Peter David Will Be the New Author of The Phantom

The writer Peter David, of Hulk, Wolverine, Captain Marvel and X-Force fame, will be the new author of The Phantom.

Hermes Press informed that they will release a new comic book of The Phantom, plotted by David with art by Sal Velluto.

Velluto is an Italian artist who worked in the US market in the 80s and 90s (on Black Panther, Power Pack, Marc Spector- Moon Knight, Justice League: Task Force, Bloodshot, Firebrand, Silver Surfer, etc).

He became one of the main artists of The Phantom, in the Swedish version Fantomen- published in Sweden, Norway, and Finland, by Egmont Publications, and in Australia, by Frew.

This isn’t the first time Peter David wrote The Phantom. He worked with the character in a miniseries, illustrated by Joe Orlando and published by DC Comics, in 1988.

The new comic will be a six part miniseries, with cover by Velluto, with variants by Alex Saviuk and Graham Nolan.


(Original article: Peter David será o novo roteirista do Fantasma, written by Sérgio Codespoti on May 22, 2014. Republished and translated with permission by UniversoHQ)

The Phantom, aka Kit Walker, debuted in 1936 by Lee Falk (creator of Mandrake the Magician). His popularity internationally eclipsed his legacy in the US. Kings Features Syndicate published a daily comic strip featuring the character. The Phantom recently appeared in Dynamite Entertainment’s Kings Watch- a five issue miniseries costarring Flash Gordon and Mandrake the Magician, by Jeff Parker and Marc Laming.

Wonder Woman Goes Digital

Wonder Woman gets a new comic, that will first premier digitally and then be collected monthly. The new comic, Sensation Comics featuring Wonder Woman, will be an anthology series.

Said the Press release, by Hank Kanalz, senior VP of Vertigo and Integrated Publishing: “With the success of LEGENDS OF THE DARK KNIGHT and ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN, giving Wonder Woman her own digital anthology series makes perfect sense. With this series creators can dream up unique takes on the Amazon Princess to give fans a new adventure every week. We’re very excited about the line-up, and readers won’t want to miss the sensational action-packed Wonder Woman stories we have planned for the coming weeks and beyond.”

Gail Simone (Batgirl, Birds of Prey, Secret Six) and Ethan van Sciver (Green Lantern, Futures End) will tell the first tale with Cat Staggs (Smallville, Vampire Diaries) and Amanda Deibert (Womanthology) taking care of the second- both collected in the 40 page first printed issue, out August 20th. Lauren Beukes, Cecil Castellucci , Caitlin Kittredge, James Tynion IV, Georges Jeanty, and Chris Sprouse are set to tell subsequent stories. The stories, following Legends of the Dark Knight and Adventures of Superman’s models, will be stories outside of the current continuity, but fun nevertheless. Gail Simone is back to writing a paralyzed Barbra Gordon (Batgirl) in her iconic roll as Oracle, the go to information hub of the DC Universe. Oracle has disappeared since the 2011 New52 relaunch when Gordon, rehabilitated and de-aged, reverted to her mantle as Batgirl.

Wonder Woman was created by William Moulton Marston- the creator of the Lie detector test. She first appeared in 1941’s All Star Comics # 8, and quickly had her own comic; Sensation Comics #1 started in January of 1942 (Hence the name of this new series). Diana currently stars in her own self titled series by Brian Azzarello and Cliff Chiang and co-stars in Superman/Wonder Woman with her current boyfriend, the Man of Steel, by Charles Soule and Paulo Siqueira.

DC’s Digital First line has produced many hits. Current titles include: Batman Beyond, Justice League Beyond (Based on the DC Animated Universe created by Paul Dini and Bruce Timm and company), Infinite Crisis, Injustice: Gods Among Us (based on the game), Teen Titans Go!, Batman ’66 (based on the campy 60’s show staring Adam West and Burt Ward), The Vampire Diaries, Smallville, and Scribblenauts Unmasked. New installments come out weekly and cost 99 cents.

The Amazing Spider-Man #1 is the Best Selling Comic of the Past Ten Years

Diamond Comics Distributors released the sales figures for comics in the United States for May. The figures show that The Amazing Spider-Man #1, the issue that relaunches the classic title of Spider-Man, is the most sold issue in the country in the last ten years, both in product sold and in sales earned.

The Amazing Spider-Man # 1 cost US$ 5.99.

Initial orders were for 500 thousand copies, but the final quantity exceeded 600 thousand copies. The publisher took advantage of the opportunity to promote The Inhumans, reprinting the first issue of the new monthly series featuring the team.

The main story marks the return of Peter Parker as the arachnid hero after more than a year, the period in which the villain, Dr. Octopus, took on the identity of Spider-Man, better known as Superior Spider-Man.

With this, Marvel was the leader of the market with 41.15% of the moving value of the industry and 39.27% of all the copies sold were from Marvel. DC Comics was in second place with 27.24% and 23.65%, respectively. Image Comics follows, with 10.31% and 9.34%, then Dark Horse with 5.18% and 5.54%; IDW Publishing with 4.24% and 5.10%; and Dynamite Entertainment with 2.47% and 2.49 %.

This helps propel the growth of the North American comic book industry after repeated months it was stuck in stagnation.

In comparison with the month of March, 12.9% of magazines were sold, with a better taking of 18.27%. The growth maintains itself compared to April 2013 (7.32% and 17.18%) and shows a drop in this same period from last year, selling 5.61% less, principally due to the weak performance in the first months of 2014.

See below the ten best selling comics of April.

Position	Title	Publisher
1	The Amazing Spider-Man # 1	Marvel
2	Superior Spider-Man # 31	Marvel
3	Batman # 30	DC
4	Batman Eternal # 1	DC
5	Justice League # 29	DC
6	Batman Eternal # 2	DC
7	Hulk # 1	Marvel
8	Original Sin # 0	Marvel
9	Batman Eternal # 3	DC
10	Batman Eternal # 4	DC

Below, the best selling list for collections and graphic novels, where Image Comics dominates.

Position	Title	Publisher
1	Sex Criminals – Volume 1	Image
2	Saga – Volume 3	Image
3	East of West – Volume 2 – We are all one	Image
4	Saga – Volume 1	Image
5	Amazing Spider-Man – Family Business	Marvel
6	Guardians of the Galaxy – Volume 1 – Cosmic Avengers	Marvel
7	Batman – Death of the Family	DC
8	Saga – Volume 2	Image
9	Pretty Deadly – Volume 1	Image
10	The Walking Dead – Volume 1 – Days Gone Bye	Image

(Original Article: The Amazing Spider-Man # 1 é a revista de herói mais vendida dos últimos dez anos, written by Samir Naliato on May, 12, 2014. Reprinted and translated with permission by UniversoHQ) 

 In comparison, DC Comic's Justice League #1 sold 360 thousand copies in 2011 and President Barack Obama's appearance in Amazing Spider-Man #583 sold 530,500 copies in 2009. Sales rarely break 200,000 copies, nowadays.

Marvel also included a free digital download code in the issue, as it is prone to do with its more pricier comics. The sales figures only represent Diamond Comics Distributors and do not account for digital sales. Issue two hits the stands this Wednesday.

Creator Controversy- From Tintin to Sonic

In an interview published by the Belgian edition of Paris Match magazine, Fanny Rodwell, the widow of Hergé-the creator of Tintin-, declared herself against the publication of a new album featuring the character.

 According to her, it’s necessary to respect the author’s wishes, that he didn’t want other new albums to be released after his death. Hergé passed away in 1983.

The declaration is controversial, because it contradicts the message of her current husband, Nick Rodwell, the administrator of Moulinsart, the company that cares for the work of Hergé. He defends the necessity of protecting the author’s rights ti the work, so that it wouldn’t fall into public domain so early.

Tentatively, a new album is planned for the faraway year of 2052. Before this, Moulinsart and Casterman intend to rerelease unfinished stories of the hero and versions of old books accompanied with new theoretical material.

Fanny Rodwell was born in 1934, in Brussels, Belgium. Her maiden name was Fanny Vlamynck. She was the colorist at Hergé’s studio and married the artist in 1977, when he divorced from his first wife, Germaine Kieckens. In 1993, she remarried to an Englishman, Nick Rodwell.

Rodwell is a controversial figure in France and Belgium, often criticized by the fans and company. He was the first to open a store dedicated to Tintin, in England.

(Original article: Viúva de Hergé é contra álbum inédito dopersonagem, written by Sérgio Codespoti on May 14, 2014. Republished and translated with permission by UniversoHQ)

Estate battles against publishers are nothing new. Jack Kirby, Bill Finger, Joe Shuster,  Jerry Siegel, and even Stan Lee's estate have had public, drawn out legal battles with their former employers who continue to utilize what the creators created, many years ago. Recently, the living Ken Penders sued Sega and Archie Comics for creator rights for the characters he created in the comic based on the Sonic the Hedgehog video games. His characters are now absent from the long running series as he attempts to reuse them in other mediums. 

Batman Day is Swinging Into Stores June 23rd!

As part of the celebrations for 75 Years of the Dark Knight, DC Entertainment announced that this June 23rd will be Batman Day. Working with thousands of comic shops and bookstores, throughout the United States, a special edition of Detective Comics #27 will be distributed freely, re-imagining the original from 1939 in which the character made his debut.

The script will be by Brad Meltzer and all the art is the responsibility of Chip Kidd.

Also, the stores will have all kinds of collectibles available, including a commemorative cape, book marks with the most important graphic novels of the character and four masks created by artist Ryan Sook, who used famous interpretations of The Batman, like the first appearance, the 1960s television series and the graphic novel The Dark Knight Returns.

On the same day, Robin Rises- Omega #1 , by Peter Tomasi and Andy Kubert, and Grayson # 1, by Tim Seeley and Mikel Janin, will both be released.

The publisher plans to release the special edition of Detective Comics #27 for a free download.

(Original Article: DC declara 23 de julho como o Dia do Batman, written by Samir Naliato on May 13, 2014. Republished and translated with permission by UniversoHQ.) 

Culture of Comics already detailed some of DC's Bat-Celebration efforts including commemorative covers and animated shorts on Cartoon Network. Son of Batman came out last week on DVD with Batman: Assault on Arkham arriving in August. Gotham will be on Fox this fall, Mondays at 8.

Comics On The Small Screen

Television is changing its face and format. Many alternatives for TV already exist for TV appropriate content, like Netflix and Amazon, who are also developing original series like Bosch and The After. The video game platform Playstation, by Sony Entertainment, will be used to exhibit an adaptation of Powers, the comic series by Brian Michael Bendis and Michael Avon Oeming.

Xbox will be used as an original content platform by Microsoft to enter in this new market. Xbox Entertainment Studios will adapt the romance comic, Gun Machine, by Warren Ellis, and Winterworld, by Chuck Dixon and Jorge Zaffino, by IDW, as a TV series. The new content will be distributed through the Xbox Originals program.

Aside from these two programs, another ten series are in development by Xbox Entertainment Studios.

Gun Machine will be executively produced by Warren Ellis, together with Brett Conrad, from The Killing and Sons of Anarchy. The story takes place in New York and follows a string of crimes involving a bizarre assassin.

In Winterworld, the world is frozen solid, stuck in an eternal winter, and the survivors organize themselves in tribes who are fighting over the little resources left over. The production team includes Ted Adams(CEO of IDW), David Ozer, Rick Jacobs, and Dave Alpert.

The other series in development include: Deadlands, based on an RPG by Shane Lacy Hensley; Extraordinary Believer, a product of the Robot Chicken team; Fearless is a project of an Australian producer, and a comedy, currently without a set title, from the comedy team JASH(founded by Sarah Silverman, Michael Cera, Tim an Eric, and Reggie Watts).

(Original article: Histórias de Warren Ellis e Chuck Dixon serão adaptadas para TV pela XBox Entertainment, by Sergio Codespoti, on April 29, 2014. Reprinted and translated with permission by UniversoHQ)

Television is still a big place to see comic book series adapted, but it is no longer the only venue. SyFy channel announced today at their close-up presentation they will be adapting four comic book programs for TV. Frank Miller’s Ronin (DC Comics miniseries, 1983) is being produced by Warner Horizon Television and DC Entertainment. The ronin is a samurai from the 13th century looking for his nemesis in today’s world. Pax Romana, a 2007 miniseries written by Jonathan Hickman for Image Comics has Stephen Scalia (Warehouse 13) and David Alpert (The Walking Dead), and Hickman acting as executive producers. It tells the story of a time traveling group that needs to go back in time to Ancient Rome to prevent a third World War. Clone, written by Juan Jose Ryp for Skybound Entertainment/Image Comics, will be produced by Alpert and Robert Kirkman(creator of The Walking Dead). It will be written by David Schulner (Dracula). Clone is about Luke Taylor, a doctor who just discovered he is part of a cloning project. Letter 44, by Alberto Alburquerque for Oni Press, will go into production by Universal Television and Universal Cable Productions with Jonathan Mostow (Terminator 3) as writer, producer and director. Letter 44 is about a new president who is bequeathed a letter with information regarding aliens in an asteroid belt that NASA astronauts are currently investigating. Stay tuned to Culture of Comics for more information!

The Year of the Bat

If you walk into a comic book shop in July and see all Batman covers…don’t be fooled! DC is honoring Batman’s 75th anniversary in July by printing special edition covers on twenty one publications, Batman centric and otherwise. So far Jim Steranko, Kevin Nowlan, Klaus Janson, Walt Simonson, Graham Nolan, Cliff Chiang, Sean Murphy, Dave Johnson, Dan Jurgens, and Mike Kaluta have been announced, with more announcements on the way. Variant issues are nothing new, Marvel and DC have celebrated with line-wide special covers for various events (Lego versions, anniversaries, and breast cancer awareness).

The covers will appear on these titles:

ACTION COMICS #33
AQUAMAN #33
BATGIRL #33
BATMAN #33
BATMAN AND ROBIN #33
BATMAN/SUPERMAN #13
BATWOMAN #33
DETECTIVE COMICS #33
EARTH 2 #25
GRAYSON #1
GREEN LANTERN #33
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #33
HARLEY QUINN #8
JUSTICE LEAGUE #33
JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #33
JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #3
SUPERMAN #33
SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #10
TEEN TITANS #1
THE FLASH #33
WONDER WOMAN #33

Comics legend Jim Steranko's cover art to Detective Comics #33 out in July(DC Comics)

The special comics can be found at comic book stores. Find the closest comic book shop near you at Comic Shop Locator!(US and Canada only, sorry!)



DC animation is also celebrating Batman’s 75th. Bruce Timm(creator of the beloved Batman: The Animated Series and spin off series, including Justice League) produced a short in celebration. The short sets batman in the 1930s atmosphere he was created in. Watch the “Batman: Strange Days” below featuring the original voice actor, Kevin Conroy.

Darwyn Cooke, best known for The New Frontier miniseries showing the age of heroes among Kennedy’s administration, got his start storyboarding for the Batman cartoons. He animated the opening title sequence for Batman Beyond. Cooke returned to animation to produce a special Batman Beyond film, seen below, Conroy plays a retired Bruce Wayne and Terry McGinnis, the Batman of the future, is played by Will Friedle. 

If you were looking to celebrate Batman’s 75th, Bleeding Cool News published a feature about the 8 best Batman stories, results may vary.

Batman first appeared in 1939's Detective Comics # 27, created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger.

Popping Up Like Rabbits: Happy Easter

Today is Easter. Culture of Comics wants to take the opportunity to take a look at six notable rabbits who originated in comics. 

Bunnie Rabbot (Sonic the Hedgehog)

Bunnie Rabbot first appeared in Sonic the Hedgehog #3(October 1993) by Archie Comics. She appeared months later in the DIC cartoon, Sonic the Hedgehog, alongside other Freedom Fighters fighting against Doctor Robotnik. Half roboticized cyborg, half rabbit with a Southern drawl: the Rabbot has appeared as a loyal ally and even got married within the pages of the comic that won the Guinness World Record for the longest running comic book based on a video game.

Johnny Lightfoot (Sonic the Comic)

Across the pond, Sonic the Comic, published by Fleetway Editions, had its own rabbit character: Johnny Lightfoot. The character was created by Nigel Kitching and Richard Elson. The character, also an ally in the fight against Doctor Robotnik, tragically died  at the end of the series. Sonic the Comic ran from 1993-2002 and lives on in a fan made website with contributions from the original creators.

Miyamoto Usagi (Usagi Yojimbo)

Miyamoto Usagi was created by Stan Sakai. A masterless samurai(ronin), he was Inspired by Miyamoto Musashi. His story, an episodic look at a mystical Japan filled with all kinds of different animals(including dinosaurs) first appeared in Albedo Anthropomorphics #2 published by Thoughts and Images in November 1984. Since then, the ronin has appeared in Radio Comix, Mirage Studios, Fantagraphics Books, and currently, Dark Horse Comics. Usagi got his fame in cameos with the Ninja Turtles, appearing in the 80s cartoon, the 2003 4Kids revival, action figure lines and video games. Often misnamed as the series he stars in, Usagi Yojimbo means Rabbit Bodyguard in Japanese.

Hoppy the Marvel Bunny (Captain Marvel)

A popular genre in comics was, and still is, talking animals. Fawcett Comics, the creators of Captain Marvel, created Fawcett’s Funny Animals in 1942, staring Hoppy, created by Chad Gothkopf. Like Captain Marvel, Hoppy shouts ‘Shazam’ and gains magical powers granted by the gods. The properties were sold to Charlton Comics and the character’s name was changed to Magic Bunny. The Marvels finally found their home with DC Comics, appearing in various comics.

Captain Carrot (Captain Carrot and His Amazing Zoo Crew)

Captain Carrot (and his Amazing Zoo Crew) first appeared in a 1982 issue of Teen Titans. He was created by Scott Shaw! And Roy Thomas. Originally Roger Rabbit, Rodney Rabbit is a writer and artist (an allusion to Superman’s day job at the Daily Planet). The  character and his Zoo Crew appeared in their own 20 issue series and various miniseries, even teaming up with characters from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

Sansão(Turma da Mônica)

Samson in the English translations, Sansão is Monica’s stuffed blue rabbit. He was originally yellow when created by Brazilian Mauricio de Sousa in 1963- in the black and white comic strips.  Samson  is often the object of affection for the neighborhood boys to steal and also Monica’s weapon of choice when getting revenge. He wasn't named until the comic book held a contest to name the rabbit in 1983. 

Saudi Arabia Has 99 Problems...

The 99 was created in 2007 by Stuart Moore, John McCrea, and Dr. Naif Al-Mutawa and published by Teshkeel Comics. The name stems from the eventual 99 member team of young super powered citizens of the planet. Their powers can complement each other and work best in certain groups of three, depending on the problem at hand. This stresses tolerance and diversity. They have already teamed up with DC superheroes like Batman and Superman. Download a free copy of the origin of the team at Comixology.

The comic has not been without its controversy among conservatives. Despite the controversy, The 99 franchise has a animated series broadcast in 70 countries and a theme park in Kuwait. In 2010, at the Presidential Summit on Entrepreneurship in 2010, President of the United States Barack Obama mentioned the 99 and head creator Dr. Naif Al Mutawa. “His comic books have captured the imagination of so many young people,with superheroes who embody the teachings and tolerance of Islam,” the President said. President Obama is an admitted comic book collector. In 2011, The 99 CGI  feature film debuted in New York and Dubai film festivals.

Saudi Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta issued a fatwa, or formal legal opinion, on The 99 recently. They call for the banning of the series for flouting religious values. “There have been numerous Twitter campaigns against me for a while now and so for me it’s not new,” Al Mutawa said to Gulf Business. “Maybe it is true this time, but I find it very difficult to believe that a group as influential and high profile [as the Saudi Committee] wouldn't recognise the good that THE 99 has done for Muslims around the world.”The creators were not notified of the ban and there is no official word if that is the case. The series(animated and comic) have been successfully sold in Saudi Arabia for many years now without official challenges. Al Mutawa vows that the franchise upholds strong Muslim values and cites that it is an uneducated opinion based on heresy.



The 2011 DC Comics/ Tashkeel Comics’collaboration , JLA:The 99, six issue miniseries is available on Comixology. The series is also available in Arabic. Download Beginnings for free(in English) here. Promotional information and more information is available at the official 99 website. 

Charlton Comics: History and Legacy

Charlton Comics might be the most important comic book company in comics history. Who? Why? Follow me here. Charlton Publishing, originally T.W.O. Charles Company, was founded by John Santagelo, Sr. and Ed Levy in Derby, Connecticut in 1940. In 1946, they started Charlton Comics. Derby is just an hour and half from New York City-the United States’ heartland for Comic Publishers.

Charton published A LOT of comics in their era from 1946-1985. They published popular licences like Abbott and Costello, The Bionic Woman, Flash Gordon, The Six Million Dollar Man, Ronald McDonald, Bullwinkle and Rocky  and Hanna Barbera properties like The Flintstones, Scooby Doo, and The Jetsons. They took advantage of all the trends in comics, too. Military Books- War, Army Attack, Fightin’ Air Force, Fightin’ Army, Fightin’ Five, Fightin’ Marines, and Fightin’ Navy, among others; Love and relationship books: Teen Confessions, For Lovers Only, In Love, I Love You, Brides In Love…;Cowboy/Westerns like Billy the Kid and Davey Crockett. They took advantage of the space age and the atomic age with Atomic Mouse(and Bunny, and Rabbit), Outer Space and The Great Gazoo.  They were also participating in the popular horror genre which lead to the strict regulation of the Comics Code Authority (Creepy Things, Ghostley Takes, and Haunted). Charlton Comics created new highbrid comics combining two genres which catered to interesting crowds: Cowboy Love and Haunted Love.

But Charlton’s biggest claim to fame is their superhero books. They created characters like The Question, The Blue Beetle, Captain Atom, The Peacemaker, Nightshade…among others. After Charlton closed its doors, the superhero characters were bought by DC Comics. Alan Moore wanted to use the newly acquired characters for a graphic novel. He tweaked the characters a little and changed their names and appearances and Watchmen was born. 

Watchmen was released in 1986 as a 12 issue maxi-series and collected in 1987. Illustrated by Dave Gibbins, Watchmen ushered in the “graphic novel” quality that all publishers strove for and garnered public attention. It landed on Times Magazine’s 100 Greatest NOVELS list, with competition from any and all novels published…ever. In 2009, Fox and Zach Snyder released a major motion picture based on the series. According to DC’s contract with Alan Moore, they own the rights to Watchmen as long as it is in print. The series has never gone out of print since publication, with new editions  and sets every few years. In 2012, DC published a series of prequels titled Before Watchmen.

But DC didn’t purchase the whole Charlton catalog. A group of fans and creators are getting together to publish The Charlton Arrow- a 44 page tribute available only through mail order. The group is selling trading cards and the comic (#1 with the possibility of more) on the Charlton Arrow website. The Arrow promises stories about superheroes, humor, horror, western, and romance.

According to the website: “ The comic will be released in March 2014, but not available in stores, only through mail order. The comic is $6.99 with an additional $2.95 charge for shipping & handling. For orders shipping outside the US, please include $4.95. You will get a confirmation email from the publisher Comicfix via morttodd.com. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery.

    Order your copy NOW for $9.95 (including s&h) by securely paying via Paypal to charlton@morttodd.com or get two copies for $15.95 (inc. s&h) and save even more! Note: For shipping outside the US, it is $11.95 U$D for one, $17.95 for two! For more information, to pay with credit card or money order, and for bulk discount rates, contact charlton@morttodd.com”

Free Comics Galore

With Free Comic Book Day less than two months away in the US...Comixology is picking up the slack at the annual SXSW Fair. Fair-goers will be rewarded five dollar gift cards for the online app. Last year, Comixology partnered with Marvel to promote their MarvelNOW! Initiative, offering 300 free comics to all users for the SXSW weekend, crashing their system in the process.

This weekend, Comixology’s offerings are a bit more tame, rolling out a free comic code every few hours. Their Friday codes(8 in all) include collected editions of Ninjago(Papercutz), My Little Pony(IDW), and New York Times bestseller Locke and Key(IDW) along with DC’s first issues of Batman ’66, Injustice: Gods Among Us, and Batman: Arkham City. Two other codes will be announced today. These codes are able to be redeemed until midnight on Saturday- New York time.

Locke and Key by IDW. Do yourself a favor and download volume 1 today for free!

The event page also has seven offerings for Saturday and seven more for Sunday. Take a look at the Geek Stage Giveaway here and enjoy a comic download today!


This comes after a breach in security over the week that Comixology is still trying to resolve. So far, only passwords were leaked . The application sent out emails to users to change their passwords and put up a warning on the main page.

Kadokawa

Also down the line is the launch of a new app for Manga- ComicWalker. Run by a Japanese publishing company, Kadokawa- the app will offer titles in Chinese, English and Japanese. They plan to offer 40 works on their March 22nd launchdate. Kadokawa also has plans to have a digital first selection on the app. Only drawback? The website AND the app menu is all Japanese! This is only temporary as the developers are working on an English menu.

Kadokawa publishes Cowboy Bebop, .hack//, Ludwig II, Trinity Blood, and Mobile Suite Gundam. The titles will be available for free and even can be combined into an anthology magazine(in traditional Manga style) to make reading your favorite titles easier and more convenient.  For more information on titles look here.

Girls Gone Archie: Celebrities Take the Comic Book Stage.

The Acadamy Awards aired last night, celebrating the best of the the big screen. But did you know many screenwriters,musicians and actors have dabbled in comics?

Archie Comics has recently been famous for pairing their characters with stars: Obama, Kiss, the cast of Glee, George Takei…now HBO’s Girls creator Lena Dunham has signed on to pen four issues of Archie debuting next year. 

Archie Comics

“I was an avid Archie collector as a child — conventions, first editions that l kept in plastic sleeves, the whole shebang. It has so much cultural significance but also so much personal significance, and to get to play with these beloved characters is a wild creative opportunity,” Dunham said in the press release.

Recently Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, writer of the critically acclaimed Afterlife With Archie, was internally promoted to Chief Creative Officer. “Roberto is the ideal person for the CCO role, and why this is the next logical step in Archie’s evolution as a real pop culture company — a place where the strongest, most unique voices can come and contribute to Archie’s world. The best part is — we’re just getting started.” CEO John Goldwater stated.

This follows the trend of celebrities flexing their writing talents…in comic book form. Actors Rosario Dawson and Tyrese Gibson have written for Image Comics in their own miniseries(Occult Crimes Taskforce and Mayhem!, respectively). Saturday Night Live’s Bill Hader and Seth Meyers tagteamed on a Spider-Man parody one shot: The Short Halloween(parodying the successful Batman:The Long Halloween). Longtime voice of the Joker and Luke Skywalker, Mark Hamill wrote The Black Pearl for Dark Horse. Jennifer Love Hewitt conducted a miniseries, Music Box at IDW. Nick Fury(aka Samuel L Jackson) wrote Cold Space for Boom Studios. Jada Pinket Smith wrote Menace for Awesome Comics. Patton Oswalt wrote for JLA(DC) and Kevin Smith has written for Daredevil(Marvel). Orchestrator of the Marvel cinematic universe, Joss Whedon wrote a definitive era for the X-Men in their Astonishing X-Men series.

See cover images and a more complete list compiled by Jason on Listal.


One of the factors behind DC’s cross country move to Los Angeles is for the publisher ties in this. It is rumored that they would like to tap the Hollywood screenwriters for potential comic book writers.

President's Day meets New Comic Day

Type in President in the search bar at ComicVine Comics database. Lex Luthor with 2730 issues is the first result. He was president off and on in many of DC's universes. George W Bush is listed in 195 issues. His father: 107 comics. Bill Clinton? 196. Comic book cameos can add value to a comic or horribly date a comic. It can make a comic seem current, blurring the lines between reality and fiction. It can also put a huge spin on "alternate realities". Comic Books can make presidents larger than life. Superheroes, barbarians, zombie hunters or just interacting with the heroes we long to believe in. Here is a sampling of Barack Obama's 244 appearances. Read about other presidential cameos here!

Image Comic's Savage Dragon started the craze. In issue 137, by creator Erik Larsen the politically minded green man-dragon meets and endorses Obama. The issue kicked off the election season coming out September 2008.

Image Comics

Blue Water Comics, famous for publishing biographies in comics for various icons/pop culture personalities started the craze by publishing "Presidential Material" special editions for the incumbents: John McCain and Barack Obama.

Blue Water Comics

They have not stopped with lucrative series, showcasing his "Political Power", his wife, First Family: The Obamas, and even his dog, Bo.

Blue Water Comics

When Obama won the presidency in November 2008, the comic book industry was quick to cash in. 2009 became the year of Obama. Spider-Man had an important meeting with Obama in January 2009's Amazing Spider-Man 583, becoming one of the best selling American comics of the year.

Marvel Comics

He met with Green Goblin turned Iron Patriot in Thunderbolts 128-129(Marvel) and handled the Youngblood team in issue 8(Image Comics).

Obama and Norman Osborn, Thunderbolts. Image from Green Goblin Hangout

Image

Then...the job description got a little weird.  I will let the images speak for themselves.

Drafted: One Hundred Days(Devils Due) 2009

President Evil(Antarctic Press) 2009

Barack the Barbarian(Devils Due Press) 2009, Yes, that IS Sarah Palin

2010 saw Mister President visit Riverdale to hang out with Archie and Veronica. He teamed up with Harry Potter, Invincible and Walking Dead's Rick in an ongoing editorial Guarding the Globe. And he..."met" Bomb Queen in the "Oh-BOMB-ah!" four act story.

Archie 616 (Archie Comics) 2010

Guarding the Globe 1(Image Comics) 2010

Veronica 199(Archie Comics) 2010

Bomb Queen 3(Image Comics) 2010

Obama helped save America from Godzilla in 2011 and advised Cyborg in the Flashpoint miniseries.

Flashpoint 4(DC Comics) 2011, image from Everyday is Like a Wednesday 

Godzilla:Kingdom of Monsters 1(IDW) 2011 courtesy of  Bloody Disgusting

One of 2012's best graphic novels was Fantographics' Barack Hussein Obama written and illustrated by Steven Weissman. Marketed as "A book about you, your country, your family and your president."

Barack Hussein Obama (Fantographics Books) 2012 

This year started off with Skyman and The Other Dead premiers both debuting with Obama on the cover,

Skyman 1(Dark Horse Comics) 2014

The Other Dead 1(IDW) 2014

Will the President have a career in comics? It is doubtful. When the new presidential hopefuls are announced be prepared to see comics take sides in new and sometimes unsettling ways.