Friday, Nov. 24, 2000

IMAGE FOR FEBRUARY -- WITH ART

Following are Image Comics' solicitations for February, with information coming from the company.

AGE OF BRONZE #10

Written and art by Eric Shanower.

"Sacrifice Part 1." Part one of an all-new story arc begins with Helena's triumphant arrival in Troy. Paris proudly displays her before his admiring father, King Priam. But the Trojan council quickly polarizes into factions over whether to send Helen home or not. Meanwhile, Aeneas and Troilus are having troubles with their own love-lives.

24 pages, black and white, $3.50.

APHRODITE IX #3

Written by David Wohl, penciled by Dave Finch, inked by Joe Weems, colored by Steve Firchow.

Arrested for murders that she doesn't even remember committing, Aphrodite realizes she's at the center of a conspiracy that's much larger than she originally thought. Now she's more determined than ever to learn where she's from and who created her --- and for what purpose? Unfortunately there are also those that don't want her to know. Too bad for them...

32 pages, $2.50.

BUTCHER KNIGHT #3

Written by Charles Holland, penciled and inked by Dwayne Turner.

Blood. Gore. Demon waste and dead cops. That's what filled the room where Dolgen's Section X squad found Luther Washington. Dolgen wants answers. But Luther is a question wrapped in an enigma and shows no sign of wanting that to change. Dolgen will not quit. He can't. He is an engine of destruction made flesh who hunts and kills monsters. Dolgen is determined to find out who and what Luther Washington is. He will do this at all costs. Unless Daria has anything to say about it. And she will.

32 pages, $2.50.

THE DARKNESS #38

Written by Scott Lobdell, art by Mark Pajarillo.

Jackie Estacado has barely completed his training with Ripclaw, when The Darkness is forced to battle The Conquistator and his legion of Hostile Cherubs. But will even these two be enough to stem the coming Blood Tide -- or is Jackie going to have to look towards his sister Capris for help?

32 pages, $2.50.

DARK REALM #3

Written by Robert Chong, art by Taeson Chang, colored by Quantum Color Fx.

As the "chosen one", Detective Shannon Davenport is about to inherit an awesome power that is handed down just once every millennium. That is, if she can survive until the stroke of midnight. Only by slaying her during the Dark Ritual can Bantar, the Dark King, steal the right of power to become the absolute ruler of both the Dark Realm and the Earth. Can anyone stop the supreme demon before it is too late? Find out in this penultimate issue.

32 pages, $2.95.

DOUBLE IMAGE #1

The Bod written by Larry Young, art and cover by John Heebink; Codeflesh written by Joe Casey, art and cover by Charlie Adlard.

The Bod: Just another story in Hollywood. A gorgeous girl in her hometown in rural Kansas, Kelly Gordon leaves her college drama department to make it big in Hollywood. She's talented and brainy, but is underestimated by most folks because she's stunningly beautiful. Gorgeous. Built. Blonde, blue-eyed, wholesome. A babe cliche. No one takes her seriously because of her looks. But after an on-set special-effects gig goes awry, Kelly becomes invisible. Yesterday, no casting agents in Hollywood would see her; now no one can see her.

Codeflesh: When super-villains get arrested, who bails 'em out? Cameron Daltrey, owner of Daltrey Bail Bonds, that's who. And when those same super-villains skip out on bail, who drags them back in? He'd have to be a man who loves his job, no matter how it wreaks havoc on his life.

32 pages, $2.95.

HELLSPAWN #7

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, art and cover by Ashley Wood.

"The Group." If you're interested in what makes the Hellspawn tick, this one's for you. Hellspawn #7 features one of the most unique perspectives into Spawn's psyche you will ever see. Special artwork by Todd McFarlane helps bring to life this singular event. Andâ¤| a secret group meeting in a church basement reveals just how far and wide the Spawn legacy reaches.

32 pages, $2.50.

MIDNIGHT NATION #5

Written by J. Michael Straczynski, penciled by Gary Frank, inked by Jason Gorder, colored by Dan Kemp.

No one has ever succeeded in reclaiming his soul from the Men. That truth, which means the potential demise of David Grey, comes home when Laurel must encounter one of her previous failures.

32 pages, $2.50.

NO HONOR #1

Written by Fiona Avery, penciled by Clayton Crain.

View the world through the eyes of a world-class art thief. Witness the theft of an antique katana and the rebirth of an ancient Samurai soul in the body of a thief without honor. Fall in love with someone you could never possibly know, hunt while being hunted, and taste the world again for the first time in 1300 years. No Honor is a four-issue tale of one thief who finally runs out of luck and runs into Tannen Yojimbo, the spirit of a Samurai who will change his world forever.

32 pages, $2.50.

OBJECTIVE FIVE #7

Written by Todd Samovitz and Kevin Hoffer, penciled by Luke Lizalde, inked by Crime Lab Inks, colored by Tyson Wengler.

"Origins." This issue reveals exactly what the Chinese have in mind for the Objective Five team. After being kidnapped, our heroes find Russian bio-weapons alive and well in China. While being interrogated by the champions of human rights, the team discovers just how deep the Chinese are into the "super soldier" virus program. Could this same program reveal the origins to the virus that infected them?

32 pages, $2.95.

POWERS COLORING AND ACTIVITY BOOK

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Mike Avon Oeming.

Ever stop by your local police precinct and get one of those coloring/activity books the cops hand out to teach safety tips and crime prevention? Well, this month the team behind the super hit comic, Powers, brings you the coloring/activity book that they hand out at the precinct where the comic book Powers takes place. Find out what happens if you don't listen to the rules and touch a super hero without permission... Find out what happens if you put on a costume and cape and jump off a large building in an attempt to get your favorite super heroes attention... Find out what to do if your father is, in fact, a super villain.

16 pages, black and white, $1.50.

RISING STARS #14

Written by J. Michael Straczynski, penciled by Christian Zanier.

It's the fight everybody's been waiting for: Patriot versus Matthew Bright, Critical Maas goes critical mass, and the final truth behind the murders is revealed at last.

32 pages, $2.50.

SAM & TWITCH #19

Written by Brian Michael Bendis, art by Alex Maleev, colored by Jay Fotos, cover by Ashley Wood.

"Bounty Hunter Wars, Part V." The conclusion to the most storylines. The badass bounty hunter Bilal has gone too far and all the bounty hunters in New York are on his trail. Sam and Twitch must beat the hordes to reach Bilal first. But what will an enraged Twitch do when he finally faces the man who destroyed his life? A shocking ending.

32 pages, $2.50.

SAVAGE DRAGON #84

By Erik Larsen .

Mike Allred's The Atomics and Madman guest star as the Dragon fights BrainiApe and the deadly new Vicious Circle in the arena of death. And readers are not going to believe who's behind all this insanity.

32 pages, $2.95.

SECTION ZERO #6

Written and art by Karl Kesel and Tom Grummett, colored by Ben DiMagmaliw.

The finale of Section Zero's "Ground Zero" storyline-- and the first appearance of Kurt Busiek and George Perez's creator-owned Westwind. Death, deceit and destruction define the final battle for the mysterious island known as Ground Zero a battle that will force Section Zero to pay the ultimate price. Plus: Nicholas West is a powerful attorney... and mystic, with the ability to control the elements. Introducing: Westwind, a different kind of rainmaker, in a back-up story,

32 pages, $2.95.

SHIDIMA #2

Written by Adrian Tsang, penciled by Arnakin and Warui Namakemono, inked by Ramil Sunga, colored by Shane Law.

Aldaran must discover why a rebellion that he was once a part of but helped to dissolve is mysteriously resurfacing in the highlands of Shidima. But in doing so, he risks exposing himself to the very people he betrayed to the empire three years ago. Meanwhile, Hakara and Mitsuro, two of the most dangerous swordsmen in Shidima, are hot on the trail of the same mystery, but what will they do when the trail leads them into a head on collision with Aldaran?

32 pages, $2.95 (with covers by Pat Lee, Warui Namakemono and Arnakin. Namakemono.

SPAWN #107

Written by Todd McFarlane and Brian Holguin, penciled by Angel Medina, inked by Danny Miki, colored by Brian Haberlin, cover by Greg Capullo.

"What Are The Secrets Of The Kingdom?" On the trail of the most terrifying horror he has ever encountered, Spawn discovers an entity that promises to reveal the path to salvation and paradise, while leading followers into the darkest corners of evil. The more Spawn investigates, the more puzzling the clues become. The ultimate truth awaits him, and is even more terrifying than Spawn could ever have imagined.

32 pages, $2.50.

SPAWN: THE DARK AGES #24

Written by Steve Niles, penciled by Nat Jones, inked by Kevin Conrad, colored by Todd Broeker, cover by Ashley Wood.

"Bleed, Pagan, Bleed." In the north, the cold winds of death have come for the Druid Gareth. And a lost angel, Raven, has found her way to his side. Is she the Druid's savior or the instrument of his demise? In the south, Covenant has found a strange hermetic companion named Dumas the Giant. Dumas long ago mastered such arcane arts as Alchemy and what will one day be known as science. Now this knowledge is in the Hellspawn's grasp. A single question remainsâ¤| how will Spawn use these dark, dangerous gifts?

32 pages, $2.50.

TELLOS TPB VOL. 1: RELUCTANT HEROES

Written by Todd Dezago, penciled by Mike Wieringo, inked by Stull, Massengill, Case and Ketchum, colored by PaulMounts/Bongotone.

Collecting the and hard-to-find Tellos #1-5, the Another Universe Exclusive Tellos: Prelude, the Dynamic Forces Exclusive Tellos: Prologue, and a complete cover gallery including every variant covers.

152 pages, $17.95.

TOMB RAIDER: THE MAGAZINE #1

This oversized debut issue will feature the hard-to-find first two issues of the Tomb Raider comics book series and a sexy centerfold of Lara Croft. This first issue will also include an interview with Tomb Raider scribe, Dan Jurgens, a visit to the studio of penciler Andy Park and inker Jonathan Sibal and a profile of colorist Jonathan D. Smith.

56 pages, $4.95.

TOMB RAIDER #1: B&W MINI PREVIEW EDITION

Written by Dan Jurgens, penciled by Andy Park.

Top Cow offers for the first time, the exclusive Tomb Raider #1: Mini-Edition Preview. Made as an added bonus that was included in the Tomb Raider: The Last Revelation Millennium Edition PC Video Game, this is the first introduction of Lara Croft to the Top Cow Universe and her own comic series, Also included are a Sketch Book area by series artist Andy Park and an added preview of another best selling video game and comic book, Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver.

16 pages, black and white, price TBA.

TOP COW CLASSICS: MIDNIGHT NATION #1

Written by J. Michael Straczynsk, penciled by Gary Frank, inked by Jason Gorder.

Top Cow presents the next black and white edition of J. Michael Straczynski's creation, Midnight Nation. Telling the story of police detective David Grey on a search for his soul, this supernatural thriller has quickly become one of the most sought after titles of 2000.

32 pages, black and white, $2.95.

TOMB RAIDER #11

Written by Dan Jurgens, penciled by Andy Park, inked by Jonathan Sibal, colored by Jonathan D. Smith.

Through the years, countless people have searched for the epic kingdom of Shangri-La. Finally, Lara Croft, a hunter unequalled by any other, has succeeded where so many others have failed. The only problem is, that no one is ever allowed to leave...alive. Has Lara finally fallen into the one trap even she can't escape?

32 pages, $2.50.

WARLANDS SPECIAL: THREE STORIES

Written by Adrian Tsang, penciled by Pat Lee, inked by Alvin Lee, colored by Angelo Tsang.

Collecting the rare Warlands Vol. 1: Wizard 1/2, Another Universe #0, all-new epilogue story, all-new framing sequence and a complete cover gallery of the above including all the variants. Enjoy an evening by the fireside in the land of magic and vampires. Experience first hand three tales that forever changed the balance between might and right in the world of Warlands. In Warlands Special: Three Stories readers will discover two early self-contained tales from the Warlands Universe as well as the beginnings of Warlands Ice Age all in one place. This graphic album provides the perfect opportunity to sample the past, present, and future of Warlands all in one accessible package.

48 pages, $5.95.

ROMANO TALKS SPIDER-MAN UNLIMITED

Rino Romano is doing triple duty for Fox Kids' Spider-Man Unlimited animated series. Not only is Romano providing the voices of Peter Parker and Spider-Man, he is also the voice of a mysterious new character, the Goblin.

"He's not the Green Goblin and he's not the Hobgoblin. Remember, this whole thing takes place on a different Earth," Romano told The Continuum. "He's somewhere in between good and bad -- a brooding good guy."

Fox Kids is bringing back Spider-Man Unlimited on Saturday, Dec. 2 at 11 a.m. with assurances it will air all 13 episodes. The network aired three episodes of the show in October 1999 before removing it from its Saturday morning lineup.

Goblin will show up first in an episode called "Where Evil Nests." In the episode, Peter Parker settles in on Counter-Earth and gets to know his new landlady, Naoko Yamada-Jones, and her son, Shayne. When Shayne is captured by the Bio-Mass, an amoeba-like creature under the control of Venom and Carnage, Spider-Man and Goblin must rescue him.

Goblin will appear in at least one more of the first season's 13 episodes.

Romano said that he enjoyed being the voice of Spider-Man.

"I'm very proud to be the latest Spider-Man," he said. "Out of all the cartoons I've ever done, he gets the biggest response. I mention this or that, and I get blank looks from people. I say I'm doing Spider-Man, and their faces light up."

Below are images from the first episode of Spider-Man Unlimited, "Worlds Apart, Part One."

GIVE'EM A CLICK

HULK MOVIE UPDATE

Marvel Studios' Kevin Feige told The Continuum that the Hulk movie at Universal Pictures does not have a production start date yet.

Recent reports have surfaced after David Hayter turned in his script that the movie had been "green-lighted." Feige clarified the situation.

"We have just turned in David's new draft to Uni," Feige told The Continuum. "We love it, they love it, and we are going to start putting it together right away. They have said they want to make the movie. We are looking for directors and trying to figure out when the best release date would be.

"I think some people are confused by the term 'green light.' We were up in Toronto with only weeks before filming was to start before we got an official green light on X-Men."

Hayter was the screenwriter for X-Men - and even appeared in the movie as a museum cop (see photo).

"I'm taking the same mixture of taking it seriously and also having a good time at the movies that X-Men had and am bringing it to the Hulk," Hayter said.

GORDON TALKS X-MEN: EVOLUTION

Steve Gordon, director/designer for Kids' WB!'s X-Men: Evolution animated series, told The Continuum that the show's creators were striving for a look different than the previous Fox Kids' series.

"We knew we wanted to do something that was easy for animation, that would move well. We didn't want to overdo it. We didn't want to overdraw," Gordon told The Continuum. "We didn't want to put too much line work in it because that never works well. All the shows that have done that in the past have suffered artistically because of that. We knew the kind of simplistic approach we wanted to use.

"From there, it was just a matter of deciding just the types of figures we wanted."

Gordon said the creators originally went for more of an anime approach with longer, leaner figures.

"Slowly we ended up pulling back and back from that to where we are, which is essentially a reasonable, realistic look, except that if you would measure these bodies up against a normal human's, they'd be way off," Gordon said. "The torsos are extremely short and the legs are long.

"The style of the actual drawing, once again, we wanted to go for a simple approach. I fell back on a style I learned back at Disney, which is straights against curves, which also gives a very dynamic look. It's a simple look, but it's a strong look because it forces a dynamic into the drawing that you don't normally get, especially with Saturday morning animation."

In terms of costumes, Gordon said the show's creators tried several approaches, even using the very first X-Men costumes before selecting a traditional-yet-new look.

"Even though it's a cartoon, a lot of it is a much more realistic look," Gordon said. "If you look at the costuming, even though they're wearing skin-tight spandex, they all have wrinkles and bags around their knees and ankles. It's a little more realistic than what the Fox show did. It's not just people running around in tights. To a certain degree, it could be used for live-action costuming if you wanted to. Obviously, it's still people in tights, but it's a little more realistic approach to it, I think."

Kids' WB! will air two episodes of X-Men: Evolution on Saturday, beginning at 11 a.m. with the "Mutant Crush" episode.

DARK HORSE COMMENTS ON SPYBOY

Dark Horse Comics announced that SpyBoy will not be cancelled, contrary to Internet reports that were published last week.

The initial report was made by series writer Peter David, who was working from information he received from Dark Horse. David announced the cancellation in an internet posting last week, which ignited a concerted e-mail campaign by the comic's fans to save the title.

"Man, I knew we had SpyBoy fans, but I didn't know how many," said SpyBoy editor Phil Amara, referring to e-mail Dark Horse received from concerned SpyBoy fans.

"Recently I learned of some great developments that may soon be happening to SpyBoy. But it meant we would, and still will, be taking a break in the current SpyBoy schedule to gear up for it. And once we have accurate information, the fans and media will know."

Amara continued: "Holy crud! Did Peter get stuck in the middle of this or what? Peter was trying to keep his fans in the know with honest dialogue. At one point, we all thought SpyBoy was being cancelled, so don't blame this on Peter! Be prepared for a break some time next year. But we ain't cancelled, baby... far from it!"

SpyBoy #16 will ship in March. SpyBoy: The Deadly Gourmet Affair - the first trade paperback collection of SpyBoy - is on schedule for a Jan. 3 release.

BRIEFLY