Thursday, April 5, 2001

CROSSGEN FOR JULY

Following are CrossGen Comics' solicitations for July, with information provided by the company.

MYSTIC #14

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Brandon Peterson, inked by John Dell, colored by Andrew Crossley.

The battle between Animora and Giselle reaches its climax, with the fate of all Ciress hanging in the balance! When not even the aid of the other Guild Masters is enough, Giselle's only hope of victory is to lure Animora to the spirit plane, where she must face her alone.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on July 5.

SIGIL #14

Written by Mark Waid, penciled by Scot Eaton, inked by Andrew Hennessy, colored by Wil Quintana.

Last issue, Sam was forced to make a horrifying choice--and now Sultan Ronolo must pay the consequences! In order to get to his foe, however, Sam will have to battle his way single-handed through Ronolo's protectors--the entire Planetary Union army.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on July 11.

CRUX #4

Written by Mark Waid, penciled by Steve Epting, inked by Rick Magyar, colored by Frank D'Armata.

Gammid and Galvan can pool their power to raise the continent of Atlantis -- but not without leaving themselves totally defenseless against the Negation. That leaves Capricia, Tug and Zephyre to handle an alien invasion of unprecedented proportion -- and those are not good odds.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on July 11.

SCION #14

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Jim Cheung, inked by Don Hillsman, colored by Justin Ponsor.

Trapped in the very heart of Raven power and suffering wounds that not even his sigil can heal, Ethan's life hangs by a thread. His only chance of survival? Ashleigh, the sister of Ethan's most hated enemy.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on July 18.

SOJOURN #1

Written by Ron Marz, penciled by Greg Land, inked by Drew Geraci, colored by Caesar Rodriguez.

Graced with the enormous power of the sigil, the warlord Mordath has returned from the dead and cast his shadow over the Five Lands. The archer Arwyn holds the key to ending his evil, but only if she can overcome the tragedy threatening to destroy her before the quest even begins.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on July 25.

MERIDIAN #14

Written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Steve McNiven, inked by Tom Simmons, colored by Morry Hollowell.

Ilahn runs amok through "Heaven," to the consternation of Rho Rhustane, who must save Elysia from the Sigil-Bearer. Hesperia, the new home of the refugees from Meridian, faces its first crisis and finds at the heart of the trouble...the Muse of Giatan? And Sephie gives the cavern-dwellers a gift from their past, and receives from them a gift from hers...and a symbol that will define her future.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on July 25.

THE FIRST #9

Written by Barbara Kesel, penciled by Bart Sears, inked by Andy Smith, colored by Michael Atiyeh.

There's a stranger running wild through Elysia, and the event sends shockwaves through the entire city. Among the few not caught up in the disturbance are Gannish, Yala, and Persha, meeting to exchange secrets, yet Yala may not let Persha leave with hers... Meanwhile, an even greater event occurs...the alliance of Seahn and Ingra.

32 pages, $2.95, arrives in stores on July 5.

SPIDER-MAN MOVIE UPDATE

Production of the Spider-Man movie continues to be plagued. One of Tobey Maguire's stunt doubles reportedly broke his leg, and four Spider-Man costumes came up missing on Wednesday.

Zack Hudson, one of the stunt doubles, broke his leg in an accident that occurred on Stage 15 on the Sony Studios lot in Culver City, Calif. According to reports by E! Online and The Hollywood Reporter, Hudson was performing a stunt that was supposed to have him fly through the air and crash through a brick wall before skimming the surface of a second brick structure.

Hudson smashed into the second wall, according to witness reports quoted in the Hollywood Reporter.

He was taken to UCLA Medical Center's emergency room for treatment. The hospital did not release information on his condition to The Continuum. Columbia Pictures did not return The Continuum's request for more information.

Meanwhile, Columbia has posted a $25,000 reward for information leading to the prompt and safe return of four Spider-Man costumes reported missing early Tuesday from the Sony lot.

Columbia has created a hotline for tips leading to the recovery of the costumes. Anyone with information regarding the missing costumes is asked to call the Columbia hotline at (310) 244-1044. Details concerning terms of the reward are available through Columbia Pictures.

Last month, a Spider-Man crew member died during a construction accident.

Filming of Spider-Man is scheduled to move to New York in two weeks.

MARVEL PRESS CONFERENCE/SPIDER-GIRL CONTINUES

The announcement of Spider-Girl's surviving cancellation, and plans for Daredevil, Captain America, Incredible Hulk, X-Men and a mature reader's line highlighted Marvel Comics' news conference on Wednesday.

In addition to new conference regulars, Marvel's Bill Jemas and Joe Quesada, Marvel editors Tom Brevoort and Stuart Moore also took part.

For a transcript, CLICK HERE.

SCOTT BEATTY TALKS THE JOKER: LAST LAUGH

The Joker: Last Laugh, the Fifth Week event created by Chuck Dixon and Scott Beatty, will take place in October and early November. In addition to a six-issue mini-series and a Secret Files, the event will tie into just about every DC Universe book.

The Continuum caught up with Beatty for insight into the event.

The Continuum: What's the premise of Last Laugh?

Beatty: In a nutshell, for nearly a year now the Joker has been cooling his heels in the Slab -- DC's ultra-security meta-villain prison -- thanks to Barbara Gordon. When a routine medical check reveals a "bright spot" on his brain, the Joker finds out that he's dying. And, of course, he's not one to go down without a fight...so he hatches a plan to "Jokerize" the villains of the DCU to spread the fun around. That's the basic premise behind The Joker: Last Laugh.

The Continuum: There's a Secret Files with this?

Beatty: A Last Laugh Secret Files installment starts it all off with a 30-page "Prequel" to the six-issue mini-series. Plus, it'll have a full deck of Joker treats.

The Continuum: Will this effect both the DC and Bat-Universes?

Beatty: You bet. The entire Bat-cast is right in the thick of it. They've all been touched by the Joker's evil in one way or another. They've all got the scars to show for it. And they may have a few more before it's all over. As for the rest of the DCU, quite a few characters will learn the hard way that it's dangerous to underestimate the Joker.

The Continuum: Who are the artists?

Beatty: Pete Woods tackles the first two chapters. Then it's Marcos Martin, Walter McDaniel, Andy Kuhn, Ron Randall, and Robert Teranishi, respectively. Brian Bolland is providing some really mind-blowing covers. Each ish is 30 pages of story.

The Continuum: You're writing JLA that month, too?

Beatty: Since virtually every other mainstream DCU title in October ties into our event, Chuck and I cooked up a JLA story that's integral to the conclusion and aftermath of Last Laugh. JLA Editor Dan Raspler gave us the Big Guns and we went wild.

DC COMICS' HOW-TO BOOKS

Watson-Guptill Publications announced Wednesday a new series of how-to/instructional books to be produced by and published in conjunction with DC Comics.

The first book in the series, The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics, to be published in June, is written by editor Dennis O'Neil and has an introduction by Stan Lee.

Here's how the book is described:

"The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics examines the creation of the various genres and formats of comic books, using examples by writers such as Neil Gaiman, Archie Goodwin, Mark Waid, Peter David, Scott McCloud, Chuck Dixon and Mark Evanier, who contributes an essay on writing humor for comics. Illustrated with famous DC Comics super-heroes like Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, The DC Comics Guide to Writing Comics features work by artists like George Pérez, Jack Kirby, Will Eisner, Neal Adams, Walter Simonson, Steve Rude, John Byrne, Alex Ross and others."

Watson-Guptill Publications marketing manager Ali T. Kokmen said, "It's thrilling to be involved with this project, and we're honored that DC chose to work with us on it. Being able to tap into DC's tremendous pool of talent and experience is simply wonderful. And to launch with a book by Dennis O'Neil, a true living legend? It does a grown-up fan's heart proud."

DC Comics executive editor Mike Carlin said, "DC has been publishing comics for over 65 years from super-hero and high fantasy to romance and westerns... from war and horror to slice-of-life dramas and everything in between. We've worked with thousands of writers and artists, and we've never stuck to one particular 'house style.' There is no one way to do a story in words and pictures... but with the Creating Comics series, we're looking to explore the numerous different methods that comics can be born."

The second volume in the DC Comics Guide to Creating Comics series will be The DC Comics Guide to Pencilling Comics by artist Klaus Janson, to be published in the fall. Future volumes will include books on inking, coloring, and lettering.

BONGO COMICS FOR JULY

Following is Bongo Comics' solicitation for July, with information coming from the company.

SIMPSONS COMICS #60

By Boothby, Ortiz and Morrison.

In this corner, Waylon Smithers! Sychophantic lickspittle and lackey extraordinaire. And in this corner, Marge Simpson. Homemaker, loving mother, devoted wife. Prepare for a domestic squabble of Springfieldian proportions, as these two tangle for the love and devotion of one man - Homer Simpson.

32 pages, $2.50.

FIRST LOOK: JLA: BLACK BAPTISM #2

JLA: Black Baptism #2 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from DC Comics. The issue is written by Sean Smith and Ruben Diaz, with art by Jesus Saiz and Keith Champagne and a painted cover by Tim Bradstreet and Grant Goleash.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"The newest JLA mini-series continues. Whoever is hunting the mages of the DC Universe has set their sights on Arkham Asylum. Batman and the rest of the JLA are powerless to stop the coming of the Black Baptism without help from the outcast hero Faust -- but is Faust on the side of the angels or in league with the devil?"

JLA: Black Baptism #2 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.50.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: BATMAN #590

Batman #590 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from DC Comics. The issue is written by Brian K. Vaughan, with art by Scott McDaniel and Karl Story and a cover by McDaniel.

Here's how DC describes the issue, which is the third part of the "Close Before Striking" story arc:

"Batman's longtime alter-ego, Matches Malone, has a deadly encounter with Scarface. Will Matches be able to come out of this unscathed? Meanwhile, Batman just may slip into madness as he tries to reconcile his alter-egos."

Batman #590 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: PLANETARY #14

Planetary #14 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from DC Comics and WildStorm Productions. The issue is written by Warren Ellis, with art and cover by John Cassaday.

Here's how DC describes the issue:

"You know who The Fourth Man is by now -- this is the story of how he was lost. Elijah Snow's story moves into the 1990's, showing the vicious game between The Four and Planetary -- Snow, Jakita Wagner, the young Drummer, and Ambrose Chase. This is also how it all went horribly wrong. Now Snow, founder of Planetary, richest man on Earth and the greatest investigator in the world, is back. And he's not playing any more games."

Planetary #14 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.50.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN #591

Adventures of Superman #591 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from DC Comics. The issue is written by Marv Wolfman, with art by Paco Medina and Walden Wong and a cover by Dale Keown.

Here's how DC describes the issue, which is the second part of the four-part "Infestation" story arc:

"Superman returns home after he apparently destroys Viroxx, but the virus strikes back at the thing he holds closest to his heart: Lois. Superman watches in horror as his wife is transformed into a mindless anti-body and is sent to claim more worlds for Viroxx."

Superman #591 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

BRIEFLY