WIZARD WORLD LOS ANGELES: TOP COW PANEL

LOS ANGELES -- Michael Broussard will be drawing Top Cow/Marvel: Unholy Union, a one-shot in June, it was announced Friday at Top Cow's panel at Wizard World Los Angeles.

The 40-page story will include Witchblade, The Darkness, Doctor Strange, Ghost Rider and the Hulk. Written by Ron Marz, the story will also provide a hint at things to come in First Born, Top Cow's summer event invovling the pregnancy of Sara Pezzini.

Broussard is the latest new artist from Top Cow's stable. "All it was a submission. I sent in a submission and they liked it and gave me a call," Broussard said.

Marketing's Filip Sablik moderated the panel, which also included Tyler Kirkham and Rob Levin.

Following are highlights:

Sablik said The Darkness video game will be in stores in June for the PS3 and XBox 360. He said the game is drawing excellent early reviews.

Sablik said the delay in release from the spring was that 2K wanted to put in a multi-player aspect.

Levin noted that because Paul Jenkins wrote the game, it is character-driven.

* Kirkham drew Level 2 of the comic book based on the video game. He said his issue takes places in a hellish world.

* Mike Choi is drawing Level 5.

* Hunter-Killer #12, which will be available at the convention, wraps up Season 1 of the title. Sablik said that a trade paperback will be available soon.

Sablik also said there are early talks for a Hunter-Killer video game.

Levin said a Season 2 for Hunter-Killer is not set in stone, especially with writer Mark Waid currently exclusive at DC Comics. "But it's something we really wanted to do," he said.

* Top Cow will stage a panel at Wizard World Los Angeles on Sunday that will include a 10-minute clip of the Witchblade animated series, dubbed in English.

* Levin noted that the pregnant Sara Pezzini will not be leaving the Witchblade title. "It's all tied together," he said.

* Levin said the First Born event will be self-contained in the three issues.

"We wanted to create an event that energeized the Top Cow Universe and the Top Cow fans," Sablik said.

Four pages of First Born will be available through Image Comics' Free Comic Book Day offering. There will also be a 99-cent First Look.

* Sablik said the first arc of Paul Dini's Madame Mirage will be six issues. "It will answer the question of who is Madame Mirage, where she comes from and what are here powers," Sablik said.

* A trailer, backed by bluesy music, was shown for Madame Mirage, which will be drawn by Kenneth Rocafort.

* Marc Silvestri and Eric Basaldua have designed characters for the new Top Cow/Dynamite venture.

"It is unique with us because it's something we co-own," Sablik said. "We're kind of unique as a company because we work with our competitors."