Reveal First Look At The Ninja Turtles And More
TMNT Set Photos Reveal First Look At The Ninja Turtles And More
By: JayA few weeks ago we reported that Paramount ’s presentation at CinemaCon 2013 in Las Vegas included the reveal of the upcoming movie's logo that clearly read “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” Now with production of the movie underway, pics from the set are starting to poor in. We have some pics that reveal Will Arnett’s much-speculated role, April’s look, the logo for the movie, the Foot Clan and the Ninja Turtle actors in their motion capture suits!
Looks like the Ninja Turtles are captured by the Foot Clan:
April O’Neil is known for her iconic yellow jumpsuit. The jumpsuit is a bit outdated, but the movie seems to be trying to update that look:
April doing a report on fitness/working out:
Ever since Will Arnett was cast in the movie fans have been speculating who he will be portraying and now we know he is playing April’s cameraman Vernon Fenwick:
Finally we have the official logo for the movie from a set chair and a scene slate marker:
What do you think about these pics? Let us know in the comments and be sure to follow us on Twitter to keep up-to-date on the latest Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Movie news.
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The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 1
The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 1
By Arnoldo Acosta
Almost two years ago DC announced that in the wake of its most recent comic book event that the DC Universe was going to be relaunched with a new initiative called The New 52. All of the previous DC books would end and 52 new #1s would take their place.
I still remember that time very vividly. In forums and comic news sites, the speculation about what would happen was very high but DC reassured everyone and I quote “this is a relaunch, not a reboot”
Of course anyone who has been paying attention in the past two years now know that that quote is an utter lie and the DCU was indeed rebooted. However it was not a complete reboot and the objective of the reboot was to attract new readers to expand the horizons of who shall be reading comics and reach a wider demographic. The reboot would gain the interest of new readers because of the new digital market and their would be an impulse on the diversity of titles that would be added to the New 52.
Personally, I was really optimistic about this event because at the time I believed the books that were already working DC on both ambits of quality and sales were going to be left untouched. Those titles were Green Lantern and Batman. While Titles that did not work during the pre-New 52 like Teen Titans, Superman, and Justice League would be reworked and have a chance to become better.
Little did I know that the price for such opportunities was going to be high and was never going to pay off.
I read almost every single comic from the New 52 and for each of those comics I read I gave them a fair chance. Even comics like Mr Terrific by Eric Wallace, Deathstroke by Kyle Higgins, Hawk and Dove by Liefeld and Gates and more. Comics which will probably disappear from everybody’s memories in just a couple of years if they haven’t already. I gave all of these comics the same opportunities and I saw very little to be amazed.
I’m not going to complain about just a couple of bad books or even the initiative itself. The idea of the New 52 is about starting fresh, revitalize old concepts, reviving old characters and old possibilities but the reality is chances are only as good as how they are taken. Almost two years after the fact I can honestly say that the New 52 has been a Complete Failure.
Since DC implemented their new policies for digital comics their sales are still far from comparing with the direct market.
New characters and new comics that were suppose to push diversity in this new universe are now either gone for good, cancelled or just simply changed to something missing the original point of the comic.
The new focus of the New 52 is to play things as safe as possible with little to no regard on quality. As long as the sales are doing well there are no other concerns.
The Failures
We don’t need to look far to find the failures of the New 52.
You just need to look at every single comic that has been cancelled to realize why these titles were cancelled. Then you will understand the problem of the New 52 as a whole.
Static Shock
Mister Terrific
Hawk and Dove
Men of War
Blackhawks
O.M.A.C.
Captain Atom
Resurrection Man
Voodoo
Justice League International
Grifter
Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E
Legion Lost
Blue Beetle
Fury of the Firestorm
Savage Hawkman
Ravagers
Deathstroke
Sword of Sorcery
DCU:Presents
Team 7
and I, Vampire
Mister Terrific
Hawk and Dove
Men of War
Blackhawks
O.M.A.C.
Captain Atom
Resurrection Man
Voodoo
Justice League International
Grifter
Frankenstein Agent of S.H.A.D.E
Legion Lost
Blue Beetle
Fury of the Firestorm
Savage Hawkman
Ravagers
Deathstroke
Sword of Sorcery
DCU:Presents
Team 7
and I, Vampire
22 Cancelations
22 Failures
Just think about it for a second. If a book was cancelled because of its quality then is obvious that there was a problem with the book, either with the characters, or the writers, or the editors, etc. There had to be something wrong with the title.
However there is more to this. What if a book was cancelled and it was actually good?
Then you have to wonder, why did DC allow it to be cancelled? Why wasn’t it promoted better? Why didn’t it get the impulse that it deserved?
An example is I, Vampire, a fantastic horror comic. It was amazingly drawn, well written, had huge critical success, nominations to a couple of awards as well as being one of the highest selling graphic novels on NYT and yet it was recently cancelled with issue 19 because of very low sales on the direct market.
Those who aren’t familiar with I, Vampire should know that is a really surprising book because it doesn’t maintain an stable status quo for more than 7 issues. There is a reason for this, Joshua Hale Fialkov speeded up his own storylines to get them done as soon as possible.
By issue 6 the story had taken a twist that was meant to happen until the 2nd year of the book, by issue 12 it was getting into plots that were meant for the 3rdyear. When this book ends it will have an ending that Fialkov envisioned but sadly it will not have the time and respect that it deserves.
The whole concept created by these three “seasons” are very limited. They had to be rushed because if they hadn’t, it would have never seen an end. The editor, Chris Conroy, knew that they would never see a second year of publication.
This is an example of one of the failures of trying to diversify genres, which was one of the main objectives of the New 52. Even with quality and a good reputation it is not enough to ignore the book is doomed for cancellation.
To Be Continued…
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The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 2
The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 2
By Arnoldo Acosta
The Success
Not everything has been bad in the New 52. There are still a lot of books that not only have great quality but they actually sell well also.
Comic books like Batman, Green Lantern, Wonder Womanand many others are selling well and don’t suck. However every time I look at such titles I have to wonder something…
Are these books good because of the reboot or are they good despite of it?
Titles like Batman or Green Lantern didn’t need a single change with the reboot. On the other hand a title like Wonder Woman,which had a complete reboot and received certain benefits from it.
Titles like Batman or Green Lantern didn’t need a single change with the reboot. On the other hand a title like Wonder Woman,which had a complete reboot and received certain benefits from it.
But does Wonder Woman need the New 52?
The last story arc Wonder Woman had before the New 52 was The Odyssey. It involved a complete re-working of the character, which ended up changing her entire continuity. In other words by the time the New 52 was starting a detail like continuity just wasn’t important for a character like Wonder Woman.
The root of the success for Wonder Woman is not that she was rebooted. Wonder Woman was rebooted in the past so it could have been rebooted again even without the New 52. What made it work was Direction and Freedom.
Wonder Woman is successful because of the direction that Brian Azzarello has given to the book and he was given the liberty to follow that direction without any interruptions.
It doesn’t matter if Superman is dating Wonder Woman. or if the New Gods are appearing somewhere else. The book has a freedom that no other book in the New 52 has.
CV: any plans to bring any other DC characters into this series? Like Superman?BA: No. Superman's got enough face time in other books so he doesn't need it in this one.
Wonder Woman is successful because it has nothing to do with the New 52.
How about another great title like Batwoman?
Batwoman #0 Before the New 52
Scheduled to come out almost a year before the relaunch but was postpone and because of this the book is completely unaffected by the New 52. It is also untouched by any other title. How is the New 52 better than the previous universe for Batwoman? There is not really a significant change here.
Where is the gain?
The New 52 produced a lot of changes for a lot of comics, changes that hurt a lot of those comics.
If most of those titles that are at the top are the ones with less changes then why were the changes even necessary?
The New 52 are benefiting from those titles, not the other way around.
To be Continued...
To be Continued...
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The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 3
The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 3
By Arnoldo Acosta
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The job of a writer is to tell a story. To create a successful story it must have an intriguing plot, make compelling and memorable characters but most importantly it must entertain the reader.
In comics the job of an artist is to create a visual representation for the ideas that the writer attempts to create.
The job of the editors, for a company like DC or Marvel, is to set up parameters for the writers and artist not to hinder their creativity. A good editor can inspire a writer with a single idea.
There are times that because of an editorial decision the writer and artist encounter problems along the way. This can happen for a lot of different reasons.
There are times that because of an editorial decision the writer and artist encounter problems along the way. This can happen for a lot of different reasons.
An example of this is when DC wants to replace a character for another one or change the roster of a team for any number of reasons. These things are inconvenient but they are also inevitable for the most part.
However this is not what is happening at DC. The problem with the editors is not just random mandates to improve sales or coordination with the titles. The #1 problem with the editors is INDECISION.
“I didn't mind the changes in Superman, I just wish it was the same decision issue 1 or issue 2, and I had to kept rewriting things because another person changed their mind, and that was a lot tougher…”
- George Perez on Superman
Creating comics requires teamwork, the writers, artists, inkers and colorist; all are as important as the editor. The current problem with DC is that we are reaching a point where the editor has too much power than what they should have. There is a struggle between writers/artist and editors, and the editors seem to have the upper hand. This wouldn’t be so bad if the editors had an idea of what they were doing.
One editor may have an idea and impose it to the writer and then another editor higher up will overrule it. This is not an effective system at all because it doesn’t allow the story to flow naturally. This sudden change of ideas might end up with also changing the writer or even changing the editor.
“The only thing I was told was that they wanted a different direction for the book. I had a 10-minute phone call with the outgoing editor, who gave me the news. I asked what direction they wanted, but since the editor was leaving staff the next day, he didn't really know. So that's all the information I was given. I haven't heard from anyone else, beyond a call from the book's new editor to work out details on my last issue. I have to admit, I was pretty surprised, since I'd been making the revisions and changes that had been requested by editorial as the book evolved. But it seems like they want something other than what I was giving them…”
-Ron Marz on his departure from Voodoo
It is understandable to eliminate the things that do not work but I don’t think this is the right way to do it. Wouldn’t it be better to find a way to make those things work?
DIGGLE and FIALKOV and..
On July 25 of 2012 Andy Diggle tweeted that he had got the biggest job in his entire career. Andy Diggle is not a new writer, he has been in this game for a long time and has had amazing and critically acclaimed projects like The Losers, Green Arrow: Year One and Adam Strange: Planet Heist.
The aforementioned “Biggest job in his entire career” was rumored and later confirmed to be Action Comics, he would be taking over the title after Grant Morrison. He was suppose to take over on (with) issue 18 but it was delayed to issue 19 because Morrison needed a little more time to complete his saga. However on March 20 of 2013 Diggle announced that he was not going to be writing Action Comics.
Later it was announced that Tony Daniel was going to take over the writing duties for the next two issues and after that he will also be gone from the title. Issue 19 will be the only issue written by Diggle, issues 20-21 will only slightly carry on the plot.
I am putting emphasis on these dates for a reason, they are 9 months apart from one another. This is common knowledge but comic books take around three months to complete from the first stages to the final product. Even if Diggle announced that he was leaving the title on March 20th the decision had to be informed to DC before that.
Diggle did not just do anything during those 8-9 months, he would have had written at least 6 issues of the series on that time. Not to mention he could have had plotted at least the entire first year and maybe even part of the second one.
Yet the only thing that is going to be used is one single issue. Maybe it is because the second and third issue contain subplots that need to be removed but the point is that whatever Diggle planned for this run, those plans are not going to happen.
At the same time, this was happening when Geoff Johns announced that he was ending his nine year run on Green Lantern. All of the Green Lantern writers were leaving and were being replaced by a brand new team which included Joshua Hale Fialkov, writer of I, Vampire who was now taking over Red Lanterns and Green Lantern Corps. Sadly he would have the same fate as Diggle and would need to quit both of these books leaving only one single issue ready and the rest to be re-worked by other teams.
“Just a quick note to confirm what everyone knows, I am no longer the writer of GLC and Red Lanterns for DC Comics. There were editorial decisions about the direction of the book that conflicted with the story I was hired to tell, and I felt that it was better to let DC tell their story the way they want. I’m grateful for the opportunity and I’ll miss working with the entire Green Lantern team.”
-Joshua Hale Fialkov
Changes on creative teams are not something new. In fact these things are just inevitable because a team from an ongoing book will eventually reach the
This is the result of the editors having NO IDEA what the hell they want.
Diggle quit from his “Biggest job ever” out of professional reasons. That means that writing Action Comics was NOT A GOOD THINGfor his career, that “Biggest job ever” is just a mirage. This became a warning for any new writer who might come along.
As for Fialkov he said it pretty clearly, he is letting DC tell the story that they want to tell.
This is a pretty bad message for both the public, for any writer and aspiring writers who want to write for DC because this is saying that writers are just nothing but interchangeable cogs. That their input doesn’t matter.
Writers are not interchangeable; you cannot expect the same product from someone like Snyder as you would from someone like Liefeld.
And here is the worst part. This is not something New.
- Green Arrow had four different creative teams since the new 52 began.
- Fury of the Firestorm had three
- Superman had three
- Superboy had three
- Stormwatch four teams
- Legion Lost had two
- Hawkman, Grifter and Deathstoke were taken over by Rob Liefeld who then left and was replaced by different creative teams. Two in the case of Deathstroke.
- Voodoo had its writer and editor changed after just five issues
- John Rozum left Static after just three issues
- Jim Zub got accepted to be the new writer of Birds of Prey only to be replaced by Christy Marx without having made a single issue
Of course there are cases ok books that get fill ins by other writers like on Teen Titans for scheduling reasons, or new creative teams like on Swamp Thing because the writer ended their run. These are none of those cases and you can believe that there will be more just like these, just like with Diggle and Fialkov.
What the editors need is to allow the creators to create, and to keep consistency in their plans.
END OF PART 3
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The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 4
The Self-Destruction of the New 52 Part 4
By Arnoldo Acosta
“The one thing about The New 52 is that you can’t reintroduce these characters twice. You have to make sure when you do it; you do it right, If you look at them across the line, there are some books where they’ve done a great job reintroducing characters and some where they’ve done a terrible job.”
-James Robinson
This quote from James Robinson speaks loud of the sad truth of the New 52. I said this before in part one of this article. The New 52 was an opportunity to make a better DC, but that doesn’t mean that such opportunities should be wasted.
There are many characters that I can point out as wasted opportunities but those are just consequences of a bigger problem. I just want to give attention to a little thing:
As I mentioned in Part 2, on 2010 DC rebooted Wonder Woman before the new 52 under the pen of writer J. Michael Straczynski(JMS). This was similar to elseworld story in which Wonder Woman had to leave Themisira when she was just a child and end up being raised on the “Men’s World”.
The general consensus was that most fans disliked this story for many reasons which included the sudden departure of JMS from the book. Personally I thought it was pretty good as “Elseworld story” and I think most people just hated it out fear that this was going to permanently replace Wonder Woman.
However the thing that is impressive about this story is the coverage, this was a huge story at the time for many reasons but one of the most important parts was that “Wonder Woman was getting pants”, It got covered on the news including The New YorkTimes.
The story run its course and was later replaced by Brian Azzarello’s version of WW which I already covered on part 2 of this analisis. However there was one single feature that was carried from the JMS All-New Wonder Woman into the New 52. THE PANTS
It seemed that DC was going to committed on covering the sexy legs of the legendary amazon. It looked that the change was permanent and Wonder Woman was going to get a new Iconic look.
WRONG!
Despite being Diana feature with pants on the solicitations for covers of issues #1 and #2 of Wonder Woman and Issue #1 of The Justice League she got still got to be redesigned to be use shorts instead of pants.
This was a complete last minute decision.
That is the problem with DC: No Commitment.
This is the reason of the existence of the New 52, DC lost the commitment to their own universe and throw it all to start again, some benefitted but most didn’t. Im not complaining over the fact that Wonder Woman is not wearing pants (though she does look better with pants). The problem is that DC, and that includes its editors, writers and artists took a decision to do something and then they regretted that decision and took another one.
Now this wouldn’t be a big problem specially after the new 52, except that it happens again:
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And again…
And again…
And again…
There are many more examples than even I can count and show here.
In some cases this results on minor changes and others is because DC is trying to correct mistakes but none of them are signs of progression by the story. All are symptoms of the same illness, lack of foresight.
DC needs to think about that decisions it makes; think of the positives, think of the negatives, think where this ideas will lead next year, and if the ideas end up having ill results then find a way to fix them, not just get rid of them.
Here is a humble suggestion from my behalf:
Here is a humble suggestion from my behalf:
Measure Twice, Cut Once!
…Why should readers care about the current cast if DC has already shown a willingness to ignore 18 issues worth of plot developments at the drop of a hat?And if the old status quo is intended to be restored eventually, that's even less reason to care about this team…
I really cannot put it on better words.
To be concluded…
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First Look on Wonder Woman: Earth One
Here we have the first pages of the newest Grant Morrison project: Wonder Woman: Earth One, a 120-pages long graphic novel taking place outside of the continuity of the New 52 and into the same world of JMS's Superman: Earth One and Geoff Johns's Batman: Earth One.
As Grant Morrison has put it himself, this will be a very different Wonder Woman.
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Robyn Hood: Wanted #1 Review
Robyn Hood: Wanted #1 Review
By: Jay
There are four realms connected to Earth, one of which is Myst. Robyn Locksley is from Myst, but was raised on Earth. After being brutally attacked by Cal King, she is transported to Myst where she began to discover who she really is. Her journey led her to liberate the land of Bree
The land of Bree Nottingham , where a ruthless Sheriff rules and the Merry Men once again plan to rebel. On Earth while heading home Robyn has a vision of Cal King. She seeks out answers from her father, who once again betrays her.
Pat Shand is back with the next installment of Robyn Locksley’s adventures. Overall this is a great start to the next chapter in Zenescope’s modern take on the classic Robyn Hood legend. Shand does a masterful job at using Robyn’s internal monologue/narration to catch the ever elusive new reader up to the story without making it feel repetitive for those of us who have been reading all along. While some writers make internal dialogue feel like just a device telling you information to get you from point A to point B, Shand takes that monologue and uses it to put you in the story. By placing you in the story Shand lets you live out childhood fantasies of being in Sherwood Forrest and taking on the Sheriff of Nottingham. By reading Robyn Hood you don’t just read another comic, you are undertaking an adventure. You become Robyn Hood.
I was introduced to Zenescope Comics through the last Robyn Hood miniseries. Since then I have picked up previous books and have been following current titles. For me Shand has become the Joss Whedon or Geoff Johns of Zenescope. If I see his name on a book I am picking it up. I do that because he weaves these tales that balance character development and action so you are never lacking excitement or intrigue. He keeps you tied to the story by engaging both the intellectual and creative sides of your brain simultaneously.
Larry Watts, who did some of the art for the original miniseries, is back on art for this one. Watts ’ art compliments the story by walking that line between a realistic style and a classic fairy tale style. I’m not sure if this is Watts ’ regular style, or if he uses this style to give us that feel like we are walking the line over two worlds along with Robyn. He achieves this by making the people and the images in the background less detailed. He then adds details to the characters and objects in the foreground creating a more realistic style.
That is what I think about this issue. Let us know what you think in the comments and follow us on Twitter for more reviews, news and all your comic book needs.
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