DC  Comics caused quite a uproar with its new line wide  reboot this September.   The entire universe is being rebooted and restarted with issue  # 1.   I’m going to ignore the stuff that usually gets talked about the most like Batman and Superman  etc,  you can get that stuff other places.   Here’s some of the books that have me interested.  

Batwing  #1, starring the first ever black character to don the mantle as the Batman of Africa

Static Shock # 1

It’s been 3 1/2 years since this cover.  I thought it appropriate to revisit this solicitation since Black Panther has lost it’s way and we need to be reminded of how powerful the iconic character is.  This art features his wife Ororo Monroe, Storm.

Source: SuperHero Hype

On the hills of the premiere of Marvel Entertainment’s Thor, starring Chris Helmsworth, Idris Elba was asked at a press conference if there were any other Marvel characters he was interested in playing.  He said that he would be interested in Luke Cage.  Currently, he’s playing Heimdall in Thor.  This puts him in direct competition with Isaiah Mustafa who also expressed interest in playing Power Man.  Previous rumors had Tyrese Gibson in the role if the movie was to be directed by John Singleton.

I like Elba and think he’s a brilliant actor.  He was great as Stringer Bell in The Wire, and even better as DCI John Luther.  He was also going to takeover for Morgan Freeman as Alex Cross, but that role is now being played by Tyler Perry.  I’m not going to get my hopes up for Idris as Luke Cage.  I think he might be a little old, and though he has the acting ability, I don’t think he could physically handle the role.

I’ve always thought Tyrese Gibson would be a good choice.  We’ve posted a bunch of stuff about a Luke Cage movie and potential actors for the role over the last few years.  For example, John Singleton talked about casting Tyrese Gibson or Chiwetel Ejiofor.  I’ve even posted a list of possibles here, including Michael Jai White, Morris Chestnut, and Taye Diggs.  Personally, I would like to see what Isaiah Mustafa could do.  I know his acting is unproven, but I think it would be good to see someone new who doesn’t have any history of portraying an iconic hero already.

Idris Elba can be seen in Thor starting May 6.  Isaiah Mustafa can sometimes be seen on Chuck, Mondays at 8:00 on NBC.

Source: Comic Alliance

What’s wrong with this image?

In some self-important or self-aggrandizing move, Marvel has decided to create some story line involving Black Panther and immigration.  First off, it is 2011 and why is Marvel doing a story line about immigration?  I suspect this is some justification for trying to finish cutting T’Challa off from Wakanda.  First, they replace him with his sister and put him in the Fantastic Four, only to have him return to Wakanda and destroy it’s most valuable resource and source of Wakanda’s independence, strength, technology, and wealth by rendering Vibranium useless.  Now, he has taking over guardianship of Hell’s Kitchen from Daredevil.  I don’t read Daredevil, but isn’t it odd that the Black Panther, T’challa the King of Wakanda, and a religious figure in an independent country would become the guardian of a relatively small neighborhood in New York City?  The math doesn’t add up.

I read something somewhere that was really good, and I can’t take credit for it that sums it all up.

“The Black Panther habit is a religious/cultural symbol of Wakanda and as such, should not have emblems associated with another nation’s identity emblazoned all over it.  I doubt fans of Captain America would be too pleased if the same was done to the good Captain’s outfit; so why do Marvel seem to think it acceptable to frak with T’Challa’s garb in this manner?” (Majestik, CBRS Forums)

‘Nuff said.

Source: Superhero Hype

Check out Superhero Hype for an Exclusive interview with the Old Spice dude, Isaiah Mustafa.  He talks about Marvel and the possibility of him being cast as Luke Cage, Power Man.

Click HERE for the entire interview.

Now, I’m sold.q

All-Star Superman is the 10th movie in the DC Universe Animated Original Movies line. It’s based on a 12-issue series of the same name written by comic book fanboy favorite Grant Morrison. The previous movies include, Superman: Doomsday, Batman: Gotham Knight, Green Lantern: First Flight, Superman/Batman: Public Enemies, and Batman: Under the Red Hood.  Basically, the story is about Superman’s impending death due to some maneuvering by Lex Luthor and how Superman/Clark Kent is dealing with it.  Sounds like that could be a potentially great story.

Let me start by saying that of the previous 9 releases, I liked each and every one of them. They were all animated well and the voice acting was great. For some reason, this movie was a miss for me. It might be that I don’t like the story, because I didn’t like the series it was based on. However, I think it’s more than that. The animation was fine, but I’ve seen better. The voice acting was okay, but it could have been better. Edward Asner as Perry White and Anthony LaPaglia as Lex Luthor were great, but it seems as if everyone else was either phoning it in or half-asleep. Maybe there wasn’t as much enthusiasm from the production team for this movie as it has been for the previous ones. It seems that this might be a theme of DC Comics. Start great with something and once fans get interested and excited about it, don’t work as hard on it anymore because fanboys will still buy it. I’m not saying it’s bad, it’s just not as good as the other movies have been.

DC has been getting a lot of props for these animated movies. They do them so much better than Marvel, but this movie shows there might be a few kinks in DC’s armor. If you’re a die hard DC fan or Superman fan, you’ll probably love this movie. Most people should just skip it.

Source: Hollywood Reporter

According to Heat Vision, Marvel Studios has put Black Panther into production.  Mark Bailey has been hired to write the script about the King of Wakanda, T’Challa.  Kevin Feige will produce.

Now, I’m not expert, but this is an weird choice to me.  Bailey has been writing and working on documentaries (Pandemic: Fighting AIDS, Ghost of Abu Ghraib).    I’ll be fair.  I’m all for giving new talent a chance, and maybe he’s as big a Black Panther fan as I am; Marvel Studios has done very well at their in house productions (Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Incredible Hulk)  So, I’ll give them some leeway.  Casting will be the key, and I hope they don’t choose Michael Jai White.

Mehcad  Brooks – born October 25, 1980 (True Blood)

Michael Beach – October 30th, 1963 (Stargate: Atlantis, Justice League, The Abyss)

Over at Newsarama they have a blog  called Agents of Style, where they cover the fashion choices of our favorite heroes.   On Oct 15th they got around to the Black Panther and his costumes over the years .     After reading the post I realized that BP hasn’t really changed that much over years,  other than the addition of some gold accessories that added a regal touch.

I like the way they try bring back another War Machine title without calling it War Machine.     It does tend to reinforce the fact the character is a Iron man spinoff.    James Rhodes depending on the writer waivers from being just a different guy in the Iron Man armor ( the substitute teacher) to a very complex character (War Machine – Volume 1: Iron Heart (War Machine (Marvel).    That seems to be the problem the character development  disappears  each change in writer or title.    They always reset to “the other guy in the armor” or in another example “the other guy with the ring” aka “John Stewart” who suffers from the same problem.     The problem with constantly starting over is you never get anywhere.   Maybe this time we will get some lasting  character development

Source: Newsarama

“When I was a kid, Rhodey was Iron Man,” Spencer said, referring to the character’s two stints filling in for Tony Stark. “I had always viewed the character as a little bit more of a lead than maybe a lot of other people do.”

Spencer’s prepared to not only defend Rhodey’s place in the Marvel Universe, but also the character’s personality. Instead of seeing him as just Iron Man’s by-the-books buddy, Spencer’s clearly given thought to what makes Rhodes an interesting character on his own.

“Jim is a straight-laced, down-to-Earth, keep a low profile, business is business, kind of guy,” Spencer said. “He’s not a guy who cracks a lot of jokes on a day-to-day basis. He’s not a guy who deals with a whole lot of personal angst in a very loud way.

“In that sense he can be hard to get a handle on for some people. One of the things we’re going to be dealing with here is why he is like that, and why he feels like that’s what he needs to be.”

All of those qualities make Rhodes essentially the opposite of Stark — which is, yep, exactly why Spencer thinks their friendship works.

“Creative geniuses love stable, down-to-Earth people because that’s what they’re not,” Spencer said. “If you look at Rhodey, and you look at Pepper [Potts], that’s what they are. They are pragmatic, realistic, rational people in a way that Tony can never be.”

For Spencer, making readers care about a traditionally low-key character lke Rhodes is a “fun challenge,” one that — though it pained him to admit it — reminds him of a ’90-s chick-lit classic.

“This is a horrible comparison, but this is the Bridget Jones conflict,” Spencer said. “When you meet two people at the same time, and one is outgoing and friendly and funny and has great stories and talks your ear off, and the other person just sits there very quietly, you’re going to immediately walk away with the stronger impression of the one that was so much more charming and more outgoing. That doesn’t tell you anything about how they are as a person.

“At the end of the day, you might want to spend more time with the loud, boisterous type, but when the chips are really down, and you really need somebody to count on, you would want the other guy. And that’s who Jim is.”

STEEL #1
Written by STEVE LYONS
Art by SEAN CHEN
Cover by ALEX GARNER

John Henry Irons is a normal human being who managed to overcome all odds and become a hero who Superman considers a peer and colleague. What kind of determination drives a man to reach such heights? Find out here as a battered and bruised Steel defiantly stands as the only thing between Metallo and the destruction of Metropolis! Doctor Who novelist Steve Lyons and artist Sean Chen (ACTION COMICS, SALVATION RUN) deliver a story that shows why Steel is a true DC Universe icon!

ONE-SHOT • On sale JANUARY 5 • 32 pg, FC, $2.99 US

Source: Comics Alliance

The fury of Black Dynamite is legendary and will not be confined to just one or even two feeble mediums! Following recent news that the blaxploitation parody would make the jump from film to comics (courtesy of Ape Entertainment), it was revealed Thursday that a new Black Dynamite animated series is in the works for Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim.

The story of an ex-CIA agent with vengeance in his heart and uncommonly good luck with women, “Black Dynamite” premiered in limited release in 2009, became an instant success with critics, and has since become a beloved cult home video. Based on the Michael Jai White film, the animated “Black Dynamite” will be Executive Produced by “The Boondocks’” Carl Jones and star much of the live-action film cast in voice-over roles, including White, Tommy Davidson, Kym Whitley, Byron Minns, Clifton Powell and JB Smoove.

Released in 2009, and already a cult smash, Black Dynamite is about to receive the comic book treatment from the folks at Ars Nova and Ape Entertainment. Set to appear in the one-shot, Black Dynamite: Slave Island, everyone’s favorite blaxploitation sensation will bring his kung-fu skills to the sequential page as he seeks to put an end to a mysterious island… where slavery still exists.“Fans of the film will feel right at home with the comic,” states Ape Entertainment founder and co-publisher Brent E. Erwin. “It has all of the elements that made the movie a cultural phenomenon, and Black Dynamite himself is still as much of a bad dude on the page as he is on the screen.”Directed by Scott Sanders, the film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2009 and stars Michael Jai White as Black Dynamite, a gun-toting, nunchuck-wielding, ladies man willing to fight all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House.“Although written for film, Black Dynamite was always meant to move beyond the camera,” continues Sanders. “As a medium, comic books seemed like such a logical step in Black Dynamite’s development as a character, and what better way to start than having him bring down the infamous Slave Island.”Black Dynamite: Slave Island is based on a story by Michael Jai White, Byron Minns and Scott Sanders. Written by Brian Ash with pencils by Jun Lofamia, the 48-page one-shot is due in stores in early 2011.

Sphere: Related Content

]]> http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2010/10/01/animated-black-dynamite-coming-to-adult-swim-black-dynamite-comic/feed/ 1 http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2010/09/15/black-panther-to-replace-daredevil-at-least-temporarily/ http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2010/09/15/black-panther-to-replace-daredevil-at-least-temporarily/#comments Wed, 15 Sep 2010 13:17:08 +0000 Lobo http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/?p=2569

Source: CBR

The answer to who will be the new Man Without Fear was answered this afternoon on G4′s Attack of the Show: “Fresh Ink” host Blair Butler announced that Marvel’s Daredevil will end in November with Issue 512 — of course, we already knew that — to be replaced with Black Panther: The Man Without Fear.

The title, which picks up in December with Issue 513, spins out of the “Shadowland” event, and finds Black Panther as the new guardian of Hell’s Kitchen, “living outside of his kingdom and rebuilding his life” without the aid of advanced Wakandan technology.

Black Panther is written by award-winning novelist David Liss, who penned last year’s Daring Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special for Marvel, and penciled by Francesco Francavilla (Zorro), who drew those “Man Without Fear” teasers.

Daredevil returned to its original numbering a year ago with Issue 500. The continuation of that numbering under the new name, a la Incredible Hercules, suggests we’ll see a return to plain ol’ Daredevil before toolong. Meanwhile, the four-issue Daredevil: Reborn, by Andy Diggle and Davide Gianfelice, will launch in January.

We already know Daredevil is coming back in January so how long will this really last.    So T’challa  has destroyed the Wakanda economy ( ok he didn’t have much of a choice)  and left left his younger sister to fix it.    So he can protect Hell’s Kitchen….. .    The writing has to be off the chain to get me to buy this change of venue.

Source: USA Weekend

Idris Elba who is most known for his role as Stringer Bell in The Wire is currently starring in Takers, a heist film opening this weekend.  He talked about Takers and Thor in USA Weekend.   Here is an excerpt from that interview:

You just finished your stint filming Thor as the Asgardian warrior Heimdall. How was that?
It was dope. It was an interesting genre of film to make. I had never done comic book stuff, so that was really great.

What was the coolest part?
Just the bigness of the show. It’s so epic, these huge sets were just amazing to look at. And they really pat attention to detail. When you read the comics, you see all the drawings, and to actually see them in real life, it’s like, “Whoa!”

Do you see yourself doing another superhero character or are you good with the crime dramas?
I have a deal with the Marvel Studios team, a four-picture commitment. I’m sure I’ll be back in something cool.

Looks like he’s going to be in more Marvel Entertainment films, but he didn’t spill the beans, or he may not know yet, about what role or roles Marvel has in store for him.  I know that many people like the idea of him playing T’Challa, the Black Panther.  He certainly has the gravitas and the acting chops to pull it off.  Read the rest of the interview here.

Make no mistake, Thor is one of my favorite comic book characters and mythological figures.  But once again, Marvel delivers another book that shows the complexity of Thor’s character.  He’s not just a brute powerhouse and this issue highlights that.  It also illustrates the rocky relationship that he has with Odin.  This book isn’t the first one-shot I’ve recommended.  Previously, Thor Ages of Thunder was a pick of the week.  Rage of Thor is actually a better, more emotional book.  Check it out.

Source: Comic Book Resources

At Comic-Con International, LeVar Burton spoke about his Dark Horse release Con-CERNed.

Before reading this, if you haven’t read Batman: A Death in the Family this review will contain POSSIBLE SPOILERS.  If you haven’t read it and you are a fan of Batman or DC’s animated movies then you will enjoy this movie.  For those of you who have read it please feel free to read on.

In stores today, Batman: Under the Red Hood is one of the darker stories in the DC universe.  As everyone knows (so it’s not a spoiler) that the Joker killed Robin, Jason Todd, because of a telephone poll done by DC in 1988.  Subsequently, Jason Todd was “resurrected” in the DC universe.  This movie is the animated version of that story.

Bruce Greenwood (Captain Pike in Star Trek) voices Bruce Wayne/Batman instead of Kevin Conroy, the voice that we all know and love.  Greenwood does a fabulous job.  Neil Patrick Harris voices Dick Grayson/Nightwing and Jensen Ackles (Supernatural) voices the Red Hood/Jason Todd.  Both of them were also very good.  I missed Mark Hamill as the Joker but John DiMaggio did well enough.

The story is not unfamiliar to fans of Batman.  I thought they may have glossed over Jason’s resurrection a little fast in order to put in more action sequences.  I would have thought more interaction between him an Ra’s al Ghul would have made for a great subplot.  I really liked the team up with Batman and Nightwing, and how the writers were able to show how it differed from when Batman and Red Hood teamed up.

The animation to me was not as good as DC’s previous animated films, but the story made up for that.  I say see it and enjoy.  Just a reminder, it has graphic violence even for DC animation; it is rated PG-13. (It really is PG-13 and would probably be an R if it were live action.)

Souce: Hitfix

UPDATE: According to Hitfix, Eva Longoria would love to be a superhero, but she says she won’t be Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, in an Ant-Man or Avengers movie.  She confirmed that she had discussions with Marvel about a movie, but wouldn’t give details.

I still think she’d make a great Wasp or even Scarlett Witch.  She can’t be Black Widow since Scarlett Johansson has taken that role in Iron Man 2.

Previous Post: Eva Longoria Up for Wasp?

Saw this rumor a couple of weeks ago, and was waiting for some confirmation.  It  was reported that Eva was photographed leaving Marvel’s L.A. office clutching what appeared to be some Avenger comic books.  It was later reported that she was in talks to take the role of Janet Van Dyne, the Wasp, in an upcoming Marvel Movie (Iron Man 2 or Captain America: The First Avenger or The Avengers).  The thing is that this came out a couple of weeks ago, and then everything went silent.  It was reported as  both fact and rumor.  We’ll I think she would do well in any role that they shoved her in, the Wasp, Black Widow, Scarlett Witch.  I just assume that they are going to go for the hot factor regardless of the role.  Unlike the X-Movies where everyone, except Raven, was completely covered from head to toe.

.  Would she make a good Black Widow?  Possibly.

Would she make a good Scarlet Witch?  Maybe.

She pretty much would be worth the price of admission for anything they want her to be in a superhero movie.

Souce: Blastr (formerly SciFi Wire)

Smallville fans always speculate on whether or not Tom Welling would ever don the most iconic costume in the comic book world.  This article over at Blastr has some interesting quotes from Smallville executive producers Kelly Souders and Brian Wayne Peterson.  I hope it’s true.  The show has teased fans with glimpses of the cape in several episodes over the years, but have never actually shown Welling in the costume.

Source: Superhero Hype

Source: DC Source

One of the most beloved characters to come out of the Milestone/DC partnership and a presence in TEEN TITANS (not to mention a star of his own cartoon series), Static will be starring in his own ongoing series, launching in 2011 and written by Felicia Henderson.

We’ll have more details on the series – including the art team – in the coming months, so stay tuned to this very blog. In the meantime, lets check in with Felicia about what her plans are for the series:

“When I met Dan DiDio, the first character we ever discussed was Static. Writing Teen Titans gave me an opportunity to play with this character a little. Now he’s getting his own book and I’m writing it! I’m a big Dwayne McDuffie’s fan, so it’s a privilege to reimagine the coming-of-age of a character he created. If not for the big bang, Static would be a regular, awkward, teenage guy trying to find himself — chasing girls, playing video games, downloading underground mixes of his favorite music. Instead, he has no time to find himself because the call of the superhero has found him. It’s a comic book writing dream for me.”

Source: Superhero Hype via Marvel Studios and Paramount

‘nuff said.

Source: Superhero Hype

Superhero Hype posted images from Entertainment Weekly from the set of the upcoming Green Lantern movie starring Ryan Reynolds. Tim Robbins plays Senator Hammond, and Angela Bassett plays Dr. Amanda Waller (incidentally, the character is played by Pam Grier in CW’s Smallville). Check out Superhero Hype for the rest of the images.

Related Posts:

Angela Basset Joins Green Lantern

Pam Grier Joins Smallville

Source: Superhero Hype

Here is another shot of Jason Momoa as Conan. Is it me, or does the release of all the pictures and promotional material make it seem like they are over-selling the idea of Momoa as Conan? He looks the part and I don’t really think people need any more convincing. If they want to generate interest, they should release a teaser trailer or something like that. Check out Superhero Hype for more pictures by clicking here.

Source: L.A. Times

The Los Angeles Times posted an image for the movie Thor from Marvel Studios. The picture is of Thor (Chris Hemsworth), Odin (Sir Anthony Hopkins) and Loki (Tim Hiddleston). The only comment that I really have is how badass does Sir Anthony look?

All the recent controversy over the recent changes to Wonder Woman’s costume got me thinking about the character and her origin. Itbrought up a random thought of a black Wonder Women but I couldn’t think of her name. A few days later it hit me Nubia. The character has two versions a pre and post Crisis on Infinite Earths.  If you don’t know what that is don’t worry about it its not that important, basically DC re-booted everything .    I’m going to give just a brief over view, but if you really want to take a  deep dive you need to go to www.carolastrickland.com.   It’s a goldmine of information.

A few things did stand out to me , the character was scheduled for an apperance on the Wonder Woman televisonshow she was to be played by Teresa Graves of  Get Christie Love , they even made a Nubia Doll for the line of dolls based on the show.   Guess what happened?  CBS canceled the show before the appearance.   At least they didn’t kill her in the first 5 minutes.

The pre-Crisis  Nubia was created by Robert Kanigher and Don Heck, she debuted in Wonder Woman (vol. 1) #204, (January 1973).   Formed from clay as a twin to Diana (Wonder Woman), the dark skinned Nubia was kidnapped by Mars, who raised her, controlling her mind so that she would help him bring down the Amazons.^[1] I won’t get into all the details, but Wonder Woman and Nubia met again as adults,  get into the standard hero on hero fight before they team-up to fight the real enemy Mars.   Nubia only had a handful appearances before she and the rest of the DC universe rebooted.

The modern character named Nu’Bia (slight name change)  was created by Doselle Young and Brian Denham, she debuted in Wonder Woman Annual (vol. 2) #8 (1999).    This time around they changed the origin of the character.  Now she  is the original Wonder Woman since she was the first Amazon to win the “Tournament of Grace and Wonder”  that Diana won to become Wonder Woman.  Her assigned mission was to guard “Doom’s Doorway”, which is an entrance to the river Styx and the Tartarus Gate on Themyscira. Entering Doom’s Doorway she was to guard the entryway from the inside, stopping anyone from entering or any creature from escaping. As Diana was never told of Nu’Bia it is assumed that the Themyscirian Amazons assumed she perished during her mission long before Diana’s birth. Sometime during her time in Hell, Nu’bia explains she met the Zoroastrian god of light, Ahura Mazda, and became his lover.^[1] She also explains that on another adventure where she aided Gorgons, she was given the ability called Cold Sight which allows her to transform any living being into stone as a gift of gratitude from the Gorgons. After aiding Wonder Woman with her mission Nu’Bia then returns to the underworld to see Ahura Mazda.

So basically Nu’bia  is  Wonder Woman’s peer and in the Post Crisis version her predecessor.    It’s a shame that DC keeps her on the back burner.

Source: DC Source

When our YOUNG JUSTICE animated series for Cartoon Network was announced a few weeks ago (who ever thought we’d see an animated Miss Martian?! AW YEAH!) a lot of people asked who the new Aqualad was. And a lot of people thought they’d have to wait for the show to start. But you won’t.

Aqualad’s story actually begins in a few short weeks in BRIGHTEST DAY #4. I won’t tell you much yet, but I will tell you – he has no idea he’s about to become Aqualad. In fact, he lives in one of the driest places in America – Silver City, New Mexico.

Marvel has brought back the Power man moniker and  this time it not Luke Cage.   I’m really  intrigued by the concept of teen version of Luke Cage hopefully the character will stick around after the 4 issue run.   Here’s a few excerpts.

Source: Newsarama

Shadowland: Power Man, a four-issue mini-series by Fred Van Lente, starts in August with a teenaged hero in the lead role. This new Power Man has ties to both Iron Fist and Luke Cage, with a slew of newly revived street villains and a power set and origin that links him to Bullseye.

Well, he’s all awesome because it’s great to have a younger character in the Power Man role. He has a power set that I think people will find really interesting. It’s sort of a logical conclusion out of something we were discussing at the summit, where Matt [Fraction] and Brian [Bendis] and Jeff [Parker] and Greg [Pak] and Jonathan Hickman and Dan Slott and all of the rest of us were sitting around the table with Joe Quesada and Dan Buckley, and we start talking about a subject that frequently comes up, and that’s magic, and how to do magic in an interesting way, within the context of superheroes, as opposed to a character kind of waving his arms in the air and having some effect happen.

The first Iron Man movie was an almost perfect example of how to do a superhero origin movie should be done.  It is easily one of the top 3 comic book movies off all time.  Robert Downey, Jr. returns as Tony Stark.  No the whole world knows that he’s Tony Stark, and as he says in the trailer, “He has privatized world peace.”  He has two villains this time around.  Mickey Rourke plays Ivan Vanko, a Russian scientist who’s plotting his revenge, and Sam Rockwell as Justin Hammer, a business rival of Stark’s.  Scarlett Johansson plays Natasha Romanoff, and Don Cheadle has replaced Terrence Howard as Jim Rhodes.  Samuel L. Jackson returns as Nick Fury and Gwyneth Paltrow is back as Pepper Potts.

The movie is not as good as the first.  It’s more action packed and has a bit more drama.  But to me it lacked a clear direction in the plot.  The movie does tighten up in towards the end.  I think the problem is that in the first movie, Tony Stark had purpose.  In this movie, there is no real clear purpose in Tony Stark’s actions.  I’m not saying the movie doesn’t have a plot.  It’s just that the movie had scenes that were maybe a little longer than they should have been.

The effects were excellent.  My only problem was that most of the climatic battle was reduced to points of light zig zagging across the screen.

Overall, the acting was good.  Sam Rockwell’s characterization of Justin Hammer was the weakest of the performances.  I know he was going for a little comic relief but he played it over the top in the wrong direction.  He wasn’t smarmy enough and he was way too goofy/silly.  I like Terrance Howard, but he isn’t even in the same acting category as Don Cheadle.  In my opinion Cheadle played Jim Rhodes closer to the comic book than Howard did.  I would have liked to have seen more scenes between Rourke and Downey.  I think not having together a lot more was a waste of talent.  I think one more confrontation between the two of them without suits would have done it for me.

Just wanted to share some news, I saw on article on CBR regarding  the Black Panther and his switch to a full mask in his 1st appearance. Evidently Jack Kirby drew him with a half mask as seen in  the picture but powers that be decided that it would be less controversy if they hid his race.   Their is also another rumor out there that a racist printer made the switch.   Who knows but I have to admit the full mask is pretty cool, so maybe things worked out for the best.

It been a while but Cloak and Dagger are back this week. Its only a 5 issue run but you take what you can get. Cloak and Dagger are children of the 80′s premiering in Spectacular Spider-Man #64 (1982). They have always had a strong cult following but not enough to keep a series going for a extended run (I don’t think they have ever made it past 20 issues). Also you may want to check out the trade Child of Darkness, Child of Light on Amazon or the the dollar bins at your local comic shop they should be fairly cheap.    You can read back ground information after the break.

“Ty” Johnson (Cloak) and Tandy Bowen (Dagger) met in New York City as runaways. Tyrone was a 17 year old teenage boy from Boston, Massachusetts with a debilitating stutter. He ran away to New York City when his speech impediment prevented him from warning his friend that he was stepping into the path of a vehicle. Tandy was a 16 year old teenage girl from a privileged upbringing (born in Shaker Heights, Ohio) who ran away because she thought her multi-millionaire supermodel mother was too busy for her daughter with her career and social life. Originally when they met, Tyrone considered stealing Tandy’s purse, only to be shamed when she kindly offered him money. A thief stole the purse and Tyrone retrieved it for her. Afterwards, they had dinner and became fast friends. When the naïve Tandy accepted an offer of shelter from some strange men, a wary Tyrone went along to protect her. The two teens were soon forcibly delivered to a criminal chemist named Simon Marshall, who was developing a new synthetic heroin for Silvermane and the Maggia, testing it on runaway teens with fatal results. Johnson and Bowen somehow survived injections of the drug, and they fled. During their escape, the drug turned them into superpowered beings (it was later revealed that they were both actually mutants, and that the drug had simply awakened their latent abilities).[7] Tyrone found himself engulfed in darkness and seized by a strange hunger which eased in the presence of Tandy, who was glowing with a brilliant light. Trying to hide his newly shadowy appearance in a makeshift cloak, Tyrone began absorbing Marshall’s thugs into his darkness while Tandy struck them down with daggers of light. The two teens dubbed themselves Cloak & Dagger and declared war on drug crime in combating drug-dealers and helping runaway children.[volume & issue needed] For all the work that Cloak and Dagger have done to help reform addicts and topple dealers, they realize that drug abuse is an evil greater than they can ever hope to conquer.

Source: HeyUGuys

Angela Bassett has been cast as Dr. Amanda Waller in Green Lantern, starring Ryan Reynolds.  We last saw Dr. Waller on Smallville being played by Pam Grier.  Dr. Waller is a behind the scenes player in the D.C. universe manipulating the likes of Bruce Wayne, Superman and even Lex Luthor.  She works for the U.S. Government and has been involved in the shadowy governmental agencies like Checkmate and Suicide Squad.  I like both actresses and I like both actresses in the role.  It would have been a nice touch to have Pam do both, but I’m sure there were other considerations involved.  Let’s applaud the fact that a black character from the D.C. universe is being utilized in a major studio film.  I am now 100% behind this movie.  Well, at least until the first trailer comes out.

Also, I just like the fact that I have a reason to post pictures of Angela Bassett.

In the past couple of days Comic books have broken records in auctions. Until this week the highest recorded sales price was for $317,000 for Action Comics #1. Maybe this is a sign the economy is improving but earlier this week another issue of Action Comics #1 (the first appearance of Superman) was sold $1,000,000. It only held the record for 3 days before BAM! Detective Comics No. 27 (the first appearance of Batman) sold for $1,075,000 . So that got me thinking about 1st appearances of some our favorite Heroes and how much they are worth. The values are from comicbookrealm.com .   They aren’t in any particular order.

Black Panther  -  Fantastic Four # 52   $550.00

Luke Cage –  Luke Cage Hero for Hire   $70.oo

Black Lighting –  Black Lightning #1  $14.00

Storm –  Giant Size X-men # 1 $22,000.00

Spawn – Spawn #1 $10.00

Blade –  Tomb of Dracula # 10 –  $325.00

Cyborg –  DC Comics Presents #26 – $55.00

Sphere: Related Content

]]> http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2010/03/01/how-much-are-1st-appearances-worth/feed/ 0 http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2010/02/16/2010-glyph-award-nominees/ http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/2010/02/16/2010-glyph-award-nominees/#comments Tue, 16 Feb 2010 15:26:24 +0000 Lobo http://blackgeekdom.com/blog/?p=2175

2010 Glyph Awards, honoring the best in comics made by, for, and about people of color.

Story of the Year
Luke Cage Noir; Mike Benson & Adam Glass, writers; Shawn Martinbrough, artist
The Original Johnson; Trevor von Eeden, writer and artist
Unknown Soldier #13-14; Joshua Dysart, writer, Pat Masioni, artist
War Machine: Iron Heart; Greg Pak, writer, Leonardo Manco, artist
World of Hurt, Jay Potts, writer and artist
 
Best Writer
Joshua Dysart, Unknown Soldier
Jeremy Love, Bayou
Greg Pak, War Machine
Jay Potts, World of Hurt
Alex Simmons, Archie & Friends
 
Best Artist
Chriscross, Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance
Jeremy Love, Bayou
Shawn Martinbrough, Luke Cage Noir
Jay Potts, World of Hurt
Trevor von Eeden, The Original Johnson
 
Best Male Character
Black Lightning, Black Lightning Year One; Jen van Meter, writer, Cully Hamner, artist; created by Tony Isabella & Trevor von Eeden
Isaiah Pastor, World of Hurt; created by Jay Potts, writer and artist
Jack Johnson; The Original Johnson; Trevor von Eeden, writer and artist; inspired by the life of Jack Johnson
Luke Cage, Luke Cage Noir; Mike Benson & Adam Glass, writers, Shawn Martinbrough, artist; created by Archie Goodwin & John Romita Sr.
Moses Lwanga, Unknown Soldier #13-14; Joshua Dysart, writer, Pat Masioni, artist; inspired by the character created by Robert Kanigher & Joe Kubert
 
Best Female Character
Aya, Aya: The Secrets Come Out; created by Marguerite Abouet, writer, Clement Oubrerie, artist
Lee Wagstaff, Bayou; created by Jeremy Love, writer and artist
Michonne, The Walking Dead; created by Robert Kirkman, writer, Charlie Adlard & Cliff Rathburn, artists
Misty Knight, Immortal Iron Fist; Duane Swierczynski, writer, Travel Foreman & Tom Palmer, artists; created by Tony Isabella & Arvell Jones
Nola Thomas, NOLA; created by Chris Gorak & Pierluigi Cothran, writers, Damian Couceiro, artist
 
Rising Star Award
Jiba Molei Anderson, The Horsemen
John Aston, Rachel Rage
Kerry & Tawanda Johnson, Harambee Hills
Julian Lytle, Ants
Jay Potts, World of Hurt
 
Best Reprint Collection
Aya: The Secrets Come Out; Drawn & Quarterly
Bayou Volume 1; DC/Zuda
Icon: A Hero’s Welcome; DC/Milestone
The Life and Times of Martha Washington in the 21st Century; Dark Horse
Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool; DC/Milestone
 
Best Cover
Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #1; Brian Stelfreeze, illustrator
Luke Cage Noir #1; Tim Bradstreet, illustrator
The Original Johnson; Trevor von Eeden, illustrator
Unknown Soldier #8; Dave Johnson, illustrator
Unknown Soldier #10; Dave Johnson, illustrator
 
Best Comic Strip
Bayou; Jeremy Love, writer and artist
Jump Start; Robb Armstrong, writer and artist
The K Chronicles; Keith Knight, writer and artist
The Knight Life; Keith Knight, writer and artist
World of Hurt; Jay Potts, writer and artist
 
Fan Award for Best Comic
Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel; Kevin Grevioux, writer, Mat Broome, Sean Parson & Alvaro Lopez, artists
Black Lightning Year One; Jen Van Meter, writer, Cully Hamner, artist
Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink; Eric Wallace, writer, Fabrizio Fiorentino, artist
Luke Cage Noir; Mike Benson & Adam Glass, writers, Shawn Martinbrough, artist
War Machine: Iron Heart; Greg Pak, writer, Leonardo Manco, artist
 
The judges for the 2010 competition are: David Brothers, comics blogger, 4th Letter!; Carol Burrell, editorial director, Graphic Universe/Lerner Publishing Group; Brian Cronin, writer, Comic Book Resources; and Katie & Dan Merritt, co-owners, Green Brain Comics.
 
The ballot for the Fan Award for Best Comic is now open at the website for the East Coast Black Age of Comics Convention (ECBACC), www.ecbacc.com/wordpress, and will remain open through March 31, 2010. Write-in selections can be e-mailed to GCA Committee Chair Rich Watson at rich.watson@gmail.com. IMPORTANT: Write-in selections are ONLY for choices not on the online ballot. ANY WRITE-IN SELECTIONS FOR CHOICES ALREADY ON THE ONLINE BALLOT WILL NOT BE COUNTED AND WILL BE DISCARDED.
 
The 2010 GCA ceremony will be held May 15, 2010, in the Skyline Room of the Free Library of Philadelphia, Park Central branch, as part of ECBACC, which will take place at the Crown Plaza Philadelphia Center City, May 16, 2010.

Source: Newsarama

Here’s a few excerpts from the article where they interviwed writer Jeff Parker and editor Bill Rosemann .

Beginning in May’s Thunderbolts #144, the former hero-for-hire Luke Cage becomes leader, coach and counselor for a group of villains who are attempting to shed their vile roots. More than just a halfway house for supervillians, it’s a team looking to redeem itself – whether they like it or not.

Nrama: And the T-Bolts are rising from the ashes in some new digs… but not the kind of place I’d choose to live in. Jeff, what can you tell us about it?

Jeff Parker: First, it’s back to being an above-ground operation, based at The Raft supermax facility. Even former Thunderbolts are coming on as staff to help get the stain of Norman Osborn off the team and push again the idea of reform. All the most powerful criminals are now being contained at The Raft, an Alcatraz for the super community. At the east end of the prison is Thunderbolts tower, which all of the incarcerated can see from the courtyard, projecting up like a beacon, a constant reminder. You’re down there, you could be up here. And up here means closer to the world out of these walls where you’ll be expected to use your abilities to help for a change.

Parker: If you were wondering how Thunderbolts would shift into The Heroic Age, the answer is that they’re going to have a very real hero around supervising- the Power Man himself, Luke Cage. But there’s a lot of pressure on this latest incarnation of the Thunderbolts program to succeed, a lot of people want it dissolved.

Luke is walking, breathing, hitting proof that you can reform and be better than your circumstances shaped you. And he’s tough enough to deal with the worst of these mega-prisoners. If they think they’re going to pull some trick Luke hasn’t seen and trashed a hundred times before, they’re sadly mistaken.

BRAVE AND THE BOLD MILESTONE TP
DC COMICS
(W) Dwayne McDuffie, John Rozum, Kurt Busiek, Matt Wayne and Adam Beechen (A) Denys Cowan, Howard Porter and others(C) Howard Porter
Don’t miss the first meeting of Static and Black Lightning, Blue Beetle and Hardware, The Spectre and Xombi and more titanic team-ups from THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD #24-26, plus stories from HARDWARE #16, STATIC #12 and XOMBI #6. 10 160 pg, FC, $17.99 US

TITANS #22
DC COMICS
(W) J.T. Krul (A) Angel Unzueta & Wayne Faucher (C) Angel Unzueta
DC fans won’t want to miss this finale of the two-part “Fractured” story! As the remaining three members of the team are evicted from their New York City headquarters by General Lane, they wonder if there’s anywhere on Earth they can still call home. The answer will surprise you! This issue closes this chapter in the life of the classic Titans team and ushers in an exciting new era in JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA and March’s TITANS ANNUAL that’ll blow your mind! 32 pg FC $2.99 US

WAR MACHINE TP VOL 02 DARK REIGN
MARVEL COMICS
(W) GREG PAK (A) CARLOS MAGNO, LEONARDO MANCO, ALLAN JEFFERSON & WELLINTON ALVES (C) FRANCESCO MATTINA
When Jim Rhodes returns home he comes face-to-face with American Eagle, last seen in the pages of THUNDERBOLTS-as two visions of America clash with earth-shattering results that may irrevocably change War Machine-and the nation he loves! Also: What the heck does Rhodes’ mom have to say about all of this? Find out in the latest pulse-pounding story arc of the series that CBR.com calls “high-octane, higher-caliber adventure…a visual spectacle worthy of the spotlight.” Guest-starring Ronin, Mockingbird, Tigra and Wonder Man! Collecting WAR MACHINE #6-12 168 PGS Rated T+ $15.99

Source:

In honor of the King Holiday here’s a site that has a list of MLK’s apperances in Comic Book.     Joe Sergi’s Cup of Geek

Enjoy the Holiday.

Source: Newsarama

Marvel is publishing a new  four-issue New Avengers: Luke Cage, with pencils by Eric Canete and written by John Arcudi.   Here’s a few excerpts from the interview with John Arcudi.

Nrama: What’s the story you’ll be exploring in New Avengers: Luke Cage?

Arcudi: Luke discovers that an old friend, or rather the son of an old friend, has been following in his own footsteps down in North Philadelphia in a kind of “Hero-for-Hire” business. The young man, Leodis, has set up in the worst part of the city to help out people who couldn’t find help anywhere else. For his trouble, Leodis is beaten to a pulp. So now Luke feels that since this poor broken kid tried to be like him, he’s got to do something about this, which is to say, go kick some ass. But once he gets there, the facts are revealed to be a bit more complicated than what I’ve just told you. Ha haaaa. Psych!

According to writer Rick Remender it’s over with after issue #5.  ”While the series is concluding with issue #5, Jericho is very much a part of the Avengers universe and will continue to be a presence in upcoming events,” promises Remender.

The cancelation of this book and War Machine ( the final issue hit stores last week)  means that the Black Panther is the last man standing  in regards to solo titles .

In regards to Voodoo it never had a chance.   For a number of reasons

• The first issue had a $3.99 price, which is high for a book without a A-list writer or artist.   They should have let Bendis write the first arc before handing it over to Remender.
• Voodoo became Sorcerer  Supreme in a a New Avengers story arc other than that he was scarcely seen.   Marvel should have  have built up some momentum for a a book like this by having a magic based event similar to Annihilation.
• Its tough enough to get a succseful book with a Minotrity lead but the editorial strategy set this book up for failure.

Yes, I know its a while with the solicits. I’ll try to keep things on more of a schedule. I am contemplating a switching to a monthly update instead of weekly. Give me some feedback?

Source: The Source

What is MILESTONE FOREVER, you ask? Well, we can take a guess, but why slow down the process? Since it’s part and parcel of what we do, being The Source and all, we talked to Milestone founder and MILESTONE FOREVER writer Dwayne McDuffie for the scoop on the new project, along with some essential back story to bring you newbies up to speed. Take it away, Dwayne:

16 years ago this month, industry giant DC Comics and upstart Milestone Media entered into an unprecedented creative partnership, producing 14 interlocking, creator-owned titles including Hardware, Icon, and the multimedia hit that would best be known as Static Shock. The story Milestone chose to tell was an audacious one, larger than life on its surface, character and story-driven at its base, Humanist and multicultural at its heart. For over 250 issues, fans explored a superhero universe like no other.

Today, nine Parents Choice awards, four Eisner Award nominations and one Emmy and Humanitas award-winning hit TV series later, Milestone is back, its continuity mysteriously merged with the DCU. While we saw the DC side of the story in “Justice League: When Worlds Collide,” Milestone Forever gathers the original artists from Milestone’s launch titles: John Paul Leon, Mark Bright, Chris Cross and Milestone Founder Denys Cowan, to complete the tales told in the original runs of STATIC SHOCK, ICON, HARDWARE, SHADOW CABINET and BLOOD SYNDICATE. Milestone Editor in Chief Dwayne McDuffie reveals the final fate of each of Milestone’s launch characters in a bittersweet tale that chronicles the literal end of a universe, and the birth of something new, with major consequences for the future of the DC Universe.

Green Lantern Corps #41 featuring John Stewart
Justice League of America: When Worlds Collide HC featuring – Milestone characters
Titans #18 – Featuring Cyborg
Uncanny X-Men #516 – featuring Storm
Vampirella: Second Coming #2 – Featuring Vampirella

Official Press Release from Wakanda Ministry of Tourism:

In a unprecedented move the Government of Wakanda is offering a few lucky souls the opportunity to visit the country of Wakanda.   In order to improve diplomatic relations with the rest of world,  King T’Challa and his Queen Ororo has order the issuance of several hundred visas to the country.   The decision reverses  the country pre colonial policy of closed borders.

King T'Challa and Queen Ororo welcoming visitors

To apply for visas please contact your nearest Wakanda  Embassy or Consulate.

Wakanda is located in equatorial Africa, it is surrounded by the nations of Narobia, Uganda, Kenya, Somalia, and Ethiopia, and was named for its native inhabitants, the Wakandans. Wakanda is a nation of vast contrasts.  It has managed to maintain its tribal heritage and cultural and yet it  is one of the most technological nations on the planet

Geography

Mount Wakanda

No other country on earth can offer the visitor as much to see and do. Within the borders of a single country, you will find savannahs rich with big game, timeless cultures unchanged by the modern world, pristine beaches and coral reef, equatorial forests and mighty snow-capped mountains like Mount Kanda  and  Mount Wakanda, searing deserts and cool highland retreats.   You will also find the World most valuable natural resource the Vibranium Mound.  Wakanda offers endless opportunities for adventure, discovery, relaxation; more than you would ever expect

Climate

The Queen Changing the Weather

Generally the climate is warm and humid at the coast, cool and humid in the central highlands, and hot and dry in the north and east. Across most of the country, rainfall is strongly seasonal, although its pattern, timing and extent vary greatly from place to place and from year to year.  Rainfall peaks in most areas are in November and April.   Due to the recent union of King T’Challa and his Queen Ororo the weather has become even more pleasant thanks to our Queens weather controlling abilities.

Culture

Pather Cult Ceremony

From the prehistoric records of early man to the present day, Wakanda has been a land of unending change, contrasts and diversity.   Untouched by the influences of the outside world, it has develop its own unique culture. This is the nation’s greatest strength- the ability to blend the best of many worlds into a strong, singular identity.   Lead by its monarch King T’Challa head of the Panther Cult,  it has managed to balance tradition and technological advancement to become one of the worlds most powerful nations

Places to See

Vibranium Mound

Black Warrior Creek, Central Wakanda Palace, Charms of the Chilling Mist, Crystal Forest, Domain of the White Gorillas, Jabari village, Mount Kanda, Mount Wakanda, N’Jadaka village, Panther Island, Paradise Forest, Piranha Cove, Primitive Peaks, Resuraction Altar, River of Grace & Wisdom, Serphent Valley, T’Chaka Path, Techano-Jungle, Torment Forest, Tranquility Temple, Twisted Visions Lake, Vibranium Mound, Warrior Falls, Woods of Solitude

Batman Annual #27 – featuring Azrael
Astonishing X-Men #31 – featuring Storm
Black Panther 2 #9 – featuring Black Panther, Storm
Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural #1  - featuring Jericho Drumm
Luke Cage Noir #3 (of 4) – featuring Luke Cage
Supreme Power: Nighthawk HC Premiere – featuring Nighthawk

DC head man Dan Didio announces that will hear more from the Milestone characters.

Source: Newsarama

Didio: On the Milestone characters, you all have to excuse me because I did make an omission at one point when I spoke about the Milestone characters. We do have a two-part Prestige series coming out called Milestone Forever, which wraps up and involves a lot of storylines that existed from the original stories involving those characters. And that’s in production right now, and we’ll hope to have it out pretty soon.

Also, Static will be front and center in Teen Titans, in a story arc that moves into Dakota. So we’re excited about that as well.

Nrama: And Milestone Forever is the mini-series written by Dwayne McDuffie?

DiDio: Yes, it is. It’s a two-part Prestige featuring a number of the artists who were involved in the original Milestone series when they were first introduced.

This one slipped by me because I’m not really a fan of Vampirella.   On September 9th in “Vampirella: The Second Coming #1″ Harris comics introduced Kelly Witten as the new Vampirella. If your not familar with the character I suggest you check out her page. If  you wanted a one sentence summary, she is a sexy female vampire version of  Blade with a huge cult following.

Here’s what new this week

Trades
Black Panther: The Deadliest of the Species HC Premiere HC
Icon: A Hero’s Welcome TP New Ptg

Comics
Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #5 (of 6) – Tattooed Man
Green Lantern #46 – John Stewart
Marvel Divas #3 (of 4) – Monica “Photon” Remabeau
Teen Titans #75 written by Felicia D. Henderson

Check out these books this week:

New Avengers # 57 featuring Luke Cage
Justice League # 37 featuring Vixen and Firestorm
Super Friends #19 featuring John Stewart
The Web #1 written by Angela Robinson

Source: Marvel.com

By Richard Rodrigues and Arune Singh

This October, there’s a new Sorcerer Supreme in town, and he’s unlike any you’ve ever seen before.

In the first part of a three-part feature, Marvel.com takes you behind the scenes of DOCTOR VOODOO: AVENGER OF THE SUPERNATURAL #1 with series writer Rick Remender to discuss his plans for this new ongoing series and get a look at the main players.

Up first, the man himself: Jericho Drumm, aka Doctor Voodoo!

DOCTOR VOODOO: AVENGER OF THE SUPERNATURAL #1 cover by Marko Djurdjevic

Marvel.com: What should readers know about Jericho Drumm when jumping into DOCTOR VOODOO?

Rick Remender: He’s a classic Marvel character: tragic past, position of power thrust upon him. He’d left Haiti to live in the [United States] where he went to medical school. His brother Daniel remained behind and took the role of Houngan Supreme, the Sorcerer Supreme of Voodoo. Daniel ran afoul some bad mambo jambos and was cursed; end result, Daniel died and Jericho had to pick up his mantle to save his home city and to make good on his promise to his brother. Currently Jericho lives in New Orleans where he runs a non-profit clinic and keeps the evil Loas at bay. Then one day-pow-he’s the Sorcerer Supreme and every major bad ass in the [Marvel Universe] is out to take him down.

Jericho Drumm, aka Doctor Voodoo, is stuck between two lives; that of a voodoo healer and psychologist serving the impoverished communities of New Orleans and that of the new Sorcerer Supreme, defender of the unknown.

As [Daimon Hellstrom] prophesized in NEW AVENGERS #54] there are supernatural forces, beings of malevolence and supreme arcane power that lurk in the shadows, conspiring to spread their festering darkness to our world. With premonitions as to the arrival of these terrible forces, the Eye of Agamotto has passed the mantle of Sorcerer Supreme onto the one man who has the unique gifts to stave off the shadows; a man who recognizes how to combat the coming darkness-as it was his birthplace.

Doctor Voodoo sketches by Jefte Palo

Marvel.com: We’ve seen Stephen Strange as the Sorcerer Supreme and he’s been pretty integral to the Marvel Universe-will this hold true for Drumm?

Rick Remender: For sure; if you’re going to put the spotlight on him you have to give a character like this a pertinent role, something important to the Marvel Universe. There are bad things looming on the horizon and they all revolve around Jericho.

Marvel.com: Now that Drumm is stronger than he’s ever been, what inspired your take on him? He’s never had this role before.

Rick Remender: I see him as a guy who has his own thing going on, his own life; he’s content to protect New Orleans and he’s content as the Houngan Supreme. He’s not Doctor Doom, he’s not the guy who feels entitled to this, it’s thrust upon him and it devastates his old life. I like the idea of someone who didn’t need the job but once he’s got it everyone is looking at him to rise up to the responsibility. He does too, though he over compensates at first.

DOCTOR VOODOO: AVENGER OF THE SUPERNATURAL #1 variant cover by Billy Tan

As for his strength, Jericho is up against Dormammu and Doctor Doom; he’s up against world-class huge [Marvel] villains. He could take his old foes down without breaking a sweat with his current power levels. It’s a new world for Jericho; he’s in the major leagues now.

Marvel.com: In those big leagues we’re accustomed to seeingDoctor Strange wielding pretty heavy magical powers. How does Drumm approach it in contrast to Strange?

Rick Remender: Stephen Strange is more centered and thoughtful; Jericho is a man of passion. He’s equally intelligent, and now equally powerful, though he has a lot to learn about that power.  When I say he runs passionate, he’s almost obsessive, in that he’s very eager to prove that he’s worthy of the title of Sorcerer Supreme. He’s out to prove it to himself and his ancestors. Stephen Strange was the type to often wait back and take care of things as they occurred; Jericho is a more pro-active and aggressive Sorcerer Supreme.

Marvel.com: The covers so far show Doctor Voodoo wielding the Staff of Legba. Is it like his Eye of Agamotto?

Doctor Voodoo sketches by Jefte Palo

Rick Remender: It is the Houngan Supreme’s version of the Eye. It holds the power of the crossroads, the ability to dimension jump. Jericho does a lot of jumping into the stream of the Everdimensions and we run into some of Marvel’s biggest bad guys.

Here’s the new books for the week a little heavy on the trades.

Here’s the rest of the new books for the week

ANKAMA

Heres’ the new comics for the week

Source: Pop Culture Shock

Pop Culture Shock posted a great article here about the plight of Dwayne McDuffie and the Milestone characters.  I am not going to go over the ins and outs of the events leading up to the subject of the article, but to summarize my understanding is that DC signed McDuffie to write for the JLA, and then handcuffed him by taking away the Big 3 (Supes, Bats, and WW) and then basically limiting him to the C,D and E team characters.  As part of DCs overall deal with McDuffie, they also acquired the Milestone line of characters, including Static.  Obviously, due to the popularity of Static, its apparent that the whole thing was to get control of Static for use in the DC universe.  EDIT: BTW-check out the Pop Culture Shock link because it has an interview with McDuffie about the whole ordeal.

I am pretty sure that DC’s committment to integrating the Milestone characters into the DC universe was a temporary ruse. It seems that DC is notorius for picking up popular characters and comic lines just so they can’t be used anywhere else.  So, here we have DC picking up Milestone and deciding not to use the characters at all, except for the one they wanted: Static (now appearing as a member of Teen Titans). The end result being that McDuffie can’t even use or license those characters to anyone else (Marvel), or use them in a relaunch of Milestone (not saying that was likely, but the time IMO is right). DC takes the characters and places them on the shelf.

Can’t say I’m not surprised to see McDuffie get screwed over by DC.  It isn’t like they were very welcoming from the get go.  I remember how hyped I was when Milestone first started.  Comic books for black people by black people.  Recently, I evengot copies of every single Milestone comic. It was revolutionary and those guys were ahead of their time.  It was also giving black artists and writers who weren’t getting gigs at Marvel and DC a place to showcase their talent and many careers were launched as a result.  At that time there wasn’t a lot of support for Milestone, and it didn’t stay around long enough.  But I think that now would be the ideal time for something like Milestone. 

With the success of Blade and Will Smith at the box office, the rise of the webcomics and iPhone comic viewers, and the future of comic distribution, I have no doubt that Milestone would have been successful on a relaunch.  I know that McDuffie & Friends hold these characters dear to their hearts (and wallets) and I know that they ultimately bear the responsibilty(DC probably gave them a boatload of money) for the fuckery that DC is perpetuating against them (just because I pay for the sex, doesn’t mean I want to get raped).  So, here’s to you DC, for showing your ass once again.

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Source: CBR

Here’s a interview with Fabian Nicieza the writer for the new “Azrael” on going starting in October with Michael Washington Lane as Azrael.    Before you check out the on-going you may want to read the AZRAEL DEATHS DARK KNIGHT #1 mini that started the relaunch.

Here’s a few excerpts

CBR: Was the plan all along to have you write an Azrael series coming out of “Battle of the Cowl,” or did the spin-off come about later in the game?

FABIAN NICIEZA: The spin-off came a little bit later in the game, but not the bottom of the ninth inning. I was finishing up my highly-acclaimed, award-winning run on “Robin” – okay, it was just a little acclaimed and won no awards, but it sounds better whenever you put that in front of a title – anyway, editor Mike Marts had been percolating the Suit of Sorrows concept as a new take on Azrael for a while and thought that the Gotham-in-turmoil-no-Batman aspect to “Battle for the Cowl” would serve as the perfect opportunity to introduce a sword-wielding, possibly religious zealot vigilante.

Mike Siglain is the one who brought up the idea of using Lane, the third Batman from Grant Morrison’s recent issues and the second he said it, we all knew it was the right choice. And I knew that even though I didn’t think of myself as an Azrael guy, I wanted to write this character in that suit forced to wrestle with the very difficult concepts of faith and justice. And knowing he had a future that was “written in stone” because of “Batman” #666 made it all the more exciting. Now we all know no future comic book story is ever really “real,” but in this case, it gives a great brooding, nihilistic end-goal we can use as a guidepost.

What do we need to know about Michael Washington Lane? How does he differ in character from Jean-Paul Valley? Any similarities?

Lane is an emotionally, psychologically and physically scarred man. He has lost nearly everything in his life that has ever mattered to him – his family, his job, his faith – and we show that even what did matter to him was always approached in a questionable fashion. He has a strong desire to “do the right thing,” but is often very uncertain about how to go about first identifying what the right thing is, and then how to go about doing it. Half the time he just wings it, the other half he is scarily resolute in his decision-making. It’s fun to write someone decisions run the gamut of extremes from absolute certainty to “what the hell.”

Here’s the Comics arrving at stores 8-05-09

These are my reccomendations for the week

ComicList: DC Comics Shipping This Week

ComicList: DC Comics for 08/05/2009 ComicList: DC Comics for 08/05/2009 Astro City The Dark Age Book Three #4 (of 4), $3.99 Authority #13, $2.99 Batman #608 Poster, $8.99 Batman And Robin #1 (Frank Quitely Third Printing Variant Cover), $2.99 Batman Confidential #32, $2.99 Booster Gold Reality Lost TP, $14.99 DC Comics Classics Library Flash Of Two Worlds HC, $39.99 Dead Romeo #5 (of 6), $2.99 Death Of The New Gods TP, $19.99 Doom Patrol #1 (Matthew Clark Regular Cover), $3.99 Doom Patrol #1 (Matthew Clark and Kevin Maguire Variant Cover), AR Final Crisis Aftermath Run #4 (of 6), $2.99 Final Crisis Revelations HC, $19.99 Greek Street #2, $2.99 Hot Toys Dark Knight 1/6 Scale Batmobile, $450.00 House Of Mystery #16, $2.99 Jonah Hex #46, $2.99 Justice League Cry For Justice #2 (of 6), $3.99 Metal Men TP, $14.99 Mighty #7, $2.99 Musashi #9 TP Vol 16 (resolicited), $9.99 Nightwing The Great Leap TP, $19.99 North 40 #2 (of 6), $2.99 Red Circle The Hangman #1, $2.99 Scooby Doo #147, $2.50 Secret Six #12, $2.99 Solomon Grundy #6 (of 7), $2.99 Spirit #32, $2.99 Strange Adventures #6 (of , $3.99 Superman World Of New Krypton #6 (of 12)(Fernando Dagnino & Raúl Fernandez Regular Cover), $2.99 Superman World of New Krypton #6 (of 12)(Eddy Barrows & Julio Ferriera Variant Cover), AR Tears Of A Lamb TP Vol 6, $9.99 Transmetropolitan TP Vol 3 Year Of The Bastard (New Edition), $12.99 Warlord #5, $2.99 Wednesday Comics #5 (of 12), $3.99 Women Of The DC Universe Series 2 Supergirl Bust, $55.00 World of Warcraft Premium Series 1 Gnoll Warlord 8 Piece Case, AR World of Warcraft Premium Series 1 Gnoll Warlord Gangris Riverpaw Action Figure, AR World of Warcraft Premium Series 1 Inner Case Assortment, AR World of Warcraft Premium Series 1 Master Case Assortment, AR World of Warcraft Premium Series 1 Tuskarr 8 Piece Case, AR World of Warcraft Premium Series 1 Tuskarr Tavru Akua Action Figure, AR ComicList: DC Comics for Wednesday, August 5, 2009, by Charles LePage.

omicList: Marvel Comics Shipping This Week

ComicList: Marvel Comics for 08/05/2009 ComicList: Marvel Comics for 08/05/2009 Agents Of Atlas #9 (Leinil Francis Yu Regular Cover), $2.99 Agents of Atlas #9 (Erik Jones 70th Frame Variant Cover), AR Agents Of Atlas Premiere HC Dark Reign, $24.99 All Winners Comics #1 (70th Anniversary Special)(Daniel Acuna Regular Cover), $3.99 All Winners Comics #1 (70th Anniversary Special)(Marcos Martin Variant Cover), AR Amazing Spider-Man #601 (J. Scott Campbell Regular Cover), $2.99 Amazing Spider-Man #601 (John Romita Jr 70th Frame Variant Cover), AR Black Panther 2 #7 (Paul Renaud Regular Cover), $2.99 Black Panther 2 #7 (Ken Lashley 70th Frame Variant Cover), AR Captain America Reborn #2 (of 5)(Bryan Hitch Regular Wraparound Cover), $3.99 Captain America Reborn #2 (of 5)(Joe Quesada 70Th Frame Variant), AR Captain America Reborn #2 (of 5)(John Cassady Sketch Variant Cover), AR Captain America Reborn #2 (of 5)(John Cassady Variant Cover), AR Captain America Reborn #2 (of 5)(Tim Sale Variant Cover), AR Dark Avengers Uncanny X-Men Utopia (Marc Silvestri 2nd Printing Variant Cover), $3.99 Dark Reign Zodiac #2 (of 3)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $3.99 Dark Wolverine #75 (Giuseppe Camuncoli Second Printing Variant Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $3.99 Deadpool #11 (Paco Medina Second Printing Variant Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99 Deadpool Merc With A Mouth #1 (Bong Dazo Second Printing Variant Cover), $3.99 Deadpool Merc With A Mouth #2 (Arthur Suydam Regular Cover), $2.99 Deadpool Merc With A Mouth #2 (Tony Moore 70th Frame Variant Cover), AR Destroyer #5 (of 5), $3.99 Eternals TP Manifest Destiny, $12.99 Exiles #5 (Dave Bullock Regular Cover), $2.99 Exiles #5 (Mike Grell 70th Frame Variant Cover), AR Exiles Ultimate Collection TP Book 2, $34.99 Ghost Riders Heavens On Fire #1 (of 6)(Jae Lee Regular Cover), $3.99 Ghost Riders Heavens on Fire #1 (of 6)(Jae Lee Variant Cover), AR Heroes Reborn The Return TP (was titled ‘Heroes Return TP’), $29.99 House Of M Masters Of Evil #1 (of 5), $3.99 Hulk #13 (Ed McGuinness Regular Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $3.99 Hulk #13 (Michael Golden 70th Frame Variant Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), AR Hulk #13 (John Romita Jr Variant Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), AR Invincible Iron Man #15 (Salvador Larroca Second Printing Variant Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99 Invincible Iron Man #16 (Salvador Larroca Regular Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99 Invincible Iron Man #16 (Salvador Larroca 70th Frame Variant)(Dark Reign Tie-In), AR Iron Man Armor Wars #1 (of 4), $2.99 Luke Cage Noir #1 (of 4)(Tim Bradstreet Regular Cover), $3.99 Luke Cage Noir #1 (of 4)(Dennis Calero Variant Cover), AR Marvel Masterworks Golden Age Young Allies HC Vol 1 (Regular Edition), $59.99 Marvel Masterworks Golden Age Young Allies HC Vol 1 (Variant Edition Vol 121), $59.99 Marvel Masterworks Sub-Mariner HC Vol 3 (Regular Edition), $54.99 Marvel Masterworks Sub-Mariner HC Vol 3 (Variant Edition Vol 120), $54.99 Marvels Project Poster, $8.99 Official Index To Marvel Universe #8, $3.99 Spider-Man And The Human Torch HC, $19.99 Spider-Man Crime And Punisher TP, $14.99 Spider-Man Family Ties TP, $14.99 Trojan War #4 (of 5), $3.99 Ultimate Comics Armor Wars Torch Mini-Poster, AR Ultimatum Fantastic Four Requiem #1 (One Shot), $3.99 Ultimatum X-Men Requiem #1 (One Shot), $3.99 Uncanny X-Men #513 (Terry Dodson Second Printing Variant Cover), $3.99 War Machine #8, $2.99 War Of Kings #6 (of 6)(Brandon Peterson Regular Cover), $3.99 War of Kings #6 (of 6)(Adi Granov Variant Cover), AR War Of Kings Warriors #2 (of 2), $3.99 X-Men Legacy Premiere HC Vol 3 Salvage, $24.99 X-Men Original Sin TP, $14.99 ComicList: Marvel Comics for Wednesday, August 5, 2009, by Charles LePage.

This November, writer Charlie Huston (“Moon Knight”) and artist Lan Medina (“Foolkiller”) will reintroduce readers to “Deathlok” and his world in a seven issue mini-series from Marvel Comics

Source CBR

Huston finished his last “Deathlok” script almost a year ago, and much of the planning and plotting for the series was done three to four years ago, so the writer drew much of his inspiration for the series’s setting from the current events of the time. “The stuff that was on my mind was a lot of what was going on in Iraq in 2005-2006. Things were at their hottest there, and Blackwater, military contractors, and mercenaries were very big in the news. So what I pitched to my editor, Axel Alonso, was a story taking military contractors 20 years down the road,” Huston explained. “Basically, national armies cease to exist and wars are fought entirely by proxy by corporately owned and run armies. Warfare has become a spectator sport as well as a business.

“The set up for this is basically that, in this world, Manning is a soldier’s soldier. He’s not a superstar, but he’s a respected professional and military thinker. He’s someone who gets results. Mike Travers is a rising superstar in the face of the game. Both are blown up simultaneously, and both end up incorporated into Deathlok. So the internal dialog the original stories had between Manning and Deathlok manifests in this version as an internal dialog between these two different personalities, Manning and Travers.”

Huston’s series is strictly a science fiction story. “This is science fiction in the broadest possible sense,” Huston stated. “It’s not ‘Hard Sci Fi,’ where you take a science concept and try to extrapolate it to its natural conclusion. It’s two-fisted, pulp-adventure, science fiction.”

Source:  Newsarama

Captain America/Black Panther: Flags of Our Fathers comes to us from Black Pantherwriter/multi-media talent Reginald Hudlin and writer/artist Denys Cowan.   The mini series focuses on Cap, and some other familiar faces who ran into the Black Panther of the 1940s during World War II

Here’s a few excerpts”

NRAMA:  As creators, what is the appeal of the World War II era?   And what’s it like to handle Captain America in that specific setting?
 
Hudlin:World War Two is when Black Panther and Captain America met.  It’s also a rich era, with characters like Nick Fury and the Howling Commandoes, the Red Skull, Baron Strucker, and other more obscure but interesting characters.
 
Captain America is still the noble man he was before he took the super soldier serum, but he’s green.  He’s still rocking the triangle shield.  That’s a fun period in his life to explore.

NRAMA: With Black Panther, he’s been established as a generational character.  Which Black Panther will we be seeing here, and how would the protector of Wakanda react to Cap and Nick Fury at that point in history?
 
Hudlin:Azzuri the Wise is the Black Panther, who is T’Chaka’s father, T’Challa’s grandfather.  We’ve seen him before in my first run of BLACK PANTHER where he defeats the Sub-Mariner in combat, then schools him to the future implications of WW2. There’s a reason why he’s called “the Wise”.
 
Azzuri sees a lot of promise in Steve Rogers.  It’s tough love, but he wants to help him.  As for Nick, Azzuri sees the war hero he is and the cold war spy he’s going to be…and treats him accordingly.

Comicbook Resource has a interview with New Teen Titans writer Felicia D. Henderson.  She was co-executive producer of “Fringe,” “Gossip Girl” and “Soul Food: the Series,” which she also directed. She also wrote “Cheetah Girls 2″ and for the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” and was a consulting producer and writer for “Everybody Hates Chris.”    Her first issue of Teen Titans #75 will be released on September 30.

Here’s a few excerpts from the article:

CBR: What can you tell us about the story you’re going to tell in your first arc of “Teen Titans?” Who’s the villain? Who are the key players?

FELICIA D. HENDERSON: What can I tell you? Well, not much because it’s changing even as I’m writing it and I’m writing it now. In fact, I should be writing now instead of talking to you. I have to go.

Joking, of course. Let’s see. In the first arc some characters will come, other characters will go, a villain will go on a terror that will wreak havoc on our team. Yes, I know I’m “Queen of Vague.”

Are you a long-time fan of the “Teen Titans” and comics in general?

I am a long time comic book fan. I was a sickly child, which meant lots of time on the Asthma inhaler and lots of time in the house while my brothers and sisters played outside. So I created my own alternate universe and comic bookshelped me do that. My sisters were reading Archies and I was reading “Batman” and coming up with ways the villains could take out my younger brother. Yes, I was dark even at ten years old.

 Getting a chance to write “Teen Titans” is so cool because it combines my strengths in writing teens, my love of comics, my science background, and my sci-fi sensibilities. And I’ve always loved the idea of creating stories about where this realm meets the spiritual/mystical one. In other words, I’m in heaven.

 

What are the major differences between writing for comics and television? “Teen Titans” is your first comic assignment, correct?

The biggest difference between the two is that you can rely on dialogue in television and you haveto rely on visual story telling in comics. In that way, comics are more like film, even more like silent film, which I love.

Also, because I’m so committed to doing a great job, the process is all-consuming for me now. Every page, every panel, every word of dialogue takes me forever because I take way too long to commit. This is my first full-length issue. To get my feet wet, I did a 10-page “Citizen Steel” story for the upcoming “Justice Society of America Annual” and that took me forever, too. But with “Teen Titans,” I’m on a serious time crunch so I won’t have the luxury of contemplating everything for so long.

Another difference is the intensity of weekly deadlines in television. You know you have to have an episode ready to go every week no matter what and that can be stressful, as well. Both mediums are very collaborative but the way the collaboration works is a little different. Breaking stories in a writers’ room surrounded by fellow writers means that television writing is never a lonely job. Also, there’s no better place to be than with other writers. I love the process.

Marvel and DC comics have raised the prices on some of their books to 3.99. Eventually all books will get to that price point but DC seems to think that adding an 8 page co-feature to the back of the book justifies the price increase. Booster Gold # 22 is 40 pages for 3.99. You get 32 pages of Booster and 8 pages of Blue Beetle. I guess the logic is that you get 8 pages of Blue Beetle for the extra dollar or you could look at it another way and say that you’re paying $.10 a page instead of the .12 cents a page that Marvel charges for its 3.99 books.

Pretty good logic until you factor in that its entertainment not gasoline. One gallon of gasoline does the same thing as another, in comparison a ticket to Star Wars is a totally different experience from a ticket to Meteor Man. SW may have been worth the money MM not so much. Entertainment dollars are subjective. That being said giving me 8 pages of Blue Beetle only increases the value if I want to read Blue Beetle, if I don’t then I just paid 3.99 for a Booster Gold book. DC if you really want to give me more then make the book longer like your doing in Blackest Night #1 (48 pages for $3.99)

Action Comics #879	Agents of Atlas #8	All Select Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 (One-Shot)
Amazing Spider-Man #599	Amazing Spider-Man #599 70s Decade Var	Annihilation Classic TP
Astro City Vol. 1: The Dark Age TP	Batman #608 Special Edition	Batman: Streets of Gotham #2
Beta Ray Bill: Godhunter #2 (of 3)	Blackest Night #1 (of	Blackest Night: Tales of the Corps #1 (of 3)
The Brave and the Bold #25	Captain America #601	Captain America #601 70th Anniv Djurdjevic Var
Captain Britain by Alan Moore & Alan Davis Omnibus HC	Captain Britain by Alan Moore & Alan Davis Omnibus HC Direct Market Edition	Dark Avengers #7
Dark Reign: Mister Negative #2 (of 3)	Deadpool #12

Deadpool #12 60s Decade Var	Deadpool: Suicide Kings #1 (of 5) 2nd Ptg	Dr. Doom: Masters of Evil TP
Ender’s Game: Battle School HC Premiere	Final Crisis Aftermath: Escape #3 (of 6)	Franklin Richards: Schools Out #1
Incognito #5 (MR)	Iron Man: Armored Adventures #1 (One-Shot)	JSA vs. Kobra: Engines of Faith #2 (of 6)
Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #3 (of 4)	Lockjaw and the Pet Avengers #3 (of 4) Henrichon Var	Marvel Adventures The Avengers #38
Marvel Illustrated: The Three Musketeers TP	Mighty Avengers #27	Mighty Avengers #27 50s Decade Var
New Mutants #3	Punisher #7	Super Friends #17
Superman/Batman #62	Timestorm 2009/2099 #3 (of 4)

Titans #15	Vigilante #8	War Machine Vol. 1: Iron Heart HC Premiere
Wednesday Comics #2 (of 12)	X-Factor #46

War Machine writer Greg Pak in a interview with Newsarama disusses the upcoming issues of the book.  Here’s a few excerpts from the article.

NRAMA: The road to War Machine going toe-to-toe with Iron Patriot has been in the making since War Machine #1; the cover to War Machine #10 doesn’t look very promising for Rhodes…what can you tell us about their future collision?

GP: Let’s just say that both War Machine and Iron Patriot have been preparing for this fight since the series began. They’re both going to bring their absolute A games and will hold nothing back.

NRAMA: What other plans do you have for War Machine in the near future?

GP: Look for all of the themes and plot elements we’ve been building since issue one to come to a massive head by issue #12. Rhodey’s been doing what he believes to be the right thing regardless of the consequences—by the end of issue #12, we’ll finally see exactly what all those consequences are.

NRAMA: Finally, in your view, how does War Machine standout in the current Dark Reign environment at Marvel? What should readers consider when they casually pick up an issue of War Machine off the shelf?

GP: This is the story of a man who makes the conscious decision to go too far when he’s faced with a world that’s gone too far. It’s the kind of decision that people have been forced to make throughout human history during times of terrible lawlessness and upheaval. In fact, you could say that every Western, samurai movie, and gangster flick ever made trades on these same themes. But there’s no easy answer regarding the emotional and moral consequences of walking this road, which is exactly what makes these kinds of characters and stories so compelling.

This is also the story of a guy who can assimilate any technology from an iPod to an atom bomb into his armor, which provides endless opportunities for insanely explosive mayhem, if that’s your thing. And if you’re reading this far into an interview about a character named War Machine, something tells me it probably is.

 

DC comics in 1970 published a survey asking for feedback on a number of topics but one question was really interesting.   ”How interested are you in reading about Black people?”  The choices where – very interested,  fairly interested or not interested.     Its interesting they way they reduced a whole race of people to a category along with Breakfast cereal and afternoon cartoons.

Source: Comicbookresources

Here’s a list of some of the highlights for this past weekends conventions

Luke Cage and Iron Fist are “Heros for Hire” again. –  In Thundrbolts #136  Luke Cage and Danny Rand, Power Man and Iron Fist, find themselves in the employ of Norman Osborn as his deadliest new assassins.

“Doctor Voodoo: Avenger of the Supernatural” – New on-going for the former Brother Voodoo by Rick Remender

Source: Comicbookresources

If you missed last months New Avengers # 53 you missed Brother Voodoobecoming Marvel Sorcerer Supreme .     In the interview with CBR Bendis covers several things his approach to the character, the name change fr0m Brother Voodoo to Doctor Voodoo,   and the confirmation of a new series for the character written by Rick Remender .

Here’s a few excerpts from the article :

“If you hear the pitch of who Doctor Voodoo is, you go, ‘Hey that’s pretty interesting,’” Bendis said. Doctor Voodoo had to learn magic to stop a powerful sorcerer and avenge his brother’s murder. “His dead brother’s soul is inside him so he’s got this constant voice telling him what to do. He was a reluctant hero who had things thrust upon him and those characters are always the best.

“We also thought him not knowing he was going to be chosen as the next Sorcerer Supreme opened up different layers of magic as well,” Bendis continued. “Sometimes lazy writers would write Doctor Strange as a wash away, but there was a lot of logic to his powers. With Doctor Voodoo, if you do your research on Voodoo and use it as the template to build your fantasy, there’s a lot of cool stuff you can do there. It’s a new bag of tricks.”

Pages from “New Avengers” #54

Once Jericho Drumm was chosen as the next Sorcerer Supreme, Bendis undertook an extensive amount of research on the subject of real-life Voodoo. “I felt like Voodoo was something I knew nothing about and writers are supposed to do research, so I felt I needed to learn a lot. I spent most of the winter reading books on Voodoo, what it means and its history. I was in New York and I had all these books on me and [Marvel Editorin-Chief] Joe Quesada asked, ‘What are those for?’ I said they were for Brother Voodoo and mentioned that part of the problem with the character was that no one had really done a god damn bit of research on Voodoo. I didn’t really use any of my research but I felt better writing him. I felt like I understood where he came from and what was going on.”

In writing scenes with the newly appointed Doctor Voodoo, Bendis found the dynamic between the character and the spirit of his deceased brother to be highly enjoyable. “I imagined if my brother, who I adore, lived inside me, I would punch myself in the face about 85 times a day. It’s like there’s someone just over your shoulder constantly bothering you and they won’t go away. That’s a very unique dynamic in the Marvel Universe and I thought it was a lot of fun to write.”

Additionally, Doctor Voodoo is simply a curiosity in the Marvel Universe. “Doctor Voodoo has also been by himself a lot. He’s popped in and out of some adventures, but his relationships to the rest of the Marvel Universe are unique; it’s like no one knows what to make of him,” Bendis explained. “You’ve got all that, which is very interesting, but now there’s the question of what does it mean now that he’s Sorcerer Supreme? What did the Eye of Agamotto bring him? And how does that mix with the abilities he already has? So the amount of stories that can be told with the character is overwhelming. There’s hundreds of brand new stories. This also opens up a lot of brand new stories for Doctor Strange. He’s no longer Sorcerer Supreme, but he’s not out of the picture. He’s in more of a mentoring position now.”

Source:  SciFi Wire

Tyrese Gibson is an actor, singer and producer who can now add "comic-book creator" to his ever-expanding resume: The first issue of his debut comic, Tyrese Gibson’s Mayhem, will be published in August by Image Comics.

I am intrigued by Gibson’s venture into the comic book realm.  I don’t know much about the book or the character, but the cover alone are enough for me to be interested.  If you aren’t convinced by that alone, read the SCI FI Wire’s exclusive phone interview with Gibson about the book.  I think we should all support him.

Read the original article and interview here at SCI FI Wire.

According to a post on his website  he is no longer writing JLA.   I always felt he was given a gun with no bullets.   They took away the big three, they limited his choices for the roster and they interrupted his arcs with events.    That being said I know he has several other irons in the fire, but I really hope Marvel scoops him up for a book.    I would love for him get a hold of the Black Panther  or  the Fantastic Four, his brief run from a few years back was brilliant.   

Nope, it was my own doing. I was fired when “Lying in the Gutters” ran a compilation of two years or so of my answers to fans’ questions on the DC Comics discussion boards. I’m told my removal had nothing to with either the quality of my work or the level of sales, rather with my revelation of behind-the-scenes creative discussions.

So we finally know who will replace Batman the orginal Robin – Dick Grayson.   Was this a surprise to anyone ?  I didn’t think so I will say that Tony Daniel did a great job with art and the writing.    His  story wasn’t necessarily a Batman it was a story about a great man and the burden that it places on his sons.    While reading this I  kept thinking about the TV show Dallas and the battles between JR and Bobby over their fathers oil company Ewing Oil.     Tim, Dick and Jason have all have their issue with dealing with Bruce’s loss.   Tim wants it but he’s not ready , Jason isn’t emotionally stable enough to do the  job the way it needs to be done.   That leaves Dick as the only choice for job, despite Bruce’s request that he not don the mantle of the bat.    

So here’s the new status quo of the Bat family:

Dick Grayson aka Nightwing is now Batman 

Damien Wayne is now Robin  (Damien is Batman’s son if your confused read Batman and Son)

Tim Drake is now Red Robin

Jason Todd is dead (as if falling into a river can kill you in comic book)

COMICS

 DC Comics » Batman In Barcelona: Dragons Knight (One-Shot) 

 DC Comics » Final Crisis Aftermath: Ink #1 (of 2) 

 DC Comics » Gotham Gazette: Batman Alive (One-Shot) 

 DC Comics » Green Lantern #41 

 DC Comics » Green Lantern #41 Variant 

 DC Comics » Justice League of America #33 

 DC Comics » Justice Society of America #27 

 DC Comics » The Last Days of Animal Man #1 

 DC Comics » The Spirit #28 

 DC Comics » Superman #688 

 DC Comics » Teen Titans #71 

 DC Comics » Trinity #52 

 DC Comics » Wonder Woman #32 

 DC Comics » Wonder Woman #32 Manapul Variant 

GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

 DC Comics » Robin: The Teen Wonder TP

 DC Comics » Static Shock: Rebirth of the Cool TP

 DC Comics » Trinity Vol. 1 TP

 DC Comics » Wonder Woman: Love and Murder TP

COMICS

 Marvel » Amazing Spider-Man #595 

 Marvel » Amazing Spider-Man #595 Granov Variant 

 Marvel » Avengers: The Initiative #24 

 Marvel » Avengers/Invaders #11 (of 12) Alberti Variant 

 Marvel » Dark Reign: Elektra #3 (of 5) 

 Marvel » Dark Reign: The Hood #1 (of 5) 

 Marvel » Ender’s Shadow: Battle School #5 (of 5)

 Marvel » Ghost Rider #35 

 Marvel » Guardians of the Galaxy #14 

 Marvel » Immortal Iron Fist #26 

 Marvel » Incredible Hercules #129 

 Marvel » Lords of Avalon: Knight of Darkness #6 (of 6) 

 Marvel » Marvel Adventures Fantastic Four #48 

 Marvel » Moon Knight #30 

 Marvel » Ms. Marvel #39

 Marvel » New Avengers #53 

 Marvel » New Avengers #53 Bachalo Variant 

 Marvel » Nova #25 

 Marvel » Runaways 3 #10 

 Marvel » Secret Invasion Chronicles #3 (of 9)

 Marvel » Squadron Supreme 2 #11 

 Marvel » The Stand: American Nightmare #3 (of 5) Perkins Variant 

 Marvel » Thor #601 2nd Ptg 

 Marvel » Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk #6 (of 6) 

 Marvel » War Machine #6 

 Marvel » Wolverine #72 

 Marvel » Wolverine: First Class #15 

 Marvel » Wolverine: Origins #36 

 Marvel » X-Force #15 

 Marvel » X-Force #14 2nd Ptg 

 Marvel » X-Men: Future History – The Messiah War Sourcebook

 Marvel » X-Men: Legacy #224

GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

 Marvel » Dead of Night: Devil-Slayer TP (MR)

 Marvel » Essential X-Men Vol. 9 TP

 Marvel » Ghost Rider: Danny Ketch: Addict TP

 Marvel » Incredible Hercules: Love and War TP

 Marvel » Marvel Masterworks: Amazing Spider-Man Vol. 2 TP

OK,  You may not recognize the name,  but he made his fist appearance in Kull short story written by Robert E. Howard published in 1967.     Still not ringing a bell he was the antagonist in  Conan the Movie and was played by James Earl Jones.     Thulsa Doom is apparently hot for reason.   He has a new comic and has a film in development starring Djimon Hounson.   Here’s some excerpts from a interview with the writer of the new Thulsa Doom comic by Dynamite0 Entertainment.    (That Alex Ross cover makes him look like a real bad ass)

Source: Newsarama

NRAMA: Okay then, broad view, who is Thulsa Doom? Most are probably familiar with him via the Conan movie as you mentioned earlier, but is that transferrable here in Dynamite’s version?

AN: Our story takes place thousands of years before Conan’s time. Thulsa isn’t necessarily evil… yet. But he has irresistible charisma, that “cult of personality” the very best and the very worst people seem to have. He hasn’t decided how he’s going to use that power yet. He doesn’t know whether he wants to be Mussolini or Gandhi.

 

NRAMA: Somewhat in that vein, when looking at “epic” villains such as Thulsa Doom, the concept of destiny is interwoven, sometimes to the point that the villain has very little choice in his destiny. How much is that the case with Thulsa?

AN: There’s no definitive answer to that question, is there? That tension between fate and free will is one of the things we’ll deal with in the series. Thulsa is always a mystery, not just to other people, but to himself.

Source: Newsarama

Here’s a few excerpts from the article

Newsarama: To begin, can you tell readers a little bit about ‘Moon Over Harlem’, Mike?

‘Moon Over Harlem’ is a classic film noir kind of story. You have a protagonist who finds himself trapped in a spider’s web of invisible forces that are out to get him, or manipulate him for their own ends. It’s a dark story; and Luke Cage is such a wonderfully hard boiled character. It’s great fun to watch him fight (and think) his way out of his predicament.

NRAMA: Fair enough. I sounds like there will be similarities, but how is this Luke Cage different from his contemporary counterpart?

MB: The modern Luke Cage was created in the ‘70s and is very much a creature of that era. He’s basically a Blaxploitation character…

AG: He’s been reinterpreted several times since then and kind of cut loose from his roots. But in our story, the Luke Cage Noir character is very grounded in the Prohibition Era of gangsters, speakeasies and segregation. And in a funny way he’s actually closer to the original ‘70s conception of the character.

Last week I was really looking forward to Black Panther # 4 and I was a little disappointed.    The story seems to be dragging or at least be so predictable that I know whats going to happpen before it happens.    Overall I have like Hudlins run on the series (at times it was a little uneven) but I prefer his version of BP over Christopher Priests run from a few years back.   I just wish he would pick up the pace a little bit.

My reccomendation for week is  Azrael: Death’s Dark Knight #3.  Its nice to see some new blood in Gotham the Azrael an African American ex-cop named Michael Washington Lane. He is approached by the Order of Purity to reclaim the mantle of Azrael after the Order of Dumas’ new Azrael went mad and killed an undercover police officer. On his first night as Azrael he fought Talia Al Ghul, new team of mercenaries led by Merlyn and Dick Grayson. After convincing Nightwing that he was not responsible for the murdered police officer, Dick persuades Talia to allow Michael to keep the Suit of Sorrows. Michael Lane is currently active in Gotham City working on an “eye for an eye” style of justice.    The last page of the book reveals that this will be an ongoing series starting in the fall.   Hopefully they will keep Fabian Nicieza as the writer and  Frazier Irving doing the art.  

This weeks picks 

This weeks comics below the break 

COMICS

 Marvel » Agents of Atlas #5 

 Marvel » All New Savage She-Hulk #1 (of 4) 2nd Ptg 

 Marvel » Captain America #50 

 Marvel » Fantastic Force #2 

 Marvel » Fantastic Four #566 

 Marvel » Hulk #12 

 Marvel » Marvel Adventures The Avengers #36 

 Marvel » Marvel Mystery Comics 70th Anniversary Special #1 (One-Shot) 

 Marvel » Planet Skaar: Prologue 

 Marvel » Punisher #5 

 Marvel » Skrull Kill Krew #2 (of 5) 

 Marvel » Terror, Inc.: Apocalypse Soon #2 (of 5) (MR)

 Marvel » Thunderbolts #132 

 Marvel » Timestorm 2009/2099 #2 (of 4) 

 Marvel » Uncanny X-Men #510 

 Marvel » Uncanny X-Men #510 Campbell Variant

 Marvel » Wolverine Noir #2 (of 4)

 Marvel » Wolverine Noir #2 (of 4) Calero Variant

 Marvel » Wolverine: Weapon X #2 

 Marvel » X-Men Forever Alpha (One-Shot) 

 Marvel » X-Men Forever Alpha (One-Shot) Book Mkt Var

 Marvel » Ythaq: No Escape #2 (of 3) (MR)

GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS

 Marvel » Black Panther: Who Is Black Panther HC

 Marvel » Moon Knight Vol. 4: Death of Marc Spector TP

 Marvel » NYX: No Way Home: Premium HC

 Marvel » NYX: No Way Home: Premiere HC

 Marvel » Punisher War Journal Vol. 5: Secret Invasion TP

 Marvel » Punisher War Journal Vol. 5: Secret Invasion TP Direct Market Edition

 Marvel » Thor By J Michael Straczynski Vol. 2 HC Premiere

 Marvel » Thor Visionaries: Walt Simonson Vol. 2 2nd Ptg TP New Printing

 Marvel » Ultimate Galactus Trilogy TP

 Marvel » War of Kings: Road To War of Kings TP

 Marvel » Young X-Men Vol. 2: Book of Revelations TP

COMICS

 DC Comics » Batman: Battle For the Cowl #3 (of 3) 

 DC Comics » Batman: Battle For the Cowl #3 (of 3) Variant 

 DC Comics » Batman: Battle For the Cowl #1 (of 3) 2nd Ptg 

 DC Comics » The Brave and the Bold #23 

 DC Comics » Final Crisis Aftermath: Dance #1 (of 6) 

 DC Comics » Green Arrow/Black Canary #20 

 DC Comics » Outsiders #18 

 DC Comics » Supergirl #41 

 DC Comics » Trinity #51 

 DC Comics » Vigilante #6 

Press Release:

BAYOU DOMINATES 2009 GLYPH COMICS AWARDS, SETS NEW STANDARDS FOR EXCELLENCE

History was made at the 2009 Glyph Comics Awards (GCA) ceremony on May 15, 2009 as Jeremy Love’s webcomic Bayou swept all five categories it was nominated in, setting new records for wins by a single comic and wins by a single comic in a single year. The previous record for the former, Nat Turner, had four wins over two years (2006 and 2008), while the previous record for the latter, Stagger Lee, had four wins, all in 2007. Bayou’s five-for-five sweep is also a first in GCA history.

In addition, DC Comics also achieved a sweep, capturing all eight categories it was nominated in, including, for the first time, the Fan Award for Best Comic, the sole award voted on by the fans.

The complete list of winners:

Story of the Year

Bayou; Jeremy Love, writer and artist

Best Writer

Jeremy Love, Bayou

Best Artist

Jeremy Love, Bayou

Best Male Character

Black Lightning, Final Crisis: Submit; Grant Morrison, writer, Matthew Clark, Norm Rapmund, Rob Hunter & Don Ho, artists

Best Female Character

Lee Wagstaff, Bayou; Jeremy Love, writer and artist

Rising Star Award

Damian Duffy & John Jennings, The Hole: Consumer Culture

Best Reprint Publication

Me and the Devil Blues V1; Del Rey, David Ury, translator/adapter

Best Cover

Unknown Soldier #1; Igor Kordey, illustrator

Best Comic Strip

Bayou, Jeremy Love, writer and artist

Fan Award for Best Comic

Vixen: Return of the Lion; G. Willow Wilson, writer, Cafu, artist

Related 

ECBACC

Source: IGN

In an IGN interview with Reginald Hudlin, Jonathan Maberry  and editor Axel Alonso,  Hudlin announced that he was leaving the book after a four year run.  Hudlin will move onto a new Marvel project and continue work on the upcoming BP animated series. Hudlin will still be involved with the series as a consultant going forward. Hudlins replacement is Jonathan Maberry an acclaimed horror writer.

Heres a few excerpts,  click for the image for the article

IGN Comics: Reggie, what was behind your decision to leave the series? It’s our understanding you’ll still be a consultant on the series – what will that entail? Will you still be providing plot ideas or long-term plans?

Hudlin: I started this book as a mini-series, not an ongoing series. But the guys at Marvel liked my work enough to turn it into a regular series. Then out of the blue I got a corporate world as the President of Entertainment at Black Entertainment Television. I carved my Black Panther commitment out of my deal because it was a great creative outlet during a time when I didn’t have the time or latitude to do my own projects. But it was always a juggling act. When I was doing Panther and Marvel Knights Spider Man while being an exec it almost killed me. Once I left BET, I could really devote myself to the new arc. But once it got out there that I was available, suddenly there were a lot of film, television and other comic book projects popping up. I had to make some hard choices.

IGN Comics: Jonathan, a simple question of sorts – who is the Black Panther to you? To the Marvel Universe? What makes this character stand apart from the thousands of other heroes?

Maberry: The Panther has always been a favorite of mine. I grew up in a very white racist neighborhood in Philadelphia and it was initially through reading, particularly comic books that I learned about racial equality. I remember the landmark story from Fantastic Four #119, in which the Panther is imprisoned in what is essentially South Africa. The Torch and Thing help his break out, and break down the walls –literally and figuratively—that stand for segregation. That blew my mind and made me want to learn as much as I could about the clash between races. I can say with complete honesty that the Black Panther was responsible for setting me on the path to understanding the nature and dangers of bigotry

z`

 

Amazon released it announced its new Kindle DX: Amazon’s 9.7  yesterday. Basically its just a Kindle with a larger screen and more storage.   The new device is trying to target college students, newspaper and magazine readers.    I suspect they also had comic book readers in mind but they still need to come out with a color version before they get that group.    I would think that some of the indie publishers at the ECBACC would love to have a cheaper (no printing costs) and easier way to distribute their books.
#mce_temp_url#

The price is $489 which is still expensive for most people with one exception, college students .    The cost of text books are close a $1000 a year.   A device like a Kindle DX seems like a bargain if it gives you the ability to download text books for half the price of the book.   

Amazon introduced the third edition of its Kindle this morning, a version that, in addition to offering trade books, will now display textbooks, computer books and cookbooks on a 9.7 inch electronic display screen that includes 16 shades of grade—the same gray-scale as the Kindle 2. Magazines and newspapers, already available on the Kindle, will increase their presence on the new device. Price for Kindle DX is $489 and Amazon will start shipping the device in the summer.

 

Last week was a close call between Ultimate Hulk vs Wolverine  #5 and Dark Avengers #4 .    Ultimate Hulk vs Wolverine # 5 won for one reason Wolverines decapitated head on a table having a conversation with Nick Fury.   I never saw it coming and its nice to be surprised.   We got some insight into the real nature of Wolverines power its not a healing factor its adaptation.   His body changes in order to ensure his survival.  The art by really fits the story Leinil FrancisYu really compliments Lindelof’s story.   If you want a reminder of what Marvel’s Ultimate line was like at its best this is it. 

  I’m going to start tossing  out some older trades  that I think people might like.  This week its Kingdom Come by writer Mark Waid and artist Alex Ross.    The art is beautiful enough that it could be a book by itself.    This riveting story set in the future pits the old guard – Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman and their peers – against a new, uncompromising generation of heroes in the final war to determine the fate of the planet.    This is a  all time classic that you need on your book shelf. 

Recommendations

Batman The Resurrection Of Ras Al Ghul TP, $19.99

Cable #14 (Ariel Olivetti Cover)(X-Men Messiah War Tie-In)(Messiah War Part 4), $2.99

New Mutants #1 (Alex Ross Variant Cover), AR

Invincible Iron Man #13 (Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99

Boys #30 (Darick Robertson Regular Cover), $2.99

New comic after the break

AARDVARK VANAHEIM
Cerebus Archive #1, $3.00
Cerebus Archive #1 (Zombie Variant), $15.00
ABRAMS
Underground Classics Transformation Comics To Comix HC, $29.95
AC COMICS
Femforce #147, $6.95
ADHOUSE BOOKS
Ace-Face Mod With Metal Arms GN, $6.95
ALTERNA COMICS
Jesus Hates Zombies Lincoln Hates Werewolves GN Vol 2 (of 4), $6.95
AMERICAN MULE ENTERTAINMENT
Public Enemy TP Vol 1, $22.99
ANTARCTIC PRESS
Demon Cleaner #1 (of 3), $3.99
Fire & Brimstone #5 (of 5), $3.95
Gold Digger #105, $2.99
Gold Digger Tech Manual #3, $3.95
Rod Espinosa Prince Of Heroes Chapter 2 #1, $3.50
APE ENTERTAINMENT
Walled In GN, $16.95
ARCHIE COMICS
Archie & Friends #131, $2.50
Pals N Gals Double Digest #131, $3.99
Veronica #194, $2.50
ASPEN ENTERTAINMENT
Soulfire #9 (Cover A Michael Turner)(resolicited), $2.99
Soulfire #9 (Cover B Joe Benitez), $2.99
Soulfire New World Order #1 (of 5)(Francisco Herrera Cover)(resolicited), $2.99
Soulfire New World Order #1 (of 5)(Marcus To Cover), $2.99
Soulfire New World Order #1 (of 5)(Michael Turner Variant Cover), AR
AVATAR PRESS
Anna Mercury #5 (of 5)(NYCC Edition), $5.99
Crossed #2 (NYCC Edition), $5.99
Freakangels HC Vol 2 (Regular Edition), $27.99
Freakangels HC Vol 2 (Warren Ellis & Paul Duffield Signed Edition), $39.99
Gravel TP Vol 1 Bloody Liars, $24.99
BLACK LIBRARY
Warhammer 40K Horus Heresy Tales Heresy MMPB, $7.99
Warhammer 40K Soul Drinkers Hellforged MMPB, $7.99
Warhammer Honourkeeper MMPB, $7.99
BLUEWATER PRODUCTIONS
Plan 9 From Outer Space Strikes Again, $3.99
Ray Harryhausen Presents 10th Muse 800 #3 (of 4), $3.99
Ray Harryhausen Presents The Elementals #4 (of 4), $3.99
Vincent Price Presents #8, $3.99
Warlock (Bluewater) #2, $3.99
BOOM! STUDIOS
Farscape Strange Detractors #2 (of 4)(Cover A Joe Corroney), $3.99
Farscape Strange Detractors #2 (of 4)(Cover B Dennis Calero), $3.99
Farscape Strange Detractors #2 (of 4)(Retailer Incentive Variant Cover), AR
Irredeemable #2 (Cover A John Cassaday), $3.99
Irredeemable #2 (Cover B Dennis Calero), $3.99
Irredeemable #2 (Incentive Jeffrey Spokes Cover), AR
COMIC SHOP NEWS
Comic Shop News #1142, AR
DARK HORSE
Boris Karloff Tales of Mystery Archives HC Vol 1, $49.95
Buffy The Vampire Slayer Season 8 TP Vol 4 Time of Your Life, $15.95
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #25 (Season 8)(Jo Chen Regular Cover), $2.99
Buffy The Vampire Slayer #25 (Season 8)(Georges Jeanty Variant Cover), $2.99
Classic The Spirit PVC Set, $24.99
Creepy Archives HC Vol 3, $49.95
Kull #6 (of 6), $2.99
Umbrella Academy PVC Figure Set, $39.99
DC COMICS
Astro City The Dark Age Book Three #1 (of 4), $3.99
Authority #10, $2.99
Bang Tango #4 (of 6), $2.99
Batman Battle for the Cowl The Network #1 (One Shot), $2.99
Batman The Resurrection Of Ras Al Ghul TP, $19.99
Dead Romeo #2 (of 6), $2.99
Final Crisis Aftermath Run #1 (of 6), $2.99
Fire Investigator Nanase TP Vol 2, $9.99
Flash Presents Mercury Falling TP, $14.99
Flash Rebirth #2 (of 5)(Ethan Van Sciver Regular Cover), $2.99
Flash Rebirth #2 (of 5)(Ethan Van Sciver Variant Cover), AR
Genghis Khan To The Ends Of Earth And Sea TP Vol 1, $9.99
Green Arrow Black Canary League Of Their Own TP, $17.99
Jonah Hex #43, $2.99
Justice League Of America HC Vol 5 The Second Coming, $19.99
Looney Tunes #174, $2.50
Mighty #4, $2.99
Point Blank TP (New Edition), $14.99
Power Girl #1 (Adam Hughes Cover), $2.99
Power Girl #1 (Amanda Conner Cover), $2.99
Prototype #2 (of 6), $3.99
Seaguy The Slaves Of Mickey Eye #2 (of 3), $3.99
Sgt Rock 1/6 Scale Deluxe Collector Figure (13-Inch), $99.99
Solomon Grundy #3 (of 7), $2.99
Strange Adventures #3 (of 8), $3.99
Supergirl Cosmic Adventures In The 8th Grade #6 (of 6), $2.50
Superman World Of New Krypton #3 (of 12)(Gary Frank Regular Cover), $2.99
Superman World of New Krypton #3 (of 12)(Eric Canete Variant Cover), AR
Trinity #49, $2.99
Two Flowers For The Dragon TP Vol 4, $9.99
Warlord #2, $2.99
Y The Last Man Deluxe Edition HC Vol 2, $29.99
DEL REY MANGA
Air Gear GN Vol 12, $10.99
Fairy Tail GN Vol 6, $10.99
Kamichama Karin-Chu GN Vol 4, $10.99
Maid War Chronicle GN Vol 1, $10.99
Orange Planet GN Vol 1, $10.99
Parasyte GN Vol 7 (of 8), $12.99
School Rumble GN Vol 12 (resolicited), $10.99
Shugo Chara GN Vol 6, $10.99
Wallflower GN Vol 19, $10.99
Yozakura Quartet GN Vol 4, $10.99
DEVILS DUE PUBLISHING
Hack Slash Entry Wound (One Shot), $2.50
Voltron A Legend Forged #5, $3.50
Zombies That Ate The World #3, $3.50
DISNEY PRESS
Wonderland HC (resolicited)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $19.99
DR MASTER PUBLICATIONS
Four Constables Secret Delirium Dagger GN Vol 1-3 Set, $33.95
DYNAMIC FORCES
Presidential Material Barack Obama (Dynamic Forces)(Limited Edition J. Scott Campbell Cover), $19.99
DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
Army Of Darkness #20, $3.50
Battlestar Galactica Final Five #1 (of 4)(Mel Rubi Foil Cover), $18.00
Boys #30 (Darick Robertson Regular Cover), $2.99
Boys #30 (Jim Lee Variant Cover), AR
Boys #30 (Jim Lee Virgin Incentive Variant Cover), AR
Boys #30 (Jim Lee Negative Art Incentive Variant Cover), AR
FANTAGRAPHICS
Monologues For Calculating The Density Of Black Holes GN, $22.99
FILMFAX
Filmfax #120, $9.95
FIRST SECOND
Eternal Smile GN, $16.95
GO! COMICS
Bran Doll GN, $10.99
Days Of Cool Idols GN Vol 1, $10.99
GRAPHIC AUDIO
DC Comics Crisis On Infinite Earths Audio CD, AR
HARPER COLLINS
Magic Trixie GN Vol 2 Magic Trixie Sleeps Over (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $7.99
Neil Gaiman Coraline TP, $9.99
Wicked Lovely Desert Tales GN Vol 1 Sanctuary (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $9.99
IDW PUBLISHING
Angel Blood And Trenches #3 (John Byrne Regular Cover), $3.99
Angel Blood And Trenches #3 (John Byrne Sketch Variant Cover), AR
Cameron And His Dinosaurs GN, $12.99
Classic GI Joe TP Vol 3, $19.99
Doctor Who Classics TP Vol 3, $19.99
Ghostbusters The Other Side TP Vol 1, $17.99
GI Joe Movie Prequel #3 (Baroness)(Joe Corroney Cover), $3.99
GI Joe Movie Prequel #3 (Baroness)(Photo cover), $3.99
Groom Lake #2 (Ben Templesmith Regular Cover), $3.99
Groom Lake #2 (Ben Templesmith Variant Cover), AR
Life And Times Of Savior 28 #2, $3.99
Oliver Twist HC, $14.99
Star Trek Crew #3 (John Byrne Regular Cover), $3.99
Star Trek Crew #3 (John Byrne Sketch Variant Cover), AR
Sword Of My Mouth #1, $3.99
Transformers Best Of The UK City Of Fear #4 (Andrew Griffith Regular Cover), $3.99
Transformers Best Of The UK City Of Fear #4 (Incentive Retro Art Variant Cover), AR
IMAGE COMICS
Jersey Gods #4 (Michael Allred Regular Cover), $3.50
Jersey Gods #4 (Dan McDaid Variant Cover), AR
Killer Of Demons #3 (of 3), $3.99
McFarlanes MLB Derek Jeter Collectors Edition Box Set, AR
Noble Causes Archives TP Vol 2, $24.99
Overlook #2 (of 3), $3.50
Pherone HC, $24.99
Spawn Origins TP Vol 1, $14.99
Top Cow Crossover Set, $9.99
Viking #1 (2nd Printing), $2.99
Walking Dead Compendium TP Vol 1, $59.99
Witchblade Annual 2009 (Cover A Eric “E-Bas” Basaldua), $3.99
Witchblade Annual 2009 (Cover B Sami Basri), $3.99
KRAUSE PUBLICATIONS
Comic Values Annual SC 2009, $21.99
LITTLE BROWN AND COMPANY
Adventures Of Tintin HC Vol 2 (New Edition), $18.99
Adventures Of Tintin HC Vol 3 (New Edition), $18.99
Adventures Of Tintin HC Vol 4 (New Edition), $18.99
Adventures Of Tintin HC Vol 5 (New Edition), $18.99
Adventures Of Tintin HC Vol 6 (New Edition), $18.99
Adventures Of Tintin HC Vol 7 (New Edition), $18.99
MARVEL COMICS
Agents Of Atlas #4 (Stuart Immonen Regular Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99
Agents of Atlas #4 (Ed McGuinness Variant Cover)(Dark Reign Tie-In), AR
Alias Ultimate Collection TP Book 1, $34.99
Amazing Spider-Man #593, $2.99
Astonishing Tales #4 (Marvel Digital Comics Unlimited), $3.99
Avengers Invaders #10 (Of 12)(Mitch Breitweiser Variant Cover), AR
Cable #13 (Ariel Olivetti Second Printing Variant Cover)(X-Men Messiah War Tie-In)(Messiah War Part 2), $2.99
Cable #14 (Ariel Olivetti Cover)(X-Men Messiah War Tie-In)(Messiah War Part 4), $2.99
Cable #14 (Kaare Andrews Cover)(X-Men Messiah War Tie-In)(Messiah War Part 4), AR
Daredevil Noir #2 (of 4)(Tom Coker Regular Cover), $3.99
Daredevil Noir #2 (of 4)(Dennis Calero Variant Cover), AR
Deadpool #9 (Paco Medina Second Printing Variant Cover)(Magnum Opus Part 3)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99
Deadpool #10 (Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99
Destroyer #2 (of 5), $3.99
Essential Spider-Man TP Vol 9, $19.99
Exiles #2, $2.99
Fantastic Four TP True Story (Direct Market Edition), $10.99
Fin Fang Four Return #1 (One Shot), $3.99
Hulk Broken Worlds #2 (of 2), $3.99
Human Torch Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special (Adi Granov Regular Cover), $3.99
Human Torch Comics #1 70th Anniversary Special (Marcos Martin Variant Cover), AR
Invincible Iron Man #13 (Dark Reign Tie-In), $2.99
Marvel 70th Anniversary Poster Book, $5.99
Marvel Masterworks Incredible Hulk HC Vol 5, $54.99
Marvel Masterworks Incredible Hulk HC Vol 5 (Variant Edition 115), $54.99
Marvel Masterworks Uncanny X-Men HC Vol 4 (2nd Printing)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $54.99
Marvel Masterworks Uncanny X-Men HC Vol 4 (2nd Printing)(Variant Edition)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $54.99
Marvel Spotlight New Mutants (One Shot), $2.99
Marvel Your Universe #4, $5.99
Marvel Zombies 4 #2 (of 4), $3.99
New Avengers Reunion #3 (of 4)(Dark Reign Tie-In), $3.99
New Mutants #1 (Adam Kubert Regular Cover), $3.99
New Mutants #1 (Alex Ross Variant Cover), AR
New Mutants #1 (Ryan Benjamin Variant Cover), AR
New Mutants #1 (Bob McLeod Variant Cover), AR
Official Index To Marvel Universe #5, $3.99
Spider-Man Premiere HC Death And Dating, $24.99
Terror Inc Apocalypse Soon #1 (of 5), $3.99
Trojan War #1 (of 5), $3.99
Ultimates 3 TP Who Killed The Scarlet Witch (Book Market Edition)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $19.99
Ultimates 3 TP Who Killed The Scarlet Witch (Direct Market Edition)(Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $19.99
Ultimatum X-Men Fantastic Four Premiere HC, $24.99
Universal War One Revelations #2 (of 3), $5.99
War Of Kings #2 (of 6)(Paul Pelletier Second Printing Variant Cover)(War of Kings Tie-In), $3.99
War Of Kings #3 (of 6)(Brandon Peterson Regular Cover)(War of Kings Tie-In), $3.99
War of Kings #3 (of 6)(Paul Pelletier Variant Cover)(War of Kings Tie-In), AR
X-Men First Class Finals #4 (of 4), $3.99
MOONSTONE
Partners In Crime Novel, $14.95
NEW PRESS
Secret Identities The Asian American Superhero Anthology SC, $21.95
PAIZO PUBLISHING
Outlaws Of Mars, $12.99
PAPERCUTZ
Bionicle HC Vol 5 The Battle Of Voya Nui (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $12.95
Bionicle GN Vol 5 The Battle Of Voya Nui (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $7.95
Classics Illustrated HC Vol 5 Hamlet (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $9.95
PURE IMAGINATION PUBLISHING
Wally Wood Edge Of Genius SC, $25.00
RADICAL PUBLISHING
Shrapnel #5 (Cover A Marko Djurdjevic), $2.99
Shrapnel #5 (Cover B Bruno Werneck), $2.99
RANDOM HOUSE
Daniel Johnston HC, $45.00
Greg Rucka Walking Dead HC (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $25.00
RANDOM HOUSE UK
Doctor Who Companions And Allies SC (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $12.99
Doctor Who Slitheen Excursion HC, $11.99
RED 5 COMICS
Atomic Robo And The Shadow From Beyond Time #1 (of 5), $3.50
SEVEN SEAS ENTERTAINMENT
Hayate X Blade GN Vol 3 (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $9.99
Tetragrammaton Labyrinth GN Vol 5 (Release not confirmed by Diamond Distribution), $11.99
TITAN BOOKS
Art Of Terminator Salvation HC, $35.00
Tank Girl Remastered Edition TP Vol 1 (resolicited), $14.95
Tank Girl Remastered Edition TP Vol 2 (resolicited), $14.95
Terminator Salvation Official Movie Companion SC, $19.95
Terminator Salvation Novel SC, $7.99
TITAN PUBLISHING
Indiana Jones Magazine #6 (Newsstand Edition), $6.99
Smallville Magazine #32 (Newsstand Edition), $9.99
Smallville Magazine #32 (Previews Exclusive Edition), $9.99
TOKYOPOP
Burst Angel Manga GN Vol 3 (of 3), $10.99
Gakuen Alice GN Vol 7 (of 15), $10.99
Momo Tama GN Vol 2 (of 4), $10.99
Pet Shop Of Horrors Tokyo GN Vol 4 (of 5), $10.99
Sgt Frog GN Vol 17, $10.99
Togainu No Chi GN Vol 2 (of 5), $10.99
TOMART PUBLICATIONS
Tomarts Action Figure Digest #177, $5.95
TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS
League Of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol 3 Century #1 (of 3)(’1910′), $7.95
TWOMORROWS PUBLISHING
Brickjournal #5, $8.95
UDON ENTERTAINMENT
Fairy Idol Kanon Vol 1 (of 4), $7.99
VIZ MEDIA
BakeGyamon GN Vol 2, $7.99
Black Cat TP Vol 20, $7.99
Bobobo-bo Bo-bobo GN Vol 2 (Shonen Jump Edition), $7.99
BODY GN Vol 5, $8.99
Captive Hearts GN Vol 4, $8.99
D Gray Man GN Vol 13, $7.99
Dr Slump TP Vol 18, $7.99
Dragonball GN Vol 4 (Vizbig Edition), $17.99
Gin Tama TP Vol 12, $7.99
Haruka Beyond The Stream Of Time GN Vol 4, $8.99
High School Debut GN Vol 9, $8.99
Hikaru No Go TP Vol 15, $7.95
Kaze Hikaru GN Vol 13, $8.99
Kurohime TP Vol 11, $7.99
Love Com TP Vol 12, $8.99
NANA TP Vol 16, $8.99
Naruto Chapter Book Vol 7 Next Level, $4.99
Otomen GN Vol 2, $8.99
Prince Of Tennis GN Vol 31, $7.95
S.A GN Vol 10, $8.99
Sand Chronicles GN Vol 5, $8.99
Shonen Jump Vol 7 #6 (June 2009), $4.99
Skip Beat TP Vol 18, $8.99
We Were There GN Vol 4, $8.99
Whistle TP Vol 22, $7.99
Yu Yu Hakusho TP Vol 17, $7.95
WIZARDS OF THE COAST
Forgotten Realms Book 2 Restless Shore The Wilds MMPB, $7.99
Forgotten Realms Book 3 Sword Never Sleeps MMPB, $7.99
Magic The Gathering Alara Unbroken MMPB, $7.99
YEN PRESS
B Ichi GN Vol 3, $10.99
Bamboo Blade TP Vol 1, $10.99
Comic GN Vol 6, $10.99
Cynical Orange GN Vol 7, $10.99
History Of West Wing GN, $12.99
Ichiroh GN Vol 1, $10.99
Jack Frost TP Vol 1, $10.99
Nabari No Ou TP Vol 1, $10.99
Sumomomo Momomo TP Vol 1, $10.99
Wild Animals GN Vol 2, $10.99
Yen Plus Magazine #11 (Vol 2 #6)(June 2009), $8.99
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT
Grimm Fairy Tales Return To Wonderland Annual #1 (Eric “E-Bas” Basaldua Cover), $5.99
Grimm Fairy Tales Return To Wonderland Annual #1 (Eric J Cover), $5.99
Cards – ARTBOX ENTERTAINMENT
Harry Potter Memorable Moments Series 2 Trading Card Box, AR
Cards – RITTENHOUSE ARCHIVES
Star Trek The New Movie Trading Card Box, AR
Star Trek The New Movie Trading Card Collectors Album, AR
Cards – UPPER DECK ENTERTAINMENT
Upper Deck 2008 09 Ultimate Coll NHL Trading Card Box, AR
Upper Deck 2009 Goudey MLB Trading Card Box, AR
Games – ALLIANCE GAMES DISTRIBUTORS
D10 Japanese Dice Set Beige & Black, AR
D10 Japanese Dice Set White & Black, AR
D10 Japanese Dice Set Yellow & Black, AR
Games – FANTASY FLIGHT PUBLISHING INC
Age Of Conan Board Game, $79.95
Tide Iron Normandy Expansion, $59.95
Games – POKEMON USA
Pokemon TCG Spring 2009 3-Blister Case, AR
Games – PSI
Mage Awakening RPG Summoners, $31.99
Serenity RPG Six-shooters & Spaceships SC, $24.99
Twilight 2013 RPG Core Rulebook, $39.99
World Of Darkness RPG Armory Reloaded, $29.99
Games – TOPPS COMPANY
Topps 2009 Attax MLB Booster Display, AR
Games – WINNING MOVES
Super Scrabble Deluxe Edition, AR
T-Shirts
Anna Mercury T-Shirt LG, $11.99
Anna Mercury T-Shirt XL, $11.99
Anna Mercury T-Shirt XXL, $13.99
Lantern Corps Blue Symbol T-Shirt LG, $17.95
Lantern Corps Blue Symbol T-Shirt MED, $17.95
Lantern Corps Blue Symbol T-Shirt XL, $17.95
Lantern Corps Blue Symbol T-Shirt XXL, $20.95
Lantern Corps Red Symbol Hoodie LG, $39.95
Lantern Corps Red Symbol Hoodie MED, $39.95
Lantern Corps Red Symbol Hoodie XL, $39.95
Lantern Corps Red Symbol Hoodie XXL, $42.95
Videos
Claymore DVD Vol 5, AR
DBZ Remastered Complete Uncut DVD Box Set Season 9, AR
PvP Animated Series DVD, $19.95
Quark Complete Collection DVD Box Set, AR
Watchmen Motion Comic DVD Blu-Ray, AR
Watchmen Original Score Limited Edition 12in Picture Disc Record, $15.98
Merchandise
Batman Hot Wheels 1/50 Batmobile Assortment 200901, AR
Chocolate Booty Babe Vinyl Figure, $70.00
DBZ Super Saiyan Energy Drink 24ct Case, AR
Emily The Strange Limited Fiddy Seven Plush, $25.00
Emily The Strange Limited Jinx Plush, $25.00
Emily The Strange Limited Teeny & Tawny Plush, $25.00
Gears Of War 7-in Action Figure Series 3 Assortment, AR
Grape Ape 11in Bobble Bank, $26.99
Living Dead Dolls Friday The 13th Jason 09 Remake, $29.99
Marvel Punisher War Zone Movie Fine Art Bust, $79.99
President Obama Bobble Head, $11.99
Rock Iconz Jimmy Page Stormtrooper Statue, AR
Rock Iconz Rush Starman Statue, AR
Skelanimals Lovestruck Kit Plush, $20.99
Skelanimals Lovestruck Maxx Plush, $20.99
Sonic Boom Energy Drink 24ct Case, AR
Super Robot Wars Valsione Fine Scale Mod Kit, $39.99
Star Wars Mimobot 2GB Flashdrive Han Solo, $35.00
Star Wars Mimobot 2GB Flashdrive Luke Skywalker, $35.00
Star Wars Mimobot 2GB Flashdrive Princess Leia, $35.00
Toon Tumblers Capt America Clear Pint Glass, $10.99
Transformers Galvatron Bust, $70.00
Transformers Ultra Magnus Bust, $70.00

 This Saturday May 2, 2009 is Free Comic Book day.    For those of you who don’t know,  Free Comic Book Day is held the first Saturday in May each year.   Its a day day when participating comic book specialty shops across North America and around the world give away comic books absolutely free to anyone who comes into their shops.    Different shops have policies on how many free comics you can receive, but you will receive at least one free comic if you enter a participating shop location. Check with your retailer for their policies and plans for FCBD.    

The list of free comics is below the break

Gold Comics

Avengers		Blackest Night #0		Bongo Comics Free-For-All!
Disney/Pixar’s Cars #1		Resurrection #0		Savage Dragon #148
Shonen Jump Presents: Ultimo		Star Wars: The Clone Wars		The Mighty Archie Art Players
Transformers Animated/G.I. Joe

Silver Comics

Aliens/Predator		APE Cartoonapalooza #2		Arcana Studio Presents		Atomic Robo And Friends
Attack Of The Alterna-Zombies!		Comics Festival! 2009 Volume 3		Contract #1		Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer Preview
Dabel Bros. Showcase		DC Kids Mega Sampler		FCHS		Fist Of Justice #1
Gold Digger #101/Prince Of Heroes		IMPACT University Volume 5		Love & Capes