After Much Speculation, Dark Horse Announces the Return of Turok, Doctor Solar, Magnus, and Mighty Samson

from Dark Horse Comics:

In a packed panel on Saturday morning during Comic-Con, Dark Horse president, Mike Richardson called a surprise guest to announce Dark Horse’s plans to develop new comics and graphic novels for the Gold Key Comics’ superheroes. Fans were shocked to see Jim Shooter enter the room; the man recently named the “Steve Jobs of Comics” by Comic Book Bin.

Shooter is perhaps best known for his nine year tenure at Marvel Comics, beginning in 1982, with highlights including Chris Claremont and John Byrne’s run on the Uncanny X-Men, and Frank Miller’s run on Daredevil. Also under Shooter’s editorial reign, Walt Simonsen revamped The Mighty Thor and made it again a bestseller. Following his successful run at Marvel, Shooter launched the well-received Valiant comics imprint in the early 90s, bringing many of Marvel’s creators with him.

Now, Jim Shooter comes to Dark Horse as head writer for the re-launch of the Gold Key Comics characters: Turok, Son of Stone, Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom, Magnus, Robot Fighter, and Mighty Samson, with further characters and new comic writers to be announced shortly.

“It’s great to be at Dark Horse, working with Mike Richardson, world-class creator, honorable gentleman and industry powerhouse,” said Jim Shooter. “It’s great to be reunited with Magnus, Solar, Turok, Samson and the other wonderful Gold Key properties. The opportunity is tremendous and the time is ripe. Let’s do it.”

“Jim and I share a great affection for these terrific characters. We have some very exciting ideas on how to introduce them to a whole new generation of fans,” said Mike Richardson, president of Dark Horse Comics.

Turok

An original comic book hero, Turok is best known today for a successful video game franchise boasting more than five million units sold since the first game was introduced in the 1990s. The legend of the brave and ruthless dinosaur-hunter has lived on for more than thirty years in comic book series from Dell Comics, Gold Key Comics and Valiant. Anthologies of the original classic comics are now available from Dark Horse Comics.

Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom

Doctor Solar must find a way to become normal again after surviving an explosion that leaves him with the power to control atomic energy. When danger and disaster threaten the innocent, Solar leaps into action as the “Man of the Atom.” One of Gold Key Comics’ most popular titles in the 1960s, the original nuclear-powered superhero reached legendary status by the 1990s in new comics from Valiant. The original classic comics now appear in hardcover anthologies published by Dark Horse Comics.

Magnus, Robot Fighter

Haling from the year 4,000 A.D. is the stalwart hero of humanity, Magnus, Robot Fighter. These gripping adventure stories, in which a human who battles evil robots in the sprawling futuristic city of North Am, elevated the comic book medium when they debuted in the 1960s from Gold Key Comics, and captured the imagination of millions in new comics published thirty years later by Valiant. The original science-fiction classics now appear in hardcover anthologies published by Dark Horse Comics.

Mighty Samson

A popular Gold Key Comics character from the 1960s and 70s, the post-apocalyptic adventures of Mighty Samson are set in the land of N’Yark, an earth devastated by nuclear war. Amazingly large and strong, Samson uses his mutant strength only for good — and to protect his friends, Sharmain and Mindor, responsible for saving his life.

Turok, Son of Stone; Doctor Solar, Man of the Atom; Magnus, Robot Fighter and Mighty Samson are part of the Classic Media portfolio of properties. For more information, please go to: classicmedia.tv.

VIZ Pictures Releases Live-Action Death Note: L, change the WorLd

Death Note: L, change the WorLd

from VIZ Pictures:

VIZ Pictures, an affiliate of VIZ Media, LLC that focuses on Japanese live-action film distribution, has announced the DVD release of Death Note: L, change the WorLd live-action film. The DVD will be distributed by VIZ Media, available on August 18th and will carry a MSRP of $24.92 US/$35.99 Canada.

To celebrate this release, VIZ Pictures will have a special event at their brand-new VIZ Cinema in San Francisco. Enjoy the L movie screening and an exclusive L gift-box including the newly released DVD, poster and more. Visit vizcinema.com for ticket info and more details.

Death Note: L, change the WorLd is inspired by the immensely popular Death Note feature films, which are based on the best-selling supernatural action manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. This spin-off follows a new original storyline. Death Note: L, change the WorLd was directed by Hideo Nakata, who also directed the U.S. #1 hit horror movie The Ring 2, which was remade from his own smash hit Japanese horror trilogy, Ringu.

Inspired by the best-selling manga Death Note, Death Note: L, change the WorLd reveals how L spends the last 23 days of his life. For his final case he takes on a bio-terrorist group and must also save the lives of two children who have no one else to turn to.

Death Note: L, change the WorLd stars Kenichi Matsuyama, an up-and-coming Japanese actor who has also appeared in acclaimed films such as Death Note, Linda Linda Linda, Nana and Detroit Metal City,” says Seiji Horibuchi, president and CEO of VIZ Pictures. “He reprises his role as the ace detective L and audiences will be riveted to their seats as his character once again works to save society from a monstrous new threat.”

The Death Note manga (rated “T+” for older teens) and animated series (rated “T+” for older teens) have become extremely popular domestically. The 37-episode animated series is seen by millions each week on cable broadcast and the series is also distributed on DVD by VIZ Media. On the print side, the Death Note manga series and Death Note 13: How to Read, a companion volume to the successful manga series, is published domestically by VIZ Media and has been ranked in USA Today’s Top 150 list of America’s best-selling books.

For more information on the Death Note: L, change the WorLd live action films and other VIZ Pictures films, please visit viz-pictures.com or deathnotefilms.com. For more information on the Death Note manga and animation, please visit deathnote.viz.com.

Order now at Amazon.com:
Death Note Box Set (Vol. 1-13, Complete Manga Set)
Death Note: Another Note (Novel)
Death Note (Live Action)
Death Note II: The Last Name (Live Action)
Death Note Box Set 1 (Animated)
Death Note Box Set 2 (Animated)
Death Note: Re-Light, Vol. 1 — Visions of a God (Animated)

Pre-order at Amazon.com:
Death Note 3: L, change the WorLd (Live Action)
Death Note: Re-Light, Vol. 2 — L’s Successors (Animated)

Legend of the Seeker Season 2 Sneak Peek

When Terry Goodkind‘s Sword of Truth books were made into last season’s new hit fantasy series Legend of the Seeker, fans of the books both cringed and rejoiced. I know I struggled with it at first because I really liked the show but found myself over and over again yelling “NO NO NO NO” at the screen when they changed major events and characters. Eventually, though, I was able to separate (for the most part) the television series from the books in my mind and now less frequently find myself yelling NO. I really love the show and the actors on it and believe that the essence of the primary characters (Richard, Kahlan, Zedd, Chase, etc.) has remained intact while less prominent characters suffer the most personality slaughter (i.e. Jenssen, Denna, Michael and particularly Adie).

I’m especially fond of Bridget Regan as Kahlan Amnell and feel the only thing missing is the famous green eyes (but Bridget’s beautiful blue eyes are just as dramatic as Kahlan’s were in the books). While the gorgeous Craig Horner doesn’t physically match the description of Richard Cypher in the books (in fact, the D’Haran racial traits are completely absent in the series), he portrays the nature of Richard very well and he and Bridget have a fabulous on (and off) screen chemistry. I think Bruce Spence was born to play Zeddicus Zu’l Zorander and Jay Laga’aia captures the very essence of Chase. While the plot of Season 1 only loosely followed the story of Wizard’s First Rule, from the sneak peek above and comments made by the cast and crew at Comic-Con and on Twitter, Season 2 seems to more closely follow the events of the second Sword of Truth book, Stone of Tears.

While the late last-season introduction of the Mord Sith Cara (arguably one of the most important characters in the series) was considerably different than in the books, hopefully Season 2 will bring her closer in line with the important role she played in the books. It looks promising since the actress who plays her, newcomer Tabrett Bethell, has signed a six year contract with the show. I must say that the casting for Cara is perfect. When Mord Sith Denna was introduced in Legend of the Seeker, her character and behavior were so out of line with the cool and in control, seething and simmering Denna of the books that those episodes featuring her still make me cringe. With Cara, however, even though the events have changed, I think they nailed the persona. I look forward to seeing more of her in Season 2 even though I know they are taking liberties with her character as well.

My biggest concern for the series now is, will they introduce one of my personal favorite characters, Nicci? I believe that her story is very important and, if told by the series, should be told as closely in line with the books as possible since her role is important not only in Richard and Kahlan’s life but in the overall message of The Sword of Truth. If this season follows Stone of Tears closely, she should be showing up at some point this season and I am curious about who they might cast as the woman who is described as “a vision of the good spirits, though they themselves would fear her”.

In other casting news, Charisma Carpenter, best known for playing the character Cordelia Chase in the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, has been cast as Triana in the Season 2 opener while writer, director and actor Michael Hurst, best known as Iolaus in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Amfortas in the Legend of the Seeker episode Revenant, will be returning to direct several episodes this season.

Season 2 is currently filming in New Zealand and will premiere November 7th. Can’t wait for November? Pre-order the DVDs (available October 13th) and pick up the books to get your Richard and Kahlan fix!

Order now at Amazon.com:
Legend of the Seeker: The Complete First Season
The Sword of Truth, Books 1-3: Wizard’s First Rule, Stone of Tears, Blood of the Fold
The Sword of Truth, Books 4-6: Temple of the Winds, Soul of the Fire, Faith of the Fallen
The Sword of Truth, Books 7-9: The Pillars of Creation, Naked Empire, Chainfire
Phantom: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 2 (The Sword of Truth, Book 10)
Confessor: Chainfire Trilogy, Part 3 (The Sword Of Truth, Book 11)
Debt of Bones (The Sword of Truth Prequel Novel)

ghostgirl Now Available in Unabridged Audio from Recorded Books and Audible.com

ghostgirl audiobook

from ghostgirl:

Author Tonya Hurley’s ghostgirl has just been released as an unabridged audio book by Recorded Books and is available in cassette and CD versions through the company’s website RecordedBooks.com and as an mp3 download by audio book specialty retailer audible.com. The New York Times best-selling young adult novel features an original score by legendary electronic music pioneer Vince Clarke of Erasure and is narrated by the acclaimed actress Parker Posey.

ghostgirl is the story of a misfit teenager who dies in a freak accident in Physics class, “wakes up” as a ghost in a parallel world only to find that she needs to finish school along with a motley crew of departed classmates all waiting to “graduate”. In this critically-acclaimed debut novel, Tonya Hurley has created a funny, romantic and bittersweet story that puts an original spin on the teen world view and the universal issues that define growing up — love, loyalty, friendship, rejection, fitting in and most of all, self-acceptance. Narrator Parker Posey delivers Hurley’s deliciously dark and insightful tale buoyed by Clarke’s atmospheric synths with a reading to die for.

Tonya Hurley is a New York Times best-selling author and creator, writer and producer of animated and live action hit television series, groundbreaking videogames and award-winning websites for teens. She has also written and directed several acclaimed independent films, which have been selected for the LA Independent, TriBeca and Edinburgh film festivals and also broadcast on ABC, PBS and IFC. Hurley has also been nominated for the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation Award in Film.

The Middleman: The Complete Series

The Middleman: The Complete Series

Shout! Factory has recruited the Middleman and his cronies for The Middleman: The Complete Series, available today.

Based on the series of graphic novels by acclaimed writer Javier Grillo-Marxuach (Lost) and artist Les McClaine, The Middleman focuses on the titular superhero and his new protégé, an aspiring artist named Wendy Watson. Together they defend the Earth against “exotic problems” such as animated terra cotta warriors, menacing lucha libre wrestlers, extraterrestrials, trout-eating zombies and much, much more!

The Middleman harkens back to the clean-cut comic book heroes of the 1950s while spouting rapid-fire references to modern pop culture. Think Torchwood (without all the kinky stuff) meets Get Smart.

Both smart and exciting for fans of all ages, The Middleman scored big with sci-fi fans and critics alike when it debuted as a live-action television series on ABC Family in June 2008. Now the complete series is available in one collectible 4-disc box set that is chockful of action, suspense, wit and bonus features brought straight to you by the cast and creators of The Middleman themselves!

Bonus Features:

  • Commentaries with the Cast and Crew
  • Web Featurettes
  • Alternate Scenes
  • Weekly Javicasts — All 14 of the weekly Internet podcasts with creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach.
  • The ABC Family Middleman-ager
  • Gag Reel
  • Casting Sessions
  • The Wilhelm Scream
  • The Evolution of the Opening Title Sequence
  • “The Palindrome Reversal Palindrome” Table Read
  • “Scream Ur Luv 4 Me” Music Video
  • PSAs
  • A Gallery of Photography by Ralph King

Booklet Insert, “Getting to know your… Truth Bomb User Manual”:

  • An Introduction by Series Creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach
  • Cast List
  • Episode Guide

You’ve seen the series, now read the 13th episode! ABC Family revealed in a press release earlier this year:

Fans of the ABC Family cult hit series can revisit the weird world of The Middleman and his trusty side-kick Wendy Watson when the “lost” series finale episode appears in comic book form this summer.

In a deal with Viper Comics, The Middleman — The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse graphic novel is to be written by creator/executive producer Javier Grillo-Marxuach and Hans Beimler, with illustrations done by Armando M. Zanker and layouts by Les McClaine. The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse special collector’s comic book edition will be released in July 2009 to coincide with the annual Comic-Con Convention in San Diego.

The Middleman: The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse
$7.95, 72 pages, ISBN: 978-0-9802385-8-7

Order now at Amazon.com:
The Middleman: The Complete Series
The Middleman: The Collected Series Indispensability

Or order directly through the Shout! Factory website.

The Middleman: The Complete Series is distributed by Shout! Factory. For more Middleman information, please visit Viper Comics’ Middleman Website, The Online Headquarters of The Middleman, and The Middleblog.

Emily Challenges You to Be Your Own Hero!

from Emily the Strange:

Everyone has their favorite superhero… but Emily thinks you should be your own hero and save yourself!

Altered Ego crew neck t-shirt
Save Yourself mini dress
Super Kitties Rock eared hoody
Be Your Own Hero messenger bag

July 22-26, 2009: Emily the Strange at Comic-Con, San Diego!

Find Emily on: Facebook | MySpace | YouTube

Jill Thompson Comic-Con Schedule and Info

from Jill Thompson:

If you’re looking for me at the big Comic-Con this week in San Diego– or– if you have generously volunteered some of your time to Booth sit for me while I’m on a panel or doing a signing at a Publishers booth… Here is my current run down. Or, if you have access to one of those palanquins and some strong fellows and want to whisk me thru the con like a fancy princess…

You can find me at my booth #1322. I’ll be sitting with Cliff Chiang, Brian Wood, Becky Cloonan, Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba! Yes, we have a super awesome table and I’m proud to be sharing with such a talented bunch of creators.
Here’s my current schedule–

WEDNESDAY — Preview Nite Booth #1322 sketching, signing, chatting etc.

THURSDAY Booth #1322 til 11:30. Then I rush off to
CBLDF MASTER SESSION room 30CDE where I shall paint and explain how I use watercolor to create my comics. Also painting, the amazing Charles Vess. Two watercolorists, two approaches, two different styles, but– same format — Comics!

FRIDAY 10 am booth #1322, but– I have a meeting there, so I won’t be signing and sketching straight away. Thanks for waiting.
12 noon-1 Dark Horse Booth #2615 signing and talking about Beasts of Burden.
Come see a preview of the art for the series!
&
EISNER AWARD CEREMONY I’ll be there for most of it, as I am nominated for an award (I hope I hope I hope I win!)
But– I’ll be dashing across town to the AMANDA PALMER/CBLDF benefit where I shall be drawing quick sketches of Amanda as she performs. It will feel all kind of Toulouse-Lautrec-ish, I think. The “drawing a beautiful performer and wild, bohemian, entertainmenty” part. Not the “artist drinks heavily to deal with the crowd’s ridicule and falls into alcoholism and has to be committed to a sanitorium” part… Also all the art goes to the cause. I’ll take pix and tweet the art for all to see.
Hopefully I won’t be too late, and I also hope I’ll have an award under my arm and a bottle of champagne in my hand to celebrate a win. I’ll be the one in the gold silky gown (at least that’s my plan) rushing in the door during the middle of things.

SATURDAY all day at booth #1322 until
DC Booth signing from 4-5 pm
dinner with the Fables Crew
SATURDAY NITE much laughing, shop talking, revelry. Please come join me if you see me! Who knows what we’ll all be up to.

SUNDAY also DC Booth Signing from 10:30-11:30 am

When I’m at other booths, I won’t be able to take commissioned drawing because I’m only there an hour. All I can accommodate are signatures. So please save all sketch requests for booth 1322.

What will I have available for sale at booth #1322?
Embroidered Patches– Bug-A-Boo, the Boozle, Scary Godmother are $10 each, Scratches and the bats are $5 each. $45.00 US for the whole set.
Magic Trixie Books — cover price
Sandman Painted art — prices vary
black and white line art sketches $100.00, with tone $200.00
Signatures are free. But, please, take all comics and books and prints and whatnot out of their protective packaging before you get up to the head of the line. Then I can sign them quickly and efficiently for you and no tape gets stuck to your comic.

Each day I will take a new list for sketches so new con attendees will have a chance to get on the list. Check with me in the morning to get on the list, and later in the afternoon to see if a spot opened up. Or if someone never came back for their sketch. You’d be surprised how many times I go home with an unclaimed drawing of Death or something.

If I am drawing and my head is down PLEASE do not think I am ignoring you! I’m just drawing! It’s the only way I know how to do it– with the looking at the paper and all that… Just start to talk to me– introduce yourself. My witchy face has a tendency to look all serious and stern when I’m looking down and concentrating on my paper. That’s just what my perspective does to us oval faces. I am quite approachable. But you have to approach me! Ok? Cool!

Rules and Regs– just for the sake of everyone’s books and sketches, PLEASE do not lean on or bump into the table! And, if there is art on the table for viewing– please do not put your books or boxes on them, or your iced coffees.

If I am away from my table, my wonderful Booth Elves will be fielding questions, taking commission requests and selling books. Please feel free to interact with them.

You can follow me on Twitter as I’ll be digitally thinking for all to see (perhaps not IN THE EXHIBIT HALL where there is no WI FI-? WTF? that’s where we want to tweet from! let’s see if AT&T’s 3G works in that convention center — don’t let me down again AT&T…) Love the li’l Jesus phone so far…

Yeesh– not sure if I’ve forgotten anything, but I suppose we’ll find out in three days! THREE DAYS!!! It should be crazy, too crowded but quite a blast!

Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls at Comic-Con

from Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls:

The first of our announcements as we COUNTDOWN TO COSMIC-CON is that we will be selling, for the very first time, tees in kids’ sizes! 3 BRAND NEW DESIGNS at that! Quantities for the other womens’ tees are dwindling, so if you’ve ever had your eye on a shiny “Sitting Pretty” Venus shirt, or the “YAY MARS” design, this may be one of your last chances to get one.

Milky Way and the Galaxy Girls will be at booth #4834. I will be there most of the time to sign books for anyone who’d like to purchase. If you would care for an original autographed drawing of you favorite gGirl, I’ll be doing that on Saturday (time yet to be determined) along with my husband, Craig McCracken, who’ll be doing sketches of his creations, The Powerpuff Girls and Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends.

Check back tomorrow. As we continue the countdown, we’ll be revealing the shirt designs!!

Over and out,

Mother Earth (Lauren Faust)

I Am the Kwisatz Haderach

"I Am the Kwisatz Haderach" T-shirt

“I Am the Kwisatz Haderach” T-shirt

Are you the Kwisatz Haderach? You might be! Better safe than sorry, right? Might as well pick one of these t-shirts up and make sure the world knows you are a sci-fi messiah whose organic mental powers can bridge space and time. T-shirt guaranteed to make your name a killing word.

Order directly through the TopatoCo website.

Follow-up to Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

from Raincoast Books:

Romance! Heartbreak! Tentacles!

Today is the day we’ve all been waiting for! And the new Quirk Classic is (drumroll) …

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters

Yes, it really is the beloved Jane Austen novel, with all-new scenes of giant lobsters, rampaging octopi, two-headed sea serpents, and other biological monstrosities.

Following in the grand tradition of the Globe & Mail and New York Times bestseller Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters features even more tentacled mayhem, as well as fifteen black and white illustrations. Available on September 15 … It’s survival of the fittest — and only the swiftest swimmers will find true love!

Watch the (hysterical) book trailer here.
Head over to our blog to get all the (gory) details…
Check out the Quirk Books website for fun extras.
Become a friend of Quirk on Facebook.
And follow Quirk on Twitter!

Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters
By Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters
Published by Quirk Books; September 15, 2009
Paperback, $16.95, 344 pages
ISBN: 978-1-59474-442-6

Also available…
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

Coming soon…
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Deluxe Heirloom Edition

Enjoy the tentacled mayhem!

And thanks for reading the Raincoast newsletters!

Norah

News from ElfQuest

from ElfQuest:

Nearly a year after it happened, I’m finally able to post the full video of the Elfquest panel that ran at the 2008 San Diego Comic-Con International Expo. Right now, the entire 49-minute video is on Veoh.com; you may need to download a viewer to stream it to your computer, or you can download the full file and view it at your leisure. It’s not on YouTube yet as they don’t allow anything longer than 10 minutes; I’m working on that. However you view it, though, it’s a lot of fun and gives you the entire show, including the Elfquest slide presentation leading up to the question-and-answer segment.

Richard Pini

Comic-Con’s Star Wars Day at a Glance

from StarWars.com:

The annual tradition of Comic-Con International — the must-see annual gathering for comic, movies, television and pop culture fans in San Diego, California — continues again this year, and Star Wars is well represented as always. The event runs from July 22-26 (including Preview Night) at the San Diego Convention Center. Each day is packed with activities, panels, and of course the non-stop buzz of the enormous show hall.

Here is just a glance at the Star Wars events on Friday, July 24th to keep an eye on. Schedules are always subject to last minute changes, so you should double-check the event schedule printed at the show each day.

10 – 11 AM: Hasbro Star Wars (Room 7AB) — Come hear what the Hasbro Design and Marketing teams have in store for the remainder of 2009, and catch a special sneak peek into some 2010 secrets.

11 AM – 12 NOON: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Building the Universe (Room 7AB) — Get a rare glimpse into the epic scale of the ongoing galactic conflict with key production staff from the series.

12 – 1 PM: Star Wars: The Clone Wars: Behind the Mic! (Room 7AB) — Join supervising director Dave Filoni as he talks with the actors behind your favorite Clone Wars characters!

1 – 2 PM: Behind the Scenes: The Making of Star Wars: The Old Republic (Room 7AB) — LucasArts and BioWare discuss the making of the new massively-multiplayer online role-playing PC game.

2 – 3 PM: Star Wars: Fate of the Jedi (Room 7AB) — Join Star Wars authors and editors as they discuss the new novel series.

3 – 4 PM: Star Wars: Collectibles Update (Room 7AB) — Featuring eFX, Gentle Giant Studios, Kotobukiya, Museum Replicas, and Sideshow Collectibles.

5:15 – 6:15 PM: The Star Wars Spectacular (Hall H) — Get all the latest news from the Star Wars universe in an all-new show format! Join our special guest hosts — G4’s Olivia Munn and Kevin Pereira — as they grill a galaxy of guests from The Clone Wars and beyond, including supervising director Dave Filoni, voice talent from the show and more! It’s an all-new, interactive Star Wars Spectacular!

8:30 — 10:30 PM: Star Wars Fan Movie Awards (Ballroom 20) — Don’t miss the most entertaining Star Wars fan-made movies out there!

For an expanded list of Star Wars activities at Comic-Con, including the other days of the convention, bookmark this article here at StarWars.com.