Comic Reviews for 4/11/12 featuring: Batgirl #8, Batman and Robin #8, Demon Knights #8, Fantastic For #605, Frankenstein, Agent of SHADE #8, Saga #2, Saucer Country #2, Scarlet Spider #4, Secret #1, The Secret Service #1 and Star Wars: Agent of the Empire – Iron Eclipse #5 (of 5)
IDW
Comics Corner #0
Here Comes the Judge
Here Comes the Judge
IDW and 2000 AD join forces to launch an all-new Judge Dredd comic-book series
IDW Publishing has partnered with 2000 AD to launch a line of Judge Dredd comics starting later this year.
Details and creative teams will be announced at a later date, but the partnership includes the creation of all-new Judge Dredd comics as well as deluxe reprints of classic Dredd material.
“Judge Dredd turns 35 this year, and it’s great to help him celebrate his birthday like this,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. “It was great to meet up with the 2000 AD team at the recent London Super Con and cement the partnership on this one. My interest in Judge Dredd far predates my tenure at IDW, so it’s a real drokkin’ pleasure for us to now be the first American publisher in 18 years to create new tales of Dredd.”
Judge Dredd was created by writer John Wagner and artist Carlos Ezquerra, along with editor Pat Mills, and made his debut in the second issue of the science fiction anthology 2000 AD. He remains that title’s longest-running character and is one of the best-known British comic-book characters of all time.
“IDW are renowned for their ability to create new comics for existing characters with both respect and imagination,” said Jason Kingsley, CEO of Rebellion, “so we at Rebellion were intrigued when they approached us. Their familiarity with Dredd and passion for the character were vital components in making this partnership happen. With 2000 AD’s longest-serving, and multiple award-winning, editor Matt Smith working with IDW on establishing the new series, we’re delighted to make 2012 an even more spectacular year for Judge Dredd and 2000 AD.”
Dredd is the toughest Judge in Mega-City One, a city-state located on the East Coast of America and surrounded by radioactive wastelands in a dystopian future. With criminals, thugs and mutants swarming the streets, as judge, jury and executioner Judge Joseph Dredd delivers justice with exacting, and sometimes lethal, force.
In the character’s 35 years of existence, many of the biggest and best British comics creators have told his tales. 2012 also sees the release of a big-budget motion picture based on the lawman. Dredd stars Star Trek’s Karl Urban, who will be donning the helmet and wielding Dredd’s “Lawgiver” pistol.
IDW’s first Judge Dredd series will debut this fall. Until then, remember… he IS the law!
Byrne and Wrightson strike again!
John Byrne and Bernie Wrightson both return with new series!
IDW Publishing is ecstatic to announce new projects from legendary creators JOHN BYRNE and BERNIE WRIGHTSON! This May, Byrne will be smashing into stands with a brand-new, creator-owned superhero series, TRIO. TRIO follows the exploits of three super-powered heroes known as Rock, Paper, and Scissors on a series of explosive adventures!
Along the way, beloved inkers who have finished off Byrne’s pencils in the past will be inking variant covers for the series, starting with “Joltin’” Joe Sinnott on issue 1, and Byrne’s Silver Surfer/X-Men: The Hidden Years cohort Tom Palmer on #2.
“Trio really is Byrne’s return to superheroic form,” said Chris Ryall, IDW’s Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief. Ryall will be editing Trio himself. He added that “fans who’ve loved Byrne at all stages of his career, from his beloved and influential superhero comics to his more recent work with us on Star Trek and Next Men, will love what he’s bringing to bear on this series.”
In FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE, ALIVE! Wrightson teams up with one of his greatest collaborators, STEVE NILES to continue the legacy of one of his greatest works. This sequel to Wrightson’s acclaimed 1983 illustrated version of Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley’s Frankenstein was scripted by Niles and will feature Wrightson’s inimitable brushwork in addition to heaps of engrossing supplemental material like interviews, essays, and a serialization of Shelley’s original work.
And just to show how thrilled we are about these new series, IDW is throwing its full weight behind TRIO and FRANKENSTEIN ALIVE, ALIVE! and making each debut issue fully returnable for retailers.
“Both Byrne and Wrightson are not only legends in the comics field,” Ryall said, “but they’re also doing work here that stacks up nicely alongside their very best comics from the past, and we want retailers to know we stand behind these books in a big way. Hopefully the returnability of the issues really speaks to how strongly we feel about these books being a good bet for comic shops.”
This May, join IDW in welcoming these iconoclasts back to genres they helped define and experience time-tested comics greatness firsthand!
Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.
John Romita’s The Amazing Spider-Man: Artist’s Edition in Stores February 1st!
IDW and Marvel present classic stories, all scanned from original art
JOHN ROMITA’S THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: ARTIST’S EDITION is the next book in the ongoing Artist’s Edition series from IDW Publishing. Collecting six classic issues from Romita’s stellar run on The Amazing Spider-Man, each and every page scanned from the original art and presented at full size, the same as it looked on Romita’s drawing table.
“It’s such a treat to put these books together and be able to get up close and see pages by great artists, like John Romita,” said Artist’s Editions Editor, Scott Dunbier “His work is so precise and clean, he is one of the true masters of the Silver Age of comics.”
As Harry Knowles of Aintitcool.com wrote, “Track this puppy down–go down to your local comic shop and pre-order it. You don’t want to try picking this up on the second hand market.” John Romita’s The Amazing Spider-Man: Artist’s Edition is in stores on February 1st.
What is an Artist’s Edition? Artist’s Editions are printed the same size as the original art. While appearing to be in black & white, each page has been scanned in COLOR to mimic as closely as possible the experience of viewing the actual original art—for example, you are able to clearly see paste-overs, blue pencils in the art, editorial notes, art corrections. Each page is printed the same size as drawn, and the paper selected is as close as possible to the original art board.
Previous Artist’s Editions include DAVE STEVENS’ THE ROCKETEER: ARTIST’S EDITION and WALTER SIMONSON’S THE MIGHTY THOR: ARTIST’S EDITION. The ROCKETEER ARTIST’S EDITION won two Eisner Awards last year, for Best Archival Project and Best Design.
JOHN ROMITA’S THE AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: ARTIST’S EDITION ($100, hardcover, black and white, 152 pages,) will be available in stores in February. ISBN: 978-1-61377-144-0.
Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.
ROCKETEER ADVENTURES Vol. 2 #1 Coming in March!
IDW to release second all-new anthology of Dave Stevens’ beloved character
The second all-new, all-fantastic Rocketeer Adventures series launches into stores in March! Each extra-long issue—boasting 25 pages of story and art— will feature covers by Darwyn Cooke and Dave Stevens. The first issue’s line-up includes Peter David, Marc Guggenheim, Sandy Plunkett, Stan Sakai, and Bill Sienkiewicz, with Arthur Adams supplying a pin-up.
“The Rocketeer takes us back to another time,” said series editor Scott Dunbier, “one stuffed to the brim with heroism and thrilling adventures. Some might call these stories old-fashioned—and what’s wrong with that?”
Other contributors to the series include Kyle Baker, J. Scott Campbell, Eric Canete, Paul Dini, Michael Golden, Dave Johnson, David Lapham, John Paul Leon, Bill Morrison, Louise Simonson, Walter Simonson, Chris Sprouse, Tom Taylor, Matt Wagner, Colin Wilson, and more. Rocketeer Adventures is in the current issue of Diamond Previews.
As with the first series, a portion of the profits from Rocketeer Adventures will be donated to the Hairy Cell Leukemia research. Dave Stevens, the creator of The Rocketeer, died of the disease in 2008 at the age of 52.
ROCKETEER ADVENTURES VOL. 2 #1 ($3.99, 32 pages; full color) will be available in March 2012. Diamond order code: JAN12 0408.
EISNER-WINNING CREATORS TAPPED FOR MARS ATTACKS ONGOING SERIES
John Layman, John McCrea to reimagine cult sci-fi classic in June
IDW Publishing and Topps are pleased to announce the multiple Eisner Award-winning creative team for MARS ATTACKS, an all-new ongoing comic series based on the fan-favorite Mars Attacks franchise.
Debuting in June 2012, IDW’s comic series will offer the first stories of an all-new Mars Attacks universe, bringing the brand’s outrageous action and dark humor to a new set of tales. Writer John Layman, author and co-creator of the Eisner-winning series Chew, will pen the series, with art by John McCrea, best known for his collaborations with Garth Ennis, including Eisner-winner Hitman.
“I’m a huge fan of Mars Attacks from a long way back. I own about half the original card set from 1962 and have a pretty big collection of collectables and doodads,” Layman said. “It’s always been a dream of mine to destroy the Earth and inflict huge degrees of suffering on the rest of humanity. With this Mars Attacks series, I finally get my chance.”
Created in 1962, Mars Attacks celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2012 with major product launches throughout the year. IDW’s new comic series, as well as high-quality reprints of existing material, will be a cornerstone of that effort.
Originally published by Topps as a series of trading cards, Mars Attacks was created by Len Brown and Woody Gelman, after Brown was inspired by the Wally Wood cover to Weird Science #16 (EC Comics). The cards went on to achieve cult status for their then-shocking imagery—fully painted by pulp legend Norm Saunders and based on designs by Wood and Bob Powell—and remains a staple of pop culture. Topps revived the franchise in the mid 1990s with a second card set, comic book series and toy line. The story was also adapted into the 1996 feature film Mars Attacks!, directed by Tim Burton.
“We were excited to hear of the award-winning creative team that IDW had secured,” said Ira Friedman, Topps vice president of global licensing. “John McCrea was our first choice to illustrate Mars Attacks and we were thrilled that IDW was able to bring him aboard. His experience drawing over-the-top violence on comics like Hitman, Judge Dredd and The Boys, coupled with John Layman’s penchant for twisted, offbeat humor makes them the perfect team to relaunch Mars Attacks.”
MARS ATTACKS will include covers by McCrea and alternate covers by such comic-book luminaries as Sam Kieth, Ben Templesmith and Eric Powell. The first issue will also feature a unique approach to variant covers: It will ship with 55 different covers, each depicting one of the original trading cards from the debut set of Mars Attacks from 1962. A complete collector’s set of the 55 covers in a box that replicates the original card packaging will be offered separately as well.
MARS ATTACKS #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in June 2012.
Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books. For information on Topps, please visit topps.com.
Forgotten Realms Creator to Script New Ongoing Dungeons & Dragons®:
Forgotten Realms® Comic Book Series
Ed Greenwood will be joined by artist Lee Ferguson and comic legend Sal Buscema on new series
IDW Publishing, in cooperation with Wizards of the Coast, a subsidiary of Hasbro, Inc., is pleased to announce the all-new DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: FORGOTTEN REALMS ongoing comic book series, hitting shelves in April. Legendary writer Ed Greenwood, creator of the Forgotten Realms RPG campaign setting, will be scripting the comic―his first-ever ongoing Dungeons & Dragons comic series―and offering one lucky reader a once-in-a-lifetime chance to have his or her own character appear in the series!
Telling the tale of two all-new adventurers who find themselves caught up in a kidnapping plot they never wanted a part of, this series offers a fresh new jumping-on point for new readers and fans. DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: FORGOTTEN REALMS features art by Lee Ferguson (G.I. JOE: Snake Eyes), inks by renowned comic artist Sal Buscema (The Incredible Hulk), and covers by acclaimed Dungeons & Dragons artists Tyler Walpole and Steve Ellis.
“Forty-five years ago, as a young kid sitting alone in a study crammed with books, I started creating the Forgotten Realms world,” said Greenwood. “And, well, I’m still at it. The Realms is a vast, colorful, exciting sandbox full of stories waiting to be told.”
Readers will have the opportunity to play in that sandbox, thanks to the Forgotten Realms Character Creation Contest offered by IDW and Wizards of the Coast. Eligible readers will have the opportunity to submit their D&D® character and one lucky winner will see it come to life in the hands of the Forgotten Realms creator. Chosen by Wizards of the Coast, IDW, and Greenwood, the winner will see his or her character appear in a future issue of the series, subject to the contest rules.
Given the opportunity to have your own character appear amid the non-stop action of DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: FORGOTTEN REALMS, Greenwood quipped ,“you know the old saying about being careful what you wish for? Well, it applies to wishing for adventure, too!” For more details, visit the official Dungeons & Dragons website.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: FORGOTTEN REALMS #1 ($3.99, 32 pages, full color) will be available in stores in April 2012. Diamond order code FEB120140.
Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.
IDW Unleashes Zombies vs. Robots Prose ePub Program
“8×8 Plan” offers one new story each week for eight weeks starting Jan. 20, 2012 . Writer/actress Brea Grant spearheads ZVR e-single pulp-lit push for New Year.
IDW Publishing continues expanding its prose publishing activities with a two-month-long “e-singles” promotion featuring all-new stories set in the gleefully gory ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS universe. The property was first published in 2006 as a two-issue mini-series from the creative team of artist Ashley Wood and writer/editor Chris Ryall. Helpless to resist ZVR’s rowdy mix of clunky, wise-cracking robots trying to stem the zombie apocalypse (the fault of clumsy scientists), with the remnants of mankind caught in the middle. There have been multiple ZVR miniseries, and in 2010, Sony Pictures optioned the film rights for Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes production company.
Beginning on January 20, IDW will digitally release one new ZVR prose story each week for eight weeks.
“We’re calling this our ‘8×8’ plan,” explains Jeff Conner, the IDW contributing editor responsible for the ZVR prose line. “Each week, from January 20 to March 9, we’ll debut a new short story torn from the festering jaws of the shambling, clanking world that is ZOMBIES VS. ROBOTS. And these all-new tales will be a tasty $0.99 each—it’s our New Year’s gift to the brain-eating reading public.”
“Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger” is the first 8×8 offering, and comes from the multi-talented actress/writer Brea Grant (Heroes, Dexter, Halloween II). Told via blog entries, her story extends the recent Zombies vs. Robots: Undercity comic book miniseries, which introduced readers to the young blogger from India, and ended with the members of an elite subterranean enclave underneath the Washington Monument being wiped out by ravenous zombies—or so we are led to believe.
“I wanted to put someone in one of the most difficult places possible by ripping away her community, family, and everything she knows, leaving her with her own thoughts,” states Grant, whose writing credits include the IDW comics We Will Bury You and Suicide Girls. “I wanted this person to deal with religion, love, gods and sanity all alone, separated from the raging violence outside. And who better to put in that position than a jaded, flippant teenage blogger named Pammi?”
“We’re quite committed to e-singles,” Conner noted. “They’re such an effective way to present our scintillating shambling dead vs. gun-crazed warbot content. Going exclusively digital with 8×8 was, as we say around IDW, a no-brainer. For sure we’ll be doing more digital-only promotions as the year unfolds.”
Debuting weekly starting on January 20, 2012, the ZVR e-singles will be available on the Kindle, Nook and in iBooks. The full 8×8 schedule is:
Brea Grant — “Pammi Shaw: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger” (1/20/12)
UnderCity’s lone survivor continues her blog and meets (creates?) a digital deity with its own ideas about fighting the zombie apocalypse.
Brea Grant is sometimes a writer (We Will Bury You; Suicide Girls), sometimes an actress (Heroes; Dexter; Halloween 2) and all-the-time a nice person. She is currently directing her first film.
Steve Rasnic Tem — “To Denver (with Hiram Battling Zombies)” (1/27/12)
What happens when high-test chronic is tainted with potent zombie blood? Will it be a high to die for?
Multiple award-winning author Steve Rasnic Tem has published over 300 short stories in the areas of fantasy, science fiction, crime, and horror. His latest novel is Deadfall Hotel.
Nancy A. Collins — “Angus: Zombie-Versus-Robot Fighter” (2/03/12)
A young man is trained by his scientist father to fight zombies, robot-style. What could go wrong?
Nancy A. Collins is the author of numerous novels and short stories, including the best-selling Sunglasses After Dark, and was a writer for DC Comics’ Swamp Thing. She is a recipient of the Bram Stoker and British Fantasy Awards, and has been nominated for the World Fantasy, Eisner & International Horror Guild awards. Left Hand Magic, the newest installment in the acclaimed Golgotham series, is now available.
Nick Mamatas — “Throckmorton’s Bad Day” (2/10/12)
Years before the zombie apocalypse, an enterprising and amoral young college student (later to become “Dr. Throckmorton in the ZVR comics) tests experimental street drugs on the local users. The results will have unforeseen consequences for his future self.
Nick Mamatas is the author of several unusual novels, including The Damned Highway with Brian Keene, and The Last Weekend. His short fiction has appeared in Asimov’s SF, Long Island Noir and many other magazines and anthologies.
Amber Benson — “Mademoiselle Consuela and Her Army of One” (2/17/12)
Like a princess locked in a tower, Consuela lives on a secluded island with only her loyal warbot for company. Then the pirates come…
Amber Benson is an actor, filmmaker, novelist and amateur occultist who sings in the shower. Best known for her work as Tara Maclay on Buffy The Vampire Slayer, she is also the author of the Calliope Reaper-Jones series and the co-director (with Adam Busch) of the feature film, Drones.
Don Webb — “The Wizards vs. the Bots” (2/24/12)
Can black magic control zombies? What about warbots?
Don Webb has 20 published books ranging from the nonfiction occult classic Uncle Setnakt’s Nightbook to the best weird west book, Webb’s Weird Wild West.
Kaaron Warren — “The River of Memory” (3/02/12)
An Amazon goddess thinks she can restore humanity to zombies; a warbot has doubts.
Kaaron Warren is an award-winning horror and science-fiction writer based in Australia. She has two short story collections and three novels in print.
Lincoln Crisler — “Kettletop’s Revisionary Plot” (3/09/12)
A distraught scientist travels back in time in a desperate attempt to save his wife and prevent the discovery of the deadly Z Virus.
Lincoln Crisler is author, editor and reviewer as well as an active-duty soldier in the United States Army. His books include Magick & Misery and Wild. He is the editor of the dark-superhero anthology Corrupts Absolutely? He has served as a contributing writer for The Horror Library and Shroud Magazine.
Analog media fans needn’t worry that IDW’s new ZVR stories will only be available in e-pub formats. “We aren’t abandoning print in any way,” confirms Conner. “From the beginning we designed the ZVR prose program to have distinct identities for print and digital. So while it’s true that there will never be print incarnations of any of the 8×8 series themselves, we do have a full slate of ZVR collections and novellas in production on the print side; the ‘8×8’ stories will appear there, just in different contexts.”
The first print collection will be THIS MEANS WAR!, set to appear in March, 2012.
“PAMMI SHAW: Creator of Gods and Also Blogger” ($0.99, digital only) will be available on the Kindle, the Nook, in iBooks, and Kobo on January 20, 2012.
ZVR: THIS MEANS WAR! ($17.99, 342 pages, 6″ X 9″ hard cover, full color) will be available in stores in March 2012. ISBN 978-1-61377-143-3.
Visit IDWPublishing.com to learn more about the company and its top-selling books.
All-New Popeye Comics Debut in April
Acclaimed creator Roger Langridge to write series
IDW Publishing today announced that comic industry star Roger Langridge will write the company’s all-new POPEYE comic series, which will debut in April 2012. Expanding their partnership with King Features to include new material, IDW’s POPEYE comics will offer all-new adventures with the famous “Sailor Man” and his friends, including Olive Oyl, Bluto, Wimpy and Swee’ Pea. Joining Langridge to bring Popeye back to comics is rising-star artist Bruce Ozella. The monthly POPEYE series will be co-edited by IDW’s co-founder and chief executive officer, Ted Adams and renowned comics expert Craig Yoe.
“I grew up reading Segar’s Popeye and we’ll be bringing his sensibility to our new series,” said Adams. “Especially now with our all-star creative team, I’m really looking forward to launching this series in April.”
Throughout his more than twenty years in the comics industry, Langridge has garnered critical and fan acclaim for his work on an impressive list of projects, including the Harvey Award-winning Muppet Show Comic Book (Boom! Studios) and Thor: The Mighty Avenger (Marvel Comics).
“Ever since I was a kid, the two cartoonists who have had the biggest influence on me have been Carl Barks and E.C. Segar, so getting a chance to write Popeye is quite a thrill,” said Langridge. “I’m especially pleased that IDW have decided to go with a Segar-flavored interpretation. As much as I like some of the later versions of the character, for me, it’s those early strips where the magic really happened. Just as well Segar drew everybody with big feet, because Bruce and I have some enormous shoes to fill!”
Created by Elzie Crisler Segar in January 1929, Popeye the Sailor Man quickly became one of the most popular and enduring comics characters of all time. In addition to headlining his own comic strip for over eighty years, Popeye has also been featured in television cartoons, video games, live action movies and countless merchandise.
POPEYE #1 debuts in April, featuring a cover from Bruce Ozella, and a rare incentive cover from Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist Jules Feiffer.
