This just in from the folks at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find:
YES YES YESSSSSSSSS
At long last we have officially set our dates for Heroes Convention 2010: JUNE 4-6, 2010. From some of the behind-the-scenes goings-0n, HeroesCon 2010 looks like it’s going to be the biggest HeroesCon ever, which is saying something if you’ve ever been to one.
For all the details, visit the Heroes Blog.
The media’s going batshit over the news that Disney is buying Marvel Entertainment. Here’s a look at just a smidgen of what’s been written so far:
• Will Disney Disrupt the Marvel Universe? — Politicsdaily.com
• Uslan and Disney Speak Out on Blockbuster Deal — Comicbookresources.com
• Stan Lee Calls Disney Deal ‘Perfect’ — Newsarama.com
• Pow! Bam! Are takeovers back? [Yeah, awful headline ...] — CNN.com
• Marvel/Disney marriage fallout: Fox preps more crappy Fantastic Four movies — AV Club
• And the coolest link so far: Disney/Marvel mashups — SuperPunch
In possibly the biggest comic book news in the last 30 years — in case you haven’t heard it yet — today it was announced that Disney has purchased Marvel Entertainment.
Wow, right?
Honestly, I don’t know how to even express my sheer flabbergasted-ness over this whole thing. Trust me folks, this is earth-shattering. And, of course the Internet is freaking out over it.
Now, only time will tell if this is a good or bad move for Marvel and the comic book industry. Will Disney meddle with Marvel’s comic content (MAX comics, anyone?) — or is this finally the industry’s opportunity to reach out to a much-needed younger audience?
More on this later … but … wow.
It’s Wednesday.
For normal folk, that means “hump day” has arrived and the weekend is almost here. But for geeks like me, Wednesday is a truly glorious day — it’s the day that new comic books flow into shops all around the country.
I’ve been personally making a weekly trek to the comic shop on this day of the week for more than 20 years, and I get excited with anticipation the same way each and every time. (And, no, I don’t live with my mother.)
Anyway, what’s hitting stands today and what’s worth grabbing? I’ll be providing a few “Quickie Comic Reviews” later today, but here’s a list of stuff I’m planning to pick up:
The latest issue of Previews: In case you don’t know, Previews is the catalog of upcoming comics and merchandise; it’s published by the industry’s largest distribution company, Diamond Comics. For collectors, Previews is an indispensable tool that shows you everything coming out from most of the comic publishers out there. I saw the art for this week’s cover and it’s featuring the soon-to-be-released limited series Image United. We’ll see if that comic comes out on time. In the meantime, snag a copy of Previews and stay in the loop.
Usagi Yojimbo No. 122: A consistently entertaining read every month.
Batman and Robin No. 3: I’ve been loving Grant Morrison’s relaunch of the Batman franchise, and — while this issue is a tad late — I’m excited to see how he and artist Frank Quitley wrap up the first story arc.
More DC books: Along with Batman and Robin, it looks like I’ll be picking up a bunch more comics from DC this week, including the latest issues of Detective Comics (for the incredible art alone, although I am loving the Question backup story), Flash: Rebirth (another late comic, but I’m hanging on until the end) Green Lantern, Wednesday Comics, JSA and Wonder Woman.
Bart Simpson Comics No. 49: Like Usagi Yojimbo, it’s just damned funny every issue.
Marvel Comics: From the folks at Marvel, I’ll be on the lookout for Dark Avengers No. 8, Fantastic Four No. 570 (the start of the new creative team), Guardians of the Galaxy No. 17 (yeah, I still love it), New Avengers No. 56, New Mutants No. 4 and Secret Warriors No. 7 (one of my favorite new books).
Buck Rogers No. 3: This is my last attempt to read this comic. The first few issues were decent, but not incredible.
Check back later for a few reviews.
The latest news — or what I find interesting (so there) — from the world of comics:
• Looks like comic publishers the Dabel Brothers owe lots of cash. (Has anybody ever bought a Dabel Brothers comic?)
• A new writer for Thor. (I really loved JMS’ recent run on the book. He’ll be missed.)
• Wow — a Spider-Woman No. 1 preview (see pic above). Been waiting a looooonnnggg time for this one. The motion comics hits iTunes tomorrow as well.
• Midnight, Mass. the TV show (based on the comic from Vertigo).
The good folks at Heroes Aren’t Hard to Find — the comic book shop that provides books to Creative Loafing and that I personally frequent once per week — is having a surprise sale tonight at 9 p.m.
The sale is apparently in honor of Marvel’s 70th anniversary; be on the lookout for the first issue of The Marvels Project limited series — by Ed Brubaker and Steve Epting — and deals on a ton of back issues. Visit the shop’s site for all the details.
The latest news from the world of comics:
• Marvelman: Joe Quesada talks about Marvel Comics’ newest acquisition. Hey, some folks are jaded but I’m excited.
• Gareb Shamus talks Wizard magazine: The once must-read mag is now in trouble and Shamus blabs about it. I used to read it a lot more — before the Web became the central source for comic book news.
• iGoogle Comic Themes: Some of comics biggest talents have teamed up to make Google prettier.
• Comics creators who are also performers: That crazy muthafucker Warren Ellis gives you the details.
Just saw this via Twitter … the Stark Industries Web site is up. And apparently they’re hiring (check the employment page).
Here are some of the freshest headlines ripped from the world comics:
• An eight-page preview of Cry For Justice No. 2. It looks good. And the dialogue — which many fans complained about — reads better.
• What’s happening with the Doctor Who movie? Read right here to find out.
• Gary Oldman apparently released some info about the next Batman film at Comic-Con — then recently back-peddled a bit.
• Jennifer Love-Hewitt is … the new Wonder Woman?
• Manga goes mobile in a big way.
Geoff Johns makes Flash film: WOW. Cool shit!
Perhapanauts update: Writer Todd Dezago talks about why this book seems to go M.I.A. a few months at a time.
A Justice Society preview: A look at what the new creative team has in store for us readers. I was a big fan of Geoff Johns’ run on the book (well, except for that “Kingdom” story arc), so we’ll see how the new guys do.
What’s up with Dwayne McDuffie?: He got fired from the JLA, and I didn’t think that was cool. But here’s what he’s got planned next.
