Freak Comics

The Marvel Universe’s version of Bonnie and Clyde are
tearing their way through the country and unfortunately for Captain
America, they happen to be two terrifying figures from his past.

The Red Skull is dead, but in Captain America #16, his
daughter Sin has reappeared along with the Skull’s longtime associate
Crossbones and they’re looking to kill and maim in the Skull’s name.

Also, Captain America and Sharon Carter stumble across a secret AIM base
with more shocking revelations for Cap, courtesy of writer Ed Brubaker
alongside guest penciler Mike Perkins

Drew Harmon of SilverBulletComics.com calls Brubaker’s Captain America,
“a definite must have. 5 out of 5.”

TheComicFanatic.com says, “Brubaker fires on all cylinders
here, even managing to tug at the heartstrings of us old Cap fans. It’s
been ages since this title has been this good, and it has been even
longer since I have looked forward to a new issue of Captain America.
But with Brubaker at the helm, this book is THAT good and each new issue
can’t arrive quick enough.”

Pick up Captain America #16 for the continuation of the new story arc
that sets up just how deadly Sin and Crossbones can really be. After
the conclusion of the Winter Soldier story arc, Cap had better hope he
is on top of his game because Sin and Crossbones are not in the business
of showing mercy.

CBS 4 is running a report about a man dressed as Spider-Man who robbed a comic shop:

A robber wearing a Spider-Man mask was caught on surveillance video Tuesday stealing a set of rare comics from a store in Culver City, Calif. Among the issues stolen were Fantastic Four #1, X-Men #1, and the comic in which Spidey first appeared, Amazing Fantasy #15, valued at around $2,500 an issue.

The man walked into the shop around 11:30 a.m., but store employees thought nothing of a customer dressed in partial costume, reports KCBS-TV’s Suzie Suh.

“He’s wearing a Spider-Man mask, he must like super-heroes,” said Alan Gardner of Dream World Comic Books.

While browsing the store, the man took out a hammer a smashed a glass display case housing some of the store’s more expensive items. The villain grabbed several comics and fled on foot.

CBS obviously finds this story humorous as the subcaption on their site reads “Peter Parker Again Sought For Questioning By Police”… way to show respect to the victims CBS. Irony or no, is it really appropriate for CBS to report this story with a comedic slant? Would it be as funnyto them if a man dressed as Dan Rather bursted in their doors and stole thier equipment?

Spider-man 3 screenshots have been floating around for a while now, and fans are in a bit of a tizzy. Why? Spider-man appears to be wearing a black costume. If that’s the case, then Venom will most likely be the latest in the line of super-villains that spidey must face off against… in a symbiotic alien costume! However this could all be a ruse. The “black suit” appears to be a grey scale photo to me, and Spider-Man appears to be more depressed than super-charged with alien powers.

That’s not all the screenshots reveal. Check out the Sandman. Excellent choice for a villain, even if the consistency is completely out of whack, and Thomas Haden Church looks perfect for the part. As long as Green Goblin (via Harry Osborn) doesn’t make a second appearance I’ll be happy with the villain choice.

As I’ve stated in the past I’m really not all that excited about Spider-Man 3. The sequel was a tragedy so far as I’m concerned, and I doubt 3 will do the series any justice.

Announced at this past weekend’s New York Comic Con, the first collaboration between Marvel and Top Cow takes place in Amazing Spider-Man #530 and #531with Top Cow’s Tyler Kirkham taking over the penciling for two issues.

“The fine people at Top Cow think like us,” notes Marvel Publisher Dan Buckley. “When I saw this unique plan coming together, I knew we were going to see something truly special, something that makes a lot of sense and that I know will please a lot of comic book fans. It’s the proverbial ‘match made in Heaven’, I think.”

“Our strategic partnership with Marvel Comics is one of the best moves Top Cow has ever made,” says Top Cow President Matt Hawkins. “Marvel continues to dominate and lead the industry with its dynamic, creative and innovative books and we couldn’t be more excited about working side by side with Marvel for years to come.”

Top Cow Productions was founded in 1992 by former Marvel penciler Marc Silvestri. Originally one of the four founding studios of Image Comics, Top Cow has become a force to be reckoned with on its own and currently publishes some of the most popular books in the industry outside of Marvel and DC.

The heart of the deal between the two companies revolves around thirty-six issues of Marvel Comics with art by Top Cow over the next two to three years. Six of those books will feature art by Marc Silvestri himself alongside fan-favorite writer Brian Michael Bendis. In addition, Silvestri will also be drawing eighteen covers for Marvel.

If that wasn’t enough to whet the appetite of readers, the deal also includes eight crossover books, featuring both Marvel and Top Cow characters in shared adventures.

Word of which titles and characters will be involved in the publishing agreement will be forthcoming.

Part 2 and 3 of Mr. Parker goes to Washington, Amazing Spider-Man #530 and #531 find Peter Parker accompanying Tony Stark to Washington to give testimony about a proposed Super Hero Registration Act. Besides giving testimony, Spider-Man and Iron Man will have to give a beat down to a revamped classic Iron Man villain.

When originally solicited, the full covers to these two issues could not be revealed in order to keep Spider-Man’s new costume under wraps. Now that Spider-Man’s new costume has seen the light of day, the full covers for Amazing Spider-Man #530 and #531 can finally be revealed.

Rosario Dawson, David Atchison and Tony Shasteen announced today that their new comic book miniseries, the OCCULT CRIMES TASKFORCE, will now be published through Image Comics, starting this July!

“We are very excited about our new home. Image Comics and the guys at 12 Gauge are helping us make the book the best it can possibly be. The interest Speakeasy Comics showed in publishing the “O.C.T.” was greatly appreciated. However, due to recent changes in their direction, we didn’t feel our book fit with them at this time,” said Shasteen.

12 Gauge Comics President Keven Gardner added, “When we found out the “O.C.T.” was looking for a home, we jumped at the chance to be involved. We’re proud and honored to be a part of what promises to be an industry-expanding event.”

Thanks to his long-standing association, Gardner brought the book to Image Comics, where it was accepted to appear in the July catalog. Gardner added, “Releasing this book in July works out perfectly, as Rosario will be making convention appearances with us to help promote the book. Look for announcements on that front very soon.”

Dawson had this to say: “I’m excited about this adventure we’re about to take, and I’m really excited about meeting all the comic fans. I’m also excited to be working on a project that’s fun, but not necessarily a film. This is a completely different genre, but is no less interesting.”

The Occult Crimes Taskforce follows the exploits of rookie Detective Sophia Ortiz (modeled after Rosario Dawson), who is recruited into the ranks of a covert police investigation unit established to monitor and control supernatural activity in the Manhattan Underground. The series is co-created by Rosario Dawson, written by David Atchison and illustrated by Tony Shasteen.

This epic story destined to return Hulk to greatness, is being hailed as a legendary storyline that comic fans will be talking about for years to come! Did you miss it? Want to get a copy for a friend? Fear not, True Believers! Marvel is pleased to announce that we are going back to press on this sold-out issue with an all-new cover by superstar artist Bryan Hitch! And the best news? It will be in stores just in time for part two in Incredible Hulk #93! Want an sneak peek at the new cover? Here it is!

Ms. Marvel has always struggled with mediocrity, but after seeing her potential realized in the House of M, Carol Danvers decides she is going to be the best super hero she can be.

Her conviction is going to be put to the test right out the gate as an alien invasion of the Brood threatens to destroy Earth and only Ms. Marvel stands in their way. But is it really an invasion or are the Brood looking to hide from something even more sinister than themselves?

Written by Brian Reed (Spider-Woman: Origin) with pencils by searing-hot newcomer Roberto De La Torre and Michael Turner providing a variant cover to issue #1, Ms. Marvel is ready to take its rightful place among the comic elite.

Giant Size Ms. Marvel #1 sold out at Diamond so be sure to get your copies of Ms. Marvel #1 and its variant covers by Michael Turner quickly before they’re gone.

Manga Mania: Japanse comic craze has Americans talking -what’s the big draw?

Those words appeared on the front page of Red Eye (a free edition newspaper that the Chicago Tribune publishes), on February 15. I snatched up the newspaper, as I do every day before boarding the el’, and read it on the way to work. I figured that there would be some manner of news in this newspaper article. Rather it was filled with “olds”.

Correct me if I’m incorrect, but hasn’t the manga craze already swept the nation? Is it not on a down slope from it’s peak… or at least leveled out a bit? Red Eye makes it sound as if it’s the latest greatest craze, but manga being popular is barely worth mentioning these days. Everyone knows it’s popular. The paper itself quotes a man nammed Griepp as saying that “manga mania” has spread to the U.S. over the past 5 years. In other words, it admits that manga is nothing new. Red Eye should have wrote about a manga story, or simply about local manga artists… they do have a brief side bar mentioning some local artists, but why not a full page devoted to this rather than acting as though they’ve discovered sliced bread?

I’m not bashing Red Eye for writing an article on manga, but why put it on the cover page? This is clearly an under-disguised attempt to hit a target audience:

The diverse plots and attractive artwork make it appealing to 18 to 34-year-olds as well as teens and tweens.

Who rides the el’? Kids on their way to school. Young professionals on their way to work. Students on their way to university. Who reads Red Eye? Nearly everyone on the el’. Bingo! Instant success with Wednesday’s edition! I hate marketing ploys… especially when it involves the news. Then again, what is the news but one big marketing ploy?

I’ll keep reading Red Eye on my way to work. It’s free, sometimes they have information / rumors about the Smashing Pumpkins return to glory, and it’s an easy way to avoid eye contact with the people around you.

Scrivs has taken a lot of heat as of late for his decision to cut some members from the 9rules Network (a network of great weblogs, of which I am a member).

I wanted to follow suit and declare my undying gratitude to Paul (even though I’m most likely the next to get axed), however I want to make sure that each and every post on this site only relates to comic books. Unfortunately this topic didn’t have much to do with comics… but now it does.

[update]

After looking over this article I realized it was a little on the thin side. The reason I support Paul and his decision, even if it’s to axe me, is a very simple one: it’s his network, his business, his life. The agreement is very simple: you must provide good content to stay in the network… pretty strait forward.

If any member failed in their obligations to the network, myself included, then they should no longer be part of the network. Now why is everyone getting up in a tizzy about this? The main people who are freaking out happen to be people outside of the network… the very same people who claimed there would be a catch to the network. I was wrong about this. After doing some research in to the matter, I’ve found that the main complainers are two of the booted sites along with a few bottom-feeder weblogs.

The only catch to 9rules that I’ve seen in my brief stint here is no catch at all. I got to keep all of my Adsense revenue, I got to meet people whom I would never have had the opportunity to chat with, and I’ve had lots of fun. If I were scrivs, I would sit back and enjoy the press, good or bad. Controversy can be a good advertisment.

The winds of change are blowin’. As you may know I have moved to chicago. This presented a road block for the past month so far as writing is concerned, however we are finally settled and I’m ready to get back in the swing of things.

That said I’ll be making a couple of adjustments:

1. No more releases updates. The section on the right will be leaving. The main reason for this is: it’s inaccurate. even if I keep it up to date the information is incorrect for various areas (more on that later tonight).
2. Posts will be starting up again… finally. Expect several articles over the next two days starting tonight.

This move has proven to be a good thing on all levels, even for this blog. Although I took a month off, I have so much more to write about now thanks to my surroundings.