Comics – Page 31 – ÜberSciFiGeek

Wendy Pini “Masque of the Red Death” on Facebook

Hello all,

This is just a bit off-topic (if the topic is purely Elfquest), but we’re excited about it so you’re getting the news.

You may already know that Wendy, in addition to working on continuing Elfquest tales, veered into dark delicious storytelling territory with her adaptation of Poe’s Masque of the Red Death. Where the original was an eight-page tone poem, this new vision is futuristic, erotic, and quite unexpected. The web comic has been running for a while now at Go! Comi and there’s a forum topic as well at Wendy Pini & Masque. (And be on the lookout for Masque‘s move to a new web site in the next couple of months.)

But that’s not this email’s big news! We’ve just brought Masque to Facebook as a page that you can become a fan of, and get news and other tidbits as often as Madame Masque herself (aka Wendy) posts.

If you’re on Facebook already, log in and take a look; Mme. Masque would love to “be-fan” you. If you’re not yet on Facebook, consider joining — there’ll be content available there that can be seen nowhere else.

As the crimson lady herself might say: “See you there, darlings!”

Shade and sweet ruby-red celebration,
Richard Pini

VIZ Media Publishes “RIN-NE” the Newest Manga Series from Celebrated Manga Creator Rumiko Takahashi

RIN-NE

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, will launch RIN-NE, the brand new manga (graphic novel) series from famed creator Rumiko Takahashi with the publication of the debut volume under VIZ Media’s Shonen Sunday imprint on October 20th. RIN-NE is rated “T+” for older teens and will carry an MSRP of $9.99 U.S. / $12.99 CAN.

RIN-NE is the first manga series that will be available in stores at the same time as the Japanese release of the same volume. Through an unprecedented collaboration, RIN-NE is also the first manga series to appear simultaneously in Shogakukan’s popular Weekly Shonen Sunday manga magazine in Japan and online on TheRumicWorld.com for North American fans. A new chapter is released each week for domestic fans to enjoy at the same time as their Japanese peers.

As a child Sakura Mamiya mysteriously disappeared in the woods behind her grandma’s home. She returned whole and healthy, but since then she has had the power to see ghosts. Now a teenager, she just wishes the ghosts would leave her alone! At school, the desk next to Sakura’s has been empty since the start of the school year. One day her always-absent classmate shows up, and he’s far more than what he seems!

RIN-NE is the first new manga from Takahashi since her epic Inuyasha (published domestically by VIZ Media) ended in 2008 in Japan. Shogakukan’s popular Weekly Shonen Sunday manga magazine has featured Takahashi’s work since the early 1980’s. With over 170 million copies sold in Japan alone, Takahashi’s substantial catalog of work continues to be loved by legions of devoted readers.

The spotlight on Rumiko Takahashi’s career began in 1978 when she won an honorable mention in Shogakukan’s annual New Comic Artist Contest for Those Selfish Aliens. Later that same year, her boy-meets-alien comedy series, Urusei Yatsura, was serialized in Weekly Shonen Sunday. This phenomenally successful manga series was adapted into anime format and spawned a TV series and half a dozen theatrical-release movies, all incredibly popular in their own right. Takahashi followed up the success of her debut series with one blockbuster hit after another — Maison Ikkoku ran from 1980 to 1987, Ranma 1/2 from 1987 to 1996, and Inuyasha from 1996 to 2008. Other notable works include Mermaid Saga, Rumic Theater, and One-Pound Gospel. Takahashi won the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award twice in her career, once for Urusei Yatsura in 1981 and the second time for Inuyasha in 2002. A majority of the Takahashi canon has been adapted into other media such as anime, live-action TV series, and film. Takahashi’s manga, as well as the other formats her work has been adapted into, have continued to delight generations of fans around the world. Distinguished by her wonderfully endearing characters, Takahashi’s work adeptly incorporates a wide variety of elements such as comedy, romance, fantasy, and martial arts. While her series are difficult to pin down into one simple genre, the signature style she has created has come to be known as the “Rumic World.” Rumiko Takahashi is an artist who truly represents the very best from the world of manga.

“Rumiko Takahashi is one of the most successful and celebrated manga creators of all time having produced multiple series that are massively popular and widely considered to be classics,” says Elizabeth Kawasaki, Sr. Editorial Director for VIZ Media. “RIN-NE again shows Takahashi’s talent for blending endearing characters with an imaginative plot that can be equally funny, dramatic and exciting. Takahashi’s skill as both an artist and storyteller has won over millions of fans around the world. With the promise of new plot twists and characters still yet to emerge, we look forward to RIN-NE becoming a new fan favorite.”

RIN-NE is also featured online on TheRumicWorld.com, the official North American web site for all Rumiko Takahashi-related news and information. Through an unprecedented collaboration with Shogakukan’s popular Weekly Shonen Sunday manga magazine, which publishes RIN-NE in Japan, a new chapter is released each week for domestic fans to enjoy at the same time as their Japanese peers.

For more information on RIN-NE and other titles by Rumiko Takahashi please visit TheRumicWorld.com.

“Hellboy” and “The Umbrella Academy” Now Available on the iPhone

from Dark Horse Comics:

Dark Horse is proud to announce that Mike Mignola’s Hellboy and Gerard Way’s The Umbrella Academy are now available on the iPhone.

At the time of their publication, both Seed of Destruction and Apocalypse Suite were immediately renowned by critics as unique and talented debuts by independent creators.

Soon, industry heavyweights joined the chorus. Hellboy: Seed of Destruction is the beginning of the now legendary series Alan Moore calls, “a passport to a corner of funnybook heaven you may never want to leave.”

Similarly, Grant Morrison calls The Umbrella Academy “one of the great new comic books of this decade,” while Newsarama says the first volume of the series, Apocalypse Suite, is “flawless.”

With two blockbuster Hellboy films by Guillermo del Toro and an Umbrella Academy movie in preproduction at Universal Studios, there’s never been a better time to have the start of these monumental comics at your fingertips. A perfect way to introduce friends and pop-culture fans to two of the most important comics series today, or a great way to revisit the magic of amazing sequential art, the mobile editions of Seed of Destruction and Apocalypse Suite are a necessary addition for new and serious readers alike.

The first impressive issues of Hellboy and The Umbrella Academy are now available through the iTunes Store, with subsequent issues available soon. Seed of Destruction is available as four issues at $0.99 each, or as a bundle of all four issues for $3.99. The first issue of Apocalypse Suite is available for free, with issues #2–#6 only $0.99 each, or a bundle of all six issues for $4.99.

Fresh Ink Online Presents: Brian Michael Bendis Interview

from G4:

Dig this 2-part Fresh Ink Online special where host Blair Butler chats with comic book legend Brian Michael Bendis at Golden Apple Comics in Hollywood.

In Part 1, they chat about the evolution of Spiderwoman, from The Avengers to his upcoming print and motion comic editions, which leads to a spirited discussion of comics going digital via Kindle, iTunes, and Apple or Microsoft tablets. What does the future hold for comic books and does going digital represent the death of print media?

In Part 2, Blair and Brian chat about the evolution of intellectual property and creator owned books. They get into the history of bringing his acclaimed comic Torso to the big screen and he gives insight into consulting on the Iron Man movie and being part of the Marvel creative committee. You’ll also get juicy details on the Powers TV pilot for FX, plus updates on Kenneth Branagh’s upcoming Thor movie and the upcoming Avengers movie. In addition, Brian talks about the re-launch of Powers on November 27 and the December launch of Marvel’s 4-issue mini-series Siege, which kicks off with the Siege of the Cabal debut issue, unites Thor, Iron Man and Captain America, and marks a seismic shift in the Avengers books via the end of the Dark Reign plot. Whew!

Check it out here!

Charles Vess Brings You the Moon

Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess

from Dark Horse Comics:

Charles Vess is one of the most revered artists in the field of fantasy and comic art. The three-time Eisner Award winner has worked on some of the most recognizable comic properties of all time, including Jeff Smith’s Rose and Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, a retelling of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, for which he and Gaiman shared the prestigious World Fantasy Award.

For over thirty years Vess has positioned himself, through his art, as the best fantasy illustrator in recent history.

Drawing Down the Moon: The Art of Charles Vess collects decades of the artist’s unparalleled work and is scheduled to be released by Dark Horse on December 23, 2009. The hardcover, full-color, 200-page book costs $39.99.

But as a special treat, Dark Horse is happy to announce that the entire book is now available on darkhorse.com for collectors, art connoisseurs, and newly introduced fans to browse for free.

“This book has taken a bit over two years from the completion of my initial layouts to actually seeing print,” said Vess. “So, in an effort to make certain that you know that the book will indeed be available this December, we are giving you a sneak peak of the entire 200 pages.”

“Above all,” Vess continued, “there’s the unique opportunity to view all the projects that you’d never have a chance to see except in a book like this: a 16’ bronze sculpture, event posters for local organizations, private commissions and previously unpublished paintings done just for the pure pleasure of doing them.”

Vess’s art immerses readers into a place of such fantasy and grandeur, one hopes to stay forever lost in the beauty. His masterful use of paint and brush stand out in an age of digital design, harking back to the golden age of illustration.

Dark Horse invites you to step into a realm of imagination and wonder. Anyone interested is welcome to join the magical journey.

To enter the world of Charles Vess, direct your browser to: www.darkhorse.com/features/ecomics and click on the Drawing Down the Moon icon.

We’ll be waiting.

VIZ Media to Publish the Poignant New Manga Series “What a Wonderful World!”

What a Wonderful World!

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, expands its notable VIZ Signature manga imprint with the publication of Inio Asano’s What a Wonderful World! on October 20th. The 2-volume series (each sold separately but launch simultaneously) is rated “T+” for Older Teens and will carry an MSRP of $12.99 U.S. / $16.99 CAN.

A poignant collection of intersecting vignettes depicting twenty-something angst, What a Wonderful World! explores the various ways that modern life can be at once ridiculous and sublime, terrible and precious, wasted and celebrated. In Volume 1, what begins with a college dropout bored of her mediocre routine soon becomes a fantastic series of stories about the unexpected ways that different lives intersect. Filled with magical realism in the face of the cold reality of daily modern life, at their core these stories are about young people discovering something precious amidst the chaos of existence. Volume 2 explores similar themes including the cruelty of childhood, the delusion of adulthood, the permanence of death, and how people find a way to remain resolute and laugh in the face of reality.

“Inio Asano masterfully captures the essence of youth, and What a Wonderful World! depicts both the exhilaration and frustration felt by a diverse group of twenty-somethings trying to find their place amidst the impersonal urban sprawl of Tokyo,” says Candice Uyloan, Director, Brand Management for VIZ Media. “Fans of everything from Catcher in the Rye to Reality Bites will find this series an impressive and heartfelt read. Asano’s realistic story is ultimately a commentary on how modern life and the choices one makes impact the struggle to grow up and fit in and we look forward to readers discovering this thought-provoking new title.”

Creator Inio Asano drew initial attention for his short story Hello from Outer Space, which won the 1st Sunday GX rookie prize in 2001. What a Wonderful World! also appeared in the pages of Sunday GX. Asano’s other works include City of Light, Oyasumi Pun Pun and the acclaimed Solanin (which is published in North America by VIZ Media and was nominated for a Will Eisner Comic Industry Award).

For more information on these titles, and others from VIZ Media, please visit viz.com.

VIZ Media Becomes Master Licensor for Gothic Animated Series “Vampire Knight”

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, has announced that it has acquired the domestic TV, Home Entertainment, Streaming, DTO, and Merchandising rights to the hit Vampire Knight animated series.

With this license VIZ Media will hold the rights to Vampire Knight for TV (including IPTV and VOD) and Home Video (all platforms including Blu-ray), Streaming, DTO and Merchandising (including digital Merchandise and mobile).

Vampire Knight is based on the best-selling gothic-romance manga series created by Matsuri Hino. Cross Academy is attended by two groups of students: the Day Class and the Night Class. At twilight, when the students of the Day Class return to their dorm, they cross paths with the Night Class on their way to school. Yuki Cross and Zero Kiryu are the Guardians of the school, protecting the Day Class from the Academy’s dark secret: the Night Class is full of vampires!

Matsuri Hino burst onto the manga scene with her title Kono Yume ga Sametara (When This Dream Is Over), which was published in LaLa DX magazine. Hino was a manga artist a mere nine months after she decided to become one. With the success of her popular series Captive Hearts and Meru Puri, Hino has established herself as a major player in the world of shojo manga. Vampire Knight is currently serialized in LaLa magazine in Japan and was also serialized in Shojo Beat magazine in North America. The Vampire Knight manga series is currently published in the US by VIZ Media and continues to keep its place in the Top Ten on The New York Times Best Selling Manga List.

For more information on Vampire Knight please visit shojobeat.com/manga/vk.

VIZ Media Announces “Inuyasha: The Final Act” Scheduled to Stream in the U.S. Simultaneous to Airing in Japan

from VIZ Media:

VIZ Media, LLC (VIZ Media), one of the entertainment industry’s most innovative and comprehensive publishing, animation and licensing companies, delighted anime fans at New York Anime Festival yesterday with an announcement of the near simultaneous Japanese/American simulcast of the action-packed conclusion to the Inuyasha animated series — Inuyasha: The Final Act.

Beginning on October 3rd, Inuyasha: The Final Act (subtitled) will stream on ShonenSunday.com/anime and Hulu.com mere hours after it airs in Japan. A new episode will air every Saturday thereafter. Inuyasha: The Final Act anime is rated “T” for teens.

Inuyasha is a hit TV anime series based on the manga by famed creator Rumiko Takahashi, who won the prestigious Shogakukan Manga Award for Inuyasha in 2002. Many of the Takahashi titles have been adapted into other media such as anime, live-action TV series, and film. Takahashi’s manga, as well as the other formats her work has been adapted into, have continued to delight generations of fans around the world. Distinguished by her wonderfully endearing characters, Takahashi’s work adeptly incorporates a wide variety of elements such as comedy, romance, fantasy, and martial arts. Rumiko Takahashi is an artist who truly represents the very best from the world of manga. Please visit the new official North American web site for all Rumiko Takahashi-related news and information located at TheRumicWorld.com.

When an enchanted well draws her into the past, Kagome, an ordinary modern schoolgirl, finds her destiny tied to the doglike half-demon Inuyasha and a mythical gem called the Shikon Jewel, or “Jewel of Four Souls,” of which the smallest shard can grant the user unimaginable power.

Throughout their quest to restore the shattered Shikon Jewel, Inuyasha and Kagome have never faced an enemy more deadly or more cunning than the demon mastermind Naraku. With the Shikon Jewel nearly whole and in Naraku’s hands, the race to collect the remaining shards intensifies and a battle of epic proportions is brewing on the horizon…

Featuring the works of some of the top shonen manga creators in the world today, Shonen Sunday magazine in Japan provides the content for some of VIZ Media’s most impressive new titles. The magazine recently celebrated its 50th anniversary since its first issue arrived on newsstands in March of 1959. Rin-ne is the brand new Shonen Sunday manga series by Rumiko Takahashi and the first series ever to be published simultaneously in Japan and North America.

“Inuyasha is one of the longest running anime series in North America and we’re very proud to present the final episodes of this epic adventure to fans in the U.S. mere hours after episodes air in Japan,” says Ken Sasaki, Vice President Strategy & Business Development, VIZ Media. “Rumiko Takahashi created a classic with Inuyasha, and ShonenSunday.com/anime will be THE online destination where Inuyasha fans can watch all 167 previously available episodes, as well as follow the newest episodes from Inuyasha: The Final Act!”

VIZ Media publishes multiple series by Rumiko Takahashi, including her brand new manga series Rin-ne, the Inuyasha manga, Inuyasha ani-manga and The Art of Inuyasha. For more information on the Inuyasha anime please visit ShonenSunday.com.

BOOM! Studios Presents the Classic “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?” as a Graphic Novel

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Philip K. Dick was known for his bizarre take on the future, his paranoid and delusional characters and strange, unexpected twists. While other authors were churning out utopian futures based on scientific advancements that improved the human condition, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? painted a future of rot and decay where the Earth is a slum that normal people want to escape from physically, while the genetically-challenged escape in their minds. Moods are dialed up and served like noodles or rice — any way you like it. Animals are rare, many extinct, and it’s become an obligation to care for them, your duty as a human. The world’s gods have been replaced by Mercer, a man whose struggles you can tune into virtually and find your humanity in the Unity of the struggle. Androids that have replaced human workers in the off-world colonies have become so life-like, you wouldn’t know if the guy next to you was a human or an “andy”.

Enter Rick Dekard, bounty hunter. His job is to find and “retire” andies who have escaped their masters and fled back to Earth to hide. With the lead bounty hunter in his area laid up in the hospital after a hunt went wrong, Dekard finds himself with the task of tracking down and retiring six andies.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is considered to be PKD at his best. It was the basis for the film Blade Runner, which for many was an introduction to PKD’s work. (Other film adaptations of PKD’s work include Next, Total Recall, Minority Report and Paycheck). In BOOM! Studios’s Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? they’ve chosen to celebrate the brilliance of the original story by illustrating it and including the full, unaltered text of the original novel. Blade Runner has been celebrated over and over again with re-masters, re-edits and director’s cuts. It’s about time Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? gets its turn.

A blend of traditional and digital illustrations, each issue has three alternate covers for the enthusiasts who want to try to collect them all, and has more than thirty high-quality pages. Each issue also includes backmatter, commentary included in the final pages by various authors who were greatly influenced by PKD’s work. The heavy pages are inked from edge to edge and are absolutely gorgeous. The price tag of $3.99 is a bargain considering how much you get and what you find between the covers.

Tony Parker’s artwork tells the story just as surely as PKD’s words do, and the colors by BLOND give the world and the characters depth and dimension. The contrast between light and shadow is as dramatic as the muted and glowing colors that spill across the pages. The illustrations are so rich and every frame seems photo-like. No busy or blank backgrounds here. Everything is well-balanced and compliments PKD’s story. In the first issue, there were a few pixelated images that may or may not have been intentional, but with the exception of that, these images are sharp and impressive.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? will be released as a 24-part maxi series, the first three issues of which are currently available from BOOM! Studios or your local comic shop. Regardless of whether you are a comic book collector, a fan of the film Blade Runner, or a Philip K. Dick fanatic like me, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is definitely worth adding to your collection.

Expanding the ‘Verse: “Browncoats: Redemption” Teaser Trailer

Browncoats Flag

Joss Whedon‘s Firefly only ran for 11 episodes in 2002 (14 were filmed) but it sparked a cultural movement in sci-fi fandom that hadn’t been seen since Gene Roddenberry‘s Star Trek was cancelled. The DVD sales of the series and fan campaigns were so successful that in 2005 Whedon was able to convince Universal Pictures to produce a film to continue the story of Firefly. The film spent two weeks in the top ten and earned over $38 million in domestic and foreign box office sales (though, according to Universal, it didn’t earn back its filming budget until it was released on DVD).

Fans of Firefly, called Browncoats after the losing faction in the battle between the Alliance and the Independents, have never quit clamoring for more and the fanbase continues to grow and become involved in community activities. Regional Browncoats organizations have made charities a central focus of their energies and the actors from the show have thrown in their support for those charities by offering their time, talent and sometimes keepsakes to help raise money for a good cause. Fresh content has been introduced in the way of comic books and role-playing games to help feed the fanbase, and the hunger just keeps growing.

Everyone keeps begging for more Firefly but nothing seems to be coming down the pipeline. Deciding to “put their money where their mouth is”, Michael C. Dougherty and Steven Fisher finally did something: they created a fan film.

The fan-funded film is set shortly after the events of Serenity, where the Alliance’s power and standing in the ‘verse has been shaken by the announcement of the events that took place on Miranda. Browncoats: Redemption expands the lore of the ‘verse by following the crew of the ship Redemption, all self-professed Browncoats who’ve “kept their noses clean” — until now.

Planned for a 2010 release, with its unveiling at next years’s DragonCon in Atlanta, the Browncoats: Redemption team hopes to not only fuel interest in the Firefly ‘verse but raise funds for charities. 100% of the film’s proceeds (after production costs) will be split between the charities Equality Now, Kids Need to Read, The Dyslexia Foundation, The Al Wooten Jr. Heritage Center and Marine Corps Law Enforcement Foundation. Early projections based on previous Firefly/Serenity related DVD sales have the filmmakers hoping to donate upwards of $80,000 to each charity (based on a $15 DVD price tag).

The team has been posting behind-the-scenes videos on their YouTube Channel and now you can get a first look at the Redemption crew in the newly released Browncoats: Redemption teaser trailer.

Be sure to check out their other Browncoats: Redemption links and throw in your support for their cause.

Browncoats: Redemption Movie Website
Browncoats: Redemption on YouTube
Browncoats: Redemption on Twitter
Browncoats: Redemption on Facebook

The Guild: Episode 4, Season 3

from The Guild:

We are excited to present to you Episode 4 of Season 3 “Get It Back”!

Streaming on MSN (embeddable)
Xbox Marketplace
Zune Marketplace

And a Gag Reel for episodes of 1-4 for Season 3 was posted as well! Laugh with us, laugh at us, whatever!

Lastly, today one of our fave comic strips Over the Hedge MENTIONED OUR SHOW!!! 🙂 How cool is that? Felicia squealed, that’s for sure. 🙂

Over the Hedge: September 22

Hong Kong’s “DevaShard” Graphic Novel Set for the Big Screen

Vanouish

from Vanouish Motion Pictures:

The highly anticipated fantasy/epic graphic novel series DevaShard is slicing its way to the silver screen.

Vanquish Motion Pictures and its toppers Jay Douglas and Nav Gupta won out a long and fierce bidding war that ignited after Hong Kong-based Fluid Comics debuted the novel at San Diego’s Comic-Con.

Moving quickly on the property, Douglas and Gupta will produce and co-write the script with pen pal Heather Kenealy, from a screen treatment by Kevin Grevioux, co-creator of the Underworld franchise, who has just been tapped to adapt the 25 issue book, as well as executive produce.

The epic tale of DevaShard, inspired by Asian mythology and crafted by Fluid Comic’s Zen, Keith Burns and Johnny Tam, centers on two forsaken sons, one born of darkness, the other of light, struggling to find their place in a grim world riddled with corrupt kingdoms, cursed demons and terrifying magic. The DevaShard series is published by Fluid Comics seniors Simon Squibb and Helen Griffiths and has been met with rave reviews since its Asia release.

“The densely diverse world and characters which DevaShard possesses is just too damn cool not to be seen on screen,” said Douglas.

“Not only is the cover art by Frank Cho and Simon Bisley amazing, but the book’s stylized visuals and east-meets-west flare are seriously insane,” Gupta added.

Currently, Douglas and Gupta are also producing the globe-trotting video game adventure franchise Broken Sword with Radar Pictures while Grevioux is hot off setting up his own comic book creations, The Pale Horseman and I, Frankenstein.