Welcome to The Comic Spot, a weekly look back at this week in comics. Here you'll find the many and diverse announcements and headlines for this past week. It should be noted that even though a wide range of information is offered, news from the House of Ideas (Marvel Comics) is apparently sparse, but have no fear, we're working on it and plan to have even more news from all corners of the comics universe to satisfy the geek in all of you. See the below slide show for the art and covers of many of the announcements mentioned below.
Sunday December 6, 2009
Stan Lee confirms his cameo appearance in the upcoming Thor movie. Add his name to the growing number of names already attached to the much anticipated feature coming out in 2011.
Reported here earlier this week, DC Comics superstar writers Geoff Johns and J. Michael Straczynski will launch Earth One Superman and Batman in respective graphic novels re-imagining but not re-inventing what makes the comic icons...well iconic. These are books to keep an eye out for in 2010.
Monday December 7, 2009
IDW announces that they will be bringing slashing back with the relaunch of Famous Monsters of Flimland in the summer of 2010 in a quarterly publication. Around since the late 1950’s, FMoF showed readers the magic of making films, especially horror films. It gave details about makeup tricks, effects and the people behind the scenes that made some great strides in the industry.
Tuesday December 8, 2009
Dan Didio promises Wonder Woman #600 will be one to remember and DC gives us a peek at the issues cover by legend, George Perez.
Wildstorm releases the Alex Ross cover to Asto City Dark Age Book 4 #3. Come on...who doesn't like an Alex Ross cover.
Speculation arises from Movieline that John Malkovich and Anne Hathaway may be joining the cast of Spider-Man 4. Apparently being John Malkovich may also mean being the super villain Vulture. However rumors of Hathaway are surrounded with intrigue as the actress is currently the top choice for Felecia Hardy who many comic book fanboys know as the sensual Black Cat. But in Raimi's movie, Felecia Hardy seems to become a new villainous call The Vulturess. Really? Why change what ain't broken? It seems with each movie Raimi wants to put his own spin on the Spidey lore, deviating further from what made the first movie such a success. Sticking to the source material was the receipe for success in the first installment, why continue to make risky choices when playing it safe would be much more satisfying. It should be noted that the casting of Malkovich and Hathaway are not confirmed, nor are the characters they would be playing. Spider-Man 4 is scheduled to hit conventional and IMAX theaters on May 5, 2011.
War of the Supermen is on the horizon. Superman has left Earth in the hands of Nightwing, Flamebird, Mon-El and the Guardian. The tensions between Earth and New Krypton are slowly rising. The winds of war are stirring. Editor Editor Matt Idelson says "“WAR OF THE SUPERMEN is the culmination of literally years of stories in the Super-books, all building to a destructive conflict which can have no victors. This Free Comic Book Day #0 (5/1/10) issue is going to show the readers that no cows are sacred, and that they don’t want to miss this event.” For the entire interview with Matt Idelson on Techland.com check out this link.
Wednesday December 9, 2009
In another report earlier this week (found here) Grant Morrison talks about the return of the original Batman. Lost in time, believed to be dead, Bruce Wayne must find his way home in the pages of Batman: The Return of Bruce Wayne. Morrison has been leading up to this moment in roughly five years of story lines.
Josh Brolin may be the new Man in Black. Nothing is confirmed but the rumor is that Columbia Pictures is considering Brolin for a second sequel. The Los Angeles Times reports he could play a new single-monikered government agent, with Tommy Lee Jones' Agent K passing the baton to Brolin's character. Or he could play Agent K as a young man. Or something else entirely. Will Smith is expected to return for the third installment, written by Etan Cohen, but will Jones? Barry Sonnenfeld may also come back to direct. Brolin can be seen in the upcoming Jonah Hex, based on the DC Comics title of the same name.
R.E.B.E.L.S. artist Andy Clark is set to take over Batman & Robin. See the slide show for a peek and read the interview from comicsalliance.com here.
Top Cow announces major distribution plans for digital content. Filip Sablik, publisher of Top Cow, said, “The potential to reach out and connect to a new audience and hopefully drive those new readers to physical comic book stores are all driving forces for this coordinated push. And partnering with comiXology, iVerse, WOWIO, Amazon and Longbox ensures we’re using the most up-to-date technology to provide our readers with an easy, accessible and satisfying experience.”
A report surfaces that Gossip Girl may become a manga.
Thursday December 10, 2009
Marvel publisher, Dan Buckly, talks to icv2.com about the future of Marvel Comics and hints at a much needed rest from the event comics. He talks about much more, but it's worth mentioning considering it's been a long time since each title has had it's own focus without the shadow of some big universe spanning event looming. Here's part 1 and part 2.
Geoff Johns talks to the LA Times about his upcoming run (pun intended) on the Flash with artist Francis Manapul. With DC's go-to guy for making what's cool about their characters shine, Johns long awaited return to the character that most fans associate him with this is a story not to be missed. See the slide show for a first look at some of the art.
DC announces "Legacies." In May of 2010, the publisher will launch a series of stories exploring that concept, from the inception of the DC Universe through the modern day, with "Legacies," a ten-issue series written by Len Wein and drawn by a rotating cast of classic artists with Andy and Joe Kubert handling the first issue.
New Action Comics writer Marc Guggenheim takes over in 2010.
Free Comic Book Day 2010 Gold Comic Books are revealed. Love the G.I. Joe throwback cover.
Iron Man 2 Whiplash is released.
DC plugs the rise of Arsenal and the fall of the Green Arrow on the heels of Justice League: Cry for Justice. Check out the art that's been released by Mauro Cascioli, it's sure to be an instant classic.
Friday December 11, 2009
Authority Lost Year #4 preview is released. With big names attached like Grant Morrison. Keith Giffen. Gene Ha. Darick Robertson. Trevor Scott., how can you resist the 6 page preview from Wildstorm.
It was finally confirmed that Gossip Girl will actually hit stands within the next few weeks from Publisher Yen Press' Yen Plus magazine.
And thanks to Orlando's A Comic Shop for this week's top ten picks that came out this week.
This was a great week of announcements, previews and sneak peeks. Please let us know what you think. We can't wait for what happens next week and leading into the new year. It looks like 2010 is going to be a big year with many surprises and, most importantly, great stories. See you here next week at The Comic Spot.
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