Success in the comic community as a whole is reliant on how involved a comic company gets involved with said community. A great example of this is DC, who created their blog The Source to get more direct and in touch with their fans. Marvel has their own personal blogger as well in Agent M, who has become just as popular and recognizable as some of their creators. Now Dark Horse joins in the fun of the internet world, creating a company blog which can only make their connection to us better.

Check out the press release below and after the cut:

JUNE 30, MILWAUKIE, OR —If you’ve recently visited the Dark Horse website, you may have noticed a new edition to the homepage. Just over a month ago, Dark Horse joined the blogosphere, and has been posting exclusive content ever since.
Combining a mix of feature content, interviews, and first looks, the Dark Horse company blog will become the premier venue for Dark Horse news online.

“The Dark Horse blog will provide a world-class experience for pop-culture fans looking for more information about our incredible line of comics, books, and toys,” said Dark Horse’s vice president of marketing, Micha Hershman. “By leveraging interactive technologies, providing direct-feedback mechanisms, and streamlining our distribution of news and editorial content, Dark Horse has taken another step toward fulfilling our promise as the most community-focused comic publisher in the world.”

The Dark Horse blog will slowly replace the existing Dark Horse press-release list. Please subscribe to our blog RSS feed for the latest Dark Horse news!

Visit the Dark Horse blog now at www.darkhorse.com/blog.

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You may have somehow forgotten, but before he was a head honcho at Marvel, Joe Quesada was quite the prolific artist. Not only that, but he was quite a good one at that. While he hasn't done any full comics in a while, he has been lending his talents to covers, such as for events, but especially for Spider-Man. Now as he returns to one of his more "controversial" decisions, Quesada provides a variant to the upcoming Amazing Spider-Man #638, which marks the beginning of One Moment In Time.

The cover is a send-up/tribute of the classic image from Amazing Spider-Man #50, in which Romita Sr. drew Spider-Man walking away from his costume in the trash. This time, however, we have Mary Jane walking away from a wedding dress in the trash with a rose on the ground. It's both iconic and heartbreaking at the same time, and for those who were as effected by the events of One More Day as I was (and let's be honest - who in the comic community didn't have some kind of reaction to that?) I imagine this image already conjures up some kind of emotion towards the story, whether it is positive or negative. Personally I love it, but I "got over" One More Day a long time ago and have since come to grips with how good Spider-Man has ended up being, so I may be biased.

The first issue of One Moment In Time comes out on July 21st (which coincidently is my birthday, so happy birthday me!), so be sure to look forward to our opinions on the book when it comes out.

While many people are upset or shocked about the changes J. Michael Straczynski and Jim Lee have taken Wonder Woman through in today's Wonder Woman #600, perhaps none of them have been as high profile or emphatic as Deadline Hollywood's always outspoken Nikki Finke. As she said in her article today (posted at 4:23 am Pacific Time I may add):

DC Comics announced that, starting today, Wonder Woman "will appear like you’ve never seen her before". And I wish they'd just left her alone, especially since she's the only comic book character female I've ever admired. Of course, it took a bunch of men to ruin her. Look at the new costume design by DC Comics Co-Publisher Jim Lee below: she looks ready for Goth Day at the Sherman Oaks Galleria. (Shame on Diane Nelson, the head of DC Entertainment, for allowing this to happen. And for not finding a talented woman writer to update the icon's saga.) Here's the announcement about the dumbass stuff that DC Comics is doing to her. So let me start the campaign: FREE WONDER WOMAN!

So she is...upset. Odds are this campaign will go nowhere (though DC has left themselves about a billion loopholes in escaping this mess quickly if it goes south), but it is pretty interesting to see such a high profile online presence to loudly announce her take on this, even if she clearly hasn't been paying that much attention to ol' Diana, as Gail Simone just recently departed the book and last time I checked she was a "talented woman writer."
 
Even with her clear displeasure, she did manage to score the exclusive art you see above. It's new series artist Don Kramer's cover to Wonder Woman #603, who was unknown to me until very recently (meaning this whole mess) but is another very impressive young artist to add to DC's stable.
 
I'll be posting my thoughts on this fiasco tomorrow, so look for that first thing here at MC.

Today Marvel announced another exclusive creator signing, as they signed Atlas artist Gabriel Hardman to an exclusive contract today. Hardman is likely most well known for his work with Jeff Parker on Atlas and other related titles, and is not just an esteemed artist but also a really nice guy (met him at Emerald City ComiCon this year when I made the mistake of thinking he was someone else). Congratulations to Hardman on the exciting news!

Not only is Hardman exclusive now, but it seems that he may be taking a more high profile gig very soon. In Marvel's announcement, they very strongly hint that Hardman and his Atlas collaborators Parker and colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser will be taking on The Hulk very soon. What that project will be exactly is uncertain, but fans should be excited if only because that means it won't be Jeph Loeb any more.

Every time a new issue of Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener's Atomic Robo comes out is a reason to celebrate. This series is endlessly inventive, perpetually hilarious, and quite simply one of the most consistently awesome books on the market. This new untitled volume has been every bit as great as previous ones, but could they close it out as successfully as they opened it?

Find out after the jump for whether or not they did.

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Regardless of your opinion of the new costume and direction of Wonder Woman (which appears to be polarizing, but mostly negative), I'd find it very difficult for anyone to find fault in one aspect of today's issue #600: Adam Hughes' piece.

While some definitely think Hughes verges on cheesecake too much, emphasizing certain wondrous aspects of Diana while not exactly focusing on anything else, this page is absolutely phenomenal. I love the paper choice, the cell shading and coloring, and everything about the actual design and character work. The way she is lifting an elephant while still standing on her tippy toes in front, the way the boys look on fearfully and the girls look on with pride and excitement...everything.

This piece captures everything that is right about Wonder Woman just about as much as JMS and Jim Lee seemed off base with their design and reimagining. In one image, I feel like Adam Hughes understands the character far more than both of those two fabled creators. Such is life.

On the running scale of "holy crap! That is awesome!", Mark Millar and Steve McNiven's Old Man Logan was somewhere around a nine (for those that are wondering, Preacher would be a 10 and JMS' new Wonder Woman origin would be a one). I mean, it was dystopian future in which the super villains had won, Hawkeye was a blind arms dealer (of sorts), and Wolverine was a broken down old man who went with him on a road trip to try and earn money to save his family.

What ended up coming out of it was perhaps the preeminent Wolverine story ever, telling a touching and badass tale that was beautifully illustrated by one of the best in the business.

Now it sounds like Mark Millar is plotting his sequel and preparing a pitch to the Marvel overlords. Granted, they still have not said yes yet, but come on now, this book sold like hotcakes and was a huge boon to the company as a whole. Why wouldn't they say yes?

More on it as we get it, but this could be the beginning of another incredible book by Millar/McNiven (or a return to form depending on your opinion of Nemesis).

We figure it might help to let you guys know what's coming out this week in comics, so welcome to our 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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Today DC Comics' blog The Source revealed a new, more practical costume for their Amazonian Princess, and man does it look good. Designed by Co-Publisher Jim Lee, the new duds will make their first appearance in Wonder Woman #600, which comes out tomorrow. Accompanying the costume was our first in-depth look at what JMS' run on the title will consist of story-wise, and man if I'm not excited for this. Check behind the cut for a basic introduction to the upcoming story arc, as told by JMS himself. Warning: contains time travel.

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Located in Lansdowne, Virginia (not quite Ashburn yet not quite Leesburg), Laughing Ogre Comics is in an excellent spot to do business. Located right off of the ever-busy Route 7, Laughing Ogre is only a minor detour away for those many commuters that use the route, and I have seen firsthand the incredible amounts of business it can get on a Wednesday right after work lets out for the general populace. But does this shop have the quality to truly capitalize on its location? Follow the jump to find out.

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We're back with our weekly Small Press Spotlight series, with this week's title not necessarily fitting the word "Small Press" as well as some in the past have, but fitting into the niche of what I'm trying to do with this post (which is share smaller, non-superhero books with our audience).

This week's book is James Sturm's Market Day, a title that comes from one of the true greats in the industry and from perhaps the most prestige of "small press" publishers in the industry - Drawn and Quarterly. Very well known for his work on his America trilogy and at the Center for Cartoon Studies (which he co-founded and is still involved in, as I found out through Lucy Knisley's French Milk of all places), Sturm is an elegant craftsman who puts as much care and thought into his panels as his protagonist Mendleman does into the rugs he sells in this book.

This is an exceptional book. Find out why after the jump.

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The Event FIVE Years in the Making!

Thirteen mystical Artifacts, including the Witchblade, the Darkness and others, guide the fate of the Top Cow Universe. For centuries, it's been whispered that bringing together all 13 Artifacts would herald mankind's destruction. But a mysterious figure has been manipulating events, laying plans to put Armageddon into motion. The final phase begins here, with the abduction of Hope, the daughter of Sara Pezzini and Jackie Estacado. What ensues will remake the entirety of the Top Cow Universe, from the Witchblade and the Darkness, to the Angelus, Magdalena, and countless others. Artifacts #1 is the perfect place for faithful readers to see their loyalty pay off, and for new readers to experience the Top Cow Universe.

From Top Cow Universe architect Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus) and Top Cow superstar artist Michael Broussard (The Darkness) comes an event series, which will literally shake the Top Cow Universe to its foundation. Featuring a jam piece cover by Broussard, Marc Silvestri, Stjepan Sejic, Sheldon Mitchell, and Nelson Blake II, as well as a variant cover series featuring each of the 13 Artifact bearers by John Tyler Christopher (Witchblade), and a special first-issue cover by Dale Keown (The Darkness/Pitt).

Take a look at the first five pages after the cut

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With production ramping up very soon, we're getting new details on the X-Men: First Class each and every day. Today, we caught word that Alice Eve (She's Out of My League) will almost certainly be playing Emma Frost in Matthew Vaughn's upcoming film. I like this casting, if only because she is crazy hot, looks the part, and has a head start on the accent given her British origins. I'm not familiar with her acting, but I feel comfortable with the casting: there is a lot of upside there.

Additional rumors are swirling, as Caleb Landry Jones (the kid who gives Anton Chigurh his shirt at the end of No County for Old Men) is looking like the frontrunner to play Banshee/Sean Cassidy. Given that we know Cassidy is supposed to be older than the rest of the X-Men, casting a kid seems like an odd choice, but Fox has never seemed to have any issues with jumbling the ages of the X-Men in the past so this should not be surprising.

Additionally, Rosamund Pike (An Education) now looks like the leader of the pack to play Dr. Moira McTaggert, after much speculation that she herself would be Emma Frost (which would have killed too - gorgeous, icy, intelligent...how does this not seem like Emma Frost?). Whether or not any of these rumors end up being true are uncertain, but all of the speculation is headed that direction.

More on X-Men: First Class casting updates as we get it. This movie is continuing to shape up quite nicely.

(via Collider)

Re-live the mind-warping adventures of the immortal rock & roll troll on a mission: KILL AUDIO

June 29th, 2010 - Los Angeles, CA - BOOM! Studios is proud to present the completed rock epic KILL AUDIO, co-written by musical mastermind Claudio Sanchez and Chondra Echert, with brain-melting art by Mr. Sheldon, collected for the first time in a stunning hardcover edition! Take a trip back to Sight & Sound with Kill Audio and his eccentric gang of misfits on their mission to stop the music!

“This is one of the wildest books we've ever published!” says Marketing Director Chip Mosher. “Fan support for this book is just as epic as the words and art within, and we're glad to give the fans an edition of this story they'll be proud to own and display.”

“In addition to all six issues of the critically acclaimed series, this hardcover includes exclusive content sure to please fans of this far out mythos”, Says KILL AUDIO Editor Ian Brill. “An introduction by ELEPHANTMEN creator and Comicraft founder Richard Starkings, an original and illustrated prose story shedding light on the KILL AUDIO supporting cast and even an advice column are just some of the extra material readers can expect, to expand on the already rich world of KILL AUDIO. “

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

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Velocity #1
Writer: Ron Marz
Artist: Kenneth Rocafort
Cover A – Kenneth Rocafort
Cover B - Chriscross
Full Color
32 pages
$3.99
limited series

The Pilot Season Winner is Back!
Carin Taylor is the fastest woman in the world. At least, she'd better be if she wants to save her own life and the lives of her Cyberforce teammates. When a former Cyberdata scientist -- and test subject -- seeks revenge against the members of Cyberforce, only Velocity can save her friends before the clock literally runs out. Bringing together writer Ron Marz (Witchblade, Angelus) and artist Kenneth Rocafort (Cyberforce/Hunter-Killer) for the first time. Featuring two covers by Rocafort and Chriscross (Captain Marvel).

I must really like Ron Marz or something. This week I’m bringing you an advance of the new mini-series starring Cyberforce team member Carin Taylor, otherwise known and Velocity. The winner of last year’s Pilot Season, the series promises to expand on one of Top Cow’s most powerful females without an artifact. What did I think of it? Find out after the cut!

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This past weekend was Glastonbury 2010, the epic music festival that featured something for everyone and then a few more people on top of that. With a weekend of highlights that included Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood performing unannounced, Snoop Dogg joining Gorillaz on stage, and much, much more, the highlight may have been the grand finale. Not only that, but to genre fans such as us, it was an even bigger moment.

During Orbital's closing set on the last day, current Doctor Matt Smith (of the just finished Fifth Series) joined the electronic outfit on stage for an epic rendition of the Doctor Who theme for all to enjoy. They threw in an unparalleled in its awesomeness light show to give Who fans a monumental conclusion to their long (but assuredly awesome) weekend. Check out the amazing above, as it is not to be missed for Who fans (or like me, fans of glorious things).

Did you miss the first issue of David Hine and Shakey Kane's new Image series The Bulletproof Coffin? Our very own reviewer Brandon gave it a "Buy" rating, saying it was something different but good, and now you can judge for yourself as Bleeding Cool has the entire first issue up for free! With a creative team as strong as this one (David Hine rules!) as well as an enticing and fresh concept, there is no reason you shouldn't at least check out this new title from one of the most consistently original publishers on the market.

Let us know what you think in the comments, and look for issue #2 to arrive on July 14th.

When DC recently announced their Digital Comics platform, they made sure to make one of their biggest announcements amidst their flurry that creators will be getting royalties for the digital sales of their comics. Given that Marvel had not really come forth with anything of the sort, this was a major deal to the industry that sparked a strong defense from Marvel and much speculation from analysts. Did Marvel really not have royalties for their creators worked into their digital roll out?

Not so much.

In CBR's regular Cup O' Joe column, Kiel Phegley spoke to Joe Quesada about just that. They discussed all of the ins and outs of this program, why they didn't announce it before, and how it all came about, and you can read all of that below. The thesis of the argument is this though: all creators (exclusive or not) are receiving royalties for their work that is sold digitally, and they didn't announce this previously because it is not something they've done in the past as it isn't perceived as a big deal to the public. Which is fair.

Read the rest after the jump, as I'm sure this is just another salvo in an ongoing volley between the Big Two as the world of digital comics just becomes more and more prevalent.

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After much rumor-spreading across the internet, Marvel has officially announced who is to play Colonel Phillips in the upcoming Captain America film, and it is none other than Mr. Tommy Lee Jones. For those that aren't particularly familiar with Cap's origin, Phillips is the Army Colonel who recruited a young Steve Rogers to be part of Project Rebirth, the operation that made Rogers the Super Soldier we all know and love. Jones has been nothing but amazing as an authority figure in films past, so I'm sure he'll bring his A game for this movie. Somewhere out there Mike Deodato is shaking his fist in anger as this probably means Jones won't be Norman Osborn in the upcoming Spider-Man reboot.

We mentioned it in the past as a very strong rumor, but today it was confirmed that Michael Fassbender (Inglourious Basterds) will in fact be playing Magneto in Matthew Vaughn's upcoming X-Men: First Class for Fox. Speculation was running rampant as Fassbender was deciding between this role and an unnamed villain role in Spider-Man 4, but I'm very glad that he took the former role. We all know that Fassbender can handle German accents well (assuming there aren't any Nazi officers looming about), and I think he can really handle the gravitas necessary for the role.

Now that we know it will be Fassbender and the exceptional James McAvoy squaring off as Magneto and Professor X, I think it's safe to say that this film will be at least well acted. I'm hoping it's something more, and we'll find out for certain June 3rd of 2011.

In a somewhat unexpected move, Marvel has recently announced their decision to make the (in)famous Jeph Loeb as their Executive Vice President, Head of Television. What exactly does that entail, you ask? Well, it seems that any new television shows that Marvel puts out will be overseen by Mr. Loeb, whether it be animated or live action. Loeb has recently received a lot of negative press with the critically smashed Ultimatum and Hulk, but maybe this could give the formerly solid writer a chance to get back on his feet. Check behind the cut for the full press release, and to leave your opinion on the matter.

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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 18 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.

Season five is over, and with it Moffat's first run on the show without Davies. The show has been taken in a vastly different direction as far as it's secrets go, and even somewhat with the age group that it's trying to appease, but it has been a good season and Smith has done a terrific job as the Doctor. But where does the finale leave us?

In the finale, we find out that despite the universe being destroyed and all the stars going out everywhere due to the crack in reality caused by the explosion of the TARDIS, a few choice characters remain alive due to being anomalies. This includes the Doctor, plastic Rory, River Song, and little Amy. You might be confused, but don't worry - it only gets more confusing. With one massive bang exploding at all points in reality at all times, how is the Doctor going to stop all of history from being destroyed?

Follow me behind the cut as I take a look at the final episode of season 5.

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After taking Father's Day off i'm back! This weeks list surprisingly is lacking two factors fairly consistent with this list. There are no Marvel covers and none of the usuals make a trip to awesome cover town. Instead we get some titles who don't normally appear. So without the usuals what do we have? Check it out after the jump to find out!

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A couple days ago, I promised a Midnight Nation casting couch. Well, it's a bit late, but here it is! I had a bunch of stuff happen in my personal life that had to be taken care of, but here is the cast, only a few hours late.

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Coming in September of this year comes the next installment in DC's animated universe: Superman/Batman: Apocalypse. Apparently announced some time ago, the cover art was only just revealed, and featuring art by Clayton Crain! The artwork promises some good ol' Darkseid action, which means that yours truly is quite excited for it.

According to Wikipedia (the most reliable source ever), the movie will be based on the second arc of the Superman/Batman on-going written by Jeph Loeb and arted by Michael Turner, which brought Kara back into the modern DCU which then spawned her on-going series. As the description of the book goes, "Batman has discovered something strange on the bottom of Gotham Bay, which leads him to a mysterious and powerful teenaged girl bent on destroying Gotham City! What's her connection to Superman? Why does Wonder Woman want to hide her from the outside world? Will Darkseid succeed in recruiting her into doing his bidding?"

The box art also reveals that there will be a Green Arrow short, which will continue DC's new run of including little animated shorts as bonuses to their films. While I haven't seen the Jonah Hex one that is to accompany the Red Hood film, I will say that the Spectre one was pretty fun (if nothing astounding) and that it's a great idea. The animated shorts are quick, fun, and help appease fans. Kudos on that one, DC.

We'll let you know more information about the movie as we get it, but for now enjoy the artwork. DC's animated films have been pretty good so far, and if they keep the same voice cast as they had for the first film it could be great. Plus, Supergirl!

If there's one thing I've noticed a lot lately, it's that a lot of people are sort of creating a witch hunt on DC. Due to certain deaths and actions taken in various different comics, people are now taking to calling out DC by the dozen on all different sorts of things, such as racism and homophobia.

Now it's my turn. I'd like to step up to the plate and represent a group that is entirely misrepresented and under appreciated in DC Comics. I wish to speak of a group constantly kicked around and abused without proper representation. And of course, I'm talking about cats.

Please follow me beyond the cut as I take a look at some of the felines who are especially abused in DC Comics as we try and dispel some of the stereotypes being placed on our favorite felius catus.

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That headline is pretty weak, but you get the point

Today Marvel announced that in July, a Little Big Planet pack would come out with a series of characters and a Level Kit for users with a PS3 and a copy of the game! While the image above is blacked out, Marvel did in fact reveal the full list of available characters. The list is:

• Captain America
  
• Daredevil
  
• Doctor Octopus
  
• Elektra
  
• Ghost Rider
  
• Green Goblin
  
• Hulk
  
• Invisible Woman
  
• Iron Man
  
• The Human Torch
  
• Magneto
  
• Mystique
  
• the Punisher
  
• Rogue
  
• Spider-Man
  
• Storm
  
• The Thing
  
• Thor
  
• Venom
  
• Wolverine

Pretty amazing, not going to lie. I can't wait for the Magneto and Venom costumes myself. Marvel will be releasing images of all the upcoming costumes over the coming weeks, so keep your eyes open as they come online.

Along with the costumes comes the aforementioned Level Kit, offering four brand new levels that pits your Sackboys and girls against Magneto as he tries to do ... well, something evil, I assume. Upon completion of those levels, you'll get an additional rooftop background for your own level creation usage, as well as plenty of new items and stickers, etc.

The pack comes out July 9th, so those of you with a PS3 and access to the PSN, get your controllers charged and ready!

Almost since the first hushed mention that Apple was working on what was to become the company’s newest “magic” (read: “hot for a minute then mostly forgotten once the new iPhone hit”) product, the comics community began to wonder what kind of effect the iPad would have on the medium they loved so dear (read: obsessed over.) While the Comixology App (more on this later) had been available on the iPhone for some time, the prospect of a full color, completely tactile, 8x10inch (more or less) tablet with which to view and interact with comics digitally became an intriguing concept for some and an infuriating one for others. With this week’s launch of the DC Comics App, the game officially changed and the first glimpses of how the industry will use this technology moving forward became a little more clear…and since I’m the only one on staff that was bold (read: foolhardy and financially reckless) enough to buy an iPad (on Day 3 no less), I was tapped to take a look at what the device has provided so far, and muse on where it will take us in the future.

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Because waiting until it is actually revealed in comic books in order to shock and excite the reader is totally lame, Marvel announced on G4 last night that coming later this year will be the five issue mini-event CHAOS WAR by Pak, Van Lente, and Khoi Pham on art. The book will be the closing arc of Pak and Van Lente's God saga that started after World War Hulk when the Incredible Hulk title was given to Hercules.

In Chaos War, Mikaboshi finally returns with his army of slaves to wage war on the heavens as he was last seen during Sacred Invasion. Uniting to stop him will be a reunited God Squad including Thor and the Silver Surfer, as well as the "survivng members of the Hulk family", as well as some others who I will not write out, because spoilers are lame.

Now, the video below that announces it does feature spoilers (beyond what I've already written, of course), so if you don't want to know the full cast of Chaos War, don't watch it. Otherwise, enjoy Blair Butler and some preview images:

Good news, everyone! Futurama has returned on Comedy Central for a brand new sixth season!. All of your favorite characters are back, and Zoidberg, for 26 brand new episodes! Well, sort of. Twelve episodes have been slated for this new season, and the 12th episode will be the 100th episode of Futurama. So it's still good news regardless.

So with the return of Futurama comes reviews from your favorite television show reviewer. Now that Doctor Who is almost over, I need a new science fiction based show to tell you all to watch. How perfect is it that one of my all time favorite comedies is back on the air after being cancelled, revived, and cancelled again?

Although - I could hate it. You never know. The new season could be terrible. It could be an entire season worth of Jurrasic Bark's.

Follow me behind the cut as I take a look at the first two episodes of a more liberated season. As a note, some mild spoilers are discussed. Nothing to ruin your evening, but if you haven't watched the episode yet and don't want to anything/go in fresh, you might want to hold off.

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J. Michael Straczynski and Gary Frank: two of my favorite creators in the world. I think JMS has a talent for telling some great stories, and if you’ve been reading this site for any amount of time, you know that Frank is my favorite artist at the moment, and probably my favorite Superman artist of all time. Sadly, I was unaware that a about a decade ago, they collaborated on a book I had a passing interest in reading, a little book put out by Top Cow called “Midnight Nation.”

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We here at Multiversity love our small press, and you should too. With that being said, Radical has two brand new series starting in August, so be sure to pre-order if you are interested. Radical would surely appreciate it. Follow the cut for all of Radical's solicits for the month of August.

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Are you familiar with Robert Crumb? If not, it's probably best for your health that you don't admit that. If you are, then I'm sure that you're familiar with his character Mr. Natural. Today BOOM! studios' imprint BOOM! Town released information regarding an upcoming Postcard Book featuring the character, set to be released in August. Check behind the cut for the full press release.

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As posted on AMC's site, we now have a second look at Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes. While it is definitely a bad ass pose, I gotta say - not as excited about the "accuracy" of this after this shot. Rick Grimes has/had longer hair, and his hair color was always lighter. That seems like an odd thing to complain about, but remember: we are nerds here.

That one aspect aside, the excitement for this is still incredibly high. If Kirkman praises his performance I'm sure I can get along with it. What are your thoughts on Rick Grimes and his super John Woo gun pose?

In a fairly surprising announcement, Newsarama broke the news that Evan Dorkin's Beasts of Burden and Hellboy would crossover! What? Yeah, I'm confused too. But you know what? It makes sense. The Beasts explore paranormal madness, and so does Hellboy. And hey, Hellboy has crossed over with odder things!

The comic will be a one-shot, and as it is described it will be more of a Hellboy guest appearance than a crossover, but it still counts. As Dorkin says:

It directly follows up on events portrayed in issue #4, in many ways you can consider this one-shot our fifth issue. It's in continuity, although basically it's “guest star shows up and helps out”. But regular readers will hopefully find a few things of interest in there beyond that.

Dorkin also adds that it is not likely that the Beasts will crossover with any other title. However, I have to say that I can't wait to see Hellboy interact with the Orphan. That will probably be the most adorable thing ever.

For the full interview with Dorkin, concerning his previous work and the recently released trade of Beasts of Burden (which you NEED to own), click right here. You can assume that this one-shot will be book of the week whenever it comes out.

For those that are late to the party, we here at Multiversity are trying a new approach to our weekly reviews. From now on, rather than having one big post containing every single review, we will split the reviews into separate posts by each reviewer. Sounds good, right? If so, it was my idea. If you think it's dumb, it was Matt's idea (honestly, though, I forget whose idea it was). The grading scale, however, is the same as always:

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

So what did I think of Superman #700, Secret Warriors #17, Legion of Superheroes #2 and Detective Comics #866? Follow the jump to find out!

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As we work diligently to make Multiversity a better experience for our readers, we're trying out a new review posting method. We'll be splitting all of our individual reviews into different posts with the titles that we review revealed up front. This hopefully will allow you to pick and choose the reviews that you really want to get to, as well as making your overall experience of our site a cleaner and faster one. Yeah!

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

Because of Matt's decision to...only read books that he didn't think he'd like (I try not to buy those books, let alone review them), I had a big list this week of major titles. My reviews this week include Avengers #2, Amazing Spider-Man #635, Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne #3, and Wolverine: Weapon X #14. This is atypical for me because in most weeks I stick to the smaller books, i.e. Vertigo and indie ones, but with a bevy of superhero offerings for me to take, I figured why the heck not. Check out my reviews after the jump.

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I am very pleased this morning to share with you the press release for Archaia's Days Missing vol. 2. This is a book that has been universally loved by the Multiversity staff, as we've had the opportunity to review it two times. It's sequel is something we all highly look forward to, so for those of you who have (somehow) not read it, run to your stores to find the hardcover so you can catch up.

For the rest of you though, take a look at all the fun details for the upcoming sequel:

DETAILS RELEASED FOR ARCHAIA AND RODDENBERRY’S ‘DAYS MISSING’ VOLUME 2

SECOND VOLUME PROMISES TO EXCEED THE HIGH BAR SET BY THE FIRST


Los Angeles, CA (June 24, 2010) – As a result of the overwhelming fan support and the multitude of “must buy” reviews for the first DAYS MISSING miniseries, Archaia Entertainment and Roddenberry Productions proudly announced the details of the highly anticipated second series in this sci-fi franchise.

Back by popular demand, fan-favorite and Eisner Award-nominated author Phil Hester (Firebreather, The Darkness, Green Arrow) returns to write all five issues in this continuing epic. Soon-to-be-known-by-the-world artist David Marquez (Archaia and Fantasy Prone’s Syndrome: The Graphic Novel) will join Hester on the miniseries. In addition, five amazing artists will lend their talents to create the covers, with the mega-rockstar Alex Ross (Kingdom Come) illustrating the cover for issue one.

“All of us at Archaia were incredibly proud to collaborate with Roddenberry, a true sci-fi dynasty, on their return to comics with the first Days Missing series,” said Archaia Editor-in-Chief Stephen Christy. “Because the scope of volume two is so much broader, we’ve changed our approach from having a rotating cast of creative teams to having a single team of Phil Hester and Dave Marquez guide the storytelling for the entire book.

For the rest of the press release, and more details on the sequel, take a look behind the cut.

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Welcome to the new version of Wednesday Is New Comic Book Day! We'll now be split up by author to help you guys navigate easier. (i.e. make it seem like we have more content than we do, wink wink, nudge nudge!). We still have the same basic rating system though:

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

This week, I decided to do a bunch of reviews for books that I didn't think I'd like at all, plus one I knew I'd love. My books this week are Justice League: The Rise of Arsenal #4, Thunderbolts #145, Justice League: Generation Lost #4, Hulk #23, and Green Arrow #1. Which is which? Find out after the jump!

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Written and illustrated by Ryan Ottley and Jason Howard.


THEY GOT MIXED UP!

Do not go out at night: GRIZZLY SHARK lurks in these woods. There are many dangers of the deep, but none so deadly as SEA BEAR! Thrill to the adventures of these two exciting new characters. Told in two full-length stories written and illustrated by RYAN (INVINCIBLE) OTTLEY and JASON (THE ASTOUNDING WOLF-MAN) HOWARD. Also featuring a special prose origin story written by ROBERT KIRKMAN!

What did we at Multiversity think of two savage beasts getting mixed up?

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For those of you who have read the book (like me), you can see that this is a serious departure from the original story. In fact, it really doesn't look anything like the book. There are three new characters, and while the plot of the CIA taking out one of their ex-spooks is still there, it looks to be more of a comedy than a bad ass violent romp.

However, there are two things to consider, I suppose. The first is that you can adapt a story outside of it's comic and make it into an enjoyable film regardless. There are examples of this working (in my opinion, The Losers was a lot of fun -albeit flawed) and there are examples of this failing miserably (see: Kick-Ass and Watchmen). I don't know if Red ever tried to be exactly like the comic, but the second thing to consider is that Warren Ellis is ok with all the changes. As written in his blog last year:

First off: RED, the book, is 66 pages long. If you were to film 66 pages of comics, you might, might just about get 40 minutes of film out of it. If you added a musical number. The comics-page to film-minute ratio is pretty bad. A straight adaptation of a 150-page graphic novel might, if you squint at it, get you a 100-minute film. But it’s unlikely, because comics and films use time so differently. One page with four lines of dialogue on it can be slowed to a crawl to the point where you have to spend several minutes digesting the information on it. In film, however, four lines of dialogue is four lines of dialogue, and you can’t just pronounce it very slowly for the same time consumption. Beyond filmic/dramatic effects like the pause or montage or whatever, film is timelocked.

So, yes, RED the film is very different. Not least because it needed to generate more material than the book itself actually constituted.

Ellis also adds, "I mean, if you don’t want to see a film with Helen Mirren with a sniper rifle, I’m not sure I want to know you." So take that as you will.

Regardless, the film looks fun. It will be interesting to see Willis, Freeman, Malkovich, and Mirren play a group of assassins with the help of the lovely Mary-Louise Parker. I don't see the film getting any kind of Oscar nod, but a fun evening with a bag of popcorn and friends? Definitely.

This week in comics we have a HUGE week, and one that brings a lot of unheralded gems as well as some seriously top books. I'm taking the reins for this edition, and I'll be changing the format a bit because I'm an anarchist like that. So look after the jump for a list of all of the books that are coming out this week, along with my personal touch: I've bolded all of the books that I highly recommend or find very interesting.

Check it out!

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This week is a huge week from Boom! Studios, giving us new issues of their hot new series 7 Psychopaths, Incorruptible, and this very successful adaptation of Alex Garland and Danny Boyle's zombie film 28 Days Later. The story has been building tremendously, as one of the survivors from the film (Selena) continues to guide a team of journalists into the zombie infested Britain with many roadblocks along the way.

The series has been sharp lately, but does that streak continue? Find out after the jump as I take a look at 28 Days Later #12.

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DC announced this morning via their blog and a report on USA Today that they would be holding a contest that will allow fans to help plot Superman's upcoming journey in the new arc, "Grounded."

As JMS begins his run (starting today with #700), he picks up Superman after the events of New Krypton as Superman decides to take a walk across America to find himself and rediscover his roots to our planet. He will begin in Philadelphia and has a set path that he will be walking along for the next year, but JMS and DC want you to help decide what additional towns he visits on his walk.

Beginning with the city of Philadelphia, Superman will walk across America, a journey that is expected to take most of a year. He will pass through Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Utah, Nevada, California, Oregon and Washington. Along the way, Superman will be passing through real towns, real cities, real neighborhoods.

And your town, your city, your neighborhood may be among those chosen for his historic journey. Superman will literally pass through your town as visualized in the pages of his book. If your town is within 50 miles of the line marking Superman’s journey, then you are eligible to participate.

I love this idea, because Superman has been so out of touch with the rest of us he's become more alien than he has the typical American superhero archetype. However, with a writer like JMS and an idea like this, I would wager that "Grounded" is a very appropriate arc title for the upcoming walk. To be able to get your town in on the walk would also be pretty amazing for fans of the comic, and a definite way to make the whole experience more special.

For the full list of contest rules, check behind the jump!

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Written by Mark Waid
Drawn by Horacio Domingues

They called him Max Damage for a reason. After his knock-down-drag-out with Amberjack and Jailbait’s double-dealing, Max is on a warpath that will put his new career path into question. Then, Detective Armadale drops a bombshell that brings things to critical mass for the unlikely trio. Is there such a thing as second chances when you have this much blood on your hands? Covers by Christian Nauck and Rafael Albuquerque.

Incorruptible has been an odd ride so far, and if you've been following my reviews of it so far you might notice that I'm still not enjoying it as much as Irredeemable. However, follow me after the cut as I take a look at this week's latest entry into Mark Waid's dark new universe.

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Written by Claudio Sanchez, Peter David
Drawn by Chris Burnham

Huge hit The Amory Wars comes to BOOM! this spring – right on the heels of creator Claudio Sanchez’s band Coheed and Cambria’s hot new album release Year Of The Black Rainbow this April! For the new The Amory Wars series, Eisner Award-winner Peter David joins this science fiction franchise, so don’t miss out! Heard about the ground-breaking The Amory Wars but never had a chance to get into it? This is a great entry point for new readers – also solicited this month, The Amory Wars Ultimate Edition, collecting the previous two trades published by Image! Created by Claudio Sanchez, lead-singer of Coheed and Cambria!

You may or may not remember, but I quite enjoyed the first installment of this series. Follow behind the cut for my thoughts on the second issue!

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In news that is sure to shock everyone, DC has finally joined the 21st century. Not to be outdone by Boom! Studios and their rival Marvel, DC has released a new iPhone/iPad app powered by comixology that will let you read your comics directly on the Apple Mobile device of your choice!

While it's a little odd that it was released with little to no fanfare, it remains that we now have a DC Comics App to get our Superman, Batman, and Secret Six (along with Wildstorm and even Zuda!) digitally. Provided you like Apple, of course.

Download it here on iTunes and read your DC Comics on your Apple Mobile Device!

Update: We've now added DC's official press release to the post behind the jump.

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Yesterday, in a comment on Jason Aaron's message board, Darick Robertson communicated with fans that the Boys #43 the last issue to come out) would be his last issue of the Boys for a while. Immediately the blogosphere reacted to his comments as his statements seemed to imply something bad had happened, as he said when asked if Dynamite had anything to do with the change, "They make the schedule. I made my desires known, and this was what was chosen as best for the title."

However, Robertson today confirmed on CBR that he meant nothing malicious by it, and he wasn't going to be leaving the Boys forever.. As it turns out, Robertson is instead going to work on a Butcher mini that ties in with the story. According to Robertson, it is a hugely important tale in the mythos of the Boys as it tells the backstory of the leader of the eponymous team. It'll also be the third mini tie-in to the Boys, as Herogasm was the first and the upcoming Wee Hughie story is the second.

Look for the next issue of the Boys to feature artwork by Russ Braun. For Robertson's full comments on the leave of absence, take a look behind the cut.

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