Friday, January 18, 2002

X-MEN: EVOLUTION GETS THIRD SEASON

X-Men: Evolution has been picked up for a third season by Kids' WB!, The Continuum has learned.

Thirteen episodes of X-Men: Evolution have been ordered for the third season, pushing the series' episode total to 43. Thirteen were produced for the first season, and 17 are being produced for the current season.

Producer Boyd Kirkland and story editor Greg Johnson will return for the next season of the show, which is produced at Film Roman.

"Kids' WB! is very excited about Season 3 being an even more astonishing experience," Marvel Studios' Craig Kyle told The Continuum.

Seeds for the third season will be planted in upcoming episodes of the show.

In other X-Men: Evolution news:

* X-Men: Evolution -- X Marks The Spot, a third video from Warner Home Video, will be available on VHS on April 23. Episodes in the video include "Turn of the Rogue," "Spykecam" and "Survival of the Fittest."

The video will retail for $12.95.

* During last weekend's "SuperStuffed" stunt on Kids' WB, X-Men: Evolution aired from 11 a.m. to noon. X-Men ranked as the No. 2 broadcast and cable program for the morning among Boys 2-11 (5.7/23) and Boys 6-11 (6.2/25). The series finished among the top seven programs for all competition, including cable, in Kids 2-11 (4.5/18) and Kids 6-11 (5.1/20).

SMALLVILLE EPISODE, TRADING CARDS

A new episode of Smallville, "Hug," will air on The WB on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

Here's how the network describes the episode:

"Clark (Tom Welling) is stunned when a pesticide magnate who has kryptonite-enhanced powers of persuasion somehow convinces Jonathan (John Schneider) to sell the family farm to make way for a new plant. Clark teams up with the local hermit whose mysterious past holds the key to the town's future."

Chris Long directed the episode, which was written by Doris Egan.

In other Smallville news, Inkworks on Thursday announced that it has obtained the license to produce the officially licensed trading cards. Inkworks said the cards would be released in 2002, but did not announce a release date.

UPCOMING IMAGE INTRODUCES

Image Comics announced on Thursday that the next three issues of Image Introduces will feature Cryptopia, Dog Soldiers and Rex Mundi.

Each issue of the bi-monthly series features all-new characters and concepts in a full-length, self-contained story, along with a five-page preview of the next issue's main feature.

Following is a rundown of the new features:

* Cryptopia (April): Cryptopia is the story of Dr. Shannon Palmer -- a cryptozoologist whose insatiable quest for hidden species jeopardizes her work, her colleagues, and the last remaining vestiges of her self-respect. It's a high-adventure parable about the fine line dividing Man and Beast -- the dark parallels between us and the creatures with which we share our world -- and the tragic realization that all that really sets us apart from the animal kingdom are a pair of opposable thumbs. Crytopia is written by Ben Raab and features art by Pat Quinn, John Lowe and Mostafa Moussa.

* Dog Soldiers (June): Dog Soldiers focuses on a top Navy SEAL who reluctantly leads an all-new team of bio-engineered combat soldiers on their first (and what is hoped by the Pentagon to be their last) mission, only to find himself championing their cause to be treated as equal human beings. Dog Soldiers is written by Rob Hunter, penciled by Pete Pachoumis and inked by Luke Rizzo.

* Rex Mundi (August): Rex Mundi is a tale of murder, blasphemy, intrigue and the occult set in Paris during the early 1930s, but in a world that is only superficially similar to our own. In Rex Mundi, the Catholic Church never lost its grip on power, nor did the landed aristocracy. Magic also exists, in the form of Cabalistic rites and rituals. Secret societies fill the political landscape, although few are aware of the full extent of their influence. The characters of Rex Mundi have stumbled onto a society claiming to posses the Holy Grail itself. But as they soon discover, the Grail is not merely a cup. It is a secret so profound it threatens to topple the monarchies of Europe and plunge the world into a devastating war. Discovering the Grail's mystery becomes the driving quest for the characters of Rex Mundi. Featuring story and art by newcomers Arvid Nelson and Eric J.

JUSTICE LEAGUE UPDATE

Warner Home Video has released the box image for the upcoming Justice League DVD.

The DVD - as well as a VHS version - will be available on April 23 and will feature the "Secret Origins" opening episode of Cartoon Network's Justice League animated series.

In other Justice League news, Monday will see a new episode, "Paradise Lost, Part 1," which features Wonder Woman and guest-stars Robert Englund as the voice of Felix Faust.

Click on the thumbnails for larger images.

ONI COLLECTS GUNWITCH

Oni Press is collecting The Gunwitch: Outskirts of Doom - by Dan Brereton and Ted Naifeh - in April.

This new book collects the three-issue miniseries of the same name and follows the Gunwitch on his first solo adventure as he's forced to confront two warring gangs of vicious vampires battling for control of a town and its unfortunate residents.

"Dan has incredible talent for mixing genres," said collected edition editor James Lucas Jones. "Whether he's writing for himself or another artist, you can always count on Dan to shake things up and create something that can't easily be shoved into one category."

"Dan's work has such a unique tone. We really weren't sure how it was going to work with a different artist, but once Ted started turning in pages, all of our uneasiness evaporated. Ted knows spooky. His art is the perfect accompaniment to Dan's terror-filled tale."

The Gunwitch: The Outskirts Of Doom sees the silent gunman of the Nocturnals caught in the middle of a violent turf war between two groups of demonic blood-suckers. No matter which side triumphs, the poor townspeople of Heliopolis are sure to lose. It's up to the Gunwitch to fix things for the normal folk and in the process keep a larger, more sinister darkness at bay.

"The Gunwitch has always been one of the most popular Nocturnals," Brereton said. "Spinning him into his own story just felt right. Plus, I got to work with a talent like Ted! Who could ask for more?"

The Gunwitch: Outskirts Of Doom, will arrive in stores on April 17. It will be 88 pages and will cost $8.95.

FIRST LOOK: MARVEL MANGAVERSE: AVENGERS ASSEMBLE #1

Marvel Mangaverse: Avengers Assemble #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from Marvel Comics. The issue is written by Ken Sie-chong, with art by Arnold Tsang, Alvin Lee, Omar Dogan and Shane Law.

Here's how Marvel describes the issue:

"Led by the mysterious Tony Stark, the Avengers must race against time to retrieve the most powerful weapons on Earth before they are grabbed by Apocalypse and his Four Horsemen! Will they be able to save the world, or are they gonna lose it all? What is the secret behind the ultimate weapons? Find out in the book that will redefine the meaning of 'Avengers Assemble!'"

Marvel Mangaverse: Avengers #1 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: MARVEL MANGAVERSE: FANTASTIC FOUR #1

Marvel Mangaverse: Fantastic Four #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from Marvel Comics. The issue is written by Adam Warren, with art and cover by Keron Grant.

Here's how Marvel describes the issue:

"A shadowy program tests radical new technologies on the Moon. The test goes wildly awry, killing all but four of the young test subjects, wiping out the secret lunar base, and blasting a billiond of tons of the moon's mass into orbit. Now, gifted with reality-distorting 'meta-talents,' all four of the surviving test subjects fight invading anomalies as the Megascale Metatalent Response Team Fantastic Four. But the massive burst of energy that gave them their fabulous powers has drawn the attention of various entities from across the galaxy (and perhaps even from other realities). And these strange beings have dispatched forces to investigate humanity's use of potentially lethal new technologies - including the awesome Annihilus."

Marvel Mangaverse: Fantastic Four #1 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: MARVEL MANGAVERSE: SPIDER-MAN #1

Marvel Mangaverse: Spider-Man #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from Marvel Comics. The issue is written by Kaare Andrews, with art and cover by Andrews.

Here's how Marvel describes the issue:

"Teenage ninja Peter Parker has had to deal with a lot of stress in his life, but nothing could have possibly prepared him for this - his most trying test to date. Will the training he received from Uncle Ben be enough to avenge his Sensei's death?"

Marvel Mangaverse: Spider-Man #1 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

FIRST LOOK: MARVEL MANGAVERSE: X-MEN #1

Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men #1 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from Marvel Comics. The issue is written by C.B. Cebulski, with art and cover by Jeff Matsuda.

Here's how Marvel describes the issue:

"Brotherhood, betrayal, seasons, magic, religion: X-Men: Equinox incorporates overriding themes and ideas that are clearly evident in Japanese popular culture - all together in a coherent, kick-butt mutant story. Meet Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Rogue, Jean Grey and Moonstar - who combine magic and mutant abilities to make them darker and more dangerous than ever. As for their villains, prepare for the coming of Magneto, in a form unlike any we have previously seen, Mystique, Beast, and Nightcrawler."

Marvel Mangaverse: X-Men #1 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

BRIEFLY