Saturday, June 15, 2002

PETE WOODS TALKS ROBIN

Robin artist Pete Woods told The Continuum that Robin #106 will feature a Batman and Robin adventure.

"Jon Lewis has really been showing his range, and boy does he have range," Woods said of Robin's new writer. "If readers think they know what to expect from him after reading the first story arc -- which ends with issue 105 -- then the next two arcs will leave them spinning."

Before then is Robin #106, which is a self-contained story.

"The issue is action packed and accessible to anyone who hasn't picked up an issue of Robin in a while -- or ever," Woods said. "There's also a hilarious scene toward the end of the book. Batman has been feeling a little too cocky about his intimidating image and Jon takes him down a couple notches. If readers have been curious about what we're doing, but didn't want to invest in a huge story arc, Robin 106 is for them.

"The next story arc spans two issues (107 and 108). It's truly one of the creepiest stories I've ever seen in comics. Jon has a twisted imagination and he's not afraid to share with the rest of us. Just in time for Halloween, too. Robin has a rematch with Charaxis only this time we look a little deeper into just how far the former Killer Moth's tranformation has gone. All I can say is 'ewwww.'"

Robin #103 is penciled by David Hahn, a friend and studio mate of Woods.

"He also has a creator owned book from Slave Labor Graphics called Private Beach which just got an Eisner nomination," Woods said. "Check it out, it's a good read."

Robin #106 coincided with the formation of Mercury Studios, a collection of more than 10 artists in the Portland area.

"Members include myself, my wife Rebecca, Paul Guinan, David Hahn, Matthew Clark, Mike Miller, Steve Lieber, Terry and Rachel Dodson, Karl Kesel, and Ron Randall," Woods said. "We're all kind of trying to one-up each other -- in a friendly way -- and the work we're all producing is some of the best of our careers."

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MARVEL COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and four-page previews of Marvel Comics titles shipping next week, CLICK HERE.

Titles include New X-Men #128, Ultimate X-Men #19, Thunderbolts #66, Tigra #4, Daredevil #34, Captain Marvel #33, Fantastic Four #57, Morlocks #3, Peter Parker: Spider-Man #45, Spider-Man: Quality of Life #2 and Spider-Man: Sweet Charity #1.

CROSSGEN COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and four-page previews of CrossGen Comics titles shipping next week, CLICK HERE.

Titles include Negation #7, Sigil #25 and Sojourn #12.

ASHLEY WOOD'S AUTOMATIC KAFKA

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DC Comics on Friday provided The Continuum with four preview pages of Ashley Wood's artwork from Automatic Kafka #1, the new mature readers series from WildStorm Productions.

Here's how DC describes the book, which is written by Joe Casey:

"The $tranger$ (Automatic Kafka, Saint Nick, The Constitution, The Warning, Spastic Ben) were huge in the '80s - the biggest super-hero team ever. They were mass-marketed as hard as the latest diet soda or designer sportswear -- the Beatles as superheroes. They were the biggest and the best, a rock super-band's promoter's dream-team with the groupies to match. But then the dream was over. The end came, and they went their separate ways...leaving their tin-plated uber-member alone, adrift, lost. Automatic Kafka: Super-hero? Game-show host? Model? Pitchman? Or android junkie?

"And what of the $tranger$? Where are they now? Which one is being sought for questioning by the National Park Service? Which one is lost in the jungle? Which one is conducting a singular war on terrorism?

"Only some of these questions are answered in the debut issue of Automatic Kafka, the first original concept released through WildStorm Productions' mature-readers label: Eye of the Storm. Casey's twisted yet captivating scripts, coupled with the just-plain-beautiful, multimedia artwork of Wood, promise to make this perhaps the strangest series ever published by WildStorm. Not for the weak-willed, Automatic Kafka is a brave new look at super-heroes."

Click on the thumbnails above for larger images.

21 DOWN, RESISTANCE PREVIEWS

DC Comics has provided The Continuum with a first look at covers and preview pages for 21 Down #1 and The Resistance #1, two ongoing WildStorm series that both launch in September.

21 Down is written by Jimmy Palmiotti and Justin Gray, with art by Jesus Saiz and Palmiott and covers by Joe Jusko. The Resistance is also written by Palmiotti and Gray, with covers by newcomers Juan Santacruz and Francis Portela.

Both books will be edited by Bob Harras.

Here's how DC describes 21 Down:

"Preston Kills has an incredible gift - a gift of second sight given to him by the mysterious Herod when Preston was a boy. There's just one catch: the gift will kill Preston when he turns 21, meaning he has only an all-too-brief year left to live.

"Judgment day is a year away, and while Preston tries to live his life as normally as he can, he knows that it will get more intense and out of control from here on out. When a mysterious woman called Mickey Rinaldi appears at Preston's door, his world is turned upside-down - as Mickey presents the idea that he might be able to save himself.

"Self-preservation can make people do some crazy things. For Preston, facing a death sentence challenges his sense of morality. He must choose: take the easy path and wait for death, or get out there and try to make something happen, even if it means failure. Now he has no other option but to seek the truth…about the mysterious Herod who granted him powers and about himself."

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Here's how DC describes The Resistance:

"In The Resistance, low-tech characters try to survive in a high-tech society that would rather terminate problems than deal with them.

"In the future, the government controls every birth - and any life that isn't approved is eradicated! Brian Strum is a kid whose existence has been hidden from the government for his entire life. To them, he is a non-person - an unsanctioned birth. Worse, he is a threat to the common good of humanity - a parasite on Earth's precious, dwindling resources.

"Now Brian's existence has been exposed and he finds himself marked for death. His only salvation? A small band of resistance fighters called the Strayz, determined to fight for their right to live - even if it kills them."

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21 Down #1 arrives in stores on Sept. 4. The Resistance #1 is scheduled to launch on Sept. 25.

BRIEFLY