Thursday, September 19, 2002

X-MEN: EVOLUTION'S CURT GEDA

This Saturday's episode of X-Men: Evolution, "The Stuff Of Heroes," is the first directed by Curt Geda.

Geda joined the staff of X-Men: Evolution this season after having worked on Batman, Batman Beyond and Superman. He also directed the Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker movie.

The Continuum talked to Geda at his office at Film Roman in Los Angeles. To read the interview, CLICK HERE.

In other X-Men: Evolution news, Kids' WB! has announced that the Saturday, Oct. 5 episode will be "The Stuff Of Villains."

DC COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and four-page previews of DC Comics titles arriving in stores on Wednesday, CLICK HERE.

Titles include Action Comics #795, Fight for Tomorrow #1, JLA #72, The Flash #190, Hellblazer #176, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen Vol. II #3 and The Resistance #1.

IMAGE COMICS FIRST LOOKS

For covers and four-page previews of Image Comics titles arriving in stores on Wednesday, CLICK HERE.

Titles include Alone in the Dark, Violent Messiahs: Lamenting Pain #1, G.I. Joe: Battle Files #3 and Top Cow Classics: Magdalena #1.

MARVEL PRESS CONFERENCE

Born is the name of the Punisher mini-series that explores the origin of the character, Marvel editor-in-chief Joe Quesada said on Wednesday.

"If you think that the Punisher was born on the day his family was killed, you're very wrong," Quesada said.

Quesada said the mini-series will likely be four issues. It will be written by Garth Ennis - "He's the only guy who could write this," Quesada said -- and drawn by Darick Robertson.

Quesada announced Born during a telephone press conference focusing on Truth, the upcoming six-issue mini-series which puts a new spin on Captain America's origin.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

Marvel Comics released official story information and preview pages of Truth on Thursday morning. The mini-series is written by Robert Morales, with art by Kyle Baker.

Here's how Marvel describes Truth, which launches on Nov. 20:

"Marvel Comics continues its pursuit to weave extraordinary yet socially relevant tales into the tapestry of American history with the six-part series titled Truth. This delicately constructed narrative serves as an exploration into the creation of one of Marvel's, and possibly the world's, most recognizable super heroes -- Captain America -- and uncovers some startling information along the way. The series investigates the notion that during World War II, while the United States military was attempting to develop a serum that would create the world's perfect fighter, it may have experimented on a small unit of African-American soldiers. When the scientists finally found success, these young anonymous soldiers were cast aside to make room for the lead candidate Steve Rogers... all except one."

"For anyone who's ever heard of Tuskegee, this story certainly seems plausible," said Truth editor Axel Alonso. "We meticulously researched both pre- and post- WWII America for this story in order to give, in a sense, the most realistic social commentary. You're talking about a time when Uncle Sam probably wasn't ready for a black man to be the living symbol of its spirit, decked out in the red-white-and-blue."

Marvel COO and publisher Bill Jemas, who first introduced this concept to his editorial staff said, "Marvel is continually striving to be at the forefront of America's storytellers. To do so, we try to create stories that will resonate with 21st century readers and Truth is just the latest example of this practice. While we reverently acknowledge Captain America's roots and his original creation, this series serves as an interesting peak back into American history and an exploration of what the Army really would have done with a miraculous, but dangerous, Super-Soldier Serum."

FIRST LOOK: AVENGERS #58

Avengers #58 will arrive in stores on Wednesday from Marvel Comics. The issue is written by Geoff Johns, with art by Kieron Dwyer and Rick Remender, with a cover by Dwyer.

The issue is the second part of the four-part "World Trust" story.

Here's how Marvel describes the issue:

"In Avengers #57, the Secretary General of the United Nations informs the team that the U.N. has added a little something called Article One-Twelve to the international organization's Charter, allowing them in time of need to relinquish the reins of leadership of the entire freakin' world to another power... like the Avengers! So, will the squad's To-Do list now read: 'Beat-Up Mr. Hyde... Cool-Off The Lava Men... Run World?'"

Avengers #58 will be 32 pages and will cost $2.25.

GIVE'EM A CLICK

VIVENDI UNIVERSAL, MARVEL STRIKE ONLINE GAMES DEAL

Vivendi Universal Publishing and Marvel Enterprises announced on Thursday a 10-year worldwide licensing agreement which grants VU Publishing's Games division the right to develop and publish online massively multi-player games based on Marvel's universe of more than 4,700 superheroes.

The first OLMMP title under the new agreement is targeted for release in 2005. The announcement was made jointly by VU Games Chairman and CEO Ken Cron and Marvel COO Bill Jemas.

The deal provides VU Games with access to the entire library of Marvel characters. Additionally, VU Games has obtained the rights to release titles in multiple languages across all existing and future platforms enabling OLMMP game play, including PCs and console-based systems.

Marvel and VU Games will share in revenues generated by subscription fees, product sales and in-game advertising.

"We believe there are only a few franchises existing today that are compelling enough to be a leader in the massively multi-player games market and Marvel's universe of superheroes is clearly one of them," said Ken Cron, Chairman and CEO of Vivendi Universal Games.

"Marvel's enduring characters and fantasy-based storylines appeal to millions of fans worldwide. Its audience spans several generations and includes legions of consumers devoted to its comic books, TV shows and blockbuster movies. The combination of Marvel's strong character franchises with VU Games' global development and marketing capabilities is good news for both companies and great news for gamers."

"Marvel wanted to make an aggressive move to establish a strong presence in the burgeoning online gaming arena, and this relationship with VU Games puts us right on the ground floor," Marvel COO Bill Jemas said. "Marvel is perfectly suited to massively multi-player gaming as we are a `universe' unto ourselves. Our fans like to live and breathe their favorite characters and this gives them the opportunity to do that 24 hours a day if they like. Our superheroes have been extremely successful in the video game world as evidenced by the best-selling status of our Spider-Man, X-Men and Blade franchises. By every measure, this is by far the largest and best electronic game deal in the history of Marvel."

This online project marks the latest partnership between Marvel and VU Games, which is also developing next generation video games inspired by The Hulk feature film.

BRIEFLY