Author: Robert Greenberger

Marvel Comics released the cover and preview pages to Adam: Legend of the Blue Marvel, due on sale November 5.

Writer Kevin Grevioux (New Warriors) and Mat Broome (The End League), penciller and cover artist, produce the six-issue miniseries that introduces a new character, the Blue Marvel.

The Blue Marvel operated in the 1960s, after the Agents of Atlas’ time and before the arrival of the Fantastic Four around 2000 (following Marvel’s subjective timeline).

A release proclaims, “Once the greatest hero of the 1960s, the Blue Marvel existed during a time of political and racial turmoil. Now, as New York City is overrun by the rampaging Anti-Man, and not even the Avengers can take this monster down, it falls to the Blue Marvel to make a stand once again. But what is the secret behind the return of this Golden-Age hero?”

This is perhaps the first time the 1960s was referred to as the Golden Age. (more…)

With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull about to his stores on Tuesday, Paramount Home Video has alerted us to the five variant editions that will be available at various retailers.

To show how things have changed, Iron Man had eight exclusives when it hit the street on September 29 and Indy gets just five.  Still, these sound pretty cool for the diehard fan.

Circuit City – 2 lithographs of concept art from the movie.

Best Buy – Gift Set with replica crystal skull from Sideshow Collectibles and a $25 gift card to Sideshowcollectibles.com. (pictured above, left)

Target – Exclusive Packaging is a beautiful hard cover book from Palace Press with 80 pages of behind the scenes photos, including many never-before-published images.

Kmart & Sears – Four Exclusive LEGO mini-posters. Each poster is a LEGO replica of the original theatrical poster from all four Indy films.

Trans World – Exclusive Steelbook Packaging.

Much to our collective surprise, NBC has ordered four additional scripts for the revival and reviled Knight Rider. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the series’ ratings have been somewhat encouraging after a few airings.

Meantime, producers of Fox’s Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, report they too have reason to be hopeful.

On the show’s official blog, they wrote: “Because so many of you, our most devoted fans, have been asking, we wanted to set the record straight!

“While the fate of the show past production on episode thirteen is still unclear, FOX has given us the go-ahead to write two more additional episodes for this season — fourteen and fifteen.

“We are hard at work writing those episodes and await news of a potential pickup for the full ‘back nine’ (additional episodes to complete the season) in the near future. We’re crossing our fingers (and dotting our i’s) that we’ll have more good news to share with you soon…

“In the meantime, keep tuning in! Get your friends interested! And thanks for all of your support.”

Meantime, its companion series, Fringe, has been given a full-season pick-up.

Last Thursday night, ABC debuted its adaptation of Life on Mars, opposite CBS’ adaptation of Eleventh Hour. Much has been made of both shows’ pilots being almost shot for shot remakes of their British counterparts.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, “None of this stopped viewers tuning in with all the shows scoring strongly in the overnight ratings despite a real mixed bag of reviews ranging from the scathing to the glorious.”  This also includes NBC’s Kath and Kim, remaking an Australian sitcom that received horrendous reviews from coast to coast.

“Though fourth in its timeslot, the show did grow from the 4.6/7 rating lead-in of My Name is Earl. This is very shaky ground however and coming weeks, not to mention the word of mouth, will determine if it will stay on the schedule,” the paper noted.

Eleventh Hour was second in the competitive 10 p.m. slot, following Life on Mars. Some concern was raised over the new series losing half the audience from the previous show, CSI. In third was NBC’s ER, now in its final season.

Of the shows debuting Thursday night, the best reviewed, and cast, was Life on Mars. “Audiences seemed to dig it though with the pilot scoring a 8.2/14 rating – winning its timeslot and coming third for the night. Better yet it managed to maintain over 80% of its lead-in audience from Grey’s Anatomy,” the trade noted.
 

Metatropolis is an audio anthology edited by John Scalzi for Audible.com. Subtitled "The Dawn of Uncivilization", the project can be downloaded October 21.

The book’s contents include:

"In the Forests of the Night" by Jay Lake (read by Michael Hogan, Battlestar Galactica)

"Stochasti-city" by Tobias Buckell (read by Scott Brick, who won the 2008 Audie Award for Dune)

"The Red in the Sky is Our Blood" by Elizabeth Bear (read by Kandyse McClure, Battlestar Galactica)

"Utere Nihil Non Extra Quiritationem Suis" by John Scalzi (read by Alessandro Juliani, Battlestar Galactica)

"To Hie from Far Cilenia" by Karl Schroeder (read by Stefan Rudnicki, who previously read Ender’s Game)

Audible describes the book: "Welcome to a world where big cities are dying, dead, or transformed into technological megastructures. Where once-thriving suburbs are now treacherous Wilds. Where those who live for technology battle those who would die rather than embrace it. It is a world of zero-footprint cities, virtual nations, and armed camps of eco-survivalists. Welcome to the dawn of uncivilization."

Fangoria’s comic book line appears ready for resurrection.

The editors recently posted on their MySpace page:

“That’s right, kiddies. We’ve gotten the band back together! Troy Brownfield, Fangoria Graphix Associate Editor here. I don’t have to tell you all that’s it been a weird couple of years. But Executive Editor Scott Licina, Production Manager Jason Moser, Director of New Media Development James Zahn and I are thrilled to be back where it all started. Ever since Tom DeFeo and The Brooklyn Company took over, we’ve been talking about what new horrible things we could do to all you, er, do together. The logical first step was to put the work that we originally did under the Fango umbrella in its natural place: right here, right in front of you, our most loyal readers.

“SO . . . knowing that, what are you going to see? There will be Bump. There will be the complete Rage and the complete Strangeland: Seven Sins. And in multiple languages. But there will also be new and frightening things in the offing. Like the Death Walks the Streets series. Like Ellium. Like Doubloon. Like online and downloadable comics. Like novels. Like graphic novels. And more.”

At present, the magazine’s website is down for retooling so this is the sole source for information at present.
  (more…)

Starting Friday, ComicMix will publish the complete Ballad of Frankie and Vampi, starring Frankenstein Mobster and Vampirella.  Written and drawn by Mark Wheatley (EZ Street, Hammer of the Gods), the series originally ran in 2003 on several sites, including SundayFunnies.com, gemstonepub.com and Vampirella.com.  The original series was edited by Maureen McTigue. 

ComicMix presentation will include exclusive, never-before seen art.

A blog about Frankie and Vampi can be found at FEARnet.

The Frankenstein Mobster used to be Terry Todd, a crusading cop for whom the law was at least a compulsion, if not more. Life as a good cop in a bad town wasn’t easy, but death is apparently even harder. Now he’s been revived in a patchwork body, and he finds himself sharing his own skull with three unscrupulous mobsters. Obviously, this is one Made Man you don’t want to mess with.

Here are excerpts from an interview between the two characters.

Vampi: I understand there’s another woman in your life. Who’s Terri Todd?

Frankie: Terri? I don’t like talking about her, Vampi. But I don’t mind tellin’ you that she is a damn fine cop! And I’m not sayin’ ‘just for a woman’ neither!  She’s the youngest to ever make detective grade on the Monstros City force. And that’s sayin’ somethin’.  She’s smart, pretty and pitches a mean softball to boot.

Frankie: So, why the hell are you in Monstros City?

Vampi: Since my last visit I just can’t get this place out of my mind.
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