THURSDAY, JUNE 2, 2011
X-MEN: FIRST CLASS ROUNDUP -- UPDATED!
The Continuum continues its preview of X-Men: First Class with video clips.
* For a new clip, "Picking Codenames," CLICK HERE.
* For the Farmers Insurance commercial, which features Beast and Havok, as well as J.K. Simmons, who played J. Jonah Jameson in three Spider-Man movies, CLICK HERE.
Look for more on X-Men: First Class throughout the week here in The Continuum.
DC COMICS SUPER-HERO TITLES
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DC Comics has announced 11 of the 52 super-hero titles it will launch this fall after Flashpoint.
For a roundup, with images, creators and some details, CLICK HERE.
CATWOMAN IN BATMAN: ARKHAM CITY
Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and DC Entertainment have announced that Catwoman will be a fully playable character in Batman: Arkham City on all platforms for which the game will be available: Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, Games for Windows PC and the PlayStation3 computer entertainment system.
To view a trailer featuring Catwoman, CLICK HERE
Complete with her own storyline in the main game, Catwoman's adventure complements Batman's central role and is seamlessly interwoven with his main story arc. She will also be playable in the challenge maps with her own unique combat moves, gadgetry and signature takedown.
Here's how the game is described:
"Batman: Arkham City builds upon the intense, atmospheric foundation of Batman: Arkham Asylum, sending players soaring into Arkham City -- five times larger than the game world in Batman: Arkham Asylum -- and the new maximum security 'home' for all of Gotham City's thugs, gangsters and insane criminal masterminds. Set inside the heavily fortified walls of a sprawling district in the heart of Gotham City, this highly anticipated sequel introduces a brand-new story that draws together a new, all-star cast of classic characters and murderous villains from the Batman universe, as well as a vast range of new and enhanced gameplay features to deliver the ultimate experience as the Dark Knight."
The game will be available on Oct. 18.
Click on the thumbnails for larger images.
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THE DARKNESS II GAMEPLAY TRAILER
2K Games has released the first game player for The Darkness II video game, based on the Top Cow Productions characters.
To view the trailer, CLICK HERE
The video contains gameplay footage, and re-introduces Jackie Estacado and The Darkness. In addition, the video shows the game's signature Quad-Wielding combat , and the unique graphic noir art style that hearkens to The Darkness comics art style using a hand-painted technique for cross hatching and coloring.
The game will be released on Oct. 4.
VALIANT COMICS TO RETURN IN 2012
Valiant Entertainment, the character-based entertainment company with more than 1,500 characters in its library, announced it will reintroduce the Valiant Universe in print and digital comics in 2012.
The company announced that former Marvel CEO and Vice Chairman Peter Cuneo has assumed the role of Chairman of Valiant.
Valiant Entertainment, co-founded by Jason Kothari and Dinesh Shamdasani, has received a capital infusion from private investment company Cuneo & Company. Cuneo, Managing Principal of Cuneo & Co., recently concluded 10 years of leadership at Marvel Entertainment, concluding with Marvel's sale at the end of 2009 to The Walt Disney Company . Gavin Cuneo, Principal of Cuneo & Co., was an investment banker with Bank of America Merrill Lynch prior to the founding of Cuneo & Co. He has spent over ten years working in investment banking and investment management and has been appointed to Valiant's Board of Directors. Peter and Gavin Cuneo are working closely with Valiant's expanded management team to usher in the new era of Valiant.
"I am excited to be partnering with Peter and Gavin," said CEO Jason Kothari. "Peter's decade of leadership at Marvel, Gavin's decade of experience on Wall Street, and their highly active roles with Valiant will be integral to our expansion."
"The strength of the management team which Jason has created and the quality of the characters owned and controlled by the company have made this an extremely attractive and exciting investment," said Peter Cuneo.
"We see a great opportunity in today's comic book industry for the emergence of a brand that combines the power of a strong legacy with a first-class creative and business team," said Gavin Cuneo.
Originally founded in 1989, Valiant was acquired by video game company Acclaim Entertainment. Acclaim used the characters as the basis for a number of video game franchises. Acclaim went out of business in 2005 due to issues unrelated to Valiant, including the loss of key sports video game licenses. This enabled Valiant Entertainment to acquire all the rights to the Valiant Comics library at the end of 2007. Valiant Entertainment began operations in 2008 and has made "significant progress in the licensing and development of major motion pictures that will be communicated in the coming months" and the company now expands into publishing.
"We have been planning the reintroduction of the Valiant titles for some time and I'm excited to announce our scheduled launch for 2012," said Director Dinesh Shamdasani. "Cutting-edge characters and stories were the core tenants of the original Valiant and are the core tenants of the new Valiant."
"Valiant owns and controls a universe of some of the most recognizable characters in the comic world," Peter Cuneo said. "To this day, despite interruptions in its history, Valiant has retained an extremely passionate fan base. We are keenly focused on bringing the original Valiant Universe back for these fans as well as introducing these powerful characters and stories to new readers."
MARVEL COMICS FIRST LOOKS
For covers and three- to four-page previews of Marvel Comics titles arriving in stores on July, CLICK HERE.
Titles include Moon Knight #3 and Fear Itself: Black Widow #1.
ZENESCOPE ENTERTAINMENT FIRST LOOKS
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For covers and five-page previews of Zenescope Entertainment titles arriving in stores on June 8, CLICK HERE.
Titles include Charmed #10, Grimm Fairy Tales #60, Grimm Fairy Tales Dream Eater Saga, The Piper Part 2 and Fly #1.
BRIEFLY
* Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced a July 26 release for Dylan Dog: Dead of Night as a one-disc Blu-ray and a one-disc DVD.
Click on the thumbnail for a larger image.
* Bob Layton has announced he is writing the screenplay for a film titled Mettle, a project he co-created that will feature Edward James Olmos as star and producer.
Layton, Olmos and co-creator Michael Olmos appeared at last weekend's Comicpalooza convention in Houston to talk about the project.
"We've been trying to develop this project over the years with a variety of well-known writers, but never found the right take...until we read Bob's pitch," Olmos said.
Plans are for Mettle comic books to be published before the film's release.
AUGUST SOLICITATIONS ROUNDUP
For previously posted August solicitations, click on the publishers' names below:
* 12-Gauge Comics.
* Ape Entertainment.
* Archie Comics.
* Aspen Comics.
* Big Dog Ink.
* Bluewater Productions.
* Bongo Comics.
* BOOM! Studios.
* Dark Horse Comics.
* DC Comics.
* Dynamite Entertainment.
* IDW Publishing.
* Image Comics.
* Marvel Comics.
* Moonstone Books.
* Oni Press.
Copyright © 2011, The Comics Continuum