Godkiller sizzle reel from Halo-8 Entertainment on Vimeo.

Halo-8 offers FREE Godkiller Blu-ray to purchasers of DVD as Blu-ray street date is postponed

Halo-8 Entertainment's upcoming Blu-ray for the breakout hit Godkiller has been postponed with no new street date yet announced, so company President Matt Pizzolo (who also wrote and directed the film) has announced that purchasers of the standard-def DVD will be entitled to a free Godkiller Blu-ray when it is released.

"We're not trying to double-dip on the DVD and Blu-ray. The hi-def version is being delayed due to unforeseen circumstances, but we want Godkiller fans to feel confident getting the film now and knowing we'll take care of them when the Blu-ray comes out," explained Pizzolo.

"Godkiller really beat all our expectations, and that's been a good thing as well as a bad thing for the audience because it keeps maxing out our infrastructure which results in delays," said Pizzolo. "Producing and distributing Godkiller through our existing system has been a bit like the overloaded containment system from Ghostbusters, the overwhelming response to Godkiller is busting our system at the seams. The good news is we're fixing that for the next slate of projects coming down the pike, but it's been a tough road so far with Godkiller. But I can't complain, it's a good problem to have."

Halo-8 asks that purchasers of the Godkiller DVD hold onto their receipts. The system for requesting the free Blu-ray will most likely involve mailing in the receipt and UPC code from the standard-def DVD.

For the full press release, check behind the cut

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Top Cow Productions, Inc. is proud to announce that the first issue from their mega-event series, Artifacts, has sold out for a second time at Diamond and will head back to the printers for a third printing to meet demand, a first in Top Cow history.

The dynamic pairing of writer Ron Marz (Witchblade) with the art team of Michael Broussard (The Darkness), Rick Basaldua (The Darkness), Sal Regla (Magdalena) and Sunny Gho of IFS (Velocity) delivers one of the most accessible and engaging event series to date.

”The rapid sales velocity on Artifacts #1 has been incredibly gratifying and a testament to the fantastic work that the entire creative team of Ron Marz, Michael Broussard, Rick Basaldua, Sal Regla, and Sunny Gho have been doing,” commented Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik, “We’ve never gone to a third printing, but this is our biggest event to date and we want our retail partners to know that we are fully behind it.”

"Obviously I'm thrilled we're going go to a third printing of Artifacts #1,” said Marz. “Huge thanks to the readers and retailers for supporting the book. The most gratifying aspect to the whole thing is that a lot of new readers are trying out Artifacts, finding it absolutely accessible, and using it as their gateway into the Top Cow Universe."

Bringing together a number of plot threads from all over the Top Cow Universe the past few years, Top Cow’s first foray into a universe-tying event has been well-received across comic book and pop culture communities, including Comic Book Resources, Newsarama, Comic Vine, iFanboy, Techland, USA Today and many, many more taking notice.

Artifacts #1 3rd Printing, a 32-page full color comic book for $3.99, will be in stores September 22, 2010. The saga continues with Artifacts #2 arriving in stores the same day.

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The game comes out next week and already has a positive review up on the interwebs for your perusal. I like reading the lines about essentially getting four games for the price of admission of one. Plus, playing through each zone looks fairly intense. On top of that, the story is by Dan Slott and you've got the voice talent of Neil Patrick Harris and Josh Keaton as Amazing and Ultimate Spidey, respectively. Here's hoping the game is as cool as it looks!

Debuting this October, STAN LEE'S SOLDIER ZERO #1 is currently available for pre-order from your local comic shop. To find the shop nearest you visit www.comicshoplocator.com.

STAN LEE'S SOLDIER ZERO is written by Paul Cornell (ACTION COMICS, DOCTOR WHO) with art by Javier Pina (SUPERMAN) and ships with seven covers, including A & B covers in a 50/50 split by Trevor Hairsine and Dave Johnson respectively, a 1-in-25 incentive by Phil Noto, 1-in-50 Undressed Trevor Hairsine Variant, 1-in-75 Undressed Dave Johnson Variant, 1-in-150 Undressed Phil Noto Variant and a special 1-in-300 Stan Lee signed variant cover with all new cover art by Kalman Andrasofszky. SOLDIER ZERO #1 carries a Diamond Code of AUG100871 and is shipping this October.

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There has been some debate recently in the comic book world as to if Wednesday will no longer be the date of new releases for our funny books. Some retailers have been getting books on Tuesdays with the idea that they'd stock their stores over night for early release on Wednesday (as opposed to getting their books Wendesday and making us all wait - bah humbug to that!), so talks began as to if new release date should simply be Tuesday now.

Well, the answer from the mound was given: no. Wednesday will remain new comic book day. A survey was given to publishers and retailers in order to help make the decision, and the overwhelming response to keeping books for Wednesday has solidified Wednesday for New Comic Book Day (or as we shorten it in our weekly articles, WINCBD! - notice the "win" part?).

However, here's the caveat. Before, only top retailers were allowed shipment arrival for Tuesdays so they could stock for Wednesday. As of January 2011, ALL stores will have that option, which is great. There are plenty of indie shops out there that will do well with their clientelle by avoiding rushes in the morning for new books that aren't on shelves yet. How will this be monitored though? Simply by "mystery shopper" policy. It's been proven to work as an incentive before with other retail outlets, so if it's not broken then don't fix it!

Either way, you are now allowed to continue to look forward to Wednesday's as the best day of the week.

(Source)

It snuck into solicits like a thief in the night, but if you haven't heard yet: yes, Balls To The Wall is happening. Millar mentioned a Kick-Ass sequel some time ago before the movie was even out, but it looks like he was more serious than we had assumed. And what's more is that you can be assured it will be a) more ridiculous than the first and b) it's actually going to be influenced by the film's success.

That element really isn't too surprising. The film was a box office and will assumedly become bigger in DVD sales. Fans who have never even read a comic responded very well to the film (even if some of us who have didn't). Multiversity's own Josh Mocle said it was better than the book in many ways. I suppose Millar agrees.

So what are some of the things you can expect? Well, for first Chris Mintz-Plasse (who played Red Mist in the film) said that Mist needs a Harley Quinn, so Millar has given it to him. Kick-Ass is also going to learn how to actually fought, and Hit Girl will be his trainer. In fact, that's how the book will open (as seen in the image here). The characters will also be slightly different because now Millar is writing his book with the actors in mind. Hit Girl will be fixed to Chloe Moretz's talent and abilities, Kick Ass to Johnston's, etc. The plot will mainly feature "street-level superheroes going viral," now that Kick-Ass and his band are out there in a more public way. "It happens with everything. It happens with hairstyles and music. All it takes is for someone to write something about it, and then all of the sudden, there are imitators and haters! That's when I realized that superheroes would be like that. One guys does it, and then people see someone get in a pinch and then another one is out there. That's what happens with Kick-Ass," said Millar.

Kick-Ass 2 #1 will be out in shops in October (despite being solicited in August), and if we've learned nothing else from Millar's current work it's that this book will, in fact, be balls to the wall. If you like that or not is really more up to you, but I can assure you we at MC will be following the progress of this book and it's story, as Mark Millar becomes the biggest (and arguably the first) comic book writer to write comic boo kadaptations for movies that haven't happened yet.

(source)

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Recently, IGN did a series of Top 10 lists highlighting the best titles at DC, Marvel, Vertigo and Indie comics publishers. We greatly enjoyed the list - they did a great job - but we realized we also didn't entirely agree with their choices as a website. It's the nature of industry and the medium, as different readers prefer different books. So over the next few weeks we'll be doing a list of our favorites as a website, as voted by the writers of Multiversity. We'll be doing it in a the same structure we did our decade lists - #1 finish is worth 10 points, #10 is worth 1 point, and then we aggregate our lists.

For the purposes of this exercise, we're following IGN's rules of anything not Marvel, DC or Vertigo being included as indie. Actually, we're just going to switch it to "Non-Marvel/DC/Vertigo books

So what are the top non-Marvel/DC/Vertigo books of today? Me and fellow MC writer David Harper take a look at some of our favorites, and of course beware some minor spoilers.

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Later this month from Image Comics (the 22nd, to be specific!), a new on-going begins from the mind of Jim Zubkavich entitled Skullkickers. The book stars two mercenaries as they seek adventure and fortune, fighting off all kinds of evils including werewolves, skeletons, and black magic (oh my). Last week we chatted with the series writer to discuss all things Skullkickers: plot, art, release windows, and it's role in the fantasy world, and today we present it to you for your reading pleasure.

Take a look behind the cut for the full interview, and keep your eyes peeled for a review of the first issue of Skullkickers later this month!

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We were just as surprised to you to hear that Marvel Studios is planning a Runaways movie, but we highly support it. Why? Because we're all BKV fanboys and Runaways is great. Duh! But when casting calls came out for the movie, a lot of fans began to get upset over the fact that Niko's Asian American heritage was not called for in the call. Hollywood itself has been guilty of two heritage changes recently, with Jake Gylenhall starring in Prince of Persia as well as the lead in Avatar The Last Airbender not being Asian.

Marvel in turn released a statement to RaceBending.com in response to this issue: "To address your concern over casting for the role of Nico, as we do with all of our films, we intend to stay true to the legacy and story of the comic when casting these parts. Thus, our goal is to cast an Asian American actress as depicted in the comic series and the casting notice will be adjusted accordingly." Since then, the casting call has been fixed.

I think it's a good move on Marvel's part to address and adjust as such. To a certain extent, the most basic element of Runaways is that it's a very diverse group coming together against a common foe. We're not talking diverse in the way of just male or female, but of age and race and even social demographic. These were all incredibly important factors into how the story of Runaways played out. With Marvel adapting a story like this, I can only hope they really stick to the core issues of the book and it's plot because Runaways should be rather simple to adapt correctly.

And don't forget: Gil already cast the movie once, so the work is essentially already done! Marvel just has to call these people up, and there ya go. Bam. Movie made. ....wait, what? Huh? Gil didn't cast an Asian American in the role of Niko either? ...oops.

(source)

Have you been wondering what happens to Dick Grayson now that Bruce Wayne is returning? Well, I have good news for those of you who are fans of Dick (heh..): Dick Grayson is staying in the cowl. "But wait," you ask. "I thought Bruce was going to be Batman for that Batman Inc. book?" You're absolutely right. He will. Because starting this month with Morrison's finale to Batman and Robin, there will be two Batmen.

It basically runs down like this - Detective Comics, Batman, and Batman and Robin will all feature Dick Grayson as the lead in the suit he currently wears. Meanwhile, Batman Inc. and Batman: The Dark Knight will feature Bruce Wayne as Batman with the redesigned suit. Damian Wayne will continue to be Robin, Tim Drake will continue to be Red Robin, and Stephanie Brown will continue to be Batgirl. As said by Dan DiDio to the NY Post, "Bruce Wayne realizes that he can't just be the grim avenger he was before. He wants to be more aggressive in his reach, and realizes the change that Batman as a symbol can effect around the world."

That's arguably the best thing I've read in regards to Batman's future status quo. I really like Grayson as Batman because he has a somewhat sunnier disposition, and he can manage to both be a good detective and a symbol of fear but a character that's very enjoyable to read because he is filled with depth. For me, the biggest problem of Bruce Wayne is that writers got it into their heads that he had to be angry all the time, and it lead to really boring stories. If Bruce Wayne doesn't want to just be a grim avenger but instead venture outside of his Gotham City box and see how to better serve the world, I am all for it.

As of now, this is your Batman schedule: September 9th is Batman and Robin #14, September 22nd is Batman and Robin #15 as well as The Return of Bruce Wayne #5, October 6th is Batman and Robin #16 and the Return of Bruce Wayne #6, and October 27 is Batman: the Return. Batman Inc. begins November 3rd. Phew. That's quite a finale lined up for these next two months. Fingers crossed that there are no more delays, everyone.

Also, for your first look at an interior from Batman Inc., take a look right below:



(source)

Last week we had several rumors of an Authority film, only to find out it's not actually happening. Not necessarily the worst thing in the world (since I'm someone who doesn't usually love comic/film adaptations), but it did spark up a brand new debate as to who could play in the possible film. The last time anyone apparently talked about it was 2003 when Wizard did an article casting Brad Pitt and George Clooney.

This week, I sat down with guest writer Jessica Graham to figure out who would make for a good Authority with input from Multiversity's own David Harper. We focused primarily on the fantastic and original run by Warren Ellis and Bryan Hitch. We did not, however, cast any villains. Who are we really going to get to play a giant alien planetoid version of God and an insane Chinese dictator hellbent on marking the world with his symbol? Since we have no idea which run would be adapted, we'll focus on the team itself.

Check behind the cut for our cast!

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Unfortunately, the hotly anticipated Teen Titans: Games has been delayed again. Featuring Marv Wolfman and George Perez's returns to the era and characters they made oh-so-famous, this book has been essentially 25 years coming. Looks like we'll have to wait a tad longer.

As the description for the book goes according to Robot 6, the book "features a classic Titans lineup — Nightwing, Troia, Cyborg, Changeling, Starfire, Raven, Jericho and Danny Chase — pitted against a mysterious villain playing a deadly game." The book was originally solicited for a November release, but it has been noticed that the new Amazon release is now slated for January. Unfortunately, Perez had to give priority of his work to DCU's Legacies book, and with recent surgery on his eyes, the man who was once an artistic powerhouse has slowed down a bit in his output.

While we wait for the work, we wish Perez all the best and a strong recovery. If he can still make books like Final Crisis: Legion of 3 Worlds look just as fantastic as Crisis On Infinite Earths looked when it first came out, we can wait a little bit longer.

For Perez's full statement regarding his health and the delays, check behind the cut.

(source)

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It just goes to show you - you support a mini hard enough, you'll get an ongoing! You've seen it with Secret Six, and now you get Batman Beyond: the ongoing! As announced at Baltimore Comic-Con, Batman Beyond is getting it's own ongoing after the Hush Beyond arc ends, which is pretty exciting news all around.

I will admit - I was a huge fan of Batman Beyond as a kid, but I did not have any real faith in the mini. Boy, was I wrong. Those who have seen our reviews here on MC know that we have actually been enjoying the mini quite a bit. Adam Beechen has done a great job hitting all the right notes for the book, and it's a fitting tribute to the show. If you keep him and Ryan Benjamin on the ongoing, I'll buy it.

Either way, congrats to the team! While we don't know what the future holds for this book, I can only hope for the best.

(source)

Now that's what I'm talking about! According to a report from Bleeding Cool (or rather, a reader of Bleeding Cool) coming out of the Baltimore Comic Con, "Dan DiDio is planning to see print and digital crosspromotions, with download codes for the digital copy printed inside the print copy of various comics and collections."

This is an incredibly smart move, and one that we at the MC office have mentioned in speculation before. Vinyl records do it, and it's a great way for fans who want to buy a hard copy get a digital copy (considering you can't burn vinyl records to iTunes - easily). Putting in little download cards for your comics is a great way to promote digital comics and make people more interested in the idea. It's something that should have been done already, if you ask me.

Either way, the sooner this gets rolled out the better. It's definitely a move I support as a reader who insists on buying everything I love in print. If they want me to get into digital, an incentive like this helps.

(source)

This Saturday, the Harvey Award winners were announced! Some of you may remember a month or so ago, David and I sat down and debated some of the nominations, but were we right? Well, we'll say we were almost there. As always, the comics that won are stellar, and if you're looking for a new book to check out, take a look at the winners behind the cut. These are books worth reading, folks. Congratulations to all the winners!

Take a look behind the winner for the winners.

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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 23 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!

As always, we are 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.

Oh snap! It’s Burpee’s Got You Covered time!So sit back and relax as I take you on a viewing pleasure trip. I’ve gone through the books released this week and I’ve selected my favorite covers of the week. There is no criterion for my selections other than the cover needing to catch my eye for some reason or another. So this week I bring you another random assortment of covers that I though were the best of the bunch this week. So hit the jump and see what tickled my fancy this week…..

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With the end of the month comes some unfortunate news: I am leaving the Multiversity Comics team. Don't worry, there's no bad blood, life just sometimes gets in the way of what we enjoy. Thanks very much to all of you who read my articles and enjoyed them. You may see me stepping in to do a guest article every now and then, but that's about it for a while.

Enough of that though; let's get on with the month in review. There was a lot of good and a lot of bad this month, so there were plenty of tough choices to make. Follow the cut to see my final verdicts!

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Today at the Fan Expo, Marvel announced the news that following Shadowland would be Daredevil: Reborn, written by Andy Diggle with art by Davide Gianfelice and covers by Jock. The book will follow Shadowland and the end of Daredevil, which is ending once Shadowland reaches it's climax with The End Of Daredevil. The mini series will last four issues long, and will be preluded by Shadowland's epilogue, After The Fall. The idea behind the book will be that whoever is Daredevil after Shadowland will have to build the character back up from the ground after the events of Shadowland, which means that this isn't going to be the same kind of "time travel/bring the dead character back to life" kind of deal. It'll be much more spiritual in nature, such as with Born Again.

And that's all we have for now.

My initial Twitter response to this news was "Geez, Marvel, what is with the inability to keep it in your pants? Shadowland isn't even over yet." I've written about how I disliked premature solicitation multiple times now. I don't really understand a company's (not just Marvel, anyone) obsession with announcing as quickly as possible what's coming next. Shadowland isn't over, but they announced afterwards that Daredevil would end, which made us assume that Daredevil would either die or retire. Now we know that no matter what happens, he's being "reborn." In what capacity I guess we don't know. Maybe there really will be someone else in the DD suit. But honestly? I would've preferred to wait until the end of Shadowland to see what happens, because the emotional impact is being completely lost on me.

Hell, I would've been happy with Murdock spending some time six feet under. Take a chance, Marvel! Kill one of your top characters and leave him dead!

Hey guys! Guess who's back! After a couple weeks off due to family issues, I'm back and ready to review some books. It's a DC-Exclusive week with Justice League: Generation Lost, Superman: Secret Origin, Wonder Woman, and Action Comics. The rating system is as follows!

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

Check out the reviews followign the cut!

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Never let it be said that Massachusetts folk don't absolutely rock. Sometimes we upset people with lite brites, and other times the Doctor comes and pays us a visit.

As of this morning on the top of the MIT campus, the TARDIS can be seen hanging out on top of the building for all to see. MIT is known for it's rather humorous pranks, but this is just flat out awesome. It can currently be seen next to the dome on top of the main building, so if you want to go and see if you can hop into the famous blue box, now is your chance!

(source)

I've never seen xXx, but I know a little about it and it's sequel. I can't really tell you much, so instead I'll let you know that Marvel has hired on the screenwriter of xXx, Rich Wilkes, to write their Iron Fist movie.

An Iron Fist movie is definitely an interesting choice for Marvel to make, and it as well as the previously announced Doc Strange film will be the first two that are co-published with Disney. However, it's nice that Marvel is really putting forth the energy to get this film done, and one can only hope that it will fit into the larger Avengers continuity that they've been establishing in the film world. Marvel does love their characters, and Iron Fist has shot up in popularity in the past year thanks to excellent work by Matt Fraction and Ed Brubaker. The character is also slated for a new book by Fred Van Lente as a team up with the new Power Man.

Keep your eyes peeled for any additional news we get on the flick, and hopefully Isaiah Mustafa can play Luke Cage in it.

(source)

Ahem. No pun intended?

Never the less, Bleeding Cool broke the official scoop that the folks behind Batman XXX, Vivid Entertainment, have begun their work on the next entry into their Superhero Porn world. This time they're tackling the Man Of Steel, and I can only assume that this will be nothing like what JMS is currently doing in the book.

So who is playing Superman? Ryan Driller, aka Jeremy Bilding. Why "should" you know about Driller? Well, according to Bleeding Cool, he actually has a much larger career in gay pornography, making him the first "out" Superman ever. He's also an accomplished sky diver apparently, so expect Superman to possibly maybe have a mid air sex scene. Maybe? Either that or he'll just fly.

As for the rest of the cast, it will be made up of Andy San Dimas playing Lois Lane, Dale DaBone as Jor-El, as well as Alexis Texas, Lexi Belle, Kristina Rose, Zoe Voss, Randy Spears, James Deen, Eric Masterson, Evan Stone and Alec Knight. I don't know any of those names whatsoever, but I assume some of out there might. So... I hope that's exciting!

(source)

Image has now join other companies in the digital revolution to bring their own brand of iPad/iPhone app to the market in order to provide their customers with digital comics. Joining the ranks of Marvel, DC, and BOOM! Studios, Image definitely has a good footing to start in with their digital launch.

See, as part of the "regular" ComiXology app, several first issues of Image titles have now been available for quite some time. You can get great reads like The Walking Dead or Invincible #1, as well as plenty of other choice first issue comics. Now that Image is entering the arena with their own app to place their titles in, you can be assured that there will be much more comics available from those titles, as well as others. The app itself is designed by ComiXology, which follows suit of the other comic companies as well as giving ComiXology the foothold in the market.

Right now you can find plenty of good titles in the app, from Savage Dragon to Chew to Battle Pope. The company hopes to beef up it's presence in the digital realm, supposedly including something from Image partners Robert Kirkman and Robert Liefeld. The app is also geared to uphold some of the standards Image has since it first began publishing, with the hopes of avoiding any digital royalty issues that other companies might have been having.

The app is online now, free of charge. Take a look if you've got an iPad, because if you have one and have any of the other companies' apps, you'll know that it looks absolutely gorgeous.

(source and source)

Welcome to another edition of Wednesday is New Comic Book Day, our collection of weekly reviews. This week, we've got Matt, Gil and myself reviewing on what happened to be a fairly light week for your's truly. But still, I have a rather atypical assortment of books. What are they? Well, first, let's take a look at our rating system.

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 how about this for a unique lineup of books...I don't just have one Robert Kirkman book this week, I have three Robert Kirkman books, as I take a look at Invincible #74, Guardians of the Globe #1, and the collected edition of the previous shorts found in the pages of Invincible, Science Dog Special #1. All three books happen to be the first ones released with the Skybound Entertainment label as well.

Not only that, but my favorite ongoing in comics had a new issue, with Scalped #40 gracing comic racks everywhere today.

It's a nice week of books for everyone...find out how good of one after the jump.

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Unlike previous weeks, this week I decided to try and only read books that I thought I'd really love. Normally I try and get my hands on smaller titles that I have the chance of disliking, but these books are almost all a shoe in for positive reviews from me. Or are they? Who knows!

So before we dive in, here's a look at our rating system:

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 my reviews include Batman #702, Legion of Super Heroes #4, Fantastic Four #582, and Thor #613. It's a fun and eclectic mix this week, featuring a line-up by some of my favorite authors, so the reviews are bound to be positive.

Check out all the reviews after the jump.

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You're invited to a spectacular anniversary celebration as Paul Levitz unites the World's Finest with the super-team he's best known for – the Legion of Super-Heroes! Lex Luthor has finally unleashed a threat powerful enough to gain the Legion's attention in the far future, but to take Luthor down, they'll have to journey into the past and ask for help from both Batman and Superboy!

Plus, Joe Kelly and various writers and artists chronicle the history of The Man of Steel and The Dark Knight in adventures that span from yesterday into the far beyond! Adam Hughes writes and draws a tale starring Supergirl and Batgirl, J.T. Krul and Francis Manipul deliver a tale of Superboy and Red Robin seeking advice from their mentors, Ace and Krypto get leashed by Duncan Rouleau, David Finch writes and illustrates a story for the first time, and Joe Kelly, Steven T. Seagle, Billy Tucci and many more surprises help commemorate this anniversary extravaganza!

What did we at Multiversity think of this epic anniversary issue? Find out after the jump.

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Written by Daryl Gregory, Kurt Busiek
Drawn by Scott Godlewski
COVER A: Dan Brereton
COVER B: Ron Salas

He’s back from the dead and starring in a new ongoing horror series from the mind of Kurt Busiek. A powerful, predatory corporation acquires a valuable asset – Dracula! They think they own him, but no one can own the Son of the Dragon. There’s a monster in their midst that puts Hannibal Lecter to shame – and he plans to gain his freedom in blood. It’s bloodsuckers vs. bloodsucker, as Busiek brings an incredibly modern spin to the Dracula mythos. Joining Busiek is award-winning author Daryl Gregrory (Pandemonium) and rising star artist Scott Godlewski (Codebreakers). The epic journey starts here, so don’t miss the debut issue of Dracula: The Company Of Monsters, the next breakout ongoing series from BOOM! Studios! Featuring covers by Ron Salas and fan-favorite The Nocturnals artist Dan Brereton.

Vampires are pretty hot in the world right now, with multiple TV shows and comic crossovers. It seems these bloodsuckers are ready to take the world by storm after years hiding in the dark, but am I ready to get bitten? What did I think of BOOM!'s new on-going title by Kurt Busiek?

To get past one of the cheesiest openings I've ever written and check out my thoughts on the issue, take a look behind the cut.

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This week on Comics Should Be Cheap!, four of Multiversity's writers pick what comics they'd grab if they could only get $20 worth of comics (I can't even imagine what that world would be like!). For readers who are looking to buy on a budget, this is a good resource for you.

Check out our choices after the jump.

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After the cut, please take a look at the solicitations for Archaia
for November 2010. There are some exciting books announced here, including a brand new Fraggle Rock and the latest chapters in both Mouse Guard and Days Missing. We also get a look at the solicits for some new original graphic novels.

Click "read more" to see the solicits.

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This is definitely something exciting to wake up to! Last night, the folks over at the Fictory posted a brand new teaser trailer for their Atomic Robo short, Last Stop. The short, based on Clevinger and Wegener's comic, features the titular hero jumping out of a plane and getting ready to face out with the Iron Giant a metal behemoth. We've seen some production stills in the past from this, and so far it all looks great. The teaser just gets us more excited!

Be sure to check out the official Last Stop website right here, when you can view the video with much better quality than YouTube allows, and be sure to check out the press release below:

Animation studio, The Fictory, run by director Joseph W. Krzemienski, today
released a Teaser for their upcoming short Atomic Robo: Last Stop. Based on Brian Clevinger and Scott Wegener’s smash hit indie comic series: Atomic Robo.

About The Atomic Robo: Last Stop Teaser
This teaser is the first opportunity for fans to catch a glimpse of animation directly from the short film. Director and crew have been keeping a frequently updated production blog over at thefictory.com. Atomic Robo: Last Stop will be a 15 minute animated short scheduled for public release in early 2011.

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Recently, IGN did a series of Top 10 lists highlighting the best titles at DC, Marvel, Vertigo and Indie comics publishers. We greatly enjoyed the list - they did a great job - but we realized we also didn't entirely agree with their choices as a website. It's the nature of industry and the medium, as different readers prefer different books. So over the next few weeks we'll be doing a list of our favorites as a website, as voted by the writers of Multiversity. We'll be doing it in a the same structure we did our decade lists - #1 finish is worth 10 points, #10 is worth 1 point, and then we aggregate our lists.

We start this week with our look at my personal favorite Vertigo Comics. For me, Vertigo Comics has been the gold standard since I really got into comics. My two favorite titles of all time have come from there, with Preacher and Y the Last Man capturing my imagination better than any comics I've ever read.

But what about the current crop? What are the top Vertigo books of today? Multiversity EIC Matt Meylikhov and I look into it in today's Multiversity Comics Countdown. Check it out after the jump, and beware spoilers fans that aren't caught up.

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Some of you might remember that during the final season of the show, we had FuckYeahLost's Crit Obara writing for us a review of each episode, as well as a finale wrap up. They were such a hit with you readers that I've decided to bring my buddy back one more time.

With the box set and final season out yesterday, as Damon said the "cycle is over." All that's left is to unbox and discover the secrets. So, using the camera inside my Mac, Crit and I sat down to open up and explore the insides of the LOST Complete Collection (on blu-ray!). Enjoy:

Unboxing The LOST Box Set With FYL's Crit from Multiversity Comics on Vimeo.

And don't forget to check out FuckYeahLost and Crit's solo unveiling.

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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If you're anything like us (or me), you're hella excited about Stan Lee/Paul Cornell's Soldier Zero. Heck, anything new involving Stan Lee is pretty exciting, but put Paul Cornell into the mix and you've got Multiversity employee's jumping through hoops for it.

It's with that in mind that I very excitedly give you a five page preview of Soldier Zero, and a look at his origin story. It pops in right in the middle of a scene, and does - as I say - show you the origin. If you want to wait until the issue comes out, I'll understand... but seriously, just look behind the cut and check it out! It looks damn good, and I'm excited to get my paws on the issue as is.

Check behind the cut for a five page preview of the issue. The book comes out in October by Paul Cornell with art by Javier Pina from BOOM! Studios.

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Next month, a new Image title comes out from Jim Zubkavich and Edwin Huang called Skullkickers. It's the story of two mercenaries out to make a buck smashing werewolves and skeletons. We at MC got a look at the first issue and already dig it, but for the rest of you, how about taking a look at this ad with some familiar names who also enjoy Skullkickers?

story JIM ZUBKAVICH
art CHRIS STEVENS, EDWIN HUANG & MISTY COATES
cover CHRIS STEVENS
32 PAGES / FC, $2.99
"ONE THOUSAND OPAS AND A DEAD BODY" No one knows where these two warriors came from. The only thing that's clear is that they're two of most ornery, trouble-making $%@# that have ever lived. SKULLKICKERS is a fantasy action-comedy: Two mercenaries are entangled in a high-class assassination plot and nothing—werewolves, skeletons or black magic—will stop them from getting paid. If you love tabletop fantasy RPGs or movies like Army of Darkness, SKULLKICKERS is waiting for you!

Keep your eye out the 22nd of September for the first issue of this brand new Image title.

Those of you who didn't get to go to San Diego Comic Con have been intensely excited to finally watch the trailer of AMC's The Walking Dead that they showed there. That day has finally come, as the trailer is up above and is pretty much amazing. It seems like they did the right thing: focus on character first and work from there. I for one am incredibly excited (but I was already).

Also, we have an official premiere date for the 90 minute debut: Sunday, October 31, at 10 PM EST/9PM CST. Plan accordingly Deadheads.

4 Color News & Brews - Sunshine from Multiversity Comics on Vimeo.

This week on 4 Color News & Brews, Brandon and David have a diminuitive guest star and a special word of the week: sunshine and all variations of the form. With Alaska being on a hot streak (for Alaska), the guys had to give a shout out to Mother Nature.

We also had to give a shout out to a fine list of books weeks this week, as well as one Brian Michael Bendis. Here are the time signatures below, but also, don't forget to email Brandon, David or the 4 Color email address if you have any questions or comments.

Thunderbolts #147: 1:46
Wolverine: Weapon X #16: 14:38
Chew #13: 25:23
DV8: Gods and Monsters #5: 33:06
Sweets #2: 39:52

Also, note that the audio gets disconnected from the video later on. Our bad! Hope you enjoy it!

This video is making it's way throughout the collective internets right now, and we didn't want to deprive you of any of the hilarity here at MC.

This mash-up puts fated Neo and his collected cast in Scott Pilgrim's shoes as he battles for Ramona's affection. Can he defeat her seven evil ex boyfriends, including the nefarious Agent Smith? Find out in this upcoming film by Edgar Wright!

And hey, if you like this trailer, there's a very similar film in theaters right now!

It's funny ... watching this trailer doesn't really make me want to see Scott Pilgrim again, but I wouldn't mind watching all the Matrix's fight scenes in one sitting on blu-ray.

Marvel released an advance preview of Charlie Huston's new title, Wolverine: The Best There Is. The book doesn't come out until December, but apparently Marvel is so excited about this title that they've released it hella early! I'm not overly surprised - Huston is great. Huston definitively put Moon Knight on the map with his run on the title. While there is an over abundance of Wolverine books once more, it doesn't hurt to have one written by Huston.

Of course, the best part about this preview is that it is too violent to show. Didn't see that one coming! A Wolverine book that's too violent? Huh. I don't see a MAX on the title though, unlike Punisher and Deadpool have. So what exactly is too violent? I mean, we get to see this new villain Contagion who is apparently made up of maggots and has frightening pubic hair. What could be left to see?

Violent comics can be fun, and those of you who are familiar with the name Garth Ennis have probably seen your fair share of ultra-violent comics - from Punisher MAX, to Preacher, to the Boys. Heck, those of you that read Infinite Crisis saw Psycho Pirate get his face pushed out the back of his head by Black Adam. So the challenge is set, Marvel - what is too violent?

For the full preview and press release, check behind the cut.

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Fangs, freaks and fright fill Archaia Black Label’s newly announced horror anthology, MOON LAKE, an original graphic novel hardcover coming October 2010 in association with the diversely talented writer/director Dan Fogler and his company, UNKATUSH, Inc.

MOON LAKE (oversized hardcover, full color, 112 pages, 7.25” x 11.25”, $19.95) is a collection of short horror stories based in and around the titular, haunted body of water, which was the basis of Fogler’s independent horror movie, HYSTERICAL PSYCHO.

“The idea for the graphic novel came from wanting to expand the world of HYSTERICAL PSYCHO,” said Fogler. “The movie takes place up north at the eternally haunted region called Moon Lake. The tone of the film is like Alfred Hitchcock on acid meets EVIL DEAD, so I thought, why not do HITCHCOCK PRESENTS on acid, or TALES FROM THE CRYPT on crack, or TWILIGHT ZONE on THC…you get the picture. MOON LAKE is an anthology telling the hysterically horrific tales of Moon Lake from prehistoric times through today and into the possible future. Not all the stories are funny but they sure as hell are freaky…”

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

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In a shocking twist, it looks like Batman has turned to life of crime! Seen in the video above popping out of the shadows and stealing some poor guy's burrito, it's quite enlightening to Batman's true nature to see him in such an act.

Sometimes, you've just got to have some Taco Bell. For a guy that saves our butts night after night, should we let this act of crime go unanswered for?

In a bit of news that seems quite ... odd, really, apparently Dean Haspiel dropped a tiny little bombshell in his livejournal update in regards to winning an Emmy:

I met and spoke to the lovely Stana Katic, star of TV show, CASTLE, and told her how much I loved her in Frank Miller's SPIRIT movie [she was my favorite part of the movie]. I have a very short list of who I would cast to play my very own Jane Legit character [Billy Dogma's better half] and Stana is on that list. Stana told me she was in the midst of creating a new comic book and was in talks to act in a movie version of Warren Ellis' THE AUTHORITY.

Well now. That seems odd. Granted, the Authority has a very movie-esque feel to it thanks to the widescreen action artwork of Bryan Hitch, but ... an Authority movie? Like, for real?

Warren Ellis didn't have much to say on his end of the story either:

I don’t own THE AUTHORITY, and DC are certainly not compelled to tell me about anything regarding the book.

What an odd thing.

Personally, I don't think the Authority would work as a movie - but generally, I say that about every comic ever. Half of the time I'm right! The Authority would make an incredibly odd film, though, because a) it came out of the ashes of Stormwatch, and what - is there gonna be a Stormwatch prequel? and b) these aren't characters that I think anyone could actively portray or that audiences would really get behind. Also, not to bash my entire country, but the two best characters in the story are gay. While I think they're the best part of the story, is the general American audience going to get behind two huge butch men kicking ass and making out? You're losing half of the country in ticket sales right out the bat... you know, all those people for Prop 8? And after Scott Pilgrim, is a lesser known comic (to those outside the comic community, that is) really going to have enough gusto to make it out of pre-production with good faith behind the studio?

The Authority as a film could be phenomenal, but (no offense here) if Stana Katic is the first person in the running to play anyone (as Bleeding Cool points out, assumedly the Engineer), I don't have incredibly high hopes. I like Castle, and enjoyed her role on Heroes, but I'm not really seeing her as a leading role.

I do appreciate that Warren Ellis' name was mentioned, because I think that helps give us an idea of what stories could possibly be adapted. Then again, when I think about the Authority going out and killing God, I'm again wondering if that's something a studio would really want to produce. What REALLY I want to know is - who is going to play Miss Jenny Sparks?

(Source)

Yeah, you read that right. While you may or may not have heard of this yet, Gucci's new Guilty line has tapped Frank Miller to create a new ad for them, so he went ahead and got Evan Rachel Wood and Chris Evans to star in it and now you get to take a brief look!

Set to premiere in September with the MTV Movie Awards, Gucci's new ad is very Frank Miller. Whether you loved or hated The Spirit, it's true that the man has his style down to the T. It's pretty great to see Chris Evans in yet another comic-related thing as well, because to me him being Jensen/Lucas Lee/the Human Torch/Captain America wasn't enough! Seriously though, folks - love me some Chris Evans. And Evan Rachel Wood? I'm ready to go get some of this myself. As Comics Alliance also pointed out, flaming car!!!

Take a longer look at the new Gucci Guilty at Facebook.

UPDATE: No sooner did I write this than the full thing hit the internet:



It seems like it's missing a scene or two from the trailer, and it doesn't exactly make me think of perfume or any of that sort of thing... but then again, that's ok. Evan Rachel Wood. Chris Evans. It works!

The above image was sent over to Robot 6 this morning without any sort of additional explanation.

....well, that can't be good.

While it certainly isn't breaking down the box office at the moment, it's impossible not to catch Scott Pilgrim fever to a point. Whether you're in love with the book, or if you've seen the movie three times, Scott Pilgrim has offered something for everyone. One of those things is the fantastic video game which covers the plot of the book somewhat more closely than the book does! And half of what makes the game so great is the dynamite 8bit soundtrack as designed by chiptune band Anamanaguchi.

Today, Anamanaguchi's soundtrack is available on iTunes for download! While no physical release has been announced yet, this is your chance to get down to some sweet Nintendo-esque songs (although they're coming out of your PS3). The game also makes it's way to XBOX 360s today, so those of you without Sony's game machine are ready to get into it.

Be sure to pop on iTunes and grab it here, and be sure to give Anamanguchi's other two CDs a consideration for your collection!

Top Cow Productions, Inc. proudly announced today that they will be returning to the 2010 Baltimore Comic-Con, Baltimore’s premier entertainment convention, this weekend August 27-28,2010. This marks the third consecutive year the publisher has had a presence at the show.

Top Cow Publisher Filip Sablik and Direct Market Liaison Atom! Freeman will be bringing writer Ron Marz (Artifacts, Witchblade) and artist Michael Broussard (Artifacts, The Darkness) to the show (UPDATE: Top Cow has informed us that Broussard will be unable to attend and Nelson Blake II (Magdalena) will be attending in his place). Marz, Broussard and Sablik (Pilot Season: The Asset, Last Mortal) will be on hand for signings both days at the Top Cow booth. In addition, Sablik will be available throughout the show for portfolio reviews for aspiring artists.

The publisher will be offering an exclusive Baltimore Comic Con variant cover to Velocity #1 for the event by Broussard.

Attendees are invited to join Sablik, Marz and Broussard for a frank and lively discussion of upcoming events in the Top Cow Universe spinning out of the world-shatter event series – Artifacts – in the Top Cow: We Create…Universes panel in Room 308 at 1 pm on Saturday. Every attendee will receive a free gift just for attending.

For more information on Top Cow Productions, Inc. and Baltimore Comic-Con, please visit www.topcow.com and www.baltimorecomiccon.com, respectively.

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Have you recently been hearing the hype about Bryan Lee O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim series and want to get all caught up? This November, Oni has something for you: Scott Pilgrim's Precious Little Boxset. This will collect all six volumes and hook you up with a Scott Pilgrim poster for $72...which I don't believe actually saves you money if you can find all of them individually, but hey, that's me.

Here's a solicit on the upcoming release:

Looking for the perfect entry point into the world of Scott Pilgrim? Well, this is it, buddy! All six volumes of Bryan Lee O'Malley's epic tale of a slacker's quest to win the heart of the girl of his dreams by defeating her seven evil ex-boyfriends! All together in a beautiful new slipcase! Also includes an exclusive poster!

 (Via Robot 6)

In last night's Emmy Awards (I didn't even know they were on), there was a surprising winner amongst the stars: cartoonist Dean Haspiel. Having helped design the credits for HBO's Bored to Death (with co-winners Tom Barham, Marci Ichimura and Anthony Santoro), Haspiel took the prize for Outstanding Main Title Design for the show.

How'd he get the job? Haspiel illustrated Vertigo's The Alcoholic by writer Jonathan Ames. The same Jonathan Ames that Bored to Death is written and created by, as well as the same Ames that sort of stars in the show (Jason Schwartzman plays him).

Congrats to Dean, one of the seemingly nicer and more talented people in the industry.

(Via Robot 6)

You might have heard that Stan Lee teamed up with BOOM! Studios to release some new ocmics. You might have heard that the first will be Soldier Zero, and it will be written by Paul Cornell. You might even have heard from us at MC that it looks and sounds awesome.

But in case you haven't, here's a video of Stan Lee telling you all about it! You can't say no to Smilin' Stan Lee, can you?

SOLDIER ZERO #1, currently available for Comic Book Retailers to order from Diamond Comic Distributors and Haven Distributors, is written by Paul Cornell (ACTION COMICS) with art by Javier Pina (SUPERMAN) and ships with seven covers, including A & B covers in a 50/50 split by Trevor Hairsine and Dave Johnson respectively, a 1-in-25 incentive by Phil Noto, 1-in-50 Undressed Trevor Hairsine Variant, 1-in-75 Undressed Dave Johnson Variant, 1-in-150 Undressed Phil Noto Variant and a special 1-in-300 Stan Lee signed variant cover with all new cover art by Kalman Andrasofszky. SOLDIER ZERO #1 carries a Diamond Code of AUG1008571 and is shipping this October.

THE TRAVELER #1 and STARBORN #1 will be available to order in September and October respectively with THE TRAVELER #1 shipping in November and STARBORN #1 shipping in Decemeber.

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Before Greg Pak was half of our favorite Herc-writing duo, he was pretty famous in the fan community for this little old book called the Incredible Hulk. He sent the Hulk off into space, turned his life around, and brought him home to wage war on the planet. Now, after the past two years of turmoil with the Red Hulk, Pak brings the newly titled Incredible Hulks into the Chaos War.

According to Comic Book Resouces, the Hulks will be brought into the Chaos War by none other than Dr. Strange. The Hulk and Strange have not properly interacted since the end of World War Hulks, so it clearly shows the dire need for Strange to contact his one-time friend for help. But according to Pak, that's not all there is to the story. In fact, Pak hints at just how "big" this will ultimately get:

If you love the classic cosmic style Marvel story with personifications of these abstract concepts, there's another one in this story besides the Chaos King himself. One of the most important of these abstract entities is going to play a major role in this storyline.

For a heck of a lot more on what to expect from Chaos War and the Hulks, as well as the future of the title in general now that World War Hulks is over, check out Comic Book Resources.

That is the exact title of a Marvel blog post made this morning. The blog post is very teasing in that there is no answers to any questions, and simply made as a tease. Some nuggets of information are given, though:

- it's a bunch of projects that all work together

- collectively, these projects are a huge expansion to one of our most popular on-line concoctions

- it's a chance to play with some of the more cutting-edge technologies out there in the digital space

- you'll see Groot-related releases (twigs?) coming in over the next few months and into next year

Hmm. Well for those of you living under a cosmic rock, Groot is one of the Guardians of the Galaxy, a group currently wrapped up in the events of the Thanos Imperative. Groot is also a fan favorite (and a one time writer for Multiversity Comics!). So while we don't know anything about what will happen after the Thanos Imperative ends, we do know that a) there will be a Rocket Raccoon/Groot mini and b) there will be cataclysmic reactions to the events and c) it now possibly maybe involves whatever this Project Groot thing is.

Or perhaps all cosmic stuff is going digital? There is mention of "cutting-edge technologies"... maybe Guardians of the Galaxy: the motion comic is right around the corner?

Leave your speculations in the comments below!

We posted a piece of the puzzle last week, but DC has decided to go and give us the whole enchilada. As seen above, here is the finished puzzle featuring art by Ryan Sook, with additional artistry from Fernando Pasarin and Joel Gomez according to DCU's blog (as well as a "guiding hand" by Jim Lee).

It's an interesting piece. As we noted last week, you can see all the entities trapped within the center. You've got Nekron at the top, and the mysterious new Guardian character at the bottom grabbing at the White Lantern. Well, that can't be good! Of course, the one thing I find interesting about this piece are the poses of everyone. Look at the Hawkman and Hawkgirl - they're not even looking at each other. In fact, they're facing away. Jade is curled up into a ball. Firestorm looks positively sinister!

So, as we all love to say now - and it's seemingly appropriate here given the Lantern Color thing - WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

This week I’m back! Thanks to David for stepping in last week while I was otherwise occupied. This week we have some fantastic covers. As far as artists we have two who make their second appearance and another that surprisingly makes just their first. So what do we have this week? Click the jump and find out yo!

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So a co worker sent me a link to this and while it's not news I wanted to share this with the MC Fanpeeps. It's pretty damn hilarious. If you ever enjoyed the Super Friends or just plain thought the Wonder Twins were lametacular than you'll love this video. It's a bunch of shorts combined into one video. These aired on Adult Swim I guess at some point. While I had never seen these I am sure many have but either way these are worth checking out.

So what are you waiting for? Get to watching! Get to laughing!

There are 7 Avengers titles on the market right now. No, seriously! There's Avengers, New Avengers, Secret Avengers, Avengers Academy, Avengers: Prime, Ultimate Comics Avengers 3, and Avengers: Children's Crusade - and that doesn't even include all the mini's that are planned (such as Avengers and the Infinity Gauntlet, out this week by Atomic Robo scribe Brian Clevinger!). With all these different books, we know that it's difficult to know which title you want to follow most. This is why I've sat down with fellow MC writer Gil to hammer out which of the four on-going titles you need in your pull.

Gil and I will be taking a look at Avengers, New Avengers, Secret Avengers, and Avengers Academy, all of which are at least 3 issues deep now. Which books should stay? Which books should go? Or do we want to read them all? We'll also take a brief look at the other Avengers titles and see if we can't help you pick out a good mini to read.

It's an Avengers Showdown here at Saturday Showdown, so take a look after the cut to see what's what!

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Two articles came out today that really made me think about the role of the artist in a new way when it comes to comics. As a reviewer, I think even I am guilty of short changing artists in their role in the comic book medium, and it's something I've often thought of while writing. While I'll spend two to three paragraphs tackling the contribution of the writer to any given comic, I'll often spend only one and sometimes two paragraphs going into the art. As Thomas Katers at iFanboy points out, artists kind of get a raw deal. Definitely check that article out, as it goes into detail about your role as a comic fan and (in some cases) a comic reviewer and why we need to respect artists more.

Then, Robot 6 linked to a post from write Jim Munroe about the division of labor between himself and his artist Shannon Gerard on their recent work "Sword of My Mouth."

So here’s a breakdown of how much time we each spent working on the book.

Jim’s hours: 283.8 (writing: 23%, revisions and editing: 16%, publicity: 20%, publishing business: 38%)

Shannon’s hours: 1000+ (drawing)

So basically, Shannon put in 80% of the time even considering I took on publicity and publishing roles. (If I was just doing the writing, it would have been closer to a 90/10% split.)

We’re dividing the money we make 80/20%, but it still feels weird. I mean, I knew it took a long time to draw, but it really takes a long time to draw. This wonky division of labour is something to keep in mind when if you’re ever approaching someone to draw a comic. Even if you’re a slow writer and they’re a fast drawer, you’re still asking them to spend much more time realizing something than you spent creating it. What are you bringing to the project beyond amazing ideas and sparkling prose?

So when you get down to it, the artist took 80% of the work hours yet received 20% of the pay for the project. While Munroe developed the project himself, Gerard's massive efforts to bring his words to life are almost criminally under rewarded. It's astounding really.

Things like Katers article and Munroe's info share really remind myself as not just a reviewer but as a comic fan that artists are to be treasured. I for one will make sure to support my favorite artists more not just through my reviews but also in artist's alley visits at cons I go to. Stop by, visit with them, talk the craft, share your thoughts on their work, purchase artbooks...let them know their hard work is valued. I highly suggest you do the same and really think of what your favorite books would be without the artists that realize the worlds these words inhabit.

This week, a great series came to an end. Not in a cancelled sense of the word by any means. The series is simply being replaced with a similar title. If you can't guess, I'm talking about Wolverine: Weapon X. Coming out of absolutely nowhere, Jason Aaron got his first Wolverine ongoing title and created some of the best Wolverine stories on the market during it's year and some odd months. It's no surprise to anyone that he was given the keys to the relaunched ongoing title now that Wolverine: Origins is over.

Of course, this isn't Aaron's first run around with Wolverine. No, he had two good arcs before this book. But the difference between Weapon X and those stories, as well as any other Wolverine book out there, is that Weapon X had one key element that none of the other books managed to appropriately incorporate. What was that factor? Follow me after the cut as Multiversity delivers it's second requiem to a great series (as well as look gleefully into the future).

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As Tom Brevoort pointed out on his Twitter, Brian Bendis is officially the longest running Avengers writer in Marvel history! It's a very long list - two volumes of Avengers, two volumes of New Avengers, Mighty Avengers, Dark Avengers... and that doesn't include crossovers! It's safe to say that Bendis is now the Avengers writer in the same way that Stan Lee was when he created the timeless characters.

But that's not all. As Ed Brubaker and Jonathan Hickman pointed out, the same could be said for Spider-Man. While Bendis has never written the actual Spider-Man title, Bendis is the man responsible for the smash hit Ultimate Spider-Man as well as including Spider-Man on all of his Avengers teams since he began New Avengers seven years ago.

So congratulations, Mr. Bendis! Here's to seeing what you bring forth next.