Cartoon Network continues to forget that its name is “Cartoon” Network (how long until they rebrand to Kart-une to get away from the stereotypes of animation associated with the word Cartoon?), this time teaming with Lionsgate for an “Ultimate King Arthur” style movie. The film will take the characters and basis of the legend and bring them into the 21st Century, with a heavier focus on the sorcerer Merlin. Lionsgate’s President of Production, Alli Shearmur, is well…producing, and the writer of Eagle Eye Travis Wright is updating the classic tale.

The more disturbing side of this is that live action “initiative” that Cartoon Network is now seeking. I make the SyFy related joke here, but at the network’s upfront for next year’s programming, less than half of the newly announced shows and movies are actually animated. I guess they haven’t seen the other 600 channels on TV that air primarily live action lately.

PAWTUCKET, RI – April 15, 2009 – Hasbro announced today that G.I. Joe: Resolute, an adult fan oriented animated mini-series, will be broadcast via Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim on television as well as online.  Based on the classic G.I. JOE brand, Hasbro created 60 minutes of total content for this new story which will be presented as 11 episodes.

Beginning on April 17, fans will be able to see the first five minutes of the brand new, stand-alone animated mini-series on AdultSwim.com.  These episodes are broken down to ten 5-minute episodes and one 10-minute finale.  Following the first episode on April 17, subsequent installments will be posted on the Adult Swim website leading up to a full presentation of the entire series.   This finale will be broadcast on Adult Swim April 25 at midnight.  This televised event will not only feature all episodes seen online, but will be the first time fans can watch the final 10 minutes of the G.I. Joe: Resolute saga.  All episodes, including the finale, will be available to view online after this airing.

Intended for the adult fan that grew up with the brand in the 80’s, G.I. Joe: Resolute received standing ovations at both the G.I. JOE Convention, “JoeCon,” and San Diego Comic-Con in 2008 where sample clips were previewed.  Since then, fans have eagerly been awaiting the announcement of air-dates for the series.

“In a very exciting year for the G.I. JOE brand, we’re thrilled to be able to bring the G.I. Joe: Resolute animated series to the adult G.I. JOE fan,” said Michael Verrecchia, Director of G.I. JOE Entertainment Marketing.  “Adult Swim is the perfect broadcast platform to deliver the series, which features a more sophisticated animation style and story than prior animation.”

Hasbro developed the animation with executive producer Sam Register as well as a powerhouse creative team at Titmouse Studios including Joaquim Dos Santos, a veteran animation director, who worked closely with award-winning comic writer Warren Ellis, who penned the entire series. This highly regarded team brings an edgy, intense feel to the series, which will feature the most popular characters in the G.I. JOE vs. COBRA canon.  Iconic characters such Duke, Snake Eyes, Scarlett and Roadblock will do battle with Cobra Commander, Destro, Baroness and Storm Shadow.

Fans can learn more about G.I. Joe: Resolute by visiting www.gijoeresolute.com

Josh Howard has previewed some pages on his blog from his series Dead@17: Afterbirth…

Some possibly NSFW images after the cut:

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There are obviously spoilers below the cut…

Seriously, folks, if you don’t want to get spoiled, don’t read after the cut…

All right, I warned you…

AM New York, one of the many newspapers floating around the Big Apple, had a front page announcement of Marvel’s latest Mayor of New York City. A subplot building in the thrice-monthly Amazing Spider-Man, the two previous candidates for Mayor had both left the race due to the machinations of Green Goblin-eqsue villainess Menace. So who’s in charge now?

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It’s as if Japan is deliberately trying to freak me out.

Not only do they have a company called CYBERDYNE — which Terminator fans will note is the company that created Skynet and, by proxy, the robot-powered apocalypse known as Judgment Day — but they are creating up to 500 robotic exoskeletons.

So yes, I’m pretty sure I need a new pair of underroos.

Scientific American has some more details:

The exoskeleton detects—via a sensor attached to the wearer’s skin—brain signals sent to muscles to get them moving. The exoskeleton’s computer analyzes these signals to determine how it must move (and with how much force) to assist the wearer. The company claims on its Web site that the device can also operate autonomously (based on data stored in its computer), which is key when used by people suffering spinal cord injuries or physical disabilities resulting from strokes or other disorders.

They also note that the company knows what the name Cyberdyne has meant in the past. Which means it might stay that way in the future.

Say it with me now: AAAAAAAAAAAGH!!!!!!!!!!

I, uh… well, there’s really no good way of introducing this, is there?

No lie, I can’t really put these two icons together without feeling a little bit uncomfortable. But Marvel has done the impossible, making a two-part comic mixing Eminem and the Punisher! The book is due out May 5.

To me, however, this cover of XXL Magazine is additionally interesting because of the weird history Eminem has had with comics: anyone who has read Wanted will know that J.G. Jones specifically modeled the character of Wesley Gibson off of the Great White Rapper.

Yet when rumors swirled around Eminem possibly taking the role in the comics’ film adaptation, he flatly refused, as he accused Mark Millar of exploiting his name to garner hype for the film: as Rap Basement explained, “since the creator of the comic not only lied about Eminem being attached but didn’t even run it by Eminem’s people, his camp didn’t consider the project anymore.” Also, the genre film Jumper apparently also was considering having Eminem star. I can’t even imagine what that would have looked like.

And yet, at the same time, Eminem also wrote NSFW songs called Superman, and regularly references the superhero in other songs like Rain Man (granted, this was probably more due to the Christopher Reeve jokes rather than any affection for Clark Kent). And of course, in his song Real Slim Shady, Eminem has his own Buttman-style character, which you can see here.

Now discuss.

There’s no such thing as bad publicity: Fan reception of the Marvel Divas announcement may have been luke warm so far (seriously, when was the last time anyone even used the word “diva?” Especially as anything but an insult?), but it was apparently worthy enough to rate a mention on Perez Hilton, right between “Wino’s Collaboration With Gorillaz Pisses Off Universal!” and “German Pop Singer Arrested For Infecting Partner With HIV.”

Super-Nazis slaughtered Citizen Steel’s entire family in my home town: Here’s a neat little article from the Peninsula Daily News that takes delight in the fact that Superman mentioned having to go save Port Townsend in a 1988 issue of Animal Man. It’s always kind of exciting to see your favorite superheroes appearing in, around or just talking about your hometown, isn’t it? Unless you live in New York City, of course, in which case you probably don’t care after a good 50 years worth of Marvel characters living, working and fighting there.

Marvel is making another of those special-to-the-military comics: The seventh so far, according to this Marvel press release. That’s enough for a trade collection now; is Marvel going to reprint this things for civilian audiences? Or is the whole idea that hardcore Marvel fans will join the military just to be able to complete their runs of New Avengers?

The secret origin of Toon Books: The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette runs a profile of Francoise Mouly’s Toon Books line from Raw Junior. It’s a nice, thorough piece, and well worth a read.

100 comics by 100 Bullets‘ Brian Azzarello: Okay look, I know I link to Tucker Stone pieces so often that some of you may wonder if he has incriminating photos on him or if I’m secretly in love with him. It’s not that at all, I swear. I mean, it’ s not my fault the guy keeps coming up with must-read pieces, you know? Anyway, today’s is “Brian Azzarello And His Comics About Killing People,” an overview of what appears to be every single thing Azzarello ever wrote, with the possible exception of his junior high diary.

You know who else I always link to?: Tim O’Neil. Today, he’d like to blow your mind. Go read this fact, presented in a single sentence, and think about it.

As you have seen back at the end of 2008, Pusing Daisies mastermind Bryan Fuller was toying with the idea of pursuing his series as a comic book if it wasn’t picked up for an additional season.

While I have reservations about that as a concept — making comics sort of a zombie haven for cancelled shows — Fuller gave a few details about the in-development project with Sci Fi Wire:

I am going to pull together the Pushing Daisies writing staff. It will be run like a writer’s room, where I will write the first story, and we will arc out the other issues, which will comprise what we were going to do in the back nine. We’ll also make it accessible for those who are not familiar with the TV series, as well as introducing villains we couldn’t do on ABC. There is a villain from the Comic-Con preview comic about a guy who got his head cut off. Ned touched it to get some answers; the body came alive too and proceeded to grab his head and get away. We definitely want Head to come back as a big villain.

Fuller also expressed interest in having Tim Sale work on art duties — this is perhaps not surprising, considering Sale has worked with Fuller on Heroes as well as the Pushing Daisies one-shot comic given at the 2007 San Diego Comic Con.

As you’ve probably seen over the past few days, the rumors have flown fast and furious over whether or not Joss Whedon’s show Dollhouse will be picked up by Fox for a second season.

Well, while a final decision still hasn’t been made by studio execs, the show’s creator seemed a bit skeptical in an interview with Sci Fi Wire:

“[The chances are] not very good but in limbo. ,.. Obviously our numbers are pretty soft, and there it is, but we live in hope. I’m really proud of the episodes that are coming out. More than that, I can’t really ask.”

He also discussed how cost-cutting resulted in his post-apocalyptic episode Epitaph One:

“The decision had to do with the studio saying, ‘We need another episode for our package, and we can’t afford one. … ‘Can you do a clip show? Can we show the unaired pilot?’ I’m like, ‘No, you can’t. It wouldn’t make any sense. Besides, we cannibalized it for parts. Most of it’s in other episodes.’ And they were like, ‘Well, we really have to have 13 for foreign.’ And I said, ‘I’ll tell you what. I’ll shoot a post-apocalyptic thriller that’s all on our sets in six days with a cast of four other people, then we’ll pepper it with different bits from our regular cast, and we can do it all during the schedule. It’ll cost you half. I can do this.’ And I was so in love with the idea that I just came up with off the top of my head, and that’s what it turned into. It’s one of the best episodes we’ve ever made.”

So anyway, discuss amongst yourselves. Fox has obviously kept mum about everything, but is scheduled to make a final decision in May.

The library is a great place for readers to discover comics, and it’s a great place for comics readers to check out things that they want to try without spending their hard-earned cash. I’m looking at comics that I find in the New York Public Library system.

Believe it or not, I found this book by running a search for Art Spiegelman books in the library’s system. Spiegelman’s introduction, on many levels, is the only reason to check this book out. In it, Spiegelman explores the notion of comics as an outlaw medium in their ultimate outlaw incarnation, the so-called Tijuana bible, examining how the trashiest comics of all time undermine and (oh, yes) exploit the elements of culture. A precursor to Mad and other more high-minded satire, the Tijuana bibles of the 1930s-50s were typically eight-page smut comics. They can be forgivingly called crudely drawn and underwritten, and each bibles was usually based on the image of a movie starlet or famous comics character (Mae West and Popeye being the most popular, apparently) engaging in antics best left behind closed doors.

The strips themselves leave little to the imagination. Eight pages, little plot, no character, sloppy art that tries (very urgently, yet totally unsuccessfully) to ape the style of the artist who made the parodied strip famous, each strip has – by itself – a crude, juvenile appeal. Piled atop one another in this 160 page volume, they quickly become tedious and exhausting. The women are essentially men in their actions and simplistic sex drive.

Still, some credit must be given to these little comic turds on some level. You’ll rarely see comics characters displaying healthy sexual interest outside of this, and there is the occasional (very, very occasional) flash of perhaps intentional wit. Most of all, reading these comics you can draw a clear line through Mad Magazine, the underground comix of the 60s and into the thriving alternative comic book scene of today. The low-brow trash of the Tijuana bibles has certainly played its part it breaking down the sacred taboos of the comics field, opening creators’ minds to the possibility of doing something a little bit racier, a little bit edgier, a little bit smarter.

Tijuana Bibles, a hardcover collection published several years ago by Simon and Schuster and compiled and annotated by Bob Andelman, collects some of the worst comics you’ll ever read – it takes a single-minded dedication to even finish this book – but if you find a copy, you’ll have a chance to witness the early car crashes of comic book history.  These disasters taught later artists how to put the pieces back together in more interesting configurations.  Discovering elements of the medium’s history is one of the great things to be found at your local library.

It seems it’s not enough that the first question we ask when a female superhero is announced for a comic movie is “Who’s she gonna hook up with?” Now we have to obsess over her weight as well.

Scarlett Johansson is far from fat. She’s a beautiful woman who has a body most women would kill for. Yet immediately the top question asked when a woman takes on an action role and starts working out is “How much weight is she going to lose?” It can’t be about being in shape to do her own stunts or just look buff enough to stand up next to Robert Downey Jr. and whomever else she’s squaring off with?

In a Huffington Post column, Johansson wrote:

Since dedicating myself to getting into “superhero shape,” several articles regarding my weight have been brought to my attention. Claims have been made that I’ve been on a strict workout routine regulated by co-stars, whipped into shape by trainers I’ve never met, eating sprouted grains I can’t pronounce and ultimately losing 14 pounds off my 5’3″ frame. Losing 14 pounds out of necessity in order to live a healthier life is a huge victory. I’m a petite person to begin with, so the idea of my losing this amount of weight is utter lunacy. If I were to lose 14 pounds, I’d have to part with both arms. And a foot. I’m frustrated with the irresponsibility of tabloid media who sell the public ideas about what we should look like and how we should get there.

Elizabeth Rappe at Splash Page noted:

No one suggested that Christian Bale wasn’t buff enough to play Batman or argued that Samuel L. Jackson needed a few crunches for Nick Fury, or called out the 300 ex-Spartans for not keeping up the regime. So, why does the Black Widow immediately come under the fitness microscope? Why should a superheroine be held as a standard for all women to emulate?

Our own Matt Brady asked not long ago why when a superheroine hits her husband, it’s funny, but a superhero hitting his wife is abuse. I gave a short answer in comics, but I think it’s all part of the same problem as the things I’ve listed here, honestly. Women are still too often assumed to be there just for decoration, not to be badasses on their own. I’m not as up on my Marvel comics as I’m sure some of you are, so correct me if I’m wrong, but the Black Widow is a pretty tough character on her own, with a shady background and questionable loyalties, a complex woman and one capable of taking care of herself–as is the Black Canary (why all the blackness? Anyway…).

But the female character is assumed to be there as a love interest, not just to be a character in herself. The men don’t have to prove they’re tough, but Johansson has to buff up–and when she does, she has to defend herself against charges that she’s trying to crash-diet and lose 15 pounds, because a woman exercising must be doing it to lose weight, not to get stronger. And when a woman hits a man, the idea that she might actually be able to do as much damage as a man or even more is still just laughable–even though anyone who’s seen Gina Carano fight should know that women can knock you out too.

Just for the record, I’m stoked for Iron Man 2 and I’m not automatically opposed to an eye-candy matchup between Johansson and Downey. I just think we’ve got a long way to go still on the way we think of women as action heroes.

Sorry for the delay getting this one up.  I do sometimes take small vacations.  Occasionally.

It’s time for our monthly walk-through of Diamond’s Previews catalog.  As usual, we’ll start with the book I noticed that you might’ve missed.  Then we’ll mention the stuff in the front of the catalog that you’ve likely seen.

Cerebus Archive #2 has zombie and Obama variant covers. Dave Sim succumbs to the unbridled power of Barack Obama, comics biggest star! Aardvark Vanaheim ships it.

Scott Morse and friends’ latest installment of the Ancient Book series is The Ancient Book of Sex and Science, from AdHouse Books. Watch for a cabal of Born Agains to burn these heathen theories of procreation and stem cells! (I kid, oh you of religious persuasion and skin thin.)

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Entertainment Weekly’s Michael Ausiello is reporting that, while the show is not “officially” gone yet, Fox is planning to end Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, putting the series’ future in just as murky water as Dollhouse – something Joss Whedon himself has discussed. The Terminator TV show comes as a bit more of a surprise than Dollhouse; not just because it’s already had two seasons and started strong, but because it seems that having it on TV when the new movie hits multiplexes would be a rewarding tie-in.

The studio maintains that neither show has been canceled, and that the new fall lineup will be announced on May 18th. That said, neither show has exactly had a resounding endorsement from Fox, who just hew to the mantra that “no decisions have been made yet” whenever they are asked about the shows’ respective futures.

Obviously, if Fox does end up canceling both shows, we can expect dozens of “is sci-fi television dead?” ruminations across the blogosphere, as the two, back-to-back science fiction shows created Fox’s Friday night science fiction block of programming.

I’m out of witty comments to make this week–it’s been a busy week, if a good one.

Last week was Northlanders week, and since it was the end of an arc, I wrote a long review of it (short version? Best one yet. Read it). I also read Young Liars, which grows more twisted with each issue, and has me working on comparisons to Lolita, Memento, and a few other works with unreliable narrators. And then there was Warren Ellis’s new mini, Ignition City, which was slow to grab me but had me by the end. I’m always waiting for Ellis to make his typical jaded yet idealistic lead character a woman, and so each time a new series crops up with a female lead, I hope. We’ll see.

This week, DMZ #41 is on my list, as is Air #8. But is there anything else I’m missing?

Sony Online Entertainment continues the slow trickle of character and location reveals leading up to the PS3/PC MMORPG, DCUOnline, today. Solomon Grundy, from Sketch to Render is shown off, and looking appropriately brutish. The included character description from the press release follows:

Solomon Grundy™ is part zombie and part plant, a bizarre, centuries-old half-human life form filled with confused anger. At times he is a rampaging monster, at others a calculating and coldblooded villain.

Solomon Grundy’s enhanced strength makes him a threat even to the DC Universe’s strongest heroes. As an immortal, massive blows or injuries can’t kill or hurt him -  afterwards, he simply regenerates to rise again.

Solomon Grundy has been seen skulking in swamps, sewers, and abandoned buildings in both Metropolis and Gotham City. Denizens of these cities beware the low growl of “Solomon Grundy, born on a Monday…”

The Sketches/designs are being done by a group of artists led by Jim Lee, Executive Creative Director for the game. It’s another good looking, iconic version of a DCU character; personally, I’m waiting to see some of the B and C listers to see how well these new designs carry over to the extended DCU. Full Renders are after the break. (more…)

This month is Wolverine Art Appreciation month at Marvel, with Wolverine-ized riffs on classic (and a few “classic”) works of art being used as variants on various Marvel comics. I hadn’t seen what I assumed would be the easiest one to draw yet, so I took it upon myself to make it. That’s Wolverine Fights a Polar Bear in a Snow Storm.

They are both the best they are at what they do, but, unfortunately for the bear, all it does is fight seals and suchlike.

So this being not only a Wednesday, but a Wednesday shortly before a Wolverine movie comes out, how many Wolverine comics will be coming out tomorrow? Two? Four? Forty-two?

The answer will be revealed after the jump, as we take our weekly look at all of the things coming out this week that seem worthy of discussion/derision.

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Bill Maher’s interview with former Ritchie Cunningham and more recent A Beautiful Mind director Ron Howard was pretty interesting, starting around 6:30:

That’s when Maher starts going off on comic book movies, after Howard reveals that he turned down directing Spider-Man and Batman. What do you think, Rama readers? Is he right on the money, or is Maher taking himself a bit too seriously?

All right, so last time we posted Marvel EiC Joe Quesada’s tips on how to put together a spectacular art sample for editors, we got some nice response. But some people were wondering — what about writing?

Well, the Twitterverse has given us some new tutorials from some comics superstars: some writing tips from Joe Q himself, as well as a step-by-step look at cover art by Jim Lee!

Here’s Quesada’s tips for anyone interested in writing, which he posted a few days back (remember: this in reverse chronological order, as per Twitter’s format):

# Hope that little bit helped. See ya!4:42 PM Apr 9th from web

# Okay, gang, I have a dinner date and have to run. More next week. I’ll also look over your questions and post tweets with some answers.4:42 PM Apr 9th from web

# What form does that submission take and how long or short should it be? Therein lies your answer.4:42 PM Apr 9th from web

# Put yourself in the position of the editor who is overworked and getting hundreds or subs.4:41 PM Apr 9th from web

# If we like what we see, we’ll ask you to show us the rest.4:41 PM Apr 9th from web

# But even with that, keep it simple, 11-22 pages or so. We don’t need six issues, we just need to see your best.4:41 PM Apr 9th from web

# Artist and writers are coming together to show off their talents and printing their own mini comics. These make it much easier for Editors.4:40 PM Apr 9th from web

# Brian Bendis is the master of this, produced his own stuff and worked it well. Got read and got in. Now he is king 4:40 PM Apr 9th from web

# Having something in comic form, an ashcan, what have you, is the easiest. Today with the global community, this is easier to do than before4:39 PM Apr 9th from web

# Now, all this said, sending in a writing submission like this is a very difficult way to get discovered. Having something in print is easier4:39 PM Apr 9th from web

# These don’t have to be fleshed out but go a very long was as they show us just how creative and prolific you can be.4:38 PM Apr 9th from web

# If you consider yourself someone who has great high concepts, you can also include several high concepts along with you initial pitches.4:38 PM Apr 9th from web

# This will show us your range.4:37 PM Apr 9th from web

# I’d recommend perhaps two or three samples like this. Pick a different character or team of characters. Add variety to the mix.4:37 PM Apr 9th from web

# Then, give us a scene with panels, action and dialog so that we can get an idea of how you would handle scripting. About 3-5 pages of comic4:36 PM Apr 9th from web

# Follow this with a three-paragraph breakdown of the three acts in your story. If you can’t do this rethink your story.4:35 PM Apr 9th from web

# If you can’t distill it down to one two sentences, then it’s not going to work. Trust me, this is very tough to do, you’ll be surprised.4:35 PM Apr 9th from web

# Give us a one or two sentence pitch of your story. In other words, “The High Concept.”4:34 PM Apr 9th from web

# Start by thinking of a 22 page, told in one story. This is much harder than you may think.4:34 PM Apr 9th from web

# This is what our monthly writers have to do. Yes, they reinvent from time to time, but most often they’re playing with the toys as they are4:33 PM Apr 9th from web

# This is what separates the men from the boys, women from girls. Work within the parameters, what can you do, can you make it interesting?4:31 PM Apr 9th from web

# Pick a character, lets say Spidey, and show us a pitch for a Spidey story as he exists in current continuity and current cast.4:30 PM Apr 9th from web

# If you get a gig at Marvel and steady work, then later we’ll be interested in your higher concepts. But when breaking in, keep it simple.4:28 PM Apr 9th from web

# What we want to see is how you handle our characters as they exist right now. Example: don’t redefine Wolverine, just write Wolverine.4:27 PM Apr 9th from web

# This is a waist of time. We don’t want to see that from you at this stage in the game.4:25 PM Apr 9th from web

# Too often writers want to send us an idea on how to reinvent or interpret an old character, or a concept for a big event.4:24 PM Apr 9th from web

# In many cases it may never get read at all. My advice is the same as for artist, keep it short and sweet.4:23 PM Apr 9th from web

# No matter how you look at it, a Brubaker script will always be at the top of the pile of stuff to read.4:22 PM Apr 9th from web

# Editors are busy and have scripts that have to be published that take precedence over everything else, so your sub is going to have to wait.4:21 PM Apr 9th from web

# Okay, now that that’s out of the way – -4:21 PM Apr 9th from web

# This is simply because a writer can produce more work in a given month than an artist can.4:19 PM Apr 9th from web

# However, while it’s harder to break in as a writer, if and when you do, you have a better opportunity to make more money than an artist.4:18 PM Apr 9th from web

# So, first and foremost, it’s much harder for writers to get looked out. That”s the hard truth.4:17 PM Apr 9th from web

# We’re trying to get our house in order and come back with a better submissions system and hopefully be able to avoid backlog in the future4:16 PM Apr 9th from web

# First let me make clear that because of a huge still unread stack of submissions, Marvel is currently not looking at new writer submissions.4:12 PM Apr 9th from web

# I’m going to keep this as short as possible and pick it up on another day. Consider this installment #14:04 PM Apr 9th from web

Good stuff. What about Jim Lee, you ask? Well, read on for today’s posts on art:

# Which led to this quick color tweak using sliders by me. Jonny then made it look much better/professional and sing! http://tiny.cc/7gPuv5 minutes ago from web

# Initial color pass by Jonny Rench wh I thought a bit 2 saturated and on sepia side for GOW which is more blue/cool http://tiny.cc/PWkZF7 minutes ago from web

# Approved n now w inks by Scott Williams;made tiny adj 2 linework myself wh is rare.Scott nails it 99 times out of 100 http://tiny.cc/U6J0f9 minutes ago from web

# Once approved by the kind Epic folk I added details,texture&shadow cleaner version easier to see for approval sake. http://tiny.cc/KJW5g12 minutes ago from web

# Which led to this layout img.Nt as wildly contorted so it lost sme energy but I wanted to make it a mre subtle gesture http://tiny.cc/kuvks14 minutes ago from web

# Initial layout for Gears of War cover…anatomy was too whack so I shot some photo ref which is rare http://tiny.cc/y277I17 minutes ago from web

# OK you doubter.My Gears of War cover w spectacular inks by Scott Williams and colors by Jonny Rench.Introes a new char http://tiny.cc/XKWvfabout 2 hours ago from web

‘Tis the season for Comic Con exclusives to be revealed and this week Diamond Select Toys and ActionFigureXpress.com announced 2 new Minimates boxed sets that will be sold at San Diego Comic Con 2009 :

Champions Minimates Box Set

This highly anticipated boxed set will be sold at San Diego Comic-Con July 22-26 and will be limited to just 2,000 sets! Includes four of the original Champions team members – Angel (in his classic red outfit), Ghost Rider (Johnny Blaze), Black Widow, and Hercules!

Exclusively available from Action Figure Xpress, stay tuned for preorder details for both attendees and non-attendees!

Terminator 2 Minimates Cyberdyne Assault Box Set

Featuring:

Muscle Shirt Terminator, SWAT Sarah Connor, Miles D, and Scorched Endoskeleton

This exclusive Minimates box set will be available at the 2009 San Diego Comic Con from Action Figure Xpress.

By Troy Hickman

Last time I talked a bit about how to behave at conventions regarding editors and such, and it got me thinking about conventions in general. I LOVE comic conventions. Love them love them love them. I love them like Tristan loved Isolde. I love them like Brad loves Angelina. I love them like an inbred mountain man loves Ned Beatty, and with almost as much tenderness.

Let me share with you, then, just a few of my more memorable convention moments:

* In the mid-90s, I signed up for my table at the Chicago convention, and one of the boxes on the form asked if you’d be willing to take part in any panel discussions. Well, heck, at the time I’d never done anything of the sort, but to a guy self-publishing mini-comics, it sounded pretty “big time,” so I proceeded to check the box, forgot about it, and never heard back from anyone.
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