Comic fans, Multiversity fans, and anyone else, we have a new contest for you over the weekend. Tomorrow brings two momentous occasions: Free Comic Book Day and Multiversity Comics' one year anniversary!

To celebrate this we're having a photo contest to win a bunch of great swag from our friends at Archaia Comics. Basically, all you have to do is take a picture featuring yourself, your FCBD haul, and Multiversity Comics. Our favorite picture will win a prize pack from Archaia including:

• Awakening Vol. 1 HC
• Days Missing Vol. 1 HC
• The Engineer: Konstrukt HC
• Gunnerkrigg Court Vol. 1 HC
• Gunnerkrigg Court Vol. 2 HC
• The Killer Vol. 1 HC
• Titanium Rain Vol. 1 HC

Bonus points can be earned by being extra creative, by featuring Archaia's awesome FCBD offering, and by including a cat. However, I must note, we're extremely random. There's a pretty decent chance we'll just pick whatever ends up being the coolest.

We'll also feature you briefly in a reader spotlight with your picture along with a brief interview (if you're interested of course).

Send in your pictures to david@multiversitycomics.com. Entries are being accepted until Monday at Noon Eastern Standard Time, and we'll announce the winner later that afternoon.

Big thanks to Archaia for the support with this and all of the help in our first year.

For those that have been reading Multiversity for a while, you know we have a weekly column in which I take a look at the ins and outs of Zuda Comics. Every Wednesday I provide either an interview or analysis of the current month's competition, and it's been a big hit amongst the creators involved and our readers.

However, Ron Perazza of Zuda fame announced today that one of the big aspects of Zuda's two and a half year existence - the competition itself - will be going away. It's been a huge part of the excitement and the buzz behind Zuda, but as Perazza himself said:

However it’s also had its shortcomings; accusations of cheating, confusion about the process, spamming in the the name of promotion and argumentative, dismissive or even aggressive behavior.


Is there a better way to achieve the former without having to endure or encourage the latter? I think so. The comic industry needs a steady influx of new creators and new ideas. We should consistently explore the medium, looking for new ways to tell great stories. I think that if we, as a company, are committed to those goals we would be foolish not to pursue them.

However, from this point forward, we wont be using the competition format to do it.

I'm really excited to see where Zuda goes from here, but that means our Zuda Weekly column will likely be reduced a bit going forward until the new process is announced. We'll continue to interview Zuda creators (there is SO MUCH talent over there) and tout their comics, but the competitive aspect that were so important to half the posts we made will no longer be around.

Look for more coming about this in the future, as I'm sure there will be updates aplenty sooner rather than later.

Even before The Dark Knight was released, speculation was running rampant towards the follow-up Batman film by director Christopher Nolan. After two years, we finally have our first big news on the as-of-yet untitled film: a release date. Heat Vision reports that we will be seeing Batman on the big screen by July 20, 2012. As of yet, we know nothing else. No characters, no actors, nothing. So stop slinging around rumors as fact.

Fantasizing is alright though, and I don't think that I'm making too much of a leap when I guess that you may see a related Multiversity Casting Couch at some point, eh Gil?

This just in, I love alliteration. That aside, DC has released a preview of Red Robin #12 through their blog, The Source. This issue marks the departure of the well known Chris Yost from the title, a loss that is highly unfortunate. Yost has made Red Robin one of the most most enjoyable yet underrated titles DC is publishing, so much so that I even purchased a tie-in issue of Batgirl despite having a deep loathing of Stephanie Brown's character (it doesn't help that the writing is...subpar). Luckily, Marcus To will still be contributing his excellent pencil work to the book, so I will at least give Fabian Nicieza a chance. This final chapter in the showdown between Tim Dr-er, Wayne and the nefarious Ra's Al Ghul comes out this Wednesday for $2.99. Don't miss it!

Written by Christopher Yost; Art and cover by Marcus To and Ray McCarthy

Every single moment of the last year has led to this fight between Red Robin and Ra's al Ghul. Who has Ra's been talking to all this time in the shadows? Why was Lucius Fox so desperate to find Tim Drake? And why was Tim so certain that Bruce Wayne is alive in issue #1? All questions are answered.

Marvel sure likes their teasers, don't they? The most recent one released for Marvel's upcoming Shadowland is just as interesting as the others, and boy does it have me stoked for this event. Having been off playing "Hawkeye" on the Dark Avengers, Bullseye is in for a whole new Daredevil that he hasn't seen before, and I've been saying for a while that as soon as he re-enters old Horn-Head's world he will soon be meeting an unseemly end. This picture only strengthens this belief, though I will say that these things are not always how they seem. The inclusion of Wolverine in this one is interesting, and it makes me wonder if he will have a part in what happens to Bullseye (then again, what isn't he included in?).

Shadowland is the "The Battle for the Soul of New York," and will be written by Andy Diggle, drawn by Billy Tan, and feature street-level characters such as Daredevil, Spider-Man, Punisher, Luke Cage, Iron Fist (!) and more. If you're a Marvel fan and you don't plan on picking this up, I simply don't know what to say to you.

After a long period of speculation, the first issue of comic superstars Ed Brubaker and Mike Deodato's Secret Avengers is almost here! With their new habit of posting teasers, Marvel has already ensured a good deal of interest in this new team, but if this diverse cast isn't enough to get you interested, I recommend checking out CBR's preview and be swayed. Trust me, it looks great. Brubaker is always a top-quality writer with a knack for those lesser-used characters, and he has already demonstrated his skill with the characters of Steve Rogers and Black Widow.

COVER BY: Marko Djurdjevic
WRITER: Ed Brubaker
PENCILS: Mike Deodato
THE STORY:
THE HEROIC AGE IS HERE! Who are the Secret Avengers? Are they a covert team of heroes working the darkest corners of the globe to stop disaster? Are they part-spy, part-superhero? Are they XXXXXXX’s newest idea to save the world...or all they all of the above? A new era begins as Marvel's hottest team takes a 21st century twist! Rated T …$3.99

We are still a while away from the title's launch on May 26th, but hopefully this can hold you over until then.

This Saturday is one of my favorite holidays of the year, and it isn't even a widely spread holiday - it's like a comic book Christmas, and it's name is Free Comic Book Day.

Free Comic Book Day is just what it sounds like, as most of the major comic book publishers produce special comics for the first Saturday of this May, which in this case is Saturday, May 1st. There are all kinds of reasons to go...many big creators will be signing, lots of big sales in conjunction, and then the comics! Check out the link above for a list of all of the comics, where the big events are, previews of the comics, and a lot more.

Some of the comics I'm excited for this year include:

• Marvel's Iron Man/Thor by Matt Fraction and John Romita Jr.
• Dark Horse's Doctor Solar/Magnus from Jim Shooter and Dennis Calero
• Archaia's Mouse Guard/Fraggle Rock flip book from David Petersen and others
• Drawn and Quarterly's YOW! The John Stanley Library FCBD 2010 Edition from Seth and John Stanley
• DC's War of the Supermen from James Robinson, Eddy Barrows, Ruy Jose (cover by JG Jones)
• Boom's Irredeemable/Incorruptible flip book from Mark Waid, Peter Krause, Jean Diaz
• Top Cow's Artifacts #0 by Ron Marz and various artists
• Oni Press' Oni Free For All by Chris Schweizer, Matthew Loux, Ray Fawkes
• Red 5's Atomic Robo from Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener
• Th3rd World Studios' The Stuff of Legend: Mortal Instruments from Mike Raicht, Brian Smith, and Charles Paul Wilson III

Don't forget to go to your local store on Monday - odds are there are fun events at comic stores nationwide, and at the very least there are sweet, free comics. While you're at it, pick something new up. Just because they are free for you doesn't mean they are free for your store...support your local comic book store and buy something cool and new!

April is over, and that means it's time for a monthly wrap-up! There have been some great comics this month, but only a few can make the final cut. What do you think they were? Click behind the cut to read my take on the past month, as this month wraps up. It's been a great year for comics so far, and this month is no different. So give this a read and see if you are not entertained.

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Hey internet, are you curious as to how Kenneth Branagh's Thor is going to look like? Do you wonder if Chris Hemsworth will accurately represent the role? Well, let's take a look and you can all decide for yourselves:

• Red cape? Check.
  
• Disks on uniform? Check.
  
• That scale-like chain mail that covers him? Check.
  
• Long hair and beard? Well, Thor doesn't normally have a beard, but I'll take it anyway because beards are awesome. It also could be bigger, but still check.
  
• Rippling biceps? Not so much, but it'll do.
  
• Funny hat with cute feathers? No check.
  
• Mjolnir? No check.

There you have it! It's a dark picture, probably because they really just wanted to tease us, but I like what I see. I trust Branagh a lot with this film, and Hemsworth does look better than I imagined in the suit. I really hope this turns out well.

Thor is set for release in May 5th, 2011 starring Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, and will be directed by Kenneth Branagh.

Welcome to this week’s edition of The Multiversity Casting Couch. If you somehow missed last week’s EPIC debut, what I do is take an existing property and I cast it with actors and actresses that I think fit the role. This week it’s the series created by Brian K. Vaughan and Adrian Alphona, The Runaways! It was a particularly challenging one, as it’s a teen-centric book, so you SHOULD have teen centric stars. I have a feeling this one may be a little more “controversial” than most others, because where are most of the teen stars? Why, they’re over at Disney and Nickelodeon. So bear with me.

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I don't like Superman. It was drilled into my head during a younger and more impressionable age all the negative aspects of this God-like character, and since then I haven't been able to look at him or read a story about him without being reminded of all these crappy character aspects. Humorously enough, I've found myself reading a great deal of Superman stories as of late, mainly due to Geoff Johns' run on Action Comics, which has led me to read Adventure Comics and Supergirl and lightly follow Superman and Action Comics (which haven't even been about Superman as of late). Now, with Last Stand over and War of the Supermen around the character, Superman is about to return to his own title, which I will be buying due to my enjoyment of the main author.

There's only one real reason I ever gave Superman a decent change though, and that's because of a short little book called All-Star Superman. I had read Superman stories before that, both canon and non-canon, and I had found ones that were decent enough (most of them Elseworlds stories or team books), but it wasn't until I read All-Star Superman that I actually thought to give Superman the time of day again. I am now willing to read any Superman story thrown my way, and it's all because of the brilliance of this 12-issue tale by Frank Quitely and Grant Morrison, and it's not even canon.

Click behind the jump to see my thoughts on the book.

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Hollywood continues to look out for the next big thing, and just when people were prognosticating the end of comic movies rein with The Losers and Kick-Ass faltering, we have another announcement of a comic movie. It seems Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips' non-Criminal sandbox Incognito is going to be turned into a movie by 20th Century Fox by Robert Schenkkan (Pulitzer Prize winning playwright of The Kentucky Cycle), and in many ways it feels like a really ideal title to make the transition (as well as the first Icon book to make its way towards movie-dom).

For those that don't know, it follows a super-criminal named Zack Overkill who rats out his boss when his twin brother is killed and in turn has to go into the witness protection program. It's a really entertaining book if only for the fact that you have this man used to super-crime, killing, women falling all over him, and more, and now you have him drugged to negate his powers and emasculated by his meaningless job as a mail delivery boy in an office. It's filled with dark humor, big action set pieces, and a lot of inventiveness by the deadly duo of Bru and Phillips, and in my mind it could make a killer film.

We're a long ways out from that though, but as of now it's potentially on its way to being the next big comic movie. Maybe.

The first trailer of Joan Hex has arrived on the internet, and boy does it look... interesting. I've read one Jonah Hex comic in my entire life, so I don't know how accurate this is or isn't. However, it does look like an over the top Western with lots of crazy comic book violence, and that's intriguing enough. Miniguns on a horse, man!

Synopsis: The U.S. military makes a scarred bounty hunter with warrants on his own head an offer he cannot refuse: in exchange for his freedom, he must stop a terrorist who is ready to unleash Hell on Earth.

The movie stars Josh Brolin, Megan Fox, and John Malkovich, and comes out June 18th.

If you've been missing out on Mark Waid and Peter Krause's awesome, Eisner nominated series Irredeemable, Boom! Studios is giving you the opportunity to sample it as they are giving away the first issue as their Free Comic Book Day offering. That's an awesome deal, and now they've made the deal even better - they just shared that their FCBD release will be a double sized, 48 page flip book with both the first issue of Irredeemable and the first issue of Incorruptible (also from Mark Waid).

That's an awesome thing, and something that I highly recommend for all FCBD participants.

Check out the full press release after the jump.

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We're all big fans of Archaia over here at Multiversity Comics. They've put out some absolutely fantastic releases such as Mouse Guard, The Killer, and Days Missing, and they continue to be one of the best indie comic book publishers. Thanks to things like Free Comic Book Day, they're going to be able to reach an even bigger audience with free Fraggle Rock and Mouse Guard comics, but on top of that they're going to have a slew of signings across the country! There are some great creators in this list, including ones that we at Multiversity have talked to and pimped out, so take a look.

For the full press release as well as all the signings, check behind the cut!

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Top Cow Productions, Inc. is proud to announce today its plans for this weekend’s Free Comic Book Day, Saturday, May 1st, which takes place in comic shops across North America. Free Comic Book Day is an annual event where participating direct market stores give out free comics to anyone that walks into their store.

This year’s Top Cow Free Comic Book Day offering is Artifacts #0, by Ron Marz (Witchblade, Magdalena) and Stjepan Sejic (Witchblade, Angelus). The issue serves as an introduction to the publisher’s maxi-event that’s been over five years in the making. Building on the success of First Born and Broken Trinity, Top Cow will finally reveal the identity of all 13 Artifacts, which include The Darkness, Witchblade, Angelus, Magdalena’s Spear of Destiny and 9 others. Launching a massive 13-issue event beginning in July 2010, the series will define and redefine the nature of the Top Cow Universe. The final identity of the remaining Artifacts will be revealed, characters will perish and the very existence of the Top Cow Universe will be at stake.

As a special treat for LA locals, Top Cow founder Marc Silvestri will be participating in the festivities and serving as the Guest of Honor at Collector’s Paradise in Winnetka, CA. Joining Silvestri at Collector’s Paradise is the first art team on the Artifacts series, Michael Broussard (The Darkness), who will also be signing at Meltdown Comics in Hollywood, CA. On the east coast, Marz will be signing Artifacts #0 at two New England Comics locations: Brockton and Harvard Square.

Other Top Cow creators making appearances in the Los Angeles area include Top Cow publisher Filip Sablik, Rick Loverd (Berserker), Rob Levin (Broken Trinity: Pandora’s Box, The Darkness: Shadows & Flame), Rahsan Ekedal (The Crazies, Echoes), Nelson Blake II (Pilot Season: Murderer, Magdalena), Sal Regla (Pilot Season: Murderer, Magdalena), Sheldon Mitchell (Pilot Season: Stealth, The Darkness), Joshua Hale Fialkov (Pilot Season: Alibi, Echoes), Rick Basaldua (Pilot Season: Stealth, The Darkness) and Ryan Winn (The Darkness). Additionally, Tyler Kirkham (Strykeforce, Witchblade Takeru Manga) and Phil Hester (The Darkness) will be appearing in various parts of the United States to celebrate the annual event.

Behind the cut are Top Cow’s full event plans for FCBD:

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Do you like science? Do you like robots? Do you like nazis? Well, then do I have a deal for you! Created in 1999 by everyone's favorite Alan Moore, Tom Strong is a science/action hero that Moore and Chris Sprouse used to do bi-monthly for America's Best Comics, which is a division of WildStorm (which is an imprint of DC). You may or may not have heard, but Tom Strong is coming back, written by Peter Hogan (who used to write Tom Strong in Terra Obscura) with art by Chris Sprouse (awesome!) and Karl Story. There will also be variant covers done by JH Williams, who also used to work with Moore at America's Best Comics on Promethea!

Phew. That's a lot of information. I guess you better check out a preview of the first issue over at WildStorm's blog, The Bleed:

Written by PETER HOGAN • Art and cover by CHRIS SPROUSE & KARL STORY • 1:10 Variant cover by J.H. WILLIAMS III

The super sci-fi adventure continues as one of Alan Moore's most beloved creations returns to comics with ABC veteran Peter Hogan (TERRA OBSCURA) writing and co-creator Chris Sprouse pencilling! Tom Strong and his family prepare to celebrate Tesla's wedding when the unthinkable happens – before their eyes, reality alters to become a world conquered by the Nazis and ruled by Tom's nefarious son Albrecht! What mysterious secret from Tom's past has brought about this catastrophe? And how can things ever be put right again?

Featuring a variant cover by fellow ABC alumnus J.H. Williams III (DETECTIVE COMICS, PROMETHEA)!

The book comes out on June 2nd for $3.99, and should be a good deal of fun for you fans of science action heroes. For those that don't know Tom Strong too well, check out the brand new Deluxe Editions on Amazon.com, available here and here (the second of which came out just this month!)

Do you like clever and humorous t-shirts? You do?! I knew you did! Well then you should check out this X-Tremely clever and humorous t-shirt, the X-Menagerie by Peter Kramer and Alice Zhang. The shirt features your favorite X-Men in the form of a zoo that you probably don't want to visit - a monkey Nightcrawler, a horse Storm, and a gorilla Ape to name a few. Either way, it's a very nice looking t-shirt with some good arting, and it comes with the "Matt Humorous T-Shirt Seal Of Approval".

If you like this t-shirt, go ahead and vote for it at Threadless.com. Mole Xavier appreciates it.

The fourth Shadowland has arrived, and it's the second one featuring Elektra. While not as kick-ass or violent as the ones before it, it is rather foreboding, as now we have Elektra hugging a tombstone with Daredevil's name on it. Why it's not Matt Murdock, I have no idea, but maybe that's the point. We also have a bloody hand print, which sort of makes me think of Echo, and while I might be over thinking it, the Japanese style art here would fit if Echo were to make a return - although it does fit just as well with Elektra.

Shadowland will be written by Andy Diggle with art by Billy Tan, and is the next family event in Marvel's new line of events. It will feature Daredevil, Spider-Man, the Punisher, Ghost Rider, Moon Knight, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Elektra, and it looks crazy awesome at this point.

I know what you're thinking: "A post for just that?" Well, I have a little more for you. That image (which was stolen off of Newsarama) is from DC's Graphic Novel Catalog for 2010, and Superman: Earth One by J Michael Straczynski and Shane Davis is officially solicited for November! The comic will be 128 pages and priced at $19.99, and the solicit for it says that it “gives new insight into Clark Kent’s transformation into Superman and his first year as The Man of Steel.”

While the image is small, it does feature our titular hero in a hoodie as he unveils the classic S that we're used to, which looks close to the sketches we've seen before. And while the cover image is small, it is an interesting tease at what we might see from this title - specifically a younger and perhaps "hipper" Clark Kent.

So I accept the smaller image if only because of my general excitement for the title. Thoughts? Does this make anyone want to get the book any more, any less?

(source)

If you've been reading Batman and Robin like the rest of the world, there have probably been a few questions on your mind: Where is Bruce Wayne? Who is this Domino Killer character? Who is Oberon Sexton, and why is he "so familiar"?

Well, you're in luck, because Grant Morrison and Andy Clarke both promise that all will be revealed in the upcoming issue of Batman and Robin #12, which concludes the Batman Vs. Robin arc. It's pretty highly anticipated, and DC promises that something big will take place in this issue (which has been minorly spoiled due to solicits for upcoming issues), and this morning DC's The Source blog has posted a brand new preview of the issue:

Written by GRANT MORRISON • Art by ANDY CLARKE and SCOTT HANNA • Cover by FRANK QUITELY • Variant cover by ANDY CLARKE

All is revealed in this final installment of "Batman vs. Robin" – the identity of the Domino Killer, the terrifying secret of the dominoes, and the shocking truth behind El Penitente! All of this, plus the surprising return of a fanfavorite character!

The issue comes out next week for $2.99, and you can bet your britches there will be a tell-all review from someone here!

New issues of Omega Comics Presents and The Utopian coming in May and June

As the weather rapidly warms up, new talent and unexpected twists help fuel the fire in the latest releases from Las Vegas' premiere independent comic book publisher, Pop! Goes the Icon.

In May, the third print collection of Pj Perez's webcomic serial, The Utopian, hits stores and mailboxes. Following the Utopian’s very public fight with Nate Aguila, James Douglas is missing! And Michelle Matterson’s looking for him. Where is James? Not even he knows, as he endures a life-altering experience that will leave readers – and James himself – with more questions than answers. This full-color comic features a new cover by Hernan Valencia and new interior art by Perez, all for $5.

A month later, on June 9, the second issue of PGTI's quarterly anthology series, Omega Comics Presents, finally arrives, featuring four all-new stories from an international host of rising talent. Leading off with the second chapter of Perez's espionage-action epic, "Omega," Omega Comics Presents No. 2 also features the moody, crime-gone-wrong cautionary tale "Greedy," by Russell Lissau (The Batman Strikes!) and mpMann, "Highway Patrol" by Glenn Arseneau and Andy Gray, which introduces the mystical character Greyman, and gag strip "Door to Door," by Dino Caruso and Andy Gray. Presented in gritty black-and-white, wrapped in a dazzling cover by Perez and colorist Stephen Downer (The Brave and the Bold, World's Finest), Omega Comics Presents No. 2 is only $3.99.

Vegas-area readers who want to pick up the first issue of Omega Comics Presents are encouraged to visit Alternate Reality Comics, Comic Oasis or MaximuM Comics on Free Comic Book Day, May 1, to get their free copy.

Perez will be appearing at First Friday Las Vegas on May 7 with copies of The Utopian to sell and sign. Lissau will have copies to sell and sign of Omega Comics Presents No. 2 at Chicago's Cyphan convention from June 25 to 27.

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Iron Man 2 - Whiplash 'Slash & Burn' Unity 3D Game
Uploaded by rubberrepublic. - Click for more console and PC gaming videos.

Whiplash: Slash and Burn is a fast-paced browser game to promote the theatrical release of Marvel's Iron Man 2 this May.

In the game the player takes control of Iron Man's new nemesis Whiplash as he storms the race track where Stark is racing.

Using Whiplash's cable-whip arms, the player will attempt to destroy the racing cars as they speed towards the screen. After hitting enough cars, a special power surge is rewarded, which can be used to knock out multiple vehicles.

The main aim is to annihilate Tony Stark's car as he passes. As the timer ticks down the cars increase in speed making it harder to earn points for destruction. On completing the game the player can add their high score to a leaderboard.

This explosive game shows that Unity is bringing the 3D browser game to a new level of sophistication. Check the game out at the link above and be sure to see Iron Man 2 in theaters in two weeks!

Welcome back, friends of all ages, races, sizes and species! We've got a great round-up of comics for you as well as a great choice for our book of the week slot. I'd also like to remind you, you can check out our rating system below:

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

For those wondering, Pass would be anywhere from 0 to 3.9, Browse would be 4 to 6.9, and Buy would be from 7 to 10. So what are you waiting for? Hop on past the jump and enjoy!

Also, are there any books you'd like to see us review? Let us know in the comments, and one of us will get right on it! We'll also keep those books in mind for future weeks!

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The third Shadowland teaser has hit, and this is easily the best one. We've got Moon Knight, a personal favorite of mine, going toe to toe with Ghost Rider! This is a bit bigger than I initially thought Shadowland would be, but ultimately it leaves me MUCH more excited for the whole event.

Andy Diggle and Billy Tan's Shadowland starts in July, and July can't come soon enough at this point.

Let's say I had ranked all of the comics I've ever read based on the idea of "most likely to be banned from a school" to "least likely to be banned from a school", Jeff Smith's Bone would be at the bottom of the list or near the bottom (Preacher would probably be at the top, but it would never be in a school anyways). As Smith said himself, the book is about "courage, conviction, and loyalty", and has been a sensation across the world amongst kids and school teachers.

To have heard that a mother in Apple Valley, Minnesota named Ramona DeLay was petitioning to get Bone banned from her local school district because the fact that "she took objection with the book's portrayal of gambling, alcohol and tobacco use, and 'sexual situations between characters.'"

Seriously.

If you've read Bone, you know that for the former three ideas, they are not used in a positive light nor are they glorified in any sort of way. The latter idea...that's just absurd. The quest by this mother is at best misguided and at worst offensive and disheartening, but thankfully, there was proper resolution to the situation: the school district voted 10 to 1 yesterday to keep Bone in schools.

Anything else would have been appalling and drawn serious disdain from comic pundits worldwide.

Smith himself was very relieved by the verdict, and shared the letter he wrote to the school board in response to the allegations. All of what was contained in the letter could easily have been ascertained by anyone who actually read the book.

To Ramona DeLay, and any other evangelical book burner or censorship aficionado who may read this, please at least read the material you're attempting to ban before going after it. I for one am excited about the opportunity to share the whole of Jeff Smith's Bone with my theoretical kids some day. I'm sure if you gave it a shot, you'd agree with me as well.

Over the past few years, there has been a rumor circulating about Alan Moore collaborating with musicians for a special project (most of which stemmed from Bleeding Cool's maestro Rich Johnston). With no confirmation, it just continued to float on by, along with any other rumor that Moore was involved with.

However, we now have confirmation: Alan Moore will be working with Faith No More's Mike Patton, Godflesh's Justin Broadrick, Mogwai's Stuart Braithwaite, and more on a project called Unearthing. As Bleeding Cool, this project will see the light of day July 5th in the UK and July 6th in the US and will feature quite the collection of material, not the least of which is Moore's spoken word performance of new material with music performed by the aforementioned artists in a new group called Crook & Flail. See more over at BC, but this is a pretty interesting project and something that would easy to call unexpected if anyone could predict Moore at all at this point.

Moore is also developing a project with the Gorillaz duo of Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, which apparently is an opera about a mathematician/mystic of Queen Elizabeth I named John Dee. Combine those two more off the wall projects with a new comic over at Avatar with Jacen Burrows (who in his own right is a ridiculous talent) named Neonomicon (launching August of this year), and The Almighty Beard and Watchmen co-creator is about as busy as he has been in years.

Don't forget to stop by Avatar to check out a nice preview of that title as well.

But the question is, could the second issue build on what the first issue started?

Find out after the jump.

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As I said in my reviews column, April is a remarkably great month for Zuda Comics. All ten contenders are at least decent, and most of them are pretty damn good. So what is a guy to do when he's trying to make a choice between a bunch of high quality comics in a Zuda competition?

Well, thankfully one of them stands out already.

There is one candidate that comes across as particularly original, well told, charming, sharply designed, and intriguing from both a short term and long term perspective. That comic is Mr. Trildok Sings the Blues, a title which in itself gives it an advantage in itself. It's just a damn cool comic that deserves all of the praise it has gotten so far, and it is currently in second place. While almost all of the comics are quality contenders, good ol' Trildok earns my vote this month.

INCORRUPTIBLE #5
Written by Mark Waid
Drawn by Horacio Domingues
SC, 24pgs, FC, SRP: $3.99
COVER A: Rafael Albuquerque
COVER B: Dennis Calero
Diamond Code: FEB100756

The origin of Jailbait unfolds, and her story’s not at all what you think it is! Is she really a dim little slip of a girl or does she have some sort of power over Max Daring heretofore unrevealed? A not to be missed issue of BOOM! s all-new bestselling superhero ongoing by multiple-Eisner-Award-winning KINGDOM COME and IRREDEEMABLE author Mark Waid.

Check out my thoughts after the jump, and keep in mind spoilers are discussed.

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Well this is supremely exciting, isn't it? I believe most people will uniformly agree with me when I say that, post-JMS, Kieron Gillen's take on Thor as he wrapped up the previous storyline and brought Thor into Siege was and is utterly fantastic. Gillen's work had been said to be simply a middle point between JMS and the next writer so that whoever took over would have a fresh plate to start from. It was soon announced after that Matt Fraction (from Uncanny X-Men and Invincible Iron Man) would be that writer, with artist Pasqal Ferry (from Seven Soldiers and the Ender's Game adaptations). Us legions of fans on the internet were sad about the loss of Gillen's run, but we knew it wasn't supposed to last and we were all just happy we had the books.

Then, in an out of the blue and shocking twist (almost like an M Night Shymalan film), the solicits for June came out with Gillen's name still attached to Thor! What? At first my friend and I assumed that it was a printing error (because heck, Ultimate Spider-Man wasn't even solicited and Bendis confirmed that there would be no skip month), but now Marvel has fully confirmed that Kieron Gillen will still be writing Thor! There appear to also be some changes to the solicits on Marvel.com, because now #609 and #610 have mixed up solicits - to the point where (I may be wrong here) they basically describe the same issue! I'm also fairly sure they switched covers on us as well, but that's neither here nor there.

So it looks like even though Marvel taketh, Marvel still giveth! I am definitely a happy camper over this, and am very proud of Marvel in putting such faith in Gillen, who is a relatively new writer to their camp. Thor is his first major work for the company, having previously done SWORD and Ares (which I guess are both "minis" now). How long will Gillen remain on Thor? I don't know. Clearly he has plenty of stories left to tell, and I suppose Matt Fraction could always use the spare time to tweet. Either way, congrats to Kieron Gillen! All of us at Multiversity are very much looking forward to the stories to come.

OKKO: THE CYCLE OF AIR #1
Retail Price: $3.95 U.S.
Page Count: 32 pages
Format: saddlebound, 6.875” x 10.25”, full color
Release Date: April 21, 2010 (comic shops)

Writer: Hub
Artist: Hub
Cover: Hub

It is the Spring of 1110 in the official calendar of the Pajan Empire. Okko is called upon to assist the daughter of Lady Mayudama, who has retreated into a profound silence. The best doctors have been unable to provide even a diagnosis of her condition. Okko may prove to be her last resort. But a strange force that has been prowling around the region for over a week has also arranged a meeting with the ronin for a duel of incomparable violence...

Mature Readers (series contains Graphic Violence and Adult Content)

Archaia’s new title Okko: The Celestial Winds hits the stands today and it’s an interesting one. A book that fashions itself after books from the Far East, but actually emanating from France, it shows a heavy influence from Manga and Anime. But was it good? Click the cut to find out!

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We figure it might help to let you guys know what's coming out this week in comics, so welcome to a new weekly feature! Our reviews come out tomorrow, so be sure to look over this list to get a preview of what we may or may not be reviewing tomorrow. We've added all of our own personal recommendations into this list as well, so be on the look out for bolded asterisks. Whenever you see one of those, it means we think you should be reading it. So keep your eyes open!

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The second teaser of the new Daredevil family event Shadowland has arrived, and in my opinion it's much better than the first. In this one, we see Luke Cage and Iron Fist about to have a showdown with Elektra. This little bit of foreshadowing is pretty excellent, and makes me even more excited for this event than I already was.

The event starts in July and focuses on Daredevil's leadership of the Hand finally coming into direct conflict with his relationships and friends. Battles and blood assumedly to follow. The book will be written by Andy Diggle and Billy Tan, and you better believe that we'll be featuring reviews of the title as it comes out.

Look for more teasers through out the week. We'll post 'em as we find 'em.

This Wednesday brings a top notch title for fans of noir and dystopic futures, as Rick Remender and Greg Tocchini's The Last Days of American Crime #2 comes out via Radical Comics. The first issue was a very good one, and one that earned an 8.6 out of 10 from yours truly back in December. This issue takes all of the story beats we were introduced to in the first issue and builds on them, providing a thrilling story that kicks the tension up a notch.

Read the full review after the jump.

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Today we have a special advance review for you, as this week brings the launch of Archaia's new Fraggle Rock series. Featuring work from Heather White, Jeffrey Brown, Katie Cook, and Jeff Stokely, this issue packs a lot of talent into the further adventures of The Jim Henson Company's cult classic from the 1980's.

But is it any good?

Find out after the jump.

Also, before you begin reading this review, I highly recommend watching the theme or just listening to it while reading. Afterwards, don't forget to dance your cares away as well.

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Poor Sailor is the story of a man who abandons his simple domestic life for the perils of the open sea. It’s a timeless tragedy where the temptation of adventure ends in heartbreak and ruin.

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Today we are please to share with you a six page preview of one of this week's comics, Incorruptible!

Incorruptible is the companion book to Mark Waid's smash hit Irredeemable, this time focusing on a hero who decides to change for the good as the Plutonian cracks and begins destroying the world. We know that the book will be important to the overall story as well, as Waid confirmed that our "hero", Max Damage, will be one of the three important characters who will ultimately help defeat the Plutonian.

The origin of Jailbait unfolds, and her story’s not at all what you think it is! Is she really a dim little slip of a girl or does she have some sort of power over Max Daring heretofore unrevealed? A not to be missed issue of BOOM! s all-new bestselling superhero ongoing by multiple-Eisner-Award-winning KINGDOM COME and IRREDEEMABLE author Mark Waid.

Check out the preview after the jump, and keep your eyes open for a review tomorrow!

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Just like yesterday, two more mysterious images have appeared in our inbox. Allow us to share with you:




Any thoughts? Our image is much more vivid and violent, and even in color now! Could this be the future of Dark Horse's Conan series, or perhaps a brand new series?

Let us know what you guys think!

Marvel and Newsarama both posted some nice little sneak peek/teasers for us fans this morning, and because we're so helpful we're going to point you in the direction of both!

First up, be sure to take a look at Marvel's short but sweet (and rather teasing) preview of a few pages from the double sized Siege finale. You can see some fantastic artwork by Olivier Copiel as uber-Sentry spreads his madness throughout Broxton, and one can only imagine what the Avengers and crew are going to have to do to defeat them. It promises everything: lives changed, heroes falling, deaths (notice that plural there?), revenge, villain comeuppance, and more.

The book comes out May 12th for $3.99.

After that, head over to Newsarama for a preview of Avengers #1! Spinning directly out of Siege and welcoming in the Heroic Age (well, not including that issue of Iron Man out this week...), the preview is very brief (mostly showing off variant covers), but it does show you two splash pages from inside - one that is VERY Bendis, and one that shows the heroes gathering together to rebuild Avengers mansion. Romita Jr's artwork is very much on display here, and it gives a nice preview of who you can expect in the upcoming series and what they'll look like (and spoiler alert: the answer is they look great).

The book comes out one week after Siege on May 19th, for $3.99.

As we continue to deal with the aftermath of Cry For Justice, the latest entry into the Rise and Fall arc comes out this week with The Rise Of Arsenal #2, which seeks to remind you that yes, Roy Harper's daughter is dead and yes, Roy Harper has lost his arm. You know, in case you somehow forgot. I have enjoyed this whole destruction of the Arrow family, but I do have to say that the over showing of the death of Roy's daughter is officially on that very fine line of being compelling and being torture porn for shock value purposes.

No matter where you stand on the dead daughter line, DC's The Source blog has posted up a preview of this week's installment, and it looks fairly dark. It also promises to feature a battle between Roy and his ex-girlfriend Cheshire, which can't be good news.

Written by J.T. KRUL; Art by GERALDO BORGES and MARLO ALQUIZA; Cover by GREG HORN

Spinning out of CRY FOR JUSTICE, "The Rise and Fall" continues here as Roy Harper discovers that getting a prosthetic arm doesn't make him whole again, he's also forced to deal with Green Arrow's shocking revelation from JUSTICE LEAGUE: THE RISE AND FALL SPECIAL #1. And sparks fly when Roy's old flame Cheshire shows up…to kill him!

The issue comes out this Wednesday at $3.99.

On this week's Chuck, we're getting our first taste of an episode of Charah...or Suck...let's go with the former if we're going to do a combined first name for Chuck and Sarah's full out (and real!) relationship. In true "will they or won't they" relationship tradition, it was met with trepidation from your's truly. Could Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak defy television history and successfully transition Chuck into a show where their always just "potential" couple becomes a real one?

Find out after the jump, but if you've been watching this show all along, you know better than to doubt Fedak and Schwartz at this point.

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In a very odd twist, according to the previous frontrunner for the job Samuel Bayer (the new Nightmare on Elm Street) via /Film, Adam McKay of Anchorman and Step Brothers fame is now the leader to land the job as director of the adaptation of Garth Ennis' and Darick Robertson's The Boys. What McKay has done in his resume that indicates that this is the type of film that fits his style is completely uncertain (perhaps Billy Butcher and Mother's Milk will bond over their mutual admiration for John Stamos?).

Either way, it's a pretty damn bizarre choice. I do not actually read The Boys, but given the fact that it allegedly is set to out Preacher Preacher and that is considered basically unfilmable by many, I'm not entirely certain if this will ever happen nor can I imagine McKay being able to ably coax it to life. But hey, who am I to judge? I could be entirely wrong, and this could end up making Kick-Ass look like shit, but in a way that Matt and Brandon would agree upon. I'm personally hoping the entire movie will be somewhat akin to the news team street fight, but I know that is probably a reach.

More on this as we hear it, as this is very odd news.

Recently, there was much speculation as to why Marc Guggenheim left Action Comics before his run even began, to be replaced by Multiversity favorite Paul Cornell rather quickly. Disagreement about the direction of the title seemed to be the general thesis of most theories, and if Rich Johnston is correct (isn't he always?) it's because Action would be Superman-less due to J. Michael Straczynski wanting to take Supes on a very lengthy and reflective walk across America.

To quote Johnston:

Apparently, the Man Of Steel is going to drop his Superman identity in an attempt to be a better man and to better relate to humanity. The story will follow his journey as he walk from one side of the USA to other other, trying not use his powers.

Say what?

As Johnston also pointed out, this is very reminiscent to JMS' previous work Midnight Nation where a forgotten cop walked across America to get his soul back, except this stars Superman and will likely be very, very not superhero-y and more like his recent run on DC's Brave and the Bold. Or at least thematically and in the touchy, feely, learning lessons sort of way.

Evidently what transpires in War of the Supermen is going to mess good ol' Kal-El up pretty bad, mostly mentally. Either way, it should be interesting, and at the very least it gets us the gorgeous cover from John Cassaday above (not to mention a Paul Cornell scripted Lex Luthor book in Action - sign me up for that!).

While we already know a good deal about Shadowland, it appears teaser time is upon us from Marvel. What we know is that this is a "family event" written by Andy Diggle that deals with street level characters, focusing on Daredevil's new position as head of the Hand and how this is effecting him and his relationship with others.

What we didn't know is that apparently the Punisher will be back in his normal body by then, and that he plans on shooting Spidey right in the gut. Uh oh.

Shadowland #1 comes out in July with art by Billy Tan.

This morning, I received the following image in my inbox sent from the good folks over at Dark Horse with a subject line that read only "Cue Speculation":



...so what is it? Anyone have any guesses? It's obviously a part of a larger image, but I can barely tell what's going on! Clearly someone is a tad bit uncomfortable, or at the very least upset.

Thoughts? Speculations? Anyone know what this is?

At it's core, Apple's iPad seeks to push the digital distribution medium forward. With companies like Marvel eagerly putting out digital comic books for you in Comixology's Marvel app, as well as the advent of things like iBooks (where you can download full novels to your digital reader), it seems easier than ever to have whatever you'd like literally at the tip of your fingers.

Now take a look at the Frontiersman, the first digital comic book magazine designed specifically for the mobile device like the iPad. The Frontiersman, put together by Broken Frontier, will debut Tuesday, May 4th with it's first issue, featuring interviews with Jonathan Hickman as well as Mark Millar and John Romita Jr. The e-zine is designed specifically to go with the iPad and it's new digital reader format, and will be available free of charge via iTunes.

Don't have an iPad? Don't fret. You will also be able to download a free copy of the magazine in a PDF via the website.

It's an interesting change to the way things are being presented to us, but it should be interesting to behold. It's also free, so you have absolutely nothing to lose. Definitely check it out with or without your iPad next month, and click behind the jump for the full press release.

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While David Mazzucchelli is no stranger to winning awards for his phenomenal graphic novel Asterios Polyp, every once in a while one comes around that makes even him stand up and pay attention. Mazzucchelli earned the first ever Los Angeles Times Book Prize for Graphic Novels, as he beat out "Luba" by Gilbert Hernandez; "GoGo Monster" by Taiyo Matsumoto; "Scott Pilgrim, Vol. 5: Scott Pilgrim vs. the Universe" by Bryan Lee O'Malley; and "Footnotes in Gaza" by Joe Sacco to win it. Not exactly a group of scrubs.

As the program notes for the awards said, "with the Graphic Novel Prize, the Los Angeles Times Book Prizes becomes the first major book prize in the United States to honor publications in this category, which is an expanding part of the book landscape, both aesthetically and commercially."  That's major, and I can't think of a title that deserved it more from 2009.

Hello again! It's that time of week again! What time of week? The Multiversity Comics podcast time of week! With a brand new format and more focused and relaxed dialogue, we are happy to bring to you our most fun podcast yet. All the aforementioned limitations of podcast space still apply though, so we will still be taking down old episodes from our provider as needed, so be sure to download now and stock pile these episodes (because in a few years they'll be worth something!). Of course, if you don't, we will be archiving everything to MegaUpload and other online media storage providers and linking here, so be sure to check back for all your favorite episodes.

Episode 10 of Spoiler Alert (with Matt and Mocle) is now online for your enjoyment! Feel free to hop on iTunes and grab a personal copy, or listen below!

Also, we are still taking submissions for our mail bag! You can mail questions and suggestions to spoileralert@multiversitycomics.com and you can subscribe to the podcast in iTunes by clicking here or by checking out the button on the side of the page! And don't forget to check mattlovescomics for the weekly mail bag posting, and feel free to join our forum if you have anything you want to say. Of course, you could just say anything in this post!

And remember: spoilers abound.

When I first started Multiversity 101, one of my initial goals was to try and find a reason why the average age of comic fans continues to grow and why readers that are children are disappearing. When I was a kid, I'd go to the comic shop and flip through issues of X-Men or Wolverine with a smile going from ear to ear (unless Wolvie's adamantium skeleton was being pulled out, in which case my response would be sheer horror) along with numerous other similar aged individuals.

Now, when you go to a comic shop it's the men's club, as there are almost no female readers nor are there kids (at least in Anchorage, Alaska).

What happened to the youthful audience comics once commanded, and will it come back? With the current trends in pricing Comic Book Resources and John Jackson Miller's Comichron are reporting, I'd be willing to say a fairly adamant "not likely", and they'll probably be hurting from the losses in regular readers as well.

Find out why after the jump.

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