Saturday, February 16, 2002

NEW ANGEL EPISODE

"Loyalty," a new episode of Angel, will air on The WB on Monday, Feb. 25.

Here's how the network describes the episode:

"Angel (David Boreanaz) is concerned about Wesley's (Alexis Denisof) erratic behavior when the book man's greatest fears are secretly confirmed -- the prophecy is true and he is given the three signs to look for before Angel devours his own son. When an earthquake shakes Los Angeles, all three signs come true."

James A. Contner directed the episode, which was written by Mere Smith.

Click on the thumbnails below for larger images from the episode.

EIGHT MARVEL FIRST LOOKS

CLICK HERE. to see covers, solicitation copy and four-page previews of the following Marvel titles:

Uncanny X-Men #403, Ultimate Spider-Man #19, Peter Parker: Spider-Man #40, Exiles #10, Incredible Hulk #37, Thor #46, Thunderbolts #61 and Paradise X: O.

MARVEL WORLD PREMIERE SERIALS

Every Marvel Comics title published in May will feature a five-page Marvel World Premiere Serial.

The following titles will include all-new chapters of the Spider-Man/Kraven story, "You Can Call Me Al", by writer Ron Zimmerman and penciler Al Rio. And this story leads to a new Spider-Man story in June.

Chapter #1: Alias #9, Deadline #2, Morlocks #2, Thor #49, Ultimate Spider-Man #22, X-Men Unlimited #35.

Chapter #2: Amazing Spider-Man #41, Black Panther #44, Cable #105, Iron Man #55, Punisher #12, X-Treme X-Men #13.

Chapter #3: Daredevil #33, Muties #4, New X-Men #126, Ultimate X-Men #18.

Chapter #4: Deadpool #67, The Hood #1, The Ultimates #5, X-Factor #2.

Chapter #5: Avengers Icons: Tigra #3, Blade #3, Paradise X: Xen, Spider-Man's Tangled Web #14, Wolverine #176, X-Force #128, X-Men Unlimited #36.

The following titles will include all-new chapters of a "top-secret project" by writer Chuck Austen and penciler David Finch. This story leads to a Marvel launch in June.

Chapter #1: Citizen V #4, Exiles #13, Fantastic Four #55, Spider-Girl #47, Uncanny X-Men #406.

Chapter #2: Captain America #2, Elektra #2, Marvel Knights: Double Shot #2, Spider-Man: Blue #1, Thunderbolts #64, Ultimate Marvel Team-Up #16.

Chapter #3: Black Widow: Pale Little Spider #2, Cage #4, Incredible Hulk #40, The Order #2, Peter Parker: Spider-Man #44, Taskmaster #4.

Chapter #4: Captain Marvel #32, Marvel Knights #3, Mutant X: Future Shock #1, Thunderbolts #64.

Chapter #5: Avengers #54, Howard the Duck #5, Wolverine/Hulk #4, X-Men: Evolution #7.

CHUCK DIXON'S THE VANISHERS

Chuck Dixon has joined with IDW Publishing to release his creator-owned graphic novel The Vanishers in May.

The Vanishers was created by Dixon and artist Andres Klacik. The cover to the book is by Ashley Wood.

Here's how IDW describes the book:

"The Vanishers is a fast-paced sci-fi/fantasy adventure that follows two young boys on a time-traveling trip around the world. Andy's friends begin to disappear and no one except him remembers that they ever existed. When Andy discovers that another student, Arvis Voltz, has noticed the disappearances, he follows Arvis home and begins an adventure that takes the two boys throughout time. From the turn of the 20th century, to medieval England, and into the far-flung future, Andy and Arvis must escape their pursuers, rescue their friends, and return to their own time."

"The Vanishers is a mix of Harry Potter and Space Family Robinson. It's a story that will appeal to all age groups and any fan of sci-fi or fantasy. Chuck's work on The Hobbit adaptation and Robin series give him the experience to make this a very fun book. Retailers will have no problem finding a audience for this fun book," said Beau Smith, IDW Publishing's vice president of sales and marketing.

"As kids, we were all filled with incredible daydreams of wild adventures. I hauled up some of my own to give this book a sense of fantasy that I had as a young boy - one that I think we all shared at one point or another," Dixon said.

The Vanishers will be 80 black-and-white pages and will cost for $12.99.

CROSSGEN ADDS COLORIST

CrossGen Comics has hired Nick Bell as a colorist. Bell will color a soon-to-be-named title in the horror genre.

Bell has been coloring comics since 1995 when he got his start at WildStorm Productions. There he began as part of a team that worked on every title coming through the company. He soon moved up to supervisor of the coloring department and worked on the regular series, Desperadoes. After leaving to begin a freelance career, Bell's colors appeared in the Universe X Spider-Man special and Iron Man special for Marvel Comics and in Zero Girl for DC Comics' WildStorm imprint. He was also the colorist on the children's book "There's a Hair in My Dirt" written by Gary Larson.

"After seeing some of the character designs Karl [Moline] has been doing that have been inked by John [Dell] and reading the plots that Tony [Bedard] has written, I've got a great feeling about this book and it makes me want to dive right in and get started," said Bell. "This is gonna be fun!"

Bell has already begun working on his new assignment from his current home in San Diego, and will be coming to CrossGen in March.

"We're excited to add another veteran talent like Nick to our coloring staff," said Bart Sears, art director for CrossGen Comics. "With a Master's degree in Fine Arts, his skills as a classically trained painter bring us a new dimension to color. Now, with all the talent we have in-house, I definitely don't think there's a group of colorists anywhere in the world that can rival them."

SPIDER-GIRL PREVIEW

Marvel Comics has released the cover to Spider-Girl #46, with features what looks to be the return of the Scarlet Spider.

The issue is written by Tom DeFalco, with art by Pat Olliffe and Al Williamson.

Here's how Marvel describes the issue:

"Could it really be the return of... the Scarlet Spider? At last! We cave to popular demand by giving our fans two long-awaited events in a single issue! While Peter Parker finally decides to reassume his career as a Spider-Man, Mayday deals with the traumas of an unwanted partner. Who is the new Scarlet Spider? Maybe the far-out Fantastic Five can tell us."

Spider-Girl #46 will arrive in stores on April 3. It will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

Spider-Girl's last issue will be #50.

BRIEFLY