Tagged: ComicMix

‘Doctor Who’ Videogame On the Way

  • News
  • March 7, 2008

Hot on the heals of our other various videogame announcements and some recent spoilers concerning a certain Time Lord and a show that’s popular here at ComicMix, word now comes from the site Videogaming247 that a videogame based on the hugely popular Doctor Who BBC television series is on the way.

According to the site, video game producer Edios confirmed the game is in active development and is being made for various gaming platforms including the PC, Sony PS2 and the Nintendo DS.

When asked to confirm the game was, in fact, in development, an unnamed rep for Edios said:

“That is correct. We haven’t announced a release date at the moment. It’s not too far away. We should be showing it to [press] quite soon.”

Well, there you go. Even though details are still mostly unknown right now, it doesn’t seem like eager fans will have to wait too long to know more about the game — and that’s great for them.

For me, if I had a choice, I would actually prefer a game based on a different BBC Sci-Fi show. A show that I actually like quite a bit: Torchwood. With all the innuendo, sex, aliens and action, that would be a cool game. Anyone else fancy a game of Torchwood?

How The Internet Has Changed Comics Production, Part XLII

  • News
  • March 6, 2008

Time was, you wouldn’t know how your freelancers were doing on their art assignments until you got either a package in the mail or a panicked phone call explaining why they were late.

Now, you can just follow their LiveJournal page. Here’s Joanna Estep:

Today I finished pencils on my run of Munden’s Bar, for ComicMix.

Okay, okay, so I may have announced this uh, last year on the ComicMix panel at Mid-Ohio Con… but let’s forget about that and pretend I’m announcing it here for the first time.

Anyway, short primer: Munden’s Bar is this inter-dimensional bar type place, where all sorts of characters from across time/space/fandom-of-your-choosing can stop in and have a drinky-poo. Various writers and artists drop by and make comics about it, too.

For example, if you’re a fan of Gaiman’s Sandman, you could read MUNDEN’S BAR: INSOMNIAC, written by John Ostrander and drawn by my friend/idol Marc Hempel. (See how I namedrop and wallow in bragging rights? Do you see?)

Point being, I’m in good company.

So, yes, there will be more Munden’s Bar stories real soon now. And not just from Joanna and Martha — but we’re not going to spoil the surprises for you.

Feel better, Joanna. If there’s any story that needs to hit a deadline, it should be this one — a story titled "Crimson Tide" should never be late.

‘Sin City’ Videogame on the Way

  • News
  • March 6, 2008

Just the other day, ComicMix‘s Karl Cramer brought you the news that a Batman: The Dark Knight video game might be on the way. Now comes word that another comic/film property could be headed to consoles near you.

The Hollywood Reporter has an interesting story about the upcoming Sin City videogame. Sounds like a no-brainer, but the story has a couple of wrinkles. 

From the article:

But when the "Sin City" game hits store shelves around Christmas 2009, there will be no stars, no day-and-date marketing with the film’s sequel, "Sin City 2," and the publisher’s name on the box — Red Mile Entertainment — will be unknown to even the most hardcore gamers. Red Mile?


Indeed, the fledgling game maker has secured the rights not to either of the movies but to the seven graphic novels that comprised their source material, a strategy that even the company’s president and COO has a difficult time explaining.

Essentially, Red Mile decided it would be easier to develop the games from the comics, which have a lot more stories to choose from, giving the game creators more freedom, than to adapt something directly from the plot of the movie.

It’s probably a smart move, because the game can benefit from all the name recognition the movie earned without having to shell out for those specific rights. We’ll keep you posted.

The Weekly Haul: Reviews for March 6, 2008

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  • March 6, 2008

Welcome to the inaugural Weekly Haul, a collection of reviews of this week’s comic book issues brought to you by none other than ComicMix. It was a big week for floppies, with four new series worth giving a read and several old standbys seeing new developments. Without further ado, let’s get to the reviews.

atom-8126234Book of the Week: The All-New Atom #21 — Anyone wondering whether this title would keep being a must-read after Gail Simone stepped aside as writer and Rick Remender took the reins can go ahead and relax. The All-New Atom is better than ever in this issue, which takes the classic archetypal conflict of man vs. himself and gives it one heck of a twist.

While trying to figure out if Ray Palmer’s experiments were responsible for Ivy Town’s craziness, the new Atom, Ryan, shrinks down to explore a sample of his own blood (sounds weird, but it makes sense). Remender makes that effort alone a pulse-pounder, but then Ryan finds some terrible infestation in his blood and all hell breaks loose.

While still a bit text heavy, the series remains just as zany as under Simone’s watch and is a bit more focused. Good stuff all the way around.

Runners Up:

Logan #1 — Brian K. Vaughan and Eduardo Risso taking on the most famous mutant is pretty well guaranteed to be a quality read. And while this issue is far from mind-blowing, it’s a far superior story of Wolverine getting his memory back than anything we’ve seen in Wolverine: Origins. The downside is Marvel once again arbitrarily slapping a $3.99 price tag on a book for no good reason.

Northlanders #4 — This is the classic "from bad to worse" part of the story, but Brian Wood pulls it off well. The best quality of this vikings series is how Wood gives depth to his characters and doesn’t let any of them fall too far into stereotypical roles of heroes and villains. Life is complicated, especially for blood-hungry Scandinavians.

Omega the Unknown #6 — For the most touching tribute yet to the recently deceased Steve Gerber, this issue merits a purchase. It’s also another darn fine bit of comics by Jonathan Lethem and Farel Dalrymple. After all the action of the past few issues, this one serves as a bit of set up to the coming battle with the robots before culminating with a well done metatextual flourish.

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Kim 2008, by John Ostrander

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  • March 6, 2008
 
kim-and-nettie-in-hammock-copy-8808789This week’s marks eleven years since the passing of my late wife, Kimberly Yale. The best way to remember people, I’ve found, is through stories – stories you know or stories you’ve heard. Story is what I do. So here are some of the stories by which I remember Kim.
 
Kim and I had known each other quite a while before we started dating or became a couple. In point of fact, before Kim and I started dating, I had given up on the ritual. It simply had gotten too painful. I was well into my thirties at that point and none of my relationships had lasted more than six months. The common variable in that equation seemed to be me so I just assumed I was never going to find someone. I had not gone on a date for maybe eighteen months prior to Kim’s and my starting up.
 
In fact, Kim had earlier been one of those who had shot down whatever overture I was making. I had gotten back from a business trip to England and picked up a Doctor Who tchotke or two that I thought she would like. I called her up, said I was coming over to her apartment, and headed over in vague hopes of maybe possibly something might happen. Kim and I were more acquaintances than anything else at this point.
 

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‘Justice League: The New Frontier’ Tops Xbox LIVE Videos

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  • March 5, 2008

Justice League: The New Frontier, DC Comics and Warner Bros. Animation’s direct-to-DVD adaptation of Darwyn Cooke’s critically praised miniseries, was the top movie rental last week on Xbox LIVE’s Video Marketplace. The film, which imagines the DC superteam in the midst of the Cold War, took the top spot on most days since its release on on February 26.

Scott Nocas, a Marketing Manager for LIVE’s Video Store said, "With the great success of Superman: Doomsday on Xbox LIVE just after last year’s Comic-Con, Warner Bros. and Xbox were excited to bring another DC Universe animated movie to our consumers. We continue to see great engagement with the movie, and other DC Comics content on Xbox Marketplace."

Currently available at no charge on the service is a bonus feature that includes interviews with comic luminaries Jim Krueger, Mark Waid, Marv Wolfman, Rich Fogel and Darwyn Cooke himself.

Retail sales numbers for New Frontier have not been released yet but the film is expected to have done well. In fact, some retailers are actually having a difficult time keeping the film in stock, making the Xbox LIVE film an even more attractive option.

Wombat, a gamer from the popular CAGcast podcast, recently recounted his own experience trying to buy the Blu-Ray version of the film at a Circuit City in Union Square, NYC. "Naw, man. I bought the last one yesterday, sucka," an employee told him.

Owch.

If you’re still waiting on your copy, feel free to spend some time reading the ComicMix review of Justice League: New Frontier, checking out photos of the Series 2 line of "New Frontier" toys, or just watching the trailer for the film posted after the jump: (more…)

Birthday Requests

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  • March 4, 2008

If anybody’s stumped on what to get me for a birthday present, there’s a copy of Marvel Comics #1 up for auction. Only $25k or so.

C’mon. It’s not even in mint condition.

It’s not like I’m asking for uranium or a tank or anything.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Please do not send gifts of uranium ore to ComicMix HQ. Thank you. -RM]

 

Review: Teen Titans Year One

teentitansy1-6915716The other day I was talking to James Kochalka, creator of Superf*ckers and the upcoming Johnny Boo children’s books, and he mentioned how difficult it is to find superhero books for his kids. Such offerings are mostly limited to comic book adaptations of cartoon series that were adapted from comics, he said, and “they’ve been pretty bad.”

For DC, the lifeline to younger readers has long been the Teen Titans, most recently through the TV spinoff Teen Titans Go! and Tiny Titans, which is almost too innocent for its own good. Now we also have Teen Titans Year One (issue #3 is out tomorrow), the “origin” story from writer Amy Wolfram.

The book succeeds on a number of levels, primarily in how it manages to be appropriate for kids without dumbing down. There are serious threats and the group faces violence and danger and interpersonal hangups. The art also perfectly fits the tone.

While I’ve enjoyed the series thus far, I doubt it’ll serve as a jumping-on point for any kid looking to get into comics. Another thing Kochalka complained about was how the youth-oriented Marvel and DC comics rely on readers coming into the book to have a firm understanding of the mythos, and that’s certainly the case with [[[Teen Titans Year One]]]. New comics readers will be fairly lost, if not out and out discouraged by the lack of exposition.

The Year One tag also only hampers the series, forcing it into a ridiculously incongruous existence amid decades-old comics. For instance, these Titans use cell phones and instant messaging, devices that weren’t around when the Teen Titans debuted. That’s nit-picking, to be sure, but when an editor’s note tells me this storyline happened right after [[[The Brave and the Bold]]] #54, I can’t help but be yanked out of the plot.

Van Jensen is a former crime reporter turned comic book journalist. Every Wednesday, he braves Atlanta traffic to visit Oxford Comics, where he reads a whole mess of books for his weekly reviews. Van’s blog can be found at graphicfiction.wordpress.com.

Publishers who would like their books to be reviewed at ComicMix should contact ComicMix through the usual channels or email Van Jensen directly at van (dot) jensen (at) gmail (dot) com.

Revised Diamond Sales Figures for January Released

  • News
  • March 4, 2008

Computers are one of the greatest inventions of all time. I love ’em. They make so many things possible and help us get things done more easily and efficiently. In fact, if it wasn’t for computers, you woudn’t be able to enjoy all the great content right here at ComicMix.

Unfortunately, computers can also occassionally make mistakes. Case in point the most recent sales figures for comic books, graphic novels and other periodicals for January. Apparently, there was a technical glitch in the Diamond Comics Distributors’ computer system which resulted in elevated sales figures for comics, graphics novels and other periodicals.

According to ICv2, this glitch has now been corrected and the sales figures adjusted. The new figures reveal a much different picture of sales for January. Some of the biggest differences were that instead of the previously reported 7% gain in comic book sales, it was only 1%. Graphic novels had an even bigger discrepency, with actual gains of only 3% instead of the relatively unrealistic 17% previously reported.

Even with the corrected figures, the news wasn’t all bad. Nine comic book titles, including Hulk #1, Captain America #34 and Astonishing X-Men #24, sold over 100,000 copies in January, which was up three from December’s total of six. And, periodical sales were slightly higher than the previously strong figures from January of 2007, which was considered a very successful month at the time.

If you’re curious about how well your favorite comic books and graphic novels actually sold and what the top ones in each category were, check these out:

The "Top 300 comic books in January 2008."

The "Top 100 graphic novels in January 2008."

The "Top 300 comic books in December 2007."

The "Top 100 graphic novels in December 2007."

Looking over these lists, a couple things stood out for me. I find it interesting that Hulk #1 is at the top spot on the comics list for January (I guess red is a good color on him), two titles in the top 20, Astonishing X-Men and Buffy: Season Eight, involve Joss Whedon and a third title in the top 40, Angel: After the Fall, does as well.

Plus, the number three spot on the graphic novel list is also a Whedon creation: Buffy the Vampire Slayer Omnibus Volume 3. I guess you should never underestimate the power of a great TV show, even one that ended its TV run five years ago — especially if Joss Whedon had anything to do with it.

 

Demons of Sherwood: Where’s Tuck?

  • News
  • March 3, 2008

Bo Hampton and Robert Tinnell present a brand-new episode of Demons of Sherwood today on ComicMix.  

Will Robin swim in a swamp to retrieve a slime-covered flask?  Will he find shelter from the cold, dark night?  Will an old friend welcome him — or betray him?

 

Credits: Bo Hampton (Artist), Bo Hampton (Colorist), Bo Hampton (Letterer), Bo Hampton (Writer), Mike Gold (Editor), Robert Tinnell (Writer)

More: Demons of Sherwood

 

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