LYING IN THE GUTTERS – MAGIC WORDS – Comic Book Resources

Can’t say that any of this surprises me.

Comic Book Resources – Comic Book News, Reviews and Commentary – Updated Daily!

MAGIC WORDS

LITG
has been covering what some have called the insider trading scandal of
comics – the mass purchase and eBay flipping of “Captain America” #25
by WizardUniverse.com, based on information made available to Wizard
Magazine that was withheld from rival retailers.

Last week I spoke to
Wizard Entertainment’s Director of Corporate Communications, Drew
Seldin on the phone. Drew wanted to make it clear that Wizard was one
company and didn’t have any walls within its organisation regarding
sensitive information – that all departments “rely on each other and
work together as one unit.” So, yes, the online store orders were based
on information received by the magazine and this was “never a back room
deal, the information was definitely talked about. We knew there would
be demand for the books that retailers wouldn’t be able to match, we
wanted to make the books available.”

I pointed out that this
sounded like insider trading, working with information unavailable to
the rest of the market, it wasn’t as if Wizard were just selling the
books for cover price and, on eBay, there were no shortage of $50 book
eBay sellers.

Drew took the point,
told me that the reaction was an unexpected one for Wizard. “Although
we’re in business to put out a great product to make money, we’re not
out to upset anybody” Drew told me. “We’ve been listening to the
reaction of fans and retailers.” This was the reason behind Wizard’s
decision to end all its Captain America eBay auctions early. So what
happens next time, if say, the Hulk dies? Drew was guarded as to actual
details but told me, “We want to work closely with Marvel, with any
publishers, as the whole company, we want to work for the good of the
industry.”

Of course, one other fly in the ointment is the Newsarama interview
with Ethan Sacks, the NY Daily News journalist who broke the Cap 25
story, where he says “I had done the interviews with Quesada, Simon,
Brubaker and a comic book store owner over the previous two weeks.”

From the NY Daily News
article, “I was shocked. I was not expecting it,” said Gerry Gladston,
co-owner of Midtown Comics in Manhattan. “I’d rather they didn’t kill
him – but it’s going to mean great sales.”

Giving Midtown plenty of time to up their orders?

Midtown represenatives
tell me, “Midtown Comics was notified by the Daily News briefly before
the story broke, but well after the order cutoff date. We had already
‘gambled’ and ordered heavily thanks to David Gabriel’s hints in the
Marvel Mailer (#36 to be exact) that Cap 25 would be a very important
issue. We actually ordered less then what we did on Civil War #1. After
the interview with Ethan, we were satisfied with out initial order.

“Midtown Comics sold
out of the book in a little over a day, even with a 1 copy per customer
restriction. We sold out of the reorder received the following week in
two days. But every copy was sold at cover price.

“This book has been
great for us and great for the industry, even though clearly no one had
enough. We look forward to continued strong sales on all the follow up
books.”

That autopsy issue can’t come soon enough!

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The World’s Finest DVD Report – “Batman Beyond: Season Three” 2-Disc DVD Review

This looks like a great collection, I can’t wait to get it!

The World’s Finest DVD Report

The last thirteen episodes of Batman Beyond has come to DVD,
giving us the entire series on DVD. Along with some crucial episodes
and a nice helping of extras to round out the set, this is a collection
definitely worth picking up.

I’ll try not to go off-topic with this review like I did in my Justice League Unlimited: Season Two review. Because, yes, I easily could. If I wanted to get nit-picky, I’d ask why wasn’t the The Zeta Project
episode “Shadows” included, since Batman appears? Or why wasn’t there
some featurette on his short-lived comic book and assorted four color
appearances? Simple. There’s no point to. This set is about the last
thirteen episodes on this collection. On these two discs. And, to play
it safe, I’ll just skip right to the synopsis, okay? I think I’m
digging myself a hole, here . . .

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Auctions/Prices: Amazing Spider-Man #86 9.8 Clears $5,000 – The Scoop

Auctions/Prices: Amazing Spider-Man #86 9.8 Clears $5,000

Amazing Spider-Man #86 9.8 Clears $5,000

Auctions/Prices, Scoop, Friday, March 23, 2007

Recently, the highest graded copy of Amazing Spider-Man #86
CGC-certified 9.8 with white pages saw sold in a private transaction on the CGC
Message Boards. This top of the census copy sold for $5,300. Currently, the CGC
Census notes 132 copies graded with eight copies graded 9.6 below the newly
certified 9.8. The copy was sold by comic book collector and CGC Message Board
member Scott Bonagofsky.

The CGC Message Boards comprise of several areas and topics include topics Golden Age to Modern Age discussions, Comic Events, Original Comic Art, a comic sale section and more.

“Amazing Spider-Man #86 was one of the first comic books that I ever owned as a back issue when I was a kid. I traded a Mint set of 1978-79 Topps baseball cards to a
friend for six beat up Silver Age comics, including a VG copy of Amazing
Spider-Man #86. Issue #86 has always been one of my favorite single issues
of Amazing Spider-Man, and when I came back into collecting about six
years ago, I started trying to find the best possible copy of the ‘original six’
books as I could find,” said Bonagofsky.

“I owned several copies of the book over the years in varying condition, but this one was far and away the
nicest copy of the book that I had ever seen,” continued Bonagofsky. “After years spent on a personal quest to find the best possible copy of this book, I realized that this might be the toughest late Silver Age Amazing Spider-Man to find in ultra-high grade (9.4 and up), particularly if one is looking for a copy with decent centering and page quality.”

For more information on the CGC Message Boards, visit: http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?Cat=0&C=5.

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Mondo Media: Columbia Options Green Hornet – The Scoop

Mondo Media: Columbia Options Green Hornet

Columbia Options Green Hornet

Mondo Media, Scoop, Friday, March 23, 2007

Columbia Pictures has optioned the rights to classic radio, comic book, and
television character the Green Hornet. Neil H. Moritz, who previously acquired
the character’s rights from Green Hornet, Inc., and Original Films have been
tapped to produce and upcoming film featuring the character.

Here’s the part where we ask who you’d like to see in the roles of Green Hornet and Kato, what you’d like to see take place in the film, and how you think the characters
will fare in a silver screen adaptation. Chime in. We’d really love to know.

Technorati Tags: comic books, Radio, TV, Green Hornet, movies, Columbia Pictures,

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JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 GETS THIRD PRINTING – NEWSARAMA

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 GETS THIRD PRINTING – NEWSARAMA

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 GETS THIRD PRINTING

---

Press Release

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1, the first issue of DC Comics’
new series written by Brad Meltzer and illustrated by Ed Benes and
Sandra Hope, has sold out its Second Printing and is going back to
press for a new, Third Printing.

“This is totally awesome,” says Benes. “I feel like we did a great job
and delivered a great story! I’d like to thank the fans for all the
kind words on the message boards and blogs – and I also would like to
thank Dan DiDio, Brad Meltzer and Eddie Berganza for all their faith in
my work and . . . I still can’t believe it!”

JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 Third Printing (FEB078133) features a
pencils-only version of this issue’s variant cover art by Michael
Turner and is scheduled to arrive in stores on April 11 with a cover
price of $3.99 U.S.

To ensure delivery on April 11, retailers must place orders by Sunday,
April 1. Please note that quantities will be limited and may sell out
before April 1.

Also, retailers may order one copy of the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1
Variant Edition, featuring a color cover by Michael Turner, for every
ten copies of the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 Third Printing
(FEB078133) ordered through April 1. The JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1
Variant Edition now may be ordered under the Diamond item code
FEB078172. Quantities on the JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #1 Variant
Edition are limited; orders will be filled on a first-come,
first-served basis.

Retailers may order these issues by contacting their Diamond Customer
Service Representative or DC Sales Representative, or by email at reorders@diamondcomics.com.

The following issues of JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA are in stock at DC Comics and available for reorder:

* JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #0 (MAY060172)

* JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #2 (JUL060178)

* JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #3 (AUG060211)

* JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #4 (SEP060235)

* JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #5 (OCT060209)

* JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #6 (DEC060227)

Other issues are available as follows:

* JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #7A (JAN070296) and #7B (JAN070297)
both are available for advance reorder and are scheduled to arrive in
stores on April 4.

* JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #8 (FEB070281) is solicited in the
February Previews and is scheduled to arrive in stores on April 18.

* JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA #9 (MAR070205) is solicited in the
March Previews and is scheduled to arrive in stores on May 16.

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Superstars: Terry Returns, Pirates are with Him – The Scoop

Never did get into this strip, but this should make some people happy.

Superstars: Terry Returns, Pirates are with Him

Terry Returns, Pirates are with Him

Superstars, Scoop, Friday, March 23, 2007

One of the most influential comic strips of all time is returning to print.
IDW Publishing announced last weekend at the Wizard World Los Angeles show that
they will publish a six-book series collecting the Milton Caniff ‘s entire run
on Terry and the Pirates. The volumes will feature the black and white
dailies along side the full color Sunday strips.Volume One, to be published in July, contains more than 800 consecutive strips from the beginning of the series in October 1934 through the end of 1936.

“No cartoonist has so heavily influenced his medium as has Milton Caniff, and no
comic strip has had more imitators than Terry and the Pirates,” the company said in its announcement. “He is considered the great American novelist of the comics medium.”

Terry Lee (the title character), his adult pal Pat Ryan, their sidekick Connie, and an array of unforgettable brigands travel the China Seas in a dazzling series of adventures, meeting the likes of the alluring Burma and the inimitable Dragon Lady.

“In Terry and the Pirates,” wrote Jerry Robinson in The Comics, “all the storytelling techniques of the adventure strip fused and a classic style emerged. Caniff developed and integrated the narrative and its visual expression into a uniform aesthetic balance.”

“It’s historically the first, and for my money, greatest example of what we do. The evolution of what Caniff did with Terry in his first year is unbelievable. It’s pure core storytelling,” said Howard Chaykin, who wrote the introduction
to Volume One.

The Complete Terry and the Pirates also launches a new imprint for IDW, The Library of American Comics.

“There’s no better comic strip to inaugurate The Library of American Comics than Milton Caniff’s masterpiece,” series editor and designer Dean Mullaney said in the press release. The Sunday pages have been restored from the original color pages in Mullaney’s private collection, supplemented by copies from the Cartoon Research Library at Ohio State University. The volumes in this series will be oversized, 11” x 8.5” oblong.

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Mondo Media: Jolie Joins ‘Wanted’ Cast – The Scoop

Mondo Media: Jolie Joins ‘Wanted’ Cast

Jolie Joins ‘Wanted’ Cast

Mondo Media, Scoop, Friday, March 23, 2007

Angelina Jolie returns to a familiar onscreen occupation in Universal’s
upcoming adaptation of the Mike Millar and J.G. Jones graphic novel,
Wanted. Jolie joins Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman and James McAvoy
(Chronicles of Narnia, The Last King of Scotland) as a member of the
quickly growing cast. She will play mentor to McAvoy’s character, who wishes to
avenge his father’s death by assassinating his killers.

The film will be directed by Timur Bekmambetov. It begins filming in May.

Technorati Tags: comic books, Wanted, movies, Angelina Jolie, Mike Millar,

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Superstars: Terminator Returns -The Scoop

Another big license for Dynamite. I hope this doesn’t make the Lone Ranger late

Superstars: Terminator Returns

Terminator Returns

Superstars, Scoop, Friday, March 23, 2007

He said, “I’ll be back,” and now he is.The Terminator is returning to comics from publisher Dynamite Entertainment. The company reports that it has acquired the rights to produce comics based on the first two films of the Terminator franchise. As such, they’ll be able to use the
characters the T-800 (Schwarzenegger), T-1000 (Robert Patrick), Sarah Conner and
John Conner, as well as other characters from the first two films.

Transformers scribe Simon Furman will write an initial mini-series entitled Terminator 2: Infinity. No date has been announced yet.

The Terminator and Terminator 2 licenses for comics have been previously held by Now, Dark Horse and Malibu. The Terminator 3 license, which is handled separately, was briefly held by Beckett around the
time of the third movie’s launch.

Technorati Tags: comic books, Terminator, Terminator 2, movies, Dynamite Entertainment,

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Superstars: Nexus Returns – The Scoop

Another resurrected character hitting the stands soon. Looks like everything old is new again.

Superstars: Nexus Returns

Nexus Returns

Superstars, Scoop, Friday, March 23, 2007
This year’s Free Comic Book Day, Saturday, May 5, 2007, features a dazzling selection of free comics which will be available at participating retailers. It also features the return of Nexus, the iconic avenger who first appeared in 1981 from Capital Comics and was a leading character during the rise of independent comic companies in that era.Artist Steve Rude, who co-created Nexus with writer Mike Baron, is now publishing the comic through his new Rude Dude imprint. The Free Comic Book Day Nexus Special marks that character’s first new appearance in a decade, though Dark Horse Comics has published multiple volumes of their hardcover Nexus Archives series in recent months.

The first story arc of new regular series, which begins with Nexus #99 in July, is “Space Opera,” a four-part story that the creators suggest is an ideal jumping-on spot for new readers. “Cataclysmic events will forever change the Nexus universe. Major characters will die; new characters will emerge,” the solicitation copy teased.

After Capital Comics closed, Nexus enjoyed a long run at First Comics and then Dark Horse Comics. Its spin-offs included Hammer of God, Clonezone, Mezz: Galactic Tour 2494, and The Next Nexus.

 

For more information, visit www.steverude.com.

Click the images for a close-up view (when available)

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Auctions/Prices: TMNT #1 Original Art Offered – The Scoop

Auctions/Prices: TMNT #1 Original Art Offered

TMNT #1 Original Art Offered?

Auctions/Prices, Scoop, Friday, March 23, 2007
The original artwork for Eastman and Laird’s Teenage Mutant Ninja
Turtles #1 is currently being offered for sale on eBay. The collection of
artwork comes from the personal vaults of Kevin Eastman, co-creator of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and sole owner of all the original artwork from the first issue. Included in the offering are the 40 pages of original artwork, the original pen and ink cover and the original logo design, a first printing of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1, the original artwork for the inside cover, and a pencil layout for the first advertisement for Teenage Mutant
Ninja Turtles as it appeared in the Comic’s Buyers Guide.
The auction will conclude in two days and has so far garnered over 47 bids with the current bid over $250,000.For more information visit: http://cgi.ebay.com/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtle-Original-Art_W0QQitemZ180097047814QQcategoryZ3985QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem.

Click the images for a close-up view (when available)

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