Image Comes To Comixology

ComiXology, one of the leading platforms for digital comic book distribution, has added another publisher to it’s line-up. Image Comics enters the digital market with the launch of the Image Comics app for the iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. The app was developed on the comiXology platform, and gives fans will access to the creator-owned comics that Image publishes.

Among the independent content now available digitally are Image’s most popular titles, including Savage Dragon, Chew, Battle Pope and Rob Liefeld’s Youngblood. The Image Comics app will also be the first to feature Haunt, the comic book collaboration between industry heavy weights Todd McFarlane and Robert Kirkman.

“With the launch of the Image Comics app, we have an opportunity to provide our creators with the digital support that, for many of them, was unattainable before,” says Image Publisher Eric Stephenson. “comiXology has established a very impressive track record of bringing independent content into the digital world. Today represents a milestone in our growth as a company and enables us to increase the availability of the fantastic titles we publish.”

“Our partnership with Image is indicative of our shared vision to help independent creators thrive in the traditional print community as well as the explosive digital marketplace,” adds David Steinberger, CEO of comiXology. “The demand for creator-owned content is at an all time high, and we are thrilled to be able to provide fans with what they want. We’re lucky now to work directly with Image and to offer the creators a clear path to the digital market.”

You can purchase your comics in the Image app, or on the Comics by comiXology app. And the comics will be available under “My Comics” in both apps and on the web at comics.comixology.com. The Image Comics app is available to download for free from the iTunes App Store. Individual issues for ongoing series are priced for $1.99, and Image will be offering fans free issues of several popular titles, along with sneak peeks of upcoming titles, and other exclusive content.

You can check out the selection of Image titles available by going to the Image section of the store here.

Avengers #4 Teaser Image

Marvel has released a teaser image for the upcoming Avengers #4, and this story looks like it has a whole lot going on. Front and center is Ultron, who can carry a comic by himself. He’s destroyed countries. He’s a nightmare. He’s one of those villians that make you say “Oh, $H!T” when you see him.

And if Ultron isn’t enough, we have Dr. Doom down in the right hand corner. And a bit above Doom is the Juggernaut. And you can see Magneto below Ultron’s right arm. What’s with all of the baddies? I wonder if it has something to do with Kang the Conqueror who is featured in the middle of the image. Kang is a big time Avengers villain himself, but it becomes more interesting with what’s around him. There’s Cyclops in his original costume near the lower left corner. You have Giant-Man knocked out on the left. And that’s not a character and costume that has been seen in a while. And there’s a few others in there that I’m not sure if they were deceased, or are possibly wearing old costumes. At any rate, this looks like a big story.

AVENGERS #4

On-Sale-8/25/10

$3.99

Written by BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS                                                                                                                                                                                            Pencils & Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.                                                                                                                                                                                          Variant Cover by JOHN ROMITA JR.                                                                                                                                                                                            Women of Marvel Frame Variant by JIM CHEUNG

Marvel Brings Back CrossGen

At the Comic Con International convention, Joe Quesada held a Cup O’ Joe panel to talk about some of the happenings at Marvel. During the panel he showed the above images on a screen while saying, “We received some intellectual property from Disney. Now, we’re not going to talk about it, but we’re just going to show you these pictures.” Gasps were heard in the crowd.

As he said, no information was given at this time, but it seems clear that Marvel will be bringing CrossGen, or at least some of their properties to Marvel. I’m wondering if Marvel will bring all, or just some of the former CrossGen titles over the the House of Ideas? Will they be using the CrossGen imprint to publish these comics under, or will it simply be under the basic Marvel banner? And will they keep these titles in a separate universe, or will they some how be merged with the mainstream Marvel Universe? It’ll be interesting to see what happens with these comic books.

Eisner Award Winners Announced

The 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Winners

Best Short Story

“Urgent Request,” by Gene Luen Yang and Derek Kirk Kim, in The Eternal Smile (First Second)

Best Single Issue (or One-Shot)

Captain America #601: “Red, White, and Blue-Blood,” by Ed Brubaker and Gene Colan (Marvel)

Best Continuing Series

The Walking Dead, by Robert Kirkman and Charles Adlard (Image)

Best Limited Series or Story Arc

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Eric Shanower and Skottie Young (Marvel)

Best New Series

Chew, by John Layman and Rob Guillory (Image)

Best Publication for Kids

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz hc, by L. Frank Baum, Eric Shanower, and Skottie Young (Marvel)

Best Publication for Teens

Beasts of Burden, by Evan Dorkin and Jill Thompson (Dark Horse)

Best Humor Publication

Scott Pilgrim vol. 5: Scott Pilgrm vs. the Universe, by Brian Lee O’Malley (Oni)

Best Anthology

Popgun vol. 3, edited by Mark Andrew Smith, D. J. Kirkbride, and Joe Keatinge (Image)

Best Digital Comic

Sin Titulo, by Cameron Stewart, www.sintitulocomic.com/

Best Reality-Based Work

A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Adaptation from Another Work

Richard Stark’s Parker: The Hunter, adapted by Darwyn Cooke (IDW)

Best Graphic Album-New

Asterios Polyp, by David Mazzuccheilli (Pantheon)

Best Graphic Album-Reprint

Absolute Justice, by Alex Ross, Jim Krueger, and Doug Braithewaite (DC)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Strips

Bloom County: The Complete Library, vol. 1, by Berkeley Breathed, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best Archival Collection/Project-Comic Books

The Rocketeer: The Complete Adventures deluxe edition, by Dave Stevens, edited by Scott Dunbier (IDW)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material

The Photographer, by Emmanuel Guibert, Didier Lefèvre, and Frédéric Lemerier (First Second)

Best U.S. Edition of International Material-Asia

A Drifting Life, by Yoshihiro Tatsumi (Drawn & Quarterly)

Best Writer

Ed Brubaker, Captain America, Daredevil, Marvels Project (Marvel) Criminal, Incognito (Marvel Icon)

Best Writer/Artist

David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)

Best Writer/Artist-Nonfiction

Joe Sacco, Footnotes in Gaza (Metropolitan/Holt)

Best Penciller/Inker or Penciller/Inker Team

J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)

Best Painter/Multimedia Artist (interior art)

Jill Thompson, Beasts of Burden (Dark Horse); Magic Trixie and the Dragon (HarperCollins Children’s Books)

Best Cover Artist

J. H. Williams III, Detective Comics (DC)

Best Coloring

Dave Stewart, Abe Sapien, BPRD, The Goon, Hellboy, Solomon Kane, Umbrella Academy, Zero Killer (Dark Horse); Detective Comics (DC); Northlanders, Luna Park (Vertigo)

Best Lettering

David Mazzuccheilli, Asterios Polyp (Pantheon)

Best Comics-Related Periodical/Journalism

The Comics Reporter, produced by Tom Spurgeon, www.comicsreporter.com

Best Comics-Related Book

The Art of Harvey Kurtzman: The Mad Genius of Comics, by Denis Kitchen and Paul Buhle (Abrams ComicArts)

Best Publication Design

Absolute Justice, designed by Curtis King and Josh Beatman (DC)

Will Eisner Spirit of Comics Retailer Award

Vault of Midnight, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Hall of Fame

Burne Hogarth
Bob Monatna
Steve Gerber
Dick Giordano
Michael Kaluta
Mort Weisinger

Bob Clampett Humanitarian Award

Jeannie Schulz

Bill Finger Award for Achievement in Comic Book Writing

Otto Binder, Gary Friedrich

Russ Manning Most Promising Newcomer

Award

Marian Churchland (Beast)

List provided by Comic-Con International

Harvey Pekar Passes Away

Harvey Pekar, the comic book writer known for American Splendor has passed away. Cleveland Heights police captain Michael Cannon said that Pekar suffered from prostate cancer, asthma, high blood pressure, and depression, but his cause of death is unknown. An autopsy is being planned. He was 70.

Pekar’s wife called the police to their home around 1 a.m. His body was found on the floor by the bed. His wife offered that he was in good spirit when he went to bed around 4:30 pm on Sunday.

Instead of following the trend of super-heroes that dominates American comics, Pekar’s American Splendor was an unglamorous and honest autobiographical portrayal of his life. He chronicled his life as a file clerk in Cleveland, as well as his relationship with his third wife, Joyce Brabner. His 1994 graphic novel, Our Cancer Year, detailed his fight with lymphoma.

Pekar didn’t draw the comics himself, instead he collaborated with artist such as his friend R. Crumb, who drew the first issue of American Splendor in 1976. In 2003 the comic was made into a critically acclaimed movie starring Paul Giamatti as Pekar. “Harvey was one of the most compassionate and emphatic human beings I’ve ever met,” Giamatti said. “He had a huge brain and an even bigger soul. And he was hilarious. He was a great artist , a true American poet, and there is no one to replace him.”

Lucy Shelton Caswell, curator of the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum at Ohio State University said, ” He will be remembered as an innovator who wrote stories about ordinary things that were then illustrated by some of the most notable cartoonists of the late 20th century. People identified with what he was writing about and the stories that these people were drawing because it was so ordinary.”

Harvey Pekar brought something special to comic books. Instead of taking off for distant worlds or high fantasy, he gave people a real and honest look at himself. His work was personal, and it was brave for him to let others share in it. And he showed that an independent creator can contribute something of value to comics. He may not have reached stardom or wealth with his comic books, but what he gave to us is invaluable. He will be missed.

Dark Horse Brings Comics To Newspapers and More

Dark Horse Comics is teaming up with Toshiba, and USA Today for a new program that will bring comics to your desktop, doorstep, and even digital TV. Following up on the success of USA Today’s Wednesday Comics program, it was announced that the nation’s top-selling print newspaper will again showcase comic books. The program will feature exclusive and all-new original content from Dark Horse Comics’ top properties and creators across a variety of media platforms.

“As an entertainment company, Dark Horse prides itself on pushing the boundaries with groundbreaking creators and content,” said Mike Richardson, president and publisher of Dark Horse Comics. “We’re excited to continue this tradition by showcasing some of our most exciting stories in this all-new program with these great partners.”

“As a leader in home entertainment built on Toshiba’s rich 130-year history of groundbreaking technologies, we are proud to associate our products, including our new LED HDTVs and Blu-ray Disc players, with the compelling and legendary Dark Horse brand,” said Maria Repole, vice president of communications for Toshiba. “This truly exciting campaign will help Toshiba build a connection with a passionate group of consumers eager to experience fresh content in innovative ways.”

“USA Today is excited to be partnering with Toshiba and Dark Horse on this innovative program. It’s a terrific example of how USA Today can take exclusive content and turn it into a compelling cross-platform reader experience,” said Susan Lavington, senior vice president of marketing for USA Today.

The DH:HD (Dark Horse: High-Def) program kicks off with an exclusive look at best-selling author Janet Evanovich’s first graphic novel, Troublemaker, in USA Today. The newspaper and Toshiba will maintain momentum by continuing to showcase Dark Horse’s content online, in print, and at the Comic-Con International in San Diego and New York Comic Con. In October, Dark Horse will roll out a series of all-new stories created exclusively for the program.

Frank Miller Returns With Xerxes

It seems like its been a while since I’ve heard of anything from Frank Miller. The prolific comic book writer and artist has been one of my favorites in the past, but its been a couple of years since his last project, All-Star Batman and Robin, was unceremoniously dropped, and I haven’t heard of anything from him since then. That was until today, when Dark Horse Comics announced that they’ll begin hyping Miller’s next work by releasing a Xerxes lithograph this October.

Xerexes will be a prequel to the comic book series 300, that was later turned into a hit movie by Zack Snyder. It appears that the comic will be the story of the Persian king and is carrying the tagline “They Were 300. He was one.” The story will published as a six-issue miniseries by Dark Horse in 2011, but at this point no release date has been set.

The 24″ X 36″ lithograph can be ordered from the Dark Horse website. It will be drawn by Miller and colored by Dave Stewart, and it will comes in two forms, a $25 regular edition and a $100 edition that will be signed by the artist, and limited to 100 copies.

“The story will be the same heft as 300 but it covers a much, much greater span of time,” Miller told the Los Angeles Times. “It’s 10 years, not three days. This is a more complex story. The story is so much larger.”

“The Spartans in 300 were being enclosed by the page as the world got smaller,” continued Miller. “This story has truly vast subjects. The Athenian naval fleet, for instance, is a massive artistic undertaking and it [is] dwarfed by the Persian fleet, which is also shown in this story. The story has elements of espionage, too, and it’s a sweeping tale with gods and warriors.”

“The story is very different than 300 in that it involves Xerxes search for godhood,” continued Miller. “The existence of gods are presupposed in this story and the idea is that he well on his way to godhood by the end of the story.”

“To me [Xerxes] is such a pivotal character and in this story I get to explain him so much more fully,” explained Miller. “I do my best to crawl inside his head rather than have him be this iconic force that simply commands this huge army. There are many scenes with him alone or just with his people. There’s an extended scene set in Persepolis, for instance, where he takes power and there are several scenes where he is going through his transitions and he’s shown speaking to his mother and his wife and with all of that he becomes that much more interesting as a character.”

Xerxes may be the focus of the comic, but Miller revealed that two additional characters from 300 will return for cameo appearances, the malformed Spartan traitor, Ephialtes and King Leonidis. The story will also feature the Greek warlord Themistocles as the protagonist. Themistocles played a large role in the creation of the Athenian navy which will be seen in the climactic sea battle at the end of “Xerxes.”

“There is an aftermath that is like an extension of 300 because 300 ended so abruptly with all of them getting mowed down by arrows,” said Miller. “I do get into what happened after that and what the entire thing means to Xerxes. Xerxes is a megalomaniac and takes everything as a sign of his godhood. I’ve known people like that.”

I’ve enjoyed Frank Miller’s work, and he remains one of my favorites in the comic book industry. I just wish that there was a little less time in between projects for him. I don’t begrudge him for wanting to try his hand at movie making, but I am glad to see him return to comics. I would like to see it happen a little more often.

McFarlane Signing In New York

Todd McFarlane, one of the most popular artists in the comic book industry, will be making an appearance at Book Expo America in New York City. BEA is being held at the Javits Center on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, and Image Comics will be exhibiting there along with Diamond Book Distributors.

McFarlane, the creator of Spawn and one of the founders of Image Comics, will be at the booth booth (#4558) for an exclusive signing from 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Complimentary copies of the first HAUNT trade will be available during the signing. Image will also distribute copies of various Image Firsts titles throughout BEA.

“As the comic book culture continues to outgrow its historic roots of the comic book store, a big movement has been made towards book stores,” says McFarlane. “Book stores have now become fertile ground for people like myself, and I need to make sure I get out there, put my best foot forward, in terms of making presentations to the stores and letting retailers know what’s coming out. Now, they’re arguably just as many consumers coming to bookstores for comic product as comic book stores. They’re an extremely important part of our business.”

Alpha Flight Movie?

Earlier this year, Vincenzo Natali, the director of “Splice” and “Cube” had said that he would love to make a movie based on Alan Moore’s run on the Swamp Thing comic book.

However, complicated rights issues are blocking that from happening. Natali has told MTV News, “Unfortunately, there is no ‘Swamp Thing’ movie in the works right now because of all the legal entanglements involved with that particular property. I’m told it won’t happen any time soon.”

He continued on to say, “Everyone wants the Alan Moore version,” he said. “[But] it’s tricky because Alan Moore has very negative feelings toward the film industry … he’s not shy about it. I honestly don’t even know all of the complexities of the legal issues surrounding it, but I know they are complex.”

“It’s really unfortunate, because in my mind, Swamp Thing is one of the great DC characters. In particular, the Alan Moore version of Swamp Thing is so fascinating and totally original, unlike anything you’ve ever seen in a movie before.”

“I’d like to do it, but it ain’t going to happen soon,” he concluded.

However, Swamp Thing isn’t the only comic book property that he’s interested in. Natali offered that he would like a chance to make a movie based on the Canadian super hero team, Alpha Flight.

“For those who don’t know, Alpha Flight is a Canadian superhero group and it was drawn by one of my favorite Marvel artists, John Byrne,” he added. “He’s a genius.”

Natali stated that he’s neither approached Marvel about an Alpha Flight movie, nor has Marvel approached Natali, but the idea of a superhero group with ties to a country outside the U.S. appeals to him.

“I thought that would be interesting, to give a little Canadian angle on the superhero mythology,” he explained. “It’s an interesting group and it had a lot of different members, so you can take it in a number of different directions. I think it would be cool.”

As interesting as it may be, the current flood of comic properties making the jump to the big screen makes him pause.

“To be perfectly honest, I’m a little intimidated right now,” said Natali. “I feel like the world is slightly overcrowded with superheroes, and maybe I’d like to wait a little while before putting my toe into those waters.”

Alpha Flight may not be the world-renowned superstars of comic books, but they are a pretty cool group of characters. I’m all for seeing a movie with this team if you have Sasquatch, Guardian, Vindicator, Snowbird, Puck, and Box. And you have to have Box. I think that Alpha Flight is under rated. And I would like to see someone take on an Alpha Flight project that highlights these characters and pushes them to the top.

Mark Hamill To Direct The Black Pearl

Mark Hamill is bringing an adaptaion of his comic book The Black Pearl to theaters. Hamill, who will forever be remembered as playing Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy, and who stole the show on the small screen when he provided the voice of the Joker on Batman the Animated Series, announced at the Cannes Film Festival that he will direct the movie.

“It’s kind of daunting,” said Hamill, who is directing for the big screen for his first time. “The pendulum swings from great confidence to what did I get myself into?”

Hamill created The Black Pearl comic book with his cousin Eric Johnson. Originally the writing partners crafted The Black Pearl as a screen play, however, Dark Horse Comics was interested in the project and asked them to turn it into a graphic novel. It ended up being published as a 5-part mini-series.

The comic book is about Luther Drake, an average person who is thrust into the center of a media frenzy after he saves a woman from being abducted. An event that leads him to take on the role of a costumed vigilante.