Remember that Spider-Man game I blogged about earlier today? Yahoo Games reveals more details about it on their fancy Spider-Man:Web of Shadows page, including the storyline, guest appearances (like Luke Cage!) and the game engine, which provides the same kind of free-roaming environment fans came to love in the movie games:

Sorry, Tobey – Spider-Man: Web of Shadows isn’t based on the film franchise, it’s based on the web-slinging comic book legend himself, giving the developers at Shaba and Treyarch a great deal of leeway in crafting an entirely new plot. In a nutshell, New York has been invaded by something very bad, resulting in a cataclysmic event that has rocked city leaders to the point of declaring martial law. Other heroes are gathering uptown to protect civilians, while villains are grouping downtown to repel the aggressors. And Spidey? He has to sort it all out, of course.

They’ve also got a trailer up (embedded after the jump), as well as a subsite that will allow fans to vote on what’s revealed about the game as it is marketed. Interesting.

(more…)

Say hi to me.

I’m going to be at the show tomorrow and Saturday, schmoozing and covering a few panels for Newsarama. I’ll likely be wandering the aisles, clad in my usual all-black Capcom shirts and sporting a dazed expression. Feel free to say hello.

Continuing our series on stuff to do at the New York Comic Con this weekend, here are a few things that fans of the “big two” can check out …

1. News & rumors, straight from the source: The big two have many panels scheduled all weekend, and you can expect they’ll talk about Secret Invasion, Final Crisis and everything else they’ve got in the pipeline. Heck, we already know from Cliff Chiang they’ll be announcing something from him at the Vertigo panel on Friday, and the “Make Mine Marvel” panel on Saturday promises a “special surprise guest,” which could mean some new talent coming into their stable … that’s probably just the tip of the iceberg.

(more…)

Gamervision reports that Activision’s working on a new Spider-Man game called Web of Shadows:

Fans of Activision’s Spider-man video games will soon have something else to be happy about. Activision has just announced the next game based on everyone’s favorite comic web-slinger, which will be called Spider-man: Web of Shadows. This shouldn’t come as too big of a surprise, given that Activision hinted at a new Spider-man game earlier this year, but this is the first information we have received about it.

The timing makes sense, what with Activision recruiting possible voices for a new Spider-Man game at the New York Comic Con this weekend.

Update: Lots more on the game here.

This weekend’s New York Comic Con isn’t all about capes and tights and summer movies. Far from it: The programming is refreshingly diverse, with plenty of panels and events geared toward manga and anime fans, educators and librarians, children, aspiring creators and others.

I won’t be in attendance, unfortunately. But throughout the day I’ll spotlight some of the programming I’d probably check out if I were at the Javits Center.

First up, what those fans of anime and manga should check out:

1. Find out what the publishers have planned: Most of the major U.S. manga publishers have a presence at Comic Con, including panels that spotlight new acquisitions and their releases for the rest of this year and beyond: Viz Media (11 a.m. Saturday); Del Rey Manga (noon Saturday); Yen Press (1 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday); Digital Manga Publishing (3 p.m. Saturday); CMX (7 p.m. Saturday); and Tokyopop (2 p.m. Sunday).

Also, “nouvelle manga” publisher Fanfare/Ponent Mon is making a rare U.S. appearance as an exhibitor, with new titles in tow.

Fans of Marvel’s X-titles may want to swing by the Del Rey panel, because the publisher will reveal the final character designs for the X-Men and Wolverine manga.

If you’re extra sneaky, or charming, you might make your way into Friday’s press-only event showcasing Ultimo, the new collaboration by Stan Lee and Shaman King creator Hiroyuki Takei for Shueisha’s Jump SQ.II spin-off magazine. Viz Media promises to announce “exciting news” about the title. If I were a betting man, I’d wager the publisher has licensed the manga for release in North America.

(more…)

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stuff going on in New York City this weekend? Well, your Blog@ team is here to help, providing you with lists of things to do based on areas of interest.

The complete schedule is here, but may we suggest you …

1. Get the latest scoop: Although Stan Lee says that New York Comic Con will one day rival its summertime peer in San Diego, it isn’t quite there yet. But that doesn’t mean the big movie studios won’t be on hand to show off some material. Chris Carter and Frank Spotnitz will talk about the second X-Files film Friday night, while Disney will present exclusive footage from Prince Caspian and WALL-E on Saturday. Our buddy Marc Bernardin (who is probably enough of a draw himself) is hosting a Battlestar Galactica panel that same day, featuring Grace Park and Tahmoh Penikett. Will Boomer give him the kiss Starbuck denied him in San Diego last year? We’ll have to wait and see.

Also on hand: LucasFilm to talk Jones and Clones; Universal with Wanted, Hellboy and Hulk; Lionsgate with The Spirit; and New Line has Harold & Kumar and — wait for it — Neil Patrick Harris! Check out the full Hollywood schedule here.

(more…)

Attendees of the New York ComicCon can see Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist for free at noon this Friday. Jon B. Cooke, who produced and wrote the film, sent over some info on the screening:

You are invited to a free screening of Will Eisner: Portrait of a Sequential Artist
The Full-length Feature Film Documentary on the Legendary Storyteller at the New York Comic Con
Friday, April 18
12 noon
Room 1E10-1E11

Followed at 2 p.m. by The Will Eisner Tribute Panel featuring guests Mark Evanier, Paul Levitz, Michael Uslan, Carl Gropper, Andrew D. Cooke and Jon B. Cooke
SEATING IS LIMITED
Please go to NYCC Information Desk for your free ticket starting at 10 a.m.

The New York Times talks with legendary comics writer Joe Simon about the creation of Captain America, the recent Superman ruling and his own copyright dispute with Marvel Comics:

“That’s great,” the bespectacled Mr. Simon said. “Jerry Siegel started it,” he added, referring to the effort by Mr. Siegel’s wife and daughter in 1997 to secure the copyright to Superman. (Under a 1976 law, heirs can recover the rights to their relatives’ creations under certain circumstances. Mr. Siegel died in 1996 without major compensation for his character.) That family’s stand inspired Mr. Simon’s own claim to Captain America in 1999.

“We always felt ‘we wuz robbed,’ as Joe Jacobs, the boxing promoter, used to say,” Mr. Simon said of his dispute over the ownership of Captain America, which he settled out of court with Marvel in 2003. He said his royalties for merchandising and licensing use of the hero now help pay his legal bills from the case.

Simon, 94, also weighs in on the new Captain America: “The new costume, with the pistol and knife, and the old shield design going down to his privates, that’s not Captain America.”

He’ll appear Friday at the “Legends Behind the Comic Books” panel at New York Comic-Con.

In preparation for this week’s IcV2 conference, Calvin Reid speaks with CEO Milton Griepp about the event and the state of the industry in general:

PWCW: The annual white paper on the graphic novel market will have specific figures about the size and vitality of the market in 2007. But what can you tell us in general terms about the graphic novel market in 2007?

MG: The market is maturing and it’s become even more important for publishers to understand just what the market’s underlying trends are in order to be competitive. Growth in the graphic novel market has slowed down and the internal dynamics of the mix of products is changing. While the dollars are not growing, growth in the number of titles has not changed. Retail looks good, titles continue to grow so there’s more stuff for the retailers to sell.

EW.com has the first peek at the Rorschach and Nite Owl action figures from DC Direct’s collector-edition Watchmen line. The figures, based on the designs for the Zack Snyder movie, are set to debut Friday at New York Comic-Con.

The line should hit stores in January, and retail for about $14.99.

At the official New York Comic Con blog, Lance Fensterman announces that Stan Lee will receive the first Legend Award at the show next month:

The New York Comics Legend award was something we dreamed up this year and asked a few friends the help us fill in all the details (Thanks Charles!). Because NYC is the birthplace of comics and there are swarms of amazing creators and contributors that have called NYC home we wanted to do something to honor both the legends of our business but also the city that inspired so many of them. Each recipient will have made a major contribution to the advancement of comics, either through achievement in art or business; they will have made a significant contribution to the civic life in New York either through charity, education, public service or by advancing the image of New York City through direct involvement with New York. I’m pretty stoked to create a lasting award that honors the titans of comics and NYC all at once.

The award will be presented at a VIP party the Thursday night before the show at the Virgin Megastore in Times Square. Tickets for the event go on sale this Friday.