Tuesday, January 18, 2005
DC COMICS FOR APRIL
|
|
|
|
|
DC Comics has released its April solicitations.
For a complete rundown, with cover images, CLICK HERE.
For a complete rundown of upcoming DC Direct products, with images, CLICK HERE.
IMAGE COMICS FOR APRIL
|
|
|
|
|
Image Comics has released its solicitations for April.
For a complete rundown, with cover images, CLICK HERE.
THE SIMPSONS UPDATE
Two-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady, seven-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Warren Sapp; NBA All-Stars Yao Ming and LeBron James, and Olympic figure skating medalist Michelle Kwan will provide guest-voices on a special episoe of The Simpsons, airing on Fox immediately following Super Bowl XXXIX on Sunday, Feb. 6.
In post-Super Bowl episode, "Homer and Ned's Hail Mary Pass," after Homer inadvertently performs a wild, crowd-pleasing dance at a local carnival, he is hired by several sports figures -- including Brady, James, Sapp, Yao and Kwan, guest-starring as themselves -- to choreograph their victory dances. After his dances prove successful, Homer is tapped to choreograph the Super Bowl halftime show. Panicked the night before the event, Homer enlists the help of his neighbor, Ned Flanders, and together they put on a non-violent, deeply meaningful halftime show that America chastises for its blatant display of decency.
"Just to be a part of Super Bowl Sunday is great," James said. "I'll be a Simpsons fan till I die."
"It was really an honor to be asked to do The Simpsons," Kwan said. "I had a great experience."
In other Simpsons news:
* Fox announced the 350th episode of the show will air on Sunday, May 1.
In the milestone episode, "The Heartbroke Kid," Bart becomes addicted to junk food when a new vending machine is installed at Springfield Elementary. His steady diet of processed foods leads to a massive weight gain and health issues. When he's unable to stick to his prescribed low-fat diet, the Simpsons stage an intervention and ship Bart off to "Serenity Ranch A Forced Starvation Facility," headed up by former food addict Tab Spangler (guest star Albert Brooks). While Spangler tries to help Bart overcome his obsession, Homer and Marge turn their home into a hostel for German travelers in order to pay for the costly Serenity Ranch.
* Fox and McFarlane Toys have announced a new licensing agreement for Simpsons action figures.
The new Simpsons action figures will be released this fall in two separate multi-figure boxed sets. Each box will contain a different set of action figures re-creating favorite moments.
"As a fan of The Simpsons since its very inception, I know our toy company will bring as much innovation to these new character products as Matt Groening and his crew have done all these years," said Todd McFarlane. "My goal is to bring out very intriguing items that will reward the fans who have supported this show. We want to push the envelope so that the true essence of the show is captured."
BRIEFLY
The agreements were announced on Tuesday by Tim Rothwell, President of Worldwide Consumer Products and Bruno Maglione, President of Marvel International. Collectively, the new publishing licenses will bring the Marvel Universe to broad consumer audiences and demographics by establishing a significant presence in the largest mass-market book categories including adult novelizations, children's fiction, all-age non-fiction compendiums, as well as pre-school novelty formats and picture and sound storybooks.
DK Publishing will develop an extensive line of children's and all-age non-fiction titles under the publisher's best-selling "Ultimate Guides" series. DK's initial lines will spotlight Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, Iron Man, X-Men and The Avengers.
HarperCollins will create movie tie-in books for several upcoming Marvel feature film events including Fantastic Four, X-Men 3 and Spider-Man 3. Products will target children ages 5-12 and will include junior novelizations, picture story books, chapter books and manga story books in addition to coloring and activity titles.
Simon & Schuster's Pocket Books will launch a series of adult paperback novels spotlighting new adventures of several classic Marvel greats including Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, X-Men, Wolverine and Marvel Ultimates.
Meredith Books will develop and publish a portfolio of children's book products ranging from sound storybooks and coloring books, to picture story books. The products will feature many Marvel characters such as Spider-Man, The Fantastic Four, The Incredible Hulk, X-Men, Iron Man, and Captain America, as well as the pre-school property Spider-Man & Friends.
COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES
In case you missed The Continuum's recent coverage, here are some links:
* For Wednesday, Jan. 12, including Smallville news, CLICK HERE.
* For Tuesday, Jan. 11, including Marvel movie news, CLICK HERE.
* For Monday, Jan. 10, including Marvel movie news, CLICK HERE.
* For Friday, Jan. 7, including Marvel movie news, CLICK HERE.
* For Thursday, Jan. 6, including the new comic by J.M. DeMatteis and Mike Ploog, CLICK HERE.
* For Wednesday, Jan. 5, including V for Vendetta movie news, CLICK HERE.
* For Tuesday, Jan. 4, including Angel news, CLICK HERE.
* For Monday, Jan. 3, including Red Sonja news, CLICK HERE.
* For Saturday, Jan. 1, including IDW Publishing's solicitations for April, CLICK HERE.
Copyright © 2005, The Comics Continuum