|
|
|||||
TUESDAY, AUGUST 14, 2007CHRISTINA Z. WRITES VIRGIN'S SHADOW HUNTERVirgin Comics and JennaComix.com announced on Tuesday that Christina Z. is writing Shadow Hunter, the new Virgin Comics series created by adult entertainment icon Jenna Jameson.
"Forget what you think a superhero should be," said Christina Z. "This enticing and wicked hero hurts, and sometimes likes to hurt. She is strong but sometimes she allows herself to give in. Clawing, eviscerating, wielding sacred weapons, of the flesh and of the mind, this character is about the creature we sometimes dream of having or being, but are too rational to go there. Come with me, let's go there together."
"Christina is awesome," Jameson said. "Collaborating with her is a pleasure -- and believe me, I know pleasure. We watch the same scary movies, adore the same characters, and we had a great time together at Comic-Con."
"As a long time admirer of Christina's work, we are thrilled to be working with her. She's the perfect fit for this unconventional project that will certainly challenge the female superhero genre," said Virgin Comics CEO Sharad Devarajan.
The new series will tell the tale of a woman who survives a brush with death, and returns to life only to find herself fighting the legions of hell on earth. Although Shadow Hunter will be provocative, the book will contain no nudity and is intended for mainstream audiences.
"Since the moment we announced our collaboration with Jenna Jameson, we've received all sorts of feedback. The industry is wondering how we plan to take Jenna, one of the world's most provocative icons and personalities, and craft something more than the ultimate T&A comic," said Gotham Chopra, chief creative officer of Virgin.
"I'm excited to be creating and revolutionizing a heroine for Virgin Comics who is, first and foremost, a real human being like all of us, but has the power of one of the most fascinating mythologies," Christina Z. said.
A 25-cent preview of Shadow Hunter goes on sale in December at Virgin Megastores and comic shops everywhere. The first issue in the series begins in January, and a 144-page Shadow Hunter graphic novel is slated for summer 2008.
FEEDBACK VS. MEGA SNAKESci Fi Channel has announced details of the movie in which Matthew Atherton, a.k.a. Feedback, winner of Season 1 of Who Wants To Be A Super?, will appear.
The film is called Mega Snake and will premiere on on Saturday, August 25 at 9 p.m. (ET/PT).
Here's how the network describes the movie:
"Mega Snake, starring Michael Shanks (Stargate SG-1), is the thrilling tale of a serpent with supernatural powers unwittingly unleashed upon the residents of a small town. Before long, the reptile grows to a gargantuan size, wreaking havoc on everything in its path. When the snake threatens the lives of a group of children at a carnival, it's up to Feedback to save the day!"
DC COMICS UPDATES CONTENTS FOR WONDER WOMAN #13DC Comics had announced that the new Wonder Woman creative team of writer Gail Simone and artists Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson, originally set to debut in #13, now will make its debut one month later, in #14.
Wonder Woman #14 will be available with a cover by Terry Dodson and Rachel Dodson and a variant cover by Michael Golden.
Instead, Wonder Woman #13 will feature a story by J. Torres with art by Julian Lopez and Bit and a cover by the Dodson's.
Here's how DC describes the issue:
"The war with the Amazons may be over, but the wounds haven't even begun to heal. Wonder Woman has her hands full with anti-Amazon sentiment in America, much of it targeted toward Wonder Girl! When it comes to hate and fear, even a magic lasso can only do so much!"
This issue guest-stars Wonder Girl, whose current mini-series is written by Torres.
"The reason we pushed back the new team's start is that Terry had a few other commitments, and we wanted to make sure we wouldn't have to interrupt his and Gail's run with a fill-in issue," editor Matt Idelson said.
AVENGERS/INVADERS FROM ALEX ROSS, JIM KRUEGERMarvel Comics on Tuesday provided details on the Alex Ross project it announced over the weekend at Wizard World Chicago.
Avengers/Invaders will be a 12-issue series set in current continuity and scheduled for a 2008 release. Ross and Jim Krueger will write, with Steve Sadowski providing art and Ross providing covers.
"It's great to have Alex back at Marvel," said publisher and president Dan Buckley. "His passion and talent have brought our industry some of its most memorable stories in recent times, changing the very face of comics. With Avengers/Invaders, Alex is mixing the past with the present to create a story unlike anything seen before, which will reverberate through the Marvel Universe for years to come."
Tom Brevoort is editing the series.
"Avengers/Invaders is a sweeping, epic story with a human core that will unite the greatest heroes of the Marvel Universe's present with the greatest heroes of its past," Brevoort said.
"It means something more to the world today, and that's of course why we're taking this confusing thing of the return of Captain America, that essentially is truly the return of Captain America, not in the way you would have expected," Ross said. "A lot of rich, creative room comes from that being opened up to us."
The series will be packaged by Dynamite Entertainment.
MARVEL, DABEL BROTHERS END PUBLISHING RELATIONSHIP Marvel Entertainment and Dabel Brothers Productions announced on Tuesday that they are mutually ending their publishing relationship.
In 2006, Marvel and Dabel Brothers signed an agreement for Marvel to market, print and distribute several limited and ongoing series, in addition to some other dynamic new properties. Founded in 2001, the Dabel Brothers have specialized in creating comic books and graphic novels based on the works of best-selling authors' series such as Laurell K Hamilton's Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter; George R. R. Martin's Hedge Knight; and Orson Scott Card's Tales Of Alvin Maker and others.
Marvel president and publisher Dan Buckley said, "We have great respect for the Dabel Brothers' business and the relationships they have generated. Our partnership has been an exciting experience for both companies. We wish the Dabels well in their future publishing endeavors and hope to work with them again, should the opportunity present itself."
"Working with Marvel was a dream come true for all of us, and we enjoyed the opportunity to learn from the comic book industry's market leader," said Ernst Dabel, President of Dabel Brothers Productions. "We're looking forward to applying those lessons to our business as we resume our status as a self-publisher, and we plan to continue producing top-quality adaptations of best-selling science fiction, fantasy, horror and thriller novels by popular authors.
Marvel will continue to publish Anita Blake Vampire Hunter by Laurell K. Hamilton; the Hedge Knight series by George RR Martin; Tales of Alvin Maker and Wyrms by Orson Scott Card; Magician Apprentice by Raymond Feist; Lords of Avalon by Kinley MacGregor; and Highwayman by R.A. Salvatore.
Dabel Brothers Productions will begin work on its next wave of books, slated for release in early 2008.
FIRST LOOKSFor covers and two- to four-page previews of upcoming titles, CLICK HERE.
Titles include Spider-Man/Red Sonja #2 from Marvel Comics/Dynamite Entertainment; Archie & Friends #112 and Archie Digest #237 from Archie Comics; and The Authority: Prime #1 and Midnighter: Armageddon from DC Comics.
For previews of Marvel Comics titles arriving in stores on August 15, CLICK HERE.
PAINKILLER JANE: "PLAYBACK"Sci Fi Channel has provided The Continuum a synopsis of "Playback," this Friday's new episode of Painkiller Jane.
Here's how the episode is described:
"The day starts for Jane (Kristanna Loken) with a phone call from Andre (Rob Stewart) giving her the news that their suspected Neuro is planning to assassinate the Chinese Minister of Foreign Affairs. Armed with his location, the team closes in on the Neuro. Just as they surround the would-be assassin, he mysteriously escapes.
"The next morning, it's as though nothing of the previous day had occurred. And once again, Andre phones his team with the same news of their suspected Neuro, unaware that his day is repeating. Now they must find a way to catch their Neuro, and break the deja-vu in which they are trapped."
"Playback" was written by Frank Cardea and George Schenck and directed by Matt Hastings.
DYNAMO 5'S NEW ARC, PRICEImage Comics' Dynamo 5 starts its second arc with a lower cover price of $2.99 in October.
"The reception to our first arc has gone above and beyond what we imagined," said writer Jay Faerber, who is joined on Dynamo 5 by artist Mahmud A. Asrar. "So much so we're confident enough to lower the cost by a substantial amount. This combined with the inexpensively priced trade paperback should make it easy to bring on any reluctant readers."
Here's how Image describes the second arc:
"Dynamo 5 #8 opens with the illegitimate children of Captain Dynamo torn apart by revelations they never saw coming. In fact, their latest battle has them fighting against their strongest foe yet without their two most powerful members. Much like the preceding arc this one promises one shocker after another with further secrets changing the way you look at our titular team."
Image Comics Publisher Erik Larsen said, "It's hard to launch an all new superteam in a market flooded with them. Despite all that Jay and Mahmud have put out something unlike any other funnybook on the racks. We couldn't be happier with the book performing far beyond our projections."
OCTOBER SOLICITATIONS ROUNDUPFor previously published solicitations for October, click on the publishers' names below:
* Archie Comics.
* Aspen Comics.
* Avatar Press.
* BlueWater Productions.
* Dark Horse Comics.
* DC Comics.
* Devil's Due Publishing.
* Digital Webbing.
* Dynamite Entertainment.
* Fangoria Comics.
* Heroic Publishing.
* IDW Publishing.
* Image Comics.
* Markosia Publishing.
* Marvel Comics.
* Moonstone Books.
* Oni Press.
BRIEFLY* Archie Comics' Veronica #185 in November will feature "Riverdale High -- the Musical."
Here's how Archie describes the issue, written and drawn by Dan Parent:
"When a former Riverdale High student-turned-famous screenwriter/director decides to make a movie about her teenage years, itšs enough to make Veronica, Betty and their friends break out in song! Of course, using the current high school class as inspiration, therešs more drama behind the cameras than in front of it!"
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image and look for all of Archie's November solicitations soon here in The Continuum.
* The Shocker will be featured in the first half of the first season of Kids WB!'s upcoming The Spectacular Spider-Man animated series.
* According to Variety, Ice Cube's CubeVision is in negotations for an adaptation of the 10 graphic novel by Shannon Denton and Keith Giffen. Ice Cube would produce and star for Dimension Films.
* Metalocalypse: Season 1 will be released on DVD on Oct. 2 from Warner Home Video.
* MAD Magazine #481 will arrive in stores on August 15 with two covers in a split of approximately 50/50. Both covers spotlight The Simpsons Movie.
COMICS CONTINUUM BACK ISSUES In case you missed The Continuum's coverage over the past month, here are some links. Click on the date to get the day's full report.
* Thursday, August 9: Image Comics First Looks, Marvel Comics First Looks and HBO in October.
* Wednesday, August 8: Flash Gordon and First Looks.
* Tuesday, August 7: Flash Gordon's Karen Cliche, Iron Man movie, Incredible Hulk movie, Image Comics Firs Looks, Devil's Due Publishing First Looks, Image Comics' Proof and Amazing Spider-Man.
* Monday, August 6: Legion of Super Heroes,
Heroes, Avengers Reborn and Flash Gordon.
* Sunday, August 5: Stardust and First Looks.
* Saturday, August 4: Spider-Man 3 DVD and First Looks.
* Friday, August 3: The Spirit casts Gabriel Macht, Flash Gordon and Marvel First Looks.
* Thursday, August 2: Legion of Super Heroes, The Batman, Teen Titans and First Looks.
* Wednesday, August 1: The Spirit film, new Punisher movie, IDW Publishing's new titles, First Looks and Spider-Man: One More Day covers.
* Tuesday, July 31: Bluewater Productions for November, Heroic Publishing for November, Moonstone Books for November, First Looks, Aspen Comics roundup and Ed Burns at Virgin Comics.
* Monday, July 30: The Simpsons Movie, WildStorm, DC Big Guns, WildStorm and Fables.
* Sunday, July 29: The Incredible Hulk, Sam Raimi, Todd McFarlane, Spider-Man, MINX titles and Marvel's Ultimate Universe.
* Saturday, July 28: Battlestar Galactica, Flash Gordon, DC Nation, Vertigo, Mark Waid at Boom! Studios, Nightwolf television series and Image Comics.
* Friday, July 27: Marvel Comics First Looks, Mark Verheiden, Matt Wagner, Heroes, Devil's Due's Halloween and Mondo Marvel panel.
* Thursday, July 26: From Comic-Con International -- Iron Man movie, DC Comics Countdown, Darwyn Cooke, Legion of Super Heroes, Heroes, Incredible Hulk movie, Boom! Studio's The Godfather, Dark Horse roundup and SciFi/Virgin's The Stranded.
* Wednesday, July 25: Heroes Season 2, Virgin Comics/Jenna Jameson, Marvel First Looks and Archie First Looks.
* Tuesday, July 24: Superman Doomsday, Flash Gordon, Oni Press for October and Marvel First Looks.
* Monday, July 23: Dynamite Entertainment for October, Fangoria Comics for October, Dynamite First Looks and World of Warcraft from DC.
* Sunday, July 22: Avatar Press for October, Red 5 Comics for October, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven and Archie Comics First Looks.
* Saturday, July 21: Legion of Super Heroes and Devil's Due Publishing for October.
* Friday, July 20: Smallville's Supergirl, Marvel First Looks and Image First Looks.
* Thursday, July 19: Aspen Comics for October, Emmy Award nominations, Kids' WB! for August, Bluewater Productions' Jason and the Argonauts, Garth Ennis' Streets of Glory, Captain Action and Marvel First Looks.
* Wednesday, July 18: The Simpsons Movie, Flash Gordon, Bluewater Productions First Looks and Dynamite's Superpowers.
* Tuesday, July 17: Marvel Comics for October, Image Comics for October and Dynamite Entertainment First Looks.
* Monday, July 16: DC Comics for October, IDW Publishing for October, Archie Comics for October, Marvel First Looks and Watchmen movie.
* Sunday, July 15: The Spectacular Spider-Man and First Looks.
E-mail the Continuum at RobAlls@aol.com
Copyright © 2007, The Comics Continuum |