With Christmas around the corner, and no new titles on the horizon, you’re probably wondering what to get your favorite Valve fan. Since you can’t just hand them a new hat for Team Fortress2, try this fantastic collection of comics inspired by Valve’s most recent hits instead. Published by Dark Horse, and featuring the work of veteran comic artist and writer, Michael Avon Oeming, Valve Presents: The Sacrifice and other Steam Powered Stories Vol. 1 boasts over 200 pages of fully-illustrated stories with titles like Team Fortress 2, Left-4-Dead, and Portal — the perfect gift for all those Valve-addicts out there. Seeing as the first-edition hardcover just hit shelves in November, you probably won’t have to worry about them already owning a copy. It retails for just $25 via ThinkGeek, so if you need it in time for the holidays, don’t delay. Just promise me you won’t try to stuff it in a stocking.
I confess, I love Kotobukiya’s bishoujo line. They’re easily collectible, are often equal parts sexy and cute, and for whatever reason, my wife loves them as much as I do. Not only that, but each of these figures are based off a sketch by one of my favorite artists, Shunya Yamashita. Recently, Kotobukiya posted images of their upcoming Storm bishoujo figure, and the fan reaction hasn’t been as positive as one would expect. Read more…
It’s a movie poster kind of day it seems, and another addition is The Amazing Spider-Man, being directed by Marc Webb. It looks to be a fun and enjoyable look at Spider-Man, plus I did like Andrew Garfield in The Social Network, so I’m excited to see his work here. A new poster isn’t anything truly groundbreaking, but in this case I have a bone to pick with this one. Hear me out, okay? Read more…
Well have to wait until next Summer to actually see the new Batman film, but here’s a preview of the poster for The Dark Knight Rises which features the tagline “The Legend Ends”: Read more…
Posted by Ben Huber on Dec 10, 2011 in Comic Books
I’m sure at one point or another all of us have wanted to be Rorschach from the Watchmen. Well, maybe not him personally, but at least have his cool outfit. His mask is pretty iconic, and now you can come one step closer to having the perfect Halloween costume with GraphixFan’s custom-made Rorschach masks. He states that through a process of trial-and-error, as well as carefully selecting the ink used he created the best yet Rorschach mask. How does it actually move, you ask? Read more…
Posted by Michael Pinto on Dec 1, 2011 in Comic Books
In 1938 a comic book fanboy would have paid a mere ten cents for a copy of Action Comics No 1 which featured a new guy called Superman: Today that comic book was sold at auction for $2.16 million dollars. The new owner of this gem has not been disclosed, however speculation has it that it may be Nicolas Cage.
Posted by Michael Sacco on Nov 12, 2011 in Comic Books
Project Rooftop is a blog dedicated to superhero fashion, but it’s usually more about costumes than couture. In this case, though, artist Kevin Wada has taken several X-Gals and converted their costumes (and powers) into high fashion. All of them are pretty out-there, but then again, so is pretty much every single superhero costume ever conceived, and this is high fashion, so that’s hardly Wada’s fault. He definitely brings the color of these outfits to life, with Phoenix’s crazy hair and Lady Deathstrike’s kimono as highlights in an already-stellar lineup. I’d love to see some of these superpowered supermodels work it on the runway. Read more…
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Nov 10, 2011 in Comic Books
Marvel has a special treat in store for any true believers looking to pick up the first issue of the upcoming series Avenging Spider-Man. For the first time ever, you’ll be able to purchase a physical copy of the issue and receive a digital copy absolutely free. Fans will be able to access the free issue through either the Marvel online store, or via their official app for your iOS or Android device. Hopefully this will be the start of a new trend but for some reason I have a feeling that this will only be a one-time offer. Still, if you’ve never given digital copies a shot, this is a great opportunity. Personally I find the format to be rather organized and clutter-free, but nothing really beats thumbing through those pages. On the other hand, it can also be a great opportunity for collectors who want to keep their first issue pristine without having to worry about missing the story.
Garrett Hedlund’s made a name for himself based on his starring role in Disney’s highly successful TRON: Legacy, but it looks like he might start getting typecast. No, not based on the role he played, but on the vehicle he drove! He might be trading in his lightcycle for a Neo-Tokyo motorcycle, according to reports, as he’s been offered the lead role in…oh, no. Not this again. The live-action Akira remake? Wasn’t this thing dead in the water, like, months ago? Why do the Warners want to throw so much money at this project? Oh well. At least Gary Oldman and Helena Bonham Carter got offered parts as well. Maybe they can class up the joint. Read more…
That’s right, here’s your chance to be featured as an expendable away-team member. Comic publisher IDW and the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund have teamed up to offer us a chance of a lifetime. The prize? One lucky fan, along with his or her favorite comic retailer, will be featured as a random “Red Shirt” on a special limited-edition variant cover for an upcoming issue of IDW’s Star Trek on-going series set in the Abramsverse — they’re calling it that, right? The Abramsverse? Not really fond of that name. Any way, starting Wednesday, November 2nd, you can enter by simply writing 300 words or less on why your local retailer is the best, then e-mailing your entry to contest@IDWPublishing.com with the subject line, “Save my Retailer.”
Posted by Tim Sheehy on Oct 31, 2011 in Comic Books
Check out this stunning take on the Dark Knight’s Batsuit. This custom suit, recently posted on TheEffectsLab.com’s forum, and designed by X Workz studios, borrows its design from Rocksteady’s Arkham series of games. The recently released Batman: Arkham City has been receiving rave reviews and has been one of the most anticipated titles of the year. While Arkham City has a very gritty and dark atmosphere, the character designs don’t stray too far from the comics. It’s a stark contrast to Nolan’s films, all of which might come across as trying too hard, or two little depending on who you ask, but I digress. This is some incredibly impressive work. If you’d like to get in touch with the designer, you can e-mail them or check the original post for more photos and information.
Mark Hamill may have gotten famous portraying Luke Skywalker, but his acting career never quite took off afterward. Hamill found another route to the hearts and minds of a new generation, though — portraying the Joker on Batman: The Animated Series. Say what you want about Nicholson’s or Ledger’s or even Romero’s Joker, but TAS Joker is the defining Joker for most people my age, and at the very least the very first voice that comes to mind when someone says “The Joker.” Now, Hamill’s ready to say goodbye to the role after his performance as the Clown Prince of Crime in the recently-released video game Batman: Arkham City. For those who’ve been following along at home, Hamill also said this after he wrapped up Batman: Arkham Asylum in 2009, but he ended up sticking around for the sequel after its developers promised him that this Joker role would be something special. Everyone give Joker a nice buzzer handshake on his way out. Read more…
Here’s a odd bit of news. Several outlets have reported that Christopher Nolan may be planning to shoot footage of the Occupy Wallstreet protests for his latest film, The Dark Knight Rises. The cast and crew will be spending two weeks filming in the big apple this month, and have apparently been told its a possibility. Personally, I’m not sure how legit it is, but if Nolan were to actually go through with those plans, it would be pretty ironic. After all, many of those protesters are having trouble finding decent jobs, but as one journalist put it, they’ll suddenly find themselves employed as unpaid extras. I’m sure that thought didn’t even cross his mind, so I hope that if he does decide to film the scenes, the message won’t get lost. If anything, I hope it helps to further cause, even if its simply to document it. Sadly, that might be more publicity than anyone has bothered to give the protesters to date.
As a retro anime fanboy my heart warmed up when I came across the table of Tara Tallan at the New York Comic Con — her webcomic Galaxion is very inspired by Star Blazers which happens to be one of my favorite shows in the universe. Unlike most science fiction stories this manga isn’t dark and gritty, if you love indie comics you can show Tara your support by buying the first two volumes of the series: Read more…
He’s made plenty of cameos throughout recent films, but we’ve never really seen Agent Coulson get his hands dirty. That’s about to change — the S.H.I.E.L.D. operative finally gets his chance to shine in this special one-shot, A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Thor’s Hammer. Like the one-shot The Consultant — included on the Thor DVD/Blu-ray — tied together the events of The Incredible Hulk and Iron Man films, this clip is used to fill the gap between Iron Man 2 and Thor and is included on the upcoming Blu-ray and DVD release of Captain America: The First Avenger. We’re only posting a teaser, but if you want to see the clip in its entirety, you can click here, or wait until you pick up your copy of the film when it hits stores next week.
He may be the “Man of Steel” but it looks like his x-ray vision is looking at this lovely green haired lady — I just hope that Lois Lane doesn’t find out: Read more…
Yikes! Now that’s a super man. In case anyone was wondering whether Henry Cavill was packing some muscle padding under that blue-and-red suit, well, I think you can see for yourself that that’s definitely not the case. These photos snapped from the set of The Man of Steel show a particularly grizzled-looking Clark Kent with his clothes all torn up. You know, are we absolutely positive this isn’t just a viral campaign? Because if I was a woman or a gay man who had no interest in seeing a Superman movie, I certainly would now. Read more…
It’s October, the spookiest month of the year! And what better way to celebrate that than with some good old-fashion gorey zombie-killin’ TV? Despite numerous odd behind-the-scenes changes to the show, the uber-popular Walking Dead is definitely coming back for a second season. In fact, it starts tomorrow night at 9 on AMC, with a 90-minute premiere to kick off the new season. Get the answers to your burning questions! For example, will Rick kill zombies? Probably! That’s sort of the point of the show! Read more…
Marvel and Paramount released their latest trailer for The Avengers aheadof their upcoming event at New York Comic Con next week. I’m not sure if they still plan on debuting any new footage at the event, but I hope it’ll still happen, as I’m anxious to see more. It’s not that I’m excited for the film, so much as I found this latest trailer to a bit underwhelming, and I think some additional footage might ease my concerns. Generally speaking, I’ve been a huge fan of everything Joss Whedon’s directed to date, but I simply wasn’t sold on it. Sure, it was nice to see all those characters in one place, but at the same time the dialog seemed a bit stiff, and and the prospect of juggling so many stars already seems daunting enough as it is. Also, am I the only one who cringed when Bruce Banner showed up at the end? It just wasn’t the same without Norton.
Pete Travis may have discovered that justice is blind in the film industry. Travis, director of the upcoming Judge Dredd film (spartanly titled Dredd) is rumored to have been asked to step down as director as the film entered its post-production phase. The LA Times reports that “creative differences” between Travis and the studio were to blame, but who can ever really know what that phrase means? In the meantime, screenwriter Alex Garland has allegedly taken Travis’ place in the editing room. Does this mean dreddful news for the film? We’ll have to see, when and if Dredd meets its September release date.
Here’s a bit of a treat for those of you planning on attending New York Comic-Con and Anime Festival next week. For the first time, Marvel Studios will be officially attending the convention, and hosting an special panel where they’ll debut never-before-seen footage from The Avengers. The event will take place on October 15th at the IGN theater — wait, when did IGN get their own theater? Any way, it’s expected to last an hour, starting at 6:30 PM, so cancel those dinner plans if you want to attend. The panelists scheduled to be present include producer Kevin Feige, Captain America himself, Chris Evans, Thor’s Tom Hiddleston, and actors Clark Gregg and and Cobie Smulders, who play Agent Coulson and Hill respectively.
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 24, 2011 in Comic Books
DC’s “New 52” initiative, which rebooted/relaunched 52 ongoing comic series starting this month, is a great opportunity to challenge or completely destroy conventions that have been present in Big Two comics for a long time. As someone who’s purchased nearly half of said 52 books, I’ve actually been really pleased with the ones I picked up, but I’ve been choosy about which I purchase. I have a confession, though — I love female superheroes, so I bought every book that had one in it. Laura Hudson of Comics Alliance wrote a great piece about the unfortunate depictions of DC mainstay ladies Catwoman and Starfire (in Catwoman and Red Hood and the Outlaws, respectively). Basically, Catwoman is offensively bad cheesecake — it looks and reads like fanfiction, with Selina walking around with half her bra showing and ending the book with a two-page spread of Selina riding Batman on a rooftop — and Starfire in Outlaws is some twisted male vision of what a “sexually liberated female” would be (read: a sex doll). It’s disheartening to see books coming out with content like that, because the relaunch was such a great opportunity to build some bridges with female readers rather than burn them down. But I’m here to tell you that the rest of the ladies in the new DCU don’t have it as bad. In fact, most of them seem to be doing pretty well for themselves. This week, I came home with Birds of Prey, Supergirl, and Wonder Woman, all of which star female characters, and I walked away really pleasantly surprised. Read more…
Posted by Michael Sacco on Sep 18, 2011 in Comic Books
Superhero costumes are in the public eye lately, with the summer blockbuster season being filled with superhero movies and DC relaunching almost all of their superhero books. Colour Lovers examined a huge number of hero and villain costumes and analyzed the colors used in them to develop a really neat infographic. It’s way too long to post the whole thing here, so check out the mammoth image over at Colour Lovers. I think the reason why green is often used for “unnatural” or evil character is that it’s often a complementary color to skin tone, by the way. Read more…
