Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced that the publisher will re-launch Minotaur Press, an imprint for independent-styled series, with the publication of two new titles debuting later this year. The first two titles debuting in the upcoming Top Cow First Look trade paperback in October are: Echoes (written by Joshua Hale Fialkov with art by Rahsan Ekedal) and Last Mortal (written by Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik and John Mahoney with art by Thomas Nachlik). Both titles will come out in single issues under the Minotaur Press in late 2010 and 2011.

”We’ve been looking to expand Top Cow’s publishing line for some time with a brand that focused on self-contained, cerebral stories,” explained Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik. “Revitalizing the Minotaur Press line is a perfect fit for properties like Echoes and Last Mortal. With these we hope to reach a new audience and continue to evolve fans’ perception of the Top Cow brand.”

The return of the imprint is part of Top Cow’s efforts to create three distinct, clear lines of comics. These lines will include Top Cow Universe, which encompasses series such as Witchblade, The Darkness and Artifacts, that take place in the shared Top Cow Universe; Top Cow Productions, which will include stand alone color series such as Mysterious Ways, Sunset, and Rest; and lastly, Minotaur Press, which will act a home for darker, more nuanced stories.

For the rest of the press release, please check behind the cut

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Welcome back to another edition of Multiversity Comics Showdown. Even though this week will be a tad slower due to the Labor Day weekend, we still want to give you all your favorite weekly articles. After last week's ended up being a hit (albeit due mainly to the debate of what independent really means), we're pleased to bring you the third part in our take on the top books on the market right now (as seen on IGN).

This week we tackle one of the two industry giants: Marvel. This will also be the first week featuring Marvel's own Fantastic Four: David Harper, Gilbert Short, Brandon Burpee, and Matt Meylikhov. What do we think are the best books on the market right now from Marvel? Take a look after the cut, and let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

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You might remember that Mark Millar often does contests to allow fans to become part of the story. The most famous (to me) was the one for Kick-Ass, won by Dave Lizewski (a name now famous all over the country thanks to the movie, no doubt). And now you have the opportunity to do so again.

As announced at Empire Online, you have a chance to have your name be the name of the lead in Superior. What's the catch? Well, let's see what they say:

The story of a young boy with multiple sclerosis who becomes, via dint of a magical wish, the superhero of his dreams, Superior - written by Millar, and drawn by Leinil Yu - launches in October. And, to continue the wish fulfilment theme, you too can be that young boy. And, with a movie deal in the offing, there's no telling where this could end up, as Millar explains.

If you fancy being a superhero in your spare time, simply go to the auction's eBay page, and place your bid. (Do please use your real name, and keep it clean; obscene bids will be discounted.)

All proceeds from the Millarworld auction will go to a special needs unit in a school where Millar's brother, Dr Bobby Millar, has been raising cash for handicapped children for several years.

Say what you will about Millar and/or his writing, but this is still a great cause. The bidding at the time I am posting this is 75 pounds (or a little under 116 dollars), and there are still around 3 days left in the auction. Click here to bid now.

Today at Multiversity Casting Couch, we're going to take a new approach. Rather than cast a set book with set characters, we're going to provide our take on a hotly debated internet topic: what villains will appear in the next Batman film by Christopher Nolan?

There were a couple rules here, though. The first is that we have to take into account the laws of Nolan's verse: no super powers. These are all characters who are all, more or less, ordinary. They all have bases in reality. We also have to take into account as a second rule how Christopher Nolan likes to work. You'll notice that the casting here might seem a bit out there, but at the same time there are a lot of people who are repeat players in Nolan's work. Many of them have to match up with Bale as well.

While we are positive that most of these villains aren't characters Nolan would want to use, they're all characters or actors we like. So today, we present to you the latest collaboration between MC EIC Matthew Meylikhov and guest editor Jessica Graham for Batman's last film (until some other director comes along).

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Yo ho ho! There are just two coves this week but they are awesome! I mean it. They are excellent pieces of art. I mean, would they be on this list if they weren’t? Anyway let’s cut the jibber jabber and get right into it.

Hit the jump like a champ…

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It's another week, and you know what that means! More comics! It's just Matt and I this week, so we both have not 4, not 5, but six book reviews for your enjoyment. I know YOU'RE psyched! Especially for my books! Becaue my books are totally better than Matt's. Totally.

0: Uwe Boll will direct the adaptation of this comic
0.1 - 1: Burn upon touching
1- 1.9: Abysmal
2.0 - 2.9: Art. Writing. Editing. All bad.
3.0 - 3.9: You'd be a masochist to pick this up.
4.0 - 4.9: "I'll give it another month...but that was not good."
5.0 - 5.9: "Really? The Watcher? In the face? I guess it was fun."
6.0 - 6.9: "Hmm. That was decent."
7.0 - 7.9: Well made but a few problems
8.0 - 8.9: Nearly flawless
9.0 - 9.9: Outstanding
10: Perfection. Issue of the year contender

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Welcome to the very first installment of Random Thought Bubbles. This will be a column where I’ll present to you my random thoughts on comics. The beauty of this column will be that there is no set format. It’ll be a fun column where I can go in-depth on topics or just present you with some quick thoughts.

Why the hell is this thing called Random Thought Bubbles?

So what’s on my mind today? Well, dive into the rabbit hole to find out…

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It’s the return of your favorite furry flatfoots in an all new original ongoing series! Coming on the heels of BOOM!’s bestselling and multiple sell out DARKWING DUCK series, BOOM! brings you another piece of the Disney Afternoon revolution with CHIP ‘N DALE RESCUE RANGERS in their own ongoing series debuting this December.

Join DARKWING DUCK writer Ian Brill and MARVEL SUPERHERO SQUAD artist Leonel Castellani as they take the diminutive detectives on all new original adventure!

Whether you’re a CHIP ‘N DALE RESCUE RANGERS fan from the hit TV show or want to discover these beloved characters for the first time, this new ongoing series delivers all the mystery, intrigue and hijinks that made CHIP ‘N DALE RESCUE RANGERS the number one Disney Afternoon TV show ever!

This is the only comic book series coming out that will have you singing that song you can never forget: "Sometimes some crimes go slipping through the cracks. But these two Gumshoes are picking up the slack. There's no case too big, no case too small, when you need help just call —Ch-ch-ch-Chip 'N Dale Rescue Rangers!"

For the full press release, check behind the cut!

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When Batman isn't out fighting crime, what does he do exactly?

It just might be something like this.

Take a look above at the "Beauty shot" of the special edition of the Inception blu-ray package. What a site to behold, isn't it? When I saw the movie, I predicted a special edition a la the Dark Knight, but I didn't expect anything as pretty as this! So what's inside this box set, which comes inside of Arthur's briefcase?

• Maximum Movie Mode: Christopher Nolan and Leonardo DiCaprio extract information about the world of Inception and learn about all things you may have missed in the film. Questions, answers, surprises and intrigue are all there for the taking!
  
• Prologue (Motion Comics):
  
  • Inception: The Cobol Job: Online comic that details how Cobb, Arthur and Nash came to be enlisted by Cobol Engineering to perform an extraction on Saito.
    
  • Inception: The Big Under: The story that reveals how Cobb and company get to Saito to put him under for the dream featured in the beginning of the film.
  
  
• Dream of Consciousness: Taking some of the most fascination and cutting-edge dream research to date on lucid dreaming, leading scientist to make the case that the dream world is not an altered state of consciousness, but a fully functional parallel reality.
  
• 15 Focus Pods
  
• Photo Gallery

Holy potatoes! That and your very own totem. I guess you're supposed to buy this box set, spin it, and find out if you're stuck in a dream. /BRAAAAAAAAAAAAHM

I wasn't a huge fan of the Batman: Brave and the Bold TV show, but I've gotta say - this is the best trailer ever. In fact, one of the few episodes that I did see of the show was the hilarious Bat-Mite episode, so bringing him back to play the game on the Wii with Batman is just such a great concept. From what I've seen from commentary on other sites, it's as good if not better as any of the episodes!

So while you may not be getting any episodes of the show any time soon (I heard it was cancelled?), take a look at this trailer for some video game hilarity.

Last week, DC Comics, Geoff Johns and Gary Frank finished what promised to be the definitive origin of THE icon Superman. There have been a lot of retellings of his origins, so why should you read this one? Well, let’s go on a short little trip so I can tell you why.

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Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that the publisher will be releasing six new #1 issues in the upcoming Top Cow First Look Volume 1 trade paperback. Scheduled to be in stores October 6, 2010, the Top Cow First Look is a new publishing initiative that will allow readers to sample new titles from six dramatically different creative teams in a single collection at a reasonable price point.

For readers new to Top Cow, the Top Cow First Look trade will provide an exclusive “first look” at the publisher’s latest creation in the crime noir, suspense, urban action, space horror, supernatural mystery and revenge genres. The follow titles are collected in the first volume:

Check behind the cut for the rest of the press release

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BOOM! Studios and POW! Entertainment announced today that STAN LEE'S THE TRAVELER #1 is available to pre-order. Debuting this November, STAN LEE'S THE TRAVELER is a new ongoing series written by IRREDEEMABLE's Mark Waid and drawn by AMAZING SPIDER-MAN's Chad Hardin.

STAN LEE'S THE TRAVELER features a mysterious new superhero with time-traveling powers who battles the Split-Second Men, super-powered assassins from the future.

"Stan Lee and Mark Waid working together? You can't beat that! Both are legends in our industry, and now both are bringing THE TRAVELER to life. There is no hype that can overstate the power of these two comic book industry titans joining forces to bring fans a brand new superhero comic book like no other you have ever seen," said BOOM! Studios Editor-in-Chief Matt Gagnon. "Add an artist like Chad Hardin to the mix, and you have comic book gold, my friends! I can't wait for fans to experience THE TRAVELER."

The November debut of STAN LEE'S THE TRAVELER #1 will mark the second of three titles debuting from Stan Lee and BOOM! Studios with STAN LEE'S SOLDIER ZERO #1 hitting store shelves in October and STAN LEE'S STARBORN #1 shipping this December. All three titles were announced by Stan Lee during a press conference at Comic-Con International this past summer.

For the rest of the press release, check behind the cut

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Love it or hate it, JMS is currently the man behind the pen that controls Superman. I suppose the bright spot to those of you that dislike Grounded are granted another opportunity to get into his Superman with Earth One, an upcoming graphic novel. The book takes place in an alternate universe and retells a version of Superman's origin for a new generation. And today, DC posted up a preview of the first five pages.

Excited? Is your appetite whet yet? No? Well, why not read this, straight from DCU's The Source:

This October, writer J. Michael Straczynski (Superman, Wonder Woman, Babylon 5, “Changeling”) and artist Shane Davis (Green Lantern, Superman/Batman) will take readers on a journey both familiar and new – a story of a last son looking for meaning amidst the skyscrapers and teeming crowds of a great metropolis.

This is a Superman for the 21st century.

With SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE, Straczynski and Davis inject the folk tale and legend that is Superman’s origin with a modern, vital and forward-looking energy that makes for a refreshing, epic and challenging super-hero adventure.

In SUPERMAN: EARTH ONE – the first original graphic novel retelling Superman’s origin — Clark Kent is a man looking for meaning in a new city and an age of failing newspapers, hand-held devices and instant gratification. But when you can fly through the sky and burn objects with a glance – things become a tad more complicated. Doubly so when a fleet of alien ships arrive on your doorstep.

Take a look behind the cut for five pages from the upcoming graphic novel.

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