Aaaaaand that’s a full set. IDW have officially announced today that they’re going linewide day-and-date through ComiXology (They’ve actually been doing it quietly since last month on selected titles; the press release today mentions that the addition of IDW titles “helped lift comiXology’s same-day-as-print offering over the 50% threshold,” which is really kind of amazing when you stop to think about it) as part of a larger announcement about the company’s digital output – including specific apps for  Transformers, GI Joe, Doctor Who and other titles -now being powered by ComiXology. This means that Diamond’s entire “premiere publishers” – IDW, Dark Horse, DC, Image and Marvel, AKA, the front half (and accompanying Marvel catalog) of Previews – have committed to same-date digital release of their comics by March 2012, with all but Marvel pricing their comics as same price as print for the first four weeks, and then a dollar cheaper afterwards (Marvel doesn’t do a price drop after four weeks – yet). And to think, this time last year, no publisher was linewide day-and-date digital…

Well, now we know the final issue of Daken: Dark Wolverine. Marvel’s website has an early look at the X-books for March, including this solicit:

DAKEN: DARK WOLVERINE #22 & #23
WRITER: Rob Williams
ARTIST: Alessandro Vitti
Covers By Giuseppe Camuncoli
Series Finale!
• Daken’s Terminal Disease Is In Its Final Stages. What Choices Will He Makes When Finally Faced With Death? Will He Die Here And What Will His Final Actions Be?
• The Final Confrontation Between Daken And His Father, Wolverine
32 Pgs. (Each) /Parental Advisory …$2.99 (Each)

The same month also sees the final issue of X-23, #21.

How many Christmas traditions can we fit into today’s advent cover? Well, there’s Santa, and chimneys, and mistletoe, and giant mallets… Wait, that’s not a Christmas tradition in the States…? (more…)

Getting ready for the holidays? Ron Marz has some swag on his site that will not only give you a great stocking stuffer, but will also help kids in need. Marz, who wraps up his seven-year run on Witchblade this week, has posted on his web site that he is offering several of his comics on PayPal, with the proceeds going to Toys for Tots.

- Green Lantern Retroactive 1990s, also signed by legendary inker Terry Austin, for $15.
- Shinku #1, #2, #3, my creator-owned book with Lee Moder (mature audiences), all three issues for $22.
- Sojourn #8, #23, art by Greg Land, both issues for $15.
- Scion #6, #7, art by Jim Cheung and Rick Leonardi respectively, both issues for $15.
- Scion #8, #9, art by Jim Cheung, both issues for $15.
- The Path Prequel and #1, art by Bart Sears, both issues for $15.
- Mystic #6, #7, art by Brandon Peterson and Steve McNiven respectively, both issues for $15.
- Mystic #8, #9, art by Brandon Peterson, both issues $15.
- CrossGen Chronicles #5, one of my favorite issues, with some stellar art by the great George Perez, $15.
- Magdalena Vol. 1 TPB, signed by me and artist Nelson Blake 2nd, and including an original Magdalena sketch on a backing board by Nelson. We have only TWO of these available, so act sooner rather than later on these. The TPB and sketch package is $50.

The best way to PayPal your purchase is to email Marz directly at kmarz@nycap.rr.com, with the address you’re shipping it to as well as any personalization you’d like to request. But act fast, as these books clearly won’t stick around long!

Jim Lee has designed a t-shirt for Free Comic Book Day 2012 — and, well here’s what it’ll look like (except picture it with sleeves and stuff):

The image comes courtesy of The Source, and as you can see, it’s the main seven members of The New 52′s Justice League, in all of their revamped splendor. The shirt will be solicited in January 2012′s Previews catalog, with proceeds supporting the Free Comic Book Day effort. This time around, Free Comic Book Day hits on May 5, 2012 — the day after Avengers debuts in theaters.

As noted by DC, the piece is an homage to José Luis García-López — check the original work after the jump.

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Something that I’m genuinely curious about from the most recent Diamond sales charts: What happened to Fear Itself: The Fearless? As a bi-weekly book, there are two issues in the new chart, but while #2 shows almost no drop-off in orders from the debut (57,794 estimated orders, according to ICv2, against #1′s 59,464 estimate), #3 – solicited at the same time as #2 – was ordered significantly lower (36,044 orders according to ICv2 estimates; that’s just 62% of #2′s orders). Why? Did retailers assume that 38% of the audience was going to jump off the book between #2 and #3 in the same month? Was Fearless #2 either overshipped, a la Point One, or part of some order-matching scheme in order for retailers to earn a variant edition or something similar? It’s such a large drop for seemingly no reason otherwise.

I remember reading someone – Dan Slott, I think, but I could be wrong – advance the theory once that books that ship more than once every month traditionally have heavier orders for the first issue of that month, which might account for some drop off, but 21,000 orders? That seems a bit much of a drop, surely.

Seriously, if retailers out there can help with this, I’d love to know if this is an entirely random steep drop, or if there’s something that helps explain it.

The world of professional wrestling has a cast of characters not so different than comics. You have your heroes and villains, both fighting for domination, or a championship. Legendary comic artist Jill Thompson has been busy designing ring attire for WWE superstar, Daniel Bryan (aka former residential indie legend, Bryan Danielson). Blog@ talked to Thompson about the inspirations that went into the designs, as well discussed her love of the sport, and whether she’d ever step into the ring.

Blog@: Who approached who on designing Bryan’s ring gear?

Jill Thompson: Bryan approached me. I would have never thought to do it if he hadn’t contacted me. I ‘armchair design’ some gear during shows, you know…you see someone who could use some pizazz or some color….everyone ‘s got black trunks because they are a tough guy…which gets a bit boring for me as a viewer… However I’ve never sought out anyone to ask them if I could redesign their gear.

Blog@: Bryan has a history of pretty simplistic attire, Jill what was your artistic approach to his designs?

JT: He asked me to design something cool, but to continue to use his colors of maroon and white. He said “Make me look like a superhero.”  and, as far as superhero gear goes, I’m a fan of stuff that looks wearable. I like to make things that look fashionable and functional, based on real world clothing.  So, I took my cue from Bryan’s name, “The American Dragon”. I thought to myself, what’s an American Dragon? A mythic powerful beast? Yeah, but taken to another more symbolic level? It’s a Hot Rod. A Muscle Car. Something that has great power and is uniquely American that the rest of the world still looks at and goes, “Aww Yeah! That is awesome!”

And Bryan has a classic American guy look. Like a Paul Newman. He’d look just fine sitting behind the wheel of a ’67 mustang or something. White t-shirt and jeans kinda timeless American style. I wanted to mix all of those elements up with a little bit of Evel Knieval thrown in for good measure. The first gear I designed for him was the boxer style hoodie jacket with the white stripes and flames. Just like the hood of a Mustang. The Dragon logo is an homage to the Mustang grill ornament and the lettering style is based on the Ford Mustang logo. I added hot rod style flames into it because I love how those things look and I thought it added another subtle Dragon-y element to it. I also design with the idea that these jackets (not the trunks or kick pads) could be worn outside the ring. I want Bryan to look at it as something he  could wear as civilian clothing.

Yeah, I know it’s got his name on it…but it has to. I’ve also sent him a few tshirt designs based on his gear. I want fans to see his gear and think, “Damn, I want a jacket like that!” That first jacket, in my notes, I was suggesting a soft fabric, like a really light hoodie material, lined with a jersey knit t shirt type fabric with no cuffs on the sleeve. But the gear maker chose another material. Leather or something. Which looked cool as well…it’s odd. You picture something in your head, but you don’t really know if the type of fabric you see in your head exists. Or if the gear maker has access to a a huge variety of fabric. Not everyone lives in the Garment District of NYC. How do designers get textiles made? Thats what I need! Access to a textile factory! And all of the subsequent gear I’ve designed since then, I’ve based on that first concept as well, just tweaked it in different ways. I’m trying to keep his closet full of a wide variety of outfits!

Blog@: For those that might not know, you’re actually a really big wrestling fan. How long have you watched wrestling programs?

JT: I remember watching  boxing and wrestling once with my Grandpa. It was on a Sunday and it was on a black and white TV. I didn’t know the difference between boxing and wrestling because of the ring, y’know. But I remember sitting on his lap and him being so animated the chair tipped over with both of us in it. Then he took out his false teeth and laughed and scared me silly! And the funny thing is- that could have been three separate instances, but I remember them all as one now. The next time I watched in earnest was when Hulk Hogan was blown up all over the world in the ’80′s. And then I didn’t really watch again until one Saturday morning when Brian [Azzarello] found it on my TV and we watched together. So that was mid 1990′s. I remember the debut of Mankind very well. All of those promos leading up to his debut, with him in the cellar, and there were rats and stuff and he was rocking back and forth…and then pretty much every Monday night more or less since the mid 90′s.

And, before you ask– No. I was NOT into the NWO. Sorry, everyone. I hated them. They stood around and did nothing as far as I was concerned. I liked the Guerreros and Rey Mysterio and other guys in WCW. In fact, my heat with them was so real I made Brian turn the channel when they came on. And I think that’s right about when  Steve Austin ‘broke’ into Brian Pillman’s house and Pillman had a gun out to defend himself. The soap opera lover in me was kinda hooked on that but at the same time I would get pissed at all of those type of  gimmicks on one level saying…”Oh, that guy’s got a gun and we hear a shot and then we just cut back to the ring announcer? Oh, Please, that’s so fake! How can they even show that!?”  But I got lost in the story quickly and forgot my cynical ways.

Blog@: Using the current WWE Superstar roster, whose gear would you love to design? What about anybody else from the indie scene? Colt Cobana, maybe?

JT: I’m happy designing Bryan’s gear for as long as he wants me to. It’s a good mix. I don’t  have ideas for random guys on the roster. It just happened that comics and wrestling mixed together in the right way for us. I work well off of a mutual admiration type of relationship. He knew my work and was a fan of it and was a fan right back.  He had an established gimmick that he was going to keep. He knew what he liked and gave me some direction. It’s important that the character be there for me to create something. And I’m really lucky that he’s liked most everything I’ve designed for him. Its really thrilling to see my drawings come to life. This latest set of gear has really gotten some nice compliments.

There are some guys who have asked me to design something, but unfortunately I haven’t been able to come up with anything! I’m also not a great logo designer, so when someone wants their name all fancied up, I might do better to send them to a logo designer or graphic designer. Just so they will get the best job. I mean I can do a little of that, but, it’s not something I think about all the time and I have no idea how to do stuff on the computer in photoshop and the like and that seems very computer necessary. I did design a couple of ring robes for Christopher Daniels. He was looking for something when he was in ROH. Something that would compliment his existing gear. I like what I designed for him, but I think his character in TNA has gone in a different direction. I’ll get to something for Colt one day. We’ve talked about it. A singlet of some sort. He’s got definite ideas of what he likes. I haven’t clicked with the right thing yet for him. But you never know.

Blog@: Wrestlers usually portray characters that are larger than life, do you think there is a correlation between the entertainment aspect of wrestling and super hero comics?

JT: I think that’s an easy answer: of course there is. Visually, the way the characters and the wrestlers look. The physicality of it, the costuming, the promos… all portrayed in the wrestling ring, which is kind of like a comic panel, if you think about it. And the characters break outside its panel borders on a regular basis. The commentators are the captions. The promos are the dialogue or in some cases monologue. All that talking works better in wrestling than in comics, because the voice overs don’t interfere with you being able to see the actual wrestling, the way it would if it was word balloons.

Blog@: Jill do you think that there’s a hidden wrestling superstar within you?

JT: Hidden? You do not know me well, sir!  I’ve got an affinity for the theatrical! I love to entertain an audience though a story and I’ve always been fairly strong… But the cardio! Lord, that’s some intense cardio!

Blog@: Do you have any more designs for Bryan in mind? Maybe something specific for a future world champion?

JT: There are three that have been on TV and two more in the works. When they come to me, I illustrate them, write notes on them and then send them to Bryan. He let’s me know if he likes them and then he gets them made. There are a couple cool ones that could be made in time for Wrestlemania!

The first issue is a double-sized, 44 pages of Fiona goodness for our regular ongoing price of just $2.99. I think people are going to love it so much they’ll want to forever tarnish their flesh with bad tattoos of our characters, but in the off-chance the book’s not for you, I’ll happily buy our first issue back from you (my address is included in what promises to be a trainwreck of a letter column).

That’s Brian K. Vaughan, talking about his new Image series, Saga, which launches March next year. I’ve really been looking forward to this since it was first announced – I’m a big BKV fan, with the exception of some of his Marvel work (Sorry, Ultimate X-Men, it’s probably me, not you) – but there’s something so charmingly old-fashioned about when a creator offers to buy issues back on their creator-owned books that would’ve won me over no matter what. Of course, judging by the Fiona Staples art from the book that’s been released, people might end up buying it for the visuals even in the unlikely possibility that they hate all the words.

It makes me wonder, though; Ed Brubaker offered to buy back issues of Criminal early in that book’s existence, didn’t he? What other creators have done the money back guarantee thing to promote their work?

With, it seems, the New 52 reclaiming the classic DC properties, many have been wondering what kind of future the Vertigo imprint had to look forward to. Yesterday’s solicitations might have answered that question with the revelation that March 2012 will see the launch of four new ongoing titles, the biggest push the imprint has seen in recent memory. Both Selwyn Seyfu Hinds and Denys Cowan’s Dominique Laveau: Voodoo Child and Paul Cornell and Ryan Kelly’s Saucer Country have had previews in recent anthology oneshots, and Fairest is a known quantity by the fact that it’s a Fables spin-off (That said, a Bill Willingham/Phil Jiminez pairing for the launch story seems like a strong first-foot-forward), but Dan Abnett and INJ Culbard’s The New Deadwardians remains an enticing mystery for now.

Vertigo titles hardly race up the DM charts, but recent ongoing launches like The Unwritten, American Vampire and Sweet Tooth have been both acclaimed and had some buzz about them, seemingly leading a critical renaissance for the line. It’ll be interesting to see how these new books turn out, and whether Vertigo becomes the place for DC’s new ideas, while the DCU is the sales engine where old ideas are kept fresh through relaunches and revamps.

Wait, the 13th? Does that mean that we’re officially into the twelve days countdown to Christmas? I’d better make this a good choice of yuletide cheer-giving comic cover, in that case… (more…)

It’s a big day for trailers previewing comic book-related movie sequels.

This morning, the Men in Black 3 trailer debuted. So the 1969 version of 65-year-old Tommy Lee Jones’ Agent K is… 43-year-old Josh Brolin? I demand realism in my space alien comedy!

Then late this evening came the Rock-filled G.I. Joe 2: Retaliation trailer, which is exciting the Twitterverse as we speak for generally looking way better than 2009′s G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra.

Here’s what Avengers writer Brian Michael Bendis said about the G.I. Joe trailer on Twitter: “so when cobra went to the drapery and ordered the cobra drapes for the white house windows, no one was suspicious?”

How do the trailers look to you? Let us know in the comments!

Announced today on DC’s official publicity blog The Source and quickly buried by the flurry of March 2012 solicitation information, the Tiny Titans creative team of Art Baltazar and Franco are teaming up for a new series titled Superman Family Adventures, starting next year. There isn’t a known start date yet for the series, but it’s being previewed in the “DC Nation 2012 Free Comic Book Day Super Sampler,” coming to shops on May 5. Says DC of the book: “The series will be starring (you guessed it!) the whole Superman gang – Superman, Supergirl, Superboy, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen, Lex Luthor, Bizarro, General Zod and … Fuzzy the Krypto Mouse!”

The news that Marjorie Liu and Mike Perkins are taking over Astonishing X-Men with #48 raises the obvious question: What happened to Greg Pak and Mike McKone? The Liu/Perkins run is being described as “open-ended,” so this isn’t some kind of revolving creative team situation. It continues a bad run of luck for Pak fans, what with his Alpha Flight and Herc titles with Fred Van Lente being canceled, and his Incredible Hulk run having just ended.

There are two more Marvel Next Big Thing calls set for tomorrow and Wednesday, so there’s every possibility that we’ll find out what Pak is doing next sooner rather than later, but nonetheless: I thought it was DC who was supposed to be having making all the changes to writers on series with little notice these days?

IDW is set for an interesting 2012 with today’s news that current Chief Operating Officer Greg Goldstein has been promoted to President, so that co-founder Ted Adams can concentrate on continuing the company’s growth. According to Adams, quoted in the press release sent out this morning, IDW is “exploring new markets and potential acquisitions, and Greg’s role as president will allow me more time to focus on these avenues of expansion, while we continue to elevate our publishing program.”

With things like the Craig Yoe-edited books, the artists’ editions and collections of classic, out-of-print series like Rocketeer and Starstruck, IDW has shown itself to be dedicated to some level of comics conservancy. Could the “potential acquisitions” mentioned above be IP from comic companies that have come and gone, perhaps…?

Artist Robbi Rodriguez has been making a name for himself as of late. Aside from independent hits such as Tek Jansen, Moon Lake, and the upcoming Polly and the Pirates 2, he’s also joining Rick Remender on Uncanny X-Force and Vertigo title, The Unexpected. Rodriguez has been promoting the sequel to his creator-owned Frankie Get Your Gun. Blog@ talked to Rodriguez and discussed “FGYG2″ and his influences behind his storytelling process.

Blog@: Robbi, you’ve been promoting Frankie for a while now. The first part came out last year or so, for those unfamiliar with Frankie and why she has to get her gun, can you fill us in?

Robbi Rodriguez: Yeah FGYG is an acid western. It’s about the subject of revenge and just what are the ramifications from those actions. Its follows the typical hit list formula at the very beginning, but I start it out at the end of the list. It follows Frankie Kansas, a child born with the soul purpose to seek retribution of a gang of land grabbers from years past. The thing is Frankie is autistic and that handicap has been used to her advance on her campaign over the years by her trainer, Jericho Topo, a ex-war vet. And it will be needed as her last target , Bastin Window, an immortal space god trying  to make out of town as he’s doubled-crossed one to many folks. But at its heart it’s also about some Mother-Daughter relations. I grew up in a house of women and seeing first hand a woman finding her identity with a mother’s preset obligations. I found it could be the foundation hell of a story. Especially one with basically two female leads.

Blog@: Interesting that you’d make Frankie autisic, any reason on why?

RR: That’s an aspect I took from the 70′s Hong Kong and Japanese films. The protagonist in those films always have a handicap. The one-armed boxer for example that actually serves as an advantage. And with all the films in the revenge genre they always have this one-tracked mind or presented as a thoughtless killing machine. While she is not thoughtless at all, she is presented to her world as one.

Blog@: Like “The Blind Swordsman: Zatoichi“?

RR: Exactly.

Blog@: The art style is very kinetic here. What are some influences on your style and the visuals you used?

RR: This is basically the voice that has been trying to get out for a while. “Polly 2″ was the hill I needed to climb to find it. I alway wanted to do something like this because this was something I was not seeing out there while I was originally working on it. I am a huge Jamie Hewlett fan, and as you can see by the work, a huge Tank Girl fan, too. Thus the nod with Frankie’s look. I wanted to see comics like that again. I mean you see it in most indie books, but I wanted to bring it back to genre comics. Not just a slice of life about nerd pop culture. And I also wanted to bring that energy of the 70′s low budget genre pics. I guess what they call “Grindhouse”. I grew up on that stuff. Dawn of the Dead is the point I wanted to hit.  Its so over the top, but at the same time it’s so down to earth. I wanted to bring the attitude of a Hewlett and [Katsuhiro] Otomo with character interaction of a [Alex] Toth and [Dave] Mazzucchelli.

Blog@: So where are you taking Frankie and company in Part 2?

RR: Issue two recounts the story of the train ride out of town. It’s the beginning of the race for Window. All the parties are showcased and what they have to lose. My wife was looking over the end of the issue and she was shocked by a direction I took. I knew I was on to something here. It’s an issue to show that there are no black and white hats here. They are grey in their own way.

Blog@: And you’re planning on making this a web series, correct?

RR: This was always planned as a digital comic from the start. Back in ’05 when I just heard the rumors of an Apple tablet reader. It will be online for free at Frankiegetyourgun.com every Wednesday, 2-5 pages a week. But also a magazine-sized version of the issues as well. Then down the line, a hard cover collection with an EP from this great band called Married with Sea Monsters.I wanna use the Radiohead/NIN model. Value for value. Support it in a way you see fit. If you want to chip a buck or buy a book, rad. If you just wanna just read the book, hey just spread the word. It will also be on Four Studio’s Double Feature with 50 pages at 99 cents.

[Blog@ notes: Robbi even made a "trailer" for FGYG2: click here]

When it comes to series that you’d think weren’t really likely to have spent any time or effort creating a one-shot especially for the holidays, today’s seasonal offering has to have been high on the list you’ve just compiled in your head. Click through to find out who had more cheer in their heart than you’d have thought. (more…)

Two weeks until the big day when Santa Claus comes down the chimney/some other entrance of your choice and delivers good cheer in the form of presents, and I can tell that you’re excited. But while we’re thinking of visitors into our home, bringing all manner of Christmas surprises, click through to see who else is coming to visit… (more…)

We’re into double figures! We’re into double figures! Happy second Saturday in December, everyone. Congratulations on making it this far… What say you click through and we all celebrate with a nice meal? (more…)

If you were wondering when Jim Lee would need a fill-in artist on Justice League, your answer arrived today, via The Source: March’s Justice League #7, the first issue to take place in the present day of The New 52. Relieving a guy like Jim Lee takes a high-profile artist, and they got one: Top 10‘s Gene Ha, who will be illustrating issue #7 and #8, with Lee coming back with #9. Issue #7 also happens to host the first installment of the previously announced “The Curse of Shazam” back-ups by Geoff Johns and Gary Frank; Frank talked to Newsarama about that here.

We also now know who is going to be drawing Ann Nocenti’s Green Arrow, thanks once again to The Source: Harvey Tolibao, seen recently over at Marvel on Heroes for Hire and Silver Surfer. That also starts in March, with Green Arrow #7.

Black-and-white preview pages from both projects are after the jump.

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More Free Comic Book Day titles have been announced, with Diamond unveiling the “Silver Sponsor” level of releases, including new titles from the likes of Grant Morrison, Gilbert Hernandez and Stan Lee (who, no joke, is writing an Elvis book for Liquid Comics. My mind is blown). You can see the entire list here, but my pick of these new titles is under the jump. (more…)