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‘Prototype’ Videogame Morphs Into New DC/Wildstorm Comic

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

DC Comics/Wildstorm recently announced that they’ll be publishing a comic book based on the upcoming Prototype videogame from Sierra Entertainment.

From the press release:

PROTOTYPE puts gamers in control of Alex Mercer – a genetically mutated shape-shifter with no memory of his past hell-bent on solving the mystery of his existence – as he tears through a densely populated New York City moving with Parkour-style fluidity and consuming anybody that gets in his way…assuming their physical identity, memories and abilities. Fueled by a three way war between Alex, the military and its elite Blackwatch division, and a viral outbreak known as the Infected, players will venture deep into a dark conspiracy 40 years in the making.

What the press release doesn’t go into is that this game has a great comic book pedigree. It’s being developed by Radical Entertainment, the makers of The Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, one of the best superhero games ever made. In that game, players were given free reign to smash anything, bound across the city at will, fight the army or even throw civilians around for no good reason whatsoever.

With Prototype, Radical Entertainment looks to have taken everything they did with Hulk and expanded on it. Different powers, different story (sorta shady goverment types messing with superpowered guy who’s not 100-percent mentally stable), and more realistic graphics, thanks to the power of PlayStation 3 or Xbox 360.

My only complaint? The character has one of the worst outfits in modern games: a hoodie. Yup, he looks like every other wannabe thug. One look at this amazing trailer for the game, though, makes me forget all that.

 

ComicMix at New York Comic Con

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

Yeah, so there’s this comic convention "thing" going on in Manhattan this weekend… or so we’re told.

Here’s where you can find the ComicMix crew throughout the weekend (when we’re not cavorting at the three-day party in our official "ComicMix HQ" conference room, of course):

The weekend kicks off with ComicMix Managing Editor Rick Marshall (who also likes to refer to himself in third-person while writing roundups) engaging in a thoughtful (only if he doesn’t open his mouth) discussion with a cadre of other InterWebs-based comics journalists at Friday’s "Choosing the News: The Changing Face of Online Journalism" panel:

It’s a fact – journalism has changed. With more outlets than ever, more demands from news sources, and comics increasingly covered by the mainstream, how do comics news sites navigate the uncharted waters? Join Matt Brady (Newsarama), Richard George (IGN), Rick Marshall (ComicMix), Brian Heater (Daily Cross Hatch) and others for this engaging discussion, moderated by The Beat’s Heidi MacDonald.

Friday, 2:00 -3:00 PM : Room 1E09

Later that day, ComicMix Editor-in-Chief Mike Gold and columnist Michael Davis will be among the panelists at this year’s "Black Panel – NYCC Style" discussion:

Witness true black power—the power of black content in the entertainment marketplace. This lively panel will look at how black content is influencing entertainment and discuss how to increase its output in the mainstream.

Friday, 7:30-8:30 PM : Room 1E12-13-14

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The Weekly Haul: Reviews for April 17, 2008

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

This past week in comics wasn’t anything too special, with DC essentially laying an egg. Luckily a handful of independents rose to the occasion, and Marvel had some strong offerings, including a big surprise for best of the week. On that note…

ghostrider22cover-5750318Book of the Week: Ghost Rider #22 — Any time a comic is so good I have to read it three times before I can move onto the next book, it’s a lock for the top spot. This is darn close to a perfect issue from the first page, which starts off brilliantly ("I’ll never forget the first time I saw a dead body").

Jason Aaron continues the story of Johnny Blaze searching for answers from the angel who turned him into Ghost Rider, a quest that has led him onto a highway filled with evil, cannibalistic demons. It’s an epic fight, overloaded with crazy elements in the way of Quentin Tarantino (yet less self-obsessed).

In addition to the demons, there are evil gun-toting nurses on motorcycles and a still-living cannibal slowly feasting on a deputy. Aaron slowly pulls all of these elements together, leaving off just as they’re all about to literally collide. Oh, and did I mention it also has the line of the week? "The day I can’t catch a dead horse… is the day I give up and rot."

Lastly, I have to give a ton of credit to Roland Boschi for his art. It’s kinetic and loose in the way of Leinil Yu, though not as busy. Combined with Dan Brown’s colors, it makes for some of the best superhero art on the rack.

Runners Up:

X-Factor #30 — I promise this high ranking isn’t just to placate the great Peter David, who took serious umbrage with my review of She-Hulk #27. No, the latest issue of X-Factor (like most of the run) is worthy of serious praise on its own merits. Arcade’s plans for destroying the team, and all of Mutant Town, play out with expected brilliant insanity, and the weakened X-Factor can barely keep their heads above water (or remaining on their shoulders).

In the previous run of this series, one thing David did exceptionally well was crafting great stories without ever bringing in stock villains. Here, he brings in a stock villain but does it in keeping with the series’ tone. Beyond that, the last page is one of the best I’ve ever seen, with an emotional stomach punch that humanizes one of the Purifiers and a true "Hey, May!" cliffhanger.

Fear Agent #20 — The best of a good crop of small-press titles. I’ve always heard this series praised for its goofy sci-fi plots and fun elements, but this issue is one long emotional swan dive that’s surprisingly touching. Rick Remender intertwines his characters’ harsh pasts with their bleak futures to explain their confused ambitions. A very small story in the grand scheme of things, but a very well done one at that.

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Onion News Network Spoofs ‘Iron Man’ Film

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

 Ever like the trailer more than the movie? Yeah, me too. If I wasn’t sneaking into half  of those movies, I’d be upset.

News parody site The Onion took that concept and added typical comic fan anti-buzz to the Iron Man movie trailer. Wouldn’t you have loved it if Superman Returns stayed a trailer?

 

Wildly Popular ‘Iron Man’ Trailer To Be Adapted Into Full-Length Film

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ComicMix Six: Top Political Campaigns in Comics

smiler2-1805729It happens every few years, just like the Olympics or locusts: People lucky enough to live in democracies hold an election.

Sometimes they’re voting for a President or a Congressman, and sometimes they’re voting for a mayor or dogcatcher. People in comics vote, too, and their choices are often as stupid as ours.

That’s why, with primaries on the horizon and campaigns dominating the headlines, we’ve decided to take a look at some of the most notable attempts (successful or otherwise) at obtaining political office in the comics world… in typical ComicMix Six fashion.

*Sigh* If only it were that easy to ret-con a disappointing election in the real world…

6. Myra Fermin, Mayor of Hub City (DC): In the most corrupt city in the DC Universe, Myra ran on a platform promising to clean up the mess. And she won, because there had to be a reason she couldn’t sleep with the Question.

5. Gary "The Smiler" Callahan, President (Vertigo): This mayoral candidate gave Spider Jerusalem a lot to write about in Transmetropolitan. At first, Spider liked him more than his predecessor, "The Beast." And then, Spider learned the truth. Basically, The Smiler was sort of like Rudy Giuliani, but without the combover.

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Other Than Myself, by John Ostrander

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

I remember the morning after the primary election where Harold Washington won the Democratic nomination for Mayor of Chicago, becoming the first African-American man to do so. It was February 22, 1983 – 25 years ago. The white voters were split between then incumbent mayor Jane Byrne and Richard M. Daley, son of long-time mayor Richard J. Daley and who is currently mayor of Chicago.

Whoever wins the Democratic mayoral primary is de facto mayor of Chicago. That’s a given. The last Republican mayor, William Hale Thompson, left that office in 1931.

There is no two-party system in Chicago. At best, it’s a party and a half. As a result, Washington was going to be the new mayor of Chicago and, oh, how the white establishment cried! One white Democratic politician actually considered switching parties to oppose Washington in the mayoral election rather than have Chicago face the terrible possibility of a Negro mayor. The fact that he didn’t simply means that he realized that the habit of voting Democratic was too ingrained.

I learned exactly what it meant on my way to work that day. I used the “L” at that time – Chicago’s rail transit line. My neighborhood was “iffy” – right on the borderline between an okay area and a slum and was gradually slipping downwards. That meant you walked around with your ‘spider-sense” definitely on. That was especially true of the L station.

I paid my fare and walk up the stairs to wait for the train. There was only one other person up there – a “Negro.” (more…)

What’s All This About a Comic Convention in New York?

  • News
  • April 17, 2008

Anybody know anything about this little get-together of a few comic book fans that’s supposed to happen in New York at some point soon?

No? Me neither.

Luckily for you, there are a few people who are paying very close attention (bordering on obsessive, in some cases) to all of the New York Comic Con hub-bubbery. Sure, you can check the official NYCC website, but where’s the fun in that?

If you really want to suffer the slings and arrows of outrageous lists of events, Heidi MacDonald over at The Beat is compiling an impressive list of everything that’s anything related to the New York Con. Not only will you be able to stay up-todate with all of the latest NYCC happenings, but you can also witness her descent into madness. Big convention chaos will do that to the best of ’em, I guess.

Once you get tired of watching Heidi’s sanity slip-slide away, check out the YouTube profile of ItsJustsomeRandomGuy, the creator of those "Marvel vs. DC" videos that have managed to meme themselves around the comics scene in recent years. The popular online filmmaker was commissioned to do some NYCC-themed shorts for the show, and has his very own panel on Saturday. (Also, I think he stole my "Thorbuster Iron Man" action figure, as it disappeared a few months back… right about the time he posted <a href=”

Video #3.) I’m watching you, mister.

Finally, keep an eye here on ComicMix tomorrow for a comprehensive list of all the places you’ll be able to find our news team, comics creators and assorted ComicMix roadies throughout the show.

‘Catwoman’ Cancelled With Issue #82

  • News
  • April 16, 2008

After DC released its last round of solicitations, people naturally assumed Catwoman was being cancelled with issue #81. That’s just unfounded nonsense. It’s actually being cancelled with issue #82!

According to writer Will Pfeifer, Selina Kyle will get one more issue in August before her solo title officially gets the axe. Did she have to spend one of her nine lives to do it? If so, does she have any more to spare in order to get a series relaunch?

Perhaps in the future, but as of now, Pfeifer has no information on any future plans for Catwoman. Fans will just have to be happy with one extra helping of their favorite cat buglar for the time being.

EZ Street: Big Breakthrough

  • News
  • April 16, 2008

Sometimes, the story just flows.  In today’s brand-new episode of EZ Street, by Robert Tinnell and Mark Wheatley, Danny gets some new ideas about how to draw Scot’s story.  Will the parts be greater than the whole?  Can brothers collaborate on art and life?

Credits: Mark Wheatley (Artist), Mark Wheatley (Colorist), Mark Wheatley (Letterer), Mark Wheatley (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)

More: EZ Street

 

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‘Watchmen’ Action Figures Revealed

  • News
  • April 16, 2008

Back in 2000, DC Direct created figures based on Alan Moore’s Watchmen to celebrate the comic’s 15th anniversary. Unfortunately, a dispute caused Moore to pull out of the project and the figures were scrapped, never to see the light of day.

Fans wondered if they’d ever have a chance to own a plastic version of The Comedian and place it upon their computer desks for all the world to see, right between the empty bottles of Mountain Dew and the economy bag of Doritos.

Wonder no more, because Watchmen action figures are on the way! Since Moore steadfastly chooses not to have anything to do with Zack Synder’s film adaptation of Watchmen, apparently it’s kosher to make action figures based on it!

DC Direct will debut all of the figures at the New York Comic-Con on Friday, but Entertainment Weekly scored an early look at two of them: Nite Owl and Rorschach. The figures will be released in January of next year, which is enough time to buy them all before the film is released on March 6.  

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