The actor has passed away at age 51 in Italy, reportedly of a heart attack.

James Gandolfini, veteran actor and star of such classics as HBO's The Sopranos and the awesome movie True Romance, has passed away at the age of 51, reportedly due to an unexpected heart attack. We heard the news first on Deadline.com, but it was soon confirmed by HBO. Besides the joy and entertainment his acting brought to millions of fans, as gritty gangster Tony Soprano on The Sopranos, Gandolfini helped kick off a sort of creative renaissance for original premium TV dramas like True Blood, Dexter, and Game of Thrones, the influence of which is noticeable in even more of the hyper-realistic dramas on regular cable today.

We reveal the winners to last week's contest and ask for your nominations for this week's books.

Last week's winner: Superman Unchained #1

What did you like this week?

We reveal the winner of last week's contest and ask for your nominations for this week's covers.

Last week's winner: Superman Unchained #1 (Bermejo Variant)

What blew your skirt up this week?

PLEASE NOTE: As I'm back doing these threads for the moment, we'll be going back to running them the way I used to, that is to say that there are SIX available slots on the poll, and preference will be given to those covers that are seconded, thirded etc (otherwise it's first come, first served).

Each person can nominate or second one cover, but they can't do both, so pick wisely o my droogies! 

A pair of Beware the Batman promos have hit the net showcasing the computer animation of the show along with confirmation the show will be debuting on July 13.

The first promo is from the Huffington Post which showcases the animation quite nicely with the Batman squaring off the Magpie.  Further, the Post reveals most of the voice cast for the show: Batman will be voiced by "Banshee's" Anthony Ruivivar, JB Blanc as Alfred Pennyworth (described as an ex-secret agent) and Sumalee Montano (who is at first Bruce Wayne's bodyguard but eventually becomes his sidekick Katana). Not mentioned, but first confirmed was Kurtwood Smith as Commissioner James Gordon.

As who'll be giving voice to the many cadre of villains of the show: Udo Kier as Mr. Toad, Brain George as Professor Pyg, Grey DeLisle as Magpie,  Lance Reddick as Ra’s al Ghul, and Wallace Langham as Anarky. The creators of the series are Sam Register as executive producer with Glen Murakami and Mitch Watson producing the show.

Here's their promo:

Not to be outdone, Cartoon Network also has put out a promo for the show. This one features the extended chase sequence between the Batman, Mr. Toad, and Professor Pyg along with a gadget filled battle the Batman has with his arch-nemesis for the first season, Anarky.

Beware the Batman arrives Saturday morning July 13.

Thompson passed away today after a battle with lung cancer.

Kim Thompson has passed away after a battle with lung cancer.  The Fantagraphics publisher was a modern legend among the alt-comix crowd and was responsible for the publication for countless award-winning comics.  Here's a statement from Fantagraphics on his passing:

Fantagraphics co-publisher Kim Thompson died at 6:30 this morning, June 19. “He was my partner and close friend for 36 years,” said Gary Groth.

Thompson was born in Denmark in 1956. He grew up in Europe, a lifelong comics fan, reading both European and American comics in Denmark, France, and Germany. He was an active fan in his teen years, writing to comics — his letters appeared in Marvel’s letter columns circa early 1970s — and contributing to fanzines from his various European perches. At the age of 21, he set foot, for the first time, on American soil, in late 1977. One “fanzine” he had not contributed to was The Comics Journal, which Groth and Michael Catron began publishing in July of 1976. That was soon to change.

“Within a few weeks of his arrival,” said Groth, “he came over to our ‘office,’ which was the spare bedroom of my apartment, and was introduced by a mutual friend — it was a fan visit. We were operating out of College Park, Maryland and Kim’s parents had moved to Fairfax, Virginia, both Washington DC suburbs. Kim loved the energy around the Journal and the whole idea of a magazine devoted to writing about comics, and asked if he could help. We needed all the help we could get, of course, so we gladly accepted his offer. He started to come over every day and was soon camping out on the floor. The three of us were living and breathing The Comics Journal 24 hours a day.”

Thompson became an owner when Catron took a job at DC Comics in 1978. As he became more familiar with the editorial process, Thompson became more and more integral to the magazine, assembling and writing news and conducting interviews with professionals. Thompson’s career in comics began here.

In 1981, Fantagraphics began publishing comics (such as Jack Jackson’s Los Tejanos, Don Rosa’s Comics and Stories, and, in 1982, Love and Rockets). Thompson was always evangelical about bandes dessinées and wanted to bring the best of European comics to America; in 1981, Thompson selected and translated the first of many European graphic novels for American publication — Herman Huppen’s The Survivors: Talons of Blood (followed by a 2nd volume in 1983). Thompson’s involvement in The Comics Journal diminished in 1982 when he took over the editorship of Amazing Heroes, a bi-weekly magazine devoted to more mainstream comics (with occasional forays into alternative and even foreign comics). Thompson helmed Amazing Heroes through 204 issues until 1992.

Among Thompson’s signature achievements in comics were Critters, a funny-animal anthology that ran from 50 issues between 1985 to 1990 and is perhaps best known for introducing the world to Stan Sakai’s Usagi Yojimbo; and Zero Zero, an alternative comics anthology that also ran for 50 issues over five years — between 1995 and 2000 — and featured work by, among others, Kim Deitch, Dave Cooper, Al Columbia, Spain Rodriguez, Joe Sacco, David Mazzuchelli, and Joyce Farmer. His most recent enthusiasm was spearheading a line of European graphic novel translations, including two major series of volumes by two of the most significant living European artists — Jacques Tardi (It Was the War of the Trenches, Like a Sniper Lining up His Shot, The Astonishing Exploits of Lucien Brindavoine) and Jason (Hey, Wait…, I Killed Adolf Hitler, Low Moon, The Left Bank Gang) — and such respected work as Ulli Lust’s Today Is the Last Day of the Rest of Your Life, Lorenzo Mattotti’s The Crackle of the Frost, Gabriella Giandelli’s Interiorae, and what may be his crowning achievement as an editor/translator, Guy Peelaert’s The Adventures of Jodelle.

Throughout his career at Fantagraphics, Thompson was active in every aspect of the company, selecting books, working closely with authors, guiding books through the editorial and production process. “Kim leaves an enormous legacy behind him,” said Groth, “not just all the European graphic novels that would never have been published here if not or his devotion, knowledge, and skills, but for all the American cartoonists he edited, ranging from Stan Sakai to Joe Sacco to Chris Ware, and his too infrequent critical writing about the medium. His love and devotion to comics was unmatched. I can’t truly convey how crushing this is for all of us who’ve known and loved and worked with him over he years.”

Thompson was diagnosed with lung cancer in late February. He is survived by his wife, Lynn Emmert, his mother and father, Aase and John, and his brother Mark.

Thompson will be remembered as a legend in the industry and will be missed by many.  Our thoughts and condolances to his family and friends.

Has Microsoft seen the light and decided to change their DRM like policies on the XBox One? (UPDATED)

Is Microsoft listening to their customers? Giantbomb certainly seems to think so, citing unnamed sources that are telling them Microsoft is going to move away from its DRM-like policies for XBox One.

This means we could see an end to always online and 24 hour check-ins, allowing games to function offline with the disc.  Dropping restrictions on region-locking, trading games and used games, etc.

Granted, they still have the issues of mandatory Kinect and being a hundred dollars more than the PS4, but if they change their stance on DRM it will certainly even up the playing field a bit.  Let's hope this turns out to be true.

Update: Confirmed

"As a result of feedback from the Xbox community, we have changed certain policies for Xbox One reflected in this blog. Some of this information is no longer accurate -- please check here for the latest."

Unfortunately, the internet has killed the site and it isn't currrently available.  Hopefully soon we'll get a look at exactly what the changes entail.
 

Page seems to be loading now, but in case it's an issue later, here is the announcement:

Last week at E3, the excitement, creativity and future of our industry was on display for a global audience.

For us, the future comes in the form of Xbox One, a system designed to be the best place to play games this year and for many years to come. As is our heritage with Xbox, we designed a system that could take full advantage of advances in technology in order to deliver a breakthrough in game play and entertainment. We imagined a new set of benefits such as easier roaming, family sharing, and new ways to try and buy games. We believe in the benefits of a connected, digital future. 

Since unveiling our plans for Xbox One, my team and I have heard directly from many of you, read your comments and listened to your feedback. I would like to take the opportunity today to thank you for your assistance in helping us to reshape the future of Xbox One. 

You told us how much you loved the flexibility you have today with games delivered on disc. The ability to lend, share, and resell these games at your discretion is of incredible importance to you. Also important to you is the freedom to play offline, for any length of time, anywhere in the world.

So, today I am announcing the following changes to Xbox One and how you can play, share, lend, and resell your games exactly as you do today on Xbox 360. Here is what that means:

• An internet connection will not be required to play offline Xbox One games – After a one-time system set-up with a new Xbox One, you can play any disc based game without ever connecting online again. There is no 24 hour connection requirement and you can take your Xbox One anywhere you want and play your games, just like on Xbox 360.
   

• Trade-in, lend, resell, gift, and rent disc based games just like you do today – There will be no limitations to using and sharing games, it will work just as it does today on Xbox 360.
   

In addition to buying a disc from a retailer, you can also download games from Xbox Live on day of release. If you choose to download your games, you will be able to play them offline just like you do today. Xbox One games will be playable on any Xbox One console -- there will be no regional restrictions.

These changes will impact some of the scenarios we previously announced for Xbox One. The sharing of games will work as it does today, you will simply share the disc. Downloaded titles cannot be shared or resold. Also, similar to today, playing disc based games will require that the disc be in the tray.

We appreciate your passion, support and willingness to challenge the assumptions of digital licensing and connectivity. While we believe that the majority of people will play games online and access the cloud for both games and entertainment, we will give consumers the choice of both physical and digital content. We have listened and we have heard loud and clear from your feedback that you want the best of both worlds.

Thank you again for your candid feedback. Our team remains committed to listening, taking feedback and delivering a great product for you later this year.

DC previews the New52 Vandal Savage and .. Giganta ? ?

Press Release: DC Blog

The Spider-Man character won't appear in Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Mary Jane Watson won't be appearing in Amazing Spider-Man 2.  Shailene Woodley, who was to play MJ in the film, told EW that the role had been cut from the film, due to a change in the plot of the recently announced Amazing Spider-Man 3.  Here's the exact quote:

Of course I’m bummed… but I’m a firm believer in everything happening for a specific reason….based on the proposed plot, I completely understand holding off on introducing [Mary Jane] until the next film.

It's believed that Sony made the decision after reading One More Day, the controversial Spider-Man story that retconned Spider-Man's marriage to Mary Jane out of existence.  "Who knew it was so easy to get rid of stuff we didn't really like," one executive is believed to have said. 

Meanwhile, the MJ/Peter Parker fanbase was outraged by the news.  "If you think this will stop me from commissioning nude pictures of Mary Jane from every artist I meet, you've got another thing coming," raged one fan. 

"Doesn't matter," said another.  "I'll still cheer when they snap Gwen Stacy's neck." 

Bleeding Cool believes that the role won't be recast, so fans of Shailene Woodley can rest easy. Those who believed that Woodley "wasn't hot enough" to play MJ (sadly an actual reaction) can still get gored by a dull-horned ox.

Though still in the rumor phase, you can see the evidence for yourself.

If you are one of the users participating in the Steam client beta, you may find some interesting code in the "steamui_english" file.

"SteamUI_JoinDialog_SharedLicense_Title" "Shared game library"
"SteamUI_JoinDialog_SharedLicenseLocked_OwnerText" "Just so you know, your games are currently in use by %borrower%. Playing now will send %borrower% a notice that it's time to quit."
"SteamUI_JoinDialog_SharedLicenseLocked_BorrowerText" "This shared game is currently unavailable. Please try again later or buy this game for your own library."

A question Microsoft has answered many times in recent days to their more DRM-centric service with XBox One and how it relates to Steam is,' will they be offering the types of sales that Steam does?'  Everytime, they have been quick to remind people that Steam doesn't allow you to lend your games out, like you can with XBox One.  If this code is any indication, they may not be able to say that about Steam much longer.

We will update with any official word on this as soon as Valve confirms.

We're breaking the fourth wall this week (Hey Colt Cabana, how you doin?

2013-06-19T02_43_03-07_00.mp3

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Graciously Shared by The Enthusiast: The Internet's Premier Hate Free Zone http://enthusicast.podomatic.com

The teaser trailer for Disney's next animated feature is online.

Yesterday, some new images from Disney's upcoming anmated movie, Frozen, were put online. Today, a teaser trailer was put online:

Frozen, loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen's The Snow Queen, tells the tale of Anna who goes on a journey in search of her older sister Elsa (the Snow Queen) who left their village after accidentally triggering a curse.

The film opens on November 27, 2013.

An awesomely trippy new poster by Mark Daniels from the VERY under-rated late 70s dark Disney Sci-Fi epic.

The Dark Ink has a nifty poster of the Black Hole (1979), available in limited quantities for $50 by Mark Daniels of the dark sci-fi Disney epic directed by Gary Nelson that sported an all-star cast of Maximilian Shell, Anthony Perkins, Robert Forester, Yvette Mimieux, Ernest Borgnine, the voices of Slim Pickins, and Roddy McDowell as old B.O.B. and V.I.N.CENT.  Of course, the real star of the movie, the vicious "android" Maximilian, is front and center in the poster. Check it out:

Sweet isn't it?

This reporter for one has pleasant memories of the VERY under-rated and dark movie that Disney really hasn't given the due it deserves on DVD or Blu-Ray. The movie along with Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla (1974),  helped fuel my love for science fiction though specifically androids and cyborgs. My mind still is embedded with the cold callous machine of Maximilian who still is a sight to behold after all these years. Along with just the awing design of the Cygnus and just trippy score from John Barry (Instra Land Records released a complete score two years ago and yes I so snagged that the moment I heard about it).

Dammit Disney give this movie it's proper due already! Enough bare-bones DVD/Blu Ray. EXTRAS and a good transfer! I demand it!!! You're even about to remake the movie directed by Joseph Kosinski, that nice fella who also made Tron: Legacy (2010). Alright, enough talk; this article needs more MAXIMILIAN (and V.I.N.CENT) :

The octogenarian nearly spit out his mouthful of Moxie Cola he was drinking when he heard the news.

80 year old Stanley Moore of Los Angeles, CA, is one of the youngest living fans of pulp heroes,  so he is naturally part of the prime demographic being targetted by Dynamite Entertainment in the launch of their two new super-mega-crossover event comics, Codename: Action and King's Watch. Codename: Action will be a six issue event that unites the ultimate super-spy, Captain Action, with classic pulp heroes including Green Hornet, Kato, the Spider, and Black Venus. It will be written by Chris Roberson with art by Jonathan Lau. In a risky move for a comic targeted at older fans who might not appreciate modern settings and topics, the comic will be set during the Cold War. Kings Watch will be written by Jeff Parker with art by Marc Laming, and will see classic pulp heroes Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician team-up to fight an invasion of nightmarish monsters.

As soon as we learned of these comics, we couldn't wait to tell Stanley.

"What's that?!" yelled a confused Stanley, who has a little bit of trouble hearing."Jeff Parker is drunk on scotch?! Dunk his head in a bucket of water!"

We explained that Parker wasn't drunk on scotch, but was actually writing King's Watch. We added that Chris Roberson would be writing Codename: Action.

"Stonewall Jackson?! He was a childhood friend of mine!" Stanley told us excitedly.

We explained that we weren't talking about the Confederate general, but rather a new comic called Codename: Action.

"Well who's drawing it?" Stanley asked.

We took time to make sure Stanley was really listening. In the past, we've run into minor incidents when we try to tell Stanley about the colorists on comic book, which sometimes causes him to go off on a racist tangent. You have to understand; he's from another time.

"I'm listening," he grumbled.

We told him that art on Kings Watch would be handled by Marc Laming, while art on Codename: Action would be handled by Jonathan Lau.

"Oh, that's nice," Stanley replied.

"Really?" we asked. "You're not going to say anything racist?"

"Why would I do that?" he wondered.

Nothing at all? We can just end the article without cutting you off and hastily throwing up the press releases before you get us all in trouble?

"Sure!" he insisted.

Well, okay then! Be sure to check out Codename: Action and Kings Watch when they hit comics stores in September. The series will both be available digitally as well.

Nice job, Stanley. We were really worried you would say something offensive, but you pulled this one off. We can never tell when you're gonna...

"Don't ask don't tell?!" shouted a suddenly enraged Stanley. "There's no place for that in God's army!"

What?! We didn't say anything even remotely like that!

"The Navy, maybe," Stanley mused. "It gets lonely at sea..."

Goddamn it, Stanley! Roll the press releases!

CODENAME: ACTION FROM DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT
UNITES SUPER-SPY CAPTAIN ACTION WITH BELOVED PULP HEROES

June 11, 2013, Mt. Laurel, NJ - Dynamite Entertainment, in conjunction with Captain Action Enterprises, proudly announces the September launch of CODENAME: ACTION, a six-issue comic book event that unites the ultimate super-spy, Captain Action, with classic pulp heroes including Green Hornet, Kato, the Spider, and Black Venus.  Written by Chris Roberson (Masks, Superman) and featuring artwork by Jonathan Lau (Kevin Smith's Green Hornet), the debut #1 issues will include variant covers by accomplished illustrators Jae Lee, Francesco Francavilla, Jonathan Lau, Johnny Desjardins, and Art Baltazar.

CODENAME: ACTION takes place during the Cold War, as unknown forces scheme to heat up the global conflict.  When key officials on both sides of the Iron Curtain are replaced with doppelgangers, the infiltration threatens to disrupt the precarious state of world affairs... until one young secret agent shapes the world's masked heroes into a force with singular purpose and unyielding resolve!

"CODENAME: ACTION is a showcase of the things I love about jet-age superspies and Cold War-era superheroics," says the World Fantasy Award-nominated author, Chris Roberson.  "In part, it functions as an origin story for Captain Action, reintroducing him to a modern audience while at the same time setting him firmly in the period in which the character first appeared.  Captain Action was a product of the time that gave us the James Bond films, and TV shows like Man From UNCLE and The Prisoner, and CODENAME: ACTION is very much an attempt to put the character in that kind of context.

"Roberson, hot off of his stint as writer for the bestselling Masks series, knows how best to balance a handful of fan-favorite and highly independent characters.  "The main focus of the attention is on the spy and espionage characters like Operator 5, Black Venus, and Operative 1001 (the man who will become Captain Action).  Along the way, our heroes will encounter various masked heroes and vigilantes, like American Crusader, Green Hornet, and Kato.  It's been an organic process, as I find the best places to fill in supporting or 'guest star' roles."

Jonathan Lau, whose spirited artwork graced the pages of Dynamite titles Green Hornet and Black Terror, looks forward to drawing so many spies and superheroes with great enthusiasm.  "I'm excited!  Captain Action is sort of like Nick Fury, and there's a dynamism in laying out the Green Hornet/Kato duo, especially when it comes to Kato making big motions to convey action.  The American Crusader is another character I enjoy drawing again (after his appearance in Black Terror), since he's the muscle of this series, and it's always fun to draw super-powered beings doing super stuff."

In a joint statement, Ed Catto and Joe Ahearn of licensor Captain Action Enterprises gave a shining endorsement:  "We're big comic, spy and pulp fans, so it's a thrill to see all those characters in one adventure together.  And we're also big Chris Roberson fans from his work on iZombie and Monkeybrain Comics.  Captain Action is a spy, and impersonating others (especially superheroes) is an important part of what's he all about… so to start the Captain's adventures with heroes like the Green Hornet and Kato makes all the sense in the world.  We're also honored that the baton was passed to Captain Action as he's center stage in this mini-series.  Like a young quarterback given the opportunity to play in the big game, it's both daunting and terribly exciting!"

CODENAME: ACTION #1 is solicited in the Diamond July Previews catalog for release in September.  Dynamite has welcomed a talented pool of artists, including award winners and fan-favorites, to provide a selection of cover variants for readers to enjoy.  Shipping to retailers in an equal ratio of cover variants, CODENAME: ACTION #1 features five covers, one each from Jae Lee, Francesco Francavilla, Jonathan Lau, and Johnny Desjardins, plus a special "Captain Action Spy Cover" design edition.  Dynamite will also produce a sixth, Subscription-Only "Cute" variant featuring artwork by Art Balthazar (Tiny Titans), limited only to retailer initial orders as a reward for dedicated Dynamite fans."

JEFF PARKER TO PEN KINGS WATCH FROM DYNAMITE THIS SEPTEMBER!

X-OVER FEATURING FLASH GORDON, MANDRAKE AND THE PHANTOM!

June 13th, 2013, Mt. Laurel, NJ - Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician team-up in the upcoming Dynamite series, Kings Watch!  Written by superstar writer, Jeff Parker, and drawn by artist Marc Laming, and a cover by Laming as well as a Subscription-Only cover by Eisner Award winning artist, Ramón Pérez (A Tale of Sand).  Kings Watch is available in comic book stores and digitally this coming September!

In KINGS WATCH #1, panic spreads across the world. Strange phenomena fills the skies.  Millions have nightmares of wild lands filled with horrible creatures... then wake to find the monsters are real. What are three men willing to sacrifice to save us all?  Superstar writer Jeff Parker (Dark Avengers, Red She-Hulk) and artist Marc Laming (Planet of the Apes) deliver the earth-crushing event of 2013, featuring Flash Gordon, The Phantom, and Mandrake the Magician like you've never seen them!

"As a kid I saved a healthy stack of comics pages from the newspaper to follow The Phantom's jungle adventures, and copied drawings of the great Sy Barry from those," states Kings Watch writer Jeff Parker. "The other iconic creation of Lee Falk, Mandrake was intriguing too, but I mostly had an idea of him from some brief radio theatre episodes on an album. Later I was lucky to find some of the Nostalgia Press reprints of his stories. I was also (and still am) really into Flash Gordon. I loved the Filmation cartoon so don't be surprised if you see elements of that here. It was also one of the first movie serials I saw thanks to our PBS station showing them- how perfect was Buster Crabbe as Flash? I of course went to the De Laurentiis movie multiple times, and got any comic book  with him. Then when Kitchen Sink Press put out Alex Raymond's original newspaper strips, I finally got the whole lush epic. Mandrake, Phantom and Flash are really where it all begins for super action heroes, they influenced so much of what we read and watch today. Marc and I are having the best time reintroducing the pulp adventure trinity for today's readers, and bringing them together in one thriller which hasn't happened in years. I can't wait for new readers and longtime fans to read this."

"I remember the summer of 1976 for three reasons; the long summer that year when it was so hot that the pavement melted, the USA's Bicentennial celebrations that even reached our shores in the UK and the first time I saw the Flash Gordon movie serials on morning TV during the school vacation," adds artist Marc Laming. "We were pretty adventure & Sci-Fi starved in the UK in the mid-70's and those serials were like being hit by lightning and my 8 year old mind was blown. Around a year later a cartoon on TV (I have no idea of the title) that featured the King Features characters introduced me to The Phantom who was super cool like Batman and Mandrake who was a better dressed Dr. Strange and not nearly as scary! When the show finished I ran straight out to the newsagents to find out more."

"I've wanted to work with Jeff (Parker) for years, and Kings Watch is a fantastic first project together.  We've wanted to place together a cross-over with King Features most iconic characters for years, but needed to ensure we brought the fans the right writer.  Jeff is that writer.  And Marc Laming compliments Jeff's script incredibly, as you will be able to see in the pages attached.  This is a series that waited for the right team to bring this story together, and definitely worth the wait," states Dynamite Publisher Nick Barrucci.

"LIKE" DYNAMITE'S FACEBOOK PAGE TODAY!
http://www.facebook.com/dynamitecomics

Join the conversation on Dynamite Entertainment's twitter page at http://twitter.com/DynamiteComics.

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com/.

For art and more information, please visit: http://ww.dynamite.com/.

About Dynamite Entertainment:

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT was founded in 2004 and is home to several best-selling comic book titles and properties, including The Boys, The Shadow, Vampirella, Warlord of Mars, Bionic Man, A Game of Thrones, and more!

Dynamite owns and controls an extensive library with over 3,000 characters (which includes the Harris Comics and Chaos Comics properties), such as Vampirella, Pantha, Evil Ernie, Smiley the Psychotic Button, Chastity, Purgatori, and Peter Cannon: Thunderbolt.

In addition to their critically-acclaimed titles and bestselling comics, Dynamite works with some of the most high profile creators in comics and entertainment, including Kevin Smith, Alex Ross, John Cassaday, Garth Ennis, Jae Lee, Marc Guggenheim, Mike Carey, Jim Krueger, Greg Pak, Brett Matthews, Matt Wagner, and a host of up-and-coming new talent!

Dynamite is consistently ranked in the upper tiers of comic book publishers and several of their titles - including Alex Ross and Jim Krueger's Project Superpowers - have debuted in the Top Ten lists produced by Diamond Comics Distributors. In 2005, Diamond awarded the company a GEM award for Best New Publisher and another GEM in 2006 for Comics Publisher of the Year (under 5%) and again in 2011. The company has also been nominated for and won several industry awards, including the prestigious Harvey and Eisner Awards.

The Flying V will release one Signature Series cover per month by an artist who helped forge the Valiant Universe!

Hi there! Stoneman here, filling in for Royal Nonesuch, who took a sabbatical from his career as a successful comic book journalist to become a storm chaser after viewing the 1996 film Twister while in an impressively more inebriated state than usual. Royal usually covers Valiant's news in a manner that's uncharacteristically professional for this place, which is probably why they're the only major comic book publisher that still actively talks to us. I'd like to keep it that way, so let me present Valiant's press release below in its unedited entirety, so I can get back to emailing my resume to ComicBookResources.

Dynamite will release The Mocking Dead by Fred Van Lente and Max Dunbar!

Dynamite sent out a press release today announcing a new zombie book called The Mocking Dead by Marvel Zombies writer Fred Van Lente and artist Max Dunbar. The book will take a satirical approach to depicting a zombie outbreak and how humanity would react. In response to the news, thousands of humorless comic book readers immediately began drafting letters to Dynamite complaining that they found all of Van Lente's jokes, which they have not read yet, extremely offensive and disrespectful to the storied history of zombie comics.

"This is completely outrageous," complained Helga P. Stickenbutt in one of the aforementioned letters. "Comics are serious business, and they should never be made fun of."

"I totally agree," concurred the notoriously stuffy Alex Ross, who we believe to be some sort of executive at Dynamite, but are too lazy to look up. "Except in this case."

"Because we're doing it," Ross explained.

If only Van Lente had consulted The Outhouse, veterans at being industry pariahs due to daring to mock comic books, he might have avoided the fate of marginalization and eventual blacklisting that he seems destined for. Still, if you have a sense of humor, you might want to check out The Mocking Dead before Dynamite bows to corporate pressure and removes it from stands.

Here's the press release:

THE MOCKING DEAD, A ZOMBIE PARODY FROM DYNAMITE!

WRITTEN BY FRED VAN LENTE! IT'S THIS COMING SEPTEMBER!

June 13, 2013, Mt. Laurel, NJ - From the New York Times bestselling writer of the Marvel Zombies series comes a gut-splitting (then eating) comedy!  From acclaimed Marvel Zombies writer Fred Van Lente comes The Mocking Dead!  The Mocking Dead is a tongue-in-cheek look at the wildly popular zombie genre, with amazing interior art from Max Dunbar, colored in a unique black, white, and red pattern.  Featuring an incredible and unique design Zombie Caution cover by Bill Tortolini as well as a Subscription only cover from Max Dunbar himself, he Mocking Dead is available in comic book stores and digitally this coming September!

In THE MOCKING DEAD #1, a small outbreak can turn into a worldwide apocalypse… but only through a long string of screw-ups.  Once actual zombies begin popping up in our world, a lone intelligence analyst realizes real-life events are beginning to mimic the events of a long-lost, Grade-Z, drive-in horror flick.  As he races to save humanity with this knowledge, he quickly learns the only thing more dangerous than ravenous walking corpses is the ineptitude of the living!

"If you want to see a different take on zombies and how it would really play out in our world, definitely pick up THE MOCKING DEAD," says writer Fred Van Lente.  "It's got laughs and gore in equal measure."

"We sat down, we pitched Fred our idea, he liked it and came back with his voice.  I cannot wait for fans to read this.  It's going to be a fun ride!  A fun ride with lots of bites, death, and everything that comes in a zombie story ;-)" - States Dynamite CEO/Publisher Nick Barrucci

"The zombie genre has quite obviously exploded and it's been asking for something like this for a long time," says Senior Editor Joseph Rybandt.  "Once we decided to "send it up", we talked to our one and only writing choice and Fred was able to make it work. Along the way, it became its own thing, still doing what we intended, but growing in complexity due to Fred's immense talent and Max's incredible world-building. It's gonna be a whole lotta bloody fun…"

"LIKE" DYNAMITE'S FACEBOOK PAGE TODAY! http://www.facebook.com/dynamitecomics

Join the conversation on Dynamite Entertainment's twitter page at http://twitter.com/DynamiteComics.

To find a comic shop near you, call 1-888-comicbook or visit http://www.comicshoplocator.com/.

For art and more information, please visit: http://ww.dynamite.com/.

Titan will release a deluxe hardcover edition of Chris Claremont and Jon Bolton's fantasy classic.

Here at The Outhouse, we live to make fun of comics, but when this reporter hears the name Chris Claremont, I turn into a gushing fanboy, swooning like Jason Aaron in a room full of hairy Canadian midgets. That's why I was quite excited to see this press release from Titan Comics advertising a new hardcover collection with restored artwork of Marada the She-Wolf by the legendary Claremont and artist John Bolton, who I'm going to assume without any research at all is heartthrob singer Michael Bolton's brother, because that's just how I roll, homies. Check out the trailer and press release below:

FROM X-MEN WRITER CHRIS CLAREMONT AND AWARD-WINNING ARTIST JOHN BOLTON COMES MARADA THE-SHE WOLF!

The fantasy classic collected together for the first time ever! Featuring beautiful, fully-restored art, in depth features, history and never-before-seen sketches and artwork!

Titan Comics is pleased to announce the launch of Marada The-She Wolf by Chris Claremont (The Uncanny X-Men; Excalibur; Captain Britain; Fantastic Four; Gen 13,Sovereign 7) and John Bolton (Man-Bat; Shame: Pursuit; Books of Magic).

Hitting stores on November 12, 2013, comes the shield-shattering saga of Marada the She-Wolf – white-haired, blood-soaked swordswoman and mercenary, object of unearthly desire and descendant of Julius Caesar!

Chris Claremont is one of the best-known writers currently working in comics. His work includes The Uncanny X-Men, Captain Britain, Fantastic Four and Gen13. During his 17 years as X-Men writer, Claremont co-created characters such as Rogue, Psylocke, Mystique, Emma Frost, Sabretooth, Gambit and many more! 

Claremont has written many classic X-Men stories, including those which are providing source material for this summer’s The Wolverine movie, starring Hugh Jackman, and summer 2014’s hotly-anticipated X-Men: Days of Future Past, directed by Bryan Singer and starring James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence and Nicholas Hoult.

John Bolton is an award-winning comic artist and illustrator. He has collaborated with some of the industries most prestigious comic writers, such as Neil Gaiman on The Books of Magic for DC Comics, Mike Carey on God Save The Queen for Vertigo DC Comics and Clive Barker on Hellraiser.

From the world of film Bolton has worked with Robert Zemeckis, Sam Raimi and Jonathan Glazer.

Descended of Caesar, and preceded by her legendary reputation as a warrior,Marada The-She Wolf follows Marada's adventures across the Roman Empire. Together with her magical accomplice, Princess Arianrhod, they battle evil demons, wizards, witches and unearthly terror! Check out the teaser trailer here

Collected together for the first time ever in one deluxe hardcover and featuring beautiful restored artwork by John Bolton and never-before-seen sketches and artwork! This is the ultimate vision of the ultimate fighting fantasy female! 

“I look through these pages and I’m reminded, most eloquently, just how gifted John Bolton is as an artist, how breathtakingly skilled he is at evoking character and event, how powerfully and also subtly he can present a scene,” says writer, Chris Claremont.

Marada The-She Wolf hits stores on November 12, 2013. The collection will also be available to read day and date on the iPad, iPhone, Web, Android and Kindle Fire, exclusively through the comiXology app and comiXology.com.

Retailers can order Marada The-She Wolf from the July edition of Diamond PREVIEWS (order code: JUL131283).

To keep up-to-date with news from Titan Comics, visit titan-comics.com or join us on Facebook or follow @comicstitan on Twitter.

Issue 46 of our weekly webcomic kicks off a new story arc, read it here!

Kol has left Solstheim, turning to the mages at the College of Winterhold for answers.

LAUNCH WEBCOMIC VIEWER

Thanks to a leaked copy of Age of Ultron #10, the Marvel Universe was forced to change forever earlier than expected due to the earth-shattering consequences of the super-mega-crossover event.

Well, we all knew it was going to happen, and it did. Age of Ultron was spoiled before its release, all over the internets, and even on our own forums (SPOILERS AT LINK). And while Marvel Comics was fully prepared to have the status quo of the Marvel Universe irrevocably altered by the mind-blowing finale that was so shocking and secret only Marvel head honcho Joe Quesada could draw it, they were planning for all of that to happen on Wednesday, June 22nd, not Tuesday, June 21st. This little detail changed everything.

"Aaaaaaggggghhhhhhhhhhh!" shouted one Marvel intern when we asked him for comment. "Aaaaagggghhhhhhhhhh!!!"

"Aaaaaaaaggggghhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!" he added, on fire.

"How could this happen?!" cried a beleaguered Joe Quesada. "We took measures to prevent this. Polybags, goddamn it! Polybags!"

But despite the elaborate security tactic of putting the comics inside sealed plastic bags, Marvel's plans were thrown into complete disarray when some douchebag opened one of the bags and found out what happens in the book before the comic was officially released. And then, in what is known in the industry as "a dick move," this person told other people what happened in the book on the internet. It's crazy, but it's true.

And now, nothing will ever be the same. We spoke to renowned Professor of Comic Books and HVAC Repair at Devry University, Dr. Philip P. Blunderbuss, who told us, "it is so a real university! We're accredited and everything!"

But what about the spoilers?

"Nuttin' will ever be da same!" shouted Blunderbuss, slipping into a thick New Jersey accent when agitated.

Nothing will ever be the same.

"Ah, fuck it," decided Quesada, resigned. We were gonna spoil it in an article in USA Today on Tuesday anyway.

Age of Ultron #10 hits stores tomorrow.

A (too long) snark-infested synopsis and review of Warner Brothers’ Man of Steel.

Skip to the overview to avoid spoilers and get the review.

...

I still remember the opening night of Superman Returns.  It was a packed theater, anticipation piqued, and after a round of uninspired trailers it was almost showtime.  Just as the audience silenced  itself, a single voice, with all the slurred intelligence it could muster, belted out a

"It's Sooperman!"

I remember the guy, a couple rows ahead of me. flabby enthusiasm pushed into a superman tee a few sizes too small.  And I imagine that, after 2 1/2 hours of land schemes and henchmen, and the final scenes of creepy lullaby Superman sneaking in a little boy's bedroom, he left the theater, dazed and confused, whimpering like a castrated puppy

"But it's Sooperman..."

I remember you, Tight T-Shirt Dude, I remember you, and more importantly, Zack Snyder remembers you.  Your suffering was not in vain.

That's right, Tight T-Shirt Dude, there's a new movie in town.

Man of Steel was made for you.

Synopsis

Man of Steel starts on Krypton with Lara in the throes of labor.  A concerned Jor-El watches the inside of her womb on a metallic 3D display (which must’ve made Krypton gynecology a pure delight). Baby Kal-El is born, but Jor-El can’t be happy since he knows the world is about to end.

Jor-El heads to Krypton’s ruling counsel, and we see the first glimpses of the Krypton homeworld  It’s  a techno-organic marvel of foreboding spires and sparse landscapes.  It’s quite beautiful.  However, the people who live there are assholes. It’s not that Superdickery couldn't have told you about the nature of Kryptonians already, but MoS’ version are a special kind.  They're a feckless, xenophobic, classist  race who, for reasoning I can't understand, decided to stop exploring the stars and its abundance of resources and strip mine their planet into submission. And god, are they melodramatic, a Tolstoy novel fitted with aluminum robes and skin-tight leather.

As I said, assholes.  But at least they're not assholes who procreate in the traditional sense.  They grow their baby assholes underwater in birthing chambers taken right out of the Matrix.

But not Jor-El.  Dude's a real man, a virile sonuvabitch who made Lady Lara earn her motherhood the hard way.  Baby Kal is the first of his kind in thousands of year: a child born out of love and not doomed to serve whims of predetermined genetics.  He's the symbol for a new Krypton.

"Thanks , no pressure at all, dad. Asshole."

Krypton's short-sightedness is on full display, as Jor-El begs for his people to listen and of course they won’t. So it's not really a sad moment when they all fall dead, a victim of a Coup d'Zod.

I could go on and on, but you can guess what happens: Zod asks Jor-El to join him, J-Dawg refuses, chaos ensues, Jor-El hightails it out on his pet dragonfly.  Before Zod can stop him, Jor-El sends Kal up, up, and away.  Zod kills Jor-El, gets captured, gets tried, yada yada yada phantom zone, sourpuss Lara, yada yada yada, planet go ka-boom! And all the while we're left wondering how many Kryptonians could've been saved had they spent more time building spaceships and less time riding around on dumbass dragonflies.

The movie moves to the present-day, where Kal, now of course Clark, but not calling himself Clark (oh shut up, it's not that complicated), works on a fishing rig while on a path of self-discovery.  Because there's no better place to find yourself than in close quarters in the middle of the ocean with men who smell like fish and pee.  A nearby drilling platform erupts into flames, and Clark is the rescue, abs ablaze to the delight of my wife, saving the men and pretty much blowing his cover.

   "I'm hawt. Tee-hee."

FLASHBACK!  as elementary school Clark, unable to control his x-ray vision in class,  gives us a glimpse of the pervert he'd become in Superman Returns.  Little jerk.  The world's too big for him, he says.  "Then let's make it smaller," Ma Kent responds, not realizing how hard that is when you can see everyone's junk in your face.

Back to the present, we find Clark thieving some clothes as he prepares to move on and start over yet again.  As he's walking away, he see's a school bus...

FLASHBACK! Even on Earth, Clark can't escape the daddy-jerkface syndrome, as Pa Costner tells him the next time he thinks about saving little fatties on sinking buses, he should strongly reconsider. Angst!  Guilt!  Clark learns that he's not human.  Touching father/son moment...

"Pa, The Postman sucked. Get the fuck over it already."

Back to the present, Lois arrives at a military research encampment in the arctic, where Clark (who's not calling himself Clark here, either...just shut up and go with it) just happens to work.  What's believed to be a marooned Russian sub is a portion of a crashed Kryptonian ship (buried in ice for over 18,000 years because I don't know). Clark goes exploring and discovers his heritage through his father's AI consciousness.  

Lois, of course, follows.

Lois, of course, needs rescuing.  

Their meddling activates a homing beacon, and you can guess who's going to soon be coming to dinner.

After Perry Black rejects Lois' story, since frankly it makes her sound like a stark-raving lunatic, Lois fails to take the hint and continues to dig. In all of, like, 20 minutes, Lois discovers her mystery man's name is really Clark Ke...

FLASHBACK!  Why dogs don't mix with tornadoes!  See Pa Jerkhole as he waves his son away and makes Clark watch him die.

Back to the present, and YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  Zod's ship arrives (see, he escaped the phantom zone because Krypton jails evidently can’t handle what’s the equivalent of an LA earthquake), and he demands the people of Earth release Kal-El into his custody.  Clark consults a priest and poses before Christ, and they compare notes as to which one of their Daddys screwed them over worse.  He decides to turn himself over to the military, where he proclaims himself Hope Dude and assures them he's here to help.  They ain't buying that shit and hand him over to Zod.

To the delight of the male servicemen, Faora arrives, clad in leather and spikes, and takes Clark and Lois away.

Continuity change!  Krypton's atmosphere weakens Clark the way Kryptonite used to.

Kryptonian mind meld!  Forced Zodomy in your brain!  Clark drowns in a sea of skulls...

Zod's looking for a codex of Kryptonian DNA so he can bring Krypton to Earth.  Jor-El, in his infinite wisdom, planted an even bigger target on his baby boy’s back by injecting the codex--the genetic codes of billions of possible Kryptonians--into his son’s DNA.

Thanks pop.  Thanks a bunch.

 "Seriously, Dad, what is your goddamn problem?"

Mind you, this is the same man who used his disdain for caste-based genetics to send his child--and only his--to another planet for safety and said a big fuck you to the other "tainted" babies.  Yet he decides to save the tainted template and implant it in his son's newborn scrotum.  Kryptonian logic, people.

Yes, Clark, it's safe to assume your fathers secretly hate you.

Speaking of Jor-El, it seems his AI has a side-job with Verizon, because he just appears, over and over and over, always looking over your shoulder, always watching.  Yes, Lois, Jor-El sees you and he likes.

Clark escapes and fights ensue.  So many fights it's hard to keep count.  By, my gawd, they're awesome fights, resulting in the destruction of everything from gas stations to skyscrapers.  Fortunately, by the glory of product placement a few building like Sears go untouched.

After Emil Hamilton somehow identifies the sexually rhythmic undulations of Zod's machine as terraforming, Superman (yeah, he's Superman now, I guess, thanks to on-the-spot branding by members of the US army) destroys it, sets off a Phantom Zone bomb, and gets rid of all the Kryptonians except Zod.

The last fight scene is as mesmerizing and violent as the first.  Zod forces Superman’s hand and, in an moment that’ll be debated ad nauseum--since God knows we prefer a movie Superman who throws fools down ice pits and nuclear reactors--Supes snaps the HELL out of Zod’s neck.  

Should've strapped him on a nuke and blindly thrown him through a wormhole, Supes.  That's how real heroes handle their biz.  

As Superman screams at the agony of his decision, Lois soothes him, and they end up kissing in the sunset, seemingly oblivious that an entire city lies in ruin behind them.

"Listen and listen good: wanton displays of destruction turns me ON!"

Yeah, Superman’s new to this.

So Earth is saved and has a new hero, although for some reason the Army tries to use multi-million dollar drones to do what Lois was able to with a bus ticket and a few scraps of newspaper.

The movie ends on a uplifting note, as we meet the Daily Planet's newest intern: nerdy looking yet strikingly gorgeous Clark Kent.

Overview

Don't let the snark fool you: this is a good movie.  Man of Steel is unlike any other Superman movie we've seen to date.  If you're hoping for an interaction of Donner's Superman, Morrison's Superman, the 30s Superman, or even the Nu52 Superman, you'll be sorely disappointed and probably a bit pissed.  Snyder and Nolan build this Superman from the ground up (as the annoying commentary that preceded my showing made sure to point out), carefully planting lifelong issues for the character to deal with, all the way from inception to the present day.

And this Clark Kent has a lot of issues. There's no examination of nature vs. nurture: it's clear they're both to blame.  Jor-El burdens Kal with the weight of two worlds, tasking him with the physical and metaphorical legacy of the dead Kryptonian race, and the protection and elevation of the human race.  Pa Kent is even worse, scolding Clark for showing any signs of his physical gifts, raising him to be a good man but not letting him use the tools to do so.

This Clark isn't born Superman.  He's not even Superman when he puts on the suit. He's a withdrawn, insulated shell who's spent his entire life running from what he is until, one day, he's suddenly told not to.  It's a jarring experience for the character and a progression for the moviegoer that's not shown in the most elegant of manners. But by the end of the evolution, we see the Clark we know and love, finally at ease with himself and ready to change the world.

The rest of the main characters serve a purpose.  While the actions of his fathers force Clark into a lonely isolation that makes the world somewhat bearable, Clark's introduction to Lois serves to do the opposite.  There's someone he can confide in.  He can finally breathe.

Lois is written with the appropriate amount of attitude and, more importantly, smarts.  This isn't the Pulitzer-for-ditziness version of the past, the Lois actually seems like a journalist.  It doesn't take her long to track her mystery savior, and when she does, she knows what to do with the information.

Jor-El and Pa Kent are, as I’ve said, jerkfaces, but well-meaning ones: Jor-El because of the inadvertent dangers he creates for Clark and Pa Kent because, well, he's Kevin Costner.  Seriously, if you've seen any trailer, you get the gist of his character.  He wants the best for Clark, but he burdens his son with more guilt than even a Superman can manage.  If there's a huge weakness in Clark's character, it's that for most of the movie he's driven by the ideas of his fathers than his own conscious.

Zod and his Kryptonian army serve as the appropriate foils for a rebooted franchise.  There's nothing extraordinary about his character other than his raw power, nothing special about his his villainy than its scope.  The most depth the character shows is at his bitter end, when he forces Superman's hand and we see the lengths he'll go to avenge the extinction of his people.

While Perry isn't a major character, he's what you'd expect, while Jenny Olsen isn't on-screen long enough to judge.

The plot is nothing special, but it’s serviceable for a reboot.  The script is average.  But there’s no  confusion when it comes to motivations and how one event connects to another.  WB played it safe, and who can blame them.  Man of Steel does big and dumb as well as it can be done.  While movies like The Dark Knight, Iron Man, and The Avengers elevated its movie genre, Man of Steel maintains a safe medium.

As far as wit and charm:  you're not gong to crack many smiles the first 25 minutes. Yes, it's dour. I mean, if you were to put a rainbow on Krypton I’m sure it would be upside down. There are plenty of missed opportunities for humor a franchise like Iron Man would knock out of the park.  But is this a dark movie?  No.  And Superman sure as hell isn’t gritty.  The mood dramatically lightens once Lois is introduced and the star character can embrace who he really is.

You ride dragonflies. I think you can afford to crack a smile, bro.

This isn't a cold film by any stretch, but it's not as welcoming for long-time fans as a reboot could be.

Directing/Editing

Snyder gives the movie a nice sci-fi horror flair for a good portion of the film, which gradually gives way to a character study, which gradually gives way to hard-core action.  There's a fractured feel to the movie as it seems to move from scene to scene in the early parts.  It's doesn't destroy the cohesion of the film, but it's...

FLASHBACK! Yeah, the goddamn flashbacks can be annoying, but it serves the narrative, and the transitions are pretty seamless.

Acting

Henry Cavill is a good Superman, able to convey Clark's conflicted nature. Physically, he's perfect.  With a rigid jawline and razor-sharp abs that seemingly cut through shirts, he provides a diversity of sexism most superhero movies fail to match.  If Snyder's Watchmen had blue dong, Cavill gives the director a chance to showcase Big Blue Bulge.  By the end, Cavill emotes a Clark that's fully evolved, ready to embrace the world and take it by storm.

Amy Adams is a talented actress and brings her own flair to Lois.  As said earlier, she plays the character smart, with verve aplenty, and is nobody's fool

The rest of the cast, specifically Kevin Costner, play their parts the best they can.  Michael Shannon is the only exception, as he seem restricted by the material, and Zod seems wasted as a result.

Action/SFX

Breathtaking. The action sequences are easily the best of any superhero movie ever.  It's visceral and at times brutal, and some sequences look like they were lifted directly from Mortal Kombat (in a good way).

Superman punches.  And punches.  And punches.  He punches men, he punches women, and if you're too close to the screen I’m sure he’d punch you too.

As far as the action being too long or monotonous...if you're an action/superhero movie fan and find that flaw, you probably should stop watching action movies altogether and relax with a nice evening of merlot and chemical castration.

Score

Hans Zimmer’s score is, as always, exemplary.  For the most part the movie takes advantage of it, even if there are moments the score seemed weirdly out of place.  The music for the small moments were great, but after a certain point in the movie the small moments disappeared, rendering the music useless.

What Man of Steel is

A fresh, but flawed, reintroduction to the Superman mythos with breathtaking action to easily make it worth the price of admission.

What Man of Steel isn't

A movie about any Superman we've come to know. This is a Superman built specifically for the big-screen, with an actor with shoulders broad enough to carry the fortunes of the DC Movieverse.

What Man of Steel means for a DC Movieverse

Its box office success means everything, and if my local theater is an indication, it WILL be a success.  The theater was packed and there was applause at the end.  Being the idiots that we are, we waited for an after-credit scene that never came, but the fact almost everyone was willing to do so says a lot.

Overall Score: 7.5/10

Not as good as the the Nolan Batman movies, The Avengers, or the first Iron Man, and on a level just above the original Spiderman and X1.  However, the action sequences set it apart.

Expect a Superman/Hello Kitty comic to be released in 2014.

Hello Kitty and the Justice League will be teaming up to steal money out of parents' wallets.  Sanrio and Warner Bros. announced that the companies had reached an agreement that will see Hello Kitty appear on various merchandise dressed as Superman, Batman and Wonder Woman.  The move is seen as a great way to expose young children to DC's superheroes and develop new non-traditional superhero fans. 

Man of Steel spoilers follow in the joke below.

However, we don't know whether Sanrio will try to synergize the Hello Kitty/Justice League line with the rest of DC's property.  Personally, I'd love to buy my little girl a t-shirt featuring SuperHello Kiity snapping General Zod Hello Kitty's while making out with Wonder Hello Kitty.  I guess we'll just have to wait until next year to find out. 

New images from Disney's upcoming animated tale are online.

Though some Disney has shown a few images from their upcoming animated feature film Frozen, they were mostly concept art. The images published today show the final look of the movie.

Frozen involves the character of Anna (Kristen Bell) who goes on a dangerous journey to find her older sister Elsa (Idina Menzel) who has feld because she accidentally set off a curse which left their kingdom... frozen in Winter. Of course, she'll be joined by a man named Kristoff, a reindeer (Sven) and a talking snowman (Olaf). The story is loosely based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen.

Frozen hits theaters on November 27, 2013.

For all the console talk this year, RPG/MMO's made a pretty big splash and 'The Division' ended up one of the biggest surprises of E3.

The game nobody saw coming.  The Division closed out Ubisoft's E3 press conference with the type of shock and awe effect we wish all of these events had.  Very few reveals at the show still have gamers talking about them:  Sony's "drop the mic" moment at the end of their event when they announced the price of the PS4, Elder Scrolls Online announcing that it was coming to console; The Division deserves a place among them.  It wasn't just an announcement trailer that sealed the deal, but offering up a gameplay trailer, ensuring their booth would be packed for the next three days of E3.

The setting for The Division is the very near future, our society has nearly collapses and they stress "nearly."  Things can be turned around, and that will be the goal of the players.  As the E3 Gameplay trailer showed, the players save a policie station, restoring their service to the surrounding area, helping the city recover.  Piece by piece they will help pull New York City from the brink.

The players will be highly-trained agents from a secret organization meant to deal with a "dark winter scenario," and will begin the game just three weeks after a virus was released on black friday, bringing about the collapse.

As you play the game and level up, you'll get points to spend on skills, but it will be up to the player as to how those points are divided up.

“We don’t have hard archetypes in our game.  If you play RPGs, you know a lot of time there will be a healer, DPS and tank. We want that trinity, and that holy trinity is important for any RPG in general. But the way we are doing ‘classes’ is different.”

If you want to focus on a particular role, you certainly can, but the choices are up to the player with all skills open and changeable.  How you communicate and prepare for an encounter will be just as important as how you build your character, as you can see in the E3 demo as we watch the players load up damage boosts and group healing.
 

If you prefer to fight your battles alone, you'll be able to do so as well, as the game is fully playable in single player.  For those that don't mind socializing however, there will be more than the tactical action we've seen in the trailer, including faction battles and player-vs-player.  (You'll notice at the end of the trailer, as the players wait for extraction, they are engaged by another group of players.)   Not much more is known how the PvP will work, but Ubisoft promises more information to come before release.

“You’ll be able to craft new weapons and items for yourself or your fellow agents, or put it on the market,” Barnard says. “The market will take a cut of it, of course. But having a very deep economy is important, so players have activities that aren’t always just about fighting.”

So many games now are attempting to incorporate tablets/apps into the gaming experience, but The Division has taken the concept to a new level and offered the sort of second-screen experience worth having. 

Again, if you refer to the gameplay trailer, you'll notice during the firefight at the police station that another player joins the battle controlling a drone.  That person is playing on a tablet in real-time using the companion app.  It will allow players to control a drone and join other players, earning experience and skills in a very similar manner.

As for the endgame, Ubisoft isn't letting go of that yet.  Though they have said there will be an end game, and the game will be playable after that event, we'll have to wait until they are willing to give up more details.

The Division is coming to XBox One and Playstation 4 in 2014, and Ubisoft is considering bringing the game to PC as well, if there is enough player feedback for it.

source: Ubiblog & E3

Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire will bring DC fans Justice League 3000, a take on the far future of DC's premier superhero team.

Earlier today, ComicBookResources, as part of their ongoing incestuous and sycophantic relationship with major comic book publishers, revealed exclusively that Keith Giffen, JM DeMatteis and Kevin Maguire will be launching Justice League 3000, a new ongoing series, in the fall for DC Comics. This creative team is particularly popular for their run on Justice League International like thirty years ago, when most of our readers still had hair. The book will star future versions of Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and The Flash, proving once and for all that even 997 years into the future, the comic book industry will still be incapable of publishing successful books with superheroes who didn't exist in 1970 or earlier.

Though CBR had the exclusive, because they have alleged sexual corporate relations with DC Comics, Outhouse staff writer Punchy was the first to report the news to our readers. Unfortunately, despite having a clear pass to post anything he wants on the Outhouse front page, he lazily just posted it on our forums, linking to the CBR article. Well done, Punchy. You're a credit to your people.

Here's some images we downloaded from CBR. Was that so hard, Punchy? Was it so hard?!

A promo has smashed through of the new animated series starring the Hulk and friends.

Hulk: Agents of S.M.A.S.H. smashes onto Disney XD on August 11.

Ryan Stegman, the Superior Spider-Man artist has posted the the cover to Scarlet Spider #20 and it features Kaine fighting.. BEN REILLY?!

When the Scarlet Spider series started, there was a promise made by Marvel Editor Steve Wacker that, if the book succeeded, Clone Saga star Ben Reilly would return in it's pages. A month ago, series writer Christopher Yost teased in an interview with Newsarama that Ben Reilly would be returning in Scarlet Spider #20.

Just an hour ago, Superior Spider-Man artist Ryan Stegman posted this on his Deviantart account:

Prepare yourselves, web-heads. With Spider-Man 2099 aka Miguel O'Hara returning in Superior Spider-Man #17, it looks like we're truly heading toward Reign of the Spider-Men.

In the latest teaser for the final issue of Age of Ultron, Marvel Comics hints at the next big super-mega-crossover event.

When The Outhouse's top snark writers gathered together to create a list of the top twenty shocking endings to Age of Ultron, the last thing we expected was for any of the ridiculous predictions to actually be true. However, with the release of the latest teaser image promoting the universe-shattering conclusion to the super-mega-crossover event, it seems that one of those predictions is looking more likely:

#6 - Various time-displaced Wolverines from all the time travel shenanigans that occurred in the series begin popping into existence, leading directly into Marvel's next big event, Crisis of Infinite Wolverines, written by a swooning and pining Jason Aaron. Sales on that series are so high it becomes the new Marvel status quo indefinitely.

Absurd, isn't it? Well, maybe not so much, if you view the teaser below:

Obviously, this teaser raises a number of important questions:

Will the Marvel Universe really become All Wolverine, All the Time after Age of Ultron?! With the number of teams Wolverine appears on, combined with multiple solo books and guest appearances in other titles, will anyone even notice?! With Wolverine being widely regarded as the moral compass of the Marvel Universe, if two Wolverines disagree, how will we know which is right?! Are they both right?! Is it possibly for Wolverine to be wrong?! Will Marvel need to hire an intern whose sole job is to dump ice cubes down the pants of Jason Aaron to keep him from overheating while writing this book?!

Stay tuned to The Outhouse and we'll keep you up to date, and don't forget to read our full list of the top twenty predictions for the ending of AoU. Age of Ultron #10 hits stores in two days, and the Marvel Universe will NEVER BE THE SAME!!!!!!111

We take a look at how the announcement of the new series leaves us wondering what DC was thinking.

While we're officially taking a stance of "begrudging enthusiasm" for DC's new Superman/Wonder Woman series due to the involvement of Outhouse heartthrob Charles Soule, something really ground our gears when it came to the announcement of the title.  If you're remotely familiar with the comic industry, you know that DC has a certain...reputation when it comes to the treatment of female characters, namely that they're largely treated like animated sex pillows for sad perverts to ogle in the corner of their basement bedrooms.  This has led to some fierce criticism by the fanbase (and bloggers) which inevitably springs up everytime they announce some hare-brained plot twist involving female characters. 

DC knows this is the reaction that they garner, and they're also aware that the romance between Superman and Wonder Woman has been panned by most of the industry, largely as the romance has been bland and one-dimensional under the hands of Geoff Johns in Justice League.  There's also a very justified fear that DC will portray Wonder Woman as a love interest to Superman first and an independent character second, one that isn't helped by DC's top-selling comic recently revealing that Batman's contingency plan for Wonder Woman is to have Superman kill her (for realz).

With all of these fears and misgivings floating around, one would think that DC would put its best foot forward in framing the book and give Soule a chance to pitch the series to fans who could easily make the book sink.  After all, what are sites like IGN or CBR for if not to provide incredibly friendly platforms for DC and Marvel to sell comics to fans?  Instead, DC chooses to release a one paragraph statement about the comic, saying nothing about the plot outside of that it'll focus on Superman and Wonder Woman's romance, and also reveals the cover to the first issue, which shows the two characters locking lips. 

No comment or interview for Soule, no bland marketing blurb by Didio or Haras, nothing.  Just a cover, featuring the last thing that anyone wants to see Superman and Wonder Woman do in a comic. Could DC spare no one to give IGN something about this book?  Is there nothing anyone could say about this book besides "this'll focus on that romance we've done a crappy job portraying"? 

The question here is whether DC really thinks that a Superman/Wonder Woman romance book is something that will generate any buzz simply on name recognition.  That's seems to be what DC thinks.  After all, unlike Earth 2, which got a full blown feature on MTV Geek and PR blurbs from both new writer Tom Taylor and Nicola Scott, Superman/Wonder Woman's announcement was all but dialed in.  Seriously, IGN couldn't muster more than six sentences to talk about the book at all. 

So instead of generating any sort of really positive buzz, we're left with naysayers complaining about how crappy Wonder Woman is going to be treated and how Wonder Woman's been relegated to second billing, with the only defense being "I don't think Charles Soule would do that."  Which he won't, because he's awesome.  Still, that's not the strongest defense against DC's proud history of finding new ways to destroy their female superheroes. 

Now, I firmly believe that Charles Soule will make this comic not suck.  And if DC tries to turn Wonder Woman into a one-dimensional sex pillow, he'd quit rather than write it.  I have that much faith in the man.  However, DC has once again done itself no favors by letting  imaginations run wild with what this book could be about and setting an already divided fanbase into even more of a tizzy. So, good job DC.  Way to not build any sort of hype with your books whatsoever. 

This marks the third...fourth time that the books have crossed over in the last year?!

Bleeding Cool is reporting that the Green Lantern titles will crossover for a third time this year in an event entitled Lights Out.  This marks the third time in the last year that the Green Lantern books have crossed over with one another, following The Rise of the Third Army and Wrath of the First Lantern. 

DC seems obsessed with the crossovers as of late, whether it's Night of the Owls and Death of the Family over in the Batbooks, the Rise of H'el in the Superbooks, the Black Diamond crossover between all the soon to be cancelled/already cancelled series, the Trinity War and Rise of Atlantis JL crossovers or the linewide Villains Month and Zero Month events.

Marvel does this too, of course (Wolverine and the X-Men has had as many crossovers issues with events than it has independent issues), but it feels that DC can't go a single month without a lot of their top-sellers crossing over, especially during this last year. 

Now, this rumor hasn't been confirmed, but if it's true (and BC's been spot-on about this stuff recently), I think it'll be time to have a crossover intervention at DC. 

With SPHINX under his command, Gary aka the former Henchman 21 takes center-stage as he attempts to bring the organization back to the forefront!

Gary decides to take things up a notch and begin open recruitment SPHINX. Only thing is the people he recruits? Old generation SPHINX members. You know what that means to me yeeeeessss.. COBRA COMMANDER PARODY!!!!! Also Hank dons the Baroness-like costume and weird feelings are had all around. Meanwhile, the Monarch and Mrs. Monarch go deep undercover as beaver inspectors to destroy Dr. Venture!

Poor Gary. The former Henchmen 21 is really trying to leave his former lifestyle, yet it seems that lifestyle no matter what will always be forced onto him. I mean sure he has flickers of just awesome as demonstrated when he assists Sgt. Hatred in taking down the Monarch's latest attempt. Yet any attempt at being progressive in SPHINX? Dashed. He's a good soldier, but a leader? Yeah, Gary just hasn't reached that pinnacle. I thought he did in the season premiere, but nope this episode showed me how wrong I was in that. I'm curious where Gary goes from here. His home is now torched (thanks you over reacting Sgt. Hatred), and SPHINX is no more. If there's any plus to this entire episode for him at least he's in better with Brock and Shore Leave now along with getting that nifty crossbow.

Alright, I've gone on long enough and must talk about what I really enjoyed most about this episode. Ever since SPHINX was introduced in the Venture Brothers it was a clear homage to being Cobra from G.I. Joe. We were always teased that several Cobra homages worked for SPHINX (the biggest being their “Destro” who got decapitated and then his head was used in a ping pong match with a pair of O.S.I. jets. Tonight, we got a truck load of Cobra homages along with nods to both the cartoon and the comics written by Larry Hama.

So yeah.. SPHINX Commander was probably the greatest one-shot Venture Brothers character for me ever. They nailed and parodied everything about him to perfection. From the perfect impersonation from Chris McCulloch channeling Chris Latta's voice (seriously that was just a chilling job how he nailed it) to even the homage of his unmasked self ripped from the Hama comics. It was absolute icing on the cake of this episode for me. This episode is going to get mad replay value from me.

Though it might for other reasons as well, with a doozy of a revelation tonight. I was wondering where the Monarch and Mrs. Monarch's plan would go tonight. Really I thought it was just them accidentally compounding the matter of Hatred's distrust for Gary. It did that yes, but we got something else as well. Something that was laid out tonight to set up a future plot line. Way back in the series, we had a very Fantastic Four-like atmosphere explaining why the Monarch hates Rusty Venture. It was a Reed Richards/Dr. Doom type relationship. Tonight, the first hint was dropped it could be much more than that with the Monarch finding a picture of the two as children. As the Monarch plainly states: “WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?!”

Well, it could mean a bunch of things and I'm not gonna delve into those can of worms given this show takes it's time with subplots such as these. More so, the pay off could be even a parody as well (need I remind anyone of the Orb subplot). We just don't know when and where this subplot will pay off. I'd wager the earliest might be this season finale. The actuality of when this will pay off? Not until next season. Still, this is a bombshell in the making possibly if Hammer and Publick go with this. Some fans always wondered if there was more to the two characters, and we know in the past Jonas Sr. was a swinger. Is it possible he had a third child? Time will tell.

This episode delivered a load of payoffs to some lingering plots started way back in Season 3. It wasn't a waste to see all these Cobra homages fully be cast. Hank wearing the Baroness-type outfit was hilarious and went perfectly to the right areas I thought it would go. I am almost sad we never got a “Storm Shadow” vs. Brock moment (heck he was even voiced by the Ladies' Man himself Tim Meadows come on.. why didn't we get the big fight?!), but the Shore Leave vs. “Major Bludd” and the way the former casually owned the later was great. Likewise Brock vs. SPHINX Commander more than made up for the lack of what my mind wanted to see. Oh boy did it ever and I still want more!! MORE SPHINX COMMANDER!! *ahem* Sorry about that I cannot help or control myself. Still, after two bright and hopeful episodes.. FAILURE returned with a vengeance. It's curtain cast deep into Gary tonight and with SPHINX gone where will he go from here? As always, I cannot wait for the answers.

5 out of 5

DC has announced a series focusing on the budding relationship between Wonder Woman and Superman. The Outhouse refuses to mock this.

DC made a masterful move when it announced a new series entitled Superman/Wonder Woman, which will focus on the two character's "budding relationship."  Let's take a look at the conversation in DC's office that led to the book's announcement.

Dan Didio: So, it's decided then.  We're going to release a Superman/Wonder Woman series.  You know, the Outhouse will attack us for this.  They'll never let us live down a book inspired by Geoff Johns having his action figures make out after battles.

Bob Harras: WE HATES THE OUTHOUSES.  WE WISHES IT WOULDS DIE *Gollum, Gollum*.

Didio: We all hate the Outhouse, Bob.  But wishing that their incredibly full-haired and sexy writers would drop dead will get us nowhere.  We need to figure out a way to defang them preemptively. 

Jim Lee: (sitting in the shadows):  I know what we need to do to take care of the Outhouse.

Harras: EATS THEM LIKE A RAW FISHES? 

Lee: No... We bring in Charles Soule.  (flips the collar to his polo shirt)

Didio: Brilliant, Jim! There's a reason you're the co-publisher.

Harras: GOLLUM! GOLLUM!  *claps hands and cackles*

That's right, Charles Soule will be the writer of Superman/Wonder Woman.  We love Soule and we think he's a damn good writer, so we're not going to mock this book at all.  If there is one person who I think could actually give us an organic, non-cringeworthy Superman/Wonder Woman romance that doesn't simultaneously insult women and people of good taste, it's Soule. (Yes, I'm not a fan of the relationship thus far)  I seriously have that much faith in the man to make it work.

Oh, Tony Daniel is on art, so there's that too.  Here's the cover of the two characters kissing.  May this be the last time we ever see a cover like that.