800 PAGE INVINCIBLE LIBRARY HITS IN DECEMBER – NEWSARAMA

800 PAGE INVINCIBLE LIBRARY HITS IN DECEMBER – NEWSARAMA

800 PAGE INVINCIBLE LIBRARY HITS IN DECEMBER

---

Press Release

Coming this December, Image Comics is readying a
giant-sized limited edition hardcover chronicling the adventures of
Mark Grayson, the teen super hero INVINCIBLE!

Written by Wizard Fan Award winner Robert Kirkman and featuring artwork
by Russ Manning Award nominees Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley, plus colors
by Harvey Award nominated colorist Bill Crabtree, THE COMPLETE
INVINCIBLE LIBRARY, VOL. 1 HC collects INVINCIBLE #1-24, 0 and the Free
Comic Book Day 2004 story plus over 150 pages of sketchbook material,
covers, scripts and the original proposal! Clocking in at almost 800
pages, it will retail for $125.00.

“These big books are a treat to do. They’re a bit on the expensive
side, but you have to be able to afford an assistant just to help you
lift them so I figure people who can afford to lift them can afford to
buy them,” stated Kirkman. “I like giving people as much content as
possible in this big hardcovers and this thing delivers. There’s
literally not a sketch or scribble not contained in this book. This
book has everything but the brain cells that generated it.”

Following in the footsteps of the 2005’s WALKING DEAD DELUXE HC, the
INVINCIBLE LIBRARY is being released for the holidays and will never be
reprinted after its initial run of 2500 copies. There will also be a
signed & numbered edition signed by Robert Kirkman, Ryan Ottley
& Cory Walker, strictly limited to 300 copies.

“Last year we rolled out the The Walking Dead Deluxe Hardcover just in
time for the holidays and it was a big hit. I wanted to give Invincible
the same treatment and here we are!” exclaimed Kirkman. “These things
make excellent Christmas gifts! I’m giving one to my wife–she’s going
to LOVE it.”

Since its debut, INVINCIBLE has received widespread critical acclaim,
winning praise from ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, WIZARD, COMICS BUYER’S GUIDE
and a variety of comics websites. The series has also been optioned as
a feature film by Paramount Pictures, with Kirkman himself tapped to
write the screenplay.

“INVINCIBLE has really come into its own as one of the best superhero
books on the stands,” stated Image Comics Executive Director Eric
Stephenson. “We’re selling out every issue and sales are continuing to
climb, and this deluxe, limited edition collection should make the
perfect introduction for anyone looking to catch up on the series fast.”

THE COMPLETE INVINCIBLE LIBRARY, VOL. 1 HC is a 768-page limited
edition hardcover, available in a regular edition for $125.00 and a
signed & numbered edition for $175.00. Both books are available for
order in the October issue of Previews and will go on sale December 6.

powered by performancing firefox

MOON KNIGHT MOVING TO TELEVISION? – NEWSARAMA

MOON KNIGHT MOVING TO TELEVISION? – NEWSARAMA

MOON KNIGHT MOVING TO TELEVISION?

---

The
character is enjoying a solid resurgence in popularity thanks to the
ongoing series by Charlie Huston and David Finch, and now, according to
Variety, Moon Knight may be headed to television.

The trade today reported that Marvel Studios has joined with No Equal
Entertainment – a Vancouver-based production company – to develop a
live-action television series based on Moon Knight.

As Variety explains it, the series “will follow soldier of
fortune Marc Spector as he becomes the titular vigilante after an
encounter with the Egyptian god of vengeance and moon deity.”

The character first appeared in Werewolf by Night #32 in 1975, and was created by Doug moench and Don Perlin.

Issue #6 of Moon Knight is due in stores on November 15th.

Technorati Tags: comic books, Moon Knight,

powered by performancing firefox

DYNAMITE ANNOUNCES LONE RANGER CONTEST – NEWSARAMA

Already signed up!!

DYNAMITE ANNOUNCES LONE RANGER CONTEST – NEWSARAMA

DYNAMITE ANNOUNCES LONE RANGER CONTEST

---

Press Release

DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT ANNOUNCED that they will be giving
fans a chance to win a 12” x 18” mounted reproduction of the cover to
The Lone Ranger #1 signed by The Lone Ranger cover artist John
Cassaday. Included in the Grand prize is a collection of Dynamite’s The
Lone Ranger comic books.

Running until November 1st, 2006, one lucky winner in a random drawing
will receive the Grand Prize of a 12” x 18” mounted reproduction of the
cover to The Lone Ranger #1. This dynamite, one-of-a-kind display item
was produced for the Baltimore Comic Con where The Lone Ranger cover
artist John (Astonishing X-Men, Planetary) Cassaday was a special guest
and is autographed by Cassaday himself! Also included with the Grand
Prize is an incredible collection The Lone Ranger comic books,
including Variant Editions and the Baltimore Con Exclusive Edition!
Just look:

• The Lone Ranger #1 – Sold Out Regular Cover Edition from Dynamite’s file copies!
• The Lone Ranger #1 – Variant Cover Edition
• The Lone Ranger #1 – Virgin Cover Edition
• The Lone Ranger #1 – Baltimore Comic Con Exclusive
• The Lone Ranger #1 – Limited Edition Second Print Variant
• The Lone Ranger #2 – Regular Cover Edition!
• The Lone Ranger #2 – Limited Edition Variant
• The Lone Ranger #2 – B/W Edition Variant
• The Lone Ranger #2 – Virgin Cover Edition

In addition to the Grand Prize package, 10 First Prize winners will each receive a package of The Lone Ranger comics including:

• Lone Ranger #1 Second Printing Alternate Cover
• Lone Ranger #1 Alternate Cover

TO ENTER THE CONTEST: http://www.dynamiteentertainment.com…s/contest.html

The Lone Ranger is a powerful tale of the West and begins the origins
of the Lone Ranger in a way never before presented. A young man
searches for revenge, only to find justice… and that he’s something
greater than he ever thought he could be. Evoking shades of such
powerful Westerns as Unforgiven, the tone of such powerful modern
interpretations of the West as Deadwood, and written in the most
reverential way, this is the must-read comic of 2006.

The Lone Ranger #1 sold out on its first day in comic shops. A second
printing variant edition is available in stores and for re-order. THE
LONE RANGER #1 – LIMITED EDITION SECOND PRINT VARIANT (JUL063037)

In The Lone Ranger #2 (AUG063193), John Reid has been left for dead and
is found by an uneasy ally – Tonto! Determined to seek his revenge,
Reid forms a plan as Tonto aids in his recovery, but will Julius
Bartholomew, aka Black Bart, uncover the truth about Reid?

The Lone Ranger #2 (AUG063193) is available in comic shops now!
However, the initial print run for THE LONE RANGER #2 sold out as
orders and re-orders were shipping to Diamond. A limited edition
variant is available for re-order: THE LONE RANGER #2 – LIMITED EDITION
VARIANT (AUG068098).

The third and fourth issues of The Lone Ranger are scheduled for
November and December releases respectively and available for pre-order
now from your local specialty retailer. Due to the overwhelming demand
and strong praise in the form of reviews and comments from fans both
new and old, DYNAMITE requests specialty retailers review and adjust
their orders for issue #3 (SEP063219) still available for advance
re-order and as well as the upcoming issue #4 (OCT063330) available for
initial orders.

To find a comic shop near you. Visit Comic Shop Locator Service: http://csls.diamondcomics.com/
You can also access the Comic Shop Locator Service by calling toll free: 1-888-COMIC BOOK

Technorati Tags: comic books, Lone Ranger, contest

powered by performancing firefox

The Scoop – Mondo Media: Star Trek: It’s Not Dead, Jim

J.J. Abrams is a really good wirter, so I am really looking forward to the next film!

Mondo Media: Star Trek: It’s Not Dead, Jim

Star Trek: It’s Not Dead, Jim

Mondo Media, Scoop, Friday, October 13, 2006

Despite the best efforts of the people behind Star Trek: The Next
Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and the last few feature films,
Star Trek isn’t dead yet. The forty-year flame that appeared to be
snuffed out by Star Trek: Nemesis and that flickered ever-so-briefly
during the last (and some would say only good) season of Star Trek:
Enterprise, is once again making its fans dream of boldly going where no man
has gone before.

While we’re not talking warp speed yet, here’s some of
the indications that one should consider as proof of life:

The results
experienced at the Christie’s auction last weekend were nothing short of
spectacular. The event brought in more than $7 million from more than 1,000 lots
of props, costumes, models and miniatures, according to Reuters. The U.S.S.
Enterprise-D special effects model, which was used in the series pilot for
Star Trek: The Next Generation, sold to a private bidder for a record
$576,000. With a take more than double the estimates, it’s safe to say that
interest in Trek is still around.

IDW Publishing has just
announced a new Star Trek comic book line. Where once, particularly under
DC Comics, Trek comics were the standard of licensed fare, it has been years
since that was true. Now IDW, with its track record including CSI,
Angel, Transformers, and 24, is going to take a run at
them.

Diamond Select Toys has produced an appealing line of figures and
props and drew huge crowds at their San Diego Comic-Con booth with their
40^th anniversary celebration hosting of Nichelle Nichols (Uhura from
the original series).

Does this constitute full-fledged success once more
for the franchise?

Not yet. There are numerous other promising signs, but
another dog of a film could ice the comeback for a while, just as a hit could
signal a return to the “normal” that kept Star Trek at the forefront
for much of the last four decades of science fiction
fandom.

Writer-director J.J. Abrams has signed on to helm the next
feature film. Will it do the trick? Let us know what you
think!

Technorati Tags: “Star Trek”,

powered by performancing firefox

JAMES TUCKER GRABS A FLIGHT RING TO MAKE “LEGION OF SUPER HEROES” SOAR – Comic Book Resources

“loyal, dedicated, and perhaps as
obsessive a fanbase as that of the Legion Of Superheroes “  Yep, that about sums it up

Read the rest of the article at the link below

Comic Book Resources – CBR News – The Comic Reel

JAMES TUCKER GRABS A FLIGHT RING TO MAKE “LEGION OF SUPER HEROES” SOAR

by Arune Singh, Staff Writer

Posted: October 6, 2006

There
are few superhero teams with as loyal, dedicated, and perhaps as
obsessive a fanbase as that of the Legion Of Superheroes. The superteam
made its debut way back in 1958, encountering a young Clark Kent in the
pages of “Adventure Comics” #247, and were a group of teens from the
future, meant to make just this single appearance. But in a very real
case of “Because You Demanded It!”, the Legion soon returned and
eventually starred in their very own comic book series, leading to
their continued popularity to this day. With this in mind, it’s
surprising that the Legion has never really been portrayed in other
media, besides a few appearances here and there, the team has found a
way to remain a staple of DC Comics’ publishing line, but not a part of
their multimedia efforts. That all changed a few weeks ago on September
23rd, when “Legion Of Super Heroes”
debuted in the Kids WB! animation block on the new CW network,
receiving loads of acclaim from critics and comic book fans alike. The
premise is simple: the Legion is a group of super powered teens from
the future who travel back in time to bring a young Clark Kent to help
them fight super powered enemies. Why a young Kent and not the one who
has already adopted the mantle of Superman? That’s just one of the
series’ intriguing subplots.

powered by performancing firefox

CNN.com – Scientists teleport two different objects – Oct 4, 2006

Now this is cool news!!

Scientists teleport two different objects

LONDON, England (Reuters) — Beaming people in “Star Trek”
fashion is still in the realms of science fiction, but physicists in
Denmark have teleported information from light to matter bringing
quantum communication and computing closer to reality.

Until now scientists have teleported similar objects such as light
or single atoms over short distances from one spot to another in a
split second.

But Professor Eugene Polzik and his team at the Niels Bohr Institute
at Copenhagen University in Denmark have made a breakthrough by using
both light and matter.

“It is one step further because for the first time it involves
teleportation between light and matter, two different objects. One is
the carrier of information and the other one is the storage medium,”
Polzik explained in an interview on Wednesday.

The experiment involved for the first time a macroscopic atomic
object containing thousands of billions of atoms. They also teleported
the information a distance of half a meter but believe it can be
extended further.

“Teleportation between two single atoms had been done two years ago
by two teams, but this was done at a distance of a fraction of a
millimeter,” Polzik, of the Danish National Research Foundation Center
for Quantum Optics, explained.

“Our method allows teleportation to be taken over longer distances
because it involves light as the carrier of entanglement,” he added.

Quantum entanglement involves entwining two or more particles without physical contact.

Although teleportation is associated with the science-fiction series “Star Trek,” no one is likely to be beamed anywhere soon.

But the achievement of Polzik’s team, in collaboration with the
theorist Ignacio Cirac of the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics
in Garching, Germany, marks an advancement in the field of quantum
information and computers, which could transmit and process information
in a way that was impossible before.

“It is really about teleporting information from one site to another
site. Quantum information is different from classical information in
the sense that it cannot be measured. It has much higher information
capacity and it cannot be eavesdropped on. The transmission of quantum
information can be made unconditionally secure,” said Polzik whose
research is reported in the journal Nature.

Quantum computing requires manipulation of information contained in
the quantum states, which include physical properties such as energy,
motion and magnetic field, of the atoms.

“Creating entanglement is a very important step, but there are two
more steps at least to perform teleportation. We have succeeded in
making all three steps — that is entanglement, quantum measurement and
quantum feedback,” he added.

CNN.com – Scientists teleport two different objects – Oct 4, 2006.

powered by performancing firefox

TALKING SHOP: AGE APPROPRIATE? – NEWSARAMA

Interesting read.

TALKING SHOP: AGE APPROPRIATE? – NEWSARAMA

TALKING SHOP: AGE APPROPRIATE?

---

by Vaneta Rogers

Exposed breasts, naked women, sexual scenes, adult language, offensive religious references…

Is it safe to assume we’ve got your attention?

Those things have also gotten the attention of publishers, who,
generally speaking, don’t want them in comics and collections aimed at
general audiences. Lately, publishers have been covering exposed
breasts, toning down mature content and backing away from images or
ideas that might offend someone — usually claiming that they’re
responding to complaints from retailers, and also saying the…adjusted
products sell better if they can be sold to everyone — and can be
marketed by bookstores on tables next to other all-ages books.

From title changes like the formerly mature-level Supreme Power’s
move to a general audience imprint, to all-out editing of material like
the toned down sexuality on the Frank Cho-drawn women in Shanna the She-Devil,
publishers are aware of what content they believe is appropriate for
what age, and how to make it more appropriate. Manga occasionally ends
up on the firing line when it comes time to Westernize works for an
American audience with, to date, the most notorious (in fans’ eyes)
example being the edits on the CMX editions of Tenjho Tenge,
which brought the original work from a hard R rating to a product that
could easily pass as PG-13. DC never commented publicly on why the
changes were made.

The latest addition to this list of recent editing was discovered in a
clutch of books by fans of manga and horror comics. In the first case,
Manga publisher Viz, when formatting Fullmetal Alchemist Vol. 8
for the American market, changed two panels where the character Greed
is hung on a crucifix. Now, the character is hung on a slab instead of
a cross, a change the publisher says was approved by the creators. In
speaking to ICV2, Viz explained that the changes were made to tone down
religious reference.

While speaking of manga, in early September, Del Rey’s Dallas Middaugh
issued a pre-emptive apology for the toning down of language in the
publisher’s Westernized version of Air Gear
- as well as admitting that it was a mistake, against his views of
presenting manga for an American audience, and that future printings of
Air Gear v1 will not contain the edits.

Then, a couple of weeks back, comic book fan websites began discussing how Essential Tomb of Dracula
trades released last year from Marvel had been altered from the
original material to make it more suitable for a general audience. One
site, the Groovy Age of Horror blog,
posted panel by panel comparisons between the original comics and their
altered version that showed up in Volume 4 of the Essentials, showing
how exposed breasts were covered for the collection with some
innovative hair and material draping. While Marvel declined to comment
on why the edits were made, it is worth noting that more recent Essential editions that collect material from their black and white magazines from the ‘70s and ‘80s, such as Essential Tales of the Zombie, Essential Marvel Horror and Essential Man-Thing have not been edited, but instead carry parental advisories.

Aside from purists’ cries about censorship, the issue also begs the
questions: Do the edited or toned down books sell better than they
would have with mature content left intact? Does it open the volumes up
to a wider audience? Are retailers really so concerned about sales of
mature-level comics that they prefer a little editing here and there?

In this edition of Talking Shop, Newsarama asked retailers for their
opinions on the issue. The reactions were mixed, with some retailers
claiming the changes usually didn’t affect their sales one way or the
other, but others saying the alteration to the original work is almost
never worth it. However, all of them wondered why certain things were
changed while others aren’t, and how the publishers make those choices.

“I would prefer it did not happen,” said Carr D’Angelo, owner of
Earth-2 Comics in Sherman Oaks, Calif. “It tends to be disingenuous if
the story is extremely violent or sexual in nature but the naughty bits
are covered up so it can be sold to kids.”

Yet
Jason Pierce, owner of Alter Ego Comics in Muncie, Ind., points out
that something like an exposed breast isn’t usually all that necessary
to the story. “I don’t have a problem with toning something down to
appeal to the masses,” he said. “Especially if it’s as simple as
covering an exposed breast. I really doubt that the naked breast had
that much impact on the overall story.”

However, Pierce says that changing the overall feeling of a comic can
be a problem, adding that he’s seen a negative response to Marvel’s
choice to tone down the overall content in Supreme Power when that imprint change was made. “When Marvel moved Supreme Power
out of the MAX line, my sales on the title dropped dramatically. It was
a great book,” Pierce said. “They feel that the book changed entirely
in feel when it left MAX.”

Matt Price, owner of Speeding Bullet Comics in Norman, Okla., said he has also heard complaints about the Shanna edits. “We had some fan outcry over the Shanna the She-Devil edits, but ultimately, I understand that such edits are the company’s responsibility,” he said.

A lot of retailers also pointed out that images of violence and other
mature subjects are covered in all-ages comics all the time, so they
wondered why an exposed breast was so offensive. “While I havent read
the volume in question, I think that in some cases older material, if
too graphic should be held to today’s standards. That said I don’t see
something from that era being any worse than many of the things on the
shelves today. I mean in Infinite Crisis we saw Superboy Prime punch off Pantha’s head and rip a guys arm out. And in Civil War,
Thor shot a hole through Goliath. I guess it is all about the
audience,” said Dave Handler of Hot Comics and Collectibles in New
Hope, Minn.

Michael Pfeifer, owner of Main Street Comics in Milltown, N.J., took
the stance that altering the material is almost never justified. “I
disagree with anything that deconstructs any original source, to make
it more compatible with any media market,” he said. “This is exactly
the stuff of legend. Any altering of it for ‘toning down’ purposes
should have been considered when it first went to print. I also want to
be clear that I mean both deletions and additions. Often, in this
industry, additions are ‘found’ or created specially for new revisions
or additions. This is just as troublesome. Put a ‘Parental Warning’ on
it. Put in a special adult area. Apologize to previous generations for
not having labeled it previously but do not alter it from its original presentation.”

Mike Malve, owner of Atomic Comics in Arizona, says the efforts to
increase sales by altering manga in particular ends up damaging his
sales of those items, because manga fans are often collectors who won’t
buy something edited from its original version.

“If
it’s something done from the start of a new original project, then
that’s a choice of direction for content from the start and wont leave
fans feeling like they’re not getting the full and original version of
a book. But when you take an existing comic or manga, many of which
already have a fan following from the original version, and edit it
down to reach a larger audience, you can and will end up shooting
yourself in the foot by alienating the core fans,” Malve said. “Many
manga fans in particular are purists, and want the book as it was
originally published or they don’t want it at all. It’s one of the
reasons the CMX line is such a low seller for us compared to other
manga publishers. Adult content or not, it’s like cutting out the Darth
Vader revelation scene in Empire Strikes Back for Star Wars fans.”

But Phil Boyle, CEO of Coliseum of Comics in Florida, points out that
purists still have an outlet for their collecting, so marketing the
collections of the materials to a new audience can work in the favor of
sales. “I’m a fan of making the comics available to the widest audience
possible. Purists still have the option of seeking out the original
unedited comics,” he said.

Lisa Lopacinski, owner of Neptune Comics in Waukesha, Wisc., said she
can understand why an Essentials collection was edited, but she
questions the wisdom in reprinting Dracula comics in that format.

“We do often suggest Marvel Essentials for parents who are looking for
old comics for their children,” she said. “However, something like this
Dracula book is probably not something most children would ask for. So,
while the Essentials are marketed for a general audience, I think that
making this material fit that mold could actually hurt its sales
because adults who want it for the original content will be less likely
to pick it up. I guess my objection would be that overall this isn’t
really the best choice for an Essentials book to begin with, and not
that it’s being edited. But, it will be nice to have some horror books
that we can sell to a younger audience, and if given the choice of
having this be an Essential book, or not reprinted at all, I pick
having it as an Essential.”

“I think it has to do with most of Marvel’s “Essential” line being seen
as an ‘all-ages’ line for the most part,” said Price of Speeding Bullet
Comics. “While I can see why older fans might be upset — and you could
certainly argue the title Tomb of Dracula
implies some amount of older skewing content than Spider-Man — I
assume it comes down to Marvel wanting to sell as many of the things as
they can.”

Matt Hawes, owner of Comics Unlimited in Evansville, Ind., agreed that a Tomb of Dracula Essentials
wouldn’t be something kids would want. “Let’s face it, most of the
readers buying that “Essentials” title are adults, anyway,” he said.
“Underaged children aren’t really aware of that title, and, as a rule,
don’t bother with the black and white Essentials line, anyway. It’s
mostly older, nostalgic readers or older teens and college-aged people.”

Paul Stock, owner of Librairie Astro in Montreal, said those volumes
don’t seem to be aimed at purists anyway, but are instead approached by
the publisher as a way to make money off reprints. “If the intent of
the Essential line is to preserve an historical record of publications
past, I feel that the “editing” is wrong. I don’t really feel that
that’s the purpose of the line, though,” he said. “The purpose is to
mine the archives for money. Under that circumstance, I can no more
legitimately object to covering body parts than I can to it being
presented squarebound and in black and white. It’s a different product,
not a facsimile.”

However, Stock said most editing done by publishers is out of a sense
of fear that shouldn’t exist. “My wish isn’t that they hadn’t changed
it. My wish is that publishers hadn’t felt it necessary to change it.
Most of the bowdlerization that goes on seems to be in reaction to fear
of bad publicity, prosecution, calls for returnability, general
approbation. I wish publishers could work without those fears,” he said.

Stock also voiced a dislike for how some retailers encourage these
practices by publishers. “I have enough thoughts on this subject to
fill a book. Over the years I’ve had many conversations and copious
correspondence with consumers, retailers, publishers, and creators on
both sides of the debate,” he said. “While early on I was conciliatory,
trying to find a middle ground, as time goes on I’ve come to the
opinion that most (by no means all) retailers who call for toning down
or having warning labels about sexuality in literature, are the enemies
of free speech. They are not so much afraid of their communities as part of them, and simply advancing their own repressive agendas.”

Some retailers also wondered if children would even be attracted to comics that publishers edit for a wider audience.

None of the retailers polled maintain any type of separate section for
mature comics, although a few place them up higher so they aren’t at
the eye level of children. All of those retailers who responded rely on
their staff to point out books that are inappropriate for children.

“I try to at least look at all of the titles that I carry the week they
come in, and I have trained my staff to be aware of the types of
products we carry, and their suitability for underage readers,” said
Gerald Mansfield, owner of Comic Utopia. “I cannot tell you how many 13
and 14 year olds I have disappointed and made angry by not even selling
Spawn to them.”

Most retailers said whether or not a child is ready to read some of the
material in comics just depends on the child, but they have to rely on
parents to make that decision.

“I just had a woman come in the other day with her son, who looked to
be around 14. She let him pick out a graphic novel, and he chose Girls,”
Lopacinski said. “She brought it up to the counter and I quickly
informed her that it was a more ‘adult’ book with some nudity, bad
language, and violence. She said she paged through it, and it was fine.

“Basically, if a book isn’t rated and someone is picking it up for
someone who isn’t an adult, I let them know that it is for a mature
reader and then they can decide on their own,” Lopacinski continued.
“Sometimes young children will walk over to the main comic rack in our
store and pick something up that might be more of a T+ book, and we’ll
just gently take it away and explain that it’s not for them, and steer
them back to the all age books. We have had to card some teens that
didn’t look old enough to be buying mature themed books, and if they’re
16 or under we just tell them we can’t sell it to them unless a parent
comes in and says it’s OK.”

Overall, most retailers agreed that publishers should just use common
sense when deciding what comics are appropriate for what ages –
letting the subject matter guide what types of images they contain. “I
think comics should be edited to a point based on the audience they are
reaching out to,” said Handler of Hot Comics and Collectables. “Nightmare on Elm Street should not be held to the same standards as say Superman
because they aren’t trying to hook the same reader. When we start
seeing flesh eating zombies killing Krypto the Dog then we should worry
about content more.”

powered by performancing firefox

For Immediate Release: DC Comics, Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Animation Announce A Slate of “DC Universe” Original, Animated Movies Created for DVD

DC Comics

For Immediate Release: DC
Comics, Warner Home Video and Warner Bros. Animation Announce A Slate
of “DC Universe” Original, Animated Movies Created for DVD
October 3, 2006

Burbank, CA —

DC Comics – the world’s largest
English-language publisher of comic books and the home of Superman,
Batman and Wonder Woman – Warner Home Video (WHV) and Warner Bros.
Animation (WBA) have announced the start of production and distribution
of DC UNIVERSE, a series of original, animated PG-13 movies. The
announcement was jointly made by Paul Levitz, President, DC Comics; Ron
Sanders, President, Warner Home Video and Sander Schwartz, President,
Warner Bros. Animation.

The films will be made by DC Comics’ creators, including
award-winning writer/artist Darwyn Cooke (THE NEW FRONTIER; CATWOMAN)
and legendary writer Marv Wolfman (THE NEW TEEN TITANS), along with
Bruce Timm (JUSTICE LEAGUE UNLIMITED, BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES) and
Tom DeSanto (executive producer of the first two X-Men films and producer of the forthcoming Transformers
feature), two acclaimed producers who have been instrumental in the
creation of some of the most successful translations of the comic book
experience into other media. Writer/producers Duane Capizzi (THE
BATMAN, THE BATMAN VS. DRACULA) and Stan Berkowitz (JUSTICE LEAGUE)
will also be part of the creative team on the DC Universe films, with
Timm serving as supervising producer on each of the titles. Working
with WBA’s award-winning group of animators, the writers will utilize
DC Comics’ vast history and tradition as they adapt classic comic book
stories for the project.

WHV will be the exclusive worldwide home entertainment distributor
for all DC Universe movies which will include a slate of 2-3
action-packed films per year. To kick off this impressive venture, WHV,
WBA and DC Comics are proud to announce the first three films to be
released in late 2007/early 2008:

• Justice League: New Frontier – written by Stan Berkowitz (JUSTICE LEAGUE), with Darwyn Cooke serving as story and visual consultant
• Superman: Doomsday – produced by Bruce Timm and written by Duane Capizzi, from a story by Timm & Capizzi
• Teen Titans: The Judas Contract – written by Marv Wolfman and Tom DeSanto, produced by DeSanto.

“We are working closely with WHV and WBA to insure that the films
honor the legacy of our great heroes. And we are lucky to have Marv
Wolfman and Darwyn Cooke, two of the writers who created the source
material for the films, involved in the project,” said DC Comics
President & Publisher Paul Levitz. “The creators bring a passion
for the material and a level of creative ambition that will resonate
with both DC Comics’ fans who treasure the original stories and adults
who love adventure, heroics and top-notch animation.”

“We are thrilled to announce this unprecedented venture with DC
Comics and Warner Bros. Animation,” said Ron Sanders, President, Warner
Home Video. “This initiative is a testament to our commitment to
bringing fans new and innovative content created by the most revered
names in the comic industry.”

“As producers of the finest animation in the action/adventure genre,
we are very excited about bringing the iconic DC Comics characters to
an ever broader audience through this series of films,” said Sander
Schwartz, President, Warner Bros. Animation. “We’ve teamed with the
greatest authors, artists, producers and directors working in comic
book publishing and animation to bring great pictures to life for the
current generation of fans and for many generations to come.”

Other DC properties with films in development include Green Lantern, Flash and Wonder Woman.

powered by performancing firefox