Coming Soon: ‘The Hidden Earth Chronicles 1: Darkness Of The Light’
Category: News
Dynamite Entertainment Releases an Extended Preview of FLASH GORDON: ZEITGEIST #1
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| Wraparound Cover Art: Francesco Francavilla |
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| Cover: Alex Ross |
Dynamite Entertainment has released a preview of the upcoming FLASH GORDON: ZEITGEIST #1, which debuts November 30th wherever you buy your favorite comic book entertainment.
Click on images for a larger view.
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| Cover: Francesco Francavilla |
FLASH GORDON: ZEITGEIST #1
32 pages FC • Full issue introductory price $1.00 • Teen +
Written by ERIC TRAUTMANN
Plot and Art Direction by ALEX ROSS
Art by DANIEL INDRO
Covers by ALEX ROSS (75%), PAUL RENAUD (25%), FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA (1-in-10), WAGNER REIS (1-in-25)
“Negative Effect Art” Retailer Incentive cover by ALEX ROSS
“Retro Original Art” Retailer Incentive cover by FRANCESCO FRANCAVILLA
“Black & White” Retailer Incentive cover by PAUL RENAUD
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| Cover: Wagner Reis |
“Sketch Art” Retailer Incentive cover by ALEX ROSS
The year is 1934, a time of two-fisted swashbuckling, of fearsome threats and wild adventure—and of ever-growing threats on the horizon.
Three valiant humans — Flash Gordon, Dale Arden and Dr. Hans Zarkov — are plucked from the Earth, traveling to the distant planet Mongo. Their exploits are legendary, battling the machinations and terror schemes of the dreaded emperor Ming, the All-Seeing Ruler of Mongo. But they did not fight alone…
Written by Eric Trautmann (Vampirella, Red Sonja), from a story and designs by Alex Ross (Kingdom Come, Marvels, Project Superpowers), and illustrated by Daniel Lindro (Sherlock Holmes: Year One).
To learn more about Dynamite Entertainment, please visit http://www.dynamite.net/.
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| Cover: Paul Renaud |
Look for FLASH GORDON: ZEITGEIST #1 in stores November 30th.
MICHAEL DAVIS: The Art Of The Deal, Part 3
Please refer to Part 1 of this series. Part 2 was my attempt to try and underscore what I was trying to get across. Yeah, I have no idea why I did it either. To recap, I was breaking down my deal that put comic books in the school system.
The program was called The Action Files and it’s a K-12 high interest, low level reading program. These were the steps I took and the questions I asked:
Q. Did my idea have merit?
A. Comics in the school system. Duh, duh, triple duh.
Q. What were the barriers to entry?
A. After researching I decided the reason why there was no comic book reading programs taught as a curriculum because of the educational climate and prejudices that were associated (at the time, which was 1996) against comic books.
In other words, no one wanted to see The Hulk on a textbook.
Q. If such a good idea, why had it not been done before?
A. Marvel and DC were light years away from my brilliance! Only I was smart enough to figure out how to get into the school system! Me and me alone!!!!!
Or…Marvel and DC were simply not interested in the market to approach it the way I did which was as a curriculum.
I covered all of this in detail in Part 1. Now comes the Nitti Gritty as to exactly how I was able to pull this off.
The idea of comics’ as a learning tool and comics in the school is not a new idea and certainly not just my idea. I realized that idea was a good one but it was a huge one.
So I fine-tuned the idea to a smaller more manageable and focused idea. Comics in the schools as a reading program. A curriculum based program complete with lesson plans and teacher guides.
From my research I realized that most states have different guidelines for their schools. No matter how smart, well done and even needed my reading program was, it would not ever be seen in a state unless it adheres to that states guidelines.
So how did I get around that? Did I do a program for all 50 states?
Err, nope.
I created two different programs, one for California using their guidelines and one for Texas using their guidelines.
Why California and Texas? Why not my beloved New York and some other state I don’t hate like I hate both California and Texas?
Because there are no bigger players in the textbook market than California and Texas, where they go, goes the nation. Seriously, I can’t stand Texas and have no love for California but this as they say is business.
Did I care about the other 48 states and Puerto Rico?
Nope. Not for this deal. Sometimes less is more.
Now I had the program and knew the audience and had created The Action File Universe so now the question was how to get paid. Not how to get the comics into the classrooms.
I’ll say it again; the question after all this work was how I would get paid for this idea. Why was I not thinking about how to get the comics in the classroom?
Because that’s not what I do.
That’s so important. Many people try and be a jack-of-all-trades but end up being masters of none. I’m an idea guy. After the idea I’m like a deer in the headlights.
I don’t know nor do I want to know how the guy I hired to fix my car fixed it. Why? Because knowing how he did something does not mean I’ll be able to do it. So why waste my time trying? Hell, I know how and why my dentist drills my teeth but I’m not buying a drill so I can do it.
I don’t have millions of dollars (not anymore, here’s some advice kids, just say no) to pay for the creation, printing and distribution into the schools nor did I have the juice (influence) to get into the very exclusive education market.
I’ve got the juice now, trust me, I’m a doctor.
Remember. I’m an idea guy. The above is not what I do, even if I had that kind of bank.
I needed a partner. I needed a partner who would not only get it; they would also pay for it.
So, I took another month and wrote a detailed business plan. When that was done, I picked up the phone and called one of the biggest publishers in the world.
Next week, the deal.
WEDNESDAY: Mike Gold
The Point Radio: COVERT AFFAIRS & The REM Connection
Every LOONEY TUNE Fan has a favorites character – and director. We open up the floor on that topic with animation superstar PAUL DINI, plus we slip backstage for the start of our look at USA Network‘s COVERT AFFAIRS and just where the band REM fits in.
The Point Radio is on the air right now – 24 hours a day of pop culture fun for FREE. GO HERE and LISTEN FREE on any computer or mobile device– and please check us out on Facebook right here & toss us a “like” or follow us on Twitter @ThePointRadio.
WHITE ROCKET BOOKS’ BLACKTHORN: THUNDER ON MARS EXPLODES ONTO KINDLE
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| Cover Art: James Burns |
Just in time for Cyber Monday, the Kindle Edition of White Rocket Books’ new anthology series,
Blackthorn: Thunder on Mars is now available for purchase at Amazon for the low, low price of $2.99.
Direct link: http://www.amazon.com/Blackthorn-Thunder-on-Mars-ebook/dp/B006FBRHG8
Print editions will follow in about two weeks.
ABOUT BLACKTHORN: THUNDER ON MARS:
Betrayed and left for dead on the battlefield, US Army General John Blackthorn awakens many thousands of years later to find himself trapped amidst the ruins of a post-apocalyptic Mars, his only companions a savage Mock-Man and a mysterious sorceress.
Their war to free this strange new world from oppression won’t be easy: Arrayed against them are the four tyrannical First Men–masters of magic and technology alike–the dreaded Sorcerers of Mars!
BLACKTHORN: THUNDER ON MARS is a post-apocalyptic adventure saga in the spirit of “Thundarr the Barbarian” and “John Carter of Mars,” featuring original stories by New Pulp luminaries Mark Bousquet, Joe Crowe, Bobby Nash, James Palmer, Van Allen Plexico, Sean Taylor, and I. A. Watson, and illustrated by Chris Kohler.
“Original, entertaining, action-packed!” –Wayne Reinagel, author of the Pulp Heroes and Modern Marvels novels.
BLACKTHORN: THUNDER ON MARS
Cover by James Burns
Interior art by Chris Kohler
Stories by Mark Bousquet, Bobby Nash, James Palmer, Van Allen Plexico, Sean Taylor, and I.A. Watson. Bonus e-book stories by Mark Beaulieu and Danny Wall.
Created and edited by Van Allen Plexico.
In the spirit of “Thundarr the Barbarian” and “John Carter of Mars,” it’s action and adventure as General Blackthorn and his companions battle the tyrannical Sorcerers of Mars!
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| Art: Chris Kohler |
The Kindle Edition of White Rocket Books’ new anthology series, Blackthorn: Thunder on Mars is now available for purchase at Amazon for the low, low price of $2.99.
Direct link: http://www.amazon.com/Blackthorn-Thunder-on-Mars-ebook/dp/B006FBRHG8
Print editions will follow in about two weeks.
UPDATED TO ADD OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE.
Press Release – For Immediate Release
BLACKTHORN: THUNDER ON MARS debuts first on Kindle!
General Blackthorn and his Companions Battle Evil– on Amazon’s Popular e-Reader
(November 28, 2011) White Rocket Books proudly announces the release
in Kindle format of BLACKTHORN: THUNDER ON MARS, a science fiction
action-adventure anthology set on far-future post-apocalyptic Mars.
Created by Van Allen Plexico (Sentinels, Lucian), the book features
stories by New Pulp luminaries Mark Bousquet, Joe Crowe, Bobby Nash,
James Palmer, Sean Taylor, I. A. Watson, and Plexico, along with six
full-page illustrations by Chris Kohler (Sentinels). In addition, the
Kindle edition includes two bonus stories not included in the upcoming
trade paperback edition, by Mark Beaulieu and Danny Wall. Cover art
and design are by James Burns (Lance Star: One Shot).
The book will debut in trade paperback format later in December of this year.
In the spirit of “Thundarr the Barbarian” and “John Carter of Mars”
comes the gripping saga of US General John Blackthorn. Betrayed and
left for dead on the battlefield, Blackthorn awakens many thousands of
years later to find himself trapped amidst the ruins of a
post-apocalyptic Mars, his only companions a savage Mock-Man and a
mysterious sorceress. They battle to free this strange new world from
oppression, but it won’t be easy, for arrayed against them are the
tyrannical First Men: the Black Sorcerer, the Sorcerer of Fatal
Laughter, Lord Ruin, and the Sorcerer of Night—masters of magic and
technology alike—the dreaded Sorcerers of Mars!
“The awesome array of talent assembled on this book really speaks for
itself, and guarantees a fun time will be had by all,” promises Editor
Van Allen Plexico. “Each of the writers jumped on the project with
huge enthusiasm and each brought something unique and very exciting to
the table. And there’s no question Chris Kohler, who is also interior
artist on my Sentinels superhero novels, has done some of the best
work of his career here with BLACKTHORN.”
Says noted New Pulp author Wayne Reinagel, “BLACKTHORN is one of the
best sword-and-sorcery spaceman anthologies to arrive on Earth, or
Mars, in the last century or more. Clearly inspired by an equal
combination of Hanna-Barbera’s ‘Thundarr the Barbarian,’ DC Comics’
‘Kamandi,’ and Edgar Rice Burroughs’ ‘John Carter of Mars,’ BLACKTHORN
is an original, entertaining, action-packed saga.”
The Kindle edition presents all seven core stories in their entirety,
including the double-length origin, along with two bonus stories not
included in the upcoming trade paperback, plus Chris Kohler’s
artwork—and all at the incredibly low price of only $2.99.
White Rocket Books is a leader in the New Pulp movement, publishing
exciting action and adventure novels and anthologies since 2005, in
both traditional and electronic formats. White Rocket books have hit
the Amazon.com Top 15-by-Genre and have garnered praise from everyone
from Marvel Comics Editor Tom Brevoort to Kirkus Reviews.
On sale as of November 28, 2011, BLACKTHORN: THUNDER ON MARS is a
$2.99 e-book from White Rocket Books.
http://www.whiterocketbooks.com/
On Amazon Kindle:
http://www.amazon.com/Blackthorn-Thunder-on-Mars-ebook/dp/B006FBRHG8
Promo video clip: <a href=”
Front cover image:
http://www.whiterocketbooks.com/blackthorn/blackthorn_front_mock.jpg
JENKINS RELEASES A ‘GREATEST HITS’! AND IT’S ON SALE TODAY!
From Joel Jenkins-
One day only (that’s 11/28 until the morning of 11/29), get 30% off my just-released book, The Gantlet Brothers Greatest Hits. Normally,
you’re looking at $11.95 (still a bargain in my completely biased
estimation), but if you follow this link (
https://www.createspace.com/3621701 ) and use the discount code 5YRZ6A8W you get 30% off the cover price.
So what’s the book about? Here’s the back cover blurb:
“From the broken and dusty terrain of Egypt’s Qattara Depression to
the grimy underbelly of New York City, erstwhile rock musicians and
guns for hire, the Gantlet Brothers, use charm, blades, bullets, and
fists to plow a path through amorous starlets with ill intentions,
bounty hunters, a deranged serial killer and terrorists hell-bent on
bringing down nuclear annihilation.
These are the Gantlet Brothers’ greatest hits collected for the first
time and including two never before published stories.”
This book is just released so there are no reviews out yet. However,
the inestimable Ron Fortier wrote a piece on the previous Gantlet
Brother novel, The Nuclear Suitcase which you can still find at the
Pulp Fiction Review Website.
http://pulpfictionreviews.blogspot.com/2009/10/nuclear-suitcase.html
Alan Moore Talks #OWS and ‘V For Vendetta’
We already knew artist David Lloyd visited Occupy Wall Street when he was in town for the New York Comic Con and liked what he saw– now The Guardian has asked Alan Moore, the other half of the creative team of V for Vendetta how he feels about the image of V being used as the symbol of protest and revolution in the 21st century.
“I suppose when I was writing V for Vendetta I would in my secret heart of hearts have thought: wouldn’t it be great if these ideas actually made an impact? So when you start to see that idle fantasy intrude on the regular world… It’s peculiar. It feels like a character I created 30 years ago has somehow escaped the realm of fiction.”
V for Vendetta tells of a future Britain (actually 1997, nearly two decades into the future when Moore wrote it) under the heel of a dictatorship. The population are depressed and doing little to help themselves. Enter Evey, an orphan, and V, a costumed vigilante who takes an interest in her. Over 38 chapters, each titled with a word beginning with “V”, we follow the brutal, loquacious antihero and his apprentice as they torment the ruling powers with acts of violent resistance. Throughout, V wears a mask that he never removes: bleached skin and rosy cheeks, pencil beard, eyes half shut above an inscrutable grin. You’ve probably come to know it well.
“That smile is so haunting,” says Moore. “I tried to use the cryptic nature of it to dramatic effect. We could show a picture of the character just standing there, silently, with an expression that could have been pleasant, breezy or more sinister.” As well as the mask, Occupy protesters have taken up as a marrying slogan “We are the 99%”; a reference, originally, to American dissatisfaction with the richest 1% of the US population having such vast control over the country. “And when you’ve got a sea of V masks, I suppose it makes the protesters appear to be almost a single organism – this “99%” we hear so much about. That in itself is formidable. I can see why the protesters have taken to it.”
Moore first noticed the masks being worn by members of the Anonymous group, “bothering Scientologists halfway down Tottenham Court Road” in 2008. It was a demonstration by the online collective against alleged attempts to censor a YouTube video. “I could see the sense of wearing a mask when you were going up against a notoriously litigious outfit like the Church of Scientology.”
But with the mask’s growing popularity, Moore has come to see its appeal as about something more than identity-shielding. “It turns protests into performances. The mask is very operatic; it creates a sense of romance and drama. I mean, protesting, protest marches, they can be very demanding, very gruelling. They can be quite dismal. They’re things that have to be done, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re tremendously enjoyable – whereas actually, they should be.”
At one point in V for Vendetta, V lectures Evey about the importance of melodrama in a resistance effort. Says Moore: “I think it’s appropriate that this generation of protesters have made their rebellion into something the public at large can engage with more readily than with half-hearted chants, with that traditional, downtrodden sort of British protest. These people look like they’re having a good time. And that sends out a tremendous message.”
via Alan Moore – meet the man behind the protest mask | Books | The Observer.
Conan The Barbarian (1982) Movie Review
1982
Universal Pictures
Directed by John Milius
Produced by Buzz Feitshans and Raffaella De Laurentiis
Written by John Milius and Oliver Stone
Based on the character/stories created and written by Robert E. Howard
I knew that director John Milius and his screenplay co-writer Oliver Stone got the character of Conan five minutes into the movie. During the opening credits we see Conan’s father (William Smith) forging a mighty sword. He then takes the young Conan (Jorge Sanz) to the top of a mountain. He explains how The Riddle of Steel was stolen from Crom, the god of Cimmeria and that Conan must learn The Riddle of Steel for himself because as his dad succinctly sums up: “For no one in the world can you trust. Not men, not women, not beasts. But this-“ and he holds up the gleaming sword. “-this you can trust.”
It’s not long after this that Conan’s parents, along with all the other adults in his village are slaughtered by the servants of Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) a powerful sorcerer who is also the leader of a cult that worships the snake god Set. Conan, along with other children are taken as slaves and chained to The Wheel of Pain, a gigantic mill which they push night and day, through weather fair and foul. It’s torturous work but it has its benefits. The young Conan grows up into Arnold Schwarzenegger as pushing that damn thing has built up muscles of Herculean proportions. He’s bought by The Hyborian Age’s version of a fight promoter and wins fame as a gladiator. He’s freed by his master and after meeting up with the master thief and archer Subotai (Gerry Lopez) takes up a career as a thief himself.
It’s during their attempt to infiltrate The Tower of The Serpent and steal The Eye of The Serpent that Conan meets swordswoman and thief Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) who will become the great love of his life. It’s their successful and daring theft that brings them to the attention of King Osric (Max von Sydow) who hires the trio to rescue his daughter from The Cult of Set. While Valeria and Subotai see this as a chance for a really big payday, Conan has his sights on taking the head of Thulsa Doom.
Now, you can say whatever you want about CONAN THE BARBARIAN but it won’t faze me because if nothing else, John Milius and Oliver Stone respected Robert E. Howard’s enough that they obviously not only read his stories but incorporated elements of some of those stories into the movie including what is probably the most famous scene in any Conan story; his crucifixion and his killing of a vulture pecking at his flesh with nothing but his bare teeth.
This movie, along with “The Terminator” launched Arnold Schwarzenegger’s career and it’s easy to see why. Schwarzenegger at that time looked like he was designed by Frank Frazetta and he inhabits the role as well as Sean Connery did with James Bond or Michael Keaton did with Batman. For those who claim that Schwarzenegger can’t act, I point out a terrific scene where Conan, Valeria and Subotai plan their assault on Doom’s stronghold. While Bergman and Lopez have all the dialog, Schwarzenegger says far more than they do in the way he’s sharpening his sword. And even though Schwarzenegger gets a lot of mocking for his dialog and accent in this movie, I like it. I mean, the guy does sound like a barbarian from pre-history. In fact, I like it that 90% of the characters have accents in this movie as they do sound as if they come from another age rather than modern day Californians playing dress up.
The supporting cast is outstanding. James Earl Jones infuses Thulsa Doom with enormous presence and a true sense of not being entirely human. His henchmen, played by Sven-Ole Thorson and Ben Davison are suitably impressive. Bergman and Lopez back up Schwarzenegger well and create their own characters in some really wonderful intimate moments such as the one where Subotai tells the wizard Akiro (Mako) that since Conan, as a Cimmerian will not cry to show grief, Subotai must do it for him. Mako contributes comedy relief without being buffoonish or degrading his own character. But that’s to be expected because Mako is epic in everything he does.
And speaking of epic, the musical score by Basil Poledouris has become respected as one of the finest musical scores ever and rightly so. A large part of the enjoyment of watching CONAN THE BARBARIAN comes from the sheer power of the score. Poledouris also has done the scores for “Quigley Down Under” and “Lonesome Dove” that are easily as epic as the one for this movie.
So should you see CONAN THE BARBARIAN? No doubt you already have. It’s one of those movies that everybody and their mother has seen, it seems. Even chicks who normally shun this type of movie like it was the Ebola virus have seen CONAN THE BARBARIAN. It’s violent, it’s raw, it’s sexy, and it’s fun. There’s an excellent reason why CONAN THE BARBARIAN is rightly regarded as a classic. It truly is inspired by the spirit of Robert E. Howard in a way that the recent remake never even comes close to. If you’ve seen it, what the hell…watch it again. And if you haven’t, I envy you discovering it for the first time. Enjoy.
129 minutes
Rated R
Review: ‘The Muppets’
There has been a tremendous amount of talk in our world about reboots, successful or not, and I just got back from experiencing the year’s single best relaunch of a tired property. Deb, Kate, her guy Mike, and I saw The Muppets and pretty much smiled all the way through, guffawing with pleasantly regularity and wiping away a tear every now and then.
Ladies and gentlemen, please pay attention, because this is how it’s done.
Meet the Avengers
In case you missed it, here are the character specific one-sheets to tease next spring’s Avengers movie. And sandwiched in-between are the official details.
Genre: Action-adventure
Rating: TBD
U.S. Release date: May 4, 2012
Running time:
Cast: Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Tom Hiddleston, Stellan Skarsgård and Samuel L. Jackson
Director: Joss Whedon
Producer: Kevin Feige
Executive Producers: Alan Fine, Stan Lee, Jon Favreau, Patricia Whitcher, Louis D’Esposito
Screenplay by: Joss Whedon
Marvel Studios presents Marvel’s The Avengers—the Super Hero team up of a lifetime, featuring iconic Marvel Super Heroes Iron Man, The Incredible Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye and Black Widow. When an unexpected enemy emerges that threatens global safety and security, Nick Fury, Director of the international peacekeeping agency known as S.H.I.E.L.D., finds himself in need of a team to pull the world back from the brink of disaster. Spanning the globe, a daring recruitment effort begins.
Starring Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Hemsworth, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Samuel L. Jackson, and directed by Joss Whedon, Marvel’s The Avengers is based on the ever-popular Marvel comic book series The Avengers, first published in 1963 and a comics institution ever since. Prepare yourself for an exciting eventmovie, packed with action and spectacular special effects, when Marvel’s The Avengers assemble in summer 2012.
In Marvel’s The Avengers, superheroes team up to pull the world back from the brink of disaster when an unexpected enemy thr
eatens global security.
