2011 July
SDCC ’11 | DiDio tackles questions online in ‘virtual convention panel’
Dan DiDio
Warming up for a grueling Comic-Con International schedule, DC Comics Co-Publisher Dan DiDio held a virtual convention panel last night on Facebook for fans who can’t make it to San Diego. Highlights from the Q&A include:
• DC no longer has the rights to Archie’s Red Circle superheroes.
• Stephanie Brown will remain part of the DC Universe following the September relaunch. However, DiDio won’t reveal where she is just yet. “Sorry, but we are keeping some secrets,” he wrote, “and one of them involves Stephanie.”
• He’s sticking by his earlier remarks about the status of the Justice Society, saying “the official answer on JSA is that ‘They’re resting’.”
• When can we expect the release of Dark Knight: Boy Wonder, the planned six-issue conclusion of Frank Miller and Jim Lee’s All-Star Batman and Robin the Boy Wonder? “Probably when he is The Teen Wonder.”
• Asked whether we’ll ever see the new version of Who’s Who in the DC Universe announced in December 2009, DiDio replied, “the question is not who’s who but when’s when.”
DiDio’s first actual Comic-Con panel, “DC Comics — The New 52,” kicks off at 2 p.m. Thursday in San Diego.
- July 20, 2011 @ 09:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
SDCC ’11 | Mimoco announces new Star Wars, Hello Kitty flash drives
Mimoco, makers of designer USB flash drives featuring characters from Star Wars, DC Comics and other areas of pop culture, announced today several new characters for their Star Wars and Hello Kitty lines.
Joining the Star Wars line are Lando Calrissian, Han Solo with a Carbonite carrying case, Princes Leia disguised as bounty hunter Boushh and a reissue of Boba Fett. They join Bossk, Mimoco’s SDCC exclsuive. Check out the complete details in the press release after the jump, as well as more images.
- July 20, 2011 @ 09:05 AM by JK Parkin
SDCC Wishlist | Joëlle Jones’ vintage ad prints
Vintage ads by Joëlle Jones
You Have Killed Me and Spell Checkers artist Joëlle Jones has been sharing vintage ad parodies on her blog recently, and now she’s announced she’ll have prints of six of them in San Diego this week. Each print is limited to 25 and is hand numbered. You can find her in Artist’s Alley at table #HH13
- July 20, 2011 @ 08:00 AM by JK Parkin
Craig Thompson launches Habibi website
Blankets creator Craig Thompson has just finished a new book, Habibi, which he describes thusly:
Sprawling across an epic landscape of deserts, harems, and modern industrial clutter, HABIBI tells the tale of Dodola and Zam, refugee child slaves bound to each other by chance, by circumstance, and by the love that grows between them.
At once contemporary and timeless, HABIBI gives us a love story of astounding resonance: a parable about our relationship to the natural world, the cultural divide between the first and third worlds, the common heritage of Christianity and Islam, and, most potently, the magic of storytelling.
Ambitious! The book is due out in September from Pantheon, but Thompson launched a Habibi website yesterday, with basic information and an amazing Process Gallery filled with pages in various stages of completion—sketches, pencils, inks—as well as a few photos of the creator in action. Stop by and check it out, and if you’re going to San Diego, well, surprise! Thompson will be there too.
- July 20, 2011 @ 07:30 AM by Brigid Alverson
SDCC ’11 | Check out a preview of SideShows from Arcana
One of the books Arcana is bringing to the San Diego Comic-Con is SideShows by Erik Hendrix and Michael David Nelson. The graphic novel, set in Las Vegas in the 1950s, is about super-powered circus attractions who work for the mob. Hendrix was kind enough to send over a preview; check it out after the jump.
- July 20, 2011 @ 07:00 AM by JK Parkin
SDCC ’11 | Guillermo del Toro’s The Strain comes to Dark Horse
Following through on its teaser from earlier this week, Dark Horse announced this morning that it will publish an adaptation of The Strain, the trilogy of sci-fi vampire novels by filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan.
Variety reports that the 24-issue series, which launches on Dec. 14, will be supervised by del Toro and produced by Stray Bullets writer David Lapham and Butcher Baker, The Righteous Maker artist Mike Huddleston. Each issue will receive a same-day digital release.
“I supervise everything,” del Toro tells the trade paper. “I give my opinion on the art, the covers, the screenplays. [Lapham] is capturing the novel very well.”
Published in 2009, The Strain follows a biohazard expert and an elderly Holocaust survivor who battle a vampiric virus that breaks out in New York City. The 2010 follow-up The Fall details the spread of the virus and a war that breaks out between Old World and New world vampires. Third novel, The Night Eternal, will be released in October.
According to Variety, The Strain will run as an eight-issue series, ending in July 2012, with the eight-part The Fall debuting later that year.
Further information will be revealed tonight at Comic-Con International in San Diego at the Dark Horse booth. Stay tuned to Comic Book Resources for more details.
- July 20, 2011 @ 06:30 AM by Kevin Melrose
DC Comics wins ManofSteel.com domain-name dispute
An arbitrator on Tuesday ordered the ManofSteel.com domain name transferred to DC Comics, leaving little doubt where the website for Warner Bros.’ upcoming Superman movie will reside.
Fusible reports that a panelist for the National Arbitration Forum agreed with DC’s argument that the domain name is identical to the company’s trademarks “Man of Steel,” registered in 1999, and “The Man of Steel,” registered in 1987. He also found that ManofSteel.com was registered and used in bad faith, and was “neither a bona fide offering of goods or services nor a legitimate noncommercial or fair use.”
Coni c/o LBR Enterprises, which was believed to have registered the domain in October 2001, failed to respond to DC’s June 22 complaint.
The Zack Snyder-directed Man of Steel, starring Henry Cavill, Amy Adams, Michael Shannon, Diane Lane and Kevin Costner, is set to open in December 2012. Fusible notes that TheManofSteel.com, which isn’t owned by Warner Bros. or DC, is for sale by its current owner for $300.
- July 20, 2011 @ 06:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
First look at art from relaunched Aquaman and Wonder Woman
Cosmic Book News continues to parcel out scans from the DC Comics: The New 52 preview, offering a look at a page from Aquaman #1 by Geoff Johns, Ivan Reis and Joe Prado, as well as penciled art from Wonder Woman #1, by Cliff Chiang and Brian Azzarello (see the full pages at Cosmic Book News). It’s worth noting that the latter provides further confirmation that the star-spangled shorts are indeed returning.
Check out the Aquaman art after the break. DC Comics: The New 52 preview will be available later today at Comic-Con International in San Diego and in comic stores nationwide. Wonder Woman #1 goes on sale Sept. 21, followed a week later by Aquaman #1.
- July 20, 2011 @ 05:00 AM by Kevin Melrose
SDCC ’11 | Hey, it’s the Spider-Mobile
Spider-Mobile
It’s less than 24 hours until the doors open for Preview Night at the San Diego Comic-Con, which means that many folks have been hard at work this week setting up both inside and outside the convention center, as well as around the city. Artist and podcaster Pat Loika has taken several pictures of the process and posted them to his Flickr account; head over there to view everything from one-armed Optimus Prime to sleeping Superman to the Spider-Mobile (above).
- July 19, 2011 @ 09:42 PM by JK Parkin
SDCC ’11 | Comic Book Legal Defense Fund brings shirts, scents and more
CBLDF party
The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund has been very busy lately, fighting censorship laws and border searches, as well as launching an advertising campaign. So they’ve got a lot planned for Comic-Con this year, with plenty of chances for fans to help contribute to their cause.
Here’s a quick rundown of their merchandise, art auctions and more:
- Graphitti Designs will sell two brand-new CBLDF benefit tees — one featuring Grendel by Matt Wagner, and one featuring Uncle Sam by John Cassaday.
- Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab and J. Gonzo are teaming up to benefit the CBLDF with a new Luchadore inspired print and fragrance set celebrating the launch of J. Gonzo’s new series La Mano del Destino.
- The CBLDF, Image Comics and T-shirt website Threadless will host a welcome party Thursday night, with gift bags, raffles and the launch of the new Threadless Comics Tee: Noir.
- Saturday night the CBLDF will hold an art auction featuring art by Frank Quitely, Dave Gibbons, Paul Pope, Tony Harris, Jaime Hernandez, Terry Moore, Camilla D’Errico, Bill Sienkiewicz, Stefano Gaudiano, Terry Dodson, Camilla D’Errico , Jonathan Luna and many more. Details are here.
- And lastly, they’ve got several Master Classes and panels lined up all week. Details are here.
You can check out the Graphitti Designs shirts after the jump.
- July 19, 2011 @ 08:00 PM by JK Parkin
SDCC ’11 | Robert Kirkman spills the goods on Thief of Thieves
Thief of Thieves #1
Robert Kirkman has at last revealed details of Thief of Thieves, a collaboration with Morning Glories writer Nick Spencer first teased a year ago with the launch of the Skybound imprint.
The Walking Dead creator tells USA Today he’ll employ a writer’s room approach similar to what occurs with television series, with he and Spencer hammering out the overall plot, and a team of scribes trading off on story arcs. (It appears virtually identical to the model used by Dark Horse’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 8, on which Joss Whedon served as executive producer.)
Spencer will pen the first arc of Thief of Thieves, which follows an aging international art thief who decides to retire from the game and instead steal from other criminals. “He’s got this compulsion where he has to steal or he doesn’t feel like he’s living, but he doesn’t want to break the law anymore,” Kirkman tells the newspaper.
Shawn Martinbrough, known for his noirish approach on such titles as Luke Cage Noir, Angeltown and DMZ — he even wrote the book How to Drawn Noir Comics — will be the permanent artist. Kirkman will step in at some point to pen his own arc. However, he’s keeping the names of the other writers a secret; presumably at least some of them will be revealed this week at Comic-Con International in San Diego.
Visit USA Today to see a preview of the first issue. Thief of Thieves debuts early next year from Kirkman’s new Image Comics imprint Skybound.
- July 19, 2011 @ 07:00 PM by Kevin Melrose
SDCC ’11 | Abrams to publish Walking Dead books
Abrams joins the transmedia parade with two books about The Walking Dead, the Robert Kirkman zombie comic turned AMC television series.
The first book, called The Walking Dead Chronicles and due out in the fall to coincide with the opening of season two of the show, will cover both the comic and the making of the first season of the TV series and will contain lots of behind-the-scenes material, including interviews with Kirkman and someone almost as important, make-up artist Greg Nicotero, as well as comparisons of the comic and the show. No word yet on the second volume.
Abrams will, of course, be at Comic-Con and they will be promoting the book there, so stop by and have a look.
- July 19, 2011 @ 05:30 PM by Brigid Alverson
Food or Comics? | Butcher Baker and Daredevil‘s Food Cake
Daredevil #1
Welcome to Food or Comics?, where every week we talk about what comics we’d buy at our local comic shop based on certain spending limits — $15 and $30 — as well as what we’d get if we had extra money or a gift card to spend on a “Splurge” item. We’re coming a little late today due to a power outage in my neck of the woods — due to a blackout, not because I spent the money for the electric bill on Flashpoint or Fear Itself tie-ins.
Check out Diamond’s release list or ComicList, and tell us what you’re getting in our comments field.
Graeme McMillan
Because I’m not doing San Diego this year, some kind of crazy comic karma has decided that this week will be filled with comics I want to read. For example, if I had $15, I’d run to grab Daredevil #1 (Marvel, $3.99), which I’ve been looking forward to for some time — Mark Waid, Paolo Rivera *and* Marcos Martin? How can anyone refuse? — before scooting back to the DC aisle to pick up both DC Retroactive: The Flash – The ’70s #1 and DC Retroactive: Wonder Woman – The ’70s #1 (Both DC, $4.99), because I am such a sucker for old-school DC that even this weird “slight return” of the same seems exciting to me.
- July 19, 2011 @ 05:00 PM by JK Parkin
The Middle Ground #61 | Where I won’t be for the next week
I’ll admit: I really wasn’t that upset about missing Comic-Con this year until this morning. It’s not that I suddenly realized, while reading tweets about people getting flights or arriving in the city, that the con was actually starting tomorrow – the lack of sleepless nights while so many are already freaking out about travel/accommodation/crushing crowds/everything else was actually rather refreshing, actually – but that I found out that 300 copies of Kate Beaton’s Hark! A Vagrant collection will be available early at the show.
- July 19, 2011 @ 05:00 PM by Graeme McMillan
A Zine of Ice and Fire: Blood Magic pays artistic tribute to Game of Thrones
Have You Seen This Wolf? by Maritsa Patrinos from Blood Magic
Have you spent the past week plowing through all 959 pages (plus appendices!) of George R.R. Martin’s long-awaited A Dance with Dragons, volume five in epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire? Are you counting the days and following the casting announcements until HBO’s Game of Thrones, the show based on the series, returns next spring? Did you feast on the Gregor Clegane-sized gallery of GoT/ASoIaF fanart Robot 6 put together last week but find yourself hungry for more? Then do yourself a favor and order Blood Magic, the new zine edited by Kris Mukai, Maritsa Patrinos, and Hunter Heckroth. It features Ice and Fire-inspired art from over two dozen illustrators, including Sam Bosma, Kali Ciesemier, L. Nichols, Evan Dahm, Rory Phillips, and Jen Wang. Even George R.R. Martin himself appears to have enjoyed it, so consider it blessed in the sight of gods and men. The zine costs $7 — order it here.
- July 19, 2011 @ 04:30 PM by Sean T. Collins