By Richard Renteria

The Superman panel sure does come forward with a lot of lingering questions I had about what was going on with character and his supporting cast for 2009. After learning that Geoff Johns and Gary Frank were leaving Action Comics and the title would star two other Kryptonians I thought it seemed rather abrupt. Now after reading about DC’s plans for Superman in 2009 I can’t help but wonder if his titles will continue to maintain my interest.

With Kandor being super-sized and Superman soon-to-be going off planet to live as a Kryptonian I can’t help but think that the uniqueness of Superman will become diluted. Plus the scope of the story and its importance has been somewhat muted by Johns handling the general direction of the character with others filling it out more completely. I’m sure with Johns at the helm my worries are probably for naught, but let’s be honest with quotes like these:

When asked about the fall-out from Final Crisis in general and Detective Turpin in particular: “Will any books be dealing with the fallout of what happened with Turpin in ‘Final Crisis?’” “No.”

When asked of its placement relative to Final Crisis Geoff Johns replied, “We’re Post-Final Crisis after March.”

Final Crisis’ effect on Superman’s continuity was also brought up to which Geoff Johns replied, “We’re not going to do a checklist of what stories are and aren’t in continuity to follow the Superman books you don’t have to worry about it. We’re telling a story we started a couple years ago and it’s going to take us into 2010.”

It makes me question DC and its ability to embrace change and make it stick.

By Richard Renteria

For those of you who read Final Crisis and RIP, if you notice there is a conundrum that appears due to Batman’s seeming disappearance and the lack of explanation about exactly at what point he is abducted. Well during the DC Nation panel Dan Didio was kind enough to give an explanation of exactly what happened.

According to Dan Didio and his slides this is the breakdown for the series of events is as follows:

* We start with the first issue of Batman RIP (Batman 676),
* Then comes Final Crisis #1,
* Next is the conclusion of “Batman RIP (Batman 680) where, according to Didio, “Batman jumped on a helicopter and the damn thing blew up.”
* The end of RIP leads into Final Crisis” #3 where “Something happens and Batman is trapped in Darkseid’s (cloning) machine”, again according to Didio.
* Then Batman figures out he’s being manipulated and breaks free of the mind control (This would have to be where Last Rights fits in as at the end the issue alludes to Batman’s eventual escape),
* Batman does not make another appearance in Final Crisis #6, when he shoots Darkseid and is hit with the Omega Sanction,
* Which leads us to the final page of Final Crisis #7, where we see a shadow of a man drawing a bat on Anthro’s cave wall.

See all nice and clarified, but you notice Didio never says how Batman was actually abducted and by the internal logic of both series (FC and RIP) neither the disappearance nor the abduction could happen in any logical manner. You see the problem occurs due to Batman actually being abducted by the possessed Alpha Lantern Kraken in Final Crisis #2, moments after he meets with Superman.

The riddle being, is there a way for Batman to have disappeared from the plane explosion at the end of Batman RIP while still making a rather prominent appearance in Final Crisis #2? Anyone up for the challenge?

Fangoria is reporting that Nick Principe, the chrome-faced killer in Robert Hall’s Laid to Rest, will apparently be “the lead slasher” in Robert Hall’s film adaption of Tim Seeley’s Hack/Slash comic book. Principe says nothing in the article about the heavily-guarded secret of who will play the leads in the film, which will be produced by Rogue Pictures, a division of Universal that specializes in genre films and is probably best-known for releasing Shaun of the Dead.

With this year’s NYCC coming the week before Toy Fair instead of a couple of week after many of the big names in toys have decided to unveil some surprises for ’09 early. Take a look at some of the highlights below, then go hit Action Figure Insider’s NYCC Galleries for everything shown on day one.

Hasbro rolls out its main focus for the next year with their 3.75″ Marvel Universe line: Fury Files. A mind-bogglingly deep line right out of the gate, the focus will be on the entire Marvel Unverse and not just the normal heavy hitters. There will be singles, 2-packs, 3-packs and boxed sets.  There will also be exclusives in the line.  Walmart will have some exclusives, including packs that have one ginat figure and one normal sized figure. Movie lines will also be in the 3.75″ scale.  For most movies there will be both a movie and a comic version line running side by side. And as an added bonus, Frank Cho has drawn all the package art for the first year- over 35 figures!

DC Direct also has a good showing, with a bunch of new reveals such as a new Deluxe figure from their incredibly successful World of Warcraft line, a smoking hot Adam Hughes designed Black Canary statue, a new Batman: Black & White statue, and some figures that tie-in with the upcoming “Blackest Night” event in Green Lantern.

And last but certainly not least, Mattel ups the ante with their DC showings, specifically the awesome Four Horsemen sculpted DC Universe Classics wave 8, which feaures among other favorites a Jack Kirby designed “Super Powers” Parademon! Another big hit was their new DC Minis line, which turns the Brave & the Bold designs into cute l’il buggers!

Lots more to come, Super fans, so keep checking back!

MTV’s Splash Page carried the news that the Brian Michael Bendis/Michael Avon Oeming series Powers is in “active development as a pilot at FX.”  Splash Page spoke to Bendis at NYCC, and he confirmed that he handed in a draft of the pilot script to the network.

Bendis remarked on some of the strange aspects of the journey from page to screen:

“When we first sold it as a feature, we were lucky to get it optioned right away by Sony,” said Bendis. “We had to sit through waves of screenplays that were just inappropriate for the product, and for fans of the book. There were whole drafts of the screenplay without Deena Pilgrim [one of the series' two main characters] in them. They’d hand me the screenplay and go, “What’s wrong with this?” and I’d go “He has no one to talk to!”

All right, readers.  Fire up those casting choices.

[Via MTV's Splash Page]

The first big piece of news from NYCC that caught my eye was the announcement the Chris Claremont, the architect of the modern X-Men universe, would once again return to the franchise that is, in the eyes of some fans, synonymous with his name in X-Men: Forever.  The series, which will feature artwork by Claremont’s New Exiles partner, Tom Grummett, will take the seminal mutant team forward in an alternate continuity that uses X-Men #1, the point where Claremont initially ended his original run in 1991, as a starting point.

Claremont: Coming back to the X-Men is never difficult. Quite the contrary, it’s a true pleasure, like visiting old and dear friends. [X-Men] Forever allows me not just to pick up where I left off, but to show the reader the unexpected. Forever allows me to pick up where I left off with the freedom to take the series in whole new—and unfettered—directions. The characters here are totally up for grabs. All of the presumptions that we’ve gotten used to over time no longer apply; relationships that we’ve come to take for granted are suddenly cast in question.

Think about that a moment—say we’re used to a romantic relationship between a couple of characters. But suppose that applecart gets overturned, suppose one of the characters finds themselves attracted to someone new and unexpected, what then? Suppose we go down that road, where might it lead?

Reaction from the fans has been… well, let’s just say “mixed” and keep it civil. Chris Claremont’s best work is behind him, partly due to sweeping changes in the way comics are written since Claremonts heyday, and partly due to uninspired ideas in Claremont’s own scripts (what’s the over/under on how many issues until an X-Man goes on a mind-controlled rampage?).

But this book isn’t for the average comic book fan, or even most die-hard X-Men fans. X-Men: Forever is for the fans (like me) who grew up reading Uncanny X-Men, New Mutants and Excalibur; the fans who’ll buy any X-project with his name on it in the hopes that it will recapture even a spark of the old glory the X-Men once had under his direction. For us, the accusations that Claremont is washed-up are way off-base. His X-Treme X-Men run was good more often than not, and his previous returns to the main X-Men titles have been better than he’s been given credit for. X-Men: Forever is the kind of book that’s right in Claremont’s wheelhouse; he can cherry-pick the characters he wants to use and not have to worry about editorial mandates gumming up his plans. He could even go back and finish some of the ongoing storylines that were abruptly ended with his initial departure. Remember how Gambit was a shady, conniving rogue when Claremont first introduced him? Rumor has it that Claremont originally intended for Gambit to be a henchman in Mr. Sinister’s employ, acting as a double agent in the X-Men. Wouldn’t that be a lot more interesting take on the character than the emo, Rogue-loving pansy he became in other writers’ hands?

True, X-Men: Forever is going to cater to a specific fanbase, but if nothing else, it couldn’t possibly be any worse than a majority of X-Men stories we’ve seen in the past eighteen years, right?  (I’m looking at you, Draco and Onslaught.)

*What is it with comic conventions and kitty cat ears? Is it something I miss out on by not watching enough anime/reading manga? Clearly, must investigate further.

*Paid $4.25 for Vitamin Water. I now cannot afford to eat.

*Panel rooms look vaguely like holding cells. Giant cement pillars, greyish-beigeish walls, rows of chairs…

*Lots of women, at least at the Disney panel. This is a Good Thing.

*Still seeing giveaway bags with Hellboy II: The Golden Army on them. Left over from the summer cons?

*Apparently the things that look like toilet seats around people’s necks are promos for Dead Like Me.

Commentary by Richard Renteria

As a subscriber to Marvel’s Digital Comics Unlimited, it’s nice to see more original content for the site. The newly announced War of Kings exclusive online content has me really excited, as it has the potential to introduce the storyline to an audience that may not pick it up on their weekly trip to the comic book store.

The stories will be written by Christos Gage and Jay Faerber, with art by Carlos Magno (Gladiator), Adriana Melo (Crystal), Mahmud Asrar (Blastaar) and Timothy Green (Lilandra). Now, normally the announcement of a new Christos Gage story would be great, except that Marvel’s online content suffers due to two flaws in their presentation.

The first problem concerns the almost archaic viewer they force subscribers to utilize. It is very cumbersome and is so user unfriendly that it makes reading certain titles challenging to say the least. The other problem concerns their exclusive online content. If these stories are indeed online exclusive, is it really necessary to design the page as a standard comic book page? Regardless, giving War of Kings an online presence should help the title in the long run.

What say you, readers?

Christian Bale made a surprise call to the Kevin & Bean show on KROQ today, and apologized for his widely publicized tirade on the set of Terminator: Salvation.  The actor takes complete ownership of his profanity-laden speech, noting that he was “out of order” and refers to the incident as his “incredibly embarrassing meltdown”.  He also goes on to say that he and the now-famous DP Shane Hurlbut resolved their differences and compliments Hurlbut heavily.  As to the many jokes levelled at him in the aftermath, Bale said, “I deserve it completely.”  He also takes a detour to urge Michael Phelps to continue using his “god-like” talent and not let the swimmer’s controversy get him down.  Batman complimenting Aquaman?  It’s truly a weekend of wonders.

Variety runs down the list of nominees for the 22nd Annual Kids’ Choice Awards, and it’s no surprise to see some heavy representation from “our” corner of the entertainment universe.  The Dark Knight and Iron Man pulled nods for Favorite Movie, while Will Smith notched a Favorite Movie Actor nom for his super-powered turn in Hancock.  The Favorite Book category features group noms for the Twilight and Harry Potter series, as well as nods for Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do It Yourself Book.  A complete rundown of nominees can be found here.

Voting will begin the Nick’s Kids’ Choice website on March 2nd.  The program, hosted by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, will take place on March 28th.

Blog@Newsarama friends and contributors from Action Figure Insider are on the scene in NYCC.  Expect to see some great stuff slide our way as they make their reports.  Already, ToyOtter himself has been dropping information about Hasbro’s Marvel Universe line.  It includes some of the Amazing Friends seen below.

More from all of our crews as the day goes on!

Probably the biggest comic of next week will be Batman #686, the first over-sized issue of a two-part story written by Neil Gaiman and bearing the charged title of “Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?”

Gaiman, one of the handful of creators that one can easily trace the current graphic novel boom back to, returning to do any comics work of any kind is a pretty exciting prospect, for both the readers and the company publishing him, particularly since he’s become more and more a prose a writer and less and less of a comics writer over the past few years.

He’s also coming off a huge week personally, in which one of his latest prose works won the Newbery award—DC couldn’t have asked for a better time to release a new Gaiman project.

That he’s working on a perennially hot character (Batman), that he’s working with a fairly hot artist (Andy Kubert), that he’s following the work of another hot and critically acclaimed writer (Grant Morrison) and that his story is being positioned as a spiritual sequel to a classic superhero comic by the man who’s probably most widely recognized as the greatest living comics writer (Alan Moore)…well, like I said, this should be a pretty exciting comic book release.

Whatever it actually ends up being about. The solicitation is a little vague: “[A] captivating and mysterious tale the likes of which Batman and friends have never experienced before. Delving into the realms of life, death and the afterlife, Gaiman leaves no stone unturned as he explores every facet and era of Bruce Wayne’s life.” The safe assumption is that it will be a final chapter type story for Batman, as Moore’s Whatever Happened To The Man of Tomorrow? was for Superman.

While looking forward to this week’s first half of the story, which is set to conclude in March’s Detective Comics #853, I thought it would be a good time to pull out and dust off some old longboxes and revisit Gaiman’s previous Batman comics.

(more…)

Kidding, of course.  Blog@Newsarama and the Mothership Connection, Newsarama itself (two sites under a groove, y’all), will both be bringing you an enormous amount of news and interviews over the next few days as NYCC rolls forth.  For example, if you haven’t already seen the NYCC Program, with previews of Flash:Rebirth and Detective Comics (starring Batwoman), check it here.

We’ve got a large portion of the Blog@ team on the ground along with Matt Brady, ‘Rama mainstays like Vaneta Rogers, video coverage, video game coverage, and more.  For ease of operation . . .

The Newsarama NYCC 2009 page is here.

The Newsarama NYCC 2009 video channel is here.

We invite you to check back here and at the above throughout the weekend.

Fanflow: Awesome at a Premium

Have you ever collected box tops or proofs of purchase? Have you ever known the thrill of deciphering a secret code that only your new club decoder ring will show you? No? Well get ready, because webcomics are about to bring it back for a new generation.

We’re talking about fan clubs.

Specifically we’re talking about Fanflow brought to you by the good people at assetbar.com. Assetbar is an innovative group of tech developers specializing in flexible and customizable web tools that help you manage your content and connect with your audience. In their words: “Fanflow helps artists afford to create new content that otherwise wouldn’t exist. If you have fans who crave more from you, then premium content Fanflows may be a great addition to your free work.”

This is especially attractive to webcomic creators who, almost by definition, are the exact people Fanflow was designed for.

Comic creators Chris Onstad and Scott Kurtz have signed on and are offering their readers additional content using the Fanflow service, with many more comic creators sure to follow. The main comic strip is still free but now with a small payment you can access premium content and “members only” features. Most of this content creators are already producing and releasing erratically through multiple, unconnected channels. With Fanflow, all the content is brought together and made accessible only to subscribers. Content offered can include: community moderated comment and message boards, streaming video while the artist works, members-only messages from the characters and authors, exclusive wallpapers downloads, podcasts, photos, in-progress previews, even music. But really, there’s no limit to what creators can give their Fanflow members.

Of course, premium content memberships already exist; Sluggy Freelance fans will be familiar with Pete Abram‘s Defenders of the Nifty community. And getting special downloads as incentives for donations is also pretty common. Fanflow updates the process and makes it easier for users no matter what size audience you start with. Of course, the quality of the club depends mostly on the comic creator’s diligence in continuously updating their members with more and more content. So if you’re just barely able to keep your comic’s update schedule as it is, Fanflow may not be for you. Still, it’s good to see new tools being released that work so easily with the webcomics model. Keep an eye on Assetbar.com for more.

Comics we’ve found using Fanflow:Achewood, Octopuspie, PVP, Starslip. ( By the time this posts we’re sure there will be more.)

As we continue to see the decline of editorial cartoons in newspapers and we raise questions about appropriate political satire, a story in the New York Times’ blog about a South African political cartoon reminds us of the power in a sketch.

Jacob Zuma, leader of the ruling party in South Africa, has been accused of corruption and even rape. (He was acquitted of the rape charges in 2006.) But it appears he’s more bothered by the work of top political cartoonist Zapiro.

Zapiro drew a vicious, almost disturbing image of Zuma unbuckling his belt, looking down on a woman labeled “Justice System,” blindfolded and held down by leering men. (Check it out here.)

From Zapiro’s Web site:

On Wednesday 17 December the Sheriff of the Court served Zapiro with a letter of demand claiming R7 million – R5 million for injury to Zuma’s reputation and R2 million for injury to his dignity ‘ to be paid within 2 weeks, failing which Zuma will take Zapiro to court.

Zuma also cites The Sunday Times in his claim. The Sunday Times and its editor, Mondli Makhanya, have stated they are fully behind Zapiro. They are prepared to stand by their decision to publish the cartoon and will contest the case through their legal representatives. . .

. . . Zapiro is also convinced that, if this case does go to court, freedom of expression will be upheld. He feels that the courts will uphold his right as a satirist and as a cartoonist to criticise public figures harshly, even when the images he produces are offensive to some.

The U.S. has decisions like Flynt v. Falwell to uphold the rights of cartoonists and satirists to lampoon political and public figures. I won’t pretend to know the first thing about South African speech laws, but I can certainly hope that Zapiro will not end up in jail for a cartoon.

Like Zuma and Nelson Mandela, Zapiro was a political prisoner during the apartheid regime. Yet more reminders that political cartoons can have more impact, and of the importance of free speech.

Check out more of Zapiro’s work at his site or at the excellent Mail & Guardian newspaper’s site.

Got this press release e-mailed to me this afternoon.  The subject itself wasn’t a biggie for me, though I’m not sure how often Mark Millar makes his way to Chicago.  The event that Wizard Entertainment labels for themselves as struck me as different than what I’d gone to for the last ten years straight.

MARK MILLAR NAMED GUEST OF HONOR
AT CHICAGO COMIC-CON!

The Charismatic Writer Of Kick-Ass And Fantastic Four
Brings The Party To The Windy City

Congers, NY (February 4, 2009) – Veteran comic scribe Mark Millar is currently setting Hollywood on fire with properties like Wanted and Kick-Ass, and now the Scottish sensation will be meeting and greeting fans at Chicago Comic-Con. Known for his larger-than-life characters and action sequences that make Michael Bay movies look like “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” fans are guaranteed a rip-roaring good time when they meet Millar at any one of his numerous panels and signings taking place all weekend long.

Millar proved to be the first blockbuster writer of the new millennium with his groundbreaking and high concept action stories in both Ultimate X-Men and The Authority. Millar raised the bar for himself even further with The Ultimates, a series that became the blueprint for how superhero comics are written in the 21st Century. Millar has left his mark on nearly every one of Marvel’s heavy-hitting characters in titles such as Marvel Knights: Spider-Man, Wolverine and, currently, Fantastic Four with Ultimates artist Bryan Hitch.

“We are thrilled to feature Mark as Guest of Honor for Chicago Comic-Con,” said Wizard Senior VP/Operations Joe Yanarella. “Wherever Mark goes, there’s sure to be a party and this show will be no different. Mark has some special surprises planned for the show that will definitely have fans excited.”

Millar’s creator-owned work has proven to be as explosive and popular as his many other projects. His mini-series with fellow Chicago Comic-Con attendee JG Jones, Wanted, became a major motion picture starring Angelina Jolie and was one of the biggest blockbusters of the 2008 summer movie season. The adaptation of his current smash hit comic series, Kick-Ass, stars Nicholas Cage and is being unleashed on theaters later this year.

Don’t miss this opportunity to meet Mark Millar. Be sure to go to www.wizardworld.com for updates about guests and programming and to save 15 percent off the price of tickets by ordering now. Chicago Comic-Con returns August 6-9, 2009 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center.

I know they’ve rebranded themselves over the years here in Chicago, but I can’t recall the last time Wizard referred to their local event as “Comic-Con.”
And not once in the press release do they say “Wizard World.”
A coincidence in light of the news this week from their competition?
I don’t know. Feedback is welcome.

Today’s Financial Times has a column on the ethical responsibility of a London banker who received a bonus from a U.S. bank bailed out by taxpayers. There are a number of suggestions–give the bonus back, send it to the government, buy a Porsche–but one reader anecdote suggests that the bailout may also be helping the comics industry:

My husband–whose bonus is mere couple of hundred pounds–spent it on Batman comics and sent them to a children’s ward in New York, which I thought was a really nice touch. Mind you–he’s a good man. If it was my couple of hundred pounds, I would have spent it on shoes.

If you like what’s you’ve read so far totally check out more super cute comics at:www.sosuperduper.com!

(Above: Typical Somali pirates)

You know, it’s really too bad that Aquaman is dead or in limbo or a Black Lantern or on Earth-That One Panel In Final Crisis or wherever he is these days, because an Aquaman vs. The Somali Pirates would probably make for a pretty decent, topical, maybe-even-grab-a-few-headlines miniseries.

I suppose Marvel could always try a Namor vs. The Somali Pirates miniseries, but somehow I have a hard time picturing The Avenging Son being too terribly interesested in hostage negotiations or helping out countries that aren’t Atlantis.

The Hero House apparently got a look at the screenplay for the forthcoming Green Lantern film.  According to the review, the script is a first draft credited to Greg Berlanti, Michael Green and Marc Guggenheim.  And, reportedly, it’s “pretty decent”.

We get a good, solid telling of the story of Hal Jordan and how he became Green Lantern. All of the characters you’d expect are there–Hal, Tom Kalmaku, Carol Ferris, Sinestro, Tomar-Re, Kilowog, the Guardians, Hector Hammond. All the characters are what you’d expect, stepping from comic page to screenplay page pretty well intact. Hal is very much the Hal we know and love, the archetypal 50′s jet-age Right Stuff test pilot. It’s interesting to see that character placed firmly in the modern day. Tom, though, is pleasantly updated from Hal’s Eskimo grease-monkey to a modern-day tech-head geek–he knows Hal’s secret, just as in the comics, and here his geekiness serves him well. He might be more excited than Hal is about the ring and the possibility of alien life (but he’s almost as excited by reaching a new personal-best in Halo). Sinestro is a dedicated warrior, occasionally evoking Gerard Butler as King Leonidas in 300… but he’s also the Sinestro we know, a bit arrogant, willing to disagree with the Guardians, and perhaps more than a touch power-hungry.

What do you think, readers?  Happy?  Guardedly optimistic?  With the addition of Martin Campbell as director, this seems to be picking up some momentum.