New York Comic Con
NYCC | Kill Shakespeare returns with The Tide of Blood
IDW Publishing announced at New York Comic Con that Kill Shakespeare co-creators Anthony Del Col and Conor McCreery and artist Andy Belanger will return in February with a five-issue miniseries called The Tide of Blood.
Debuting in 2010, the original 12-issue adventure pits the Bard’s greatest heroes — Hamlet, Juliet and Puck, among them — against his most menacing villains (a list that includes Richard III, Lady Macbeth and Iago) in a quest to find a reclusive wizard named William Shakespeare.
The Tide of Blood will follow Hamlet, Juliet, Othello and Romeo as they confront the rogue wizard Prospero, who’s determined to destroy all of creation. As if that weren’t enough, “Hamlet must embark on a perilous journey to a remote island whose inhabitants have gone mad and want the Dane’s blood – if a love triangle and Cupid’s poisoned bow doesn’t kill Hamlet first.”
“It is a dream come true for us to be back at the New York Comic Con, where we first pitched Kill Shakespeare to IDW almost four years ago,” Del Col said in a statement. “We are incredibly happy that our fans and readers have been asking for more and have put together a new story that takes our characters in an exciting new direction.”
Kill Shakespeare was nominated for the 2011 Harvey Award for Best New Comic Series and the 2012 Joe Shuster Award for Comic Writing. The first series has been collected in two volumes, A Sea of Troubles and The Blast of War.
NYCC | comiXology adds pre-order feature to site, Marvel webstore
If you’re like me (and Chris and Michael), you sit down each month, look through Previews and order your comics from your retailer of choice well in advance of their publication. That’s not something you could do if you bought your comics through comiXology’s digital comics store … until now.
comiXology and Marvel have developed and added a new pre-order feature to the Marvel webstore and comiXology website, allowing fans to buy a few titles in advance — with plans to possibly offer all comics and graphic novels for pre-order in the future.
The two companies kicked it off earlier this week just before the release of Uncanny Avengers #1. Currently Issue 2 is available for pre-order, along with He-Man and the Masters of the Universe #3, The Walking Dead #103, Transformers: Robots in Disguise #10, Prophecy #4 and Godstorm #1. Once customers makes a pre-order, they will be notified by email at the time of release and the comic or graphic novel will appear for download in the Purchases section — which is when they’re charged for it. No word yet on whether they’ll offer this service through their various apps just yet, but I’m sure they have their eye on that as well.
You can find the complete press release below.
NYCC | A round-up of news from Thursday
Superman by Jim Lee
The New York Comic Con officially kicked off this afternoon, with fans eager to get inside and publishers eager to begin releasing news into the wild. So let’s see if we can’t herd some of those announcements together. Here’s a round-up from today:
• DC Comics Co-Publisher and artist extraordinaire Jim Lee will team with Batman scribe Scott Snyder on a new Superman title next year, just in time for the Man of Steel’s return to the silver screen. “This will play along with the other Superman books in the sense that it’s in continuity, but we really wanted to carve out our own territory,” Snyder told CBR. “This really is sort of the biggest, most epic Superman story we could do together while having our feet planted firmly in continuity and making sure that everyone had enough room.”
DC also unveiled a Kia Optima that features a Batman design by Jim Lee.
• Marvel announced three more Season One graphic novels: Iron Man, written by Howard Chaykin with art by Gerard Parel; Thor by writer Matthew Sturges and artist Pepe Larraz; and Wolverine, written by the team of Ben Blacker and Ben Acker, with art by Salva Espin. Also, Cullen Bunn returns to Deadpool with Deadpool Killustrated, a miniseries that pits the Merc with a Mouth against Moby Dick, Sherlock Holmes, Beowulf, Don Quixote and more. Spoiler alert: he’s gonna kill them.
NYCC | Legendary announces projects from Del Toro and Morrison
Legendary Comics announced today at New York Comic Con that it will publish a graphic-novel prequel to Guillermo del Toro’s upcoming giant-monster epic Pacific Rim as well as sci-fi miniseries written by Grant Morrison.
Produced by corporate sibling Legendary Pictures, Pacific Rim centers on monstrous creatures known as Kaiju that rise from the sea to consume Earth’s resources, and the massive piloted robots called Jaegers that are constructed to save humanity from destruction.
The graphic novel, which will be released before the film’s July 12 debut, is written by Pacific Rim screenwriter Travis Beacham and delves into the early days of the Kaiju attacks and how mankind reacts to the realization that these aren’t isolated incidents but rather a full-fledged invasion.
Del Toro tells Hero Complex that the book won’t simply have his name slapped on the cover. “I try to get involved as much as possible,” he said. “The first decision that is needed from me is to hire the right artist, the right colorist, the right writer for the books. That’s the part that I think is most important. It’s like directing in the comics. … In Pacific Rim, I expect to approve the layout, the pencils, the inking, the coloring, the cover, the script … everything.”
Morrison describes his project, Annihilator, to Heat Vision as “my big L.A. story. It’s a devil’s deal story, it’s a science fiction story, it’s a horror story.”
The six-issue miniseries follows Ray Spass, a screenwriter grappling with a brain tumor, lack of inspiration, and a deadline for a sci-fi movie script about an antihero named Max Nomax who’s in a haunted prison on the edge of a black hole after loosing a battle with an artificial lifeform. But Spass’ life changes when the real Nomax appears, and it’s revealed the tumor contains information key to preventing worldwide destruction.
NYCC | Marvel expands Season One with Thor, Iron Man, Wolverine
Today at New York Comic Con, Marvel announced it’s expanding its Season One line with three graphic novels recounting the early days Iron Man, Thor and Wolverine. They join a lineup that already includes volumes devoted to the Fantastic Four, Spider-Man, the Avengers, the X-Men, Daredevil, the Hulk, Ant-Man and Doctor Strange.
Launched in February, Season One features current creators retelling classic superhero tales. For instance, with Wolverine: Season One writers Ben Blacker and Ben Acker (Supernatural, The Thrilling Adventure Hour) and artist Salva Espin take Logan back to key moments in the hirsute mutant’s storied history.
“We get to tell the most iconic ‘early days’ story Wolverine has: his encounter with Wendigo and The Hulk,” Acker told Marvel.com. “This story is about the first time Logan put on his classic yellow and black suit and got the code name Wolverine.”
Thor: Season One is written by Matthew Sturges and illustrated by Pepe Larraz, while Iron Man: Season One pairs Howard Chaykin with artist Gerard Parel.
Check out previews from the three books, and keep following Robot 6 and Comic Book Resources for more New York Comic Con news.
NYCC | Bryan Hitch confirms Man of Steel tie-in does exist
Ahead of DC Comics’ Superman panel this afternoon at New York Comic Con, Bryan Hitch has confirmed the existence of Man of Steel, the rumored movie tie-in written by Scott Snyder, and explained why he isn’t involved. It’s thought that Jim Lee will pencil the new series, expected to launch in 2013.
Responding to questions generated earlier this week by a Rob Liefeld tweet and subsequent Bleeding Cool post, Hitch took to Twitter early this morning to clear up the status of his work on Marvel’s Ultron War and rumblings about a relaunched Superman/Batman series with Brad Meltzer as well as the new Superman title.
“There’s a lot of misinformed stuff out there judging by the mails and tweets I’ve had these last two days do let me clarify a bit,” the artist wrote. “Ultron whatever it’s called is long since finished, last year really. I WAS offered a potential Supes/Bats book but Brad didn’t have time. So Supes-Bars [sic] never got beyond a ‘wouldn’t it be nice if?’ stage. Later Jim and Dan [DiDio] suggested Man of Steel with Scott Snyder which would have been great as we adore each other but I’m committed to other projects so that didn’t happen. I have several projects on the go, all creator owned and that’s where I’ll be for the foreseeable future. The new stuff is pretty cool though and you’ll hear about it when the year turns.”
NYCC | Oni Press debuts Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 2, Collector’s Edition
Oni Press will debut the full-color Evil Edition and Collector’s Edition of Bryan Lee O’Malley’s Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World on Thursday at New York Comic Con in New York City. Both versions are available only at the publisher’s booth (#1221) and then, beginning Nov. 7, on its website.
The Evil Edition, which features Lucas Lee on the cover, is available for $40 (the regular retail edition, with Knives Chau on the cover, will go on sale at retailers Nov. 7 for $24.99).
As with the first volume, the 1,000-copy Vol. 2 Collector’s Edition comes jam-paced with plenty of exclusive goodies. The $100 package gets you: the Evil Edition, a numbered book plate signed by O’Malley, five art prints (including both versions of the cover), 10 vinyl stickers featuring some of O’Malley’s favorite panels from the book, two Scout-style embroidered badges featuring Knives and Lucas Lee, a crew pass and lanyard and the set of the Lucas Lee movie You Just Don’t Exist, and a code for the digital edition of Scott Pilgrim Vol. 2 Color Edition from comiXology.
O’Malley will be signing at the Oni booth Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.
NYCC | Frank J. Barbiere and Chris Mooneyham debut Five Ghosts
Writer Frank J. Barbiere and artist Chris Mooneyham will debut their comic Five Ghosts: The Haunting of Fabran Gray at New York Comic Con, which begins Thursday at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
Offered as an ashcan at Comic-Con International, Five Ghosts centers on treasure hunter Fabian Gray who, after coming in contact with an artifact known as “the Dreamstone,” becomes possessed by five literary ghosts, each with his own ability: The Wizard (Merlin), The Archer (Robin Hood), The Detective (Sherlock Holmes), The Samurai (Musashi) and The Vampire (Dracula).
Check out a preview of Five Ghosts below. The 32-page comic will be available for $4.99 from Barbiere and Mooneyham at their table (#BB7) at New York Comic Con.
NYCC | Archaia announces programming, debuts and giveaways
Archaia
Archaia Entertainment has announced its programming and signing schedule and giveaways for New York Comic Con, held Thursday through Sunday at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. The publisher will use the event to debut the hardcovers Last Days of an Immortal, by Fabien Vehlmann and Gwen de Bonneval, The Grand Duke, by Yann and Romain Hugault, and Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 Black and White, by David Petersen.
Along with three panels — “How to Prepare an Effective Submission” on Friday, “Transmedia in Graphic Novel Publishing” on Saturday and “How to Tell a Better Story Through World-Building” on Sunday — Archaia has scheduled more than 100 autograph sessions (Booth #1520), including those by Brian Froud and Wendy Froud (the complete schedule can be found on the company’s website).
In addition, Archaia will give away copies of its Free Comic Book Day hardcover to kids (while supplies last), along with convention-exclusive autograph cards for upcoming titles Bolivar, Cyborg 009, The Joyners in 3D, Mumbai Confidential, Pantalones, TX, The Reason for Dragons, Space: 1999: Aftershock and Awe, Spera Vol. 2, and Strange Attractors. There also will be limited-edition tip-ins for the hardcovers Cursed Pirate Girl by Jeremy Bastian and Iron: Or, the War After by Shane-Michael Vidaurri. Both creators will be signing throughout the convention.
But wait! There’s more! Like copies of a 26-page preview for Charles Soule’s upcoming graphic novel Strange Attractors, demonstrations of Mouse Guard Roleplaying Game Box Set, a limited number of portfolio reviews by Archaia CCO Mark Smylie, and gaming stations for demonstrations of Meteor Entertainment’s upcoming free-to-play online mech game Hawken.
Comics A.M. | Comics sales dip in September, graphic novels rise
Thanos Quest #1
Publishing| Comics sales in the direct market were down in September relative to last year, but that may be because the launch of DC’s New 52 pushed sales unusually high in September 2011. Graphic novels were up by 14.4 percent, making for a slight uptick in the overall market. Year-to-date and third-quarter sales were also up by a goodly amount from last year. [ICv2]
Editorial cartooning | The position of editorial cartoonist as a staff job on a newspaper is rapidly becoming a thing of the past, but attendees at the American Association of Editorial Cartoonists meeting in Washington, D.C., don’t seem too downhearted; new opportunities are opening up, and this year’s presidential campaign is presenting them with plenty of material. “Times are tough for the old idea of cartoonists, but all kinds of other things have opened up,” said cartoonist Chip Bok, “And editorial cartoons, all cartoons, are more popular than ever. You see them all over the Internet. The problem now is figuring out how to get paid.” [Voice of America]
Comic Couture | Super embarrassing, back to the DMZ and more
by Kerry Callen
Back in July Michael linked to a couple of shirt designs by Kerry Callen (one of our favorites) that were up on Threadless for scoring. Both were eventually printed by Threadless; the female version was available in limited quantities at the Cincinnati Comic Expo, while the male version is available now on the Threadless site.
NYCC | Way, Simon and Cloonan’s Killjoys comic ‘finally happening’
My Chemical Romance’s The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys album may have come and gone, but the Killjoys comic first announced in 2009 has yet to see the light of day. According to a post from Killjoys artist Becky Cloonan, it looks like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel for the long-delayed project.
“So this is finally happening!” she posted on her tumblr site. “If you’ll be at NYCC, come to Dark Horse’s Killjoy panel, Saturday at 5PM. I’ll be there along with writers Gerard Way and Shaun Simon! Beyond psyched.”
NYCC | Marvel rolls out convention-exclusive items
With just a week to go until New York Comic Con kicks off, Marvel has unveiled a rundown of convention-exclusive merchandise that will be available only at the publisher’s booth (#1838). The items range from the Rocket Raccoon/Guardians of the Galaxy coffee mug above — someone from the Comic Book Resources contingent needs to snag me one, please — and a lithograph to T-shirts and variant covers. (Note that the Marvel booth apparently only accepts credit cards.)
Check out the full list below. New York Comic-Con runs Oct. 11-14 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City.
Comics A.M. | IDW Limited launches; Swedish libraries grapple with Tintin
IDW Limited
Publishing | IDW Publishing CEO Ted Adams discusses the company’s new IDW Limited program, which will produce small print runs of deluxe editions that will be marketed direct to the consumer. How small? The print run for the Blue Label edition of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Vol. 1 Deluxe Limited Edition will be 10 copies. “The only fair thing to do is to give the fans direct access on a first come first served basis,” he said. “We’re putting an incredible emphasis on quality, and that directly affects the quantity of books IDW Limited can produce. We’re designing new covers, building custom cases and paying the artists to do hand drawn sketch work to go with these books. The reality is that that’s all very expensive and unfortunately it makes it difficult for us to offer this line at the deep discount needed for traditional retail distribution.” [ICv2]
Libraries | Following the firestorm sparked last month when a youth library in Stockholm briefly removed Tintin comics because of their racial caricatures of Africans and Arabs, a survey finds that 10 percent of Swedish libraries have removed or restricted Herge’s books due to “racist content.” [The Local]
NYCC | Oni Press, Bergen Street Comics team for signing party
If you find yourself in New York City next week the day before New York Comic Con, you might consider swinging through Brooklyn for the Oni Press event at Bergen Street Comics described as “the most radical of all signings known to man” — and perhaps chimpanzee.
Radical or not, the Wednesday event will feature Petrograd collaborators Phillip Gelatt and Tyler Crook and Guerillas creator Brahm Revel.
Published last year by Oni, Petrograd follows a reluctant British spy who during World War I was assigned to orchestrate the death of Grigori Rasputin, the most trusted desire to Russia’s tsarina and the country surrogate ruler. Set during the Vietnam War, Guerillas features a platoon of chain-smoking chimpanzees that’s been transformed into the most dangerous fighting force in the jungles.
The signing party begins Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. at Bergen Street Comics, 470 Bergen St, Brooklyn. New York Comic Con kicks off Thursday at the Jacob Javits Center. Read the full announcement below: