Through the lens of IDW’s tenth anniversary, founder Ted Adams and IDW editors and creators addressed a packed room about a wide variety of new projects. Adam Schlesinger liveblogged it, and we also got other info (funny about that)– here are the highlights:

• Jeff Webber talked about the iPhone comics. IDW already has 80 titles available on iTunes now, with much more on the way. Webber talked about the power of the iPhone as a distribution
  system to capture non-comics fans, which is natural, given the changing
  nature of comics distribution out of comic book shops and into
  bookstores and the internet.
  Apparently, non-typical comic readers enjoy slideshows, rather than a
  zoomed in page, because it’s easier to read. Also, the swiping from
  panel to panel increases the interactivity of the medium, which draws
  non-typical comic fans in. Chris Ryall concluded that 20% of top 100% of book sales on iTunes have been from IDW.
• Bob Schreck has just been announced as part of the IDW editorial team. They announced a book called Black Roads, written by Bill Willingham
  (of Fables fame) and illustrated by Gene Ha (Top 10).
• J. Scott Campbell brought Danger Girl from Wildstorm to
  IDW, following long time editor Scott Dunbier.

Upcoming projects:

• Hammer Of The Gods by Mark Wheatley and Mike Oeming will be collected– first the Image series, and then the sequel that debuted on ComicMix.
• Also from ComicMix: miniseries of GrimJack and Jon Sable Freelance.
• A hardcover version of Winter World
  by Chuck Dixon and Jorge Zaffin (original never-collected miniseries
  and unreleased sequel).
• Dave Stevens’ Rocketeer “Deluxe” collections
  with all new coloring, and to celebrate they gave away vintage 1980’s
  Dave Stevens prints to everyone in the panel (pictures to come).
• A new
  Star Trek series about Nero, the villian in the movie.
• Seduth by Clive
  Barker, with art by Gabriel Rodriguez with 3D effects.
• New comics from Jennifer Love Hewitt (Ghost Whisperer), Brea Grant (Heroes), and Billy
  Martin, the guitarist from Good Charlotte.
• A Weekly World News book,
  including Bat Boy, Ed Anger, Manigator, PhD Ape (simian
  psychologist to the stars), and lots of other Weekly World
  News-inspired stories.
• An adaptation of Peter S. Beagle’s The Last Unicorn.
• A Harlan
  Ellison project called “Phoenix Without Ashes.” Ellison fans will remember that as the original title of the pilot episode of The Starlost, a series that Hollywood mucked up beyond all sorts of recognition in the 70s.

The care and attention to detail given the direct-to-DVD animated films based on DC Comics’ properties is evident. As a result, watching Green Lantern: First Flight is a visual treat. Following the others in this line, it is entirely on its own and disconnected from any other video so casual watchers will not be burdened with tremendous amounts of continuity.

In fact, the script for this feature, premiering tonight at the San Diego Comic-Con and going on sale Tuesday, does a nice job of encapsulating the necessary backstory for the Guardians of the Universe and the Green Lantern Corps. The film moves along at a nice pace and with most of it taking place off planet, the animators have a terrific time designing locales, aliens, and interpreting the GLC from comics for the screen.  I can quibble and say that I wish the original Gil Kane design for Hal Jordan’s costume were used or that Abin Sur resembled his comic book counterpart but it’s all minor.

The story is a fresh take on Hal Jordan inheriting the power ring and joining the Corps. As adapted from the 1990s version, Sinestro shows up to act as his trainer and reveals his corruption, forcing the student to fight the teacher. On the other hand, in the comics, Sinestro (voiced nicely by Victor Garber) was so manic about instilling order; he first blurred and then stepped over the line between protector and dictator. In this film, Sinestro is just corrupt and dismissive of the Guardians.

The Guardians suffer in translation. Originally, they all appeared identical, based on Israel’s David Ben-Gurion, so they could act in concert. Here, they are more distinctive to the point of looking goofy. They used to be mostly omniscient but here are weak and flawed, annoyed that a flawed human received the great Abin Sur’s ring, forgetting the ring’s programming to seek out the most appropriate candidate. These living power batteries are mishandled and their influence diminished.

Perhaps the biggest change between the comics and the film is that the yellow power that Sinestro adopts is not taken from Parallax, the embodiment of fear, but is some unexplained substance that rivals the green energy the Guardians used for their Corps. It just exists and is nowhere near as dramatically compelling. Screenwriter Alan Burnett usually doesn’t make errors like this and it’s a shame it hurts the film’s impact.

Hal, who was very nicely handled in [[[New Frontier]]], is less an imposing figure here, despite Christopher Meloni’s solid voice work. He questions the Guardians, bonds with his fellow corpsmen, and does heroic work but doesn’t resonate as a hero or as the Greatest Green Lantern of them all. As a result, the film is nowhere near as powerful as it should be.

The two-disc DVD comes complete with feature trailers on the previous animated released along with an intriguing sneak peek at the next offering, September’s [[[Superman & Batman: Public Enemies]]]. A short featurette on [[[Blackest Night]]] is a nice teaser for the comic books. The second disc comes with a short chat with Geoff Johns about Green Lantern along with Johns and others talking about Sinestro and the Guardians. The GL-themed episode of [[[Duck Dodgers]]] is included along with a two-part [[[JL Unlimited]]] animated adventure.

Overall, it’s a nice package and worth a look but the lack of a strong lead character and stereotypical villain posturing robs the story of the potential power.

Here’s a four minute preview of the movie, via MTV SplashPage: