I’ve spend the last few months seeking out Transformers comics in an attempt to find which are the really goods ones (based on my suspicion that there must be some good comics for the franchise to have lasted so long). The best I’ve found so far have all been from Marvel UK and to have been written by Simon Furman, so I’ve got to assume Transformers: Best of the UK Omnibus has some pretty solid Transformers comics in it. It’s a 360-page, $25 collection collecting the contents of three other Best of the UK collections (Dinobots, Space Pirates and Time Wars), In addition to Furman, the creative roster for these old comics also includes Barry Kitson, Will Simpson, Doug Braithwaite, Bryan Hitch, Geoff Senior and others.

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Creator of Courtney Crumrin, Polly and the Pirates and artist of The Good Neighbors, Ted Naifeh, finally has a new website launched. It’s full of galleries with his art, influences and his future appearances.

Newsarama had a chance to speak to Naifeh to do and get some information about the new site and what he’s been up to.

You can check out the site out now: www.tednaifeh.com.

Over at his blog at Marvel.com, Executive Editor for Marvel Comics, Tom Brevoort is taking questions from readers.

As usual, the House Rules are:

1) Each poster can ask no more than two questions.

2) Any poster can veto any question for any reason.

It’s gotten quite a few so far, and this will be open for only a few more days. So if you have any lingering Marvel questions, now is a grand time for a chance to have them answered.

The past is coming back for consumers everywhere, as Hasbro has announced they will be releasing a new toyline based on the 1993 hit Jurassic Park later this fall!

Here are the toys that will be released exclusively at Toys ‘R Us:

Jurassic Park Basic Dinosaur Two-Pack Assortment
Now, kids can assemble their own dino army with this collection of authentic Jurassic Park dinosaurs! With two dinosaurs in each pack, this assortment allows children to create amazing dinosaur adventures.
Ages: 4 & up; No batteries required

Jurassic Park Deluxe Dinosaur and Figure Assortment
Each deluxe two-pack in this assortment comes with a dinosaur and a “Dino Tracker” action figure that is equipped with an accessory that l ets them track their prey. Now, kids can determine who will win the hunt –dinosaurs or humans.
Ages: 4 & up; No batteries required

Jurassic Park Electronic Dinosaur Assortment
The battle is coming! These fully articulated dinosaurs battle each other and have “dino-damage” to show for it. Each dinosaur lets out a fierce roar when kids activate its individual attack action. To create a more realistic battle, kids can also press the “dino-damage” to hear the dinosaur howl.
Ages:  4 & up; 3 “A76” or “LR44” Alkaline batteries required (included)

Jurassic Park Deluxe Electronic T-Rex
The king of the dinosaurs has arrived! This massive T-Rex comes to life with multiple growls, roars and howls and even a “bone crunching” sound effect for when it ea ts its prey. Additionally, its motion activated stomping sounds are sure to strike fear into humans and other dinosaurs alike. This giant dinosaur comes with a “Dino Tracker” action and a weapon that really fires. As an added bonus, the back of the box has an illustration that can be cut out and assembled into an off-road vehicle.
Ages: 4 & up; 3 “AAA” batteries required (included)

“Jurassic Park remains the quintessential dinosaur brand,” said Stephanie Sperber, Executive Vice President, Universal Partnerships & Licensing, in a written statement.  “The movies still rank as one of the top five trilogies of all time, and with Hasbro and Toys“R”Us behind the line, we know there will be great demand for the product.  We truly have a winning combination on our hands.”

If you like what you’ve read so far (c’mon, how can you not?) totally check out more super cute comics at:www.sosuperduper.com!

Via the Hollywood Reporter, Columbia has hired scribes Adam Fierro (TV’s The Shield and Dexter) and Glen Mazzara (also from The Shield) to write the sequel to the Will Smith superhero movie, Hancock. Plot details are minimal right now, but I’m sure they’re going to open up more on the world that was only hinted at the end of the film.

Hancock, a movie about a homeless man with super powers who goes under a public make over and discovers he is actually part of an immortal species that lose their powers when in the vicinity of other immortals. Apparently, Hancock took over a decade to get made, but with the Hollywood machine backing such a property, the sequel will move lightspeeds faster.

So what say you readers, did Hancock truly deserve a sequel?

Claudio Sanchez of the band Coheed and Cambria will be hitting New England this week, all while giving out a limited edition action figure and previews of his BOOM! Studios comic, Kill Audio!

Sanchez will be hitting the Hot Topic at Connecticut Post Mall in Milford, CT, on Thursday, August 27 at 2pm, and then will hit the Newbury Comics in Faneuil Hall in Boston on Friday, August 28 from 2-3pm.

Geek Girls Network has written up a Top 10 list of their favorite women in comics, which you can check out here — here’s a couple of highlights, such as her #2 pick, Death from Neil Gaiman’s Sandman:

Created by Neil Gaiman and Mike Dringenberg for DC comic book series Sandman, Death is a life-like personification of death, in the somewhat unlikely guise of an attractive young gothic looking girl.

Her first solo titles Death: The High Cost of Living (1993), and Death: The Time of Your Life (1996) were among the first to be released under the new Vertigo branding, which became a great platform for brillianly quirky, mature titles.

The fact that she is a pale yet charming young girl, rather than some unreal and frightening grim reaper figure, has gained her a lot of fans and she has been named the fifteenth greatest comic book character by Empire Magazine.

A strong, unusual female character achieving such a high status from comic book fans is inspirational for all comic book geeks, as it encourages everyone to continue creating such unique personalities.

But of course, all these lists are subjective, as author MariBiscuits notes. A few of these examples — such as Judge Anderson and Silk Spectre II — didn’t make my top list, and characters such as Maggie from Love and Rockets, Batgirl (Cassandra Cain), Kitty Pryde, Emma Frost, the Black Widow, or Terry from Zot! were sadly left out, and I know having Tank Girl as #1 is going to cause some debate. But still, it’s definitely a strong showing. Who are your favorite women in comics?

While I don’t think it’ll cause any major retcons or changes to the firmament, Stewie Griffin and Brian will be going where no Quahogian has gone before — the Multiverse.

The episode — titled “Road to the Multiverse” — will be the premiere of the show’s seventh season. As you can see here by this promo image, it’s definitely an homage to DC’s Crises.

Now if they can only get Grant Morrison and Superboy Prime in this episode, I will be the happiest man alive. If not, I guess I’ll have to go the other side of the pond and settle for watching this again and again.

[Via MTV]

I know I planned to do Events posts on Thursdays, but I just found out about this one today and as it’s a benefit for New Orleans, it is my responsibility as former New Orleanian to publicize it.

Josh Neufeld’s A.D.: New Orleans After the Deluge was a fantastic webcomic and is now a fantastic graphic novel. Come celebrate its release in New York City at Idlewild Books–$5 cover charge will go to benefit Common Ground, one of the many grassroots organizations rebuilding New Orleans, and one of the better ones.

Party from 6 to 9. Here’s the details.

You can read more about A.D. here in my interview with Neufeld.

As I’ve noted before, the judge in the ongoing Superman and Superboy lawsuits has been using his decisions to push the parties toward a settlement. The decision awarding addition material to the Siegels was no exception–Judge Larson may have pushed DC by giving the Siegels Krypton, but he also pulled back from a broader ruling that would have given the Siegels the copyright in Luthor and other key material.

Whatever the implications for copyright and comics history, Judge Larson’s opinions serve as paradigmatic example of judging as case management, as each new major ruling reminds the parties that the court is likely to issue a verdict that will satisfy neither side.

Accordingly, Judge Larson’s latest order should not come as a surprise. Here’s the text of that August 20, 2009 order, including the name of the court-appointed mediator and the schedule for the next month:

In light of the Court’s rulings to date in these companion cases, which have narrowed the areas of dispute between the parties, the Court believes that it would be prudent at this juncture for the parties to once again engage in meaningful settlement talks.

Previously, the parties utilized the good services of their jointly chosen mediator, Judge Daniel Weinstein (Ret.). The Court has also been informed that former California Supreme Court Justice Edward A. Panelli has graciously agreed to provide his services as a mediator for the parties if they so choose. The parties may contact Justice Panelli at (415) ***-****.

Regardless of which mediator’s services the parties wish to utilize, the Court hereby ORDERS the parties to devote the next thirty (30) days to engaging in good faith efforts to settle their dispute in the Superman and Superboy litigation. At the conclusion of this period, on September 18, 2009, the parties are to file a joint report, outlining the efforts that they have taken in furtherance of settlement (without, of course, revealing any of the substance of those efforts).

If the parties have not settled these cases at that point, the Court ORDERS a Status Conference to take place on September 21, 2009, at 11:00 a.m. to set further dates for the remaining phase two accounting trial in the Superman litigation.

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“There will be a Terry McGinnis mini-series early next year. We’ve heard the fans, we’ve heard everyone’s interest. And right now we’re planning to put out a Batman Beyond mini-series in 2010.”

- Dan DiDio, today, from Newsarama’s “20 Questions and 1 Answer”

Now, how cool is this? Growing up with Batman: The Animated Series (or B:TAS) and Batman Beyond and all the creations in the Timm/Diniverse, this is just great news. For those readers who aren’t familiar with Terry McGinnis, let me fill you in.

About ten years ago, Batman Beyond aired introducing us to the Gotham City of Tomorrow. We see a Gotham without a Batman and it’s not pretty. Terry is basically a juvenile delinquent whose father works for Wayne-Powers Industry. On the run from the Jokerz (a street gang that idolizes the Joker) he ends up at Wayne Manor where an old Bruce Wayne defends the gang off, but collapses. Terry takes care of Bruce and wanders around the mansion and discovers the Batcave. Bruce scares young Terry off, but when Terry gets home, he finds out his father has been murdered and later discovers that Bruce’s partner (Derek Powers) was behind it. When Terry asks for Bruce to help avenge his father (and is turned down), Terry takes matters in his own hands and steals the new exo-batsuit to go after Powers. Bruce is furious and actually shuts down the suit remotely, but Terry convinces him that he should don the cowl. Bruce takes the youth under his (bat) wing and hires him as his chauffer and personal assistant, which is just a facade and trains Terry to be the new Batman.

The series was fresh, fun and full of techgasms for people like myself. There were cameos as well, as Superman actually had a bit part in a few episodes and introduced the new Batman to the new Justice League. McGinnis was offically part of canon in Superman/Batman #22 and #23, though he was mistakenly called “Tim Drake”, but was later remedied. McGinnis also made appearances on Justice League Unlimited, which had ties to that show’s canon (namely John Stewart’s and Hawkgirls’s son, Warhawk). The series also paralleled some of Bat-mythos such as Terry falling in love with a criminal (Ten, from this generation’s Royal Flush Gang). Though, the REAL kicker here is what happens in the JLU episode “Epilogue”, which serves as a finale in ways to Batman Beyond. It’s so good, and so out there, I couldn’t spoil it on here for those of you who haven’t seen it.

I’m excited DC decided to re-ignite this franchise, even if it is a mini-series, but do you readers think?

From the Small Press Expo site:

Outstanding Artist
Tim Hensley, Mome (Fantagraphics), Kramer’s Ergot #7 (Buenaventura)
Nate Powell, Swallow Me Whole (Top Shelf)
Richard Sala, Delphine (Fantagraphics/Coconino)
Josh Simmons, Mome (Fantagraphics)
Carol Tyler, You’ll Never Know, Book One: A Good and Decent Man (Fantagraphics)

Outstanding Anthology or Collection
Abandoned Cars, Tim Lane (Fantagraphics)
Against Pain, Ron Rege Jr. (Drawn & Quarterly)
Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Book 5, T. Edward Bak, Anneli Furmark, Amanda Vähämäki (Drawn & Quarterly)
Fuzz and Pluck: Splitsville by Ted Stearn (Fantagraphics)
Kramer’s Ergot 7, ed. Sammy Harkham (Buenaventura)

Outstanding Graphic Novel
Acme Novelty Library #19, Chris Ware (Drawn & Quarterly)
Disappearance Diary, Hideo Azuma (Fanfare/Potent Mon)
Drop-In, Dave Lapp (Conundrum)
Nicolas, Pascal Girard (Drawn & Quarterly)
You’ll Never Know, Book One: A Good and Decent Man, Carol Tyler (Fantagraphics)

Outstanding Story
“The Carnival,” Mome #14, Lilli Carre (Fantagraphics)
Disappearance Diary, Hideo Azuma (Fanfare/Potent Mon)
“Seeing Eye Dogs of Mars,” Acme Novelty Library #19, Chris Ware (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Untitled,” Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Book 5, Amanda Vähämäki (Drawn & Quarterly)
“Willy,” Papercutter #10, Damien Jay (Tugboat)

Promising New Talent
T. Edward Bak, Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Book 5 (Drawn & Quarterly)
Colleen Frakes, Woman King (self-published)
Hellen Jo, Jin & Jam #1 (Sparkplug), “Diamond Heights,” Papercutter #9 (Tugboat)
Ed Luce, Wuvable Oaf (self-published)
Amanda Vähämäki, Drawn & Quarterly Showcase Book 5 (Drawn & Quarterly)

Outstanding Series
Danny Dutch, David King (Sparkplug)
Delphine, Richard Sala (Fantagraphics/Coconino)
Interiorae, Gabriella Giandelli (Fantagraphics/Coconino)
Reich, Elijah Brubaker (Sparkplug)
Uptight, Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)

Outstanding Comic
Danny Dutch #1, David King (Sparkplug)
Dead Ringer, Jason T. Miles (La Mano)
Interiorae #3, Gabriella Giandelli (Fantagraphics/Coconino)
Reich #6, Elijah Brubaker (Sparkplug)
Uptight #3, Jordan Crane (Fantagraphics)

Outstanding Mini-Comic
Claptrap #2, Onsmith
Just So You Know #1, Joey Alison Sayers
Stay Away From Other People, Lisa Hanawalt
Stewbrew, Kelly Froh & Max Clotfelter
Xoc, Matt Dembicki

Outstanding Online Comic
Bodyworld, Dash Shaw
Danny Dutch, David King
Thingpart, Joey Alison Sayers
Vanessa Davis’s comics for Tablet
Year of the Rat, Cayetano Garza

The awards are given out Saturday, September 26th during the Expo.

You have to love this JSA #30 preview from DC’s The Source Blog . . .

The latest iteration of Dr. Fate joins the fight, and the assembled armada of bad guys are none too happy about it. I’ve always loved the visual of Fate’s helmet, so I’m glad to see him show up (and so well-rendered on top of it).

For those playing at home, this Dr. Fate is Kent V. Nelson, the grandnephew of original Dr. Fate Kent Nelson. This version of the classic character has gotten play in the recent Countdown to Mystery and Reign in Hell mini-series.

As a fun bit of cross-platform synergy, Dr. Fate is available in the current-shipping Wave 8 of Mattel’s DC Universe Classics action figures. There’s a classic version and a variant “Hector Hall” version (with the modified Egyptian-themed neckpiece). If you recall, Hector Hall and his wife Lyta passed away and shuffled off to the Dream Dimension around Infinite Crisis.

Given the interesting things that Willingham and Sturges have done with the supernatural in their DC work (Shadowpact), Vertigo work (Fables, Jack of Fables), and Willingham’s many past projects (Elementals, Coventry, etc.), it’ll be entertaining to see what they do with the good doctor.

In honor of the character’s 60th anniversary, Ardden Entertainment will be resurrecting Casper, the Friendly Ghost later this fall!

Casper and the Spectrals — which will also encapsulate Wendy the Good Witch and Hot Stuff — will be written by Todd Dezago and illustrated by Pedro Delgado. The concept of the series was constructed by J.M. DeMatteis and Ardden co-founder Brendan Deneen.

The story deals with Spooky Town, a city of ghosts that lies unnoticed within New York City. Unfortunately, both towns are threatened by an entity called the Volbragg, bringing Casper and friends to the fore!

Too often it seems our best lessons of ‘violence doesn’t solve anything’ come after a dramatic and gruesome depiction of violence: Writer Bryan Farrell responds to two recent New York Times articles on graphic novels with political content, and how they address non-violence within their contents. The comics in question? The so-called Persepolis 2.0 re-mix, and the collection of DC/Vertigo’s latest incarnation of Unknown Soldier.

Superhero comics still not that popular: Yesterday the Washington Post ran a slightly altered version of the comic book-publishers-can’t-sell-fans-of-superhero-movies-superhero-comics story that was previously posted on Slate.com. So if you missed it when I linked to it on Slate, now you can read it here.

Fangirls on Batgirls: Wow. So last Wednesday DC’s Batgirl #1 introduced an all-new Batgirl (yes, it’s exactly who you thought it was going to be) and, perhaps unsurprisingly given the new ‘girl’s secret identity, the Internet had a lot to say about it. When Fangirls Attack has rounded up a metric ton of reactions which you can read here.

Now that’s economy: Top Shelf Production’s Hey, Bartender! blog has a five-panel Wolverine vs. Hulk comic strip by Jeffrey Brown. Oddly enough, it manages to contain all of the necessary elements you would expect to see in a Hulk vs. Wolverine comic despite the incredibly short length.

 Series 2 of History of the DC Universe from DC Direct hits stores THIS WEEK, and we’re here with an early look. This first shot of the line out of the package pays some homage to the decade in which one of the characters first appeared. Yes, The Creeper and Black Lightning love the ’70s. (Incidentally, the photos are by my lovely, tolerant wife, Becky.)

As you know, the figures in the this DC Direct sub-line are based on the art of George Perez. Perez, having decided that drawing the entire DCU in Crisis on Infinite Earths wasn’t NEARLY enough, also took on the art chores of the follow-up History of the DC Universe. The art of Perez is a perfect template for this series, as anyone that saw Assortment 1 knows.

Let’s take a look at the individual figures: (more…)

The first issue of this new miniseries from Archaia read a great deal like the work of someone new to the comics medium. Which is a little shocking, considering it’s written by longtime comics artist and writer Phil Hester (who also provides one of the several covers) and illustrated by Frazer Irving, an artist who also has plenty of great comics work on his resume.

Hester gives way too much information about unimportant things on several pages (including two splash pages featuring static images of the protagonist with columns of text narration that seem more appropriate for a work of prose), and too little information about more important matters.

Presumably in an attempt to keep a little mystery about the protagonist and premise, Hester lets the entire first issue slip by without giving readers much more than hints of what may come in future issues, or even answering pretty obvious questions that arise in the course of the story. Not only do the creators tell when they should show, sometimes they’re a little too coy about even telling.

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One of my favorite things about New York City is the massive amount of fabulous indie bookstores. I found another one yesterday in Brooklyn, and found this book on display:

Comic book superheroines bend steel, travel across time and space, and wield the awesome forces of nature. These mighty females do everything that male heroes do. But they have to work their wonders in skirts and high heels.

The Supergirls, a cultural history of comic book heroines, asks whether their world of fantasy is that different from our own. Are the stories of Wonder Woman’s search for an identity, Batwoman and Power Girl’s battle for equality, and Manhunter’s juggling of crime fighting career and motherhood also an alternative saga of modern American women?

Someone’s written my book! OK, maybe not entirely, though I do occasionally use superheroes as an extended metaphor, but I am fascinated. Haven’t read it yet, but I certainly plan to…

When two nations go to war, neither one wins. Well, actually, one side usually wins, but that victory is fleeting. In the next encounter, the winner is just as likely to end up the loser, and that cycle of conflict can continue forever. That seems to be the message of Antonio Prohias’ Spy Vs. Spy strips: One day you’re clubbing/shooting/poisoning/bombing/dropping a boulder on your foe, the next you’re being clubbed/shot/poisoned/bombed/having a boulder dropped on you.

The late Prohias’ Spy Vs. Spy was, of course, a mainstay in Mad magazine, where it enjoyed a 26 year run under his pen (and where it still continues, currently under Peter Kuper). In that time, it was often the magazine’s most accessible feature: Silent, short and physical-comedy driven, one didn’t need to know anything about politics or pop culture to get it…hell, one didn’t even need to know how to read.

For those whose favorite part of Mad was Spy Vs. Spy, publisher Watson-Guptill has a couple of treats: Republications of three paperback collections, subtitled Danger! Intrigue! Stupidity!, Missions of Madness and Masters of Mayhem. Each is in the basic format of a manga digest, making them perfectly constructed to share shelf-space in libraries and book stores, and is around the cost of a manga volume as well ($12 a pop).

The collections aren’t divided into volumes, and it hardly matters what order one reads them in, or if one bothers with more than one—Prohias’ strips are all self-contained, and there’s no larger story that needs to be followed, no state of affairs that isn’t completely re-set with each new strip, beyond the fact that the black spy and the white spy are always trying to get the better of one another.

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