This is a transcript, opinions have not been changed to suit the mood, what follows is about as honest a response as you are likely to garner from me.
It concerns the new Ultimates 3 creative team of jeph Loeb and Joe Madueira.
Pete is my mate, JIN IS A PUSSY is me:
Pete (thats a Latin name you know!) says:
have you seen who the new Ultimates creative team is?
JIN IS A PUSSY says:
not yet, it (it being AOL) won't open cbr, hang on
JIN IS A PUSSY says:
oh christ
JIN IS A PUSSY says:
should have been ennis and dillon
Pete (thats a Latin name you know!) says:
ha ha, exactly!
JIN IS A PUSSY says:
thats going to be wank
Pete (thats a Latin name you know!) says:
talk about going in a different direction!
JIN IS A PUSSY says:
anyway, isnt Loeb writing Ultimates at the minute anyway, just in the pages of Supes / Bats
JIN IS A PUSSY says:
oh for fucks sake
Pete (thats a Latin name you know!) says:
at least it will keep its sporadic shipping schedule
JIN IS A PUSSY says:
fucking hell
Pete (thats a Latin name you know!) says:
I really can't see how Mad's style will suit the book
JIN IS A PUSSY says:
have to wait and see, it will sell well
JIN IS A PUSSY says:
for a few months
JIN IS A PUSSY says:
hype being what it is
So what does everyone else think? Do you agree with me, or with Marvel. I could be wrong, this book could be great. Who knows
[Sam shamelessly adding 2 cents]
The general fury/confusion is being felt on the Millarworld board, but I think that there's an unhealthy tendency to overreact when creative teams switch like this.
Personally, I can't think of any writer or artist who came on a book intending to mimic or replicate the style of their predecessor who made a success of the book. People rave about Millar's contribution to comics, but his approach is pretty revolutionary - he changes shit around and makes things noticably different.
Loeb and Mad are going to make the book COMPLETELY different, without question. If The Ultimates as it stands is, in your opinion, the only direction that's valid, then absolutely, this is terrible, shocking, heart-rending news. But I think that people forget that what made books like JLA, The Authority and The Ultimates exciting was that they were nothing like what had come before. And It sounds like Ult. v3 is going to be... nothing like what came before.
Plus:
I love 2001. People tell me that the sequel, 2010, isn't as good. I've never watched the sequel. I still love the original.
Magic!
Yeah, like I said; this was purely my guttural reaction to hearing the enws, it was never planned out to be a blog, but in the end, I thought it was a different approach to it.
Hindsight being what it is, yeah, I realise the post looks fairly damning. I have not been a fan of Loeb since he left the core Superman books. His joint FF run was wank, his Marvel work has all seemed amazingly perfunctory (Spidey Blue, DD Yellow and Hulk Gray).
And I'm sorry, best selling DC ongoing or not, Superman / Batman has been for the most part incredibly lame. The first six issues were fun, issue 7 wore its heart on its sleeves and the latest arc is a shameless self-parody of almost Marilyn Manson proportions.
Joe MADS!, interesting one to talk about. I loved his X-Men when I was 14, and looking back I still like that work (Age of Apocalypse and all that), I think with Battle Chasers he shot himself in the foot and became his own worst enemy.
But all in all, lets wait and see, it could be great. It has an awful lot to live up to from the first two series, but I will definately buy it and hopefully; I will be proved wrong on my original sentiments.
Nothing makes me happier than being proved wrong in a situation like this.
Except maybe porn.
!
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
Thursday, August 25, 2005
Place your bets.
Sam said:
Anyone willing to lay money on how the end of the Black Cat mini sells compared to the original 3 issues? Issue 2 at least hit around 100,000 copies.
10,000 for the reprint, 50,000 for the final issues.
Place your bets...
Sid says:
I reckon orders for the fourth issue will tally about 85,000, even though this series is astonishingly late, people have never stopped talking about it. Lets face it, Black cat has been in potential rape limbo for a few years now, people are going to want to see how it turns out and retailers will buy into the hype.
But I reckon retailers will get stuck with a fair few, like with DK2 #3.
Tuesday, August 23, 2005
Liefeld is Wrong, Erik Larsen is great and in other news...
Marvels Ultimate line
Has just reached the landmark 5 year anniversary, this is a major achievement for an "alternate-reality" Universe that many people condemned to an untimely demise. Many internet activists and comic experts predicted six months until the project failure:
Rob Liefeld – "I will tell you that for me this line holds very little interest. I was approached about doing some work on these titles but I resisted because of the fact that they were alternate continuity concepts.
"I believe that these titles are a great opportunity to expand Marvels awareness and I believe they will be met with a modicum of success. But for my time and effort, I enjoy the real deal."
I really can't believe Marvel would approach Mr. Liefeld for this project, after the bad press surrounding the "Heroes Reborn" debacle, but I could be wrong. Either way, doesn't look like Liefeld was right with this opinion. Which leads nicely into my next piece.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ERIK LARSEN RULES
I don't have the exact quote, but in the last few months Rob Liefeld (the very same) went on record as saying (something along the lines of): I hope Todd McFarlane wakes up and takes control of Image back from Erik Larsen, so something can be done with the failing company.
Wrong again bucko.
Sure, when McFarlane left Amazing Spider-man, Erik Larsen took over but never recieved quite as much accolade as Todd and his amazing balls. History repeated itself a few years later when Toddy quit Spider-man only to be superseded by Mr. Larsen. And when Image Central opened its doors, it was Todd's creation which became an overnight multi-million, multi-media franchise success, not Savage Dragon.
But when it comes to comic publishing, Larsen is the genius, look at some of the great stuff we've had from the Larsen era of Image:
Walking Dead
Invincible
Girls
Sea of Red
Mage Tpbs Back in Print
The Complete Hellshock Tpbs
Flight OGNs
And from TMP:
Spawn
Hellspawn
Curse of Spawn
Spawn WildCATS
Sam and Twitch (from the pages of Spawn)
Spawn The Undead
Spawn the Impaler
Erik Larsen is great, his columns on CBR are well worth cheking out.
Yet I have never been a fan of his art or writing, but publishing seems to be his true calling.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPIDER-BABY?
Quoted by a Marvel employee / freelancer; I forget whom, on the subject of Spider-man about 5 years ago:
"He is currently homeless and unemployed. His baby daughter, that he believes was stillborn, was kidnapped and is in the hands of an unknown enemy. His supermodel wife is missing and is believed to have been killed in an airplane crash, but since her body was never found, you can bet your web she's alive somewhere.
Will they ever follow this storyline up, not just in the pages of Spider-girl? It grew out of the clone saga which many people read and enjoyed (myself included), a series that needs to be republished as a TPB of some description.
Its the stuff of legend, even the comic readers who never read the clone saga know of it, it really has become infamous in the pantheons of comicdom.
Now the last two or three times I have whinged about a GN or TPB being out of print, its been announced a few months later, so fingers crossed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Death's Head Wins!
From Marvel.com: You, the users of Marvel.com, have overwhelmingly voted to give the cybernetic assasin a massive Marvel makeover. Look for the newest version of Death's Head in Amazing Fantasy #16, in stores in December!
Will they destroy this once classic Marvel UK character? Will Simon Furman pen the character again? Are they fast tracking the story for early release?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally...
Dogwitch wraps up very soon with #18, meaning the 3rd and final Tpb is available first quarter 2006.
I recomend this series to anyone who likes good stories, lovely artwork, cute women, quirky comedies like Army of Darkness, and definately to all the people who say comics are too inbred and samey.
I recently had the pleasure of talking to Dan Schaffer, he's a nice British chap who seems genuinely willing to help the small independant comic store. C'mon people, check out his stuff.
If your retailer doesn't stock it, then give them the following Diamond ordering codes:
DEC032630 DOGWITCH VOL 1 DIRECT TO VIDEO TP (MR) RT £9.99
JUL043117 DOGWITCH VOL 2 TWISTED TP (MR) RT £9.99
And be sure to check out Indigo Vertigo, his collaboration with Queen Adreena vocalist Katie-Jane Garside, coming soon from Image (nice one Larsen - see, its all connected).
Has just reached the landmark 5 year anniversary, this is a major achievement for an "alternate-reality" Universe that many people condemned to an untimely demise. Many internet activists and comic experts predicted six months until the project failure:
Rob Liefeld – "I will tell you that for me this line holds very little interest. I was approached about doing some work on these titles but I resisted because of the fact that they were alternate continuity concepts.
"I believe that these titles are a great opportunity to expand Marvels awareness and I believe they will be met with a modicum of success. But for my time and effort, I enjoy the real deal."
I really can't believe Marvel would approach Mr. Liefeld for this project, after the bad press surrounding the "Heroes Reborn" debacle, but I could be wrong. Either way, doesn't look like Liefeld was right with this opinion. Which leads nicely into my next piece.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ERIK LARSEN RULES
I don't have the exact quote, but in the last few months Rob Liefeld (the very same) went on record as saying (something along the lines of): I hope Todd McFarlane wakes up and takes control of Image back from Erik Larsen, so something can be done with the failing company.
Wrong again bucko.
Sure, when McFarlane left Amazing Spider-man, Erik Larsen took over but never recieved quite as much accolade as Todd and his amazing balls. History repeated itself a few years later when Toddy quit Spider-man only to be superseded by Mr. Larsen. And when Image Central opened its doors, it was Todd's creation which became an overnight multi-million, multi-media franchise success, not Savage Dragon.
But when it comes to comic publishing, Larsen is the genius, look at some of the great stuff we've had from the Larsen era of Image:
Walking Dead
Invincible
Girls
Sea of Red
Mage Tpbs Back in Print
The Complete Hellshock Tpbs
Flight OGNs
And from TMP:
Spawn
Hellspawn
Curse of Spawn
Spawn WildCATS
Sam and Twitch (from the pages of Spawn)
Spawn The Undead
Spawn the Impaler
Erik Larsen is great, his columns on CBR are well worth cheking out.
Yet I have never been a fan of his art or writing, but publishing seems to be his true calling.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
SPIDER-BABY?
Quoted by a Marvel employee / freelancer; I forget whom, on the subject of Spider-man about 5 years ago:
"He is currently homeless and unemployed. His baby daughter, that he believes was stillborn, was kidnapped and is in the hands of an unknown enemy. His supermodel wife is missing and is believed to have been killed in an airplane crash, but since her body was never found, you can bet your web she's alive somewhere.
Will they ever follow this storyline up, not just in the pages of Spider-girl? It grew out of the clone saga which many people read and enjoyed (myself included), a series that needs to be republished as a TPB of some description.
Its the stuff of legend, even the comic readers who never read the clone saga know of it, it really has become infamous in the pantheons of comicdom.
Now the last two or three times I have whinged about a GN or TPB being out of print, its been announced a few months later, so fingers crossed.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Death's Head Wins!
From Marvel.com: You, the users of Marvel.com, have overwhelmingly voted to give the cybernetic assasin a massive Marvel makeover. Look for the newest version of Death's Head in Amazing Fantasy #16, in stores in December!
Will they destroy this once classic Marvel UK character? Will Simon Furman pen the character again? Are they fast tracking the story for early release?
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
And finally...
Dogwitch wraps up very soon with #18, meaning the 3rd and final Tpb is available first quarter 2006.
I recomend this series to anyone who likes good stories, lovely artwork, cute women, quirky comedies like Army of Darkness, and definately to all the people who say comics are too inbred and samey.
I recently had the pleasure of talking to Dan Schaffer, he's a nice British chap who seems genuinely willing to help the small independant comic store. C'mon people, check out his stuff.
If your retailer doesn't stock it, then give them the following Diamond ordering codes:
DEC032630 DOGWITCH VOL 1 DIRECT TO VIDEO TP (MR) RT £9.99
JUL043117 DOGWITCH VOL 2 TWISTED TP (MR) RT £9.99
And be sure to check out Indigo Vertigo, his collaboration with Queen Adreena vocalist Katie-Jane Garside, coming soon from Image (nice one Larsen - see, its all connected).
Friday, August 19, 2005
PIMP MY ELLIS
Or a review of Jack Cross #1.
After years of obscure Wildstorm miniseries and "House-style" Marvel series, we get blessed with 3 new ongoing Warren Ellis series in just 4 months.
Jack Cross is the second of such series (the first being Wildstorms Desolation Jones, you know, the one with Hitlers homemade porn), drawn by Gary Erskine (The Filth, City of Silence).
Jack Cross is not a hero, he is a freelancer for the US government who knows how the (ironically named) intelligence agencies work - or fail to. He also seems to be trained in interrogation and can recognise when someone has been trained to resist, he notices the little things, the details.
Kind of a bad-ass Columbo, dressed to blend into a Reservoir Dog landscape, mixed in with a little bit of Crying Freeman.
As with most Ellis books, the joy is in the reading, and this series isn't as easily summarised as Transmetropolitan or Authority. This book has the potential to subtlely build towards something great, like Planetary.
Or it could just be loud mouth and obnoxious, its too early to tell. All I know is I will be there following it.
Jack Cross #1 goes on sale next Wednesday in the US, and the day after in the UK, and is priced $2.50 (around £2).
After years of obscure Wildstorm miniseries and "House-style" Marvel series, we get blessed with 3 new ongoing Warren Ellis series in just 4 months.
Jack Cross is the second of such series (the first being Wildstorms Desolation Jones, you know, the one with Hitlers homemade porn), drawn by Gary Erskine (The Filth, City of Silence).
Jack Cross is not a hero, he is a freelancer for the US government who knows how the (ironically named) intelligence agencies work - or fail to. He also seems to be trained in interrogation and can recognise when someone has been trained to resist, he notices the little things, the details.
Kind of a bad-ass Columbo, dressed to blend into a Reservoir Dog landscape, mixed in with a little bit of Crying Freeman.
As with most Ellis books, the joy is in the reading, and this series isn't as easily summarised as Transmetropolitan or Authority. This book has the potential to subtlely build towards something great, like Planetary.
Or it could just be loud mouth and obnoxious, its too early to tell. All I know is I will be there following it.
Jack Cross #1 goes on sale next Wednesday in the US, and the day after in the UK, and is priced $2.50 (around £2).
Thursday, August 18, 2005
MAKE MINE MARVEL
Coming soon to a comic shop near you, the following comics that captured my attention, occasionaly for the right reason:
MARVEL MUST HAVES: SPIDER-MAN & THE BLACK CAT #1-3
Written by KEVIN SMITH
Pencils & Cover by TERRY DODSON
Before the long-awaited ending, get caught up on the beginning! The mysterious disappearance of an old friend brings Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, to New York in search of answers, and a certain web-slinging ex-lover of hers is following the same trail. How long will it take before they do some...catching up? Plus: An 8-page preview of the eagerly anticipated issue #4! All wrapped up with new covers by Terry Dodson!
96 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$4.99
Hahahahahahahaha, hahaha, ha.
hahahah. Hahahahaha, haha. Oh god, thats funny.
8 New Pages, wow, surely this should be called Giant Size reprint?
DAREDEVIL: FATHER #5 (of 5)
Written by JOE QUESADA
Art by JOE QUESADA, DANNY MIKI, RICHARD ISANOVE
Cover by JOE QUESADA
The shocking conclusion as Daredevil comes face-to-face with serial killer, Johnny Sockets! The fallout from this story will rock Daredevil down to his very origin itself!
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
See above. If these series get wrapped up, we may see DD target issue 2 one day, but not before a Directors Cut of issue 1.
Okay, enough bitching...
MARVEL TEAM-UP #14
Written by ROBERT KIRKMAN
Pencils & Cover by CORY WALKER
The team-up you thought you'd never see! Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker's INVINCIBLE bounces over to the Marvel Universe for a visit! Doctor Octopus is on the loose and Spider-Man is on the job with the help of INVINCIBLE. Also, the New Avengers make an appearance- - so don't miss this one-of-a-kind crossover event!
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
Awesome. Not the wordiest sales pitch ever, but awesome.
SHE-HULK #2
Written by DAN SLOTT
Penciled by JUAN BOBILLO
Cover by GREG HORN
"Cause & Effect"
Sure, She-Hulk would risk her life to bring Hawkeye back to life... but will she risk getting disbarred? Some stories are SO big, they crack the internet in half. This one? It's gonna seal it back up-and kiss it to make it better. Be there when She-Hulk and Hawkeye team up for a strange legal adventure... and somehow wind up fighting a giant robot.
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
The first series was great, so this comes highly recomending. Good for new comic fans, people with a good sense of humour, men and women who like Ally McBeal and old skool Marvelites who like tight continuity on the cosmic scale.
THE SENTRY #3 (of 8)
Written by PAUL JENKINS
Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
To learn the secret to his past, The Sentry must journey into the Negative Zone, where he is powerless. In order to survive, he enlists the aid of a loyal (yet unwilling) friend - the incredible Hulk! And, as expected, it all goes to hell.
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
Can't wait for this. When Jenkins is on form he is amoung the greats of the industry, such as with the Inhumans and Origin. I hope this is as good as I hope.
WHO IS CAPTAIN UNIVERSE?
Captain Universe is known as the name for the recipient of the mysterious Uni-Power, a special kind of energy that endows an individual with superhuman powers during a time of crisis. How it has determined its hosts in the past remains a mystery. In November, the unraveling of one of the greatest enigmas in the universe begins as the Uni-Power must posses a handful of Marvel heroes to save itself from an enemy hell bent on its destruction.
I hate myself for this, about 4-5 years ago I had an ace idea for a Captain Universe story, talked to Glenn Fabry about it and everything, but I never did anything with it. The moral of this story? Get off of your fucking ass and see a story through to its end, try and sell it.
Before you know it, they'll be resurecting Deaths Head too.
WHOLE BUNCH OF BOOKS WITH "X" IN IT, MOST ON #1.
'Nuff Said.
MARVEL MUST HAVES: SPIDER-MAN & THE BLACK CAT #1-3
Written by KEVIN SMITH
Pencils & Cover by TERRY DODSON
Before the long-awaited ending, get caught up on the beginning! The mysterious disappearance of an old friend brings Felicia Hardy, the Black Cat, to New York in search of answers, and a certain web-slinging ex-lover of hers is following the same trail. How long will it take before they do some...catching up? Plus: An 8-page preview of the eagerly anticipated issue #4! All wrapped up with new covers by Terry Dodson!
96 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$4.99
Hahahahahahahaha, hahaha, ha.
hahahah. Hahahahaha, haha. Oh god, thats funny.
8 New Pages, wow, surely this should be called Giant Size reprint?
DAREDEVIL: FATHER #5 (of 5)
Written by JOE QUESADA
Art by JOE QUESADA, DANNY MIKI, RICHARD ISANOVE
Cover by JOE QUESADA
The shocking conclusion as Daredevil comes face-to-face with serial killer, Johnny Sockets! The fallout from this story will rock Daredevil down to his very origin itself!
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
See above. If these series get wrapped up, we may see DD target issue 2 one day, but not before a Directors Cut of issue 1.
Okay, enough bitching...
MARVEL TEAM-UP #14
Written by ROBERT KIRKMAN
Pencils & Cover by CORY WALKER
The team-up you thought you'd never see! Robert Kirkman and Cory Walker's INVINCIBLE bounces over to the Marvel Universe for a visit! Doctor Octopus is on the loose and Spider-Man is on the job with the help of INVINCIBLE. Also, the New Avengers make an appearance- - so don't miss this one-of-a-kind crossover event!
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
Awesome. Not the wordiest sales pitch ever, but awesome.
SHE-HULK #2
Written by DAN SLOTT
Penciled by JUAN BOBILLO
Cover by GREG HORN
"Cause & Effect"
Sure, She-Hulk would risk her life to bring Hawkeye back to life... but will she risk getting disbarred? Some stories are SO big, they crack the internet in half. This one? It's gonna seal it back up-and kiss it to make it better. Be there when She-Hulk and Hawkeye team up for a strange legal adventure... and somehow wind up fighting a giant robot.
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
The first series was great, so this comes highly recomending. Good for new comic fans, people with a good sense of humour, men and women who like Ally McBeal and old skool Marvelites who like tight continuity on the cosmic scale.
THE SENTRY #3 (of 8)
Written by PAUL JENKINS
Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.
To learn the secret to his past, The Sentry must journey into the Negative Zone, where he is powerless. In order to survive, he enlists the aid of a loyal (yet unwilling) friend - the incredible Hulk! And, as expected, it all goes to hell.
32 PGS./T+ SUGGESTED FOR TEENS AND UP ...$2.99
Can't wait for this. When Jenkins is on form he is amoung the greats of the industry, such as with the Inhumans and Origin. I hope this is as good as I hope.
WHO IS CAPTAIN UNIVERSE?
Captain Universe is known as the name for the recipient of the mysterious Uni-Power, a special kind of energy that endows an individual with superhuman powers during a time of crisis. How it has determined its hosts in the past remains a mystery. In November, the unraveling of one of the greatest enigmas in the universe begins as the Uni-Power must posses a handful of Marvel heroes to save itself from an enemy hell bent on its destruction.
I hate myself for this, about 4-5 years ago I had an ace idea for a Captain Universe story, talked to Glenn Fabry about it and everything, but I never did anything with it. The moral of this story? Get off of your fucking ass and see a story through to its end, try and sell it.
Before you know it, they'll be resurecting Deaths Head too.
WHOLE BUNCH OF BOOKS WITH "X" IN IT, MOST ON #1.
'Nuff Said.
Tuesday, August 16, 2005
Comics In November.
I've been a bit slack lately, and for that I apologise. I've been very busy with various other aspects of my life, I intend to get back to my "one blog a week" schedule.
I have decided to spend this weeks columns looking at forthcoming product for the month of novemeber. What I will do is point out a few less obvious goodies which I think are worth cheking out, there is no point in me mentioning Infinite Crisis, All-Star Superman or Ultimates, as they will sell well enough thank you very much.
So, from DCs newest solicits:
DMZ #1
Written by Brian Wood
Art and cover by Wood & Riccardo Burchielli
From Indie comics icon Brian Wood (Demo, Channel Zero, GLOBAL FREQUENCY) and up-and-coming Italian artist Riccardo Burchielli (John Doe) comes DMZ, a new monthly series about the ultimate embedded war journalist trapped in a most unlikely war zone: the streets of New York City.
In the near future, America's worst nightmare has come true. With military adventurism overseas bogging down the Army and National Guard, the U.S. government mistakenly neglects the very real threat of anti-establishment militias scattered across the 50 states. Like a sleeping giant, Middle America rises up and violently pushes it way to the shining seas, coming to a standstill at the line in the sand - Manhattan or, as the world now knows it, the DMZ.
Matty Roth, a naïve young man and aspiring photojournalist, lands a dream gig following a veteran war journalist into the heart of the DMZ. Things soon go terribly wrong and Matty finds himself lost and alone in a world he's only seen on television. There, he is faced with a choice: try to find a way off the island, or make his career with an assignment most journalists would kill for. But can he survive in a war zone long enough to report the truth?
On sale November 9 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US o MATURE READERS Edited by Will Dennis #
Sounds great, and I know for many people this will be the first time they have heard of Brian Wood as its been many years since he has worked for a "proper" comic company, (by proper I of course mean DC / Marvel). If this book is half as good as the excellent Channel Zero I will be well chuffed.
In the words of Comics Internationals Biff: Quality 5/5, Sales 1/5. And its a damn shame.
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: JONAH HEX VOL. 1 TP
Written by John Albano & Michael Fleischer
Art by Tony DeZuniga, Doug Wildey, José Luís Garcia-López and others
Cover by Luis Dominguez
Witness the earliest adventures of DC's legendary gunslinger from ALL-STAR WESTERN #2-8 and #10-11, WEIRD WESTERN TALES #12-14 and #16-33! Jonah Hex had no friends, but he did have two companions: death, and the acrid smell of gunsmoke!
On sale Nov 2 o 528 pg, B&W $16.99 US
Okay, its not so much the product here that I am excited about, but the format. Its also been rumoured that DC are already dropping the price on this line down to $9.99, which is about £7. And thats for 528 pages??? Gauranteed that this won't stop people saying comics are too expensive.
TEEN TITANS: THE FUTURE IS NOW TP
Written by Geoff Johns & Mark Waid
Art by Mike McKone, Ivan Reis and Tom Grummett
Cover by McKone
Collects TEEN TITANS #16-23 and TITANS/LEGION SPECIAL #1!
The Titans' weekends are usually a chance to get away from it all. But this time, they're really gone…to the 31st century! And their return trip drops them off a mere ten years into the future!
On sale Nov 30 o 224 pg, FC, $9.99 US
9 ISSUES FOR £7, and they are great too!
THE FOUNTAIN HC
Written by Darren Aronofsky
Adapted by Kent Williams
Art and cover by Williams
Darren Aronofsky proved himself a filmmaker to watch with his provocative debut, Pi. His follow-up, Requiem for a Dream, continued the accolades, receiving Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. His latest accomplishment, however, comes straight to comics in the form of The Fountain, a gorgeously painted, oversized original graphic novel about the timeless truths of life, love and death.
Working with acclaimed painter Kent Williams (Blood: A Tale, Havok & Wolverine), The Fountain crisscrosses through three distinct time periods: 1535, during an ancient Mayan war; the present day, following one doctor's desperate search for the cure for cancer; and the far future through the vast exotic reaches of space. Interweaving these three periods, The Fountain follows Tomas - warrior, doctor, explorer - as he feverishly tries to beat death and prolong the life of the woman he loves.
A story so grand, one medium couldn't contain it, Aronofsky's feature film version of THE FOUNTAIN will be released by New Regency and Warner Bros. Pictures, starring Tony Award-winning actor Hugh Jackman (X-Men, Van Helsing, The Boy from Oz) and acclaimed actress Rachel Weisz (Constantine, The Mummy, the upcoming The Constant Gardener). But before he did, the filmmaker wanted The Fountain to be realized the unique storytelling power and artistic beauty of the graphic novel. Together, Aronofsky and Williams deliver what might be considered the ultimate director's cut. This deluxe volume also features an afterword by Aronofsky. A softcover edition will be solicited in conjuction with the film's release. Retailers please note: This project is resolicited. All previous orders are cancelled.
Resolicited; on sale November 2 o 8.625" x 11.625" o 176 pg, FC, $39.99 US o MATURE READERS
Edited by Karen Berger
This looks intriguing. Those of you who've watched Pi or Requiem for a Dream will no doubt think to check this out. But the $40 tage will deter a lot of casual readers away. It also stars people from Van Helsing and Constantine - but is that a good thing or a bad thing? Not sure I would shout about it.
Still worth checking out though.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
From Image Central:
You know, I try and be positive and only talk about stuff I like, but I couldn't ignore this one.
IMAGE COMICS HC (RES) - GEM
written by ERIK LARSEN, TODD McFARLANE, MARC SILVESTRI & JIM VALENTINO
art & cover by ERIK LARSEN, TODD McFARLANE, MARC SILVESTRI & JIM VALENTINO
At last! After years of waiting, the much-anticipated IMAGE COMICS HC is here! The four remaining Image founders return to the characters that made them sensations for a celebration of the creation of Image. The never-before-seen origin of Savage Dragon! A turning point in the life of Spawn - featuring TODD McFARLANE's first full-length comics work in nearly 10 years! The final fate of CyberForce! The future of ShadowHawk! Plus: an introduction by former Image Executive Director and legendary Beanworld creator LARRY MARDER and a quartet of special features by each of the founders covering Image - past, present and future!
A long time coming - this special hardcover is finally finished and ready to ship ON TIME!
ALL PREVIOUS ORDERS HAVE DECOMPOSED
November 2 o 128 pg o FC o $24.99
Limited S&N Slipcase Edition $75.00 (limited to 1000 copies)
All Previous Fan bases have Decomposed as well. At this point, how many people are going to care? Good luck Image.
IMAGE FIRST TP
written by ROBERT KIRKMAN, JOSHUA LUNA & RICK REMENDER
art by KIERON DWYER, JONATHAN LUNA, TONYMOORE, ERIC NGUYEN & SALGOOD SAM
If you missed out on the first issues of THE WALKING DEAD (written by ROBERT KIRKMAN with art by TONY MOORE), GIRLS (written by JOSHUA LUNA with art by JONATHAN LUNA), SEA OF RED (written by RICK REMENDER & KIERON DWYER with art by KIERON DWYER & SALGOOD SAM and STRANGE GIRL (written by RICK REMENDER with art by ERIC NGUYEN), now's your chance to sample each in a specially-priced introductory volume.
COLLECTS THE WALKING DEAD #1, GIRLS #1, SEA OF RED #1 and STRANGE GIRL #1.
November 2 o 96 pages o FC o $6.99
RETAILER WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES
Saves me recomending Kirkman and the Luna Bros seperately. This is a great idea, if a little borrowed form Vertigo, they probably could have dropped the price a little (Vertigos offering contains 6 issues for $5) , but its hardly going to break the bank.
FELL #3
written by WARREN ELLIS
art & cover by BEN TEMPLESMITH
Another self-contained story from Snowtown, the feral city and police detective Richard Fell, injured so often in the first few weeks of his tour of duty there that he no longer owns work clothes without knife-slashes in them. Shopping's a pretty heartbreaking exercise in a place as broken as Snowtown. But it's easy to make bombs. And, sitting in a thrift store changing room in Snowtown, is a guy wearing a bomb and just waiting for an excuse to set it off...
November 9 o 24 pg o FC o $1.99
New, non-watered down monthly Ellis for $2. I don't use this phrase often as I can't pull it off, but Recognise!
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A full listing Of DC and Images solicitations are available at comicbookresources.com
Marvel picks to follow.
I have decided to spend this weeks columns looking at forthcoming product for the month of novemeber. What I will do is point out a few less obvious goodies which I think are worth cheking out, there is no point in me mentioning Infinite Crisis, All-Star Superman or Ultimates, as they will sell well enough thank you very much.
So, from DCs newest solicits:
DMZ #1
Written by Brian Wood
Art and cover by Wood & Riccardo Burchielli
From Indie comics icon Brian Wood (Demo, Channel Zero, GLOBAL FREQUENCY) and up-and-coming Italian artist Riccardo Burchielli (John Doe) comes DMZ, a new monthly series about the ultimate embedded war journalist trapped in a most unlikely war zone: the streets of New York City.
In the near future, America's worst nightmare has come true. With military adventurism overseas bogging down the Army and National Guard, the U.S. government mistakenly neglects the very real threat of anti-establishment militias scattered across the 50 states. Like a sleeping giant, Middle America rises up and violently pushes it way to the shining seas, coming to a standstill at the line in the sand - Manhattan or, as the world now knows it, the DMZ.
Matty Roth, a naïve young man and aspiring photojournalist, lands a dream gig following a veteran war journalist into the heart of the DMZ. Things soon go terribly wrong and Matty finds himself lost and alone in a world he's only seen on television. There, he is faced with a choice: try to find a way off the island, or make his career with an assignment most journalists would kill for. But can he survive in a war zone long enough to report the truth?
On sale November 9 o 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US o MATURE READERS Edited by Will Dennis #
Sounds great, and I know for many people this will be the first time they have heard of Brian Wood as its been many years since he has worked for a "proper" comic company, (by proper I of course mean DC / Marvel). If this book is half as good as the excellent Channel Zero I will be well chuffed.
In the words of Comics Internationals Biff: Quality 5/5, Sales 1/5. And its a damn shame.
SHOWCASE PRESENTS: JONAH HEX VOL. 1 TP
Written by John Albano & Michael Fleischer
Art by Tony DeZuniga, Doug Wildey, José Luís Garcia-López and others
Cover by Luis Dominguez
Witness the earliest adventures of DC's legendary gunslinger from ALL-STAR WESTERN #2-8 and #10-11, WEIRD WESTERN TALES #12-14 and #16-33! Jonah Hex had no friends, but he did have two companions: death, and the acrid smell of gunsmoke!
On sale Nov 2 o 528 pg, B&W $16.99 US
Okay, its not so much the product here that I am excited about, but the format. Its also been rumoured that DC are already dropping the price on this line down to $9.99, which is about £7. And thats for 528 pages??? Gauranteed that this won't stop people saying comics are too expensive.
TEEN TITANS: THE FUTURE IS NOW TP
Written by Geoff Johns & Mark Waid
Art by Mike McKone, Ivan Reis and Tom Grummett
Cover by McKone
Collects TEEN TITANS #16-23 and TITANS/LEGION SPECIAL #1!
The Titans' weekends are usually a chance to get away from it all. But this time, they're really gone…to the 31st century! And their return trip drops them off a mere ten years into the future!
On sale Nov 30 o 224 pg, FC, $9.99 US
9 ISSUES FOR £7, and they are great too!
THE FOUNTAIN HC
Written by Darren Aronofsky
Adapted by Kent Williams
Art and cover by Williams
Darren Aronofsky proved himself a filmmaker to watch with his provocative debut, Pi. His follow-up, Requiem for a Dream, continued the accolades, receiving Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations. His latest accomplishment, however, comes straight to comics in the form of The Fountain, a gorgeously painted, oversized original graphic novel about the timeless truths of life, love and death.
Working with acclaimed painter Kent Williams (Blood: A Tale, Havok & Wolverine), The Fountain crisscrosses through three distinct time periods: 1535, during an ancient Mayan war; the present day, following one doctor's desperate search for the cure for cancer; and the far future through the vast exotic reaches of space. Interweaving these three periods, The Fountain follows Tomas - warrior, doctor, explorer - as he feverishly tries to beat death and prolong the life of the woman he loves.
A story so grand, one medium couldn't contain it, Aronofsky's feature film version of THE FOUNTAIN will be released by New Regency and Warner Bros. Pictures, starring Tony Award-winning actor Hugh Jackman (X-Men, Van Helsing, The Boy from Oz) and acclaimed actress Rachel Weisz (Constantine, The Mummy, the upcoming The Constant Gardener). But before he did, the filmmaker wanted The Fountain to be realized the unique storytelling power and artistic beauty of the graphic novel. Together, Aronofsky and Williams deliver what might be considered the ultimate director's cut. This deluxe volume also features an afterword by Aronofsky. A softcover edition will be solicited in conjuction with the film's release. Retailers please note: This project is resolicited. All previous orders are cancelled.
Resolicited; on sale November 2 o 8.625" x 11.625" o 176 pg, FC, $39.99 US o MATURE READERS
Edited by Karen Berger
This looks intriguing. Those of you who've watched Pi or Requiem for a Dream will no doubt think to check this out. But the $40 tage will deter a lot of casual readers away. It also stars people from Van Helsing and Constantine - but is that a good thing or a bad thing? Not sure I would shout about it.
Still worth checking out though.
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From Image Central:
You know, I try and be positive and only talk about stuff I like, but I couldn't ignore this one.
IMAGE COMICS HC (RES) - GEM
written by ERIK LARSEN, TODD McFARLANE, MARC SILVESTRI & JIM VALENTINO
art & cover by ERIK LARSEN, TODD McFARLANE, MARC SILVESTRI & JIM VALENTINO
At last! After years of waiting, the much-anticipated IMAGE COMICS HC is here! The four remaining Image founders return to the characters that made them sensations for a celebration of the creation of Image. The never-before-seen origin of Savage Dragon! A turning point in the life of Spawn - featuring TODD McFARLANE's first full-length comics work in nearly 10 years! The final fate of CyberForce! The future of ShadowHawk! Plus: an introduction by former Image Executive Director and legendary Beanworld creator LARRY MARDER and a quartet of special features by each of the founders covering Image - past, present and future!
A long time coming - this special hardcover is finally finished and ready to ship ON TIME!
ALL PREVIOUS ORDERS HAVE DECOMPOSED
November 2 o 128 pg o FC o $24.99
Limited S&N Slipcase Edition $75.00 (limited to 1000 copies)
All Previous Fan bases have Decomposed as well. At this point, how many people are going to care? Good luck Image.
IMAGE FIRST TP
written by ROBERT KIRKMAN, JOSHUA LUNA & RICK REMENDER
art by KIERON DWYER, JONATHAN LUNA, TONYMOORE, ERIC NGUYEN & SALGOOD SAM
If you missed out on the first issues of THE WALKING DEAD (written by ROBERT KIRKMAN with art by TONY MOORE), GIRLS (written by JOSHUA LUNA with art by JONATHAN LUNA), SEA OF RED (written by RICK REMENDER & KIERON DWYER with art by KIERON DWYER & SALGOOD SAM and STRANGE GIRL (written by RICK REMENDER with art by ERIC NGUYEN), now's your chance to sample each in a specially-priced introductory volume.
COLLECTS THE WALKING DEAD #1, GIRLS #1, SEA OF RED #1 and STRANGE GIRL #1.
November 2 o 96 pages o FC o $6.99
RETAILER WARNING: MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR ALL AGES
Saves me recomending Kirkman and the Luna Bros seperately. This is a great idea, if a little borrowed form Vertigo, they probably could have dropped the price a little (Vertigos offering contains 6 issues for $5) , but its hardly going to break the bank.
FELL #3
written by WARREN ELLIS
art & cover by BEN TEMPLESMITH
Another self-contained story from Snowtown, the feral city and police detective Richard Fell, injured so often in the first few weeks of his tour of duty there that he no longer owns work clothes without knife-slashes in them. Shopping's a pretty heartbreaking exercise in a place as broken as Snowtown. But it's easy to make bombs. And, sitting in a thrift store changing room in Snowtown, is a guy wearing a bomb and just waiting for an excuse to set it off...
November 9 o 24 pg o FC o $1.99
New, non-watered down monthly Ellis for $2. I don't use this phrase often as I can't pull it off, but Recognise!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A full listing Of DC and Images solicitations are available at comicbookresources.com
Marvel picks to follow.
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