Tagged: Superman

‘The Darkness’ Celebrates 75th Issue

  • News
  • December 24, 2008

Top Cow Productions, Inc. announced today that The Darkness will reach Legacy Issue #75 in February, and the publisher will commemorate the milestone event by inviting a list of all-star artists to contribute to the oversized, special issue.

(Fans and retailers confused by the renumbering should note The Darkness #75 is actually #11 of the current volume, but the Legacy Numbering will take effect as of this issue. The Legacy Number denotes the total number of issues of The Darkness ever published, regardless of volume. The subsequent issue will be labeled #76, and so forth.)

The list of artists includes: Michael Broussard (current series artist), Jorge Lucas (Pilot Season: Ripclaw), Dale Keown (Pitt), Joe Benitez (Justice League of America), Ryan Sook (Superman/Batman), Steve Firchow (Ultimatum), Frazer Irving (Silent War), Lee Carter (2000 AD), Stjepan Sejic (Witchblade) and Matt Timson (Impaler). The story, which will examine what a possible future would be like for current Darkness bearer Jackie Estacado, will be penned by current series writer Phil Hester.

“Working on The Darkness #75 was like visiting an old friend I haven’t seen in a while,” Joe Benitez, who hasn’t drawn for an issue of The Darkness since 1999, said in a release. “It’s always nice to see what they’re up to and how they’ve changed.”

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Alan Horn Briefly Updates DCU FIlms

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  • December 18, 2008

alanhornarri-granitz-14912138-2-8527804Collider managed to briefly speak with Warner Bros. President Alan Horn, who provided a little update eon their DC Universe properties.

First up is the notion that Green Lantern will be the next hero to strut his stuff before the camera.  With a screenplay completed and location scouting occurring in Australia, the film appears to be in active pre-production. Horn said, “Also on the board. On the runway. Hasn’t taken off yet, but we’re close.”

Horn indicated he thought Superman would go into production before another Christopher Nolan Batman. “Probably in the next couple of years,” he said. “We’re very anxious to bring Superman back also.”
 
 As for third installment of Batman, Horn said, “We’ve been talking to Chris Nolan and what we have to do is get him in the right place and have him tell us what he thinks the notion might be for a great story, but Chris did a great job and we’d love to have him come back and do another one.

“The story is everything and we are very respectful of Chris. We have a wonderful relationship with him and we are going to be respectful of his timing and we want to get it right. Also, I think the fans expect that – they want us to make a terrific movie – we have to give them another great movie.”

As for the stalled Justice League film, Horn merely said, “Not yet.”
 

‘Ultimatum’ #1 #1 in November

  • News
  • December 16, 2008

ultimatum1-2-3640885The November numbers are in and ICv2 notes that sales of the top 300 titles fell 11% compared with a year ago.  They note that with DC Comics and Marvel Comics skipping issues of Secret Invasion, Final Crisis, New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Astonishing X-Men, and Justice League of America, there’s little wonder.

Only two titles — Marvel’s Ultimatum #1 and DC’s Batman #681 – cracked the 100,000 unit marks based on numbers provided by Diamond Comics Distributors, the fewest since March.

Marvel had 14 of the top 25 titles, DC 10, and Dark Horse one. 

Looking over the list, it’s interesting to note that beyond events and new titles, several mainline books continue to bring in readers because the content seems to be consistently entertaining month after month as exemplified by Amazing Spider-Man and Captain America being in the Top 10. The most popular creators do seem to translate to best sales making it all the more important for creative team consistency month to month.

Here are ICv2’s estimates of the sales by Diamond Comic Distributors to comic stores on the top 25 comic titles in November:

114,230           Ultimatum #1
103,151           Batman #681 (RIP)
  90,776           Hulk #8
  88,910           Wolverine #69
  77,773           Uncanny X-Men #504
  76,625           Amazing Spider-Man #577
  75,493           Captain America #44
  74,202           Buffy the Vampire Slayer #19
  72,862           JSA: Kingdom Come Special Superman #1
  71,355           Justice Society of America #20
  69,522           Batman: Cacophony #1
  68,956           Amazing Spider-Man #576
  66,564           Amazing Spider-Man #578
  64,196           Detective Comics #850 (RIP)
  63,512           X-Men Legacy #218
  61,331           Fantastic Four #561
  58,547           Action Comics #871
  58,279           Dark Tower: Treachery #3
  57,241           X-Force #9
  57,205           JSA: Kingdom Come Special Kingdom #1
  56,931           Final Crisis: Resist #1
  56,224           Avengers / Invaders #6
  55,560           JSA: Kingdom Come Special Magog #1

Geoff Johns Leaves ‘JSA’ After #26

  • News
  • December 10, 2008

jsa-791037-2-2093207Geoff Johns announced his departure from Justice Society of America, after issue #26, at his forum at Comic Bloc.

He wrote:

There will always be a Justice Society of America book in the DC Universe.

I take a lot of pride in that fact because it wasn’t always true.

It’s hard to say this but officially, I will be leaving the title after Justice Society of America #26, which is a single-issue story entitled “Black Adam Ruined my Birthday.” Following the Black Adam arc with Jerry and I, #26 will be my last issue, Dale [Eaglesham]’s last and our fantastic editor Michael Siglain’s last. I think we’re going out on one of my favorite stories to date and I’m glad we are all going out on this together.

I’ve been writing JSA nearly my entire career. The book has steadily gained new and old fans and, with the re-launch two years ago, fixed itself as one of the staples of the DC Universe. Since then we’ve remained one of the top monthly books at DC alongside Justice League of America and Batman. A book starring characters like Jay Garrick, Stargirl, Mr. Terrific and Citizen Steel. Heroes that, I think, most people had written off. But not all of them did.

We got Dr. Mid-Nite from the talented Matt Wagner. And the new Mr. Terrific first appeared in The Spectre under the pen of one of my favorite writers John Ostrander. I brought in Stargirl, who will always be a character I write in one form or another – no matter if I’m on JSA or not. And, above all, I think James Robinson’s run on Starman opened the door for the JSA on a different level.

How’d I get involved in this? Peter Tomasi and David Goyer.

I was asked by them to come on and co-write JSA back in 1999 right when I got into comics. James had left the book after issue #2. David wrote #3 himself and I came in and wrote #4 with him, but without a credit. I got a special thanks to, but that was enough for me. David then wrote #5 and I came on officially with #6, which featured Black Adam way back when. Over the next two years, I worked with David on the book steadily until he left with #25 and returned later through #51.

The JSA to me represents everything good about life, work and superheroes. In life, generations past, present and future all provide different viewpoints. There can be something magical when it’s past from grandfather to father to son or from mother to daughter or son to grandfather. There’s nothing more important than family – and family means a lot more than just blood relatives. That’s what my very first book, Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E., was about and that’s what JSA, and life, is about.

So why am I leaving?

I have more stories to tell, and the characters are endless, but that’s also true for the DC Universe. I’m ready to move on to some other challenges like returning to The Flash and Superman: Secret Origin. And I am also obsessed with making sure that Green Lantern, Blackest Night and everything around it is the absolute best it can possibly be. …and that’s only part of 2009. There are some new projects on the horizon.

I have to thank Dale Eaglesham, Fernando Parasin, Alex Ross, Steve Sadowski, Leonard Kirk, Don Kramer, Jerry Ordway, Michael Bair, Alex Sinclair, Jon Kalisz, Michael Siglain, Steve Wacker, Harvey Richards, Eddie Berganza, Adam Schlagman, Peter Tomasi, David Goyer, James Robinson, Carlos Pacheco and the creators that inspired me – Paul Levitz, Grant Morrison and Marv Wolfman.

And although he’s never read the book, Roy Thomas. He held the torch for a long time and did a wonderful job. I wish we could’ve done a project together.

I’m sure I’ll return to the Justice Society in some form or another some day, but for now I’m passing them off a new creative team – one who is already working on the book (job’s taken, sorry guys – and it’s someone who’s never worked with these characters before). I really look forward to reading it.

Thanks for all your support and I’ll see you all soon!

‘Wonder Woman’ to Screen at NYCC

  • News
  • December 10, 2008

trevor-tree-2-4499611Animator Bruce Timm has been named a Guest of Honor at the New York Comic-Con in February.

In making the announcement, the convention also said the latest animated feature, Wonder Woman, will be premiered at the con. at 8:30 p.m. on February 6 in the IGN Theater. The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring Timm and members of the film’s cast and crew.

The DVD, OnDemand, Pay-Per-View, and download are all scheduled for a March 3 release.

Other DC properties with films in development include Batman, Superman, Justice League, Green Lantern and The Flash. The release did not name The Teen Titans project confirming the rumors that it is no longer an active feature.
 

‘Green Lantern’ Completes Third Draft Script

  • News
  • December 2, 2008

Yesterday, we speculated that Green Lantern was the DC hero next going before the cameras and MTV’s Splash Page then ran an interview with co-screenwriter Marc Guggenheim that confirms this projection.

“This morning, we sat down to talk Green Lantern,” Guggenheim told MTV, “and we ended up riffing for an hour and a half on another, much more obscure character. Sometimes, you just have to roll with it when inspiration strikes, you know? I’m sure the studio wouldn’t be happy about it, but we’re not going to blow the deadline. We’ll get it in.”

The screenplay was written by Guggenheim, Michael Green (Superman/Batman) and Greg Berlanti (Eli Stone) and after three drafts, they think it’s about ready for Berlanti to direct. Locations have been scouted and production designs have been crafted by Aaron Sims, who is also working on X-Men Origins: Magneto for director David S. Goyer.

“[The changes are] nothing that’s affecting the storyline, really,” he said. “It’s pretty well set. But sometimes we’ll move a scene to a different location for budget purposes, perhaps in an already established location instead of a new one. It’s a question of, which locations can we live without? It’s a constant process to streamline what you’re going through, even after the film is shot, when you’re cutting things in the edit. That’s what the rewrite process is like, how you sand down the roughness of the a movie to its smoothest.”

Guggenheim also noted that a cameo for reporter Clark Kent appears in the script leading to speculation if Warner would go with Tom Welling (Smallville) or Brandon Routh (Superman Returns) for the wink to the greater DC Universe.

“There were rumors that Tom Welling would have a cameo in Batman Begins as a young Clark Kent, to meet up with a young Bruce Wayne,” Guggenheim said. “But you have to be careful when you do things like that, because it sounds great in concept, but when you sit down to watch it, it poses the danger of pulling you out of the film.”

He refused to talk about the current rumor of Ryan Gosling being eyed to play test pilot Hal Jordan.

The Stories That Informed ‘Batman R.I.P.’

  • News
  • November 26, 2008

batman-076-2-1186780“Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot. So my disguise must be able to strike terror into their hearts. I must be a creature of the night, black, terrible …a…a…”
 
As if in answer, a huge image of a Caped Crusader flashed across a movie screen. Across monitors throughout space and time and other dimensions.
 
“It’s an omen!” each man, alien and other-dimensional imp declared. “I shall become a Batman!”
 
One of the attractions of Batman was, it’s often been said, the fact that a kid could actually imagine growing up to be the Caped Crusader. No one was ever going to grow up to be Superman but with an extensive training regimen (and a hefty bank account) …well, anything’s possible. Overlay that with the spirit of mainstreaming and conformity of the 1950s and you end up with a universe where there seemed to be a Batman knock-off on every corner and planet.
 
In 1964, editor Julius Schwartz found his arm twisted into taking over the flagging Batman titles. He immediately ditched the extended Batman family and the increasingly prevalent space alien stories for a more contemporary angle grounded in the real world. And as the years rolled on, Schwartz and company refined their approach and gradually, permanently put the Dark back in their Knight.
 

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‘Sarah Jane’ Back for Third Season

  • News
  • November 26, 2008

The BBC has confirmed a third season of The Sarah Jane Adventures, to air in the fall of 2009.

Their website reviewed their future children’s offerings and said, “Together with her companions Rani and Clyde and her adopted son Luke, Sarah Jane once again comes face to face with a whole host of weird and wonderful alien beings.”

Additionally, they will be transporting Stan Lee’s Who Wants To Be A Superhero? to England and turning it into a new show aimed at younger viewers, hosted by Sam Nixon and Mark Rhodes. The show lasted just two seasons on Sci Fi Channel before becoming a ratings victim.

The series wants kid heroes between 9-13 who “will create their own unique, never-seen-before superhero character, including original name, catchphrase and superpowers.

The BBC wrote,” The last super-hero standing receives the ultimate reward – immortality with a starring role in their very own comic book created by the master of the genre, Stan Lee (The Hulk and Superman[sic]).

“The last super-hero standing will fly to Hollywood to meet the legendary creator in person and collect their personalized comic book.

“Over the course of the series the aspiring super-heroes test their abilities and try to overcome their limitations, doing whatever it takes to prove that they are truly super.

“Each week, they face challenges designed to test their courage, integrity, self-sacrifice, compassion and resourcefulness – all the qualities that a true super-hero must possess.

“And each week, one superhero powers down, transforming back into their real identity and returning home.

“Before Sam and Mark begin their quest to find the world’s next great superhero, they are trained in ‘super-hero spotting’ by Stan Lee himself, qualifying them to host auditions for budding heroes across the country – culminating in a final audition in London.

“Eventually, 13 wannabe heroes will leave their normal lives behind and move into a secret lair to face a series of missions as they begin their transformations into real-life super-heroes.”

George Perez, Geoff Johns, Jim Lee Added as NY Comic-Con Guests of Honor

  • News
  • November 16, 2008

nycc09-logo-ff-7082884Two more notable comic book celebrities will be joining the festivities at New York Comic Con (NYCC) this year as Guests of Honor. Affording thousands of fans the opportunity to meet them in person, Geoff Johns, who is well-known as a comic book writer of a number of DC Comics characters, including Superman, Green  Lantern and the Flash as well as for his work as a screenwriter; and superstar artist Jim Lee, known for his acclaimed artistic runs on titles including BATMAN, ALL STAR BATMAN and WILDCATS, will be attending NYCC to help launch the new Massively Multiplayer Online Role-playing game, DC Universe Online (DCUO), produced by Sony Online Entertainment for PLAYSTATION 3 in collaboration with DC Comics and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment. 

Both Johns and Lee will be signing autographs and they will conduct a large DC Universe Online event on Saturday, February 7, 2009.  New York Comic Con will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Center in New York City, February 6 – 8, 2009.  

“Having both Jim Lee and Geoff Johns at our show is a great ‘get’ under any circumstance, but it’s especially cool to have them here to as part of DC Universe Online,” notes Lance Fensterman, Vice President and Con Manager for NYCC. “They will do a fabulous job entertaining our fans and I know that they will attract huge crowds, not only for autographs but also for their demonstration.  I am enormously grateful to them for participating in New York Comic Con and we’re pleased to have them as Guests of Honor.” 

“Jim and Geoff represent two of the top talents in comics, so it only makes sense that they’d transfer those skills to the gaming world,” said Dan DiDio, SVP and Executive Editor for DC Comics. “It’s a perfect fit to have them named Guests of Honor at New York Comic Con.”

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Colan: Visions of a Man without Fear Opens in San Francisco

  • News
  • November 11, 2008

Gene Colan’s artistic career will receive the retrospective treatment as San Francisco’s Cartoon Art Museum presents Colan: Visions of a Man without Fear, opening November 15 and running through March 15, 2009.

On December 4, there will be a special opening reception with Gene and Adrienne Colan in attendance.

The exhibition will include over 40 examples from Colan’s long creative career, from his one and only story illustrated for legendary publisher EC Comics in 1952, through his career-defining work for Marvel Comics from the 1960s and 1970s on titles as diverse as Iron Man, Tomb of Dracula and Howard The Duck, to his notable run on DC Comics’ Batman in the 1980s, to his more recent efforts, including illustrations commissioned by his fans and his beautiful pencil artwork on titles such as Michael Chabon’s The Escapist, published by Dark Horse Comics.

Guest Curator Glen David Gold, author of the novel, Carter Beats the Devil, put the museum show together.  An exhibition catalog featuring high-quality reproductions of Colan’s artwork and essays from many of his most notable collaborators, including writers Stan Lee, Marv Wolfman, Roy Thomas and Steve Englehart, will be available at the Cartoon Art Museum prior to the exhibition’s opening reception on December 4.

For those unfamiliar with Gene “The Dean”, he was born in New York in 1926 and studied at the Art Students League of New York under illustrator Frank Riley and surrealistic Japanese painter Kuniashi. After a stint in the army, Colan’s official career in comics began in 1944 at Fiction House and Timely.

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