WW PHILLY ‘08: MARVEL’s SECRET INVASION PANEL

Marvel held it’s Secret Invasion panel at WizardWorld: Philadelphia on Saturday.

The panel unofficially began a few minutes early with Marvel’s Arune Singh asking if the audience members had all received Skrull masks. "No"s were murmured throughout, promoting masks to be passed out far and wide.

Panelists include: CB Cebulski, Arune Singh, Brian Reed, Tom Brevoort, Fred Van Lente, Greg Pak and Editor in Chief Joe Quesada. Singh began the official portion of hte panel by asking everyone to put their masks on.

Quesada then moved into the slideshow of upcoming art, which also included pictures of people all over the world wearing Skrull masks while standing in front of famous landmarks. The slides culminated with the cover to Secret Invasion #6 featuring Captain America, Thor and Iron Man on the cover. The word "REUNITED" was beside the image.

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WW PHILLY ‘08: DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT PANEL

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Report by Sarah Jaffe
Dynamite Entertainment is fast becoming the HBO of comics world, according to both publisher Nick Barucci and Blair Witch Project writer Eduardo Sanchez during their panel discussion at WizardWorld: Philly.
What does the Blair Witch Project have to do with anything, you ask? Well, the Blair Witch team is putting out a new original comic with Dynamite and writer Greg Pak of Dynamite’s Battlestar Galactica, based on the famed pirate Blackbeard. And who doesn’t love pirates? [and if you do, look for many more details here]…
Sanchez explained the decision to go with Dynamite as a reflection of their indie-film ethos. “Dynamite is an indie company, it’s the complete opposite of a studio mentality,” he said.
That creator-friendly attitude is also what landed Garth Ennis and Darick Robertson’s The Boys at Dynamite after being dropped from DC. Barucci was asked how they ended up with the series, and he explained (modestly) that they won the rights “on the merits.”
He offered Ennis the same deal he got from DC—plus total artistic control. “In my opinion,” he said, “You’ve got The Sopranos, and we’re HBO. If you go somewhere else, eventually you’re going to get lost in the shuffle, or someone’s going to say they don’t want that scene because it makes fun of their character.”
It didn’t hurt that Barucci was a real fan of the series, either. And he sounds genuinely enthusiastic about all of the books on his imprint, from Xena and the Lone Ranger and the other licensed titles that Dynamite is still largely known for to the new batch of original works coming out.
One of those original works, of course, is Project Superpowers, with the super-team of Jim Krueger and Alex Ross. Krueger also appeared on the Dynamite panel, as did Brian Reed of Red Sonja.
Project Superpowers took over three years to develop, according to its creators, and it’s not stopping anytime soon. In September, Dynamite will release another #0 book that will launch three new series out of Project Superpowers, on the Black Terror, Masquerade, and the Death-Defying Devil. Krueger will be the writer on the Black Terror as well, and Alex Ross will be doing the covers for all of the books. Mike Lilly recently signed an exclusive contract with Dynamite, and he will be working on some of the books as well.
Additionally, late in 2008 or early 2009, the main Project Superpowers will return.
Of the length of time that it took to create Project Superpowers, Krueger noted, “It really was creating a universe, and how do you do that?”
Barucci and Krueger agreed that to some degree, Superpowers has inverted the trend of decompression in comics, packing a lot of information into each issue. Barucci said “What I originally thought it would be, was in issue #0.”
He noted that from the beginning, the question was, “What can we create that’ll be cool, that’ll be ours?” And with Superpowers and The Boys, Dynamite has started to build a library of titles that don’t have to answer to licensors, which will continue with Blackbeard.
The Blackbeard envisioned at Dynamite is going to be different than anything we’ve seen on the subject before, Gregg Hale promised.
“He was a pretty trippy guy,” Hale said. “We see him as a guy who had been oppressed his whole life—being a sailor was pretty close to being a slave, the captain had the power of life and death over you. So he’s rebelling against any kind of oppression at all,” he said, noting that Blackbeard had a crew that was largely African-American during the time of slavery, that he had captains and a right-hand man that were African-American, and that Blackbeard did attack slave ships.
They promised action, too, though, for those of you who thought this sounded too serious.
Dynamite isn’t giving up on all your favorite licensed series, though. Lone Ranger and Xena were discussed, as were the delays on each of those series, which Barucci generously chalked up to “meticulous” artists.
I had to ask, on Xena, whether much outreach had been done to the character’s legion of female fans, women like me who grew up on the character. Barucci noted that it’s hard to do out-of-market advertising with a limited budget, but that with graphic novels in Barnes & Noble and on Amazon.com, hopefully that will change.
Several questions were asked about other licensed characters, to which the joking reply was often, “I’ve got the address for their lawyers, and you can write to them…”
And as for Red Sonja? “We killed her, she’s dead, and now I have to clean that mess up,” Reed joked, though he noted that having her dead creates an excellent new starting point for readers unfamiliar with Sonja’s past.
The Dynamite guys also wanted to remind everyone that they have a podcast [WW PHILLY ‘08: DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT PANEL - NEWSARAMA

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WW PHILLY ‘08: MONDO MARVEL PANEL

panel reportage by by Matthew Reichl, Special to Newsarama

The programming at the 2008 WizardWorld: Philadelphia kicked off Friday afternoon with the Mondo Marvel panel.

Present at the panel: Duane Swierczynski, CB Cebulksi, Editor-in-Chief Joe Quesada, Executive Editor Tom Brevoort, Dan Slott, Brian Reed, Fred Van Lente and Greg Pak.

After joking briefly with a fan in the front row about the Mets, Quesada kicked off the presentation with a loud "How’s everyone doing today?" to which the crowd shouted back. The E-i-C then welcomed the audience to the first panel of the con and introduced the panelists named above.

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WW PHILLY: FINAL CRISIS #1 - THE DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY

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by Joel Rickenbach, Special to Newsarama
Warning: Spoilers for Final Crisis #1 - and beyond - abound
With the first issue of Final Crisis barely 24 hours old, Senior DC Editor Ian Sattler and WW: Philadelphia Guest of Honor J.G. Jones were on hand at the “Final Crisis Director’s Commentary” panel to dissect the events and artwork behind the first issue of DC’s summer crossover event.
Sattler kicked thing off by declaring the summer of 2008 the “Summer of J.G.” As if J.G.’s work on Final Crisis wasn’t enough, DC will be releasing a director’s cut of Final Crisis #1 in August which will feature all of J.G.’s pencils, plus Grant Morrison’s full script.
The discussion then turned to the artwork of Final Crisis, specifically the design choice of the covers. J.G. said the solo character shots are fully painted watercolors, and he “Spitballed a bunch of backgrounds for the covers to see what worked, but I eventually settled on the solid contrasting colors to make the characters pop.” Ian Sattler added that after they had the image “It was up to designer Chip Kidd to figure out how to fit the trade dress, and he came up with the vertical design that gives the book such an iconic look.” He went on to add that all the Final Crisis books (including tie-in series) will have both a “Character body shot” cover and “Sliver” design cover. He also interestingly mentioned that “The Final Crisis logo will deteriorate with each issue, leaving us with almost nothing by the end.’
J.G. Jones spoke about Grant Morrison’s input regarding the art, specifically the New Gods. “Grant had specific color ideas. He wanted the New Gods to look ‘lit’ by some unknown source, almost otherworldly. We gave Metron a look like cracked ceramic or porcelain. The exception would be Darkseid, who just sucks the light out of the room.”
From there things moved on to the specifics of the first issue of Final Crisis, and what we can expect in future issues. Ian Sattler brought up a slide of Anthro from the first page of Final Crisis #1. “There’s more to that first scene then you think. Imagery is extremely important.” Ian also wanted to make sure everyone knew that the” Caveman in the opening scene of Final Crisis with an axe and fur tied around his neck like a sweater” was indeed Vandal Savage.
A fan then asked a question about the shipping schedule of Final Crisis, specifically if we would see any of the delays that plagued Infinite Crisis. Sattler responded that everything with Final Crisis is “In good shape.” He was then asked how far ahead they are with books being completed, to which he said “We’re far enough ahead to be in good shape.” J.G. added that “Final Crisis will not ship late.”
A fan expressed some disappointment with the first issue of Final Crisis. In response both Jones and Sattler said “Don’t worry.” J.G. added that “The pace picks up immediately with issue #3. Grant structures his stories in such a specific way, and you will see why the first issue has so much set up. It all pays off!”
Sattler then chimed in with a nice hint for the DC faithful- “You know those ads we are running that say ‘The day evil won’? Well, that specifically means the events in Final Crisis issues #3 and #4. The end of issue #3 is when evil literally wins. Issue #3 ends with a cliffhanger, and there will be a noticeable gap in time for the DCU between issues #3 and #4.”
A fan then asked if Final Crisis was essentially a re-interpretation of the New Gods. Sattler hemmed and hawed for a few seconds before saying “I can’t really say. Just wait and see, Grant has had this story brewing for almost 5 years.” Jones added that “The New Gods are being treated more like actual gods, not just superheroes that call themselves the New Gods. We did a lot of research into mythology for this. There’s definitely an effort to get a clear knitting of all the Jack Kirby 4th world stuff and the regular DCU so it all makes sense.”
A fan then quickly asked “Weren’t the New Gods killed in Countdown to Final Crisis?” Sattler answered “Yes…” Another fan then asked if what we see in Final Crisis #1 is the New Gods being reborn in human form. Sattler - “Maybe…”
It was then that the 800 pound gorilla in the room was brought up- Did they really just kill Martian Manhunter at the end of Final Crisis #1? Sattler said that he didn’t want to bring it up because he “Didn’t know what kind of fans were in the room.” A fan mentioned that he didn’t really care that the Manhunter was killed, but was surprised that it was one in one panel. J.G. said “Grant made a conscious decision to handle it that way. He thought it was much more shocking to bring him in and whack him.” Ian added that you will get a bit more of Martian Manhunter in the final issue of Salvation Run that ships next week, and that the upcoming Final Crisis tie-in Final Crisis: Requiem will deal with the Martian Manhunter’s death.
Much praise was given to Grant and J.G. for the Japanese style heroes readers got a glimpse of in the Final Crisis Sketchbook. Jones said that readers will be surprised to see what a specific role they play in Final Crisis. Sattler added that “When you see what it is it will be the most obvious thing in the world. “
A fan asked if Barry Allen will come back in Final Crisis, to which Ian responded “Barry who?” When asked if it was on purpose that the flash’s chest logo is obscured on the cover of Final Crisis #2, Jones said “hmmmm…and his belt is obscured to…”
When asked if it was fulfilling as an artist to work on a piece of DC history like Final Crisis Jones said “It was definitely one of the reasons I took the job. It’s nice to be able to leave a mark.”
A question was asked about what Sattler’s favorite moment in Final Crisis is - “The end of issue 2. It’s a huge fanboy moment!”
Fans were curious what writers J.G. Jones would like to work with. He said he “Has been very fortunate, spoiled even. Although the next writer I’m working with is a guy named…J.G. Jones.”

WW PHILLY: FINAL CRISIS #1 - THE DIRECTOR’S COMMENTARY - NEWSARAMA

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WW PHILLY: DC NATION PANEL

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by Matthew Reichl
Special to Newsarama
According to DC’s senior story editor Ian Sattler, DC will have an amazing 2009, following the fallout of the major crossover title Final Crisis at the “DC Nation!” panel at the Philly World Wizard Con.
With several members of the DC creative talent, including Final Crisis artist J.G. Jones and upcoming Power Girl series co-writer Jimmy Palmiotti, Sattler fielded questions and previewed upcoming issues and series of popular characters from the DCU.

Accompanied by a slideshow, Sattler went through a series of new and upcoming covers, including a Superman/Batman issue where the two appeared to be in a fight, with Batman upside down, leading to Sattler joking about it being the “disco issue.”

Trinity, the new weekly book, was featured, by Kurt Busiek and Mark Bagley. This was followed by a cover to a new issue of Green Lantern.
“This is the cover to a secret origin story to Green Lantern,” Sattler said, asking if anyone has been reading Green Lantern. The room applauded in response.
When the slideshow shifted to a new issue of the recently announced [url= http://www.newsarama.com/nycomiccon2008/DC/powergirl.html Power Girl[/url] series, the audience applauded before Sattler could say a word.

When asked for more stories involving Power Girl, Sattler responded saying “the JSA Annual deals with Power Girl, and we’ve got a whole Power Girl series that’s popping.”
The floor was soon opened for questions by the audience.

“If you could do more stories with Batman in the 51st universe, that would be great,” a fan commented.

“What’s going on with Jason Todd?” someone in the front asked, in reference to the mantle of Red Hood.

“Jason Todd is being Jason Todd,” Sattler said, adding that there will be some story dealing with the next Red Hood soon.

“We have a real advantage to do really great character stuff, with as much as we can with Amanda on it,” Palmiotti said of the Power Girl series. “We just felt this should be something you can read from issue one where you can get everything,” he continued. “We kind of play with the nuances of character, as she wants things done her way. I’m always interested with characters like Peter Parker and Mary Jane, that’s what I like in Power Girl.”

Asked about what’s coming up in Superman, Sattler said, “We’ve got Jeff johns and James Robertson working on a Braniac story they’re kicking off. That story goes on to the next and then the next. The Superman stories really get big, heading into the Fall and huge into 2009.”

[Are there] “Any plans for a second JSA book?” an audience member asked.

“We’re going to make it through the Gog story first and see which characters are left over,” Sattler said.

Questions then turned to Final Crisis. “The threat level of Final Crisis is huge,” Sattler warned. “We’re seeing right off the bat how that’s playing out. Like with Martian Manhunter - what happens to him and what becomes of him; we’ll see in Final Crisis: Requiem what happens to him.”

The panel was asked if there was chance for an Aquaman relaunch.

“We get asked that question a lot, so we’re aware of the lack of Aquaman,” Sattler said.

Finally, Palmiotti was asked if it was challenging to keep Jonah Hex interesting.

“I don’t think we’ve actually done one story where he got the bounty and got the reward,” joked Palmiotti, who said there were almost 30-something issues where the Western themed character would go after a bounty for a reward, only to come home empty-handed.

WW PHILLY: DC NATION PANEL - NEWSARAMA

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Reactivation Weekend on Now! Patch Up and Play Issue 12!

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Just in time to try out all the new features included in Issue 12: Midnight Hour, it’s a free Reactivation Weekend! From Thursday, May 22nd starting at 11 AM Pacific (1 PM Eastern) and continuing through Sunday, May 25th at 8:59 PM Pacific (11:59 PM Eastern) all inactive accounts in good standing have free access to City of Heroes and/or City of Villains!

If you haven’t played in a while, be sure to read through the press release for the launch of Issue 12: Midnight Hour: “NCsoft Covers New Ground in City of Heroes” and visit the Official Message Forums for a wealth of information about Issue 12.

We’ll see you in game and have a great “City of” weekend!

City of Heroes Community Site

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The Midnight Squad

JOIN THE MIDNIGHT SQUAD (LEVELS 10 - 50)
The clandestine organization of mystics, scholars and mages, known only as the Midnight Squad, seeks to rebuild its numbers since the devastating assault of the Rikti Invasion. The Midnighters hold a secret that could bring the alien assault to an end, but without the help of the Heroes of Paragon City™ it will remain Lost forever.

NEW ZONE MAPS (LEVELS 35 - 50)
The Midnighters hold many secrets within their walls, including a highly coveted Ouroboros crystal, enabling them to travel to the far reaches of time. There is a familiar threat in an ancient land and the Midnighters need the help of both Heroes and Villains to stop it. Players step foot upon the ancient land of the Roman Cimeroran Peninsula, where they battle deadly creatures, defend an ancient city and ultimately come face to face with the enemy of time itself. Throughout this journey players uncover the mysteries of power and the origins that guide them today.

UNLOCK NEW ARMOR COSTUMES
Through their accomplishments, players unlock the new Roman and Greek inspired armor costume set.

Villain Epic Archetypes

Infiltrate the Arachnos organization from within! Upon reaching level 50, Villains unlock two new Epic Archetypes; Wolf Spiders and Blood Widows. They have their own unique storyline and missions, power combinations and costume sets. Branching powersets allow the Wolf Spider to specialize as either a Bane Spider or Crab Spider and the Blood Widow chooses from the Fortunata and Night Widow branches. Each brings with it unique costumes for your Arachnos duties, as well as your newfound role as a Destined One. Click here to view the Villain Epic Archetype trailer.

Powerset Proliferation

Using his newly built Resonance Manipulator, the Villain scientist known as Dr. Brainstorm™ has discovered a way to alter the energy strands which connect every Hero and Villain to their powers. This discovery has not only opened the door to new powers for his fellow Villains in the Rogue Isles™, but has also done the same for the Heroes of Paragon City ™! Specifically, new characters of almost every Hero and Villain archetype gain access to an additional primary and secondary powerset that they didn’t have access to previously. Get all of the details here or watch the trailer!

Hollows Zone “Gameplay Makeover”

Significant changes have been made to the Hollows zone to make it more fun! NPC encounters have been rebalanced, including new spawns, new villain groups, mission door improvements, and a mobile hospital has been added to the entrance of the zone. Additionally, Meg Mason, a new contact, has been adde